I had the pleasure of working as a volunteer at The Barclays held on the Black Course at the Bethpage State Park. Getting up at 3:30am to assist ‘set-up man” extraordinaire, Rich Roble now with two US Opens and a FedEx Playoff under his belt. Set-up at this level is a lesson in precision. Cut a level cup to the exact depth and replace the plug so that when passed over by a mower set at 0.085″ it is neither high nor low. Any misstep and
Set-up Man Rich Roble
or inconsistency and you have prov
I had the pleasure of working as a volunteer at The Barclays held on the Black Course at the Bethpage State Park. Getting up at 3:30am to assist set-up man" extraordinaire, Rich Roble, now with two US Opens and a FedEx Playoff under his belt.
Set-up at this level is a lesson in precision. Cut a level cup to the exact depth and replace the plug so that when passed over by a mower set at 0.085 it is neither high nor low. Any misstep and or inconsistency and you have provided the professional t
To this day, I really don’t know what happened. I’ve heard some stories and have a few paper trail type details, but that’s it. After a string of 2,000 mile weeks, a notable in the golf world fumbling the ball and blaming everyone else including me and a bunch of other little and big things, I started not sleeping. For me, that’s nothing new. I’ve not really been into sleep that much and for what it seemed, my body didn’t need much.
But then came one big hassle after another and not only was I
We interrupt our currently scheduled series on Best and Worst GCS Hobbies for a special announcement: The 100 Days of Hell are almost over!
We can tell because of all the back to school ads and the sudden surge in expert football analysis offered by golfers once focused merely on green speed.
In addition, our local hunting store has awakened from fishing catatonia to prepare for deer season and I saw a bentgrass superintendent the other day–without the facial tics, the Thousand Yard Stare at
My favorite hobby for the GCS is up next, holding down the #5 slot. It should be #1, but the judges decided my particular choice was lacking in several critical areas. (Most of which are related to beer, cars, motors, guns, fishing poles, attractive women and not wearing spandex in public.)
It may not be the average superintendent’s first choice, but there’s nothing like a little fear in your day to override that other omnipresent fear, the one that involves losing greens or hearing, “We’ve d
Something dark and evil has triggered a mysterious surge in the number of Irrational Member incidents on golf courses everywhere.
Irrational Member Syndrome, (IMS) can strike anywhere, especially during the summer stress period. Oddly enough, IMS is more prevalent at the finest courses, those that are maintained at such a high level that it is hard to find fault with the course playability, aesthetics or budget management. When the GCS at this type of facility is attacked by an Irrational Mem
Now men . . . Here at The Rock, we are proud to present the latest segment of Best and Worst Hobbies for the GCS.
Today, we cover #7, a hobby capable of combining work with fun and stress reduction.
Also, included free in the film are several tips for GCS success and one Rockbottum technique for smoothing over pro shop mistakes.
Mystic Order of Greenkeeper CEU points will be offered, if you can pass the MOG test administered at the TurfNet Trip to Bandon Dunes in October.
The pressure to produce flawlessly consistent playing conditions is stressful on biological organisms, i.e., plants and people. We seek any solution to enhance plant health when “backed into a corner” with weak turf, poor growing environments, stress from close mowing, etc. Sometimes these solutions help, other times they have unintended consequences.
All the rage this year about Bacterial Wilt/ Decline has me wondering about these unintended consequences when it comes to our obsession with pla
The pressure to produce flawlessly consistent playing conditions is stressful on biological organisms, i.e., plants and people. We seek any solution to enhance plant health when backed into a corner with weak turf, poor growing environments, stress from close mowing, etc. Sometimes these solutions help, other times they have unintended consequences.
All the rage this year about Bacterial Wilt/ Decline has me wondering about these unintended consequences when it comes to our obsession with pl
The common question that I seem to be getting in the last few weeks has to do with feeding greens. While there can’t be a universal rule set for all the different climates we all work in, there are a few things that I like to see happen for best practice summer stress conditioning.
For me, consistency is key. Set your feeding schedule and stick to it. Sure, sometime things happen, but when we are doing it right, there isn’t much Nitrogen involved and so growth isnt a big deal.
Speaking of gr
As a veteran of several rain free summers–while in marginal control of a golf course–I learned what most Golf Course Superintendents go through in the early days of August.
The GCS in the heat of August lives in a narrow, time-sensitive world, a place where attention to detail and quick reactions are critical.
During a hellish summer like this one, the GCS does not have time to read long articles full of charts and equations or watch another endless wobbly 7 minute video of talking heads discu
The following short film is a compilation of brilliant golf business practices that we use to separate Rockbottum from all other clubs.
Please enjoy “The Wisdoms of Rockbottum Country Club”
The following short film is a compilation of brilliant golf business practices that we use to separate Rockbottum from all other clubs.
Please enjoy “The Wisdoms of Rockbottum Country Club”
No matter what Momma says, I still consider myself an irrigation repair genius, an idiot savant in the field of quick, effective fixes. (Momma says only one of those words applies.)
Because I worked on the world’s supply of sorry, miserable, numbskull-designed irrigation systems, I learned a lot about fixing broken lines, serial pin-holes and mysterious pressure drops in hydraulic tubes; I also compiled a list of crooked contractors who installed worthless, previously failed parts, drew up fan
No matter what Momma says, I still consider myself an irrigation repair genius, an idiot savant in the field of quick, effective fixes. (Momma says only one of those words applies.)
Because I worked on the world’s supply of sorry, miserable, numbskull-designed irrigation systems, I learned a lot about fixing broken lines, serial pin-holes and mysterious pressure drops in hydraulic tubes; I also compiled a list of crooked contractors who installed worthless, previously failed parts, drew up
If ever there was a year to appreciate golf on a brown surface this is it. In fact, the three USGA Championships I watched this year set the tone. From Olympic to Blackwolf Run and finally to Indianwood reminded me of something I was wrong about and also reminded that those of us in the golf turf industry might be part of the problem.
A few years ago I was interviewed after giving a presentation at the GIS in Orlando. During the interview I made a glib and dismissive comment about David Faye’
If there were ever a year to appreciate golf on a brown surface, this is it. In fact, the three USGA Championships I watched this year set the tone. From Olympic to Blackwolf Run and finally to Indianwood reminded me of something I was wrong about and also reminded that those of us in the golf turf industry might be part of the problem.
A few years ago I was interviewed after giving a presentation at the GIS in Orlando. During the interview I made a glib and dismissive comment about David
I’d like to take a quick break from the water quality thing to share a recent experience from the field.
Everybody tank mixes fertility products. In some form or another, you put stuff in the spray tank and expect that it will come out whatever nozzles you have and do the intended job. That’s not rocket science. It’s part of Turfhead life. So when I was called this week to help a turfhead straighten out a spray mix, I was pretty excited to see what said Turf Monkey was hitting the tank with and
When job stress cranks up, the smart thing to do is to crank up the counter-stress tactics and the most successful counter-stress strategy is a good hobby.
This is Part One of a Four Part Series by Award Winning Director Ludell Hogwaller on the Top Ten Best/Worst Hobbies for Golf Course Insiders.
This Series will conclude before August, unless Ludell accepts an offer from Downton Abbey producers.
When job stress cranks up, the smart thing to do is to crank up the counter-stress tactics and the most successful counter-stress strategy is a good hobby.
This is Part One of a Four Part Series by Award Winning Director Ludell Hogwaller on the Top Ten Best/Worst Hobbies for Golf Course Insiders.
This Series will conclude before August, unless Ludell accepts an offer from Downton Abbey producers.
There is one area in golf where I find myself soapboxing, evangelizing and pounding the drums without restraint and that area is affordable golf.
My fixation on affordable golf is stronger than my obsession with classical strategic design, punishing slow golfers, or my favorite, exposing the “Clubhouse” as the fastest way to rack up debt, lose money and kill a golf course.
Why am I fixated on affordable golf?
Because affordable golf is the locomotive that drives golf, the engine that recruits
There is one area in golf where I find myself soapboxing, evangelizing and pounding the drums without restraint and that area is affordable golf.
My fixation on affordable golf is stronger than my obsession with classical strategic design, punishing slow golfers, or my favorite, exposing the Clubhouse as the fastest way to rack up debt, lose money and kill a golf course.
Why am I fixated on affordable golf?
Because affordable golf is the locomotive that drives golf, the engine that r
It’s that time of year again when panic sets it. Day after day of high heat stress brings many closer to the tipping point for areas that have marginal growing environments. Low light and poor air movement for warm and cool season grasses, even the utlra-dwarfs don’t like shade, and the ubiquitous surface organic matter that holds even the slightest amount of water all add up to increased stress and panic.
Panic is defined as a sudden sensation of fear which is so strong as to dominate or preve
