Olde Florida Golf Club "Gives a Hoot"

50-75 species of birds make Olde Florida Golf Club either their seasonal or year-round home. With the combination of 95 acres of turfgrass, 30 acres of lakes, and 90 acres of upland and wetland forest, the terrain on our property provides terrific habitat for both migratory and non-migratory species. 

Although significant natural habitat and nesting structure is available, two species we try to attract and assist in nesting are Purple Martins and Screech Owls. Recently I wrote a blog entry "Olde Florida Golf Club is for the birds" , which detailed our efforts to attract Purple Martins to Olde Florida, and this entry, Olde Florida Golf Club "Gives a Hoot", will provide insight on our successful Screech Owl nesting program. 

The Screech Owl is widespread and fairly common, but thought to have been gradually declining. However, the decrease has been helped in some areas by the installation of nest boxes. Screech Owl’s are a robin-sized night bird. They are common in city parks and suburbs, where many human residents are often unaware they have an owl for a neighbor. The owl spends the day roosting in holes, nesting boxes or in dense cover and become active at dusk. Despite the name, Screech Owl’s do not screech. The voice of this species features whinnies and soft trills. 

The Screech Owl hunts at night by watching from a perch and swooping down to take its prey. It can also catch flying insects, which it locates by sound as well as sight. The female Screech Owl generally lays between 4-5 eggs annually and the incubation period is about 26 days. Fledglings leave the nest about 4 weeks after hatching. 

Screech Owl Fledglings on #17, April 20, 2018

Screech Owl Fledglings on #17, April 20, 2018

Since 2014, each year all four of the installed Screech Owl boxes have been utilized to fledge young, and this year is no exception. As of this morning, three of the four boxes have two fledglings each, and in the fourth, the female Screech Owl was on top of her eggs. 

Screech Owl with Fledglings at the Clubhouse, April, 20 2018 

The Golf Course Management Industry is at a Crossroad

Matthew Klein, Assistant Golf Course Superintendent, myself and Andy Polzin, Assistant Golf Course Superintendent, Olde Florida Golf Club   

Throughout my career I have strived to surround myself with quality people and practice good delegation skills, and in my 25-year tenure at Olde Florida, I have been blessed with numerous talented assistant golf course superintendents. My current assistants Matthew Klein and Andy Polzin are no exception and I am fortunate to have them on my team. Unfortunately, through no fault of their own, many of my peers around the country are not as fortunate.

Skilled labor has become a challenge, and this has the golf course management profession at a crossroad. During my travels around the country as a representative of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA), I've heard numerous stories about labor shortages, in particular the challenge of finding motivated and qualified assistant superintendents. And while I don’t claim to have all the answers to the complex societal and generational issues at play, I believe it is up to all of us — the GCSAA, individual superintendents and the golf industry as a whole to take the initiative to introduce young people to this great profession. Furthermore, it is my hope that, once introduced to the industry, many will become as enamored as I was when I stumbled on the profession and they will want to make it a career.

My presidents message in the April issue of Golf Course Management provides more detail on this subject.