Greg Dalot and Crew Battle the Elements to Keep Wawenock Golf Club in Top Shape
At Wawenock Golf Club, superintendent Greg Dalot and his small but determined crew are waging a familiar springtime battle—with the weather. While golfers eagerly await pristine fairways and smooth greens, Dalot and his team are in the trenches (literally), hauling, shaping, seeding, mowing, and preparing every inch of the course for a strong summer season.
The biggest test this spring? Hole #4.
The Saga of the Fourth Hole
The fourth hole at Wawenock has been at the center of an ongoing improvement project to improve drainage and playability, but the weather hasn’t made it easy. Each sunny stretch provides only a short window for heavy work, and Greg’s team has had to capitalize on those breaks to shuttle in materials and make steady progress.
So far, they’ve brought in 20 yards of clay to stabilize wet spots, followed by 100 yards of loam to cover the area and begin building the proper grade for future sod installation. Another 60 yards of loam is scheduled to be spread this week in anticipation of sod delivery—pending coordination with the farm.
“We’ve had to pick our spots between rains,” Greg said, noting the challenge of moving materials to the site without damaging the surrounding turf.
But the goal is in sight, and with the sod install expected soon, the fourth hole may be ready for play in the near future.
The fourth hole isn’t the only area getting a facelift. The driving range has been a major focus as well, with 40 yards of loam spread across newly installed drainage, followed by 300 pounds of seed and a layer of hay to promote germination. An additional 10 to 15 yards of loam from the fourth hole project will be used to finish off drainage work. It’s a clever bit of resource-sharing that demonstrates the efficiency of Greg’s planning.
Mowing, Maintenance, and Manpower
With all this earth-moving, the crew still has a full course to maintain—and they’re doing so with remarkable consistency. Fairways are being cut three times per week, thanks to the addition of a part-time hire dedicated solely to that task. Tees, aprons, and approaches are also mowed three times weekly, while greens receive attention seven days a week—either through mowing or rolling, depending on the conditions.
Greens, in particular, have been a subject of conversation this spring. Some players noticed they were a bit on the shaggy side, but that’s by design.
“When greens are soft, scalping becomes a real risk,” Greg explained.
Rather than cause permanent damage, he’s opted for slightly higher cuts until conditions firm up. The mower blades have recently been lowered, and with better weather, the surfaces should soon reach midseason speed.
Tee banks are cut twice weekly, either with a zero-turn mower donated by a generous, longtime member or the good old-fashioned push mower, depending on the location and need.
Bunkers, Sprays, and the Invisible Work
Bunker maintenance—what golfers see as freshly raked sand—happens about three times a week with current staffing. That frequency should jump to four or five times a week once high school help arrives. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, Greg is deep into the annual spray program, applying everything from granular fertilizers to precision-targeted fungicides and insecticides.
“It’s one of the most time-consuming parts of the job,” he said. “Every product is measured down to the ounce or even quarter-ounce. It’s not something people notice unless it’s not done.”
This year’s spray program was developed last fall and is being carried out course-wide—greens, banks, fairways, and more. It’s critical to course health, and Greg treats it with the same care as any physical work on the grounds.
The Lifeline of Irrigation
With sod installation looming, irrigation is top of mind. “It has to be running before we can lay sod,” Greg said. But getting the system operational is no small task. The irrigation system at Wawenock is old, unpredictable, and prone to mechanical headaches.
“It’s basically held together with spit and duct tape,” Dalot joked. While that might be an exaggeration, the sentiment is real—the irrigation system can be a wildcard, and getting it running each year is a high-priority (and often high-stress) task.
Still, Greg and his crew remain focused. With spring work nearing a turning point and weather looking more cooperative, the course is beginning to take shape—and all signs point to a strong summer ahead.
Golfers may not see every shovel of loam or each precision-calibrated spray application, but the results will be clear: greener fairways, smoother greens, and a fourth hole finally ready to shine.
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