End of the Season

I hope everyone is having a wonderful finish to the fall as we look forward to the quickly approaching holidays. As the golf season comes to a halt we are coming inside to start our winter work. Typically one of the most asked questions we have as a staff is “what do we do in the winter”.

 Let me begin with saying we keep four staff members on full time they are John “Homey” Bryant, Jaime Stash, Jakob Ewing, Jeff Caskey, and myself. The biggest thing we are able to complete in the winter months is the complete breakdown and reassembly of all the cutting units that mount on the front of our greens, tees, and fairway mowers. While the mowing units are being sharpened, Jeff the Mechanic services the traction units and does any necessary repairs before the unit goes out in storage ready for spring.

The winter months are also the time that all of the fertilizer and chemical programs are set up for the upcoming season. Putting together the chemical early order programs is a very important fiscal move allowing us to take advantage of big discounts and also setting dated terms from our various supply vendors.

Some of the other things we will get done before the spring include repairing, refurbishing and replacing the tee markers, trash bins, and enter/exit stakes. We will be making new boundary stakes and hazard stakes to replace broken or damaged existing ones. The cold weather months also give us the opportunity to do any repair around the shop such as drywall repairs, cleaning, painting and organizing. This year our goal is to paint all of the interior rooms of the shop along with repainting the shop floor. Another benefit the winter gives us is education. Just like any job field there are constant changes including technology, equipment, and turf protectant products. It’s paramount for all of our staff to stay abreast to these changes and continue to find ways to be a better well-rounded grounds staff.

As my sixth year comes to a close I want to thank everyone for their continued support. We had a tough summer but we have made it to the other side. We can only hope next year we will be more fortunate with irrigation and weather but regardless we will keep looking for more ways to improve. Please let me know if you have any questions or thoughts for the upcoming season.