Episode 117: Nate Lyon

Welcome to Episode 117 of the Reel Turf Techs Podcast! Today, we're joined by Nate Lyon, the equipment manager at The Club at Indian Creek in Elkhorn, NE. Indian Creek, a public 27-hole facility and the proud host of the Korn Ferry Tour's Pinnacle Bank Championship, is the latest stop on Nate’s path through the turf industry.

As the only full-time tech through the growing season, Nate navigates the challenges of turf management with skill and dedication, supported by an off-season assistant from the crew.

A US Air Force veteran with experience as a jet engine back shop mechanic for the B1 bomber, Nate's path led him from auto mechanic roles at Dodge and Chevy dealerships to lawn care before finding his true calling in turf management. Starting on the superintendent path and rising to first assistant, Nate honed his skills across different grasses in Florida, Colorado, and Texas before rediscovering his passion for wrenching in and landing in Nebraska.

Join us as Nate shares insights into the friendly and welcoming turf community in the Heartland and bonds with Trent over their shared love of casters and disdain for avoidable repairs. In his free time, Nate enjoys the simple pleasures of life, from mowing his acreage with his wife to catching a NASCAR race and tinkering with his CNC plasma table.

Get ready for an in-depth discussion on the challenges of learning Fusion 360 and a behind-the-scenes look at tournament prep for the Korn Ferry Tour. It's an episode packed with stories, insights, and a deep dive into the world of turf management with Nate Lyon on the Reel Turf Techs Podcast.

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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 real 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 Foley Ready for play Welcome to the real turf text podcast, episode one 17. Today, we're talking to Nate line equipment manager. At the club at Indian Creek and Elkhorn, Nebraska. Indian Creek is a public 27 hole facility and the host for the Korn ferry tours, pinnacle bank championship. Nate is the only full-time tech through the growing season. With an off season assistant from the Curry. Let's talk tonight. Welcome Nate to the RealTurf Techs podcast. How you doing today?

Nate Lyon: 1:37

Thanks for having me.

Trent Manning: 1:38

Oh yeah, absolutely. We'll get right into it. How did you get into the turf industry?

Nate Lyon: 1:44

Well, there could be Cliff notes, there could be a long story here. We can go either direction, but,

Trent Manning: 1:49

Well, this is a audio podcast, so you can make it as long as you want it to be.

Nate Lyon: 1:55

well, I, I do tend to talk and ramble, so we, I'll, I'll try to keep it in the middle somewhere.

Trent Manning: 1:59

Well, I want to know, you know, do you ramble more than Jordan Roth?

Nate Lyon: 2:04

let me, so let's talk about that for a second.

Trent Manning: 2:07

Okay.

Nate Lyon: 2:08

So, so Jordan and I have created a good friendship inside and outside of work related talk material. I have gotten in trouble with my wife a few times because I talk with Jordan on the phone more than I talk with her.

Trent Manning: 2:20

Oh, okay. Yep. Yep. I can believe that.

Nate Lyon: 2:23

we are both heavy talkers and we go down the rabbit hole together on everything we talk about. So I, I'm going to say it's a close tie on that one.

Trent Manning: 2:31

Okay. That's, that's all good. And yeah, just for anybody listening, I love Jordan just giving him a hard time. He's a good dude, man.

Nate Lyon: 2:38

Absolutely.

Trent Manning: 2:39

Yeah. Tell us your story.

Nate Lyon: 2:41

I got started, um, I actually was listening and I, kind of like you, I don't pronounce names all that well sometimes, but a gentleman named Jeff you talked to a few weeks ago I was in the Air Force as well. I was a a little bit different of a career field than he was in. My name doesn't get on the side of the plane, but I was a jet engine back shot mechanic for the B 1 bomber, so that. I don't work on the flight line, or in the hangar or anything like that. They pull the engines off, send them to our shop, and that's where we tear them down and do repairs. So that's where I really found my love for turning wrenches. Did that for a few years, and after I got out of the Air Force, I decided that I wanted to just try some automotive mechanic, and I did that for a while. Worked at a couple dealerships, Dodge and Chevy both. Then I, and I was still, I was living in Texas at the time, and I got, Oh boy, I was ready to move back to North Carolina, which is my, where I'm from. I grew up in, um, in the Winston Salem, Pilot Mountain area.

Trent Manning: 3:36

Okay.

Nate Lyon: 3:37

And I just got into doing lawn care at that point. I wasn't, I was, I was fine not busting my knuckles on cars anymore. And did lawn care for a few years and found out that there's not a lot of money to be made in the wintertime. So having that said, I, I. Jumped on Craigslist, I found an ad for a crew member at Greensboro Country Club there in North Carolina, and started working there full time. And it didn't take long until I, I determined that that was the environment I wanted to be in.

Trent Manning: 4:06

Okay.

Nate Lyon: 4:07

It's one thing to go out and mow 10 or 12 yards in a day, but to go out and take pride in the golf course day in and day out really appealed to me, so. So I, I started going down the superintendent route there. I, I worked my way up in a couple of years and made it to second assistant, made it to first assistant, and then did some traveling. And I went to Florida, worked as an assistant down there, went to Colorado, country club of the Rockies, worked as an assistant out there as well. Then I moved to Texas. I was trying to get a feel for all the different grass types out there. So I'm not just a cool season guy. I'm not just a warm season guy. I, um, I worked as an assistant at Twin Creeks Golf Course there in Allen, Texas, and then got a superintendent's job at Plantation Golf Club, or Golf Resort, I believe is the proper term in Frisco, Texas. But I, by the time I got that job, I was, I had come to the realization that I missed turning ridges. And those last two courses I worked at, we didn't have a mechanic. Um, and I kind of assumed that dual role and really fell back in love with it. And the long hours, working weekends, hand watering, all of that was, was not what I wanted to do and not my, my wife and I were engaged at the time and we knew that we were wanting to get towards having kids one day and I decided that it would be a good career move for me to shift. To be an equipment manager to try to get some more at home time for when that did happen. I didn't want to wait till we had kids and then decide I need to change something. I want to go ahead and be proactive and change it ahead of time. But so I, I, I had started hunting for a job and I found this one. I'm at, you know, Indian Creek and I've really nestled in over here and, and found my way. But this is, this is what I was meant to do. And this is, this is it.

Trent Manning: 6:04

That's awesome, man. That's yeah, that's a really good story. So this, is this your first EM

Nate Lyon: 6:10

It is,

Trent Manning: 6:11

job pretty

Nate Lyon: 6:11

I've been there 16 months now, and so I've gotten my feet pretty wet. Um, it's been a growing period for sure, just adjusting. But, it's been a good one.

Trent Manning: 6:23

When I imagine coming over, I mean, you already had a big golf maintenance background, so coming over to the shop, that's, you know, and you already know how to turn wrenches. So kind of shoe in for that set up.

Nate Lyon: 6:36

You know, and I, I was, like I said in my previous two courses, we didn't have mechanics there, And I was new to that side of the industry, the EM side. So I didn't have resources as far as other EMs to contact and things like, I just didn't know anybody on that side of the industry. So I can go out and say, I'm one of those YouTube taught mechanics. There's, there's quite a few videos out there. I know Toro specifically has a lot of in depth videos on real setup and things like that. And that's really how I taught myself. I never felt like I had a firm grasp on everything, but it was kind of a learn as you go experience. And then when I got to where I am now, um, I feel like I was really able to dial all that in. I'm no, by no means anywhere near the level I want to be at.

Trent Manning: 7:25

Well, yeah, you got everybody has to start somewhere.

Nate Lyon: 7:27

Absolutely. But I, I feel like I'm at a really good spot and, and I've, I've got the resources where I'm at to, to do well

Trent Manning: 7:35

I've, I've, I've been doing this for quite some time now and I still ain't where I want to be. You know, I mean, you know, we we're learning every day and I, I think, you know, and most of the listeners can probably agree with this, that's the reason we love doing what we're doing because yeah, some of the stuff's monotonous, we're doing it all the time, but we get to learn every day.

Nate Lyon: 7:58

Absolutely.

Trent Manning: 7:58

And, you know, if you don't learn something that day, that's on you because you can learn something every day, big or small, you know, whatever it So, um, how welcoming was. The Nebraska guys.

Nate Lyon: 8:12

I'll tell you what, it was a very nice experience to be a part of. When I initially moved to Texas, it was a very different environment, different types of people. I lived in Florida, South Florida specifically, outside the Fort Lauderdale area, where people were not very warm. What to have you in their area from there, but when I, when I landed in the Omaha area, it was a very warm, welcoming me and my wife, both fell in love with it immediately there. The personalities of the people here is hands down some of the best in the country. it's like that, that Southern charm that I'm, I grew up with in, but it's in the Midwest, so to speak. So,

Trent Manning: 8:52

Okay. Yeah, that's awesome.

Nate Lyon: 8:53

it's, it's good. And as far as in the industry grows, It didn't take long. I think I was only at at the course about four months before we had like a regional, we have a potluck dinner once a year and lunch once a year, a bunch of other EMS and superintendents and assistants from all around the area come up and we have a big potluck lunch and make a day of it. And I really, that's when I got the opportunity to meet quite a few guys. I got to meet Jordan and Brian Eplin, Brian

Trent Manning: 9:20

hmm.

Nate Lyon: 9:20

Brandon, quite a few people. And, and we immediately developed good relationships and have just hit it off and been doing well ever since. So it's, it's been a real warm welcome here and I've, I've loved it.

Trent Manning: 9:33

Yeah, no, it's awesome. Y'all definitely have a really good group up there and I do think it says something about you, your personality, whatever it is that, you know, I come up there and Brian says, you want to see some shops? I'm like, oh yeah, I'm all down for that. And you're on the list, you know? And I know there's a bunch of other golf courses around there, but they feel comfortable with you. So yeah, Nate's a good dude. Let's go over there. You know, so that's awesome. Yeah.

Nate Lyon: 10:01

Well, and, and in that, I guess you got to hear, or you got to see the the mechanics Christmas tree. I, I saw something about that the other day, but that's been the talk of, talk of the town the last six months, it seems,

Trent Manning: 10:13

Okay.

Nate Lyon: 10:14

I guess for, for people that don't know, I think, I don't know if you've added it to your, your presentation yet or

Trent Manning: 10:20

Yeah, actually it's it made the tips and tricks presentation,

Nate Lyon: 10:24

Nice,

Trent Manning: 10:24

the funnel Christmas tree.

Nate Lyon: 10:26

Yeah, I don't know if that, if that's going to be a seasonal institution or stick around year round, but it's there.

Trent Manning: 10:32

No, that's awesome. Yeah. And I mean, it's a super good idea. I've seen it. Um, yeah, for the listeners, if you don't know what we're talking about, Nate, Had the old catch drum, like you would see in a shop that you would roll under, you know, a piece of equipment or whatever to drain the oil. He had that drum that was on casters and then he made a PVC tree so you could put the funnels in it. Did I explain that correctly enough?

Nate Lyon: 10:57

I believe so, yeah.

Trent Manning: 10:59

All right. Um, and I've seen those and, you know, several different places, people doing that. And I mean, it's one of those things we struggle with. What do you do with your funnel? Where are you going to let it drip? So that contains it all right there.

Nate Lyon: 11:13

Well, I'll say the one thing with that, for that specifically, that one thing that made me want to put it on, make it into a fashion wears on wheels was as we talked about when you came to visit. I, the shop is constantly evolving. I'm constantly moving things around and just, I've only put in one full season at this course, so I don't know exactly what layout is going to work best for me. So I didn't want to mount anything on the wall that wasn't going to stay there or could possibly be moved. Um, so I wanted the flexibility to be able to move things around from time to time. Just and see what works best before I come, come with a permanent location for something. And it, it's moved quite a few times, but I mean, it's also moved right to the lift and as well, you know, I got 15 different funnels in that thing. You never know which one you're going to need, and all right there within an arm's reach of where the oil fill hole is. So it's come in handy being on wheels.

Trent Manning: 12:08

Oh yeah, for sure. And I think it is, in my opinion, most, you know, nobody has a shop that's too big. Right. You know, it doesn't matter how big your space is. You're going to fill it up with whatever you

Nate Lyon: 12:22

need more.

Trent Manning: 12:23

Yeah, you always need more. So at my shop, 90 percent of the stuff is on casters. If I can get it on a caster, it's going to get on a caster so I can roll it around. You know what I mean? My real grinders, they're permanent, but pretty much everything else rolls around in there. I mean, even, you know, my work benches, they're on casters. It just makes it so much easier. If you want to clean mop the floor, whatever you can. Roll that stuff out and get to it.

Nate Lyon: 12:49

Yeah, I agree with you 100 percent on that.

Trent Manning: 12:52

Well, what's your least favorite part of the job?

Nate Lyon: 12:55

Well, besides sand my least favorite thing is avoidable repairs. Really irks me for guys that are just careless and tear things up for no reason. It, it, all they have to do is pay attention and know what they're doing and, and things can be avoided, you know. Um, there's We fight battles every day of things that break, and that's our job. But when it's things that very easily could have been avoided, like smacking a reel into a curb driving down a car path or a bridge post, things like that, if somebody was just paying attention to what they were doing, it wouldn't have become an issue. And those are the types of things that really get under my skin, but at the end of the day, I'm going to fix it either way, but it's just aggravating.

Trent Manning: 13:42

Oh, I agree with you a hundred percent and then the people that say oh that's job security for you that absolutely gets under my skin so

Nate Lyon: 13:52

I, I know it, I agree,

Trent Manning: 13:54

because at all these courses if No one ever broke anything We still got plenty of job security. We're not going to run out of things to do. There's always You know grease that needs to go in a fitting or an oil needs to be changed or something needs to be clean I mean there we don't run out of stuff to do

Nate Lyon: 14:13

Yeah, you're right about that, there's never a shortage of work,

Trent Manning: 14:16

We might run out of stuff that we want to do but not that we can do

Nate Lyon: 14:21

absolutely, and speaking of running out of things to do, and that's kind of a, a segue into one of my least favorite things is when, like we have summertime crew or, or, or whatever you want to talk about, but they, they come in in, in the wintertime. and they just come by to visit and chat with you for a little while. Their impression or their thought is that you've, you've just been relaxing all winter long. You know, I, I don't know what the climate's like where you're at, but for us, we're, we're pretty well shut down for the winter. So 90 percent of our crews seasonal but they, they come in and stroll in the door and act like we've been sitting here for four months or three months and that's not how it goes. I, I sometimes lean to think that I have more work to do in the winter than I do in the summer.

Trent Manning: 15:03

Yeah, I can definitely see that and i've seen it before it. I mean a lot of the courses In your area and north of there. I mean that's when you You That's go time. That's when you get all your stuff serviced and, you know, real sharp and, you know, whatever it is, changing out, lift arm, bushings, all that fun stuff.

Nate Lyon: 15:23

Yeah, always something to do.

Trent Manning: 15:24

Always something. Well, what's your favorite tool?

Nate Lyon: 15:27

Well, I'm gonna put a blanket on this and just say lifting devices.

Trent Manning: 15:32

Okay.

Nate Lyon: 15:32

I, I am a, a strong advocate for, for not working on the ground. Being in the automotive world and being in the industry that we're in now, I've seen too many mechanics and superintendents and everybody that gets to that age, you know, they're 55, 60 years old and they got back pain, shoulder pains, knee problems. And, and I've, I've been very, um, diligent about preventing that from happening to myself. So having a good lift is, is probably number one for me. And number two is going to be the like a davit crane or a hoist if you will for lifting reels up onto a workbench. I've got one inexpensive, I mean relatively inexpensive, but it's, it's been a lifesaver. The first, first course I worked at turning wrenches, it was picking reels up off the floor and putting them on a workbench and just straining your back. And, and I did that two or three times and I put a hoist in at that shop. I just, it wasn't. What is I'm unwilling to do? You've got to preserve your body and your mind just as long as you can.

Trent Manning: 16:37

Oh yeah, no, that's very great point. What do you do to relax or find your balance?

Nate Lyon: 16:44

You know, there's quite a few things. You know, so my wife and I bought a new house. I guess it was 8 or 9 months ago. We've got a 4 acre property about 45 minutes north of where the course is. So in the summertime, you know, I'm doing a lot of work outside. Just like most of us in this industry, I mow my yard way too often. Probably 3 or 4 times a week. I've just got to keep it as nice as I can, but I'm always working outside. I'm an avid NASCAR fan. Me and my wife both love to, every Sunday we're sitting down watching the race. That's a, that's, that's a non negotiable thing for Sunday afternoons for us. Um, but outside of that, the only other thing is I, I've recently, very recently, purchased a a CNC plasma table and just, just received it last week. We got it set up in the garage and I'm starting to. Mess around with it, tweak it, and learn all the settings and everything else. And it's going to be a hobby. And it's also maybe something to make a little bit of side money with, but it's going to be a fun adventure to, to really learn that thing and learn, learn how to hone everything in on it.

Trent Manning: 17:46

Oh yeah. No, that's awesome. So yeah, we got, we got to talk about this a little

Nate Lyon: 17:50

Oh, let's do

Trent Manning: 17:50

because I mean, it's definitely on, on my wishlist. It's not super high on my wishlist, but you know, it's one of those things. If I run across the right deal, I'd probably jump on it.

Nate Lyon: 18:00

That's right.

Trent Manning: 18:01

So how thick of material can you cut?

Nate Lyon: 18:04

So it all, it all depends on what actual plasma cutter you're running on these. You can, you can cut. Whatever the plasma ca table or the plasma cutter itself is capable of running on mine particularly, it's up to half inch thick.

Trent Manning: 18:16

Yeah. Yeah. That's plenty.

Nate Lyon: 18:18

it's I don't think I'll ever need to run anything that heavy in there. But like for now, I've only, I'm still working on my first sheet of metal, just doing little test cuts and everything else, and I'm running 16 gauge, which is 0.06. And I, I've been playing around with that and it's, the versatility's amazing. I mean, there's just so much you can do with it. Anything from home decor to making brackets and, or whatever. I, I really like the possibilities here with it. It's a, it's a 4 foot wide table. It's about 33 inches deep as far as the cut space. I, I mean, my first inclination when I go to buy one of these is I, alright, I want a 4 by 8. I want to put big sheets on here and cut out big awesome stuff. That's when the price really starts to go up on, on getting into this type of stuff. And, and, but also I, I did a little, quite a bit of research as I do with any big purchase, but, and realized that it wasn't practical. Not many people ever need a table that big.

Trent Manning: 19:16

Mm.

Nate Lyon: 19:17

So the, the four by three i, I bought the it's the Lang Meyer Systems CNC Plaza Table. It's a great machine and this is kind of their middle of the road package. They've got the big 4x8. They've also got a small like, I believe it's a 2x2 table. It's, it's gonna be a good machine. I can see that already and, and I'm just, I'm ready to get it working right. So I'm cutting stuff and it looks good, but it can always be better.

Trent Manning: 19:42

So what kind of software do you use to

Nate Lyon: 19:46

So I,

Trent Manning: 19:46

it?

Nate Lyon: 19:47

I've got Fusion 360 that I'm using for all my, my CAD and my CAN. So I do all my design work in there and then I do all of my, my programming and G co creation also in there. Same thing like you would on a 3d printer which I, about three years ago, I had a 3d printer for a while and did a lot of messing around with that and made some pretty cool stuff. And so that kind of got me familiar with fusion 360 at that point, cause that's what I used. And then I discontinued my subscription. But now I, I reinstated that, got a new one going, and so I, I already had a little bit of experience with it. It's, it's a pretty complicated program. For somebody, even myself, I don't, I'm, I'm still blown away by what the, the capabilities are of it. But and I'm just scratching the surface. But, it's um, it's cool. I like it.

Trent Manning: 20:38

No, that's, that's awesome. And yeah, we will continue the podcast at some point, but I'm currently 360. I printed 3d printed my first part ever. That I designed and fused in 360. And it was a really complicated part. It was a disc that was five eights diameter and it had a countersunk hole in it. But, you know, I mean, that, that took me like four hours, right?

Nate Lyon: 21:08

Circle, circle, extrude. Call

Trent Manning: 21:09

right, right, right. But, um, anybody that has tried to learn fusion 360 could probably understand. Yeah. It's not as simple as. You know, click this and click that and you're done. Well, it could be once you learn the program.

Nate Lyon: 21:27

Yeah. Oh, and there's keyboard shortcuts and all that. And I'm like, I watch, I try to watch YouTube videos on, on Fusion 360. And I can't remember all those keyboard shortcuts. And, and there's so many people on there that have videos on it. It's, it's overwhelming to find the video for you. Because 90 percent of the people that post videos about Fusion is way more in depth. than anything I would ever need. So you've got to filter through all the stuff you don't need to get to the

Trent Manning: 21:56

Mm hmm.

Nate Lyon: 21:57

I'll tell you a funny, real quick, a funny little thing. I, I made a little sign for one of my guys at work, and um, I drew it up in Fusion 360, no problem. I created the g code, everything looked great. I uploaded it into the, what's called fire control software that controls the table. And it starts cutting, and it had inverted the image. So on the plasma cutter, your good surface is the top. When it cuts, it's a clean cut. The bottom is where all the dross or slag builds up. So it, it cut it out upside down, so when I took the piece off and flipped it upside down, the ugly side was what you could actually read. And so it took a little bit more grinding and clean up work to get it right, but it was, it was, I, I could not figure out for the life of me why it did that. Why it inverted that one when the other things I've cut, I haven't run into that problem. So it's, that's another rabbit hole to dive down with Fusion and whatever and just try to figure out that problem. But it's, I don't know that I'll ever figure it out. I might, but we'll see. Yeah. Yeah.

Trent Manning: 22:59

by accident, you know, or whatever, or it automatically checked for some reason when you done another operation of it, you know, that stuff's

Nate Lyon: 23:07

It's, it's easy to make a mistake in there for sure.

Trent Manning: 23:10

but it is, I mean, I got the, just the free version and it's amazing what all you can do with it.

Nate Lyon: 23:17

Absolutely.

Trent Manning: 23:18

So is the paid version, do you have to, I guess, pay for it to get the cam side of it?

Nate Lyon: 23:25

I'm not entirely sure. So I'm, like I said, I just got this table last week. So I'm, I'm in the first month free trial. So I don't know if, if I'm experiencing the free version right now and there's more to come, or if I've already got the paid version, but. I don't know. I can't answer that for you, but,

Trent Manning: 23:44

Yep. I'll have to, I'll have to go to YouTube and get YouTube certified.

Nate Lyon: 23:48

there, well, I'll tell you now, and this is for anybody that's messing with this type of stuff, that the best YouTube channel I've found is Spicer Designs. He, he does a lot of CNC plasma work at home, but he goes into his Fusion 360 stuff, not so in depth that it'll overwhelm you, but enough that you can kind of understand, and it's more, a lot of his This conversation, if you will, is talking you into, how to post process, how to get it into G code and things like that so it's a usable file. A little bit in the design,

Trent Manning: 24:19

okay. Yeah, no, that's super cool. And yeah, for anybody listening, it's not like you have to know this stuff, but I do think it's where the industry is going. Um, me and J. R. Wilson's talked about it before. I think at some point Toro and Deere and Jake, they're going to send you a file and you're going to 3d print a part, you know, right there in your shop. And yeah, I mean, don't get me wrong. They're going to get their royalties off of it too, of course. But you know, that's just another tool you can add to the toolbox. Whether it's plasma cutter, 3d printer, CNC machine, because, you know, I got a CNC, a router CNC machine, and we make all our signs for the golf course. So I'm pretty confident in that part with the G code, but it's a whole different design and cam program than Fusion 360.

Nate Lyon: 25:15

Yeah. There's a lot of them out there, too.

Trent Manning: 25:18

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Um, all right. Enough, enough, enough, I guess with all that stuff, but I

Nate Lyon: 25:24

I told you I'd talk about it as much as Jordan can.

Trent Manning: 25:26

Yes, yep, that's all good. What's your, what's been your biggest challenge to date?

Nate Lyon: 25:32

That's a pretty difficult question to answer for me. I tend to not really dwell on anything negative in my life. And not to say that a challenge is negative, because challenges are good. Um, but I don't try to remember those as much as the wins, but I will say one thing that's been a challenge for me. And I think anybody that's worked at multiple courses or multiple jobs period in their life can, can attest to this. I've always been one of those people. When I get a job, I go somewhere. I like to talk about things I've done at previous golf courses. So sitting around talking about X, Y, and Z, and I'd be like, well, when I was in Texas, this is what we did. Or when I was in Florida, this is what we did. And I really had to make a conscious effort to not do that, or at least reduce how much I did that, because I felt like I was coming off in a way I didn't want to. So, so really trying to, to respect the boundaries and understand that, that wherever I'm working, whether it's at Indian Creek or anywhere else, they have systems in place. They've been doing this. for years, way longer than I've been in this industry as a whole, I've been in this industry about eight and a half years, maybe not, but so I need, sometimes I just need to slow down, take a step back and realize the ways I've done things in the past don't always correlate and so that's, that's been a challenge. Cause that, I think that goes for anybody, you know, the things that you've done before you get to where you're at now, stick with you. And you like to recall those memories and try not to forget them by talking about them, but sometimes it's best to just not bring them up. Yep, absolutely.

Trent Manning: 27:12

totally understand what you're saying because when I'll tell you the story, how to let you know how I get it. I said to a superintendent one time that over at such and such course, they do this. And he said, you want to go work for them? You know, and, and, you know, that wasn't my intent at all. It was just, you know, like the old saying goes, there's more than one way to skin a cat, right? So maybe it's worth looking at a different method, you know, just because I've been doing it this way for 25 years, that don't mean it's the best way. There might be a better way. So, but I do think definitely the older people in the industry, you know, that's been in the industry for 25, 30 years, however long, they're not really open to doing things like they probably should be, you know, but so yeah, I mean, I understand. And I mean, that's definitely a big challenge. Do you have a mentor in the industry And you can't say Jordan?

Nate Lyon: 28:27

You took it from me. No, I'm, so when I was in the agronomy side, Doug Lowe, who was my director of agronomy in North Carolina at Greensboro Country Club, he was he was a huge part of me getting into this industry and, and he supported me and gave me the guidance I needed to, to move into this industry. So I could never discount that relationship. He was a big factor, but now that I'm into the equipment management side of things, that that's evolved. And I can't say, I mean, I guess I can't say Jordan, but

Trent Manning: 28:59

You can, you can say

Nate Lyon: 29:00

know I'm not, I, what I would say though, is. There is no one mentor I've had. It's, it's been a community, specifically where I'm at, as you saw when you came up to visit. We're, we're a tight knit group up here, and I think that's the same in a lot of areas all throughout the country, but, um, it's, it's, It's been one of those situations where I can lean on anybody in the area. I can call Jordan. I can call Brian. Both, both Brian's so to speak. I think there's what, seven of them in

Trent Manning: 29:32

Yeah. Yeah. Right. There's, there's quite a few.

Nate Lyon: 29:34

And I can call Brandon. I can call, I mean, there's quite a few people I can call whenever I run into something that I, I really get stuck with. or need advice on, then the WhatsApp group has been tremendous. I haven't been excessively active in talking on there, but I've absorbed a lot from it and it's been a very useful tool for me. So it really, if I had to name a mentor, I'm just going to say this industry as a whole has been my mentor through

Trent Manning: 29:59

No, that's awesome. That's so good.

Nate Lyon: 30:01

I like it that way.

Trent Manning: 30:02

Yeah. Yeah. No, that's super cool. And I want all the listeners to hear this. So you, you are fortunate in Nebraska. We're fortunate down here in Georgia. The guys in South Florida, I know they got a good thing going. There's, you know, TTAC and the Carolinas, they're awesome. Michigan's got good stuff going on. And I mean, there's other little pockets here and there throughout the country that's doing good, but there's a bunch of huge pockets that there's nothing happening in. So if you're listening to this podcast right now, think about starting some, whether it's just call the guy or gal down the road from you and say, Hey, let's have lunch or let's go get a beer after work or, you know, I mean, whatever, whatever it is. You know, and that's how it starts two people and then you invite somebody else and then you got through, you know, and it just keeps growing.

Nate Lyon: 31:01

And that's, I mean, I think going back to what. Eplin and Jordan both were saying they did the same thing. They just, they, they made it happen. They just made a couple phone calls and started recruiting people to be involved in it. And, and that's how our little group has, has come to be. And, and it, it's not exclusive to us. You know, we're not the only ones that are able to do this. Just like you're saying, any, anybody can, can get a group going if they, if they want to build those relationships, network professionally and personally. It's. You just gotta make the move. Somebody has to make that first step.

Trent Manning: 31:39

to make. That person that's listening to this podcast right now might be that person. You're the one, you know, just, just, just reach out to somebody and get something going. And, you know, I don't know, I've heard it from Tim Krieger a lot. He's the executive director of the Carolina association and he heard it from somewhere else, but it's about the people. You know, and just like you and Jordan becoming friends, you know, I mean, that's awesome. So yeah, you can get you know, technical assistance from Jordan, but you also made a friend and how important is that, you know, and as a male in the industry, you know, a lot of us are pretty closed off and we don't have a whole lot of friends, you know what I mean? We might have a lot of people we talk to, but you know, true friends, that's a whole different deal. I mean, I know a ton of people and I talked to a ton of people, but I could count on one hand, my true friends that, you know, I talked to regular and deeper conversation and, you know, and all that stuff. So anyway, I'll get off that soapbox.

Nate Lyon: 32:54

I

Trent Manning: 32:54

What would be your dream job or opportunity?

Nate Lyon: 32:57

You know, from day one when I started out as an assistant or a crew member, I always had this aspiration to work at a top 100 club. And I think that every assistant, every superintendent, every EM probably at some point or another has had that aspiration. Um, We have a Top 100 club here in Nebraska that I'm a big fan of. I haven't played it, but I've visited. And that's, um, that's Mullin. I'd like to get out there at some point. And, it's an area where there's not a whole lot out there. But that appeals to me. And it's not exclusive to Sandhills. There's plenty of courses out there. I just, I really like working in high end environments. And where I'm at now is, is working towards that. We, we pride ourselves at our facility on being one of the best there is in the area. Eventually our goal is to be one of the best in the country as far as public daily fee courses goes. And I'm proud to be a part of that team. So the longer that I stay where I'm at now and the more that that I may not want to go anywhere else. I might have my dream job, but, um, that's, we'll see what happens in the future with

Trent Manning: 34:08

interviewing. I remember interviewing Mike Elliott and Mike Elliott was the EM at, man, it's going to be a lot of editing. Mike Elliott was the EM at Pine Valley Pine Valley and Augusta kind of flip back and forth one and two, one and two every year. And when I interviewed him, he was saying his aspiration was to be the equipment manager at Augusta National. Like soon as he started turning wrenches at a golf course, he says, I want to be the equipment manager at Augusta National. And then he got to Pine Valley and I say, you know, you're still thinking about that? And he's like, no, no, kind of been there, done that. You know, I don't, I don't have to go to

Nate Lyon: 34:53

You're pretty much there. You're

Trent Manning: 34:55

Yeah. Yeah. You're, you're plenty close enough. Um, so yeah, I mean, I think it's great and I do agree. I think you know, and I've thought about it, you know, I would really like to work at a top 100 and then I think about it more and say, I don't know, you know, at this stage in my career, for sure, you know, 10 years ago, I was all over it. And I was really hoping my course would hit that top 100 mark. And I mean, it's a pretty high end nice course. Um, we were always in the top 10 of Georgia until recently, and they've added a few clubs and a few clubs have had renovations and those things. So we've slipped a little bit. What technician would you like to work with for a day?

Nate Lyon: 35:35

You know, that's another one that I had to think long and hard about. And, and I'm not, I don't think I can point out any one person. I, I think I would just like to experience everybody has their own way and part of like you traveling and doing your talks and things like that and sharing the knowledge you learn from other people is, is a great asset, a great resource for all of us. But I, I'd like to just work with a variety of people. Um, but I'd like, I'd love to get on like a tour event and volunteer. Um, Go to East Lake or somewhere like that or Bethpage. Any of them really. Anywhere on the tour would be great. Just to experience that next level. To really get an understanding of how things work at a different type of environment

Trent Manning: 36:23

yeah. Well, I would say go do it because I mean, those opportunities are there. Anytime you wanna go volunteer someplace you know, you reach out to them, you, you know, you can, can get your foot in the door. That shouldn't be an issue at all. And they're always, you know, looking for volunteers and, and all those things. And you get way more out of it than you put in for sure. And not that it's not hard work and long days and hours and all those things. But I mean, the people you meet and the things you learn is just nothing like it. What do you know now? You wish you'd known on day one.

Nate Lyon: 37:00

I tell ya, I mean we've already kind of brushed on this a little bit, but The one thing that The wish I'd known beforehand, before even getting into this industry, was just how tight knit this industry is. I've worked in automotive mechanic and, and I've worked, I've worked at O'Reilly Auto Parts I've worked in a couple different environments and your competitors are your competitors. And that's where the line is drawn in the sand, right? And then when I get into this industry and I find out how open everybody is, yeah, so there's a golf course right down the street that's a competitor of ours, but we don't treat each other like competitors. We, we're, we're a community of service to the golf courses in the area.

Trent Manning: 37:38

Mm hmm.

Nate Lyon: 37:39

and that, I wished I had known that sooner and found out about this industry sooner. And,

Trent Manning: 37:45

Mm hmm.

Nate Lyon: 37:46

instead of waiting until I was in my thirties to, to get into this career field, I would have done it in my twenties. or even earlier. I, I, that's what I wished I had known beforehand was, was how much of a family this

Trent Manning: 37:58

oh, it is. Yeah. And yeah, don't say anything bad about somebody because it gets around quick

Nate Lyon: 38:03

Force days. One thing that,

Trent Manning: 38:05

you know and vice versa you can say something good about somebody and that gets around quick too And you know, that's a tremendous thing.

38:12

Get ready for tips and tricks.

Trent Manning: 38:15

Kind of tips and tricks you want to share with us?

Nate Lyon: 38:18

That's safety wiring nuts and bolts. I don't have you ever had any experience of that.

Trent Manning: 38:22

Yeah, I have but I I will say i've never had any experience in that In the golf industry and I need to add this to it. So I learned about safety wire with racing

Nate Lyon: 38:37

Okay,

Trent Manning: 38:38

and race cars, a lot of vibration. And since I learned that I have safety wire and safety wire pliers in my toolbox.

Nate Lyon: 38:48

that's right.

Trent Manning: 38:49

And I don't know how many things that I've repaired or, you know, got us through the day because of that.

Nate Lyon: 38:56

Now they make a good hose clamp in a pinch, too Yeah,

Trent Manning: 39:03

mean to do derail you there, but yeah.

Nate Lyon: 39:05

You hit the nail on the head. Vibration, you know. I've run into some old pieces of equipment some courses I've worked at that just would vibrate the teeth out of your head. And bolts will vibrate loose. Lock washers don't always hold stuff. And it's, it's pretty simple to, to get a little jig to drill a bolt drill a hole in the side of a, a bolt or or through a nut or whatever and safety wire it off to another bolt or whatever. or to a frame or whatever. It, it's, it's been a very valuable tool and if you have that on there and you do it right, you know that bolt's not coming loose.

Trent Manning: 39:40

Oh yeah. Yeah, for sure. No, that's awesome. And the kid in me thinks it's a lot of fun to pull on those flyers and twist it up.

Nate Lyon: 39:49

I thought so too until I joined the military. So working, working in the jet engine back shop there's thousands of bolts and screws on those engines. and 99 percent of them require safety wire and you get graded on it you get inspected by your supervisors they have to sign off that you secured that one bolt particularly correctly and it you do after doing that day in day out because low man on the totem pole that's what you're doing you're safety wiring all day every day it gets old real quick but I haven't done it in a few years and with the exception of the one or two odds and ends but I'm starting to find enjoyment

Trent Manning: 40:29

no, that's awesome. Yeah. So do they count like the number of turns? In between.

Nate Lyon: 40:36

turns. Yep. There has to be so many twists per inch. Um, You're only allowed to go a certain span between bolts. Even your pigtails that you fold over has to be a certain length. There's a, they're pretty strict about it. Which, I mean,

Trent Manning: 40:52

Well, yeah,

Nate Lyon: 40:53

dollar fighter planes and bombers, they need to be.

Trent Manning: 40:56

right, right, right. Yeah, for sure. No, that's awesome. That's cool stuff. Any other tips or tricks? That was a really

Nate Lyon: 41:04

think that's about it, but don't do safety wire with baling wire.

Trent Manning: 41:09

probably a little thick, huh?

Nate Lyon: 41:11

snap real quick.

Trent Manning: 41:12

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Nate Lyon: 41:15

But no, I think that's the biggest one for me.

Trent Manning: 41:17

Awesome. No, that's a really, really good one. Yeah, and if you don't have some safety wire and safety wire pliers, get some, and you'll find a use for it somewhere here and there.

Nate Lyon: 41:26

Amazon's your best friend.

Trent Manning: 41:27

Oh, yeah, yeah.

Nate Lyon: 41:28

They have the jig to drill the holes, they have everything on Amazon.

Trent Manning: 41:33

Cool stuff. What about tournament prep? You want to talk about some tournament prep?

Nate Lyon: 41:38

Yeah, so, so we talked about, I'd love to go to a tour event and volunteer and work with those guys. But, um, where we're at at Indian Creek, we do host the Cornberry Tours Pinnacle Bank Championship. So last year, my first season working here, first season as an EM, I was a little apprehensive about that coming.

Trent Manning: 41:57

Mm hmm.

Nate Lyon: 41:58

so it was just a matter of Getting everything as dialed in as I could prior to the tournament coming to town. Um, so I was, I was nervous to say the least, but it ended up going really well. I, there was some hydraulic hoses that looked a little sketchy, you know, a couple weeks leading up to it, that I was like, you know what, just to be safe, I'm going to go ahead and change these out. We did not want to blow out on that week.

Trent Manning: 42:23

Right. Right.

Nate Lyon: 42:25

Got everything ground and sharpened prior to Brandon from Stone Creek came over on a Sunday and helped me finish up knocking out some reels. That way I didn't have to grind anything during the week of. And you know, I'm going to knock on some wood right now. We had a week of no problems. I had, you know, the only thing I really had to do throughout that week was just adjust reels. So, um,

Trent Manning: 42:50

Mm hmm.

Nate Lyon: 42:51

I think we had one buffalo blower blow a nozzle off, or knock a nozzle off.

Trent Manning: 42:55

Well, that's that could be a everyday occurrence

Nate Lyon: 42:58

No, well this one was two guys behind each other, blowing, and it's five in the morning, it's dark out. One guy stops, the other guy was looking over his shoulder and plowed into the back of the other one. It was comical, it was an easy fix, but that, you know, really, we didn't have any breakdowns that week. Everything went smoothly, and The reason I knock on wood is because who knows next, this up and coming year could be a disaster, but I feel like as long as I, I plan accordingly and prepare everything to the best of my ability, that's all I can do. And, and the tournament was a great experience. And this is another reason we talk about building those relationships within the community. Um, I had Brian Naki, I had Jordan, I had Brandon from Stone Creek. I had quite a few guys. volunteer their time and came and worked with me that week. It wasn't just there to fix anything that broke. It was there to be a part of the event to socialize and to work. And, and it strengthened all of our relationships a little bit more. Because outside of that, we're always together in, in settings for meetings and, you know, and things of that nature. And so this was, it had a little bit more of a social aspect to it that was nice. But it was a, it was a great experience working, working at Corn Fairy event. And I look forward to doing it for quite a few more years.

Trent Manning: 44:18

Yeah. No, that's awesome

Nate Lyon: 44:20

I, at the same time, I want to, I want to do some volunteering at a big PGA tournament at some point.

Trent Manning: 44:27

Do you know who the corn fairy agronomist was?

Nate Lyon: 44:31

I don't remember his name. I, I spent a decent amount of time with him, but I'm horrible with names as it is. But he this was his last year. He retired, actually our, I believe our event was his last event. He was retiring after that.

Trent Manning: 44:45

Okay. All

Nate Lyon: 44:46

I, I, I can't recall his name. Ha,

Trent Manning: 44:49

PJ

Nate Lyon: 44:51

Ha,

Trent Manning: 44:52

trying to remember his last name. It's it's like rum and dinger or something like that's kind of weird but um and i'm sure i butchered that too hopefully he's not listening but anyways good dude and volunteered with him down in the bahamas for a corn fairy earlier this year in january yeah i got the calls like you want to go to the bahamas in january and i'm like are you joking right now is this serious you got to be kidding me right And like, no, I'm serious. I'm like, okay, yeah, I'm in. I would love to go to the Bahamas in January. It's the perfect time of the year to go. Um, so yeah, anyway, I don't know who your agronomist will be this year, but PJ is a good guy.

Nate Lyon: 45:36

We'll see in a few months.

Trent Manning: 45:39

You ready to do some rapid fire questions?

Nate Lyon: 45:41

Let's do it.

Trent Manning: 45:42

All right. What's your favorite movie?

Nate Lyon: 45:45

Dazed and confused.

Trent Manning: 45:46

Oh yeah, that's a classic. I haven't seen that in forever.

Nate Lyon: 45:50

that's my number one and has been for a long time.

Trent Manning: 45:53

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh yeah, it's good stuff. What would be your last meal?

Nate Lyon: 45:58

Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and red lobster cheddar biscuits.

Trent Manning: 46:02

Oh, those Cheddar Bay biscuits. They're awesome. Very,

Nate Lyon: 46:07

only thing I like there. I'll go there to just eat their biscuits. Um,

Trent Manning: 46:14

most proud of besides your family?

Nate Lyon: 46:16

just where I've made it in my life. I, for my late teens, all through my twenties, it was all a matter of not knowing what I wanted to do. And, you know, when you're college age, that's normal. But, when you're getting into your early thirties You still don't have a career plan figured out for your life, you start to worry. And I, when I stumbled into this industry, it was like my calling, so to speak. And that, for me, that's what I'm most proud of. Just making it to where I am and finally finding that, that career that spoke to me.

Trent Manning: 46:52

you. This is cool. Very, very cool stuff. And you're not the only one. I mean, there's so many other people in this industry that feel the same way. And I do think it's because there is so many that feel the way you do and the way I do that just makes this industry that much better. And that's why when you call Jordan or Brian or Brian or, you know, Whoever and say, Hey, you can help me with this. Are you seeing this before? I mean, we're all just willing to help, you know, it's just, it's awesome. And that's why I'm doing a podcast, you know, pitch the idea to somebody else. I said, you should do a podcast. I wouldn't mind helping you. And it fell on deaf ears and I thought about it and I thought about it and I said, we just got to do it because there's so many guys like you, like Jordan, like Brian, like Brian.

Nate Lyon: 47:41

To hearing that.

Trent Manning: 47:42

but yeah, when, when you hear this, you'd already heard Brian's when you hear that episode, but yeah, just so many good, good people. Well, thank you so much, Nate, for coming on. I really appreciate it.

Nate Lyon: 47:54

Anytime. I,

Trent Manning: 47:58

could get ahold of you. Email, Twitter.

Nate Lyon: 48:00

I'm on Twitter. I haven't posted in a little over two years, but I am there. I do follow other people. N underscore lion underscore a g c s. And I am on the WhatsApp group. I think most of them. Feel free to reach out to me anytime. Um, I, I want to be as much of a resource for everybody else as everybody has been for me. So, I might not always have the answer, but I can help you find it. Well,

Trent Manning: 48:25

I think, you know, that's another really good thing is all of us have different backgrounds and all of us are really good at certain things and I guarantee you there's somebody in that WhatsApp group. That's better at one thing than you are and me, and you know, I'm not calling you out, but you know, it's, yeah, that's what

Nate Lyon: 48:49

be okay if you did.

Trent Manning: 48:50

No, no, no, no, no, not at all. Well, thanks again. I appreciate you being on and we'll talk soon.

Nate Lyon: 48:58

thank you buddy.

Trent Manning: 48:59

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.