August is the the dreaded "dog days of summer" and budget time. I started working on the budget and wondered where the phrase "dog days" came from. Yes, the budget is my least favorite thing to do and yes, I was procrastinating. Nevertheless, "dog days" has nothing to do with hot, lazy dogs. It refers to the star constellation Canis Major, with its brightest star, Sirius. It rises and sets with the sun from July 3rd to August 11th which just happens to be the hottest time of the year. The Greeks and Romans thought the extreme heat and humidity was being generated by Sirius, when actually it was caused by the tilt of the earth. Okay, back to the budget.

The budget is done in two parts, operating and capital. Operating comes from revenue and capital from tax dollars. Yep, that's right, we operate on revenue. So the money put into the Pro Shop cash register from greens fees, cart rentals, season passes, hats, gloves, clubs, hotdogs, drinks and chips pay for the day to day operations on the course. It includes fertilizer, chemicals, tee and green supplies, seed, sod and the pieces and parts used on the course. You also pay the salaries of all golf staff, so on behalf of everyone I would like to give a big "thank you" for that! With costs rising every year, we would be eternally grateful if you would eat a few more hotdogs!

Let's talk capital. Each department in the Park District makes a list of improvements for their facility to be paid from capital. The lists are long and the pie is never big enough, so it comes down to priorities. PGC has been pretty fortunate the last couple of years. Some projects that we want to get on the list are shoreline restoration from #3 tee to # 4 green, building a new tee and landscaping #9 tee area, and completing the concrete cart paths and bunker renovation. Our equipment is also purchased from capital. As equipment goes, we are going to ask for a new fairway mower and a bucket lift attachment for the Toro cart. And don't think I've forgotten all of the wonderful capital suggestions you have given me over the year. Believe me when I say, I have also added the life size water mist cooler for the Pro Shop patio, the escalator for # 9 green, and the 3 goose chasing dogs to the list! Let me know if you find Sirius.