I have never heard of any problems with equipment, the problem was always the cost of labor via the unions.
Complete utter bullshit! A least in the way you are putting it!
Sweens,
When is someone going to commend those Unionized workers for the job they are doing? Especially after so many years of taking the blame--as in your statement here--for ALL of Yale's problems?
I completely commend Scott's efforts at Yale, but I've said this since before I even saw the course, and while I was there--this has always been a MANAGEMENT PROBLEM as in LACK OF MANAGEMENT. From what I can tell, ORGANIZATION seems to be Scott's expertise. He came. He saw, and he has conquered an internal problem of a crew that was not being managed to maintain the course, while doing it with a very small budget.
These men who work on the course are not trained superintendents. They are labor. They needed to be told what to do as per the daily needs of the course by it's superintendent--a man trained in recognizing turf issues, as well as being fully trained and experienced and organized on how to delegate the work.
My point is that this is always been way to easy for many to deem, "A Union Problem." So stop trying to pass the buck on to the low man on the totem pole! Try giving the crew at Yale a pat on the back when your playing once in a while. You would be surprised how much that can inspire a man to work even harder! So he know that there are others that take pride in his efforts.
But, I fully expect this coming from a University that has basically sold George W. Bush a diploma. (sorry to make this political) The fact is, and Sweens knows this since the day I told certain people at the club--when he was right there, "Quit blaming the Unions. This is about lack of management and making them work to their agreement. Any 'good' Union man will tell you that he has to work per his agreement of collective bargaining. That's what makes collective bargaining work--YOU HAVE TO DO THE WORK!
The Course at Yale suffered from lack of a trained, proper authority to direct those workers. Without the directive--and in the case of a PLANNED DIRECTIVE, the golf course suffered the consequences. It started with a former superintendent that felt he knew better then Seth Raynor on how the golf course should play!
Congratulations are in order to Scott Ramsey for the phenominal job of resurrecting this priceless gem. It is in my estimation one of the Top Ten courses in the Sport of Golfing. His efforts with his Unionized crew has not only changed the complexity of the course and the problems that were confronting it, but has even managed to make his workers PROUD of what they are accomplishing. (from what I'm told)
The rest of the country should be so lucky!