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Organizational Value is the Key to Sustainability

Sustainability has always seemed to me like something an operation must work toward. Meaning sustainability requires actions or steps that must be invested in, or operational adaptations that require the addition of some step, or equipment, or something. For a long time, I pursued sustainability by adhering to this approach of altering my operation to achieve sustainability objectives. I am now coming to believe that sustainability is more about a dynamic atmosphere surrounding and pervading the

Joseph Fearn

Joseph Fearn

Rockbottum Radio: Why Can't We Be Friends?

In this episode of Rockbottum Radio, RW changes things up and leads off with Storytime, telling about the time he led a protest movement to overthrow a high school cafeteria. Then, as Anti-Golf occupies Rockbottum CC, turning it into a free "People's Park", chaos is averted as Ludell defuses the situation with a brilliant strategy that involves golf, mushrooms and common sense. RW explains his solution for fixin' all this turmoil, in the midst of a big manhunt for Cletus, who supposedl

Randy Wilson

Randy Wilson

Racism in Golf Turf Management

Racism in the golf turf industry? Say what? Yagottabekiddinme. Of course I jest. There is no racism in golf turf. That’s because, for all intents and purposes, there is only one race in golf turf management. In salaried positions (superintendents and assistants, and we might as well include suppliers, academics and the media as well), we are 99% white... and 99% male. Those figures are my guesstimates, but if these things are tracked somewhere — and what isn’t — I doubt I'd be more tha

Peter McCormick

Peter McCormick

We Can Be Superheroes

A couple of years back I saw an animated short on Youtube (below) narrated by author, ABC news personality, and podcast host Dan Harris. In the video Harris likened the practice of mindfulness to being an actual superpower. Our ability to choose to respond wisely rather than be carried off by our habitual reactions is on par with x-ray vision or shooting webs from your wrists.  The interesting thing about most super heroes is that they aren’t just one-trick ponies. Even though the

Paul MacCormack

Paul MacCormack

Rockbottum Radio: Positive Energy Defeats Negative Vibes

In this episode of Rockbottum Radio, direct from deep in the TurfNet Zone, Willy preaches the power of positive energy in the face of the negative vibrations emanating from... well, just about everywhere these days. Multi-tasking while preaching, Willy also must deal with troublesome golfers, weakening infrastructure, another Mushroom Burger Day, and allegations of poison on the Food and Beer cart. Boof whips up an Ipecac martini to silence an uppity golfer. During the hallucinogenic b

Randy Wilson

Randy Wilson

From Concrete to Conservation: Difficulties in Landscape (Soils) Restoration

Landscape restoration is a situation us Groundskeepers regularly find ourselves in. While some may hear this term and think native prairie or landfill recovery, it also applies to much of our everyday work too. Landscape restoration is about big ticket projects, but it is also about fostering the multitude of natural processes that take place in the living environments we manage every day. For the last 18 months I have been participating in two restoration projects. One is seeking to transform a

Joseph Fearn

Joseph Fearn

Lessons from Dave...

Seems like I'm stuck in a pattern here of writing about people who we've recently lost. A month ago Walter Montross, then Ken Melrose, and now Dave Heegard. The hits just keep coming. If you're among the hundreds (if not thousands) of turf guys who swung through Farmlinks during the Pursell days in the early 2000s, no doubt you met Dave Heegard. I had been to Sylacauga twice, once prior to the golf course and lodge being built, and of course the second after.  The latter visit was when I me

Peter McCormick

Peter McCormick

For Ken Melrose, Personal Wealth Was Seed and Fertilizer

I was saddened yesterday to hear of the passing of Ken Melrose, past president/CEO/chairman ("executive emeritus", if there were such a thing) of the Toro Company. I write this not as a factual obituary (I'll leave that to John Reitman), eulogy or even memorial, as I did not know him beyond several casual handshakes back in the late '80s/early '90s when I was in the peripheral Toro family. It's mostly a recollection of observations made as I watched him from afar. Ken Melrose did well for h

Peter McCormick

Peter McCormick

O Ludell, Where Art Thou?

On The Saturday Afternoon Movie, "O Ludell, Where Art Thou?", Ludell suspects that he has been zombiefied by the ankle-deep propaganda spewed forth onto his shag carpet through mind numbing microwave wifi beams. Late one night, he escapes his socially distant quarantine shelter at home isolation cell and seeks the safety of the screen-free mountain forests. While roaming loose in those mountains, Ludell foolishly begins to entertain forbidden thoughts and soon finds himself the target

Randy Wilson

Randy Wilson

An Important Rerun

We first ran this film, “Force Multiplication Through Cross Training”, back in January of 2019, primarily to alert the golf industry to the possibility of another recession.  We included an important strategy, taken from special ops, for creating a sustainable labor force capable of withstanding a major economic reset.  Although the film encountered resistance, possibly due to “Normalcy Bias”, the Bat-Flu demonstrated how easily a recession can surface, especially in an overly complex economic s

Randy Wilson

Randy Wilson

Good AND Fast...

Recently while making the rounds to check on my crew’s progress I came upon a groundskeeper who was clearly working but wasn’t making the progress necessary. This situation presented me with a dilemma. Critiquing a worker who is clearly trying but not achieving adequate results (quality, scope, pace, etc.) can be awkward. I wanted to correct this teammate without discouraging him. I gave him some tips like understand what you want accomplished when the job is done and consider the steps necessar

Joseph Fearn

Joseph Fearn

Rockbottum Radio: Rockbottum Adapts to Golf 2020

In this episode, Randy explains why Rockbottum Radio is more like an Old Timey radio show from 1940 than a modern podcast with serious interview segments. It's entertainment with a goofy perspective and an occasional subliminal message. The job of the golf course superintendent has gotten more serious over the years, and sometimes it helps to have a more relaxed if even twisted view of this industry. You know, with a few laughs... now more than ever. Among the shenanigans going on at Rockbo

Randy Wilson

Randy Wilson

Changing the View

“There is nothing so stable as change.” — Bob Dylan In our lives there isn’t much that’s predictable. The only thing we can count on for sure is that things change constantly. On many levels change is imperceptible. Thatch accumulation underneath a green surface, a tree growing a few inches at a time, a change in a belt notch or a hairline receding. The hum of daily life keeps these things in the background, hidden by our toils and troubles, joys and sorrows. Once in a while we all exp

Paul MacCormack

Paul MacCormack

The Hard Reset of 2020

Looking back a couple of months to BCV (Before Coronavirus), the thought that 200 million Americans and more around the world would be hitting the pause button and staying at home for a month or more would have been ludicrous. Absurd. No way. Fast forward and here we are.  I’m sure I am not the only one who wakes up from another restless sleep to hope that this is just a bad dream. Of course, it is not. The horrors of this pandemic are yet to be felt by most of us. Thankfully we work i

Peter McCormick

Peter McCormick

Spring Will Be Online This Year...

A Note on COVID19 The Coronavirus is impacting all of us in different ways and on a massive scale. Our deepest condolences go out to any and all that are struggling with this virus and the heart wrenching consequences of it. We appreciate the incredible dedication of the healthcare workers and others doing their best to provide for our communities. As members of the Facilities Department at Drury University the Grounds Crew qualifies as essential personnel. We will continue to work during this

Joseph Fearn

Joseph Fearn

Isolated

In this episode of Rockbottum Country Club, R.W. , a non-essential worker, is isolated.  The following film documents his battles with cabin fever, carpet grain, clubhouse socialism and . . . Momma.  

Randy Wilson

Randy Wilson

Our Top 3 Youtube Golf Channels

In the event you find yourself confined to quarters and have depleted Netflix, Hulu, Roku and Amazon Prime of every single show, film and reality bilge . . . before you are forced to turn to books, try going deep on The Youtube. To save you some time, we here at Rockbottum CC are happy to offer our Top Three Greatest Golf Channels on Youtube. Before we announce the winners, allow us to explain why we are qualified to select the winners. Rockbottum Country Club, is arguably the Longest Runni

Randy Wilson

Randy Wilson

Keep calm and stay connected...

So here we are. Uncharted waters. The stuff of sci-fi novels and B-grade terror flicks in the here and now. The novel coronavirus of 2020 has redefined “rate of change” in our lives, upending the oft-tenuous sense of balance we enjoyed BCV. Before Coronavirus. Yesterday, last week and last month. The Dow at 29,000, sports on TV, handshakes and hugs the norm, the paper products aisle fully stocked. (I can understand shortages of Purell but the toilet paper hoarding thing has me stumped; afte

Peter McCormick

Peter McCormick

In The Lab: Hoban, Dr. Derek Settle and a bunch of Nematodes

Mark Hoban takes us inside Dr. Derek Settle's secret laboratory, where they conduct all sorts of research on both kinds of nematodes:  The Bad Guys and the Good Guys. This is another one of Hoban's college level courses, so be prepared to learn some things about nematodes you didn't know, along with a strategy for managing the little . . . rascals. If you need Mystic Order of Greenkeeper CEU points, be sure to stay 'til the end, because there is a summation and a test.

Randy Wilson

Randy Wilson

A Shift is Happening...

It was no more than a whisper for years. But thanks to the courage of more and more people willing to speak out, the hushed tones are growing into an audible conversation. People who you never would have suspected are opening up to a new narrative. Those who have always felt strongly about it are speaking their minds and sharing with each other openly.  Mental well-being, stress management and mindfulness are beginning to take root in the turf industry.  This movement towards a more ho

Paul MacCormack

Paul MacCormack

Feathered Friends...

Organism diversity is a hallmark of a healthy landscape. Microorganisms, fungi, plants, animals, etc. all relate together to create an ecosystem. Diversity creates the stability that allows the ecosystem to be a self-sufficient loop, where all parts mesh together for the benefit of all parts. While there are fluctuations due to a variety of factors (weather, disease, pollution, etc.) adjustments to the system are always sought to bring back balance. Monitoring the indicator species (species that

Joseph Fearn

Joseph Fearn

Pearls of Rockbottum Wisdom

In this episode of Rockbottum Radio, the brilliance fairly gushes forth from the inhabitants of Rockbottum, with advice, observations and rants on everything from Skeletal Golf Theory to concussions, low budget superintendent relaxation techniques, fake waterfalls, what happened when the Mayor's wife picked a fight with Momma... and why playing your own golf course is not playing golf. It's something else. Finally, beware the red-circled tree for man-relief. Presented by DryJect.

Randy Wilson

Randy Wilson


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