The history of this website:
This Blog was started in November of 2011...over 10 years ago! It was developed as a way to reach the membership of Highlands CC, without having to bombard your inbox with constant emails. It allows us to explain, in detail, the projects and tasks taking place on the HCC campus as well as bring attention to upcoming scheduled maintenance practices. In addition, it became a site where I share interesting articles and photos that I think you will also enjoy relating to the golf course industry. The best part is, you can read as much as you want, as frequently as you want or you can check in every couple weeks and flip through the photos. Simply put, this is your Superintendent's platform, a place where I can ramble on about all the things we do and hope you all get something out of it.
Golf course maintenance is a unique career. Early on, a lot of folks would ask, "what do you do all winter?" The question is asked with the assumption that there isn't a whole lot going on between the months of November and April in Highlands NC. The truth is, winter is far more action packed and even stressful at times, given the challenge of accomplishing all we have going on in a condensed time frame, all the while dealing with whatever mother nature throws our way! Those 4 months (or 16 weeks) can become 13 weeks if we get a substantial snowfall that sticks around for a few weeks. We are always on the clock. The last thing I want, is for you to return in mid-April and we're not finished our winter projects. Compare this to the summer, which is also busy, but is more scheduled, routine practices. I always compare my job to that of an airline pilot. Most of the hard work is done on take off and landing, but once you're in the air, the plane is on auto pilot. Granted, that's an over simplification, but you get the idea.
Since 2011, we've cover a lot of topics! While it started slow, it gained momentum and viewers. Above, I shared some of those stats with you. This particular post was written at 8:15am, and we've already has close to 80 views by this time, this morning. This post is the 6,115th time I've updated the blog since 2011! That works out to an average of 611 posts per year, 51 posts per month or 1.6 posts per day! That's commitment! In 2017, this Blog was awarded, "Best Overall Blog" by Golf Course Industry Magazine and recognized at the 2018 Golf Industry Show in Orlando, FL. It is regularly promoted by GCSAA and Turfnet as a blog with immense content, not seen on most blogs.
The blog has also had a number of benefits that I didn't initially realize. It's been an excellent way to track and record weather data. More importantly, it serves as an unbelievable resource for record keeping, essentially an ongoing "scrapbook" of all the things we've accomplished down to the day. I often times find my self using the blog archive feature (on the right side of the page) to go back years to recall when a particular project took place, or simply to see how the golf course has evolved over the years. I'll never forget back in 2011, when I mentioned to someone about starting a blog, their response. "Now Brian, if you do that, you know you have to be consistent with posts or no one will look at it," they said. That individual didn't realize who they were talking to at the time... persistence is my middle name! But the most important benefit of this blog to me, is that it became a hobby of mine. I really enjoy writing and this allows me to continually practice, becoming a better writer. That said, I feel like it's been a win-win for all involved!
Please continue to keep up with everything that's occurring on campus and feel free to pass on the blog web address (or see the link on the Highlands CC website) to new members or those members that haven't accessed it before. If you're passionate about your Donald Ross golf course, this is definitely worth keeping up with!
