It was implemented for the first time in 2021, when Torrey Pines hosted the US Open, with two municipal courses of San Diego County, Balboa Park and Mission Bay, the beneficiaries. In 2023, the US Open was back in California, at the Los Angeles Country Club (also won by Wyndham Clark), and this time the beneficiary was Maggie Hathaway GC, a beloved nine-hole par-3 course in the Jesse Owens Regional Community Park in south central Los Angeles. It recently reopened after a complete restoration. Last year’s US Open at Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club included among its Green Section investments help for three public courses in the Pittsburgh area: Bob O’Connor GC, North Park GC and South Park GC.
Shortly after the US Open, Elliott Dowling, director of the East Region of the Green Section, joined three other agronomists – Brian Gietka, Mitch Leininger and Chris Neff and, based in Maryland, Florida and South Carolina, respectively, with assistant director of championship agronomy Eric Tragnitz – to visit the four courses. The team worked with Bennett Orlowski, the course superintendent, and Peter Ganley Sr., who helps oversee county parks, to design future improvements.
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USGA/Jason E. Miczek
“The structure of the visits was the same as it would be for any of our clients – we didn’t have our own agenda,” Dowling said. “We are here entirely for the convenience of golf.”
As if to prove the point, each course had different topics that I wanted to tackle. Timber Point, a Golden Age design by the renowned team of Harry Colt & CH Alison, is considering restoring its original 18 holes, using original layouts, after nine holes were later added. West Sayville’s concerns center mostly on weed control and tree management. Santapogue Creek (formerly known as Bergen Point) has seen sea levels rise, with more saltwater coming onto a few of its fairways each year. Indiana Island’s focus is general agronomy.
“At Indian Island, the staff was very concerned about how they could make the putting greens play a little bit better and be as healthy as possible at as efficient a price point as possible,” Dowling said. “This is a typical consideration in a municipal course – what can be done at home as cheaply as possible to maximize resources. And, no matter where we go, from the highest facility in the background, the greens are usually the first focus.”
“We lost power earlier in the week and the 80 mph winds took down some trees, so the course wasn’t in the shape it was hoping for when the USGA came,” said Jesse Johnson, a 25-year veteran of Suffolk County parks who serves as the golf course supervisor at Indian Island. “Everyone was very helpful. Aeration, top dressing, water problems – we covered a lot, and I got some useful tips from a chat with Mitch about the little things he learned along the way. We are all excited to work with everyone moving forward.”
As always, the Green Section consulting team brought all of their proprietary tools, including the USGA moisture meter (a device that accurately captures soil moisture, salinity and temperature metrics), the GS3 golf ball (a high-tech “smart” ball with internal sensors that measures many aspects of the putting green) and the Deacon management system (a software platform and a mobile app that uses the compiled data to map conditions, track surface management and log maintenance). In this case, having the entire regional team on site brought an overwhelming dose of expertise and proved a huge benefit.
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USGA/Jason E. Miczek
“Between us, we’ve seen a lot,” Dowling noted. “I think that between the four of us, we can find solutions to their different problems. We have seen many coastal streams, and deal with salt water, different types of grass and so on. It works very well.”
The initial consultations were completely free. Moving forward, the plan is to provide ongoing access to USGA tools and flexible, discounted consulting services on a contract basis.
Team players
At the US Open, it takes a lot of staff, vendors, volunteers, talent and prospects to make such a huge championship run smoothly. The US Open’s community engagement initiative is no different, with the USGA always well supported in its efforts by the host club and, this year, the Metropolitan Golf Association (MGA).
“Nothing about hosting a US Open is more satisfying than the opportunity to shine a light on and help constituents of our local community,” said Shinnecock Hills President Brett Pickett. “We are incredibly grateful to the USGA for its leadership, and the MGA for its partnership, to continue the legacy of community investment around our national championship.”
MGA CEO Brian Mahoney echoed those sentiments.
“The MGA is proud to partner with the USGA to advance these critical investments in the game – initiatives that expand opportunities, strengthen the sport’s positive impact and help advance golf for the next generation,” said Mahoney.
The next generation now will most likely include more members of the Shinnecock Nation – supporting youth programming in this is another key aspect of the community engagement initiative. The goal is to build on existing efforts to introduce young people to golf, including expanding access to instruction, equipment and opportunities to play. This continues a remarkable streak that began with Shinnecock Nation member Oscar Bunn, who competed in the first US Open held at Shinnecock Hills in 1896.
“The USGA has been a longtime supporter of Shinnecock Nation, and we’ve seen the impact that support has on our youth over the years,” said Lisa Goree, chair of the Shinnecock Board of Trustees. “We are excited about this next chapter and look forward to hosting the US Open again.”
That return will occur in 2036, as part of a historic back-to-back doubleheader with the U.S. Women’s Open also playing at Shinnecock Hills. No doubt the course will be in spectacular shape – and so, too, will be the four Suffolk County public courses that have benefited from the most recent championship initiative. In the meantime, those fairways will be populated with a wide range of happy local golfers getting their money’s worth, and then some.
