While
most of New England was still recovering from harsh winter storms, the IGM team
at The
Ledges Golf Club in South Hadley, Massachusetts was preparing the 18-hole
course for a major tournament.
The
Ledges hosted its first Connecticut Section PGA championship May 14 - 15, with
an opening day temperature of 30 degrees. Superintendent Mike Fontaine with
IGM, said his crew had roughly three weeks to ensure the course was in playing
condition for the tournament’s golfers.
“The local pros were awesome. Everyone
in the area knows about the damage, and I think they were very surprised at how
well the course came together,” said Fontaine.
The
Ledges is typically closed from Thanksgiving to April, with snowfall expected
in the town west of Boston. “What was odd
this year was a heavy rainstorm in early January. Before it could run off the
course, it froze. That was followed by snow storms that just kept coming. We
had 7-foot snow drifts on the greens,” Fontaine explained. “When we scouted the course in early March,
we realized we had about two inches of ice under the snow.”
Fontaine
and his four-person winter crew implemented a plan to restore the grass as quickly as
possible. A snow-blower helped clear the snow, and a layer of sand was spread
to melt the ice faster. By the end of March, the crew was able to double-spike
and over-seed the greens, which were then top-dressed and fertilized. “When it finally warmed up about two weeks
before the tournament, Mother Nature went to work on the seed and fertilizer to
get the greens in shape.”
“Mike and his team worked from the main play
areas outward, prioritizing their time based on course knowledge. With so much
to accomplish, Mike placed a priority on greens, fairways and tees. Once these
areas were completed, the team focused on bringing the entire property up to
expectations,” said Steve Gano,
IGM’s Vice President of Operations.
While
the course was closed an extra week this winter, Fontaine maintained close
communications with the General Manager, golf agronomists, and the community
about what they were doing and why. “We
know the town needs the course open to bring in revenue. Our goal is for
everyone to have a good experience every time they come out here,” said
Fontaine.
The
result was an outstanding playing surface to host the Connecticut Section PGA
championship, in an environment that represented South Hadley admirably. TheMassLive blog quoted Kevin Shea, from Great Neck Country Club, as saying, “Conditions were perfect. It was Augusta out
there.”
