The Grounds Crew

The grounds crew at Annandale Golf Club heads to work in a fleet of lawnmowers and carts, armed with rakes and leaf blowers.

“We just try to achieve consistency,“ Al Osteen, Annandale Superintendent, said.

Osteen says his crew isn’t out to trick the golfers.

“You try to make the course play the same on Sunday as it did on their practice round on Tuesday,“ he said.

And he’s already hearing good things about the course.

“The golf course is in great shape,“ PGA pro Jeff Maggert said.

“I’ve played here a few years and I don’t think I’ve ever seen it look like this,“ PGA golfer Brad Faxon said. “The greens are spectacular.“

Osteen likes it when the golf course looks its best, but there’s more to it than that.

“We want the golf course to be a challenge for them,“ he said.

“There’s a litte bit of rough this week,“ Maggert said. “It’s a little bit penalizing so you need to hit the ball in the fairway and hit good iron shots.“

And unlike last year, it helps when the weather cooperates.

“This is the kinda weather we want,“ he said.