The Country Club of Virginia course-and-grounds team is always a go-to source for useful concepts that range from groundbreaking to “duh, why didn’t we think of that.”
A relentless drive for innovation and continuous improvement has long been engrained in the operating culture of The Country Club of Virginia (CCV), Richmond, Va. Each year, a rich harvest of new concepts and solutions produced by this constant push for progress is on display at the Club Managers Association of America’s annual Idea Fair, with a bounty of submissions from CCV populating every category. These range from new inspirations for member events and services, to new techniques for effectively motivating and training staff, to practical and simple answers for overcoming impediments that stand in the way of peak performance and operating efficiency.
Many of the ideas that the CCV staff presents each year center around how to get the most out of all that a club property has to offer to its members—and how those in charge of maintaining golf courses and other parts of the grounds can best go about keeping all parts of that property in prime condition while carrying out their duties for its care most effectively. With two golf courses and over 1,100 acres on two well-established campuses that must be cultivated and maintained for the club’s nearly 7,500 members, the CCV course-and-grounds team is always a go-to source for useful concepts that range from groundbreaking to “duh, why didn’t we think of that.” Here are summaries of the latest batch of grounds-maintenance tips and thoughts from the CCV team:
THE GOAL: Conceive and implement useful concepts for helping the members of The Country Club of Virginia get the most out of the club’s property—and for the club’s course-and-grounds staff to carry out their duties for its care efficiently and effectively. |
• Irrigation Controller Document Holder—By installing document holders inside irrigation field controllers, CCV’s irrigation techs and grounds staff can now have ready access to vital information including:
– a list of station numbers and group numbers (green, tee, fairway or rough)
– an irrigation map of the area the irrigation controller is assigned to
– a map of the shut-off valves that turn off water to specific locations
• Stopping the “Water Cooler Slide”—Rather than continue to tolerate the annoying problem that all grounds staff experience when trying to transport and deliver water coolers throughout the property, only to have them slide around uncontrollably in the back of a utility vehicle, the CCV staff knew there had to be a better way. Sure enough, after someone was inspired to apply spray-on truck liner to the bottom of the plastic coolers, the club found that the coolers could be neatly arranged like bowling pins in the back of a cart and never fall out of place, no matter how bumpy the ride might get. As an added bonus, the coolers now keep their like-new appearance and last longer, and their spouts don’t get damaged from sliding around or getting jostled completely out of the cart.
• Turning Scrap Wood into Firewood for the Community—Wood from storm-damaged trees on the CCV property, and trees that are removed from the club’s golf courses to enhance playability and conditions, will now all find its way to a storage area for future grinding and disposal. Partnering with Project WARM (Wood Association of Richmond Metro), a community-based charity that provides high-quality firewood to needy individuals, the wood that once would have been discarded by CCV will now be used to help others. Participating in this program is a win-win for all concerned:
– A heat source is provided for those in need who heat with wood.
– The club reduces the amount, and cost, of the excess wood it would have to dispose of.
– Team-building is promoted among the CCV staff members who volunteer to cut, split and load the firewood.
• Community Outreach and Education—CCV’s course-and-grounds departments hosted a local garden group for a discussion on the club’s efforts to reduce the impact of golf on the environment. CCV’s Grounds Department Manager and Horticulturist led the group on a brief tour of the organic garden and bee hives that are on the property, explaining how the food and honey that is produced is used by the club’s kitchens. The Director of Golf Course Maintenance then gave a presentation demonstrating some of the unique practices used to help maintain the club’s golf courses in an environmentally responsible fashion. The group was then treated to a lunch prepared by CCV’s Executive Chef that used many of the ingredients they had seen in the on-site garden.
“By inviting the local group to our facility, we were able to educate our neighbors about the efforts being made by CCV to improve the environment, dispel misconceptions surrounding golf course maintenance practices, and give potential members another reason to be a part of our club,” the club says.
• Recycled Irrigation Heads for Youth Tees—U.S. Golf Junior Tee Markers were attached to recycled irrigation sprinkler heads to create a custom tee system for CCV’s growing junior golf program. The sprinkler heads provided a stable base for attaching the markers, allowed easy edging around them, and proved to be a low-cost, long-term solution for establishing more kid-friendly settings on both of the club’s golf courses. The junior players especially enjoy now having their own distinctive, customized spots from which to play.
• Youth Golf Adopt-A-Hole Program—Believing that the golf experience for junior members at CCV should include more than just learning how to develop a good swing, the club makes sure its youth clinics and group lessons includes assignments for kids to help oversee the care of a particular hole. As part of the assignment, the young players learn to fill divots, rake bunkers, fix pitch marks and pick up broken tees at the tee box. The kids enjoy learning to take care of the course and take pride in their efforts, developing a sense of course ownership that carries on beyond the program, CCV reports, to the point where they are now often seen making repairs on their own.
• Family Fun Fishing Derby and Fish Fry—A fishing derby competition was held on one of CCV’s fully stocked ponds at the back of one of its golf courses. A local guide was brought in to teach novice participants the basics of fishing. Bait and equipment were provided, but participants were also encouraged to bring their own gear if preferred. Immediately following the derby, a special fish fry buffet and pasta bar was hosted in the clubhouse. The sellout event “provided an opportunity for non-golfing members to see a beautiful area of the club and to enjoy a family experience,” CCV reports.
INSTANT IDEA: Shifting SandsAfter Tavistock Country Club in Haddonfield, N.J., decided to replace the sand in all 66 of its golf course’s bunkers, Golf Course Superintendent Victor Frederico decided to utilize the old sand to help establish new naturalized areas. Several areas on the property had traditionally been wet areas where turf would not fully establish, but the Tavistock grounds crew used the old sand to continually top-dress those areas so they would dry out and allow native grasses to germinate. Once established, those areas will provide the property with visually pleasing, healthy turf while reducing requirements for mowing, irrigation and chemical treatments. |
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