Things are finally settling down after the hectic work that goes with spring. The month of May and the first half of June were drier than usual which led to very good playing conditions even if it does put a little more strain on our staff. A common misconception by many is that rain is what makes a golf course the best it can be. This may be true with golf courses with little to no irrigation system but for us dry conditions are ideal. Control over the playability of the golf course is much more possible when rain does not interfere with our plans. While an occasional rain event might be helpful in relieving stress, I would very much prefer dry conditions over wet conditions any day. Most superintendents would say the same thing. At the moment we are dealing with some heavy rains on the golf course but I am confident that the golf course will be able to soak up most of this excessive water considering how dry we have been keeping the golf course in the month leading up to these rains.
Moving on to the staff, I would like to offer a sincere thank you to the entire group that we have working on the crew this season. Nothing is possible without them and I often think that they are overlooked by our players because they are less visible than the outside service and pro shop staff. This is by design since we know that most players do not want to be disturbed during their round and so we try to complete most of our work before the golfers even arrive. That being said, I hope that our players understand and appreciate the amount of work that goes into making a golf course enjoyable.
This month’s winner of the employee peer evaluation was Lorna Winger-a golf course veteran who has been working with us close to eight years. Lorna continues to be a steadying influence for both experienced and new staff members and it is great to see how much her efforts are appreciated by her peers.
Lorna Winger 6-22-2011
On a final note, I would like to include a picture of something we often see in the summer months-turf damage from insect repellent. In the picture you can see where the golfer’s footprints were as they sprayed their legs with bug spray. The material that hit the turf resulted in a burning of the turf. As a consideration for other players it would be much appreciated if we took the time to spray ourselves on a cart path instead of turf to avoid this problem in the future.
Footprints on Putting Green 2011
Caused by insect repellent