By PAUL EDGAR, pedgar@reviewonline.com

The weather always seems to be a major topic of conversation. For golf course owners, however, the weather is more than just talk. With course maintenance requiring between 200 and 500 hours of manpower to complete, getting Mother Nature to cooperate goes a long way to making life easier. Unfortunately, an accurate forecast never seems to be a guarantee in this area. “Competing with the weather is definitely the hardest part,” Doug Hoppel, owner of Turkana Golf Course, said. “You’ve got to keep up with the grass, but you have to be careful not to cut too much off.” An average 18-hole course will usually range between 100 to 300 acres in size which means time is of the essence when weather permits mowing to be completed. According to local course owners, greens must be cut every day, fairways three times a week and rough twice a week.