golf courses....

[budroe69moni]

has anyone ever done any tree work w/ golf courses????
seems to me that everytime i've been golfing, i see tons
of work mowing, trimming, weeding, digging, raking ect
going on and no one in the trees! some courses around here have some specimen shade trees that have never been touched.
seems to me that i would be an excellent idea to have an
arborist on staff (or an independant contractor) to come in and manage these giants. what do you think???
budroe

 

[trees4life]

In my area many of the golf courses retain the use of one company to recommend and perform work. Although some of the smaller courses will have their grounds keeping staff look after the tree work as well.

If you are familiar with a course where the trees need work, you can approach them and make some suggestions. You may want to point out the liability they would face if any obvious hazards exist. Since they are 'encouraging' people to enter their property, they can be held to a higher accountability for safety of the patrons. I've been told by a lawyer that the same holds true for parks, camp grounds, shopping malls, etc.

 

[Greg]

JPS would prob be our resident expert on the subject.

I know a guy who works for a local PGA course. He thinks it is the best gig in the world. Normally minimal rigging, great pay, and get this ......he sells them his wood chips!!!! Often he says he will have a climber in a tree, and he will be on the green with the gounds manager picking limbs to remove to put the right amount of sun on the green at the right time of day, communicating to the climber via 2-way radio.
Lots of palms to trim also.

-If you know a course that looks like it needs work, go sell!!
Greg

 

[TREETX]

Golf courses are a good place to get in good with. Storm work will come with it too. I have seen a lot of lightning protection sold to golf courses.

Has anyone read the book for trees on golf courses?? If so, I would like to hear what you think of it.

The hard part with golf courses is finding the right ear to bend.

 

[treeclimber165]

Yup, golf courses make excellent accounts. Most have on-site dumping available so you rarely have to haul stuff away.

I was in good with a local golf course several years ago. I only made one mistake, and that was not charging enough. I was too niave` to understand that the course manager wanted me to overcharge on work for the course and undercharge on his personal work. He had a hairy removal in his back yard that I bid at $1500, and he gave it to a guy who bid $700. That guy ended up getting all the golf course work (at inflated prices) and I lost the gig.

 

[Toddppm]

I had an in for a very nice golf course here, my dad used to be a pro and still had friends there when I was doing tree work PT. Did a few jobs for them then let my contact with the decision guy slip and haven't got back in since

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

My problem with the CC I worked for was I had know idea how thick the politics gets.

With the hazard, don't go there till you understand thier risk tolerance, one of the things I did not do. They all thought I just wanted to cut trees down.

If you can play the gam and talk it with the super, then you may have a good chance. But then every tree man and his cousin is probably bugging him for an in.

 

[budroe69moni]

big john,
is the super the man to get in w/??? i pulled alot of
tree care info off of the USGA site and they are all for
hiring arborists to help out the supers. there's a s-load
of courses around here and i may have a few ins!!!!
budroe

 

[ramanujan]

get used to shutting off saws/chippers for any nearby tee-off.

last winter i was half way thru removing a storm damaged sitka spruce (only about 25' of a 60' tree still standing) and the golf pro lost it on me- i was turning a par 5 hole into a par 3. apparently the super and the pro hadn't talked it over.

there's a lot of different people that want to be pleased on a course.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

It is the superintendant that makes the hireing decisions, drastic changes usualy go through a board.

Most are concerned with play and maintinance, deadwood seams to be a big concern. In talking of risk mitigation talk about removing DW over pathways. Never talk about whole tree removal until you know them or they bring it up. If they do ask about their risk tolerance, do they want to keep a tree at all costs....

Mondays are usualy manintenance days, little or no play, so emphasize you will make yourself available to get projects done on mondays. That you have other personel resourses you can bring in from around the area....

Many are concerned with having trees that will block the veiw from link to link. talk about maintaining this while making mowing operations easier...

Do you have a Quadie for hauling brush out so you dont rut the roughs?

Some will want to try to conservefunds by doing the cleanup inhouse...

 

[M.D. Vaden]

GOLF COURSE

Been reading most of these posts.

Most of the info is good stuff.

I worked as a golf course superintendent and as a greenskeeper at a total of 7 golf courses as part of my pre-business experience.

Also were 2 university campuses.

Universities may have a climber. Rare or never for a golf course.

Whether Monday, or another, you may want a spotter for golf balls. And I would recommend that if play is moderate, and near the tree, try and sweat it with a large tooth handsaw as much as possible so you can hear a warning.

Once, I paused a work cart at the side of a fairway before crossing. Looking left at the tee, length of a football field, the golfers were just standing with their hands together.

Had no idea they took a shot.

I was far away, almost by the green. One group was still putting. And I did not see the shot.

All of a sudden, from the left, the ball hit the left inside of my right thigh about 6" from my groing.

The impact was so hard, that the raise mountain of the massive bruise showed every detail of the marks from the thread and stitch marks on my jeans.

Use hand saws more than normal.

Superintendents are a tight bunch. Use protocol, be on time, don't swear. Dress about 1 notch above normal. Never work without a shirt. Don't piss behind trees.

This is one line where you probably will see the customer interact in your project more than usual. Almost like you would in a zoo. It does not mean they don't trust you. It means that it will take the abilities of both parties to get it done right and safely.

Be humble and meek. Stick to the facts. Most of these top country club superintendants are very experienced and many of them have bachelors and masters degrees.

Find out if its worth joining the Golf Course Superintendents Association. Maybe they will allow visitors to their functions. Nurserymen in our area belong to that group - some that is.

Most clubs will do anything they can reach.

To end, one club here had a worker pull a real life CARTOON ADVENTURE. Yes, you probably already guessed it, what else could it be - he was sitting on a limb, and with a chainsaw, made the cut between himself and the tree.

How else could it be cartoon quality?



Mario Vaden
Landscape Designer / Arborist
M. D. Vaden Trees & Landscapes
Beaverton, Oregon

 

[Toddppm]

The one I worked at , I had to be there about 5am and finish by around 7 or 8 if I remember right. Nice working that early once in a while

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Those earlie bird starts were the biggest hurdle for me. Sometimes 4:30that is when I usualy wake up!

I had a few times where I brought a company in to blow out some removals or storm work before tee time.