Terry Buchen, a global travel consulting agronomist, takes his digital camera to visit many golf courses every year. He shared useful ideas about maintenance equipment provided by the golf course supervisor he visited—and some of his own ideas—as well as timely photos and captions to explore the ever-changing world of golf course management.
When mowing three to four days a week, it can also achieve a very consistent cleaning of the front of the mower and maintain the consistency of the 30-inch neckline width. The 1/8 inch thick flat steel bracket is about 18 inches long and 1 inch wide, and is bolted in place. 5/8 inch nuts are welded to the two upturned ends of the bracket. The 5/8-inch diameter threaded rod can be positioned on either side when cutting the grass clockwise or counterclockwise, alternating each time the grass is cut. The end of the threaded rod has a 1/2 inch thick, 5 inch long mudguard made of recycled rubber and bolted in place to guide the mower operator to the outer edge of the collar. Most materials are in stock, and the cost of threaded rods is less than $20. The construction time is less than two hours. Lucas Lownes, director of Aspetuck Valley Country Club in Weston, Connecticut, had this idea when he was an assistant at Muirfield Village Golf Club and modified the idea to meet his needs. Lester George is the renovation architect.
The previous gravel was used on the walking path from the driveway to the tee and the green. It is easy to trace to the playing field. It takes four to six hours a day to maintain the desired appearance, clean up, tilt and reduce costs and gravel. The labor of grinding hobs and bedknives due to damage. Kafka granite polymer "Autumn Mix Color" is prepared to 2 inches deep in each area and then installed, compacted, material installed, filled with wheels with utility vehicles or rolled with larger asphalt rollers. The crushed granite material is shipped in bulk. At a compaction depth of 2 inches, a ton is about 150 square feet, and the price is about 2.13 US dollars per square foot. After the site was ready, it only took a few hours to install 1,000 square feet. Ryan Knapp, head of the Stock Farm Club in Hamilton, Montana, said: “The switch to this material provides our walking machine with a more perfect appearance. Without more cleanup and messy appearance, it still retains what we wanted. The natural look.” Assistant Director Nick Harreld took the lead in installing the materials. Knapp and Harreld are very satisfied with their handmade work. Tom Fazio and Ron Smith are architects.
Terry Buchen, CGCS, MG, is the president of Golf Agronomy International. He is a 51-year life member of GCSAA. You can contact him at 757-561-7777 or terrybuchen@earthlink.net.
So, what is your position on the tree?
I hate how the wrong people in the wrong place can cause unnecessary trouble to our readers, followers, and listeners. I like to be surrounded by them.
Last month, I visited Sequoia National Park and State Park in northern California. The center of the 139,000-acre park jointly managed by the National Park Service and California State Parks is closer to Bandon, Oregon (154 miles) than San Francisco (313 miles). The 380-foot towering coastal redwoods are scenic spot 1a, and the rough and delicate part of the Pacific coast represents scenic spot 1b.
The six courses of Bandon Dunes are the most famous golf courses near Sequoia. Unfortunately, this trip does not include hiking on the Oregon coast. next time! The people at KemperSports, who manage Bandon Dunes, are marketing prodigy and have marked the resort on the website as "loyal to the spirit of Scotland's ancient connection." First translation: If you want to experience something similar to the "Golf House" in this country, then Bandon Dunes is your best choice. Second translation: If you need trees to line the lawn, please go elsewhere.
Coastal redwoods are ancient (2000 years) and majestic specimens. Walking under them creates loneliness, and the winding landscape full of them provides opportunities for reflection and introspection. Naturally, during the journey, my mind wandered over golf and this magazine dozens of times. Sorry, Lindsay. I promise I did not consider playing golf, because on the evening of September 13, 2021, the sun shines through Stout Grove perfectly.
As you browse these pages, you will come across a story about—what else? — Tree management (page 46). John Torsiello discussed with supervisors, architects, agronomists and consultants a topic entitled "Has cutting down trees become easier to sell?" In the efforts of Brycefield (Michigan) Country Club, Montclair (New Jersey) Golf Club, and Baltusrol (New Jersey) Golf Club (three private courses) to restore, commemorate and showcase Golden Age buildings, The calculated tree removal also represents the common denominator in our "Construction and Renovation" section.
Accepting the removal of trees, especially in private clubs, as a necessary condition for the peerless conditions required by members, is one of the best board developments in the past decade. Expectations for modern green performance are higher than that of sequoias, more sunlight and air, and fewer surrounding tree roots, making it possible to repeat the seemingly impossible goals of member guests on Saturday multiple times a week.
Torsiello’s story illustrates the benefits of removing trees and is illustrated in the images that support the features of this month’s course. If you cannot convince your owner, board of directors, committee or general manager why you must remove the wrong trees, please cleverly refer the whole issue to them.
A successful tree management plan requires patience and compromise. The right trees do exist, and they may be the reason why golfers spend a lot of time and money experiencing the course you maintain. Attempting to punch holes at a 90-degree angle under and around a group of weak maple trees can be painful. Attempting to fade 6 iron around solid oak can be fascinating. When playing 18 years old in the sultry afternoon, people need a place to relax for a minute or two. The trees provide that location. Sometimes looking up and seeing green, red and yellow can help reset the messy mind.
Recognizing the role of the right tree can make it easier to remove the wrong tree. Even better, the industry employs hundreds of architects, consultants, arborists and agronomists who are capable of dealing with the political issues of the fight for trees.
Don't try to reach the 12th green by blocking sunlight through unsightly elm trees to judge all the trees. Don't judge all trees with the towering redwoods as the perfect backdrop for life-changing moments.
We need trees in our lives and in most courses. We just need to provide them in the right place and in the right quantity.
Guy Cipriano Editor-in-Chief gcipriano@gie.net
The recipes selected for the "Turfheads Grilling Guide" will get something you can make the most of.
shirt. hat. Cooler. golf.
If you have worked in the golf industry long enough, you will have a closet or desk full of "traditional" stolen goods. Now is the time to introduce the uniqueness of the industry-but we will let you work for it.
As part of the #TurfheadsGrilling event sponsored by AQUA-AID Solutions, the golf course industry is distributing 12x17-inch maple cutting boards for recipes and images. These images were selected for the debut of the "Turfheads Grill" that appeared in December of the sixth annual "Guide" published the issue of "Turf Head Takeover". You can submit recipes and high-resolution images by typing bitly.com/GrillingSwag in your web browser or emailing it to the editor-in-chief Guy Cipriano (gcipriano@gie.net). In addition to being eligible for cutting boards, everyone who submits a recipe will receive #TurfheadsGrilling koozie. The submission deadline is November 10.
#TurfheadsGrilling was established in early 2021 to recognize connectivity and creativity through barbecue, smoking, and barbecue displays. The plan aims to inspire turf animals to celebrate the friendship provided by outdoor cooking.
Follow @GCIMagazine and @Solutions4Turf and use #TurfheadsGrilling to join the conversation on Twitter. Encourage everyone in the industry to participate in the plan and submit recipes.
One of the Gothic masterpieces of golf architecture in the 1920s is preparing for major restoration. The Yale Golf Course is a property owned and operated by the university designed by Charles Blair Macdonald and Seth Raynor in 1926. It will be funded by Yale alumni and funded by architect Jill. The focus of the new operating plan restored by Gil Hanse. Funding for the comprehensive plan is approximately US$25 million, including comprehensive restoration of the golf course, renewal of the interior of the clubhouse, and expansion of the driving range.
Golf course architect and former Augusta National Director Billy Fuller oversees the first phase of the green renovation and improvement project at Westhaven Golf Club in Franklin, Tennessee. The renovation project included the redesign of six new greens, a newly designed practice green, and the transformation of all putting faces into TifEagle Bermuda grass.
Rees Jones is currently responsible for the redesign and renovation of the Westchester Hills Golf Club in White Plains, New York, which began on October 5. The project will include the expansion of 14 greens, the creation of new green side slopes, the modification of fairways, the renovation of all existing bunkers, the addition of strategic new bunkers, and the installation of new irrigation systems.
Eagle Mountain Golf Club in Fangquan Mountain, Arizona recently completed a four-month golf course renovation and upgrade project. Troon is responsible for overseeing the planning and management of the project, with a focus on improving the agronomic conditions and the playability of the sandpit of this 25-year-old manor.
Todd Clark grew up in a family in Kansas that owned a golf course...and beach greens.
"In the past, in Kansas, there were many such people," he said. "There may be some more today. This is an economical way to play golf."
The family no longer owns the course. But Clark and his family still often play golf together.
Clarke, President of CE Golf Design, joined the Tartan Talks podcast, discussing a variety of topics, from the original putting surface to the multi-generational golf experience. CE Golf Design is part of Clark Enterprises headquartered in Kansas, and the golf course design part of the family business is developing strongly. Clark and his cousin Brent Hugo will handle 12 ongoing projects in 2021. These projects do not include sand greens. In the podcast, Clark considered designing a modern golf course with sand greens.
"That would be interesting because today we will do different things (different from the past)," Clark said. "We will do a lot of exercise and do some things so that you don't have to tilt and roll it all the time and make it acceptable for shooting."
Building a relationship with the supervisor, putting the T-shirt in the right place, his experience as a college father, and working with the late Dick Nugent are other topics that Clark discussed in the podcast, which is available on the Superintendent Radio Network page of the Apple Podcast Find it on Spotify and other popular distribution platforms.
After working for the San Jose Country Club for three years, Brad Coleman is the new director of The Club at Pasadera in Monterey, California, where he is also a member. … Former Superintendent Justin Ruiz (Justin Ruiz) is now Quali-Pro's Western District Manager. … Dr. Stacy A. Bonos received the DLF’s 2021 Research Excellence Award for his contributions to the development of new turfgrass varieties, which provide superior performance with fewer resources.
In our business, if you are in the northern half of the country, autumn may mean that you will start to close the year, or prepare for the peak season in the southern region. I have lived and worked in these two places, and I understand the yin and yang feelings of many managers in autumn. For me, the perfect analogy is Halloween: for some people, it is a season full of good things (entertainment), while for others it is crazy and uneasy (technique).
Trick or treat is also a good way to look at all of our lives now, which are being significantly affected by the COVID-19 panic effect and the unexpected golf boom. Next are the "techniques" and "hospitality" of our business that I have seen. I hope this proves that no matter where you are, we are all together and facing the same things-good and bad.
Where do you find new sources of labor? Are you able to compete and pay for the workers you need? Have you ever had such a bad experience?
Face reality: In the foreseeable future, you will work harder and longer than you want. Just as bad is that you must also learn to deal with mediocrity. With the minimum wage, the quality of the labor force and the effort that the people in it are willing to put into it have declined.
Even unskilled workers can earn more than $16 an hour, and you may have to spend all of your budget. I know that some supervisors have to give their long-term regular employees a salary increase of $6 per hour just to make them happy and not to change jobs!
Apart from patience, there is nothing we can do to resolve this situation. In addition, be sure to let the person in charge know your objections and expect to see some (minimal) impact on your course. No matter what business they are in, they are likely to see the same thing happen, and they won't be too surprised when you come to find more funds to hire better employees.
When members complain-they will complain-usually involves negligence in details (see "Labor" above). As mentioned earlier, the new reality means that it will take some time for your course to return to the level you and they are used to. Make sure they know this.
But it's not just labor. Did you get the entire "Maintenance Monday" to make things right? suspect. The day when you and your team should be responsible for the details, fine-tuning and tightening of the work is more likely to be half a day. If. Maybe you go from sunrise to noon, and then players start to appear, either members, staff, or both. Or you will lose more Mondays because of going out.
If they don't give it to you on Monday, they need to know that they won't get the terms they want.
Even in a good year, Mother Nature can be a pain. But this year? Heavy rains, droughts, more rains, fires, hurricanes... In some parts of the country, the water problem that has been troublesome for many years is now approaching catastrophic. And you have paid great attention to water, not to mention the application of plant protection agents.
Despite this fickle mistress, our job is to provide the best conditions possible. We do this. To please golfers who don’t know the true impact of sunny days, it’s an uphill battle, let alone the impact of rain, wind, or freezing.
As always, communication and education are key. Do your best to make sure that your golfers know what you and your team have to face day after day. I'm not saying it will help-they will still complain-but it is also part of the job.
The fall armyworm is here, raging. For managers or golfers, there is nothing worse than finding a golf course under attack. These bug camps can turn green grass into brown in less than 48 hours.
Dr. Rick Brandenburg, an entomologist at North Carolina State University, said this year is "a perfect storm", unlike any one he has seen in 40 years. Why? Weather (see above). Before fall armyworms turn into caterpillars, summer storm fronts blow moths farther and wider than ever before, allowing them to lay eggs in new, more fertile areas. Those eggs are now hatching, and we are suffering.
Many, many of them are in your course. They enjoy challenges there, breathe fresh air, be outdoors and with friends-these qualities have allowed golf for generations. In addition to delighting these new golfers with your success in providing well-care facilities, you should also talk to them about your work and how to do it. Communication and education.
Do you know that any other industry encourages its members to work together? Exchange, share knowledge and help each other?
You don’t have to struggle to find podcasts, research papers, and countless consultants ready to help modern managers. This is almost the embarrassment of wealth, if you don't take advantage of it, you will miss it.
Every weed scientist, soil physicist and entomologist is a kind of "hospitality." You should enjoy it.
Your "office" covers at least 100 acres, including lawns, trees, flowering plants, water, etc. Certainly better than desks and filing cabinets. Today's focus is on working at home and remote offices, and we are lucky to be able to work with our office partner Nature in a spacious open-air environment (until she becomes irritable, of course).
We also collaborate with other people who like outdoor activities to make their hands so beautiful. Even with drought, rain, and worms, you shouldn’t take the place where we work for granted.
I like summer, it's always there. So, I can never understand why managers want the summer to end. Yes, most of us give up summer for the "goods of the game" and the enjoyment of others. But this is also when we do what we do best.
In other words, each of us needs to find a way to spend more summers. Perhaps the millennial philosophy of "My Time" has some advantages. Take time to stay away from the golf course with family and friends. Make the most of summer in work and personal life. Don't wake up in 30 years and miss all those summers.
But autumn is also a kind of enjoyment
Days are shorter, nights are longer, and temperatures are lower. In most parts of this country, the leaves start to turn, the children go back to school (this year is really a special enjoyment!), we feel that the cycle of life is back to its original point. Apples, pumpkins, footballs...maybe there is a chance to breathe. Even if it's just a little bit.
And that rare treat... "Thank you"
The last but sweetest treat is when someone takes the time to thank you for your work. Making "their" golf courses beautiful and interesting is special for them.
In fact, you shouldn’t need others to tell you when the course is appropriate. You know when you and your team are doing well. Never forget to be proud of a great job-and make sure to let your employees know that they are also doing a good job.
But what if others notice and tell you? This is the hospitality we all live for.
Tim Moraghan, head of ASPIRE Golf (tmoraghan@aspire-golf.com). Follow Tim's blog Golf Course Confidential on www.aspire-golf.com/buzz.html or Twitter @TimMoraghan
Chairman of He Nan Country Club
LeeAnn Lewis has a unique insight into the turf industry. As a versatile player, she has qualified for 19 U.S. Golf Association Championships and has also participated in international competitions.
Lewis is now in her second year as president of Southward Ho Country Club, an AW Tillinghast design located on the shores of Long Island, New York. Before last year, she served as the club green chairman for ten years. Lewis pays tribute to the men and women who make a living by maintaining golf courses.
"I think (as a player) I paid attention to scenery and playability very early," she told Rick Woelfel in the latest episode of the "Wonder Woman Golf" podcast. "But before I participated in my club as the chairman of the green, I didn't think about any turf issues or your so-called supervisor issues. Like everyone else, you just showed up and thought the course was magically in good shape. (Head of Southward Ho ) Jim Stewart is of great significance to my education."
Lewis praised Stewart for taking the time to teach her some of the nuances of his career. "Looking back now, I will ask Jim, this is a very naive question," she recalled. "'Jim, why are we doing this?" He was very patient and he explained it to me. Therefore, the fact that he was patient with me and explained it helped a lot. He understood that I was better educated and I didn't want to He said his job would be easier, but he knew I was his supporter."
Lewis has been there ever since, because she shoulders the responsibility of educating her members about the roles and responsibilities of managers.
"I think this may be the most difficult thing I have faced as chairman and chairman of the green," she said. “We send emails and news explosions, and the person in charge writes very detailed articles, which are archived on our website. I don’t know if people read them, or people don’t want to read them, or people don’t care, but every year, there are also A few people will ask, "Why do we inflate? "We asked the supervisor to write a very detailed report explaining why we had to ventilate, and then the next year (we heard),'Why do we ventilate again?'"
Lewis believes that her support for the supervisor allows him to "complete the work without hindrance. I have always considered myself a buffer between the manager and the members...and tried to explain to the members,'Fix your pitch mark It will make a difference. Raking the bunker will make a difference. Therefore, communicating with members is a never-ending effort."
Lewis also handled the often controversial debates surrounding renovation and restoration work.
"About 2012, we had a husband, Phil Young, who came to our club, he was a Tillinghast historian," she said. "One thing leads to another. We decided — I am also the chairman of the green — to develop a restoration plan. So, golf course architect Joel Weiman and Phil Young worked together.
"It took us about four years to develop a document outlining what a future project or course should look like. For example, if someone wants to redo the bunker, this is what they should do. If someone wants to redo the green, If someone wants to insert a tree or take out a tree, this is a guideline. There is no guarantee that future boards will use it, but we want it to be there."
The reader can speculate on the direction of this narrative.
"When I enter the board of directors to try to get approval," Lewis said, "I will make people raise their hands and say,'Well, I think the number six tree needs to stay there.' I will say,'I appreciate your opinion, But I want to choose Mr. Tillinghast’s golf course version. It’s much easier to go back to the architect or go back to more details and keep it away from personal opinions or personal agendas. I find that as a chair, the most difficult thing to manage is the personal agenda , And only retain content related to full members."
To listen to the full interview, visit the golf course industry website, Apple Podcasts, and the Superintendent Radio Network page on Spotify.