They take their grass so seriously at Muirfield Village Golf Club that the guys who mow it are visited by a motivational speaker.
It's a pre-dawn pep talk for people who need a lot of pep. To prepare for the Memorial Tournament, the grounds crew of about 40 works 12- to 16-hour days, cutting, grooming, brushing, rolling and conditioning grass.
Miss America's hair doesn't get this much attention.
On a recent morning just before the tournament arrived, the day started with instructions from golf course superintendent Paul B. Latshaw: Everyone must wear tan pants and Muirfield hats during the tournament. Step up the divot repair.
The water-wick areas (golf course jargon for drainage sites) need work.
Then, it was time for the man who calls himself Mr. Happy.
He's Phil Sorentino, founder of Humor Consultants, a Columbus speakers firm that advises clients on maintaining enjoyable workplaces. On this day, the energetic Sorentino was the only person in the room who appeared not to have noticed that it was 6 a.m.
"When life gives you tough times, that's an opportunity to get better," he told the crew.
Manage your time, he said. Don't procrastinate. Set goals. Do your best. You don't have to be perfect. (Jack Nicklaus might quibble there.)
The crew was mostly quiet until Sorentino, discussing stress relief, produced a teddy bear, which he first hugged, then ripped limb from Velcroed limb. The crew seemed to enjoy that.
"They walk out with a smile on their face whether they admit it or not," said Chris Miller, a Gahanna substitute teacher and middle-school football coach who joins the Muirfield grounds crew each spring and has heard Sorentino's speech four times.
Miller's workday can stretch from 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.
"It's good money. The overtime is what makes it."
Starting pay for a Muirfield grounds-crew member is comparable to the industry standard -- $7.75 to $8.50 an hour. The paid workers are supplemented by about a dozen volunteers who come from other golf courses to help and learn.
Everyone eats well. During the tournament, the crew is fed three meals a day. Lunch on a recent day included sandwiches, wraps, cheesecake and tacos. Mexican entrees are common because about a third of the crew is Latino.
Between meals, the day is a whirlwind of mowing and fertilizing under the gaze of PGA officials, who measure turf in the hundredths of an inch. Grass does not especially appreciate the manic grooming.
"The worst thing you can do to grass is mow it," Latshaw said. "We're going to mow it two to three times a day."
Then there's the weather, which is always creating havoc. One downpour washed out a bunker on No. 11 a few days before the tournament. Another one, as tournament week began, eroded stream banks, necessitating quick repairs with clay and sod.
"Something new every day," said assistant superintendent Jake Gargasz, who better be motivated whether there's a motivational speaker or not: His day can start at 3:30 a.m.
"I wouldn't work the hours if I didn't like it," he said.
It's a pre-dawn pep talk for people who need a lot of pep. To prepare for the Memorial Tournament, the grounds crew of about 40 works 12- to 16-hour days, cutting, grooming, brushing, rolling and conditioning grass.
Miss America's hair doesn't get this much attention.
On a recent morning just before the tournament arrived, the day started with instructions from golf course superintendent Paul B. Latshaw: Everyone must wear tan pants and Muirfield hats during the tournament. Step up the divot repair.
The water-wick areas (golf course jargon for drainage sites) need work.
Then, it was time for the man who calls himself Mr. Happy.
He's Phil Sorentino, founder of Humor Consultants, a Columbus speakers firm that advises clients on maintaining enjoyable workplaces. On this day, the energetic Sorentino was the only person in the room who appeared not to have noticed that it was 6 a.m.
"When life gives you tough times, that's an opportunity to get better," he told the crew.
Manage your time, he said. Don't procrastinate. Set goals. Do your best. You don't have to be perfect. (Jack Nicklaus might quibble there.)
The crew was mostly quiet until Sorentino, discussing stress relief, produced a teddy bear, which he first hugged, then ripped limb from Velcroed limb. The crew seemed to enjoy that.
"They walk out with a smile on their face whether they admit it or not," said Chris Miller, a Gahanna substitute teacher and middle-school football coach who joins the Muirfield grounds crew each spring and has heard Sorentino's speech four times.
Miller's workday can stretch from 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.
"It's good money. The overtime is what makes it."
Starting pay for a Muirfield grounds-crew member is comparable to the industry standard -- $7.75 to $8.50 an hour. The paid workers are supplemented by about a dozen volunteers who come from other golf courses to help and learn.
Everyone eats well. During the tournament, the crew is fed three meals a day. Lunch on a recent day included sandwiches, wraps, cheesecake and tacos. Mexican entrees are common because about a third of the crew is Latino.
Between meals, the day is a whirlwind of mowing and fertilizing under the gaze of PGA officials, who measure turf in the hundredths of an inch. Grass does not especially appreciate the manic grooming.
"The worst thing you can do to grass is mow it," Latshaw said. "We're going to mow it two to three times a day."
Then there's the weather, which is always creating havoc. One downpour washed out a bunker on No. 11 a few days before the tournament. Another one, as tournament week began, eroded stream banks, necessitating quick repairs with clay and sod.
"Something new every day," said assistant superintendent Jake Gargasz, who better be motivated whether there's a motivational speaker or not: His day can start at 3:30 a.m.
"I wouldn't work the hours if I didn't like it," he said.
