View From the Cart:The Life a Golf Course Dog

Publicity Hound

2009-12-03T20:36:00.015-05:00

Publicity is a weird thing. Many big businesses feel there is no such thing as "bad publicity" and that whenever a business can make it into the news, it should end up being beneficial in the long term. I'm not sure I agree, but maybe that's why I do what I do every day. I can say with great certainty, that Mulligan could care less about publicity, despite the additional attention he has been receiving at the club since the book has been published or the extra treats doled out by members these post-publishing weeks. Some of the club members have even chosen to reward his new star status with compressed peanut butter and oatmeal in the shape of a bone...no ordinary treats for this celebrity! Oblivious to all the fuss, he still maintains his normal "aw shucks" persona and remains unchanged, with the exception of his waistline. He still takes time to greet anyone with a friendly face.

Maybe there is a lesson to learn in all this. Granted, Mulligan has no way of comprehending why he's getting more attention these days; he just appreciates any and all food carrying friends. In the grand scheme of things, there is a subtle undertone on one of life's lessons here. Just because fame and or fortune come your way, it doesn't mean that your attitude or personality need to change. Unfortunately it is easier said than done, unless you are Mulligan.

Now that the first mention of the book has hit one of the golf industry magazines (Golf Course Trades, December 2009), I have been receiving numerous comments and questions about my life with Mulligan and the publishing of the book. There are also many stories being told by fellow superintendents about their own experiences with their dogs. I encourage any of you reading this post, or any of the past posts, to leave comments or share your own stories. I will try to reply to as many as possible. In the next couple of months, there should be some additional publicity in Golf Course Management and Golfdom magazines. Keep your eyes open!

What's All the Fuss About?

2009-08-14T17:23:00.015-04:00

During the last week I've had the privilege of doing two phone interviews about my book, View from the Cart, with radio station WTRC in Elkhart, IN and Golfdom Magazine. Apparently, Mulligan doesn't know he's becoming a celebrity. Unlike cats, who claim notoriety as a birthright, Mulligan goes about our daily routines with his customary "aw shucks" persona. He's not sure why more members at Elcona Country Club are stopping to chat and offer treats these days, but he's appreciative, as always.

View from the Cart: The Writer's Perspective

2009-07-21T18:17:00.048-04:00

People have asked me "An elementary school teacher and golf course superintendent collaborating on a book? How did that work?" I'm going to turn the blogging pen over to my mother and author, Jan Shaffer, for this post. She can probably answer that question more articulately than I, so here are her comments.

The collaboration process is easier to understand if you listen to one of the audio files Greg sent me as we began working on the book. If you have the book, you can compare the finished chapter (pages 16-17) with the initial file and see the process in action. This is the story of hiking with Mulligan in Golden Gate State Park in Colorado.

Greg has so many interesting anecdotes about Mulligan, that I threw the "what if we wrote a book" idea out to him last winter. We both believed Mulligan's story had elements that could make an engaging story with a very unique point of view. We also knew that time was a factor. Mulligan is eleven years old, now, and we certainly didn't want to be writing a eulogy. Greg wanted a recorded history of Mulligan's life for himself and his family, and I believed I could make his efforts more meaningful if we could combine my limited experience with publishing the Summoning Stone children's books with his stories. Greg also thought readers might like to know more about the life of a golf course superintendent, too. It seemed like a natural fit and, if you've read View from the Cart, I hope you'll agree.

He sent me 20 audio stories that I transcribed and turned into short "life lessons" by adding quotes and introspective comments. One of the more interesting challenges came from my husband who suggested this would be too feminine if a retired female elementary school teacher and mother added her perspective. To check that out, I found Gender Genie, a website that analyzes text for gender, and submitted one of the finished stories. It came back with 68% of the indicators showing it was written by a man! My husband became a valuable sounding board and objective critic during this process.

I would mention that Greg's brother, Kirk, our go-to tech guy, works for Yahoo! and takes care of special website requests, like linking this audio file, for all of our websites and blogs. This really has been a family effort: a story teller, a writer, a techie and a critic! If you enjoyed the book, feel free to tell a friend and/or leave a review on the publisher's website!

From Blog to Book

2009-07-07T12:58:00.008-04:00

Click here to purchase books

View from the Cart: the Story of Mulligan, a Golf Course Dog is finally published and ready for purchase. There is something for everyone in this story of second chances. Dog lovers will make a connection to a wonderful Black Lab, while golfers will appreciate the description of the golf courses and peek at a golf course superintendent's life. The book's 8th grade readability level makes it a quick read appropriate for readers from preteen through retirement!

Ten anecdotes invite readers to take a ride on a golf cart and see Mulligan at work. Stories include such topics as golf etiquette for the course dog, Mulligan's first ladies' day, encounters with members and other wildlife, work related injuries, and a touching story of his adoption from the Colorado Lab Rescue group.

Purchase or preview View from the Cart: the Story of a Golf Course Dog written by Greg Shaffer in collaboration with children's book author Jan Shaffer.

I'll Be Watching from the Front Seat

2008-07-13T20:34:00.013-04:00

As I approached hole #3 to take the stimp reading this morning, I noticed two geese swimming in the small pond in front of the green.

Always in the past, when Mulligan spotted geese on this pond he would go bounding out of the cart into the water to chase them away. Today, he hadn’t noticed the birds, so I stopped the cart in the fairway near the pond and pointed him in the direction of the geese. He looked at them, back at me, and decided to stay in the cart. His look said he didn’t have much interest in going swimming at that moment, especially if only two geese were in the pond. It didn't seem worth the energy.That’s the first time he has ever passed up a good chase.

Mulligan had been riding for some time, and I thought it was about time for him to get out and do something productive with his day. I finally coerced him to get out of the cart by throwing a stick in the water. That proved to be sufficient motivation. He thought he was going to play and went in after the stick. Coincidentally, he ended up scaring the geese away. When the geese flew off, Mulligan came back out of the water, jumped up in the cart, and sat there as if to say he had done his work and he intended to spend the rest of the day in leisure. I could work if I was so inclined, but he would be watching from the front seat.

I have two young sons, and my wife and I are always scrambling to come up with creative ways to get the boys to pick up toys, get dressed, eat peas, and so on. It’s interesting that both people and animals need creative coercion at both ends of the age spectrum.

Winter Mode to Summer Mode

2008-04-04T12:41:00.009-04:00

At this time of year there are several signs that the high season is approaching: warm weather, longer days, golfers returning with new or newly polished games and clubs, and the greening of the course.

Somewhere in the early days of the playing season a golf course superintendent’s brain will decide to make the switch from relaxed, winter work mode to high stress, summer work usually at the most inopportune time. My brain inconveniently decided to make the switch last night as I was trying to fall asleep. Needless to say, it was a long, arduous match of the back-and forth game of "mental tennis". Last night's competitors: My Body Wanting to Sleep vs. My Brain Over Analyzing Work. Unfortunately, My Brain won in a grueling five set match with tie-breakers. Mulligan and I both feel the effects of this change in seasons and occasionally cope in similar ways.

Ready for Spring

2008-03-21T11:31:00.008-04:00

Mulligan is ready for winter to stop teasing northern Indiana with blowing snow and frozen ground while residents are donning their Easter finery. Like the players, Mulligan anticipates spring as a time to reconnect to old friends and meet new ones. He is ready to run the course and check out the favorite haunts of his animal buddies. He's also ready to warmly greet his treat-carrying player friends on the course.

Unfortunately, the mere melting of snow does not make the course playable. In fact, premature play, before the deep layers are thawed can be harmful to the turf.

So Mulligan, like the members, will be waiting impatiently at the clubhouse for the superintendent's green light.

Learning the Hard Way

2008-02-12T12:03:00.004-05:00

Mulligan, like many boys, loves to play ball, but he is never allowed to play with a golf ball, even at home. It would be an outrageous breach of etiquette if Mulligan chased golf balls on the course! In all his years as a golf course dog, he has only gone after a rolling golf ball once.

He spent his first summer with me at the Country Club at Castle Pines, learning about golf course behavior. He hadn't been exposed to all the rules of golf course etiquette when he picked up a rolling putt during his very first Ladies' Day appearance. Fortunately, the ladies took his breach in good spirit. Mulligan's misbehavior gave me an opportunity to teach him good golf course manners and lay out the rules for playing with golf balls.

Preventing Off Season Injuries

2008-02-02T21:26:00.001-05:00

Mulligan loves snow. If I let him loose to run the course, he will go all day running and jumping to exhaustion. Unfortunately, I learned early on when we were hiking in Colorado, that he won’t stop when his feet get cold. I don’t think he even notices the cold. So on snowy days, when he’d like to run free, I have to monitor how much time he spends outside. Overexposure can damage his unconditioned paws, and I don’t want my negligence during the off-season putting him on the disabled list when spring arrives and he has to go to work.

Tag is a Golf Course Game

2008-01-28T08:09:00.001-05:00

Keeping Canada Geese off the course is one of Mulligan's jobs. I admire the grace of these beautiful birds in flight, but their impact on a golf course is devastating. The rules for tag on Mulligan's playground are slightly different from the schoolyard game we played; in his game, the first player to get the others to quit wins. He never tires of being the winner, and the geese, despite their losing record, keep coming back to play. I guess animals don't care about the score.

Elcona: A New Day Begins

2008-01-25T14:55:00.001-05:00

The serenity captured in this early morning view of Zimm's Creek belies Mulligan's anticipation of a good run. He sits beside me on the cart and lifts his black nose to the air, haunches quivering, waiting for the GO command. Another day in black lab paradise is about to unfold.

Mulligan: A Dog of Second Chances

2008-01-22T12:34:00.000-05:00

A dream can be nurtured over years and years and then flourish rapidly. . . . Be patient. It will happen for you. Sooner or later, life will get weary of beating on you and holding the door shut on you, and then it will let you in and throw you a real party!
-- Les(ter Louis) Brown

Could Mulligan possibly have dreamed about this playground life would provide when the door opened on his second chance?

Off Season Training

2008-01-17T09:47:00.000-05:00

Change of season means different things to different people. For the superintendent, it means catching up on maintenance and planning projects. For the golfer, it means trips to warm climates or training at the gym. For Mulligan it means full run of the grounds. This is his season to roam freely without any of the golf etiquette constraints that the playing season demands. After 8 years on Colorado mountain golf courses and 2 years in northern Indiana, this one dog jury is in: winter is the best season for a golf course dog.

Not All Days Are Diamonds

2008-01-14T19:33:00.000-05:00

Mulligan and I are both creatures of habit. My morning routine is so predictable that by the time my alarm goes off, he's ready to go. He hops impatiently, his front feet bouncing off of the ceramic tile by the door, waiting for me to pick up my keys.

Unfortunately for him, not all days begin with an invitation to jump in the truck. Some days are filled with meetings, while other days are so long or labor intensive that Mulligan cannot be included. On these days I have to tell him to stay. His excited half barks turn to pathetic whines. He hangs his head and gives a disgruntled moan as he retreats to his chair to pout. When was the last time any of us complained and pouted when we were given an unexpected day off?