Tuesday, November 7, 2017

Meet our Assistant Superintendent: Doug Cameron

Hello, my name is Douglas Shawn Cameron, Assistant Superintendent at Indian Creek Golf Club.   My parents met at the University of Iowa and I was born shortly thereafter.  I am of Scottish descent and as a youngster had freckles and bright red hair. 

As my mother will attest, I was an outdoor kid.  I love to fish and poor mom spent many an evening wondering when I would drag in, wet from head to toe, after all day at the creek.  I have two younger sisters Morgan and Shannon. We grew up with an assortment of dogs, cats and horses.  My only pet now is a fish.  He is a Beta.  I call him Fish.
My father was in the United States Army and we moved from Iowa to Texas when I was four.  I got here as fast as I could!  San Antonio was home on three occasions.  I have also lived in El Paso, TX; San Francisco, CA; and spent four years in Germany.  I graduated from high school in Baumholder, Germany with a class of 58 students.  Baumholder was my fifth high school, we moved around quite a bit.  Growing up I loved to play baseball and hoped one day to play college or pro ball.  Alas, in Germany soccer rules and there was no baseball.  While in El Paso I also dabbled in motocross.  My friends and I would spend all day riding across the desert for miles and miles.  Sounds like a song from Asleep at the Wheel.
I am a graduate of Texas A&M University.  As a student I worked for the university Grounds Maintenance Department in the irrigation division.  I also served as a care taker for Hensel Park, a 25 acre facility owned by the University.  I lived in a small cabin in the park while attending classes.
I moved to Carrollton, Texas in 1987 where I met Teresa, my wife of 28 years.  We enjoy camping, fishing and going to local festivals together.  Our children, Brian and Sarah, are grown and reside in Lewisville and Carrollton.  No grandchildren yet, but sometimes Maggie comes to visit.  She is Sarah’s Cairn terrier, a Scottish breed.  Teresa works in Accounts Receivable for Parks Coffee.  A local business started in 1986 by Randy Parks in the garage of his Carrollton home. 

I began working at Indian Creek Golf Club in the spring of 2016.  I really enjoyed the challenge of helping our Superintendent, Kenny Baker, prepare the courses for reopening after the great flood of 2015.  Prior to Indian Creek I worked at three other local golf courses.  Buffalo Creek in Rockwall, TX; Castle Hills in Lewisville, TX and Royal Oaks in Dallas, Texas.
Oddly, I don’t play golf.  I realized early on that it takes a lot of time and patience to chase the little white ball!!  Since fishing has always been my favorite hobby I ditched the clubs and kept my poles.  I like being outdoors and exploring new places.  I think nothing beats good BBQ.  I like most music, especially blues and bluegrass.   I also enjoy craft beer and of course Scotch.  Single malts only please. 

I work with a great staff and enjoy meeting our customers.  A little patch of green amidst the urban chaos, Indian Creek is home for now.  Hope to see you there soon.

Time Change & Frost Delays


The recent time change caused both disruption to our sleep pattern and our golf habits, so how does daylight 'savings' affect Golf Courses and is it a positive thing?  The short answer is NO.
After November (and this year the first frost came in October) even North Texas battles cold mornings, which are less desirable for golfers and can cause starting time issues due to frost.

OFF SEASON HOURS begin when daylight savings starts and ends, while the sun is coming up sooner it doesn't equal earlier start times due to necessary adjustments:
1. Demand for sunrise tee times is reduced due to colder temps
2. Maintenance staff is reduced to prepare for off season, course set up for 36 holes is still required, but with a skeleton crew 
3. Frost delays must be managed
4. Overall facility resources are reduced to align with less demand


FROST DELAYS AT YOUR GOLF COURSE