Alright...one more post.
1. I don't think members of the DG here are a "bunch of ignorant assholes" (thanks Jon, but really?). If I came off that way, it was unintended passion. That's me.
I realize, as Don points out that the discussions here contain people who are dedicated to the Game. Having said that, if you are trying to sell me that ALL the folks here don't have an agenda and don't like a good flame war, I'm not buying. Nor are lots of other industry people. It's a free fire zone here and people who's mortgage payments depend of their greens know to be very careful on GCA. That's just a fact when you are dealing with public opinion where the paparazzi have nothing to lose. I mean really, it took less than an hour for someone to Key up a post about "consultant buck passing". Nice. And anyone who knows me knows the last thing I do is pass the buck.
RJ's heart is in the right place about wanting to learn, but I've seen a lot of industry people try to educate a bit and get bitten pretty hard. It's easy to move on when that happens. And really, I don't think the GCSAA cares much about a bunch of fescueheads on a small number of courses. I'd like to see that change.
2. This whole thing, really is all about Ballyneal and Dave Hensley. Both of whom I love and both who deserve greatness and the highest of opinions. There was no big thing done wrong there. Things happen. Show me a construction site where things go exactly as planned. I've never seen one. That's part of the art of what we do.
3. I want to speak up one more time, as a course ages, it often tells us what to do and Dave, logically is moving with that change.
I remember a story Walter Woods told me about how bad the greens were when he first arrived at St Andrews to take over. They didn't have much money then and there was a lot of public opinion about what to do. Walter, one of the greatest turf minds I have ever met or seen, listened to everyone and did his own thing. He began cultivating low mowed fescue areas around the property and when he liked what he saw he transplanted thousands of plugs onto the greens. Thousands. There was a major uproar in St Andrews. Everyone was sure that he was completely out of his head. An at first, he admitted he began to wonder if they were right, as the very slow growing fescue needed time to knit in. But one of things he didn't tell everyone is that he began this work in the key in positions on the greens, knowing that St Andrews was all about coming competitions and not just the locals and the japanese tourists. And that move, while creating public outcry from every direction (even the R&A'a Agronomist) proved to be the cheapest and most effective way to make the greens at St Andrews the wonders that they are. That practice, I am told, while not as large scale, is still in place.
Point? We all, even myself as a consultant, should recognize when a completely talented individual like Dave Hensley makes a decision, small or large, he's in the perfect viewpoint and skillset to do it. Our Game is damn lucky to have him and what is really sad, is that he wouldn't be here telling us his story instead of staying away because posting here could be a danger.
I'm not about us vs. them. I am, however a realist. The lurk rate on all of this is really high. My phone and email blew up yesterday after my post, with folks that don't post here, but often read. A small thing, blown up, taken out of context, speculated on? That's never good.