New greens coming to Country Club golf course

The Country Club of Louisiana is replacing its golf course greens this summer, a project done every 10 to 12 years as part of normal upkeep, to provide smoother playing and putting surfaces, says Ed Pippin, golf course superintendent. The Champion Bermudagrass that’s been in place since the late 1990s will be taken out and Mini-Verde Bermudagrass put in. Pippin says the 18-hole golf course’s greenside bunkers are also getting renovated and filled in with a pro-circuit favorite: crushed-quartz sand. Despite renovations, rounds of golf are possible on temporary greens set aside. “It’s very crude, but people can still come out and play,” says Pippin. The Country Club anticipates having the greens fully renovated by Aug. 31. The summertime, Pippin says, is the best season for renovations since the weather cooperates and golfers prefer to avoid its sweltering heat. “This is actually our slowest time of year,” says Pippin. Besides course work, the club is also putting in a new practice putting green. This is the second overhaul of greens at The Country Club since its opening in 1986, Pippin says. He adds extreme care is being taken to keep the design as close to Jack Nicklaus’ original concept as possible, with an architect on-site and surveys conducted by laser. “We’re measuring with hundredths of an inch” for accuracy, he says, adding that he could not disclose the total cost of the course renovations. —Adam Pearson