Patti Dozier
June 27, 2009 04:43 pm
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THOMASVILLE — Inmate labor at Country Oak Golf Course is a sure bet.
One doesn’t have to worry about people showing up for work, but turnover is a concern.
Thomas County inmate crews have the Pavo Road City of Thomasville facility looking better than it has in a long time, according to a golfer and course principals.
An inmate considers the work a privilege.
Some 80 acres of the 140-acre facility are mowed weekly, but it isn’t like Saturday morning on your Snapper, golf course officials explained.
Greens grass is mowed to different heights, said Glenn Little, greenskeeper. Some grass is mowed to a precise .165 of an inch.
An irrigation system installed about 18 months ago is a key to overall greens condition, said Little.
As many as a dozen people used to perform greens work now done by inmate crews, saving a lot of taxpayer dollars.
During cold months when grass is not growing so rapidly, inmates tend to other golf course needs: Painting restrooms and a bridge, and building a new shed over a well.
“Materials are the only cost,” said Bobby Geer, prison warden.
Trusty status of inmates requires periodic supervision. Detail officers know where those prisoners are working and how long the job should take, Little explained, pointing out an inmate mowing in the distance.
Kris Sherman, a Thomasville resident, has played the course several times weekly for about four years. He sees an “enormous” difference since inmates began maintaining the course.
“The shape of the course is better than I’ve ever seen it,” Sherman said. “ ... It seems more tended to than in the past.”
He said the irrigation system helped, but routine maintenance is much better.
Sherman moved here from New Orleans after The Big Easy was decimated by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. A retired lead guitarist, Sherman plays funk and rhythm and blues.
Sherman’s brother, Mike Sherman, of Greensboro, N.C., played the course with his sibling Thursday morning. He said it compares well to any course he plays in his home state.
“I think it’s a great idea,” Mike Sherman said about inmate golf course maintenance.
Snakes, particularly water moccasins, have been spotted — and killed — on the course.
Mike Owens, Country Oaks head golf pro, said serpents are not a problem until golfers hit their balls into woods and water and go after them.
“Most of the snakes stay in the woods,” Owens explained.
More moccasins than rattlers have been spotted. Water and oak snakes also visit now and then.
“We got three last week,” Little said.
An inmate has slain his share of serpents with a tool used in greens maintenance.
“It’ll cut a snake quick. I’ve killed about five snakes out here,” the prisoner said, showing the mean-looking tool.
Inmates’ identity cannot be divulged.
The 31-year-old, snake-slaying convict is serving a two-year sentence for commercial burglary.
“It was my second felony, and it’s non-violent,” the prisoner, of Jesup, explained.
He is to be released in June 2010.
He and another inmate said they are “making the change and breaking the cycle.”
“I really enjoy it,” said a 26-year-old inmate from Atlanta. “It gives you a little bit of a sense of freedom out here.”
With a release date of Aug. 16, the prisoner is serving time for marijuana possession.
“It’s a privilege, I think,” he said, describing golf course duty.
Geer receives 10 to 15 requests a week for the golf course detail. Not everyone is qualified.
To qualify for golf course duty, a prisoner must:
• Be serving a short sentence
• Have a minimum of trusty status
• Exhibit exceptional behavior
A couple of golfers have expressed concern about prisoners working on the course.
Little recalled one person who said they would stop playing the course, but has not stopped — yet. Another will no longer allow his daughters to play the course.
Prison labor turnover is a concern for Owens and Little.
Turnover is inevitable, they said, because inmates are bound to be released.
However, Geer said replacements are not a problem. He has a backlog of job applicants.
Senior reporter Patti Dozier can be reached at (229) 226-2400, ext. 220.
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