Road trip visits

Road trip visits are a new part of my weekly routine.  When I'm on the road I try to stop and see the local superintendents to say hello and introduce myself to members in the area.  These visits have been a very enlightening part of my work since it gives me a chance to see what the industry looks like in different areas of the Southeast.  It has also shown me the diversity of positions now available in the industry.  Many of the members that I meet are working in different ways than they were just a few years ago.  Some have taken on GM roles and facility manager roles, and one has even started his own management company in order to stay at his facility.  I'm sure that the majority of superintendents out there work in the traditional role but more and more I'm seeing members adapting to the changing world of golf.  I would be interested to hear from members out there who have evolved into a role other than agronomy at their facility and how they feel about these changes.

On a side note please don't forget to support the EIFG!  The world of advocacy and public perception is a difficult place to operate, but I'm happy to say our efforts can make a difference.  I'm looking for facilities in the Southeast who would be willing to house colonies of bees, and work with local bee keepers in an attempt to try to shed some light on the neonicotenoid hysteria that's out there right now.  I believe that bees and golf can share the same property.  What do you think?

GIS 2014 wrap-up

Another Golf Industry Show has come and gone and this one was quite different for me since I am now an employee of GCSAA.  I have a new appreciation for all the work that goes on behind the scenes to make the GIS the great event it is. Working at the registration area for two days was especially enlightening; trying to make sense of the myriad of questions and getting members through the registration line as fast as possible. Hats off to the entire team at GCSAA for making this giant event run so smoothly.  One last note from the registration area - please, please, please per-register and have your QR code handy, this makes the system work like a bullet train!

It was great to be back in Orlando since I've forgotten what 80 degrees feels like. I got to visit with plenty of old friends that I only get to see once a year, and for me that has always been one of the greatest benefits of attending the GIS. Many old friends are working in new positions and taking on a variety of new challenges.  Some long-time friends are, unfortunately, looking for their next opportunity, a sign of the times in our industry. Most of the vendors I have known for years felt that traffic was good on the show floor and they got to see plenty of buyers.

Golf is not as robust as it once was but attending the GIS gives me great optimism for the future of our profession and the resolve and dedication of the men and women that make the game of golf the fantastic sport that it is.  See you in San Antonio!

Georgia equipment managers meeting

I got the chance to attend this years Georgia GCSA equipment mangers meeting at TPC Sugarloaf in Duluth, Ga..  It was great to see 95 equipment managers from all over the state gather to share ideas and learn more about the art of brazing, cutting, stick welding and MIG welding.  There were videos on safety and proper equipment use techniques as you might expect, but the real show stopper was the hands on demonstrations in the afternoon.  The meeting notice for this event asked that you bring your personal protection equipment, which is something you don't see very often.  During the afternoon sessions there were four work stations where participants could learn to braze metal together, use a cutting torch on various pieces of steel, use a MIG welder to joint steel plates and use several different rods to stick weld pieces of steel together.  All the stations were manned by professionals giving technical advice to the equipment managers learning new techniques for metal working.

The meeting content was the idea of three equipment managers who work with the Georgia GCSA board of directors on annual meetings; Cory Phillips, Horseshoe Bend Country Club, Roswell, Ga.; Trent Manning, Ansley Golf Club, Atlanta; and David Blowers, East Lake Golf Club, Atlanta.  Having the input from these three gentlemen ensures that the content is useful and pertinent to all the attendees.  Utilizing the equipment managers to work directly with the board in Georgia seems like a wonderful idea and results in meetings that not only have important content but are very well attended, too.

One last note about the meeting; TPC Sugarloaf, who hosted the event, may have the cleanest, most organized maintenance facility I've ever seen.  Kudos to certified golf course superintendent Mike Crawford, and his equipment manager David Duren for their housekeeping practices.

2014 off and running

Now that the bowl games are all settled and holiday travels are complete it's time to get busy in the new year.  There are events scheduled in all of the Southeast chapters this month, and I've already been to two in the past week.

The Mississippi/Louisiana chapter held its annual meeting in conjunction with the Louisiana turfgrass show at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge.  It was great to visit with some old friends and make some new ones at the same time.  The venue for the event was quite interesting as well, being in a storied college football stadium.  Stephen Miles, CGCS, is the new president taking the reins from Robb Arnold, who now becomes the immediate past president.  There were some other changes within the chapter as well.  Prologue Association Management is now running the administrative affairs for the chapter for Linda Wells, who retired after serving many years as the chapter administrator.  Best wishes to Linda and Dr. Wayne Wells as they begin to enjoy retirement.

Earlier in the week I attended the Tennessee Golf Course Superintendents Association annual meeting held in conjunction with the Tennessee Turfgrass Association (TTA) conference in Franklin, Tenn.  The record cold temperatures didn't keep the members away and attendance was good for the event.  At the TGCSA annual meeting, Nate Sullivan became the new president, taking over the association helm from Joe Kennedy, CGCS, who becomes immediate past president.  I got to spend two days at the TGCSA booth at the trade show and was able to network with many members from the area.  Three golf courses were recognized during the TTA annual meeting:

"Public Golf Course of the Year" - Stonehenge Golf Club, Sean VanHoose, CGCS
"Private Golf Course of the Year" - Humbolt Golf and Country Club, Paul Webb Superintendent
Environmental Stewardship Award - TPC Southwind, Jim Thomas, CGCS

Many thanks to everyone who put together the two trade shows, I look forward to my next visit.  Now it's off to Atlanta and Charleston.

Year end or new year?

Well, it's been 90 days since I started this new position. In those 12 weeks I have traveled thousands of miles, meet hundreds of new friends and got to visit with some old friends.  While the terrain and license plates may be different at all the chapters, one thing remains constant - a whole lot of great people moving our industry forward.

In the past three months I've learned a great deal about my new position, GCSAA and life on the road. There have been a few bumps along the way and some lessons learned, as you might expect, but I've seen that our industry is in good hands and the future looks promising.  So as we get ready to hang a new calendar on the wall lets be thankful for all the wonderful things in our lives and the blessings we have around us.  Have a great holiday with friends and family and let's make 2014 a year of growth and prosperity for the game of golf and our personal lives, as well!

Water usage question

Even in a state that can get as much as 90 inches of rain, we can wind up with water issues!

I recently got an email from a northern Alabama facility that needs some help with a water issue. The facility uses municipal water to irrigate the golf course. However, the water authority recently changed the courses classification from industrial usage to irrigation usage, resulting in a large increase in the cost of water. The facility wants to find a way to reverse the decision, as it has been classified industrial for many years.

Does anyone know of any similar circumstances, or know if there is another facility that was able to reclassify their water usage designation?

Welcome to my office

Hats off to our friends in the Georgia GCSA for creating a "Welcome to my office" video that was shown at their annual meeting this week in Atlanta. We can't do enough to tell the world about the good things that superintendents do every day at the "office," and this video offers a quick look at the variety of tasks performed on the course.

Click on the link and take a look: Welcome to my office