RGGCSA 4th quarter 2017

Superintendent Article Agronomic and Playability Standards

By Roy Johnson San Juan Country Club Written maintenance standards are one of the most important documents that a superintendent can construct and implement defining course conditions and setting expectations.

Detailed and exact specifications to which the golf course will be maintained should be outlined covering every possible scenario including mowing heights-ofcut and frequency, schedule and process of cultural practices and even costs associated with each individual task. When created properly, it can be used to protect you from domineering members and also assures the membership that you’re not maintaining the course to your desires.

When I took over as superintendent at San Juan Country Club there were no standards of any kind in place. With the approval from my General Manager, I created the club’s first set of agronomic and playability standards. Within the document each area of the golf course was broken down by greens, tees, fairways, bunkers, landscape beds and so forth. It detailed labor hours within each area, green speeds, seasonal mowing schedules and heights-of-cut, bunker sand depth and so on.

Written standards have proven to be an invaluable tool as it shows the decision makers of the club that I am responsible