This holiday season as we decorated our tree and reminisced about which ornaments came from where, a brilliant flash of light went through my mind and I thought, ‘what kind or ornaments would a Golf Course Superintendent really like to see on his or her tree?’ Sure there are all sorts of ornaments you can get for golf - little golf carts, golfing santas, little golf bags, all sorts of golf balls of course, teddy bears golfing - the list goes on. But what about the most important part of any golf club - the maintenance department? Aren’t there any ornaments out there for them?
For your convenience I’ve compiled a list of ornaments that ought to be available. Feel free to add your own:
A little piece of 4-inch corrugated perforated drain pipe -- to commemorate all the drainage projects you accomplished this past year (and remind you of the work you need to do next year!)
A shiny, tiny walking greens mower -- to gaze longingly at and wish it could be in your budget for the new year.
A miniature burlap bag of penncross -- yeah I know - getting sentimental here...
A sprinkler body with a little light bulb in it -- every three days the light bulb comes on at 4:30 a.m. for exactly 6 minutes.
A bearded fellow with a scottish cap and ornery disposition -- he’s the marshall you always wanted who finds great joy in yelling at golfers to keep their carts on the path and to replace their divots.
A little pallet shrink-wrapped with tiny fungicide and fertilizer -- it symbolizes the one extra application that you long for in your budget.
We need more ideas! Got any?
HOLIDAY SEARCH
A quick search of Christmas + Golf turned up Christmas Valley Golf Course in Christmas Valley, Oregon. Not a whole lot in the way of maintenance to speak of here as it is part of the Pasture Golf circuit. The site is a little dated, but these people have fun.
There is also a Christmas Lake golf course located in ... wait for it ... Santa Claus, Ind. A picturesque course and no reindeer in sight! Click HERE and check out their Silent Night golf packages.
MERRY CHRISTMAS, KENNY
I would like to congratulate Mr. Kenny Meals on his recent life and career promotion to equipment manager at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, N.J., host of seven U.S. Open Championships, the 2005 PGA Championship, and the return of the PGA Championship in 2016. Club Resort & Business magazine in 2005 featured Baltusrol’s maintenance facility, dubbing it the “Taj Mahal of Maintenance.” Living quarters, a TV suite with sectional sofa, even laundry facilities are all part of the $2.3 million Grounds Administration complex. Not bad Kenny, coming from a facility with nearly zero heat, leaky roof, and isolation from the rest of the facility!
