After a quick jaunt to Charlotte, N.C., to visit Jacobsen's headquarters and newly opened Jacobsen University training center and consolidated parts and distribution center, I'm only half-certain what day it is and I definitely need a good night's sleep.
But it was a trip worth the experience.
Jacobsen hosted a slew of media types in the golf course management and other ancillary industries to its home on Oct. 12 to boast its new digs, new business methods and a couple new products.
Dan Wilkinson, president, talked about some changes the company has made in the past few years, including implementing a "lean" approach to its parts storage and delivery systems and maximizing efficiency in all its manufacturing operations. In the first quarter of 2006, Jacobsen started a comprehensive product testing program on 85 courses in nine different countries. It's a long process, but it's worth the investment, he said.
Jake's vice president of marketing, Joe Cunningham, detailed Jacobsen University's training programs available to turfgrass students, superintendents and technicians in addition to its dealers. "Students" at Jake U go through training on equipment and other turf industry topics in a classroom setting and in simulated workshops with hands-on testing and experience.
Here, Joe shows us an electrical lab with equipment-specific schematics to help students trace circuits and troubleshoot electric problems. 
Business Education Manager Craig Cousino led us on a full tour of Jake U, and then the group heard about the company's consolidated parts and distribution operations from Distribution Center Manager John Whittington. About eight months ago, Jacobsen streamlined its Charlotte facilities from four to two. The company also underwent an intensive pick study to determine placement of inventory. The new system has already improved its parts fulfillment processes -- today, the company boasts a 97 percent fill rate.
After the Jake tour, we hopped the state line to South Carolina's Tega Cay GC, where Brian Melka, Jacobsen's director of product management, demonstrated the environmentally-friendly 122F Eclipse greensmower and two other relatively new products from the company.
There, Bob Marshall, superintendent at Skaneateles CC in Skaneateles, N.Y., shared his experience and thoughts on the 122F Eclipse after using it at his course for a five-day trial period. 
He liked that the machine can accommodate groomer attachments and also locks out operator error, increasing consistency of cut regardless of the user.
Finally, our group of about 15 got a real treat for the evening's entertainment -- we indulged in one of Charlotte, N.C.'s favorite pastimes, NASCAR.
I confess I may have underappreciated NASCAR and misunderstood its appeal in the past, but I can say that my mind has been changed. Though I may not attend another NASCAR event in my life, I had a blast. We dined in style at the Speedway Club, an astounding buffet of crab legs, lobster tail, prime rib, jumbo shrimp and dozens of desserts. 
Those in the publications department at GCSAA who have witnessed my appetite and know my ability to eat a months-old Moon Pie (I don't even like Moon Pies) when hungry may understand the scene of this smorgasbord, especially considering the 45-minute time limit on our gluttony.
Then we took our seats at the NASCAR Busch Series Dollar General 300 at Lowe's Motor Speedway, a spectacle of light, sound, color and brand name marketing. I temporarily lost my hearing, inhaled bits of tar and felt the rush of 30+ cars speeding by at nearly 200 mph at track level, and I loved every minute of it. Got back to the hotel, packed my bags and shut my eyes for a few seconds before waking up to my alarm and heading off to the airport. It was a 24-hour whirlwind of action, but as my batty yet brilliant 9th grade civics teacher always said, you can sleep when you're dead.
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