Mike Coker and son Troy work on golf courses ... - Backed By Bayer

the division a substantial amount of money.
Ciancutti says by staying on top of longterm
trends, Metroparks was able to anticipate
the higher fuel costs. He says the fact the
United States is involved in a long-term war,
plus that the conflict is taking place in an oilproducing
country where the resulting battles
have led to the disruption of oil flow, factored
into decisions.
“You think this might affect fuel prices?”
he asks rhetorically. “I’ll bet the people who
were surprised (by spikes in fuel cost) are the
people who are surprised all day long.”
He says the Midwestern mentality of Clevel<strong>and</strong>ers
also played a part in being prepared.
“They don’t dip the biscuit deep in the
gravy,” he quips.
As far as a wish list, he allows the individual
situation at each golf course to dictate its needs.
“I’m not going to tell superintendents
what they need,” he says, adding he encourages
them to see what is out there.“They have
to tell me what they need by demoing <strong>and</strong>
trying it out.”
Onward <strong>and</strong> upward
At the Meadow Club in Fairfax, Calif., David
Sexton’s 2006 will be a little different. After a
six-year restoration project spearheaded by
architect <strong>Mike</strong> Devries, the golfing <strong>and</strong> maintenance
will be back to normal. Sexton’s staff
did most of the <strong>work</strong>, which included returning
nearly 60 bunkers taken out over the
years; filling in bunkers added to the Alister
MacKenzie design; <strong>and</strong> the removal of a good
number of trees.As a result, Sexton’s fuel budget
will be reduced this year because he was
responsible for all the equipment involved
with the project.
“We’re in good shape,” he says, adding he
expects his fertilizer costs to rise substantially.
Sexton says if belt-tightening were to
occur, he would have no choice but to make
cuts in his labor budget, which makes up
about 60 percent of his overall budget.
“If I had to squeeze, I would,” he says.
Purchases for 2006 will include a rough
mower, one walking greens mower <strong>and</strong> an
aerifier. The man who has long done backhoe
<strong>work</strong> for the course is retiring, so Meadow
Club is purchasing his machine.
Saving money
Nashawtuc’s Miller fears some daily fee
courses will have a difficult time dealing with
the increased fuel expenses. With the golfing
market flat at best, passing the cost onto the
consumer is out of the question in many
cases.
“You’re going to have to talk about discounting,”
Miller says.
Another choice for daily fee <strong>and</strong> private
courses may be to lower labor costs by a shift
in maintenance practices.
“Maybe going back to triplexing greens instead
of walk mowing; maybe cutting fairways
two times a week instead of three, <strong>and</strong> it
always goes back to height of cuts on greens,”
Miller says.
By raising the height of cut on the putting
surfaces, h<strong>and</strong><strong>work</strong>, such as syringing greens,
would be reduced if not altogether eliminated.
Disease pressure would also be lessened,
resulting in fewer pesticide applications.
Of course, the one item that would make
all superintendents happy in 2006 would be a
golf sea<strong>son</strong> where favorable weather is the
rule <strong>and</strong> play <strong>and</strong> revenue are up.
How tight is gas? The
mess behind the A-9
green at Clevel<strong>and</strong>’s
36-hole Seneca Golf
Course is one of a halfdozen
gas wells being
drilled around the course
this fall <strong>and</strong> winter. There
is a bit of irony in the
timing of the drilling
<strong>and</strong> what fuel is doing
to budgets. Maintenance
man Craig Gaebelein
mows the approach.
www.bayergolfadvantage.com Golf Advantage 27