Engaging Young Golfers with Landseer Communication Activity Books

Last week we received our order of activity books from Landseer Communications and we could not be happier.  We have been looking for some time for a way to engage younger golfers/people to the beauty and environmental stewardship opportunities that can be found on a golf course.  The activity books are extremely high quality with great illustrations and descriptions of the wildlife and projects that can be found at The Bear Trace at Harrison Bay.  Simple and to the point these books will provide a guide or reference to the wildlife, birds, insects, and activities that can be found on our golf course.

One of the features in the activity books was a tribute to Eloise, our first female eagle that we lost last year.  This feature is a great way to highlight all the excitement and fun we had watching her and Elliott build their nest, raise their family, and bring a great deal of publicity and fame to our golf course.  It was heartbreaking to loose her as we did but she will be remembered by many for years to come through these books.

Another page area that we chose to feature is our Bobwhite quail restoration project which has turned out quite nice.  The quail are hard to see, as they are very elusive and don't like to be around people, but if you sit still out near #5 tee complex where they were released you might get lucky and hear them calling to each other.

There are 16 pages of coloring pages and activities, such as Nature Bingo, in our book which can give a preview of what someone can look for during their round or show off what all they found around the course.  The pages are individual and specific to each property with special write-ups to highlight information about the bird, insect, animal, or project.

Delphine Tseng is the owner of Landseer Communication, the designer and publisher of these great activity books.  She has a passion for the environment and getting young people involved in our sport and appreciating all the beauty and activities golf courses have to offer, and her level of enthusiasm can't be matched.  I would encourage anyone that wishes to create a fantastic community outreach project to contact Delphine or visit Landseer Communication at https://www.landseercc.com.

We will be distributing these activity books to school children during our The First Green field trips which we will be hosting this spring.  If you would like one we have placed a few up at the clubhouse with Robin. The Friends of Harrison Bay State Park also published a book for Harrison Bay State Park which is available at the Interpretive Center or the A-Frame at the park.  If you would like to give a small donation to help offset printing costs that would be much appreciated as well.

2019 Golf Industry Show...A New Journey Embarked

As we all know the past several months have been some of the wettest in history for our course.  We have a lot of projects on the course that we want to accomplish but the weather is keeping us from these goals.  So escaping to "sunny" San Diego for the annual Golf Industry Show seemed like a perfect remedy.  The Golf Industry Show is the national conference and trade show for the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America and is a great opportunity to learn, network, and energize the batteries for the year to come.

I would like to thank Mr. Nixon, our Director of Golf, for attending the show with me and his continued support of our industry.  The trade show is a great place to look at new products and talk with vendors so we can determine the best equipment and resources to use, not only at Harrison Bay but across all the courses that comprise the Tennessee Golf Trial. We looked at some different bunker liner materials, chemicals and fertilizers, and some new mowing equipment which we hope to be bringing to the Tennessee Golf Trail in the near future to better maintain the grounds and also protect the environment.  Just a teaser there but I think you are going to like it.

One of the best things about the golf industry is that we are all in it together.  Education and networking is one of the best things about GIS and this year we had some great education and networking opportunities including the long awaited Syngenta Business Institute reunion, the GCSAA Chapter Presidents breakfast, the Ladies Leading Turf symposium sponsored by Syngenta and organized by Leasha Schwab, a great hypnotist Ricky Kalmon, a fantastic professional development class with Ms. Laura Katen of Katen Consulting, and a hilarious comedy routine from Sinbad to round out the event during the closing ceremony.  I also met some great new friends and was able to catch up with some old friends which makes the golf industry the best in the world, in my humble opinion.

The highlight of the week, and the reason for "A New Journey Embarked", came on Thursday morning when I was elected to the GCSAA Board of Directors for a two year term.  I am pictured with newly elected GCSAA President Rafael Barajas, who was elected the 83rd GCSAA President.  I have had the honor of serving the members of the turfgrass industry in Tennessee for several years.  I am grateful for the honor and opportunity to serve the 18,000+ members of GCSAA worldwide and work with the other great members of the Board of Directors and staff at GCSAA.  I greatly appreciate the encouragement of my family, my supervisors in Nashville, and the dedicated staff at Harrison Bay, most especially my assistant Willie Hamby as he will be taking on a greater amount of responsibilities when GCSAA duties call me away.

I'll wrap this blogpost up with a site I feel we all need and that is of green grass and blue skies.  The winter has been a tough one but the sun will eventually come back out, the rain will eventually stop falling everyday, and we will once again be able to prepare the course the way we love to.  Keep the faith.  It will all be okay in a few.