I have been tossing this idea around for a spell. What are the common demons we all fight from time to time? We have covered a couple of them already; dealing with the unruly golfer, and the burn out syndrome, but I want to get more specific and clarify things a bit. The demons Ill be speaking of are the ones that bind us together, and tear us apart.
I am in the throes of battling one as we speak. It is a subtle bugger that can sneak up on you over time. It adds up slowly, kind of like weigh
(I know in my last post I promised a continuation of the Plant Physiology stuff, but am taking a break for a more relevant thing, we will return to the geekery rsn (that's real soon now...non-nerd).
Ok, so... the phone has been ringing off the hook as unseasonably hot weather hits most of the Western US. In particular, the Sacramento area is getting a real wallop but isn't alone. I put this out to my Sacramento Turfhead friends and wanted to share. I hate ambulance chasing, but here are 10 ti
It has been interesting to watch the shifting in preferred 'social media' platforms (I'm beginning to hate that term) over the past year or so, between personal blogs to Facebook to Twitter to the TurfNet.com Forum (and sometimes back again). And Linked-In is in the midst of that somewhere.
Some guys have posted on their blogs that they have "moved" to Twitter and will be posting in their blogs infrequently at best moving forward. "Easier and more convenient" are commonly cited reasons. Perh
Prompted by several very intelligent Stimpmeter comments on the TurfNet Forum, the following RockBottum Country Club VLOG sheds light on a possible strategy to suppress the spread of the POS. (Privately Owned Stimpmeter)
NOTE: It was necessary to credit The TurfNet Forum, as very few intelligent comments ever originate from Rockbottum Country Club, especially where the POS is concerned.
Since everyone seems to be spraying something, let's do some Plant Physiology and look at how nutrients get into the plant. Be it root or leaf, at the cellular level, nutrients applied have to enter in. This may affect how you think about and how you build your fertility-oriented sprays.
There are 4 recognized mechanisms for movement of nutrients through cell membranes:
[*]Diffusion. There's this thing called the Lipid Bilayer. Basically a cellular sandwich and simply, if a nutrient can so
I was clicking through some archived editions of TurfNet Monthly (on hiatus now) and came across a column I wrote back in 1997. It seems that Nat Binns, then superintendent at Schuylkill Country Club in Orwigsburg, PA, had phoned me and offered a tidbit from a copy of the SCC newsletter he had found, dated April, 1967. It was an excerpt from a Paul Harvey broadcast from November, 1966. See below:
The Year the Grass Died
Any proud homeowner looks with admiration and envy at the lawn-scap
This blogging thing just keeps getting better. The more I write, the more I read and the more I stumble upon your stories. It might get to the point soon where I simply post your writing; it's that good.
The Maestro sent me a link to a blog post by Adam Garr, superintendent at Plum Hollow Country Club in Southfield, Michigan. Adam was plugging away like the rest of us, but about a year ago he had an epiphany that changed how he not only does his job, but how he lives his life.
The origin
Last week, Rockbottum Research Labs achieved a major breakthrough in the field of Protective First Layer Garments, or PFLG.
We have been under intense pressure to release our findings, regardless of the fact that our data analysis is incomplete.
We were prepared to publish our findings regarding our innovative work with the miracle element known as VinylGuard, until we became aware of a mysterious scientific anomaly while reviewing the video used for documenting the experiment.
As a
Good to see the USGA's "While We're Young" campaign on picking up the pace of play. Kind of ironic that it was announced mid-US Open with it's 5+hour rounds... but the spots were well done and will hopefully be embraced by the golfing masses.
It was particularly refreshing to see a major PR campaign from an organization like the USGA focused on something that has the potential for an immediate and lasting benefit to all golfers, across all skill levels and choice of golf course. Too often
Nothing like a Father's Day hanging with my son in front of the Open. I spend my time with him waxing on about how Merion will be this unique test of shot making. I talk to my boy about how length shouldn't matter and this will be a test of raw skill, to wit my son says. "Dad, how come these guys can't reach the par 3 with driver?" The USGA pulled a "bait and switch".
"Dad, how come these guys can't reach the par 3 with driver?"
By the numbers it was the shortest course the USGA has had in
We at TurfNet intentionally stayed away from Merion Golf Club during Open week, anticipating adequate coverage from the regular turfies as well as near-manic '#Twysteria' from the cub reporters new on the scene.
Somebody had to stay home and tend to the rest of the turf industry.
We saw little need to further clog up the maintenance area, tweet more images of "the fairway mowers going out!!!" or burden Matt Shaffer with yet another interview request.
But wait... Matt! What a class
If changing careers or early retirement has crossed your mind lately, perhaps you should take a look at the Top 3 Post-Golf Course Superintendent Careers as listed by Rockbottum Country Club TV.
NOTE: Here At The Rock, our definition of "early retirement" means quitting work any time prior to being frog-marched off the golf course at gunpoint.
This week I watched with a combination of fascination and horror as our own Michael Stachowicz continued to navigate the minefield of the post private club blues. If you have not read any of Michael's writing, you should. It's thoughtful, well written and (unfortunately for some) brutally honest. It is basically a post apocalyptic account of working within the political confines of a very stereotypical private golf club in America.
His latest post on a blog he created to promote solidarity w
My relationship with golf goes back to 1958, when as a toddler, I walked into Auntie Grizz's vicious backswing and broke a jaw tooth in half.
There was no permanent damage, yet Auntie was devastated by the amount of blood. Things looked bad at first, but after I managed to scrub the blood off and remove those little fragments of tooth, her beloved Louise Suggs 2-wood wasn't even scratched.
Golf in '58 was exciting for me, what with all the blood and running and screaming and Arnie and H
I took some random notes this past week. Not that I don't know what I do, but the thought occurred to me that some people don't know that much about what I do and might find it interesting. Or, perhaps they may just think that what they thought was true may not be at all. Or... well, perhaps it means nothing...!
How about some stats:
Miles Driven: 1,278
Gallons Fuel Burned: 74
Texts Sent/Received: 227
Emails Received: 374
Phone Min Used: 737
Crappy Road Meals: 11
Starbucks Stops: 9
Do you have your Golf Course Priorities in order?
Which comes first, the golf course, your career, your family or fishing while drinking high quality beer? Or do all those factors intersect in your life like a complex trig equation?
Do you put agronomics in front of economics?
Are you as confused as we are?
If so, watch carefully as Buddy explains . . . something, we're just not sure what.
There are times in your life when for one reason or another you are able to step outside the normal craziness and see things from a different angle. You know the times I'm speaking of you're out on the course first thing in the morning, everything is piercingly quiet, and the universe just feels right. Life becomes clearer and your priorities suddenly come into sharper focus. Last weekend was one of those times for me.
It started last Thursday, when we received the tragic news that my brothe
In Point 6 of The Rockbottum CC Plan To Fix Golf, (yes, I know we skipped Point 5, but it's taking a long time to complete) Buddy explains the Two Types of Green Speeds.
Type One is the measured speed of ball roll.
Type Two is the speed of the green's playability.
Some of the fastest greens have the slowest Type Two readings, due to the dreaded Ping-Pong Effect, Downhill Yip Syndrome and *Reduced Cup-ability.
*NOTE: During periods of increased green speeds for member tourna
I had the rare experience of being able to watch golf over Mothers Day weekend. The Players is not my favorite event for two reasons. One the golf course is quirky and two for me it is to golf what Arena Football is to real football-a total "air game"
I guess I am old-fashioned and like to see more football and golf played closer to the ground. The spectacle of flying the ball high in the air and the drama of seeing plunk off a retaining wall and land in the water. I bet when Pete Dye drew u
There was a Ted Talk recently by Amanda Palmer, a musician who has made her way by not being afraid to ask for help. By depending on her fans for a place to crash and eat while on tour, she developed a very loyal following. She gives her tunes away for free, asking only for a little help along the way to offset the costs of production. Her talk tells of the intimate connection that is developed between people when one is not afraid to ask, and the other is not afraid to answer.
Her mes
Golf has changed. The ball is different. It stays in the air much longer than ever before. Grooming standards have changed. Golfer expectations have changed.
The golfer's equipment is highly advanced, as is the equipment used to prepare the course for play.
The game is infuriatingly slow now. In the time we once played 36 holes, it's a struggle to get in 18.
Perhaps the one area that hasn't changed is in the way we interact with golfers on the course--maybe that's the weak link.
"Have you lost your f**king mind?" The voice said as it roared out of the office. I was 5 minutes early for my meeting with Superintendent Z. It was clear that something was wrong.
"Well, answer me, a**hole", the rant continued. And I recognized the voice of the superintendent as I wisely stayed away from the view of the doorway. "F**king dumbass. I mean really, you must be the worst damn employee on any golf course, anywhere". Not mincing any words here, clearly (and these are actual quotes
