Crews Prepping Course For Tee Time

The fervor of freshly cut grass stimulates the senses on a Saturday morning at Cedar Ridge Country Club. With little wind and a clear blue back-drop, it's a perfect day for play; except on this day, the course is closed. The mowers are busy mazing through trees, setting the scene for the 2008 SemGroup Championship.

"Everything has to be done prior to the tournament so we don't have to focus on anything but setting it up for tournament play every day," said Mike Wooten, Cedar Ridge Country Club Superintendent.

Lately, it's been a trying time for the course's team of workers. The December ice storm crippled the condition of the course, forcing long hours and hard work. This confirmed the cliché that the grass is greener on the other side.

"We've been going six to seven days a week for eight to 10 hours ever since December 11. Getting the ice storm damage cleaned up in time for this event pushed us pretty good. We had to do a lot more than we normally would. Even in a normal year it's tough enough," said Wooten.

Now that the storm's over, it's details that demand attention. Before the ladies land in Tulsa, the out of bounds lines need to be carefully painted. It's not the work of Picasso or Van Gough, rather the red line is a reminder of how many strokes show up on the scorecard.

"A flower here, a stick there. Re-mowing everything, heck and filling divots; every little item that makes a difference," said Wooten.

Some of finishing touches take place on lucky number 13, as one worker slides in the hole sign. But, there's no time to admire the work because there's plenty more to do.

By Kyle Dierking, Video Journalist.