Ask the Superintendent – Maximizing Water Usage
We have arrived at the toughest, hottest part of the golf season and no matter what plantings and turf you have, you know that water management in July is critical for success, August is just around the corner, but smart watering now is paramount to protecting your green assets. This year has been quite a […]
Tech Talk – Moving the Party Outside
What a difference a year makes. This time last year, the Texas real estate market was still blazing, interest rates were two to three points lower, and a large percentage of DFW was still thinking about moving. That mindset has changed dramatically. According to a recent Forbes article, “the so-called lock-in effect [those staying in […]
Ask the Superintendent – Taking Care of Your Club
Welcome back avid golfers and please note the arrival of the most anticipated month in golf, April 2023 is finally here. Yes, the Masters will officially start on April 6th, the DFW frost date passes on April 20th and we will celebrate Earth Day on Aprill 22. Golf season is here and now is the […]
Ask the Superintendent – Golf Course Living
Welcome back avid golfers, and I hope that you took advantage of the bits of good golfing weather between the deep freezes. We have arrived at that awkward part of the season when the warm season grasses are still mostly dormant and the weather is just starting to shift. But we are all ready for […]
Ask the Superintendent – The War on Weeds
Greetings avid golfers, and welcome to February! The North Texas weather has lived up to its reputation for unpredictability so far this winter. We held great color on the warm-season grasses late into the year; that is, until the polar vortex rolled through and gave us three days of below-freezing weather and a solid 11-degree […]
Feature – Welcome Home, Paul!
When English author Thomas Hardy penned his famous book in the 1870s, ‘Return of the Native,’ there was no golf involved, focusing on romance and drama instead, but when the PGA of America found its new Director of Golf at its new 36-hole public facility in Frisco, they very much turned to a Lone Star […]
Ask the Superintendent – Tips to Get Ready for Spring
Happy New Year Avid Golfers, and welcome back to the monthly behind-the-scenes question and answer session that is “Ask the Superintendent.” January is often a time that we, as superintendents, look to evaluate the previous season, organize things (personally and professionally) and set a few new goals for the upcoming golf season. Last January, we […]
Tech Talk – The Perfect High Tech Home
Remember when “The Jetsons” seemed like the future? Or when the worlds created by our favorite Fantasy and Science Fiction authors seemed decades, or even centuries, away? Well … we’re there. Every day it seems there is breaking news of some new mind-bending technology that promises to make our lives better and easier. Think about […]
Ask the Superintendent – ‘Tis the Season!
It is finally December in DFW, and that means it’s time to decorate for the holidays. Some people and clubs go small … and some go BIG! No matter the extent of your decorating, there are life-long memories to be made this time of year, and the holiday decorations – whether at the club or […]
Agronomy – The Financial Landscape
Happy Thanksgiving Avid Golfers, and welcome to another fact-filled edition of “Ask the Superintendent.” It has been quite a year for the golf industry in North Texas, and we all have much for which to be thankful. This month’s question has bounced around the club for quite a while, and it has a lot to […]
Agronomy – Winter Landscape and Garden Basics
Welcome Avid Golfers to the post-summer celebration that has some of the best golfing conditions of the year, namely the month of October. Around the club these days, there is a lot of talk about how hot the summer was … this naturally leads to the obvious speculation of how cold the winter will be. […]
Agronomy – Growing Turf from Seed
Congratulations avid golfers for making it through another Texas summer! I know we still have to endure some hot weather in September. But the days are getting shorter and the nights are getting cooler, so soon we will arrive at some of the best playing conditions of the year. I received some pretty good questions […]
Tech Talk – Men Need Their Space Too
It’s a little-known fact that 10,000 years ago, when Prehistoric man first started moving his family into caves for protection, he also sought out a smaller sub-cave that was just for him. A space with his own comfy rock to sit on, with a dedicated hole to let the light in and a big wall […]
Playing the Odds – The Evolution of Poker
Poker is a simple card game that is played around the world. Although there are many variations of poker, there are three main styles of poker: draw poker, stud poker and community card poker. Most every variation of the game is played in one of these three styles. Poker is very popular in the United […]
Agronomy – Fertilizer
There is perhaps no more asked question and misunderstood answer in the history of the green industry than, what do those numbers on the fertilizer bag mean? It can certainly be daunting standing in your local garden center in a sea of 50-pound bags and staring at all those numbers in bold print such as […]
Playing the Odds – Legal Poker Has Arrived in Dallas
Can you LEGALLY play poker in Dallas? You bet you can at Poker House – Dallas! Residents of the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex no longer have to travel long distances to neighboring states to play this great game commonly played every day in country club locker rooms, home game rooms, at the family dinner table, or […]
Agronomy – Tools of the Trade
What Tools Do I Need to Maintain My Lawn and Landscape? Welcome to the official start of summer (June 21 is actually the first day of the season). With the longest hours of daylight of the year, there is so much more time to golf. However, with the temperatures up and an occasional thunder shower […]
Tech Talk – Working Smarter
Without question, one of the biggest stories of 2021 was the “Great Resignation” taking place across the country. Last year in America, from early Spring through the end of the year, more than 33 million people made the decision to quit their jobs. Some were unhappy. Some wanted a switch to a different position. More […]
Ask the Superintendent – Summer Landscaping
Welcome avid golfers/gardeners to May 2022. It has been a tough couple of years for plants and gardens in North Texas. We are still feeling the impacts of a record winter storm in 2021 and January and February 2022 gave us several rounds of snow/ice and low temperatures in the teens. This has caused some […]
Agronomy – Can a Great Golf Course also be a Great Green Space?
Welcome avid golfers to the April installment of Ask the Superintendent. If you have followed our column for any length of time, you are aware of the many environmental strengths that golf courses have, especially in urban settings. April has always been a special month for golfers, but since 1970 it’s even more special as […]
Tech Talk – Why Thousands of Texans are Moving Outdoors
You’ve no doubt seen the articles and heard the news reports about all the people moving to Texas. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, between July 2020 and July 2021, Texas welcomed 170,307 new people. And that’s just domestic migration. Whoever’s printing the bumper stickers that read, “I wasn’t born in Texas, but I got […]
Ask the Superintendent – The State of the Game
The month of March is often hit or miss when it comes to good golf weather. It is often a month of transition. We start to see the warm season grasses such as Bermuda and Zoysia begin to green up so as the grasses transition with rounds of golf played still on the rise many […]
Ask the Superintendent – Weed Control
Greetings avid golfers and turf fanatics! With the New Year well underway and plenty of distractions in our day to day lives it’s easy to forget that it’s Spring Pre-emergent weed control season. So as we enter the second year of writing the “Ask the Superintendent” column and after nearly 40 years of watching people […]
Tech Talk – How Many Letters Make a Great TV?
Walk into almost any modern home and in the living room is the centerpiece: a flat screen TV. Gone are the days of the CRT TVs or televisions with more wood paneling than actual screen. Now, you have LEDs, OLEDs and the brand new QLEDs to choose from; and believe me, a couple of letters […]
Agronomy – GREEN Goals for 2022
Happy New Year, avid golfers and I hope that 2022 exceeds your expectations in every area of your life. January is often a cold and transition month for all of us who maintain golf courses and green spaces. However, one thing that jumps out this time of year (did you set any personal goals or […]
Ask the Superintendent – What Exactly is a Frost Delay?
Happy Holiday’s avid golfers! I hope that you are finding time for some great golf as you enjoy the holidays but as for those of us who maintain golf courses especially in the transition zone (Climate Zones 7, 8) we are very concerned about frost damage this time of year. While any turf can be […]
Ask the Doctor – Can Blepharoplasty Improve Your Game?
You may be wondering how plastic surgery can possibly improve your golf game. In this edition, we will explain how the extra skin of your upper eyelids can make an impact on your golf game and keep you from performing your best. What is Blepharoplasty? A blepharoplasty, also known as an eyelid lift, refers to […]
Agronomy – What Does it Take to be a Superintendent?
Avid golfers are very aware of the importance that the role the Golf Course Superintendent and their team plays in creating excellent playing conditions. I have worked for some amazing memberships at clubs across the country and they often express how thankful they are for our team’s effort to keep the courses/facilities in top condition. […]
Ask the Doctor – Abdominoplasty Edition
You may be wondering how plastic surgery can possibly improve your golf game. In this edition, we will explain how extra skin around your stomach and love handles can make an impact on your best performance on the field. What is Abdominoplasty? An abdominoplasty, also known as a tummy tuck, refers to the removal of […]
Agronomy – Winter Landscaping
The Fall brings us a lot of wonderful things. Things like amazing golf course conditions, cooler weather, colorful leaves and foliage, college and high school football and of course beautiful winter landscape plantings. Now is the time to make those winter annual and perennial decisions and not surprisingly the question that I answer most this […]
Ask the Doctor – Can Lipo Improve Your Swing?
You may be wondering how plastic surgery can possibly improve your golf game. In this edition, we will explain how extra weight and fat cushioning can impede the full force of your swing. How Extra Fatty Tissue Can Affect Your Game A powerful swing relies on the perfect combination of balance, coordination, strength, and speed. Each […]
Ask the Doctor – Gynecomastia
You may be wondering how plastic surgery can possibly improve your golf swing and game. In this edition, we will explain how gynecomastia can affect your chest rotation, thus affecting the backswing and downswing. What Is Gynecomastia? Best described as enlarged breasts or “man boobs” in men, Gynecomastia is a condition that causes a man’s […]
Agronomy – Controlling Winter Weeds
Congratulations! We have officially made it to September and the worst of the Summer heat is behind us and we are all looking forward to some amazing golf course conditions this Fall. The last thing you want to think about is turf/lawn weeds but if you don’t want to stand in a sea of Chickweed, […]
Ask the Superintendent – Summer Watering Made Easy
We have arrived at the toughest, hottest part of the golf season and no matter what plantings and turf you have you know that water management in August is critical for success. That leads to the most asked question to superintendents across the country this time of year, how can I make the most out […]
Ask the Doctor – Can Regenerative Medicine Work for You?
If you experience stiffness or aches in your muscles and joints, it can make it challenging to do the things you need, or love, to do every day. Whether you experience discomfort in your knees, elbows, shoulders, back or hips, chronic pain can be debilitating. When traditional treatments haven’t worked to give you relief, regenerative […]
Ask the Superintendent – Heat Related Illness
There are a few things that are certain, and one of them is when it’s summertime in Texas, it will be HOT! July historically has brought us days with record heat and humidity, but when you are an avid golfer, professional greenkeeper or DIY landscaper, you still get out and enjoy the day. However, you […]
Agronomy – Weather Extremes and Your Landscaping
Every golfer knows that weather is a factor in all aspects of golf, especially golf course maintenance. North Texas golfers also know that the local weather is famous for its unpredictability and, so far, 2021 has set a few records for weather extremes. Which brings us to this month’s Ask the Superintendent question: how do […]
Feature – The Korn Ferry Tour at Texas Rangers GC
For two years, the City of Arlington, Vertiex Bank and the Texas Rangers Golf Club had been waiting to see what their first professional tournament would look like. In late April, all the planning, the hard work and all the big ideas finally came to fruition. The COVID-19 pandemic canceled what was to be the […]
Agronomy – Summer Color
There is an old saying that April showers bring May flowers. But when it comes to flowers and especially summer flowers, which flowers are the best? We will cover a few basic tips, terms and horticultural facts that can help you make the most out of your ornamental efforts this summer. Then, as promised, we […]
Agronomy – Golf and Mother Earth
Since 1970, we have celebrated Earth Day on April 22 each year. That makes April the perfect month to talk about the connections between golf and the environment. Many golf courses, including my home course TPC Four Seasons Golf and Sports Club Dallas at Las Colinas, conduct Earth Day activities that show their deep commitment […]
Ask the Superintendent – Keeping Up Your Club
Since the earliest days of golf, this question has recurred, “What are my responsibilities as a golfer to maintain the golf experience?” This question is so big and so misunderstood that I reached out to my good friend and teammate at TPC Four Seasons Golf and Sports Club Dallas at Las Colinas, Mike Kiesling, our […]
Agronomy – No Need for Weeds
It’s still winter, but spring is right around the corner and spring is when we get the most questions and comments about turf. Usually, the first and most passionate questions evolve around turf and weed control, especially home lawns. Every turf-focused member and homeowner wants to know, “How do I control the weeds in my […]
Agronomy – Tree Pruning for the Amateur
Trees are an integral part of any golf course or residential landscape. Trees provide many benefits such as oxygen, erosion control, shade and habitat for a variety of wildlife just to name a few. Trees also come in a variety of shapes, sizes and characteristics. In fact, there are 319 species of trees listed in […]
Ask the Superintendent – Fertilizing Your Lawn
One of the best things about being a golf course superintendent is being surrounded by acres of healthy emerald green turf grass, from the club lawns to the putting greens there is no doubt about the beauty and serenity that high quality turf brings. Our footprint at Four Seasons Golf and Sports Club Dallas at […]
Special Q&A – Jon Drago on the Future of the AT&T Byron Nelson
Jon Drago has been the Tournament Director of the AT&T Byron Nelson going on 17 years. In that time, he has seen many changes to the tournament, but the last few years have seen its ups and downs, from the construction and move to Trinity Forest, to last month’s news that the PGA TOUR was […]
Slow-Mo No Go
Tony Finau plays fast because of mosquitoes. On the modest public course where the tall Utahn learned the game, he found that long pauses gave the skeeters a better chance to land, so he and his brother kept up a brisk pace. Brooks Koepka plays fast because there’s the ball and there’s the target and […]
Wayward Shots – Golf’s Biggest Showoff
On the final tee in the final round of The Open Championship quite a few years ago, someone told Golf’s Biggest Showoff that he trailed by two. He’d have to make an eagle two on the par-4 18th at Royal Lytham & St. Annes to tie. The Showoff received the news without apparent emotion, then […]
Wayward Shots – Bad Lies
By: Curt Sampson Weighing in on Rick Reilly’s new book – Commander in Cheat (Hachette Books 2019) is to skate on thin ice, for in these troubled times, expressing the wrong opinion of the Leader of the Free World can get you disinvited from Thanksgiving dinner and left out of the will, while agreement can […]
Wayward Shots – Don’t Miss the Nelson
Cue the calliope, the circus is coming to town–in golf tournament form! Sorry. Comparing the AT&T Byron Nelson Classic to a mere circus may be the worst kind of smart assery, but on the other hand: there will be exhibitions by a strong man; there will be a midway, sort of; many, many (parking lot […]
Wayward Shots – Goodbye, Dan
Someone once said of Arnold Palmer that he didn’t play our game, we played his. That’s the way a lot of writers feel about Dan Jenkins, who died last month at age ninety. Of the 500 or so mourners at his memorial service at a limestone cathedral in Fort Worth, I counted at least a […]
Wayward Shots – The Masters Marker
Perhaps you were the kid in the backyard passing a football to himself. Probably you complemented your thrilling catches and zig-zag runs with crowd noise, narration from Brad Sham, and an end zone dance. Cowboys win! Maybe golf inspired your athletic fantasy life. It’s a little embarrassing to recall teenage me hanging on the yellow […]
Wayward Shots – Superstition Attrition
Crotch, butt, shoulder, shoulder, nose, ear, nose, ear … Rafael Nadal’s obsessive pre-shot self-touching amounts to a Disorder and I’d feel sorry for him if not for the fact that he’s won over $100 million from pro tennis and 17 of its majors. All who watch sports are unwitting and sometimes unwilling witnesses to such […]
Wayward Shots — Don’t Mess With the Golf Ball
They’re going to change the golf ball. I don’t know why, but they are. And they’re going to do it wrong. By “they,” I mean the USGA, the R&A, and the PGA Tour, in concert, perhaps, with the manufacturers. By “change” we mean not allow it to go so far. And by “wrong” – read […]
Waywards Shots — The Worst Masters Ever
Worst. Masters. Ever. There is not even any debate about it. Fifty years later, the 1968 version stands out as a singularly awful golf tournament. The event changed lives – not for the better – and damaged reputations. The result seemed so outrageous that it distracted us from many other outrages. That took some doing. […]
The Quandary of Golf on TV
Golf is the most boring sport on television. A recent poll judged our game to be more boring, even, than darts. Darts! We should give a damn, I think, at least a small one, because television is the gateway drug to more participants, and more players improves the health and wealth of every aspect of […]
Hidden Creek Golf Course — A Hidden Convenience
When Hidden Creek first opened for play in 1997, it was a welcome addition to the south Fort Worth/Burleson community. Until then, residents of the area didn’t have many options if they wanted to tee it up. In the 20 years since, Hidden Creek has seen its share of rounds, to the tune of almost […]
Scene and Be Seen – Texas Bleu Steakhouse
When you first lay eyes on Chef Stefon Rishel, he appears to be a bit of a wild card. His large colored mohawk standing at attention is visible from across the room. In a day where those in the culinary industry make an extra effort to stand out, Chef Rishel certainly fits the bill. This […]
Mr. 99 and the $100K Bet
Jordan Spieth teed it up at Shady Oaks, Ben Hogan’s course, during a recent warm patch in the November chill. No one watched, or even cared. All eyes were on a 100-shooter. A hundred at least. Cody Campbell has been playing the game off and on since the fifth grade, but he’d never dipped into […]