Back in the heady days of the late 90s, the golf industry was all about the creation of new courses. They could not build them fast enough, and everyone (Green Keepers included) rode the wave of euphoria that was to usher in a new age in golf. Fast forward 15 plus years and that wave has crested, crashed on the beach, and sucked many of us back out in its undertow.
While the construction of new courses dwindled, the golf industry changed its focus and now the buzz words center around restora
It has been traditionally thought that pedigree (prestigious) jobs were available only to the more veteran superintendents. Interestingly, this is not the case today because credential quality now supersedes age as a primary qualifier.
The Challenge
Of course, the better things in life do not come without ultimate challenges, which in this case are:
There are fewer pedigree golf courses compared to the many worthy candidates capable of filling these jobs -- which means that only the bes
Any of you feeling the effects of the stress and strain of the "100 Days of Hell", you need to LISTEN TO THIS!
In this episode of my TurfNet RADIO show, I Speak Frankly with Paul MacCormack, Golf Course Superintendent and General Manager of Fox Meadow Golf Club, Prince Edward Island, Canada. We chat about being intentional and about pacing yourself during the stressful part of the golf season when your course is most actively used and judged. Paul gives great advice, including tips on how to
In the spring of '70, Norm, my pro golfer/supt father, was hired to operate, renovate and resuscitate a little 9-hole CC in Covington, Tennessee. This was before we discovered the small town, pseudo-country club business plan known as Hire In Spring--Fire Immediately After New Year's Party. (This happened four times before Dad caught on and switched to full-time superintendent, a process that required a difficult exorcism to remove golf pro thinking.)
When we arrived at CCC, we p
Nothing delivers a negative message to employers and everyone else on a golf course campus more directly that a superintendent has defaulted into a laissez-faire work ethic than a poorly dressed, obviously out-of-shape body.
Following is a list of personal appearance guidelines that superintendents should follow:
Physical Fitness: Superintendents owe it to themselves, their families and their employers to strive to be physically fit throughout life because: they will live longer; deliver
In this episode we are Frankly Speaking with David Huff, Professor of Turfgrass Genetics at Penn State University and the foremost authority today on the genetics, breeding potential and management of Poa annua as a greens-type turf.
Dave published an excellent article in the May/June 2015 issue of Greenmaster (the official publication of the Canadian Golf Course Supts.) on managing annual bluegrass with ecology and evolution in mind. Professor Huff outlined a mindset to managing Poa annua t
Please do not think this blog is shameless pandering to a site I am a member of. I joined TurfNet first as a user also contribute now as a blogger. I found TurfNet while looking for resources on general turf maintenance and sports turf. While TurfNet is focused on the golf industry, there is much information applicable to these other fields.
One of my main interests is in an organic-based approach to turf management that focuses on natural processes over chemical intervention. Fortunately I
One major issue seems to come up in the vast majority of references -- no diversification! What does this mean? Well, most only list their peers (superintendents) on their references page. While this might be a good idea for finding an assistant position, it really is not the best approach for a superintendent opening, particularly if you are applying blind with no connections to the hiring club.
Listing your peers may prove that you know or come recommended by industry veterans, but it doe
Come along as we visit with Brian Stiehler, CGCS at Highlands Country Club in Highlands, North Carolina.
Brian shows us "The Farm", a very special garden he designed, built and maintains for the club.
For some 25 years I have asked superintendent attendees at the dozens of Career Counseling workshops I have presented to prioritize the following five elements (presented in alphabetical order) that collectively drive the course of each of our lives: Career - Country - Family - God - Self.
Judging where these five elements fit within your life plan is more than a game. It is a prudent exercise to identify the sequencing of priorities that will best ensure your life's effectiveness.
After
Don Mahaffey came up in the golf business from the ground up, or the back door, or via a "non-traditional" path... whatever one wants to call it.
He is now a golf course builder... working greenkeeper... consultant and project manager.
Don's ideas and methods are unique and at times controversial. He doesn't buy into the "more is better" approach to golf course management. He has an appreciation of the bottom line, separating the necessary from the fluff, holding the line on the cost of
At Rockbottum CC, we are forced to endlessly crank out short films and columns where we say stuff we aren't supposed to say and try to hide it in comedy, sarcasm and brilliant intellectual wittiness. (One out of three.)
It would be a lot easier if the average TurfNettian was aware of how difficult this job is... sort of like your job would be easier if the members knew what was involved. We don't simply crank out a column or shoot a quick video and spend the rest of the week at the yacht c
If you think you understand golf facility Master Planning, think again. In this episode of the TurfNet Renovation Report, we have one of the greatest minds in the planning process to talk about what really matters.
Andy Staples is an Architect, Master Planner and Innovator. Dave Wilber spends time with one of the brightest lights in the future of Golf. We'll get to understand what's working and what's not working in the world of design and implementation.
The TurfNet Renovation Repo
In its raw form, the "Peter Principle" simply states that both organizations and people tend to develop/succeed up to their level of competence -- after which incompetence prevails.
The primary characteristics of the Peter Principle are:
It stealthfully positions a performance 'glass ceiling' upon each of us. It never goes away. Its glass ceiling can be advanced (see below) creating added upward mobility. When ignored, it can do damage.
Because it is difficult to know when we have
About midway through my green career, I spent a year working on a golf course here in Springfield, Mo. While this length of time doesn't warrant me any position of golf management authority, it did give me some appreciation for my brethren in golf, and some empathy for what golf course workers of any capacity might face. I know that there is almost nothing that compares to the intricacy of managing a green. I loved mowing greens, even double cutting in the dark before an early tee time. I did no
In this episode of Frankly Speaking, Frank speaks with Jim Wagner, Vice President and Design Partner with Hanse Golf Design in Malvern, PA. Having met during the design phase of the Rio 2016 Olympic golf course, Frank and Jim discuss the recent US Open at Chambers Bay and creativity in modern design. Creativity in designing a course challenges and rewards a creative golfer and when done properly minimizes maintenance moving toward a sustainable approach to golf and golf turf maintenance.
Myth: Golf course superintendents who consistently allow their personal work schedules to stretch to 60 and 70+ hour work-weeks are perceived as being dedicated to their jobs and are respected for this commitment profession-wide.
This is a dangerous myth that has cost more than a few superintendents their jobs through the years.
Why? Because the vast majority of those responsible for hiring superintendents are private-sector executives who require the managers they hire in their day jobs
"Everything is a gift. The degree to which we are awake to this truth is a measure of our gratefulness, and gratefulness is a measure of our aliveness."
-- Brother David Steindl-Rast, Jesus and Lao Tzu: The Parallel Sayings
When life is throwing you a series of knuckleballs it can be close to impossible to find things to be thankful for.
As greenkeepers we face adversity on an almost daily basis. Unrealistic expectations, unpredictable weather, equipment malfunction...the list goes on
This episode of The Renovation Report, hosted by Dave Wilber, features Armen Suny of Suny Zokol Golf Design.
If you don't know Armen, you are in for a real treat. His candid, real-world and experienced opinion is one of the most unique and sought-after opinions in the industry. His blog, The Anarchist's Guide to Golf Design is a place for true unfettered ideas.
Some quotes from Armen during the show:
"Superintendents have much more sway in renovation projects than they ever th
Jon Kiger talks with Jeff Urquhart, golf course superintendent, and Robert McNeil, architect with The Northeast Golf Company (Saunderstown, Rhode Island), about the ongoing Master Plan restoration project at the 1891 Willie Park-designed Milton-Hoosic Club in Canton, Massachusetts. Two fairway bunkers on hole #9 were renovated this year. Milton-Hoosic is a 9-hole private club located south of Boston.
To download this podcast for offline listening, right-click or tap here and select "Save Li
This is one of those posts that there's not a cut and dry solution for every situation, but rather recommendations based on feedback from hiring professionals and potential employees. It happens often enough that I thought it worthy of a post.
It is commonplace in most professional industries to use your full first name on your resume, cover letter, website and other career materials. Some even use the middle name initial or "junior, III, IV," etc. The main idea is that people think it make
