Memorial Day Course Update

Weather has been great for golf, but not so great for grass to start this busy season.  Cool nights have hampered the zoysia and dry weather is starting to take its toll everywhere.  The course plays better dry so I'm not complaining.  The long term outlook is better if it's too dry than if it's too wet.  This time last year we were still drying out from the winter and it was raining every few days.  Last summer was a struggle in large part due to too much moisture starting with the winter storm and lasting throughout the season.  We were behind from the start and couldn't get over the hump.  I like the outlook so far for this summer with the weather and some tweaks to our program. 

Staff recruiting and training is ongoing and we are hopeful that some of the recent new hires will soon "get it" when it comes to what we do and how to do it.  Learning your way around the course is a big first step and then learning how to work in and around golf is another big step.  I love the staff we've hired and hope they'll stick with us.  Trying to find people that we think will like this kind of work is the hardest part.  For the most part they have no clue what they are signing up for so we work hard before hiring to paint a clear picture.  Despite what they often say, a 45 minute commute or a 4:30 AM wake up is tough to handle.  When summer weather kicks in soon, we will learn a lot about how much they like the job.  It's one thing to mow bunker slopes in 55 degrees and another thing to do it when it's over 90 degrees.  It's not a glamorous job, but for those that like to be outside and don't mind a little sweat, it has a lot going for it.  I appreciate any moral support members can offer the staff.  We don't pay them enough in my opinion so a little pat on the back or a few kind words can go a long ways.  It probably means more coming from the membership than me.   On the other hand, if you ever feel like criticism is warranted please bring that to me or the Green Committee rather than the employee.   

We are planning to install the new irrigation controllers this week.  This will allow us to allocate more time to irrigation heads and nozzles.  For the past few years and so far this season we've spent most of our irrigation time dealing with controller issues.  It's a daily occurrence in season that we can't wait to unload.  We had a full time irrigation tech in my earlier years which allowed us to keep the 1000+ heads working properly and stayed on top of the never ending list of issues that a golf course irrigation system has.  We could assign multiple people to irrigation all day every day for the next few years to "catch up" on all the issues that have evolved in the past few years.  Leveling heads, replacing nozzles, replacing valves, adjusting arcs, fixing wire splices, keeping heads and valves edged, etc.. is enough to keep someone dedicated to irrigation year round.  

The next month is our "peak" in my opinion.  It's not too hot and it's not too cold.  All the different grass varieties are in a reasonably good mood.  Enjoy the course!