Miller talks end of LPGA agronomist, beginning of field staff

I've had the good fortune of knowing John Miller, CGCS, soon-to-be former GCSAA LPGA staff agronomist, for a few years now. I even had the pleasure of shadowing him while he was on the job at the 2008 Kraft Nabisco Championship at Mission Hills CC in Rancho Mirage, Calif.

The GCSAA recently announced that beginning in 2011, Miller will have a new job for the association -- he will be the new field staff representative of the Great Lakes region. Consequently, that also means he's on his last few days as the LPGA Tour agronomist.

Golfdom caught up with Miller recently to discuss the change of jobs.

"Sure, I'm sad (about the end of the LPGA position), but we accomplished what we set out to do," Miller said. "It was a sign of the times -- there was no money to fund the position anymore. GCSAA decided not to renew the contract."

Miller said his favorite thing about the LPGA position was being able to work with superintendents around the globe to make their golf courses the best they could be.

"I was an extra set of eyes that could help out," Miller said. "But it turned out I learned as much from (the LPGA Tour superintendents) as they learned from me."

While I talked with Miller, he told me he had missed my call earlier that day because he was at a regional superintendent holiday party. So it's obvious that Miller isn't wasting any time getting started on his new gig.

"I'm really excited about this new position. GCSAA has been working hard on this field staff project, and it seems to be going over well with the membership," Miller said. "I think it'll be fun to take the knowledge that I have -- I'm a past chapter president -- and working with other chapters to see what their challenges are. There are a different set of challenges now than when I was a chapter president -- it's a whole new set of challenges. So I'm sure I'll be taking what worked for chapter A and applying it to chapter B. It'll be a lot of fun, and it'll be a good challenge."

Miller said there's an unusual symmetry between his new role as a field staff representative and his old position with the LPGA, especially here in the early goings.

"It's almost the exact same process as when I started out with the LPGA. It's a lot of introductions and getting the word out," Miller said. "It's the same thing with the chapters -- meeting with chapter presidents and leadership, finding out their needs. It's the same as I did with the LPGA. It's taken an interestingly parallel path."

***

Regardless of what you think about GCSAA's field staff program (and I am interested in what you think about it, leave me a comment below), let me tell you that Miller is a great hire and a great representative for the association and for superintendents everywhere. Any time you speak with him, you can just tell that the guy is razor sharp. If he wasn't in turf, I think he'd do just fine as a politician. And he's one of the friendliest guys out there, too.

So good luck in your new position with GCSAA, John, we're rooting for you over here at Golfdom!

Leach says woman sat in 35-degree water for two hours

So much for a slow Monday after Christmas, Greg Leach, assistant superintendent at Lubbock (Texas) CC, said.

Leach arrived at the course around 7 a.m. and was enjoying what he called a "slow Monday after Christmas" at the course when one of his crew members came into the shop and told him there was a car in the pond on No. 15.

"I thought he meant someone stole a golf car and drove that into the pond," Leach says. "I didn't realize it was a real car until I saw it. I was about to call 911 when I saw someone was still in there."

Leach figured the woman in the car was dead. Overnight temperatures dropped to 25 degrees and there were areas of ice on the corners of the pond. Then he saw her move.

"I kicked off my boots and jumped in. The water is about four feet deep," Leach told Golfdom in a phone interview this morning. The car door was already open when he got there, but the woman was still buckled into her seat. "She was moving and speaking, but she wasn't making any sense."

Leach said he was in the water for all of two minute, but the cold water was enough to make his lower body entirely numb. The maintenance facility has a surveillance camera, and reviewing that evening's tape showed headlights going into the pond at 6:30 a.m.

"She sat in there for two, maybe two-and-a-half hours," Leach says.

By the time he had her out of the pond, the first police car was on the scene.

Leach, who got his turf degree from Texas Tech and has been at Lubbock CC for four years, said he once helped pull a 97-year-old man from a pond, but he was in a golf car. This was new territory for him. By the time Golfdom caught up with him on Tuesday morning, he had already done two interviews, one with the local TV news and another with a local newspaper reporter.

"It was a little bit exciting for what I thought would be a slow Monday morning," Leach said.

Assistant super rescues woman from pond

Greg Leach, assistant superintendent at Lubbock (Texas) CC, made the news by rescuing a woman from a vehicle crashed into a course pond. "First I thought she was dead," Leach told KCBD News in Lubbock.

http://www.kcbd.com/Global/story.asp?S=13745340

Tragic news out of Texas A&M

Dr. J. Chris Stiegler, assistant professor of turfgrass science and ecology at Texas A&M, and his wife, Jenny, both died in a car wreck on Christmas Eve near Waco, Texas. Their infant daughter Emily has been upgraded from critical to stable condition.

Our prayers go out to the family and especially that baby girl.

Here's the TV news story from Bryan/College Station's KBTX.

Here's the story from yesterday's Bryan-College Station Eagle, a true tear-jerker: http://www.theeagle.com/local/Infant-s-parents-killed-in-wreck

From AgriLifeToday.com, also posted yesterday: http://agrilife.org/today/2010/12/26/stiegler-killed-in-car-wreck/

A fund has been established for Emily as follows:

Emily Grace Stiegler in care of Citizens State Bank
4611 West 6th Avenue
Stillwater, OK 74074

Happy holidays from your friends at Golfdom!

Hi everyone!

In case you haven't heard yet, there's a new editor-in-chief of Golfdom magazine... and yeah, it's that guy sitting on the couch wearing the Chiefs jersey right there... that's me, Seth Jones. (GO CHIEFS!!!)

I'm excited to be here. This is my 8th day on the job so far. I don't remember the last time a mundane day in the office has been so rewarding. I'm thrilled to have this new job, and I promise to work hard for the readers of Golfdom.

The Golfdom blog... well, it's been a lonely place for a while now. There just hasn't been any action. I look back and, wow -- this is the 5th post of the year? (At least I can say I'm responsible for 20% of the posts in 2010!)

I plan on changing that. I like to blog. Especially when I'm travelling for work. Not every blog post will contain cataclysmic information regarding the golf course maintenance industry. Some will be for fun. Some will be serious. But there will be something here for you to check out regularly. That's a promise.

Last thought from me: happy holidays. I hope all our many superintendent readers around the world have a wonderful holiday season. Travel safe. Enjoy the company of your families. Get a little rest.

We'll see you here again soon. Thanks for checking in on us.

(Photo by my daughter, Evey. She's only four! Not bad, huh?)

What Happened to the Green Filters on the TV Cameras at Pebble Beach?

When I watched the U.S. Open on television and saw Pebble Beach Golf Links — you know, the course a lot of people were saying looked lousy because the greens weren't green — I thought of something United States Golf Association agronomist Pat Gross said at a meeting a few months ago.

Gross spoke at the American Society of Irrigation Consultants meeting in late April. He told attendees that new USGA President Jim Hyler wanted to bring a more environmental approach to golf. Included in Hyler’s approach to this thinking was to have NBC remove “green filters from TV cameras” during the U.S. Open.

Really? Is that one reason why Pebble's greens looked brown?

Well, according to NBC’s Tom Roy, green filters used on TV cameras to make a course look greener is “a complete fabrication.”
“The colors that you see at home are the same as you'd see in person,” Roy said in an e-mail to me. “I've never been told to remove filters or adjust colors by any officials. The only manipulation we do is make the picture brighter when the sun sets.”

So where did this off-with-the-green-filter-thing come from?

-- Larry Aylward

Tiger and His PR

Tiger Woods has hired former George Bush press secretary Ari Fleischer to help him with his PR problems, if that's possible. But if I was Tiger, I'd think twice about having Fleischer advise me on what to say after hearing Mark McGwire's confession of steroid use last January.

Fleischer, who operates Fleischer Sports Communications, reportedly was hired by McGwire to help him patch up his image after he stumbled over his alleged steroid use during a congressional hearing a few years back. McGwire decided to come clean earlier this year, and he admitted to using steroids, but not to help him hit more home runs. McGwire said he used steroids for health reasons.

Most of the public, not to mention McGwire's peers, didn't buy the former Big Mac's statements. His confession was a joke.

Did Fleischer have anything to do with it? If I was Tiger, that would be my first question to Ari. Not that anyone can fix Tiger's image, though.

— Larry Aylward

Tell Us What You Think About the Show

If you get a minute, drop us a line at the Golfdom blog to let us know what you think about the show. If you're going, enjoy yourself in San Diego.

-- Larry Aylward

A Better Perspective

A year ago, during the Golf Industry Show in New Orleans, I heard several people say, “We just need to make it through this year.” These people had one thing in common — they were shells hocked by the onslaught of a dreadful economy. Well, we made it through a brutal 2009. Now what?

Not much has changed since last January. Then again, a lot has changed. It’s difficult to say where the golf course maintenance industry will be a year from now, but I’m betting it will be in better shape. Last January, we were all freaked out because there were so many unknowns. There are fewer unknowns this year, which is surely healthy for all of our mental attitudes.

San Diego will be a better show from that perspective. People will be more upbeat, having made it through the wreckage of 2009. Bring on the SoCal sunshine.

--Larry Aylward

Will Tiger's Tanking Image Impact the Golf Industry?

Everybody has a Tiger take? What's your's?

Do you think the golf course industry will suffer because Tiger's image has been tarnished?

Do you think people will forget about this in a matter of time and Tiger will go on to break Jack Nicklaus' record?

Time to Refinance

Earlier this month, I attended the Carolinas GCSA Trade Show & Conference -- an excellent show, by the way -- and heard a great seminar by Keith Smith, a financial advisor, who told superintendents they should refinance their homes if they already haven't. His reason? Rates! Did you know the average interest rate for a 30-year mortgage dropped to a record low of 4.71% this week. Check out this story: http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/housing/2009-12-03-mortgae-rates-low_N.htm.

-- Larry Aylward

Currier Leaving Bethpage

Craig Currier is leaving Bethpage State Park, whose Black Course was the site of this year's U.S. Open, for the Glen Oaks Club, a private course on Long Island. Currier is one of the most recognized superintendents in the business. He has also been called one of the best superintendents in the business. Watch Golfdom for an interview with Currier.

A lot of people probably thought Currier would never leave Bethpage. They seemed a perfect fit. On the other hand, Currier is moving on to another and different challenge. There's nothing wrong with that. Such chances aren't going to open up much these days.

-- Larry Aylward

Just Like Lyle Lovett and Julia Roberts

I was surprised when I first heard the Club Managers Association of America dropped the Golf Industry Show like a bad habit. But my surprise only lasted for about two minutes.
Truth is, the marriage of these two associations’ trade shows was kind of like that of country crooner Lyle Lovett and Hollywood starlet Julia Roberts in 1993. It was so oddball that you just knew it wasn’t meant to be. Hence, I can see why the CMAA is leaving the GIS after February’s event.
— Larry Aylward

Look Who Has Time to Play Golf?

Obama has played 24 golf rounds this year. Nice to know he has the time. I hope he's talking about how to fix the economy while putting for a seven.
--Larry Aylward

Wiser When It Comes to Watering

Golf course superintendents are much wiser when it comes to watering in 2009.

A whopping 97 percent of superintendents say they’re taking measures to manage water more efficiently on their golf courses, according to a recent irrigation survey by Golfdom. The survey, conducted in mid-October, garnered nearly 500 responses from superintendents across the country.

The answers to the first question of the survey — Are you doing all you can to manage water as efficiently as possible? — reveals superintendents are more serious about reducing their water use than they were in past years. Fifty percent of superintendents said they’re finding ways to reduce overall water use, even if it causes occasional stress on the turf. Forty-seven percent of respondents said, “Somewhat, we’re trying to find the right balance.” Only 3 percent of superintendents said they were “watering away to attain as green and lush turf as possible.”

We conducted a similar survey in 2006, and the difference in answers between now and then is startling. Back then, only 25 percent of superintendents said they were managing water use as efficiently as possible and 65 percent said they were trying to find a balance. Almost 10 percent said they were watering away for the lush, green look.
— Larry Aylward

Are You Doing Anything to Avoid Job Layoffs?

The good news is unemployment DROPPED in July. Maybe we won't hit that nasty 10 percent mark after all — although several U.S. states have soared past it.
Are you doing anything to avoid layoffs at your course or company?
Let us know.

Have You Been Slighted?

If you read my column above, "They Dropped the Ball -- Big Time," you'll see the story of another superintendent who didn't get his due. In this case, it is Terry Bonar, certified superintendent of Canterbury Golf Club in Cleveland.

How about you? Do you feel like you're getting your due where you work? Does your owner, general manager and pro understand the important role you play at your course?

Blog here and let us know.

Thanks,

Larry Aylward
Editor in Chief

Unemployment And Sitting On His Duff

I just heard of a guy who lost his job last fall but has been content to sit on his butt and collect employment. The dude is not even looking for work! No, he's not one of those "discouraged" unemployed workers who stopped looking for work because he can't find any work; he would just rather take a few bucks from Uncle Sam and not work.
Do you know anybody like this? How should the country handle people like this?

-- Larry Aylward, Editor in Chief

Will Players Take Pity On You?

Conventional wisdom might say golfers will cut you some slack if your golf course looks a tad ragged, considering that your maintenance budget was probably slashed. It would be a nice and polite gesture for golfers to sympathize with superintendents over this matter, especially in this time of financial upheaval. I had a recent conversation about this topic with veteran certified superintendent John Miller, who also happens to be the LPGA tour agronomist. But Miller says if a course’s maintenance budget has been cut to $700,000 from $1 million, the golfers playing that course still expect it to look and play like a million bucks.

They don’t care that a superintendent had to cut his maintenance budget.

What do you think? Do golfers still expect the best conditions — event though you don't have the money to pay for those conditions?

— Larry Aylward

GCSAA Suspends Research Funding. What Do YOU Think?

Did you hear the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America has suspended funding for new research projects? According to a report, "The GCSAA Board of Directors determined that the highest priorities for research in the coming year will be publication of the survey results from the Golf Course Environmental Profile, the testing and introduction of the IPM template and advancement of the Pesticide Characteristics Project. While there will be no funding of new chapter cooperative research projects in 2009, GCSAA will continue to monitor the current 22 projects that are part of the Chapter Cooperative and National Research programs. The board has emphasized its commitment to funding applied agronomic, environmental and regulatory research, and plans to resume funding of new research when the projects listed above are completed and stability returns to the economy."

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this matter. Blog here!

-- Larry Aylward, Editor in Chief