Green grass, open spaces, and critters to chase – what more could a dog want? Not much, as several IGM Superintendents have found on their golf courses, though the smiles and belly rubs are also popular. With adequate training and familiarity, man’s best friend can be a welcome addition to a golf course maintenance crew.
Everyone with a lawn knows a lot of work goes into having green grass, from regular mowing and watering to fertilizing and pest control. Imagine being responsible for a hundred-acre lawn that also has ponds, bunkers, and sand traps. That’s what a Golf Course Superintendent faces seven days a week. Every great round of golf starts with the
IGM is well known in the golf course maintenance industry, but we enjoy having opportunities to expand our services to benefit our communities. A perfect example is IGM’s relationship with the Bear Valley Springs Association. IGM’s golf course crew maintains the BVSA Oak Tree Golf Course, plus we employ a grounds crew to maintain landscaping, parks, and other amenities within the Association’s community. Most recently, it was all hands-on deck to complete a top-quality baseball field.
Golf course owners and management teams looking to reduce expenses while maintaining, or improving, the quality of their golf courses would be wise to consider outsourcing. Why hire outside for something you’ve been doing yourself? Following are some of the benefits your property will accrue when you outsource maintenance responsibilities to IGM.
IGM is known in the golf course maintenance industry for its environmentally sensitive approach to achieving healthy, attractive turf and landscaping. Recently, the company installed new soil sensors, SP-110’s by Spiio, at Lake of the Woods golf course in Locust Grove, Virginia. The sensors monitor moisture, temperature, salinity, and sunlight reaching the course turf.
IGM, a leading golf course maintenance contractor, was recently awarded a 5-year maintenance contract with Country Club of Culpeper, VA. IGM’S management team is currently working directly with the course management, getting the operation up and running with standard operating procedures.
Ludlow Country Club in Massachusetts was facing a financial crisis, with low membership due to neglected golf course maintenance when they hired IGM to help them. Working closely with the Club leadership, IGM developed a plan and budget to turnaround the course. By the end of the 3-year contract term, Ludlow Country Club could not be happier, with membership growth from about 265 to 400.
Every golf course in the United States is making “every day” necessary adjustments as golf course operators adapt to a new normal within our golfing communities. As a contractor of golf course maintenance services at golfing facilities across the U.S, IGM has seen how these adjustments vary widely. One thing remains the same though - golf course maintenance costs are the largest expense item on the budget for most clubs.
Since the appearance of the Covid 19 virus, we have all seen our lives and livelihoods upended to some extent. As a golf course maintenance contractor with clients across the country, IGM has seen every course challenged in its own way. While some golf courses remained open, with new safety protocols, others closed according to area regulations. Now that parts of the Country have begun opening again, we are all facing a new normal.
At IGM, our agronomic professionals work hard to maintain healthy, attractive, and environmentally appropriate golf courses for our clients year-round. In times of emergency, we stay in daily contact with clients to ensure we are meeting their needs as situations change. During the COVID 19 pandemic, some golf courses are seeing an increase in business, while some in resort areas are facing cancelled rounds as people forego travel.
