Pro Turf International’s Landscape Project At La Quinta Brings Smiles To Faces Of Homeowners, Golfers
LAS VEGAS, NV (May 7, 2019) – The Golf Club at La Quinta in Southern California has a storied history worthy of the quality of the Gary Panks design. As home of the PGA Tour SKINS GAME event between 2003 and 2006, the course challenged some of the best players in history: Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Adam Scott and Annika Sorenstam among others.
But following a change in ownership, the course and the bordering areas gradually fell into disrepair. After the course changed hands again, the new owner Tom Brown contracted with Pro Turf International to take over maintenance of the golf course in 2013, and within a year the course was brought back to its former outstanding condition.
One problem remained, however. The areas bordering the golf course – the property between the homes and the fairways that was controlled by golf course ownership remained overgrown and unkempt. The landscaping materials installed by previous owners were not conducive to the weather patterns, natural terrain and golf playability. In a word, it was a mess, and homeowners were not happy as their home values plummeted.
Tom Brown and the Trilogy Home Owners Association Board of Directors had several meetings, and it was decided that Pro Turf International would be hired to work with a landscape architect to fix this issue, just as they had done with the golf course.
“We turned things around on the golf course side and brought it back to where it used to be,” said Kip Wolfe, PTI principal. “We gained a considerable amount of credibility from that, so when it came to fixing the landscape, we let the HOA know that we would love to help with the project. Having a lot of knowledge of doing projects like this for other facilities with our construction crews would benefit the golf course owner, HOA and more importantly, the residences of the community”
Yul Roe, a veteran landscape architect in the region, was hired to work with PTI on this complex job that covered 64 acres and involved 1,300 homes, about half of which fronted the golf course.
“Yul was a great asset,” said Wolfe. “He knows golf and he is very familiar with the wide variance of weather in the region – high heat in the summer and frost in the winter. He knew exactly what plant materials would work for the project. Yul provided great direction and uniformity with his detailed plans.”
“For about seven years the landscape had received little or no maintenance,” said Roe. “ It had become unsightly and overgrown, so much so that the homeowners were losing their golf course views. It needed a total revamp.”
The first job was to remove the Acacia plants used in the original landscaping. To create a lush appearance this plant had been planted tightly together, and eventually they became entwined and grew out of control.
The removal created the first of several challenges for the crew – dust. When the winds picked up, as they often do in this region, dust storms created issues for the homeowners and the golfers. This problem was solved by round the clock watering and monitoring for dust control, and eventually installing decomposed granite (DG) on top of the sand base. This gave the property a more formal look compared to the native sands.
The crew replaced the Acacia with more weather tolerant and maintenance friendly material – Texas Range, cassia, lantana and bougainvillea among others. And they were planted with some breathing space.
The next challenge was trying to keep hundreds of homeowner’s content while doing the job one golf hole and backyard at a time. The first in line were happy. The others understandably not so much. The job of communication with homeowners fell to Eric Angle, General Manager of the Trilogy at La Quinta Maintenance Association.
“It took 10 years to make the mess, so it wasn’t going to get fixed overnight,” said Angle. ”Getting it fixed in two years didn’t seem that long. Most of the homeowners had been looking at the mess for 10 years, so seeing something done to fix it created patience. The key was communicating with them on a regular basis, keeping them updated on what was going on.”
Another challenge was born from the true nature of homeowner’s associations, which change leadership every year. That meant that throughout the project PTI and Roe had to answer to different people with different ideas of what the project should be, as well as changing budgets.
“It’s tough to get a consensus out of three people, let alone 500,” said Roe. “We were changing the backyards of 500 or so families, so it was a challenge to keep everyone happy. We provided as much communication as possible throughout the project to keep the majority of them happy.”
Yet another obstacle was doing all this work while golf was being played all around the crews.
“We had to work hand-in-hand with the golf course,” said Wolfe. “It was a challenge trying to navigate around the golf course while re-landscaping 60 acres. There were large tub grinders used for the grinding of debris piles we removed, and a lot of vehicles running around hauling away the debris.”
When the 12-month job was completed last October, there were plenty of smiles from all parties involved.
“I think everybody is satisfied,” said Wolfe. “It provides for a better look and playability for the course and the residents. They’ve regained their home values and more. And it is much easier to maintain.”
Other communities have taken notice.
“They are being contacted by similar communities with similar problems,” said Wolfe. “Developers who put in very lush landscaping at the start are now realizing they can’t maintain this, so they’re going with turf removal and drought tolerant, easy-to-maintain landscapes. We’re seeing more and more of that.”
Both Angle and Roe sang the praises of Pro Turf International’s efforts on this project.
“They were great to work with,” said Roe. “One of things they did very well was, they really were very conscience of the client. They responded well to questions from the HOA and directions they were given. They did a very good job of being attentive to the project itself.”
HOA GM Angle agreed.
“The PTI team was pretty responsive to getting things done when needed it, and making adjustments on the fly,” said Angle. “There were a lot of hands in the project – committees, the HOA and so many homeowners – and there were tense moments. But PTI responded well.”
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 GOLF CLUB AT LA QUINTA
Set at the base of the majestic Santa Rosa Mountains of La Quinta, CA, this 18-hole championship Southern California golf course is a Gary Panks design that insures challenge and reward for players of all skill levels. The course has been tested by professional golf players including Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Fred Couples, Adam Scott, Annika Sorenstam and Mark O’Meara, as the home of the 2003-2006 PGA Tour SKINS GAME events. The course features wide fairways and large, rolling greens.
Trilogy at La Quinta brings luxurious Shea Homes active adult living to the heart of the Coachella Valley. This community is revered for its finely crafted upscale homes and world-class amenities that include two amenity centers, an 18-hole golf course, full-service spa and the award-winning Bistro 60 restaurant.
Contact:
Mike Jamison (407-474-0531)
mike@jamisongolf.com
