Field Maintenance Is A Longtime Labor Of Love For IPC’s Ray Mooney
By Kayla Anderson
Almost as soon as the last polo pony stepped off the field at the end of the 2016 season, the grounds crew shifted into offseason mode: an eight-month process of field repair, grounds maintenance and facility upgrades to prepare the International Polo Club Palm Beach for an even more spectacular 2017 season.
IPC hosts the annual United States Open Polo Championship and several other high-goal tournaments that attract the sport’s top players and teams from around the world.
“It’s an honor to take care of the fields for these guys,” said Ray Mooney, director of facilities at IPC. “To see all our hard work right up front and have the top players in the world appreciate the fields, it feels really good.”
Few spectators realize what goes on behind the scenes to make IPC the showplace it is. The equipment and technological requirements needed to operate the facility (which Mooney likened to maintaining an 18-hole golf course) are extensive, requiring a three- to four-year development plan.
He supervises a 20-person grounds keeping staff, including a mechanic, and contracts a soil expert and a laboratory to analyze soil samples, determine nutrient content and develop a custom fertilizer. Field repairs, particularly after the intensity of the winter high-goal season, are no easy task. The limited sunlight and cooler temperatures during the winter months prevent the sensitive Bermuda grass from growing. So as soon as the season ends, eight polo fields — covering more than 150 acres — must be aerated before the rainy season starts in July to allow for significant root growth.
“For us, summer is the time to keep up with everything,” Mooney said. “As soon as the season ends, we’re out on the field mowing, aerating and making repairs.”
And field upkeep is only the beginning.
“We have thousands of light bulbs in the facility, hundreds of sprinklers, 40 air conditioning units, miles of fencing and acres of landscaping that we look at during the offseason,” Mooney added.
While his responsibilities are never-ending, often entailing 12- to 14-hour workdays during polo season, Mooney’s work is a labor of love. This season will mark his 11th year at IPC, and he takes pride in his team’s efforts to make the fields look and play their absolute best.
Mooney has maintained and prepared polo fields for more than 1,200 high-goal polo matches, including the most prestigious and competitive polo tournaments in the United States. He also has extensive experience in golf course construction, project management, property management and turf management.
To prepare for this season, Mooney and his team began testing different types of Bermuda grass to make sure that the best one is implemented on the fields. A large area of the main field was sodded with a special sod called “419 sod” to ensure that the field stays primarily 419 Bermuda grass this year.
The grounds crew has also installed Latitude Bermuda grass so it can be tested right next to the Celebration and 419 Bermuda grasses. Mooney is always looking for the next and best grass to keep the fields in top condition.
New ownership at IPC brings along upgrades to the maintenance equipment. Mooney and his team have acquired new tractors, several new carts and a new sprayer. They have plans to continue to upgrade the facility’s maintenance equipment.
While Mooney’s primary focus is to ensure that all aspects of the facility are primed to run smoothly for the 2017 polo season, he and his crew also tend to the needs of the club’s other events.
IPC constantly strives to remain an integral part of the greater Wellington community, hosting events such as weddings, lacrosse games, the USA Field Hockey National Tournament, AYSO soccer tournaments and more.
