Hypothetical Golf Club

[Doon frae Troon]

Quite right Homer, it is all a question of balance and good forward planning. Private Golf clubs tend to get the staff and machinery the members deserve.

Over the last 20 years when I ran courses no greenkeeping machinery was more than 5 years old. We had decent 'fireproof' R&R funds with our own mechanic/engineer and a rotating 5 year course improvement action plan. Good goals to work to gives good staff moral and is ultimately very cost effective.
Private golf clubs generally stumble along from one committee to the next with no long term action plans.

BTW Muirfield [HCEG] has always been a members club. A very well run one.

 

[Robobum]

IMO that seems to be the problem with the modern workplace........too many folk communicating and measuring......very few folk actually working.

Bottom line with this thread is that it is about budgets.
Muirfield would never have had the problem that HGC had, but there again they employ 13 greenstaff for 18 holes.

1000 people working their arses off with no way of monitoring their effectiveness?

Communication is key IMO. If they have zero budget, them let everyone know - expectations can be adjusted.

But from my OP - if budgets are the issue, missing out of a days green fees and extra footfall seems even more ridiculous.

 

[Doon frae Troon]

- if budgets are the issue, missing out of a days green fees and extra footfall seems even more ridiculous.

Not if the overall condition of the winter course will be worsened by said green fee payers.
That ultimately results in members complaints and even fewer green fees.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

All members who care at my track - and that is most of us - are pretty gutted at the moment as we are losing our Head Green Keeper at end of this month. Criticisms he's had of course - but over the many years with us (20?) he's managed to transform our greens in particular. He's been willing and able to stand up in front of packed general meetings and explain in detail exactly what he's doing and why he's doing it. In fact last meeting of this sort he converted the majority who were critical of some things he was doing by simply explaining the agronomy behind the practise.

A highly respected guy and really nice bloke into the bargain. Often of a summers evening I'd bump into him having a few holes himself - just checking this and that - seeing how the course was playing and enjoying himself round the course he was proud of. He'll join up with you and play a few holes with you - explaining what he's doing as you go round. Brilliant - will be sorely missed. Hopefully his #2 has learned a lot from him over his time as #2 now that he is promoted to the #1 spot. Oh yes - he's Scottish and after all those years down here he's back off to Scotland - lucky guy.

 

[Doon frae Troon]

Hopefully his #2 has learned a lot from him over his time as #2 now that he is promoted to the #1 spot. Oh yes - he's Scottish and after all those years down here he's back off to Scotland - lucky guy.

Off to cast his vote then!!

Continuity is vital and it is good that you feel #2 is good enough to carry on.
Difficult job keeping a good #2 happy, the really good ones want to move to become#1.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Off to cast his vote then!!

Continuity is vital and it is good that you feel #2 is good enough to carry on.
Difficult job keeping a good #2 happy, the really good ones want to move to become#1.

Casting his vote might not have been at forefront of his decision - but will he be resident long enough to qualify?

 

[Scooby999]

Not just a subject in our sport, I also play cricket in the and the arguments we have had with pitches being closed called off at 1400hrs then a dry afternoon and the wicket bone dry. And on the flip side playing a pitch that's like a pudding so that the council can get their £42.

i do have a personal view that the winter is a time for the course to recover, and as members we sometimes have to accept decisions that we do not like. I am very lucky and play a links course which drains very quickly but we still do have a our issues with some parts of the course being shortened and some members still moaning even though they are playing 18 holes on full greens.

the whole management set up of courses is to me a far separate argument with committees of esteemed persons made up fro all walks of life giving an opinion, sometimes based only on the fact that they have hit a golf ball around the same course badly for 30 years.

i am with the decision of the "professional expert". In my line of work if I deem something unsafe or a danger to persons or the environment then you are not going on it, the reason will be documented for you to see and challenge (good luck). The expert should return at reasonable intervals to review said decision and if it's good news lets communicate it, ie internet, text, smoke signals however lol. I would hope that this expert advice would be agreed by all off the green staff, pro etc and that the catering staff have copious amounts of bacon butties available for the waiting holders lol

just some thoughts from a newbie x

 

[need_my_wedge]

Happens at a few courses around here - Leighton Buzzard is one and the members aren't impressed by it

:thup:

 

[Doon frae Troon]

Hi Scooby and welcome.

I view shortened winter tees differently from most folk.

If you have a 320 yard par 4, when you play off forward tees in the winter the ball landing area is roughly the same as in summer.
If you played from a winter tee/mat from behind the tee you make the hole more interesting and challenging in the winter and the fairway wear area is rested. Balance that out with shortened tees [50/60 yards] on the longer holes to give the same wear areas a rest. Tees obviously go back to the blocks once a month for the medals.