Inuvik (Aug 01/03) - Inuvik is getting a little greener this summer thanks to the help of a turf manager who came to town to build on his experience.

Greenhouse assistant Dale Arsenault helps keep things growing at the greenhouse and is also advising on the new golf course. - Terry Halifax/NNSL photo

Dale Arsenault just completed the two-year horticulture program at the University of Guelph with a specialization in turf management.

He sought out the specialization after spending a summer working at a golf course.

"It was the first job I had where I could get up in the morning and really didn't regret having to go to work," Arsenault said.

He came to work in the greenhouse to broaden his horticulture experience.

"Plants and flowers is about the weakest part of my repertoire," he said.

When he does go to work at a golf course the experience gained here will help in landscaping at the course.

"Instead of buying bedding plants from someone else, I can build a small greenhouse and I'll start our flowers in there," he said. "It's something else to add to my resume."

He has been advising builders on the new golf course here and thinks the new course will be a nice addition to the town.

"It's a smart idea," Arsenault said.

"It's a great way to green up; to create some beautification of the community, rather than just have a dirt pile or gravel pit on the edge of town."

He's sampling some of the top soil to be used on the course and will get an analysis of the soil and the nutrients required to grow good golf turf.

He's grown some test samples of various grasses in the green house and outdoors and says there is no problem growing good grass here.

"It's not really a matter of (being) too cold up here, it's more a matter of proper nutrition in the soil," he said.

Arsenault said the only consideration with the 24-hour sunlight is to maintain a good watering system so the soil won't dry out.

The new course will have artificial greens, so he said the tees and fairways should be easy to maintain.

"A lot of places just let the rough grow natural -- it's the new way to go," he said. "It's healthier than if you manicure it from one end to the other."

General landscaping has begun at the site and Arsenault says golfers will be swinging and swearing this time next year.

"You'll be golfing by next summer," he assures. "It'll be a short season, but it'll be a fun season."

"There will always be an open tee time."