WHEN I stepped off the plane in Columbus, Ohio, boyhood home of Jack Nicklaus, I wasn’t too sure what to expect from the next chapter in my career on the Ohio State University turf programme which had placed me at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Virginia. The staff at the university had warned
me from the moment I applied that this would be the toughest test in my career. The programme has an excellent reputation and I had some idea of what to expect as my cousin Nigel Caldwell also went through the programe at two excellent courses, Southern Hills, and TPC Sawgrass. Nigel is now the Head Greenkeeper at The Oxfordshire, and many more past trainees are working around the world.
The Programme
Ohio State University is one of the largest universities in the USA with over 55,000 students. It is renowned as having one of the best turf programmes in the country, along with the biggest football stadium I have ever seen, seating 105,539 people! The turf programme, which is managed by Irishman Mike O’Keeffe, brings around one hundred 19-29 year old single male and female turfgrass trainees, from approximately 32 countries, into the States every year for a 12 -18 month duration. Mike works with all the top courses in the country, and reckons he has a course for all levels of skill and ability.
Students work on cool season courses
from April to October and warm season courses from November to April. The programme also offers trainees a chance to attend eleven weeks of University level classes in turf management, agronomy, and modern golf course design, between January and March each year.
Robert Trent Jones Golf Club
The club is located in the State of Virginia, 30 miles west of Washington DC. It has gained a national reputation for providing an extraordinary golf experience for its members and their guests. The magnificent design and superb conditioning have earned the course numerous honours and it is rated as one of America’s top courses. Additionally, hosting the President’s Cup tournaments, where twenty-four of the world’s top players compete in match play competition, in 1994, 1996, 2000 and 2005 has further enhanced the stature of the club, putting it ‘on the map’ as a world championship test of golf.
Jones did a masterful job of designing the golf course, most notably by teasing the golfers with water. The large lake is the central point of the golf course, with eight holes on the back nine running adjacent to it. It is visible from nearly every hole on the course, yet on only one hole - the par-three 11th - must the ball be hit across water. The course is kept in tournament condition everyday. This is expected from the membership, who are so high profile I am not allowed to mention their names! Having the greens running at
“The perception that golf courses in the United States are flooded with water each night is far from the truth”
is a great way to meet new people and network with American turf students. This isn’t your average apartment. We had the luxury of a gym, swimming pool and tennis courts. Scott Furlong CGCS, the Superintendent, knows how difficult it is to get good trainees, so he went the extra mile and paid for the best apartment. In return the students gave 100% every day, as we knew we were appreciated.
The RTJ Philosophy
The perception that courses in the U.S are flooded with water each night is far from the truth, certainly at Robert Trent Jones. The aim is to keep the golf course playing as fast and as hard as possible seven days a week. This means that all surfaces are monitored for wilt during time of stress. No watering is done at
on certain areas. In such high temperatures, you can only mist the area, and not add water, the aim being to cool the plant down to get it through the heat stress period. Keeping the plant canopy cool is vital. Adding more water can cause more damage by literally boiling the plant in excess water. Due to the high disease pressure in these conditions, the club installed seven turf breeze fans in the winter prior to my arrival. These are installed just off the perimeter and give a constant breeze across the whole green, running at a wind speed of 4mph. The difference these fans have made during high stress/heat is amazing, keeping the air moving all day long while keeping soil temperatures to a minimum. Without these fans, soil temperatures can reach up 90O
F (32O C). The fans are very quiet
and do not affect play. They are turned 9
lightning fast speeds every day is the standard. We cannot allow anything to be below the highest standard possible. We have pure Penncross Bentgrass greens, tees and fairways, and it takes good management from Course Superintendent Scott Furlong CGCS, and assistants Scott Cornwell, Scott Thomas and myself, to keep these surfaces in top condition. When I started as an intern I shadowed the assistants, carrying out all the important jobs i.e. spraying, fertiliser applications, golf course setup and irrigation work until I was comfortable enough to do the jobs on my own. When working with people with such knowledge and ability, you cannot help but learn something new every day. 80% of turf managers in America have degrees in agronomy or turf management. The golf club rents an apartment one mile away where the interns live-in. This
night on the greens at all but is carried out by hand in the day time, and the fairways are only watered between rainstorms, ensuring that water is only used where it is needed. This operation is carried out by a crew of trained employees numbering anything from four to fourteen. There is a dedicated crew for greens, tees and fairways and, occasionally, the rough. Temperatures reaches 95O
Fahrenheit
Celsius) on most days, so you always have to be on your guard, even when you are only watching 3-9 greens, as anything can turn and start wilting at anytime. We continue to monitor until the sun has gone down and everything has stopped wilting.
(35O
This practice is not as easy as it sounds. The course is situated in the mid Atlantic region, the disease pressure is very high and humidity reaches up to 90% on many occasions. We have to be precise in the amount of water applied
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