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Opening Drive
The Green Spaces We Play
by CHRIS LANG
IF THERE ’ S ONE THING THAT GOLFERS KNOW , IT ’ S GRASS . It ’ s the fundamental base of the game , and one that can have a great effect on your play on any given day .
Any time we hold a championship at Fawn Lake Country Club in Spotsylvania , competitors rave about the club ’ s Zoysia fairways . “ It ’ s like hitting off carpet ,” many will say .
Head over to Independence Golf Club in Midlothian , but don ’ t stray too far from the fairway . You ’ ll head home with very sore forearms from hacking out of the club ’ s spongy , thick Bermudagrass rough .
And anyone who spends any time watching the broadcast of the Genesis Invitational will be sick to death of hearing about the Kikuyu , a grass common in the Pacific Palisades area , home of California ’ s Riviera Country Club .
Virginia is unique when it comes to grassing , as Leonard Shapiro chronicles in this issue of Virginia Golfer . The Commonwealth is a transition zone with several different climates , which leads to very different opinions from superintendents on which grasses are best for their course . What works in Williamsburg or Virginia Beach may not work in Bristol or Winchester .
Superintendents spend countless hours researching the latest in grassing , trying to find what works best for their respective clubs . Shapiro ’ s story gives a window into that process — something to think about the next time you flush a crisp 7-iron off that Zoysia carpet . Also in this issue :
• Centennial celebrations are special , and we ’ re pleased to continue to bring the VSGA Amateur Championship to clubs to help highlight them during 100th anniversary celebrations . In 2021 , it was Country Club of Petersburg . This June , we ’ ll be at Boonsboro Country Club in Lynchburg as part of its 100-year celebration . In 2024 , Belle Haven Country Club in Alexandria turns 100 , and the Amateur will be there as well . Arthur Utley takes you inside the history of Boonsboro , which has ties to four Virginia Golf Hall of Famers ( Donna Andrews , Bunny Blankinship , Vinny Giles and Phil Owenby ).
• College golf recruiting is a massive endeavor . George Mason University head coach Greg Pieczynski gives juniors some tips to help them stand out while going through the recruiting process in this issue ’ s Instruction session .
• Looking for a cool ( ish ) weather golf destination this summer ? Head to the Upper Midwest and see what Minnesota has to offer . Lisa D . Mickey guides you through it in Explorer .
Thanks for reading , and as always , my inbox is open for story ideas and suggestions .
Chris Lang , Editor clang @ vsga . org
The Commonwealth is a transition zone with several different climates , which leads to very different opinions from superintendents on which grasses are best for their course .
USGA Championships Return to the Homestead Cont ’ d ...
Dynamite crews worked carefully so as not to disturb the mineral springs . Boulders as large as 20 tons were removed . A 300-yard ridge of limestone was reduced . Tractors plowed , disc-harrowed and did finish grade work along with horses and mules . An irrigation system was put in . A steam shovel ( a novelty back then for this area ) filled in the watercress lake using 38,000 cubic yards of fill . Swift Run ( a stream with a catchment area of twenty square miles ) was redirected westward to the foot of Little Mountain in some areas and sent underground in others through 76-inch reinforced concrete pipes cast on the property .”
Morrison noted that the materials used included : 20 tons of dynamite , 1,204 tons of manure , 16 tons of fertilizer , 1,287 tons of sand , 6 tons of seed , 208 tons of horse and mule feed , 83 tons of cement , 330 tons of crushed stone , 76 tons of building supplies , 32,000 linear feet of water pipe , 11,400 linear feet of rubber hose , 10,000 linear feet of drain tile , 20,000 linear feet of conduit and cable , 181,000 square feet of creeping bent stolons , 23,000 square feet of steel reinforcing , 38,000 square feet of lumber , 8,000 square feet of roofing , 12,000 gallons of gasoline and oil , and 400 gallons of paint .
Golfclubatlas concluded : “ Yet , as a true credit to William Flynn ‘ s skill as an architect , the end result of this large engineering effort is that the land looks like man has done little to it .
6 V IRGINIA G OLFER | M AY / J UNE 2023 vsga . org