Thank you for the compliments, I'm just trying to help and be a positive influence, rather than a complainer. As I said a few post ago, I think the District got the message and complaining on social media has run its course. The people in control, know folks are unhappy. Now it's an issue of coming up with a plan, going forward.
I made a number of specific suggestions, but I can condense them into a couple of paragraphs.
I think we need what's known as an IGMCP (Integrated Golf Course Management Plan). I have one we created from scratch for a project, in cooperation with Rees Jones, 20 years ago. It costs us about $300,000, back when money was worth something. They've become reasonably prolific these days, so there's no need to create one from scratch any more. Every major golf management company has one or something similar.
A IGCMP lays out all the construction, maintenance and operational requirements of a SPECIFIC golf course, given its localized needs and micro-climate. An IGCMP is created in consultation with an architect, agronomist, superintendent, engineers, landscape/arborists, golf professionals, environmental scientists, etc.. It specifies how a course is to be maintained, what products are to be used under what circumstances and identifies goals (the level of playing conditions desired). It also contains objective criteria to be used to evaluate the current "health" of a golf course and a long range plan to insure sustainability. It's a living document, that needs to be constantly updated.
In the case of TV, one Master IGCMP, would be a good start. Each individual golf course would have it's own addendum, that applies specifically to that course, based on its construction, soils, micro-climate and history. We have a 20+ year history with most of these courses. We should know if the "green on the 4th hole of a specific golf course", always has a problem in July, because of lack of air flow (or whatever it might be).
We need to divvy up responsibility. As Rich mentioned, one man can't be at 40+ golf courses every day. We need to know what's going on at every golf course, every week ... and adjust maintenance in response to the "on the ground reality".
We need to hold contractor's responsible, for producing the playing conditions that we expect and pay for.
Managing the maintenance of a golf course is mostly subjective, not objective. In other words, you can apply all the fertilizer you want and aerate every week, but if it doesn't produce quality playing conditions, you've wasted your money. We should be paying for "results", not "tasks".
We should constantly monitor "customer satisfaction" I've suggested we use the Online Tee System to do that, by adding a CSI component when you book your next tee time.
I think we need to reward contractors who do a particularly good job and replace the contractors who don't.
We also have to consider the #1 concern of golf courses around the world. Intensive golf cart use and players' lack of care and consideration for the golfers that come behind them.
Only my opinion, your mileage may vary.
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