I was saddened yesterday to hear of the passing of Ken Melrose, past president/CEO/chairman ("executive emeritus", if there were such a thing) of the Toro Company. I write this not as a factual obituary (I'll leave that to John Reitman), eulogy or even memorial, as I did not know him beyond several casual handshakes back in the late '80s/early '90s when I was in the peripheral Toro family. It's mostly a recollection of observations made as I watched him from afar.
Ken Melrose did well for h
On The Saturday Afternoon Movie, "O Ludell, Where Art Thou?", Ludell suspects that he has been zombiefied by the ankle-deep propaganda spewed forth onto his shag carpet through mind numbing microwave wifi beams.
Late one night, he escapes his socially distant quarantine shelter at home isolation cell and seeks the safety of the screen-free mountain forests.
While roaming loose in those mountains, Ludell foolishly begins to entertain forbidden thoughts and soon finds himself the target
We first ran this film, “Force Multiplication Through Cross Training”, back in January of 2019, primarily to alert the golf industry to the possibility of another recession. We included an important strategy, taken from special ops, for creating a sustainable labor force capable of withstanding a major economic reset. Although the film encountered resistance, possibly due to “Normalcy Bias”, the Bat-Flu demonstrated how easily a recession can surface, especially in an overly complex economic s
Recently while making the rounds to check on my crew’s progress I came upon a groundskeeper who was clearly working but wasn’t making the progress necessary. This situation presented me with a dilemma. Critiquing a worker who is clearly trying but not achieving adequate results (quality, scope, pace, etc.) can be awkward. I wanted to correct this teammate without discouraging him. I gave him some tips like understand what you want accomplished when the job is done and consider the steps necessar
In this episode, Randy explains why Rockbottum Radio is more like an Old Timey radio show from 1940 than a modern podcast with serious interview segments. It's entertainment with a goofy perspective and an occasional subliminal message. The job of the golf course superintendent has gotten more serious over the years, and sometimes it helps to have a more relaxed if even twisted view of this industry. You know, with a few laughs... now more than ever.
Among the shenanigans going on at Rockbo
“There is nothing so stable as change.” — Bob Dylan
In our lives there isn’t much that’s predictable. The only thing we can count on for sure is that things change constantly. On many levels change is imperceptible. Thatch accumulation underneath a green surface, a tree growing a few inches at a time, a change in a belt notch or a hairline receding. The hum of daily life keeps these things in the background, hidden by our toils and troubles, joys and sorrows.
Once in a while we all exp
Looking back a couple of months to BCV (Before Coronavirus), the thought that 200 million Americans and more around the world would be hitting the pause button and staying at home for a month or more would have been ludicrous. Absurd. No way.
Fast forward and here we are. I’m sure I am not the only one who wakes up from another restless sleep to hope that this is just a bad dream. Of course, it is not.
The horrors of this pandemic are yet to be felt by most of us. Thankfully we work i
A Note on COVID19
The Coronavirus is impacting all of us in different ways and on a massive scale. Our deepest condolences go out to any and all that are struggling with this virus and the heart wrenching consequences of it. We appreciate the incredible dedication of the healthcare workers and others doing their best to provide for our communities. As members of the Facilities Department at Drury University the Grounds Crew qualifies as essential personnel. We will continue to work during this
In this episode of Rockbottum Country Club, R.W. , a non-essential worker, is isolated. The following film documents his battles with cabin fever, carpet grain, clubhouse socialism and . . . Momma.
In the event you find yourself confined to quarters and have depleted Netflix, Hulu, Roku and Amazon Prime of every single show, film and reality bilge . . . before you are forced to turn to books, try going deep on The Youtube. To save you some time, we here at Rockbottum CC are happy to offer our Top Three Greatest Golf Channels on Youtube. Before we announce the winners, allow us to explain why we are qualified to select the winners.
Rockbottum Country Club, is arguably the Longest Runni
So here we are. Uncharted waters. The stuff of sci-fi novels and B-grade terror flicks in the here and now.
The novel coronavirus of 2020 has redefined “rate of change” in our lives, upending the oft-tenuous sense of balance we enjoyed BCV. Before Coronavirus. Yesterday, last week and last month. The Dow at 29,000, sports on TV, handshakes and hugs the norm, the paper products aisle fully stocked. (I can understand shortages of Purell but the toilet paper hoarding thing has me stumped; afte
Mark Hoban takes us inside Dr. Derek Settle's secret laboratory, where they conduct all sorts of research on both kinds of nematodes: The Bad Guys and the Good Guys.
This is another one of Hoban's college level courses, so be prepared to learn some things about nematodes you didn't know, along with a strategy for managing the little . . . rascals.
If you need Mystic Order of Greenkeeper CEU points, be sure to stay 'til the end, because there is a summation and a test.
It was no more than a whisper for years. But thanks to the courage of more and more people willing to speak out, the hushed tones are growing into an audible conversation. People who you never would have suspected are opening up to a new narrative. Those who have always felt strongly about it are speaking their minds and sharing with each other openly.
Mental well-being, stress management and mindfulness are beginning to take root in the turf industry.
This movement towards a more ho
Organism diversity is a hallmark of a healthy landscape. Microorganisms, fungi, plants, animals, etc. all relate together to create an ecosystem. Diversity creates the stability that allows the ecosystem to be a self-sufficient loop, where all parts mesh together for the benefit of all parts. While there are fluctuations due to a variety of factors (weather, disease, pollution, etc.) adjustments to the system are always sought to bring back balance. Monitoring the indicator species (species that
In this episode of Rockbottum Radio, the brilliance fairly gushes forth from the inhabitants of Rockbottum, with advice, observations and rants on everything from Skeletal Golf Theory to concussions, low budget superintendent relaxation techniques, fake waterfalls, what happened when the Mayor's wife picked a fight with Momma... and why playing your own golf course is not playing golf. It's something else.
Finally, beware the red-circled tree for man-relief.
Presented by DryJect.
I really don't want to write this, but there is a rage welling up inside me that begs release. For me, writing is cathartic — like having a therapist at my fingertips — so here we go.
With senior citizenship upon me, I have dedicated the past year or two to personal wellness, finding and sharing joy, and shunning stress and negativity whenever possible. The latter is the most challenging of the three, but integral to the first two. I've found the key (if you can't simply avoid them) is to m
The Rockbottum Gang is all back together for this feature film teaser. Katy returns from New York, Leroy is back from Colorado, Buddy comes out of retirement, Ludell looks positively awful after his first visit to a real barber and . . . Bobbie Sue Hogwaller shows up to put everyone on edge.
Watch the trailer for "The Floating Head of Death", adapted from The Greens of Wrath, and see if you can sleep tonight.
“You must experiment. You do things in which you eliminate something that is perhaps essential, but to learn how essential it is you leave it out. The space then becomes very significant.” — Henry Moore
A few weeks ago I was afforded a rare opportunity to step away from everything that I deem essential in my life. Work, phone, social media, my friends, my family (by far the most essential one… basically my life as I have come to know it. I wasn’t on a vacation per se, rather an intentional
I heard yesterday about Toro's impending purchase of Venture Products just like most everyone did, via social media. Venture Products manufactures the increasingly popular and versatile Ventrac line of all-terrain prime movers and attachments.
My initial knee-jerk reaction was, "Perfect! Score one for Toro..." and of course for the Steiner family, owners of Venture Products. Toro will be a good steward of the brand, "Toro-ize" it to their standards, develop new attachments and take the line
In this episode of Rockbottum Radio, presented by DryJect, Randy reveals his proven method for upgrading your BS filter. Then, Fester N. Boyle, the former green chair at Stinkin' Pond CC drops by to offer Momma some suggestions on golf maintenance.
Ludell sells golf insurance and extended golf swing warranties before getting in real trouble when he joins Buddy in a special yoga class at the gym, while Randy goes on about how to use Crowd Wisdom to see the future of golf.
In Storytime,
I can't stand reading end of the year, wrap-up writing. Nor can I stomach the end-of-the-decade spench that I am reading everywhere. It's just as if the writers and broadcasters and anyone else with shredded newspaper for brains has to do this. I feel like I need a shower after reading most of this mindless box ticking drivel.
And yet there has been this little voice in my head telling me that I am supposed to write something recapping something or another. Non-conformity is my bag, so I ha
In this episode of The Buddy 'n Randy Show, we advise Golf Course Personnel in "How not to get kicked in The Jimmy in 2020".
Brought to you by DryJect!
For many of us in the green industry, our landscapes experience four seasons every year. The flush of spring gives way to the deep lushness of summer, which gives way to the fall colors as the seasons follow their inexorable progression. Yet as fall slips into winter we are presented with the starkest of seasons we face for our grounds. Winter weather and cold temps challenge grounds people while performing cool season duties such as dormant pruning, snow removal, and even construction projects.
