Monday, April 1, 2013

 
The story Bob Lohmann just wrote for Golf Course Industry magazine (see
here, starting on page 44) centers on the value of Asset Management Plans — or AMPs, as we like to call them. Bob touches briefly on the deployment of in-house labor, which is a key to making the AMP a viable alternative to traditional master plans. Indeed, with crews that have the necessary skills (and the right oversight), in-house labor is often a major factor in keeping these smaller projects affordable enough for golf facilities to tackle.
There is, of course, a learning curve for maintenance crews who undertake what are essentially golf course construction and renovation techniques. They need to be guided, which is what LGD and Golf Creations normally provide under these circumstances. But good crews do learn, and they can be darned good. As noted in the GCI piece, many superintendents do their own roto-tilling and tree clearing. They buy their own materials, including installation of some of them. 
 
It's all about finding the balance of tasks that works for your facility.