January 2011 - Parks & Recreation - 81

turfgrass and how to replace it with native
plants or other materials while maintaining
the strategic intent of the layout.
■■ Introduce enhanced practice facilities and " looping threes " : One of the
most commonly-mentioned reasons people
cite for leaving golf or not taking it up is, " It
takes too long to play. " Ninety-seven percent
of ASGCA members surveyed say they are
improving or expanding practice facilities
to help operators draw more players. Having more opportunities to practice shots off
the playing field can make the transition to
a full round less intimidating.

Ninety-seven percent of
ASGCA members surveyed
say they are improving
or expanding practice
facilities to help operators
draw more players.
Another trend is to remodel a course
to include two, three, or even more
" looping threes. " The idea is to re-route
a course to allow a player to play three
holes and return to the clubhouse. This
allows a time-constrained player the
flexibility to play three or six holes, and
can lead to more players out onto the
course. A golf course architect can take
pictures of a layout and simulate how a
re-routed course might look.
■■ Move to larger tee decks, softer
green contours, and simpler bunker
surrounds: Each of these tweaks to areas
of a golf course that see heavy use or need
intensive maintenance attention can save
money. Increasing the size of tee decks results in reduced wear and tees can be maintained in less time using larger equipment.
Softening green contours allows the use of
triplex mowers rather than hand mowers.
And changing bunker surrounds to native
grasses reduces labor time spent tending
to tricky turfgrass edges.

ASGCA
Resources
The NRPA website has a number of
resources provided by ASGCA on
the golf portal: www.nrpa.org/golf.
There, members can find brochures
with more tips for planning a golf
course remodel and running more
cost-effective golf operations. " The
Cost Factor: Tips & Techniques
for Reducing Annual Maintenance
Costs " was recently compiled by
ASGCA, the Golf Course Builders
Association of America, and the Golf
Course Superintendents Association of America. " The Golf Course
Remodeling Process: Questions and
Answers " walks through the feasibility and planning process. For information on finding a golf course
architect, visit -A SGCA's website at
www.asgca.org.

■■ Lose the bunkers: Converting some
formal sand bunkers to fairway or turfgrassbased natural landforms helps the bottom
line in two ways: sand bunker maintenance
is reduced (hand trimming, drainage maintenance, and sand replacement), and pace
of play increases when players spend less
time shooting out of hazards. As with turfgrass reduction, a golf course architect can
advise on reducing the number of sand
bunkers while maintaining the golf course's
strategic intent.
The golf course is a community asset. Making sure it is welcoming to today's golfer and designed for efficient
management needn't break the bank.
For information on finding a golf course
architect, visit ASGCA's website at www.
asgca.org.


www.NRPA .ORG

Circle 25 on product information
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JANUARY 2011

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January 2011 - Parks & Recreation

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