The Metropolitan
November/December
Supe’s On Khris Rickman Superintendent - The Quarry Golf Club President -Mississippi Valley GCSA
I’m tired of talking about the pandemic. Honestly, I’m tired of 2020 in general. Good riddance and goodbye. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out. I am well aware of the date and I’m counting down the days until the New Year. I know nothing will change between December 31 and January 1, but I can’t wait to take my first shower of 2021 and wash all of 2020’s bad mojo off me. Yuck! It can only get better right? I’m ready to find out. A few months ago, Barstool Sports prodcued a video about the 120th U.S. Open. If you aren’t familiar with Barstool Sports, they are a must follow on twitter or Facebook. The name of the video is Behind The Greens. About 25 minutes long, it takes an in-depth look at the golf course preparations for the 2020 U.S. Open. The focus is on the daily routine of the Golf Course Management Team at Winged Foot Golf Club. It is essentially a day in the life video. It’s probably my favorite thing I’ve watched all year on the internet. If you haven’t seen the video take some time and watch it. It’s fantastic! I have watched it multiple times. There is nothing in it that I haven’t seen before. In my 31 years of golf course maintenance, I’ve experienced quite a bit. But there is something about the way they captured the organized chaos that is the maintenance team’s daily challenge. Maintaining a golf facility is truly a passion and you can see it on their faces. There are so many things to take away from the video. First of all, it takes a lot of people to provide great course conditions. Winged Foot has 60 employees (over two courses), with 17 of those employees living on the grounds. So many things happen on a daily basis - that no one ever sees - and the maintenance staff goes through a lot of time and effort to accomplish the smallest of details. But I think the thing that the video has really made me come to realize is that St. Louis golf is fantastic. The choices golfers have are endless. Tons of great private and public golf clubs Some of the top facilities in the Midwest are right here in St. Louis, despite the less than ideal climate. The people who work to facilitate the game are inspiring. All of them. From the MAGA, to the Gateway PGA, to all of my colleagues in the Mississippi Valley Golf Course Superintendents Association, those who maintain and administer golf in our area should do so with a lot of pride. Together, we provide a great golfing experience. The St Louis golfing community is truly blessed. We have such a rich history and I’m looking forward to our extremely bright future and putting this pandemic behind us. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! 24
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