Guidelines to Consider When Golfers and Maintenance Crews Share the Same Turf by ROBERT C

When golfers and crew share the same twf, the maintenance equipment can be modified to provide protection from errant shots. FORE! Guidelines to Consider When Golfers and Maintenance Crews Share the Same Turf by ROBERT C. VAVREK Agronomist, North-Central Region, USGA Green Section IMPLE MATHEMATICS dictate that permitted at fIrst light. Even the traditional Let the golfers off from the front and back as more people play golf, the time once practice of closing the course on Monday at nine at the crack of dawn, then throw in a few Sset aside for uninterrupted maintenance many private clubs has slowly gone by the 7 a.m. shotgun starts for good measure, and of the course will be used for additional tee wayside. perhaps try a few night outings with golf times. At popular, heavily played public Junior golf, corporate outings, and balls that glow in the dark. It is very obvious courses, the only time for maintenance with- Monday afternoon member play are only a why golfers and mowers share the same out golfers is during the early morning, the few of the reasons why the "day of rest" has turf much more now than at any time in the very early morning, because play is often become just another day of business as usual. past. MARCH/APRIL 1995 swing. It's ironic that "fore" is heard only on rare occasions despite the numerous snap hooks and power slices produced on many crowded courses each day. Perhaps the esca- lating fee for a round of public golf or the cost of membership at a private club fosters the attitude that golf should be played without even the slightest annoyance or distrac- tions. Maybe the golfers' desires to emulate their favorite tour pro- fessionals make them believe that the round of golf they see on TV on Sunday afternoon is the same round of golf they are entitled to when they play, every time they play. Some . golfers begin to expect As the popularity of golf increases, the unavoidable distraction of maintenance activities manicured courses, will become a more frequent occurrence. Cog Hill Golf Course, Lemont, Illinois. ultra-fast greens, and several officials who wave "Quiet Please" signs at the slightest Only a few private clubs still enjoy the less likely to spread diseases across the cough or murmur. At this point these golfers luxury of being closed all day on Monday, playing surfaces than dew-laden early seem to have little regard as to where they although many are closed to member play morning mowing operations. hit the ball and who may be in the path. or outings at least until noon. Most private The primary reason for mowing in the The initial session of my first group golf clubs hold back play, at least on weekdays, afternoon at Oakland Hills Country Club, lesson was spent learning course etiquette. to provide ample time for the crew to stay however, is the absence of suitable sites to It was stressed that I was responsible for well ahead of the golfers. Where golfers and spread the clippings that are collected after my golf shot - where it goes and the con- equipment occasionally meet, the employee mowing. They don't have an adequate site sequences of what it hits. If the drive is hit typically is instructed to create as little dis- for composting, and there is a limited rough out of bounds to the left, over the fence and traction as possible - get out of sight and area out of play for clippings or other plant trees and into a car in the parking lot, then I turn the engine off until the members play debris, so the fairways are mowed frequently was responsible for the damage, not the ball. through. This policy is impossible on the and the dry clippings are returned to the When the shot endangers anyone on the majority of daily-fee public courses, except playing surface. Consequently, golfers and course, we were instructed to shout "fore" perhaps at the most elite resorts. mowers meet almost every afternoon at as a warning. Various factors and situations at a number Oakland Hills and on an increasing number Just how responsible a person is for the of courses also dictate maintenance prac- of other courses. damage or injury a golf ball causes is a legal tices that interfere with play. Oakland Hills issue and beyond the scope of this article. In Country Club, the site of many u.s. Open Not A Clue today's litigious society, where convicted Championships, is a good example of an The unfortunate reality is that many new felons in prison sue the arresting officer for unusual problem. Fairways are mowed four golfers don't have even the slightest knowl- interfering with their armed robbery attempt, to six times a week during the afternoon edge about course etiquette, and many hearing of a golfer suing the driver of a despite the heavy play at this very popular experienced golfers have chosen to forget. moving vehicle for stealing a ball after it is course. Granted, there are several reasons Allowing faster golfers to play through, hit through the windshield might not be all why afternoon mowing is advantageous. being ready to hit when it's your turn, that surprising! The bottom line is that re- Mowers produce a cleaner, more uniform repairing ball marks, and keeping carts a gardless of the golfer's attitude, a consider- quality of cut on dry fairways compared to proper distance from greens and tees are able amount of course maintenance is being wet fairways. Furthermore, the smashing and but a few examples of procedures that have done when golfers are present. Let's assume smearing of earthworm castings are much no meaning to many neophyte golfers. Ask that under normal circumstances the golfer less of a concern when the fairways are cut a non-golfer to mimic a golfer on the tee, is responsible for his ball, and now let's after the turf and the castings have dried. It and many will make a few wild and crazy discuss ways to make the golf course a safer could even be argued that dry mowing is gyrations and then yell "fore!" as they place for everyone. 2 USGA GREEN SECTION RECORD The Solutions nearby golfers because they feel less threat- example, many courses utilize the roll-over ened? If the use of hardhats makes the crew protection available on some models of The most obvious, but most difficult to and the golfers more careless, then they may lightweight fairway mowers as a base for achieve, solution is to complete as much not provide the desired level of protection. netting, plexiglass shielding, or hardware maintenance as possible before the golfers Conveying the limitations of head protection cloth barriers to enclose and protect the tee off Sometimes the layout of the course to all parties will depend on the communi- operator. The climate generally dictates what provides the crew enough time to stay well cation skills of the golf professional and degree of protection is safe and acceptable to ahead of the golfers except during the shot- superintendent. the employee; for example, a plexiglass en- gun-start events or when golfers are allowed The use of highly visible shirts can be closure is not practical when afternoon mow- to tee off on the first and 10th holes. another effective, but more passive, form of ing is done during hot, humid weather. Attempts to spray, mow, or perform other Guidelines maintenance tasks dur- for the Golfers ing the night or before "Fore" is the univer- dawn have achieved sal signal used to warn only marginal success golfers of an imminent at very few courses. or errant shot. Unfor- The risk of injury to the tunately, many golfers employee and to the signal too late or not at turf is high, even when all. Some simply have equipment with head- never been instructed lights is provided. in the basics of golf Observing the spray course etiquette. Golf- pattern and the mowers are never too young ing pattern, or detect- or too old to learn ing hydraulic fluid proper etiquette. An leaks and many other interesting observation potential problems, are made at many courses almost impossible to is that an increasing achieve at night. Fur- number of employees thermore, almost all are being hit and in- courses irrigate at jured by golf balls dur- night, a practice that ing junior golf days. also interferes with The young beginners most other mainte- have a limited ability nance programs. to control where the An increasing num- ball is hit and often hit ber of courses are re- away without warning quiring the mainte- when the crew is work- nance crew to wear ing nearby. Although hardhats. There is no the golf professional is denying that a hardhat usually responsible for can minimize the the junior golf pro- potential for serious gram, a number of head injury from a golf courses encourage the ball, especially when superintendent to talk the employee is facing A well-placed sign informs golfers that the crew has the "right of way" when theflagstick is to the participants away from play. Many out of the hole. Bonnie Brook Golf Course, Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. regarding safety on golf course owners be- the course, replacing lieve the use of protec- divots, repairing ball tive hardhats reduces marks, etc. Junior golf the liability associated is an important and with on-the-job injuries and that their protection for the employees. Most golfers very popular program at many courses, a policy indicates an effort to address safety have little trouble seeing an employee riding program that provides a unique opportunity concerns.

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