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Green Section
Golf course doctor on call
By Paul Ramsdell, PNGA Media
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| Matt Nelson |
With some sickly patients, and others just in need of preventive
medicine, Matt Nelson is almost like a country doctor to the hundreds of
golf courses in the Intermountain region.
And yes, this doctor makes house calls.
As an agronomist for the USGA Green Section, Nelson travels extensively
to offer his opinion on the health of golf courses.
"The travel is certainly intense at certain times of the year," said
Nelson, who is based in Twin Falls, Idaho. "I'm out on the road probably
every week from the first of May until the middle of October."
And golf course superintendents who seek his bedside manner are glad he
puts in the miles in his territory, which includes Idaho, Montana, Wyoming,
Utah, Colorado, both Dakotas, Nebraska, eastern Oregon, eastern Washington,
Alaska and Alberta.
"I don't think there has been one year when the visit has been done when
I haven't gotten five or six just rock-solid ideas or help in areas I was a
little bit concerned about," said Clint Travis, the golf course
superintendent at BanBury in Eagle, Idaho.
Along with Larry Gilhuly, who is based in Gig Harbor, Wash., and handles
the rest of the Northwest in addition to Hawaii, Nelson represents the Green
Section in course visits, which costs $1,500 for a half-day and $2,000 for a
full day.
"We certainly bring to the table some good, practical recommendations
based largely on the hundred or so golf courses that Larry and I get to each
year," he said.
"Probably half, if not more, of the visits Larry and I make each year
are to annual subscribers, and they use the Green Section as a source to be
able to do a yearly checkup on the programs they're employing at the golf
course, using it as another set of eyes to determine whether they're
successful or on the right track."
The visits conclude with a
written status report on course conditions that offers an independent,
third-party view that becomes particularly valuable if the ownership of the
course changes, or if a committee chairperson changes.
"About a quarter of the clubs will subscribe to a visit every second,
third or fifth year, a little less regularly and we give them a general
audit," Nelson added.
"Then there's a quarter of them that are truly 9-1-1 calls, and it's
Green Section triage, when you come in to sort of put out some fires."
BanBury and Travis subscribe to the regular visits.
"Here's an opportunity, for a real reasonable fee, to have somebody come
by and objectively look at your golf course, and offer you suggestions or
help on any problems or situations that you have," Travis said.
It's the experience Nelson brings from visiting those hundreds of
courses each year Travis finds invaluable, along with the trust that Nelson
and the Green Section are up to date with the latest research.
"If I wanted to accomplish the same thing, it would involve me taking
150 days off each year and visiting all these golf courses," Travis said.
Nelson, 36, has been working in the Intermountain region for six years,
and for the Green Section for nine years.
"What sparked my interest in this work is the love of the game from an
early age," he said. "I took up golf at about the age of 10, under the
tutelage of my father and grandfather, and began working at a golf course
when I was 13. I just continued to work at golf courses, putting myself
through college. From there, I really decided to pursue more of a formal
training in agronomy and turf sciences."
Nelson, who grew up in Whitefish, Mont., graduated from Willamette after
studying environmental science and biology, and then went to Washington
State for graduate studies in crop sciences.
Working for the Green Section and assisting superintendents through
course visits takes more than just knowledge of how to grow grass.
"Another huge part of what we get involved in is the infrastructure at a
golf course," he said, adding that assessing capital expenditures is
critical. "That's where we really have the opportunity to save some clubs
some money and grief over the course of any project they're considering."
And while the visits might happen just once a year, access to Nelson or
Gilhuly by phone calls or e-mails is year-round.
"No two visits ever go the same. Each golf course is so unique and has
such unique challenges based on microclimates, soil conditions, traffic,
design and all those different variables," Nelson said.
"There's always a new challenge, and it's problem-solving. At least
that's part of it to me, and it keeps the job very rewarding and
interesting."
And it's rewarding for everyone.
"I look forward to the visits every year," Travis said, "because I know
the course will always be better after he visits."
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