What makes for a great experience for an assistant working for a golf course superintendent? Jimmy Pierson, head assistant superintendent at the Meadow Brook Club on Long Island, chats with Peter McCormick about his experiences with various superintendents and their divergent management styles over his six-year career. Jimmy wraps it up with "Please don't EVER do this ____ to me again" and "Please do this ____ to me EVERY DAY!".
The Ladder is presented by Penn State World Campus.
In this episode I speak frankly with Chava McKeel, Director of Government Relations, and Bob Helland, Director of Congressional and Federal Affairs from the GCSAA about what's going on in Washington DC that golf course superintendents should be aware of... from WOTUS to who will be the new POTUS.
Join the smartest people working for the golf business and responsible environmental policy. Progressive talk from leading thinkers in the turfgrass industry and always Speaking Frankly!
You can
Join me as I talk about my impressions of GIS 2016 and my experience in San Diego. If you were there or not, there's always more info to be had concerning the Golf Industry's most important event. I take you on a journey with my mind's eye and recap what was good and what was not so good. No punches pulled.
And a special guest! TurfNet's Founder and Maestro, Peter McCormick drops by for a quick chat that turns into some real deep stuff about his perspective on the show. As always, Peter is c
WARNING: Contains no actual science, only anecdotal ravings of a madman. Not responsible for migraines or drinking binge caused by reading this.
During my time on turf, I experienced several El Nino patterns and at least two were The Big Ones. I didn't know they were El Ninos at the time, but I can look back at my extensive journals, cross-reference with the interweb and clearly see the tell-tale signs of Big El were there.
For me, El Nino was a pattern of winter rain, freight-trainin
The proverbial "60-hour work week" has been identified as one of the factors responsible for the decline in numbers of people entering the golf turf industry.
Peter McCormick, host for this show, chats with Mark Fuller, CGCS, of the Connecticut Golf Club about his staff scheduling and how he avoids working his staff beyond an average of 48 hours each week... and why.
The Ladder is presented by Penn State World Campus.
Join Dave Wilber as he talks with Samson Bailey of Golf Preservations and learns about the amazing things that this company is doing for golf!
Samson Bailey is Owner, CEO and Visionary of Golf Preservations. For a decade, his company has been installing drainage and working with renovation and restoration at some of America's finest golf facilities. Samson talks about how he got started, how he looks at often challenging work and how he believes in doing it right.
In addition to all he i
Early Saturday morning, about 0130hrs, I awoke to the scream of tires on our narrow and treacherous mountain driveway, followed by yelling and then pounding on our door.
I answered the door, wearing not much more than my headlamp, glowing red in the center of my forehead, thinking, "This is why I moved away from Atlanta."
A nervous young man stood staring into my red light, probably wondering what horror movie he had just landed in, then blurted out, "Help! My truck is about to fall off
The Ladder is our new podcast series aimed at those climbing the career ladder as well as those at the top who are charged with managing a labor force of Millennials.
In this first episode, TurfNet's John Reitman chats with Dan Meersman, director of grounds at the Philadelphia Cricket Club, about how he leverages the tech-savvy of his staff while meeting their need for a better work/life balance than many in this industry are used to.
Meersman was also a previous TurfNet Superintendent o
Join me as a chat again with Paul MacCormack, author of the Mindful Superintendent blog here on TurfNet.com. Paul is the general manager and golf course superintendent at Fox Meadow Golf & Country Club in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, the smallest Canadian province.
We chat about routines and taking advantage of them to expend mental energy in positive ways... working smarter rather than harder... and procrastination as a greenkeeper's demon.
Frankly Speaking is brought
Several weeks ago, I had lunch with the vice president of Arccos Golf, a startup company that has developed technology intended to help golfers improve their games. The system they came up with allows the golfer to use the data created by each swing of the golf club (sensors are attached to the club) to identify weaknesses and strengths -- among many other useful data points -- like quantifying the percentage of time that your approach shots miss the greens to the right or to the left of the fla
One of the comments I hear from my grounds crew is that I jump around on projects too frequently. While I see some truth to this observation, there is a reasonable and desired effect from this job-jumping. Having lots of tasks -- especially broad efforts -- lined up, allows for at least one to always be practical. If factors outside my control (weather, budget, and organizational objectives) or factors within my control (scheduling, training, crew morale, etc.) put a damper on one, I have anothe
Yesterday, as the Rockbottum crew enjoyed snow, high winds and cold, a famous Golf Course Superintendent called us from San Diego and taunted us with tales of warm sun, ocean breezes and 83 degrees.
To be polite, we pretended to be envious. But the real truth is the endless parties, black-tie galas and ballroom dancing associated with attending GIS runs counter to our simple philosophy.
(Also, we hate hot weather, prefer snow and don't own any top hats and tails.)
But to show there'
Praise and blame, gain and loss, pleasure and sorrow come and go like the wind. To be happy, rest like a giant tree in the midst of them all. -- Buddha
As superintendents we are subject to a great deal of scrutiny on a daily basis. The seesaw of praise and blame can be incessant. If we are not careful it can suck us down into a ten inch deep aerification hole of constant judgment. An important part of our job involves working to rise above the pitfalls of these two evil twins and arriving at
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.
