A Look At … Tournament Preparation
Firm Enough For
The World’s Finest
Golf Players
The PGA Tour’s Mr Paul Vermeulen
Shares High-Level Tournament
Maintenance Standards
October 23rd, 2017
Golf Course Industry
Selected And Adapted Excerpts
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A Look At … Tournament Preparations
Providing Firm Conditions
Agronomic Success Is Defined As
Meeting The Player Demands
Professional Golfers Put A Very
High Priority On Playing The
Golf Course Firm
Even somebody who holds one of the Golf Industry’s most desirable jobs must report to members.
But the ones Mr Paul Vermeulen works to satisfy can unleash nearly quarter-mile drives, go weeks without missing a 3-footer and understand the difference between a 95- and 97-yard wedge shot.
Mr Vermeulen’s members are PGA Tour players.
[ The PGA Tour is the organizer of the main professional golf championship tournaments played primarily by men in the United States and North America. ]
Mr Vermeulen’s job as the PGA Tour’s Vice-President of Competitions Agronomy requires regular dialogue with players who arrive at tournament sites seeking course conditioning characteristic above others.
According to Mr Vermeulen ―
They put a very high priority on playing the golf course FIRM.
They DON’T place a high priority on playing the golf course FAST like so many people think.
They are athletes and they are competitive, and they enjoy a challenge.
When they play a FIRM golf course, that’s when they feel they are challenged.
PROVIDING FIRM CONDITIONS can be a challenge for any golf course superintendent, especially one lacking PGA Tour resources, a point Mr Vermeulen emphasizes.
A 10-year PGA Tour employee and former USGA Green Section agronomist, Mr Vermeulen works with golf course superintendents and crews hosting PGA Tour, Champions Tour and Web.com Tour competitions.
The PGA Tour, Mr Vermeulen says, defines agronomic success as meeting the playing demands of its membership.
Mr Vermeulen immediately shifts the attention to PROVIDING FIRMNESS ― without losing sight of GREEN SPEED and AESTHETICS ― when visiting a tournament site.
Mr Vermeulen has revealed several factors that allow PGA Tour sites to achieve its goal of providing OPTIMAL FIRMNESS when the tournaments conclude on Sundays.
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A Look At … Tournament Preparations
Favorable Maintenance Schedule
The Tournament Schedule Allows For
Morning & Afternoon Maintenance Each
Day, Allowing Superintendents & Crews
To Effectively Control The Volume Of
Water Dispersed On The Golf Course
A PGA Tour week consists of …
• Monday limited activity
• Tuesday practice rounds
• Wednesday pro-am
• Thursday & Friday full-field starts
• Saturday & Sunday trimmed field with stacked tee times.
The schedule provides opportunities for morning and afternoon maintenance each day, allowing superintendents and crews to effectively control the volume of water dispersed on the course.
According to Mr Vermeulen ―
While your Saturdays and Sundays are probably your two busiest days, our Saturdays and Sundays are our two lightest days.
Therein lies the fundamental difference.
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A Look At … Tournament Preparations
Resources To Collect & Measure
Putting Green Maintenance Relies Upon
Three Devices ― Firmness Meter, Soil
Moisture Meter, & Stimpmeter
Dozens of volunteers at most tournaments turn putting greens into crowded morning and evening spots because of the personnel needed to collect usable data.
The PGA Tour leans on three devices for data collection ― [ see later card images ]
• Firmness Meter – Ex : Turf-Tec Firmness Meter
• Soil Moisture Meter – Ex : Turf-Tec Moisture Sensor
• Stimpmeter – Ex : USGA Stimpmeter
Soil moisture meters and stimpmeters are devices that can be found in most maintenance buildings.
Firmness meters are less common.
Recording FIRMNESS involves dropping a golf ball-sized bearing from 6 feet and measuring the depth of the depression.
The simple process isn’t bulletproof, and Mr Vermeulen says numbers on new Bermudagrass surfaces can « get a little bit fuzzy ».
But firmness meters are especially reliable on cool-season grasses, and can provide confirmation when players provide feedback.
According to Mr Vermeulen ―
When we watch the data coming in from that meter [ firmness meter ] and have conversations with the players, we can correlate what we are getting on that meter with the response we are getting from our members.
When they start telling us, the golf course is really starting to get bouncy, we measure it, we quantify it, and we can use that information to help the next tournament site establish a target in getting their course ready for competition.
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A Look At … Tournament Preparations
Hand Watering
The Goal Is To Drop Moisture Readings
½ Per Cent Per For Every Tournament Day
The pair of workers responsible for HAND WATERING front and back nine greens spend more time with Mr Vermeulen than anybody else during advance and tournament week.
According to Mr Vermeulen ―
They have to be really, really, really precise.
Mr Vermeulen trains the pair to work backward to achieve the desired moisture readings.
This means the Sunday target drives irrigation decisions throughout the week.
Mr Vermeulen’s goal is to drop moisture readings ½ per cent for every tournament day.
Calibration is a key part of HAND WATERING training.
According to Mr Vermeulen ―
The people we are training can tell you exactly how much water is coming out of the hose.
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A Look At … Tournament Preparations
A Long-Term Strategy
Firmness Takes Patience & Time
& Cannot Be Altered On A Whim
Mowing and rolling can lead to manufactured putting green speeds.
Firmness, though, can’t be altered on a whim.
According to Mr Vermeulen ―
FIRMNESS takes patience and time.
I have on many occasions tried to measure the impact of mowing and rolling on FIRMNESS.
The idea would be, if you can roll the greens to get them FIRM and you need FIRMNESS, then you roll the green.
Rollers don’t really have that immediate impact.
They have an impact, but it’s cumulative over time.
As the soil dries, it becomes agreeable to FIRMING up and it FIRMS up every time you put the roller out there.
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The Library Of
Golf Course
Maintenance
Links To Previous Posts
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A Look At … TURF, ORNAMENTALS, MAINTENANCE, & ENVIRONMENT — LIBRARY OF REPORTS ( Web-Page )
https://pesticidetruths.com/toc/a-look-at-reports/
A Look At … WINTER INJURY & FALL PREPARATION ( Blog )
A Look At … AGGRESSIVE AERATION PROGRAMS AT OAKMONT COUNTRY CLUB ( Blog )
A Look At … CULTURAL PRACTICES THAT WILL SUPPRESS ANTHRACNOSE DISEASES — DR BRUCE B CLARKE ( Blog )
A Look At … HOW MUCH NITROGEN DO GOLF GRASSES NEED ?!?! ( Reports )
A Look At … REDUCING COSTS ( Report )
A Look At … WISPY FINE-LEAVED FESCUE ROUGH ( Report )
A Look At … TURF CULTIVATION ( I.E. AERATION ) ( Report )
A Look At … FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO FASTER GERMINATION IN CREEPING BENTGRASS ( Reports )
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The Library Of
A Look At …
Links To Previous Posts
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Background Information
√ FACTS About A Look At …
√ FACT — A Look At … Is A Series Of Reports & Blogs Providing Practical Information On Issues For The Green Space Industry
√ FACT — This Is What We Do. Don’t Thank Us. It’s A Public Service. And We Are Glad To Do It.
LINKS
A Look At … CAREER MANAGEMENT — LIBRARY OF REPORTS ( Web-Page )
https://pesticidetruths.com/toc/a-look-at-career-management/
A Look At … PESTICIDE LABELS — LIBRARY OF DOCUMENTS ( Web-Page )
https://pesticidetruths.com/toc/labels/
A Look At … TURF, ORNAMENTALS, MAINTENANCE, & ENVIRONMENT — 2016 LIBRARY OF REFERENCES ( Blog )
A Look At … TURF, ORNAMENTALS, MAINTENANCE, & ENVIRONMENT — LIBRARY OF REFERENCES ( Web-Page )
https://pesticidetruths.com/toc/a-look-at-references-turf-ornamentals/
A Look At … TURF, ORNAMENTALS, MAINTENANCE, & ENVIRONMENT — LIBRARY OF REPORTS ( Web-Page )
https://pesticidetruths.com/toc/a-look-at-reports/
A Look At … TURFGRASS SEEDS — LIBRARY OF JACKLIN SEEDS NEWSLETTERS ( Web-Page )
https://pesticidetruths.com/toc/a-look-at-references-seed-jacklin-newsletter/
A Look At … TURF, ORNAMENTALS, MAINTENANCE, & ENVIRONMENT — LIBRARY OF SLIDE SHOWS ( Web-Page )
https://pesticidetruths.com/toc/a-look-at-slide-shows/
A Look At … TURFGRASS DISEASES — LIBRARY OF REFERENCES ( Web-Page )
https://pesticidetruths.com/toc/a-look-at-references-turf-diseases/
A Look At … WEED PESTS — LIBRARY OF DOW AGROSCIENCES NEWSLETTERS ( Web-Page )
https://pesticidetruths.com/toc/a-look-at-references-weed-watch-dow-agrosciences/
LINKS – POSTERS
A Look At … POSTERS — BENEFITS OF URBAN TREES ( Blog & Posters )
https://pesticidetruths.com/2017/10/15/poster-benefits-of-urban-trees-2017-10-00/
A Look At … POSTERS — COMMUNITY BENEFITS OF GOLF ( Blog & Posters )
A Look At … POSTERS — THE ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS OF TURFGRASS ( Blog & Poster )
A Look At … POSTERS — KEEP OUR COMMUNITIES BEAUTIFUL & SAFE — DO NOT BAN COSMETIC PESTICIDES ( Blog & Posters )
A Look At … POSTERS — CANADA’S PROMINENT ANTI-PESTICIDE TERRЖRISTS ( Blog & Posters )
https://pesticidetruths.com/toc/culprits-canadas-prominent-anti-pesticide-terrorists/
LINK – RE-ENTRY INTERVALS
UPDATE — RE-ENTRY INTERVALS ( Blog )
LINKS – MORE SLIDE SHOWS
A Look At … SLIDE SHOW — SAFETY & ENVIRONMENT FACTS — PEST CONTROL PRODUCTS ARE SAFE FOR KIDS ( Blog )
A Look At … SLIDE SHOWS — 2016 LIBRARY OF PRESENTATIONS — Part 1 Of 3 ( Blog )
A Look At … SLIDE SHOWS — 2016 LIBRARY OF PRESENTATIONS — Part 2 Of 3 ( Blog )
LINKS – THE WISDOM OF MR ART C DRYSDALE
DRYSDALE — PROFILE & REPORTS ( Web-Page )
https://pesticidetruths.com/toc/the-wisdom-of-art-c-drysdale-2/
DRYSDALE — THE LIBRARY OF REPORTS, BLOGS, & REFERENCES ( Web-Page )
https://pesticidetruths.com/drysdale-library-of-reports-blogs-references/
DRYSDALE — AUDIO RECORDINGS — PART 1 — AUTUMN to MISCELLANEOUS ( Web-Page )
https://pesticidetruths.com/toc/the-wisdom-of-art-c-drysdale-3/
DRYSDALE — AUDIO RECORDINGS — PART 2 — ORCHIDS to WINTER ( Web-Page )
https://pesticidetruths.com/toc/the-wisdom-of-art-c-drysdale-4/
DRYSDALE — RE-DIRECT LINKS TO REPORTS & AUDIO RECORDINGS ( Web-Page )
https://pesticidetruths.com/toc/the-wisdom-of-art-c-drysdale/
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WE SPEAK THE WHOLE TRUTH WHEN WE TAKE A LOOK AT … GOLF COURSE MAINTENANCE FROM AN INDEPENDENT PERSPECTIVE !
We are the National Organization Responding Against HUJE that conspire to destroy the Green space & other industries ( NORAHG ).
NORAHG is a non-profit & independent organization that reports on the work of several highly-rated leading experts who have recognized expertise, training, & background in matters concerning pest control products, & who promote environmental realism & pesticide truths.
NORAHG produces A Look At …, a series of reports & blogs providing PRACTICAL INFORMATION on issues such as Career Management, Golf Course Maintenance, Green Alternatives, Lawn Care Maintenance, Summer Stress, Tree & Shrub Maintenance, Turfgrass Pests, & Turfgrass Species.
A Look At … is destined for the green space industry, nation-wide across Canada, the United States, & overseas, & can be found on The Pesticide Truths Web-Site … https://pesticidetruths.com/
A Look At … is committed to SOUND SCIENCE, as well as ground breaking original reporting that informs, entertains, & creates real change.
All information, excerpts, & pictures contained in A Look At … were retrieved from the Internet, & may be considered in the public domain.
The information presented in A Look At … is for preliminary planning.
Before making a final decision, the turf manager is expected to obtain trusted expert advice from extension specialists, local distributors and/or agronomists.
All decisions must take into account the prevailing growing conditions, the time of year, & the established management practices.
All products mentioned in A Look At … should be used in accordance with the manufacturer’s directions, & according to provincial, state, or federal law.
For the official advantages, benefits, features, precautions, & restrictions concerning any product, the turf manager must rely only on the information furnished by the manufacturer.
The mention of trade names does not constitute a guarantee or a warranty.
NORAHG also produces Force Of Nature, which dares to defy the pesticide-hating fanatжcs by exploring the whole truth from an independent perspective on The Pesticide Truths Web-Site … https://pesticidetruths.com/
A Look At …, Force Of Nature, & their various incarnations, was the brain-child of William H Gathercole ( now retired ) & his colleagues.
Here is a brief summary of Mr Gathercole’s career ―
FIELDS OF STUDY ― Horticulture/Agriculture • Mathematics • Physics.
ALMA MATER ― McGill University • University of Guelph • the first person ever to obtain university degrees & contribute to both the professional lawn care & golf maintenance industries.
EXPERTISE IN ― turf & ornamental maintenance & troubleshooting • history of the green space industry • sales & distribution of seeds, chemicals, fertilizers, & equipment • fertilizer manufacturing & distribution • environmental issues & anti-pesticide terrжrism.
NOTABLE ACTIVITIES ― worked in virtually all aspects of the green space industry, including golf maintenance, professional lawn care, tree & shrub care, distribution, environmental compliance, government negotiations, public affairs, & workplace safety ― • the supervisor, consultant, &, programmer for the successful execution of hundreds-of-thousands of management operations in the golf course & urban landscape, as well as millions of pest control applications • the advisor, instructor, & trainer for thousands of turf & ornamental managers & technicians • the pesticide certification instructor for thousands of industry workers • a founder of the modern professional lawn care industry • the prolific writer for industry publications, reports, & blogs • the first to confirm the invasion of European Chafer insects in both the Montreal region & the Vancouver / Fraser Valley region • with Dr Peter Dernoeden, the first to confirm the presence of Take All Patch as a disease of turf in Eastern Canada • with Dr David Shetlar, the first to confirm the presence of Kentucky Bluegrass Scale as an insect pest in South-Western Ontario, & later, in the Montreal & Vancouver regions.
SPECIAL CONTRIBUTIONS ― the creator of the Exception Status that allowed the golf industry to avoid being subjected to anti-pesticide prohibition for a generation • the creator of the signs that are now used for posting after application • the co-founder of annual winter convention for Quebec golf course superintendents • the co-founder of the first ever Turf Summit • the major influence in the decision by Canadian Cancer Society to stop selling-for-profit fresh pesticide-treated daffodils • the only true reliable witness of the events of anti-pesticide prohibition in the town of Hudson, Quebec • the founder ( now retired ) of A Look At … & Force Of Nature reports & blogs.
NOTABLE AWARD ― the first man-of-the-year for contributions leading to the successful founding of the Quebec professional lawn care industry, which served as a beach-head against anti-pesticide activists in the 1980s & 1990s.
LEGACY ― Mr Gathercole & his colleagues … designed & implemented strategies that reined anti-pesticide activists & provided peace & prosperity for the entire modern green space industry across Canada for a generation • orchestrated legal action against anti-pesticide activists in the town of Hudson, Quebec • launched the largest founding professional lawn care business in the nation • quadrupled the business revenues of one of the largest suppliers in the nation.
Mr Gathercole is now retired, although his name continues to appear as the founder of A Look At … & Force Of Nature reports & blogs.
We dare to defy by exploring the whole truth from an independent perspective on The Pesticide Truths Web-Site … https://pesticidetruths.com/
If you wish to receive free reports & blogs on issues that concern you, please contact us at … force.of.de.nature@gmail.com WILLIAM H GATHERCOLE AND NORAH G
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