An army of volunteers and greenskeepers have been preparing the golf course at Bulle Rock for the LPGA Tournament, set to kick off today with two days of Pro-Am rounds.
Course staff and officials have spent the last week erecting tents, clearing brush, raking sand traps, rolling greens and mowing grass to exact specifications in preparation for the weeklong tournament, which is expected to bring nearly 100,000 golfers and spectators to Bulle Rock for the second year in a row, said General Manager Richard Rounsaville.
“We always try to maintain Bulle Rock close to tournament condition,” Rounsaville said. “There?s a lot more fine-tuning … a lot more moving around tournament time to get the look we want to have for the players and for television.”
Four inches of rain in the last two days required some extra mowing and raking, said Course Superintendant William D. Lewis, but the course was near completion Sunday afternoon when he and Rounsaville were doing an inspection tour. The length of the grass is carefully maintained, and the course is mowed in two different directions for the best playing surface and visual backdrop, he said.
“Having this be our second year, we?re further ahead by knowing what we need to do,” Rounsaville said. Since last year, the course has been fine-tuned for the needs of the tournament and accompanying television coverage, he said.
To prepare for last year?s tournament, the course and clubhouse got more than $4 million in renovations, said Caryn Sagal, a senior account executive for the tournament?s public relations firm.
The LPGA will operate out of a Victorian mansion near the course?s entrance, which was recently wired to support the organization?s electricity needs, Sagal said.
Each morning, the 235-acre course will be mowed by 62 people, and another 40 will come in after the rounds to fine-tune some more, Lewis said. Lights will be set up so the crews can work into the night.
Bulle Rock has only 30 staff members dedicated to maintaining the course; the rest are volunteers and staff from other courses in the area, Lewis said.
