At Rockbottum CC, we are always looking for better, safer ways to manage the golf course.
Rockbottum's typically heavy play requires mowing during periods of peak play, so we have invested a great deal of time and effort in research intended to make the course safer for the crew.
Our current breakthrough in golfer/crew safety is the "PAINLESS" golf ball.
There once was a man hanging perilously from the edge of a cliff. Just above him paced a tiger, waiting to pounce if he climbed back up.
The man screamed, "Is there anyone out there that can help me?"
A calm voice replied, "How can I help?"
Startled, the man answered, "God, is that you?"
"Yes," God said.
"Can you help me out of this bind? I will do anything that you ask of me!"
God replied, "All you need to do is let go, all will be well."
The man thought for a moment
One of those terrible habits I can't shake involves reading as many golf related websites as possible, every day, like one of those CIA readers, as depicted in Robert Redford's "Three Days of The Condor".
I prowl the net, studying golf trends and fads, analyzing the direction we are sliding, pushed by pundits, manufacturers, experts, ruling bodies and the opinions of average golfers on various forums.
Usually, if I read something stupid, I just cackle and shake my head. If it's really b
When the cold winds blow and the golf course wanders in and out of suspended animation, we here at The Rock like to put a few hickory logs in the fireplace and recharge our minds and spirits for what summer will throw at us.
Cable TV has long been banished from the realm of Rockbottum, so our favorite winter evening activity involves reading near the fireplace, hot chamomile tea, warm homemade bread and quiet music.
Our reading music is typically Ralph Vaughn Williams or George Winston
All of humanity's problems stem from man's inability to sit quietly in a room alone." — Blaise Pascal
While reflecting on last weeks post, 'The Art of the Pause', it struck me that for most of us, deciding to sit still would be the easy part. What happens next becomes the real challenge. Try it right now. Just close your eyes and sit still for about a minute. I'll wait...
Uh, I'm somewhere where I don't know where I am." — Homer Simpson
How long did you last before your mind start
What a great start to the year. I'm at the age now where both my close colleagues and college buddies, begin to get recognized for their lifetime achievements. My great honor was to be in the room on the same day that this happened to both of these people in my life. A Top Ten Day indeed!
Left my house at 3:4am to get to the area just north of NYC by 8am. On most days no problem to make it in 4, this time heavy snow and wind for all but about 50 miles of 230 mile trip-6 hrs. John Carlone, m
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
How often do you find yourself running around like the proverbial headless chicken and really not accomplishing much? We all have those days now and again, but what I am talking about here is when lack of focus interferes with our ability to perform our duties.
Our jobs are stressful at times, no doubt, but a full plate shouldn't prevent us from pausing occasionally to clear our thoughts. We accomplish much more with a measure of clarity than with muddled thinking. So, if you find yourself f
The Best and Worst GCS Hobby #6 has been hidden on the shelf for several months, due to issues of censorship and good taste.
However, since good taste is not really an issue with Ludell . . . and Momma is too busy running the golf course to oversee every single Rockbottum CC training film, we hurriedly present:
"Backpacking for the Golf Course Superintendent."
We are entering the new year with many exciting trends in the turf chemical industry. Lower use rates, reduced risk, combination products, pigments and dyes, and of course plant health or induced systemic resistance.
Syngenta's move to include Acibenzolar (ASM) with Daconil (chlorothalonil) marked a major shift in thinking by one of the big three (Bayer, Syngenta, BASF). ASM is not a new molecule, in fact it has been widely used in the Ag market for several years. ASM has no measurable effec
Due to a sudden increase in requests for more information on Rockbottum CC and Skeletal Greenkeeper Theory, I have decided to reveal how I became mired involved in this situation.
Note: I will not divulge the actual name of Rockbottum, because I do not wish to use TurfNet to promote my architectural brilliance, but if you are a sharp-eyed video enthusiast, you may already know the true name.
Obsessed with golf architecture from an early age, mostly due to the strategic and tactical natu
In today's marketplace everyone is looking for an edge... the one thing that will not only get them ahead, but save money while doing it. We are being asked to do more with less while constantly producing better conditions.
As revenues and budgets continue to shrink, a return to simple, more straightforward maintenance is inevitable.
What if a salesman came to your office and offered you a simple program that would allow you to
Better utilize the resources your turf already has on ha
Part Two of the Rockbottum Series on The State of Golf involves adaptation and suggested reading material from Pulitzer Prize winning author Jared Diamond.
If you don't have time to read the assignment, just watch this video.
New year, new digs. A time for grabbing life by the horns and doing something that you've never done before. How about expanding the mind, breaking down thought barriers... that is what this blog is going to be all about. It will serve as a utility cart full of ideas, and not necessarily all new. Maybe some are the same ones you used to think about when you were a young lad or lassie walk mowing greens or hand watering for what seemed like forever.
You know what I mean. We have all had thes
In the spirit of The State of The Union Address, I have endeavored to write and deliver a comprehensive analysis of the current state of affairs in golf.
Due to constant interruptions provided by GCS duties, I have been forced to split the State of Golf Address into several segments.
The first segment contains very little of the State of Golf Address, but some of the issues facing golf are presented in short form.
On the bright side, unlike the Presidential State of the Union, you will not h
In the spirit of The State of The Union Address, I have endeavored to write and deliver a comprehensive analysis of the current state of affairs in golf.
Due to constant interruptions provided by GCS duties, I have been forced to split the State of Golf Address into several segments.
Due to constant interruptions provided by GCS duties . . .
The first segment contains very little of the State of Golf Address, but some of the issues facing golf are presented in short form.
On the bri
Our GCM (Golf Course Marshal) is often accused of being lazy, ineffective and unwilling to do the job.
When the GCM attempts to speed play and enforce local rules, golfers howl in protest, calling the GCM a jack-booted power-crazed thug gleefully dealing out harassment and oppression.
If the GCM is polite, the players ignore GCM commands and refuse to comply; it is not unusual for golfers to see a polite GCM as a sign of weakness and follow up with threats and physical abuse.
Here at The Roc
Our GCM (Golf Course Marshal) is often accused of being lazy, ineffective and unwilling to do the job.
When the GCM attempts to speed play and enforce local rules, golfers howl in protest, calling the GCM a jack-booted power-crazed thug gleefully dealing out harassment and oppression.
If the GCM is polite, the players ignore GCM commands and refuse to comply; it is not unusual for golfers to see a polite GCM as a sign of weakness and follow up with threats and physical abuse.
. . . go
(I’m so completely baffled by a recent “change” at a club and the resulting communication around it that I needed to let some angst out of my fingers. You may be able to guess the details. Fine. Good for you. This isn’t really here to skewer someone..well maybe a bit. It’s high time we wake up and wonder why this sort of thing happens and what each of us, as individuals can do to keep the profession from being tumbled. Oh..and pay attention to this..you think this can’t happen to you as you get
(I'm so completely baffled by a recent change at a club and the resulting communication around it that I needed to let some angst out of my fingers. You may be able to guess the details. Fine. Good for you. This isn't really here to skewer someone..well maybe a bit. Its high time we wake up and wonder why this sort of thing happens and what each of us, as individuals can do to keep the profession from being tumbled. Oh..and pay attention to this..you think this can't happen to you as you get you
As the end of the year draws near I find myself in a typical reflective mode. I’m thinking big picture about my year, my life, my work and the industry and world I am so eagerly engaged. A world that saw many in our golf turf industry turned upside down by a storm that thought it was in a NASCAR race and made a left hand turn.
Whether you “believe” that the climate is changing or not, you cannot escape the media blitz that inundates us with why’s, wherefore’s and what if’s. The media blitz an
As the end of the year draws near I find myself in a typical reflective mode. Im thinking big picture about my year, my life, my work and the industry and world I am so eagerly engaged. A world that saw many in our golf turf industry turned upside down by a storm that thought it was in a NASCAR race and made a left hand turn.
Whether you believe that the climate is changing or not, you cannot escape the media blitz that inundates us with whys, wherefores and what ifs. The media blitz and t
Football coaches know their chances of making it to “Legendary Coach” status are greater if their team is talented, highly motivated, fast and smart.
The Golf Course Superintendent is in a similar situation. It can be very difficult to reach the top ranks of Golf Course Superintendents while saddled with a poor team.
That’s my excuse.
Everyone in this industry knows what a positive influence a talented equipment tech can have on a golf course. The highly motivated assistant superintendent
