Honesty over victory

I witnessed something in my son this weekend that I feel compelled to share.

We have heard stories of PGA golfers who call a penalty stroke on themselves and lose a chance at victory - like Brian Davis did at the Verizon Heritage in 2010. Davis was in a playoff against Jim Furyk and was pretty much an unknown on the Tour. He could have easily gotten away with grazing a stray weed on his backswing, but instead of going forward and having the opportunity to win his first PGA event, he had the officials review the backswing. Sure enough, he did in fact contact the weed, which was visible only in slow-motion. He conceded, and Jim Furyk won the tournament. Davis knew that honesty was much more important than victory.

My youngest son, Henry, attends 7th grade at a small, but highly accomplished, Oregon City charter school called Springwater Environmental Sciences School. This year, as part of its pre-capstone project, the entire class participated in a robotics course. There were four teams, and each was responsible for developing, constructing and programming its own robot. The teams began working on their robots in December, and it all culminated this weekend at the Evergreen Space Museum in McMinnville, Ore. The competition took place among the rockets and jets, which couldn't have been a better setting.

There were more than 30 teams competing, and many were of high school age. This was Springwater’s first year to ever compete in a robotics competition, so expectations weren't exactly high. As the day unfolded, Henry’s team suddenly found themselves at the top of the leaderboard with two of the other Springwater teams. By the time the first round was completed, three of the four Springwater teams were in the top eight. Henry’s team managed to hold on to the 8th spot.

If you are familiar with robotics tournaments, you will know that alliances are very important throughout the competition. Much of your success depends on your alliances. After the first round, one team leader from each team is chosen to go to a meeting with the officials to be versed on the procedures for the semi-finals.  Henry was chosen to be the representative for his team. The top four teams get to choose two teams that they would like to go into an alliance with, so it was a sure thing that Henry’s team was going to the semi-finals.

Henry had no way of conferring with his teammates or even his teachers, and he knew that his robot was damaged and the battery would be dead after the first round of the semi-finals. As the top four teams were selecting their alliances, Henry knew that if his team were selected, they would bring down the other team, which most likely would have been from a different school. He also knew that his teammates didn't understand the status of their robot and they were looking forward to competing in the semi-finals as one of the contest's greatest underdogs.

Teams cheered as each of the alliance selections were made. Finally the fourth team selected: “We graciously select team number 7939 from Springwater.” Henry’s school began to cheer, and his classmates gave each other high fives. Henry grabbed the microphone and replied, “We respectfully decline.” There was a sudden hush over the crowd and a big "Ooh . . ." Henry just stood there, straight faced, probably holding back a floodgate of tears while the selecting team had to scramble to find another pick. There was confusion amongst the Springwater teachers and the students since nobody knew what Henry was doing.

Henry made his way back to his classmates and had to explain that if they had accepted, their robot would have just sat there and would not have functioned properly. He felt that it wouldn't have been fair to the other teams in the alliance. One of his teammates didn't understand his choice and didn't stay to cheer on his schoolmates who were still in the competition. His other teammate patted him on the back and told him that he made the right choice. Following the competition, the organizer of the tournament came up to Henry and told him he had made a very difficult but correct decision and said that she was very proud of him. Henry knew in his heart that honesty was much more important than victory.

I couldn't have been more proud of my son at that moment. We work in an industry based on honor, and golf can play a large role in our youth today. So don't tell me that all of those golf lessons Henry took from PGA Pro Ted Westling at Stone Creek were for nothing.

The First Green Foundation

Of all the things that you did as a youngster in school, what do you remember the most? For me it was the field trips. Whether it was the trip to the Nabisco factory in first grade or the trip to the “Oregon Outback” in 7^th grade, each of those made an indelible mark in my mind. This is the mission of the First Green Foundation, to provide an outdoor learning experience for young children on a golf course that will be remembered for years to come.

Using the golf course as a laboratory, the First Green Foundation utilizes a STEM learning curriculum. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The First Green Foundation will help golf course superintendents connect with local teachers and provide their golf courses as outdoor laboratories. The USGA, in partnership with Chevron, just awarded the First Green Foundation a $155,750 grant to expand the program into Southern California. Kimberly S. Erusha, Ph.D., managing director of the USGA Green Section, said in awarding the grant, “The goal of the Chevron-USGA partnership and our Eagles for Education funding is to make STEM more fun and engaging through the game of golf.

With this grant, the First Green Foundation will continue expansion into Oregon and Northern California as well as expanding further into Southern California. The First Green has expanded on its own to other parts of the country without the help of grants. Frank Tichenor, from Forest Hill Field Club in New Jersey, hosted his first field trip last year and said, “I have to say this was one of the best days I have ever spent on a golf course. I can't wait to do it again.” The Intermountain GCSA in Utah is going all in, and is starting fundraising soon to purchase superintendent resource kits for its members.

If there has ever been a program targeted at advocacy for the game of golf, this program fits the bill. It teaches students the benefits that golf provides to the environment and community. This enables superintendents to promote the game by way of dispelling myths as well as growing the game. Giving the children an introduction to golf at an early age will no doubt pay dividends down the road as we need to add more golfers to the sport.

Please consider hosting your own field trip. If you have any questions I am always available to help. You can contact me at: dphipps@gcsaa.org . You can also visit the First Green website at: www.thefirstgreen.org

Enhance Your Career with the GCSAA Self Assessment Tool

This week while attending the Western Washington Professional Development Seminar I was listening to GCSAA board member Bill Maynard, CGCS, and GCSAA speak on networking your way to a big job. Bill’s presentation was excellent. He had a number of great ideas on how to build your own personal network so you can achieve your career goals. One thing that Bill mentioned that caught my ear was to be sure to log onto the GCSAA website and utilize your Self-Assessment Tool. If you are serious about enhancing your career or and looking for that opportunity to move up, this is a great way to chart your success. The Self-Assessment Tool will provide you with a way to rate your current skills and knowledge against each competency listed. Once completed, you will be able to identify seminars and resources for each competency and tailor fit your education to meet your needs. This will also enable you to chart your own course toward continuing development and eventually to certification if you so desire.

What made me write about this is the fact that the Golf  Industry Show is just around the corner. If you are a regular GIS attendee you can use the Self-Assessment Tool as a form of communication with your general manager or your boss. Upon completing the tool, you can use the gap analysis and be able to track your educational progress. Unfortunately at this time you can't print a report from the web page, but you can summarize your results and share it during your annual review. This will certainly help justify the continuing educational expense line in your budget because you can show how the education is benefiting the facility.

On the other hand, if you have lost your education expense line in your budget or simply have a manager that doesn't realize the importance of continuing education or attendance to the GIS, you can use the Self-Assessment Tool to demonstrate areas where your increased knowledge will have a direct and positive benefit to the facility. Your summary can simply be part of your goals during your review process, giving you an opportunity to explain the value of education and how it will pay dividends in the long run. In today's business world, budgets are getting tighter and more scrutinized. If you can demonstrate that the money will have a direct and positive impact on your course, you should have a much easier time adding dollars back to that education expense line. Some may not be comfortable presenting this to their manager, but if you are, taking a matter like this in your own hands could definitely put you on a track toward success.

Don't forget, as a bonus you will receive .5 education points upon the completion of your self assessment.

Refurbish your ball washers to factory-new condition

One of the great things about my job is meeting superintendents from around the country. As often as I can, I like to stop in and visit superintendents at their facilities. I often see the simple things that superintendents have done to either make their jobs easier or to save money for their clubs.

While I was in Billings last October for the Peaks & Prairies Fall Meeting and Trade Show, I had the opportunity to visit with Sean Sullivan, CGCS from Briarwood Country Club. Sean enjoys traveling, especially to England, Scotland and Ireland to volunteer at the Open Championships. He has gotten to know many superintendents over there and frequently networks with them. Sean was instrumental in setting up a sister chapter relationship between Peaks & Prairies and the BIGGA Chapter, East of England.

In a way to commemorate his relationships with his overseas peers. Sean uses the powder coat process to create custom flags on the ball washers to match the different regions of the UK and Ireland. Now Sean is doing custom orders and will be sending his work overseas!

Sean isn't in the business of selling custom-painted Deluxe Par Aide ball washers, but my point is to demonstrate his creativity and ability to save his course money by setting up his own powder coating operation.  At one of the courses I used to work at we sanded and used automotive paint on the ball washers. As you can imagine this wasn't the safest operation. With powder coating you don’t smell a thing. Sean said this takes a minimal investment. Once you’re set up, it costs an average of $2.25 per ball washer in materials.

The actual powder coat spray gun can be purchased for $129 from Harbor Freight, and he purchases the powder coat online from a company called Eastwood. He gets 5 pounds for $54. They also provide an abundance of colors. Sean says he can normally coat 24 ball washers with that amount. For the oven, he simply put out a request to the membership and within days he had a like-new range for free. After constructing a couple racks to hold the ball washers while coating and baking, he was set to go. Once done, the finish is as beautiful and strong as if it just came from the factory. If your course requires a custom color, then primed ball washers can be purchased through your distributor and you are all set. If you are interested, Sean would be glad to answer any questions. Feel free to contact him at: briarmain@180com.net .

Chapters can be the key to EIFG success

Fall is my favorite time of year. Aside from all the wonderful colors and the hunting and fishing opportunities, it signifies the end of the golfing season. It's a time to look back to determine what worked well and what didn't, and also a time to start preparing next year's budget. This is also the time of year when six of the seven Northwest chapters are having their annual meetings and are selecting new leadership. Chapters are preparing their budgets for the coming year and must decide which programs they are going to support in the coming season.

I am extremely pleased to announce that four NW chapters have decided to create a line item in their budgets to support the Environmental Institute for Golf. I would also like to thank the Intermountain GCSA, Idaho GCSA, and Inland Empire GCSA for pledging $500 in 2013. These funds will provide ongoing support towards educational programs, research, scholarship and advocacy.



At the delegates meeting in October, Rhett Evans, CEO of GCSAA and the EIFG, shared a video about the Institute. This video can also be found on the Institute's website. As much as I would like everyone to go to the site to watch it, I am posting it here for your convenience. Please take a few moments to watch it to familiarize yourself with the roll of the EIFG and consider making an individual donation or even a facility donation. The EIFG is the backbone of our association, and your support can contribute to its ongoing success.

Welcome to your new NW regional page

I am very excited to introduce to you the new Northwest region webpage. I hope you will bookmark this page and check in regularly to see what's happening across the region. My goal is to increase a sense of community across the eight states and seven chapters within our region.

I will be sharing stories from my visits throughout the year and highlighting your fellow members who are making a difference. I hope to hear from you too! If you have a story or any information you believe would be beneficial to your peers, please let me know. In my previous position as the superintendent at Stone Creek Golf Club, I was a frequent blogger on Stonecreeksuper.blogspot.com and am now looking forward to getting back in the swing of it.

This post is to designed to serve as an introduction, but I would also like to get right to business and urge you all to keep Colorado's Tracy Richard in your thoughts. Tracy is superintendent at Common Ground Golf Course in Aurora and is a past president of the RMGCSA. Tracy went into cardiac arrest on September 12th in the midst of the flooding catastrophe. Tracy has been in intensive care since then and has recently been moved to a new hospital to continue his rehabilitation. Tracy's course was completely under water and has now just nine holes open for play. The members of the RMGCSA have come together to support Tracy as well as other members who were affected by the flooding. Tracy's rehabilitation can be followed on the Caring Bridge website at: http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/tracyrichard/mystory. Please visit the page and write a note of encouragement. I know your well wishes would mean the world to him.

Please bookmark this Northwest page and check back regularly for regional updates, resources, forum discussions, and of course, my blog!