Some Questions for the Supers...

[Abe Summers]

I am trying hard to be informed about turfgrass, drainage, etc., in my position in club management. I feel it would be very beneficial for me to know more about what the super is doing, is worried about, etc.  Right now my knowledge is rather basic.

What are some information sources you would recommend to us non-supers that would help us be more informed?  Internet sites?  Books?
What kind of things would you like us non-supers to know, especially managers? 

[Joe Hancock]

How's your relationship with your super? He/ she is the best resource for information you have available.

I bet he/ she has quite a few books to loan you.

Good luck,

Joe

[Bill_McBride]

Abe, I'm a member/committeeman/board member type, but I would suggest spending a lot of time in the maintenance building and maybe out on the course with the crew in the early a.m.

Not trying to be a smart ass, but the super spent 4 years ++ at somewhere like Mississippi State to learn all that stuff and the rest of the crew got OTJ training.

Plus the coffee is really good and you can set some really gnarly pins if you want!

[Kyle Harris]

I am trying hard to be informed about turfgrass, drainage, etc., in my position in club management. I feel it would be very beneficial for me to know more about what the super is doing, is worried about, etc.  Right now my knowledge is rather basic.

What are some information sources you would recommend to us non-supers that would help us be more informed?  Internet sites?  Books?
What kind of things would you like us non-supers to know, especially managers? 

Witteven and Bavier's "Practical Golf Course Maintenance" is probably as must-have as anything for the topic.

They're a bit over the top with the hyperbole, but it's a good all-around reference on the day-to-day operation of a golf course from the maintenance side.

[Ray Richard]

I'd attend a regional or national golf course trade show. Listen to a few talks and you'll get a feel for the nuances of this business. Include a tour of the equipment on display, with plenty of informative sales people explaining why a lawnmower costs 80K, then finish the day off with a fluid of your choice in the favored hotel lounge.

[Jeff_Brauer]

The USGA maintains a lot of their old articles from the Green Section Record on their web site.  The GCSAA has some, too but I think most of the archives are limited to members. Your super might give you his passcode to get in.  (He shouldn't by rule, but I have heard of it happening)  Golf Industry Magazine has an online archive.

Lastly, you could volunteer to help get the course ready for a tourney or big weekend (think Memorial Day in a month) as a grunt laborer, planting flowers, or whatever and ask if he will let you mow one green, rake a bunker, go along on the spray crew, etc. at the same time.  That might actually be a first!

[Adrian_Stiff]

I am trying hard to be informed about turfgrass, drainage, etc., in my position in club management. I feel it would be very beneficial for me to know more about what the super is doing, is worried about, etc.  Right now my knowledge is rather basic.

What are some information sources you would recommend to us non-supers that would help us be more informed?  Internet sites?  Books?
What kind of things would you like us non-supers to know, especially managers? 

No easy answer to this Abe, but the answer is probably not practical... join the greenstaff for a couple of years! I think you need to listen to the super and learn from him as much as you can. Also this site is pretty good I know I have learned lots and I expect we all get little tips and extend our knowledges as we see points made about subjects that perhaps we often dont think about. James Beard's book would be my tip, I forget the name (but not science & culture, thats too technical). What I would say is what is black for one course may be white for another, climates are different , grasses are different and sometimes people use cultural methods to promote poa annua and sometimes its a weed, big budgets do things different to small ones, a big danger is seeing and wanting things outside the pocket, do whats best with the incomes you have and if you are a $25 facility dont try the impossible, your super will already be doing his best within the financial restraints.

[Mark Dorman]

Fundamentals of Turfgrass Management by Dr. Nick Christians is a good book for people just getting into turf management.  Not terribly technical but still goes deep into some areas.

As mentioned before, the USGA has most of the Green Section Records available on their website.

If you want to go crazy, Michigan State University maintains the Turfgrass Information File, which may be the best source ever.  This you pay to subscribe to though.

[David Heiser]

Forum networks such as Turfnet and GCSAA  are excellent sources of information coming from experienced turf managers who most likely, "learned the hard way" already for you.  Membership into these sites should be part of your employment contract.  Both of these websites are worth their weight in gold for the agronomical advice one can obtain there.


No text or website will substitute for hands on experience though.   Go ahead, spend more time at the shop. Cut a few cups, learn how to run a triplex, ask the spray tech "whats in the tank today"....Show interest without showing judgement.  A super can always use an extra hand.  Make sure your super understands that you fully respect his/her experience and knowledge, and are merely there to learn more about the business.   Make every effort not to give them the idea that you are attempting to micromanage their operation.  And don't.

I would  second Gordon Witteeven's book for beginners.   Beard's " Turf management for golf courses" would be the next step.  After that, go to the GCSAA website for a good selection of textbooks.  As mentioned, alot depends on your geographical location of course.