golf course management - november 2014
DESCRIPTION
A publication of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of AmericaTRANSCRIPT
Golf Course Management Magazinewww.gcsaa.org • November 2014
Offcial Publication of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America
Better chain grinding 32
The bunker’s edge 64
Perennial Poa particulars 82
GCMINSIDE: A century of seeded bermudagrass PAGE 72
uncertaintyDegrees of
Turf schools tackling a new reality in the education of future superintendents PAGE 42
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8 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14
CONTENTS11.14
42
58
64Defending their turfFor a variety of reasons, many
turfgrass schools nationwide
have witnessed dwindling
numbers. Their quest to fill
classrooms and keep programs
afloat is an ongoing process.
Howard Richman
A dramatic comebackPGA member Jimmy Terry and
GCSAA superintendent Dick
Gray have led a rejuvenation at
PGA Golf Club.
Michael R. Abramowitz The bunker’s edgeGCM shines a spotlight
on innovative products and
systems for bunker
maintenance.
Bunny Smith
On the Cover: Photo by hxdbzxy/Shutterstock.com
008-013_Nov14_TOC.indd 8 10/17/14 8:59 AM
10 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14
INSIGHTS
A century of seeded bermudagrass production — and more to comeBermudagrass has evolved from a ‘wily’ weed to a
multimillion-dollar industry.
Arden A. Baltensperger, Ph.D.
72
RESEARCH
Cutting EdgeTeresa Carson
Cutting Edge
80
14 President’s message
16 Inside GCM
18 Front nine
28 Photo quiz
70 Up to speed
82 Verdure
84 Product news
88 Industry news
94 Climbing the ladder
94 On course
94 Coming up
96 Newly certified
96 In the field
97 On the move
100 New members
100 In memoriam
104 Final shot
ETCETERA11.14
32ShopTaking the heat out of
chain grinding
Scott R. Nesbitt
AdvocacyRaise your voice
Michael Upchurch
CareerGet to the next level
Carol D. Rau, PHR
EnvironmentOSHA: Chemical exposure
standards ‘out of date’
34Get to the next level
38OSHA: Chemical exposure
3630Turf‘Dr. B’
Teresa Carson
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GCSAA BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President KEITH A. IHMS, CGCS
Vice President JOHN J. O’KEEFE, CGCS
Secretary/Treasurer PETER J. GRASS, CGCS
Immediate Past President PATRICK R. FINLEN, CGCS
Directors RAFAEL BARAJAS, CGCS
DARREN J. DAVIS, CGCS
JOHN R. FULLING JR., CGCS
MARK F. JORDAN, CGCS
BILL H. MAYNARD, CGCS
Chief Executive Offcer J. RHETT EVANS
Chief Operating Offcer MATT SHATTO
Chief Business Development Offcer J.D. DOCKSTADER
GCM STAFF
Editor-in-Chief SCOTT HOLLISTER
Sr. Managing Editor BUNNY SMITH
Sr. Science Editor TERESA CARSON
Associate Editor HOWARD RICHMAN
Sr. Manager, Creative Services ROGER BILLINGS
Manager, Creative Services KELLY NEIS
Traffc Coordinator BRETT LEONARD
GCSAA This Week/Turf Weekly
Editor ANGELA HARTMANN
ADVERTISING 800-472-7878
Managing Director MATT BROWN
Marketing and Business Development [email protected]
Sr. Manager, Business Development JIM CUMMINS
Lead International Developer ERIC BOEDEKER
Account Development Managers BRETT ILIFF
KARIN CANDRL
SHELLY URISH
GCM MISSION
Golf Course Management magazine is dedicated to advancing the golf course superin-tendent profession and helping GCSAA members achieve career success. To that end, GCM provides authoritative “how-to” career-oriented, technical and trend information by industry experts, researchers and golf course superintendents. By advancing the profes-sion and members’ careers, the magazine contributes to the enhancement, growth and vitality of the game of golf.
The articles, discussions, research and other information in this publication are advisory only and are not intended as a substitute for specifc manufacturer instructions or training for the processes discussed, or in the use, application, storage and handling of the products mentioned. Use of this information is voluntary and within the control and discretion of the reader. ©2014 by GCSAA Com-munications Inc., all rights reserved.
President KEITH A. IHMS, CGCS
Vice President JOHN J. O’KEEFE, CGCS
Secretary/Treasurer PETER J. GRASS, CGCS
Immediate Past President PATRICK R. FINLEN, CGCS
Directors RAFAEL BARAJAS, CGCS
DARREN J. DAVIS, CGCS
JOHN R. FULLING JR., CGCS
MARK F. JORDAN, CGCS
BILL H. MAYNARD, CGCS
J. RHETT EVANS
MATT SHATTO
J.D. DOCKSTADER
Editor-in-Chief SCOTT HOLLISTER
Sr. Managing Editor BUNNY SMITH
Sr. Science Editor TERESA CARSON
Associate Editor HOWARD RICHMAN
Sr. Manager, Creative Services ROGER BILLINGS
Manager, Creative Services KELLY NEIS
Traffic Coordinator BRETT LEONARD [email protected]
GCSAA This Week/Turf Weekly
Editor ANGELA HARTMANN
Managing Director MATT BROWN
Marketing and Business Development [email protected]
Sr. Manager, Business Development JIM CUMMINS
Lead International Developer ERIC BOEDEKER
Account Development Managers BRETT ILIFF
KARIN CANDRL
SHELLY URISH
Golf Course Management MagazineOffcial Publication of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America
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14 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14
My frst experience at a GCSAA educa-tion conference and trade show came in 1978, when I ventured to San Antonio for that year’s event. As a turfgrass student at Texas A&M at the time, I understood that the opportunity to attend a national event of this stature was a special one, and I wouldn’t be disappointed by what I saw and learned there. It was quite liter-ally an experience that ultimately changed the way I looked at and developed my own career.
I was reminded of that visit to San Anto-nio as I began to examine the overwhelming variety of opportunities that will be available when the 2015 Golf Industry Show makes its frst visit to the Alamo City in its current in-carnation Feb. 21-26. And as I began to con-sider all the options I have to choose from be-fore registering for the event, I was struck by how much our association’s fagship event has evolved over the years while still maintaining the traditions that helped make it such a great event in the frst place.
Take the registration process, for example, which continues to embrace the cutting edge in an effort to make the experience as easy and effcient for our members as possible. The GIS website (www.golfndustryshow.com) has be-come a one-stop shop for attendees looking to map out their visit to GIS, loaded with the lat-est information on seminar schedules, keynote speakers at events such as the Opening Session and maps of the trade show foor and lists of this year’s exhibitors.
Once those plans are fnalized, the web-site is also where you’ll go to offcially regis-ter for the event and to plan your travels to and from San Antonio. And the innovation will continue once you arrive in South Texas, as GCSAA will again feature an automated badge pick-up system that debuted with such success last year in Orlando.
Another prominent example of the evolu-tion that GIS has undergone in recent years is the overall schedule of events for the week. GCSAA is continually looking to improve the GIS experience for all parties involved in the week — from members and exhibitors, to allied association partners and GCSAA
staff. With that in mind, we’ve introduced modifcations to the GIS schedule in each of the last two years designed to allow those in attendance to take advantage of all the week has to offer while minimizing the disrup-tions time away from home and work can inevitably create.
We’re confdent that the schedule we’ve settled on — beginning with the start of the GCSAA Golf Championships on Saturday, Feb. 21, and wrapping up with the Closing Celebration on the evening of Thursday, Feb. 26 — accomplishes just that and presents a rich, rewarding experience for every constitu-ent involved.
Of course, the specifc experiences that make up your stay at GIS — the education, the networking, the exhibitions, the entertain-ment — remain the real stars of the show, just as they were when I frst attended. The things that I learned during my frst conference and trade show, and the people that I met not only served as key foundations for my career, they also convinced me of the unmatched value provided by attending GIS. It’s why I won’t miss it to this day, and why I can’t encour-age your attendance any more highly, whether you’ll be making a repeat visit or venturing out for the frst time, as I did back in 1978.
Remember, for all the latest information on GIS and to begin the registration process for your journey to San Antonio, please visit www.golfndustryshow.com. You’ll also fnd a full package of preview coverage on all the education, networking and trade show oppor-tunities that will be available to attendees in the January and February issues of GCM.
Keith A. Ihms, CGCS, is the golf course maintenance man-
ager at Bella Vista (Ark.) Village and a 33-year member
of GCSAA.
Keith A. Ihms, CGCS
GIS still delivering the goods
It was quite literally
an experience that
ultimately changed
the way I looked
at and developed
my own career.
(president’s message)
014-015_Nov14_PresMess.indd 14 10/16/14 3:28 PM
16 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14
Few industries have traveled a rockier road over the past two decades than the business of publishing.
Thanks primarily to a little societal de-velopment called the Internet, publishing has been in a near constant state of upheaval al-most since the day I frst entered the business in the early 1990s. Sharp declines in reader-ship and sharp increases in skeptical advertis-ers became daily puzzles for professionals like myself to solve.
During these troubled times, the industry’s prime medium — the printed page — was squarely in the crosshairs of doomsayers des-perate to write publishing’s obituary. Cries of “print is dead” have been loud and constant.
They’ve also been largely wrong. There’s no doubt that the business has changed and changed signifcantly in the last 15-20 years. But predictions that print newspapers and magazines, the cornerstone for the distribu-tion of news and information for centuries, would simply cease to exist in the face of challenges from websites, mobile phones and tablet computing were just plain wrong. The fact that you’re likely reading these words in the print version of GCM is prime evidence of that fact.
I was reminded of publishing’s trials, trib-ulations and dire predictions while our staff worked on the cover story for this issue of GCM, Howard Richman’s in-depth exami-nation of the state of turfgrass education in the United States (see “Defending their turf,” Page 42). This month’s work is a follow-up of sorts to a story we published in November 2009, and was prompted in part by the recent news that the well-regarded golf and turf pro-gram at Florida Gateway College (formerly Lake City Community College) would be transitioning to online only once the current crop of students on campus had completed their degrees.
Knowing a whole host of respected super-intendents who had earned their formal de-grees from Florida Gateway/Lake City, the news caught me off guard. If interest among students in these degrees at programs such as Florida Gateway was waning to the point where drastic options were the only options
left, what did that mean for turfgrass educa-tion overall? Was it, too, dying?
Thankfully, our investigation discovered those fears are unfounded. Through extensive interviews and an informal survey of advis-ers in golf and turfgrass programs at schools all over the country, we found that there are plenty of similarities between the state of turfgrass education and the business of publishing. Like print, turf schools are defnitely not dead or dying, but they are sig-nifcantly different.
Far fewer students are entering golf course operations or turfgrass programs than they did as recently as a decade ago. The curriculum they encounter while in school is signifcantly different, with a marked increase in business and communications requirements. And the expectations those students carry into the job market after graduation are different, with most prepared to spend far more time in roles other than that of head golf course superinten-dent than was the case just 10-15 years ago.
Should any of this be all that surprising? Probably not. The industry as a whole has transformed signifcantly over this same period of time, so it stands to reason that educational institutions that train students for that industry would experience similar changes.
And for the most part, I view that change as a positive. Those in publishing who have dared to innovate and have welcomed change have been the ones who have succeeded, who have found new paths to connecting with readers. They are the ones who have found the light at the end of the tunnel and are solidly positioned for the future.
The same can be said about turfgrass edu-cation, in particular, and the golf course man-agement industry, in general. Acknowledging that things aren’t the way they’ve always been is the frst step toward remaining relevant, and I was encouraged that so many involved in turfgrass education are embracing this new reality. It’s a great lesson for the students under their guidance, and defnitely a sign of better things to come.
Scott Hollister is GCM ’s editor-in-chief.
Embracing the inevitability of change
During these
troubled times,
the industry’s
prime medium —
the printed page
— was squarely
in the crosshairs
of doomsayers
desperate to write
publishing’s obituary.
(inside gcm)
Scott Hollister
twitter: @GCM_Magazine
016-017_Nov14_IGCM.indd 16 10/16/14 3:28 PM
Bill Williams served in Vietnam as an Air Force sergeant. Today, he is far removed from service in a foreign
land. His ties to veterans just like him, though, have found a common-ground haven.
Heroes Golf Course in Brentwood, Calif., may only be a public nine-hole layout, but the number of people it
has touched can’t be counted. They include Williams, who is a starter at Heroes GC when he isn’t pulling out a
club to hit his own shots.
“This place has been very therapeutic for many veterans,” Williams says. “One guy who came here was very
shy, withdrawn, stuck to himself, just didn’t want to talk. Now, he laughs, kids. He got tips, lessons and almost
every day helps with our maintenance. He’s a totally different individual.”
It has taken a joint effort to make all of this possible at Heroes GC. That is where GCSAA members stepped
to the plate, willing to give their time, equipment (including helping to replace a 1975 Toro mower) and support
for those who have supported their country. One of them is 29-year GCSAA member Brian Sullivan, CGCS, from
Bel-Air Country Club.
In 2011, Ricardo Bandini Johnson gained control of management operations at Heroes GC, located on the
grounds of the Veterans Administration Hospital. In a way, Johnson believed he had something at stake there;
after all, his family and Sen. John Percival Jones donated hundreds of acres that used to be a home for soldiers.
In time, it became the Veterans Administration Hospital.
Heroes GC, established in 1946, was made possible by nearby Hillcrest Country Club, which spearheaded
its construction. It was a way to honor veterans coming home from World War II. The issue today is course
maintenance. Heroes GC is operated as a non-proft 501(c)(3). Except for water, which is paid for by the VA,
Heroes GC must count on donations and fundraisers to survive. Green fees range from $7 to $17. The pro shop
Veterans’ days
Photos courtesy of Andy Heiser
018-027_Nov14_Front9.indd 18 10/17/14 9:29 AM
By the
NUMBERS
is a Quonset hut.
There is no trained superintendent or mechanic on
staff. “We don’t have a superintendent or mechanic be-
cause we don’t have the money,” Johnson says.
A key to keeping Heroes GC viable occurred when the
Community Justice Foundation donated $200,000 for the
new irrigation system. West Coast Turf provided 5,500
square feet of sod. Hillcrest CC annually holds a fundraiser,
raising more than $20,000 in 2013.
“That goes a long way for us,” Johnson says.
Others, such as Sullivan, give in a variety of ways.
His son, Patrick, built the frst tee complex as his Eagle
Scout project. Both of Sullivan’s sons (Michael is the other
one) grew up playing Heroes GC. The man who was in
charge of turf maintenance, Bob Chebi, was their pal.
“When both my boys were 8, I would drop them off
with $4 to $6 and they could play golf all day. Bob always
had a Coke or a water ready after each nine holes,” Sul-
livan says.
Nowadays, Sullivan is ready and able to help Heroes. He
offers his advice on turfgrass nutrition, disease, weed con-
trol and equipment. His contributions don’t go unnoticed.
“Brian has helped us since we started. He has volun-
teered time, equipment and knowledge and we can call
him any time,” Johnson says.
Others like Sullivan who have made a difference in-
clude director of golf course and grounds Russ Meyers at
Los Angeles Country Club; Reid Yenny, CGCS, at Hillcrest
Country Club; superintendent Matt Morton at Rivera Coun-
try Club; GCSAA Class A superintendent Bob O’Connell at
Brentwood Country Club; and superintendent Blake Meen-
temeyer at Torrey Pines South Course.
“We’re here to do whatever we can,” Meyers says.
“You feel honored when you go there and you can see the
potential that is there.”
Meentemeyer spends a few hours each week at He-
roes GC. Whether he is assisting with seeding or cali-
brating sprayers, Meentemeyer says the rewards there
are precious.
“Unlike most private clubs and even municipal and
daily-fee courses, patrons were actually excited to see
work being done out on the course,” he says.
Thirty-fve veterans have helped work on the course at
Heroes GC in the past three years. With the help of people
such as Sullivan, the hope is that this facility will be around
for decades upon decades for veterans to enjoy.
“You can’t do enough for these folks,” Sullivan says.
— Howard Richman, GCM associate editor
Jenkins to receive
Old Tom Morris Award
World Golf Hall of Fame inductee Dan Jenkins will
receive GCSAA’s Old Tom Morris Award for 2015.
Jenkins, one of the most noted sportswriters in history
and known for his hilarious prose, will be honored Feb. 25
as part of the Golf Industry Show in San Antonio, Texas.
Jenkins, 83, has covered 223 major golf championships,
beginning in 1951. He has worked for Sports Illustrated and
Golf Digest.
He also is well known for writing books, including
“Dead Solid Perfect” and “Semi-Tough,” both of which
were turned into Hollywood movies.
In 2012, Jenkins became one of only a handful of writ-
ers to be enshrined in the World Golf Hall of Fame.
The Old Tom Morris Award is presented annually to an
individual who, through a lifetime commitment to the game
of golf, has helped to mold the welfare of the game in a
manner and style exemplifed by Old Tom Morris. Morris
20 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14
Areas of emphasis in turf schools’
core curriculum*
20 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14
From left: Ernie Hernandez, equipment manager, Bel-Air CC; Shane Perrish, grounds crew and veteran; Lou Castilina, veteran; and Robert Then, mechanic and veteran.
NUMBERS
%water management
%55
water managementwater managementwater management
environmental management
%environmental management
58environmental management
%76communications
76communications
%29leadership29
68%
business management68
business management
37%
equipment maintenance37
%
* Source: Survey conducted for GCM in September 2014.
018-027_Nov14_Front9.indd 20 10/17/14 9:29 AM
22 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14
was a four-time British Open champion and was superin-
tendent at St. Andrews in Scotland until his death in 1908.
Upon learning that he is receiving the Old Tom Morris
Award, his response was vintage Jenkins. “I’m honored to
win this award, especially for a guy who I’m almost as old
as,” Jenkins quipped.
Jenkins, who was extremely close to legend Ben
Hogan, is aware of what superintendents do on a
daily basis.
“I don’t know a lot about grass, but I knew a lot of
greenkeepers around town,” says Jenkins, a native of Fort
Worth, Texas. “The profession has made a lot of progress.
Courses nowadays are so consistently wonderful with all 411411The
411411
the things they can do with them.”
Read more about Jenkins in the December issue
of GCM.
Leo Feser Award recipients announced
What do Jim Ferrin and Sam Samuleson have in com-
mon besides being certifed golf course superintendents
and co-owners of Turf Eco-Logic Consultants?
They share GCSAA’s 2014 Leo Feser Award.
Ferrin (left in picture above) and Samuelson (right) were
chosen to receive the award, which the association presents
annually to the author of the best superintendent-written
story published in its fagship publication, GCM.
The two superintendents co-wrote an article pub-
lished in January titled “Fear and Loathing and the ADA”
about how adapting courses for Americans with disabilities
is the right thing to do for every reason, including that it
makes solid business sense for golf facilities.
Ferrin, 62, is the superintendent at Timber Creek Golf
Course at Sun City Roseville in Roseville, Calif. Samuel-
son, 59, is the superintendent at Wildhawk Golf Club in
Sacramento.
“I’m on cloud nine right now,” Ferrin says. “It’s a
dream come true. I am going to take this feeling and run
with it for a while. When I got the news, I actually cried.”
Ferrin and Samuelson receive all-expenses-paid trips
to the 2015 Golf Industry Show in San Antonio, where they
will be honored during the Opening Session, Feb. 25, and
will also have their names added to a plaque that is perma-
nently displayed at GCSAA headquarters.
Lucas, Roth: Distinguished Service Award winners
GCSAA Past President Melvin B. Lucas, CGCS, and
Cal Roth, senior vice president of agronomy for the PGA
Tour, have been selected as recipients of the association’s
2015 Col. John Morley Distinguished Service Award. They
will be acknowledged at the 2015 Golf Industry Show in
San Antonio during the Opening Session on Feb. 25.
Lucas, president in 1980, has been an association
member 52 years. He has served as agronomy consultant
for more than 60 golf course projects. Since his retirement
in 1991, Lucas has continued to serve the industry as a
consultant both domestically and abroad.
MOST COMMON CAREERS
FOR TURF SCHOOL GRADS
MOST COMMON CAREERS
FOR TURF SCHOOL GRADS
GOLF COURSE SUPER
INTEN
DEN
T
LAW
N AND LANDSCAPE
SPORTS TURF MAN
AG
ER
INDUSTRY S
ALE
S
TURFGRASS RESEARCH
OTHER
92%
46%
AN
AG
ER59%
LE
S15%
10%
10%
Source: Turf School Survey conducted for GCM, September 2014
018-027_Nov14_Front9.indd 22 10/16/14 4:44 PM
24 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14
the frst dedicated turfgrass scientist to receive the award.
In other honors, two members are being recognized
by CSSA as Fellows: Jim Murphy, Ph.D., and Bert Mc-
Carty, Ph.D. The CSSA Fellow is the “highest recognition
bestowed by the Crop Science Society of America” and is
based on professional achievements and meritorious ser-
vice. Only up to 0.3 percent of the Society’s active and
emeritus members may be elected Fellow.
McCarty also was chosen as the 2014 Fred V. Grau
Turfgrass Science Award recipient. The Grau Award rec-
ognizes signifcant career contributions in turfgrass sci-
ence, especially during the past 15 years.
Also, Steve Keeley, Ph.D., was selected to receive the
2014 Crop Science Teaching Award. The teaching award
recognizes excellence in resident classroom instruction of
crop science at the undergraduate and graduate level.
Award winners were recognized Nov. 3 during CSSA’s
annual meeting in Long Beach, Calif.
Golf Industry Show: Next stop, San Antonio
It is almost that time again. Are you ready?
The 2015 Golf Industry Show is scheduled for Feb.
21-26 in San Antonio, Texas. The Henry B. Gonzalez Con-
vention Center is the hub for activities. Member registra-
tion begins Nov. 4 and nonmember registration opens Nov.
18. Exhibitor registration starts in early December.
The Golf Industry Show starts with the GCSAA Golf
Championships, presented in partnership with The Toro
Co. The golf championships will be headquartered at
the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Club Resort &
Spa. The tournament, Feb. 21-23, features four different
events in the three-day period — the National Champi-
onship and Golf Classic, in addition to a four-ball event
and shamble tournament. The courses playing host to the
event and their GCSAA superintendents are: The Quarry
(Bruce Burger, CGCS); the La Cantera Hill Country Resort
(superintendent Jeffrey Kadlec); Cordillera Ranch (GCSAA
Class A superintendent Mark Semm); and TPC San Anto-
nio (Thomas Lively, CGCS, director of agronomy).
Also on Monday, the GCSAA Education Conference
starts at 8 a.m. and runs through Thursday. It is the largest
education event in the industry and covers all aspects of
golf course management, including agronomics, environ-
mental management, communications and business man-
agement. Eighty-four seminars are slated as well as a wide
array of educational sessions and the popular education
on the trade show foor, Answers on the Hour and Tech
Tips on the Half.
The Opening Night Celebration is set for Tuesday, Feb.
24, at the Tower of the Americas, which is next to the con-
vention center, while the Opening Session on Wednesday,
Feb. 25, presented in partnership with Syngenta, will be
hosted by GCSAA President Keith Ihms, CGCS.
Also on Wednesday, the trade show begins its two-day
run starting at 9 a.m. The 21st annual GCSAA Collegiate
Turf Bowl Kick-Off Reception is on the agenda that day.
On Thursday, Feb. 26, the Golf Industry Show General
Session featuring the USGA is scheduled. That evening,
the Closing Celebration, presented in partnership with
John Deere, opens with a reception at 5 p.m. and fea-
tures keynote speaker David Feherty, the entertaining golf
broadcaster who was the guest speaker at the 2012 Golf
Industry Show in Las Vegas.
For additional information and to register, go to
www.golfndustryshow.com.
Baltusrol earns National Historic Landmark status
Only four golf facilities have been recognized for Na-
tional Historic Landmark honors. Baltusrol Golf Club in
Springfeld Township, N.J., is the latest.
It was announced in October that Baltusrol joined Pine-
hurst, Merion and Oakmont as National Historic Landmarks.
Past GCSAA president Mark Kuhns, CGCS, is director of
grounds at Baltusrol, which has been the site of fve U.S.
Opens, two Women’s U.S. Opens and one PGA Champion-
ship. Baltusrol will host the 2016 PGA Championship.
National Register and the National Historic Landmark
designations provide various levels of protection from fu-
ture outside development projects that could have a neg-
ative impact on the historic integrity of Baltusrol’s two Till-
inghast courses and its clubhouse.
Florida association picks director
Jennifer Bryan was promoted to executive director
of the Florida Golf Course Superintendents Association
(FGCSA). Bryan had served as the FGCSA association
manager since October 2007 and was instrumental in
San Antonio, Texas, will play host to the 2015 Golf Industry Show, Feb. 21-26. The Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center is the primary location for GIS activities.
Roth oversees conditioning for the TPC network fa-
cilities and more than 120 professional golf tournaments
annually. He has been a GCSAA member since 1978.
The award is presented to individuals who have made
an outstanding, substantive and enduring contribution to the
advancement of the golf course superintendent profession.
Industry loses two giants: Lamphier and Moote
GCSAA and the golf course management industry lost
a pair of industry legends recently — Frank Lamphier Jr.
and David S. Moote.
Lamphier, a recipient of GCSAA’s Col. John Morley
Distinguished Service Award in 2013, died Sept. 24 at the
age of 80. The longtime superintendent at Aspetuck Valley
Country Club in Bethel, Conn., Lamphier was widely cred-
ited with leading efforts to save — and resurrect — the
GCSAA Golf Championships.
Those efforts began in 1968, when Lamphier accepted
the task of saving the GCSAA golf tournament, which began
in 1938. From 1952 to 1963, it was held intermittently.
From 1964 to 1967, there was no tournament. Beginning
in 1968, Lamphier oversaw the tournament until 1988, long
enough to make it important and viable again.
“You always knew where you stood with Frank,” says
Michael Wallace, CGCS, who served as GCSAA president
in 2002. “He was a great golfer, too. He will be missed.”
Moote, GCSAA president in 1964, died Oct. 5. He
was 85. At the time of his GCSAA presidency, he was the
youngest person to ever hold that offce at age 35. A na-
tive of Canada, Moote worked at several golf clubs north
of the border, including Rosedale, where he experimented
with different grasses in the nursery and shared what he
learned with the industry.
“He always wanted the golf course to be the best it
could be and on top of its game,” his son, Douglas Moote,
tells GCM.
C-5 honors foursomeCrop Science Society of America (CSSA) Division
C-5 Turfgrass Science is recognizing four of its members
this month.
James Beard, Ph.D., is receiving the 2014 CSSA
Presidential Award, which is CSSA’s most exclusive
award, “given to persons who have infuenced the science
or practice of crop production so greatly that the impact of
their efforts will be enduring on future science.” Beard is
018-027_Nov14_Front9.indd 24 10/16/14 4:44 PM
26 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14
Opening for business in Utah
A new golf course has opened in Utah. Canyons
Golf held a ceremonial ribbon-cutting ceremony in
October, the Salt Lake City Tribune reported, and the
course opens to the public next spring. www.sltrib.
com/sltrib/news/58477044-78/course-golf-resort-
bates.html.csp
The Maine objective
Golf courses in Maine are receiving high marks
for their environmental stewardship, according to a
story in the Portland Press Herald. GCSAA Class A
superintendent Ed Michaud, whose practices include
using compost tea, is among those who are all-in
on the matter. www.pressherald.com/2014/09/14/
maine-golf-courses-following-through-for-the-
environment/
Ross design reopens
The Donald Ross-designed Municipal Golf Course
in Wilmington, N.C., is back in business follow-
ing a $1.5 million renovation, Time Warner Cable
News reports. The facility has been around for 85
years. http://triadnc.twcnews.com/content/news/
coastal/712442/port-city-s-municipal-golf-course-
reopens-after-its-frst-full-renovation/
Tweets
RETWEETS
In the
NEWS
modernizing communications, website development, ad-
ministrative effciencies, event planning, association long-
range planning and promoting the Golf Best Management
Practices Certifcation Program.
Noteworthy in the heartlandKansas State University professor of turfgrass sci-
ence Jack Fry, Ph.D., got a handwritten note recently. The
note’s author gives it extra signifcance.
K-State legendary football coach Bill Snyder.
Snyder learned that Fry’s golf course and sports turf
operations class held its own version of the Ryder Cup in
September at Colbert Hills Golf Course in Manhattan, Kan.
Fry named it the snYDER Cup in honor of Snyder. The tro-
phy for the winning team featured Snyder’s 16 goals for
success that have become legendary in their own right
among K-State students, alums and people beyond the
K-State family.
“Bill Snyder is a living legend in this community and a
class act,” says Fry, a K-State graduate. “He has a couple
of highways named after him and the team plays in Bill
Snyder Family Stadium. To have him recognize a small golf
event among students shows the length he’ll go to make
us all feel like part of the family.”
Fry writes a column for GCM, “Through the green,”
that is published every other month.
EPA grants Nemacur extension
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) an-
nounced in September that it has granted GCSAA’s re-
quest for the extension of the end-use date for fenamiphos
(Nemacur/Bayer).
Golf course superintendents now have until Oct. 6,
2017, to use existing stocks of Nemacur, an organophos-
phate-class chemical, which is used to control root-knot,
root-lesion, sting, lance and ring nematodes. The exten-
sion amounts to a three-year reprieve for turfgrass man-
agers, who previously were staring down an Oct. 6, 2014,
cutoff date.
Architects weigh in on pace of play
The American Society of Golf Course Architects
(ASGCA) has produced “Pace of Play: Checklist & Tips for
Working with Your Course Architect.”
This one-page fier, created in cooperation with the
United States Golf Association, illustrates the numerous
ways ASGCA members assist in positively impacting pace
of play at golf facilities through design. The fier identi-
fes fve basic ingredients that contribute to getting play
on courses to move faster and smoother: player abilities;
course management, setup, maintenance and turf condi-
tions; and course design.
The fier is available for free download from the pub-
lications section of the ASGCA website, www.asgca.org/
publications.
FMC Turf @FMCturf An inside look at the golf course maintenance operation at Belmont Country Club http://ow.ly/CgoAM
Scot Dey @scotdey Experimenting w/ our @ASBtasktracker projector set up. #effcient #tasking going live in 2 weeks #workingoutthekinks
GCSAA @GCSAA Nancy Dickens is one the few females to become a CGCS. Read her interview about loving the superintendent profession. http://ow.ly/CA2FB
Rick Brandenburg @DrTurfBugThis past winter’s cold temps have brought high mole cricket populations, record fall armyworm outbreaks, and lots of fre ants.
BASF North America @BASFCor-poration BASF raises $340,000 for Children’s Specialized Hospital at third annual golf tournament http://on.basf.com/1smEgyC
Trevor Broersma CGCS @TBturf @TurfTank Oberon had a tough week as well! Snoring as I type!! pic.twitter.com/49CFlDoXdg
Dayton Country Club @DCCTurf Anyone else have to clean out their entire facility for a member party???
Jared Hoyle, PhD @KSUTurf Setting up for Weed ID and Control Seminar this afternoon. Can you ID any of these weeds? #ksuturf
018-027_Nov14_Front9.indd 26 10/16/14 4:44 PM
018-027_Nov14_Front9.indd 27 10/16/14 4:44 PM
28 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14
Turfgrass area:Lake bank
Location:Oahu, Hawaii
Grass variety:SeaDwarf paspalum
(a)Area void of Poa seedheads
Turfgrass area:Fairway
Location:Rockville Centre, N.Y.
Grass variety:Bentgrass/Poa annua mixture
(b)
PROBLEM
Presented in partnership with Jacobsen
Trees on lake bank near edge of water
Answers on page 92
(photo quiz)
PROBLEM
By John MascaroPresident of Turf-Tec International
028-029_Oct14_PhotoQ.indd 28 10/16/14 3:27 PM
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30 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14
‘Dr. B’Seeded bermudagrass has been produced
in the United States for nearly a century, and Arden Baltensperger, Ph.D., the developer of some breakthrough bermudagrass varieties, has seen nearly all of those 100 years. At 91, the father of seeded bermudagrasses is still writing articles for publication (see this issue of GCM, Page 74) and remains involved in the industry.
Baltensperger’s greatest achievement has been the development of improved seeded bermudagrasses for use on home lawns, golf courses, parks and sports felds. Roch Gaussoin, Ph.D., Baltensperger’s former stu-dent and the current head of the agronomy department at the University of Nebraska- Lincoln, says that development of the seeded bermudagrass variety NuMex Sahara “also created opportunities for companies and aca-demic institutions for bermudagrass improve-ment. I would use the children’s book ‘The Little Engine That Could’ as an analogy for Arden’s signifcant accomplishments with minimal resources.”
He has received numerous accolades and international recognition for his many years of work as a university professor and admin-istrator, researcher and turfgrass breeder. Baltensperger was president of the Agronomy Society of America and the Western Society of Crop Science and international president of the Honor Society of Agriculture, Gamma Sigma Delta. He was active in the Crop Sci-ence Society of America and received its pres-tigious Fred Grau Turfgrass Science Award. In 2005, the Turfgrass Breeders Association honored him with the Breeders Cup Award,
Teresa Carson
twitter: @GCM_Magazine
and he received the frst annual Arden Balten-sperger Lifetime Achievement Award from the Southwest Turfgrass Association for the devel-opment of Princess-77, the frst hybrid seeded bermudagrass.
Given the years he has devoted to the study and breeding of bermudagrass and all the rec-ognition he has received for that work, it would appear that Dr. B, as his students affectionately called him, must have isolated himself in the laboratory with occasional forays into the feld. Fortunately, for the future of seeded bermu-dagrass, Baltensperger was generous with his time and his knowledge, forging close relation-ships with many of his students and colleagues. Clearly, with such a long career — he retired from New Mexico State University in 1988 and from Pennington Seed/Seeds West in 2010 —he has touched the lives of many people.
Among those is Steve Cockerham, Ph.D., director emeritus of agricultural operations at the University of California, Riverside, who frst met Baltensperger in 1965 when Cocker-ham was a new student in the department of agronomy at New Mexico State and Balten-sperger was department head. Even though Cockerham was working with another pro-fessor and department heads are not usually involved in grad student projects, Dr. B pro-vided moral support and helped Cockerham get funding from GCSAA. Their relationship has continued through the years and, Cock-erham says, “By the 1980s he and I were re-garding each other as colleagues, though, in my mind, he is still my professor.”
Presented in Partnership with Barenbrug
(turf)
Arden Baltensperger, Ph.D., observes an irrigation/salinity experiment that includes Princess-77 bermudagrass at New Mexico State University. Photo by Bernd Leinauer
Bernd Leinauer, Ph.D., Extension turfgrass specialist and professor at New Mexico State, frst met Baltensperger when Leinauer started working at New Mexico State nearly 15 years ago: “He frst was my mentor and showed me everything I needed to know about grow-ing and maintaining bermudagrass.” The two quickly became friends and still get together whenever they can.
Gaussoin also credits Dr. B for guid-ing him. “Professionally, Arden has had and continues to have a huge infuence on who I am. He opened doors for me that I would not have been capable of or qualifed for without his mentoring, guidance and tolerance. … Per-sonally, he exemplifed and attempted to guide all of his students to be better people above and beyond their chosen career path.”
Through the years Baltensperger has retained his sense of humor and a hum-ble demeanor. New Mexico State removed Princess-77 from the university’s football feld and replaced it with artifcial turf just in time for this year’s football season. After a recent awards ceremony this fall, Baltensperger approached his old friend, university president Gary Carruthers, and told him he thought the new feld “looked OK.” As Baltensperger puts it, “There are times when one must rise above principle.”
Teresa Carson is GCM ’s science editor.
030-031_Nov14_Turf2.indd 30 10/16/14 3:53 PM
32 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14
Taking the heat out of chain grinding
Grinding metal is primitive. Like a pagan ritual, something must be burned; something must be sacrifced.
Grinding lawn mower blades is bad enough. Greens mower grinding gives people the willies. Grinding on tiny little hardened steel chainsaw teeth can give some folks the blithering shudders.
Fear not. The solution lies in sacrifce — of wax.
Visit any metalworking factory and you’ll see streams of liquid pouring onto each cut-ting and grinding operation. You’ll see steam coming off the point where steel meets stone (or saw teeth or tap or lathe bit). The liquid is usually water-soluble oil and water. The water absorbs heat at the point of friction. The oil lu-bricates the site. The liquid is captured and re-cycled — too messy to duplicate in most golf course service shops.
Old-time machinists used a different system — “an extreme pressure lubricant (that) pre-vents the buildup of frictional heat. It improves overall tool life and productivity when sawing, drilling, milling, grinding, threading and tap-ping.” That’s how Lenox describes its Stick Lu-bricant. Other makers say similar things.
That magic lubricant is a wax “lube stick” that looks like a crayon. Tap the grinding wheel with a lube stick, grind a tooth, repeat and re-peat until the chain is all nice and sharp. The oily wax lubricates the steel-wheel interface, ab-sorbs heat and melts, then evaporates.
The wax helps keep the grinding wheel pores from loading up with steel fakes, reducing the need to re-dress the wheel.
While not as cool and slick as a stream of oily water, the wax fts what Grandpa Mike al-ways said: “Something is better than nothing.”
But there’s prep work before grinding. A saw chain should always be cleaned of sap, pitch and pine tar. These sticky substances in-sulate the steel, trapping heat and slowing the wood cutting. I’ve had good luck soaking chains overnight with liquid Goo Gone solvent and with brushing on various brands and variations of thick gel hand cleaners. Do not use products with pumice or other grit, however.
After a good soak, rinse with running hot water, shake off the excess, then run the chain against a soft wire wheel. The chain is easier to inspect. Hold the chain with the drive links parallel to the ground. A deep droop
Getting a lube stick ain’t easyWhile the mountains of northeast Georgia have industrial operations, from chicken pro-
cessing to making zippers and tractors, it wasn’t easy fnd-
ing wax stick lube. The cost isn’t high — 12- to 14-ounce
tubes run $10 to $15 and last forever — but no one in the
area stocks it.
I got my FMT brand Stick Wax tube by special order from
the local Fastenal industrial supply. I got Granberg G-440
Kool-Grind from an eBay vendor; it’s the only stick wax I
found that specifcally says it’s for chain grinding.
Use your favorite Internet search engine to hunt for “wax stick lube images” and “grinding
lubricant images.” You’ll come up with several product names. Search the Web, or your local
stores, for those products, and you’ll fnd someone willing to supply you.
The FMT stick wax worked OK on the grinder, but its softness makes it especially useful
for coating drill bits and saw blades. It eases cutting and drilling aluminum, brass and copper,
which tend to be sticky. It also eases wood cutting, especially ripping with hand or table saws.
We used wax sticks in high school shop class, but it took almost 50 years to remember
how well it works. Once you have some, try it with all your metalworking. I think you’ll like it.
— S.R.N.
(shop)
Scott R. Nesbitt
means there’s excess wear in the links and riv-ets — scrap it, or scrap it after using it to cut dirty tree stumps. If the chain is good, inspect for cracks, loose rivets, broken teeth or drivers and other repairable defects.
Now with chain on the grinder and lube stick in hand, proceed to sharpen and drop the depth guides.
Next month, I’ll explain the mechanics of how sharp chain cuts quickly.
Scott R. Nesbitt is a freelance writer and former GCSAA
staff member. He lives in Cleveland, Ga.
Left: Stick wax intended for grinders can be aligned with the notch in the shield, then allowed to ride the wheel for a short distance, applying a light application of the lubricant. Right: A wheel treated with lubricating wax throws off a modest number of sparks (top), compared to the torrent of sparks from an undressed grinding wheel. Photos by Scott Nesbitt
032-033_Nov14_Shop2.indd 32 10/16/14 3:49 PM
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34 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14
I decided to become a GCSAA Grassroots Ambassador after reading the proposed rule for “Waters of the U.S.” (WOTUS) that would allow the U.S. EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers to expand their authority to practi-cally all bodies of water in America. I thought about the positives and negatives of this ac-tion and long-term impact it would have on the golf business. As superintendents all know, managing water sources is already a diffcult job; the new WOTUS rules had the potential to further complicate projects involving the lakes or ponds — even the ditches — on our golf courses.
As a member of GCSAA, I have always believed that I should do my part to support the association by volunteering to serve where I can and, as my job permits, helping to make things better for everyone. I have been for-tunate to serve on several GCSAA commit-tees, and when the email went out looking for GCSAA Grassroots Ambassadors, I spoke with my general manager, and we agreed that I should participate.
I was even more excited about this oppor-tunity after attending the frst ambassador training event and learning that I would have a chance to work hand-in-hand with a member of the U.S. Congress, but determining which one that would be wasn’t so easy. My GCSAA feld staff representative, Brian Cloud, laughed
when I described my situation: My home is in Fort Worth, Texas, where my wife and I own a home. For my job, I live in Marshall, Texas, but work in Benton, La. If you can get into a situ-ation with more shades of gray, I don’t know how. However, the ambassador relationship is based on facility location, so I was paired with U.S. Rep. John Fleming of Louisiana.
In my role as a GCSAA Grassroots Ambas-sador, I had the opportunity to work with Ron Wright, GCSAA’s feld staff representative for the Southeast Region, to arrange details for a meeting with Fleming during the August re-cess. Fleming, who was a physician prior to going to Congress, serves on several congres-sional committees, including the House Nat-ural Resources Committee. He has knowledge of the golf business and knows that water issues are important to golf course superintendents.
Our meeting took place at Strawn’s, an iconic Shreveport restaurant, for what was to have been a 30-minute meeting on the WOTUS proposal. I must admit, I was a bit nervous and intimidated by the thought of emailing and then meeting with a member of Congress. How often does the average guy do this? My frst email to Fleming was an-swered the next day, and the ball was rolling. It couldn’t have been easier to arrange, and
(advocacy)
Michael Upchurch
Raise your voice
Michael Upchurch (left), a recruit in GCSAA’s Grassroots Ambassador program, and Ron Wright (right), GCSAA’s feld staff representative for the Southeast Region, meet U.S. Rep. John Fleming of Louisiana to discuss legislative and regulatory issues affecting golf course management. Photo courtesy of Michael Upchurch
the meeting was very casual and enjoyable. It lasted over an hour. Fleming listened to us and gave us valuable information on how bills move through Congress and the fow of regulation.
The meeting with Fleming brought to light the reasons why we all should consider becom-ing GCSAA Grassroots Ambassadors. The best way we can move forward within the leg-islative and regulatory realm is by explaining to legislators what we do as golf course super-intendents and how it affects the environment. The GCSAA Grassroots Ambassador program will allow us to have Congress on our side when issues arise that will affect our industry, which will make us a stronger association in the future.
A lot of people think their voice doesn’t count today, that they can’t make a difference so why bother? Congress isn’t going to know what bills are supported or unsupported by our industry unless people call, email or write to them. With 19,000 members, GCSAA could send a strong message about legislation and regulations that affect our businesses.
Michael Upchurch is the GCSAA Class A superintendent at
Palmetto Country Club in Benton, La., and a 16-year mem-
ber of the association.
034-035_Nov14_Adocacy.indd 34 10/16/14 3:49 PM
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36 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14
Chemical exposure standards set by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) are “dangerously out of date and do not pro-tect workers,” according to OSHA’s assistant secretary of labor, Dr. David Michaels.
For the next six months, OSHA will accept comments on the best ways to protect work-ers from illnesses caused by exposure to haz-ardous substances. The agency is asking stake-holders, including businesses, for specifc suggestions on how to streamline risk assess-ment and develop alternatives to updating per-missible exposure limits (PELs) for chemicals.
Thousands of chemicals are used in work-places, but OSHA has PELs for fewer than 500.
“We’re struggling to keep pace with the potential hazards,” Michaels told a group of reporters in early October, adding that man-ufacturing frms currently have their own standards that on paper are stronger than the government’s.
Michaels added that the majority of the agency’s PELs were adopted more than 40 years ago, and that new scientifc data, in-dustrial experience and developments in tech-nology indicate that, in many instances, these mandatory limits are not suffciently protective. Efforts in recent years to update the limits, Mi-chaels stated, have been “largely unsuccessful.”
According to news reports, Michaels said that a major problem was the vast amount of scientifc and economic research needed to change the limits. The regulation of a single chemical could require hundreds or even thou-sands of pages of documentation and years of
work by staff, he said. So the agency is looking for new ways to streamline the process.
“We can’t go chemical by chemical, because it would take centuries to address all the chemi-cals that are out there,” Michaels told reporters.
One approach OSHA is interested in looking at is “control banding” — basically treating chemicals with similar qualities the same — instead of developing PELs for every single chemical, said one news account.
A year ago, OSHA launched two new Web resources that aimed to safeguard workers from exposure to hazardous chemicals in response to its own out-of-date standards. OSHA created a toolkit, called Transitioning to Safer Chem-icals, to identify safer chemicals that can be used in place of more hazardous ones. This toolkit can be found at www.osha.gov/dsg/safer_chemicals/index.html.
OSHA also developed the Annotated Permissible Exposure Limits, or annotated PEL tables to enable employers to voluntarily adopt newer, more protective workplace expo-sure limits. The annotated PEL tables can be found at www.osha.gov/dsg/;annotated-pels/index.html.
Public comments may be made at www.federalregister.gov/articles/2014/10/10/ 2014-24009/chemical-management-and- permissible-exposure-limits.
Information for this column was gathered from various
news sources, including Environmental Leader
(www.environmentalleader.com) and The Business Journals
(www.bizjournals.com).
(environment)
OSHA: Chemical exposurestandards ‘out of date’
For the next six
months, OSHA will
accept comments
on the best ways
to protect workers
from illnesses
caused by exposure
to hazardous
substances.
Photo by Damon Masa/Shutterstock.com
036-037_Nov14_Envirn.indd 36 10/16/14 3:49 PM
38 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14
Are you ready to take the next step in your career? What are you doing this year, this week and even today to be prepared? Your answers are a strong predictor of your career success and ability to attain your career goals. I have several suggestions for how to become equipped now so you can seize upcoming career opportuni-ties. These suggestions cover various roles and specifc strategies to help you reach your desti-nation in the golf and turf industries.
Identify your gaps. First, refect upon the differences between your current job and the next level you are working toward. Simply, what is the gap? What additional responsibil-ities, qualities and skills are required to suc-cessfully perform at that level? Conduct some baseline research, read job postings, become aware of your current company structure and team accountabilities. If you want to be pre-pared for the next step, you must intentionally gain skills in the gap areas to be prepared and get to the next level.
Student to assistant superintendent. Roles such as intern and seasonal staff are important in preparing for your professional career. The differentiating factor in making the jump to assistant superintendent is that now you will be part of the management team. You will be a representative of the facility when interact-ing with customers and community members. This is a completely different mindset than being a seasonal employee and requires profes-sionalism and taking your career seriously.
You will play a supportive role for the su-perintendent in areas of department fnancial operations, equipment purchasing/leasing, safety practices, staff hiring, training and su-pervision, and ensuring customer satisfaction. Anything you can do to learn more in these areas and be able to articulate and demonstrate these skills will help to show you are ready to be a trusted member of the management team.
Assistant superintendent to superintendent. We feld questions about this career step more than any other. It can take several years of preparation and experience to achieve this goal. Therefore, take full advantage of each and every opportunity to bridge the gap. Mov-ing from assistant to superintendent inher-ently means you are not just focused on your department anymore; rather, you will be part of the overall leadership team accountable for
the facility’s success. Choose to view and artic-ulate your work as part of the bigger picture. Anything you can do to positively impact the overall facility bottom-line and focus on the customer experience can help demonstrate you are ready to be trusted in the new role.
Two additional areas where assistants often express lack of experience include fnancial op-erations and interfacing on a professional level with customers in a setting such as committee meetings. Ask your manager to help you learn more in these areas so you will have examples to reference when you conduct your job search. More important, the experience will help you successfully perform your new job.
Sales. We have worked with many superin-tendents who are seeking to shift into a sales role within the turf industry. To prepare for this type of career move, focus on your abil-ity to build and maintain relationships with industry partners, vendors and colleagues. You already have the background and frsthand knowledge of a wide range of products, equip-ment and best practices in the industry that you can leverage in a sales role.
Facility leaders ip. We have also helped su-perintendents move into leadership roles such as general managers of private golf clubs and resorts. I recently served on a committee to hire a general manager. The superintendent candi-dates who demonstrated experience in man-agement areas outside of maintenance were the ones who received an interview and serious consideration. Make every effort to learn more about banquet and dining management, mem-bership services and programming, marketing, and understanding the priorities of owners/boards of directors.
Regardless of your current role and ca-reer phase, choose to take action this year, this month, even today so you will get to the next level!
Carol D. Rau, PHR, is a career consultant with GCSAA and
is the owner of Career Advantage, a career consulting frm
in Lawrence, Kan., specializing in golf and turf industry
careers. GCSAA members receive complimentary résumé
critiques by Rau and her team, résumé, cover letter, and
LinkedIn creation for a reduced member rate, along with
interview preparation and portfolio consultation.
Get to the next level
Moving from
assistant to
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inherently means you
are not just focused
on your department
anymore; rather, you
will be part of the
overall leadership
team accountable for
the facility’s success.
(Career)Carol D. Rau, [email protected]
038-041_Nov14_Career.indd 38 10/16/14 3:48 PM
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Penn State University associate professor of turfgrass science John Kaminski, Ph.D., engages the Turf Club in an auditorium setting. Photos by William Ames/www.amesphotos.com
DEFENDINGturf
042-057_Nov14_turfschools.indd 42 10/17/14 8:58 AM
For a variety of reasons, many turfgrass schools nationwide have witnessed dwindling numbers. Their quest to fll classrooms and keep programs afoat is an ongoing process.
Howard Richman
042-057_Nov14_turfschools.indd 43 10/17/14 8:58 AM
44 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14
On this mid-September morning in Pennsylvania, college students such as Alex Bonini fle into a classroom.
Some of them wear khakis. Others are dressed in shorts. Ball caps are OK but food and drink, with the ex-
ception of water, is prohibited. It is pretty obvious that iPads, laptops and spiral notebooks are welcomed. There
is no required textbook either.
Enter Jeff Borger, senior instructor in turfgrass weed management at Penn State University. He wastes little
time getting to the point.
“It’s your class. Anything you want to talk about today? What are you having problems with?” he asks the 11
students who have come to participate. This is a no-need-to-raise-your-hand zone; speak up when you feel a
need to talk.
Forty turfgrass
schools responded
to a GCM survey
that produced the
data presented
throughout this story.
More results can be
seen on Pages 20
and 22. For complete
results, visit GCM’s
blog at http://gcm.
typepad.com
more, meaning they are not gaining that experience that could lead to choosing golf course management as a profession. Low pay for assistant jobs is another factor, some indicated. And, perhaps most disturb-ing, potential students are being discouraged from pursuing the title of golf course superintendent or at the very least think hard about it.
“Not all of them (superintendents) are recom-mending this as a profession,” says Andy McNitt, Ph.D., head of the four-year program at Penn State.
McNitt is not the lone wolf; others echo his thoughts. In terms of turfgrass school numbers di-minishing, in many instances, the responses strike a similar chord.
“Numbers have been dropping over the last cou-ple of years,” says Bruce Clarke, Ph.D., specialist in turfgrass pathology at Rutgers.
Nick Christians, Ph.D., horticulture professor at
That type of setting is just fne with Bonini, a se-nior from Johnstown, Pa. “I like our class because it is tightknit. I don’t feel like I am just a number in a big auditorium,” he says.
The numbers, though, simply aren’t adding up to what they used to be for many turfgrass schools.
GCM spoke with several turfgrass schools in the U.S. to learn about the state of their programs and determine whether their classrooms are growing or shrinking. And, just as importantly, why. A survey of turfgrass schools was also conducted. Forty re-sponses to the survey concluded that 70 percent of them have encountered lower enrollments in their turf programs compared to 10 years ago.
Reasons for lower numbers in turfgrass pro-grams range from the economy to tougher college entrance requirements. Due to liability issues, some golf courses cannot hire teens younger than 18 any-
In the shadows of Beaver Stadium, Penn State turfgrass students Austin Marsteller and Alex Bonini (standing, left to right), Kyle Patterson (left, kneeling), Edward Harbaugh (right, kneeling) and Maxwell Tomazin (bending) evaluate turf.
042-057_Nov14_turfschools.indd 44 10/17/14 8:58 AM
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46 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14
Class actLuke Maddox has taken his passion for turfgrass
to extremes.
A student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln,
Maddox launched his own business as a teenager.
He used money he had saved to buy a 36-inch
commercial mower with a Kawasaki engine from a
guy named Dave Schwietz, who was headed off
to college.
Maddox learned that mowing could be proftable.
“I probably made $20,000 doing it by the time I
went off to college,” Maddox, 23, says.
By that time, turfgrass was in his blood, maybe in part because his father,
GCSAA Class A superintendent Dan Maddox, is in charge at Oak Hills Country Club
in Omaha. Luke Maddox certainly has shown a drive and passion to make his fa-
ther proud.
“He has a vision, kept that in front of him and has done everything he can to
improve,” says Anne Streich, associate professor of agronomy practice and horticul-
ture at Nebraska-Lincoln.
Nebraska-Lincoln requires students to complete two internships in order to grad-
uate. Maddox? He has done four of them (Wilmington, Del., Country Club; TruGreen
in Omaha; Sand Hills Golf Club in Mullen, Neb.; and Shadow Creek Golf Club in
Las Vegas).
“Go out and do them. Spread your wings,” Maddox says after being asked what
advice he would give other students. “The biggest thing for me is learning different
management styles. I think I fgured out what type of manager I’d want to be — a
balance between being hands-on and delegating well.”
Oh, and did we mention that Maddox has dual majors? He hopes to graduate
next month with degrees in business fnance and turfgrass landscape and manage-
ment. He has plans for the post-college world.
“I do see myself as a superintendent,” Maddox says, “but being a general man-
ager might be more rewarding for me.”
— H.R.
Iowa State, says: “We’re down.”How much, exactly, is down?“We peaked at about 143 (students) in the early
2000s. We are down to 40 or so. That’s a huge drop,” he says.
Purdue’s program has about 43 students, accord-ing to Cale A. Bigelow, Ph.D. Twelve years ago, that number was 85. Oregon State’s enrollment is down to approximately 15 students from a peak of 35, says assistant professor Alec Kowalewski. At Texas A&M, turfgrass science students make up about 40 of the department’s 135 students; that’s half of what it was little more than a decade ago.
Even two-year schools are feeling the crunch. “We have 45 to 50,” says Troy McQuillen, assistant professor in golf course and turfgrass management at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. “In the heydays, we had 65 to 70. I think those days are gone.”
Some of the most historic turfgrass schools have seen their programs decrease in size.
“We have about 30 in the two-year program. At one point, we had about 70 or 80,” says Kevin Frank, Ph.D., associate professor at Michigan State. “The numbers are certainly not where they used to be.”
North Carolina State can commiserate. Its two- and four-year programs had as many as 197 students 15 years ago, according to Fred Yelverton, Ph.D., professor of crop science. Now? About 73.
“If you want to go back to the 1990s and early 2000s when the industry was booming, I think it was perceived in the industry that we had too many students,” Yelverton says.
That includes Florida Gateway College, previ-ously known as Lake City Community College. It announced earlier this year that the college will no longer offer an associate’s degree in golf course op-erations.
“We used to have a one-year waiting list. We were known nationally and internationally,” says John Piersol, executive director of industrial and agricultural programs at Florida Gateway College. “But that doesn’t mean it lasts forever. Things can change.”
It is not totally bleak in terms of turfgrass student numbers. There are cases of increases. Also, grad-uate student numbers seem to be strong at several schools.
At Ohio State, professor Karl Danneberger, Ph.D., reports that approximately 40 students in the four-year program is a slight increase from the pre-vious school year. Mississippi State is experiencing its frst increase in students in a while. SUNY-Co-bleskill’s incoming freshman class of 20 nearly dou-bles the total from 2013-14. New Mexico State has about 11 students in its program. Four years ago, that number totaled only four.
“Four years ago, I was nervous. That’s for sure,” says New Mexico State assistant professor Ryan
At Oregon State University, more than 300 graduates of the turfgrass management program are currently employed as superintendents or in the golf course management industry. Photo courtesy of Alec Kowalewski
042-057_Nov14_turfschools.indd 46 10/17/14 8:58 AM
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48 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14
Goss, Ph.D.Penn State, meanwhile, possesses as rich a turf-
grass history as any institution’s, and there is evi-dence to support it. Penn State proudly states that it was frst to employ a turfgass extension specialist in 1934. First to graduate a Ph.D. turfgrass scientist in 1950. First to offer a two-year technical program specifcally for golf course superintendents in 1957. First to offer an undergraduate major in turfgrass science in 1992. It also launched an online program in 1998, becoming a trailblazer in that concept, which has grown by major proportions throughout the academic world.
Yet even Penn State has witnessed some decline. The two-year resident certifcate program has 42 students, down four compared to 10 years ago. The four-year bachelor’s program has 110 students, a de-crease of 40 students in that same time span. The online program, however, has 340 students, an in-crease of 300.
Still, the majority of turfgrass instructors and professors from Penn State to Walla Walla Commu-nity College admit that opportunities are available for their graduates. “The golf industry is not doing as well as it used to, but there is a high demand for entry-level positions,” says Doug Linde, Ph.D., turf professor at Delaware Valley College.
That is a positive sign for those whose hearts are set on becoming superintendents. The key, though, is how many of them actually want to give their hearts to it?
“Our jobs, and student demand, are related to the health of golf courses,” says Penn State turfgrass
professor Peter Landschoot, Ph.D. “We’re viable. Will we be always? What’s always?”
Say what? The son of 20-year GCSAA member Ike Hurn-
ing apparently wants to follow in his father’s foot-steps. There are those in his profession, superinten-dents just like him, who might tell the young man to think twice about it.
“Actually, I’ve heard that a bunch in the last year,” says Hurning, who is the GCSAA Class A su-perintendent at Springbrook Country Club in De-Witt, Iowa. “I hate to say it, but I’m used to hearing it. I was talking with a superintendent last night. He said, ‘Why the heck are you encouraging him (Hurning’s son, James, a college student at Kirk-wood Community College) to get into this indus-try?’ The simple answer is you’ve got to love this profession. I think he (James) does. I do. I would en-courage anyone who really is interested to pursue it.”
Those hopefuls certainly do exist. Penn State se-nior Chris Marra falls into that category. He simply has one request.
“The biggest thing isn’t pay. If it is lower-paying but they are teaching me and guiding me, I’ll take it over a higher-paying job where I’m really not learn-ing anything,” Marra says.
Yet one reason that could discourage a super-intendent wannabe from entering the profession might be all about dollars and cents.
“We had a recent graduate who was a superin-tendent at a small, single-owner course. He left to double his salary by shoveling sand in the Marcellus 3
8%
Sa
y s
tud
en
ts o
bta
in in
tern
sh
ips
thro
ug
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orm
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ch
oo
l pla
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pro
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How have enrollment numbers in your turf program changed over the past 10 years?
70%
20%
• Fewer rural students
• Recruiting staff cuts
• Traditional ag majors
gaining ground
• Lower entry-level
salaries
• Increased tuition
• Higher admissions
standards
• Fewer superintendent
job opportunities
Factors contributing to decreasing enrollment
Sa
me
Lo
wer
Hig
her
10%
042-057_Nov14_turfschools.indd 48 10/17/14 8:58 AM
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50 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14
Shale industry in Pennsylvania,” says Penn State’s John Kaminski, Ph.D., who oversees the two-year golf course turfgrass management program. “It (su-perintendent) is a hard job. You have to love it. The goal is to fnd where a student best fts and send them in the direction that will be their best chance to keep them in the industry. That being said, we’ll have people fve years from now who won’t be in the industry.”
Another reason may be what some consider the stagnant scenario. “There is a perception that an as-sistant could be an assistant for a very long time, so the investment is in question,” says Brian Horgan, Ph.D., associate professor of turfgrass management at the University of Minnesota. “The last thing we want to do is not be able to get employed.”
The economy, which tanked about six years ago, serves as a key point for skepticism. “Golf courses that closed or went bankrupt killed us,” Christians says. “Word gets around. Guys have lost their jobs.”
Some simply discover the profession is not meant for them.
“I had an intern come in a couple days after he started and told me he didn’t like waking up early in the morning,” says Matthew Gourlay, CGCS, direc-tor of golf course operations at Colbert Hills Golf Course in Manhattan, Kan. “That doesn’t bother me. You should fnd out what makes you happy.”
A trend to keep a watchful eye on: Multiple turf-grass schools say that they have seen a shift toward students becoming interested in sports turf instead of golf course management.
It may not be more apparent than in golf course-rich Myrtle Beach, S.C., near where Horry George-town is located. That two-year school has graduates working on golf courses in 38 states and four for-eign countries, but their program’s numbers have re-mained steady despite changes in the area that may affect students who consider becoming golf course superintendents. No wonder the school is working to develop a strong sports turf program.
“Myrtle Beach has more golf courses than grains of sand on the beach,” says Horry Georgetown pro-fessor Ashley Wilkinson. “It has been centralized for golfers, but that has diminished. Myrtle Beach just fnished a $25 million project for sports felds that were rented even before they were fnished. Instead of seeing cars full of golfers, you’ve got a van with 10 to 15 kids in it with their parents.”
Although many turfgrass professors noted that their student numbers might be fewer, their students often are as impressive as ever.
“Turf students are just good kids,” Danneberger says. “They work hard, know what they want to do. We may not have as many, but the quality is great.”
Arkansas professor Mike Richardson, Ph.D., adds: “Students we have now are as good as any we’ve had. They are coming out ready to hit the ground running.”
Gone but not forgottenDavid Dore-Smith is a proud graduate of Edison State College in Fort Myers, Fla.
When he drives past the school today, however, sadness overcomes him.
“We had a three-hole pitch-and-putt that we verticut and aerated,” Dore-Smith
says. “A month ago I was driving by there along College Parkway. They ended up
turning it into a parking lot.”
This year marks the fve-year anniversary of Edison State College’s decision to
scrap its golf course operations program as a cost-saving measure. At the time,
though, the program was solid.
“We had 125 students in our program in 2009,” says Lee Berndt, Ph.D., who
oversaw the program. “I think we were growing at about 5 percent a year. It was dy-
namic.”
Edison State, named in honor of pioneer Thomas Edison who spent several win-
ters in Fort Myers, offcially changed its name in July to Florida SouthWestern State
College. Dore-Smith, director of golf course and grounds maintenance at Copper-
leaf Golf Club in Bonita Springs, Fla., came to America from Australia and found his
niche at Edison State.
“If there was no school there, I would not be where I am today,” says Dore-Smith,
a 15-year member of GCSAA.
Berndt wonders what might have been — or what could be — if his program
had continued.
“If we still had it, I know it would be fourishing,” says Berndt, who teaches a
turfgrass operations class at Florida Gulf Coast. “We did everything in the evening
when people got off work. We got people placed in jobs. GCSAA supported us big
time. We were pretty healthy before it got taken away.”
— H.R.
Say reputation is their school’s most effective recruiting tool
85
%
Former Delaware Valley College students Frank Perrone and Alyson Painter volunteered at a USGA event to learn more about the turfgrass industry. Photo courtesy of Doug Linde, Ph.D.
042-057_Nov14_turfschools.indd 50 10/17/14 8:58 AM
042-057_Nov14_turfschools.indd 51 10/17/14 8:58 AM
52 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14
GCSAA Class A superintendent Chad Taylor at Cherokee Valley Golf Club in Travelers Rest, S.C., remembers when he attended Horry Georgetown, graduating in 1992, at a time they were building golf courses left and right. He says he isn’t stunned to hear that some superintendents would tell a younger generation to steer clear from his profession.
“I accept that it’s a tough feld,” says Taylor, a 25-year member of GCSAA. “If anybody shows an interest, I will encourage them. I understand that a lot of superintendents are staying home (in their current place of employment) because it’s not easy to get another job. I do this job because I love doing it. To me, it’s a challenge. For others, it might be a headache. Maybe they prefer their job be the same every day. Mine isn’t. I like that. I’m lucky.”
Pat Vittum, Ph.D., at the University of Massa-chusetts-Amherst, just wishes that turfgrass schools and superintendents all got on the same page.
“I have heard superintendents say, ‘Pat, I really wrestle with telling anybody about getting into this industry. It’s not as fun as it used to be 15 years ago.’ It worries me to hear that. We peg that as a concern,” Vittum says. “It needs to be a team sport.”
Kathryn Lorenzen, senior recruiter and career coach for LandaJob Marketing & Creative Talent of Kansas City, Mo., says it is not unusual for a pro-fessional, whether it is a golf course superintendent or a lawyer, to discourage someone from entering a particular feld of work.
“It does happen in a lot of industries. One of them is journalism, which is among the most rap-idly declining industries in the U.S.,” Lorenzen says. “In manufacturing, it has gradually been happening over the last 25 years. There are two reasons why a professional would discourage a student. One, if the overall industry is fat or declining. Or if there is an overpopulation of professionals in that category.”
What kind of advice would she give, say, a student who wants to become a golf course superintendent?
“Probably the same advice I would give if they were in graphic design or a business specialty,” she says. “If you really love that work, you should go for it.”
There will be others who do follow the path superintendents such as Hurning and Taylor jour-neyed. One of them is well on his way.
David Vastola began college as a pharmacy stu-dent at the University of Buffalo. He decided work-ing indoors for the rest of his life was not for him so he transferred to SUNY-Cobleskill. Although he had never worked on a golf course at that point, Vastola has proved that it’s never too late. He earned his turfgrass degree and now works as an assistant
Say golf course management attracts the most incoming students to their school/program92%the most incoming students to their the most incoming students to their school/programschool/program
Securing a new cropFootball teams at Big Ten Conference universities such as Ohio State feature re-
cruiting budgets well into six fgures.
Now, more than ever, several turfgrass programs sure could use recruiting budgets
to overcome the lean stretch that has greatly affected them in recent years. Instead
of having a budget earmarked for recruiting, turfgrass programs mostly fend for
themselves.
Asked to compare his recruiting budget to Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer’s,
Ohio State turfgrass professor Karl Danneberger chuckled. Obviously, that was a signal
that there really is no comparison.
“But, like Urban, we try to give them scholarships, whether through legacy funding,
academic scholarships, things like that,” Danneberger says. “And, like Urban, I like to
talk to kids when I can, get in front of them. Everybody likes the personal touch.”
Without recruiting budgets, turfgrass universities have to get creative to attract
students.
SUNY-Cobleskill just christened a new building (pictured above) called The Center
for Agriculture and Natural Resources. “The old digs were pretty sad. It looked like an
old Pizza Hut,” says Alex Ellram, Ph.D., a professor at the school. “I think our incoming
class (20 students) is partly an indication of the new building. You’ve got to impress
the parents and the students.”
Cal Poly Pomona lecturer Kelly Parkins says a strong relationship with nearby Mt.
San Antonio College is, in a way, a recruiting tool. The community college serves as a
feeder program for Cal Poly Pomona.
Yet the best recruiting sources, according to Andy McNitt, Ph.D., program coordi-
nator of the turfgrass science major at Penn State, are those who know Penn State
the best.
“We think our best recruiters are our alumni,” McNitt says. “We’re so old. … we
have a lot of alums out there. We don’t recruit against other schools. This is a long
blue line, a huge network. If you tap into that network, there are good job prospects.”
— H.R.
042-057_Nov14_turfschools.indd 52 10/17/14 8:58 AM
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54 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14
50
% superintendent at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Fla.“I wish I hadn’t wasted two years of college some-
where else,” Vastola says. “If I hadn’t, I’d be so much more advanced now. This job is so much about ex-perience, knowing how to handle things the second time around. I can only imagine where I’d be right now if I had gone into this much sooner.”
Vastola may be on to something.“People don’t think of turfgrass management as
a career they think about when they are mowing the lawn for Dad,” Kowalewski says. “No one at the high school level may be telling them that turf man-agement can be a good career for them.”
There actually was a time, former SUNY-Coble-skill professor Bob Emmons says, when his students wanted nothing more than to be a superintendent.
“They loved the whole concept of the golf course — getting up early, then at the end of the day being able to look back on what they did,” Emmons says. “They’d have rather done that than been a rock star.”
On solid ground?At North Carolina State, the average incom-
ing freshman grade-point average (GPA) is 4.4 on a 4-point scale. Obviously, those are some excellent students. So how could that possibly infuence the school’s turfgrass program?
“To get that GPA, you’ve got to take AP (Ad-vanced Placement) classes, honors courses,” Yelver-ton says. “A lot of turf students come from rural areas where they may not be able to take those types of classes. It has made it more and more competitive to get in. If you want to come to a four-year college and be a turfgrass major, you better be a darn good student or come in as a transfer student. We have been hurt by students not getting into our four-year program.”
When fewer turfgrass students enroll at North Carolina State and other colleges, that creates an issue for golf courses.
“We had more inquiries this year from golf courses and landscape companies dying for people to fll voids,” Bigelow says. “We don’t have them — and I don’t know what to do about it.”
Yelverton has heard that one before.“I had a superintendent at a prominent course in
the U.S. say he got four applications for an assistant’s job. He told me that 10 years ago he would have had 90. He doesn’t tend to exaggerate,” Yelverton says.
Schools are doing almost all they can to attract turfgrass students and fnd ways for them to be in-grained in the profession.
New Mexico State has been contracted by the city of Gallup to oversee the maintenance of its mu-nicipal golf course. In the past two years, Minnesota has added staff, including an extension educator and research pathologist. Clemson revamped its curricu-lum to ensure all the bases are covered, particularly prerequisites, for both turfgrass and agriculture stu-dents. Texas A&M is in the process of developing
A casualty of decline?Nobody has won more GCSAA Collegiate Turf Bowls than Iowa State University.
Iowa State’s 11 titles are unmatched. The university frst won in 1999 and three
times since posted three-peats (2002 to 2004; 2006 to 2008; and 2010 to 2012).
The magic, however, has faded. Iowa State fnished ffth in 2013. This year, Iowa State
placed sixth (Maryland won the championship).
Not bad. Not, though, what they have come to expect at Iowa State.
The drop-off may have a correlation to a decrease in numbers in the turfgrass pro-
gram, Iowa State professor Nick Christians, Ph.D., says.
“We used to take three or four teams to the Turf Bowl. Now coming up with one
is diffcult,” Christians says. “When we won, we also had teams that fnished in 60th
place. That 60th-place team gained the experience they needed to be No. 1 in future
years. We are missing that. Part of that is a large increase in tuition that has resulted
in more students going to community colleges frst. That experience is an important
part of winning.”
Notching Turf Bowl titles proved to be benefcial for the turfgrass program. “It was a
huge beneft for resources. When you needed equipment, they’d (university) fnd a way
to get it to you, whether it was for a research station or lab equipment. It was much
easier to obtain things,” Christians says.
Can Iowa State regain its elite status in the Turf Bowl? Christians is hopeful. He also
is keeping his fngers crossed that Iowa State brings two or three teams to the Turf
Bowl in February at the Golf Industry Show in San Antonio.
“I give them a good chance,” he says. “We have some good people and they are
starting early.”
— H.R.
Offer an online turf
studies program for students
042-057_Nov14_turfschools.indd 54 10/17/14 8:58 AM
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56 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14
a new feld laboratory. Horry Georgetown annually sends a handful of its students to help with over-seeding at Augusta National Golf Club, home of the Masters.
Several schools, including Michigan State, North Carolina State, Virginia Tech and Oklahoma State, are studying whether to offer online turf-grass-related courses to boost interest. Walla Walla professor Gwen Stahnke took a sabbatical when she still worked at Washington State University to study Penn State’s online program to determine if it was a good idea for Washington State (the university ad-opted it).
Perhaps the best way to attract more young peo-ple into the industry is the old-fashioned way.
“Golf courses used to have a lot of kids who were in high school working, and that would serve as a feeder system,” says Alex Ellram, Ph.D., professor at SUNY-Cobleskill. Those kids were better equipped when they came to college. We just don’t see enough of them anymore.”
Nevertheless, North Carolina State’s Rich Lin-ton, dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sci-ences, believes the turfgrass program at his school is on good footing. He notes how 800 people attended the school’s feld day late this summer and that 89 percent of their graduates, in all felds, fnd jobs. Specifcally for the turfgrass program, Linton sees a bright future.
“The green industry as a whole has suffered since 2008, but I think things are turning around,” Lin-ton says. “We are in a strong growing mode.”
On the horizon
What does the future hold for turfgrass schools? Virginia Tech turfgrass professor Erik Ervin, Ph.D., predicts it won’t be completely smooth sailing.
“It (the demise of a turfgrass program) is going to happen sometime at a large four-year university, given that golf might not grow again for a long time,” Ervin says.
Kansas State University turfgrass science profes-sor Jack Fry, Ph.D., recalls the days when his pro-
gram had as many as 150 students. Today, that num-ber totals in the 50-range, 30 of whom are geared toward golf course management. The dip in num-bers is on his, and others’, radar at the school. Fry says he doesn’t exactly feel pressured or that his job is on the line, but he senses a deep concern from those above him regarding enrollment in turf and other horticulture-related programs.
“Those in the dean’s offce are looking at us and saying, ‘What’s going on?’ They are asking what we can do to get more students. Securing more under-graduates is going to be a priority. I can sense it,” Fry says.
Bigelow says whether it is Purdue, Virginia Tech or Auburn, etc., golf course managers need to en-courage people to attend turf schools.
“We really need some grassroots efforts on sending good, enthusiastic students to our institutions so we can help them meet the potential needs for the indus-try. We cannot as faculty do it alone,” Bigelow says.
Texas A&M’s Ben Wherley, Ph.D., believes golf could beneft from a fresh face on the scene to spur growth in the game, which might help all aspects of the industry.
“Golf could use another Tiger Woods. I don’t see how that doesn’t play into this,” Wherley says.
The emergence of Woods, which fueled a golf surge, was nearly 20 years ago. Meanwhile, Michi-gan State professor Trey Rogers, Ph.D., is looking a decade ahead. The view at times is alarming to him.
“My biggest concern is not 2014. It’s 2024,” Rogers says. “I’m not concerned about (courses like) Shinnecock Hills or Chicago Golf Club. I’m con-cerned about the mid-level public course and having a qualifed individual to run the golf course. Not as many students have worked on golf courses, and that has been an issue.”
That is not the case for Bonini, who plans to graduate from Penn State the summer of 2015. His goal? Become a superintendent at a well-respected private course. Yes, he has been told the hours can be long, the stress oppressive and sleep a challenge when your greens are on the line.
His love for the profession, though, seems strong enough to energize him to overcome any issues as he pursues his hopes and dreams. It sounds as if the in-dustry could use more people like Bonini who dare to dream.
“I enjoy challenges, puzzles and adapting to overcome obstacles,” Bonini says. “This is a job that requires a very fne attention to detail while still maintaining sight of the big picture. I look forward to working with employees and greens committees to sow deeper interest in the science behind the green grass.”
Howard Richman ([email protected]) is GCM ’s associate editor.
A class at Florida Gateway College, which stopped offering an associate’s degree in golf course operations. It still has a certifcate program in horticulture for the golf and landscape industries. Photo courtesy of John Piersol
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042-057_Nov14_turfschools.indd 56 10/17/14 8:58 AM
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58 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14
A dramatic comebackPGA member Jimmy Terry and GCSAA superintendent Dick Gray have led a rejuvenation at PGA Golf Club.
Editor’s note: T is is t e t ird in a series of article ig lig ting t e important relations ip between GCSAA superintendents and PGA of America professionals. T ese stories are being publis ed simul-taneously in bot GCM and PGA Magazine.
It’s not a state secret that PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Fla., was in need of a refresh just 18 months ago. The overall state of the property was nowhere near what anyone would expect from a facility with the PGA’s name on it. Staff morale hung in the balance, and the number of rounds played suffered as well.
Some of the problems were relatively low-hanging fruit — obsolete maintenance equipment was in dire need of replacement, for example. Voila! Enter new Toro and Jacobsen mowers, sprayers and triplexes to expertly tend to the grasses.
Others were more deep-rooted, such as the overall agronomic health of the property, which had been hampered by a pair of 100-year foods that had struck St. Lucie County in recent years. Curative measures for those conditions, while well intentioned, had proved ineffective, and maintaining high-level course conditions on a day-to-day basis had become challenging.
Different callingsIn early 2013, longtime GCSAA member Dick Gray received a phone call from PGA of
America President Ted Bishop and a group of PGA executive staff and offcers. Gray and Bishop
Michael R. Abramowitz
AT THE TURN
(business)
In less than two years, PGA GC in Port St. Lucie, Fla., has been revitalized through judicious agronomic management with up-to-date maintenance equipment. Photos courtesy of PGA Golf Club
058-063_Nov14_PGA.indd 58 10/17/14 8:57 AM
60 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14
knew each other from their superintendent days in Indiana, while Gray also had a rela-tionship with Pete Dye that began in the 1960s at Crooked Stick Golf Club. (Dye and Tom Fazio are the course designers at PGA Golf Club, while Jim Fazio designed the nearby PGA Country Club.) Bishop reached out to Gray, saying, “Dick, we need your help.”
Gray, a 28-year member of GCSAA who designed The Florida Club and was instru-mental in making improvements to Jupiter Hills Club and Loblolly Pines, was retired when the call came, but listened intently. He understood the situation at PGA Golf Club, yet saw this situation as a unique opportunity to put an exclamation point on his career by bringing PGA Golf Club back to glory.
PGA Golf Club general manager Jimmy Terry, a PGA member, eventually joined Gray, the club’s new director of golf courses and grounds, three months later, but it took an epiphany. Terry and his wife, Rose, were a little surprised by what they saw upon their frst visit. Rose even said to Jimmy, who was general manager at TPC San Antonio and TPC Harding Park at the time, “Would you rather just go home?”
While contemplating the question, he saw a group of PGA apprentices walking across the street from the PGA Education Center, fol-lowing a checkpoint. For Terry, it was a call-ing. He made the decision right there that if
offered the job, he would take it, as he saw it as a means to give back to the organization that has given him so much throughout his career.
“The big thing is that I want my associa-tion’s golf courses to be the best they can be,” Terry explains.
Terry and Gray had never worked together prior to PGA Golf Club. The two have dis-tinctive personalities, but their chemistry is readily apparent. Terry is a tall Texan who makes you feel at home. Gray, with a straw cowboy hat always in tow, is an entertaining straight shooter.
Together, they have facilitated a dramatic comeback. The changes over 18 months are stunning. Greens, which once suffered from ring around the collar — literally — are now manicured. Fairways and tee areas, which once were thin and stressed, are now lush. Overgrown vegetation has become pictur-esque scenery.
“We kind of see things through the same set of eyes,” Terry says with pride. “The things I see and think are important are also things he sees and thinks are important. And if we are on opposite sides, we fgure things out.”
Early dividendsAll of this is part of a three-year plan that
Terry and Gray have established. Gray is quick to admit that it will take a few growing sea-sons to get everything as pristine as he would
Top: Dick Gray (left) and Jimmy Terry (right) have combined to right the ship at PGA GC.
Bottom: Gray installed “No!” signs on the course to keep golfers from venturing into sensitive areas. And it’s working.
058-063_Nov14_PGA.indd 60 10/17/14 8:57 AM
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058-063_Nov14_PGA.indd 61 10/17/14 8:57 AM
62 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14
like, but many in golf are taking notice. “All the things he’s done over the past cou-
ple of years that we’ve talked about needed to be done (to improve the Dye Course), there’s no way to put it all down,” says Pete Dye. “Dick’s done a good job, and I’m tickled to death with him.”
Fellow course designer Tom Fazio has similar feelings about what he describes as the “additions” to PGA Golf Club. “I’m excited about what has been done and the good pro-grams that are being put in place for the future of the golf courses,” says Fazio.
Golfers are seeing a difference, too.Darren Church, a guest from Riverview,
New Brunswick, Canada, with a 2.7 handi-cap, played PGA Golf Club in March and posted his review on TripAdvisor.com: “Well, a year later, I returned to the Dye Course (and) conditions were night (and) day vs. my 2013 trip. This course was in AMAZING shape. The greens crew has done a great job with it. All three courses here were in great shape … Job well done by the superintendent and his crew!”
Terry and Gray both praise their staffs for not only turning around the courses but for instilling a new culture of customer service.
“I look at things as an inverted pyramid,” explains Terry. “The GM is there for support. The staff does all the heavy lifting and hard work, and my job is to help them.”
For 2015, major changes will include dou-bling the size of the clubhouse, which is being redesigned by the legendary Tom Hoch.
In the meantime, Gray realizes that he’s doing things based on priorities, and some items will have to wait their turn.
To illustrate, over at the formerly private PGA Country Club, which Terry creatively steered to formally open to both the public and members on Nov. 1, the transformation of the 16th and 17th holes is nothing short of miraculous.
The par-4 16th had out-of-control marsh-land that blocked the view of the green from the fairway, making approach shots a crap-shoot. The vast, overgrown vegetation has since been cut down to waist height, showcas-ing the emergence of manicured hedges that are mirrored on the 17th tee, a par-3 that now features the frst bridge on the course.
A big no-no Among Gray’s signature additions at PGA
Golf Club are the “No!” signs that dot the landscape on the courses. They are less-than-subtle reminders for golfers to avoid driving their golf cars near the areas where the main-tenance staff is giving some tender loving care to the course or where new grass is coming up. He started this practice at Loblolly Pines, and it was the one thing he found that everyone clearly understood.
“Seldom do we have someone run through a ‘No!’ sign,” says Gray. “Folks understand what we’re trying to do.”
At frst, Terry was unsure about the signs but has grown to appreciate them.
“It’s not typical,” says Terry, who is now considering adding an “action zone” on the golf cars’ GPS so that golfers who do not obey the signs will actually hear Gray saying “No!”
“It was like the Wild West before with people driving the carts where they wanted … Those kinds of issues have lessened as the courses have gotten better. I think, overall, people are respecting … the golf course.”
It is sometimes tough to review a Mona Lisa when she’s still just Mona, but in this case, the changes afoot are dramatic, effective and commensurate with the standards of the PGA of America.
“Who else in the world gets to work on four courses designed either by a Fazio or Pete Dye?” asks Gray. “We built a better mouse-trap. This is the home of the PGA. This is their place. You are working for the highest order of the game.”
Michael R. Abramowitz is senior editor for the PGA of
America and PGA Magazine.
About halfway through their three-year plan, Dick Gray and Jimmy Terry are looking forward to continued improvements in the agronomic health of the course and a redesigned and enlarged clubhouse.
“I’m excited about
what has been
done and the good
programs that are
being put in place
for the future of the
golf courses.”
— Tom Fazio.
058-063_Nov14_PGA.indd 62 10/17/14 8:57 AM
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64 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14
The bunker’s edgeGCM shines a spotlight on innovative products and systems for bunker maintenance.
Bunkers have become such an important strategic component to the game of golf — and consequently to the golf course manager’s maintenance program and renovation plans — that GCM decided to devote the majority of one issue’s feature section to the subject (August 2014).
The package of stories GCM published in that issue generated such interest among readers that we have prepared a broader roundup of other products and systems in this category in part-nership with GCSAA’s industry partners who do business in this market segment.
GCM reached out to companies that manufacture and/or market products or systems for the improvement of golf course bunkers that have come to our attention through advertising in the magazine or exhibiting at the Golf Industry Show. Information from those who responded in time for our publication deadline is presented here, in alphabetical order and in a format that is intended to allow companies to fully explain their products on an even footing while allowing for differences in scope (e.g., liners or blankets vs. hardscape systems).
Blinder Bunker LinerA relative newcomer to the category, Blinder Bunker Liner was developed by a well-known
London greenkeeper, Murray Long of Sunningdale Golf Club, and introduced to the UK and European markets in 2011. Since then, the Ascot, Surrey-based company has installed Blinder Bunker Liners at more than 80 golf clubs, covering over 80,000 square meters of bunker area. The company says its liner is now being marketed to the U.S., with installations scheduled to commence in 2015.
The lining system mixes crumb rubber from recycled tires with a binding agent. The result-ing product is then hand-spread onto a sub-base and can be sprayed to match the color of the bunker sand, if desired. The product is suitable for renovating existing bunkers or constructing new ones.
Bunny Smith
AT THE TURN
(renovation)
Crumb rubber forms the sub-base of the lining system from Blinder Bunker Liner. The liner can be sprayed to match the color of the bunker sand. Photo courtesy of Blinder Bunker Liner
064-069_Nov_Bunker.indd 64 10/17/14 9:19 AM
66 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14
Features and benefits• Drainage at a rate up to 2,400 (0.63 gallon)
milliliters per hour.• Highly durable (life expectancy of over 20
years) and fexible; resistant to golf club strikes and withstanding extreme changes of temperature and expansion, and contrac-tion of surrounding soil due to prevailing weather conditions.
• Minimizes sand wash from steep bunker faces and protects the drainage medium.
• Improves the consistency and playability of bunkers.
Report from the field“With the base of our bunkers being the
native chalk of the area, they drain exception-ally well, but the chalk migrates, contaminat-ing the sand. Since Blinder was installed, there has been no contamination to speak of, which has eliminated the need to sieve the bunker,” says Eric Olson, the course manager at the golf facility for London’s Royal Automobile Club. “We have more than 140 bunkers, all with similar chalk bases, and keeping them free from stones and contamination is extremely labor intensive. By installing Blinder in all our bunkers, the signifcant amount of time we spent cleaning bunkers during the year can now be better spent enhancing other areas of our golf courses.”
Contact information
In the UK and Europe, contact Profusion Environmen-
tal Ltd. (www.profusion-enviro.com) or email nigel@
profusion-enviro.com; in the U.S., email Alan Fitzgerald,
Bunker SolutionNecessity was the mother of invention for
Kevin Clark. As the assistant superintendent at Lantana Golf Club in the north Texas town of Argyle, Clark became frustrated by a com-bination of severely fashed bunkers and de-terioration of the original liners, resulting in grass and weed encroachment as well as sand migration that became so problematic the bunkers had to be pumped out. Clark began looking for a better answer by researching and experimenting with a variety of materials, then refning the criteria until he had created and patented the Bunker Solution system.
Bunker Solution is a three-part liner sys-tem designed to prevent contamination of the bunker sand by creating a barrier between the subsurface soil and the sand. The complete system includes a geotextile lip anchor, an im-permeable ditch liner and the impermeable Bunker Solution mat.
Features and benefits• System designed using highest-quality
North American-sourced materials.• Provides “grip” for sand in the bottom of
bunkers and on bunker faces; sand slump is minimized after weather events.
• Gravel is not required, and stones will not migrate onto the playing surface.
• Lining system is golf club, string trimmer and raking machine friendly.
• Bunker Solution mat is backed by an eight-year manufacturer’s repair/replace-ment warranty.
Report from the fieldClark, now the owner of KLC Concepts,
emphasizes that his system was “developed by a superintendent for the superintendent” out of utter frustration, disappointment and the thought that “there has to be a better way.”
“The marketplace continues to prove that Bunker Solution works and provides a long-term solution to bunker maintenance that has answered all the problems and has ended the frustration of bunker maintenance,” he says.
Contact information
Contact Clark by email at [email protected] or by
phone at 214-564-4478.
Capillary ConcreteCapillary Concrete was developed in Swe-
den seven years ago and introduced into the U.S. market in 2012. Martin Sternberg, CGCS, a golf course owner and builder, developed Cap-illary Concrete to address the inadequacies he found in other bunker liner products. To date,
Bunker Solutions’ three-part liner system was designed to prevent sand slump. Photo courtesy of Bunker Solution
064-069_Nov_Bunker.indd 66 10/17/14 9:19 AM
11.14 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 67
The Capillary Concrete admixture is combined with an approved aggregate and water and spread in the bunker. Photo courtesy of Capillary Concrete
Capillary Concrete has been installed at more than 150 golf courses throughout the world.
The Capillary Concrete admixture is com-bined with an approved aggregate and water and spread in the bunker. This forms a pervious and homogenous layer that is strong and drains at several hundred inches per hour (drainage rate depends on aggregate shape and size used).
Features and benefits• Suitable for extreme environments; proven
track record in climates with freeze-thaw cycles.
• Relatively quick cure time allows installa-tion in climates where frequent rain events make other installation methods diffcult.
• Moisture-retention aggregate and Capillary Concrete drip system help replenish mois-ture to drying bunker faces.
Report from the fieldAt Atlanta Athletic Club in Duluth, Ga.,
where eight-year GCSAA member Tyler An-dersen is the superintendent, Capillary Con-crete was installed prior to the 2014 U.S. Amateur to frm up bunker faces to improve playability and to reduce maintenance follow-ing rain events.
“The U.S. Amateur was a great success;
the players really enjoyed the course condi-tions,” Andersen says. “As things started to really dry down, we were able to water our Capillary Concrete bunkers to maintain frm-ness and enhance playability. We also received 1 inch of rain in 25 minutes during the fnal round and had to fx zero washouts.”
Contact information
In the U.S., contact Ted Fist, product manager, for addi-
tional information by email at [email protected]
or by phone at 847-337-0808.
KlingstoneKlingstone was patented in 2001 after
being developed by chemists at its parent company, Green Mountain International, in response to an inquiry from a golf course su-perintendent. Green Mountain has been in the polyurethane and epoxy solutions busi-ness since 1987, developing dozens of custom trouble-shooting solutions for erosion control, soil stabilization and leak prevention.
Klingstone products are polyurethane-based liquids that cure to strong polymers that permanently bind and stabilize soils and ag-gregates by essentially gluing them together, explains Bob McCormick, general manager. Once applied, the barrier prevents stones and
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68 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14
other contaminants from migrating up from the bunker foor to contaminate bunker sand.
Features and benefits• All water is routed directly to the bunker’s
drainage system without ever touching the supporting subsoil beneath the Klingstone layer, eliminating erosion voids that can form beneath other hard liners, which lead to cracking and chunking of the hard layer when weight is applied from above.
• Can be applied with in-house resources by two-person teams.
• Bunkers can be put back in play 24 hours after application.
• Easily repaired by applying new product to the damaged area, where it bonds to the ex-isting Klingstone.
• Cured product is completely inert and envi-ronmentally safe.
Report from the fieldKlingstone was frst installed wall to wall
during construction of two Tom Fazio designs: Spring Hill Golf Club in Wayzata, Minn., in 1999, followed by Aldarra Golf Club outside Seattle in 2000. The construction superin-tendents, who are both still in place at these clubs, report that the Klingstone installations are still performing “fawlessly” after 15 and 14 seasons, McCormick says. How long will Klingstone-lined bunkers last?
“The truth is, we don’t know yet,” McCor-mick says. “Given a proper application, our chemist sees no reason the polyurethane/sand Klingstone layer can’t last for decades.”
Contact information
For additional details, visit www.klingstone.com or contact
McCormick by email at [email protected].
Perma BunkerThe technology behind Perma Bunker
was developed nearly seven years ago by Mike Archer of Sequoia Greenscapes, in collabora-tion with Bob Blalock. Archer says the pro-cess eliminates contamination of bunker sand, increases water infltration and minimizes movement of bunker sand through a three-phase process. The frst step is re-establishing the original size and shape of the bunker edge, which changes over time through normal maintenance operations.
The second step mixes the existing bunker sand with stabilization material and the native soil material of the bunker foor at a ratio that has been designed to produce soil cement. In-stalling the drainage system utilizing perim-eter Turf Drain lines and an infltration basin at the lowest elevation in the bunker is the third step in the process.
Features and benefits• Affordable, certifed installation through
Sequoia Greenscapes, which offers a full range of golf course and landscaping con-struction and renovation services.
• Reduced labor hours result in lower golf course maintenance costs while providing superior bunker playability for golfers.
• Perma Bunker technology is effective in a variety of climates and soil profles as evi-denced by a client list that includes courses in Texas, Colorado and Georgia.
• Technology is considered a viable solution to wildlife damage of the bunker foor re-sulting in sand contamination and drainage system failure.
Report from the field“We were amazed when we began restor-
ing the bunkers at the Palmer Course at The Woodlands Country Club how much the edges had changed over the last 20 years,” says Chris Hartman, now the GCSAA Class A super-intendent at the Tournament Course at The Woodlands in Spring, Texas. “Through the Perma Bunker process we were able to restore the bunkers back to their original design.”
Adds The Woodlands’ superintendent for The Oaks Course, seven-year GCSAA mem-ber Kevin Hill, “Even after fve years, with the Perma Bunker and Turf Drain system, we have eliminated pumping water from the bun-kers after rain events and have also eliminated the need to pitch the washed or eroded sand from our bunkers.”
The installation of a new drainage system — complete with perimeter Turf Drain lines and an infltration basin at the lowest elevation in the bunker — is a part of Perma Bunker’s overall efforts to eliminate contamination, increase water infltration and reduce sand movement. Photo courtesy of Perma Bunker
Klingstone’s polyurethane-based liner layer keeps water off the subsoil underneath and routes it directly to the bunker’s drainage system. Photo courtesy of Klingstone
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11.14 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 69
Contact information
For more information on Perma Bunker, contact Mike
Archer at 713-501-7456 or email him at marcher@
sequoiagreenscapes.com.
Sandtrapper by IVI-GolfThe team at Sandtrapper/IVI-Golf
launched the product in the late 1990s and states it has shipped over 100 million square feet of product worldwide to over 6,000 facilities.
Sandtrapper was developed after a com-plete analysis on the mechanics of water fow in bunker settings. The result is a specifc selection of fber denier, binder composition and manufacturing techniques that defnes the three-dimensional matrix for each prod-uct style. The different matrices, the com-pany says, are what allow Sandtrapper prod-ucts to constrain sand particles during rain events and prevent washouts. Sandtrapper also is a barrier that prevents contamination of sand from the underlying soils.
Features and benefits• Four styles available, with each designed to
address specifc bunker characteristics, so facilities can utilize the Sandtrapper solu-tion that matches their needs and budget.
• Available in standard (56-inch) and wide (90-inch) rolls.
• Simple, intuitive installation that can be performed by internal staff or any external construction company the facility chooses.
• No manufacturing delays or lead times, so bunker construction and renovation proj-ects can progress smoothly.
Report from the field“Investing in a bunker liner makes sense,”
says John Brauer, president of IVI-Golf/Sandtrapper. “With the sand and labor to install it being the single greatest cost of any bunker project, it is fscally responsible to pro-tect that investment. Sandtrapper will also extend the life of the bunker, pushing replen-ishment or renovations farther into the future. The material cost is quickly recouped from labor savings.” Brauer also adds, “Sandtrapper is a known and trusted name in golf. We’ve been doing this for a long time, and reputa-tion is everything.”
Contact information
For additional information, contact Johnson City, N.Y.-
based Sandtrapper/IVI-Golf at 888-970-5111 or visit
www.sandtrapper.com.
Bunny Smith ([email protected]) is GCM ’s senior man-
aging editor.
Sandtrapper by IVI-Golf was designed to prevent washouts and prevent contamination of the bunker sand from under-lying soil. Photo courtesy of Sandtrapper/IVI-Golf
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70 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14
As I surfed through 600 TV stations the other day, I paused when I spied young athletes playing soccer on artifcial turf on MSNBC. To my chagrin, I heard something like, “The artifcial felds were installed to conserve water.” Disgusted, and fully aware that playing soccer on anything but natural grass is sacrilege to both the sport’s governing body and the en-thusiast, I thought, “Here we go again, another story about the evils of natural grass.”
Suddenly, the story shifted, and the crumb rubber in the playing felds became the con-cern. By now, most of you already know that the crux of the story was whether heavy metals and suspected carcinogens contained in crumb rubber are a health risk to children. One parent stated he would not allow his children to play on the surface. To be fair, the story concluded that research on the topic is limited, and it has not been determined whether crumb rubber is a health risk or not.
Wow, was I stunned — not about the crumb rubber, but that turfgrass was not the problem. Over the past 20 years, turfgrass has been under attack for excessive water and pesticide use, nitrate leaching and promot-ing eutrophication on surface bodies of water by fertilization with phosphorus. While these concerns may be understandable, the golf in-dustry, aided by independent university re-search funded heavily by the USGA, GCSAA and other organizations, has spent millions to develop sound management practices that have minimized the environmental impact of natu-ral turf.
Phosphorus has been a focus of environ-mental regulation for decades because high levels can increase algae blooms. In the 1960s, Lake Erie was reported to have aged 15,000 years in a 50-year period, primarily because the lake was contaminated by phosphorus from de-tergents. This led to legislation that minimized these direct-source inputs. Before the legis-lation was passed, Lake Erie was considered dead; today, it is a great fshing lake.
Let’s recall what we know about phospho-rous from college soil science class. We know it is an essential nutrient and that it’s mobile in the plant. We further know that less than 1 percent of the nutrient is soluble in the soil. Most of it is tied up in soil minerals (apatite) or organic matter. This leads to the conclu-
sion that the best method of reducing phos-phorus movement into surface bodies of water is to reduce sediment movement, and the best way to reduce sediment movement is a dense vegetative ground cover. Hmmm, what could that be?
In a rather simple study, I buried six sedi-ment catch-cans on a sloping terrain that was just seeded with grass. Over a two-year period, I fertilized three strips with fertilizer (total-ing no more than 2.4 pounds of nitrogen per year); the other three strips were never fertil-ized. Each year, I removed the catch-cans and weighed the amount of sediment in each one. The results: the fertilized slopes reduced sedi-ment movement by 50 percent the frst year and by 95 percent the second year. That is a pretty simple experiment compared to the likes of turfgrass nutrient fate studies run by Drs. Kussow, Horrigan, Frank, Stier and others.
I will admit that I have never been a fan of crumb rubber in artifcial or natural grass play-ing surfaces because it is void of the microbial abundance that is in a symbiotic relationship with grass. That natural symbiotic relationship makes properly managed turfgrass among the world’s best flters for protecting surface and subsurface bodies of water.
I also never planned on writing a column about artifcial surfaces, and I don’t know if it is causing cancer in some of our nation’s children. However, part of the reason I do not know this is because the crumb rubber industry, unlike the golf industry, has not spent the necessary resources to make this determination. When the golf course management industry was chal-lenged, it put up the funding to answer the con-cerns and followed up by making adjustments based on scientifc fndings. In short, golf is part of the solution and grass is only natural.
Thomas A. Nikolai, Ph.D., is the tufrgrass academic special-
ist at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Mich., and
a frequent GCSAA educator.
Thomas A. Nikolai, [email protected]
100 percent natural
By now, most of
you already know
that the crux of the
story was whether
heavy metals
and suspected
carcinogens
contained in crumb
rubber are a health
risk to children.
(up to speed)
070-071_Nov14_UptoSpeed.indd 70 10/16/14 4:37 PM
With so much on the line, staying Rooted in Science™ is our commitment to you.
We understand that your professional reputation and livelihood are dependent on the quality
of the turfgrass you manage. We also know that you have many choices when it comes to
foliar nutrition, and Floratine is not always the least expensive option. But with so much
at stake, we refuse to take short cuts in the design, formulation and technical support
of our products. Yes, there are lower-grade raw materials and ‘all-in-one jug’ solutions
on the market, but that’s not what we’re about. As a family-owned company, we proudly
manufacture our products in our own facility in Tennessee, using only the highest-grade raw
ingredients to ensure you get nothing but the best in every jug.
Sincerely,
Kevin Cavanaugh, Co-Owner(901) 493-7211 | [email protected]
Mike Cavanaugh, Co-Owner(215) 588-5594 | [email protected]
070-071_Nov14_UptoSpeed.indd 71 10/16/14 4:37 PM
72 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14
A century of seeded bermudagrass production — and more to comeBermudagrass has evolved from a ‘wily’ weed to a multimillion-dollar industry.
Arden A. Baltensperger, Ph.D.
Bermudagrass may have been introduced to the United States from Africa hundreds of years ago when hay contaminated with the grass seed was used for bedding on slave ships. Since those less than illustrious beginnings, seeded bermudagrass has become a multimil-lion-dollar crop, grossing well over $36 mil-lion in 2013.
Although the exact date is not certain, Common bermudagrass (Cynodon dacty-lon) seed production and marketing began in Yuma County in western Arizona around 1915. Bermudagrass was well adapted to the area’s warm climate and saline soil conditions and readily invaded the local alfalfa seed pro-duction felds. By 1917, Roy Hansberger, an alfalfa farmer in the county, was separating bermudagrass (weed) seed from alfalfa seed with hand-held sieves, but it is believed that he had been selling bermudagrass seed for several years before then.
After 1920, W.R. (Bill) Whitman and Glen Quick, who had production felds near Blythe, Calif., were the frst to grow and sell bermudagrass seed on a commercial scale. At this time, bermudagrass fnally gained legiti-macy as a cash crop instead of a weed. Dur-ing World War II, bermudagrass seed produc-tion in the U.S. increased dramatically as the government used the seed to build airstrips in North Africa. William Kneebone, Ph.D., dis-cussed the introduction of bermudagrass into the United States and its status as a noxious weed in several states in his publication “Ber-mudagrass — worldly, wily, wonderful weed.”
Top: In the period around 1915, hand sieves were most likely used to separate bermudagrass seed from alfalfa seed. The brown seeds are alfalfa and the gray or white seeds are unhulled bermudagrass. Photo by Z. BaltenspergerBottom, left: A stationary thresher, circa 1940. Image courtesy of the authorBottom, right: A modern combine used for harvesting bermudagrass seed. Photo by J. Klingenberger
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11.14 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 73
Bermudagrass seed processing
and production
ProcessingAfter harvesting and cleaning, bermuda-
grass seed may be further processed. It may be dehulled to remove the glumes, leaving the bare caryopses. Although, in the past, most bermudagrass seed was dehulled before sale, today most seed is sold unhulled. However, considerable amounts of unhulled and hulled seed are now coated. Hulled seed germinates faster, and some coatings may improve ger-mination and establishment under adverse conditions.
Seed size varies among varieties. Many seeded varieties on the market now are similar in seed size to Common or NuMex Sahara, which both have approximately 1.5 million unhulled seeds or 2.1 million hulled seeds
Bermudagrass seed is sold in the following forms: unhulled (top left); hulled (top right); coated and unhulled (bottom left); coated and hulled (bottom right). Photos by Z. Baltensperger
The fairways at La Finca GC in Alicante Spain are seeded with Princess-77 bermudagrass. Photo by T. Bodderij
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74 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14
per pound. The hybrid variety Princess-77 is an exception with smaller seed and approxi-mately 2.2 million unhulled and 3 million hulled seeds per pound.
Increased production from t e 1940s onwardImmediately before World War II and
throughout the 1940s and 1950s, most of the world supply of bermudagrass seed came pri-marily from Yuma County in the Gila and Wellton-Mohawk Valleys of southwestern Arizona. Acreage and seed production in-creased rapidly from 1,700 acres and 1.1 mil-lion pounds of seed in 1940 to 4,900 acres and 4.4 million pounds of seed in 1950. Starting around 1975, bermudagrass seed production took hold in the Imperial Valley of California and declined in Arizona (Figures 1, 2). The primary reason for this shift was that reduced soil salinity allowed higher-value crops to be grown in Arizona, while the saltier soils in the Imperial Valley gave good bermudagrass seed yields. The large fuctuations in acreage and seed yields are partially due to some felds being used for hay instead of seed when hay prices were favorable. The estimated value of seed produced in the United States in recent years is shown in Figure 3. These estimates do not include added-value procedures such as dehulling, coating, packaging and shipping.
Bermudagrass varieties before 1980
Vegetative bermudagrassesBermudagrass has long been a favored for-
age and turf species in the southern United States and other areas in the world with simi-lar climates. However, Common bermuda- grass lacked density, uniformity and other at-tributes desirable for turf use. In the 1950s, the noted plant breeder Glen Burton, Ph.D., pioneered a breeding program to improve ber-mudagrass. Among the varieties he developed was Tifway 419 (Cynodon transvaalensis × C. dactylon), which was released in 1960 and has been a standard for interspecifc hybrids that are propagated vegetatively.
Turfgrass scientists from the USDA Agri-cultural Research Service, the United States Golf Association (USGA) Green Section and eight Agricultural Experiment Stations also developed or selected more than 15 improved vegetative bermudagrass varieties between 1950 and 1970. The availability of excellent vegetative turf types reduced interest in and fnancing for the breeding and development of seeded varieties. However, because these in-
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Figure 1. Estimated number of acres of bermudagrass (shown in thousands of acres) grown for seed in California and Arizona (1940-2013) and in Oklahoma (1985-2013). The acreage of seed-propagated forage varieties is included. Data were obtained from various sources, including Yuma County Agricultural Statistics, University of Arizona; Imperial County Agricultural Crop and Livestock Reports; USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service; John Lamle, Johnston Seed Co.; and Tom Bodderij, Pennington Seed/Seeds West.
Figure 2. Estimated yield of cleaned unhulled bermudagrass seed (in millions of pounds) in California and Arizona (1940-2013) and in Oklahoma (1985-2013). The seed production of forage varieties is included, but it is estimated at less than 10% of the total bermudagrass seed produced over the last decade. Data were obtained from various sources, including Yuma County Agricultural Statistics, University of Arizona; Imperial County Agricultural Crop and Livestock Reports; USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service; John Lamle, Johnston Seed Co.; and Tom Bodderij, Pennington Seed/Seeds West.
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11.14 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 75
terspecifc hybrids are sterile and do not pro-duce seed, they must be sprigged or sodded, making establishment more expensive and more labor-intensive than establishment of seeded bermudagrasses.
Seeded bermudagrassesCommon bermudagrass. Until the mid-to-
late 1980s, Common bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.], sometimes referred to as Arizona Common, was essentially the only seeded bermudagrass available. Although Common has some desirable turfgrass charac-teristics, it cannot compete with many of the vegetative varieties, especially the interspecifc hybrids.
Common bermudagrass is a tetraploid with 2n = 4x = 36 chromosomes. It is a prolifc seed producer, and presumably seed yield was increased by natural selection from the time of its frst introduction into the Yuma, Ariz., area around 1900, until seed production be-came commercially viable around 1940. Al-though millions of pounds of seed had been sold before 1960, Common was not certifed until 1963. Certifcation was initiated to help provide more uniform, high-quality seed that was free, or nearly free, of Giant bermuda-grass (described below). (Editor’s note: Arden Baltensperger, Ph.D., was instrumental in the initial certifcation of Common). Al-though certifcation for Common has been discontinued, the new proprietary varieties are certifed by state crop improvement as-sociations and must meet strict standards for germination, genetic purity and freedom from weed seeds.
Giant bermudagrass and NK-37. In the 1950s, a tall-growing bermudagrass called Giant invaded the Common felds. Giant (Cynodon dactylon var. aridus) is a diploid with 2n = 2x =18 chromosomes. In the late l950s, selected Giant plants were intercrossed to produce NK-37, a proprietary variety for Northrup King Co. Although little NK-37 is sold at the present time, Giant seed and blends of Giant and Common such as Terra Verde are available for forage and erosion control.
Seed from U-3. W.R. Whitman sprigged U-3 — a cold-tolerant vegetative variety se-lected in Savannah, Ga., in 1938 — into his backyard in the early 1960s and harvested seed that was presumably a cross with Com-mon. He increased this variety, and for a short time he sold the seed as U-3 or “Seed from U-3.” However, since U-3 is highly sterile, this
variety produced turf that was very similar to Common.
Experimental NK 7800. In the early 1970s, H.E. Kaerwer developed the strain NK 7800 for Northrup King Co. by inter-crossing many highly selected clones. This synthetic experimental variety was only moderately superior to Common, but it stim-ulated some interest in developing seed-prop-agated bermudagrasses.
Improving seeded bermudagrasses
The frst signifcant improvement in seed-propagated bermudagrasses for use as turf was in the 1980s. The development, release, commercial production and acceptance of the two varieties Guymon and NuMex Sahara stimulated breeding and development in both private companies and universities. It was a “Back to the Future” moment in seeded ber-mudagrass development.
GuymonIn 1982, at Oklahoma State University,
Charles Taliaferro, Ph.D., released Guymon, a synthetic of two cold-tolerant bermuda- grass clones. It was released for soil stabiliza-tion and general purpose use, but was read-ily accepted for turf, primarily because of its
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Figure 3. Estimated gross value of bermudagrass seed production from 2006 to 2013 in California, Arizona and Oklahoma. Data were obtained from various sources, including Yuma County Agricultural Statistics, University of Arizona; Imperial County Agricultural Crop and Livestock Reports; USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service; John Lamle, Johnston Seed Co.; and Tom Bodderij, Pennington Seed/Seeds West.
excellent cold tolerance and dark green color. However, seed production in Guymon is sig-nifcantly lower than in Common.
NuMex Sa araNuMex Sahara was developed at New
Mexico State University (Editor’s note: by Arden Baltensperger, Ph.D.) and released in 1987. It was the result of the intercrossing of eight elite clones followed by several gen-erations of phenotypic recurrent selection. NuMex Sahara is more uniform than Com-mon and is moderately denser and lower growing. It was the frst seed-propagated vari-ety developed exclusively for turf use that was commercially accepted.
The breeding and development of NuMex Sahara was partially funded by the USGA Green Section, and Seeds West (originally the Farmers Marketing Corp.) was awarded exclusive rights to the variety. NuMex Sahara was aggressively marketed, and some sales were made through mass merchants. Dur-ing the plant variety protection (PVP) period of 17 years, the variety returned more than $1 million in royalties to the USGA Green Section and the New Mexico Agricultural Ex-periment Station. Some NuMex Sahara seed is still being sold.
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76 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14
Advances in t e 1980sThe late 1980s saw notable advances in
seeded bermudagrass breeding and develop-ment. For example, seeded entries in the Na-tional Bermudagrass Test (NTEP) increased from two named varieties and fve experimen-tals in the 1986 NTEP to six named variet-ies and 10 experimental varieties in the 1992 trials (Table 1). The jump in the number of new varieties in the 1997 NTEP test further illustrates the signifcant interest in the de-velopment of improved seeded varieties. The primary stimulus for this renewed interest was the improvement and acceptance of NuMex Sahara and Guymon and, later, Princess-77 and Riviera. Other good seeded turfgrass va-rieties were also developed and released, and several improved seed-propagated forage ber-mudagrass varieties were released. Seed pro-duction of forage varieties is estimated at less than 10% of the total bermudagrass seed pro-duction over the last decade. The acreage and seed production of the forage varieties are in-cluded in Figures 1 and 2, respectively.
T e ’90s: a leap forwardPrincess-77 and Riviera marked a leap for-
ward in turfgrass quality for seeded bermu-dagrass. Some characteristics of these variet-ies are equal to or, in some cases, superior to those of the best vegetative varieties and have the advantage of less expensive shipping and establishment. To compare these two varieties with others including the vegetative hybrids, see data from the National Bermudagrass Test results sponsored by the National Turfgrass Evaluation Program (www.ntep.org/reports/bg07/bg07_13-10f/bg07_13-10f.htm), specif-ically 2014 NTEP Reports on CD 1984-2013 Data Volume 1 at www.ntep.org. These tests, over many locations and years, indicate the ex-
Seeded bermudagrasses
1986 NTEP 1992 NTEP 1997 NTEP
Common† Cheyenne† BlackJack†
Guymon† Common† Blue-muda†
FMC 2-90 Common†
NM S-2† FMC 3-91 J-540
NM S-3 FMC 5-91 Jackpot (J-912)†
NM S-4 Guymon† Majestic†
NM S-14 J-27 Mirage†
NuMex Sahara (NM S-1)† Jackpot (J-912)† NuMex Sahara†
Mirage (90173) Princess-77†
NuMex Sahara† Pyramid†
OKS 91-1 Riviera (OKS 95-1)†
OKS 91-11 Savannah†
Primavera (FMC 1-90) Shangri La†
Sonesta† Southern Star (J-1224)†
Sultan (FMC 6-91) Sundevil II†
Sundevil† SW1-11
Sydney (SW1-7)†
Transcontinental (PST-R69C)†
Over 17 years, more than $1 million in royalties for NuMex Sahara was paid to the New Mexico Agricultural Experiment Station and to the USGA, which helped support development of the variety. In 2006, Ronnie Stapp, Pennington Seeds (far right), presented royalty checks for NuMex Sahara to New Mexico State University president Michael Martin while Michael Kenna, Ph.D. (far left), USGA Green Section, and Arden Baltensperger, Ph.D., the developer of NuMex Sahara, look on. Photo by Darren Phillips/NMSU Agricultural Communications
Seeded bermudagrass cultivars, 1986-1997 NTEP trials*
*Vegetatively propagated varieties were included in each trial: 21 in 1986 for a total of 28 entries; 10 in 1992 for a total of 26 entries; and 10 in 1997 for a total of 28 entries. Data from the frst two columns in this table were originally published in the USGA Green Section Record in 1994 (32(6):14-19). Information from the 1997 NTEP trials was supplied by NTEP director Kevin Morris.†Commercially available varieties.
Table 1. Seed-propagated bermudagrasses entered in the National Turfgrass Evaluation Program (NTEP) in 1986, 1992 and 1997.
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11.14 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 77
cellent overall turfgrass quality ratings of these two varieties, which also rank high in many characteristics such as density, leaf texture, ge-netic color, cold, drought and salt tolerance, and water use. The trend in breeding and de-velopment of seeded bermudas continues as indicated by the 18 seeded entries in the 2013 NTEP test.
Princess-77 and Riviera had a signifcant impact on the bermudagrass industry, and they have become standard entries in the NTEP tests. In recognition of the importance of these varieties, the Turfgrass Breeders As-sociation presented its Breeder’s Cup award to Taliaferro in 2003 and to Baltensperger in 2005 for originality in development of a turf variety.
The Princess-77 story
The breeding and development of the frst seeded turf-type bermudagrass hybrid was radically different from that of the open-pol-linated and synthetic varieties such as NuMex Sahara. Most seeded varieties before this time were plants intercrossed and selected over sev-eral generations and produced as open-polli-nated varieties.
Parent clonesThe parent clones of Princess-77 (parental
lines A-3 and A-4) are two of many resulting from intercrossing plants carefully selected for highly desirable turf characteristics. The original crossing block contained replicated clones originating from several locations in-cluding Australia, France, Mexico and the United States. Thousands of seedlings and plants from this crossing block were evaluated under greenhouse and feld conditions. The two clones that had been rigidly selected for turf characteristics were crossed in isolation to produce F
1 (frst generation) or hybrid seed.
(More detail concerning the breeding of this variety is available in the 1994 USGA Green Section Record article by Baltensperger and Klingenberg). Figure 4 illustrates the differ-ence between the development of the vegeta-tive interspecifc hybrids and Princess-77, an intraspecifc hybrid.
From the many two-clone crosses made, cross 77 was selected for release and seed pro-duction. It was chosen not only for its excel-lent turf characteristics, but also for its slightly higher seed production. Even so, seed yield is much lower for Princess-77 than for open-pol-linated varieties such as NuMex Sahara.
Plant variety protection was delayed after the release of Princess-77 because there was no satisfactory way of preserving the parent clones. Barbara Reed, Ph.D., who was work-ing on preservation of vegetative plants at the USDA National Clonal Germplasm Reposi-tory, Cryopreservation Laboratory in Oregon was contacted, and she and her co-workers developed a means of preserving the bermu-dagrass clones. As a result, the two clones of Princess-77 are now stored in low-temperature vats at the USDA National Center for Genetic Resources Preservation at Fort Collins, Colo.
Seed productionSeed production of this hybrid was a whole
new ball game. All varieties grown for seed in Arizona and California at this time were es-tablished from seed. Princess-77 had to be es-
tablished by planting sprigs of the two clones side by side. This method is very labor-inten-sive and involved much trial and error. To es-tablish new felds, plugs of clone 1 and clone 2 are harvested from a clonal nursery and each is dropped into planters at 2-foot spacing. Fields are watered immediately after planting. Fields are easily rogued for off-type plants as the area flls in and forms a dense sod.
The seed produced is frst-generation (F1)
hybrid seed because the two clones are self-incompatible but cross-fertile. Only the frst-generation seed is sold because later genera-tions such as F
2 and F
3 have lower turf quality.
Recognition for Princess-77Princess-77 is the frst and only commer-
cial, seed-propagated, hybrid bermudagrass developed specifcally for turf. Its turfgrass
Figure 4. Parents of interspecifc and intraspecifc seeded bermudagrass hybrids and their frst-generation (F1) progeny.
Interspecifc hybrids, such as Cynodon dactylon × C. transvaalensis, are vegetatively propagated because the progeny are sterile. Intraspecifc hybrids, such as C. dactylon × C. dactylon are fertile, producing seed that can be used for estab-lishment felds or further breeding. Taken from USGA Green Section Record, November/December 1994, p.14.
Seeded bermudagrass hybrids
Interspecific Hybrid
(Tifway, Tifgreen and others)
Intraspecific Hybrid
(Princess-77)
PARENTS
C. dactylon
(2n = 36)
C. transvaalensis
(2n = 18)
C. dactylon
(2n = 36)
C. dactylon
(2n = 36)
C. dactylon × C. transvaalensis
(2n = 27)
C. dactylon
(2n = 36)
F1 PROGENY
Sterile – Must be vegetatively propagated because it will not produce seed.
Fertile – F1 progeny will produce seed for establishment
or continued breeding and development.
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78 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14
the United States, Mexico, Spain, the Canary Islands and Oman.
The future of seeded bermudagrass
In the years since the release of Princess-77 and Riviera, many public and private com-pany plant breeders have developed excellent seeded varieties of bermudagrass (Table 2). Currently, plant breeders are developing va-rieties with attributes such as increased salt, wear and shade tolerance. Considerable ef-fort is being made to develop varieties that use less water or are more drought-tolerant. The challenge is to incorporate some or all of these traits without losing any of the fne traits of the current best-performing varieties.
The future looks bright for the seed-propagated bermudagrasses as new varieties are expected to be released in 2015. May this “worldly, wily wonderful weed” continue to be enjoyed for another 100 years.
Acknowledgments
Many thanks to the following individuals for editorial assistance: Mike Kenna, Cathey Manning, Bernd Leinauer and Charlie Rodg-ers. In addition, thanks to the following indi-viduals, past and present, for valuable infor-mation and photos: Tom Bodderij, Charles Buckeye, Phyllis Cason, Patrick Hodges, Howard Kaerwer, Ashley Kerna, John Klin-genberg, John Lamle, Kevin Morris, Shirley Murdock, W.R. (Bill) Whitman, Roy B. and Wayne F. Wright, Steve Ostrin and Robert Vaughan. Special thanks also to Teresa Car-son for editorial assistance, obtaining photo-graphs and patience with the author. Funding from the USGA Green Section for the devel-opment of NuMex Sahara and several other early improved seeded bermudagrasses is acknowledged.
References
1. Ahring, R.M., C.M. Taliaferro and R.D. Morrison.
1974. Seed production of several strains and hybrids
of bermudagrass, Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. Crop
Science 14:93-95.
2. Baltensperger, A.A. 1989. Registration of 'NuMex
Sahara' bermudagrass. Crop Science 29:1326.
3. Baltensperger, A.A., and C. Bernhard. 1963. Com-
mon bermudagrass purity study implements cleaner
seed program. Seedsman's Digest July.
4. Baltensperger, A.A., B. Dossey, L. Taylor and J. Klin-
genberg. 1993. Bermudagrass, Cynodon dactylon,
seed production and variety development. Interna-
tional Turfgrass Society Research JournaI 7:829-839.
Establishing Princess-77 bermudagrass in Arizona. Plugs are harvested from the clonal nursery (top left); Princess-77 plugs ready for transport to the planter (top right); plugs of clone 1 and clone 2 are dropped in alternate rows (bottom left); and fnally, a small crew following the planter steps on loose plugs to ensure good plant-to-soil contact (bottom right). Photos by C. Baltensperger
The notable increase in density of Princess-77 and Riviera separated them from the previously seeded bermudagrass varieties and resulted in the development of newer varieties with greater density and thus greater ball support. Photo by Z. Baltensperger
quality ratings are comparable to the best veg-etative varieties, but establishing and repair-ing turf is easier and less expensive than with vegetative varieties. It is also dense, so it pro-vides good ball support, and it has high salt, drought and wear tolerance. Princess-77 is currently the only turfgrass variety recognized by the non-proft Turfgrass Water Conserva-
tion Alliance (TWCA) as “a plant that pro-vides a clear beneft in water conservation.” The variety helps fll a niche for develop-ment of turf areas on golf courses and other turf sports venues in semitropical and tropical areas worldwide. Its traffc tolerance has been proved in two Super Bowls and many foreign and domestic venues, including golf courses in
072-081_Nov14_Techwell.indd 78 10/16/14 3:59 PM
11.14 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 79
The
RESEARCH SAYS
• Bermudagrass seed was first sold in the U.S.
approximately 100 years ago.
• Many of the early improved bermudagrasses
used for turf were vegetative varieties, until two
moderately improved seeded varieties, Guymon
and NuMex Sahara, were introduced in the
1980s.
• Princess-77 and Riviera, which were introduced
in the 1990s, proved to be equal or superior to
many of the better vegetative varieties, while
offering all the advantages of seeded ones.
• Seeded bermudagrasses have become more
popular, and many of the new, improved variet-
ies have better tolerance to shade, salt, cold,
drought or wear.
Company/variety name
Barenbrug
Barbados Bargusto
Panama*
DLF-Pickseed
Dune Mirage 2
Pyramid 2
Jacklin Seed
Hollywood Jackpot
Southern Star
John Deere Landscape
Sunsport Sunstar
Johnston Seed
Riviera†
Pennington/Seeds West
Mohawk Panama*
Princess-77 Sahara
Sahara II Sultan
SWI-1041 SWI-1044
Sydney
Pure Seed
North Shore SLT Transcontinental
Seed Research of Oregon
La Paloma Royal Bengal
SR 9554 Yukon
Seeded bermudagrass, 2014
Note. The information in this table was provided by the seed companies. No information is listed for companies that did not respond to GCM’s request for information. New varieties are expected to be released in 2015.
*Pennington/Seeds West owns and produces Panama for Barenbrug.†Riviera is owned and produced by Johnston Seed but distributed through various outlets.
Table 2. Seeded turf-type bermudagrasses that were commercially available as of Oct. 8, 2014.
5. Baltensperger, A.A., and J.P. Klingenberg. 1994.
Introducing new seed-propagated F1 hybrid (2-clone
synthetic) bermudagrass. USGA Green Section
Record 32(6):14-19.
6. Burton, G.W. 1992. Breeding improved turfgrass. In:
P.V. Waddington, R.N. Carrow and R.C. Shearman,
eds. Turfgrass. ASA, CSSA and SSSA, Madison, Wis.
7. Cluff, G.J., and A.A. Baltensperger. 1991. Heritability
estimates for seed yield and seed yield components
in bermudagrass. NMSU Agricultural Experimental
Station Bulletin 759.
8. Coffee, B.N., and A.A. Baltensperger. 1989. Herita-
bility estimates for selected turfgrass characteristics
of bermudagrass evaluated under shade. The 6th
International Turfgrass Research Conference, Tokyo.
9. Freeman, G.F. 1914. Alfalfa in the Southwest. Arizona
Agricultural Experimental Station Bulletin 73.
10. Gaussoin, R.E, A.A. Baltensperger and B.N. Coffee.
1988. Response of 32 bermudagrass clones to
reduced light intensity. HortScience 23(1):178-179.
11. Hanson, A.A. 1965. Grass varieties in the United
States. Agriculture Handbook, Vol. 170. USDA-ARS,
Washington, D.C.
12. Harlan, J.R, J.J. de Wet and W.L. Richardson. 1969.
Hybridization studies with species of Cynodon from
East Africa and Malagasy. American Journal of
Botany 56:994-950.
13. Kenna, M.P., C.M. Taliaferro and W.L. Richardson.
1983. Comparative fertility and seed yields of paren-
tal bermudagrass clones and their single-cross F1
and F2 populations. Crop Science 23:1133-1135.
14. Kneebone, W.R. 1966. Bermuda grass—worldly,
wily, wonderful weed. Economic Botany 20(1).
15. Rodgers, C. 2003. You’ve come a long way, ber-
muda. Golf Course Management 71(8):91-94.
16. Rodgers, C., and A.A. Baltensperger. 2005. Registration
of parental lines A-3 and A-4. Crop Science 45:1176.
17. Sevostianova, E., B. Leinauer, R. Sallenave, D.
Karcher and B. Maier. 2011. Soil salinity and quality
of sprinkler and drip irrigated warm-season turf-
grasses. Agronomy Journal 103:1773-1784.
18. Taliaferro, C.M. 1989. Breeding and evaluation of
fne-textured, cold-tolerant, seed-propagated ber-
mudagrass cultivars. p. 27. In: USGA/GCSAA Annual
Turfgrass Research Report.
19. Taliaferro, C.M., R.M. Ahring and W.L. Richardson.
1983. Registration of Guymon bermudagrass. Crop
Science 23:1219.
20. Wofford, D.S., and A.A. Baltensperger. 1985.
Heritability estimates for turfgrass characteristics in
bermudagrass. Crop Science 25:133-136.
A.A. Baltensperger, Ph.D. ([email protected]), is an
emeritus professor of agronomy at New Mexico State Uni-
versity, Las Cruces, N.M.
072-081_Nov14_Techwell.indd 79 10/16/14 3:59 PM
80 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14
CUTTING EDGETeresa Carson
Heritability estimates for morphological variation and rust response of Zoysia
The most commonly used species of zoy-siagrass are Zoysia matrella and Z. japonica, which have differing leaf textures, growth habits and seed head traits. Zoysia japonica has a medium-coarse leaf texture, upright growth and longer seed heads, while Z. matrella has a fner leaf texture, more compact growth habit and shorter seed heads. Hybrids between these species are viable and have been evaluated for improved tolerance to biotic and abiotic stress factors. Heritability values have been estimated in zoysiagrass for coverage, density, quality, genetic color, fall dormancy, seed head density, and limited disease and nematode re-sistance. Heritability and segregation of other traits have not been estimated for genetic pop-ulations of Z. matrella and Z. japonica. Large patch disease development was compared on 50 germplasm lines that were inoculated and incubated in a controlled walk-in chamber. Nineteen lines with different leaf textures and disease responses were used to develop a ge-netic population. The narrow-sense heritabil-ity of stem and leaf color, leaf texture, growth habit, raceme length and number, foret color and rust response were estimated in progeny from six families. Variation was observed for all traits. Heritability estimates were calcu-lated using ASReml software. High herita-bility was observed for leaf width, indicating that, in this population, leaf width is mainly infuenced by genetic effects. Moderate heri-tability estimates were obtained for stem color,
fowering initiation and rust response. Rela-tively low heritability values were obtained for leaf color, growth habit, raceme length and foret color, indicating that these traits, in this population, are infuenced more by environ-mental factors. Overall, these results indicate that the traits are under genetic control and that improvements can be obtained through hybridization and selection of desirable in-dividuals. — Norma Cristina Flor; Kevin E. Ken-
worthy, Ph.D.; Philip Harmon, Ph.D.; and Patricio
Munoz, University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla.
Shade tolerance evaluation of South African bermudagrass germplasm
Bermudagrass (Cynodon species) is one of the most commonly grown turfgrass genera
in the southern United States, having excellent drought tolerance but poor tolerance to shade. Developing cultivars tolerant to shade would allow bermudagrass to be used in areas where trees dominate the landscape. In this study, nine accessions collected from Pretoria, South Africa, were evaluated for their ability to grow under shade. These accessions and the culti-vars Celebration, Tifgrand and Tifway were evaluated under 0%, 63% and 80% shade during 2011-2012. For both years, signifcant differences among shade levels and genotypes, and the interaction of the two, were observed. As expected, the progression from 0% to 63% to 80% shade reduced normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), percent turfgrass cover and turf quality readings for all acces-sions. Some genotypes, however, were able to maintain adequate quality and aggressive-ness under low-light conditions. Celebration, WIN10F and STIL03 performed better than all other entries under the selected shade treat-ments (63% and 80%) across both years of the study. Overall, our results indicate that there are promising genotypes among the bermu-dagrass materials collected from South Africa. These accessions represent additional sources of shade tolerance to be used in bermuda-grass breeding. — Jeffrey C. Dunne and Susana R.
Milla-Lewis, Ph.D., North Carolina State University,
Raleigh, N.C.
Teresa Carson ([email protected]) is GCM ’s science
editor.
Photo by N.C. Flor
Photo by S.R. Milla-Lewis
072-081_Nov14_Techwell.indd 80 10/16/14 3:59 PM
See You in
San Antonio!Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center
February 21-26, 2015
Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center
GCSAA Education Conference | Trade Show | GCSAA Golf Championships
golfndustryshow.com
072-081_Nov14_Techwell.indd 81 10/16/14 3:59 PM
82 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14
This month we are going to get into the weeds. That is, into the common winter annual weed, annual bluegrass (Poa annua species). The problem: Is Poa annua truly an annual, or are there other species out there, populations that express themselves in a perennial nature? First hints of this were mentioned in research from 1957, and the concept of perennial Poa was frmly established in 1971 by Vic Gibeault, Ph.D., who clearly showed that perennial Poa varieties are more prostrate, darker green, have few seedheads and produce seed that do not re-quire a dormancy period. So we now recognize Poa annua var. annua (annual type), and Poa annua var. reptans (perennial type).
But it’s not just one or the other. A wide variety of Poa varieties are trotting around the southeastern United States, some of a completely perennial nature, some that are true annuals, and a whole bunch that occupy some “in-between” state of quasi-perennial. The excellent turfgrass weed scientists at Au-burn (Scott McElroy, Ph.D., and R.H. Walker, Ph.D.) decided to collect a batch of them and look at how environmental cues (temperature and photoperiod) affect seed germination. Knowing the environment in which Poa ger-minates is important, because that environ-ment is directly linked to the effectiveness of a pre-emergent herbicide program.
McElroy collected eight annual bluegrass ecotypes (an ecotype would be a particular Poa annua that is adapted to a specifc envi-ronment) from various golf course fairways and putting greens. These ecotypes varied widely in appearance, with some thought to be a “suspected perennial” and others of an “an-nual nature.” Seeds were collected from all the plants and then used for the laboratory germi-nation studies.
Six photoperiods (0/24, 8/16, 10/14, 12/12, 14/10, and 18/6 hours day/night) and three temperature regimes (102 F/84 F, 84 F/66 F and 66 F/50 F [39 C/29 C, 29 C/19 C, and 19 C/10 C] day/night) were evaluated. These were all evaluated as combinations, so there were six photoperiods × three day/night temperatures × eight Poa annua ecotypes, a total of 144 treat-ments in the study. The entire experiment was
done twice. Collected data was the number of germinated seed after three weeks.
So what did they fnd? First, maximum ger-mination in all annual bluegrasses was found at the 66 F/50 F day/night temperatures. Second, as the day/night temperatures increased, germi-nation decreased, but the degree to which ger-mination was affected varied with the annual bluegrass ecotype. The perennial or “suspected perennial” annual bluegrasses had better ger-mination at 84 F/66 F day/night temperatures (~86 percent), while the germination of the an-nual ecotypes was lower (79 percent). At the highest temperature range (102 F/84 F day/night), 1 percent to 8 percent of the annual blue-grass germinated, and one perennial type had around 20 percent germination. Thus, some of the selected annual bluegrass did not behave at all like a cool-season annual and germinated at temperatures previously thought of as too hot.
The response of the annual bluegrass to photoperiod was not as clear-cut. In fact, there was no strong trend of increasing or decreasing germination as the hours of day/night were var-ied. The one distinct fnding was that complete darkness did not inhibit germination. Across all the annual bluegrass ecotypes, average per-cent germination in complete darkness was 57 percent. The authors noted that some re-searchers have suggested that a dense turfgrass canopy can prevent annual bluegrass germina-tion. McElroy and his co-authors have shown that reduced light from the turf canopy does not limit P. annua germination, but the dense canopy may be useful in creating seedling com-petition (the creeping bentgrass will crowd out Poa seedlings).
Source: McElroy, J.S., R.H. Walker, G.R. Wehtje and E. van Santen. 2004. Annual bluegrass (Poa annua) populations exhibit variation in germination response to tempera-ture, photoperiod and fenarimol. Weed Sci-ence 52:47-52.
Beth Guertal, Ph.D., is a professor in the department of
agronomy and soils at Auburn University in Auburn, Ala.,
and the incoming editor-in-chief for the Agronomy Society
of America. She is a 17-year member of GCSAA.
Beth Guertal, [email protected]
twitter: @AUTurfFert
Please go away — you are a perennial problem
twitter: @AUTurfFert
(verdure)
Knowing the
environment
in which Poa
germinates is
important, because
that information is
directly linked to
the effectiveness
of a pre-emergent
herbicide program.
082-083_Nov14_Verdure.indd 82 10/16/14 4:02 PM
082-083_Nov14_Verdure.indd 83 10/16/14 4:02 PM
84 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14
(Product news)
Tournament-Ready Plus with Actosol from
Underhill International is made to help prevent and
cure localized dry spots in hydrophobic soils on
golf courses. The soil surfactant pellets help allow
more effcient irrigation coverage and reduces hand
watering. Hydrophobic soils repel water and do not
allow it to infltrate down to the root zones, causing
dry patchy areas. The pellets are used to supple-
ment turf that has poor moisture-holding capacity
by increasing water absorption onto soil particles.
Contact Underhill International, 949-305-7050
(www.underhill.us).
Dry Spot
CURE
Worksaver introduced two new grapples — MGU-
48 and MGB/G-48, designed for mini skid steers/
compact tool carriers. These grapples consistently deliver
high performance while offering a low cost of ownership,
the company says. Model MGU-48 is designed to ft any
unit with the universal mini mount while Model MGB/G-48
is designed to ft the Bobcat MT-series and the Gehl
1640E. Overall unit width of both models is 48 inches.
Worksaver also is unveiling a heavy-duty weld-on skid
steer plate (WSP-HD) to complement the standard duty
WSP. The plate offers users versatility when converting
attachments and features an added cutout for increased
welding surface. Contact Worksaver Inc., 217-324-5973
(www.worksaver.com).
Curtis Industries launched its Heavy Duty
Utility Vehicle Plow. It is powder-coated for cor-
rosion resistance and painted in a polished, color-comple-
menting silver-gray fnish. The plow features a 72-inch-wide
by 19-inch-high adjustable full-trip moldboard with 6-inch
double-sided cutting edge for longer life. It is designed with
a 48-inch trip frame and heavy-duty springs to protect the
plow and vehicle from ground obstructions. Contact Curtis
Industries, 505-853-2200 (www.curtiscab.com).
SDI BL 1 Boom Leveler from Spraying
Devices automatically keeps your boom wings at a con-
sistent height regardless of the slope of the turf below. The
operator simply selects automatic on the control panel and
the system takes over from there. When the application is
complete, the technician can switch back to manual opera-
tion and is ready to move to the next site. Contact Spraying
Devices, 800-564-7548 (www.sprayingdevices.com).
Ace Torwel’s Economizer Gas-Over-
Hydraulic Pickup Truck Spreaders has
received improvements. A new optional swing-up spinner
chute makes unloading quick and easy, along with making
the cleaning process more effcient and complete. Tipping
up the spinner chute also allows for easy trailer hitch
access. Performance advancements target more effcient,
reliable snow and ice control in 1.3-, 1.7-, 2.5- and
3.0-cubic-yard models. Contact Ace Torwel, 800-225-
9415 (www.acetorwel.com).
Agriguard Co. is offering a 2014 fall bonus. To
promote fall nematode protection, Agriguard announced
it is offering a bonus of 2.5 gallons of MultiGuard
Protect free, along with each 10 gallons purchased.
Worksaver
Curtis
084-087_Nov14_ProductNews.indd 84 10/16/14 4:36 PM
11.14 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 85
Highspeed Group launched its third Clear-
Water video. Clearwater is designed specifcally to save
valuable water, enable compliance with current anti-pollution
leigislation, including the EU water Framework Directive, and
provide effcient and effective wash-off. ClearWater is ap-
proved as a Water Saving Technology in the United Kingdom.
Contact Highspeed Group Ltd., (www.highspeed.co.uk).
Bayer CropScience announced that Tribute Total
now is registered for use in California. Tribute Total
is a post-emergent herbicide that delivers broad
spectrum control in one complete solution to help
lawn care professionals and golf course superin-
tendents selectively remove the most troublesome
grassy and broadleaf weeds, sedges and kyllingas.
Approved for use in bermudagrass and zoysiagrass,
Tribute Total is effective against 55 grassy and
broadleaf weeds, including goosegrass and clumpy
rye. Contact Bayer CropScience, 866-992-2937
(www.bayercropscience.us).
Registered in
CALI
This program is valid now through Dec. 5, 2014. Contact
Agriguard, 908-272-7070 (www.multiguardprotect.com).
Caterpillar’s Cat E2 Series Mini Hy-
draulic Excavators — 303.5E2, 304E2, 305E2,
305.5E2 and 308E2 — are being produced at Caterpil-
lar’s new 850,000-square-foot facility in Athens, Ga., and
will also use the new High Defnition Hydraulic System
(HDH). The E2 models are designed to carry on the solid
performance of their E Series predecessor while adding
even greater value to the customer. For example, the HDH
System in the E2 machines provides a load-sensing and
fow-sharing capability leading to operational precision,
effcient performance and greater controllability. All the
E2 series models are equipped with the digital control
panel specially designed for Cat Mini Excavators. Contact
Caterpillar, (www.cat.com).
Caterpillar
Spray Hound
084-087_Nov14_ProductNews.indd 85 10/16/14 4:36 PM
86 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14
Turf Pride unveiled the Spray
Hound (pictured on Page 85). It is
constructed with aluminum and stain-
less steel components, equipped with
speedometer and handgun-style controls
and is designed to apply chemicals ac-
curately. Also, Turf Pride announced that
it has completed its acquisition of the
tooling to begin manufacturing the Tri-
Deck PTO tow-behind rotary
mower. Originally developed and
introduced by Bush Hog Turf, then made in
following years by Locke Turf and Gravely,
the FP-3132 had become a popular fnish
mower. Contact Turf Pride, 800-426-3634
(www.turfprideusa.com).
Dow AgroSciences’ XXpire
WG insecticide is now available for
purchase and use in 48 states. XXpire is
an ornamental insecticide with two new
active ingredients that control both chew-
ing and sap-feeding insects. It combines
spinetoram and Isoclast Active, a brand-
new class of insecticide chemistry, and is
effective on 39 pests, including seven of
the top 10 most troublesome ornamental
insects. Available for use in nurseries,
greenhouses and non-residential land-
scapes, this chemistry offers two modes of
action and provides excellent knockdown,
the company says. Isoclast is a recently
registered active ingredient and the sole
member of the sulfoximine class of insect
control agents. Spinetoram is a spinosyn
insecticide that offers good insecticidal
activity and long residual effect. Also, Dow
AgroSciences announced that Gallery SC
specialty herbicide, a new and conve-
nient liquid formulation, is now available
in 49 states. The concentrate formula
provides plant tolerance and long-lasting
pre-emergence control of more than 95
species of broadleaf weeds. Contact Dow
AgroSciences, 800-255-3726 (www.
dowprovesit.com).
NK Technologies’ ATH Se-
ries Current Transducers with
time integration now accommodate 120
VAC power supplies for use in heater-
monitoring applications. Solid-core case
ATH current transducers are compatible
with most automation systems and are
ideal for monitoring burst-fred time-
proportional control of heating systems.
Contact NK Technologies, 800-959-4014
(www.nktechnologies.com).
Stens Corp. is celebrating its 45th
anniversary and has announced 2015 as
the Stens “Year of the Customer.” Stens’
new catalog includes many pictures, com-
ments and testimonials from their custom-
ers as well as pictures of Stens employees.
Stens says it plans to announce numerous
additions to their product lineup, including
new True Blue fuel-line maintenance kit
additions, additional mower blades, new
belts for unique and hard-to-fnd sizes and
new Stens cart&course-branded golf cart
accessories. Contact Stens, 800-457-
7444 (www.stens.com).
The Propane Education & Re-
search Council (PERC) is in the
process of releasing Straight Talk,
an online video case study series featuring
interviews with landscapers across the
country about their experiences using
clean, American-made propane. Each
of the six Straight Talk videos features
a different landscape contractor or feet
manager discussing how propane meets
business needs. The videos were shot on
location and document propane’s benefts,
which PERC says include faster return on
investment, fuel savings, reduced mainte-
nance and pilferage and ease of refueling.
Contact PERC, (www.propanecouncil.org).
Golf GameBook released a free
iOS app that features updates, giving
users the ability to rate golf courses, com-
pare scoring stats and browse photos from
all past games. Contact Golf GameBook
(www.golfgamebook.com).
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084-087_Nov14_ProductNews.indd 86 10/16/14 4:36 PM
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and formal turf areas around the world.
Innovations that Go Well Beyond Cut
Jacobsen’s legendary quality-of-cut means more than just precisely trimmed turf. We believe in
developing innovative technologies that make our machines better for the natural environment and
customizable for individual course needs—all while delivering a better total cost of ownership.
Our commitment to innovation can be seen in the revolutionary Jacobsen Eclipse 322 riding greens mower. Completely hy-
draulic free with intuitive controls and easy accessibility, this riding greens mower allows you to program your frequency-of-
clip, mow speed, transport speed and other settings through a password-protected menu. Change your settings as course
conditions change throughout the year.
Quality that Speaks for Itself
Since 1921, one thing has remained the same at Jacobsen—a focus on quality. We take a “quality comes frst” mentality
with everything we do. Our engineers are focused on designs that perform and last. Our manufacturing processes have
built-in quality checks. The parts and components we use must meet high standards for performance and reliability. And
our products must meet rigorous testing
standards. This focus on quality behind the scenes has resulted in Jacobsen’s legendary reputation
for quality on the course.
Guided by the Environment
The environment is the cornerstone of our business, and we continue to design equipment that uses less fuel and mini-
mizes or eliminates hazardous waste. Jacobsen developed the industry’s frst electric mower and has become the industry
leader in electric and hybrid technologies. As a proud supporter of the Environmental Institute of Golf, we are squarely
focused on achieving a more sustainable approach to golf facility management.
A Partner in Progress
As part of our commitment to the turf maintenance industry, Jacobsen is proud to be a Gold-level sponsor of the GCSAA.
As we continue engineering new technologies and equipment that deliver proven results without sacrifcing the health of the
environment, we applaud partners like the GCSAA who help us push the envelope and grow the industry we serve.
GOLD PARTNERS
084-087_Nov14_ProductNews.indd 87 10/16/14 4:36 PM
88 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14
(Industry news)
Brand
AMBASSADOR
First Green, an innovative program using golf
courses as environmental learning labs, held workshops
at the Teacher Excellence Day 2014 in two
locations in Washington: Bishop Blanchet High School in
Seattle and Bellarmine High School in Tacoma. Sponsored
by the Archdiocese of Seattle, the conference is a profes-
sional development program for teachers and adminis-
trators at Catholic schools. This is the fourth year that
the First Green participated. In the workshops, teachers
experience hands-on learning lab topics such as Math
on the Golf Course, Soil Testing, and Water Quality and
Conservation.
Floratine Products Group received an
invitation to speak at the White House. Floratine, a
manufacturer and worldwide distributor of advanced foliar
and soil-based turfgrass solutions, was honored with a
visit from Fred P. Hochberg, chairman and president of the
Export-Import Bank (Ex-Im) of the U.S., who also invited
Floratine to speak at the White House on behalf of Ex-Im
Bank. Hochberg toured the Floratine corporate offce
and manufacturing facility in Collierville, Tenn., alongside
Floratine co-owner and vice president Mike Cavanaugh
and other members of the Floratine executive team.
Yamaha Golf-Car Co. and golfer Lee Trevino agreed to extend his role as Yamaha’s
international brand ambassador and company
spokesman through 2015. The timing of the
announcement coincides with the launch of a
broad-reaching new marketing campaign that
features Trevino in a series of print, broadcast
and Web-based advertisements showcasing
Yamaha’s proprietary Electronic Fuel Injection
technology (EFI) in its gas-powered cars.
Since Hochberg’s instatement, Ex-Im Bank has supported
more than 205,000 jobs with 3,400 U.S. companies,
including Floratine. Every fve years, Congress meets to
reauthorize the Ex-Im Bank charter. Floratine, a U.S.-based
corporation that distributes foliar nutrition technologies to
major golf markets in more than 35 countries, has been
working with Ex-Im Bank since they began distributing
internationally. Cavanaugh spoke on the subject at the
White House in support of renewing the charter. “Working
with the Ex-Im Bank allows us to keep our manufacturing
processes here in the U.S. while continuing to conduct
business globally,” Cavanaugh says. “They have supported
thousands of jobs in the U.S. To cancel that charter now
would be detrimental.”
Floratine
088-091_Nov14_IndustryNews.indd 88 10/17/14 8:56 AM
11.14 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 89
Troon, a company in upscale golf
course management, development
and marketing, partnered with Hot
Springs Village and its eight
courses located within the amenity-flled
Arkansas community.
Lon Records was named chief
executive offcer for Agri-Turf Dis-
tributing. Records’ industry ties date
back more than three decades to when he
began his career as a sales representative
for Chevron (Ortho) before joining Target
Specialty Products, where he served as
president until 2012. Records is co-chair
of the California Agricultural Commission-
ers and Sealers Associates.
The Canadian Golf Super-
intendents Association
(CGSA) and Bayer announced
a new sponsorship arrangement that
will provide golf course turf managers
across the country with greater program
access, infuence in product development,
new information resources, educational
opportunities and recognition for the golf
course management profession. Starting
immediately, Bayer is providing support
and funding for a variety of initiatives
aimed at assisting the members of CGSA
in maintaining their occupational require-
ments and ensuring that the industry is
cognizant of the value of these profession-
als to the turf management industry and
the business of golf.
The Canadian Golf Course
Superintendents Asso-
ciation (CGSA) and The Toro
Co. reached an agreement on a new
sponsorship for the CGSA Toro Future
Superintendent of the Year award. For the
next three years, Toro will provide fnancial
support for the award program that will
include participation by the recipient in
the annual CGSA Canadian International
Turfgrass Conference and Trade Show as
well as a visit to Toro’s world headquarters
in Bloomington, Minn.
Eddie Keeven Jr. was appointed
president of Turfgrass Producers
International (TPI). Keeven and
his family have been active members of
TPI for more than three decades. During
that time, his father Ed Keeven Sr. and
his brother Tom both served on the TPI
board. In fact, Tom was TPI’s president in
2001-02.
Michael Kubinec was named vice
president for Macro-Sorb Tech-
nologies. He also is serving as vice
president of Macro-Sorb’s sister company,
SMS Additive Solutions, a New
Jersey-based company offering a wide
variety of soil surfactants, spray adjuvants
and tank-mix additives. Kubinec is leading
Turfgrass Producers International (TPI) announced the names of three
students who were recipients of scholarships from the Dr. Henry W. Indyk
Scholarship Program administered by the Lawn Institute. This year, the Lawn
Institute awarded $5,500 in scholarships to Cody Anderson, who will attend
Purdue University, where he plans to major in agribusiness and carry a minor
in farm management; Molly Maroney, who will attend Texas A&M, where she
plans to major in agriculture/agribusiness and minor in public relations; and
Taylor Thompson, who has been accepted at Purdue, where she plans to
pursue a degree in education. The scholarship honors one of the founding
fathers of TPI while demonstrating TPI’s commitment to education and offering
a valuable member beneft.
Hot Springs Village
088-091_Nov14_IndustryNews.indd 89 10/17/14 8:56 AM
all operational activities for both compa-
nies. He is managing sales, distribution,
marketing, research and new product de-
velopment for Macro-Sorb’s complete line
of amino acid-based products for turf and
agricultural uses, as well as the full SMS
line of products. Most recently, Kubinec
was director of commercial operations for
Plant Health Care Inc.
Tom Cromwell, president of
Kohler Engines since 2009,
has assumed responsibility for Kohler’s
worldwide power operations, reporting
directly to David Kohler, president and
chief operating offcer. Cromwell is provid-
ing strategic and operational leadership for
the group’s engines and power systems
businesses worldwide. He is responsible
for driving the growth and proftability of
the Power Group businesses, consist-
ing of Kohler Power Systems, SDMO
Power Systems, UPSL, Kohler Engines and
Lombardini.
To celebrate its 60th anniversary, E-Z-
GO is offering what it calls a once-in-
a-lifetime golf experience for one lucky
winner and three friends. The E-Z-GO
Diamond Golf Getaway will
take the winner and three friends to round
out his or her foursome on an expenses-
paid trip to play their choice among a
selection of renowned golf courses, includ-
ing Pebble Beach Golf Links, Pinehurst No.
2, Sea Island Golf Club or a course along
Alabama’s famed Robert Trent Jones Golf
Trail. The prize includes a round of golf for
four at the course of the winner’s choosing
plus frst-class airfare and luxury accom-
modations for four during the trip. To enter
the contest, participants are asked to take
a short, fun, online quiz at www.diamond-
golfgetaway.com that matches their golf
skills and vacation preferences with one of
the four ultimate golf experiences. People
also can take the quiz via Facebook at
www.facebook.com/4ezgo. Participants
also can enter the contest by visiting their
local E-Z-GO authorized dealer or via
postcard entry. Each entrant can enter the
contest up to four times. The promotion
ends Dec. 31, 2014.
Rain Bird Training Services is
hosting more than 80 irrigation training
events throughout the U.S. through May
2015. These classes are open to irrigation
professionals at all experience levels, in-
cluding contractors, distributors, designers
and architects. Those who attend Rain Bird
training classes are eligible to receive con-
tinuing education units from the Irrigation
Association. Rain Bird Training Services
offers two primary types of training tracks
designed to help irrigation professionals
enhance their skill sets and improve their
career prospects. To learn more, call 800-
498-1942 or visit www.rainbirdservices.
com/training.
Saddle Creek Resort in the
Sierra Nevada foothills of Calaveras County
has reduced irrigation of its golf course
by 40 percent, saving 400,000 gallons of
water daily since June. Adjustments that
were made to turf care practices include
concentrating irrigation efforts on tees,
fairways and greens; watering the rough at
a greatly reduced rate; and limiting many
360-degree sprinkler heads to making
180-degree turns.
Super-Sod, a division of Patten Seed
Co., purchased Perfect Turf Farm
in Robersonville, N.C. Located two hours
from Raleigh, Super-Sod acquired the
250-acre turf farm to meet the demands
of their Raleigh customers, both profes-
sional landscapers and DIY homeowners.
Jeff Gibbs is continuing as farm manager
for the former Perfect Turf Farm.
The Irrigation Association board
of directors announced that Rain Bird
Corp. has upgraded to the highest level
of IA membership: platinum. Rain Bird’s
investment will help the association imple-
ment its revised strategic plan, adopted
by the IA board in September 2013. The
new plan focuses on changing the public
perception of irrigation by developing
standards and regulations and educating
frontline irrigation professionals. Platinum
membership provides expanded benefts,
including increased industry exposure
through IA’s media channels and exclusive
marketing and advertising discounts.
The Irrigation Association
partnered with the California Poly-
technic State University’s
Irrigation Training &
Research Center to offer a series
of online courses. Each new course quali-
fes for continuing education units. Topics
include basic soil-plant-water relation-
ships, distribution uniformity and precipita-
tion rate, and evapotranspiration.
The Tree Care Industry As-
sociation announced it has received a
088-091_Nov14_IndustryNews.indd 90 10/17/14 8:56 AM
federal grant in the amount of $139,528
from the Occupational Safety
and Health Administration.
The grant was awarded through the
Susan Harwood Training Grant Program,
which provides grants to fund education
and training for workers and employers
to help them recognize workplace safety
and health hazards, implement injury and
illness prevention measures, and inform
them of their rights and responsibilities.
NK Technologies success-
fully completed the ISO-9001/ISO-
14001 Recertifcation Audit of
its quality assurance and environmental
management systems. The systems have
been consolidated in order to provide for
effciencies in managing both systems
collectively versus separately.
Jutta Pils, Ph.D., was hired at
Aquatrols as the new director of
research and development. Pils has spent
the last nine years working in crop protec-
tion with DuPont, leading teams in the U.S.
and abroad while overseeing the launch of
several new products and technologies.
Mark Hoesing returned to Kem-
perSports to serve as senior vice
president of operations supporting the
eastern region. Hoesing originally joined
KemperSports in 1999. He helped launch
nine new properties, including Chambers
Bay, host of the 2015 U.S. Open. In 2012,
he left the company to pursue a job
outside of the golf industry.
Dick Gianferante, former director
of sales and marketing for Golfbuddy,
was promoted to general manager at
Deca International Corp.
Gianferante has served as vice president
of sales for MacGregor Golf and senior
director of sales at Bridgestone Golf Co.
The Country Club at DC
Ranch in Scottsdale, Ariz., underwent
greenside bunker renovations. In all, 35
greenside bunkers were totally restored
and further enhanced with the implemen-
tation of a hybrid sand mix of Augusta
White from the Black Hills of Coachella
Valley and Arizona Pit from the Agua Fria/
Salt River area.
Fallen Oak, recently renovated,
reopened in September. Original course
architect Tom Fazio oversaw renovations,
which involved regular infrastructure
maintenance as well as strategic improve-
ments to enhance the golf experience at
the course in Saucier, Miss.
Aquatrols Corporation of
America announced its continued
support of the Fluid Fertilizer
Foundation, the research education
arm of the fuid fertilizer industry. Founded
in 1982, the foundation is a nonproft
organization that provides research and
educational funding for continued im-
provement in the application and effciency
of fuid fertilizers.
Troon announced it launched the
Troon Junior Club, an initia-
tive that builds upon the success of the
Troon Family Golf program by creating
a membership-based club that provides
even greater access to Troon facilities for
junior golfers.
Elevance Renewable Sci-
ences announced a collaboration with
E-360 that offers expanded customer
support and service capabilities for El-
evance Clean 1200 customers. Elevance
Clean 1200, a degreasing and VOC-
exempt solvent, is the latest commercial
addition to Elevance’s growing portfolio of
renewable, high-performance products.
Pen n State | On li n e
14-0145/14-WC-0218bkh/sss
Whatever your career goals, the World Campus has a
turfgrass program to set you apart from the rest:
Master of Professional Studies in Turfgrass Science
Bachelor of Science in Turfgrass Science
Associate in Science in Turfgrass Science and Management
Advanced Certifcate in Turfgrass Management
Basic Certifcate in Turfgrass Management
Stay on the job while you earn your degree or certifcate.
Flexible, convenient, entirely online
The Industry is changing. Education is more important than ever.
For more information, visit
www.worldcampus.psu.edu/GCM
088-091_Nov14_IndustryNews.indd 91 10/17/14 8:56 AM
92 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14
By John Mascaro
President of Turf-Tec International
Presented in partnership with Jacobsen
We’re not highlighting the trees on this golf course lake bank because they are a problem. Instead, we’re showcasing them because they are a gift from nature, with a little help from a local landscaping company. This golf course located on Oahu was constructed close to the coast, and the lakes are part of a large stormwater retention area designed to withstand a 100-year storm. In the initial land-clearing phases of the project in 2007, which converted this area from agricultural land to a golf course, the lakes were dug and, as in most new lake construction, erosion control socks were used to contain and stabilize the SeaDwarf paspalum turfgrass on the lake banks. Since the erosion control socks were apparently flled with recycled landscaping debris, several of the socks also contained Washingtonian fan palm tree debris and, apparently, seeds. With the socks very close to fresh water, the seeds germi-nated and grew. The superintendent recognized the possible bounty of some free trees and allowed them to continue to grow on the lake bank. Now, seven years later, when they need a tree, they simply remove it from these areas and use them on other areas of the course. To date, they have transplanted 12 of
the volunteer trees.
Thanks to Kalani Voeller, superintendent at Hoakalei Country Club at Hoakalei Resort in Ewa Beach, Hawaii, and a 23-year member of GCSAA, for allowing me to take this photo.
If you would like to submit a photograph for John Mascaro’s Photo Quiz, please send it to:John Mascaro, 1471 Capital Circle NW, Suite #13, Tallahassee, FL 32303, or e-mail to [email protected].
If your photograph is selected, you will receive full credit. All photos submitted will become property of GCM and GCSAA.
The area that is void of Poa seedheads on this golf course fairway on Long Island is the result of a repair. The area in the right of the photo on this fair-way had been problematic, thanks to high traffc and poor soil. After a small construction project on another part of the course, the superintendent decided to use some leftover bentgrass sod from that project to improve this area. After stripping the existing sod from the problem spot, they amended the soil and resodded the area with the leftover bentgrass. As many of you who deal with Poa know, seedhead issues on fairways are usually short lived and can be somewhat managed with growth regulators and a well-timed mowing. However, an unusually cold winter had thrown off the normal spring applica-tion dates for growth regulator, which would have suppressed the seedhead production on this course. As shown in the photo, the bentgrass sod had no seedheads and the remainder of the fairway looked like the photo. The area
was mowed as usual and was also verticut to speed the process along.
Photo submitted by Lucas Knutson, the superintendent at Rockville Links Club in Rockville Centre, N.Y., and a nine-year GCSAA member.
(photo quiz answers)
(a)PROBLEM
(b)PROBLEM
092-103_Nov14_Departments.indd 92 10/16/14 4:15 PM
To keep its 81 holes of world-class golf in fl awless shape every day, Pebble Beach uses only
Jacobsen turf equipment on every inch of every hole.
For more than 90 years, Pebble Beach has been a national treasure. Its fi ve breathtaking courses
contain some of the most iconic golf images known to the game. Six major championships
helped create an indelible image of majestic beauty and striking contrasts.
For more information about Jacobsen or to fi nd a Jacobsen dealer near you, visit jacobsen.com.
.
1.888.922.TURF | www.jacobsen.com
©2014 Jacobsen division of Textron. All rights reserved.
5 COURSES.
81 TOTAL HOLES.
365 DAYS A YEAR.
Pebble Beach Golf Links® is maintained by Jacobsen equipment. Pebble Beach®, Pebble Beach Resorts®,
Pebble Beach Golf Links®, The Lone CypressTM, The Heritage Logo and their distinctive images are
trademarks, service marks and trade dress of Pebble Beach Company. Use is by permission.
ONE BRAND OF TURF EQUIPMENT
092-103_Nov14_Departments.indd 93 10/16/14 4:15 PM
94 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14
Q: What is it like working at Wente Vineyards?
A: This piece of real estate is awesome. We have three (wine) tasting rooms and a restaurant. We take care of the land-scaping around it.
Q: Any perks to the job?
A: Fifty percent off their wine.
Q: What do you enjoy most about your job?
A: Water management. I really like riding the line of too dry and not enough water. I like to ride our golf course a little dry, which is helpful in this drought situation we are encountering.
Q: What advice would you give to a college student who is preparing to enter the job market?
A: It’s never too early to start applying. Start communicating with golf clubs, network, volunteer for events, talk to the big dogs. I visited Paul Cushing (golf course operations and maintenance manager and 24-year GCSAA member) at Torrey Pines in January. He said to start applying now (Lewellen graduated in June; he began his job June 23 at Wente Vineyards).
Q: What is your ultimate goal?
A: To own a golf course. It’s not for the money. I just want to go out on the golf course every night and enjoy it. It would be my big garden.
— Howard Richman, GCM associate editor
Getting to know youAs a youth in California, Eric Lewellen’s family lived on 3 acres. He certainly made good use of the land. Lewellen grew fond of being outdoors; much of his time focused on his own garden that he oversaw on the property. “I loved plants. I had tomatoes, corn, lettuce, things like that,” Lewellen says. Life lessons were a byproduct of the experience. “I really enjoyed being able to plant something, nurture it, take care of it, see it grow up from just a little seed. It helped give me a strong work ethic,” Lewellen says.
Eric LewellenWas: Student, California Polytechnic
State University, San Luis Obispo,
Calif.
Is: Assistant superintendent,
The Course at Wente Vineyards,
Livermore, Calif.
(Climbing the ladder)
ON COURSENov. 6-9 — PGA Tour, Sanderson
Farms Championship, Country Club of
Jackson, Jackson, Miss., Stanley Reedy,
CGCS.
Nov. 6-9 — PGA Tour, World Golf
Championship-HSBC Champions,
Sheshan International Golf Club,
Shanghai, China.
Nov. 7-9 — LPGA, Mizuno Classic,
Kintesu Kashi Kojima Country Club,
Shimos-Shi, Mie, Japan.
Nov. 13-16 — PGA Tour, OHL Classic
at Mayakoba, El Camaleon, Playa del
Carmen, Mexico.
Nov. 13-16 — LPGA, Lorena Ochoa
Invitational presented by Banamex,
Club de Golf, Mexico.
Nov. 13-16 — European Tour,
Turkish Airlines Open by the Ministry of
Youth and Sport, The Montgomerie Maxx
Royal, Antalya.
Nov. 20-23 — LPGA, CME Group
Tour Championship, Tiburon Golf
Club, Naples, Fla., Kirk Richmond,
superintendent.
Nov. 20-23 — European Tour, DP
World Tour Championship, Jumeirah
Golf Estates, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
COMING UPNov. 4 — Environmental Seminar,
Oregon Golf Club, West Linn, Ore.
Phone: 877-375-1330
Website: www.ogcsa.org
Nov. 5 — GCSAA Webcast:
Developing engaging presentations in
half the time, Rick Capozzi
Contact: GCSAA Education
Phone: 800-472-7878
Website: www.gcsaa.org/education/
webcasts.aspx
Nov. 5 — Eastern Shore Fall Turf
Conference, Links at Lighthouse Sound,
Ocean City, Md.
Website: www.esagcs.org
MEMBERS ONLY
092-103_Nov14_Departments.indd 94 10/16/14 4:15 PM
11.14 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 95
Nov. 6 — Seven Rivers GCSA Annual
Toys for Tots Fundraiser, Juliette Falls
Golf Club, Dunnellon, Fla.
Phone: 800-732-6053
Website: www.foridagcsa.com
Nov. 6 — GCSAA Webcast: Pace of
Play: What you can and can’t control,
Steve Southard, CGCS
Contact: GCSAA Education
Phone: 800-472-7878
Website: www.gcsaa.org/education/
webcasts.aspx
Nov. 11 — Midwest Turf Clinic,
Medinah Country Club, Medinah, Ill.
Phone: 630-243-7900
Website: www.magcs.org
Nov. 13 — GCSAA Webcast: Niche
applications of warm-season grasses
in the northern tier of the Transition
Zone, Steve McDonald
Contact: GCSAA Education
Phone: 800-472-7878
Website: www.gcsaa.org/education/
webcasts.aspx
Nov. 18-19 — Carolinas GCSA
Annual Trade Show, Myrtle Beach
Convention Center, Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Phone: 800-476-4272
Website: www.carolinasgcsa.org
Nov. 19 — GCSAA Webcast:
Increase the precision of your nitrogen
application, Bill Kresuer, Ph.D.
Contact: GCSAA Education
Phone: 800-472-7878
Website: www.gcsaa.org/education/
webcasts.aspx
Dec. 1 — Central Texas GCSA Toy
Drive, Hyatt Bastrop, Cedar Creek, Texas.
Phone: 210-413-3045
Website: www.ctgcsa.org
Dec. 2-4 — Kansas Turfgrass
Conference, Topeka, Kan.
Phone: 785-532-6173
Website: www.kgcsa.org
Dec. 3-4 — Pest Management
Seminar, Oregon Convention Center,
Portland.
Phone: 877-375-1330
Website: www.ogcsa.org
Dec. 3-4 — Wisconsin Golf
Symposium
Phone: 920-643-4888
Website: www.wgcsa.com
Dec. 4 — Iowa GCSA Seminar,
Otter Creek GC, Ankeny.
Phone: 515-635-0306
Website: www.iowagcsa.org
Dec. 4 — GCSAA Webcast: Science
and perception: Communicating
environmental issues with a
scientifcally semi-literate society,
John Stier, Ph.D.
Contact: GCSAA Education
Phone: 800-472-7878
Website: www.gcsaa.org/education/
webcasts.aspx
Dec. 8 — Duff Shaw Classic, North
Ranch CC, Thousand Oaks, Calif.
Phone: 310-528-0723
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.gcsasc.org
Dec. 9-11 — Ohio Turfgrass
Conference and Show, Khalahari,
Sandusky, Ohio.
Website: www.cogcsa.org
Dec. 10 — GCSAA Webcast: Legume
inclusion: A path toward greener golf
course management, Jay McCurdy, Ph.D.
Contact: GCSAA Education
Phone: 800-472-7878
Website: www.gcsaa.org/education/
webcasts.aspx
Dec. 15-17 — Washington Turf and
Landscape Show, Meydenbauer Center,
Bellevue.
Phone: 253-219-8360
Website: www.wwgcsa.org
Dec. 18 — GCSAA Webcast: From the
trenches to the trencher: Leadership
transition, Roch Gaussoin, Ph.D.
Contact: GCSAA Education
Phone: 800-472-7878
Website: www.gcsaa.org/education/
webcasts.aspx
Jan. 13-16 — Sports Turf Managers
Association 26th annual Conference &
Exhibition, Colorado Convention Center,
Denver
Phone: 800-323-3875
Website: www.stma.org
092-103_Nov14_Departments.indd 95 10/17/14 10:08 AM
96 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14
Florida Ralph Dain
I can’t get the song “Deep in the Heart of Texas” out of my
head: “The stars at night are big and bright, deep in the heart
of Texas.” After having recently visited San Antonio, Texas, I
have to tell you I am thrilled with the host city for the 2015
Golf Industry Show. San Antonio may well be one of the most
delightful locations we visit. The area immediately surround-
ing the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center is welcoming
and clean with the added allure of the city’s River Walk, along
which attendees will find an abundance of dining opportuni-
ties, as well as shops and some amazing cypress trees and
gardens. Once at the convention center, attendees will be just
as impressed with the facilities here. The ballrooms are well
equipped to facilitate our large event sessions. The classrooms and lobby areas are as striking as the rest of the city. When
the trade show floor is open, attendees and exhibitors alike will be impressed with the spaciousness provided. During my visit
to San Antonio, I did not have the chance to make it out to the golf courses hosting the GCSAA Golf Championships, but Brian
Cloud, field staff representative for the South Central region noted that the courses are just as impressive in person as they are
on the website. I know I probably sound like I am taking a paycheck from the San Antonio visitors’ bureau, but my experience
there truly heightened my eagerness to return for the Golf Industry Show, Feb. 21-26, 2015. I know I am fixin’ to be “Where
Big Things Happen,” but more importantly will I be seeing you deep in the heart of Texas? I surely hope you don’t miss out on
this great city and the numerous offerings GCSAA has in store for you!
Southwest Jeff JensenThe University of California Riverside (UCR) turfgrass and landscape program recently held its 2014 Research Field Day.
More than 225 golf and landscape professionals attended the full-day event to learn about the world-class research activities
conducted at UCR. Headed by Jim Baird, Ph.D., turfgrass specialist at UCR, the day provided a synopsis of UCR’s current re-
search activities and featured numerous tours through state-of-the-art research areas designed
to study water and salinity management issues on turf and landscapes. Some of the highlights of
the day included the evaluation of natural and hybrid turf for water conservation; drought toler-
ance of turfgrass species and cultivars; evaluation of fertilizer products under deficit irrigation;
evaluation of products for alleviation of salinity and drought stress; evaluation of fungicides for
control of anthracnose; nematode control and management of kikuyugrass under deficit irriga-
tion using wetting agents and herbicides. New to the field day this year was the UCR turfgrass
breeding project. The objective of the program is to develop cultivars with improved drought, heat
and salt tolerance, as well as winter color retention. I found the breeding project to be of great
interest and look forward to seeing its progress in the coming years. The UC Riverside turfgrass
research facility and program, funded in part by the California Turfgrass & Landscape Foundation (under the executive leader-
ship of GCSAA Past President Bruce Williams, CGCS) currently provides the only university-based turf research in the state
of California. On behalf of the California GCSA Chapters, thanks to Dr. Baird and his team for a research program that meets
the interests and continuing needs of the golf industry. To learn more about the field day, visit the website at http://ucanr.org/
sites/turfgrassfieldday.
For the latest blog posts from all of GCSAA’s feld staff representatives, visit www.gcsaa.org/community/regions.aspx.
(In the field)Jan. 14-16 — Northern Green
Expo, Minneapolis Convention Center,
Minneapolis, Minn.
Phone: 888-886-6652
Email: [email protected]
Jan. 21-23 — Georgia Green
Industry Association (GGIA) Horticulture
Conference & Trade Show, Gwinnett
Center, Duluth, Ga.
Phone: 706-632-0100
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.ggia.org
Jan. 26 — GCSACC Winter
Educational Symposium, Rancho San
Marcos Golf Club, Santa Barbara, Calif.
Phone: 559-298-4853
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.centralcaliforniagcsa.com
Jan. 28-30 — 2015 Ontario Golf
Course Management Conference &
Trade Show, Scotiabank Convention
Centre & Marriott Gateway Hotel, Niagara
Falls, Ont.
Website: www.ogsa.ca
—
To learn if you can receive education points
for any of these upcoming programs, visit
the External Education Listings in the
education section at www.gcsaa.org/
education/externaled/current.aspx.
—
We want to know about your event in
advance. To submit an entry for “Coming
up,” please send your information fve to
six months before you’d like to see it in the
magazine. We run event information for
three months. Send a contact name if all
details are not fnal. Contact Golf Course
Management, Attention: Coming Up,
1421 Research Park Drive, Lawrence, KS
66049-3859; 785-832-3638; fax: 785-
832-3665; email: [email protected].
NEWLY CERTIFIEDJoey G. Franco Jr., CGCS, Brookstone
Country Club, Acworth, Ga.
Ryan K. Wulff, CGCS, Sunriver Resort-
Woodlands Course, Bend, Ore.
092-103_Nov14_Departments.indd 96 10/16/14 4:15 PM
11.14 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 97
ON THE MOVECALIFORNIA
David T. Gutierrez, formerly (C) at The
Lakes Country Club, is now (C) at El
Camino Country Club in Oceanside.
Mark M. Licon, formerly (A) at Soboba
Springs Country Club, is now (A) at Links
at Summerly in Lake Elsinore.
Vince Zellefrow, formerly (A) at Marbella
Country Club, is now (A) at El Camino
Country Club in Oceanside.
FLORIDA
Gene E. Contino II, formerly (A) at Grand
Cypress Resort, is now (A) at Belle Glade
Country Club in The Villages.
Douglas B. Cunefare, formerly (A) at
Hunter Pope Country Club, is now (A) at
Ponte Vedra Golf and Country Club at
Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach.
Kate Foster, formerly (S) at University of
Tennessee, is now (C) at Audubon Country
Club in Naples.
Michael D. Gwaltney, formerly (Supt.
Mbr.) at Stonegate Golf Club, is now (Supt.
Mbr.) at Royal St. Cloud Golf Links in Saint
Cloud.
Henry M. Lane, CGCS, formerly (A) at
Clarksville Golf & Country Club, is now
(AA) at Stoneybrook Golf & Country Club
in Sarasota.
Mark E. Teders, formerly (ART), is now
(A) at Verandah Golf Course in Fort Myers.
John J. Vuknic, formerly (C) at
Stoneybrook Golf Club, is now (Supt. Mbr.)
at Stoneybrook Golf Club in Estero.
John G. Yancey, formerly (Supt. Mbr.)
at Key Largo Golf Course, is now (Supt.
Mbr.) at Cane Garden Country Club in The
Villages.
GEORGIA
Eric D. Slekovich, formerly (C) at
Champions Retreat Golf Club, is now (C) at
The Creek Club at Reynolds Plantation in
Greensboro.
Rashad L. Wilson, formerly (C) at
PGA Golf Club, is now (C) at Reynolds
Plantation Golf Course in Greensboro.
IDAHO
Jon M. Atkins, formerly (C) at Sun Valley
Resort, is now (C) at Elkhorn Golf Club in
Sun Valley.
ILLINOIS
Terry L. Geelhoed, formerly (C) at Oak
Crest Golf Course, is now (Supt. Mbr.) at
Carthage Golf Course in Carthage.
Matthew McCann, formerly (C) at Noyac
Golf Club, is now (C) at Exmoor Country
Club in Highland Park.
Stephen D. Vincent, formerly (AF) at
John Deere Golf, is now (AF) at Nufarm
Americas Inc. in Alsip.
IOWA
Timothy J. Rottman, formerly (AS) at
Deer Run Golf Course, is now (AS) at Lake
Cooper Golf Course in Keokuk.
Tim Sims, formerly (C) at Des Moines Golf
& Country Club, is now (Supt. Mbr.) at Des
Moines Golf & Country Club in West Des
Moines.
LOUISIANA
Robert C. Welborn, formerly (AS) at Baton
Rouge Country Club, is now (AS) at Copper
Mill Golf Club in Zachary.
MASSACHUSETTS
Ken Macie, formerly (C) at TPC of Boston,
is now (E) at Mansfeld Public Schools in
Mansfeld.
Alan R. McGlynn, formerly (C) at Oakley
Country Club, is now (C) at Red Tail Golf
Club in Devens.
MICHIGAN
Timothy J. Schumacher, formerly (Supt.
Mbr.) at Strategic Fox Par-3 Course at
Fox Hills Golf, is now (Supt. Mbr.) at Lake
Forest Golf Club in Ann Arbor.
MINNESOTA
Ryan A. Browning, formerly (C) at Town
& Country Club of St. Paul, is now (AF) at
Superior Turf Services Inc. in Eden Prairie.
Jeremiah S. Stumpff, formerly (C)
at Broadmoor Golf Club, is now (C) at
Somerby Golf Club in Byron.
MISSOURI
Allan M. Goethe, formerly (A) at
Marshallia Ranch Golf Course, is now (A)
at Whiteman AFB Royal Oaks Golf Course
in Knob Noster.
NEW JERSEY
Ian M. Bray, formerly (C) at Apple
Ridge Country Club, is now (C) at Upper
Montclair Country Club in Clifton.
Christopher W. Kastner, formerly (C)
at Minisceongo Golf Club, is now (C) at
“In one year,one sedge tuber can
become 6,900 new tubers.”
092-103_Nov14_Departments.indd 97 10/16/14 4:15 PM
98 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14
Arcola Country Club in Paramus.
Brandon E. Perrine, formerly (C) at TPC
Jasna Polana, is now (C) at Heron Glen
Golf Course in Ringoes.
NEW YORK
Robert V. Bromberg, formerly (C) at
Noyac Golf Club, is now (C) at Gardiners
Bay Country Club in Shelter Island Heights.
Robert F. Goring III, formerly (A) at
Whispering Woods Golf Club, is now
(AF) at Weaver Golf & Turf Solutions in
Jamestown.
Eric J. Hofsommer, formerly (C) at Hell’s
Point Golf Club, is now (C) at Beaver
Meadows Golf Club in Phoenix.
Daniel C. Powell, formerly (C) at Pine
Valley Golf Club, is now (C) at Piping Rock
Club in Locust Valley.
Mason M. Swancott, formerly (C) at
Atunyote Coures at Turning Stone Resort,
is now (Supt. Mbr.) at Kaluhyat Course at
Turning Stone Resort in Verona.
NORTH CAROLINA
Jeffrey L. Johnson, formerly (C) at
ChampionsGate Golf Club, is now (Supt.
Mbr.) at Wendell Country Club in Wendell.
OHIO
Bradley W. Hocking, formerly (A) at
Medina Country Club, is now (A) at Shale
Creek Golf Club in Medina.
PENNSYLVANIA
Terry Duffy, formerly (Supt. Mbr) at White
Clay Creek Country Club, is now (Supt.
Mbr.) at Patriots Glen National Golf Club
in Glenmoore.
Anthony Tosh, formerly (C) at Valley
Country Club, is now (C) at Aronimink Golf
Club in Newtown Square.
Benoit Beaulne, formerly (S) at Rutgers
University/Cook College, is now (S) at
Penn State University in University Park.
SOUTH CAROLINA
Charles F. Granger II, formerly (E) at
Vincennes University, is now (E) at Horry
Georgetown College in Conway.
David B. Riddle III, formerly (C) at
Yeamans Hall Club, is now (Supt. Mbr.) at
Yeamans Hall Club in Hanahan.
092-103_Nov14_Departments.indd 98 10/16/14 4:15 PM
TENNESSEE
Ben Haddad, formerly (A) at RidgePointe
Country Club, is now (A) at Germantown
Country Club in Germantown.
James M. Johnston, formerly (C) at The
Golf Club of Tennessee, is now (C) at
Tennessee National Golf Club in Loudon.
TEXAS
Steven Chernosky, formerly (A) at
Sterling Country Club@Houston National,
is now (A) at Texas A&M Golf Course in
College Station.
Haden Dillard, formerly (C) at San
Antonio Country Club, is now (C) at Austin
Golf Club in Spicewood.
Edward H. Guzman Jr., formerly (C) at
Sterling Course at Houston National Golf
Club, is now (C) at South Shore Harbour
Golf Club in League City.
Ian Hermon, formerly (C) at Golf Club of
Houston, is now (C) at Champions Golf
Club in Houston.
Clayton Wood, formerly (A) at Holly Lake
Ranch Golf Club, is now (A) at Hide-A-
Way Lake Club in Lindale.
UTAH
Joshua Virostko, formerly (Supt. Mbr.)
at Eagle Crest Golf Course, is now (Supt.
Mbr.) at Bloomington Country Club in
Saint George.
VIRGINIA
Michael Stevens, formerly (A) at St.
Johns Golf and Country Club, is now (A) at
Billy Casper Golf in Vienna.
WEST VIRGINIA
Nick Janovich, formerly (A) at Jones
Course at Speidel Golf Club at Oglebay, is
now (A) at Oglebay Resort & Conference
Center in Wheeling.
WISCONSIN
Gabe Hatchett, formerly (C) at Lake
Geneva Country Club, is now (C) at
Lakewood Golf Club in Lake Geneva.
AUSTRALIA
Trevor J. Ridge, formerly (ISM) at Sawtell
Golf Club, is now (ISM) at Ramada
Kooralbyn Resort in Kooralbyn.
NIP IT IN THETUBER
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092-103_Nov14_Departments.indd 99 10/16/14 4:15 PM
100 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14
CANADA
Dave Paterson, formerly (C) at Magna
Golf Club, is now (Supt. Mbr.) at Summit
Golf & Country Club in Richmond Hill,
Ontario.
CHINA
Luke C. Partridge, formerly (C) at
Emirates Golf Club, is now (ISM) at
Foshan Golf Club in Foshan.
PHILIPPINES
Storm Lupier, formerly (ISM) at Royal
Palm Hotel, is now (ISM) at The Country
Club in Santa Rosa Laguna.
PORTUGAL
Vera Brilha de Carvalho Quintas,
formerly (A) at Dolce CampoReal
Lisbon, is now (A) at Comporta Dunes in
Comporta.
NEW MEMBERSARIZONA
Roger Bacon, Affliate, Carefree
ARKANSAS
Harry L. Newby IV, Class C, Bella Vista
CALIFORNIA
Nick Drysdale, Class C, San Francisco
COLORADO
Aaron Fankhauser, Class C, Golden
CONNECTICUT
Loriann M. Andrews, Class C, Middlefeld
FLORIDA
Mark G. Callen, Class C, Navarre
Christopher J. Levering, Class C, Boca
Raton
GEORGIA
Austin Goldman, Associate, Evans
Mike Kephart, Associate, Johns Creek
HAWAII
Ricky Bauer, Class C, Kailua
Pierce E. Casturao, Student, Honolulu
INDIANA
Chris Skronski, Student, West Lafayette
Matthew R. Walls, Student, Greenwood
IOWA
Eric L. Sellers, Student, Ames
KANSAS
Ryan R. Ackerman, Student, Manhattan
Matthew S. Overbey, Student, Manhattan
GCM (ISSN 0192-3048 [print]; ISSN 2157-3085 [online]) is published monthly by GCSAA Communi-cations Inc., 1421 Research Park Drive, Lawrence, KS 66049-3859, 785-841-2240. Subscriptions (all amounts U.S. funds only): $60 a year. Outside the United States and Canada, write for rates. Single copy: $5 for members, $7.50 for nonmembers. Offce of publication and editorial offce is at GC-SAA, 1421 Research Park Drive, Lawrence, KS 66049-3859. Periodicals postage paid at Lawrence, Kan., and at additional mailing offces. POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to: Golf Course Management, 1421 Research Park Drive, Lawrence, KS 66049. CANADA POST: Publications mail agreement No. 40030949. Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to P.O. Box 122, Ni-agara Falls, ONT L2E 6S8.
MICHIGAN
William Bozell, Class C, Harbor Springs
MISSOURI
Bryan D. Kohler, Class C, Independence
NEBRASKA
Trae R. Deeder, Student, Madison
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Josh D. Mays, Class C, Grantham
NEW JERSEY
Francis M. Perrone, Class C, Brielle
NEW YORK
Kyle Neal McClintick, Student, Cobleskill
NORTH CAROLINA
Steven D. Akers, Class C, Maggie Valley
Christopher Jones, Class C, Elizabeth City
OHIO
Derrick G. Messina, Student, Columbus
PENNSYLVANIA
Dylan R. Creighton, Student, University
Park
Kaegan Matthew Horvat, Student, State
College
Randy R. Langston, Student, University
Park
Chris Larson, Student, University Park
Cody T. Larson, Student, University Park
Brigido Billareal Miguel, Student, State
College
Jonathan Pitoniak, Student, State College
Ryan M. Wilkinson, Student, State College
SOUTH CAROLINA
James Thomas Bart Bradshaw, Class
C, Bluffton
WASHINGTON
Edward Deines, Student, Walla Walla
Jaron J. MacDonald, Student, Walla
Walla
WISCONSIN
Brett J. Poppy, Class C, Neenah
AUSTRALIA
Shannon White, ISM, Stawell, Victoria
ENGLAND
Barry J. Gardner, ISM, Maidenhead
IN MEMORIAMRobert L. Shaffer, 79, died Aug. 18,
2014. Mr. Shaffer, a 35-year member of
GCSAA, worked at several golf courses
in southwest Florida, including Port
Charlotte Golf Club and Sabal Trace Golf
& Country Club. He is survived by his wife
of 61 years, Joan L. Shaffer; son, Stanley
S. Shaffer; daughter, Sandy (Douglas)
Weaver; grandson, Robert Weaver; great-
grandson, Robert Weaver Jr.; brother, Earl
F. Shaffer; two nieces and three nephews.
092-103_Nov14_Departments.indd 100 10/16/14 4:15 PM
11.14 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 101
PLATINUM PARTNERS
The Toro Co. .................................................. IFC-1 (888) 664-7489 ..........www.toro.com/leaderboard
GOLD PARTNERS
Jacobsen .....................................................29, 93 (800) 232-5907 ......................www.jacobsen.com
Syngenta Crop Protection, LLC ............................. French Door Cover, Cover 4 (909) 308-1633 ..................................................... www.syngentaprofessionalproducts.com
SILVER PARTNERS
The Andersons, Inc. ............................................ 9 (800) 253-5296 .............. www.AndersonsPro.com
Barenbrug USA ................................................31* (800) 547-4101 ......................... www.barusa.com
BASF ................................................................ 37 (888) 566-5506 .................www.betterturf.basf.us
Bayer Environmental Sciences ......................... 55 (800) 331-2867 ............ www.backedbybayer.com
Cushman (a.k.a. E-Z-GO)..................................... 35 (800) 774-3946 ........................ www.cushman.com
Floratine Products Group .................................. 71 (901) 853-2898 ....................... www.foratine.com
FMC Professional Solutions .............11, 95, 97, 99 (800) 235-7368 .......... www.fmcprosolutions.com
Koch Agronomic Services, LLC ....................15, 63 (888) 547-4140 ......................... www.kasturf.com
Lebanon Turf ................................................12, 13 (800) 350-6650 ............... www.lebanonturf.com/
Par Aide Products Co. ......................................2-3 (888) 893-2433 ........................ www.paraide.com
PBI Gordon Corp. ............................................... 19 (800) 971-7233 .................... www.pbigordon.com
Quali-Pro ........................................................... 21 (888) 584-6598 ......................www.quali-pro.com
Tee-2-Green Corp. ......................................... 40-41 (800) 547-0255 .................... www.tee-2-green.com
ADVERTISERS
ABM................................................................... 98 (844) 526-3226 .........................www.abm.com/golf
AMVAC .............................................................. 45 (888) GO-AMVAC ........www.amvac-chemical.com
Better Billy Bunkers .......................................... 99 (615) 847-8877 ......... www.betterbillybunker.com
BoardTronics...................................................... 4-5 (800) 782-9938 ............................boardtronics.com
Champion Turf Farms ......................................... 6-7 (888) 290-7377 ..........www.championturffarms.com
Eagle One Golf Products ................................... 65 (800) 448-4409 ................www.eagleonegolf.com
East Coast Sod & Seed ...................................... 103 (856) 769-9555 ...................www.eastcoastsod.com
Foley United ...................................................... 33 (800) 225-9810 .................. www.foleyunited.com
Georgia Seed Development Commission .............. Insert Page 49(303) 431-7333 ........................ www.tifeagle.com
GCSAA Services ...27*, 49, 81, 83, 86, 87, 100, 101, 102 (800) 447-1840 ...............................www.gcsaa.org
GCSAA TV .......................................................... 49 ..........................................................www.gcsaa.tv
GE Capital, Equipment Finance ............................ 17 (469) 586-2010 ..................www.gecapital.com/golf
Greenjacket..................................................... 103 (888) 786-2683 ................. www.greenjacket.com
Grigg Bros. ........................................................ 51 (888) 623-7285 .....................www.griggbros.com
Growth Products Ltd. ........................................ 23 (800) 648-7626 ...........www.growthproducts.com
Klingstone, Inc. ................................................... 61 (888) 685-2244 .......................www.klingstone.com
Kochek Company Inc ...................................... 102 (800) 420-4673 .........................www.kochek.com
Lastec ............................................................... 67 (866) 902-6454 ...........................www.lastec.com
Milorganite ........................................................ 98 (800) 287-9645 ..................... www.milorganite.com
Neary Technologies........................................... 47 (800) 233-4973 ...................... www.nearytec.com
New Life Turf ..................................................... 27* (803) 263-4231 ...................... www.newlifeturf.com
Ostara Nutrient Recovery Technologies, Inc. .......... 90 (604) 408-6697 .............................www.ostara.com
Peat, Inc. .......................................................... 102 (800) 441-1880 ........................... www.peatinc.com
Penn State University ....................................... 91 (800) 233-4973 .........www.worldcampus.psu.edu
Phoenix UPI ........................................................ 39 (888) 250-8856 ...............www.phoenixenvcare.com
PlanetAir Turf Products ..................................... 25 (877) 800-8845 .........................www.planetair.biz
Plant Food Co. Inc. ............................................ 69 (800) 562-1291 ................. www.plantfoodco.com
Salsco, Inc. ......................................................... 57 (806) 272-5506 .............................www.salsco.com
Seago International, Inc. ....................................... (800) 780-9889 .....................www.seagousa.com
Smithco, Inc. ................................................Cover 3 (877) 833-7648 .......................... www.smithco.com
SubAir Inc. ...................................................... 103 (800) 441-1880 .............www.subairsystems.com
TRIMS Software International Inc. .................. 102 (800) 608-7467 ............................www.trims.com
Turf Max ............................................................. 53 (267) 246-8654 ....................... www.turfmaxllc.com
Turf Pride USA ...............................................95, 97 (800) 356-6686 .................... www.turfprideusa.com
* Denotes regional advertisement
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092-103_Nov14_Departments.indd 101 10/17/14 10:29 AM
102 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14
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092-103_Nov14_Departments.indd 102 10/16/14 4:15 PM
11.14 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 103
EAST COAST SOD & SEED596 Pointers Auburn Road • Pilesgrove, NJ 08098
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092-103_Nov14_Departments.indd 103 10/16/14 4:16 PM
Ph
oto
gra
ph
er: C
hris Harrim
an • Title
: GC
SA
A C
lass A S
uperintendent • C
ou
rse: C
attail Creek C
ountry Club, G
lenwood, M
d. • G
CS
AA
mem
bersh
ip: 1
5-year m
ember •
Th
e sh
ot: This is the sight that
greeted Harrim
an on a cool mid-S
eptember m
orning that signaled summ
er was giving w
ay to fall in eastern Maryland, just outside of B
altimore. “There are so m
any mornings that go by w
here the sun doesn’t let
the camera convey how
awesom
e watching the sun com
e up each morning is …
but the walnut tree blocked the rising sun just enough to capture a shot,” H
arriman says. •
Cam
era
: Sam
sung Galaxy S
4D
o you have a photograph that you’d like the GC
M staff to consider for The Final S
hot? You can submit photos for consideration by e-m
ail to [email protected] or to G
CM
editor-in-chief Scott H
ollister at [email protected].
104_Nov14_Final shot.indd 104 10/16/14 4:15 PM
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