San Luis Opispo County Golf Courses video ready for your viewing pleasure.

Check it out!  It has been running at the SLO Airport since the 4th of July as well as hotels in the Southern communities of San Luis Obispo County.  Brian and the team at Visitor TV did such a fantastic job with the filming.  I mean, come on they even made me look good!  Let me know what you think and share this link with as many people as possible.

Get out and have fun...play more golf!

https://vimeo.com/99384769

The Future of Golf? That is the $69 billion question...

As the manager of three County owned or operated golf courses, the video below contains much of what my day (and nights for matter) consist.  How do we grow the game or at least keep it from shrinking?  My staff and I have thought up many crazy ideas to stimulate new golfers, music on the driving range, introduce foot golf, play it forward, short family tees, 8" holes in the greens, and free golf for women for an entire month!  (The last one we actually did and we almost got sued because of it, but this promotion gained us nearly $130,000 dollars in two months and only included the income from the initial POS without the bar or spend at the turn)  Much of the problem in my opinion is that our traditional golfers hate these ideas and are not willing to get on board or promote theses alternatives.



Now many would say, "Who cares? We don't need all of the other people playing the sport."  "If they don't like it, let them find something else to do."  These were actually two of the responses that I heard while attending the Symposium on Affordable Golf in North Carolina in 2012 when the topic of traditions vs. changing the game was introduced.  Is it good when industry professionals or people of influence don't care if the game grows?  What other businesses would you expect to hear this type of philosophy?...'We're all good here; we don't want to grow."  I can't think of any either.



We need people promoting the game at every turn including the traditionalists to encourage younger golfers, female golfers, minority golfers, and disadvantaged golfers to at least try the sport.  You can play soccer, baseball, and football in nearly every park in the United States and our Park systems partially fund them through tax dollars.  Tennis courts abound in most communities throughout the country too, complete with lights ... also funded with tax dollars.  It is hard to compete with these sports that require very low start up costs to try.  You can buy a really nice football, baseball and glove, or soccer ball for what it costs to rent a set of clubs at most mid level golf courses and your mom or dad can teach you how to play successfully at no cost.  It may cost you a few hundred dollars in lessons to begin to actually slice the ball rather than dribble it across the ground after you invest a hundred dollars in clubs from Craigslist or E-Bay.



To get back to my point, think back to how you first began playing the game.  Did you just think one day, "You know I would like to play golf!"  If you are like most people, you were introduced to the game through a family member or friend and you likely sneaked onto the closest course without paying.  What is the future of golf?  I am not sure, but how many people have you introduced to the game in the past 5 years or what is your message about the game when speaking to someone?  Golf is the greatest game.  It stimulates our nations economies, raises billions of funds for charitable causes, instills morals and ethics within our youth, provides social outlets for participants and spectators alike, encourages wildlife, and fights obesity through exercise.  If you need more ammunition go to We are Golf to find more information.  Thanks for your support and enjoy the video.

Women's Golf Month - to ALL lady golfers

I appreciate your passion and love for the game and rest assured that County Parks needs your passion and support. We had every intention of offering free golf for ladies during the month of June for years to come. Let me be clear that it was not the complaints from a few individuals that ended this promotion. There have been plenty of complaints during the past two years and we frankly did not care as we believed we were doing he best thing for the game of golf and still believe that to be true to this day! County Parks' golf program was threatened to be sued for gender discrimination earlier this winter if we offered the promotion again and this did not discourage me either. That is until I asked our County counsel (also a woman) if the threat had any substance. She asked if we had provided such an offer in the past. Upon my response of yes, she stated, "I'm surprised you have not been sued already" because this is in fact an example of gender discrimination. Our golf program cannot afford to call someone's bluff when there is already a set precedence within civil law.

Put yourself in the other seat and imagine if we were offering men a free golf month and how would that situation would make you feel? I'd probably be upset if I were a woman and my wife and daughters would be too.  Although this type of treatment at a golf facility may be just "par for the course" and you would likely shrug it off.

I cannot wager the future of our golf program to all of the seniors, juniors, ethnic backgrounds, religious beliefs, or other demographic to fight the gender inequality that golf has in the US. I still believe in providing golf to women and hope that you will help me to introduce the game to more ladies. Europe has a 30-40% participation rate for women and I would love to tout that SLO County is a leader for women's golf just as we are for Zero Waste.

Again I appreciate your passion, but I cannot afford to reconsider this issue as it would reduce the affordable golfing options for many in our county. Our intention was to provide ways to introduce women to the game of golf to invite more participants to the great recreational and social activities that golf provides.  Women's golf is still very important to us and the emails I have received only prove that we are in the right track. Please feel free to call me with your concerns or ideas for future efforts.  We will be conducting focus groups to best understand the wants and needs of women golfers and non-golfers in an effort to be more welcoming and inviting to our current and potential female customers.  Thanks for your support!

SLO County Golf Course Zero Waste efforts are recognized by GCSAA!!

Check out the link below that is posted at GCSAA.org.  For those that do not know for what this acronym stands...Golf Course Superintendent's Association of America.  This association means quite a lot to me as I am currently the president of our Central California Chapter and the educational, community outreach, and networking opportunities have afforded me and many others the chance to make a living managing golf course facilities across our country and the world.

The video was filmed by GCSAATV back in March while Dairy Creek golf course, one of the properties owned by San Luis Obispo County Parks, hosted the Symposium on Affordable Golf.  My staff and I are quite proud to be recognized with this video regarding our Zero Waste efforts.  Take a look and if you are in the area stop by our Zero Waste Park at Dairy Creek Golf Course for a self guided tour or contact me to set up a personal tour of the facility or discuss our efforts to learn more about how processes at your local golf course(s) can make a difference within your own community.

Keep swinging!

GCSAA TV video of Zero Waste efforts at Dairy Creek Golf Course

The Symposium on Affordable Golf ... West Coast Style!

Two years ago I attended one of the best golf conferences that I have had the pleasure of experiencing!  No it was not the Golf Industry and Show in Las Vegas although, that was a great conference as well, but it was the Symposium on Affordable Golf in North Carolina.  The venue there is great as it is held in Southern Pines in Pinehursts backyard.

The brain child behind the SOAG is Richard Mandell, golf architect.  Richard has held the event at Southern Pines for the past four years with much success of attracting many leading professionals from all facets of the golf industry.   My first experience is best described as pure honesty regarding the discussions and topics.  Many events seem to have a group think mindset with little open dialogue between participants that lead to fruitful ideas or brain storming.  Richard's ability to moderate the group to encourage varying viewpoints is a true breath of fresh air.

During my visit last year I suggested that we move the event to the west coast and see if the discussion takes a different turn as my experience managing courses throughout the country has afforded me many experiences with golfers.  In my opinion golfers have differing expectations and desires based upon geography and it would be interesting to see how the discussions may get different results on the west coast.  Richard agreed and Dairy Creek will host the first SOAG away from the southeast and bring it to California.

The event is March 31 and April 1.  Take a look at our line up and register to attend this terrific event at www.symposiumonaffordablegolf.com.  If you have any questions respond to this blog and I will do my best to cure your curiosity.  We nearly have 100 registrants signed up at this point and it promises to be a great event.  I hope we see you there!

Golf, politics, and driving the economy

I have always enjoyed the messages and commentary from Mike Hughes, CEO of the National Golf Course Owners Association, in Golf Business magazine.  Take a look at the video that was shot by The Golf Channel at the PGA merchandise show this past week.  Much of the time is spent talking to a couple of the politicians, but Mike's comments are spot on and you can tell he is devoted to our industry and helping his members drive the game of golf.  Get out there and invite someone to play golf today, it's your duty.  Thanks Mike...oh I guess it's time to pick up my girls and get them to their First Tee lesson today.

http://www.golfchannel.com/media/pga-show-economic-impact-golf-industry/

"Practice puts brains in your muscles."

                         ~Sam Snead



Learn to play golf advertisement

Our three courses have been attempting to incorportate elements of the Tee it Forward initiative and the Get Golf Ready ideas that the PGA has been touting for a couple of years.  Many courses across the country have been trying to figure out how to get more players into the game of golf.  One of our local courses, not one of ours, has developed a program to get people interested in playing the game.  Monarch Dunes has a 12 hole challenge course designed by Damian Pascuzzo and Steve Pate.  The original design of this par 3 course was to allow skilled and unskilled players to compete against one another playing not only from different tees, but playing to different holes based upon difficulty.  One of our members, Tom Elliot, of the Central California chapter of Golf Course Superintendents has taken this idea to another level in an attempt to create and develop more golfers.

Have a look at the following video:



Tom's idea is creative and I love his alterego seen in the video!  If this idea works all of our local courses will need to thank Tom and his staff as we will all benefit from their efforts to grow the game.  Hopefully this post will spawn other ideas that courses across the world can use to grow the best game on earth.

 

GOLF IS A GREAT SPORT!!  

Chalk Mountain's fight to help stop diabetes

In September Chalk Mountain Golf Course was a site for a bigger cause than the ancient game and traditions of golf.  As a matter of fact the game and its venue helped provide resources to a growing social problem in our country.  This assistance was not through a golf tournament because we wanted to allow everybody away the ability to help.  So to facilitate this Community Walk for Diabetes the golf course remained closed until 9 am so that golfers could get their fix by teeing off from the 1st tee while the 10th tee and back nine were reserved for walkers raising money for diabetes.

What a fantastic day!  The weather was beautiful and the participation was incredible for a first year event that was really grass roots in nature.  The event attracted nearly 60 participants including Tammy Doshier, head golf professional at Chalk Mountain, and her family.  This was an emotional day for Tammy as she and her husband have battled this disease alongside of their son throughout his entire 12-year life.  It was great to hear Tammy tell some stories of their struggles and how he family maintains a positive outlook through it all and has built many fond memories of the past fighting this disease.  Tammy is great mom!

We all walked the 5 miles of the back 9 cart paths and finished in about an hour.  The event concluded with more stories and sharing of memories of many of the participants on the back patio as the golfers were making the turn.  Fun and tears were shared by many, but the winners will be those that benefit through events like this one.  Joel Clay, Chalk Mountain General Manager,  was the man with the idea for this event and he has a greater idea that many of you viewing this blog can help us to realize.  We raised $5,000 with this first event with little advertising or promotion.  Diabetes effects 2 out of 5 individuals in our country and it is growing.  What if every state in America hosted a single diabetes walk each year and raised $5,000?  That would be $250,000 raised for this worthy cause.  I can't wait to see how this event grows next year!

Newly renovated bunker or sand trap at Dairy Creek courtesy of Cal Poly's turf students

Before classes let out for the summer at Cal Poly, we were approached by Dr. Jason Lewis and the turf Management Progam at Cal Poly. He had a number os students that were looking for a project to gain real world experience before they graduated and asked if we had any good ideas.  After Albert and I peppered him with our thoughts I think he wished he had not asked.  After some discussion we concluded our practice bunker renovation at Dairy Creek's practice area would be perfect for the amount of time they had to spend coupled with our needs. The students were great and put in the work and effort in between classes and on weekends to complete the project.  I have put together a montage here for your viewing pleasure to view the action as it happened.  Enjoy!



The two before photos that demonstrate the nearly 2 feet of sand that have accumulated

during the 16-year life of the practice bunker.

The first step is to remove the old sand.

Removing the sod proved to be a bigger challenge than anticipated.

We rolled the sod and saved it for later.  

 

Found the drainage!

It's always nice to have a good leader.  Dr. Jason Lewis will be missed as I enjoyed our time sharing golf stories, Kansas State wins and losses, and working to provide opportunities for students.  

Aha!  We new the original grade was there somewhere.

 Newly installed drainage and decomposed granite.

 

Let's put the puzzle back together

Ready for sand!

Final prep and watering the sod (have you ever seen such a blue sky?)

 



 

Finished product that will be beautiful in a few weeks.  We could have used new sod, but waste not want not is our motto.  We filled the stressed and dry areas with compost and seed mixture from our Zero Waste site and the germination was perfect!

Resurfaced cart bridges

The bridge at Dairy Creek's 14th hole

Dairy Creek Golf Course celebrated its 16 birthday this past June!  In that time we have provided nearly 700,000 (~670,000 rounds of golf) great recreational opportunities for golfers.  The rounds of golf we have put through the facility in this time has taken its toll on our 5 bridges that are provide golfers and my staff access throughout the course each and every day.  Obviously it is not only the traffic, but also the weather and irrigation that have helped to degrade the quality of the wooden surfaces over time.  Many of the wooden boards had lost the ability to be screwed back down to the base structure over time as staff constantly mended the bridges over the time of their existence to keep these access ways safe for use.  The wood simply will not hold screws and longer and it is time to refurbish these areas.

The completed bridge on the 10th hole at Dairy Creek

I work with an extremely talented staff of horticulturists, masons, framers, builders, and general problem solvers so this task was simple for such craftsmen.  The wood was stripped off and carts were allowed to cross the bridges while the work was being performed by using the understructure which is amazingly in like new condition.  They removed the old wood and screwed down new treated redwood timbers.  In the past the bridges were never treated with a protectant and that will be a new task that we will perform each year in the future to help sustain the life of this new wood.

If a tree falls and no one is around...

I was not around to hear the sound when this monster Oak tree fell at Chalk Mountain, but I am certain that it made quite a commotion.  

Large fallen Oak tree between the 15th and 12th holes

This tree contains at least 4 cords of wood and is a sad loss to the course as it has guarded the left side of the 12th hole since the course has existed and was probably home to many squirrels long before the course was even dreamed up 35 years ago.  As you can see from the photo, the tree was completely hollow at the base and the sheer weight of the tree was finally too much for it structure.  All of the branches and smaller wood from the tree have already been cleaned up, but the massive trunk and base will be left in place to decompose over time and provide habitat for insects and other wildlife that will call this tree skeleton home.

The photo to the left provides a better perspective of the size of the tree with the yamaha cart parked beside its base.  The base of the tree had a diameter that was nearly as wide as the golf cart is long!

A true "Golf for the Health" of it example.

Hopefully, if you are a golfer you understand or know that golf is good for your health.  Playing 18-holes of golf burns roughly 2000 calories while walking and 1300 calories in a cart.  That 18-hole walk is equivalent to a 5 mile walk or a 3.5-4 mile run and your blood glucose levels can fall by 10-30% depending upon your age.  These facts and figures have been proven to be true by the Walker Research Group.

The game of golf also provides ample opportunities for charitable organizations and foundations to raise funds through golf tournaments.  In 2011, $3.9 billion were raised in the US using golf as a vehicle.  12 million people attended the various events that raised the funds across the United States.  $40 million has been awarded by the United States Golf Association (USGA) since 1920, for environmental and turf research to provide golf courses with information to reduce impacts to the environment.

Saturday September 28th we are combining the best of both of these worlds at Chalk Mountain Golf Course without the golf!  The golf course will remain closed until 9 am.  At 9 am both nines will be used.  The front 9 will allow golfers to get their fix and begin play, while the back 9 will host the first Community Walk to stop diabetes. 

This is the 6th hole at CMGC as seen from the 7th tee box

The participants will walk the cart paths and fairways of the back 9 holes to raise funds for the American Diabetes Association.  If you are not a golfer, this is your weekend to get out and experience all of the beauty that a golf course has to offer.  To join in the walk or make a donation please click on this link: Chalk Mountain Diabetes Walk.  Who knows you may even become a golfer so that you can come experience this beauty more often while you improve your health through recreation.  I look foward to seeing you on Saturday!

 

Deer grazing the rough on the second hole at Chalk Mountain with the 3rd green in the background

It has been a while...

I hope you enjoyed our most recent post about the sheep on the golf course.  They really are neat to have as part of our course as they have been part of and remain a part of golf in Scottland and Ireland. My apologies for the lack of posts for the past couple of months, but it is not because nothing has been happening we have just been busy.  I will follow up with a montage of posts getting you up to speed over the next week or so.  Here is a list of happenings since we last spoke:

• Morro Bay hosted a LiveGreen event to promote golf and the games efforts toward environmentalism
• All of our courses and 11 other courses in the area received recycling containers for the golf courses as part of a grant program with the Integrated Waste Management Association.
• County Park and Golf courses participated at the Mid-State Fair
• Dairy Creek is Teeing it Forward
• Fairways and tees were verticutt at Morro Bay
• Sheep are now at Dairy Creek

Zero Waste Golf - the next page

The sheep as they munched the grass and weeds along the left side of #10

Perhaps you have read a golf article preaching the use of goats or sheep to clear areas of brush or out of play areas.  Maybe you have even played golf on a course where this tactic is used occasionally. We hope to take this step a bit further than most in the name of research and sustainability.  Yes sheep are being used to maintain our Dairy Creek golf course.  No, we are not going back the the original practices of golf where these animals were the sole way that turfs were managed, but we will use these amazing creatures to maintain and enhance our "native areas" surrounding the holes and golf course.

Our goal with our sheep is to assist with land and resource management as part of our Zero Waste initiative.  Before the land was developed into a golf course this area looked like the surrouning hillsides including whispy grasses as a food source for grazing cattle.  As the earth was churned and tilled to create Dairy Creek various weed seed and undesireable plant species were able to germinate and compete with the new landscape.  Although the golf course was created with minimal disturbance to the topography and soils the disturbance was just enough to allow these undesireable species to flourish in unirrigated areas of the course.

The Animal Science professors at nearby Cal Poly University have worked with us to develop a plan to return the plant species back to what it once was through the use of grazing.  Many people envision grazing as a negative practice.  Performed correctly it can be an amazing tool for land management.  Grazing has gotten a bad repuptation as animals are often left in areas too long and over-grazing occurs.  Our animals are left in a certain area for no more than 2-4 days dependent upon the amount of feed and litter for ground cover and habitat.  We don't want bare or nearly bare soil.  Actually when the sheep are ready to be moved there is actually quite a bit of plant material left for other wildlife to use for cover.


The sheep in this photo are ready to be moved.


Before we added the sheep to our maintenance team we had some grad students come to the course and perform a plant population study to determine what species currently exist in our native areas and in what densities.  These students utilized our Environmental Impact Report taht was developed before the land became a golf course to determine what waws here before the course exhisted.  The goal is to bring the species diversity back into what nature had intended and at the same time alleviate our need for chemical and mechanical means to maintain these areas of our course.  Our hillsides do provide food and shelter for some large predators in the form of Mountain Lions, so we were are not able to let the sheep run free.  Instead they are moved around the property in approximately 1/8 acre sections enclosed by electrified fencing.  This has proven to work well as we still have all 20 ewes and their 20 lambs.  We will keep you up to date as this project progresses.



New carts for more fun!

Chalk Mountain golf course just added, well about a month ago (sorry for the delay), new carts to the ammenities at the golf course.  Joel Clay, General Manager for our concession operator, had a great idea to enhance the golfing experience. 

SPECIAL OCCASSION CARTS!!

If you are celebrating your birthday or special event be sure to let staff know and you may have the priviledge of driving a special cart with chrome wheels, cooler, and black metallic flake paint.  These carts are sure to make your next outing even more memorable.

The regular fleet has been ordered in two different colors to help manage the fleet by aiding in the rotation of carts, red one day, blue the next. 

Red carts to start the day today with blue to follow after the reds are all rented.
Tomorrow blue will be the first out and red will follow.  This will help to ensure
all carts receive nearly equal use. 

This may not be interesting to the golfers, but take note all of you owners and operators out there.  Just another way to think outside of the box. 

Free golf for women, really?!

YES!!!  If you have not heard, we are offering free golf to all female golfers throughout the entire month of June.  The only catch is that the offer is only good after 10 am.  We would love to see you and your friends take advantage of this offer 7 days per week, so pick up your phone or login to our online booking site at centralcoastgolf.com or chalkmountaingolf.com and reserve your tee time right now!

Last year offered the same promotion in an effort to increase women's participation at golf courses in our area.  Women make up just over 10% of the golfers nationally and we want to do our part to encourage all of the ladies in our area to at least give it a try.  It's true that golf is a male dominated sport and that it can be intimidating as a new golfer to give it a try let alone as a women in a men's arena.

The fact is that golf is a very social game and a great recreational option for those that want to remain or be active without having to go to a gym.  You can burn over 3000 calories if you play 36 holes of golf while walking and even more if you carry your own bag!  The game puts you in nature and you interact with all that the earth has to offer, fresh air, sunshine, and many critters that call golf courses home.  Most courses do all they can to attract and retain the wildlife that inhabit their property and are careful about what methods they use to combat things like turf diseases or insect problems to maintain a healthy ecosystem by using an environmental approach.

What are you waiting for...get out here and if not at one of our courses, please seek out your local golf course and give it a try.  It may be like visiting a new country, but I promise that once you get to know the locals and your way around you will be sad when your visit is over and you will want to schedule your next visit!  Happy golfing!

2013 SLO County Amateur Championship Results

Here are this years' results and thanks to all of the participants for their great play!

Championship Flight (Gross)

               142

            Brandon Vail                                   

               143

              Blake Ahlin                                    

               145

           Justin Warthen                                 

               147

                Matt Lee                                       

            Brian Wiggins                                  

               149

            Randy Armas                                  

             Derick Strain

            David Boyles

                   150                                

         Alex Stephenson                                

               152

          Clayton E Davis

               155

         Jack Henneberry

            Konner Baker

               Cody Neal

               158

            Evan Lucado

           Trevor Cassidy

          Jeff Aranguena

              Drake Muir

               159

               Riley Way

           Alex Nicholson

               161

         Justin Roxbraugh

          Donnie Hedrick

        Brandon Erickson

               162

          Anthony Borges

                  163

           Matt Vigilante
 

               165

           Michael Brown

               167

             Preston Way

               168

        Garett Rasmussen

             Jason Peters

               170

               Nick Klon

Net Flights
 

                    Flight 1                                     Flight 2

                    134                                       132

                    John Austin                                   Pete Moore

                    143                                       137

                   David Payne                                    Doug Kerr

                     Phil Biklen                                              

                                                                 139

                    145                                John Gruendler

                  Jose Martinez                                  Mike Howe

              Stephen J Kobliska                                      

                                                                                142

                    146                                  Dave Biklen

                     Daniel See                                              

                                                                                145

                    147                                  Alfred Clark

                  John M Lejeal                                      

                  Thomas Biggs                                       147

                                                                       Andrew Heffner

                    149                                 Bryan Jackson

                  Marc Burgraff                                Eric Seeman

                    150                                       150

                     R L Lillo                                George B Dodge

                     Ron Gin                                                

                                                                                151

                    151                               Martin Anthony

                 Allen Hallada                                        153

                     Eric Mar                                   John W Lejeal

                Jeff Blanchard                                          

                                                                                156

                    172                                 Terry Herrick

                Damien Fuentes                                         

                                                                                159

                                                             Rich Enger

                                        
                                                                                160

                                                                       Vinnie Guerrero

Our turkeys are evidently known around the world!

We had a couple of non-golfers visit our golf courses from across the pond last week.  I am not talking about the coots that come over from across highway 1.  I am talking about a couple of videographers from England.  They have been commissioned to create a documentary about wild turkeys and they received a tip that our County Golf Courses were a viable source for footage.

The group is part of Nigel Marven's entourage.  Mr. Marven has been seen on many talk shows and on Animal Planet describing and interacting with wildlife.  Check out this link www.nigelmarven.com and I am sure you will recognize the face if the name did not ring a bell.  Marven is a bit of a cross between Jack Hannah and the late Steve Irwin in my mind.  I did not have the pleasure of meeting Mr. Marven, but Alex and Mike from his film crew were quite a pleasure to work with.

Their intent was to show the human interaction with the birds and how the two species co-habitate a recreational landscape.  Atypical weather patterns were upon us during their visit and the species populations were not what they had hoped to capture on film as it was a bit moist and rainy during their visit.  None the less they got what they came for and included my ugly mug and golf shot into some of the footage.  The video is due out in January 2014 and I will send an update upon my receipt of the film.

I have included a few photos of them hard at work and a few of their subjects as well.  Enjoy!

Stalking the turkeys on #4 at Morro Bay.

Mike is trying to stay dry as the drizzle becomes rain.

 

Regrouping after the rain dampened their $100K camera.

Just what we needed shots with golfers and turkeys.  Can you tell which is which?

More bird and human interaction. Perfect!

Here is a better shot of who we had been stalking.

Mike capturing some mating ritual dances that take place all over Dairy Creek throughout the year.

The birds in the tall grass were not too excited to be caught on camera and were not interested in helping a bit.