It is interesting to watch how when one golf club takes on a major improvement program how often it begins a wave of similar actions. The most recent tsunami was the re-grassing of greens due to the anthrachnose epidemic that hit during the late 1990's and early 2000's where area clubs changed from Poa to the new varieties of bent grass.Then it seemed to be the bunkers were right behind.
What looks like the next thing that clubs in the Philly market will be addressing is their maintenance facilities.
Recently Merion, Pine Valley, Philly CC & Aronimink have all either just completed or are in the process of building new maintenance facilities. There are currently a few more in the final stages of approval pending. I use maintenance facility and not shop because shop does not does it justice.
From offices to meeting rooms, staff break areas with all the amenities including washing machines and multiple micro waves, intern housing, shops that are state of the art and enough storage to fit the entire fleet easily. One of the big upgrades is on the safety end is the chemical storage and mixing areas. With big emphasis on ventilation and containment. Not like the old days of filling up the sprayer with you wash area hose and any spillage was going down the sewer drain or into the closest creek....
One of the common threads between all of these new shops is they were years in the making and tons of home work and research was done.
These clubs have traditionally been at the leading edge of improvement trends. Obviously they also have a strong membership, which at this time is not always commonplace.
I think it says volumes to how clubs have come around to the realization of the importance of giving the Superintendent and his the staff the tools to try and meet their high expectations.
WJC
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