Golfdom, November 2018

ULTIMATE SUPERINTENDENT MENTOR ROAD TRIP Continued from page 19 his skill is telling you to do something without making it sound like an order Leistiko says Hes a relaxed guy in this business many of us are high tension people Hes great at having a low key approach I asked Leistiko for a Hay story This one came to mind He sees things you dont think he sees One time we were driving the course and I drove by something I didnt want him to see He didnt say anything Two holes later he says to me Hows that project coming along on No 9 You know when you start a project you also need to finish a project I asked Leistiko if hes been able to adopt Davids low key attitude He says hes working on it but admits hes not been successful Ive gotten a lot better but I am high strung he says You want things to be I wrote down four of the superintendents Ive come to know over the years whom I admire and I reached out to their apprentices to glean some of what makes those superintendents special SETH JONES perfect In this environment expectations high budgets low its tough Labor is so difficult here it took us six months to find two guys Weve been running on a skeleton crew for going on two years now Leistiko says if he could mimic one skill of Hays it would be the way he handles people and gets the best out of them He stays positive even in bad situations Dont get me wrong I take my career seriously but some guys act like theyre curing cancer Leistiko says as he laughs Its growing grass David has been around for 40 years He can see what youre doing and hell help you do it better If you have a tight budget hell make it look good If you have a big budget hell make it look great I could have talked to Leistiko all day but the aerifer was calling him and I knew it was time to wrap up the road trip and file my story I only made it as far west as Las Vegas A valiant effort but the project made me want more So I ask you Who is your mentor Who should I visit in 2019 and when are we going G Non retouched client photo GreenJacket System coming off in the spring PROVEN BY 20 YEARS OF SUPERINTENDENT SUCCESS Patented IMPERMEABLE Reinforced Winter Cover Turf Protection System PERMEABLE Reinforced Grow in Covers increase healthier turf growth Find out how the GreenJacket System can make a difference for your turf Call 888 786 2683 or Email info@ greenjacket com See Research at GreenJacket com Your players deserve to play Capillary Concrete bunkers CapillaryConcrete com 3219394143 610 Sycamore Street Suite 305 Celebration FL 34747 20 Golfdom November 2018 Golfdom com