Profile: Pamela Yugar, Director of Recreation and Community Services Bell Gardens Golf Course

Interview by Leslie McGuire, managing editor

Pamela Yugar, Director of Recreation and Community Services at the Bell Gardens Golf Course. Photos courtesy of the city of Bell Gardens Golf Course

Pam Yugar is Director of Recreation and Community Services at the City of Bell Gardens Golf Course, a hidden gem in the southeast area of Los Angeles, and winner of the Professional Grounds Management Society?EUR??,,????'???s 2007 Green Star Award. Although Pam is not a landscape superintendent, she managed an amazing turnaround using a new outside contractor to renovate and take care of the course while she handled the sports park and surrounding amenities. For many years, this large area was contracted out to an ineffective outside vendor and, for the most part, the land was ignored and poorly maintained.

This past year, 500 to 600 people visit the Bell Gardens Golf Course and the concession stand on a weekly basis. Before redoing the course, they had 20,000 rounds per year. But now, just one year later, the course is so popular they are up to 35,000 rounds per year.

In 2004, the city of Bell Gardens took notice of this opportunity and created a plan to enhance and renovate this once neglected and poorly maintained golf course. The city severed its contract with the vendor and took back ownership of this land in hopes of creating a positive new golf experience for the youth and families in the community. In one year, the city with the help of some fantastic maintenance aid was able to turn this once dilapidated golf course into a beautiful highly utilized public facility for the children and families of Bell Gardens.

But the grass reacted so positively to the change, in one year, the results are quite magnificent.?EUR??,,????'?? The concession, starter course and golf course were maintained by an outside firm. The recreation department felt they could do it better than an outside company. Pam?EUR??,,????'???s first question when she came on board was, why does the grass look so bad? They hired Valley Crest who said it would take 2 years because there was so much disease. Now, after only one year they have already received an award for the beautification and renovation of the course. ?EUR??,,????'??That was a big deal because the turf specialist said it would take a year or two for everything to heal properly. But in that year everything aligned right. It rained, trees were trimmed correctly and when they were supposed to. It was a perfectly aligned year maintenance-wise and earth-wise too.?EUR??,,????'??

All the flower beds are planted with California friendly, drought tolerant plants including bougainvillea, California lilacs and ice plants. They maintain the irrigation with in-house people who are specialized. To maintain the walkways, they power wash once a month and sweep daily.

?EUR??,,????'??Our department runs the concession stand, martials the course and maintains the restrooms, walkways, irrigation and flower beds. Valley Crest takes care of the grass and turf. The city takes care of the trees. City employees also take care of walkways and sports fields. There are 20 to 40 part time employees who work on the sports complex, which depends on the season and the sport.?EUR??,,????'??

Trees provide both beauty and challenges for the golfers. The lush fairways are an oasis in one of the most densely populated cities in Los Angeles.

?EUR??,,????'??Mature trees often result in large limbs becoming top heavy. This large branch had to be removed after a wind storm. In addition, mature trees shed bark and drop leaves, impeding the growth of the turf below. ?EUR??,,????'??One of our biggest challenges in this renovation included some pretty sick trees, and that also affected the irrigation as well. During a wind storm, one of the trees collapsed breaking a main irrigation line,?EUR??,,????'?? says Pam.

The golf course is adjacent to the ten million dollar sports center with four soccer fields and two baseball/softball fields. Park staff maintains the synthetic turf soccer fields, which is very specialized. It has to be groomed and brushed daily. ?EUR??,,????'??We have a grooming machine, looks like a lawn mower, but it is a specialized diesel tractor. Turf for the other fields is taken care of by Valley Crest. We had to buy two mowers because they couldn?EUR??,,????'???t mix the seeds of the two different types of grass on the other fields.

She?EUR??,,????'???s always liked fixing things and green space and in addition has a real fascination with why things grow or don?EUR??,,????'???t grow. This is her first golf course.

?EUR??,,????'??When the course was in bad shape, no one cared. Now they follow the rules, they understand the etiquette of the game, they respect the staff and the personnel. It may not have raised property values yet because of the ongoing housing market crisis, but it could very well have a real positive impact in the future,?EUR??,,????'?? says Pam.

Her view was that golf courses were supposed to be beautiful. She just knew she wanted it to be green. Now ultimately they have a better course. They had a lot of help from people who knew what they were doing and Pam did a lot of research, which was how they found Valley Crest.

The Patio is outside the concession stand of the golf course. Now, the course is the best spot in town and residents are the majority of the visitors on site. Our children?EUR??,,????'???s golf classes area success and the community is seeing many positive effects from the beautification of the golf course.?EUR??,,????'??

?EUR??,,????'??The local people love it,?EUR??,,????'?? says Pam. ?EUR??,,????'??When it was in bad shape it cost two dollars to play. We spent lots of money and closed the course down for six months to heal the turf. People were very upset, but then they were upset all over again when it reopened because the price had gone up to seven dollars. Now after three to six months of playing on the new course, they recovered.?EUR??,,????'?? Says Pam, ?EUR??,,????'??It?EUR??,,????'???s manicured so it rolls beautifully. We did not redesign anything, we just healed the patches of dirt and weeds. There was no grass. It didn?EUR??,,????'???t even look like a golf course. It looked like the desert.?EUR??,,????'??

?EUR??,,????'??We recently received a $15 thousand grant from the US Golf Association so we can give free golf lessons to 288 children,?EUR??,,????'?? says Pam. ?EUR??,,????'??It?EUR??,,????'???s very symbolic because people said Latinos don?EUR??,,????'???t like to golf, but the neighborhood has developed a real love for the game. It altered the neighborhood in a very positive way, and it?EUR??,,????'???s changed the way people feel. They take care of it now.

There is no full time in-house staff for the golf course because that aspect of the park is outsourced. However, they employ the equivalent of one part time and one full time person for maintenance of the flower beds, hardscapes concession stand and tree care.

This past year, 500 to 600 people visit the course and the concession stand on a weekly basis. Before redoing the course, they had 20 thousand rounds per year. But now, just one year later, the course is so popular they are up to 35 thousand rounds per year.