The Crop Science Society of America (along with the Soil Science Society of America and the Agronomy Science Society of America) is holding its annual meeting in Long Beach, but yesterday's turf tour was in L.A. at two of the most stunning golf courses in the area and UCLA's Jackie Robinson Stadium.
Frank Wong from the University of California-Riverside and PACE Turf's Larry Stowell were the tour guides, and superintendents Matt Morton (Riviera Country Club) and Brian Sullivan (Bel-Air Country Club) described the climate and the intricacies of turf management at their respective courses. Both courses are the domain of the very rich and the very famous -- and have been for many years.
Located in a canyon and just about a mile from the Pacific, Riviera has a different microclimate from Bel-Air CC, which is high on hill (see the above photo) about 4 miles from the ocean. Architect George C. Thomas Jr. designed both courses, and Morton says the genius of the design means that water drains off the course so efficiently that it's playable almost immediately after a heavy rainfall. (Heavy rain in L.A. is about 3-4 inches.)
Riviera has an unusual mix of turfgrasses: kikuyugrass fairways and rough, bermuda and perennial ryegrass tees and creeping bent/Poa greens. Because of its location, Riviera has some deeply shaded areas and is affected by the ocean breezes. Morton's advice to superintendents: "If you ever get a recommendation from soil analysis: act on it!"
Riviera is a championship course (it hosted the Nissan Open last February), and it's tough to get on the course. You can play as the guest of a member, so if you know the Governator or Jamie Lee Curtis or Adam Sandler, you're in luck.
Bel-Air, another celebrity playground, overlooks the city of Los Angeles and hosts numerous rounds per year. Sullivan has worked diligently the past few years to reduce water use. The course has a state-of-the art irrigation system, and catch-can tests are carried out weekly. Bel-Air also has a well that was recently drilled on the property and is connected to the irrigation system.
Bel-Air maintenance staff are curently cooperating with Jim Baird from the University of California-Riverside, who is testing new products for Poa annua control. This project is in its infancy, so results will not be available for some time.
In deference to neighbors who might be disturbed by the noise from maintenance vehicles, the greens are rolled by hand with 420-pound steel rollers custom-made by one of the employees. For convenience, a roller is stationed at each green. In the past, neighbors have included Katharine Hepburn, Ronald Reagan and Charles Bronson, all of whom lived in homes on the golf course perimeter. A new French embassy under construction will back up to the course.
One imagines that a club with glamorous members might have some unusual events in its history. Howard Hughes crashed his plane on the golf course, and a scene from Johnny Weissmuller's first Tarzan movie was filmed in a cave on the course. (I would include a link to Netflix for you, but I need to listen to some graduate student presentations right now.)
Thanks to Syngenta for providing the tour with incredible barbeque, and thanks to UCLA's groundskeeper Chris Romo for hosting the lunch at Jackie Robinson stadium.
The tour is over, and now it's time for the hard science!
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