Iowa Turfgrass Institute A Message from the Iowa Turfgrass Institute

Message From the Iowa Turfgrass Institute

We Are Just About There….

Remember in April, May, and June we all thought, I can’t wait for 2021?!? Well, we are nearly there and not a whole lot has changed. We are still isolating ourselves as much as possible, still having difficulty figuring out who people are behind the mask, and the six-foot rule has become the new “norm”. I felt bad for those that didn't have any sort of release or a way to have fun without the possibility of contaminating someone. Luckily, for most of the readers, you have had a way to have fun…..Golf. Golf has been deemed the safest way to enjoy the outdoors and play a sport. It’s not surprising though, I mean, who doesn’t use golf to socially distance, to get away, to forget about work and home for just a few hours.

Golf hasn’t just been good this year, it’s been great. Record rounds across the state, stale memberships filling up, and new golfers picking up the clubs and trying it out. These are all things we have worked so hard over the years to make happen, and all it took was a pandemic. We never thought of that. We’ve always said, “we just need to get them started in the game, and they will fall in love”, I hope that is true and the game continues to grow.

Most of you have experienced what golf is like from the golfer's perspective, but not from the Superintendent's perspective. The normal preparation of a golf course changed a lot. Whether it was a new style of cup, the use of foam inserts, no more ball washers, finding trash on the ground because there weren't any containers, meticulously cleaning equipment after use, or limiting the amount of staff that could be in the maintenance facility at one time. It's been rough for all of them, but they pulled through. I may be biased, but the Golf Course Superintendent is the most resilient person there is. See problem – Fix Problem – Move on!

Other than the increase of revenue for most of our golf courses in the state, the next best thing to happen was the strengthening of the Iowa Golf Council. A lot of work happened behind the scenes with the council and the relationship between allied golf associations has never been stronger. I tip my hat to my fellow council members on a job well done this year!

It's the holiday season and many of us aren't able to spend time with family. Some of us haven't seen family for months. We all have a story to tell. Time will pass, life will go on, and someday we will look back on this and be amazed at how well we made it. Then, we begin writing a new story and I know the ending will be much better than the first. Stay well, everyone!!!