I consider the Men's invite, as do most private clubs, as the one week of the summer where we want to showcase our golf course and therefore schedule maintenance to peak during that weekend. Every detail is attended to prior to the event. Judging by the remarks from the members and their guests, we hit our mark. Despite the wet conditions, the course was in fine shape and a gem the members could be proud of.
I have to thank my staff publicly for their efforts. They performed great leading up to and during the event. Putting extra hours in when needed and tending to every detail. I am very appreciative of the pride they are taking in their duties. Its a good feeling to find two employees edging tee plaques with a scissors without being told - just to give that extra touch. Well done!
With the closing of the Men's Invite, we led right into the Ohio Junior Championship. One of these special events is work in itself, two back to back is even more so. Add in the wet conditions and we had some challenging situations. During the Championship we had multiple rain delays, and many times that the squeegees came out. With the first round being cut short due to storms we had to cram the end of the first round and the entire second round into the day on Wednesday. This required a full shotgun start at 7:30 am to give them enough time to finish the tournament. To prepare the entire course for play by 7:30 meant a 4:30 start time for the crew. Again, thank you guys for your hard work and getting it done.
Those of you who attended the annual meeting may remember that Grounds staff member Wayne Bartchlett was recognized for his 42 years of service. I had made the comment that no one beats Wayne to work, he is here early opening the building and drinking his coffee. I got to work at 3:45 am on Wednesday morning thinking I would beat Wayne there. Well - I didn't, the building was open, lights were on and Wayne was drinking his coffee.
We aren't exactly set up for maintenance in the dark. Tuesday night I took a trip to Lowes and purchased enough flashlights for everyone, including the OGA Officials. Two Officials came in at 4:30 to help us out. When play was suspended on Tuesday, the players had to mark their ball. These markers had to be lifted to allow for mowing and then placed back down. The OGA was very helpful in doing this for us, allowing for the greens to get mowed and rolled.
In the end the event was concluded at 9:00pm on Wednesday. The players, parents and OGA were very appreciative of FCC and everyone's hard work - all departments.
