WITH JACO FOURIE Q A

Pezula Golf Club and Championship Course

1. When did you realise that turf management was the industry you want to take further?

I have always been an outdoors person. In 2008 I got the opportunity to work for Turfworx under Danny Maritz, 15 years later and I am still enjoying every minute.

2. What is the best and worst part of being a golf course superintendent?

The best is having the support of a motivated team delivering high standard maintenance to reach the goals set. Going around the course and seeing the plan come to life. The worst is the working hours. When the friends are out golfing and fishing during December holidays, we get to water greens and hotspots on the course.

Pezula pushes during the year, a combination of local visitors during school breaks and the international visitors in between does make course maintenance challenging.

4. What are the differences in grasses (fairway, rough, greens) at Pezula to other parts of the country?

Pezula is one of very few courses in South Africa that have cool season fairways. Most courses in South Africa have either Kikuyu, Paspalum or Cynodon on the tees, fairways and rough. The fairways at Pezula are a mixture of Rye and Tall Fescue, the tees are Bent, the greens are Bent POA mix and the rough is Kikuyu.

5. Does one need different machinery on course for different types of grasses around the country?

The primary machinery stays the same. Warm season grasses, for example, need more verti-cutting compared to a grass like Rye (cool season) or fescue.

6. How big a difference does climate and location play in golf course maintenance?

Climate and location play a huge role in turf management. I have three different climate locations (microclimates) on my course that are treated differently. Airflow, sunlight, and the high and low areas on the course makes a big difference in our maintenance strategy.

3. You are at Pezula, a coastal course, what is your biggest challenge maintaining a coastal course in the Garden Route? Despite the climate, the number of rounds

7. To what extent does course setup affect slow play, and how do you deal with it?

Course setup does influence pace of play, it comes down to the communication between the maintenance team and Club to identify the capabilities of the golfers on that specific day and set the course accordingly.

Yes, the course staff need more time to perform cultural practices to improve the surfaces and give their members and visitors the best experience.

10. Do maintenance staff ever come into conflict with golfers and how do you deal with this?

I have no previous experience with staff having conflict with golfers, we have a strict channel of communication. All queries or questions will be handled by myself or my assistant.

11. How important is it for golfers to repair their divots and pitch marks immediately vs only a couple of days or week later? Pitch marks and divots should be repaired as soon as possible to ensure quicker recovery and a better experience for the golfers behind.

12. People always complain about inconsistent bunkers, how difficult is it to maintain consistent bunkers and do you implement general checks and how?

We have 128 bunkers on our course and 4 staff members manually raking all the bunkers every day. Wind, rain and irrigation plays a big role in bunkers playing inconsistently. We do regular bunker audits with a detailed sheet that scores sand levels, compaction, drainage and the condition of the face.

8. In your opinion does course machinery or golfers spread more seeds like POA or diseases?

If you don’t treat POA seed wall to wall on your course, spreading of the seeds by machinery will be more than what than the golfers’ shoes can. On average we cut between 15ha and 20ha every day, the possibility of seed movement is massive.

9. Do you think it should be mandatory for each golf courses to close one day per week for maintenance?

Umkomaas golf course was first constructed, as a 9-hole layout, in 1913 but was expanded to 18 holes in 1926. In 1932 reknown course designer Robert "Bob" Grimsdell re-designed the course, capitalising on the natural contours of the land and taking advantage of the glorious sea views - in fact, most holes offer great views of the warm Indian ocean. The course layout has remained largely unchanged and as a result, one of Umkomaas' unique features are the raised greens, thanks to over 100 years of top-dressings and treatments.

Although not overly long, the course offers a great challenge for low handicappers, especially when the coastal winds blow. It is however forgiving for even an occasional golfer making it the perfect option for families and groups. Well placed bunkers and undulating fairways mean that those seeking to card a low round need to think their way around the course whilst those looking to simply have fun will enjoy themselves too.

Umkomaas is a great choice for those wanting to get the whole family out into the fresh air. We offer exceptional family membership packages and the opportunity to learn to play via our KidzGolf programme

Living up to our reputation as the Friendliest Club, Umkomaas offers a warm welcome to visitors both on and off the course. Competitions are held weekly on Wednesdays and Saturdays and visitors are always welcome.

We look forward to welcoming you soon!