Golf Course Management - November 2014

INSIDE: A century of seeded bermudagrass PAGE 72

GCM Offcial Publication of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America

Degrees of

uncertainty Turf schools tackling a new reality in the education of future superintendents PAGE 42

Better chain grinding 32 The bunker’s edge 64 Perennial Poa particulars 82 Golf Course Management Magazine www.gcsaa.org • November 2014

29 30

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Chapter 7

A BREAKTHROUGH IN TECHNOLOGY, AS WELL AS A BREAKTHROUGH IN CONFIDENCE. You expect greens mowing solutions that make your jobs easier with technology you can trust. The smart money is on machines from a company with a history of performance, innovation, reliability and service. Like Toro.

It’s simple Turfonomics.

toro.com/eflex

©2014 The Toro Company. All rights reserved.

TOP LINE THINKING Not all electric greensmowers are the same.

With noise-free, lithium-ion power, Toro Greensmaster eFlex mowers ®

®

are easy on operators, neighbors and tee-time scheduling. Each mower can reliably cut up to 45,000 square feet, or nine average greens, on a single charge, year after year.

The exclusive EZ-Turn feature improves control in turns

About Turfonomics

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REAL WORLD THINKING

The challenge today isn’t simply to maintain a beautiful golf course.

The battery is guaranteed for fve

The Toro Company has a legacy

It’s to maintain it on a budget.

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To succeed, you need to work

to double cut as well as operate

we build. The new battery electric

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additional key accessories.

greensmower uses technology you can trust to be more productive.

We wouldn’t put our name on anything less. It’s more than a way of doing business.

It’s simple Turfonomics.

economically than ever before.

That’s why Toro equipment is engineered to give you not only great results, but also a lower cost of ownership over time.

Greensmaster eFlex Silence is golden!

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• Productivity • Maneuverability • Ease of Maintenance

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By eliminating time-consuming upkeep required of gas-powered mowers, Toro Greensmaster eFlex mowers greatly reduce operating costs. Operators also love our patented EZ-Turn feature that increases ™

productivity and maneuverability in tight turns – all while maintaining best-in-class quality of cut.

In short, simplifed maintenance and operation saves time and money.

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Think people don’t notice the accessories?

On a golf course every detail is important. So make sure your accessories work as hard as you do to enhance the image of your golf course.

Wherever golf is played.

The right accessories improve course conditions and make golfers want to come back for more.

More than ever, you have to wow golfers with your golf course. That’s because the No. 1 reason golfers give for not returning to a golf course is “poor course conditions.” But there’s more to course conditions than greens, tees, fairways and bunkers. Consider accessories – something golfers see, touch and feel on every hole.

Having well maintained, proper golf course accessories is a crucial part of course conditions.

They make an important and lasting impression on golfers and reinforce the course’s (and your) reputation. Quality accessories from Par Aide can improve course aesthetics and playability while saving you time and money. Find out how we can make your accessories budget work harder than ever.

P A R A I D E . C O M

8 8 8 - 8 9 3 - 2 4 3 2

CONTENTS11.14

42

Defending their turf For a variety of reasons, many turfgrass schools nationwide have witnessed dwindling numbers. Their quest to fill classrooms and keep programs afloat is an ongoing process.

Howard Richman

A dramatic comeback PGA member Jimmy Terry and GCSAA superintendent Dick Gray have led a rejuvenation at PGA Golf Club.

Michael R. Abramowitz

58

On the Cover: Photo by hxdbzxy/Shutterstock.com

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GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14

64

The bunker’s edge

GCM shines a spotlight on innovative products and systems for bunker maintenance.

Bunny Smith

INSIGHTS

Turf ‘Dr. B’ Teresa Carson

30 Shop

32

Taking the heat out of chain grinding Scott R. Nesbitt

Advocacy

34 Environment 36

Raise your voice Michael Upchurch

Career

RESEARCH A century of seeded bermudagrass production — and more to come Bermudagrass has evolved from a ‘wily’ weed to a multimillion-dollar industry.

Arden A. Baltensperger, Ph.D.

7 2 80

Cutting Edge Teresa Carson

ETCETERA11.14 14 President’s message 16 Inside GCM 18 Front nine 28 Photo quiz 70 Up to speed

10

82 Verdure 84 Product news 88 Industry news 94 Climbing the ladder 94 On course

GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14

38

OSHA: Chemical exposure Get to the next level standards ‘out of date’ Carol D. Rau, PHR

94 Coming up 96 Newly certified 96 In the field 97 On the move 100 New members

100 In memoriam 104 Final shot

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Golf Course Management Magazine Offcial Publication of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America

GCM MISSION

Golf Course Management magazine is dedicated to advancing the golf course superintendent 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 profession and members’ careers, the magazine contributes to the enhancement, growth and vitality of the game of golf.

GCSAA BOARD OF DIRECTORS President Vice President Secretary/Treasurer Immediate Past President Directors

Chief Executive Offcer Chief Operating Offcer Chief Business Development Offcer

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KEITH A. IHMS, CGCS JOHN J. O’KEEFE, CGCS PETER J. GRASS, CGCS PATRICK R. FINLEN, CGCS RAFAEL BARAJAS, CGCS DARREN J. DAVIS, CGCS JOHN R. FULLING JR., CGCS MARK F. JORDAN, CGCS BILL H. MAYNARD, CGCS J. RHETT EVANS MATT SHATTO J.D. DOCKSTADER

Associate Editor Sr. Manager, Creative Services Manager, Creative Services Traffc Traffic Coordinator

SCOTT HOLLISTER shollister@gcsaa.org BUNNY SMITH bsmith@gcsaa.org TERESA CARSON tcarson@gcsaa.org HOWARD RICHMAN hrichman@gcsaa.org ROGER BILLINGS rbillings@gcsaa.org KELLY NEIS kneis@gcsaa.org BRETT LEONARD bleonard@gcsaa.org

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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 Communications Inc., all rights reserved.

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(president’s message)

GIS still delivering the goods Keith A. Ihms, CGCS keithai79@gmail.com

It was quite literally an experience that ultimately changed the way I looked at and developed my own career.

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GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14

My frst experience at a GCSAA education conference and trade show came in 1978, when I ventured to San Antonio for that year’s event. As a turfgrass student at Texas A&M at the time, I understood that the opportunity to attend a national event of this stature was a special one, and I wouldn’t be disappointed by what I saw and learned there. It was quite literally an experience that ultimately changed the way I looked at and developed my own career.

I was reminded of that visit to San Antonio as I began to examine the overwhelming variety of opportunities that will be available when the 2015 Golf Industry Show makes its frst visit to the Alamo City in its current incarnation Feb. 21-26. And as I began to consider all the options I have to choose from before registering for the event, I was struck by how much our association’s fagship event has evolved over the years while still maintaining the traditions that helped make it such a great event in the frst place.

Take the registration process, for example, which continues to embrace the cutting edge in an effort to make the experience as easy and effcient for our members as possible. The GIS website (www.golfndustryshow.com) has become a one-stop shop for attendees looking to map out their visit to GIS, loaded with the latest information on seminar schedules, keynote speakers at events such as the Opening Session and maps of the trade show foor and lists of this year’s exhibitors.

Once those plans are fnalized, the website is also where you’ll go to offcially register for the event and to plan your travels to and from San Antonio. And the innovation will continue once you arrive in South Texas, as GCSAA will again feature an automated badge pick-up system that debuted with such success last year in Orlando.

Another prominent example of the evolution that GIS has undergone in recent years is the overall schedule of events for the week.

GCSAA is continually looking to improve the GIS experience for all parties involved in the week — from members and exhibitors, to allied association partners and GCSAA

staff. With that in mind, we’ve introduced modifcations to the GIS schedule in each of the last two years designed to allow those in attendance to take advantage of all the week has to offer while minimizing the disruptions time away from home and work can inevitably create.

We’re confdent that the schedule we’ve settled on — beginning with the start of the GCSAA Golf Championships on Saturday, Feb. 21, and wrapping up with the Closing Celebration on the evening of Thursday, Feb. 26 — accomplishes just that and presents a rich, rewarding experience for every constituent involved.

Of course, the specifc experiences that make up your stay at GIS — the education, the networking, the exhibitions, the entertainment — remain the real stars of the show, just as they were when I frst attended. The things that I learned during my frst conference and trade show, and the people that I met not only served as key foundations for my career, they also convinced me of the unmatched value provided by attending GIS. It’s why I won’t miss it to this day, and why I can’t encourage your attendance any more highly, whether you’ll be making a repeat visit or venturing out for the frst time, as I did back in 1978.

Remember, for all the latest information on GIS and to begin the registration process for your journey to San Antonio, please visit www.golfndustryshow.com. You’ll also fnd a full package of preview coverage on all the education, networking and trade show opportunities that will be available to attendees in the January and February issues of GCM.

Keith A. Ihms, CGCS, is the golf course maintenance manager at Bella Vista (Ark.) Village and a 33-year member of GCSAA.

(inside gcm)

Embracing the inevitability of change Scott Hollister shollister@gcsaa.org twitter: @GCM_Magazine

During these troubled times, the industry’s prime medium — the printed page — was squarely in the crosshairs of doomsayers desperate to write publishing’s obituary.

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GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14

Few industries have traveled a rockier road over the past two decades than the business of publishing.

Thanks primarily to a little societal development called the Internet, publishing has been in a near constant state of upheaval almost since the day I frst entered the business in the early 1990s. Sharp declines in readership and sharp increases in skeptical advertisers became daily puzzles for professionals like myself to solve.

During these troubled times, the industry’s prime medium — the printed page — was squarely in the crosshairs of doomsayers desperate to write publishing’s obituary. Cries of “print is dead” have been loud and constant.

They’ve also been largely wrong. There’s no doubt that the business has changed and changed signifcantly in the last 15-20 years.

But predictions that print newspapers and magazines, the cornerstone for the distribution of news and information for centuries, would simply cease to exist in the face of challenges from websites, mobile phones and tablet computing were just plain wrong. The fact that you’re likely reading these words in the print version of GCM is prime evidence of that fact.

I was reminded of publishing’s trials, tribulations and dire predictions while our staff worked on the cover story for this issue of GCM, Howard Richman’s in-depth examination of the state of turfgrass education in the United States (see “Defending their turf,” Page 42). This month’s work is a follow-up of sorts to a story we published in November 2009, and was prompted in part by the recent news that the well-regarded golf and turf program at Florida Gateway College (formerly Lake City Community College) would be transitioning to online only once the current crop of students on campus had completed their degrees.

Knowing a whole host of respected superintendents who had earned their formal degrees from Florida Gateway/Lake City, the news caught me off guard. If interest among students in these degrees at programs such as Florida Gateway was waning to the point where drastic options were the only options

left, what did that mean for turfgrass education overall? Was it, too, dying?

Thankfully, our investigation discovered those fears are unfounded. Through extensive interviews and an informal survey of advisers in golf and turfgrass programs at schools all over the country, we found that there are plenty of similarities between the state of turfgrass education and the business of publishing. Like print, turf schools are defnitely not dead or dying, but they are signifcantly different.

Far fewer students are entering golf course operations or turfgrass programs than they did as recently as a decade ago. The curriculum they encounter while in school is signifcantly different, with a marked increase in business and communications requirements. And the expectations those students carry into the job market after graduation are different, with most prepared to spend far more time in roles other than that of head golf course superintendent than was the case just 10-15 years ago.

Should any of this be all that surprising?

Probably not. The industry as a whole has transformed signifcantly over this same period of time, so it stands to reason that educational institutions that train students for that industry would experience similar changes.

And for the most part, I view that change as a positive. Those in publishing who have dared to innovate and have welcomed change have been the ones who have succeeded, who have found new paths to connecting with readers.

They are the ones who have found the light at the end of the tunnel and are solidly positioned for the future.

The same can be said about turfgrass education, in particular, and the golf course management industry, in general. Acknowledging that things aren’t the way they’ve always been is the frst step toward remaining relevant, and I was encouraged that so many involved in turfgrass education are embracing this new reality. It’s a great lesson for the students under their guidance, and defnitely a sign of better things to come.

Scott Hollister is GCM’s editor-in-chief.

Veterans’ days Bill Williams served in Vietnam as an Air Force sergeant. Today, he is far removed from service in a foreign land. His ties to veterans just like him, though, have found a common-ground haven.

Heroes Golf Course in Brentwood, Calif., may only be a public nine-hole layout, but the number of people it has touched can’t be counted. They include Williams, who is a starter at Heroes GC when he isn’t pulling out a club to hit his own shots.

“This place has been very therapeutic for many veterans,” Williams says. “One guy who came here was very shy, withdrawn, stuck to himself, just didn’t want to talk. Now, he laughs, kids. He got tips, lessons and almost every day helps with our maintenance. He’s a totally different individual.”

It has taken a joint effort to make all of this possible at Heroes GC. That is where GCSAA members stepped to the plate, willing to give their time, equipment (including helping to replace a 1975 Toro mower) and support for those who have supported their country. One of them is 29-year GCSAA member Brian Sullivan, CGCS, from Bel-Air Country Club.

In 2011, Ricardo Bandini Johnson gained control of management operations at Heroes GC, located on the grounds of the Veterans Administration Hospital. In a way, Johnson believed he had something at stake there; after all, his family and Sen. John Percival Jones donated hundreds of acres that used to be a home for soldiers.

In time, it became the Veterans Administration Hospital.

Heroes GC, established in 1946, was made possible by nearby Hillcrest Country Club, which spearheaded its construction. It was a way to honor veterans coming home from World War II. The issue today is course maintenance. Heroes GC is operated as a non-proft 501(c)(3). Except for water, which is paid for by the VA, Heroes GC must count on donations and fundraisers to survive. Green fees range from $7 to $17. The pro shop

Photos courtesy of Andy Heiser

By the NUMBERS Areas of emphasis in turf schools’ core curriculum*

58 % 55 % 76 % 29 % 68 % 37 %

environmental management

water management

communications

leadership

business management

equipment maintenance

* Source: Survey conducted for GCM in September 2014.

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GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14

From left: Ernie Hernandez, equipment manager, Bel-Air CC; Shane Perrish, grounds crew and veteran; Lou Castilina, veteran; and Robert Then, mechanic and veteran.

is a Quonset hut.

There is no trained superintendent or mechanic on staff. “We don’t have a superintendent or mechanic because we don’t have the money,” Johnson says.

A key to keeping Heroes GC viable occurred when the Community Justice Foundation donated $200,000 for the new irrigation system. West Coast Turf provided 5,500 square feet of sod. Hillcrest CC annually holds a fundraiser, raising more than $20,000 in 2013.

“That goes a long way for us,” Johnson says.

Others, such as Sullivan, give in a variety of ways.

His son, Patrick, built the frst tee complex as his Eagle Scout project. Both of Sullivan’s sons (Michael is the other one) grew up playing Heroes GC. The man who was in charge of turf maintenance, Bob Chebi, was their pal.

“When both my boys were 8, I would drop them off with $4 to $6 and they could play golf all day. Bob always had a Coke or a water ready after each nine holes,” Sullivan says.

Nowadays, Sullivan is ready and able to help Heroes. He offers his advice on turfgrass nutrition, disease, weed control and equipment. His contributions don’t go unnoticed.

“Brian has helped us since we started. He has volunteered time, equipment and knowledge and we can call him any time,” Johnson says.

Others like Sullivan who have made a difference include director of golf course and grounds Russ Meyers at Los Angeles Country Club; Reid Yenny, CGCS, at Hillcrest Country Club; superintendent Matt Morton at Rivera Country Club; GCSAA Class A superintendent Bob O’Connell at Brentwood Country Club; and superintendent Blake Meentemeyer at Torrey Pines South Course.

“We’re here to do whatever we can,” Meyers says.

“You feel honored when you go there and you can see the potential that is there.”

Meentemeyer spends a few hours each week at Heroes GC. Whether he is assisting with seeding or calibrating sprayers, Meentemeyer says the rewards there are precious.

“Unlike most private clubs and even municipal and daily-fee courses, patrons were actually excited to see

work being done out on the course,” he says.

Thirty-fve veterans have helped work on the course at Heroes GC in the past three years. With the help of people such as Sullivan, the hope is that this facility will be around for decades upon decades for veterans to enjoy.

“You can’t do enough for these folks,” Sullivan says.

— Howard Richman, GCM associate editor

Jenkins to receive Old Tom Morris Award World Golf Hall of Fame inductee Dan Jenkins will receive GCSAA’s Old Tom Morris Award for 2015.

Jenkins, one of the most noted sportswriters in history and known for his hilarious prose, will be honored Feb. 25 as part of the Golf Industry Show in San Antonio, Texas.

Jenkins, 83, has covered 223 major golf championships, beginning in 1951. He has worked for Sports Illustrated and Golf Digest.

He also is well known for writing books, including “Dead Solid Perfect” and “Semi-Tough,” both of which were turned into Hollywood movies.

In 2012, Jenkins became one of only a handful of writers to be enshrined in the World Golf Hall of Fame.

The Old Tom Morris Award is presented annually to an individual who, through a lifetime commitment to the game of golf, has helped to mold the welfare of the game in a manner and style exemplifed by Old Tom Morris. Morris

was a four-time British Open champion and was superintendent at St. Andrews in Scotland until his death in 1908.

Upon learning that he is receiving the Old Tom Morris Award, his response was vintage Jenkins. “I’m honored to win this award, especially for a guy who I’m almost as old as,” Jenkins quipped.

Jenkins, who was extremely close to legend Ben Hogan, is aware of what superintendents do on a daily basis.

“I don’t know a lot about grass, but I knew a lot of greenkeepers around town,” says Jenkins, a native of Fort Worth, Texas. “The profession has made a lot of progress.

Courses nowadays are so consistently wonderful with all

411

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59

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LA N D S C A

46

AS S

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TU RFGR

E RE S

Source: Turf School Survey conducted for GCM, September 2014

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GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14

15

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Leo Feser Award recipients announced

MA

ERINTENDEN

MOST COMMON CAREERS FOR TURF SCHOOL GRADS

the things they can do with them.”

Read more about Jenkins in the December issue of GCM.

I ND U

ST

What do Jim Ferrin and Sam Samuleson have in common besides being certifed golf course superintendents and co-owners of Turf Eco-Logic Consultants?

They share GCSAA’s 2014 Leo Feser Award.

Ferrin (left in picture above) and Samuelson (right) were chosen to receive the award, which the association presents annually to the author of the best superintendent-written story published in its fagship publication, GCM. The two superintendents co-wrote an article published in January titled “Fear and Loathing and the ADA” about how adapting courses for Americans with disabilities is the right thing to do for every reason, including that it makes solid business sense for golf facilities.

Ferrin, 62, is the superintendent at Timber Creek Golf Course at Sun City Roseville in Roseville, Calif. Samuelson, 59, is the superintendent at Wildhawk Golf Club in Sacramento.

“I’m on cloud nine right now,” Ferrin says. “It’s a dream come true. I am going to take this feeling and run with it for a while. When I got the news, I actually cried.”

Ferrin and Samuelson receive all-expenses-paid trips to the 2015 Golf Industry Show in San Antonio, where they will be honored during the Opening Session, Feb. 25, and will also have their names added to a plaque that is permanently displayed at GCSAA headquarters.

Lucas, Roth: Distinguished Service Award winners GCSAA Past President Melvin B. Lucas, CGCS, and Cal Roth, senior vice president of agronomy for the PGA Tour, have been selected as recipients of the association’s 2015 Col. John Morley Distinguished Service Award. They will be acknowledged at the 2015 Golf Industry Show in San Antonio during the Opening Session on Feb. 25.

Lucas, president in 1980, has been an association member 52 years. He has served as agronomy consultant for more than 60 golf course projects. Since his retirement in 1991, Lucas has continued to serve the industry as a consultant both domestically and abroad.

Roth oversees conditioning for the TPC network facilities and more than 120 professional golf tournaments annually. He has been a GCSAA member since 1978.

The award is presented to individuals who have made an outstanding, substantive and enduring contribution to the advancement of the golf course superintendent profession.

San Antonio, Texas, will play host to the 2015 Golf Industry Show, Feb. 21-26. The Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center is the primary location for GIS activities.

Industry loses two giants: Lamphier and Moote GCSAA and the golf course management industry lost a pair of industry legends recently — Frank Lamphier Jr. and David S. Moote.

Lamphier, a recipient of GCSAA’s Col. John Morley Distinguished Service Award in 2013, died Sept. 24 at the age of 80. The longtime superintendent at Aspetuck Valley Country Club in Bethel, Conn., Lamphier was widely credited with leading efforts to save — and resurrect — the GCSAA Golf Championships.

Those efforts began in 1968, when Lamphier accepted the task of saving the GCSAA golf tournament, which began in 1938. From 1952 to 1963, it was held intermittently.

From 1964 to 1967, there was no tournament. Beginning in 1968, Lamphier oversaw the tournament until 1988, long enough to make it important and viable again.

“You always knew where you stood with Frank,” says Michael Wallace, CGCS, who served as GCSAA president in 2002. “He was a great golfer, too. He will be missed.”

Moote, GCSAA president in 1964, died Oct. 5. He was 85. At the time of his GCSAA presidency, he was the youngest person to ever hold that offce at age 35. A native of Canada, Moote worked at several golf clubs north of the border, including Rosedale, where he experimented with different grasses in the nursery and shared what he learned with the industry.

“He always wanted the golf course to be the best it could be and on top of its game,” his son, Douglas Moote, tells GCM.

C-5 honors foursome Crop Science Society of America (CSSA) Division C-5 Turfgrass Science is recognizing four of its members this month.

James Beard, Ph.D., is receiving the 2014 CSSA Presidential Award, which is CSSA’s most exclusive award, “given to persons who have infuenced the science or practice of crop production so greatly that the impact of their efforts will be enduring on future science.” Beard is

24

GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14

the frst dedicated turfgrass scientist to receive the award.

In other honors, two members are being recognized

by CSSA as Fellows: Jim Murphy, Ph.D., and Bert McCarty, Ph.D. The CSSA Fellow is the “highest recognition bestowed by the Crop Science Society of America” and is based on professional achievements and meritorious service. Only up to 0.3 percent of the Society’s active and emeritus members may be elected Fellow.

McCarty also was chosen as the 2014 Fred V. Grau Turfgrass Science Award recipient. The Grau Award recognizes signifcant career contributions in turfgrass science, especially during the past 15 years.

Also, Steve Keeley, Ph.D., was selected to receive the 2014 Crop Science Teaching Award. The teaching award recognizes excellence in resident classroom instruction of crop science at the undergraduate and graduate level.

Award winners were recognized Nov. 3 during CSSA’s annual meeting in Long Beach, Calif.

Golf Industry Show: Next stop, San Antonio It is almost that time again. Are you ready?

The 2015 Golf Industry Show is scheduled for Feb. 21-26 in San Antonio, Texas. The Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center is the hub for activities. Member registration begins Nov. 4 and nonmember registration opens Nov. 18. Exhibitor registration starts in early December.

The Golf Industry Show starts with the GCSAA Golf Championships, presented in partnership with The Toro Co. The golf championships will be headquartered at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Club Resort & Spa. The tournament, Feb. 21-23, features four different events in the three-day period — the National Championship and Golf Classic, in addition to a four-ball event and shamble tournament. The courses playing host to the event and their GCSAA superintendents are: The Quarry (Bruce Burger, CGCS); the La Cantera Hill Country Resort (superintendent Jeffrey Kadlec); Cordillera Ranch (GCSAA Class A superintendent Mark Semm); and TPC San Antonio (Thomas Lively, CGCS, director of agronomy).

Also on Monday, the GCSAA Education Conference starts at 8 a.m. and runs through Thursday. It is the largest education event in the industry and covers all aspects of golf course management, including agronomics, environmental management, communications and business man-

agement. Eighty-four seminars are slated as well as a wide array of educational sessions and the popular education on the trade show foor, Answers on the Hour and Tech Tips on the Half.

The Opening Night Celebration is set for Tuesday, Feb. 24, at the Tower of the Americas, which is next to the convention center, while the Opening Session on Wednesday, Feb. 25, presented in partnership with Syngenta, will be hosted by GCSAA President Keith Ihms, CGCS. Also on Wednesday, the trade show begins its two-day run starting at 9 a.m. The 21st annual GCSAA Collegiate Turf Bowl Kick-Off Reception is on the agenda that day.

On Thursday, Feb. 26, the Golf Industry Show General Session featuring the USGA is scheduled. That evening, the Closing Celebration, presented in partnership with John Deere, opens with a reception at 5 p.m. and features keynote speaker David Feherty, the entertaining golf broadcaster who was the guest speaker at the 2012 Golf Industry Show in Las Vegas.

For additional information and to register, go to www.golfndustryshow.com.

Baltusrol earns National Historic Landmark status Only four golf facilities have been recognized for National Historic Landmark honors. Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfeld Township, N.J., is the latest.

It was announced in October that Baltusrol joined Pinehurst, Merion and Oakmont as National Historic Landmarks.

Past GCSAA president Mark Kuhns, CGCS, is director of grounds at Baltusrol, which has been the site of fve U.S. Opens, two Women’s U.S. Opens and one PGA Championship. Baltusrol will host the 2016 PGA Championship.

National Register and the National Historic Landmark designations provide various levels of protection from future outside development projects that could have a negative impact on the historic integrity of Baltusrol’s two Tillinghast courses and its clubhouse.

Florida association picks director Jennifer Bryan was promoted to executive director of the Florida Golf Course Superintendents Association (FGCSA). Bryan had served as the FGCSA association manager since October 2007 and was instrumental in

modernizing communications, website development, administrative effciencies, event planning, association longrange planning and promoting the Golf Best Management Practices Certifcation Program.

RETWEETS

Scot Dey @scotdey Experimenting w/ our @ASBtasktracker projector set up. #effcient #tasking going live in 2 weeks #workingoutthekinks

GCSAA @GCSAA Nancy Dickens is one the few females to become a CGCS. Read her interview about loving the superintendent profession. http://ow.ly/ CA2FB

Rick Brandenburg @DrTurfBug This past winter’s cold temps have brought high mole cricket populations, record fall armyworm outbreaks, and lots of fre ants.

BASF North America @BASFCorporation BASF raises $340,000 for Children’s Specialized Hospital at third annual golf tournament http://on.basf. com/1smEgyC

Trevor Broersma CGCS @TBturf @ TurfTank Oberon had a tough week as well! Snoring as I type!! pic.twitter. com/49CFlDoXdg

Dayton Country Club @DCCTurf Anyone else have to clean out their entire facility for a member party???

Noteworthy in the heartland Kansas State University professor of turfgrass science Jack Fry, Ph.D., got a handwritten note recently. The note’s author gives it extra signifcance.

K-State legendary football coach Bill Snyder.

Snyder learned that Fry’s golf course and sports turf operations class held its own version of the Ryder Cup in September at Colbert Hills Golf Course in Manhattan, Kan. Fry named it the snYDER Cup in honor of Snyder. The trophy for the winning team featured Snyder’s 16 goals for success that have become legendary in their own right among K-State students, alums and people beyond the K-State family.

“Bill Snyder is a living legend in this community and a class act,” says Fry, a K-State graduate. “He has a couple of highways named after him and the team plays in Bill Snyder Family Stadium. To have him recognize a small golf event among students shows the length he’ll go to make us all feel like part of the family.”

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GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14

Architects weigh in on pace of play The American Society of Golf Course Architects (ASGCA) has produced “Pace of Play: Checklist & Tips for Working with Your Course Architect.”

This one-page fier, created in cooperation with the United States Golf Association, illustrates the numerous ways ASGCA members assist in positively impacting pace of play at golf facilities through design. The fier identifes fve basic ingredients that contribute to getting play on courses to move faster and smoother: player abilities; course management, setup, maintenance and turf conditions; and course design.

The fier is available for free download from the publications section of the ASGCA website, www.asgca.org/ publications.

In the

NEWS

Opening for business in Utah A new golf course has opened in Utah. Canyons Golf held a ceremonial ribbon-cutting ceremony in October, the Salt Lake City Tribune reported, and the course opens to the public next spring. www.sltrib. com/sltrib/news/58477044-78/course-golf-resortbates.html.csp

The Maine objective Jared Hoyle, PhD @KSUTurf Setting up for Weed ID and Control Seminar this afternoon. Can you ID any of these weeds? #ksuturf

EPA grants Nemacur extension The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced in September that it has granted GCSAA’s request for the extension of the end-use date for fenamiphos (Nemacur/Bayer).

Golf course superintendents now have until Oct. 6, 2017, to use existing stocks of Nemacur, an organophosphate-class chemical, which is used to control root-knot, root-lesion, sting, lance and ring nematodes. The extension amounts to a three-year reprieve for turfgrass managers, who previously were staring down an Oct. 6, 2014, cutoff date.

Tweets

FMC Turf @FMCturf An inside look at the golf course maintenance operation at Belmont Country Club http://ow.ly/ CgoAM

Fry writes a column for GCM, “Through the green,” that is published every other month.

Golf courses in Maine are receiving high marks for their environmental stewardship, according to a story in the Portland Press Herald. GCSAA Class A superintendent Ed Michaud, whose practices include

using compost tea, is among those who are all-in on the matter. www.pressherald.com/2014/09/14/ maine-golf-courses-following-through-for-theenvironment/

Ross design reopens The Donald Ross-designed Municipal Golf Course in Wilmington, N.C., is back in business following a $1.5 million renovation, Time Warner Cable News reports. The facility has been around for 85 years. http://triadnc.twcnews.com/content/news/ coastal/712442/port-city-s-municipal-golf-coursereopens-after-its-frst-full-renovation/

By John Mascaro President of Turf-Tec International

(photo quiz)

Turfgrass area: Fairway

Location: Rockville Centre, N.Y.

Grass variety: Bentgrass/Poa annua mixture

(a) PROBLEM

Area void of Poa seedheads

Turfgrass area: Lake bank

Location: Oahu, Hawaii

Grass variety: SeaDwarf paspalum

(b) PROBLEM Trees on lake bank near edge of water

Presented in partnership with Jacobsen

Answers on page 92

28

GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14

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Teresa Carson tcarson@gcsaa.org twitter: @GCM_Magazine

(turf)

‘Dr. B’ Seeded bermudagrass has been produced in the United States for nearly a century, and Arden Baltensperger, Ph.D., the developer of some breakthrough bermudagrass varieties, has seen nearly all of those 100 years. At 91, the father of seeded bermudagrasses is still writing articles for publication (see this issue of GCM, Page 74) and remains involved in the industry.

Baltensperger’s greatest achievement has been the development of improved seeded bermudagrasses for use on home lawns, golf courses, parks and sports felds. Roch Gaussoin, Ph.D., Baltensperger’s former student and the current head of the agronomy department at the University of NebraskaLincoln, says that development of the seeded bermudagrass variety NuMex Sahara “also created opportunities for companies and academic institutions for bermudagrass improvement. I would use the children’s book ‘The Little Engine That Could’ as an analogy for Arden’s signifcant accomplishments with minimal resources.”

He has received numerous accolades and international recognition for his many years of work as a university professor and administrator, researcher and turfgrass breeder.

Baltensperger was president of the Agronomy Society of America and the Western Society of Crop Science and international president of the Honor Society of Agriculture, Gamma Sigma Delta. He was active in the Crop Science Society of America and received its prestigious Fred Grau Turfgrass Science Award.

In 2005, the Turfgrass Breeders Association honored him with the Breeders Cup Award,

Presented in Partnership with Barenbrug

30

GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14

Arden Baltensperger, Ph.D., observes an irrigation/salinity experiment that includes Princess-77 bermudagrass at New Mexico State University. Photo by Bernd Leinauer and he received the frst annual Arden Baltensperger Lifetime Achievement Award from the Southwest Turfgrass Association for the development of Princess-77, the frst hybrid seeded bermudagrass.

Given the years he has devoted to the study and breeding of bermudagrass and all the recognition he has received for that work, it would appear that Dr. B, as his students affectionately called him, must have isolated himself in the laboratory with occasional forays into the feld.

Fortunately, for the future of seeded bermudagrass, Baltensperger was generous with his time and his knowledge, forging close relationships with many of his students and colleagues.

Clearly, with such a long career — he retired from New Mexico State University in 1988 and from Pennington Seed/Seeds West in 2010 — he has touched the lives of many people.

Among those is Steve Cockerham, Ph.D., director emeritus of agricultural operations at the University of California, Riverside, who frst met Baltensperger in 1965 when Cockerham was a new student in the department of agronomy at New Mexico State and Baltensperger was department head. Even though Cockerham was working with another professor and department heads are not usually involved in grad student projects, Dr. B provided moral support and helped Cockerham get funding from GCSAA. Their relationship has continued through the years and, Cockerham says, “By the 1980s he and I were regarding each other as colleagues, though, in my mind, he is still my professor.”

Bernd Leinauer, Ph.D., Extension turfgrass specialist and professor at New Mexico State, frst met Baltensperger when Leinauer started working at New Mexico State nearly 15 years ago: “He frst was my mentor and showed me everything I needed to know about growing and maintaining bermudagrass.” The two quickly became friends and still get together whenever they can.

Gaussoin also credits Dr. B for guiding him. “Professionally, Arden has had and continues to have a huge infuence on who I am. He opened doors for me that I would not have been capable of or qualifed for without his mentoring, guidance and tolerance. … Personally, he exemplifed and attempted to guide all of his students to be better people above and beyond their chosen career path.”

Through the years Baltensperger has retained his sense of humor and a humble demeanor. New Mexico State removed Princess-77 from the university’s football feld and replaced it with artifcial turf just in time for this year’s football season. After a recent awards ceremony this fall, Baltensperger approached his old friend, university president Gary Carruthers, and told him he thought the new feld “looked OK.” As Baltensperger puts it, “There are times when one must rise above principle.”

Teresa Carson is GCM’s science editor.

Scott R. Nesbitt ORPguy@windstream.net

(shop)

Taking the heat out of chain grinding Grinding metal is primitive. Like a pagan ritual, something must be burned; something must be sacrifced.

Grinding lawn mower blades is bad enough.

Greens mower grinding gives people the willies. Grinding on tiny little hardened steel chainsaw teeth can give some folks the blithering shudders.

Fear not. The solution lies in sacrifce — of wax.

Visit any metalworking factory and you’ll see streams of liquid pouring onto each cutting and grinding operation. You’ll see steam coming off the point where steel meets stone (or saw teeth or tap or lathe bit). The liquid is usually water-soluble oil and water. The water absorbs heat at the point of friction. The oil lubricates the site. The liquid is captured and recycled — too messy to duplicate in most golf course service shops.

Old-time machinists used a different system — “an extreme pressure lubricant (that) prevents the buildup of frictional heat. It improves overall tool life and productivity when sawing, drilling, milling, grinding, threading and tapping.” That’s how Lenox describes its Stick Lubricant. Other makers say similar things.

That magic lubricant is a wax “lube stick” that looks like a crayon. Tap the grinding wheel with a lube stick, grind a tooth, repeat and repeat until the chain is all nice and sharp. The oily wax lubricates the steel-wheel interface, absorbs heat and melts, then evaporates.

The wax helps keep the grinding wheel pores from loading up with steel fakes, reducing the need to re-dress the wheel.

While not as cool and slick as a stream of oily water, the wax fts what Grandpa Mike always said: “Something is better than nothing.”

32

GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14

Left: Stick wax intended for grinders can be aligned with the notch in the shield, then allowed to ride the wheel for a short distance, applying a light application of the lubricant. Right: A wheel treated with lubricating wax throws off a modest number of sparks (top), compared to the torrent of sparks from an undressed grinding wheel. Photos by Scott Nesbitt

But there’s prep work before grinding. A saw chain should always be cleaned of sap, pitch and pine tar. These sticky substances insulate the steel, trapping heat and slowing the wood cutting. I’ve had good luck soaking chains overnight with liquid Goo Gone solvent and with brushing on various brands and variations of thick gel hand cleaners. Do not use products with pumice or other grit, however.

After a good soak, rinse with running hot water, shake off the excess, then run the chain against a soft wire wheel. The chain is easier to inspect. Hold the chain with the drive links parallel to the ground. A deep droop

means there’s excess wear in the links and rivets — scrap it, or scrap it after using it to cut dirty tree stumps. If the chain is good, inspect for cracks, loose rivets, broken teeth or drivers and other repairable defects.

Now with chain on the grinder and lube stick in hand, proceed to sharpen and drop the depth guides.

Next month, I’ll explain the mechanics of how sharp chain cuts quickly.

Scott R. Nesbitt is a freelance writer and former GCSAA staff member. He lives in Cleveland, Ga.

Getting a lube stick ain’t easy While the mountains of northeast Georgia have industrial operations, from chicken processing to making zippers and tractors, it wasn’t easy fnding wax stick lube. The cost isn’t high — 12- to 14-ounce tubes run $10 to $15 and last forever — but no one in the area stocks it.

I got my FMT brand Stick Wax tube by special order from the local Fastenal industrial supply. I got Granberg G-440 Kool-Grind from an eBay vendor; it’s the only stick wax I found that specifcally says it’s for chain grinding.

Use your favorite Internet search engine to hunt for “wax stick lube images” and “grinding lubricant images.” You’ll come up with several product names. Search the Web, or your local stores, for those products, and you’ll fnd someone willing to supply you.

The FMT stick wax worked OK on the grinder, but its softness makes it especially useful for coating drill bits and saw blades. It eases cutting and drilling aluminum, brass and copper, which tend to be sticky. It also eases wood cutting, especially ripping with hand or table saws.

We used wax sticks in high school shop class, but it took almost 50 years to remember how well it works. Once you have some, try it with all your metalworking. I think you’ll like it.

— S.R.N.

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Michael Upchurch

(advocacy)

Raise your voice I decided to become a GCSAA Grassroots Ambassador after reading the proposed rule for “Waters of the U.S.” (WOTUS) that would allow the U.S. EPA and the Army Corps of Engineers to expand their authority to practically all bodies of water in America. I thought about the positives and negatives of this action and long-term impact it would have on the golf business. As superintendents all know, managing water sources is already a diffcult job; the new WOTUS rules had the potential to further complicate projects involving the lakes or ponds — even the ditches — on our golf courses.

As a member of GCSAA, I have always believed that I should do my part to support the association by volunteering to serve where I can and, as my job permits, helping to make things better for everyone. I have been fortunate to serve on several GCSAA committees, and when the email went out looking for GCSAA Grassroots Ambassadors, I spoke with my general manager, and we agreed that I should participate.

I was even more excited about this opportunity after attending the frst ambassador training event and learning that I would have a chance to work hand-in-hand with a member of the U.S. Congress, but determining which one that would be wasn’t so easy. My GCSAA feld staff representative, Brian Cloud, laughed

34

GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14

Michael Upchurch (left), a recruit in GCSAA’s Grassroots Ambassador program, and Ron Wright (right), GCSAA’s feld staff representative for the Southeast Region, meet U.S. Rep. John Fleming of Louisiana to discuss legislative and regulatory issues affecting golf course management. Photo courtesy of Michael Upchurch

when I described my situation: My home is in Fort Worth, Texas, where my wife and I own a home. For my job, I live in Marshall, Texas, but work in Benton, La. If you can get into a situation with more shades of gray, I don’t know how. However, the ambassador relationship is based on facility location, so I was paired with U.S. Rep. John Fleming of Louisiana.

In my role as a GCSAA Grassroots Ambassador, I had the opportunity to work with Ron Wright, GCSAA’s feld staff representative for the Southeast Region, to arrange details for a meeting with Fleming during the August recess. Fleming, who was a physician prior to going to Congress, serves on several congressional committees, including the House Natural Resources Committee. He has knowledge of the golf business and knows that water issues are important to golf course superintendents.

Our meeting took place at Strawn’s, an iconic Shreveport restaurant, for what was to have been a 30-minute meeting on the WOTUS proposal. I must admit, I was a bit nervous and intimidated by the thought of emailing and then meeting with a member of Congress. How often does the average guy do this? My frst email to Fleming was answered the next day, and the ball was rolling.

It couldn’t have been easier to arrange, and

the meeting was very casual and enjoyable. It lasted over an hour. Fleming listened to us and gave us valuable information on how bills move through Congress and the fow of regulation.

The meeting with Fleming brought to light the reasons why we all should consider becoming GCSAA Grassroots Ambassadors. The best way we can move forward within the legislative and regulatory realm is by explaining to legislators what we do as golf course superintendents and how it affects the environment.

The GCSAA Grassroots Ambassador program will allow us to have Congress on our side when issues arise that will affect our industry, which will make us a stronger association in the future.

A lot of people think their voice doesn’t count today, that they can’t make a difference so why bother? Congress isn’t going to know what bills are supported or unsupported by our industry unless people call, email or write to them. With 19,000 members, GCSAA could send a strong message about legislation and regulations that affect our businesses.

Michael Upchurch is the GCSAA Class A superintendent at Palmetto Country Club in Benton, La., and a 16-year member of the association.

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(environment)

OSHA: Chemical exposure standards ‘out of date’ For the next six months, OSHA will accept comments on the best ways to protect workers from illnesses caused by exposure to hazardous substances.

36

GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14

Chemical exposure standards set by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) are “dangerously out of date and do not protect workers,” according to OSHA’s assistant secretary of labor, Dr. David Michaels.

For the next six months, OSHA will accept comments on the best ways to protect workers from illnesses caused by exposure to hazardous substances. The agency is asking stakeholders, including businesses, for specifc suggestions on how to streamline risk assessment and develop alternatives to updating permissible exposure limits (PELs) for chemicals.

Thousands of chemicals are used in workplaces, but OSHA has PELs for fewer than 500.

“We’re struggling to keep pace with the potential hazards,” Michaels told a group of reporters in early October, adding that manufacturing frms currently have their own standards that on paper are stronger than the government’s.

Michaels added that the majority of the agency’s PELs were adopted more than 40 years ago, and that new scientifc data, industrial experience and developments in technology indicate that, in many instances, these mandatory limits are not suffciently protective.

Efforts in recent years to update the limits, Michaels stated, have been “largely unsuccessful.”

According to news reports, Michaels said that a major problem was the vast amount of scientifc and economic research needed to change the limits. The regulation of a single chemical could require hundreds or even thousands of pages of documentation and years of

work by staff, he said. So the agency is looking for new ways to streamline the process.

“We can’t go chemical by chemical, because it would take centuries to address all the chemicals that are out there,” Michaels told reporters.

One approach OSHA is interested in looking at is “control banding” — basically treating chemicals with similar qualities the same — instead of developing PELs for every single chemical, said one news account.

A year ago, OSHA launched two new Web resources that aimed to safeguard workers from exposure to hazardous chemicals in response to its own out-of-date standards. OSHA created a toolkit, called Transitioning to Safer Chemicals, to identify safer chemicals that can be used in place of more hazardous ones. This toolkit can be found at www.osha.gov/dsg/ safer_chemicals/index.html.

OSHA also developed the Annotated Permissible Exposure Limits, or annotated PEL tables to enable employers to voluntarily adopt newer, more protective workplace exposure limits. The annotated PEL tables can be found at www.osha.gov/dsg/;annotated-pels/ index.html.

Public comments may be made at www.federalregister.gov/articles/2014/10/10/ 2014-24009/chemical-management-andpermissible-exposure-limits.

Information for this column was gathered from various news sources, including Environmental Leader (www.environmentalleader.com) and The Business Journals (www.bizjournals.com).

(Career) Carol D. Rau, PHR careeradvantage@sunfower.com

Get to the next level

Moving from assistant to superintendent inherently means you are not just focused on your department anymore; rather, you will be part of the overall leadership team accountable for the facility’s success.

38

GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14

Are you ready to take the next step in your career? What are you doing this year, this week and even today to be prepared? Your answers are a strong predictor of your career success and ability to attain your career goals. I have several suggestions for how to become equipped now so you can seize upcoming career opportunities. These suggestions cover various roles and specifc strategies to help you reach your destination in the golf and turf industries.

Identify your gaps. First, refect upon the differences between your current job and the next level you are working toward. Simply, what is the gap? What additional responsibilities, qualities and skills are required to successfully perform at that level? Conduct some baseline research, read job postings, become aware of your current company structure and team accountabilities. If you want to be prepared for the next step, you must intentionally gain skills in the gap areas to be prepared and get to the next level.

Student to assistant superintendent. Roles such as intern and seasonal staff are important in preparing for your professional career. The differentiating factor in making the jump to assistant superintendent is that now you will be part of the management team. You will be a representative of the facility when interacting with customers and community members.

This is a completely different mindset than being a seasonal employee and requires professionalism and taking your career seriously.

You will play a supportive role for the superintendent in areas of department fnancial operations, equipment purchasing/leasing, safety practices, staff hiring, training and supervision, and ensuring customer satisfaction.

Anything you can do to learn more in these areas and be able to articulate and demonstrate these skills will help to show you are ready to be a trusted member of the management team.

Assistant superintendent to superintendent.

We feld questions about this career step more than any other. It can take several years of preparation and experience to achieve this goal. Therefore, take full advantage of each and every opportunity to bridge the gap. Moving from assistant to superintendent inherently means you are not just focused on your department anymore; rather, you will be part of the overall leadership team accountable for

the facility’s success. Choose to view and articulate your work as part of the bigger picture.

Anything you can do to positively impact the overall facility bottom-line and focus on the customer experience can help demonstrate you are ready to be trusted in the new role.

Two additional areas where assistants often express lack of experience include fnancial operations and interfacing on a professional level with customers in a setting such as committee meetings. Ask your manager to help you learn more in these areas so you will have examples to reference when you conduct your job search.

More important, the experience will help you successfully perform your new job.

Sales. We have worked with many superintendents who are seeking to shift into a sales role within the turf industry. To prepare for this type of career move, focus on your ability to build and maintain relationships with industry partners, vendors and colleagues. You already have the background and frsthand knowledge of a wide range of products, equipment and best practices in the industry that you can leverage in a sales role.

Facility leaders ip. We have also helped superintendents move into leadership roles such as general managers of private golf clubs and resorts. I recently served on a committee to hire a general manager. The superintendent candidates who demonstrated experience in management areas outside of maintenance were the ones who received an interview and serious consideration. Make every effort to learn more about banquet and dining management, membership services and programming, marketing, and understanding the priorities of owners/ boards of directors.

Regardless of your current role and career phase, choose to take action this year, this month, even today so you will get to the next level!

Carol D. Rau, PHR, is a career consultant with GCSAA and is the owner of Career Advantage, a career consulting frm in Lawrence, Kan., specializing in golf and turf industry careers. GCSAA members receive complimentary résumé critiques by Rau and her team, résumé, cover letter, and LinkedIn creation for a reduced member rate, along with interview preparation and portfolio consultation.

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DEFENDING turf

Penn State University associate professor of turfgrass science John Kaminski, Ph.D., engages the Turf Club in an auditorium setting.

Photos by William Ames/www.amesphotos.com

For a variety of reasons, many turfgrass schools nationwide have witnessed dwindling numbers. Their quest to fll classrooms and keep programs afoat is an ongoing process.

Howard Richman

In the shadows of Beaver Stadium, Penn State turfgrass students Austin Marsteller and Alex Bonini (standing, left to right), Kyle Patterson (left, kneeling), Edward Harbaugh (right, kneeling) and Maxwell Tomazin (bending) evaluate turf.

Forty turfgrass schools responded to a GCM survey that produced the data presented throughout this story.

More results can be seen on Pages 20 and 22. For complete results, visit GCM’s blog at http://gcm. typepad.com

44

On this mid-September morning in Pennsylvania, college students such as Alex Bonini fle into a classroom.

Some of them wear khakis. Others are dressed in shorts. Ball caps are OK but food and drink, with the exception of water, is prohibited. It is pretty obvious that iPads, laptops and spiral notebooks are welcomed. There is no required textbook either.

Enter Jeff Borger, senior instructor in turfgrass weed management at Penn State University. He wastes little time getting to the point.

“It’s your class. Anything you want to talk about today? What are you having problems with?” he asks the 11 students who have come to participate. This is a no-need-to-raise-your-hand zone; speak up when you feel a need to talk.

That type of setting is just fne with Bonini, a senior from Johnstown, Pa. “I like our class because it is tightknit. I don’t feel like I am just a number in a big auditorium,” he says.

The numbers, though, simply aren’t adding up to what they used to be for many turfgrass schools.

GCM spoke with several turfgrass schools in the U.S. to learn about the state of their programs and determine whether their classrooms are growing or shrinking. And, just as importantly, why. A survey of turfgrass schools was also conducted. Forty responses to the survey concluded that 70 percent of them have encountered lower enrollments in their turf programs compared to 10 years ago.

Reasons for lower numbers in turfgrass programs range from the economy to tougher college entrance requirements. Due to liability issues, some golf courses cannot hire teens younger than 18 any-

GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14

more, meaning they are not gaining that experience that could lead to choosing golf course management as a profession. Low pay for assistant jobs is another factor, some indicated. And, perhaps most disturbing, potential students are being discouraged from pursuing the title of golf course superintendent or at the very least think hard about it.

“Not all of them (superintendents) are recommending this as a profession,” says Andy McNitt, Ph.D., head of the four-year program at Penn State.

McNitt is not the lone wolf; others echo his thoughts. In terms of turfgrass school numbers diminishing, in many instances, the responses strike a similar chord.

“Numbers have been dropping over the last couple of years,” says Bruce Clarke, Ph.D., specialist in turfgrass pathology at Rutgers.

Nick Christians, Ph.D., horticulture professor at

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At Oregon State University, more than 300 graduates of the turfgrass management program are currently employed as superintendents or in the golf course management industry. Photo courtesy of Alec Kowalewski

Class act Luke Maddox has taken his passion for turfgrass to extremes.

A student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Maddox launched his own business as a teenager.

He used money he had saved to buy a 36-inch commercial mower with a Kawasaki engine from a guy named Dave Schwietz, who was headed off to college.

Maddox learned that mowing could be proftable.

“I probably made $20,000 doing it by the time I went off to college,” Maddox, 23, says.

By that time, turfgrass was in his blood, maybe in part because his father, GCSAA Class A superintendent Dan Maddox, is in charge at Oak Hills Country Club in Omaha. Luke Maddox certainly has shown a drive and passion to make his father proud.

“He has a vision, kept that in front of him and has done everything he can to improve,” says Anne Streich, associate professor of agronomy practice and horticulture at Nebraska-Lincoln.

Nebraska-Lincoln requires students to complete two internships in order to graduate. Maddox? He has done four of them (Wilmington, Del., Country Club; TruGreen in Omaha; Sand Hills Golf Club in Mullen, Neb.; and Shadow Creek Golf Club in Las Vegas).

“Go out and do them. Spread your wings,” Maddox says after being asked what advice he would give other students. “The biggest thing for me is learning different management styles. I think I fgured out what type of manager I’d want to be — a balance between being hands-on and delegating well.”

Oh, and did we mention that Maddox has dual majors? He hopes to graduate next month with degrees in business fnance and turfgrass landscape and management. He has plans for the post-college world.

“I do see myself as a superintendent,” Maddox says, “but being a general manager might be more rewarding for me.”

— H.R.

46

GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14

Iowa State, says: “We’re down.”

How much, exactly, is down?

“We peaked at about 143 (students) in the early 2000s. We are down to 40 or so. That’s a huge drop,” he says.

Purdue’s program has about 43 students, according to Cale A. Bigelow, Ph.D. Twelve years ago, that number was 85. Oregon State’s enrollment is down to approximately 15 students from a peak of 35, says assistant professor Alec Kowalewski. At Texas A&M, turfgrass science students make up about 40 of the department’s 135 students; that’s half of what it was little more than a decade ago.

Even two-year schools are feeling the crunch.

“We have 45 to 50,” says Troy McQuillen, assistant professor in golf course and turfgrass management at Kirkwood Community College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. “In the heydays, we had 65 to 70. I think those days are gone.”

Some of the most historic turfgrass schools have seen their programs decrease in size.

“We have about 30 in the two-year program. At one point, we had about 70 or 80,” says Kevin Frank, Ph.D., associate professor at Michigan State. “The numbers are certainly not where they used to be.”

North Carolina State can commiserate. Its twoand four-year programs had as many as 197 students 15 years ago, according to Fred Yelverton, Ph.D., professor of crop science. Now? About 73.

“If you want to go back to the 1990s and early 2000s when the industry was booming, I think it was perceived in the industry that we had too many students,” Yelverton says.

That includes Florida Gateway College, previously known as Lake City Community College. It announced earlier this year that the college will no longer offer an associate’s degree in golf course operations.

“We used to have a one-year waiting list. We were known nationally and internationally,” says John Piersol, executive director of industrial and agricultural programs at Florida Gateway College.

“But that doesn’t mean it lasts forever. Things can change.”

It is not totally bleak in terms of turfgrass student numbers. There are cases of increases. Also, graduate student numbers seem to be strong at several schools.

At Ohio State, professor Karl Danneberger, Ph.D., reports that approximately 40 students in the four-year program is a slight increase from the previous school year. Mississippi State is experiencing its frst increase in students in a while. SUNY-Cobleskill’s incoming freshman class of 20 nearly doubles the total from 2013-14. New Mexico State has about 11 students in its program. Four years ago, that number totaled only four.

“Four years ago, I was nervous. That’s for sure,” says New Mexico State assistant professor Ryan

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How have enrollment numbers in your turf program changed over the past 10 years?

e

20% 10

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Say students obtain internships through formal school placement programs

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38%

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Factors contributing to decreasing enrollment

m

70%

Sa

• Fewer rural students • Recruiting staff cuts • Traditional ag majors gaining ground • Lower entry-level salaries • Increased tuition • Higher admissions standards • Fewer superintendent job opportunities

Goss, Ph.D. Penn State, meanwhile, possesses as rich a turfgrass history as any institution’s, and there is evidence to support it. Penn State proudly states that it was frst to employ a turfgass extension specialist in 1934. First to graduate a Ph.D. turfgrass scientist in 1950. First to offer a two-year technical program specifcally for golf course superintendents in 1957.

First to offer an undergraduate major in turfgrass science in 1992. It also launched an online program in 1998, becoming a trailblazer in that concept, which has grown by major proportions throughout the academic world.

Yet even Penn State has witnessed some decline.

The two-year resident certifcate program has 42 students, down four compared to 10 years ago. The four-year bachelor’s program has 110 students, a decrease of 40 students in that same time span. The online program, however, has 340 students, an increase of 300.

Still, the majority of turfgrass instructors and professors from Penn State to Walla Walla Community College admit that opportunities are available for their graduates. “The golf industry is not doing as well as it used to, but there is a high demand for entry-level positions,” says Doug Linde, Ph.D., turf professor at Delaware Valley College.

That is a positive sign for those whose hearts are set on becoming superintendents. The key, though, is how many of them actually want to give their hearts to it?

“Our jobs, and student demand, are related to the health of golf courses,” says Penn State turfgrass

GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14

professor Peter Landschoot, Ph.D. “We’re viable.

Will we be always? What’s always?”

Say what?

The son of 20-year GCSAA member Ike Hurning apparently wants to follow in his father’s footsteps. There are those in his profession, superintendents just like him, who might tell the young man to think twice about it.

“Actually, I’ve heard that a bunch in the last year,” says Hurning, who is the GCSAA Class A superintendent at Springbrook Country Club in DeWitt, Iowa. “I hate to say it, but I’m used to hearing it. I was talking with a superintendent last night.

He said, ‘Why the heck are you encouraging him (Hurning’s son, James, a college student at Kirkwood Community College) to get into this industry?’ The simple answer is you’ve got to love this profession. I think he (James) does. I do. I would encourage anyone who really is interested to pursue it.”

Those hopefuls certainly do exist. Penn State senior Chris Marra falls into that category. He simply has one request.

“The biggest thing isn’t pay. If it is lower-paying but they are teaching me and guiding me, I’ll take it over a higher-paying job where I’m really not learning anything,” Marra says.

Yet one reason that could discourage a superintendent wannabe from entering the profession might be all about dollars and cents.

“We had a recent graduate who was a superintendent at a small, single-owner course. He left to double his salary by shoveling sand in the Marcellus

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85%

Former Delaware Valley College students Frank Perrone and Alyson Painter volunteered at a USGA event to learn more about the turfgrass industry.

Photo courtesy of Doug Linde, Ph.D.

Say reputation is their school’s most effective recruiting tool

Gone but not forgotten David Dore-Smith is a proud graduate of Edison State College in Fort Myers, Fla. When he drives past the school today, however, sadness overcomes him.

“We had a three-hole pitch-and-putt that we verticut and aerated,” Dore-Smith says. “A month ago I was driving by there along College Parkway. They ended up turning it into a parking lot.”

This year marks the fve-year anniversary of Edison State College’s decision to scrap its golf course operations program as a cost-saving measure. At the time, though, the program was solid.

“We had 125 students in our program in 2009,” says Lee Berndt, Ph.D., who oversaw the program. “I think we were growing at about 5 percent a year. It was dynamic.”

Edison State, named in honor of pioneer Thomas Edison who spent several winters in Fort Myers, offcially changed its name in July to Florida SouthWestern State College. Dore-Smith, director of golf course and grounds maintenance at Copperleaf Golf Club in Bonita Springs, Fla., came to America from Australia and found his niche at Edison State.

“If there was no school there, I would not be where I am today,” says Dore-Smith, a 15-year member of GCSAA. Berndt wonders what might have been — or what could be — if his program had continued.

“If we still had it, I know it would be fourishing,” says Berndt, who teaches a turfgrass operations class at Florida Gulf Coast. “We did everything in the evening when people got off work. We got people placed in jobs. GCSAA supported us big time. We were pretty healthy before it got taken away.”

— H.R.

50

GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14

Shale industry in Pennsylvania,” says Penn State’s John Kaminski, Ph.D., who oversees the two-year golf course turfgrass management program. “It (superintendent) is a hard job. You have to love it. The goal is to fnd where a student best fts and send them in the direction that will be their best chance to keep them in the industry. That being said, we’ll have people fve years from now who won’t be in the industry.”

Another reason may be what some consider the stagnant scenario. “There is a perception that an assistant could be an assistant for a very long time, so the investment is in question,” says Brian Horgan, Ph.D., associate professor of turfgrass management at the University of Minnesota. “The last thing we want to do is not be able to get employed.”

The economy, which tanked about six years ago, serves as a key point for skepticism. “Golf courses that closed or went bankrupt killed us,” Christians says. “Word gets around. Guys have lost their jobs.”

Some simply discover the profession is not meant for them.

“I had an intern come in a couple days after he started and told me he didn’t like waking up early in the morning,” says Matthew Gourlay, CGCS, director of golf course operations at Colbert Hills Golf Course in Manhattan, Kan. “That doesn’t bother me. You should fnd out what makes you happy.”

A trend to keep a watchful eye on: Multiple turfgrass schools say that they have seen a shift toward students becoming interested in sports turf instead of golf course management.

It may not be more apparent than in golf courserich Myrtle Beach, S.C., near where Horry Georgetown is located. That two-year school has graduates working on golf courses in 38 states and four foreign countries, but their program’s numbers have remained steady despite changes in the area that may affect students who consider becoming golf course superintendents. No wonder the school is working to develop a strong sports turf program.

“Myrtle Beach has more golf courses than grains of sand on the beach,” says Horry Georgetown professor Ashley Wilkinson. “It has been centralized for golfers, but that has diminished. Myrtle Beach just fnished a $25 million project for sports felds that were rented even before they were fnished. Instead of seeing cars full of golfers, you’ve got a van with 10 to 15 kids in it with their parents.”

Although many turfgrass professors noted that their student numbers might be fewer, their students often are as impressive as ever.

“Turf students are just good kids,” Danneberger says. “They work hard, know what they want to do.

We may not have as many, but the quality is great.”

Arkansas professor Mike Richardson, Ph.D., adds: “Students we have now are as good as any we’ve had. They are coming out ready to hit the ground running.”

92%

Say golf course management attracts the most incoming students to their school/program

Securing a new crop Football teams at Big Ten Conference universities such as Ohio State feature recruiting budgets well into six fgures.

Now, more than ever, several turfgrass programs sure could use recruiting budgets to overcome the lean stretch that has greatly affected them in recent years. Instead of having a budget earmarked for recruiting, turfgrass programs mostly fend for themselves.

Asked to compare his recruiting budget to Ohio State football coach Urban Meyer’s, Ohio State turfgrass professor Karl Danneberger chuckled. Obviously, that was a signal that there really is no comparison.

“But, like Urban, we try to give them scholarships, whether through legacy funding, academic scholarships, things like that,” Danneberger says. “And, like Urban, I like to talk to kids when I can, get in front of them. Everybody likes the personal touch.”

Without recruiting budgets, turfgrass universities have to get creative to attract students.

SUNY-Cobleskill just christened a new building (pictured above) called The Center for Agriculture and Natural Resources. “The old digs were pretty sad. It looked like an old Pizza Hut,” says Alex Ellram, Ph.D., a professor at the school. “I think our incoming class (20 students) is partly an indication of the new building. You’ve got to impress the parents and the students.”

Cal Poly Pomona lecturer Kelly Parkins says a strong relationship with nearby Mt. San Antonio College is, in a way, a recruiting tool. The community college serves as a feeder program for Cal Poly Pomona.

Yet the best recruiting sources, according to Andy McNitt, Ph.D., program coordinator of the turfgrass science major at Penn State, are those who know Penn State the best.

“We think our best recruiters are our alumni,” McNitt says. “We’re so old. … we have a lot of alums out there. We don’t recruit against other schools. This is a long blue line, a huge network. If you tap into that network, there are good job prospects.”

— H.R.

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GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14

GCSAA Class A superintendent Chad Taylor at Cherokee Valley Golf Club in Travelers Rest, S.C., remembers when he attended Horry Georgetown, graduating in 1992, at a time they were building golf courses left and right. He says he isn’t stunned to hear that some superintendents would tell a younger generation to steer clear from his profession.

“I accept that it’s a tough feld,” says Taylor, a 25-year member of GCSAA. “If anybody shows an interest, I will encourage them. I understand that a lot of superintendents are staying home (in their current place of employment) because it’s not easy to get another job. I do this job because I love doing it. To me, it’s a challenge. For others, it might be a headache. Maybe they prefer their job be the same every day. Mine isn’t. I like that. I’m lucky.”

Pat Vittum, Ph.D., at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, just wishes that turfgrass schools and superintendents all got on the same page.

“I have heard superintendents say, ‘Pat, I really wrestle with telling anybody about getting into this industry. It’s not as fun as it used to be 15 years ago.’

It worries me to hear that. We peg that as a concern,” Vittum says. “It needs to be a team sport.”

Kathryn Lorenzen, senior recruiter and career coach for LandaJob Marketing & Creative Talent of Kansas City, Mo., says it is not unusual for a professional, whether it is a golf course superintendent or a lawyer, to discourage someone from entering a particular feld of work.

“It does happen in a lot of industries. One of them is journalism, which is among the most rapidly declining industries in the U.S.,” Lorenzen says.

“In manufacturing, it has gradually been happening over the last 25 years. There are two reasons why a professional would discourage a student. One, if the overall industry is fat or declining. Or if there is an overpopulation of professionals in that category.”

What kind of advice would she give, say, a student who wants to become a golf course superintendent?

“Probably the same advice I would give if they were in graphic design or a business specialty,” she says. “If you really love that work, you should go for it.”

There will be others who do follow the path superintendents such as Hurning and Taylor journeyed. One of them is well on his way.

David Vastola began college as a pharmacy student at the University of Buffalo. He decided working indoors for the rest of his life was not for him so he transferred to SUNY-Cobleskill. Although he had never worked on a golf course at that point, Vastola has proved that it’s never too late. He earned his turfgrass degree and now works as an assistant

50

Offer an online turf studies program for students

A casualty of decline?

Nobody has won more GCSAA Collegiate Turf Bowls than Iowa State University.

Iowa State’s 11 titles are unmatched. The university frst won in 1999 and three times since posted three-peats (2002 to 2004; 2006 to 2008; and 2010 to 2012).

The magic, however, has faded. Iowa State fnished ffth in 2013. This year, Iowa State placed sixth (Maryland won the championship).

Not bad. Not, though, what they have come to expect at Iowa State.

The drop-off may have a correlation to a decrease in numbers in the turfgrass program, Iowa State professor Nick Christians, Ph.D., says.

“We used to take three or four teams to the Turf Bowl. Now coming up with one is diffcult,” Christians says. “When we won, we also had teams that fnished in 60th place. That 60th-place team gained the experience they needed to be No. 1 in future years. We are missing that. Part of that is a large increase in tuition that has resulted in more students going to community colleges frst. That experience is an important part of winning.”

Notching Turf Bowl titles proved to be benefcial for the turfgrass program. “It was a huge beneft for resources. When you needed equipment, they’d (university) fnd a way to get it to you, whether it was for a research station or lab equipment. It was much easier to obtain things,” Christians says.

Can Iowa State regain its elite status in the Turf Bowl? Christians is hopeful. He also is keeping his fngers crossed that Iowa State brings two or three teams to the Turf Bowl in February at the Golf Industry Show in San Antonio.

“I give them a good chance,” he says. “We have some good people and they are starting early.”

— H.R.

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GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14

superintendent at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Fla. “I wish I hadn’t wasted two years of college somewhere else,” Vastola says. “If I hadn’t, I’d be so much more advanced now. This job is so much about experience, knowing how to handle things the second time around. I can only imagine where I’d be right now if I had gone into this much sooner.”

Vastola may be on to something.

“People don’t think of turfgrass management as a career they think about when they are mowing the lawn for Dad,” Kowalewski says. “No one at the high school level may be telling them that turf management can be a good career for them.”

There actually was a time, former SUNY-Cobleskill professor Bob Emmons says, when his students wanted nothing more than to be a superintendent.

“They loved the whole concept of the golf course — getting up early, then at the end of the day being able to look back on what they did,” Emmons says.

“They’d have rather done that than been a rock star.”

On solid ground?

At North Carolina State, the average incoming freshman grade-point average (GPA) is 4.4 on a 4-point scale. Obviously, those are some excellent students. So how could that possibly infuence the school’s turfgrass program?

“To get that GPA, you’ve got to take AP (Advanced Placement) classes, honors courses,” Yelverton says. “A lot of turf students come from rural areas where they may not be able to take those types of classes. It has made it more and more competitive to get in. If you want to come to a four-year college and be a turfgrass major, you better be a darn good student or come in as a transfer student. We have been hurt by students not getting into our four-year program.”

When fewer turfgrass students enroll at North Carolina State and other colleges, that creates an issue for golf courses.

“We had more inquiries this year from golf courses and landscape companies dying for people to fll voids,” Bigelow says. “We don’t have them — and I don’t know what to do about it.”

Yelverton has heard that one before.

“I had a superintendent at a prominent course in the U.S. say he got four applications for an assistant’s job. He told me that 10 years ago he would have had 90. He doesn’t tend to exaggerate,” Yelverton says.

Schools are doing almost all they can to attract turfgrass students and fnd ways for them to be ingrained in the profession.

New Mexico State has been contracted by the city of Gallup to oversee the maintenance of its municipal golf course. In the past two years, Minnesota has added staff, including an extension educator and research pathologist. Clemson revamped its curriculum to ensure all the bases are covered, particularly prerequisites, for both turfgrass and agriculture students. Texas A&M is in the process of developing

89%

Offer a bachelor’s degree in their turf program

A class at Florida Gateway College, which stopped offering an associate’s degree in golf course operations. It still has a certifcate program in horticulture for the golf and landscape industries. Photo courtesy of John Piersol

56

a new feld laboratory. Horry Georgetown annually sends a handful of its students to help with overseeding at Augusta National Golf Club, home of the Masters.

Several schools, including Michigan State, North Carolina State, Virginia Tech and Oklahoma State, are studying whether to offer online turfgrass-related courses to boost interest. Walla Walla professor Gwen Stahnke took a sabbatical when she still worked at Washington State University to study Penn State’s online program to determine if it was a good idea for Washington State (the university adopted it).

Perhaps the best way to attract more young people into the industry is the old-fashioned way.

“Golf courses used to have a lot of kids who were in high school working, and that would serve as a feeder system,” says Alex Ellram, Ph.D., professor at SUNY-Cobleskill. Those kids were better equipped when they came to college. We just don’t see enough of them anymore.”

Nevertheless, North Carolina State’s Rich Linton, dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, believes the turfgrass program at his school is on good footing. He notes how 800 people attended the school’s feld day late this summer and that 89 percent of their graduates, in all felds, fnd jobs.

Specifcally for the turfgrass program, Linton sees a bright future.

“The green industry as a whole has suffered since 2008, but I think things are turning around,” Linton says. “We are in a strong growing mode.”

On the horizon What does the future hold for turfgrass schools?

Virginia Tech turfgrass professor Erik Ervin, Ph.D., predicts it won’t be completely smooth sailing.

“It (the demise of a turfgrass program) is going to happen sometime at a large four-year university, given that golf might not grow again for a long time,” Ervin says.

Kansas State University turfgrass science professor Jack Fry, Ph.D., recalls the days when his pro-

GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14

gram had as many as 150 students. Today, that number totals in the 50-range, 30 of whom are geared toward golf course management. The dip in numbers is on his, and others’, radar at the school. Fry says he doesn’t exactly feel pressured or that his job is on the line, but he senses a deep concern from those above him regarding enrollment in turf and other horticulture-related programs.

“Those in the dean’s offce are looking at us and saying, ‘What’s going on?’ They are asking what we can do to get more students. Securing more undergraduates is going to be a priority. I can sense it,” Fry says.

Bigelow says whether it is Purdue, Virginia Tech or Auburn, etc., golf course managers need to encourage people to attend turf schools.

“We really need some grassroots efforts on sending good, enthusiastic students to our institutions so we can help them meet the potential needs for the industry. We cannot as faculty do it alone,” Bigelow says.

Texas A&M’s Ben Wherley, Ph.D., believes golf could beneft from a fresh face on the scene to spur growth in the game, which might help all aspects of the industry.

“Golf could use another Tiger Woods. I don’t see how that doesn’t play into this,” Wherley says.

The emergence of Woods, which fueled a golf surge, was nearly 20 years ago. Meanwhile, Michigan State professor Trey Rogers, Ph.D., is looking a decade ahead. The view at times is alarming to him.

“My biggest concern is not 2014. It’s 2024,” Rogers says. “I’m not concerned about (courses like) Shinnecock Hills or Chicago Golf Club. I’m concerned about the mid-level public course and having a qualifed individual to run the golf course. Not as many students have worked on golf courses, and that has been an issue.”

That is not the case for Bonini, who plans to graduate from Penn State the summer of 2015. His goal? Become a superintendent at a well-respected private course. Yes, he has been told the hours can be long, the stress oppressive and sleep a challenge when your greens are on the line.

His love for the profession, though, seems strong enough to energize him to overcome any issues as he pursues his hopes and dreams. It sounds as if the industry could use more people like Bonini who dare to dream.

“I enjoy challenges, puzzles and adapting to overcome obstacles,” Bonini says. “This is a job that requires a very fne attention to detail while still maintaining sight of the big picture. I look forward to working with employees and greens committees to sow deeper interest in the science behind the green grass.”

Howard Richman (hrichman@gcsaa.org) is GCM’s associate editor.

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AT THE TURN Michael R. Abramowitz

In less than two years, PGA GC in Port St. Lucie, Fla., has been revitalized through judicious agronomic management with up-to-date maintenance equipment.

Photos courtesy of PGA Golf Club

(business)

A dramatic comeback PGA member Jimmy Terry and GCSAA superintendent Dick Gray have led a rejuvenation at PGA Golf Club.

Editor’s note: T is is t e t ird in a series of article ig lig ting t e important relations ip between GCSAA superintendents and PGA of America professionals. T ese stories are being publis ed simultaneously in bot GCM and PGA Magazine.

It’s not a state secret that PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Fla., was in need of a refresh just 18 months ago. The overall state of the property was nowhere near what anyone would expect from a facility with the PGA’s name on it. Staff morale hung in the balance, and the number of rounds played suffered as well.

Some of the problems were relatively low-hanging fruit — obsolete maintenance equipment was in dire need of replacement, for example. Voila! Enter new Toro and Jacobsen mowers, sprayers and triplexes to expertly tend to the grasses.

Others were more deep-rooted, such as the overall agronomic health of the property, which had been hampered by a pair of 100-year foods that had struck St. Lucie County in recent years. Curative measures for those conditions, while well intentioned, had proved ineffective, and maintaining high-level course conditions on a day-to-day basis had become challenging.

Different callings In early 2013, longtime GCSAA member Dick Gray received a phone call from PGA of America President Ted Bishop and a group of PGA executive staff and offcers. Gray and Bishop

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GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14

Top: Dick Gray (left) and Jimmy Terry (right) have combined to right the ship at PGA GC. Bottom: Gray installed “No!” signs on the course to keep golfers from venturing into sensitive areas. And it’s working.

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knew each other from their superintendent days in Indiana, while Gray also had a relationship with Pete Dye that began in the 1960s at Crooked Stick Golf Club. (Dye and Tom Fazio are the course designers at PGA Golf Club, while Jim Fazio designed the nearby PGA Country Club.) Bishop reached out to Gray, saying, “Dick, we need your help.”

Gray, a 28-year member of GCSAA who designed The Florida Club and was instrumental in making improvements to Jupiter Hills Club and Loblolly Pines, was retired when the call came, but listened intently. He understood the situation at PGA Golf Club, yet saw this situation as a unique opportunity to put an exclamation point on his career by bringing PGA Golf Club back to glory.

PGA Golf Club general manager Jimmy Terry, a PGA member, eventually joined Gray, the club’s new director of golf courses and grounds, three months later, but it took an epiphany. Terry and his wife, Rose, were a little surprised by what they saw upon their frst visit. Rose even said to Jimmy, who was general manager at TPC San Antonio and TPC Harding Park at the time, “Would you rather just go home?”

While contemplating the question, he saw a group of PGA apprentices walking across the street from the PGA Education Center, following a checkpoint. For Terry, it was a calling. He made the decision right there that if

offered the job, he would take it, as he saw it as a means to give back to the organization that has given him so much throughout his career.

“The big thing is that I want my association’s golf courses to be the best they can be,” Terry explains.

Terry and Gray had never worked together prior to PGA Golf Club. The two have distinctive personalities, but their chemistry is readily apparent. Terry is a tall Texan who makes you feel at home. Gray, with a straw cowboy hat always in tow, is an entertaining straight shooter.

Together, they have facilitated a dramatic comeback. The changes over 18 months are stunning. Greens, which once suffered from ring around the collar — literally — are now manicured. Fairways and tee areas, which once were thin and stressed, are now lush.

Overgrown vegetation has become picturesque scenery.

“We kind of see things through the same set of eyes,” Terry says with pride. “The things I see and think are important are also things he sees and thinks are important. And if we are on opposite sides, we fgure things out.”

Early dividends All of this is part of a three-year plan that Terry and Gray have established. Gray is quick to admit that it will take a few growing seasons to get everything as pristine as he would

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In the meantime, Gray realizes that he’s doing things based on priorities, and some items will have to wait their turn.

To illustrate, over at the formerly private PGA Country Club, which Terry creatively steered to formally open to both the public and members on Nov. 1, the transformation of the 16th and 17th holes is nothing short of miraculous.

The par-4 16th had out-of-control marshland that blocked the view of the green from the fairway, making approach shots a crapshoot. The vast, overgrown vegetation has since been cut down to waist height, showcasing the emergence of manicured hedges that are mirrored on the 17th tee, a par-3 that now features the frst bridge on the course.

About halfway through their three-year plan, Dick Gray and Jimmy Terry are looking forward to continued improvements in the agronomic health of the course and a redesigned and enlarged clubhouse.

“I’m excited about what has been done and the good programs that are being put in place for the future of the golf courses.”

— Tom Fazio.

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like, but many in golf are taking notice.

“All the things he’s done over the past couple of years that we’ve talked about needed to be done (to improve the Dye Course), there’s no way to put it all down,” says Pete Dye. “Dick’s done a good job, and I’m tickled to death with him.”

Fellow course designer Tom Fazio has similar feelings about what he describes as the “additions” to PGA Golf Club. “I’m excited about what has been done and the good programs that are being put in place for the future of the golf courses,” says Fazio.

Golfers are seeing a difference, too.

Darren Church, a guest from Riverview, New Brunswick, Canada, with a 2.7 handicap, played PGA Golf Club in March and posted his review on TripAdvisor.com: “Well, a year later, I returned to the Dye Course (and) conditions were night (and) day vs. my 2013 trip. This course was in AMAZING shape. The greens crew has done a great job with it. All three courses here were in great shape … Job well done by the superintendent and his crew!”

Terry and Gray both praise their staffs for not only turning around the courses but for instilling a new culture of customer service.

“I look at things as an inverted pyramid,” explains Terry. “The GM is there for support.

The staff does all the heavy lifting and hard work, and my job is to help them.”

For 2015, major changes will include doubling the size of the clubhouse, which is being redesigned by the legendary Tom Hoch.

A big no-no Among Gray’s signature additions at PGA Golf Club are the “No!” signs that dot the landscape on the courses. They are less-thansubtle reminders for golfers to avoid driving their golf cars near the areas where the maintenance staff is giving some tender loving care to the course or where new grass is coming up.

He started this practice at Loblolly Pines, and it was the one thing he found that everyone clearly understood.

“Seldom do we have someone run through a ‘No!’ sign,” says Gray. “Folks understand what we’re trying to do.”

At frst, Terry was unsure about the signs but has grown to appreciate them.

“It’s not typical,” says Terry, who is now considering adding an “action zone” on the golf cars’ GPS so that golfers who do not obey the signs will actually hear Gray saying “No!” “It was like the Wild West before with people driving the carts where they wanted … Those kinds of issues have lessened as the courses have gotten better. I think, overall, people are respecting … the golf course.”

It is sometimes tough to review a Mona Lisa when she’s still just Mona, but in this case, the changes afoot are dramatic, effective and commensurate with the standards of the PGA of America.

“Who else in the world gets to work on four courses designed either by a Fazio or Pete Dye?” asks Gray. “We built a better mousetrap. This is the home of the PGA. This is their place. You are working for the highest order of the game.”

Michael R. Abramowitz is senior editor for the PGA of America and PGA Magazine.

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Crumb rubber forms the sub-base of the lining system from Blinder Bunker Liner. The liner can be sprayed to match the color of the bunker sand. Photo courtesy of Blinder Bunker Liner

(renovation)

The bunker’s edge GCM shines a spotlight on innovative products and systems for bunker maintenance.

Bunkers have become such an important strategic component to the game of golf — and consequently to the golf course manager’s maintenance program and renovation plans — that GCM decided to devote the majority of one issue’s feature section to the subject (August 2014).

The package of stories GCM published in that issue generated such interest among readers that we have prepared a broader roundup of other products and systems in this category in partnership with GCSAA’s industry partners who do business in this market segment.

GCM reached out to companies that manufacture and/or market products or systems for the improvement of golf course bunkers that have come to our attention through advertising in the magazine or exhibiting at the Golf Industry Show. Information from those who responded in time for our publication deadline is presented here, in alphabetical order and in a format that is intended to allow companies to fully explain their products on an even footing while allowing for differences in scope (e.g., liners or blankets vs. hardscape systems).

Blinder Bunker Liner A relative newcomer to the category, Blinder Bunker Liner was developed by a well-known London greenkeeper, Murray Long of Sunningdale Golf Club, and introduced to the UK and European markets in 2011. Since then, the Ascot, Surrey-based company has installed Blinder Bunker Liners at more than 80 golf clubs, covering over 80,000 square meters of bunker area.

The company says its liner is now being marketed to the U.S., with installations scheduled to commence in 2015.

The lining system mixes crumb rubber from recycled tires with a binding agent. The resulting product is then hand-spread onto a sub-base and can be sprayed to match the color of the bunker sand, if desired. The product is suitable for renovating existing bunkers or constructing new ones.

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Bunker Solutions’ three-part liner system was designed to prevent sand slump. Photo courtesy of Bunker Solution

Features and benefits • Drainage at a rate up to 2,400 (0.63 gallon) milliliters per hour.

• Highly durable (life expectancy of over 20 years) and fexible; resistant to golf club strikes and withstanding extreme changes of temperature and expansion, and contraction of surrounding soil due to prevailing weather conditions.

• Minimizes sand wash from steep bunker faces and protects the drainage medium.

• Improves the consistency and playability of bunkers.

Features and benefits • System designed using highest-quality North American-sourced materials.

• Provides “grip” for sand in the bottom of bunkers and on bunker faces; sand slump is minimized after weather events.

• Gravel is not required, and stones will not migrate onto the playing surface.

• Lining system is golf club, string trimmer and raking machine friendly.

• Bunker Solution mat is backed by an eight-year manufacturer’s repair/replacement warranty.

Report from the field “With the base of our bunkers being the native chalk of the area, they drain exceptionally well, but the chalk migrates, contaminating the sand. Since Blinder was installed, there has been no contamination to speak of, which has eliminated the need to sieve the bunker,” says Eric Olson, the course manager at the golf facility for London’s Royal Automobile Club.

“We have more than 140 bunkers, all with similar chalk bases, and keeping them free from stones and contamination is extremely labor intensive. By installing Blinder in all our bunkers, the signifcant amount of time we spent cleaning bunkers during the year can now be better spent enhancing other areas of our golf courses.”

Report from the field Clark, now the owner of KLC Concepts, emphasizes that his system was “developed by a superintendent for the superintendent” out of utter frustration, disappointment and the thought that “there has to be a better way.”

“The marketplace continues to prove that Bunker Solution works and provides a longterm solution to bunker maintenance that has answered all the problems and has ended the frustration of bunker maintenance,” he says.

Contact information In the UK and Europe, contact Profusion Environmental Ltd. (www.profusion-enviro.com) or email nigel@ profusion-enviro.com; in the U.S., email Alan Fitzgerald, blinderusa@comcast.net.

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Bunker Solution Necessity was the mother of invention for Kevin Clark. As the assistant superintendent at Lantana Golf Club in the north Texas town of Argyle, Clark became frustrated by a combination of severely fashed bunkers and deterioration of the original liners, resulting in grass and weed encroachment as well as sand migration that became so problematic the bunkers had to be pumped out. Clark began looking for a better answer by researching and experimenting with a variety of materials, then refning the criteria until he had created and patented the Bunker Solution system.

Bunker Solution is a three-part liner system designed to prevent contamination of the bunker sand by creating a barrier between the subsurface soil and the sand. The complete system includes a geotextile lip anchor, an impermeable ditch liner and the impermeable Bunker Solution mat.

Contact information Contact Clark by email at info@bunkersolution.com or by phone at 214-564-4478.

Capillary Concrete Capillary Concrete was developed in Sweden seven years ago and introduced into the U.S. market in 2012. Martin Sternberg, CGCS, a golf course owner and builder, developed Capillary Concrete to address the inadequacies he found in other bunker liner products. To date,

Capillary Concrete has been installed at more than 150 golf courses throughout the world.

The Capillary Concrete admixture is combined with an approved aggregate and water and spread in the bunker. This forms a pervious and homogenous layer that is strong and drains at several hundred inches per hour (drainage rate depends on aggregate shape and size used).

the players really enjoyed the course conditions,” Andersen says. “As things started to really dry down, we were able to water our Capillary Concrete bunkers to maintain frmness and enhance playability. We also received 1 inch of rain in 25 minutes during the fnal round and had to fx zero washouts.”

Contact information

Features and benefits • Suitable for extreme environments; proven track record in climates with freezethaw cycles.

• Relatively quick cure time allows installation in climates where frequent rain events make other installation methods diffcult.

• Moisture-retention aggregate and Capillary Concrete drip system help replenish moisture to drying bunker faces.

Report from the field At Atlanta Athletic Club in Duluth, Ga., where eight-year GCSAA member Tyler Andersen is the superintendent, Capillary Concrete was installed prior to the 2014 U.S. Amateur to frm up bunker faces to improve playability and to reduce maintenance following rain events.

“The U.S. Amateur was a great success;

In the U.S., contact Ted Fist, product manager, for additional information by email at ted@capillaryconcrete.com or by phone at 847-337-0808.

Klingstone Klingstone was patented in 2001 after being developed by chemists at its parent company, Green Mountain International, in response to an inquiry from a golf course superintendent. Green Mountain has been in the polyurethane and epoxy solutions business since 1987, developing dozens of custom trouble-shooting solutions for erosion control, soil stabilization and leak prevention.

Klingstone products are polyurethanebased liquids that cure to strong polymers that permanently bind and stabilize soils and aggregates by essentially gluing them together, explains Bob McCormick, general manager.

Once applied, the barrier prevents stones and

The Capillary Concrete admixture is combined with an approved aggregate and water and spread in the bunker.

Photo courtesy of Capillary Concrete

11.14 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT

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Contact information For additional details, visit www.klingstone.com or contact McCormick by email at bobm@klingstone.com.

Klingstone’s polyurethane-based liner layer keeps water off the subsoil underneath and routes it directly to the bunker’s drainage system. Photo courtesy of Klingstone

other contaminants from migrating up from the bunker foor to contaminate bunker sand.

The installation of a new drainage system — complete with perimeter Turf Drain lines and an infltration basin at the lowest elevation in the bunker — is a part of Perma Bunker’s overall efforts to eliminate contamination, increase water infltration and reduce sand movement.

Photo courtesy of Perma Bunker

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Features and benefits • All water is routed directly to the bunker’s drainage system without ever touching the supporting subsoil beneath the Klingstone layer, eliminating erosion voids that can form beneath other hard liners, which lead to cracking and chunking of the hard layer when weight is applied from above.

• Can be applied with in-house resources by two-person teams.

• Bunkers can be put back in play 24 hours after application.

• Easily repaired by applying new product to the damaged area, where it bonds to the existing Klingstone.

• Cured product is completely inert and environmentally safe.

Report from the field Klingstone was frst installed wall to wall during construction of two Tom Fazio designs: Spring Hill Golf Club in Wayzata, Minn., in 1999, followed by Aldarra Golf Club outside Seattle in 2000. The construction superintendents, who are both still in place at these clubs, report that the Klingstone installations are still performing “fawlessly” after 15 and 14 seasons, McCormick says. How long will Klingstone-lined bunkers last?

“The truth is, we don’t know yet,” McCormick says. “Given a proper application, our chemist sees no reason the polyurethane/sand Klingstone layer can’t last for decades.”

Perma Bunker The technology behind Perma Bunker was developed nearly seven years ago by Mike Archer of Sequoia Greenscapes, in collaboration with Bob Blalock. Archer says the process eliminates contamination of bunker sand, increases water infltration and minimizes movement of bunker sand through a threephase process. The frst step is re-establishing the original size and shape of the bunker edge, which changes over time through normal maintenance operations.

The second step mixes the existing bunker sand with stabilization material and the native soil material of the bunker foor at a ratio that has been designed to produce soil cement. Installing the drainage system utilizing perimeter Turf Drain lines and an infltration basin at the lowest elevation in the bunker is the third step in the process.

Features and benefits • Affordable, certifed installation through Sequoia Greenscapes, which offers a full range of golf course and landscaping construction and renovation services.

• Reduced labor hours result in lower golf course maintenance costs while providing superior bunker playability for golfers.

• Perma Bunker technology is effective in a variety of climates and soil profles as evidenced by a client list that includes courses in Texas, Colorado and Georgia.

• Technology is considered a viable solution to wildlife damage of the bunker foor resulting in sand contamination and drainage system failure.

Report from the field “We were amazed when we began restoring the bunkers at the Palmer Course at The Woodlands Country Club how much the edges had changed over the last 20 years,” says Chris Hartman, now the GCSAA Class A superintendent at the Tournament Course at The Woodlands in Spring, Texas. “Through the Perma Bunker process we were able to restore the bunkers back to their original design.”

Adds The Woodlands’ superintendent for The Oaks Course, seven-year GCSAA member Kevin Hill, “Even after fve years, with the Perma Bunker and Turf Drain system, we have eliminated pumping water from the bunkers after rain events and have also eliminated the need to pitch the washed or eroded sand from our bunkers.”

Contact information For more information on Perma Bunker, contact Mike Archer at 713-501-7456 or email him at marcher@ sequoiagreenscapes.com.

Sandtrapper by IVI-Golf The team at Sandtrapper/IVI-Golf launched the product in the late 1990s and states it has shipped over 100 million square feet of product worldwide to over 6,000 facilities.

Sandtrapper was developed after a complete analysis on the mechanics of water fow in bunker settings. The result is a specifc selection of fber denier, binder composition and manufacturing techniques that defnes the three-dimensional matrix for each product style. The different matrices, the company says, are what allow Sandtrapper products to constrain sand particles during rain events and prevent washouts. Sandtrapper also is a barrier that prevents contamination of sand from the underlying soils.

• Simple, intuitive installation that can be performed by internal staff or any external construction company the facility chooses.

• No manufacturing delays or lead times, so bunker construction and renovation projects can progress smoothly.

Report from the field “Investing in a bunker liner makes sense,” says John Brauer, president of IVI-Golf/ Sandtrapper. “With the sand and labor to install it being the single greatest cost of any bunker project, it is fscally responsible to protect that investment. Sandtrapper will also extend the life of the bunker, pushing replenishment or renovations farther into the future.

The material cost is quickly recouped from labor savings.” Brauer also adds, “Sandtrapper is a known and trusted name in golf. We’ve been doing this for a long time, and reputation is everything.”

Sandtrapper by IVI-Golf was designed to prevent washouts and prevent contamination of the bunker sand from underlying soil. Photo courtesy of Sandtrapper/IVI-Golf

Contact information Features and benefits • Four styles available, with each designed to address specifc bunker characteristics, so facilities can utilize the Sandtrapper solution that matches their needs and budget.

• Available in standard (56-inch) and wide (90-inch) rolls.

For additional information, contact Johnson City, N.Y.based Sandtrapper/IVI-Golf at 888-970-5111 or visit www.sandtrapper.com.

Bunny Smith (bsmith@gcsaa.org) is GCM’s senior managing editor.

11.14 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT

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(up to speed)

100 percent natural

Thomas A. Nikolai, Ph.D. nikolait@msu.edu

By now, most of you already know that the crux of the story was whether heavy metals and suspected carcinogens contained in crumb rubber are a health risk to children.

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As I surfed through 600 TV stations the other day, I paused when I spied young athletes playing soccer on artifcial turf on MSNBC. To my chagrin, I heard something like, “The artifcial felds were installed to conserve water.” Disgusted, and fully aware that playing soccer on anything but natural grass is sacrilege to both the sport’s governing body and the enthusiast, I thought, “Here we go again, another story about the evils of natural grass.”

Suddenly, the story shifted, and the crumb rubber in the playing felds became the concern. By now, most of you already know that the crux of the story was whether heavy metals and suspected carcinogens contained in crumb rubber are a health risk to children. One parent stated he would not allow his children to play on the surface. To be fair, the story concluded that research on the topic is limited, and it has not been determined whether crumb rubber is a health risk or not.

Wow, was I stunned — not about the crumb rubber, but that turfgrass was not the problem. Over the past 20 years, turfgrass has been under attack for excessive water and pesticide use, nitrate leaching and promoting eutrophication on surface bodies of water by fertilization with phosphorus. While these concerns may be understandable, the golf industry, aided by independent university research funded heavily by the USGA, GCSAA and other organizations, has spent millions to develop sound management practices that have minimized the environmental impact of natural turf.

Phosphorus has been a focus of environmental regulation for decades because high levels can increase algae blooms. In the 1960s, Lake Erie was reported to have aged 15,000 years in a 50-year period, primarily because the lake was contaminated by phosphorus from detergents. This led to legislation that minimized these direct-source inputs. Before the legislation was passed, Lake Erie was considered dead; today, it is a great fshing lake.

Let’s recall what we know about phosphorous from college soil science class. We know it is an essential nutrient and that it’s mobile in the plant. We further know that less than 1 percent of the nutrient is soluble in the soil.

Most of it is tied up in soil minerals (apatite) or organic matter. This leads to the conclu-

sion that the best method of reducing phosphorus movement into surface bodies of water is to reduce sediment movement, and the best way to reduce sediment movement is a dense vegetative ground cover. Hmmm, what could that be?

In a rather simple study, I buried six sediment catch-cans on a sloping terrain that was just seeded with grass. Over a two-year period, I fertilized three strips with fertilizer (totaling no more than 2.4 pounds of nitrogen per year); the other three strips were never fertilized. Each year, I removed the catch-cans and weighed the amount of sediment in each one.

The results: the fertilized slopes reduced sediment movement by 50 percent the frst year and by 95 percent the second year. That is a pretty simple experiment compared to the likes of turfgrass nutrient fate studies run by Drs. Kussow, Horrigan, Frank, Stier and others.

I will admit that I have never been a fan of crumb rubber in artifcial or natural grass playing surfaces because it is void of the microbial abundance that is in a symbiotic relationship with grass. That natural symbiotic relationship makes properly managed turfgrass among the world’s best flters for protecting surface and subsurface bodies of water.

I also never planned on writing a column about artifcial surfaces, and I don’t know if it is causing cancer in some of our nation’s children.

However, part of the reason I do not know this is because the crumb rubber industry, unlike the golf industry, has not spent the necessary resources to make this determination. When the golf course management industry was challenged, it put up the funding to answer the concerns and followed up by making adjustments based on scientifc fndings. In short, golf is part of the solution and grass is only natural.

Thomas A. Nikolai, Ph.D., is the tufrgrass academic specialist at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Mich., and a frequent GCSAA educator.

We understand that your professional reputation and livelihood are dependent on the quality of the turfgrass you manage. We also know that you have many choices when it comes to foliar nutrition, and Floratine is not always the least expensive option. But with so much at stake, we refuse to take short cuts in the design, formulation and technical support of our products. Yes, there are lower-grade raw materials and ‘all-in-one jug’ solutions on the market, but that’s not what we’re about. As a family-owned company, we proudly manufacture our products in our own facility in Tennessee, using only the highest-grade raw ingredients to ensure you get nothing but the best in every jug.

With so much on the line, staying Rooted in Science™ is our commitment to you.

Sincerely,

Kevin Cavanaugh, Co-Owner (901) 493-7211 | kcavanaugh@foratine.com

Mike Cavanaugh, Co-Owner (215) 588-5594 | mikecavanaugh@foratine.com

Arden A. Baltensperger, Ph.D.

A century of seeded bermudagrass production — and more to come Bermudagrass has evolved from a ‘wily’ weed to a multimillion-dollar industry.

Bermudagrass may have been introduced to the United States from Africa hundreds of years ago when hay contaminated with the grass seed was used for bedding on slave ships.

Since those less than illustrious beginnings, seeded bermudagrass has become a multimillion-dollar crop, grossing well over $36 million in 2013.

Although the exact date is not certain, Common bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon) seed production and marketing began in Yuma County in western Arizona around 1915. Bermudagrass was well adapted to the area’s warm climate and saline soil conditions and readily invaded the local alfalfa seed production felds. By 1917, Roy Hansberger, an alfalfa farmer in the county, was separating bermudagrass (weed) seed from alfalfa seed with hand-held sieves, but it is believed that he had been selling bermudagrass seed for several years before then.

After 1920, W.R. (Bill) Whitman and Glen Quick, who had production felds near Blythe, Calif., were the frst to grow and sell bermudagrass seed on a commercial scale. At this time, bermudagrass fnally gained legitimacy as a cash crop instead of a weed. During World War II, bermudagrass seed production in the U.S. increased dramatically as the government used the seed to build airstrips in North Africa. William Kneebone, Ph.D., discussed the introduction of bermudagrass into the United States and its status as a noxious weed in several states in his publication “Bermudagrass — worldly, wily, wonderful weed.”

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Top: In the period around 1915, hand sieves were most likely used to separate bermudagrass seed from alfalfa seed. The brown seeds are alfalfa and the gray or white seeds are unhulled bermudagrass. Photo by Z. Baltensperger Bottom, left: A stationary thresher, circa 1940. Image courtesy of the author Bottom, right: A modern combine used for harvesting bermudagrass seed. Photo by J. Klingenberger

Bermudagrass seed is sold in the following forms: unhulled (top left); hulled (top right); coated and unhulled (bottom left); coated and hulled (bottom right). Photos by Z. Baltensperger

Bermudagrass seed processing and production Processing After harvesting and cleaning, bermudagrass seed may be further processed. It may be dehulled to remove the glumes, leaving the bare caryopses. Although, in the past, most bermudagrass seed was dehulled before sale, today most seed is sold unhulled. However, considerable amounts of unhulled and hulled seed are now coated. Hulled seed germinates faster, and some coatings may improve germination and establishment under adverse conditions.

Seed size varies among varieties. Many seeded varieties on the market now are similar in seed size to Common or NuMex Sahara, which both have approximately 1.5 million unhulled seeds or 2.1 million hulled seeds

The fairways at La Finca GC in Alicante Spain are seeded with Princess-77 bermudagrass.

Photo by T. Bodderij

11.14 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT

73

U.S. bermudagrass acreage California

Arizona

Oklahoma

per pound. The hybrid variety Princess-77 is an exception with smaller seed and approximately 2.2 million unhulled and 3 million hulled seeds per pound.

40

Thousands of acres

35 30 25 20 15 10 5

2013

2010

2000

1990

1940 1950 1960 1970 1980

0

Figure 1. Estimated number of acres of bermudagrass (shown in thousands of acres) grown for seed in California and Arizona (1940-2013) and in Oklahoma (1985-2013). The acreage of seed-propagated forage varieties is included. Data were obtained from various sources, including Yuma County Agricultural Statistics, University of Arizona; Imperial County Agricultural Crop and Livestock Reports; USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service; John Lamle, Johnston Seed Co.; and Tom Bodderij, Pennington Seed/Seeds West.

U.S. bermudagrass yield California

Arizona

Oklahoma

Seed yield (millions of pounds)

25

20

15

10

5

2013

2010

2000

1990

1940 1950 1960 1970 1980

0

Figure 2. Estimated yield of cleaned unhulled bermudagrass seed (in millions of pounds) in California and Arizona (19402013) and in Oklahoma (1985-2013). The seed production of forage varieties is included, but it is estimated at less than 10% of the total bermudagrass seed produced over the last decade. Data were obtained from various sources, including Yuma County Agricultural Statistics, University of Arizona; Imperial County Agricultural Crop and Livestock Reports; USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service; John Lamle, Johnston Seed Co.; and Tom Bodderij, Pennington Seed/Seeds West.

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Increased production from t e 1940s onward Immediately before World War II and throughout the 1940s and 1950s, most of the world supply of bermudagrass seed came primarily from Yuma County in the Gila and Wellton-Mohawk Valleys of southwestern Arizona. Acreage and seed production increased rapidly from 1,700 acres and 1.1 million pounds of seed in 1940 to 4,900 acres and 4.4 million pounds of seed in 1950. Starting around 1975, bermudagrass seed production took hold in the Imperial Valley of California and declined in Arizona (Figures 1, 2). The primary reason for this shift was that reduced soil salinity allowed higher-value crops to be grown in Arizona, while the saltier soils in the Imperial Valley gave good bermudagrass seed yields. The large fuctuations in acreage and seed yields are partially due to some felds being used for hay instead of seed when hay prices were favorable. The estimated value of seed produced in the United States in recent years is shown in Figure 3. These estimates do not include added-value procedures such as dehulling, coating, packaging and shipping.

Bermudagrass varieties before 1980 Vegetative bermudagrasses Bermudagrass has long been a favored forage and turf species in the southern United States and other areas in the world with similar climates. However, Common bermudagrass lacked density, uniformity and other attributes desirable for turf use. In the 1950s, the noted plant breeder Glen Burton, Ph.D., pioneered a breeding program to improve bermudagrass. Among the varieties he developed was Tifway 419 (Cynodon transvaalensis Ă— C. dactylon), which was released in 1960 and has been a standard for interspecifc hybrids that are propagated vegetatively.

Turfgrass scientists from the USDA Agricultural Research Service, the United States Golf Association (USGA) Green Section and eight Agricultural Experiment Stations also developed or selected more than 15 improved vegetative bermudagrass varieties between 1950 and 1970. The availability of excellent vegetative turf types reduced interest in and fnancing for the breeding and development of seeded varieties. However, because these in-

Seeded bermudagrasses Common bermudagrass. Until the mid-tolate 1980s, Common bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.], sometimes referred to as Arizona Common, was essentially the only seeded bermudagrass available. Although Common has some desirable turfgrass characteristics, it cannot compete with many of the vegetative varieties, especially the interspecifc hybrids.

Common bermudagrass is a tetraploid with 2n = 4x = 36 chromosomes. It is a prolifc seed producer, and presumably seed yield was increased by natural selection from the time of its frst introduction into the Yuma, Ariz., area around 1900, until seed production became commercially viable around 1940. Although millions of pounds of seed had been sold before 1960, Common was not certifed until 1963. Certifcation was initiated to help provide more uniform, high-quality seed that was free, or nearly free, of Giant bermudagrass (described below). (Editor’s note: Arden Baltensperger, Ph.D., was instrumental in the initial certifcation of Common). Although certifcation for Common has been discontinued, the new proprietary varieties are certifed by state crop improvement associations and must meet strict standards for germination, genetic purity and freedom from weed seeds.

Giant bermudagrass and NK-37. In the 1950s, a tall-growing bermudagrass called Giant invaded the Common felds. Giant (Cynodon dactylon var. aridus) is a diploid with 2n = 2x =18 chromosomes. In the late l950s, selected Giant plants were intercrossed to produce NK-37, a proprietary variety for Northrup King Co. Although little NK-37 is sold at the present time, Giant seed and blends of Giant and Common such as Terra Verde are available for forage and erosion control.

Seed from U-3. W.R. Whitman sprigged U-3 — a cold-tolerant vegetative variety selected in Savannah, Ga., in 1938 — into his backyard in the early 1960s and harvested seed that was presumably a cross with Common. He increased this variety, and for a short time he sold the seed as U-3 or “Seed from U-3.” However, since U-3 is highly sterile, this

Gross value U.S. bermudagrass production Oklahoma

Arizona

California

45

Value (millions of dollars)

terspecifc hybrids are sterile and do not produce seed, they must be sprigged or sodded, making establishment more expensive and more labor-intensive than establishment of seeded bermudagrasses.

40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

Figure 3. Estimated gross value of bermudagrass seed production from 2006 to 2013 in California, Arizona and Oklahoma. Data were obtained from various sources, including Yuma County Agricultural Statistics, University of Arizona; Imperial County Agricultural Crop and Livestock Reports; USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service; John Lamle, Johnston Seed Co.; and Tom Bodderij, Pennington Seed/Seeds West.

variety produced turf that was very similar to Common.

Experimental NK 7800. In the early 1970s, H.E. Kaerwer developed the strain NK 7800 for Northrup King Co. by intercrossing many highly selected clones. This synthetic experimental variety was only moderately superior to Common, but it stimulated some interest in developing seed-propagated bermudagrasses.

Improving seeded bermudagrasses The frst signifcant improvement in seedpropagated bermudagrasses for use as turf was in the 1980s. The development, release, commercial production and acceptance of the two varieties Guymon and NuMex Sahara stimulated breeding and development in both private companies and universities. It was a “Back to the Future” moment in seeded bermudagrass development.

Guymon In 1982, at Oklahoma State University, Charles Taliaferro, Ph.D., released Guymon, a synthetic of two cold-tolerant bermudagrass clones. It was released for soil stabilization and general purpose use, but was readily accepted for turf, primarily because of its

excellent cold tolerance and dark green color.

However, seed production in Guymon is signifcantly lower than in Common.

NuMex Sa ara NuMex Sahara was developed at New Mexico State University (Editor’s note: by Arden Baltensperger, Ph.D.) and released in 1987. It was the result of the intercrossing of eight elite clones followed by several generations of phenotypic recurrent selection.

NuMex Sahara is more uniform than Common and is moderately denser and lower growing. It was the frst seed-propagated variety developed exclusively for turf use that was commercially accepted.

The breeding and development of NuMex Sahara was partially funded by the USGA Green Section, and Seeds West (originally the Farmers Marketing Corp.) was awarded exclusive rights to the variety. NuMex Sahara was aggressively marketed, and some sales were made through mass merchants. During the plant variety protection (PVP) period of 17 years, the variety returned more than $1 million in royalties to the USGA Green Section and the New Mexico Agricultural Experiment Station. Some NuMex Sahara seed is still being sold.

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Over 17 years, more than $1 million in royalties for NuMex Sahara was paid to the New Mexico Agricultural Experiment Station and to the USGA, which helped support development of the variety. In 2006, Ronnie Stapp, Pennington Seeds (far right), presented royalty checks for NuMex Sahara to New Mexico State University president Michael Martin while Michael Kenna, Ph.D. (far left), USGA Green Section, and Arden Baltensperger, Ph.D., the developer of NuMex Sahara, look on. Photo by Darren Phillips/NMSU Agricultural Communications

Seeded bermudagrass cultivars, 1986-1997 NTEP trials* Seeded bermudagrasses 1986 NTEP

1992 NTEP

1997 NTEP

Common†

Cheyenne†

BlackJack†

†

†

Common

Blue-muda†

Guymon

FMC 2-90

Common†

†

NM S-2

FMC 3-91

J-540

NM S-3

FMC 5-91

Jackpot (J-912)†

NM S-4

†

Guymon

Majestic† †

NM S-14

J-27

Mirage

NuMex Sahara (NM S-1)†

Jackpot (J-912)†

NuMex Sahara†

Mirage (90173)

Princess-77†

NuMex Sahara†

Pyramid†

OKS 91-1

Riviera (OKS 95-1)†

OKS 91-11

Savannah†

Primavera (FMC 1-90)

Shangri La†

†

Sonesta

Sultan (FMC 6-91) †

Sundevil

Southern Star (J-1224)† Sundevil II† SW1-11 Sydney (SW1-7)† Transcontinental (PST-R69C)†

Advances in t e 1980s The late 1980s saw notable advances in seeded bermudagrass breeding and development. For example, seeded entries in the National Bermudagrass Test (NTEP) increased from two named varieties and fve experimentals in the 1986 NTEP to six named varieties and 10 experimental varieties in the 1992 trials (Table 1). The jump in the number of new varieties in the 1997 NTEP test further illustrates the signifcant interest in the development of improved seeded varieties. The primary stimulus for this renewed interest was the improvement and acceptance of NuMex Sahara and Guymon and, later, Princess-77 and Riviera. Other good seeded turfgrass varieties were also developed and released, and several improved seed-propagated forage bermudagrass varieties were released. Seed production of forage varieties is estimated at less than 10% of the total bermudagrass seed production over the last decade. The acreage and seed production of the forage varieties are included in Figures 1 and 2, respectively.

T e ’90s: a leap forward Princess-77 and Riviera marked a leap forward in turfgrass quality for seeded bermudagrass. Some characteristics of these varieties are equal to or, in some cases, superior to those of the best vegetative varieties and have the advantage of less expensive shipping and establishment. To compare these two varieties with others including the vegetative hybrids, see data from the National Bermudagrass Test results sponsored by the National Turfgrass Evaluation Program (www.ntep.org/reports/ bg07/bg07_13-10f/bg07_13-10f.htm), specifically 2014 NTEP Reports on CD 1984-2013 Data Volume 1 at www.ntep.org. These tests, over many locations and years, indicate the ex-

*Vegetatively propagated varieties were included in each trial: 21 in 1986 for a total of 28 entries; 10 in 1992 for a total of 26 entries; and 10 in 1997 for a total of 28 entries. Data from the frst two columns in this table were originally published in the USGA Green Section Record in 1994 (32(6):14-19). Information from the 1997 NTEP trials was supplied by NTEP director Kevin Morris. † Commercially available varieties.

Table 1. Seed-propagated bermudagrasses entered in the National Turfgrass Evaluation Program (NTEP) in 1986, 1992 and 1997.

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GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14

cellent overall turfgrass quality ratings of these two varieties, which also rank high in many characteristics such as density, leaf texture, genetic color, cold, drought and salt tolerance, and water use. The trend in breeding and development of seeded bermudas continues as indicated by the 18 seeded entries in the 2013 NTEP test.

Princess-77 and Riviera had a signifcant impact on the bermudagrass industry, and they have become standard entries in the NTEP tests. In recognition of the importance of these varieties, the Turfgrass Breeders Association presented its Breeder’s Cup award to Taliaferro in 2003 and to Baltensperger in 2005 for originality in development of a turf variety.

The Princess-77 story The breeding and development of the frst seeded turf-type bermudagrass hybrid was radically different from that of the open-pollinated and synthetic varieties such as NuMex Sahara. Most seeded varieties before this time were plants intercrossed and selected over several generations and produced as open-pollinated varieties.

Parent clones The parent clones of Princess-77 (parental lines A-3 and A-4) are two of many resulting from intercrossing plants carefully selected for highly desirable turf characteristics. The original crossing block contained replicated clones originating from several locations including Australia, France, Mexico and the United States. Thousands of seedlings and plants from this crossing block were evaluated under greenhouse and feld conditions. The two clones that had been rigidly selected for turf characteristics were crossed in isolation to produce F1 (frst generation) or hybrid seed.

(More detail concerning the breeding of this variety is available in the 1994 USGA Green Section Record article by Baltensperger and Klingenberg). Figure 4 illustrates the difference between the development of the vegetative interspecifc hybrids and Princess-77, an intraspecifc hybrid.

From the many two-clone crosses made, cross 77 was selected for release and seed production. It was chosen not only for its excellent turf characteristics, but also for its slightly higher seed production. Even so, seed yield is much lower for Princess-77 than for open-pollinated varieties such as NuMex Sahara.

Seeded bermudagrass hybrids PARENTS Interspecific Hybrid

Intraspecific Hybrid

(Tifway, Tifgreen and others)

(Princess-77)

C. dactylon (2n = 36)

C. transvaalensis (2n = 18)

C. dactylon (2n = 36)

C. dactylon (2n = 36)

F1 PROGENY

C. dactylon × C. transvaalensis (2n = 27)

C. dactylon (2n = 36)

Sterile – Must be vegetatively propagated because it will not produce seed.

Fertile – F1 progeny will produce seed for establishment or continued breeding and development.

Figure 4. Parents of interspecifc and intraspecifc seeded bermudagrass hybrids and their frst-generation (F1) progeny.

Interspecifc hybrids, such as Cynodon dactylon × C. transvaalensis, are vegetatively propagated because the progeny are sterile. Intraspecifc hybrids, such as C. dactylon × C. dactylon are fertile, producing seed that can be used for establishment felds or further breeding. Taken from USGA Green Section Record, November/December 1994, p.14.

Plant variety protection was delayed after the release of Princess-77 because there was no satisfactory way of preserving the parent clones. Barbara Reed, Ph.D., who was working on preservation of vegetative plants at the USDA National Clonal Germplasm Repository, Cryopreservation Laboratory in Oregon was contacted, and she and her co-workers developed a means of preserving the bermudagrass clones. As a result, the two clones of Princess-77 are now stored in low-temperature vats at the USDA National Center for Genetic Resources Preservation at Fort Collins, Colo.

tablished by planting sprigs of the two clones side by side. This method is very labor-intensive and involved much trial and error. To establish new felds, plugs of clone 1 and clone 2 are harvested from a clonal nursery and each is dropped into planters at 2-foot spacing. Fields are watered immediately after planting. Fields are easily rogued for off-type plants as the area flls in and forms a dense sod.

The seed produced is frst-generation (F1) hybrid seed because the two clones are selfincompatible but cross-fertile. Only the frstgeneration seed is sold because later generations such as F2 and F3 have lower turf quality.

Seed production Seed production of this hybrid was a whole Recognition for Princess-77 Princess-77 is the frst and only commernew ball game. All varieties grown for seed in Arizona and California at this time were es- cial, seed-propagated, hybrid bermudagrass tablished from seed. Princess-77 had to be es- developed specifcally for turf. Its turfgrass

11.14 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT

77

the United States, Mexico, Spain, the Canary Islands and Oman.

The future of seeded bermudagrass In the years since the release of Princess-77 and Riviera, many public and private company plant breeders have developed excellent seeded varieties of bermudagrass (Table 2).

Currently, plant breeders are developing varieties with attributes such as increased salt, wear and shade tolerance. Considerable effort is being made to develop varieties that use less water or are more drought-tolerant. The challenge is to incorporate some or all of these traits without losing any of the fne traits of the current best-performing varieties.

The future looks bright for the seedpropagated bermudagrasses as new varieties are expected to be released in 2015. May this “worldly, wily wonderful weed” continue to be enjoyed for another 100 years.

Establishing Princess-77 bermudagrass in Arizona. Plugs are harvested from the clonal nursery (top left); Princess-77 plugs ready for transport to the planter (top right); plugs of clone 1 and clone 2 are dropped in alternate rows (bottom left); and fnally, a small crew following the planter steps on loose plugs to ensure good plant-to-soil contact (bottom right). Photos by C. Baltensperger

Acknowledgments Many thanks to the following individuals for editorial assistance: Mike Kenna, Cathey Manning, Bernd Leinauer and Charlie Rodgers. In addition, thanks to the following individuals, past and present, for valuable information and photos: Tom Bodderij, Charles Buckeye, Phyllis Cason, Patrick Hodges, Howard Kaerwer, Ashley Kerna, John Klingenberg, John Lamle, Kevin Morris, Shirley Murdock, W.R. (Bill) Whitman, Roy B. and Wayne F. Wright, Steve Ostrin and Robert Vaughan. Special thanks also to Teresa Carson for editorial assistance, obtaining photographs and patience with the author. Funding from the USGA Green Section for the development of NuMex Sahara and several other early improved seeded bermudagrasses is acknowledged.

References

The notable increase in density of Princess-77 and Riviera separated them from the previously seeded bermudagrass varieties and resulted in the development of newer varieties with greater density and thus greater ball support. Photo by Z. Baltensperger

quality ratings are comparable to the best vegetative varieties, but establishing and repairing turf is easier and less expensive than with vegetative varieties. It is also dense, so it provides good ball support, and it has high salt, drought and wear tolerance. Princess-77 is currently the only turfgrass variety recognized by the non-proft Turfgrass Water Conserva-

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GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14

tion Alliance (TWCA) as “a plant that provides a clear beneft in water conservation.”

The variety helps fll a niche for development of turf areas on golf courses and other turf sports venues in semitropical and tropical areas worldwide. Its traffc tolerance has been proved in two Super Bowls and many foreign and domestic venues, including golf courses in

1. Ahring, R.M., C.M. Taliaferro and R.D. Morrison.

1974. Seed production of several strains and hybrids of bermudagrass, Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. Crop Science 14:93-95.

2. Baltensperger, A.A. 1989. Registration of 'NuMex Sahara' bermudagrass. Crop Science 29:1326.

3. Baltensperger, A.A., and C. Bernhard. 1963. Common bermudagrass purity study implements cleaner seed program. Seedsman's Digest July.

4. Baltensperger, A.A., B. Dossey, L. Taylor and J. Klingenberg. 1993. Bermudagrass, Cynodon dactylon, seed production and variety development. International Turfgrass Society Research JournaI 7:829-839.

Seeded bermudagrass, 2014 Company/variety name Barenbrug Barbados

Bargusto

Panama* DLF-Pickseed Dune

The RESEARCH SAYS

Mirage 2

Pyramid 2 Jacklin Seed Hollywood

Jackpot

Southern Star • Bermudagrass seed was first sold in the U.S. approximately 100 years ago.

• Many of the early improved bermudagrasses used for turf were vegetative varieties, until two moderately improved seeded varieties, Guymon and NuMex Sahara, were introduced in the 1980s.

• Princess-77 and Riviera, which were introduced in the 1990s, proved to be equal or superior to many of the better vegetative varieties, while offering all the advantages of seeded ones.

• Seeded bermudagrasses have become more popular, and many of the new, improved varieties have better tolerance to shade, salt, cold, drought or wear.

John Deere Landscape Sunsport

Sunstar Johnston Seed

Riviera

†

Pennington/Seeds West Mohawk

Panama*

Princess-77

Sahara

Sahara II

Sultan

SWI-1041

SWI-1044

Sydney Pure Seed North Shore SLT

Transcontinental

Seed Research of Oregon La Paloma

Royal Bengal

SR 9554

Yukon

Note. The information in this table was provided by the seed companies. No information is listed for companies that did not respond to GCM’s request for information.

New varieties are expected to be released in 2015. *Pennington/Seeds West owns and produces Panama for Barenbrug. † Riviera is owned and produced by Johnston Seed but distributed through various outlets.

Table 2. Seeded turf-type bermudagrasses that were commercially available as of Oct. 8, 2014.

Station Bulletin 759.

8. Coffee, B.N., and A.A. Baltensperger. 1989. Heritability estimates for selected turfgrass characteristics of bermudagrass evaluated under shade. The 6th International Turfgrass Research Conference, Tokyo.

9. Freeman, G.F. 1914. Alfalfa in the Southwest. Arizona Agricultural Experimental Station Bulletin 73.

10. Gaussoin, R.E, A.A. Baltensperger and B.N. Coffee.

1988. Response of 32 bermudagrass clones to reduced light intensity. HortScience 23(1):178-179.

11. Hanson, A.A. 1965. Grass varieties in the United States. Agriculture Handbook, Vol. 170. USDA-ARS, Washington, D.C. 12. Harlan, J.R, J.J. de Wet and W.L. Richardson. 1969.

Hybridization studies with species of Cynodon from East Africa and Malagasy. American Journal of Botany 56:994-950.

13. Kenna, M.P., C.M. Taliaferro and W.L. Richardson.

1983. Comparative fertility and seed yields of parental bermudagrass clones and their single-cross F1 and F2 populations. Crop Science 23:1133-1135.

14. Kneebone, W.R. 1966. Bermuda grass—worldly, wily, wonderful weed. Economic Botany 20(1).

15. Rodgers, C. 2003. You’ve come a long way, bermuda. Golf Course Management 71(8):91-94.

16. Rodgers, C., and A.A. Baltensperger. 2005. Registration of parental lines A-3 and A-4. Crop Science 45:1176.

17. Sevostianova, E., B. Leinauer, R. Sallenave, D. Karcher and B. Maier. 2011. Soil salinity and quality of sprinkler and drip irrigated warm-season turfgrasses. Agronomy Journal 103:1773-1784.

18. Taliaferro, C.M. 1989. Breeding and evaluation of fne-textured, cold-tolerant, seed-propagated bermudagrass cultivars. p. 27. In: USGA/GCSAA Annual Turfgrass Research Report.

19. Taliaferro, C.M., R.M. Ahring and W.L. Richardson.

1983. Registration of Guymon bermudagrass. Crop Science 23:1219.

20. Wofford, D.S., and A.A. Baltensperger. 1985.

Heritability estimates for turfgrass characteristics in bermudagrass. Crop Science 25:133-136.

A.A. Baltensperger, Ph.D. (abaltens@zianet.com), is an emeritus professor of agronomy at New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, N.M.

5. Baltensperger, A.A., and J.P. Klingenberg. 1994.

Introducing new seed-propagated F1 hybrid (2-clone synthetic) bermudagrass. USGA Green Section Record 32(6):14-19.

6. Burton, G.W. 1992. Breeding improved turfgrass. In: P.V. Waddington, R.N. Carrow and R.C. Shearman, eds. Turfgrass. ASA, CSSA and SSSA, Madison, Wis. 7. Cluff, G.J., and A.A. Baltensperger. 1991. Heritability estimates for seed yield and seed yield components in bermudagrass. NMSU Agricultural Experimental

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CUTTING EDGE Teresa Carson

Photo by N.C. Flor

Heritability estimates for morphological variation and rust response of Zoysia The most commonly used species of zoysiagrass are Zoysia matrella and Z. japonica, which have differing leaf textures, growth habits and seed head traits. Zoysia japonica has a medium-coarse leaf texture, upright growth and longer seed heads, while Z. matrella has a fner leaf texture, more compact growth habit and shorter seed heads. Hybrids between these species are viable and have been evaluated for improved tolerance to biotic and abiotic stress factors. Heritability values have been estimated in zoysiagrass for coverage, density, quality, genetic color, fall dormancy, seed head density, and limited disease and nematode resistance. Heritability and segregation of other traits have not been estimated for genetic populations of Z. matrella and Z. japonica. Large patch disease development was compared on 50 germplasm lines that were inoculated and incubated in a controlled walk-in chamber.

Nineteen lines with different leaf textures and disease responses were used to develop a genetic population. The narrow-sense heritability of stem and leaf color, leaf texture, growth habit, raceme length and number, foret color and rust response were estimated in progeny from six families. Variation was observed for all traits. Heritability estimates were calculated using ASReml software. High heritability was observed for leaf width, indicating that, in this population, leaf width is mainly infuenced by genetic effects. Moderate heritability estimates were obtained for stem color,

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GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14

fowering initiation and rust response. Relatively low heritability values were obtained for leaf color, growth habit, raceme length and foret color, indicating that these traits, in this population, are infuenced more by environmental factors. Overall, these results indicate that the traits are under genetic control and that improvements can be obtained through hybridization and selection of desirable individuals. — Norma Cristina Flor; Kevin E. Kenworthy, Ph.D.; Philip Harmon, Ph.D.; and Patricio Munoz, University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla.

Shade tolerance evaluation of South African bermudagrass germplasm Bermudagrass (Cynodon species) is one of the most commonly grown turfgrass genera

in the southern United States, having excellent drought tolerance but poor tolerance to shade.

Developing cultivars tolerant to shade would allow bermudagrass to be used in areas where trees dominate the landscape. In this study, nine accessions collected from Pretoria, South Africa, were evaluated for their ability to grow under shade. These accessions and the cultivars Celebration, Tifgrand and Tifway were evaluated under 0%, 63% and 80% shade during 2011-2012. For both years, signifcant differences among shade levels and genotypes, and the interaction of the two, were observed.

As expected, the progression from 0% to 63% to 80% shade reduced normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), percent turfgrass cover and turf quality readings for all accessions. Some genotypes, however, were able to maintain adequate quality and aggressiveness under low-light conditions. Celebration, WIN10F and STIL03 performed better than all other entries under the selected shade treatments (63% and 80%) across both years of the study. Overall, our results indicate that there are promising genotypes among the bermudagrass materials collected from South Africa.

These accessions represent additional sources of shade tolerance to be used in bermudagrass breeding. — Jeffrey C. Dunne and Susana R. Milla-Lewis, Ph.D., North Carolina State University, Raleigh, N.C.

Teresa Carson (tcarson@gcsaa.org) is GCM’s science editor.

Photo by S.R. Milla-Lewis

GCSAA Education Conference | Trade Show | GCSAA Golf Championships

See You in

San Antonio!

Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center February 21-26, 2015

golfndustryshow.com

(verdure)

Please go away — you are a perennial problem Beth Guertal, Ph.D. guertea@auburn.edu twitter: @AUTurfFert

Knowing the environment in which Poa germinates is important, because that information is directly linked to the effectiveness of a pre-emergent herbicide program.

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GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14

This month we are going to get into the weeds. That is, into the common winter annual weed, annual bluegrass (Poa annua species).

The problem: Is Poa annua truly an annual, or are there other species out there, populations that express themselves in a perennial nature?

First hints of this were mentioned in research from 1957, and the concept of perennial Poa was frmly established in 1971 by Vic Gibeault, Ph.D., who clearly showed that perennial Poa varieties are more prostrate, darker green, have few seedheads and produce seed that do not require a dormancy period. So we now recognize Poa annua var. annua (annual type), and Poa annua var. reptans (perennial type).

But it’s not just one or the other. A wide variety of Poa varieties are trotting around the southeastern United States, some of a completely perennial nature, some that are true annuals, and a whole bunch that occupy some “in-between” state of quasi-perennial.

The excellent turfgrass weed scientists at Auburn (Scott McElroy, Ph.D., and R.H. Walker, Ph.D.) decided to collect a batch of them and look at how environmental cues (temperature and photoperiod) affect seed germination.

Knowing the environment in which Poa germinates is important, because that environment is directly linked to the effectiveness of a pre-emergent herbicide program.

McElroy collected eight annual bluegrass ecotypes (an ecotype would be a particular Poa annua that is adapted to a specifc environment) from various golf course fairways and putting greens. These ecotypes varied widely in appearance, with some thought to be a “suspected perennial” and others of an “annual nature.” Seeds were collected from all the plants and then used for the laboratory germination studies.

Six photoperiods (0/24, 8/16, 10/14, 12/12, 14/10, and 18/6 hours day/night) and three temperature regimes (102 F/84 F, 84 F/66 F and 66 F/50 F [39 C/29 C, 29 C/19 C, and 19 C/10 C] day/night) were evaluated. These were all evaluated as combinations, so there were six photoperiods × three day/night temperatures × eight Poa annua ecotypes, a total of 144 treatments in the study. The entire experiment was

done twice. Collected data was the number of germinated seed after three weeks.

So what did they fnd? First, maximum germination in all annual bluegrasses was found at the 66 F/50 F day/night temperatures. Second, as the day/night temperatures increased, germination decreased, but the degree to which germination was affected varied with the annual bluegrass ecotype. The perennial or “suspected perennial” annual bluegrasses had better germination at 84 F/66 F day/night temperatures (~86 percent), while the germination of the annual ecotypes was lower (79 percent). At the highest temperature range (102 F/84 F day/ night), 1 percent to 8 percent of the annual bluegrass germinated, and one perennial type had around 20 percent germination. Thus, some of the selected annual bluegrass did not behave at all like a cool-season annual and germinated at temperatures previously thought of as too hot.

The response of the annual bluegrass to photoperiod was not as clear-cut. In fact, there was no strong trend of increasing or decreasing germination as the hours of day/night were varied. The one distinct fnding was that complete darkness did not inhibit germination. Across all the annual bluegrass ecotypes, average percent germination in complete darkness was 57 percent. The authors noted that some researchers have suggested that a dense turfgrass canopy can prevent annual bluegrass germination. McElroy and his co-authors have shown that reduced light from the turf canopy does not limit P. annua germination, but the dense canopy may be useful in creating seedling competition (the creeping bentgrass will crowd out Poa seedlings).

Source: McElroy, J.S., R.H. Walker, G.R. Wehtje and E. van Santen. 2004. Annual bluegrass (Poa annua) populations exhibit variation in germination response to temperature, photoperiod and fenarimol. Weed Science 52:47-52.

Beth Guertal, Ph.D., is a professor in the department of agronomy and soils at Auburn University in Auburn, Ala., and the incoming editor-in-chief for the Agronomy Society of America. She is a 17-year member of GCSAA.

(Product news)

Dry Spot

CURE Tournament-Ready Plus with Actosol from Underhill International is made to help prevent and cure localized dry spots in hydrophobic soils on golf courses. The soil surfactant pellets help allow more effcient irrigation coverage and reduces hand watering. Hydrophobic soils repel water and do not allow it to infltrate down to the root zones, causing dry patchy areas. The pellets are used to supplement turf that has poor moisture-holding capacity by increasing water absorption onto soil particles.

Contact Underhill International, 949-305-7050 (www.underhill.us).

Worksaver Worksaver introduced two new grapples — MGU48 and MGB/G-48, designed for mini skid steers/ compact tool carriers. These grapples consistently deliver high performance while offering a low cost of ownership, the company says. Model MGU-48 is designed to ft any unit with the universal mini mount while Model MGB/G-48 is designed to ft the Bobcat MT-series and the Gehl 1640E. Overall unit width of both models is 48 inches.

Worksaver also is unveiling a heavy-duty weld-on skid steer plate (WSP-HD) to complement the standard duty WSP. The plate offers users versatility when converting attachments and features an added cutout for increased welding surface. Contact Worksaver Inc., 217-324-5973 (www.worksaver.com).

Ace Torwel’s Economizer Gas-OverHydraulic Pickup Truck Spreaders has received improvements. A new optional swing-up spinner chute makes unloading quick and easy, along with making the cleaning process more effcient and complete. Tipping up the spinner chute also allows for easy trailer hitch access. Performance advancements target more effcient, reliable snow and ice control in 1.3-, 1.7-, 2.5- and 3.0-cubic-yard models. Contact Ace Torwel, 800-2259415 (www.acetorwel.com).

Agriguard Co. is offering a 2014 fall bonus. To promote fall nematode protection, Agriguard announced it is offering a bonus of 2.5 gallons of MultiGuard Protect free, along with each 10 gallons purchased.

Curtis Industries launched its Heavy Duty Utility Vehicle Plow. It is powder-coated for corrosion resistance and painted in a polished, color-complementing silver-gray fnish. The plow features a 72-inch-wide by 19-inch-high adjustable full-trip moldboard with 6-inch double-sided cutting edge for longer life. It is designed with a 48-inch trip frame and heavy-duty springs to protect the plow and vehicle from ground obstructions. Contact Curtis Industries, 505-853-2200 (www.curtiscab.com).

SDI BL 1 Boom Leveler from Spraying Devices automatically keeps your boom wings at a consistent height regardless of the slope of the turf below. The operator simply selects automatic on the control panel and the system takes over from there. When the application is complete, the technician can switch back to manual operation and is ready to move to the next site. Contact Spraying Devices, 800-564-7548 (www.sprayingdevices.com).

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Curtis

Caterpillar This program is valid now through Dec. 5, 2014. Contact Agriguard, 908-272-7070 (www.multiguardprotect.com).

Caterpillar’s Cat E2 Series Mini Hydraulic Excavators — 303.5E2, 304E2, 305E2, 305.5E2 and 308E2 — are being produced at Caterpillar’s new 850,000-square-foot facility in Athens, Ga., and will also use the new High Defnition Hydraulic System (HDH). The E2 models are designed to carry on the solid performance of their E Series predecessor while adding even greater value to the customer. For example, the HDH System in the E2 machines provides a load-sensing and fow-sharing capability leading to operational precision, effcient performance and greater controllability. All the E2 series models are equipped with the digital control panel specially designed for Cat Mini Excavators. Contact Caterpillar, (www.cat.com).

Registered in Highspeed Group launched its third ClearWater video. Clearwater is designed specifcally to save valuable water, enable compliance with current anti-pollution leigislation, including the EU water Framework Directive, and provide effcient and effective wash-off. ClearWater is approved as a Water Saving Technology in the United Kingdom.

Contact Highspeed Group Ltd., (www.highspeed.co.uk).

CALI Bayer CropScience announced that Tribute Total now is registered for use in California. Tribute Total is a post-emergent herbicide that delivers broad spectrum control in one complete solution to help lawn care professionals and golf course superintendents selectively remove the most troublesome grassy and broadleaf weeds, sedges and kyllingas.

Approved for use in bermudagrass and zoysiagrass, Tribute Total is effective against 55 grassy and broadleaf weeds, including goosegrass and clumpy rye. Contact Bayer CropScience, 866-992-2937 (www.bayercropscience.us).

Spray Hound

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Turf Pride unveiled the Spray Hound (pictured on Page 85). It is constructed with aluminum and stainless steel components, equipped with speedometer and handgun-style controls and is designed to apply chemicals accurately. Also, Turf Pride announced that it has completed its acquisition of the tooling to begin manufacturing the TriDeck PTO tow-behind rotary mower. Originally developed and introduced by Bush Hog Turf, then made in following years by Locke Turf and Gravely, the FP-3132 had become a popular fnish mower. Contact Turf Pride, 800-426-3634 (www.turfprideusa.com).

Dow AgroSciences’ XXpire WG insecticide is now available for purchase and use in 48 states. XXpire is an ornamental insecticide with two new active ingredients that control both chewing and sap-feeding insects. It combines spinetoram and Isoclast Active, a brandnew class of insecticide chemistry, and is effective on 39 pests, including seven of the top 10 most troublesome ornamental insects. Available for use in nurseries, greenhouses and non-residential landscapes, this chemistry offers two modes of action and provides excellent knockdown, the company says. Isoclast is a recently registered active ingredient and the sole member of the sulfoximine class of insect control agents. Spinetoram is a spinosyn insecticide that offers good insecticidal activity and long residual effect. Also, Dow AgroSciences announced that Gallery SC specialty herbicide, a new and convenient liquid formulation, is now available in 49 states. The concentrate formula provides plant tolerance and long-lasting pre-emergence control of more than 95 species of broadleaf weeds. Contact Dow AgroSciences, 800-255-3726 (www. dowprovesit.com).

Stens Corp. is celebrating its 45th anniversary and has announced 2015 as the Stens “Year of the Customer.” Stens’ new catalog includes many pictures, comments and testimonials from their customers as well as pictures of Stens employees.

Stens says it plans to announce numerous additions to their product lineup, including new True Blue fuel-line maintenance kit additions, additional mower blades, new belts for unique and hard-to-fnd sizes and new Stens cart&course-branded golf cart accessories. Contact Stens, 800-4577444 (www.stens.com).

The Propane Education & Research Council (PERC) is in the process of releasing Straight Talk, an online video case study series featuring interviews with landscapers across the country about their experiences using clean, American-made propane. Each of the six Straight Talk videos features a different landscape contractor or feet manager discussing how propane meets business needs. The videos were shot on location and document propane’s benefts, which PERC says include faster return on investment, fuel savings, reduced maintenance and pilferage and ease of refueling.

Contact PERC, (www.propanecouncil.org).

PLATINUM PARTNERS

GOLD PARTNERS

SILVER PARTNERS

Golf GameBook released a free iOS app that features updates, giving users the ability to rate golf courses, compare scoring stats and browse photos from all past games. Contact Golf GameBook (www.golfgamebook.com).

KOCH AGRONOMIC SERVICES, LLC

NK Technologies’ ATH Series Current Transducers with time integration now accommodate 120 VAC power supplies for use in heatermonitoring applications. Solid-core case ATH current transducers are compatible with most automation systems and are ideal for monitoring burst-fred timeproportional control of heating systems.

Contact NK Technologies, 800-959-4014 (www.nktechnologies.com).

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GOLD PARTNERS

GOLD PARTNER

Partner Recognition Program Grounded in the turf industry.

With over 90 years of experience in the turf maintenance industry, Jacobsen has built a legacy of precision craftsmanship, legendary quality-of-cut and a history of innovation. With a singular focus on helping our customers achieve perfectly groomed, healthy turf, Jacobsen equipment maintains some of the fnest golf courses, sports felds and formal turf areas around the world.

Innovations that Go Well Beyond Cut Jacobsen’s legendary quality-of-cut means more than just precisely trimmed turf. We believe in developing innovative technologies that make our machines better for the natural environment and customizable for individual course needs—all while delivering a better total cost of ownership.

Our commitment to innovation can be seen in the revolutionary Jacobsen Eclipse 322 riding greens mower. Completely hydraulic free with intuitive controls and easy accessibility, this riding greens mower allows you to program your frequency-ofclip, mow speed, transport speed and other settings through a password-protected menu. Change your settings as course conditions change throughout the year.

Quality that Speaks for Itself Since 1921, one thing has remained the same at Jacobsen—a focus on quality. We take a “quality comes frst” mentality with everything we do. Our engineers are focused on designs that perform and last. Our manufacturing processes have built-in quality checks. The parts and components we use must meet high standards for performance and reliability. And our products must meet rigorous testing standards. This focus on quality behind the scenes has resulted in Jacobsen’s legendary reputation for quality on the course.

Guided by the Environment The environment is the cornerstone of our business, and we continue to design equipment that uses less fuel and minimizes or eliminates hazardous waste. Jacobsen developed the industry’s frst electric mower and has become the industry leader in electric and hybrid technologies. As a proud supporter of the Environmental Institute of Golf, we are squarely focused on achieving a more sustainable approach to golf facility management.

A Partner in Progress As part of our commitment to the turf maintenance industry, Jacobsen is proud to be a Gold-level sponsor of the GCSAA. As we continue engineering new technologies and equipment that deliver proven results without sacrifcing the health of the environment, we applaud partners like the GCSAA who help us push the envelope and grow the industry we serve.

(Industry news)

Brand

AMBASSADOR Yamaha Golf-Car Co. and golfer Lee Trevino agreed to extend his role as Yamaha’s international brand ambassador and company spokesman through 2015. The timing of the announcement coincides with the launch of a broad-reaching new marketing campaign that features Trevino in a series of print, broadcast and Web-based advertisements showcasing Yamaha’s proprietary Electronic Fuel Injection technology (EFI) in its gas-powered cars.

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First Green, an innovative program using golf courses as environmental learning labs, held workshops at the Teacher Excellence Day 2014 in two locations in Washington: Bishop Blanchet High School in Seattle and Bellarmine High School in Tacoma. Sponsored by the Archdiocese of Seattle, the conference is a professional development program for teachers and administrators at Catholic schools. This is the fourth year that the First Green participated. In the workshops, teachers experience hands-on learning lab topics such as Math on the Golf Course, Soil Testing, and Water Quality and Conservation.

Floratine Products Group received an invitation to speak at the White House. Floratine, a manufacturer and worldwide distributor of advanced foliar and soil-based turfgrass solutions, was honored with a visit from Fred P. Hochberg, chairman and president of the Export-Import Bank (Ex-Im) of the U.S., who also invited Floratine to speak at the White House on behalf of Ex-Im Bank. Hochberg toured the Floratine corporate offce and manufacturing facility in Collierville, Tenn., alongside Floratine co-owner and vice president Mike Cavanaugh and other members of the Floratine executive team.

Since Hochberg’s instatement, Ex-Im Bank has supported more than 205,000 jobs with 3,400 U.S. companies, including Floratine. Every fve years, Congress meets to reauthorize the Ex-Im Bank charter. Floratine, a U.S.-based corporation that distributes foliar nutrition technologies to major golf markets in more than 35 countries, has been working with Ex-Im Bank since they began distributing internationally. Cavanaugh spoke on the subject at the White House in support of renewing the charter. “Working with the Ex-Im Bank allows us to keep our manufacturing processes here in the U.S. while continuing to conduct business globally,” Cavanaugh says. “They have supported thousands of jobs in the U.S. To cancel that charter now would be detrimental.”

Floratine

Troon, a company in upscale golf course management, development and marketing, partnered with Hot Springs Village and its eight courses located within the amenity-flled Arkansas community.

Lon Records was named chief executive offcer for Agri-Turf Distributing. Records’ industry ties date back more than three decades to when he began his career as a sales representative for Chevron (Ortho) before joining Target Specialty Products, where he served as president until 2012. Records is co-chair of the California Agricultural Commissioners and Sealers Associates.

The Canadian Golf Superintendents Association (CGSA) and Bayer announced a new sponsorship arrangement that will provide golf course turf managers across the country with greater program access, infuence in product development, new information resources, educational opportunities and recognition for the golf course management profession. Starting immediately, Bayer is providing support and funding for a variety of initiatives aimed at assisting the members of CGSA in maintaining their occupational requirements and ensuring that the industry is cognizant of the value of these professionals to the turf management industry and the business of golf.

The Canadian Golf Course Superintendents Association (CGSA) and The Toro Co. reached an agreement on a new sponsorship for the CGSA Toro Future Superintendent of the Year award. For the next three years, Toro will provide fnancial support for the award program that will include participation by the recipient in the annual CGSA Canadian International

Hot Springs Village Turfgrass Conference and Trade Show as well as a visit to Toro’s world headquarters in Bloomington, Minn.

Eddie Keeven Jr. was appointed president of Turfgrass Producers International (TPI). Keeven and his family have been active members of TPI for more than three decades. During that time, his father Ed Keeven Sr. and his brother Tom both served on the TPI board. In fact, Tom was TPI’s president in 2001-02.

Turfgrass Producers International (TPI) announced the names of three

Michael Kubinec was named vice president for Macro-Sorb Technologies. He also is serving as vice president of Macro-Sorb’s sister company, SMS Additive Solutions, a New Jersey-based company offering a wide variety of soil surfactants, spray adjuvants and tank-mix additives. Kubinec is leading

students who were recipients of scholarships from the Dr. Henry W. Indyk Scholarship Program administered by the Lawn Institute. This year, the Lawn Institute awarded $5,500 in scholarships to Cody Anderson, who will attend Purdue University, where he plans to major in agribusiness and carry a minor in farm management; Molly Maroney, who will attend Texas A&M, where she plans to major in agriculture/agribusiness and minor in public relations; and Taylor Thompson, who has been accepted at Purdue, where she plans to pursue a degree in education. The scholarship honors one of the founding fathers of TPI while demonstrating TPI’s commitment to education and offering a valuable member beneft.

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all operational activities for both companies. He is managing sales, distribution, marketing, research and new product development for Macro-Sorb’s complete line of amino acid-based products for turf and agricultural uses, as well as the full SMS line of products. Most recently, Kubinec was director of commercial operations for Plant Health Care Inc.

training classes are eligible to receive continuing education units from the Irrigation Association. Rain Bird Training Services offers two primary types of training tracks designed to help irrigation professionals enhance their skill sets and improve their career prospects. To learn more, call 800498-1942 or visit www.rainbirdservices. com/training.

Tom Cromwell, president of Kohler Engines since 2009, has assumed responsibility for Kohler’s worldwide power operations, reporting directly to David Kohler, president and chief operating offcer. Cromwell is providing strategic and operational leadership for the group’s engines and power systems businesses worldwide. He is responsible for driving the growth and proftability of the Power Group businesses, consisting of Kohler Power Systems, SDMO Power Systems, UPSL, Kohler Engines and Lombardini.

Saddle Creek Resort in the Sierra Nevada foothills of Calaveras County has reduced irrigation of its golf course by 40 percent, saving 400,000 gallons of water daily since June. Adjustments that were made to turf care practices include concentrating irrigation efforts on tees, fairways and greens; watering the rough at a greatly reduced rate; and limiting many 360-degree sprinkler heads to making 180-degree turns.

To celebrate its 60th anniversary, E-ZGO is offering what it calls a once-ina-lifetime golf experience for one lucky winner and three friends. The E-Z-GO Diamond Golf Getaway will take the winner and three friends to round out his or her foursome on an expensespaid trip to play their choice among a selection of renowned golf courses, including Pebble Beach Golf Links, Pinehurst No. 2, Sea Island Golf Club or a course along Alabama’s famed Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail. The prize includes a round of golf for four at the course of the winner’s choosing plus frst-class airfare and luxury accommodations for four during the trip. To enter the contest, participants are asked to take a short, fun, online quiz at www.diamondgolfgetaway.com that matches their golf skills and vacation preferences with one of the four ultimate golf experiences. People also can take the quiz via Facebook at www.facebook.com/4ezgo. Participants also can enter the contest by visiting their local E-Z-GO authorized dealer or via postcard entry. Each entrant can enter the contest up to four times. The promotion ends Dec. 31, 2014.

Rain Bird Training Services is hosting more than 80 irrigation training events throughout the U.S. through May 2015. These classes are open to irrigation professionals at all experience levels, including contractors, distributors, designers and architects. Those who attend Rain Bird

Super-Sod, a division of Patten Seed Co., purchased Perfect Turf Farm in Robersonville, N.C. Located two hours from Raleigh, Super-Sod acquired the 250-acre turf farm to meet the demands of their Raleigh customers, both professional landscapers and DIY homeowners.

Jeff Gibbs is continuing as farm manager for the former Perfect Turf Farm.

The Irrigation Association board of directors announced that Rain Bird Corp. has upgraded to the highest level of IA membership: platinum. Rain Bird’s investment will help the association implement its revised strategic plan, adopted by the IA board in September 2013. The new plan focuses on changing the public perception of irrigation by developing standards and regulations and educating frontline irrigation professionals. Platinum membership provides expanded benefts, including increased industry exposure through IA’s media channels and exclusive marketing and advertising discounts.

The Irrigation Association partnered with the California Polytechnic State University’s Irrigation Training & Research Center to offer a series of online courses. Each new course qualifes for continuing education units. Topics include basic soil-plant-water relationships, distribution uniformity and precipitation rate, and evapotranspiration.

The Tree Care Industry Association announced it has received a

federal grant in the amount of $139,528 from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

The grant was awarded through the Susan Harwood Training Grant Program, which provides grants to fund education and training for workers and employers to help them recognize workplace safety and health hazards, implement injury and illness prevention measures, and inform them of their rights and responsibilities.

NK Technologies successfully completed the ISO-9001/ISO14001 Recertifcation Audit of its quality assurance and environmental management systems. The systems have been consolidated in order to provide for effciencies in managing both systems collectively versus separately.

Jutta Pils, Ph.D., was hired at Aquatrols as the new director of research and development. Pils has spent the last nine years working in crop protection with DuPont, leading teams in the U.S. and abroad while overseeing the launch of several new products and technologies.

Mark Hoesing returned to Kem-

perSports to serve as senior vice president of operations supporting the eastern region. Hoesing originally joined KemperSports in 1999. He helped launch nine new properties, including Chambers Bay, host of the 2015 U.S. Open. In 2012, he left the company to pursue a job outside of the golf industry.

Dick Gianferante, former director of sales and marketing for Golfbuddy, was promoted to general manager at Deca International Corp.

Gianferante has served as vice president of sales for MacGregor Golf and senior director of sales at Bridgestone Golf Co. The Country Club at DC Ranch in Scottsdale, Ariz., underwent greenside bunker renovations. In all, 35 greenside bunkers were totally restored and further enhanced with the implementation of a hybrid sand mix of Augusta White from the Black Hills of Coachella Valley and Arizona Pit from the Agua Fria/ Salt River area.

Fallen Oak, recently renovated, reopened in September. Original course architect Tom Fazio oversaw renovations,

which involved regular infrastructure maintenance as well as strategic improvements to enhance the golf experience at the course in Saucier, Miss.

exempt solvent, is the latest commercial addition to Elevance’s growing portfolio of renewable, high-performance products.

Aquatrols Corporation of America announced its continued support of the Fluid Fertilizer Foundation, the research education arm of the fuid fertilizer industry. Founded in 1982, the foundation is a nonproft organization that provides research and educational funding for continued improvement in the application and effciency of fuid fertilizers.

Troon announced it launched the Troon Junior Club, an initiative that builds upon the success of the Troon Family Golf program by creating a membership-based club that provides even greater access to Troon facilities for junior golfers.

Elevance Renewable Sciences announced a collaboration with E-360 that offers expanded customer support and service capabilities for Elevance Clean 1200 customers. Elevance Clean 1200, a degreasing and VOC-

Pe n n Stat e | On l i n e The Industry is changing.

Education is more important than ever.

Whatever your career goals, the World Campus has a turfgrass program to set you apart from the rest: Master of Professional Studies in Turfgrass Science Bachelor of Science in Turfgrass Science Associate in Science in Turfgrass Science and Management Advanced Certifcate in Turfgrass Management Basic Certifcate in Turfgrass Management Stay on the job while you earn your degree or certifcate.

Flexible, convenient, entirely online

For more information, visit www.worldcampus.psu.edu/GCM 14-0145/14-WC-0218bkh/sss

(photo quiz answers)

By John Mascaro President of Turf-Tec International

(a) PROBLEM The area that is void of Poa seedheads on this golf course fairway on Long Island is the result of a repair. The area in the right of the photo on this fairway had been problematic, thanks to high traffc and poor soil. After a small construction project on another part of the course, the superintendent decided to use some leftover bentgrass sod from that project to improve this area.

After stripping the existing sod from the problem spot, they amended the soil and resodded the area with the leftover bentgrass. As many of you who deal with Poa know, seedhead issues on fairways are usually short lived and can be somewhat managed with growth regulators and a well-timed mowing.

However, an unusually cold winter had thrown off the normal spring application dates for growth regulator, which would have suppressed the seedhead production on this course. As shown in the photo, the bentgrass sod had no seedheads and the remainder of the fairway looked like the photo. The area was mowed as usual and was also verticut to speed the process along.

Photo submitted by Lucas Knutson, the superintendent at Rockville Links Club in Rockville Centre, N.Y., and a nine-year GCSAA member.

(b) PROBLEM We’re not highlighting the trees on this golf course lake bank because they are a problem. Instead, we’re showcasing them because they are a gift from nature, with a little help from a local landscaping company. This golf course located on Oahu was constructed close to the coast, and the lakes are part of a large stormwater retention area designed to withstand a 100-year storm.

In the initial land-clearing phases of the project in 2007, which converted this area from agricultural land to a golf course, the lakes were dug and, as in most new lake construction, erosion control socks were used to contain and stabilize the SeaDwarf paspalum turfgrass on the lake banks. Since the erosion control socks were apparently flled with recycled landscaping debris, several of the socks also contained Washingtonian fan palm tree debris and, apparently, seeds. With the socks very close to fresh water, the seeds germinated and grew. The superintendent recognized the possible bounty of some free trees and allowed them to continue to grow on the lake bank. Now, seven years later, when they need a tree, they simply remove it from these areas and use them on other areas of the course. To date, they have transplanted 12 of the volunteer trees.

Thanks to Kalani Voeller, superintendent at Hoakalei Country Club at Hoakalei Resort in Ewa Beach, Hawaii, and a 23-year member of GCSAA, for allowing me to take this photo.

If you would like to submit a photograph for John Mascaro’s Photo Quiz, please send it to: John Mascaro, 1471 Capital Circle NW, Suite #13, Tallahassee, FL 32303, or e-mail to john@turf-tec.com.

If your photograph is selected, you will receive full credit. All photos submitted will become property of GCM and GCSAA.

Presented in partnership with Jacobsen

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GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14

5 COURSES. 81 TOTAL HOLES. 365 DAYS A YEAR.

ONE BRAND OF TURF EQUIPMENT

To keep its 81 holes of world-class golf in flawless 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 five 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 find a Jacobsen dealer near you, visit jacobsen.com.

.

1.888.922.TURF | www.jacobsen.com 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. ©2014 Jacobsen division of Textron. All rights reserved.

MEMBERS ONLY ON COURSE Nov. 6-9 — PGA Tour, Sanderson Farms Championship, Country Club of Jackson, Jackson, Miss., Stanley Reedy, CGCS.

(Climbing the ladder)

Nov. 6-9 — PGA Tour, World Golf

Eric Lewellen Was: Is:

Student, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, Calif.

Assistant superintendent, The Course at Wente Vineyards, Livermore, Calif.

Getting to know you As a youth in California, Eric Lewellen’s family lived on 3 acres. He certainly made good use of the land. Lewellen grew fond of being outdoors; much of his time focused on his own garden that he oversaw on the property. “I loved plants. I had tomatoes, corn, lettuce, things like that,” Lewellen says. Life lessons were a byproduct of the experience. “I really enjoyed being able to plant something, nurture it, take care of it, see it grow up from just a little seed. It helped give me a strong work ethic,” Lewellen says.

Q: What is it like working at Wente Vineyards?

A: This piece of real estate is awesome. We have three (wine) tasting rooms and a restaurant. We take care of the landscaping around it.

Q: Any perks to the job?

A: Fifty percent off their wine.

Nov. 13-16 — PGA Tour, OHL Classic at Mayakoba, El Camaleon, Playa del Carmen, Mexico.

Nov. 13-16 — LPGA, Lorena Ochoa Invitational presented by Banamex, Club de Golf, Mexico.

Nov. 13-16 — European Tour, Turkish Airlines Open by the Ministry of Youth and Sport, The Montgomerie Maxx Royal, Antalya.

Nov. 20-23 — LPGA, CME Group Tour Championship, Tiburon Golf Club, Naples, Fla., Kirk Richmond, superintendent.

Nov. 20-23 — European Tour, DP World Tour Championship, Jumeirah Golf Estates, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Nov. 4 — Environmental Seminar,

Q: What advice would you give to a college student who is preparing to enter the job market?

A: It’s never too early to start applying. Start communicating with golf clubs, network, volunteer for events, talk to the big dogs. I visited Paul Cushing (golf course operations and maintenance manager and 24-year GCSAA member) at Torrey Pines in January. He said to start applying now (Lewellen graduated in June; he began his job June 23 at Wente Vineyards).

Q: What is your ultimate goal?

A: To own a golf course. It’s not for the money. I just want to go out on the golf course every night and enjoy it. It would be my big garden.

— Howard Richman, GCM associate editor

GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14

Nov. 7-9 — LPGA, Mizuno Classic, Kintesu Kashi Kojima Country Club, Shimos-Shi, Mie, Japan.

COMING UP

Q: What do you enjoy most about your job?

A: Water management. I really like riding the line of too dry and not enough water. I like to ride our golf course a little dry, which is helpful in this drought situation we are encountering.

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Championship-HSBC Champions, Sheshan International Golf Club, Shanghai, China.

Oregon Golf Club, West Linn, Ore. Phone: 877-375-1330 Website: www.ogcsa.org

Nov. 5 — GCSAA Webcast: Developing engaging presentations in half the time, Rick Capozzi Contact: GCSAA Education Phone: 800-472-7878 Website: www.gcsaa.org/education/ webcasts.aspx Nov. 5 — Eastern Shore Fall Turf Conference, Links at Lighthouse Sound, Ocean City, Md. Website: www.esagcs.org

Nov. 6 — Seven Rivers GCSA Annual Toys for Tots Fundraiser, Juliette Falls Golf Club, Dunnellon, Fla. Phone: 800-732-6053 Website: www.foridagcsa.com

Dec. 3-4 — Wisconsin Golf Symposium Phone: 920-643-4888 Website: www.wgcsa.com

Dec. 4 — Iowa GCSA Seminar, Nov. 6 — GCSAA Webcast: Pace of Play: What you can and can’t control, Steve Southard, CGCS Contact: GCSAA Education Phone: 800-472-7878 Website: www.gcsaa.org/education/ webcasts.aspx

Nov. 11 — Midwest Turf Clinic, Medinah Country Club, Medinah, Ill. Phone: 630-243-7900 Website: www.magcs.org

Otter Creek GC, Ankeny.

Phone: 515-635-0306 Website: www.iowagcsa.org

Dec. 4 — GCSAA Webcast: Science and perception: Communicating environmental issues with a scientifcally semi-literate society, John Stier, Ph.D. Contact: GCSAA Education Phone: 800-472-7878 Website: www.gcsaa.org/education/ webcasts.aspx

Nov. 13 — GCSAA Webcast: Niche applications of warm-season grasses in the northern tier of the Transition Zone, Steve McDonald Contact: GCSAA Education Phone: 800-472-7878 Website: www.gcsaa.org/education/ webcasts.aspx

Nov. 18-19 — Carolinas GCSA Annual Trade Show, Myrtle Beach Convention Center, Myrtle Beach, S.C. Phone: 800-476-4272 Website: www.carolinasgcsa.org

Nov. 19 — GCSAA Webcast: Increase the precision of your nitrogen application, Bill Kresuer, Ph.D. Contact: GCSAA Education Phone: 800-472-7878 Website: www.gcsaa.org/education/ webcasts.aspx Dec. 1 — Central Texas GCSA Toy Drive, Hyatt Bastrop, Cedar Creek, Texas.

Phone: 210-413-3045 Website: www.ctgcsa.org Dec. 2-4 — Kansas Turfgrass Conference, Topeka, Kan. Phone: 785-532-6173 Website: www.kgcsa.org

Dec. 3-4 — Pest Management Seminar, Oregon Convention Center, Portland.

Phone: 877-375-1330 Website: www.ogcsa.org

Dec. 8 — Duff Shaw Classic, North Ranch CC, Thousand Oaks, Calif.

Phone: 310-528-0723 Email: cyndy@cmnsupt.com Website: www.gcsasc.org Dec. 9-11 — Ohio Turfgrass Conference and Show, Khalahari, Sandusky, Ohio.

Website: www.cogcsa.org

Dec. 10 — GCSAA Webcast: Legume inclusion: A path toward greener golf course management, Jay McCurdy, Ph.D. Contact: GCSAA Education Phone: 800-472-7878 Website: www.gcsaa.org/education/ webcasts.aspx

Dec. 15-17 — Washington Turf and Landscape Show, Meydenbauer Center, Bellevue.

Phone: 253-219-8360 Website: www.wwgcsa.org

Dec. 18 — GCSAA Webcast: From the trenches to the trencher: Leadership transition, Roch Gaussoin, Ph.D. Contact: GCSAA Education Phone: 800-472-7878 Website: www.gcsaa.org/education/ webcasts.aspx

Jan. 13-16 — Sports Turf Managers Association 26th annual Conference & Exhibition, Colorado Convention Center, Denver Phone: 800-323-3875 Website: www.stma.org

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(In the field)

Florida Ralph Dain I can’t get the song “Deep in the Heart of Texas” out of my head: “The stars at night are big and bright, deep in the heart of Texas.” After having recently visited San Antonio, Texas, I have to tell you I am thrilled with the host city for the 2015 Golf Industry Show. San Antonio may well be one of the most delightful locations we visit. The area immediately surrounding the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center is welcoming and clean with the added allure of the city’s River Walk, along which attendees will find an abundance of dining opportunities, as well as shops and some amazing cypress trees and gardens. Once at the convention center, attendees will be just as impressed with the facilities here. The ballrooms are well equipped to facilitate our large event sessions. The classrooms and lobby areas are as striking as the rest of the city. When the trade show floor is open, attendees and exhibitors alike will be impressed with the spaciousness provided. During my visit to San Antonio, I did not have the chance to make it out to the golf courses hosting the GCSAA Golf Championships, but Brian Cloud, field staff representative for the South Central region noted that the courses are just as impressive in person as they are on the website. I know I probably sound like I am taking a paycheck from the San Antonio visitors’ bureau, but my experience there truly heightened my eagerness to return for the Golf Industry Show, Feb. 21-26, 2015. I know I am fixin’ to be “Where Big Things Happen,” but more importantly will I be seeing you deep in the heart of Texas? I surely hope you don’t miss out on this great city and the numerous offerings GCSAA has in store for you!

Southwest Jeff Jensen

The University of California Riverside (UCR) turfgrass and landscape program recently held its 2014 Research Field Day. More than 225 golf and landscape professionals attended the full-day event to learn about the world-class research activities conducted at UCR. Headed by Jim Baird, Ph.D., turfgrass specialist at UCR, the day provided a synopsis of UCR’s current research activities and featured numerous tours through state-of-the-art research areas designed to study water and salinity management issues on turf and landscapes. Some of the highlights of the day included the evaluation of natural and hybrid turf for water conservation; drought tolerance of turfgrass species and cultivars; evaluation of fertilizer products under deficit irrigation; evaluation of products for alleviation of salinity and drought stress; evaluation of fungicides for control of anthracnose; nematode control and management of kikuyugrass under deficit irrigation using wetting agents and herbicides. New to the field day this year was the UCR turfgrass breeding project. The objective of the program is to develop cultivars with improved drought, heat and salt tolerance, as well as winter color retention. I found the breeding project to be of great interest and look forward to seeing its progress in the coming years. The UC Riverside turfgrass research facility and program, funded in part by the California Turfgrass & Landscape Foundation (under the executive leadership of GCSAA Past President Bruce Williams, CGCS) currently provides the only university-based turf research in the state of California. On behalf of the California GCSA Chapters, thanks to Dr. Baird and his team for a research program that meets the interests and continuing needs of the golf industry. To learn more about the field day, visit the website at http://ucanr.org/ sites/turfgrassfieldday.

For the latest blog posts from all of GCSAA’s feld staff representatives, visit www.gcsaa.org/ community/regions.aspx.

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GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14

Jan. 14-16 — Northern Green Expo, Minneapolis Convention Center, Minneapolis, Minn.

Phone: 888-886-6652 Email: mary@northerngreenexpo.org

Jan. 21-23 — Georgia Green Industry Association (GGIA) Horticulture Conference & Trade Show, Gwinnett Center, Duluth, Ga. Phone: 706-632-0100 Email: Jennifer@ggia.org Website: www.ggia.org

Jan. 26 — GCSACC Winter Educational Symposium, Rancho San Marcos Golf Club, Santa Barbara, Calif.

Phone: 559-298-4853 Email: gcsacc@aol.com Website: www.centralcaliforniagcsa.com

Jan. 28-30 — 2015 Ontario Golf Course Management Conference & Trade Show, Scotiabank Convention Centre & Marriott Gateway Hotel, Niagara Falls, Ont. Website: www.ogsa.ca — To learn if you can receive education points for any of these upcoming programs, visit the External Education Listings in the education section at www.gcsaa.org/ education/externaled/current.aspx.

— We want to know about your event in advance. To submit an entry for “Coming up,” please send your information fve to six months before you’d like to see it in the magazine. We run event information for three months. Send a contact name if all details are not fnal. Contact Golf Course Management, Attention: Coming Up, 1421 Research Park Drive, Lawrence, KS 66049-3859; 785-832-3638; fax: 785832-3665; email: hrichman@gcsaa.org.

NEWLY CERTIFIED Joey G. Franco Jr., CGCS, Brookstone Country Club, Acworth, Ga. Ryan K. Wulff, CGCS, Sunriver ResortWoodlands Course, Bend, Ore.

ON THE MOVE CALIFORNIA David T. Gutierrez, formerly (C) at The Lakes Country Club, is now (C) at El Camino Country Club in Oceanside.

Mark M. Licon, formerly (A) at Soboba Springs Country Club, is now (A) at Links at Summerly in Lake Elsinore.

Vince Zellefrow, formerly (A) at Marbella Country Club, is now (A) at El Camino Country Club in Oceanside.

FLORIDA Gene E. Contino II, formerly (A) at Grand Cypress Resort, is now (A) at Belle Glade Country Club in The Villages.

Douglas B. Cunefare, formerly (A) at Hunter Pope Country Club, is now (A) at Ponte Vedra Golf and Country Club at Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach.

Kate Foster, formerly (S) at University of Tennessee, is now (C) at Audubon Country Club in Naples.

Michael D. Gwaltney, formerly (Supt.

Mbr.) at Stonegate Golf Club, is now (Supt.

Mbr.) at Royal St. Cloud Golf Links in Saint Cloud.

Henry M. Lane, CGCS, formerly (A) at Clarksville Golf & Country Club, is now (AA) at Stoneybrook Golf & Country Club in Sarasota.

Mark E. Teders, formerly (ART), is now (A) at Verandah Golf Course in Fort Myers.

John J. Vuknic, formerly (C) at Stoneybrook Golf Club, is now (Supt. Mbr.) at Stoneybrook Golf Club in Estero.

John G. Yancey, formerly (Supt. Mbr.) at Key Largo Golf Course, is now (Supt.

Mbr.) at Cane Garden Country Club in The Villages.

GEORGIA Eric D. Slekovich, formerly (C) at Champions Retreat Golf Club, is now (C) at The Creek Club at Reynolds Plantation in Greensboro.

Rashad L. Wilson, formerly (C) at PGA Golf Club, is now (C) at Reynolds Plantation Golf Course in Greensboro.

IDAHO Jon M. Atkins, formerly (C) at Sun Valley Resort, is now (C) at Elkhorn Golf Club in Sun Valley.

ILLINOIS Terry L. Geelhoed, formerly (C) at Oak Crest Golf Course, is now (Supt. Mbr.) at Carthage Golf Course in Carthage.

Matthew McCann, formerly (C) at Noyac Golf Club, is now (C) at Exmoor Country Club in Highland Park.

Stephen D. Vincent, formerly (AF) at John Deere Golf, is now (AF) at Nufarm Americas Inc. in Alsip.

IOWA Timothy J. Rottman, formerly (AS) at Deer Run Golf Course, is now (AS) at Lake Cooper Golf Course in Keokuk.

Tim Sims, formerly (C) at Des Moines Golf & Country Club, is now (Supt. Mbr.) at Des Moines Golf & Country Club in West Des Moines.

LOUISIANA Robert C. Welborn, formerly (AS) at Baton Rouge Country Club, is now (AS) at Copper Mill Golf Club in Zachary.

MASSACHUSETTS Ken Macie, formerly (C) at TPC of Boston, is now (E) at Mansfeld Public Schools in Mansfeld.

Alan R. McGlynn, formerly (C) at Oakley Country Club, is now (C) at Red Tail Golf Club in Devens.

MICHIGAN Timothy J. Schumacher, formerly (Supt.

Mbr.) at Strategic Fox Par-3 Course at Fox Hills Golf, is now (Supt. Mbr.) at Lake Forest Golf Club in Ann Arbor.

MINNESOTA Ryan A. Browning, formerly (C) at Town & Country Club of St. Paul, is now (AF) at Superior Turf Services Inc. in Eden Prairie.

Jeremiah S. Stumpff, formerly (C) at Broadmoor Golf Club, is now (C) at Somerby Golf Club in Byron.

MISSOURI Allan M. Goethe, formerly (A) at Marshallia Ranch Golf Course, is now (A) at Whiteman AFB Royal Oaks Golf Course in Knob Noster.

“In one year, one sedge tuber can become 6,900 new tubers.”

NEW JERSEY Ian M. Bray, formerly (C) at Apple Ridge Country Club, is now (C) at Upper Montclair Country Club in Clifton.

Christopher W. Kastner, formerly (C) at Minisceongo Golf Club, is now (C) at

11.14 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT

97

Arcola Country Club in Paramus.

Brandon E. Perrine, formerly (C) at TPC Jasna Polana, is now (C) at Heron Glen Golf Course in Ringoes.

OHIO Bradley W. Hocking, formerly (A) at Medina Country Club, is now (A) at Shale Creek Golf Club in Medina.

NEW YORK Robert V. Bromberg, formerly (C) at Noyac Golf Club, is now (C) at Gardiners Bay Country Club in Shelter Island Heights.

Robert F. Goring III, formerly (A) at Whispering Woods Golf Club, is now (AF) at Weaver Golf & Turf Solutions in Jamestown.

Eric J. Hofsommer, formerly (C) at Hell’s Point Golf Club, is now (C) at Beaver Meadows Golf Club in Phoenix.

Daniel C. Powell, formerly (C) at Pine Valley Golf Club, is now (C) at Piping Rock Club in Locust Valley.

Mason M. Swancott, formerly (C) at Atunyote Coures at Turning Stone Resort, is now (Supt. Mbr.) at Kaluhyat Course at Turning Stone Resort in Verona.

PENNSYLVANIA Terry Duffy, formerly (Supt. Mbr) at White Clay Creek Country Club, is now (Supt.

Mbr.) at Patriots Glen National Golf Club in Glenmoore.

Anthony Tosh, formerly (C) at Valley Country Club, is now (C) at Aronimink Golf Club in Newtown Square.

Benoit Beaulne, formerly (S) at Rutgers University/Cook College, is now (S) at Penn State University in University Park.

NORTH CAROLINA Jeffrey L. Johnson, formerly (C) at ChampionsGate Golf Club, is now (Supt.

Mbr.) at Wendell Country Club in Wendell.

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GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14

SOUTH CAROLINA Charles F. Granger II, formerly (E) at Vincennes University, is now (E) at Horry Georgetown College in Conway.

David B. Riddle III, formerly (C) at Yeamans Hall Club, is now (Supt. Mbr.) at Yeamans Hall Club in Hanahan.

TENNESSEE Ben Haddad, formerly (A) at RidgePointe Country Club, is now (A) at Germantown Country Club in Germantown.

James M. Johnston, formerly (C) at The Golf Club of Tennessee, is now (C) at Tennessee National Golf Club in Loudon.

TEXAS Steven Chernosky, formerly (A) at Sterling Country Club@Houston National, is now (A) at Texas A&M Golf Course in College Station.

Haden Dillard, formerly (C) at San Antonio Country Club, is now (C) at Austin Golf Club in Spicewood.

Edward H. Guzman Jr., formerly (C) at Sterling Course at Houston National Golf Club, is now (C) at South Shore Harbour Golf Club in League City.

Ian Hermon, formerly (C) at Golf Club of Houston, is now (C) at Champions Golf Club in Houston.

Clayton Wood, formerly (A) at Holly Lake Ranch Golf Club, is now (A) at Hide-AWay Lake Club in Lindale.

UTAH Joshua Virostko, formerly (Supt. Mbr.) at Eagle Crest Golf Course, is now (Supt.

Mbr.) at Bloomington Country Club in Saint George.

VIRGINIA Michael Stevens, formerly (A) at St. Johns Golf and Country Club, is now (A) at Billy Casper Golf in Vienna.

WEST VIRGINIA Nick Janovich, formerly (A) at Jones Course at Speidel Golf Club at Oglebay, is now (A) at Oglebay Resort & Conference Center in Wheeling.

WISCONSIN Gabe Hatchett, formerly (C) at Lake Geneva Country Club, is now (C) at Lakewood Golf Club in Lake Geneva.

NIP IT IN THE TUBER

AUSTRALIA Trevor J. Ridge, formerly (ISM) at Sawtell Golf Club, is now (ISM) at Ramada Kooralbyn Resort in Kooralbyn.

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CANADA Dave Paterson, formerly (C) at Magna Golf Club, is now (Supt. Mbr.) at Summit Golf & Country Club in Richmond Hill, Ontario.

CALIFORNIA Nick Drysdale, Class C, San Francisco

MICHIGAN William Bozell, Class C, Harbor Springs

AUSTRALIA Shannon White, ISM, Stawell, Victoria

COLORADO Aaron Fankhauser, Class C, Golden

MISSOURI Bryan D. Kohler, Class C, Independence

ENGLAND Barry J. Gardner, ISM, Maidenhead

CHINA Luke C. Partridge, formerly (C) at Emirates Golf Club, is now (ISM) at Foshan Golf Club in Foshan.

CONNECTICUT Loriann M. Andrews, Class C, Middlefeld

NEBRASKA Trae R. Deeder, Student, Madison

FLORIDA Mark G. Callen, Class C, Navarre Christopher J. Levering, Class C, Boca Raton GEORGIA Austin Goldman, Associate, Evans Mike Kephart, Associate, Johns Creek

NEW HAMPSHIRE Josh D. Mays, Class C, Grantham NEW JERSEY Francis M. Perrone, Class C, Brielle

HAWAII Ricky Bauer, Class C, Kailua Pierce E. Casturao, Student, Honolulu

NORTH CAROLINA Steven D. Akers, Class C, Maggie Valley Christopher Jones, Class C, Elizabeth City

INDIANA Chris Skronski, Student, West Lafayette Matthew R. Walls, Student, Greenwood

OHIO Derrick G. Messina, Student, Columbus

PHILIPPINES Storm Lupier, formerly (ISM) at Royal Palm Hotel, is now (ISM) at The Country Club in Santa Rosa Laguna.

PORTUGAL Vera Brilha de Carvalho Quintas, formerly (A) at Dolce CampoReal Lisbon, is now (A) at Comporta Dunes in Comporta.

NEW MEMBERS ARIZONA Roger Bacon, Affliate, Carefree

IOWA Eric L. Sellers, Student, Ames

ARKANSAS Harry L. Newby IV, Class C, Bella Vista

KANSAS Ryan R. Ackerman, Student, Manhattan Matthew S. Overbey, Student, Manhattan

NEW YORK Kyle Neal McClintick, Student, Cobleskill

IN MEMORIAM Robert L. Shaffer, 79, died Aug. 18, 2014. Mr. Shaffer, a 35-year member of GCSAA, worked at several golf courses in southwest Florida, including Port Charlotte Golf Club and Sabal Trace Golf & Country Club. He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Joan L. Shaffer; son, Stanley S. Shaffer; daughter, Sandy (Douglas) Weaver; grandson, Robert Weaver; greatgrandson, Robert Weaver Jr.; brother, Earl F. Shaffer; two nieces and three nephews.

PENNSYLVANIA Dylan R. Creighton, Student, University Park Kaegan Matthew Horvat, Student, State College Randy R. Langston, Student, University Park Chris Larson, Student, University Park Cody T. Larson, Student, University Park Brigido Billareal Miguel, Student, State College Jonathan Pitoniak, Student, State College Ryan M. Wilkinson, Student, State College SOUTH CAROLINA James Thomas Bart Bradshaw, Class C, Bluffton WASHINGTON Edward Deines, Student, Walla Walla Jaron J. MacDonald, Student, Walla Walla WISCONSIN Brett J. Poppy, Class C, Neenah

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.

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GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 11.14

ADVERTISING INDEX & MARKETPLACE PLATINUM PARTNERS

GCSAA Services ...27*, 49, 81, 83, 86, 87, 100, 101, 102 (800) 447-1840 ...............................www.gcsaa.org

The Toro Co. ..................................................IFC-1 (888) 664-7489 ..........www.toro.com/leaderboard

GCSAA TV .......................................................... 49 ..........................................................www.gcsaa.tv GE Capital, Equipment Finance ............................ 17 (469) 586-2010 .................. www.gecapital.com/golf

Syngenta Crop Protection, LLC .............................

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SILVER PARTNERS The Andersons, Inc. ............................................ 9 (800) 253-5296 .............. www.AndersonsPro.com Barenbrug USA ................................................31* (800) 547-4101 ......................... www.barusa.com BASF ................................................................ 37 (888) 566-5506 .................www.betterturf.basf.us Bayer Environmental Sciences ......................... 55 (800) 331-2867 ............ www.backedbybayer.com Cushman (a.k.a. E-Z-GO)..................................... 35 (800) 774-3946 ........................ www.cushman.com Floratine Products Group .................................. 71 (901) 853-2898 ....................... www.foratine.com FMC Professional Solutions .............11, 95, 97, 99 (800) 235-7368 .......... www.fmcprosolutions.com Koch Agronomic Services, LLC ....................15, 63 (888) 547-4140 ......................... www.kasturf.com Lebanon Turf ................................................12, 13 (800) 350-6650 ............... www.lebanonturf.com/ Par Aide Products Co. ......................................2-3 (888) 893-2433 ........................ www.paraide.com PBI Gordon Corp................................................ 19 (800) 971-7233 .................... www.pbigordon.com Quali-Pro........................................................... 21 (888) 584-6598 ......................www.quali-pro.com Tee-2-Green Corp. ......................................... 40-41 (800) 547-0255 .................... www.tee-2-green.com

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(800) 780-9889 .....................www.seagousa.com Smithco, Inc................................................. Cover 3 (877) 833-7648 .......................... www.smithco.com SubAir Inc. ...................................................... 103 (800) 441-1880 ............. www.subairsystems.com

ADVERTISERS ABM................................................................... 98 (844) 526-3226 .........................www.abm.com/golf AMVAC .............................................................. 45 (888) GO-AMVAC ........www.amvac-chemical.com Better Billy Bunkers .......................................... 99 (615) 847-8877 ......... www.betterbillybunker.com BoardTronics...................................................... 4-5 (800) 782-9938 ............................boardtronics.com Champion Turf Farms ......................................... 6-7 (888) 290-7377 ..........www.championturffarms.com Eagle One Golf Products ................................... 65 (800) 448-4409 ................www.eagleonegolf.com East Coast Sod & Seed ...................................... 103 (856) 769-9555 ...................www.eastcoastsod.com Foley United ...................................................... 33 (800) 225-9810 .................. www.foleyunited.com

TRIMS Software International Inc. .................. 102 (800) 608-7467 ............................www.trims.com Turf Max ............................................................. 53 (267) 246-8654 ....................... www.turfmaxllc.com Turf Pride USA ...............................................95, 97 (800) 356-6686 .................... www.turfprideusa.com * Denotes regional advertisement Bold denotes affliate member

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Photographer: Chris Harriman • Title: GCSAA Class A Superintendent • Course: Cattail Creek Country Club, Glenwood, Md. • GCSAA membership: 15-year member • The shot: This is the sight that greeted Harriman on a cool mid-September morning that signaled summer was giving way to fall in eastern Maryland, just outside of Baltimore. “There are so many mornings that go by where the sun doesn’t let the camera convey how awesome watching the sun come up each morning is … but the walnut tree blocked the rising sun just enough to capture a shot,” Harriman says. • Camera: Samsung Galaxy S4

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 e-mail to thefnalshot@gcsaa.org or to GCM editor-in-chief Scott Hollister at shollister@gcsaa.org.

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