The Country Club of Wilbraham

APRIL 2022 • VOLUME 2 • ISSUE 1

Talking Ocean Organics with Matt Kowal, Superintendent of The Country Club of Wilbraham, Wilbraham, MA

Our first edition of 2022’s “Talking Ocean Organics” Newsletter takes us to The Country Club of Wilbraham in Wilbraham, MA. Our article will focus on Matt Kowal, superintendent at the club since 2011.

We’ll talk about Matt’s personal and professional journey, the property he looks after, and how he’s incorporated Ocean Organics products into his agronomic programs.

About Matt:

Matt was born and raised in Springfield, MA. Matt’s dad Ted served in the Air National Guard for 41 years while mom Arline stayed home to raise the family.

Matt’s entrance into a career in golf course maintenance wasn’t immediate. After graduating from Springfield’s Cathedral High School in 1984, he went to work at Stop & Shop stocking shelves. Matt’s dad Ted, post retirement, went to work part time on the maintenance crew at Westover CC in Ludlow, MA. Following his dad’s lead, Matt began working part time at Westover in 1996. Superintendent John Dryjowicz saw that Matt had talent and persuaded him to attend the UMass Green School Extension to further his agronomic education.

After his stint at Westover, Matt went to work for Roy Macintosh at Twin Hills CC in Longmeadow, MA. Roy saw that same potential and encouraged Matt to get more education. In the winter of 1999, Matt attended the UMass Winter School. It was an 11-week intensive curriculum which Matt completed to receive his certificate.

With Roy’s urging, Matt moved on to Franconia GC in Springfield, MA, working for Matt Pierce, to further broaden his knowledge. In 2002, it was back to Twin Hills to work as Roy’s assistant.

In 2003, Roy retired and Matt was hired as the superintendent. “I learned a lot from Roy,” Matt reminisced, “he taught me how to treat employees, how to respect the membership, and how to grow grass. Roy was my mentor. He was the best.”

In 2009, after a change in ownership at Twin Hills, it was time to move on. Matt’s new home was Ledges GC in South Hadley, MA working for Mike Fontaine. It was a brief stay. In 2011, Matt was hired by Wilbraham to run the show.

“Our first priority when I got to Wilbraham was drainage. So much of the course seemed to be under water,” Matt laughed, “We initially installed 5500 feet of drain lines on front-nine holes 1 & 9. This has been a continuing project. We’ve installed 18,000 feet of drainage pipe on the course to date. The front nine is pretty flat (1% slope) so it wasn’t easy to pitch the drain pipe properly to make them effective. We’ve also completed a bunker renovation on both nines and took down a lot of trees. We’ve stepped up our cultural programs to remove excess thatch on the greens. We core aerate spring and fall, solid tine to vent, and topdress one to two times a month.”

“Our first priority when I got to Wilbraham was drainage. So much of the course seemed to be under water.... We initially installed 5500 feet of drain lines on front-nine holes 1 & 9. This has been a continuing project. We’ve installed 18,000 feet of drainage pipe on the course to date.”

Wilbraham is truly a tale of two 9’s. They couldn’t be more different. “The front nine was built in 1928.” Matt explained, “It is wide open bordered by the wood lines. It’s very flat. The greens all slope from front to back. They’re 85% poa and 15% bent. The back nine was built twenty years ago. It was carved out of a forest so it’s tight. The greens are big and flat and are about 85% bent and 15% poa. The greens surfaces sit on about 20” of sand. There is no internal drainage but they still drain well.”

To say the environmental and agronomic conditions at Wilbraham have been a challenge during Matt’s tenure might be a little bit of an understatement.

The “esprit de corps” at Wilbraham extends beyond the maintenance crew. “My relationship with our Head Pro Bobby Downs has been great. He is a great pro and a friend. He’s been phenomenal,” Matt reports.

Matt met his wife Dawn during his time at Stop & Shop. “We’d pass each other in the parking lot. My shift would be starting and hers would be ending. I started greeting her with a cup of coffee. The rest is history.” Matt laughed

Their union has resulted in four children, Madison (recently out of college) — age 24, Matthew (college freshman, Worcester State) — age 20, Morgan (college freshman, URI) — age 19, and Max — age 11.

The Country Club of Wilbraham

The first 9-holes of Wilbraham were constructed in 1928. The course was designed by Willie Ogg. Willie was a Scottish-American professional golfer, club maker, and golf course architect. He won the 1921 Shawnee Open, 1923 Maine Open, 1924, New England PGA Championship, and the 1924 Massachusetts Open. Willie was one of the founding members of the PGA of America, serving as vice president. Willie was instrumental in arranging for the first Ryder Cup matches to be held at Worcester CC, his home club, in 1927.

The course was privately held until 1968, when the Town of Wilbraham bought the land and its contents. Club members formed a not-for-profit corporation to manage the club for the town. Geoffrey Cornish was brought in during the early 1990’s to recommend improvements to the initial 9-holes and plans were drawn up to expand the course to 18-holes.

The new nine was designed by Rowland Armacost of Hinsdale, MA. Construction began in April of 2000 and the full 18-holes opened in May of 2002 along with a brand-new clubhouse.

Wilbraham is semi-private. It’s a daily fee course for town residents. Out-of-towners must join as members. The club does 8-10 outings a year and the food and beverage concession is run by an independent contractor

The club’s mission statement is “to provide an excellent

golfing experience for all who play here.”

Matt and Ocean Organics

Matt uses the full gamut of Ocean products to help maintain the course. We’ll begin with granular fertility.

“I use SeaBlend 12-4-5 granular fertilizer on the greens and the driving range tees. About a week prior to aeration (spring & fall) I put out a 1/2 lb rate. During the season, I step down the rate to a 1/4 lb. The color is phenomenal. There are no flushes of growth. Even at the 1/4 lb rate there is no speckling. And it waters in nicely.”

“In the spring and fall I spray Guarantee Natural (Seaweed Extract 0-0-1).... It aids in waking the turf up, promotes recovery and helps that stressed turf rebound."

Ocean’s Biostimulants are a big part of Matt’s greens programs.

“In the spring and fall I spray Guarantee Natural (Seaweed Extract 0-0-1) at a 3 oz/1000 monthly rate. It aids in waking the turf up, promotes recovery and helps that stressed turf rebound. Starting at the end of May and continuing through the end of August I replace the Guarantee Natural with Ocean’s XP & Stress Rx. Each product is applied at 4oz/1000 every three weeks. These two products are bullet proof. They enable me to use less water and the plant health benefits are off the charts, a total turnaround since I began this program. From May through Labor Day, I can sleep at night.”

"...Ocean’s XP & Stress Rx.... These two products are bullet proof. They enable me to use less water and the plant health benefits are off the charts.... I can sleep at night.”

Matt uses Ocean’s surfactant line course-wide.

“I spray Ocean’s Helmsman surfactant on fairways and tees (monthly 3oz/1000) in June and from September till my last spray. In July and August, we switch to Mariner (monthly 4 oz/1000). The front nine soils can hold a lot of moisture and the back nine has less soil and a lot of ledge. These two products even out the moisture and give us great conditions and we water less. In a dry year, we used to use around 15 million gallons of irrigation water. We’ve reduced our water usage by almost 30% which saves us around $10,000 annually in electricity at the pump house, not to mention saving a lot of wear and tear on the pumps.”

“On the greens, I use Ocean’s Privateer surfactant (monthly 4oz/1000). It has reduced watering, the dry down is slow and predictable, and the greens stay firm and fast. With the seaweed extract in all the products, the turf stays green with great color.”