Welcome to the Reel Turf Techs Podcast! In this exciting episode, we are thrilled to have Seth Sheldon, the Equipment Manager at the prestigious Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield, Michigan, as our guest. Seth’s journey into the world of turf management is a story of passion, dedication, and mentorship.
Seth’s journey began with a simple summer job on the grounds crew of a golf club that he and his family were members of. Little did he know that this experience would ignite his passion for the golf course industry. Initially pursuing a path in landscape architecture, Seth’s heart took a detour as he fell in love with the intricacies of maintaining golf courses.
As he progressed in his career, Seth took the superintendent route, gaining valuable experience as an Assistant Superintendent at several golf clubs. However, it was a pivotal decision to switch to the mechanical side of the operation that would ultimately shape his future. Seth embarked on a new journey as an Assistant Mechanic at the County Club of Detroit, where he met a mentor who would play a significant role in his professional development.
Join us as Seth Sheldon shares his remarkable journey, from summer jobs on the grounds crew to becoming the Equipment Manager at Oakland Hills. Discover the insights, challenges, and joys of working behind the scenes to ensure that the golf course’s equipment is in prime condition. Seth’s story is a testament to the power of mentorship and the pursuit of one’s true passion.
If you’re a turf management enthusiast, golf lover, or simply someone interested in the fascinating world of golf course equipment management, this episode is a must-listen. Tune in as we delve into Seth’s journey and the secrets of keeping a world-class golf course in top shape. Don’t miss out on this inspiring episode of the Reel Turf Techs Podcast!
Transcript
Trent Manning: 0:05
welcome to the reel turf techs podcast for the technician that wants to get reel follow along. As we talk to industry professionals and address hot topics that we all face along the way we’ll learn tips and tricks. I’m your host, Trent. Manning let’s have some this episode are Reel turf techs on golf course industries Superintendent radio network is presented by Foley county a strong supporter of equipment technicians and golf course maintenance departments everywhere Foley county offers a proven solution for above and below the turf for turf professionals To learn more about Foley company’s line of real grinders bed knife grinders and the air to G2 family of products or to find a distributor visit www dot Foley C o.com Ready for play Welcome to the real turf text podcast. Episode 1 0 3. Today, we’re talking to Seth Shelton equivalent manager at Oakland Hills country club. In Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. Founded in 1916. Oakland Hills country club has and will continue to play a significant role in the history of golf in the United States. Some of the greatest players to ever play the game, including Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Gary player, Ben Hogan. I’ve competed and won on the fame south course. Also known as the monster. Seth has two texts helping him in the shop. He has mostly Deere equipment. Let’s talk to Seth. Welcome Seth to the RealTurf Tech’s podcast. How are you doing today?
Seth Sheldon: 1:50
Good. How you doing, Trent?
Trent Manning: 1:51
I’m doing great. Thank you so much for coming on. This was kind of last minute burning the Sunday midnight oil and said, Hey, Seth, bail me out here. I need a guest.
Seth Sheldon: 2:02
Yeah. Happy to, happy to do it. And it’s a, it’s an honor to, to be on here with you and thank you for all you do for us. In the, uh, industry.
Trent Manning: 2:11
Well, yes.
Seth Sheldon: 2:13
You did, you did kind of throw me under the bus because in your email, it says I’m going to email you the questions a week in advance and I didn’t have a week. I had about an hour and a half, so we’ll see how we do here.
Trent Manning: 2:25
Well, just for the listeners and let them know how this works is I send you a link. And when, when you book a time, then you get the email. So,
Seth Sheldon: 2:36
Gotcha.
Trent Manning: 2:37
and I’ve only sent you how many emails over the last, how long this has been.
Seth Sheldon: 2:43
that junk folder’s busy.
Trent Manning: 2:45
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, that’s right. Yeah. And it does end up in, in the junk folder and I, I kind of, I’m curious if it really ends up in the junk folder or people just, or people just ignore me.
Seth Sheldon: 2:58
Ha ha ha ha ha
Trent Manning: 2:59
So at least it’s a good excuse anyway.
Seth Sheldon: 3:03
Yeah, I’m looking forward, I’m looking forward to this. Should be fun.
Trent Manning: 3:05
Oh, no, it’s going to be a lot of fun. And I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again. This is definitely my favorite part is hearing everybody’s story and we have some laughs and some good times and hopefully the listeners enjoy it. So tell us how you got into the turf industry.
Seth Sheldon: 3:23
Oh, man. So it all started in 2005 when I was graduating high school. I mean, I needed a summer job. I knew what I was going to do as a career but I needed a summer job. Uh, all through high school I always wanted to be a landscape architect. And, uh, got into school and just needed a summer job before I went off to school after I graduated and got my first job at Barnsley Gardens in Dairsville, Georgia they might’ve changed the name, I think it’s the general at Barnsley Gardens now, but. We were members there. My parents were members there. And they, uh, my stepdad asked the GM if they had a spot for me on the crew. Had no idea what I was getting into. Played golf most of my life. And, uh, so I knew a little bit about golf and first day on the job, I was about two hours late. Slept through my alarm, and uh, Lance and Dusty up there, they’re top notch guys, they, they stuck with me. And uh, so I started in 2005, worked there for the summer, and then going to school at uh, North Metro Tech at the time. Which is now Chattahoochee Tech?
Trent Manning: 4:32
Yeah, I believe
Seth Sheldon: 4:32
right?
Trent Manning: 4:33
Yep. Yep. That sounds right.
Seth Sheldon: 4:34
They had a, they had a great, landscape environmental horticulture program there, and so I started there, did some school in there. And then, uh, kind of went away from that. You know, the economy was starting to tank and figured nobody would want to be spending money on landscaping. So, kind of, kind of did away with that and then moved out to Colorado to pursue life as a ski bum. And the first couple. I was out there for five years. I was out in Vail, Colorado, and the first couple summers, I came back to Georgia and, uh, worked at the golf course at Barnsley. Helped those guys with a, uh, a greens renovation. Uh, we went from, L93 Bentgrass to, uh, Champion Bermuda, which was fun. I wanted to be a part of that. And it was, it was a fun time, a lot of work.
Trent Manning: 5:23
Y’all do the no till method or.
Seth Sheldon: 5:26
yeah, we did the no till. Which is popular. I don’t know what they do now. I mean, that was back in, I don’t know, 2007 or 2008. But,
Trent Manning: 5:37
converted in 2012, we’d done the same thing no-till we verta, cut, verified all those things and then put sprigs on it. Mm-hmm.
Seth Sheldon: 5:47
And, uh, so went back out to Colorado and I was out there until 2012. Came back, uh, went back again to, uh, Barnsley. And, uh, I must be doing something all right. Cause they kept taking me and, uh,
Trent Manning: 6:03
Mm-hmm.
Seth Sheldon: 6:04
worked there as I guess you could call it as an assistant superintendent. Then, uh, a lady entered my life who was from Michigan. And, uh, if you would have asked me 15 years ago, if I’d ever live in Michigan, the answer would be hell no. But, uh, you know, things happen and then, you know, getting. Really liking this girl and there was no way she was moving down south. And so I’m, I made the move up to Michigan and my first job in Michigan was, at Point O Woods Country Club over on the east or, uh, sorry, the west side of the state, Benton Harbor. Nice, nice club. Worked there, the gentleman there, I would call him. One of my mentors wouldn’t give me an assistant job because I didn’t have an degree in turf grass. So he kind of pushed me. He pushed me the route of going to school to do that, he, uh, told me I should go to Penn State, because that’s where he was, and so I did the online thing, he got me situated there, did the online, associate degree for turfgrass management was there, and then, uh, an assistant superintendent job opened up at a club down the road. Lost Dunes Golf Club really nice Tom Doak course, beautiful property. Was there for two years wife was looking for a way to move back to her family on the east side of the state near Detroit, and uh, started applying at jobs, and at the time there was no, really no one hiring an assistant at like a top club I would call it, cause I, I kinda had standards for a professional career. Knew what I wanted to do, I wanted to be a superintendent, and… You know, getting to a place that could afford me a good life and to take care of my family, I needed to work at a top club. So really no one looking at a top club in the Detroit area. So I said, well, what the heck? I’ll, I’ll give the mechanic thing a shot. I, I, from the South, you know, us, us, uh, Southerners are a little, we’re mechanically inclined, I like to think, but, uh,
Trent Manning: 8:07
Oh, yeah. Most of the time.
Seth Sheldon: 8:09
yeah, and, uh, well, Southern ingenuity is what I call it.
Trent Manning: 8:12
Oh yeah. Yep.
Seth Sheldon: 8:14
So, I, there was a, a club over in Detroit, Detroit, sorry, Country Club of Detroit, was looking for an assistant mechanic, and at the time, I was like, well, I could, I could give that a shot, uh, you know, if things don’t pan out, I could still go to the superintendent route and have that, that knowledge under my belt, and I figured that’d be a good thing to do and have that kind of, that knowledge of being a mechanic, because At the time, I knew there was a shortage of mechanics in the industry, and there still is. And so I figured… I couldn’t lose in making that decision to try to switch over to be an assistant mechanic because at the time I was still just an assistant superintendent. So, applied over at Country Club Detroit. They hired me and, uh, worked there for two years as an assistant. And then, uh, Our director of golf at Oakland Hills was, was new to the club and the area at Oakland Hills and wanted to, saw there was a need for an assistant mechanic in the shop. So I, I got wind of that and applied for that and got that job. Worked there for two years and then the, the equipment manager when I was there decided he wanted to move. Out of the area down south, and they offered me the job, and I’ve been there since 2020 as the equipment manager, the end of 2020.
Trent Manning: 9:36
That’s awesome. Yeah. Yeah, yeah.
Seth Sheldon: 9:39
you know, I haven’t, I haven’t looked back. I think it’s been a good, a good transition a quick transition. I feel like I’ve been blessed in the, uh, the, the opportunity that I’ve been afforded, and, you know, it’s, you, you don’t get those opportunities unless you go for it, so. That’s kind of my story and I’m, I’m happy to be where I’m at and doing what we’re doing. And, you know, it’s, it’s, it’s fun. It’s fun work. It’s hard work, but we have fun.
Trent Manning: 10:07
No, that’s, that’s awesome. And I think that’s a, a key takeaway from this is if you set your mind to do something and you really want it,
Seth Sheldon: 10:19
Oh, absolutely. That’s what, you know, our director at Oakland Hills, Phil, he, he preaches that to those guys that are coming in and being assistants and core superintendents and. It’s all about what they want to do and putting themselves in the right position to do and accomplish those goals and, uh, you know, it’s, if, if you want to be one of the top superintendents, then go do it. that’s, that’s hard to find these days with people that, that get in the industry and they think that it’s all glittering, you know, just, oh, we’re outside cutting grass. No, it’s, it’s a little more than that. But yeah, I mean, that’s, I love where I’m at. I mean, that’s, it’s, it’s, uh, we have a standard and it’s a high standard and we, we perform daily to that standard.
Trent Manning: 11:09
Yeah, and people can say whatever they want to, and I know some of the, the top clubs get, you know, a bad rap on certain things, but I mean, that’s definitely, you know, kind of my mentality and I’m sure it’s yours too. Is, you know, yeah, we could work at any golf course, but I want to work at one that’s got high standards because I have high standards. You know, I want to put out a good product and I like that challenge of putting out a high product every day.
Seth Sheldon: 11:45
Yeah, it’s fun to do. I mean, you look, you step back at the end of the day and look what you guys have accomplished throughout the day. And it’s. I mean, it’s, it’s something else really. I mean, I can’t explain it. I mean, no words I can say to explain it, but
Trent Manning: 11:58
Yeah, no, and it is a good, a good feeling. And when you go out on the course and see the product that you’ve made is, you know, and I don’t know, definitely at a younger age. I didn’t take that into account as much or appreciate it as much as I do now. And. Life’s a whole lot better now that I, I look and say, Oh man, this, this is really good. Yeah. And I mean, it’s not easy and it’s, it’s a lot of work, but it’s worth doing it at the end of the day. And when you go home, you feel like you’ve accomplished something.
Seth Sheldon: 12:36
Yeah. When you, when you have that mindset of, it’s not just a job, it’s your career. And I think that a lot of people need to get on board with, it’s a career. Being an equipment manager is a career. It’s not just a, you’re the guy in the garage down at the maintenance facility. Like it’s a career. And I try to preach it to the guys that are in the shop with me. You know, it’s a, it’s a career that can be good if you, if you make it good, that’s kind of my, you know, my philosophy is I’m not these, these guys in the shop there, I want them to go get a head, head equipment manager job somewhere. And I’m not going to settle for something that I don’t think is not good enough for them. You know?
Trent Manning: 13:17
Well, yeah, yeah. And that’s the same thing. You know, the few guys that I’ve had come and go to the next level I’ll do anything I can to help them out. And that’s another good thing about how. This community is, and I’ll tell a quick story when, uh, so I had Charlie Carr and I’ve talked about him on the podcast plenty of times. He worked with me for three years and Corey Phillips that I’ve also talked about a lot that I’ve been friends with a long time. He was looking for, basically a head tech at an 18 hole course and. Corey was over the course, but not there all the time. So, I mean, Charlie be running the show. So I tell him about the job and you know, what is paying and all those things. And he’s like, man, I really think I’m going to have to jump on this. And I’m like, yeah, that’s why I’m telling you about it. You know, that’s a good opportunity. And then from. So he worked with Corey for a couple of years, and then a job came up at Hawks Ridge here in our area, which is a super high end course. I forget, they’re ranked like 6th in the state or something. And he put in for that job. And I tell my director of agronomy, Courtney, that Charlie’s putting in for it. So he calls the superintendent up there, which he’s known for the last 30 years. And Charlie goes in for the interview and it’s like, here’s my resume, you know, and all this stuff, and he’s like. It’s good. I talked to Courtney and he said, you’re squared away. You know, when do you want to start? You know, I mean, it’s just cool that we have that in our industry. You know, you, you can make a name for yourself pretty easily. If you know, you do a decent job.
Seth Sheldon: 15:02
Yeah. Yeah, absolutely.
Trent Manning: 15:04
What is your least favorite part of the job and why is that sand?
Seth Sheldon: 15:09
Oh, it’s not saying Trent.
Trent Manning: 15:11
It’s not what, what is your least favorite part of the job?
Seth Sheldon: 15:15
Oh, man. I, I, I would like to think I’m a morning person, but I’m not really the biggest morning person. I, I think waking up early. To do our job is probably my least favorite. Second, second least favorite probably weather, the weather changes, you know, I mean, if we got two weeks with no, no rain, everything’s cutting great, golf course looks great. You know, the guys, the guys in the, uh, the agronomy side of that would probably differ. But you know, when we get these, these two or three days of just rain. You know, we started off this spring pretty dry and everything was good, fairways were firm, everything was great, and then you start getting rain, and then if you skip a day, that kind of sets you back, if you’re not able to get out and mow or anything, you kind of get set back, and then, you know, it is what it is, it’s mother nature, we can’t predict mother nature but, you know, we got to catch up, and It’s a lot of, it’s more work dealing with rain than it is not dealing with rain. From our, our side, I would say, but yeah, waking up early morning, but we don’t, you know, we, I’m kind of a baby about that cause we don’t even work. We don’t even go to work that early. I mean, it’s, uh, we have a noise ordinance where we’re at, so we can’t really start things up too early anyways, but yeah, I’ve. Yeah, I, I guess I’ve never been really a morning guy. It is what it is.
Trent Manning: 16:45
Well, yeah. And yeah, everybody is different and lucky for me, I’ve always been a morning person. And I do think the people that are not morning people. Do you struggle with working out of the golf
Seth Sheldon: 17:00
Yeah.
Trent Manning: 17:00
overall? And, uh, and I get that.
Seth Sheldon: 17:03
Yeah.
Trent Manning: 17:05
but there’s been a lot of us that I guess have adapted over the years to, you know, once you’ve done it long enough, you get your internal clock set and wake up in the morning and you’re, you’re ready to go.
Seth Sheldon: 17:17
Now, I will say when I get a day off, it’s like, you try to sleep in, but I’m still waking up at like 5 or 5. 30 in the morning. Like, it’s still, I mean, I guess it technically is sleeping in, but
Trent Manning: 17:28
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Seth Sheldon: 17:29
You know?
Trent Manning: 17:30
Yep. What’s your favorite tool?
Seth Sheldon: 17:35
Oh, man. You know, this has been said on there a few times, but the pie tape. You know, the pie tape is huge for our, our, uh, practices that we do in the shop. You know, if you would have asked me this five years ago, I wouldn’t have said pie tape, but you know, kind of, and I’m the first person to say that, yeah, I used to not care for a pie tape. I used to think that was crazy, but no, it’s legit. You gotta know your, your real diameters and. Stuff like that and make sure you don’t have any cones, any reels and stuff.
Trent Manning: 18:07
So when you started using a pie tape, what else changed in your operation?
Seth Sheldon: 18:13
you know, I didn’t, I didn’t start using a pie tape till two years ago, three years ago. But just having that, having that reassurance you know, if you see something funny on the golf course, you know, it’s not a cone reel.
Trent Manning: 18:26
Mm hmm.
Seth Sheldon: 18:28
you know, we don’t back lap. So we, we grind a lot. Uh, we grind frequently, light and frequent, you know, they light and frequent top dress, but we do a light and frequent grind, just because my philosophy is if you’re grinding it more often, you’re spending less time grinding it. So, With the pie tape, we don’t pie tape every time we grind. We just kind of do it a couple of times throughout the year to make sure our diameters are, are good. You know, our, our threshold from right to left on our, on our reels is, we’re not getting into that. 10th hour range or,
Trent Manning: 19:04
Yeah, yeah,
Seth Sheldon: 19:05
know, but I, you know, I can’t really tell you. There’s been much of a difference after using it. It’s just having that reassurance of, well, hell that’s, that’s something that we, we did, we, we measured our reel. So we know that’s good. So,
Trent Manning: 19:20
yeah, yeah, yeah. Why, I guess I was getting at, did you find that your reels were coned when you first started using it? No? Okay,
Seth Sheldon: 19:32
not, yeah. I mean, not, yeah, not out, not too far out to where it was like, holy crap. What are we doing now?
Trent Manning: 19:39
yeah, yeah, yeah,
Seth Sheldon: 19:41
I think the largest cone, I think the largest cone I found when we first started pie taping, which was on one of the fairway mowers, it was like 35 thou, which isn’t
Trent Manning: 19:49
yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Seth Sheldon: 19:51
It’s bad, but it’s not that bad.
Trent Manning: 19:55
you definitely wouldn’t want that on a
Seth Sheldon: 19:56
We, we took, we took care of it. That’s, that’s all we did.
Trent Manning: 20:00
right, right.
Seth Sheldon: 20:01
And then, you know, I, I got a couple, it’s the phone has been said, I can pick up my phone, I can call you, I can call anybody, you know, that’s a valuable tool. And I call a lot of people.
Trent Manning: 20:15
Well, I think that’s really good too, though, is calling a lot of people and keeping all those connections alive, if you will, because, you know, the longer you go without calling somebody, maybe the harder it is to call them or text them or, you know, communicate with them. And I think we got to, you know, this is something I would have not said. Even a year ago, but I think we have to nurture all those relationships.
Seth Sheldon: 20:46
Oh,
Trent Manning: 20:47
you know, even if it’s and I have talked about a good friend of mine, Kent Carson, he does it better than I’ve ever seen. I mean, he calls me at least once a month and he doesn’t even work at a golf course anymore. He just, you know, calls to check on me. How you doing? I was saying, you know,
Seth Sheldon: 21:05
Yeah.
Trent Manning: 21:06
touch and base. More, more or less, and it’s something I’ve been, you know, trying to do a better job on, but I think it’s really good to call and while we’re talking about you calling me. When, uh, when I see Big Shooter on there, I get excited. I get excited about the Big Shooter. Can, can we tell the Big Shooter story?
Seth Sheldon: 21:35
yeah, we can, yeah, sure.
Trent Manning: 21:37
All right. Yeah. Well, I’ll put you on the spot. I mean, so you can’t say no now. What’s the guy, is it Skip Conley?
Seth Sheldon: 21:45
Yeah, Skip Conley, superintendent up here in Michigan.
Trent Manning: 21:49
Okay. So do you want to set the story up on what
Seth Sheldon: 21:53
yeah, I’ll just, yeah. So in, uh, 2020, February 17th, 2020, or, or 2022, sorry, our, uh, our clubhouse burnt down unfortunate. and my phone was blowing up in very historic building, uh, second largest wooden structure in the state of Michigan. And then one of the text messages was from Skip Conley. And it was. Not like, Hey, sorry to see this is terrible. It was, Hey, big shooter. Heard you have a situation going on over at the club. That was it.
Trent Manning: 22:32
Yeah, I know.
Seth Sheldon: 22:33
And so they were telling the story at it, at a Michigan turf grass conference and Trent was there and. Trent got a hold of that, and hasn’t let it go since. Heh,
Trent Manning: 22:43
No, it just stuck. I said, it’s a big shooter. You’re the big shooter.
Seth Sheldon: 22:47
yeah, big shooter.
Trent Manning: 22:48
and I heard Brian Eplin, uh, was calling you big shooter the other day too. So, I mean, I love it. I love it that it’s stuck.
Seth Sheldon: 22:56
yeah, sure. Eheheh,
Trent Manning: 22:57
no, it’s, it’s good stuff. I don’t, yeah. Hearing that story at dinner that night, I don’t, I laughed so much. It was, yeah, really, really funny. I mean, he’s a sincere guy. He was really worried about you.
Seth Sheldon: 23:12
yeah, uh, yeah. Well, I mean, going back to the uh, the, the tool thing, you know, with the phone. Well, I’ve, I’ve found that I can figure stuff out. And I know a lot of mechanics, they like to figure things out on their own. But to me, if you can’t figure it out within the first five minutes and call somebody, cause you’re wasting your time trying to figure it out, cause you can learn by the time you figure out you sit there and hem and haw about what’s going on with something, how much of that time can be spent one fixing the problem that is usually pretty simple. And two, the time spent trying to figure it out is time you could be learning from somebody else that knows what’s wrong with the issue and figuring it out on the phone. So, that’s kind of my thing.
Trent Manning: 23:57
No, I love it. I think that’s a really, really good point too. And I’m definitely guilty and I don’t know if that’s pride or what it is, but you know, I want to figure it out. I
Seth Sheldon: 24:07
Oh yeah.
Trent Manning: 24:08
to figure it out.
Seth Sheldon: 24:09
And I always, I always, I always start the phone call with, Hey, I’m an idiot, I got a stupid question. Ha ha ha ha.
Trent Manning: 24:16
why don’t,
Seth Sheldon: 24:17
it.
Trent Manning: 24:17
yeah, well, and I don’t know how many times, you know, or how much time over the years that I have wasted instead of just picking up the phone and calling somebody and having an answer in five minutes. And you’re exactly right. Cause you’re still learning the same thing.
Seth Sheldon: 24:34
Yeah. Yeah. Just takes you way less time.
Trent Manning: 24:37
yeah, that’s yep. No, that’s a really really good one. You done with tools.
Seth Sheldon: 24:43
Yep.
Trent Manning: 24:43
Okay, we’re moving right along What do you do to relax or find your balance?
Seth Sheldon: 24:50
Oh, man. Well, with a three year old and a one year old, there’s not much relaxation going on But and if my wife listens to this, she might punch me later because she’s the one at home with the kids all day long. But, uh, you know, if I, I, I love fishing. That’s kind of my big thing. I grew up fishing. But yeah, I mean, fishing is the thing that I love doing most when I’m not at work or trying to, uh, relax and, uh, camping grew up outdoors. I was outdoors my whole life pretty much. And so, uh, you know, I just love being outdoors and kind of getting away, but, yeah, I mean, there’s nothing better than grabbing your fly rod and going walking. Couple of miles into the woods by yourself, no cell service. And I hadn’t, I hadn’t been able to do that though, since, you know, I was out in Colorado probably, but. That is one of my big things is fishing.
Trent Manning: 25:48
How good is fly fishing in Colorado?
Seth Sheldon: 25:51
it’s good. It’s good. I, you know, I’ve
Trent Manning: 25:55
You’re really you’re really selling it here. It’s good.
Seth Sheldon: 25:58
well, I, yeah, I mean, there’s not, I, I, I don’t know. I can’t tell you if it’s better than Wyoming or Montana. Cause I haven’t been up there to go fly fishing, but I mean, there’s nothing better when it’s, you know, summer’s coming to an end, fall’s starting to get there. The, the Green Drake hatch is happening on the Frying Pan River and you’re out there throwing big old Green Drake flies and big trout are just eating them off the top. I mean, that’s, there’s something, something to be said about, uh, just the, the, the atmosphere is peaceful out there and, uh, you know, they got, they got big fish out there and. You know, I’ve, I’ve done some fly fishing in Michigan. It’s just not the same. Maybe it’s cause I don’t know what I’m doing up here, but, it’s incredible. I mean, I tell anybody, if you get a chance, go out to Colorado and go, go do some fly fishing. You know, I moved out there for the winters, but stayed for the summers and I was out there for five years. And by the end of my five years, I, I was actually, instead of skiing or snowboarding on my day off, I’d be fly fishing in the middle of Vail Village. In the winter, in the winter.
Trent Manning: 27:08
Yeah. Yeah, that’s fun Awesome. What’s been your biggest challenge to date?
Seth Sheldon: 27:15
Oh, biggest challenge. I would say that the restoration we did in 2020 with COVID was a challenge in its own. One, we were short staffed. You know, and we’re, we’ve, we’re 36 holes, so we still had one open golf course, but the South course was closed for the renovation, sorry, restoration. And, uh, the, uh, you know, so we’re, we’re using equipment on the South course, that’s getting kind of beat up a little bit, and then we’re having to go mow the North course to prep it for golf. And it was a, uh. It was a busy summer making sure everything was cutting right and cause that’s I mean it is what it is you got to do what you got to do and You know those first couple months of the restoration we were still mowing fairways and greens and stuff like that on the south course and When a construction company comes through there and puts a bunch of drainage in they’re not the most precise with that Drainage stone and stuff like that. So, you know, the mowers are getting, they’re getting banged up a little bit. And knowing that you’re going to have to go north to mow the next day and get those mowers ready. You know, it’s, it’s a challenge, but it was. It was the most, probably the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done. I would do it again in a heartbeat and I’m excited to do it again someday. But yeah, I mean, I would say that was probably the biggest challenge. And with COVID being short staff, we’re, you know, getting, getting out on the golf course, having to do some things that we’re not normally, we normally don’t do just because we’re short staffed and we’re trying to maintain a golf course and rebuild a golf course at the same time. So that was a challenging summer, but a fun summer.
Trent Manning: 28:58
What’s, uh, one of the good,
Seth Sheldon: 29:00
daughter was My daughter was also born that summer, so it was, uh, That was a ch challenging summer. I wouldn’t say one thing was challenging, It was the whole summer of 2020 was challenging.
Trent Manning: 29:10
yeah, yeah, yeah. And I don’t, yeah, we done, or we built a short course that summer, short staff, pretty much built it in house. And yeah, it was, it was a challenge for sure. I mean, we barely had enough people to maintain the golf course and here we are in house building a short course, you know, put off, we did pretty much all the drainage, all the irrigation. We had a company do the bunkers with a billy liner and that same company roughed the greens out and helped us sprig. But yeah, it was unbelievable. What’s been, one of, one of the strangest things you’ve seen at work?
Seth Sheldon: 29:56
as mentioned earlier, but I think the the clubhouse, fire was
Trent Manning: 30:00
Yeah, yeah, yeah,
Seth Sheldon: 30:01
of the
Trent Manning: 30:02
that’s, that tops the cake.
Seth Sheldon: 30:04
Yeah, I don’t think anything can top that, as far as, you know, at work, you know, is, uh, that was probably one of the craziest days I’ve ever been a part of with anything. And it’s, you know, this a hundred year old building that’s iconic and huge. I mean, 150, 000 square foot building. And it. You know, you can’t feel but helpless just standing there and watching the thing and all the fire, you know, the amount of fire departments that were there was insane. But you know, the fire started at like 9 o’clock, 9. 30 that morning and we didn’t even leave the golf course until 11. 30 that night.
Trent Manning: 30:42
Wow.
Seth Sheldon: 30:43
you know, just doing some things, uh. Support for the, the fire, the fire departments, you know, we being in Michigan, it started raining that morning and it turned into a fleet and then it turned into about a foot of snow. So when you’re dumping that much water on a, on a building and it’s running out into the parking lot and it’s. 10 degrees, we had to keep, salting the parking lot and trying to keep the firefighters safe in doing that and plowing, plowing snow at the same time. Yeah, it was, uh, it was pretty wild. That’s, that’s by far the, the weirdest, the strangest thing I’ve seen at work, maybe.
Trent Manning: 31:21
sure. And the worst thing you’ve seen at work too,
Seth Sheldon: 31:24
Yeah. And the, uh, you know, the, another strange thing I saw is an iguana. In Michigan on a golf course
Trent Manning: 31:32
Yep. That is strange.
Seth Sheldon: 31:34
country club in Detroit. There’s about a three foot long Iguana walking down one fairway. One, one day.
Trent Manning: 31:40
So somebody, uh, let it go. I
Seth Sheldon: 31:42
Yeah, I guess it was a, it was a member that lived next to the course and they had an iguana as a pet and it got out, I guess, in Michigan.
Trent Manning: 31:51
Yeah. Yeah. Of all places. Yeah.
Seth Sheldon: 31:53
I get in Florida, they got those things.
Trent Manning: 31:56
Well, you kind of talked about mentors a little bit earlier. Who who’s some of your mentors in the industry?
Seth Sheldon: 32:03
Man, Trent, I got, I don’t have one mentor. I’ve got a lot of mentors. And that comes with traveling around and working at different clubs. You know, I’d be selling some people short if I only had one mentor, but, uh, you know, the first, like I said, Lance, Lance and Dusty up at Barnsley, they’re a staple there. And those guys are, I don’t know if you’ve ever met those guys. They’re, they’re characters. They’re fun. They’re, love what they do. And, uh, they give the shirt off their back to anyone became good friends with them and. You know, I kinda, when I first started, I didn’t think I wanted to do golf course, you know, I was doing the, the environmental horticulture thing. And then I asked about, I legit asked Dusty one day, I said, is this, can I do this as a career? And he said, yeah, I said, do I need to go to school for this? And he said, No, man, you’re not going to learn anything in class. Just, just work here. We’ll teach you everything you need to know. And so,
Trent Manning: 33:03
Yeah.
Seth Sheldon: 33:03
you know, I just kept doing the environmental horticulture thing instead of switching degrees. And and yeah, I mean, they taught me a lot, man. They, they, it’s where I cut my teeth as a, as an 18 year old. they taught me everything I needed to know about growing bent grass greens in the South. we had a lot of fun doing it. So I would say, you know, those two guys are great mentors of mine. Ron Fox over at, at Point O’Woods, the first club that I worked at in Michigan that kind of pushed me educationally pushed me a little further and, uh, you know, I look back at it and that was a great thing that I did. Doing the Penn State online. I mean, I didn’t really learn a whole lot because I had been doing it for several years already. But you know, there’s some things I learned going through school and being able to, to, to have that agronomy background through that. And
Trent Manning: 33:59
How much, how much do you think the agronomy background helps you be EM?
Seth Sheldon: 34:06
if I did not have the background that I have with agronomy, I would not be working where I’m at now. I’ll say that. Because our, our agronomic practices are pretty, uh, I wouldn’t say intense or anything, but you know, we do a lot of stuff agronomically that most mechanics would be like, what, why are we doing that? And, uh, you know, I’m, I’m all on board 110% of what we do, what those guys want to do, and it helps me communicate to the agronomy staff a little better, I think. They don’t have to explain to me why we’re going out and top dressing. I love top dressing. That’s one of my favorite things to do on the golf course. You know, and it’s, I think, yeah, having that background is absolutely huge for my job. And I, I think if there are mechanics out there that are struggling, if understanding how a golf course operates, I think they should probably go take some agronomy classes, honestly.
Trent Manning: 35:10
Well, yeah, yeah. And GCSA has a certificate program too, for assistant superintendents, and that might be a good way to at least get your feet wet.
Seth Sheldon: 35:20
yeah, yeah, absolutely. Instead of doing mechanic classes, cause, I mean, I could still use mechanic classes. I’ll, I’ll never be able to not use a mechanic class, but there’s some, there’s some smart guys out there that, that are very intelligent mechanics and capable, but they lack the understanding of agronomy some, and some,
Trent Manning: 35:42
Mm hmm.
Seth Sheldon: 35:43
So instead of doing those mechanic tracks and stuff like that, go do, go do ag, agronomic tracks.
Trent Manning: 35:50
No, that’s probably good advice. And I think when the mechanic does not have a good understanding of cultural practices, the dynamic that gets set up against it’s them against us, superintendent against the mechanic. You know, they’re doing stuff just to create more work for me. I think, you know, that gets set up easier or that mindset if you don’t understand why they’re doing what they’re doing.
Seth Sheldon: 36:21
Yeah. And that’s, I think that’s why it benefits me.’cause I don’t, I don’t ever have to question it. It’s’cause I know, I know it’s coming. You know, I, I can tell when it’s coming and I’m, I’m ready for it. Like, let’s go.
Trent Manning: 36:34
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Seth Sheldon: 36:35
let’s go top dress, let’s go mow right after. And then I’ll grind’em back up and let’s go mow again. Why not
Trent Manning: 36:41
Yeah. Let’s do it. Let’s do it.
Seth Sheldon: 36:44
Uh, but going, going back to the, I, sorry, I’m not, I, I still got a
Trent Manning: 36:48
yeah, yeah. Go ahead.
Seth Sheldon: 36:49
You know, and then Ross, Ross over at a country club, a Detroit superintendent there he and Vic Anderson, who’s, become one of my best friends. Ross, the superintendent hired me and, uh, just working for them, their golf course and kind of getting my feet wet with the mechanic side and Vic couldn’t have asked for a better Vic’s probably my, my, he’s definitely my mechanic. Taught me everything I need to know taught me some things I probably don’t need to know,
Trent Manning: 37:22
yeah. Yeah. That’s all
Seth Sheldon: 37:23
but we, uh, we had a, we had a fun time working together and it was a, an awesome team, him and I, and and then, uh, sad to leave that party, but and then Phil, who I’m currently working for, it’s, uh, he’s biggest, biggest, uh, mentor for, uh, I would say as a golf course as a whole, seeing a big picture and then making things come to fruition, like Phil, there’s nobody better than Phil. You know, his, his standards are super high, which I love which then in turn makes me have high standards, right?
Trent Manning: 38:01
Mm-hmm.
Seth Sheldon: 38:02
It only makes me get better at my job and what I do. And he’s got my back 110%. And you know, if he has a question and he, he has faith in, in what I, the answer I give him and it’s, you know, I, I joke, but I’ve told some friends. I was like, I don’t think I could work for anybody else. You know, just because the standard’s so high. If you go to another club where the, you know, the standard’s not as high, still a good club. But the detail’s not there, it’s, you know, it’s, there’s, there’s something to be said about being very detailed in your work, and that’s, it, it transfers from the shop to the golf course and from the golf course back to the shop. And so if you don’t have that, that detail that, that Phil’s got, I mean, it’s, It’s incredible. It’s, it’s, it’s what’s the word I’m looking for? It, you catch on to it. It’s, it’s, uh,
Trent Manning: 38:55
contagious. It’s
Seth Sheldon: 38:56
contagious. That’s the word.
Trent Manning: 38:58
contagious.
Seth Sheldon: 38:59
almost said cantankerous, but that wouldn’t be the word. Yeah. It’s contagious.
Trent Manning: 39:06
uh, yeah.
Seth Sheldon: 39:07
those, I would say those are, those are the mentors I’ve got.
Trent Manning: 39:11
that’s awesome though. And, uh, yeah. I mean, how important is that to have all those good people in your life and in your career? I mean, it makes a huge difference
Seth Sheldon: 39:21
And I still,
Trent Manning: 39:23
shaping you and molding you into who you are.
Seth Sheldon: 39:26
yeah. And I still talk to everybody, you know, I talk to them frequently and, you know, the guys down, down South in Georgia, talk to them and. You know, they’ve coined me as a Yankee now since I’ve lived in Michigan for a few years.
Trent Manning: 39:41
Yeah, yeah. Yep. You’re a
Seth Sheldon: 39:43
every time I go over there, I go, what do you like, you Yankee? But yeah, those guys are great. All, all those guys are great. I wouldn’t be where I’m at if I didn’t work for the guys that I’ve worked for.
Trent Manning: 39:56
Well, right. Yeah. I guess. Yeah. Who would be where they’re at if they hadn’t had some help along the way in one way or another? Well, what would be your dream job or opportunity?
Seth Sheldon: 40:10
Oh man.
Trent Manning: 40:12
Being the equipment manager at Oakland Hills.
Seth Sheldon: 40:15
It’s a, I mean, it’s a dream job. But outside of the industry, I would say, if I could change careers, I’d probably be a meteorologist or, something, a history teacher. I love history. I love meteorology.
Trent Manning: 40:30
okay.
Seth Sheldon: 40:31
Meteorology was one of the classes I had to take for, uh, online at Penn state for. An elective credit and it was probably and it’s not probably it was my favorite class. I took there Yeah, I didn’t realize Penn State’s a big meteorology school. But uh, that was that was one of the my most favorite classes I took and I’ve always been enamored by the weather you know, and it’s, growing up down south, you get a lot of crazy weather, tornadoes and stuff, and you know, we got to live it the other night. We’re always, uh, anytime we have weather in the state, I’ve always got my, uh, my, my weather app open, and it’s, uh, Radar Obega, it’s a good app.
Trent Manning: 41:13
Okay.
Seth Sheldon: 41:15
And I’m always watching it and getting excited if there’s a tornado warning in the state. I’ve always wanted to be like a storm chaser.
Trent Manning: 41:21
Oh yeah. Yeah.
Seth Sheldon: 41:23
know? And uh, you know, my wife gets a little freaked out and I get excited and I’m like, I don’t worry, it’s not, we’re good. And then the other night it was like, alright, go grab the kids, we’re going to the basement.
Trent Manning: 41:34
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Seth Sheldon: 41:36
but uh, Yeah, meteorology, or like a history teacher. I mean, I love history.
Trent Manning: 41:42
Well, cool. That’s awesome. Very cool. I learned something new about you. I would have never guessed that you were a history buff.
Seth Sheldon: 41:48
or something in like NASCAR, you know, like a tire, a tire guy.
Trent Manning: 41:52
A tire
Seth Sheldon: 41:53
On an, yeah, no, not a changer, just the guy that, that bends over the wall and grabs the tire. That’s, that’s a pretty hard job to screw up. Ha ha ha ha ha.
Trent Manning: 42:04
Uh, well, what about the, the flag holder and NASCAR? You know, he sticks a flag out. Yeah.
Seth Sheldon: 42:10
yeah, I’ll, I’ll do that job. Anything with NASCAR would be sweet. I grew up watching it. It’s always been fun. Yeah. And w and I, you know, I live in Northern NASCAR country. We got Roush and uh, Penske up here in Michigan. So
Trent Manning: 42:25
Oh, okay. Yeah.
Seth Sheldon: 42:26
you never know what could happen.
Trent Manning: 42:28
They might, they might be playing on the course one day.
Seth Sheldon: 42:33
Yeah. Never know.
Trent Manning: 42:34
yeah. The crew chief and say, Hey, we need this guy.
Seth Sheldon: 42:37
We need a tire holder.
Trent Manning: 42:40
It’s good. Good stuff. Well, what technician would you like to work with for a day?
Seth Sheldon: 42:47
Oh man. of course you, Trent. I’d like to come down, I’d like to, I’d like to come back to the motherland and, uh, spend a day or two with you down in the shop and see how you operate.
Trent Manning: 42:59
well, you know, you’re always welcome down here, but I
Seth Sheldon: 43:03
Oh, yeah,
Trent Manning: 43:03
I don’t think I could show you very much but you’re definitely welcome anytime.
Seth Sheldon: 43:09
the, uh, no, I mean, you know, you know, I’d love to come down there, hang out with you, kick it you know, Vic, my, my, uh, my buddy Vic, I’d love to spend another couple of days with him in the shop and see what kind of trouble we can get into. Thank you. You know, we made work fun. You got to make work fun or else then you’re miserable. But, uh, and then, uh, you know, I’ve always said, I always, I’ve told Mike Rollins, I said, I’m gonna take some time off and just hop in the van with you and go,
Trent Manning: 43:38
Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
Seth Sheldon: 43:40
I think it’d be fun, fun just to travel and. Or like you going up north doing that road trip. I mean, it’d be fun to do something like that. But I’ve always told Mike, I’m like, Yeah, I’m just gonna hop in the van with you. Let’s just go.
Trent Manning: 43:52
Yeah. You should do it for sure. When I remember, uh, one of the guys hopping in a van with, uh, one of the distributor techs and riding around with him for a day. I would encourage anybody to do anything like that, you know, that you can, and yeah, like my trip up there to visit you. And when I went to Wisconsin, I mean, those are when, when I went to New York, you know, trips a lifetime really. And I’ve done them all in one year and I made it, it was amazing. All the, all the cool places I’ve seen and the people I met and all that stuff and, and I love it. And that’s definitely a. My dream job is just traveling around and meeting people
Seth Sheldon: 44:35
you’re kinda letting us, kinda letting us down this year, Trent, not traveling everywhere and giving us the lowdown on places.
Trent Manning: 44:43
Well, I do got a, I am going to Nebraska end of our first of November and then I’ll be in the Carolinas. But yeah, I got to get another trip lined up
Seth Sheldon: 44:54
Yeah,
Trent Manning: 44:55
winter going somewhere. What do you know now you wish you’d known on day one?
Seth Sheldon: 45:00
Oh chill out, you know, it’s, uh, being new, new as a mechanic. It’s like, well, damn it. You just broke this again. Like, I mean, you get frustrated, but you know, things break, man. And it’s like, our job is to fix it. There, I mean, don’t get me wrong. There comes a point where it’s like, all right, dude, like
Trent Manning: 45:23
Mm
Seth Sheldon: 45:24
you’ve broken this string trimmer. 10 times in the last week. Like, how about you not do that anymore? But yeah, I mean, you can’t control everything. And, uh, You know, things are going to happen and you just got to stay, stay cool and calm and understand that shit breaks.
Trent Manning: 45:48
hmm Yeah, yeah, it does. That’s that’s a fact and while while we’re on that How do you deal with that person
Seth Sheldon: 45:57
uh, I’m,
Trent Manning: 45:58
guy that wake breaks the weed eater ten times in one week? And while you’re while you’re thinking about that, well, I got another story here. So I Implemented this was just A couple of weeks ago, the three strike rule. If you knock the shoot off the Buffalo blower three times in one day, you never ride on the Buffalo blower again, because, you know, I get it. If you know, if you’re new and you know, you’re not used to the Buffalo blower and you knock it off, it happens. But if you do it three times in one day. We need to find somebody else to do that job.
Seth Sheldon: 46:36
yeah. There’s a way around that Trent. Agra metal tractor blower.
Trent Manning: 46:42
Yeah. Yeah, that’s, that’s true.
Seth Sheldon: 46:45
No, we don’t have any Buffalo blower. you know, pretty fortunate. Our, our staff, I don’t think I have one of those guys on the staff to be honest with you. I mean, our guys are, they take pride in what they do, and they take pride in the machinery, and they operate everything pretty, pretty good. You know, the occasional guy will come in a couple times, but I mean, it’s, you know, it goes back to shit breaks. So, but yeah. I, I don’t know how to handle those people because I don’t have them.
Trent Manning: 47:17
Well, that’s good. That’s okay. Yeah. Nothing wrong with that. And congratulations because you are the first person I’ve ever talked to that worked at a golf course that did not at least have one of those people on their crew.
Seth Sheldon: 47:32
yeah, well, I don’t, yeah, I don’t know. We got a good staff.
Trent Manning: 47:36
Get ready for tips and tricks. Well, what kind of tips and tricks you want to share with us? Big shooter?
Seth Sheldon: 47:46
Oh man, I think, uh, I don’t have any tricks. I got some, you know, my tips are we already kind of went over it, but pick up the phone and call somebody if you need help. Nobody’s gonna talk about you that, uh, well Seth didn’t know how to do that. You’re not gonna believe this.
Trent Manning: 48:06
no.
Seth Sheldon: 48:07
And you’re wasting your time if you sit there and try to figure it out for an hour or two and, uh, you know, communi What I would say to most mechanics is go out on the golf course. Take pride in what you do, you know, visually inspect how people are operating things, because then you might not have to deal with that one guy that always breaks everything. Because you can see something. Hey, he’s not operating that correctly. Let’s correct that. And you coach, you coach him through it, like, there, problem solved, hopefully. But, uh, you know, the more time you spend on the golf course, the less things break, in my opinion. You know, I’ve, going out and watching the Wiedemann Super 600 chop down natives, or whatever. You know, going, last year I had one of the main pivot pivot points on the cutting head. The, uh, the pin started backing out because the, that 13 mil bolt that holds the pin in came out. So I, uh, you know, saw that out of the corner of my eye and that’s a big, a big headache avoided just because I went out there to look at that, that piece of equipment and how the operators, nothing anybody did or didn’t do it was whether the bolt snapped or backed out or whatever, but I saved ourselves in the shop. A lot of headache by seeing that pin. And I was actually able to just to slide it back in with my hand and then put a bolt back in to hold that pin in there. But I mean, that’s, that’s probably my biggest tip tips is, you know, call people, communicate and then go out on the golf course and, and be a. Be active at the course, you know, if, if the crew sees you out there helping people and doing things, and they’re going to give one, give you more respect. And then you know, you’re going to become friends with those guys and. You’re going to be able to cut up with them, make fun of them, whatever, to have fun. And it’s I think that’s the most, the most valuable thing that I, that I can do is go out there and hang out with the staff while they’re working or, you know, just getting eyes on everything. I was talking to one guy, a mechanic and been doing it for several years, 30 years or so, and he’s like, Oh, I never go on the golf course. I was like, why I’m a mechanic. I said, well, you don’t like. You don’t like seeing the product you produce or, or just going outside and getting some fresh air. And he’s like, nah, I’m a mechanic. I stay inside. And I’m like, whatever floats your boat. But you know, I got in this industry to be outside, you know, and. you’re in the shop and don’t get me wrong. I’m inside when it’s, when it’s 90
Trent Manning: 50:47
Right. Right. Right. Yeah.
Seth Sheldon: 50:49
10 degrees,
Trent Manning: 50:50
Uh huh.
Seth Sheldon: 50:51
but, uh, you know, I, I enjoy my time out on the golf course and I’ll even hop on a piece of equipment and go help out whether it’s tractor blowing or mo a fairway or whatever. You know, if there’s times to be doing that and there’s times not to be doing that, but. For the most part. Yeah, go out on the golf course and that’s my tip
Trent Manning: 51:13
No, I think that’s a really good tip and good advice for anybody. If you’re not getting out on the course, get, get out there. And like you said, I think most of us anyway, that are working at a golf course really enjoy being outside. Maybe not when the temperatures are miserable. Plus or minus, but I do think we have the best of both worlds because when the weather is really crappy, we can stay inside, but you know, spend, spend some time outside and I really like what you said about coaching operators. I think that saves us so much time down the road over, you know, knucklehead stuff happening if we’re out there coaching them on how to use the equipment.
Seth Sheldon: 52:01
Well, there’s there’s there’s nobody better on a golf course to train people on how to use equipment than the mechanic
Trent Manning: 52:09
right, you know, we definitely should know how to use it better than anybody else.
Seth Sheldon: 52:14
yeah, I should say should but uh, there’s you know, if we know how to operate everything We know how it should be operated the way the way it needs to be operated. So plus less stress on the equipment I mean When you’ve got a guy out of the triplex mowing greens or teas or whatever, and he’s, he’s jamming that yellow PTO engage lever over and over and over to turn around faster, it, all that does is where’s that PTO switch out and then you can barely, one day it’ll break and then you’re stuck in mow speed. So, you know, seeing and training and explaining, I mean, big thing is explaining, educating. You know, they don’t know that. They don’t know that stuff. We do. We work on it. So we know all the things of what happens if it breaks. Well, they don’t know. They don’t know that stuff. And, you know, and it’s, they don’t do it on purpose. They just don’t know. So you gotta, you gotta educate.
Trent Manning: 53:06
now. I agree. They don’t know what they don’t know. And I do agree with trying to explain why instead of just yelling at somebody and say, don’t do that, you know, explain why, why they shouldn’t do that. And if they do do that, what the, what that causes I do think that’s. And most of the time, I mean, my experience anyway, if I explain why we should or shouldn’t operate something a certain way, they act like they get it. Like, Oh, okay. Yeah, that makes sense. So yeah, You ready to do some rapid fire?
Seth Sheldon: 53:50
Yeah, we’ll do some rapid fire.
Trent Manning: 53:52
What’s your favorite movie? I can’t wait to hear the answer to this.
Seth Sheldon: 53:56
Oh my goodness. I should have thought of these before. These are the only questions. I didn’t scroll down far enough in the email. I totally forgot about Wrath of Fire. Uh,
Trent Manning: 54:04
said, I saw him an hour ago. Geez.
Seth Sheldon: 54:07
A favorite movie? Man, I love Tombstone. That’s a great one.
Trent Manning: 54:12
Yes, I’m your uncle Barry
Seth Sheldon: 54:15
Yeah, I don’t watch a whole lot of movies to be honest with you, but yeah, Tombstone’s a great one.
Trent Manning: 54:19
Well, if you’ve watched tombstone, you don’t need to watch any of the other ones
Seth Sheldon: 54:22
I know, right?
Trent Manning: 54:23
it’s the best. I love it That’s awesome.
Seth Sheldon: 54:26
Yeah,
Trent Manning: 54:27
Hell. Yeah. All right. What would be your last meal?
Seth Sheldon: 54:31
probably Sushi.
Trent Manning: 54:33
Okay. Yeah, that’s Surprising.
Seth Sheldon: 54:36
everyone’s like steak and potatoes, which is, don’t get me wrong, I like a good steak and I like a good potato, baked potato, but uh, sushi, I love sushi, man, I eat a lot of sushi.
Trent Manning: 54:47
Did you have any sushi in San Diego?
Seth Sheldon: 54:51
I, I didn’t, but I had a lot of fish tacos.
Trent Manning: 54:55
Well, yeah, you missed out. I don’t remember what sushi place we went to in San Diego is the best stuff. It was not cheap, but it would melt in your mouth. It
Seth Sheldon: 55:04
Yeah, I didn’t go, I didn’t, I didn’t go get sushi in Orlando either, and I did, I changed, I checked that two, two San Diego’s ago at the show, I did eat some sushi, uh, with my dad, my dad was living in San Diego at the time. He took me to place is good.
Trent Manning: 55:21
Awesome. Awesome. Who are you most proud of besides your one and three year old and your beautiful wife?
Seth Sheldon: 55:29
that’s hard. They’re hard to beat. I mean,
Trent Manning: 55:31
Yeah, yeah, no, I understand. I understand.
Seth Sheldon: 55:35
You know, I got, I’m probably my career where I’ve ended up and what we, what we have accomplished as a team at Oakland Hills. I mean, the going from, anything kind of out of the graces of everybody to you know, doing the restoration with Gil Hanson, his, his crew of guys, the cave man and, and Jim Wagner. I mean, We’ve put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into that place. And you know, this past spring as we’re watching on the internet, on TV the USGA reward us with eight USGA championships as a team sitting in our break room. You kind of get goosebumps, uh, knowing that your hard work paid off. It came to fruition and, uh, you know, it’s, I, there’s not a whole lot of many words that can describe, those emotions I would call it. The, there was a time for me that the room did get a little dufty, uh, I guess on my eye, but, uh,
Trent Manning: 56:37
Yeah. Yeah.
Seth Sheldon: 56:38
you know, you look back on the, the. The work you put into something and, uh, a labor of love really. And, uh, you know, and, and to hear your name called eight times for, you know, USGA championships, and we’re more than honored to be hosting them and excited starting next year with the US Junior Am and, uh, yeah, I mean, it’s, it’s fun, you know, I’ve always wanted to work at it. My, my career goals were to work at a place that hosts the U. S. Open do a restoration or renovation of a course and build a new shop for the maintenance facility. And, uh, you know, being where I’m at, there’s, there’s three opportunities that I knocked off my, my professional goal list. And I didn’t have to go anywhere, but one
Trent Manning: 57:25
No, that’s awesome. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. No, so good. So good.
Seth Sheldon: 57:30
but yeah, and that’s, and also, one of the, one of the cool things that we get to do is we get to see, and it’s, it’s a proud moment, uh, is to watch our, our superintendents go on and be their own superintendent at their own clubs, and, you know, that’s a, that’s a cool thing to get to, to partake in and you know, stay in contact with those guys and, Uh, it’s, I mean, it’s really a, team atmosphere, that we have and that Phil’s built. And, uh, you know, and it’s, it’s cool to be a part of, it’s fun to be a part of,
Trent Manning: 58:02
No, that’s awesome. That’s so good. I love it, man.
Seth Sheldon: 58:06
but I’m most proud of my family.
Trent Manning: 58:08
Well, no, I know, and I understand that and you should be,
Seth Sheldon: 58:12
Dude, I’ll tell you what, man, when I walk in it in the afternoon, when my daughter comes running to me, daddy’s home, daddy’s home, I mean, not, there ain’t a care in the world after that, man.
Trent Manning: 58:22
no, I hear that a hundred percent and I remember those days and I will never forget them. And especially, you know, working in the garage or shop or whatever and have my daughter there and her getting, I don’t, trying to remember how old she was. I felt terrible. I drained gas out of, you know, it was like a Tora 1000 or something I was working on at my house and, uh, I had old gas in it and my oil pan had a little bit of residual oil in it. So it’s black, nasty gas, and she’s probably two and barefoot and steps in it
Seth Sheldon: 58:59
Oh boy.
Trent Manning: 59:00
and traumatized her. I mean, yeah, even she remembers that, I mean, maybe she was three. But she still remembers stepping in that. And when she would come down, like after that, if she’s seen the old pants, it would be like, you know, the big bad wolf or something. She’d like walk way, way out around the old pad, like it was going to get her or something. But she’s recovered.
Seth Sheldon: 59:24
Yeah.
Trent Manning: 59:24
had to do a little bit of therapy, but, uh, she’s okay now, but I mean, just. You know, having her by my side while I was working on stuff and it was just so much fun. And I loved it so much.
Seth Sheldon: 59:35
Yeah. Which I’m, I’m,
Trent Manning: 59:36
enjoy those times.
Seth Sheldon: 59:37
yeah, I’m looking forward to, I mean, the older they get, the more, uh, entertaining they get. And, you know, it’s, it’s, it’s cool to watch, uh, life kind of unfold in front of your eyes.
Trent Manning: 59:48
Oh, for sure. And another thing I want to say about that is I love bringing my kids to the golf course. And riding around the golf cart or, you know, seeing the wildlife, you know, whatever it is just having them around and one of our assistants, he’s got a son, he’s like, he’s five, five or six, and he brings him to work a good bit on the weekends or, you know, occasionally through the week or whatever. And I just love having that little kid around, you know, I mean, that’s, that’s the way I would want to grow up if I had it to do over again.
Seth Sheldon: 1:00:24
Oh yeah. I mean, they’re, we’re, we’re family friendly because Phil’s got two boys and he brings them into the shop. You know, occasionally his wife will drop them off or whatever for a little bit. But I mean, those kids are, they’re fun. I mean, it’s, it’s entertainment, cheap
Trent Manning: 1:00:38
yeah, it is
Seth Sheldon: 1:00:39
a little bit. Breaks, breaks up the day and they run around the shop like they’re going crazy and pulling the airlines and shooting each other in the air hose and all kinds of, you know,
Trent Manning: 1:00:50
Make, make sure you got OSHA approved air nozzles on
Seth Sheldon: 1:00:53
Oh yeah.
Trent Manning: 1:00:53
Okay. Yeah, of course
Seth Sheldon: 1:00:55
We’re doubled up on those.
Trent Manning: 1:00:57
Yeah All right, man. Thank you so much for being on. Tell the listeners how they can get a hold of you
Seth Sheldon: 1:01:05
You can get ahold of me. I’m occasionally on Twitter. I don’t even know my Twitter handle.
Trent Manning: 1:01:13
Seth Sheldon 87 or something
Seth Sheldon: 1:01:16
I think it’s S E Sheldo 87.
Trent Manning: 1:01:20
All right. Close enough. We’ll, we’ll tag you when we release this thing,
Seth Sheldon: 1:01:24
yeah, I’m terrible.
Trent Manning: 1:01:26
that’s all good, man. Thank you for being on. Thank the listeners for listening. We couldn’t do it without them. And I couldn’t do this without you, Seth.
Seth Sheldon: 1:01:35
Yeah. No problem. Trent. Thanks for having me, buddy.
Trent Manning: 1:01:43
thank you so much for listening to the Reel turf techs podcast. I hope you learned something today. Don’t forget to subscribe. If you have any topics you’d like to discuss, or you’d like to be a guest, find us on Twitter at Reel turf techs.