I just learned about the retirement on Ken Mangum, CGCS, who's been at the Atlanta Athletic Club for 27 years. At the end of next May he will begin a new phase of his life, one that doesn't include golf course maintenance. But in many ways he will still be very involved in golf course management for a long time. By that, I am referring to the hundreds of people that have worked with Ken through the years and have gone on to successful careers of their own. As I travel around the Southeast, I am always amazed at how many in the profession have a connection to Ken and the Atlanta Athletic Club. And everyone holds him in the highest regard. Ken is an innovator, educator, communicator and probably the kindest person you could ever hope to meet.
Best wishes to you Ken, you represent the golf course superintendent in the highest light, and like so many others in the profession, I am honored to call you my friend.
Thursday, December 4, 2014
Tuesday, November 4, 2014
And the winner is...
The Alabama GCSA just held it's Annual Meeting and there were a few surprises. No, there weren't any dark horse candidates that ran from the floor, the election of officers went as planned with Chad Robinson from Cider Ridge Golf Club in Anniston taking over as president. The surprises came during the business meeting where the chapter gives out its contributions to local charities and scholarships. President Robinson presented checks to both the University of Alabama Birmingham Comprehensive Cancer Center and Children's Hospital in Birmingham. To date, the AGCSA has donated over $29,000 to the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center and more than $60,000 to Children's Hospital of Alabama. Much of the funding for these charities comes from the annual Donnie Arthur Tournament, which is held every October. Great work by the board and members of the Alabama chapter in its support of these important health organizations. On this day, charity was the big winner!
Below, AGCSA President Chad Robinson presents Beena Thannickal of UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center with a check from the chapter.
Below, AGCSA President Chad Robinson presents Beena Thannickal of UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center with a check from the chapter.
Friday, September 19, 2014
It's Survey Time!
About eight years ago, the membership of GCSAA took time from their busy day to complete an environmental survey about their facility. Those numbers continue to pay huge dividends today in our efforts to inform the general public and policy makers in Washington, D.C., about who we are as an industry. We need to know the metrics of golf course maintenance in order to carry on the discussion of the impact of golf on our world.
Now it's time to take a fresh look at the environmental impact of golf. In October, the EIFG will roll out the new Golf Course Environmental Profile, which will be filled out electronically by superintendents around the country. This will be the first of five surveys over the next three years and will focus largely on water usage at facilities around the country. It is vital that we get a large number of responses to the survey to insure that the numbers are a true reflection of what is happening at facilities on a daily basis. Please take the time to accurately fill out the survey when you receive it. We can't have the valuable information that we need to promote golf without your help!
Now it's time to take a fresh look at the environmental impact of golf. In October, the EIFG will roll out the new Golf Course Environmental Profile, which will be filled out electronically by superintendents around the country. This will be the first of five surveys over the next three years and will focus largely on water usage at facilities around the country. It is vital that we get a large number of responses to the survey to insure that the numbers are a true reflection of what is happening at facilities on a daily basis. Please take the time to accurately fill out the survey when you receive it. We can't have the valuable information that we need to promote golf without your help!
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
Part of the family
I had the opportunity to work on the crew at the U.S. Amateur tournament at the Atlanta Athletic Club recently and came away with a couple of thoughts.
First, the tournament itself has always been one of my favorites. It's not about money or exemptions, it's just about playing golf at a high level. The ability of the participants was through the roof and it was fun to watch them play the course and practice on the range. Everyone I spoke to was friendly and happy to be a part of the competition. Three hundred and twelve hopeful players started the week with the desire to take home the trophy, which they get to keep for the year by the way, and somewhere along the way 311 would have their dreams crushed. Golf at it's simplest, survive the stroke play segment and out-duel your opponent in match play.
Second, being a part of the team at AAC was part golf tournament, part complex work synchronization and part family reunion. Obviously using four tees and 7:55 starting times meant that things had to work flawlessly in the dark at many different locations on the property, that was the synchronization part. The biggest thing I took away from my time at the tournament was the feeling of family that was present among the staff. Many of the people I worked with every day had worked at AAC at some point and returned to volunteer for the tournament. There were superintendents, assistants, sales associates, interns, family members and even staff members from other departments helping out the grounds crew. Many of the volunteers had traveled a good distance to get there. Everyone I spoke to, whether currently on the staff or someone who had moved on, spoke about the sense of family that you get when working at the AAC. The family atmosphere at AAC seems to have remained intact through the many years and changing faces thanks to the leadership of Ken Mangum, CGCS, and his ability to assemble a great team and chart a successful path for the facility. I've had the pleasure of knowing Ken for many years and whether he's representing our profession on television, running a major tournament or just talking about fishing, he does it with the same smile, calm demeanor and class that make him so special. It was a pleasure to be a part of the family for that week.
Several other staff members need to be recognized as well because Ken himself will tell you he doesn't do it alone. Thanks and congratulations go out to Tyler, Matt, David, Elliot, Stephen and the entire AAC staff. It was a fun week and I look forward to volunteering again at the next big tournament.
First, the tournament itself has always been one of my favorites. It's not about money or exemptions, it's just about playing golf at a high level. The ability of the participants was through the roof and it was fun to watch them play the course and practice on the range. Everyone I spoke to was friendly and happy to be a part of the competition. Three hundred and twelve hopeful players started the week with the desire to take home the trophy, which they get to keep for the year by the way, and somewhere along the way 311 would have their dreams crushed. Golf at it's simplest, survive the stroke play segment and out-duel your opponent in match play.
Second, being a part of the team at AAC was part golf tournament, part complex work synchronization and part family reunion. Obviously using four tees and 7:55 starting times meant that things had to work flawlessly in the dark at many different locations on the property, that was the synchronization part. The biggest thing I took away from my time at the tournament was the feeling of family that was present among the staff. Many of the people I worked with every day had worked at AAC at some point and returned to volunteer for the tournament. There were superintendents, assistants, sales associates, interns, family members and even staff members from other departments helping out the grounds crew. Many of the volunteers had traveled a good distance to get there. Everyone I spoke to, whether currently on the staff or someone who had moved on, spoke about the sense of family that you get when working at the AAC. The family atmosphere at AAC seems to have remained intact through the many years and changing faces thanks to the leadership of Ken Mangum, CGCS, and his ability to assemble a great team and chart a successful path for the facility. I've had the pleasure of knowing Ken for many years and whether he's representing our profession on television, running a major tournament or just talking about fishing, he does it with the same smile, calm demeanor and class that make him so special. It was a pleasure to be a part of the family for that week.
Several other staff members need to be recognized as well because Ken himself will tell you he doesn't do it alone. Thanks and congratulations go out to Tyler, Matt, David, Elliot, Stephen and the entire AAC staff. It was a fun week and I look forward to volunteering again at the next big tournament.
Monday, July 21, 2014
Time to put your roots down
One of the biggest items the field staff and government relations departments have been working on the past few months has been filling the positions for our grass roots ambassadors network. If you've been to a meeting that I was at in the past few months, you should have heard me speak about the network. If you don't know about the GR network, let me explain.
We are trying to pair an A, SM or C member with their local congressperson. That means we need 435 individuals throughout the country, one for each member of congress, to establish a relationship with their elected official or their staff members so that our positions on legislation can be conveyed in a quick and effective manner. So far, we have about half of the positions filled in the southeast region by people who have signed up at local meetings, and now we are trying to fill spots in specific areas of the region that don't currently have representation.
If you are interested in filling one of these spots please let either myself or Kaelyn Seymour know and we'll be happy to get you started. There is some training involved and we need active and engaged members in all areas of the region to take part in this important project. Please help if you can!
We are trying to pair an A, SM or C member with their local congressperson. That means we need 435 individuals throughout the country, one for each member of congress, to establish a relationship with their elected official or their staff members so that our positions on legislation can be conveyed in a quick and effective manner. So far, we have about half of the positions filled in the southeast region by people who have signed up at local meetings, and now we are trying to fill spots in specific areas of the region that don't currently have representation.
If you are interested in filling one of these spots please let either myself or Kaelyn Seymour know and we'll be happy to get you started. There is some training involved and we need active and engaged members in all areas of the region to take part in this important project. Please help if you can!
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Hope for the future
Last week I had the pleasure of attending a First Tee "Live Green" event in Knoxville. There were about 50 children in attendance who got to see first hand what went on at a golf course on a daily basis. They had the chance to plant flowers and sod around the clubhouse, plant trees on the course, learn about the environment and how the course plays a role in it, see course equipment in action and hit some golf balls on the range. Host superintendent Chuck Drake, GCSAA Class A member at Williams Creek Golf Course, gave the children insight into the agronomic aspects of the job by cutting cups, taking a soil sample to examine roots and talking about greens construction. It's amazing to see the interest in the eyes of the children and to hear all of the questions they had. It really does give you hope for the future of the game to see so many children engaged on a Saturday morning.
This event was a chance to meet up with some old friends, and make some new ones, as well. It was great to see Joellen Lampman and Judson McNeil, who I've met before at other events. I also got to catch up a bit with Joe O'Brien of the First Tee, whom I hadn't seen since his days with GCSAA back in Lawrence. Some of the new contacts I made were Diondre Jackson, executive director of the First Tee in Knoxville; Matt Hillman, assistant superintendent at Avalon Golf & Country Club; and Chuck Drake at Williams Creek Golf Club, who hosted the event. Everyone had great passion and energy while working with the children and it was reflected in the faces of the participants. If the game is to survive these young people are a great investment for the future.
This event was a chance to meet up with some old friends, and make some new ones, as well. It was great to see Joellen Lampman and Judson McNeil, who I've met before at other events. I also got to catch up a bit with Joe O'Brien of the First Tee, whom I hadn't seen since his days with GCSAA back in Lawrence. Some of the new contacts I made were Diondre Jackson, executive director of the First Tee in Knoxville; Matt Hillman, assistant superintendent at Avalon Golf & Country Club; and Chuck Drake at Williams Creek Golf Club, who hosted the event. Everyone had great passion and energy while working with the children and it was reflected in the faces of the participants. If the game is to survive these young people are a great investment for the future.
Joellen Lampman talks about the web of life with Live Green participants at Williams Creek Golf Club in Knoxville Tenn.
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Eagle Eye on Earth Day
I had the pleasure of speaking at the Earth Day Celebration at Bear Trace Harrison Bay recently. Most people are familiar with the course thanks to the Harrison Bay Eagle Cam that you can watch online. It's fascinating watching Elliot and Eloise care for their two young eagles. In just one day on the property I learned more about eagles than I had in my entire life. The eagles are both impressive and captivating as they soar above the property, but there is much more going on there than nesting birds.
A year ago, the course began using Jacobsen Eclipse 322 triplexes to mow greens and tees. The course also uses a fleet of electric maintenance carts every day. In that year, they saved 9,000 gallons of fossil fuel at the course. To me, that was a staggering number. One other number that may be even more amazing is the 162 days with zero emissions. Think about that for a minute, that's almost half a year with no exhaust! Now that is really changing your carbon footprint! Congratulations to Paul Carter, CGCS, and the entire team at Bear Trace Harrison Bay for pushing the envelope and being leaders in environmental stewardship. Who knows, in ten years maybe this will be normal at most golf courses in the U.S.!
A year ago, the course began using Jacobsen Eclipse 322 triplexes to mow greens and tees. The course also uses a fleet of electric maintenance carts every day. In that year, they saved 9,000 gallons of fossil fuel at the course. To me, that was a staggering number. One other number that may be even more amazing is the 162 days with zero emissions. Think about that for a minute, that's almost half a year with no exhaust! Now that is really changing your carbon footprint! Congratulations to Paul Carter, CGCS, and the entire team at Bear Trace Harrison Bay for pushing the envelope and being leaders in environmental stewardship. Who knows, in ten years maybe this will be normal at most golf courses in the U.S.!
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