Can't Touch This!

       When I was loading a Toro GM 580-D, a 16 foot rotary, on my trailer early in my career I got some very valuable advice. DON'T EVER PUT YOUR HANDS ON A BLADE OR REEL WHEN THE ENGINE IS RUNNING!!!! Yes, it was is a loud voice and it stuck with me. Barney McFadden, who was a Master Salesman with Toro and the Toro guy in Philly for 42 years was the voice that to this day I still hear. I was going along the side of the unit and the decks were up and for some reason I had the engine running. When I grabbed the blade to go to the back of the unit was just when Barney had walked out of the office. He explained how he still had all his fingers after years of working with equipment and DON'T EVER PUT YOUR HANDS ON A BLADE OR REEL WHEN THE ENGINE IS RUNNING!!!!
       Recently I learned a local crew member of a golf course lost part of a finger and did some major damage to his hand. He is a longtime turfer and has always been talked about by coworkers as a great worker and how meticulous he is. All I know is he was hurt and it just took one second to make that mistake of having your hand near a running reel.
       We have all been there, sometimes we get to comfortable around equipment that we forget can do some serious damage when we don't respect it. Maybe on one of theses lovely frost delay mornings or the next time it rains, do some safety training. It is not always the high school or college summer help that can use that reminder.
       And like I still hear Barney's voice in my head to this day....DON'T EVER PUT YOUR HANDS ON A BLADE OR REEL WHEN THE ENGINE IS RUNNING!!!!

Big Dipper

       I have told the story tons of times about how I quit chewing tobacco. I started chewing in high school and would have a dip in all day when I was working on the golf course. After I got into sales, I chewed less but still had not stopped. I even was chewing Red Man because my gums were getting so beat up. One day I saw a black spot on my gum in the mirror. I panicked and swore to God that if this would pass I would never chew again! That was about 15 years ago and I have not had a dip since.
Now I will have a cigar a couple time a year but no Skoal....
       Now when I golf or I am outside working, I have always loved a pinch between the cheek and gum. So I have tried just about everything from Big League Chew (gum) to the beef jerky chew and nothing has really done it. After years of trying I finally found something that packs right, tastes similar and does not bang up your gums. It is from Oregon Mint Snuff Company! It is the best alternative I have found and would recommend it to anyone who wants to try and stop chewing tobacco.
       So for those of you who just can't kick the habit, I would tell you to give this a shot.
www.mintsnuff.com

       On the turf front in the Philly area has been hammered by grey leaf spot. We have had some turf loss and not many guys escaped the damage. One Superintendent put it best when he said he remembered when grey leaf spot came into the area back in the early 1990's. You have gotten through the hard part of the season.The night time temps are perfect and BAM you have turf loss....

       Now today we are ending with tornado warnings...

This is definitely a year for the history books!

WJC

Shooting With A Long Arrow

       Recently I heard Irish singer Glen Hansard on the radio, as I was flipping through the stations in my mobile office. He was doing a live concert and talking in between each song with a little explanation of what was behind it. The one song he explained "That sometimes in life you need to shoot a long arrow". He went on to talk about how at the time it might not be the easy answer or make complete sense but you need to look at life often in the long term. I thought it was a really smart way to say something I have always believed and my coworkers have heard me say that it is a marathon and not a sprint!
       With the recent passing of USGA legend Stanley Zontek, those words seemed very fitting. I had over the years met Stanley on few occasions and heard him speak many times. One of the things in business people sometimes discuss is your sphere of influence. Well Stanley's might have been one of the largest in the golf industry and absolutely in the Mid-Atlantic region of the USA. His friendship and support of Superintendents in his 41 years is truly incredible. I can't count how many times I have spoken to guys who said Stanley was just in and.....What followed always was a good thing. Even in tough times he had a positive influence on so many people's lives and careers.

Here is to a life well lived!


The link below is to a really well written article by Joe Logan.
His analogy of Stanley to an Uncle is the perfect fit.
http://myphillygolf.com/


WJC