Many thanks for the effort to positively impact the golf course condition situation. Golf Courses as you know are like snowflakes and golf swings..... they are all different. And need to be maintained that way. Whats good for one is rarely good for all. Treating them all the same will eventually erode some conditions. The PGA Pro's have nothing to do with conditions. When asked they will just tell you some suck. Thats not their purpose. And obviously when they say they suck nothing gets done. So it is a system/infrastructure issue. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to tell you a courses conditions are bad. The system is not promoting taking care of the problem. Something is causing a failure to react, and that is the cure. Change that something and it usually lies within the organizational set-up. Nobody ignores it on purpose.
As I have said in the past, you need more superintendents as your eyes on the ground. When a golfer reaches the golf course they have left most of their brain back at home. They should not be the reviewers of conditions as you will get too many different opinions coming from a childs point of view.
The golf review should come from an agronomy person. That is the first big step.
Just hire 1 qualified superintendent to do nothing but constantly review every golf course and determine playing conditions. His or her brain will be with them.
They will tell you if areas are too wet, too dry, greens bad, bunkers terrible, water system inefficient, poorly cut, etc etc........from an agronomy viewpoint.
That would actually be a pretty good job for someone and the leader whoever that is,
will get first hand info on a constant basis. And those reviews, are what becomes public information, not golfers bitches. This will hi-light if it's a fault with the system or the leader. And lead to change.
One position doesn't seem like a big deal financially, as it will benefit tremendously.
It's time to bring in a Gordon Ramsey. With so many courses, and there are a lot, a daunting task, bring in your own USGA person on a daily basis and not quarterly.
This one job has the ability to constantly monitor conditions before they get out of control. And to fix a system that needs to react sooner than later.
Like the golf swing.......it's just that simple..........
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Originally Posted by BrianL99
The value of complaining on social media has run its course, in my opinion. Besides, I think it's disingenuous to just complain and not offer suggestions or help or whatever. So I went to the source.
That was the refrain I heard from a couple of District Reps at the PWAC. I think the District got the message, but I think it's a much bigger problem than holding one person responsible and firing that person.
It would be much too easy to say, Mitch Leininger has been the Director of Executive Golf for the last 4-5 years, so let's blame him and fire him. Some PWAC members appear to have been suggesting that. I don't think it's that simple. Yes, "the buck stops at his desk", but one man can't manage 40+ Executive Golf Courses, without a support structure, budget and team to help him. I think (& this is just my speculation, I wasn't told this) the majority of Mitch's "team", are the Contractors TV uses ... not his own staff. He's obviously got the PGA Professionals on staff, but they already have their hands full with the day to day operations they're responsible for. Just my opinion, but I don't Mitch is the problem, it's larger than one person.
I think the District has some systemic issues that need to be dealt with. TV and the District's responsibility has grown exponentially over the last 15 years and I'm not sure their infrastructure has kept up with that growth. When I say "infrastructure", I don't just mean people, I mean their way of doing business and contracting. What was a simple and reasonable process 10 years ago, may not be as effective these days.
Just a personal opinion, but I think the District is under-staffed and from what I've seen, the various district commissioners and the advisory boards, create more work than they produce. I'm sure there are exceptions, but many of the Commissioners come to meetings unprepared and are more worried about what time the pickleball courts will open and other minutia, rather than the millions of dollars they are tasked with managing.
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