golf course management - september 2014
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A publication of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of AmericaTRANSCRIPT
Golf Course Management Magazinewww.gcsaa.org • September 2014
Offcial Publication of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America
INSIDE: Inside the renovation of a classic PAGE 54
A new MVT recipient 34
Job hunting in digital age 40
Dew removal and disease 86
GradeMaking the
With round two looming, how GCSAA’s Golf Course Environmental Profle is making a difference. PAGE 44
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10 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.14
44
54
64
72
Information, pleaseThe second round of the
GCSAA’s Golf Course
Environmental Profile is
coming soon to an inbox
near you.
Howard Richman
Anatomy of a renovationFort Wayne Country Club’s
“Greens + Project” adds up
to more than new putting
surfaces.
Brian C. Chalifoux
An eye on the futureAn environment of inclusiveness
at California’s Monarch Dunes
Golf Club powers an innovative
learning initiative designed to
increase golfing participation
worldwide.
Chris Lewis
Investment opportunityStaying true to its roots,
scholarship remains a key
pillar in the foundation of
GCSAA’s Environmental Institute
for Golf.
Bill Newton
• On the Cover: This month’s cover photo, taken by Aidan Bradley (www.golfcoursephotography.com), features the fourth hole at Ipswich
(Mass.) Country Club, where nine-year GCSAA member David Woodruff serves as superintendent.
010-015_Sept14_TOC.indd 10 8/19/14 10:57 AM
12 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.14
INSIGHTS
Tropical signalgrass controlAlthough the old standards are no longer available for tropical
signalgrass control in certain areas such as Florida, some newer
products offer possible solutions.
Bert McCarty, Ph.D.
Alan Estes, M.S.
Effects of dew removal on the incidence of Microdochium patchRolling is far more effective than
other forms of dew removal in re-
ducing Microdochium patch.
C. Mattox
A. Kowalewski, Ph.D.
B. McDonald, M.S.
80
RESEARCH
8690
Cutting EdgeTeresa Carson
16 President’s message
18 Inside GCM
20 Front nine
30 Photo quiz
78 Up to speed
92 Verdure
94 Product news
98 Industry news
102 Climbing the ladder
102 On course
103 Coming up
103 Newly certified
103 On the move
104 In the field
105 New members
112 Final shot
ETCETERA09.14
34ShopA place to call home
Scott Hollister
AdvocacyStrength in numbers
Chava McKeel
CareerApplying for a job
in the digital age
Carol D. Rau, PHR
EnvironmentNext-level maintenance
Bunny Smith
36 403832TurfSeduced by metric
units
Micah Woods, Ph.D.
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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
[email protected] Traffc Coordinator SHELLY URISH
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.
Golf Course Management MagazineOffcial Publication of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America
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16 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.14
As golf course superintendents, we know more than most that the view from the outside looking in is often quite different from how things are viewed from the other way around.
As professionals whose work is judged on an almost daily basis by those who play the golf courses under our care, we’ve all felded questions about why greens aren’t faster, rough isn’t shorter or why we insist on putting tiny little holes in perfectly good putting greens. Knowing what we know about agronomy and the state of our golf courses, the answers to those questions seem obvious, but even the most knowledgeable, well-intentioned golf-ers sometimes miss the obvious because their point of view is quite different from ours.
That common experience is similar to one I’ve encountered many times during my travels as GCSAA president, during conver-sations with members from courses big and small about the overall value of GCSAA membership. Even the most involved among them have asked me what they get out of their membership in this organization, aside from the magazine you now hold in your hands and the annual Golf Industry Show.
The question can take me back, largely be-cause when you’re involved in this great orga-nization the way that I am, a day rarely goes by when I’m not reminded of all the good things that GCSAA does on behalf of its members. And despite the excellent job that we do in communicating these accomplishments to our membership, sometimes those messages slip through the cracks.
That’s why the developments of the past few months have been so encouraging to me, because they have given us another opportu-nity to tell this exceedingly positive story to our members and reaffrm that broad value they receive by belonging to GCSAA. Take, for example, the GCSAA Chapter Outreach Grant program, which announced its 2014 re-cipients in August.
This program offers fnancial assistance from GCSAA to its affliated chapters in sup-port of local communication and outreach efforts that further position superintendents as key fgures in the game of golf. This year alone, 11 chapters were awarded grants to help
with everything from video production to the creation of print advertising and statewide economic impact studies for the game of golf.
For many superintendents, this column might be the frst time they’ve heard about this program. But for this year’s recipients and the chapters who have received help during the previous two years, this program stands as a shining example of the ways the national as-sociation provides benefts to its members that go far beyond the run of the mill.
Another effort undertaken by GCSAA that was designed with its members’ profes-sional wants and needs in mind is the Golf Course Environmental Profle (GCEP). Begun in 2006, this groundbreaking effort was designed to develop a comprehensive en-vironmental snapshot of golf courses in the United States, for the frst time giving the golf industry solid statistical information on things such as water, nutrient and energy use.
Phase II of the GCEP, which was always intended to be a regular series of surveys, will be launched later this year. And to reintroduce that work, this issue of GCM features a story that not only provides a refresher course on the motivation behind and the topics examined by the GCEP, but perhaps most importantly, how the data that has already been generated is being used by GCSAA members to beneft both their facilities and the golf course man-agement industry as a whole.
Superintendents are busy individuals, both personally and professionally. I know this as well as anyone, and have no expectation that every GCSAA member will have an in-depth knowledge of every initiative being pursued by the national association. However, as I hope these few examples illustrate, GCSAA is giving much more to its members than just a magazine, an education conference and a trade show. It’s also giving them tools that can make them better superintendents and golf course management a better industry.
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
More than meets the eye
Another effort
undertaken by
GCSAA that was
designed with
its members’
professional wants
and needs in mind
is the Golf Course
Environmental
Profle.
(president’s message)
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18 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.14
Getting the regular opportunity to visit some pretty great golf courses and meet some pretty impressive superintendents certainly doesn’t make me an expert in golf course management, but it apparently does make me a target for questions about the game, its play-ing felds and the men and women who tend to them.
And at no time in my 16 years in the busi-ness have I felded more questions along those lines than I have this summer, thanks in large part to the stark contrast presented by the venues that hosted two of 2014’s most talked-about golf events — Pinehurst (N.C.) No. 2, host to both the U.S. Open and U.S. Women’s Open, and Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Ky., host to the PGA Championship.
Although they’re only about 500 miles apart and both underwent signifcant renova-tions in advance of their time in golf ’s spot-light this summer, the similarities between the two properties pretty much end there. And it’s those differences that are the crux of most of the inquiries I’ve received about Pinehurst and Valhalla.
Some folks love the rugged, rough-around-the edges look of No. 2, and I count myself among that group. During the Coore & Crenshaw-guided renovation, countless acres of rough gave way to sweeping expanses of na-tive sandscapes. Hundreds of irrigation heads were removed as a new single-row irrigation system took hold, reducing overall water usage on No. 2 by over 25 percent. It’s interesting, it’s innovative and, best of all, it’s unique.
Others haven’t been shy in sharing their fondness for the more traditional, wall-to-wall green look that served as such a great arena for the drama of the PGA, and I have to admit to having a soft spot for that kind of golf, as well. The renovation work done at Valhalla fipped the script to some extent, but similar results were achieved. Nearly 800 irrigation heads were added to the course, which led to increased precision, which in turn led to a re-duction in overall water use at the Louisville, Ky., facility.
Do I have a favorite? That’s akin to ask-ing me to name my favorite child, so I’m not going down that road. Plus, reducing this to a
popularity contest between two very different styles of golf course design and maintenance obscures the broader, potentially more im-portant question about what our industry can learn from these two championships.
And in my view, there’s plenty to be learned. I’ve heard some say that the unique circumstances surrounding these two courses — the major championships, the budgets, the unique agronomic conditions — make Pinehurst and Valhalla outliers, that the ac-complishments achieved there simply can’t be re-created at most other golf facilities around the country.
And to an extent, that may be true. A re-sort course in the Pacifc Northwest probably shouldn’t scrap all its rough and rip up two-thirds of its irrigation system. I wouldn’t ad-vise a modest private club in Illinois to bust its limited budget on wall-to-wall turf and 1,000 additional irrigation heads.
But it’s not about mirroring each and every thing that was done at these storied venues, which simply isn’t a realistic option in most cases. The true value of the lessons taught by Pinehurst No. 2 and Valhalla comes from the small, incremental steps that everyone can take based on what they’ve seen and learned. Every course has out-of-play areas that can be returned to native landscapes. Every superin-tendent could probably identify at least a few sections of his or her irrigation system that could go offine without having a negative ef-fect on the course as a whole. And any facility can fnd a way to utilize new technology to make maintenance practices better, faster and more environmentally friendly.
So it doesn’t really matter if you prefer the throwback feel of Pinehurst No. 2 or the more conventional experience offered by Valhalla. Regardless of personal preferences, there are a lot of positive takeaways for our industry from both. And how those takeaways manifest themselves throughout golf will be the true lasting legacies of these great championships.
Scott Hollister is GCM ’s editor-in-chief and the director of
publications for GCSAA.
Scott Hollister
twitter: @GCM_Magazine
A championship road map
Although they’re
only about 500
miles apart and
both underwent
signifcant
renovations in
advance of their time
in golf’s spotlight
this summer, the
similarities between
the two properties
pretty much ends
there.
(inside gcm)
018-019_Sept14_IGCM.indd 18 8/18/14 3:54 PM
Cliff Wagoner falls into the classifcation of movers and shapers.
Is there anyone alive who helped mold GCSAA more than Wagoner?
The evidence is plentiful. He served as GCSAA president in 1973. Wagoner
was behind the drive to relocate headquarters to Lawrence, Kan. He was
instrumental in launching the certifcation program for superintendents. In
fact, Wagoner was part of the frst class of superintendents to receive
certifed golf course superintendent (CGCS) status.
Photo courtesy of The Modesto Bee/ZUMApress.com
020-029_Sept14_Front9.indd 20 8/18/14 3:55 PM
Wagoner — and the impact he made on this
industry — was remembered and recognized
Aug. 11.
He was honored that day as part
of a Tri Chapter event that in-
cluded the Northern Califor-
nia, Central California and
Sierra Nevada chapters
of the GCSAA. The
location was very fa-
miliar to Wagoner, who
turns 94 on Sept. 3. It happened at Del Rio Country Club
in Modesto, Calif. Wagoner helped construct Del Rio in
the 1940s and served as its superintendent from 1954
to 1985.
After he received a lengthy standing ovation from
those in attendance, Wagoner showcased quite a sense
of humor.
“I won’t be able to get to sleep now after realizing how
good I really am,” says Wagoner, who was accompanied by
his wife of more than 70 years, Myrtle.
His words coaxed big-time laughs from the crowd.
Wagoner, however, is as modest as they come.
“This is nice. But I didn’t do it all,” says Wagoner, who
was known for driving to GCSAA’s trade show and educa-
tion conference in his 1930 Sport Coupe Ford Model A. “I
have had some very good people who I have worked with.
They made it possible.”
Wagoner helped transform Del Rio CC from a turkey
farm into what now is a 27-hole facility. Designer Billy Bell
tabbed Wagoner to aid him all those years ago (Wagoner’s
hourly pay was increased from $1 to $1.25 when it was
learned he could drive a bulldozer). Ed Silva, the club’s
frst superintendent, served as Wagoner’s mentor. When
Silva departed, Wagoner took the reins. His reign at Del
Rio lasted for three decades. To this day, Wagoner makes
visits to Del Rio, which was his home away from home.
“It gives me great pleasure to put him in the golf car
and drive him around,” says current Del Rio CC GCSAA
Class A superintendent David Bermudez. “He is a legend. I
always have time for him.”
On Wagoner’s watch, GCSAA expanded. He was fully
behind enhancing and promoting superintendents; the
certifcation program was a vehicle to make it happen. “It’s
easy for people to join an association,” Wagoner says, “but
we wanted to have something more, to encourage people
in our association to become better educated and all the
things that can come with it. At frst, we got booed over
it. We just convinced them (members) it was something
we should do.”
Since the certifcation program was initiated in 1971,
there have been 3,251 to achieve the title of CGCS. Cur-
rently, there are 1,461 active and 323 CGCS Retired.
“That’s a pretty good bunch,” Wagoner says. “It
proves that there was some interest there.”
Staples of an industry such as Wagoner are never for-
gotten. That was pretty obvious for this special occasion.
Jerry Hambry, who worked three years for Wagoner in the
1950s as an irrigation specialist, heard that he was being
honored and showed up to pay his respects.
“He taught discipline. Be on time. Mainly, keep your
mouth shut and do your job,” Hambry says. “If you take
care of business, everything falls into place.”
What advice would Wagoner give to those who plan to
get in this business today or already are part of it?
“You’ve got to have a lot of ambition. It’s not some-
thing that’s automatic,” Wagoner says. “You’ve really got
to be into it to make it good.”
— Howard Richman, GCM associate editor
22 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.14
$8.4 million Average cost to construct new 18-hole golf course*
* Golf Course Builders Association of America, based on 2010 data†Jim Moore, USGA, “Building and maintaining the truly affordable golf course,” 2012
‡American Society of Golf Course Architects
Cubic yards of rootzone mixture required for typical
19-green construction project‡
7,000
$4 million Average cost to renovate 18-hole
golf course*
5-7Life expectancy (in years)
of bunker sand‡
1,000,000 Typical volume (in cubic yards) of earth moved to construct new 18-hole golf course
Wagoner takes center stage as outgoing GCSAA president at the 1974 trade show in Anaheim (above) in this GCM fle photo. Below, Wagoner is fanked by, from left to right, Rafael Barajas, CGCS and GCSAA Board of Directors member, and Del Rio CC surperintendent David Bermudez. Photo by Howard Richman
020-029_Sept14_Front9.indd 22 8/18/14 3:55 PM
020-029_Sept14_Front9.indd 23 8/18/14 3:55 PM
24 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.14
The shape of things to comeAs an architect, Jason Straka gets it.
He realizes that each project, whether a new build or
a renovation, is under the microscope. Often, the eyes
that closely monitor his work are those of golf club mem-
bers who want the facility to be shaped according to their
own vision.
As he embarks on a project in one of the fastest-grow-
ing complexes in the country, Straka is prepared to soothe
their concerns.
Straka, one half of Fry/Straka Global Golf Course De-
sign, launches a renovation this month at The Oaks Club in
Osprey, Fla. Straka is in charge of redesigning the Heron
Course, designed on behalf of Hurdzan/Fry Environmental
Golf Design, at The Oaks, a gated community with two
golf courses that earlier this year scaled new heights in its
total of equity members (536). Some of them — including
some who may have felt disregarded in previous course
renovations — have met with Straka, who has been more
than willing to hear their thoughts. In 2007, the other 18-
hole course, The Eagle, was rebuilt.
“I’ve already had many of the members say that they
have not had anyone listen to them in the past, scared that
this job we are going to do will make the course too darn
hard. But they are so happy when I call and talk to them,
explain that we will do what we say we are going to do,
and then follow up with them,” Straka says. “I want to do
a great job on all of my projects, but it will be wonderful to
give these members something that will satisfy them and a
process they will be proud to be part of.”
Straka certainly has references to show that he is
making a difference. In July, Golf Inc. revealed the win-
ners in its 2014 Renovation of the Year competition. Straka
oversaw two projects that claimed prizes. In the daily-fee
category, his work at Camelback Golf Club’s Ambiente
course earned frst place; what he accomplished at Co-
lumbia (Mo.) Country Club took third place in the private
course division. Both courses were designed on behalf of
411
Hurdzan/Fry Environmental Golf Design.
The Oaks director of greens and grounds, Nick Kearns,
says he and Straka are rebuilding a trust with members
that had waned throughout the years. If that isn’t enough
to keep Kearns occupied, the unique circumstances at the
two golf courses surely will. Each golf course has differ-
ent types of grasses. The Eagle is totally SeaIsle Supreme
Seashore paspalum. The Heron, when the renovation is
complete, will be Celebration, TifGrand and TifEagle ber-
mudagrass.
“There was a lot of skepticism out there before we got
into this,” Kearns says. “There is no question in my mind
this project will be successful.”
Kearns says they hope to have the Heron ready by No-
vember 2015. That, of course, may depend on hurricane
season. The Oaks is close to the Gulf of Mexico, which
makes it susceptible to hurricanes. Fortunately, the Na-
tional Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration forecasts
a near-normal or below-normal Atlantic hurricane season
this year.
Straka, meanwhile, has been busy felding calls
from The Oaks residents. One of them sure sounds like
a Straka fan.
“A man who lives on the 17th hole has had some
drainage problems,” Straka says. “We came up with a
solution we thought would help him. He called back and
said, ‘Jason, I have lived here 14 years and fnally someone
listened to me. I cannot tell you how thankful I am.’ Things
like that, and the joy we can bring, are part of our drive
to succeed and to give clients a product they will enjoy
and deserve.”
— Howard Richman, GCM associate editor
The Heron Course at The Oaks Club in Osprey, Fla., soon will have a new look. Photo courtesy of The Oaks
020-029_Sept14_Front9.indd 24 8/18/14 3:55 PM
26 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.14
ing over as superintendent.
GCSAA alliance brings turfgrass events to the Philippines
GCSAA and the Asian Golf Industry Federation (AGIF)
signed a two-year partnership to share educational re-
sources designed to raise the profle and standard of turf-
grass maintenance in Asia.
The alliance features a series of four turfgrass man-
agement education seminars and expositions across the
region. Speakers will highlight educational programming
at the frst two events, scheduled Sept. 5-6 at Manila’s
Orchard Golf and Country Club in the Philippines and Sept.
9-10 at Vietnam’s Danang Golf Club. Two more events are
scheduled for November in China.
As part of the strategic alliance agreement, GCSAA
will provide educational content to AGIF workshops, sem-
inars and feld days.
“GCSAA is committed to educating course managers
wherever they are,” says Rhett Evans, GCSAA chief exec-
utive offcer. “The AGIF is committed to growing the game
in Asia and can work effectively across national borders.
It is clear that better education and reliable agronomic in-
formation improve the professional standing of individual
superintendents and further the industry.”
Help was on the wayGCSAA Class A superintendent Chip Caswell did not
know Alan Dufur. It didn’t take very long, though, for Dufur
to learn what Caswell is all about.
Caswell was among the frst to come to the aid of
Dufur, superintendent at Alta Lake Golf Course in Pateros,
Wash., when late-July wildfres destroyed the mainte-
nance area, including equipment and golf cars. Many
homes on the golf course also were gutted.
Until the moment when Caswell contacted Dufur, they
never had met, even though they were separated by only
a 25-minute drive.
First Tee participants go inside the ropes
Tom DeGrandi, the GCSAA Class A superintendent at
TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Conn., had a few new
faces helping his team prepare for this year’s Travelers
Championship on the PGA Tour.
DeGrandi, a 24-year GCSAA member, and his crew
held a Careers on Course event for 13 participants of The
First Tee of Connecticut in July, offering a behind-the-
scenes look at the effort and coordination that goes into
managing and maintaining a facility such as River High-
lands. This was just one installment of many Careers on
Course events that are a result of John Deere Golf’s $1
million donation to The First Tee.
During the full-day immersion, participants not only
learned from DeGrandi and his crew, John Deere repre-
sentatives and the staff of River Highlands, but they also
had the opportunity to get their hands dirty. John Ingua-
giato, Ph.D., an assistant professor at the University of
Connecticut, provided a class on turf management, during
which the participants were invited to prepare turf and dis-
ease samples for viewing under a microscope.
“The participants couldn’t get enough of looking
through the microscope and learning the science of dis-
ease and golf course maintenance,” says Mark Moriarty,
program director of The First Tee of Connecticut.
In addition to classroom learning, the participants re-
ceived a tour of the maintenance facility and learned about
River Highlands’ feet of John Deere equipment. The event
allowed the group to get a taste of everything from golf
course preparation and maintenance to club management.
“At John Deere Golf we are honored to partner with
The First Tee, and courses including TPC River Highlands,
to offer the Careers on Course program,” says Mark Ford,
tactical marketing manager, John Deere Golf. “These ac-
tivations provide the venue to expose the youth to new op-
portunities, and to educate and inspire them as they make
plans for their own futures.”
One participant from The First Tee of Connecticut,
17-year-old Christi Williams, joined DeGrandi for a day of
tournament prep during the Travelers Championship, and
worked alongside the crew and volunteers from the 5 a.m.
wake-up call through afternoon assignments. According
to DeGrandi and Moriarty, it’s this level of interactivity that
makes the Careers On Course program a success.
“Many companies want to help The First Tee and we’re
grateful to have their support, but for John Deere to part-
ner with courses to put these events on and staff them is
very meaningful,” says Moriarty.
“It is important for the participants to realize there are
a lot more opportunities in the golf world than just play-
ing,” DeGrandi says, as he helped attendees to consider
a future in the industry, whether overseeing the golf shop,
working as club manager, becoming head golf pro or tak-
“I’m just trying to help out a compatriot,” Caswell, su-
perintendent at Gamble Sands in Brewster, told GCM. “It
seemed like the right thing to do.”
All this went down as Caswell, a Penn State graduate
and 16-year GCSAA member, was extremely busy prepar-
ing for the opening of Gamble Sands the frst week in Au-
gust. Caswell and his assistant, Josh Truan, and Pacifc
Turf’s Alex Little got the ball rolling to aid Dufur.
“He (Dufur) still seems shell-shocked,” Caswell
said about a post-fre conversation. “Their community is
pretty devastated.”
Caswell’s determination to help Dufur lasted beyond
that initial encounter. He planned to hold a charity golf
event this fall at Gamble Sands to raise money for Dufur’s
cause at Alta Lake.
— Howard Richman, GCM associate editor
Morgan named CEO of CMAA
Jeffrey D. Morgan was named chief executive offcer
of the Club Managers Association of America (CMAA).
Morgan, selected from nearly 200 qualifed candi-
dates, begins his tenure in October. “The $19 billion club
industry has a signifcant economic impact on local com-
munities, and it was vital to hire someone who has demon-
strated the leadership and strategic vision critical to the
future success of the industry and CMAA,” said Damon
J. DiOrio, president of CMAA. “Jeff’s outstanding track
record and demonstrated expertise working with associ-
ations makes him uniquely suited to help us advance the
profession of club management and provide signifcant
value to our members.”
Morgan most recently was president and CEO of the
National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI).
Famed Baltusrol awarded USGA event in 2018
Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfeld, N.J., will host its
16th USGA championship in 2018 when the U.S. Junior
Photo courtesy of Syngenta
Eric Berg, territory manager of LaCorte Equipment, explains the functions and controls of the John Deere PrecisionCut mower for Christian McDavid, a participant in a Careers on Course event at TPC River Highlands in July. Photo courtesy of John Deere
020-029_Sept14_Front9.indd 26 8/18/14 3:55 PM
28 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.14
Decision may come soon on
New Mexico course
The contract expires this month at Coyote del
Malpais Golf Course in Grants, N.M. The mayor hasn’t
exactly been a proponent of renewing it, according to
the Cibola Beacon. www.cibolabeacon.com/news/
what-s-next-for-coyote-del-malpais-golf-course/
article_30321684-173d-11e4-a9950019bb29
63f4.html
Drought issues in the
Pacifc Northwest
California isn’t alone when it comes to drought
problems. Southern Oregon also has encountered is-
sues — golf courses — included, as uncovered by the
Mail Tribune in Medford. Six golf courses in the area
are affected. www.mailtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/
article?AID=/20140712/SPORTS/407120313/-1/
NEWS
Iowa casino bets on
2015 course opening
A new golf course at Grand Falls Casino in Larch-
wood, Iowa, may have looked like it was ready to open
this year but that won’t happen, according to KDLT.
com. The Course will be called The Falls. www.kdlt.
com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id
=37478&Itemid=57
New use for closed
New York course
Dix Hills Golf Club closed last year. The nine-
hole facility now is expected to be the site for homes
that could be priced in the millions, Newsday re-
ports. www.newsday.com/long-island/towns/new-
developer-plans-luxury-homes-for-former-dix-hill-
golf-course-1.8884567
Tweets
RETWEETS
In the
NEWS
Amateur championship takes place there.
The Upper Course will be used for stroke play quali-
fying; the Lower Course will be the course for companion
stroke play. Mark D. Kuhns, CGCS, is director of grounds at
Baltusrol and a 34-year member of GCSAA. Kuhns served
as GCSAA president in 2009.
Baltusrol has hosted seven U.S. Opens, which is sec-
ond only to Oakmont. Jack Nicklaus won two of his four
U.S. Opens at Baltusrol.
Bernhard receives honorStephen Bernhard added another title to his name: Master.
Bernhard, executive chairman of England-based
Bernhard and Co., recently took over from the Earl of Wes-
sex as Master of the Worshipful Company of Gardeners,
which is one of 110 livery companies in London dating
back to 1345.
Such trade and craft associations are prevalent
throughout Europe. The city of London companies, known
as the Livery, are unique in their survival, number and di-
versity. Livery companies foster their various professions,
crafts and trades as well as serving their community.
Bernhard has been part of the Worshipful Company of
Gardeners for more than three decades. He follows in the
footsteps of his father, Jeffrey.
Old Tom Morris book author seeks funding
Golf historian Roger McStravick needs help in pub-
lishing his book, “St. Andrews — In the Footsteps of Old
Tom Morris.”
McStravick, who resides in St. Andrews, launched a
campaign to raise $38,000 to publish and produce 2,000
books, with an anticipated release of late fall. A pledge of
$8,500 will reward the frst donor with use of a two-bed-
room house for seven days during the 2015 British Open
championship at the Old Course plus a personal tour of the
town and lunch in the St. Andrews Club that overlooks the
18th green at St. Andrews.
For three years, McStravick researched the University
of St. Andrews’ golf collection for the book, which includes
rare and unpublished photos and unknown stories about
the Old Course, including the naming of its bunkers.
To make a donation, visit https://www.kickstarter.
com/projects/1527571987/st-andrews-in-the-footsteps-
of-old-tom-morris.
Eric Swenson @foridiansupDouble-backtrack fairways this week
@ -0.200”. pic.twitter.com/yVteVm MES0
East lake Agronomy @eastlake1904_ New pine straw being applied to beds.@rkepplegcs
Jacob Gordon @hhgcsuperHe’s just going to stand there and get wet.
Adam Garr @Superin10dent 4.5” rain, the second highest total ever in SE Michigan.
Dan Grogan @purdueturfyBermuda tee has been thriving the past few weeks. A little hairy after 2 days w/o a cut. #cleanliving
Syngenta @SyngentaWe want to help restore & maintain vibrant rural communities & enable #farmers to progress beyond subsis-tence #ag: http://ow.ly/Ae0kx
Mark Prieur @markprieurAny idea what the heck these things are? Where’s the entomologist when u need them?
Ridgewood CC Grounds @RCC_Grounds Ash all over the course this morning. I wonder where the fre was last night.
Terry Davio @terrydavioI love it when the greens are getting dry enough to need irrigation and there’s a guaranteed rain event on the way.
Christian Kuhn @kuhn_c@SuperProblems Blown decoders from direct lightning hit. 45 and counting.
020-029_Sept14_Front9.indd 28 8/18/14 3:55 PM
020-029_Sept14_Front9.indd 29 8/18/14 3:55 PM
30 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.14
Turfgrass area:Putting green
Location:Meadowlakes, Texas
Grass variety:Tifgreen (Tifton 328) bermudagrass
overseeded with Poa trivialis
(a)
Two parallel lines on turf running entire length of
par-4 fairway
Turfgrass area:Fairway
Location:Broomfeld, Colo.
Grass variety:Kentucky bluegrass
(b)
PROBLEM
Presented in partnership with Jacobsen
Thin turf and slight depression
Answers on page 110
(photo quiz)
PROBLEM
By John MascaroPresident of Turf-Tec International
030-031_Sept14_PhotoQ.indd 30 8/20/14 9:19 AM
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32 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.14
Seduced by metric units
Growing up and frst working in the turf-grass industry in the United States, I naturally used U.S. customary units (http://en.wiki pedia.org/wiki/United_States_customary_units): inches and feet, pounds and ounces, fuid ounces and gallons and so on. I started to use metric units (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metric_system) when I went to work as a golf course superintendent in China and Japan, and I have been using these units ever since.
I like to use 1 square meter (1 m2) as the base unit. There are a few reasons for this. First, I can see 1 square meter, I can imagine it, and I can think of how that base unit will be man-aged. Then it is simply a matter of consider-ing how many of those base units of 1 square meter are to be managed. Second, the numbers work out in a convenient way in three-dimen-sional space. I’ll elaborate on the convenience of this below. Third, I like to work with numbers from 1 to 100, as much as possible, and work-ing with 1 square meter as the base unit is con-venient in this way. Nitrogen might be applied at about 3 grams per square meter per month; in Thailand, one might apply 30 to 50 grams of nitrogen per square meter in a year. Wet-ting agents will be applied at about 2 milliliters per square meter. Spray volumes will usually be from 40 to 80 milliliters per square meter. These numbers fall in a range that is easy to work with, and easy to think about. There are no 100s, no 1,000s, no 10,000s, and few num-bers less than 1.
Micah Woods, [email protected]
Now for the three-dimensional space of the root zone. For managed turfgrass, the root sys-tem, averaged over the course of a year, can be considered 10 centimeters deep. This is where most of the nutrients will be taken up, where the grass will obtain water, where coring and cultivation practices will be done. Maybe you would like to use a root-zone depth of 7.5 cen-timeters, or 15 centimeters, or 30 centimeters. That’s fne, and can be done, but using 10 cen-timeters has some attractive properties. One square meter to a depth of 10 centimeters has a volume of 100 liters. If the volumetric water content (VWC) of the soil is 18 percent, that means there are 18 liters of water in 1 square meter to a 10-centimeter depth. Want to in-crease the soil moisture to 22 percent? That will require 4 liters per square meter.
This is also convenient in two-dimen-sional space. One liter of water spread over 1 square meter has a depth of 1 millimeter. If it rains 6 millimeters, that is 6 liters of water per square meter. And if the soil VWC drops from 20 percent to 16 percent from morning to evening, that is a water loss of 4 liters, equiv-alent to 4 millimeters at the surface. That’s the evapotranspiration (ET). Not some estimate from a computer, but the real consumptive
Presented in Partnership with Barenbrug
(turf)
One liter of water is 1 millimeter in depth across 1 square meter and will increase soil moisture in the top 10 centimeters of 1 square meter by 1 percent. The golf course is Salobre Golf Resort, Maspalomas, Grand Canary, Canary Islands. Photo by M. Woods
water use. Want to compare the ET of a full-sun area
to the ET of a shaded area? Measure the dif-ference in VWC from morning to evening at both sites. Now you’ve got the answer.
Thinking of water application in millime-ters and liters translates directly to the VWC in the soil if one assumes the root zone has a depth of 10 centimeters. Of course, a soil moisture meter may have rods at a 6- or 7.5- or 12-centi-meter depth; one can make appropriate adjust-ments in assumptions and estimates.
Being able to make important calculations on the fy without much effort makes it easy to start a relationship with the metric system, but be careful. Once you see how easy this is, you may start to use the metric system for fertilizer, topdressing and spray applications, too.
Micah Woods is chief scientist at the Asian Turfgrass Cen-
ter and an assistant adjunct professor at the University of
Tennessee-Knoxville.
032-033_Sept14_Turf.indd 32 8/18/14 3:56 PM
34 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.14
A place to call home
Seven Lakes Golf and Tennis Community is a modest retirement neighborhood tucked alongside busy Highway 41 in Fort Myers, Fla., a little more than 10 miles from the wa-ters of the Gulf of Mexico. And among a mul-titude of amenities available to its residents, Seven Lakes’ centerpiece is the 3,500-yard, par-60 golf course that winds its way through the 230-acre development.
While the course is thoughtfully cared for and impeccably maintained, even during the sweltering summers of southwest Florida, it’s not the kind of place you’d expect to fnd an equipment technician with a résumé flled with major-championship experience and stops at some of the most revered addresses in golf.
Yet, that’s exactly what Seven Lakes enjoys in the person of Joe Stefanick, the winner of GCM’s 2014 Most Valuable Technician Award, which is presented in partnership with Foley United. He’s worked multiple U.S. Opens, almost all of them at the special request of the host superintendent. He’s served as the full-time equipment tech at facilities such as PGA National, Merion and Olde Florida. He’s tended to the equipment feets being used in the construction of countless new golf developments.
Despite all that, Stefanick insists that he’s never felt more at home in a job than he has since joining the team at Seven Lakes two years ago, embracing the freedom, the atmo-sphere and the challenges he’s found there.
“This is the kind of place you can grow some roots and stay with,” Stefanick says. “It’s not bubbling with money, but it sure is bub-bling with pride, I can tell you that. It’s a very nice environment to work in, and I’m lucky to be here.”
Seven Lakes’ GCSAA Class A superinten-dent J.R. Irwin says he and the club are the real
lucky ones.“There are two things that are really big
with me, and I learned both from Bill Snyder (longtime Kansas State football coach), who is one of my personal heroes,” says Irwin, a 17-year GCSAA member. “One is to try and get a little bit better every day, and the other is to try and surround yourself with people who want to make you better. And Joe has lived both of those things each and every day he’s been here.”
A Pennsylvania native who has spent most of his adult life in South Florida, Stefanick re-mains a decidedly old-school equipment tech-nician despite a mastery of the cutting edge earned through years of experience in tourna-ment prep, course construction and daily main-tenance at the highest levels. One of his most prized possessions in the shop at Seven Lakes, for example, is an anvil used by his grandfather during his days as a mechanic, working on ev-erything from Packards to Studebakers in the early years of the automotive industry.
“You can be having a bad day and go out and hit that thing with a hammer a few times, hear that ring, and it just brings back great memories of my granddad,” Stefanick says. “It can really turn a bad day good.”
Irwin gushes about the broad package of
(shop)
Scott Hollister
twitter: @GCM_Magazine
skills that Stefanick brings to the table, from preventive maintenance and fabrication to shop organization, the latter of which he demonstrated during a recent relocation of the shop within Seven Lakes’ maintenance facil-ity. But Stefanick’s intangible qualities shine most brightly to those with whom he interacts every day.
“He’s got all the technical ability in the world, the ability to fx pretty much any-thing … but on top of that, he just gets along great with everybody,” Irwin says. “He doesn’t have an attitude, zero ego, zero mean streak. Whatever is going on, he just stops and takes the time to work with everyone. It’s more than I could ever ask for.”
For Stefanick, though, it’s all just part of the job, part of his true labor of love.
“I just love it,” he says. “I live for this stuff. I really do.”
Scott Hollister is GCM ’s editor-in-chief.
Joe Stefanick, GCM’s 2014 Most Valuable Technician Award winner, has proved to be a valuable asset to Seven Lakes Golf and Tennis Community in Fort Myers, Fla. Right: Stefanick is pictured with one of his most prized possessions — his grandfather’s anvil. Photos by Scott Hollister
034-035_Sept14_Shop.indd 34 8/18/14 3:57 PM
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36 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.14
GCSAA belongs to coalitions in order to amplify its voice at the national level. Coali-tions are usually organized to handle a partic-ular issue, most often the subject of a proposed law or regulation. If there are groups that share positions on an issue, a coalition can be formed. Coalitions are useful for sharing infor-mation, dividing up tasks and sharing the costs of a legislative or regulatory effort. Coalitions can also be very infuential with lawmakers. They show that there is widespread interest in an issue.
GCSAA belongs to the National Alliance for Accessible Golf, which brings together peo-ple with and without disabilities. GCSAA is also a member of the Essential Worker Immi-gration Coalition and H-2B Workforce Coa-lition working to push for passage of compre-hensive immigration reform legislation and the preservation of the H-2B visa program.
In the area of pesticides, GCSAA belongs to the Pesticide Policy Coalition, whose mis-sion is to ensure the availability of safe, afford-able pest-management tools. PPC supports development and implementation of public policies and laws that use the best available sci-ence and technology in assuring protection of human health and the environment. During 2014, the coalition has been focused on sev-eral issues.
Pollinator protection. On June 20, the White House ordered the EPA, USDA and other federal agencies to establish a national strategy on pollinator health over the next 180 days. President Obama’s memorandum estab-lished the Pollinator Health Task Force to de-velop the federal government’s strategy on un-derstanding, preventing and recovering from pollinator population declines, fostering pub-lic-private partnerships on pollinator health and educating the public on pollinator issues. The president’s June 20 memorandum “Creat-
ing a Federal Strategy to Promote the Health of Honey Bees and other Pollinators” identifes several stressors that are affecting pollinator health, including pathogens, parasites such as the Varroa mite, lack of genetic diversity, poor bee nutrition resulting from shrinking polli-nator habitat, and exposure to pesticides. The memo directs federal agencies, as appropriate, to take immediate steps to support pollinators, including identifcation of existing and new methods and best practices to reduce pollina-tor exposure to pesticides and new cost-effec-tive ways to control bee pests and diseases.
Endangered Species Act (ESA) litigation. On June 6, EPA announced a proposed lawsuit set-tlement agreement to reinstitute streamside no-spray buffer zones to protect Pacifc salmon and steelhead in California, Oregon and Washing-ton listed as endangered or threatened under the ESA. This action would implement no-spray buffers of 300 feet for aerial applications and 60 feet for ground applications of carbaryl, chlorpyrifos, diazinon, malathion and metho-myl that are not part of those products’ FIFRA labels. The limitations are in the form of a pro-posed settlement to litigation brought against EPA by the Northwest Center for Alternatives to Pesticides and others in the U.S. District Court in Washington. The injunction would remain in place until EPA completes national EPA consultations with the National Marine Fisheries Service. NMFS has agreed to com-plete the consultations by 2018. These dates are intended to correspond with EPA’s FIFRA Registration Review schedule for these pesti-cides, and the no-spray buffers would remain in place at least through then. The fve pesti-cides included in the proposed NCAP agree-ment are the frst to undergo nationwide inter-agency consultation under a new consultation process the administration released last year in response to advice from the National Academy of Sciences. The proposed settlement would not change any enforceable label requirements on the affected products at this time, but the eventual consultation between EPA and the NMFS could result in signifcant label changes in the future.
“Waters of t e U.S.” On March 25, EPA and the Corps of Engineers proposed for public comment a rule to “clarify” several Supreme Court decisions on the defnition of “waters of the U.S.” and simplify regulatory determina-tions of what water bodies and other convey-ances are jurisdictional under the Clean Water
Strength in numbers
(Advocacy)
Act. The House Appropriations Committee passed a bill on June 18 prohibiting the Corps from working on the rule. The Western Gov-ernors Association, 46 senators and represen-tatives of Western Caucus states, the Western States Water Council, and numerous others have sent letters to the Administration criticiz-ing the rule, complaining that states as co-reg-ulators have not been consulted, or asking that the rule be withdrawn. Congress continues to question the agency action in numerous hear-ings and letters, and hundreds of lawmakers, spanning both chambers and parties have pub-licly opposed the rule. GCSAA is also opposed to the rule as proposed and will weigh in with public comment alone and in conjunction with PPC by the Oct. 20 deadline.
Other issues PPC has monitored and/or ac-tively engaged in during 2014 include pesticide spray drift, pesticide National Pollutant Dis-charge Elimination System permits and Chesa-peake Bay TMDL cleanup.
GCSAA will continue to align itself with coalitions that align with its Priority Issues Agenda. Doing so will allow the association to continue to broaden its base of support and stretch resources. There is strength in numbers.
Chava McKeel is GCSAA’s associate director, government
relations.
Chava McKeel
twitter: @GCSAA
GCSAA’s partnership with various coalitions gives the association a voice on a national level. Photo by Chava McKeel
036-037_Sept14_Adocacy.indd 36 8/18/14 3:57 PM
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036-037_Sept14_Adocacy.indd 37 8/18/14 3:58 PM
38 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.14
They don’t give out Emmys, Oscars or ESPYs for golf course maintenance facilities. But Kevin Seibel, CGCS at Century Coun-try Club in Purchase, N.Y., believes his brand new environmental center is an award-winner nevertheless.
Completed over the past year and a half, Century CC’s new turf maintenance center gives Seibel and his 25-person crew plenty of room to work. The building’s 12,000-square-foot aboveground footprint conceals an ad-ditional 6,000 square feet in the drive-in basement.
“The entire facility is something we’re all proud of here and take pride in keeping neat and clean, says Seibel, a 17-year member of GCSAA and Century CC’s head superinten-dent for 11 years.
A special point of pride is the facility’s envi-ronmental center. Situated in the center of the building and adjacent to the wash pad, the envi-ronmental center houses a Carbtrol wash water recycle system, which uses activated carbon adsorption and oxidation to treat runoff water from equipment washing before it is diverted to the property’s stormwater retention basin. Spill containment and cleanup are integrated into the operation with a Planstar chemical mix-ing and loading unit, chemical storage and fuel pumps located in the same area.
“It’s a tremendous timesaver,” Seibel says, adding that the arrangement allows for one crew member to mix spray applications for two sprayer operators in continuous rotation. “They (sprayer operators) just pull up, load up and move on out very effciently.”
Bunny [email protected]
twitter: @GCM_Magazine
Using a 200-gallon rig and a 300-gallon rig to spray Century CC’s 30 acres of Poa annua/bentgrass fairways in just over three hours, the new process shaves two and a half hours off the time it used to take, Seibel says. And time, as Benjamin Franklin famously said, is money.
“I feel like it will pay for itself in three seasons,” he says. “We have no problem staying ahead of golf in the mornings. That’s a huge thing.”
Another plus is the safety factor of the mix/load technology. In addition to avoiding envi-ronmental impact from spills, which are quickly contained and treated, the Planstar unit pumps chemical solutions directly into the sprayers, eliminating operator exposure.
The new turf maintenance center, which is situated on the opposite side of the golf course property from the old one, took a year and a half to complete. Seibel’s staff was able to carry on operations from the older facil-ity throughout the project, which received strong support from the general manager, Bur-ton Ward, CCM, as well as the membership at the 116-year-old club. Energy-effcient LED lighting throughout the new facility completes the picture.
“Century’s membership and management team have always been very progressive when it comes to the environment,” Seibel says. “This takes it to another level.”
Bunny Smith ([email protected]) is GCM ’s senior
managing editor.
This view of the new maintenance facility at Century CC in Purchase, N.Y., gives no clue of the 6,000-square-foot drive-in basement. Photo by Kevin Seibel, CGCS
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40 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.14
Have you applied for a job in the past few years? If not, you may be surprised by how technology has revolutionized the process of conducting a job search. The application and hiring process in the golf and turf industry re-lies heavily on online job sites, email and social media. Yes, personal interactions and network-ing are still essential, but at some point along the way, you will need to navigate the appli-cation and hiring process using technology. In this column, I will focus on job search funda-mentals and tips for how to professionally pres-ent yourself in the digital age.
Online job boards. A great place to begin your job search is through job boards such as the GCSAA online job board at www.gcsaa.org. Job boards vary, but generally you will be able to view jobs and upload your résumé along with other information. Always upload your résumé as a PDF fle. Do not upload MS Word fles because they will not remain properly for-matted. One aspect about uploading your ré-sumé that takes consideration is whether it will be viewed by potentially more than one target employer. You may or may not have the op-tion of customizing your résumé for each job. If not, be sure to consider all different target audiences and upload a version that will ad-dress relevant points for your distinct targets. For example, if you are looking only for work in your region of the country, you may want to highlight your turf expertise and experience in that region; otherwise, if you are considering other regions of the country, emphasizing your experience only in that geographic area could be a deterrent.
Email. If a job posting lists an email ad-dress to submit your documents, here are a few tips to present yourself in the most pro-fessional manner. In the body of the email, I recommend writing a brief statement express-ing your interest in the position and the golf facility, and then referencing the attached fle. The attachment should be a PDF fle, not an MS Word document, which can be altered and could possibly be viewed improperly by the recipient. The attached fle should contain your cover letter, résumé and references. For instance, a typical mid-level superintendent fle would contain three to four pages total and
would be perfectly formatted to print nicely as three or four pages. This is very important. In this digital age of restricting in-person access to decision makers, your email and attached documents must be professional and absolutely error-free. This is your chance to make a frst impression and get one step closer to your goal of getting an interview and, ultimately, the job.
Social media. According to a study con-ducted by the Society of Human Resource Management in 2013, 77 percent of compa-nies use social media for their recruiting. In addition to using it as a recruiting tool, 80 per-cent of hiring managers use Internet searches to research candidates before offering an in-terview. One in three employers has rejected candidates based on something they found in social media. Google your name and see what employers will learn about you. LinkedIn is a great starting point to enhance your online presence. Make it a priority to create a profes-sional LinkedIn profle page. Also ensure all of your other social media and online listings are professional and will contribute in a positive way to your job search.
Career websites. Another growing trend, particularly in the golf and turf industry, is to create an online career portfolio to showcase your achievements and tell your story. These can be powerful tools using photos to convey what text cannot communicate in traditional career documents. Put a link in your uploaded résumé, or mention your website with a link in an email submission to encourage readers to learn more about you.
Be in control of your digital communica-tions and online presence. By using technology properly, you will underscore your profession-alism and strengths expressed in your career documents and personal interactions, and suc-cessfully advance your career in the digital age.
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.
Applying for a job in the digital age
According to a
study conducted
by the Society of
Human Resource
Management in
2013, 77 percent
of companies use
social media for their
recruiting.
(Career)Carol D. Rau, [email protected]
040-043_Sept14_Career.indd 40 8/18/14 3:59 PM
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The second round of the GCSAA Golf Course Environmental Profle is coming soon to an inbox near you.
Howard Richman
044-053_Sept14_EIFGprofile.indd 44 8/18/14 4:00 PM
Photo illustration by Tatsianama/Shutterstock.com
044-053_Sept14_EIFGprofile.indd 45 8/18/14 4:00 PM
46 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.14
At his golf course in Humble, Texas, GCSAA Class A superintendent Bob Cook can show you ways that he is a 95-percenter.
Cook can point to the bunker renovation that has, and will, save energy and money for Walden on Lake Houston Country Club. More recently, Cook planned to install a new pump station this month that will replace the previous one, which is more than 30 years old.
“We have become more energy effcient. We are saving water. It’s our responsibility,” says Cook, a 26-year member of GCSAA.
“The Profle project
is a powerful tool
to help GCSAA
maintain its mission
and document
outcomes. As the
individual goes, the
survey questions
created awareness
and began a
thought process on
aspects about their
facility.”
— Dan Dinelli
continuing to follow statistics over time, that’s where we can look for continuous improvement in the industry and, if changes need to be made, let’s make those decisions. The best way to do that is by knowing numbers and making decisions based on good, solid information, which helps better defne programs moving forward.”
Erusha says all the surveys are important. That includes water use issues, a topic that has received enormous attention in recent years. In the frst GCEP, nearly all 18-hole facilities said they use one or more techniques to aid in scheduling irrigation, and 15 percent indicated they had drought manage-ment plans.
“Of particular interest is water use and ensuring that golf courses have written water management and drought management plans,” she says. “We think that is an important starting point and hope to see those numbers continue to rise so that golf courses have got substantial, well-thought-out plans in place as they manage their facilities.”
Glenn Mathews, CGCS at Visalia (Calif.) Coun-try Club, says, “It’s interesting to fnd out what other superintendents are doing. This could help you in-corporate things for your course that make sense, especially if it can make things more effcient.”
Adds GCSAA Class A superintendent Jim Colo of Naples (Fla.) National Golf Club, “Something like this can help us (superintendents) keep every-body at the top of their game. It keeps people think-ing about it.”
All of the time and effort to compile, research and launch the frst GCEP ultimately was well worth it, says Dan Dinelli, CGCS, who works at North Shore Country Club in Glenview, Ill. Dinelli says the real winners in this whole process are those in the industry who use the GCEP.
“The Profle project is a powerful tool to help GCSAA maintain its mission and document out-comes,” Dinelli says. “It serves several important purposes,” he says. “As the individual goes, the sur-vey questions created awareness and began a thought process on aspects about their facility.”
The next stepsNow, says GCSAA’s Johnson, it is time to take
the GCEP to the next level.“The frst surveys established the baseline,”
As GCSAA prepares to launch Phase II — the second set of surveys — of its Golf Course Envi-ronmental Profle (GCEP) this fall, Cook falls into the high percentage of superintendents who partici-pated in — and perhaps became inspired by — the inaugural GCEP that began eight years ago. He was among the 95 percent who indicated they had made at least one improvement in environmental protec-tion in the previous 10 years.
From the outset, the GCEP’s mission was simple — portray the big picture by developing a compre-hensive environmental profle of U.S. golf courses.
Ultimately, the research is being used to demon-srate stewardship and golf ’s value as green space and to assist GCSAA and its philanthropic organization, the Environmental Institute for Golf (EIFG), in es-tablishing the future direction of environmental ef-forts. The information that is gathered (in aggregate form; responses from individual golf courses are not published or released) provides data for document-ing changes in environmental practices, advocates for golf and assists in setting priorities for education, research, member services and other environmental programs.
Laying the groundworkAlthough the frst survey was unveiled in 2006,
the premise for such a project was developed three years earlier. In 2003, a GCSAA task force recom-mended a centralized data resource pool of informa-tion that could be used by superintendents, scientists and conservation groups to address needs and, in some cases, concerns of those outside the industry.
“We wanted something that never had existed at this level,” says Mark Johnson, GCSAA associate di-rector, environmental programs.
Funding for the program comes from the EIFG and the United States Golf Association (USGA). The Toro Giving Program helped fund the inaugu-ral surveys.
Kimberly Erusha, Ph.D., managing director, USGA Green Section, says her organization ob-served multiple positive attributes that convinced them to be a major part of the project.
“The profle surveys provide critical information to use in both the management of golf facilities as well as communicating golf ’s efforts more broadly within and outside the industry,” Erusha says. “By
044-053_Sept14_EIFGprofile.indd 46 8/18/14 4:00 PM
06.14 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 47
At Walden on Lake Houston CC, superintendent Bob Cook initiated a bunker renovation to reduce energy use and expenses. Photo courtesy of Bob Cook
044-053_Sept14_EIFGprofile.indd 47 8/18/14 4:00 PM
48 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.14
Johnson says. “We need current data and to keep it fresh and up-to-date is important. We’re excited because we’ve added a new layer to this. Now, with this new set of surveys, we will have the ability to do trend analysis and measure change from this new series of surveys we will collect.”
Here is how it will work: All superintendents for whom GCSAA has valid email addresses — not solely GCSAA members — and their golf facilities will be asked to participate. They will be asked to complete a series of fve surveys that will be rolled out in increments between the end of this year and 2016:• Volume I: Water Use and Conservation Practices
on U.S. Golf Courses (fall 2014; results pub-lished 2015)
• Volume II: Nutrient Use and Management Prac-tices (spring 2015; results published 2016).
• Volume III: Pest Management Practices (fall 2015; results published 2016).
• Volume IV: Energy Use and Environmental Stewardship Practices (spring 2016; results pub-lished 2017).
• Volume V: Property Profle and Environmental Stewardship (fall, 2016; results published 2017).The results will be analyzed and published in
the peer-reviewed scientifc journal Applied Turfgrass Science. A public report as well as a feature article in GCM will also be prepared for each survey.
Pace Turf LLC’s Wendy Gelernter, Ph.D., and Larry Stowell, Ph.D., are
ge
Survey saysWe learned that the total acreage of an aver-
age 18-hole golf course in the U.S. is 150. Elec-tricity use for all U.S. golf facilities was estimated at 6.714 billion kilowatt hours. Fourteen percent of courses use water from municipal water systems.
Then, there is this: Ninety-seven percent of su-perintendents monitor weather patterns.
“That surprised me when I frst saw it,” says Bob Nielsen, CGCS, at Bedford (N.Y.) Golf & Tennis Club. “I thought every superintendent is a wannabe weather forecaster.”
The inaugural GCSAA Golf Course Environ-mental Profle (GCEP) that was initiated in 2006 produced plenty of statistics and numbers to di-gest. The GCEP, a compilation of fve surveys that superintendents completed, was designed to doc-ument patterns and changes on the golf course, ranging from environmental practices to pest management. Superintendents at all golf facilities, more than 16,000 of them, were asked to partic-ipate. The rate of return ranged from 9 percent to 20 percent.
“We had some really good response rates,” says Mark Johnson, GCSAA associate director, environmental programs. “We need suffcient re-sponses again to make the results valid.”
Here are some more statistics that might be of interest from the inaugural set of surveys:• Since 1996, 44 percent of golf facilities in-
creased their native acreage by 9.8 acres.• Fifty percent of golf facilities nationally use a
written nutrient management plan or written fertilizer program.
• Approximately 50 percent of average 18-hole facilities had a pesticide emergency re-sponse plan.
• Fifty percent of 18-hole facilities that stored fer-tilizer for more than three consecutive days used a facility designed for that purpose.Johnson emerged from the frst round of sur-
veys intrigued, impressed and even surprised by some of the results.
“Ninety-one percent of the acreage on the average 18-hole golf course is considered green space that provides benefts to the ecosystem,” Johnson says. “That kind of calculation simply is signifcant.”
— H.R.
serving as lead authors for the surveys and will also be involved in data analysis.
As with the frst series of surveys, GCSAA will contract with the National Golf Foundation (NGF) to develop the survey instruments, conduct the sur-veys and analyze data. Survey content was deter-mined based on input from GCSAA’s Environmen-tal Programs Committee and associated advisory panels and contributions from GCSAA staff.
Superintendents representing approximately 15,000 facilities in the U.S. will receive requests to participate in the surveys. One key difference this time, though, is the form in which they can respond.
“This survey primarily will be done electron-ically,” says Johnson, noting that a few exceptions will be made.
The bigger pictureData that was collected in Phase I of the Pro-
fle has been crucial in identifying key issues for po-tential research projects. Operating from a founda-tion of data-based research allows GCSAA and the EIFG to respond to governmental inquiries, answer the public’s questions about environmental issues and promote the efforts superintendents are making on their golf courses. It also provides a solid basis for the association and its members to comment on proposed regulatory issues that may impact the golf
industry.There is no question that
the GCEP data has
Te Environmental Institute for Golf is the philanthropic organization of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America.
With Forewords by Greg Norman, World Golf Hall of Fame Member,
and David S. Downing II, CGCS, 2008 GCSAA President
Golf Course
Environmental Pro�le
Volume II
Water Use and Conservation Practices on U.S. Golf Courses
Te Environmental Institute fo
r Golf is the philanthropic organization of the Golf C
ourse Superin
tendents Association of America.
With Forewords by Greg Norman, World Golf Hall of Fame Member, and
Ricky D. Heine, CGCS, 2007 GCSAA President
Golf Course
Environmental Pro�le
Property Profle and Environmental Stewardship of Golf Courses
Volume I
Te Environmental Institute for Golf is the philanthropic organization of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America.
With Forewords by Greg Norman, World Golf Hall of Fame Member, and
Mark D. Kuhns, CGCS, 2009 GCSAA President
Golf Course
Environmental Pro�le
Volume III
Nutrient Use and Management on U.S. Golf Courses
Volume IVEnergy Use and Energy Conservation
Practices on U.S. Golf CoursesWith a Foreword by Sandy G. Queen, CGCS 2012 GCSAA President
Golf Course Environmental Profle
Funded by the Environmental Institute for Golf, the philanthropic organization of the GCSAA.
Volume V
Pesticide Use on U.S. Golf Courses
With a Foreword by Sandy G. Queen, CGCS 2012 GCSAA President
Golf Course
Environmental Profle
Funded by the Environmental Institute for Golf, the philanthropic organization of the GCSAA.
044-053_Sept14_EIFGprofile.indd 48 8/18/14 4:00 PM
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been presented to infuential people — including some in the nation’s capital. That includes Alex Mc-Donough, senior energy and environment policy advisor to Senate majority leader Harry Reid, who met in July with GCSAA representatives about the EPA’s proposed “Waters of the U.S.” rule and was interested in seeing GCEP data that might impact that issue.
It was just one of many instances in which Wash-ington has been well versed in the GCEP.
“Last year, I few to Washington, D.C., with superintendents from Florida and Georgia to par-ticipate in a focus meeting for MSMA, an active ingredient used by courses in the Southeast,” says GCSAA’s Chava McKeel, associate director, gov-ernment relations, who spearheaded this summer’s meeting with Reid’s offce. “We provided a presenta-tion to the EPA about the use of pesticides in general and that ingredient specifcally on golf courses. We used profle data for talking points to pull our pre-sentation together.”
McKeel keeps GCEP data at her fngertips.“We feel very strongly, whether it’s dealing with
regulators or policymakers, that their decisions that impact the golf industry or golf course management profession should be driven by science and data,” she says. “For us to have this set of data is invaluable, especially on environmental issues because that’s where a lot of the regulatory scrutiny and pressures are coming from.”
Tales from the trenchesGCSAA Class A superintendent Peter Mc-
Donough, who was heavily involved three years ago in helping Virginia receive governor-supported legis-lation that featured fertilizer-oriented bills to address the Chesapeake Bay restoration project, believes the
time is right to revive and update the GCEP. He notes how the economy has changed since the frst GCEP survey was conducted. That has impacted superintendents in multiple ways, such as securing the necessities for maintaining a top-notch facility.
“Golf is turning around in my opinion,” says McDonough, who oversees The Keswick Club in Charlottesville, Va. “This type of information can help a superintendent, as a driver of the golf course, to get where he needs to be.”
McDonough says the GCEP should serve as a powerful and exemplary tool beyond GCSAA’s membership.
“It (GCEP) allows GCSAA to educate its allies in the industry,” McDonough says. “It also helps you educate the people you work for.”
Cornell University’s Frank Rossi, Ph.D., used the GCEP as a guide. It played a critical role in estab-lishing best management practices (BMPs) for New York State golf courses.
Rossi and fellow authors from Cornell integrated their research, with assistance from the GCEP, New York-area superintendents, GCSAA chapters in their region and operations such as the New York State Turfgrass Association and Metropolitan PGA to produce a BMP road map that is designed to protect and preserve water resources that enhance open space using current advances in golf turf management.
“Suffce it to say that, to procure funding for the project from golfers, we used the GCEP to indicate the state of the industry relative to environmental issues,” Rossi says. “While we’re on the right track as an industry, there is still much work to be done to ensure environmental quality, especially, in our case, from a water perspective.”
The GCEP also was useful on the other side of
“This type of
information
can help a
superintendent,
as a driver of the
golf course, to get
where he needs
to be. It (GCEP)
allows GCSAA to
educate its allies in
the industry. It also
helps you educate
the people you
work for.”
— Peter McDonough
Bob Nielsen, CGCS, at Bedford (N.Y.) Golf & Tennis Club used information from the GCEP to request a special-use permit from the town for a mixing and loading facility he hopes to install. Pictured is the mix/load unit at Century CC in Purchase, N.Y., where Kevin Seibel, CGCS, is the superintendent. Photo courtesy of Kevin Seibel
50 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.14
044-053_Sept14_EIFGprofile.indd 50 8/18/14 4:00 PM
the country. Information from the surveys helped guide the completion of the California Golf Indus-try Economic and Environment Report. As that state faces an emergency drought situation, water conservation tops California’s most pressing issues. According to Tom Addis, PGA executive director/CEO of the Southern California PGA, tidbits from the GCEP have come in handy as the state deals with the water crisis.
“Some of it (GCEP) was extremely helpful,” Addis says, “particularly on the educational front as we try to educate local legislators and the public (about) the role of the golf business, not only in the economic world, but also (in) managing the land.”
GCEP data has aided Matthew Pringle, Ph.D., in his work as manager, research and development, for the USGA.
“The USGA is keenly interested in understand-ing the many factors that infuence the use of water, fuel, labor and other resources on the golf course,” Pringle says. “Ensuring that those resources are being used most effciently is the goal of several USGA initiatives. The data from the Golf Course Environmental Profle allowed us to quantify and begin to focus on key areas on the golf course for which cost and resource savings may be most easily realized.”
Although the soon-to-be-launched set of GCEP
surveys won’t reveal updated data for a while, it is obvious that the inaugural surveys still carry signif-icant importance. In fact, the GCEP came in handy just last month for Bob Nielsen, CGCS.
For nearly a decade, he has pursued a pesticide mix/load facility for Bedford Golf & Tennis Club in Bedford, N.Y. Whenever he wants to change the footprint of any building on the property, Nielsen must meet with the town of Bedford’s planning board and its zoning board of appeals because the club operates under a special-use permit. In late Au-gust, Nielsen had his latest meeting to try to secure the mix/load facility.
“We are under such a watchful eye in the town of Bedford,” says Nielsen, who used GCEP informa-tion to formulate a nutrient management plan for a recently completed pond expansion. “The Profle not only helped us with our nutrient management plan during our pond expansion, it also has been useful as we try to secure the mix/load facility. We are able to show our club what other clubs around the country are doing. Thank goodness we have that type of information.”
Howard Richman ([email protected]) is GCM ’s associate editor.
044-053_Sept14_EIFGprofile.indd 52 8/18/14 4:00 PM
044-053_Sept14_EIFGprofile.indd 53 8/18/14 4:00 PM
54 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.14
Anatomy of a renovationFort Wayne Country Club’s “Greens + Project” adds up to more than new putting surfaces.
Fort Wayne (Ind.) Country Club, built in 1908, has withstood the test of time as a wonderful and enjoyable property. Originally designed by David B. McIntosh and completed by William B. Langford, the course has seen plenty of changes over the years, but its No. 1 asset has always been its members. Without their foresight and willingness to improve their club, our greens renovation project would never have come to fruition.
Looking back through the records of this 106-year-old club, I found an interesting 1949 analysis from a USGA agronomist, who reported that the root structure of our greens was “too shallow and totally inadequate.” Sound familiar? What stood out to me was the fact that greens were resurfaced about every 30 years, which seemed to match the increasing Poa annua popula-tions as the demand for higher green speeds steadily grew.
When I frst came to Fort Wayne CC in 1988, we were cutting greens at 0.156 inch, and in 2013 at 0.097 inch. For my frst 20 years at the club we maintained some of the best putting surfaces anywhere, but with the newer bentgrass varieties starting to dominate the market, we could no longer compete at the highest level with speed, frmness and overall plant health.
In 2010 my assistant superintendent — my son, Brian John Chalifoux — and I began dis-cussing how the new bentgrasses would surely correct some of the problems we were experienc-ing, which were due largely to the weather. In 2011 we had an extremely hot summer that caused even more diffculties, and it was time to put a plan together to outline what we knew and did not know about our greens.
Brian C. Chalifoux
AT THE TURN
(renovation)
The grounds crew at Fort Wayne (Ind.) CC strips sod from the No. 18 green. The club’s crew took on many of the tasks during the 2013 renovation project. Photos courtesy of Brian Chalifoux
Greens were
resurfaced about
every 30 years,
which seemed
to match the
increasing
Poa annua
populations.
054-063_Sept14_FortWCC.indd 54 8/18/14 4:00 PM
56 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.14
First stepsIndependent lab testing reported that the
main disease problem with our greens was pythium root dysfunction. Next, Mavis Con-sulting charted the depth of greens mix on all 19 greens using an accurate probe to fnd the gravel layer and found that depths varied from 5 to 24 inches. Digital Turf Imaging conducted a subsurface drainage study on all greens and confrmed our suspicion that many greens had limited drainage tile. Finally, a shade study conducted by Arbor Com proved that we had a serious shade problem on sev-eral greens.
Architect Bob Lohmann of Lohmann Golf Design was called in to put together a solid plan and prepare cost estimates, which he then presented to the newly formed greens task force committee. The new committee de-cided that several items other than the greens should be addressed: rough renovation, pe-rimeter greens irrigation, new greens irrigation heads, bluegrass sodding and bunker modif-cations. A 23-page report prepared by inter-national golf course consultant Richard M. Bator following a site visit covered all details of the Greens + Project. Now that all known costs were put together, we had a preliminary budget, contingencies, weather issues and lost revenue to consider.
Because the club had just completed an ex-pansion of the grill room in 2011, the board considered a modifed plan that deleted some options, but ultimately approved the premium
Brian C. Chalifoux (left) and Brian J. Chalifoux.
plan, as recommended. It was decided that the work would begin Aug. 1, 2013, and be com-pleted by Oct. 1.
Weather watchWith the project dates in place, we had to
fgure out how to get through the summers of 2012 (which turned out to be worse than 2011) and 2013. On our most problematic greens (Nos. 6 and 12), we were allowed to establish six different bentgrass cultivars or blends that were under consideration: T-1, Penn A-1/A-4, Dominator, 007/Tyee, V8 and Pure Distinction. The No. 12 collar was seeded with Crystal Blue Links.
We approached the 2013 season with ex-treme caution, using a prevent-defense ap-proach. We went to higher cutting heights, increased rolling, additional fungicide ap-plications and lab testing every month. The grow-in on No. 6 and No. 12 greens came in fne, and those holes were in play throughout the 2013 season. Following much discussion and a feld trip and presentation by fellow superintendent Aaron McMaster at Orchard Lake Country Club, Pure Distinction was selected when it came out on top in terms of density, root growth, disease resistance, wear tolerance and leaf texture.
As the Aug. 1, 2013, closing date ap-proached, we were relieved to have gotten through the season with relatively few issues. In analyzing the 2010, 2011 and 2012 seasons, we still cannot pinpoint exactly what hap-
Plastic tarps are glued together over tubing for methyl bromide gas on the No. 12 green.
054-063_Sept14_FortWCC.indd 56 8/18/14 4:00 PM
58 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.14
(No. 2 and the practice putting green). Loh- mann’s group stripped the sod on greens, col-lars, partial approaches and 15 feet of blue-grass. Golf Preservations installed green drainage on eight greens, completing about one per day. Green contours determined lay-out with 6-foot spacing, 2-inch tile and clean-outs placed on perimeters.
Mavis Consulting approved a mix of 70 percent sand, 20 percent peat and 10 percent soil to backfll all trenches. With the goal to provide an open soil structure to provide op-timal gas movement in the greens and sur-rounds, the Fort Wayne CC grounds staff thoroughly hosed down all trenches to settle the backfll and aerated with the Verti-Drain set at 9-inch maximum kick and the Aeravator set at 4-5 inches.
Lohmann Golf Designs continued with the grading modifcations on 10 greens to remove excess mix, correct surface runoff and remove pocketed low areas. They also completed bun-ker modifcations on three holes. Our crew in-stalled bunker boards on all greenside bunkers and corrected years of “blast shots” by digging out and replacing with topsoil — a major un-dertaking.
The complete rebuilds of No. 2 and the
practice green provided a different set of chal-lenges. The putting green subgrade was so bad that it had to be removed and replaced with good clay. This set us back and added unex-pected cost. Materials hauled out of these two areas were stockpiled for mounding behind No. 17 green.
Once prep work was complete, Chris Fur-man of TriEst Ag Group Inc. executed the gassing phase of the project. First, we stripped a pass around the greens. Next, gas tubes were placed throughout the green and covered with plastic tarps that were glued together. We then placed the sod strips on the outer edges of the tarps to hold them down. TriEst then pumped methyl bromide into the sealed plastic. Strict safety measures included two rows of fumi-gation/closure warning signs, partial fencing and air-quality monitoring. Tarps were re-moved after fve days using a tractor-mounted reel. We rented a large dumpster for disposal of the tarps.
After a three-day aeration period, we used a Sand Pro to rough grade. Light raking of the collars and approaches smoothed the transi-tion from the fnal foat by Lohmann Golf. Collars were marked in at 25 inches, and a pre-plant fertilizer designed by Mavis Con-
The No. 2 green was completely rebuilt to correct problems with drainage and the greens mix depth.
pened: Was it too much shade or too much Poa? Was it poor drainage or heavy traffc and ultra-low mowing that stressed the root zone to a depth of less than 1 inch in Au-gust? Managing the same set of greens for 26 years has taught us many things, but mostly to stay humble and be ready to deal with the unforeseen.
All details of the Greens + Project were presented at a town hall meeting in 2012. The information was well received by our mem-bership, but one of their big questions per-tained to where they would play golf during the renovation. Todd Firestone, our head golf professional, used his connections with fellow professionals both regionally and statewide; locally, our friends at Coyote Creek allowed him to run both men’s and women’s leagues at their normal times.
Gas and grassAll preliminary planning was completed by
Lohmann Golf Design and Fort Wayne CC. Our grounds staff worked with a professional service to remove trees in 2011 and 2012.
Gas and grass was the main focus when layout work began on all green locations on Aug. 1, 2013, with only two complete rebuilds
054-063_Sept14_FortWCC.indd 58 8/18/14 4:00 PM
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60 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.14
sulting was applied. Seeding began on Aug. 22. The highlights are listed below in operational order:• Greens seeded with Pure Distinction at 0.90 pound per square foot;
collars seeded with Crystal Blue Links at 1 pound per square foot in three days using a Finn Hydroseeder. Seeding two grasses was diff-cult but highly worthwhile.
• Double-dimpling with Sand Pro followed by hydromulching with wood fber mulch at 30 pounds per 1,000 square feet to prevent washouts.
• Application of Subdue at 1 ounce per 1,000 square feet to protect seedlings from damping-off disease.
• Irrigation and hand watering as needed.Most of this work was accomplished by the Fort Wayne CC grounds
staff, with Lohmann Golf installing about 15,000 square yards of blue-grass sod in the surrounds. A Ryan Rollaire hand unit was used before the frst cut on several of the new greens on Sept. 3, 2013, at 0.25 inch. We steadily dropped the cutting height by 0.10 inch until we reached our goal of 0.125 inch.
Fertilizer was applied weekly at 0.3-0.5 pound per 1,000 square feet of starter 13-25-12 and 10-49-0. Out of the 23 surfaces we completed, only No. 2 green had problems, which turned out to be fertilizer burn. It is still hard to believe the damage caused by our mowers prematurely fracturing the coated nitrogen we had applied before planting. It goes to show you that nothing is automatic and to expect the unexpected. Fortunately the new Pure Distinction nursery was ready for us to use for plugging and sodding damaged spots. Dormant fertilization and snow mold applications put our greens to bed until spring 2014.
Off the greens:Rough renovation
As part of the renovation program, we always had nine holes closed for seeding with disease- and drought-resistant varieties of fescue (55 percent), bluegrass (40 percent) and ryegrass (5 percent) and applica-tions of Tenacity to eliminate bentgrass and Poa annua in the rough. The following observations might help fellow superintendents who are embarking on a rough renovation:• Total acreage exceeded our original estimation.• Seed availability was limited — order early.• Tenacity applications were diffcult due to high acreage, and
a second 300-gallon sprayer was needed.• We had some Tenacity tracking from the carts, but it was
not a big problem.• Be prepared for a shocking visual during the process.• With so many acres to seed, having an extra set of bearings,
discs and chains is highly recommended.• Drag off morning dew before seeding.• Our goal of seeding 4 acres per day was not always met due to precipi-
tation, variable soil conditions, machine breakdowns, etc.• We could have lowered the percentage of ryegrass from
5 percent to 2-3 percent.• Tenacity cleaned up bentgrass and many other weed species.
Results by the end of the 2013 growing season were excellent, and further evaluation will continue in 2014. The high seeding rate is criti-cal in a rough seeding project. Follow-up Tenacity applications on a much smaller scale continue in 2014. We do have concerns about Tenac-ity and its effect on certain fne fescues. Selective fertility will be neces-sary as certain grasses begin to dominate in different locations.
Perimeter green irrigationMember requests for improved playing conditions around the greens
054-063_Sept14_FortWCC.indd 60 8/18/14 4:00 PM
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62 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.14
Leo Feser award
CANDIDATE
This article is eligible for the 2015 Leo Feser Award,
presented annually since 1977 to the author of the
best superintendent-written article published in GCM
during the previous year. Superintendents receive
a $300 stipend for articles. Feser Award winners
receive an all-expenses-paid trip to the Golf Industry
Show, where they are recognized. They also have
their names engraved on a plaque permanently
displayed at GCSAA headquarters.
led to planning and installing perimeter ir-rigation heads. After several meetings on the golf course, we came up with a budget and a plan that would work. Each green was laid out to provide specifc coverage and be adaptable to existing satellites. We were able to accom-modate most station requirements but did have to add three satellites. Routing was also a concern trying to navigate around or through three old systems that were still partially live.
We scheduled this project to start in spring 2013 to keep the installation away from the planned August activities, which were going to be substantial. Also, it would be smarter to have the irrigation off during March and April than in August. However, we did run into a few problems with hit-or-miss spring weather and soft ground conditions as well as a few early-morning starts compromised by frost.
Commercial Irrigation started the install in March 2013, locating existing equipment and preparing to pull wires and place new irri-gation heads. Many golf course design changes over the past 105 years led to many false as-sumptions. Existing piping that we planned on connecting to was not always where it was thought to be. We also encountered old pipe that was much deeper than anticipated. The loop system around the greens, which is fairly standard, was not always looped. New fttings leaked, and patience became a virtue. Our crew took a hands-on approach and helped when necessary to move things along and to
get our daily operations back to normal. Final testing went smoothly and computer pro-gramming with help from Automatic Irriga-tion fnalized the install.
Throughout the entire process, the mem-bership was kept well informed with letters from the club president and weekly verbal and written communications. A great tool was “Friday Flix,” a weekly video report developed by Firestone, our golf pro. Each week my as-sistant and I were guests on the “show” to talk about the project’s progress. Communication is vital, especially in a project of this size, and our entire professional staff handled plenty of questions throughout the project.
I am so grateful to all our members, club president, chairmen, committee members and professional staff that spent hundreds of hours to plan and execute this project. Skilled, dedi-cated, loyal, deep and committed only begin to describe this entire great group of people who know how to get work done.
Brian C. Chalifoux is in his 27th year as the GCSAA Class
A superintendent at Fort Wayne (Ind.) Country Club, where
he works with his wife, Carol, who is the offce assistant
for the grounds department, and his son, Brian John Chali-
foux, who is the assistant superintendent. Daughters Lau-
rie and Jennifer also worked at the golf course during their
high school years.
Father and son (above) team up to mark 25-inch collars before the greens are seeded. Below, the newly seeded putting green is rolled before it receives its frst mowing.
054-063_Sept14_FortWCC.indd 62 8/18/14 4:01 PM
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64 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.14
An eye on the futureAn environment of inclusiveness at California’s Monarch Dunes Golf Club powers an innovative learning initiative designed to increase golfng participation worldwide.
Editor’s note: T is is t e second in a series of article ig lig ting t e important relations ip be-tween GCSAA superintendents and PGA of America professionals.
For several years, Tom Elliott, CGCS at Monarch Dunes Golf Club in Nipomo, Calif., served his local community as coach of the Nipomo High School girls’ golf team. Although he enjoyed the responsibilities of his position, he struggled to teach the game to beginning golfers who were members of the team, to the point he sought assistance from nearby golf professionals.
But no PGA professional was able to help him work with newcomers until Jim DeLaby ap-proached him. A professional instructor at Monarch Dunes, DeLaby wanted to spend more time with his daughter, who had just tried out for the team. Elliott was skeptical at frst, unsure if DeLaby would be able to work with girls who had just begun playing. His doubts were quickly curtailed, however.
“I never saw a pro have such success with newbies,” says Elliott, a GCSAA member for 27 years. “He immediately gained my respect and admiration as he took the raw beginners and showed them the early stages of learning the game, including how to properly hold grips and take quarter backswings.”
A relationship was established, as the two began to co-coach the team in 2011. While work-ing together, they began to understand each other’s gifts and acquired trust in one another. That level of mutual understanding and trust transferred over to Monarch Dunes, where both men
Chris Lewis
AT THE TURN
(business)
The development of a 12-hole, par-3 Challenge Course at Monarch Dunes GC in Nipomo, Calif., has proven to be an effective tool in bringing new golfers into the game. Photos courtesy of Monarch Dunes
“Tom and Jim took
it upon themselves
to meet and discuss
what could be
done to attract
golfers . . . as well as
beginners.”— Minas Kaloosian,
Monarch Dunes general
manager
064-071_Sept14_PGA.indd 64 8/18/14 4:02 PM
064-071_Sept14_PGA.indd 65 8/18/14 4:02 PM
66 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.14
worked. When new owners purchased the golf club and offered DeLaby a new position, as Monarch Dunes Golf Academy’s director of instruction, a new general manager, Minas Kaloosian, was hired. He soon understood the potential that DeLaby and Elliott’s association as co-coaches with a combined 54 years of ex-perience within the golf industry, presented to the club — a successful PGA professional and superintendent dual partnership.
“A new leadership structure and philosophy was instituted at the club, and the foundation was built for two long-time industry profes-sionals to share their knowledge and experience through collaboration,” says Kaloosian. “Tom and Jim took it upon themselves to meet and discuss what could be done to attract golfers from other courses to come and play at Mon-arch Dunes, as well as beginners.”
Their solution? Elliott and his team would signifcantly ease the diffculty of the golf club’s under-utilized 12-hole, par-3 Challenge Course so that golfers of all ages and experi-ence levels could enjoy a fun, relatively fast, round of golf. In the meantime, DeLaby, along with event coordinator and marketing manager Holly McGinty and head golf pro-fessional Jason Porter, would create a learning program to help new golfers become comfort-
able with the game and learn it properly from the get-go, applying some of the same meth-ods DeLaby used with members of the Ni-pomo High School girls’ golf team.
An open invitationPrior to the development of Monarch
Dunes’ “beginners-only” learning program, Elliott and DeLaby drove around the Chal-lenge Course together and studied every as-pect of each hole, determining which char-acteristics of the course beginners likely struggled with the most. Upon further review, the pair decided to cut the course’s grass to one length, add 8-inch cups to every green, remove lips from all bunkers, and move all forward tees even farther forward so they would only be 25 yards away from each hole’s green.
“Tom knew my 35 years of experience as an instructor, as well as explaining step-by-step how to play golf, could help translate the language of the game for non-golfers,” De-Laby states. “So he based each of the changes to the Challenge Course on my wish list for having perfect teaching grounds, where I could implement my learning program.”
Known as Learn Golf!, the grow-the-game initiative is the club staff ’s attempt to intro-duce the game to nearby residents. Staff mem-
Tom Elliott, CGCS (left), superintendent at Monarch Dunes GC, and Jim DeLaby, the club’s director of instruction, led the implementation of a sucessful player development program at the California facility.
Known as Learn
Golf!, the grow-the-
game initiative is the
club staff’s attempt
to introduce the
game to nearby
residents.
064-071_Sept14_PGA.indd 66 8/18/14 4:02 PM
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68 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.14
bers are also hoping to develop a marketable program that can easily be duplicated by other facilities to attract new participants and re-solve three key issues that have affected golf participation in recent years: cost, the time it takes to play and the diffculty in learning the game.
“We needed to establish an instruction method that would really appeal to beginners who don’t understand or love the game the way we, in the industry, understand and love it,” Kaloosian says. “The truth is golf doesn’t have a honeymoon period, as many new golf-ers go from frst date to divorce all in the same day. The Learn Golf! program provides golf-ers that honeymoon period so they can un-derstand the game and see its beauty in a fun, interactive way.”
When beginners arrive at the Challenge Course to participate in the Learn Golf! pro-gram, they’re provided with a list of 11 tasks they need to either complete or understand prior to playing their frst round of golf, start-ing with tee time scheduling. After reviewing this list, fnishing each task, and receiving clubs, balls and small carry bags, participants begin to take quarter swings on the course’s green tees without any instruction. The green
tees, one of the course’s set of four tees, are for beginners only. If experienced participants wish, they can take half swings at the course’s yellow tees, three-quarter swings at the orange tees or full swings at the black tees instead.
After playing the course for the frst time, beginners will then decide to either continue learning the game alone, or ask for profes-sional instruction from DeLaby. If beginners desire to learn the game via a “do-it-yourself” approach, they can visit Monarch Dunes’s website and access instructional material whenever they choose, at any pace they aspire to learn. If they prefer professional instruc-tion, DeLaby and his team of instructors are trained to transition beginners from self-led to instructor-led instruction whenever custom-ers decide to change their learning methods. Ultimately, because of the program’s vertical integration, beginners can comfortably transi-tion from quarter swings to full swings and from the Challenge Course to the club’s 18-hole championship course.
Immediate payoffAs a result of the Learn Golf! program, the
total number of rounds played at Monarch Dunes’ 12-hole and 18-hole courses rose by
Tweaks to the Challenge Course to make it better suited as a learning environment for new golfers included a change to a single mowing height, the addition of 8-inch cups to each green and the removal of lips from all bunkers.
Ultimately . . .
beginners can
comfortably
transition from
quarter swings to full
swings and from the
Challenge Course
to the club’s 18-
hole championship
course.
064-071_Sept14_PGA.indd 68 8/19/14 10:06 AM
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064-071_Sept14_PGA.indd 69 8/18/14 4:02 PM
15 percent from 2012 to 2013, a number that is expected to grow an additional 25 percent this year. At the same time, foot traffc has in-creased in the club’s pro shop and restaurant, known as The Butterfy Grille, as merchan-dise and food and beverage sales are projected to upturn by 20 and 10 percent, respectively, in 2014.
“Within the last eight months, Jim has taught about 400 beginners,” states Ka-loosian. “The total number of rounds played at the Challenge Course has risen by nearly 4,000, since golfers are now bringing their non-golfer friends and family members with them to the golf club to either play golf or eat at our restaurant.”
To maintain this level of success, Elliott and DeLaby attend weekly managers’ meet-ings and monthly managers’ strategy sessions to discuss all aspects of the club’s day-to-day operations. They also take time out of their personal schedules to decide what is — and what isn’t — working with regard to the learning program, the Challenge Course and other aspects of the club.
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of our customer segments, and how we can balance our customers’ expectations with the realities of maintaining a year-round facility,” says DeLaby.
Thanks to these meetings, as well as the work they have completed on the Challenge Course and the Learn Golf! program as part-ners, Elliott and DeLaby are able to respect each other’s points of view, understand the is-sues one another faces as superintendent and PGA professional and recognize what they must do to achieve their goals and grow the game of golf.
“Mutual respect and patience are key to establishing common ground and making progress,” Elliott states. “Superintendents and PGA pros must understand each other’s point of view, while looking at the ‘big pic-ture,’ thinking strategically and executing tac-tically.”
He adds, “Each person should be allowed to be an expert at what they do and apply their advice to the situation at hand. Superinten-dents and PGA pros should be inclusive with one another, rather than exclusive, and open to different points of view.”
The team approachIn particular, this inclusiveness at Mon-
arch Dunes has especially increased since the Learn Golf! program was initiated, as each manager of the club has provided input on the learning initiative, working together to ensure its success.
“Prior to Learn Golf!, the club’s depart-ments operated autonomously for the most part,” says Kaloosian. “Now our culture of inclusion and collaboration allows our expe-rienced and new managers to feed off of each other, blend their strengths and execute their plans together. It has been a true team effort.”
DeLaby believes this “team effort” can be applied throughout the golf industry to grow the game for future generations.
“If we as pros, superintendents and man-agers don’t take it upon ourselves to become ambassadors for golf, how can we expect be-ginners to be excited about learning and fall-ing in love with this beautiful game?” he asks. “It is our responsibility to plant the seeds, tend the new crop and harvest the riches of a new generation of golfers.”
Chris Lewis is a freelance writer based in Detroit.
064-071_Sept14_PGA.indd 70 8/18/14 4:02 PM
Visit the new and improved Job Board at GCSAA.org/jobs.
The GCSAA Job Board is bigger and better than ever! We’ve made it even easier for members to find
new jobs and for golf courses to find skilled employees.
Job seekers, look no further:
• Create your own user account to save postings,
searches and applications
• Sign up for daily or weekly job alerts
• Build your resume on the site or upload it
Employers, make your listing work:
• Preview your job listing before posting
• Perform a multi-state search
• Include your company profile and logo
Find a job or fill one – it’s never been easier.
JUST HIRED
064-071_Sept14_PGA.indd 71 8/18/14 4:02 PM
72 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.14
Investment opportunityStaying true to its roots, scholarship remains a key pillar in the foundation of GCSAA’s Environmental Institute for Golf.
Editor’s note: This is the second in a regular series of stories on GCSAA’s philanthropic organization, the Environmental Institute for Golf, and how the organization supports the golf course superintendent and the golf course management industry. For more on the EIFG, visit www.eifg.org.
One of the pillars of the Environmental Institute for Golf (EIFG) is funding scholarships. The EIFG considers the use of donations to award college scholarships to turfgrass students and researchers as a way of cultivating the next crop of industry leaders.
“We like to say that the EIFG is funding scholarships to shape minds that will shape the fu-ture of golf,” says Mischia Wright, EIFG associate director. “Funding scholarships is a low-risk, high-reward investment that provides a return for everyone in the golf industry.”
EIFG scholarships for turfgrass students and researchers include the Student Essay Contest, GCSAA Scholars Competition, Dr. James Watson Fellowship Program, Valderrama Award and the Royal Spanish Golf Federation Scholarship. Scholarships for GCSAA members and their families include the Garske Collegiate Grant Program and GCSAA Legacy Awards.
Scholarships have been a part of the EIFG’s focus since 1955, when the organization was frst founded as the GCSAA Scholarship and Research Fund. Scholarships funded by the EIFG provide fnancial assistance to students who are pursuing a career in golf course
Bill Newton
(EIFG)
Most of the
research that goes
into BMPs comes
from research at
universities that is
funded by the EIFG.
Members of the 2014 Melrose Leadership Academy met with executives of The Toro Co. at the Golf Industry Show. The program was established in 2012 by Ken Melrose, retired Toro CEO and chairman of the board, and is supported by a $1 million gift to the EIFG from the Kendrick B. Melrose Family Foundation. Photo by Roger Billings
072-077_Sept14_eifg.indd 72 8/18/14 4:03 PM
management, future researchers and educa-tors, as well as children and grandchildren of GCSAA members. In 2013, the EIFG funded 70 scholarships and grants, a number that in-cluded superintendents earning grants from the Healthy Turf, Healthy Tomorrow pro-gram, the Melrose Leadership Academy and the Bayer Superintendent Grant Program.
“When I was in graduate school at Rut-gers University in 2010, GCSAA awarded me the Dr. James R. Watson Fellowship that was funded by The Toro Co. and the EIFG,” says Emily Merewitz, Ph.D., assistant professor in Michigan State’s department of plant, soil and microbial sciences. “This award was a great honor to receive. It provided me with the con-fdence in my research endeavors to carry out the rest of my work to complete my doctorate and move on to a faculty position at Michigan State without frst holding a postdoctoral po-sition.”
Aaron Patton, Ph.D., associate professor of agronomy at Purdue University, won sev-eral different scholarships from GCSAA as an undergraduate and during graduate school. Patton teaches a senior-level turfgrass science course at Purdue and advises undergraduate and graduate students. He plans and imple-
ments research projects devoted to managing high-quality lawn, golf and sports turf while reducing management inputs. Patton’s exten-sion responsibilities include posting biweekly “Turf Tips” updates online, golf course con-sultation, Midwest Regional Turf Founda-tion leadership and appearing at numerous educational extension events, such as teaching seminars at the annual GCSAA Education Conference.
“Those scholarships provided me an op-portunity to meet many different superin-tendents, GCSAA offcers and Dr. Watson himself,” Patton says. “Those introductions were extremely valuable and helpful as a net-working tool. From a research standpoint, those scholarships gave me a little notoriety that helped me meet other scientists whom I might not have had a chance to interact with that early in my career. I continue to collabo-
Aaron Patton, Ph.D., associate professor of agronomy and turfgrass Extension specialist at Purdue University, received several GCSAA scholarships that aided his pursuit of an academic career. Photo courtesy of Aaron Patton
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rate with many of those same people today on various research projects.”
Winning a scholarship can be a turn-ing point early in the career of some stu-dents, or plant seeds for a career change that blooms later.
“I won a student essay contest scholarship when I was in graduate school at Penn State,” says Chase Rogan, a former assistant super-intendent who is now the GCSAA feld staff representative in the Mid-Atlantic Region. “It really helped me become a better writer. At the time, most of the writing I had done was academic. That essay contest really helped my writing skills, which I use in my career now
to communicate with colleagues and super-visors, and on blogs and regional updates. I enjoy writing those pieces because there’s more energy and I fnd them motivational.”
The scholarships funded by the EIFG do much more for the student recipients than provide fnancial assistance.
“That scholarship helped give me the con-fdence to boost my writing abilities,” Rogan says. “All of us feld staff representatives write regional roundups to summarize what we’ve
done and what’s happening in our region. Those are compiled and passed right up to the CEO and the board of directors.”
The scholarships also can serve as a third-party validation from a national association that can be a real shot in the arm for an up-and-comer.
“The award also gave me confdence in the turfgrass community,” Merewitz says. “It showed me that they truly acknowledge and provide great support to those that work very
Chase Rogan, a winner of a GCSAA Student Essay Contest scholarship and current Mid-Atlantic regional representative for the association, chats with Paul Grove, CGCS at the CC of Meadville (Pa.). Photo by Julie Powell
The Toro Co.’s vice president of commercial sales, Darren Redetzke (far left), and managing director Center for Technology, Dana Lonn (center back) are shown with the 2014 Watson Scholarship Program winners (from left): Lisa Beirn; Matt Elmore, Ph.D.; and Paul Giordano, Ph.D. Photo by Roger Billings
072-077_Sept14_eifg.indd 74 8/18/14 4:03 PM
hard to make a difference in improving the turfgrass industry. Not only that, but it was the frst award that really helped to get my research and name out and recognized in the research community and turfgrass industry.”
While the scholarships can serve as a re-ward for the recipient’s academic work, they can also serve as motivation to work harder.
“For graduate students who work hard on research and in the classroom, it’s a tremen-dous honor when a national institution like the EIFG honors you for your scholarship,” Patton says. “It also encourages you to pur-sue more.”
The investments in these students by the EIFG often produce returns beyond that ini-tial scholarship.
“The EIFG supported my research again in 2012 when it funded one of the frst re-search grant proposals I had ever written as a new principal investigator at Michigan State,” Merewitz says. “It is research to understand physiological and hormonal responses of creeping bentgrass and Poa annua to differ-ent levels of irrigation and traffc stress. The funds are supporting my frst graduate stu-dent, Kevin Laskowski, to acquire his master’s degree in turfgrass physiology.”
Ben Franklin once said, “an investment in knowledge pays the most interest.” EIFG donors may very well see compounding inter-est on their investments, considering the ca-reer trajectory many of the scholarship recipi-ents take.
“I think that EIFG donors, and most peo-ple in this business, know that the students who take the time and effort to apply for these scholarships are among the best and brightest in their classes,” Rogan says. “So an investment in their education through donations to the EIFG helps the entire industry. Derek Pruyne won essay contest scholarships both years of graduate school and he is now a turfgrass spe-cialist in the biotech division of research and development for Scotts. Matt Elmore is a re-cent winner of the Watson Fellowship and he just took a position as turfgrass professor and extension specialist at Texas A&M.”
The return on investment for contribu-tions to the EIFG might be best thought of from a long-term perspective rather than as an immediate payoff.
“One thing that people might not consider is that if a student wins a scholarship from an institution like the EIFG, it just helps so-lidify a relationship with that individual and
the industry,” Patton says. “When we grow in our careers, we just want to give back to that industry. So it forms a long-term relationship for a situation where we can spend a lifetime contributing to the betterment of the industry. It’s more of a long-term beneft. I bet if you were to look at a list of past EIFG scholarship winners over the years it would be a long list of people who continue to make major contribu-tions to the golf industry.”
EIFG scholarship recipients are not just a future crop of turfgrass experts; they are work-ing to solve problems, improve golf, and make everyone in the golf industry’s jobs easier.
Bill Newton is a freelance writer based in Harrisonburg,
Va., and GCSAA’s former media relations manager.
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78 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.14
In 2008 I gave a presentation in Sweden on the benefts of rolling putting greens. Among the benefts of rolling, I reported fewer weeds on rolled research greens. At the post-confer-ence discussion, several Swedish greenkeepers were excited about the prospect of rolling fair-ways to reduce broadleaf weed growth because they had very limited use of pesticides. I will admit that it sounded cool, but it seemed like an undertaking that I was not certain was sus-tainable. I mean, rolling fairways, really?
In research it is customary to have three rep-lications of every treatment to identify whether a product or program is having a signifcant impact on turfgrass quality, disease, weeds, etc. Without the beneft of extensive research on fairway rolling, I am interviewing three super-intendents who roll their golf course fairways on a regular basis.
I interviewed Matt Shaffer, Merion Golf Club, Ardmore, Pa.; Chuck Barber, St. Charles (Ill.) Country Club; and Robert Birdsall, CGCS, Las Lomas Club de Golf, Guadalajara, Mexico. The fairways managed at these golf courses are predominantly creeping bentgrass, Poa annua and seashore paspalum, respectively. The common denominator is that each super-intendent initiated a fairway rolling program to reduce dollar spot.
Matt Shaffer initiated his program fve years ago with rollers ftted onto a tractor-drawn hydraulic-lift gang unit; he currently rolls with Salsco Terminator Rollers. The 34-year GCSAA member rolls every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday and, as a re-sult, has reduced dollar spot applications to a minimum of three sprays per season. Further-more, he no longer gets brown patch and has less insect damage as well.
Chuck Barber, a GCSAA Class A superin-tendent and a 12-year member of the association, initiated his rolling program this spring and is rolling four times per week with in-house manu-factured rollers weighing 150 pounds each. St. Charles CC has 40 acres of fairways, and Barber reports that dollar spot is drastically reduced. He says that the minimum cost for the least expen-sive generic fungicide is $1,600 and that fairway rolling has allowed him to increase the interval time between fungicide applications. In addi-tion, St. Charles CC has experienced less local-ized dry spot on its fairways.
Robert Birdsall began rolling his fairways a year ago with a John Deere tractor pulling a three-gang roller with each roller weighing ap-proximately 1,200 pounds. He rolls his fairways an average of twice per week and as many as seven days per week. A 29-year member of GCSAA, Birdsall reports a decrease in dollar spot and a “30 percent reduction in usage of fungicide.” He says, “We plan to continue the program. Mem-ber comments on the condition of the fairways are 100 percent positive, though not much was said about the fairways until we started the rolling program. After the frst few months is when the comments came in: ‘Better lie, more roll. Keep doing what you are doing, do not stop.’”
Shaffer adds, “This is crazy but after three weeks of rolling fairways, our effective height of cut went down 0.015 (inch). We put so many less hours on our fairway mowers that we are now leasing them for six years instead of three; we grind less, use less fuel and it is three less men rolling versus cutting, so it saves labor dol-lars as well. Our members love our fairways; they are tight and they get great ball roll.”
Given the testimonials of the three super-intendents, it seems disease reduction can be achieved within the fairways with various types of rollers while increasing customer sat-isfaction. With that said, research could cer-tainly fll in some of the gaps to help narrow best methods for fairway rolling. Fortunately, a fairway rolling study has been performed at Michigan State University the past three years by graduate student Thomas Green, who has observed signifcantly less dollar spot while rolling his fairway research plots with the Tru-Surface vibratory roller.
In closing I have to mention the follow-ing observation for my Swedish friends. Aaron Hathaway of Michigan State University has been performing a home-lawn rolling study the past two months. After rolling a Kentucky bluegrass/perennial ryegrass/fne fescue mix-ture maintained at a 3.5-inch mowing height, he has observed decreased weeds (primarily quackgrass) and increased turfgrass quality. This is getting very interesting.
Thomas A. Nikolai, Ph.D., is the turfgrass academic spe-
cialist at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Mich.,
and a frequent GCSAA educator.
Thomas A. Nikolai, [email protected]
Fairway rolling: Really?
Given the
testimonials
of the three
superintendents,
it seems disease
reduction can be
achieved within the
fairways with various
types of rollers while
increasing customer
satisfaction.
(up to speed)
078-079_Sept14_UptoSpeed.indd 78 8/18/14 4:03 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
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Sincerely,
Kevin Cavanaugh, Co-Owner(901) 493-7211 | [email protected]
Mike Cavanaugh, Co-Owner(215) 588-5594 | [email protected]
078-079_Sept14_UptoSpeed.indd 79 8/18/14 4:03 PM
80 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.14
Tropical signalgrass controlAlthough the old standards are no longer available for tropical signalgrass control in certain areas such as Florida, some newer products offer possible solutions.
Bert McCarty, Ph.D. Alan Estes, M.S.
Tropical signalgrass (Uroc loa subquadri- para [Trin.] R.D. Webster; formerly, Brac i-aria subquadripara), also known as small-fowered alexandergrass and other names, is a warm-season perennial grass that spreads by stolons and seed. Its leaf blades and sheaths are hairy, and its ligule is a short fringe of hairs (1). The leaf angles and seedhead branching resemble a signal fag, hence, the common name. In the mainland United States, tropical signalgrass ranges predominantly from coastal South Carolina to Texas, including all of Flor-ida, with isolated populations also occurring in Maryland. It is native to tropical Asia and dies back with frost, regenerating itself from stolons or seed. In areas lacking frost, tropical signalgrass remains green year-round. In the feld, tropical signalgrass germination occurs when soil temperatures reach 77 F (25 C); a soil pH of 5 to 6 is optimal for germination (2). Moisture is required for seed germination, and during extended droughts, tropical sig-nalgrass infestations can be subdued.
Tropical signalgrass infestation can be minimized by careful mapping of infested areas and recording spray applications to en-sure proper herbicide application timing. San-itation practices to minimize spread should include rinsing mowers between felds, con-trolling tropical signalgrass in ditches, mini-mizing unnecessary traffc through infested felds and sprigging with weed-free stock. Pre-vious attempts to control tropical signalgrass in St. Augustinegrass (Stenotap rum seconda-tum) have largely been unsuccessful (3). In bermudagrass (Cynodon species), repeat ap-plications of members of the organic arseni-
Tropical signalgrass control with spot treatments of Tribute Total
Tribute Total applications†
% TSG control, 2013‡
May 14 June 17
Nontreated 0 c§ 0 d
2× 39 b 40 c
3× 81 a 61 bc
4× 91 a 85 ab
5× 99 a 98 a
†Treatments: March 4, 18 and April 1, 15 and 29, 2013, with 0.073 ounce Tribute Total 60.5 WDG per gallon water
applied as 1.5 gallons/1,000 square feet. Methylated seed oil was added at all treatments at 0.5% v/v.‡No bermudagrass phytotoxicity was recorded with any treatment.§Values in a column not followed by the same letter are significantly different.
Table 1. Tropical signalgrass (TSG) control with Tribute Total 60.5 WDG spot treatments.
Tropical signalgrass has exploded in areas such as Florida since the ban on MSMA use. Multiple applications of relatively expensive products are now needed for suppression or control. Photos by B. McCarty
080-091_Sept14_Techwell.indd 80 8/18/14 4:04 PM
09.14 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 81
cal herbicide families traditionally provided acceptable suppression/control. However, since these products have been prohibited for use on turf in Florida, an explosion of tropi-cal signalgrass infestations has occurred in that state. The objective of this research was to determine if tropical signalgrass could be controlled in bermudagrass with products that do not contain organic arsenicals.
Methods
Two golf courses were used for this re-search. The frst was Collier’s Reserve Coun-try Club located in Naples, Fla., and the sec-ond was Del Tura Golf and Country Club in North Fort Myers, Fla. Since little success had previously been reported with herbicides that did not contain organic arsenicals (3), we began initial screening of various products in spring 2013.
The products tested included: Tribute Total 60.5 WDG (foramsulfuron + thiencar-bazone + halosulfuron, Bayer), Xonerate 4 SC (amicarbazone, Arysta LifeScience), Dismiss South 4 SC (sulfentrazone + imazethapyr, FMC), Sencor 75 DF (metribuzin, Bayer), Drive XLR8 1.5 L (quinclorac, BASF), Re-volver 0.19 L (foramsulfuron, Bayer), Celsius 68 WDG (iodosulfuron + dicamba + thien-carbazone, Bayer), Pylex 2.8 SC (toprame-zone, BASF), simazine 4 L (simazine, several companies), atrazine 4 L (atrazine, several companies), Image 1.5 L (imazaquin, BASF), Onetime 2.45 L (quinclorac + MCPP + di-camba, BASF), and Plateau 70 DG (imazapic,
Tropical signalgrass control in 2014 after fall Tribute Total treatments
Tribute Total applications†
% TSG control, 2014
May 5‡ June 9
Nontreated 0 d§ 0 c
2× 94 b 96 ab
3× 98 a 96 ab
4× 100 a 98 ab
5× 100 a 100 a
†Treatments: Sept. 23; Oct. 7, 21; and Nov. 4 and/or 18, 2013, at 1.5 gallons/1,000 square feet with 0.073 ounce
Tribute Total per gallon of water. Methylated seed oil was added at all treatments at 0.5% v/v as was
1.5 pounds/acre 21-0-0.‡No bermudagrass phytotoxicity was recorded with any treatment.§Values in a column not followed by the same letter are significantly different.
Table 2. Tropical signalgrass (TSG) control in 2014 following fall 2013 Tribute Total 60.5 WDG spot treatments.
Spring 2014 tropical signalgrass control after fall 2013 treatments
Treatments†
Rate
(ounces/acre)
Treatment timing,
2013
% TSG control, 2014
May 5‡ June 9
Nontreated − − 0 c§ 0 c
Dismiss South 4 SC 7.2 Sept. 23 fb Oct. 7 50 b 45 b
Dismiss South 4 SC
+ Tribute Total 60.5 WDG
7.2 + 3.2 Sept. 23 fb Oct. 7 100 a 100 a
Dismiss South 4 SC
+ Xonerate 4 SC
7.2 + 7.25 Sept. 23 fb Oct. 7 98 a 98 a
Dismiss South 4 SC
+ Tribute Total 60.5 WDG
+ Xonerate 4 SC
7.2
+ 3.2
+ 7.25
Sept. 23 fb Oct. 7 100 a 100 a
†Treatments: All treatments were applied twice: Sept. 23 and Oct. 7, 2013, in 40 gallons/acre. Methylated seed oil was added at all treatments at 0.5% v/v. ‡No bermudagrass phytotoxicity was recorded with any treatment.§Values in a column not followed by the same letter are significantly different.
Table 3. Spring tropical signalgrass (TSG) control following fall 2013 treatments with Dismiss South, Tribute Total and Xonerate.
BASF), at single and sequential applications as well as in various combinations. In all stud-ies, methylated seed oil was added at 0.5% v/v and a pre-emergence herbicide was also added (either indazifam or prodiamine) to reduce confounding lack of control with subsequent seed germination.
The experimental design was a random-ized complete block with four replications and 6.5- × 10-foot (1.9- × 3-meter) plots. Treat-ments were arranged in a single factor design with the various herbicides serving as treat-ment levels. All maintenance was performed by the respective golf course management
Tropical signalgrass leaves and seedhead branches typically are at right angles to the main stem, resembling signaling fags, hence, the common name.
080-091_Sept14_Techwell.indd 81 8/18/14 4:04 PM
82 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.14
the previous fall. To obtain >90% control six months later, two applications of Dismiss South 4 SC at 7.2 ounces/acre (0.53 liter/hect-are) plus either Tribute Total at 3.2 ounces/acre (224 grams/hectare) or Xonerate 4 SC at 7.25 ounces/acre (0.53 liter/hectare) provided this. The three-way combination of these products also provided excellent tropical sig-nalgrass control but was similar to the listed two-way combination treatments.
In a study examining two fall applications of Xonerate alone or with Tribute Total, 10 and 14.5 ounces/acre (0.73 and 1.05 liters/hectare) of Xonerate 4 SC provided >90% tropical signalgrass control the following May while lower rates (5 and 7.25 ounces/acre [0.37 and 0.53 liter/hectare]) did not (Table 4). The combination of Xonerate at 7.25 + Tribute Total at 3.2 ounces/acre applied twice in fall also provided excellent tropical signal-grass control the following spring.
Additional studies were performed to de-
team and typically involved irrigating to avoid drought, 4 pounds of nitrogen/1,000 square feet (19.5 grams/square meter) applied yearly, mowing at 0.75 inch (1.9 centimeters), and no overseeding. From this initial screening, fve candidates emerged: Tribute Total, Xon-erate, Dismiss South, Revolver and, possibly, Celsius.
The next step was to narrow down optimal application timings and rates, compare single versus sequential applications and evaluate possible treatment combinations. Studies were implemented to compare fall versus spring ap-plication timing, to identify the ideal num-ber of applications, to determine if addition of ammonium sulfate (21-0-0 at 1.5 pounds product/acre [1.68 kilograms/hectare]) to her-bicides enhanced control, and to screen addi-tional possible alternative herbicides. Bermu-dagrass phytotoxicity (%) was rated visually, and tropical signalgrass control was calculated from line-intersect counts from a 3- × 3-foot (0.9- × 0.9-meter) grid randomly placed in each plot.
Application timing/numberAfter our initial screening, we began focus-
ing on products showing the most promise. Tribute Total was identifed as one of these; thus, we started examining the number of ap-plications necessary to provide >90% control. Our frst study in spring 2013 determined four applications were needed to provide this level of control (Table 1). As the season progressed, only the fve-application regime
was able to provide this level of control. The label currently allows broadcast applications to total 6.4 ounces/acre (448 grams/hectare) throughout a growing season. However, spot treatments are allowed beyond that, using 0.073 ounce of product per gallon of water (8.0 grams/liter), treating weeds until they are wet, and only spot-treating up to one-quarter of the entire infestation area. For example, treatment of up to 10,000 non-continuous square feet per acre (2,295 square meters/hectare) is considered a “spot treatment.”
When similar treatments were applied in the fall, tropical signalgrass control >90% was obtained the following spring with only two Tribute Total applications (Table 2). Excel-lent control remained six months after the last fall application.
Additional studies were conducted exam-ining the effcacy of fall applications with other products. Table 3 lists tropical signal-grass control in spring following applications
Tropical signalgrass control in 2014 after fall 2013 treatments
Treatments†
Rate
(ounces/acre)
Treatment timing,
2013
% TSG control, 2014
May 5‡ June 9
Nontreated − − 0 c§ 0 e
Xonerate 4 SC 5 Sept. 23 fb Oct. 7 40 c 25 d
Xonerate 4 SC 7.25 Sept. 23 fb Oct. 7 76 ab 70 c
Xonerate 4 SC 10 Sept. 23 95 a 88 abc
Xonerate 4 SC 14.5 Sept. 23 94 a 92 ab
Xonerate 4 SC + Tribute Total 60.5 WDG 7.25 + 3.2 Sept. 23 fb Oct. 7 100 a 98 a
Tribute Total 60.5 WDG 3.2 Sept. 23 fb Oct. 7 79 a 76 bc
†Treatments: Sept. 23 and Oct. 7, 2013, in 40 gallons/acre. Methylated seed oil was added at all treatments at 0.5% v/v. ‡No bermudagrass phytotoxicity was recorded with any treatment.§Values in a column not followed by the same letter are significantly different.
Table 4. Tropical signalgrass (TSG) control in 2014 following fall 2013 treatments with Xonerate and Tribute Total.
One of many study sites with heavy tropical signalgrass infestation (the light green grass) in a bermudagrass fairway.
080-091_Sept14_Techwell.indd 82 8/18/14 4:04 PM
09.14 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 83
termine if other herbicides might provide de-sirable tropical signalgrass control. Table 5 lists a screening of Revolver and Celsius alone and in combination and the resulting tropi-cal signalgrass control. Herbicides were ap-plied twice in fall with subsequent spring rat-ings provided. Two applications of Revolver 0.19 L at 26 ounces/acre (1.9 liters/hectare) each provided >90% tropical signalgrass con-trol the following spring as did the combina-tion of Revolver with Celsius 68 WDG at 4.9 ounces/acre (343 grams/hectare). Celsius alone initially provided good tropical signal-grass control but by spring, control was <90%.
Ammonium sulfateThe next question was, what does add-
ing ammonium sulfate to herbicide treatment bring to the table? This is not a new idea as it has been suggested for decades to improve post-emergence control of certain products, especially on annual weeds. The thought is the addition of ammonium sulfate either par-tially dissolves the leaf ’s cuticle, allowing bet-ter (more) direct herbicide uptake or possibly causing a more succulent plant to be suscep-tible to herbicide applications. In one particu-lar study comparing Tribute Total with and without ammonium sulfate, better control was obtained when two applications at the 3.2 ounces/acre rate were applied with am-monium sulfate, but the beneft was much less when additional applications were made at lower rates (Table 6). Inconsistency in pro-viding better results when adding ammonium
sulfate is very common. Other parameters such as environmental conditions at the time of applications, pH of solution used, plant growth stage, etc., all are believed to infuence whether control is improved following ammo-nium sulfate addition. Our advice is to do a jar test with the various components mixed together to make sure no adverse reaction will occur. If none occurs, then test a small area frst to ensure unacceptable turf phytotoxicity does not occur.
Spring applicationsAlthough fall applications provided the
best tropical signalgrass control, they may not be desirable for superintendents who overseed or are concerned with turfgrass stand voids going into less-than-ideal winter growing con-ditions. Therefore, we conducted a series of late-winter/early-spring applications and as-sessed the resulting tropical signalgrass con-trol. Table 7 lists control from early- and mid-April applications. Spring treatments with
Spring tropical signalgrass control after fall 2013 Revolver and Celsius treatments
Treatments†
Rate
(ounces/acre)
Treatment timing % TSG control, 2014
May 5‡ June 9
Nontreated — — 0 c§ 0 c
Revolver 0.19 L 26 Sept. 23 fb Oct. 7 95 a 89 a
Celsius 68 WDG 4.9 Sept. 23 fb Oct. 7 71 b 67 b
Revolver 0.19 L
+ Celsius 68 WDG
26
+ 4.9
Sept. 23 fb Oct. 7 96 a 96 a
†Treatments: All treatments were applied twice: Sept. 23 and Oct. 7, 2013, in 40 gallons/acre. Methylated seed oil was added at all treatments
at 0.5% v/v as was 1.5 pounds/acre 21-0-0. ‡No bermudagrass phytotoxicity was recorded with any treatment.§Values in a column not followed by the same letter are significantly different.
Table 5. Spring tropical signalgrass (TSG) control following fall 2013 Revolver and Celsius treatments with 21-0-0 added.
TSG control in 2014 after fall 2013 Tribute Total treatments
Tribute Total Fall 2013 treatments †
% TSG control, 2014
May 5‡ June 9
Nontreated 0 d§ 0 c
2× at 3.2 ounces/acre 51 c 36 b
2× at 3.2 ounces/acre + 21-0-0 77 ab 60 ab
3× at 2.13 ounces/acre 81 a 63 ab
3× at 2.13 ounces/acre + 21-0-0 85 a 70 a
4× at 1.6 ounces/acre 82 a 71 a
4× at 1.6 ounces/acre + 21-0-0 86 a 81 a
†Treatments: Sept. 23, Oct. 7, 21 and/or Nov. 4, 2013, in 40 gallons/acre. Methylated seed oil was added to all treat-
ments at 0.5% v/v. For treatments with ammonium sulfate, 21-0-0 was added at 1.5 pounds/acre.‡No bermudagrass phytotoxicity was recorded with any treatment.§Values in a column not followed by the same letter are significantly different.
Table 6. Tropical signalgrass (TSG) control in 2014 following various fall 2013 Tribute Total 60.5 WDG treatments with and without the addition of ammonium sulfate (21-0-0).
080-091_Sept14_Techwell.indd 83 8/18/14 4:04 PM
84 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.14
>90% tropical signalgrass control in May in-cluded: Xonerate 4 SC at 7.25 ounces/acre + Revolver 0.19 L at 26 ounces/acre; Xonerate + Celsius; or Xonerate + Dismiss South (Table 7). Spring treatments providing 80% to 90% tropical signalgrass control in May included: Tribute Total 60.5 WDG at 3.2 ounces/acre; Xonerate 4 SC at 7.25 ounces/acre; Xoner-ate at 7.25 ounces/acre + Tribute Total at 3.2 ounces/acre; and Revolver at 26 ounces/acre + Celsius at 3.7 ounces/acre (259 grams/hect-are). By June, treatments providing >90% control included Xonerate + Revolver, Celsius or Dismiss South. All treatments were applied twice: April 1 followed by April 14.
With the realization that the previously screened products, rates, and multiple appli-cations required to provide desirable tropical signalgrass control tend to be expensive, we also were interested in control for courses that would not object to temporary turfgrass phy-
totoxicity. Table 8 lists several glyphosate 4 L treatment regimens applied in February and resulting tropical signalgrass control. Of the initial treatments applied, only the repeat ap-plication of glyphosate at 4 ounces/acre (0.29 liter/hectare) provided >85% control, but the accompanying bermudagrass phytotoxicity was up to 70% for approximately two weeks. This, has provided us some important infor-mation on the possibility of using glyphosate for this purpose. We intend to follow up in this area with additional herbicide combina-tion treatments including glyphosate with the hope of reducing the amount and/or time of turfgrass phytotoxicity without sacrifcing tropical signalgrass control.
Conclusions/recommendations
Overall, the results reported here and many additional studies show that several important and effective means of providing desirable
tropical signalgrass control are available.• Fall applications are most effective. Two
applications about two weeks apart with Tribute Total (3.2 ounces/acre), Revolver 0.19 L (26 ounces/acre), Xonerate 4 SC (10 ounces/acre), Dismiss South 4 SC (14 ounces/acre), possibly Celsius 68 WDG (3.7 ounces/acre) or various combinations thereof, typically provide >90% control through the following spring.
• Spring/summer applications typically are not as effective as fall. In spring/summer, two applications (two weeks apart) of Xon-erate 4 L (7.25 ounces/acre) + Tribute Total (3.2 ounces/acre) + 0.5% v/v methylated seed oil is a viable option for control. Other options at this time include Xonerate (7.25 ounces/acre) + Revolver (26 ounces/acre) or possibly glyphosate 4 L (4 ounces/acre) ap-plied twice in late winter. About two weeks of turfgrass phytotoxicity will follow the
Spring applications for tropical signalgrass control
Treatments Rate
(ounces/acre)
Treatment timing,
2013
% TSG control, 2014
May 5à June 9
Nontreated — — 0 d§ 0 f
Tribute Total 60.5 WDG 3.2 April 1 fb April 14// 84 abc 11 ef
Xonerate 4 SC 7.25 April 1 fb April 14 84 abc 77 ab
Xonerate 4 SC 14 April 1 63 c 58 bc
Revolver 0.19 L 26 April 1 fb April 14 68 bc 33 cde
Celsius 68 WDG 3.7 April 1 fb April 14 24 d 15 ef
Dismiss South 4 SC 7.2 April 1 fb April 14 10 d 11 ef
Tribute Total 60.5 WDG
+ Xonerate 4 SC
3.2
+ 7.25
April 1 fb April 14 59 c 48 bcd
Tribute Total 60.5 WDG
+ Dismiss South 4 SC
3.2
+ 7.2
April 1 fb April 14 84 abc 48 bcd
Xonerate 4 SC
+ Revolver 0.19 L
7.25
+ 26
April 1 fb April 14 100 a 100 a
Xonerate 4 SC
+ Celsius 68 WDG
7.25
+ 3.7
April 1 fb April 14 100 a 100 a
Xonerate 4 SC
+ Dismiss South 4 SC
7.25
+ 7.2
April 1 fb April 14 99 a 98 a
Revolver 0.19 L
+ Celsius 68 WDG
26
+ 3.7
April 1 fb April 14 85 abc 24 def
†Treatments: Treatments applied in 2014 in 40 gallons/acre. Methylated seed oil was added at all treatments at 0.5% v/v. ‡No bermudagrass phytotoxicity was recorded with any treatment.§Values in a column not followed by the same letter are significantly different.//fb, followed by.
Table 7. Spring applications for tropical signalgrass (TSG) control.
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09.14 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 85
RESEARCH SAYS
• Fall applications are most effective. Two ap-
plications about two weeks apart with Tribute
Total; Revolver 0.19 L; Xonerate 4 SC; Dismiss
South 4 SC; and, possibly, Celsius 68 WDG or
various combinations thereof, typically provide
>90% control through the following spring.
• Spring/summer applications typically are not
as effective as fall. Glyphosate is an option, but
will cause about two weeks of turfgrass
phytotoxicity.
• Repeat applications (up to five spot treatments)
of Tribute Total with 1.5 pounds/acre 21-0-0
also provides good post-emergence control
with spring applications.
• Tank-mixing ammonium sulfate (21-0-0) at 1.5
pounds/acre sometimes improves control 5%
to 10%.
• To lengthen control, include a pre-emergence
herbicide such as indaziflam or prodiamine.
glyphosate applications.• Repeat treatments (up to fve spot treat-
ments) of Tribute Total with 1.5 pounds/acre 21-0-0 also provides good post-emer-gent control with spring applications.
• Tank-mixing ammonium sulfate (21-0-0) at 1.5 pounds/acre sometimes improves control 5% to 10%.
• To lengthen control, include a pre-emer-gence herbicide such as indazifam or pro-diamine.
Future research
All good research typically asks more ques-tions than it initially answers. Certainly this is the case for tropical signalgrass control as re-search on it was basically ignored for decades since cheap and relatively effective products were available. Additional areas of research we plan on pursuing include the following:• Continue various combinations and tim-
ings of Xonerate, Tribute Total, Dismiss South, Revolver and possibly Celsius with fall, winter and spring applications.
• Explore more closely the possibility of late winter or spring timings of glyphosate rates alone and/or with other products to provide desirable tropical signalgrass control but with less turf phytotoxicity.
• Expand treatments into St. Augustinegrass, especially infested with signalgrass and crab-grass as many courses have St. Augustine-grass areas on or adjacent to their facilities. Being able to control both grassy weeds would be desirable as post-emergence selec-tive control of either is diffcult to obtain.
• Other treatments as we learn more.
Note: Readers should be aware of the herbi-cide formulations used. For example, the 4 SC formulation of Xonerate was used in all stud-ies and not the 70 WDG.
Funding
Financial support was provided by Sheryl Wells and Bruce Spesard (Bayer Crop Sci-ence), Kathie Kalmowitz (BASF), Tim Mur-phy and Doug Houseworth (Arysta Life Sci-ences), and Bobby Walls (FMC).
Acknowledgments
This work would not have occurred with-out the cooperation of Matt Mihelich at Del Tura Golf and Country Club in North Fort Myers, Fla., and Nick von Hofen at Collier’s Reserve Golf Course in Naples, Fla.
Much appreciation is also extended to Jason Franks and Derek Settle (Bayer); Greg Reynolds (Arysta Life Sciences); Lee Crosby, Wes Hart, Steve Durand and Raymond Sny-der (Harrell’s Fertilizer); John Cisar (Univer-sity of Florida); Todd Bunnell (ValleyCrest); and Todd Lowe (USGA) for their coopera-tion, input and interest in this project.
Literature cited
1. McCarty, L.B., J. Everest, D. Hall, et al. 2008. Color
Atlas of Turfgrass Weeds. 2nd ed. Wiley & Sons,
Hoboken, N.J.
2. Teuton, T.C., C.L. Main, T.C. Mueller, et al. 2005.
Prediction modeling for tropical signalgrass (Urochloa
subquadripara ) emergence in Florida. Online. Applied
Turfgrass Science doi:10.1094/ATS-2005-0425-
01-BR.
3. Teuton, T.C., J.B. Unruh, B.J. Brecke, et al. 2004.
Tropical signalgrass (Urochloa subquadripara ) control
Tropical signalgrass control after spring 2014 glyphosate applications
Treatments†
Rate
(ounces/acre)
Treatment timing,
2013
% TSG control, 2014 Turf
phytotoxicityMay 5 June 9
Nontreated — — 0 c‡ 0 c 0
Glyphosate 4 L 2 Feb. 3 fb Feb. 24§ 56 b 31 ab ~35% for ~2 weeks
Glyphosate 4 L 4 Feb. 3 fb Feb. 24 86 a 61 a ~70% for ~2 weeks
Glyphosate 4 L 8 Feb. 3 69 ab 27 bc ~70% for ~3 weeks
†Treatments were in 40 gallons/acre.‡Values in a column not followed by the same letter are significantly different.§fb, followed by.
Table 8. Tropical signalgrass (TSG) control following spring 2014 glyphosate applications.
with pre-emergence- and post-emergence-applied
herbicides. Weed Technology 18:419-425.
Bert McCarty ([email protected]) is a professor and
Alan Estes is a research associate at Clemson University,
Clemson, S.C.
080-091_Sept14_Techwell.indd 85 8/18/14 4:04 PM
86 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.14
Effects of dew removal on the incidence of Microdochium patchRolling is far more effective than other forms of dew removal in reducing Microdochium patch.
Dew on turfgrass leaves provides humid conditions that are conducive to fungal growth (1). In some cases, the morning mois-ture on the leaf surface is a mixture of dew and guttation material consisting of amino acids and sugars that further enhance fungal devel-opment (2,5). As a result, golf course superin-tendents have often taken measures to remove dew as a cultural practice for reducing turf-grass diseases. Dew whips, brushes, mowers, rollers, hoses, chains, fans, blowers and wet-ting agents are all common techniques for dew removal.
Because of the environmental conditions in the Pacifc Northwest, northern Europe and western Canada, golf courses in these re-gions will likely spend more time and money managing Microdochium patch (caused by the fungal pathogen Microdoc ium nivale) than any other disease (7). The determining factors for disease incidence are a temperature range of 46 F to 68 F (8 C to 20 C) and humid conditions at or above 90% for more than 24 hours (3), which are typical winter conditions in the geographical regions mentioned above. Indeed, when the turf canopy has dried out, often as a result of warm and sunny condi-tions, Microdochium patch is no longer active (6). Because Microdochium patch requires humidity, dew removal practices would be a logical tool for dealing with the disease.
Research objective
To explore this hypothesis, two differ-ent feld research projects exploring differ-ent dew removal techniques and their effects on Microdochium patch were conducted in
C. Mattox
A. Kowalewski, Ph.D.
B. McDonald, M.S.
Dew removal treatments are: daily whipping (top), rolling using a Tru-Turf roller (left), and blowing using a Buffalo Blower with Sandevil attachment (right) in 2013 at the Lewis-Brown Farm in Corvallis, Ore. Photos by Brian McDonald (top) and Clint Mattox
080-091_Sept14_Techwell.indd 86 8/18/14 4:04 PM
09.14 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 87
two consecutive winters at the Oregon State University Lewis Brown Horticulture Farm in Corvallis, Ore. Research was carried out on a well-established sand-based annual bluegrass (Poa annua) putting green built to USGA recommendations. No fungicide ap-plications were made throughout the dura-tion of the study. The experimental design for both experiments was a randomized complete block design.
First trial
Materials and me ds
Daily dew removal treatments in the 2013 trial began Feb. 11 and lasted eight weeks. Treatments were: double rolling with a 48-inch (122-centimeter) Tru-Turf roller, a Buf-falo Turbine Blower with a Sandevil attach-ment, a telescopic dew whip passed over the plot until all dew was removed and an un-treated control. Dew removal treatments were performed seven days a week at 8 a.m. The fungicide-free putting green received 0.1 pound nitrogen/1,000 square feet (4.88 kilograms/hectare) every two weeks for the duration of the trial and was maintained at 0.125-inch (3.175-millimeter) mowing height. Throughout the trial, plots were mowed once a week following the morning dew re-moval treatments.
Digital images were collected at the peak of disease severity and analyzed using Sig-maScan software to determine percent dis-ease incidence per treatment. Volumetric water content percentage was collected on a weekly basis throughout the duration of the study using a Field Scout TDR with 1.5-inch (3.8-centimeter) tines.
Effects of dew removal treatments, April 2013
Digital images were collected using a photo box and then analyzed for disease severity. Photo by Stephen Ward
Daily dew removal treatment % disease % volumetric water content
Rolling 12 a† 46.2 a
Dew whip 25 b 39.8 b
Blower 26 b 41.6 b
Untreated 35 c 39.8 b
†Within columns, means followed by the same letter are not significantly different.
Table 1. Effects of daily dew removal treatments on Microdochium patch severity and volumetric water content of an annual bluegrass putting green in Corvallis, Ore., on April 9, 2013.
Effects of various dew removal treatments on disease severity observed April 2013 in Corvallis, Ore. Treatments from left to right are: (1) daily dew whipping, (2) rolling, (3) blowing and (4) the untreated control. Photo by Clint Mattox
080-091_Sept14_Techwell.indd 87 8/18/14 4:04 PM
88 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.14
First-year resultsAt the peak of disease severity, rolling pro-
vided the greatest reduction in disease sever-ity (12% disease), followed by the dew whip (25%) and the blower (26%) and, fnally, the control, which had the highest percentage of disease, 35% (Table 1). It is important to note that in the absence of fungicides, these dew removal treatments reduced disease severity but did not delay the onset of disease. Even though the treatments reduced disease, these data suggest that the dew removal techniques chosen for the frst trial were not effective methods for controlling Microdochium patch on putting greens to a level acceptable to su-perintendents. However, this reduction in dis-ease suggests that if the treatments, most no-tably rolling, were combined with fungicides, the effcacy of products could be improved. Similar studies that combined dew removal and fungicide treatments on dollar spot have shown this additive beneft (2).
Volumetric water content percentages were taken weekly throughout the trial. Not surprisingly, the rolled plots had signifcantly higher volumetric water content than the
other treatments (Table 1). This correlates with similar fndings from a Michigan State study, where rolling reduced dollar spot (4). The correlation between a higher volumetric water content and fungal disease reduction is still unclear, however. Finally, in our dew re-moval study, rolling also produced a marked difference in the rate of spring green-up in April after the conclusion of the winter dew-removal treatments.
Second trial
Materials and me dsThe benefcial effects of rolling and our
desire to further investigate dew removal tech-niques and their effects on Microdochium patch led us to initiate a second fungicide-free trial on Oct. 1, 2013. The duration of the second trial was increased to eight months to correspond to the estimated length of the Microdochium patch season in western Or-egon. Because the previous study had shown that dew whip and blowing treatments were not as promising as rolling, we replaced those treatments with a wetting agent treatment and a dew brush treatment. After a prelimi-
nary study comparing various wetting agents, Revolution (modifed alkylated polyol, Aqua-trols) was applied at 6 ounces/1,000 square feet (19.09 liters/hectare) twice a week, and its effcacy on dew removal was explored. The label application frequency for Revolution at this rate is once every four weeks.
Dew removal treatments in the second trial included Revolution applied twice a week on Tuesday and Friday, daily double-rolling with a 48-inch Tru-Turf roller, dew brushing and an untreated control. As in the frst study, all dew removal treatments were performed at 8 a.m. The putting green was mowed once a week at 0.125 inch and fertilized at 0.1 pound nitrogen/1,000 square feet for the duration of the study. Data again included percent sever-ity determined using digital image analysis and volumetric water content collected using a Field Scout TDR soil moisture meter.
Second-year resultsIn the second fungicide-free dew removal
trial, rolling once again provided the great-est average reduction in Microdochium patch disease with 3% disease, followed by the wet-
Dew removal treatments incorporated into the 2014 trial included dew brush (left) and wetting agent (right). Photos by Stephen Ward
080-091_Sept14_Techwell.indd 88 8/18/14 4:04 PM
09.14 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 89
ting agent treatment with 5%, the dew brush with 9% and fnally the control, which had the highest incidence of disease, 12% (Table 2). After repeated applications, the wetting agent treatments began to show general turf decline, perhaps because of the high frequency used in this experiment. These fndings stress the importance of using the labeled rate and frequency for wetting agents.
As in our frst study and work conducted at Michigan State (4), rolling consistently in-creased volumetric water content, while the other treatments had no effect (Table 2). In the second study, enhanced spring green-up was again observed on the rolled plots after the completion of the trial.
Conclusions
Two different studies determined that winter rolling in the absence of fungicides de-creased the severity of Microdochium patch and increased spring green-up. The remaining dew removal treatments — daily dew whip-ping, brushing and blowing — and wetting agent applications had less of an impact on disease severity. It is also important to note that, without fungicides, dew removal tech-niques used in these experiments did not pro-vide a level of disease suppression considered satisfactory by the majority of golf course su-perintendents, suggesting that these methods could be used in an integrated pest manage-ment program that combines fungicides with dew removal.
In addition, rolling consistently produced higher volumetric water content levels, while decreasing Microdochium patch severity. Other researchers have made similar observa-
tions on dollar spot (4). Finally, in both years, a spring green-up effect was observed with the rolling treatments. Further research is neces-sary to understand the mechanisms that cause this effect, particularly the timing required to obtain the best possible results.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank the Or-egon Turfgrass Foundation, the Oregon GCSA, Western IPM, Western Canada Turf-grass Association and the Northwest Turfgrass Association for funding this study.
Literature cited
1. Agrios, G.N. 2005. Plant Pathology. 5th edition. Else-
vier Academic Press. San Diego, Calif.
2. Delvalle, T. 2011. Effects of mowing practices and
dew removal on fungicide effcacy for dollar spot
control. M.S. thesis. Pennsylvania State University,
University Park, Pa.
3. Dwyer, P. 2004. Epidemiological studies of Micro-
dochium nivale on turfgrasses. Ph.D. dissertation.
Michigan State University, East Lansing, Mich.
4. Giordano, P.R., J.M. Vargas Jr., T.A. Nikolai and
R. Hammerschmidt. 2012. Why lightweight rolling
decreases dollar spot. Golf Course Management
80(2):138-142.
5. Goatley, J.L., and R. Lewis. 1966. Composition of
guttation fuid from rye, wheat, and barley seedlings.
Plant Physiology 41:373-375.
6. Smiley, R.W., P.H. Dernoeden and B.B. Clarke. 1992.
Compendium of Turfgrass Diseases. 2nd ed. Ameri-
can Phytopathological Society, St. Paul, Minn.
7. Vargas, J.M. 2005. Management of Turfgrass Dis-
eases. 3rd edition. Wiley, New York.
RESEARCH SAYS
• Cultural practices for controlling fungal infec-
tions have included various dew removal tech-
niques; the efficacy of some of these methods
was tested on Microdochium patch in Oregon.
• A roller, blower, dew whip, dew brush and
wetting agent were all tested for their ability to
control Microdochium patch on plots that were
not treated with fungicides.
• Best results for Microdochium patch control
were achieved with rolling treatments, which
also appeared to enhance spring green-up.
• However, disease control levels for rolling alone
would not reach the level desired at many golf
courses, so combining rolling treatments with
fungicide treatments would probably be neces-
sary in those cases.
Effects of daily dew removal treatments, March 2014
Dew removal treatments % disease Volumetric water content (%)
Rolling 3 a† 40.6 a
Wetting agent‡ 5 ab 27.3 b
Dew brush 9 bc 28.1 b
Untreated 12 c 28.1 b
†Within columns, means followed by the same letter are not significantly different.‡Revolution was applied at 6 ounces/1,000 square feet twice a week; rolling and dew brush treatments were applied daily.
Table 2. Effects of daily dew removal treatments on Microdochium patch severity and volumetric water content of an annual bluegrass putting green in Corvallis, Ore., on March 21, 2014.
C. Mattox is a graduate student, A. Kowalewski (alec.
[email protected]) is an assistant professor,
and B. McDonald is a senior faculty research assistant at
Oregon State University, Corvallis, Ore.
080-091_Sept14_Techwell.indd 89 8/18/14 4:04 PM
90 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.14
CUTTING EDGETeresa Carson
Buffalograss divot recoveryBuffalograss (Buc loe dactyloides), known
for its drought tolerance, disease resistance and slow growth, is being used in native areas, roughs and fairways, but limited research ex-ists on buffalograss management. Three stud-ies are examining how rates of quick- and slow-release nitrogen fertilizers affect divot recovery in buffalograss fairways in central Kansas. Divots were made using a modifed edger with 13 circular blades. Each study con-sists of eight treatments arranged in a 2 × 4 factorial. Factors incuded nitrogen rate and nitrogen source. Nitrogen rates were 0, 1, 2 and 3 pounds nitrogen /1,000 square feet. Ni-trogen sources were urea and polymer-coated urea. Digital images of each divot are analyzed with digital image analysis software to mea-sure how quickly the divot recovers. Other collected data include visual color, quality and percent recovery. Since the initiation of the study, we have been able to see a defnite fush of green from the application of the quick-re-lease fertilizer at all rates. Plots that received 2 and 3 pounds of nitrogen/1,000 square feet had the highest quality, and plots receiving 1 pound of nitrogen/1,000 square feet had ac-ceptable turfgrass color and quality. We hope to fnd which nitrogen application rate and source will result in the quickest buffalograss
divot recovery. — Evan Alderman and Jared
Hoyle, Ph.D. ([email protected]), Kansas State Uni-
versity, Manhattan, Kan.
Primo Maxx affects divot recovery and traffc damage
Low-input fne fescue species should be able to withstand typical stresses while pro-ducing acceptable turf and playing quality, all with fewer inputs of pesticides, water and fertilizer. Research on fne fescue species in
a fairway setting is limited. It is unclear how these grasses should be properly managed to reduce vertical growth rate and increase divot recovery under high-play, high-traffc condi-tions. The objective of this experiment was to identify the impact of plant growth regulators on response to divot recovery and traffc dam-age in fne fescue fairways. A representative cultivar was selected for each of the fve fne fescue species: Chewings fescue (Festuca rubra subspecies fallax), hard fescue (Festuca brevi- pila), strong creeping red fescue (Festuca rubra subspecies rubra), slender creeping red fescue (Festuca rubra subspecies litoralis), and sheep fescue (Festuca ovina). Twenty-fve mixtures were developed, and plots were established in summer 2012 as a strip-split plot design with three replications. The plant growth regulator Primo Maxx (trinexapac-ethyl, Syngenta) was applied every 200 growing-degree days at the label-recommended rate from June 1 to Oct. 15, 2013. Plots received traffc treatments at six passes per week using a golf cart traffc sim-ulator from July 1 to Aug. 31, 2013. On Aug. 1, 2013, divots were removed from each plot with a divot harvester. Data collected included turf quality ratings and weekly measurements of divots to quantify recovery rate. In fall 2013, a second trial was established, and the afore-mentioned treatments were applied to this trial during 2014. — Maggie Reiter; Eric Watkins, Ph.D.
([email protected]); and Brian P. Horgan, Ph.D.,
University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minn.
Teresa Carson ([email protected]) is GCM ’s science editor.
Photo by E. Alderman
Photo by M. Reiter
080-091_Sept14_Techwell.indd 90 8/18/14 4:04 PM
And The Most
Valuable Technician Is . . .
Mr. Joe StefanickEquipment Manager
Seven Lakes Golf and Tennis Community
That’s the attitude that Joe Stefanick brings to his job as the equipment manager
at Seven Lakes Golf and Tennis Community in Fort Myers, Fla., and it’s also one of
the key reasons that Stefanick was voted the winner of GCM’s 2014 Most Valuable
Technician Award, presented in partnership with Foley United. Sure, he’s a skilled
and experienced technician, with major championship experience and stints at
some of the fnest golf courses in the country under his belt. But it’s his
dedication to his craft, to his fellow employees and to the residents of Seven
Lakes that sets him apart.
We congratulate Joe and Seven Lakes on this notable achievement. Foley United
and GCM also wish to thank the GCSAA members who entered nominations and
participated in the voting process. We’re excited to do it again in 2015.
Sponsored by: Presented by:
“Work should
be fun. It should
challenge you.
If it doesn’t, it’s
just a job and
I don’t want just
a job. I want to
truly live it, and
I do every day.”
080-091_Sept14_Techwell.indd 91 8/18/14 4:04 PM
92 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.14
Several years ago, in hot and humid Au-burn, Ala., we had the pleasure of having the National Turfgrass Evaluation Program’s (NTEP) bentgrass putting green trial. Let’s just say that I think we were selected as the “re-ally bad place to be” trial location. In that trial, there were a few velvet bentgrass cultivars, lux-urious and sensual cool-season turfs that never failed to become dyspeptic and chlorotic each summer. While they may not have proven to be “the thing” for the Deep South, velvet bent-grasses are a turf of interest in Europe and other regions with a more moderate climate.
In 2009, members of Dr. John Stiers’ highly productive research program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison published a paper that evaluated velvet and creeping bentgrasses, ex-amining the effect of nitrogen rates and mow-ing heights on these grasses. The objective was to examine the grasses’ utility in low-input putting greens, since velvet bentgrass is widely considered able to handle more austere condi-tions than creeping bentgrass.
This elegant study was simple in its ap-proach: four bentgrass cultivars on a sand-based root zone (SR7200 and Vesper velvet bentgrass, and Penncross and L-93 creeping bentgrass), all of which were mowed at vari-ous heights (0.25, 0.156 and 0.10 inch) [6.4, 4.0 and 2.5 millimeters]) and received two different nitrogen rates (1 ⁄3 or ½ pound nitro-gen/1,000 square feet/application [48 or 146 kilograms/hectare/year]). The nitrogen was applied as split applications from May through October (three apps for the low nitrogen rate; six apps for the high nitrogen rate; nitrogen supplied via a 21-1-10 N-P-K granular). Artif-cial traffc was used to simulate 21,000 rounds of golf, and the green was mowed with a reel mower six days a week. Data collection in-cluded green-up, quality, shoot density and ball roll.
Over two years, the velvet and creeping bentgrasses reacted differently to mowing height and nitrogen rate. In fact, it wasn’t just the species that reacted differently — it was the specifc cultivars. For example, the Vesper velvet bentgrass and the Penncross creeping bentgrass responded to the higher nitrogen rate
with better quality, while SR 7200 and L-93 were unaffected by nitrogen rate. “Unaffected” does not mean “You can grow these with that low rate of nitrogen.” In fact, none of the cul-tivars had long-term satisfactory quality at the low nitrogen rate, and only Vesper had any de-gree of acceptable quality at the low rate. As the researchers said: “Ultimately, it may be im-possible to achieve high-quality bentgrass turf with nitrogen rates as low [as those used in this study] on sand-based root zones.”
Vesper had the highest shoot density of all the cultivars, and it was best at the higher ni-trogen rate. Nitrogen rate did not affect ball roll to any signifcant degree, and as mowing height decreased, ball roll increased. Mowing lower also slowed creeping bentgrass invasion into the velvet. Ball roll was variable among cultivars, and the velvet bentgrasses did not have consistently longer roll than the creeping bentgrasses.
This study demonstrated that it can be hard to make generalizations about the performance of a turfgrass species (for example, velvet versus creeping bentgrass) and that differences in turf performance between cultivars were greater than those between species. Overall, the Vesper velvet bentgrass (at the higher nitrogen rate) had the best turf quality and shoot density, and it was the only cultivar that even looked marginally decent at the lower nitrogen rate. This study indicated that one cannot make as-sumptions about the “low-input nature” of vel-vet bentgrasses. This work showed no evidence that velvet bentgrass could produce quality turf with any less nitrogen than that required by creeping bentgrass.
Source: Koeritz, E.J., and J.C. Stier. 2009. Ni-trogen rate and mowing height effects on velvet and creeping bentgrasses for low-input putting greens. Crop Science 49:1463-1472.
Beth Guertal is a professor in the department of agronomy
and soils at Auburn University in Auburn, Ala., and the
incoming editor-in-chief for the American Society of Agron-
omy. She is a 17-year member of GCSAA.
Beth Guertal, [email protected]
twitter: @AUTurfFert
Low-input conditions forhigh-maintenance turf
(verdure)
In 2009, members
of Dr. John Stiers’
highly productive
research program
at the University of
Wisconsin-Madison
published a paper
that evaluated
velvet and creeping
bentgrasses . . .
092-093_Sept14_Verdure.indd 92 8/18/14 4:05 PM
092-093_Sept14_Verdure.indd 93 8/18/14 4:05 PM
94 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.14
(Product news)
Enviro Loo USA/SWSLoo Inc. introduces the C-60,
a human waste management system that requires
no infrastructure, no water, no chemicals or ad-
ditives, and is odorless. It uses natural processes
to manage human waste. Everything is contained
within the unit; nothing gets released into the
soil, the company says. It is constructed of black
polyethylene plastic to absorb the sun’s heat and
uses directed, convective airfow to evaporate and
dehydrate the collected human waste. Contact En-
viro Loo USA/SWSLoo Inc., 512-285-9494 (www.
swsloo.com/golf-courses).
Enviro
LOO
Gallery SC specialty herbicide from Dow Agro-
Sciences received federal registration. The specialty
herbicide in liquid formulation provides plant tolerance and
long-lasting control of more than 95 species of broadleaf
weeds, including chickweed, spurge and oxalis for up to
six to eight months. Contact Dow AgroSciences, 317-337-
3000 (www.dowagro.com).
Dow AgroSciences received federal registra-
tion of XXpire WG insecticide, a product for
ornamentals that combines two new active ingredients
(spinetoram and Isoclast Active, a new class of insecticide
chemistry). Effective on 39 pests, including seven of the
top 10 most troublesome ornamental insects, XXpire WG
controls both chewing and sap-feeding species. Isoclast is
a recently registered active ingredient and the sole mem-
ber of the sulfoximine class of insect control
agents. Spinetoram is a spinosyn insecticide
that offers improved insecticidal activity and
longer residual control. XXpire WG controls
whitefies, aphids, mealybugs, lepidopterans,
lacebugs, certain scales and thrips and sup-
presses spider mites. Contact Dow AgroSci-
ences, 800-255-3726 (www.dowprovesit.com).
United Turf Al-
liance introduced
ArmorTech ZOXY
2 SC, a liquid formula-
tion of an azoxystrobin
fungicide. It is labeled
for the control of many
turfgrass diseases on
the golf course, including
greens, tees and fairways.
The highly concentrated liquid formulation contains 2.08
pounds of active ingredient per gallon. It is a water-
based product offering low odor and easy tank-mixing.
ArmorTech ZOXY 2 SC is available in 4-by-1 gallon and
4-by-1 quart cases. The 1-quart container treats ap-
proximately 1 acre of turf at the standard use rate. Contact
United Turf Alliance, 770-335-3015
(www.utaarmortech.com).
Steiner released a rough-cut mower attachment for
the Steiner 440 articulating tractor. It is designed to
make quick work of most woody areas. The Steiner rough-
cut mower is built to evenly cut dense and overgrown
grass, weeds, brush and brambles up to 1.5 inches in
diameter. The attachment features an optional caster
wheel kit for mowing uneven terrain. Contact Steiner, 866-
469-1242 (www.steinerturf.com).
094-097_Sept14_ProductNews.indd 94 8/18/14 4:06 PM
09.14 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 95
A new adapter from Worksaver Inc. that allows
pin-on-style loaders to accept Euro/global-style attach-
ments is available. The new adapter can be paired with
the Worksaver standard pin-on brackets (830345) or
other Worksaver interfacing brackets to complete the
unit. The Euro-global adapter frame is 54 inches wide
and 21.50 inches high with an all-welded design, plated
rods and easy-release handle to secure the attachment in
place. Contact Worksaver Inc., 217-324-5973
(www.worksaver.com).
Engage Agro USA signed a distribution agree-
ment with Taminco US Inc. to be the exclusive
distributor of Defant in the U.S. Defant is a dry fow-
able thiram formulation. The company says it is ideal for
the prevention of dollar spot, brown patch and fusarium
patch in the summer and pink snow mold in the winter. In
addition, Defant provides protection for ornamentals from
damage caused by deer, rabbits, rodents and migratory
birds. Contact Engage Agro USA, 928-642-7361 (www.
engageagrousa.com).
Toro released AquaFlow 4.0, the Web-based
version of AquaFlow Drip Irrigation Design Software. The
new program format includes expandable panels that
automatically adjust to multiple screen and font sizes
and allow instant visibility of design decision results by
scrolling. Pull-down menus allow users to easily create
new customers and projects and easily select program
features such as Mainline Design, Custom Laterals and
Pipes, Options, etc. An important feature of AquaFlow is
easy comparison between two lateral choices via both
data and a visually friendly, color-coded uniformity map. To
access or download AquaFlow and learn more about drip
irrigation, contact Toro, 800-367-8676 (www.toro.com).
York Bridge Concepts redesigned its poly-coated
composite runners and treated timber deck surfaces. These
upgraded, state-of-the-art deck additions are intended to
be installed on new York Timber Golf Cart Bridges as well as
previously constructed golf cart bridges. Contact York Bridge
Concepts, 800-226-4178 (www.ybc.com).
A new grass, L1F zoysia, was released to licensed
producer Hawaiian Turfgrass. The grass was
released from agricultural quarantine June 16. L1F zoysia
can be used for high-quality lawns and shows promise
as a suitable grass for all golf surfaces. Its characteristics
include soft texture and feel, upright leaf blade orientation,
shade tolerance, low fertility requirement and less thatch.
L1F was developed by Bladerunner Farms in Poteet,
Texas. Contact Hawaiian Turfgrass, 808-371-0527 (www.
hawaiianturfgrass.com).
Applied Biochemists Aquatic Vegetation
Management launched a how-to video. Based on
fve steps for managing aquatic vegetation, the video goes
through the keys to identifying aquatic plants/algae, mea-
suring area of treatment, selecting the appropriate product,
reading and following the product label, and applying the
product. The video is available for viewing through the
mobile website at appliedbiochemists.prohost.mobi. Contact
Applied Biochemists, 800-558-5106.
Bio S.I. Technology launched Turf Formula,
which reduces the incidence of disease by encouraging
benefcial bacteria known as microbes to grow and crowd
out pathogens that cause browning and other diseases.
Turf Formula acts as a biostimulant that helps improve
the growth and vigor of the root zone, which improves the
overall condition of the turf. Also, Water Doctor is
made to break down and remove harmful nitrates, phos-
phates and other contaminants to restore pond clarity and
keep them clean the natural way. Water Doctor’s blend
of soil-borne microbes drastically reduces the nutrients
required for moss or algae blooms, keeping water features
looking great, the company says. It works throughout the
water layers and through the bottom sludge layers to di-
gest organic waste and remove fertilizer compounds, am-
monia and organic odors. It is safe for humans, animals,
fsh and aquatic plant life. Contact Bio S.I., 866-393-4786
(www.biositechnology.com).
The JuCad Carbon Travel U.S. is a German
brand high-tech electronic golf cart in an eye-
catching stars and stripes design. It is made of
high-grade carbon fber and has a 48-V propulsion
system. Contact JuCad, (www.jucad.de).
The JuCad
CARBON
094-097_Sept14_ProductNews.indd 95 8/18/14 4:06 PM
96 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.14
Select Series 2 from Aqua
Control is a newly designed aerating
fountain made for improved durability
and increased performance at lower cost.
Select Series 2 fountains double the fow
and still have plenty of pressure (30 feet of
head at 500 gallons per minute), accord-
ing to the company. Contact Aqua Control,
800-377-0019 (www.aquacontrol.com).
Automation Products Group
Inc. (APG) released the PT-503
Submersible Pressure Trans-
ducers, which are specifcally built
for chemical compatibility and feature a
PVC housing. As a result, these pressure
transducers deliver long life and reliable
operation in environments with regular
and prolonged exposure to harsh and
potentially corrosive chemicals — even
at temperatures from -30 F to 130 F and
depths to 450 feet. PT-503 transducers
are available with numerous options and
features to support specifc application
needs, including three cable options for
improved chemical compatibility such as
Hytrel, PVC and urethane; and a breath-
able hydrophobic vent tube cap that flters
out moisture. Contact APG,435-753-7300
(www.apgsensors.com).
West Coast Turf became the
offcial dealer of Endurant Turf
Colorant in California. Endurant Turf
Colorant is an organic pigment made with
binders chosen specifcally for excellent
adherence to turfgrass. It is an alternative
to winter color overseeding of warm-sea-
son turfgrasses and for use on golf course
tees, greens, fairways and target areas.
Contact West Coast Turf, 888-893-8873
(www.westcoastturf.com).
EFI Engines are powering the 2015
Club Car Precedent golf
cars. Club Car says the new engine
increases horsepower by 35 percent and
fuel effciency by 35 percent and cuts
carbon monoxide emissions by 30 percent
over previous Precedent golf car engines.
Contact Club Car, 800-258-2227 (www.
clubcar.com).
PRP
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094-097_Sept14_ProductNews.indd 96 8/18/14 4:06 PM
SILVER PARTNERS
SILVER PARTNER
Partner Recognition Program
At Floratine, we understand that our customers’ livelihoods and professional reputations are largely
dependent upon the quality of the turfgrass they maintain. We take this seriously, which is why for 20 years,
Floratine has worked hard to earn the trust of thousands of turf professionals in more than 30 countries.
We provide these customers with the Floratine Foliar products they need to maintain premium turfgrass
conditions.
We don’t aim to be the cheapest products on the market - just the best. And we don’t take shortcuts, either.
Floratine Foliars™ use only the highest-grade ingredients to maximize plant uptake.
In addition, we’re one of the only companies in the industry to manufacture and ship products ourselves, which
gives us absolute quality control and the ability to react quickly to customers’ needs.
Because every customer faces different challenges, Floratine Foliar products are not “one size fts all.”
Customers use our products to address their own specifc issues and they do so with the confdence that
comes from the real-life success of their peers.
Floratine is dedicated to one single goal: providing products and solutions to help our customers maintain the
fnest turfgrass surfaces in the world. We know their livelihoods and professional reputations are at stake and,
for this reason, we remain wholly committed to their success.
For more information please visit www.foratine.com.
Founded more than 100 years ago in Cedar Falls IA, Standard Golf Company is the world’s oldest
continually-operated maker of golf course accessories, providing products and services for golf course
superintendents, pro shops and driving ranges. In-stock and customized accessories include fags and
fagsticks, bunker rakes, ball washers, course signs, cups, litter receptacles and yardage markers. The
company also makes Magnum maintenance tools which are considered the most durable toools of their kind.
For more information, please call 866-743-9773, or visit www.standardgolf.com.
094-097_Sept14_ProductNews.indd 97 8/18/14 4:06 PM
98 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.14
(Industry news)
LEGACY
SCHOLARSHIP
Mammoth Cave National Park has taken
important steps to reduce energy consumption at the park
and to serve as a model for other national parks across
the country. It was made possible in part by a donation
from the Propane Education & Research
Council (PERC) of propane-powered off-road
and stationary equipment. PERC’s donation totaled more
than $62,000 and includes three John Deere zero-turn
mowers, two Generac portable generators and a CleanFuel
USA propane dispenser featuring eConnect, a fuel network
management system for electronic dispensers. Mammoth
Cave Park, located in Mammoth Cave, Ky., was estab-
lished as a unit of the National Park Service in 1941 and
is home to the world’s longest known cave system. More
than 400 miles have been mapped and surveyed to date.
Irrigation consultants Brian Vinchesi and Bren-
dan Lynch recently were named ASIC (Ameri-
can Society of Irrigation Consultants)
fellows. Vinchesi is with Irrigation Consulting Inc. of
Pepperell, Mass. Lynch is with Lynch & Associates Ltd. in
Annapolis, Md. Vinchesi’s work includes the National Mall
in Washington, D.C., and Central Park in New York. Lynch’s
work includes the White House and Howard Hughes Medi-
cal Institute in Ashburn, Va.
Nine individuals were awarded Georgia GCSA
Legacy Scholarships. They are (and their super-
intendent relative): Karli Durden (Joe Durden, Class
A); Courtney Cunningham (Tim Cunningham,
CGCS, Coosa Country Club); Ben Ketelsen (Craig
Ketelsen, CGCS); Joseph Barton (Bret Barton,
CGCS, Pinetree Country Club); Ryan Cunningham
(Tim Cunningham, CGCS); Ann Drinkard (James
Drinkard, Athens Country Club); Morgan Kepple
(Ralph Kepple, CGCS, East Lake Golf Club); Ben Mur-
ray (Buzz Howell, Class AA); and Haley Womac
(Bill Womac, CGCS, Retired). Criteria for selection include
academic achievement, extracurricular and community
The Dr. James R. Watson Legacy Scholarship by Sports Turf Manag-
ers Association (STMA) and The Toro Co. honors three students. They are Kevin Hansen, Iowa State University; Chrissie
Segars, Oklahoma State University; and
Andrew Wilhelm, Purdue University. The
award is a special one-time scholarship funded
by The Toro Giving Program in celebration of
the company’s centennial this year as well as
STMA’s SAFE Foundation, the philanthropic arm
that enriches communities through champion-
ing safe, sustainable sports and recreation
felds for all athletes. Each recipient receives
a $2,000 scholarship from the SAFE Founda-
tion. The grant honors Watson, a longtime Toro
agronomist, who died in 2013. Hansen, Segars
and Wilhelm are attaining degrees in sports turf
management or a comparable feld of study.
In addition to the cash award, each student
received an all-expenses-paid trip to The Toro
Sports Field and Grounds Forum that was held
in July in Minneapolis.
involvement, leadership and outside employment. The
students were required to submit two essays along with
their applications. Students must be enrolled full time at
an accredited institution for the next academic year.
Darrin Batisky was appointed area sales manager
for Bayer CropScience’s North American turf
and ornamentals business. In his new role serving the
Kentucky, southern Indiana and central and southern
Ohio markets, Batisky is responsible for the growth and
maintenance of user relationships and initiating buyer
opportunities. Batisky earned a bachelor’s degree in
agronomy with a turfgrass management specialization
from Ohio State University.
Sports Turf Managers Association
(STMA) President David Pinsonneault
won the American Public Works Association Professional
Manager of the Year Award — Facilities and Grounds. Pin-
sonneault served as the public grounds superintendent for
the town of Lexington, Mass., from 2000 until 2011, when
he was promoted to operations manager. He oversees 22
full-time employees as well as 600 acres of land, 75 acres
of athletic felds, four cemeteries, more than 3,000 street-
Mammoth Cave National Park
Chrissie Segars
098-101_Sept14_IndustryNews.indd 98 8/18/14 4:07 PM
09.14 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 99
lights and 10,000 trees. Pinsonneault
became STMA president in January.
Cushman sent contest winner Andy
Schival to the Coca-Cola 600. Schival,
who test-drove a Cushman Hauler Pro,
was selected at random to receive a vaca-
tion prize package that included a trip in
May to the Coca-Cola 600 NASCAR Sprint
Cup Race in Charlotte, N.C. As part of the
prize package, Schival and his wife, Julia,
got a garage tour and a private meet-and-
greet with NASCAR driver Kevin Harvick.
Reinders Inc. added Brian
Placzkowski and Jerry Ker-
shasky to help serve the Chicago
market. Placzkowski is working with golf
courses as territory manager with the
Commerical Equipment Division. He had
been an assistant superintendent at Royal
Melbourne Country Club in Long Grove, Ill.
Kershasky rejoined Reinders to help serve
the Chicagoland area and northwestern
Indiana. He is territory manager in the
soft goods business group responsible
for sales and product support. Recently,
he served as superintendent of University
Ridge Golf Course in Madison, Wis. Before
that, Kershasky was a sales representative
for Reinders.
Elevance Renewable Sci-
ences Inc. announced that Steven
Mills is part of the board of directors.
Mills, previously chief fnancial offcer at
Amyris Inc., is a director and a member of
the audit committee of Black Hills Corp.,
a diversifed energy holding company,
and also serves on the boards of Illinois
College, Kirby Medical Center and Hickory
Point Bank & Trust.
The Propane Education &
Research Council (PERC) an-
nounced it partnered with environmental
nonproft Audubon International
to advance the use of clean, low-emission
propane equipment, which aligns with
Audubon International’s mission to
facilitate responsible environmental
management practices. This partnership
will explore various demonstrations and
educational programs that increase aware-
ness of propane as an alternative fuel.
Profle Products and American
Excelsior announced an international
sales and marketing partnership. The
partnership provides Profle with a full line
of erosion control and turf establishment
blankets and turf reinforcement mats while
offering American Excelsior the opportunity
to signifcantly expand its international
reach through Profle’s established inter-
national distribution network.
Golf Course Development
Ltd. is a startup company that was
launched to assist golf clubs and course
managers to achieve their maximum po-
tential. The man behind it is Murray Long,
who was course manager at Sunningdale
Golf Club (Sunningdale, Berkshire, U.K.) for
nine years. Long, who attended the Univer-
sity of Massachusetts, was Toro’s Student
Groundskeeper of the Year in 2002.
E-Z-Go and National IPA
(Intergovernmental Purchas-
ing Alliance) announced that the city
of Tucson, Ariz., has awarded a national
cooperative contract for golf cars and
utility and hospitality vehicles to E-Z-Go.
National IPA will make the contract avail-
able to public agencies and educational
institutions nationwide. The competitively
solicited and publicly awarded agreement
includes extensive product lines for E-Z-Go
golf cars, utility and personal transporta-
tion vehicles; Cushman commercial and
utility vehicles; and Bad Boy Buggies rec-
The Country Club at DC Ranch in Scottsdale, Ariz., began a major res-
toration of its golf course and clubhouse. PHX Architecture is coordinating the
nearly $4 million project, working collaboratively with SB Design of Phoenix and
Wespac Construction. Total restoration is set to be completed by November.
reational vehicles. It is a one-year contract
with the option to extend for an additional
year for the next four years.
KemperSports was selected to man-
age Apple Ridge Country Club in Mahwah,
N.J. The club, developed in 1966 by the
Carloughs on their family-owned apple
orchard, offers unobstructed views of the
Manhattan skyline. KemperSports also an-
nounced that The Governors Club
in Brentwood, Tenn., is in the process of a
master plan improvement. KemperSports
also was chosen to manage Vita Fit-
ness Corazon in Dublin, Ohio.
Bernd Leinauer, Ph.D., and col-
leagues from New Mexico State University
PERC
098-101_Sept14_IndustryNews.indd 99 8/18/14 4:07 PM
presented new fndings to Aquatrols
Seed Enhancement Tech-
nology (ASET) in June at the 2014
Salinity Forum in Riverside, Calif. The
forum addressed issues critical to salinity
management and maintaining or enhanc-
ing food production while also considering
economic and social aspects. Leinauer
and the university’s controlled environment
study investigated the effects of experi-
mental polymer-coated ASET seed on the
establishment of perennial ryegrass and
seashore paspalum grown under saline
irrigation conditions. Results indicate that
the polymer coatings had positive effects
on turfgrass emergence and establishment
under irrigation with saline water. Accord-
ing to Leinauer, ASET technology could
have a number of real-world implications,
including reduced irrigation requirements
for the germination and establishment of
turfgrass and/or allowing for the use of
saline water during establishment.
Ken Kosak was selected as new
general manager at The Clubs at
St. James Plantation in North
Carolina. Kosak, a Troon Golf manage-
ment veteran, was voted Troon Golf’s
General Manager of the Year in 2010.
Kosak oversees four courses at The Club
at St. James — Members Club, Reserve
Club, Founders Club and the Players Club.
Previously, Kosak was group general
manager-operations for The Els Club in
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
In June, KemperSports recognized
all of its properties to celebrate Player
Development Week. To com-
memorate the weeklong celebration, golf
courses offered free lessons from staff
instructors to all new golfers. Kemper-
Sports has more than 100 public, private
and resort golf courses around the country.
The American Society of Golf
Course Architects (ASGCA)
offers a Request for Proposal document
for golf course decision makers looking
to make improvements to their facilities.
The proposal form, which is free, is a
comprehensive document designed to
help developers, owners, superintendents
and managers address key elements of
a project, including general notice, scope
of services, owner’s responsibilities,
submittal requirements and the selection
process. ASGCA can assist those who are
preparing the proposals. The document is
available for download at www.asgca.org
or by calling 262-786-5960.
The Irrigation Association
announced that Atlantic Irrigation
Specialties Inc. of White Plains,
N.Y., and North American Pipe
Corp. of Houston became bronze
premium members. Atlantic Irrigation is
an irrigation/landscape distributor with
27 locations along the eastern seaboard.
North American Pipe is the second-largest
PVC pipe manufacturer in the U.S.
Mitsui Chemicals Agro Inc.
(MCAG) and BASF announced they
signed an exclusive global development and
license agreement for a new insecticide
(MCAG’s development code MCI-8007).
Under the terms of the agreement, MCAG
granted BASF a worldwide, exclusive li-
cense to commercialize the new insecticide,
except in Japan and some other countries
where MCAG will hold the exclusive and/or
co-exclusive rights. Featuring a new mode
of action, the active ingredient will provide
growers and pest management profession-
als with a unique and attractive solution. It
will also be an important rotation partner in
managing insect resistance.
The USGA joined American Ex-
press to launch the Play 9 program
to demonstrate how nine-hole rounds can
help more golfers enjoy the game in less
time. The frst annual Play 9 Day was held
July 23; all golfers were encouraged to
play a nine-hole round on that day. Indus-
try research indicates there is a growing
interest in this type of format. According to
the National Golf Foundation, 27 percent
(more than 4,000) of America’s courses
are nine-hole facilities.
Marriott Golf’s Camelback
Golf Club and Wildfre Golf
Club participated in the company’s
third annual Fairways-Fore-
Freedom military golf program that
kicked off Memorial Day. It is designed
to celebrate the men and women of the
military who are dedicated to protecting
America’s freedom. It provides active,
reserve and retired military personnel
with discounts for golf from Memorial Day
through Veterans Day at more than 19
Marriott Golf facilities in the U.S. Members
who present a valid military ID card can
take advantage of discounted twilight
green fees and carts, ranging from $29
to $69, while also receiving a free play
certifcate for another day.
098-101_Sept14_IndustryNews.indd 100 8/18/14 4:07 PM
Pinehurst Resort and The
Toro Co. extended their long-standing
relationship for another decade. They
announced a new 10-year agreement that
designates Toro as the preferred supplier
of golf course maintenance equipment
and irrigation solutions for the Pinehurst
Resort. Toro and Pinehurst’s relationship
began in 1922.
Pinehurst Resort & Country
Club completed its acquisition of Na-
tional Golf Club. The course is being
named Pinehurst No. 9. The Jack Nicklaus
Signature Design course, located in the
Village of Pinehurst, opened in 1989.
Back9Network, a golf lifestyle mul-
tiplatform media network, added Brian
Kalinowski to its executive team in
the newly created role of executive vice
president digital media. Kalinowski joins
Back9Network following a stint with Live-
Clips, where he served as chief operating
offcer from February 2012 through that
company’s sale to DirecTV earlier this year.
Elevance Renewable Sci-
ences Inc., a high-growth specialty
chemicals company that creates novel
specialty chemicals from natural oils,
announced it is collaborating with
Genting Plantations Berhad
through Genting Integrated Biorefnery Sdn
Bhd to be located in Malaysia.
The Hong Kong Golf Asso-
ciation adopted the USGA’s Golf
Handicap and Information
Network (GHIN) for its more than
15,000 subscribers. Formed in 1968
with a mission to govern and promote
the game in Hong Kong, the Hong Kong
Golf Association’s responsibilities include
selecting Hong Kong national teams, junior
and elite player development, grassroots
initiatives and conducting international and
domestic golf events. The association runs
more than 30 amateur tournament events
each year as well as the Hong Kong Open,
the city’s oldest professional event.
4 easy ways to subscribe
Name______________________________________________ Title _________________________________________________
Company/Club ____________________________________________________________________________________________
Address____________________________________________City________________State_____Country_______Zip ___________
Phone _______________________________________________Fax ________________________________________________
(GCS) Golf Course Superintendent
(SUPT) Superintendent/Owner
(GCMD) GC Maintenance Dir.
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(OWNR) Club/Course Owner
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(S) Turfgrass Student
(RET) Retired
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Offcial Publication of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America
PHONE: 800.472.7878
FAX: 785.832.3643
WEB: www.gcsaa.org
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(OTHR) Others Allied in the Field (please specify)
____________________________________________
(PUBL) Daily Fee/Public Golf Course
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Golf Preservations Inc.Nationwide Golf Course
Drainage Company
Specializing in
Drainage Installation on
Existing Greens, Approach
and Fairway Drainage
Golf Preservations Inc.
504 Gloucester Ave
Middlesboro, KY 40965
606-499-2732
www.golfpreservations.com
Email: [email protected]
098-101_Sept14_IndustryNews.indd 101 8/18/14 4:07 PM
102 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.14
Q: How did you meet Lyon?
A: My older sister, Alex, played soccer for his youth team. He helped get me interested in the golf industry. I learned a lot from him, such as just stay humble, do the best that you can, pay attention to the details.
Q: Where was your frst golf course job?
A: Saddle Rock Golf Course (Aurora, Colo). I remember mowing a 15-foot stripe out of the intermediate rough by mistake. My boss’s eyes (Joe McCleary, CGCS) got huge. He threw his radio out in front of me to get me to stop. I thought he was going to be really mad. But he took me aside and just said, “Don’t worry. It’s grass. It’ll grow back.” He always told me that if there’s a problem, it can be fxed.
Q: What have you liked best about moving from Colorado to Long Island?
A: I love being by the ocean. The fresh seafood is awesome. I’m outgoing, so moving away hasn’t been bad at all.
— Howard Richman, GCM associate editor
Getting to know youIt is 1,860 miles from Fort Collins, Colo., to East Setauket, N.Y. Devin Mergl knows the route. He has driven it. He didn’t need to stray that far from home, however, to make connections that prompted this cross-country journey in the frst place. Mergl’s introduction to the golf course management industry is credited to past GCSAA President Dennis Lyon, CGCS, who graduated from Colorado State University in Fort Collins. Eventually, Mergl went to Colorado State, earning a degree in May in environmental horticulture. One month later, he landed his frst job. Mergl, assistant at St. Georges Golf and CC in East Setauket, was hired by GCSAA Class A superintendent Adam Jessie. Did we mention that Jessie also is a Colorado State graduate? “I feel very lucky how things fell into place,” Mergl, 22, says. “I am grateful every day for having gotten to know some of the people I know.”
Devin MerglWas: Student, Colorado
State University
Is: Assistant superintendent,
St. Georges Golf and Country
Club, East Setauket, N.Y.
(Climbing the ladder)
ON COURSESept. 3-6 — USGA, Women’s World
Amateur Team, Karuizawa, Japan,
Karuizawa 72 Golf, Karuizawa, Japan.
Sept. 4-7 — PGA Tour, BMW
Championship, Cherry Hills Country Club,
Cherry Hills Village, Colo., Michael Burke,
GCSAA Class A superintendent.
Sept. 4-7 — Web.com Tour,
Chiquita Classic, River Run Country Club,
Davidson, N.C., Michael Cagiano,
superintendent.
Sept. 4-7 — European Tour, Omega
European Masters, Crans-sur-Sierre Golf
Club, Crans Montana, Switzerland.
Sept. 5-7 — Champions Tour,
Quebec Championship, La Tempête
Golf Club, Quebec City, Canada.
Sept. 5-7 — Symetra Tour, Prairie
Band Casino & Resort Charity Classic,
Firekeeper Golf Course, Mayetta, Kan.,
Robert Christie, GCSAA Class A
superintendent.
Sept. 6-11 — USGA, U.S. Mid-Ama-
teur, Saucon Valley Country Club, Bethle-
hem, Pa., Geoff Brunner, superintendent.
Sept. 6-11 — USGA, U.S. Women’s
Mid-Amateur, Harbour Trees Golf Club,
Noblesville, Ind., Edward Devlin,
superintendent.
Sept. 10-13 — USGA, World
Amateur Team, Karuizawa, Japan,
Karuizawa 72 Golf, Karuizawa, Japan.
Sept. 11-13 — Symetra Tour,
Garden City Classic, Buffalo Dunes Golf
Club, Garden City, Kan., Toby Witthuhn,
superintendent.
Sept. 11-14 — PGA Tour, Tour
Championship by Coca-Cola, East Lake
Golf Club, Atlanta, Ralph Kepple, CGCS.
Sept. 11-14 — LPGA, The Evian
Championship, Evian Masters Golf Club,
Evian-les-Bains, France.
MEMBERS ONLY
102-111_Sept14_Departments.indd 102 8/18/14 4:07 PM
09.14 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 103
Sept. 11-14 — Web.com Tour,
Nationwide Children’s Hospital Champi-
onship, Ohio State University Golf Course,
Columbus, Dennis Bowsher, CGCS.
Sept. 11-14 — European Tour, KLM
Open, Kennemer Golf & Country Club,
Zandvoort, The Netherlands.
Sept. 13-18 — USGA, U.S. Senior
Women’s Amateur, Hollywood Golf Club,
Deal, N.J., Michael Broome, GCSAA Class
A superintendent.
Sept. 13-18 — USGA, U.S. Senior
Amateur, Big Canyon Country Club,
Newport Beach, Calif., Jeffrey Beardsley,
GCSAA Class A superintendent.
Sept. 18-21 — LPGA, Yokohama
Tire LPGA Classic, RTJ Golf Trail, Capitol
Hill Senator Course, Prattville, Ala., Robert
Wingo, GCSAA Class A golf course main-
tenance director.
Sept. 18-21 — Web.com Tour,
Web.com Tour Championship, TPC
Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., Lucas
Andrews, superintendent.
Sept. 18-21 — Symetra Tour,
Symetra Tour Championship presented
by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical
University, LPGA International-Jones
Course, Daytona Beach, Fla., John
Lammrish, CGCS, director of golf course
management.
Sept. 18-21 — European Tour, ISPS
Handa Wales Open, The Celtic Manor
Resort, City of Newport, Wales.
Sept. 19-21 — Champions Tour,
Pacifc Links Hawaii Championship,
Kapolei Golf Club, Kapolei, Hawaii, William
Lucena, GCSAA Class A grounds
maintenance director.
Sept. 25-28 — Ryder Cup, Glenea-
gles Golf Club, Perthshire, Scotland.
Sept. 26-28 — Champions Tour,
Nature Valley First Tee Open at Pebble
Beach, Pebble Beach Golf Links, Mon-
terey Peninsula, Calif., Chris Dalhamer,
CGCS.
Sept. 30-Oct. 2 — USGA, Men’s
State Team, French Lick Resort, French
Lick, Ind., Brett Fleck, GCSAA Class A
superintendent.
COMING UPSept. 8-11 — Florida Turfgrass
Association Annual Conference & Show,
Buena Vista Palace, Lake Buena Vista.
Phone: 863-688-9413
Website: www.ftga.org
Sept. 11 — University of Tennessee
Turf & Ornamental Field Day, East Ten-
nessee Research and Education
Center-Plant Sciences Unit, Knoxville.
Phone: 865-974-7201
Website: www.tennesseeturfgrassweeds.org
Oct. 5-7 — Northwest Turfgrass
Association Annual Conference,
Chambers Bay, University Place, Wash.
Phone: 253-219-8360
Website: www.wwgcsa.org
Oct. 8 — Intermountain GCSA Annual
Education Conference & Trade Show
sponsored by Turf Equipment & Irriga-
tion, Wendover, Nev.
Phone: 801-282-5274
Website: www.igcsa.org
Oct. 8 — North Central Florida
Turfgrass Field Day, Plant Science Re-
search & Education Unit, Citra.
Phone: 800-732-6053
Website: www.foridagcsa.com
Oct. 20-21 — Inland Empire
GCSA Trade Show, Coeur d’Alene
(Idaho) Resort.
Phone: 406-273-7779
Website: www.ppgcsa.org
Oct. 28 — Peaks & Prairies GCSA
Trade Show, Holiday Inn, Billings, Mont.
Contact: Lori Russell
Phone: 406-273-0791
Website: www.ppgcsa.org
Oct. 29-30 — Oregon State
University Turf Field Day, Lewis-Brown
Farm, Corvallis.
Phone: 541-737-5449
Website: http://horticulture.oregonstate.edu
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. 11 — Midwest Turf Clinic, Medi-
nah Country Club, Medinah, Ill.
Phone: 630-243-7900
Website: www.magcs.org
Nov. 18-19 — Carolinas GCSA
Annual Trade Show, Myrtle Beach
Convention Center, Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Phone: 800-476-4272
Website: www.carolinasgcsa.org
———
To learn if you can receive education points
for any of these upcoming programs, visit
the External Education Listings in the edu-
cation section at www.gcsaa.org/educa-
tion/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 CERTIFIEDAndy J. Klein, CGCS, Falcon Lakes Golf
Club, Basehor, Kan.
David J. Kuypers, CGCS, Cutten Fields,
Guelph, Ontario
Peter J. Rappoccio, CGCS, Concord
Country Club, Concord, Mass.
Robert D. Steger, CGCS, Saginaw
Country Club, Saginaw, Mich.
Daniel B. Tolson, CGCS, 3 Creek Ranch
Golf Club, Jackson, Wyo.
ON THE MOVEARIZONA
Douglas J. Long, formerly (AF) at Staples
Golf, is now (AF) at Momentum Golf in
Phoenix.
Jeff E. Pritchard, CGCS, formerly (A)
at Casino Del Sol Resort Golf Course-
Sewailo Course, is now (A) at TPC Scotts-
dale in Scottsdale.
ARKANSAS
Ben Haddad, formerly (A) at Olive Branch
Country Club, is now (A) at RidgePointe
Country Club in Jonesboro.
CALIFORNIA
Evan E. Herman, formerly (S) at Michigan
State University, is now (C) at The Wilshire
Country Club in Los Angeles.
Timothy P. Powers, CGCS, formerly
(AA), is now (A) at Pajaro Valley Golf Club
in Watsonville.
Nicholas Schneider, formerly (E) at
“A singlesedgetuber can produce more than
1,900 shoots.”
102-111_Sept14_Departments.indd 103 8/18/14 4:07 PM
104 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.14
Northwest David Phipps
So you say your course is environmentally friendly? You’re keeping detailed records of all your
pesticide applications. You manage your facility from a strict IPM plan, and you have adopted
your state’s latest and greatest BMPs. Let’s now put the shoe on the other foot. Let’s say you are
an activist from the local environmental watchdog group and the superintendent from the local
golf course just happens to meet you. You are impressed as he rattles off his accomplishments
including the wonderful nest boxes and his latest community outreach program. Then you ask
him about the fate of all those chemical applications being made to the lush green fairways,
greens and tees and ask, “How can you prove the chemicals aren’t getting to the creek that
runs through the property?” The superintendent replies, “Turf is one of nature’s best filters, and
nothing ever reaches the stream.” You reply, “Prove it!” It was the year 2000, and that’s the sce-
nario that went through my mind when I was building Stone Creek Golf Club. Luckily the Oregon GCSA had just completed its
first edition of the OGCSA Environmental Stewardship Guidelines. The first component that stood out was the water-quality
monitoring section. The late Dr. Michael Hindahl was the main author of the Oregon guidelines, and he was writing custom
environmental plans based on those guidelines. I submitted a request to the Stone Creek’s owners that we hire Dr. Hindahl
to write such a document, and they didn’t flinch at the $10,000 pricetag. It was never a question of whether they could af-
ford to do it, the response was that they couldn’t afford not to do it. Written into the plan was the water-quality monitoring
protocol. Over the next 12 years I easily spent close to $100,000 on water testing alone. Was it a waste of money? If you
ask Clackamas County, which bought out the golf course’s other investors after the first year, they still say it was worth every
penny. I had accumulated 10 years of data before I began to back off because I had set a baseline of no detections. If anyone
had ever stopped me and asked if I could prove that the pesticides I was applying weren’t getting into the adjacent stream, I
had proof! Water quality testing will give your property and its owners a piece of mind knowing that your course and the sur-
rounding environment are in good hands.
Florida Ralph Dain
As I traveled around the state in July, a common theme persisted. Mother Nature has not cooper-
ated with maintenance practices in the Sunshine State. As a matter of fact, it seems that she has
gone out of her way to be rather troublesome. From the southeast to southwest and central parts
of the state, superintendents have been working around rainfall and lightning as they attempt
to get midsummer work completed. I spoke with a few superintendents, and one relayed that
he had received 15 inches of rain over a seven-day period that coincided with his aerification
program. Another superintendent indicated that this has been the third-wettest summer in his
15 years at his facility. What has really caught my attention isn’t the weather itself but rather the
way GCSAA members persevere through the hardships it has created. I have yet to speak to an
individual who has said that Mother Nature has gotten the best of them. Everybody has come
up with a plan B and C, and sometimes D, to work around the inconveniences thrown at them. As one superintendent put it
when I asked how he was doing, “It’s July and I am a superintendent in Florida. I am making the best of it!” It seems like the
individuals in this industry truly shine when the deck is most stacked against them. There may be some tired faces around
the state, but nobody has been defeated. It is because of this mentality that it is a pleasure to associate with the men and
women who hold the position of golf course superintendent. In these times, it is also important to know that GCSAA is by your
side with resources to help you communicate the issues with which you are dealing. If I can be of any assistance, please do
not hesitate to contact me.
For the latest blog posts from all of GCSAA’s feld staff representatives, visit www.gcsaa.org/community/regions.aspx.
(In the field)
Inland Empire Job Corps Center, is now (E)
at Mount San Jacinto College in Menifee.
George A. Stiles, formerly (A) at Kadena
AFB Golf Course, is now (A) at Marshallia
Ranch Golf Course in Lompoc.
FLORIDA
Joseph A. Brink, formerly (A) at
Evergreen Club, is now (A) at RV Resort at
Port St. Lucie in Port St Lucie.
Thomas D. Cravey, formerly (Supt. Mbr.)
at Golden Ocala Golf and Country Club, is
now (Supt. Mbr.) at The Villages Kingfsher
Golf Course in The Villages.
Scott Davidson, formerly (A) at The Wan-
derers Club, is now (A) at Palm Harbor Golf
Club in Palm Coast.
Michael Gay, formerly (A) at Hunter’s
Creek Golf Course, is now (A) at Tuscawilla
Country Club in Winter Springs.
Michael J. Kenovich, formerly (AA), is
now (A) at New Smyrna Beach Municipal
GC in New Smyrna Beach.
Benjamin Leib, formerly (Supt. Mbr.) at
Tierra Del Sol Golf Course, is now (Supt.
Mbr.) at Hacienda Hills Golf & Country Club
in Lady Lake.
Martin G. Mackanos, formerly (Supt.
Mbr.) at Pinecrest Golf Club, is now (Supt.
Mbr.) at Lake Wales Country Club in Lake
Wales.
Byron K. Richmond, formerly (Supt. Mbr.)
at The Los Angeles Country Club, is now
(Supt. Mbr.) at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples.
Matthew Villani, formerly (AS) at The
Club at Mediterra, is now (AS) at Moorings
Country Club in Naples.
Edward A. Williams, formerly (A) at Union
Springs Country Club, is now (A) at Bonifay
Country Club in The Villages.
GEORGIA
Sam W. Burgess, formerly (C) at Big
Canoe Golf Club, is now (C) at Settindown
Creek at Ansley Golf Club in Roswell.
IDAHO
Kalman A. Zaranec, formerly (C) at
Southern Hills Country Club, is now (C) at
Gozzer Ranch Golf & Lake Club in
Harrison.
ILLINOIS
Dustin Huber, formerly (S) at Kansas
State University, is now (C) at Weaver
Ridge Golf Club in Peoria.
Tim Johnson, formerly (C) at Sunset Hills
Country Club, is now (Supt. Mbr.) at
Spencer T. Olin Golf Course in Alton.
MARYLAND
Jason A. Owens, formerly (Supt. Mbr.)
at Carroll Park Golf Course, is now (Supt.
102-111_Sept14_Departments.indd 104 8/18/14 4:07 PM
09.14 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 105
Mbr.) at Forest Park Golf Course in Gwynn
Oak.
MICHIGAN
John Rinehart, formerly (A) at Oakland
Hills Country Club, is now (A) at Twin
Lakes Golf Club in Oakland.
MINNESOTA
Jeremiah Ergen, formerly (Supt. Mbr.) at
The Crossings Golf Course, is now (Supt.
Mbr.) at Como Golf Course in Saint Paul.
Randy Juliar, formerly (Supt. Mbr. Retired)
at Turf Solutions Management LLC, is now
(Supt. Mbr.) at Mississippi National Golf
Links in Red Wing.
Jerry A. Webb, CGCS, formerly (A) at
Princeton Golf Course, is now (A) at Still-
water Oaks in Stillwater.
MISSOURI
Jeffrey A. Francis, formerly (C) at Fox
Run Golf Club, is now (C) at Castleridge
Golf Course in Festus.
Ryan A. Klatt, formerly (E) at Linn State
Technical College, is now (E) at State
Technical College of Missouri in Linn.
Justen Patterson, formerly (C) at The
Legends, is now (Supt. Mbr.) at The
Legends in Eureka.
MONTANA
Alexander Brown, formerly (C) at Myopia
Hunt Club, is now (C) at Spanish Peaks
Mountain Club in Big Sky.
NEBRASKA
Eric Bruns, formerly (C) at Illini Country
Club, is now (AF) at Regional West Medical
Center in Scottsbluff.
Ben Hall, formerly (Supt. Mbr.) at Sky
Creek Ranch Golf Club, is now (Supt. Mbr.)
at Fox Run Golf Course in Omaha.
NEW JERSEY
Michael J. Vacchiano, formerly
(Supt. Mbr) at Golf Course of Concordia, is
now (Supt. Mbr.) at Colonial Terrace Golf
Course in Asbury Park.
NEW YORK
Ryan Merriman, formerly (C) at East
Hampton Golf Club, is now (Supt. Mbr.) at
East Hampton Golf Club in East Hampton.
Robert J. Zbacnik, formerly (C) at The
Apawamis Club, is now (C) at Trump
National Golf Club-Westchester in Briarcliff
Manor.
NORTH CAROLINA
Kirk S. Adkins, formerly (S) at Sandhills
Community College, is now (AS) at
Pinehurst No. 2 at Pinehurst Resort in
Pinehurst.
Aaron Daganhardt, formerly (C) at
Talamore Golf Club, is now (C) at Forest
Creek Golf Club in Pinehurst.
OREGON
Tod M. Blankenship, CGCS, formerly (A)
at Trappers Turn Golf Club, is now (AF) at
City of Wilsonville in Wilsonville.
Matthew T. Bottoms, formerly (C) at
Summit Pointe Golf Club, is now (C) at
Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club in North Plains.
PENNSYLVANIA
Randall H. Cluss, formerly (C) at The
Springhaven Club, is now (C) at Llanerch
Country Club in Havertown.
Dean M. White, formerly (A) at Meticulous
Landscaping Inc., is now (AF) at Fertl Soil
Co. Inc. in Devon.
SOUTH CAROLINA
Jason R. McCroskey, formerly (A) at Wild
Dunes Resort-Links Course, is now (A) at
Wild Dunes Resort-Harbor Course in Isle
of Palms.
Angela M. Wilson, formerly (C) at
BallenIsles Country Club, is now (C) at IGM
at Brays Island Plantation in Sheldon.
SOUTH DAKOTA
Kyle J. Rausch, formerly (C) at Sutton Bay
Golf Club, is now (Supt. Mbr.) at Sutton
Bay Golf Club in Agar.
TEXAS
Tim Nunley, formerly (S) at Mundus Insti-
tute School of Golf Course Management, is
now (C) at Grand Pines Course at Bentwa-
ter Country Club in Montgomery.
UTAH
Steven G. Larsen, formerly (Supt. Mbr.) at
Southgate Golf Course, is now (Supt. Mbr.)
at Sunbrook Golf Club in Saint George.
WASHINGTON
Fred M. Wilken, formerly (AF) at Pacifc
Sports Turf Inc., is now (C) at Golf Club at
Hawks Prairie in Olympia.
WISCONSIN
Robert J. Stephens, CGCS, formerly (A)
at Indianhead Golf Course, is now (AF) at
Marathon County Park Dept. in Wausau.
AUSTRALIA
Dean Lewis, formerly (C) at Heritage Golf
& Country Club, is now (C) at Thurgoona
Country Club in Thurgoona, New South
Wales.
CHINA
Jason Chennault, formerly (A) at Mount
Bogd Golf Club, is now (A) at Shanqin Bay
Golf Club in Bo’ao Town.
JORDAN
Atilla A. Demirsoy, formerly (A) at Carya
Golf Club, is now (Supt. Mbr.) at Ayla
Oasis Development in Aqaba.
NEW MEMBERSALABAMA
Sanders D. Hancock, Class C,
Alexander City
ARIZONA
Tobbey M. Lange, Class C, Laveen
Brendan J. Waddell, Supt. Mbr.,
Apache Junction
COLORADO
Todd Canyock, Supt. Mbr., Denver
Andrew D. Farrand, Class C, Firestone
Patrick A. Parkins, Class C, Aurora
Randy M. Rozen, Class C, Denver
CONNECTICUT
Chris R. Tegano, Class C, Norwalk
DELAWARE
Raynor A. Paulsen, Class C, Wilmington
FLORIDA
Timothy V. Broome, Class C, Naples
Matt S. Haas, Class C, Fort Lauderdale
John Lawrence, Class C, Delray Beach
Marcus A. Smith, Class C, Gulfport
GEORGIA
James A. Smith, Student, Athens
ILLINOIS
Luke Kaster, Class C, Chicago
INDIANA
Keith Marshall, Associate, Corydon
IOWA
Ronald D. Funcke, Associate, Cedar
Rapids
MASSACHUSETTS
Matthew R. Roderick, Class C,
Watertown
MINNESOTA
Andrew L. Stalboerger, Supt. Mbr.,
Evansville
MISSOURI
Eric K. Gabelmann, Class C, Saint Louis
MONTANA
Matthew M. Hockinson, Associate,
“In one year,one sedge tuber can
become 6,900 new tubers.”
102-111_Sept14_Departments.indd 105 8/18/14 4:07 PM
106 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.14
Big Sky
NEW YORK
Derek J. Brunette, Class C, Penfeld
NORTH CAROLINA
Joel Blevins, Class C, Banner Elk
Brett W. Call, Class C, Cary
NORTH DAKOTA
Michael J. Faller, Associate, Grand Forks
OHIO
Kenneth Max Westover, Supt. Mbr.,
Columbia Station
OREGON
Joel Balsiger, Student, Corvallis
PENNSYLVANIA
Michael J. Adkins, Student,
University Park
Robert B. Poole, Affliate, Flourtown
Frank Reid, Associate, Millersville
Joseph Pal, Student, State College
SOUTH CAROLINA
Timothy R. Lowe, Class C, Aiken
Michael C. Mitchem, Student, Clemson
TENNESSEE
Raymond D. Fishback, Class C,
Arrington
VIRGINIA
Tim Crowley, Class C, Dumfries
WASHINGTON
Kyle J. Arthur, Supt. Mbr., Othello
Steven Deland, Associate, McChord AFB
CANADA
Ian Collins, Affliate Co. Rep.,
Mississauga, Ontario
Jonathan T. Minogue, Student,
Olds, Alberta
Brad Palmer, Affliate Co. Rep.,
Mississauga, Ontario
JAPAN
Richard A. McCoy, Associate, Inagi
Saratoga Springs, N.Y., 12866.
You are good at your job as a golf course manager. You know
that keeping up with the latest changes in the industry requires
a never-ending quest for knowledge. Earning GCSAA’s Certifed
Golf Course Superintendent designation (CGCSSM) can provide
you with the knowledge and skills needed to meet the demands
of your profession.
Invest in Certi�cation
Invest in You
Take the �rst step towards achieving this success.
Call us at 800.472.7878 to develop your plan for achieving certi�cation.
102-111_Sept14_Departments.indd 106 8/18/14 4:07 PM
PLATINUM PARTNERS
John Deere Co. ................................................4, 5 (800) 257-7797 .............www.johndeere.com/Golf
The Toro Co. .................................................. IFC-1 (888) 664-7489 ..........www.toro.com/leaderboard
GOLD PARTNERS
Jacobsen ...................................................33, 111 (800) 232-5907 ......................www.jacobsen.com
Syngenta Crop Protection, LLC ................Cover 4* (909) 308-1633 ..................................................... www.syngentaprofessionalproducts.com
SILVER PARTNERS
The Andersons, Inc. .......................................... 11 (800) 253-5296 .............. www.AndersonsPro.com
Barenbrug USA ................................................33* (800) 547-4101 ......................... www.barusa.com
Bayer Environmental Sciences ........................37* (800) 643-4266 .............www.backedbybayer.com
Civitas Fungicide (a.k.a.Petro Canada) ......17, INSERT .................................................www.civitasturf.com
Cushman (a.k.a. E-Z-GO).................................Cover (800) 774-3946 ........................ www.cushman.com
Floratine Products Group .................................. 79 (901) 853-2898 ....................... www.foratine.com
FMC Professional Solutions ...13, 49, 103, 105, 107 (800) 235-7368 .......... www.fmcprosolutions.com
Lebanon Turf ................................................14, 15 (800) 350-6650 ............... www.lebanonturf.com/
Par Aide Products Co. ......................................2, 3 (888) 893-2433 ........................ www.paraide.com
PBI Gordon Corp. ..................................21, 75, 100 (800) 971-7233 .................... www.pbigordon.com
Quali-Pro ........................................................... 23 (888) 584-6598 ......................www.quali-pro.com
Tee-2-Green Corp. .........................................42, 43 (800) 547-0255 .................... www.tee-2-green.com
ADVERTISERS
AMVAC .............................................................. 61 (888) GO-AMVAC ........www.amvac-chemical.com
Aquatrols Corporation ....................................... 39 (800) 257-7797 ..................... www.aquatrols.com
Better Billy Bunkers .......................................... 41 (615) 847-8877 ......... www.betterbillybunker.com
BoardTronics...................................................... 6-7 (800) 782-9938 ............................boardtronics.com
Bobcat ............................................................... 63 877-745-7813 ........ http://bobcat.com/mowtosnow6
Champion Turf Farms ......................................... 8-9 (888) 290-7377 ..........www.championturffarms.com
East Coast Sod & Seed ...................................... 109 (856) 769-9555 ...................www.eastcoastsod.com
GCSAA Services ............ 77, 69, 101, 97, 96, 71, 91, (800) 447-1840 ...............................www.gcsaa.org
GCSAA TV .......................................................... 93 ..........................................................www.gcsaa.tv
GE Capital, Equipment Finance ............................ 19 (469) 586-2010 ..................www.gecapital.com/golf
Golf Preservations ............................................. 101 (606) 499-2732 .............www.golfpreservations.com
Golf-Lift Div. Derek Weaver Co., Inc. ............... 108 (800) 788-9789 .........................www.golf-lift.com
Greenjacket..................................................... 108 (888) 786-2683 ................. www.greenjacket.com
Grigg Bros. ........................................................ 53 (888) 623-7285 .....................www.griggbros.com
Growth Products Ltd. ........................................ 25 (800) 648-7626 ...........www.growthproducts.com
Kelly’s Green Team ............................................ 109 (660) 627-5500 ..............www.kellysgreenteam.com
Koch Agronomic Services, LLC ....................55, 67 (888) 547-4140 ......................... www.kasturf.com
Landmark Seed .................................................. 29 (800) 268-0180 ............www.turfandnativeseed.com
Lastec ............................................................... 76 (866) 902-6454 ..........................www.lastec.com
Milorganite ........................................................ 60 (800) 287-9645 ..................... www.milorganite.com
MultiGuard ......................................................... 59 (908) 272-7070 ............www.multiguardprotect.com
Peat, Inc. .......................................................... 108 (800) 441-1880 ........................... www.peatinc.com
Penn State University .......................................... 57 (800) 233-4973 .............www.worldcampus.psu.edu
PlanetAir Turf Products ..................................... 27 (877) 800-8845 .........................www.planetair.biz
Plant Food Co. Inc. .......................................... 106 (800) 562-1291 ................. www.plantfoodco.com
Precision Laboratories, Inc. .................................. 51 (800) 323-6280 .................... www.precisionlab.com
Redexim North America ...................................37* (800) 597-5664 ....................... www.redexim.com
Ryan .................................................................. 70 (866) 469-1242 .......................... www.ryanturf.com
SGM Industries ................................................... 52 (630) 688-5192 ................. www.sgmindustries.com
Smithco, Inc. ................................................Cover 3 (877) 833-7648 .......................... www.smithco.com
Steiner ............................................................... 73 (866) 469-1242 .........www.steinerturf.com/golftrade
SubAir Inc. ...................................................... 109 (800) 441-1880 .............www.subairsystems.com
TRIMS Software International Inc. .................. 108 (800) 608-7467 ............................www.trims.com
Turf Screen ......................................................... 65 (267) 246-8654 ....................... www.turfmaxllc.com
Turfco................................................................. 35 (800) 679-8201 ............................. www.turfco.com
* Denotes regional advertisement
Bold denotes affliate member
ADVERTISING INDEX
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102-111_Sept14_Departments.indd 107 8/19/14 10:58 AM
108 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.14
102-111_Sept14_Departments.indd 108 8/18/14 4:07 PM
09.14 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 109
EAST COAST SOD & SEED596 Pointers Auburn Road • Pilesgrove, NJ 08098
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102-111_Sept14_Departments.indd 109 8/18/14 4:07 PM
110 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.14
By John Mascaro
President of Turf-Tec International
Presented in partnership with Jacobsen
A leaking hydraulic hose on a greens mower is responsible for the thin turf
and slight depression that you see on this putting green. Hydraulic leaks are
an unfortunate part of life for most superintendents, but what makes this im-
age interesting is that the green is Tifgreen (Tifton 328) bermudagrass over-
seeded with Poa trivialis. This golf course uses biodegradable hydraulic fuid
in its greensmowers, and the spill happened about six weeks before the photo
was taken, when the bermudagrass was still dormant. The heat of the hydrau-
lic fuid burned out the Poa trivialis right away and allowed the bermudagrass
to fully green up or transition out of dormancy very rapidly. Since there was
no more competition for sunlight, it also allowed the soil to warm up. This
is a great example of how biodegradable hydraulic oils are environmentally
friendly and perhaps may be a cutting-edge method for transitioning out of
overseeding.
Photo submitted by James Kizer, the GCSAA Class A superintendent at Hidden
Falls Golf Club in Meadowlakes, Texas, and a 19-year member of GCSAA.
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 two parallel lines on the turf running the entire length of this 403-yard,
par-4 fairway are the result of an airplane crash, or to be exact, an airplane
landing. This golf course is located about a half mile from a small airport, and
when a plane lost power on approach to that airport, it was forced to land on
the golf course’s eighth fairway. The pilot braked immediately upon landing,
leaving these skid marks all the way up the fairway. Both the pilot and the
passenger in the plane walked away unharmed, and these marks were the
only damage to the golf course. The incident was actually the second time in
15 months this golf course had been used as a runway. And as they say, there
are only two types of pilots in the world — old pilots and bold pilots — but
there is no such thing as an old bold pilot.
Photo submitted by Matt Toepfer, the assistant superintendent at Omni
Interlocken Resort and Golf Club in Broomfeld, Colo., and a nine-year GCSAA
member. The superintendent at Interlocken is Tom Kramlich, CGCS, a 24-year
member of the association.
(photo quiz answers)
(a)PROBLEM
(b)PROBLEM
GCM (ISSN 0192-3048 [print]; ISSN 2157-3085 [online]) is published monthly by GCSAA Communications 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 GCSAA, 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, Niagara Falls, ONT L2E 6S8.
102-111_Sept14_Departments.indd 110 8/18/14 4:07 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
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112 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.14
Photographer: Jessica Lenihan
Title: Assistant superintendent
Course: Hayden Lake Country Club, Hayden, Idaho
GCSAA membership: Two-year member
The shot: Early mornings have always given superintendents a chance to witness something special, and
Lenihan joined that group when she captured this shot of the sun rising over the trees along the 18th hole at
Hayden Lake CC, which is located just north of Coeur d’Alene in the northwest part of the state.
Camera: iPhone 5
Do you have a photograph that you’d like the GCM staff to consider for The Final Shot? You can submit photos for consideration by
email to [email protected] or to GCM editor-in-chief Scott Hollister at [email protected].
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YEAH, YOU COULD SAY THIS IS A
HOSTILE WORK ENVIRONMENT.
FOR THE TURF, THAT IS.
© 2013 Syngenta. Important: Always read and follow label instructions before buying or using Syngenta products. The instructions contain
important conditions of sale, including limitations of warranty and remedy. Daconil Action is not currently registered for use or sale
in all states. Please check with your state or local extension service prior to buying or using this product. Daconil,® Daconil Action,™ the
Alliance Frame, the Purpose Icon and the Syngenta logo are trademarks of a Syngenta Group Company. Secure™ is a trademark of ISK Biosciences
Corporation. Syngenta Customer Center: 1-866-SYNGENT(A) (796-4368).
Day in, day out—your turf has it tough. It must endure daily mowing, UV rays, golfers andextreme weather conditions, not to mention the constant threat of disease. Daconil Action™
fungicide combines the power of Daconil® fungicide with a revolutionary Turf Protein Boosterthat helps turf activate its own natural production of PR proteins. Use on a regular applicationinterval for stronger and healthier turf that is better able to defend itself against disease whileoffering greater drought tolerance. So whether it’s disease or cleats, it’s not a problem. To learnhow to rotate Daconil Action with Secure™ fungicide, visit GreenCastOnline.com/programs
To hear what superintendents are saying,visit GreenCastOnline.com/DaconilAction
C2-C4_Sept14_ads.indd 4 8/18/14 11:24 AM