TPC Sawgrass Volunteer 2013

Two weeks ago, I was fortunate to have the opportunity to volunteer at The Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra, Florida.  Now I know what most of you are thinking, that I went to Florida and was on a mini vacation.  This was not the case at all.  After stepping off the plane on Saturday around noon to rainy weather, I was picked up by a shuttle driver sent by the course.   I was driven to University of North Florida dorms where we were staying for the week. From here I was directed to put on my rain gear.  I knew this was bad news.  Other volunteers and I were sent to work right away to clean up the course.  TPC Sawgrass had received over 10 inches of rain in less than 48 hours with winds gusting over 50-60 mph.  With this type of weather and the biggest tournament of the year only 5 days away, Clay Brezeale (Superintendent) was nervous.  Sunday and Monday were no breeze either. We were on the course from sunup to sundown backpack blowing, picking up debris, and essentially rebuilding the sand traps.  We walked from the tee all the way to the green blowing pine needles, pine cones, pine branches, etc… 

To put things into perspective, #1 took over 3 hours to finish cleaning up debris.

Needless to say, by Wednesday everybody's feet and backs hurt and were in need of a nap.  With golfers playing practice rounds and the course getting into shape, we were sent home during the day to rest.  Thursday was the first real day of tournament rounds so we had to be perfect.  The job I was assigned was mowing the front 9 tee boxes.  Mowing number 1 tee box early in the morning surrounded by grandstands (luckily there were no spectators) is a memory I will never forget. 

Mowing in the dark is very challenging.  Luckily the mowers had lights.

The greatest and most memorable moment of the week and possibly of my career came Saturday night.  Once again, the weather was threatening as thunderstorms were in the vicinity.  To speed things along in the evening shift, the guys mowing tees were sent to mow the practice greens.  After mowing those greens, because of the threat of weather, we were told we would be sent to the back nine to help finish the greens on the course.  After about 15 minutes of confusion, the assistant superintendent came up to us and said, "Guess what green you are going to mow?"  Dumbfoundedly, my response was "um, 17?"  That's right, I mowed number 17, the island green on Saturday night.  This is by far the biggest highlight of my career.  

Chris mowing at 17 in 2011.

Corey mowing at 17 in 2013

Chris and I have now both mowed the 17th green at TPC Sawgrass.

The tournament ended on Sunday afternoon with an amazing finish as Sergio choked and Tiger went on to win.  Monday morning rolled around and we were sent back to the course for one last surprise.  We were all given the chance to hit two golf balls at the 17th green.

Unfortunately pulled a Sergio and hit both of mine in the water.  Its a scary shot for sure. 

In total there were 70 volunteers, 70 staff members from TPC, and 30 temporary workers. Some volunteers came from all over the world…3 from South Africa, 2 from South America, 2 from England.  Not only did I get golf course/tournament experience, I was able to network with people across the world!

This was such a unique experience.  Usually when going to a golf course for a tournament, it is in fantastic shape and there isn't a whole lot to do.  Well this wasn't the case.  We arrived to a disaster and had to pick up the pieces.  I will never forget the week I spent at Sawgrass.

If you have any other questions or comments about the tournament, please don't hesitate to ask me, I have plenty of stories.  For now, its back to the Crest and preparations for the Member/Member!    

--Corey Forbes
Assistant Superintendent
RiverCrest Golf Club

What Happens When Things Go Wrong!

A beautiful Tuesday morning turned into a nightmare as an irrigation line in front of 4 green exploded 30 minutes before the start of an event. 

The force and amount of water caused bubbling of the turf.  Some water leaked onto the green as well. 

After turning off the water and letting the area dry for a couple hours, it was time to dig up near the head and see what  happened.   A coupling had pulled away from a 2"connecting pipe and began pumping 450 gallons a minute under the turf.

After reattaching new pipes and fittings, we filled in the hole with dry soil and packed it tightly.  Luckily we were able to re-use the existing sod.  Laying bentgrass sod can be very difficult, as it must be perfectly level to prevent scalping from the mowers.  Next, since the area was muddy from digging and the soil that had bubbled out, we took a hose and washed off the silt.  

It is important to remove the silt and soil from the grass blades as it can suffocate the plant.

The area was extremely wet from the cleaning process so we brought out our aerifier to create channels  allowing oxygen into the holes and expedite the drying process. 

This machine pokes little holes that are barely noticeable and will not affect play.  This will help dry out the area to get into playing shape faster.

After poking holes, the area was rolled several times.  The force of the water caused the turf to raise and sink in some areas.  Rolling will help level out the undulations and create a smooth approach.

Rolling the approach to smooth out the turf.

This will take a couple days to look normal again.  For the time being, we please ask that you stay off this area and refrain from walking through it if at all possible  It is marked as "ground under repair" and you may take a free drop.