A busy two days led to the arrival at Mt. Juliet Golf Club in Thomastown, Co. Kilkenny. On Saturday my trusty guide Jon took me to the ancient burial site of Newgrange. The 5,000 year old temple is older than the Great Pyramids of Giza and Stonehenge. The history behind this tomb is rich and can be seen in the intricate artwork of the time on the stone.
That afternoon Dundalk FC and Sligo Rovers were playing for the Setenta Cup finals at Tallaght Stadium in Dublin. Jon set me up to vol
There are times when wisdom dictates one must capitulate to the pressures created by the irrational Cult of Customer Service--so we shot this instructional film:
"How To Woo Your Members".
After a great night's stay in the County Louth Golf Club, Jon and I met with course superintendent Paul Malone for a visit. The course is a links style course and is really open with steep, sharp mounds all over. This gives the course great character and makes for an interesting game of golf. Paul said that he has a staff of seven employees that maintain the course at the highest possible level. Before the winter set in the course went under a few changes; some greens were renovated, a few bunke
Thursday started off bright and early at 6:30 for a meeting with Trevor Dargan, course superintendent at Woodenbridge Golf Club. Woodenbridge is the second oldest course in Ireland, starting in 1884. Even though there was a steady rain, Trevor gave an exciting and energetic tour of his revamped facilities and eventually showed the course as the rain subsided. Trevor has a crew of six to maintain an 18 hole course, a number which I have seen a trend so far at the courses I have visited with Jon K
Today I experienced the weather of Ireland, one minute raining and the next sunny.
First, Jon and I did a free tour of the Kilmainham Gaol (Jail). The jail was the first of its time to have prisoners in individual cells and have faith in rehabilitation. It is also the home of many famous people involved in the Easter Rising in 1916.
Interior of the Kilmainham Gaol
Following the tour we traveled to Croke Park, home of the GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association), which seats 83,000 fans.
Yesterday I was fortunate to hit the ground running thanks to the itinerary that Jon Kiger put together. We visited three links courses in 9 hours! Immediately after landing we drove to Rush Golf Club to meet course manager Eddie Donlon.
Eddie is very enthusiastic and passionate about the turf industry. Rush Golf Club is the first links course that I have ever seen and what a sight it is. I love how open the links course is and how it has blends of natural and maintained growth to create a q
What a busy weekend I have had. On Sunday I graduated from The Ohio State University along with fellow classmates and fraternity brothers.
Today I woke up bright an early for a flight to Atlanta to meet up with Jon Kiger and a day of tours at East Lake Golf Club and Stone Mountain Golf Club. At East Lake, the course where the great Bobby Jones grew up playing golf, Assistant Jason Tharp met us and gave a tour around. We saw the effects a large tournament can have on a course for months
If you haven't read my last TurfNet blog post, it may help you here. I'm simply overwhelmed at the amount of amazing stories, offers of support and awesome advice that have come my way. Posting that piece was a deeply personal act, one which I wasn't sure that I should do. Really. It may read with ease, but it was far from easy to write.
I'm always trying to integrate work and life. I've never believed in the concept of work and play and life as separate things. I see them as coordinated a
From USA Today, 4/29/14:
The U.S. Department of Homeland security is advising Americans not to use the Internet Explorer Web browser until a fix is found for a serious security flaw that came to light over the weekend.
The bug was announced on Saturday by FireEye Research Labs, an Internet security software company based in Milpitas, Calif.
It is recommended that users and administrators "consider employing an alternative Web browser until an official update is available."
Th
With spring upon us (well, most of us anyway... it is still very cold with some snow on the ground in our neck of the woods), our thoughts turn to renewal, newness, and potential. The last one really struck me over this past weekend. As I was sitting staring at the instruments in my living room (upright piano, bass, fiddle and multiple guitars), I reflected on what tools like those mean to different people.
To artists, writers and musicians things like a blank canvas or a grand piano represe
Here at The Rock, we haven't had a confirmed case of Augusta Syndrome for years, mostly due to the economic climate. Our patrons just can't afford annual trips over there. The other reason has been the facial recognition software employed by Augusta Security Specialists.
This year we suffered an outbreak of AS when a dozen of our patrons chartered a Toyota Tercel and went on a pilgrimage.
Tilda Mae Wooten and her husband Tooten returned with a demand that we install a cupola on top of
A few weeks back I was reading through a blog I follow and fell upon this post: becomingminimalist.com i am flawed. It sums up the importance of owning up to our flaws and accepting them. It presents the premise that only when we face our flaws honestly and accept them, can we move forward and work towards change.
The blog spoke to me in a few important ways... the first reminding me of the power of awareness. Do you remember that old tag line during the little life lessons from the ABC aft
Awhile back I put together some suggestions on creating solid resumes (article here) and received quite a bit of feedback and questions regarding one of the points:
A true resume is one page in length and is meant to summarize your career. Create a separate document that has all the extra bullet points, call this a portfolio, career anthology, etc. Create a large link icon or text link to the more lengthy document on the resume. Now you have both options for the hiring person available at t
Rockbottum CC has a unique approach to meetings. We gather the BOD, Stockholders, CFO and all the Committees together to increase communication and save money.
I have been doing some great travel this season so far from Spain and England to Canada, as well as Chicago and Wisconsin. There are few things I enjoy professionally more than walking a golf course with the person charged with stewarding the land. In every case the superintendent greets me graciously and shares their thoughts on golf turf management.
Quote
Anyone that has seen Jack Nicholson in The Shining can get a sense of what your golfers will be like this Spring--Here's Johnny!
Contrary to some theories, I was not hatched. I am also not a dropped off stray from Vulcan. I am not a character invented at Rockbottum CC. I am not the vision in Mama's frying pan.
This is my mom. Donna Wilber. She lives in the mountains of Colorado, where I was born. Not hatched. This picture was taken several years ago, on her 80th birthday. I had flown home to surprise her. Had a big evening in Denver all planned and she vetoed the whole thing. Insisting on drinks and pub food at The Cr
Have you ever wondered where the title for this blog came from? It is a common enough refrain, "be mindful of such and such...", but what does it really mean? In the final installment of this three part series we are going to try to answer the question, what is mindfulness?
Mindfulness is a meditation practice that has its roots in Buddhism dating back to around 2500 years ago. It not a religion per say, rather a disciplined approach to mental well being. In recent years mindfulness has caug
Here at The Rock, we fear the top scientist in golf is about to make a mistake. Our evidence for this prediction: He made this mistake last year.
But we forgave him and we ask that you do the same this year. Please overlook whatever foa paws pop out of his mouth, in the event he tries to debunk : The Augusta Syndrome."
Quote
I can pinpoint when AS first surfaced.
If he says, "There's no such thing" or "Quit whining and deal with it" or "UFOs Aren't Real", just cut him some slack.
Maybe Spring will show up in much of the northern US states? Still, well before many are mowing north of the Mason-Dixon line, the annual bluegrass seedhead suppression discussion is underway; "What combination of products do you use?, What growing degree day (GDD) timing model do you look at?, Do you use phenological (plant) indicators?" All good questions but....
Why not use soil moisture?
In other parts of the world where chemical technology is more restricted and less available, you
