Finally, after going a season without a barbecue (my last one served me well but had a catastrophic fire), I managed to score on a Craigslist deal for $150! I knew what I wanted but just couldn't pull the trigger on a new one for $1,000. Once I cleaned the layers of grease, my new/used Weber Genesis has been amazing.

So, why, you ask are you talking about your barbecue in a blog post? Well, as I was grilling some whole chickens for Enzo this morning, it dawned on me that every golf course shop that I visit seems to have a grill nearby, and caused me to reminisce about the days when I would buy custom cut rib-eyes for my crew every August to celebrate the nearing end to a great season. Everyone has their ways of showing appreciation to their staff, and through their stomach is always a good place to start.

I remember visiting Mike Kitchen, CGCS at Teton Pines in Wyoming, when then assistant superintendent, and now superintendent, Mark Lyon, was smoking up some ribs for the crew’s Thursday lunch. It smelled amazing. When I heard this was every Thursday, I was tempted to submit my resume! But what a way to give back to those who give it their all every day to make the course what it is.

In Oregon, the Oregon GCSA has been offering up a way to reward those who have worked so hard for over 40 years now. The Annual OGCSA Crew Tournament has been a favorite and is sold out every year. This year is no exception, selling out well over a month in advance. As far back as I can remember, the tournament has been held at Arrowhead Golf Club. They have been so amazing by giving up the course for the entire day. The tournament literally starts at 0-Dark-30 and ends well after sunset, running 56 teams and 228 players through the course. The tournament became so popular, that they had to add a second tournament over in Central Oregon to accommodate those crews over there. That tournament is selling out as well at 26 teams in a shotgun format. That’s 332 players altogether! The winners of each tournament then play for the championship and all the bragging rights in November.

A few years ago, the Western Washington GCSA started doing the same thing and the November Championship became an Oregon/Washington Crew Championship. But not to be left out, the Inland Empire soon joined the fray, and now it’s truly a two-state championship.

It has been so nice to see this crew member appreciation event grow to what it is today. It’s those rewards, whether a BBQ or a day off to play golf, or perhaps both, that pay dividends and help increase crew morale and retention.

A big heartfelt thank you to all those crewmembers who rise well before the break of dawn and give it all to our golf courses!