Tour Guide 2026: JM Eagle LA Championship presented by Plastpro

As Zach Stephens, superintendent of Tarzana, Calif.’s El Caballero Country Club, prepares to host the JM Eagle LA Championship presented by Plastpro, two challenges especially stand out to him. First, El Caballero has a non-overseeded bermudagrass golf course. And second, its LPGA Tour tournament is held in April, following a season of weather-related unpredictability.

“In a cold, dry winter, we can go fully dormant and do a ton of rounds but have little to no weed and disease pressure,” Stephens says.

However, if the winter is wet and mild in Tarzana — a neighborhood of Los Angeles — El Caballero’s course may remain green, and its growth and recovery might continue throughout the winter. More than likely, there won’t be extensive periods of wear and tear due to cart traffic either. Nonetheless, weed and turf disease pressure will possibly skyrocket because of the mild weather.

“Either way, we are praying for a warm spring and growing conditions that aren’t guaranteed,” Stephens says.

Consequently, Stephens and his team will address a variety of questions from December to March. Will their decisions be correct as they adapt to the weather? Will their fertilization and chemical applications be implemented at the effective times?

“How effective will those applications be? Have we budgeted for all of that properly?” he asked. “If we’re happy with course conditions coming into tournament week, then the execution of it all really won’t be that difficult.”

Autonomous mowers, staff communication

Presently, El Caballero is preparing to purchase two Toro autonomous mowers, which will be used on approaches, dew-walks, fairways and tees. They likely won’t be available in time for the JM Eagle LA Championship, but based on Stephens’ past experiences in the ever-unpredictable field of golf course agronomy, it could be too early to say that with 100-percent confidence.

“If my career as a superintendent has taught me anything, I’d bet that they’re delivered with just enough time for us to sort out all of the GPS mapping, the software and the training to implement them in time for tournament week,” he says. “I’m very excited about the technology.”

As soon as the autonomous mowers arrive, Stephens’ team members will be notified. In fact, he strives to share as many updates with them as soon as he can, time after time. Stressing that superintendents “can’t overcommunicate with staff,” he discusses tournament updates with them quickly — and advises other superintendents to follow suit.

“It’s critical that superintendents give their staff enough time to plan for and figure out how they’ll adjust their personal lives around the absolutely wild schedule they’ll demand of them during tournament week,” Stephens says.

Setting standards and expectations

Stephens recommends superintendents focus on thinking outside of the box regarding what they do for their employees, especially during tournaments.

“Spending a little extra on local hotel rooms for key guys with long, traffic-prone commutes is money well spent,” he says.

Furthermore, superintendents can set up digital countdown clocks in their employees’ break room weeks — or even months — in advance of whichever tournament their course will be hosting. By doing so, he says employees’ excitement for the tournament will steadily increase as they prepare to help host it.

“Superintendents need everyone on their staff to appreciate how important this is for their club and course and remain hyper focused,” Stephens says. “But they also need to feel confident and enjoy the week.”

To increase the likelihood of their staff members having fun and maintaining high confidence throughout the tournament, he advises superintendents to set standards and expectations for their team, too. No two courses and tournaments are the same, so communicating what is needed and expected at each one is a crucial step in tournament prep. Those small details are critical, regardless of which standard the superintendent decides to implement.

“Dialing in every detail of staff members’ schedules and planning out how to keep their team well fed and hydrated during each shift are all things superintendents want to be doing months — not days — before the tournament,” Stephens says.

A Jones design (and redesign)

With more than 20 years of experience in the agronomy industry, Stephens has worked for courses across the United States; from Rhode Island, to North Carolina, to Nevada. But when he was offered the opportunity to serve El Caballero as superintendent in August 2023, he was especially intrigued.

Its location, history, pedigree, challenges and golf course “were all attractive” to him. After all, since its founding in 1957, the club has provided members a course designed by renowned architect Robert Trent Jones Sr. Not to mention, the course has been redesigned by another well-respected architect, Rees Jones, who completed his work in 2021.

Stephens believes JM Eagle LA Championship patrons will also be enamored by the club’s location, history and course, along with its friendly members.

“For me, it’s all about surrounding yourself with great people who share common goals,” he says. “From our employees to our members, we have that here at El Caballero.” 

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