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Home , Los Angeles Country Club, Merion Golf Club, Steve Jones (golfer), Winged Foot Golf Club

BY LARRY AYLWARD, EDITOR IN CHIEF With another year coming to a close, it's time to hand out some awards to recognize certain industry individuals for their achievements. But these awards are not for formal accom- plishments, such as Best Superintendent in the Universe. They're granted to those whose actions reflect integrity. And Lord knows the world can use more of that

So let's get to it Please hold your applause until all awards have been presented. And congratulations to this year's honorees.

A 1

He's Got Guts Award MATT SHAFFER GOLF COURSE SUPERINTENDENT , ARDMORE, PA.

Superintendents need someone like Matt Shaffer because he has the fortitude to discuss topics that oth- ers don't want to touch with a 10-foot bunker rake. Take superintendents' salaries, for instance. A lot of superintendents know how they feel about the issue — that they should make more than some of their courses' equiv- alents — but they might not want to talk about how they feel in fear of repercussions, like the hammer coming down on them from their respective general managers. But not Shaffer, who says superintendents wear more hats than pros and general man- agers. "Superintendents today are obviously better educated, and we are equal to or bet- ter than any other person on the property," Shaffer told Golfdom earlier this year. "We ought to be compensated accordingly, but I don't necessarily think that's the case." Next time any of you superintendents see Shaffer, you can thank him for speaking up about your pay raises. Continued on page 26

www.golfdom.com Golfdom 23 Not Just Everyday People

Continued from page 23 Man Award STEVE MONA CEO, GOLF COURSE SUPERINTENDENTS True-Blue Award ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA PETER CAREW AND FRED FREDERICKSON SUPERINTENDENT AND PGA GOLF PRO Steve Mona was the kid who never missed a day of BRECHTEL MEMORIAL PARK school. He has grown up to be the man who never MUNICIPAL GOLF COURSE, misses a day of work. NEW ORLEANS, LA. Last month, Mona celebrated his 13th anniversary as GCSAA's chief. Mona hasn't missed a day of work in those 13 years. Peter Carew and Fred Amazing. Frederickson, like thou- He chalks it up to his healthy lifestyle. A famous Biblical verse sands of others, could have states, "Your body is your temple, worship it." That's Mona's mantra. He bolted New Orleans for a has about as much fat on him as a skinless chicken breast. chance at better lives after Another neat thing about Mona is the respect he commands Hurricane Katrina devas- from others, from the association's members to the janitor at the tated their city. But they GCSAA headquarters in Lawrence, Kan. They respect Mona because stayed home to pick up he respects them. the pieces of their shattered You never hear anybody bash Mona, which is astonishing consider- lives, which included the ing that he's a CEO in America, and CEOs in America are supposed to place they've each worked for get bashed. more than 20 years — a mod- It says a lot about the man. est golf course known as Brechtel. On Dec. 1, about three months after Katrina struck, Brechtel reopened. It didn't take long for the course's parking lot to fill up Mega Modesty Award with cars belonging to people from all walks DAVID BEATTIE of life. And those people played Brechtel's ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT damaged and dirt-brown greens without THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY GOLF CLUB, complaining. COLUMBUS, OHIO "People were coming up and thanking me and shaking my hand," Carew said. "And I had David Beattie had been the assistant superintendent never seen a golf course that looked so bad." at Ohio State for 24 years. So when his boss Gary Rasor Carew knew the anguished people needed announced he was retiring in the spring after 36 years, the last 20 as to escape to a place like Brechtel. They had lost superintendent, Beattie was primed for a promotion. so much. They needed to go somewhere they But it didn't happen. could forget about what had happened to Ohio State elected to hire Dennis Bowsher, a very capable superintendent them, even if just for the time it takes to play with more than 20 years of experience at courses in several states. Bowsher, nine or 18 holes. an OSU alum, longed to return to his home state. It was a good fit. He and Frederickson gave it to them. But what about Beattie? A lot of guys might have said "take this job Frederickson, who was born and raised in and shove it" after being passed over at a place where they'd shed 24 years New Orleans, helped Carew clean up Brech- of blood, sweat and tears. tel after the hurricane so it could reopen. But not Beattie. One of the first things he did when he found out "Fred came out with his gloves on and said about who was hired as superintendent was contact Bowsher and con- he'd do whatever I wanted him to do," said gratulate him. Carew, noting he never could have reopened the "He was the first one to call me," Bowsher said months later, still course without Frederickson's assistance. impressed. They are a dynamic duo, indeed. Beattie was as genuine as 14-carat gold ring. "This is my bread and butter," Frederickson "I welcomed [Bowsher] with open arms," the 46-year-old Beattie said. said. "If the course isn't open, I don't make any "The department made an excellent decision on whom to bring in." money. I have a family to feed." In October Bowsher said: "Now that I've worked a full season with him, I have even a greater opinion of him." Helping Hand Award No Spin Here Award STEVE SARRO JEFF RUTHERFORD AND HIS GOLF COURSE SUPERINTENDENT EXECUTIVE MANAGEMENT TEAM VAIL GOLF CLUB, COLO. LESCO, CLEVELAND, OHIO

After Hurricane Katrina wrecked the Gulf Coast, we all Jeff Rutherford wanted to jump in our cars, drive there and lend a helping came right out and hand. Few of us did. said that LESCO But Steve Sarro went. And he took a crew of people with him. had screwed up. Last March, Sarro organized a group of 30 golf course management profes- And in this World- sionals from Colorado and Wyoming to travel to New Orleans to help four golf Com world of courses, two private and two municipal, recover from the hurricane's damage. crooks, cooked books Sarro and his assembly, including several superintendents and turf stu- and blame storming over dents, drove to New Orleans from Colorado Springs in a caravan of vans. They business deals gone wrong, Rutherford's spent almost a week working at the Tournament Players Club of Louisiana, Eng- admission that LESCO made a mistake lish Turn Golf & Country Club, the Golf Club at Audubon Park and Brechtel by dissolving the company's direct sales Memorial Park Municipal Golf Course. force and increasing its mobile Stores On "I'm just trying to help others," Sarro said. "I've always heard that your time Wheels units in hope of maximizing means more than your money." operating profit percentage was ad- When the golf season ended in Colorado in 2005, Sarro began to visualize the mirable. trip. Others might have stopped there, too busy to chase it. But Sarro pursued Rutherford could have consulted with it fervently. He got others on board to help make his vision become reality. They the image consultants to put some kind raised $30,000 for the trip, including substantial donations from Syngenta Pro- of spin on the matter to soften LESCO's fessional Products and Ewing Irrigation. culpability when the company an- "What we did may have seemed small in the beginning, but we left one nounced in July that it expected to lose hell of an impression down there," Sarro said. net $4 million in 2006. "It's a blessing," said Walker Sory, superintendent of the Golf Club at Audubon But Rutherford didn't. He admitted Park, where the volunteers worked cleaning up the course's deteriorated bunkers. that LESCO messed up. He also didn't "They came at just the right time." throw former CEO Michael DiMino, whose decision it was to cut the sales force, under the bus. Take This lob and Love It Award Rutherford said LESCO was going BRUCE WILLIAMS back to its old way of doing business and CERTIFIED SUPERINTENDENT rehiring the sales reps to try to right the THE COUNTRY CLUB, CALIF. ship. In doing so, Rutherford acknowl- edged that superintendents and LESCO's You've heard the talk that we shouldn't take our work so other customers missed the one-on-one seriously. Our jobs and the stress they cause us can kill us. interaction that the company's sales rep- Bullfeathers, says Bruce Williams. resentatives provided. What's wrong with working for a living and loving it? "Our customers appreciated the time Williams adores what he does. I'd bet no superintendent loves his job more. and attention the sales reps paid to them Work is one of the most important things in Williams' life. and to their turf-care needs," Rutherford But last year, after Williams underwent a seven-way bypass, it was easy to as- said. "Our customers want us to bring sume the stress brought on by his frenetic work pace had caught up with him. It back the sales reps, and that's what we're was a wake-up call for Williams to stop and smell the freshly cut fairways. going to do." Wrong, Williams said. Lying in that hospital bed recovering from his surgery, Who knows how long it could take one of the things Williams missed most about his life was the stress of his job. "That's for LESCO to right itself. But give because I thrive on stress," he said. "I couldn't wait to get back to the action." Rutherford credit for taking a forthright After his surgery, the doc told Williams that six weeks was the minimum time approach to the problem at hand. he should take off to recover. Six weeks later, Williams was back in his chair at the L.A. Country Club. And he was stressing out and loving it. Continued on page 28 Not Just Everyday People

Continued from page 27 The lust Let Girls Play Golf and Have Fun Award One for All, All for One DAN LEJEUNE OWNER AND CEO Award RIVERCREST GOLF CLUB & PRESERVE, OAKS, PA. DAVE CATALANO DIRECTOR Don't ever accuse Dan Lejeune of being part of golf's BETHPAGE STATE PARK, good ol' boy network. Lejeune is a man on a mission to get FARMING DALE, N.Y. more women to play golf. Hey, women just want to play the game and have fun like their male counterparts. Is there something wrong with that? Bethpage is a beehive Lejeune, who has been a real-estate developer for more than 35 years, built for golfers, about 50,000 RiverCrest specifically to attract women to play. While the club honors the of them a year. Dave Cata- traditional country club atmosphere that attracts men, Lejeune says the club lano, who has spent most of his career there, recognizes the importance of offering an inviting atmosphere to women, sees all types of golfers at Bethpage, which including three sets of tees for women, equal membership status and daily play features five municipal courses, including the with no restrictions. famed Black course. Lejeune says he witnessed women at other private clubs being treated "Kids, old people, men, women, black, unfairly by men. Appalled, he decided to do something about it. Women and white, Asian. You name it," Catalano said. men are happy he did. Catalano has seen enough golfers pass "I can't tell you how many male members have come up to me and said, through Bethpage to realize that no golfer 'Dan, my wife and I are playing golf together and we're having a marvelous should be discriminated against playing on time,'" Lejeune says. his course or any other facility. While that's You go, guy. not the case, unfortunately, Catalano contin- ues to shoot down stereotypes that some golfers, including women, children and the disabled, play slowly and poorly. Good Sports Award STEVE JONES AND RON DOBOSZ "I don't know if there's any correlating SUPERINTENDENTS evidence anywhere to support any of this non- GREENVILLE COUNTRY CLUB, GREENVILLE, S.C. sense," he says. AND LUDLOW COUNTRY CLUB, LUDLOW, MASS. One time, when an old man disapproved of a junior tournament going on at Bethpage There was no trash talking. There was no yelling "MISS ("These kids have 50 more years to play golf. IT!" when each other putted. This wasn't Noonan and I'm an old man and I only have a few years," Denunzio going at it. he groused), Catalano politely told him to Even though superintendents Steve Jones and Ron Dobosz were playing take a hike. for $10,000 cash and $10,000 worth of products from BASF for their re- "My response to him was, 'Have a nice spective golf courses and bragging rights, they weren't going to let anything day.' It wasn't a point we were going to de- spoil this splendid walk in the park — a round of golf on Pinehurst No. 8 bate," Catalano says. in the Superintendent's Cup held during the 2006 BASF People vs. the Pros More course personnel should pay heed to tournament in Pinehurst, N.C. Catalano's approach and welcome all golfers The 54-year-old Jones and the 35-year-old Dobosz squared off on a muggy with open arms. They should also educate their and buggy late-August day. Their collective game plan? "We just wanted to repeat customers that slow play doesn't nec- go out and have some fun," Jones said. essarily equate to certain categories of people. Jones, who received nine strokes from Dobosz in the match-play event, "You have slow play because golfers play won the Cup, 10 grand in cash and turf products. Dobosz won $5,000. slow," Catalano says. "They don't abide by any But what showed most on the course, even more than some of Jones' of the sensible practices that have been recom- booming drives, was the camaraderie the pair displayed as partners. mended for years on how to encourage fast play." "We just loosened each other up," Jones said. "I wanted to beat him, and That said, there are golfers who play poorly he wanted to beat me, but its not a big deal. This isn't a cut-throat business." but get around quickly, Catalano noted. Jones' and Dobosz's good sportsmanship reflects superintendents' respect "I happen to be one of them," he said. for each as peers. We love listening to what others have to say. Here are some of the more notable things we heard from industry people and others in the past year.

Tor a good golf course, you need "2005 was the toughest golf drainage and common sense. If season I have experienced in 23 you're short on the latter, get years as a superintendent. If more of the former/' 2006 resembles this season, I — Paul Rieke, professor emeritus of crop and soil will consider a career change." science at Michigan State University. — Paul Diegnau, certified superintendent, Keller Golf Course, St. Paul, Minn., on what it takes to "I can call you farmers, is that be a superintendent these days. We plan to check correct?" back with Paid to talk about 2006. — Rulon Gardner, the two-time Olympic medalist heavyweight wrestler, addressing the crowd of super-'Those who attempt the ridicu- intendents at the outset of his keynote speech at the lous can achieve the impossible." Ohio Tutfgrass Conference and Show last December.— Col. John Blashford-Snell, the British adventurer and veteran expeditioner who was the keynote "Believe me, I lose a lot of sleep speaker at the British & International Golf Green- thinking about the health of our keepers Associations annual conference in January. show because it's our No. 1 asset and drives so much of "It was one of the worst-kept what we do here." secrets in the history of secrets." — Steve Mono, CEO of the Golf Course Superinten-— David Pursell CEO of Pursell Technologies Inc., dents Association of America, on the economic signifi-on the long-rumored sale of his family-owned cance ofthe Golf Industry Show to the association. company to Agrium Inc. "People think in terms of the "I've seen the after pictures of instant mature look. We're in an Hiroshima. That's what this era of instant gratification." looks like." — Peter Carew, long-time New Orleans golf course — Golf course architect Bill Coore on golfers ivant-supenntendent, while driving through the de- ing a great golf course NOW. stroyed and desolated neighborhoods of his city seven months after Hurricane Katrina struck. "It's always something new and challenging. It's never dull." "We're going to lose our ash." — Mark Langner, director of agronomy and ap- — Dave Shetlar, professor of entomology at The Ohio plied research at FarmLinks Golf Club, the researchState University, on the threat posed by the Ememld and demonstration golf course owned by Pursell Ash Borer, an exotic beetle that's killing ash trees in Technologies in Sylacauga, Ala. Langners course isMichigan, Indiana and Ohio. a guinea pig for new products. Continued on page 32 Golfdom December 2006 Worth Repeating — pesticides. — he thoughtPresident Bushhandledthedevastation dent ofEnglishTurnGolf&Country Clubnear fan pickupJohnDaly'sdiscardedcigaretteduring brought byHurricane Katrina. New Orleans,whenaskedseveral monthslaterhow —Allen James,presidentoftheResponsibleIndus- "I don'twanodiscus s politics." that." American publictendstoforge try foraSoundEnvironment,ontheimportanceof protection. Andsometimesthe health protectionandproperty a roundatTheMasters. — "Our productsarevitaltopublic Island ClubinVeroBeach,afterwitnessingagolf probably oneBabnow." — 2006 Winged Foot.It'sjusta "I haven'tcheckedyet,buit's tough golfcourse." Golf Club,whosaidthisbeforehiscoursehostedthe a 13handicap,bytheway. "You don'tneedotrickp the hellwe'rdoingoutthere." tion, ondisabledpeoplewhoplaygolfWilsonsports tive directoroftheNationalAmputeeCwlfAssocia- as gimporcrippleandaskwhat — when I "A Premiere duringtheGolfIndustryShow. the SyngentaProfessionalProductsGreenCarpet BobWilson,abelow-kneeamputeeandexecu- upon "I wishmygallerwasthibig AclearlyagitatedMatthewYount, superinten- ChuckCalhoun,superintendentofJohn's EricGreytok,superintendentofWingedFoot KenVenturi,famedgolferandgolfannouncer, lotofpeoplemighreferus U.S. sizingupthecrowdbeforehispresentationat Open,inwhichnogolferbrokepar. wasplaying." tough, growing thegame. American Society ofGolfCourseArchitects,on — it's prettydarnimportant. " topic intheworld,bu t wethink — "We don'tthinkit'sth e sexiest Plain Dealer). sport, ever." most amazingathleteinany hell outofus,too.Thisguyithe — that grass. have alotofknowledgabou "Tiger wouldhavekicketh about cuttinggrass.Youneedo a skillfuljobtheydo.It'snotjus — good golfcoursestoplayon.It' "Without them,wewouldn'hav meant my'buffezone.'" fort zone,'Iaskedhimwhetherhe weight, about25pounds.(GolfDigest). Duval hasunprovedhisgameandregainedsome looked likeIwasbackinmy'com- Major, thePGAChampionship,inAugust. Medinah (III.)CountryClub,whohostedhisfirst — "When someonementionedthatI professionally." thing I'veeverwantedto —Joe Voss,constructionmanagerforLibertyNa- "It's theculminationofevery- Reebok founderPaulFiremaninNewYork. tional GolfCourse,the$l29-milliontrackbuiltby issue here." "Technically, moneyisn'tan ChadRitterbusch,executivedirector ofthe LeeTrevinoonTigerWoods'game(Cleveland RetiefGoosen,progolfer,onsuperintendents. 1 DavidDuval,onhisgolfgame ThomasLively,thedirectorofground:for andhisweight. On Second Thought

A commentary HEY, this sounds familiar. "I just like to sleep," Watson told ESPN.com. by Geoff Shackelford dominated again, winning two "I think Tiger and his caddie went out running Contributing Editor of four Majors and six straight PGA Tour events. yesterday ... You wont see me doing that, and The mens Majors were contested on well-con- my caddie wont be running, either." ditioned layouts, with the hard work of crews Holmes, who hit an eight-iron from 198 and volunteers at and yards enroute to victory in Scottsdale, Ariz., singled out for heroic was asked if he was a "weights and/or condi- efforts despite tricky weather conditions. tioning guy" On the women's side, players like An- "No, not really," he said. "I ride the bike a nika Sorrenstam, Karrie Webb, Lorena Ochoa little bit or whatever. I'm not really big on the and Michelle Wie helped the LPGA Tour con- weights and stuff." tinue its ascent despite a new commissioner Meanwhile, Tiger Woods told Golf who is alienating some of the tour's long-time Digest's Jaime Diaz that he didn't care for the tournament directors. demise of shot-making. The architecture world once again greeted "I enjoy moving the ball and hitting differ- highly anticipated layouts like Sebonack, Bal- ent shots, and I think that's the way golf should lyneal, and a slew of other high- be played," he said. "But the game has changed priced projects. since I've been on tour. It's hard to make the And the game's powerbrokers continued ball move. You look at the old guys who are or to rake in big salaries while poo-pooing major were true shot-makers, like when I played with issues like slow play, technology, water usage at Bighorn and he blew my mind and the sport's accessibility. with some of the shots he hit. Then you look But some things did change. Sort of. on Tour and you ask, 'Who's a true shot-maker? Early in the year, the buzz centered around Who actually maneuvers the ball or does some- young bombers J.B. Holmes, Bubba Watson thing different with it?' And there really aren't and Camillo Villegas. Remember them? that many, if any, out here anymore." Their secret to their long-hitting prowess? Oddly, the early portion of2006 included

34 Golfdom December 2006 Winged Foot Golf Club proved a formidable challenge for contestants of the 2006 U.S. Open.

Rugge-authored press release explaining "dis- tance myths" and later suggested that U- shaped grooves were the real problem in golf because they encourage long hitters to swing away, knowing they will be able to spin their ball out of 4-inch rough. In 2007, look for the USGA to prove that such a situation actually occurs. The other major topic in early 2006 in- volved the PGA Tour's new television con- tract, which signaled the game isn't as popu- lar as it used to be. The Golf Channel was locked in for a stunning 15 years of early- Our intrepid architecture round coverage, while CBS and NBC re- mained involved with weekend coverage. writer looks back on the Rex Hoggard in wrote: "Fifteen years? That's not a TV contract, that's alimony." "If we're trying to reach out to non-golf highlights and lowlights fans, how you leave out ESPN is beyond me," David Duval told the Associated Press. of 2006 Of course, PGA Commissioner Tim Finchem put his usual tortured spin on matters. "The Golf Channel brings a lot," he said in a press conference. "The reason for 15 years mea culpas from the governing bodies on the is that it sets the table for us to protect our po- distance issue. They appeared to see its effects sition in the long term as the television mar- on both the pro and recreational games. ketplace continues to evolve." "The longest average drive has moved up Former USGA Executive Director Frank about 20 yards in the last 10 years," conceded Hannigan offered a more refreshing take on R&A secretary Peter Dawson to the press dur- Golfobserver.com: "The PGA Tour's new tele- ing the British Open. "The advent of the vision deal confirms the obvious — general ProVl-type ball has most to do with it, along interest in golf peaked years ago and is now with the big-headed drivers. So do I think that in decline. Recreational golf has been flat or Tiger Woods the game at the top level — this elite few — worse in terms of rounds played for many would benefit from the ball being a little bit years. The two are interdependent. For the dominated the Tour shorter? Yes, I do." Tour to find and command a new audience The Golf Association's would require a freakish event — like a her- again. He also had (USGA) equipment testing guru Dick Rugge maphrodite dwarf becoming leading money told The Asbury Park Press, "We are criticized, winner. And it would help if the dwarf's cad- and probably rightfully so, for letting technol- die could be Anna Nicole Smith." plenty to say about ogy go too far over the past 10,11 years or so." The LPGA hired a new commissioner, and Meanwhile, USGA Executive Committee she made a splash in 2006, running off key the demise of member Jim Vernon told the group's annual staff members, upsetting the press with a gathering, "We know that the way the game ridiculous photo policy and angering several shot-making. is being played by accomplished players has long-time tournament directors, leading to changed dramatically in recent years. It is not the demise of several events. just that driving distances have increased LPGA head Carolyn Bivens likes to talk among elite players. What I am suggesting down to everyone as if she's a CEO running is that we need to reframe the discussion of a Fortune 500 company. And she showed real how the game is being changed." savvy in defending some of her initiatives to Then, mysteriously, the USGA unveiled a Continued on page 36 15 MINUTES FLOOR-TO-FLOOR EXPRESS DUAL

Jack Nicklaus openly criticized the changes at Augusta National.

Continued from page 35 the Orlando Sentinel's Steve Elling: "We're trying to open endorsement opportunities to women. We're trying to raise purses. Isn't that appalling? My, my, go back in the kitchen." The Masters arrived with a crashing sound, as former cham- pions and were critical of the many design changes made under Augusta National Chairman Hootie Johnson, who retired and handed the reins to Billy Payne. "They've totally eliminated what tried to do in the game of golf," Nicklaus said in . "Bobby Jones believed golf was primarily a second-shot game. He believed that you should have enough room to drive the ball onto the fairway, but if you put it on the correct side of the fairway, you had an advantage to put the ball toward the hole." The floodgates were opened, and several current players chimed in as well. Said Mike Weir in The Toronto Sun, "I'm sure if Bobby Jones was still around, it would be like, 'What are you guys doing?' " Word also leaked that the club is buying homes in a nearby Fast: Simple Accurate neighborhood to possibly shift a road so the fifth hole can be lengthened. Around the same time, word got out that the Ohio Golf Association would be playing its Champions Tournament with a limited-flight ball in order to study a possible rollback and other ramifications of impacting the distance chase that has so adversely affected courses like Augusta National. www.expressdual.com The August event was far from a perfect example of how a rollback might work, but the player comments revealed that 1-888 GRIND IT such a rollback might bring the desired effect of restoring at [ 1-SSS-474-B34S ] least one lost element to golf. "The hardest part was adjusting to the release," [Tournament winner Blake] Sattler said of the Volvik ball in an interview with Sports Illustrated. "It brought more strategy into the game." In another reaction to major changes in the game, Nick- laus' Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Club introduced special furrowing rakes for bunkers. Nicklaus' reason SHARPER SOLUTIONS behind the controversial concept? Bunkers are too easy, he said. "Bunkers are really supposed to be a The game lost legends , feature a team-driven design process led penalty," he said in a press conference be- and Herbert Warren Wind, by Pacific Dunes architect Tom Doak and fore the event. "[Tour officials] have been while the PGA Tour killed the oldest his design partner Jim Urbina. telling the guys all year that the honeymoon professional tournament, the Western "I think I'm not employing Doak and is over and the bunkers are going to be a Open. Urbina as architects," Keiser said. "I'm penalty. I said, 'We can start it right here if And in the fall, Bandon Dunes cre- employing them to design as C.B. Mac- you want to.' And they said, 'Fine.' " ator Mike Keiser announced that the Donald and Seth Raynor, his apprentice Naturally, the players complained. fourth course at the Oregon resort would and successor, would build it if they were Australian won the U.S. be named Old MacDonald, and it will alive today." • Open at Winged Foot despite not caring for the USGAs ultra-narrow course setup or its "tiered rough" concept, which was greeted with mostly positive reviews. He's PRECISE CUT - PROVEN QUALITY already proved to be an eloquent spokesman for a return to sensible golfing values. "Two important aspects of golf have gone in completely the wrong direction," he told Golfobserver.com. "Most things are fine. Greens are generally better, for example. But the whole point of golf has been lost. said it best. His thing was that you don't measure a good drive by how far it goes; you analyze its quality by its position relative to the next target. That doesn't exist in golf anymore." ¡iliSÉI^ Highlighted by 's final- hole double bogey that started with an er- rant tee shot that hit a corporate tent, TV ratings for Saturday were the lowest since The Triplex Finishing Mower is built with three Buhler measuring began in 1982 and were down Farm King finishing mowers attached to a durable heavy- 12 percent on Sunday, making it the sec- duty frame. This creates one magnificent volume grass ond-worst watched U.S. Open ever. Then burned-out Hoylake hosted the trimmer, backed by more than 15-years of finishing mower British Open. Tiger Woods won despite experience! only hitting one driver over four rounds on the fast and fiery turf. The high lift blades generate a powerful suction for a clean, And even though Hoylake was entirely crisp cut. Blade overlap of 1 5/8" to 2 5/8" minimizes brown but for a few areas on the putting stripping, especially when turning. Each deck floats surfaces, players loved it. independently over rolling terrain for a uniform, manicured "I'd like to see more of these in the trim. States, I really would. It's so much fun to play," Chris DiMarco told the press after The Triplex Finishing Mower the tournament. is available in widths ranging After Tiger captured the PGA Cham- pionship at soft but well-conditioned from 11' to 19'. Medinah, the U.S. team took another beating in the contested at Ireland's K Club, falling by the same nine- point margin as last time and causing Buhler Manufacturing many to wonder why American players Ph.: 204.822.4467 := Fax: 204.822.6348 bühler are so inferior on a match-play stage. [email protected] - www.buhler.com