Getting golf course ready for Shell Houston Open

HOUSTON – The Shell Houston Open kicked off Monday at Redstone Golf Club in Humble.

The players will see 72 unique holes throughout the tournament.

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"All 18 holes are different and that's part of our challenge each day," said Randy Samoff, Redstone Golf Club Superintendent.

Getting a golf course ready for a pro-tournament is like no other maintenance project.  Crews are up against the weather making sure conditions are up to par in the eyes of the PGA.

"We have the tour officials come out they check the greens, hit shots into them, see how they react."

Throughout the tournament, the goal is to keep the course in prime shape, which means long days and late nights.

"There are some guys that are here until after midnight still watering and trying to get things just right," said Samoff.

During play itself the crew is on stand-by around the course in case anything comes up.

"We have some blowers stationed.  We have some emergency guys in case a cup gets damaged, or in case there are extreme winds or something that we need to water the course.  We've got stationed throughout," said Samoff.

Each morning tour officials decide where to put the flag sticks.

"They take all the hazards into account, the wind direction, the conditions and they try to make it really challenging for the players," said Samoff.

The more challenging for the players, the more exciting it is for the fans.

The Shell Houston Open ends March 31.