A frequently underestimated factor in golfer satisfaction is the quality of daily course setup. You don’t want to lose focus on these routine tasks and let standards slip. Winter provides the perfect moment to step back, reassess expectations, and ensure that every detail aligns with the course’s expectations and your maintenance standards. With slower growth, fewer events and increased labor flexibility, the winter months typically offer the breathing room needed to fine-tune every aspect of daily setup.
Hole Location Management
Now is a great time to evaluate hole-location patterns and traffic distribution to see if any areas have been over or underused. This information will help you protect putting green health as growth and recovery slow down through the winter. Reinforcing staff consistency in cup cutting and plug replacement also improves long-term turf quality.
Refining Tee Marker Philosophy
Tee marker placement influences fairness, pace of play, course yardage and the overall condition of the tees. Reconfirm intended yardage ranges, establish alignment guidelines relative to the target, and identify wear patterns on the teeing grounds. A well-defined philosophy for tee placement enhances predictability and reduces excessive wear, which is often concentrated in certain locations on each tee box.
Reestablishing Bunker Presentation Standards
Bunkers remain a common source of golfer complaints, and winter is the best season to recalibrate expectations. Courses should review their preferred raking method, target sand depth and firmness, desired edge definition, and expectations for rake placement. Standardizing these details ensures consistency and hopefully keeps golfers as happy as they can be about winding up in the sand.
Accessory Refurbishment
A winter reset is incomplete without attention to course accessories, which strongly influence perception and presentation of the course. Here are some key items to check off your to-do list:
Restore hazard stakes: Use a planer on plastic stakes to remove fraying and refresh the color. A planer can also help you prepare to repaint wooden stakes.
Recondition tee markers: Deep-clean, sand, repaint or stain each set, apply protective topcoats and rotate wooden markers to extend their lifespan and maintain uniform appearance.
Refurbish tee signs: Repaint posts, polish sign faces, refresh lettering or decals for clarity, reset posts that have shifted, and upgrade hardware for better durability.
Revitalize benches and furnishings: Pressure-wash, repair slats or hinges, recoat wood or metal surfaces, and polish components to remove rust and improve presentation.
Enhance practice facilities: Repaint yardage markers, refurbish bag stands and dividers, and refresh signage to ensure a clean, professional appearance.
Daily course setup remains one of the most controllable elements of the golfer experience. By using winter to refine standards and overhaul accessories, superintendents can deliver a sharper, more-consistent presentation.
Southeast Region Agronomists:
Jordan Booth, Ph.D., senior director, USGA Course Consulting Service – jbooth@usga.org
Chris Hartwiger, director, Agronomy – chartwiger@usga.org
Chris Neff, agronomist – cneff@usga.org
Mitch Leininger, agronomist - mleininger@usga.org