Golf Course Consultancy & Agronomy

Golf Club / Facility Engagement with Sports Turf Consulting

Agronomy and Course Consultancy visits usually arrive by one of two different mechanisms, either;

1. Course Manager / Head Greenkeeper Led Approach

or,

2. Club Manager / Owner-Led Approach .

1. The Course Manager or Head Greenkeeper Led approach –

These approaches are initiated by the Head Greenkeeper or Course Manager who engage our services in order to seek that extra surface and operational performance for their organisation. They are typically proactive managers and keen to maximise benefits for their course and therefore player (customer) satisfaction. They are usually interested in our “Performance Greenkeeping” approach to greens management. Being a Course Manager and Head Greenkeeper is a lonely and exposed position in any club and we find the best of them look for a “Wing Man” to bounce ideas off and investigate and explore their ideas before engaging them on the ground. Noel MacKenzie is very happy to work this way and has done so for many years.

Crucially this approach tends to avoid problems that might demand emergency measures at some point because the Course Manager/Head Greenkeeper is managing in a proactive management style avoiding problems by working to avoid them. It also helps to provide a check and balance to their plans and actions on the course in the same way an accountant or auditor assists a business with its checks and balances to reduce risk. For the Course Manager it is better to engage with a professional Independent Agronomist than bouncing too many ideas around with greenkeeping colleagues for an number of reasons, some of which include:

• Competition between greenkeepers to be more proactive and push the course.
• Chasing lower cutting heights in a “limbo dance competition”.
• Topdressing earlier than the next guy to keep up with the Jones’.
• Forcing a course to perform at a pace that will be unsustainable in the longer term and result in surface failure.
• Adopt practices that may not suit the course or its longer term sustainability.
• Job security.

Working with a good Independent Agronomist maintains an impartial, independent and professionally discrete approach. That doesn’t mean that conversations should not take place with neighbouring greenkeepers but it avoids being compromised.

2. The Club / Owner led approach–

These approaches arise from the Chairman of Greens or General Manager/Secretary to the Club. The engagement may commence for many reasons, some examples include:

• Concern about course condition, poor greens performance, bunker issues, presentation deficiencies, etc.,
• Issues arising over longer term construction issues and how to address these.
• Facility Concerns – major expenditure is looming, such as new compound, irrigation, drainage, new greens/tees, and there is a desire to check that the investment is being made wisely.
• Concerns over Human Resources e.g. staff numbers, skills, competency, performance of individuals and teams, etc.
• Drainage problems, soft greens, tee rebuilding, etc.
• Insurance Claims e.g. Pesticide/Herbicide accidents resulting in course kills.
• Future Development – Is there scope to enhance the course?  If so how best to go about it?
• Assistance solving political concerns – for example, tension between scratch players and the high handicappers.
• Survival Strategy – where to trim and where to invest to help a club or course to survive.
• Project Management – Contract Administration and keeping projects on track.

Whatever the challenge we are here to help and support the club/facility with impartial advice free of commercial interests.

Noel MacKenzie has successfully overcome all sorts of problems on client’s courses resulting in an enhanced golfing experience for the members and customers at a course. Our priority is that your club and business must not only survive, it needs to thrive! We seek to understand issues on the course with an appreciation of how this relates to your product - the golfing experience you offer. This is why we adopt a multidisciplinary approach to understand more than just Agronomy - we comprehend how this might influence to your business considerations and course operations.

We often form a significant role within the professional management structure working hand-in-hand with the Club/facility management and the Greenkeeping operations. We support the staff on the ground, utilising their expert site knowledge and merging that with our experience and technical diagnosis to develop bespoke management approaches. Our aim is to optimise greenkeeping operations and supporting and strengthening the team on the ground. This may be by developing greenkeeping annual operation plans, through coaching and mentoring of senior staff or a combination of both. Our approach has avoided some club’s ridding themselves of staff at great expense by working with their valuable knowledge and channelling this into new ways of working. This is better for the club and facility (where it is possible) and it is also highly rewarding to see a greenkeeper or Course Manager become better developed, more motivated and more fulfilled in their work.

Your Course / Facility:

Whichever approach occurs on your site we assure you, our client, of our best intentions and a deliberate, insightful and unbiased appraisal of the course, its facilities, your resources and objectives to optimise the processes and outcomes involved on your site. Where change is necessary we seek to identify key elements in the Change Management Process to make transitions as smooth as possible. We never approach your facility with the view of instantly installing a new team leader which is only considered if the results are not forthcoming as to do so isn’t in the best interests of the Club except where there is a proven problem of a serious nature. If ever a new lead position does arise then we support the interview process with strictly adhered to protocols.

The Independent Agronomy Visit and Report:

The visit may be carried out unaccompanied, accompanied by just the Course Manager/Head Greenkeeper or may include Greens Chairman/General Manager. Usually it is best to limit the group numbers to 3-4 maximum. Maintenance Agronomy Visits can be short (an hour or so) or a full day, depending on what is required by the visit remit.

When completing routine maintenance agronomy visits we always produce a report for the following reasons:

• It is essential to record the content of the visit and the key points discussed.
• The report provides information to carry back to management systems that should operate in any club or proprietary facility.
• The report records advice which avoids mis-interpretation and errors by setting out our recommendations.
• The report can be detailed or brief depending on client requirements.

Ultimately the report forms part of our “product” recording the advisory visit and is an essential record of observations and advice. Writing reports individually takes time to complete, especially as ours are individually written not “copy and pasted” or simply reproduced “internet text”. We always provide a report as its omission is the height of bad consultancy practice and leaves the client and staff severely disadvantaged and potentially vulnerable to misunderstandings of advice.

If you would like to discuss your individual requirements please contact Noel MacKenzie for further information.