38 Putts

Member clean up day a great success !

To my surprise 37 members showed up for member clean up day and each put in a solid 3 hours work generating over 3 man weeks of clean up labor and man does it show. All the beds around the club house are clean and need waiting for there spring plantings, the leaves around the fences are gone making an a crisp appearance. The garden along the hill to the right of the 1st fairway looks fresh and attractive. In short the new greenkeeper was/is surprised and pleased that the greens crew can focus 100 % on the golf course right out the gate and the course looks it. Now if can turn that hook into a draw early the golf season will be off to a very good start indeed.

Let's have a Member Clean Up day, we can save some $ and ....

When I first joined the green committee our then 2nd year green keeper suggested we have a member clean up day. Ou chair at the time thought that would be a good idea and plans were launched for a Saturday afternoon in March. There would be free beer and hot dogs in the grill for those that helped out after the afternoon's labors were complete. Various tasks the members would be asked to perform were raking tees and green surrounds. 

When member clean up day arrived Mother Nature co-operated with her final blast of winter with cold, damp  and cloudy day. To the surprise of myself and the 5 other members that showed we were the entire turn out. ( The green chair was unable to participate)  The green keeper said he was pleased with the showing handed us ll rakes and sent us off for 3 hours of raking. When our labors were complete we retreated to the warmth of the grill room where we found 2 dozen drunken and hot dog stuffed members enjoying NCAA basketball on the big screen TV. Feeling like a bunch of chumps the 6 of us had a hot dog, a drink and departed. The best part though was yet to come, and come it did.

For the next 3 years we heard from the green keeper, when ever he needed it, that it was very difficult when to care sometimes when it so apparent but the clean up day turn out that the members didn't much care and they won't increase my budget to boot. After about the 3rd time I listened to it that this was the real purpose behind member clean up day. Because you see the following Monday morning the 4 man grounds crew equiped with blowers and vacums knocked off the 16 tees and greens the member clean up crew with lawn rakes was unable to accomplish.

Oh yeah I almost forgot, our new green keeper asked our new green chair for a member clean up day, (funny as senior member on the committee I don't remember being asked my opinion) and low and behold it's set up for March 22. Wonder what Mother Nature has in store for us that day ? I do know that the NCAA basketball tournament will be in full swing and there will be 20-30 guys that will say they'll be there to do 1/10th the job the ground crew will do in 1/8th the time.

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When I first joined the green committee our then 2nd year green keeper suggested we have a member clean up day. Ou chair at the time thought that would be a good idea and plans were launched for a Saturday afternoon in March. There would be free beer and hot dogs in the grill for those that helped out after the afternoon's labors were complete. Various tasks the members would be asked to perform were raking tees and green surrounds. 

When member clean up day arrived Mother Nature co-operated with her final blast of winter with cold, damp  and cloudy day. To the surprise of myself and the 5 other members that showed we were the entire turn out. ( The green chair was unable to participate)  The green keeper said he was pleased with the showing handed us ll rakes and sent us off for 3 hours of raking. When our labors were complete we retreated to the warmth of the grill room where we found 2 dozen drunken and hot dog stuffed members enjoying NCAA basketball on the big screen TV. Feeling like a bunch of chumps the 6 of us had a hot dog, a drink and departed. The best part though was yet to come, and come it did.

For the next 3 years we heard from the green keeper, when ever he needed it, that it was very difficult when to care sometimes when it so apparent but the clean up day turn out that the members didn't much care and they won't increase my budget to boot. After about the 3rd time I listened to it that this was the real purpose behind member clean up day. Because you see the following Monday morning the 4 man grounds crew equiped with blowers and vacums knocked off the 16 tees and greens the member clean up crew with lawn rakes was unable to accomplish.

Oh yeah I almost forgot, our new green keeper asked our new green chair for a member clean up day, (funny as senior member on the committee I don't remember being asked my opinion) and low and behold it's set up for March 22. Wonder what Mother Nature has in store for us that day ? I do know that the NCAA basketball tournament will be in full swing and there will be 20-30 guys that will say they'll be there to do 1/10th the job the ground crew will do in 1/8th the time.

I think we're trying to please......NOW

Pins in playing to the greens. Ground is so soft on 5 we left sole deep footprints. For the 6 of us playing it makes no sense to damage the greens now. Temptation was there to pull the pins and stick them in the mud in front of the greens. Hope we are not sorry come May and June.

With this budget you expect what ?

At our most recent committe meeting the 2009 budget was revealed. Down close to 35%. No surprise as that is about the decline in membership. What was a surprise is that the committee put forth some of its "priorities" for course maintaince that make no sense what so ever and you could easily read the gree keeper's mind. With this budget you expect what ?  I think course conditioning is going to take a big hit this year, not only our club but other places as well. This post from eagleparbirdie.com pretty much sums up the state of golf for 2009.

Can one line tell a story ?

At our golf club one of the golf course superintendent winter jobs is snow removal. We have had quite a bit of snow so far this winter (about double last year). But this is New England and this can happen.  Today we heard "You know this snow plowing is a lot more than I bargained for, green keepers usually get most of the winter off. " Oh boy. Can't wait until the irrigation system goes in the fritz come a nice hot and steamy July Sunday.

The budget is in and we are getting slashed big time

Just recieved notice of our next grounds meeting where the budget for the 2009 season gets presented. At lunch today heard a "rumor" from a unidentified source with close contacts on the finance commttee that can't stop crying that the green committee budget has been cut by 1/3. Looks like another year without Augusta National conditions. My first question to the new green keeper what area's of the course can we STOP maintaining (not cut back, but STOP) that in your opinion will have little or no impact on play. Yeah, that ought to fly.

This just in !

It is 3 F and the golf course is frozen which means we can now play to our regular greens instead of the temps. Only problem is the golf course is covered with 8 to 10 inches of snow. Got to admit I've never had a super communicate to the committee quite like this one.

What happens to our BS detector ?

Have been out of town for about 10 days and drove by the club. It didn't look as though the parking lot had been plowed so I drove in and I was correct the last strom had left about 2" of snow that was now packed and icing over. When I got to my office I e-mailled the new chair and suggested he remind the new supper that although the club was closed there were still people working and he dining room still had functions.The chair replyed he had just been by the club and the new supper had mentioned he was waiting for tommorrow to let the snow soften up a bit. I gulped and replyed politely. Now 2 days later I wonder what nit is that happens to us when we beco greens chair ? It happened to me and I watched it happen to othersw, our bullshit detectors go completely on the funk. Let me try to explain, the supper said he was waiting until tomorrow to let this snow and ice pack soften. Well when I sent my e-mail to the chair it was 40 f.  The next day they were calling for a high of 33 f and freezing rain starting in he evening. (Just for the record I drove by the next day at 2pm, 34 f and the drvieway still had not been done. I did not bother the chair as I knew freezing rain was coming and the  function today was going to be atended by some rather vocal members so I'm sure that by around 2 o'clock he will have gotten more then enough e-mails and phone calls. Anyway my point is why the hell wasn't the snow plowed and parking lot treated the 1st day which was 4 days prior to my drving by after my trip ? Why didn't the chair ask his of the supper ? This is what I mean by our bs detector breaking done.

The New Green Keeper

Being a little late in posting our 1st committee meeting results is probably a good thing in that after givng it some thought my unbridled enthusiasm has waned. As expected the new chair started the meeting on time and introduced with appropriate fan fare our new green keeper, Richard. Richard began his presentation offering a very positive outlook for the coming 2009 golf season. Plans for the crew were shaping up, taking care of all those traps will not be a problem, we are going to cut the greens by hand and regain some of the original shape, should be able to save some $ on seed and fertilizer. ( I think it is funny that every green keeper thinks they are the one with the best contacts for these.) Tra la tra la...."Oh there are a couple problems I am inheriting that you guys should know about #2, #3 and #5 greens are all diseased, they simply were not cared for properly. Also that irrigation system you guys have, I have no idea how to run it but I know they did not blow it out properly. Oh I really don't know how to oerate it so we made need to spend a few grand on new controls."  So it begins, the bull shit gets piled on, the committee sits and nods wisely, and the games begin anew.

And we're off

The establishment of priorities, originally planned to be determined by committee on Thursday has been established and the committee has been advised with the obligatory "send along any suggestions". Keeping in mind green keeper lesson # 2 , this 15 item list was not to bad, it actually included 4 of the important 5.