Mississippi Turfgrass - Winter 2023

Origins of Turfgrass, Part 2: GOLF AND THE TRIUMPH OF TURFGRASS PLUS Highlights from the Deep South Turf Expo

The Mississippi Turfgrass Association Magazine

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irst off, I would like to thank Alan and Ms. Linda for their time and effort over the past year. Many do not realize just how much Ms. Linda does to keep us in line and on budget. Secondly, I want to thank you all for allowing me to serve as your president this next year. It was great to see many of you at the Deep South Turf Show and again at the Road Show last month. The Winter show is always fun, as we get to see the Poa annua test plots Dr. McCurdy and Amy Wilber have applied and monitored through the winter. The flat side at Lion Hills has a tremendous amount of Poa annua pressure and the old golf course is resistant to just about every herbicide we commonly use. If it works here, it should work about anywhere. This is neat to see firsthand.

I wanted to take an opportunity this first newsletter of the year to charge each of you with doing anything and everything you can to support our organization. The MSU Turf Team needs your support. Their Dean and Department Heads need to see support from the industry stakeholders. I know there are times you are unable, but, if possible, send someone from your organization. For many of us that have been involved in this industry and MTA for many years, it is our responsibility to educate and show the next generation the importance of networking with colleagues and supporting those working to better our industry. So, please do your part. I would also ask that many of you consider becoming involved in our board and/or committees. There are many talented young professionals with the ability to serve.

Our next event together is the Yard Dawg on Tuesday, June 6th. We will be back at the MSU Golf Course. It will be exciting to see the changes made by Nathan Crace during last year’s greens renovation. Jimmy McPherson and Jake Sorrels have done an outstanding job establishing the TifEagle greens. Maybe an early June date will provide us with some cooler temperatures than what we endured this past July.

Here’s to an off-season of rest, relaxation, and family. Please feel free to reach out to any board member or myself with comments, questions, or concerns.

FROM

Origins of Turfgrass

GOLF AND THE TRIUMPH OF TURFGRASS

By Jay McCurdy Ph.D., Associate Professor, Turfgrass Extension Specialist Department of Plant & Soil Sciences Mississippi State University

In part one “Origins of Turfgrass,” we delved into the history and roots of turfgrass. Here we explore turf’s march towards modernity by focusing on the game of golf.

Thepopularity of lawns, the ability to maintain turf, and turfgrass in general, are all interlinked with the game of golf. Golf courses comprise less than 3% of maintained U.S. turf, yet the turfgrass industry is heavily impacted by the technology and agronomics that make the game possible. Golf’s origins are unclear and debatable. The earliest mention of colf (dutch for club) was in 1261. In 1297 Utrecht (modern day Netherlands), there’s mention of the colf or kolf used to play a ball sport.

Golf was banned at various points throughout its history: in 1360 the Council of Brussels banned the game under penalty of 20 shillings (or confiscation of one’s overcoat); in 1457 King James II prohibited golf due to distraction from archery practice; in 1471 and 1491 it was banned in Scotland because it was said to be an “unprofitable sport”; it was banned again in 1490s by King James IV; and in 1592 it was prohibited on the Sabbath in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Modern golf’s 18-hole format originated in Scotland, and most consider that country’s landscape and culture to be formative to the role of turfgrass on modern golf courses. The oldest sanctioning golf club is disputed—either the Royal Burgess Golfing Society (1735) or the Honourable Company of Edinburgh (records dating to 1744; originally played at the Leigh Links near Edinburgh and now hosted by Muirfield). The “Articles and Laws in Playing at Golf,” the oldest surviving rules of the game, are dated 1744 and are preserved in the National Library of Scotland.

Scotland and the North Sea coast of Europe share similar landscapes and environments that have shaped the game of golf and turfgrass culture over the centuries. Their proximity to the sea moderates temperature and assures ample and frequent moisture for the growth of common forage grass species. Those cool-season species thrive in this environment and have been shaped for millions of years by foraging livestock. Furthermore, the area’s linksland landscape (Photo 1) has harsh reliefs and rocky crags that are inviting to wallowing livestock seeking shelter and grazing. The seaside terrain is characterized by rolling hills of sand or links (via the Scottish or Northumbrian language from Old English “hlinc” which means “rising ground or ridge”). Away from the coast, the terrain remains pock-marked with the familiar “Kame and Kettle” topography that is mimicked by golf course architects the world over. These environments were shaped by glaciation—having been covered several times by ice over the last 500,000 years. These glacial landscapes are as dramatic as the Scottish Highlands and as placid as the moraine landscapes further south. These conditions were conducive to the original game of golf—played by shepherds and yeoman farmers with their crooks while tending their livestock. In fact, the “bunkers” that have evolved into common penal features of most modern courses originated in these sandy landscapes.

The earliest golf course architects highlighted the natural beauty of the game’s home at new locations, and the game (and the grasses) spread. The game of golf had evolved from a yeoman’s sport to one for the wealthy who could afford custom equipment.

PHOTO 1: Links land

Allan Robertson (1815-1859) (Photo 2) is widely considered one of the earliest influential golf course architects and greens keepers. He was also the period’s renowned ball and club maker and oversaw course renovations and general supervision of the St. Andrews Links as well as the 10-hole course that eventually became Carnoustie.

His protégé Thomas Mitchell Morris (Old Tom Morris) assisted Robertson in his shop, and they played as a pair with great success. Robertson ultimately fired him after Morris beat him using the gutta ball, a competitor to Robertson’s featherie ball, and a superior piece of equipment that soon replaced other alternatives. Morris became greens keeper at Preswick in 1851 and returned to St. Andrews in 1865. He mentored the likes of

C.B. Macdonald, Donald Ross, and A.W. Tillinghast. He is credited with more than 60 course designs and remodels throughout the British Isles. He was an early advocate for frequent sand topdressing to improve playing conditions of greens.

In the late 19th century, golf began to spread worldwide. Golf course architecture and greens keeping became popularized as professions/careers. Renowned Scottish Architects Harry S. Colt, Willie Park Jr., and W.H. Fowler moved to the United States. The Chicago Golf Club opened in 1892. Architect C.B. Macdonald, famous for National Golf Links of America (1911), coined the term “Golf Course Architect.” In 1913, Francis Ouimet won the U.S. Open sparking a golf boom in America. He is considered by many to be the father of amateur golf in the U.S.

PHOTO 2: Allan Robertson, Pioneer Professional Golfer at St Andrews, Scotland, about 1850.

Credit: Thomas Rodger, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

PHOTO 3: Toro Greensmaster eTriflex 3370, an example of a modern reel mower. Photo courtesy of Toro.

PHOTO 4: Pebble Beach, a modern links style course. Credit: Big Stock Photo / Tupungato.

In the 1920s, the rapid growth of the game led to more than a thousand new courses. Prominent architects included A.W. Tillinghast (Bethpage State Park), Donald Ross (Pinehurst), William Flynn (Merion), and Alister Mackenzie (Augusta National). Between 1930 and 1950, golf’s growth in popularity slowed tremendously due to the Great Depression and World War II.

Tremendous post war expansion and an exodus of intercity middleclass fueled the growth of suburbs and accompanying amenities, including golf courses, but also parks and community green space. This was the era of “free-way” style golf courses, characterized by straight forward golf game rather than strategy and risk. This simplistic design commodified the game for the masses and led to a great golf-boom.

Expansion slowed in the 70s and 80s due to oil shortages and economic contraction. In the 90s and early 2000s, there was tremendous growth of the industry sparked by economic growth and the peak golfing age of baby-boomers. The game of golf, and the diverse industry surrounding it, has waxed and waned due to the prominence of professional golfers, the likes of Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods. A postpandemic golf boom has most recently strengthened the industry around the world.

Throughout its history, golf course architecture and maintenance has pushed the bounds of technology necessary for cultivation of turfgrass in some of the harshest environments on the planet. Equipment spawned for the manufacturing of textiles (principally, the modern reel mower, Photo 3) quickly became available for golf course maintenance—first drawn by horses or pushed by man, but then mechanized with early combustion engines. Modern, highmaintenance golf courses would be almost unrecognizable to the earliest golfers, but the game remains reliant upon the people that design, build, and maintain the turfgrass playing surface.

•

2022 DEEP SOUTH TURF EXPO in Review

By Melanie Bonds

In

a review of the 2022 Deep South Turf Expo, it is difficult to say what forms the cornerstone of this event. It might be found in our educational program. Each presenter offered knowledge and insight into the turfgrass profession, and we were privileged to have Jeff McManus, Director of the Landscape Services Department at The University of Mississippi, to join us as one of the keynote speakers this year. Jeff gave an engaging presentation that explored grooming effective leaders. Labor and training are both hot topics in today’s market, and DSTE attendees benefited from Jeff’s expertise and unique way of viewing these problems and solutions. He has faced many of the challenges faced by all turf managers, including exceptionally low morale and an unacceptable lack of productivity. He shared how to overcome these challenges and turn the game around!

In a poignant reunion, Dr. Pat Cobb was reunited with many of her former students and colleagues at the Deep South this year. Dr. Cobb has herself overcome many challenges with her health in recent years, but this has not dampened her enthusiasm or optimism for the future of our industry. We are so grateful to Dr. Cobb for making the trip to Biloxi, and we hope to see her again at future Deep South Expos!

Among our presenters we were fortunate to have Dr. Joseph Roberts, the University of Clemson presenting on the latest in fungicides, and Dr. Mike Richardson from the University of Arkansas who looked at some innovative, new ideas for managing turfgrass ecosystems, from new turfgrass species to enhancing biodiversity to alternative establishment and cultural practices to robots and drones.

The Tradeshow floor was packed with vendors and attendees.

The Tailgate brought attendees together for a time of networking and catching up after a busy year.

As for our program, we can’t thank our committee enough. Dr. Scott McElroy, chairman, and Drs. Jay McCurdy, Bryan Unruh and Dave Han. Without this team we could not provide the great programs each year. They have worked tirelessly for over seven years now to bring the best and brightest before our membership.

The Deep South Turf Expo is all about education. We all need those points, right? But the education alone, while excellent, does not make the Expo. The many networking opportunities at events and the tradeshow showcasing our exhibitors’ newest products all contribute. The pillars of the Expo are the Education, the Tradeshow, and the activities.

Speaking of activities, the DSTE Golf Scramble on Tuesday, followed by the Tailgate, continues to be the most popular event. We had a great time at the Tailgate and thank our sponsors for preparing some delicious food. The weather was great and in addition to food and music, we got to enjoy a wonderful sunset! Congratulations to the winners of this year’s tournament, Brad Rounsavalle, John Davis, Lee Fillingim and Dan Hamman. For those who like a more competitive round of golf there is the Two – Ball, Four Man Tournament that was played at The Preserve Golf Club on Monday before the Expo. Congratulations to the first place team, Alan Sullivan and Glenn Sansing.

There was some play-off action in the Skeet and Trap Tournament at the Coastal Rifle and Pistol Club. Initially William Smith and Darrell Arnold tied for first place, but with a shoot-off first place went to William Smith!

We would like to thank the University of South Alabama for allowing us to tour their sports fields and maintenance facility. This included their new football stadium, the Hancock Whitney Stadium. Thank you to Board Member Mark Irwin for helping to organize this event!

In closing we must thank our Exhibitors and Sponsors, who make this event possible for us each year. We hope you had a great Expo and look forward to seeing you back in 2023. Dates for next year’s Expo are October 16-19, 2023.

This article would not be complete without mentioning one of our number of educators who was not present this year. We miss Dr. Jeff Higgins who has served this industry in so many capacities. Dr. Higgins was awarded the Alabama Turfgrass Association’s Distinguished Service Award posthumously. We are grateful that his widow, Stacy and their children, Halle and Carter Ridgeway, came to accept the award. Dr. Higgins was a force of nature in the turf world and will be sadly missed.

Thanks to everyone who participated and supported the Expo this year. You are making a difference in your industry! •

The Tradeshow floor was packed with vendors and attendees.

Jeff McManus

Mike Richardson

Pat Cobb

A Who’s Who of Industry Experts Shared Their Knowledge

MTA BOARD OF DIRECTORS

2022 – 2023

PRESIDENT Will Arnett

EMCC – Lion Hills

2331 Military Rd. Columbus, MS 39705 (662) 418-1939 warnett@eastms.edu

VICE-PRESIDENT / PRESIDENT ELECT

Levi Jumper

Tupelo National Golf Club 183 Cottonwood Cove Pontotoc, MS 38863 (662) 213-6804 jumperlevi@gmail.com

IMMEDIATE PAST PRESIDENT

Allan Sullivan

Grand Bear Golf Course 12040 Grand Way Blvd Saucier, MS 39574 (228) 860-8740 ASullivan@viciproperties.com

SECRETARY-TREASURER

Dr. Barry Stewart

Mississippi State University Box 9555 MS State, MS 39762 (662) 325-2725 / Office (662) 312-9335 / Cell bastewar@pss.msstate.edu.

ADMINISTRATIVE SECRETARY

Linda Wells

Mississippi State University Box 9555 MS State. MS 39762 (662) 325-0517 / Office (662) 769-7558 / Cell lmw218@pss.msstate.edu

Chris Hussey / Sod

Hussey Sod Farm

814 Road 1589 Tupelo, MS 38804 (662) 231-3203 husseysod@gmail.com

Scott Hampton / Golf Greenwood Country Club 951 Hwy 430 South Greenwood, MS 38930 (601) 467-2718 scotthampton@ymail.com

Todd McCullough / Grounds / Lawn Maintenance

City of Louisville P.O. Box 510 Louisville, MS 39339 (601) 416-3292 louisvillecoliseum@gmail.com

Evan Berry / Central Mississippi Braves 252 Reservoir Way Brandon, MS 39047 (228) 304-1234 evan.berry@msbraves.com

Elvin Ulmer / South

City of Laurel 401 N. 5th Avenue Laurel, MS 39440 (601) 319-6170 elvinulmer@laurelms.com

Seth King / Industry Ben Nelson Golf and Outdoor 243 Industrial Drive, North Madison, MS 39130 (601) 672-4796 sking@bennelson.com

EX-OFFICIO

Dr. Jay McCurdy / Faculty Advisor

Mississippi State University Box 9555 Mississippi State, MS 39762 (662) 325-2331 (731) 514-1514

JMcCurdy@pss.msstate.edu

DIRECTORS

MTA OFFICERS

MTA ANNUAL MEETING

The

MTA Annual Meeting, held in Biloxi in conjunction with the Deep South Turf Expo, was conducted by President Alan Sullivan. He presented a slide show of events and meetings held in 2022 before beginning the business meeting. Scholarships were awarded to Bradley Marler, student at East Mississippi Community College, and Garrett Gray and William Stark, students at Mississippi State University. The MTA Outstanding Turf Professional recipient is Stephen Miles, Director of Operations at The Preserve Golf Club in Vancleave. Butch Pugh, Agra Turf, Inc. received the Bud Thigpen Distinguished Service Award. Wayne Philley was recognized with Honorary Membership. Larry Cagle, Cagle Sod Farm in Booneville, MS is the new Sod Representative on the Deep South Turf Expo board representing MTA. You will find the list of the new officers and board members on page 15.

Larry Cagle, Sod Rep for the DSTE Board

MSU Scholarship winners, left to right: Dr. Jay McCurdy-Advisor, Garrett Gray, William Stark, Dr. Barry Stewart-Advisor

Stephen Miles (left) receives the Outstanding Turf Professional Award from President Alan Sullivan Incoming President Will Arnett presents President’s Plaque to outgoing President Alan Sullivan

EMCC Scholarship winner Bradley Marler (center) is flanked by his parents. Far right is Will Arnett Arnett (Advisor) and on the left is Danny Smith (Advisor).

COMBATTING EMPLOYEE BURNOUT

By Neal Glatt, CSP, ASM

Asinflation continues to rise, managers are starting to face an additional workforce challenge to the tight labor market. Employees are routinely being asked to do more with less, leading to increased burnout. In response, many young workers have started a movement of “quiet quitting” – that is, doing the bare minimum of their job description and refusing to go above and beyond. But managers can prevent burnout in the first place by understanding its causes and solutions.

But first, managers must understand what is meant by employee burnout. It isn’t an excuse to not work or a problem that affects only a few workers. In fact, 76% of employees experience burnout on the job at least sometimes according to Gallup. Employee burnout is so common that the World Health Organization has defined it as an occupational phenomenon resulting from chronic workplace stress leading to energy depletion, negative feelings about one’s work, and reduced efficiency. Employee burnout is a global issue that affects all workplaces.

Burnout is also an issue with real, and serious, outcomes. Employees who experience burnout are 2.6 times as likely to actively be seeking another job and 23% more likely to visit the emergency room. The impacts of burnout on employee’s health and wellbeing simply can’t be ignored.

Employees tend to feel burnt out when they receive unfair treatment at work and unmanageable workloads. For many managers, the inability to hire workers due to the lack of workers and increasing wages has led to asking existing workers to do more. When an employee views new hires starting at higher wages or receiving sign-on bonuses but is not recognized financially for their commitment, it is easy to see why they may feel treatment isn’t fair. The same issue arises when workloads increase as positions go unfilled. Employees who strongly agree they are treated unfairly are 2.3 times more likely to experience a high level of burnout.

Burnout also is caused by a lack of managerial support and unreasonable time pressure. It is the role of a manager to ensure that employees have the tools, resources, and time they need to complete their work, but not enough managers work collaboratively on expectations and goal setting to even know how their people feel about their workload. As business demands increase, employees who have managers that do not provide adequate time for increased work tend to suffer from burnout.

What can managers do to reduce employee burnout when every business feels pressure to perform at a higher level? For one, simply making time to listen to employees’ work-related problems honestly. Too many managers are dismissive of their employees’ concerns about the ability to perform work, often because managers are under their own unreasonable demands and don’t prioritize regular team check-ins. Employees suffer burnout when they feel workplace stress and they don’t believe it will get better. A sympathetic manager who listens will help employees understand that there is hope for the current situation and curb burnout dramatically.

Managers will also benefit from encouraging teamwork because employees can leverage the strengths of each other to thrive. The bonds that are formed on a cohesive team help each team member feel supported and encouraged in a way that effectively fights employee burnout.

Finally, managers must focus on the purpose of the organization. Work itself is never worth an extraordinary effort from employees, but a mission to help and enhance the lives of customers in some meaningful way gives a reason to go above and beyond. Employees who know how their unique contribution improve someone’s business, or life, do not “quiet quit” – they continue to strive to help more people.

The ability for a team to effectively perform, retain talent, and protect the physical and emotional wellbeing of each member is dependent on managerial actions. And in today’s difficult business environment, managers need to rise to the challenge. •

Neal Glatt is the Managing Partner of GrowTheBench, an online training platform for the green industry.

You can learn more about him and his solutions at www.NealGlatt.com.