Driving range signs...

David Phipps, Stone Creek Golf Club, Oregon City, OR:

"We have our new driving range signs completed and ready for the new season. We had these 12x12 inch signs made at our local sign shop and we mounted them on the Standard Golf sign posts. I have had a lot of favorable comments on them from fellow superintendents but now the trick will be to educate our golfers. I don't expect this sign to do it all, it is going to take a team effort on everyone's behalf to help the players learn.

Visit David's blog at stonecreeksuper.blogspot.com.

Whaddya do all winter??

John Paquette, Indian Hills Country Club, Northport, NY:

"We are frequently asked, "What do you do all winter?" We are not in the Caribbean, though we certainly would like to be. We do a lot with a little help. This winter our staff totals five.

Here is a small portion of things we do over the winter:
Blow out the irrigation system, root prune, tree work, bring in, repair and paint every single accessory from the course, VinylGuard the trap rakes and flagsticks, Verti-Drain and topdress tees and greens, Verti-Drain fairways until the ground is frozen, try to get some projects done, pressure wash, repair and service every piece of

"One of the folks sleigh riding was a cop and he told me to go F myself because he's been sleigh riding here since he was a kid and wasn't about to stop now..."

equipment, chase the geese off the course 5 or 6 times a day, prepare budgets and fight for them, plow and snow blow the snow if there is some, sand and seal the benches, keep the grounds at the clubhouse clean, treat the golf course for winter diseases, repair the fences that the neighborhood folks tear to the ground to go sleigh riding, repair the greens that the neighborhood folks ruin while sleigh riding... Yeah, just try to keep them off the course... I've been cursed at, spit at, and the best was a high school field trip that actually came in a bus to sleigh ride on #3 green. After calling the school and the cops and getting nowhere because one of the folks sleigh riding was a cop and he told me to go F myself because he's been sleigh riding here since he was a kid and wasn't about to stop now. Should I continue? OK, sharpen all the reels and bedknives, clean the shops, winterize the sprayers, split and stack wood when its too cold to do other work... I think you get the idea.

Seeing we got a snow storm on Saturday, I had to reach a bit for this weeks update... nonetheless there is no slacking off around here."

Visit John's blog at ihccgrass.blogspot.com

Get with the times...

Bob Pruneau, equipment manager, Ashburn Golf Club, Halifax, Nova Scotia:

"Nowadays information is available in the NOW, not later. I can update most of this blog with just this phone, including pictures. It's my personal phone but I find it very useful at this job. There is an excellent network of techs out there that help each other out. Great for warranty work; I can send pics of a problem or issue to dealers or manufacturer if needed. I can also use it to cross reference spark plugs, etc. e.g. Champion to NGK. I also take pictures of where wires, hoses and parts go if needed before tearing a machine apart. Also store all my contacts, salespeople, and order desks for parts on the phone. Sometime if I can't get through on the order desks I can e-mail them the part# and get them to e-mail me back to verify the order.

Good thing I have unlimited texts because staff will text me if there is an issue so I can get them up and running quicker out on the course and less time is spent looking for me. I did take over an old desktop computer we were going to throw out, and use it for record keeping and storing PDF files. I can print off the pages (from manuals) needed for repair. Now if the old shed can get up to speed with high speed internet I wouldn't have to download so much information at home to bring in.

I'm using a Blackberry Bold 9780. Technology can be a good thing if you use it to your advantage .

Visit Bob's blog at golfcoursemechanics.blogspot.com.

Talks with Dad...

Jason VanBuskirk, Stow Acres Country Club, Stow, MA:

"The best business talks that I have are with my own father. He truly is an inspiration to me when it comes to good business sense. I know there are many books out there to read (he has already read most of them), but there is just something about sitting down over dinner and a glass of wine and listening to him sort it all out. This past Tuesday night, I had the pleasure of having one of those talks with him.

He has been in the machining industry for over 30 years, and recently started a new position with the responsiblity of 'trimming the fat' in the company. Well, the conversation started with me asking him how things are going with the new position. As always, he quickly immersed me in his typical day. But, this time was different. This time he actually broke the philosophies of Machining 101. It was neat, though, because it didn't just apply to machining. These philosophies could apply to any industry. The best part about it, he scribbled most of the ideas on a random, scrap piece of paper.

Our talk lasted for a little over an hour. We talked about 'inside the box' thinking and 'outside the box' thinking. We discussed a simple plan of attack on how to measure people, results, and customer satisfaction. We even discussed ways on how to lean manufacture golf course operations. This one hour talk was more valuable than some of my college classes. It provided valuable stuff on which to reflect as we try to regroup during the off-season. Thanks, Dad!

Visit Jason's blog at stowacresturf.com

True and smooth, not short and fast...

Jim Alwine, Stockton Golf & Country Club, Stockton, CA:

"Here are a couple videos of some tests we performed on the greens. I first started thinking about this while stimping the greens and I was bothered when the balls did not end up in the same place. If multiple balls are rolled in the exact same direction, each ball should go to the exact same place. Simple enough, right? That would be the definition of a 'true' green.

When you hit your line with the correct speed, you did your part and the green should do it's part by keeping the ball on path. Too much thatch or puffiness or too many ball marks, old cups and blemishes and the ball will get off line... and a good putt is not rewarded with that wonderful sound at the bottom of the cup. I love that sound.

It didn't take long to discover that the stimpmeter wasn't the best apparatus to check the line of a putt. Ours is a little old, and I think it's been dropped or thrown a few times. The roll out is typically the same, but direction can vary by a few inches per ball. We switched to a 2 inch PVC pipe that acts as our stimpmeter's case. This worked much better.

If we see too much bobble, wiggle, or misdirection caused by the surface of the green, then we know that a light topdress, grooming, or verticut needs to be put on the schedule. The first video is of #14 green with a 15 foot putt. Assistant Superintendent Craig Heitman is dropping the balls down the chute with some sure hands. I like how the last ball finishes with the logo up. The second was much more difficult with less than perfect results, a 26 foot putt with a 5 foot break near the front of #15 green. Three of these lipped out and six went in the hole.

We will probably be doing this again just for the fun of it, all in the name of science.

Visit Jim's blog at sgccturf.blogspot.com