Get Your Greens Shined Up

Whistler Golf Club’s Re-Sodding Project

By Jerry Rousseau

At the 2011 Lower Mainland BCGSA windup held at the Whistler Golf Club, I was surprised to learn from Superintendent Dave Gottselig and Assistant Superintendent Stuart Carmichael that the Club was planning to re-sod all 18 greens. 

It was a little hard to believe anyone would consider skidding such nice surfaces but Stu explained there were many problems each spring due to the amount of poa annua that had crept into the stand over the past 28 years. 

Of course everyone growing grass in Canada knows that snow and ice kick the crap out of annual bluegrass and the club had its challenges coming out of winter over the past 3 years.  Having worked at mountain golf courses much of my career, I knew exactly what they were talking about.

So the decision was made to sod to bentgrass and a project plan was put in motion.  The Club did an excellent job of marketing the plan citing the new grass would offer a much smoother putting surface and offer more resistance to the harsh Whistler winter weather.  Golfers were reassured that, “Mr. Palmer’s green complexes will not be altered at all as our guests love the rolling slope here at the Whistler Golf Club”

If you’re thinking that sodding 18 greens plus three practice greens is a big job, when it happens at a mountain golf course you have to multiply the ‘fun factor’ by ten.  Timing is critical and weather can be either a hindrance or a hindrance making it necessary to think extremely far ahead.

Firstly, a choice had to be made of turf type – Whistler’s decision was the improved bentgrass called 007 custom grown by Bos Sod Farms of Abbotsford, BC.  Here’s Dave inspecting the new turf prior to it being harvested. 

Work on the golf course started in March with snow removal from the greens.  It was an awesome spring ski and snowboard season in Whistler but neither Dave nor Stu got to experience it.  In fact, the snow was one of those aforementioned hindrances forcing the crew to clear the greens six times before the white stuff stopped falling.  Something to think about here is that cart paths had to be cleared as well before staff could even get to the greens.

The old sod was stripped in early April and the new sod was laid April 10 through the 14th with the crew getting 5 greens done per day.  Just like that, new greens!  With the course planned to open May 18, as much time as possible was needed before play began and at high end resorts courses such as the Whistler Golf Club, temporaries are not acceptable.

“It is a very exciting year for us. Our new greens project has gone very well and we’re sure our guests will love the new greens this season” said Alan Kristmanson, General Manager just before the course opened.  “Our maintenance crew has worked very hard getting the greens ready for play and with the great forecast over the next two weeks the greens and golf course will be in excellent condition for this early in the season”, he added.

First cut on greens

The project was extremely well documented and videos/photos of all three phases of the renovation can be found at http://blog.whistlergolf.com/2011/09/16/new-greens-for-2012/

Congratulations to Dave, Stu, the Whistler GC crew and everyone involved for a job well done.  Many will realize that completion of the sod laying was really just the start of the project but we’ll leave that article for Dave or Stu to write!

On a side note, here’s what a green looks like in the spring without a winter fungicide application. 

With renovation planned, there was no need for protection.  You may have read the report called ‘Whistler Undertakes Mold Research’ in the June/July 2012 issue of the Turf Line News.  If not, you can find the report at http://www.wcta-online.com/turfgrass-research/item/192-whistler-golf-club-snow-mold-trial-project