Monday of Open Week, tournament prep shifts into high gear. Below are some photos from this morning's activities around the K Club. Quite a different scale from the major tournaments in the US.
Fueling up.
Lead technician Pat Freaney compares notes with TurfNet volunteers Pete Williams and Dana Chase.
Pete and Dana setting up a Flex 21.
Volunteer John Fleck dew-whipping greens after rolling.
Morning mow. The weather has been beautiful so far but rain is expected to
One member of our TurfNet Team at the K Club this week is Nate McKinniss, a fourth-year student at Ohio State who is currently interning at County Louth Golf Club/Baltray, just north of Dublin near Drogheda. He is taking the week off from Baltray to work with us at the K Club. But all is not work...
Plunging right into Irish culture, Nate has earned himself a new nickname: Nate McGuinness (get it... McKinniss/McGuinness?). Below is Nate (left) with K Club course manager Gerry Byrne (cente
It has been almost two weeks for me at County Louth Golf Club (Baltray) settling in and becoming familiar with the green crew. Just as I'm figuring the lay out of the land, though, I head out for a week to the K Club to volunteer for the Irish Open. The crew at Baltray was kind enough to allow me to leave after such a short time, also understanding of this grand tournament opportunity.
Volunteering with the greenkeepers on a site like the K Club makes every moment a learning opportunity. Plu
Have you ever found yourself fleeing through a heavily forested golf course at midnight, pursued by a mob of enraged golfers with guns?
It was the summer of '71. Burnt Run CC (not the actual name) was a small town southern pseudo-country club inhabited mostly by good people, poor golfers, and rural socialites. On one fateful night, something terrifying took place and the result was Dad's forcible abdication from his role as Burnt Run Pro/GCS/GM/F&B and Recreation Director.
Prior to
I got in early on Friday afternoon. It was great to catch up with Gerry Byrne and some of his friends from the States, Brian Coyne and John Fleck from upstate New York. We set off rolling greens with a greens roller, or as they say in Ireland a "Greensiron".
Saturday morning saw me knee deep in geraniums and other colorful flowers being planted in the privet hedge logo of the K-Club in front of the Palmer club house.
I fell in with a temporary staff who knew very little about the club
This morning we reported for duty at 6 AM and I was assigned with local volunteer Stephen Rynne to sweep off and remove moss from a players pedestrian bridge that was formerly covered in astroturf.
As we completed the cleanup of the bridge, course manager Gerry Byrne was concerned that it would now be too slippery given the anticipated rain later in the week. He wanted to add a layer of sand to the grooves in the bridge. He started to order up a utility vehicle of sand and two shovels for us
Ireland is nearly 12,000 square miles smaller than my home state of Ohio. The beauty that this country holds cannot be measured. By traveling inland, one can find parkland style courses like those in Ohio. But traveling to the coasts one finds the links style golf Ireland is famous for.
County Louth Golf Club (Baltray), my work and home for the next few months
County Louth Golf Club (Baltray) is located on the East coast of Ireland. Established in 1892, the formation of Baltray began w
After a few days spent visiting friends and adjusting to the time zone change, we are finally assembling at the K Club for our first day on the course. Most of the volunteers arrive today and we will be fully staffed by midday tomorrow.
The warmth and sunshine of the last two days was much needed and welcomed by not only course manager Gerry Byrne but everyone we spoke to. There isnt a more weather-obsessed country than Ireland.
When I first thought of coming to Ireland to help on the
Episode 23 of The TZP brings us chats with Kevin Hicks, GCS at The Coeur D'Alene Golf Resort... and TurfNet's Jon Kiger taking about TurfNet's participation in The Irish Open at The K Club.
Kevin Hicks is such a good guy. I reached out to him on the off chance that he could do a short interview and he stepped right up the the plate. He's a great guy, an old friend and a proud father. We get to know a little more about him and talk about my adventure into the bowels of the famous Floating Gr
Jon Kiger: Advertising/Membership/Video for TurfNet
Background: I am the primary advertising/sponsorship salesperson for TurfNet and also produce much of our video content. Ive enjoyed covering tournaments and events for TurfNet.
Previous International Travel: I have lost track of the number of times I have been to Ireland for TurfNet business or vacations visiting friends. I thoroughly enjoy helping people experience this great country, particularly in off the beaten path places and th
Nathan McKinniss, TurfNet student intern, County Louth Golf Club, Ireland
Background: I am a senior at the Ohio State University, and interned on the greens staff for two summers at Brookside Golf and Country Club. During the school year I work part time in the greens dept. but mostly Food and Beverage in the clubhouse. Every summer since I was 16 I have been employed with golf course maintenance.
Previous International Travel: My international travel experience began two weeks ago when
Dana Chase, equipment manager, Glen Ellen Country Club, Millis, MA
For me, returning to the beautiful Emerald Isle represents many milestones. Though I have seen a bit of the country before and met a number of the people, this is truly the first time in which I will be immersed in part of its culture.
How I got here is a story unto itself, and I'll just recap it quickly. Jon Kiger and I met one another during the 2010 Ryder Cup matches at Celtic Manor in Wales (a huge thank you to Patrick
Peter Williams, equipment manager, Framingham (MA) Country Club
Background: Since 2008 I have been the Shop Manager at Framingham Country Club in Framingham, MA. I've held a number of maintenance-related positions at a variety of golf courses from Myrtle Beach to Massachusetts.
Previous International Travel: I have never traveled Internationally and just received my first passport. I am really looking forward to everything that I will experience with this trip to Ireland. I am hoping
Mike O'Keefe, Director, Ohio State University Global Internship Program.
Background: I am from Ireland originally and come from a dairy farm near Newmarket in Co.Cork. I studied Horticulture in Co.Meath and worked in Holland and France before moving to the States in 1986. We bring in close to 500 interns a year from 31 countries to the USA and we send American interns overseas for similar experience in Horticulture, Agriculture and Turfgrass management. (one is volunteering this week also, N
Welcome to TurfNet on Tour, the blog showcasing TurfNet's US-based team of volunteers at the 2016 Dubai Duty Free Irish Open at the K Club in County Kildare, Ireland. Five representatives from TurfNet will be a key part of the maintenance crew for this international event.
I first met Gerry Byrne, the course manager at the K Club, in May 2014 when I was showing our then-intern Peter Braun around Ireland before he started his internship. I knew Gerry was a hands-on course manager when I met
When I was coaching defensive backs for a small high school, one of the more entertaining benefits of that job was hearing the players talk to one another across the line. The easiest conversation to hear--when I wasn't yelling coverage adjustments at 130 decibels--was usually initiated by the cornerback closest to our sideline.
Sometimes, when the offense was lined up in a spread with receivers all over the place, I could hear the D-line growling and the outside linebackers barking--but th
One of the biggest traps you can fall into in our industry is focusing too much on turf. Instead, you should spend extra time learning as much as you can about what golfers care about and want to discuss. Outreach to your customers is something that is truly lacking in the golf maintenance world. Many of the problems that arise for a superintendent stem from communication, or a lack of it, with golfers.
The best way to create better outreach to golfers is through first learning what the mos
My name is Nathan McKinniss. I am a fourth-year student in the Sustainable Plant Systems major program at the Ohio State University with a specialization in Turfgrass Science. I will be finishing my last courses required for my major and minor in Agribusiness in Autumn 2016.
While many look forward to graduation, I'm happy to be returning for another semester... which I may even turn into another full year. There are still many classes I am interested in taking to sharpen my turfgrass knowle
In this audiocast, I speak frankly with Kevin Morris, president of the National Turfgrass Foundation and responsible for the National Turfgrass Evaluation Program (NTEP), and Geoff Rinehart, coordinator of the Grass Roots Initiative Exhibit at the National Arboretum in Washington DC.
We discuss the NTF, NTEP, and the role the Grass Roots Exhibit outreach program plays in helping the American public understand the value of turf in our society.
Smart Talk from Leading Thinkers in the Turf
I'm calling this episode "The Epic Episode". Epic Monologue. Epic Guest. Epic Length. Epic!! (and no, I don't mind over-using the word Epic)
Jim Ferrin, CGCS is one of those people that I think everyone should know. I'm biased. I've known him since 1990. When we were just young guys coming up in the business. Jim has excelled. He's a great turf manager. A great people manager. A student of Golf, Agronomy and Life. He's won a ton of awards including the coveted Leo Feser award from GCSAA. He'
In our modern world of performance measurement standards, quantifiable results and outcome-based incremental bonus/promotion charts, one thing remains as the key indicator of success:
Your truck.
Welcome to the 2016 edition of Greenkeeping, the Next Generation. Since 2012 TurfNet has placed an American turf student on a golf course in Ireland for the Summer. Mt. Juliet and Lahinch have hosted TurfNet interns in the past. This year we are thrilled to bring the program to County Louth Golf Club (aka Baltray) under the direction of longtime course manager Paul Malone. Paul has regularly welcomed our previous interns to Baltray for a look around and a round of golf. Baltray was also enjoyed
While Jim McLoughlin's blog series was completed a short while ago, an additional thesis with an important message will be posted from time to time.
The following question relating to the career welfare of every golf course superintendent across the country has to be asked and should be addressed:
"Why have GCSAA Boards continuously failed to address the singular most important issue of their time? Namely, that it is time to liberate superintendents from the long-standing conundrum where
