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
NZ is co-hosting the Cricket World Cup with neighbor country Australia. Saturday was the opening round of group play and I watched NZ beat by 98 runs Sri Lanka. Being the second most popular sport in the world this event is watched all over the world. Like most Americans the most popular sports world wide are not really known to us. We don't play them and have not taken time to see what sports are out there other than the ones we Americans excel at. Here is a quick break down of the sport cricke
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
Here are a few pictures I took on my phone over the past weeks. Never got around to posting them so here they are.
Coring of weak areas on collars that were seeded, sanded, sprayed with fungicide and fertilizer, and watered. No more triplex mowing on them, just walk mowers. Areas caused by walking greens mower turns and roller stopping.
Walk mowing of fairway weak areas. Feels strange to be using a walk mower on a fairway.
A hydraulic leak on a fairway from a mower. No da
On Saturday Rob and I took a Jucy Cruise bus trip to Milford Sound. Taking us deep into the Fiordland National Park, which is the largest of the 14 national parks in NZ, we saw a unique rain forest only hours away from Queenstown. This is one of the most interesting places in NZ and the world. Hence that some have called it the 8th Wonder of the World.
Milford Sound is a fiord carved out by glaciers making for tall mountains and water some 330m (1082.68ft) deep. The real beauty of the sound
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
There is less than two months till the NZ Open comes to The Hills. We are putting in the final renovation work to the course that needs time to heal. Greens have been under going some cultural practices such as verticutting every week or two, topdressing, lots of rolling, sand/seed weak areas, and fertilizer and fungicide recently. With some attention the greens will get to championship quality, but the weather is something that cannot be controlled or predicted. For example this morning there w
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
Several months ago I was introduced to the idea of "inbox zero" developed by Merlin Mann, as I looked for a better way to handle email. With Playbooks for Golf working for more and more of you, my productivity on projects was being continually eroded by a constant stream of emails coming in for all kinds of reasons and requests. My inbox kept getting bigger and bigger with emails I needed for reminders, project notes and direction, software support, and more. I had to do something and inbox zero
(Review Dec 18th post before analyzing the chart below.) I have provided my personal estimates of superintendents' job and life performances below. Line items have been rearranged in descending order within the left column with higher job-securing elements on top. Comparing the chart below to your personal estimates will provide a meaningful learning experience.
