have been requsted by the residents at the retirement village were i work to write up a yearly schedule for their bowling green were i work, so they can monitor the work i do. as anybody ever heard of this before and as anyone got any suggestions on it. i have spoken to a few greenkeepers and they all gave the same reply do not do it. they cannot ask for this you are in charge etc.
12 Dec 2008 by vid
Any contractor of any size knows this one!! I feel its perfectly alright to specify exactly what they can expect from you in the way of costs and what you are prepared to do for the price. However who in your club is qualified to supervise you, there is nothing worse than some jobsworth criticising you for not doing exactly what it says in a specification - I have had this myself this year. Quite often jobs that have been planned in are not done for a variety of reasons and to carry them out at a financial disadvantage or at risk to the environment just to satisfy the written word is dispiriting if not bordering on the illegal (in my case). The way you word this I feel the club wishes to put you in a 'big brother is watching' situation and I feel you should resist. If there is no trust for you to carry out your professional duties to the best of your ability and to their best advantage then I suggest you find another green to work on and leave it for them to do themselves. Its simple either they leave you to get on with the job or you leave them(IMHO)
thank you for such a quick response, apparently because they pay a service charge they own me .
12 Dec 2008 by vid
Nothing better to do with their time - tell them politely to eff off they most certainly dont own you and like most others in the industry I bet you are not that well rewarded for what you do either
George dont write schedules its very hard to predict the weather
you are better to have a greens steward that you can get on with and build up some trust with each other , it also lets you no what you both want and a time that it can be achieved in , find out what they are after speed /levels etc and work together , he or she should at least do 2 years , happy customers and no schedule and just 1 aim the green
Are you employed or self employed ?
Hi George
It sounds as if some people are used to monitoring other people's work and just canot get used to the idea that they are no longer in control of anything. But, even without knowing your exact circumstances, it is possible to give some guidelines.
It may be worth looking on this as an opportunity to justify why they pay so much for you in their service charge. Instead of being looked on as the 'grass cutter', you have the opportunity to present yourself as the expert turf manager.
Draw up some general guide to work you would do given ideal conditions, i.e. looking after a bowling green without players. Then explain the effects of people using the green, e.g. compaction and aeration, damage caused by bowls to the turf and the need for fertiliser, thatch buildup and the need for scarifying, etc. Show them that looking after turf is not just about mowing.
I would agree with vid that too much information on timetables can shackle you, but don't be afraid of being technical either.
Best regards
Andy Turnbull
12 Dec 2008 by vid
Of course the other thing you could do is charge them a consultants fee for the proper preparation of a schedule of works - say £400 - with a consultative meeting with all concerned to take in to consideration all factors affecting the preparation of the green. This should also lead to you being able to charge more accurately for what you do, charging accordingly when you do more than required - that might just shut them up as well!!
employed. thankyou all.
hope you all enjoy the holidays
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