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Erik Boley earned
his turfgrass management degree from Oregon State University. But as
the golf course superintendent for Washington National
Golf Club, home of the University of Washington Huskies, he puts his
Oregon State allegiance aside. From the tees labeled “Freshman,” “Sophomore,” “Junior,” “Senior” and “Husky” to
the “Final Exam” sign pointing golfers toward the 18th tee,
this course is all about the purple and gold.
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Golf
carts at Washington National highlight PAC-10 schools. Superintendent
Erik Boley, who has been at the club since 2001, prefers the
cart bearing the logo of Oregon State, his alma mater.
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Although
the course is affiliated with the University of Washington and incorporates
an impressive practice facility for the exclusive
use of
the school’s men’s and women’s golf teams, it is
not university owned. Heritage Golf Group, a San Diego-based company
with
an impressive 12-course portfolio, is Washington National’s parent.
The company, a LESCO National Account, acquired the course in 2003
from OB Sports, LLC. (For more about the Heritage Golf Group, see page
related article.)
An 18-hole
daily fee facility, Washington National is located in the city of Auburn,
midway between Seattle and Tacoma. Designed by John
Fought, the course appeared rather quickly on the western Washington
golf scene.
Construction began in 1999 and by August 2000, the course welcomed
its first golfers. (On opening day, those in the know didn’t
let on that the 15th green had been seeded just 28 days earlier.)
Boley arrives
Superintendent Erik Boley came to Washington National in 2001, armed
with a resume that included assistant superintendent and superintendent
positions at several notable Pacific Northwest golf venues, including
Tacoma Country and Golf Club in Tacoma, Washington; The Reserve Vineyards
and Golf Club in Aloha, Oregon; Langdon Farms Golf Club in Aurora, Oregon;
and Trophy Lake Golf and Casting Club in Port Orchard, Washington. Like
Washington National, the Trophy Lake property was previously owned by
OB Sports and acquired by Heritage Golf Group.
Since day one, Boley has dedicated himself to providing a great course
for all of the facility’s guests. It hasn’t always been easy,
but it has been rewarding. With numerous golf outings and an average
of 200 rounds per day during the season, the golfers are obviously pleased.
And as for the relationship with the Husky golf team, Boley says, “They
really appreciate everything we do, understand our challenges and
know we have to cater to a wide variety of people.”
Washington National offers classic golf coupled with steadily escalating
challenge and splendor. It features tee options ranging from 5,100
yards from the “Freshman” to 7,300 yards from the “Husky,” 110
acres of irrigated turf, 40 acres of fairways and a meandering 18
acres of waste area that distinguishes it from other clubs in the
area. Century
bentgrass greens, Colonial bentgrass/ryegrass tees, Colonial bentgrass/fescue
fairways and approaches and fescue/ryegrass roughs add quality and
contrast.
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In
keeping with the university theme, a “Final Exam” sign
directs golfers departing the 17th green to the 18th tee at Washington
National Golf Club.
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Even though
LESCO does not yet have sales representatives or service centers in
the Pacific Northwest, Boley easily obtains product through
California-based National Accounts Representative Tom Comalli and
corporate sales personnel. LESCO PolyVex™ 24-2-14 is his
fertilizer of choice for tees, approaches, fairways, roughs and
the clubhouse grounds.
On
greens, LESCO Manganese High Combo, a sprayable product delivering
4% manganese, 4% sulfur, 4% iron and 1% magnesium, is a key component
of
his nutrient management program.
“
We use the Manganese High Combo to juice-up our manganese levels and
help combat take-all patch, plus it’s a good source of iron,” Boley
said.
Boley grooms the relatively high maintenance golf course with a fulltime
crew of eight – a number that includes himself, his assistants
and his mechanic. The crew expands to 25 in the summer, but when
you throw the clubhouse grounds into the equation (think 45 hanging
baskets
and 500 flats of flowers), 25 is still not a lot of people. Asked
how he gets it all done, Boley is quick to credit his crew and First
Assistant
Superintendent Kyle Kranz.
“
Kyle has been here since the beginning and is a phenomenal asset,” Boley
said. “Washington National wouldn’t be the same without his
dedication and hard work. And I can’t say enough about my family – They
are always there for me.”
Some challenges
When Boley considers the challenges he faces at Washington National,
two immediately come to mind. One is the 18 acres of waste area and the
other is pesticide restriction.
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Top:
Although Washington National is located about 45 minutes away
from the University of Washington campus, it is home to the school’s
men’s and women’s golf teams. Heritage Golf Group
owns and operates the course. Bottom: First Assistant Kyle Kranz
(in cart), who has been at Washington National since its groundbreaking,
talks with Superintendent Erik Boley.
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Dotted with
native fescues and yucca plants, the bunker-like waste areas complement
many of the holes on the course. The design feature is a formidable
opponent from a labor perspective, but a strong aesthetically.
“
We could easily dedicate four or five guys fulltime to maintaining the
waste area, but that isn’t feasible,” Boley explained. “We
have to be content with spraying out the weeds several times a year and
raking whenever time allows. In spite of that, I like having the feature
because no other course in this area has anything like it. It gives Washington
National a totally different feel and is one of the reasons golfers say
this course provides an experience they can’t get anywhere
else.”
Another test of Boley’s ability comes from the environmentally
sensitive nature of Washington National’s King County location
and the course’s proximity to a fish hatchery. There are
no natural streams on the golf course property, but on-site wells
are
regularly
monitored and pesticide use is highly regulated.
“
We have a list of chemicals and instructions on how we can use those
chemicals,” Boley pointed out. “It is a very, very short
list – six fungicides, a couple of herbicides and one insecticide – and,
unfortunately, I feel some of the chemicals on the list aren’t
the best for the pressures that I have here. You try to stay on a rotation
and you try to do all the things you’ve learned to do, but when
you’re faced with only being able to use a few active ingredients,
it can be tough.”
Not really rainy
Think Seattle and many people instantly think too much moisture.
But that is not necessarily the case and it is especially not true
at Washington
National Golf Club. Consequently, water management is a complex
facet of Boley’s job.
“
Although we have a six-inch sand layer that was brought in during construction,
this course is actually built on gravel,” Boley said. “We
tend to dry out quickly and our water situation can be tricky. We’ve
come close to running out three years in a row.
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Erik
Boley maintains Washington National with a fulltime crew of eight.
That number increases to 25 during the summer season.
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“
It can be breezy and dry and we can easily go four or five months with
an average rainfall of only half an inch per month,” he went on
to explain. “The off-season can be soggy and wet, but it’s
more of a steady, gradual moisture. We don’t get heavy
rains like they do in Florida or Texas.”
Initially, water came primarily from the 157-acre-feet irrigation lake
that Boley can pump county water into once each year. Other ponds on
the property would gravity-feed water into the irrigation lake, but only
the top 3 or 4 inches would transfer without the aid of pumps.
“
My irrigation lake would be way down and I would have another lake nearly
full that I could not draw water from unless we manually hooked up big
pumps, which we would do in a crisis,” Boley explained. “But
the situation was not good because the pumps were loud and the
lake is adjacent to several holes.”
To solve the problem, Boley and his crew submerged a permanent
pump in the main auxiliary pond and he now has an additional
15-acre-feet of
water that can be pumped into the irrigation pond when necessary.
He also uses the wetting agent LESCOWet™ Plus to maximize
irrigation efficiency.
For Erik Boley and his crew at Washington National Golf Club
in Auburn, Washington, innovative solutions are all in a day’s work. With
a hardworking turfgrass management team and the experienced guidance
of the Heritage Golf Group, the course easily meets the demands of its
two masters – the University of Washington golf teams and
the daily fee golfers who populate the links. LESCO is proud
to do its
part with
products and support.
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