From a Golf Course Superintendent’s Eye

As a golf course superintendent, I have a unique perspective of a golf course which usually means looking down.

But over this past year, I found myself looking up and enjoying the interactions and pleasure that this game brings to so many.  Since golf was one of the only things you could do early in the reopening stages of 2020, we were a fortunate industry to be in.

I guess we’re lucky that golf is a game of social distancing, especially depending on how far you hook or slice it. With people wanting to do something, most turned to golf, rekindling the passion for many and shedding new light on the benefits it offers for one’s wellbeing.

The golf industry as a whole experienced a large uptick in golf rounds. We had weekend warriors become weekday warriors, many new to golf learned and continue to play and the groups that play every morning through the week which normally sneak out five minutes early began sneaking out 15 minutes early (I see you).

It was great to see people coming out, able to breathe fresh air, exercise, and enjoy the company of their fellow patrons, all while enjoying this wonderful game. For a moment people could forget about the craziness of everything else, get a sense of normalcy, and de-stress.

My hope is that more people continue to experience what golf has to offer and the game continues to grow.

If this means that our maintenance team and I are managing more divots, ball marks, and traffic patterns, then it is a welcomed task.

Through 2020 our maintenance team was able to take on some much-needed improvements while accomplishing our cultural practice plans and day-to-day maintenance.

During the shutdown, it allowed us the opportunity to put a drain in on #1 green Cascade. This area plagues us annually with poor health, due to standing water on the green.

We renovated more tee complexes by flattening and enlarging them, allowing a flatter tee stance and more teeing ground.  Our team also began rebuilding aging bunker faces to their original appearance.  We recently added 65 tons of sand to our bunkers on Olympic giving them a much-needed refreshing.

We designed new tee markers for the Cascade, flags, and sticks for both Olympic and Cascade, giving both courses a renewed look. We began replacing aging irrigation heads on the Cascade course with more efficient, newer ones.

One of our bigger feats was the design and renovation of our driving range tee and practice area, adding a 150ft hitting mat allowing golfers to practice all year long.

Here is a look back at some of the accomplishments of our team:

Stay safe and we look forward to seeing you on the course.

Abel Anderson
Golf Course Superintendent