Championship Spotlight Returns to Valhalla
John Ballard, CGCS, has a motivated team, new zoysiagrass fairways and ownership committed to showcasing the Bluegrass State at the 2024 PGA Championship. He also has an exciting new BASF chemistry product on the ground to help him manage disease.
By Pat Jones
John Ballard wants to talk about everyone but himself as he approaches a career milestone: hosting the PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Course.
John spoke at length about the remarkable ownership team that’s given him tremendous support, including a new agronomy center and the resources necessary to make sweeping improvements to the state’s best-known course. He went on about every member of his team and how important each person is to the success of their operation. He’s a humble guy. That’s why, to start off, we’re going to talk about John.
John Ballard is a homegrown Tennessean who set out to be an architect, changed his mind and then happened to notice a sign that said “Turf” his freshman year on the University of Tennessee campus. “I’d played a lot of junior golf as a kid and thought, ‘This looks cool.’” That glimmer of interest turned into an internship under Frank Turner at Cherokee CC in Knoxville, and he was off to the races.
As he progressed, Louisville became home for John and his wife Christy as he landed first at the venerable Audubon CC. From there, he moved to the University of Louisville’s newly acquired golf club in 2016. Just a few years later, his friend Roger Meier left Valhalla to build the new PGA Frisco courses. The PGA of America reached out about joining the Valhalla team, and he said, “Heck yes.”
Since then, it’s been a whirlwind that’s included building a great staff and culture, helping the new owners “Kentuckyize” the property, switching to zoysiagrass fairways and prepping for the club’s fourth PGA Championship. He clearly loves it, but he hopes to shine a spotlight on his owners, his people and his course. And, thanks in part to his partnership with BASF, that’s exactly what he’ll be doing before, during and after championship week in mid-May.
What made you want to do it forever when you did that first internship?
It was just the environment. Like a lot of guys, being outdoors and in that element was very appealing to me. My first internship was with my (now) good friend Frank Turner, and we laugh about it to this day. It wasn’t what we did as much as the environment we did it in that was appealing.
Did you have a real career plan in mind?
Not at all. I did some extra internships through school. I went out to Colorado and worked at the Club at Cordillera and then went to Pinehurst. Postgrad, I had a lot of opportunities, but I struck up a good relationship with the then-super at Audubon, Steve Barber, and took a leap of faith.
What did you learn from Steve Barber?
He was probably the first guy who instilled in me what it means to have buy-in from your crew. That’s often more important than the agronomic piece of it. He was a younger guy and he also really taught me a lot about how to manage older employees, which can be a tough thing to do.
So what’s the secret?
I’m convinced when you invest in people – old or young – and know who they are and what they’re doing, then the managing becomes sort of secondary. When you get to know them and find out about what their interests are, then maybe you’ll understand more about what motivates them to get things done on the golf course.
How has that basic philosophy evolved over time?
We do a lot of collaboration here and it’s not the John Ballard show, right? It would be easy to just tell everyone what to do. Instead, we talk a lot about things. We walk through stuff, so I feel like our team comes in every day, and they’re well-equipped.
Tell us about your team.
Our staff will be 38, all in, for this year. For us, it all starts with Phil Vineyard, my lead assistant. He’s another Tennessee guy, and he’s had a lot of experience working other events, including three years at TPC Sawgrass and the Players. I lean on him quite a bit.
Next are my two assistants, Justin Wilt and Payton Hobby. Justin was an intern who really knocked it out of the park so he was my first call when we had a position open. Payton worked with Kasey Kauff down at Trinity Forest so he really understands zoysia and how to keep it firm and fast. That collaboration piece helps us out a lot. Also, we have six AITs, four interns and an experienced group of H2B guys.
Last but not least, there’s Jason Newman, our equipment manager, who’s been here 30 years. He’s the most fit, interesting guy you’ll ever meet in your life. He’s been there for all the tournaments, so that’s a real comfort for me. When I start getting worked up about stuff, he reminds me that this too shall pass and calms me down.
THE SCIENCE BEHIND THE BEAUTY:
PREPARING VALHALLA FOR THE SPOTLIGHT.
What will people notice at Valhalla this year?
The new owners came in and wanted to make an immediate impact. They knew they had a good golf course, but they also wanted Valhalla to be a great club. They really wanted to ‘theme’ the property and give it an authentic Kentucky feel – horses, bourbon, limestone, etc. – so a lot of the changes were around the perimeter of the course instead of in-play.
Agronomically speaking, what are the big factors?
The biggest thing is the PGA invested in regrassing from bentgrass to Zeon zoysia on tees and fairways in 2021. That was a huge commitment. It’s a great surface, and it also tells a very positive story about sustainability. But as good as that zoysia is, we’ve got to get it woke up and online.
You’re getting a chance to try the new Aramax™ Intrinsic® brand fungicide from BASF on a pretty wide scale. Tell us about that.
We have a great relationship with Gary Myers, who’d been an assistant here at Valhalla way back when before he went to BASF. He brought the idea of trying Aramax [Intrinsic brand fungicide] to us and reviewed the chemistry. It’s a new product, but it’s still the same classes of chemistry we’d use for large patch, so we felt very comfortable using it.
We knew it also isn’t only a stand-alone, so we’re making a couple of apps of Aramax [Intrinsic brand fungicide] and a complementary product in the fall and a couple again in the spring. I tend to be pretty careful about stuff, but it became really clear that BASF had really positive intentions and would be there to support us. It was an easy decision.
What’s the trial format?
If you’re dealing with zoysiagrass, you’re tempted to say it’s bulletproof. It can be, but the one thing that can really get you is large patch. Zoysia is notoriously slow for recovery from large patch damage. Staying in front of that is extremely important. So we’re always watching soil temperatures and monitoring to make sure we make our applications in the right format.
When we partnered with BASF and Aramax [Intrinsic brand fungicide] this past fall, we put them at the front end of two applications – so they were the first of two apps about three weeks apart. In the spring, Aramax [Intrinsic brand fungicide] will be the last one to go out before the championship.
So far, the results have been great. We have seen – honestly – little to none in the way of large patch thus far. Springtime can be a little trickier because it’s warmer and muggier. So far, I’ve been very pleased with what I’ve seen.
It’s early March now. Once soil temps get up just a little more, we’ll make that second app of Aramax [Intrinsic brand fungicide]. But so far, it has done an outstanding job. We are very clean, and when you think about 30 acres of zoysiagrass to cover and having no breakthrough, that says a lot.
How have you tailored your spray program to prep for the championship and the rest of your year?
We’re thinking about this championship – no question – but this is also the beginning of the season. We’ve got to get through the entire season. We’re going spray for take-all patch apps, early season DMIs for fairy ring and probably the number one thing will be PGRs. Regulating growth is going to be paramount to our success. We need recovery, but we don’t want them blowing out of the ground. We’ve been working on a lot of models and sort of working the program backwards from the Sunday before championship week.
What else is in the spray mix for you?
Maxtima is an important part of our DMI rotation. We’ve also used Navicon, Lexicon and Xzemplar. When you choose what’s going in the tank, you’re looking for quality products and a result-driven approach. Also, for me, it’s about the support. Price is important, but I know BASF will stand behind the products that we put out. And if there’s an issue, they will fix it. That right there is enough.
What are your hopes for the championship experience this year?
Anyone who gives a dollar or volunteers their time, I want them to walk away feeling like it was a good experience. Hopefully, they think we run a pretty good ship and take good care of our people. Ultimately, we want to put on a good show, sell a lot of tickets and solidify the return of another major championship for our new owners. We hope the PGA looks favorably on Valhalla in the future.
TEAM SPOTLIGHT
Phil Vineyard, Lead Assistant Superintendent
How did you get your start?
This is all I’ve ever done. The day I turned 16, I started on a golf course. I did trash and tees at (the now closed) Millstone GC in Morristown, Tenn. After I saw what I could do with turf, I got an internship at TPC Southwind. I ended up at TPC Sawgrass, and I’ve been fortunate to be involved with prep for 10 professional events.
I started at Valhalla in 2020. I moved here during Covid following the last-minute cancellation of the Players Championship that year. I was one of John’s first hires here at Valhalla. We had to focus on rebuilding the team, and we found some fantastic guys.
What’s your daily routine?
I handle the crew, planning first jobs and getting them to second jobs as efficiently as possible. I work with two other assistants who handle regular maintenance on the front and back. I also help them organize for projects around the course.
What have you learned about working with your H2B crew?
I’ve become somewhat proficient in Spanish, and that alone goes a long way with them. They start to feel more comfortable. We all eat together and take the same breaks together. We’ve had a couple of cookouts, including some they were in charge of. It’s great bonding, and the food is terrific.
You’re 90 days out. What are you losing sleep over?
I’m not losing sleep yet, but the one concern in the back of our minds is zoysia green-up. There’s quite a bit of green grass under there, and it looks promising, but it’s one of those times when we have to count on Mother Nature to come through for us. We have used some growth tarps to cover a few shaded spots, particularly during cold weather stretches this winter.
This isn’t new to me. This will be my 10th big event. But it’s my first major. That’s been on my career bucket list, so I’m excited to check that box.
Have you seen any agronomic issues this spring?
We haven’t noticed anything yet. We went into the fall with some really good protection, including Aramax. We were able to start fall clean, and we have our spring large patch apps coming soon.
What is your specialty on the team?
I’m focused more on planning and management of the team. I’m trying to make everything move as smoothly as possible. It sounds a little corny, but I try to be an enabler to help get things done as quickly as possible. I try to figure out the “how” and the logistics of getting people from the first job to the second.
How do you see your role with the volunteers?
Our goal is to have front and back nine assistants heading up those two sides. Then John and I will oversee the big picture and check the details that might show up on TV or impact the rules officials and such. Mostly we want to make sure all the volunteers are comfortable in their jobs, and everything runs smoothly.
How has the prep changed with the earlier PGA Championship timing?
It’s been different for everyone since we went to the zoysiagrass. That part has been brand new. Other than that, it’s mostly normal, other than having a pretty extreme winter that’s limited our time out on the course more than usual. We’re actually pretty excited about the change because August around here is not always very much fun. I feel like I’d trade a few spring showers in May for those summertime storms.
How will you try to make it fun?
That’s something I really want to preach to our crew, particularly the younger people who are doing this for the first time: take those moments in. When you get a little time, just go walk a hole and take it in. I will always remember my first Players Championship. Friday of advance week, I had a little time at the end of the day, and I just walked down 18 fairway and took it all in. The course is ready, everything is spick and span, and I was part of it. I’ll always remember that. It gives you chicken skin. I really hope they slow down, take a few pictures and savor the moment.
What do you hope volunteers gain from the experience besides those awesome moments?
Networking is the number one thing. I made some great connections and met a lot of really cool people at events. Those connections are priceless.
What do you really want people to know?
It’s all about a team mentality. It’s not a crew. It’s a team. They don’t work for me; they work with me. That’s the philosophy from top to bottom. It goes a long way, particularly with the younger crowd, to get everyone to buy into the vision of what we do. So, when the crappy days happen, you can still make it enjoyable. Teamwork creates a closer-knit group, and everyone’s productivity and motivation increase dramatically. Everyone wants to see the best product we can create as a team.
Jason Newman, Equipment Manager
You’ve been here forever. How does it feel to see the changes at Valhalla?
I can’t believe I’m the senior employee here at the club! I love what they’ve done here. It makes me happy whenever someone asks what I do for a living. They’ve done a fantastic job of making this feel “Kentucky.” The rock walls are neat, gives it kind of an old rustic feel. Number 13 looks great with the waterfall. It has kind of a Churchill Downs feel. I love it.
When you think back, what’s the event that sticks with you most?
The first championship in ‘96, no doubt. We hadn’t had a championship in Kentucky in years and no one knew what the heck they were doing. We were exhausted and ready to be done. That last day when Mark Brooks won, we knew the rain was coming. It was like heaven knew we were finished, and we desperately needed water, so it provided. But because of the rain, they had to move the trophy presentation to the member’s tent, and they wanted an audience, so they invited the maintenance crew. And there was an open bar. We were high-fiving and chest-bumping, and you would have thought we just won the Super Bowl.
Describe John Ballard for people who don’t know him?
He really cares about his employees; I can tell you that. He wants to make sure we have everything we need to do our job and we’re fully rested. I consider him a friend. It’s nice to work for a guy you know has your back, and he does.
What’s on your mind as you roll toward the championship?
The simplest way to put it is making sure nothing is broken down, and everything is sharp. I don’t want to do any grinding during the tournament. We’re half asleep as it is. I just want to make sure that everything has already been sharpened, is ready to go and cuts like a razor. That’s what works for us. My opinion is that if you’re grinding during the tournament, you weren’t ready for the tournament.
How do you describe what’s going on in your world during the event?
I’m inundated with everybody here at the club needing something. There are lots of flat tires, vendors needing things, welding jobs…sometimes they bribe me with ice cream or whatever. But I’m exhilarated by it. I’m not a big golf fan but being around the crowds and hearing the roars is great. I’ll hit the gym a couple of times during the week, but otherwise, I’ll be here from morning through the end of the evening. I’m an adrenaline junkie until Sunday night.
Are you heartened to see EMs getting more attention?
Probably the weakest part of most turf education programs is they don’t emphasize enough equipment maintenance. You learn from doing it over and over again. I don’t have any schooling and I started in golf when I was 17 with a little background as a mechanic. I was still way ahead of a lot of the guys who had bachelor's degrees. It is good to see GCSAA offering more education.
Which title do you prefer?
Mechanic is just fine with me. I’m proud of the moniker.
What do you want people to know about you and your role on the team?
I exist. Mechanics toil in obscurity, and often, no one knows what we do. The message is simple: we do exist, and we have a vital role.
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