More Than A Change Of The Calendar

With the end of 2016, coming this evening, I think the landscape of Philadelphia golf world is on the verge of a major change during 2017. It seems like the gap between the haves and the have not's is growing, with some clubs being able to invest in major club improvements, while others are looking at creative ways to just replace one piece of equipment. With additional talk of multiple management companies taking over some long standing clubs, I don't think the face of Philadelphia golf will ever be the same. Sure, the closure of Edgmont CC and the process of two public courses  becoming housing developments, over the next few years, was part of a long expected thinning of the herd, it was not the massive change that people in the industry had been predicting. Hearing of some of the clubs, that you would never expect, have a waiting list to exit the club vs. the few clubs with a long waiting list to get in, it is sadly a harbinger of what I think is coming for the future of golf in the area.
On the positive side, the growth of the opportunities with Universities, School Districts and large landscape companies seems to be a growing avenue for turf professionals to take. Some of the perks of better schedule, strong benefits and even the opportunity to continue your education, at low or no cost, makes the transition a welcome change. For most, the hard part is to look outside the golf world, which for some, it is all they have known.

I wish you and your families a Happy & Healthy New Year!

WJC

Trust The Process

Walnut Lane Golf Club is the home of The First Tee of Greater Philadelphia. It is in the Philadelphia Fairmount Park system. The course is an Alex Findley design. Over the past two years, there have been some personnel changes, including the addition of Bob Sawicki, Superintendent, and Bill Hyndman V ,as the new Executive Director of The First Tee program. Sometimes change is good for everyone.
While the program had grown to be one of the tops in the First Tee nationally, the golf course needed some TLC. Under longtime Director, John MacDonald, the wheels had started to turn to begin the emphasis on improving the golf course conditions.
Walnut Lane, being part of the Philadelphia Fairmont Park system, limits the ability to remove trees "at will " and often makes the process of tree removal slower than most. Also, the long term lack of tree work has made the catch up even more of a challenge. Throw in equipment that has long outlived its life and a shop that needed upgrades, including roof repair ASAP, and it can be daunting.

With the help of local companies such as Arader, Shreiner and Asplundh Tree Companies, there has been an estimated $250,000 worth of tree work and stump grinding! The support of the local Philadelphia Superintendents Association volunteered days to help with aeration. Clubs donated equipment, such as work vehicles and a trim mower. People like Frank Shuman, Board Member and former owner of Philadelphia Turf Company, supported the purchase of a new sprayer to replace the much needing retirement of the old sprayer. Throw in a local church volunteering to help clear fence lines and some long overdue fence repair work and we are talking about progress!

It is exciting to see all the changes, in the last few years.
Being able to give the children of the program, a really good golf course, and as an additional bonus, giving the community, a consistently improving product, is great to see!


WJC

Show Time

In a little over a month from now, the Eastern PA Turfgrass Conference will take place in Valley Forge. Now after many meetings, emails & calls, the show will have a much different look. As I have written about before, the trade show has been slowly fading with each year. Last year, it finally hit the bottom. A bunch of vendors have worked together to try and come with another option. The whole time understanding, that while the event is based on education, it is also a fund raiser from the Pennsylvania Turfgrass Council. The challenge was how to eliminate the trade show component and still not change the financial support while bringing the chance for vendors to have the opportunity to interact with customers. The first part of the new look was some different sponsorship opportunities, including selling a 2 minute elevator sales speech prior to each talk. The big change is the "Turf Industry Social". This will take place from 2-4 on the afternoon of the first day. The hope is for vendors to support the event and get a number of passes to the social. While the cost is the same as a table top in the past, there is an added expense to host a social vs a trade show.
So, in an effort to make up the difference, PTC will have a booth at the Philadelphia Golf Expo the next week auctioning off rounds of donated golf. The struggle with the silent auction in the past has been the idea of people in the golf business paying for something that is normally free with one phone call.
This process of changing something, that has been in place for a long time, is never easy. The ability of competitors to work together and the ability of the PTC Board to listen to vendors urging the need for a new format were all key in making this happen.
Check back in mid-January, and hopefully, I can tell you about what a big success the Turf Industry Social was and that the Philadelphia Golf Expo was a home run!
In the mean time, if you would like to donate a foursome to help the PTC or are a vendor who wants to come back to participate in being involved in the event, please let me know!


WJC

The Power of 10

       This coming Monday, we will be delivering the largest single Ventrac purchase, since Lawn & Golf became a dealer. In a process worthy of this type of investment, the customer did his due diligence by looking at all options. This included looking at competitive units and multiple configurations of the Ventrac unit too. Then there was the consideration of what was the best way to handle the purchase from the financial side, including all financing avenues. In the end, the decision was made to go with a 3400 with a full snow package and multiple attachments.
Following came the getting all the product into our location and for our shop to get to work. Andy Barone, our factory representative of Ventrac, was with us throughout the process and made sure that inventory was ready for us.
From our shipping manager organizing the staging of the equipment for the shop, to our technicians cranking out the setups and finishing a day ahead of schedule, it was a great week for our company.
Congratulations to everyone at Lawn & Golf  and Ventrac who worked to get this process to run so smoothly, especially Jeremy Weand , who is the account manager and Andy Barone for all his support. A big thank you to Bob Dunkerely of Dunkerely Construction for choosing Lawn & Golf & Ventrac!

 

 

 

 

WJC

Snow Business

       This past week Lawn & Golf & Ventrac sponsored an educational event with the PGMS at Coca-Cola Stadium, home of the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs. It was called a "Snow Symposium" The day started with a review of the products available through Ventrac.
Andy Barone, our factory representative, gave the overview of the Ventrac  product line, with an emphasis on the snow removal attachments. We then headed in for lunch and then education.
Following lunch, we had a 3 speaker lineup.
Our first speaker was John Tyrell, of Ricci, Tyrrell, Johnson & Grey, was covering the topic, "Snow Removal Liability Issues & Concerns". I was able to get John to speak at an event a few years ago and knew he would be the perfect fit. The basic things you need to address to protect yourself in today's sue everyone atmosphere was some excellent information. John's experience with what has worked to protect from having to pay a big settlement  is just using common sense and documentation. It was priceless. Our next speaker was Joshua Smilk, Owner of Eastern LLC, a snow removal contractor. Josh was playing hurt! He had fallen the night before and was pretty sure he had broken his ankle. He told me he would be there on crutches and head to the doctor afterwards. He just needed a podium to lean on. He did over a 45 minute talk standing on one leg! Cannot say thank you enough to Josh for not canceling! His talk was about brine. Josh covered some of the basic science behind it and some of the different situations for use. It was really an interesting topic.
Our final speaker of the day was Matt Brown, of Lawn & Golf. Matt's topic was "Winterizing your sprayer". Matt did a great job focusing on what is the key to all sprayers working to the optimum...cleaning it! Matt also spent a significant amount of time covering one of the most important part of chemical application, safety. Matt covered all the recommended safety precautions that sometimes get skipped to make up time.

A big thank you goes out to our corporate partners at the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs and their Director of Field Operations, Ryan Hills, for hosting us! Thanks to Andy Barone, of Ventrac, for coming into to town to support the event.
A special thanks to Bill Brown, of Turf Republic, for joining us and taking some great photos.
Also, I cannot say thank you enough to our speakers!
We were happy to partner with the PGMS and look forward to doing it again in the future.

Andy Barone, of Ventrac, talking about the Ventrac 4500

         John Tyrrell, Managing Member of Ricci, Tyrrell, Johnson & Grey, giving his presentation

Joshua Smilk, Owner of Eastern LLC, talking about the advantages of brine

Matt Brown, of Lawn & Golf, speaking about the winterization of your sprayer

For more photos, please check out the Turf Republic Flickr site:
https://flic.kr/s/aHskJJSBUw

WJC

Hail To The King!

This week, I had the opportunity to head back out to Latrobe CC. Through Jacobsen's relationship with the Arnold Palmer Group, we had the chance to get in a little more than a round of golf. We had the chance to visit the barn, where there is more golf history than you could ever believe. It is truly incredible, that someone had the foresight, to keep all of these pieces of history of Arnold Palmer's life. It is something I will never forget. A special thanks goes out to Mark Pena from Jacobsen for being such a great host!

What made the visit even more special was Doc Giffin. Doc has worked with Arnold Palmer for over 50 years! We only had a short time with him, but just in that brief period, we were able to hear some incredible stories. The part I think that I enjoy the most about Latrobe CC is that they understand the importance of  Arnold Palmer, but on the other hand, it is not a big deal having him at the next table, in the men's grill, having lunch.

Arnold Palmer's golf club collection

Arnold Palmer & Steve Stephens

Arnold Palmer's Film Library

The famous Penzoil Tractor & his Father's reconditioned tractor

Arnold Palmer's Golf Cart

Doc Giffin giving us the history of all the collection

Doc Giffin explaining the story behind the personalized golf cart

WJC

When Did This Start?

       One of the interesting aspects of all the turf porn on social media is getting to see more and more behind the curtain at big events. Recently, the US Open at Oakmont, and then quickly after that, the photos coming out of Congressional CC, while they hosted the Quicken Loans PGA event, gave insight in to some that do not have the opportunity to host or work an event of this size.
The hundred plus extremely qualified volunteers, on top of a staff that only most clubs dream of having, caused many people in the turf business to ask, "When did this start?". Add in the incredible amounts of equipment and donations needed to host and it is really hard to believe. The reality is you might not need all those bodies, but in 2013 at Merion and 2016 at Oakmont, if they didn't have all those volunteers, they would not have been able to get the courses back together so quickly after severe storms. The crazy amount of equipment required is also tied to the limited time staffs have to get the course ready in the morning and get the post round work done in the evening.
       Probably the easy answer, for any extreme measure taken to provide a near perfect golf course, is to blame Augusta. I had the picture in my office, from Sports Illustrated, from the early 1990's, with multiple fiveplexes, mowing the fairways at the Masters. Where I remember it really taking off was the 1997 US Open at Congressional. Mr. Latshaw was the Superintendent and they hand walked fairways! Yes, hand walked fairways, that is not a misprint. I knew a bunch of clubs that were rounding up as many Jacobsen PGMs as they could to loan to Congressional for the US Open. Depending on who you talk to, this is a practice that the USGA will not let happen again. At the time, there was definitely some discussion of creating a monster, that would cause issues for other clubs.
       I was on the staff at Merion GC for the 1989 USGA US Amateur Championship. A few Alumni and I were laughing, the other day, about not even having staff shirts to wear for the tournament, just a VIP pin (see below). It was just our normal crew with some additions from the West Course.

      It is pretty cool to see what happens when you give someone, at the top of their profession, an unlimited budget and staff and they are able to provide near perfection.

Badge for the 1989 US Amateur

   

Photo taken by Andy Billing at Oakmont CC during the 2016 US Open

WJC





  

It Just Doesn't Matter

   One of my favorite movie scenes is Bill Murray in the movie Meatballs, giving a motivational speech the night before the final day competition against Camp Mohawk.

Why I bring this up, is this past week, while preparing for some meetings, I was analyzing some of the support we do as a company throughout the year. To say it was eye opening, is an understatement.
When you add up all the professional organizations and their events over a year, it can total up to a big number quickly.
So what does this have to do with the Meatballs speech? For me, it has always been an unanswerable question of, " does it matter from a business perspective if you do or do not support the associations of the turf industry?" The tag line of, "we support those who support us", has been repeated over and over for years at meetings. But does someone buy from me rather than a competitor because of my support level? Does it play a part in the purchase process?
Trying to quantify the return on your investment is not an easy number to come up with.
In the end, it just doesn't matter because it is the right thing to do.

WJC

No Handbook

       There is one thing that I have learned in my social media experiment and that is there is no handbook. I started this, a few years ago, on a career advancement/change basis. The change came without even one little bit of the social media efforts being a part of the equation. Go figure? Everything you read is telling you must have a social media footprint to matter in the business world.  But depending on what customers you talk to, it is a good thing or a complete waste of time.
Maybe the use of social media will make you first on their mind when a need arises or even better, it makes you look technically advanced, but only to the guys who like using it. There are also pitfalls of too much information. We had a customer touting how great a demo of a mower was at his club on Twitter. The next day a competitive sales rep showed up looking to demo his unit. While I would love to post a video of a demo doing something extra ordinary, I also need to be careful not to give away the location. Sad but true.

      I have some people who will reference something I have posted or tweeted. I have some others who absolutely have a strong opinion of my efforts. What I sometimes struggle with is posting information and the tone being misunderstood. Just like a text, it can always be perceived, not in the way you had hoped. So now make your stuff interesting or funny, but don't offend any one or come off like a jerk. Easy, right?
    
WJC
     

Partners With The Pigs

  

       This past spring we were lucky enough to enter into a partnership with the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs. The Iron Pigs are the Phillies AAA affiliate. They are one of the top teams in attendance, in the minor leagues, for good reason. When you walk into the stadium, you can instantly see how strong they are at marketing.

       Our first event was this past Wednesday. We were able to place some of our equipment on the warning track, for a customer field day. Ryan Hills, the Director of Grounds, could not have been a more gracious host! After having an extra inning game the night before, he was happy to spend time with the group, talking about his pre-game field preparations. From showing the use of a turbine blower to blow up the tarp to clear the water, to the application of Pro's Choice Rapid Dry, it was all very interesting to the turf managers in attendance.

      Thank you to Ryan Hills and the Iron Pigs for a great day! Even with some tough weather, it still was a special opportunity. I know for my son, who was one of a few kids to join us, he was pretty excited to have a chance to be on the field. After removing all of our equipment from the warning track, he hand raked the entire track. Once we got home, he was asking about where the closest stadium was to our home that he could work.

     My son Pete raking the warning track after the field day and before the game

Ryan Hills, Director of Field Maintenance for the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs, talks to our group about field maintenance practices

The Turfco Torrent Blower being used to get the water off the trap 

WJC

What Is The Magic Number?

       Not sure when it happened, but in recent years, the buying process has changed on larger equipment purchases. While nothing is an absolute, it is interesting how often it becomes about the final number vs. what unit was the preferred choice. For me, the magic number is right around $150K. It is when more people are involved in the process, at the club, and how much you want to justify your preference. I can't count how many times I have heard the statement, " I am just happy to get something!" It is easy to understand why you would feel this way.
Many clubs have held back on capital purchases over the past eight years. It has happened to multiple clubs that they just cannot wait any longer to replace some equipment that is well past it's shelf life. It makes you wonder, when the club buys new stoves for the kitchen or purchase new carpet, is it low bid that wins or who has the best product for the need?

Super Support

       This past week, we had all our main vendor representatives in town for meetings and to travel with our salesmen. The week started off with some talks to review the new products and updates for this coming season for each product line. We are very lucky to have some incredible people to work with. It is amazing how they all have a great passion for their products and believe they are selling the best. Getting someone like Chuck Hicks from Redexim or Chris Francis from Turfco out into the field to demo a unit for customers is truly something to watch. The guys know their product inside and out and are excited to be showing you why they think it is better than the competition. You have to wonder if the ability to focus specifically on a smaller product line is an advantage.

Thanks to Mark Pena from Jacobsen, Andy Barone from Ventrac, Steve Johnson from Smithco, Chuck Hicks from Redexim & Chris Francis from Turfco for a great week!

Chris Francis talking about the advantages of the Turfco 1550 Topdresser

Chuck Hicks in his happy place...Running the Verti-Drain Bullet

WJC

If We Are Not Making Money, We Are Making Change

       To me, one of the legends of the turf business, is Tom Hurst. I feel very lucky to consider Tom one of my mentors and friend. When I got to work with Tom, it was a bunch of years ago, and Philadelphia Turf had picked up Bernhard Grinders. That was where I got the chance to really get to know him. Tom's opinion is something I value. It is an interesting twist that he had spent the majority of his career working at Lawn & Golf.
       Recently, when I spoke with Tom about some changes in personnel and territories that I had made, he had a great line, "If your not making money, your making change." Tom said this was a comment his first boss used to make. It is a great quote.
       Change is never easy, especially when sales are trending in the right direction. It has caused many nights of lost sleep over what is the right thing to do. It absolutely helps to have people whom you consider mentors, who have been through it before and for that I am very grateful!

WJC

Ain't No Party Like A West Coast Party

       To quote the great philosopher Collio, "Ain't no party like a west coast party 'cause a west coast party don't stop!". The week of the 2016 GIS would be tough to find issue with. San Diego weather was about as close to perfect as it can get and lets not forget all the great locations throughout the Gaslamp section. Reading some of the wrap up statistics on Turfnet this past week, it looks like the vendor/booth space is back to where it was before the 2009 crash.
       The week started out great for Lawn & Golf Supply Company, with being awarded the Domestic Distributor of the Year by Turfco at the Turfco-Smithco training event! We are very lucky to have Chris Francis as our factory rep. He does a great job supporting us! Then Wednesday & Thursday the trade show was well attended from our area.

Take a ways from the show for me:
-San Diego has great weather and an unbelievably large homeless population.
-Many manufacturers have reinvested and there will be plenty of new products coming out this year.
-I have a much better appreciation for those who travel coast to coast more often for work. Being unable to get on West coast time was a killer
-The Electric Avenue area of the show with real turf and the opportunity to run new electric powered products was very cool idea

Matt Shaffer & Robert Smith of Merion Golf Club discuss how they work together during an on the floor GCSAA education session

First Day traffic

Domestic Dealer of the Year Award from Turfco!

Product training at the Turfco-Smithco event

Electric Avenue

WJC

This Is The End!

       Earlier this month, I attended what was somewhere north of my 25th Eastern Pennsylvania Turf Conference. I have watched the show change, over the years, from a time when of all the equipment suppliers had large booths, with almost a full compliment of their products down to this past table top trade show. While the explanation of why some trade shows seem to be thriving (NJ Turf Grass Conference in Atlantic City), to the stories of other shows that are struggling to survive, is a mystery question of life. The Easter Pa Show still has strong attendance and a growing Sports Turf Managers section, but we have seemingly hit a wall on the trade show part of the program. Year after year, the vendors have talked amongst each other that this was not working. While no one wants to do anything that would effect the support of the work of the Pennsylvania Turf Grass Council, the reality of today's business climate of tighter margins and importance of spending your dollars wisely have finally won out. Many factors play into the mood of vendors, like trade show times, during classes, to being in the lower level of the facility, all play into the reality that it is time for a change. In the end, vendors want to have customers and prospects stop by their booth, hopefully to uncover some new opportunities. The thought of having multiple salesmen stand around talking to each other, for hours on end, is not something that works for anyone.
      While preliminary talks have begun to change the format of the trade show and possibly to eliminate it completely, in the end, I know that next year will be different. There is energy, on the vendor side, to grow the dollars being brought in from new avenues to support the PTC. That is why this is a great business to work in. While we compete against each other for business, all the vendors I have spoken to all say the same thing " I am in, just let me know what you need me to do!"

WJC



 

Just The Facts

       Recently, I had a meeting with a Superintendent, who was looking for some insights on how to approach his ownership, with a long term equipment replacement plan. During our discussion, I brought up a quote from Sabrina Bladon, that I heard her give in a speech, a few years ago, that I think is incredibly pertinent to this type of process. The line was, "You talk agronomics & they talk economics." When in discussion with your ownership or management, it is hard not to speak passionately about your frustration with old equipment. The thought of downtime, turf damage and even listening to your operators complain, it all feeds into talking about it emotionally. Sadly, the reality is those factors might as well be spoken in another language. Going back to Sabrina's excellent observation, you need to talk about bottom dollar impact.
       Jason Haines (@Pendersuper), Superintendent at Pender Harbour GC, this past week, had just the type of information regarding how to sell to your club on new equipment posted on Twitter. He had great insight on how to put together a plan and justify the need for new equipment. It is a thread worth reading.
        The final suggestion I would make is to use your salesman as a resource. He should be able to help you formulate your position from a factual angle.

WJC