Help! I Need Someone to Soothe My Economic Fears

Oil was back up on Monday, Sept. 22. Way up. Oil prices jumped more than $25 a barrel — the biggest dollar jump ever — before dropping a tad. It closed at $120.92 a barrel, up $16.37 from Friday's close. I just read a story on www.cnn.com where oil expert Matt Simmons says a barrel will hit $500 before we know it. That number is not a typo.

I must say that oil prices and the current happenings on Wall Street have me more than concerned for my and my family's future. It's all pretty scary. How are you dealing with all of this crazy financial news? HELP!

— Larry Aylward, Editor in Chief

So, Who's Going To Bail Me Out?

If you’re like many Americans voicing their disdain over the government’s proposed bailout of the banking sector, you might be wondering why fiscal irresponsibility is being rewarded with huge chunks of cash.

I couldn’t be angrier about spending hard-earned taxpayer money to bail out corporations that gambled greedily and failed. I pay my mortgage, and private mortgage insurance, I might add. Where is all the PMI for these high-risk loans?

However, the alternative seems bleak. Without the bailout, economists say we very well could slump into the worst economic depression since the 1930s. They called that one The Great Depression, and this one could be greater when you consider the global repercussions.

But there is a bright spot for superintendents: access to dandelions. Dandelions were the most-consumed vegetable in the 1930s. They are very nutritious and plentiful. So go easy on the 2,4-D.

— David Frabotta

Somebody Explain It To Me, Please

Perhaps I was just raised differently or possibly in a better environment than others, but I simply do not understand what type of perverse pleasure or sense of satisfaction a person gets from vandalizing a putting green.

No matter how many times I get that phone call describing the scarring damage that someone has inflicted on one of my nineteen “other children,” my mind always leaps to the same unanswered question: Why? What is at the root of one of the most vicious acts that strike at the heart of any well-manicured golf course?

Is it frustration? I have missed my fair share of gut-wrenching putts while golfing, but none that would ever make me take out my car keys and cut around the cup to make it larger. Nor have I ever felt so compelled to take the flag stick and repeatedly poke multiple holes across the green making it resemble Swiss cheese.

Normally I am a guy who can understand most rationales in this confusing world, but vandalism never has, and probably never will, make one ounce of sense to me in any way, shape or form. It’s simply a sad reality that we all must deal with from time to time.

What's the most senseless crime you've experience on your course, and have you ever been able to ascertain why?

— Christopher S. Gray Sr.

My New Golf Course Supplier: eBay

Last week I was having some serious electrical problems with a front-deck mower. So much in fact, I quickly realized I needed the technical manual, which I didn’t have. I picked up the phone and called my local distributor and asked how much the manual was going to run me. “That manual is $139.50,” I heard from the other end. “Alright, I’ll let you know,” I responded half-heartedly. After mentally cursing the manufacturer, another idea popped in my head: I should check eBay.

Over the years, I have probably spent thousands of dollars on useless crap that I should have never bought on everyone's favorite auction site. Admitting I had a problem was the first step. So I said to myself, “Let’s see what the eBay community has to offer in the way of front deck mower technical manuals.” My search terms yielded a result of 63 items. After looking closer at the results, I found the technical manual I needed. The auction was ending in 13 hours and no one had bid on it yet. In short, I bid and won the manual…for $10.00 plus $12.50 shipping (This manual is really heavy).

I spent $22.50 for the same thing that the manufacturer wanted $139.50 for.

I started looking around eBay and have found other supplies I need for my course that include irrigation parts, tri-plex parts, rotary blades, and the list goes on and on. For anyone looking to save some cash and stretch your budget, check out eBay and see what they have. Just stay away from the useless crap … if you can.

— Christopher S. Gray Sr., director of golf operations for Marvel Golf Club in Benton, Ky.

Consumer Confidence in Scary Territory

Amid the highest unemployment rate in four years and the lowest consumer confidence since 2002, consumers are closing their wallets.

Consumer spending fell 0.2 percent, the largest drop since February, the Commerce Department revealed Aug. 4. The decline comes despite a $168-billion stimulus plan that includes income tax rebates.

Some of the blame is being attributed to inflation. The Consumer Price Index, which measures prices at the retail level, is up 5 percent in the trailing 12 months, the largest one-year increase since 1991.

Add a volatile investment climate, mortgage troubles and skyrocketing food and energy costs — the CPI excludes food and energy inflation — and one has to wonder how much money might be left for golf.

The National Golf Foundation has reported fewer rounds across most golf properties, but the largest declines reside in public facilities, where play is down 2.5 percent so far this year. Play at private clubs fell 1.8 percent this year.

What do you see in your market? Are daily fee courses suffering more than country clubs?

— David Frabotta, Senior Editor

What Are You Doing to Save Gas?

I’m no Einstein, but conservationists and economists are telling us we can save gas — and cut down on our demand for it — if we drive a little slower. This will help gas prices to stabilize or even drop because demand will outweigh supply.

Now, I know this issue is a political issue as much as it is a supply and demand issue, but I decided I’m going to do my part and slow down on the highways to save fuel — and save money for myself. And let me point out that slowing down in this case basically means driving the speed limit, which nobody goes these days on the interstates.

Well, I quickly discovered I’m not a very popular person for easing up on the gas. Everybody is passing me by. Everybody! Just the other day I was going 60 mph in a 60 mph zone and somebody blew by me during evening rush-hour traffic at about 70 and flipped me the bird for driving “slow.” The jerk in a hurry probably made it home two minutes before I did — and used a half a tank more gas for having a lead foot.

I wonder if $7 a gallon — which “experts” say will be here in a few years — will get people to slow down to save a few bucks.

By the way, what are you doing at your golf course to save fuel?

— Larry Aylward

My Stupid Work Excuses

I haven’t always been a model employee. I was young once, too. So there was a time when I figured that life owed me a little more than I was getting, so I would take things — like days off from work.

We’ve published dozens of excuses that superintendents have sent us from their crews, and it got me thinking about some of the reasons I played hooky.

I never lied, mind you. I never really thought it was worth it. But I was a giant flake at times. Like the time I went through the drive-through for lunch and saw a hitch-hiker standing by the freeway when I was on the way back to work. “Surely this was a noble cause that my boss would understand,” I thought to myself. So I pulled over.

“Where are you going?” I asked.

“Pennsylvania,” he replied.

“Hop in.”

He was fresh out of jail on drug charges. I was taking him across state lines. But it didn’t seem as risky as calling my Type-A personality boss to tell him I wasn’t coming back for the afternoon. Needless to say, he didn’t deem the act as honorable as I did.

It wouldn’t be the only time brutal honesty got me in trouble. While working for the same manager, I called early in the morning on a gorgeous July day to leave the following message:

“Good morning Jeff, hope you are doing well. I decided it is just too damn nice outside to come to work today, so I’m going golfing. See you tomorrow.”

The next day, he had a message of his own for me. It went something like this: “Dave, we have three personal days at this company, and when you take them, I don’t want to know why.”

Check out our favorite excuses at www.golfdom.com and send us more of your favorites.

— David Frabotta

We All Need Some Compassion

We try to dodge illness and suffering all our lives. But really bad things still happen to people. Things you don’t want to hear or think about because you’re too busy trying to be happy.

I try to remember that when I’m driving amid road ragers or grocery shopping around people who clearly have a biting contempt for humanity. I often wonder “Man, what’s their problem?”

Truth is, I probably don’t really want to know. Many people have huge crosses to bear, and no one wears badges that say, “Diagnosed with cancer,” or “My daughter is missing.”

A guy from Texas once told me, “You have to respect the right of others to be in a hurry.” I’m not sure if it’s a local saying, but it made sense to me. And taking it further, people are permitted to be in rotten moods sometimes. You never know what they’re going through, and a few unsolicited kind words might keep someone from losing faith in themselves for just one more day. Don’t we owe each other that much as a society?

Your crew is a micro society. Someone is always happy, sad, tired, lazy and eager. It’s easy to get frustrated with apathy and moodiness, but sometimes, they just might have a good reason for a healthy dose of compassion.

Ever embarrass yourself when an employee has a good reason to slough off?

How's the Housing Market Doing Where You Live?

I recently sold my house after it was on the market for seven months. I didn't get what I wanted for it, but I was satisfied with the sale knowing that there are some good deals to be had out there for an upgrade.

I'm amazed, however, at how many people have told me "congratulations!" on the selling of my house. It's like I won the lottery or something! (Believe me, I didn't hit it big on this transaction.)

The housing crisis hasn't been in the news lately as much as it was in previous months. But I get the feeling -- especially when people are congratulating me for selling my house -- that the market is still enduring tough times, at least where I live.

How's the housing market doing where you live? Any sign of a turnaround? Let us know by blogging here.

-- Larry Aylward

We Have An Intimate Little Industry

I like to follow golf because the fans know the players by their first names. From the time Arnie hits the ceremonial first drive at Augusta National, followers flock to Tiger and Phil to see superstars in the flesh.

It somehow makes me feel connected when Davis answers to his first name and Retief stops to sign autographs. The Masters is my favorite tournament to watch because so many generations attend and compete, from Jack and Gary to Bubba, Boo and Camillo. I’m even looking forward to seeing which putter Sergio brought and if Padraig can follow-up his Major victory.

I picked Hunter as my dark horse to cause mayhem for the rest of the field at Augusta, and I’ll always root for Vaughn to win the tournament to which he grew up so close.

What’s your favorite part of the Masters?

If You Can Throw Snowballs, It's Too Early For Baseball

Baseball’s opening day is a mixed blessing in Cleveland. No other day in all of sports imbues the city’s sports fans with such hope and sincere anticipation, especially this year as its playoff team returns intact.

Conversely, snow piles still encroach on the corners of parking lots, and Lake Erie is still frozen so thick that you can drive to Canada.

I remember going to opening day with my old man, each of us bundled as though we were going to see a gridiron grudge match instead of the boys of summer. It was the days of the old Municipal Stadium, a cavernous 100,000-capacity monstrosity where the wind would whip like your own personal arctic blast that rendered you hypothermic at some point in the second inning.

Fans commonly wore hunting gear and snow mobile suits. Vendors hustled more hot chocolate and coffee than beer, and I would eat a mound of jalapeños with my nachos just to feel a bead of sweat on my brow, even if just for a moment.

As I grew older, it became less fun. But I was loath to admit it to Dad. After all, time together was increasingly sparse as I sought independence. One year, I had to make my displeasure known as the forecast called for enough snow that the grounds crew carried shovels instead of brooms.

“Dad,” I started hesitantly. “Would you mind if maybe I took a rain check for opening day and maybe we could go to a game together in, say, July?”

Dad looked at me with a long, blank stare. I couldn’t read him. Then he spoke.
“Thank God,” he muttered. “I didn’t want to disappoint you, but I’m getting too old for this.”

“I’ve never liked opening day,” I said with a fear I might have nullified an important ongoing memory and time-honored tradition.

“Neither have I,” he said. “I wish you would have told me that 10 years ago. I’m cold just thinking about it.”

— David Frabotta, Senior Editor

Are We In a Recession? What Do You Think?

We may already be in one, but an "official" report says the weakening U.S. economy is slipping into a recession. A gauge of future economic activity dropped in February for the fifth consecutive month, according to the Conference Board.

Are you concerned about the golf industry's economic health? Why or why not? We want to hear from you.

Marriott Singled Out in ADA Suit

Litigation surrounding the single-rider golf car issue isn't going to wait for the Department of Justice to issue a ruling.

A federal judge ruled Jan. 28 that Marriott International’s golf division is in violation of the Americans With Disabilities Act because it failed to provide “accessible” or “single-rider” golf cars to disabled persons at its managed properties, according to court documents.

Plaintiffs in the case are Lawrence Celano, Richard Thesing and William Hefferon, disabled golfers. They did not pursue monetary damages in the case, which really makes them look like the good guys in this case.

Marriott will end up paying several million dollars in legal fees to lose this case, and the company likely will be required to furnish the single-rider golf cars anyway.

But Marriott will not be the only ones. In a conversation with Golfdom, Thesing says he's going after other large management companies, too.

Should this be a battle? Doesn't golf have enough problems fighting the perception of exclusionary practices?

Economics and Golf

The economic news yesterday was not good. Consumer confidence is down. Meanwhile, wholesale inflation soared, just not like Superman in this case.

The New York-based Confidence Board reported Tuesday that its Consumer Confidence Index sank to 75.0 in February from 87.3 in January. It’s the lowest level since February 2003 when it hit 64.8. Analysts had expected the latest reading to hit about 83.0.

The Consumer Confidence Index measures how consumers feel about the economy, which in this case is not very good.

How could this affect the golf market in 2008? Rounds were down about a half percent in 2007. The economic experts say consumers shut their wallets when their confidence is down. Does that mean they’ll play less golf?

What are your thoughts?

— Larry Aylward

McCain Will Gain

Early last year, Golfdom conducted an informal presidential poll listing candidates Hilary Clinton, John McCain, Barack Obama and Rudy Giuliani to vote for. Not surprisingly, Guiliani won our poll with 35 percent of the vote. McCain was second with 29 percent.

We didn’t list preacher-politician Mike Huckabee in the poll because we knew little about him. But Huckabee, a Baptist minister, has come out of nowhere as a GOP presidential contender.

We plan to conduct another poll soon, and Huckabee will surely be listed as one of the candidates. I have a feeling that some in our industry will latch onto to the former Arkansas governor. But Huckabee, who has been labeled as a closet liberal and has a few skeletons rattling in his closet, will fade and will not win over the golf course industry crowd.

Speaking of skeletons, they will do in Giuliani, and the prediction here is McCain will become the industry’s favorite and the GOP’s presidential nominee.

What's your take?

-- Larry Aylward

The Smoking Gun ...

We've got a potentially landmark privacy-rights court case in our own little green industry. It began when The Scotts Co. fired Scott Rodrigues of Massachusetts after a urinalysis indicated he used nicotine at home.

Scotts says it’s trying to create a healthier workforce because it’s the right thing to do, and it hopes to lower its healthcare costs (because it’s the right thing to do for investors). Jim King, Scotts VP of communications and investor relations, told National Public Radio that the self-insured company decided that it cannot afford to underwrite the risk of smoking any longer.

So they initiated a policy of not hiring any smokers. That's fine. Many companies are doing that, and it appears the courts will continue to allow companies to set their own employment policies, which is the right thing to do.

This is where it gets interesting. Rodrigues was a new employee, fully aware that Scotts’ had a policy in place not to hire smokers. He applied anyway. Unfortunately for Scotts, they gave Rodrigues a truck and some chemicals before his initial urinalysis came back from the lab. He was hired to spray lawns before his employee-screening results were evaluated. So Scotts will argue that Rodrigues wasn't really fully hired, even though he was working. Rodrigues will argue that he was hired and then fired, even though he didn't complete his probationary period. I guess that’s why they need the lawyers.

Rodrigues, a certified pesticide applicator, is suing Scotts for violating his privacy and civil rights (he says he was chewing nicotine gum while trying to quit smoking). He now works for a competing company.

Should employers be allowed to restrict employee behavior during their personal time? Should Scotts’ right to set its own employment practices outweigh the rights of individual employees?

— David Frabotta

What Are You Doing About Those Dang Deer?

Nothing runs into your car and damages it more like a deer.

I’ve had several near misses over the years of hitting deer (or them hitting me), but I met my fate the other night. I buck ran smack in the side of my car as I was traveling 65 mph down the interstate.

If I was one second earlier, I would have missed him. But if I was one second later, he might have come through the windshield and crushed me.

So I guess I’m lucky that he only caused my car about $1,000 in damages.

The deer situation where I live in northeast Ohio seems out of control. They are everywhere!

I know many superintendents welcome wildlife on their golf courses. But what about an overabundance of deer? Are deer causing you and your course problems? If so, what are doing about it?

— Larry Aylward

Global Warming: Fact or Fiction

Golfdom's October cover story is on global warming. I interviewed several people for the story, and I was surprised at the diverse opinions people shared about the topic. Global warming, whether you believe in it or not, could impact the golf course maintenance industry in several ways.

The Golf Course Superintendents Association of America takes neither a “yea” or “nay” stance on global warming, which it includes under the broader topic of climate change. But the GCSAA began studying the issue and its possible impact on the industry about a year ago. Carrie Riordan, the GCSAA director of information and public policy, says the GCSAA decided it needed to look into the matter on behalf of its 21,000 members. Riordan says the GCSAA doesn’t want to debate the topic because such a discussion would get nowhere with so many differing views among its members.

What do you think about global warming. Are you concerned how it could impact your line of work? Blog here and let us know your thoughts.

-- Larry Aylward, Editor in Chief

A Template For Managing Expectations

Certified superintendent Ralph Kepple should be every superintendent’s role model. And it’s not for pulling off a miraculous recovery of East Lake Golf Club’s bentgrass greens for the PGA Tour Championship following weeks of searing Atlanta heat, humidity and drought, although he should be lauded for that, too.

No, his true genius resides in the way he managed golfer expectations. Thirty of the best golfers in the world arrived at East Lake expecting to play on dirt. The course was closed to practice rounds early in the week, and a couple greens were off limits even when practice rounds began.

But there was no complaining about the conditions. Golf’s elite players expected worse, so they were pleased with soft greens that rolled around 10 feet on the Stimpmeter for the first couple days.

In a world where firm and fast is the benchmark for good conditioning, the soft and slow East Lake greens allowed Zach Johnson to set the course record on Saturday with a 60, and Tiger Woods won with a total of 257 strokes, the third-lowest in PGA tournament history.

No one complained. It’s a perfect case study of how agronomic conditions must supersede golfers’ whimsical and unrealistic expectations.

If Kepple can make the case to the best golfers in the world, then who are your members to argue?

Do you think the East Lake example will help you moderate golfer expectations through newsletters and other member communications?

— David Frabotta

What Playoffs?

No Phil at Cog Hill. Last week’s Deutsche Bank champion and FedExCup Points leader will sit out the third leg of the PGA Tour Playoffs to spend some time with his family.

In stark contrast to other playoffs where athletes play hurt, tired and homesick, golfers don’t have a team to let down. They’re not under any contractual obligation to play, and the uninspired abstention of the sport’s elite players undoubtedly will take its toll on public interest and enthusiasm in the fledgling competition.

In a sport where the four Majors are still the benchmark for success among peers and the public alike, it’s clear PGA professionals don’t have the buy-in necessary to create a groundswell. And if last week’s pseudo-match-play ending between Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson didn’t create a buzz, it’s unlikely much else will.

What are your thoughts on the PGA Playoffs? Are you disappointed that high-profile players — including Woods, Mickelson and Ernie Els — have skipped tournaments? Is the players’ ambivalence a result of the PGA’s failure to court their opinions?

— David Frabotta