Branches branches everywhere

Growing good turf is easier on soil than wood. It is important that before we subject the course to cart traffic, we get branches picked up. This time of year we are busy with plenty of preparations for the entire facility. We are working to open the red course for the weekend. Bunkers are still being repaired and now the turf is beginning to grow and we will be doing our second mowing on fairways and tees. There is a great deal of work still to get the course into mid-season form. When we remove cart path restrictions, please be mindful and avoid areas with branches.
Excited to see the sun again,
Turf

If you love a child, introduce them to golf

Talk to anyone with a child in youth sports and I guarantee you will hear a story of a coach screaming and 10-12 year old kids. The organized sport boom, resulted in well meaning, training lacking, adults in roles of coaching and influencing kids. Travel teams and the money involved in such endeavors or private lessons have left parents looking for an R.O.I. When the return is to be perfection and championships out of pre-pubescent humans, disappointment is likely. The pressure for youths to perform like professionals can be felt on any sidelines. We are accepting the treatment of youths in these sports that we would not tolerate elsewhere. We would never think to speak to an employee the way that coaches are speaking to our children. There is still one sport that has a professional coach at the helm....golf.
Here at the club, a sport is taught with such concepts as
1. Positive mental imagery
2. Humility
3. Visualization of success
4. Reacting indifferently to bad shots or failure.
5. Positive self esteem
6. Awareness of negativity and doubt
7. Feeding the positive voice
These are just a few of the concepts that are needed to play golf and to perform. These values are shared with nearly every golf professional I have ever met. If you wish for a positive sporting experience for your child, look no further than golf.
Negativity has no place on the course or practice facility. Golf just won't have it. So when you tire of the screaming and craziness of our typical youth sports, golf will be here, waiting, with open arms.
Looks like a great weekend,
Turf

Silly Country Club Rules

I have been fortunate to be a guest at some of the finest Country Clubs in the United States.  Prior to arrival, I am usually briefed upon the "rules," that if broken would cause embarrassment to myself or my host.  Occasionally, I don't receive any such briefing.  Left to my own devices, I default into basic gentlemanly behavior.  This "default" mode proves to be effective, most of the time.  The last few blog posts have been about the great game of golf and what a Country Club contributes to ones life and experience.  With the crazy that surrounds us in society today, just look at the presidential nomination situation, our club stands as a pillar of what is right with society.
My daughter is getting older, soon she will be off to college.  I hope that she will spend the next few years "hanging" at the club.  The club is a college in itself, teaching respect, manners, and social skills.  The one thing that I love about our club is that we don't have many rules.  I was recently asked what the club rule regarding hats was.  I knew immediately where this was going, the member wanted to know what to do with their hat in the clubhouse.   My answer was simple, we don't have a rule, but if you would like to discuss what gentleman do with their hats, well we can discuss that.  The member agreed and told me how he wanted to do the right thing and thought Briar Ridge should have a rule about hats.  We had a great discussion and in the end, we agreed that not having a written rule made Briar Ridge a special place, it was up to the individual to determine his or her standard.  Now, here is the really cool part.  95% of the membership take their hats off in the clubhouse.  At lunchtime, hats will be on a seat or the floor, not on the table.  We don't have a rule, we have a group of excellent gentleman members who understand and appreciate etiquette.  This is the type of club that I want to be in.

Not sure what to do with a headdress indoors.

As the golf season is coming soon, I thought I would include a piece on hat etiquette.

Men

Hats can be left on…

•       Outdoors

•       At athletic events (indoors or out)

•       On public transportation

•       In public buildings such as post offices, airports,  and hotel or office lobbies

•       On elevators

Take hats off, including baseball caps …

• In the presence of women

•       In someone’s home

•       At mealtimes, at the table

•       While being introduced, indoors or out (unless it’s frigid!)

•       In a house of worship, unless a hat or head covering is required

•       Indoors at work, especially in an office (unless required for the job)

•       In public buildings such as a school, library, courthouse, or town hall

•       In restaurants and coffee shops

•       At a movie or any indoor performance

•       When the national anthem is played

•       When the flag of the United States passes by, as in a parade

Donning my hat,

Turf 

Golf Is Not Dead!!!

I apologize for the long post, but I am passionate about some things.  I Love my little girl, although she is getting bigger and stronger, she is still my little girl.  As a parent, I want the best for my child.  For years, I have planted little seeds.  It was my hope that some day those seeds would germinate and sprout into an inspiration for her to act.  I tried to expose her to as much good that life has to offer.  For instance, I wanted her to take away from her childhood the following:

 

•   A sense of community

•   A healthy competitive hunger

•   Appreciation of nature and beauty

•   Strong social skills

•   The virtue of honesty 

•   Long lasting moral character

•   Physical fitness

•   Athletic coordination

•   Focus of the mind

The tendency for me to become "lecturey"  to my daughter was pointed out (by her) from time to time.  If I recognized a "teaching moment" I was on it, fast and furious.  I knew that there was an easy way to instill all the above qualities in one simple act......Golf.

Golf is indeed the greatest game ever played.  There has been much talk about golf dying in the past decade, we allowed people to talk about the time commitment, frustration, and expense.  Golf simply allowed itself to be beat up by naysayers. Well, I have had enough.  Golf is not dying.  Golf will not go away.  We don't need to change the rules or make it more fun. We need the golfer that loves this game, that understands the true essence of the game, to get back to the roots of the game, and introduce someone to "true golf."

It makes me sad, but Golf was abused.  Property developers looking to cash in, built courses to produce home values without considering the demand for golf.  Without the demand, these courses had no chance.  These developments were reckless and irresponsible.  They hurt a game I love.  The resulting perception was that golf must be dying, and we allowed people to shout it from the rooftops.  The incoming generation heard these alarms, is it surprising that they didn't want to take up the sport?  NO!  Who wants to participate in something that is perceived as dying?

I got bad news for all the Golf Is Dead proclaimers.........Golf is Alive and Kicking, and it is a little miffed.  Yet, we continue to keep silent.  Take this years Phoenix Open.  A record crowd of 201,003 was announced for the third round of the Waste Management Phoenix Open, which is 30,000 more than the Kentucky Derby posted in May. An estimated 1,000 people were lined up outside when the gates opened at 7 a.m., most of whom made a mad dash for a coveted spot at the 16th hole.

We also allowed some of the biggest advocates to of golf to do the greatest damage.  The PGA Tour commentators love to tell you how far these players hit it.  They tried to make it a game of power, tee to green, down the middle, two putts, =  BORING.

The PGA Tour has 209 players, 34 have driving average over 300 yards.  We must also consider that the conditions these players play these courses under, is not the same as the average amateur.  We play a different game.  I don't want to take anything away form these players, but the emphasis should not be on distance.  True golf, understands that golf is about art and creativity.  Players can make the ball do all kinds of things off the club face.  Shots can be hit high, low, spinning left, drifting right, low and climbing, low runners, and the list goes on and on.  The perfect shot is the one that you see in your head at the given time.  True golf knows this.  

Parents are looking for alternatives.  Cell phones are impacting social skills.  Children are encouraged to get outside and be active.  We want something safe and long lasting........Golf duh!

Concussion conversations are happening, here are some stats (note these are suspected to be underrated):

•   50% of "second impact syndrome" incidents - brain injury caused from a premature return to activity after suffering initial injury (concussion) - result in death.  

•    Female high school soccer athletes suffer almost 40% more concussions than males (29,000 annually)

•    Female high school basketball players suffer 240% more concussions than males (13,000).

•    400,000 brain injuries (concussions) occurred in high school athletics during the 2008-09 school year.

•    Emergency department visits for concussions sustained during organized team sports doubled among 8-13 year olds between 1997 and 2007 and nearly tripled among older youth.  

•    Concussion rates more than doubled among students age 8-19 participating in sports like basketball, soccer and football between 1997-2007, even as participation in those sports declined.   

•    More than 248,000 children visited hospital emergency departments in 2009 for concussions and other traumatic brain injuries related to sports and recreation.

Golf is healthy, Golf is good, Golf is exactly what we are all looking for as an escape from this chaotic world.  We all know someone who is saying right now, "I've been thinking about playing this year" or "I do really want to learn."  Now is the time, golf is not intimidating, we are a welcoming group.  Golf is so much more than it appears, it is a lesson for a lifetime.  I hope you share this, if you share my passion.  Lets get the word out.....Golf is alive, healthy, and fun.

Tee it high (thanks Kwak),

Turf 

Course opening

The forecast is for warm weather, it looks like the groundhog was correct! The weather is allowing us to open the course earlier than we have in ten years!
We will be golfing this Friday! The golf course will be open for play, however many of the summer aspects of the course may be missing. The winter has resulted in some natural "pruning" of the trees. The limited staff we have, will be busy picking up branches, in addition to other essential items. Please forgive our "soft opening" as we want to begin golfing ASAP.
In other good news, we thought we lost both hives this winter, however we noticed some activity in box #2 today. Yay bees!
Have a great day,
Turf

Winter Turf Inspection

I have been watching the turf carefully this winter.  The mild temperatures have kept total dormancy at bay.  We like to have the turf go entirely dormant.  Dormant turf has a greater cold tolerance, concentrates more sugars in the crown, and makes me feel safe and warm.  Green turf during the winter months, on the contrary, make me not so warm and fuzzy.  I like my turf to have gone through the winter brown and asleep.
So what does a turf nerd do in the winter to check on the turf?


We set up a small scope on a desk and check things out.
We see that we have some turf emerging......



This turf is Poa Annua, or annual bluegrass.  Poa likes to stay active.  This hyperactive little bugger just doesn't want to sleep like it's better behaved cousin, creeping bentgrass.  The photo below shows the right side of seven red green that stays in the shade is actually more active than the left side.  The left side is more exposed to wind and extreme temperatures, which has promoted dormancy.



The concern, for this turf nerd, is that like all of us, turf needs some rest before a big performance.  There is not much time.........go to sleep little poa plant,
Turf

Top Golf

What do you get when you take a bus, golf, and some good guys?
Top Golf!
Top golf is golf in a video game. Points are awarded the closer you can hit to your target and point values change depending on which target you a mat. We had an absolute blast.
We have to beg Dane to organize another trip and we should fill this bus. Top Golf was such a gas. Thank you Dane and Cory for putting this together.
Thanks to the guys who went, you are the best, I had a great time.
I have seen a lot of golf at briar Ridge and I can't remember the last time I've seen guys hit a shot and drop their club. Believe it or not, this happened within 15 minutes of being at top golf. Dropping a club is not an issue unless you're on the second floor and it goes forward and through a net and down 20 feet into who knows where land.
We can't name names, what happens at top golf stays at top golf,
Turf