OHCC Invitational: The Piper

This is the week the members get to show off their club and this is the week the Staff gets to put on a show. From food service to the Golf Shop and the golf course, once a year we get to "tip it out". Enjoy your week!

Wee One @ Lost Dunes

This past Monday, May 6th, the Wee One Foundation fundraiser at Lost Dunes Golf Club raised over $30,000 for the foundation. Lost Dunes was a great host and superintendent Steve Jotzat had the course in great shape. We are already planning the 2014 event and as we have sold out quickly for four consecutive years ... it is wise to sign up early.

Tee Encroachment

Each fall we recapture lost teeing ground. During the course of a season or two the tee edges move slowly inward from routine mowing. A cautious mower operator will error on the side of not scalping the edges, always cutting just a little bit on the inside edge of the tee perimeter. Over time, the tees become smaller.

So we cut back to the original edge in cooler weather when scalped turf recovers easily. Some tees are more pronounced than others, but that is why you are seeing scalped edges on tees .... it's intentional.

Ryder Cup Medinah CC

As a former host Superintendent for the Ryder Cup (2004), I can attest to the planning and organization that is required for the biggest event in golf. Tomorrow, I leave for Medinah CC - where I got my feet wet in this profession in 1986 - to help on the grounds staff and see first hand how another site prepares for the Ryder Cup.

Medinah Superintendent Curtis Tyrell, CGCS, MG has been kind enough to hold open a volunteer spot for me. I'll be tweeting daily updates about course maintenance from the perspective of the grounds crew.

Fairway Sodding Project

Last year we began implementing some minor changes to the South fairways. These were recommended by Rees Jones to give us a little more space in the member landing zones. You may recall we finished #11 fairway last fall.

Yesterday we began stripping sod and today will be laying new bentgrass sod in these fairway areas. As an example, number 1fairway gets wider by about 10 yards in the member landing zone. The project will be completed this fall.

Fitness and Work

The following was written for the September issue of the OHCC newsletter by: Brooke Van Poppelen, Office Assistant

It’s no secret that exercise is good for your body; it improves strength, endurance, as well as your physique. But what about the effects exercise can have on your work? Unless you’re fortunate enough to be the professional athlete that you might have dreamt of being as a child, you’ve probably always separated your work from your workout. However, more and more studies are finding that the cognitive benefits of exercise have a positive impact on job performance.



Though they may not always see it this way, the groundsmen are fortunate enough to get a bit of a workout in during work. Eric Shimmel, who plays baseball for Albion College, was drawn to the fitness aspect of the job when he applied to be a groundsman; “Most of the guys lose 10 to 50 pounds a season, so I knew it would be a good job to keep me in shape for baseball.” From pushing mowers to raking bunkers, taking care of the courses requires the crew to be fit. During one greens route, a groundsman walks about five miles. “I feel more productive at work,” says groundsman Collin Elkins, “I don’t feel lethargic like I normally do when I don’t go to the gym.” The reason expending energy can actually make you feel more energetic and focused is because aerobic exercise improves the circulation of red blood cells, sending more oxygen to your muscles and, most importantly, to your brain. It also helps you clear your mind so you can concentrate on the task at hand.

Much of the crew benefits even more by taking their workout beyond work. John Reinhart, South Course Superintendent, ran a half-marathon last year with his primary motivation being to set a goal and achieve it. Now he’s upped his goal and is training to run the Detroit Free Press Marathon in October. When training to run 26.2 miles, it’s important to stick to a fitness plan. “It’s tough getting started, but once I get set in my routine, it’s easy to up my mileage,” says John. Studies have shown that people who are able to maintain fitness goals are more confident so they set and achieve more goals at work.

Setting an adventurous goal, like Steve Cook did when he decided he would climb the Grand Teton Mountain in Wyoming, can be especially beneficial by challenging your mind and body to work together. Like the saying, ”If you don’t use it, you’ll lose it,” learning a new activity keeps your mind and memory sharp by forming new neural connections. Furthermore, it keeps you from falling into a routine, so you’re more likely to come up with a new solution to a reoccurring problem at work.

A job skill I’ve often struggled with is time management. Since beginning triathlon training, I’ve learned to better manage my time. To succeed, I need to ration my training among swimming, cycling, running and transitions, because excelling in one event can’t always make up for inadequacy in another. Now that I am in control of my workout, I am able to better prioritize the other parts of my life.

While it may be difficult to mow banks without a sidewinder, our staff, not our equipment, is our most important asset. A happy crew is a more efficient crew, so it’s an added bonus that exercise releases endorphins that boost mood and tackle stress. A fit crew is also a healthier crew, resulting in decreased healthcare costs, injury and absenteeism. So when the crew is in good shape, we can make sure that the courses are too!

Teamwork

Spraying fairways on a Saturday or Sunday night is not an ideal option. But sometimes the weather dictates that choice. With hot, humid evenings the risk of turfgrass disease (fungus) is greater and to avoid the worst case scenario we sometimes cannot take the chance of waiting until the following morning to spray.

Such was the choice we made last night. We sprayed all of the South Course fairways to prevent Pythium, a devastating disease that can wipe out a stand of grass overnight.

To accomplish this, we need to delay or stop play so the sprayers can apply the product unhindered by golf traffic. So with the help of the Golf Services staff we were able to redirect play and get the fungicide applied in a timely manner. Teamwork matters.

June Solstice 7:08 PM EDT

The summer solstice is also named the June solstice, the first day of summer and the day with the most daylight for those of us living north of the equator. At this point in the year, the sun is directly over the Tropic of Cancer and is at its furthest point from the equator. This date is also known as the winter solstice in the southern hemisphere. After today at 7:08 PM EDT, the days slowly start getting shorter.

The June Solstice is explained very well at the following link:

http://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/june-solstice.html

Cart Paths

On June 18th, we have an asphalt repair company scheduled to repair several of the cracks and broken areas of cart paths on the South. Prior to that, we will spray an herbicide to kill the grass that you see in the cracks. A long term solution would be to replace the paths with a better base material to reduce the amount of frost heaving that occurs each spring.

Wee One Winner in Michigan!

Ed Hock from Walnut Creek CC won the free trip to Disney that was given away at the Wee One (www.weeone.org) booth during the GIS in Las Vegas! Congratulations Ed!

Great Read

In their book from 1999, First Break All the Rules, Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman offer their advice on how great managers define the "essence of development" in their staff.

Remember the revolutionary insight common to great managers:

People don't change that much
Don't waste time trying to put in what was left out.
Try to draw out what was left in.
That is hard enough.

Sunlight!

We are just finishing the darkest part of the year in the Northern Hemisphere referred to as the solar winter or the quarter of the year with the least amount of sunlight. Starting February 5th, we began a period of more sunlight that will peak at the summer solstice, which occurs in 2012 on June 20th.

In between we have the Spring Equinox. Equinox literally means 'equal night' and occurs twice a year. On the Spring or Vernal Equinox the Sun rises exactly in the east, travels through the sky for 12 hours and sets exactly in the west. On this date... March 20, 2012 ...  the sun is directly over the equator. Every place on earth experiences a 12 hour day twice a year on the Spring and Fall Equinox.


It's because of the 23.4 degree tilt of the Earth's axis that we experience these changes. The date is significant in Christianity because Easter always falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox. It is also probably no coincidence that early Egyptians built the Great Sphinx so that it points directly toward the rising Sun on the day of the vernal equinox.

Exposing Donald Ross

The Donald Ross 'restoration" craze has  in some instances been misguided. In one area Ross deserves credit: routing and use of  available land forms.

We removed two maples ("weeds that got hard") to the right of number 12 green South mostly to improve turf conditions in a high traffic area.

But a bigger advantage is to further expose the ridge line that Ross used to route so many golf features over and across. This ridge line begins farther to the east on Lahser Road, continues across #6 and finishes on #15 green. Ross built the following features on that ridge, one of two major landforms on the South Course: #5 fairway, #7 tee, #6 green, #6 fairway, #14 fairway, #13 tee, #12 green, #16 tee and #15 green. Pretty awesome foresight without computer aided design (CAD).

Removing trees ("weeds that got hard") from these ridgelines allows us to see what this golf course was meant to be.



The piles of stump grindings can be seen on the right side of this photo.



Coyotes

Eastern Coyote Canis latrans


You will see coyotes on the golf courses in the winter. I’m not quite sure why they are more prevalent in the winter but it’s most likely due to the absence of humans and this is also their breeding period so they may be more active. Most of the sightings have been around holes 4, 2 and 7 on the South Course.

The following is taken from the MiDNR website where you can find more information on coyotes:

There is wide variation in the coyote's color, but generally their upper body is yellowish gray, and the fur covering the throat and belly is white to cream color. The coyote's ears are pointed and stand erect, unlike the ears of domestic dogs that often droop. When observed running, coyotes carry their bushy, black tipped tail below the level of their back.

Coyotes are opportunistic and will eat almost anything available. They will also prey on unattended small dogs and cats, if opportunities exist. Some coyotes learn to kill smaller livestock, such as sheep, goats, calves, and poultry. Larger animals are almost always consumed as carrion. Coyotes are active day and night; however, peaks in activity occur at sunrise and sunset. Coyotes generally feed at night.

Their presence in subdivisions and urban or suburban areas, while surprising to many folks, is a result of increasing populations (both coyote and human) and encroachment of human environments into their natural habitat (from development of rural areas).

eastern Coyote photo from wikipedia

Let's Get Over Ourselves

Stephen Covey writes: “It has been said that some people think they can push themselves forward by patting themselves on the back. But boasting merely amplifies the ego.”

The minute we start taking ourselves too seriously is the time that others won’t. Be certain that the work we’re doing can be done by someone else … and probably for less money. That doesn’t mean we can’t be confident; a universal trait of all winners must be confidence. The belief in yourself can build courage and you are more apt to take on new challenges if your self-esteem is high.

But when we hear a phrase like “it's my golf course” it could show a lack of many things: humility, respect, confidence and gratitude among many others. Someone else most likely owns the property you work and if you forget that, the owners won’t. If we believe that we’re the smartest in the crowd, our minds will be closed to new ideas and the insights of others. Humility can be the first step in empowering others to take initiative in problem solving and humility shows enormous confidence.

If we take credit for the work of others and attempt to take all the glory it shows everyone else that our needs are more important than theirs. It can be hard to define humility but I would guess we know it when we hear it.

So check your ego at the door and let someone else carry the trophy.

“Truly great men and women are never terrifying. Their humility puts you at ease. - Elizabeth Goudge

Ron Bentley



(In his younger days with the ever present smile!)


Ron Bentley started with us in 2001 as an intern from Rutgers. He stayed for 10 years, working his way up to Senior Golf Course Superintendent and was not only a trusted lieutenant, but also a peer and good friend.

His attitude, kindness and work ethic did not go unnoticed. He was recruited by a vendor and recently accepted a new position as a branch/sales manager for a new John Deere distributor here in Michigan. This will be "start-up" opportunity for Ron and keeps him in the turf industry and close to home in Grand Blanc.

His shoes will be too big to fill. But this is a great opportunity and we certainly wish him the best!

Cold Turkey Open

No frost today. So we're good to go at 10:30!

Wild Ride

The operator of this mini excavator had an interesting morning while cleaning up the edge of the pond on #14 North. Operator and machine are doing well after a tow truck arrived to pull them out.

Cart Access

Legitimate questions have been asked about cart access after rain events. We are responsible for making the decision regarding carts, so let me explain the process:

Member access is the ultimate goal. We try to err on the side of allowing carts, even when it's too wet. We're in the service industry, so servicing members is our role. The sole question we ask ourselves is: will the members who play tomorrow, be proud of the golf course?

Financial considerations do not factor in. Nor whose name is on the tee sheet, nor the day of the week. Usually, when there are no carts on the South, carts are allowed on the North so the members have someplace to ride. All outside events get the same consideration. We have canceled two outside events this year due to wet course conditions.

Rain events in the summer are different from the fall. In summer, long days, high temperatures and actively growing grass remove water quickly. We routinely allow carts the day following a 1" rain in the summer.

Rain events in the fall occur with less daylength, cooler temperatures and turf that cannot "drink up" the excess water because it is not growing. One tenth of an inch of precipitation in the fall under these conditions is enough to cause wet conditions.

May 1st - September 30th:

Total precip: 20.87"
Avg for this period: 16.50"
No carts North Course: 5 days
No carts South Course: 20 days
5 total days where members had no access to golf with a cart

14th Annual Golden Rake Tournament

Each year, the members give the Grounds Staff the golf course for the day as a thank you for all their sacrifices. We play golf, have some laughs and the members (Mr. Vozza and Mr. Palmer) do a cookout after.

A little windy today but plenty of sun, some birdies and new relationships built. Thanks to the members for allowing us this day and thanks to the following members who participated:

Chris Vozza, Rick Palmer, Terry Donnelly, Lee Juett, Pete Russell, Dick Geraghty, Chuck Adams, Jeff Trimmer, Mark McConnell, Mark McMacken, Dick Aginian, Mike Matoian, Todd and Sharon Karry, Dave Cameron, Jim Conrad, Bill Flavin, Keith Milliken, Paul McIntosh, Mike Hainer and John Frasco.




Chef Vozza and Chef Palmer