"Long rolling fairways, well watered greens and sunset backdrops are just a few elements that make up ones favorite golf course. For most, a golf course is a place to get away from the everyday rigors of life and enjoy time spent with friends and being outdoors. Others may spend a lot of their time in frustration over trying to better their handicap, but both parties at some point while they are on the greens take time out of their game to admire what makes up the course. You notice the pristine greens; well cut fairways and smooth bunkers on television when watching a major tournament, but exactly what all does it take to keep a course looking so good?
Behind every breathtaking golf course is a well dedicated crew that works throughout the day and sometimes into the night battling the elements to better the appearance of the course. When someone talks about mail carriers working through rain, sleet or snow; they should really be referencing golf course crew members. The crew works through hard rains, heavy winds and sometimes scorching heat. A survival kit for a grounds crew member would include: rain suit, protective glasses, change of clothes, gloves, 3 to 4 bottles of water and close to a pint of sunscreen. A normal day involves coming to work early in the morning to get the course set before the first tee times. Jobs vary in difficulty and most are tasks that not even a day to day golfer would recognize. Removing silt, fly mowing, aerifying greens and fairways and operating a turbine are just to name a few. Greens, fairways and tee boxes are usually mowed in the mornings along with raking bunkers. Though keeping greens smooth and well-kept in appearance is usually the main priority, a lot of attention has to be made towards keeping bunkers in good condition. Bunkers are to be raked on a daily basis and must be protected from weeds and overgrown grass. Speaking of grass, the worst enemy for a crew member is just that, grass. Grass grows constantly and always comes back after being trimmed down. Grass is everywhere and has to be mowed, blown and sometimes raked.
After a brief break for lunch, the second half of the work day begins. Tasks may include something as simple as fixing divots and spot weed eating around fans and trees or can be more backbreaking such as digging a hole to fix irrigation. Tasks such as fixing a couple of divots on each hole may not sound too daunting, but one must always factor in weather conditions. Pouring rain and beaming down heat can make as simple of a task as refilling water coolers an uncomfortable experience. Golfers may arrive for their tee times to find greens and fairways as green and well-kept as you could imagine, but only hours before a small wind could have blown leaves and debris all over the course. Small rain showers accompanied by variable winds can add more hours and labor to the work day for the crew. Heavy rains cause debris to run over onto roughs and fairways and can wash out the edges of bunkers.
Keeping up the grounds on a golf course may not seem like the most exciting job one can have, but the crew takes pride in making the course they work on look as good as possible. Very few have what all it takes to deal with the sporadic weather and hard work, but when you can put together a group of determined individuals then golf becomes more like a work of art than just another sport."
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| Cody pictured above on #5. |
