TTA 2nd Quarter 2019

2019 Summer Conference at Kyle Field was a Hit!

Event WrapUp and lots of photos inside!

2

2019 Sponsors

PLATINUM SPONSORS

GOLD SPONSORS

SILVER SPONSORS

BRONZE SPONSORS

3

Table of Contents President’s Message Executive Director Message 2018 Lacrosse and Soccer Field of the Year!

Congrats Newest CPTM’s 2019 Summer Conference Wrap Up 2019 Equipment Rodeo Photos Book 2018 Green Thumb of the Year Award!

Thomas Turfgrass Press Release

17

4 5 6-11 12 14-16 17-21 24-27 28

ADVERTISERS TTA 2019 Sponsors Bowlin Consulting Larson Golf Services Texas A&M Field Day PMC Target Specialty Products Sod Production Services King Ranch Dallas Sports Session Tri-Tex Grass

2 13 13 13 22 23 29 30 31 32

24

Newest CPTM’s 12 6

14

4

President’s Message

Howdy Fellow Turfies I hope everyone has had a good summer 2019 so far. For those of you that missed the summer conference in College Station, you really missed a good one! One of the highlights was the tour of Kyle field and the TAMU practice fields with Craig, and Nick. Thank you to Craig, Nick and their staff for hosting the Equipment Rodeo at your facility and for a job well done!

We also had a great group of vendors showing off their equipment to us. A special shout out to Corteva and Raymond Miller for sponsoring the shuttle bus to and from the Equipment areas! Thank you!

Not sure if we have set the record for 100 plus degree days this year but with the humidity it’s been a tough summer and the rain pretty much dried up in July giving us only, 0.9 inches in the last 2 months! Days, weeks, and months like this let you appreciate the irrigation industry and thank goodness when it’s all working properly; don’t for get to support our vendors and sponsors when repairs and equipment is needed. Thanks to all our sponsors without you our industry would not survive.

We turn our attention to Corpus Christi for the Annual meeting the 10th– 12th of December. The Board and I are confident that we will keep moving forward and making our association what it needs to be for our members and partners to be successful. The committees are working on all aspects of the annual meeting and will ensure we offer the quality expected. We had a great turn out for the first ever sporting clays event last year, and we have some great plans to keep that going this year in Corpus!

Be sure to keep an eye for the Annual meeting registration which will be out soon on the website!

Thank you again to all the Sponsors of TTA and our BOD for their continued dedication to our Association Have a Blessed rest of the summer and I look forward to seeing everyone in Corpus Christi December 10th-12th, 2019 for our Annual Conference!!

Very Respectfully, Mike Chandler MCPTM 2019 TTA President

Executive Director Message

5

Howdy!

The Texas Turfgrass Association decided to try a new location for Summer 2019- College Station, Texas and it did not disappoint!

I personally felt and hoped that the biggest draw was going to be the sports fields and private tour of Kyle Field and I was right! In order to capture Aggieland and excite the families, Craig Potts was extremely instrumental in organizing a tour of this one of a kind stadium! We encourage all families to join and the best way to kick off our Sunday conference was to walk the immaculate and green field with your loved ones! The family pictures, selfies and laughs proved that being in College Station was a nice change of pace and we cannot thank Craig Potts and his field staff for this impressive field tripTTA style!

The Board of directors are instrumental in organizing our 2020 locations and ventures for the TTA and our education! If you ever have thoughts, comments or ideas as to where TTA can travel, I invite you to call, email, or text me at any time. My goal is to continue to enhance and change the way TTA brings education and vendor enhancement to our members!

Next Summer, we will venture back to Horseshoe Bay, July 18th- 20th and we are excited to begin planning this Summer Conference and allow our vendors, members, and families to meet, learn and make memories. Please mark your Calendars now!

Lastly, I want to thank you 2019 Sponsors, members, vendors and Board of Directors for continuing to support and believe in the Texas Turfgrass Association! I hope to see you in Corpus Christi this Winter!

God Bless!

Your Executive Director,

Save the Dates!

Annual Conference and Trade Show

December 10-12 Corpus Christi, TX Details Coming Soon

6

2018 Soccer/Lacrosse Field of the Year!

2018 Soccer and Lacrosee Field of the Year Money Graham Park– FC Dallas MoneyGram Soccer Park Field 12 – Lacrosse MoneyGram Soccer Park is a premier soccer venue located in Dallas, Texas. This site was originally a landfill until a joint venture was formed with the City of Dallas and FC Dallas. The many years of planning and developing lead to MoneyGram’s opening in April of 2014. MoneyGram’s facility boasts 12 professional-grade, full size soccer fields, 6 youth size fields, and 2 lacrosse fields. MoneyGram Soccer Park is open for play approximately 10 months out of the year. MoneyGram hosts youth academy leagues, adult leagues, and a range of national tournaments. MoneyGram has also had the privilege to host multiple national soccer teams from several countries around the world as well as international soccer clubs. MoneyGram staff takes great pride in hosting trainings of international teams for both club and country. Our staff includes four full time employees and two part time workers to manage the 80-acre park.

Field 12 has taken a long journey to get where it is today.

This field was originally constructed as a soccer field with the rest of our complex in 2013. However, due to undulations and unsafe playing conditions, this field eventually made its way to an auxiliary parking lot. Our staff removed all the heads and swing joints to use for parts and capped the valves.

7 This field was used for parking for two years until our renovation began. Field 12 was built up 4 inches with sand and laser graded to a 1% slope. We redesigned our irrigation zones to run north to south to more efficiently manage the water needs of the middle of the field. Hunter I-40 opposing nozzle heads were installed on all full circles to provide consistent watering. Although cost restraints did not allow us to put a newer, hybrid grass variety down, we were able to sod both goal mouth areas with TifTuf to improve the ability to recover in these high use spaces.

The rest of the field was sodded with 419 Bermuda in July 2016.

This field is used primarily for lacrosse with our main tenant being Highland Park High School. We will have about 250-300 hours of play on this field by the end of the year. Our maintenance efforts consist of mowing 2-3 times per week, aerifying twice a month with either a slicer or Pro Core crosstine, and fertilizing with 18-18-18 and Potash Magnesia 0-0-22 five times a year. Mirimichi soil conditioner is added to our crease areas to improve recovery and nutrient holding capabilities. We overseed at 12 pounds/1,000 square feet with perennial rye grass in October and then chemically transition back to Bermuda in May with Sapphire. Field 12 is core aerified during June and top-dressed with 40 tons of sand. We paint the field 2-3 times per month during the season using our marked corners to find a reference. Our annual budget for field 12 is $4,500. The most difficult aspect of managing this field is moving the wear out of the goal creases. We are able to slide the field north and south about five yards, which allows the goal mouth to recover even during the season. Since the creases are all TifTuf, our recovery is nearly twice as quick as the rest of the field, which helps tremendously.

8

2018 Soccer/Lacrosse Field of the Year!

Lacrosse is a tough sport to manage on grass fields because of the extreme wear it puts in such a small area. However, the foresight to put a premium grass down in these areas and our ability to slide the field makes field 12 one of the best in the state. Managing a large complex presents unique challenges because time and resources need to be efficiently dispersed across all fields and landscaping. We knew the design and construction of field 12 must allow for the best growing conditions so we were not spending unnecessary resources in the maintenance. Our tenant, Highland Park, even won the state championship this season. We like to think we had a small part in their journey to the title.

9 MoneyGram Soccer Park Field 5

Field 5 was our second field to be renovated in as many years. Field 5 was renovated in order to remove the inch and a half clay layer sod from the surface to bring us back to our six inch sand cap.

The surface was sod cut at 1 1/2” and hauled away. 4,000 square feet on our south end was excavated to a 6” depth and backfilled with sand to extend our fields length. We added soil amendments to the sand and tilled the top 4” to facilitate a quicker grow in. TifTuf sprigs were put in at 400 bushels per acre to create a more drought tolerant field with quicker recovery rates compared to our previous Bermuda. Learning from our past year, we were able to speed up the process and had games just 67 days after sprigging.

Although we were very happy to have field 5 back in play in less than three months, the amount of hours this field can now take is the truly remarkable feat.

Field 5 opened for play in July 2017 starting slowly as we allowed the root zone to mature. This year field 5 has proven its ability to handle higher amounts of activity with the ability to recover quicker than our non-renovated fields. We recently played 146 hours over a 4-week period, which is nearly a quarter of the hours for our yearly cap of 600. We are well on our way to 600 hours this year and will likely surpass that mark. Our yearly hour limit is likely much higher for this field.

10

2018 Soccer/Lacrosse Field of the Year!

Maintenance of field 5 includes mowing 3-4 times per week, aerifying twice month with the slicer or Pro Core crosstine, and several fertility applications. During the summer months when we are not overseeded we spray foliar Earthworks applications every other week that are specifically designed around our soil testing. We apply 18-18-18 and Potash Magnesia 0-0-22 five times a year during the overseeded months. Field 5 is overseeded at 6 pounds/1,000 square feet in October and then chemically transitioned back to Bermuda in May. Core aerification is done in June and then the field is topdressed with 50 tons of sand. Our annual budget for field 5 is $7,800.

a

During Dallas Cup, an internationally renowned tournament, we were able to play 7 nationally televised games after 3 inches of rain fell only hours before the first kickoff. Our renovated fields were the only two fields with the ability to play that day. During this weeklong tournament we had teams from over thirty countries come out to play at our complex. Teams included Manchester United, Arsenal, FC Dallas, Tigres, and many other well-known clubs. It is always a joy to see the young kids’ faces when they step onto the field for the first time. Many have not had the privilege of such a quality field for youth tournaments. Other than Dallas Cup, field five hosted Club Americå’s first team, several tournaments, daily training, and two youth leagues that run 8 months out of the year.

11 Before our renovation, our staff had a difficult time growing grass on top of the thick clay. With a lot of hard work and long days put into the renovation, we can now handle amounts of play we never thought possible. We have been testing field 5 with higher amounts of use to see how much it can take compared to before. We have yet to find that limit. Our staff works tirelessly throughout the year to keep Field 5 in premier shape so when international teams arrive, there is only one field in Dallas they want to train on.

Be apart of the TTA Award Program.

Submissions for Annual Show are Due 9/15/19 .

Contact Katie Flowers: info@texasturf.com

12

Congrats to our newest CPTM’s Cameron Kastelein SSC Service Solutions Bachelors of Science— Southern Illinois University Proud member of : Texas Turfgrass Association GCSAA PDGA

Sheli McMahan Guinn McMahan Turf and Agronomics, LLC B.A North Texas University Teaching Certification K-12 Proud member of: TTA and Texas Farm Bureau Proud mom of 2 ; Wife to a dedicated husband, and father!

“I love working with my Family in a business that began through farming over 100 Years ago!”

The Certified Professional Turf Manager (CPTM) designation recognizes a level of achievement in professional turfgrass management in Texas beyond a Bachelor of Science degree or a long tenure in the industry. The CPTM designation is a mark of distinction. Professionals who acquire the CPTM designation benefit the turfgrass industry and themselves through increased self-esteem and respect, increased value and service to their employer and increased competitiveness in the job market. By acquiring the CPTM designation, the professional turf manager sets himself or herself apart from other turf managers.

For applicants to be considered for the CPTM designation and to maintain that designation they must provide documented evidence of turf management skills, participation in continuing education programs and successful employment in the turfgrass industry. Applicants for the CPTM designation are also required to satisfactorily complete a comprehensive written examination. An intensive 4-day training program in preparation for the examination is optional. Please visit our website to learn how you can become a CPTM.

14

2019 Summer Conference Wrap Up!

Summer Conference Travels to Aggieland for College Station Treat!

No better way to kick off summer for the Texas Turfgrass Association than to travel to Aggieland and stay at the brand new Texas A&M Hotel and Conference Center. The best part? Walking distance to Kyle Field and Texas A&M University!

It was a successful Summer Conference for sponsors, vendors, and members who gathered to network, gain education credits, and discover sales opportunities. Some of TTA’s newest members came to their very first show and a few Table Top Exhibitors displayed their business that have not before.

By far one of the most delightful successes of the conference were the caliber of the speakers and their topics they provided to not only teach but engaged our members and their industry. TTA was delighted to introduce some brand-new speakers to their program that elevated the sessions and the energy each day. Dr. Chrissie Segar, our newest Turfgrass Extension Specialist from Dallas, TX was full of energy and a crowd favorite, along with Dr. Becky Grubbs from College Station, who also knows how to engage with her Turf Nutrient management session.

TTA was excited to also have Will Bowling, Garrett Flores, Baoxin Cheng, and Dr. Mungmung GU, Dr. Robert Puckett , and Dr. Scott Nolte rounded out the education requirements way beyond by engaging and reaching our members on topics that are pertinent to the Turf Industry. And we cannot forget the famous Dr. Don Renchie who can always make Laws and Regulations enjoyable, fun, and beyond informative. Without all of them, this show would not have been so successful!

As our association grows, we hope to keep providing the change and energy to allow these very special conferences to be a success! Thank you to everyone who attended and made this conference a success!

Summer 2019 Photos

15

16

2019 Summer Conference Wrap Up!

2019 Equipment Rodeo

17

Equipment Rodeo at Texas A&M Athletic Fields By: Nick McKenna CSFM and Craig Potts, CSFM The equipment rodeo has become a standard highlight of the Texas Turfgrass Association’s Summer Conference. This year’s rodeo, held on the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station, marked the 5th straight year that members have gathered alongside numerous equipment suppliers and manufacturers to discuss their equipment and have the opportunity to see real world demonstrations of various pieces of equipment.

This year’s rodeo was set up on some of the nearby athletic fields of the Texas A&M Athletic Department. Nearly 100 participants gathered to kick off the 2nd day of the conference to see what this year’s rodeo had to offer. 8 different vendors set up almost 20 pieces of equipment for members to view and experience hands on demonstrations.

The list of equipment for demos included rotary mowers, aerators, sweepers, a fraze mower, utility vehicles, and other specialized turfgrass maintenance products.

It was great to see our professional and commercial members all come together to discuss and experience the multitude of solutions that are available for all the issues that we encounter on an everyday basis. The equipment rodeo continues to be a great success and will only continue to grow through the help and support of our members and vendors. Special thanks to, GLK Turf Solutions, Tri-max Mowing Systems, Austin Turf and Tractor, STEC Equipment, and Redexim Turf Products for exhibiting on Texas A&M athletic fields. I look forward to catching up with you all in Corpus Christi in December for the TTA Winter Conference!

18

Kyle Field “Selfies” from our Members!

Sports field, Hall of Champions and MORE!!

19

20

Aggieland Rodeo Success!

Summer Photos Continued!

21

Winter 2019 is around the corner-BOOK Hotel Now!

Winter 2019 Conference December 10th-12th Corpus Christi, TX Omni Hotel and American Bank Center

14 24

2018 Baseball Green Thumb 2018 Field of the Year

2018 TTA Green Thumb of the Year— City of Sherman!

In North Texas, Fairview park in Sherman, TX. There is a multi us field that is 60 years of age with lights. The City of Sherman, TX Parks maintenance sport field team maintains among many other green space and sports field. We have a team of 7 members and they are (Forman) Tony Brown, (Crew Lead) Steven Pine, (Backup Crew Lead) Jason Smith, Gabriel Garcia, Jarod Letz, Elpidio Martinez, and Joshua Bray.

This particular field has had a pretty hard life, it is open with no fences so the public has access to it without reservation as well as a consistent 104 scheduled soccer games and this does not include practices for soccer and football and occasionally lacrosse. The field was literally too compacted to penetrate with a shovel; it has been beaten down and over used with no end in sight. With all being said, we know something had to be done before the entire field was just dirt.

Equipment used: Tractor with verticutter Tractor with core tine aerator Tractor with top dresser Irrigation Seed spreaders Hand rakes When starting this project, the first thing we had to do was (1) Just put enough water down to let as much water get into the soil as possible.

(2) Aerate over and over again.

(3) Vesticut groves into the soil and add more water.

(4) Repeat the process until we could achieve at minimum a half inch depth with the core aeration, which was accomplished over about 3 weeks with watering 30 min a zone at least 5 days a week(5) Aerated and verticut yet again, then seeded with Bermuda twice through the entire middle of the field of roughly 5,000 sq. ft.

(6) Top dressed with a 50/50 mix of compost and sand to give the seed some protection from the 105degree temperatures and to help soften the soil.

(7) Water and wait.

(8) After the seed grew to near the 3-inch mark in most areas, we top dressed with the 50/50 again with another Âź inch in depth and filled in low areas.

While this field is not perfect, it was once the worst field we had in the city, it is now giving other locations a hard run.

2018 Baseball Field of the 14 Year 25

14 26

2018 Baseball Green of the Year 2018 Field 2018 Baseball Field ofThumb the year

Fertilization

15

City of Sherman Sports Turf Program

To enhance soil and root system and to provide vibrant playing surface for athletic competition.

• Granular 13-13-13 nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium general purpose, quick release • Rate of 8-12lbs / 1000 sq. ft.

• March – June 1x per month as needed

Weed Control

To inhibit and control broadleaf weed infestation.

• Liquid pre-emergent herbicide, liquid post emergent herbicide • Rate of application will follow manufacturer recommendations.

Insect Control • •

Fire ants granular broad coverage April and September. Mounds spot treated on field of play with shakers.

Other insect control as needed.

Mowing • • • •

1/3 rule 2” height November – February 1 ¾” height March – October As needed during fall and winter 1-2 times per week during spring and summer.

Irrigation • • • •

1” per week Irrigated fields 3 times per week Sunday, Tuesday, and Friday Above ground sprinkler at RD on infield 2-3 times per week Tuesday and Friday As needed in extreme drought situations

Aerification

Relieve compaction to allow air, water and nutrients to penetrate into the soil.

• Core and solid tine • Solid tine aeration 1x per month March – July, Pre Season January and February all fields as needed up to 1x per week.

• Core aeration 2x per year spring and fall all fields (may only core heavy use and compaction areas).

Top Dressing • •

2x per year to follow core aeration ¼” depth.

During growing season as needed ¼” to improve drainage, dilute thatch, and smooth playing surface.

2018 Baseball Field of the 14 Year 27

Thomas Turfgrass Gold Sponsor 2019 Press Release

A Responsibility of Managers and Owners we often overlook: From the outside looking in, all the factors that go into a successful turfgrass business may not be apparent. Those of us who work in the industry- we know this line of work is full of logistics, calibration, monitoring, scheduling, planning, constant phone calls and the list goes on and on- far beyond the need for understanding horticulture.

Long, hot days of wearing so many hats can take a toll. Time to take a break! Managers don’t always see the importance of taking time off or think the company will suffer without their guidance.

The first and possibly most important reason managers need to take a vacation is burnout. Avoiding burnout is important not only on a personal level, but to almost everyone who encounters a company’s leader. Family, employees, customers can all be affected. Leaders- without a reset, your productivity, health and relationships can suffer. Taking care of yourself is the first step in creating a healthy work environment.

Another aspect of taking some time off – and we mean REALLY taking time off - unplug, silence your phone, create an automatic “away from office” email response and find out you’re your company team can really do. Overseeing every facet of the workday has made your company what it is today. But at some point, it’s time to delegate. Give employees a chance to get out of their comfort zone and take on new responsibilities. You may find areas that need to be strengthened and this can be a great help to everyone in the long run. Often, an increase in freedom creates more innovation.

Life is short, so take some time for yourself and your family each year and you may find it’s the best thing you could have done for the company you have worked so hard to build.

If you would like more information on these or other services contact: Thomas Turfgrass 877-220-9194

www.thomasturfgrass.com