The golf course superintendent
Now that the club manager is totally fed up with you, let’s go visit the
superintendent. Great time to see the superintendent is about 6AM after he’s
got his crews starting to mow and beginning its’ daily chores. Start with a
few simple questions like.....
- Are these greens built to USGA standards?
-
If the greens are small, are the green complexes laid out in such a way as
to allow for good growing conditions with
adequate and even exit and entry
points flow for both golf course equipment and players?
And provide adequate pin placements for wear and tear
management as well as golfing challenges?
Are the conditioning standards
expected by the membership in line with the budget provided?
How many hours of
hand trimming is performed here per week? Is it adequate, or a members
constantly demanding more?
If walking is permitted, is the golf course suitable for it?
Are the membership as a whole willing to accept anything less than perfection,
or are you being constantly hammered with, ‘there’s a patch that needs
repair here, there’s a patch that needs repair there’?
What are members
green speed expectations? What are your green speed expectations? If they
differ, why? Which expectation is closer to budget?
Do you have adequate cupping
areas for the green speed expectations?
Do you have any greens with circulation
problems you wish to correct but are unable to do so?
If you are unable, why? Do
you see any circulation problems coming up in the future due to plantings or
buildings, etc.? How old are these greens?
Do you see any greens that will soon need
replacing?
How old is the irrigation system? State of the art? In good current
condition?
Where does the water supply come from? If the water comes from the
city or town or any other public supplier, what is the annual cost? Is the golf
course vulnerable to a watering ban?
If the water is not from a public source,
where does it come from? Wells, rivers, ponds or springs? Are there any
potential environmental concerns?
Are there any current environmental concerns?
Is the source of water vulnerable to drought, disease, or other problems?
Does
it require any other pretreatment other than basic filtration systems?
Is the
filtration system in place adequate, or does need upgrading?
How about the
pumping system? Is it modern and efficient or are you barley keeping them
together?
How about the irrigation control system? Is is up to date with current
hardware and software or are you hand watering constantly just to keep the
greens from wilting?
How about the sprinkler heads? When was the last time they
were updated and repaired? How much longer before you make the next major
replacement of heads?
How about the pumping facility? Is it easy to maintain?
Let’s take a look at the maintenance yard.....
- Is it nice and orderly or a jumble of old equipment creating an accident
waiting to happen?
- How about the on course accessories, such as the ball
washers, the tee markers, the cups, the pins, the flags? Are they new and crisp
or old and battered? When will they need to be replaced? How much will they cost
to replace?
- Is the trend of this club toward affordable golf or top level
competitive conditions? i.e Do the improvements always involve less maintenance
or more maintenance?
- During the busy season are the par 3 tees, especially your
short par 3 tees, big enough to handle the traffic?
- How about the practice
range? Can you maintain it with the use that it receives?
- Are the cart paths a
well thought out part of the course or a weed whacking nightmare with
accompanying high maintenance costs? Are the corridors wide enough?
Now you either have a new best friend or the "green keeper"
wishes you were dead. Either way you've no doubt had a frank and probably quite
open conversation that gave you more than enough insight into what the community
thinks about its golf course, what the golf course superintendent thinks about
the course and its future, and possibly a good deal more about the members and
there golfing acumen then you had hoped to gather. One thing is for certain if
you made it through this list of questions with "the super" you know
if this course and its members golfing philosophy are right for you.
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