Legendary greenkeeper brought plenty BY ANTHONY PIOPPI CONTRIBUTING EDITOR

alter Woods guides his consultant, plays golf as often as he can and of knowledge Audi A4 station wagon still enjoys a drink at the St. Andrews Golf out of a parking lot in Club, located next to the 18th green of the and dedication to St. Andrews, Scotland, Old Course, where he is a member, and weaves his way Woods, who has been married to Caro- the golf industry toward the house he shares with his wife, line for 50 years, is well-known and respected Caroline, in a section of this famous town throughout the town, but even more so in - and still does that tourists rarely visit. the international greenkeeping community. The radio, tuned to a classic rock sta- For more than 20 years, Woods oversaw the tion, plays low. Nearing his home, Woods agronomics of the town's courses, including turns to his passenger with a devilish look the Old. and says, "Watch this." He drops the auto- His role, though, with the links of St. matic transmission to "S" for "Sport" and Andrews is often portrayed incorrectly. He punches the accelerator, pushing both pas- was never the head greenkeeper of The Old; sengers back into their seats. After a few rather, his title was links superintendent, seconds he slides the shift back to "D" and In that position, Woods ushered in the eases off the gas as he turns left toward his vast improvements of the playing conditions home, giggling. at the Old, but he also revamped the way The 73-year-old Woods, the most famous all the courses were managed and how the caretaker of the Old Course since Old Tom greenkeepers and head greenkeepers were Morris a century ago, still has youth flowing financially compensated in direct proportion through his veins. He is adept at running a to the quality of the work and, eventually, computer, has his own Web site, travels ex- the amount of schooling they received in tensively in his role as speaker and agronomic greenkeeping. archetype link s golfcourse,waover-fer-Continued onpage86 I| every hole. the Jubilewerputinto*| how tomaintainlinksturf.Woodestimate s thatamany|H construction orexpansioftee s onnearlyUsingcupcutters,plugfrom almost barewhenharrived.H e oversawthyearsofongoingregrassing.;1 turf onthepar-3eighthand1 1 thteeswerecomplexeduringalmos20j of theteeswertosmallforamountotheundesirabl e grasseswerm was formedin1974.TheheadmaateachWooddried outtheturf,cuMj play thecourswasgetting.Wood s saidtheremovefromsinglgreenj| on thecourseshadanyrealknowledgfkeepertchang e thgrass, Eden andJubilee—beforthLinksTrustTobringthos e grassesback,% of WoodsitheshoddyshapOldbecomagronomicconsultantfor course wasnotevenknowagreenkeeperbackmarkedl y onfertilizerandIff Woods throughouthicareeraSt.Andrews,Woods'protégéthahavegon but asforeman,andfewofthoseworkingwenwork withhisgreen-jI' town oversawdiefourcourses—Old,Newhstillholds. M Course whenharrivedi1974.Then,thEuropea n PGATour,ajob PGA Championship.himtheyoungesteveroholdtha Championship, nowknownastheBMWOldCourstagof24making Cup andtheEuropeanTour'sColgatPGAAdamheagreenkeeperof and 1996.Therewasalsoth1975WalkerIn1993,Woodappointe especially whentheOldCourshosteothigh-profiljobswithi Open Championshipi1978,19841990greenkeepingbusiness wood College,wherehhelpeupdatthbymeadowgrassesYorkshirFoganmost its firstpresident.reintroducingthefinergrasses," keepers Association(BIGGA)andservea"Hechangethgolfcoursby the statusofadegreprogram.whhadmaintainedesirablturt greenkeeping curriculum mation oftheBritishInternationalGreen-desirablturbacktThOld. Scottish greenkeeperswereeducatedatElm-dominatenobyfescueanbent—bu Then, theOld , nowconsideredthegreen s ontheOld.Thplug *I There werotherproblemsawell.Many15,000plug s ofryeand What isallbuforgottenabouthecareerposition.I2002,Adamresignedo Woods waalsoinstrumentalinthefor-coursewherhworkedpreviously,brought The internationalgolfspotlightshinedonsaysEddiAdams,onman He alsohadaprofounimpactnhowtilizeanpoorlymaintainewithgreens bybringingitoremarkably,largeswardsfryegrass.Woods the regrassingofOld almost 20years. Course, wherethongoing Woods spearheaded improvements spanned

PHOTO OF WALTER WOODS BY: ANTHONY PIOPPI Continued from page 85 for Viagra," Brown says, sending himself came from fairways or rough around the into a raucous laugh. various courses, and plugs from the nursery Euan Grant, who followed up Adams as "Walter is a bit of were used to fill in the Jubilee. head greenkeeper of the Old before moving a legend. Rightly Adams said the plugs were overlapped so on to grow in Machrihanish Dunes Golf that not even the smallest amount of poor Club, which is still under construction, re- or wrongly, he has turf remained. He said he was part of a group members meeting Woods and Brown for fought against the that put 12,000 plugs into the green shared the first time. It was 1995 in San Francisco Augusta syndrome by the sixth and 12th holes. at the annual conference and show of the "We got so bored doing it that around Golf Course Superintendents Association of Walter stuck to his Christmastime we put them in the shape of America (GCSAA). guns - less water a Christmas tree," Adams said, chuckling at "It was one in the morning at a bar in the recollection. San Francisco, and Walter and George were and fertilizer, lean The process was not welcomed by many arguing whether the East Coast or the West and mean." of the local golfers. Coast of Scotland was better for growing "As I increased (the plugging), the more grass. It was fascinating," Grant says. GEORGE BROWN, complaints I got," says Woods, who remains The two became friends that day and GOLF COURSES AND proud of the accomplishment. "That was the when Grant went from the head greenkeeper ESTATE MANAGER, WESTIN TURNBERRY biggest improvement we ever made." at Forest of Arden to the New Course at St. RESORT Sir Michael Bonallack, president of Andrews, he sought Woods' advice during his BIGGA, was secretary of the R&A from tenure there as well as his time on the Old. 1983 to 1999 and remembers plenty of "He was always available for an ear on backlash against Woods' changing of the his opinion toward change and traditional turf, a move Bonallack says was the cor- greenkeeping practices," Grant says. "His rect one. theories are genius." "I think it should have caused quite a Woods didn't get his start in the golf fuss at the time," Bonallack adds. "Walter is industry until he was 22. In 1959, he was stubborn. If he thinks he's right, he sticks to working above ground at a coal mine in Til- it, and you can't shift him off of it." licoultry, Scotland, when he was approached George Brown, golf courses and estates about maintaining the nearby nine-hole Til- manager at the Westin Turnberry Resort, is licoultry Golf Club for the rest of the sum- one of Woods' oldest friends. Their mutual mer. He liked the job so much he stayed ribbing has gone on for the 22 years since on for two years before moving in 1963 to Brown threw Woods and his caravan off the Braehaed Golf Club, where he oversaw the golf course property during the 1986 Open expansion from nine holes to 18 holes, leav- Championship at Turnberry. Woods had ing in 1967 for England and Stanton-on- set up his temporary home next to the main- Wolds Golf Club. tenance sheds without seeking permission It was there Woods encountered Poa from Brown. annua in his greens and the problems asso- "Walter is a bit of a legend," says Brown, ciated with it. who is heralded throughout the greenkeeping "I thought, what the heavens is this?" he world for his work at Turnberry. "Rightly or says. "At that time my education was, cut it wrongly, he has fought against the Augusta and a have strong back." syndrome ... nothing against Augusta, I love Woods left there in 1970 and went to it. Walter stuck to his guns — less water and Notts Golf Club, commonly known as fertilizer, lean and mean. We're in the same Hollinwell, the town in England where it mold. We both believe the same." is located. This was Woods' one experience The two men talk at least once a week at a high-end private course — it had 300 and recently teed it up at Kingsbarnes and members at the time — and with it came the Old Course. a large maintenance staff and a virtually "We used to play for money, now we play Continued on page 88 Signature Foliar Fertilizers Deliver Consistent Results

Continued from page 86 TURF DENSITY unlimited budget to keep the heath-land course in perfect Penn A-4 Putting Green Reduced Fungicide Field Trial * condition. "If you wanted something, you got it as long as you maintained it they way they liked it," Woods says. "You felt like you were in heaven when you worked in a place like this." A few weeks before we chatted, Woods was sent by the R&A S I 0.73 to Hollinwell, which was hosting the Jacques Leglise Trophy, a youth tournament pitting Britain and Ireland against Europe. Looking more than 30 years into his past, Woods said it might have been the wrong decision to move on. "Even today I regret leaving there." In fact, he is not sure why he left, other than to say, "There was something biting Emetici Iste Fioratine Gngg 8rcs. LPt Urea+Fe Ségnabm» at me." His decision came on a whim. "One day I went home and lifted a golf magazine and saw LONGER, CONSISTENT COLOR the advertisement for St. Andrews," he says. Penn A-4 Putting Green 0.400 ^r Reduced Fungicide Field Trial* From his earliest days in the business, he did everything Arrows indicate he could to educate himself. Woods joined local and regional maximum DGCl ^ 0.385 greenkeeping associations, attended classes, read and later trav- eled often to the United States to the GCSAA conference. "There was something that inspired me to learn. I was never the cleverest chap," he added in his usual self-depre- O 3 cating humor. At the time, Woods said America was 20 years ahead oI £ when it came to educating greenkeepers. It was with that s fact in mind that he helped to change the curriculum at Elmwood College in Cupar, just outside of St. Andrews. One of the great lessons Woods taught Adams was a trait 2 3 4 5 6 7 Days After Treatment (DAT) that can't be learned in school: the ability to stand up to the relentless criticism and second-guessing at the hands of the St. Andrews residents and the members of the St. Andrews CLIPPING YIELD Golf Club where Woods and Adams belong. Penn G-2 Putting Green Trial * "St. Andrews ... a town with 14,000 greenkeepers who all know more than the man in charge," Adams says. "You would hear people say things to him that I would cringe at." For his part, Woods said he learned to ignore the uneducated. Continued on page 90

ACROSS THE POND

g We've heard from golf course

Gngg Bros. LP\ Urw*Fa Signature superintendents that they're interested in what their peers * Max Schlossberg, Ph.D (PSU), 2007. are doing overseas. This new feature, which will run UAP occasionally in Golfdom, will spotlight European course managers and greenkeepers and their golf course operations. Copyright © 2008, by United Agri Products. All Rights Reserved. Signature is a registered trademarks of Loveland Products, Inc. "St. Andrews... a Continued from page 88 "When I play the course now, I notice the "If you go into the club, don't listen to greens are softer," he says. "I would say the town with 14,000 the locals. They are the biggest complain- greens are changing slightly, but they are still greenkeepers who all ers," he says. putting well. I think change in turf is inevi- Woods weathered the barbs and turned the table," Woods added, pointing out this was know more than the Old Course around. He was there for the build- an abnormally wet year in Scotland. ing of the Strathtyrum Course and reworking He also offers some advice. man in charge. You of the Balgove and Eden courses, all overseen "They are not aerating enough for the would hear people by the Links Trust. After retiring in 1994, he amount of play they are getting," he says. became a consultant and highly sought speaker While it might bother him that his exper- say things to him that in the UK, Europe and the United States. tise is not valued in his hometown, Woods I would cringe at." The Links Trust, though, does not utilize does not dwell on it. He prefers to look back his expertise. He has not been called on to on his career, the places he's been, the peo- EDDIE ADAMS, consult there since retiring. He does keep ple he's met as well as the opportunities still AGRONOMIC his eye on the Old, however, and has his afforded him and the fact that his knowl- CONSULTANT, opinion of how it is managed. He says the edge is still sought after. He is amazed by EUROPEAN PGA TOUR Links Trust allows too many rounds a year it all. onto the course, and that there must be days "I'm the luckiest guy in the world," he when the course is shut so greenkeepers can says. • do their work. The Old is closed to golf- ers on Sundays except for the Dunhill Links Pioppi is a contributing editor for Golfdom Championships, but it's open to the public and editor at large for Golfdom Europe maga- as a park. zine, where this story first appeared in January.

CALL FOR ENTRIES! 2009 Dog Days of Golf Calendar

Is Your Canine Camera-Friendly? If so, please submit a photo of your dog to be considered for LebanonTurfs 2009 Dog Days of Golf calendar. Photos of your dog in a golf-related setting, in action or with you are encouraged. The 2009 calendar will feature dogs from your favorite course and be circulated to golf course professionals throughout the country. Any questions? Please call Cynthia Andrews, 1-800-532-0090 ext 253.

Submit your nomination today for Dog's Name: LebanonTurfs 2009 Dog Days of Golf calendar. Complete the following information Dog's Breed: and send in a high-resolution photo of your Course: dog to Golfdom magazine, Attn: Kristen Your Name:_ Morabito, 600 Superior Ave. East, Suite 1100, Cleveland, Ohio 44114 or e-mail it to Address: [email protected]. Phone: E-mail: Deadline for entries: August 1, 2008 Calendar brought Improving the Way Free gift to all who submit! to you by: Professionals Care for Turf Golfdom