This coming season I will have essentially the full team from 2011 returning again. My university students will all be returning again. As much as the lack of high paying jobs has dried up, I would like to think that the workplace they are provided helps make their decision to return easier. All of my senior staff will be returning, including two long-term staff who have been at the club for 20+ years. And a full complement of returning “retirees” keeps the students in check and the wheels turning.

So what philosophies do I employ when building the team? First you must have a few women on the crew, they keep the conversations and language in good taste. Plus I have found in my close to 20 years in golf that the women tend to quite simply do a better job at finicky detailed jobs (which is almost everything in golf). Second make sure that you have greater than 50% of your staff non-students. A funny thing has happened in the last few years, September’s have gotten extremely busy. It is very difficult to maintain turf that still grows at mid-summer rate with no staff. Not to mention the fact that September has become one of our busiest months for golf events. Lastly, because you have very little turnover it allows you to be picky at whom you select to replace the departed. For this coming season I have only two positions to fill so I am in no rush nor will I make a quick decision to fill those spots.

I like many others who hire staff have made my fair share of “bad hires”. It’s funny that after all these years in golf I remember the bad ones just as much as the great ones I’ve hired. And my long-term guys don’t ever let me forget the bad ones either. The stories of “remember that guy” or “what were you thinking hiring her?” still haunt me season after season. Thank goodness for the current state of my staffing situation and the strong retention numbers we have maintained. It’s a huge source of pride for me that the staff I’ve lost have moved onto their chosen careers or decided to fully retire. Watching the students essentially grow-up each year and writing letters of recommendation for them is a great feeling. It’s also a great feeling to have staff wanting to come back year after year. I take more pride out of that then I do fast greens.

There is no “I” in team is one of the most overused clichés in anything. And as much as that phase is overused it speaks volumes for golf course maintenance as well. I like my staff and I respect my staff. I have no issues paying for pizza, a barbeque, or popsicle’s on a hot day out of my pocket. These fine folks make me (and the club) look good and a small thing can go a long way in earning their trust and respect. Share the wealth and deflect some of the praise was one of the first things I was taught by my mentor close to 20 years ago.

Looking forward to assembling the troops soon and having another great year.

http://www.gcsaa.org/Newsroom/News-Releases/2012/February/GCSAA/Golf-Digest-announce-2011-Environmental-Leaders-in-Golf-Awards.aspx

If you take some time to review the various winners it is a terrific mix of top end golf clubs that host tour events to smaller operations such as Pheasant Run. I am humbled and honoured to be attending the GCSAA Awards in Las Vegas at the end of February to be recognized. I am equally honoured that Pheasant Run is the first golf facility east of Alberta to be awarded an ELGA in Canada. This award compounds our Certification as an Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary and as a Level 2 Integrated Pest Management facility in Ontario. And sets the bar way higher for where we go from here.

The IPM program became law in Ontario on April 22, 2009 on appropriately enough Earth Day. The program includes; passing an exam, registering your golf facility with the IPM Council, doing yearly desk audits and passing an on-site audit performed by an independent third-party auditor. The Earth Day law states that all (will never happen) golf courses in Ontario must be IPM Level 2 Accredited by April 2013. There are over 1000 golf clubs in Ontario, ranging from mom and pop operations to some clubs ranked in the top 100 courses in the World.

Before the IPM program became a law, there was the option to join the program voluntarily. Pheasant Run joined the program in 2006 and became Level 2 Accredited in 2008. At the time I thought it would allow us to be ahead of the curve and beat the rush of the impending changes to the pesticide usage in our province. Well I am happy we were one of the 53 pioneer clubs to meet the early IPM standard. The truth is there was absolutely zero advantage to being early to the show. The program as it existed was blown up and completely changed. Now creating this labour and time intensive report that can take up to as much as 75 hours to complete. My paper version last year was over 300 pages!! So we are poisoning the planet with pesticides AND killing trees at the same time. It is now for the most part done online, but a paper version is still needed for your records during the Site Audits.

So now as we move forward and meet the government’s environmental standard. We will be required to post our Annual Report (in a highly visible area) in the clubhouse and starting this year host a annual public meeting. The report being posted won’t really mean much to people as it’s really just numbers and reasons why products are being used. Below is the 2011 copy for Pheasant Run.

2011_2011-PheasantRunGolfClub-Annual_Report_Pest_Control_Product_Usage

As for our Public Meeting, it has tentatively scheduled for April 13, 2012 at the clubhouse. A time and agenda will be posted here shortly. The public meeting was added to the IPM program as a result of golf being exempt from an all out pesticide ban (the one that won’t allow you to spray your home lawns anymore).

I have been VERY critical of the IPM program and feel that the way and reason this was all done was too politically motivated (what isn’t done this way nowadays). But, the facts are that this is the law and crying and moaning about it won’t change things or make the law go away. They don’t call us stewards, highly educated and Super because we can’t handle this program. And I hope that my colleagues in densely populated areas will have smooth public meetings and won’t be bombarded by “friends of the environment” groups.

The truth is that most of us already practice IPM without having to write everything down. It’s almost mandated by owner’s, stakeholders and boards of directors to have costs be monitored or trimmed where possible. All Superintendents (at least the ones I know) want to be on the golf course, not in an office filling out reports and scouting forms. But as I stated above, this is the new norm and we’ll all fall in line (begrudgingly of course). 

I have done some tweaking to the blog over the last couple of days. I hope that everyone has enjoyed winter and we’ll be back in touch real soon.

Barry has spent the majority of his working life in the turf industry. With his many years of experience working on turf equipment and his solid background and education. I am very happy and excited to have Barry join the turf team at Pheasant Run. Barry will begin his new position on February 21st and he does have plenty of work ahead of him to prepare our fleet for the 2012 golf season.

Last week I also had the pleasure of meeting a young man by the name of Justin Lecquyer. Justin is about two and a half months away from completing his Turf education at Seneca College. And he too will be a new piece of the team at Pheasant Run beginning around May 1st. Justin looks to fit in with us as a Foreman/Supervisor and his youth and enthusiasm will be a welcome change. With Justin and the potential of another key employee joining the team. The leadership in the turf department looks to be in great stead. With good solid, smart and educated leadership the golf course wins.

I also had the opportunity to attend the Ontario Golf Superintendents Association (OGSA) conference in Niagara Falls this past week. The OGSA put together what was in my opinion their best show ever. The conference is our one real opportunity in the year where we can network, share ideas and discuss what’s new in the industry. Pheasant Run GM/President Craig Evans was in attendance at the show with me this year as well.

Some of the tough work that had to be done this winter include the successful re-Certification with the Audubon cooperative Sanctuary program. Also I completed the required paperwork for the club’s Integrated Pest Management (IPM) 2011 Desk Audit Review. I plan on a more in-depth blog post on the IPM program and our requirement for a Public Meeting presenting our practices in the near future. I will confirm at that time the exact date of the public meeting and who will be there in that post as well. Its looking like we are tentatively planning on the having the meeting Saturday April 14th (Master’s weekend).

As I have expressed many times I have thoroughly enjoyed this blog and the community I have become involved in through the blog and Twitter. It was great at the OGSA conference to put a lot of faces to the login names of many of my peers in the province. I am looking forward to another year of information and sharing of stories. And I hope all of you continue to follow and enjoy.

The weather has been quite kind this winter and its hard to believe that we are with 8-10 weeks of starting all over again. Enjoy the rest of your winter and look for my IPM post coming in the next little while.

First off there is new business that has come to my attention this week. Pheasant Run GC has been selected a Merit Award winner in the Environmental Leaders in Golf Awards (ELGA). These awards are run in conjunction with the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) and Golf Digest. Golf facilities are judged on set criteria by members of the turfgrass community. a full breakdown of the award can be viewed here : http://www.gcsaa.org/Community/Awards/Environmental-Leaders-in-Golf-Awards.aspx Our committment to the environment now has us being the first golf course in Ontario to receive one of these awards. And to go along with our Re-certification with Audubon International and Re-certifying as an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Level 2 facility. We continue to show we are leading the pack with our environmental programs and execution of those programs.

As for the 2011 golf season, it was one filled with many ups and downs and measurable peaks and valleys. The spring was wet, wet, wet and really wasn’t the start we were hoping for after the tough spring we had in 2010. Turf conditions benefitted from the wet weather and grew at a rapid pace and consequently produced wonderful course conditions. We did undertake one large project which entailed the removal of the bunker on the right side of Midlands 8 fairway. By removing this trap we really opened up more playable area on what was always a tough driving hole.

 As great as the moisture was to the course conditions, it didn’t help our situation when the hot/humid weather kicked in early in July. Moisture heavy soils from all the rain did not allow us to produce a deep-rooted turf. So as much as the course was in great shape, we were walking a tightrope right off the hop. And we did succumb to Summer Patch, a soil borne disease that we have dealt with in the past. Because the issue is in the soil and the turf has shallow roots, this produces a lethal combination. Highlands #2, Uplands 1 and 2 along with Uplands #3 were the greens that took the greatest damage. It wasn’t until late this fall that the greens had fully recovered, and again valuable lessons are learned to hopefully avoid the same issues next season.

The fall was business as usual for us at Pheasant Run. Leaf blowing is our major project every year, as it seems the leaves will never stop falling. We also took the time to do some selective tree work to help with air, sunlight issues and in some areas sight lines for playability. By the middle of November all of the seasonal staff had been laid off and plans for next season began. Though the weather didn’t want the season to come to an end, and thus we had a record-breaking fall with regards to the amount of play we saw. That volume of play in the fall can be tough on the turf, particularly in heavy wear areas. But, we are a business and the fall sure did take some of the sting out of the awful spring we had in 2011.

The first new hire for 2012 will be the new incoming Mechanic. The position has produced a number of qualified individuals to apply and interview to take over the equipment, golf cart fleet and shop maintenance aspect of the Turf Team. And I am truly looking forward to the new Mechanic joining the team.

I have throughly enjoyed using this medium as a means of communication with all of you this season. I will have a few more posts to prepare over the course of the winter. And before you know it we’ll be back to the grind getting things ready for 2012. Enjoy the rest of your winter and I look forward to keeping you posted on my winter.

Happy New Year, and all the best to you and yours for 2012!!

The picture below shows a familiar sight on most parts of the course. Leaf blowing has been a constant for about the past five weeks. Even the normally late falling Oak tree leaves are falling at a rapid pace. Things are certainly looking quite bleak and bare with respects to the trees. A sure sign that the season is close to coming to an end.

We have also been very busy preparing our golf cars for not only winter, but next season as well.

The maintenance has been performed by Apprentice Mechanic Ross O’Brien. This job entails a thorough cleaning and an in-depth maintenance tune-up (oil changes, new filters, check the brakes and paint touch-ups). Ross is down to the last 20 carts and should be close to complete within the next week.

Working inside, the shop stays warm because of one of the most vital fall tasks we look after.

We do all our own cutting, splitting and stacking of firewood on site and in-house. Not only do we look at keeping warm this fall, but we also have to have enough set aside for next March when all staff returns. Nobody wants to go outside and work all day in cooler temperatures and come in to a cold shop for lunch. And no we don’t sell any wood in case that had crossed your mind’s.

Above was the view from the shop down to Highlands 2 green this past Friday. Though this snow did not stick around, we are winding down to our last week of golf at Pheasant Run. Another certain sign that we are approaching the end of golf is the placement of the stakes along the driveway for snow plowing purposes.

These are just a few of the jobs occurring behind the scenes. I often have many people asking “what do you do in the winter”. Along with these above noted jobs we are also making preparations for equipment repairs and maintenance, Audubon re-certification and the completion of our IPM Desk Audit. I know I always say in September that I can’t wait to get inside for the winter. And it only takes a day inside to find an excuse or a small task that takes me outside.

Down to the final week of golf. We’ve had an incredible run of weather this fall and we should all count ourselves fortunate for the fall we have had. These days will be a distant memory soon enough, and we’ll all be looking ahead to the 2012 golf season. Enjoy the final week and I’d like to thank all of you for following. Over 3000 hits in my first season doing this blog has justified its existence going forward.

Keep in touch and please keep following and keep your eyes peeled for some new posts over the winter.

This was 1 Highlands yesterday about an hour after I had just blown it all off. There is a stage in the removal process where wind, rain and frost cause what seems (at times) for all the leaves to fall at once. This usually occurs much earlier than the first week of November, but given the break we’ve had with frost delays the leaves are dropping late. So the next few days we will be working diligently to get as much tidied up as possible.

This week also was an important week in our winter preparations. The greens, tees and some selected fairway’s had their fall fungicide application done on Monday and Tuesday. This is the most important application we put down in our geographic location. Due to our extended snow cover and harsh winters, we must apply fungicide to protect the plants from disease and fungus. Pictured below is what untreated turf on a green would look like if left untreated.

Though the technology available with modern fungicides has changed dramatically in recent years. The timing of this application is everything. Old technology essentially forced you to wait until the bitter end before permanent snow before you sprayed. Instrata is the product that I used this year and it needs to be active in the grass plants before snow falls. So basically all the guesswork of the fall application has disappeared. Which is such a breath of fresh air for Superintendents in Canada.

Next week is the last week for my seasonal staff. So we will be finishing off a few things that we have skipped over the course of this busy season. This includes some stump grinding, repairs to cart paths and a last heavy topdressing to the greens and range tees. They are forecasting wonderful weather again next week. So take the chance to get some more golf in before the harsh reality of the season kicks in. Enjoy the sunshine and great November weather.

Frost is essentially the turf lowering its temperature lower than the temperature in the atmosphere and high humidity. The grass becomes covered in water vapors. The Frost Delay tends to occur on clear nights and may actually not hit its peak in coverage until the sun comes up (cooling grass plants in combination with heat of the sun causes this). There is no set timeframe for the delay’s, as some may range anywhere from an hour to several hours. And once the daily temperatures in late November are quite low, the frost may stay on the turf all day.

So why do you have to stay off the grass? Well seeing that the grass plants are literally frozen, foot and cart traffic will essentially break the plants and kill them. Like most grass that has sustained some semblance of damage, the turf will eventually heal itself and recover. Though this recovery will not occur until the following spring.

Above you can see the tire tracks from a greensmower driving across turf with heavy frost. Fortunately (unfortunate for him) this photo comes from a colleague and not from damage here at Pheasant Run. And below you can see what simple foot traffic will do to grass from walking on frost covered surfaces.

So the frost delay can be annoying and ruin plans for a golfer and maintenance worker all the same. Nobody likes the delay, but its a necessary evil that can’t be avoided. So enjoy the fact that there have been minimal disruptions so far this season and enjoy what time remains out on the course.

http://www.nicklaus.com/design/muirfieldvillage/labor-of-love.php

UPDATE: Watch video from the Labor Day event

In support of faster and more enjoyable golf, Jack Nicklaus and Muirfield Village Golf Club introduce Labor Day weekend tournaments of 12 holes, larger cups and slow-play penalties

DUBLIN, Ohio—Over recent months, Jack Nicklaus has joined several of golf’s leading organizations, including the PGA of America and USGA, to encourage out-of-the-box thinking to attract new players to the game and retain those already in the game. In an effort to show his commitment, the Golden Bear is experimenting with fun and innovative options in golf at one of the world’s most prestigious clubs, Muirfield Village Golf Club.

Muirfield Village Golf Club, as part of its Labor Day weekend golf festivities, will host two separate 12-hole tournaments, during which golfers will be encouraged to play one tee up from where they normally play, the hole will be almost doubled in size, and participants will be penalized for slow play.

“I love the game of golf and believe we have a unique opportunity right now to grow our sport,” Nicklaus said. “But we all have to recognize that the game in our country has been stagnant for a number of years, and actually has lost a significant number of golfers—close to four million in the last five years, according to the National Golf Foundation. The numbers of female and junior golfers—two segments that once represented a large percentage of the new people coming into the game—have dropped 23 and 35 percent, respectively, over the last five years. Many say the game is too hard and others say the game takes too long.

“I think the game is a great game and in no way am I trying to change it. There are few bigger traditionalists than me, but I realize we need to start thinking out of the box. So I ask all the traditionalists to be tolerant while we try something new, something fun to hopefully help us grow the game. It’s too important for us not to try. With so many sports and activities fighting for the time and attention of families, we need to think of ways to make our game more attractive and thus more inviting, especially to children and young adults. Perhaps what Muirfield Village is trying over Labor Day can help open a few eyes and a few minds.”

Nicklaus has been outspoken in recent months about providing new and current golfers options in a round of golf. For example, if golfers are limited by time or energy, encourage them to play 6, 9 or 12 holes instead of 18. Nicklaus has also encouraged clubs to occasionally expand the hole once a month or even once a week in an effort to entice some people who might have been reluctant to try the game because they fear it’s too difficult.

At Muirfield Village Golf Club and The Bear’s Club, Nicklaus’ Ohio and Florida home clubs, he has created a 12-hole scorecard as an option for members. At Muirfield Village, a 12-hole composite (Holes 1, 2, 5-13 and 14) will be used for a 12-hole better-ball tournament on Sunday, Sept. 4, and another 12-hole, stroke-play event on Labor Day, Sept. 5. In both rounds, the club will use an 8-inch cup, rather than the normal 4.25 inches.

To encourage faster play, participants will be required to complete their round in 2.5 hours, and players will be penalized one stroke for every five minutes over the allotted time limit.

“Muirfield Village Golf is excited to be a part of any efforts to grow the game by bringing new perspectives on it,” said Jack Nicklaus II, Chairman of Muirfield Village Golf Club. “The traditions and integrity of the game will always be respected and honored, but golf has to be cutting edge. The time has come for the golf community to make a fresh start for the benefit of the future of the game, and show new people that the game of golf can be about makeable putts, camaraderie and enjoyable competition played out in a timely manner.”

Muirfield Village intends to extend their experiment into October. Traditionally, as the golf season nears its end, the club has invited all members’ children who play on a local golf team, middle school or high school, to bring their entire team to play the world-ranked golf course. This year the tradition will continue, but with a 12-hole event utilizing the 8-inch cup.

The club was also among those across the country which participated over the July 4th holiday in “Tee It Forward,” an initiative from the PGA of America and USGA that encouraged golfers to play the course at a length that is aligned with their average driving distance. Golfers were inspired to speed up play by utilizing tees that provide the greatest playability and enjoyment. Nicklaus was among the campaign’s proponents, and Muirfield Village has promoted the program all season. A scorecard with five new sets of tees was created, and according to Head Golf Professional Larry Dornisch, “Golfers have been encouraged to move up to a comfortable yet challenging yardage.”

“This was among many initiatives we have discussed,” Jack Nicklaus added, “and I think families around the country will enjoy alternate formats like this to make the game more fun.”

In addition to the unique Labor Day weekend format, the event and the club will be playing in support of Patriot Golf Day (Sept. 2-5). At least $1 per person from every round of golf will be collected and donated, although members will be encouraged to give more.

“Golf has a rich history for giving back, and in this case we have an opportunity to give back to the families of our military men and women who have sacrificed life and limb for our freedom,” Nicklaus said “At the same time, with what I hope will be a fun and unique event, we are giving back to the game of golf itself.”

Over the past two days we have been braving the terrible weather and blowing out our irrigation system. The job is not one that is done quickly and is very important going into the winter that a good job has been done. By replacing the water in our underground piping system with air and pushing the excess water out through pond drains, sprinkler heads and coupler valves. The more water you blow out in October means far less problems with leaks and broken pipe/sprinklers in April when we start it back up.

We also finally (and I do mean finally) completed the aeration of our fairways yesterday. A job that took somewhere in the neighbourhood of 5 weeks from start to finish. One of the great benefits of aeration is that it really gives the turf a “breath of fresh air”. The real great story about our aeration this season is how a change in design, fertility and maintenance has reaped great benefits to one fairway in particular.

Highlands 1 fairway used to be (many would say it still is) extremely narrow. In the fall of 2005 we removed trees and widened out the playable surface. At that time there was little to no turf on the fairway, and it would get beat up easily with play volume and cart traffic. Some of the other strategies that have really worked since the widening project have been reducing cart traffic in the spring, use of slow-release fertilizers and of course aeration. Because the fairway was so thin and weak, the aeration process in the past would actually end up ruining the turf that was there by pulling and lifting the weak grass plants. So we would actually end up skipping the fairway all together. Victories are small at times, so I am going to run with this one.

Pictured above is Uplands 1 green and as you can see it isn’t dead anymore. I am thankful for the wonderful stretch of weather we had over the past few weeks as it has allowed all of our summer damage issues to fully heal. This is a wonderful sign, given the fact we are going into winter healthy. Which was a far off dream a month ago.

Yesterday we also began the process of mowing down our re-naturalized areas/fescue areas. This job is key in the continued expansion in the number of wildflowers and decorative plants that will increase year after year in these areas.

Those of you that were out here on the weekend may have noticed a different look to many of the greens.

Each green on the Highlands and Midlands nines had two holes and two flags in them. This was done for our Members Closing event on Sunday. A new phenomenon in golf is something refered to as “Powerplay Golf”. Each green has two pin placements the White flag represented an easier position and the Red was placed in a more difficult position. Based on a point system a birdie to the Red placement scored more team points than a birdie to the White and so on….. From all accounts the 80 players that braved some awful weather had an enjoyable game and loved the format.

Back to the irrigation blowout, just wanted to let everyone in on the action here at Pheasant Run.