Standing from left: Randy Mathis, Bob Scott, Don Lehman, Jerry Schamp and Gordon Bobillot; seated in front are Mike Laux, Joel Jaress, Ralph Forbes and Jim Cooley. Missing from photo are Bob McCue, Gordon Reid and Jerry Crane.
Tim Phillips
Many of us take for granted how the Pro Shop Outside Services staff operates. We are indeed fortunate in having a first class staff operating not only in our golf shop at Quail Creek but the guys who keep the flow of players on target on the golf course and who handle numerous other tasks on a daily basis.
Beginning with our seasoned professional Joel Jaress, the outside services team is headed by Randy Mathis who is supported by a staff of ten. Included in this group are Gordon Reid, Don Lehman, Gordon Bobillot, Bob McCue, Jim Cooley, Jerry Crane, Ralph Forbes, Bob Scott, Mike Laux and Jerry Schamp.
You may know this group as acting chiefly as pace of play marshals encouraging you to keep up with the group in front of you. But let us look a little more closely at what other roles this important group plays to enhance your golf experience at Quail Creek on a daily basis 49 weeks a year.
First and foremost, they are the eyes and ears of the pro shop on the golf course who respond to any problems that can occur to players or equipment and need assistance. This means rescuing broken down carts and providing a cart from the rental fleet for the owner’s use. They also can assist in medical emergencies in addition to bringing professional staff to the proper location on the golf course when needed.
Outside services manage the driving range by delivering clean range balls at the ball dispenser; we started the year with 8,000 new range balls that shrink constantly. The range often has to be picked and balls cleaned, sometimes several times a day to keep our ball bashing residents and guests supplied with an adequate number of balls. Then they keep the range clean and not littered with empty baskets, also ensuring that the dress code is being followed on the range and putting green. Finally, there are those hundreds of errant balls that have flown over the fence that need to be retrieved several times a year.
Outside services are responsible for placing the rental cart fleet of 42 carts into position near the pro shop in the morning. After the carts are used, they are then inspected for damage, cleaned and returned to the storage area every day at sunset. This drill continues every day.
In the summer one of the afternoon rangers is responsible to collect green fees of $10.00 per Sundowner rate once the pro shop has officially closed for the day, while another ranger is on patrol on the golf course to ensure we have players who have paid to be on the golf course at that time. Twilight golf is very popular at Quail Creek in all seasons but during the darkest winter months our outside services staff are on the job to monitor play and check for problems on the courses until late in the afternoon. This group also drives the golf course to ensure that there are no walkers or pets on the course. They also hold regular safety meetings and procedures to be followed under a given set of circumstances. At the end of the day, these are the guys who close up shop and ensure that all is well for the next day, every day.
So you thought you knew who the outside services group was and what they did?