TurfNet Superintendent of the Year 2008
Finalist Profile:
Fred Theus, The Plantation at Ponte Vedra, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.
 There was a time when The Plantation at Ponte Vedra was considered one of the showcase facilities in the golfcentric Jacksonville, Fla., area. But such conditions on this 1987 Arnold Palmer-Ed Seay design were a distant memory when Fred Theus took over as superintendent in 2006.
"When I got here, it had been neglected and was very run down," Theus said. "There was severe thatch, and 13 of 20 greens had large areas that were devoid of turf. Shade problems (from several live oaks) had been neglected to the extreme."
Since then, Theus, 48, has implemented an agronomic plan members say has restored the course in Ponte Vedra Beach to its former glory. He also has taken a crew, once accustomed to carving its own path, and transformed it into a properly trained, uniform-wearing unit that has become as much of a source of pride for the club as the golf course itself.
He and his staff also had to contend last August with Tropical Storm Fay, a slow-moving storm that dumped 9 inches of rain on the course in one day. The storm, which zigzagged across Florida on its way to making four landfalls in the state.
He has done all of this under budget. And he continues to proactively seek ways to improve every aspect of his operation, course conditions and ways to save even more money.
"Suffice to say, our membership feels that we have one of the best in the business," wrote Scott Williams, a member of the club's board of directors, in his nomination of Theus for TurfNet's 2008 Superintendent of the Year Award. "The glowing compliments that come from our membership are constant."
While The Plantation and its members have a proud history, they also have had their challenges.
The facility's original bentgrass greens never quite adapted to the northern Florida climate and were replaced in 2000 with TifEagle. But even those struggled for various reasons, including shade issues and severe nematode infestation.
Soils samples submitted in 2006 to a South Florida lab revealed Theus' worst fears - sting nematode counts some 15 times the recommended threshold level. And with the live oaks protected by a local St. Johns County ordinance, Theus would have his hands full restoring playing conditions to member expectations.
"When I first looked at the course, there were so many things that needed to be addressed," Theus said. "I took it on as a three-year project."
Although he was prohibited from removing any of the live oak, he did institute an aggressive pruning program that improved airflow and exposure to sunlight for turf throughout the golf course.
Not only has Theus been successful in implementing and realizing his three-year plan, he also is in the process of drafting preliminary details for a complete renovation of the facility that will include new greens, tees, roughs, bridges, cart paths and practice range.
In 2006, Theus coupled applications of Nemacur with an aggressive verticutting and aerification program. His verticutting regime consisted of cutting in four directions on each green within a month of his starting at the club. They also ran across the greens with a Verti-Drain, utilizing five-eighths-inch tines, followed aerifying with three-eighths-inch coring tines 10 days later.
Within a month all areas that had been devoid of turf were again covered and on their way to recovery.
Fairways were another story entirely. Poor soil conditions impeded drainage in the 419 Bermuda turf, and recovery from various problems was slowed by the challenges associated with overseeding.
He corrected drainage problems and the turf's ability to recover by amending the fertility program and convincing the club to eliminate overseeding.
"It was just the fundamentals of fertility," Theus said. "Some of the macro-nutrients were out of balance, and some soil amendments had been neglected. It was a matter of just getting back on a solid program."
He took the same approach - getting back on a solid program - with his crew. Theus described them as an undisciplined lot when he arrived. Soon, he retrained them according to his expectations. His new rules included keeping a tidy shop, wearing a uniform on a daily basis and respectfully acknowledging members on the course.
"I'm pretty anal in that regard; how to keep a work area, tools, equipment, as well as the staff," Theus said. "That was a huge issue when I got here. The staff was undisciplined and not used to be supervised properly. They were a sloppy, rag-tag bunch. But through a lot of training and proper supervision, they are as good a staff as there is in the business."
The result, Theus said, helps convey the proper message to members.
"They way we present ourselves is important," he said. "If we're neat in our appearance and sharp and productive, then the members feel better about the money they are spending. We owe it to them to be as neat and present ourselves as professionally as we can."
Theus has finished the past couple of years nearly $150,000 under budget. And as he looks toward a total redo of the course believes he can shave off another 25 percent by simplifying the layout and maintenance practices.
"If you went through the budget line by line, you spend a lot of time maintaining an irrigation system that is antiquated and prone to breakdowns and failures," he said. "Then you throw in the bulkheads and bridges that are decaying, and the fact that the turf is 20 years old.
"They went crazy with mounds and moguls when they built this golf course, and that is very labor intensive to maintain. Not to mention it costs more money to maintain areas like that. All of this has a huge impact on what you spend annually in routine maintenance."
The Superintendent of the Year award, sponsored by PrimoMAXX® from Syngenta, is presented annually by TurfNet to one outstanding superintendent selected from among those nominated by club officials, course owners, members, casual golfers, or staff members.
The winner will be announced at GIS in New Orleans, and will travel with a guest to Ireland for a week-long golf course tour, courtesy of Syngenta.
|
 |
