ORO VALLEY, AZ – The members and regulars at The Views Golf Club at Oro Valley will tell you without hesitation that the greens complexes provide the course’s first line of defense. Small greens with huge undulations, greenside hollows and treacherous bunkering provide quite the challenge for players of all levels.
But the difficulty doesn’t end with the players. The 35-year-old greens have presented a challenge for the golf course maintenance crew in recent years. Several things combined to create a problem that had to be addressed. So General Manager Mark Wade called on Pro Turf International and architect Mike Gogel to take on the challenge of renovating all 18 greens on the popular course. The work started in late April.
The first issue was how the greens were originally constructed.
“The greens were built in a ‘push up’ construction style where the native soil was pushed into green shapes,” said Michael Kropf, Head Golf Course Superintendent at The Views. While that style was more common back in the 1980s, it presents modern day problems, especially with drainage.
“In 2005 the golf course was required to irrigate with 100% reclaimed water,” said Kropf. “The combination of over 60,000 rounds of golf per year, irrigation with reclaimed water, limited pin placements and lack of ability to flush salts through the native greens soil was leading to the possibility of eventual greens failure.”
GM Wade took that a step further.
“Had we not had the quality of superintendent that we have, we would have not been able to grow turf a long time ago,” said Wade.
Gogel pointed out another key issue with the smallish, undulating greens.
“When you are limited in pin placements, golfers end up playing the same golf course every day,” said Gogel. “Now, with the expanded number of pin placements, you provide a variety of approach shots. What was a driver 7 iron one day might be a driver 9 iron the next. It makes for a more enjoyable golf experience.”
So the decision was made to completely renovate all 18 greens. PTI’s Director of Construction Operations Jeremie Smith and his team worked with architect Gogel, who reshaped and expanded many of the greens to provide more pin placements and tone down some of the severe undulation.
“The goal of the project was to increase the square footage, reduce the severity of the slopes to increase the amount of pin placements and provide sand based greens with drainage to allow for flushing of salts,” said Kropf. “Although the original reason to renovate the greens was to flush salts, the entire green complexes were brought up to date by reducing deep grass bunkers and slopes around the greens which were difficult to both maintain and play.”
PTI converted the push up greens to “California Modified,” utilizing ADS AdvanEDGE pipe. This product eliminated the need for trenches, as it lays flat on the subgrade below the gravel and sand layers of new putting greens, trimming labor costs. Unlike other geo-composite panel drains, AdvanEDGE does not rely on a geotextile fabric for structural integrity so it can be used with or without a fabric wrap.
“We used spoil materials at each green-site to soften and in some cases eliminate strong contours and grass hollows,” said Smith. “Most of the existing irrigation around the greens was left undisturbed.”
Along with renovating all 18 greens, PTI constructed six new bunkers, renovated and built a new practice tee, and with Gogel renovated and expanded the practice green from 4,000 to 10,000 square feet.
All the work was done during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. While that added to the challenge, the crew worked around it very well.
“We were able to get through these challenges with creativity and lots of brainstorming from Mike Gogel, Pro Turf and myself,” said Kropf.
One of the COVID-driven problems was a delay in shipping of irrigation materials.
“When we realized irrigation product wasn’t going to arrive in time, PTI, Michael and myself put our heads together and decided to re-use irrigation heads from the previous greens,” said Gogel. “That allowed us to keep moving ahead with the project. As a result we finished on time in July and under budget.”
The Views management and staff were very happy with the Pro Turf International effort.
“PTI worked well for us,” said GM Wade. “Their quality of work was only surpassed by their customer service and willingness to work with us as well as for us.”
Kropf was particularly impressed by PTI’s flexibility.
“Pro Turf was fantastic to work with,” he said. “They were very flexible when challenges came up. Before the project started I really wanted to work with a smaller construction company because they always seem to go the extra step to do things correctly without cutting corners to finish quickly. I was worried one of the big companies would come in and just try to get it done as fast as possible and if there was any necessary changes they would charge extra for change orders. Pro Turf ended up being exactly what I was looking for in a construction company.”
Gogel, who had previously worked with PTI on a project at Tonto Verde Golf Club in Scottsdale, agreed.
“Working with the guys at Pro Turf is great,” said Gogel. “They are flexible on the move. They kept the project going despite setbacks. And huge props to Mike Kropf and his staff as well. It was a great team effort all the way around, and Pro Turf was a big part of that.”
PTI’s Smith was just as pleased as the client with how the project turned out.
“I feel the project turned out great,” he said. “We had a great team in place. Mike Gogel is very hands on, and wasn’t afraid to grab a shovel or jump on a piece of equipment to keep the job moving. Michael Kropf and his crew were extremely helpful. They were always willing to give us help if we needed it. And I think the greens complexes are much better than what they had before.”
ABOUT PRO TURF INTERNATIONAL
Pro Turf International is a family owned construction, landscape and golf maintenance company with over 30 years of hands-on experience in the Southwest. They proudly serve the golf, sports and landscape industry to enhance quality and improve conditions in a safe, environmentally friendly manner. For more information call (702) 315-5121, or visit www.ptigolf.com.
ABOUT THE VIEWS CLUB AT ORO VALLEY
The Views Golf Club is an 18-hole, desert-inspired championship golf course with breathtaking views in a picture perfect setting. Annual membership and daily green fee play available. This rolling 6,715 yard, par 72 course offers multiple tee placements for golfers of all skill levels. Its design was created in harmony with the natural desert surroundings offering a beautiful view of the Catalina Mountains and an unforgettable round of Oro Valley, AZ golf. Visit www.theviewsgolfclub.com.
Contact:
Mike Jamison (407-474-0531)
