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

Welcome to the SE regional page

I'd like to officially welcome you to the new Southeast regional page and my blog. Here you'll find information about interesting events and people, so be sure to check in on a regular basis. The goal is to share ideas and opinions about everything in the world of the golf course superintendent.

I cover the states of Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, North and South Carolina and Tennessee. Most of the topics covered in this blog will be based on my visits with members and chapters while traveling throughout the region. I plan to showcase people who are doing extraordinary things in our business, as well as the positive impact of golf on our lives and communities. Look for information on environmental stewardship, research, government relations, community leadership, new products and ideas, and just about everything else related to the game.

Please encourage others to read the information on this page, and feel free to comment on my blog. Let's face it: Most people have no idea what a golf course superintendent does on a daily basis.Therefore, the more people who view and share this page the better, since the role of the golf course superintendent will be prominently featured.

I look forward to providing you with timely information and anticipate some lively discussions in the coming months.