The labor shortage that has hindered golf course maintenance and many other service industries over the last two years doesn’t appear to be letting up. There has been a lot of discussion on how to make job openings more attractive to potential employees, but the fact remains that without enough staff, the maintenance program may have to change. While I’m hopeful that everyone finds all the staff members they need for the coming year, it’s also in your best interests to prepare for less than a full team, and to think about what that means for your maintenance plan.

A USGA GPS Service visit shows where golfers are going and, more importantly, where they're not going during their round. This data can help you focus maintenance efforts on the most critical areas while saving time and labor in areas that do not come into play as often. The GPS data is tied to our DEACON™ platform to better help you identify the most critical areas for maintenance or where changes to the course can potentially be made to reduce maintenance requirements without impacting play.

I wish I had an answer to the labor issue facing golf courses, but I don’t. However, I do have solutions to help you get the most from the staff you have, and that starts with identifying where maintenance is needed most. Using staff time efficiently will help your facility achieve its goals of good playability, healthy turf and mindful use of resources.

To learn more about how golfer traffic data from a USGA GPS Service visit can help you better utilize labor and other resources, email us at GreenSection@usga.org.

Northeast Region Agronomists:

Adam Moeller, director, Green Section Education – amoeller@usga.org

Darin Bevard, director, Championship Agronomy – dbevard@usga.org

Elliott L. Dowling, senior consulting agronomist – edowling@usga.org

John Daniels, agronomist – jdaniels@usga.org

Information on the USGA’s Course Consulting Service

Contact the Green Section Staff