In a recent post, I shared my decision to work (part-time, a few mornings a week) in the Maintenance Department of World Woods Golf Club in Brooksville, Florida, in addition to my one day a week in the Pro-Shop.
My time to date has been dedicated to filling/leveling divots in our 23-acre driving range and picking up debris (tree branches and limbs), which is an absolutely never ending assignment.
Note: The World Woods Golf Club’s driving range was recently rated as one of the top six “Most Interesting Driving Ranges in Golf” by Eric Matuszewski from Links Magazine. The other five driving ranges are Fairmont Le Manoir Richelieu in Quebec, Canada, Coeur d’Alene Resort in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, Orange County National in Winter Garden, Florida, Cascata Club in Las Vegas, Nevada and Pebble Beach Resorts in Monterey, California. Heady company!
In addition to working outside and working independently, I enjoy the flexibility of my schedule (able to work as much or as little as I like, on the days that suit my schedule), making a tangible contribution, the 6:00 am start time, not having to take an early morning shower, not having to shave and not having to wear long pants…essentially not having to be presentable!
I made it clear from the very start that I was interested in any and all assignments as well as operating any and all equipment beyond Olde Butercup, my company issued shovel and my leveler. To my surprise, two weeks into my employment, I was instructed to hop into a cart and follow one of our mechanics (Robert) to the 2nd Hole on Rolling Oaks, where I was taught to operate one of our two Jacobsen Turfcat 628D 4WD Rotary Mowers (a.k.a. “One Tough Cat”). Our two Turfcat’s are responsible for maintaining/mowing all non-playing, non-forest areas on our 2,100- acre property. The Turfcat’s are active each and every day.
Note: “The Jacobsen Turfcat is a multi-purpose machine that provides superior conditions in a variety of applications. The simple yet powerful design is efficient to operate and easy to maintain. It can mow down thick grass or produce the fine cut stripping effects for sports fields and other applications”. -Jacobsen product literature
After two weeks of manual labor, I was pleased that I was considered worthy enough to operate a valuable resource and further pleased that I would have my butt in a seat for the next six hours. I found Robert a no-nonsense instructor, with absolutely no gray areas relative to our Turfcat’s operations and capabilities. After a half hour of instruction, guidance and more than a few eye rolls, I was left to my own devices with countless mowing opportunities.
Truth be told, it took some getting used to, attempting to determine the appropriate speed for the various conditions, what can and should be mowed over, what absolutely cannot be mowed over (anything beyond a small limb and any and all rocks), understanding the turning radius, feeling the width and height of the machine as I carved my way around and through the densely populated territory between holes. In addition, I quickly learned the value of the reverse pedal, retreating from entering expansive spider webs between trees.
Since my introduction to the Turfcat, I have been routinely assigned to operate one of our two Turfcat’s on a weekly basis. On my Turfcat days, I have numerous consequential decisions to make before and during my shift. It all starts at 5:00 am, deciding if I should have ham or turkey on my sandwich, followed by where I should mow, what I should and what I should not mow over, whether I can fit between two trees without getting stuck (I did manage to get stuck once, feeling momentarily helpless, not wanting to make the walk of shame back to the Maintenance shed, tail between my legs, hat in hand), whether I can fit under various and assorted obstacles and finally, whether an unearthed golf ball is worthy of pausing and dismounting the “Big Cat” and losing valuable productivity!
After my initial haul, I decided that only Titleist Pro-V’s, Titleist AVX’s, Calloway Tru-Soft’s, Bridgestone E6 Soft’s and Taylor Made TP5X’s would warrant such an action, however I have learned that a balls true identity is not always visible from Mission Control. There is nothing worse than throttling down, shutting off the blades, raising the mower deck, locking the parking brake into place and climbing down to discover a Top Flite, Nitro, Snell or a Wilson! I am giving some serious thought to purchasing a collapsible ball retriever to aid in my endeavors. My first day yielded seven stunning treasures!
I am clearly in the infancy of my Grounds Crew journey with so many pieces of equipment yet to be discovered and so many tasks yet to be assigned. I know I need to be patient, I know I need to prove my salt each and every day, I need to continue to show up on time, I need to be respectful of the equipment and I need to keep my nose clean. I am confident he sky is the limit!
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The back nine can only get better!
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