Once upon a time, back in '86, our struggling golf course was absorbed by a mighty Japanese course management operation. They were inebriated with financial success and very quick to deny purchase orders of any kind, but especially the irrigation or insecticide kind.
Now it was about this time that the fearsome Fire Ant, (pronounced Far Aint) overran golf courses in the ATL area, especially courses with their shields down. These little insectoid Visigoths and their mounds were everywhere a
Reading Paul MacCormack's recent blog post about the concept of intention got me thinking... as good blog posts do. In this case, it prompted me to think of the popular concepts of luck and good fortune, and how each may or may not be related to intention.
I come from a long line of wordsmiths (writers, editors, a photojournalist, newspaper people, even a dictionary editor) who instilled in me a love of language and its various nuances. My maternal grandmother, an author of children's first
Learn the shocking truth behind the biggest scandal to hit Rockbottum since Ludell got caught stealing goats!
Well, actually, it's not really that shocking and there's not much truth involved. It's just that I've been practicing Yahoo-style click-bait headlines and I couldn't figure out how to fit Kim Kardashian into the headline.
I firmly believe that every golf course superintendents should attend The Masters championship as early as possible in their careers because they'll see a standard of maintenance excellence that's not available anywhere else in the world and unless witnessed would not be believed possible.
Granted, no golf course superintendent will ever have Augusta National's budget to work with, but that is not the point.
The point is that every GCSAA member who visits Augusta National will be reachin
Check out this TurfNet Radio episode where I chat with Greg Wojick, former superintendent and founder of Playbooks for Golf. Greg and I talk about the new Coverage System from Playbooks. The Coverage System is the latest hand-held technology for the golf course superintendent, tracking fertilizer and pesticide use in a unique app format. It even alerts you when the product efficacy window starts to close!
Presented by DryJect and TrueSurface.
Check Out Science Podcasts at Blog Talk Ra
I have planted hundreds of trees in my career. Actually I think there is a real possibility I have planted in the thousands. Not multiple thousands mind you, but more than one thousand. I have also had to take care of those trees for many years after installation, and have had an opportunity to track many successes and some failures. My survival rate for the trees I have installed is very good, over 95%. Also as an ISA Certified Arborist, I have to study about tree culture, and am ethically boun
When the picture was taken, nobody was thinking that it may be the last shot of me alive. Everyone just thought that it was funny that I kept asking for my phone. Ostensibly to tweet my status, but kept falling asleep because I was drugged to the hilt.
A few hours later I was "code blue". Completely unresponsive. Heart out of rhythm and racing. Blood pressure bottomed out. Not breathing on my own. For all basic definitions, I was dying. The hospital Rapid Response Team flooded the ICU.
I
It has been interesting lately watching my 12 year old son, Lucas, embark on a new hobby. He has become consumed with all things bird related. He is watching, photographing, sketching, painting, feeding, and most importantly, enjoying birds. The other day as we were driving in town he remarked that he "never knew that there were so many birds around." We discussed that the birds had always been there, he just had not put his intention on taking notice of them before.
Intention is a powerful
With the upcoming GIS in San Antonio, I thought it would be a good idea to discuss a few things related to careers and technology that are part of the week or worth checking out. Even if you aren't attending, with the internet you can access nearly all of the information from your computer.
First of all, I'll be there for the entire week, leaving my office and computer for once. While it's a busy week of events, I really hope to visit with as many of you as possible. In addition to the Turf
Last week's message (see Feb. 5th blog) presented the Part One presentation on the subject of superintendents' responsibilities to support the Rules of Golf; namely, to maintain a constant golf course degree of difficulty, etc. The Part Two presentation is presented below:
SECOND RESPONSIBILITY: To ensure that golf courses are properly marked to support the application of the Rules Of Golf.
Every time a golf course is not adequately prepped to support the Rules of Golf -- a somewhat com
For some odd reason, some of our best films go unnoticed if we release them in the month of May.
We have racked our collective brain, yet still can't figure this out. Buddy suggested we ask TurfNet Members to help us solve this mystery.
We have decided to re-release our Three Best Films of May, while we wait for your analysis. Feel free to email or PM if you would rather not have your judgement publicly impugned.
Up First, "Golf Course Patrol", from May 2013.
Back in the 60s, Dad left the US Army and tried the pro golf tour, but burdened with a family, he soon found himself the patriarch of a migrant golf family in an updated version of "The Greens of Wrath".
In those days, the smaller golf operations relied upon what was then called The Pro/Super. (Looking back, the title should have been The GCS/Pro, but the inevitable nickname "SuperPro" would have just sounded . . . wrong.)
Dad was an expert Pro/Super, very capable of the simultaneous cl
The answer is definitely yes, but the profession as a whole has yet to see the light although a number of superintendents clearly have. What specific responsibilities to the Rules are superintendents expected to address?
Review the USGA Handicap Manual, Section 15 to see a more definitive presentation relative to the first responsibility guidelines presented immediately below.
FIRST RESPONSIBILITY: To maintain a constant golf course degree of difficulty on a daily basis to sustain the co
Oddball Logic (OL) has been a problem for me since age 8, when I was unjustly incarcerated in Mrs. Mordor's 3rd Grade Institute for Army Brats born without social skills, color perception, table manners and dancing ability. Even with all those advantages, I still struggled, for Mrs. Mordors revealed that I was burdened with OL.
The OL sufferer is doomed to a limited future, typically in US Foreign Policy or as an Offensive Coordinator in the NFL, or worse--a network TV programmer. While OL
I admit it, I have Spring Fever. Just this past week on January 28, here in Springfield, Missouri we hit 67 degrees. The Drury University Grounds Crew was out doing a number of jobs that were more about preparing for spring, and less about killing time in winter. We mulched leaves, cut back perennials, spread some mulch, and even continued work on a stone patio that had been idle for more than a month due to conditions. I even started determining quantities of seed and fertilizer for some early
The comparison table presented within the Dec. 18th blog invited superintendents to judge their personal job performance; while the 45-line comparison table below invites superintendents to judge the "quality" of the golf programs within which they presently work; i.e.- knowledge that should help to guide your careers.
Golf Program Ratings: 35 In Left Column = A; 30 = B; 25 = C; 20 = D; 15 & Below = F.
Are you fed up with surly, disrespectful golfers? Had enough of those irritating lawyers, bureaucrats, social workers and UN peacekeepers interfering with your disciplinary methods?
If the answer is yes, the The Magic Stink-Eye might be just the thing for you!
Good blog post last week, Dave. Resonated with a lot of people (over 18,000 as I write this), and I'm sure it was therapeutic for you.
Dave, we need to talk.
As we get older we look back on our lives and tend to remember the defining moments: the first girlfriend, first car, first garage band, sports triumphs (and losses), graduations, jobs, marriage and divorce, kids, dogs, grandkids, granddogs, and yes -- the death of friends and loved ones. You get the picture.
In many ways our
"The highest good is like water. It flows in places men reject and so is like the Tao." Lao Tzu
As greenkeepers we have a very interesting relationship with water. In one breath we curse it, and with the next we welcome it home like the prodigal son. We watch it destroy what we work so hard to create, while at the same time watch with awe as it gives life to the very creation we tend. We respect the science behind it, while all along trying to perfect the art of managing it. Long story shor
In this episode of Frankly Speaking, I chat with Paul MacCormack, superintendent/GM at Fox Meadow Golf & Country Club (Stratford, Prince Edward Island, Canada) and author of The Mindful Superintendent blog on TurfNet.com. We speak frankly about facing grief and loss with kindness, taking time to recharge during the off-season, and wellness tips that take care of your best asset during the heat of the season - YOU!
Check Out Science Podcasts at Blog Talk Radio with TurfNet RADIO on Blo
Once golf course superintendents commit to becoming personally Rules literate they enter into the game's inner sanctum, which is the pedestal on which Rules devotees are placed in golf.
How Do Superintendents Acquire A Rules Expertise?
By registering for the PGA/USGA sponsored Rules Workshops to prepare for taking and passing the very challenging national Rules test.
Then, once having passed the Rules test (which might require several attempts), superintendents can validate this newly acqu
2014.
The crazy uncle that I intended to let stay for a few weeks stayed for a year and injected and infected me in as many ways possible. He is now gone. Replaced by the Aunt, who isn't crazy yet, but could certainly obtain extreme crazed cat lady status if left unchecked.
My email inbox isn't always the fun zone. And over the past couple weeks, it has received a bunch of mail basically asking me if I'm ok. The truth? I'm really not.
If you have followed my writings (and if you have
