Golf Course Business

Turf Care Center Self Evaluation Form

2012-01-16T10:43:00.000-06:00

In an effort to quantify the maintenance facilities conditions from various golf courses I have built a short self evaluation form. It is my hope that the information gathered from this form will be used as a tool to help superintendents identify the general conditions of Turf Care Centers throughout the industry.

Only superintendents that complete this rating form will receive the final data compiled by me. The more superintendents that complete these evaluations the more exact the data will be. Perhaps the use of this data will enable superintendents to “sell” a new and/or improved facility at the golf course they manage.

Please take several minutes and complete this self evaluation form, follow this link.

Turf Care Center Self Evaluation Form

I will email results one month from today to all that respond.

Mike Vogt, CGCS

Measuring the Success of the Golf Maintenance

2012-01-05T11:17:00.003-06:00

Methodology: A post was made on LinkedIn Groups - GCSAA, Golf Superintendent, Golf Course Superintendents / Turf Professionals, Golf Course Superintendents, Assistants & Interns; also on Facebook Group; Golf Course Maintenance and the blog, Golf Course Business. At these sites a copy of the question or a link was posted to the poll. These posting links and polls where left online for 10 days and active for 10 days.

The question was: If you were ask to measure the success of the golf maintenance business you manage, what one metric would you use?

The selections were:

Budgetary
Conditioning
Player satisfaction
Increase in rounds played

Of 132 respondents that weighed-in, no confirmation was made as to the respondents livelihood as a golf course superintendent.

I asked the question to investigate what was considered the mission as viewed by the golf course superintendent to his/her golf course maintenance endeavor. This poll is unscientific but it revealed that the metric that best described success in the business of golf maintenance is Player satisfaction.

Golf course conditioning garnered 21% and is the top response from golfers perennially from the National Golf Foundation.

An Increase in Rounds played could be construed as perhaps a function of discounted pricing but I like to think if an increase was had it was due to better overall management - cost controls as well as proper pricing.

And lastly success as a Budgetary category, the ability to properly manage a golf course to a budget came in last, at 11%.

In McMahon Group's survey database the golf course has always scored highest in satisfaction considering all club amenities, services and features. Most important, the golf facility was always listed as the most important feature at clubs that offer golf.

We can easily take away that the management of golf course maintenance as viewed by golf course managers, superintendents and others in the same business is driven by Player satisfaction and Conditioning, more so than financially driven by increasing rounds or achieving a budgetary goal. Golf course superintendents should also be keenly aware of the facts that sound business management will also be an integral part of the important metrics equation when judging success in golf course management.

Important to the above equation is also a Value – Price – Quality comparison. Golf has a dramatic range of product, from a mom & pop nine hole to a deluxe high end, oceanfront, private clubs. Consider these variables when making decisions on appropriate golf course maintenance techniques.

Being a golf course superintendent you must consider the above dilemma. Golf course superintendents are constantly being asked to achieve two seemingly conflicting goals: assure the highest quality of the course while keeping costs low. While it may seem futile to try to resolve these two conflicting issues, a structured approach towards cost and quality can help, player satisfaction and conditioning are still the most important drivers to success.

Efforts to quantify these elements are always going to cause ulcers. Great superintendents make their best effort to supply the best conditions that will yield player satisfaction and good conditioning along with a cost that can be tolerated by the business. Once this balance is achieved the market will generally reward the facility with increased business, whether it is memberships or daily play.

The lines are generally blurred when it comes to successful management and key metrics involved. All of the choices are indeed interrelated, if one area is left without attention the rest of the categories won’t matter. Players must be satisfied for them to return, a budget must be closely met or the business will not have appropriate funds to operate, conditioning of the course speaks to satisfaction levels and in increase in usage will generally bring in more dollars.

The Front Fell Off!

2011-12-01T08:52:00.002-06:00

Divide and Conquer Environmental Issues at Your Club

2011-10-18T11:51:00.001-05:00

Begin with a plan to implement an environmental program at the club you manage. This guide will help focus plans and responsibilities to separate departments and measure progress.

environmentalchecklist v 2.1

Is a Union in Your Future?

2011-09-13T08:53:00.000-05:00

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has just announced bad news for the golf industry. As you may know, the NLRB issued its final rule regarding the new employee notice that all clubs must post beginning November 14, 2011 dealing with employees rights to organize and form a union.

To add insult to injury, just this new legislation hit the streets; the NLRB handed down its first ruling that will make it much easier for the union organization process in clubs across the country. In a 3-1 decision, the NLRB has said that unions may now organize smaller subsets of employees in a business. For the golf course industry, this means that a union could organize the golf maintenance staff staff rather than the entire club staff.

Since a union is formed when a majority of employees vote for it, it will be much easier for union organizers to get the 51% they need if they can focus on a smaller number of employees. Clearly, 20 golf maintenance workers is a much more interesting target than going after the entire group of employees at a club that enjoys a large staff of 75 to 100 all encompassing club workers. Once this subset group is unionized, the club will need to negotiate a contract with these 20 while dealing with the needs of the other club workers (golf shop staff, kitchen staff, servers, pool staff, administration staff, etc.) separately.

Such a situation will increase administrative issues for the club and soon push the other club workers to look to unionize when they begin to realize the differences in pay, benefits and/or treatment from the club’s leadership. This is exactly what labor unions have wanted for years and it is why the NLRB has finally given it to them. With the increase in cost of labor clubs and golf will begin to become out-of-reach to more, continuing the death spiral already being experienced at some golf facilities on the edge.

This policy also places the burden on employers to prove that any excluded employees “share an overwhelming community of interest” with those in the proposed union group. So, golf facility leader’s will now have to struggle to include more employees into a proposed union group to help dilute the chance the union will succeed – an awkward and expensive task no facility wants to have to undertake.

What makes this ruling even more regrettable is that there is no direct federal or state court appeal that can be made of an NLRB judicial decision. The only course of action is, an employer will have to be challenged with a union that wants to organize a small subset of workers, let those employees unionize and then refuse to recognize the newly formed union. When that happens, the new union will sue the employer and the employer will then be entitled to argue the NLRB overstepped its authority by allowing this small subset to be unionized in the first place.

In short, this NLRB ruling cannot be addressed until a business decides to accept being slapped with an unfair labor practices lawsuit for failing to accept the new union representation of a small group of its employees.

The NLRB has an agenda that will only cause the golf course industry more and more of a problem as these new regulations and rulings are handed down. The cost of golf will begin to increase as the H2B program remains under assault, health care laws will either fine of force clubs to insure all staff members and labor prices will escalate due to unions and the high cost of imposed increases in wages and benefits.

Powerful forces are at work to change the labor landscape in our industry, it behooves each of us to have a dialog with our appropriate representatives on these small business harming, draconian policies.

Is your golf facility psychologically ready for change?

2011-09-01T08:14:00.000-05:00

Every once in a while the economy whacks everyone on the side of the head to remind them to shape up, pushing many golf businesses into a state of shock. 2008 showed us a perfect example of a good whacking with a major collapse in the financial markets. Fast forward to today, the shock has worn off (mostly), and it’s time to shake off the dust and move forward. For many clubs, this is the time to reevaluate the course of action, reposition the club, or even reconfigure the whole facility.
For most club businesses it’s so much easier to go back to the way things used to be. The thing about change is that it mostly strikes the psychological part of the system, and club leaders that charts the course of the club, must expect and properly handle the emotional ups and downs of the membership and the staff throughout the transition.

Just over the past few months, I’ve either been involved with or have witnessed the firing of key clubs staff, rebirth of entire organizations, layoffs, and repositioning of companies (yeah, those management companies are spending money like the 112th Congress). Although I personally enjoy the prospects of change, years of dealing with various clubs and organizational changes has taught me a lesson or two about dealing with the unsettling factors involved with major change within clubs. I’ll share a few of them here.

Deal with the fear of change. Your other option is stagnation which is much scarier. The way you can help the club and staff overcome the fear of change is to provide as many facts and analyses as is possible. The more knowledge everyone has, the less emotionally reactive they become.

Don’t act out of panic. You’re almost sure to make the absolutely wrong decision. Enough said?

Take things one step at a time. Keep a strategic view, make your plans, and then act accordingly. The longest journey begins with the first step.

Remove yourself from the situation. Pretend like you’re giving advice to someone else. I’m saying this from experience. Something happens when you’re removed from the situation – you become more rational and less impulsive in your decisions.

Get your staff on board during the planning process. You need the affected mangers and organization leaders on board to make successful transitions happen. They need to understand why the change needs to occur, where the organization is headed, and how you will get there in order to transmit the ideas throughout their respective departments. The more time you spend with them laying out the groundwork before the change occurs, the easier the transition.

Communicate, communicate, and communicate. Engage the organization throughout the change process both by talking and listening. This is no time to hide in your office, behind your computer screen. Pay particular attention to the quiet ones. They’re the ones listening to everyone else and can provide a wealth of information about the general morale and other on-goings within the club.

Expect problems. Know that things will go wrong. Your staff will get cold feet, the markets will change, and your finances won’t go as planned. It’s OK. Your plan should have wiggle room, but also, don’t beat yourself (or anyone else) up if things go slightly off course. Regroup and pull things back on course. You never know, you might even decide to change the intended course halfway through the process based on the new information.

Not everyone will be unhappy. Whenever I’m presenting to a group about a particular subject I always notice a few quietly nodding their heads. By tuning into the “Head Nodders” know that some of your staff is already on board to make these changes happen. Use them to help you in the change process. If they’re already nodding they most likely share your vision, and can help you during the transition.

The ending is just as important as the beginning. Once you’ve gone through some type of change process, don’t let the organization fall back into the old patterns otherwise your efforts will go to waste. Everything associated with the change process will feel a little shaky for a while. Make sure all the processes, new systems, and new positions are solidly in place before you relax and grab that cold frosty to celebrate.

Change, whatever it may be, is one thing that’s inevitable, the better we prepare to be agents of change the better and more valuable of a manager and a leader we become.

The Glencoe Golf and Country Club

2011-08-31T09:57:00.000-05:00

This is by far the best video I have seen about the team that maintains a great course!

The Glencoe Golf and Country Club - Turf Care from MOLiFE/NZC Films on Vimeo.

Goals Won, History Zero

2011-08-12T13:19:00.000-05:00

Does this scenario sound familiar? Roughly four months before the beginning of the club’s next fiscal year, the club manager leaves you a message and reminds you that, “We need to start putting together a budget.” You nod in recognition to this voice mail and go about rescuing and renovating turf before the frost bugs and freeze crickets annual late fall invasion begins on the course. A few weeks go by and you make a few remarks about the budgeting process to the other members of the management team at the staff meeting you’ve blown-off for the past three months, only because you have been teaching your staff “Heat Stroke 101”.

As in years past, you finally ask the club accountant to prepare some background information on your spending habits for the past few years. At the next Board meeting, you mention your progress during the superintendent’s report that the budgeting process has started and ask for any input from the Board and the green committee. Shortly after the board meeting the information you requested is provided to you by the mild-mannered club accountant. It’s now November; time to set goals and determine the timeline for completion of the budgeting process. After several more meetings, careful calculations are made, discussions are conducted and the information is consolidated by the club accountant into a working document titled “2012 Club Operational Budget.” Comparisons are made to the current year’s budget, adjustments are engineered, consensus is achieved and the budget proposal goes before the Board for approval. Once approved, the operating budget becomes the focal point of future management decision-making and analysis of operating results. Congratulations, you now managing the golf course business like our House Spender John Boehner and King of the Flim-Flam Senate, Harry Reid.

A good budgeting process for a club is one that provides information and focuses on both financial and operational outcomes. It provides a supportive environment for making effective management decisions. A good budgeting process is timely and strives to achieve excellence while providing the backdrop for operational control. It details a set of standards to which you are attempting to adhere—the definition of management and control. Furthermore, a good budgeting process should address both the personal and technical aspects of creating this important operating plan. The personal aspects include management and staff involvement, goal-setting behavior and the integration of continuous improvement strategies. Technical aspects focus more on resource allocation, forecasting techniques, probability models and compliance.

Success in 2012 will require a very different approach than was the case a decade ago. In the past few years, the private club industry has faced a variety of marketing, membership and revenue challenges that were unheard of 10 or 15 years ago. Membership in clubs will be increasing focused on value and the ability to become a “One Stop Family” entertainment club.

Budget by Goals, Satisfaction and Importance

What are the identified challenges that will continue without new investment? Is a change needed to your current approach to routine maintenance, revenue generating activities and member retention? Yes, things you do each day will effect revenue and member retention, as a superintendent you must be concerned with revenue generation and member retention, this is your future!

When budget discussions begin, “Why?” should always be the most important question. Why raise or lower cost in golf course conditioning? Why increase staffing, resources or systems? Why invest in a new irrigation system. Simply increasing or lowering percentages across the board will not give you the answers. Your success going forward depends on how well you, as the superintendent, understand your clubs needs, your members' desires, and the solutions required to achieve your club’s goals.

By comparison, think how obvious these decisions would be if the golf course was unexpectedly hit by a devastating tornado or flood, or if the clubhouse burned to the ground. Make no mistake about it, by default, the goals of the management team are shared goals and the successes are also shared.

Many superintendents lament that they have worked years to “get the budget to where it is today”. I contend that in these business climates funds should be allocated where they can attract and retain members. In McMahon Group survey results over the past 6 years from over 120 golf and country clubs the golf course as a club activity and a club feature scored highest among all other activities and features in member satisfaction and importance. I see two significant facts emerging from this data, members are highly satisfied with the golf course, more than any other feature at clubs, and, these assets should be preserved with proper and proportional operational funds.

How would management arrive at a proper proportion of revenue that should be allocated to golf course maintenance? The fact still remains that golf course budgets do not include a revenue side. One simple formula for average golf and country clubs is a dollar amount of approximately 20% - 25% of dues income. Currently most clubs charge higher dues for a golf membership, is the difference in dues from a social member to a golf member the true cost of maintaining and capitalizing the golf course? You see, it’s not easy to segregate an amount from dues to allocate to golf course revenue but it can paint a picture of where a club might want to be. Other revenue sources that can be recognized are guest fees, cart fees, a portion of outing income, a portion of range fees, bag storage, locker rental fees and this list can go on. As superintendent and a member of the management team you should know the clubs revenue numbers.

The above are valid ways to approximate what income could be allocated to the golf course based on a number of clubs and the average of dollars spent on golf course maintenance. However, your managing a business, and if you where the sole proprietor you will want to have profit or in a club’s case money left for capital improvements or more precisely, what we call asset allocation fund.

Initiation Fees – Going, Going, Gone

Slowly, initiation fees are becoming less relevant in the country club world. Only the very elite clubs will be enjoying six-figure initiation fees, and waiting lists. In the not too distant past initiation fees fueled capital improvements, now in addition to dues (a category named “capital dues”) amounts are used to fund asset replacements. In addition, more often than not, clubs are using a dining minimum to balance losses in the F&B department. The question begs an answer; will increases in monthly dues become the knock-out blow to clubs? Will the gap widen between the amount of dues charged for golf memberships and social memberships?

What about the golf course? If budgets are built to support routine maintenance at subscribed levels perhaps the history type formulas could be done away with. If this year you needed X next year you shouldn’t necessarily need X + 3%. List your annual goals and budget what you need, as you become better at your business, you may become better at budgeting and better and more efficient at the maintenance of the golf course you manage.

For an in-depth look at a goal orientated budget template go to:

Goal Directed Budget Template

Can You Tell Me His Name?

2011-08-04T15:26:00.000-05:00

At the age of 7, his family was forced out of their home. The boy had to work to support them.

At age 9, his mother died.

Age 22, he started a business.... that failed.

Age 23, ran for state legislature... he lost.

That same year, he lost his job, and failed to get into law school.

Age 24, he borrowed money from a friend to start a new business. Within months he was bankrupt, and spent the next SEVENTEEN years paying off this debt.

Age 25, ran for state legislature... and won.

Age 26, his fiancée died, sending him into a deep depression...ending in a nervous breakdown that kept him in bed for six months.

Age 29, ran for speaker of the state legislature... and lost.

Age 31, ran for elector... lost again.

Age 34, ran for Congress... laughed out of the election.

Age 35, ran for Congress again. Got elected finally

Age 37, ran for re-election... blown out of the election (although incumbents win 90+% of the time).

At 40, sought the job of land officer in his home state... soundly rejected.

Five long years later, he had the nerve to run for the US Senate...and got trounced.

After losing, he said, “The path was worn & slippery. My foot slipped from under me,
knocking the other out of the way, but I recovered and said to myself,
'It's a slip and not a fall.'"

Age 47, sought his party's vice-presidential nomination: trounced again.

Age 49, ran for US Senate again... and was again soundly defeated.

Age 51, ran for, get this, President of the United States!! Talk about temerity!!
Consider this quote from our 11-time loser:

The sense of obligation to continue is present in all of us. A duty to strive is the duty of us all. I felt a call to that duty.

“CONTINUE”

What a strong word; it says so much. Within it resides one of the three single greatest powers you have at your instant disposal. That's the power used by the man you just read about... President Abraham Lincoln.

So, if some grass died this summer and you spend much of your time counting "warts on the course" remember Abe.

H-2B Program, Changes Will Effect Users NOW

2011-08-02T08:38:00.000-05:00

The Department of Labor (DOL) has targeted the H-2B program for termination. In one of its first efforts to dismantle the program, DOL issued a new prevailing wage rule. According to DOL, that wage regulation will increase the costs for H-2B employees by nearly $4.50/hour.

When the rule was first published, it had an effective date of January 1, 2012. However, pursuant to an amendment to the rule, DOL has now sped up the effective date to September 30, 2011.

Those clubs that use the H-2B program must prepare for this wage hike now. Not only will this new prevailing wage be in effect for those H-2B workers who begin work after 9/30/11, but that wage must also be used for those H-2B workers who are here now and are due paychecks after 9/30/11.

What's Next?

2011-07-27T07:55:00.000-05:00

The US Swelters Under Torrid Heat Wave

2011-07-21T09:48:00.000-05:00

Is this Déjà Vu all over again?

Headline:

It will be intensely hot again Thursday in many parts of the country. From the South and the Midwest to the East Coast, temperatures will soar again into the mid to high 90s and could top 100 at many locations.

Heat advisories were issued in at least 27 states. Officials say at least 22 people have died from heat-related illnesses. For many, it will likely remain hot and humid for several more days to come.

Heat-Related Deaths:

The heat turned deadly in some parts of the Midwest: In Kansas City, where the heat wave is entering its 10th day, Mayor Sly James said heat appears to be a factor in the deaths of at least 13 people.

"Generally, the folks who have died have been those who have been less able to protect themselves against the heat for lack of air conditioning, fans, cool places, those types of things," James said. "And those folks who are often elderly or concentrated in high rises, or in places where there are pockets of poverty."

The summer of 2010 is on a pace to break temperature records up and down the East Coast and along the Gulf of Mexico. For example, Washington, D.C. had 40 days of 90-plus-degree temperatures in June and July, more than typically occur in an entire average year (37). During the recent U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship at The Country Club of North Carolina in the Village of Pinehurst, the heat index reached triple digits, topping out at 110.

Déjà Vu, 2010 USGA article:

Needless to say, this has put tremendous strain on golf courses and those in charge of maintaining them.

USGA Green Section agronomists consider it necessary and appropriate to practice defensive maintenance and management programs as long as these weather extremes continue. Obviously, extra care must be taken to pamper the grass through this difficult weather, and understanding from golfers is also a must to help get through the crisis. If everyone works together and does what is best for the grass, the summer of 2010 will one day be nothing more than just a bad memory.

By way of letters sent to USGA Member courses and via communication through the Green Section Record, the goal has been to alert golfers and turf managers alike about the extraordinary weather conditions and turf-loss-related matters. This extended period of heat and drought – followed by heat, humidity and thunderstorms – has caused and probably will continue to cause turf stress and turf loss throughout the affected areas of the country.

“No two golf courses are alike, having different grasses, soils, course features and golfer expectations,” said Stanley Zontek, director of the Mid-Atlantic Region for the USGA Green Section. “It is important that golf course superintendents use defensive golf course maintenance programs. That is, be conservative and pamper the grass. The turfgrass is under intense weather stress, which is compounded by an increase in disease pressure. Everyone should be more concerned about plant health than green speed.

“There is an old adage in our industry: Slow grass is better than no grass. This is not a joke. It needs to be taken seriously.”

Some suggested management programs include:

Maintain a solid fungicide program: With heat, humidity and thunderstorms, fungicides do not last as long and disease pressure is greater. There is no better money spent than in protecting the grass from disease. If the fungicide budget is being depleted, pull back in other areas. However, when conditions are this difficult, fungicides often cannot completely overcome disease incidence. It may well be a case of reducing disease injury rather than eliminating it altogether. The following steps are just as important as applying a good fungicide.

Raise mowing heights and use sharp mowers:

This can help the grass survive.

In an age of rising expectations for putting-green performance, the recommendation to raise the mowing height on bentgrass greens to promote better summer survival is not a popular one for golfers. Of course, failed putting greens in late August are not popular, either. However, science is on the superintendent’s side on this one.

The benefit of raising the mowing height in the summer can be explained by looking at the relationship between energy production (photosynthesis) and energy consumption (respiration) in the summer. As temperatures increase, the rate of photosynthesis in cool-season grasses (bentgrass) decreases, but the rate of respiration increases. Explained another way, energy production is slowing while energy consumption is increasing. This is not sustainable over the long term because, eventually, the plant is going to run out of fuel.

Chris Hartwiger, a USGA Green Section senior agronomist based in the Southeast Region, says that raising the mowing height increases the amount of leaf surface area, which increases the amount of potential photosynthesis. In essence, the higher mowing height is creating a bigger tank of fuel for the plant, and hopefully, the fuel will not run out until cooler temperatures return in the fall.

Mow less…roll more:

The goal is to reduce mechanical stress to the grass plant. Mowing is a stressful practice for bentgrass putting greens in the summer months. Researchers at the University of Arkansas found that, by mowing three days per week and rolling three times per week, green speeds would remain consistent throughout the week. In the field, we have observed this practice used in the summer months, and superintendents report favorable results with respect to turf quality. Therefore, if stress is high, reducing mowing frequency and substituting rolling is an option to consider for limiting stress.

Switching from grooved rollers to solid rollers will also protect collars from the turning of mowers.

Carefully monitor course traffic:

Traffic causes additional stress when grasses are already weakened by high temperatures. During these difficult economic times, every golf course wants as much play as possible, but traffic patterns need to be managed carefully. “During these stress periods, we emphasize the importance of using ropes and stakes to manage traffic flow on and off greens. In some cases, weak putting greens may need to be closed,” said Bud White, director of the Mid-Continent Region.

Spoonfeed the grass:

Bob Brame, director of the North-Central Region, emphasizes the importance of staying consistent with a light and frequent foliar feeling. Excessive grass growth depletes carbohydrates (plant food). Iron (to keep the grass green) and growth regulator applications will be part of this mix.

Air movement: On shaded or pocketed greens, prune tree limbs, use fans, and generally keep the air moving. When you are hot, you stand in front of a fan to cool yourself. When the grass is stressed, it needs good air movement as well. Drier turf is also less prone to disease.

“Fans have proven in research trials and in the field to be a valuable bentgrass life support tool,” said Hartwiger. “Fans should be running 24 hours a day right now. If portable fans are available, use them and rotate them throughout the property as needs dictate.”

Do not over-water:

Manage water applications carefully, and hand-water if possible. Lightly syringe the turf with the nozzle. If you are wetting the soil, it’s too much. Any midday watering should be focused on cooling the turf canopy. Remember, you can always add more water, but wet, saturated soil can damage roots, increase disease and contribute to turf loss via wet wilt. If corrective watering needs to be done to curtail dry spots, the extra water should be applied in the early morning or late in the evening. Do not over-water the grass in midday heat.

Watch the putting greens carefully and add supplemental water as often as needed to prevent shallow-rooted bentgrass from wilting.

Surface aerate the greens:

This allows the soil to breath, excess moisture to escape, and roots to re-grow, thereby helping the grass to survive.

Venting the putting greens is another way to properly maintain turf. Venting is a term that applies to the practice of creating small, non-disruptive holes in a putting green for the purpose of improving gas exchange, increasing water infiltration, and stimulating new root initiation. The term venting is used instead of aeration because of the negative connotations golfers associate with the term aeration. Venting is a golfer-friendly practice.

Dr. Robert Carrow, of the University of Georgia, found that the ideal venting frequency in his research plots was every 21 days throughout the summer months. For the summer of 2010, the Green Section recommends venting greens every two to three weeks until fall core aeration arrives.

None of these suggestions by themselves will make the difference between putting green survival and serious injury. It is important to implement all of these suggestions to the greatest degree possible. Although you can’t do much to control the weather, these are steps that will help in the long run.

Meteorologist Allan Dunham with the National Weather Service in Taunton, Mass., said the high dew point level, combined with hot temperatures, will drench the North Atlantic states in Florida-like conditions.

"This is going to cover basically all of southern New England, getting up into southern New Hampshire all the way back towards New York and down along the Mid-Atlantic Seaboard," he said.

Sound familiar? Parts of the above appeared in last year’s USGA Green Section Report, August 4, 2010.

What’s a Trillion Dollars?

2011-06-10T09:25:00.000-05:00

Anytime the federal government talks about a billion dollars; that’s about $4.00 for each of us. When our government talks about budgets and deficits in the terms of a trillion dollars; that’s about $4,000.00 to the taxpayer. I hope that put some light on what a trillion is, now, like the great Paul Harvey used to say “Here’s the rest of the story”.

Not too long ago, then, President Bush requested $87 billion for us to fund and manage two wars. That would have cost you $348.00 dollars.

Consider the news when the awful president Bush was proclaimed the “Worst President Ever” with a deficit of $420 billion, that’s about $1,680.00 cost to you, the taxpayer. Even though Bush with the GOP congress have survived the DOT.COM bubble, two wars and the tragic attracts of 9/11.

Remember the 2003 tax cuts, they did what they were supposed to do, like they always do, they increased federal revenue and decreased the deficit by $120 billion – or $360.00 to us taxpayers.

The national debt when Bush took office was $4 trillion dollars. That’s a staggering $16,000.00 for you. In Bush’s first six years his administration added $2 trillion to the national debt, he was harshly criticized, and rightfully so, that’s a total federal debt of $6 trillion, or, $24,000 for each of us citizen taxpayers.

The One Hundred Tenth United States Congress was the meeting of the legislative branch of the United States Federal Government, between January 3, 2007, and January 3, 2009, during the last two years of the second term of President George W. Bush. The Democratic Party controlled a majority in both chambers for the first time since the end of the 103rd Congress in 1995. Democrat Nancy Pelosi became the first woman Speaker of the House and Harry Reid was Majority Leader in the Senate.

In two years of the 110th congress the Democratic controlled body of government increased the debt by $5 trillion, that congress borrowed more in two years than all 42 presidents before Bush, COMBINED. They successfully increased the national debt more in two years than the 224 years of the United States of America. That a $5 trillion increase that brought our debt to $14 trillion, that’s an amazing $56,000.00 for each man, woman and child in the USA!

This year’s deficit alone is $1.7 trillion, or $6,800 to you. Our government is deficit spending almost $7,000 for every person in the country. That means that after spending every dollar the government actually collects in taxes, they keep spending and borrowing at this ridiculous level.

Our federal budget is $3.5 trillion per year, $14,000.00 for each of us. $2.2 trillion is entitlement spending. Entitlements represent transfer of wealth, from the people who work to the people that don’t to the tune of $8,800.00 per taxpayer; and of course, that includes money to pay the interest on financing the whole scheme.

In the latest skirmish on Capitol Hill the senate cannot agree to cut the $3.5 trillion budget by $100 billion, $400 bucks to you and I. The debt ceiling vote is gridlocked for bargaining proposes between the House and Senate.

What’s the end of this story sound like to you?

God’s Thoughts on Lawns:

2011-06-07T10:47:00.002-05:00

I ran across this short story last week; I thought I’d pass it along.

God: Frank, you know all about gardens and nature. What in the world is going on down there on the planet? What happen to the dandelions, violets, thistle and stuff I started eons ago? I had a perfect no-maintenance garden plan. Those plants grow in any type of soil; withstand drought and multiply with abandon. The nectar from long lasting blossoms attracts butterflies, honey bees and flocks of song birds. I expected to see a vast garden of colors by now. But all I see are these green rectangles.

Saint Francis: It’s the tribes that settled there, Lord. The Suburbanites. They started calling your flowers “weeds” and went to great lengths to kill them and replace them with grass.

God: Grass? But it’s so boring. It’s not colorful. It doesn’t attract butterflies, birds and bees, only grubs and soil worms. It’s sensitive to temperatures. Do these Suburbanites really want all that grass growing there?

Saint Francis: Apparently so, Lord. They go to great lengths to grow it and keep it green. They begin each spring by fertilizing grass and poisoning any other plant that crops up in the lawn.

God: The spring rains and warm temperatures probably make the grass grow really fast. That must make the Suburbanites very happy.

Saint Francis: Apparently not, Lord. As soon as it grows a little, they cut it – sometimes twice a week.

God: They cut it? Do they bail it like hay?

Saint Francis: Not exactly, Lord. Most of them bag it up or rake it.

God: They bag it? Why? Is it a cash crop? Do they sell it?

Saint Francis: No sir, many of the Suburbanites pay to have it removed.

God: They fertilize grass so it will grow. When it does, they cut it off and pay to throw it away.

Saint Francis: Yes Sir.

God: These Suburbanites must be relieved in the summer when we cut back on rain and turn up the heat. That surely slows the growth and saves them a lot of work.

Saint Francis: You aren’t going to believe this, Lord. When the grass stops growing so fast, they drag out hoses and pay more money to water it so they can continue to mow it and pay to get rid of it.

God: What nonsense. At least they kept some of trees. That was a sheer stroke of genius, if I do say so myself. The trees grow leaves in the spring to provide shade and beauty in the summer. In the autumn they fall to the ground and form a natural blanket to keep moisture in the soil and protect the trees and shrubs. Plus, as they rot, the leaves form a compost to enhance the soil. It’s the natural circle of life.

Saint Francis: The Suburbanites have drawn a new circle. As soon as the leaves fall, they rake them into great piles and pay to have them hauled away.

God: No! What do they do to protect the bushes and tree roots in the winter and to keep the soil moist and loose?

Saint Francis: They cut down trees and grind them up to make mulch.

God: I don’t want to think about this anymore. Saint Catherine, you’re in charge of the arts. What movie have you scheduled for us tonight?

Saint Catherine: Dumb and Dumber, Lord. It’s a real stupid movie about…..

God: Never mind, I think I just heard the whole story from Saint Francis.

Thanks, TOCA and Golf Industry Magazine

2011-05-11T10:07:00.000-05:00

I would like to thank my friends at Golf Course Industry magazine for the opportunity to give me an outlet for my writing (ramblings). Pat Jones and Mike Zawacki recently emailed me the news that I won an award from Turf & Ornamental Communicators Association (TOCA) on a short piece I wrote for my BLOG and Golf Course Industry in September, 2010. If you would like to read the article it can be viewed at Golf Course Industry. Thanks again to Pat and Mike at Golf Course Industry; they truly are a great group of professionals representing the Golf Turf Industry.

First Place - Wrting for Electronic Newsletter: Original Content

Greens Height of Cut - Where are You?

2011-04-28T11:42:00.000-05:00

Drop a quick comment on your standard height of cut.

Organic Root and Hair Fertilizer

2011-04-27T12:11:00.001-05:00

• Strengthens and nourishes weak, damaged hair and Poa annua
• Stimulates scalp and thatch for faster turf and hair growth
• Adds moisture to dry hair and turf roots
• Hair and turf grows stronger

Organic Turf Root Stimulator Hair Fertilizer treatment is perfect for turf and hair that grows sluggishly and breaks easily.
It is enriched with a special blend of nettle, horsetail, and paprika; these ingredients have historically been known to stimulate the turf root and scalp.
Repairs damage done by chemical treatments, rolling, ballmarks and mowing.

Use with the Organic Root Stimulator Turf Hair Restoration System for best results.

Turf Care Centers

2011-04-27T11:17:00.001-05:00

It has been some time since I have written about the subject of maintenance buildings and the associated site and companion buildings that make up the Turf Care Center.

Many superintendents sometimes see just the fancy maintenance buildings and Turf Care Centers in magazine articles and books, but in the following space I thought I would let the pictures do the talking. This is what’s out there.

From Florida to Connecticut, California to New Jersey, this photos are typical.

Keep in mind these photos are of private clubs, some in the top 100, most have budgets well over 1 million dollars.

A theme that repeats itself time and again, JUNK! I am beginning to wonder; do superintendents have a love affair with old equipment, plastic drums, and brittle PVC pipe?

Office areas and parts rooms, poorly kept; every course associated with these Turf Care Centers was in great shape, every single golf course was in exceptional condition!

How does your Turf Care Center look?

FYI, Revenues and Expenses

2011-03-25T09:58:00.005-05:00

Click on image to view or download

Caparison of revenues and expenses on golf course operating and cap. X, six different course types in the United States.

Measure and Improve Your Course Operation

2011-03-24T15:23:00.000-05:00

You can't manage what you don't measure. It is an old management adage that is accurate today. Unless you measure something you don't know if it is getting better or worse. You can't manage for improvement if you don't measure to see what is getting better and what isn't. This article may help you know what to measure and how.

Definitions
To begin, we'll define a few of the terms. We are using "measure" as a verb, not a noun and "benchmark" as a noun, not adverb.

• Measure: The verb means "to ascertain the measurements of"
• Measurement: The figure, extent, or amount obtained by measuring"
• Metric: "A standard of measurement"
• Benchmark: "A standard by which others may be measured"

So, we collect data (measurements), determine how those will be expressed as a standard (metric), and compare the measurement to the benchmark to evaluate progress. For example, we can measure the time it takes to set-up the golf course each morning, by the number of employees multiplied by the time each crew member takes to complete their task. Then we need to measure the number of tasks the crew accomplishes before players begin to fill the course. We also need to measure (count) the number of break-downs, bad cups, misaligned tee markers, ropes and traffic control items moved, bunkers raked, etc. in that set-up process. That's how we will establish "our quality rating" for golf course set-up, expressed as the metric. We compare each crew members metric against the benchmark of "time and quailty rating for golf course set-up".

In the example above you can see Paul’s performance and quality is directly related to the time it takes to complete the task. Given a set of standards of ballmark repair and bunker detail above 4 it can be surmised that 3 hours and 48 minutes would be the target time for a quality standard of 4 or better..

What To Measure
To manage and measure those activities is important to successfully achieving your organization's goals. Key Performance Indicators, also known as KPI or Key Success Indicators (KSI), help an organization define and measure progress toward its goals.

They differ depending on the organization. A golf course may have as one of its Key Performance Indicators as the time it takes to prepare the golf course for daily play. Another golf course may have as one of its KPIs the percentage of golfers returning to play the course. As routine maintenance changes a return golfer count may correlate to maintenance operations (the number one reason a golfer is satisfied with a golf experience is course conditioning). Still another Key Performance Indicator for a golf course maintenance organization might be the gross revenue compared with routine maintenance costs.

You may need to measure several things to be able to calculate the metrics in your KPIs. To measure progress toward the organizations goals you may consider the time it takes to maintain the course, rounds played, average time to play 18-holes and time to schedule large scale mowing (rough and fairways). Many golf course operations take advantage of off peak time (late in the day) to mow fairways and rough in an effort to increase efficiencies and cause less disruption of play.

How To Measure
How you measure is as important as what you measure. In the previous example, we can measure square footage, time and quality. We could have an assistant or foreman checking time spent and quality of raked bunkers and ballmark repair while changing hole-cups. Another option would have a golf shop assistant take a tour of the course check conditions and work on player relations simultaneously. The biggest challenge is that measurements are current, accurate, complete, and unbiased.

Collecting the measurements enables the superintendent to calculate the percentage of time and quality increases or decreases in relationship to other maintenace eliments and weather. In addition, it provides additional measurements that help the superintendent manage toward improving the percentages through additional training, more efficient equipment, increases or decreases in staff or time allotments and scheduling time of day to accomplish tasks.

How To Use Measurements
Most often, these measurements are used as part of a Continuous Improvement Plan like the Shewhart cycle.

Similar plans are used by many companies in different industries and given different names, but the goal is the same - to measure the key factors and improve them.

It is important that you communicate your metrics both up and down the organization. Your GM, committee, board or owner(s) wants to know what's going on, but your employees need to know also. They are not motivated to improve unless they know how they are doing. In addition, most of the suggestions on how to improve will come from them.

Post team and individual results, either on line or just by hanging charts on the wall. Use pie charts, line charts, key driver charts, and other graphs to quickly, easily, and visually communicate the metrics.

Review your metrics and use them to guide your decisions. With your metrics in place, you can tell which strategies are working and which aren't. If you make a change, you use the metrics to tell you whether the change improved things or not.

When the metrics show improvement, share that success with everyone. Tell your staff. Tell your boss. Tell the guy you meet on the course. And don't forget to reward the people who were responsible for the success, even if it's just a verbal pat on the back.

Measure To Manage
• Measure what's important.
• Publish your metrics and benchmarks.
• Reward people for exceeding their goals.
• And then start over.

You'll be a better superintendent if you do.

The President’s 60th

2011-03-23T11:37:00.000-05:00

While President Obama is by no means close to 60 years old, he did enjoy his 60th round of golf as President last week. We in the golf business are extremely pleased that the President has been able to take 60 mornings or afternoons to clear his head, relax and rejuvenate on the golf course. We are even more excited about the President’s consistent use of private clubs throughout the country to work on his game – especially when he visits Martha’s Vineyard and Hawaii.

President Obama and Vice President Biden tune up at the White House

That being said, I hope that he will work with us on initiatives that will help our industry continue to grow and prosper. As an avid golfer, he knows how important the game can be to the economy of a local community, and I look forward to reminding him and his staff of those benefits at every possible opportunity. Fore!
Contact President Obama; because he and his staff is committed to creating the most open and accessible administration in American history. To send him notes of thanks for supporting golf follow this link.

Thanks Mr. President for playing golf

Masters Quiz

2011-03-23T09:10:00.000-05:00

The Masters Quiz » create exams

Lost Caddy Shack Clip

2011-03-21T15:50:00.002-05:00

Fully Functioning Growing Degree Day Calculator, Seedhead Suppression

2011-02-16T10:10:00.001-06:00

Poa Annua Seedhead Calc2011v1.0

The Newest Goal Directed Budget for Golf Course Maintenance

2011-01-26T09:31:00.000-06:00

Goal Directed Budget 2011

The Battle of 2010

2011-01-07T08:44:00.000-06:00

In a continuing effort to discover the many effects the past summer has had on golf greens turf I have launch a mini survey. The last survey I finished yielded 422 responses from across the US and gave many superintendents valuable information. This survey is just slightly different being that many have digested the season and have plans or actions in place that will safeguard turf though stressful summer conditions. The survey will only take several minutes and I will post a link with the results after the GIS next month. Thanks in advance, and all my best this New Year. Click to go to survey site.

What is the Programming Phase of the Turf Care Center?

2010-12-09T10:12:00.001-06:00

The short answer is that Architectural programming is everything you need to know before you plan, design and draw. The longer answer is that programming is a process that a planning specialist and architect lead a client through to identify and articulate what the projects objectives and constraints are now and in the future. This process will involve asking very important questions then listening. At the end of the process the planning specialist and architect will establish the project design objectives from the list of needs, wants, and priorities in written and numerical form. The result will be a detailed work plan that will guide the Planning and Design process. Good, detailed programming is imperative to a successful project.

The final deliverables of Architectural Programming are a Project Narrative, Program Statement, Adjacencies Diagram, and a Preliminary Budget. The Project Narrative is an overview of the entire project explaining the project scope and goals. It also contains descriptions of each department and functional spaces such as equipment storage, meeting rooms, administrative space, and repair shops. The Program Statement is an overall numerical summary of the project (spreadsheet) identifying all individual building and site requirements at a departmental level. This statement include the following minimum information: existing spaces, proposed new spaces, future expansion, and tabulation of all space requirements including circulation, wall, and mechanical space. The Adjacencies Diagram is a graphically depiction of the spacial relationship of all the program elements to one another. The Preliminary Budget is an opinion of probable cost based on simple square footage cost of similar projects. Using experience from similar past projects we will recommend space needs, in the case of a unique requirement we will specifically study special space needs and adjacencies.

Steps in the programming process

• Identify the basic elements and set up a structure for collecting information and making decisions.

   o Review existing organizational charts and employee lists

   o Identify all influencers and decision makers

   o Clarify how decision will be made
• Interview Key Personal

• Distribute a questionnaire to Staff

o Collect, tabulate and analyze survey results

• Perform a detailed survey of the existing space

o Identify structural and site elements

o Identify wall construction

• Inventory existing furnishings, fixtures and equipment

o Identify items for reuse, refurbishment and replacement

• Conduct building code analysis and meet with local code authorities.

• Produce Program Deliverables

o Project Narrative

o Program Statement

o Adjacencies Diagram

o Opinion of Probable Cost

This important first programming step is the foundation of any successful architectural plan and should not be short circuited to save, in most cases less than 1% of the entire construction budget. The time and cost involved in programming is critical to the very finest building and site development and planning.

THE BOTTOM LINE OF THE BOTTOM LINE

2010-12-08T08:54:00.001-06:00

The tailspin of the years since November 2007 have been economically challenging for both for-profit and non-profit organizations in the U.S., and certainly this quandary extends to the golf industry in general and private clubs alike.

Traditionally, the first impulse among owners and managers facing eroding profitability is to cut services or staff, a somewhat dubious action when considering the long and short term consequences of these actions.

Without falling into a debate surrounding the feasibility of different business models used by the golf industry, especially given today’s distressed financial and demographic environments, there are realistic, mostly overlooked, measures that are available to mitigate revenue shortfalls.

Golf facilities, regardless of their type, essentially have two broad means that can be taken to improve profitability: 1) increase revenues, or 2) reduce costs. Increasing gross revenues when supply is high (open memberships and underutilized golf courses) is extremely difficult to accomplish. However, it may be debated that creative marketing and price manipulation can offer substantial potential to those willing to utilize it. The grim facts remain; if the overall consumer base is not growing; aggressive marketing will serve only to benefit the most creative at the expense of the less creative.

The alternative to raising revenues is to reduce costs. Amazingly, statistics show only a small number (below 10%) of organizations has ever undergone an independent, comprehensive analysis of their expenses, despite the fact that cost reduction usually is so impactful. In addition, depending on the profit margin of the organization, it would require at least three times the amount of revenue to produce the equivalent amount of bottom line benefit that cost reduction can generate – without a penny invested in marketing.

Although most organizations employ accountants, treasurers and/or CFOs, their typical policy is to look only at trends or possibly one-time only expenditures and to assume that the status quo should not be bothered.

It is not meant as a criticism to suggest that these professionals are usually missing the boat. The fact is that they simply cannot be expert in all of the categories of expenses found on any P&L statement. Let’s examine some of the line items that would be found on a club’s books: electric utility costs (including irrigation pump stations and golf cart recharging), internal-equipment maintenance (including that for heating and A/C, restaurant, golf course fleet and waste removal), water supply facility maintenance, IT, telecom and security systems and service contracts, advertising, office supplies, uniforms, bank fees, insurance (of all types), fertilizers and chemicals, human resources, travel, and the ever-popular financing expenses.

Consider the staff size that it would take to establish not only the appropriate “baseline” numbers for these items, but then to have the sophistication and capability to access alternative vendors for them or to re-negotiate existing contracts, if necessary. Fortune 500 companies have entire departments devoted just to this arena; smaller organizations can’t afford them.

It must be emphasized here that we are not speaking of small potatoes in the aggregate when assessing the excess spending in these categories. It would be hard to envision that most clubs of any size would not have variable expenses – i.e., excluding salaries and commodity related supplies – in the million dollar-plus ranges. It is no exaggeration to state that an expense audit would be expected to uncover potential savings, on average, of $200,000 to $300,000 (better than the average of 60 full dues paying members) at this level of expenditures and that, the greater the gross expenditures, the greater the cumulative savings benefit. Additionally, not only can the savings occur in the first year, they recur in the years to follow.

So why is it that more organizations don’t employ an outside consultant to evaluate their spending patterns? In part, it’s because owners and or managers don’t realize such services exist, in part because they first need a nudge from a trusted source before they’ll try something “new,” and in part it’s because they’re convinced their staffs can handle it. Although expense reduction is not the only answer, it is one of the answers, and one which can be accomplished with no financial risk or out of pocket cost to the organization as fees are usually based on a split of realized savings, and then only for a limited period.

Arguably the greatest business book to appear in the last quarter century is Jim Collins’ Good to Great, Why Some Companies Make the Leap . . . and Others Don’t. In preparation for the book the author and his research team identified and examined 11 publicly traded companies that significantly outperformed their competitors for a period of 15 or more years to find out what made them so successful. The findings were sometimes surprising, often at odds with conventional wisdom, but definitive in that they were based on empirical evidence, not business theory.

One of the findings is that all Good to Great companies had a culture of discipline. Quoting from the book:

“Much of the answer to the question of ‘good to great’ lies in the discipline to do whatever it takes to become the best within carefully selected arenas and then seek continual improvement in these. It’s really just that simple.”

If you truly want to strive and survive in this post recession world of golf management your team needs to assess the feasibility of reducing variable expenses. You fiduciary responsibility to your members and owners require it.

What’s Your Style?

2010-11-24T14:19:00.000-06:00

All the fancy management books note there are in all 6 basic managerial styles. I am not saying that there are any more or less correct styles of management.

You as a leader should find it advantageous to adopt the right style to fit the situation and the person. Consequently, what I am saying is that some styles are better suited to certain situations than others.

And also, if you keep to the same style no matter what the situation this can have adverse affects from your staff and their performance.

So, want to know what the 6 managerial styles are and what they mean?

Here’s my take on the 6 styles:

1. THE COERCIVE MANAGEMENT STYLE

Manager who uses this is intent on obtaining immediate compliance from employees. Conversation is one way.

Very directive, He/she tightly controls situations and emphasizes negative rather than positive feedback.

The manager wants employees to do their work exactly as the manager wants it.

2. THE AUTHORITATIVE MANAGEMENT STYLE

The manager's goal here is to provide vision and focused leadership. Emphasis is on long term thinking and a clearly stated direction.

Decisions are made by the manager but some employee input is sought to reality test decisions. This style also relies on the skillful use of influence to gain employee buy-in to decisions, a firm but fair approach.

3. THE AFFILIATIVE MANAGEMENT STYLE

Manager uses this to promote harmony, cooperation, and good feelings among employees.

Affiliative actions include accommodating family needs that conflict with work goals, quickly smoothing tensions between employees, or promoting social activities within the team.

The manager pursues being liked as a way to motivate people.

He/she puts people first and tasks second.

4. THE DEMOCRATIC MANAGEMENT STYLE

Manager focuses on building group consensus and commitment through group management of the decision-making process.

Requires a hands-off style and places a heavy emphasis on team participation. Employees are trusted to have the skills, knowledge and drive to come up with decisions to which everyone is committed.

Manager's role is only to fine-tune and approve the plan.

5. THE PACESETTING MANAGEMENT STYLE

Manager uses this style to focus on accomplishing a great deal of top quality work him-or herself. Employees are thought capable of achieving their own goals with little supervision.

When performance is not up to standard, the manager will do it him- or herself.

Emphasis on "Doing it myself"

6. THE COACHING MANAGEMENT STYLE

Directed towards professional growth of employees

Manager focuses on helping employees identify their strengths and weaknesses, improvement areas and set development plans that foster career goals.

Manager creates an environment that supports honest self- assessment and treats mistakes as learning opportunities in the development process.

You will always have a dominant style that you use more than any other. It's always really interesting to see the mix of how often you use the other styles as well.

Think about what styles you use the most often.

Are they effective?

Are you a one dimensional leader that uses the same style over and over again?

What could you do to develop you skills in the other managerial styles?

I'll leave them with you!

Thank You Vets

2010-11-11T13:28:00.002-06:00

View Golf Financial Survey

2010-11-03T14:36:00.000-05:00

Golf Financial Survey, 10/2010

How to Be Better at Leadership and Golf Course Business

2010-10-26T09:48:00.000-05:00

The approach to being better at golf business is one of my favorite topics. What are the key elements that contribute to a finely managed golf course? The profession of golf course management is a multifaceted one. Personalities, equipment fleets, labor, agronomics, financial management, just to name several. It’s a wonder anyone can be highly proficient at being a golf course superintendent considering all of the skills needed.

From my standpoint the golf course superintendent is a consummate business manager and leader, who is passionate about working hard and delivering the finest conditioned golf course that time and resources will allow. To sharpen your skills as a leader and business manager I offer several ideas for standing out as the golf course superintendent at the facility you manage. What follows are observations on leadership made by me that contribute to a successful golf management business managed by several successful superintendents I have known.

A Golf Course Superintendent Should Always Establish Good Examples of Being a Leader

It’s always a good practice not ask anything of employees that you will not do yourself. This is why the same people have worked for good superintendents for extended periods of time. One of the simple things a superintendent can do to show they are on the same page as the rest of the crew, is to show up for work on time and stay the course of the day. If working hours are 6 to 3, then put those hours in like everyone else.

Do Not Fall Prey to "It's Not My Job" Syndrome at Your Facility

If you desire to be a true leader, you need to lose the "it's not my job," mantra. This attitude will get you nowhere fast. Over the years, I worked among many general managers and golf professionals who shifted their responsibility to someone else. Lend a hand when you see someone from another department or a golfer that could use your help. However, do not let others at your course or club take advantage of you.

Own up to Your Mistakes - It is Always Better than a Cover-up

As a superintendent, be open and be the first one to say, "I goofed and I need to fix this immediately." Trying to cover-up a mistake or not admitting to a mistake takes far more energy to conceal than putting in place an immediate solution. No sleepless nights and believe me, you will get positive recognition for your honesty. The best superintendents are the ones who admit to error and corrects it without complaint.

Do Not Share Entrusted Company Business

If your general manager or owner entrusts you with private company business, keep it confidential. Be a better business manager and leader by demonstrating your ability to maintain your employer's trust. If your boss shares with you information he or she does not wish to be public, then respect that.

Leave Gossip Out of the Workplace

Gossip has no place in your working environment. I guarantee you will not make it as an effective leader or superintendent if you are a gossip. Gossip is harmful and turns people against each other, creating stress in the workplace. A good superintendent will sway fellow workers away from this useless behavior and instead promote positive dialogue among the employees.

A Team Leader is Not a Dictator

Do not let the idea of you being head superintendent, go to your head. You are still an employee like everyone else. You are a superintendent because your owners or memberships feel you can literally lead your crew and golf course in the right direction. You can be a better team leader by leaving your ego at the door.

Be a Good Listener

The worst trait I find in people is the inability to listen. If you want to be a better golf course superintendent, you have to polish your listening skills. Focus on what someone is trying to say to you and forget about what you will be doing this weekend or what you will have for dinner tonight. A good listener seems to be a dying breed these days.

Do Not Show Favoritism

Everyone involved in your business is an equal. If a couple of employees earn more money because they have been with the club for many years, do not show them favoritism over newer workers. As their superintendent, you’ll want them to feel they are an integral part of the course crew, also, be sure to let them know how appreciated they are for all their hard work.

Stay Calm and Collected

Be a better superintendent by staying calm and collected throughout the day. Learn to manage your stress level. A great way to get a handle on stress is a short walk on the golf course. There are many books available on this subject, so study up. A stressed out superintendent is not in control and in turn, emotionally unable to do a good job of heading up the rest of the crew.

Be a Leader in Making Decisions

You can be a better superintendent if you are able to reason and make decisions without floundering over what you have to accomplish on any given day. I know many superintendents that are sharp in the decision making process. These superintendents don’t hem and haw about what to do...they just make the call and get the job done. These outstanding superintendents never leave something up in the air while they ponder the problem for hours. Decision-making is a valued attribute in a first-rate golf course superintendent.

In my many years as a golf course superintendent and recent years as a golf course consultant, I have observed many different types of management styles, some great, some no so much. The basic commonalities of the above management traits are observations, made by me, of great golf course superintendents. Perhaps some of these tips will assist you in the difficult job of managing your business.

Short Survey

2010-10-15T09:26:00.000-05:00

To participate in a golf course budget and financial survey click in this LINK.

What is Your GO TIME?

2010-09-29T11:28:00.001-05:00

Ten Rules of Golf Business Preparation
Success in the golf course management world is not about who is the smartest; research shows that IQ is largely unrelated to status in the high powered corporate food chain. Success is not about who has the best education; consider this, only 14% of Fortune 500 companies are led by brainy Ivy Leaguers. And success is not about who has the best funding or resources; many successful businesses started in garages, dining rooms, and the back of cars. I am sure we have all witnessed golf greens at high budget golf course in less than perfect conditions.

It’s no surprise that prior to a world class golf event, advance teams from one of golf’s sanctioning bodies arrives at the club to pour over the many details that must be taken care sometimes years before the scheduled event.

In the day-to-day world of maintaining a golf course as well as other business endeavors, the single greatest influence on who achieves success is preparation. The more prepared you are to confront the many challenges of golf course management, the more successful you will be. As uncomfortable as this sounds the best prepared superintendents escaped the 2010 summer season with minor battle scars. Deferred maintenance practices and knee jerk mid-summer field decisions led to major turfgrass losses in many cases.

To attain any goal of success, you must engage in the needed preparation which involves: "Maintaining consistently high quality year-round efforts resulting in optimal preparation for maximum in-season success."

1906 Chicago Cubs, World Series Champions

The purpose of all of your preparations is to perform your best at Go Time which is: "Seasonal experiences that place you and your team under the most demanding conditions, faced with the most critical decisions, with the greatest rewards/risks on the line, in the most important management situation of your life" (think of Go Time as your Super Bowl, World Series or Stanley Cup all rolled up into one).

Golf course management in some areas is a year-round proposition. Even in areas that experience mild winters a period of less stress occurs at a time of year that opens the door to prepare for the Go Time season. With this understanding, I want to present to you my basic Ten Rules of Preparation needed before Go Time:

Ten Rules of Golf Business Preparation

First Rule: Preparation is the foundation of all success. This preparation involves six important areas: 1) Essential information (e.g., goals; based on plans, surveys, strategies) ; 2) Task-specific knowledge and skills (e.g., soil and water tests, yearly budget plans, timed maintenance plans, well prepared core team); 3) Resources and tools (e.g., experts, equipment in top shape, network of colleagues); 4) Psychological and emotional capabilities (e.g., determination, confidence, resilience); 5) Interpersonal skills (e.g., leadership, empathy, assertiveness, communication, inspiration, decisiveness); 6) Physical health (e.g., illness free, rested, well nourished, reasonably fit).

Second Rule: Success comes from the days, weeks, and months of preparation leading up to the culmination of those seasonal efforts. Many golf course practitioners believe that it's what happens on a key days or weeks during the season that matters. But I believe that success is determined more by what you do in the days, weeks, and months leading up to the crucial days of the golf season in your part of the world. If you've put in the time and effort to develop yourself and your team in the six areas I described in the First Rule, then you will know that you have done everything you can to achieve your goals and you will perform your best on those important seasonal days.

Third Rule: Three essential qualities necessary for preparation and success are patience, persistence, and perseverance. Preparation takes time and you will experience many bumps along the road. Patience ensures that you realize that there are no shortcuts or easy roads to success. Persistence will get you to keep grinding away when you are tired and stressed from a long season. Perseverance will enable you to stay motivated and positive in the face of the inevitable obstacles and setbacks you will experience.

Fourth Rule: You must take responsibility for everything that can impact your preparation and performance. Success is not a simple goal; there are usually many components that must be considered and steps that must be taken. You cannot leave anything important to chance. To ensure that you are doing everything you can to achieve your goals; you must take responsibility for everything that might influence your efforts. Can you say with confidence that you have complete command over everything that might impact how you perform?

Fifth Rule: The purpose of preparation is to develop effective skills and habits. When you have identified those six key areas from the First Rule, you have a precise plan showing you what you need to do to achieve your goals. Education, training, experience, and teamwork that help you fully develop all of those areas that will ensure your complete preparation. These experiences will ingrain in you the essential skills you can then access when you arrive at Go Time.

Sixth Rule: Preparation requires a defined purpose, clear focus, and high energy every day. It's impossible to engage in quality preparation unless these three things are present. You must have a clear purpose that tells you precisely what you're working on. Without that purpose, you will make at best, haphazard progress toward your goals. When you identify your purpose every day, you ensure that you put directed effort into that purpose. You must have a clear focus on that purpose which involves consistently concentrating on the task at hand and avoiding distractions that will interfere with that focus. You must have high energy to achieve this preparation. All of your efforts will come to naught if you are not physically prepared (e.g., rested, relaxed, well nourished) to execute the purpose you have identified. When you have awareness and control of your energy, you enable your mind and body to direct all of its efforts toward your defined purpose.

Seventh Rule: However you perform in your day-to-day work is how you will perform at Go Time. When most people think of the best athletes (e.g., Peyton Manning, Albert Pujols, Michael Phelps), they often believe that what makes them great is their ability to rise to the occasion at Go Time. But what really makes them so successful is that what they do at Go Time is really no different than what they do every day in their off season training and pre-event routine. The same holds true in the golf course maintenance business. Your daily and seasonal work preparations and efforts should be filled with the same drive, intensity, and focus that you will need to tap into at Go Time.

Eighth Rule: Preparation is about the Grind. To be your best, you have to put a lot of time and effort into your preparations. I call this the Grind, which involves having to put hours upon hours of time into your work, well beyond the point that it is fun and engaging. If you let these immediate negative aspects of your work override your long-term goals of performing your best and achieving your goals, your motivation is going to suffer and you're not going to be as prepared as you can be and you won't perform at your highest level at Go Time. The number one reason for failure is when business people experience the Grind they get tired, frustrated, or bored, they either ease up or give up, all of which will hurt their preparations and ultimately the final product. What makes great superintendents great is that they understand it is what happens when they arrive at the Grind that separates them from everyone else. When they hit the Grind, they push harder.

Ninth Rule: Go Time Preparation comes from "one more thing, one more time." You can assume that golf businesses are working hard to become the best they can be, especially in this weak golf economy. Great achievers do, "One more thing, one more time." When you feel you have done enough, do just a little bit more. By doing one more thing, one more time, you are doing that little bit extra that will prepare you for Go Time and separate you from your competitors.

Tenth Rule: All preparation is directed toward preparing you and your team to perform your best at Go Time. Anyone can perform well in unimportant situations, under ideal weather conditions or when they are totally "on their game." What makes the great superintendents great is their ability to perform their best when it really counts. Go Time preparation will allow you to achieve Premium Conditions at Go Time, that late August Member/Guest after a brutal summer, that might be your equivalent of the Super Bowl, World Series, or Stanley Cup.

The Ten Rules above are a simple template of proven ways to become more prepared for the golf season. They all revolve around planning and preparation in the less busy golf season. Unplanned surprises and a fickle Mother Nature will always be a part of the golf maintenance business but they should never derail your best plan and keep you from delivering your maximum effort each day.

Consider this:

Confucius said, “A man who does not think and plan long ahead will find trouble right at his door.” Or, if you're not into Chinese philosophers how about Roger Maris, who said, “You win not by chance, but by preparation.” Rodger knew something about Go Time!

Here are some comments from the recent greens survey

2010-09-16T11:04:00.000-05:00

Mark Luckhardt, Vice President, XGD Systems (Ontario, Canada) wrote:

Michael,
Very interesting survey. First off, let me say that I am a big fan of USGA green construction. During green construction, speed is critical and a 12" rootzone of predominantly sand will allow a bulldozer to spread the mix without destroying the soil structure through compaction.

Building a soil green requires much more time to let the soil rootzone settle out and compact naturally through overhead irrigation and or precipitation events, and heavy equipment needs to be kept off of the soil based rootzone or compaction will occur. I believe the extra time it takes to build a pushup green is really the only reason you don't see more of it in this current era. The new green(s) need to be in play immediately and USGA construction fits the bill there.

Regarding your survey results showing a much higher percentage of sand based greens failing this past summer vs. soil greens, I find the results surprising. Obviously, a lot of variables contribute to green failure but I would have to say water and thatch management play a big role. With increasing pressure from golf clientele to avoid playing after aerification events, I feel superintendents are not being allowed to employ enough cultural practices to win the war against excessive thatch or organic material buildup in the top few inches of their rootzones, be it sand based or soil based.

Another question I ask is, are soil temperatures higher in sand greens than soil greens? One would think that with the extra pore space available in a sand root zone that would promote more air circulation and keep temps cooler. But, with excessive organic material in the top few inches is the opposite occurring in sand root zones? If oxygen is not circulating in to the lower rootzone, perhaps these high soil temps contributed to turf loss. Conversely, a soil based rootzone would seem to promote higher soil temps in general as well, but I am not convinced that is the case. Maybe, some research has already been done on this to validate or disclaim my opinions.

Armen Suny, Owner of SunyGolf (Arizona) wrote:

Mike,

Interesting results of your survey.

You and I both have good observational skills and have seen that USGA greens are far from bullet-proof. I continue to struggle with the thought that a false water table is good for growing anything except for rice. Excuse me, my nomenclature is not politically correct, I meant perched water table.

I would be hesitant to add more than a trace of clay dust to a USGA green because I would suspect that if you added just a little bit of soil that it would become difficult to overcome gravity and get the greens to release their water. You might have to fill up the entire profile with water to get gravity to overcome the tension created by the addition of soil.

On the other hand, I would have absolutely no problem adding soil to a mix that is placed on ripped or sandy subsoil with or without drainage. If it was in an area of high rainfall, I'd add more drainage. Compost or at least good compost is a great component in any mix. It adds life and good microbes to the mix and generally minimizes the amount of weird patch diseases.

Bob Lohmann, Golf Course Architect, Owner Lohmann Golf Designs (Illinois) wrote:

Hey Mike,

I have been traveling a bunch lately and haven't had a chance to study your survey. I think a lot of the good and bad things that happen to green are more to do with how they are managed than what they are built out of. The best management techniques include adequate sun, good air circulation, and proper surface drainage. It takes a smart and aggressive supt. to recognize this and do everything in his or her power to have these present on all the greens. When these are not present or if the weather is uncooperative, it takes a good supt. to adapt their management techniques to keep the grass alive and not worry about tournament conditions. Just because a green is built to the recommendations of the USGA or similar methods, the supt. can't forget to respect "Mother Nature" and needs to adjust the techniques and inform the players that expectations should be slightly lowered in tough weather times.

It is not an easy job and we should all respect the keeper of the greens when conditions like we have had this past spring and summer are causing havoc with the golf courses.

Hopefully we can continue this discussion later after I have had a chance to study your survey.

Brad Anderson, Superintendent of Birmingham Country Club (Michigan) wrote:

Mike,

I wonder how many of those clubs that suffered loss of grass on USGA greens actually built those greens to spec? And there is also the issue of cultural practices - how many of those USGA greens that suffered loss have had a proper cultural program through the years? Obviously all of that would be very difficult to determine for certain.

Ben Rink, Superintendent of Champaign Country Club (Illinois) wrote:

It is difficult to pinpoint the "cause" of the decline other than it was too hot, too wet, or too dry. All summer I felt like if I even looked at the turf sideways it would just roll over and die. I pulled off nearly all cultural practices (old pushup greens) and just rode it out until we had a break. At this point I am happy I did because my greens are the best turf on the course! I think that, as Bruce pointed out, since the damage has been so widespread and talked about (WSJ article and such) that most of us superintendents are dealing with club leaders that are aware that damage isn't isolated to their course. Almost a "get out of jail free card." The telling story will be the recovery efforts. I have found that my empathetic membership is slowly turning into an impatient membership now that the weather has moderated. Communication between us and them has never been more important!

David Downing, President, Signature Golf Group (South Carolina) wrote:

Mike,

I would suggest some more questions after the question about losses…if you suffered 15% or more what do you feel was the primary cause(s):

Greens Construction
Shade
Winter Damage
Traffic
Disease
Poor Drainage
Too much Drainage
No air movement
Lack of resources

At this point the survey just shows some losses….people need solutions!! Need to know the whys to avoid them in the future!!

Bruce Williams, Director of Business Development, ValleyCrest Golf, (California) wrote:

Nice job on the survey Mike.

I believe it is valuable for the leadership of golf courses nationwide to know the extent of the damage this year. It surely was not isolated and supts work harder in years like this although the results may not show it. 120 days of pure screaming hell for many golf course supts across the country.

What do you think?

Greens Survey, 2010

2010-09-07T11:58:00.001-05:00

Greens Survey, 2010

First Weeks Results from Greens Survey

2010-08-30T10:18:00.000-05:00

CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE

After 337 responses these are the preliminary results on just one cross tabulation. I post this information after just six days but have yet to put a report together to explain some of the results. I will leave this survey active until September 3rd at 12:00 Noon.

This short survey is compliments of me, I guarantee the results have not been tampered with and there are no duplicates surveys allowed. The five questions have been designed by me with no conceived bias to any entity or methods of golf course management. A complete analysis of the survey will be forthcoming.

Considering the amount of responses the survey has a confidence level of 95%, and an accuracy of + or – of less than 5%.

Thank you to all participants.

Manageable Greens

2010-08-27T14:44:00.000-05:00

In most cases private club golfers should be treated to well populated, firm, fast greens. When these conditions stray from densely turfed, firm, fast greens superintendents themselves are partially responsible and until they develop a cultural and agronomic program they’ll never give the golfer these desired playing surfaces.The majority of superintendents consistently provide optimum playing conditions on greens surfaces throughout the year, the year of 2010 may be an exception rather than the rule.

It has been proven since the inception that modified sand based greens and the USGA specification greens can not function properly with thatch accumulations of greater than 2% in the upper three inches of the rootzone. The superintendent’s duty is to mitigate these excess accumulations of thatch and organic material. This is accomplished by a carefully planned program to cultivate, remove and dilute the thatch and organic layer and restore the original design characteristics and the air and water movement specifications to the rootzone.

The program for thatch and organic matter management with sand based greens

Late Winter – Early Spring

This program deals mainly with fall cultivation; however success is due to a season-long management program. The ideal program begins in late winter to early spring with a greens aerification using 5/8-inch tines. Cores are removed; then straight sand topdressing matching the original mix is added to fill the aerification holes. At this time you may also add a laboratory recommended soil amendment to be added to or with the sand. Dictated by on soil tests, a program may call for additions of slow release mineral or organic fertilizer or other minerals needed by the rootzone to supply the turf with balanced recommended nutrients. This early-season heavy cultivation allows the greens to weather the stresses of June, July and August.

Aerification Hole Filled with Sand

Throughout the Seasons

Once greens are healed from the initial work, you should begin a season-long verti-cutting and topdressing program at approximate three-week intervals, you should vigorously verticut in two directions then follow up with a light topdressing, applying the material in two or three directions with a spinner type spreader. Depending on rate of application, the top dressing is either brushed in or lightly watered. Greens should then be rolled mowed using backup units or just rolled; the golfer should experience virtually no disruption to the putting surface. Depending on weather, you should strive to maintain an aggressive verticutting/topdressing schedule during the spring and early summer. During the height of the summer, adjust this program as necessary and perhaps substitute with HyroJect applications because of weather extremes.

Late Summer

When late August arrives, you should begin the fall cultivation program. On the Monday and Tuesday before the Labor Day weekend, all greens are serviced with DryJect or HyroJect. These machines fracture the rootzone using water at high pressure. The DryJect creates an opening in the turf and then the machine injects a topdressing material into the hole. Light topdressing when using the HyroJect is recommended since sand is not injected with is brand of aerification machine. Since water is used in the process the greens should be allowed to dry. They are then brushed, mowed and opened for play. The advantage of using the DryJect is that a green of 5,000 to 6,000 square feet can be aerified, sand injected, cleaned and mowed in approximately 1/1/2 to 1 3/4 hours, Minimum disruption occurs with this process and greens are very playable after rolling and mowing.

Contracting these aerification processes out to a specialized contacting company make for a fast process. The companies generally use three or four machines. You would provide the topdressing material; with the addition of one laborer with each machine, your crew would also be responsible for the final cleanup and mowing. Two full days should be dedicated to this process.

It should be noted that DryJect and HyroJect is not a true aerification process, since no cores are removed and no organic matter management is achieved. The main objective in this initial step is to relieve some compaction, generate new root growth at the aerification site, develop a better gas exchange, help in water infiltration and incorporate fresh topdressing material into the green profile.

Toro HyroJect

With reasonable growing conditions, the greens show no evidence of the DryJect or HyroJect service seven to 10 days after the procedure.

During this time it is also the ideal time to incorporate seed into the green surface as needed. There are many methods that can be used to accomplish this procedure. The Graden or deep Verti-Cutting will work well to prepare a seedbed. Bentgrass seed should be place no deeper than ½ inch with ¼ being the minimum. The seed should be placed with a drop-spreader and lightly dragged into grooves created by the slicing process. The recommended seeding rate for bentgrass seed is ¼ pound per 1000 ft². The seeded areas should be kept moist for at least ten to fourteen days to hasten germination.

Mid - Fall

Mid-October begins step two in this process. This consists of heavily dethatching all greens using a Graden dethatching unit from Australia. This unit can penetrate a turf surface to a depth of 1 1/2 inches. You should set spacing of the blades at 1 inch. Using the thicker 9/64- inch blade, the dethatching operation can impact slightly better than 14% of a greens surface area. An option available is to use a 5/64-inch blade, which then impacts nearly 8% of the surface. The intent is to aggressively manage the organic material profile in the mix so the thicker blade is the one that should be used.

Graden Vertical Mower

An average green can be dethatched in less than an hour depending on its size. Cleanup takes longer since a considerable amount of material is generated. It’s best to use blowers to clean the surface. Once the green is cleaned, topdress it with sufficient material to fill these newly created grooves. The material is brushed or blown in, greens all mowed with back up units and you will again ready for play. An average size maintenance staff of six should complete nine holes of dethatching, cleanup and topdressing in a normal eight-hour workday.

Though not a traditional aerification, the heavy dethatching, can be is as effective as coring with less putting disruption, Using 1-inch tines on a spacing pattern of 1 inch by 2 inches will impact slightly more than 15% of the surface area, so deep dethatching work is comparable to pulling cores. The positive outcome to this operation is less putting disruption and more content golfers.

Depending on weather, healing takes from 10 days to two weeks. During that time a light spoon feeding of liquid fertilizer will be applied to aid in the recovery process.

It is paramount that organic material management is practiced throughout the year. A constant effort to keep organic matter in the 1 to 2 percent range is critical to plant health as well as playability. Organic matter percentage is measured by taking undisturbed core samples and sending them off to a lab for analysis not an inexpensive process, but one that needs to be performed if you wish to track the level and success of your management program.

Early - Winter

By early November a decision must be made whether to put the Graden on greens for dethatching in a second direction or to aerate using 1/4-inch tines. These 1/4-inch tines on a 2-inch by-2-inch spacing only impact slight more than 2% of the surface area, so the question becomes, is the impact significant enough to justify the effort? Usually we just go back with Gradens equipped with 5/64--inch blades. This operation impacts about 8% of the surface area. With two fall dethatching procedures combined, you will have impacted nearly 22 percent of the green surface area. Because firm greens and a removal of organic matter are the goals, this double dethatching should works well for most USGA or sand modified greens rootzones.

Mid - Winter

By December most play will be considerably low. At that time it would be advisable to apply snow mold materials for winter protection. A final heavy top dressing is then applied to all greens (between ⅛ and ¼ inch). After topdressing brush all greens so a uniform covering is achieved.

This late-season topdressing allows for winter protection, since snow cover may or may not be a normal occurrence in you part of the world. Also, after a few early-season mowings, the greens, although not yet quick, are quite smooth and true.

As important as golfer satisfaction is, the agronomic needs of the plant should also be considered. Because most of us manage USGA greens or sand modified rootzones, our major intent is to manage the organic matter portion in the rootzone (upper 3 inches). Compaction is a consideration, but not the major factor in how the program was developed. If you can achieve balance in fertilization, watering, cutting height and pest management programs then aggressively manage the organic matter in the top three inches, I feel confident your greens will perform much better.

I also feel comfortable that this approach to greens cultivation and organic matter management will be effective on older-style push-up greens. Most of these greens have been modified by years of topdressing so the profile is in many ways similar to that of a sand modified rootzone green.

Aerification a golf course is a balancing act between making strong agronomic improvements vs. politics and playability. As technology evolves, newer and different equipment will come to the marketplace, changing our approach to many facets of our profession. The modern superintendent will examine these changes to determine what portions best fit his or her programs. This constant experimentation and innovation give golfers the wonderful turf conditions they now enjoy. Continued experimentation and innovation will move our craft and the game of golf forward.

The strength of this program lies in its season-long approach. All of these operations, equipment and procedures play important roles in this cultivation philosophy. In severe thatch and organic matter percentages these programs may not substitute for deep core aeration, but I have found them to be very effective tools in an effort to produce top quality turf. They are less disruptive to play and a machine such as the Graden does remove a great amount of thatch. An integration of various approaches utilizing different machines makes this program successful.

In discussions with many superintendents, I often hear that attempting to balance the needs of the plant versus the needs of the golfer difficult work. The answer is that it cannot work easily. There will always be some golfer discomfort any time disruptive management practices are undertaken on a green. Only through continued member education will the process become more harmonious. The superintendent’s efforts should always be aimed at meeting the needs on both sides of the equation and, hopefully, getting all parties on the same page of the book.

Take the Greens Survey

2010-08-26T07:51:00.001-05:00

In an effort to gather important statistics on weather and its effect on golf greens during the spring and summer of 2010 I have initiated a short 5 question survey. Superintendents that have taken the survey spent an average of less than one minute, even though a short survey takes so little time the results may be significant as I have already witnessed. I already have over 100 respondents.

I will supply the information to all on this blog in approximately two weeks. Just follow this link, nothing for sale, no promotions, no catch, just a service to the industry that may need some stats on one of the worst weather seasons in recent memory for turfgrass.

I also send a weekly bulletin with information pertinent to golf course management, if you would like to receive, by email, please use the email (to the right) link and simply mail to me, in the subject line type; BULLETIN.

All my best, Mike

Hot Roots!

2010-08-06T14:27:00.001-05:00

Also read this Wall Street Journal article.

The Supers Ever-Expanding Role

2010-08-02T15:42:00.001-05:00

I get an opportunity to view the business of golf course management from a different perspective that I did when I was a practicing golf course superintendent. For the most part I now focus my time on the business side of golf course management helping clubs and superintendents fine tune the skills necessary for the success of proper capital and operational resources.

These managerial skills are often the deciding factors for the prosperity of the club. The old adage that “clubs are managed like nobodies business” holds true in many cases. The emphasis on business skills can not be underestimated and sadly are not stressed in many of our fine turfgrass programs administered by universities. Agronomic skills are most always very sound at the clubs I visit, however, at the root of many failing clubs is a maintenance department that can be fine tuned by simply bolstering the basic fundamentals of business management.

Turfgrass management is mystical; unseen fungi, soil chemistry, water quality and weather conditions that can turn a perfect green to a bare patch of sand, these are subjects that the average member can seem to get their head’s around. I strongly believe that the superintendent in residence is the expert, period, no one spends more time and effort than the superintendent battling the elements to produce the great golf conditions we all enjoy so much.

The federal government, by example has shown us that if we allocate enough money to a problem we generally can arrive at a solution. Golf course budgets have followed suite and swelled to levels that far exceed the inflation factor over the last 30 years. Common to private clubs is one million dollar plus budgets to maintain 18-holes of golf. Of course conditions have improved dramatically and many members demained TV golf, that is fact.

Adding fuel to the fire is the USGA is beginning that same old song, again, similar to the 1980s, (the last economy that faltered). The USGA’s recent battle cry for golf course conditions of firm and fast, brown is okay, less water, less inputs more economical golf, also playing the number one USGA golf tournament at public courses, what are they trying to say? The political correctness of the USGA will never state that maintenance budgets are too high and business skills need to be brought to bear at golf facilities to keep golf alive and well.

Management skills by definition are:

Organization and coordination of the activities of an enterprise (the golf course) in accordance with certain policies and in achievement of clearly defined objectives (golf course maintenance standards). Golf course management is a factor of production along with machines, materials, and money. In the world of golf course management failures are becoming common and efficiencies oftentimes live only in the world of golf management companies. Does Troon Golf scare you, maybe it should.

Management companies are not the Darth Vader of the golf world but, (there’s always “a but”) it’s been easy pick’n for companies to bolster there contracts and outright purchases lately because of distressed assets. Clubs in financial trouble can be fixed in most cases without the help of management companies, just common business practices and management within the means of income.

Is the golf course a strictly expense entity of the club? I believe the answer is NO! Without the golf course no income would be realized from:

• Cart rental revenue
• Guest fees
• Outing income
• Full dues paying members

In fact, a full 78% of all club members are members because of the golf course. The golf course IS the engine that supplies revenue to golf and country clubs the world-over. If the superintendent does not have an understanding of revenue created by the golf course there will be no way to draw a parallel between maintenance expenses and income. All businesses need to know how these income and expense numbers figure into logical, proper budgets and spending metrics.

Management companies and the USGA is aware of the fact that good golf conditions do not require as much resources as are being spent at most clubs. If you limit inputs (the USGA plan) and tighten up business management (management companies plan) most clubs can be made well and whole without many changes in condition and services to the membership.

I believe you will agree that golf course management is a business activity. Even not-for- profit clubs must look at golf course management as a true business requiring a high level of business management skills. To be an accomplished golf course manager, superintendent, greenkeeper, director of agronomy or whatever title you choose the following four points are basic to your success:

You must be an expert in Planning: - Planning involves identification of your golf course business goal and the way to reach it. It involves the estimation of the costs that will be incurred and evaluation of the time required to attain the business goal. A business plan has to be documented and reviewed on a regular basis. A plan is worth it if the attainment of the business goal is feasible with the planned resources.

You must be well versed in Organizing: - It involves the assignment of tasks and allocation of resources throughout the golf maintenance organization. It includes determining the primary goals of the business and specific strategies to reach them. Divide the activities into tasks and assign the tasks to suitable and deserving employees. After all, most of the golf course management activities are production.

You must be recognized as a Leader: - Leadership is a management skill in itself. A true leader inculcates feelings of confidence, admiration in the followers and a sense of commitment towards the success of the golf course business. A leader, through his demonstrated efficiency and effectiveness, influences the others on his team to act efficiently and effectively. Being innovative is important for a leader and it is again a skill. Delegation is an important activity of leading. It is allocation and entrustment of responsibility often not very practiced by the people in the golf course management business.

Your abilities must be keen to Coordinate and Control: - They are important for the success of a golf maintenance business. Coordination is the process of communication to track the activities towards the goal and make decisions about the next line of action. Control is better implemented in the form of prudent guidance given to the employees by their superintendent. Timely evaluations are critical and necessary to evaluate business performance.

Business implies being busy (no problem for most superintendents), doing commercially practicable and productive work. Functionally, management is the process of measurement of the quantity of work while assessing its quality.

Another attribute possessed by a skilled golf course manager is the willingness to strive to deploy effectiveness. The often quoted management expert, Peter Drucker made a distinction between efficient and effective business skills. According to him, performing an activity swiftly and economically is ‘efficient’, while doing the right thing well is ‘effective’. Good business management skills lead you towards the right goals, but doing the wrong thing is the exercise of efficiency to no avail. Learn to prioritize your business activities. In golf course management a key skill is to understand what’s important for the business and differentiate it from what is urgent.

As a manager, you should be able to understand and evaluate the weaknesses of the organization and try to improve in them. You must be able to concentrate on the threats to your business and fight them effectively. You should have the skill to endure every setback and learn from your mistakes. Successful business development strategies used by others, help you to implement your own. This is when your skill to ‘experiment’ comes in the scene. Experimentation has to be accompanied by skillful judgment of your actions and results.

Business management includes management of money and time. Being a manager, you have to time yourself and schedule tasks for your team, so that deadlines are met. Management of money is an integral part of running a business. Business management requires a large skill set. It is everything right from planning, supervising, and at times, being the spokesperson for your business.

People skills, as they are nowadays called, are important for a golf course superintendent to acquire. After all, management is about handling people. Bringing out the potential in the people of your team is a skill. Stonewallers need to be dealt with, by motivating them towards constructive change or eliminating them from the team if change can not be achieved. You need to improve yourself and imbibe in the minds of others that improvement is a continuous process. Learn to celebrate the success of staff members always encourage them to contribute to the fullest of their capacities, towards the business organization. This helps create enthusiasm in the staff. It’s a human psychology to work to get noticed. Human expects recognition for his work. So encourage your team members to put in their best and congratulate them for doing that. It is a good practice to assign relatively experienced employees as buddies to the new ones.

'Coming together is a beginning.

Keeping together is progress.

Working together is success.’

–Henry Ford

This is what a team is all about and developing and maintaining a team spirit is indeed a management skill.

You need to have excellent communication skills to be a good manager! Being able to convey your idea to the people, and getting work done form them is a skill. Communication encompasses a range of activities, right from internal communication in your organization up to your business negotiations. Thus it requires for you to be a good communicator for the growth of your business.

Foresight is another skill to be acquired. You need to sense trouble ahead of time. You need to be prepared for it and plan accordingly. You are required to think ahead. Think far so that your business targets seem near!

Simply stated: management skills are about making the right decisions at the right time and getting them implemented by the right people!

The Times They Are a-Changin'

2010-07-20T11:55:00.001-05:00

“Come gather 'round people

Wherever you roam

And admit that the waters

Around you have grown”

The above is part of the first verse of a famous Bob Dylan song. I thought this 60s anthem to be apropos in the latest governmental push for new pesticide regulation. A clear and present movement is afoot to regulate and legislate the use of pesticides under fear that we will foul our waters by misusing pesticides.

In response to a series of court rulings, EPA has proposed a general permit under the Clean Water Act (CWA) governing the application of pesticides to, over, or near waters of the United States.

By court order, the Pesticide General Permit (PGP) must arrive in final form no later than April 9, 2011. At that point, only those regions of the country for which EPA administers permitting under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) would be subject to the permit.

However, the many state agencies with authority to implement the NPDES program will be following with their own general permits, which may add additional requirements to the baseline EPA provisions.

Application of pesticides to U.S. waters has spurred legal debates about the intersection of the CWA and the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA).

Under FIFRA, applications of federally registered pesticides must be performed according to directions on the product’s label. If an operator applies the pesticide as instructed on the label, there is no violation of FIFRA.

However, environmentalists have argued that pesticides are also pollutants. Under the CWA, no pollutant may be added to a protected water body unless it is authorized in an NPDES permit.

The PGP was proposed in light of the most recent court decision, which occurred in January 2009 when the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals vacated a 2006 EPA rule that allowed entities in compliance with FIFRA to avoid NPDES permitting.

Also following court actions, California, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington issued state permits covering the application of certain pesticides to water. EPA’s rule is intended in part to remove the interstate imbalance created by the state regulations.

Among its provisions, EPA’s proposed PGP would require that, per application, operators use the lowest amount of pesticide product needed to control target pests; control discharges as necessary to meet water quality standards; and visually monitor for adverse impacts (water testing is not required).

Also, the PGP specifies that operators who exceed an annual treatment area threshold must prepare a pesticide discharge management plan before the first pesticide application covered in the permit and implement integrated pest management practices (IMP) for four categories of operations covered: mosquito and other flying insect pest control; aquatic weed and algae control; aquatic nuisance animal control; and forest canopy pest control.

The proposed PGP does not authorize coverage for pesticide discharges to outstanding national resource waters or to waters already impaired by the pesticide that would be applied. These discharges must be authorized by individual NPDES permits.

EPA’s proposed NPDES general permit for discharges of pesticides to U.S. waters was published in the June 4, 2010, Federal Register.

I also have additional concerns about H.R. 5088, the America’s Commitment to Clean Water Act, introduced by Representative James Oberstar of Minnesota. This bill would remove the term “navigable” from the definition of waters that fall under the EPA’s jurisdiction. I am, as well as others, concerned about the increased burden that could be placed on superintendents if this legislation passes. This bill is an unprecedented expansion of the reach of the law. Never before has Congress attempted to grant federal jurisdiction to essentially all wet areas including golf courses farmland, ditches, pipes, gutters, and storm drains.

Another part of the Dylan song calls for our leadership to take notice, and as a group might I suggest you contact your representatives in Washington and make our case - soon;

Come senators, congressman

Please heed the call

Don't stand in the doorway

Don't block up the hall

For he who gets hurt

Will be he who has stalled

Because The Times They Are a-Changin'.

What's the Difference?

2010-07-14T12:26:00.000-05:00

Satisfaction and importance of the golfers at your club should be a known variable. More than ever superintendents and general managers are surveying their members and guests to discover their desirers when it comes to what goods and services to deliver to club members.

Satisfaction is a measurement of what the player likes about the golf course as you present it, while importance ranks the components of the course that makes the game of golf more enjoyable. So it goes without saying that greens are generally most important to the game of golf, we should also know the satisfaction level of the player as it pertains to greens. If the importance is high and satisfaction is low we know to expend more resources on that component of the course.

Where the line begins to blur occurs with other lesser components of the course; cart paths, water features, sand bunkers, trees, landscape, even tees, fairways and rough are features that sometimes needs more attention based on this solid data to back–up additional expenditures.

To illustrate how the satisfaction and importance index can help you decide how to attack a plan to make your course as good as it can be for your unique clientele click on this link. Where the two categories of importance and satisfaction intersect will give you a clear picture of where to make improvements in maintenance and / or capital planning.

In this economy every member is critical to financial success of your business. The end of this summer season would be an ideal time to survey your players and formulate your plan for next year.

The Game of Monopoly

2010-07-13T11:50:00.001-05:00

Okay, the economy is tough, this summer’s weather has been brutal in many parts of the country, taking its toll on turf across the country; consider this story about an out of work heating salesman from Philadelphia.

The year 1933 was bleak. The weather was bad. The economy was bad. Charles Darrow of Germantown longed to visit Atlantic City as he had often done so in the past, but the depression had left him little money. As the next best thing to being there, Darrow concocted a little diversion. He invented a game based on the streets of Atlantic City: Boardwalk, Park Place, Baltic Avenue, and the rest. He called this new game Monopoly. It was all about making and spending money, some thing everyone wanted to do during the depression. Darrow showed the game to a few friends, and they liked it enough to want copies. Darrow made a few copies by hand, and thinking that he had a good idea, showed the game to Parker Brothers. But Parker Brothers considered the game too complicated to be successful.

Not willing to stop, Darrow managed to raise enough money to have some sets printed and offered them to Wanamaker's Department Store in Philadelphia. Very quickly Monopoly became the rage of the city. People who normally went to bed by nine o'clock would find themselves still trying to buy Boardwalk at two in the morning. The game was addictive. After this success, Parker Brothers took a second look and the rest is history. Charles Darrow was the first million dollar game inventor. Today, Monopoly is licensed in over eighty countries and in twenty-three languages.

The moral of the story, even in a down economy, situations present themselves, wise people pursue excellence and opportunity relentlessly.

Golf Management and My Turtle

2010-07-07T11:54:00.001-05:00

In my younger days I saved up and bought a turtle. After about a month and a half the turtle died! There was no fan fare, no funeral, no burial at sea or toilet!

My mother demanded that I pick the smelly dead carcass out of the turtle bowl, and toss him in the trash. That's just what you did with dead turtles!

In retrospect, I didn't read up or have the slightest idea on how to take care of a turtle. I didn’t didn't think to ask questions when I bought the turtle at the pet store. Aside from the approved turtle food it was all a guessing game. It took forty days! That's it! Then he was gone!

I honestly thought Mr. Turtle would last longer! We now see so many golf courses who like me and my turtle don't take the time to investigate, read up on, learn about, or try to make sense of anything they do in management of their golf courses or clubs.

They operate their courses and clubs by chance, by luck or blind sense. Then they lose interest! Or even worse... they keep doing the same thing over again expecting different results.

Now, imagine if I were to replace his dead turtle with a new one every six weeks or so... it would get old fast... and costly too! You convince yourself, "I know it will work this time!"

But, sadly it doesn't! And, you're back to square one...

Habitual borrowing to shore-up operations, cash flow problems during off-season, expenses out of control, non-passionate employees who are ready to jump ship at a moments notice and basically not understanding your true cost of doing business... I could go on and on, but until you change your habits... your business will end up like Mr. Turtle...dead and gone.

Stop saying, "I know it will work this time!" Change your mindset! Start saying, "How can I make it work this time!"

List all of the things that you could have done differently... then do them!

If your debit load is terrible and rounds are down, hire someone that understands how to truly market your business and boost your sales to help retire your debit. Hire only passionate employees who are dedicated to your players and members. And, if you don't understand your numbers hire someone who can translate those numbers to you and let you know what changes you need to make.

I believe every golf course and club has a Mr. Turtle story in some portion of their business. When golf was booming, memberships, board of directors, committees and managers had this incredible club or course that was busy no matter what. Now that the economic double whammy hit with over-supply and a decrease in discretionary income, golf clubs and public courses are fighting for the same golf dollars. Now, some poorly managed clubs and courses of all types are suffering my childhood turtle’s fate...there dying a slow death,

Golf course maintenance proven best management practices are based on:

Golf course standards
Proper budget management
Labor management

Stop playing the guessing game. Make it work! Take lessons from Mr. Turtle! There is expert help, enlist someone that can take a close look at your golf course business and suggest tactics and proven strategies that can keep your turtle alive and well.

These words are as true today as they were years ago; “Those that fail to plan, plan to fail”.

Join the LinkedIn Group for Private Club Golf Superintendents

2010-07-01T14:07:00.000-05:00

Follow this link to request membership in the Private Club Golf Superintentent LinkIn page dedicated to private club golf course management issues.

Private Club Golf Superintendents

It is my hope that topics that are germaine and unique can be discussed. Many of the issues facing the private club superintendent are vastly different that that of the public sector.

All Politics is Local, so is Golf

2010-07-01T10:20:00.001-05:00

For some of you of my vintage that remember part of the title is a quote often attributed to the late Thomas P. (Tip) O'Neill, Jr., former Speaker of the House. But Tip didn't coin the phrase ... it was passed down to him.

ALL POLITICS IS LOCAL

Tip revealed the true origin of the quote in his 1987 autobiography, Man of the House. Tip's father, Thomas O'Neill, Sr, shared this wisdom on the occasion of the only election loss in his son's lifetime, which was a run for the Cambridge City Council.

“During the campaign, my father had left me to my own devices, but when it was over, he pointed out that I had taken my own neighborhood for granted. He was right: I had received a tremendous vote in the other sections of the city, but I hadn't worked hard enough in my own backyard. 'Let me tell you something I learned years ago,' he said. 'All politics is local.'"

So what brings on this political babble? Golf club members are mostly people that live within a 30 minute drive from the club or course they play. It’s important to realize the demographics of this statement. If the club’s neighborhood is comprised $100,000 per year annual income families it would be logical not to build or operate a club that charges $800.00 monthly dues and has $100.00 food minimums and other associated fees that would cost upwards of 10% of the families total income for all inclusive club membership.

While the prices of other items seem to ebb flow and with the economy why is it different that the price of membership shouldn’t do the same? Examine the results on the big picture, if the cost of being a member is reduced by 20% then the expenses of the club must be curtailed by 20% if all things where equal. Therein lies the problem – has the management of the club been most efficient with the clubs funds in the past? How is it that clubs that hired management companies operate the club on substantially less money and still garner a profit for the companies (does Troon Golf come to mind)? When times are fruitful clubs began to compensate employees more and funneled excessive money into operating budgets and facility improvements to outdo the club across town. In golf and country club heydays the initiation fees where high, clubs had waiting lists and usage was more than adequate to support and expand operations. Did the majority of clubs save for a rainy day, I think not.

The excess of the 1990’s and early 2000’s evaporated into the rapidly expanding economy. Loans, houses, cars, club memberships, everyone wanted to live the dream. Now its time to pay and local clubs are witnessing a mass migration of members to the "Wal-Mart" public sector of golf, health clubs and restaurants. The top 10% of private clubs do not have the same problems, their well healed, old money members have the wherewithal to ink a check and move on.

The National Golf Foundation reported that private club transfers to public facilities in the last year were the largest ever recorded, 96 during 2009. There were over 15 private golf club complete closures during the year, which represents one-quarter of all such closures over the past decade. This is a multi-edged problem, more public golf available in an already saturated market and lower end private courses forced to close completely contributing to players retreating from golf altogether, lower real estate prices, unemployment and reducing the economic viability of communities through loss of major tax revenue.

Which brings me back to the lead-in, All Golf is Local. According to the Club Managers Association of America an average private club contributes to the local economy the following:
• The average club’s gross income is $5.5 million,
• Clubs spend $2.79 billion in their respective local community as a whole,
• Clubs spend $2.9 billion within their state as a whole,
• Clubs as a whole paid $351 million in real-estate taxes, $708 million in payroll taxes, $528 million in sales tax and $218 million in other taxes (i.e., liquor, excise, occupancy and school),
• That’s $1,805,000,000 in taxes alone!

What needs to take place is government to get smaller and reduce the tax burden on non-profit clubs among other cash producing - job creating entities. Clubs need to be more efficient with expenses on other resources; conspicuous consumption is out-of-style. Dues and initiations need to move with the economy to reflect a family’s expendable income. Some of the for-profit management companies need to be called out for unscrupulous practices especially in the lower end private club market.

John Easterbrook, executive vice president of operations for Troon Golf said in an article written by John Walsh, then editor of Golf Industry Magazine. “The formula for turning around facilities is the same. We go in and analyze the operation and staff, support programs that are doing well, and where there’s a challenge in the operation, we overlay our system, which includes benefits, staff sharing, national procurement, insurance, sales and marketing programs, membership programs and agronomy standards,” he says. “In most markets, golf is overbuilt, rounds are down, the cost of operation is up and workers’ compensation insurance is up. If revenues are down or flat, courses need to rejuvenate those, and that’s why people hire us.”

Easterbrook also added, “We don’t move staff out unless the people who hire us tell us to,” he says. “We look at the staff levels and where the superintendent is spending money. Most of the time, we don’t ask for more money, and we’re not blowing out a superintendent. We’re just looking over the shoulder of the superintendent.

“There are times when a course or club isn’t managed well,” he adds. “We bring a culture and enthusiasm for what we’re doing. The quickest way to get let go is to not have enthusiasm for what you’re doing. Whether you’re operating a $30-a-round golf course or a $300-a-round golf course, people in charge need to be enthusiastic.”

Peter Hill, chief executive officer and chairman of Billy Casper Golf Management said in that same GCI article, “Most superintendents are passionate and competent guys who are either real good grass growers, good course presenters, have good business sense or are good project managers,” he says. “The ideal guy has all four of these traits, but most have just two or three.” Hill also remarked that, “Part of being a good manager is recognizing the weak link and supporting that. At many courses, superintendents don’t have a sense of what they’re spending and there’s no long-term plan.”

Typically management companies remove 5% to 15% of revenue from a club, even at 10% that’s $550,000 in local money. Most local community’s report that a dollar turns 8 times in its economy in goods and services, the math is an impact of $4,400,000 in local economy.

If stand-alone club management can learn business skills to match income with expenses and manage to save funds for capital and downturns in economy maybe large management companies would seek work elsewhere and keep GOLF LOCAL.

The learned lesson is, pay attention to your local golf environment, your home course members and the economy of your local community. Your good work at your club isn’t just vital to you, your family and your members; your community is also depending on the vitality of the club. Clubs are small economic engines that support your local economy, like Tip O’Neill said, “ALL POLITICS IS LOCAL”.

Importance vs. Loyalty

2010-06-24T14:07:00.002-05:00

The vast majority of golf course owners and boards of directors conduct strategic planning for their operations by the seat of their pants. Most of these decision makers have no empirical evidence prioritizing what capital improvements, if any, should be made for the facility. Instead these vast expenditures are made on hunches as to what the owners or boards thinks is important to the golfer.

The loyalty driver vs. importance driver rankings are determined by correlating the importance question on the corresponding factor to the loyalty question, where these two intersect is the point of measure. As you can see, when these two important metrics are measured at the intersect, Overall Course Conditions, Condition of Greens and Overall Value of Course; items in the upper right-hand quadrant become key factors to loyalty and importance. Items hovering around the value boundary are a point which effort should be made to improve a facility to bring more of the overall facility into the upper quadrants. Money and effort in golf shop items, in this case, would be an improvement low on the list for importance and loyalty. However, what the golfer says is important to them, is not what drives loyalty. Remember loyalty promotes word of mouth recommendations, the most powerful tool for golfer / member retention and new membership / golfer business.

The take-away of this message is if you’re after retaining or adding memberships and additional usage, it would be worth your while to improve the customer experience on what is driving customer loyalty, not necessarily what the customer says is important to them!

Click on chart to enlarge

Where Does All the Labor Go?

2010-06-21T13:48:00.000-05:00

Labor Cost

Managing a golf course involves many expenses. Essentially, you incur labor costs whenever you have employees working to maintain the course, landscape and equipment. It is not uncommon for the golf course labor budget to be upwards of 60% of the golf courses total budget. Labor is a valuable and large operational expense at all golf courses, large private clubs to small mom and pop operations. The labor line item is considered “Low Hanging Fruit” for many decision makers at the course. Being proactive with how you manage labor can increase your chances at success.

It is the superintendent’s job to fairly treat all employees equally and pay a wage that is commensurate with the job. However, all too often superintendents treat employees like family or friends and have feelings that overtime and extra hours will make-up for low wages or other preferential treatments will keep employees happy. When the line between employer and employee get blurred the superintendent can be committing an injustice to the employer by spending labor budget dollars that do not belong to the superintendent. Monies that are controlled by the superintendent should be used as wisely as possible, that is the trust between the club and the superintendent.

Labor Cost Awareness

Labor costs are typically understood in most businesses as a percentage of sales. I have several ways to compare how labor dollars should be applied to a golf course situation. No single method can accomplish this goal and a separate lengthy article can be written on this subject alone.

In the golf course business it’s difficult to have a standard metric for comparison of wages because of the differences of golf course size, geographic location, standards of maintenance and how to allocate golf course revenue against golf course income. In many businesses it’s easy to arrive at a percentage of sales that would be allocated to labor; manufacturing, restaurants and retail all come to mine, these businesses are easy enough to place an operating metric on appropriate labor. So the conundrum continues when trying to apply a labor metric to golf course maintenance. The following might help in arriving at some sense to this labor puzzle in the golf course business.

Control Your Labor Costs with Improved Worker Productivity

Increasing productivity improves your overall operation by building employee skills and confidence. Take time to provide your staff with sufficient training and communication.

Cross-Train Your Staff

Cross-training is beneficial to both the employee and the business, since the worker will have a wider range of skills and be able to help in multiple areas of the golf course. This allows the superintendent to schedule fewer workers while still being able to achieve the same production and maintenance standards. Some suggestions for cross-training include:

Train greens mowers to move cups and set tee markers
Train tee and rough mowers to set traffic signage and stakes
Train mechanic or mechanics’ assistant to mow fairways and rough
Allow set-up staff to combine as many jobs as practical

Conduct Frequent Staff Audits and Reviews

Another great way to help improve productivity is to perform regular labor audits. Take the time to watch and assess your employees’ performances. If you find that a large portion of your employees’ work days includes inordinately long breaks or downtime, it might be wise to revise your schedule. Conducting face-to-face reviews with each member of the staff will help communicate your thoughts and concerns.

Control Labor Cost With Precise Scheduling

Make sure you have constructed a budget to help keep track of your expenses like labor; it is also advisable to know what income levels the golf course has. Through your budget, you will be able to adjust to a percentage of your sales to compare with labor expenses (a good business model even for private clubs). Then, after a period of time you will be able to create a staffing schedule to reflect your budgeted allowance for labor expenses. The following tips elaborate these guidelines:

Break down your annual budget. Break down your annual budget into weekly budgets to help divide the money into sections. This will give you a weekly labor budget, from which you can determine labor costs and make an appropriate staffing schedules.

Design a new weekly schedule for all employees. Relying on a fixed schedule week after week fails to acknowledge shifts in projected sales, changes in the weather or other factors that can affect your business. Adjust the number of staff scheduled each week to keep compliant with weekly budget constraints. The golf course is a seven day per week operation, utilize:

Late day shifts
Morning only shifts
Weekdays off to compensate for weekend shifts
Use less busy daylight hours for rough mowing
Utilize more part-time workers
Start players off back nine during slow weekdays to keep rough mowers moving with player delays
Have employees take morning break in field without traveling back to maintenance shop
Plan work schedules at least one week in advance and post for all employees to review
Hire enough people and train to eliminate all overtime

Monitor clock in/clock out times.

At the end of each day, make sure that all employees have punched in and punched out exactly according to the schedule. Early and late punches can add-up significantly over the course of a season. Your states labor laws may force to pay for the closest quarter of an hour.

Discuss all schedule change requests in advance. Switching shifts can create problems when people start to work overtime, working more hours than the budget allows and potentially breaking a law, if the workers are youths. Be sure a manager is constantly aware of any proposed changes in the schedule.

Avoid Over-Staffing

It is often tempting to schedule more people than necessary in order to ensure that the business runs without any kinks. The reality is, however, that there will always be a few kinks in the golf course business. Scheduling too many employees will increase your labor costs, hurting your business overall. If you find that you have over-scheduled, you can send staff members home early. Train your people to work quickly, accurately and efficiently while also treating players with respect and care. This allows you to operate at a high standard while still hitting your target labor allocation.

Send me your email address with your golf course affiliation and I’ll send you a weekly staffing tool, you’ll be surprised how much time and labor resources you have. Most superintendents find they can accomplish more maintenance tasks with the same labor dollars when a refined scheduled is implemented.

Close to Sustainable Soil on the Golf Course

2010-06-14T12:50:00.001-05:00

I have done some research and discovered some interesting facts on soil; the following is what I have found. Some of the information is elementary other information makes good sense. Our soil systems are a complex interrelated living, breathing system. I don’t profess to be a soil scientist, I just interpreted these simple facts to be true.

The Living Soil

If you look out at an untouched landscape you might wonder how native prairies and forests function in the complete absence of fertilizers and other man made intervention. These soils are tilled by soil organisms, not by fancy Toro aerifiers. They are fertilized too, but the fertility is used again and again and never leaves the site. Native soils are covered with a layer of plant litter and/or growing plants throughout the year. Beneath the surface litter layer, a rich complexity of soil organisms decompose plant residue and dead roots, then release their stored nutrients slowly over time. In fact, topsoil is the most biologically diverse part of the earth. Soil-dwelling organisms release bound-up minerals converting them into plant-available forms that are then taken up by the plants growing on the site. The organisms recycle nutrients again and again from the death and decay of each new generation of plants growing on the site.

There are many different types of creatures that live on or in the soil. Each has a role to play. These organisms will work for the superintendents’ benefit if we simply manage for their survival. Consequently we may refer to them as soil livestock. While there is a great variety of organisms that contribute to soil fertility, earthworms, arthropods, and the various microorganisms merit particular attention.

Earthworms: Although earthworm cast on the surface of a tightly mown fairway turf are a bit of an inconvenience to players their role in soil management cannot be disputed. Earthworm burrows enhance water infiltration and soil aeration. Earthworm tunneling can increase the rate of water entry into the ground 4 to 10 times higher than soils that lack worm tunnels. This reduces water runoff, recharges groundwater, and helps store more soil water for drought spells. Vertical earthworm burrows allow gas exchange deeper into the soil, stimulating microbial nutrient cycling at those deeper levels. Tillage done by earthworms can replace some expensive aerification work done by machinery.

Worms eat dead plant material left on top of the soil and redistribute the organic matter and nutrients throughout the topsoil layer. Nutrient-rich organic compounds line the tunnels that may remain in place for years if not disturbed. During droughts these tunnels allow for deep plant root penetration into subsoil regions of higher moisture content. In addition to organic matter, worms also consume soil and soil microbes as they move through the soil. The soluble nutrient content of worm casts is considerably higher than those of the original soil. A good population of earthworms can process 20,000 pounds of soil per year, with turnover rates as high as 200 tons per acre.
Earthworms also secrete a plant growth stimulant. Reported increases in plant growth due to earthworm activity may be attributed to this substance - not just improved soil physical qualities.

Earthworms prefer a near neutral soil pH, moist soil conditions, and plenty of plant residue on the soil surface. They are sensitive to certain pesticides and some fertilizers. Carbamate (SEVIN) insecticides are harmful to earthworms, while synthetic pyrethroids are harmless to them. Most herbicides have little effect on worms except for the triazines, such as Atrazine, which are moderately toxic.

Arthropods: In addition to earthworms, there are many other species of soil organisms that can be seen by the naked eye. Among them are sowbugs, millipedes, centipedes, slugs, snails and springtails. These are the primary decomposers. Their role is to eat and shred the large particles of plant and animal residues. Some bury residue, bringing it into contact with other soil organisms that further decompose it. Some members of this group prey on smaller soil organisms. The springtails are a small insect, which eat mostly fungi. Their waste is rich in plant nutrients that are released after other fungi and bacteria decompose it.

Bacteria: Most numerous among soil organisms are the bacteria; every gram of soil contains at least a million of these tiny one-celled organisms. There are many different species of bacteria, each with its own role in the soil environment. One of the major benefits bacteria provide for plants is in helping them take up nutrients. Some species release nitrogen, sulfur, phosphorus, and trace elements from organic matter. Others break down soil minerals and release potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, calcium and iron. Still other species make and release natural plant growth hormones, which stimulate root growth.

A few species of bacteria fix nitrogen in the roots of legumes while others fix nitrogen independently of plant association. Bacteria are responsible for converting nitrogen from ammonium to nitrate and back again depending on certain soil conditions. Other benefits to plants provided by various species of bacteria include increasing the solubility of nutrients, improving soil structure, fighting root diseases, and detoxifying soil.

Fungi: Fungi come in many different species, sizes and shapes in soil. Some species appear as thread-like colonies, while others are one-celled yeasts. Many fungi aid plants by breaking down organic matter or by releasing nutrients from soil minerals. Fungi are generally early to colonize larger pieces of organic matter and begin the decomposition process. Some fungi produce plant hormones, while others produce antibiotics compounds including penicillin. There are even species of fungi that trap harmful plant-parasitic nematodes.

Mycorrhizae: (my-cor-ry-'zee) group of fungi lives either on or in plant roots and act to extend the reach of root hairs into the soil. Mycorrhizae increase the uptake of water and nutrients especially in less fertile soils. Roots colonized by mycorrhizae are less likely to be penetrated by root-feeding nematodes since the pest cannot pierce the thick fungal network. Mycorrhizae also produce hormones and antibiotics, which enhance root growth and provide disease suppression. The fungi benefit from plant association by taking nutrients and carbohydrates from the plant roots they live in.

Actinomycetes: (ac"-ti-no-my'-cetes) are thread-like bacteria that look like fungi. While not as numerous as single celled bacteria, they also perform vital roles in the soil. Like the bacteria, they help decompose organic matter into humus, releasing nutrients. Actinomycetes are responsible for the sweet, earthy smell of biologically active soil noticed whenever soil is cultivated or aerified.

Actinomycetes are one of the most poorly understood groups of soil microorganisms. Although their populations in some soils can be high, their growth rates are far slower than other soil microorganisms.

Actinomycetes typically are more abundant in dryer soils high in organic matter or in high-temperature soils. As a group, they are not tolerant of low soil pH (less than 5.0). They grow best at temperatures that range from 80°F to 100°F. The major genera of soil Actinomycetes include Streptomyces, Nocardia, Micromonospora and Actinoplanes.

These organisms are best known for their ability to produce several industrially and medically important compounds. Many antibiotics important to human and animal medicine come from soil Actinomycetes. Like the fungi, Actinomycetes rely on organic matter for their nutrition. Actinomycetes are well-adapted to the decomposition of the more resistant plant polymers such as cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin, as well as the fungal and insect polymer chitin. Because of this, Actinomycetes play a major role in the formation of humus in soils largely from the decomposition of the turf thatch layer.

Like some bacteria, Actinomycetes help suppress soil-borne turfgrass diseases. Many of the antibiotic compounds of Actinomycetes affect the growth and development of pathogenic fungi. Composts are particularly rich in pathogen-suppressing Actinomycetes. The beneficial effect of amending soils with composts is partly due to the disease-suppression properties of Actinomycetes.

For best Actinomycetes activity the superintendent should:

• Maintain soil moisture at constant levels, never allowing the soil to become overly dry. If other agronomic parameters are correct and microbial activity is high, disease should not be a less serious problem.

• Maintain balanced pH and consistent fertility. Avoid "Yo-Yo" nutrient cycling. Also, research has shown that organic nitrogen sources or ammonium-based (NH4) fertilizers result in greater microbial populations than synthetic nitrate (NO3) sources.

• Maintain good soil porosity. Use physical amendments if necessary. Adequate soil-oxygen levels are extremely important for soil all beneficial micro-organisms.

• Any practice that enhances the volume of the turfgrass root system; for example, aeration or raising the height of cut enhances microbial activity in the rhizosphere.

• If practical, limit the use of pesticides and growth regulators. Many of these have anti-microbial properties and may negatively impact soil and rhizosphere microbial communities.

Algae (Cyanobacteria): Algae and Cyanobacteria are often mistaken for each other in the soil matrix. An assortment or different species of algae also live in the upper half-inch of the soil. Unlike most other soil organisms, algae actually produce their own food through photosynthesis. They appear as a greenish film on the soil surface following a good rain. Algae may improve soil structure by producing slimy substances that glue soil together into water-stable aggregates in small populations. Some species of algae (Cyanobacteria) can fix their own nitrogen, some of which is later released to plant roots. High populations of algae and / or Cyanobacteria are not beneficial to soils and turf populations. The blue – green algae (Cyanobacteria) can easily overpopulate and is generally due to poor soil drainage, air movement and poor light exposure to turf areas. If left unchecked an overpopulation of this organism can seal – off soils and cause anaerobic conditions and eventual turf death.

Protozoa: Protozoa are free-living microorganisms that crawl or swim in the water between soil particles. Many soil protozoa are predatory, eating other microbes. One of the most common is an amoeba that eats bacteria. By eating and digesting bacteria, protozoa speed up the cycling of nitrogen from the bacteria, making it more available to plants.

Nematodes: While nematodes are abundant in most soils, only a few species are harmful to plants. The harmless species eat decaying plant litter, bacteria, fungi, algae, protozoa and other nematodes. Like other soil predators, nematodes speed the rate of nutrient cycling.

More on Mycorrhizae
Most grass species in their undisturbed natural environments form a beneficial association with mycorrhizal fungi. The resulting structure is called a mycorrhiza, or literally "fungus-root" (from myco meaning fungal and rhiza meaning root). Although several types of mycorrhizal fungi form mycorrhizae with plants, the largest group, -endomycorrhiza or also called arbuscular mycorrhizae form with most grass species. Mycorrhizal fungi are present in soil as spores, as hyphae in soil (filaments) or as colonized bodies. Hyphae of mycorrhizae penetrate into and between the outer cells of the root. Inside the root the fungus forms special coiled hyphae (arbuscules) that provide increased surface area for exchanges of food to the fungus and nutrients for the grass.

The mycorrhizal fungi once established on the turf root system radiate out from the roots to form a dense network of filaments. These filaments form an extensive system of hyphae that grow into the surrounding soil and provide a variety of benefits for the grass plant. This network of filaments obtains 15 major macro and micro nutrients and water and transport these materials back to the turf root system. Mycorrhizae are especially important for uptake of nutrients that do not readily move through the soil such as phosphorous and many of the micro-nutrients. The elaborate network of hyphae beneath the soil surface greatly increases the potential of the root system to absorb nutrients and water. The network also binds soil particles together, improves soil porosity and the movement of air and water within the soil.

New scientific advancements in the cost effective growing of certain mycorrhizal species beneficial to turf grass are rapidly bringing mycorrhizal products to the golf management marketplace. Healthy living soil and turf will retain nutrients, build soil structure, reduce stress and suppress disease, thus reducing the frequency and level of certain maintenance activities. Choosing to incorporate mycorrhizal fungi into aerification programs will not only benefit the environment but improves turf cover, rooting, fertilizer utilization, disease and drought resistance.

All these organisms–from the tiny bacteria up to the large earthworms and insects–interact with one another in a multitude of ways in a whole soil ecosystem. Organisms not directly involved in decomposing plant wastes may feed on each other or each other's waste products or the other substances they release. Among the other substances released by the various microbes are vitamins, amino acids, sugars, antibiotics, gums, and waxes.

Roots can also release various substances into the soil that stimulate soil microbes. These substances serve as food for select organisms. Some scientists and practitioners theorize that plants use this means to stimulate the specific population of microorganisms capable of releasing or otherwise producing the kind of nutrition needed by the plants.

Organic Matter, Humus and the Soil System
Critical to any model for sustainable soil management, is the understanding the role that soil organisms play, golf course superintendents should focus on strategies that build both their numbers and their diversity. That food for these soil organisms comes in the form of soil organic matter.

Organic matter and humus are terms that describe somewhat different but related things. Organic matter refers to the organic fraction of the soil that is composed of both living organisms and once-living residues in various stages of decomposition. Humus is only a small portion of the organic matter. It is the end product of organic matter decomposition and is relatively stable. Further decomposition of humus occurs very slowly in both cultured turf and natural settings. In natural systems, a balance is reached between the amount of humus formation and the amount of humus decay. In most turf grass soils, this balance also occurs, but often at a much lower level of soil humus. Humus contributes to well-structured soil that, in turn, produces high quality plants. It is clear that management of organic matter and humus is essential to sustain a vibrant interactive soil ecosystem.

The benefits of a soil rich in organic matter and humus are many. They include:

• Rapid decomposition of clipping and root residues,

• Granulation of soil into water stable aggregates,

• Decreased crusting and clodding,

• Improved internal drainage,

• Better water infiltration, and

• Increased water and nutrient holding capacity.

Improvements in the soil's physical structure facilitate easier aerification, increased soil water storage capacity, and deeper, more prolific plant root systems. Improvements in nutrient cycling also reduce the fertilizer bill.

Soil organic matter can be compared to a bank account for plant nutrients. Soil containing 4% organic matter in the top 7 inches has 80,000 pounds of organic matter per acre. Those 80,000 pounds of organic matter will contain about 5.25% nitrogen, amounting to 4,200 pounds of nitrogen per acre. Assuming a 5% release rate during the growing season, the organic matter could supply 210 pounds of nitrogen to the turf grass plants. If the organic matter is allowed to degrade, purchased fertilizer will be necessary to prop up turf growth due to lost organic-matter nitrogen.

Ultimately, building organic matter and humus levels in the soil is a matter of managing the living organisms in the soil–something similar to wildlife management or animal husbandry. This entails working to maintain favorable conditions of moisture, temperature, nutrient status, pH, and aeration. It also involves providing a steady food source.

Organics and the Soil System
Soil management involves stewardship of the living soil systems. The primary factors affecting organic matter content, build-up, and decomposition rate in soils are: oxygen content, nitrogen content, moisture content, temperature, and the addition and removal of organic materials. All these factors work together at any one time. Any one can limit the others. These are the factors that affect the health and reproductive rate of organic matter decomposer organisms.

Superintendents need to be aware of these factors when making decisions about their soils. Let's take them one at the time.

Increasing oxygen speeds decomposition of organic matter. Aerification is the primary way extra oxygen enters the soil. Texture also plays a role, with sandy soils having more aeration than heavy clay soils. Nitrogen content is influenced by fertilizer additions. Excess nitrogen without the addition of carbon speeds the decomposition of organic matter. Moisture content affects decomposition rates. Soil microbial populations are most active over cycles of wetting and drying. Their populations increase following wetting as the soil dries out. After the soil becomes dry, their activity diminishes. Just like humans, soil organisms are profoundly affected by temperature. Their activity is highest within a band of optimum temperature. Above and below optimum temperature their activity is diminished. Adding organic matter provides more food for microbes.

To achieve an increase of soil organic matter, additions must be higher than removals. Over a given year, under average conditions, 60 to 70 percent of the carbon contained in organic residues added to soil is lost as carbon dioxide. Five to ten percent is assimilated into the organisms that decomposed the organic residues and the rest becomes 'new' humus. It takes decades for new humus to develop into stable humus which imparts the nutrient holding characteristics humus is known for. The end result of adding a ton of residue would be 400 to 700 pounds of new humus. With a 7-inch depth of topsoil over an acre weighing 2 million pounds, you can see that building organic matter is a slow process. One percent organic matter weighs 20,000 pounds.

Building stable humus is a slow and long-term process. It is more feasible to stabilize and maintain the humus present before it is lost than to try to increase it. The value of humus is not fully realized until it is severely depleted. If your soils are high in humus now, work hard to preserve what you have. The formation of new humus is essential to maintaining old humus and the decomposition of raw organic matter has many benefits of its own. Increased aeration caused by aerification coupled with the absence of organic carbon in fertilizer materials can caused greater than 50% decline in native humus levels on many US golf courses.

Appropriate mineral nutrition needs to be present for soil organisms and plants to prosper. Adequate levels of calcium, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, sodium and the trace elements should be present but not in excess. Several books have been written on balancing soil mineral levels and several consulting firms provide soil analysis and fertility recommendation services based on that theory.

Nitrogen Applications
Excess nitrogen applications stimulate increased microbial activity that speeds organic matter decomposition. The extra nitrogen narrows the ratio of carbon to nitrogen in the soil. In well balanced native soils the carbon to nitrogen ratio (C : N ratio) is around 12:1. At this ratio, populations of organic matter decay and bacteria are kept at a stable level. When large amounts of inorganic nitrogen are added, the C : N ratio is reduced, which increases the populations of decay organisms and allows them to decompose more organic matter. While soil bacteria can efficiently use moderate applications of inorganic nitrogen accompanied by organic amendments (carbon), excess nitrogen causes bacteria populations to explode, decomposing existing organic matter at a rapid rate.

Eventually, soil carbon content may be reduced to a level where the bacterial populations are on a starvation diet. With little carbon available, bacterial populations shrink and less free soil nitrogen is absorbed. Thereafter, applied nitrogen, rather than being cycled through microbial organisms and re-released to plants slowly over time, becomes subject to leaching. This can greatly reduce the efficiency of fertilization and lead to environmental problems.

To compensate for the fast decomposition of native soil organic matter, carbon should be added with nitrogen. Typical sources–such as activated sewage sludge, animal manure and compost–serve this purpose well. Amendments containing too high a carbon to nitrogen ratio (25:1 or more) can tip the balance the other way, resulting in nitrogen tied up in an unavailable form. The soil organisms consume all the nitrogen in an effort to decompose the abundant carbon. The nitrogen is unavailable because it is tied up in the soil organisms themselves. As soon as one dies and decomposes, its nitrogen is consumed by another soil organism until the balance between carbon and nitrogen is achieved again.

Rich humus and soils high in organic compounds is the golf course’s capital. Sustaining turf management means sustaining the soil resource.

Humates
Humates and humic acid derivatives are a diverse family of products, generally obtained from various forms of oxidized coal. Coal-derived humus is essentially the same as humus extracts from soil but there has been reluctance in some circles to accept it as a worthwhile soil additive. In part, this stems from a belief that only humus derived from recently decayed organic matter is beneficial. It is also true that the production and recycling of organic matter in the soil cannot be replaced by coal-derived humus. However, while sugars, gums, waxes and similar materials derived from fresh organic-matter decay play a vital role in both soil microbiology and structure, they are not humus. Only a small portion of the organic matter added to the soil will ever be converted to humus. Most will return to the atmosphere as carbon dioxide as it decays.

Many studies have shown positive effects of humates, while other studies have shown no effects. Generally, the consensus is that they work well in low organic matter soils. In low amounts they do not produce positive results on soils high in organic matter. At high rates they may tie up soil nutrients.

There are many humus products on the market. They are not all the same. Humate products should be evaluated in a small test plot for cost effectiveness before using. Sales people sometimes make exaggerated claims for their products.

Sum it Up
Humates, many forms of bacteria, fungi and Mycorrhizae play a significant role on a well balanced soil strategy. The import take-away of this message is that application of any chemical and/or fertilizer product will have and effect on organic content in the soil. Choose your weapons carefully!

The Power of Observation Quiz

2010-06-01T13:17:00.001-05:00

Take this QUIZ just for fun; it's about every day stuff that's all around us. The average correct number of answers is just seven, I'll bet golf course superintendents do much better! Thanks to my friend Corey Eastwood for sending me the link.

Good Luck!

Welcome to the World of Sales Mr. Superintendent

2010-05-27T12:02:00.002-05:00

Golf Course superintendents face lot of challenges in selling major capital projects to management, owners and boards of directors.

In these cases the superintendent is the seller and the management, owners and boards of directors are the buyers.

What are the reasons that make it difficult to sell project to management?

The reasons are:

Tactical vs. Strategic

Superintendents tend to sell tactically while club management buys strategically. This leads to a gap or mismatch between what club management presumes it needs and the arguments used by the superintendent for convincing them what the club actually needs. Focusing on project management tools, techniques, technology etc. will not work with club management as they generally look at the “Big Club Picture”.

What club management needs or what are they interested in?
Club owners, boards and managers are interested in:

Strategic Business Decisions - Decisions that would enable strategic advantage, examples are:

Increased dues income
Reduced maintenance / cost of maintenance
More business activity in rounds, special events and F&B
Increasing Market Share
More Members / Players from your immediate 10 mile radius

Strategic Selling Techniques – They are increasing market share, creating new markets (unique club events, appeal to wider demographics), possible club expansion (facilities), competitive advantage against other local clubs, increasing business revenue, increasing profits and ROI (Return on Investment).

What Club Management doesn’t need or what are they NOT interested in?

Remember, as a rule, superintendents are oriented towards Tactical Selling Strategies, which most clubs’ management are generally not interested in. Tactical Selling Techniques emphasizes on; cutting costs, specific quality improvement and organizational effectiveness.

Operational vs. Strategic

Golf course superintendents are operational in approach and focus on specific tools and features of a project. But club management is generally interested in strategic tools that add value to the membership and business.

Insensitivity to organizational changes

Golf course superintendents need to be sensitive to the difficulties caused by changes in organization culture. Implementation of new project or processes results in significant changes in the internal work environment. For example a new project implementation may require using sophisticated technology while other departments will not reap the benefits. Also, bundling projects so that social members get a portion of capital often works to popularize a project along multiple demographics.

Conflicting needs of various divisions in the organization

Superintendents use a common approach without understanding specific needs of various sections in the clubs’ organization. A superintendent needs to be dedicated and aware at a club-wide level so as to follow a consistent approach across various divisions within the club organization. Even though the golf course is the number one asset at most clubs, funds and improvements can not only be directed to the course.

Varied thinking of club management

Each manager, owner or board member has a different mindset to a new project. The superintendents use the same approach in selling projects without understanding different buyer’s mindsets. The clubs offerings are varied and so is the decision maker’s. Most clubs offer dining, tennis, swimming and fitness as other functions that need capital funding from time to time.

Political under currents

Political undercurrents in club culture also make it difficult to sell a project. The superintendent needs to be alert on any organization changes that may affect the delicate project dynamics.

Insufficient training

Club management often feels superintendents are already practicing project management and strategic planning and the superintendent may require the need advance their education to achieve the clubs’ organization goals.

How to sell projects to club management?

Superintendents often argue that timely capital projects help in higher standards of maintenance. Instead they should explain how new capital projects will lead to more dues income and an increase in rounds played leading to additional revenues for the club. A well executed capital project will enhance the members experience and add value to the club business.

What are the ways to sell a project successfully to club managers, owners and boards of directors?

Superintendents should focus on the following to sell a capital project successfully to club management:

Focus on Measurable Results - Measurable results examples – increase revenue, staff growth and retention, capturing new members, improving on the local club competition. These parameters are integrated with organizations strategic objectives.

Assess Organizational Environment – Assess the organizational inclination towards a new project. This could be done by taking an inventory of successful and less than successful projects. Then identify key reasons for failure or success using surveys and project archives. Having done all the above a better strategy could be derived to sell the capital project.

Ensure Strong Buyer Seller Relationship - A professional relationship should be maintained with club managers, owners and boards. Above all, the superintendent should universally known be trustworthy and capable to carryout the duties of owners representative and / or project management.

Understand Individual Needs - Since club management have different opinions on a capital project, superintendents must invest time and effort in understanding the clubs’ needs.

Avoid Project Management Jargons – While selling capital projects to club leaders superintendents should use simple business terms such as long term benefits, higher ROI, NPV (Net present Value), Savings, Success, Competitive advantage etc. Very little selling ground is gained by explaining that a new irrigation system will report local soil moisture and salt concentration conditions and apply water based on evapotranspiration though the improved Penman-Monteith equation. This type of technical speak will have a negative impact on you’re your layman audience.

Additional Opportunities

Be sure to have all information, needs and benefits for the project and don’t present the project without knowing the odds for approval. Most often a waiting period can be considerable before a failed or unapproved project can be presented before the membership again.

Conclusion

By understanding some of the dynamics of capital project approval your odds of convincing the decision makers on the importance of your project will improve dramatically. Superintendents by nature don’t require selling as part of their daily job description. However, sometime during your career you will be in a position to sell a large capital golf course project, good luck and keep these tips in mind.

Some Basics on Managing a Small Golf Course Crew

2010-05-27T09:58:00.000-05:00

With golf courses being squeezed for every labor dollar these are some helpful tips in managing the golf course maintenance with a reduced staff. Special skill is needed to manage an effective golf course maintenance team. Although there are times when it is easier to manage a small maintenance crew than a large crew, managing your small team has challenges of its own. Small teams do not have the same resources or variety that large teams have. You must be especially careful to manage small teams properly in order to successfully finish special events or detailed projects.

Hire team members with multiple skills

If your team size is limited, try to hire team members that have a combination of skills or can be easily trained for multi-skilled positions and avoid hiring those that have experience or a preference in just one skill. This way, each team member can have different functions within the group.

Plan out carefully and exactly

With a small crew, it is especially important that you are organized and know exactly what needs to be done each day, week and month. You must plan out tasks carefully and not just give out tasks haphazardly. Fit the task to the crew member.

Give out tasks in order of priority

With a small team; you concentrate on tasks that are highest priority. You do not have team members to spare or to do extra work, so you must keep your group focused on the most important tasks at hand. When every labor dollar counts this is critical planning.

Consider yourself part of the team

If you manage a small team, you must understand that you are also a team member. Unlike a manager of a large team where project management may be your only job, a manager for a small team will often have to be part of the team as well as the manager. This means you will use your skill set and complete some of the project(s) yourself.

Allow the team to grow close but still accomplish

Small teams often become personally involved. Each member works closely with one another which can start friendships. This is a good thing when it helps the team accomplish, but can have negative effects if the team setting becomes a social meeting instead of work time. Make sure to balance team friendships with productivity.

Always reward in public and discipline in private

No matter the size of the team these are good characteristics of leadership, however, the practice of “reward in public and discipline in private” is all the more important to smaller sized teams. The overall well being of a small team can be severely crippled by disparaging a team member in front of their peers. Group recognition also can be a large scale motivator when sincere and earned by the team.

Expect exceptional results

Never lower your expectations for high quality work. Once the small team members have knowledge that expectations are sub-standard a new mindset will be set on lower performance. Expect the best from your small team and train them appropriately, good enough is not an option.

The above is a good beginning to successfully manage a winning, small, high performance team of golf maintenance workers, apply these simple but effective attributes and experience how much more efficiently your team can accomplish the task of fine golf course maintenance with substantially less labor.

My Trip to Southern Hills

2010-05-25T08:35:00.001-05:00

Imagine my excitement when I discovered that I was on my way to Southern Hills. My wife had arranged to visit with her sister to attend her son’s graduation party. Not being the kind of guy to sit around I planned a little fly fishing at local tail water for one day and contacted the superintendent at Southern Hills.

Unfortunately, I got skunked fishing for wily trout in the tail water so my trip to Southern Hills would have to be the highlight of my trip, did I mention this Southern Hills was in Hot Springs, South Dakota!

Southern Hills of South Dakota is a gem of a golf course located in the southwest edge of the state.

The slick bent fairways, great pure bent greens a picturesque landscape is something special in the Black Hills area.

If you ever get an opportunity to visit I would definitely put this course on your list.

Operated by the city, Southern Hills feels more like a country club. The care that is taken to maintain this fantastic course is overseen by Arlin Fenhaus, CGCS. Arlin and his staff make the course a comfortable and inviting place to tee-it-up.

Although the Southern Hill I visited was not the Tulsa venue of professional tournament fame, I rather would spend my time at Southern Hills, South Dakota. Having lived in Tulsa I have already been to Southern Hills Country Club, it’s nice too, just another kind of Southern Hills.

A Look at Golf Maintenance Budgets

2010-05-07T13:05:00.008-05:00

By Michael D. Vogt, CGCS

The need to control golf maintenance expenses may finally get its due among golf club board members, managers and by default golf course superintendents. Let’s not begin cutting budgets before understanding an alternative budgeting process or the possible results.

The first thing needed to logically address golf course budgetary issues is a written standard of golf course maintenance. These standards must be concise at describing golf course conditions on a daily basis at each unique club.

The Standards

Standards are written guidelines for golf course maintenance minimums. These standards should be carefully drafted by the committee with major input from the golf course superintendent. The standards should include items such as follows:

ANY TOWN GOLF CLUB
GOLF COURSE MAINTENANCE STANDARDS

2010

Any Town Golf Club is characterized by an extremely high level of grooming and manicuring with an emphasis on creating tournament conditions on a day to day basis. Any Town Golf Club’s standard of maintenance is very expensive and will be expected to be maintained on a daily basis throughout the season (April 1 – October 15)

The following are basic Golf Course Maintenance Standards. Your clubs standards should be very detailed leaving little to interpretation.

Greens
* Overview: All greens are to be smooth, uniformly turfed, firm but not hard, well defined and free of all major pest problems. Cups, poles and flags are to be uniform, clean and in excellent repair.

Mowing frequency Daily
Mowing equipment Walk Mowers (Type)
Cutting height 1/10 - 5/32 inch (weather dependent)
Daily Putting speed 10.0 - 11.0 stempmeter
Cups changed Daily prior to play
Ballmarks repaired Daily
Dew removal/whipping After mowing

Greens Amenities:
Tournament poles
Zinc cups / No Liners
Logo flags
Replace flags & cups 5 times per year

Tees, Collars & Approaches
Overview: Tees smooth, completely turfed, level, firm but not hard, clean, properly directed, with amenities in good condition and repair, consistent and uniform. Markers rotated consistent with cup rotation system and aligned with the line of play.

Tees
Mowing frequency 9 holes 5 x per week
Mowing equipment Walk Mowers (Type)
Cutting height 1/4-3/8

Greens Approach & Collar
Mowing frequency 9 holes 5 x per week
Tee markers changed Daily
Divots repaired (par threes) Daily
Divots repaired (par 4s/5s) 4 x per week

Amenities:
Ballwashers/trash containers - All Tees All holes
Benches Every Hole
Tee signage - Purchased Every Hole
Yardage monuments Every Hole
Divot buckets on Par 3's Every Hole

The above a basic set of standards and would be applied to every area of maintenance.

Cycle - Times

Once a set of standards are created routine job tasks can be timed, we refer to the time it takes to perform these routine tasks as cycle-times.

Labor Needed to Mow Greens

If the club establishes cycle-times for each routine labor requirement a labor budget can be formulated on this basis.

Our experience has shown that 55% to 65% of private club income was expenses incurred in operating typical private 18-hole golf or country clubs relate to turf maintenance. While these percentages sound excessive let’s examine the importance of the golf course facility to the club; the majority of members (Over 70%) stated that the main reason for joining the club was “For the High Quality Golf Course” :

• Country club courses are generally better maintained than public courses
• Play is usually faster, since the course is not clogged with beginners
• Since the monthly dues cover the cost of golf, it may be a good value for the person who plays golf often
• Golf outings and social functions may lead to job or business opportunities
• Families often enjoy the benefits of club memberships for health, well being and to associate with like-minded people in their community

The Zero - Based Budget

Starting with all line items being zero the budget exercise begins. Labor, based on predicted activities can constitute the beginning of the process. The standards and cycle-times should yield an hourly total for routine maintenance. Labor dollar amounts should be relatively simple to assign to job tasks; for instance, mowing greens would not require a high wage earner to accomplish, while applying fertilizers and chemicals to green surfaces will require a more experienced higher wage earner.

Advantages of Zero-Based Budgeting:

1. Efficient allocation of resources, as it is based on needs and standards
2. Drives managers to find cost effective ways to improve standards and operations
3. Detects inflated budgets
4. Useful for golf course maintenance operations where the output is difficult to recognize
5. Increases motivation by providing greater initiative and responsibility in decision-making
6. Increases communication and coordination within the club’s organization
7. Identifies and eliminates wasteful and obsolete operations.
8. Identifies opportunities for outsourcing.
9. Forces cost centers to identify their mission and their relationship to overall goals.

Disadvantages of Zero-Based Budgeting:

1. Must define standards and decision units, as it is time-consuming
2. Forced to justify every detail related to expenditures
3. Necessary to train managers. Zero-based budgeting must be clearly understood by managers at various levels to be successfully implemented.
4. The volume of information may be so large compressing the information down to a usable size might remove important details to middle and lower management
5. Honesty of the managers must be reliable and uniform. Any manager that exaggerates input information skews the results.

The wild card in any golf maintenance labor budget is weather and its related impact on dollars needed to provide standards that are acceptable to membership. During the course of the golf season weather and is unique impact on golf course maintenance and should be addressed to keep labor expenditures to a minimum. The superintendent must communicate with regular frequency and to the predetermined authority on additions to the allotted funds in each category of the maintenance budget. Hot humid weather can increase fungicide application rates and frequencies, or drought can increase power and water use. The superintendent has the training and expertise to make these decisions but must also be a good communicator when it comes to variances in budget forecasts.

Building a golf maintenance budget from zero takes into account individual line item areas such as fertilizers and chemicals for example. These commodities are needed to safeguard turf from disease, insect damage, weeds and to control growth and enhance playability (8% - 15% of total budget). The arsenal of chemicals available is far better in terms of safety and function than in years past. Increases in price have steadily made an impact on cost of protection. An application program with specific dates, rates and cost per square foot can easily be forecasted with the use of modern spreadsheet programs. Basically, programs to spray herbicides, fungicides, fertilizers and other chemicals can be forecasted by most professional golf course superintendents. Pricing these products is generally preformed through competitive bidding. Be aware that generic turf chemicals have become a formidable product offering in recent years, only your superintendent will know which generic substation will produce the results the club desires.

Equipment maintenance and repair are often large additional expenditures incurred in the golf maintenance budget (3% - 7%). An examination of repair records should take place to arrive at a decision whether to keep or retire equipment before the cost of operation excides the cost of repair or/or inconvenience due to chronic equipment failures resulting in poor conditions and not achieving standards of maintenance.

Drilling down into each line item is necessary to establish a zero-based budget.

Historical or Incremental Budgeting

Incremental budgeting uses a budget prepared during the previous period’s budget or uses actual historical performance as a base. Incremental amounts are added for the new budget period as desired. The allocation of resources is based upon allocations and increases of the previous period based on increased activity. This approach is not recommended as it fails to take into account changing economic or operational circumstances based on proven methodology. Moreover, it encourages “spending up to the budget” to ensure a reasonable allocation in the next budgetary period. It leads to a “spend it or lose it” mentality.

Advantages of incremental budgeting:

1. The budget is stable and change is gradual, usually based on a global percentage
2. Managers can operate their departments on a consistent basis
3. The system is simple and easy to understand
4. Conflicts are avoided when departments appear to be treated similarly
5. Co-ordination between budgets is easier to achieve
6. The impact of change can be seen quickly

Disadvantages of incremental budgeting:

1. Assumes activities and methods will continue in the same way
2. No incentive for developing new ideas
3. No incentive to reduce costs
4. Encourages spending up to the budget so that the budget is maintained over subsequent years
5. The budget will become out-of-date and no longer relate to standards or type of output desired
6. The priority for resources may have changed since the budgets were originally set
7. There may be budgetary slack built into the budget, which is never reviewed.
8. Managers might have overestimated their requirements in the past in order to obtain a budget which is easier to work within, and which will allow them to achieve favorable results

Variable and Non-Variable Expenses

Many budgetary expenses are referred to as non-variable expenses. These expenses are considered mostly stable no matter how many rounds of golf are played. For instance, if a club has 10,000 rounds or 30,000 rounds, fungicide applications on greens will most likely remain the same. Conversely, the club that has 30,000 rounds is essential busy most of the day, labor hours to mow fairways can be expected to increase unless perhaps part-time labor is introduced later in the day, during a slow play period, to avoid overtime or increase cycle-time, running up the cost of labor to mow fairways. Variable and non-variable expenses should be considered when formulating budget forecasts. In the latter example, by using part-time and spit shift labor we may be able to smooth variable expenses and create a more stable labor expense in relation to increase rounds. Our goal is to identify variable expenses and control escalation during increases in usage.

Comparison of Expenses

Across the country, many superintendents have had their budgets frozen or reduced, which is likely why some clubs look to compare course operations and budgets with hopes of increasing resources.

An interesting question is perhaps golfer’s expectations and the related course maintenance to satisfy those expectations has gotten out of hand (standards). Is it time to scale back on items as bunker maintenance (variable expenses) which is fast becoming equal to cost of greens maintenance? Is out-of-play maintenance critical to the overall golf experience? Is a vast array of annual flowers superior to perennial plantings? The key is to document and communicate changes needed to sustain a healthy bottom line during difficult economic times.

There are few reliable methods to compare golf course maintenance budgets, it is essential to point out that the validity of such comparisons is dubious, at best. The difficulty associated with comparing course operations can be attributed to such items as:

• Managed sizes of turf on greens, tees and fairways
• The number of sand bunkers and bunker design
• Number of annual rounds of golf
• Water and soil quality and inputs needed to achieve desired standards
• Geographic location of the club

Comparisons may be useful in certain circumstances. The list below provides a few indicators that can potentially be used to compare and contrast courses:

• Maintenance cost per acre
• Maintenance costs per hole
• Labor hours per week
• Labor hours per hole
• Maintenance dollars per golf round
• Percentage of variable and non-variable expenses of budget vs. total golf related income

In 2007 a major golf association studied the maintenance expenses of more than 66 private clubs in a major metropolitan area. Of the clubs surveyed in three distinct regions an 11% differential was observed in average maintenance budgets. In another 2007 set of country club statistics of major country clubs in a Midwestern metropolitan area the variation in golf course maintenance costs was just over 12% .

As we have continued to follow golf course maintenance expenses the trends in maintenance costs has generally increased well in excess of the increases in the Consumer Price Index.

There will be further pressures on expenses due to volatility in oil prices. The increases in oil prices will not only increase what is normally only 3% -5% of the typical budget, but will also increase the cost of most fertilizers and chemicals that are derived from petrochemicals and costs of delivery that will significantly impact budget line items.

Cost Control

Then there is the question of competition and the number of golf courses that have been added in the past decade. In the US, we have added over 20% to golf course capacity since 1988. While it is true that basic demographics relating to the aging of the “baby boom” generation will support some additional golf capacity, it will not absorb all the capacity that has been built. Reduction of pricing and the reduction or elimination of initiation fees has left many private clubs opening their doors to the public or enlisting the likes of manament companies or maintenance contractors to manage the golf course. These difficult management decisions are all part-and-parcel due to increases in operation expenses.

Over the years superintendent’s need for larger budgets was in order to keep pace with costs of maintaining status quo. What kind of help is the superintendent getting?

Let’s take for example a walking greens mower. A 22” mower in 1988 was $2,500.00 and is over $6,500.00 today. Inflation rate within the last 20 years is 82.44% , which would put the adjusted cost of the $4,561.00 for the greens mower, 32.5% greater than the inflation rate. The machine will not produce a significant decrease in mowing height or quality. Clearly, today’s superintendent is not getting much help in lowering expenses from the equipment manufacturers.

What can a golf club’s Manager or Board of Directors do to control costs?

• Become more knowledgeable about basic maintenance practices
• Ask for alternatives, generally more than one method or piece of equipment is available for specific tasks
• Demand cycle-time information

The real point of this article is not to ridicule the golf course superintendent, but to call attention to the fact that the actual assembly of golf course maintenance budgets is being neglected. What can be done to correct the situation?

• Superintendents need to start asking some new questions – How can we become more efficient?
• Equipment manufacturers need to get focused on creating more cost efficient and productive machinery
• Managers and Boards need to seek education on golf maintenance issues
• The USGA and GCSAA need to focus their efforts on providing increased education for General Managers and Boards
• Maintenance cycle-times and maintenance standards needs to become an operating “Best Management Practice”

Conclusion

Reinventing historic, incremental budgets must be accomplished if clubs are to stay competitive in the private golf market. Zero-based budgeting places the output desired first through carefully drafted standards and researched cycle-times, the resources are only appropriated after standards are met. To place restrains on a mangers and superintendents to reduce budget spending by an arbitrary percentage is unrealistic. With a zero-based budget a decision can be made to curtail or eliminate a job task and the dollars saved can be immediately identified.

Unitized cost of production is easily identified through zero-based budgeting. Cost controls are simplified once the budget is formulated. Fixed and variable costs can be identified through upswings in usage and relating operational costs. The zero-based budget makes sense for a troubled economy when cost controls and even budget cuts are the order-of-the-day. The process of zero-based budgeting helps to increase overall business acumen in your managers and will help everyone understand the complexities on forecasting golf course operational expenses.

To Download Click Link to Scribd

2010-04-27T16:58:00.000-05:00

30589591-sustainabilitychecklist-v-1-1-2

Golf’s Drive Towards Sustainability

2010-04-26T09:20:00.005-05:00

By Michael Vogt, CGCS

The way I understand it, “Sustainability is meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

Click to view image in seperate window

In our industry of golf course management can the GCSAA take the role of leadership in an industry-wide initiative such as this? I’d like to elaborate on this and present sustainability leadership as an evolutionary practice for GCSAA, as most other industry stand-alone organizations soon realized from their experiences. As individual courses develop sustainability competencies, most will go through a series of phases, and the individual style that is appropriate for each phase needs to evolve as well, as we have learned. The apparent phases are: Learning, Alignment and Intrenchment.

Learning Phase
The majority of courses will be drawn into sustainability by both internal and external pressures. Ironically, competition is an important element. The more one golf course or club embraces sustainability the more other golf courses will become focused on the processes of sustainability. Most golf courses will therefore face an early stage where the club’s understanding of sustainability is limited; wherein both the superintendent and the entire host of course employees are learning about sustainability and what it means for the company by way of public awareness and recognition in the communities as well as any possible savings of resources. An early indicator that a golf course is entering the sustainability arena is when industry leaders and superintendents begin to talk and share information about sustainability at their local meetings and with peers in presentations. Public statements by the general manager and superintendent help signal to employees that sustainability is important, but it is organizational changes that facilitate broader learning at an individual course application

A typical, and often best change, is the creation of “sustainability” or “eco” teams that bring together employees from across the club organization. Since sustainability is a cross-functional and cross-organizational challenge the development of eco teams makes sense. All of the golf course’s business units (golf course, golf shop, restaurant and building maintenance) and functions need to explore the meaning of sustainability for their specific situations and how their actions impact other functions (synergy).

Leadership in the learning phase is organic, with sustainability champions emerging in the various club’s business units. Savvy leaders will engage and motivate employees by focusing on sustainability issues that align with employee values. The volunteer rates for green teams should be high because many employees want to feel that their work is contributing to not just the bottom line, but also a better world.

Alignment Phase
Self-starting green teams and voluntary sustainability programs like recycling, waste reduction, etc., are an early outcome from the learning phase. But at some point, the approach reaches its limits. By this time, the club has gained substantial understanding of sustainability in general and the specific sustainability issues facing the industry and the club specifically. Employees have probably also improved their workplace practices keeping a watchful eye on cleanliness and order in the workplace. However, further advanced sustainability requires coordinated action and alignment in the unique club’s ultimate goals.

To move the club forward, leaders must articulate a clear sustainability mission and vision for the whole organization. A good sustainability mission states what value the club brings to society and a commitment to address valid concerns about the environmental and social impacts created by the entire club. Many golf course properties will also officially recognize the sustainability champions from the previous phase and add specific sustainability roles to their existing functional duties.

For example, all operations at the Island Golf Club near Baton Rouge, Louisiana require a significant budget and like many golf facilities, efficient, sustainable and economical operations at the club are important. A plan to install an array of solar panels on the cart storage building that would power the cart building, main clubhouse, and golf shop as well as the tennis and pool clubhouse.

The second project entails a geothermal unit for the main clubhouse, which incorporated a second solar unit for the groundwater pump associated with the geo-thermal unit. As of November 15, 2009 the Island Golf Club’s solar system had generated more than 50,000 kWh with more than 63,000 pounds of CO2 emission offset.

The geothermal and solar projects are a significant change for the Island Golf Club and are intended to improve operational expense, sustainability as well as environmental stewardship. As of November 2009 there has been an estimated 54% reduction in utility costs at the club house. That is approximately $5,000 per month. The investment for these projects was approximately $252,000 for the solar projects and $90,000 for the geothermal unit project. Federal tax incentives exist for energy saving - sustainable projects like these. The Island Golf Club was able to use a federal tax incentive of 30% for both projects.

This type of leadership is like diplomacy, working to align partners and stakeholders toward common sustainability goals. GCSAA can act as a Sustainability Officer becoming a leading source for sharing industry wide sustainability Best Management Practices (BMPs), goals, policies, information and campaigns.

Leadership in this phase is often more difficult because it requires moving beyond the association’s gates into the field more often. GCSAA has a golden opportunity to work with golf courses, superintendents, general managers and other stakeholders to establish themselves as leaders in the field of Golf’s Drive for Sustainability.

Intrenchment Phase
The final phase of Sustainability is the very practices that are intrenched and engrained in the fabric of the club’s mission. Even today, very few companies have reached the final phase where sustainability practices become top-of-mind in the company culture, processes and systems. This, however, should be the end game – the pinnacle achievement – for all businesses. As mentioned in the opening, “Sustainability is meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

Ultimately, solving our sustainability problems will depend on inspirational ideas and innovative leadership that can change ways we do business. Let’s concentrate on finding and fostering the inspiration and start acting on it. GCSAA has in it’s hands a once in a generation opportunity to foster great change and align it’s membership for even greater recognition; lets hope their up to the task.

WAL-MART vs. our U.S. Federal Legislators

2010-04-23T08:21:00.003-05:00

1. American spends $36,000,000 at Wal-Mart every hour of every day.

2. This works out to $20,928 profit every minute!

3. Wal-Mart will sell more from January 1 to St. Patrick's Day (March 17th) than Target sells all year.

4. Wal-Mart is bigger than Home Depot + Kroger + Target + Sears + Costco + K-Mart combined.

5. Wal-Mart employs 1.6 million people and is the largest private Employer.

6. Wal-Mart is the largest company in the history of the World.

7. Wal-Mart now sells more food than Kroger & Safeway combined; and keep in mind they did this in only 15 years.

8. During this same period, 31 supermarket chains sought bankruptcy.

9. Wal-Mart now sells more food than any other store in the world.

10. Wal-Mart has approx 3,900 stores in the USA of which 1,906 are Super Centers; this is 1,000 more than it had 5 Years ago.

11. This year 7.2 billion different purchasing experiences will occur at a Wal-Mart store. (Earth's population is approximately 6.5 Billion.)

12. 90% of all Americans live within 15 miles of a Wal-Mart.

I generally shop with local merchants based in my home town rather than our local Wal-Mart Super Center, I feel in some way that I am supporting the local economy and hard working families down the street from where I live. But I digress; no one can argue the fact that Wal-Mart is a superpower retailer; that much is certain. You may think that I am complaining, but I am really laying the ground work for suggesting that MAYBE we should hire the guys who run Wal-Mart to fix the U.S. economy.

READ ON: Democrats, Republicans, Conservatives, and Liberals - EVERYONE!!

To: The president and all 535 voting members of the Legislature.

1. The U.S. Post Service was established in 1775. You have had 234 years to get it right and it is broke.

2. Social Security was established in 1935. You have had 74 years to get it right and it is broke.

3. Fannie Mae was established in 1938. You have had 71 years to get it right and it is broke.

4. War on Poverty started in 1964. You have had 45 years to get it right; $1 trillion of our money is confiscated each year and transferred to "the poor" and for the most part they only want more.

5. Medicare and Medicaid were established in 1965. You have had 44 years to get it right and they are broke.

6. Freddie Mac was established in 1970. You have had 39 years to get it right and it is broke.

7. The Department of Energy was created in 1977 to lessen our dependence on foreign oil. It has ballooned to 16,000 employees with a budget of $24 billion a year and we import more oil than ever before. You had 32 years to get it right and it is an abysmal failure.

8. AMTRAK, taken over in 1970 by the U.S. Federal Government has lost money each year since 1970, 30.8 million in the first quarter of 2010. You have had 39 years to get AMTRAK self-sustaining as promised and guess what, it’s also broke.

Remember, deficit spending is a form of taxation without representation, because it increases the tax burden of generations who cannot yet vote (often because they are as yet unborn).

AND YOU WANT AMERICANS TO BELIEVE YOU CAN BE TRUSTED WITH A GOVERNMENT-RUN HEALTH CARE SYSTEM?

Estimating Turf Water Use, Part 2, How to Arrive at Sprinkler Run Times

2010-04-20T15:45:00.002-05:00

By Michael Vogt, CGCS

In the first installment we calculated several variables that are necessary to arrive at how much water the plant may need in a given time. These calculations are needed to arrive at the irrigation systems ability to meet those needs.

It’s vital to know what the Plant Available Water (PAW) that will exist in the root zone, expressed in inches, as well as the Management Allowable Depletion (MAD) expressed as a percent. AD is a factor used to trigger an irrigation event. The formula for arriving at an Allowable Water Depletion is:

AD = PAW x MAD

AD = Allowable Depletion

PAW = Plant Available Water

MAD = Management Allowable Depletion

Distribution Uniformity

Distribution uniformity (DU) is the measure of how uniformly water is applied and made available over a given turf area. DU is expressed in percentage form and generally represents the major component of irrigation efficiency. DU is also a statistical value measuring uniformity of coverage, ie, a DU of .8 denotes a DU of 80%.

Irrigation efficiency is affected by both site management and equipment at the site. Uniformity is related to the design and mechanical performance of the irrigation system.

Estimated DU for sprinkler types

During an irrigation audit the nozzle size of a rotor sprinkler and operating pressure should be determined.The best way determined nozzle size is by using a drill bit inserted into the nozzle orifice.

Run time mulitplier as a function of DULQ

Flow

Station flow can be determined by the following equation:

GPM = 28.62 x D² x √P

GPM = Flow Rate of One Sprinkler

28.62 = Conversion Factor

D = Nozzle Diameter
P = Pressure at Nozzle

Precipitation Rate (PR)

Precipitation Rate (PR) is the rate at which irrigation water is applied per unit of time, usually in inches per hour. Depending pressure, spacing and type of sprinkler selected, each individual sprinkler may have a different precipitation rate. If the flow rate of a specific irrigation area is known it is possible to estimate the average gross precipitation rate, also referred to as application rate.

PRgross = 96.3 x Q

HS x RS

PRgross = Gross Precipitation Rate in Inches per Hour

96.3 = Conversion Factor

Q = Flow Rate from one Sprinkler

HS = Spacing Between Sprinkler Heads (ft)

RS = Spacing Between Rows of Sprinkler Heads (ft)

Net Precipitation Rate

Net precipitation rate is measured as the amount of water that actually reaches the turfgrass stand. The net is the gross less the losses that occur between the nozzle and the stand of turf.

PRnet = Vavg x 3.66
TR x CDA

PRnet = Net Precipitation Rate (inches per hour)

Vavg = Average catch volume (milliliters)

3.66 = Constant that coverts milliliters to inches³

TR = Testing Run Time

CDA = Catch devise throat area (Inches²)

Run Time Multiplier

The Run Time Multiplier (RTM) is used to increase the number of minutes that would be required to apply a given amount of water depending on precipitation rate of the sprinkler and to compensate for a lack of perfect uniformity. The RTM also accounts for lateral water movement in the soil. RTM is based on the equation:

RTM = 1

0.4 + (0.006 x DULQ)

RTM = Run Time Multiplier

DULQ = Lower Quarter Distribution Uniformity (Percentage)

0.4 And 0.006 = Constants used because we catch water before it reaches the surface and can move laterally in the soil.

Base Run Time

To calculate Base Run Time for a sprinkler zone, the plant water requirement (PWR) is divided by the precipitation rate of the zone. Multiply by 60 to convert faction of an hour to minutes.

RTb = PWR x 60

RTb = Base Run Time in Minutes (Minutes)

PWR = Plant Water Requirements (Inches)

PR = Precipitation Rate (Inches per Hour)

Example: where plant water requirements are 1.20 and precipitation rate is 0.59 then base run time would be 122 minutes per week.

Adjusted Run Time

To compensate for the lack of uniformity in the sprinkler zone, additional time will be required to be added to the irrigation schedule. The Run Time Multiplier (RTM) is used to calculate the total number of minute’s necessary based upon this equation:

RTadj = RTb x RTM

RTadj = Adjusted Run Time

RTb = Base Run Time

RTM = Run Time Multiplier

Example: If base run time is 122 minutes and the run time multiplier is 1.22 then the adjusted run time would be 149 minutes.

Maximum Run Time per Cycle

To arrive at a Maximum Run Time per Cycle to avoid run-off the best procedure is to time a zone to see how long it takes for water to run-off the site.

Maximum Run Time per Cycle = Infiltration Rate (Inches per Hour) x 60

Precipitation Rate (Inches per Hour)

Example: Where there is an infiltration rate of 0.75 inches per hour and a precipitation rate of 0.59 inches per hour the maximum run time would be 76 minutes before run off would occur.

Summary

The importance of the actual catchment test to determine the DULQ is critical in the above calculations to arrive at a runtime for weekly irrigation time and cycle requirements. Once the irrigation system is programmed with run times based on these equations you’ll benefit from reduced water usage and be confident that the irrigation system has been programmed with the greatest of accuracy. And when ask the question of how you arrived at your water use quantities you can honestly say that the system was programmed within guidelines set forth by the Irrigation Association to the strictest irrigation accepted standards and best management practices.

References:

1.Aronson, L.J., A. J. Gold, and R.J. Hull. 1987a. Cool Season Turfgrass Responses to Drought
Stress. Crop Science. 27:1261-1266
2.Carrow, Robert N. 1995. Drought Resistance Aspects of Turfgrasses in the Southeast
3.Web resource, http://www.fao.org/docrep/X0490E/x0490e06.htm accessed 8/14/2001
4.Mecham, Fortier, Moore, Berrett, Thompson, McKernan, LaFleur, Norum, 2003, Certified Golf Irrigation Auditor Manual

Estimating Turf Water Use, Part 1

2010-04-13T15:50:00.002-05:00

By Michael D. Vogt, CGCS, CGIA

To understand how much water a turf plant requires is often a matter of intuition on the role of the golf course superintendent. Often that last inspection of the day is the deciding factor on how much water to apply to the turf that evening. With the advent of computer operated irrigation systems a percent increase here and decrease there is all that’s needed. Once the system is “dialed in” that’s the basic truth to the majority of irrigation scheduling. That’s one aspect of the art of greenkeeping, right?

Water can be applied with a degree of science as well as experience and the following is the step by step way to increase your technical knowledge on the science of water application on turfgrass. Whether you use these techniques or not it is critical to know for the simple reason that someday someone’s going to ask, “How did you arrive at the amount of water needed to keep the turf healthy with over watering?”

Evapotranspiration

The amount of water used by a section of turf on a golf course over any given period of time depends on local weather conditions, soil moisture availability and the characteristics of the turf species. Turf water use is also affected by the hydrogeological characteristics of the site and the infiltration rates of the soil. Soil infiltration rates can be measured with single or double ring infiltrometer.

One way to quantify the water needs of a particular type of turf is to identify its Plant Water Requirements (PWR). The PWR is the amount of water needed by the turf for growth, including the water lost through evapotranspiration (ET). ET is the amount of water transferred to the atmosphere by evaporation from soil and plant surfaces, plus the amount of water vapor released through the plant stomata via transpiration. For most golf course turf surfaces, transpiration is much greater than evaporation and therefore makes up the vast majority of ET.

Note: Confusion in the use of the term “ET” often exists. There are two industry accepted definitions of ET- the potential and the actual ET. Potential ET (sometimes given as “PET”) is defined as the ET rate that will occur for a given weather condition for “well watered grass”. Actual ET is equal to potential ET except where soil moisture is limiting, in which case actual ET is less than potential ET. Since the potential ET is of principal interest in determining turf water needs for irrigation, and the term “ET” is used in the industry to refer to potential ET, the term “ET” as used in this writing will mean potential ET unless otherwise specified.

Estimating Evapotranspiration (ET)

The most important factors contributing to ET rates are solar radiation, air temperature, wind speed and atmospheric moisture. Both local meteorology and soil characteristics can vary tremendously within an area the size of a typical golf course. The south side of an elevated area, with greater exposure to wind and radiation will have a greater potential ET rate than a slope with a northern exposure. Consistently, shaded areas will have lower ET rates than areas in full sun. These fine-scale variations in the physical environment are referred to as “microclimate.” ET rates calculated using regional weather data may provide a general indication of potential water use, but they should be adjusted up or down depending on the microclimates present in an individual golf course.

Double Ring Infiltrometer

Soil moisture availability is greatly influenced by soil type and texture. Sandy soils have high porosities but drain readily and do not have high available water holding capacities. Loam soils have the highest water holding capacities, whereas clay soils, although relative high in water contents, hold water so tightly that plants cannot remove the water for transpiration at lower water contents. A low area lying closer to the water table will require less irrigation than an area higher in the landscape because of upward flow of water (capillary rise) into the root zone from the water table, especially for the sandy loam soils.

There are many methods of estimating ET. Some of the more common approaches include obtaining data from outside sources, measuring ET, and calculating ET.

1. Outside sources of ET data. ET estimates can be obtained from commercial weather monitoring and forecasting operations. There are also publicly available weather data sets that often include estimates of ET. Values are usually given as a daily rate in mm per day or inches per day and are based on either evaporation pan data or an equation that estimates ET. This data is usually intended to describe conditions at a regional scale, and may over-or underestimate local conditions.

2. Measuring ET On Site. An alternative to using outside, regional ET estimates is the installation of one or more weather stations to measure on site ET. This alternative would be indicated, for example, when regional weather stations have been shown to consistently misrepresent local conditions. Some devices include:

     a. On site weather stations (mostly directly connected into the irrigation system central computer).

     b. Class A Evaporation pans. A U.S. Weather Service Class A evaporation pan is 122 centimeters in diameter and 25 centimeters deep and is supported 15 centimeters above the ground. The pans are filled with water and the amount of water that evaporates from the pan roughly correlates to the amount of water lost from turf due to evapotranspiration. The amount is not exactly the same; more water usually evaporates from the pan than is lost from the turf. A crop coefficient for evaporation pan data (Kc) is applied to the evaporation pan measurements to arrive at ET rates.

     c. ET gages or Atmometers. These devices have a water reservoir connected by a wicking device to a surface such as a porous plate that mimics a leaf surface. The amount of water lost from the reservoir represents the ET for the given weather conditions. Rates will be less than from an evaporation pan since there is some resistance to flow through the wicking material. These are relatively inexpensive and should be located in the various microclimates found on the course.

3. Calculating ET. Regional weather operations and some measurement devices estimate ET using theoretical physical equations. These equations use available weather measurements, and normally make some assumptions with respect to local soil conditions and the nature of the plant canopy. It may be possible to obtain more accurate ET estimates by using local weather data, then adjusting the parameters of the ET equation to reflect the characteristics of the specific soil and vegetation present on the golf course.

1. Penman equation. This equation, often referred to as the Modified Penman equation, provides an estimate of evaporation from a free water surface. Four weather variables are required for this equation, solar radiation, wind, temperature and humidity. It is often used in place of pan evaporation. Since Penman and others have found that the equation also predicts well the ET from a 3-6" tall cool season grass that completely covers the ground, and is supplied with adequate water, it is sometimes referred to as a reference ET (ETo). A crop coefficient (Kc) for whatever species of grass is being irrigated is applied to the equation to get an estimate of the potential rate of ET for that crop.

2. Penman-Monteith equation. This equation predicts the ET from a crop directly.
The same four weather variables are required as the Penman equation plus a canopy conductance term that accounts for resistance to water movement within the reference plant. The specific canopy conductance values for individual crops are not commonly available; therefore, the Penman-Monteith equation is not used in practice as frequently as the modified Penman equation.

4. Blaney-Criddle. This equation was originated for use in the Western United States.
It uses temperature and day-length as the major independent variables for estimating ET. There are crop coefficients specific to the Blaney-Criddle equation available in the U.S. Soil Conservation Service (1970) handbook. It is recommended that the Blaney-Criddle equation be used for monthly ET estimation. This equation is simple but provides only a rough estimate. It may produce large errors under extreme weather conditions, especially outside of the Western United States where it was developed (Dunne and Leopold, 1978).

Crop Coefficients and Species Specific Water Use Rates

In addition to the physical environmental factors discussed above, the amount of water used by a turf canopy will also depend on the nature of the canopy itself. Within a species, water use needs vary diurnally and seasonally, and depend on the stage of development of the grass. “Crop coefficients” are a useful way of expressing relative water use efficiency numerically.

1. Species and Cultivar variations. Water use needs also vary among species, and cultivars of particular grass species can also vary in their water use rates. Warm season grasses tend to have lower water use rates while cool season grasses have higher rates. This is partly because cool season grasses use ET as a cooling mechanism.

Some turf species can have a lower comparative PWR and still require more water to maintain an acceptable quality than a species with a higher PWR. This is because some species have greater drought tolerance than others. The goal is to use grass species or cultivars that have a lower PWR and a high drought tolerance. A study by Aronson et al.

2. Crop Coefficients. Crop coefficients, as mentioned in the explanations above, are ratios of the potential ET of a particular crop, species or cultivar to a reference ET or evaporation rate. These coefficients are determined experimentally, often using weighing lysimeters under “unlimited soil water” conditions. Care must be used in the use of crop coefficients as the term is used for various references, Blaney-Criddle, Penman-Monteith, pan evaporation, and Penman evaporation equation. Crop coefficients will vary with the species of grass in question, the growth stage of the plants, the climate, the season, cutting height, and soil moisture stress, arriving at a single number to use as a crop coefficient can be problematic. Most golf course superintendents use crop coefficients in conjunction with experience to arrive at a consistent coefficient for their turf location and varieties.

A study of crop coefficients in the Northeast is the study by Aronson et al. This study compared measured ET rates for several species or cultivars with both pan evaporation and values predicted by the modified Penman equation. As studied the Penman equation and pan evaporation, rates varied both seasonally and from year to year. The authors concluded that using an averaged Kc value of 1.0 for the cool season turfgrass species studied would be adequate for irrigation scheduling. These values are higher than the typical values for turf of approximately 0.7 to 0.8.

Brown et al. (2001) in a study in Arizona found Kc values ranging from about 0.75 to 0.85 for Bermuda grass. These Kc values are for the Penman-Monteith equation for potential ET, not evaporation, and therefore would be expected to higher rather than lower than values based on the modified Penman equation or pan evaporation. A study by Carrow (1995) found that an average coefficient for tall fescue in the southeast for summer would be (0.79-0.82). This study also found the coefficients for turfgrass differed over the growing season.

Plant Available Water

Plant Available Water (PAW) represents the quantity of water stored within the root zone between the conditions of field capacity and the permanent wilting point. To solve for PAW as simple equation is this:

PAW = AW x RZ

PAW = Plant Available Water (Inches)

AW = Available Water (Inches of Water / Inches of Soil

RZ = Root Zone Depth

Management Allowed Depletion

Management allowed depletion (MAD) is the maximum amount of plant available water (PAW) expressed as a percent that the superintendent allows to be removed from the soil before irrigation occurs.

A value of 50% MAD is a reasonable overall value before irrigation will occur. Although, shallow root zones and sensitive plants such as Poa annua will require irrigation before the 50% threshold is reached.

Allowable Depletion

Now that we know the PAW and MAD we can apply an equation to arrive at the allowable depletion (AD):

AD = PAW x MAD

For example:

If the MAD is 50% (0.50) and the PAW is 2.2 inches, then the approximately 1.10 inches of water could be used by the turf before the next irrigation (2.2 x 0.50 = 1.10 inches).

The next installment will discuss run time multipliers and how to figure run times based on these physical statistics.

References:
1.Aronson, L.J., A. J. Gold, and R.J. Hull. 1987a. Cool Season Turfgrass Responses to Drought
Stress. Crop Science. 27:1261-1266
2.Carrow, Robert N. 1995. Drought Resistance Aspects of Turfgrasses in the Southeast
3.Web resource, http://www.fao.org/docrep/X0490E/x0490e06.htm accessed 8/14/2001
4.Mecham, Fortier, Moore, Berrett, Thompson, McKernan, LaFleur, Norum, 2003, Certified Golf Irrigation Auditor Manual

Worst Management Practices

2010-04-09T09:08:00.001-05:00

By Michael D. Vogt, CGCS, CGIA

Has common courtesy taken a backseat in modern business? I find it unlikely that any reader will respond favorably to that statement. I know that as I wrote it, I felt as if I was unfairly overstating the situation, yet I’m becoming convinced it has become a core value in most business organizations.

Lack of Courtesy

The venerable game of golf and the business of golf always possessed an air of civility and manners unlike most big awkward businesses in the U.S. I occasionally send email flyers to people in the golf business that might be interested in new ideas or services. Always at the bottom of the page if someone does not want to receive further emails there’s a note that describes, “To discontinue receiving McMahon Group newsletters and announcements, please respond with TERMINATE in the subject line and your email address with us will be deleted. Here’s one response, “Don’t you ever send me any of your junk, email, spam crap again.” I hate to think that this superintendent will be an inspiration to the next generation of golf business people. It’s far easier to type TERMINATE than that line and really lacks any courtesy whatsoever.

We usually think of things like “Core Values” and “Best Practices” as positive attributes of a businesses organizational culture. All too often we hear companies state that the employee is the businesses greatest asset. However, there are also negative organizational “Core Values” and “Worst Practices”. Spending some time to examine these, with the intent of highlighting their destructive attributes, in the hopes of alleviating them, is hopefully a productive use of time.

What behavior, repeated often enough and widely enough, could support the seemingly outrageous notion that, “Common courtesy has neither a place, nor a value, in the modern organization”, has become a common core value?

Courtesy in the Hunt

With the nations economy in the tank and many good people out of work, (and that does, or will apply to all of us, either in the past or certainly in the future) we can realize that the job hunt is stressful. Not knowing when we’ll land the next position is the source for constant anguish. Speaking plainly, the stress is enough to break up some relationships, turn to chemical and alcohol abuse and in rare cases it can even lead to suicide. Even when people don’t crumble under the strain, the burden of unemployment is, without a doubt, a heavy one.

Those in job transition quickly learn a few cold - hard facts about this age of the lean and (especially) mean organizations.

Truth # 1: They will rarely, if ever, receive a response, not even a form letter, to the dozens; if not hundreds of resumes they sent out in response to newspaper, trade journal or internet advertisements. Many years ago, a letter of acknowledgement was the norm. It was often a form letter, but it was recognition that at least the resume was received.

Most organization’s response is undoubtedly, that it would cost thousands of dollars to respond to the thousands of resumes they receive after an ad is published. They are unquestionably correct, it would indeed cost money to be courteous and acknowledge receipt of resumes they requested. The cost of courtesy is most certainly very high.

Truth # 2: Even if they do make it to the short list of potential candidates, after jumping through a series of telephone and in-person interview hoops, they should not hold their breath waiting for the final decision. Often it will require that they wait in growing angst and frustration until they can bear the pressure of suspense no more, and they phone their potential employer, numerous times, because their messages are not returned, until they happen by chance to get the person on the phone and they’re told shortly, “Oh yes, the job went to another candidate.”

One could argue, and many do, that the cost of responding to each and every resume is prohibitive, and far too high a price to pay for a mere gesture of courtesy, but when we get down to the short list of candidates, that argument becomes very weak indeed. What does it cost to send out a short note to the three or four finalists who weren’t selected for the position? Or better yet to phone each of them? Or have we arrived at the point where common courtesy really does have neither a place nor a value in our organizations?

The cost of courtesy is one reason for not getting back to people who are anxiously sitting by the phone, waiting for business organizations to enact a courtesy call. There is another possible reason for not calling a candidate who didn’t get the position. Businesses don’t call because they have an aversion to delivering bad news. They’d rather ignore the fact that someone is waiting to know if they can stop the conflicting dual tasks of hoping and worrying, because we don’t care enough to be courteous.

I’m not sure which of these reasons is the least desirable. I know that people who can’t deliver bad news have no place in any organization as managers. Furthermore business organizations that don’t have enough common courtesy to contact a short listed candidate to let them know to continue their job search don’t have a soul and can’t honestly say they treat people well.

Regardless of which is the lesser evil, the lack of common courtesy has regrettably become a common core value in business today not just in the job searching arena. There still remains ladies and gentlemen in our beloved business today but it saddens me to notice the lack of common courtesy invading business just when we need it most.

Please Remember

Courtesy; we refer to it in different ways, such as civility, good manners, good behavior, good conduct, politeness, decency, respect for others, thoughtfulness, kindness, and consideration. No matter what we call it, courtesy is NOT trivial. Here is how Edmund Burke (1729-1797) describes it, "Manners are of more importance than laws. Manners are what vex or soothe, corrupt or purify, exalt or debase, barbarize or refine us, by a constant, steady, uniform, insensible operation, like that of the air we breathe in."

Are you a Cheese Lover?

2010-04-07T13:08:00.002-05:00

By Michael Vogt, CGCS

I believe the best selling book Who Moved My Cheese? to be one of the great books to identify with the new normal we are now experiencing in the golf business today. The book is a quick read and really illustrates with a magnifying glass what’s happening in our economy and our lives today.

The analogies of Sniff and Scurry the two mice that just blindly went after new cheese the moment they discovered their supply was gone begins the story. The story also has two little people, Hem and Haw (we all know that people have reasoning power far superior to mice). When the warehouse full of cheese was empty Hem and Haw (with their reasoning power) deliberated, got angry and generally didn’t want to believe their cheese stockpile had been depleted. Initially reluctant to change, after a long wait, Haw acknowledged that new cheese would not be forthcoming. Hem would not accept the fact that someone would not replenish the cheese and refused to look for more cheese, blaming, criticizing and waiting. Hem remain resolute and saying that he always liked the comfort of the cheese station the way it was and it will return to normal with abundant cheese varieties that he grew to love, someday soon.

Haw left behind Hem and started out in the vast maze looking for more cheese. As Haw moved though the maze looking for cheese he wrote on the wall of the maze some teachable facts:

“The more important your cheese is to you the more you want to hold on to it.”
“If you do not change you become extinct.”
“What would you do if you weren’t afraid?”
“Smell the cheese often so you know when it’s getting old.”
“Movement in a new direction helps you find new cheese.”
“When you move beyond your fear, you feel free.”
“Imagining myself enjoying new cheese even before I find it, leads me to it.”
“The quicker you let go of old cheese, the sooner you find new cheese.”
“It is safer to search in the maze than remain in a cheeseless situation.”
“Old beliefs do lead you to new cheese.”
“When you see that you can find and enjoy new cheese, you change course.”
“Noticing small changes early helps you to adapt to the bigger changes that are to come.”

Business is like cheese! I look at our industry, the business of golf, as one not unlike the story of these two mice and two little people. There are those that embrace the fact that someone will replenish the cheese supply if we just wait, things will get back to normal. Then there are the people that will seek out the new supplies of cheese. Looking for new cheese is not easy, but a more bountiful stash of cheese may be your reward.

If you’re wondering what happened in the end, Hem joined his two mouse friends at a new pile of cheese though much searching and determination. Haw finally saw the writing on the wall and followed Hem’s trail through the maze to the new and delicious stash of cheese. And finally we leave these cheese eaters feasting on cheese but secure in the knowledge that we need to smell and be aware of changing cheese conditions because when the cheese starts changing it is a call to look for replacement cheese.

What the hell is TRIZ

2010-04-05T10:12:00.005-05:00

By Michael Vogt, CGCS

TRIZ (pronounced like Treez) is a problem solving method based on logic and data, not intuition, which may accelerate the ability to solve problems in a different and more creative way. "TRIZ" is the (Russian) acronym for the "Theory of Inventive Problem Solving." G.S. Altshuller and his colleagues in the former U.S.S.R. developed the method between 1946 and 1985. TRIZ is the study and theory of the patterns of problems and solutions.

TRIZ is spreading into the corporate world on many paths. TRIZ is increasingly used alongside the Six Sigma processes, in project management, customer satisfaction and risk management systems, and in many organizational initiatives.

How can TRIZ apply to the world of golf course management? We all know that problem solving relies on a relatively small set of solution patterns. For instances, when the superintendent has a problem or task the first reaction is to break the problem into small sets of easily accomplished tasks; like aerification of greens.

Figure 1 Greens Aerification

Whether you know it or not you use the basic principals of TRIZ for most of your golf course maintenance projects and problems. But not so fast - TRIZ theory gets into the problem solving methods even further. TRIZ research began with the hypothesis that there are universal principles of creativity that are the basis for creative innovations that advance technology. If these principles could be identified and codified, they could be taught to business leaders to make the process of creativity more predictable. The short version of TRIZ is:

“Somebody someplace has already solved this problem (or one very similar to it.)

Creativity is now finding that solution and adapting it to this particular problem."

There are three primary fundamentals of the TRIZ theory:

• Problems and solutions are repeated across industries and sciences. The classification of the contradictions in each problem predicts the creative solutions to that problem.

• Patterns of technical evolution are repeated across industries and sciences.

• Creative innovations use scientific effects outside the field where they were developed.

Much of the practice of TRIZ consists of learning these repeating patterns of problems and solutions and then applying the general TRIZ patterns to the specific situation that confronts the problem solver. The simple graphic in Figure 2 below describes this process.

Figure 2

In Figure 2 above, the red arrows represent transformation from one formulation of the problem or solution to another. The two red arrows represent analysis of the problems and analytic use of the TRIZ databases. The blue arrow represents thinking by analogy to develop the specific solution. This four-step problem solving approach forces the user to overcome inherent psychological bias that is typically referred to as “psychological inertia” (we get easily stuck in how we normally “think”).

Examples of Golf Industry and Change of Thinking

For example, a powerful demonstration of this method might come from the turf chemical industry. Hypothetically, a new group of information suggests that Garlic can control turf pathogens. Low concentrations of garlic extract can be safely applied to turf and control a wide range of turfgrass harming fungi. Today we’re studying the specific problem; can the turf industry find an ecological friendly way to keep turf from fungal infection. The general problem is a low cost, easily applied method to keep turf “fungi – free”. The general solution in this case might be a natural garlic product applied to the turf canopy. And the specific solution is elimination of dollar spot and brown patch without using expensive, ecologically unfriendly chemical compounds. I am not saying that garlic extract will eliminate or replace Daconil; I am just using this example of looking at a problem with a new theory that might augment a particular line of reasoning.

Another two great examples of general problem solving at the highest level was perhaps the chemistry behind the Aliette® brand fungicide; it is the only fungicide to deliver true, two-way systemic protection against certain turf pathogens. With multiple modes of action, Aliette® attacks fungi at multiple growth stages for better overall fungal control. Aliette’s® unique double action not only attacks and controls fungi on contact, but also stimulates the plant's own defense mechanisms. In addition to Aliette®, Heritage®, the active ingredient, azoxystrobin, belongs to a class of fungicides named strobilurins. This class of fungicide possesses a mode of action, which inhibits mitochondrial respiration in fungi, stopping their energy supply. Imagine this discovery, natural occurring woodland fungi use to treat fungi! Although these two chemistries are older, consider, Civitas, and its new mode of action has many in the turf industry reconsidering the turf plants ability to ward off disease within the plant itself, not unlike Aliette® but having chemistry far safer than that of Aluminum tris.

The 40 Principals

In the course of solving any one problem, one TRIZ tool or many can be used. The 40 Principles of Problem Solving are the most accessible "tool" of TRIZ. These are the principles that were found to repeat across many fields, as solutions to many general contradictions, which are at the heart of many problems.

A fundamental concept of TRIZ is that contradictions should be eliminated. TRIZ recognizes two categories of contradictions:

Technical contradictions are the classical engineering "trade-offs." The desired state can't be reached because something else in the system prevents it. In other words, when something gets better, something else gets worse. Classical golf course examples include:

• Growth regulators reduces mowing (good), Must re-apply throughout the season and suffer a trampoline affect after last seasonal application (bad)

• Controlled release nitrogen feeds the plant slower (good), but costs more than soluble forms of nitrogen (bad)

• Pre-emergent herbicides use to stop annual grassy weeds from germinating also stops desirable seed from germinating

Physical contradictions, also called "inherent" contradictions, are situations in which one object or system has contradictory, opposite requirements. Everyday examples abound:

• Trees on golf courses are visually stunning, however, the more trees on the course the more difficult it is to grow turf.

• More play on a golf course equals more revenue, but more play slows the speed to which it takes to complete a round.

Several examples of common golf business contradictions:

• We need to reduce labor costs on the golf course, but maintain current levels of playing conditions.

• Our 100 year old club needs to attract new members; regardless of a new club with better facilities for the same cost just one mile away.

• Native areas on the golf course reduce mowing and other maintenance but can slow play with golfers looking for lost balls.

TRIZ research has identified 40 principles that solve the Technical / Tradeoff contradictions and principles of separation that solve the Physical / Inherent contradictions. Additional examples include:

• School administrators: Creativity has been greatly enhanced in situations ranging from allocation of the budget for special education to building five schools with funding only for four, to improving racial harmony in the schools.

• Waste processing: Dairy farm operators could no longer dry the cow manure due to increased cost of energy. TRIZ led the operators to a method used for the concentration of fruit juice, which requires no heat.

• Warranty cost reduction: Ford used TRIZ to solve a persistent problem with squeaky windshields that was costing several million dollars each year. Previously, they had used TRIZ to reduce idle vibration in a small car by 165 percent, from one of the worst in its class to 30 percent better than the best in class.

A Description and Examples of the 40 Inventive Principals and the TRIZ Matrix

Use these 40 Inventive Principals with the TRIZ matrix. On the pdf downloadable TRIZ matrix sheet find the intersect of your specific situation and search the far right column for the Inventive Principals that apply to your specific problem or process. The following is the 40 basic rules to the process of TRIZ problem solving (Inventive Principals, far right hand column) with example(s) for each principal.

1. Segmentation

Divide an object into independent parts.

Example: Golf course syringe hoses can be joined together to form any length needed.

2. Extraction

Extract (remove or separate) a "disturbing" part or property from an object, or extract only the necessary part or property.

Example: Most irrigation computers will deliver run-times based on certain factors (evapotranspiration, angle of incidence, type of soil, variety of turf), most superintendents disable this feature.

3. Local Quality

Have different parts of the object carry out different functions and place each part of the object under conditions most favorable for its operation.

Examples: A pencil and eraser in one unit.

4. Asymmetry

Replace a symmetrical form with an asymmetrical form if an object is already asymmetrical, increase the degree of asymmetry.

Example: While spreading moist topdressing sand through a symmetrical spreader, the sand forms an arch or bridge above the opening, causing irregular flow. A bin of asymmetrical shape or conveyor belt eliminates the arching effect.

5. Combining

Combine in space homogeneous objects or objects destined for contiguous operations or combine in time homogeneous or contiguous operations.

Example: A greens aerifier has an attachment to windrow plugs for ease of removal.

6. Universality

Have the object perform multiple functions, thereby eliminating the need for some other object(s).

Examples: An irrigation computer that gathers weather data and soil moisture data and calculates water needs for the turf plant. DryJect® machine aerifies topdresses and applies soil amendments in one pass.

7. Nesting

Contain the object inside another which, in turn, is placed inside a third object. Pass an object through a cavity of another object.

Examples: The old greens dew whips that stored inside an aluminum tube for transport, or a mechanical pencil with lead stored inside.

8. Counterweight

Compensate for the object's weight by joining with another object that has a lifting force. Compensate for the weight of an object by interaction with an environment providing aerodynamic or hydrodynamic forces.

Example: A rear wing in racing cars which increases pressure from the car to the ground.

9. Prior counter-action

Perform a counter-action in advance if the object is (or will be) under tension, provide anti-tension in advance.

Examples: Reinforced pre-stressed concrete column. Hollow vertical turbine pump thought the motor shaft.

10. Prior action

Carry out all or part of the required action in advance. Arrange objects so they can go into action in a timely matter and from a convenient position.

Example: Install a pressure relieve valve (Cla-Val) on a pump station to protect components from high water pressure.

11. Cushion in advance

Compensate for the relatively low reliability of an object by countermeasures taken in advance.

Example: Grinding a relief on a reel to only have to grind a small portion of the reel blade surface in the future.

12. Equipotentiality

Change the working conditions so that an object need not be raised or lowered.

Example: Build a loading dock or ramp to load equipment on trailers or truck beds to transport on and off site.

13. Inversion

Instead of an action dictated by the specifications of the problem, implement an opposite action. Make a moving part of the object or the outside environment immovable and the non-moving part movable. Turn the object upside-down.

Example: Abrasively cleaning parts by vibrating the parts instead of the abrasive.

14. Spheroidality

Replace linear parts or flat surfaces with curved ones; replace cubical shapes with spherical shapes. Use rollers, balls spirals or replace a linear motion with rotating movement; utilize a centrifugal force:

Example: The difference between a PlanetAir machine and a conventional turf / greens slicer that slices in a straight line.

15. Dynamicity

Make an object or its environment automatically adjust for optimal performance at each stage of operation. Divide an object into elements which can change position relative to each other. If an object is immovable, make it movable or interchangeable.

Examples: A flashlight with a flexible gooseneck between the body and the lamp head. A rotary mower with many floating decks to mow contours more evenly opposed to a single fixed rotary deck.

16. Partial or overdone action

Figure 3 Tee jet Air Induction Nozzle

If it is difficult to obtain 100% of a desired effect, achieve somewhat more or less to greatly simplify the problem:

Examples: Fine droplets in a spray pattern guarantee good coverage (high pressure, lower volume) but have high drift potential. Nozzles designed for greens spray have an air induction system that greatly reduces spray drift and delivers a fine spray pattern.

17. Moving to a new dimension

Remove problems with moving an object in a line by two-dimensional movement (i.e. along a plane). Use a multi-layered assembly of objects instead of a single layer. Incline the object or turn it on its side.

Example: A stacked bowl vertical turbine pump rather than a single stage centrifugal pump.

18. Mechanical vibration

Set an object into oscillation. If oscillation exists, increase its frequency, even as far as ultrasonic. Use the resonant frequency. Use ultrasonic vibrations in conjunction with an electromagnetic field.

Example: When spin grinding a reel; the stone and the spinning reel have a frequency that matches the diameter and thickness of the metal blades on the reel. The correct frequency will accomplish the job better and faster.

Figure 4 Reel Grinder

19. Periodic action

Replace a continuous action with a periodic (pulsed) one if an action is already periodic, change its frequency, use pulsed between impulses to provide additional action.

Examples: An impact wrench loosens corroded nuts using impulses rather than continuous force. A warning lamp flashes so that it is even more noticeable than when continuously lit.

20. Continuity of a useful action

Carry out an action continuously (i.e. without pauses), where all parts of an object operate at full capacity. Remove idle and intermediate motions.

Example: When a reel drops to the turf surface it engages the reels automatically when lowered.

21. Rushing through

Perform harmful or hazardous operations at very high speed.

Example: The up and down movement of an aerifier tine is potentially harmful to turf at slower speeds causing turf to be pulled away from the soil, a fast moving tine is less apt to injure turf.

22. Convert harm into benefit

Utilize harmful factors or environmental effects to obtain a positive effect. Remove a harmful factor by combining it with another harmful factor. Increase the amount of harmful action until it ceases to be harmful.

Example: A USGA specification green is waterlogged, causing turf to wilt, with no air holding capacity for root respiration, introducing heavy irrigation will break the false water table and drain the green to normal air / water ratio.

23. Feedback

Introduce feedback, if feedback already exists, reverse it.

Examples: Water pressure and volume from an irrigation system is maintained by sensing output pressure and flow and turning on a pump if these parameters are too low. If the system detects high flow (like a mainline leak), the system will shut-down. A golf course sprayer moves up and down hill and maintains constant pressure and volume based on forward and reverse feedback (based on speed, pressure and volume).

24. Mediator

Use an intermediary object to transfer or carry out an action. Temporarily connect an object to another one that is easy to remove.

Examples: Tailoring a walking greens mower to a specific set of greens with a motorized cart. A material handler can move sand from a sand storage area and spread sand within the bunker.

25. Self-service

Make the object service itself and carry out supplementary and repair operations.

Examples: Tires filled with a special compound to seal small leaks. A filter system on an irrigation pump station, back-flushes itself when flow and downstream pressure is dissimilar by a predetermined factor.

26. Copying

Use a simple and inexpensive copy instead of an object which is complex, expensive, fragile or inconvenient to operate or replace an object by its optical copy or image. A scale can be used to reduce or enlarge the image. If visible optical copies are used, replace them with infrared or ultraviolet copies.

Examples: Find out stress areas on turf with the use of infrared red photos. As-Built drawings reduced to booklet size for irrigation service and repairs.

27. Inexpensive, short-lived object for expensive, durable one

Replace an expensive object by a collection of inexpensive ones, forgoing properties (e.g. longevity).

Examples: Disposable shop towels, plastic spray nozzles, packing rings on pump motors, plastic hydraulic motor couplings to reel drive on triplex greens mowers.

28. Replacement of a mechanical system

Replace a mechanical system by an optical, acoustical or olfactory (odor) system. Use an electrical, magnetic or electromagnetic field for interaction with the object.

Example: Magnetic bedknives, magnetic bedknife grinding tables, barcodes on equipment for servicing requirements.

29. Pneumatic or hydraulic construction

Replace solid parts of an object by gas or liquid. These parts can use air or water for inflation, or use air, water or hydrostatic cushions.

Figure 5 Toro Hydroject Aerifier

Example: Fertigation, hydraulically driven reels, high lift rotary mower blades, Toro Hydroject aerifier.

30. Flexible membranes or thin film

Replace traditional constructions with those made from flexible membranes or thin film. Isolate an object from its environment using flexible membranes or thin film.

Examples: To prevent water evaporation from plant leaves, polyethylene spray is applied. After a while, the polyethylene hardened and plant growth improved, because polyethylene film passes oxygen better than water vapor. Reverse osmosis membrane for water treatment.

31. Use of porous material

Make an object porous or add porous elements (inserts, covers, etc.) If an object is already porous, fill the pores in advance with some substance.

Example: The use of porous concrete to add hard surface parking areas without increasing drainage capabilities. The addition of the gavel layer below the sand layer in greens construction to move water out of water saturated sand.

Figure 6 USGA Specification Green Profile

32. Changing the color

Change the color of an object or its surroundings or change the degree of translucency of an object or processes which are difficult to see. Use colored additives to observe objects or processes which are difficult to see if such additives are already used, employ luminescent traces or tracer elements.

Examples: To check to see if a drainage system is functioning properly add a dye to the water and time its travel. Add reflectors dots or floor stripes inside maintenance building to locate parking areas for equipment, designate safety areas and mark stairways and curbs.

33. Homogeneity

Make those objects which interact with a primary object out of the same material or material that is close to it in behavior.

Examples: The metal at the bottom of a flagstick (ferule) is made out of a metal that is similar in hardness to a metal hole-cup. The hardness and composition of steel in reel mower bedknives and reels.

34. Rejecting and regenerating parts

After it has completed its function or become useless, reject or modify (e.g. discard, dissolve, evaporate) an element of an object. Immediately restore any part of an object which is exhausted or depleted.

Examples: Reel mower bedknives, new nozzles for irrigation heads, packaging for turf chemicals that dissolve in water.

35. Transformation of the physical and chemical states of an object

Change an object's aggregate state, density distribution, degree of flexibility, temperature.

Example: Changing the pH of water to increase the efficacy of the spray mix. Add gypsum to irrigation water to help mitigate salt build-up in the soil.

36. Phase transformation

Implement an effect developed during the phase transition of a substance, for instance, during the change of volume, liberation or absorption of heat.

Example: Irrigation VFD drives are cooled with irrigation water piped though a radiator device with irrigation water under pressure. Solvent weld PVC primers and glue.

37. Thermal expansion

Use a material which expands or contracts with heat. Use various materials with different coefficients of heat expansion.

Examples: To control the opening of roof windows in a greenhouse, bimetallic plates are connected to the windows. A change in temperature bends the plates, causing the window to open or close. To control equipment engine temperature an engine thermostat is use and operates on temperature of coolant water inducted to a metal spring and valve.

38. Use strong oxidizers

Replace normal air with enriched air, Replace enriched air with oxygen.

Examples: To obtain more heat from an acetylene torch, oxygen is fed to the torch instead of atmospheric air, to enrich and add power to the internal combustion engine turbo-charges and superchargers are use to push more air into the combustion chambers.

39. Inert environment

Replace the normal environment with an inert one or carry out the process in a vacuum.

Example: To make some turf chemicals easy to handle and mix with water, inert water-soluble ingredients are added to active ingredients.

40. Composite materials

Replace a homogeneous material with a composite one.

Example: Military aircraft wings are made of composites of plastics and carbon fibers for high strength and low weight.

Conclusion

The examples above are not necessarily technologies born form TRIZ theory but the value of a thought process to bring about change and improvement in a repeatable fashion is something that should be considered.

Phases like “Thinking Outside the Box”, “Change is the Only Constant” and “Paradigm Sifting” have been thrown around around like a football on Thanksgiving. The most successful leaders in their field will be the ones that solve the basic problems fast and the complicated problems faster than their competition.

The best way to learn and explore TRIZ is to study the process and begin a problem that you haven't solved satisfactorily!