A Look At Our Operation

A couple of weeks ago we shot a video that is being done for the club's website that shows my staff in action as well as explaining our current green renovation project.

This video gives great information about our operation in addition to explaining the detailed steps involved in the renovation process of the putting green. These steps are explained and also insight is given as to why we are trying to eliminate Poa Annua from our greens. 

 The company that is doing our video production is called Oswego Creative and they do great work check them out Here

A Different Look

While playing golf this spring you may have noticed a different look to the mowing pattens on the fairways. We have been mowing in a light and dark pattern which is more commonly used on golf courses with classical architectural design.

The main reason we are mowing in this manor is due to a reduction in labor. We were asked to reduce expenses in the 2010 budget and the easiest way to do that is with labor. We will not be at full staff until June and until then we have to get by with a smaller than normal staff. This has forced us to change some of the ways and frequencies of how we maintain the golf course.

The quality of what we do is in no way being reduced but some of the aesthetics will not be as they are under normal staffing. The classical mowing patterns allow us to only use two operators to mow the fairways with larger equipment as compared to smaller lightweight mowing which requires seven people to do the same job. Once we reach full staff we will be converting back to the look that you all have become accustom to seeing.


Classical Mowing Patterns On Hole #8

Classical Mowing Patterns On Hole #9

Typical CCCP Mowing Patterns On Hole #18

The A Team

The unsung heroes of the Country Club at Castle Pines. My staff out did themselves once again last week in preparation for the Cliffhanger. A week ago Monday all things were on schedule with final preparations for the upcoming tournament, when a curve ball was thrown our way.

All of the bunkers were washed out and my staff gave their heart and soul to making sure things were all back together before the first day of play in the tournament. It ended up taking nearly two long days of pumping,shoveling and removing contaminated sand from the bunkers.

At the end of the day most of our members will never know how much effort was made by my staff to put the golf course back together. I am truly proud to say that I have 28 of the finest men and women that consistently go above the call of duty to make CCCP the best it can be.

Scaling Back

As the golfing season comes to an end, so too will my seasonal staff. The final six seasonal staff members last day will be this coming Friday.

With the warmer than normal weather we have been experiencing, things on the course are still growing and require maintenance. With a reduced staff, frequencies of maintenance procedures will be cut back. The quality of the maintenance will not change from what is normal, just the number of times per week each is performed.

We will now be mowing greens only four days a week, tees, collars and fairways twice a week. As we progress further in to the fall daily frost will eventually shut down the growth of the turf, which will lead to even more of a reduced mowing schedule.

Training Day

Today we had to train five of our newest staff members how to use mowing equipment. It is a difficult process due to the push for time in the morning from early play. As with anything new, it takes longer to accomplish tasks until you become comfortable with it and learn the tricks of the trade. The guys started off extremely slow, but as the morning progressed they became more comfortable with the operation of the equipment. Their lines are not the straightest at this point, but just getting it mowed right now is all that matters. The straightness of the lines will come as each of these young men will have lots of practice as the summer progresses.

Rookie Mowing Tees Getting Better