The Whiteboard

Never too cold

Temperatures this winter may have hit unprecedented lows throughout the country, but that doesn’t mean the work flow needed to freeze up.

Jason Adams, superintendent at Blue Hill Country Club in Canton, Mass., reports that during a typical winter his staff is hard at work removing trees and underbrush throughout the course. Even though they accomplished a tremendous amount, this year’s snowfall amounts and extreme cold weather forced them inside at times.

Adams and his crew took advantage of those times by helping the mechanic in his preventative maintenance for the upcoming season, organizing the shop areas to be even more efficient in our daily operations, create pesticide and fertilizer programs, attend agronomic training seminars, refurbish golf course accessories and build budgets just to name a few.

One thing they had been doing is rebuilding old sprinkler parts and testing them.

“You might ask how we can test them without water or water pressure, right?” says Adams, “Assistant superintendent Alex Martin created a sprinkler tester from a prototype idea I had created many years ago as an assistant superintendent. By using some PVC parts, the shop compressor and a 24-volt transformer we are able to simulate water pressure and electrical signals just like in the field. [Martin] is able to rebuild and test bottom valves, pilot valves and even electric solenoids in the shop. This helps us prepare for the irrigation start-up in the spring and allows us to save money on irrigation inventory.”

Check out Jason Adam’s turf maintenance blog by entering bit.ly/MLnSEK into your browser.
 

Say CHEESE!

GCI hit the ground running at the 2014 Golf Industry Show and we took a lot of pictures documenting the entire show. We’ve posted a few images here on Whiteboard, but you really need to check out the app for an exclusive digital slide show.

2014 Tweet Up & Social Media Awards

Social media brought golf superintendents together offline for the third year running at the Aquatrols booth for this year’s Tweetup. Turf pros crowded to talk about their work online as well as enjoy a few cold drinks and music.

We also named this year’s winners of our Super Savvy Social Media Awards, a group of superintendents and academics who use social media to improve the game and each other’s lives. Here are our favorites for this year. Be sure to check out the app version of this issue to watch videos from some of our winners who couldn’t make it to the show.

Check out the app version of this story for an interactive slide show.
 

From the feed

Augusta National’s famous Eisenhower Tree, a 100 year old loblolly pine standing at about 65 feet, was cut down in February after suffering severe damage from the ice storms that plagued the southern United States. The course landmark towered over the fairway on the 17th hole and its removal will definitely change the view at this year’s Masters Tournament. Check out what industry professionals had to say about the loss of the iconic pine.
 

Ron Whitten @RonWhittenGD
If a tree falls in the forest, does it make a sound? It does if the tree is the Eisenhower Pine and the forest is Augusta National GC

Luke Elvy @elvisgolf
Ironic that Bubba Watson’s win at Riviera is being overshadowed by a tree on the last course he won at. #EisenhowerTree

Augusta.com @AUG_Masters
People are asking me if pieces of Ike’s Tree will be sold to the public. I am pretty confident the answer is no. #Masters

Jason Sobel @JasonSobelGC
Adam Scott on the Eisenhower Tree: “Anything that lives will eventually die, I guess.” Rory McIlroy: “It’s a tree.” Such sentimentalists.

Rick Reilly @ReillyRick
Will #Augusta replace the Eisenhower tree? R you nuts? In 2012, they replaced an entire 1000-sq-ft bathroom in 1 day.

Ted Bishop @tedbishop38pga
@TigerWoods says Honda is the start of new season. Says he won’t miss Eisenhower tree! #PGATOUR @thepgaofAmerica @PGA_com @MattAdamsFoL

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