A day at The Barn

A quick selfie with Natalie at the turn

I always look forward to my visits to Utah. The IGCSA members are such a fun and engaging group of individuals. Over the last five years, I have seen this group turn good events into amazing events. The boards have gone from reluctant to full steam ahead! Much of the success can be attributed to the hard work and organization of Natalie Barker. On top of managing three young boys at home, she manages to keep the IGCSA running smoothly.

May’s trip took me to Ogden where the group met at The Barn Golf Club for their annual spring event. The course is located under the majestic Ben Lomond Peak. Justin Woodland, The Barn’s superintendent, hosted the event. Justin’s family bought the golf course in 1987 and Justin began working there in 1988. He worked under his uncle Shon Woodland for 20 years before taking on the superintendent role in 2010, allowing his uncle to spend more time chasing the golf ball.

Ben Lomond Peak

The Barn’s first nine greens were planted to Penncross back in 1965 and the remaining nine in 1972. To my surprise, or should I say astonishment, they were still close to 90% Penncross. Where I’m from, we just don’t see that kind of longevity of any kind of bentgrass, let alone a variety as old as Penncross. Justin and his uncle have done a commendable job in maintaining the Penncross and keeping it clean.

Following golf, the group met under the pavilion for education. Justin Woodland provided a P.A.T (Peer Approved Training) talk on composting. He discussed how he has implemented compost in his daily operations and has seen benefits in a topdressing program as well as using it in the par 3 divot mix. The success of the program was evident by the condition of Justin’s par 3 tee boxes. The compost is doing its thing by helping to expedite the divot recovery. Dan Nelson, Ph.D., from the Soil Test Lab in Eastern Washington followed up with a more scientific presentation on the benefits of compost and how to begin a program at your own facility. I learned something new when I heard that when the pile of compost stops steaming, the composting process is complete. The pile temperature should be maintained at around 150 degrees and turned weekly. When all is said and done, the compost will provide valuable humates and food for microbial growth. I have included a short clip showing how Justin is screening the product once the composting process is complete. He is using a bunker sand sifter which works great for making the teebox mix. Just a note, you may want to turn your volume down on the video.