A Challenging Start to Spring - A Members Perspective

We are all becoming just a little frustrated with the ongoing weather delays that have continued to prevent the course from opening for the season.  As a member of the Priddis Greens Golf & Country Club and a member of the Turf Care team it has become doubly frustrating for me.  This is my 23rd year as member and resident at Priddis Greens and is also my second year as a member of the Turf Care team, so I thought I would provide a brief behind the scenes view of the Turf Care Department from a club members’ perspective.

For many of you with the only golf in your life being that which you can watch on TV, rest assured the Turf Care team is very hard at work everyday preparing for that eventual Opening Day at Priddis.  Although the snow cover limits some of things that need to be done on the courses, there are literally hundreds, if not thousands of other chores to be done.  We are frantically attempting to get these jobs finished, so that when we can get out on the course to remove tarps from the greens and prepare the greens, tees and bunkers for play, these other tasks will have been completed so the courses can be setup and ready to go.

Besides all the work being done with the Tree Management program that has already been talked about in previous blogs, there are lots of golf course accessories and equipment that needs to be attended to.  Some of which include the repainting of hundreds of out of bounds & water hazard markers, checking and assembling hundreds of bunker rakes, cleaning over 100 on course garbage/recycle containers, cleaning all ball washers and adding new towels, assembling hole signs and other on-course signage all of which have to be installed on the course before we can open.  The maintenance shop has been busy servicing the 100 club owned golf carts (plus resident carts), utility carts and trailers.  There are also large fairway mowers, rough mowers, tee mowers, greens mowers and hand mowers that need to be cleaned, serviced and blades sharpened and ready to be put into service.  (This same equipment service has to be performed on a daily basis throughout the golf season.)

The Turf Care Department takes great pride in everything they do to provide the members with the best golf experience they possibly can.  Many things that they do everyday may not even be noticed or are just taken for granted because they are always done. (which is actually our goal.)  So, next time you are out on the course take a look at how carefully the fairways and greens are mowed with nice straight cut lines that add to the beauty of our golf course.   Notice the care taken in raking bunkers for better playability and how all this daily and on going work gets done with as little interference as possible between golfers and the Turf Care teams.

As a club and Turf Care team member, I have learned and come to appreciate even more, just how much work is required to make Priddis Greens such a beautifully fantastic golf course.   I encourage all members to keep talking to friends and co-workers about the value of becoming a member of Priddis Greens so they too can enjoy everything we have here.  You after all, are the best ambassadors of our club and your continued support will help us to improve and grow.

                                                                                                                                              

                                                                                                                                                 -  Dave Harron

                                                                                                 Priddis Greens Member (Past President)