Moving On

It is with both regret and anticipation that I let everyone know that I have resigned from the position of Superintendent at Juniper Hill Golf Course, effective four weeks from this past Monday.

After much consideration I have decided to accept a job with Belterra Golf Club, as I feel it is time for a new challenge and opportunity to further my current goals.

Working for Juniper Hill Golf Course has been a wonderful experience during these past three years. I feel priviledged to have been a part of such a professional team and will miss all my colleagues.

I appreciate both the professional and personal growth opportunities that have been provided to me during my time here at Juniper Hill. I would like to that you all in particular for all your continued support. I hope that we will stay in touch as I begin this new chapter in my career.

This course is, if not the greatest, assest that the City of Frankfort has. I hope the City Commission and all Frankfortonians show the same support that the men's and women's association have during my tenure. I wish nothing but success for Juniper Hill Golf Course in the future.

Sincerely,

Bryan Vice

New Greens Mowers!!

I would like to introduce everyone to our new greens mowers this year, Jacobsen Eclipse 322. We have two fully electric greens mowers, which is why you haven't heard us mowing the greens so far this year. This machine will allow us to help the City of Frankfort in their 'Go Green' campaign with low carbon emmissions, lower our overall gasoline usage, rid the risk of hydraulic leaks on the greens, and cause less noise pollution for the golfers and surrounding homes/buisnesses of the golf course. The unit allows us to give a more frequency of cut without lowering the height of the green. By purchasing these machines, we have replaced the tee, collar,and approach mowers with last years greens mowers. This also gives us better mowers for these areas. Please take notice as Vic, Tom, Bob, and Adam will be using these machines this year.

Season Upon Us!!

The season is just right around the corner. We have a few days where golfers have come out to clean the rust off their clubs these past couple of weeks. We are getting our usual spring showers, a little more than I would like to see right now. I don't think Mother Nature understands the concept of spacing out these rains during the season, but that's ok. A couple of projects have been put on the back burner this winter due to all the snow we got leaving these areas wet or snow covered to wear we could not do the necessary work. Nonetheless, we will get to them when we can so please bear with us and play around us when we are working. With all this rain, please obey all cart rules as we will most likely be cart path only all this week. I hope everyone is as excited as I am to get the season started. We will see you on the course!

Staff Profile: Wilbert Lewis

Wilbert Lewis was hired on to Juniper Hill Golf Course in September of 2007. Many of you might know Wilbert from his days with Frankfort's Street Department, which he retired from and is still talked about from his former co-workers. Wilbert's primary duty at the golf course is mowing rough. He is on the tractor 5 days a week trying to keep the rough mowed down so all the golfers can find their ball easier. Even at his age, Wilbert is one of the hardest workers on the crew. When he's not mowing rough, he will step in and help with anything asked of him in order help maintain the golf course, from helping work on equipment to weed eating. You couldn't ask fora better worker as he is a vital addition to the staff, is very dependable and can be counted on to get a job done.

Staff Profile: John Conlin

John Conlin was hired on to Juniper Hill Golf Course in March of 2008. Many of you might know John from his days with Morton Buildings, where he and his company have built many buidling for the Parks and Recreation park areas, along with one of our very one maintenance buildings. John's primary duty at the golf course is mowing fairways. John never worked on a golf before, but picked up mowing the fairways very quickly. John works 3 days a week, mowing the fairways and comes in when needed if we are preparing for a tournament to really give the fairways a good clean, stripped look. He has been a vital addition to the staff, as he is very dependable and can be counted on to get a job done.

Staff Profile: Tom Murphy

Tom Murphy was hired on to Juniper Hill Golf Course in March of 2001. Tom's primary duty at the golf course is mowing collars and approaches. He also hleps out with mowing greens and tees, and does a lot of our fertilizing for the golf course. When not mowing, Tom has become the 'shop foreman' if you will. He takes care of all the ordering when parts for our mowers are needed, working closely with Willie Trent in the shop, and keeps the break room clean. By doing the ordering, he has allowed me to concentrate more on the golf course. Tom really helped me get in tune with the crew and golf course when I first started and I can't thank him enough for that. He has been a vital addition to the staff, as he is very dependable and can be counted on to get a job done. Tom has and will always be an assest to this course.

Staff Profile: Willie Trent

Willie Trent was hired on to Juniper Hill Golf Course in August of 2002. Willie's primary duty at the golf course is mechanic. He starting out mowing rough when he was hired on and moved into the mechanics spot about 4 years ago. Though you don't see him a lot except when a piece of equipment broke down on the course or during aerification, Willie has done a great job of keeping the equipment running and operational for us during his time at the golf course. The good thing about working on the golf courses equipment is that he has plenty of support from the city garage. Mechanic's are the life blood of a well maintained golf course and with the new equipment we are getting to better maintain Juniper Hill, Willie is getting the knowledge and support in doing his part in helping improve this golf course.

2011 Begins a New Year!!

I hope everyone enjoyed the holidays with family and safe travels for all. The crew and I took the last 2 weeks off to spend time with family, take a break from a struggling summer, and to reflect on what was and what the new year will bring. This is the time of year where we can slow things down, really look at what needs to be done to improve the conditions of the course for the next summer. Due to all the snow and rain we got during December, we were not able to get some of the drain lines and irrigation lines in like I wanted to, but we still have 2 more months before we really start moving into warmer weather. I hope everyone understood the struggles that not only Juniper Hill, but all the courses went through this past summer.

I'm looking forward to this year with the new equipment that we purchased this past winter. We got 2 new fully electric greens mowers, which will take away all hydraulics off the greens. We will take the old greens mowers and put them onto our tees, collars, and approaches, giving us better equipment to mow those areas with. We also purchased a greens roller that will help in smoothing the greens and taking less wear and tear off of the greens mowers. Also purchased were new fully electric utility vehicles that will reduce noise on the course and gas consumption. A new fairway mower that has electric reel motors that will reduce the hydraulics on the mower.

I hope everyone is as excited as I am about the upcoming season and pray that the weather will be a lot better for us. Again... Happy New Year!!!

Staff Profile: Don Tyre

Don Tyre was hired on to Juniper Hill Golf Course in May of 1983. Don has been with the maintenance staff the longest out of everyone on the crew. Don's primary duty on the golf course is changing the cups (pin placements) and moving the tees. He has been through the high's and low's of this golf course and seen a lot of changes in his years here. He is also apart of the men's association and started playing out here on a regular basis this past year as he moved over from the country club. I think with him playing out here after he has finished work, has given me extra eyes on some little things that we might miss throughout the day. Don pretty much works 7 days a week, as he keeps an eye on the greens with concerns to disease and hot spots. Don has a lot of passion and desire for Juniper Hill Golf Course and takes a lot of pride in what he does. Just this past fall, Don was inducted into the Frankfort Parks & Recreation Hall of Fame. He has been a wonderful addition to the staff, as he is very dependable, hardly ever misses a day, and can be counted on to get a job done. Don has and will always be an assest to this course.