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The Boy Scout Motto

by Brooke A. Rockwell

Living in the Northeast in the winter makes you realize how important it is to be prepared. Last Sunday, my son was invited to a sleigh ride. It was a beautiful afternoon, and he was looking forward to it. Around 2 p.m., the snow started. Not the soft, gently falling “Christmas snow,” it was more the “don’t leave the house unless it is medically necessary” kind of snow.

Of course, living in New England most of my life, we headed out, big coats, boots, gloves and hats, fully prepared to walk the hill up to our house on our return. At 5:30, when we started on the journey back home, the snow still coming, we were betting how far we would be able to make it before having to walk, and trying to figure out the best place to leave the car.

Having listened to my father for 26 or so years since getting my license, my car was sporting four brand-new snow tires for the season, and, thanks to those tires, we actually made it up the hill and into the garage. It pays to be prepared.

In Georgia, Anthony Williams at Stone Mountain Golf Club and Jeff Travis at Atlanta National Golf Club were able to better handle the rain Mother Nature threw their way with some strategies that were in practice, and, thanks to the foresight of the engineer at The Golf Club of Georgia, the course was built with the possibility of serious flooding in mind. See the full story on page 18 to read more about these superintendents and how they came through the floods a little damper, but happy that things weren’t worse.

For most of you at the start of the new year planning the annual budget is a priority. Don Ferreri, Seven Bridges Golf Club, and Erwin McKone, Briar Ridge Country Club have come up with some ways to minimize costs and get the most out of their budgets. If you’re looking for some top-notch cost-cutting tips, turn to page 10.

You can’t always know what’s coming around the corner, but you can make sure you and your crews are prepared when working on the course, whether it’s purchasing personal protective equipment for spraying, maintaining equipment to reduce downtime or finding the best bunker rakes for your budget.

Brooke A. Rockwell
Editor
brockwell@MooseRiverMedia.com