I hate to brag, however, my advancement on the Grounds Crew of a Top 100 (public) golf facility has been nothing short of meteoric. Progressing from such tasks as filling divots, collecting debris, rough mowing and cutting cups, I was delighted when I was asked to meet Curtis on our Short Course. When I finally caught up with Curtis, a personable fellow, he was in the throes of mowing the sixth green, sitting on top of a Toro Greensmaster Triaxle 3150, arguably one of the most meaningful responsibilities on any golf course. Curtis was the seasoned instructor, while I was the “wet behind my ears” pupil!
Note: “The Toro Greensmaster 3150 is distinguished for its field-proven performance and exceptional quality of cut. Equipped with patented DPA cutting units for a superior cut and minimal maintenance, convenient controls for easy operation, and ample power to handle any application-it’s no wonder this classic model has been trusted over the years to deliver the performance golf courses demand with a putting surface that exceeds expectations.” -Toro Product Literature
My early lesson was rather rudimentary, walking alongside Curtis and the Greensmaster, as he shared the functions of the mower and the objectives of the task. Curtis’ picture perfect lines and flowing operation were akin to a smooth touch-and-go on an airport runway, making things look rather simplistic. As I came to learn, watching and doing were worlds apart.
The Greensmaster, with three cutting units, is equipped with speed settings that include neutral, mowing speed (turtle designation) and travel speed (rabbit designation), a forward/reverse acceleration foot peddle, a brake/parking brake, a choke lever, a throttle lever and a lever that controls the engagement of the cutting units. The goal is to mow in dead straight lines, while dropping and raising the cutting units in such a manner to avoid the unimaginable faux pas…scalping the collar of the green!
Hoping to act in an observatory capacity for the balance of the day, Curtis enthusiastically suggested that we head to the seventh green, for my maiden voyage. I had mixed emotions, wanting to learn something new, however not wanting to make an absolute mess out of our pristine greens.
Sitting off to the left side of the seventh green, we switched roles as I manned the Greensmaster while Curtis was preparing to walk shotgun. Curtis, an extremely patient instructor, calmly guided me through the various steps as I cautiously maneuvered the mower across the green in a 6 o’clock to 12 o’clock pattern. Lowering the cutting units in a timely manner, mowing in straight lines, raising the cutting units in a timely manner while trying to avoid dumping the mower into a greenside bunker had my sensory receptors on fire! Based upon the speed of my performance, Curtis was anticipating nightfall prior to the completion of the seventh green.
Having finally wrapped up the seventh, I needed to move along to a less cerebral assignment, not before hearing encouraging words from my mentor and a brief discussion relative to our 6:00 am start time the following morning for a nocturnal mowing lesson!
After a sleepless night, I met Curtis at 5:55 am the following morning. We checked the board for the desired mowing direction (which alternates daily between 6 o’clock/12 o’clock, 3 o’clock/9 o’clock, 4 o’clock/10 o’clock, 2 o’clock/8 o’clock), checked the oil level in the Greensmaster, grabbed a dew whip and headed off to the first green. We were responsible for mowing the greens on our nine-hole Short Course and our 2 acre practice putting green.
Even with two headlights, attempting to mow the exact border of the collar, attempting to mow in dead straight lines and attempting to lower and raise the mowing units in a timely manner was way beyond my pay grade. If my performance on day one was deliberate, my performance on the morning of day two was downright painstaking! After completing three greens with my mentor by my side, Curtis bid me ado by saying, “Make me proud!”
I was patient and diligent with my task, not wanting to make any mistakes, wanting to make Curtis proud and hoping my performance would endear me to my supervisors for continued, meaningful assignments. As I moved from green to green, with my confidence soaring and my speed increasing to full acceleration, my demeanor, may I say, was just shy of cocky!
As I was wrapping up the ninth green, after a nearly flawless run, anticipating mowing our iconic 2 acre practice putting green, disaster struck. On my final run across the green with a deep bunker dead ahead, I somehow failed to raise the mowing units, leaving a scalp that would make Custer’s adversaries quite proud!
Well, humble pie came in a heaping portion. I was mortified and extremely disappointed with my performance. I immediately tracked down my supervisor to spill my guts. Dave, a really nice man, suggested the situation was simply a rite of passage, stating, “The good thing is that it is grass and it will grow back, however, please don’t make it a daily occurrence!”
To date, I have not been called into anyone’s office, nor, to the best of my knowledge, has a document landed in my personnel file. I have decided to maintain a very low profile! My star, previously on the rise, is temporarily suspended in the sky.
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The back nine can only get better!
Congratulations on your ascendance to the elite tier of greens-keeping Jim!!!