I have been doing some great travel this season so far from Spain and England to Canada, as well as Chicago and Wisconsin. There are few things I enjoy professionally more than walking a golf course with the person charged with stewarding the land. In every case the superintendent greets me graciously and shares their thoughts on golf turf management.
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Anyone that has seen Jack Nicholson in The Shining can get a sense of what your golfers will be like this Spring--Here's Johnny!
Contrary to some theories, I was not hatched. I am also not a dropped off stray from Vulcan. I am not a character invented at Rockbottum CC. I am not the vision in Mama's frying pan.
This is my mom. Donna Wilber. She lives in the mountains of Colorado, where I was born. Not hatched. This picture was taken several years ago, on her 80th birthday. I had flown home to surprise her. Had a big evening in Denver all planned and she vetoed the whole thing. Insisting on drinks and pub food at The Cr
Have you ever wondered where the title for this blog came from? It is a common enough refrain, "be mindful of such and such...", but what does it really mean? In the final installment of this three part series we are going to try to answer the question, what is mindfulness?
Mindfulness is a meditation practice that has its roots in Buddhism dating back to around 2500 years ago. It not a religion per say, rather a disciplined approach to mental well being. In recent years mindfulness has caug
Here at The Rock, we fear the top scientist in golf is about to make a mistake. Our evidence for this prediction: He made this mistake last year.
But we forgave him and we ask that you do the same this year. Please overlook whatever foa paws pop out of his mouth, in the event he tries to debunk : The Augusta Syndrome."
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I can pinpoint when AS first surfaced.
If he says, "There's no such thing" or "Quit whining and deal with it" or "UFOs Aren't Real", just cut him some slack.
Maybe Spring will show up in much of the northern US states? Still, well before many are mowing north of the Mason-Dixon line, the annual bluegrass seedhead suppression discussion is underway; "What combination of products do you use?, What growing degree day (GDD) timing model do you look at?, Do you use phenological (plant) indicators?" All good questions but....
Why not use soil moisture?
In other parts of the world where chemical technology is more restricted and less available, you
by Greg Wojick
Looking through the assistant superintendent job listings on the TurfNet Job board the other day reinforced in my mind that the superintendent's approach to their assistants' positions may need some rethinking.
For years and decades, superintendents handled their assistants by hiring young, letting them learn by doing and observing, and then, after a year or two on the job, sending them on their way to their first superintendent's job. 'Two years and out' was the typica
I am still haunted by some aspects of my college years -- yes, even 35 years later -- but maybe not by those things that might first come to mind.
I have occasional recurrent dreams (that border on nightmares) about going into exams completely unprepared. Weird, for sure, but so it is. There's no worse feeling than when you open up a test booklet and get that hard lump in your throat, thinking, "Oh, sh*t -- I'm screwed."
Ecology and Calculus for the Life Sciences were the two major culprits.
After seeing Brian Nettz get so much attention just for goat herding, Ludell, Buddy, Dave and Dooley went goat shopping.
Momma posted bail for Dave and Dooley.
The Sheriff captured Buddy as well, but for reasons unknown, ejected Buddy from the police car before reaching the courthouse. Dave theorized a dietary condition might be to blame and expressed his agreement with the Sheriff's decision.
Still at large is Ludell, a known master of disguise. Dooley claimed Ludell evaded captur
A moment of Turfhead Cheerleading.
I know that everyone reading this is beyond outstanding at their jobs. I get that. It doesn't matter the specific situation you are in, YOU are just great. Take that in. You rock. It's simple. Affirm this. YOU ROCK!
Which is why I'm going to encourage you now. Because when someone, anyone, tells you that you should be doing more to "get this place going", you are to smile and say something nice and NOT take that in because you have done your Wilber Aff
Fundamental # 2: Eating Well
Reflect for a moment on how much time we spend fine tuning our nutritional programs for our turf. We research the latest technologies, soil test, tissue test, and use complicated cocktails in an effort to dial in the exact needs of the plant. We spend a great deal of time, effort and money to build a nutritional foundation that will allow our turf to stand up the stress and rigors of the long golf season.
Now, shift gears and think about how much effort you p
The following is an abridged excerpt from my upcoming book, "Next, We Kill The Golf Pro".
As a decorated veteran of several vicious Golf Maintenance/Clubhouse wars, the worst in my memory was The Great BrokeBack CC Conflict and it was all triggered by an 80 year old cart boy . . . or maybe it was me.
BrokeBack CC was a disaster: Hundreds of irrigation leaks from a numbskull hydraulic design, 18 dead bent greens suffering from simazine applied by a lunatic, a crew of nuts, crazies and tw
This month's Turpentine Corncob Award goes to a shoe company. I am reluctant to say their name, for unlike other golf industry news organizations, we have a big sister publication that likes to sell advertising to folks that make golfer stuff.
I do not wish to anger ad sales people, for they can be fiercely territorial, so I will just say this: There are golf shoes out there molesting greens. I will call them "A" and if you give me a few minutes, I will offer a strategy to deal with these
References are very important in the turf industry -- it's relatively small and there is a good chance someone from your work history is connected where you are applying. This is especially true for Assistant Superintendent positions. So why is there continued use of 'References Available Upon Request'? Misinformation, mostly. Here are some suggestions to make the most out of your references.
1. Always send references -- always. As mentioned, there is a good chance this can really help you
I'm taking a break from thinking about winter turf damage to watch the WGC at Doral. Listening to the commentary after the first three rounds I was struck by certain quotes. Of course Johnny Miller insisting there was grain all over the greens-south by southwest I heard him say. But Bubba Watson's comment with ESPN Golf Reporter Michael Collins gets the prize.
"I hit the shot I normally hit when playing in the US", Bubba explains of his shot that hit the green and rolled into the water, "tha
Back when I supported and shepherded salespeople for a living and they would tell me they were working on a big deal they felt positive about happening, I would counsel them to keep it quiet for the time being.
"If you make a big deal about it now but something happens and the deal falls through, you'll look like a jerk. On the other hand, if you keep it quiet and then it DOES happen, you're a hero."
Pretty simple. I recall something about counting chickens that would be applicable here.
Fundamental # 1 is physical fitness. There are not too many things in this life that give you better return on your investment than getting into shape. Despite the prevailing wisdom, it doesn't have to cost much either. It changes everything, from the shape of your waistline to your state of mind... and when your outlook changes, life gets more manageable.
Our intrepid bloggers here at TurfNet have been touting the benefits of getting in shape for years. You can watch the Rockbottum crew he
Rockbottum is rocked by scandal, graft and palace intrigue!
Watch as Buddy and Dave become embroiled in conflict while RW blathers on about historical precedents.
In addition to the normal questions I receive regarding resumes this time of year there has also been quite a bit of chatter about them in the TurfNet Forum, at GIS, and other industry channels. Last fall, I put together a very comprehensive article on resumes that covered many topics. It is quite lengthy, so I figured I would create a condensed Top 8 list for quick reference. Here is the original article if you want to get into the why on some of this stuff.
A true resume is one page in
From the TurfNet Archives, Jan 2001:
Some people get really hung up on image, whether personal or professional. If you have teenage kids, you know what I mean. I am generally secure enough to avoid that, but do admit to having one image to uphold. You can't be the TurfNet guy and have a lousy lawn.
While all of our neighbors hire out their lawn maintenance, I stubbornly resist. Not only is it good exercise, but it's good for the mind. I do much of my best thinking while mowing the la
Ever thought about installing a Web Cam in a Tree? We got the idea while reading a TurfNet Forum post by the always brilliant Fred Gehrisch.
In this special Rockbottum CC, Tips and Tricks film, we show you exactly what is involved when installing a web cam in a fairway tree.
With all the preliminary "get all your ducks in a row so you can get away for a week" hassles, no doubt it's getting tougher and tougher to get pumped for GIS. But, once I walk through the doors to the trade show I am instantly reminded how very cool this industry is, and how rejuvenating GIS can be.
I love fresh ideas and true innovation. Read that as "true innovation, not just mimicking that of others" as seems to be increasingly the norm. That includes turning existing products inside out
Gangs, Emasculating Apps, Twitter Zombies and Skiddly-Diddly. These things and more were witnessed by the Rockbottum TV crew at GIS.
It must be said, we have been extremely positive about our experience at The Big Show, portraying the GIS in the best possible light. We completely banished all negative thoughts and energy from our previous VLOG broadcast.
But make no mistake, there was a Dark Side. Upon arriving at the Center, we discovered our booth assignment was out in the parking l
