It has been four years since superintendent Ryan McCavitt and equipment manager Evan Meldahl arrived in New Orleans for the construction and grow-in of Bayou Oaks at City Park golf course. Ask McCavitt today, and he will say he still feels like he owes his technician for sticking it out.
During construction Meldahl worked in the parking lot first under one tent and then another for a year-and-a-half until construction of the maintenance shop was completed with nothing but a small fan that did little more than blow the sweat around on his brow in the thick and humid New Orleans air.
"It was horrible. He worked under a tarp with lights strung to an electric pole," McCavitt said. "He was there for almost a year, then he moved inside a tent, but still had no lift. I think we had a box fan in there. It was miserable. I sold him a bag of B.S. to get him here, and I thought he was going to bail on me any day. But he never said a word."
The pair came from Illinois where they worked together and where Meldahl was helping care for his mother. Meldahl was hesitant to make the move so far from his family. It was his mother who convinced him that being part of the new Rees Jones design at City Park would be a good career move. She died about a month after he moved.
"I felt horrible about convincing him to come here," McCavitt said. "I took that last month away from him. I feel like I have a responsibility toward him."
Part of satisfying McCavitt's own guilt was nominating Meldahl for the TurfNet Technician of the Year Award, presented by John Deere.
Bayou Oaks at City Park is owned by the city, but managed by the TPC. Located in historic City Park that was smashed by Katrina in 2005, proceeds from the course help support the Bayou Oaks Foundation that supports the surrounding Gentilly neighborhood. As such, the operation has to meet the standards of the Tour as well as local golfers, because without their patronage there is nothing to give to the foundation.
Meldahl's ability in helping keep equipment in top shape is no small role in Bayou Oaks' success.
It was horrible. He worked under a tarp with lights strung to an electric pole. He was there for almost a year, then he moved inside a tent, but still had no lift. I think we had a box fan in there. It was miserable.
"Everybody wants Tour-quality conditions, but we have a daily fee budget," McCavitt said. "The expectation level here is Augusta, and Evan helps us get there.
"Evan is dedicated to the Nth degree to the golf course and what needs to be done. He is very critical of his craft. To say we couldn't do any of this without him is an understatement."
Meldahl also plays a critical role in helping McCavitt meet that daily fee budget each year, and he does so by fixing equipment when possible rather than spending money on parts, and when new parts are necessary, he shops around for the best deal.
"Instead of buying something he'll see if he can fix it with something we have in house," McCavitt said. "He doesn't ask me, he just does it. He knows me; I'm cheap. And if we need a special tool for something, instead of buying something he just makes the tool and makes it work."
McCavitt appreciates having a right-hand man he doesn't have to explain everything to. Someone who just "gets it."
"He's always the first one here and the last one to leave," he said. "If anything needs to be done, he just does it. If we have to sharpen reels, he'll stay at the end of the day and do them all in one day. He's just a great mechanic."