When it comes to top-of-mind issues for superintendents, employee safety always seems to be the first item on the list. For so many, the past eight months have heightened concerns about the health and well being of members of the team.
Since the advent of the pandemic, Matthew Wharton, CGCS, and his team have been crazy busy at Carolina Golf Club in Charlotte. And although they have their hands full with trying to maintain a golf course while under the pressure of record rounds played, that's nothing compared with the stress of trying to keep members of his crew healthy.
"Being responsible for people's livelihood is one thing," Wharton said. "Being responsible for their life is a different animal."
Golf has been different on many levels for Wharton and just about every superintendent across the country. Among the biggest challenges has been managing turf under stress caused by what for many has been record rounds played.
Through September, Carolina Golf Club was just 500 rounds shy of its total for all of 2019, and that is with no outings and guest play suspended.
"Golf never closed in North Carolina, so we have been smashing records since April," Wharton said. "We managed to do this with what at times felt like more than one hand tied behind our backs, because we were constantly short-staffed despite making seven new hires - all of whom quit within weeks, or a few months. Also, in the earliest stages of the pandemic, member expectations were still high. They did not temper their expectations until some time passed and they began to realize they were fortunate to be playing when many people in other parts of the country and around the world were not permitted to do so."
Wharton is, by no means, alone in battling through a host of issues through the pandemic, not the least of which is the recent news of his wife, Darless, being diagnosed with breast cancer, a personal test that dwarfs anything related to hitting a ball with a stick and tending the grass on which it is done.
Chase Best faced his own health issues during the early stages of the pandemic, undergoing a kidney transplant in April. His body and the new kidney are getting along fine and Best was quickly on the mend, just in time to return to a packed golf course at Lucas Oil Golf Course in English, Indiana. To squeeze in luxuries - like fungicide sprays - he has had to adjust his crew's schedule to work around play.
"Tee sheets have been booked solid," Best said. "Management has wanted to get in every golfer possible, so we've actually lost production time with that. Adjusting our spray schedule, not having the amount of time we normally would to get our sprays out due to a decrease of blocked times has made us adjust. We've had to come in earlier to get our products applied so that we can still comply with re-entry rules. Another big change and challenge we had to figure out was mowing scheduling. With more play on the course, we've had to learn to avoid golfers if we can, but also be more informative at the pro shop, so they could let golfers know we have machinery on the course and avoiding them might not be like it used to be."
The crowded tee shirt hasn't meant just moving start times of some practices, it has meant canceling some, at least temporarily.
"A big challenge for me personally has been cultural practices such as top dressing, verticutting and monthly venting of greens," Best said. "We had to forego our weekly topdressing in favor of trying to get one in monthly. Same goes for verticutting. These were practices that we just had to fit in where we could. Same for the monthly venting. To offset this, we raised the height of cut of our putting greens and found a good medium of alternating rolling and mowing to provide consistency to the greens and keeping stress scattered."
It is a similar situation at Terrace Park Country Club in Milford, Ohio, where superintendent Scott LesChander can barely get on the golf course that was recently renovated by architect Andy Staples.
"Quite honestly, our biggest challenge has been trying to make sure we get everything done that needs to be done around the increased play," LesChander said. "It has been a blessing and a curse. Keeping up with cultural practices has been difficult as normally we can get out ahead of the rounds, or squeeze in between, but lately there has been very little room to work."
The pandemic has been tough on Best's crew, and he has tried to make the golf course more than just a work. He's tried to make it a place of escape during what is a difficult time for everyone.
"One thing that I really wanted to do for my staff was to make the workplace a release from what was going on in the world," Best said. "I wanted them to know that the focus was here on the course, wanted it family oriented and really let them know how lucky we are to have jobs that are outside that golf as a sport and maintenance wise was pretty good at already socially distancing. The company I work for, Lucas Oil Golf Course and Lucas Oil Products, is already a family oriented environment. They do anything they can to make.sure our employees continue to work so they can receive benefits and pay for their families."
Wharton echoed similar sentiments about his team at Carolina and how they have met and overcome countless challenges since March.
"I am amazed at the resilience of my team," Wharton said, "and am immensely proud of their perseverance and achievement this year as I believe the golf course to be in fine condition, albeit the stress of increased traffic is noticeable to the trained eye."
