Ray Mooney takes pride in his team’s efforts to make the fields look their absolute best.
Field Maintenance Is A Longtime Labor Of Love For IPC’s Ray Mooney By Kayla Anderson
Almost as soon as the last polo pony stepped off the field at the end of the 2016 season, the grounds crew shifted into offseason mode: an eight-month process of field repair, grounds maintenance and facility upgrades to prepare the International Polo Club Palm Beach for an even more spectacular 2017 season. IPC hosts the annual United States Open Polo Championship and several other high-goal tournaments that attract the sport’s top players and teams from around the world. “It’s an honor to take care of the fields for these guys,” said Ray Mooney, director of facilities at IPC. “To see all our hard work right up front and have the top players in the world appreciate the fields, it feels really good.” Few spectators realize what goes on
IPC Director of Facilities Ray Mooney. PHOTOGRAPHY BY LILA PHOTO
behind the scenes to make IPC the showplace it is. The equipment and technological requirements needed to operate the facility (which Mooney likened to maintaining an 18-hole golf course) are extensive, requiring a three- to fouryear development plan. He supervises a 20-person grounds keeping staff, including a mechanic, and contracts a soil expert and a laboratory to analyze soil samples, determine nutrient content and develop a custom wellington the magazine | january 2017
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