Longevity and loyalty are nothing new at Detroit Golf Club.
Former superintendent Clem Wolfrom lasted 51 years there until he retired in 2013, and the club has had the same green chairman for a decade. An honorary member of the club, Wolfrom still plays at Detroit and about once a month current superintendent Jake Mendoza meets with him to pick his brain.
"Clem is an honorary member here, and he still plays golf here a lot," Mendoza said. "He's always available and I have lunch with him about once a month. He's been a huge asset for me during this transition."
Every once in a while, change is good, even at a place like Detroit Golf Club, where all 36 holes were designed originally by Donald Ross.
Mendoza has to put into place management practices today that superintendents from Wolfrom's generation might never have imagined.
"A lot of things have changed here," Mendoza said. "We get in front of the members and explain things, why they are changing, why we are now walk-mowing greens, why we use the fertilizer we use. It helps them feel empowered and active in what happens at their own club."
"No way they would have mowed at 0.10 or lower. Rollers have changed everything. It gives the modern superintendent the ability to push the envelope. It goes back to that it used to be as long as it was green it was good, even if it was soft and slow. Today's golfer is OK with a little brown because they expect the greens to be hard and roll at 13. Golfer expectation has changed."
A lot of things have changed here. We get in front of the members and explain things, why they are changing, why we are now walk-mowing greens, why we use the fertilizer we use. It helps them feel empowered and active in what happens at their own club.
In his second year on the job, Mendoza was charged with getting Detroit ready for a PGA Tour event. The inaugural Rocket Mortgage Classic held last year at Detroit replaced the Quicken Loans National played for a dozen years at Congressional, Aronimink, Robert Trent Jones GC and finally at TPC Avenel in Potomac, Maryland.
Mendoza had plenty of opportunity prepping a classic facility for big events and just for everyday play for a demanding membership in 10 years under Curtis Tyrrell at Medinah.
"I learned the way he did things. With 54 holes you can't do it all yourself," Mendoza said. "You have to put people in the right place to get things done. We're doing the same things here we did at Medinah. You have to understand peoples' strengths and abilities and do what is best for the club.
"We have a very supportive membership that is very involved in what is going on on the golf course. We've had the same green chairman for 10 or 12 years, and he is excited to learn about what we do, so we keep an open line of communication about what we do and why we do it."