WEBVTT - Life On and Off the Golf Course with Jason Meersman 0:00:00.040 --> 0:00:02.800 I miss a green, for example, I'm already upset. When 0:00:02.800 --> 0:00:04.920 I find my ball in the bunker, I'm really upset. 0:00:05.000 --> 0:00:06.920 And when I find my ball in a fried. 0:00:06.720 --> 0:00:09.840 Egg Friday egg, the dreaded Frida egg, Frida egg, Frida 0:00:09.840 --> 0:00:12.680 egg egg, fridagg bride egg Lie, I'm about ready to 0:00:12.760 --> 0:00:14.080 run off of the hump course. 0:00:37.360 --> 0:00:41.160 Welcome back to another edition of the Friday Golf Podcast. 0:00:41.320 --> 0:00:44.440 I am your host, Andy Johnson, and today I am 0:00:44.560 --> 0:00:49.760 joined by the Patterson Clubs Director of Grounds, Jason Meersman. 0:00:50.320 --> 0:00:54.000 I've known Jason for a number of years now and 0:00:54.160 --> 0:00:56.920 I've always wanted to have him on the podcast. I 0:00:56.920 --> 0:00:59.560 don't know why it's taken so long. He is quite 0:00:59.560 --> 0:01:03.160 the person and I think this was a super fun conversation. 0:01:03.680 --> 0:01:08.120 It's very much about life, golf courses, golf course maintenance, 0:01:08.240 --> 0:01:10.959 and a little bit about the Patterson Club which is 0:01:11.000 --> 0:01:16.280 about to undergo a renovation in due time. We'll see 0:01:16.480 --> 0:01:20.399 how quickly it goes. But thank you to Jason for 0:01:20.440 --> 0:01:24.800 coming on. Before we get to Jason, just one thing 0:01:24.880 --> 0:01:28.720 that we're doing for the company. We launched a T 0:01:28.880 --> 0:01:35.399 shirt for to support Hurricane Helene relief efforts in western 0:01:35.520 --> 0:01:41.280 North Carolina. Obviously crazy thing that happened there and a disaster. 0:01:41.440 --> 0:01:43.679 It's unbelievable to look at, and we. 0:01:43.600 --> 0:01:45.039 Want to do our part. 0:01:45.160 --> 0:01:48.280 So this T shirt is our Donald Ross and North 0:01:48.320 --> 0:01:50.800 Carolina T shirt. I think it's an awesome T shirt. 0:01:50.840 --> 0:01:53.880 I'm wearing it actually right now. It's under a sweatshirt, 0:01:53.920 --> 0:01:56.320 so if you're watching this on YouTube, you can't see it. 0:01:57.240 --> 0:02:01.480 But the T shirt is a really neat T shirt 0:02:01.600 --> 0:02:04.639 and all the proceeds will go to the relief fund. 0:02:05.960 --> 0:02:10.120 Big thanks for everybody who's bought this already has been 0:02:10.200 --> 0:02:14.200 up less than twenty four hours. It's exceeded our expectations. 0:02:14.240 --> 0:02:16.639 At this point, we just want to deliver as big 0:02:16.680 --> 0:02:19.680 of a check as we can and to that extent, 0:02:20.560 --> 0:02:25.600 all listeners from Floridaite, I'm praying for you. I hope, 0:02:27.400 --> 0:02:31.799 I hope that Milton is not a catastrophic event as 0:02:31.840 --> 0:02:33.240 many are are predicting. 0:02:33.320 --> 0:02:34.480 So awesome. 0:02:34.520 --> 0:02:39.360 Prayers to both North Carolinas and Floridians who are having 0:02:39.400 --> 0:02:40.400 to evacuate. 0:02:40.760 --> 0:02:41.320 Be safe. 0:02:42.040 --> 0:02:45.960 And if you're interested in buying the shirt in supporting 0:02:46.000 --> 0:02:50.520 the relief efforts, go to proshop dot Thefrida egg dot com. 0:02:50.600 --> 0:02:54.359 All right, let's talk about Toro. Toro is the only 0:02:54.440 --> 0:02:58.200 brand with a full line of equipment and irrigation products 0:02:58.240 --> 0:03:01.840 to keep your golf course in top condition. Toro is 0:03:01.919 --> 0:03:04.760 serious about R and D and they're always out there 0:03:04.840 --> 0:03:08.040 listening to superintendents so they can develop products that can 0:03:08.080 --> 0:03:10.360 help you solve your biggest challenges. 0:03:10.800 --> 0:03:11.520 And when it comes to. 0:03:11.560 --> 0:03:15.600 Local service and support, their distributor network is second to none. 0:03:15.960 --> 0:03:19.560 See how Toro is always solving and always evolving at 0:03:19.560 --> 0:03:31.400 Toro dot com. Jason, what's it like growing up in 0:03:31.440 --> 0:03:34.400 a turf family, A superintendent family. 0:03:35.080 --> 0:03:43.119 Great question. I almost don't remember. No, so growing up, Yeah, 0:03:43.200 --> 0:03:48.880 third generation golf course superintendent. It was great. You know. 0:03:49.560 --> 0:03:52.120 I think I was fired multiple times by my father, 0:03:52.240 --> 0:03:56.440 but next day it was brought back onto the team 0:03:56.440 --> 0:03:58.800 with a nice cold water saying you're late for work, 0:03:59.520 --> 0:04:05.280 get up and to work. No, it was it was great. 0:04:06.000 --> 0:04:06.360 How are you? 0:04:06.520 --> 0:04:07.920 How are you late to work? 0:04:08.120 --> 0:04:10.920 When you when you were in the house, like I 0:04:10.960 --> 0:04:12.440 assume you were getting a ride. 0:04:12.840 --> 0:04:14.880 Oh yeah, oh yeah, No. My dad used to sit 0:04:14.880 --> 0:04:16.520 at the bottom of my steps and y'all, I can't 0:04:16.560 --> 0:04:19.680 see you, and you'd be dragging yourself to the top 0:04:19.720 --> 0:04:22.920 of the stairs and uh. And some days, it would 0:04:22.960 --> 0:04:24.919 just be a little ice cold glass of water. And 0:04:24.920 --> 0:04:27.479 then and then my brother got keen into doing that 0:04:27.560 --> 0:04:30.560 a couple of times, as if he was playing Dad's role, 0:04:32.000 --> 0:04:37.159 but no, it was early mornings. It was amazing, amazing people, 0:04:37.400 --> 0:04:40.600 you know, growing up on a golf course. You can't 0:04:40.640 --> 0:04:42.800 grow up on a golf course and then try to 0:04:42.839 --> 0:04:45.240 go to a different career path. It's it's next to 0:04:45.279 --> 0:04:48.760 impossible because of the people at the club, from the 0:04:48.839 --> 0:04:52.960 starters to the snackshack people, to the members, to the 0:04:53.040 --> 0:04:56.440 daily feed, depending where you are. It's just it's littered 0:04:56.440 --> 0:05:00.840 with great people who share that passion that we all 0:05:00.880 --> 0:05:05.800 do for this beautiful game of golf, you know. But yeah, 0:05:06.000 --> 0:05:11.839 the uh, it was a it was an active, active childhood. 0:05:12.040 --> 0:05:14.000 It was basically me the golf course is basically my 0:05:14.080 --> 0:05:17.800 brother and I babysitter and we'd go early in the 0:05:17.880 --> 0:05:20.599 morning and I remember, like twelve years old, picking up 0:05:20.680 --> 0:05:25.560 trash and and helping cut cups and and and then 0:05:25.640 --> 0:05:27.000 the rest of the day Dan and I would go 0:05:27.040 --> 0:05:29.800 play golf, hit range balls, maybe build a fort in 0:05:29.839 --> 0:05:33.040 the woods, always something to do. 0:05:34.360 --> 0:05:40.800 That's using the golf course effectively as your playground. From yeah, like, 0:05:41.560 --> 0:05:44.080 what if you remember back when you were a kid, 0:05:45.040 --> 0:05:49.520 was it like when you were ten or nine, were 0:05:49.560 --> 0:05:51.960 you like chopping at the bit to go work? There 0:05:52.200 --> 0:05:54.520 was that the kind of the dynamic I remember like 0:05:54.600 --> 0:05:57.040 with me and golf, Like my dad would go play 0:05:57.080 --> 0:06:00.200 golf with my grandpa and uncle, or he'd go play 0:06:00.240 --> 0:06:03.800 early in the morning, and especially when we were on vacations, 0:06:04.720 --> 0:06:07.120 like I just was like, why can't I. 0:06:07.120 --> 0:06:11.880 Come absolutely absolutely well, and especially with like the equipment 0:06:11.920 --> 0:06:14.200 for us. You know, you get there and you'd be 0:06:14.200 --> 0:06:16.040 seeing these guys run this big equipment. You're like, oh, 0:06:16.040 --> 0:06:18.200 I want to try that. You know. Dan was a 0:06:18.200 --> 0:06:20.400 little more methodical than I was when it comes to that, 0:06:20.520 --> 0:06:24.560 you know, but I could, uh yeah, at a young age, 0:06:24.600 --> 0:06:26.640 I could operate almost every piece of equipment we had 0:06:26.800 --> 0:06:30.039 and and really got into that aspect of it. I 0:06:30.040 --> 0:06:32.919 think at one point I was my father's mechanic slash 0:06:33.040 --> 0:06:37.600 bartender after he became the uh the general manager and 0:06:38.480 --> 0:06:41.120 things of that nature. But yeah, exactly that. You know, 0:06:41.120 --> 0:06:43.279 you would see everybody working having fun, and you're like, 0:06:43.360 --> 0:06:47.160 I want to get in there, and yeah, I didn't 0:06:47.200 --> 0:06:48.000 really have a choice. 0:06:48.000 --> 0:06:53.400 But your your family tree kind of you're you know, 0:06:53.520 --> 0:06:58.159 people talk about like superintendent trees, your family tree, you know, 0:06:58.680 --> 0:07:03.880 is the lust. So where where your grandfather got into turf? 0:07:03.960 --> 0:07:06.800 Where did he work and could you just explain kind 0:07:06.839 --> 0:07:11.239 of the family in golf golf Baynut. 0:07:12.240 --> 0:07:16.320 Yeah, So the Meersman family kind of got into the 0:07:16.360 --> 0:07:20.600 golf world through a small part three golf course that 0:07:20.720 --> 0:07:23.880 was originally like a playland type place. It was called 0:07:23.880 --> 0:07:27.440 Playland and it was in South ben India. Yeah yeah, 0:07:27.520 --> 0:07:31.040 and it had go carts and my grandfather was like 0:07:31.080 --> 0:07:34.000 the mechanic for the go carts and was the handy 0:07:34.080 --> 0:07:40.040 everything man at Playland and spectacular place I remember playing 0:07:40.080 --> 0:07:45.360 as a kid. However, when the owner decided to create 0:07:45.360 --> 0:07:48.520 a part three golf course and change Playland into more 0:07:48.520 --> 0:07:53.280 of a golf centric arcade slash driving range lit up 0:07:53.320 --> 0:07:56.080 at night par three golf course. So nothing better than 0:07:56.120 --> 0:07:59.400 waiting seven people deep on each tea box and you 0:07:59.440 --> 0:08:01.560 put your little ball, You put your little ball, and 0:08:01.560 --> 0:08:03.360 then the thing that goes down to the bottom and 0:08:03.400 --> 0:08:05.239 your ball shows up, it's time for you to play. 0:08:06.840 --> 0:08:09.800 But so my grandfather started running that did a great 0:08:09.920 --> 0:08:12.440 job there, did a great job to the point where 0:08:14.440 --> 0:08:16.560 you know South Bank Country Club, which I believe at 0:08:16.560 --> 0:08:20.040 that time was ranked like second in the state of Indiana. Uh, 0:08:20.400 --> 0:08:23.800 Dave MC that is a cool golf course, very cool 0:08:23.840 --> 0:08:25.320 golf course. Thank you for saying that. 0:08:25.400 --> 0:08:29.240 I but Nick Nate, uh, superintendent of South Bend, has 0:08:29.280 --> 0:08:30.360 been on this podcast. 0:08:30.560 --> 0:08:32.720 Oh really, I did not. I'll have to go back. 0:08:33.000 --> 0:08:36.080 Sorry for my uh yeah, ignorance on that one. 0:08:36.240 --> 0:08:38.320 You guys got to meet, you would get along. He's 0:08:38.360 --> 0:08:42.000 a great guy. Uh, you know, diehard golfer, just complete 0:08:42.000 --> 0:08:42.520 golf nut. 0:08:42.840 --> 0:08:45.520 Like yeah, yeah, that's great, that's great. Yeah. No, we 0:08:45.559 --> 0:08:48.480 actually stopped by looking for him the last time I 0:08:48.520 --> 0:08:51.000 was in South Bend. My father and I were God 0:08:51.040 --> 0:08:54.480 rest my mother's soul, but she uh we were touring 0:08:55.080 --> 0:08:58.120 our old homes, our own stopping grounds and and uh 0:08:58.280 --> 0:09:00.839 doing a little a little tour, and we stopped South 0:09:00.880 --> 0:09:03.000 Bank Country Club and my dad and I toured the 0:09:03.120 --> 0:09:06.400 maintenance facility and unfortunately he was on property. But we 0:09:06.520 --> 0:09:08.720 got to see some of his staff and and just 0:09:09.320 --> 0:09:12.480 shake our heads at like wow, wow, how time just 0:09:12.600 --> 0:09:16.520 changes and how it just keeps going. But yeah, special 0:09:16.520 --> 0:09:20.680 piece of property there, and a lot of great memories, 0:09:21.080 --> 0:09:22.800 a lot of great stories. Not so many of my 0:09:22.920 --> 0:09:29.080 memories as much as stories I know from there, and uh, anyway, yeah, 0:09:29.120 --> 0:09:31.760 but so that was kind of my grandfather's start of 0:09:31.760 --> 0:09:36.679 his like a career. You know, he was considered one 0:09:36.720 --> 0:09:38.920 of the gurus at that time in the area. If 0:09:39.679 --> 0:09:44.200 if he's telling the story properly, Steve Glossenger the gentleman. 0:09:44.200 --> 0:09:48.880 I did my apprenticeship for work worked in that area 0:09:49.080 --> 0:09:51.319 and had a great deal of respect for him in 0:09:51.360 --> 0:09:53.720 the product he always put out and his passion for 0:09:53.760 --> 0:09:54.240 what we do. 0:09:55.000 --> 0:09:59.199 And before we get your to your dad, what's your 0:09:59.240 --> 0:10:02.760 favorite story from from the South Bend? You know, you said, 0:10:02.880 --> 0:10:05.760 you know that they're not your stories, but lots of stories. 0:10:05.800 --> 0:10:09.960 What's what's the story from that period of your family 0:10:10.240 --> 0:10:11.280 kind of tree. 0:10:10.920 --> 0:10:14.199 That that you you particularly enjoy. 0:10:14.480 --> 0:10:18.240 Yeah, and this is a no brainer. So my very 0:10:18.280 --> 0:10:24.760 favorite story about my grandfather, and uh, there's many of them. However, 0:10:26.320 --> 0:10:28.680 I've heard it from a couple of different people, and 0:10:28.720 --> 0:10:32.200 I think Steve Glocester told the best about how he 0:10:32.360 --> 0:10:35.160 was known as being the superintendent, the only superintendent ever 0:10:35.280 --> 0:10:39.640 to knock a member out cold on the range too 0:10:41.080 --> 0:10:46.280 and keep his job. I don't know what the complaint was, 0:10:46.320 --> 0:10:49.240 but I know my grandfather had a short fuse, and 0:10:50.000 --> 0:10:54.560 unfortunately he took his swing knocked the guy out cold. 0:10:54.679 --> 0:10:57.319 Next day, air Parses walks up to him and slaps 0:10:57.400 --> 0:10:59.920 him on their shoulder and says that a boy, Jimmy, 0:11:00.800 --> 0:11:07.280 nobody liked that, you know, maybe so ob or anyway, 0:11:07.400 --> 0:11:11.240 so the old Polish band had had or Belgian Polish 0:11:11.280 --> 0:11:16.080 whatever we are, had a short fuse. Anyways, our era 0:11:16.120 --> 0:11:20.480 par Sia should give him the pass, you know, I. 0:11:21.840 --> 0:11:23.440 I don't think that would fly today. 0:11:23.679 --> 0:11:28.320 I don't think so every member is my favorite member, 0:11:28.520 --> 0:11:30.520 all right, that's how we play it these days. 0:11:31.880 --> 0:11:35.800 That's right, That's right. You have everyone's a favorite. That's 0:11:35.800 --> 0:11:37.800 a good, good political stance to have. 0:11:38.080 --> 0:11:40.800 Yeah, yeah, and it has its truth to be, to 0:11:40.920 --> 0:11:43.160 be quite honest with you there, you know, you gotta 0:11:43.240 --> 0:11:46.240 love everything, you know. It's easier to do that than 0:11:46.280 --> 0:11:48.280 the opposite. 0:11:49.760 --> 0:11:53.480 So anyways, your your grandpa's at South bed that I 0:11:53.480 --> 0:11:56.240 imagine your dad starts working there for him. 0:11:56.840 --> 0:12:00.600 Yeah, yeah, so I think you know, all of his 0:12:00.640 --> 0:12:04.040 siblings at one point worked for him. My father, my 0:12:04.160 --> 0:12:07.680 uncle became golf course superintendents. From there, they took over 0:12:07.960 --> 0:12:13.400 municipal golf courses in South Bend. Everheart and Erskine. I 0:12:13.400 --> 0:12:17.560 believe is my my uncle Pat's first job from there, 0:12:17.840 --> 0:12:20.880 I think was anyway, I might I might be missing 0:12:20.880 --> 0:12:23.120 that a little bit, but I remember very well growing 0:12:23.200 --> 0:12:26.800 up there. My uncle lived on the golf course and 0:12:26.800 --> 0:12:30.360 and you know, maybe my cousins and my brother would 0:12:30.800 --> 0:12:34.800 would terrorize the uh the maintenance dump or you know, 0:12:34.880 --> 0:12:37.400 building fort, start running around on the property late at night. 0:12:37.520 --> 0:12:42.600 And yeah, it was the greatest playground ever. So yeah, 0:12:42.679 --> 0:12:45.920 the uh and then Everheart, where my father grew up, 0:12:47.080 --> 0:12:49.800 or we grew up right down the street. You know, 0:12:49.840 --> 0:12:52.640 we'd walk there, ride our bikes there. It's another really 0:12:52.640 --> 0:12:55.880 great golf course that the San Cho River cuts through 0:12:57.120 --> 0:13:00.719 some really beautiful bridges, and you know, going back there 0:13:00.760 --> 0:13:04.680 with him. If it's not there, it's it's South Pineview 0:13:04.679 --> 0:13:06.760 golf Club where we also grew up, like from about 0:13:06.800 --> 0:13:12.640 twelve on. We it was thirty six hole golf course there. 0:13:12.640 --> 0:13:14.040 But I like going back to with my father and 0:13:14.080 --> 0:13:19.280 pointing out his terrible tree plantings. Wow, is this fairway 0:13:19.320 --> 0:13:22.280 gotten narrow? Anyway? It's easy? 0:13:22.640 --> 0:13:27.440 Are they sil silver maples? Or that's a that's a 0:13:27.920 --> 0:13:29.280 that's a tree to tree? 0:13:29.320 --> 0:13:30.880 Did Joure of. 0:13:30.880 --> 0:13:35.320 The Midwest Midwest unis is the silver maple. You know, 0:13:35.400 --> 0:13:37.480 my favorite thing about having one of them in my 0:13:37.559 --> 0:13:40.600 backyard was that, you know, the thing about silver maples 0:13:40.720 --> 0:13:45.880 is they hold on their trees really long, you know Midwest. Yeah, 0:13:45.880 --> 0:13:49.120 they're leaves, so you know, they routinely would hold onto 0:13:49.160 --> 0:13:53.920 their leaves almost into December. And you know, you're you're 0:13:53.960 --> 0:13:56.440 looking at this tree. Every other leaf in your in 0:13:56.520 --> 0:13:58.960 your yard is gone, You've you've disposed of them, and 0:13:59.000 --> 0:14:02.600 you're looking at this tree like that that asshole won't 0:14:02.600 --> 0:14:05.360 get rid of its leaves. And then sure enough cleanup 0:14:06.200 --> 0:14:10.120 when it was with snow, knock all the leaves down, 0:14:10.160 --> 0:14:12.600 and you're looking into your backyard. It's like a perfect 0:14:12.640 --> 0:14:15.480 we got snow and leaves, and I'm going to go 0:14:15.520 --> 0:14:18.600 out there. And just so you know, for golf course, uh, 0:14:18.840 --> 0:14:21.840 golf course super tense. I could only imagine that feeling 0:14:21.920 --> 0:14:23.200 magnified by having. 0:14:23.040 --> 0:14:23.720 Hundreds of them. 0:14:23.880 --> 0:14:30.040 Oh absolutely, property, absolutely yeah yeah. And you know you 0:14:30.240 --> 0:14:32.680 just that that's exactly right, because like there's a fall 0:14:32.720 --> 0:14:35.040 clean up, you're sitting there waiting waiting for I always 0:14:35.040 --> 0:14:37.120 tell my guys get the tree shaker out, you know, 0:14:37.320 --> 0:14:40.360 as if we're actually gonna get the tree shaker out. 0:14:40.440 --> 0:14:42.840 Let's speed up this process. You know, one year we 0:14:43.000 --> 0:14:45.280 when my one of my first years here at Patterson, 0:14:46.160 --> 0:14:48.840 Hurricane Sandy came through, and you know, we lost a 0:14:48.880 --> 0:14:50.960 lot of trees, but more than but one of the 0:14:51.080 --> 0:14:54.040 silver linings. I hate to say there's ever a silver 0:14:54.080 --> 0:14:57.280 line with a hurricane. However, one of the silver linings. 0:14:57.280 --> 0:14:59.280 We woke up that next day, came out here and 0:14:59.320 --> 0:15:01.960 I don't know where leaves went. I mean, they're they're 0:15:01.960 --> 0:15:04.840 in Ireland, you know. A couple of weeks later, I 0:15:04.840 --> 0:15:07.280 don't know what was going on, but I was like, well, 0:15:07.360 --> 0:15:10.960 that's just nice. Just chop up all these trees and 0:15:11.480 --> 0:15:14.560 make some firewood, and uh yeah, that's it. 0:15:15.200 --> 0:15:16.200 There's nothing better. 0:15:16.360 --> 0:15:20.760 There's nothing better that I imagine again this is multiplied 0:15:20.800 --> 0:15:24.960 by x when you're a superintendent, but there's nothing better 0:15:25.000 --> 0:15:26.400 when you look out on your yard. 0:15:26.400 --> 0:15:28.040 And this is the perfect time of year to have 0:15:28.080 --> 0:15:28.840 this discussion. 0:15:28.840 --> 0:15:31.000 When you look out of your yard you see just 0:15:31.120 --> 0:15:34.360 leaves everywhere, and then there's just a really windy day 0:15:34.560 --> 0:15:37.320 and you look out later that day and there's no leaves. 0:15:37.440 --> 0:15:42.840 Yeah, you know, the neighbors yard not my problem. 0:15:42.880 --> 0:15:48.920 Al Yeah, yeah, yeah, you just keep them over there. Yeah. No, 0:15:49.040 --> 0:15:52.080 that's a great that's that's that's so true. Yeah, oh yeah. 0:15:52.160 --> 0:15:54.080 I have a tree dot right out right in front 0:15:54.080 --> 0:15:56.120 of my neighbor's tree actually comes over to my yard. 0:15:56.800 --> 0:15:59.000 I got a nice little white picket fence though that 0:15:58.800 --> 0:16:00.720 that that plays defense. And then I got out the 0:16:00.720 --> 0:16:03.240 big blower and just kind of shove them back halfway. 0:16:04.200 --> 0:16:07.480 Do you ever bring maintenance equipment from the shop to never? 0:16:08.400 --> 0:16:09.440 Never? 0:16:09.560 --> 0:16:11.800 No, come on, Like, have you ever done like an 0:16:11.880 --> 0:16:14.640 air ration? Have you brought like the air raidor over 0:16:14.880 --> 0:16:18.240 to do it on your own yard? Like? Like, do 0:16:18.320 --> 0:16:19.720 you do you do that? 0:16:20.040 --> 0:16:20.720 I don't think. 0:16:23.200 --> 0:16:24.160 Really no. 0:16:24.480 --> 0:16:27.560 I have actually asked grounds chairs like, hey, you know, 0:16:27.640 --> 0:16:30.120 I owe my wife, you know. I think it was 0:16:30.160 --> 0:16:32.920 like one of our early anniversary presents. She's like, day, 0:16:33.000 --> 0:16:34.960 our yard is awful, and we've been living there for 0:16:35.000 --> 0:16:37.640 about three years. But it hadn't struck me exactly what 0:16:37.680 --> 0:16:41.680 I wanted to do yet. And I was like, look, 0:16:41.920 --> 0:16:44.400 I shot your lotor back hole over there, you know, 0:16:44.440 --> 0:16:45.800 And I drove it all the way there with the 0:16:45.800 --> 0:16:48.240 flashers out, and you know, I got the thumbs up, 0:16:48.480 --> 0:16:52.160 and you know, yeah, I don't know and if I'm 0:16:52.560 --> 0:16:57.920 if I'm unemployed after this come, no, no, but they were, Yeah, 0:16:57.960 --> 0:17:00.120 I did get to borrow at that time. But you try, now, 0:17:00.200 --> 0:17:02.360 you know, you try obviously not to do or mix 0:17:02.400 --> 0:17:06.320 any of that stuff. But at the same time, yeah, 0:17:06.400 --> 0:17:08.240 it's it's right there. You're like, oh, baby, I could 0:17:08.280 --> 0:17:11.760 use a good verification. Give mean, that's six forty eight 0:17:11.760 --> 0:17:16.760 over to my house would be lovely. But yeah, it's. 0:17:16.240 --> 0:17:21.600 Got to be a conflicted feeling after the yard, your yard, because, 0:17:21.720 --> 0:17:26.040 like I imagine you do this all day, the last thing 0:17:26.240 --> 0:17:28.119 you want to do is come home and look at 0:17:28.200 --> 0:17:31.720 it from You have to almost detach yourself. 0:17:31.320 --> 0:17:34.399 Right, Oh, the shoemaker thing is so true. Like you 0:17:34.480 --> 0:17:36.199 come home, the last thing you want to do is 0:17:36.240 --> 0:17:39.360 go out and scar up your yard and start seeding 0:17:39.440 --> 0:17:42.439 because it's been an awful year and you know, my 0:17:42.560 --> 0:17:44.960 yard typically looks a lot worse than the golf course. 0:17:45.000 --> 0:17:49.520 So that's good, it's good news. But yeah, no, it is. 0:17:49.880 --> 0:17:51.280 It is you don't want to come home and do 0:17:51.400 --> 0:17:53.879 that stuff. You know. I actually have by synthetic putting 0:17:53.880 --> 0:17:56.600 green in my backyard and a little tea box. I 0:17:56.640 --> 0:17:59.679 call it. I call it Pooh National because of the 0:17:59.720 --> 0:18:03.840 dog poop. But Uh, it's just as nice as firing 0:18:03.880 --> 0:18:05.600 up the blower. I'll fire up a blower any day 0:18:05.640 --> 0:18:08.000 of the week, you know. But uh, but yeah, going 0:18:08.000 --> 0:18:08.879 out there push mowing. 0:18:09.960 --> 0:18:14.040 Is it embarrassing at all to have a synthetic synthetic 0:18:14.119 --> 0:18:14.960 in the backyard. 0:18:15.200 --> 0:18:18.800 It's not. There's no I'm not top dressing. 0:18:19.320 --> 0:18:21.320 I'm not going home after doing it all day to 0:18:21.400 --> 0:18:24.040 do that all over again. No chance. No. 0:18:24.200 --> 0:18:26.400 Ill know, you know, in your back of your head, 0:18:26.440 --> 0:18:28.720 you could have as good of a greed as you 0:18:28.840 --> 0:18:31.960 want back there, but you've gone to the synthetic. 0:18:33.280 --> 0:18:35.000 You know, nothing wrong with cheating a little bit. 0:18:36.400 --> 0:18:40.320 What I will say, one of my favorite, you know, 0:18:40.520 --> 0:18:46.800 superintendent ground staff crossovers is that you know, justin to Pippo, 0:18:47.359 --> 0:18:48.960 the superintendent at bel Air. 0:18:49.840 --> 0:18:52.280 You know, obviously some of the biggest, some. 0:18:52.280 --> 0:18:57.520 Of the most expensive homes in the world litter, you know, 0:18:57.640 --> 0:19:00.840 surround his golf course and one of his one of 0:19:00.840 --> 0:19:03.000 his perks of his job is he gives an extra 0:19:03.080 --> 0:19:08.240 day off for his staff so that they can take 0:19:08.760 --> 0:19:14.280 landscaping jobs on the surrounding homes. And he's like, it's like, 0:19:14.520 --> 0:19:17.760 you know, all the homeowners apparently come to him. 0:19:17.960 --> 0:19:19.560 How should I take care of this yard. 0:19:19.800 --> 0:19:22.320 And he he sets him up with his guys and 0:19:22.359 --> 0:19:25.800 they probably you know, it's a substantial boom in their salary. 0:19:26.359 --> 0:19:29.480 Yeah, to may take these you know, eighty. 0:19:29.200 --> 0:19:32.760 Million dollar homes and uh and you know he gives 0:19:32.800 --> 0:19:35.440 them an extra day off, and it's just like a 0:19:35.480 --> 0:19:39.600 symbiotic relationship. But I imagine also, you know, it keeps 0:19:39.640 --> 0:19:42.600 the it keeps the relationship of a of a homeowner 0:19:42.680 --> 0:19:45.280 as we've seen. As we've seen in the Northeast, there 0:19:45.320 --> 0:19:52.120 have been some contentious homeowner golf course relationships. Some actually yeah, yeah, Quaker, 0:19:52.200 --> 0:19:55.400 the Quaker rich one, to me is the most ridiculous carry. 0:19:55.200 --> 0:19:57.639 On top right, Yeah, yeah, that is that is cream 0:19:57.640 --> 0:20:00.919 of the crop, that one. You know, you're hundred percent right, Like, 0:20:00.960 --> 0:20:03.240 you have to have great relationships with your neighbors out here, 0:20:03.320 --> 0:20:07.879 and and that is an act. I've taken pieces of 0:20:07.880 --> 0:20:10.800 equipment from the club to other neighbors homes on property 0:20:10.840 --> 0:20:14.920 more frequently than my home because it's easier to it's 0:20:14.960 --> 0:20:18.000 easier and more important, I would say to to take 0:20:18.040 --> 0:20:20.439 care of them. So those mornings when you kick on 0:20:20.480 --> 0:20:22.600 a blower too early, you know, you got a new 0:20:22.600 --> 0:20:25.560 guy out there, and he's he's not following or rules 0:20:25.680 --> 0:20:29.000 or you know, forgot the rule or whatever the case 0:20:29.040 --> 0:20:31.440 may be. You know, but we've definitely gone over and 0:20:31.960 --> 0:20:36.399 chipped up fallen trees or or scarified a yard or 0:20:36.640 --> 0:20:39.520 or just you know, just trying anything and everything to 0:20:39.880 --> 0:20:43.240 keep them on your good side. However, golf courses tend 0:20:43.280 --> 0:20:46.440 to be the best neighbors you can have and other 0:20:46.560 --> 0:20:53.120 than the early mornings. But you know, it's it is 0:20:53.160 --> 0:20:57.800 a very important relationship for sure, especially right now we're 0:20:57.800 --> 0:21:01.080 getting ready to do some renovation work and uh and 0:21:01.280 --> 0:21:03.080 you know, I'm actually getting ready to go out and 0:21:03.119 --> 0:21:05.159 do a couple of walk arounds and knocking on doors 0:21:05.160 --> 0:21:13.400 and you know politician, Oh baby, yeah, absolutely, it's it's 0:21:13.480 --> 0:21:16.920 that's That's the one thing Michigan State taught me. Well, 0:21:17.119 --> 0:21:21.119 this is you're not going to school to just grow grass, 0:21:21.119 --> 0:21:22.920 you actually also to be a politician. 0:21:23.040 --> 0:21:26.920 Jay, What do they do in that regard? 0:21:27.000 --> 0:21:30.320 Like I you know, I think like going to school 0:21:30.600 --> 0:21:34.679 to be a superintendent is a very science like technical 0:21:34.920 --> 0:21:36.240 heavy education. 0:21:37.000 --> 0:21:39.560 What is what is the schools? 0:21:39.920 --> 0:21:45.240 How do they kind of prepare you for navigating the 0:21:45.359 --> 0:21:48.639 political landscape of a club or a course. 0:21:49.280 --> 0:21:52.160 Yeah, So when I was there, we started, uh, doctor 0:21:52.240 --> 0:21:57.440 Rogers started a like an etiquette class, like an etiquette 0:21:57.480 --> 0:21:59.919 training as if like like, so, look, this is how 0:22:00.040 --> 0:22:02.840 get fitted for a suit. This is uh the silver 0:22:02.880 --> 0:22:05.959 war you should use, you know, if there's multiple forks, 0:22:05.960 --> 0:22:09.880 this is what this one is, and work your way outside. 0:22:11.200 --> 0:22:13.840 So you know, we would, we would, uh we we 0:22:13.920 --> 0:22:15.679 created a little class like that. I'm sure it's an 0:22:15.720 --> 0:22:17.760 existence because I thought it was kind of a story 0:22:17.840 --> 0:22:21.600 of genius for a lot of our guys. But you know, 0:22:21.680 --> 0:22:25.320 he's also you know, they're also very good, like especially 0:22:25.320 --> 0:22:27.800 like a doctor Rogers or mister Crumb or you know 0:22:27.840 --> 0:22:30.040 a lot of these great professors we have in our industry. 0:22:30.160 --> 0:22:33.720 You know, they understand the the world we're getting ready 0:22:33.760 --> 0:22:39.000 to dive into, and they have a number of stories 0:22:39.000 --> 0:22:42.600 that they tell you. You know that kind of you know, 0:22:43.080 --> 0:22:45.560 it gets the point across to be all right, you've 0:22:45.560 --> 0:22:47.240 got to be buttoned up and polished. But at the 0:22:47.240 --> 0:22:50.560 same time, you know, you're still your passion for growing 0:22:50.560 --> 0:22:53.120 grass is still the key that gets you. It gets 0:22:53.119 --> 0:22:56.840 you home safe every day, you know. But yeah, there's 0:22:56.880 --> 0:23:02.800 a fine line between breaking bread and and managing somebody's 0:23:02.840 --> 0:23:05.240 piece of property. You know, you've got to be able 0:23:05.320 --> 0:23:07.200 to do both a little bit. 0:23:08.600 --> 0:23:10.199 I you know, we're going to get back to the 0:23:10.200 --> 0:23:14.560 family tree in a second. I've heard, I've heard from 0:23:14.840 --> 0:23:21.280 multiple people that you are extraordinary dealing with with members, 0:23:22.400 --> 0:23:28.480 you know, interacting with them, raising money for projects, getting 0:23:28.840 --> 0:23:34.000 buy in on on on different things, you know, working 0:23:34.040 --> 0:23:39.800 with various committees. What what are the you know, what 0:23:39.880 --> 0:23:42.200 are kind of if you were going to synthathize, size 0:23:42.240 --> 0:23:44.720 it down into a couple of keys with how you 0:23:44.800 --> 0:23:48.280 do this? And I think this like applies to all 0:23:48.320 --> 0:23:51.760 aspects of life, like right, this applies to somebody who's 0:23:51.920 --> 0:23:56.119 a consultant. It applies to somebody, you know, anybody that 0:23:56.240 --> 0:23:59.040 works with people. Really what what are some of your 0:23:59.160 --> 0:24:05.760 keys to to navigating the complexity of al of life 0:24:05.800 --> 0:24:09.480 at a club? As you know, I think like this 0:24:09.640 --> 0:24:11.520 is like one of the trickiest things. You are the 0:24:11.560 --> 0:24:15.359 person in the room that knows the most about about 0:24:15.400 --> 0:24:20.119 the subject matter most likely, but you know you're in 0:24:20.119 --> 0:24:22.120 a room with a bunch of people that think they, 0:24:22.920 --> 0:24:24.240 you know, know the most. 0:24:25.240 --> 0:24:30.840 Yeah, you know some simple stuff, you know. I always say, 0:24:31.200 --> 0:24:34.800 what does it keep it simple? Stupid? Right? I think 0:24:34.800 --> 0:24:39.240 that's a great line for this. The reality is is 0:24:39.520 --> 0:24:41.440 my father taught me a young age, treat people the 0:24:41.440 --> 0:24:43.040 way you want to be treated, right, and if you 0:24:43.040 --> 0:24:44.800 don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. 0:24:46.200 --> 0:24:49.800 Those are two keys, right. So I've also learned a 0:24:49.840 --> 0:24:52.880 great deal of patience from a number of my members 0:24:52.920 --> 0:24:59.159 watching them navigate these waters. So I would think that 0:25:00.400 --> 0:25:02.320 first of all, the treating people the way you want 0:25:02.320 --> 0:25:05.040 to be treated is. My brother told me a line 0:25:05.240 --> 0:25:11.240 one time before I started interviewing, and and Dan, sorry 0:25:11.320 --> 0:25:13.400 for giving this one up, but it's people don't care 0:25:13.440 --> 0:25:15.320 how much you know until they know how much you care. 0:25:16.240 --> 0:25:21.159 And I think that's to a golf course superintendent, that's reality. 0:25:21.280 --> 0:25:24.159 You know, these greens out here, these are my kids. 0:25:24.520 --> 0:25:26.199 You know, I have two beautiful daughters, but then I 0:25:26.240 --> 0:25:28.879 have these nineteen greens out here that are at my 0:25:29.040 --> 0:25:31.800 absolute babies, and you think about them all the time, 0:25:31.840 --> 0:25:35.800 and you need constant coverage and babysitting. And so if 0:25:35.840 --> 0:25:38.919 you treat your greens, you treat your members like you 0:25:38.960 --> 0:25:41.040 treat your greens, you know what I mean, You're gonna 0:25:41.040 --> 0:25:45.840 be doing well. So my job right is to educate 0:25:45.840 --> 0:25:49.639 everybody to make sure they're as educated as possible. And 0:25:49.680 --> 0:25:53.320 I do that simply by getting people much smarter than myself. 0:25:53.840 --> 0:25:58.040 Steve McDonald, for instance, he's been on this podcast Smartest 0:25:58.040 --> 0:26:06.119 Man in Golf, Jaeger Kovich or a former architect at 0:26:06.160 --> 0:26:08.240 the at the Patterson Club and with a faz Yeo group. 0:26:08.240 --> 0:26:11.399 Here was Tom mars Off, extremely intelligent man. You know, 0:26:11.440 --> 0:26:16.359 I would use the people that we have hired to 0:26:16.640 --> 0:26:19.600 basically sign off on what we're trying to accomplish here, 0:26:20.080 --> 0:26:22.879 as in, you know, Steve, what are your thoughts on 0:26:22.880 --> 0:26:24.760 the aconomic side of what we're trying to do here? 0:26:25.560 --> 0:26:28.760 What's the design factor? Okay, those two were got sign 0:26:28.800 --> 0:26:30.680 off on those two. You can even throw a guy 0:26:30.720 --> 0:26:34.480 like Herb Stevens in our weather guy. You know, people 0:26:35.320 --> 0:26:38.600 people have there's a lot of chatter about Steve, Herb Stevens. 0:26:38.600 --> 0:26:40.760 But it's nice to not have to be the guy 0:26:40.800 --> 0:26:45.360 that cancels the outing. You know. It's nice that Herb's saying, you, guys, 0:26:45.400 --> 0:26:46.800 you're gonna get out there and you can be soopping 0:26:46.840 --> 0:26:50.320 white the whole day. Not Jason Meersman. What's that? 0:26:51.160 --> 0:26:51.879 Is he a member? 0:26:52.280 --> 0:26:54.560 No, he's not a member, but we we we subscribe 0:26:54.600 --> 0:27:00.400 to his his his weather forecasting it's long runed weather forecasting. 0:26:59.800 --> 0:27:02.399 And I was gonna say, Larry David warned us of 0:27:02.920 --> 0:27:04.400 meteorologists weather man. 0:27:04.440 --> 0:27:06.240 I don't know if you're oh, yeah, one of my 0:27:06.280 --> 0:27:11.040 favorites ever getting started. You know, I was there. 0:27:11.280 --> 0:27:12.439 It's perfectly sunny. 0:27:12.800 --> 0:27:14.919 He's the only one on the golf course after he 0:27:15.040 --> 0:27:16.280 told everybody it was going to. 0:27:16.359 --> 0:27:16.920 Rain all day. 0:27:17.119 --> 0:27:19.800 One of my favorites, by the way, that one, or 0:27:19.800 --> 0:27:23.920 when he stole the tip, then stole the tip from 0:27:23.960 --> 0:27:26.600 the bench and then went out and hit the guy 0:27:26.680 --> 0:27:30.560 and uh forge Danielle four because the guy was deaf. Anyway, 0:27:30.640 --> 0:27:33.160 Larry David, I almost went down to you know, when 0:27:33.160 --> 0:27:36.399 I was graduated in Michigan State, I was one hundred 0:27:36.400 --> 0:27:39.000 percent ready to go with Steve Gloucester CAP's Valley, and 0:27:39.040 --> 0:27:41.240 I'm so glad I did. But there was a part 0:27:41.280 --> 0:27:43.159 of me that so desperately wanted to go out to 0:27:43.200 --> 0:27:45.919 like Riviera, just to just to try to get to 0:27:45.960 --> 0:27:50.160 know Larry David. Yeah, my single favorite, maybe of all time. 0:27:50.920 --> 0:27:51.359 I think the. 0:27:52.920 --> 0:27:56.600 Like by Dream Foursome, he's he's gotta be gotta be 0:27:56.680 --> 0:28:02.280 at itad like absolutely the commentary. He's just so himself, 0:28:02.440 --> 0:28:04.639 Like you could tell that's exactly who he is. 0:28:05.000 --> 0:28:07.760 Yeah, you know, yeah, it would be awkward and funny 0:28:07.840 --> 0:28:11.000 the whole time. It would be great, Like, yeah, I 0:28:11.040 --> 0:28:13.280 misspeak all the time, so it'd be perfect. You know, 0:28:13.359 --> 0:28:16.520 he'd be he'd be tear me apart and then anyway, 0:28:16.640 --> 0:28:21.199 it'd be great. It'd be great. But yeah, so you know, 0:28:21.600 --> 0:28:23.440 I don't know if I ever buttoned up that beautiful 0:28:23.520 --> 0:28:25.159 question you asked me. But at the same time, like 0:28:25.840 --> 0:28:31.760 you know, I kill him with kindness, be yourself, you know, 0:28:31.880 --> 0:28:33.800 love them. They're gonna love you back. And I mean 0:28:33.840 --> 0:28:36.399 that wholeheartedly. You know, I'm not I'm not here to 0:28:36.480 --> 0:28:39.320 sell a project or or raise money for this thing. 0:28:39.360 --> 0:28:42.360 You know. My reality is is I have to, uh, 0:28:42.560 --> 0:28:45.719 I have to keep people understanding where we stand, you know, 0:28:45.920 --> 0:28:49.160 and and and keep them educated on that. And then 0:28:49.400 --> 0:28:52.800 and then as a team, we have to make you know, 0:28:52.880 --> 0:28:55.720 the decisions for what's best for the club period, you know. 0:28:56.000 --> 0:28:59.640 And you know, and I think with these intelligent people 0:29:00.000 --> 0:29:02.600 around yourselves, with and and calling my brother for a 0:29:02.600 --> 0:29:05.640 little advice, or calling Steve Revenue for some advice, or 0:29:06.040 --> 0:29:09.040 you know, just Mike de Husky down at Shelter Harbor, 0:29:09.080 --> 0:29:11.520 Like we got a great group of support out here 0:29:11.560 --> 0:29:14.600 in the in the Northeast, and and you know, there's 0:29:14.600 --> 0:29:16.200 a number of people that come to your back and 0:29:16.240 --> 0:29:19.480 aid to make sure you have the the answers and 0:29:19.480 --> 0:29:23.600 and the knowledge to be you know, to to help 0:29:23.680 --> 0:29:27.000 lead these these these people through what is very tough 0:29:27.040 --> 0:29:28.280 decisions for them, you know. 0:29:30.520 --> 0:29:32.880 And I think, like one of the things that you 0:29:32.960 --> 0:29:37.640 said that resonates to me is be yourself. I think, 0:29:37.720 --> 0:29:41.880 like so often you see, like it's like, as someone 0:29:41.920 --> 0:29:47.520 who grew up working at a club, you you feel 0:29:47.520 --> 0:29:50.040 like you have to put up this facade of like polite, 0:29:50.280 --> 0:29:54.640 always politeness, and that can sometimes mask your personality. But 0:29:54.840 --> 0:29:58.680 when I think back to like as as young Andy 0:29:58.800 --> 0:30:04.560 coming of age, you know, in college, like who became 0:30:04.600 --> 0:30:05.240 My best. 0:30:05.040 --> 0:30:08.480 Relationships were as who are members were. 0:30:08.360 --> 0:30:11.000 Often people that caddied for regularly where I would spend 0:30:11.040 --> 0:30:13.440 a lot of time, and you like you lose that 0:30:13.600 --> 0:30:17.560 veil of of of how you felt like you had 0:30:17.600 --> 0:30:20.800 to act because of how much time you spent with someone, 0:30:21.240 --> 0:30:23.240 you know, And this was me in my twenties, right 0:30:23.360 --> 0:30:27.440 when I was young, and like, when I think back 0:30:27.480 --> 0:30:29.800 to it now, is like those people actually got to 0:30:30.440 --> 0:30:33.520 got to know me. You know, and if you just 0:30:33.640 --> 0:30:37.320 let people in sooner and and kind of you know, 0:30:37.680 --> 0:30:42.280 be polite, be you know, be a you know, understand 0:30:42.360 --> 0:30:45.840 like you know, the politeness, but like also show them 0:30:45.840 --> 0:30:48.680 who you are. Speak like, speak to them the way 0:30:48.720 --> 0:30:51.800 you would speak to your friends, you know, and they 0:30:51.800 --> 0:30:56.200 are more likely going to develop like a real relationship 0:30:56.240 --> 0:30:58.960 with you and respect you, because like you know that. 0:30:59.520 --> 0:31:02.440 I think that's something as you get older, you like 0:31:02.600 --> 0:31:05.600 kind of realize. But it's like, you know, there's no 0:31:05.640 --> 0:31:08.800 sense putting up this like false facade, right because you're 0:31:08.840 --> 0:31:13.200 ever then going to have a relationship of significance, and 0:31:13.760 --> 0:31:18.800 especially in your position where you're trying to get things done, 0:31:19.080 --> 0:31:22.760 you need to have that deeper relationship with with people 0:31:23.240 --> 0:31:25.200 in order to push things through. 0:31:25.560 --> 0:31:28.040 Yeah. Yeah, you got to build that trust, right, Like 0:31:29.200 --> 0:31:30.640 you know, I always tell people that come up to 0:31:30.640 --> 0:31:32.320 me and they're like, hey, Jay, there's something over here, 0:31:32.320 --> 0:31:34.680 there's something over there, and you know you want to 0:31:34.720 --> 0:31:36.680 get to it. I always say, you know, if you're 0:31:36.680 --> 0:31:39.000 seeing it, I'm losing sleep over it. You know I've 0:31:39.000 --> 0:31:42.080 already I've already seen it, I promise you, And if 0:31:42.120 --> 0:31:44.680 I haven't, I'll jump right on it. You know, sometimes 0:31:44.680 --> 0:31:48.320 people will give me what I call layups, right, you know, Hey, Jay, 0:31:48.360 --> 0:31:50.040 is there any chance we could get an extra flower 0:31:50.040 --> 0:31:53.880 pot over here? Done? Jay, the trash can over here? 0:31:54.040 --> 0:31:56.480 And sometimes I might explain to them why we tried 0:31:56.520 --> 0:31:59.240 that it doesn't work out. But other times I'm like, well, 0:31:59.480 --> 0:32:03.200 that's a layup. Cut a path to the forward tea 0:32:03.240 --> 0:32:06.720 box on two from one, so you don't have to 0:32:06.720 --> 0:32:08.840 walk through the tall grass or walk around. Yeah, I'll 0:32:08.840 --> 0:32:11.440 cut you a little path. Let's do that. That's a layup. 0:32:12.320 --> 0:32:14.080 Let's get that one done. Check the box. 0:32:15.280 --> 0:32:19.280 What's what's your least favorite? You know, if someone tells 0:32:19.360 --> 0:32:22.000 you something like is it is it? Like there's there's 0:32:22.000 --> 0:32:25.160 some Doug grass somewhere? Is that re least favorite? 0:32:25.400 --> 0:32:27.719 Like? What what we the least favors? 0:32:27.760 --> 0:32:31.360 When you don't know, you know, it's communication with your staff, 0:32:31.880 --> 0:32:34.040 you know, forgot to mention, Oh, I forgot to mention 0:32:34.120 --> 0:32:36.080 that my bad No no, no, no, no no. I 0:32:36.080 --> 0:32:39.040 need to know everything. There's there's a stone that's been turned, 0:32:39.080 --> 0:32:42.320 I need to know it, right Like, uh, yeah, you 0:32:42.360 --> 0:32:44.880 can't not and uh you know, this year we've done 0:32:44.920 --> 0:32:48.080 so much work with communication and really trying to communicate 0:32:48.120 --> 0:32:51.080 to the membership about all the either work that's coming 0:32:51.120 --> 0:32:54.360 at us here and and uh, you know, you're you're 0:32:56.240 --> 0:32:58.120 you know, it's hard to it's hard to be everywhere 0:32:58.160 --> 0:33:00.840 at once, and and you're really line on your people 0:33:00.840 --> 0:33:03.959 for this communication. And so when you get caught and 0:33:04.000 --> 0:33:06.600 you you don't know what they're talking about, that's when 0:33:06.600 --> 0:33:09.440 it's the worst. Other than that, it's like, you know, 0:33:10.760 --> 0:33:12.680 I'm either going to ride the complaint wave with you 0:33:12.800 --> 0:33:14.960 and try to do better, or else I'm gonna or 0:33:14.960 --> 0:33:20.000 else I'm gonna go fix it right away. But yeah, 0:33:20.200 --> 0:33:22.560 you know, here's a good one for you. A lot 0:33:22.560 --> 0:33:24.880 of people are asking me about this project we're doing. 0:33:25.280 --> 0:33:27.920 They're like, we're gonna ask about the project, j J, 0:33:28.080 --> 0:33:30.280 what's what's what's your favorite part? They all think I'm 0:33:30.280 --> 0:33:32.440 gonna be like, you know, like you, I'm an architect 0:33:32.520 --> 0:33:36.040 nerk right, Like oh I love number four or number five, 0:33:36.240 --> 0:33:38.880 or oh this is gonna be a great mound here, 0:33:38.960 --> 0:33:40.800 it's going to get the ball rick ische and moving 0:33:40.800 --> 0:33:43.920 all over the place, or we're gonna open up the bunkers. No, No, 0:33:44.760 --> 0:33:48.840 the most exciting part to me is not wasting money 0:33:50.160 --> 0:33:52.800 on bunkers that are seven years past their last their 0:33:52.840 --> 0:33:57.120 life expectancy or an irrigation system that's been you know, 0:33:57.240 --> 0:34:00.560 leaking like a sieve for five six years. You know, 0:34:00.880 --> 0:34:02.840 I'm just really excited to not be wasting that money 0:34:02.880 --> 0:34:04.920 because we're gonna be able to do so much more 0:34:04.960 --> 0:34:07.520 for you, you know. I mean, we're gonna have divots 0:34:07.560 --> 0:34:09.680 feel quicker, We're gonna be plugging davids, We're going to 0:34:09.760 --> 0:34:12.680 be you know, what else can we do? Let's get 0:34:12.680 --> 0:34:15.359 more done? You know, That's that's the reality of it. 0:34:15.440 --> 0:34:20.280 I mean, but so anyway, it's exciting. 0:34:21.200 --> 0:34:22.320 Your your golf course. 0:34:22.520 --> 0:34:25.280 I you every time I talk to you, you remind 0:34:25.320 --> 0:34:28.120 me that it's I think I big the numbers the 0:34:28.280 --> 0:34:29.760 ninth rtj. 0:34:29.520 --> 0:34:32.200 Oh number eleven eleven, it. 0:34:32.120 --> 0:34:35.359 Was between I knew the two numbers that were coming 0:34:35.360 --> 0:34:37.839 into my had were nine and thirteen. And it ends 0:34:37.920 --> 0:34:43.359 up being right in the middle ourtj golf course. You're 0:34:43.480 --> 0:34:46.600 you're gonna do a major project on this golf course. 0:34:46.880 --> 0:34:47.000 Uh. 0:34:47.320 --> 0:34:52.040 Jaeger Kovich is going to to uh you know, you know, 0:34:52.440 --> 0:34:53.120 figures crossed. 0:34:53.160 --> 0:34:54.759 I think the best we're in the. 0:34:54.640 --> 0:34:56.600 Middle of the boat right now. I don't know what 0:34:56.640 --> 0:34:59.040 it looks like. I know there's been great participation by 0:34:59.040 --> 0:35:01.799 the members and uh and I know the team that 0:35:01.840 --> 0:35:05.239 has done the communications for it is there's there's a 0:35:05.640 --> 0:35:07.839 there's a love fest there. We just we've been working 0:35:07.840 --> 0:35:12.040 so many hours together. It's it's it's been fun. They've 0:35:12.080 --> 0:35:15.960 done an amazing job. And uh, yeah, fingers are crossed 0:35:15.960 --> 0:35:17.960 that this is going to go through. The reality is 0:35:17.960 --> 0:35:21.759 the master planning is done and so what we're going 0:35:21.800 --> 0:35:24.239 to do it has already been planned out. It's just 0:35:24.320 --> 0:35:26.600 how we're going to execute that is is not one 0:35:26.680 --> 0:35:28.920 hundred percent set in stone yet, but pretty close. 0:35:30.000 --> 0:35:34.200 With with just the history r d J Robert Trent 0:35:34.280 --> 0:35:38.840 Jones one of the you know, most revered golf architects 0:35:39.120 --> 0:35:44.240 in the in the history of golf. You're an early 0:35:44.320 --> 0:35:46.560 golf course of his, which I think for the most 0:35:46.600 --> 0:35:51.960 part the early work was was the most celebrated of RTJ. 0:35:54.000 --> 0:35:58.759 What has been you know, the kind of process for 0:36:00.320 --> 0:36:04.799 maybe pushing slightly away from his original work and what 0:36:05.000 --> 0:36:11.160 has been the kind of how have you guys gone about, 0:36:11.280 --> 0:36:13.839 you know, getting the membership to the point you're at now. 0:36:14.640 --> 0:36:22.040 Yeah, So, yeah, great question. I I I one second 0:36:22.040 --> 0:36:23.719 though on that. I do want to remember remind you 0:36:23.760 --> 0:36:26.880 the first time we ever met. Do you remember this 0:36:27.000 --> 0:36:27.799 National Golf Link? 0:36:27.920 --> 0:36:30.480 I was yeah, oh yeah, National Golf Link. 0:36:30.800 --> 0:36:34.800 Yeah yeah, I was touring National Golf Links with mister 0:36:34.840 --> 0:36:37.960 Sell and Eddie, the amazing superintendent there. It was my 0:36:37.960 --> 0:36:40.320 first time on property and I'm like a Kidney Candy store, 0:36:40.400 --> 0:36:42.719 just just looking around, and I see you out there 0:36:42.719 --> 0:36:44.960 and you're playing. I'm like, I ran up check and 0:36:45.200 --> 0:36:49.480 Jason Meersman uh golf course superintendent of the Patterson Club, 0:36:49.560 --> 0:36:54.960 Robert Trent Jones eleventh and you started laughing like you 0:36:54.960 --> 0:37:00.160 were like, yeah, that's exactly anyway. That was how we met. 0:37:00.280 --> 0:37:03.040 And then yeah, the perfect perfect way to. 0:37:03.600 --> 0:37:10.080 Intro right to a golf historian, right number eleven. Anyway, 0:37:10.600 --> 0:37:11.440 it's so funny. 0:37:11.760 --> 0:37:14.239 Yeah, so god, that was my twenties. 0:37:14.400 --> 0:37:19.600 Twenty eighteen, yeah, yeah, right right, yeah, twenty seventeen maybe no. 0:37:19.719 --> 0:37:21.560 He was yeah right? When then when was she? When 0:37:21.560 --> 0:37:24.440 did Chinnacok host the US Open? I had a picture? 0:37:24.719 --> 0:37:27.839 I was twenty eighteen, so that was eighteen? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. 0:37:27.880 --> 0:37:31.960 Is the second second major championship that I covered in person? 0:37:32.600 --> 0:37:33.240 Oh awesome? 0:37:34.160 --> 0:37:34.760 Maybe third. 0:37:34.760 --> 0:37:37.719 You're just hot, You're just getting hot, that hot you're 0:37:38.120 --> 0:37:39.120 playing National two. 0:37:41.560 --> 0:37:43.400 I didn't stay the whole week. I couldn't afford to 0:37:43.440 --> 0:37:46.120 stay the whole week. We didn't have enough money in 0:37:46.160 --> 0:37:48.960 the business account. So I was only there from like 0:37:49.480 --> 0:37:51.800 Monday or Tuesday to Friday. 0:37:52.280 --> 0:37:52.640 Yeah. 0:37:52.719 --> 0:37:55.719 Yeah, those are early early, early years. 0:37:56.160 --> 0:38:00.000 That's great. Yeah, yeah, I was volunteering for mister Jennings 0:38:00.160 --> 0:38:05.880 me to work. Great stuff, great week. So yeah, so 0:38:06.000 --> 0:38:08.080 back to the So, first of all, our history, you know, 0:38:08.400 --> 0:38:10.239 there's some there's some fun stuff that I like to 0:38:10.239 --> 0:38:12.120 talk about when it comes to Patters Club's history. And 0:38:12.560 --> 0:38:15.160 you know number one is yeah, first of all, we 0:38:15.200 --> 0:38:18.000 were eleventh golf course. But if you look at his archives, 0:38:18.000 --> 0:38:21.960 you'll you'll see that Augustin National hired Robert Trent Jones 0:38:22.280 --> 0:38:25.160 Senior at the same year that we that we employed 0:38:25.200 --> 0:38:30.120 him to build our golf course. Excuse me, the Patterson 0:38:30.160 --> 0:38:34.680 Club was originally a ge established club. So the president CEO, 0:38:34.800 --> 0:38:38.800 who most likely were members at Augusta Nashville and pretty 0:38:38.840 --> 0:38:42.200 tied in with the boys there just doing some of 0:38:42.200 --> 0:38:46.440 the world's best work. I always say that I can 0:38:46.480 --> 0:38:51.560 only imagine the the interview process and one of these 0:38:51.600 --> 0:38:54.799 guys from g saying, hey, let's hire this young guy, 0:38:54.840 --> 0:38:56.600 and then by the way, why don't you stop up 0:38:56.600 --> 0:38:59.040 in Fairfield and whip us up a golf course real quick, 0:38:59.120 --> 0:39:03.840 you know. And so long story short here number eleven. 0:39:04.000 --> 0:39:07.040 He comes up here and and it's just an amazing 0:39:07.080 --> 0:39:09.480 piece of property, just a beautiful piece of property. And 0:39:09.480 --> 0:39:12.520 he put out some you know, some some beautiful golf holes. 0:39:13.080 --> 0:39:16.200 And you know, there's some interesting facts, like our eighteenth 0:39:16.239 --> 0:39:19.600 hole was never finished. They were they were working on 0:39:19.640 --> 0:39:21.719 some tree work through the driving which is currently our 0:39:21.840 --> 0:39:25.640 driving range. And you know, one hundred thousand dollars, shy 0:39:25.760 --> 0:39:27.839 finished the tree work. We'll just do it next year. 0:39:28.600 --> 0:39:29.200 Never happens. 0:39:29.320 --> 0:39:32.759 Wait, wait, so it wasn't finished. 0:39:34.120 --> 0:39:35.719 Oh no, this is walked to the top of the 0:39:35.760 --> 0:39:38.799 hill and put the te's instead of going through the 0:39:38.800 --> 0:39:40.920 woods and playing the golf hole. They had finished the 0:39:40.920 --> 0:39:46.760 green so the green green. Yeah, well no, this is yeah. 0:39:47.239 --> 0:39:51.400 So they basically fifteen would have been our current fifteen 0:39:51.440 --> 0:39:53.839 would have been seventeen originally, and it would have been 0:39:53.840 --> 0:39:57.480 a great final stretch of holes. And and you know 0:39:57.480 --> 0:40:00.560 they were getting ready to finish eighteen and you know, 0:40:00.600 --> 0:40:03.600 we're not gonna get those trees clear in time. Let's 0:40:03.640 --> 0:40:05.120 put the teas at the top of the hill, played 0:40:05.120 --> 0:40:07.319 down the hill, and like I said, they probably were like, 0:40:07.320 --> 0:40:08.239 we'll just do it next year. 0:40:09.200 --> 0:40:10.240 It just never happens. 0:40:10.960 --> 0:40:14.080 Never, never happen. You know, things happened. That's how that's 0:40:14.080 --> 0:40:17.880 how it works. And you know, and in the late sixties, 0:40:17.880 --> 0:40:20.400 I think nineteen sixty I've looked at all the old overheads. 0:40:20.440 --> 0:40:22.240 You know, I think like nineteen sixty eight they started 0:40:22.320 --> 0:40:24.920 using as a driving range and you know, piped off 0:40:24.920 --> 0:40:27.359 a stream that would have been strategic in the final hole. 0:40:27.480 --> 0:40:31.880 And and long story short, what's a cut to your 0:40:31.920 --> 0:40:36.440 club without a driving range? Now? So this actually, you know, 0:40:36.440 --> 0:40:38.160 it's kind of funny how this works, but it almost 0:40:38.200 --> 0:40:40.719 kind of helps us in a way that like what 0:40:40.760 --> 0:40:43.040 we're trying to accomplish now is to really improve our 0:40:43.040 --> 0:40:46.040 shortcame practice driving range. And we can do that with 0:40:46.120 --> 0:40:49.719 a slight re route to our golf course, which you 0:40:49.760 --> 0:40:52.360 know was highlighted by a number of architects in the past. 0:40:52.440 --> 0:40:56.880 But we really cast Yagurkovich with during this how do 0:40:57.000 --> 0:41:02.680 we create you know, these better shortcame practice area driving range, 0:41:03.239 --> 0:41:06.239 but at the same time improve our golf course. And 0:41:06.640 --> 0:41:09.920 he's created a great opportunity for us. He saw this 0:41:10.080 --> 0:41:12.560 after many days of walking around in the cold and 0:41:12.600 --> 0:41:19.040 our car hearts and anyway, the uh, you know, that's 0:41:19.040 --> 0:41:20.600 going to be the kind of that was kind of 0:41:20.600 --> 0:41:22.879 the biggest hurdle is trying to get everybody to understand that. 0:41:24.560 --> 0:41:27.200 But then the rest of that renovation, we're looking at 0:41:27.200 --> 0:41:32.480 about you know, seventy percent restoration thirty percent renovation. You know, 0:41:32.680 --> 0:41:35.799 so really kind of paying a lot of homage to 0:41:36.080 --> 0:41:40.240 Robert Trenchones Senior and bringing some of his earlier work back, 0:41:41.520 --> 0:41:43.799 some of the things he had planned earlier, bringing those 0:41:43.800 --> 0:41:48.720 things back and really kind of highlighting those. For instance, 0:41:48.719 --> 0:41:51.160 our fourth hole, you know, we're going to kind of 0:41:51.200 --> 0:41:53.280 do what you would see like eight at Augusta National, 0:41:53.280 --> 0:41:55.239 the big mounds around the greens and let the ball 0:41:55.360 --> 0:41:58.960 just bounce and run around and it's a really neat, narrow, 0:41:58.960 --> 0:42:02.680 banana shaped green and just kind of improving the interest 0:42:02.680 --> 0:42:05.839 of that golf hole. Also making a little bit more 0:42:05.920 --> 0:42:08.840 playable for the higher handicap golfer and more strategic for 0:42:08.880 --> 0:42:12.080 the lower handicap golfer. You know, so we're really focused 0:42:12.080 --> 0:42:15.040 on doing a number of those types of things while 0:42:15.160 --> 0:42:18.600 you know, really paying homage to him. You know, on 0:42:18.719 --> 0:42:21.359 number six. He had a really great hit it high 0:42:21.400 --> 0:42:24.959 and hope volcano hole short part three. It was really 0:42:24.960 --> 0:42:28.680 the only short part three in property. And you know, 0:42:28.760 --> 0:42:31.520 now we're we're looking at kind of bringing something back, 0:42:31.560 --> 0:42:33.399 not one hundred percent back to what he had because 0:42:33.440 --> 0:42:36.120 it was a little diabolical. People stopped playing it for 0:42:36.160 --> 0:42:39.360 a reason. So let's do let's pay a little image too, 0:42:39.440 --> 0:42:40.920 Let's cut it into the side of the hill, make 0:42:40.960 --> 0:42:44.040 a little postage stamp out of it, and you know 0:42:44.160 --> 0:42:46.839 it's going to be the sixth try on our sixth green. 0:42:47.040 --> 0:42:50.759 It's been done multiple times, so you know, let's just 0:42:50.800 --> 0:42:52.600 start turned to try to get it right. 0:42:53.840 --> 0:42:57.560 It's an interesting you know, I think like one of 0:42:57.640 --> 0:42:59.480 the things when I think about golf history and I 0:42:59.560 --> 0:43:04.279 know you're in golf history, is like the Great Depression 0:43:04.400 --> 0:43:08.600 in World War Two created like this like just stop 0:43:09.440 --> 0:43:16.240 and almost like like very abrupt restart almost twenty years 0:43:16.440 --> 0:43:19.040 from the last time new golf was being built. There 0:43:19.040 --> 0:43:22.000 were a few, okay, a few golf courses. But what 0:43:22.160 --> 0:43:25.799 happened was, you know, like all of the ties to 0:43:25.960 --> 0:43:30.680 the old style, like the this of rapidly evolving new 0:43:30.719 --> 0:43:34.840 practice of golf architecture, all the ties were pretty much broken. 0:43:35.040 --> 0:43:39.160 There were a few that had ties to that that 0:43:39.280 --> 0:43:43.440 era of golf design, RTJ Dick Wilson being two of 0:43:43.480 --> 0:43:46.840 the two of them. And it's like the early stuff 0:43:47.200 --> 0:43:51.600 with RTJ has a flare to it. You know, if 0:43:51.640 --> 0:43:55.040 you looked at and and you think about like Dick Wilson. 0:43:55.719 --> 0:43:57.560 You know, if you look at some old pictures of 0:43:58.040 --> 0:44:01.320 Dick Wilson's designs, you know, actually early in his career 0:44:01.719 --> 0:44:05.040 there was a you know, a real late Golden Age 0:44:05.160 --> 0:44:09.319 look in style to it. But then when you when 0:44:09.400 --> 0:44:13.200 you know, it almost was like they became part of 0:44:13.320 --> 0:44:16.799 the next era. And a lot of it had to 0:44:16.840 --> 0:44:19.680 do with, like I think, societal trends, Like it was 0:44:19.760 --> 0:44:21.560 kind of what was going on in the world, this 0:44:21.760 --> 0:44:26.839 like manufactured this like peak manufacturing era, this like simplicity, 0:44:27.239 --> 0:44:31.840 Like yeah, subdivision you knows are are huge in housing 0:44:32.200 --> 0:44:35.040 in the fifties and sixties, and it's like, you know, 0:44:35.120 --> 0:44:38.640 it's just like a very you know, like I think 0:44:38.719 --> 0:44:42.439 like RTJ built so many golf courses over so many 0:44:42.560 --> 0:44:46.520 years and had his thumb his fingerprints on so many 0:44:46.520 --> 0:44:49.840 of the great Golden Age golf courses that sometimes like 0:44:49.920 --> 0:44:52.960 the he built a lot of golf courses, and a 0:44:53.040 --> 0:44:55.680 lot of golf courses might not be the greatest golf courses, 0:44:56.000 --> 0:45:00.719 but he did build some that were fascinatingly unique, particularly 0:45:00.880 --> 0:45:01.960 early in his career. 0:45:02.719 --> 0:45:05.080 Yeah, I mean I could only imagine, right, you're you're 0:45:06.080 --> 0:45:11.080 you're over five hundred golf courses. Correct me if I'm wrong. Yeah, 0:45:11.080 --> 0:45:12.600 you've got to be getting to a point where that's 0:45:12.600 --> 0:45:15.480 my favorite. Here's my list of thirty two grades. I'm 0:45:15.480 --> 0:45:18.719 gonna give you a seven, a twelve, fourteen, let's have 0:45:18.800 --> 0:45:22.360 a you know, I mean, I don't know that's not 0:45:22.480 --> 0:45:25.719 Also in another way, it. 0:45:25.640 --> 0:45:28.239 Gets to the point where you're not even visiting, right, 0:45:28.280 --> 0:45:31.520 Like it's like I show up on on for the 0:45:31.760 --> 0:45:32.840 for the sales. 0:45:32.480 --> 0:45:34.560 Meeting, opening day and opening day. 0:45:34.960 --> 0:45:38.200 Yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, Now you're one hundred percent right, 0:45:38.239 --> 0:45:41.880 it's uh yeah. He became a he became like the 0:45:41.920 --> 0:45:47.160 first kind of you know, I mean, he was the 0:45:47.160 --> 0:45:49.840 big name golf course architect, right, he was the he 0:45:49.960 --> 0:45:53.320 was the first guy that was like, this is my career, 0:45:53.320 --> 0:45:56.000 this is the only thing I'm going to do, and 0:45:56.000 --> 0:45:58.360 and this is who I am. And so five hundred 0:45:58.400 --> 0:46:00.279 golf courses, you know, I wonder how many heat didn't 0:46:00.280 --> 0:46:03.160 show up to right, he's never been to. But at 0:46:03.160 --> 0:46:05.360 the same time, he's got a number of people in 0:46:05.400 --> 0:46:07.960 this career he started off there there, you know, their 0:46:09.120 --> 0:46:15.480 careers in golf, building, golf courses for him, junior architects, 0:46:16.200 --> 0:46:19.640 you know. So just amazing footprint or dumb print in 0:46:19.680 --> 0:46:24.680 the in the business itself. H kind of uh sparking 0:46:24.680 --> 0:46:26.800 all these jobs and all these professions. And you know, 0:46:26.840 --> 0:46:29.040 I always like even my little role in the golf 0:46:29.400 --> 0:46:31.920 right as the golf course superintown, the director of grounds 0:46:31.960 --> 0:46:33.279 and greens and. 0:46:33.760 --> 0:46:35.280 Don't call me a superintendent. 0:46:35.400 --> 0:46:39.200 Yeah director, I have my golf ball director of grounds. 0:46:42.719 --> 0:46:44.280 Don't call me a super intendent. 0:46:46.080 --> 0:46:50.000 Yeah yeah, so I yeah, well, you know. 0:46:52.040 --> 0:46:54.920 I like I personally like across the pond when they 0:46:54.960 --> 0:46:58.759 get master greenskeeper, Like if you could get master in. 0:46:58.760 --> 0:47:03.560 Your in your in your title, I think that's just 0:47:03.640 --> 0:47:05.040 like a huge you know. 0:47:05.400 --> 0:47:07.920 I remember my grandfather back to back to him, he 0:47:08.360 --> 0:47:11.279 was very against the greens keeper title. He wanted it 0:47:11.280 --> 0:47:13.400 to be the golf course superintendent, you know, and. 0:47:16.160 --> 0:47:19.000 Now it's like disrespectful to say superintendent. 0:47:19.080 --> 0:47:22.600 I know, no, that's the that's the best role there is. 0:47:22.960 --> 0:47:26.120 My superintendent Steve Kobiki is a wild man. And then 0:47:26.120 --> 0:47:29.880 I have a superintendent facilities Mike or chef. Amazing guys. 0:47:30.040 --> 0:47:32.960 They're killing it on a daily basis. But at the 0:47:33.000 --> 0:47:36.520 same time, like like that's the fun stuff. I get 0:47:36.520 --> 0:47:37.799 to go, what's that. 0:47:38.840 --> 0:47:41.520 I heard a recent story of a friend of mine 0:47:41.560 --> 0:47:46.840 meeting a new superintendent and uh and them correcting them saying, 0:47:47.400 --> 0:47:50.720 I am the director of agronomy, not the superintendent. 0:47:51.360 --> 0:47:57.400 And I thought, I don't do any corrections. Back to that, 0:47:57.719 --> 0:48:00.440 I think the first or second question. Yeah, I don't 0:48:00.480 --> 0:48:01.520 correct people very often. 0:48:02.800 --> 0:48:08.320 It's you know, it's interesting my you know, personal opinion. Hey, 0:48:08.880 --> 0:48:10.240 you've been you've been. 0:48:10.320 --> 0:48:13.520 A part of this. This might be like a great 0:48:13.640 --> 0:48:16.160 question for you, it might be a terrible question. You 0:48:16.200 --> 0:48:23.400 grew up in Turf, you've lived your life has been this, Yeah, 0:48:23.440 --> 0:48:26.440 with young young people in Turf. Now, like how do 0:48:26.480 --> 0:48:31.280 you think that the role in the people have changed? 0:48:31.440 --> 0:48:37.439 Like how how is the profession industry and the young 0:48:37.480 --> 0:48:40.240 people coming into the industry, how how's it evolved? 0:48:42.480 --> 0:48:45.279 Yeah, good question, good question. You know when I started out, 0:48:45.280 --> 0:48:47.640 when I was an assistant, it was sixty to eighty 0:48:47.640 --> 0:48:50.879 hours a week. You know, it was go go, go go, go, 0:48:50.880 --> 0:48:53.799 go go. Nowadays, it's very different and your employees are 0:48:53.880 --> 0:48:57.480 very different, and and you know, how has it changed 0:48:58.200 --> 0:49:03.600 the the professionals themselves. I mean, deep down we're all 0:49:03.600 --> 0:49:05.440 the same, right. But at the same time, you know, 0:49:05.480 --> 0:49:07.320 you have your what I call tinker bells, right, the 0:49:07.360 --> 0:49:10.120 guys who were to try everything, you know, the guys 0:49:10.120 --> 0:49:14.800 who who just can't help but to keep trying new things, 0:49:14.880 --> 0:49:17.480 love it, and then I'm very much on their shoulder, going, 0:49:17.480 --> 0:49:21.640 how's that working out for you? But then you have 0:49:21.719 --> 0:49:23.759 the uh, you know, you have the guys. 0:49:23.600 --> 0:49:24.240 I love that. 0:49:24.239 --> 0:49:28.839 That's the that's an entrepreneur right thereial spirit, like they 0:49:28.880 --> 0:49:31.560 want to just they wanted to test boundaries. 0:49:31.719 --> 0:49:33.680 They're testing boundaries twenty four to seven. I mean I 0:49:33.680 --> 0:49:35.920 could name a list of them, and they're they're spectacular 0:49:36.000 --> 0:49:40.400 what they do. And then there's the uh you know, 0:49:40.600 --> 0:49:43.279 so you always have your same people, right, like like 0:49:44.040 --> 0:49:46.160 the guys that we're all kind of let's figure it 0:49:46.160 --> 0:49:49.319 out and get it done, you know, present a superintendent, 0:49:49.560 --> 0:49:51.319 director of grounds, whatever you want to call them, with 0:49:51.400 --> 0:49:53.120 the task, and they're going to figure out a way 0:49:53.120 --> 0:49:54.560 to do it, right. They're always going to come up 0:49:54.560 --> 0:49:57.440 with fifteen different ways and then you know, it might 0:49:57.440 --> 0:49:59.239 not be the might not be the best time, but 0:49:59.239 --> 0:50:01.479 they're they're never going to stop thinking about it until 0:50:01.480 --> 0:50:04.080 they figure out the single best way to accomplish what 0:50:04.120 --> 0:50:06.480 they're being asked to do. Which that's kind of the 0:50:06.560 --> 0:50:10.680 nature of our business, right and love that the people 0:50:10.719 --> 0:50:13.400 that are constantly, you know, coming up with new ways. 0:50:14.640 --> 0:50:17.920 But uh, you know, the world has changed so much. 0:50:18.320 --> 0:50:20.560 And what I mean by that is like people aren't 0:50:20.600 --> 0:50:23.640 signing up to work sixty to eighty hours, and oh 0:50:23.680 --> 0:50:26.560 the increase in wages. We can't pay the overtime that like, 0:50:26.560 --> 0:50:30.120 like like that anymore. And and so you have to 0:50:30.239 --> 0:50:32.600 get creative and think out of the box. We we 0:50:33.440 --> 0:50:36.840 do a lot of evening maintenance, you know, and in 0:50:37.840 --> 0:50:40.080 a lot of evening maintenance, a lot of part time, 0:50:40.520 --> 0:50:42.880 a lot of just finding really good people in the 0:50:42.920 --> 0:50:47.120 community come out and help you out. You know. Just 0:50:47.200 --> 0:50:49.640 yesterday I was talking to somebody and and this this 0:50:49.680 --> 0:50:52.400 woman was like, oh, my my husband's retiring. He's going 0:50:52.440 --> 0:50:55.879 to be a retired firefighter. And I'm like, oh, oh, 0:50:55.880 --> 0:50:57.799 I'm licking at my chops. I'm like, oh, get him 0:50:57.800 --> 0:51:00.640 in here, let's get him all and rough, let's just 0:51:00.680 --> 0:51:03.080 get him own fairways, you know, like anything to take 0:51:03.120 --> 0:51:06.120 a little bit of stress off the core team. So 0:51:06.320 --> 0:51:08.520 you know, you're always kind of you have to evolve. 0:51:08.640 --> 0:51:11.759 You have to be willing to change, you know, or 0:51:11.800 --> 0:51:13.880 you'res to cowboy and you're sticking to your guns and 0:51:13.920 --> 0:51:16.239 you're saying, I'm gonna work these guys eighty hours a 0:51:16.239 --> 0:51:17.880 week and you better be able to pull all the 0:51:17.920 --> 0:51:20.399 best college students if you're that guy. 0:51:20.560 --> 0:51:20.799 You know. 0:51:22.880 --> 0:51:28.319 So you know it's changed a lot. The people hands 0:51:28.360 --> 0:51:31.080 are still callous though, you know, the hands are still callous, 0:51:31.160 --> 0:51:34.239 and the hours are still real. So I don't think 0:51:34.239 --> 0:51:35.600 that much has changed when it comes to that. 0:51:44.160 --> 0:51:46.760 All right, let's take a quick break to talk about Toro. 0:51:47.560 --> 0:51:50.760 This episode is sponsored by Toro. Did you know Toro 0:51:50.840 --> 0:51:54.480 has a full line of work vehicles. Whether you're hauling materials, 0:51:54.560 --> 0:51:58.200 towing equipment, or shuttling VIPs, Toro has a vehicle for 0:51:58.400 --> 0:52:01.440 just about any need. Workman series is your go to 0:52:01.600 --> 0:52:04.520 for power and payload capacity, and the Vista series is 0:52:04.560 --> 0:52:08.120 perfect for guest transportation with a comfortable ride. 0:52:08.960 --> 0:52:09.320 Plus. 0:52:09.360 --> 0:52:12.680 Torres tons of options to customize your work vehicle, including 0:52:12.840 --> 0:52:17.200 all electric models, so check them out on Toro dot Com. 0:52:17.320 --> 0:52:27.320 All right, let's get back to Jason Meersman, how. 0:52:27.200 --> 0:52:29.280 Do you with with two daughters? 0:52:29.280 --> 0:52:32.560 How do you go try and have work life balance 0:52:32.640 --> 0:52:33.440 in your own life? 0:52:34.760 --> 0:52:37.520 Yeah, so that's a that's a great. 0:52:37.360 --> 0:52:40.320 Question, maybe one that you haven't solved. 0:52:40.560 --> 0:52:43.080 I I definitely have not solved that. I'll be quite 0:52:43.080 --> 0:52:47.359 honest with you. And when I saw that, yeah, I'll 0:52:47.440 --> 0:52:50.480 let you know. No. But you know, for me, it's 0:52:50.480 --> 0:52:55.200 been basketball coaching their basketball teams. So wintertime slows down 0:52:55.239 --> 0:52:56.799 a little bit and I get to go be coach 0:52:56.920 --> 0:52:58.960 j instead of coach K. 0:53:00.080 --> 0:53:01.040 What kind of. 0:53:01.120 --> 0:53:06.319 Uh are you on the forefront of girls basketball analytics? 0:53:07.760 --> 0:53:08.000 Are you? 0:53:08.080 --> 0:53:11.239 Are you? Are you? Are you here out of the 0:53:11.280 --> 0:53:13.480 ball to teach them how to pass before they dribble? 0:53:13.680 --> 0:53:16.040 You know, but get the ball they want to dribble. No, No, 0:53:16.680 --> 0:53:18.640 we're gonna play with a flat basketball. And I want 0:53:18.640 --> 0:53:22.760 you to think it past first. You know we started. 0:53:22.840 --> 0:53:25.400 Oh gosh, I've had so much fun coaching girls basketball. 0:53:26.040 --> 0:53:29.160 Unfortunately is the first year I'm not doing it a 0:53:29.200 --> 0:53:33.359 lot going on this I'm really bummed, but I'm I'm 0:53:33.360 --> 0:53:35.600 still actively at their practices, cheering them on. 0:53:36.680 --> 0:53:40.160 You're not even going to move into assistant role, special assistance. 0:53:40.239 --> 0:53:43.160 You know, we'll see, We'll see. I'm not nearly as 0:53:43.160 --> 0:53:45.120 good of an assistant coach as i'm a head coach. 0:53:48.120 --> 0:53:50.960 I'd like to be leading the conversations at those practices 0:53:51.239 --> 0:53:55.040 and then and then uh behaving myself during the games, 0:53:55.120 --> 0:53:58.799 you know. But uh no, I've loved it. I've loved 0:53:58.800 --> 0:54:00.799 it to death. That's that's It's been a great one. 0:54:00.880 --> 0:54:05.560 I'm also just like you know, date days, right, I 0:54:05.719 --> 0:54:07.319 just got to have those date days. I just had 0:54:07.320 --> 0:54:09.279 a day day with my daughter Luella. The other day. 0:54:09.280 --> 0:54:12.319 We went to a Patriots game and I was wearing 0:54:12.360 --> 0:54:15.560 my Bears T shirt. Yeah, I was wearing my Chicago 0:54:15.600 --> 0:54:18.120 Bears T shirt. And I almost dressed up as Dica. 0:54:19.080 --> 0:54:21.520 I like to put on the fake mustache and some 0:54:21.600 --> 0:54:27.600 aviators and my cool sweater. But you know, she talked 0:54:27.640 --> 0:54:30.080 me out of it. Oh my gosh, you have to 0:54:30.080 --> 0:54:33.520 give you. Yeah, we'll off to trade for something nice 0:54:34.000 --> 0:54:35.000 that's spectacular. 0:54:35.040 --> 0:54:37.440 By the way, I'll send that out. That was a 0:54:38.760 --> 0:54:42.879 headcover free ad here in this toropod. 0:54:43.320 --> 0:54:48.239 Yeah. That thing's yeah. Yeah. I hope that one finds 0:54:48.239 --> 0:54:50.520 its way at Fairfield, that's for sure. I will I. 0:54:51.040 --> 0:54:54.600 Ope PJ wh who's producing this. I owe him a 0:54:54.640 --> 0:54:57.279 package of champions to her gear. So I need to 0:54:57.320 --> 0:55:01.439 go to the UPS UPS facility near me and I'll 0:55:01.480 --> 0:55:02.920 send I'll send that as well. 0:55:03.280 --> 0:55:06.359 Well. I'll be happy to send a bluebird back. All right. 0:55:06.520 --> 0:55:08.799 The best logo in golf, I don't know how we 0:55:08.840 --> 0:55:11.560 get Oh, we don't get the nod there from time 0:55:11.600 --> 0:55:11.959 to time. 0:55:12.400 --> 0:55:18.040 My brother, you know what, The whole ranking logos thing 0:55:18.200 --> 0:55:25.200 is such bullshit because because they're they, every nobody can 0:55:26.480 --> 0:55:31.400 take a part that like can remove the the. 0:55:30.320 --> 0:55:31.480 Logo from the place. 0:55:31.680 --> 0:55:34.839 Like you look at them, and I want to be clear, Yeah, 0:55:34.880 --> 0:55:37.760 this is as someone who did the first ever logo 0:55:37.920 --> 0:55:40.640 madness Be exacted it like eight years ago. 0:55:40.719 --> 0:55:44.840 Now now everybody does it, and you know it's we thought. 0:55:44.600 --> 0:55:46.840 About making an annual thing, but we're like, it's just 0:55:46.840 --> 0:55:47.920 gonna be the same logos. 0:55:47.960 --> 0:55:50.520 And guess what happens every time somebody does it. 0:55:50.880 --> 0:55:53.399 Next year will be the same, The same logos make 0:55:53.480 --> 0:55:56.920 it And and if they're all great golf courses, like 0:55:57.000 --> 0:56:00.080 I would respect the logo contest. If some golf of 0:56:00.160 --> 0:56:03.120 course I'd never heard of, that has an awesome logo, 0:56:03.239 --> 0:56:08.120 maybe it's the far on there, but it's Marion uh 0:56:08.160 --> 0:56:12.560 wingfoot Maidstone's gonna make it far, Sleepy Hollow is gonna 0:56:12.560 --> 0:56:13.080 make it far. 0:56:13.239 --> 0:56:15.879 It is like gets in there. They always in the light, 0:56:15.920 --> 0:56:19.800 like top twenty. I'm like, what bluebird on the hickory stick? 0:56:19.920 --> 0:56:21.760 Come on, that's I'm. 0:56:21.560 --> 0:56:23.480 A burder so. 0:56:23.480 --> 0:56:27.399 So anyways, there's my rant on the logo contest is 0:56:27.880 --> 0:56:30.719 if you if you could somehow remove the names and 0:56:30.880 --> 0:56:32.000 remove if you could do. 0:56:32.000 --> 0:56:34.719 The men in black, you know light thing. 0:56:34.840 --> 0:56:37.880 PJ probably never even saw men in black, but you 0:56:37.880 --> 0:56:42.440 could do them the memory thing where you just wipes 0:56:42.480 --> 0:56:43.840 away everybody's memory. 0:56:44.560 --> 0:56:47.200 Yeah, the logos that win wouldn't win. 0:56:47.680 --> 0:56:50.239 Yeah, because because screen speed shouldn't be in the conversation 0:56:50.320 --> 0:56:52.560 when you're picking logos, right, Like I. 0:56:52.560 --> 0:56:58.719 Want to talk about green speed. No, you probably like, honestly, 0:56:58.960 --> 0:56:59.960 I don't know where we're going. 0:57:00.000 --> 0:57:01.680 We've been all over the place. Let's keep going. 0:57:01.920 --> 0:57:03.799 We still have to get back to the family tree. 0:57:03.960 --> 0:57:06.640 I'm not I'm not gonna you know, but the family 0:57:06.680 --> 0:57:09.600 tree it's gonna be the jumping off point. It's the 0:57:09.640 --> 0:57:15.920 through line of the whole episode. But the uh Greens, 0:57:16.200 --> 0:57:19.960 I honestly find myself sometimes and people are probably gonna 0:57:19.960 --> 0:57:22.520 think I'm a snob or I'm some like golf hipster. 0:57:23.120 --> 0:57:25.560 I don't know, you either get described as a hippie 0:57:26.000 --> 0:57:28.640 or like, oh that golf course stop. Like I find 0:57:28.640 --> 0:57:32.880 myself like actively hating Northeast golf golf in the Northeast 0:57:33.480 --> 0:57:37.040 like active, I actively dislike it because of how fast 0:57:37.120 --> 0:57:44.360 the greens are, because it's. 0:57:41.680 --> 0:57:45.600 It's honestly like ruined some of the golf courses. 0:57:46.240 --> 0:57:48.760 Yeah yeah, yeah, well, I mean if they haven't softened, 0:57:48.920 --> 0:57:51.600 you know, why. 0:57:51.480 --> 0:57:58.040 Are we softened the slopes? You know, So, as as 0:57:58.120 --> 0:58:03.320 a superintendent at your club around green speeds, how does 0:58:03.360 --> 0:58:03.880 that work? 0:58:04.640 --> 0:58:06.880 Well, I mean I try to my golf pro is 0:58:07.000 --> 0:58:09.040 adamant with me about Jay don't make him too fast, 0:58:09.080 --> 0:58:10.880 and I completely agree with them. You know, we first 0:58:10.880 --> 0:58:12.880 of all don't have many whole locations on our greens 0:58:12.920 --> 0:58:16.320 right now anyways, So you know I have three to five, 0:58:16.440 --> 0:58:18.400 I mean eleven and a half the green's played perfect 0:58:18.800 --> 0:58:23.120 and twelve's like a member guest invitational something like that. 0:58:23.240 --> 0:58:26.600 You know, you get over that here and there's nowhere 0:58:26.640 --> 0:58:29.480 to put a whole location. And by the way, you're 0:58:29.520 --> 0:58:33.360 just turning six is into sevens and sevens into eight right, 0:58:33.600 --> 0:58:37.960 and yeah, what fun is that? And you know, we're 0:58:38.080 --> 0:58:40.120 very much a family club here and we try to 0:58:40.160 --> 0:58:43.400 make you know, we try to it's very important to 0:58:43.400 --> 0:58:48.760 know who your customer is, you know, so you know, 0:58:49.520 --> 0:58:51.480 one of the greatest compliments ever got was from Dave 0:58:51.560 --> 0:58:54.240 the Donus during our we were hosting a MET event 0:58:54.320 --> 0:58:58.480 here for the MET superintendents and and he said, Jay, 0:58:58.720 --> 0:59:01.520 your green speeds were perfect for your greens, you know, 0:59:01.560 --> 0:59:04.800 for the slopes. They were actually perfect. And I thanked 0:59:04.880 --> 0:59:07.240 him kindly for that, because that's truly what we're trying 0:59:07.240 --> 0:59:09.440 to do. I want to see puts go in. I 0:59:09.480 --> 0:59:11.200 don't want to see people embarrassed, and I don't want 0:59:11.200 --> 0:59:13.919 to make the game unplayable. You know, it's too easy 0:59:14.000 --> 0:59:16.440 to do that. It's too easy to do that on accident, 0:59:16.560 --> 0:59:20.760 let alone on purpose. I had a member one time, 0:59:20.920 --> 0:59:24.600 a board member, who we were talking about modifying greens 0:59:25.360 --> 0:59:27.840 because the green Speeds technology is that, you know, greens 0:59:27.840 --> 0:59:30.880 were growing so fast that back in nineteen forty six 0:59:30.920 --> 0:59:35.320 when we were created, you know, it just didn't match, right, 0:59:36.680 --> 0:59:39.400 it doesn't match. And one of our board members is 0:59:39.440 --> 0:59:42.200 their handkxhious. Why don't we just slow down the Greens. 0:59:43.320 --> 0:59:45.560 I was going to vote vote. 0:59:47.440 --> 0:59:51.840 It's the most logical thing that like it rarely is 0:59:51.960 --> 0:59:53.760 even discussed as an option. 0:59:54.000 --> 0:59:57.440 Right right, right, right right? Yeah, I hear you, I 0:59:57.560 --> 1:00:00.400 hear you. You know it's a balance that I isn't it. 1:00:01.520 --> 1:00:05.840 The thing that I find amazing about the whole discourse 1:00:06.600 --> 1:00:11.640 is Scottie Shuffler. I you know, in terms of like 1:00:11.680 --> 1:00:13.400 if he came to your club, he'd be the best 1:00:13.440 --> 1:00:15.880 putter on the grounds that day. 1:00:16.440 --> 1:00:17.720 Like people people. 1:00:17.520 --> 1:00:20.960 Are always suck to putting, such a puttings when compared 1:00:21.400 --> 1:00:24.680 like he's not great at putting when compared to like 1:00:25.000 --> 1:00:26.480 the greatest putters in the world. 1:00:26.600 --> 1:00:28.640 Andy, I never miss. I don't know if you've known 1:00:28.640 --> 1:00:30.960 that about me on the golf course. I've yet to miss. 1:00:31.240 --> 1:00:35.880 Okay, So anyways, like I think about his all time 1:00:36.000 --> 1:00:39.880 bad putting performances, and I think that nothing was worse 1:00:40.160 --> 1:00:43.680 than his putting this year at the at the Open 1:00:43.840 --> 1:00:44.320 at Troon. 1:00:44.720 --> 1:00:50.560 It was like unwashable. You know why because the Greens 1:00:50.560 --> 1:00:52.360 were slow nine nine and a half. 1:00:52.440 --> 1:00:54.360 Yeah, yeah, you gotta take a real stroke at the 1:00:54.360 --> 1:00:55.800 ball when the greens are rolling. 1:00:55.680 --> 1:00:59.200 Like that, you know, you have to be like so aggressive. 1:00:59.480 --> 1:01:02.040 It's not like I have to just wiggle this onto 1:01:02.080 --> 1:01:05.040 the line and then I got it on the line. 1:01:05.080 --> 1:01:07.760 It's going in and because of how fast they are, 1:01:07.880 --> 1:01:11.320 there's not a lot of slope, so it it. You know, 1:01:11.360 --> 1:01:13.000 I probably just have to get this on the edge. 1:01:13.040 --> 1:01:16.080 It's not going to break that much. When the greens 1:01:16.080 --> 1:01:20.640 are slow and your stroke doesn't feel good, it is 1:01:20.800 --> 1:01:27.240 like a horrifying, horrifying proposition, Like you are terrified of 1:01:27.280 --> 1:01:30.680 three footers, you're terrified of five footers everything. You know, 1:01:30.760 --> 1:01:33.280 when you're fifteen feet away, you have no shot of 1:01:33.360 --> 1:01:38.439 hitting a ball online. But then like conversely, when you're 1:01:38.520 --> 1:01:41.560 like feel great about your stroke, it's like I can't miss. 1:01:41.800 --> 1:01:45.480 Yeah, yeah, I just like don't understand. 1:01:47.320 --> 1:01:50.160 Like I was a couple of years ago at like 1:01:50.200 --> 1:01:52.400 a very historic golf course. 1:01:52.200 --> 1:01:53.880 And they were telling me about how they're going to 1:01:54.000 --> 1:01:55.880 change the screen. It's like it's one of the most 1:01:55.880 --> 1:01:59.160 revered holes in the world. It's like, what, you're going 1:01:59.240 --> 1:02:00.400 to soften the green? 1:02:01.960 --> 1:02:06.240 Like, yeah, the greens are four feet too fast, and 1:02:06.320 --> 1:02:07.480 you're going to soften the. 1:02:07.440 --> 1:02:09.320 Green right right, You're gonna. 1:02:09.080 --> 1:02:12.560 Eat Like this is famous green and you're gonna change 1:02:12.600 --> 1:02:15.959 the green rather than just slow the greens down. 1:02:16.640 --> 1:02:21.040 Yeah, I mean that's a tough one. You know, obviously 1:02:21.080 --> 1:02:23.320 the greens are always evolving, but you're one hundred percent right, 1:02:23.440 --> 1:02:27.520 like you know, between bunker splash and mo lions and 1:02:27.560 --> 1:02:30.320 things like that. But at the same time you're you know, yeah, 1:02:30.880 --> 1:02:33.560 it's almost like we've confused ourselves and made it very 1:02:33.640 --> 1:02:36.760 challenging to come up with a proper answer there. You know, 1:02:37.520 --> 1:02:40.280 people want fast greens just for peacock feathers, you know. 1:02:41.920 --> 1:02:42.959 And that's the thing. 1:02:43.160 --> 1:02:45.640 It's like they go down the street to club and 1:02:45.680 --> 1:02:47.720 the greens are fast and they put one off the 1:02:47.720 --> 1:02:50.080 green and they're like, oh, that was freaking awesome. 1:02:50.800 --> 1:02:53.680 You know, can we do that here? Why can't we 1:02:53.880 --> 1:02:54.400 have that here? 1:02:54.520 --> 1:02:56.160 Yeah? 1:02:55.240 --> 1:02:59.040 I think I think the other thing that gets misunderstood 1:02:59.360 --> 1:03:06.480 and is like the trueness. People I think associate trueness. 1:03:05.960 --> 1:03:11.080 With speed, sure, and. 1:03:09.840 --> 1:03:13.040 And don't think you could have a reasonably paid screen 1:03:13.800 --> 1:03:14.960 with with. 1:03:15.200 --> 1:03:18.720 That same trueness. Is that is that harder? Is it? 1:03:18.760 --> 1:03:20.840 Is that something that like you. 1:03:22.320 --> 1:03:25.560 Oh no, yeah, smoothness is everything. Yeah, Like so like 1:03:25.800 --> 1:03:30.480 you think about it, like during our invitationals, right, we 1:03:30.560 --> 1:03:32.800 run out there and roll greens or reroll them with it, 1:03:32.880 --> 1:03:34.760 even with the squeegees. From time to time, if they're 1:03:34.800 --> 1:03:36.440 too fast, we'll just get them with a squeegee. It 1:03:36.480 --> 1:03:39.200 just get them smooth again. And that's just for footprints. 1:03:39.280 --> 1:03:42.920 That's just for ball marks, you know, things of that nature, 1:03:43.240 --> 1:03:45.920 well fo foot scuffing and things you know like that. 1:03:45.960 --> 1:03:49.320 But the reality is, yeah, I always try to you know, 1:03:49.400 --> 1:03:50.120 you always try. 1:03:50.000 --> 1:03:51.240 To keep them. 1:03:51.440 --> 1:03:53.080 They got to just fit where you are, you know, 1:03:53.080 --> 1:03:55.280 those speeds have to fit where you are. But like 1:03:55.360 --> 1:03:58.320 the smoothness and trueness is everything to me. Like if 1:03:58.400 --> 1:04:01.080 I see a line and once you hone in your 1:04:01.120 --> 1:04:03.840 speed and you see that line, yeah you wanted to 1:04:03.880 --> 1:04:07.720 stay online, period, but yeah you didn't have to ramp 1:04:07.840 --> 1:04:10.160 up the speed just to get that trueness. 1:04:10.440 --> 1:04:13.560 Is it easier to have true greens if greens are 1:04:13.880 --> 1:04:16.320 let's just say a ten or a thirteen. 1:04:16.760 --> 1:04:20.080 No, true is just on smoothness, and a lot of 1:04:20.080 --> 1:04:25.160 times it's early out, you know, early out on or 1:04:25.240 --> 1:04:28.240 frequency of roles. So yeah, you can have them ten 1:04:28.280 --> 1:04:31.120 and a half eleven and it can be true as 1:04:31.120 --> 1:04:33.800 can be, and just like they would be at a 1:04:34.000 --> 1:04:37.120 twelve thirteen. You know, don't get me wrong, twelve or thirteen. 1:04:37.120 --> 1:04:40.479 It's just going further past the hole, you know. Yeah, 1:04:40.520 --> 1:04:43.520 the same scuff marks, the same ballmarks, the same you know, 1:04:43.560 --> 1:04:46.560 somebody walk in your line is going to create the unevenness, 1:04:46.800 --> 1:04:50.040 the lack of true true ball roll. 1:04:51.160 --> 1:04:54.640 Wouldn't those scuff marks and stuff be amplified. The tighter 1:04:54.680 --> 1:04:55.840 the grasses. 1:04:56.600 --> 1:04:58.640 Now, the longer it is, typically you would have more 1:04:58.920 --> 1:05:01.280 the scuff show longer. So and then in the summer months, 1:05:02.440 --> 1:05:05.880 when you know you're August and it's puffy and and 1:05:05.920 --> 1:05:09.080 maybe you've backed off heights of hair. Yeah, when people 1:05:09.160 --> 1:05:11.240 start scuffing their feet, it shows a little bit more. 1:05:12.360 --> 1:05:14.600 But again you're out there checking moisture and hitting it 1:05:14.640 --> 1:05:17.360 with the hose and blowing bunker splash and you know, 1:05:18.200 --> 1:05:21.400 tapped on spike marks. You know, they don't have to 1:05:21.400 --> 1:05:24.320 be cruising it thirteen fourteens. 1:05:24.600 --> 1:05:33.600 But what what evolution in agronomy are you most excited for? 1:05:33.840 --> 1:05:39.640 Like what type of new Like what's the new thing 1:05:39.720 --> 1:05:41.600 that you would most like to see? 1:05:42.160 --> 1:05:45.680 Well, I mean I've been we're talking to agronomy, you know, 1:05:45.720 --> 1:05:49.480 I've been big this year. We brought in fourteen new 1:05:49.560 --> 1:05:53.840 robot robotic mowers. We have the little the Little Husk 1:05:53.840 --> 1:05:55.320 of ar I don't know IF's supposed to do plugs here, 1:05:55.360 --> 1:05:58.040 the Little Husky of Varn and the robot mowers spectacular. 1:05:58.640 --> 1:05:59.720 They're cute little guys. 1:06:00.040 --> 1:06:02.640 Cute well guy, yeah, oh yeah, we're talking. We got 1:06:02.680 --> 1:06:04.320 to name them here at the club. All my members 1:06:04.360 --> 1:06:07.200 want to name them. So we're gonna auction off naming them. 1:06:07.200 --> 1:06:11.800 Maybe find a good charity to promote and and and anyway. 1:06:11.800 --> 1:06:15.200 But they you know, it's just about consistency, about noise, 1:06:15.400 --> 1:06:19.360 about safety and and you know, minimizing the amount of 1:06:19.360 --> 1:06:21.880 times we still mo with the regular mower that rough 1:06:22.560 --> 1:06:24.520 from time to time. We also do our range tea 1:06:24.760 --> 1:06:27.000 and I'm hoping that you know, we demoed a fairway 1:06:27.120 --> 1:06:29.520 unit this year and loved it. Just helps with you 1:06:29.640 --> 1:06:31.720 keeping up on the consistency of the the you know, 1:06:31.760 --> 1:06:35.680 the playability and uh, you know those big moors, those 1:06:35.720 --> 1:06:39.160 big motors are loud and uh, you know you're training somebody, 1:06:39.160 --> 1:06:41.680 you're filling with fuel and all this, you know, and 1:06:43.200 --> 1:06:44.960 you know you still have to do it, but just 1:06:45.000 --> 1:06:47.040 not nearly as much. If we could go from having 1:06:47.080 --> 1:06:49.280 the more our fairways four times a week to two 1:06:49.320 --> 1:06:52.640 times a week with the big units through these robots, 1:06:52.840 --> 1:06:54.720 I think it's a no brainer. Gives us more time 1:06:54.760 --> 1:06:59.360 to to do some of that that detail work that 1:06:59.400 --> 1:07:00.800 our members know more than anything. 1:07:01.640 --> 1:07:05.720 The fairways are the big fairways are the big one 1:07:05.920 --> 1:07:07.120 left to like really solve. 1:07:07.200 --> 1:07:07.400 Right. 1:07:08.040 --> 1:07:12.640 Yeah, so again you know a number of people will mow. Yeah, 1:07:12.640 --> 1:07:15.160 it depends what your fairway heights are. The one that 1:07:15.200 --> 1:07:17.440 we had, we have our fairways just under you know, 1:07:17.560 --> 1:07:22.040 right around three tenths of an inch. So this robot 1:07:22.080 --> 1:07:26.080 was definitely cutting grass. And and if we, like I said, 1:07:26.320 --> 1:07:28.520 I think we went to mowing it twice a week 1:07:28.800 --> 1:07:34.000 versus like three to four times a week. And these robots, 1:07:34.040 --> 1:07:36.520 they just keep you looking good looking, right, give it 1:07:36.520 --> 1:07:38.880 a nice clean cut and then that's way. Also when 1:07:38.920 --> 1:07:41.120 you go back out to cut, you're not taking so 1:07:41.200 --> 1:07:44.120 much grass off the plant, right, that will stress it 1:07:44.120 --> 1:07:48.200 a little bit more. But also the uh also just 1:07:48.240 --> 1:07:50.439 the grass that's building up in the reels and things 1:07:50.440 --> 1:07:52.600 of that nature. It just gets a little mess here. 1:07:53.000 --> 1:07:57.400 So again it's more about just consistency, you know, are rough. 1:07:57.440 --> 1:08:00.560 This year has been spectacular with a first time I've 1:08:00.560 --> 1:08:06.480 ever heard our rough is too easy. So I was like, 1:08:07.080 --> 1:08:09.040 never thought i'd hear that. I heard from a twenty 1:08:09.040 --> 1:08:13.520 two handicapper. But you know, I like our golf course 1:08:13.600 --> 1:08:16.439 is a lot of fun, and the greens are are 1:08:16.600 --> 1:08:22.160 are pinched off by bunkers from our last renovation, and 1:08:22.640 --> 1:08:27.200 so it's very challenging to hold our greens. So you know, 1:08:27.320 --> 1:08:30.120 I really try to just keep the rough maintained a 1:08:30.200 --> 1:08:33.160 you know, inch and a half inch and three quarters 1:08:33.520 --> 1:08:35.120 and let you get on the back of the ball. 1:08:35.880 --> 1:08:38.160 You know, I wanted to be a quarter shop penalty, 1:08:38.160 --> 1:08:42.920 not an entire shot penalty. So you know, these robots 1:08:42.960 --> 1:08:44.679 have allowed us to do that and execute our rough 1:08:45.520 --> 1:08:47.920 exactly how we want to, you know. So that's been great. 1:08:48.400 --> 1:08:49.920 Let's get back to the family tree. 1:08:50.040 --> 1:08:52.360 Okay, okay, we're at We're. 1:08:52.160 --> 1:08:59.280 At your your father and uncle maintaining South Bend Municipal 1:08:59.320 --> 1:09:02.719 Golf Course is yeah, this is this is where your. 1:09:02.560 --> 1:09:05.439 Brother and you come into the into the equation. 1:09:06.000 --> 1:09:10.200 Yeah. Yeah. So he started working for my dad a 1:09:10.280 --> 1:09:12.760 year before I did, and that's when I was like, 1:09:12.800 --> 1:09:14.280 you were saying, that's when I was jealous. That's when 1:09:14.320 --> 1:09:16.920 I was like, oh, I remember, like yesterday, you know 1:09:16.960 --> 1:09:19.200 what I mean like, oh, he's getting the gout there 1:09:19.200 --> 1:09:23.320 at work. I can't wait. I can't wait. And yeah, 1:09:23.360 --> 1:09:25.720 he started working. I think I I started when we 1:09:25.760 --> 1:09:28.519 moved up to Michigan. So we were in South Bend 1:09:28.520 --> 1:09:30.439 and I would just I just got to hang out 1:09:30.439 --> 1:09:34.160 at that property and and uh and watch them work 1:09:34.280 --> 1:09:37.120 and kind of see it all unfold. But when we 1:09:37.160 --> 1:09:39.080 went up to Michigan, that's when I got to start working. 1:09:39.120 --> 1:09:40.599 And that's where so Dan and I would be there 1:09:40.600 --> 1:09:44.080 in the morning and we'd either be raking all thirty 1:09:44.120 --> 1:09:49.040 six holes of bunkers or we're in Michigan three Rivers, 1:09:49.120 --> 1:09:52.000 Michigan place called pine View, it's a thirty six hole. 1:09:52.640 --> 1:09:58.520 It was a single owner, semi private. Still is spectacular 1:09:58.560 --> 1:10:02.320 golf course. My brother got married there. It's just our 1:10:02.320 --> 1:10:04.000 home away from home. We go back and it's like 1:10:04.040 --> 1:10:07.559 a time capsule, you know, like nothing's changed. People are 1:10:07.560 --> 1:10:10.519 still amazing, so friendly. Like I said, the only the 1:10:10.520 --> 1:10:15.920 only problem with the place is my dad's tree plantings. No, 1:10:15.479 --> 1:10:19.320 not true. It's still a great place anyway. But we 1:10:19.600 --> 1:10:20.920 had a lot of fun in our last couple of 1:10:20.960 --> 1:10:26.160 visits there. But yeah, you know, Dan and I got 1:10:26.160 --> 1:10:28.040 there in the morning, first thing in the morning, we'd 1:10:28.080 --> 1:10:30.479 work our tails off for about four or five hours 1:10:30.520 --> 1:10:32.840 and then we'd go out and start golfing. You know, 1:10:34.240 --> 1:10:35.880 he would be starting he would be out there with 1:10:36.320 --> 1:10:39.280 towels on the driving range. Remember this, Well, I was 1:10:39.320 --> 1:10:41.320 always trying to clear the tree line in the back 1:10:41.360 --> 1:10:44.800 of the range, while he was, you know, very methodically 1:10:44.840 --> 1:10:48.000 had towels laid out every five to ten yards and 1:10:48.040 --> 1:10:51.240 he was chipping and working on a short game. And yeah, 1:10:51.280 --> 1:10:51.719 what does. 1:10:51.600 --> 1:10:54.479 That tell you about the two of you and how 1:10:54.520 --> 1:10:59.240 you are as superintendents. That sounds like drastically different personalities. 1:11:00.400 --> 1:11:03.720 Different personalities. Yeah, he's the single greatest consultant I could 1:11:03.720 --> 1:11:06.160 possibly have because he balances me so well. You know, 1:11:08.680 --> 1:11:12.360 that's amazing, it is, it is. It's very fortunate for 1:11:12.479 --> 1:11:17.439 that that consultant slash brother. 1:11:18.280 --> 1:11:18.479 Yeah. 1:11:19.400 --> 1:11:19.840 Uh so. 1:11:19.880 --> 1:11:23.559 Then so then you guys got into the industry and 1:11:23.560 --> 1:11:26.880 and any any cousins that have gotten into it too. 1:11:27.360 --> 1:11:29.040 No, our cousin was smart enough to get out of 1:11:29.080 --> 1:11:36.479 the industry. No, no, they didn't. Yeah, no, I think 1:11:36.520 --> 1:11:39.320 we you know, we caught the book early, and uh, 1:11:39.439 --> 1:11:41.000 you know, we both kind of looked at going to 1:11:41.840 --> 1:11:43.479 leave an industry at one point and we were like, 1:11:43.560 --> 1:11:45.680 now it just pulls you right back in. Like I 1:11:45.680 --> 1:11:49.439 said earlier to the the people surrounding this game are 1:11:49.520 --> 1:11:52.559 just so good and it's hard to get away from. 1:11:53.479 --> 1:11:57.160 And uh, you know, so basically what happened is, you know, 1:11:58.360 --> 1:12:00.439 we both went to the Kalamazoo Valley Communit College to 1:12:00.439 --> 1:12:02.639 play golf and to figure out if this is exactly 1:12:02.720 --> 1:12:04.439 what we want to do. And then we ended up 1:12:04.439 --> 1:12:09.000 going to Michigan State. You know, it's party on grass 1:12:09.040 --> 1:12:12.479 program there. Doctor Rogers, doctor Crump, two of my favorite people. 1:12:12.520 --> 1:12:16.840 We lost, uh mister Bargus, our doctor Argus recently, but 1:12:17.000 --> 1:12:20.360 just some some great people there that that again passionate 1:12:20.400 --> 1:12:22.760 about growing grass and and and there are a bunch 1:12:22.800 --> 1:12:24.559 of bunch of tinker bells. You know, we're all just 1:12:24.600 --> 1:12:26.360 trying to figure out the best way to skin the cat. 1:12:26.439 --> 1:12:30.200 You know, what's the what's the best from you know, 1:12:30.320 --> 1:12:32.080 it could be your brother, it could be one of 1:12:32.080 --> 1:12:35.719 your classmates, it could be superintendent down the street. What's 1:12:35.760 --> 1:12:39.839 an example of a of a tinker bell uh trying 1:12:39.920 --> 1:12:42.520 something in a becoming standard practice? 1:12:43.320 --> 1:12:52.599 Well, I also Steve Glossinger made this little snout that 1:12:53.920 --> 1:12:59.000 Pat Sisk perfected. It was a little snout on the 1:12:59.080 --> 1:13:01.920 end of a pushblower. We call it a little wonder. 1:13:01.960 --> 1:13:04.000 I forget what we what's actually called. We call it 1:13:04.040 --> 1:13:06.000 a little wonder because that was the name of the pushblower. 1:13:06.840 --> 1:13:10.920 But it's a little attachment that grabs the the wind 1:13:11.000 --> 1:13:13.200 and forces it straight down, so after you put top 1:13:13.240 --> 1:13:15.439 tresting on top of holes, it helps it blow it 1:13:15.520 --> 1:13:17.479 in the holes. That was one that worked out well 1:13:17.560 --> 1:13:20.519 until we realized buffalo blower is probably just as good, 1:13:20.640 --> 1:13:25.960 if not better. You know, it's a long list. So 1:13:27.439 --> 1:13:29.519 my father and I always called it fence climbing. Right 1:13:29.560 --> 1:13:32.519 we would go, we'd be traveling, you know, we would 1:13:32.560 --> 1:13:36.880 always travel in our and our old celebrity to the 1:13:36.920 --> 1:13:39.600 family vacations and they were usually wrapped around to the 1:13:39.640 --> 1:13:42.400 golf conference or something of that nature. And we would 1:13:42.439 --> 1:13:44.479 camp on the way out and camp on the way back, 1:13:44.600 --> 1:13:46.920 and and oh, every time we saw a golf course, 1:13:47.000 --> 1:13:48.760 it was like squirrel, squirrel. You know. 1:13:50.520 --> 1:13:53.519 I love driving on the road, and yes, even the 1:13:53.560 --> 1:13:55.400 ones on the highway that are never good. 1:13:56.000 --> 1:13:58.360 There's a maintenance facility. Let's go in there. We bop 1:13:58.400 --> 1:14:00.880 in there and see, oh wow, creates on the back 1:14:00.960 --> 1:14:04.719 of a bunker rake so we could hold our tools 1:14:04.720 --> 1:14:07.120 in there. All that makes too much sense. You know, 1:14:07.200 --> 1:14:10.960 you're always grabbing great ideas from people. We talked about 1:14:10.960 --> 1:14:13.519 bell Air Country Club earlier. I was out there and 1:14:13.520 --> 1:14:16.200 stole their trash cans. This year, they have these trash 1:14:16.240 --> 1:14:18.920 cans that look like stumps. They've been a huge hit 1:14:18.960 --> 1:14:20.720 at the Patterson Club, you know. And all we did 1:14:20.800 --> 1:14:23.200 was line the old ones with with with wood and 1:14:23.240 --> 1:14:25.439 then cut out the TI. It was genius. I mean, 1:14:26.040 --> 1:14:28.599 you know, you're always taking these ideas from other people, 1:14:28.680 --> 1:14:32.719 and and you know it's celebrating them. I never pretend 1:14:32.800 --> 1:14:35.639 like they're mine, you know. I mean, heck, Steve Raven 1:14:35.680 --> 1:14:38.360 who let us borrow some cores from his eration on 1:14:38.400 --> 1:14:40.400 his greens, and we have greens expansions that are gonna 1:14:40.400 --> 1:14:43.240 be done during our project with wing football up. Basically, 1:14:43.840 --> 1:14:46.400 so you're always you're always trying to. 1:14:46.720 --> 1:14:50.120 If you listen to any professional golfer though poet stinks, 1:14:50.240 --> 1:14:52.519 you know, they're all holding on to I feel like 1:14:52.680 --> 1:14:55.519 all the all the old golfers that are on TV 1:14:55.760 --> 1:15:00.559 hold on to like nineteen ninety six pebble beat screens, 1:15:00.840 --> 1:15:03.639 you know, like that is why they just they hold 1:15:03.680 --> 1:15:05.519 this resentment towards the service. 1:15:06.560 --> 1:15:09.320 Yeah. No, First of all, that Northeast Poet is some 1:15:09.360 --> 1:15:11.040 of the best poe you've ever seen, Right, It's right 1:15:11.120 --> 1:15:16.040 up there with that Pittsburgh Poe. So those guys obviously 1:15:16.120 --> 1:15:19.599 have never played wing foot, all right, none of them 1:15:19.840 --> 1:15:22.439 except for that d Shamblefill I think did pretty well there. 1:15:24.120 --> 1:15:27.439 But uh, yeah, no, I you know, I've played some 1:15:27.479 --> 1:15:30.400 of the some of the best greens in the world, 1:15:30.439 --> 1:15:33.200 I think, and and and uh, I've seen them both 1:15:33.280 --> 1:15:36.559 bent and poeist. So a lot of it's just like 1:15:36.600 --> 1:15:38.760 you said earlier, it's kind of just a hi. Your 1:15:38.840 --> 1:15:42.040 rolling it that day plays an important role in your 1:15:42.120 --> 1:15:45.519 true view on on on the type of grass. So 1:15:45.520 --> 1:15:47.880 if it's going in, it's going in, you love it. 1:15:47.920 --> 1:15:50.759 If it's not, you don't love it, it's. 1:15:50.680 --> 1:15:53.720 Uh, we're we're gonna get you out of here. Now. 1:15:54.000 --> 1:15:57.240 You know this has been a fun conversation. Well they 1:15:57.320 --> 1:16:00.439 do part two someday. Last question, how how are you 1:16:00.520 --> 1:16:02.560 feeling about the beloved Bears? 1:16:02.920 --> 1:16:08.280 Oh Chicago Bears, Oh buddy, I hate. I originally wanted 1:16:08.320 --> 1:16:10.200 him to get a king's ransom for that first pick, 1:16:10.320 --> 1:16:13.759 but after watching hard knocks it kind of like Caleb. 1:16:15.200 --> 1:16:18.160 He seems like a good guy that that's going to 1:16:18.200 --> 1:16:20.240 figure it out. Love that last game he looked he 1:16:20.280 --> 1:16:22.920 looked pretty good. But uh, you know, like any team, 1:16:22.960 --> 1:16:25.040 you gotta you gotta get a little further into the 1:16:25.040 --> 1:16:28.160 season before you got it all figured out. That offensive 1:16:28.160 --> 1:16:32.320 line needs to keep solidifying their purpose for us, right, 1:16:32.479 --> 1:16:36.400 stop laying down on plays. 1:16:34.920 --> 1:16:37.280 To have it seems like they need to have a purpose. 1:16:38.000 --> 1:16:41.479 Yeah, last two they looked better, all right. 1:16:41.720 --> 1:16:43.840 So you know, as a. 1:16:43.800 --> 1:16:46.160 True Chicago Bear fan, I don't you know, I do 1:16:46.240 --> 1:16:48.920 all my trash talk in the off season and then 1:16:49.040 --> 1:16:51.320 I just, uh you know, I go to the games 1:16:51.320 --> 1:16:54.840 and support and and and talk as if I have 1:16:54.960 --> 1:17:01.559 no clue about anything. Right. Bears one thousand, Uh yeah, 1:17:01.800 --> 1:17:05.719 negative sixteen for the Patriots, that's. 1:17:05.640 --> 1:17:10.320 Uh yeah, the Patriots resemble a lot of our Bears 1:17:10.320 --> 1:17:15.719 teams in a couple of decades right now. So Jason, big, 1:17:15.720 --> 1:17:19.280 thanks for coming on. I mean this should cover boxed 1:17:19.400 --> 1:17:23.000 up our friends. We're gonna tell our friends this swag 1:17:23.080 --> 1:17:25.439 that it's it's uh, it's fine in a home, it's 1:17:25.479 --> 1:17:25.880 really going. 1:17:25.880 --> 1:17:30.559 To appreciate it, and uh just appreciated at my home. 1:17:30.840 --> 1:17:34.080 It just I think I've found somebody that might appreciate 1:17:34.080 --> 1:17:34.760 it even more. 1:17:34.840 --> 1:17:34.960 So. 1:17:35.200 --> 1:17:38.360 Yeah, hey, thank you for coming on. People can find you. 1:17:38.360 --> 1:17:41.080 You're you're on Twitter, right, I'm. 1:17:40.880 --> 1:17:43.360 All over the place, so yeah, I'm all over the place. 1:17:43.400 --> 1:17:44.200 I'm easy to find. 1:17:44.240 --> 1:17:46.519 The conversation was all over the place, you know. 1:17:46.600 --> 1:17:48.040 Yeah, we knew that was coming. 1:17:49.880 --> 1:17:52.639 Big thanks, and uh look forward to seeing you maybe 1:17:52.680 --> 1:17:55.880 at the show. This the Swimmer San Diego. That's an 1:17:55.920 --> 1:17:58.200 easy one for me. It's a home it's a home 1:17:58.240 --> 1:17:58.760 game for me. 1:17:59.520 --> 1:18:01.040 Yeah, let's try to get around of golf in. 1:18:01.800 --> 1:18:04.880 Yeah, we should. We should love to. I'd like the 1:18:04.960 --> 1:18:06.040 idea of that, you know. 1:18:06.320 --> 1:18:08.960 Yeah, yeah, it would be just like this conversation. We'll 1:18:09.000 --> 1:18:12.479 be all over the place, all right. Thanks, all right, Hey, 1:18:12.479 --> 1:18:13.160 thanks so much. 1:18:24.439 --> 1:18:27.559 Thank you for listening to another edition of the Friday 1:18:27.640 --> 1:18:32.320 Golf Podcast. Hey, big, thanks to Jason for coming on. 1:18:32.400 --> 1:18:35.880 Big thanks to PJ. Clark for editing and producing this podcast. 1:18:36.320 --> 1:18:39.760 As a reminder, as I said at the top, we 1:18:39.880 --> 1:18:44.479 have the Donald Ross North Carolina shirt in the Pro Shop. 1:18:44.640 --> 1:18:49.439 All proceeds from that are going to support Hurricane Helene 1:18:50.680 --> 1:18:55.160 relief in North Carolina. Thank you to everybody whose bottom 1:18:55.360 --> 1:18:57.879 is way exceeded what. 1:18:57.720 --> 1:19:00.400 We thought when we were going to launch this. We 1:19:00.520 --> 1:19:01.479 hope to keep it going. 1:19:02.360 --> 1:19:06.280 We would love to really give them a sizeable check, 1:19:06.360 --> 1:19:10.120 so you can check those out at at proshop dot 1:19:10.240 --> 1:19:11.880 the fried egg dot com. 1:19:11.920 --> 1:19:15.080 It's right there at the homepage.