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On the air
A Missouri superintendent test drives a new radio system
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Whenever Matt Hendren, superintendent at Rockwood Golf Club in Independence, Mo., tried to radio his crew out on the course, he knew there was a good chance all he’d hear back was static.
Rockwood, located just a mile from where the Kansas City Chiefs and Kansas City Royals play their home games, is a course steeped in history. The course has been around since 1946. This is the course where Harry S. Truman was relaxing when he learned of his presidential victory. Rockwood is one of the oldest courses in Kansas City and was at a time one of the premier clubs in the area.
But as Hendren says, Rockwood is now “the forgotten golf club of Kansas City.” Maybe it’s the hidden location or the $25 green fees, but Rockwood doesn’t get the respect it deserves. The truth is that the course’s Poa greens are as nice as many courses that charge four times as much for their green fees. That’s what the two-year GCSAA member wants golfers to know.
The maintenance staff at Rockwood GC is four people large, including Hendren. Don’t expect to see him using a radio to water his fairways or a BlackBerry to send e-mail.
When GCM contacted him for this story, Hendren didn’t have much to contribute. After all, their communication system was a little bit outdated.
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That’s when GCM came up with an idea: Maybe we could have Hendren test out some new equipment for us, and tell us what he thought. Hendren loved the idea, as he saw a way to make his own job more efficient. We put Hendren and Rockwood GC in touch with Kenwood, who delivered the course six hand-held radios for a test run at no cost.
After two weeks with the equipment, we checked in with Hendren to see how it was going.
GCM: What had you been using for communication at Rockwood?
Hendren: We basically had nothing. We bought a set of four walkie talkies at Sam’s Club for $50. They were four years old.
GCM: What did Kenwood bring you?
Hendren: They delivered us six Kenwood TK-3202 radios with a charging unit and earpieces for all six.
GCM: What’s the difference been like?
Hendren: Huge. Our previous radios didn’t reach all over the course, and this is not a huge course — it’s only 90 acres. I’d call one of the guys on the radio, and I might not get an answer. I’d have to jump in a golf car, drive halfway to them, and try again. The Kenwoods have a 5-mile range with eight channels. The sound quality is amazing. And the clubhouse can have a radio, the starter can have a radio, and they can talk to each other on their own channel.
GCM: Any problems with them?
Hendren: The only problem has been that someone else in our area has radios and we’re able to pick them up every once in a while as well. I can hear them but they can’t hear me.
GCM: Is it going to be hard going back to the old radios?
Hendren: We’re not going back to them. I’m going to buy these. The Kenwood rep told me that since we’ve been using these for two weeks, he can’t just take them back and sell them, so he’s going to give me a discount. I don’t know what that is yet, but as long as it’s reasonable we’re going to buy these.
-- DD and SJ
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