Superintendent Matt Sapochak's professional aspirations all came together when he was asked to oversee design and construction of nine new holes at Winyah Bay GC.

2001 Leo Feser award candidate

Superintendent Matt Sapochak is making his mark in golf course design. As general manager at Winyah Bay Golf Club in Georgetown, S.C., the 16-year GCSAA member has used his creative mind, keen eye toward maintainability and a tempering view of the big picture to yield a gem like no other in the area. It offers incredible vistas of picturesque Winyah Bay on 11 of the 18 holes. Beyond the beautiful setting is a solid layout that is relatively low maintenance. Working with limited acreage, Sapochak created a 6,100-yard masterpiece that is enjoyable for all levels of play.

He came to Winyah Bay in 1998 after being approached by Winyah Bay owner George Marlowe to not only manage the course, but to redesign the existing nine holes, design the second nine and do all of the construction in-house. This opportunity was something Sapochak has dreamed about since the beginning of his golf course career. Winyah Bay, however, is only one piece of a fine career that is still very much in the developmental stage. Sapochak is, after all, only 36.

The early years
A Pennsylvania native, Sapochak began his career after graduating from Horry-Georgetown (S.C.) Technical College with a turf management degree in 1984.

Soon after college, he accepted the assistant superintendent's position at The Country Club of South Carolina in Florence, S.C., and got his first taste of personnel management. He also learned the finer points of how to successfully manage bentgrass greens in the South.

A year later Sapochak left to find new challenges, and they came as an assistant superintendent for North Inlet Corp.'s De Bordieu Country Club in Georgetown, S.C., which was still in its early stages. The course was to be co-designed by the father and son team of Pete and P.B. Dye, who would have huge impacts on Sapochak's career.

The new No. 15 at Winyah Bay GC, deisgned, constructed and maintained by Matt Sapochak.

Since Sapochak started at the very beginning of the construction project, his first assignment was refueling bulldozers and excavators from a 55-gallon drum. After a bulldozer operator became ill, Sapochak got the nod to fill the vacant bulldozer seat. His duties included cutting roads through the forest and clearing the centerlines of the future golf holes, which was quite a hairy task in the thick underbrush of a coastal Carolina forest. Sapochak knew he was given a great opportunity, because operating a bulldozer was a lot more appealing than fueling the equipment. It was not long after that he met P.B. Dye for the first time.

Lessons from P.B. Dye
Sapochak's bulldozer operating skills progressed very quickly, and they did not go unnoticed by P.B. Dye, who decided to let him try his hand at shaping.

Sapochak remembers, "P.B. asked me where I was from, and I told him north-central Pennsylvania. He then asked me to envision the mountains and valleys of Pennsylvania and how their natural drainage worked. This was what he wanted me to work toward when I was shaping a hole."

Sapochak spent many days with P.B Dye, traveling from one end of the project to the other in Dye's rental cars. It was not at all unusual to load shovels and rakes into the trunk of a fully equipped Lincoln Continental or to ride around the course in a brand-new Camaro with a rod and instrument sticking out of the open hatchback.

Sapochak credits P.B. Dye with giving him a lot of freedom in his shaping; however, P.B. Dye would give it to him straight when he critiqued his work -- good or bad. When Sapochak reflects on his tenure spent building and growing in De Bordieu, he says he realizes how fruitful the experience really was. He had a hand in shaping 12 of the 18 holes, laid out some of the irrigation system and assisted in the installation of approximately 170 truckloads of Centipede sod.

In July 1987, Sapochak received a phone call from P.B. Dye, who needed a construction superintendent at another new course he was co-designing with his father in Myrtle Beach, S.C., called Prestwick Country Club. Sapochak did not hesitate to accept the position. Not only would he be the Dyes' representative, but he would also be staying on after construction as the course superintendent.

As is his custom with the construction superintendent, P.B. Dye let Sapochak design one hole. Although Sapochak did get to do a little shaping, his responsibility was much more supervisory. He was in charge of overseeing all construction, laying out lake lines and marking all areas to be sodded. He also spent a great deal of time with P.B. Dye laying out the holes while learning more about the philosophy behind the Dyes' design methods.

After serving as an assistant during the grow-in of De Bordieu CC in 1985, Sapochak returned in 1989 as head superintendent and stayed for four more years.

They always took great pride in their golf courses being built by golfers, and it seems that almost everyone on their design team was an avid golfer. Sapochak says P.B. Dye liked to hit golf balls on the project during construction to aid in the design process. They would literally go out in the woods and start hitting shots. Many holes were designed in this manner. Sapochak has carried this technique into his own recent design work. He also continues to use the Dye philosophy to design courses that are enjoyable for all golfers, no matter their level of ability.

Hurricane at De Bordieu
In July 1989, Sapochak returned to North Inlet Corp. and De Bordieu CC, but this time as head superintendent. The position was initially just the superintendent's responsibilities, but was promised to grow to include three more new course developments, two to be adjacent to De Bordieu and one ocean course. The ocean course was also to include a five-star hotel. This was the type of position that even the most seasoned superintendents dream of, yet Sapochak was just 25.

Sapochak was barely into his new position when his dream turned into a nightmare. On Sept. 21, 1989, Hurricane Hugo blew into town. The category IV hurricane hit De Bordieu CC with 140-mph winds. The course lost 2,500 trees, but wind damage was minor compared to the storm surge. Many holes were totally flooded by seawater. All but six greens were flooded with a deadly blend of sand, mud and saltwater.

After the storm passed, Sapochak began assessing the damage and the arduous cleanup. Many large virgin pine trees had to be cleared just so the crew could move around and assess the damage. Several of the massive pines were uprooted, taking substantial chunks of earth and, in some instances, large sections of irrigation pipe with them. Residential debris, including large household appliances, was strewn all over the course, and marsh grass completely covered the course like freshly cut hay in a farmer's field. The storm surge was so powerful that it peeled up the asphalt in the parking lot and spread it all over the course. The surge also wreaked havoc on the course's drainage system.

Even though debris cleanup and tree removal proved to be monumental tasks, it was the recovery of the greens that presented the greatest challenge to the young superintendent. The greens were damaged beyond recovery, and approval to rebuild them was granted. The greens were reseeded with Penncross Nov. 1, and the course was finally able to re-open three months later.

A chance encounter with Pete and P.B. Dye in 1985 helped Matt Sapochak develop his design philosophy. From left Sapochak, P.B. Dye and Pete Dye look over the blueprints for Prestwick CC.

Although Sapochak and his course had been able to weather the storm, the developer was not. The developer's financial backing was caught in the savings and loan collapse; they could not refinance, and resolution trust took over. All of the future development plans that had brought Sapochak on board were dashed. However, he stayed at De Bordieu for four more years.

Moving on
Sapochak's next stop was Deer Track Golf Resort in Surfside Beach, S.C., a 36-hole resort course with old bentgrass greens. Sapochak took this position for a number of reasons. First, he wanted to learn the operations of a public golf facility. Second, with many more area courses opening each year, he felt he could learn what it takes to keep a course competitive. Finally, the course operator wanted to give both courses a facelift.

It took Sapochak a little while to become acclimated to the high number of rounds at Deer Track. However, once the renovation project began, he felt right at home. The project included changing the contaminated Penncross bentgrass greens to 328 Tifgreen bermudagrass on the South Course and Tifdwarf bermudagrass on the North Course, bunker renovation and irrigation system improvements.

The course facelift also included drainage renovation and the installation of new golf car paths. Once the renovation was complete Sapochak found himself with a much-improved golf course that was better able to withstand the heavy golfer traffic. He was then able to settle in and learn all of the nuances of maintaining a high-play resort course.

Putting it all together
At the beginning of 1998, Sapochak got the opportunity to utilize all his skills in one place when Marlowe asked him to come to Winyah Bay GC. Because of his prior experience in golf construction, golf maintenance and resort golf, he was able to foresee potential construction problems, difficult or costly maintenance situations and items that would affect the marketability of the course. This blend of experience combined to create a course with very reasonable construction costs, which would be easy to maintain and, finally, be enjoyable for golfers of all ages and abilities.

Now Sapochak is in a unique position as general manager of a course he designed and built. In addition, Sapochak has had the opportunity to work with his brother, Hans, a six-year GCSAA member who came on during Winyah Bay's construction and is currently course superintendent. So far the golfers' feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Sapochak, who is not one to stay stationary for long, says he is always looking forward to his next design opportunity.

Paul L. Kaufman Jr. is superintendent at Prestwick Country Club in Myrtle Beach, S.C., and a five-year GCSAA member.