Rockbottum CC News brings you an update on the Rivermont Organic Golf Field Day, along with a nematode story that could have a powerful effect on warm season golf.
Join Hector Velazquez and myself as we go deep into the world of Hector and Hector's Shop!
Do you know Hector? You should. He's breaking ground in an often forgotten, overlooked and misunderstood world. The world of the golf course equipment fleet is not only huge, it is a place where a ton of money gets spent. And wasted.
Hector and I talk about what's what in his world. From his background to his travels as a teacher, his life as an educator and of course his job as a father and husban
From the Rockbottum CC archives, first published in October of '05.
Since I probably will never again work in a supervisory position on a golf course, I have decided to reveal my most guarded trade secrets. (No, not the special fungicide recipes I acquired from top Atlanta superintendents by means of industrial espionage.)
I'm referring to the survival secrets that allowed me to grow "good greens" in a difficult environment and remain well below the clubhouse complaint radar.
Before
Are you fed up with golfers wearing those razor-wire spikes, refusing to keep all four tires on the path at greens and tees, and not repairing their ball craters?
Then do something about it. Order the HackerZapper from Rockbottum CC today!
In this episode, I speak frankly with field agronomist extraordinaire Steve McDonald, owner/operator of Turfgrass Disease Solutions in Eastern PA. We start with the growing season of 2016 so far for the always-tough Mid-Atlantic region, and then move on to some of the latest thinking on annual bluegrass weevil management, summer disease prevention and some great conversation on techniques to manage the not-so-low-maintenance native rough areas.
Recorded June 13, 2016.
Presented by DryJec
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
Driving through midtown Springfield recently I was struck by how devoid of unique landscaping much of my city is. I was also struck by landscaping that was uniformly boring and in many cases, virtually nonexistent. Yet there was remarkable variety to the architecture of the buildings, and the marquis street signs/billboards were also very unique. These observations made me wonder about how any organization uses the landscape to first support its business, and then how it might help differentiate
As with any season in the golf industry, inevitable job losses have come in 2016. While it is an understandably hard time for those on the losing end, others see it as a possible bright new future for their career. And this event can happen at any time; even your dream job can open up unexpectedly. You should always have your career materials ready to go, just in case. It's too risky to not be ready when so few of these superintendent positions open up.
Recent activity brought this old iss
My guest for this episode of Frankly Speaking is Chris Tritabaugh, golf course superintendent at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minnesota.
After Chris fills us in on his career path starting in rural Minnesota, he and I dive into the "minimalist" or "zero-based" turf management approach that I have focused on for many years in my research and outreach, and that Chris has employed in his four years at Hazeltine.
Of course, we also discuss the various responsibilities involved i
By request!! An update on one of my most popular blog posts, on being an Excellent Assistant or Intern.
One of the most popular blog posts I have ever done in podcast form. Kind of cool. Third kind of cool, actually. Take a few min to listen to this just in case you need a refresher. Works for Young Turfies or for those responsible for them. Being an excellent Assistant or Intern isn't always just about agronomy. It comes down to character and working with the team around you.
Because on
Golf has a labor shortage and while the strategy currently evolving to solve the problem might succeed, it will also trigger "The Law of Unintended Consequences".
Watch this short film to identify and obtain the necessary skills to survive.
Coming out of the winter of 1980, several chapters asked GCSAA to survey all the chapters to inquire whether they wanted to be mailed (no e-mail then) the minutes of GCSAA Board meetings for distribution to their chapters board members and to any of their chapter members requesting a copy.
The chapters voted 95-0 to implement this policy that served the Association well as evidenced by the fact that every existing activity/program given attention at the time realized sizable growth because t
In this episode of Frankly Speaking, I speak frankly with Brian Youell, 36-year superintendent at Uplands Golf Club in Victoria, British Columbia.
Brian, a recipient of the Canadian Supt. Association Superintendent of the Year in 2012 and a Master Greenkeeper, will Speak Frankly about his traumatic brain injury from being hit by a golf ball in 2010, and the challenges he faces in the Pacific Northwest of Canada with 65,000 rounds annually.
As always, "Smart Talk from Leading Thinkers in
Just for a brief moment, imagine the following scenario. You are on your way to the clubhouse for an important management meeting with your GM. Before the meeting you rush to the first tee to check up on your project crew, who is handling the ongoing irrigation project on #1 tee (it has not been going well, and you know if you don't check in, things will only get worse). You arrive to find them standing around scratching their collective heads. You guide them through the next steps and tell them
Steve Mason, TurfNet member, is the golf course superintendent of Sky Valley Country Club, a stunningly beautiful "hidden gem" of a golf course, tucked into the mountains of Georgia at nearly 3500 feet.
Unlike many courses in the Appalachians, Sky Valley was skillfully positioned in the gentlest part of the valley and lacks the claustrophobic feel of a layout that was narrowly carved into the side of a mountain with dynamite. The pastoral view of the valley is magnificent and alluring. (
Everyone is reasonably familiar with the concept of a dog run. Dog runs can be a fenced area, usually rectangular, or a leash of sorts on a length of cable. Both configurations are meant to give the dog the maximum freedom of movement without giving the dog so much leeway that he can escape the yard, or be a nuisance to neighbors. The dog has some space, but is still held securely in a specific area.
I often think that green industry sustainability is like a dog run. Freedom to move within a
Golf course architect Mike Young and host Dave Wilber get into the reality of design, renovation, restoration and rehabilitation.
With over 40 designs under his belt, Mike Young has been a strong voice in the golf construction and renovation business for a very long time. A great communicator and an outspoken thinker, Mike doesn't suffer fools or pull punches when it comes to telling it like it is. Maybe it is his Georgia roots. Maybe it is just who he is. Perhaps both.
But quiet passion
Have you ever found yourself fleeing through a heavily forested golf course at midnight, pursued by a mob of enraged golfers with guns?
It was the summer of '71. Burnt Run CC (not the actual name) was a small town southern pseudo-country club inhabited mostly by good people, poor golfers, and rural socialites. On one fateful night, something terrifying took place and the result was Dad's forcible abdication from his role as Burnt Run Pro/GCS/GM/F&B and Recreation Director.
Prior to
Episode 23 of The TZP brings us chats with Kevin Hicks, GCS at The Coeur D'Alene Golf Resort... and TurfNet's Jon Kiger taking about TurfNet's participation in The Irish Open at The K Club.
Kevin Hicks is such a good guy. I reached out to him on the off chance that he could do a short interview and he stepped right up the the plate. He's a great guy, an old friend and a proud father. We get to know a little more about him and talk about my adventure into the bowels of the famous Floating Gr
When I was coaching defensive backs for a small high school, one of the more entertaining benefits of that job was hearing the players talk to one another across the line. The easiest conversation to hear--when I wasn't yelling coverage adjustments at 130 decibels--was usually initiated by the cornerback closest to our sideline.
Sometimes, when the offense was lined up in a spread with receivers all over the place, I could hear the D-line growling and the outside linebackers barking--but th
One of the biggest traps you can fall into in our industry is focusing too much on turf. Instead, you should spend extra time learning as much as you can about what golfers care about and want to discuss. Outreach to your customers is something that is truly lacking in the golf maintenance world. Many of the problems that arise for a superintendent stem from communication, or a lack of it, with golfers.
The best way to create better outreach to golfers is through first learning what the mos
In this audiocast, I speak frankly with Kevin Morris, president of the National Turfgrass Foundation and responsible for the National Turfgrass Evaluation Program (NTEP), and Geoff Rinehart, coordinator of the Grass Roots Initiative Exhibit at the National Arboretum in Washington DC.
We discuss the NTF, NTEP, and the role the Grass Roots Exhibit outreach program plays in helping the American public understand the value of turf in our society.
Smart Talk from Leading Thinkers in the Turf
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'
