[BogeyBoy]

Originally Posted by mikeod

OK, let's try it again.
#1 It's all about water. Without adequate water, it's hard to maintain turfgrass in pristine condition. Why are other courses in better condition when the drought covers the same area? Water allocations. Just as the historic side of TV has different water restrictions than the rest of TV, different golf courses have different water allocations. Older courses may have had their allocation computed when water was expected to be more plentiful and therefore have a more adequate supply. Now we are getting some rain, but it will take a while before the courses show the benefits of the water. Jeez, give it some time.

#2. Volume of play. With the population of TV growing, and the fact that the majority of residents play golf, our courses get much more play per day/week/month than most other courses. Couple that with the proliferation of Reasonable Access bands, the courses have far more cart traffic over far more area than other courses. This makes maintenance much more of a challenge.

#3. The championship courses have to be self-sustaining. Don't expect the developer to kick in thousands. And he can't buy water for the courses! But also don't believe he is any happier about this than you. I have been here six years, and the last two winters have been the worst in terms of weather. First we had a severely cold winter followed by a severely dry fall and winter. Those two seasons with all the additional rounds played due to seasonal residents and guests have wreaked havoc on the courses. True, the same weather affected the courses you named, but the sheer volume of rounds here makes it worse.

#4. I have the opportunity to meet with the leaders of golf administration on a quarterly basis regarding the executive courses and I have never felt they presented a "let them eat cake" attitude. Rather, they are passionate about all the courses and monitor maintenance on the courses. In fact, they don't hesitate to fire any maintenance company (Yes, maintenance is contracted out.) that fails to meet standards. And, as I said above, it all comes down to water.

Great post, thanks.