Realizing a Dream
Looking out at the rolling land that had been a part of his family for decades, David Pursell saw the opportunity for something special — an 18-hole research and demonstration golf course that would change the way people viewed an entire industry.The Pursell family bought their first parcels of land in the pristine countryside in Sylacauga, Ala., during the 1970s. Over the years, they purchased more parcels to create a 3,500-acre property called Pursell Farms. For much of the land’s history, it had been used for farming cotton from the early 1800s until about 1950 when pasturing cattle became its primary use.
A Vision of What Could Be
The history of the land not only explains how the land was used in the past, but how it came to be used today. For Pursell, respecting the land’s history and maintaining its beauty were the underlying factors that shaped his vision more than 20 years ago.
“Our main consideration was environmental harmony,” Pursell says. “We had the ability to enhance the property, and I wanted to prove that running a golf course on the land actually improves it environmentally.”
To accomplish this, Pursell wanted to design a golf course like no other. He wanted the golf course to offer more than just a great game in a beautiful setting; he wanted it to set an example. So Pursell opted to design the world’s first research and demonstration golf course, created to show turf and golf industry innovation and product performance through the course’s ability to serve as a living laboratory and ongoing focus group for industry leaders.
FarmLinks Golf Club is the product of Pursell’s vision. The 18-hole, championship Hurdzan-Fry Golf Course Design, which opened in June 2003, was built by Landscapes Unlimited Inc. of Lincoln, Neb. It makes up about 800 acres and was designed to incorporate the various natural elements, such as lakes and ponds, streams, rolling hills and mountains, wetlands, and wildlife, found in the 3,500-acre property. The golf course measures 7,444 yd. from its back tees, and multiple tees are offered to accommodate golfers of any level.
FarmLinks is owned by the Pursell family in conjunction with their family business, Pursell Technologies Inc. (PTI), which as a developer and manufacturer of controlled-release fertilizers has a vested interest in both the golf and turf industries.
Unlike the theory behind the Field of Dreams that “If you build it, they will come,” Pursell knew he would need to do more than just build the golf course for industry leaders to take notice of the research and demonstrations being conducted there. His solution was to enroll premier turf industry companies into the FarmLinks venture. This way, people could see real products such as fertilizers, grasses, and compact equipment being used in a real-world setting.
Teaching Ground for the Future
For two years now, FarmLinks has strived to set an example in the golf and turf industries by experimenting with processes in hopes of discovering improvements others can benefit from. A major component in making Pursell’s vision a success is not only the ground superintendents he hires, but also the equipment and products they use.
Mark Langner, director of agronomy and applied research for FarmLinks, arrived at the golf course two months before it opened. A large part of Langner’s job consists of keeping up with the constantly changing golf course. For example, just one year after FarmLinks opened, Langner and his team completely switched the grasses on the course.
“One of the things that we wanted to do was put in different grass types that would give people the opportunity to see the grasses grow in the golf course environment and the different management techniques, including fertilizing and mowing,” he says.
For the June 2004 sod project, Langner’s team changed three fairways from Tiftsport Bermuda grass to 419 Bermuda grass. Some other areas of the golf course that were primarily Tiftsport Bermuda grass were replaced with Zorro Zoysia and Seashore Paspalum. And in rough and shaded areas, they placed Thermal Blue bluegrass.
“The Tiftsport was kind of a new generation of Bermuda grass. We wanted to put down the old standby 419 Bermuda so that we can see if there was any difference between the two when we do our fertility tests,” Langner says.
On fairway No. 4, Langner and his team helped the sod company by unloading four truckloads of sod and hauling them to the course using their Bobcat® A300 all-wheel steer loader. Bobcat is one of several companies that has partnered with FarmLinks in providing equipment to help in its research and demonstration efforts. Currently, FarmLinks uses the A300 with several attachments to perform many groundskeeping duties on the golf course.
Oftentimes, golf courses use a front-end loader or another piece of large equipment to unload sod, but Langner says he has found that compact equipment works better because it is easier to maneuver. Skid-steer loaders can also be used for the job, but usually plywood must be placed on the course to prevent turf disturbance — a procedure that takes added time. The A300, however, enables operators to have two machines in one because with the flip of a switch inside the cab they can go from skid-steer to all-wheel steer mode.
“With the A300’s turf tires and all-wheel steering, you’re able to maneuver yourself into areas and drive back and forth across the course without the risk of ripping the turf,” Langner says. “There were no concerns about damaging the playing surface for the operator using the A300.”
It took FarmLinks workers two hours to unload the four truckloads and transport the sod to the fairway. Typcially, each truckload holds between 25,000 and 30,000 lb. of sod. A pallet of sod can range from 1,200 to 1,800 lb., which is why the 3,000-lb. rated operating capacity of the A300 is critical when lifting heavy loads of sod, fertilizer, and other materials, Langner says.
“In this industry, we deal with a lot of materials that come in ton increments and you have to have a loader that can handle at least a ton,” he says.
When trying to get from one job to the next on the golf course, Langner says his operators like the variety of travel speeds, which enables them to travel as fast as 12.4 mph in high range. “We always want to be as efficient as we can and maximize the amount of work we can do,” he says. “We can use the high-range speed to get to the site, and then when we get to the site, we can slow down to a safe operating speed.”
In addition to the A300, FarmLinks also uses a Toolcat 5600 around the course. The utility work machine enables Langner and his team to use many of the same attachment as the A300 while transporting people and materials. He says the Toolcat 5600 works well when they need to plant trees around the course because he can equip it with the auger attachment and then place the tree and shovels in the machine’s 2,000-lb. capacity cargo box. And when needing to prepare areas for sodding projects, Langner says they use the soil conditioner attachment on both the A300 and the Toolcat 5600 because it creates a smooth surface.
Langner says there isn’t a day that goes by when the Toolcat 5600 and the A300 are not being used on the golf course — whether it’s sweeping car paths or rows, preparing for seedbeds or sodding, hauling material around the golf course, unloading trucks, using the Brushcat® rotary cutter for woodlands and overgrown areas, or using the landscape rake to pick up rocks.
“It’s the versatility of the equipment that allows you to go out and do so many different operations without needing different pieces,” he says. “I think more than anything it saves us from doing a lot of backbreaking work. We’re able to get into more areas, which eliminates a lot of manual labor we would have to do.”
For Langner, having good equipment to maintain the golf course means everything. And as part of their mission to be a research and demonstration ground, Langner says others in the golf and turf industry can learn from their example how valuable compact equipment can be.
“A lot of times it’s not really Mother Nature and outside elements that kills turf grass, it’s the superintendents that do. So we need to have equipment that can make our jobs better and easier,” he says. “If you can cut out having three or four pieces of equipment that basically do the same thing, then you can save your golf club capital.”
Thus far, FarmLinks has seen nothing but success. What started as just a dream for Pursell has turned into a major endeavor that has captured the attention of many leaders in the golf and turf industries. Not only did Pursell find the resources needed to get FarmLinks built, but he has also found the equipment needed to maintain his dream and teach others along the way.