Although I can't say for everyone that this year flew by, I feel like I don't recollect anything from this summer. Maybe it was due to the feeling of never being done with anything; maybe it was due to the fact that we were still moving snow off Wildflower's greens May 1st. Looking back on the year, I am so glad I keep a daily log book of what went on every day.
One of the biggest advantages that I personally think every superintendent should do is keep a very detailed daily journal of happenings on the course and weather. Now, I'm sure the majority of superintendents do this is some form, but I also think it's a great learning device for assistant superintendents out of college. I was introduced to this by my former superintendent Rex Saddoris at Lake Powell National. My first day, Rex handed me a 5-subject notebook and told me I had to keep track of everything that we do during the day. When he told me this I really wanted to say no, and that it would take up way too much of my time trying to remember and write out everything that we did. Looking back on it, it was maybe the most beneficial task I was assigned my entire career. Being able to look back and see what was happening on the course from year to year is invaluable and provides the superintendent with historical data (albeit not quantitative) but nonetheless extremely important. Learning from your mistakes is a whole lot easier when you have them written down and you can flip back to the exact date when you made the mistake and think it through given the outcome. I can't stress enough how valuable being able to look back in time and see what worked and what didn't. History doesn't repeat itself, and every situation is different, but being able to relate past experiences to the task at hand will make the outcome lean more in your favor.
Some superintendents I know in these parts absolutely LOVE when their course closes and the off-season begins. I, on the other hand dread the lull in activity. Don't take it the wrong way, I do love spending time away from work with my family! Being that I have experienced both 12 months a year golf course work and 6 months a year golf course work, I would have to admit that I would rather be out on a course every month of the year. There are only so many times you can clean and re-arrange the shop, and I think I found out that I've hit that number. While the parts room is a task that would take an army a month to organize, I think I have the shop ready for the work to begin in the spring. There are a few daunting tasks that loom before the season swings into motion, but with the drop in temperature comes a "less hurried" feel around the shop. When you know that you don't need to have that piece of equipment out the door that morning, I can take some much needed time to clean and service every inch of the mowers.
Working on equipment, getting it ready for the next year is my next huge task. We currently have 5 greens and tee box mowers, 3 fairway mowers, a large area rough mower, a few small area rough mowers, and a lot of misc. grounds care equipment that all needs a little TLC after a year with no full-time mechanic. The time involved in servicing equipment keeps a mechanic happily busy 40+ hours a week all season long. The time involved in servicing equipment keeps a superintendent/mechanic stressful busy for 60+ hours a week... We employed the help of a part-time mechanic this summer, and I know there is no way we would have made it through the summer without him. My goal is to get all our equipment serviced by the end of February which gives me 11 weeks... Just counting the major machines, that comes out to 1 piece of major equipment every week... Not too bad eh?
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