The Bayview Place Cardtronics Open presented by the Times Colonist
There is a sign that hangs outside the turf care centre office at Uplands Golf Club that lists the names of the maintenance team, led by master superintendent Brian Youell and his older brother Dennis Youell, the course superintendent. “Each day we make Uplands Golf Club a better place to play,” it says at the bottom.
Mackenzie Tour-PGA Tour Canada will attest to that.
Home of the Bayview Place Cardtronics Open presented by the Times Colonist, Brian Youell and his staff receive rave reviews, especially with the quality of greens provided for touring pros on the development tour.
It’s all thanks to a great team, said Youell. “It’s a solid, longstanding crew. I’ve got one guy who has been here 39 years, he’s 67-years-old. They are long-standing, seasonal guys, who are never late, never sick,” Youell said like a proud father. “I’ve got the best team ever. Each one is entitled to 11 days sick days and it’s probably under 20 for the entire staff that they are off sick. The loyalty is uncanny.
“The membership is great to work for. These are the nicest people you could work for, honestly, and we take great pride in it. The loyalty — they’ll be logging in some hours,” he said of his staff. “They are the reason why it shines.
“I might be the coach, but they are the players. They do it all. They pick up the garbage, they trim that little bit of grass. They are my team and that’s why their names are on that board there, outside the door. Everybody needs to know who they are.”
Those comments are echoed by head pro Ian Stone.
“I don’t even know where to start to give them the praise that they deserve. They are amazing. Tireless workers and every one of them cares about this place like it’s their own backyard,” said Stone. “It’s bragging rights, they want to show off the scores and every year it exceeds expectations.
“We lost a few weeks of growing conditions with the winter we had this year, likely the worst in 30-35 years. The way the course is, is a testament to Brian and his crew.”
Crown hydration damage has affected a number of courses on the mainland, including Point Grey, where the Mackenzie Tour began this week, affecting several greens. It wasn’t as severe here on the Island, but it did affect play.
“We had four temps [temporary greens] for about a month, the first temps in like 37 years,” explained Youell, who kept a close eye on the turf, knowing come the first week of June the tour rolls in. “We had 43 closure days this winter — the most I’ve seen in my 37 years.
“It’s been quite a challenging year, for sure. I was wondering if we would be like Point Grey. There are quite a few golf courses that got hit pretty hard.”
Crown hydration damage is where the plant freezes and then it thaws and then freezes and thaws, and then the cells break.
“Some parts of the plant will survive and some won’t and that’s what you’re left with,” he said of patchy greens.
Uplands has come through with flying colours, as is the case every year.
“I sure have had a lot of good feedback. Andres Gonzales [a former Canadian Tour and PGA Tour player], I saw him in the parking lot one year here and he said, ‘You know, I play golf all over the world and these are some of the best greens I’ve ever played on.’ Which makes you feel pretty good,” said Youell, who has 22 staff on payroll.
Some are part-timers who work eight hours on the weekend. Youell, 54, has the equivalent of 16 full-time people who would work an eight hour day or 40 hour work week.
“It’s a small staff, so we run a tight ship here,” said Youell, who along with brother Dennis will work 20 straight days during this tournament stretch. Last year from Sunday to Sunday of tour week he worked 107 hours.
Youell’s work ethic comes honestly, having grown up on a dairy farm near Cordova Bay Golf Course. He started working at that golf facility when it was a par three and a driving range. He arrived at Uplands in 1980 and worked a stint at Coeur d’Alene Golf Course in Idaho, which was voted the best conditioned golf course in North America, training there in 2001.
“It was better conditioned than Augusta. I had never seen anything like it and that’s where I really learned the fine detail,” recalled Youell. “They had 48 employees, 24 that work from 4 a.m. till 12 p.m. and 24 that went from 4 p.m. till midnight. You were greenskeeping almost 24 hours a day. It was the best thing I ever did. It still burns in me; what I learned and what I saw there.”
In 1994 he took over as superintendent at Uplands, which has no physical changes this year, aside from lowering a sand trap on hole No. 9.
“They’re going to have some rough this year, I can tell you that. It will be a nice three inches-plus of rough. Even though [the course] is short, if you’re going to miss it [the fairway] you’re going to have some challenges. With all this technology we will definitely be providing firm greens,” he promised.
His crew — which includes equipment technician Wade Northwick, horticulturalist Doug Hollingsworth, greenskeepers Brian Baldwin, Emily Berry, Ian Dickson, Wayne Edison, Kerry Hill, Rand Krohman and Sean Valikoski and ground staff Ray Calton, Harry Christ, Jay Ferguson, Ray Israel, Jarett Parker, Larry Paike, Gord Reiseg, Brian Russell, Garrett Taylor and Youell’s daughters Amanda and Sarah — demand it.
ADMISSION/PARKING
• Tickets available at Select Your Tickets at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre or at Uplands main gate and behind No. 7 teebox off Cedar Hill Cross Road. Week pass $30, day pass $10. Youth under-15 free when accompanied by an adult. • Parking available along Cedar Hill Cross Road (main lot at club for players, officials and volunteers).