Inside Golf Inc.

Fall 2013

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8/27/13 3:06 PM Page 1 FINAL WORD BY CAMERON WATT The Floods Remembered It was not only the courses that were affected by the floods, people's lives were severely impacted as well. Cameron Watt was an assistant superintendent at what is considered among the crown jewels of Albertan golf, Kananaskis Country GC. In this Final Word, he recounts his thoughts and reactions to a devastating event. "… the Mount Lorette and Mount Kidd Courses are named for the soaring limestone peaks that serve as their breathtaking backdrop. The Courses offer immaculate fairways, bent grass greens, over 140 silica sand bunkers, four sets of tees, glacier-fed creeks and ponds, the cascading Kananaskis River and a variety of wildlife." That's a paragraph on Kananaskis Country GC's home page. Then you scroll through pictures of manicured greens, lush fairways, and immaculate bunkers with backdrops of snow capped Rocky mountains. They are breathtaking and it makes you just want to be there. At least it made me want to be there and in April, 2012, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity… not just to visit but to be there every day when I joined their team as an assistant superintendent. I quickly learned that the winter of 2011 had been one of the worst in the course's history. The start of my Kananaskis career was going to be a challenge! From late April of 2012 to early May of 2013, our team stripped, prepped, installed, and maintained 30 new bentgrass greens, We took great pride in our work and what we accomplished. Seeing all that washed away in a matter of hours was a completely helpless and gutting feeling. 62 restored bunker faces and perimeter edges to a dozen green sites, resurfaced a handful of tee decks, not to mention continuing with our regular maintenance on the rest of the property. Watching all the improvements take shape and seeing the hard work begin to pay off was amazingly rewarding. Witnessing the pride, motivation, and sense of accomplishment among my team was even more gratifying. Then on June 20 of this year, James Bryce and I started work 45 minutes before the rest of our crew as we normally do. We discussed changes to our schedule because of the continued rainfall. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. At worst, we planned to cancel mowing fairways and rough. The first sign of trouble was when I watched a wooden walk bridge float past me along the cart path. As I crested the path behind our double green heading towards Mount Kidd, water was flowing over the tee sites of #10 and #1. The majority flowed from the driving range and across the 18th fairway. I immediately drove up the service road parallel to the driving range and was quickly stopped, the road was gone. The Evan Thomas River had breached the bank along the 14th hole and started carving its original path across the 16th and through the driving range. My feelings at the time were a mixture of helplessness, shock, and confusion but I still believed that if the rain stopped, we would have the course cleaned and operational by the weekend. But the rain didn't stop and the reality of our situation was sinking in. The Evan Thomas continued to grow in speed and destructive force. Deeper, wider paths were being carved out of our fairways, tees and bunkers. Huge river rock and mature evergreens contaminated the golf course. Irrigation pipe, communication wires and sprinkler heads were ripped out. Mud and silt coated the surface everywhere water flowed. It was heartbreaking to see the courses in this condition. The next few days were difficult. The entire facility couldn't operate and the decision to lay off 140 employees was made. It was emotional telling everyone that this was the end. I felt compelled to try to do more for my staff other than say 'I'm sorry. Good luck'. I felt responsible to help people with their CAMERON HAS LANDED ON HIS FEET AT REDWOODS GC IN LANGELY, BC IMAGE CREDIT/COURTESY: REDWOODS GC iG1308--proof2 immediate transition, because what had happened wasn't fair. During the next few weeks, I had a hard time grasping the outcome and harsh reality of what had happened. I didn't want to believe this was the end to all the hard work put in. I wasn't ready to say goodbye to the many new friends and colleagues that I had grown to love. As a turfcare team, we overcame many challenges, accepted much criticism and worked harder to improve our product for our guests. We took great pride in our work and what we accomplished. Seeing all that washed away in a matter of hours was a completely helpless and gutting feeling. I began to accept the inevitable and started contacting colleagues, reaching out to industry professionals, and talking with friends about potential opportunities. It's rare to find an assistant's position mid-season. I understood that, so I entertained all options. When I first heard about the opportunity at Redwoods Golf Course in Langley, BC, I didn't give it much thought. My fiance and I initially planned to stay in Alberta. After more consideration and future planning, I pursued Redwoods and was very fortunate to have been offered the position. I appreciate my luck, but I've also worked hard in my career, grinding out the long days and unique challenges at each golf course I've been a part of. What does the future at Redwoods hold? Only time can tell. For now, I continue to learn my profession, grow into a stronger individual and continue to offer my best efforts and hard work. Life can be tough but things happen for a reason, which is why I am starting to appreciate more the smaller, and sometimes less noticeable, positives. Cameron can be followed at @napone_23 on twitter and has started a turf blog for the Redwoods GC.

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