Golf courses feel sting of rising gas prices
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BY RYLY JANE HAMBLETON / Lincoln Journal Star
Golfers in the Lincoln area might feel like they are preparing to play in the U.S. Open.
The long rough — a tradition at the Open — is evident at nearly every area golf course.
And golfers can look to the gasoline pump as the primary reason.
“We try to keep the rough knocked down around the greens,” said Jeff Gasseling, superintendent at Highlands Golf Course. “The secondary rough is tighter and is it ever thick. And we’re mowing the primary rough less.”
There are other changes, some obvious and others a bit more subtle, that can be traced to the high price of oil.
“Our fertilizer prices are skyrocketing. We’re cutting back and also going with a lesser quality product,” said Alan Culver, the superintendent at Mahoney Golf Course. “Last fall, we didn’t do an application like we normally do and so far, we haven’t put any fertilizer on the fairways.
“The first time we do that will be a combination fertilizer-insecticide. So we’ve cut out two applications.”
Golf courses are dealing with the rising price of gasoline, but higher greens fees don’t appear to be the method.
“It’s an evil we have to deal with,” said Todd Flodman, club manager at Woodland Hills Golf Course. “We are not raising our prices to reflect how our prices are going up. It makes it difficult. How do you pass on to the customer what you’re getting passed on to you?
“I don’t blame the people who are raising their prices. But right now, because of the market, we can’t pass it along to our customers.”
There are several things superintendents can do to deal with the higher cost of gas, but few of them are pleasant.
“I just revamped our schedule. Some of my staff is going to 25 hours a week and some others to 30 hours. All of them were 40 hours a week seasonally,” Gasseling said. “I’m just trying to be proactive. I know our budget will get pretty tight.”
Reductions in mowing schedules are the norm.
Gasseling said at Highlands, they are mowing greens five times a week instead of nine times. The fairways, which used to get mowed three times a week, are now cut back twice a week.
Culver said he also has two fewer staff members and he’s using his staff differently.
“We’re trying to do as much hand work and not mower work,” he said. “But when you pay your green fees, you don’t want to walk in 6-inch grass, lose a lot of golf balls and have slow play.
“We’ve been remodeling some sand traps and buying sod around those that doesn’t take as much mowing.”
Flodman said the Woodland Hills greens are mowed every day, but the fairways are cut every third day instead of every other day.
“Mowing schedules have to be altered. We’re trying to keep this course to the highest expected level we can,” he said. “We went aggressively with native grasses in the areas out of play because they don’t need fertilizer or as much water.”
The significant rainfall in the last month has been both a blessing and a curse, according to Culver.
“We saved a lot of money on water, but you have to keep mowers going all the time. We’ll have to turn around and spend those water savings on gas and diesel.”
The rising fuel costs hit the golfers on their way to the course, as well.
“I haven’t seen our numbers for May yet, but I’m pretty sure our play is up,” Culver said. “Maybe because of fuel prices, people are sticking close to home.”
How does that impact courses like Woodland Hills near Eagle?
“We’ve had a lot of meetings to discuss how we get golfers to come 12 miles outside of Lincoln,” Flodman said. “Our rounds are significantly down this year, but I don’t blame just the price of gas. We have had a horrible spring.”
The juggling act for courses likely won’t become any easier.
“Grass still needs to be fed as it gets stressed out in the summer,” Gasseling said. “And water is a pretty substantial part of our budget.
“It’s becoming such an art any more. You have to pick and choose where you spend your dollars.”
Ryly Jane Hambleton at 473-7314 or rhambleton@journalstar.com.
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With the high cost of food, gas, grain, taxes, heath care, etc, etc - all we can do is come up with a story telling how bad GOLF COURSES have it? Get real..... "
Al Czverik wrote on June 5, 2008 9:17 am:
The best wrote on June 5, 2008 9:19 am:
Scratch golfer wrote on June 5, 2008 9:32 am:
This will eventually make golf safer (by hacks not hitting into other golfers on an opposite hole) and a lil better in Lincoln "
Tacres wrote on June 5, 2008 12:19 pm:
DOC wrote on June 5, 2008 5:39 pm: