Q&A with Anuvia Legend Bob Farren
Started by Anuvia, the Legends Initiative celebrates superintendents who have gone above and beyond in their careers — not just in maintaining tremendous golf courses but also in their contributions to the industry, creative problem solving and mentorship. Golfdom sat down with Anuvia Legend Bob Farren to discuss this month’s Adaptive Championship, surviving summer and the latest on USGA’s partnership with Pinehurst Resort.
Bob Farren, director of golf course and grounds management, Pinehurst Resort and CC, N.C. (Photo: Bob Farren)
This month Pinehurst Course No. 6 is hosting the USGA’s inaugural U.S. Adaptive Championship. How are preparations going for the tournament, and how is it different from other tournament prep? It’s a great opportunity. We’ve looked forward to it since they announced it. There’s a learning curve. You have to look at things from a different perspective. The USGA is excited for it. It will give us an opportunity to engage the community with another great golf course, Pinehurst No. 6. Jerry Everett is the superintendent of that course. No. 6 sets itself up for the event beautifully. All of the fairways, tees and bunkers are easily accessible. We made some small tweaks to the bunkers, but that’s all.
Now that we’ve entered summer and the busy season for golf, how do you keep the crew motivated to keep charging forward? We’re on our third week of aerifying right now — No. 5 is getting aerified, No. 6 is preparing for the Adaptive Championship, No. 8 is in a full agronomic renovation program — so we’ve got tentacles going in all directions. We stress that everyone has to be on the same page, cooperating and maintaining a reasonable sense of sanity as we try and do all of this. It increases our need to focus on the marathon versus sprint aspect.
There is a lot going on with the USGA and Pinehurst Resort. What is the most current update on progress in the Village of Pinehurst? We broke ground on Golf House Pinehurst; there was a ceremony following the U.S. Women’s Open at Pine Needles. That construction is getting more underway every day on our main campus. They expect construction to be finished by early 2024, before our next U.S. Open Championship here (on Course No. 2 in June 2024). I’ve been very impressed with (USGA CEO) Mike Whan, his energy and enthusiasm, his outlook and his perspective. One of the neat things he said in his opening remarks is, when you decide on a site, you expect people to ask, ‘Why that community?’ He said no one has questioned, ‘Why Pinehurst?’ Because Pinehurst is just a logical fit. No one has questioned the decision, which is remarkable. We’re proud to have them here, along with the USGA Green Section and the equipment testing and research facility.
The Legends Initiative is brought to you by Golfdom, Anuvia and Audubon International.
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