In this episode of Frankly Speaking, I have a wonderful conversation with Chris Tritabaugh, golf course superintendent at Hazeltine National Golf Club, about his agronomic preparation and humanistic hopes for the Ryder Cup. Our wide-ranging and particularly open and honest -- in the Tritabaugh tradition -- conversation ranges from the community and atmosphere Chris crafted by invitation in the maintenance staff headquarters... to his active use of social media throughout the event... to the agro
This week's guest author is Ludell Hogwaller.
My name is Ludell and I suffer from TMST.
Last week, I was the guest of honor at an exorcism, carried out by the Rockbottum elite, Chet Lester, Ydnar, Aint Feemy and Bubba. They intended to excise my Luddite tendencies, citing my refusal to own a "smart" phone as the primary problem.
Apparently, I have angered the flock, because I won't take photos dripping with extreme narcissism, seek peer approval by "following" others, stagger aro
If confirmation is needed that George Thompson is a man from a different era, one need only look back to his first job as a superintendent.
Columbia Country Club in Chevy Chase, Maryland, was fiercely loyal to its employees when Thompson worked at the Washington, D.C.-area club from 1963 to 1982. The way Thompson, now 78, recalls it, "the starter had been there 53 years, and three locker room attendants had 150 years of service between them. There were assistant pros who had been there for 3
Tucked away on a rugged mountain in Tennessee is a very special golf course. Like many courses from the early days of golf in America, The Course at Sewanee looks and feels like it could have been a setting in a golf fairy tale.
Renovated by Gil Hanse in 2013, Sewanee is in the exceptionally capable hands of golf course superintendent Steve Ventola.
We found the course almost too good to be real; rugged and natural, while running firm, fast and dry in the right places, it's in Steve
This episode of Frankly Speaking has two "Frank Chats": the first with Clint Mattox, PhD candidate at Oregon State University, on Microdochium patch/pink snow mold ... and the second with Dr. Doug Soldat about his potassium fertilization research at the University of Wisconsin|Madison.
Smart talk from leading thinkers and always Frankly Speaking.
One of the most common concepts that contributes to a team's success is to have clear objectives. Clear objectives provide direction and framework for how to proceed in your work. These objectives can be precise, such as increasing the tree canopy or completing your mowing route in "x" number of days. Or they can be broad so as to create context for where your grounds operation will move toward. Here at Drury we have come up with five objectives to guide our work as we strive to fulfill our orga
I would estimate that close to 100% of superintendents have and use Microsoft Word for creating various documents for use around your clubs, and personally as well. While there are limitations to the software, one thing that works great is how it handles headers. There is a little bit of process to it, but in the end you can have a very nicely designed document that you can then edit on your own.
Let's say that you have had TurfNet design a header for your blog and you'd like to use i
(Trigger Warning: The following is a Ydnar rant, not a safe space.)
Yesterday, I was busy deleting emails, wiping the hard drive with a cloth, and I found a directive from an Alphabet Agency instructing me to read an article from Bloomberg entitled, "Following Your Passion Is Not A Career Goal".
I was puzzled. Why would these folks suggest a philosophy that runs counter to what is needed to survive as a golf course superintendent? Did they not read the article? Perhaps the title soun
Couldn't resist sharing my Forum post...
Gotta tell you about my day so far (it's only noon now)...
Woke up at 3:00AM as is about the norm these days, squirmed for an hour then got up at 4:00 to peruse the "news" (as it were) and surf some online guitar lessons. Made my pot of coffee but must not have pushed the pot all the way back in to open up the no-drip thingy. So the coffee and grounds backed up all over the counter and down into the innards of the coffee pot (a problem wit
Originally, this post was intended to be an intelligent, thoughtful column about modern day golf course operations in the face of a changing economic environment, but then Wilber goes and writes some epic piece on Karma and Kevin Ross shocks everyone with his retirement and Paul MacCormack pens a zenful story about Chris Tritabaugh and the Ryder Cup, so . . .
I decided to wait until everything settled down and the afterglow wore off before I publish my masterpiece. In the meantime, I'll jus
About this time of year, every year, I get some similar communications. They may be different in content, but the context is simple. Sometime, during the course of the season, someone did someone wrong. Be it a GM throwing a super under the bus, a super trashing an assistant, a sales rep repeating something that was said in confidence, etc. You get the picture.
I studied this a while back when I didn't understand why bad stuff kept happening to good people. And vice versa. It made things m
The Ryder Cup was many things to many people, but for me it was the opportunity to see something up close that I have thought about a great deal. This blog has touched on many things and has hopefully created a balanced framework for many of us to look toward. But it wasn't until I got to spend a week at Hazeltine with Chris Tritabaugh and his crew, that I finally found what I have been searching for: a truly Mindful Superintendent.
Chris embodies all of the traits that one would aim for if
As my 2016 Ryder Cup duty comes to a close, it's nice to reflect back on my experiences. There are a few strong takeaways from the event for me. None of them have to do with any sort of agronomic stuff.
First, the welcome that superintendent Chris Tritabaugh gave to everyone at Monday's orientation was special. He introduced and acknowledged each member of his staff, every volunteer, and all of the industry affiliates (me). As a TurfNet correspondent, this was the category I fit into for th
Although our research is still in the infantile stage, we are releasing our Pollinator Decline findings early, to increase our chances of winning one of those environmental awards.
The following film will reveal just how far we will go in the name of science . . . and winning trophies.
(And you thought we were just a bunch of imbeciles.)
While On Location at the Ryder Cup I was very fortunate to have two executives of The Toro Company -- Mike Hoffman, chairman of the board and outgoing CEO, and Rick Olson, president and incoming CEO -- join me for a few minutes on camera to chat about the Ryder Cup and much more. Take a listen...
I don't love large tournament golf.
I don't. It is a degree of unreality that I've been outspoken about for years. Except for The Ryder Cup. If all the other events vanished, I'd be ok. But take away the greatness of The Ryder Cup and you'd hear me cry "Foul". Loudly. To me, there simply is no better competition in our world. Keep reading. I'll make you a convert.
1. Stroke Play Sucks. When I think back to the roots of golf, I just don't see two guys going out and having a wee nip at
In any major golf event the volunteers certainly play a big role in the success of the tournament. It's amazing to me how far away these international volunteers traveled to work the Ryder Cup. I was able to corner a few and find out where they hail from. Take a listen.
On my first trip around the fairways at Hazeltine National, I was amazed at how pure and uniform the fairways were. The main reason why, I realized, was there were no divots! Anywhere. The consistency and uniformity almost made it look like it was a brand new golf course getting ready to open.
Most of the no-divot look can be attributed to a hitting mat used by the members over the last weeks the course was open. Let's take a look
We are aware of how you watch Rockbottum Country Club films. You like to binge watch on cold, wet, winter days.
That's why we rely on really short films during growing season and offer the lengthier films after the hard frost creeps south.
In keeping with that strategy, we thought this would be a good time to announce The Verticutters going out on tour next year by playing a few of our greatest hits.
When it comes to a cool, calm, collected individual... that is how I would describe Hazeltine National Golf Club superintendent, Chris Tritabaugh. I have watched Chris operate for nearly a week now and even though the biggest stage in golf is being played on the golf course he manages, he appears unfazed by the pressure. Maybe there is no pressure on him? Maybe his complete confidence in his staff is the reason? Whatever it is, it's refreshing.
Chris was so kind to give me a few minutes out
On Thursday I had the opportunity to check out Red. There was a lot of talk about Red for a few days and I wanted to see what the fuss was all about. Now many of you may be thinking that I'm referring to "red iron" or Toro equipment, no this is a different kind of red. This Red happens to be Mike Graves, 2nd assistant at Hazeltine. Red did something special this Ryder Cup week and I was fortunate to have a front row seat to watch it transpire and to chat with Red, one on one...
Beyond the spectacle, the perfect turf conditions and the insane merchandise tent, there is one thing that stands out more than anything else at this 41st edition of the Ryder Cup. It is community. It is the connection that only seems to come when greenkeepers, researchers, and industry representatives gather to work toward a common goal.
I got to spend some time with my fellow TurfNet contributor, Dr. Frank Rossi.
We have discussed the power of connection here on this blog before, (th
I tracked down my old buddy Dr. Frank Rossi to get his thoughts on Hazeltine National and this massive event called the Ryder Cup.
Frank and I go back some 25 years in this industry. We have battled many times over all kind of turfgrass management subjects and have always had fun doing it. Take a look as Frank and I have some fun on camera.
