Ryan in the Real World

Valentine's Day

2012-02-14T15:57:00.001-08:00

Unfortunately my lady friend became sick yesterday and is not feeling well today either. That did not stop my from giving her some love on Valentine's Day.

On Friday night, I spent the evening cutting out paper hearts to decorate her apartment with. I woke up this morning and put hearts all over her front door, door step, and her vehicle.

I also decided to buy her some roses.

All in all it was a good valentine's day, except that she is sick...

Adios Amigos! and Nepalis!

2011-10-28T20:06:00.000-07:00

Well four months later and our season has come to a close. We blew out the irrigation system this week-- wednesday, thursday, and friday. We let about 20 employees go today. I was surprised that when we told them if they wanted to continue working they could keep coming until the snow flies and only 5 nepalis and 5 amigos took us up on our offer.

During the past four months:
We hosted the Cauldron Cup (a big member guest tournament)
Played a fair amount of golf
Carded a 10.5 handicap a personal best for me
Suffered a "Minor" Traumatic Brain Injury while pounding in T-Posts
Had a great time with my family in Provo/Ogden
Recieved my WNFR Tickets! Can't Wait for Vegas in early December
Had my first authentic Nepali Meal. There was a BIG Nepali festival this week. I gave an employee a ride home today (10/28) after work and when I dropped him off he invited me into his home and they fed me dinner. It was a sort of cabbage wonton i think... it was cabbage and onions wrapped in a "noodle-like" shell served with hot sauce.

So a lot has happened in the last four months. Work at times was difficult, I did not get the best performance review, but I did try my best this summer. I was told that I was too inconsistent in my irrigation adjustments resulting in too many wet and dry spots on the course...................

BUT this morning I asked if I was going to have a job through the winter and into next season and I was told YES!!!!!!!!!!

So tomorrow or sometime next week I will be looking for an apartment and trying to figure out where to live. Wish me luck!

Goodbye for Now, hopefully it will not be another four months

4th of July

2011-07-04T14:31:00.001-07:00

The weather has been getting warmer and we are getting ready for the big men's and women's Member guest tournaments. (The pictures below were taken on June 14 and May 21)

Snow on Memeorial Day Weekend?

2011-05-29T08:07:00.001-07:00

May 21
May 29

It seems like we have been taking two steps forward and one step backwards each week. We will have a few days of great weather, then it will snow. The weather is supposed to be good next week, well from Tuesday to Friday, so hopefully we can continue to improve the playability of the course.

Greetings from Glenwild

2011-05-21T18:25:00.000-07:00

After a week of snow/rain/hail we were finally able to get the crew out and get some work done today. Below are some pictures of the course for your enjoyment.

May 7

May 21

Hole 14

Hole 6

Hole 13

Our Bubble is Bursting

2011-05-09T10:51:00.000-07:00

We had some snow mold on a few of our greens and we decided to try to build a "greenhouse" bubble over the putting surface to help raise soil temperatures to promote growth. The sheet of plastic is 10 mil thick, reinforced with cord, and 50 x 110 ft. We verticut the green, fertilized it, seeded it, topdressed it, and then fertilized it again. We finished the process with 20 minutes of water. WE then pulled the cover over the green and put in a lot of staples to hold it down. We then hooked up a heater/blower to inflate the bubble. The temperature inside was very nice. It is a little humid, but the soil temps are rising and seed should be sprouting in a few days. The thermometer is a little inaccurate due to the direct sunlight adding extra heat. it was not that warm inside. Before and after pictures will be posted soon.

One Month Later

2011-05-09T10:47:00.000-07:00

I have been at Glenwild for one month, and some big changes have taken place! We are set to open today, and it is currently snowing. Hopefully by the end of the week we will have some members outplaying golf and enjoying all our hard work.

April 7

May 7

Glenwild Update

2011-05-04T18:11:00.000-07:00

We are scheduled to open on Monday May 9th. The course is looking better, the snow is almost completely gone and the grass is starting to green up. Here is my pictures for comparison. I did not take one last week, because we had a few snow days.

May 2
April 17

What a difference a week makes

2011-04-17T20:20:00.000-07:00

My dad wanted to see the changes in the course so I decided to take a picture of the course from the same location each week. We had some good and bad weather this week, but a lot of snow melted. We got the snow cleared off almost all of the greens, only the 8th green still has snow on it because it was too deep to remove with the snowblower. Tomorrow is the first day with the new crew so we will start training tomorrow. I think all we will be doing for the next week or so is clean up vole damage. It is supposed to rain tomorrow, so hopefully we can get something accomplished.

April 17 April 7

More Snow in Park City

2011-04-14T18:22:00.000-07:00

We have recently been removing the snow off the greens and the cart paths. The picture below is the 1st green. We have removed the snow off #1, 15, and two putting greens. In some areas the snow hass formed drifts up to 2.5 ft high. We are also clearing off the cart paths so we can get to all the greens. In the pictures below the snow was about 4 feet deep and the walls created by the backhoe were about 6 ft tall. They are forecasting nicer weather for friday and the weekend, so we will be getting all the snow off the course we can in the next few days.

Glenwild

2011-04-07T21:06:00.001-07:00

Today was unofficially my first day of work. I went down to Park City to check in at work and try to locate a place to live. Everyone that I needed to meet with was on vacation so I got the royal tour from the individual that I am replacing. He was a very nice guy and I enjoyed the tour.
I did get a picture of the snow covered course. I think the weather will warm up soon and we will be out working in the near future.

March Madness

2011-03-27T14:40:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures from our trip to Philadelphia, Detroit, Ogden, and finally at home.

At constitution hall where the Declaration of Independence was signed

Enjoying a cheesesteak. Half from Pat's and Half from Geno's

Mike showing William how to do manly things

Dad enjoying a nap at Christina's

A "low-carb" peanut butter and jelly sandwich

Last Day in Jersey

2011-03-18T04:37:00.000-07:00

We have three finals this morning, then we are coming back to our apartment loading up the car and getting on the road. A few days in Detroit, then on to Nebraska, A night with Mike and Judi, and then finally back home!

This has been a great experience. I have made some great friends and learned a lot. Finals have been good and I am excited to see my grades and my name on a Certifiicate

Turf School Day Forty-Three and Forty-Four

2011-03-10T15:54:00.000-08:00

Wednesday was probably one of the worst days we have had all year. The classes were boring and with all of us being excited to get out, we were not in the mood for boring classes. We had an irrigation class about the whole irrigation installation and how to get the membership or ownership to buy into the idea of an irrigation system replacement.
We then had a class about soils and fertilizers. We talked about phosphorus.
We ended the day talking about different spaces in the landscape.

Today we started our day off with a discussion about agronomy. I still do not know what agronomy is, but we talked about the use of perennial ryegrass and kentucky bluegrass and its use on the golf course.
We then had our final landscape plants class. We talked about desert plants and tropical plants.
We ended our day with another soils class in which we talked about potassium and the micro nutrients.

I am very excited to be done. We have two finals tomorrow, and then start the big week of exams on Tuesday

Pine Valley

2011-03-08T15:58:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures of Pine Valley. The 18th back towards the first hole. I do not think the pictures do the course justice. It was designed in the 1910's and built without tractors and other big machinery. The course uses the lay of the land very well. Enjoy!

Turf School Day Forty-Two and Forty-Three

2011-03-08T15:52:00.000-08:00

Monday we spent the day at Pine Valley. It is rated as the 2nd Best course in the United States. It was a neat experience to see such a magnificent course.

This morning we had a landscape management class. We have not had the class since week 2 so it was basically a review of material in preperation for our two final projects.

After our landscape management class we had more class presentations. Today was finally my day to present, and I went a little over the time limit, but it all went very well.

We ended our classes talking about sports field management as a potential future employment opportunity.

3 Days of Classes Left!

Turf School Day Forty-One

2011-03-08T15:48:00.000-08:00

Friday we had our last class with Chris Carson. We had a review for the final exam and talked about what we can do to keep our jobs.
We then had a history of design class in which we discussed more hole designs and safety in design and construction.
Our last class was on putting green construction. I do not really remember what we talked about in the class, but we are not getting tested on the material, so I guess I can forget it.

Turf School Day Forty

2011-03-03T14:43:00.001-08:00

This morning we had 2 lab classes. OUr first lab was an insect identification lab, followed by a calibration lab. During our insect lab we identified turfgrass pests and prepared for our upcoming final exam.
In our calibration lab we talked about how to calibrate a sprayer and how to make big and small changes in the amount of product applied. (these changes can be made by changing speed, pressure, and nozzles)
We ended our day talking about irrigation needs and the possibility of using reclaimed water on our courses. We discussed the amount of water that is needed to flush salts out of the soil profile and how to calculate that amount.
It was our last class meeting with Bingru. Thank you Bingru for all you have taught me.

Turf School Day Thirty-Nine

2011-03-02T14:20:00.000-08:00

Today was our last bunch of classes with Rich Buckley, the Master of the Plant Disease Laboratory. Over the past 20 weeks we have learned about integrated pest management and scouting techniques. He has taught us about several turf diseases and how to prevent and cure them. He taught us about turfgrass insects and how to prevent their damage and kill them if they are creating problems. He taught us about the diseases and insects that harm ornamental plants. The most important stuff he taught us were his priceless life lessons.

Thanks for everything Buckley!

Turf School Day Thirty-Eight

2011-03-01T16:06:00.000-08:00

Our first class of the day was professional development. We talked about what we need to know to become a superintendent. We talked about being able to manage communication lines between both the rich owners and the "less prominent" crew members.

We then had our turf establishment class and our class presentations. The presentations were nice and for our establishment class we worked on a short group project.

Turf school is winding down and I think the teachers are as excited as we are to be done with school.

Turf School Day Thirty-Seven

2011-02-28T15:04:00.001-08:00

This morning we started with an agronomy class. We talked about green speed, what science and our instructor's experience has taught us. We discussed locations for hole locations and how to manage green speed.

We then had our last budgeting class. Today we had a review of our entire year of the class, it was a basic review for the final exam.

We ended our day talking about trees for our landscape plants class. We went over about 20 trees/shrubs.

Greetings from Afar

2011-02-27T09:19:00.000-08:00

This weekend has been great...
Yesterday we went up to the USGA Museum and looked at the exhibits about the history of golf. The had clubs on display from the beginning of the game up to present day and had picture and video displays. It was an enjoyable experience.
When we got back from the museum the bYu game was on and it was exciting to watch the cougars beat up on the aztecs on the road, on national tv, in hd, and to see us play as a team.
After the game, I was able to go to a young single adult fireside with Elder Bednar and Elder Clayton, a president of the seventy. It was a unique meeting. Elder Bednar got up and told us it was not going to be a traditional fireside in which he got up and gave a talk that he would hope would be of benefit to all of us. Instead he got up and told us that the Spirit was here to teach all of us. He knew we all had questions, and he invited us to ask him any question we had. The meeting lasted about 2.5 hours. At the end of the meeting we were given the opportunity to shake their hands.
Today we had an irregular stake conference. Elder Clayton attended our meeting and the first hour was an inspired testimony meeting. The stake president called upon the new patriarch, the mission president and his wife, two missionaries, and his counselours to bear their testimonies. Elder Clayton then had the mission president and his wife talk about families and give advice about how to rear a successful family. Then Elder Clayton talked about trials and enduring to the end.
It was a great weekend to be in New Jersey!

Turf School Day Thirty-Six

2011-02-25T18:13:00.001-08:00

This morning we had our golf course construction class. We talked about developing and implementing our master plans to improve and upgrade the golf course.

We then had our soils class and talked about foliar feeding vs. root feeding.

We ended the day with a discussion about green construction and what type of soil to use in the greens mix and how each different material affects the growth and performance of the creeping bentgrass.

Turf School Day Thirty-Five

2011-02-25T18:11:00.000-08:00

This morning we had another agronomy class. We had a quiz about turf and shade followed by a lecture about plant growth regulators.

We then had our tree identification written and identificatin quizzes.

We ended the day with a class about ornamental grasses.

Turf School Day Thirty-Four

2011-02-24T03:55:00.000-08:00

We started our day off with an irrigation class. Today's lesson was on irrigation installation of the whole course and the benefits of doing it in-house or hiring the job out to a contractor.

We then had our turfgrass insects and ornamental diseases classes. These classes started out very different, but now they are very similar. We learned about chinch bugs and green bugs that suck sap from the turf plant, then we learned about homoptera insects that suck sap from ornamental plants.

So far, my grades have been good. We have three more quizzes this week and that is a relief. I think our whole class is excited for this week to be over.

Turf School Day Thirty-Three

2011-02-22T16:06:00.000-08:00

Turf School, will it ever end?
This morning we started our day off with a budgeting class. We talked about the budget as a planning tool and what we need to do to develop one and how to present it to management. We discussed the cover letter for the budget, and how it is the most important document we will write each year.
We then had another session of class presentations.
We ended the day talking about Nitrogen sources. We discussed slow release and quick release fertilizers and how to implement them into our fertility programs.

Turf School Day Thirty-Two

2011-02-21T13:13:00.000-08:00

This morning we had an agronomy class in which we talked about trees and turfgrass. How they compete for nutrients, water and how the trees are detrimental to the turf health because it blocks sunlight.
We then had an irrigation class that covered pump house construction. We talked about getting permits, pump house size and design, and how to plan the building process.
We ended the day with a soils class. We furthered our discussion on Nitrogen fertilizers. Today we talked about deficiency symptoms, how much fertilizer to apply, and how to determine plant needs.

Turf School Day Thirty-One

2011-02-21T13:09:00.000-08:00

Well today was Friday and Friday is always a great day. We had our golf course construction class in the morning. We talked about tree removal and placement and the importance of trees helping to push the golfers vision towards the golf green.

We then had our soils class and talked about salt affected soils and Nitrogen fertilizers.

We ended the day talking about golf course design history and principles. We discussed the different types of holes and various design strategies.

Turf School Day Thirty

2011-02-17T17:41:00.001-08:00

This morning we had an agronomy quiz. After the quiz we talked about bentgrass greens renovations...again. It was the exact same lecture we had last week.

We then had a class about calibrating drop and broadcast spreaders.

We ended the day with a lab about insects. We had an assignment about nematodes and white grubs.

This afternoon I had an interview with a golf course in Lewiston. I think it went very well, and it seems like a good opportunity.

Turf School Day Twenty-Nine

2011-02-16T17:33:00.001-08:00

This morning we had our irrigation class. We talked about irrigation uniformity by design. There are two ways of designing a system, a square layout and a triangular layout. In a square layout the sprinkler are laid out in a square, while in a triangular layout they are offset to form several triangles. The triangular layout is more efficient, but it is harder to design.

We then had our insect class and we talked about nematodes. Nematodes or 'todes are clear unsegmented microscopic worms that live in the soil. Some cause problems in plants and some do not. we talked about their damage and how to kill/control them.

We then had a class on diseases of ornamentals. We talked about rusts and mites. Rusts are diseases that live part of the year on two different plants. Without both plants they cannot complete their full life cycle.

Turf School Day Twenty-Eight

2011-02-15T12:34:00.000-08:00

Well today was really not an interesting day. We had our landscape plants and ornamental grasses classes today. We reviewed our plant lists then went out and looked at trees in the Rutgers Gardens.

After lunch we had our soils class and we talked about salt affected soils and how to deal with salt problems.

Class seems to be dragging on at the moment. I have not heard annything back about the job at Ridgecrest, and I have an interview with a course in Lewiston, Idaho on Thursday. I am not too interested in moving to Lewiston, but we will see what happens.

Turf School Day Twenty-Seven

2011-02-14T12:36:00.000-08:00

Today has been a great day. We woke up and it was warm outside, then the sun came up and it has been sunny and warm.

We started our last half of school today. Our first class after our break was a budgeting class. We talked about how to deal with problems. How it is important to gather as much information as possible about the problem, then make a list of possible solutions and their costs. Once information is gathered and solutions are thought out, the problem should be brought before the boss/owner of the golf course. The information about the problem is explained followed by possible solutions.

We then had our final examination in our case studies class. I finished my first class with a 100% on the final.

We ended our day talking about stress physiology. We had a lecture on irrigation timing and how much water is needed for a golf course in an entire year. We talked about how to calculate the amount of water needed and how often water needs to be applied.

Turf School Day Twenty-Six

2011-02-09T15:21:00.000-08:00

Today was a short day and the last day before our mid-semester break. We had quizzes in our insects and disease classes. The teacher was excited to get out for an early weekend, just like we were so we flew through the lecture material and got out early.
I left for the airport a few hours early today so that I could walk around New York City. I walked for a few blocks, but it was cold and windy so I quickly headed for the train toward the airport.
I am excited for a few days off and conversations that have nothing to do with golf or golf courses.

Turf School Day Twenty-Five

2011-02-08T12:31:00.000-08:00

Today we started our classes off with landscape plants. We discussed more evergreen trees and shrubs. At this point in the semester, I think the majority of our class is sick of learning about trees.

We then had another round of class presentations.

We ended the day talking about turf establishment again and discussed the use of sod. We talked about several questions that should be asked before making a large sod purchase to ensure you are getting a quality product.

Turf School Day Twenty-Four

2011-02-07T11:42:00.000-08:00

This morning we had a class on turfgrass insects. We discussed "white grubs". White grubs are the larvae of several different species of beetles. The grubs are a creamy white color with a brown head. They can be identified by a raster pattern, which is the different patterns of hairs on their butt. They also have different shaped butt cracks.

We then had our class presentations about our summer experiences. I do not have to give mine until March 8th, so I have been enjoying listening to the other members of our class.

We ended the day with a quiz in turfgrass establishment. The quiz covered seeding rates, starter fertilizers, fertilizer costs, and seeding practices. The quiz was not too difficult, I think I got 34/35 points.

Turf School Day Twenty-Three

2011-02-05T14:33:00.000-08:00

Today we had a mid-term quiz in our construction class. The quiz was at the end of the class and during the class period we talked about growing in and reshaping putting greens. We discussed methods of reshaping the green with out taking the characacter away from the original design of the green. the idea is you basically build up the entire green six inches and then lower the back of the green and raise the front of the green... the end result is a softened back to front slope.

In the afternoon we had our second round of case study presentations. It was very laid back just listening to our classmates give their short presentations.

I am glad it is the weekend, and am getting excited for my trip out to Utah to see my family.

Turf School Day Twenty-Two

2011-02-03T14:50:00.000-08:00

Today was crazy! We had a "snow" day yesterday so today we had to make up several lectures worth of class in two periods. We had three quizzes this morning followed by three lectures about tree borers... class was boring, filled with a lot of information that was similar.

After lunch we had our soils class. Todays lecture was on the pH of soils. We talked about what factors affect pH and how we as turf managers can raise or lower the pH. This is important information, unfortunately it cannot be presented in a more exciting manner.

In other news, today was my interview at Ridgecrest Golf Course in Nampa, Idaho. I set the interview up last week, and I had discussed the idea of traveling out to Boise for a face to face interview. An hour after the first call, they called back and said I could do the interview over the phone. So today at 3:30 I gave my best attempt at answering questions the right way in order to get my next job. I think I did a good job and the interviewer thought I did as well. I hope it all works out and I should know by the end of next week.

Turf School Day Twenty-One

2011-02-02T17:43:00.000-08:00

Today our class was cancelled due to the HUGE storm that was traveling across the U.S. When we woke up this morning, we were only supposed to have a delayed start. Then it all was cancelled due to abour .25" of ice on the ground. We went out for lunch at 12:00 and the roads were clear and the ice was melted. Basically it was a wasted day that we will have to make up later in the year.

It was a unproductive day!

Turf School Day Nineteen and Twenty

2011-02-01T13:51:00.000-08:00

I purposely did not post yesterday, because we were going to have the exct same classes today. We had our "groundhog day" early.

We had our budgeting, professional development, and agronomy classes yesterday and today.

In our budgeting class we talked about chemical budgets and how to determine and schedule fungicide use. We discussed what goes into making our plans to spray and how we schedule based on one major event in the summer. For example, if we have a week long tournament, we will need to prepare for that event. We would start our schedule around preparing for that week.

In our professional development class we talked about setting goals and what qualifies us to become a superintendent.

Our agronomy class was 3 hours worth of bentgrass: velvet, colonial, and creeping. We also talked about bentgrass maintenance in hot climates. That class is SO exciting!

Turf School Day Eighteen

2011-01-30T14:22:00.000-08:00

Friday we had our construction and greens construction classes and they were very similar. IN both classes we discussed the differences and benefits of USGA and California Style greens proflies. Our construction teacher likes the California Style and the greens construction teacher/soils fertility teacher prefers the USGA Style.
We had our discussion in class about it and I came to the conclusion that both are good. The greens profile styles were developed by different colleges across the country and the schools in California that recieved grants develop an all sand profile. I think it might be that Californians have the perception that they need to develop something for hemselves. Just like how random things can cause cancer, in California...
We ended the day talking about soil chemistry. It was a very indepth lecture, that was a little over the top. I thought it could have been simplified in order to get the point across.

The end of the day I drove down to Trenton/Philadelphia to see Ryan Applonie. We went out for some pizza and had a good evening together.

Turf School Day Sixteen and Seventeen

2011-01-27T14:11:00.000-08:00

Day 16:
Yesterday morning we woke up to a winter wonderland. It had just started to snow, so when we got to class our teacher was a little late. Something to do with people from New Jersey not being able to drive in the snow....
Well our first class on irrigation. We talked about setting up a system and how back in the day the systems ran down the middle of the fairway and were set up to use quick couplers to irrigate at night. We talked about the problems with converting there old systems to new systems without replacing the whole system. It was kind of pointless because none of us work at courses that are that old.
We then flew through two insect lectures so we could get out before the nor-easter got into town. We talked about billbugs and annual bluegrass weevils. We discussed their destruction tactics and how we as managers of turf can control them and prevent their destruction.

Day 17:
Class was cancelled today. I did a little bit of homework and shoveled some snow with the owner of the house.

We got about 8-10 inches of snow from the storm.

Turf School Day Fifteen

2011-01-25T19:03:00.001-08:00

Another day in the concrete jungle. That is how I feel at times. Today we had class at the Cook Campus Center. It kind of makes it feel like we are going to a college, being around the full-time students.
This morning we started our day off learning about fir and spruce trees. After we learned about 12 new trees, we took a short walk around to look at a few of the trees in the wild.
We then had several presentations by classmates about their summer experiences. It was enjoyable to listen to a few of the guys talk about theri experiences and to see their courses.
We ended the class talking about starter fertilizer blends and how much fertilizer needs to be applied to different areas and at what frequencies.

Well I have not heard from any of the courses I applied to in Boise. I have an interview coming up with a course here in New Jersey. It is supposed to be a nice course, the 5th best in the state, but it is not a "big" name course. I also applied to the Lewiston Golf and Country Club for an assistant superintendent position. I am trying to get some interviews so I have a few options when I get out of school.

Happy Birthday Judi! I know it is tomorrow, I hope you have a great day.

I am excited for the BIGGEST game in bYu basketball history. I hope we can shut down the aztecs and send them back to california as losers.

Turf School Day Fourteen

2011-01-24T16:06:00.000-08:00

We started our day this morning with a quiz in agronomy. The quiz covered the topic we discussed last class which was the history of golf at St. Andrews in Scotland. We then had a boring lecture about fine and tall fescues. Not a very interesting topic, when it is discussed at length.
Our next class was equally captivating. We had an in depth discussion about the rules of golf and how they affect setting up a course for a tournament. We talked about why a hazard would be marked as a water hazard as opposed to a lateral hazard. It was SO exciting.
WE ended our day with a new class, Professional Development. We talked about how to get a job as a superintendent and what type of course we want to be at. I think this class is very interesting. We discussed reasons for taking a job, what qualifies or disqualifies certain candidates, and what we can do now to prepare for our future "dream job". I thought the most interesting topic discussed was about our current job and whether or not that job would prepare us for where we want to end up. This is relevant to my situation, since I am looking for a job at teh moment and need to think not only about finding a job, but finding one that will help me reach my future goals.
So I am going back to the drawing board to think and reflect on my future goals and what I need to do to reach them. I talked to Fred Harsh, from Thanksgiving Pt. about some possible people to work for, people who can help me take the next step in my career.

I hope all is well for everyone. Please update your blogs! it only takes a few minutes

Turf School Day Thirteen

2011-01-22T17:19:00.000-08:00

Today was Friday. We had our construction class and we learned a little bit more about cart paths and building retaining walls.

After our construction class we had our case study presentations. We had split into groups and were given assignments in a previous class, and this class we had to give a 10-15 minute presentation about our problem and the solutions we came up with. Our presentation was on white grubs and their control. Our presentation lasted about 12 minutes, then cam the questions and we ended up going back to our seats after 40 minutes.

I took 3 quizzes this week and got 3 9/10's.
This next week we have a whole bunch of quizzes, so it will be fun listening to everyone complain about how horrible the week is going to be.

Turf School Day Eleven and Twelve

2011-01-20T19:03:00.000-08:00

The past two days have been good. Wednesday we had our first rounds of quizzes in two of our harder classes. I do not know how I faired, but I think it went ok. After our quizzes we learned the insect orders and about wilts and bacterial blights of trees and ornamental plants.
Today we had two of our last "new" classes. We had an agronomy class, in which we discussed the history of golf at St. Andrews and after that we had a lab to help us with our insect learning. We will eventually be required to identify insects by looking at them through a microscope. It is not going to be fun, but in the end we will learn something.

Well I am excited for the upcoming weekend, mostly to see if the Jets or the Steelers will win. There are about 5 die-hard fans of each team in our class, so come Monday someone in the class will be really excited.

Thanks for reading, sorry for the missed day. I hope you all have an enjoyable evening

Turf School Day Ten

2011-01-18T18:22:00.000-08:00

I think that means we are 20% done, but who is counting?
Today we had our budget class. We talked about the expectations of our courses and how we manage both the expectations of the members and the conditions that we can/should provide. Sometimes what the players want, is not healthy for the turf. It is a constant struggle and juggling act to make it all work.
We then had our classes on turfgrass maintenance and establishment. The only thing I can remember about both of those classes was different seeding rates for establishing new turf. I must have not been paying too uch attention today.

The Job Hunt

2011-01-17T13:11:00.000-08:00

I applied for an Assistant Superintendent position last week at Ridgecrest Golf Course in Nampa, Idaho. The application deadline is Friday of this week, so I hope to hear something from them soon. I am going to wait to apply to other jobs until I hear, at least initially, from Ridgecrest. I have my eye on a position in Sammamish, Washington and am going to contact a course in Scottsdale, Arizona. I thought and considered just being a crew member of a course in the Boise area, but after all this schooling, I want to try to get a management position or at least one that pays better then a regular crew member. I am also looking to go to a course that offers some benefits--insurance, vacation time, etc.

I will keep everyone posted when I know what is going on. I do know that I will be heading west of the rocky mountains in about 2 months!

Turf School Day Nine

2011-01-17T13:02:00.000-08:00

Today we had a quiz in our soils class. It was very easy and was basically a review from last year. We then talked about the nutrients that are required for plant growth and their availability in the soil.
We had a new class today about putting green construction. The teacher told us there will be no tests for the class as long as we all show up. He wanted to eliminate tests so we would enjoy the class. We talked about the usga specifications for a putting green compared to the "california" style. They differ in the amount of organic matter in the root zone and the presence of gravel beneath the sand. The usga has organic matter in the sand mix and it is spread over gravel. The California style has no organic matter in the mix to allow for the flushing of the greens. Greens are flushed periodically to remove unwanted chemicals and minerals from the green.
We finished the day discussing stress physiology. Our lecture was on winter damage. we talked about what can be done to prevent winter damage: topdress the greens with sand, cover the greens with tarps, remove snow. It should have been interesting material since it is applicable to our region of the country, but it was very boring. I think it is not interesting, because the teacher is very hard to understand.

Turf School Day Eight

2011-01-14T12:16:00.000-08:00

Today we in our construction class we talked about cart paths and how to use them on the golf course. We discussed the need to control cart traffic and how if you add a gentle turn that goes for 65-70 feet it will allow carts to go off the path at various points in the turn and will disperse enought traffic that quality turf can be maintained along the edge of the path. We also talked about planting tall fescue along the path because it will be able to stand up to the traffic.
We also had a double dose of landscape design today. We talked about the use of different colors and how some colors can compliment, and the use of too many colors looks ugly and can take away from the beauty of the landscape. After our discussion we went over a plant list to give us ideas of how to add sequence of color to our landscape for our projects. We talked about using plants the have blooms and other features throughout the year and their use to add beauty all year long.

Turf School Day Seven

2011-01-13T12:39:00.001-08:00

We started the day learning about the principles of landscape design. There are 5 principles we discussed then we looked at photographs depicting each principle. The principles are: simplicity, scale, sequence, balance, and focalization. The idea behind simplicity is that the design does not need to be over planned or planted. If you need to plant 50 plants you do not need to plant 50 different types of plants. you can choose 10 plants you like and plant 5 of each plant you like. The idea behind scale is to use plants that will fit into the space that is being designed. Sequence refers to how a person moves--both physically and by visually--through the landscape as well as choosing plants that have variety and sequence of colors during the year. Balance is planting equal amounts of plants on each side of a house or other focal point. The focalization is the idea that every landscape has a focal point and the plants should draw attention to that point not distract from it.
Due to the snow day yesterday, our schedule for the afternoon was completely changed. This afternoon we had an unscheduled class on the introduction to insects and a class about diseases on trees.
Both classes were very basic and covered a lot of information that the teacher kept telling us was not important, but it will make sense to us when we begin using the study guides he posted online.

Turf School Day Six

2011-01-12T18:42:00.000-08:00

Today was a snow day. It is very hard to get motivated to study when our schedule gets screwed up due to weather. We were supposed to have quizzes today, and since we learned school was cancelled yesterday, we did not study last night and it has been hard to get anything done today.
I was able to work on my summer experience paper and I got a start on my presentation. Soon I will have to focus and get ready for the upcoming quizzes, but that will probably not be today.

Turf School Day Five

2011-01-11T20:32:00.000-08:00

Today we began the day with a review of last years landscape design course. It was a refressher to connect last years class with this years content. Last year we discussed the function of plants. This year we are working on our creativity to merge function of the plant to the specific site.
We then had a class about turfgrass maintenance. In this class we have to write a report about our summer and give a presentation about what we accomplished. The class was spent discussing the presentations, and the teacher shared a couple of last years presentations with us.
We ended the day with a turfgrass establishment class. We talked about the type of soil that should be used for establishment of a putting green. We were split into groups to come up with our own plan to develop specs for a putting green.

Turf School Day Four

2011-01-10T14:05:00.000-08:00

Today was our first Monday of class. We survived the weekend that was filled with watching playoff football.
Today we had our irrigation class. We talked about the pressure of the irrigation system and what it is affected by. We talked about static and dynamic pressure. Static pressure is the amount of pressure in the system when it is not in use. Dynamic pressure is the amount of pressure the system has when it is in use. Dynamic pressure is affected by elevation, how far the water has to travel, and friction loss in the pipe.
After our irrigation class we had our introduction to soils 2. This class is going to be very informative. In place of a final exam we will need to develop a fertility program for our future course.
We ended the day with our stress physiology course. We discussed Summer Bentgrass Decline and what we as turf managers can do to improve turf quality during the heat of the summer.

Turf School Day Three

2011-01-07T21:14:00.000-08:00

Friday is always a good day in turf school. Today we had class with Golf Course Architect Stephen Kay. We had two classes together, the first was Golf Course Construction II and the second was History of Golf Course Design. Both of the classes were very enjoyable.
Our third class was Ornamental Plant Pathogens. We talked about viruses and bacteria and how to prevent/cure them in planting situations. We discussed problems on herbacious flowers and other plant material.

Turf School Day Two

2011-01-06T12:52:00.000-08:00

Today was our first full day. We started the day with Landscape Plants and Ornamental Grasses. The Landscape Plants class covered and will continue to cover evergreen trees and shrubs. The Ornamental Grasses class covered 20 different Ornamental Grasses. It is going to be a short course with an identification quiz and a written final.
After lunch we had our introduction to our Case Study class. We got into groups and each group was given a topic to research and present in the coming weeks.

Back to School

2011-01-05T13:00:00.001-08:00

Well today was our first day back at class in the Rutgers Two Year Turf Management Program. We started the day off with a short orientation meeting, followed by two classes.
Our first class of year two was on budgeting. We discussed what a budget was. It is a plan for the year. We also examined a few budgets and talked about what you can conclude by looking at them. How the budget varience (both under and over) allows for interpretation on different situations that may have been present during the past years.
Our second class of the day was on irrigation. We discussed sources for irrigation water and how to determine if a source is suitable. The source should be sufficient in quantity, quality, and cost. We also examined methods to determine how much water is required to meet the needs of the plant, based on evapotranspiration. Evapotranspiration is effected by sunlight, temperature, humidity, and wind.
It was a good first day, and should be a good term. We gained two new classmates, they attended the Fall 2009 session and are finishing with us... and we lost three of our classmates

Selling food and interviewing for Jobs

2010-11-17T19:08:00.000-08:00

Well it has been two months since my last post and a lot has changed...

First, of all I am singing in the Hymns of Thanksgiving with my dad.

Second, I am becoming a proficient salesman in the food storage industry.

Third, I got a few scholarships for college.

Fourth, I have had two interviews with the Northern California Golf Association for a position in a superintendent training porgram. The interview was for a position at Cypress Point in Monterey California. Cypress Point is rated as the fourth best course in the United States by Golf Digest.

Now that you know what is going on, I will put up some pictures of my adventures.

This last picture I took tonight at Grandma's House. She was hosting the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers get together at her house. She broke out the "fine" china and nice silverware for the gathering. She also made some delicious pumpkin cheesecake... I had a piece, but I used a normal plate and normal fork.

Monthly Update:

2010-09-08T17:22:00.000-07:00

Well it has been about 1.5 months since my last post, and since my dad told me to update the blog, i will.

There has not been too much going on lately. The high points have been traveling to Columbia, SC to see a football game, Lisa and Ryan, and watching the bYu game.

Here are some pictures from work. The quality is poor, because I took the pictures with my cell phone. Below each picture is a description of what is shown.

This is a picture of the 5th green. We lost about 45% of the turf on the green due to the bacterial wilt. About 2 weeks ago we aerified the greens, the dimple tined them, then seeded them, then topdressed them, then seeded them again, then sliced them with a sand pro, and finally we fertilized the greens and started to apply large amounts of water... 3 minutes per sprinkler each hour.

This photo show how bad the 13th green is. This picture was taken about one week after the seeding process.
This photo was taken the night of the first mowing of the recently seeded greens. The picture was taken to show what is suspected to be the bacterial wilt still active on the greens. There are areas like this on several greens. We had the tedious seeding process, but we DID NOT do anything to take care of or kill the bacteria in the soil. Hopefully the greens grow in and survive until the tournament next year.
My roommate Chris, he was really excited to be mowing the greens again at night. We stopped mowing them for about 2 weeks while they were growing in. This was the first cut on the 7th green.

This is the first cut on the 1st green. I mowed this green for the first time at .240".

This is the wet spot I mowed yesterday and received a "double bogey" for my damage. The worst spot is in the bottom of the photo and it is of green sand we threw out to cover the "sludge" that rose to the surface because I mowed over the area.

One Tough Decision

2010-07-31T12:40:00.000-07:00

I had recently applied for a job at TPC Summerlin, in west Las Vegas. I got a call on saturday afternoon for an interview. During the interview I was told how they had narrowed the candidates to two people. They were including me and enlarging it to three people.
The job sounded great, the pay was great, the course was great, the boss was great, but the schedule was not great. I would work from Thursday to Monday every week....8 hours on Saturday and 8 hours on Sunday. I tried to get every other weekend off or get the Sunday Shift shortened, but no luck.
So I researched church schedules in the area and found a single's ward that met at 1:30, I thought this would work out great. I was later offered the position and verbally accepted. After accepting the position, someting did not feel right. I thought about missing church, or only making it to part of church each Sunday and decided I needed to practice what I had been taught all my life. I decided to decline the job. I now feel good about this decision.

Acidiovorax catalina...aka Bacterial Wilt...

2010-07-25T08:40:00.000-07:00

We have been dealing with an extremely rare case of bacterial wilt on our greens. I remember when we first started seeing symptoms of the problem. It was around the time we thought our applications of primo were wearing off and the plant was exhibiting vigorous growth as the chemical degraded. Primo is a plant growth regulator that slows vertical plant growth. We have had professors from Michigan State, Clemson, and NC State (possibly other schools as well) visit. We have had visits from Paul Latshaw Sr. (he is a very prominent superintendent). We have sent samples to Rutgers, Michigan State, and Colorado State; all coming back confirming that it is a bacterial wilt problem. The only downside is no one has any proven recommendations as to what we can do to solve the problem.

You can see the turf elongating in this photo, this was the very early stages of the problem

So basically we have been mowing the greens every other night to reduce mowing stress. We have raised the height of cut from .110" during the tournament with green speeds near 12.5', to .125" after the tournament with green speeds near 10.5' to .145" with green speeds near 9.0' and now we have just raised the height from .150" to .155" with green speeds near 7.0'. Along with our mowing at night and frequent syringing, we have been spraying the greens with different experimental chemicals. We have different test plots on nearly every green. We have done so many sprays with different products, I do not even know what has worked and what has not.
Here is one of the test plots on the chipping green

What the bacteria does: The bacteria lives inside the plant. It is thought to enter the plant when the blade is cut with a mower. When inspected under a microscope, the bacteria streams out of the xylem with like a "fire hose". The bacteria causes the plant to elongate. We would then mow the elongated plant causing the plant to be scalped. The scalped turf would be put under increased stress causing root reserves to be spent to aid turf recovery. Currently we have very short roots. There are areas on the edges of the greens where the mower has caused severe scalping. In these areas turf has been lost and the areas are filling in with algae and the bermuda grass is intruding. I have read on the internet, the problem will persist until day temperatures return to mid 70's.

"Rod Shaped" bacteria fill the veins in the plant

"Rod Shaped" bacteria exiting the plant

The plant is etiolated- thinning and elongating
You can see how the turf is elongated in this photo

Bermuda intrusion on the edge of the green

You can see how the turf is deteriorating here in the clean-up pass on the green

The best solution to the problem would be to rebuild the greens. The soil needs to be replaced, becasue we think it is a soil-bourne problem-simply re-sodding the areas would not help. I think we will try to continue to overseed the greens to get more bentgrass to grow. I would like to see the greens next spring to see what they do to get them in shape for the tournament.

We tried to plug the bad areas out of the green, but the bacteria infected the plugs and killed them rather quickly

Hot and Humid... This place never lets up

2010-06-27T16:36:00.000-07:00

Working on the golf course has been very interesting lately. We have a rare bacterial infection in the greens. It forms inside the veins of the plant and causes the leaves to thin and elongate. The elongated leaves then turn chlorotic (yellow) and shortly after die. The dying leaves result in weak, thin turf. Symptoms can be observed on every green, but the 4th, 8th, 10th, and 13th appear to be the worst greens. Friday night I had to go in and turn on the fans and was able to take a few pictures of the tenth green.

The thin turf is being invaded by algal growth. This is not just happening in the bacteria infested areas but also in old ballmarks. I think that the problem is caused by the amount of water we put on the greens. To cool the greens we apply small quantities of water, called syringing. We due this when soil temperatures reach a certain level to prevent the turf from becoming overly stressed. During the heat wave we have been experiencing, the greens have been syringed 2 to 3 times a day and watered at night. I also believe we are not using high quality irrigation water. The water has a horrible smell. It almost smells like it is coming from a swamp.

The heat, humidity, and the quantity of water being applied to the course is making for interesting playing conditions.

Happy Father's Day Dad

2010-06-20T17:46:00.000-07:00

Dad I just wanted you to know that I love you and was thinking about you today. I am glad you called last night, because We haven't been able to talk today. Again I love you and can't wait to see you again!

Sleepless in Seattle?

2010-06-01T16:14:00.001-07:00

Well I will not be sleepless in seattle. I got an email yesterday informing me that I was high on the list, but they went with an inside hire!

Greetings

2010-05-29T09:10:00.000-07:00

Well life in Charlotte has been pretty ho-hum. We finished scalping out the course this week and have been going around re-spraying any areas that we missed to remove the ryegrass. Next week we will be starting the aerification process. I am not sure how much we will do, or how long it will take, but we are closed Tuesday and Wednesday to get the process started.
We had a huge thunderstorm last night. There was a bolt of lightning that appeared about 15 feet from our back door. It was bright and loud. We received about 1.5 inches of rain with the storm. The weather has been really nice we wake up to mid 60's and it gets up to mid 80's in the afternoon. I am not sure how humid it gets, % wise, but I have never sweated so much in my life.
Overall life is good. I had a meeting with the boss yesterday about our intern project and he actually told me that I was doing a good job!!! It was amazing. It was the first REAL feedback I have received from him all summer. It is always good to know that you are doing what is right and to be appreciated!

Seattle?

2010-05-13T22:20:00.000-07:00

I had a job interview for a position in Seattle, Washington. It is for a 2nd Assistant position. I am not sure how great I was on the phone, but I think I answered all their questions to their liking and to the best of my ability. I will know by the end of next week if I go the job or not.
The course is a 36 hole facility and I would be overseeing the maintenance of the practice area, short game area, 18 hole putting course, and the clubhouse grounds. It seems like a great opportunity.
The name of the course is the Golf Club at Newcastle. Feel free to google it

still no word from vegas, hopefully I will interview with them soon as well

Tournament Photos

2010-05-04T17:02:00.001-07:00

Here are the promised pictures...

Phil Mickelson on the 17th, Rory McLlroy was putting on the 18th
17 and 18 from across the pond

5th hole

17th Green from the tv tower

All the mower set up in the morning ready to go. We arrived each morning at 3 and work started at 5

12th hole

Fairway units on the 15th

Restraun/Bar built on the 8th hole

Mowing 2nd green at 5 am

Fairway units on the 18th hole. (I am right of center)

Spraying the nursery green

5th hole

4th Hole

North Carolina Happenings

2010-04-20T02:33:00.000-07:00

We are currently getting ready for the tournament. The greens are in "good" shape and we are working hard to get all the minor finishing touches on the course.
Starting next week we will be working from 2:45 or 3:00 am until dark. We will not be working the entire time, but we are required to stay at the course during the tournament.
The week after the tournament we are having the 5oth anniversary of the club and they want "tournament" conditions for the entire week. It probably is not a good idea to continue to maintain those turf conditions, but what the members want they get.

I Did it MOM!!!

2010-04-15T13:31:00.000-07:00

I finally broke down after a lot of grief from mom and my roommate...

My Birthday

2010-04-10T09:19:00.000-07:00

Well I turned 25 today. It has been a pretty good day. I had to work this morning and then when we were getting ready to leave they told us(me and my two house mates) that we needed to come back in at 2:00 to water some weak turf areas that were recently seeded. So the majority of my birthday will be spent at the golf course. Thank you everyone for the gifts and birthday wishes. Mom and Dad: I got your card, Mike and Judi: I got the cookies, Alison: I got the shirts... Christina and Lisa: I hope to get your card later today or Monday. Thanks again. I love all of you and miss you too!

A Quick Update

2010-04-04T17:25:00.001-07:00

Well things are going well in North Carolina. I only worked 50 hours last week, but since the Master's is this week we have three weeks before our tournament. The "intern coordinator" cam over today for his weekly apartment check and he informed me that things were going to pick up very soon. I think he was right, because through 2 days, I already have worked 15 hours this pay period.
I enjoyed watching conference this weekend and am excited to listen/read the messages again soon. A great birthday gift would be the conference edition of the Ensign. I also could use some gift cards. There are a few things I need to get for the summer, so Wal-Mart or Target gift cards would be great.

Hope everyone is well and had a great Conference/Easter weekend

Work and My Address

2010-03-25T09:28:00.000-07:00

Well work has been crazy. In 3 days I worked 33 hours. We all had been working too much so today we had a half day. The pay period ends today and I earned 39.5 hours.
Thus far my duties have included: spot spraying weeds in pine straw beds, mowing greens, mowing tees, walk mowing a fairway, mowing "2 pass" around the greens, spreading "starter" fertilizer around greens, and blowing grass clippings from the rough.
Yesterday as I was mowing the fairway, I spotted a disease, I think it was yellow patch, the boss said it is fusarium blight or pink snow mold. This was the first time I felt like my education was worth while.

My new address is: 1910 Sharon Oaks Lane Apt #304 Charlotte, North Carolina 28210

Home Sweet Home

2010-03-21T11:23:00.001-07:00

I made it to Charlotte, NC at 12:30 this afternoon. I am living with Mike Stanton, one of the guys I went to Rutgers with. We live about one mile from the golf course in a really nice three bedroom apartment. I will be sharing a room with another guy, but for the time being I have my own room. We (Mike and I) start work tomorrow morning. The trip down from New Jersey to North Carolina was fairly uneventful. It was interesting to see the evidence of spring as I drove further south. Here in Charlotte some of the trees have bloomed, but for the most part the trees remain dormant. It is currently raining, but it is a nice, warm, spring rain.

Nice television, probably at least 32"

Nice kitchen, stocked with everything??? well at least a fridge full of beer...
Shared bedroom, my roommate is not here yet

Nice walk-in closet

Bathroom

Turf School Day Forty-Seven a.k.a FINALS WEEK-Day Four and Closing Celebration

2010-03-19T09:54:00.000-07:00

Today was our last day of turf school. We had our construction, surveying, and soils exams. I feel that my studying last night and discussing concepts with Jeff paid off and I understood all the material we covered.

After our finals we had a luncheon and sat around talking and saying our farewells. It is going to be an exciting summer and it is going to be good to get together again in a year to discuss our various work experiences.

I am now headed off to Covington, Va!!!

I will post my grades as soon as I know how I did.

Turf School Day Forty-Six a.k.a FINALS WEEK-Day Three

2010-03-18T13:03:00.000-07:00

This morning we had our finals for both our tree identification class and our weed management class. On the tree id portion of the exam I missed one tree out of ten. I think I did alright on the written portion of the tree class.
The weed identification was another story. The test had 20 true or false questions, but if the statement was false we had to correct it and make it read true. I think I did fine on this exam as well, but only time will tell.

Tomorrow I will not have a chance to blog, but we have a final in our construction and surveying class followed by a final for our soils class. After our finals we will be having a little luncheon and then I will be heading to Covington, Va to stay with a family from my mission. I am planning on staying Friday and Saturday night, then attending church on Sunday and heading down to Charlotte, NC after church.

Thank you everyone for following me through my adventure at Rutgers. More posts will follow when I arrive in Charlotte

Turf School Day Forty-Five a.k.a FINALS WEEK-Day Two

2010-03-17T18:19:00.000-07:00

Day two of finals week went fairly well. I focused most of my time and attention on the material for our Pest Management class and did VERY well on the exam. I woke up early this morning to get some study time for the other exams we were going to have. I felt good about the information for our irrigation final and we had a review before the exam which really helped. I then looked over the material for our landscape management final and our plant hormone final.
You would think that having a major in landscape management the class would be really easy, but i have my worst grades in that class. The teacher asks true and false questions that could be both true and false. Then he grades them and does not give them back to us to look over, so I do not have the opportunity to argue my answers. At the beginning of the year he was my favorite teacher, but now he is my least favorite teacher. After our landscape management final we were given our plant hormone final. I have no idea how I did on this test either. I tried to learn the material, but what I comprehended from the powerpoint slides we were given was very different from the test.

Results from day two: 2 A's and 2 B or C's

Turf School Day Forty-Four a.k.a FINALS WEEK-Day One

2010-03-16T14:39:00.000-07:00

Today was our first day of finals. We had our turfgrass management final and our turfgrass disease final. They were both relatively easy thanks to my knowledge and the study guide I put together.
My predictions for today's exams: two A's.

Now I am back to studying for more tests tomorrow.

Turf School Day Forty-Three and Quick Trip to Michigan

2010-03-14T19:59:00.000-07:00

Friday was our last day of classes. It was a great last day. We had 2 quizzes, and the day was cut short due to rain.

After class I went to the airport to fly to Michigan to surprise my sister, Christina, as a belated birthday gift and for Kyla's baby blessing.

It was a great trip and the baby is precious!!! I had a great time with my family, and can't wait until we all can get together again.

Turf School Day Forty-Two

2010-03-12T04:02:00.000-08:00

We started out our day with a landscape plants class. We learned about some shrubs that can be added to the landscape that will be easy to maintain and add beauty to the site.
We then had our weed management class. In groups of two, our whole class gave short presentations about herbicides and their uses. It took the entire class to give the presentations and I do not think we got graded or will receive a grade for the presentation. I wish we would have received a grade, it is one of my worst classes and we only have a quiz and a final. Hopefully I can improve my grade through my final exam grade.
About half of our class took off at lunch time, because they did not want to have to sit through another botany lecture with Dr. Tom. His lectures are very boring, but today we had a review for the final. It made it worth the boredom.

Turf School Day Forty-One

2010-03-11T04:18:00.000-08:00

We started our day with our botany final. The final was scheduled for next wednesday, but we were supposed to take all the tests (3) for the classes taught by that instructor in a 2 hour time period. We discussed it with him during class and he told us we could vote on taking the final early and we did. I think I did fairly well on the exam. Since I have been here at Rutgers I have really been working hard to get good grades, and it is aggravating when I screw up. I was talking with a friend about it, he is probably the top student, and he told me he treated class like a contest against himself. He wanted to exceed his expectations all the time.
After our botany final we had a landacape management class in which we discussed planting trees and making planting beds. We also discussed proper pruning techniques and why pruning trees is necessary.
Our last class was an irrigation presentation put on by a TORO supplier. He came down from Long Island and taught us about how a sprinkler works. It was interesting to see cut-away sprinklers to see exactly how the pressure changes in the head to both turn on and off the water.

Turf School Day Forty

2010-03-10T05:08:00.000-08:00

We started out our day with another botany class. This was not the boring class about hormones, it was about the plants ability to survive through stressful times.
We had another final today, this time in our disease laboratory. I did well, I think I only missed one question. I might get the question marked right because they do not grade too strictly and the answer was about 80% correct.
We ended our regular day with a turf maintenance class. We talked about the use of growth regulators, which is the same thing that we talk about in our "boring" botany class, but when we are learning why and how to use growth regulators, it is a much more interesting subject.
After class I stayed to listen to some of the "Regional Concern" speeches that were given after class. We are now finished with our extended days to make up for our snow days. The speeches went well for the entire class. It is interesting to see how nervous individuals get when they have to speak in front of other people.
Three days of classes left, one more final (wed) before FINALS WEEK!

Turf School Day Thirty-Nine

2010-03-09T04:13:00.000-08:00

Monday is the day we have two big quizzes for our disease and pest management classes. Those quizzes are in the classes that sandwhich our lunch hour. So whatever class we have Monday morning, is usually used as a study session for the first quiz.
Today that happened to be boring botany, learning about hormones and plant growth regulators. We will be having a quiz soon, so I need to go through the material and teach myself everything we have been taught about in class. The teacher is just very monotone and he uses the laser pointer way too much.
In our pest management class our quiz covered biorational/botanical insecticides. Basically trying to choose pesticides that will be effective, but will not harm the environment. Afer our quiz we had a discussion on disease diagnostics. It was a basic review of the entire year and helped me to see how much I have actually learned. It is interesting going back and looking at presentations we had in the first weeks, and remembering how nothing made sense to me. Now about 99% of the information makes sense.
In turf diseases our quiz was rather unexpected. The teacher gave us our review material about a week ago, so we had past quizzes, and so I prepared a list of possible questions, and the quiz was completely different. Our lecture covered rusts, smuts, molds, and mildews.
Today was the last lecture for both pest management and turf diseases. A lot of my class mates are glad the classes are over becasue they were hard and they did not like the professor, but I thought they were two of the most important classes we will have in this program.

Trip to Philadelphia

2010-03-09T04:07:00.000-08:00

Saturday we (two friends and I) decided to go to Philadelphia. I wanted to see some of the sights and eat a cheesesteak. We ventured out about 60 miles from our apartment to Geno's for lunch.
After lunch, we walked down to Liberty Hall to see the Liberty Bell, I wanted to go inside liberty hall to see where the Decleration of Independence was signed, but a ticket was required and they were all out of tickets when we arrived.
After strolling around the Liberty Hall, we walked down to the Delaware River. WE walked around for about 3 hours down town and then decided to drive to see the Rocky statue. We got the address from a tourist magazine, and the city is built in a grid system, so I figured it would be easy to find the statue. Unfortuantely, we got to a few dead ends, and had a crazy time trying to find the building. After much "recalculating" we arrived at the Art Museum where the famous stairs are. The statue used to be at the top of the stairs, but now it is near the road and the sidewalk.
It was a really fun trip. It was neat to see all the old building and imagine what took place in Philadelphia hundreds of years ago.
Walking through the streets of Philadelphia reminded me of the scenes from the movie Invincible. All the streets we went down had houses just like the movie.

Turf School Day Thirty-Eight

2010-03-05T19:28:00.001-08:00

FRIDAY!!!!
We had our landscape management class again today. We learned about the proper way to plant trees. The class was good, the information was useful. The one thing that I do not quite understand about this program is the way everything is scheduled. We will have the same class a few times a week then we will not have the class again for a week. It makes it hard to stay organized and on top of all the information.
After out landscape management class we had another FINAL!!!! Today our final was on mowing and calibration- both dry and sprayer spreaders.
Our day ended with two soils classes. We learned about the purpose for the USGA spec greens, and about soil and water relations. It was a lot of talk about soil and I am glad that we only have one week left.
We are going to Philadelphia tomorrow. I am pretty excited to see some of the historical sites and eat a real cheese steak.

Turf School Day Thirty-Seven

2010-03-04T19:34:00.000-08:00

Today we had our landscape plants and weed management classes. We learned 7 or 8 new trees and discussed application of post emergent herbicides. The two classes were pretty boring. I enjoy learning about trees, but the teacher is not very exciting.
We ended our day with a botany class. We discussed how water moves through a plant.
My idea for a class study sheet was a big hit. Everyone was assigned two questions and I am going to put all the answers together and re-distribute the list out.

Turf School Day Thirty-Six

2010-03-04T04:53:00.000-08:00

Today was great. We have a disease lab where we look for diseases through microscopes and learn more about the diseases we were taught in our turf disease class. Because the number of microscopes we have for class is limited, the class is split into two groups. My group had the early session so after our early class, we took a 2.5 hour lunch before our next class. It was nice to go home, watch some tv, and have a nice lunch.
After lunch we returned to school and had a class on landscape management. We took a quiz in this class and it was weird. The quiz had 20 questions and we were to use a 28 word-word bank to answer the questions. The words in the word bank were very different than the words i would have used to describe each situation, so it took me a little while to do the quiz. Luckily I only missed one question. While the teacher was going over the quiz, he would basically accept any answer. So I do not know why we were even given a quiz if every answer was the right one.
After class I invited a classmate and his wife over for dinner. It was the guys birthday and his first birthday away from home. I remember my first birthday away from all my family on my mission, so I wanted to make this a good day for him. We had cubed steak, mashed potatoes, and english peas.
When dinner was over I made a study guide for our turf disease final. OUr teacher gave us a pdf that was about 143 pages that we were supposed to use to prepare for the turf disease and pest management classes. I read through the past test he included and made one single copy for our class. Hopefully everyone will work to get it filled out and we can all do well on our final exam.

Turf School Day Thirty-Five

2010-03-02T18:37:00.000-08:00

Today we had a test in every class. This usually is not that big of a deal, but due to weather we had four classes today instead of three. It does not seem like that big of a deal to have an extra class added onto our day, but it has not been really fun.
Our first class was turfgrass maintenance. We had a quiz covering three chapters from our textbook. The quiz was worth 30% of our final grade. It was not a terribly difficult quiz, but when coupled with all of our other quizzes it was just added to the madness.
Our next class was pest management. We had a quiz covering 14 insecticide classes, and it was a combination with our last class about fungicide classes. After our quiz we talked about least toxic approaches to managing pests.
After lunch we had our turfgrass disease quiz. The quiz covered both anthracnose and dollar spot. After our qiuz, we learned about gray leaf spot and other leaf spots. Our teacher is a big time cyclist, so we rushed through our material so he could go out for a ride. It was a nice afternoon, so we all understood. We also discussed that we should allow him to do what ever he wanted so that he would be in a good mood while grading our quizzes.
Ou day ended at about 4:30 with a math final. There were a lot of people who were worried about our final, but it was open book and I am pretty sure that I did AWESOME!!!!
Everyday we get closer to finishing and I get more excited and nervous about the summer.

Turf School Day Thirty-Four

2010-03-01T16:28:00.001-08:00

We began our week with an irrigation class. The class covered central computers, which control the irrigation system. We discussed improvements that have come about as a result of new technology.
We then had two calibration classes. One class covered fertilizer spreader calibration and the second covered sprayer calibration. These classes were basically review from our previous math classes.
We ended our extended day with a class on bunker construction. We will have 5 more "extended" days due to recent storms. So instead of getting out of class at 3:00 we are getting out at 4:45 or 5:00.
School is going good and I am glad it will all be over soon.

SNOWDAY!!!!

2010-02-25T16:54:00.001-08:00

We were informed yesterday that we would be having a snowday today. The forecast was calling for about 12 inches of snow, and we recieved 1 or 2 inches. We also learned today that class will be cancelled tomorrow, how much snow will we receive tonight?

Turf School Day Thirty-Three

2010-02-25T16:35:00.000-08:00

There is a big storm brewing in the Northeast. We learned that class will be cancelled on Thursday...and possibly Friday.
We started our day with a weed identification and management class. The class has now shifted with more importance on management and control. We went over various biological control ideas and how we have experienced different control strategies on our courses.
Our next class was effective communication. We went over things we could do to get over our anxiety and fear of public speaking. We also discussed what to do if your run out of information to share if you still have time during your presentation. Some ideas were given to continue to talk, tell another story, and ask questions... The teacher simply told us to stop talking and sit dow
Our last class was irrigation. We talked about wiring systems and satellite boxes. At the end of the class we had a demonstration about making a lightning rod. The demonstration consisted of fusing two pieces of copper wire together using an electrical device and some solder. we hooked everything up and a guy in class was told to hold a button down until a light stopped blinking. When the light stopped blinking, he was supposed to let the button go. After he let the button go, he was supposed to press it one more time. He held the button down the whole time, and it sent an extra amount of energy to the solder and.........then fireworks resulted. There are now burn marks on the floor of our classroom.
After class we went to a presentation about the evolution of golf and how technology is changing the game of golf. It was not the greatest presentation, but we did get free pizza!

Turf School Day Thirty-Two

2010-02-24T04:47:00.000-08:00

This morning we had our final for stress physiology. This was the only chance we had to gain points. The final was not too surprising, it was just like the review we were given from the teacher. I think I scored well on it.
Our second class was landscape plants. We learned about some more trees and their application and use on a golf course. We learned some flowering cherries and magnolias that are very showy, with all their blosoms.
Yesterday while we were being scolded for our inadequacies in class, Rich Buckley mentioned how mad at us our landscape plants teacher was because of our low grades in his class. when class started we asked him if he was really mad at us. He told us that he never talks to Buckley. He said he was not mad, he was disappointed that we (most of the class) did poorly on his exam. We had a 20 minute talk about how we can help the program improve and provide better feedback about professors.
We ended the day learning about turf cultivation in our turf maintenance class. We discussed topdressing, aerification, spiking, verticutting, using a graden, and the results of not cultivating. We learned that 15% of the thatch should be removed each year, and that .5" tines at 2" spacing remove 5% of the thatch. To compensate for this, aerification can be completed two, or three times each year. OR another cultivation practice can be implemented to increase the 5% to 15%. We also learned that the effects of aerification last about 90 days.

Turf School Day Thirty-One

2010-02-22T13:57:00.000-08:00

We have four weeks left.
This morning we had a quiz in botany. Our quiz was about the various tissue systems in the plant. After our quiz we learned about the purpose of the flower and the pollintion process. We also discussed water movement and transpiration within the leaves.
We then had our pest management class. Our quiz covered a possible 18 chemical classes, 35ish common names, and 60ish trade names. The quiz format was not too complcated. We were given a Chemical Class, and we had to fill out one common name and one trade name.
After our quiz the class, was disruptive. The teacher asked people to quiet down, then he asked again, then he answered a question by a student in the front of the class...while the rest of the class was being disruptive; Then he snapped! He yelled at the class to Shut the F*** UP!!! He explained how he was trying to teach and how our class had recieved a reputation of being disruptive. He also talked about how we are one of the worst classes with regards to kids failing tests. It was pretty intense, he was mad and rightfully so. The majority of the class was disruptive.
Our day ended with a class in turfgrass diseases.The class was well behaved after our quiz. We were quizzed on summer and take-all patch. We then learned about dollar spot and anthracnose.
Today was one of those experiences I never had to worry about before at bYu.

Here is a grade update through 6 weeks:

Irrigation: A...........................................................................A

Botany: 10/10, 10/10..........................................................A

Soils: 10/10, 10/10, 10/10..................................................A

Turf Maintenance: 14/15....................................................A

Landscape Plants: 27/30, 17.5/20....................................B+

Turf Diseases: 10/10, 9/10, 8/10, 9/10, 10/10..............A

Turf Identification: 95/100, 100/100, 100/100............A

Turf Development: 11/10, 11/10, 8.5/10, 103/100.......A

Pest Management: 8/10, 7/10, 9/10, 8/10, 10/10.........B

Turf School Day Thirty

2010-02-20T12:43:00.000-08:00

Today is Friday, but it seems the entire week has run together.
We had a soils quiz this morning. It was fairly stright forward. After our quiz we finally began talking about golf courses and soils!!! We discussed topdressing, obtaining a textural analysis, and amending the soil on an individual site.
We also had our construction and surveying class today. They are two seperate classes, but they are very similar in content. In construction we discussed bunker construction with flashed sand and with grass down to the sand. In surveying we talked about the dumpy level and the act of surveying.
It was a good week, and weird to think we only have 4 more weeks!

Turf School Day Twenty-Nine

2010-02-18T16:36:00.000-08:00

We began our day with a tree identification quiz. We were given a list of 40 trees and the quiz was over ten of them. The quiz lasted one hour. We then went back to the classroom for a 25 question written quiz on trees.
After we completed these quizzes we had a 25 weed identification quiz of 35 potential weeds. There was a lot of information to remember, but the quizzes were not too hard.
After our quizzes we had Bingru, for stress physiology. Today we had a review for our upcoming final. The final is the only work we complete in the class, so we must do well.

Turf School Day Twenty-Eight

2010-02-17T19:23:00.000-08:00

Today we had a panel discussion with 3 former students. One was a director of parks and rec. and the other two are superintendents of different courses here in New Jersey. We discussed topics such as becoming a superintendent, dealing with employees, managing shrinking budgets and expectations. It was good to be able to ask "professionals" questions about topics we have been learning about.
We then had an effective communications class. I was selected as one of three students to get up and give a three minute re-cap of our previous class discussion. We did a good job on our speech considering we only had three minutes to prepare.
Our day ended talking about irrigation valves. Be discussed ball, gate, and electric valves. We also discussed the importance of putting an adequate number of valves in during construction to save time and resources in the future when problems may arise.
It was a good day. Currently I am prepping for two id quizzes we are having tomorrow. 10 trees and 25 weeds... should be a piece of cake :)

Turf School Day Twenty-Seven

2010-02-16T19:00:00.000-08:00

Today we had our turfgrass maintenance class. We discussed irrigation techniques and how much water to apply to your turf. We also discussed evapotranspiration, how much water is lost form the soil and plant. The ET is affected by sunlight, humidity, temperature, and wind.
We had a mowing maintenace class. We learned the about backlapping, facing and sharpening a bedknife, and adding relief to a reel.
We examined different diseases in microscopes for our disease lab.

I had a better post written, but due to technical difficuties... It Vanished!!!!

Turf School Day Twenty-Six....The Beginning of the End

2010-02-15T13:40:00.000-08:00

We resumed schooling today after our mid-session break. My trip to Detroit was very fun. Thank you Christina and Don for allowing me to come visit.
We had our botany class today again all about hormones. I do not know why, but this class is very boring. We are learning more about the discovery and formation of the hormones than their use in turf management. Maybe that is why I think it is so boring.
In our pest management class we learned about the different classes of chemicals. There are 15 classes we need to learn and we need to know which chemicals are in each class. It will be difficult to do, but it will be very beneficial for the future.
In our turf disease class we learned about summer patch, take-all patch, and dead patch. These diseases can be very destructive if not prevented. Prevention is the key to dealing with turf diseases. Keeping records, recognizing when favorable conditions for each disease occur, and planning ahead to apply chemicals before outbreaks occur.

Snow Day!!!!

2010-02-10T16:39:00.000-08:00

Well in a record setting year for storms hitting New Jersey, we had class cancelled today. this was good news, because I was ready for a break. It was not good news because I was supposed to be in Detroit tonight. All flights were cancelled in Newark today, and I am now scheduled to arrive in Detroit tomorrow night at 8:45.

I took a few pictures today during the storm. Walking around tonight it was so peaceful and beautiful with all the snow-covered trees.

I also now know why parents do not like snowdays. The kids upstairs has been crazy all-day long.

Notice the difference between snow fall this morning and this evening. The previous storm (Saturday) was a light, powder type snow. Today the snow has been very wet and heavy.

The contrast between the dark bark and the white snow is lovely.

Turf School Day Twenty-Five

2010-02-09T11:53:00.000-08:00

We began the day with a quiz in turfgrass maintenance. The quiz mostly covered information about the soil and nutrients. It was 20 questions true or false, and was pretty simple. We then learned about setting up a fertility plan. how much to fertilize, when to fertilize, and what type of fertilizer to use.
We then had our tree and weed identification classes. We learned a few new trees today then went out and walked around the Rutger's Gardens to look at some different trees. For the weed id class the teacher went out and collected some weeds for us to indentify to prepare us for our upcoming id quiz.
The classes are interesting and I am beginning to study and remember the various weeds and their names.

There is a big storm rolling in so our class is cancelled for tomorrow. Hopefully they do not close down the airport so I can get to Christina's. Can't wait for some good home-cooked meals, and to see the Tarbets!!!!

Turf School Day Twenty-Four

2010-02-09T04:38:00.001-08:00

Today was an interesting day. We have officially entered our 5th week and are starting some new classes. This morning was our first new class of the last 5 weeks. The class is called botany, but it is all about the hormones of the plant. It was very boring this morning. I think the subject matter coupled with the way the teacher spoke, it was not very exciting.
We then had our usual pest management and turf disease classes. Each class had a quiz, and I think I did satisfactory on them...I think.
In our pest management class we discussed control measures that can help keep the plant healthy, or they can lead to increased disease pressures. The class is very basic, but it is a critical thinking class and that makes it more difficult. Trying to think about the principles and how they apply to running a golf course.
The day ended with turf diseases. We discussed fairy ring, which is when a circular patch occurs usually appearing with a ring of mushrooms. We also discussed the Rhizoctonia disease complex including brown patch, yellow patch, leaf and sheath spot, and brown ring patch. It was interesting to learn about some diseases that I am familiar with. I have seen fairy ring and I think one disease was brown ring patch.

Turf School Day Twenty-Three

2010-02-05T13:24:00.000-08:00

Today we had soil science. The teacher finally told us that she had been teaching us information that was not extremely useful. She told us we would start learning information that would be useful. So today we learned about the different soil colors and about pore space.
In our golf course construction class we learned about teebox construction. We learned how teeboxes are sloped and how to install tee box drainage. We also learned about the importance of having the teebox point in the correct direction down the fairway. We discussed possible solutions like mowing the teebox differntly to avoid costly construction.
We ended the day with our turfgrass identification final. It was pretty easy so I should have finished with an A!