Canyon Lake Country Club superintendent recognized for safety standards

Photo provided by Ted Horton

Canyon Lake Country Club Superintendent Mark Louder was recognized at a recent annual meeting of BrightView Golf Course Maintenance for leading his department employees through 126,184 employee hours without a reportable accident. That’s more than 10 years without a major safety incident under Mark’s supervision – a remarkable accomplishment.

“The entire team is proud of this award,” said Mark. “Safety is an important culture at BrightView Golf. As Superintendents, we are accountable for the safe performance of every person in our area of responsibility. My job performance literally depends to a large extent on the safety accomplishments of each person who reports to me.”

Mark expressed his appreciation for the focus on morning safety checks performed by Assistant Superintendent Justin Vasquez and his employee’s attention to practicing safe actions.

Although Mark’s main responsibility is the maintenance of the golf course, he is always alert to safe and unsafe behaviors, no matter where he is.

He is very proud of the fact that he was asked by previous POA Operations to share some of his training programs to improve safe behaviors in the POA and TWG operations. Accidents have also been reduced in those departments as a result.

Mark’s mindset is “to assure that you are as effective in preventing accidents as possible, safety must be made equal in importance to employee morale, costs and turfgrass conditions.”

Mark said he feels that the course conditions have continued to improve every year of his tenure.  He is especially pleased that the foundation Bermudagrass continues to get better each year, even with overseeding. “Hard work and a lot of planning have yielded these results and the majority of residents seem to like the course,” he said.

Mark said the biggest concern is water. “Costs will be doubling in the next year and we will be stimulated to reduce water use as much as possible, potentially resulting in difficult conditions in the summers,” he said. He emphasized that it will be critical to upgrade the irrigation control and weather station systems to enable efficient water management during the upcoming years.

Mark hopes to be more involved with POA Operations, TWG and interested residents to develop appropriate design and maintenance of the drought-tolerant areas to satisfy the goals of reduced water use, pollinator habitat improvement, enhanced overall appearance and strategic golf playability.

A key goal is to achieve Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Certification at Canyon Lake.  Mark feels the golf course will be enhanced by the program modules of Environmental Planning; Wildlife and Habitat Management; Chemical Use Reduction; Chemical Safety and Maintenance; and Water Conservation. Participation in the AI “Monarchs in the Rough” could be a community enhancement.

Mark is currently assisting a sub-committee of the Green Committee chaired by Dudley Thompson to develop a tree management program for the Canyon Lake Country Club. He is looking forward to having clear guidelines addressing planting, removal and maintenance of the club’s key trees, protecting these valuable assets for years to come.

As a youngster, Mark lived with his family in Texas and at the age of 12 had a thriving business mowing neighborhood lawns. His family moved to England where he was enrolled in a private school that owned a nine-hole golf course. Students worked on the course where they were exposed to golf maintenance, etiquette and a fondness for the game that has served him well till now.

Upon returning to the United States, Mark enrolled in California Polytechnic University, Pomona, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in park administration, specializing in turfgrass management.

Mark began his career as an assistant superintendent at the SCGA Members Club in Murrieta and quickly progressed to superintendent at Quail Ranch Golf Club in Moreno Valley, Pala Mesa Resort in Fallbrook and then the head job at the SCGA Members Club.

Upon the sale of the SCGA Club, Mark was recruited by BrightView Golf (then ValleyCrest Golf) for the position of golf course superintendent at the Canyon Lake Country Club.

Mark recently moved to Canyon Lake where he enjoys the lake and amenities with his children.