Hutchinson ? They’re off!

Opening day started without a hitch. “Flawless!” was the word used by Golf Course Superintendent, P. Stan George, CGCS, or “Sir George” as the Golf Course Management Turf Team calls him.

Each morning to start the 5 a.m. team meeting, Stan says, “Good morning crew!” To which the crew tries to reply, “Good Morning, Sir George.” One thing the public may never know about the Golf Course Management Turf Team is that these highly skilled individuals endure long hours, usually 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. and still, somehow, manage to maintain a keen sense of humor. The team still has three days to get this chant right – it’s only four words for crying out loud, but, as the saying goes, good help is hard to find. As a word of experience and advice, once you find help this good, don’t expect them to be able to repeat anything in unison.

Stan is a great-natured superintendent given the 75 comedians/crew members he has to manage this week. Upon the completion of handing out the team assignments on Wednesday evening, he asked if anyone had any questions. He should have known better than to ask that to this team. One member raised his hand and asked, “How can you tell the difference between mower grease and turkey (droppings)?”

This naturally caught Stan by surprise and the punch line was quickly delivered by another Team member, “Taste it!”

Mad laughter ensued. The only reply Stan could muster was, “Does anyone else have any questions that aren’t stupid? Good! Meeting dismissed!”

As for the tournament, Stan reported during the Wednesday evening team meeting, conditions were right for low scoring on opening day. He guessed that a 64 was not out of the question. This should dispel any myth that says a golf course superintendent’s priority is to provide as difficult of a round of golf as possible for the players.

As a final note, there was one slight delay on Opening Day at the 11th tee box. A doe and two fawns decided to take in the scenery in the middle of the fairway as one of the players prepared to tee off. A delay of nearly one minute had onlookers pointing and talking. The deer finally decided to move on and delay play on Hole 13 for a while.

Prairie Dunes Golf Course is a nature sanctuary for many species. It is unusual in the morning and the evenings if a person doesn’t see deer strolling around the course. Animals must love golf too.