14th Green, Spring 2003
Monday, November 20, 2006
Budget Preparation and Management
• I learned early on that preparing and managing a budget was essential.
• It all begins with created an annual golf operating budget, budget detail, capital outlay and improvement budgets with great care.
• I soon became known by owners and salesmen for taking bids and working the numbers to save our company over $75,000 annually.
• What works for me is to build labor and operating budgets from scratch each year for the most accurate tracking of expenses, labor and overtime. I use a lot of detail when developing spreadsheets. See below.
• My budget comes in monthly, quarterly and annually well under budget without hurting any necessities. I manage overtime carefully and never jeopardize course conditions. I always meet our company’s goals!
•Chemicals and fertilizers need to be separately detailed. They are sizable areas of expense and need more detail. Every chemical, fungicide, herbicide, pre-emergent, wetting agent and more are listed alone. Dollars spent per item must be expensed during that month or the month when it’s payable, for more accuracy.
• I’ve use pre-paid inventories supplies purchased by our company. As you use the products, you expense them using a spreadsheet that has the purchase price, container or bag size. Each month you record your use, convert it to dollars, pay back the company and subtract from the prior months balance.
• What I’ve learned about leasing is that you can work the lease to your advantage. Put together a four-year program where you make only six payments in season when your income it good. Order your equipment January and take possession late winter so you won’t be waiting for it when you need it. The trade price for your old equipment will always low- balled. Network with other courses and used equipment companies to make more money and help them get a better deals by buying your equipment.
• It all begins with created an annual golf operating budget, budget detail, capital outlay and improvement budgets with great care.
• I soon became known by owners and salesmen for taking bids and working the numbers to save our company over $75,000 annually.
• What works for me is to build labor and operating budgets from scratch each year for the most accurate tracking of expenses, labor and overtime. I use a lot of detail when developing spreadsheets. See below.
• My budget comes in monthly, quarterly and annually well under budget without hurting any necessities. I manage overtime carefully and never jeopardize course conditions. I always meet our company’s goals!
•Chemicals and fertilizers need to be separately detailed. They are sizable areas of expense and need more detail. Every chemical, fungicide, herbicide, pre-emergent, wetting agent and more are listed alone. Dollars spent per item must be expensed during that month or the month when it’s payable, for more accuracy.
• I’ve use pre-paid inventories supplies purchased by our company. As you use the products, you expense them using a spreadsheet that has the purchase price, container or bag size. Each month you record your use, convert it to dollars, pay back the company and subtract from the prior months balance.
• What I’ve learned about leasing is that you can work the lease to your advantage. Put together a four-year program where you make only six payments in season when your income it good. Order your equipment January and take possession late winter so you won’t be waiting for it when you need it. The trade price for your old equipment will always low- balled. Network with other courses and used equipment companies to make more money and help them get a better deals by buying your equipment.
Organization and Training
How I Organized My Maintenance Operation
• The first step in getting organized is to create a “Calendar of Maintenance”. This is a very detailed list of all major maintenance practices over a full year period. First make individual month-by-month lists. They can overlap months if timing isn’t an issue. Use it weekly. Update this list every year. i.e.April: Pre-emerge 150 acres, complete March aerification, begin injecting wetting agent, prep. greens aerifiers, aerify bent tees first, run Graden on fairways, fill sink holes on stacked rock, update hazard stakes, algae control in ponds, prep. green fans, roll greens every Friday and put out ice machine.
• Update your irrigation as builts, or make some, and make good ones. This way you’ll know where every head, gate valve, green gate, mainline gate and drains valve are located. Go ahead and put all of your yardage numbers on the as built, as well. You can do the same for drainage as builts.
• Create lists of where your entire fairway and cart path drains are so the new guy can find them when they get clogged after a big storm. You can also make lists of where bunker rakes go and how many per bunker. Use list when cleaning rakes. Lists can also show where hot spots on greens are, where a crew needs to trim and where the tee maintenance guy needs to move tee blocks.
• In my quest for future problems, I made an irrigation failure response procedure that can also be used for training purposes. I created a spray technician checklist for use before, during and after each pesticide sprays.
• You can create a spreadsheet that automatically calculates the amount of fertilizer applied per tee, green, fairway and/or rough area, all on one sheet. Then you just enter the formulation or amount of N and it does the rest!
• Does anyone ever create bid sheets for chemicals and fertilizers and mail them out to all of your favorite vendors. Saves you time in the summer.
• I make up my own pesticide tests, much like the one the state uses and administer them to my applicators to see if they are ready for next spring.
• By the way, I hope that you all have hour meters on every piece of equipment and use a label maker to show hours when next maintenance is due.
• By the way, you need to keep track of your equipment. Make a log for each piece of equipment and the track maintenance done. When you buy new equipment, number the equipment, date of purchase, serial number, cost and expected replacement date. You can then use this spreadsheet in the future to make forecasts on what equipment will need replacement and why.
• The first step in getting organized is to create a “Calendar of Maintenance”. This is a very detailed list of all major maintenance practices over a full year period. First make individual month-by-month lists. They can overlap months if timing isn’t an issue. Use it weekly. Update this list every year. i.e.April: Pre-emerge 150 acres, complete March aerification, begin injecting wetting agent, prep. greens aerifiers, aerify bent tees first, run Graden on fairways, fill sink holes on stacked rock, update hazard stakes, algae control in ponds, prep. green fans, roll greens every Friday and put out ice machine.
• Update your irrigation as builts, or make some, and make good ones. This way you’ll know where every head, gate valve, green gate, mainline gate and drains valve are located. Go ahead and put all of your yardage numbers on the as built, as well. You can do the same for drainage as builts.
• Create lists of where your entire fairway and cart path drains are so the new guy can find them when they get clogged after a big storm. You can also make lists of where bunker rakes go and how many per bunker. Use list when cleaning rakes. Lists can also show where hot spots on greens are, where a crew needs to trim and where the tee maintenance guy needs to move tee blocks.
• In my quest for future problems, I made an irrigation failure response procedure that can also be used for training purposes. I created a spray technician checklist for use before, during and after each pesticide sprays.
• You can create a spreadsheet that automatically calculates the amount of fertilizer applied per tee, green, fairway and/or rough area, all on one sheet. Then you just enter the formulation or amount of N and it does the rest!
• Does anyone ever create bid sheets for chemicals and fertilizers and mail them out to all of your favorite vendors. Saves you time in the summer.
• I make up my own pesticide tests, much like the one the state uses and administer them to my applicators to see if they are ready for next spring.
• By the way, I hope that you all have hour meters on every piece of equipment and use a label maker to show hours when next maintenance is due.
• By the way, you need to keep track of your equipment. Make a log for each piece of equipment and the track maintenance done. When you buy new equipment, number the equipment, date of purchase, serial number, cost and expected replacement date. You can then use this spreadsheet in the future to make forecasts on what equipment will need replacement and why.
Senior PGA Tour
Loch Lloyd Country Club Hosted the PGA Senior Tour
Conditioned by Nels Lindgren, Certified G.C. Supterintendent
• The Southwestern Bell Classic……………1991 - 1994
• The VFW Senior Championship………….1995 – 1996
• The Saint Luke’s Classic………………….1997 – 1998
Provided Excellent Course Conditioning
• A careful plan of nutrition, protection, grooming and conditioning was put in place a year before each event.
• Greens were kept firm yet not hard with no flush of growth. Topdressing weekly and verticut frequently up to advance week.
• Very little water was applied throughout the event. Sprinkler heads were leveled to grade and gated during the event. Speed increased throughout the advance month.
• Teeing grounds and fairways were closely mowed and firm, divots filled.
• Key pin placements and teeing areas were protected for at least thirty days prior to the event.
• Bunker sand was at uniformly settled depth with no new sand ninety days before the event. Tamping as needed for firmness.
Communication with officials and Tournament Staff
• Teamed up with PGA Tour Agronomist to assure championship conditions throughout the event.
• Assisted PGA Rules staff daily to help solve problems, 24/7.
• Worked closely with the ESPN staff, Tournament Director, Operations Director, vendors and our owner to provide practical scheduling that met everyone’s needs.
Loch Lloyd Country Clubs #18 Signature Hole
“Named in PGA Senior Tour’s top twenty toughest holes on the PGA Senior Tour”
Conditioned by Nels Lindgren, Certified G.C. Supterintendent
• The Southwestern Bell Classic……………1991 - 1994
• The VFW Senior Championship………….1995 – 1996
• The Saint Luke’s Classic………………….1997 – 1998
Provided Excellent Course Conditioning
• A careful plan of nutrition, protection, grooming and conditioning was put in place a year before each event.
• Greens were kept firm yet not hard with no flush of growth. Topdressing weekly and verticut frequently up to advance week.
• Very little water was applied throughout the event. Sprinkler heads were leveled to grade and gated during the event. Speed increased throughout the advance month.
• Teeing grounds and fairways were closely mowed and firm, divots filled.
• Key pin placements and teeing areas were protected for at least thirty days prior to the event.
• Bunker sand was at uniformly settled depth with no new sand ninety days before the event. Tamping as needed for firmness.
Communication with officials and Tournament Staff
• Teamed up with PGA Tour Agronomist to assure championship conditions throughout the event.
• Assisted PGA Rules staff daily to help solve problems, 24/7.
• Worked closely with the ESPN staff, Tournament Director, Operations Director, vendors and our owner to provide practical scheduling that met everyone’s needs.
Loch Lloyd Country Clubs #18 Signature Hole
“Named in PGA Senior Tour’s top twenty toughest holes on the PGA Senior Tour”
Sunday, November 19, 2006
"Superintendent of the Year"
Heart of America Golf Course Superintendent Association Superintendent of the Year award winner 1988.
This award, established in 1970, has been presented annually to the golf course superintendent who has demonstrated education and outstanding service to his or her profession.
The guidelines are as follows:
1 Must be a superintendent who represents the organization and himself to the highest degree.
2 This award shall be governed by the superintendent achievements in either;
-excellence in golf course management
-preparation of his or her course for regional or national golf tournaments
-achievements for renovations or new golf course construction
-involvement in local, regional, and national turf related associations
-exceptional contributions to this association through involvement
3 These accomplishments must have occurred in the current years
Article "Syringing with Style" by Larry Aylward
"Lindgren likes to run his greens firm and fast at Loch Lloyd." "He instructs two or three workers to watch for hard and dry spots on the greens." "Lindgren says the workers carry small knifes or screwdrivers with them to probe areas for
dryness."
"Just because a spot is brown or slightly off color doesn’t mean it needs water, Lindgren says." "If it’s soft, it doesn’t need water,” Lindgren says." “If it’s hard, it needs water.”
- featured in Golfdom July 1st 2003
dryness."
"Just because a spot is brown or slightly off color doesn’t mean it needs water, Lindgren says." "If it’s soft, it doesn’t need water,” Lindgren says." “If it’s hard, it needs water.”
- featured in Golfdom July 1st 2003
Environmental Stewardship
Loch Lloyd Country Club in Belton, MO Receives Audubon Sanctuary Recognition
Loch Lloyd Country Club has achieved designation as a “Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary” by the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary System (ACSS), the educational division of Audubon International. Loch Lloyd Country Club is the 9th course in Missouri and the 474th in the world to receive the honor. Nels Lindgren, CGCS, is also being individually recognized for achievement in environmental stewardship.
“Loch Lloyd Country Club has shown a strong commitment to its environmental program. They are to be commended for their efforts to provide a sanctuary for wildlife on the golf course property,” said Peter Bronski, Staff Ecologist for the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary System.
“To reach certification, a course must demonstrate that they are maintaining a high degree of environmental quality in a number of areas,” explained Bronski. These categories include: Environmental Planning, Wildlife and Habitat Management, Outreach and Education, Chemical Use Reduction and Safety, Water Conservation, and Water Quality Management.
The Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses, endorsed by the United States Golf Association, provides information and guidance to help golf courses preserve and enhance wildlife habitat, and protect natural resources. Golf courses from the United States, Australia, Canada, Central America, Europe, and Southeast Asia have also achieved certification in the program.
- Excerpt taken from an article featured on midwestgolfguide.com
Senior PGA Tour
The PGA Tour was hosted at Loch Lloyd Country Club seven consecutive years under my supervision.
The 18th Hole in the 1997 Southwestern Bell Classic.
The 18th Hole in the 1997 Southwestern Bell Classic.
Saturday, November 18, 2006
Intern Training Program
In the winter of 1999 I began to develop an intern training manual that centered around a resource guide that I had been creating over the past 10 years.
This training manual deals with the following topics:
Human Resources > Job Descriptions > Policies > Budgets > Hazard Communication Programs > Equipment > Irrigation > Misc. Forms > Chemical Appilication > Organization > Safety > Audubon > USGA > Mulitcultural Management > and Tournaments.
This training manual deals with the following topics:
Human Resources > Job Descriptions > Policies > Budgets > Hazard Communication Programs > Equipment > Irrigation > Misc. Forms > Chemical Appilication > Organization > Safety > Audubon > USGA > Mulitcultural Management > and Tournaments.
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