Tony Neadeau has seen his fair share of high-caliber golf courses. As Head Golf Professional at Martis Camp, it’s his job to ensure that those who come to play Martis Camp’s Tom Fazio 18-hole Championship Course enjoy a golf experience that’s personal, enriching and enjoyable and that rises to the level of the game’s finest.
Jonathan Moulton possesses a skill that’s equal parts art and science and that takes shape a bit behind the scenes. He’s our Golf Course Superintendent, charged with bringing fairways and greens back to life from the dead of winter and sculpting them into the beautiful swaths we know as our home course.
In this article, we fire off a series of questions to get insight from each man as to what it is about their course that make it what GolfWeek calls, “One of America’s top 50 modern golf courses.”
Tony Neadeau: Head Golf Professional
Q: If you had to describe the golf course during a short elevator ride, how would you describe the Tom Fazio course?
A: It’s a high-alpine course cut out of pine trees and granite with natural topography of creeks, forests and mountain vistas. It beautifully and naturally fits into the environment. Tom Fazio really worked with this land to create holes that have trademark framing elements.
Q: I believe you have played some of the best places in California such as Cypress Point, SFGC, LACC, Bel Aire, Riviera, Olympic Club, Cal Club. How does Martis Camp compare to some of these classic courses with respect to design features?
A: The design features of Martis Camp really make you think about your game and your strategy. It’s a dynamic course, similar to those great courses that each have degrees of visual intimidation on those second shots. Flash face bunkers, bull-nose grass over the bunkers are two such features that challenge you to pause and give close consideration to your shots. All those courses complement the topography as well and then they bring their own style to the scene.
Q: If you could only play 3 holes on the course, which three would you play and why?
A: Tough question. There are so many good holes, but I’d say the 6th hole kind of sums up Martis Camp. Lots of options to hit off the tee which creates some diversity in shot options for the second shot coming into the green. You can set up that hole in so many ways to challenge a golfer. I think 12 has everything in one hole any golfer could ask for; it’s a force carry off the tee and a tight, undulating fairway. Not overly long but a tough birdie. And I think 15 is a special driving hole. You can see the Pacific Crest in the distance and the Carson Range behind you and you’re right there in the middle. It’s no wonder that the 15th hole was a decisive hole in the final match of both the US Senior and Junior Amateur Championships when they were played here.
Q: Tell us about golf programming: kids camps, instruction, ladies golf, tournaments…and the team that helps you pull off a great summer.
A: Programming is dear to us, our team strives to offer something for every golfer in the family. No matter what level of golfer you are, you’re going to find something here that’s right for you, that’s going to improve your game. We have social engagements for new golfers as well and junior programming that delivers a lot of content to keep junior golfers busy all summer. If you’re a scratch golfer, we can line you up with golfers at that same level. The whole team is involved in all of that.
Jonathan Moulton : Golf Course Superintendent
Q: What are the greatest challenges you face in getting the course ready after winter?
A: We scout in the winter to get an idea of what’s underneath that snow then we get set for our four-step approach where we allow the snow to melt, dry out the grass, clean it up, and then cut it. That’s just to get to the starting point of zero. Then we start to work our magic.
Q: What are a few of the cool/interesting technologies that the average player does not know about in prepping or maintaining the course?
A: I’m a numbers guy and here it’s a balance of art and numbers. One example of that is we measure how much clippings we mow off certain greens each day to get an idea of growth rates and to figure out how much water, sand and fertilizer we need to apply. We have hand-held moisture meters on the greens, in-ground meters on the fairway and a really efficient water system of measuring evapo-transpiration in the course of a day.
Q: What’s the daily sequence routine of your team as they prep the course each morning?
A: Our planning – almost to the day over the course of the summer – is laid out over the winter. Then we adjust to what events or traffic we’ve got going on every day. The night before, our software helps us determine what we need to do first thing the next morning. We have a six-step process just for greens alone where we verticut the greens, clean the greens, mow the greens, top dress the greens, fertilize the greens, roll the greens. That can take up to 15 people for just that process alone.
Q: What are some of your favorite memories out on the golf course?
A: It’s a culmination of little moments that my wife and I call“Truckee moments,” such as the sun filtering through the needles of the Jeffrey Pine or the way the reflections on the ponds are different from one morning to the next. And at times like that, it hits me that I’m so lucky to do what I do.
