Ryder Cup Round Table and a Chance to Mentor a Young Greenkeeper from the UK. Not to mention a UK twist on TurfNets Beer & Pretzels
Wednesday brought another full house to Royal Hall with an Opening Session featuring five Ryder Cup superintendents. The group spanned the 2010 Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor to the upcoming 2018 Ryder Cup in Paris. Participants included Jim MacKenzie (2010 Celtic Manor), TurfNet Member Curtis Tyrrell (2012 Medina), Steve Chappell (2014 Gleneagles), TurfNet Membe
Tuesday in Harrogate started with a General Session in Royal Hall featuring Olympic Golf Course Superintendent Neil Cleverly and International Golf Federation representative Anthony Scanlon on the main stage. The session was moderated by the BBCs Naga Munchetty. Cleverly is no stranger to TurfNet as he was interviewed during the Olympics when TurfNet was the only turf media on the ground during the games. Read the interview here.
Neil Cleverly (left)giving additional insight on Building and M
In this first episode of Rockbottum Radio -- live from deep in the TurfNet Zone -- your host Randy Wilson goes Point | Counterpoint with Ludell Hogwaller on the topic of the Millennial Workforce Problem... and what to do about it.
Topics on the table include turfgrass education, The Tritabaugh Effect, hybrid staff positions and the modern housing dilemma.
Brought to you by VinylGuard Golf and Macrosorb Technologies.
In Skeletal Golf, we look for every possible low-cost, extra-sustainable alternative to doing things the way they've always been done. One of our favorite methods has been adapting the Human Powered Utility Vehicle (HPUV) to golf course operations.
It worked very well for years. Sure, there was the occasional complaint from golfers who hated seeing the irrigation tech using a mountain bike to service controllers or water sod . . . but after I changed over to a tractor with no muffler, the
As you might know from previous posts round about this time of year (un learning, merry christmas to me), I am a big fan of the Christmas season. But, as you also may have guessed, I am not a big fan of the New Year's resolution thing. I am all for challenging the status quo and improving one's life, but feel that it should be an ongoing, lifelong pursuit, not just a once a year sound bite.
So to start this year off, we are going to touch on an issue that has been prominent in my consciousne
Some members of the BIGGA staff outside the Royal Hall (below) preparing to welcome attendees to the daylong Turf Managers Conference.
Monday morning saw many more UK-based attendees in the education sessions. Most of the TurfNet group attended the Turf Managers Conference in the historic Royal Hall. The Turf Managers Conference is an all day session with three technical (turf) sessions and three management sessions. Lunch and two coffee breaks facilitated additional networking.
One
Being a successful operation is about making pieces work effectively together. One of those pieces are the relationships in a team. The relationships are created by the principles that guide our work. These relationships might be task related, timing related, hierarchically related, and are usually contextual. Context is fluid, and requires a framework that can give it meaning and logical structure. Because while some work may be accomplished in chaos, achieving specific objectives is challengin
After our tour of Scotland and Ireland and the trip to Harrogate, it was time to get down to the business of learning.
It's only been a few years that BIGGA has offered education on Sunday. The thinking was that by extending the education into the prior weekend that attendees could get some education on a day that doesn't take them away from their home course.
Approximately 200 attendees (including the TurfNet delegation) started classes that day.
The six of us split up and took a va
Saturday was Moving Day.
After Jim Malcolms musical sendoff and saying goodnight to our local guests Friday night, the group turned in relatively early in anticipation of getting on the road to Harrogate in the morning.
Departure was set for 10:30 after a brief tour of the British Golf Museum. The tour started with a nine minute tribute to Arnold Palmer which led to reflection on his impact on the game as well as the British Open. Simply put, the organizers of the British Open were indeb
The most consistent complaint I receive concerning our films would be the perception of inconsistency. The caller (it's always the phone, presumably to avoid leaving written evidence) lectures me on the need to stick with one kind of format, style, etc.
80% want golf related humor, mostly for stress relief after a difficult day. Another 10% would prefer serious topics on industry trends, while about 9% just want to see features on fellow golf course superintendents. That last 1% want me
Our pre-trip excursion was back on track with two planned visits on Friday... until we woke up to three inches of snow and ice that fell overnight.
Our driver for Friday and Saturday was well-equipped for the weather with winter "tyres" so he arrived as scheduled. We took a quick spin for a view of St. Andrews Links under snow cover and proceeded down the road to Open venue Carnoustie.
Carnoustie
Our hosts for the morning were Carnoustie Links Superintendent Sandy Reid and C
Late nights at a pub can still be followed by early mornings and Wednesday morning was no exception. The TurfNet delegation left the Portmarnock Hotel and Links at half four (4:30AM) for the airport to catch the short flight to Edinburgh. Despite higher than average winds, the flight went off without a hitch.
The second travel snag of the trip (the first being snow in the US) came on the ride from Edinburgh to St. Andrews. Overnight a 40 tonne lorry (that's a big-ass truck in American Englis
Thursday morning we walked into town and were met at the first tee of the Old Course by Gordon Moir, Director of Greenkeeping for St. Andrews Links Trust. Gordon had set aside ninety minutes to give us an overview of the operations there. It was a sunny but cold and windy day on the links.
Once you get past the history, mystique and aura of the fact that he and his team are maintaining the hallowed Old Course, you find that their concerns are very much in line with other multi-course shops
In this episode of Living Legends, Where Are They Now?, host John Reitman chats with Joe Alonzi, CGCS, who retired in 2014 after 22 years at the storied Westchester Country Club. A superintendent for over 40 years, Alonzi is well known for having mentored many assistants who went on to successful head superintendent jobs in their own right.
Straddling the villages of Harrison and Rye, just north of New York City, Westchester Country Club is on the top shelf of golf course superintendent jobs
Former TurfNet Intern-in-Ireland Peter Braun and TurfNet Superintendent of the Year 2015, Matt Gourlay, CGCS, arrived in Dublin on Monday morning to spend a few casual days prior to the "official" pre-BTME visit to St. Andrews. After Jon Kiger and Tony Girardi "collected" them at the airport, the group headed south toward the town of Callan in County Kilkenny, in the Southeast of Ireland.
The first stop was to The Steppes Bar to meet up with Kiger's friend Eddie Kennedy, who looked after Pet
Tony Girardi arrived Sunday morning and he and Jon Kiger were immediately off to Newgrange in County Meath. Newgrange is a 5000+ year old megalithic passage tomb less than an hour from Dublin. The TurfNet Members Trip to Ireland visited the site in 2015.
Tony G. looking a little jet-lagged on Sunday morning after an overnight flight from JFK.
From there, Tony and Jon drove to Dundalk in County Louth for haircuts and hot towel shaves at Lawless Barbershop and Candy Store, an iconic stor
A small, first-time delegation of TurfNet members is attending BTME (BIGGA Turf Management Exhibition) Jan 12-20 as an extension of Jon Kiger's visit and speaking engagements at BTME last year. Invited back for another go on the podium this year, Jon thought it would be fun and educational to bring a group of TN members along for not only the BIGGA conference, but also for a side trip to St. Andrews and nearby courses.
Attendees include
long-time TurfNet member Tony Girardi, CGCS, of
Over 20 years ago, we developed a Chart of Golf Course Stratification, to help us categorize courses and determine what type of player we would encounter. The Chart also aided us in creating a maintenance plan to fit the player, the budget and the personnel we could afford.
This film offers 5000 CEUs toward MOGS, or Mystic Order of Greenkeeper Stratification. For a small fee, you can skip re-stratification, cause we're pretty up front about the whole thing.
The very first article I wrote for TurfNet back in 2013 covered the many potential dangers of an online presence. I'm sure most of you have forgotten it and it's only gotten more important in the years since as social media continues its rise in our daily lives. As 2017 starts, now is the time make sure your online presence is working for you in a completely positive way. Here are some key things to consider:
Ensure your security settings in Facebook are heavily restricted. Great info on
No, not the 15 Minutes of Fame. I'm talking about the 15 minutes that create discipline in a young employee, camaraderie in a crew, a few moments of bonding with the staff for a superintendent or other supervisor.
It's the 15 minutes before work starts at the beginning of the day.
The time around the coffeepot when the games last night get reviewed, balls get busted, shit gets shot. A few moments of relaxation and anticipation before the horn sounds and the mower parade heads out.
TurfNetters, in a recent Forum discussion on Netflix viewing, revealed a sophisticated appetite for quality TV. I expected this, as TurfNet members tend to be more intellectual than residents of other golf internet sites, where "reality" shows rule.
Here at Rockbottum CC, we strive to present an outward image of sophistication and erudite intellectualism, but when alone with Netflix in our darkened home theatre/cart barn, we like to watch British TV comedy.
Once you learn the langua
During the Ryder Cup, Chris Tritabaugh shocked and amazed the international media by using a little known Skeletal Golf technique, "The LPC Course Recon".
Instead of relying upon a truck or utility vehicle, Chris used the LPC, (Leather Personnel Carrier) to perform his critical daily course survey/analysis. While the media immediately recognized Tritabaugh's smooth, calm management style and firm grip on logistics, crew deployment and situational response, they were awestruck by his radic
Another year has come and (nearly) gone. Although we in the green industry are frequently regulated by seasons, the ending of the calendar year provides a significant point to take stock. It strikes me as unusual how I tend to be reflective and look back as December comes to a close. But then PING, it is January 1 and I begin totally looking forward again. On one level this is good because failures of the past year do not persist in bogging me down. On the other hand I may not be evaluating the
