Golfdom, February 2015

says Larson and his team started taking on more projects out of sheer boredom The golf course got so easy for him It was always immaculate not just tee to green but the whole property was perfect So he always wanted to do something else Keeping projects in house has become a way of life for Larson a hard working Penn State grad who is proud to say he has night watered four different golf courses in his career Though he might shy away from the spotlight and has a disdain for having his picture taken he doesnt shy away from work Im a superintendent at a private club and I wear jeans to work In the summer I wear cargo shorts Larson says Im not afraid to work grab a shovel or jump on a tractor Larson says his work ethic came from when he was a child His father passed away when he was only six His mom remarried five years later to a man who owned a golf course and eventually built two more I didnt have any choice I had to work every day Larson says I didnt get the luxury of days off Research nut A complete list of projects completed by Larson and his team of handymen over the last 26 years would take too much space A new wine cellar a renovated poker room cart path removal five different buildings relocating the tennis courts three times But the daddy of all the projects taken on by Larson and his team was recent and started out as a bunker renovation turning 60 bunkers into 45 That project grew as it unfolded The budget started at 300000 but Larson convinced his bosses mid project that it was the right time to invest another 100000 and also rebuild 12 tee boxes install graffis award Continued from page 22 Working smarter With a smart board Borrowing an idea from his boys school T CCs job board goes high tech Bill Larson and his wife Gayle have two adopted sons Kyle a 6th grader and Jake a 5th grader It was when Larson walked into Kyles kindergarten classroom for the first time that he saw another tool he knew could be invaluable to his maintenance facility a smart board I asked the teacher what it was and she showed me how it worked I was stunned Larson says Every morning assistant superintendent Erik Tolzmann and second assistant Tyler Rose prepare the days duties on the computer They print it off and hand that sheet to Larson for approval Then after the coffee is made they turn the smart board on so they can show the guys the workload for the day The interactive computer screen displayed on the wall keeps the young crews attention Rose says Also useful each days work log is saved allowing them to calculate exactly how much they spent on say mowing fairways Another benefit Google Earth Say someone on the crew isnt sure about the bunker Im talking about Tolzmann pictured above says I can bring this course map up and show him the exact bunker Im referring to Another benefit no chalk dust or chicken scratches My handwriting is lousy Tolzmann laughs With this the guys dont have to try to decipher my writing S J 24 Golfdom February 2015