NCR CC, which opened in 1954, has hosted on its South course such events as the 1969 PGA Championship, the 1986 U.S. Women’s Open, the 1998 U.S. Mid-Amateur and the 2005 U.S. Senior Open. Both NCR courses were designed by Dick Wilson of Delray Beach, Fla.
Over the last 60 years the bentgrass green surfaces have been invaded by weeds such as poa annua, giving them a blotched appearance and inconsistent putting speeds. After having difficulty maintaining them in recent years, NCR CC officials felt it was time to remodel them.
A modern drainage system was installed in the South’s 18 greens over the last two years. According to golf course superintendent Jim Campion, strands of micro-perforated, two-inch drain tile were placed every six feet apart in three-inch wide trenches 14-18 inches deep.
“ This was a way to main a classic design course with native (clay) soil without having to core them out,” Campion said. “The greens will still puddle-up during a heavy rainfall. Usually within 20-30 minutes they’re mowable and/or playable.”
Last October, the largest of the two practice putting greens near the clubhouse had its surface sodded with 11,000 square feet of what is called T1 Alpha bentgrass delivered by Boyd Colin Turf Farms of New Wilmington, Pa.
The result was excellent. The putting green was ready for use in mid-May, and the contrast between that green and the old one next to it was dramatic. NCR CC General manager Steve Bolerjack said the new grass should not be as susceptible to heat stress and disease.
The 18-hole project will require 155,000 square feet (3 1/2-acres) of sod, which is approximately enough to cover NCR’s large asphalt parking lot. The sod will be trucked in from Pennsylvania as needed.
Campion said the present greens will be stripped of their surface by local contractor Tom Topp of Kettering, who has done extensive work on golf courses and can strip two or three in a day. Care will be taken to maintain Dick Wilson’s contours on the greens, and sodding will begin after a thin sand/soil nutrient mix is applied.
“We hope to be laying sod 7-10 days after the first green is stripped out,” Campion said, estimating that the process will take about a month.
The South course is always closed between Nov. 1 and April 1, but NCR golfers can play the North course all year, weather permitting. Campion said the goal is to have the South ready for play by mid-May. Winter and spring weather will be factors in determining how long it takes for the grass to establish its roots.
Tap-Ins
Micaela Cronin, a senior at Cleveland State University, demonstrated how topsy-turvy the game of golf can be this week when she was runner-up by one stroke in Chicago State Cougar Invitational. The Chaminade-Julienne High School product posted rounds of 74 and 72 for a 2-over-par total of 146 that shattered the CSU school record by six strokes. She was honored as Horizon League player of the week.
A week earlier at the 54-hole Bucknell Invitational in Lewisburg, Pa., she averaged 85 strokes and had the highest score on the CSU team, which includes former C-J teammate Madeline Kaminski and recent Alter High School graduate Mary Rose Metter.
• The NCR South course proved to be a tough challenge for most of the players in the USGA State Team Championship last week, but a couple of 17-year-olds had no difficulty with it. Alice Chen of the winning New Jersey team and Bryana Nguyen of Maryland were co-medalists with 6 under 213. Chen carded a 67 in the second round.
The oldest player in the field was 66 and the youngest was 12, and that’s not a typo. Aneka Seumanutafa is a 12-year-old from Kapolei on the island of Oahu. Her scores were 83-78-82.
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