During a 30-plus-year career at Oregon State University, Tom Cook was doing more than running one of the country's top turfgrass programs. He also viewed his job as part-time matchmaker.
"Looking back now, it's pretty funny. I thought what I did was run a dating service, matching personalities with golf courses," said Cook. "You have to get to know the students and their style and match them with the right superintendents so they could progress in the industry."
Cook, 67, took ove
Thursday we had our usual 4 AM breakfast followed by a 5 AM start time. The pros had a split tee start off 1 and 10 at 7:50 so we all knew we had to get out ahead of play. You can tell that everyone knows their way around the maintenance facility and the course as the staging area was clear much sooner than early in the week.
Dew whips made in-house and carried by each greensmower operator.
Flymoing tee banks.
It was another great morning weather-wise so we all made good time around
In this episode of Rockbottum Radio, direct from Rockbottum Country Club proshop, Momma demonstrates her proven techniques for handling sales reps; the health inspector visits; a no-cart shotgun start for the old-timers; Ludell innovates something; and in Storytime, that Demonized Cow During Construction, #337.
Presented by VinylGuard. Oh, and Buddy just finished VinylGuarding everything in sight at the driving range!
With the average tenure of a US golf course superintendent at one course is between four and five years it's hard to imagine one family being employed by an individual club for four generations over 100 years, but that's exactly the case with the Hemphill family and Portstewart Golf Club. Jonathan "Jonny" Hemphill is currently a greenkeeper on Bernard Findlay's staff and his family has a rich history of service to the club.
In this audio interview we visit with Jonny's father Robert Hemphill
Wednesday was the Irish Open Pro-Am, a two-tee start with the first group out at 7:30 AM. Everyone on the greenkeeping staff received their assignments the night before and after a short continental breakfast we headed out on the course with the goal to be out ahead of the first groups.
No flat-screen job board here!
There was an amazing fog and mist over the course, which provided both navigational hazards and incredible photo opportunities. The back nine of the course winds down by t
As anticipated, rain arrived in the area Monday night around 11 PM and continued well into Tuesday morning. It started as a steady rain and increased as the morning continued. Our 4:00 AM work session included everyone suiting up in "waterproofs" -- the local vernacular for rain gear. David Escobedo had to purchase a set since there is so little rainfall in Phoenix.
Wet conditions in the morning.
Tuesday morning briefing.
Most tasks (mowing, bunkers, tidying up, etc. ) went on a
The European Tour has five staff agronomists to cover events for their Pro Tour, Challenge Tour and Senior. Tour. Given the far flung venues for these events, they cover a much larger geographic area than their American counterparts. Jon Kiger caught up with Eugene Hennessy, the greenkeeping consultant assigned to the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open. In the following podcast they discuss Eugene's pre-tournament course visits and his role at the event this week. A spring that started out mild in Irel
Sunday was basically a dry run -- a chance to 'find our feet' as they say over here. Monday morning represented our first day of reporting at 4:15 for 'first breakfast' -- a continental breakfast with tea and coffee.
The goal each day is to have everyone done with breakfast and out on the course by 5:00 AM. Since the Pro-Am was still two days away and many players were still on the road from the weekend events, there were just a few golfers on the course. This meant our work could go on with
Friday and Saturday included a few more leisure/tourist activities (primarily for David Escobedo's benefit as he must return to Arizona immediately following the tournament) so when Sunday morning arrived we knew it was game time.
David's first Guinness on Friday had to be memorialized for posterity's sake!
Saturday night we stayed in the border town of Dundalk in County Louth. TurfNet members will remember Dundalk from our 2015 Members Trip to Ireland. Dundalk is about an hour north o
After our visit at Lahinch Golf Club on Thursday, we drove about five miles north to the famous Cliffs of Moher. The cliffs vary from 400 to 700 feet and are located in the most southwestern part of the Burren region of County Clare. Over one million visitors per year walk along the cliffs and view O'Brien's Castle. The Cliffs of Moher are also accessible by ferry from the nearby village of Doolin.
The Cliffs of Moher with O'Brien's Castle at the top.
We drove a very scenic route north
I'm a firm believer in getting to your overseas destination a little early. In addition to being able to adjust to the time zone, I planned to show David Escobedo a little of Ireland before we were stationed for the week in Portstewart.
This past Wednesday afternoon David and I met at New York's JFK Airport for our 10:45 PM overnight flight to Shannon. The flight was just over 5 1/2 hours which left little time for sleep once we were settled in... plus David had already had a 5-hour flight
What is your background/current position/organization?
"I have over 35 years experience working in golf course maintenance. I am currently the head golf course superintendent at a 36-hole facility named Westbrook Village Golf Club in Peoria, Arizona."
Have you had any previous International travel experience?
"I do not have any international travel experience so this will be a new experience for me. Jon Kiger and I have a few days to explore other parts of Ireland before we report
What is your background/current position/organization?
"Currently I am working at The Island Golf Club in Donabate, Ireland as an intern for the summer. I have been working at this course since early May and have been working in the industry since 2013."
Have you had any previous international travel? If so, where?
"I've been to Canada, so this is actually my first trip outside North America. I am enjoying it very much."
What is your previous tournament experience?
"My first four year
What is your background/current position/organization?
"Longtime equipment manager in Massachusetts. Currently at Glen Ellen Country Club In Millis, MA."
Have you had any previous International travel and if so, where?
"I've been fortunate to travel extensively internationally."
What is your previous tournament experience?
"2010 Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor in Wales, 2016 Irish Open at the K Club"
Role in Ireland
"I will help the existing technician at Portstewart Golf Club to maint
What is your background/current position/organization?
"Director of Media and Membership at TurfNet. I sell our advertising and sponsorships, look for ways to grow membership, help produce some of our video, blog, and podcast content, and organize our annual Members Trips... along with a bunch of other stuff as it comes up."
Have you had any previous International travel and if so, where?
"I've been fortunate to travel extensively to South America (mostly Brazil where I have family) and Eu
You don't know Justin Woodland. Ok, maybe you do. But you probably don't. And guess what? You need to know him. Here is your chance.
Justin is one of those people that I think should be required meeting if you are going to understand the reality of the business of golf and of Greenkeeping itself. He's got the "It" factor that I look for and yet, will probably never see what so many think is "the spotlight". Justin is doing it his way. And he's now got a fire to help others learn. A grass roo
Buddy has always been very successful at whatever he attempts, whether it's business, competitive sports, building cars from scratch or something difficult like golf course operations. His secret: If you observe Buddy carefully, it becomes obvious. Painfully obvious.
"Without persistence, you have no psychic wellspring of strength to combat what life will throw at you."
-- Ben Stein, from Bunkhouse Logic
When Buddy accepted the position of Equipment Manager at Swamp Hell Golf C
In this episode of the TurfNet Renovation Report -- presented by Jacobsen and Golf Preservations -- Jon Kiger chats with Chris Monti, senior design associate with Bobby Weed Golf Design about the recent practice facility renovation at Interlachen Country Club in Winter Park, FL.
The new facility features a 10,000 square-foot putting green with subtle contours, a chipping green with generous surrounds to allow for a variety of shots and a bunker green with four bunkers of varying sizes. The
Welcome to TurfNet on Tour, the blog showcasing our US-based team of volunteers at the 2017 Dubai Duty Free Irish Open at Portstewart Golf Club on the coast of Northern Ireland. Four representatives from TurfNet will represent 10% of the volunteer maintenance force for this European Tour Rolex Series event.
This year the tournament was moved from May to July and that presented a challenge to host superintendent Bernard Findlay. Just as in the States, greenkeepers here are needed at their res
In this episode of The Ladder, presented by STEC Equipment, John Reitman chats with Sam MacKenzie, CGCS, director of grounds at Olympia Fields Country Club (Olympia Fields, IL), about Sam's career path over the 38 years he has been in turf management.
MacKenzie, the TurfNet Superintendent of the Year in 2008, reflects on people who have influenced him and the value in being exposed to different points of view in both turf maintenance and people management... as well as the current state of t
By Greg Wojick
Greenkeeper /green-keep-er/ noun: Someone who solves myriad problems average golfers didn't know they had in a way they don't understand. See also Wizard, Magician.
It has always been difficult for me to accept the fact that most golfers don't understand even a small fraction of what happens behind the scenes in golf course maintenance. Maybe, much like magicians whose acts continue to mystify their audiences, the work of the golf course superintendent is just too much t
It's summertime at Rockbottum CC and that means it's time for us to lighten up.
No more serious punditry, projections, predictions or pedantic posturing.
Just fishin'.
In everyone's life they have a few core things they know in their heart of hearts to be so. I hesitate to use the word truth, because it can so often get twisted and deformed. One person's version of "truth" can be vastly different from someone else's, so for the purpose of this piece, we will leave that word alone.
In our industry there are also things that appear to be so. These things are not dogma, nor are they written in stone anywhere. They are simply things that I have noticed over th
