Watch The Video

The wear and tear on the golf course continues to mount as another summer month has come to an end. The Golf Shop has put together a GREAT!!! video that shows the correct way to care for the golf course while your out playing. I would personally like to thank The Director of Golf George Kahrhoff and Assistant Golf Professional Brian Nishi for taking the time to put together this great teaching tool. This goes to show that the Golf Shop and Golf Course Superintendent can work well together.

The View From a Intern

For the last fifteen years we have had a highly successful Internship program here at CCCP. Many of them have moved on to become Assistant and Golf Course Superintendent's at other clubs both in and out of the state of Colorado.

Not too long ago one of my Interns from this year  William Sechrist asked me if he could write a blog post for me.  I was thrilled to hear that he wanted to write one and I am happy to say this will be the first non Sean McCue post in this blog. Enjoy the  perspective from a young man working his way up the ranks that has a bright future in the industry.   

Every day at the County Club at Castle Pines begins the same. The convoy of carts from the maintenance shop makes its way up the cliff to the club house. As I drive up the dark cliff I gaze over to see the rising sun hitting the mountains. I have always imagined how awesome it would be to not only wake up to the sunrise, but also the Rocky Mountains, and this summer has been unforgettable.

A good internship is one where you are communicated with and feel involved. It is important to feel that you can give your opinion and that your ideas, good or bad will be considered. The Country Club at Castle Pines has two interns and the one-on-one time with Sean and his two Assistants has been very valuable.  Other high profile Country Clubs commonly have four or more summer interns and may look good on a resume, but the experience that is gained is far less than it should be.   What has made my internship at CCCP so enjoyable is the variety, each day brings new challenges in which I can learn and grow from. However big or small the golf course is, the work is going to be hard and you have to give your all each and every day. You must expect to work long days with very little time off, but the hard work pays off in the end with the experience gained which will solidify my future in the industry.  

There are two summer interns this year. I am currently enrolled in the Turf Management program at Rutgers University in New Jersey. It is a great program with a lot of intelligent experienced professors whom are all connected to the golf course industry. I am enjoying bringing what I’ve learned in the classroom out to the golf course and applying into real world situations. 

Students come from all over the country to attend Rutgers University and the majority of the internships that are taken remain back east. I came to Colorado looking to experience how differently golf courses are maintained out west in an arid climate.  Combining this with my previous work experience in Kentucky, Ohio and Georgia will help to solidify my agronomic foundation. Believe me when I say there is a BIG difference and there is plenty to learn out here! My experience at CCCP this summer has been everything I hoped it would be and more. I will miss it when I leave in October and if lucky, I’ll be back some day!

Whats In My Cart

Earlier in the year Epic Creative came out to shoot pictures and video on the golf course as a follow up to see how the Bentgrass fairway conversion is doing.  Epic originally came out in 2007 to first document the success we were having with our Bentgrass fairway conversion.

What started out as a photo shoot and interview went horribly wrong when they asked me to show them whats in my cart. As you can see it has a lot of things that are needed on a moments notice on the golf course.  My cart is kind of a mobile office, tool box and trash can all rolled into one.

The video can be found Here enjoy.

The Birth Of A Green

In an earlier post I mentioned a grow in taking place on our North Chipping Green, well the grow in is complete in just 42 days!  We have shifted the maintenance of this green from a grow in to being included in the normal daily maintenance of the other established greens on the golf course. This includes daily mowing, grooming, fertility, irrigation and topdressing. 

You all have heard the old saying it's like watching paint dry or grass grow.  Well now you can actually watch this take place. I documented the grow in process by taking a daily picture of the green to show how things change from day to day.

Enjoy the video.

Does Anybody Care?

Everybody is quick to point out the flaws in the maintenance of the golf course, but it seems as if rules and etiquette don't apply to anyone. With more than 5200 rounds in the month of July, the golf course is getting worn out. You need to do your part while playing to help maintain your golf course and help with the overall member experience

Do your part, fix your ballmarks, replace your divots, rake bunkers and follow all  cart signage and traffic ropes. These seem like things that should go with out saying, but that is not always the case.

I have a staff of hard working men and women that give their all each and every day to make CCCP a better place and it becomes frustrating to them when people seem to take for granted the effort that is put in every day.

Here is what my staff gets to see most mornings on the golf course at first light.  There is a lot of activity taking place on the course after hours of which is not helping anyone out. Practicing on the golf course is prohibited! If you see someone out practicing on the course at night tell them to stop, or if you are not comfortable doing that call the golf shop or even Emergency Services and let them handle it. These people who are out routinely practicing at night are ruining your golf course.

Do your part, it is your golf course after all.

Practicing on the course at night.

Lack Of Respect


Divots taken off greens

Playing catch with dogs on the fairways

Carts

Taking sharp turns

 Running over traffic stakes