Lee Ross: Who is Gangster Granny?

Virginia Micka: Oh, that's me. My grandchildren, when they were little, they called me Gangster Granny. Because they were into rap.

Lee Ross: How do you like being Gangster Granny?

Virginia Micka: Well, that phased out. Now, I'm just granny. 

Lee Ross: How long have you been superintendent at Rancho Park? And what did you do before you came here?

Virginia Micka: I've been in the department for 29 years. [At first] I worked in golf as a part-timer for about six months -- I went to school for horticulture. I went to Orcutt Ranch and I was in my element there - all the flowers and the roses. But when I got promoted again, I took another test and I went back to golf. I worked at Encino and Balboa for 18 years.

Lee Ross: And how long have you been at Rancho?

Virginia Micka: Five and a half years.

Lee Ross: What's a typical day for you and your crew?

Virginia Micka: When my crew comes in the morning we start at 5:30am - but in the Spring and Summer we start at 5:00am. Sometimes earlier to get ahead of you guys. I look at the notepad from the day before - what my lead has told me is going on. And then I delegate. You know, who's going to do a section? Who's going to do the bunkers? We're short-staffed. But I have a solid crew. And then I go out with my flashlight and I go check on the greens every morning.

Lee Ross: What is your crew size?

Virginia Micka: Right now, we're a total of 22.

Lee Ross: What do you want it to be?

Virginia Micka: Shoot. At least 30.

Lee Ross: Golf courses could be in perfect shape if golfers weren't allowed on them. What's the impact on the course of having hundreds of rounds played each day and tens of thousands of rounds every year?

Virginia Micka: It's not a significant impact on maintenance except for the fact that we don't have enough staff. So impact-wise, maybe, when we have to work around you guys - being in your way. I worked at Encino and Balboa but the golfers here seem to be a lot more respectful for the course. I don't know if it's history or the course. It's a special place and I feel it. You know, I fell in love with Rancho.

Lee Ross: What is the number one thing that we golfers can do to help you take care of our course?

Virginia Micka: Just fill in your divots. That's huge. I have no complaints with the golfers. It's just we do have a lot of play. Taking care of the course and having respect for it, you know, and making sure that you fix your divots and that you put your bunker rakes back in the bunkers.

Lee Ross: What's the best compliment you'll receive from someone on the course or after they've played a round?

Virginia Micka: The course is in excellent shape. The greens run fast. That makes me feel really good. So, the greens and the course in general. But mostly the greens.

Lee Ross: What's the most common complaint?

Virginia Micka: Irrigation. Wet areas. A lot of complaints. We're on top of it now. We've got it fixed for now, but that's not going to last.

Lee Ross: Course architects will often talk about the importance of water flow when designing a course. The ability to move rainwater away from key areas of the property. In other words, drainage. How much of your job deals with fixing or improving water flow?

Virginia Micka: The water flow, no. But the irrigation mainline breaks. It's coming apart. Over at 5 - you've seen a big hole there for almost a year. It was a nightmare. I had no water for like a month. I was coming to work at 3:00am. The greens are very special to me. It's like my babies - they were starting to die and freaking me out. We need to get new irrigation here. That's the biggest priority at Rancho. And it's not generally the whole mainline but all the fittings that are coming apart.

Lee Ross: Are there any capital projects like that on the books for Rancho?

Virginia Micka: There is one that my superiors are thinking about doing either for Woodley or Encino instead. 

Lee Ross: Water consumption in California and the whole western United States is an issue. What steps do you take to keep Rancho vibrant but also not waste water?

Virginia Micka: I program the irrigation myself and I water deep and infrequently, which is the proper way to do it. And we do locate areas that are out of play that don't need as much water. We'll turn that area off or reduce the [watering] time a lot.

Lee Ross: I've been told that the eucalyptus trees that dominate so many of the playing corridors here at Rancho are not native. They suck up a lot of water and make a huge mess on the ground below them. The best thing I'd say about them is they do a good job of blocking errant shots from opposing holes. What do you think about them?

Virginia Micka: I 100% agree. They planted them all over California -- they're from Australia. I hate those trees. They’re horrible and they're dangerous.

Lee Ross: Is there any effort to get rid of them or do we just have to let Mother Nature take its course?

Virginia Micka: Sadly, sadly, it's probably going to be let Mother Nature take its course. But we have a new director and he is aware of the trees and I have been a huge advocate for it. Our forestry department - they're very short-staffed too. They're just pretty much doing emergencies. We need tree trimming. We used to have it years ago. They had a private company that came out.

Lee Ross: How does the care for Rancho differ from other city courses? In other words, are the decisions made about the care and upkeep of the course made specifically about Rancho? Or does the city make decisions that apply equally to all the courses?

Virginia Micka: All of [City] Golf has set things that you have to do every day. But it's up to the supervisor how we maintain each course.

Lee Ross: How's your game?

Virginia Micka: Horrible. I'm good at putting. I'm terrible. You aim there [points left] it goes there. [points right]

Lee Ross: The Golf Course Superintendents Association of America told me of its 20,000 plus members, less than 500 are women. And it couldn't say how many are grandmothers. I don't see how being a man or a woman makes a lick of difference in directing the care of a course. What's your sense of why there are so few women in your line of work?

Virginia Micka: It's probably like everything else - it was pretty much a man's world. I kind of broke through all of that. Unless you really were into golf - I went to school for horticulture, not agronomy. But I think it's just a matter of exposure. It's not a matter of not wanting to. Who wouldn't want a job like this? I love my job. It's a lot of stress. It's a lot of pleasure too.