Tee Thursday: Designing my perfect course environment

A fellow golfer on a social media page I frequent suggested what he feels would be the perfect curriculum set-up the other day For him six par threes six par fours and six par fives would offer the perfect competition improvement goals and just plain fun Which got me thinking what would my perfect program look like Beyond the obvious lush fairways paired with carpet-like and easy to read ha greens had I a genie lamp to rub what would I wish for Here are several of the details both realizable and highly improbable that would help make up my perfect unit The Quality Starter A good starter makes all the difference on any round Good starters are made up of the unique mix of benevolent dictator someone has got to keep things moving a maestro there are a million different things at play the starter gets them all to hopefully harmonize and friend Good starters notice when you re ready and there s an early spot They know to nag you along if you re dilly-dallying and use fun terms like dilly-dally They give you a heads up about what s going to be ahead of you and behind you They set the tone Shout out to John at Crosswinds in Plymouth for being the master And to that other guy that ruined our round at another unnamed unit you won t be hired at my dream club pal Water water water No courseside water offerings have long been a pet peeve of mine After all I d harp at anyone within earshot how hard can it be to plop a jug of icy cold water here and there on a program You don t even have to offer cups As I live and learn Ends up it s not that easy at all Particularly in Massachusetts and in plenty of other states courseside water usage falls under all kinds of regulations for sanitation and other reasons So I ve slowed my roll on that demand But still Finding a way to offer water without forcing folks to pay a bottle would be a top goal at my dream class I ve seen selected nice solutions including course-side purified water and ice machines fancy deeply discounted and even free bottles of cold water offered at the start or the turn and for a simple answer signage that gives players a heads up to fill water bottles before heading out I don t know why I mean I am fully capable of packing my own and my bag has a mini cooler section but water at the ready just feels good Excellent signage As easy as it looks on the scorecard watercolor map it can be a challenge to find your way around a curriculum that is new to you I m invariably relieved when I can absolutely follow a group in front of me Just like ski areas good golf courses have excellent signage that s easy to spot and read and yet blends into the backdrop and vibe of the place Good signage calms a golfer down and cuts down on angst Good signs speed up play too which is invariably a good thing Players who respect the program I am not even talking about keeping pace here although the amount of time several folks look for their ball in the woods makes me wonder if they re hiding gold in them Rather I mean respecting and helping maintain the curriculum itself I was chatting with Wes Jones Subject Superintendent at Blue Rock Golf Club a pristinely tended track and he pointed out that the players themselves can and should play a role in that Think about this he described me this On a busy day with par tee boxes we can have the possibility of having over divots in a single day Four thousand divots That blew my mind and made me realize that for a curriculum to be great we all need to play a role Blue Rock as is the matter at other quality courses gets out early in the morning and repairs them all But we golfers need to repair our divots as well Good courses should not only provide sand for this but add specific basic instructions not everyone is up to speed out there At my perfect unit sand in little pour bottles will be readily available with a paper taped on explaining what to do with it And we all will do just that And more Driving carts with GPS Pull carts with drink holders and wheels that make them easy to push or pull A snack and beverage cart that s operated by a staffer who keeps up with all A par five that gives you a chance for a birdie or eagle And a good fresh hot dog to buy with Gulden s Mustard on the side That s all I need How about you