"Is it time to eat yet?"

When's the course going to open?  I don't know!

Every year with the passing of Daylight Savings Time and the appearance of turf around the bases of trees, anxious golfers always posed the question "when's the course going to open?

As a golf course manager telling the golfer "I don't know" has always rankled me just little bit.  "I don't know" always bought time but was never the perfect answer I was looking for. 

Of course I would like to be totally in control but Mother Nature always seems to have all the trump cards.  To this day I'm still searching for a better answer that would satisfy the human element.

I thought a little humor in my answer would do the trick.  This happened one year when a member asked me in the presence of the golf pro at least seven times in three days when I thought the course was going to open.  You should know that there was at least two feet of snow on the course, frost in the shaded drifted areas and ponds of water forming due to the snow melt.  "I don't know."  But it's going to hit 50 degrees today was his reply when I gave him my answer.  My answer stayed consistent "I don't know" over and over again.

One day I had a brilliant idea. I sought out the golf pro and posed the question "Whens the course going to open?" When he said "I don't know" I tossed a pound of frozen hamburger on his counter and asked him if he tell me the exact time we could eat.  And by the way no microwaves could be used, the hamburger had to thaw naturally.  He understood my analogy and we've enjoyed a chuckle or two over the years when our paths cross.  However, I've never once dared or maybe I have, pulled this tactic on a member.

One of my mentoring superintendents Monroe Miller published in the "Grass Roots" a piece that looked at the average course opening date for his club over the past 25 years and mathematically calculated the standard deviation (plus or minus) of a predictable course opening date.  The deviation was a plus or minus five days as I remember.  Thus a theoretical window of possible early and late dates of opening could be predicted.  As I know longer remember how to calculate standard deviations I'll spare you my possible mathematical error.

So for now when I hear the question, "when's the course going to open?"  I'll reply "I don't know!"  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Mk

Winter Maintenance III - The Ball washer Blues.

Have you ever questioned why ball washers are placed near a tee box?  Here is a pictorial essay of one of several golf course accessories that we refurbish on a biennial basis to keep them fresh looking for your use. 

Ball washers are removed from their posts for inspection, cleaning or prepping for painting.



We alternate painting the bases in the even years as they need care too.  We no longer have the time in our down season to completely disassemble and repaint the entire assembly.  Look closely and you can see the posts need to be repainted, but that will have to wait until next year.  I'll touch them up to mask the rust.



If we didn't, over time this ball washer would be "welded" to the post due to corrosion.  As it were, I used a rubber mallet to separate this unit from its base assembly.



What the inside of the post looks like.



Ball washer bodies are inspected.  It was very apparent that our inventory had become an embarrassment no longer worthy of a private club.

Covers showed signs of corrosion

The inside of the bodies also showed deep pockets of corrosion.

Ball washers were sand blasted to remove lose paints and to "etch" the surface for the painting to come.

Forty two ball washers prepped waiting for a warm winters day.

It took almost a full week to prep the covers and bodies for painting.  The protective factory "powder coat"  had long since been removed by sand blasting over the years.

The perfect day finally arrived on March 7th.  We could finally paint outdoors in good light without freezing.

Covers hung with care for drying.

Our mechanical lift served as a drying station.  Each cover and body received two coats of paint.

The finished product.



Reassembled and awaiting the start of the 2011 golf season.

 I'll answer my question with a question and I'll let you think about it.  Who putts with a dirty ball?

Superintendents Humor

http://www.turfnet.com/tv/randy.php

"The Randy Wilson Show"  via Turfnet TV.

Humor from a golf course superintendents point of view I thought you might enjoy.  I've added a Superintendent Humor page that can be found on the right side of my blog.  Randy Wilson typically updates his show monthly so check that page often.  The link should remain active, if not I'll re-post.  I will add golf humor that is appropriate for publishing when I hear it.

Mk

Green Accounting?

I learned of a new accounting term.  The Triple bottom line.  People, Planet & Profit!  Are the "Number Crunchers" calculating their carbon footprint in terms of global climate change?  Me thinks it doesn't add up!  Profit will always be first, but I cannot figure out if people are greater than planet! _Mk

2011 Golf Industry Show

Winter is a time for reflection, renewal and planning for the upcoming golf season. Education is a large part of that process and learning something new that I can bring back to use on Bull's Eye has been rewarding and fulfilling throughout my career. You may think I know everything, but I know that not to be the case! There's always one more item I can cram into the recesses of my cranial cavity. As Einstein said, genius does not know it all but knowing where to find it is. Use it or lose it. If I didn't think I could add value to your golf course through my attendance I simply wouldn't go. I would invest your money elsewhere. I know there are those of you that would argue that you can conduct all learning you need online. True but I find that most questions are left unasked and body language is missed. Also I’ve learned more in conversation with others off subject than perhaps what the seminar taught. It is fool hardy to stop learning something new each and every day.

I couldn't help but staying awake at this years USGA Green Section Program.

I can't say the same for Andy.  He threatened me....so much for threats.

My schedule was abbreviated as I arrived mid day Tuesday and hustled to make the Research Update session.  The show was open through Thursday with one last day for education on Friday.  All totaled I spent six hours in educational sessions and another ten hours on the trade show floor where I sought out new products and tried to make new contacts with suppliers that could be of future use.  There were over 84 two day seminars at the start of the conference taught by University Professors from through out the world.  I wasn't able to partake in any this time as my "conference on the cheap" prevented an early arrival and later stay.

I caught up with University of Wisconsins "Bug Doctor" Dr. Chris Williamson in the Syngenta Booth.  He is best known for his work on the invading European Ash Borer.  He's an Ohio State grad, so I caught him smiling before the Badger beatdown of his Buckeyes.

The trade show floor is packed with new products from equipment to gadgets. Some form of technical advances always catches my eye to be placed on future needs or wants lists.

Here I found a weedeater with a centrifugal pump for head.  This would have come in handy draining bunkers after last years heavy frequent rains.

Not everything is new.  I hate to date my self, but I remember pulling one of those in my youth at the Nakoma Golf Club.

I've taken advantage of ordering products on the show floor, when my budget permitted saving the club thousands of dollars. I recall my delight at the thought of placing an order for two new fairway mowers at a show years ago only to discover a newer lighter fairway mower was brought into the market. I quickly changed plans and ordered the newer mower from a different vendor sight unseen, untested taking a huge chance and ended up on the leading curve of the lightweight fairway mowing revolution. And the real bonus to you the member was these two mowers had a price tag $40,000 LESS than the two mowers the board had given me permission to purchase! That savings paid for a lot of turf conferences.

The show offers great opportunity to discuss with local and national technical representatives regarding problems or issues with product or equipment.  It's a great venue to get questions answered under one roof.

Here are the boys from Reinders Brothers who outlined our options for the upcoming radio upgrade that will be forced down our budgetary throats by the FCC.  This comes as a result of society becoming a "totally wired wireless" world.  The upgrade BTW is not cheap. Arrrgh....

The Conferences Opening Session was always a highlight that featured many Nationally known figures from General Norman Schwarzkopf to former first lady Barbara Bush. (Just at the time she was featured dangling from a balcony in the “Naked Gun” series of movies. She had a great since of humor!) Motivational speakers, while not one of my genres featured the likes of Ken Blanchard the author of the “One Minute Manager” and Buzz Aldrin whose real life story told in “Lost Moon” was played on screen by Tom Hanks in “Apollo 13. Of course there are always sighting of famous professional golfers on the show floor as so many of them have moved into golf course architecture during latter stages of their playing careers. It was really interesting listening to Paul Azinger speak of his Ryder Cup team and telling our audience things that he wouldn’t tell the general press. I remember the time I rode with Arnold Palmer’s brother Jerry when he mentioned that Arnie’s wife Millie had breast cancer. This was before that fact was made public.

Nick Price informed our assemblage that he is the only Professional Golfer that doesn't boast that he's a golf course architect.



Here Monroe Miller gets his program autographed by Nick.  You may remember reading Monroe's articles in the Wisconsin Golfer Magazine.  A publication of the Wisconsin State Golf Association.

 For years I served the Wisconsin Golf Course Superintendent Association as its Chapter Delegate placing me directly in the cross hairs of association politics. It was during this period of my career that I met some of the most powerful men in the game of golf. From the USGA to Pete Dye. I was proud to represent Wisconsin when going head to head with large chapters as those found in Florida, Texas, California, Pennsylvania, and New York. Back then a simple phone call could have arranged for a round of golf on some of the nation’s premier golf courses. I couldn’t take them up because I had to work. Now my network serves more as a reunion of sorts as the song “Glory Days” runs through my head.

The Superintendent on the left Trevor Dargan is from Ireland whose budget is 650K Euro's!  That drawfs mine by several thousand dollars, but I've got his card and plan on giving him a call the first time I can get my clubs on the plane for a trip over the pond.   Steve Curry on the right is a former chapter delegate I bumped heads with time to time over the internet.  It was only after playing a round of golf together that he put my name with a face.  I knew when I saw the pairings who he was.  We still laugh about that to this day.

In recent times my budget paid my way to conference and show as a part of my contract benefit package. The recession largely pared that back to old days when I paid for the conference out of my own pocket, not by choice but by necessity. I'm a certified golf course superintendent and need to maintain continuing education credits that I can only earn by attending the conference and show. So when I was able to obtain a deal of deals, $477 per person to stay at a four star hotel right across the street from convention center for five nights AND included round trip airfare it was a “no-brainer.” I doubt if I’ll ever find that type of savings in the future so count on me placing the expense reimbursement in the budget annually. If you’ve read my blog this far, you can see that the expense is worth it.

And what a week it was.  It all started on Sunday with a Packers victory in Super Bowl 45 to ending with the Badgers beating then #1 Ohio State on Saturday.



Too bad the score doesn't show as the fans fill the court after victory!



What do we do in the Winter. Part Two.

What do you do during the winter,drink coffee and play cards?  Boy if I had a dollar for every time I answered that question untold times over the course of my career I would have at the very least a pocket full of cash.

This is what we do for you and your golf course each and every winter during our "off season" when there is snow on the ground keeping us from tree maintenance.  By the numbers, we inspect and repair over 135 pieces of turf maintenance equipment when added to that of the golf cart fleet which we also service. 

Do the math.  If there are five months of winter down time approximately 100 days and 135 pieces of equipment to go through, means we have to average better than one unit per day to reach our objective.  We are now forced by layoff to complete this work in thirty fewer days!

Reels lined up for disassembly and grinding.

Bedknives  sharpened awaiting reassembly.  Sharp knives are necessary for healthy turf.

 

The fairway unit has problems climbing hills and the problem needs to be rectified.  Engine? Fuel Injectors? Turbo charger?  Hydrostat?

By count, we sharpen and grind 65 cutting heads.  Look closely and you can see the reflection of the blades spinning.  The second picture show this better.




Look closely you can see the reflection of the reel spinning in the grinder.  The reel will go through a second sharpening to add a relief grind.  Once sharpened the reel will be reassembled, backlapped and rehung on the mower.




This photo show how fast the reel spins as it sharpens.

 All units are disassembled for inspection.  Here you can see a bearing that is pitted.  This bearing will run "hot" and fail before the summers is through.  Down time in season repair is costly and leads to complaints.

Rust and imperfections in the surface will cause this bearing to run hot.

Even though these bearings are grease frequently, reels and rollers run through dew covered turf.  Moisture is the culprit.

Equipment wears out over our time and a lot of our equipment is being used past its replacement life.

A new wheel on the left, old on the right.  Has the axle shaft expanded the hole that much?

Traction units are placed on the hoist for inspection, lubrication, and servicing.  Hydraulic hoses are inspected for wear and replaced before they fail.  Loose fittings are tightened.  Hydraulic hoses become brittle over time and are replaced over time on a yearly schedule more so than hours of service.



Cutting deck blades are removed and sharpened.

 

A new filter on the top vs. one that was new before leaf removal.


Forty two ball washers are bead blasted awaiting a fresh coat of paint.  We used to do more off season painting of equipment in years past when our staff size was larger and time permitted greater detail in our work.

42 ballwashers waiting for a nice warm February afternoon for a fresh coat of paint.

42 ballwashers means 42 covers.

Then of course I get to "blog" about it. _Mk

What do you do in the Winter? Part One.

Toro Rake O Vac

What do we do in the Winter?  I've been asked that countless times over the course of my career.  Now with a little technology, I'm going to report back to you with the tasks we do during our "off season" all in preparation for the upcoming golf season.  One of the big jobs we targeted for rehab before our mandated six week furlough was to rebuild our 20 plus year old leaf and debris sweeper.  It is a manner of routine on our part to inspect each and every piece of equipment for wear and tear and to fix it BEFORE it breaks possibly costing the club thousands of dollars more in additional repair costs.  It's too cliche to mention "pay me now or pay me later," but I've witnessed the consequences brought on by the latter first hand.

Our investigation is best seen via the following photo's.

These blades are supposed to be straight.



Note hairline crack in blade.  How dangerous was that?



New blower fan and shaft replacement installed.

Wear seen on the draw bar -birds eye view.

Side view of draw bar wear.  Extensive.



The engine was overhauled as well.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, the blower assembly alone, if purchased new from Toro would have cost the club a pricey $1,250 plus tax and freight.  We had a local machine shop refurbish ours for a cost just around $250 saving the club some serious money.  The draw bar has been rebuilt and reinstalled.  Believe this or not, but this is the third hitch fastened to this unit.  That's how much we depend on this unit in caring for your course.

Rebuilding your equipment is not cheap, but necessary as we would hate to have it break at the moment we need it most.  BTW, a new unit now lists over $35K.  A replacement is not in the cards in the foreseeable future.  We do a lot of refurbishing in house.  In the past when we had more time to care for your equipment, this unit would have been painted from top to bottom with new decals installed.

Hope you are enjoying your off season as we are scrambling to get everything ready for the upcoming season.