Open. Closed. Reopened. Open but socially distanced. The status of golf course operations has changed day by day during the COVID-19 pandemic, sometimes hour by hour. All the while, the turf and the weeds continue to grow.
When life returns t o “business as usual,” many types of services will be able to switch on the lights, call their employees in, restock their shelves, and then get back to work. But golf doesn’t operate that way. You cannot walk away from a course and expect to return weeks or months later, get out the mowers and pick up where you left off.
Mindful of the challenges that lie ahead, even the most stoic golf course superintendents could find the adage, “lose your greens, lose your job,” creeping into their thoughts, like goosegrass on a near-perfect bermudagrass green. On the other hand, superintendents and their crews are not your average folks. From gophers to army worms and floods to fires, golf course maintenance staff routinely face challenges that would stop other businesspeople in their tracks.
Essential to getting your turf and your team through these bizarre times is your awareness that the operational status of your course can change abruptly. Whether your course is currently closed or open with safe practices in place, plan your activities as though that status may be reversed by the time you roll out of bed tomorrow.
Although there are no “one size fits all” solutions, this article outlines a few of the steps you and your crew can be taking to make life easier now and your much-anticipated reopening ramp up less stressful.
At most golf facilities, spring is an inopportune time to be dialing back maintenance. In a ‘normal’ year, this is the season when golf courses typically demand a lot of attention. But if you’re operating on staggered shifts, running a skeleton crew or perhaps doing both, you’ve had no choice but to become highly creative in your course maintenance.
The following suggestions will help you reduce your workload as much as realistically possible:
Until now, on-the-job safety has never necessitated that you deal with a highly contagious, potentially life-threatening virus. In addition to the other new health and safety routines you have already implemented, consider adding these steps to your workplace protocols.
If you find that you or your crew has spare time on your hands, here are recommendations for getting value out of those extra hours.
The World Golf Foundation and the We Are Golf Coalition are two of golf’s many dedicated advocates. They, along with other associations, have effected meaningful changes that help regulatory agencies and political decisionmakers understand that golf courses can operate effectively while practicing social distancing. In many cases, your association lobbyists have been directly responsible for informing and inspiring government leaders to walk back a decision to close a course. You are not in this alone. Join with other superintendents and golf industry professionals to ensure that your voice is heard.
Above all else, focus on family, your own, and your crew-family. Pay attention to what is said and what is left unsaid as you tune in to needs within your home and the homes of your crew and others who work at your course. As much as we value it, grass is just grass. People are a natural resource that matters most.
Linda Parker has been writing professionally since the 1980s. With clients in finance, sports, technology, change enablement, resorts and nonprofit global initiatives, Linda helps organizations communicate their stories in meaningful ways to the people they most want to reach. She has authored, ghostwritten or contributed to more than a dozen nonfiction books. Linda is a member of the Authors Guild and the Golf Writers Association of America. You can connect with her at linda@glindacreative.com
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