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About this blog

Randy and the gang at Rockbottum Country Club pontificate on Rockbottum wisdom and skeletal golf, among other madness.

Entries in this blog

Penal Rough Envy

I dont like rough.  From my crusty old point of view, rough has damaged golf, especially the critical entry level point, the municipal course.   I havent always disliked rough.  I didnt know I hated it until the summer of 76, when the US Open came to the Atlanta Athletic Club.  One of Our Local Numbskulls (OLN) somehow managed to qualify and that meant we all had to traipse up there from our muni and watch him perform.   *Historical Side Note:  I never actually got to see OLN earn his spot
Randy Wilson

Randy Wilson

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A Rockbottum CC Halloween Classic

There is a horror lurking out there, waiting for the right moment to viciously attack golf and drain the very lifeblood out of the game. There are those in our golf family that have let this happen, either because they are only concerned with short-term profits or because they say it is not our place to take a stand.  Yet, it is our responsibility to do something positive, because golf pays the bills, it’s our career, the economic locomotive that keeps the wolf from the door. And while those
Randy Wilson

Randy Wilson

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A Rockbottum CC Halloween Classic

There is a horror lurking out there, waiting for the right moment to viciously attack golf and drain the very lifeblood out of the game.   There are those in our golf family that have let this happen, either because they are only concerned with short-term profits or because they say it is not our place to take a stand.  Yet, it is our responsibility to do something positive, because golf pays the bills, its our career, the economic locomotive that keeps the wolf from the door.   And while th
Randy Wilson

Randy Wilson

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Is Buddy Okay?

Over the last few weeks, we have been deluged with letters, calls and emails–even my private message box that lies hidden inside The TurfNet Forum has been crackling with activity, and it’s all been about one subject:  Buddy Apparently, Buddy has been displaying symptoms indicative of the medical condition known here in the South as, “He just ain’t right.” People, especially TurfNetters, are wondering if Buddy is operating on all three cylinders. There are several factors at play here, the f
Randy Wilson

Randy Wilson

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Is Buddy Okay?

Over the last few weeks, we have been deluged with letters, calls and emails  even my private message box that lies hidden inside The TurfNet Forum has been crackling with activity, and its all been about one subject:  Buddy.   Apparently, Buddy has been displaying symptoms indicative of the medical condition known here in the South as, He just aint right.   People, especially TurfNetters, are wondering if Buddy is operating on all three cylinders. There are several factors at play here, th
Randy Wilson

Randy Wilson

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Buddy And His Special Project

Buddy likes to solve problems.  His favorite problems are the repeat offenders on the TurfNet Forum, situations that present a hard-to-find solution. If a problem surfaces on the Forum more than once a year, Buddy aggressively seeks research grant money from Momma and works round-the-clock to find an answer. It’s not just dedication to his craft, Buddy is insanely jealous of all the attention Hector receives and will do almost anything to regain his status as Top Equipment Tech. (I’ve tried
Randy Wilson

Randy Wilson

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Buddy And His Special Project

Buddy likes to solve problems.  His favorite problems are the repeat offenders on the TurfNet Forum, situations that present a hard-to-find solution.   If a problem surfaces on the Forum more than once a year, Buddy aggressively seeks research grant money from Momma and works round-the-clock to find an answer.   Its not just dedication to his craft, Buddy is insanely jealous of all the attention Hector receives and will do almost anything to regain his status as Top Equipment Tech.   (Ive
Randy Wilson

Randy Wilson

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Best GCS Hobby # 1

At last, the big moment is here . . . Number One on our list of Best GCS Hobbies, as determined by Rockbottum CC.
Randy Wilson

Randy Wilson

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Best And Worst GCS Hobby # 2

Continuing the climb up the list of Best and Worst Hobbies for the Golf Course Superintendent, we offer #2, along with a few Tips, Tricks and Warnings.
Randy Wilson

Randy Wilson

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Finally, A Cool, Calm Morning

The morning we’ve been waiting on for 120 days.  Cool, dry, brisk and happy. If it wasn’t for one minor problem, this day would be perfect.  Glorious.  Perfectly glorious. And that one thing is:  The Anti-Climax that always hits when it appears the hellish heat of summer is beginning to loosen its grip. It happens every year at Rockbottum CC and this year, Momma filmed the Anti-Climatic Moment. We invite you to join us, Here At The Rock, for a few moments of what we think is almost . . . a P
Randy Wilson

Randy Wilson

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LCD Upon The Desk, Who is Our Most Wicked Pest?

Once Upon A Time, while wandering through the land of golf course operations, I encountered a dark and wicked force.  Well, actually, I ran across a number of wicked forces, especially at country clubs, but there was one that was the wickedest. After several brushes with this wickedness, I escaped and lived for many years in Happy Ever After as a GCS.  But lately, I’ve had this nagging feeling that the wickedness has returned and is growing, unseen, like that Alien embryo that looks like an unc
Randy Wilson

Randy Wilson

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Best And Worst GCS Hobby #3

My original plan for today involved writing an essay full of thought-provoking profound revelations about the future of golf and our place in it . . . but after 800 words of serious brow-wrinkling and eye strain, I realized there are lots of people in golf that can write serious intellectual golf business philosophy, so I hit delete and stared at my empty coffee mug. That’s when Momma stormed in and barked, “Who cares what other golf writers can do?  Do something they can’t!” I realized Momma
Randy Wilson

Randy Wilson

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We Can See Autumn From Here

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
Randy Wilson

Randy Wilson

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Best/Worst GCS Hobby #5

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
Guest

Guest

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Neutralizing The Irrational Member

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
Guest

Guest

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Best/Worst Hobby # 7

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.
Guest

Guest

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The Big Questions In Golf

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
Guest

Guest

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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”
Guest

Guest

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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”  
Randy Wilson

Randy Wilson

0

The RDIV and Other Irrigation Secrets

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
Guest

Guest

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The RDIV and Other Irrigation Secrets

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
Randy Wilson

Randy Wilson

0

The Top Ten Best/Worst GCS Hobbies Part One

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.
Guest

Guest

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The Top Ten Best/Worst GCS Hobbies Part One

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.
Randy Wilson

Randy Wilson

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The Upcoming Symposium on Affordable Golf

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
Guest

Guest

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The Upcoming Symposium on Affordable Golf

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
Randy Wilson

Randy Wilson

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