Frankenstorm

       It gets harder and harder to believe the hype that the news stations run with as a big storm approaches the area. Right now they are tracking Sandy coming up the Atlantic with a chance to bash our area with record rain totals and high winds. Last year we had a similar event where things built for days and every generator for hundreds of miles was sold out. That one was bad with some flooding and after spending the entire night up on guard for tornadoes, it was over hyped. Obviously, I am hoping that they are wrong again....somewhere around 12"+ of rain and 80 mile an hour winds is not something I am looking forward to and neither are any local Superintendents. The talk of the storm coming up the Delaware Bay and it being a full moon could make life interesting for all of us. So, as we always do here in Philly....Get you eggs/milk & bread to last you a month and hopfully all you have is a reason to have a big french toast party on Wednesday morning!

Hope everyone stays safe!


WJC

London Calling

       I just returned from a week in the UK. I was a guest of Bernhard & Company, who provide the Express Dual & Angle Master grinders. The big event was they were opening a state of the art new factory. I was able to visit their old one last year and it was only 150 years old, I believe....
One of the cool parts of the festivities was a Ryder Cup format golf event with the US Distributors & Bernhard Representative VS The Euporean Distributors, Bernhard Representatives & Superintendents. Sadly history repeated itself but it was a great day. The match was played at The London Golf Club which was INCREDIBLE! Peter Todd and his staff do an amazing job. I got the chance to play with some true professionals. It was really something special.

       These trips include people from all over the world and are something that I have considered a great privilidge to take part in. Kim Furnell & David Walker from Bernhard & Company are incredible hosts!

WJC

Back To The Future

       This morning I was a volunteer at Lookaway Golf Club. They were hosting an event that was in support of the Matthew Renk Foundation. Matt was the son of Dave & Jackie Renk and Matt passed away from a cancerous brain tumor at the age of 15. With the support of friends, family & the membership of Lookaway Golf Club they are working to generate awareness of brain cancer and support the families facing this challenge.
       Dave had asked me a few weeks ago if I was going to be around to help. To be honest, I was not looking forward to getting up at 3:00AM to make the trip up to Lookaway but with Robert Smith from Merion GC volunteering too, the ride up together was not as bad. The main thing that was my concern was Dave kept saying I was mowing greens...As you can guess, mowing greens is not on the list of things I do too often. And after thinking about it as I mowed this morning, it has been probably about
18 years since I mowed a greens route! a pass here and there over the years does not keep the skills sharp!
Luckily Dave put me with his son Tommy. Tommy, a future Superintendent, was great to work with and as the morning went on I really enjoyed spending time with someone who has passion about the turf business.
       Now for the bad part....I mowed the first green in the dark with my reel off -( or should I say rolled the first green for my part of the double cut. It was like mowing in a closet with the door closed. I was so focused on trying to see my lines (and could not see even with the light kit)
that I did not pick up on it. Impressive right?
With each green the old feel came back with the last two greens looking pretty straight!
A few pounds lighter and a little tired, we headed back into the shop.
Just like the old days...

       To learn more about the Matt Renk foundation go to:
http://matthewrenkfoundation.org/about-matt.html


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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

Come on Frost Delays!

       I spoke with a Superintendent this morning and with a laugh he said "It's been a long year....!".
The weather this year has been as always interesting. For some odd reason the humidity has been up and down pretty drastically and has really dried things out more quickly than a usual Philly summer after a rain storm. I also have heard more talk of goose grass, bermuda and crab grass on steroids.

       With Labor Day weekend upon us and most people's aeration complete, I believe everybody is looking forward to some cooling temperatures and shorter days. For the most part it sounds like it has been a good year for the region. Rounds are up and no unsettling stories of turf loss. Now the next thing on the horizon is the Tier 4 emission standards that will have a big impact on the Turf Industry. I would urge you to educate yourself as much as you can. It is going to change things drastically.

This link would be a good place to start:

http://www.toro.com/en-us/customer-support/Pages/tier-4/Tier-4.aspx

       On the topic of aeration, the PAGCS Aeration Days at Walnut Lane Golf Club-Home of the First Tee of Greater Philadelphia was a big success! The course is healing up quickly and looks great.

If you would like to see a video about the day take a look at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVYticBMxyI

Thanks again to all the volunteers!!!!

WJC