Join me as I am joined by Adam Charles, golf course superintendent of The Preserve at Verdae Green in Greenville, South Carolina. Adam has taken a unique approach to managing labor with a progressive approach to managing a large riparian zone that weaves through the golf course. By accommodating this important environmental area, he is creating habitat, reducing labor costs, and speeding play -- A Triple Bonus -- or some might look and see a big patch of weeds.
Progressive talk from leading
While producing training films for Special Ops at Fort Bragg, I learned three important facts about training:
1. You must show the trainee the proper techniques and procedures required to accomplish the mission.
2. The trainee needs to see the negative outcome of not following procedures.
3. You must add something unexpected, even goofy, to the training film, or the trainee will not pay close attention.
(In the military, lack of attention to detail was usually the result of
Join me in the first episode of 2016 as I chat with Dr. Kimberley Erusha, managing director of the USGA Green Section.
Presented by DryJect and True-Surface by Turfline.
Join me in Episode 16 of TZP as I gives some tips on GIS Survival and then chat with Paul MacCormack, The Mindful Superintendent, from Fox Meadow Golf & Country Club on Prince Edward Island in the Canadian Maritimes.
Paul's unique perspective on being mindful is something that I believe everyone growing grass should hear. His blog on TurfNet.com is on my list of required reading for all Turfheads.
The Turfgrass Zealot project is happy to be sponsored by Klingstone: Proven Bunker
It is recommended that last week's blog message entitled, "The Indispensable Role Of The Chapter Executive Director" be reviewed before reading the blog message below.
Appropriate job descriptions for a chapter Executive Director define the job as a COO (Chief Operating Officer) level assignment. (See Jan. 18th blog message.) However, be cautioned that hiring at the COO level is one of the more challenging personnel assignments throughout the small business and corporate worlds because it re
The following is a Ydnar Vengeance Bedtime Story rated For Golf Course Superintendents only.
Of all the complex problems the GCS faces every day, most can be solved by studying how others have handled that particular problem. But, once in a career, along comes a problem so difficult, it requires advice from seasoned professionals . . . or the act of a madman.
Once upon a time, 40 years ago, Dad got entangled in the Artie Hoosemun Incident, and to this day, I still have not figured out h
Episode 15 features an experiment into something new! The tables are turned on me as I let a special guest have control!
This episode of the #TZP could end up being the start of something new. I toss caution to the wind and let a guest host have at it. And the result is a fun and engaging conversation.
The Turfgrass Zealot Project is sponsored by Klingstone. Proven bunker performance for over 15 years. www.klingstone.com
The purpose of this blog message is to identify the appropriate role of the chapter Executive Director, which is concisely stated within the following model chapter Executive Director job description:
Chapter Executive Director: General Duties & Responsibilities
The Executive Director shall serve as the chapter COO . . . .
The Executive Director's fundamental responsibility is to act as a "steward" of his chapter's mission statement in the following ways: to ensure the chapter ha
Cousin Ludell expounds on his theory "The Sissification of The American Male Golfer", while Dave tests his prototype 'Rain Skirt for Golf' and Roy brilliantly figures out how to increase golf participation by not just thinking outside the box, but getting rid of the box.
When I was a new Grounds Supervisor working at Alexandria Hospital in Virginia, I would take a monthly walk through campus and generate quite a lengthy punch list of ALL the work I needed to do. Truth be told, most of that work never got done. It rolled over, or simply fell out of my sphere of concern. I dont need to tell any of you how many concerns/problems we Grounds Managers see whether we are looking or not.
I don't need a list for what needs to be done NOW, or when someone important th
A new year is upon us, and I thought it would be a good time to review some things in tech that we can start out fresh with at the beginning of this year. The key with using technology in your job is to not let it overtake you and keep you from managing the course properly. With a few of these suggestions you should be able to harness the power of tech without many of the side-effects.
Wunderlist
The first step for most people to get organized is to start making lists. This solution could
The purpose of this blog message is to demonstrate that a chapter without an effective mission statement is like an airplane flying without a navigation system. Nobody knows how to get to where they want to go; and missions fail accordingly.
What Is The Status Of Chapter Mission Statements?
Appalling, because the reality is that about half of GCSAA chapters do not have a mission statement and the mission statements of the remaining half of the chapters are too vaguely worded and miss identi
In an effort to attract younger employees to Rockbottum, (we're all over 50) we have abandoned the traditional written job application/background check/blood test (no one could pass those tests anyway) in favor of a newer, hipper, more "with it" kind of social media internet inspired video employment test.**
If you're up to it, take the Rockbottum Pro Shop Employment Video Test and see how you do. Questions are worth 25 points, with a bonus question weighted at 50 points.
**Note: This
The holidays are one of my favorite times of the year. There are a wide variety of reasons for this, but one of best parts for me personally is time given over to reflection. Amidst all the hustle and bustle of Christmas and New Year's celebrations, there is nothing I enjoy more than sitting quietly and thinking about life in general. Most of the time there are no great revelations, just me simply taking time to reflect and recharge. But this season one theme has been nagging at me a bit more th
Agronomy! Join me as I talk with Turfgrass Researcher and Scientist Dr. Micah Woods.
Micah Woods is Chief Scientist and driving force behind The Asian Turfgrass Center. You'll get to hear how Micah was nearly born into the golf business. And follow his journey along the way. Dave and Micah dig into some deep discussion on soil testing and soil test interpretation. Getting famillary with Dr. Woods is essential if you want to keep up with what's happening and new in Turfgrass Science.
In t
I need help. No, not the psychiatric kind, too late for that. I need advice from the most innovative problem solver on the planet, the Golf Course Superintendent.
For over a year, I've been engaged in a bitter struggle with my neighbors, an inconsiderate group of loudmouth, sex-crazed members of the Order of Anura. What a bunch of toads.
Some durn fool constructed one of those waterfall ponds--yes, the kind I've been trying to ridicule out of existence in the golf world for 25 years--
Our first Christmas with Dad as a pure Golf Course Superintendent was a little lean. After several years of serving as a Pro/Super, the debt load was suffocating him. At Dinky Little Fake Country Clubs--we survived four DLFCC in four years--the Pro/Super often had to finance the pro shop inventory, F&B, and golf maintenance supplies of a time-sensitive nature.
(The DLFCC business plan typically delayed non-essential items like fertilizer, irrigation and mower parts, while demanding tim
The story of how TurfNet.com came to be comes to life as I interview founder and creator, Peter McCormick.
In a day and age when new things that actually work are rare, Peter McCormick talks about how TurfNet came to be. It's a great story in thinking way outside the box. It also shows what not worrying about what everyone else is doing can do for creativity. If you haven't heard Peter's entire story, this podcast will give you the 411 on one of the most influential people in the Turfgrass B
Superintendents No.1 Asset: Their Work Ethic
Ask the average golfer, or the country's many superintendents themselves, "What is the golf course superintendents' Number One Asset?" The answers that come forth cover a wide variety of skills (communications skills, technical expertise, quality greens, etc.) all of which with the best of intentions miss the mark.
A consensus of industry-wide opinion suggests that what separates the core of golf course superintendents' performance from virtually
On December 20, Rockbottum CC Films will be ten years old.
For the last few weeks, we have been holding a virtual film festival to display a few of our favorite films.
Today we present "Golf Techno-Phobia", as our grand prize winner. This film not only summarizes the Rockbottum Theory of Golf, but manages to stir in our fear that technology has run amok and brought a new level of "sissification" to golf.
I have often repeated the wise words of A.W. Tillinghast regarding "the ideal
Outreach programming is the most vital service an organization can provide its employees or members because it redirects careers, stabilizes families and ensures that there will always be "career hope" through the most difficult of times. Outreach programming permeates the corporate and military worlds of employment for a good reason.
DEFINING THE CONCEPT
Outreach is a counseling program provided by employers, or their affiliates, where trained counselors support employees in the following
Join me as I interview Golf Course Superintendent Josh Lewis and talk about the 2015 US Open.
Episode #12 of the TZP goes deep diving with Josh Lewis. From starting out in the business in Oregon, working at the famed Bandon Dunes Resort, moving on to Pasatiempo CC and then to Chambers Bay... the site of the 2015 US Open, we cover Josh's footsteps. And we go deep into the backstory of Chamber's Bay.
Josh has an easy style. And we think you will love this interview as much as he loves the
Golf course architect Jim Urbina is one of those people that has been making it happen for 25 years in the industry. Jim's no nonsense style and dedicated study of the classics of golf course architecture make him one of the most interesting people in the world of golf design.
Jim talks about his growing understanding of the relationship between golf course designer and golf course superintendent. His care for restoration of classic design is spiced with his care for the maintenance of the p
