A few years ago, while I was President of Niakwa, the ‘Private Club Advisor’ ran an article about a golf course in the UK that notified its Members that the Club was suspending its search for a Course Superintendent. The reasoning was that, since there were about 500 grass growing experts among the Membership, the Superintendent position was redundant.
My suggestion to Management earlier this month was that we should ask members to submit photos of their lawns and that the Club should just choose the person with the best grass to run the Grounds Crew.
In spite of my recommendation the Board and Management have struck a Selection Committee to manage the search for our new Course Superintendent. The Committee consists of our new President, Bev Mehmel, our Course Committee Chair, Todd Fanning, and our General Manager, Wade Nybakken. It would be hard to come up with a more qualified group to head the search.
The Committee has embarked on a national search and the position has been advertised in all the appropriate online trade publications.
The deadline for application is December 28 and a good number of excellent candidates have already thrown their hats into the ring. So the process is well on its way. The interview process will start in the New Year and Niakwa will have a very qualified course superintendent in seat well before the next golf season starts.
In the meantime, John McMorris, and the rest of the core Grounds Crew team continue their winter work in preparation for spring. Winter work includes maintenance and painting of course fixtures, such as ball washers and benches, tuning up and overhauling mechanical equipment, sharpening blades, ordering replacement tools and course supplies, and generally getting ready to hit the ground running when the snow melts.
The crew also keeps our parking lots and clubhouse entrances clear of snow for the busy Christmas Season.
2019 Rule Changes
The new rule USGA/ R&A / Golf Canada rule changes come into effect on January 1. The changes have been designed to speed up play for the average golfer and they reflect many practices that many players already follow (no Jimmy that doesn’t include fluffing up your lie in the rough). Here’s a link to the USGA website explain the changes -> http://www.usga.org/content/usga/home-page/rules-hub/rules-modernization/major-changes/major-changes.html
Handicap Scores
Many club members have already departed for warmer climes and many more snow birds will be heading south after the holidays. Please remember while you’re enjoying golf in the desert, or in the tropics, or wherever you may be, it’s important to enter all your scores into the Golf Canada Handicap System. The system is available on line through the Niakwa website -> http://kiosk.rcganetwork.org/Default.aspx
Merry Christmas
The Pro shop wine and cheese and the Niakwa Family Day have passed (both great successes by the way). There’s a layer of fresh snow on the ground and by the end of the weekend most of the last minute panic buying will be finished. So that means all we have left to do is to enjoy the holidays with friends and family and to celebrate the good things in our lives.
Best of the Season to all members. Happy New Year and remember to drive and travel safely. We want to see you all in great shape come April.
Merry Christmas to all Members and your families.