Case Study

Changing Times For Westchester Country Club: Club Considers Leasing; Selects Innovative Jacobsen Super LF-1880 For A Tournament Quality Cut With High Productivity

Fall 2002 - The adage, “the only constant is change,” has never been more true for Westchester Country Club superintendent Joe Alonzi. Throughout his 11-year tenure at the Rye, New York, private club, his annual equipment budget was always satisfactory. However, with a tough economy and increased demands for better course conditions, that amount makes it difficult to keep pace.

“We’ve got some tough decisions to make,” he says. “We’ve been spending $150,000 to $175,000 a year on equipment since I’ve been here. For most of the time that was sufficient, but equipment has gotten more expensive and technology is so good that we need new equipment to keep up. Right now I need a significant influx of new units. Our four rough mowers are getting pretty tired.”

Historically, Westchester has always purchased equipment. But Alonzi doesn’t think that method will work in today’s economic climate.

“The club has some major building expenses,” he says, “so leasing might be the most favorable route for us. We could get three years’ worth of equipment at once. I’d have units right away, and hopefully we wouldn’t have to replace too many pieces during the lease period. If I can’t sell the concept of leasing now I never will. Financing is at 2 to 3 percent, and we need the equipment now. When I started here, $150,000 went an awfully long way. Today I might be able to get three pieces for that amount. In an operation our size we need to replace more than three pieces a year. At this point I think leasing might be the way to go.”

Greens mower finish in a light fairway mower
Designed by Walter Travis, Westchester Country Club opened in 1924. It has two 18-hole courses and a nine-hole executive course. The club’s 1,500 members play 30,000 rounds a year on each course. For more than 30 years the West Course has been home to the PGA Tour’s Buick Classic. The event has donated more than $35 million to local hospitals.

Westchester is a massive complex. The maintenance staff is responsible for more than 400 acres. The hotel has 320 rooms, and the grounds include 20 tennis courts and five grass courts. There is a 50-acre beach club five miles away on Long Island Sound with 1,000 feet of frontage. The staff is also responsible for maintaining six miles of roads within the community.

The maintenance staff numbers 45 full time people from March to November. It is reduced to 18 during winter.

75-year quality tradition
Productivity is critical. To mow fairways, Alonzi wanted a lightweight 5-gang mower with a quality cut. It had to be less than 100 inches wide for the striping look he wanted. Essentially, he wanted a greens quality cut on fairways without having to use a lot of people. To accomplish this goal, he acquired two Jacobsen Super LF1880 lightweight fairway mowers.

“We have to have great conditions,” Alonzi says, “but I need more efficiency than I would get with triplex mowers. Most fairway mowers are too heavy and wide to accomplish what we want, while triplexes require too much manpower. On our 36-holes it took four to five people to mow fairways with triplex units, compared to three with a 5-gang unit. Like anyplace else, we have to complete fairway mowing before golfers begin play.”

Quality cut is just as important as productivity.

“I like the cut I get with the Super LF-1880,” Alonzi says. “It uses a greens mower head on a fairway unit. We get a nice smooth, even cut all the way across the fairway. If there wasn’t a mower like this, we’d probably use triplexes to get the cut we want. The Super LF1880 has five mowing heads and gives us more productivity. The cut is just as good as a triplex.”

Westchester got its first Super LF-1880 prototype a few years ago.

“There weren’t many changes on our new units from the prototype,” Alonzi says. “Our technician went over the early model pretty well. Any changes were just a matter of moving hoses or adjusting spring settings so the down pressure was correct for a good cut on all five units.” 

The Super LF-1880s debuted at last year’s Buick Classic.

“We mowed our fairways with the Super LF-1880s on the 12th, 17th and 18th holes,” Alonzi says. “These are very visual holes for television, and the tighter striping we got with this mower looked great. The quality of cut is better than a triplex, and with an 80-inch-wide mower we can put more stripes in a tighter area compared to a 100-inch-wide fairway mower.”

Certified by Audubon

Westchester Country Club has been certified by Audubon International for seven years.

“I believe in the program and am proud of our certification,” Alonzi says. “I looked at the requirements and discovered we were already doing many of the items. It’s amazing that we’re only 15 miles from New York City and have developed an environment that is home to bluebirds, hawks, coyotes, deer and even wild turkeys. We’ve established flower gardens to attract butterflies and hummingbirds. And, there’s not much cost involved. We may spend money on nesting boxes, but we’re saving in other areas where we may spray less or only mow once a year.”

Turning public perceptions
One of Alonzi’s biggest concerns is a public perception that golf courses are bad for the environment. To counteract this attitude, he is very involved with county committees, including one on pesticide management. He gives presentations in the community on environmental responsibility and conducts tours of Westchester’s property.

“I try to show people that we can’t be using too many chemicals if there is so much wildlife here,” he says. “When the public hears we’re affiliated with Audubon, they think we must be doing something right. People who have come here and take the time to look at our program walk away with a different attitude about golf courses.”

He points out that most golf course superintendents are college educated and have professional certification for chemical application.

“Overuse is more of a problem with homeowners,” Alonzi says. “Many don’t know how to read a label, mix the right amount or calibrate a spreader. It makes me laugh when I go to a home improvement store that sells chemicals that are illegal to use on a golf course, but homeowners can buy them and use as much as they want.”

Alonzi urges superintendents to promote their courses as nature sanctuaries. “If we turned over our 400 acres and built 800 homes on the property,” he says, “this natural environment would disappear. There would be sewage, runoff and driveways. The list goes on and on. We’d be doing a lot worse for the environment. But this property is preserved. The public needs to be educated. There’s a lot of evidence to show that once a chemical is put down it’s taken up by the plant or tied up in the thatch and doesn’t go anywhere. Where you put chemicals is where they stay. Chemicals dissipate as the plant grows or leaches. Buffer areas prevent them from spreading.”  

While Alonzi receives favorable reaction to the Audubon program from members, he loves to tell about a comment he received from a club neighbor.

“A lady who lives near the property called me and asked where the bluebirds were coming from because she hadn’t seen them for a long time,” he says. “When I told her we put up nesting boxes, she thought that was great and thanked us. She’s a member at a club down the road and was going to suggest the Audubon program to her superintendent.”

If that example doesn’t substantiate the value of the program, Alonzi takes his case to a personal level.

“I have four children,” he says. “In my first 10 years as a superintendent, I lived on the golf course. I never stepped foot off the property. The last thing I wanted to do was put something into the environment that would hurt my family or my employees.”