Drury University is known to our community and visitors for our many large shade trees. We have been a Tree Campus since 2014 and take appropriate steps to maintain our campus canopy. This hasn't always been the case however. By assessing the appearance of the trees (cultural signs & symptoms) and evaluating tree age/diversity it is clear that for a period of time our precious trees were somewhat ignored -- and possibly impaired -- by less than optimal management.
One of the most impor
Guest Post by Greg Wojick
I've been in the industry more than 35 years as both a golf course superintendent and now a principal in Playbooks for Golf, and in that time, I've seen many changes -- in equipment, technology, management techniques, and in the education and agronomic expertise required to do an increasingly demanding job. Despite these advances, few superintendents throughout the country are acknowledged as professionals worthy of an employment contract.
According
In this episode of Living Legends, presented by the Nufarm Insider, host John Reitman chats with Dr, Karl Danneberger of Ohio State about his knack for engaging an audience, telling stories, his love of the game of golf, a bit about the challenges facing people entering the industry, the turf team at Ohio State, and his special off-topic interest...
The Rockbottum Gang goes for ice cream while their Milleminial Golfer Study is revealed. After finding out how to prevent Old Man Smell, listen in on the first ever Rockbottum Board Meeting
There's a big accident out on the course... and then in Storytime, Ludell catches RW on tape under the effects of Truth Serum.
Presented by VinylGuard Golf.
I was finally able to attend my inaugural Golf Industry Show a few weeks back. It was a long time on the "to do list" as a Superintendent from the East Coast of Canada, and the experience did not disappoint. As I flew home, I was overwhelmed with gratitude and positive vibes from the whole event.
I would like to take a moment to thank some of the folks who made the trip so memorable.
To:
Chris Tritabaugh, for teaming up with me to deliver my first ever seminar at the GIS. Chris
In this episode of The Ladder, presented by STEC Equipment, host John Reitman chats with Carlos Arraya of Bellerive Country Club about his career path, team building at Bellerive through Pillar Management, and fostering staff development through one-on-one "weeklies".
Carlos also discusses the benefit of giving up some management control to others and letting them make decisions. "It's amazing how much we can get done, and how much it improves everyones work/life balance."
In this episode of Frankly Speaking, I chat with Ted Horton, CGCS, legendary superintendent at Winged Foot and Westchester Country Club as well as VP of Resource Management at Pebble Beach, and board member of Audubon International. Now living in California, Ted is is currently a Sr. Consulting Superintendent for Brightview, specializing in environmental stewardship; golf course safety, security and risk management; tournament preparations; turfgrass agronomics and the administrative functions o
In our green industry, the jobs we perform are very diverse. Some of us are Golf Course Superintendents; some are irrigationists, others Sports-Turf Managers, Landscape Designers, and even a Head Groundskeeper or two. Likewise, the organizations we participate in are diverse also. There are commercial and residential, public and private, profit or not-for-profit. Drilling down even deeper, our diverse organizations are comprised of sections or units that all have different specialties, united to
Laying the framework for this story requires a bit of background, so bear with me...
About three weeks ago Team TurfNet was headed for Niagara Falls, Ontario, for our 20th appearance at the Golf Course Hockey Challenge. For those unfamiliar, the GCHC is a 2-day event every January that pits 12 teams of superintendents, assistants and suppliers against one another in (usually) good-natured but serious men's-league caliber hockey. With three common threads among players -- playing hockey, wor
The Mad Golf Prophet (MGP) has just issued a Lightning Warning for the upcoming golf season. *Note: This is not a "Lightening" warning, the spelling preferred by heavy internet users, because that would indicate weight reduction or a severe increase in pasty, pale skin . . . like when you go to one of those fashion catwalk things.
There is no science to trust behind this prediction, it simply came from a vision the MGP had last night, complete with the whole waking up screaming, running t
Yesterday was Valentine's Day, that Hallmark-perpetuated day of roses, chocolates and mushy greeting cards that gives a nice uptick to the mid-February economy. Sounds kind of cynical, doesn't it?
But no! I went whole-hog yesterday with a $6.99 greeting card (Hallmark, nothing but the best), a dozen roses, a warm cinnamon bun from the bakery, and date night by a roaring fireplace at a favorite "country French" restaurant nearby. All good, voluntary, enjoyable and meaningful.
One thing
The vast Rockbottum CC intel surveillance net has picked up increased anti-golf dog chatter while monitoring golf course board meetings.
An informant over at Prissy Drawers Country Club told us that during a recent visit to Rockbottum CC, their Green Chairman, Delbert Spores, had an uncomfortable experience with Chopper, our golf course dog.
Delbert said Chopper and friends were appallingly insensitive in their ridicule of his post round Prancersize workout.
To learn more, study t
In this episode of Frankly Speaking, Frank Rossi chats with Dr. Art DeGaetano of Cornell University about the underlying science of climate change. Dr. DeGaetano is a professor in the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at Cornell University and Director of the Northeast Regional Climate Center (NRCC) at Cornell.
Art's PhD in climatology and horticulture from Rutgers uniquely positions him to understand and explain climate influences on man-made and biological systems.
With two or three days of education in the books, the pace of BTME turned to receptions and special dinners. Tuesday evening was BIGGAs Welcome Reception in historic Royal Hall. A capacity crowd pushed attendees to the upper reaches of the balcony for the first time.
The event was hosted by BBC Morning Show personality Naga Munchetty. Her passion for golf was combined with typical British wit which kept the audience both engaged and laughing. While some industry award events become bogged do
Tuesday represented the first chance to visit the trade show at BTME. Booths (called "stands" in the local vernacular) are generally smaller at this show than at GIS. As you'd expect, the major mower manufacturers have larger stands in order to display multiple pieces of equipment, but still small by US standards.
In addition to a number of European suppliers there were a few American companies. The group was delighted to catch up with Phil and Gloria Cowen from VinylGuard. They were jumpsta
Here are four bits of intel that you need to know, in order to stay happy and safe during the ongoing transition into the rapidly approaching Techno-Golf Industry of the future.
https://www.rockbottumfilms.com/
After a full day of education at the Queens Suite in the Harrogate Conference Center, the TurfNet group met for dinner and drinks at an Italian restaurant near our apartments.
Being five hours ahead of the US can make it challenging to watch American football. The second game (Vikings/Eagles) started at nearly midnight. A bar called The Den served as TurfNet Viewing HQ as it did last year. Penn State's Mike Fidanza and other Americans in town for BTME also found their way to The Den.
B
For many of you winter is the only time you are able to really spend much time in the office. So, I thought I would include a few things we've covered at different times over the last several years that you can take action on now... when you actually have some time for it. By doing these tasks, you'll quickly be on the road to advancing your career and technology skills for the next challenge your career faces.
Acquire Photography of Your Course
If you haven't had any images taken of y
Several years ago at a previous job, I became mired in a funk. This funk had to do with the politics of my organization, and with how those politics frequently seemed to force me to work in ways that I did not support. This was not a new situation for me. Many people who strive for continual improvement are frustrated by business as usual, and the lack of a team being open to new ways of doing things.
I talked this issue over with a mentor (my brother-in-law, Kevin), and he said he had jus
Everyone arrived back from the Manchester City match Saturday night and most took in a great tribute band at The Cavern Club as our final activity in Liverpool. Our minibus arrived at 6:00AM for our two and a half hour trip from Liverpool to Harrogate, where BIGGA's Continue to Learn education series awaited us.
Our package with BIGGA included 13 hours of paid education for each attendee, much of which was scheduled between Sunday and Tuesday, when the many free sessions kick in. The BI
Saturday was sure to be another busy day for us in Liverpool. A handful of guys went to historic Liverpool Football Club's stadium in nearby Anfield. Grounds Manager David Roberts was returning from the STMA conference in Texas so he had his assistant Dave McCulloch show them around. Their team was preparing for an Under 18s Cup Match/Championship so our TurfNet members got to see game day preparations first hand.
Todd Fyffe of Westmoreland CC on the Liverpool FC pitch.
When you're in
We had one last stop to make in Southport before heading to Liverpool for the evening. I learned about the British Lawnmower Museum while watching The Open Championship last summer. David Feherty did a segment on the museum, and curator Brian Ragan was excited to have a group of professional course managers over for a visit.
Curator Brian Ragan has been collecting lawnmowers since he was nine years old. Before going to the museum itself he invited us to their warehouse to see some older
