Golf Course Solutions

Maintenance at Castlecove Golf and Country Club.

Greg Campbell explains the benefi ts golf clubs can achieve in outsourcing course maintenance

Golf club members are a pedantic lot when it comes to the condition of their home course.

Throughout the year, they see the perfectly manicured rolling fairways, unblemished greens and garden-lined tee boxes when watching the best men and women contest the major golf tours across the world on TV.

There is a high degree of envy with how the pro players smash the ball 300-odd metres down the fairway and sink long putts on deceptive, undulating greens, and they covet the opportunity to play at magnificent courses such as Augusta National and St Andrews where their natural beauty makes any round a pleasure - regardless of their score.

So, when it comes to their own course, they are often highly critical when fairways and greens resemble a rough moonscape when divots are either not replaced or repaired, when greens are patchy and two-paced, or when bunkers are hard and lack adequate sand.

The course superintendent, greens staff, club captain and Board members are often on the receiving end of the ire of members when course conditions fall below satisfactory levels.

Throw in the huge recent increase in popularity golf has received during the COVID-19 pandemic since March, and many clubs are struggling to maintain the condition of their course because grounds maintenance staff are lacking resources, personnel, knowledge and expertise plus adequate budget to keep the membership happy.

For public golf clubs, who rely on regular rounds from social clubs and social players in addition to membership fees, they are dependent upon this much needed income.

If members/players find a course in poor condition, then they are likely to walk away and find an alternative venue.

Enter leading privately-owned Australian company, Landscape Solutions, who believes there is a new future in golf course management - outsourcing all golf course maintenance.

The General Manager of its Golf Course Solutions division is the highly credentialled Peter Schumacher who has seen it all when it comes to golf course management.

He is the former Superintendent at the exclusive Elanora Country Club, on Sydney’s northern beaches, and was the former General Manager at nearby Monash Golf Club and Pennant Hills Golf Club in Sydney’s north west.

He explains “generally, golf clubs operate on a very traditional basis. Course superintendents are often long-term employees and club Boards are usually quite conservative.

“So, when you discuss outsourcing the course maintenance, the first reaction is negative because there is a high degree of comfort in doing things the way they traditionally have been done.

“But when you explain the wide-ranging and highly flexible benefits our out-sourced solution provide, they are more receptive and willing to consider change. At the end of the day, course maintenance is the highest cost associated with golf clubs, and budgets are always under pressure,” he added.

“We believe outsourcing course maintenance is not only economically smart, but more efficient and effective.”

Golf Course Solutions is a new division of Landscape Solutions whose primary business delivers comprehensive landscape services ranging from complex works such as civil and irrigation construction, through to landscape and sports fields maintenance.

The business commenced in 1993 when current owner, Tim Buckle, founded the business with little more than a ute, a shovel and a healthy desire to work hard and deliver results for his clients.

Now 27 years later, the business has offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Auckland and employs upwards of 600 full-time staff, plus subcontractors and casual workers.

In recent months, the company completed the $12 million state-of-the-art training facility for A-League football club, Western Sydney Wanderers in Blacktown, and the $18.7 million landscaping project at the luxurious beachfront 5-Star Jewel Apartments on Queensland’s Gold Coast.

Buckle and his General Manager of Maintenance, Hamish Inglis, saw the opportunity in golf course maintenance and the company now manages seven golf courses in Sydney

Golf Course Solutions’ Peter Schumacher (below left) and greens renovation (above).

and Melbourne including maintaining the high traffic Moore Park Golf Course on the fringe of the Sydney CBD, plus the Belgravia Leisure managed Yarrambat Park Golf Course, north of Melbourne.

Inglis advises “when we initially researched golf course maintenance across the country, we found there were significant inefficiencies given the high costs associated with machinery, materials, labour and administration.

“For example, there is expensive machinery such as green corers and turf aerators which are only used seasonally and often sit idle in the works shed for around 45 weeks of the year. And these machines, along with all other machinery, required ongoing maintenance which drag course staff away from their primary responsibility of preparing and maintaining the course.

“We believed there was a better, more efficient way to deliver high quality course maintenance services to golf clubs across the country.

“Our outsourced maintenance model sees us as a key partner where we have full responsibility for all grounds staff including wages, superannuation, workers’ compensation, insurances, training and annual leave.

“We are passionate about our work, and our philosophy and core values are based on an unrelenting focus on the customer. We aim to go above and beyond expectations when we undertake our work.

“Once we come on board, a club can focus on the main income generating aspects of their club such as membership, events, bar and dining services rather than the major income expenditure area which is the course itself.”

Under Golf Course Solutions outsourced model, Schumacher said the company is fully accountable for all agreed course maintenance and presentation programs and works at a pace which aligns with club budgets.

He notes “we work closely with the clubs to develop an annual works program that reflects their desired outcomes whether they are financial, related to turf quality or course enhancements to areas such as greens, tees, fairways and hard infrastructure.”

Schumacher said one key benefit of outsourcing with Golf Course Solutions is its buying power and the availability of a diverse range of machinery which most clubs cannot afford to purchase, going on to explain “because we are a large scale business, we can purchase materials at prices better than what individual clubs can secure. This can either improve a club’s bottom line, or the club can use these savings and allow it to invest in other course materials or projects.

“Additionally, if a green or fairway mower breaks down and requires repairs, we can immediately call in a replacement mower to ensure the quality of the playing surfaces are not compromised.

“When equipment breaks down, this can severely impact a club’s budget, particularly if a piece of machinery, such as a $35,000 ride-on fairway mower, requires replacing. But these costs are solely borne by us, and not the club, so their cashflow and budgets are unaffected.”

Schumacher said the company’s vast range of experts can assist clubs with major course upgrades such as irrigation, drainage, course watering, cart paths, re-bunkering and other landscaping and garden works, adding “we have the staff and the experts to immediately undertake major course improvements under a payment plan without clubs needing to use precious capital funds.”

Michael McKay, Belgravia Leisure’s Area Manager Golf Victoria, said Landscape Solutions have continued to exceed expectations at Yarrambat Park and Spring Park Golf Courses, commenting “the culture of the team recruited, their inclusive personalities and consistent working behaviours, has lifted the quality of the courses immensely in a very short period of time.

“Landscape Solutions deliver a ‘manage up’ service to all clients. Whether it’s the weekly push reports or fortnightly flash meetings, we’re always made to feel like our asset will be presented in the best possible condition for the community.”

Stating that golf is a sport which has always embraced change and technology advancements, and outsourcing golf course maintenance to a team of experts requires a leap of faith which can help launch the game to new levels of enjoyment for members and recreational players, Schumacher concludes “golf club and golf ball manufacturers spend millions in research and development to produce clubs and balls which give players a decisive edge. They also invest heavily in additional products such as teaching and practice aids, plus player accessories like electric buggies and GPS rangefinders to allow players to further enjoy their golfing experience.

“However, the one basic requirement for all players is to play on a top quality course, and we fervently believe that our outsourcing model provides golf clubs with the people, knowledge, skills, equipment and expertise to deliver the playing experience players seek when on the first tee.” Greg Campbell is Managing Director of strategic communication company Prism.