Introduction...

« **Reply #25 on:** March 08, 2011, 01:26:18 PM »

Quote from: SNaugler on March 08, 2011, 11:55:36 AM

Hahahaha akers!! I've broken par on east just about every time I've played it (no big accomplishment... trust me). I will be in Chicago by April 1st, but I would love to catch a round in Chicago or just about anywhere you'd like in Michigan on a weekend.

East was our high school team's home course. Always good for a confidence boost (though I think #'s 5 & 6 are underrated).

I worked in the shop at West one year, long before they moved the pro shop to the U Club and made the awful switch in the routing.

« **Reply #26 on:** March 08, 2011, 01:27:51 PM »

JC- EXACTLY, I couldn't have said it any better!

« **Reply #27 on:** March 08, 2011, 01:35:15 PM »

I completely agree about the routing on west. I'm to the point where I think we need to just blow up west, hire Tom Doak, and completely start from scratch. With our turfgrass team, we should have an elite level course from a design and conditioning stand point (not that the conditioning is bad now). Remove a bunch of trees, sure up the agronomic issues, and fix the routing.

« **Reply #28 on:** March 08, 2011, 01:47:24 PM »

Quote from: SNaugler on March 08, 2011, 01:35:15 PM

I completely agree about the routing on west. I'm to the point where I think we need to just blow up west, hire Tom Doak, and completely start from scratch. With our turfgrass team, we should have an elite level course from a design and conditioning stand point (not that the conditioning is bad now). Remove a bunch of trees, sure up the agronomic issues, and fix the routing.

I've been saying this since the Arthur Hills work of the early 90's.

« **Reply #29 on:** March 08, 2011, 01:54:28 PM »

Please keep saying it! Everyone I talk to at the university that has a clue about golf completely agrees. I would really like to initiate a fund raising effort to make this happen.

« **Reply #30 on:** March 08, 2011, 02:05:07 PM »

Personally, I'd like to have Mike DeVries do the work. Simply to get a picture of him in a Spartan hat, working in East Lansing, and loving it!!

(he is a Wolverine)

« **Reply #31 on:** March 08, 2011, 02:09:13 PM »

Hahaha perfect! I would hire him in a second after playing the Kingsley Club. Firm and fast!

« **Reply #32 on:** March 08, 2011, 02:18:39 PM »

Stu,

Awesome photos. That is one of my favorite pictures of 13 Cypress I have ever seen. Did you take that from 9 tee?

Welcome to the site. You think MSU's gonna get in the dance this year?

« **Reply #33 on:** March 08, 2011, 02:26:48 PM »

Jordan- Yes, I took that picture from the back tee on number nine. Perfect evening, we would go out and play 18 after work with nobody out on the course but us. That is one of my favorite pictures of all time because I was trying to explain the severity of the bunkers on 13 to my Dad. A month later he would find out for himself!

I have an endless collection of photos if you want to see it from a different angle.

And I think we have to beat Iowa in the first round of the Big Ten tournament to make it to the big dance. If we do that and Summers starts playing...

« **Reply #34 on:** March 08, 2011, 02:52:58 PM »

Quote from: SNaugler on March 08, 2011, 11:01:28 AM

I was just offered my dream job this morning! I will let you guys know once everything's confirmed.

Welcome and congrats. Don't be shy about sharing opinions.

« **Reply #35 on:** March 08, 2011, 02:54:19 PM »

Thank you George! I look forward to it!

« **Reply #36 on:** March 08, 2011, 03:37:25 PM »

Quote from: SNaugler on March 08, 2011, 02:09:13 PM

Hahaha perfect! I would hire him in a second after playing the Kingsley Club. Firm and fast!

Does the Turfgrass program have any involvement with Akers? When I was at State, they were absolutely separate and there was no collaboration. All of the grounds crew at Akers were part of the grounds/maintenance department and there weren't even any interns from Turfgrass. So, and unfortunately, unless there can be some inter-departmental cooperation, the two will forever remain separate and MSU will always have one of the worst, if not the worst, golf course in the Big Ten (perhaps Nebraska's sucks....).

There was also no collaboration between the operations of Akers and the country's best Hospitality Business program. Perhaps that has changed with the move over to the U-Club and the hotel that is there.

The joys of bureaucracy and turf wars in a major governmental institution.

« **Reply #37 on:** March 08, 2011, 04:01:08 PM »

JC- That remains the issue, we have two eighteen hole golf courses an eighth of a mile away from the Hancock turfgrass research center and we have no involvement with either course. There's talk about the sports field manager taking over all turf care operations within the university (including the golf courses). If that happens we can expect much more collaboration and major changes to occur.

« **Reply #38 on:** March 08, 2011, 04:42:50 PM »

Welcome and congrats on the new dream job. Look forward to welcoming you to Chicago.

-- Howard

« **Reply #39 on:** March 08, 2011, 04:52:58 PM »

Howard- Absolutely! Thank you!

« **Reply #40 on:** March 08, 2011, 05:08:13 PM »

JC,

Don't forget about us Hoosiers. I think we have the worst course in the Big Ten locked down!

« **Reply #41 on:** March 08, 2011, 06:04:00 PM »

Not even close. Illinois takes the crown for worst course in the Big Ten by far.

« **Reply #42 on:** March 08, 2011, 06:10:53 PM »

Ryan; Are you referring to the Orange or to Stone Creek or both?

« **Reply #43 on:** March 08, 2011, 06:17:28 PM »

The former....but come to think of it....the latter isn't too great either. But, I think Stone Creek is better than what they have at IU.

« **Reply #44 on:** March 08, 2011, 06:27:51 PM »

Stu; When you get to Chicago make sure I introduce you to Dr. Derek Settle. He is the Director of the Turfgrass Program for the Chicago District Golf Association. A plant pathologist he is doing some great research and is a free resource to greenkeepers in the district. I look forward to meeting you.

« **Reply #45 on:** March 08, 2011, 06:58:27 PM »

Welcome Stu, Perhaps you could share some of your thoughts on the forum. A lurker for that long must've gone through quite a change in knowledge and perceptions. Could you describe how your thoughts on GCA have evolved over the last 10 years?

BTW, Did I miss the dream Job location? If you want to keep it private use the PM.

« **Reply #46 on:** March 08, 2011, 07:20:35 PM »

Stu-
Congrats on the job. Look forward to hearing about the experience and insights.

« **Reply #47 on:** March 08, 2011, 07:25:49 PM »

I haven't play Illinois' offerings, so I don't know. But, Forest Akers is better than ours as I remember it. And honestly I don't mind the course here. There's nothing wrong with it a chainsaw couldn't fix and some drainage couldn't fix.

But, there's no way the conditioning can be worse than what we have down here (or at least I sure hope not).

« **Reply #48 on:** March 08, 2011, 07:30:22 PM »

SL- Absolutely! I look forward to it! I will get a hold of you once I get to Chicago. I'm sure Dr. Settle knows my close family friend Dr. Joe Vargas here at MSU.

AC- PM and I will add my thoughts on the site a little later. I do miss some of the old timers that were around 10 years ago. Is Tom Paul still around?

Carl- Thank you very much!

« **Reply #49 on:** March 08, 2011, 08:49:55 PM »

More of the Doctor's masterpiece...

#1 Fairway

#3 Green

#5 Bunker (#10 Augusta)

#6 Green

#8 Fairway

#15 New

#15 Original

News:

JC Jones

Stewart Naugler

Stewart Naugler

JC Jones

Stewart Naugler

JC Jones

Stewart Naugler

Jordan Wall

Stewart Naugler

George Pazin

Stewart Naugler

JC Jones

Stewart Naugler

Howard Riefs

Stewart Naugler

Andy Stamm

JR Potts

SL_Solow

JR Potts

SL_Solow

Adam Clayman

Carl Nichols

Andy Stamm

Stewart Naugler

Stewart Naugler