Carolina Cherry Laurel

Golf Gazette/Jay Dempsey: He's a meteorologist, farmer, PR man and much more

How difficult can it be? We’ve all pushed a lawn mower, spread some fertilizer and watered our lawns. No big deal, right? So how hard is it being a golf course superintendent?

Ladies and gentlemen, being a golf course superintendent requires the skills of a meteorologist, a farmer, a horticulturist, a public-relations expert, a personnel manager, a bookkeeper and a salesman.

Oh, one more thing. You had better like going to bed early, waking up hours before the sun rises, and working 15 hour days, seven days a week.

I recently had the opportunity to sit down with the Laurel Links Country Club superintendent, Bill Shuford, to talk about his job.

“I consider myself like a farmer who looks at his soil and decides what needs to be done,” Shuford said. “Most of my time is spent riding the course, looking around.”

With the help of two assistants, Shuford drives the course up to 15 times every day, taking detailed notes along the way.

Like vineyards, golf courses have micro-climates. “We can have a 15-degree temperature difference from one section of the course to another,” said Shuford. “Every night we set up our plan for the following day based on soil samples and by checking moisture levels. We decide what areas to water, fertilize and are in need of treatment.”

In addition to the daily hands-on duties the job requires, Shuford is also responsible for making regular reports to governmental agencies regarding the chemicals used on the course.

Shuford’s love of golf began when he was 5 years old and continued into his college years.

“I couldn’t afford to play golf when I was in college, so I got a job working on a golf course,” he said. “I never considered golf course maintenance as an occupation, but once I did it, I loved it.”

After graduating with degrees in sociology and psychology from Lenior-Rhyne College in North Carolina, Shuford took a trip up the East Coast watching baseball games and playing golf.

“I played at a course on Long Island and spoke with the superintendent,” he said. “I told him I really loved golf course maintenance and asked him if I needed to go back to school for it.”

The superintendent responded, wisely, “Do you think you can talk to a blade of grass and get it to grow?” Shuford got the message and went on to the University of Massachusetts, receiving a degree in turf management.

After working at Atlantic Golf Club in Bridgehampton for eight years and at Island Hills Golf Club in Sayville for almost three years, Shuford landed at Laurel Links where he has been for the past decade.

How to I get deers to stop eating my vegetable garden?

Place four or 8 poles around your garden depending on how big it is. Instead of fencing you should use a strand of plastic about 2 inches wide or so.. color does not matter. Hand lengths of the same plastic 2-3 feet long …2-3 on each side of the garden. The parts hanging down will flap in the wind and scare the deer away. A friend of mine swears by this method.

Or you can plant hedges around your garden that are deer resistant. You should check to see if any of these will grow in your area.

Seascape gardening, from New England to the Carolinas

The Homeowner's Complete Tree & Shrub Handbook, The Essential Guide to Choosing, Planting, and Maintaining Perfect Landscape Plants

Audubon, beyond birds : plant portraits and conservation heritage of John James Audubon

Taylor's guide to trees, the definitive, easy-to-use guide to 200 of the garden's most important plants

Heirloom Gardening in the South, Yesterday's Plants for Today's Gardens