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It starts in the shop
Having a first-rate maintenance facility motivates a staff to have a first-rate golf course.
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The crew at Homestead GC in Lakewood, Colo., went from cramming into a 360-square-foot temporary trailer to stretching out in a shop expansion replete with all the creature comforts. Photos by Eric Neuteboom |
We have seen and heard of those within our superintendent ranks who have had to work from less than desirable facilities. Some of us have perhaps worked from a shed or possibly a “barn” (both figuratively and literally). My staff and I operated from a small, temporary trailer for four long years. After making the switch to a new facility, we’ve learned that simple creature comforts go a long way in keeping a staff fired up to do their best work.
The maintenance facility is the first place a crew meets every day. Some crew members may barely see each other at all if not for early morning meetings in the maintenance facility.
If your team seems to need constant motivation, ask yourself: Does the maintenance facility give them a sense of pride? Or is it the kind of place that tells them it’s OK to look the other way when something isn’t perfect?
The temporary trailer
The Homestead Golf Course in Lakewood, Colo., shares the same maintenance facility with Fox Hollow Golf Course. Both courses (Homestead’s 18 holes and Fox Hollow’s 27) are owned and operated by the city of Lakewood, a suburb west of Denver in the Rocky Mountain foothills. Both courses are open to public play. The Homestead course offers a unique design in that it plays to a par of 65 and a maximum length of 5,300 yards.
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With an expanded maintenance facility, the crews at Homestead GC and Fox Hollow GC have more room to get their work accomplished. |
In July 2001 I was promoted from the assistant superintendent position at Fox Hollow to the head superintendent position at Homestead to finish the grow-in of that facility. The course opened for play in June 2002 and sees approximately 40,000 rounds of golf annually. Groups who use the Homestead include juniors, seniors, ladies’ and men’s clubs as well as numerous weekday evening leagues. The course is not without its challenges, and because of this we have a very loyal customer base.
It was not until early 2007 that the Homestead maintenance staff moved into an expanded shop with adequate space. Prior to that, we worked from a temporary trailer for four years.
The trailer was 10 feet wide and 36 feet in length. It had two small office spaces located on each end with a larger room between. Electricity and phone lines were installed to allow for phone/modem service and air conditioning/heat.
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Mark Krick, CGCS (left) stands outside the new maintenance facility expansion with assistant superintendent Chip Kreiling. |
As a whole, we were a comfortable crew, but working from a less-than-desirable setup over an extended period of time can weigh on one’s mind. My assistant, Chip Kreiling, and I shared one of the 100-square-foot office spaces, and our irrigation technician and foreman shared the other. We did have a refrigerator and microwave but no running water, so paper plates and plastic utensils were the norm. For restroom breaks we would use the restrooms in Fox Hollow’s shop, located some 100 feet away.
During our peak season we employ approximately 20 people and had right around that number squeezed into the middle room space on a daily basis to disperse morning assignments. The tight quarters did make us a tight-knit group — practically sitting on top of each other, we had no choice.
Trailer trashed
The front range of the Rockies is prone to extremely high winds. One morning in early spring, the winds really started kicking up, with top wind speeds in the 60 to 70 mph range. Kevin Sjursen, Homestead’s irrigation technician, and I had arrived and were drinking coffee and chatting about the day’s schedule when some of the gusts shook items from our office shelving.
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The maintenance staffs at Homestead and Fox Hollow share a common compound, but have separate break rooms and offices, a designed plan to allow the two teams to bond while maintaining their individual identities. |
We had experienced gusty conditions before but not quite like this. We eyeballed each other and commented jokingly about our situation. A few more items fell as the gusts increased and the whole trailer began to shake and shimmy. Kevin and I scrambled to set things onto the floor from desktops and shelving units. Some of the items we took the time to set on the floor included computers, printers and the priceless microwave.
We exited the trailer and sought refuge in the primary building, where we hunkered down in Fox Hollow’s break room. We had been out of the trailer approximately 20 minutes when a tremendous gust tipped the trailer enough that one side of it lost its under-supports and anchoring. It buckled about 30 degrees. Luckily, no major damage had occurred, and no one was hurt. The trailer rental company was able to reset it the following day.
My immediate supervisor was sympathetic to our trailer troubles and was doing the best he could to muster up the necessary funds to expand the existing facility. But timing is everything, and in this situation, the timing was not good.
Economic factors at the time did not allow for the expanded shop construction to take place as originally planned. First, we were in the midst of a classic supply/demand quandary in the Denver area. Course constructions had peaked at the time, saturating the market. And second, as a result of the numerous courses available, golfer demand had dropped. On top of that, the economy was reeling. Maintaining a positive attitude and being patient were two important factors, both of which ultimately paid off.
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High winds can come off the front range of the nearby Rocky Mountains. These winds were severe enough to once blow Homestead’s temporary maintenance trailer off its foundation. |
Planning the expansion
Spending an extended period of time in the trailer actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise as it allowed both Fox Hollow and Homestead management the time to evaluate what type of shop expansion/design would be most productive and efficient.
The original shop expansion drawings simply entailed a few more office spaces and one large break room from which both staffs would operate. We became aware within a short period of time that such a design would prove less than ideal. We had learned a lot from observing the two respective staffs working from different locations while still being on the same site, and wanted to use what we had learned on these plans.
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(From left to right) Krick with equipment manager Al Williams, support specialist Linda Tecklenburg and Bruce Nelson, CGCS at Fox Hollow and a 28-year GCSAA member. |
We determined the design would require, at a minimum, some type of separation between the two respective staffs. When both courses are fully operational there can be as many as 50 to 60 people coming and going. That many people in one break room setting, as the original plan called for, would have led to pandemonium. When funds did allow for construction, we had assembled a much better floor plan — with significant help from the project’s architect — from which all parties would benefit.
The new expansion has proven very efficient. The primary component of that can be attributed to separate areas with adequate break room and office space all under one roof. It has allowed both maintenance staffs, Homestead and Fox Hollow, to be productive in a team setting yet maintain their respective identities. The addition also allows for dedicated office areas for a receptionist and the equipment manager.
The new expansion included high-speed internet access for all office spaces, an advanced phone/speaker system, a flat screen TV monitor with built-in DVD player, separate locker rooms with showers for men and women (the previous building had only one shower located between the two restrooms) and a full sprinkler system to meet current local fire codes.
It should be mentioned that even though there are two separate courses with 45 holes of golf, each respective staff offers assistance to the other when needed. Furthermore, both the similarities and differences between how the courses are managed allow for a diverse and educational setting. A strong team atmosphere and positive attitude pervade from the top down.
Instilling pride in the crew
The expansion of the original building with another break room and additional offices has greatly enhanced morale. This cannot be overstated. It should also be mentioned how small creature comforts can lift the spirits of your crew. A well thought-out break room with a refrigerator, microwave, dishwasher, kitchenette, coffee and soda machine along with a subscription to the daily newspaper all enhance the workplace and show appreciation toward employees.
We hung large, professionally taken photos of the golf course on the break room walls. The photos illustrate the fine golf course conditions we strive to provide. I believe that seeing these photos every day instills a great sense of pride in the crew. Also, the photos are the first things guests observe upon entering the break room, and they are also impressed, often times stopping to look at the beautiful conditions that our crew has been able to provide to our golfers.
I have given tours of our shop area to the men’s and women’s club boards and regularly hear how impressed those guests are during those tours. Many of these people previously had no idea where our shop was located, let alone what was involved with the upkeep of a golf course. This educational tool makes them much more appreciative of what it is we are trying to do. Those same individuals are much more respectful and courteous toward the maintenance staff on the golf course now that they know more about us.
Having a first-rate facility that is well kept, neatly organized and professional in appearance motivates staff to do the same on the golf course. The majority of the goals the Homestead maintenance team sets are dictated by our mission statement:
To provide superior golf course playing conditions in a service-oriented, rewarding and safe working environment.
That environment, as I indicate to the crew, starts with the facility where we gather on a daily basis. One cannot help but take ownership of the entire facility when it operates in such a manner. As superintendent at Homestead, I am extremely proud of the facility I work from, all of my staff and the product we provide.
Leo Feser Award candidate
This article is eligible for the 2009 Leo Feser Award, presented annually since 1977 to the author of the best superintendent-written article published in GCM during the previous year. Superintendents receive a $300 stipend for articles. Feser Award winners receive an all-expenses-paid trip to the Golf Industry Show, where they are recognized. They also have their names engraved on a plaque permanently displayed at GCSAA headquarters.