Let the BigDog mow

BigDog Mowers (manufactured not too far away from me in Hesston, Kan.!) has announced their "BigDog Days of Spring" promotion, which begins tomorrow and runs through May 31st.

Customers who test drive a BigDog mower (at participating dealers) will receive a “Bite This” t-shirt and qualify to win one of several prizes including a BigDog C-142 mower. Other prizes include $100 Visa Gift Cards, Tom Tom GPS systems, Flip Video Cameras, Apple iPods and Apple iPads.

Too early to think about dollar spot?

One of our regular Golfdom emails, "Putting down roots," just went out. Karl Danneberger, Ph.D., wrote this one about dollar spot.

If you'd like to sign up for the Golfdom emails -- we have several, ranging from disease alerts to behind-the-scenes stories making the magazine -- visit www.Golfdom.com and scroll down to sign up!

Dollar spot is the most prevalent disease on high quality turf in the northern temperate region of the United States. Dollar spot is most active within the temperature range of 59 to 86 degrees F with high humidity and leaf wetness. In general, warm humid days, cool nights and heavy dews are quite favorable for disease development. Although canopy moisture needs to be present, dollar spot is more severe on dry soils. Given the wide environmental conditions which dollar spot can occur makes it the centerpiece of any disease control program.

During winter the dollar spot fungus overwinters as dormant mycelium or sclerotial flakes. The amount present during the winter influences the arrival and severity of the disease in spring or summer. Researchers at several universities have reported that a fungicide treatment in early spring can delay the onset of dollar spot much later into the year. An application at approximately the second true mowing of the season (not counting removal of winter growth) has been effective in delaying the initiation and severity of dollar spot during the growing season. If dollar spot is a chronic problem, it may be worth experimenting with an early application.

-- Karl Danneberger, Ph.D.

10 totally random questions with GCSAA CEO Rhett Evans

By now you should have received your February issue of Golfdom, featuring a cover story on GCSAA's new CEO, Rhett Evans.

I had a great interview with Rhett for that story, and sadly, a lot of it wasn't able to make it into the piece due to space constraints. But I'll include the occasional sound bite from Evans here on the Golfdom blog when I have time.

For right now, I thought I'd post a fun part of our interview (that did not make the magazine) where I asked Rhett 10 random questions to learn a little more about his personality...

10 totally random questions with GCSAA’s new CEO, Rhett Evans

1. Who would play you in a movie about your life? Jean-Claude Van Damme
2. Greatest album of all time? “Hotel California,” the Eagles
3. Favorite professional sports team? Utah Jazz
4. How did you meet your wife? On a blind date 16 years ago
5. Greatest golf shot you ever hit? An eagle on a par 4, knocked it in from 220-yards with a 3-wood
6. Your favorite website? www.ironmanlive.com
7. What was your dream when you were a kid? To be a professional athlete
8. How many contacts do you have in your cell phone? Probably 250
9. What’s your preferred game to hunt? Wild turkey
10. What is your favorite gun? My Remington 300 Win Mag… by the way, I do not hunt turkey with that bad boy!

Hendren's Hyperbole! Episode 8 -- Watching the Idiot Bag, er, Box!

Thanks to everyone who took time to vote in last week’s poll. I think it is obvious that the majority of Golfdom readers agreed with my take on pro-ams. After all, of the whopping nine people who voted in the poll, three of which were my wife and parents, five of the votes, 55% were for the “pro-ams suck” option.

Let me explain how Hendren’s Hyperbole polls work. It’s an all-or-nothing deal. For better or worse I am an all-or-nothing kind of guy. Because 55% of the voters agreed with my take…… my take becomes fact! That’s your weekly look into the great mind behind Hendren’s Hyperbole! Let’s get on to some golf!

Aaron Baddeley won last week’s Northern Trust Open ending his two-plus year winless skid. More important the win punches his ticket to the Masters. The win puts Aaron in 4th place in the FedEx Cup point standings behind Mark Wilson, Jhonattan Vegas and D.A. Points.

Sorry Badds, but I don't want to write about you this week... I've been waiting to write about John Daly, and after seeing this picture… it’s time!



Yes, that is a TV on the side of John’s bag. What? A TV on a golf bag? That is ridiculous!

Apparently the TV flashes advertisements throughout his round. John said he got the idea from Rodney Dangerfield’s character, Al Czervic in "Caddyshack." What a coincidence! I model my golf course maintenance career after Bill Murray’s character, Carl Spackler! Hey-oh!

Besides the obvious reasons a TV stuck on the side of John’s golf bag is ridiculous, I have thought of a few more I would like to share with you:

#1 I don’t think sponsors are going to be advertising on Mr. Daly’s TV very long if he continues to miss cuts. He has only played in three PGA events in 2011 and of the three he only made one cut.

#2 When did golfers start relying on gimmicks to attract sponsors and make a few more dollars? When did golfers stop winning or at least competing and making cuts to earn a living? It’s bad enough that professional golfers are shameless walking billboards without introducing golf bags with TVs on them.

#3 Isn’t John Daly’s wardrobe a big enough distraction without adding a TV? I think John is trying to stay in the limelight despite his lackluster golfing with horrible, god awful outfits and now… a stinking TV. Hey John, how’s about playing some decent golf and drawing attention to yourself for your golf game and not a bunch of stupid clothes and gimmicks?

What is your opinion of John Daly’s clothing and golf bag TV? I have a feeling your thoughts are not going to be far off of mine.

That’s going to do it for this week’s Hendren’s Hyperbole. Keep those comments coming and look for the next poll coming soon!

--Matt Hendren

What in the Sandhill?

Cranes, that is.

More on them soon.

My three best moments of the day:

1. Called to talk with an old superintendent friend of mine, someone I haven't seen in a while. We caught up about my recent job change. Anyway, he mentioned to me that there is a photo I took of him and his wife together at the golf course some 8 or 9 years ago, that is to this day one of his favorite photos ever. Apparently I sent him the photo after the story came out, and he hung it up in his house. "Every time I look at that photo I smile," he said. "And sometimes it even reminds me of you, and when you came out here to the course to do the story." That's pretty cool, in my book -- to have a photo I took hanging up in someone's house, and, in a small way, being a part of that person's life.
2. I called another superintendent friend (I was on the phone a lot today) and as soon as he answered, he said, "29 meetings in 2 days?" quoting back to me something I wrote in my most recent Chip Shots Golfdom e-newsletter. You want to make a writer feel good? Quote something he wrote back to him.
3. The new Radiohead album came out a day early... and I've been rocking it all day.

It was indeed a VERY GOOD day.

So, back to the Sandhill Cranes.

We were playing golf at the GCSAA golf tournament at PGA National. We spotted these birds. I didn't know what they were, but one of our playing partners, Dennis DeSanctis, a regional rep for Syngenta, knew what they were.

He was able to walk right up to these birds! They didn't mind us at all. I snapped a few photos, and told Dennis I'd send him the pictures. So... here ya go, Dennis -- click on them and grab them off the site!

Wait, wait, wait... did you look at your watch?

During the Nick Price interview?

OK, I've gotten a few emails from people, asking me if I really had the audacity to look at my watch during my Nick Price interview.

And the answer is, "Yes, I did."

BUT I CAN EXPLAIN!!!

OK, it went like this: there were only two of us there to interview Nick during his "media round table."

As a journalist, let me tell you -- media round tables SUCK. Everyone is stuck getting the same answers, so the interviews are completely unoriginal.

Well, at the beginning of the "media round table," it was only me, Nick, and one of my rivals in the turf media industry. I proposed to my friendly rival that we split the 30 minutes that the GCSAA allocated with Nick. No round table -- two 1-on-1 15-minute interviews, peace on earth. He agreed.

Then two more competitors showed up. Damn.

But my rival liked my idea so he proposed we still do it, only splitting the time -- now down to about 25 minutes -- to 5 minutes each for the four of us. I asked the group, and everyone agreed it was a fair deal.

(Brief aside -- I think this set-up totally freaked out my old GCSAA pal Bill Newton, who handles the media for the association. Apologies, Bill! Thanks for being a good sport and letting us media guys flip the script on you.)

I told Scott Hollister from GCM to take the first 5-minutes. He's my old boss, after all, and the GIS is his party, best to step aside for the man. Scott began his interview while the rest of us stepped away.

Then the question was asked among the three of us: What if one of us selfish bastards decided to take more than 5 minutes? "Well, that wouldn't be cool," I said. Yeah, but what if?

I promised the guys that I would only take 5 minutes and not a minute more... and if I did, they could call me out on it.

Then I set up my video recorder and got ready to roll tape with Nick Price.

Twenty seconds into my interview with Nick, it occurred to me that I needed to be able to know how long this bad boy was running. I wanted to keep my end of the deal. I didn't want to go over 5 minutes.

Hence, the blatant glance at my watch.

No, Nick Price does not bore me. Quite the opposite, Nick cracks me up and I enjoy chatting with him.

Yes, I did look at my watch. But it was for good reason.

And at the end of the day, it adds a funny side-story to my interview.

And now you know!

Golfdom interview with Nick Price

I got great news in my email inbox yesterday morning... my interview with Nick Price at last week's Golf Industry Show was the most-viewed Golfdom video EVER! Thanks to everyone who gave it a look. Here it is below, in case you missed it.

My selling point on this video: You have to hear Price's take on greens committees (which is my last question of the short interview). It's classic.

But this is indeed a sign that Golfdom readers do enjoy quality industry videos... so plan on seeing more from your friendly Golfdom editor-in-chief!

To see the video click over to www.golfdom.com

Hendren's Hyperbole! Episode 7 -- Does Anyone Really Want to Watch Maury Povich Golf?

Welcome back to another riveting addition of Hendren’s Hyperbole! I hope everyone enjoyed the 2011 Golf Industry Show. Hopefully you followed Seth on twitter @Golfdom during the GIS and got yourself some sweet prizes. I think you all brought some of the nice weather back with you. Thursday the high is supposed to be 71 degrees! 71 sure beats the sub zero weather the country was engulfed by about a week ago.

Congratulations to D.A. Points for capturing his first PGA Tour win at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am with a final score of -15. D.A. teamed up with Bill Murray to also win the Pro-Am Team Championship. After the win Murray gave the following quote “I’m thinking of turning professional. I probably won’t because I’ve got other responsibilities.”

I realize Bill is a comedian but come on, give me a break! Comedy and golf DO NOT MIX! There is nothing funny about golf. Well, that’s not entirely true. Tiger was fined an undisclosed sum by the European Tour for spitting on the 12th green last Sunday in Dubai. That is funny!

Personally I hate pro-am tournaments. What a joke. I don’t care to watch a bunch of hacks beat it around the course. If I want to see a bunch of hacks firing chili peppers all over God’s green earth I can just look out my office window.

I really don’t care what all the no-talent hacks, who haven’t been relevant in about 15 years, if ever, have to say about anything! I’m talking about you Andy Garcia, Kurt Russell and Maury Povich! Really, Maury Povich had time to stop revealing paternity test results and play golf? Don’t even get me started on Bill Belichick or Chris Berman.

If I am going to watch golf on TV I want to watch professional golfers. I would rather watch the Nationwide Tour or the LPGA. Yeah, I said it. LPGA, women’s golf! BRRR! I just got a chill running down my spine! Never mind, I have reconsidered and at no time would I rather watch the LPGA over a pro-am.

Where do you weigh in on the pro-am golf tournament? Vote in our poll or fire me a comment and let me know!

--Matt Hendren

BASF's "Media Thousandaire" on YouTube

You can check out my questions and see how awkward I am in front of a crowd by watching the below YouTube clip, courtesy of BASF.

If you swing by the BASF Turf Talk Blog you can see the other contestants, too.

I'm happy to report I raised $1,900 for the Wee One Foundation, and was able to get 9 out of 10 questions right (with some help from my lifelines) before missing out on the last one.

All told, BASF's event raised more than $7,000 for charity. AWESOME!

My favorite moment: when I got the typewriter question, and I told the crowd, "You know... I've never used a typewriter before." I thought the crowd was going to attack me at that point.

But it's true! Despite my gray hair, I come from the digital age! I don't understand your prehistoric tools!

Here's the video:

GIS hangover

Plus, it doesn't help that my Jayhawks got whipped by K-State.

Anyway, we're back in the editorial office at Golfdom... just trying to pick up all the pieces still. Thanks to everyone who came by and said hello, wished us well, signed up for magazines/emails/Pinehurst/Twitter/etc.

Back to the real world!

Superintendent assaulted outside Peabody Hotel

There were a lot of positive stories this week at the Golf Industry Show, but there was also one scary story that could have ended a lot worse than it did: A superintendent was assaulted outside the Peabody Hotel near the Orange County Convention Center on Tuesday night.

The Midwestern superintendent -- who requested that we not use his name -- was walking with a friend at around 11 p.m. on Tuesday night when a car pulled up next to them. Two men got out, and before the superintendent knew what was happening, he was blindsided by a punch -- either a fist or a forearm -- in his right eye. The punch wasn't enough to knock the superintendent down.

The attackers had a gun and shouted for the men to get on the ground, but they refused. The two superintendents kept walking away. Lucky for them, the attackers lost their nerve and got back in their car to drive away.

The superintendent didn't get his wallet stolen, but his glasses were broken and his nerves were rattled.

"We were lucky these guys weren't pros," the superintendent told Golfdom on Thursday afternoon at the Golf Industry Show. "We would have been popped, we would have been dead. These guys were green."

The superintendent -- who had a scuff near his right eye -- said the attacker more or less "bounced" off of him.

"This guy thought he was tough, but he wasn't," the superintendent said. "He popped me and he didn't knock me down."

The superintendent has been coming to the GCSAA's annual conference and trade show for over two decades, and said the hardest thing for him was to believe it really happened.

"It took me a while to really get over it," he said. "Anything can happen. And it happened so fast."

The superintendent said his only reaction was to get away from the two men.

"I told (my friend), I just said, 'Keep walking!' And I kept walking away. They decided not to keep after me, so I went back to get my glasses, they were all smashed on the ground."

The superintendent said he did not report the attack to the police, but he did report it to both the Peabody Hotel and his own hotel. He also did not tell anyone with the GCSAA about the attack, because he didn't want to "make a big deal" about it. He said the attack wouldn't keep him away from any future Golf Industry Shows, but mostly it made him worry about his daughter, who was also at the GIS with him.

"She went out with her friends that same night... what if these guys went after her?" he asked.

Last day at GIS

This has gone by so quickly!

Come see me at the BASF booth at 3 p.m. playing Turf Media Thousandaire!

Congrats to Chris Zugel, superintendent at Whistling Straits, for winning a $50 gift card by following me @Golfdom on Twitter!

QUICK UPDATE: Everyone has been RAVING about the amount of traffic on the trade show floor. Peter Driver from Jacobsen told me it was the most traffic they've had in five years.

The show floor is visibly small... you can see both ends of the show with no trouble, which I don't know if I've ever been able to do that before.

I've got to get back out there... thanks for keeping up with us, I'm stockpiling information, interviews, etc., I'll post when I can but for sure I'll be sharing this in the upcoming weeks.

Off to the show!

Stay classy, Golfdom!

At Roy's with the fine folks of Rain Bird!

Sent from my Samsung Epic™ 4G

How many blades of grass do you think Syngenta helps out?

Oh... THAT MANY.

More from the Syngenta booth tomorrow!

Sent from my Samsung Epic™ 4G

Bumper sticker...

Would be perfect for a superintendent! At the Rain Bird booth, talking IC system and about how it reduces the amount of wire needed by a whoppimg 90%!

Sent from my Samsung Epic™ 4G

Bigfoot!!!

Sighting at the Valent booth! We'll investigate more soon...

Sent from my Samsung Epic™ 4G

Club Car's Visiage at GIS

Caught a presentation from Mark Langer, director of agronomy, Farmlinks GC, and Mike Read, talking about the Visiage golf fleet management system. It's GPS and cellular powered, so if your golf car gets stolen and ends up three states over, you can still find it via Google earth!

I'll have more info in a future issue of Golfdom!

Sent from my Samsung Epic™ 4G

Tomorrow the real work begins

So far so good at the GIS... but tomorrow, things are going to get crazy.

Had great meetings today with both John Deere and FMC... caught up with our friends at Syngenta... met up with both Clark Throssell, Ph.D., and Dave Kopec, Ph.D. ... chatted with my old pal Nick Price... and even had a few beers with the complete Golfdom team, which is something I've only done a few times since joining the team.

Keep checking in, I plan on sharing as much info as I can tomorrow!

If you're here at the GIS, please stop by the Golfdom booth and say hi!

For now... sleepy time. TOCA breakfast in the morning. Why just you wake me so early, TOCA???

REMINDER: I'm giving away prizes tomorrow! Follow us on Twitter, we're @Golfdom!

See you at the GIS...

-Seth

Just got done interviewing Nick Price

Great interview. Nick has such a great sense of humor. I videotaped the interview so I'll share it with you just as soon as I can.

One of the questions I asked: what do you really think about greens committees? Nick laughed and said, "one of the worst things ever invented! Who wants to take advice on how to do their job from a used car salesman?"

Sent from my Samsung Epic™ 4G

The booth is rockin'!

Great job by the Golfdom team today... we went from yesterday's mess to this masterpiece! You know what this booth looks like to me? A place where you could win a free trip to Pinehurst!

Sent from my Samsung Epic™ 4G

Hendren's Hyperbole! Episode 6 -- Two Gloves is Better than Some

Welcome back to Hendren’s Hyperbole! I hope everyone is enjoying the 2011 Golf Industry Show. Hopefully everyone made it to the show without too much trouble. I got stuck in Kansas City fighting the latest brutal snow storm. We are supposed to get another five or six inches tonight.

Enjoy the weather in Florida but don’t worry, I’m sure spring won’t have rolled around by the time you get back to wherever you call home. I’ll do what I can to save some snow for you.

Mark Wilson won the Waste Management Phoenix open Monday in the second playoff hole over Jason Dufner. This is the third playoff in five events this year. Normally I hate a Monday tournament finish but I had a sick kid so I got to stay home and watch what was left of the final round. There were only five holes left to be played Monday and for the most part it was a boring ending to a drug-out tournament but there was an epic meltdown on number seventeen.

Do you watch Big Break on The Golf Channel? Remember Tommy “Two Gloves” Gainey? Two Gloves participated in Big Break USA vs. Europe and The Reunion. He is the first Big Break alumnus to earn a PGA Tour card, and played on the PGA Tour in 2008. He was not very successful.

Alright, enough back ground. Let’s get on to the epic meltdown! Two Gloves was two shots back with two holes to play. Time to freak out! Number seventeen is a drivable par four with water left of the green so eagle is not out of the question. Gainey hits driver. Any guesses as to where his drive went? Left??? Good guess! It wasn’t a horrible drive; the ball actually hit a pin high hazard marker and almost got the kick of a life time. In the end, the ball was in the water. Tommy was dropping two and hitting three. His third shot was poorly hit and rolled back into the water. NOOOO! Now he’s dropping four and hitting five! When it was all said and done Tommy got a seven on number seventeen and finished in a tie for eighth place.

He lost about $250,000 when he blew up. WOW! A quarter of a million dollars because of a mental error! $250,000 would buy a lot of gloves.

I was really rooting for Tommy Two Gloves. I don’t know if I was rooting for him because I remember watching him on Big Break or because he is the only professional golfer with a worse golf swing than mine. Either way, I hope Tommy can get it together after his meltdown and be atop the leader board later this year. Just get out of your head! You’ll be alright!

At least Two Gloves made the cut. That’s more than I can say for my boy Johnny Vegas! What happened Johnny? I talk you up over the past couple of weeks and this is how you do me! You miss the cut! Come on Johnny, you’re better than that, at least I thought you were! Don’t do that to me two weeks in a row or the gloves are coming off! Both of them!

--Matt Hendren

Another great night at GIS 2011

What a great evening. Some highlights:

-- ran into my friend Julio Diaz at the GCSAA bookstore. Usually it's hard to catch up with some people, but me and Julio bumped into each other on day one this year. I profiled Julio and his maintenance facility in the January issue of GCM. Always great to see el Padrino (the Godfather).

-- awesome party hosted by John Deere at Cuba Libre. Good food, good company and hand-rolled cigars. That was pretty much a home run. Great crowd, too. Wow!

-- checked in on the skeleton of the Golfdom booth... miles to go, but we'll get it there.

-- watched my jayhawks thump on hated rival mizzou!

-- got to buy my old designer/friend Roger Billings a shot of Jack Daniels on his birthday. Learned that senior science editor Teresa Carson became a grandma again (congrats!) Also got to watch the game with my old friends from GCM. Good times, great seeing those guys.

More tomorrow, I need sleep now!

-Seth

Sent from my Samsung Epic™ 4G

Places to be: DivotPack booth

I got an email from a new company that is unveiling their new backpack divot repair system at this week's GIS. They originally had an embargo (editor-speak for "do not publish until") on this information until Wednesday, but then they emailed me and said I could post their product early on the Golfdom Daily, so I said, "let's do it." Here's the information on the product below.

They'll be at GIS in booth 154, and note that they are offering a discounted price during the show. -SJ

DivotPack – a unique, patent-pending, dry sand mixture dispenser for repairing golf course divots – will be introduced at booth 154 at this week’s Golf Industry Show in Orlando.

DivotPack is a new divot repair system that comes in the form of a lightweight, soft-sided backpack. Dispensing a fast and accurate application of sand mixture through a gravity-fed tube, the mixture is released via a handheld control valve. Designed for comfort, the DivotPack divot repair system reduces fatigue, back strain and staff injury by replacing the tedious, time consuming and backbreaking practice of filling divots by hand.



“DivotPack makes repairing the scars left behind on the golf course a nonissue,” says Jeff Johnson, superintendent, The Minikahda Club. “The process is effortless and makes filling divots a breeze. Members are bound to notice an improvement in overall playing conditions and with the time and money we save on divot repair, DivotPack pays for itself in labor savings alone.”


DivotPack offers a three-gallon, dry divot mixture tank capacity with a flip top-lid and buckle closure that makes refills quick and easy, keeping staff on the job and providing a simpler way to repair divots.



DivotPack retails for $349 but the company is offering a GIS special of $299 plus tax, shipping and handling.

 For a demo or more information about DivotPack, stop by booth #154 or visit the company web site at www.divotpack.com.

beautiful day at the GCSAA championship!

Enjoying a nice round in 75-degree weather... wish you were here!

Places to be: the Bayer booth

Here is what I've heard from the Bayer folks:

On Thursday, Feb. 10th, Bayer will launch it's first natural product and a revolutionary way to deal with nematodes... a product called NORTICA.

That morning (sorry, press only, but don't worry, we'll be there!) Billy Crow, landscape nematologist, University of Florida, will share his latest research on nematodes and observations of Nortica... then Cynthia Gigandet, insecticide marketing product manager, and Richard Rees, product development team leader, will answer questions regarding the development of Nortica's development and use.

I know you can't make it for the press-only session from Bayer, but don't worry... your pals at Golfdom have you covered! And then stop by the Bayer booth Thursday afternoon to hear some of this information for yourself!

(Have some info to share regarding your GIS booth? It's not too late to email Seth at sjones@questex.com with this info! And if you've already emailed him with this info, now is the time to double-check with him that he actually plans to RUN IT!!!)

Hello from the GCSAA tournament

Hey everyone,

We got down here to West Palm Beach unscathed. Now we're just ready to play some golf and spread the Golfdom love.

So far, I'm impressed. The GCSAA crew puts on quite the event, from what I can tell -- and I haven't even set foot on a course yet! I never got to visit a GCSAA tournament in my previous career, so this is a first for both me and my sales guy, Jason DeSarle.

The most common thing I heard today was, "So, I heard you had to buy a membership!"

Well, sure I did! I was proud to buy one! I'm happy to be a card-carrying member now. It's exciting. (Now I just want to see that subscription to GCM start rolling in!)

We'll see how the golf goes tomorrow. It's already better than expected since I'll be rocking a new pair of shades and a range finder. Look for regular updates on both Twitter and the blog.

And the best news from south Florida so far? A handle of Captain Morgan... only $20. USEFUL.

Places to be: the Golfdom booth

Hey everyone!

If you're a superintendent on the Golfdom email list, you just received an email from us. A lot of the content in that email makes me blush (these guys are way too proud of me) but some of that information is actually REALLY COOL.

In my opinion, the lead item of this thing should have read, "Stop by the Golfdom booth to win a trip to Pinehurst!" If you're a super, you have to come by and get registered. That's an all-expense paid trip to No. 2. That's AWESOME.

You can also get your favorite golf hole entered into FMC's "Hole of the Month." We need stunning golf holes for this feature, let us know if we should use a hole from your course!

We also announced the schedule of the Golfdom booth. We'll have people at our booth all day both days, so any time is a good time to stop by and get a copy of the magazine or learn more about the Golfdom Summit.

If you would like to see some of the "new guys" with Golfdom, well, we'll be there also. Here's the schedule, and the entire contents of the email that just went out, below.

Hope to see you at the GIS!

-Seth

Stop by the Golfdom booth to meet our new editor-in-chief, Seth Jones, as well as two of our new contributing editors, Clark Throssell, Ph.D., and Anthony Williams, CGCS, CGM. We're excited about all three! Seth is a 13-year veteran of the turf magazine business, having put in all of his time previously at GCM. Clark Throssell is the former director of research for the GCSAA, as well as the former director of Purdue University's turf program. Anthony Williams is the director of grounds at Stone Mountain (Ga.) Golf Club and the first two-time national winner of the Golf Digest/GCSAA Environmental Leaders in Golf Award, as well as one of Golf Inc.'s "20 most admired golf operators." Each will be at the booth during the following hours to meet and talk to Golfdom's subscribers and show attendees:

Wednesday and Thursday Hours 1-2 p.m. -- Clark Throssell 2-3 p.m. -- Seth Jones 3-4 p.m. -- Anthony Williams

While you are at our booth you can submit your name for consideration on two exciting opportunities for you and your course:

First you can submit your name for consideration to be invited to the Golfdom Summit Nov. 12th - 14th 2011 at Pinehurst Resort, Pinehurst Village, NC. The Golfdom Summit is an invitation-only forum bringing together superintendents, suppliers, and dealers of products used for maintenance, construction, design and operation of golf courses. Through education, conceptualization, and networking this summit will offer strategic level insights into what leaders should be doing to help them prepare their business to overcome any obstacles that may lie ahead. All superintendents invited will receive a fully hosted package including airfare, deluxe hotel accommodations, and access to networking events, as well as a round of golf on Course #2 at Pinehurst!

Drop by the booth and submit your name for consideration and one lucky superintendent from the show will be selected to receive an invitation to the Summit. The selection will be announced at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday at the Golfdom booth.

While at the Golfdom booth you will also have the opportunity to submit your course for consideration to be featured in the Golfdom Hole of the Month feature which appears regularly in Golfdom magazine. Hole of the Month - sponsored by FMC - is a spread feature offering a scenic shot of the selected hole with information about the hole layout, playability, and maintenance challenges faced by the course superintendent. Submit your course for consideration to be featured in Golfdom magazine!

Please click here for more info.

Hendren's Hyperbole! Episode 5 -- Punch 'em in the face!

Welcome back to another riveting addition of Hendren’s Hyperbole! I hope everyone had a great weekend. How was my weekend? Thanks for asking! I watched a little golf, hung out with the family and attended my first and probably last live MMA fight with Golfdom’s Editor-in-Chief Seth Jones.

MMA, what a joke. Let’s talk golf, a real sport that does not involve two knuckleheads rolling around on the ground playing grab-ass in tight shorts, Tap Out gear, or morons, ERRRR fans, yelling “Punch 'em in the face!”

Congratulations to Bubba Watson, winner of the Farmers Insurance Open. He won with a score of -16. Phil Mickelson milked the crowd for all it was worth on the 72nd hole by having his caddie tend the pin for his 72-yard approach shot to force a playoff. Mickelson's shot was pretty close but in the end Watson was able to grab his second win on tour.

I think the real story at the Farmers was Johnny Vegas. I love this kid! His mind is sharp and his will is outstanding! He was very close to grabbing his second win in as many weeks. The last player to accomplish that feat was David Duval in 1997; he actually won his first three events.

I can’t wait to see what Vegas can do over the next few years. The sky is the limit for this kid -- let's start up the hype machine right now. Well, as long as he doesn’t start hanging out with Anthony Kim in his off-time, I think he'll make a big splash. Talk about a fantasy sleeper! Just remember you heard it here first!

How about Tiger’s pedestrian performance? He tied for 44th place. Everyone is off the Tiger bandwagon. How many times is this guy going to revamp his swing? How many swing coaches is he going to fire? How long are they going to keep following him on the course even though he is 15 shots off the lead?

Ratings were up 54% on Sunday’s final round on CBS. That just proves my point that Tiger's fans have left in droves. Tiger wasn’t anywhere to be found and the ratings were still great! I think everyone tuned in to watch my boy Johnny Vegas!

It did make my weekend to watch Tiger hit bad shot after bad shot, slam his club on the ground and drop f-bomb after f-bomb. He must have got that after-shot routine from Seth. If you're playing with him this weekend at the GCSAA tournament, I feel sorry for you. Just prepare yourself for this behavior, it's better if you know about it going in.

I think Tiger needs to go back to Vegas and let off a little steam as only Tiger can. It couldn’t hurt, right?

Matt Hendren is a superintendent for the city of Kansas City, Kan., and is currently preparing to work an overnight shift to deal with snow removal.

Randquist talks GIS numbers

I had a nice phone conversation with the soon-to-be president of the GCSAA this morning, Robert Randquist, CGCS at Boca Rio Golf Club in Boca Raton, Fla.

I've been hearing murmurs that GCSAA has been busy lately, as GIS numbers have been picking up in recent weeks. Randquist confirmed this for me.

"Our projections (for the GIS) were not conservative, and they were not liberal -- they were moderate. So far the trade show and seminar seats have both exceeded expectations," Randquist said. "Especially the seminar seats, they're considerably ahead (of projections).

"As you know, these seminar seats and making the trade show floor space goals -- it makes for a financially successful Golf Industry Show," Randquist said.

But what about attendance?

"Attendance is pretty close to what our projections were," he said. "It seems to be up-ticking pretty good lately. Usually in Orlando, we get a lot of walk-in traffic. If we get some of that, we'll be just fine."

Places to be: Turfco booth

Just caught word of what Turfco has going on at their booth (# 2740) this year.

The company is celebrating 50 years of business this year. Turfco invented the spreader back in 1961, so they want to do it up right this year. They're giving away commemorative 50-year divot repair tools at the GIS. Also, people who stop by their booth can register to win an iPad... they're giving away one iPad every month this year.

And their grand prize? One winner will score a free Widespin 1540EC. Score!

Can't wait until Orlando to get your name in the hat for an iPad? You don't have to wait... word is supers will be able to enter on-line via a special link. I've been given that link, but the page isn't live yet. As soon as it goes live, I'll share it with you.

I'm thinking the iPad is the official "it" prize of the year for the GIS. And I think that's cool... they're a hot item. Heck, I know everyone on the Golfdom staff has been Jonesin' to get one!

Oregon State study finds optimal treatment for fast, healthy greens

Researchers at Oregon State University believe they've come up with a winning formula for making putting greens fast and healthy – and they have the numbers to prove it.

They examined different rolling and mowing techniques on annual bluegrass putting greens and found that golf balls rolled the farthest when the greens were mowed daily and rolled immediately afterward. The balls traveled an average of 11 feet when struck at a controlled speed, which was 15 inches farther than on grass that was only mowed daily, not rolled.

The next greatest distance, an average of 10 feet, was on plots that were rolled daily but mowed only four days a week.

The study is important because the grass was mowed at a higher-than-normal height, which kept the grass healthy and vibrant and proves that putting speed can still be fast on taller grass.

For the complete press release click here.

Sad news in the industry

I received some very sad news that my friend Matt Hurley of Standard Golf passed away today. He suffered a brain aneurysm one week ago, had emergency surgery and never came out of a coma.

Matt touched many lives and will be sorely missed by all. Our heartfelt condolences go out to his family and co-workers at Standard Golf.

-- Pat Roberts, publisher, Golfdom

GCSAA made a strong choice in choosing Evans

Though it might not satisfy some, removing the “interim” title and choosing Rhett Evans as the next GCSAA CEO was a strong choice made by the GCSAA Board of Directors.

In the short term, Evans already knows the score at GCSAA. He knows what the association is going through. He knows what the staff has been going through. There will be no “catch-up” stage.

In the long term, Evans has the pedigree. Keep in mind, when GCSAA hired Evans to become the Chief Operating Officer, they really were hiring him to be the next GCSAA CEO – even ousted former CEO Mark Woodward would tell you that. Woodward introduced the Board to Evans as “his guy” – the two worked together back in Mesa, Ariz. Both Woodward, then Evans, worked as the city’s director of parks and recreation, where they managed a staff of 700 and budget of $32 million.

When Woodward left for Torrey Pines, Evans took over for Woodward back in Mesa. Woodward obviously liked what Evans was made of, because when the GCSAA Board started looking for a COO, Woodward dropped Evans’ name. The Board was looking for a COO, but more important, they were looking for the person to eventually take over for Woodward, and Woodward knew this.

And now that’s happened, albeit a lot faster than Woodward, Evans or the Board of Directors had planned.

But Evans is a leader. He’s also one of the most competitive people I know. Whether it’s golf, duck hunting or his Ironman triathlons he competes in, he likes to throw himself into projects full-bore. These qualities make for a CEO with a strong potential to succeed, and to lead the GCSAA into the future.

"We are excited to have Rhett Evans as our CEO," Jim Fitzroy, GCSAA’s current president, said in a press release from the association. "He has a track record of success everywhere he has been. He has experience in the golf industry, both on the facility level and from an organizational perspective. He has experience in managing a large staff and being accountable to a variety of constituents. And, he is a consensus builder. That will serve him well with GCSAA members and in the increasingly collaborative golf industry."

The truth is, Evans has seen a lot of blood on the walls during his short time at GCSAA. But he empathized with the staff while they were going through it. I can think back to my time at GCSAA during a particularly rough round of layoffs, and though I still disagree with some of the decisions made that day, Evans obviously didn’t take any of them lightly.

I don’t know who else was a candidate for the GCSAA CEO position. But honestly, the Board could have done a lot worse. By taking Evans, they know whom they’re getting. No one knew the last 18 months was really Evans’ try-out for immediately taking the GCSAA CEO position, but that’s what it ended up being.

Now, Evans can lead the GCSAA into the future. With the support of the membership, I think he’ll do a fine job.

Rain Bird's 2011 Intelligent Use of Water film competition now accepting entries

This just in from Rain Bird... and check out the judges, which includes our own Pat Roberts!

(Not sure about Pat judging films though... I recently discovered that he didn't agree with me that "Throw Momma From the Train" was unfairly denied an Oscar.)

RAIN BIRD'S 2011 INTELLIGENT USE OF WATER FILM COMPETITION ANNOUNCES CALL FOR ENTRIES

Environmentally-focused film competition seeks short films highlighting the need for responsible water use

AZUSA, CA (January 25, 2011) – Rain Bird's 2011 Intelligent Use of Water Film Competition is now accepting entries from amateur and experienced filmmakers who want to raise awareness of the need for effective, efficient and responsible water use. Now in its fourth year, the Intelligent Use of Water Film Competition is open to all narrative, documentary, animated, experimental short films of one to ten minutes in length. These films should creatively explore methods and ideas about how to responsibly manage and use Earth’s most precious resource.

A judging panel of film and water experts will review films submitted via the competition's website, www.IUOWFILM.com. Finalists will win a trip to Los Angeles, where they will be guests at a formal screening event hosted by wildlife expert, Jack Hanna, a 30-year veteran of documentary films and TV shows.

“As a person that has spent the better part of my life documenting the beauty of wildlife and the habitats in which they live, I can appreciate the incredible power that film has to open minds, create an emotional connection and bring about change,” said Hanna, Director Emeritus of the Columbus (Ohio) Zoo and Aquarium and host of the syndicated television series Into the Wild. “When I travel around the globe, I get to see firsthand just how strong the connection between water and life is. I am excited to once again have the opportunity to join Rain Bird in raising awareness of the fragility of all life and the need to find sustainable solutions that will preserve all of Earth’s inhabitants.”

Following the screening of the finalists’ films and a roundtable discussion with the filmmakers and judges, two winners will be announced and awarded cash prizes of $6,000 for the Jury Award and $3,000 for the Audience Choice Award.

This year’s competition will also feature a $6,000 Green Industry Award, which will be presented to the finalist’s film receiving the most votes from professionals who work in the green industry, such as landscape architects, landscape contractors, irrigation contractors and golf course superintendents. The Green Industry Award will be presented in partnership with the Questex Media Group, publishers of leading landscape and building publications including Athletic Turf, Golfdom and Landscape Management. Industry professionals will case their votes on a separate website hosted by Questex.

In addition to the return of Questex Media Group and FilmL.A. as Intelligent Use of Water Film Competition partners, The Chronicles Group, GOOD magazine and the Southern Nevada Water Authority have also partnered to support the competition in 2011.

A representative from each organization will also serve on the competition’s judging panel, where they will evaluate the submissions based on their ability to creatively address the issue of responsible water use. The 2011 competition judges are:

• Doug Bennett, Conservation Manager, Southern Nevada Water Authority
• Ben Jervey, Contributing Editor, GOOD Magazine
• Patrick Roberts, Group Publisher, Golfdom and Landscape Management magazines
• Philip Sokoloski, Manager of Communications, FilmL.A.
• Jim Thebaut, Chief Executive Officer, The Chronicles Group, Inc.

All entries to the Intelligent Use of Water Film Competition must be submitted electronically no later than 11:59 PM (PDT) on Monday, August 1, 2011 for consideration. More information about the competition and entry requirements is available at www.IUOWFILM.com. Visit Rain Bird’s Facebook page to share thoughts and ideas with other filmmakers.

Hendren's Hyperbole! Episode 4 -- All Tigered Out

Welcome back to another addition of Hendren’s Hyperbole! Hopefully everyone had a chance to watch some of the Bob Hope Classic. If you didn’t have time due to an exciting weekend of trips to Bed, Bath and Beyond and Home Depot, you should be ashamed of yourself, but I know how wives and girlfriends do sometimes.

If you missed it, I‘ll fill you in on what you missed.

A rookie wins! What a coincidence, I let a couple of rookies have it in my last post and a rookie, Jhonattan Vegas, ends up winning in the next tourney. I think its Hendren’s Hyperbole karma! Either that or the one thing everyone needed to know about Johnny was he is a Venezuelan who knew little English when he came to the U.S. and he graduated with a degree in kinesiology. What? Nothing about a shoe fetish or his dream foursome? BORING!

Jhonattan earned 500 FedEx Cup points, a Masters invite and a two-year exemption on the PGA Tour with his win last Sunday at the Bob Hope Classic. In only his second PGA tour event he sunk a 15-foot putt on the second playoff hole to defeat Gary Woodland. He nearly holed out for eagle from the bleachers on 18 in the first playoff hole, an awesome shot! One thing is clear; this rookie has got some large stones! Nice work Johnny! You're kind of a big deal!

What does everyone think about Tiger dropping to #3? Personally, I don’t care if he's first or last. I know Tiger is good for the PGA Tour and golf in general but I am all Tigered out. Even when Tiger isn’t in the field he is still a topic of conversation between the on-air personalities. What a joke. I would rather hear about bunker maintenance, or John Daly’s wardrobe than the glitch in Tiger’s swing or whatever the topic of the minute is about Tiger.

That’s it for this week’s addition of Hendren’s Hyperbole! Hopefully everyone can find some time this weekend to watch the Farmers Insurance Open. Tiger is supposed to play so I am sure we will all get our fill of Tiger, his fake niceties and his generic interviews. This one here is my favorite Tiger interview...



Till next week!

-- Matt Hendren

Places to be: John Deere booth (or their website)

Continuing a series, I think the John Deere booth (# 2001) at the GIS will definitely be a place to visit during the show. Why? Well, besides the cool hardware... how about a trip to the Open Championship? Or an iPad?

The cool thing is Deere has already started this sweepstakes, and you can take a shot at it now by visiting www.johndeere.com/golf.

Here are the complete details, courtesy of John Deere:

John Deere Golf has launched its Think Ahead Sweepstakes, offering participants a chance to win a trip for two to the Open Championship at Royal St. George’s or one of several iPads. By watching a video on the John Deere Golf website, or taking a brief tour of the booth at the Golf Industry Show (GIS), golf course industry professionals qualify for a chance to win one of five iPads and are automatically entered for the opportunity to attend the Open Championship at Royal St. George’s this upcoming July.

“We’re focused on providing equipment, agronomics and irrigation products that equip customers for today’s obstacles and tomorrow’s opportunities,” said Gregg Breningmeyer, global director of sales and marketing, John Deere Golf. “We’re excited to offer the Think Ahead Sweepstakes as an opportunity for industry professionals to learn more about how products and support services from John Deere Golf can help them prepare for and achieve success.”

For the sweepstakes, there will be five entry periods. Three will offer online opportunities for entering by viewing videos on the John Deere Golf www.JohnDeere.com/Golf. The first video was posted on January 13, the second will post on February 11 and the third on April 1. An additional two entry periods occur each day during the GIS where attendees can enter after taking a brief tour of the John Deere Golf booth (#2001). Those interested in entering the sweepstakes through the booth tours should see a John Deere representative once they enter the show booth.

The sweepstakes is eligible only to U.S. citizens and the grand prize winner will be required to have a valid U.S. passport.

Places to be: BASF booth

I thought I'd start a series of posts here about some of the booths that are celebrating the GIS with some awesome giveaways... since I just spoke with these guys yesterday about the topic, I'll lead off with BASF (and to get your cool booth activities listed here soon, email me at sjones@questex.com).

I spoke with Heather Mueller of PSB yesterday, and she told me about how the game of Superintendent Thousandaire works... you know they're giving away some big money prizes to superintendents, a la "Who Wants to be a Millionaire," right?

So I figured that to participate, you have to get your name drawn, or something like that.

But no, it's easier. You just have to be at the BASF booth (# 940) at the right time.

So that time is top-secret, right? There's the rub, I figure... you've got to pop in and hope they're getting ready to choose some supers to compete in Thousandaire.

And then Heather told me, "It's at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Wednesday, and at 11 a.m. on Thursday."

Ooh! So I got the scoop, right?

"No, we tell everyone that information. We post it on our blog, too."

Oh. OK. Well... how cool is that? You know the time and the place... all you have to do is go to the booth at that time and look like a superintendent who wants to win money. Heck, I could do that!

I'll also take this opportunity to remind you that your friendly (and even not-so-friendly) golf media will all be at the BASF booth at 3 p.m. on Thursday competing in our own version of Superintendent Thousandaire. All the money raised goes to charity. You can read more about that here.

Check out the BASF Turf Talk blog for the complete 411 on their giveaways during the GIS. Here's a hint: cash, product and turf books!

The best thing you could win at the Golfdom booth?

Surprise! It's not this!

(But you could still win it!)

Former GCSAA sales chief leaves association to join the First Tee

For almost five years to the day Mark Bisbing was the director of corporate sales and marketing for GCSAA. It was Bisbing who led the charge on all revenue generated for the association. It was on Bisbing's watch that the Partner Recognition Program (PRP) for GCSAA was created, making companies stretch for that next plateau to give more strength to each of their dollars spent with the association (think super-sizing that order of fries for only an additional 39 cents).

That was until a few weeks ago, when he accepted a new job as the director of corporate relations for the First Tee. Located at the World Golf Village in St. Augustine, Fla., the organization strives to make a positive impact on children’s lives through the game of golf. The organization boasts 3.5 million participants and 705 program locations.

Now living in sunny Florida, Bisbing is already taking advantage of the nicer weather.

“I hit golf balls yesterday,” Bisbing laughs. He wouldn’t have been able to do that back in Kansas where his wife and daughter are still trying to sell their home in Lenexa. GCSAA headquarters had just picked up 5 inches of snow on this day.

In his new position, Bisbing will interact with the First Tee’s corporate partners and solicit funds to support the First Tee. “This was a great opportunity for me. I’ve always wanted to work down here in the mecca of golf,” Bisbing says.

Bisbing says it was with mixed emotions that he left the GCSAA. In one sense he felt like it was best for his family, as the economic environment at GCSAA has been rocky -- layoffs in recent years have cut the staff from 120 to 80 people. And in another sense he felt like he was leaving behind a family -- the great people he’d no longer get to work with every day at GCSAA headquarters. "It's never an easy decision to move your family," he says.

Bisbing says he’ll look back at his five years at GCSAA fondly, but also with a feeling that he left behind unfinished business.

“I still see tremendous opportunity and potential for the GCSAA,” he says. “I think I left and there were still some opportunities that could be leveraged to elevate the brand and revenues for the association that weren’t getting done.”

Bisbing says he enjoyed trying to find creative new ways to connect superintendents to GCSAA’s industry partners.

“The (GCSAA) members are the cornerstone to the success and playability of a course. The main reason you go to a golf course is for the golf course itself, whether the clubhouse is nice or in a trailer,” Bisbing says. “I always challenged the term ‘unseen heroes.’ I always wanted them to be seen heroes. They’re definitely under-recognized for the work they perform.”

For now, the self-described “golf guy” is looking forward to his wife and daughter joining him in Florida, and he’s also happy to still be in the golf business. He hopes he can still help out superintendents in his new role by helping grow the next generation of golfers while impacting the lives of millions of children through the programs and efforts of the First Tee.

“I’ve always wanted to work somewhere where I could make a difference in someone’s life,” Bisbing says. “This isn’t about selling widgets or our stock price, etc., it’s about making a difference in a child’s life. What could be better than that? And to do it in the universe of golf!”

Hendren's Hyperbole! Episode 3 -- TMI, Rookie!

Hola! Welcome back to another addition of Hendren’s Hyperbole! from sunny El Cozumeleno beach resort! Today it is a balmy 80 degrees. 80 and sunny sure beats the brutal -2 and snowy when we flew out of Kansas City. Tomorrow we are going to hit the links at Cozumel County Club. If things go well (I don’t shoot 120) I might fill you in on the adventure in another post.

Let’s get on to this week’s topic, 2011 PGA rookies.

This last week at the Sony Open was the first chance for the 2011 rookies to show the world what they are made of. Twenty six of the 35 rookies teed it up last week at Waialae. This year’s class is very diverse with players haling from Sweden, Venezuela, Brazil, Korea, South Africa, Argentina and the United States. Ages range anywhere from 20 to 41.

Unfortunately I couldn’t find anywhere to watch golf on the beach. However my Samsung Epic is still rocking so I can check out Twitter. Last week the PGA tweeted out a link to a list of the one thing you need to know about the 2011 rookie class. I found this list pretty stinking funny and a little disturbing at the same time. Let’s take a look at a couple of my favorite things you need to know about the rookie class of 2011.

1. Joe Affrunti, 29. Joe says he has a shoe fetish and never travels without flip flops. WHAT? Why do I need to know that? That’s just weird. A grown man with a shoe fetish should keep that to himself. TMI, Joe. Maybe when Joe is in New York later this year he can look up Rex Ryan’s wife and they can compare their open toe shoe collection! HEY-OH!

2. Jim Herman, 33. Jim says his dream foursome would include his father, brother and Donald Trump. Uh, Jim, this is supposed to be your dream foursome. I’m sure you pop and bro are great people but you wouldn’t substitute them for, oh, I don’t know, someone you can’t play golf with on a regular basis? Dream BIG Jim, dream big! I’m going to let the Donald selection slide. To easy.

I’m not sure why we need to know anything about the 2011 rookies but I am sure glad Joe and Jim decided to share! I recommend everyone who has a Twitter account and loves golf follow @PGATOUR for future little nuggets like the one thing you need to know about the 2011 rookie class.

That’s it for this edition of Hendren’s Hyperbole! Oh yeah, in case anyone was wondering I haven’t cut my finger on any coral. I did cut my lip on a beer bottle, but I was a good fifteen feet from the ocean and so far no one has scratched me a check for $70,500. I guess you only get a check if the cut requires stitches.

Check back next week for what I’m guaranteeing will be a great post.

-- Matt Hendren

We've got a new poll

Last week was BUSY, but we got through it... we're starting this fine MLKJ day with a simple question: Do you care who GCSAA hires as its new CEO?

Vote in the poll on the right side of the page! And if you want to add more than a vote, the comments button is always open.

Who will it be? -- Part 4, our best guesses yet??

OK, our WORST guesses yet...

Here's our final installment of suggesting the next GCSAA CEO. Hope you've had as much fun as we have! And good luck to GCSAA finding the right person -- we're rooting for ya!

Seth Jones, editor in chief, Golfdom magazine
Odds: 15,000/1
Pros: Charming; deceptively young given his abundance of gray hair; member of inaugural “Leadership GCSAA” class; once bowled a 135; christened by Phoenix Environmental Care “smartest editor in the turf business”; likes to party; also, humble.
Cons: If named GCSAA CEO, would insist on making every day “jeans and a Jayhawk T-shirt day” at GCSAA headquarters. That dress code would apply to visiting superintendents, too.
Why it would work: Jones claims the staff at GCSAA still mostly like him despite his recent move to Golfdom. He could make industry leaders feel good about their own golf games when they witnessed his lousy golf game. Jones would also aggressively add an extended “happy hour” to all GCSAA functions, something we could all agree is a good idea. Finally, two words: margarita machine.
Why it wouldn’t work: CEO position would cause Jones to fall behind on his quest to find the world’s best chicken fried steak. Plus, Jones is currently having too much fun at his new gig with Golfdom.

The Active Ingredient, crime fighter extraordinaire
Odds: 15 million/1
Pros: Sworn enemy of Dollar Spot and Fairy Ring. Also, bulletproof.
Cons: Vulnerability to anthracnose. Also, the Masked Avenger would refuse to work daytime hours. Plus, would probably insist on bringing in his sidekick, Active Ingredient Lad, to work as his receptionist -- and we all know Active Ingredient Lad is a bit pretentious.
Why it would work: GCSAA could boast the only CEO that was a superhero! The AI could double as GCSAA CEO and security at all industry events. Also, rumor has it he likes to party. But despite rumors, he is not Seth Jones... Seth is, uh... shorter. And, Seth isn't bulletproof. But he does have a weakness to anthracnose, but that's entirely coincidental.
Why it wouldn't work: Would golf industry feel comfortable making business deals with a man in a mask? Cape could inhibit golf swing. Also, overall superhero costume probably violates most clubhouse dress codes. The AI refuses to provide Social Security number, citing secret identity concerns. Finally there's the thought that some have, that he may be certifiably insane. I mean, really, who dresses like this?!? I know I certainly wouldn't...

Who will it be? Part 3

Here is part three of Golfdom's possible candidates for the GCSAA CEO position. Click here for part one, scroll down for part 2.

The GCSAA is currently interviewing candidates in Kansas City.

It is absolutely possible that a new CEO of the association will be named this month.

Who will it be?
All week here at the Golfdom blog we're throwing out guesses -- some good, some OK and some just flat out bad -- on who the next CEO of the GCSAA might be.

Agree, disagree, have your own candidate? Want to nominate yourself? The comments button is open, post yours!

Greg Norman, World Golf Hall of Famer
Odds: 87/1
Pros: C'mon, the guy is a Shark! Plus, the salary is irrelevant to him. Extra bonus, Norman's star power would make him a keynote speaker on just about any agenda, getting GCSAA tons of found exposure.
Cons: Golf game might get rusty with winters in Lawrence, Kan.
Why it would work: OK, we're not saying Norman wants the job of GCSAA CEO... we're just saying that Norman wants to rule the world. Or at least, the golf world. If he ever had eyes on being commissioner of the PGA Tour, this might be a good first step, eh Sharky? Also, Norman already knows GCSAA well, having been heavily involved with the EIFG and winning the GCSAA's Old Tom Morris Award in 2008. Wow... I've almost talked myself into this one!
Why it wouldn't work: Well, there's the whole playing schedule thing. And the different companies he's already in charge of. Plus, GCSAA headquarters wasn't built to code for a helicopter landing pad on its roof. OK, I talked myself back out of it.

Chuck Borman, former executive director of the Carolinas GCSA, former COO of GCSAA, currently a consultant for the CGCSA
Odds: 100/1
Pros: Previous experience at GCSAA as the association’s Chief Operating Officer. Years of experience as the director of the Carolinas GCSA, the most successful chapter out there right now.
Cons: Already enjoying semi-retirement.
Why it would work: Borman has the connections as well as a proven track record as the leader of the Carolinas. He also has a lot of friends back at GCSAA.
Why it wouldn’t work: You know how the Minnesota Vikings had to send three players to Mississippi to get Brett Favre to come back last year? Well, it would take all remaining 80 GCSAA staff members to go to South Carolina to drag Borman back to Lawrence, Kan. Second, Borman’s already left the GCSAA once, GCSAA wouldn’t want to set itself up to be left again.

Steve Mona, CEO, World Golf Foundation
Odds: 250/1
Pros: GCSAA CEO during most of the association’s heyday (1993-2007).
Cons: Can you ever go home again?
Why it would work: Mona was a cherished asset at the association while he was there. If he pulled a Roy Williams-goes-back-to-Carolina (apologies for another Lawrence, Kan. reference) and returned to the association which made him a force in the golf industry when they really need him? His appreciation within the GCSAA membership would be off-the-charts! At least until the GCSAA dropped back-to-back games in Hawaii, fell out of the AP top 25, and then... wait, I'm talking about Roy Williams again, aren't I? Sorry.
Why it wouldn’t work: Mona’s been there, done that. He's looking forward, not backward.

Come back tomorrow for what is surely our single-best nominee yet!

And if you have your own opinion, maybe you think a different Tour golfer would be a better CEO? Post it below!

Who will it be? Part 2

Here is part two of Golfdom's possible candidates for the GCSAA CEO position. Click here for part one.

The GCSAA is currently interviewing candidates in Kansas City.

It is absolutely possible that a new CEO of the association will be named this month.

Who will it be?

For the next five days here at the Golfdom blog we're throwing out guesses -- some good, some OK and some just flat out bad -- on who the next CEO of the GCSAA might be.

Agree, disagree, have your own candidate? Want to nominate yourself? The comments button is open, post yours!

Rhett Evans, interim CEO, GCSAA
Odds: 12/1
Pros: Former GCSAA COO, now current interim CEO. Was brought in to be groomed as the future CEO while Woodward was still there. Knows well the current situation and mood at GCSAA HQ. Also, would only have to move his office about 25 feet.
Cons: The GCSAA Board of Directors might think that naming Evans CEO lacks pizzazz, and would seem like a long-term plan put into effect too soon. Also, Evans is still relatively new to the association, having started in July of 2009.
Why it would work: The GCSAA board of directors likes Evans. They trust him as well, as he’s been asked to be involved in some pretty high-level layoffs in his short tenure. Evans also has the hallmark characteristics of a CEO: friendly, yet ultra-competitive and driven.
Why it wouldn’t work: Who says it wouldn't work? But if the GCSAA Board is looking to make a big splash, promoting the interim CEO doesn't ripple a lot of water.

Teri Harris, former director, Environmental Institute for Golf
Odds three months ago: 15/1
Odds today: 1,500/1
Pros: Years of experience at GCSAA as a high-level director, including a long stint as the head of GCSAA’s Environmental Institute for Golf.
Cons: Recently laid off. Whoops.
Why it would work: Had she not been let go a few months ago, Harris could have been a great candidate. She was one of the top executives at GCSAA for over a decade. She was good on camera. She had a knack for developing relationships that benefited the EIFG and the GCSAA. Also, it could have made a big splash to have named a woman CEO.
Why it wouldn’t work: Obviously, hiring Harris as CEO months after she was let go would not only be a human resources nightmare, but also a public relations nightmare. Had things worked out differently and she were still working at GCSAA, Harris may have been considered one of the front-runners for the position.