Gordon Seliga, Golf Course Superintendent

Professional golfers get all the glory. They are the ones written about and watched weekly on television. We know their names, their stats, their ups and downs. But what about the people who operate behind the scenes? It’s not often that we get a peek into the daily lives of those who have chosen a career in the golf industry.

This interview column is dedicated to the people who grind it out daily but not necessarily out of a sand trap. Whether it be a course superintendent of a local country club or the head of a major corporation I hope to be able to delve into the lives of those who make a difference but are rarely in the public eye.

This week’s interview is with Gordon Seliga, Golf Course Superintendent of Lake View Country Club. Enjoy!

TST: So you’re a superintendent… what does that mean, exactly? What does your job entail?

Gordon: In the olden days as well as recently, golf course superintendents were referred to as “greenkeepers” (“keeper of all that is green”). Notice there is no “S” in this word. Often, particularly in the U.S., people use the term “greenskeeper” with an s as if referring to the management of only the greens. Over the years the responsibilities of greenkeepers had expanded greatly and this term was no longer appropriate. Within the past two or three decades this title was changed to “Golf Course Superintendent” to more appropriately reflect the broad range of responsibilities associated with this position and the management of a golf course.

Golf Course Superintendents, depending on their particular facility may be part scientist, environmentalist, horticulturist, personnel manager, instructor, meteorologist, architect, engineer, accountant, plumber, electrician, inventor, mechanic, and politician just to mention a few. Golf Course superintendents are responsible for operation budgets from as little as $500,000 dollars to as much or more than $2,000,000 dollars and can be responsible from anywhere from ten to fifty employees with the average area of responsibility covering about 150 acres or more.

TST: Could you give us information about the history of your personal career? What steps did you have to take before becoming the superintendent?

Gordon: When I was in high school, from the age of 14 I worked various jobs that in some fashion involved working outdoors with either landscapes or grounds maintenance. I had a friend that worked at a local country club who helped me get in the door there. After one year at the country club the golf course was sold. The new owner started renovating the golf course and this was a great opportunity for me to get involved in the actual construction of greens, tees, bunkers and the like. We did everything from running bull dozers and backhoes to irrigation rebuilds and landscaping. I really liked this kind of stuff so I applied myself over the next several years and became pretty good at it. My boss, the Golf Course Superintendent at the time, recognized my abilities and promoted me to Assistant Golf Course Superintendent and suggested that I further my education. After another two summers of experience I was accepted into the Turfgrass Management Program at Penn State. Recognized as one of the premier Turfgrass programs in the world the Penn State program reinforced my interest in the field. After graduating from the program I accepted the superintendent position at Lake View Country Club and here I remain.

TST: How often do you aerate the course? How soon do you start seeing the effects following aeration? How do your members perceive it and what steps are taken to educate them about its necessity?

Gordon: Here at Lake View we have a very short golfing season so we only aerate the golf course twice each season, once in the spring and once in the fall. Every golf course is completely different so the frequency varies dramatically on golf courses around the world. During the course of summer play the greens become heavily played and the surface becomes compacted and is in a sense sealed off. This reduces the availability of oxygen in the root zone and reduces the ability of the grass to function efficiently. Aeration is a means in which to punch through the surface allowing oxygen to re-enter the root zone. I’m not sure the visual effects of aeration are that noticeable as there are other programs that are simultaneously performed in conjunction with aeration. I can tell you the opposite is true with the lack of aeration. Without aeration, the soils become anaerobic and grass plants struggle causing a significant visual as well as physiological decline. As mentioned before, every golf course is very different and responds differently to aeration. Our greens are “push up”. That is they are built by pushing or using native soil in their construction. In addition, our greens were built without a subsurface drainage system. Combine the two and it’s easy to see why aeration is so important.

Most golfers, from my experience, have an unfavorable opinion about aerating the greens. After all, it is fairly disruptive and putting quality is reduced for a period of time. I try to frequently remind the membership via the newsletter and my web site on the importance of aeration. I’ve even included a photo of grass roots growing in an aeration hole showing the results of this important process. As golf course superintendent, if I could produce high quality putting surfaces without aeration, I would and I would be the first one to jump on that band wagon. It’s not a fun process for us let alone the disruption to the golfers.

TST: How often do you apply topdressing to the greens and how soon does the putting surface usually return to a normal condition?

Gordon: Topdressing is just as important as the aeration process. It not only helps us produce a smooth surface it also fills the voids from the aeration process and provides a more favorable environment for root growth as well as a necessity in the management of thatch. Generally we topdress heavily after aeration and then lighter and more frequently throughout the season. Frequency depends on the weather and the condition of the greens in response the environmental conditions at the time. After heavy topdressing, usually during the off season, the greens recover in a few weeks. During the season, the topdressing is applied a lot lighter but more frequently and the recovery time is usually a day or so and in many cases golfers may not even be aware that we even topdressed.

TST: Can you explain the process of controlling the speed of your greens?

Gordon: I’m not sure control is a proper way to describe the management of green speed. Most golfers seem to want the greens as fast as possible, sometimes unreasonably fast. If I could control green speed, I’d make them fast all the time.

In reality we try to manage green speed. There are so many environmental factors involved in managing green speed that control is not an option. Sure we can step up the regime and produce higher speeds for special events for a short period of time, especially if the weather gods are smiling on us but the grass can take only so much abuse. Remember grass is a living breathing organism that responds much like you and I to the environment. You try mowing your lawn at .085 of an inch and then have 30,000 people with spikes on their shoes walk across your lawn during the course of the summer. It’s not easy!

Some of the major factors that influence green speed include fertility, grass species and variety, soil conditions and topography, budgets, environmental conditions such as temperature, humidity and rainfall, height and frequency of cut and cultural practices like mowing and rolling as well as others. Taking all of these factors into consideration, we must evaluate the circumstances and make adjustments to at least try to achieve speeds appropriate for our membership and at the same time manage to maintain healthy turf. If the required speed is higher it is more difficult. If there is one thing you’ll hear me say over and over it’s the fact that each golf course is significantly different and attaining green speeds on each of these golf courses requires different approaches and in some cases may not be achievable due to limitations of one kind or another.

In my opinion most golfers think that producing fast greens is as simple as flipping a switch. That couldn’t be farther from the truth. In most circumstances it is a trying process that requires significant attention and resources. Due to unrealistic demands from golfers and competition form other golf courses, many golf course superintendents are under so much pressure to produce higher green speeds that they are reduced to implementing practices that are not favorable for the growth of healthy turf.

TST: How has club technology changed your responsibility of maintaining the course? How have fairway height, green height, etc. changed during your career? How have new pesticides and fertilizers changed the way a course is maintained?

Gordon: I’m not sure if club technology has directly impacted how we manage the golf course but it certainly has impacted the design of golf courses. With golfers now hitting golf balls unprecedented distances, golf courses are not presenting the challenges they once did. In light of this, many golf courses are lengthening holes and adding or repositioning hazards to overcome the longer golf ball flight.

When I first started in the industry the common mowing heights for greens was around 5/16 (0.3125) of an inch, the fairways were mowed around 3/4 (0.75) of an inch and tees around a half (0.5) an inch. With improvements in mower technology and pressure from the golfing community these heights have been on a steady decline. We now mow our greens at .085 of an inch and the fairways and tees at around 3/8 (0.375) of an inch. In other words, today’s fairways are nearly as fast as the greens were when I started! If this trend continues, well how low can we go?

While the mowing heights have changed the one thing that has remained the same is the grass. Even though there have been advancements in turfgrass breeding and many new grass varieties that tolerate closer mowing have been introduced to the market, many golf courses cannot afford the costs of renovation. So as mangers, we must adapt and learn how to manage the older grasses at these unprecedented mowing heights, many times entering realms of turfgrass management that have never been previously experienced before by any turfgrass manager. That in itself is a great challenge. Over recent years the world has become more aware of man’s impact on the environment. Due to this awareness, many products used in agricultural as well as industrial industries and many others have been reevaluated for usage and some were appropriately deemed harmful to the environment. In many cases products that were very effective in the control of turfgrass diseases and insects pests are no longer available. In some instances the newer alternative products are not as effective but on the other hand there have been recent developments in environmentally friendly products that provide excellent results and in some cases much better than the older products.

How has this affected the way we manage our golf courses. I would have to say it has made us more aware of the environment and the ecosystems on and around the golf course. I don’t know of one Golf Course Superintendent that doesn’t have a genuine concern for the environment. As golf course managers, many of our management practices are driven towards an eco-friendly end and this is a good thing.

TST: What are your thoughts about the “distance debate”?

Gordon: I think it is going to have to end at some point. We either need to put the brakes on how far a golf ball travels or we need to make the golf courses more difficult or longer. At our golf course safety is a major factor that must be considered along with longer ball flight.

TST: On your blog, you mention to wipe your sandy feet before walking on the green. How is something as simple as sandy footprints on the green harmful to maintenance equipment?

Gordon: What is sandpaper made out of? Sand, of course. What would happen if you took a pair of scissors and cut sand paper with them? They would become dull pretty quickly. The same is true with our mowing equipment. Our reel mowers are much like scissors, there is a rotating reel and a bed knife. Where the two meet is where the grass is cut, much like a pair of scissors. Sand left on the greens is picked up by the mowers and results in dull mower blades. Sand left on the greens by golfers requires the grounds crew to take additional time to remove the sand before mowing as well as increasing the frequency that the mowers must be sharpened. What about the putting factor? The last thing I want in the way of my birdie putt is sand left on the green from some inconsiderate golfer.

TST: Why do courses in different areas of the country use different grasses? Your course, Lake View Country Club, is bent grass, what are the difficulties of working with bent in the Northeast region of the country?

Gordon: There are two major types of grasses, cool season or northern grasses and warm season or southern grasses. The name alone pretty much gives away the reason why different grasses are used in different parts of the country. There are circumstances where some golf courses will utilize both types. For instance, in the wintertime, on many southern golf courses it gets fairly cold and the warm season grasses go dormant and turn brown. Brown grass really isn’t very appealing, so some golf courses overseed and temporarily establish cool season grasses as winter cover. When the heat returns in summer, the warm season grasses revive and the cool season grasses die out.

In the transition zone, sort of an area that could be north or south has a climate that could grow either type of grass depending on its specific use. As Creeping Bentgrass provides a much finer putting surface than Bermuda Grass, some high end southern golf courses will provide the additional resources needed to maintain “bent greens”. There are those of us in the northern states who really don’t have a choice and must contend with Annual Bluegrass (Poa Annua) or “Poa”. Poa, a winter annual and Northern grass, is a very invasive species that is now found on all seven continents. In the Northeastern parts of the United States as well as other similar regions around the world, Poa has literally become the predominant grass species on many older golf courses.

Although Lake View was originally seeded with Creeping Bentgrass, over the past 40 years the environmental conditions have been more favorable for the Poa to out compete the bentgrass. Since our golf course is predominately Poa, maintaining the bentgrass is not of consequence. Our programs revolve around the management of Poa and during stressful weather this is not easy. Poa, in general, is a very shallow rooted grass and compared to bentgrass, it is more susceptible to a whole host of diseases and much more sensitive to heat at drought conditions. What are the difficulties? Well, you name it.

From a golfer’s viewpoint, the worst aspect of Poa is the fact that it produces vast amounts of seedheads in the spring. On putting greens this results in a very poor putting surface during this time. When it’s not seeding it produces a very fine putting surface and in my opinion much better than bentgrass.

From an agronomic point of view, Poa is like a newborn, it needs constant attention, but not all Poa is created equal. Poa reproduces by seed and significant cross pollination occurs between different Poa plants. When this happens the seed produced is a variation of the two creating a new and different plant. Imagine forty or even a hundred years of this sequence on an entire golf course and you can see great diversity and the potential for many different types of Poa on a single golf course.

But wait, this is only on one golf course. The same thing is happening on other golf courses as well but with different results and different types of Poa. Now throw in different soil conditions, environmental conditions and management techniques and you can see that not all Poa on every golf course is the same. In fact, just on one golf course you could have dozens of different types of Poa that all respond differently to the management regime. So what are the difficulties in working with grass in the North Eastern region of the country? You name it!

TST: How do you improve turf quality at the club? What kinds of fungicides are applied and when are they applied?

Gordon: We are limited financially so most of our efforts to improve turf “quality” at our golf course revolve around our cultural practices. Since we are pretty much stuck with Annual Bluegrass as our predominant grass type we try implement programs that favor its development. Turf quality is really a subjective term. There is turf quality from a golfer’s perspective. This pretty much means quality that is conducive to ones golf game. This is quite different than the idea of having quality turf or turf that is thick, lush, and healthy. I’ve seen golf courses that have beautiful turf that is very uniform and very appealing but did not provide conditions that could be considered of quality for some who play the game of golf.

Are you confused? Let me try to explain. I get the most compliments on our greens when they are very hungry, anemic looking and starving for water. Why? Because they are rolling very fast and very true. Is this quality turf? I guess that depends on your point of view. The golfers sure like them. But what about the quality and health of the grass itself? From an agronomic standpoint they need water and fertilizer to really be considered to have quality. So what is quality? I guess it’s something in between and that’s what we strive for. Quality that meets the playability requirements as well as the basic requirements of the plant itself. Consistency is the hard part. Because we’re dealing with a plant, as the environmental conditions change the plants growth characteristics change, which in turn affects playability. After a rain the grass and thatch absorb water and swell. This generally reduces the green speed and perhaps reduces someone’s perception of quality but it is a necessary part of the plants biological process.

More often than not we are driven to provide quality from a play stand point rather than an agronomic stand point. Mowing alone is really contrary to the health of the plant. Does Bentgrass or Annual Bluegrass “like” to be mowed so low? No! It just happens to tolerate it better than other grasses and in doing so it provides conditions that are conducive to the game of golf. Do you think rolling is healthy for the turf? I certainly would argue that it isn’t but if you want a “quality” putting surface you need to roll. I guess back to your question; how do you improve turf quality at the club? Well, what does quality mean to you? Your answer to that changes my answer.

TST: I read on your blog that you are encouraging players to learn how to repair their ball marks correctly. Can you explain the correct way to replace your ball mark for our readers?

Gordon: It just boggles my mind. Golfers are so concerned with green speed and the smoothness of the putting surface yet the vast majority simply doesn’t know how to repair a ball mark which in turn results in and uneven and unsightly putting surface. I was watching a tournament on TV this weekend and even many of the Tour pros are not repairing ball marks properly.

Repairing ball marks properly is really and very simple process. To properly repair a ball mark it is important to understand how it was actually created. As beings of instinct it is our first notion to pry up when repairing a ball mark. After all, the ball mark pushed the turf down, why wouldn’t it make sense to pry it back up? That would be the case if the ball impacted the green surface from directly above at a 90 degree angle from the surface but this is rarely the case. The ball has a forward trajectory and impacts the green surface at an angle, thus pushing the turf to the rear and sides of the ball mark. To repair a ball mark you simply push the turf from the rear and sides of the ball mark back into the center from which it came. Try to remember, never pry up! It really only takes observation and a little common sense.

TST: How does this technique help the course compared to the technique of prying the mark upward?

Gordon: An improperly repaired ball mark in many circumstances will take as much or more than thirty days to heal properly while a ball mark repaired in a proper fashion is healed and unnoticeable in a day or so. Prying up on a ball mark only brings soil to the surface and does nothing to promote the healing process while a proper repair not only smoothes the surface it significantly improves the healing time as well as the visual appearance.

TST: Do you have a greens committee at your club? Do they hinder or help you in your quest to keep the course in tip-top shape?

Gordon: I work with the Green Committee to get input from the membership in regard to the management of the golf course. Notice there is no “s” in this word either, “All that is green, not just the greens.” Over the years I have had “good” committees and “bad” committees. A good committee will listen to my needs as well as the needs of the membership and be pro-active to move forward in a progressive fashion. On the other hand I have had committees that were nothing more than an excuse to complain about their personal likes and dislikes in regard to the golf course. It’s really about leadership. Generally, the best committees were lead by a pro-active Green Chairman who had the time to devote and a genuine interest in making progress on the golf course. Of most importance is the Green Chairman’s ability to communicate our needs and ultimately “sell” the plan to the board of directors and the membership.

TST: How has your course been renovated since its construction in 1958?

Gordon: Yes and No. My concept of renovation involves large construction equipment on a grand scale reconstructing the golf course or portions of the golf course to its original condition. This has never happened at Lake View but was has happened is a slower long term “in house” process that pretty much encompassed the rebuilding or addition of a several tees and the total reconstruction of all of the bunkers as well as many miles of drainage pipe and an irrigation system replacement.

TST: Are there plans for future renovation and how would you be involved in the process?

Gordon: Just recently the board of directors appropriated the funds for the addition and remodeling of several tees as well as a new short game facility. We are still in the planning stages but my role will encompass the design and oversight of the entire process. We’re not sure; at this point if it will be an “in house” project to if we’ll utilize the services of an outside contractor. Either way it’s something that the golf course really needs. Our long term plan includes the addition of several fairway bunkers on the golf course. Since we’ve already rebuilt and redesigned the green side bunkers in house we’ll continue in the same fashion with the fairway bunkers.

TST: There always seems to be issues regarding grass not growing properly in areas due to large, overshadowing trees. What steps have you taken to solve the issue?

Gordon: When the quality and health of the turf is suffering and the cause is obviously a shade issue I’ll pay close attention to the shade path to determine if it is an entire tree or group of trees or if it is just certain branches of a tree causing the shade. This is done over the course of the season as the path of the sun and the angle of shade changes significantly through out the year. If the cause of the shade is simply a few branches and the removal of the branches will not adversely affect the appearance and health of the tree we’ll simply remove them. On the other hand, if it’s an entire tree or group of trees, we’ll weigh the importance of the tree from a playability and esthetic value in contrast to the importance and condition of the turf in the area being affected by the shade. If it’s a green, tee or a fairway area being affected by the shade and the tree has no impact on playability than most likely the answer is obvious: remove the tree(s).

Every situation is different and sometimes at the expense of the turf the tree is left to stand. In those cases the trees have a greater value. If we’re renovating an area and if it’s applicable we’ll choose a grass species that tolerates shade and then reevaluate that area again for tree removal or pruning sometime in the future.

TST: Do you ever have to cut down trees at your club? Can you just prune the trees and achieve the same good turf without having to cut down a living tree?

Gordon: Sure, we remove trees all the time. It’s part of the normal process of managing a golf course. Trees are susceptible to disease and insects as well as adverse weather such as wind, ice, hail and heavy snow. All of which can cause significant damage to trees which results in the need to remove the tree. As I mentioned before, we always try to save a tree if possible. It all depends on the circumstances.

TST: Do you agree/disagree with this statement and why; “If you need trees to have a great course then I would question if you have a great course” (a statement made by David Oatis, an agronomist with the USGA.)

Gordon: Yes and No. It depends on your vision of a golf course. Golf’s origins are from the Links land on the European coast and most, if not all, of the early golf courses were treeless. This is where golf originated and where many of today’s modern golf course architects get their inspiration for golf course design. I believe that it wasn’t until golf moved to the United States that trees became of an integral a part of a golf course. Following the designs of the early architects, golf was a game played on the ground. The only thing in the air that affected the golf ball was the wind or the occasional bird; trees played no part. So if the original golf courses could be considered great, which many are, then you don’t need trees to have a great golf course.

On the other hand what is a great golf course? I’ve seen many a golf course carved out of mature forests that are breath-taking and I would consider great. Obviously golf and golf course design as well as the concept of a golf course have evolved. While many envision a golf course as tree lined strips of succulent turf others dream of the rolling hills of heather encompassed links. In my opinion it’s all golf. That’s the beauty of a golf course, no two are the same. I would think that from a purist’s point of view, trees do not belong on the golf course.

TST: According to Winged Foot architect A.W. Tillinghast there is a certain strategic placement to the presence of trees on a course. Do you agree with this statement and why?

Gordon: I think the key word in that phrase is “certain.” There certainly are times where trees add strategy to a golf hole. But where I disagree is when trees are used exclusively throughout the entire golf course or a single hole to dictate the strategy or simply added just because it’s a tree and it’s beautiful. I think one must be careful when using trees to dictate shots. Trees are susceptible to damage as I mentioned earlier. If you are totally relying on trees to provide a hazard or some difficulty and then they die or are damaged by adverse weather, lightning or devastating insect pest, then the hole is totally changed. In order to restore it you may have to wait twenty, thirty, forty years, who knows how long to re-grow those trees and restore the value of the hole. On the other hand bunkers, water features, grass mounding or simply heather or thick rough can all provide ample and interesting strategy and a variety of shots, while trees pretty much force you to go one way.

Ground features are more permanent and could easily be replaced if need be and they certainly offer more variety. Take our eleventh hole for example. There was a large willow tree at the corner of the dogleg. This dictated that you play to the left of the tree and it protected the “shortcut” to the green. A wind storm knocked it down and now golfers are simply blasting it up the right side without concern. We can’t replace that tree but if the right side of that hole was protected by bunkers, mounds, or water, the integrity of the hole would still be intact. I do think it’s appropriate to use trees for safety when necessary, particularly when there are no other practical solutions. Trees also offer esthetic value as well as shade when appropriate. When trees are selected properly and properly spaced on the golf course they can and do add to the experience.

TST: Does winter time wreak havoc with the course?

Gordon: Old Man Winter can be the worst. In our region the average snow fall is well over one hundred inches and often we won’t see the ground for up to four or five months. Winter is a crapshoot. It’s not so much the snow but the temperature fluctuations. Just not long a go, we had cold temperature kill on several of our greens. This was not a good way to start the season. Since we’re dealing with Mother Nature we have to take the good with the bad. It’s the nature of the business, no pun intended.

TST: What kind of work is done during the winter?

Gordon: During the winter months up until snow fall we’ll try to catch up on project such as drainage or a bunker rebuilding project otherwise we concentrate our efforts on tree maintenance and removal. When the snow flies we lay off the majority of our staff and keep a skeleton crew to aid the mechanic in the upkeep of the golf course equipment. The club house is still open for business so snow removal falls under our responsibilities as well. The winter time is a great opportunity for education. Most of the industries’ educational programs are scheduled during the winter months.

TST: You’re a golfer, what are some course conditioning demands you expect a course to uphold?

Gordon: I think my expectations change depending on the golf course. Remember, I’m a golfer now, not a golf course superintendent. Each golf course is different and has different resources. I wouldn’t play at the local Ma and Pop expecting the same conditions as the country club around the corner. You get what you pay for. I guess I favor golf courses that provide conditions similar to what St. Andrews provided for the British Open this year. Golf is a game of chance; the golf course shouldn’t be perfect lies all the time, that’s boring. I think the element of chance and variety offers a lot to the game. If you hit it off-line and you land in a gopher hole then hit a better shot the next time. Bunkers are hazards and you’re not supposed to be in them, I’m happy as long as the hazard is clearly defined. As long as the greens are fairly smooth and consistent and the fairways provide for a decent lie whether they’re brown or green, I’m happy. I’ve learned that you can’t demand anything from Mother Nature.