Unfortunately, too few parents understand that their role model responsibilities to their children extend throughout every waking hour of every living day.
The imperative lesson to note here is that our children learn more from what they see their parents doing on a 24/7 basis than from being told by their parents what to do, or not do, in life.
The old cliché, "Do what I say and not what I do" has no place within a relationship between parents and their children.
Following is a list
continued from...
Wen decided to make the big move. "Sir, if you remember, we talked about my transfer to a natural grass course last year, and I've fulfilled all of the requirements."
Tai smiled and leaned closer. "Wen, there are less than a thousand grass courses left on this continent and we only own a few of those. The majority of those relics are classics, protected by historic preservation status because they were built by the old master architects. It takes a special kind of .
Continued from...
Entering the shop, Wen ran straight for the tool room and began rummaging around for something that might help. He was on the verge of asking the computer's opinion when a picture of his grandfather entered his mind. Grandpa Bolton was a golf course superintendent back before the turn of the century, back when things were simpler, freer, and more fun. "What would Grandpa do in this situation?"
"Use a bigger hammer, boy."
Wen grabbed a sledge hammer.
The w
The following short story first appeared in the July, 2004 edition of SuperNews as "Blade Runner". (My choice was Golf In 2044, but magazine editors will not be denied.) It is a fictional piece dealing with one version* of how Golf could turn out.
This is part of our current emphasis at Rockbottum CC on the future of golf, the economics of golf, the environmental aspects involved in actual operations as well as public image, GCS fitness and family time. Future, Fitness, Fungicides, Famil
I lost my virginity on a cold December morning in the mid 90's.
I had traveled on Planes, Trains and Taxis to get to the event. And I was so far out of my depth, I didn't even know how far that "far" really was. I arrived for the date about 6 hours early. When I woke up from a seemingly short nap on the morning of, I had so much performance anxiety that I was unable to eat. "I should go home," I thought to myself.
I was to meet her just around the corner from where I was staying. S
I am going to interrupt the career-counseling theme of this blog series for these next two weeks to address the matter of how to more effectively meet our responsibilities to our children... because we will all be judged accordingly.
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas gave the 2008 commencement address to the graduates at the University of Georgia. It has been judged, by some, as worthy of being considered to be the best commencement address given in our time.
Because commencement a
At the top of my list of golf course mistakes is one of those glaring errors that never seems to fade, but grows heavier and meaner with the passage of time.
Inspiration is a fickle beast. When you are firmly in its clutches you are like a demon possessed. When you are hunting for it though, you can be truly lost in the wilderness. My friends, I have been lost deep in the forest on a long and tiresome hunt as of late.
My lack of success on this particular pursuit has not been entirely without merit. You see, the last few months here in the Canadian Maritimes have not exactly been a down home kitchen party. We went from record snow falls, ice stor
I recommend that my readers study the current Playbooks blog post (can also be found immediately above this blog on TurfNet home page) by Matt Leverich and its extraordinary photographs before continuing on here because the message for the two posts is fundamentally the same: namely that . . .
Classic course photography frames a superintendent's work product in such an extraordinary manner that they advance both the course welfare and the superintendent's career like nothing else can.
The internet, pronounced: Inner-nayut hereabouts, has had a serious impact on golf, triggering a fearsome fixation on futurism around the woodstove in our barn Turf Care Center.
The Net (and the voices in my head) have been asking me: What do we do? Who are our customers? What will Rockbottum CC be like in 30 years when I retire?
Golf has rapidly morphtastisized over the last 20 years, not just in the way the game is played, but how our product is brought to market. As an industry, w
Several weeks ago Drury Grounds was asked to collaborate on the installation of several raised beds to be planted with vegetables and herbs. The produce from these beds would be used in the dining halls and by individual students. Local produce (also native plants) grown as organically as possible (applies for turf also) is a great nod toward a sustainable system. My problem was that the project itself did not maximize sustainability in both its concept and its construction. This made me realize
In this episode of Frankly Speaking, I chat with my old buddy Norm Hummel, Ph.D., recently semi-retired after selling his soil physical testing lab to Turf and Soil Diagnostics. Norm and I chat about what superintendents can do "from the bottom up" to manage putting surface firmness given the new tools available to put actual numbers to firmness and moisture levels.
Norm gives guidance regarding "knowing what you're putting down" when topdressing, layering different texture sands on one ano
I have always been disappointed that so many golf course superintendents and assistants are unwilling to pay their own way to participate in career securing and career advancing events when an employer is not willing to do so in good or bad economies.
In difficult economic times, there are two polar-opposite approaches for individual superintendents to choose from career planning-wise:
To hunker down; be left at the mercy of the bad economy and their employers, and thereby run the risk o
While building career materials projects throughout the years, one key component is typically missing from them: excellent photography. The kind that can showcase just how great your course conditions can be. Very few guys have quality when it comes to this most important area, maybe one or two nice shots taken by amateurs.
Hiring a professional photographer is a fantastic way to instantly create a bigger and better impression of your work. The difference in quality of images can be quite d
My last post covered some basics on being excellent. Kind of a 101 level of how to roll. Now lets look at leadership.
Over the years, I've seen some things that Assistant Supers are and are not doing when it comes to being leaders. And let's really face it, you may think that the 2IC (second in charge) has to do with agronomy. Not so much. In most situations the job figures as a challenge to train, motivate and supervise a crew. Show me an excellent crew and I'll be looking for a special Ass
The timely question that must be asked today is: How will golf course superintendents deal with the inevitability that an already difficult economy is likely to get worse in the coming years?
The reasons for this question in part are because of the anticipated negative impact twenty-one new Obamacare taxes will have next year, the inevitability of higher inflation and the long promised jump in the cost of electricity. Analysts advise that the next recession will hit hard and stay around for
I cannot wait to watch the US Open at Chambers Bay. I haven't been there, but I've seen the photos and my desire to play golf there borders on lust. (Actual golf with shaped creative shots, not the mortar-launched version of lawn darts currently living on my TV.)
The USGA is to be commended for selecting Chambers Bay. I had completely stopped watching the US Open years ago, due to the boredom of sling-blade wedge shots out of thick, deep steel wool and fairways resembling subway tunnels.
Here at Drury University in Springfield, Missouri, we are in the middle of a spring droughty period. While 13 days without rain is not too hard to manage, I am beginning to feel the initial twinges of water concern. Knowing that we will be experiencing a normal hot/dry spell in summer, I count on spring rains. I am sure everyone understands what I mean.
While we have started our irrigation on our high value turf (the native plants are just fine), much of our mowing and blowing is still dusty
Rainy Day Guidelines
Government officials advise that:
25% of Americans (mostly younger people) save no money for "rainy day" emergencies.
The rainy day fund for families with two incomes should be at least the equivalent of six months of family living expenses.
The rainy day fund for families with one income should be at least the equivalent of twelve months of family living expenses.
Lesson To Be Learned: Failure to establish an adequate family rainy day fund is like being in a
I am a big fan of Game of Thrones. Really dig the HBO interpretation, and have been into the books by George RR Martin for quite some time. It is a compelling tale, full of complex story lines and even more complex characters. The personal stories of the characters themselves are one of the keys to the success of the franchise. The main characters in the story are neither good or bad, up nor down, black nor white... they are human; and with that comes all the baggage of a truly human tale.
W
In this first episode of The Renovation Report on TurfNet RADIO, Jon Kiger chats with Kevin Hicks of The Coeur d'Alene Resort (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) about two recent renovation projects: one planned and one not. Listen online below or download the .mp3 for offline listening (right click and select "save link [or target] as").
Presented by Golf Preservations and Jacobsen.
Every golf course superintendent understands what he needs to know about the putting greens at his home golf course. But this is not the case elsewhere because most superintendents consistently fail to see the unique opportunities and associated risks green quality can bring to their jobs/careers. For example:
Unique Greens Role #1: Within Modest Budget Environments
Includes: private, daily fee and public access golf courses.
Superintendents with much of their careers still ahead of t
