What the vandalism on the greens really means for Constellation Furyk and Friends Tournament

Posted on October 5, 2023 By Editor Riverside, Avondale, Ortega, Murray Hill, Top Stories

During the 2023 Constellation Furyk & Friends Champions TOUR held at Timuquana Country Club October 4,2023. (Photo by Stan Badz/PGA TOUR)

On Wednesday night, vandals destroyed four greens at Timuquana Country Club (TCC), leaving the groundskeeping team and tournament organizers just one day to try to piece together playable surfaces before Jim Furyk’s PGA TOUR Champions event, Constellation Furyk and Friends, kicks off tournament play Friday morning, Oct. 6.

Damage caused by vandals on the greens at Timuquana Country Club, inflicted one day prior to tournament play of Constellation Furyk & Friends. (Photos/@CaseyFBannon on X)

Chuck Gast, a 44-year Class A CGCS golf course superintendent who also served five years as an agronomist with the USGA Green Section, providing guidance to courses in the Jacksonville area on turf management, reviewed photos of the damage and did not believe this was a random act of vandalism.

“Whoever did it knew exactly what they were doing. No doubt it was a malicious act. It was intentional, obviously, and intended to have a significant impact on the quality of the tournament,” he said.

The positive takeaway is that the vandals failed to sideline the tournament, which will go on as scheduled without any disruption.

Miller Brady, president of PGA TOUR Champions, provided a statement about the incident.

“PGA TOUR Champions Rules and Competitions have been working with the tournament team and the outstanding Timuquana Country Club staff to repair the damages to the course. Thanks to their efforts, we will have the course ready for the first round of competition tomorrow morning. We encourage everyone in the Jacksonville community to come out and support this great event and the charitable work of Jim and Tabitha Furyk throughout Northeast Florida,” he said.

He added that any additional questions about the incident should be directed to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.

(Photos/@CaseyFBannon on X)

In the meantime, TCC groundskeeping staff will be hard at work repairing the greens. With a planned green resurfacing traditionally requiring a three-month minimum, and even well-established greens requiring an additional six weeks to be tournament ready, Gast said the TCC groundskeeping staff should be applauded for the work they have already done and will need to continue to put forth to have the greens ready by Friday morning.

“It’s going to take some skilled people to get out there and work all day to make it playable. It will take a massive effort for the superintendent and his team,” he said.

According to Gast, repairs will have to be made by hand, replacing the sod in larger, manicured sections procured from either a nursery or out-of-play areas from other greens while, if necessary, moving the pins to try to give the cups a 10-foot circle of non-destroyed area.

The damage will likely have a negative impact on aesthetics and playability for months. At a minimum, even if repaired correctly and given labor-intensive follow-up, damage like TCC’s will affect ball roll for three to five weeks, with the scars from the newly knitted turf visible for six to 10 weeks.

Despite the setbacks, repairs are already well underway, and tournament organizers have faith that the Jacksonville community will still come out in support of the tournament and continue blessing the community through the charity work the tournament funds. In 2022, the tournament generated more than $1.3 million in charitable impact in Northeast Florida, bringing the two-year total to more than $2.5 million for more than a dozen charities through The Jim & Tabitha Furyk Foundation.

“What took place is unfortunate, as we want to represent the best of Jacksonville with this tournament. We won’t let the actions of a few individuals take away from a great week for our city and our ability to give back and create impact here in the community. We appreciate the swift action taken by the PGA TOUR Champions team to make sure the course is ready for the start of competition and look forward to fans joining us at Timuquana Country Club this weekend,” said Adam Renfroe, tournament director of Constellation Furyk & Friends.

So, grab your visors, head out to TCC, and let good triumph over evil. Because at this year’s Constellation Furyk and Friends, the grass may not be greener, but the roots are stronger than ever.

Additional tournament information and tickets are available at constellationfurykandfriends.com.