How Ian Schlather prepared for the Kroger Queen City Championship on five months’ notice

The Kroger Queen City Championship will have a temporary new home this year. One of the LPGA’s newest events, previously hosted at Kenwood Country Club in Cincinnati, Ohio, is moving half an hour north on I-71 to TPC River’s Bend in September.

For the agronomy crew at the Arnold Palmer-designed course in the small village of Maineville, Ohio, hosting a professional tournament is a welcome sight as it hasn’t hosted a Tour event since the Chiquita Classic in 2012.
It’ll also be a bit of a challenge as the course will host the tournament on just about five months’ notice.

“As a Tournament Players Club (TPC), we also try to keep our conditions at a high level,” says Ian Schlather, director of golf course maintenance operations at TPC River’s Bend. “Timing is sort of an issue, but we had initial visits with Arcis Golf and the LPGA early on to kind of gauge where we were at.”

Schlather says that with the infrastructure currently in place at River’s Bend — and support from Arcis — the course is in good shape ahead of the tournament in September. The only concern Schlather has is the unpredictability of an Ohio summer.

“There are a few things outside of the normal maintenance that we’ll need to pay attention to, like step cuts, walk paths, that kind of stuff,” he says. “The good news is the tournament isn’t until September. So, hopefully, Mother Nature doesn’t throw us too many curveballs through the summer. That’s always the X factor in everything we do.

Career change

Being a golf course superintendent wasn’t always the plan for Schlather, who majored in accounting at Bowling Green State University. His career plans changed while working his summer job at Elyria (Ohio) Country Club under longtime superintendent Pat Rogers.

“I figured out in about my third year (at Bowling Green) that I didn’t like working inside. I liked being outside and working with large equipment,” he says.

While at Elyria, Schlather took online turfgrass science classes through Penn State University. After graduating from Bowling Green, Schlather — while still working on Rogers’ Elyria CC staff — finished his degree on Penn State’s main campus.

Schlather worked at Elyria CC for 12 years, including seven as an assistant, before moving to the same position at River’s Bend in 2014. Two years later, Schlather landed his first head superintendent job when Jeff Reich — former River’s Bend super — became director of golf course maintenance at TPC River Highlands.

First-timer

River’s Bend has hosted several lower-level tournaments during Schlather’s tenure as director of golf course maintenance operations, including the Epson Tour’s Prasco Charity Championship in 2018, 19 and 21.

That said, the Queen City Championship will be the biggest tournament River’s Bend has hosted, with Schlather as the man in charge.

“There are definitely mixed emotions. It’s a little nerve-wracking and you’re also really excited,” he says.

<p>The post How Ian Schlather prepared for the Kroger Queen City Championship on five months’ notice first appeared on Golfdom.</p>