With the recent high profile chainsaw accidents involving Greg Norman and Peter McCormick, it might be time for Mickey McCord to devote an entire training series to chainsaw safety. While we're waiting on Mickey, I'll reveal the Three Rules of Absolute Chainsaw Safety.
My entire GCS career was based on the chainsaw. The only golf courses that would hire me were the courses in trouble and they were in trouble because of trees--and bad business practices--but mostly trees. The previous supe
A couple of years ago, we released a short film about the insidious movement to replace the TurfNet Dog Calendar--The First and Still Champion Golf Course Dog Calendar--with a more diversified version.
Our film was suppressed by a relentless campaign of modern PC brainwashing, using guilt to claim less fortunate animals on the golf course were being ignored.
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. . . a conspiracy to force TurfNet to add cats
Brian Nettz led a push for the inclusion of goats, Mark Hoban advocated a
What Is The Best Way To Plan To Win?
Simply stated, the best way to plan to "win" is to out-prepare the field of candidate competitors. The few that do get job offers.
Earlier blog messages in this series that addressed matters such as the best use of cover letters, stress-free interviews and submitting job applications electronically should be reviewed.
FYI: Three of the more effective concepts that best exemplify commitments to excellence that separate winning candidates from the b
Successful interviewing is all about continuing to take the initiative that started with the cover letter. (See July 2nd blog.)
Questions designed to help candidates take the initiative during job interviews:
Prior to an interview, does it help to practice job related Q&As (especially regarding salary issues) with family and associates?
Of course! Go to Google to find dozens of categories of questions traditionally exchanged at job interviews.
When is the best time to raise t
This is a confession: I have been the curmudgeonly, gruff old guy relentlessly holding on to the traditional, classic elements of golf. I have resisted the latest trends, marketing fads and new technology since the appearance of the golf cart. I fought the insanity of growing bent in The South, battled real estate course design, azalea overdose and the maniacal pursuit of stripes, checkerboards and argyle patterns burnt into bermuda choking overseed in lines so straight that astronauts notice
I recently had the good fortune of attending the movie The Giver with my oldest daughter, Maria. We had both read the book a couple of years back and were excited to see the show. Thankfully we were not disappointed. The story examines the basic human condition and how we go to extreme lengths to shield ourselves from pain and suffering. The lasting impact of this is that whenever we work hard to shelter ourselves from the pain of our emotions, we also end up cutting ourselves off from the best
Recently I have been working with the MetGCSA in rebuilding their online presence and ran across a great article from their award-winning Tee to Green publication archive. It deals with how technology has both saved and added time to the duties of the golf course superintendent.
This started me thinking about the daily routine of today's superintendent. Due to my work I am almost always in front of a computer all day, every day. I see a new technological advancement as saving me time. But f
Possibly, the two most consistent patterns I have noted through the years when participating in candidate interviews as a consultant to employing clubs have been:
Candidates devote roughly 80% of their submitted documents and interview presentation times to focusing on their past job performances.
Unfortunately, this leaves these same candidates only 20% of their interview time to effectively advise what they would do if selected for the vacant job; i.e.- the most vital information a search
The bad news is that due to inexperience many job applicants are not comfortable taking the initiative through the interview process. They are not used to talking about themselves nor of their value to others. Accordingly, they generally pay a price for this shortcoming.
However, the good news is that this is a correctable situation. Interviewing can be a stress-free process that candidates can learn to control from start to finish.
There are two separate approaches to quality-controllin
Each year I grow in respect and admiration for golf course superintendents as professionals. They are problem-solvers, perfection-seekers, nature-lovers, or avid golfers with interest in producing a golf playing surface. From Florida to Vancouver, Portland to Portland and beyond the border in Canada, Europe, Australia and South America, golf course superintendents are getting it done.
As an homage to my superintendent pals, I see trends in management and golfer demands that bug me. I know fo
Time for some agronomy. Talking and thinking about bent/poa or poa/bent greens here.
Maestro McCormick gave me a pointer to a good discussion going on in the TurfNet.com Forum. Here it is. And a special shoutout to topic starter Chuck Barber. Being brave enough to post your thoughts is how one gets max advantage out of this whole thing. I don't love lurkers. Posters get kisses. Topic starters who actually engage with real thoughts are big time crushes of mine. What I love is the diversity of
Mike Young is a golf course architect gifted with a realistic view of the golf business and a straightforward manner guaranteed to make the various alphabet organizations uncomfortable.
Mike's common sense approach will be familiar to a number of TurfNet members who lean toward a pragmatic, grass-roots sensibility in dealing with the current hysteria surrounding the health of golf.
"Straight Talk and Common Sense" is a Rockbottum CC series aimed at countering the storm of ad agency propa
Throughout my 25+ year career only about one in four of the 100+ plans of action I have reviewed for my client clubs through the years passed muster and earned their job applicant authors short-list hiring consideration.
Yet, all 37 candidate superintendents (i.e.- 100%) that I have personally counseled through the job application process and who submitted quality action plans were hired -- competing against fields that averaged +/- 35 job applicants. How does this universal record of succes
I have been puzzled in recent years why so many job applicants have consistently failed to include definitive "career mission" statements within their documentation (cover letter, etc.) when seeking a new job. I believe the fundamental reason for this consistent oversight has been because candidates fail to see the role taking the initiative must play within a successful job application process. (See June 26, 2014 blog.)
"Candidate initiative" which starts with a take-charge cover letter (se
I was recently given the opportunity to sit down for an interview for a podcast on career materials with fellow TurfNet member Randy VanderVaate. Randy is currently the Vice President of Agronomy at Century/Palmer Golf and creates a weekly podcast to provide superintendents with a discussion on varying topics that will help grow their lives and careers to the next level. I've known Randy for years now and he is always trying to help those in the industry and give back where he can, so I was happ
To my continuing surprise, a vast majority of the country's golf course superintendents are working today without a definitive job description - not realizing that working without a comprehensive job description is a high-risk venture. This is because superintendents' jobs remain undefined without a job description, which means they can be held accountable and become job vulnerable for work they were never assigned; i.e.- a problem that surfaces mostly when either the position of green committee
Now that all the business magazine experts have pronounced golf dead and shoveled dirt upon us, the powerful intellects sequestered at Rockbottum CC will weigh in with a little actual common sense.
Here at Fox Meadow we have what I am sure is not a unique problem. Back when the course was built the original owner had a vision for a grand clubhouse and grounds. No expense was spared including a large number of elaborate gardens, a beautiful fountain feature, and a fantastic view of the Charlottetown harbor. Undoubtedly it makes a great first impression of the property, but not much forethought was given to the cost of long term maintenance.
Fast forward 15 years. Our program to mainta
