Governors Club Golf Course Standard Operating Procedures Mission Statement With the advice and support of the Green Committee and with the guidance of the General Manager and the Board of Directors, the Director of Grounds will: 1. Prepare, preserve and maintain the golf course as the major club asset within the confines of our Club budget. 2. Protect, understand and fulfill the golf course architect's vision and goals for a challenging and enjoyable golf experience for all levels of player abilities. 3. Plan and execute programs and procedures that maintain a superior golf experience as well as enhance and protect the environment, property and aesthetics of the Club. Objectives The course will be maintained such that excellent playing conditions exist for golfers of all ability levels. The golf course should play near championship standards, within weather and budget limitations, on a continued basis and at championship standards for certain events. These events will be determined annually by the Golf and Green Committees. Our agronomy team will strive to minimize the amount of interference due to daily maintenance procedures and to maintain a golf course with as few inconsistencies as possible. Environmental stewardship and resource management will be taken into consideration when selecting and applying products to the golf course. These objectives will be met within an overall annual capital and maintenance budget prepared by the Green Committee, General Manger, Golf Course Superintendent and approved by the Board of Directors. Vision We will enrich the heritage and prestige of Governors Club by maintaining and improving our golf course and its associated facilities. To enhance member enjoyment, our competitive position and Governors Club s reputation, we will strive to be one of the top golf courses in the state. We will maintain and manage our financial resources, club assets and equipment to provide an exceptional golf experience to all members and guests. We aspire to offer state-of-the-art golf facilities and continually strive to effectively communicate with the membership. We will protect the original golf course design and make changes in carefully measured increments with approvals based on the original golf course architects design philosophies. We understand that our designation as a Jack Nicklaus Signature Course is of great value to our membership and community. We will strive to maintain this status in all decisions that are made.
GREENS The objective is a putting surface with smoothness, firmness, limited grain and an overall uniformity. Green Standards: Greens will be walk mowed in the mornings and tri-plex mowed in the afternoons to maintain desired green speeds. Top dressing and verta-cutting will be conducted on Thursday afternoon, weather and tournament schedules permitting Greens speed will be measured and posted on Friday via a Stimpmeter in order to maintain minimum speed objectives. These readings will be included into the Superintendent's monthly quality report. Growth regulator will be applied as an aid to increase green speed, reduce excessive growth and increase turf density. Greens will be aerated in July based on a schedule that is designed to protect the greens and minimize the impact the procedure has on member play. Venting will be performed as needed to maintain proper green firmness. Greens will be irrigated as little as possible to promote deep rooting, drought tolerance, and to minimize disease problems. Greens will be checked daily with hole-cups being changed as needed. Greens will be monitored throughout the winter months (November to March) to determine if they can remain open for play. All reasonable efforts will be taken to ensure 18 holes will be open for play during the winter months (weather permitting). Alternate greens will be required when weather conditions dictate that severe damage will occur if greens are played on. Greens apron and collars will be maintained with adequate and consistent cushion of rough from collar to bunker. The collars will generally be 40 inches wide. The greens will be tinted during the non-growing season to maintain an attractive appearance. Relative Green Speed Minimums (conditions permitting): Spring 9 to 12 inches of roll in methods prescribed by the USG Summer/ Fall/ Winter 10 to 12 inches of roll in methods prescribed by the USGA TEES The objective is a teeing surface that is smooth, firm, level and without weeds. Tees will be closely mowed. Tee Standards: Tees will generally be mowed three days a week depending on growth. Divots will be attended to daily; accessories will be checked daily for service. Tees will be aerated once per year. Tee markers will be checked daily and changed as needed to utilize the greatest amount of teeing space. Par 3 s and the practice range will be over seeded in the winter.
PREPARATION FOR DAILY PLAY / GOLF COURSE SET-UP The objective is to use a variety of flagsticks and tee marker placements that challenge the golfers while maintaining the quality of turf by spreading wear and reducing stress over various cupping and tee block areas. Course setup: Greens will be checked with cups being changed as needed. The course will be setup with an overall balance between the cups and tee position to maintain appropriate yardage. Tournament setup: The Tournament Coordinator will be given the option of choosing flagstick / hole-cup placements utilizing a standard form used for such placements. The Tournament Director may delegate such decisions to the Director of Grounds/Director of Golf for placements. These decisions should be made well in advance of the event (5-10 days) to avoid these areas leading up to the tournament. For selected tournaments/events, white cup inserts will be used. FAIRWAYS The objective is healthy fairway turf of good density, uniformity, smoothness, firmness and with a minimum of thatch while exhibiting good drought tolerance. Fairway Standards: Conditions permitting, fairways will be mowed to maintain a height of 0.4 to 0.675 of an inch. Clippings will be disbursed. Growth regulators will be used in the summer and fall months to enhance grass density and to reduce irrigation and clippings. Fairways will be irrigated for turf grass health. Fairway sprinkler yardage plates will be maintained All carts will be fitted with divot mix provided by the Pro Shop. Members will be encouraged to fill in divots. All necessary chemical applications will be applied as early as possible to minimize interference with play. Every effort will be made to apply the most effective and safe products in the disease suppression and control program. ROUGH The main objective of the primary rough is to maintain it at desired levels while not compromising the aesthetics, severity of penalty, and speed of play. Rough heights will be consistent hole to hole while not compromising the definition of fairways, severity of penalty, and speed of play.
Rough Standards: In general, the primary rough will be inside the cart paths and the secondary rough will be outside the cart paths. Conditions permitting, the rough will be maintained at a height between 1.50 and 2.50 inches. The rough bordering fairway bunkers will be maintained regularly to maintain proper turf buffer between the bunker and fairway. Growth regulators will be used in spring and fall. Large remote areas of rough will be cut monthly. Broadleaf weeds will be controlled as needed to promote aesthetics, playability and uniformity. Edges and O.B. areas of course will be mowed monthly: these areas include wooded areas with turf, fence edges, and out of the way native / meadow areas. BUNKERS The objective is to have bunkers with the proper amount of sand without rocks or other loose impediments. The bunkers should aesthetically complement the architect's original design and vision. Bunker Standards: The bunkers will be checked daily for smoothness. Raking will consist of hand raking when needed depending on amount of play. Mechanical raking machine will be used periodically (weekly) to loosen compacted sand and to control weeds. The bunker edges facing the green will be maintained with a crisp edge consisting of a 2 to 3 inch lip. Stone and debris removal will be tended to daily. The sand depth will be maintained at no less than 4 inches. A report of sand distribution, which includes regular depth measurements, will be included in the Superintendents monthly quality report. The bunkers will have adequate rakes around them. The rakes will be placed outside the bunkers. TREES Trees in high traffic areas (Club House, cart paths, etc.) will be checked regularly for weak limbs, and hanging limbs and maintained as necessary. Evergreen trees will be limbed-up for aesthetics, maintenance, ease of play and to facilitate finding lost golf balls. Trees will be pruned as time permits. Large areas of woods will be thinned to enhance turf quality, aesthetics and the overall health of the other trees in the area. PRACTICE AREA The practice tee will be mowed twice a week at the same height as fairways. The short game practice area will be maintained to the same standards as the golf course. The practice tee area will be overseeded during winter months.
CARTS The course will be developed and maintained to accommodate cart usage. The cart paths will be edged semi-annually. Golfers using carts will be expected to use paths wherever possible. Rope and signage will be used to direct cart traffic wherever necessary. Cart traffic will be allowed to roam (except as to protect the golf course as determined by the Director of Grounds). During July and August carts may be restricted to the rough on a day to day basis; this decision will be made by the Director of Grounds. IRRIGATION SYSTEM AND WATER Irrigation will be used to promote healthy fairways, tees, greens, and rough. The process will be monitored to ensure adequate moisture without overwatering. The irrigation system will be maintained in good working order. Any leaks will be repaired as soon as possible. Sprinkler heads will be inspected and adjusted to maintain proper watering patterns. As a reuse water distribution property for Aqua North Carolina, the release of water will be managed (including the use of ponds and leaching areas) to prevent overwatering on the course. Monthly records of water reuse will be maintained, as required to meet DEP standards. The fairways will not be watered in the winter unless it is necessary to decrease the water in the holding ponds or to fulfill our contract with the Aqua NC or the State of North Carolina. Water sources will be monitored to minimize introducing algae or other unwanted organisms on the course. Ponds will be treated to control unwanted odors and aquatic weeds. MISCELLANEOUS Communications: Members will be informed of maintenance activities through periodic e-mails, articles in the Club newsletter and Club website. Staffing: We will continue to develop a well-organized and efficient team-oriented staff, conscious of the cost/benefit aspects of our operation. The staff will be compensated for consistently exceeding industry standards.