Hendren’s Hyperbole! Episode 34 — Volunteers help with aerification
Welcome back to Hendren’s Hyperbole! I hope everyone is gearing up for a great Labor Day Weekend. Personally, I don’t have anything great planned but you never know what might pop up.
I believe in earlier posts I have mentioned Seneca, Kan., and their local golf course, Spring Creek. My wife and I have quite a few friends who live in Seneca and my wife and I try to get up to see our friends and play some golf as often as we can. It just so happens we were in the thriving metropolis of Seneca this last weekend to play in the two-man, two-woman, four person scramble. Stay with me here, this story does have a point.
When we made the turn I saw a sign posted in the restroom… it was asking for volunteers to help with the dreaded fall greens aerification.
I was somewhat puzzled by this. Do people actually volunteer to clear the greens of the plugs? Couldn’t be, right? Wrong. Apparently every year the community rallies around the golf course and does whatever is needed to make sure the course receives the care it needs to be in the best condition it can be.
I talked to the superintendent at the course, Tony Altenhofen, and he told me that it takes them about four hours to aerate the entire course, and they have volunteers lined up the entire time to help out. They’re asked to show up with snow shovels or scoop shovels and they just go to work.
What a concept! I love it! The Seneca community is so happy to have a golf course they volunteer their time and labor to accomplish their goal.
Personally, I have never worked at a course where this practice was ever considered but I have worked at a few where it would have been welcomed.
What about you? Do you currently or have you ever worked at a course that had the community’s full support? Is this a common practice at courses in small towns? Leave me a comment and let me know what you think about this practice and if it is something you utilize to get the best course conditions possible.
— Matt Hendren
Not only do Wichita’s golf courses not have community support, but they are in the process of selecting which one of the five muni’s they will close (Due to budgetary reasons). My guess is that it will be Clapp. Nobody wants the Clapp.