Making Merion Tough
Read Tim’s observations leading into the U.S. Open Championship at Merion.
Anchoring: The Problem Isn’t With The Rule, It’s With The Rules Makers
No matter what you think of the proposed ban on putter anchoring, you should be upset by how the USGA/R&A went about the process. I don’t mean giving 90 days to discuss it, but how it came about at all years after they had the chance to nip it in the bud and didn’t. Are […]
People Say the Darnedest Things!
In my March column for Golf Course Industry, I’ve written about honest-to-goodness, real-life questions and statements asked of superintendents….and invited you to share some of your own. You can’t make this stuff up…how many of these have you heard? “What time is the 9:00 o’clock shotgun tomorrow?” “My member-guest partner packed in a hurry but […]
In the Rearview Mirror
Looking back on 2011 and before heading into 2012 let’s review some the issues which left many people within our industry perplexed, puzzled and preparing for the worst. BACTERIAL WILT For the last two seasons this malady affected many golf courses and their bent grass or Poa greens or at least many superintendents thought this […]
Is 2011 Over Yet?
Is 2011 Over Yet? Sorry to be away for so long, but you know all that water soaking your golf course (except you poor golfers and greens crews in Texas)? A lot of it is now in my basement. Between bailing, rigging up the generators, and cursing the gods, I’ve been pondering the 2011 season […]
It’s Not the Open I Remember
Sitting here watching Rory McIlroy go to 16 under after four holes in the final round of the U.S. Open, listening to the announcers tell me that he won’t have more than a wedge into any of Congressional Country Club’s par fours on the front nine, makes absolutely no sense. A wedge? You can blame […]
Can Golf Be Fun?
Right about at this time of year, with the U.S. Open starting in a few days, the golf world is bracing for its annual bitch-fest, the carping and complaining from the pros about how difficult the course is, how poorly it’s set up, and how the brutal conditions will show them at their worst. Yet […]
Augusta National and The Masters
I am a sports junkie and spring is my favorite time of year. Which button on the TV remote do I press and what sport do I watch? Hockey, basketball, baseball, horse racing and most importantly right now – golf! No, not Johnny Miller and weekly “down-grain, cross-grain, double grain and towards the setting sun […]
I’M BACK…..
We’re already two weeks into 2011 and my huge fan base (at least 2) has been clamoring for new posts and wondering why I haven’t offered my predictions for the new year. But first a little reminiscing. What did we accomplish in 2010? Not much… We did not see the industry turn around. It’s still […]
2011 – Thank Goodness It’s Almost Here!
Summer couldn’t end soon enough for superintendents across the country, especially in the north and southeast where extreme heat and humidity did some serious damage to even the best-maintained courses. 2010 witnessed the worst weather in more than 25 years, and I’m sure there’s a lot more gray hair—if there’s any hair left at all—on […]
