Tournament Preparation Time

What's easier for a course to host, a US Open or a PGA Championship?  Well, this is something of a trick question, as hosting any major championship takes many years of planning and preparation, and could never be considered easy in any way.

However, there is one advantage that the grounds crew and dozens of volunteers have at a US Open when compared to a PGA Championship:  Daylight.  If you look at the hours of daylight we have to work with, you'll find that there is over 1 1/2 additional hours of light in the third week of June than in the second week of August.

Three hand mowers cutting #9 green and collar, pre-dawn.

While we're not hosting a major at Laurel Creek, we too face "lack of light" challenges in preparing the golf course for certain events.  In June, we can easily see at 5:00 in the morning.  By the time we get to September it's a very different story, where even a much later 6:00 start for the crew, will require the use of lights.

This time of year, when play starts from the first tee only, or even off #1 and #10, we can usually stay ahead of play without any issues.  But for an event with a shotgun start, such as the Member-Member, it just wouldn't be possible to have all areas of the course cut and blown by 8:15 AM.  So, on these occasions, the grounds crew will work a split shift, cutting the tees and fairways in the evening, and then focusing on greens and bunkers the next morning, prior to play.

We're fortunate to have a group of dedicated, hard-working individuals who will do whatever it takes to get the course in great shape for our members.