Streamlining Your Morning Meetings for GCM

Introduction:

Job boards are one of the most important parts of starting crews and organizing days. The most popular type is the large dry erase board. Or in some instances, a person is reading jobs off a piece of paper in the mornings going through everybody's job one by one. It would be easy to say the average morning meeting is 10 minutes long. A year ago we were given the task of re-working the old job board to incorporate the most readily available technology. Versatility, price, ease of use, availability beyond one room, and quality were key factors of our project.  

Our task was a little difficult to comprehend at first. A requirement was to get all the managers (11 people) on the same page in the morning. One way is to simply type up the morning job sheet and print it off for all the managers. But, for our project we determined that would take too much time. 

In a time when everybody carries a smartphone in their pocket we decided to turn our focus there. Email was the first and easiest solution but, the bombardment of constant emails and changes to the daily jobs didn't fit our need for efficiency. We needed more…and we needed it faster. We looked at it from every angle possible. As we came up with new ideas, we shot them down just as fast, and in the process we wanted things instantly and set the bar even higher.

The System:

We decided Google Sheets was the best format for us, a web based program that allows users to collaborate on one project all at the same time. For us, that meant you could have the daily assignment sheet open on your computer and on your phone at the same time. Any change that is made is updated instantly with virtually no limits. No more running back to the shop to write jobs on a dry erase board. No more filling out a piece of paper and hoping everybody gets a copy. No more, "I don't know what he is doing". No more wasted transportation time… kind of makes me laugh now.

Our set up is…well…pretty freakin awesome. In the center of the room is a 140" screen and two 42" TVs mounted on the walls beside it with a third mounted outside the break room displaying announcements and important dates. All the displays including the projector are connected to a 4x4 HDMI splitter. Our inputs into the splitter are the Mac Mini, Cable TV, a Miracast (supports Android/PC screen sharing), and an open port (don't tell Pete but, thats for the drone).

Brains

The brain of the system is a Mac Mini. In a PC dominated company we decided Apple was the best system (brain) to use. It gave us an easier system to use and a longer life of use compared to PCs (projected system life is 7-10 years). With the majority of us using iPhones, it gave us another reason to go Apple based. Having a computer dedicated to the projector (the mini is literally mounted above the projector) is not completely necessary. You can achieve the same goal using a direct connection to somebody's computer or USB. Though, there are limitations to those options but, they may be effective for other applications. We also installed a program called AirServer. This program allows up to any 12+ people to display their phone screens all at the same time. Pretty nice when you need a quick visual aid. Having a computer dedicated to the projector really opened up the possibilities for expansion. Live video conferencing, visual aids, live training, facility access management, drone command center (yes that's being researched right now), live weather radar, and other possibilities we haven't thought about but, are now possible.

Projector

The Epson 1940w was the best projector for our needs and price. Bright room, with even brighter light coming from the windows (yes, we could have closed the blinds but, do YOU want to do that everyday?) made brightness the most important feature. Epson is a very reputable company and they stand behind their products. We had an issue with the internals of our projector (after 10 months of above normal use), called Epson and they overnighted a brand new unit. Like I said…reputable. Projectorcentral.com has everything you need to get started when it comes to shopping for projectors. The calculator is very handy when it comes to projector positioning, screen size, and ambient light.

Practicality

We have used the system for a full year now (beta year). I for one, don't see how anybody uses a dry erase board anymore. TVs are cheap, projectors are cheap, and computers are cheap. Our system has already paid for itself if you were to crunch the numbers. We have 60+ employees in the summer, 1 minute is basically $100 as soon as that clock hits the start time. So, if the system saves us a minimum of a minute everyday over the course of 4 months well…a lot of people start to smile. I will say, some issues have come up in the first year but, its nothing that would suggest against the system.

Ease of Use

Everybody (managers) is involved in setting up the day. We have two courses and everybody instantly knows whats going on even the mechanic! Second jobs? No Problem. They can be changed out in the field from your phone or tablet. The system was designed to be as versatile as possible. If a visitor wants to give a presentation, our system is designed to meet their needs…wirelessly.  Having Miracast and AirServer allows any computer to wirelessly connect to the projector and display their presentation.

Price

And, this is the part everybody wants to know. Your project depends on your needs and wants. Simply writing down what you want and need from your system is the best place to start. For smaller facilities a 60 to 70 inch TV works just as well and puts you in the same price range as a projector. For us the importance of getting information to every person in the break room efficiently was paramount. Other courses in the area use systems similar to this one. A system can be installed for under $1000 and that's a conservative estimate.

Free High-Tech Irrigation Maps

Easy Irrigation Maps    

grassmd@gmail.com

Now, I know what you're thinking and no, you're not going to be drawing golf holes on a piece of paper and using colored pencils to shade in the fairways. This is a very FREE solution to a very commonly expensive problem. Now, if your course was built some time ago and, you're stuck with incredibly inaccurate maps this is going to be music to your ears. This solution is highly portable meaning, you can use it on your smartphone (apple or droid doesn't matter) in real time.

The Problem

When some of our golf courses were built there weren't a whole lot of satellites in the sky....or any for some. Designers and contractors had to do their best to give a relative description of where infrastructure was located. These maps were often rough sketches drawn out by hand or even a little more sophisticated ones printed out on very large pieces of paper (not very portable). 

Old Irrigation Map

If you have a map like this (above) one you probably have a hard time relating the information on the map to what is actually out in the field. This can be very frustrating when trying to locate wires, main lines, and valve boxes. Even more frustrating is when the map doesn't even look like the hole (the map above is a dog leg left).

Finished Product in Google Earth

Last year, I took on a project to map all the irrigation heads on a course. Maps that were dated offered little help because, the lack of detail and the inability to update them. I turned to Google Earth, from there I spent a good amount of time building each hole, making heads and stations numbers, fairway outlines, perimeters, measuring greens, and even measuring fairways. This was definitely a classic example of a project that mushroomed....very quickly.

These two pictures (above and below) are the final product of what can be achieved. This on its own is a massive step forward for golf courses that are using "old irrigation maps".  Location of heads give any superintendent using a computerized system a more efficient way of tailoring the irrigation system.

Zoomed in View

Starting the Project

The first step:

The first step and probably the most important one, is figuring out what information you want to collect and put on a map. For superintendents in the south that are thinking about doing something like this, map anything burmudagrass will grow over and you don't want to lose. Best examples would be valve boxes, QCs, wire boxes and so on.

Field Map Of Heads 

On my example (Above), I only mapped (hand drawn points) irrigation heads for the sake of time. Looking back, it would have been nice to have included a few examples from above such as those valve boxes and drainage inlets. There is always a chance for a 2.0 version!

The Second Step:

After all your points have been drawn on your field copy you are ready to input them in to Google Earth. You will be using the little yellow tac icon in the toolbar. This will allow you to choose different colors, icon, font, and sizes. One of the most important things to do is to save the points into folders by hole number. For example, all the heads on the 18th hole should be saved into its own folder.

Adding a point into Google Earth

This is the longest step in the entire process. You will spend hours inputting your points on the map. There is no real way to get the points perfectly accurate. The good news is you will be able to get your heads with in about 3-10 feet of where they are.

The Final Step

When you have finished inputting all your points you are now ready to export the file. The remarkable part is that the whole file is actually really small. This is how it is so easy to get the file onto a smartphone or tablet. 

Temporary Places Highlighted in Grey

Right clicking on the "Temporary Places" folder (highlighted in grey above) will give you a list of options. You will want to choose the "save places as" and name the file and save it to your desktop. You will now be ready to move the file (kmz. format) onto your phone. This can easily be done by emailing it to yourself. The file will go into your "Downloads" folder and be available for use.

For ease of use, you will want to download a file management app. I use ES File Explorer to simplify the opening process (believe me its much more easier to do it this way). Once you have located the file with in E.F.E. you will just add it as a favorite and set the file to open on your app homepage of E.F.E. Now with only two taps you will have your entire irrigation map of your course at your finger tips.

Another app which most people have is Google Earth on their phones or tablets. You will want to have this app if you don't already to use. Most phone operating systems will ask how you would like the file to be opened and give a list of applications to do so. You will want to select Google Earth and check the box to remember this choice. Google Earth also gives you the ability to use GPS and show your location along with the irrigation heads around you.

If you are interested in a project like this, please feel free to contact to me at grassmd@gmail.com. This description is a condensed version and there are more steps that are small and weren't included in this blog article.

Tomorrow's Technologies Today

"There are some people who live in a dream world, and there are some who face reality; and then there are those who turn one into the other." -Douglas Everett

I have been fortunate to have worked under some of the greatest superintendents in the country and had the chance to learn from their teachings. One of the greatest things I learned was, to always have idea of where you and the course are going. As an intern I thought of this as simple insight to a smaller picture. As an assistant now, its insight to a larger picture.

Smartphones have taught the electronic industry the simplicity of combining two gadgets to make a game changing product. The turf industry will have its smartphone sooner than later if history and technology have their way.

Anybody who has a smartphone has played around with the GPS feature and has benefited from the assistance of navigation to get them exactly where they wanted to go. One could ask, "why can't such a feature or device be utilized on a piece of equipment on a golf course"?

Precision Path RG3 

Fortunately, the ball has already started to roll in that direction. Most recently, Jacobson and NuTec (below) have introduced a GPS assisted sprayer add-ons, and Precision Path (above) has developed a robotic greens mower. These new technologies are still young but, have a serious place in the golf maintenance future.

Nutec GPS Assisted Sprayer 

The farm agriculture industry has acted like the testing and proving grounds for golf course technologies. Today's tractors steer themselves and make adjustments on the fly, saving fuel and boosting yields simultaneously. If its feasible and saves money the Ag industry has done it.

Sprayers are the first thing that come to mind when we think auto-steer and GPS. But, there is hesitation in the decision to take a highly skilled worker off a complicated machine. So why not take the average worker off the simple machine?

A company called ProbotIQ has utilized the GPS auto-steer system found in farm tractors and added it on to a Toro fairway unit. This is where the game begins to change, and its making that ball called the future get ever so closer.

Fairway Demonstration

This system is interesting because it mimics the users actions accurately. Being able to actually know where the unit is going to mow instead a computer processing a path is a benefit to avoiding a major mistake.  The system is also able to have 100s of different "paths" programmed into its computer which reduces repetition of constant mowing patterns.


Where does it begin to fit?

Golf courses are in a time when members are asking maintenance facilities to do more with less. The conflict begins with the amount of time that is needed to groom a course to member's wants. The limiting factor is the amount of labor hours a course has. For example, a maintenance facility of 10 line employees has typically 400 hours worth of work that can be completed in a week.

Start subtracting the amount of time it takes to cut greens, fairways, tees and roughs, and you're left with all your other detail jobs. Depending on your course thats usually not a whole lot of time to commit to other jobs beyond maintaining current conditions. Every course wants to be able to make improvements after regular "maintenance" is complete but, time simply is on the their side.

Technology has an opportunity to provide maintenance staffs with more time without hiring new employees. Yes, to a degree buying these technologies is like adding another employee. But, how much would the cost be when considering the amount of work that can be completed with them?

The learning curve to implement new technologies will be a large one. But then again, how long did it take until we were married our multi-million dollar irrigation systems to a PC? There is plenty to think about in the end.....

About BellaRojo

BellaRojo, is the twitter name and blog of (me) Matt Sumpter, an assistant golf course superintendent. On my blog you'll find postings mostly about golf course maintenance topics and other interesting topics related to my profession.

I went to Purdue University, studied Turf Science and had internships at Indiana National, Kinloch Golf Club, Victoria National, and Medinah Country Club. I also did a study abroad in Wales, an experience to remember.

Through my time and travels, I have learned the greatest asset to a person or company is people. As a manager, I'm always listening and watching for ways to become a better leader and/or manager. Teamwork, is the real ingredient to success, 2 heads will always be better than one.

The purpose of my blog is to share thoughts and little unique projects. I'm a firm believer in using the simple tools available to us to improve our daily jobs and maximize our efficiency. My little projects are built and used in ways to make big improvements to anybody's course for little or no cost.

My passion is taking something ordinary and making it extraordinary. Growing up, I would help my dad rebuild wrecked cars out in our barn. Quality was our pride, common sense was our guide, and passion for cars was our fuel. I found my career niche in turf thanks to my high school secretary, Sherry Lichtenberger. Somehow, she knew a small town kid from Indiana would love this job. Thank you.

Reese Jones and I

Notable Aerification: Part 2 Clean Up

Aerifying greens can be a messy job. Pulling all that organic matter out of a green leaves a mess of cores and plenty of work behind. Lets face it, there're multiple ways to skin a cat at this point. Some go out with teams of blowers and round up all the cores into small piles and then have another team clean them up. Sounds a little familiar.

This is the example of blowing the cores into 

piles and then having them removed

The first video demonstrated a slower process but, a less invasive one. The next video demonstrates probably the fastest way to clean up cores. Although not the least invasive way to get the job done, it is very quick. Using a mechanical harvester, the cleanup process per green takes 10 to 15 min.

Cleaning up cores using a mechanical harvester

The two videos above are compelling and are opposites of each other when considering the invasiveness of the core clean up process. This next video shows a cleanup process that is quick and minimally invasive to the greens. Although the process is labor intense, the greens are clear of cores once the aerifyer leaves the green.

A quick and clean core removal process

Shovel View

Notable Aerification: Part 1

Around this time in the South, courses are beginning their aerification practices. While many of the techniques very, the goal is the same.....remove organic matter. While searching for different practices, I found a video from Carlton Woods located Texas. This great video shows the aerification process on their fairways. Stay tuned for more videos of aerification techniques.

                                                    Carlton Woods 2010

Assistants and Interns

"Success is the result of perfection, hard work, learning from failure, loyalty, and persistence." -Colin Powell



The time is approaching in which students and golf courses are preparing for their summer internships. Students are finishing up those grueling last few weeks of school, and golf courses are awaiting the arrival of their eager help for the summer. For students, their focus is shifting to the summer, and the excitement to apply what they have learned in school to the real world.

Interns are an eager group, ready to learn new skills and techniques special to where they will be for the summer. As assistants, we will be working along side them, teaching them and training them how to apply what they have learned in school to our courses. Motivation is key for interns, communication and cooperation are equally important to maintain persistence in their performance.

Internships are a time for assistants to teach, lead, and influence. One superintendent told me during my internship, "I take you guys because, I believe in investing in the future".  Its important for assistants to remember that message when working with interns. Connections, are what make us more dynamic as assistants, no matter who that connection is.

For us assistants, remember your best internship, your best bosses, and the most influential moments that made you who you are today. Those are the people and times, that have defined your success.....share it.