What do you do in the winter?

John making adjustments to
 an irrigation head.

This is one of the more common questions for golf managers in the north.

Well, it's quite simple. There is always something to accomplish. Never a dull moment as I like to say. Of course when the course is open, we are busy cleaning, preparing the course for play, chasing geese and coyote. We also pay attention to tree trimming and needle bed preparation, maybe a small project or two. When we are in dry stretches with weather we run water tanks to keep plants moist and alive.

When the course is covered in snow, our full time staff can focus on training and re-training, ordering materials for the new season, hiring new staff, planning future projects for the golf course and the ditch system. Many hours are spent on preparing course amenities such as directional stakes, trash cans, water coolers, benches, etc.

Even though the irrigation system is winterized, it is important to keep up on the inventory and make sure parts are ready for use for the new year.

The winter months are great times to connect at local and national conferences. There are also many webinars in the industry for other learning opportunities.