THE NICKLAUS STUDIES
As you are most likely aware, Jack Nicklaus and his team visited Las Campanas in June. His visit included a thorough review of each hole and the Practice Park, as well as an evening function with an in depth Q&A session with Jack (which is posted on The Club’s website). Most everyone who attended the reception with Jack will agree that he provided useful and thoughtful insights into the condition of our courses and recommendations for improvement. We also enjoyed his general comments on golf and his role in making it one of the best games ever.
We have now received the report from Jack’s site visit with his recommendations for improvements. We have also received separate detailed reports on agronomic issues and our irrigation system.
These recommendations and our plan to address them will provide a strong foundation for development of a long-term plan to bring our courses into top-notch condition and to address long-term needs for future renovations and upgrades.
Your Golf Committee, Golf Management Team and The Club’s Board are in the process of evaluating these reports in detail. From this evaluation, we will develop a prioritized plan for addressing the issues raised in these reports. Preparation of the plan will take several months, but we anticipate having a draft available for communication to the golfing community late winter or early spring 2015.
We are committed to keeping you informed throughout the entire process. To this end, we have adopted a communication program that will consist of the following:
1. We plan on holding a series of Town Hall Meetings over the next year to cover such topics as a review of the Nicklaus recommendations, our progress in developing a plan of action, a review of the draft and final plans.
2. A web page has been added in the Golf section of The Club’s website called Las Campanas/Nicklaus Design. We will update it frequently with progress reports.
3. We will also issue email updates.
It is important to note that some of the Nicklaus recommendations are considered standard maintenance practices, are not controversial, difficult to achieve or cost intensive. Some of these recommendations are already being implemented and progress on others will follow throughout the balance of the year. These activities include an array of fairway, rough, tee box and bunker maintenance, eliminating some non-native plants, weed management, and arroyo maintenance.
Additionally, as we begin looking at key areas of the course mentioned in the report, we will be conducting tests of several materials recommended to us by Nicklaus Design. These tests and test areas will include the gravel areas, the revegetation areas that have been slow to establish, bunkers, cart paths and walk paths. We will test the use of several potential alternative materials as possibilities for enhancement.
Look for a separate note from the Management Team outlining these and other test areas and test materials.
We hope this note provides you with a good idea of our plan to address the Nicklaus recommendations. The Board plans to further discuss the Nicklaus Design reports at their upcoming strategic planning session on August 25th; we look forward to sharing the content of the reports soon after. As always, we welcome your feedback and ideas.
With best wishes,
| Doug Hailey Board Member Golf Committee Co-Chair |
Jason Epstein, PGA Director of Golf Operations Golf Committee Co-Chair |