How turf care decisions are made (or why are carts on the path?)

The green department is responsible for the care and conditioning of the golf course and grounds.  We understand all the factors in play for every decision we make.  From daily mowing and other cultural care, to how will the course play for members each and every day.  We are on the property walking, riding, conferring about the turf 7 days a week, nearly every day of the year.

When a storm or other weather related event occurs, we know the conditions on the ground before, during and after a storm.  We evaluate these conditions multiple times a day, and discuss the impacts.  We base our evaluations on safety to the members and staff, damage to the course, time of the growing season, and effects on play.  We also understand the time and effort it takes to recover from unnecessary damage, the effect on playability, and on the budget.

We know better than most, the members desire to enjoy their rounds of golf using carts.  We do not apply rules to punish those members, or to demonstrate our control of the process.  The one thing we do not factor in is the tee sheet.  These decisions are based on sound management practices.

Over the course of a year, there are approximately 6-8 days that require us to make a judgement call on restricting cart traffic.   My team is constantly conferring about what we see around the course.  We use all available information to determine if conditions will continue to improve or deteriorate.  Our combined 16 years of experience on this course help us base our decisions in the best interest of the club.  In many cases, we feel that one more day of drying conditions will make the course better and safer for all the members in the future.

We know these decisions are not always well understood and certainly not popular, but it is our responsibility to make these decisions in the best interests of all the members.