Two is Better Than One, Tough Day, No Bueno and Mr. President!

Hello and welcome to "The Greenkeeper"!  Today is Friday, October 26, 2012 and I would like to start by saying thank you!  For those of you making "The Greenkeeper" a part of your day I really appreciate you.  After struggling with low viewership numbers over the summer (69 average views per post for the 10 blog posts between May 23rd and September 6th) the numbers have risen dramatically to 123 average views per post for the last 4 blogs!  Thank you again and help spread the word!

It is that time of year again as the local news media talk about fall foliage, peak and past peak.  In golf course maintenance land this is known affectionately as "leaf wars".  The daily task of keeping the course clean of leaves and debris can be demoralizing at times (especially when the wind blows) but I tell my staff they should think of it as job security.  Anyway, when the course starts to look like this...

More Leaves

Leaves

...we break out the big artillery, and the decibels and the scene is more like this...

Two Tractor Blowers!

...when dealing with leaf clean-up two tractor blowers beats one all day long!


Two days ago my staff and I had the fun of setting up the golf course for our annual Tough Day event!  Anytime we set up Carolina for a tournament it is special but the annual Tough Day is extra fun as the name implies.  Of course we moved the tees back and I selected hole locations I sincerely hope would have made Donald Ross proud (think final round of club championship, extreme).  As much fun as I had selecting the hole locations I believe my two assistants, Shane Harrelson and Brett Stowers may have enjoyed themselves more as they put the finishing touches on the putting surfaces as the following picture clearly demonstrates:

Two Rollers!

...when you are setting up the course for Tough Day two rollers beats one all day long!


Last time I mentioned something about an unfortunate incident and I guess I didn't realize what a cliffhanger I created.  Have you ever missed a short putt and in your moment of disgust and disappointment taken your putter and knocked the ball off the putting surface?  I am sure many of you can relate.  Well, the next time you think about reacting as described above please pause and think about what may happen if your hand-eye coordination isn't too good.  I mean if you can't make the two footer you just missed are you sure you can safely hit the ball without hitting the turf?

My radio is sitting where the hole was located

This unfortunate incident occurred on the 17th hole during casual member play following the conclusion of the Donald Ross Challenge.  Fortunately this person immediately reported this to the Pro Shop and apologized for the accident.  Although the incident was no bueno I appreciate the honesty displayed by one of our members!


In other news, many of you may know four years ago I was elected to the Board of Directors of the North South Turfgrass Association (NSTA) and have served stints as Secretary, Treasurer and most recently Vice-President. 

The NSTA is one of 13 local associations comprising the Carolinas Golf Course Superintendents Association and the CGCSA is our regional chapter of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America.  At the NSTA annual business meeting held yesterday at Cedarwood C.C. my peers elected me the 2013 President.  I am humbled and honored to be recognized by my fellow superintendents in the greater Charlotte area as their leader and I look forward to representing Carolina Golf Club at the highest level!


See you on the course,


Matthew Wharton
Golf Course Superintendent