PSU Alum Hosts Tournament at Congressional
June 27, 2014 in 2-year, Alumni, Articles
When this year’s harsh winter gave way to a cool, wet spring, Mike Giuffre resisted any urge to reach for the fertilizer.
Experience has taught Congressional Country Club’s director of golf course maintenance to wait. And wait. And wait some more, if necessary.
Fortunately for Giuffre, the Quicken Loans National’s place on the PGA TOUR calendar allows him that luxury. And what he calls the “patient game” paid off with what he asserts to be one of the smoothest course preparations he’s been involved with.
“Everything has kind of turned the right way,” said Giuffre, now in his 16th year overseeing Congressional’s turf. “Moving into the tournament has gone very smooth for us.”
One factor has been the tournament’s spot in late June, allowing plenty of cushion in case the landscape doesn’t start to heat up until May. Give Giuffre a certain amount of credit, too, for letting things happen at their own pace.
“We just had to be patient and let Mother Nature do her thing,” he said. “We just kind of stuck with our program until Mother Nature said it was time. It popped when it popped.”
Giuffre grew up in northern Michigan, where he said the tendency is to “wait for everything to come into its own.”
He explained that while fertilizers have their uses, too much in the soil can create other problems down the road.