THE COUNTRY CLUB AT LOCH LLOYD GOLF COURSE MAINTENANCE UPDATE
Dear Member, I wanted to start off this report with a quick thank you to my team. Throughout the different challenges brought forth during the past year, the one constant has been the hard work by all of the associates. This is not isolated to Golf Course Maintenance by any means, as all of the Loch Lloyd associates have been in the trenches. However, through the pandemic, the harsh cold winters and hot, humid summers, the GCM team has worked some tireless hours to provide the best experience for you and your guests while out on the golf course. A special thanks to my team … pictured below. This report will highlight a few of our new team members as well as focus on a few activities, questions, concerns and upcoming projects. I also included a few thoughts on what the role of a “modern golf course superintendent” looks like. This article was featured in the spring edition; however, many of you may have missed it, so I’ve shared these thoughts again. I would like to thank you for taking the time to read this second edition of my report for 2021. Summer is upon us and golf is in full swing! At the time of writing this, we were in the middle of an extensive heat wave and prepping for The Whummle. The GCM team appreciates all of the kind support that it has received lately related to course conditions. We receive many questions on a daily basis from the membership, home owners, guests and associates. Please continue to ask as I cannot help with what I do not know. Feel free to reach out by email, text or phone anytime to clarify. I look forward to seeing you around the course, the Club and the community.
Jeff Steen Director of Golf Course Maintenance jeffs@lochlloyd.com
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Candace Urena is a new member of the Golf Course Maintenance team this year. She has been doing a wonderful job with her daily contributions making a real difference! Always wearing a smile, Candace’s hard-work ethic is contagious and she sets a new standard with the rest of the maintenance team. Please welcome Candace to the Loch Lloyd family when you see her out on the course or on the grounds. It’s a pleasure having her as a part of the team!
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The Golf Course Maintenance and Golf Shop teams have implemented a new communication tool outside the Golf Shop in order to provide members additional communication in hopes of a smooth golfing experience. This brief, but informative visual display of daily happenings on and off the golf course should help clarify any questions you may have. Below, is an overview of each page on the digital display:
DAY & DATE
GCM DAILY HIGHLIGHTS
A quick look at the day and date to help those summer days from running into each other.
Daily messages from GCM regarding course set-up, cart rules, spray applications and other important information you need to know.
GOLF SHOP UPDATES
WEATHER REPORT
Daily updates from the Golf Shop regarding course conditions, cart paths, comfort stations, upcoming events and more.
An up-to-date local weather report for the day and the week ahead at Loch Lloyd.
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The aging irrigation infrastructure creates many ongoing challenges for the team. These photos show just a few of those challenges.
#18 electrical issues
Travis and Cliff join forces for the second repair on the main line at #2, where part of the rock wall was removed.
#10 main line: “needle in a haystack!”
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The Practice Facility project is coming along well. Due to consecutive 90- to 100-degree temperatures the last few days, we have identified a few troublesome areas and our team is working tirelessly to repair these issues. We have also made necessary adjustments to the irrigation system which will help tremendously. Although the Practice Facility is filling in quite nicely, we strive to bring better esthetics your way. Our goal is to create more targets for chipping practice as there are currently no mid-range wedge targets. In addition, we plan to make the Practice Facility floor targets more prominent to increase their visibility. Currently the north tee is being repurposed for sod in the fairways. The next step will be to get this tee cleaned up, prepped and maintained for new Zoysia growth. The GCM team will continue to make these improvements over the next several weeks. As illustrated in these photos, the Poa Annua suppression trials are ongoing. These areas are located on the large practice putting green. Thank you, Stephen Wilds
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Recent and upcoming initiatives within our operation.
FAIRWAY SOD WORK While there is need for a long-term solution, a great effort has been made by the team to take on this in-house project.
Sod prep on #1
LANDSCAPING Color has returned to Loch Lloyd for summer 2021. The Clubhouse area is looking great! Colorful hanging baskets line the new Patio Bar & Grill lounge area, the Pool entrance and the Comfort Station.
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Attention to detail is ongoing and takes time. Changing a culture within the work environment so that the entire team works as one and works toward a unified end goal is imperative. This is also true for our golfers who enjoy the course each and every day.
Pathways Informal walking paths have been installed to improve the member/ guest experience. This photo shows such a pathway behind #4 green.
Aggressive Agronomics We have implemented an aggressive agronomic program that consists of: √ Weekly topdressing √ Site-specific plant health applications √ Timely applications of plant growth regulators and wetting agents √ Additional rolling of greens while managing height of cut during stressful times
At the time of writing this, we were in the middle of a good stretch of warm weather with a long summer still ahead. Thanks to our team’s diligence over the past several months, we have prepared the turf grasses to handle the challenges that lay ahead. Our number one goal will be to provide consistent playing conditions for the remainder of the season, along with diligently protecting the turf health. 8
Temperatures have exceeded 90 degrees in recent weeks as summer has officially welcomed itself to Kansas City. To combat the hot and humid weather, two Turfbreeze oscillating fans have been installed on hole #15. Fans have proven to be a useful tool by providing air movement across the playing surface. This air movement cools rootzone temperatures and aids in managing moisture content of the greens. When temperatures exceed 86 degrees, Bentgrass is prone to lose moisture and wilt. Therefore it is crucial to KEEP FANS ON during these hot months. The diagrams on this page are studies conducted by Turfbreeze, showing the effects fans have on temperatures and turf quality. Please contact me at grants@lochlloyd.com if you’d like to know more about how our team maintains our beautiful golf course.
Mapped reflectance data shows the spatial impact of turf fans on putting greens. Relative turf quality is highest in the dark green areas, followed by light green, blue, yellow and orange.
Diagram illustrates rootzone and canopy temperatures at incremental distances from a stationary turf fan. Mean temperatures with the same letter are not significantly different.
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SECOND QUARTER WEATHER STATS
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MEET THE NEWEST ASSOCIATES ON THE GCM TEAM! Pictured from left to right: Larry Brammer, Grant Longwell, Brent Jones and Brett Cody. Larry Brammer Larry served his country in the 173rd Airborne Army and then spent 37 years as a supervisor at Bayer. He worked on The Kansas City Country Club golf maintenance team for 15 years prior to coming to Loch Lloyd. Grant Longwell Grant is a graduate of Blue Valley High School and is enrolled at Kansas State University this fall where he plans to major in Professional Strategic Selling. Brent Jones Brent is a graduate of St. Thomas Aquinas High School and will be going into his junior year at Kansas State University this fall. Brent’s major is Mechanical Engineering. Brett Cody Brett is a graduate of Belton High School. He previously spent three years on the golf maintenance team at Lake Quivira Country Club and now joins his father, Todd Cody, as new members on our GCM team.
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The Golf Course Maintenance team continues to receive requests to help homeowners with clean-up along property lines. Requests that pose a safety concern are always our top priority. If other requests align with that of the vision of GCM and the Club, we put it on our list and work toward scheduling. The expectations of our team are very high and we will continue to diligently work toward fulfilling everyone’s request.
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I was recently asked to put together some thoughts on the profession of a golf course superintendent. At the time, what I wrote was never intended for a Loch Lloyd newsletter, nor for a report. However, after I submitted my thoughts it was hinted that it may be something worth sharing with our members. So … here are a few of my thoughts regarding the world of golf course maintenance and the life of a modern superintendent!
The Modern Superintendent A lot of golfers think that what they see on TV is how a golf course should always present itself. But do many stop to think what goes into making a course look and play the way it does for a PGA/USGA/R&A event? I’ve been having this conversation for years, especially during my tenure as a superintendent for the Pebble Beach Company for nearly 16 years. I like to think of the difference between a scratch golfer and a touring pro. It’s been a decade almost, but Luke Donald (remember him?) was #1 in the world for a time back in 2011 and is a great comparison (and eye opener) for most amateurs. Again, I’m talking about a scratch golfer; no handicap. On average, the scratch player will three putt once per round, whereas during the entire tour season that Luke Donald was #1, he did not three putt once! Just think what it took for Luke to get that good. One could list off numerous examples, but I’ve always enjoyed that analogy. The point I’m trying to get across by talking about Luke back in the day is how much he must have put into his game “behind the scenes” and what it must have taken for him to have a year such as 2011 to elevate him to the top. Years in the making. This also puts into perspective how many variables go into making a round of golf as good as it gets from a veteran golf course superintendent. Years in the making.
Simply a grass grower? I think not! A golf course superintendent wears MANY hats including … Agronomist (Turf Scientist): Staying up with the most advanced science and understanding the research and development behind the products we invest in is critical to maintain grasses. With more than 150 products used between fertilizers and pesticides at CCLL, the art and science is complex and thus creates a dynamic environment. A golf course property can range from under 100 acres to several 1000 acres. Meteorologist: Planning and forecasting is so dependent on the weather conditions. On average, a 10-day weather forecast has only a 50% accuracy and the 7-day forecast is only accurate 70% of the time. Soil Scientist: The study and understanding of what is happening below the surface is equally or even more important than that of what is happening above. For example, I was a part of a nematology study during a 10-year time period. With over $3M spent on the continued research, along with another several $100K spent in the field on products used, the soil science behind producing a product to play golf is quite involved.
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Plant Pathologist: Whether it’s ring, rust, mold, root rot, leaf spot, Pythium or patch … the list of diseases that one must manage is long and extensive. The science behind understanding turfgrass pathology is a career on its own Leadership (People Leader): I have been fortunate over the years to mentor and develop 30 individuals to become golf course superintendents — both nationally and internationally. On average, the majority of my day is spent managing people vs. managing turf. Safety, team morale and creating a culture and work environment is first and foremost in my day Financial (Business) Management: Pursuing an MBA for the modern superintendent can be equally as important as a degree in turfgrass management. With operating budgets and financial plans in the multi-million dollars per annum, along with what can be several $100K of annual capital expenses, it’s imperative to have some financial business acumen. With all of this comes writing reports, creating documents and having an above-average skillset of computer literacy. The job also entails working and negotiating with vendors on a global scale. My personal experience working for the Pebble Beach Company helped prepare me to be fiscally responsible and able to manage large scale assets for any company, club or ownership group. I was accepted into the Haas School of Business in Berkeley, California to pursue an Executive MBA.
Equipment Technician: When a fairway or rough mower can cost in excess of $60K for one unit, an entire fleet can be into the millions of dollars. To maintain equipment as sophisticated and technologically advanced is an art into itself. With grasses being mowed at times lower than 0.1" precision, a lot goes into making that happen. Advanced uses of robots and GPS technology have become modern tools of the trade Water (Irrigation Specialist) Management: Managing the output of a modern irrigation system and the use of technology is staggering. With central computer systems that can run individual irrigation outputs, the use of drones and GPS, multiple pump stations, hydraulics, and the needs of the plant species … the list is long with respect to water management. One irrigation head can cost close to $300. Many modern golf courses can have 2000+ heads. A lot of properties use recycled or reclaimed water from a sewage source. This alone is a science to understand how to manage turf when using less-than-desirable water sources. Also, the use of soil probes to help manage and monitor moisture levels have been used for years and continue to improve. Construction: It’s important for the modern golf course superintendent to have a complete understanding of golf course architecture, design and development. Having built a golf course for Jack Nicklaus, I was fortunate to garner this experience early on in my career. Event Planner: Tournaments can take weeks, months and, in some cases (US Opens), years to plan for. Getting the grounds prepared and ready for an event of any size takes advanced planning and communication with other teams or departments regarding on-course food and beverage or special promotions. For any event, timing of every detail is vital for its success. Other: Continuing education and becoming a certified superintendent (CGCS) took several additional years of training. Top individuals in our profession have transferable skills to be a project manager, landscape architect, arborist, entomologist, construction manager, safety director, homeowner liaison, diplomat, and often just a shoulder for a team member to lean on. As you can see, there is a great deal that goes into making a round of golf special. Imagine you are a grass plant being mowed at less than 0.1" and you had 22000 + rounds of golf, walking and driving all over you. That’s what 2020 brought for CCLL. With an average number of rounds in 2018 and 2019 right around 16000, the increase last year was substantial. 14
Thank you for taking the time to review this latest edition of . We have a lot of moving parts out on the course at this time of year and the team is diligently working each day to improve, raise the bar and exceed expectations.
As I’ve mentioned in previous reports, if you would like to play a few holes, then please reach out as I’d be happy to join your group. Also, feel free anytime to stop by the maintenance shop for a tour. We’d be happy to show you a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into prepping the property for play each day. The course is in good condition, greens are rolling nicely, so please enjoy.
Jeff Steen
Director of Golf Course Maintenance jeffs@lochlloyd.com
July 2nd Folds of Honor July 23rd-25th Men’s Gross Club Championship
August 6th-7th Club Championship September 17th-18th Men’s Gross Match Play September 23rd-25th The Brigadoon Classic
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16750 Country Club Drive Village of Loch Lloyd, MO 64012 816.322.1022 www.lochlloyd.com 16