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CN CANADIAN WOMEN'S OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

August 12, 2008

Eric Ruhs

OTTAWA, ONTARIO

THE MODERATOR: Thanks for joining us today in the press room for our association presentation. Joining us from the CGSA is Patrick Moir, who is the superintendent at the Hillsdale Golf & Country Club.
I'd like to turn the presentation over to Patrick to say a few words.
PATRICK MOIR: (From French) The Golf Superintendent Association, the CGSA, represents 1,600 individuals involved in the profession of golf course management.
The main focus of CGSA is to provide education, certification, representation, and communication services with the overall mission of improving the image of the superintendent and the understanding within the golf industry of the importance of the role that golf course management plays.
Through the development and delivery of training programs and the development of the national occupation standards, the CGSA is working to ensure that superintendents are knowledgeable concerning the latest tools and techniques available to assist with environmental protection and consistent course conditioning, and the ability to apply that knowledge in a responsibly and effective manner.
Part of the ongoing effort is to recognize the importance of the superintendent to the industry, which involves the presentation of a national tournament plaque to members that host these events.
CN Canadian Women's Open is one of our national tournaments, and it is my pleasure to present this commemorative plaque to Mr. Eric Ruhs, superintendent of the Ottawa Hunt Club to accept the CGSA National Tournament award.
So, Eric, on behalf of CGSA and to you and all your staff, congratulations for all the upcoming events (applause).
THE MODERATOR: I suppose I can turn it over to the crowd, maybe barring the people in the yellow shirts, about how you were able to obtain the conditions on the golf course that you had this week, and maybe some of the obstacles that you had to overcome.

Q. I know the summer's been a unique one with all the rain. I am from Toronto, but I know you've been getting it just as bad up here. Has that posed any challenges for you as far as for the tournament?
ERIC RUHS: Certainly the volume of rain and with its regularity it's been very cumbersome. We've will to do some basic chores that require better weather, and we had to do that even amongst the rain.
The course is a very active membership facility as well, so in amongst our cultural practices we still have a tournament schedule of our own to work throughout.
So we certainly had our challenges, and we certainly had to do some things to make change in order get ready for the event in hopes that the conditions would be premium for the ladies.

Q. You mentioned about the active membership. I'm sure there has to be a real relationship going on between the superintendents and the staff and the membership as a result. How have they been dealing with this? I'm sure you shut down parts of the course at times.
ERIC RUHS: We have a very supportive membership. And although it's very active, it's still -- it's really steady first thing in the morning. We have a very solid crew. We have a crew that's got as solid a camaraderie as its had in the recent years, which has really helped us in getting towards the goals that we're trying to produce for the ladies.
Our top dressing program was enhanced significantly over the months of July and August, which is not typical, but that's just to help us get a more base in hopes that we can get the greens a little more firm, because they are quite soft right now as a result of the all the rain.
So we modified some our programs. The kids started earlier and they've stepped up to the plate to help us get to where we have to go. I think we're very, very close, and should be in peak condition by Sunday, if not sooner.

Q. The rough for the tournament, what's the stipulated height or expected height? I guess you haven't had to grow it this year, but you've had to trim it or manage it.
ERIC RUHS: We've times our fertilizer applications to enhance it. Certainly Mother Nature has supported us in those efforts as well. LPGA really gives us the guidance to keep the consistency between their various events.
So they ask us to be in and about three and a half inches at the beginning of the event, and we started to monitor that. We had to do an extra trimming in order to ensure it doesn't get too wooley by Sunday.
But basically they're targeting three and a half inches at the beginning of the event in hopes that it doesn't get too out of hand.

Q. Beginning meaning now or beginning meaning Thursday?
ERIC RUHS: They're targeting Thursday at the beginning of their component.

Q. Traditionally, most superintendents would prefer to protect their course more than the LPGA Tour will allow, particularly for a significant event such as this. I'm wondering where you would like to have taken this golf course to challenge the world's best versus where you had to.
ERIC RUHS: That's a good question. I don't know that we're far off the mark. I think we're meeting the same minds. I mean, the greens are putting -- the greens are quick right now and they're got every potential to get more quick.
The rough is probably a little longer than they'd appreciate it right now. The fairways are tight, blocks of turf out there.
I mean, we're in good condition, so I don't know that we would change it a whole a lot. Would I like to see it a little bit longer? That's a little bit out of my hands. From a playing perspective I think the course is a little bit short, but take that from where it comes.

Q. What are the green speeds for the members versus what you've been mandated for this week?
ERIC RUHS: Our steady diet is between ten and 11 for our membership. We target ten and a half. We're all of that now, so we certainly have the potential to scratch 12.
Certainly our membership would like to see 12 every day, but it's pretty tough to do that with 350 to 400 rounds a day.
THE MODERATOR: I just had a chat with one of LPGA officials who arrived yesterday, or I think early this morning, and made a tour of the golf course. He was in chatting with us, and while we often think of USGA standards as being sort of the benchmark, he did make reference to the fact that this course could easily hold a U.S. Open.
So I think if that is the measure of success for a superintendent, you're to be congratulated. I know that a lot of players as well since they arrived here this week have made comments about the conditioning of the golf course and the golf course itself as being one of the finest they've seen so far this year.
So on behalf of my colleagues at the RCGA and the players and everyone else, congratulations.
ERIC RUHS: Thank you very much.

End of FastScripts

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