Articles written by some golf course architects might play down or ignore that golf course superintendents can be helpful if they become involved as early as possible in the design and construction of a new course.

Everyone benefits if the development team works together from the inception of the golf course. The superintendent benefits by knowing the course from the ground up?EUR??,,????'??+seeing soil and water conditions during mass grading, for example. Also, if present during installation of underground works, such as drainage and irrigation, the superintendent can contribute to his or her overall professional knowledge of how the particular systems are designed and the way in which they?EUR??,,????'???re intended to contribute to an excellent overall course.

The golf course owner also benefits in the long run from the superintendent?EUR??,,????'???s deepened understanding and involvement and the added interest and increased efficiency of his staff. Also, the superintendent can contribute to immediate savings through his knowledge of local conditions, and changes can be made in the design early enough in the planning stages to synchronize with the superintendent?EUR??,,????'???s proposed maintenance program.

Golf course architects also benefit. Our experience has been that the superintendent who has been involved in construction is more knowledgeable about design concepts and strives to maintain them in future maintenance. This is only natural, since being involved in the process allows him or her to more fully understand these concepts. A superintendent brought in after the initial planning and construction might fail to grasp the intent or importance of certain design features and may, unknowingly, obliterate them.

Another positive factor in having the superintendent involved from the beginning of the job is increased pride in his or her ?EUR??,,????'??personal?EUR??,,????'?? course?EUR??,,????'??+a natural pride in its creation in which he or she was an important participant.

Golf course architects derive an identical creative satisfaction. Indeed, it?EUR??,,????'???s a major reason for being in the business! It is unfortunate that superintendents are not always given an opportunity to be involved in the creative process. They have much to offer and can become extremely interested and intensely involved if given the chance to do so. A few case histories of courses that our office has been involved in offer ample evidence of what this interest and involvement can mean:

A ?EUR??,,????'??once in a lifetime opportunity?EUR??,,????'?? is how Jeff Parks describes his first Head Superintendent?EUR??,,????'???s job at Lake Arrowhead Golf Course near Nekoosa, Wl. Parks had been working as an assistant superintendent at Blackhawk Country Club in Madison, Wi., in 1980, when he was tapped for the head job at Lake Arrowhead, then just barely under construction. Thus, he was not taking over an existing operation, but rather a large, sprawling, torn-up piece of property with absolutely no improvements. He was responsible for design and construction of his maintenance building, hiring a crew and directing many construction and cleanup operations on the golf course, as well as keeping close watch over the financial expenditures for the development of the 600-acre golf and housing complex. Although it was hard work at the time, his involvement was deeply satisfying, and I doubt that we would trade the experience for any other. To us, his observations and contributions were invaluable and were integrated into many areas of the design. Parks?EUR??,,????'??? viewpoint in the realm of cart path use?EUR??,,????'??+with regard to intended equipment and practical maintenance?EUR??,,????'??+proved to be particularly valuable. His past experiences called forth many practical suggestions that were ultimately incorporated into the design. From our standpoint, it is far better to incorporate maintenance ideas during construction and combine them with our sense of esthetics than to return later only to find the original concept altered.

A Superintendent Included in the Decision-making Process Can Preserve the Integrity of the Design Principles

And Jeff Parks says, ?EUR??,,????'??There are some areas where I compromised and got some high maintenance features. But I have a course I can maintain and the architects got the aesthetic look they wanted. I don?EUR??,,????'???t mind some high-maintenance features. After all, you want the golf course to have great visual appeal.?EUR??,,????'??

Regarding visual appeal, we feel that superintendents contribute greatly to this with good maintenance. Because Mr. Parks was tuned in to our philosophy during construction, he has strived to maintain the integrity of our design in his maintenance and refinement of the course. In fact, when I saw one of his alterations, I thought I would have done it exactly the same way!

Another superintendent who we feel has contributed greatly to the appeal and playability of one of our golf courses is Peter Sinnott at Sand Creek Club in Chesterton, Indiana. The course is near the Indiana dunes, and part of our design was trying to recreate the feel of the dunes in parts of the golf course. Sinnott came up with the idea of letting the edges of the traps remain long, replicating the dunes?EUR??,,????'??? grassy image. Later, when some native material transplanted into our artificial dunes did not do well, he sympathetically added new plant material to keep the same feeling.

Superintendents who realize and preserve aesthetic appeal are, indeed, a plus. Their involvement is also beneficial in helping write specifications for initial fertilization programs and other programs. For example, when we designed the Forest Preserve National Course (for the Cook County Forest Preserve in Tinley Park, IL), Superintendent of Golf Oliver Miles produced the entire set of specs for seeding, fertilizing and initial grow-in by the contractor. Those were based on Miles?EUR??,,????'??? experience in building and maintaining other forest-preserve courses.

The concept of hiring a superintendent with a knowledge of local conditions is especially important now that many golf course architects work on a national or international basis. When we run into unfamiliar soil conditions for example, we rely on the advice of a knowledgeable superintendent.

These examples serve to show that everyone benefits from the efforts of a superintendent during construction. These benefits can be summarized as follows:

1. Cost savings to owner, both short and long term.
2. Having the extra set of eyes looking at construction problems from a long term, maintenance perspective results in practical solutions.
3. Being on the job familiarizes the superintendent with the design principles used on the course.
4. Being on-site adds a dimension of job satisfaction for the superintendent.

I would hope that every superintendent can at some point in his or her career get the ?EUR??,,????'??once-in-a-lifetime?EUR??,,????'?? opportunity to be involved in the construction of a new course.

The preceding was adapted, with authorization, from Golf Course Management magazine, the official publication of the Golf Course Superintendents?EUR??,,????'??? Association of America.