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About this blog

Dave Wilber goes hard at it and never pulls any punches when it comes to agronomy.

Entries in this blog

In Which I Share Too Much About My 2014

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
Dave Wilber

Dave Wilber

14

The Turfgrass Futurist, February 2014

Futurists or Futurologists are scientists and social scientists whose speciality is to attempt to  systematically explore predictions and possibilities about the future and how they can emerge from the present, whether that of human society in particular or of life on earth in general.   Here we are, post-GIS2014 and all it's big reception and huge announcement glory and it is time to look at the future.   I've met and hung with a couple Futurists. Howard Rheingold wrote a book called "The
Dave Wilber

Dave Wilber

5

I Guarantee You Aren't Ready

On the morning of May 18th, 2014, I awoke to find my mom on the floor. She was unconscious. She had a pulse and she was breathing. She was face down next to her bed. From what I could figure she had tried to get out of bed on her own and passed out. I rolled her onto her back and tried to get some kind of response. None. At all.   I knew this was coming. I didn't know how or when, but I somehow I knew. Signs? Plenty of them. But still, there are things that just don't put themselves on the cal
Dave Wilber

Dave Wilber

10

What's Going to Happen to Your Staff?

I love golf course maintenance workers. I mean, really, who is better than a great Greenkeeper? You take an A player Section Guy or Operator who really really knows their job and you have one amazing person who contributes to the game in the most positive ways and most golfers will never understand. Someone amazing enough to pipe a 300-yard long straight line on a mower, or to prep a green complex with absolute perfection in the near dark, is, to me, a total rock star to be appreciated in every
Dave Wilber

Dave Wilber

5

Turfheads In The Wild Are Easy To Spot

When we Turfheads are turned out into the pastures of the real world, all kinds of interesting things happen.   I hear the stories all the time. Chiefly, how, if X, Y or Z business would be run like we run our operations, there wouldn't be any hassles. Because, really, when you want to execute, we all know that a turfgrass professional is the one to call. Think about it. In some form or another you have had reason to say to the real world that they just need to think like "we" do.   My 10-ye
Dave Wilber

Dave Wilber

7

The Wilber Agronomic Gazetteer, 2013 Edition

(gazetteer |gaziti()r| noun---a geographical index or dictionary. ORIGIN early 17th cent. (in the sense journalist): via French from Italian gazzettiere, from gazzetta (see gazette). The current sense comes from a late 17th-cent. gazetteer called The Gazetteer's: or, Newsman's Interpreter: Being a Geographical Index)   I used to send out a yearly rundown of the craziness of my travels and someone suggested that I should more widely distribute this as it was supposedly good reading. I stole t
Dave Wilber

Dave Wilber

4

The Reality of the US Open Golf Championship Has Nothing To Do With The Reality of Golf

I am never ever ever ever (did I say never ever?) going to take away from the hard work of any golf course superintendent, any staff member or any volunteer for any event. Ever.   And this is especially true in 2016 with John Zimmers. I've admired John for years for all kinds of reasons. His commitment to Oakmont is a model of what adapted stewardship in our business needs to be. That is to say, John brings Oakmont exactly what Oakmont needs. And like any upper-end country club job, it is pol
Dave Wilber

Dave Wilber

8

I Was Not Hatched...The Truth of "Family First"

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
Dave Wilber

Dave Wilber

10

Sudden Hot Weather Checklist and Recommendations

(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
Dave Wilber

Dave Wilber

5

Geek? Damn Right!

I'm inspired by Frank Rossi's latest TurfNet blog post today wherein he talks about being a Turf Geek.   I am. I'm pretty sure it doesn't matter to a lot of people. Certainly being very much into turfgrass has been misunderstood for as long as anyone has ever tried to grow or manage the turfgrass animal. And when I was bitten by the bug, sure has hell, no one (and I mean no one) understood me. There was a constant questioning of why I would even care from just about everyone in my life.   Tu
Dave Wilber

Dave Wilber

4

Take "The Dark Side" and Shove It

A recent industry magazine (it doesn't matter who), is talking about sales with the moniker of "The Dark Side". I hate this shitty phrase. And I'm gonna let my anger turn to words here. Ok..it's a rant. I often give good rant. Or so I'm told. So hold on tight. It's E-ticket rant time with Wilber.   Before I hung my shingle as an independent consultant in the early 90's, I was a superintendent. Then when the world's finances collapsed in 2007, I took a job for seven years as the Director of Agr
Dave Wilber

Dave Wilber

13

I Was Wrong About Local Associations

A while back I attended a local chapter meeting. I hadn't been to one in a long time as I was at the height of travel everywhere but where I live. I'd been a chapter board member of this and another chapter as a superintendent, but my role as consultant meant my reclassification. So I really wasn't sure if I belonged at a Super's Association Meeting. And this was in the time before commercial sponsorship were the more sorted out thing that they seem to be today.   So in my spare time I wrote a
Dave Wilber

Dave Wilber

4

Ten Things To Remember: On Being An Excellent Assistant Or Intern

I'm talking to Assistant Supers, Second Assistants, Assistants in Training and Interns.    I got a great phone call from a young Turfhead who just landed his first second assistant superintendent job and wanted my take on succeeding. It was a great conversation and I told him that I would further answer his questions here. Sorry, he preferred not to be outed. Doesn't matter. The application is near universal.   1. Show Up Early. You are the new kid. And for sure, no one is going to wait for
Dave Wilber

Dave Wilber

8

Death Just Wasn't Good Enough

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
Dave Wilber

Dave Wilber

10

Nutrient Transportation, Sodium Pump Style

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
Dave Wilber

Dave Wilber

4

One Turfgrass Zealot's opinion about water in California

Perhaps it is time to cut through all the media hype and really talk about the water situation in California. California doesn't have a water problem. We all do.   I've been watching the water picture in California for 25 years. Water has been my key focus even before that, coming up in the business in Colorado. I've been fortunate enough to get to spend a lot of time around people who really understand water in just about every usage situation. It's my area of greatest professional interest a
Dave Wilber

Dave Wilber

5

The Turfgrass Zealot Project, Ep. 22 with guest Jim Ferrin of Timbercreek GC

I'm calling this episode "The Epic Episode". Epic Monologue. Epic Guest. Epic Length. Epic!! (and no, I don't mind over-using the word Epic)   Jim Ferrin, CGCS is one of those people that I think everyone should know. I'm biased. I've known him since 1990. When we were just young guys coming up in the business. Jim has excelled. He's a great turf manager. A great people manager. A student of Golf, Agronomy and Life. He's won a ton of awards including the coveted Leo Feser award from GCSAA. He'
Dave Wilber

Dave Wilber

8

Figuring Out The Old Stuff at Claremont

I recently got the opportunity to work on one of the most interesting projects I've ever had a chance to be a part of.   You may not know about Claremont Country Club in Oakland, California, and that's a shame. Claremont is a cool old Mackenzie design that is short, but one of the funnest rounds you'll ever have. And challenging too. I'd play there every day if they'd let me. They never will, but it's a nice dream to have. Recently restored to amazing original glory at the hands of Jim Urbina
Dave Wilber

Dave Wilber

4

Mulch is Fun. Hydromulch is a Riot.

I'm a huge fan of hydromulch.   I'm not sure why it hasn't caught on as much as it should. Perhaps due to the strength of the sod industry or perhaps the fact that hydroseeding/hydromulching is labor intensive. I'm not anti sod by any stretch of the imagination, but there are a few instances where it just doesn't work. And while there is some degree of instant gratification with sod, it may come with challenges that aren't needed.   The first is when we need to be using grasses or are workin
Dave Wilber

Dave Wilber

3

The Turfgrass Zealot Project, Episode #10: Talking Jobs with Armen Suny

Join me and Armen Suny as we take a deep dive into the world of job searches and job interviews.   Episode 10 of The Turfgrass Zealot Project is not short on passion. Both Armen Suny and I really want you to succeed in your career goals. Handling the job search and the job interview is key to making that happen. Learn some incredible techniques and be reminded of some very simple things that could put you in the position you want to be in. There's a lot of mistakes being made out there
Dave Wilber

Dave Wilber

3

Let's Talk About Karma

About this time of year, every year, I get some similar communications. They may be different in content, but the context is simple. Sometime, during the course of the season, someone did someone wrong. Be it a GM throwing a super under the bus, a super trashing an assistant, a sales rep repeating something that was said in confidence, etc. You get the picture.   I studied this a while back when I didn't understand why bad stuff kept happening to good people. And vice versa. It made things m
Dave Wilber

Dave Wilber

3

What Have I Really Learned?

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
Dave Wilber

Dave Wilber

3

Aerification Overjoy Status

I have a sense of elation over aerification.   New technology and new thinking seems to be flowing into these efforts and the results are really good. Exceptional in fact.    Here's what I'm seeing that has me so excited.   1. Pre-invasion strategy. More than ever before conversations with turfheads have a lot to do with what they can do before an aerification event. Fertility, carbon inputs, stress reduction measures, growth regulator timing and anything you can think of to create recov
Dave Wilber

Dave Wilber

2

The Turfgrass Zealot Project, Ep. #18 with Guest Jason Haines

Jason Haines is one of an emerging class of Superintendent who is making environmental and financial difference with his Agronomy.    His strongly scientific, minimalist approach isn't just because of his rather remote situation. It's because he's done the study about what is best for his facility and in turn his community.    Of the episodes I have done so far, this is certainly one of my very favorite discussions. Jason's style is not to hold back, which has endeared him to some people and
Dave Wilber

Dave Wilber

3

Terrorism, Turfhead Style

"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
Dave Wilber

Dave Wilber

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