exceeding expectations

Top Conditions require adjusting cultural practices and selecting the right equipment

Glen Arbour Golf Course takes its name from the Scottish term for “valley of trees.” Natural lakes, streams and mature forests with significant elevation changes make the Hammonds Plains, Nova Scotia, course a premium golf experience. When famed Canadian architect Graham Cooke first walked this site, he knew he had the opportunity to create a spectacular golf course and, in fact, he did.

Since the course opened in 1999, Glen Arbour has played host to many celebrities, highlighted by the inaugural Wayne Gretzky and Friends Invitational and last year the BMO Canadian Ladies Open. The entire staff strives to make the Glen Arbour experience an event that exceeds customer expectations. Nowhere is that motto more evident than with course conditions.

“We’re the only real high-end public facility in an area with a population base of 350,000,” says general manager/superintendent Mike DeYoung. “There’s a pent-up demand for high-end golf. We are expected to provide resort conditions.”

Achieving those goals is a combination of adjusting cultural practices and selecting the right equipment.

	"We wanted a more aggressive cut, and that's why we chose the SLF-1880." - Mike DeYoung

Hot, wet summer
This summer proved to be very challenging for DeYoung and his maintenance staff of 22. The weather was unusually hot and humid, with near record amounts of rainfall.

“We had huge rain events that forced us to vent, slice and aerify with solid tines more often,” DeYoung says. “We even used a hydroject process. We usually vent once a month, but we did it twice a month this year.”

Conditions are softer than DeYoung prefers, but greens still roll 10 to 11 feet on the Stimpmeter most days of the week. The 22 acres of Cato bentgrass fairways present another challenge.

“Cato is not indigenous to this area,” he says, “and we’re trying to grow a grass species that especially in spring and fall doesn’t like the lack of sunlight and cool, damp conditions. Sometimes we struggle with thatch management. We like tight turf, but we’re probably maintaining softer conditions than we’d like.”

June through September belong to golfers, so the most aggressive cultural practices are done in the off-season. The staff does deep vertical mowing and deep tine aeration to 9 inches in October and November. They also use a GA-24® aerator with solid mini-tines and 1/2-inch spacing for lots of holes.

GK 518s are equipped with the MAGKnife
DeYoung says that for Glen Arbour’s contoured greens, the mower of choice is the GK 518®.

“It gives us the quality-of-cut we want without scalping,” he adds.

Two years ago these walking greens mowers were equipped with MAGKnife® bedknives.

“The MAGSystem® makes the life of our technician so much simpler,” DeYoung says. “We grind bedknives a minimum of once a week, and the MAGSystem makes it easier for him to set up the mowers because he doesn’t have to pound screws.”

The superintendent is very pleased with the MAGKnife’s quality-of-cut.

“On the course we’re seeing a higher quality-of-cut,” DeYoung says. “I credit the MAGSystem bedknives’ angle of the face for reduced drag. If we mow with traditional bedknives and come back with the MAGKnife, it’s like the green had never been cut. The MAGKnife stands up the turf a lot better; the quality- of-cut is outstanding.”

Select SLF-1880s and AR-5
About four years ago, Glen Arbour switched from cutting fairways with triplex mowers to the 5-gang super-light SLF-1880® with 8-blade reels.

“We liked the look the triplexes gave us,” DeYoung says, “but the fairways looked ‘puffy’ at times. We wanted a more aggressive cut, and that’s why we chose the SLF-1880. We still get the striping we’re looking for with the smaller, 18-inch reels.”

Glen Arbour has some severe slopes, and the SLF-1880’s light footprint was very important in a season of near record rainfall.

“This mower climbs very well,” DeYoung says. “We had some slippage problems with the triplexes, but with the SLF-1880s and four-wheel-drive it’s not much of an issue. They don’t bruise the turf, and that’s very important.”

The staff is in its second season using the AR-5® fine-cut rotary mower.

“It’s a good machine and the operators like it,” DeYoung says. “Like the SLF- 1880, the AR-5 can mow in wet conditions with little or no damage to the turf. It’s very maneuverable and cuts down on the amount of handwork we have to do. And, we use it to mulch leaves in fall; we do very little blowing. I’d estimate that 90 percent of our leaf cleanup is done with the AR-5. It does an exceptional job when the leaves are dry.”

Jacobsen dealer is involved
Glen Arbour has a great relationship with its Jacobsen® dealer, Eastern Turf.

“They’ve been very, very good,” DeYoung says. “They’re a service-oriented company and understand our needs. They go above and beyond to satisfy us. For example, when we hosted the Canadian Ladies Open last year, they were more than willing to bring in additional equipment. We were able to showcase the property based on having more machines. If something goes down, they have good parts availability and service, or they’ll provide us with another piece of equipment.”

Assume GM duties
DeYoung took on the general manager responsibilities about four years ago. His assistant, Jim MacAlpine, has taken over more of the day-to-day management of the course, but DeYoung still tours the property several times a day and is involved in training and mentoring. While his responsibilities in the clubhouse are becoming more demanding, he says golf course superintendents can be a natural fit for this position.

“At this facility, as with most places, the golf course is the priority,” he explains. “I make sure nothing is done at the expense of the golf property. The golf course product is most important, and I think that makes me better suited to manage the entire facility.”