What do we do during the winter anyways?

It is often a surprise that the maintenance department cuts grass everyday and even more of a shock when you explain that sometimes we do it twice a day. The shock often grows exponentially when you explain that even in this northern climate where most courses would be stretching to be open for six full months, you are indeed employed for the full year at the golf course. Most people respond to this outrageous statement with some derivation of "What do you do there in the winter? You can't cut grass". It's true. We can't cut grass. At least not here in Edmonton, or most of Alberta. For that matter, the bulk of the country can't cut grass in the winter months save a few temperate locations including parts of BC. Then what does happen in the Maintenance Department over the winter? 

For the most part, winters are slower than summers and generally include very few fourteen-plus hour days. Unlike the summer, it is much easier to schedule a holiday or take a couple of days in a row off. The winter months are generally a time to recuperate from the previous season and then to build-up for the upcoming one. Personally, I'm a skier. I'm heading to Sunshine in a few weeks and Lake Louise in March with a couple of day trips to Marmot thrown in wherever they fit.

In the Maintenance Department, our horticulturist, Julie, is busy planning plantings; working out ideas for features; compiling ideas for new beds; ordering seeds; starting seeds she has; tending to stock that she keeps in the greenhouse during the winter; hosting how-to information sessions with other industry professionals; teaching wreath building classes at Christmas; and updating her budget needs and wants. She also fits in meeting with the rest of our department to discuss the direction we want to keep heading in and constantly re-evaluates how she can contribute to the daily operations of our department in the summer.

Our mechanic, Dave, has an obvious list of winter tasks that includes the full service on all of our equipment as well as all of the maintenance carts and utility vehicles, the fleet carts, the range cart, the beverage carts and the courtesy carts. His busiest time of year is often the winter and if he needs a helping hand, we're always willing to give it.

This winter, the P Club has no major winter projects on the go. Last winter we had the pond excavation undertaking that required a significant amount of time from Keith and I. Each winter, we take the opportunity to reevaluate our fertilizer and chemical programs, taking in to account new technologies and price changes. The finalized budget means we need to gather information about new accessories, or changes to old ones. We prepare lists of accessories we need to order for the upcoming season; safety equipment orders; staff supplies; shop supplies; touch base with suppliers regarding the seasonal products; and source out supplies for summer projects. We evaluate the wages we can offer team members; which team members are returning and how many new team members we will hire; what uniform requirements we will have; and what training sessions we will need to provide. We participate is professional development including: regional, national and international conferences; networking events; seminars; P Club team meetings and round table discussions; first-aid training; and weekly organizational meetings. We are also responsible for the snow clearing and removal from the main parking lot, the clubhouse parking spots, the shop surroundings and both entrance gates. On top of that snow removal, we also maintain a looped path around the golf course in order to have access to the course to monitor conditions through the winter. We try to visit a number of the accessible greens on a monthly basis and more often if it is necessary.

Every golf course property is different and every winter is different. The job duties required change from winter to winter and course to course. This is a small cross-section of tasks we work on during the winter and by no means is this list all-encompassing or standard across the industry. Questions concerning any of the information here can be directed to the EPGCC Maintenance Department through our Twitter account, our Facebook page, or contact us directly at the shop.