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Show JUNE 22, 1983 - Davis County m Pettingill Thinks of Valley View As another member of the family By KEITH ' Hualde Hovers over successful Davis ) layout, might be considered the jf Tother of Davis County Golf v DUNCAN Journal Sports - LAYTON Ken Pettingill has grown up with the Valley View Golf Course. In fact in his book, he thinks of it as just another member of the family. fin wta WITHOUT KNOWING Pettingill and his relationship with one of the states most popular public golf courses, you might question the intimacy between he and 127 acres of turf. The simple fact is, that Ken has had as much to do with Valley Views growth into maturity as a loving father has with his own children. From Valley Views very first moments as a mere idea to today when state amateur tournaments are a regular there, Ken has had an inticate part in all of it. ' SAID PETTINGILL, Its just like seeing one of my own kids grow up and develop. Pettingill has been the only golf professional this course has ever known and only time will tell the story that he without question will probably be the finest it has ever known. TO POSSESS the feelings that Pettingill has for the beautiful layout in east Layton, time and spending soaking in knowledge have been two key principles. As a golf professional at Valley View, the demands have been dramatic though not always visible to the public who come here not to have a bad time, but only to have an enjoyable couple of hours. '' ' 'f' THE RESPONSIBILITY of providing a place for people in our area to have a good time, is more than what it appears to the average guy said Pettingill, It means wearing a lot of hats. Youre a teacher, an accountant, you supervise the grounds, you must know your public relations angles, youre a manager of people and basically the person everyone wants an answer from. To love this course like I have learned to love it, you know this business all the way from paying salaries and managing the budget to learning precisely how the drainage system works on every green. IS WORKING 70 to 75 hours per week and going from May to September with periods of 13 to 14 days in a row without a day off, worth it? Pettingill says it is. When youve had a chance to see where this course has come from, from my construction supervisor days to this very moment, its the kind of dream come true story that doesnt happen for very many people. PETTINGILL, WHO turned pro in 1969 while working at the Davis County Park Course, claims, he stocked his pillow full of knowledge while assisting Pierre Hualde who still oversees the operation in Kaysville. Those were some great years there, said Pettingill, Pierre allowed me to do just about everything with the experiences being invaluable. But though I learned so much, there is really no way you can prepare someone to be a golf professional. The only place to learn it is to be one, everyday on the job. No matter what it seems like being under the man, you have no idea of the tremendous responsibility that the pro has until youre the boss. , f PERHAPS ONE surprise Ken says he didnt have to suffer when he became the top man at Valley View, was knowing the lifestyle of a golf professional. Id been around them long enough to be prepared for that. Its about what I thought it would be, Pettingill addressed. Pettingill admits that he was fortunate to be in the right place at the right time when Layton City first started discussing plans for a new course. Hed been v. orking at Davis Park since 1964 and in 69 became Hualdes assistant professional. His seniority in the area was a head above the rest for sure. WHEN PROPOSALS were being drawn for the new Layton course, the deal was that Ken was to be the construction supervisor and upon orders to do what his peers thought was a good job, then hed eventually take the job as the head professional. Though applications were taken, Ken was without question the man both Layton City and Davis County needed and wanted for the job. Kens appointment and overseer of the project help bond the partnership Layton City and Davis County made as partners in the golf project. Valley Views actual beginning construction day was Oct. 1, 1972. The first nine holes 1 opened Sept. 1, 1974 and by April of the next was entire ready for layout spring, the play. le BUILDING AND managing a course like By tt Jv KEITH DUNCAN Journal Sports . - KAYSVILLE The Wright brothers might be considered the fathers of the airplane and George Washington has distinctively been tabbed as the father of our country. IN TURNING back through the pages of Davis County golf history and certainly not overlooking the present, it might be fitting to give Pierre Hualde the title, father of Davis County golf. Certainly no one to this point, has piled up the number of hours Hualde has in building and maintaining the pleasant tradition that he has. , I HUALDE, WHO today still oversees the Davis County Park Golf Course, respects his position as much as he ever has. Three key phrases sum up 20 years of golf professional and move him into yet another decade. They in the profession, always are, demanding, and the love of people and the joy to teach them. Pierre has had the vision of bigger and better things through most of his career with the handling of duties at Davis. But its been broader than even that. Hes brought two highly motivated assistants through the ranks in the past 15 years that have helped to promote Davis County golf like he has. Scott Whitaker spun out and now leads the way at Bountiful Hills and Ken Pettingill in the early 70 s took over at Valley View in Layton. self-estee- m ld - . Theres never a dull moment in the life of a golf professional, just ask Valley Views Ken . Pettingill. Pettingill has been with the Layton Course since the first day construction began. Valley View, isnt done without quality people around, Ken admits that first. He credits people like his former boss, Pierre, who had a tremendous relationship with the coiinty commissioners. Pettingill credits Com. Bill Moss for getting this project going and pushing things through. Two of the courses architects Joe Williams of Los Angeles and William Hull of Reno had much to do with the success. Hull finished the project, realigned some holes and redid the greens entirely. Hull used to work for the great RobertTrent Jones. His work was tremendous I thought. OUR GREENS have always been a trademark for us. A lot of that is because of our maintenance practices but it helps to have the greens properly constructed and have the right material there. Our greens have drainage systems in the bottom, four inches of gravel on top of that and 12 inches of sand and peatmoss mixed together on top of that. The rest of the course has taken its time to get where it is today and one person Pettingill lends much of the credit to is the head greens superintendent, Scott Starkey. Scott was taken right out of the shop and put together with Mel Duke (formerly of the Bountiful Springs Course) and today Pettingill ranks Starkey as one of the top four or five greens superintendents in the state of Utah. . FOR THE PAST five years, Ken claims his right arm has been his assistant, Dave Kearl. Hes the kind of guy when you check to see if the assignments youve given him are done, you really dont need to check, because theyre already done. He takes care of this place the way Id take care of which is the best compliment a guy can give, Pettingill said. If this was just a job, I wouldnt keep it, said Pettingill, Because of family and other commitments, the benefits arent enough to keep me here. bone. Its a good marriage, said the Valley View pro. Whats the next horizon for people like Pettingill? For Ken himself, he says its a day to day challenge that creates the biggest hurdles. t . ONE OF the challenges is getting to know the hundreds of people who golf here regularly. Its almost impossible at times, but weve got to realize that this is mainly a public relations job. After all the technical stuff of getting the golf course in shape, its making sure the pro shop and snack bar are run properly. People are what is important. People are coming here to have fun, and not to be hasseled or have a bad experience. Sometimes it happens that we have bad experiences when play is slow or someting else, but basically we really dont have any big problems. WE MADE A habit of sitting down at the end of each year and discussing what we can do to make the next year better. We list them 1, 2, we wanted to make sure we had a course marshall on the course this year not only to marshall people but to help them. Weve had carts breakdown out there and its convenient to have a guy who can get another cart out there before the party gets to the next hole. Its being very diplomatic, but very firm out there, said Pettingill. We just want everyone to have a good time, said Pettingill. etc. For example, THE SUCCESS of Davis County Parks course is wild and always has been. Hualde stated the course was very pronounced from the very day it started. Its been a financial success for the county and it will continue to be. But more important is the service it provides, stated Hualde. Davis continues to draw large groups of players from outside the county, generally from Weber and Salt Lake, but not surprising if they come from even further away places. WEVE COME a long way from the dirt and weeds that were here in 1963. Our county leaders realized the need for recreation and how vital a role a golf course can play in that, especially in a lifetime sport such as this is, said Hualde. Davis now fills enough acreage for 18 holes and suits the fancies for thousands of golfers. Some of those golfers include two very active associations at Davis, both on the mens side, as well as the ladies. HUALDE says his work is never done. Challenges come from every angle and every day too. The challenges stem from either teaching the game or from the management of the course. Those challenges demand time, time my family has understood I must give to the game and to the course. Most peoples days off arent mine and thats been difficult for us at times. PROMOTING golf is a golf professionals biggest concern, I would think, said Hualde, Of course the management of the course is extremely essential too, but teaching and promoting are vital. This isnt an easy game, no matter what level you are on. The nature of the game makes it challenging and at some time or another, people seek help. I STILL believe one of the vital groups that must be taught, are the juniors. Golf professionals should concentrate on the younger people and encourage them. Even though courses are maxed out, and certainly this one is, we have to provide junior golfers an opportunity to play. And when I say junior golfer, Im talking about the kids who want to learn this game, that arent necessarily out to be a champion. Each year we conduct junior golf clinics the first week of June and at later dates. Children ages get group instruction, demonstrations and competition to stimulate interest. Its been a very receptive idea and will continue to be as long as we promote it right. 6-- PIERRE TOOK an interest in the game when but 10 years old. Living in Ogden at the time, he took every opportunity to caddy at the Ogden City Country Club. Though caddies arent as popular today, Hualde states they were quite popular in his youth. During the depression of the 1930s, jobs were hard to come by and many found work as caddies. Somehow as a youngster, Hualde kept his job and soon after became the caddy master at Ogden. After a return home from a sting with the service, Hualde picked golf up again. In the 50s and 60s as Arnold Palmer and Jack Nick-lau- s provided a name for the sport, golfs popularity increased dramatically. IT WAS always a nice dream of mine to be a professional someday, said Hualde who as an assistant at the Oakridge Country Club was ready to take the Davis County job when it came in 1963. I cant express my feelings in teaching the n game enough, said the golf pro. is well vital as as being able to Perception have variety too. Not everyone needs to hear the same thing and the same things do not work for everybody. well-know- AS LONG as golf lives as a popular public sport, it can only do as well as the teachers who promote it, Hualde concluded. ITS GOT TO be in your blood. To keep up isnt just for the heck of it. If I 70 hour weeks didnt enjoy being the golf professional, Id walk out tomorrow and I will walk away the day I dont enjoy it. His personal golf game suffers, but Ken says the story of most people like him. My game will probably never be what it was, youll either be a golfer or in the golf business. I can play reasonably well on somedays. Basically we play when we get a chance, like in between teaching and monitoring the course," said Petevery chance he gets. tingill. Ken hits a pro-am KEN LIKES the good marriage between the golf professionals and professional golfers. Its my belief that golf professionals are the backbone of the business with some 9000 members of the Professional Golfers Association. There is probably only 200 to 400 professional golfers that go on tour. They get all the publicity, but thats tremendous. When Arnold Palmer does well, golf popularity goes up. They create the enthusiasm, but were the back tf ML, Pierre Hualde, after building Davis County Parks Golf Course to what might be considered the Father of Davis County Golf. I it is today, |