Turf

Fall 2014 27 Read this and all back issues online at: westernturfmag.com Summer 2014 ED PEST MANAGEMENT PAGE 16 • FACING DROUGHT IN CALIFORNIA PAGE 24 Weather Alert Real-time data help superintendents Page 22 TURF TURF W E S T E R N Real-time data help superintendents superintendents Page 22 Serving golf CourSe SuperintendentS & Sod produCerS fall 2013 golf CourSe ManageMent, page 12 • leaderS in the turf induStry, page 24 Changing Changing Changing Perceptions Perceptions Perceptions Perceptions Perceptions Montana superintendent thinks outside the box Page 16 148526WTWeb16v.indd 1 8/8/14 9:42 AM 303.770.2220 www.rmrta.org 61st Annual Rocky Mountain Regional Turfgrass Conference & Trade Show December 9 -11, 2014 Crowne Plaza Hotel DIA Denver, Colorado • Keynote Speaker: Dick Durrance, speaker, author and world-renowned photographer (sponsored by Syngenta Professional Products) • Educational sessions with continuing education each day • De-Turfing Reception on Wednesday • Visit the Vendor game in the trade show • Silent auction, proceeds support scholarships and turf research • Free entrance to the trade show only • Over 200 booths representing over 80 vendors Rocky Mountain Regional Turfgrass Association 146298RocMou13.indd 1 7/29/14 11:02 AM Take time, work for good people, work at nice places and build a good pedigree. "We really spend a lot of time with the interns. Coach them and guide them. That's what we spend most of our time doing. Guys get good. That forces me to be good as well. "I like to be coaching, mentoring, tutoring, teaching. I want them to see what I see. I want them to show me if they see some- thing different. I want to know about it. I want to understand how they see it." McPherson also spends time on the course. "As much as my guys will allow me I'm out there," he said. "I try to drive the course every day behind our staff and in front of play. I want to make sure that they are putting forward what I expect. There is a general manager I worked for a long time ago. He always told us to inspect what we expect. I preach that to my guys as well. So I follow along. If something isn't exactly what we're after, bring people back and point it out. Talk about it and make sure everybody realizes that it's important and get it cor- rected then move forward. "I want my guys to know I'm going to be behind them and just kind of looking over their shoulder but at the same time help- ing them out wherever I can. We still have enough project work going on where I get involved in some of that. It's all day by day. Whatever the biggest priority is, that's where I spend my time." Two interns are currently enrolled in the turf program at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. "It's a nice program," McPherson said. "I'm a little biased toward Michigan State, but that's OK. I can't root for the Cornhuskers yet. At least I don't root against them. I'm a Spartan fan. "When we bring in students, we look for students out of four- year programs. Ideally we bring in interns, and then bring back those interns for our assistant-in-training position. Or we look for students that have interned at progressive clubs along the lines of OCC with a solid educational background for our entry level positions. Then if we have an assistant's job open up we would promote from within. That way we have a very good comfort level with these young people. They know our operation and they know what is expected of them. "We can eliminate a lot of surprises that way. When we bring in somebody from the outside there's always the unknown that no matter how much you talk about it or portray what it is you're going to get involved in we haven't worked with them and they haven't worked with us. We like to bring them in, teach them all we can so they can move up into this position sometime. We hire everyone with the anticipation that at some point they could have my job." Future plans "We're very happy here," McPherson said. "This is a great club to work for. When we came here and interviewed and visited the first few times the golf course was covered in snow. You couldn't see a lot. "But I saw enough to know it was a great property and a great layout. We spent a lot of time inside. The people that I interviewed with were real genuine people, a real nice group. That's what brought us here." McPherson doesn't lose sight of his top goal. "We keep improving the course—exceeding members' expecta- tions on a daily level. We want to make sure people are satisfied. Make sure guests are thrilled with the golf course, the conditions and the level of conditioning that they see. That's what we want to do. Make sure everybody is happy." WT

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