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About this blog

Carson blogs for us while interning at Mount Juliet Resort, Co.Kilkenny, Ireland

Entries in this blog

A cog in the wheel...

I finally got to see what all the aerating talk was about this week when I participated in my first greens aerating project. In the past six years, I have always had to leave my summer job to go back to school before aeration started. This year, however, we aerated the greens a little earlier than in the States, so I was able to see the project from start to finish. The role I played was core management. This meant that myself, and my colleague Alan were to work with one of the coring machine op

Carson Letot

Carson Letot

Saving money on the war with Silver Moss

Bryum argenteum, otherwise known as Silver Moss, has been setting up residence in the greens at Mount Juliet lately. There are many reasons why this bryophyte is most unwelcome at our course, but the chief concern is that once silver moss is allowed to establish, it can come back the next year and flourish, leaving the putting surface uneven and more susceptible to traffic wear.   At first, the higher levels of moss were contained only to two greens here, each being in a shaded area with a wat

Carson Letot

Carson Letot

Some good luck at Croke Park...

As I counted up the days I had left to explore Ireland, I realized that the chances of getting up to Croke Park in Dublin to see the field and a game of Gaelic football were dwindling. But, just as I was losing hope, I saw a Facebook post from the GCSAI about open slots for volunteers for the match day on Saturday. Immediately, I contacted the organizer of the volunteers and I got a spot on the volunteer crew.   That was the easy part.   Getting to the stadium on game day proved more difficu

Carson Letot

Carson Letot

Defending the course from more than pests and disease...

From the first day of the season till the last, turf managers are always on the lookout for signs of forces trying to take over the course. This can range from grubs in the soil to dollar spot spreading across a fairway. Sometimes, however, we have to look at defending on other fronts.   At Mount Juliet, high traffic has started to show its teeth. Normally, golfers keep the buggies on the cart path and pull into rough from time to time to chase an errant shot. But this week we found evidence o

Carson Letot

Carson Letot

A Piece of Heaven...

It's amazing what a simple email can do. Just a small electronic note started the communication that led to the single best day I've had in Ireland thus far.   Part of my plan while I'm here is to see more of Ireland's golf courses. I had heard a lot of buzz about Old Head of Kinsale, on the south coast just past Cork. Jon Kiger had told me that TurfNet had previously visited there, and said that the staff at the club was very nice and welcoming. So, I emailed the superintendent, Neil Deasy, t

Carson Letot

Carson Letot

All the pieces falling into place...

The course has been tightening up over the last few weeks in anticipation of the Captains' Prizes event, which is very much like a club championship but carries the weight of a member-guest event regarding perfect maintenance.   Over 200 golfers compete for the Captain's and Lady Captain's prizes on a Friday afternoon and Saturday in late June. The event concludes Saturday evening with the awarding of the Prizes at a festive banquet which usually continues into the early hours with dancing and

Carson Letot

Carson Letot

Watching Golf, and Walking Through History...

Last weekend was full of sightseeing. From the historical village in Wexford to Carton House Golf Club in Maynooth, I got a little taste of history in Ireland, and some sport as well.   On Saturday, Alan and I made our way up to the Irish Open, being hosted at the Montgomerie Course at Carton House. This course is one of two at the resort, and is celebrating its tenth birthday this year, along with the honor of hosting the Irish Open, Irelands only European Tour stop. We arrived a bit late, bu

Carson Letot

Carson Letot

Killing two birds with a not-so-obvious stone

At every golf course I've ever worked at, theres always been a pest that seems like the 'chief' problem. At Egypt Valley it was the skunks; at Teton Pines it was the voles; and here at Mount Juliet, its the crows. But each one of the problem creatures were not actually the real pest. The real offenders were what these troublemakers were looking for to eat. Last week this became very apparent to me by way of finally seeing what the crows were looking for.   Since being at Mount Juliet, I have n

Carson Letot

Carson Letot

A Spartan reunion in Dublin...

My friend Josh, a fellow student at Michigan State, decided to visit Dublin this weekend. Hes studying abroad in Spain, and took this weekend off to visit some of his friends and myself. I took a bus up to Dublin after work Saturday morning, and met up with him, and another friend in the afternoon. The name of the game this weekend was to see a couple sites and do some relaxing.   We began at the Guinness Storehouse. This building was the original site of Arthur Guinnesss brewery. Now, its a m

Carson Letot

Carson Letot

The "green" part of greenkeeping...

A well-tended putting surface can make or break a golf course. At Mount Juliet, we place our greens at the top of our priority list. And it for this reason that our course has such a great reputation, and holds up so well, even in the cold and the rain. Golfers may fight the elements, but not the greens. The first step in green maintenance is mowing, but here at Mount Juliet, topdressing is what sets up the rest of the schedule for greens maintenance.   Topdressing is done by hand with shove

Carson Letot

Carson Letot

A trip up the east coast...

After four hours went by on a bus up the eastern coast of Ireland, I finally got a glimpse of Dundalk. A small town just a few miles south of the border of Northern Ireland, and home to a festival I was invited to this past weekend called The Tain March, a reenactment of a famous Irish saga, which includes a trek through the countryside, and a battle between two warriors. The town is on the coast, and has the Mourne Mountains overlooking from the north. I made my way to a B&B called GlenGat

Carson Letot

Carson Letot

The Art of “Cutting a Cup”

My task each morning this week was to cut cups. Like most courses we cut new cups every day at Mount Juliet, but one crew member is chosen to cut cups for the whole week. This allows that person to pick their own spots, and remember them throughout the week, so that proper rotation of traffic around holes is met. I'll first take you through my philosophy for choosing the correct placement of a cup, and then guide you through how check for a perfect finished product.     A great example of t

Carson Letot

Carson Letot

A day off in Kilkenny...

This past weekend brought some great weather, and with it, my first two days off work. On Saturday, I thought I would explore Kilkenny. I caught the train in Thomastown, and in just ten minutes, I arrived in Cill Chainnigh. (Gaelic for Kilkenny) Founded in 1609, Kilkenny is the largest city in the county of Kilkenny, and is home to over 24,000 people. Kilkenny has a fair amount of tourist activity, but the only attraction I knew about was the castle in the center of town on the river Nore.   T

Carson Letot

Carson Letot

Road trip!

After a week in Thomastown, my landlady thought this would be the perfect time to take me on a short day trip to see a little more of Ireland. We journeyed south to Hook Lighthouse just outside of the small town of Churchtown in County Wexford.  Hook Lighthouse is over 800 years old, and is the oldest working lighthouse in the world. We took a tour of the lighthouse, and I got some scrambling time in on the cliffs surrounding the lighthouse.     I have certainly visited lighthouses in Michi

Carson Letot

Carson Letot

Arrival in Ireland, golf and a new home for the summer...

As anyone who had traveled to Europe from the US knows, flights there are usually overnight affairs. Despite all the advice to get some sleep on the flight over, I only slept for an hour as the excitement of  my upcoming adventure kept me awake.  After clearing customs and a short ride to my airport hotel I headed immediately to Rush Golf Club for a round of golf with Course Superintendent Eddie Donlon.   Rush Golf Club is a nine-hole course, but has an alternate set of tees on each hole to al

Carson Letot

Carson Letot

A great opportunity...

Welcome to my blog. My name is Carson Letot, and I am a senior at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan. I am a double major in Crop and Soil Science with a concentration in Turfgrass Science, and Environmental Studies in Agriscience with a concentration in teaching, and a minor in Biology.   In layman's terms, the crop and soil science degree is for golf course management, and the environmental studies degree is for teaching environmental sciences in secondary education.   My

Carson Letot

Carson Letot

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