A Day at Wolf Point Club (video)

One of our favorite things is having visitors enjoy playing golf on something that we have designed and built, like in the video above. At Wolf Point our directive was to build something fun for our client to play every single day. It had to be varied, interesting and challenging for him. We didn't concern ourselves about anyone else. But the visitors reactions after playing have been incredible.

We didn't expect comments like this from a recent visitor about their favorite golf experiences from 2013: 

"one of my all time favorite golf experiences was at Wolf Point 
BEST COURSE: Pine Valley is the undoubted winner this year (*Pine Valley is the greatest golf course in the world, according to most). 
RUNNER-UP: Wolf Point which is beating out some tough competition in Sand Hills, Dismal, Ballyneal, Oakmont, Baltusrol and Somerset Hills. 
MOST SURPISING COURSE: Wolf Point" 

We were expecting this comment a little more however: 
"Best Beer on a Golf Course: Wolf Point" 

Because Wolf Point is so private very few people have enjoyed playing here. This video is the first chance we've had to show our work to more than a few people. A good friend Scott Wilson, from Flagstick Films, is the creative mind behind this video. There is more footage and he is compiling and editing his work into a more formal presentation - Stay tuned for more.

Happy 2014!

STGCSA Meeting & stellar golf course superintendent blogs

2 outlooks on social media:
"Dig your well before you are thirsty"
"I'm doing it, just in case it's true." -- Justin Leonard on why he was seaming the Pro V1

I will be talking to the STGCSA about blogging and social media (twitter, linkedin & facebook)
Here are the survey results regarding what the group would like to learn the most about.

Superintendent’s reasons for a blog and their feedback:

1. Improved communication
2. Monitor interest of membership – website traffic
3. Higher quality info vs. mass e-mail and newsletter paragraph
4. Timely information vs. monthly newsletter
5. Less re-writing about the same subject over and over and over
6. Can send a link vs. e-mailing photos which are often blocked
7. Prime information source – not pro or green chair or member rumors
8. Members have a huge appetite to know stuff, but hard to take the time to learn
9. Blogging has been the best thing I’ve done in a long time!
10. The members rave about it!
11. Pictures help members visualization.
12. Send out a mass e-mail after updating the blog to drive traffic.
13. Long gone are the days of a member starting a misinformed discussion in the grill room.
14. If I hear any type of misinformation on any subject I can squelch it in minutes and back it up with facts, pictures, links to articles from industry professionals and universities.
15. In short, the benefits of the blog have been worth every second I’ve spent on it.

Here are some interesting recent blog posts by superintendents and examples of different ideas to share.

1. Before & After - Arrowhead Country Club
2. Invitational - Northland Country Club
3. Ball Marks – Stockton Golf & Country Club
4. Bald Eagles – The Minikahda Club
5. Lightning - Onwentsia Club
6. Pin locations - Northmoor Country Club
7. Benefits of Golf – San Luis Obispo County Golf Courses
8. Results of maintenance – Stockton Golf & Country Club
9. About the super – Cinnabar Hills Golf Club
10. Gang Mower - Wolf Point Club
11. Research & Development – Hawks Landing Golf Club
12. FAQs - Oakland Hills Country Club
13. Turfgrass Terminology – Paul Sabino, The Farms Country Club

Forget the Newsletter - write your own blog:
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Lastly, 5 things I couldn’t work without and whole heartedly endorse:
Very own free radio station - Pandora
Music jukebox – Grooveshark – for after I use my monthly free hours of Pandora
Photo + video management & sharing – Picassa
Browser – Chrome
Camera – Canon Powershot

How many 7 year old's can play your golf course?

How many 7 year old's can play your course?
He does have a hell of a swing.
This is The Old Course at St. Andrews - they even let me play it backwards a few years ago.
There is room for someone who doesn't carry it too high or far to play the course in its entirety -- and have fun!
Notice some of the greens - they are beautiful and over 400 years old - kind of anyway.
I didn't see him lose a ball either.
How many 7 year old's are even allowed on your course?
Check out his video playing the Himalayas too....

It was a windy day

It was'nt until I got to the 2nd tee, our first for the day, that I realized how brisk the wind was blowing. It was the prevailing wind from the south east - see above video from the afternoon - it was even brisker. My first swing was almost directly into the wind. My approach came up a little short - as it was into the wind, I wasn't sure of my distance and I was playing safe -- I was hitting from the wrong side of the fairway to the opposite sidded pin -- There was no way I could get it close. From the front of the green it was a simple up and down, for my first par at Wolf Point - and my first hole. The course plays very strategically with the wind, all the holes change heading and each green has a slightly different best angle to attack from. The greens are most difficult when playing a pitch from down wind and down slope - I ran into quite a few of those.