South Texas GCSA, Inc. Tee To Green September/October 2023

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Congratulations to A J Pursley & Brian Sigler for winning the 2023 Heritage Links Cup!

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King Ranch®, Inc. Announces Strategic Acquisition of Brookside Equipment, Expanding Partnership with John Deere HOUSTON, September 13, 2023 – Today, King Ranch® Ag & Turf, a division of King Ranch, Inc. providing John Deere agricultural, commercial, and lawn and garden products throughout Texas, announces the strategic acquisition of Brookside Equipment, a John Deere dealership group with nine stores throughout the Houston area. Brookside Equipment first opened its doors in 1974 and has built a reputation as a leading provider of the John Deere product line in the Texas Gulf Coast Region.

“This investment aligns with our vision to grow our leadership and geographic presence throughout Texas and furthers our commitment to provide industry-leading equipment and great service for our agricultural, commercial, and residential customers,” says Lance Hancock, Vice President of King Ranch Ag & Turf.

King Ranch Ag & Turf currently owns three John Deere dealerships, with two additional locations under construction in Huntsville and Livingston. With the acquisition of Brookside Equipment, King Ranch Ag & Turf will grow to a total of 14 stores. King Ranch also plans to expand offerings at select dealerships with the addition of turfgrass sales.

“Our team is very excited about this next phase of growth as we continue to expand through the Gulf Coast Region and beyond,” notes Hancock. “We are committed to providing the best customer service and products to the communities we serve. It is important to our team that we continue building on the King Ranch and Brookside Equipment’s legacy and loyal customer bases.”

Brookside Equipment had more than 150 employees across its locations in Houston, League City, Angleton, Hockley, Spring, Katy, and Conroe that are all now part of the King Ranch team. With the acquisition, employment opportunities will continue to grow to support the sales and servicing of all John Deere products, including lawn and garden equipment, mowing equipment, compact utility tractors and equipment, mid-size farm and ranch tractors, row crop tractors, and more.

About King Ranch Ag & Turf

Founded in 1913 as Robstown Hardware Company, King Ranch Ag & Turf has served South Texas for more than a century. Today, King Ranch Ag & Turf has expanded to 14 locations across the Texas Gulf Coast Region. It offers sales, service, and parts for a full line of John Deere products. King Ranch Ag & Turf is an operation of King Ranch, Inc., a privately held agricultural production and resource management company established in 1853.

To learn more about King Ranch Ag & Turf, visit https://www.kingranchagturf.com/.

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NOW WITH 12 LOCATIONS TO SERVE YOU! 2 MORE LOCATIONS COMING SOON!

281-373-1087 www.kingranchagturf.com

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Thank you to everyone who attended the Texas A&M Field Day on September 12th! A big thank you to Chase Straw and staff for hosting and organizing this event!

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Thank you to our 2023 Field Day Sponsors:

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The Sonny DuBose Memorial Distinguished Service Award

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South Texas GCSA, Inc. is seeking deserving nominations for The Sonny DuBose Memorial Distinguished Service award. Nominations will be reviewed by the South Texas GCSA, Inc. Board of Directors and the winner will be selected by a vote of the South Texas GCSA, Inc. Members who attend the Annual Meeting and Past Presidents Meeting on November 20, 2023 at Champions Golf Club. Members who are unable to attend the meeting in-person will be able to vote online after the recipients are announced. Nominations can be made by any member, golf course official, or company representative. Nominations should be made in writing, including a list of reasons for the nomination, and must be submitted to the South Texas GCSA, Inc. office no later November 10, 2023. ONE nomination per member/per award. If you are nominating someone for these awards, then it should be the ONE person you believe is the MOST deserving. The winner will be presented this award at the Christmas Banquet on December 2, 2023 at The Golf Trails of The Woodlands.

The Sonny DuBose Memorial Distinguished Service Award is an annual award presented to a member who has shown outstanding service and prolonged dedication to the success of the South Texas GCSA, Inc. It is named after one of the Association’s founding fathers and 3-time President.

South Texas GCSA, Inc. members are encouraged to nominate their deserving peers for this award. These types of nominations are very meaningful ways for members to honor their professional colleagues. All nominees will be specially recognized by the association at the Annual Meeting and Past Presidents Meeting on November 20, 2023 at Champions Golf Club.

We strongly encourage all members to share this message to the appropriate personnel at their course and/or company for their consideration.

The deadline for nominations is November 10, 2023. Nominations letters may be emailed to stgcsa@stgcsa.org or mailed to the STGCSA office at P.O. Box 2443, Cypress, TX 77410 -2443.

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Corpus Christi CC

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Sonny DuBose Nominations needed!

Board of Directors needed!

2023 Match Play winners will be announced!

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Mike Epps

817-307-8906

Nathan Cobb

817-894-4118

Contact: Christopher Hendrickson 346-353-1937 (P) chris.hendrickson@reladyne.com

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It’s Holiday Spray, Y’all!

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By Pat Jones When tough disease management problems collide with the challenges of warm-season turf, supers down south turn to a foundational program using the best of BASF’s proven Intrinsic products. Here are insights from our agronomy team and some great superintendents from below the Mason-Dixon Line.

You may be surprised to learn that the Holiday Spray concept had its beginnings not in a northern disease hotspot like Philly or St. Louis or D.C., but in central Alabama at the famed FarmLinks course. As the nation’s best supers visited the facility and interacted with the BASF team working there, it became clear that too many folks were just chasing symptoms instead of getting ahead of problems and preventing them.

That’s when the concept of a simple, easy-to-remember spray planning template emerged. The idea was to use the best weapons in your arsenal at exactly the right times to proactively prevent disease. When Lexicon came along shortly thereafter, the Holiday Spray concept caught fire and has been a foundational approach for turf pros ever since.

Last year we took a look at how the Holiday Spray program worked around traditional disease areas in the north. Now, let’s take a look at how they use the concept closer to where it was born: Down South.

TEXAS IN FOCUS: Solving One Part of the Puzzle When people say something is “as big as Texas,” it suggests size, but it doesn’t do justice to the complexities of the state’s climate and vast array of soils. Scott Dunham, the BASF territory manager for the Lone Star state has to support customers and reps to customize foundational programs for very different locations. And it’s not always based on holidays.

“A lot of guys are focused on long weekends and big outings and how they can create championship conditions for their players,” says Dunham.

“The Holiday Spray concept helps them solve one part of the puzzle. If they can get it out ahead of highly visible events, it’s one more thing they don’t have to worry about. Summer holidays are usually the perfect times, but a little flexibility can make a bit difference.”

To cope with weird Texas winters, he usually recommends Lexicon in October and Navicon in November. Then repeat that rotation again in February and March. “A lot of guys have committed to that rotation to put them to bed clean and wake them up happy during spring green-up.”

Dunham works with reps to help them make the most of foundational programs for their customers. “The science behind Intrinsic is so solid.

Nearly everyone understands what Lexicon and Navicon can do. The disease control is indisputable, and the program often results in half the number of sprays required with generics.”

And then there’s the plant health component: “When Lexicon came out people called it Leprechaun because of how the green color just popped.

It has that ‘wow factor’ that transcends disease control,” says Dunham.

Ultimately, it’s about being able to be confident that you have your bases covered. “Holiday Spray is such a clear concept…it’s just a great way to plan a program. But at the end of the day, it’s the superintendent’s program to structure the way they want. But because the products last so long, they can have always be more confident that they don’t need to spray every two weeks.”

The bottom-line question he asks customers is simple: “Why are you focused on 24 sprays a year when we can do it with 12 and save time, labor and money? The economics and proven performance speak for themselves.”

Tim Huber, the Club at Carlton Woods, Houston “Coming down here from the north, I had to get used to the different diseases and times of year,” observes Tim Huber. “The big issues here are bermuda decline, large patch on zoysia, and brown patch on bermuda in the winter. It was a shift. But since Lexicon came along, life has been simpler. Now we do our annual max of Lexicon on both courses.”

Huber also relies on Lexicon for aerification recovery and he collaborates with his local sod farm to pre-treat sprigs with it, particularly for the ongoing renovation of the Nicklaus course at Carlton Woods. “Lexicon really aids recovery from aerification and speeds up the sprigging process a lot.” (continued on next page)

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Tee To Green MAY/JUNE 2023 His program timing in Houston is a little different than the standard southern holiday approach. “Going into fall, if I don’t do two Lexicon apps in the summer, I’ll do one more in fall. I don’t feel like the two apps in the spring are quite as important for us but we’re always ready to do a spring app if we need it.”

His approach is different, but it’s still a rock-solid plan. “The Holiday Spray Program is a great concept. I don’t look at the holiday dates as much, but I definitely earmark the months I want to use my best stuff. Navicon and Lexicon are staples here and Xzemplar is a good rotational tool.

That’s how I go about it.”

Like many southern turf managers, transition presents the biggest challenges for Huber. “It’s tricky when you have a busy golf season going and you’re headed into wintertime. I now have a lot less stress using Lexicon and even Navicon during that time. The safer DMI is really good because it covers patch disease.”

He typically does two Navicon apps, one in spring and one in fall and then targets his first Lexicon app for spring green up time between St Patrick’s Day and right before the club hosts an LPGA event in April.

“Foundational is a great term for a product like Lexicon,” says Huber. “All of my reps say the same thing about Lexicon: do the max because there’s nothing better.”

Eric Bauer, Bluejack National Club, Montgomery, Texas Eric Bauer has been at the Tiger Woods and Beau Welling designed Bluejack National since it opened. The course is busy. “The pandemic pumped some new life into us and we couldn’t be any better right now. We had 23,000 rounds last year with 270 members.”

How does his spray plan work to meet the demands? Bauer combines a plant health focus with foundational products just when he needs them.

“We look at our seasons. There’s so much good data from NCSU and Tennessee and others that have done extensive research on diseases on different turfs. We’re predominantly TifEagle, ultradwarf bermuda and zoysia. I start with the grass type, then look at that data to see what we can expect during each season.”

Fungicides choices are important but almost secondary for Bauer: “First and foremost, plant health is the key. You can have the biggest budget in the world and throw the kitchen sink at problems, but without plant health you’ll never get over the hump.”

He defines plant health largely on root mass development. “For me it means having a deep-enough root system to withstand the rigorous demands on the turf. In my opinion, it starts with the roots,” says Bauer. “If you can’t grow roots, it’s pretty for a while and then mechanical and physical stresses will take their toll. Particularly when our play has been so strong.”

Bauer’s focus is on nurturing the healthiest root mass he can produce. “Healthy roots mean the plant can take up the proper nutrients and water and everything else it needs. Building plant health is our first, best defense.”

He relies on the “plant health first” approach but when he does turn to fungicides, Navicon is a staple. He does two Navicon apps per year, spring and fall. “And Lexicon is a great product for us. It’s very broad spectrum, like Navicon, but different classes of chemistry,” he says. “We also see good recovery post aerification with Lexicon.”

Bauer has used Lexicon for years and relies on it but he’s a recent convert to Navicon. “It is very safe, and it’s done a great job cleaning some of the challenges we’ve had with take-all root rot.”

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Alexis Page 281-799-3902 alexis@soxerosion.com

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