I’ve been busy on the rubber chicken circuit lately. For those not familiar with that phrase, it means I’ve been humping around the country giving talks at chapter meetings and turf conferences. I love doing these because they usually allow me to meet many new people, receive feedback on my crackpot ideas and hack up a nice course during the inevitable golf outing that follows the speech.
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I was fortunate last week to do a couple of presentations at the Idaho GCSA’s fall conference. It was an excellent event, despite the fact you can’t get from Cleveland to Twin Falls, Idaho, without changing planes about nine times. I needed a sherpa guide, a couple of visas and several barf bags to make this trip. At one point, I think I rode a camel. But I digress …
As always, I learned more from the event than I taught anyone during my seminars. A few observations …
1. I would never say that any superintendents have it made, but these Idaho guys are close. The landscape is incredibly beautiful. The golf season is short and disease pressure is rare. Course closed for the winter? Time to go skiing! Bored with skiing? Throw a line in the river and catch a monster trout. Fish aren’t biting? Grab your bow or rifle and head out for mule deer or elk. If I lived there, I’d never go inside.
2. I was a little shocked to learn the turf equipment technician program at Walla Walla Community College (which serves the whole region) is struggling to find students. The program had almost 20 kids enrolled a few years ago, and there are plenty of jobs waiting for each graduate. The problem is recruiting new students to fill the pipeline, according to George Klein, the program coordinator. He’s basically a one-man show: instructor, administrator, fund-raiser and student recruiter. Any time he takes away from teaching to recruit kids from area vo-tech programs or high schools diminishes his teaching time and vice versa. It’s a lousy Catch-22 situation for a program the industry desperately needs. Anyone who’s interested or wants to recommend a kid to the program can check it out at: http://www.wwcc.edu/programs/proftech/TST/default.cfm.
3. If you’re ever in Twin Falls … well, you’re probably hopelessly lost … but if you’re ever there, don’t miss a chance to visit Blue Lakes County Club. This unbelievable gem of a course rests in the Snake River canyon and features views so spectacular you’ll crash your golf car while you’re gawking. Take at look: http://www.bluelakescc.com. Superintendent Jim Rasmussen has something special on his hands at this facility. Bonus feature: During your round, you get to watch lunatics “base jumping” from the nearby Perrine Bridge – one of the few places in the world the insane practice of parachuting from a structure is legal.
4. Mike McCullough, the turf/agronomy director for the Northern California Golf Association, gave an impassioned presentation about how looming water restrictions could cripple the region’s golf business unless the industry acts collectively … now. Most stunning was how seemingly apathetic most California facilities are. Only a handful of facilities even bothered to respond to multiple survey requests for a study that could help make the industry’s case to state water authorities. Hey, just ignore the water crisis, and it will go away, right?
5. Finally, the fabulous Lori Russell, the chapter’s executive director, went from person to person during the event’s social hour and asked which other attendee they’d trade places with if they could. Some singled out colleagues with higher-paying jobs, some veterans picked young guys so they could live an extra 40 years or so, and a few boneheads even picked yours truly. I chose one superintendent who manages a course in the summer and is a snow board instructor at Sun Valley in the winter. But, the smartest guy in the room said he wanted to trade places with a colleague but wouldn’t say why. When prodded, he finally admitted it was because the colleague had a “hot wife.” Brilliant!
So, that’s the story from gorgeous Idaho. Next week, it’s off to South Beach in Miami for a conference. Gee, I wonder if I’ll see anything interesting there? GCN
Pat Jones is president of Flagstick, LLC.
