Managing a Golf Course

Golf is a much loved sport around the world, and whilst for some golf is a hobby, for others it is a fast paced, adrenaline fuelled sport.  What most golfers don’t know, is the hard work and maintenance that goes on behind the scenes to make this sport an enjoyable experience.  A well-kept golf course with perfect sand textured bunkers, fast and sustained golf greens is imperative in ensuring a great round of golf. 

Golf superintendent, Igor Roland Duvel at the Sea Cliff Hotel & Spa Golf Course, the first course on the majestic island of Zanzibar advises “players have the misconception that running a golf course is just about cutting the grass.  It is much more than that, the role of a superintendent is about the time, materials, labour and financial resources that are required to upkeep the grounds of the course.”  Environmental factors have a huge impact on the quality of the course and being a superintendent means being responsible for the environmental health of the course by observing natural weather patterns and other aspects that could affect the landscape and playing areas. 

It is the duty of a superintendent to carefully analyse and identify any disease or damage to the golf course’s green areas, tees, turfgrass fairways and bunkers.  The skills set needed to uphold this position is intense in that the superintendent needs to use their knowledge of chemistry, plant pathology, biology and entomology to solve elements that could influence the overall quality of the course.  This is a position that requires hard work and devotion and because it is a multifaceted job it needs the enthusiasm of an individual that has both a technical and professional skills set. 

In addition to this, the superintendent is concerned for the sporting needs of the players and the financial stability of the course for which they represent. Providing a detailed status of the grounds and maintenance assets is yet another obligation of the superintendent.  The status needs to be conveyed to the owners, directors, committees, golfers, green chairs, golf professionals, golf architects and anyone else that is involved with the course. 

“A typical day, starting as early as 05:30 begins with taking a walk around the golf course to observe all aspects that need attention.  This is followed by checking to see that the water pumps are in good working order.  Thereafter the day to day tasks involve ensuring that the machinery is working effectively, that staff are working efficiently and the course is in mint condition for play.  This can be done by either myself or can be delegated to a member of my team, however, even if delegated it needs to be overseen.  Ending my day at 17:00, I reflect on the day’s work and shift my focus to the next day’s activities.”  As Sea Cliff Hotel & Spa Golf Course is still relatively new it requires consistent nurturing and dedication.

Like in all professions, to succeed you need to be dedicated and this notion holds especially true for managing a golf course.  “Competing with factors that are out of your control is challenging and frustrating but if managed correctly with the right team in place it is something that can be overcome.  You need to have management skills that enable you to effectively communicate with your staff and providing ongoing training is essential in achieving a unified vision.”

Although managing this type of portfolio is hard work, Duvel strongly advocates “the ultimate delight comes from seeing players enjoy the golf course that you have invested so much time in up keeping.”  Duvel’s aim to achieve a world class standard is evident in his commitment to working a seven day week whilst establishing the standards for Sea Cliff’s Golf Course.  Having worked 5 years in this field, Duvel is highly experienced and qualified to accomplish this and is the right person to drive the success of the course.  “Our Peter Matkovich designed course offers golfers a superb play and we will continually be striving to offer them the best,” he concludes.