|
Fiddler’s
Creek®, a development by one of the Gulf Bay® Group of Companies,
is a private 3,931-acre resort community in Naples, Florida. It is a spectacular
residential development with all the amenities.
At the top
of the amenity list is the $18 million golf course designed by Arthur
Hills of Arthur Hills/Steve Forrest and Associates in Toledo, Ohio and
built by Ryan Golf of Deerfield Beach, Florida. Opened in February 2002,
it is the first of three courses planned to be built in conjunction with
the Fiddler’s Creek project. The current membership fee is $90,000.
Christened
The Creek Course at Fiddler’s Creek®, referencing the manmade
waterway that gives the development its name, it is a par 72 layout that
plays 7,157 yards from the tournament tees. The creek, natural marsh areas
and numerous lakes surround the golf course.
As Arthur
Hills said, “The challenge of this course, with its broad fairways,
is not so much to avoid the bordering water as it is to decide just how
many times to challenge the water when it is partially in play. The best
angle to the greens will be from near the water.”
Like many
developments of its kind, Fiddler’s Creek sprung from land that was
barren, but at the same time rich with dramatic natural beauty. Enhancing
such native attractions as sawgrass marshes, alligators, sandhill cranes,
wool storks and eagles are the approximately 400 oak trees (including
90 mature specimens brought in from Central Florida), 2500 sabal palms
(the Florida state tree) and thousands of native grasses that were planted
on the site. The price tag for the landscaping alone was $5 million.
| |
 |
|
| |
Superintendent
Jim Vajen (left) and LESCO Regional Manager Erich Slider meet often
to discuss course agronomics and conditioning.
|
|
 |
Living
the dream
Superintendent Jim Vajen has been at Fiddler’s Creek since April
2001. Hired when the course was under construction, Vajen was able to
supervise all grassing and grow-in on the 156-acre golf course. He thinks
of his position as a privilege, not a job.
“It’s
a great facility and I’m very fortunate to be here,” he said.
“I’m living the dream.”
A Michigan
native, Vajen earned his turfgrass management degree from Michigan State
and then headed south to work for Al Otto at Quail Creek Country Club
in Naples. Otto had previously been a superintendent in Michigan and was
a mentor to Vajen when he was contemplating a golf course maintenance
career.
As Vajen
reflects on his responsibilities at Fiddler’s Creek, he thinks about
his days at Michigan State and can’t help but recall what Dr. Joe
Vargas, the noted plant pathology professor, told him as he was preparing
to graduate.
“When
I left school, Dr. Vargas said, ‘Don’t get caught up in the
“my golf course syndrome” because it’s not your golf course.
It’s the members’/ developers’ golf course,’”
Vajen said. “That is all true. However, I think if you want to be
successful you have to take ownership of it. You only get out of it what
you put into it.”
Vajen runs
his operation out of a remarkable 25,500-sq. ft. maintenance facility
(see boxed article) and works with a crew of 35, including Assistant Superintendents
Steve Turner, Kelly Shields, and Richard Garcia. Taking it upon himself
to learn Spanish has proven to be a valuable asset as he works with his
Hispanic crew.
As LESCO
Regional Manager Erich Slider, who has known Vajen since he arrived in
South Florida, said, “Jim is bilingual and that is a huge benefit
down here. Jim does it quite well.”
Grassing
and beyond
The
Creek Course at Fiddler’s Creek has TifEagle bermudagrass greens
and TifSport tees, fairways and roughs. Grassing was set to begin on the
course in May 2001, but watering restrictions, due to drought, were a
slight stumbling block.
“Grassing
was initially delayed because water restrictions were in effect and the
course had to obtain a variance from the South Florida Water Management
District,” Vajen explained. “We held off on the sprigging because
that required the most water, but went ahead and got started on the areas
that were to be sodded. We held off on the sprigging until June and July.”
Vajen worked
with LESCO throughout the grow-in phase of the Creek Course. He relied
on the company for fertilizers and control products as well as all of
the bronze signage and golf course accessories used on the course.
In addition
to Erich Slider who is a regular visitor, Vajen depends on the weekly
visit of the LESCO Store-on-Wheels® operated by Tom Davenport and
routine visits by LESCO Sales Representative Dale Walters C.G.C.S.
“We
plan on the truck being here weekly,” Vajen said. “Sometimes
when we need something and we need itbadly, we’ll call and ask Tom
to make sure he has it on board and request that he doesn’t sell
it to anyone else before he gets here. He does a great job of setting
aside what we need.”
Although
Vajen has his favorite products that he uses on a regular basis, he is
also interested in investigating other options and appreciates the input
he receives from LESCO on new products. Likewise, Erich Slider, Tom Davenport
and Dale Walters value his feedback.
| |
 |
|
| |
Water
nearly rings the perimeter of The Creek Course at Fiddler’s
Creek, while some of the 2500 sabal palms that were planted on the
course form a Floridian backdrop.
|
|
|
“When
LESCO comes out with new products, Erich often recommends that we try
them and if they are successful with the programs we have established,
then we continue to use them,” Vajen pointed out.
Slider respects
Vajen’s opinion and considers the honest reaction he receives as
proof of a good business relationship.
“There
have been some things that I have sold Jim and asked him to use that he
won’t use again,” Slider said. “And I appreciate that reaction.
Because what it means to me is that when I do recommend something and
he does continue to use it, he’s doing so not because of our relationship,
but because the product works.”
Turning
two
As Vajen celebrates the two-year anniversary of the opening of The Creek
Course, he has a good handle on what the turf requires in the way of fertility
and cultural practices. He prefers the sprayable LESCO Green-Flo™
and LESCO ELITE® and NOVEX® granular products for greens and uses
several LESCO granular fertilizers on other areas of the course. For overseeding,
he likes LESCO Allsport perennial ryegrass for its smooth spring transition.
| |
 |
|
| |
The
54,000-sq. ft. Club & Spa at Fiddler’s Creek is a focal
point of the development. A separate golf course clubhouse is also
planned.
|
|
|
To manage
the ultradwarf TifEagle putting surfaces, Vajen aerifies six times a year
– in April, June, July, August,
September and December. Initially, he thought four times a year would
be sufficient, but now believes the six-yearly schedule is necessary.
He uses either a 5/16-inch pencil tine that penetrates about seven or
eight inches, but does not pull a plug, or a 3/4-inch core tine that goes
down three to four inches. He maintains the greens at a height of .120
to .160.
Commenting
on the aerification schedule, Erich Slider said, “We’ve come
to the realization that with these new ultradwarfs you have to do some
type of aerification in high season.”
Fairways
are aerified four times a year in June, July, August and September. Because
play is very slow during the summer and early fall, Vajen is able to close
the course for 10 days during each of those months and use that time for
aerification and other tasks.
Turfgrass
disease and insects are not major problems at The Creek Course, although
Vajen is always alert for signs of either. He relies on subsurface injections
of Curfew* Soil Fumigant to take care of nematodes and uses a soil moisture
monitor to help determine when conditions are prime for disease. And like
many superintendents around Naples, he consults with LESCO Sales Representative
Dale Walters, a former superintendent, who is now something of a disease
guru in the area.
Erich Slider
has known Walters for years and believes the assistance he provides is
valuable.
“Dale
has done a great job for us down here with microscopy,” Slider said.
“Any of the guys that have a problem can call Dale and he will come
out and identify the pathogen instantly. That way they know that what
they spray is the right product for the fungus. Dale’s been a huge
asset in that regard, not just for Jim, but for the Naples area in general.”
The ubiquitous
Florida mole cricket is not as prevalent on The Creek Course as it is
on many Florida courses – something Vajen attributes to the somewhat
remote location and young age of the course.
“I don’t
have an overwhelming mole cricket population yet,” Vajen said. “I
budget for it, but for now that’s an area where I can go out and
treat my isolated hotspots instead of making a blanket application. There
will likely come a day when I’ll have to apply Top-Choice® Insecticide
wall-to-wall.”
While mole
crickets are certainly nothing to look forward to, there are many bright
spots on the horizon for Superintendent Jim Vajen. With The Creek Course
celebrating its second anniversary and two more courses in the Fiddler’s
Creek pipeline, the possibilities for this Michigan native with the dream
job are numerous. He certainly seems to realize that hard work and long
hours are part of the formula. As he says, “You only get out of it
what you put into it. There is no timeclock.”
|