Hendren's Hyperbole! Episode 43 -- My Summit experience

Every now and then you get the opportunity to be a part of something great whether it is by design or it just so happens you are just in the right place at the right time. This past week I had one of those opportunities present itself. Last week I had the pleasure to be a part of the first ever Golfdom Summit.

I realize that to some of you it may sound like I am blowing up the skirt of Golfdom, and to some extent I am, but for those of you who know me, know that any form of praise from me has to be deserved and the Golfdom Summit was one of the highest marks of my golf course maintenance career.

The first ever Golfdom Summit was held at Pinehurst Resort in Pinehurst, N.C., and featured a unique educational experience that combined boardroom/case studies with one-on-one meetings. There were also plenty of networking opportunities including playing historic Pinehurst No.2. Pinehurst No. 2 is one of many courses on my bucket list so I was able to kill two birds with one stone. (Next on my list, Whistling Straits!)

Golfdom Summit photo parade part one

Warming up for Pinehurst No. 2

Bob Farren, CGCS, greets Ken Mangum, CGCS

Handshakes all around after an amazing round on No. 2

Rees Jones delivers his keynote at the Golfdom Summit

Boardroom meeting with eager listeners

Golfdom EIC Seth Jones at the podium

Matt Hendren and Bill Irving at the evening reception

Tyler Otero, Brian Nettz and Steve Sarro at the evening reception

Emil Miller discusses the features on a Smithco sprayer to a superintendent

A room full of superintendents listens as Rees Jones makes his keynote address at the Golfdom Summit

Convo with Baltimore CC super Tim Kennelly

I was watching Saturday Night Live (sad, I know) the other night and I saw a (terrible) skit where comedian Russell Brand is a homeowner, and the TV crew from the Home Network comes to his house to tell him he's the grand prize winner. Brand gives no emotional reaction in response, much to the chagrin of the TV host. Hilarity, sadly, did not ensue.

But I was reminded of that skit as I picked up the phone to dial Tim Kennelly, superintendent out at Baltimore CC, the other day. I wondered, what would be his reaction when I told him I was flying him out to Pinehurst, N.C. in November to join us for the first ever Golfdom Summit?

Lucky for me, his reaction was better than Brand's.

"Any time you get an opportunity to learn and improve yourself in this industry, you have to take it," Kennelly told me. "It's an opportunity to grow professionally, that's the best way to put it."

Kennelly, like me, has never been to Pinehurst.

"I've met Bob (Farren, director of grounds at Pinehurst) before, and he invited me to come out and see it, but I've never had the chance to get down there. Now I will," Kennelly said. It would have been about a 7-hour drive from Baltimore to Pinehurst, if he had to drive it. "I've heard a lot about the work (Bill) Coore and (Ben) Crenshaw have done on No. 2... I'm excited to see it!"

While I had him on the phone, I asked him how the Golf Industry Show treated him.

"To be honest, I haven't been to the last two... This one was a lot smaller than the last time I went. But bigger isn't always better," he said. "I had meetings with the Bayers and the Syngentas... it was easier to get around to them. Before, you couldn't cover the entire place."

Kennelly did have one complaint about the show: the bad slot for the USGA on Friday morning, after many people had already left the show. Kennelly is a member of his local USGA Greens Section Committee, but still felt compelled to leave before the USGA's Friday session, to get back home at a decent hour.

"But it's just like taking care of a golf course -- it's never perfect. You can't make everyone happy," Kennelly laughed.