every day is a member-guest

goal is consistent course conditions

At Fairview Country Club, Greenwich, Connecticut, every day is a member-guest.

“I have never liked managing a golf course in peaks and valleys,” superintendent Mike Mongon says. “It’s easy to fall into a pattern of ramping up for weekends and then dropping off during the week. I’ve always felt that top conditions should be delivered to members all the time. You never know who’ll be at the course on a given day. And, the last time I checked, all members pay the same amount. People who don’t play on weekends should enjoy the same conditions during the week and vice versa. I try to keep the course consistent day in and day out.”

Noah’s Ark Theory

Mongon subscribes to what he calls “The Noah’s Ark Theory” of golf course maintenance — there are at least two pieces of each type of equipment. Mowers go out on the front and back nines at the same time.

“The bottom line is that I want the golf course consistent on both sides,” he says. “Years ago there was one rough mower. The operator would cut six holes a day, so golfers were playing in rough that was anywhere from 4 to 2 inches thick. I don’t want that. Our roughs are always very consistent. Other conditions are also consistent. All the bunkers have been raked and fairways have been mowed. We have enough equipment and staff so we can complete those tasks in a timely fashion. Doing that allows us to finish earlier, and then we go back and spend more time on hand labor, which is such a big part of our operation.”

Mongon looks for ways to maximize his labor force. He and his assistants, Jeff Pooper and Justin Mills, make sure the crew is cross-trained so everyone can do each other’s jobs. Caddies and other club employees are used occasionally to assist with divot repair, and even lay sod and fix bunkers after bad weather.

Latest technology

Fairview’s equipment fleet includes four Jacobsen SLF-1880™ super-light fairway mowers and six E-Walk™ all-electric greens mowers. There are two rough mowers including Jacobsen’s newest AR-5™ fine cut rotary.

“We have a lot of trees and the mulching decks on the AR-5 work great,” Mongon says. “We don’t use the discharge chute because we don’t need it. We blow off fairways and we’re in great shape after three passes. We don’t use a vacuum.”

The superintendent is impressed with the AR-5’s quality-of-cut.

“The AR-5 works terrific when you utilize best management practices,” Mongon says. “If you use one machine to cut 50 to 60 acres, you’ll never have consistent rough. By the time you’ve finished the 18th hole, the first hole is 4 inches high. I understand there might be clumping issues if you only cut the rough once a week. The mower is set at 2 inches, but by the time the operator gets around again the rough will be at 4 inches, and that will be a bit of an issue. We don’t let that happen here. We make a minimum of three passes three times a week. It takes no time at all with the AR-5. We’re always nipping off the top one-third of the grass blade, which is all we should be taking off anyway. The last time I checked, going from 2 to 4 inches was 50 percent.”

Switch to SLF-1880

Mongon wasn’t satisfied with the large fairway mowers he was using, and brought in products from all the manufacturers for a three-day demo.

“The first day the operators tried four different machines,” he says. “By the second day there was a line to get on the SLF-1880. It’s a very comfortable machine, the buckets are easy to take off, and it’s easy to work on. But the biggest thing is quality-of-cut. This mower with 8-blade reels has a thinner stripe, reminiscent of a triplex.”

The SLF-1880s lighter weight is another advantage.

“We received 13 inches of rain in a short period of time last fall,” Mongon says, “and there’s no way we could have cut the fairways without the SLF-1880s. It’s lightweight and maneuverable, and there are no traction issues.”

All-electric E-Walk

Fairview has 4 acres of greens with lots of contours. Noise issues played a role in switching to the E-Walks last year, but more important was the fact that reel speed is independent of walk speed.

“It’s like getting the benefit of a double cut,” Mongon says. “We can keep the green speeds our membership enjoys (10 to 10.5 feet) without the rigors of double cutting and rolling. I like the fact that we can slow down the walk speed and increase reel speed. Before the E-Walk, the only way we could get the green speed we wanted was to double cut. Now we don’t do it at all. If we need more speed, we roll the greens. When the weather heated up this summer, we switched to smooth rollers. We mowed at the same height and increased reel speed. The operators really like this mower. They’re easy to power up, we don’t have to worry about fueling them in the morning or running out of oil, and they’re quiet. The E-Walks have made a big difference.”

There have been no battery issues. There are two batteries for each of the six mowers, and in Fairview’s first season with the E-Walks operators have never had to change out to the second battery.

Stand on successes

Fairview celebrated its centennial in 2004. This course moved to its present location in 1967 and was built by Robert Trent Jones Sr. Mongon has seen the maintenance budget increase in his six years at the club.

“I feel a superintendent stands on his successes, which allows him to point out weaknesses,” he says. “He has to communicate to the right people and keep explanations simple. Sometimes being successful is just a change in philosophy, such as turning off the water or more aggressive thatch management. If a superintendent has been at a course a long time, he may try to satisfy the membership by doing very little, such as cutting back on aeration. Then conditions start to go the other way. The membership needs better communication from the superintendent because that equates to direction. You don’t want to be micromanaged. Superintendents need to show the membership we’re capable so they let us do our job.”