Ben...more tacos for you...Bill McBride I'll cook for you next time your down. Nuzzo will buy the drinks.
Steve, thank you. I think you and I share the same practical look at greenkeeping. I'd like to meet you but not sure I'll be going to Orlando this year. If your coming all the way over your welcome to come to the middle of nowhere TX and have a taco, cold beer and play some golf.
Lester,
We have 5 acres of greens and 80 acres of 419 cut at fwy height. I know your a fan of different bermudas but the emerald and 419 have worked out quite well in providing a firm, bouncy golf turf.
We have very little play, no tournament or special events, so our maintenance expenses will automatically be less than a similar course with more rounds. Having said that the course is in very nice shape, as good as its ever been, and we try hard to keep it that way. I don’t use a budget and when I tell people that they usually think that means unlimited funds which is not how we operate. We use a zero based approach to maintenance costs and keep track of our spending vs previous months and years. We try as hard as we can to get by with what we have and if we need something, we buy it. Not very fancy I know but we have reduced maintenance expenses for four consecutive years and in '10 we came in under 500K which includes all taxes, insurance, and any administrative costs associated with the property.
I've been very fortunate to have an owner give me free reign to do it any way I wanted with the only directive being keep it nice and be practical about it.
One guy I've met in TX who deserves some props is Charles Joakum (I hope I spelled it right) at Champions Golf Club. That is a busy place with lots of low handicap golfers who I imagine could be a bit demanding. Whenever I've played Champions its been fast, dry and all about the golf. Not a lot of fluff going on there.