Wednesday, April 5, 2017

To Cart, Or Not To Cart

THAT is the question!

And, for the near future, the answer is a resounding, no.  The rain from the last 48 hours has pushed us back over the saturation point making navigation difficult throughout the course.   Next week looks great for golfing, but the forecast for the next 2 days is not encouraging.  Flood warnings and impending snow fall (6"-11" possible) will make carts out of the question for the weekend and maybe the first part of next week if the snow does not melt quickly.

Making the decision on carts is one of the least favorite parts of my job.  I have to balance between making the customer happy and protecting the course from the inevitable damage, and there is a lot of grey area in deciding.   How wet is it?  What is the forecast?  How much play are we expecting? Will we likely lose a day of strong revenue?  Will it be superficial surface mud brought up, or will there be ruts and large scale damage near greens and tees?  Will my staff have time to repair damage or tow out a stuck cart?  These, and more, are all questions to be asked, and I have to calculate all these answers into one simple "yes" or "no". Golf is a service industry and we want to keep our customers happy, but allowing carts on a soggy 50* day in early April could have a negative effect on your more enjoyable 70* round in May.  

So, the next time you get an answer you're not happy with, please understand that the simple "yes" or "no" is really not that simple.