Toro Sidewinder Baffle install cutting update

By admin | May 21, 2013 at 3:30 pm

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Dr. Frank Rossi: Frankly Speaking – Arena Golf

By admin | May 21, 2013 at 10:42 am

I had the rare experience of being able to watch golf over Mothers Day weekend. The Players is not my favorite event for two reasons. One the golf course is quirky and two for me it is to golf what Arena Football is to real football-a total "air game"

 

I guess I am old-fashioned and like to see more football and golf played closer to the ground. The spectacle of flying the ball high in the air and the drama of seeing plunk off a retaining wall and land in the water. I bet when Pete Dye drew up the Island Green he imagined a whiney pro plunk it in the drink twice!

 

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You can be a lousy golfer and still play well on soft, green courses. Firm and fast conditions that generally require less fertilizer and less water to produce is too challenging for the average US-trained golfer.

 

The PGA Tour specializes in Arena Golf. I believe Arena Golf takes the golf industry in a direction away from being more sustainable. In fact, I feel that in many ways Augusta is more sustainable then Arena courses such as Sawgrass.

 

When the ball flies high in the air it assumes it will have a soft landing. For the landing to be soft you need lots of biomass (more fertilizer) and plenty of water, not just for color, but to forgive a crappy shot. Of course the Tour players can adjust and hit high (unless there is some wind), for the average golfer a soft green course is all that prevents them from shooting 125!

 

Here is my theory. The challenge we have to become a more sustainable industry involves the way courses play as much as how they look. Instead of saying brown is the new green we should be saying get low-play a ground game.

 

The new mantra should be Its not how it looks it is how it plays.

 

You can be a lousy golfer and still play well on soft, green courses. Firm and fast conditions that generally require less fertilizer and less water to produce is too challenging for the average US-trained golfer.

 

I believe that if we would be permitted to allow the course to become firm and dry the entire industry would change. Beyond just the change in maintenance is the potential to have the equipment industry design clubs for the ground game. Sell new balls for play closer to the ground. A golf industry financial bubble!

 

 

I think The Players creates more challenges for golf than any other major championship because the Tour has truly mastered the art of golf as a spectacle. It is this spectacle that keeps the focus on green and soft. It is the air game the Tour players can make the same swing arc, have the same finishing pose and provide the perfect suspense for the TV audience.

 

It seems to me we need to develop an industry-wide strategy to distract golfers from seeing green and soft to wanting firm and fast. The new mantra should be Its not how it looks it is how it plays. The US Open at Chambers Bay and seeing how Chris Tritabaugh is beginning to transform Hazeltine is giving me hope golfers can be distracted for the good of the game. Maybe we can get Tiger to reach for a club!

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Four new ETQ fungicides from SipcamAdvan broaden control, expand use

By admin | May 20, 2013 at 3:53 pm

SipcamAdvan expands its ETQ fungicide portfolio for season-long use with the addition of four new products. Echo Dyad ETQ, E-Scape ETQ, Eclipse ETQ and Sipcam Clearscape ETQ combine proven active ingredients with SipcamAdvan’s exclusive ETQ technology.

Echo Dyad ETQ contains chlorothalonil, E-Scape ETQ contains chlorothalonil and tebuconazole, Eclipse ETQ contains iprodione and Sipcam Clearscape ETQ contains tebuconazole. All incorporate SipcamAdvan ETQ technology to optimize turfgrass color, strength, density and consistency by protecting turf from UVA and UVB rays, heat and other stress factors.

“Our first ETQ fungicides were strictly chlorothalonil-based, but these new products contain additional active ingredients for season-long disease control,” George Furrer, director of specialty business for SipcamAdvan, said. “Professional turf managers benefit from an umbrella of protection encompassing the benefits of ETQ technology plus broader spectrum disease management and enhanced turf quality, while allowing adherence to annual use restrictions for chlorothalonil.”

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The Mindful Superintendent – It’s Okay to Ask…

By admin | May 20, 2013 at 9:09 am

There was a Ted Talk recently by Amanda Palmer, a musician who has made her way by not being afraid to ask for help.  By depending on her fans for a place to crash and eat while on tour, she developed a very loyal following. She gives her tunes away for free, asking only for a little help along the way to offset the costs of production. Her talk tells of the intimate connection that is developed between people when one is not afraid to ask, and the other is not afraid to answer.

 

 

Her message got me to thinking about our industry. So many times in my career I have been helped both directly and indirectly by fellow superintendents. Whether it was through a mentor, a fellow super from a nearby course, or from one a half a world away, asking and receiving guidance has allowed me to grow both personally and professionally. There have been times when it was tough, but learning that it was okay to ask for help has made a huge difference for me both as a green keeper and as a person.

 

For many of us asking for help is viewed as a sign of weakness. If we can't do it ourselves, we will just keep bashing away until we get it close enough. It's either our way or our way.  Now you can call it what you will; pride, stubbornness, ego... it doesn't really matter, all it does is hold us back. If we are not open to new ways of approaching the problems we face every day, we are doomed to repeat the same mistakes for eternity. The accumulation of these mistakes usually ends up in job loss, confusion, and bitterness.

 

The times we get stuck are the times in our lives that are ripe for growth. Admitting that we don't know how to tackle a problem is not a sign of weakness... it's a sign of wisdom. We are surrounded by a world of people who are willing to help at the drop of a hat. Just think about it in reverse... if someone came to you needing help, would you hesitate to lend them a hand? Would you think them weak and incompetent because they needed advice? One would hope not.

 

Allowing yourself the space to "not know" can be a powerful tool in your life. It not only teaches us humility, but it can empower us to press forward and learn a new skill. It also indirectly helps the person who helps us out, because who doesn't feel good when you help someone?

 

So the next time you get stumped, ask for help. Go on line (TurfNet would be a good start), phone a colleague, or ask your crew (they know more than you think). The solution to your problem may just be a simple question away... you just have to be willing to ask.

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Turfline adds national accounts manager

By admin | May 20, 2013 at 12:00 am

Wes Mathany, SCPS is the newest member to join the Turfline, Inc. sales force.  Turfline, Inc. is the manufacturer of the True-Surface product line.  Mathany will manage a portion of the domestic sales efforts as a National Accounts Manager. 

Mathany joined Turfline, Inc. May 13, 2013, but has been in the golf industry for over 45 years: 30 years as a Certified Golf Course Superintendent and 17 years as a TORO Sales Professional.  Mathany brings with him the knowledge, understanding, and ambition of a skilled business man both in and out of the golf industry.  He carries with him a Master’s degree in plant science and Bachelor of Science degree in agronomy, as well as SCPS certification. 

In addition, Mathany has constructed and managed golf courses throughout the Midwest, with experience in both warm and cool season turf grasses. Turfline, Inc. is excited to welcome Wes Mathany and utilize his strong agronomic background, experience in the golf industry and excellent interpersonal skills.

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Explain yourself

By admin | May 20, 2013 at 12:00 am

Being a successful manager means more than just having a team that seems to follow orders, as Bryan Barrington learned at the Syngenta Business Institute in December.

“The big thing I took from the program was about feedback and communication with my crew,” says Barrington, superintendent at The Golf Club at Oxford Greens in Oxford, Conn. “We talked about how someone may not really understand what you say – they think they understand it, but when the job is done, it didn’t turn out the way you wanted.

“When you talk with them about it, you find out that it may be what you said, but it’s not what they understood,” he said.

With a seasonal crew that changed every year, Barrington often focused on explaining the job the way he knew how to do it rather than spending time on the crew member’s understanding of the chore, he said. But when faced with a problem, sometimes his team would muddle through the job rather than come to him for clarification.

“It’s the little things about the way I follow up with a job, or the way they’re progressing through a task,” he said. “The difference is between how they see the job versus me saying, ‘Here’s the job, here’s how you do it, here’s the tools and see me when you get done.’ There’s a little more dialogue and communication through the task they’re doing.”

Instead of just giving the crew members a set of instructions, Barrington takes the time to show them how a job is supposed to be done and why he does it a certain way. He also makes time for questions during the teaching process, just to make sure they understand the way he’s explaining it.

On top of that, he makes it a point to listen as well for ideas from his crew, instead of insisting on his method just because it’s his. When the crew gets the chance to have input on the tasks, they take more ownership of the work and get a greater sense of the job’s importance, he said.

“I give them the freedom and structure to think it through for themselves a little bit and see how it comes out,” he said. “I’m finding out that certain things I think should be done a certain way – they might want to try it another way. If the results are the same, then sure. I’ve become a little more receptive to the guys and their ideas.”

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The first four

By admin | May 20, 2013 at 12:00 am

“My girlfriend told me last night that I spend far too much time texting. I just tilted my head sideways and smiled at her.” Funny? Perhaps. Pathetic? Probably.

The man who sent me that e-mail this week went on to say, “Now she’s mad at me. I don’t understand.” Of course, he doesn’t. He’s never been taught what works and doesn’t work in the “art” of communication, especially during those critical first moments of conversation.

That’s why I found Dr.Leonard Zunin’s discovery so incredibly helpful. In his book, “Contact: The First Four Minutes,” Zunin says the success or failure of any act of communication can often be traced to the first four minutes of a conversation. Of course, you might wonder what’s the big deal. Zunin says, “It is not an arbitrary interval. Rather, it is the average time, demonstrated by careful observation, during which strangers in a social situation — (and I would contend all people in all situations, even business situations) — interact before they decide to part or continue the encounter.”

In fact, if you don’t spend a conscious effort making the first four minutes of every encounter count, you’ll probably come off as disinterested and neglectful. Oh, you may not be “trying” to send such a message, but if you don’t focus on making the first four minutes as effective as possible, people will interpret your actions as sending one of the following messages: “I am too busy for you … What you think/feel/want is not important … You are not worth caring about.”

So what goes into making the first four minutes count? It’s a portion of my program on “The Partnership Payoff: 7 Keys to Better Relationships and Greater Teamwork.” People rave about this keynote and seminar. Click here to read more.

You need to do four things in the first four minutes

1. Project confidence

You know from experience that you do not respond favorably to someone who is self-demeaning or overly apologetic. Such an attitude may breed your temporary sympathy, but it is doubtful that someone else’s lack of confidence will create a sense of warmth or closeness. That being the case, you need to convey a certain degree of self-confidence as a foundation for any successful encounter, new or old, brief or lengthy.

2. Use creativity

When you start a conversation with someone, find ways to tune into his/her feelings. You may have to work through a lot of fluff and facts to get there, but if you can sense someone’s feelings and be sensitive to their feelings, you’ll be ahead of 90 percent of the people out there.

For example, you may sense a person is feeling overwhelmed, even though he says, “Everything’s great.” You may add a supportive and encouraging tone to your conversation. When you sense someone’s feelings and respond appropriately, you come across as far more sensitive and professional than most people who simply stick to their me-me-me agenda.

You could also use your creativity to reveal something about yourself, thus making it easier for the other person to respond to you.

3. Demonstrate caring

To make the first four minutes truly count, show the other person that are you interested - truly interested - in him or her by listening with total attention. No glancing at your iPhone, email, or interesting passersby. Indeed, when you avoid distractions, when you give total attention and when you stay with the train of thought, you will have surprisingly good results with your coworkers, your customers, your spouse, your child and new or old acquaintances. That’s why Dale Carnegie said, “You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you.”

4. Show consideration

In short, focus on what you can do and say so the other person goes away from the conversation feeling better about him/herself. It will certainly happen if you do the first three things listed above, but it also goes a step beyond that.

An awful lot of what you want out of life will come about because of the way you communicate. And if you do a great job on the first four minutes of conversation, your chances of successful communication are immeasurably better.

Action:

Find three times this week to practice the skills listed above in the first four minutes of conversation.  Take note of what worked especially well.

About the author:

As a best-selling author and Hall of Fame professional speaker, Dr. Alan Zimmerman is focused on “transforming the people side of business.” His keynotes and seminars are noted for high content, high energy, and high involvement that transform people’s lives and the companies where they work. Click here to learn more about his programs and products, or to receive a free subscription to his weekly Internet newsletter.

Reprinted with permission from Dr. Alan Zimmerman's Internet newsletter, the 'Tuesday Tip.' For your own personal, free subscription to the 'Tuesday Tip' ... along with several other complimentary gifts, go to http://www.DrZimmerman.com.

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