Given $50k, how could your course improve?

[Joel_Stewart]

If given $50k or even $100k, what could be done to improve your golf course?

Examples are,

1.  Buy new mowing equipment
2. Install a small wind power or solar system which would save money monthly and thus provide funds over a longer period of time.
3. Improve irrigation or drainage hot spots
4. Give employees a bonus
5. Remodel the pro shop

The question is really aimed at people in the field.

[Carl Nichols]

How much does it cost to remove a tree, if done in-house?

[Joel_Stewart]

How much does it cost to remove a tree, if done in-house?

I had a really big Monterey Cypress removed from the front of my home a few years ago by pros and the cost was $2500.

[Michael Rossi]

I would go with the 100K and split it up for wind power, drainage, employee education rather than bonus. All with result in returns to the facility.

[Adam Sherer]

To put some things into perspective:

$50,000 could purchase:

- 192,000 square feet of bluegrass rough sod (approximate) but with no labor
or
- 41,000 linear feet of 4" drainage pipe (approximate) but, no equipment, labor, gravel, etc to install it
or
- 850 tons of bunker sand (approximate)

[Chip Gaskins]

Adam-

Thats great info.

192,000 sq ft of sod covers how many holes?

41,000 line feet of drain pipe?  how many holes

850 tons of bunker sand?  how many redone bunkers?

[corey miller]

I am not sure money is the problem at most of the golf clubs in my area.  $50,00 in the hands of some Supers, or some committee's is worthless.

[Ian_L]

Chip, 192,000 square feet would cover a 533 x 40 yard piece of fairway.

[Tommy Williamsen]

Chip, 192,000 square feet would cover a 533 x 40 yard piece of fairway.

Not to get picky but what kind of grass are we talking about?

[Adam Sherer]

Chip, 192,000 square feet would cover a 533 x 40 yard piece of fairway.

Not to get picky but what kind of grass are we talking about?

that was the price for rough (bluegrass)

$50,000 would pay for bout 12,000 square yards of fairway grass (roughly a par 5) Again, without labor and installation.

But Chip, to answer your recent question:

the "Bluegrass" rough sod (192,000 sf) would probably sod the rough surrounds (25 feet wide) of four or five holes,
the drainage (40,000 lf) would be enough to do a lot of drainage within a golf course, but again would not cover labor, equipment, and "disturbance" of installing the pipe
the sand (850 tons) would probably be enough to put new sand in all the bunkers on a course (assuming that the course has about 60-70 bunkers on the course and that they average about 750 square feet), but which would not include the cost of removing the old sand, installing the new sand, etc (just the cost of the sand ALONE)

I guess Corey is kind of right, my examples were to show that $50K (in materials ONLY) would not get you very far.

Does that help?


Adam

[Carl Nichols]

I asked my question because a lot of courses (mine included) could use some tree removal, and I assume that doing it in-house (i.e., not hiring a tree company) would keep costs down -- especially if you have employees with some down time.  But I have no idea whether some courses already have the right equipment or would have to rent it; whether large tree removal is a sufficiently unique exercise that you need real expertise to do it; etc. 

[Mike_Trenham]

How much cart path can you get rid of for $50K?

[John Moore II]

I would say you could do a fair amount of tree removal for 50k. Other than a large stump grinder, the equipment is pretty cheap. I mean, just a simple chainsaw and tree climbing boots plus a length of rope, would be about all you would need to take down trees.

[Joe Hancock]

Don't forget to check your club's insurance coverage on such activities.

Joe

[Chip Gaskins]

that helps gauge things a lot, thanks

maybe have "member weekend" instead of assessments of a few thousand dollars everyone came out and dug trenches for drainage, shoved out old sand, cut back tree branches, etc...now that would get members thinking about how the money is and should be spent, no?  your choice, a check OR your time...

[Adam Sherer]

I asked my question because a lot of courses (mine included) could use some tree removal, and I assume that doing it in-house (i.e., not hiring a tree company) would keep costs down -- especially if you have employees with some down time.  But I have no idea whether some courses already have the right equipment or would have to rent it; whether large tree removal is a sufficiently unique exercise that you need real expertise to do it; etc. 

Carl,

You would also have to look at the liability of having some of your club's employees climbing up 60 feet into a tree with a chainsaw and what that would do to the insurance premium that your club already has in place?  The tree companies charge a lot of money because they pay out the nose in insurance (because of the inherent danger in the work).

However, if you just cut and yell "timber" then cut up the pieces and throw the pieces in your dump, then maybe a group of five guys could "get rid" of one or two "BIG" trees in a day (5 guys x 8 hrs x $25 / hr [total cost of employee, not just flat hourly pay] = $1,000 / one or two trees)

[Adam Sherer]

Don't forget to check your club's insurance coverage on such activities.

Joe

Joe,

You beat me to the point!  I can just imagine a couple of amigos out in harnesses with running chain saws in their hands (I've seen it and I'm sure you have to).

[Ian_L]

that helps gauge things a lot, thanks

maybe have "member weekend" instead of assessments of a few thousand dollars everyone came out and dug trenches for drainage, shoved out old sand, cut back tree branches, etc...now that would get members thinking about how the money is and should be spent, no?  your choice, a check OR your time...

The men's club at my home course (public) had an outing like that one evening.  Members mostly seeded divots and repaired ball marks, though.

[Joe Hancock]

Don't forget to check your club's insurance coverage on such activities.

Joe

Joe,

You beat me to the point!  I can just imagine a couple of amigos out in harnesses with running chain saws in their hands (I've seen it and I'm sure you have to).

There's certain things in life that require training and experience...tree felling is in that category.

I would also raise the red flag (at least half way up the mast) on "member's work days". If Sumar the Brain Surgeon falls and damages his scalpel wielding hand, you'll wish it had been an hourly employee who fixed those few extra divots or ball barks(edit..barks, marks...whatever!)....that way your club's workman's comp insurance covers your 6......

Joe

[Anthony_Nysse]

One can get alot of trees dropped for $50k

Tony Nysse
Asst. Supt.
Colonial CC
Ft. Worth, TX

[CJ Carder]

- 850 tons of bunker sand (approximate)

If anyone wants to use their money for bunker sand, I think my course could sell it to you.  Hey, do we get an award then for improving the course and EARNING money at the same time? 

[John Moore II]

that helps gauge things a lot, thanks

maybe have "member weekend" instead of assessments of a few thousand dollars everyone came out and dug trenches for drainage, shoved out old sand, cut back tree branches, etc...now that would get members thinking about how the money is and should be spent, no?  your choice, a check OR your time...

I would guess a lot would just cut the check. I would like to see some of my old members from Mid South ass deep in an irrigation hole or digging new drainage. That would be pure comedy. And it would never happen. Yeah, I just don't think that would fly too far.

[Jeff Goldman]

Coincidentally, we DID have $50,000 to spend this fall, and we spent it on drainage.  In the midwest, clay soils, some flood plain, no question.

As to trees, if you can't move in big machines, the best folks in Chicago are about $2400 per day, and they can do a lot of trimming, or hack down maybe a couple oak trees in that time.

If you don't care how much of a mess is made on your golf course, Homer Tree Service is the way to go for big jobs.  We originally figured something like $120,000 and six weeks to do all the tree work for our golf course renovation, but Homer cost 1/3 of that, and did it in a week.  Huge machines take down an Oak in maybe 20 minutes, the grind everything into big piles of sawdust.  We got some amazing pictures, which have never seen the light of day.

[C. Squier]

If you don't care how much of a mess is made on your golf course, Homer Tree Service is the way to go for big jobs.  We originally figured something like $120,000 and six weeks to do all the tree work for our golf course renovation, but Homer cost 1/3 of that, and did it in a week.  Huge machines take down an Oak in maybe 20 minutes, the grind everything into big piles of sawdust.  We got some amazing pictures, which have never seen the light of day.

Jeff, I was there that day....it was like a parade.  Bad day to be an Oak Tree at OFCC, I think I heard the ozone cry 

[Will MacEwen]

My course is fairly flat and has a Seattle-style climate.

Drainage, drainage, drainage.