Oakmont/BASF partnership breeds brilliant results

John Zimmers and his crew relied on many industry partners to achieve success at the 2016 U.S. Open. But Zimmers singled out two partners during his speech to the crew: BASF and John Deere.

It was John Deere 2500Es keeping fairways looking good and BASF’s Intrinsic brand fungicides giving the crew peace of mind.
Dave Delsandro, Oakmont’s director of U.S. Open operations, says they have been relying on BASF’s new products.

“We’ve always used BASF products, mainly the Insignia products, for some of the different challenges we face from a pest level,” Delsandro said. “We’ve incorporated the newer products, whether that be Lexicon or Honor. There’s a benefit, not only to the fungicide nature of the product, but the plant health properties of the product. It really helped us gain a comfort level, a safety level, and incorporate them into our program to help us prepare and maintain the best possible grass. We have championship playability, not only for the U.S. Open, but also on a daily basis.”

For BASF, the collaboration was a win-win.

“It was an exciting collaboration, (with) Oakmont’s reputation for fantastic conditions, its great history and our history of late with our launch of Xzemplar and Lexicon,” said Brian Thompson, BASF strategic account manager. “We’ve brought new innovations to the table for superintendents to use. We thought this was a great way to collaborate, to bring the proven performance of our new innovations and the exacting standards that Oakmont is famous for.”

Zimmers said BASF’s new technologies fit well with Oakmont’s needs.

“We realized they have some fantastic products that are up and coming, some relatively new technologies,” Zimmers said. “When you look at the research that shows the plant health aspect of things — which really was intriguing to me and caught my attention — it all starts right there. The healthiest, strongest grass gives you more benefits everywhere else.”

“It’s been an exciting couple of years at BASF,” said Jeff Vannoy, BASF senior product manager. “We did something rare. We launched two game-changing technologies in the same year, in 2014. We found that there was something of a void on that one go-to product a superintendent can rely on for a local event or a U.S. Open. That product has been Lexicon. Guys rely on it.”

Zimmers says he’s always looking for ways to get quicker, better results.

“From my perspective, of course we have other vendors and companies we work with, but we’re really excited for this opportunity, for BASF and Oakmont to have a relationship,” Zimmers says. “Yes, we have the U.S. Open. But I’m looking at this for the long-term as well.”

Jim Furyk echoed those comments when asked about the course during a media conference.

“Monday, they had this place in really, really good turn,” Furyk said. “It felt like Thursday or Friday at the U.S. Open on Monday, and I guess that was probably due to knowing the forecast and knowing what was coming.”

Rainy start

By Tuesday afternoon, Zimmers and his crew knew what was coming: rain. The only question was how much.

“We’re in a really good place, the volunteers had a great start,” Zimmers told Golfdom. “We’re trying to plan for this storm, trying to execute what we need to do, and balance the dry conditions we have now… but also think about how we do if we get rain on Thursday.”

Sure enough, Wednesday night and Thursday morning storms rolled across Pennsylvania, with Oakmont right in the crosshairs. Before it was all over, almost 3 inches of rain tried to downgrade the conditions for which the crew was striving.

“The course is draining as well as it can, and guys are working around it and that’s all you can do,” Mike McCormick, Oakmont first assistant superintendent, told Golfdom. “We just need to control what we can control, make the right decisions and make sure we don’t get too aggressive.”

Following the tournament’s conclusion, champion Dustin Johnson said that while the rains slowed the course for a couple days, the speed of the greens never was in question.

“The greens were fast every day,” Johnson told the media following his victory. “(Sunday) they were even that much faster. With the pins they had out there, I thought the golf course played really difficult. It was really hard to get it close to the hole. And even when you were on the green, I had a few putts that were close putts — inside 15 feet — but you’re almost putting defensively because you don’t want to run it 4, 5, 6 feet by.”

Appreciate good conditioning

After the tournament concluded, Johnson took time to pose for a photo with the maintenance team while holding the U.S. Open trophy. For Johnson, who has had several near-wins in majors, there was a look of relief. For the maintenance team, it was a look of satisfaction.
“It was great (taking a photo with Johnson), he had kind words about the golf course and our efforts,” Delsandro says.

But he adds that he didn’t take too much time to savor the moment. He’s just not wired that way.

“I’m not the type of person who reflects much,” Delsandro says. “ I’m just thinking, ‘What have we got to accomplish tomorrow?’ There’s just so much infastructure on the course now, getting it all off is going to be a big task.”

The golf course and the maintenance team again were subplots of the main drama, and rightfully so. Still, Oakmont’s conditions took center stage on more than one occasion, like when architect Gil Hanse, hired by Fox Sports to be an on-air commentator for the U.S. Open, took time to tip his cap to Zimmers and the superintendent profession as a whole.

“You probably know the three of us better than you know John, but the most important guy up here is that guy,” Hanse said, boldly gesturing past PGA Tour player Brad Faxon and USGA CEO Mike Davis. “Superintendents, they work their butts off day in, day out, to give the conditioning that every single golfer respects and understands. Probably not many people in the room will play the game as well as (Faxon). They may not look at it from a design standpoint like we do. But every single person in this room appreciates good conditioning, and (Zimmers) is one of the best in the country, and he is just a shining example for his industry, which I think is under appreciated.”

“I just want to say thank you to (Zimmers) and the rest of the industry for all the work they do,” Hanse concluded. “At the end of the day, they make us look good, and they provide the conditions that these guys can play on.”

Photos: Seth Jones