During most rounds, golfers are likely to cross paths with the maintenance team. Sometimes this can be frustrating, like if a member of the staff is using a noisy machine within earshot of your group, or if you have to wait a minute for staff to clear a green before hitting. Golfers often suggest that maintenance should be done and “out of the way” in the morning, or that maintenance crews should work backward from the 18th hole in the afternoon so they only encounter each group once. While maintenance teams do take steps to avoid play, there’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes in golf course maintenance and there are good reasons why you will probably see the crew in action during a round.
Golf course maintenance is far more complicated than just mowing the grass and turning on the sprinklers at night. Some of the routine tasks that course maintenance teams complete include:
- Mowing and/or rolling the greens as often as daily
- Mowing tees, fairways and roughs multiple times per week depending on the season
- Raking and edging bunkers
- Spraying to control pests
- Daytime watering with hoses and sprinklers
- Divot repair on tees and fairways
- Ball mark repair on greens
- Setting up the tee markers in different locations daily
- Changing hole locations as often as daily
- Cleaning course accessories like ball washers, benches and signs
- Edging the turf along cart paths
- Debris cleanup
When does the majority of this work get done? Golf course maintenance begins early, sometimes in the dark. While you may have a 7 a.m. tee time, the golf course maintenance team has likely been at work long before you’re ready to tee off! Some tasks – like mowing greens and changing holes – are usually completed before play, but other jobs like fairway or rough mowing may continue throughout the day, especially if the maintenance team is short-staffed. As the course fills up with golfers, it becomes almost impossible to avoid working around and near play.
While the majority of work is completed in the morning, much remains to be done in the afternoon. As the course dries out during the day, the maintenance team often must respond by running sprinklers or hand watering certain areas to maintain healthy turf. It is impossible to address all the dry areas in the morning, and some develop during the day. Unexpected issues will also pop up and need to be dealt with – like a broken irrigation line or a fallen tree that needs to be cut up and removed from the course.
While it may be frustrating for golfers at times, performing maintenance throughout the day is essential to produce great playing conditions. Try to be patient when you encounter staff and give them space to work safely. The maintenance team doesn’t want to hold you up; they want to get a task done and get out of your way! During your next round, take a few minutes to appreciate all the hard work that goes on behind the scenes and sometimes right in front of you – all to provide a great playing experience.