For any lecturer that may be considering nominating
their student for the Toro Student Greenkeeper of the Year; JUST DO ITü.
What an experience it was; now before I go any further I
have to say that this was my first time across the ‘pond’ so there is some new
experience to be taken into account here. This said, my first day of simply
getting to the check-in was something, the Orange County Conference Centre was
something to behold in itself.
The rest of the first day was spent acclimatising to the
Florida temperature and the generosity of our hosts and staff in the hotels and
local restaurants.
Monday was full on, first seminar started at 08:00 a.m. with
a three hour lecture on The Benefits of Oxygen – How to Maintain Oxygen Levels
in Our Root Zone. Interesting to see Sub-Air systems being employed on golf
course as well as leaf-blower back packs connected to existing drainage systems
to introduce fresh oxygen to the root zone.
The afternoon re-started at 13:00 with Understanding and
Managing Nematodes on Golf Course Turf, I actually felt sorry for our American
cousins as the week progressed, they really do seem to have a lot of problems
on their greens, sodium and salt contamination (probably from their recycling
of water and waste water), nematodes, not to mention the more usual turf grass
diseases.
The education of the Greenkeepers is very impressive, this
is not to decry or undermine our British Greenkeepers at all, but it seemed as
though everyone in the room was operating at a degree level of understanding of
soil and plant science. The willingness to embrace new innovative ideas is
something that has always impressed me about the Americans. The interesting thing that I came to realise
is that they are educated from high school through to college and university
and then they get their jobs. This leaves a big skills gap and need for
experience. Our system works the other way around with students going to
college and university whilst gaining their experience in gainful employment.
This makes our Greenkeepers highly desirable on the American market.
Day two was a special day in my life and career in Sports
Turf; I went to Tranquilo Golf Club. The coach (x 3) left at 08:00, sharp
(there was even a warning in the pre-trip blurb to say that if you were late
don’t expect them to wait), they are so efficient in Orlando.
What an experience! The host Stephen Tucker, Equipment
Manager was very impressive and amongst a lot of information (PPE vending
machines for one) his take on levelling and adjusting front and rear rollers
for parallel was truly interesting stuff. His workshop was testimony to his
professionalism and regard for efficiency. Check out the work shop floors.
This one is Steve talking us through the process of aligning
the front and rear rollers to ensure level cutting. After this we were taught
about electricity systems on turf machinery and the correct use and maintenance
of torque wrenches. Lunch was served on the lawn (boy it was hot), and the
afternoon resumed with discussions and lectures on the future of turf
machinery; their fuel systems and how research is informing its design. The
evening was charged with expectation as my student Jimmy Heritage was flying
down from Massachusetts after being subjected to five weeks of intensive study,
it certainly is no holiday for him or me on this trip, it was full-on all the
way. Jim eventually showed up at about 9:30 in need of refreshment.
After introducing Jimmy and his Australian counter-part Bill
to the layout of the conference centre and a quick walk around the opening of
the Trade Show itself, I resumed lectures listening to a speaker discussion the
use of waste water and its treatment, this focused heavily on the different
effects of salt and sodium on soil structure and the resultant effects on the
grass plant. After a very quick lunch and catch up with the BIGGA stand I was
back in for some more information on the benefits and opportunities to employ
bees on gold course and how they can add to the beauty and value of a golf
course.
Thursday, my final day of lectures was taken up with the
morning discussing, The Do’s and Don’ts of Rebuilding Greens and the afternoon
Evaluating Career Options. This latter title may come across as mundane but the
American take on how to prepare for job interviews and what can be done to
prepare for it was enlightening. The lunch break was spent looking around the show
and studying what was on offer. Our hosts Reesink (Toro), gave us all a very
generous last night sending off with a lot of networking being done (good to
see Michael O’Keefe again).
The only down-side of my whole experience in Orlando was
that I didn’t get to see an ex-student of mine (Greg Knight) who is Deputy
Superintendent at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta. He went over to the States on
the Ohio State University programme and settled out there, and is now doing
really well for himself.
After a checking out on Friday morning; the usual stooging
around was to be had. However, this was a very welcome chance to relax for a
while before flying back to the UK. For any one, whether they are students,
employers or lecturers, I can only say that the experience and hospitality
shown by Reesink was second to none. The insight into the machinery supplier’s
life was truly revealing and informative. The networking opportunity with the
Big Boys of our industry is something not to be missed. I can honestly say that
everyone I met was very supportive to the education and training of our young
Greenkeepers, with each member of our party only too willing to talk and share
their knowledge and experience with others. I can only say thank you as a token
of my gratitude. Also a massive thank you for your hospitality
Nigel Beckford
Lecturer in Horticulture
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