Tip Of The Hat To Supers Early In The Season

The season is beginning here at Coppinwood, where we’ve been enjoying glorious weather as part of an early spring here in Southern Ontario.

Because this is the first full year for Coppinwood under new ownership, I really want the course to be great right out of the gate.

It was tempting to open early, but this year, we had some little things to do around the golf course. If we’d opened a week earlier, the course would have been great, but it’s that much greater now because we waited.

This year, especially, I wanted to make sure that when the members walk in for the first time, they know it’s a new year and they can feel it at Coppinwood.

In years to come, I might be a little more tempted to push the envelope. You’ve got to listen to the customers. They love your golf course and they want it to open and I know public courses that opened early this year and they’ve been very busy.

Our members are mostly understanding and the groundskeeper has a lot to say in the decision. You could open early, but if the course isn’t quite ready, then there’s no rush.

You do have to open in due time, but our 2010 opening is the same as it’s ever been. The members understand because they know the golf course will be in good shape.

This time of year is full of surprises for superintendents and greenskeepers. You walk in on April 1 or take the tarps off in March and there might be a lot of ice damage.

They face a no-win situation at this time of year. If you’re in good shape on April 15, your members and guests might say, `Well, I expect it to be in good shape.’ If it’s in bad shape, you’re battling Mother Nature and Mother Nature always wins, even if members are waiting.

The difference is that in July and August, you can turn problems around, but it’s a particularly tough profession in March and April when golfers want to see the course open – and in great shape.

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