Choosing to
kill every blade of rough grass on our entire golf course was quite gut-wrenching
for a short period of time…
... but now the results are paying off! All of our turf-type
tall fescue roughs, as well as our newly seeded native areas has completely
germinated!
2013
As we head
into 2013, members will find that nearly every feature on the St. Martins
course is new. In one season our
fairways and tees were converted to zoysiagrass, our roughs were completely
converted to fescue, and the greens were expanded to their original perimeters. In addition to the new grassing schemes,
bunkers were completely rebuilt and a fully-automated, Rain Bird irrigation
system was recently installed.
As St.
Martins hosted the 1907 and 1910 U.S. Open Championships, it is fitting that
our historic course will shine bright when the U.S. Open returns to
Philadelphia next season for the first time in over 30 years.
Many Thanks
While overlooking
the “new” St. Martins course, personal reflection quickly turns towards the tremendous
team effort required to completely restore a golf course.
Staff- Our dedicated staff members amazed
me daily throughout this past season. The best example is that during our zoysia fairway
conversion they stripped and laid over 40 semi-truckloads of sod during the
peak-season months while continuing to maintain the course for play.
Our staff members performing the green expansion work last fall.
Laying another truckload of zoysiagrass in 2012 during our fairway conversion.
Golf
Course Architect- Keith
Foster’s passion for St. Martins, vision of what the course was and could be,
and frequent visits helped keep our efforts headed down the right path. We are all excited about working with Keith
next year on Wissahickon.
Superintendents- When researching the St. Martins
work, I am grateful that many fellow superintendents in the Mid Atlantic region
allowed me to visit their courses and learn from their past successes and areas
of improvements. This graciousness and willingness
to help is one of the great aspects of the golf course industry.
Irrigation
Team- Installing an
irrigation system though three city blocks within the City of Philadelphia was
no easy task; and navigating through these obstacles was the specialty of our irrigation
team. Their knowledge and willingness to
work well together proved critical. This
team was world-class and included: irrigation designers, Aqua Agronomic
Solutions; irrigation contractors, Tanto Irrigation; City of Philadelphia master
plumber, Stuckertt Plumbing; Rainbird Irrigation’s national representatives;
and their regional distributor, Atlantic Irrigation. Members can feel very confident knowing that
this group will be tackling Wissahcikon’s system next year.
Club
Leadership- The St.
Martins work saw the light of day because of the faith and commitment from our
club leadership. The trust which was
given to our staff was greatly appreciated, and allowed us to be innovative and
set aggressive timelines in accomplishing this meaningful work.
The
creativity our leadership provided in 2012 provides PCC members with another high-quality
option for golfing in 2013. With our
June 2013 close period upcoming for the Wissahickon restoration, the timing
worked perfectly.
Club leaders with golf course architect, Keith Foster, and PCC staff members following last winters work.
PCC
Members- Lastly, we
thank all of PCC’s members for your patience in allowing us to accomplish this
work during the middle of your golf season.
We understand that disturbances were frequent occurrences in 2012. The improvements made will be long-lasting,
and we hope that this work truly makes a difference in how your family enjoys
the club for many years.
