In this week's Skeletal Golf Theory, we focus our cameras on The Leading Killer of Golf.
SGT is part of Rockbottum Country Club, Deep in The TurfNet Zone, where you'll find straight up, non-cupcake golf course operations analysis, on golf's longest running webisode.
The passing of seminal artists always has an effect on those fans who remain behind. With their deaths, we are confronted with a review of the full reach of their creativity and contribution to society as a whole. The magnitude of their contributions can easily be taken for granted while the artist is alive and creating, yet as in many things, it isn't until we posthumously acknowledge the power of their legacy, that we fully appreciate their artistic impact.
Recently, TurfNetters from nort
In this episode of Rockbottum Radio, I have a serious chat with envelope-pusher Mark Hoban, superintendent at Rivermont Golf Club in John's Creek, GA. One of the true "mad scientists" of the golf course maintenance world, Mark is constantly applying his holistic view of soil/plant management to new endeavors on the golf course. And he always keeps one eye on reducing inputs and subsequent c
Mark fills us in on his current delvings into biochar, compost extracts (as opposed to compost tea...
We have covered various resume topics throughout my time here at TurfNet. This time around I'd like to look at a somewhat different angle. Usually I recommend that you have a professionally built website and portfolio to complement your resume. But for this blog, let's consider how you can use just a resume, nothing else, and still garner attention from employers.
It's not ideal, but if you are in a jam and haven't had your materials built, here are five things that are critical to include
For our annual Halloween tale of horror, we present "Never Say Dye".
Long ago, in primitive golfland, I stupidly stepped into the shoes of a superintendent who escaped resigned from a haunted economically stressed golf course and subsequently ran off accepted another offer.
Before he left, he told a horrifying story of being tricked into attempting a resurrection of a zombie country club; the terror began the moment he stepped foot on the course. It was built on floodplain, the bent g
In this episode of the TurfNet Renovation Report, presented by Golf Preservations and Jacobsen, host Jon Kiger chats with Butch Sheffield, long-time superintendent at North Ridge Country Club, about the recent practice facility renovation there.
In this episode of Living Legends, presented by the Nufarm Insider, host John Reitman chats with David Stone, retired superintendent at The Honors Course in Ooltewah, TN. Stone had been at The Honors Course since construction in 1982 (that's 35 years for anyone counting) and until his retirement was the only superintendent The Honors Course had ever known.
Spend a half hour getting to know David and gain from his wisdom garnered over his career as a golf course superintendent.
Watch this short film for a quick glimpse of some of the fun at this year's Highlands Cup. You'll probably want to try and qualify next year.
For actual details, check out John Reitman's story in TurfNet News.
Sustainability as relates to the landscape is difficult to define. I mostly know what it is, but at the same time I'm not really sure. The word itself seems to ask, "Can my landscape sustain itself?". However, if sustaining is the question, then any landscape that can be perpetuated for whatever reason, and consuming whatever resources required, is necessarily sustainable.
Sustainability also seems to have an ecological component of harmony with the environment. This attribute seems very wis
I don't do many speaking gigs.
That seems weird for a guy who loves and eats and drinks communication. It's not that I'm afraid of public speaking. That fear went away long ago. It's not that I don't love the actual events. I marvel at the quality of the education that is presented to Turfheads and how good the interactions can be.
What makes me take on just a few of these every year and be very picky about who I am speaking to has to do with the mental side of preparing for these very
Modern smartphones, social media, and digital task boards are leading the way toward a Techno-Utopia in golf operations.
Except for one minor glitch . . .
Throughout the years writing this blog, I always find the September edition the toughest one. Being a superintendent/GM in the northeastern portion of the continent is always difficult this time of year. You are worn out by the season, many of your younger staff members have returned to their studies, and you still have a few miles left to go before winter. Finding clarity and creativity can be a challenge.
Creative inspiration can be an elusive concept to pin down. We know it when it hits
In this episode of Frankly Speaking, I chat with Mike Huck of Irrigation and Turf Services in Orange County, CA, one of the foremost experts in water availability, usage, regulation and what it all means for the golf course industry.
We talk about the end of the California drought, trends in overseeding, painting and turf reduction; costs of treating vs transporting water; use of hand-held vs in-ground soil moisture sensors, among other things.
We wind up with what we h
In this episode of Rockbottom Radio Off the Leash (or is it "Off the Rails"?), Randy discusses his experiences with flood recovery and correction recommendations; crow deterrents; the greatest golf course maintenance stuff; and Rudy, a member of the Golf Course Dog Hall of Fame.
BTW, what is 'providential topdressing?"(This podcast has been archived.
Please contact us if you'd like to listen to it and we'll restore it.)
This post is a quick and easy, yet very effective use of your application email for making an impact in your job application right at the start. First off, there are a two things you should know about sending your application email:
You should state your sincere interest in the club or company and mention why their organization is worthy of your interest. It almost always serves you well to flatter with a statement about them, instead of solely focusing on you. This is a great way to sta
In order to replicate golf's biggest growth surge, we have been doing research into what caused the 80s boom. Was it greed? No, although bankers and real estate developers rarely miss out on hyper-inflating a good bubble, turns out . . . it wasn't them.
Was it the sharp increase in televised golf saturation? No. Was it the Boomers aging out of participatory team sports? White belts? Johnny Miller?
It was none of these. It may be hard to believe, but the 80s Golf Boom predated th
In this episode of Frankly Speaking, I chat with Dr. Al Turgeon, professor emeritus at Penn State University, about his career evolvement from the golf course to Viet Nam and through academia, with a brief stint in industry in between his various academic stops around the country.
Take this whirlwind tour as Al and I reminisce about all the big names in the history of turfgrass science, many of whom rubbed elbows at some point with Dr. Turgeon. He even hired Dr. Milt Engelke at Texas
Back in June, I was headed home from a trip to Minneapolis to visit my son, who had been interning at Toro. My route took me through Des Moines, Iowa, so I decided to visit Rick Tegtmeier. This was my first visit to Des Moines Golf & Country Club, and Rick was anxious to show me around. So, out we went for a tour of the golf course... all 36 holes of which had been completely renovated over the past four years under Rick's guidance.
Even though I was on a tight traveling schedule, I rea
Everybody wants to have their own shop. I've been studying Hector's Shop for a while and I think I can do it, too.
Here's a short training film that explains how to fix a bad starter.
Branding is the effort to create a distinct and significant positive awareness of your organization in the mind of your customer or stakeholders. This recognition of your capabilities and contributions can be important to whether or not your operation is seen as benefiting the organization as a whole. Branding is a way that you can you can help to affect the way your image is perceived by the people you work with every day. While your work output/quality is the most important factor to organizat
Lately, when I read the interweb, that guitar riff from Mike Judge's "Idiocracy" plays at full volume in my head. You know what I'm talking about, the lick that sounds like it was ripped from Cheech and Chong? Judge has not only accidentally joined the ranks of dystopian prophets like Huxley, Orwell and Rand, he has provided a soundtrack worthy of the Ministry of Truth's daily expectorations.
As the digital cacophony increases in volume, I find myself scurrying around seeking a safe space,
In this episode, host John Reitman chats with career superintendent, mentor-to-many and current "international agronomy consultant", Dick Bator.
Bator's superintendent career included stops at Pine Valley, Merion and Oakmont. Over those years he mentored -- some may say 'tormented' -- many assistants who went on to careers as head superintendents.
He shares with us some of what made him tick, and advice for today. Some takeaways:
I hired good people, but pushed them and taught
The 2017 Solheim Cup is in the books with a victory for the American ladies. It was also a big victory for the agronomy staff at Des Moines Golf and Country Club. Led by Rick Tegtmeier, Director of Grounds, and superintendents Nate Tegtmeier and Tim Sims, the course staff and volunteers all pulled together to make this tournament an unqualified success. The condition and playability of the golf course was spectacular, applauded by both US and European players.
What I will remember most about
