I need help. No, not the psychiatric kind, too late for that. I need advice from the most innovative problem solver on the planet, the Golf Course Superintendent.
For over a year, I've been engaged in a bitter struggle with my neighbors, an inconsiderate group of loudmouth, sex-crazed members of the Order of Anura. What a bunch of toads.
Some durn fool constructed one of those waterfall ponds--yes, the kind I've been trying to ridicule out of existence in the golf world for 25 years--
Our first Christmas with Dad as a pure Golf Course Superintendent was a little lean. After several years of serving as a Pro/Super, the debt load was suffocating him. At Dinky Little Fake Country Clubs--we survived four DLFCC in four years--the Pro/Super often had to finance the pro shop inventory, F&B, and golf maintenance supplies of a time-sensitive nature.
(The DLFCC business plan typically delayed non-essential items like fertilizer, irrigation and mower parts, while demanding tim
The story of how TurfNet.com came to be comes to life as I interview founder and creator, Peter McCormick.
In a day and age when new things that actually work are rare, Peter McCormick talks about how TurfNet came to be. It's a great story in thinking way outside the box. It also shows what not worrying about what everyone else is doing can do for creativity. If you haven't heard Peter's entire story, this podcast will give you the 411 on one of the most influential people in the Turfgrass B
Superintendents No.1 Asset: Their Work Ethic
Ask the average golfer, or the country's many superintendents themselves, "What is the golf course superintendents' Number One Asset?" The answers that come forth cover a wide variety of skills (communications skills, technical expertise, quality greens, etc.) all of which with the best of intentions miss the mark.
A consensus of industry-wide opinion suggests that what separates the core of golf course superintendents' performance from virtually
On December 20, Rockbottum CC Films will be ten years old.
For the last few weeks, we have been holding a virtual film festival to display a few of our favorite films.
Today we present "Golf Techno-Phobia", as our grand prize winner. This film not only summarizes the Rockbottum Theory of Golf, but manages to stir in our fear that technology has run amok and brought a new level of "sissification" to golf.
I have often repeated the wise words of A.W. Tillinghast regarding "the ideal
Outreach programming is the most vital service an organization can provide its employees or members because it redirects careers, stabilizes families and ensures that there will always be "career hope" through the most difficult of times. Outreach programming permeates the corporate and military worlds of employment for a good reason.
DEFINING THE CONCEPT
Outreach is a counseling program provided by employers, or their affiliates, where trained counselors support employees in the following
Join me as I interview Golf Course Superintendent Josh Lewis and talk about the 2015 US Open.
Episode #12 of the TZP goes deep diving with Josh Lewis. From starting out in the business in Oregon, working at the famed Bandon Dunes Resort, moving on to Pasatiempo CC and then to Chambers Bay... the site of the 2015 US Open, we cover Josh's footsteps. And we go deep into the backstory of Chamber's Bay.
Josh has an easy style. And we think you will love this interview as much as he loves the
Golf course architect Jim Urbina is one of those people that has been making it happen for 25 years in the industry. Jim's no nonsense style and dedicated study of the classics of golf course architecture make him one of the most interesting people in the world of golf design.
Jim talks about his growing understanding of the relationship between golf course designer and golf course superintendent. His care for restoration of classic design is spiced with his care for the maintenance of the p
Rockbottum CC welcomes Oscar The Yellow Lab to the TurfNet family.
Meet Oscar in this short film that also questions the credibility of internet science.
Most people are already well aware of several areas that landscaping is used for the common good. Most landscapes are interested in planting trees, shrubs and flowers in order to support their surrounding ecosystems. Landscaped areas, certainly including golf courses and sports fields, are well known for their ability to decrease pollution and other environmental benefits. The mental well-being of visitors and patrons can be much improved by exposure to the natural environment we all work in and
Andrew Hardy is one of my favorite communicators in the world of turfgrass. Drop in on a great and personal conversation with me and Andrew as we turn some stones!
Online dating for Superintendents? Check. GrassGoober Catfishing? Check. Owners causing the business grief? Check. Andrew and I get to a bunch of great conversation. If you don't know Andrew this is one of those people you need to know. Check out his Blog here or follow him on twitter @byandrewhardy
And don't forget to follow
The best minds of TurfNet have recently converged on the AGCS/Workforce problem facing golf, determined to offer a solid solution.
High-powered brains like Chris Tritabaugh, Dave Wilber, Brian Nettz, Matt Leverich, Ken Thompson, Brian Benedict and his ownself, Peter McCormick, have all stepped into the fray.
With the sharpest minds we have working hard to create a productive dialogue, it's only fair we should allow the dullest mind to weigh in . . . sort of a neural counterbalance.
A long-standing axiom that is consistently noticed by knowledgeable sports fans and beyond states that established NFL coaches have the equivalent personal skill sets as Fortune 500 Company CEOs.
Accordingly, in this hypothetical world, it is believed that proven NFL coaches are equipped to successfully manage the worlds most dynamic companies given the same preparatory educational opportunity the CEOs have had.
Informed golf industry watchers familiar with the above premise consistentl
This is going to be the second installment in a series that I meant to finish a couple of years ago (I can't actually believe that it has been that long). The irony of this delay will soon become very evident.
The second demon that we are going to deal with is a sly one indeed. Most times this behavior becomes so habitual that we don't even notice that we partake at all. It can cause untold amounts of worry and anxiety, and can tear at the fabric of our confidence. Many of us that have this
In October, the FAA announced a drone operator had been fined $1.9 million for "reckless" operations.
Drones will now be registered, so the FAA will know who to send to Gitmo when some doofus flying a drone in restricted airspace knocks down an airliner.
I know this is entirely possible, because for several years prior to the birth of the stabilized quadcopter, I experimented with various remote control (RC) aerial camera platforms. As a registered doofus, (RD) I crashed them all, into
In this episode of Frankly Speaking, I chat with Professor Scott McElroy of Auburn University about herbicide resistance concerns for golf turf management and annual bluegrass control in particular.
To download this episode, click here.
Join me and Armen Suny as we take a deep dive into the world of job searches and job interviews.
Episode 10 of The Turfgrass Zealot Project is not short on passion. Both Armen Suny and I really want you to succeed in your career goals. Handling the job search and the job interview is key to making that happen. Learn some incredible techniques and be reminded of some very simple things that could put you in the position you want to be in. There's a lot of mistakes being made out there
Released in 2007, the next film in our Ten Years of Rockbottum Film Festival won The Gardner Award, the turf equivalent of an Oscar for Best Picture.
"Stress Relief" dealt with the struggles involved in managing golf course operations while attempting to maintain health, sanity, and contact with family.
The film has a different feel than current Rockbottum films, mostly because our modern production pace calls for shorter, more frequent projects. We try hard to synchronize with the
by Greg Wojick, Playbooks for Golf
In my last guest column for TurfNet, I wrote about the role of the assistant superintendent and the need for superintendents to consider rethinking their approach to hiring and retaining these essential contributors to their operations.
When I suggested that superintendents work to retain their assistants with training to "work smarter, not harder" and that they provide greater rewards in pay and benefits for their efforts, I predictably received push
Two guests appear on this episode of The Turfgrass Zealot Project.
Chris Tritabaugh is the superintendent at Hazeltine National Golf Club, host to the 2016 Ryder Cup. Chris shares his ideas about work and life and how he handles his staff and the hours required to do his job at a very high profile place.
Scott Hess is Executive Vide President/Human Intelligence at SPARK, one of the world's leading Marketing and PR firms. Scott talks about Generational Science and the Millennial Generatio
In this episode of Frankly Speaking I chat with Professor Bruce Branham from the University of Illinois about organic and synthetic nitrogen and the role each might play in development and persistence of organic matter. How this might influence your fertilizer program and the long term impacts on soil health.
Frankly Speaking is presented by DryJect and Turfline/True-Surface.
The content of this blog message is extensive. But this might be the only time a reader will have access to a concise presentation on the subject of "How To Start A Business" - something superintendents should prepare for in case the desire/need arises later in their careers.
Superintendents should always be mentally prepared to start a business at an appropriate time in their careers for the following reasons:
Course operators are hesitant to assure superintendents employment beyond thei
A few days ago, I went deep into the quiet, heavily forested mountains* of Appalachia to escape the technological cacophony of modern life. While I was there, I made a wish . . . or two.
*Note: If you are a forest and mountains person, I wish you would read my book, Eephus The Terrible. TurfNet's own Matt Crowther reviews it on Amazon.
