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.
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
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
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.
I really don't want to write this, but there is a rage welling up inside me that begs release. For me, writing is cathartic — like having a therapist at my fingertips — so here we go.
With senior citizenship upon me, I have dedicated the past year or two to personal wellness, finding and sharing joy, and shunning stress and negativity whenever possible. The latter is the most challenging of the three, but integral to the first two. I've found the key (if you can't simply avoid them) is to m
The Rockbottum Gang is all back together for this feature film teaser. Katy returns from New York, Leroy is back from Colorado, Buddy comes out of retirement, Ludell looks positively awful after his first visit to a real barber and . . . Bobbie Sue Hogwaller shows up to put everyone on edge.
Watch the trailer for "The Floating Head of Death", adapted from The Greens of Wrath, and see if you can sleep tonight.
“You must experiment. You do things in which you eliminate something that is perhaps essential, but to learn how essential it is you leave it out. The space then becomes very significant.” — Henry Moore
A few weeks ago I was afforded a rare opportunity to step away from everything that I deem essential in my life. Work, phone, social media, my friends, my family (by far the most essential one… basically my life as I have come to know it. I wasn’t on a vacation per se, rather an intentional
I heard yesterday about Toro's impending purchase of Venture Products just like most everyone did, via social media. Venture Products manufactures the increasingly popular and versatile Ventrac line of all-terrain prime movers and attachments.
My initial knee-jerk reaction was, "Perfect! Score one for Toro..." and of course for the Steiner family, owners of Venture Products. Toro will be a good steward of the brand, "Toro-ize" it to their standards, develop new attachments and take the line
In this episode of Rockbottum Radio, presented by DryJect, Randy reveals his proven method for upgrading your BS filter. Then, Fester N. Boyle, the former green chair at Stinkin' Pond CC drops by to offer Momma some suggestions on golf maintenance.
Ludell sells golf insurance and extended golf swing warranties before getting in real trouble when he joins Buddy in a special yoga class at the gym, while Randy goes on about how to use Crowd Wisdom to see the future of golf.
In Storytime,
I have to apologize for the tardiness of this summary post, but between the holidays and jet lag and the flu incurred during the very long flight home, it has taken me a long time to get back on my feet. But I did want to make one last post as an homage to my experience over perhaps the most professionally enlightening experience one could even imagine.
Pictures cannot capture the dedication of the 45 full-time staff members who care for this 36-hole golf mecca. From the moment you step foo
The field crew and representatives from Brandt at the Rose Bowl. Photos by Lauren Reitman
Relationships don't bloom overnight. Like a sprig of Bermudagrass, they take time to cultivate. Shown the proper attention and care, eventually they can blossom and mature. That's how Rose Bowl field superintendent Will Schnell and Brandt territory manager Michael Steve look upon their relationship.
"Typically if I'm within 100 miles, I'll just pop over to make sure everything's good. Not that th
Working at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum is a dream job for Scott Lupold.
On the last day of our (almost) week at the Rose Bowl helping superintendent Will Schnell's team prep for the big game, we visited with Scott Lupold, who is in his dream job as the grounds manager at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
We wanted to learn more about the challenges he faces at the other venue that makes Los Angeles a great college football city.
A lifelong USC fan, he remembers sitting in
FOLLOW US ON INSTAGRAM AT INSTAGRAM.COM/TURFNET FOR MORE PHOTOS
There is a sign posted on the fence leading onto the Rose Bowl field that reads "Please pardon our mess. We're trying to grow grass."
There is perhaps no place in the country better at doing just that. But what happens inside that fence is about a lot more than just growing grass. The team charged with producing the world's most famous field is a tightly knit group that redefines the term extended family. After near
I can't stand reading end of the year, wrap-up writing. Nor can I stomach the end-of-the-decade spench that I am reading everywhere. It's just as if the writers and broadcasters and anyone else with shredded newspaper for brains has to do this. I feel like I need a shower after reading most of this mindless box ticking drivel.
And yet there has been this little voice in my head telling me that I am supposed to write something recapping something or another. Non-conformity is my bag, so I ha
Will Schnell's team sweeps the field free of divots and tufts of turf after the halftime performance by the Oregon and Wisconsin bands.
We knew the field at the Rose Bowl was special, but carving out a piece to take home?
The 106th Rose Bowl Game is in the books, but the work is not over for the men who made it possible.
Only a month old, the newly sodded field held up under the pressure of two marching bands, a hard-fought game that went down to the final play and a post-game c
Immediately after the 106th Rose Bowl Game, we went over to Brookside Golf Club just outside the north end zone of the stadium in Pasadena, California to visit with superintendent George Winters.
Each year for the Rose Bowl, UCLA home football games, concerts and several other events throughout the year, Winters and his team convert parts of the 36-hole Brookside property into parking and tailgate areas.
When the events are over, his team works throughout the night to turn all 36 holes
The Goodyear blimp makes an appearance on New Year's Day. Photos by Lauren Reitman
Finally, it's here.
Today is game day at the Rose Bowl.
The staging area for the Rose Parade is just about a mile from the stadium, and while tens of thousands of people camped out overnight to hold their spot to view the parade, New Year's Day is hardly a day of leisure for superintendent Will Schnell, assistant Miguel Yepez and their crew.
The day is scheduled to start around 8 a.m. with an
High school teacher Geoff Thran, also a groundskeeper at the Rose Bowl, creates a replica of the Rose Bowl field every year on his lawn.
Talk about taking your work home with you.
When Rose Bowl groundskeeper Geoff Thran leaves the stadium after a long day of work, he goes home to a smaller version of the field he just left.
A high school health teacher at Mountain View High School in El Monte, California, Thran also is a part-time groundskeeper at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. And
One of the folks who helps make things run in preparation for the Rose Bowl is George Wiley. A retired Pasadena Police officer, Wiley has been around many a Rose Bowl - as a police officer, working security for the game and also as part of superintendent Will Schnell's team.
He also is an entrepreneur who started his own company, First Down Football Products and developed a few things used around the Rose Bowl that are used almost daily, including stencils for painting numbers and metal gua
After being dealt a lucky hand with no frost or rain, the team removes the tarps long before sunrise. Photos by Lauren Reitman
After four days at the Rose Bowl, I'm continually amazed at how people are so awestruck by a 2,5-acre plot of turf.
There are tours running through this place all the time, and the field is the big draw for them. They can get to the fence ringing the field, but not on the turf itself. So close, yet so far away.. When both teams visited the stadium Monday, firs
In this episode of The Buddy 'n Randy Show, we advise Golf Course Personnel in "How not to get kicked in The Jimmy in 2020".
Brought to you by DryJect!
Work continues on an Oregon football float. Photos by Lauren Reitman
Sunday was tabbed "Sunday Funday" at the Rose Bowl for the two teams competing in the 106th edition of college football's oldest postseason game.
We took a queue from the Oregon Ducks and Wisconsin Badgers and wandered across the street from the stadium to the Rose Bowl float-staging area. I've watched the Rose Bowl for generations and know all about the ground rules of using primarily organic matter to decorate the
Chris Chang double checks measurements for the crosshatch at the 35 yard line.
Things finally got going Saturday on painting day as the time on the clock got closer to 9 than 8. After a quick team meeting led by assistant superintendent Miguel Yepez, who, make no mistake about it, was running this show, a team of about 20 that included some folks borrowed from other departments set off on their assignments, painting yard lines, hash marks, sidelines, end lines, logos and 10-yard markers.
