August Update

Apologies for the recent lull in updates.  July and August are brutal for me and my staff so it can be hard to muster the energy to write a coherent course update during this stretch.  Start each day at 5:45, work in the summer heat for 10 to 12 hours, clean up, eat, sleep....repeat until the weather and/or golf schedule allows for a break.  There is light at the end of the tunnel and I'll get back into a rhythm of writing soon.  For now I will just rattle off some things to know and be aware of in no particular order:

1. We are losing 10 seasonal and part time staff to school.  To be blunt...only about 8 of them will be missed.  Not our best summer in terms of seasonal staff.  I've got to do better putting them in position to succeed/or be better with my "draft" picks.  
2. We are adding a few new staff to help us get through the year.  My hope is to keep them on as full time employees.  
3. Greens and fairway aeration are set for next Monday-Thursday (August 16-19).  If we get good weather and things go well, we may be able to open up Thursday.  We keep this day as a catch up day in case there are any hiccups.  It is also good for getting the course mowed after being ignored for a few days to aerate.  
4. We will be making another big dent in the cart path renovation plan this fall.  Starting October 19 we will be replacing another 200-220 sections of broken concrete.  Stay tuned for more details.  
5. We've received a great deal of positive feedback on course conditions this year.  Almost all of the negative feedback centers around golfer etiquette.  Un-raked bunkers, ball marks, cart policies ignored, etc..  Last weekend we had three divots taken from greens.  Not ball marks, but divots clearly made with full swings.  I continue to struggle with how this can be solved.  

The course will be fantastic this fall if we can get through the next two weeks.  I'm excited about our new team members, new club members, and all the positive momentum we are building.  Please help spread the good word on respecting the game and the course.  Lead by example and coach when needed.  

Despite the long days and hard work of summer, I did sneak out the gates for a week this summer