From the desk of GCM

PUJOLS!!!

ST. LOUIS -- Just got back from the Cards game. Saw Albert Pujols hit a three-run shot in the bottom of the 8th to win the game.

Before that, the Cards fans were all besides themselves, as a wild pitch in the previous inning had them down by two runs. They seemed sure they were about to lose their 9th consecutive game.

But then Pujols showed why he's the biggest man in baseball. On his second pitch, he hit a rocket to the second deck of left field.

The luxury suite was awesome... Redexim Charterhouse certainly has been showing us a good time. The seats were great, the weather perfect, and they even ordered up a Pujols homer to break an 8-game skid.

Tomorrow morning we have more sessions at Glen Echo. Then back on the road to Lawrence.

Seeing red again

St. LOUIS -- Fantastic start to Redexim Charterhouse's "School of Champions" today.

We kicked off the event at Glen Echo CC. Glen Echo is the oldest continuously run golf course west of the Mississippi. It opened in 1901, and in 1904 the course hosted the Olympics... and that also was the last time golf was an Olympic sport. Scott Egelhoff is the superintendent here (photo of the course at the bottom of this post).

Both Barry Stewart, Ph.D. at Mississippi State and Jack Fry, Ph.D. at Kansas State University (pictured) gave lectures to our group of 40 today. Stewart's talk was on aeration while Fry's was on over-seeding. It felt like I was back at the GIS, soaking up turf knowledge like a sponge. Or like properly aerated soil, if you will.

We also got a lot of time out on the course, kicking tires and watching Redexim's equipment at work.

I'll have more later, but right now I have to pack up because we're off to the Cards/Padres game. My esteemed colleague, Eric Neuteboom, tells me I may be witness to baseball history tonight. Apparently the Cards, with their 8-game losing streak, could set a record for letting the biggest lead slip away. They had a 7-game lead with 15 days to go, and now with 6 days to go, they cling on to a 1.5-game lead. The current biggest collapse was a 6-game lead let go by the 1964 Phillies.

Thanks to Neuteboom for the information. Too bad he's not as good at fantasy football as he is at baseball statistics.

In St. Louis with Redexim Charterhouse

ST. LOUIS -- Just a quick note to say hello from St. Louis.

I saw gas as low as $1.97 on the way here. I drove 275 miles today. The trip from Lawrence to St. Louis took 3 hours and 45 minutes. That's fast, but in my own defense, I didn't have to drive all the way to downtown... that's another 20 minutes away.

We've got a full agenda slated for tomorrow. We're going to Glen Echo CC tomorrow morning. Dr. Stewart of Mississippi State will give a presentation on aeration, and then Dr. Fry of Kansas State University will give a presentation on over-seeding. We'll be allowed to operate the Redexim equipment throughout the day. And then, at 6 p.m., we depart for the new Busch Stadium, where we'll sit with the big dogs in a luxury suite and watch the Cards/Padres game.

Not much else to report, except 1) I already miss my fiancee and "Peanut" and 2) I'm really tired.

I'll be back late tomorrow (after the game) with more... stay tuned!

GCM staffers heading out

Happy Monday!

This week will be a busy one... first, GCM Editor Scott Hollister flies out early tomorrow morning for the John Deere/Bayer Environmental Science Green Start Academy. Meanwhile, I'm on the road tomorrow as well, making the trip to St. Louis for the Redexim Charterhouse School of Champions.

We'll both be reporting live from these events all week, so stop by the GCM blog to see what's going on at both of these industry meetings.

Until then, here's something totally random to entertain you for about five minutes. It's brought to us by Jameson's Irish Whiskey, and it allows us to shoot golf balls all over London. Why? I have no idea. But see if you can beat my best time of 1 minute and 40 seconds in less than three tries.

Fore!

Crazy for the Cup

So am I the only person who just now realized that the bulk of the Ryder Cup, which begins tommorow at the K Club in Straffan, County Kildare, Ireland (you can check out GCM's preview of the event by clicking here), will be played in the middle of the night here in the states? I suppose if I had thought about it for a minute I would have realized the massive time difference between this side of the pond and that side. But until I checked out the pairings for the four-ball matches and saw that the first match goes off at 3 a.m. Eastern -- 2 a.m. in my native Central time zone -- it had never dawned on me that I would have to do some serious early rising to catch the bulk of the matches.

Of course, that'll have to be done via the Internet -- it seems all the TV here stateside will be on a tape-delayed basis. But however you end up watching the competition, keep an eye out for a quartet of uber-enthusiastic American fans whooping it up for the red, white and blue. They'll be easy to pick out of a crowd. Just look for the ones dressed as the Statue of Liberty, Uncle Sam, Abraham Lincoln and Elvis.

Why am I bringing this group to your attention? Because three of the four -- Terry McGuire, Todd McKibben and Vince Gilmartin -- are GCSAA members. As this report in the Daily Record, a business journal in Jacksonville, Fla., details, the three men, along with buddy Ted Pfister, are jetting to Ireland for the matches, complete with outrageous costumes to serve as "a support system for our players," as McGuire described it.

McKibben (he'll be the one dressed as Uncle Sam) is an 11-year member of GCSAA and is the Class A superintendent at Ocean Hammock Golf Club in Palm Coast, Fla. McGuire (a 14-year member dawning the toga of the Statue of Liberty) and Gilmartin (13 years with GCSAA and the Elvis of the group) are both Class A members of the association and are employed by Valley Crest Golf Course Maintenance, McGuire as the director of national operations and Gilmartin as a regional superintendent.

When I read this story earlier today, I fired off e-mails to all three gentlemen, hoping they'd stumble upon them while in Ireland so they could give us some running commentary of their experiences that we could replay for you here on the blog. So far, nothing in reply, but if we don't hear from them during the competition, you can be sure we'll touch base with them upon their return and give you all the details both here on the blog and in the pages of GCM.

...and a happy Eight-Oh!

To GCSAA -- or as you internet-savvy old timers may remember it, the NAGA.

GCSAA celebrated 80 years of serving its members, advancing their profession, and enhancing the enjoyment, growth and vitality of the game of golf, last week. Sept. 13th, 1926, 60 greenkeepers met at the Sylvania CC in Toledo, Ohio, to form the National Association of Greenkeepers of America. 80 years later, well, we had a barbecue on a beautiful day here in Lawrence to celebrate. A few notable members stopped by the association to say hello and help us ring in 80 years.

For more on the 80th anniversary of GCSAA, check out the September issue of GCM. On page 72 you'll see a story on the golf courses of Leo Feser, "A legend leaves his mark," by Joseph Oberle. And on page 80 you'll see a story by Bob Labbance, "In their blood," about the Clark family, and how the art of greenkeeping has been in their family for even longer than 80 years.

Happy Six-Oh!

My Pops, Boyd Jones, turns 60 today.

I owe a lot of things to my Dad -- my good looks, charm, my sense of humor... and humility. (That's my dad with my sister, Jessica.)

Seriously, my Dad is a very literary guy, and he passed that passion for the written word on to me. Plus, he coached every youth team I was ever on, helped get me through college, and from what my nephew tells me, he's just about the best grandpa in the world.

In honor of my Dad, here are a few "Boydisms." My driveway basketball buddies coined the term "Boydisms," because Dad always had these funny sayings about life, very deft yet daft.

"If you ever have to fight a guy bigger than you, be sure to hit him first. Because you don't know what's gonna happen once he hits you."
"Sometimes, in life, you just have to grab your (we'll say 'courage') and go."
"He's a drinking buddy. As in, if you're not drinking, you're not buddies."
"Last time I checked, the telephone rings both ways."
And finally, regarding basketball, "One day you won't be able to jump anymore. That's why you have to know how to shoot."

So, happy 60th birthday, Dad. I hope you have a great day and a great year. (You can wish him a happy 60th as well, if you like, by clicking here.)

Thailand update

Will sent me an update and a photo. In his own words:

"Update on things here: Very calm. A majority of the tanks pulled back from their positions yesterday afternoon after the King gave his approval of the Coup. It was more like Disneyland than a scene of political reform, parents hoisting their kids up so they could be photographed with tanks, smiling hot chicks snapping pics with soldiers who were smiling even bigger. People are still driving like crap, though. My taxi got smashed up by a bus Tuesday night, and I've seen quite a few other accidents on the streets. Back in school today to review for exams next week."

Hand-held tools

So, here at GCM HQ, we're churning along, working on the next issue of our industry-leading publication.

One of our features for next month is about hand-held equipment on the golf course. Anything from a PDA to a divot repair tool. We're going high-tech, low-tech, and in-between. But I'm curious -- do you have anything on your course that's especially cool that we should know about for this feature?

If you do, shoot me an email and tell me about the product. Who knows, it might even score you a GCM hat...

Parting thought... The White Stripes are way, way, WAY better than the Raconteurs.

Trouble in Thailand

I just got off the phone with my best friend, Will Baxter, who lives in Bangkok.

The city is under martial law now that a coup is being attempted. Will didn't know a lot because he's been inside his apartment for a couple hours now. He said there was a curfew and people were told to stay indoors, but there were still some people out on the streets.

There was no violence that he had heard of. He said there were a lot of tanks in the city, but none near his apartment. He said the troops were all wearing yellow ribbons, a sign of support of their king. But the yellow ribbon also means they don't support the prime minister. "Wear the wrong color ribbon out, you'll get shot," Will said.

He said that for a while all phones were down in Bangkok, but they were working now. It was 1:30 a.m. in Bangkok when I talked to Will -- 1:30 p.m. Central Standard Time here. (Will is in the foreground here, James Starkweather in the background. This shot taken at a concession stand in Kho Samet, Thailand, in 2004.)

He also said all the TV stations and radio stations were looping the same song. "It's like New Year's 1998 when the radio stations looped Prince's '1999' over and over," Will said. Apparently they're playing patriotic songs.

Will moved to Bangkok about three years ago. He teaches English and works as a professional photographer. His photos have appeared on BBC, ThaiDay, Lawrence Journal-World, and Golf Course Management magazine (natch). To see his writing and photography, check out his Web site here.

(The above photo is taken in Bangkok, right outside of Will's apartment.)