Course + Grounds

Sending a

Sustainable Message

Environmental stewardship, the expertise of its longtime superintendent, and the power of networking guide the maintenance inputs of Royal Melbourne Country Club.

THROUGHOUT HIS CAREER OF 30-PLUS years in the golf course maintenance fi eld, Dave Groelle, CGCS, of Royal Melbourne Country Club in Long Grove, Ill., has found that his profession is an icebreaker. Whenever he meets someone new, and the inevitable “What do you do?” questi on arises, the conversati on doesn’t stop there. Instead, it leads to more questi ons. “When I tell people I’m a golf course superintendent, the reacti on is always priceless,” Groelle says. “They’ll say, ‘I didn’t know that was a thing,’ or ‘Why didn’t I do that? I love golf.’”

At Royal Melbourne, however, there is no questi on about what Groelle, who has served as the property’s Superintendent for 22 years, does.

In fact, General Manager Chris Stewart, CCM, who assumed his duti es at the start of the golf season this year, and PGA Head Professional Brad Gregorin, who has worked at the property for a year, rely on Groelle for his insti tuti onal knowledge and experti se.

“Both of us have been dependent on Dave’s knowledge of this club and this golf course,” says Stewart. “Dave has the scienti fi c know-how. He communicates the when, why, and how so I can turn around and support him to the membership. I can always have his back.”

Superintendent Profile DAVE GROELLE

Education and Training: B.S. in Landscape Horticulture, Colorado State University Years at Royal Melbourne Country Club: 22 Years in the Golf Course Maintenance Business: 33 Previous Employment: Kemper Lakes Golf Club, Kildeer, Ill. Certifications: CGCS Honors and Awards: 2015 KemperSports Superintendent of the Year; 2010-2013 Midwest Association of Golf Course Superintendents Board of Directors; 2013 Midwest Association of Golf Course Superintendents President (GCSAA Chapter)

Gregorin agrees. “Dave absolutely understands the game of golf and what his role is,” he adds. “He’s an incredible resource. He’s the guy you want.”

FORWARD-THINKING MAINTENANCE

The superintendent and his staff at Royal Melbourne, a KemperSports property, understand the importance of sustainability as well.

“Everything we do on a daily basis is geared toward environmental stewardship, and we make sure we take care of the land as it should be,” says Groelle.

Of course, water conservation is vital to any golf course operation, and Groelle says Royal Melbourne grounds crew members use all the tools at their disposal to keep the golf course as dry as possible so it plays firm and fast. While Illinois doesn’t have tough water restrictions, he adds, water nevertheless is “still a limited resource.”

They use moisture meters to create programs and make decisions about watering, especially the greens, and rely on weather data as well.

“If there is rain in the forecast, we back off on irrigation,” Groelle explains.

The grounds crew uses wetting agents on every surface including the greens, tees, and fairways to help get moisture to the roots and penetrate where it’s needed. Staff members hand-water as the need arises, especially on the greens and tees.

“I’ve been at the same place for 20-plus years. I know where the trouble spots are,” says Groelle.

Because of his longevity at the property, Groelle doesn’t have to drive the entire golf course every day. Instead, he heads straight to the problem areas first. However, Groelle, who also is a regional agronomist for KemperSports, advises new golf course superintendents to create their own maps and watch for signs of drought and disease.

Royal Melbourne, which opened in 1992, has its original irrigation in place, but depending on supply-chain issues, the property will replace its irrigation lines, sprinklers, and satellites this fall.

“The technology in the controller isn’t made anymore,” says Groelle. “It’s hard to find parts and troubleshoot.”

He also says the property, which gets wallto-wall coverage with its irrigation system, is not replacing every sprinkler head. “We replace about 50 heads a season as they fail,” notes Groelle. “Replacing sprinkler heads is allocated in our annual budget.”

A regimented topdressing program also allows the turf to dry out faster.

Groelle says he has a low tolerance for turf disease, and the grounds crew performs preventive spray applications on the tees, greens, and fairways.

“Waiting until you see disease to spray isn’t always best,” he says.

The staff sprays growth regulators based on growing degree days, which are used to estimate the growth and development of plants and insects during the growing season. The basic concept is that development will occur only if the temperature exceeds some minimum development threshold, or base temperature, which is determined experimentally and differs for each organism.

“Every product that’s applied only has so much efficacy out in the field,” explains Groelle. “A product could last for 10 to 20 days. It all depends on how much the plant is growing, and that depends on the weather.”

In addition, he says, growth regulators help the staff control greens speeds.

“Growth regulators are a huge part of the maintenance program,” reports Groelle. “They save labor, and we can focus our attention on other things.”

Sustainability efforts are not solely the domain of the golf course maintenance department, however. KemperSports has an initiative called Green to a Tee that focuses on sustainability in several additional core areas of facility operations, including habitat management, recycling, waste conservation, and energy usage.

For instance, Royal Melbourne recycles materials such as cardboard, and Stewart says the property currently is engaged with vendors about LED conversion in the clubhouse.

“KemperSports as a company sees the value in making sure their clubs are aware of various opportunities to be stewards of the environment,” says Stewart. “And Dave is forward-thinking. He’s always thinking about new ways to do things. There’s no one I’d rather have on my team when it comes to the environment.”

Other maintenance inputs include mowing the greens daily and the tees and fairways two or three times a week. Depending on the weather, the staff also rolls the greens five or six days a week.

The grounds crew members tend to the bunkers daily, and they try to keep them consistent by measuring their depths and making sure too much sand doesn’t collect in one spot. Staff members also run a plate

compactor over them, and Groelle says the property renovated the greenside bunkers about four years ago.

BIRDS AND BEES

Golf course superintendents know as well as anyone that they need to get along with Mother Nature and work with what she gives them. The wooded, parkland golf course, which is built within a neighborhood, has several wetlands areas as well as low-lying retention areas that are protected by cattails and native areas.

“The golf course drains well because we have a lot of places for water to go into the native wetlands,” Groelle says.

Located in rural farm country, the golf course also features flat, open, rolling areas with good soils, he adds, and the terrain puts movement in the fairways.

“There are still farms and forests around us,” Groelle says. “A small section of the golf course was routed through existing forest, so we have native trees. Some holes are in open areas, and trees were planted on them during construction.”

In addition, three holes originally were an apple orchard, and Royal Melbourne still has 30 to 35 apple trees on the golf course.

“My staff loves the apples. Golfers and my staff will eat them throughout the fall, and we give bushels to the chef to make apple pies,” Groelle says “The trees are a unique feature, but they’re a maintenance

Superintendent Dave Groelle became fascinated with the idea of beekeeping and now harvests honey and sells it in the golf shop. The club also has 30-35 apple trees on property, which provide the chef with ingredients for apple pies.

nightmare. One of these years, I need to figure out what it takes to treat the trees.”

The property also enhances the area by providing open space and wildlife habitat.

“If you take an 18-hole golf course and build homes on that property instead, people use more chemicals, fungicides, and water,” notes Stewart.

Deer, coyote, red foxes, owls, hawks, and the occasional eagle call the golf course home. Their neighbors include a resident pair of sandhill cranes that have nested at the bottom of the driving range and given birth to a little one for the past three years.

“They’ll come up to the pro shop and stare inside,” says Groelle.

He also brought other living creatures to the property when he got into beekeeping seven years ago at the urging of a friend. He started researching online about the pollinators and became fascinated by the idea of keeping bees.

“Bees are amazing creatures,” Groelle says. “Some golf courses were already beekeeping on their properties, and I thought, ‘What a great way to try and get the message out that we’re stewards of the land.’”

He harvests honey and sells it in the golf shop to support the program.

“Members enjoy getting local raw honey, and the chef uses the honey,” Groelle says. “It also promotes golf course stewardship.”

LEADING BY EXAMPLE

The superintendent not only enjoys providing extra perks like the raw honey to the membership, however. Groelle, who started working in golf course maintenance at age 15 and has been with KemperSports for 24 years, says he is a hands-on superintendent who tries to lead by example.

“There’s nothing I would ever ask of my staff that I wouldn’t ask of myself,” he says. “I want everyone that works here to want to be here.”

In the summer, he has a staff of 18 people, which includes himself, an assistant, a

Golf Scorecard ROYAL MELBOURNE COUNTRY CLUB

Club Website: www.royalmelbourne.net No. of Holes: 18 Designer: Greg Norman Type: Private No. of Members: 325 Year Opened: 1992 Golf Season: March-November Annual Rounds of Golf: 14,000 Fairways: Penncross Bent Greens: Pennlinks Bent

From left: Chris Stewart, Dave Groelle and Brad Grogorin work closely together to keep Royal Melbourne Country Club running smoothly.

Golf Course Operations

Staff: 3 full-time/15 seasonal Key Staff Members: Steve Unruh, Assistant Superintendent; Justin Zimmerman, Mechanic Irrigation System: Toro Water Source and Usage: Well system Equipment: All Toro that is owned Maintenance Facility: 7,500-sq.-ft. building Aerating and Overseeding Schedules: Aerate on greens and tees in spring and fall, and on fairways in fall; no overseeding Upcoming Capital Projects: Replacement of all irrigation satellites Duties and Responsibilities: Golf course superintendent, oversee clubhouse maintenance, Regional Agronomist for KemperSports

mechanic, and 15 crew members.

Of the 15 staff members, 10 of them have been Royal Melbourne for 12 years or more. Others have been part of the crew for four or five years, and he always employs a couple of high school or college students.

The crew members are a valuable part of the maintenance operations, and Groelle tries to treat them with respect and appreciation.

“I try to get to know them on a personal level as much as I can,” he says.

In addition, he recognizes that all of them are human and everything doesn’t always go according to plan.

“Things are going to go wrong,” he says. “When something goes wrong, we figure out how to get through it. Yelling or anger doesn’t help when someone makes a mistake. Grass will grow back. We can fix it.”

He also shows his appreciation for his staff with activities such as monthly taco parties and Friday afternoon lunches.

“I love to barbecue and cook. We’ll work until noon and then have a cookout with burgers, hot dogs, and chicken,” Groelle says. “I buy and do something for the guys every week if I can, like a cookout or doughnuts in the morning.”

He also has raffles for the crew with prizes such as hats or shirts from the pro shop. In addition, he started getting his staff a hooded sweatshirt as part of their uniforms six years ago.

“I change the design and color every year. Everybody looks forward to getting a new sweatshirt,” says Groelle.

He randomly gives out gift cards to crew members, and gas cards have been popular among his staff members recently.

“If I see someone doing something above and beyond, I’ll give him a gift card. I keep them in my cart and hand them out,” Groelle says. “I think the best gifts are the ones that are the least expected.”

Because he started working on a golf course to have access to the game, he returns the favor to his staff members as well. They get golfing privileges at Royal Melbourne on Mondays, or Groelle makes arrangements for crew members to play golf at another property.

“Eight guys really enjoy it. It gets competitive,” he says.

EXTENDING HIS REACH

With his regional agronomist duties for the Northbrook, Ill.-based KemperSports, Groelle is just as dedicated to his fellow superintendents as he is to his staff. He is one of five people on an agronomy committee that is made up of people in different regions across the United States – the Midwest, Mid-Atlantic, Pacific Northwest, Texas, and Southern California.

“Over the years, it became convenient for people to reach out to me,” says Groelle. “I am here for support in any way needed. I am a champion for other superintendents. Each superintendent knows what’s best for his or her golf course. They work autonomously.”

Groelle does not have a specific list of golf courses that he monitors, but he visits other properties within driving distance about once a month to look at issues. Typically, these visits are prompted by a call from the corporate office or from the superintendent, and the superintendent always knows he is coming.

“If I’m asked, I’ll go meet with a superintendent, but I might not go to another golf course for three months. I’m still able to be the golf course superintendent at Royal Melbourne,” Groelle says. “At the end of the day, I’m a superintendent, too.”

He also evaluates properties when KemperSports has new business offers, and he goes to the golf course to meet with the superintendent when a new property joins the company.

Groelle is part of monthly webinars with industry partners, and he participates in efforts to create education and value to superintendents as well.

“I enjoy being on the agronomy side of things,” he says. “I always learn something. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve been in this business. I enjoy meeting other superintendents. I enjoy the turf talk and the conversations. Your issues are another superintendent’s issues, too. It’s therapeutic to talk to people in the industry.”

Being part of KemperSports offers Royal Melbourne other perks such as purchasing discounts and shared knowledge.

“They can talk to people who have hundreds of years of experience in the business. They get ideas from their peers,” Stewart says of his department heads. “Golf

hasn’t changed, but things have changed in the industry.”

FINDING MOTIVATION

Groelle, who calls himself his “own worst criti c,” says that visits to other golf courses challenge him, as well. Aft er all, while longevity at the same property has allowed him to develop a routi ne and foster a teamlike atmosphere among his staff members, he also says he has to guard against complacency. One of the ways he conti nues to build his professional skills and improve the Royal Melbourne golf experience is through social media, parti cularly Twitt er.

“Twitt er for me is a moti vator,” Groelle says. “For whatever reason, the turf industry has really taken to Twitt er. I have a network of 1,000 superintendents around the world. It’s a great moti vator when you’re looking at your peers, and they’re doing things that you’ve talked about but haven’t implemented yet.”

He learns about new products and equipment that superintendents discuss on Twitter, and he someti mes fi nds that another superintendent uses bett er techniques than he employs.

“Everybody shares things. There’s some awesome knowledge that comes from that platf orm,” says Groelle. “It allows me to see what other golf courses are doing.”

However, nothing can replace face-to-face interacti ons, and he invites friends to play the golf course for “peer review” as well.

“I see this place every day, but the golf course changes every year,” Groelle says. “From ti me to ti me, I’ll have people come out and play and ask them what they don’t like. It’s good to get another perspecti ve from another set of eyes.”

He asks his former assistant superintendents to play the golf course a few ti mes a season, depending on their schedules.

“I don’t want to get complacent. It’s easy to fall into a routi ne,” says Groelle. “I sti ll love what I do. I love being a superintendent. My passion for it has never wavered.”

‘A GREAT PRODUCT’

Stewart knows that Royal Melbourne Country Club isn’t strictly a golf business. It is a membership business, but golf is the most important part of that business.

Groelle shares that senti ment.

“The majority of people here come to Royal Melbourne for golf,” he says. “I have always played golf. It’s a release for me. That’s what I want Royal Melbourne to be for people, too.” C+RB

MORE ONLINE

For additi onal details about Royal Melbourn Country Club, see the online version of this arti cle at www.clubandresortbusiness.com