Keeping up with the Jones: Breaking the rules

By Seth Jones| September 12, 2022 0 Comments

Seth Jones

Above everything else, superintendents are problem-solvers. After observing them for 20-plus years, you’d think I would have inherited some of their better qualities. But I’ll admit, I can be a slow learner.

A superintendent once told me how he overcame the small nagging problems on the course that seemed menial individually but together greatly detracted from the aesthetics of the course. He imagined the small problem — say an abandoned hose left in the woods — as a low-hanging dead branch. Every time he drove by, he imagined hitting his head on it. Hit your head enough times, and you’re going to finally get mad enough to pull over and fix it.

I’ve been hitting my head with the November and December issues of Golfdom for years. These end-of-the-year issues are usually on the small side and lacking in real news, as most of the major announcements in the industry are on hold until January. Plus, there are concerns associated with the timing of the issues hitting mailboxes.

While some areas of the country welcome the December issue of Golfdom, in other climates, that magazine might go unnoticed for a while.

We believe we’ve found a fun way to overcome these two low-hanging dead branch issues and make the place shine even better.

Starting this year, we’re going to combine our November/December issues into one giant-size megaissue, replete with everyone’s favorite dog calendar (yeah, I said it) and the annual State of the Industry report. We’re also going to add some more fun to the issue (more on that soon).

And in the spring of 2023, when courses are ramping up their crew size for the season, industry announcements are coming right and left and we’re rushing to get readers both a PGA Championship preview and a U.S. Open preview published within weeks of each other, we’re going to publish a bonus issue of Golfdom. This bonus issue will spotlight as many professional tournaments as we can cram in there and the maintenance crews behind the tournaments. We’re calling this issue the 2023 Tour Guide special.

These adjustments to our publishing schedule might not be as momentous as calling Rees Jones and having him scour old black-and-white photos for a multimillion-dollar course restoration. But in our world, it’s pretty significant, and I’m excited to finally share the idea.

Now here’s the fun part for the November/December giant-size megaissue and where you come in.

Golfdom is not my magazine — I do not own it. It is also not owned by an association. There is no board of directors. Golfdom, my friends, is a family-owned magazine. And you and I are both in that family. And as a family-owned publication, I don’t mind saying we need your help.

Take our survey! (Photo: Golfdom Staff)

In the new combined November/December issue, we’re going to include a reader-created list of the best products of 2022. We’re also going to include a list of readers’ favorite products of all time. We think this will be a fun year-end feature to complement our State of the Industry reports. We see it as an entertaining way to get feedback and insights from a bunch of readers, not just on how the 2022 golf season went but on some of the best tools the industry has to offer.

On this page, you’ll see a QR code. Scan the code and answer our three-question survey. It’ll take all of two minutes. And then my crew will get to work pulling this new feature together.

We hope this change gets your crew and our crew all on the same page … Isn’t that the very definition of the word ‘Golfdom,’ after all? All of us in the industry working together.