NT Chapter Connect December 2016

Volume 24 Issue 4

Winter 2016

2016 Crew and Assistant Championship

Spencer McCasin

Host Superintendent Jay Tinsley and his great staff had the course in outstanding condition. Thanks to all of Bridlewood for making it a very special day for everyone!

Woodbridge Golf Club

Proximity Winners

Congratulations and Thank You to all who participated in this year’s event! We had a great and a bit chilly day but everyone had a fun time. Our Assistant Champion was Spencer McCasin from Dallas Country Club and our Crew Champions were from Woodbridge Golf Club.

Great Shootin Guys!

Long Putt Champion (L)

Thanks to EZGO for sponsoring a great lunch and to Longhorn Irrigation for sponsoring prizes.

Our Hosts: Jay Tinsley (L) and the Bridlewood Staff

President’s Message It has been a busy and exciting year for the NTGCSA, and it has been my honor and privilege to serve as your president during this time.

This year has flown by quicker than I expected. What a wonderful experience it has been to serve as your President. When I joined the

association over 10 years ago, I never envisioned that I would be in this position, but I am thankful for the opportunity, the experience and the personal growth that this opportunity provided.

My term as President will be followed by Michael Epps of Mira Vista Country Club. I know the talents and leadership he brings to the table will continue to help our chapter thrive. I look forward to seeing what he will be able to accomplish this next year. The board is already working hard on making next year even better.

Thanks to Kevin Nettles and the staff of Dallas Athletic Club for hosting this years’ Scholarship Tournament. The weather was absolutely amazing and the golf course was equally as impressive.

The money raised at that event will provide scholarships to some well deserving applicants.

I would also like to thank Jay Tinsley and the staff of Bridlewood Golf Club for once again hosting the Crew Championship. Thanks to all of the sponsors that helped out and made this a special day for the people that work so hard to make us look so good. Congrats to the staff of Woodbridge on their impressive victory.

I hope you make plans to attend this years’ Annual Banquet at the Fort Worth Club. They always do such a great job of hosting our event and I look forward to another great evening.

For the NTGCSA to thrive we need your input, ideas and time. Never hesitate to call me personally or any member of our Board. We are here to serve your best interests.

In closing, I would like to thank the membership, sponsors and hosting facilities for your continued support of the Association’s programs and events. Your contributions and participation make it all possible. I wish everyone a safe, prosperous and Happy New Year!

Sincerely, Kevin Redburn

About Us

North Texas Golf Course Superintendents Association Board of Directors

Network with your peers!

Join us at: Ntgcsa.org and:

President: Kevin Redburn redburnk@aol.com Click Vice President: Mike Epps mepps@miravistacountryclub.com Secretary / Treasurer: Kirt Phillips kirt@dallascountryclub.org

Past President: Kevin Carpenter kcarpenter@northwoodclub.org Superintendent Directors Kyle Embry

embry.kyle@gmail.com

Willie Wallace Sterling Naron

wwallace@dentoncc.org sterling@hawkscreek.com

Joe Todaro

joe.todaro@tstc.edu

Bryan Brown bryan.brown@lkpoa.org

Vendor Directors Aaron Fox Jim Newkirk

afox@textron.com

jim.newkirk@austinturf.com

Chapter Executive Carol Cloud ntgcsa@gmail.com 817-377-4552 800-277-6449 5552 Plata Ln., Benbrook, TX 76126

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Each year, the North Texas GCSA honors members of the chapter who have achieved extraordinary success and have excelled at serving their peers and association. In 2017, the chapter will return to one of our favorite venues in downtown Fort Worth - the historic Fort Worth Club. This beautiful club located high in the Fort Worth skyline will provide first class hospitality, gourmet food and a terrific experience.

Members are encouraged to bring guests to enjoy the fun night that will include dinner, awards and the ever popular Casino Party complete with Las Vegas style gaming (for fun of course) and fabulous prizes awarded at the end of the night. This year, the association will honor the A.C. and Gary Bearden Superintendent of the Year Award, the 2016 Golf Champions, and the 2017 Legacy Scholarship Award Winners.

Make plans now to join us at the Fort Worth Club on Saturday, January 21. Don’t miss this special night of fun with your peers and friends. See you in Cowtown!

Will Trump Administration be good for golf?

The Golf Course Superintendents Association of America is involved in broad-based advocacy efforts that would continue no matter who is the incoming President or the majority party in Congress. But with Donald Trump winning the presidential election and the Republican party controlling Congress, GCSAA sees an opportunity to better communicate its priority agenda to Trump, a president who understands the value of the game of golf, both as a golfer and golf course owner. On the campaign trail, Trump targeted several laws and regulations coming from the Obama Administration that could impact golf course management operations and the environment. Some of those regulations, of course, impact the use of inputs used to create healthy turfgrass and excellent playing conditions for golfers.

The pending Clean Water Rule (WOTUS) dramatically increases the federal scope of the Clean Water Act over rivers, streams, wetlands and ditches. GCSAA opposes WOTUS as it is written and wants agencies to go back to the drawing board to write a more balanced rule. Trump’s win provides more options for that to happen. Congress could pass legislation that stops WOTUS either by killing it outright or by cutting off its funding. President Obama had threatened to veto such measures. In contrast, President Trump would likely sign them into law. Alternatively, he could choose to simply not appeal, should WOTUS be struck down in a court of law.

Myron Ebell, the man leading Trump's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) transition team, has called WOTUS "an unprecedented power grab." "We have a lot more options available to us in the area of WOTUS going forward and that's good news," said Bob Helland, director of congressional and federal affairs at GCSAA. "Trump and his transition team have expressed many of the same concerns about WOTUS that we have."

Trump is also familiar with the H-2B Visa program that a number of golf facilities utilize, including one of his own in Florida. This could lead to a breakthrough in the red tape that makes using the program so frustrating.

In the interim, however, GCSAA continues to support measures to help cut through the red tape, including adding language to the pending Fiscal Year 17 Omnibus spending bill that renews the exemption for H-2B workers who are returning to the U.S. for temporary and specific work within a three-year period.

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A.C. and Garry Bearden Superintendent of the Year Award

Each year, the North Texas GCSA honors one of their members with an award named in honor of two of the Association’s most distinguished former members. A.C. Bearden and his son Garry were legendary NTGCSA members who devoted their careers to helping their peers, enhancing their profession and mentoring the young people who worked with them. It is hard to image a Superintendent in the DFW area who has not been trained or influenced by one of the Beardens during their long careers in North Texas.

This year, three outstanding Superintendents were nominated for this award. Nominations were accepted from their peers, coworkers, course professionals and industry professionals. Voting ended on December 16 and the winner will be announced at the 2017 Annual Awards Banquet.

Congratulations to Dan Boley of The Tribute Golf Club, Jorge Croda CGCS of Southern Oaks Golf Club and Paul Madewell of Pecan Hollow Golf Course for being nominated. Following are excerpts from nomination letters received by the association. You can read the entire letters on the ntgcsa.org website. Congratulations again to these three very deserving candidates.

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Dan Boley SOY Nomination I would like to nominate Mr. Daniel Boley, GCS for the A.C. and Gary Bearden Superintendent of the Year Award. I have had the pleasure of working with Dan for the past year and certainly find him to be more than qualified for this great award.

Dan Boley Golf Course Superintendent The Tribute Golf Club

The Golf Course Superintendent position is one to be considered the ultimate un-sung hero. A title that so deserves to many and the many who take pride in what they do every day. The 3:00am mornings, the late afternoons to cool bent grass greens and the many additional projects that you are asked to complete. These are just a few details that Dan never takes lightly. Dan came to The Tribute Golf Links a little over a year ago and walked into a golf course that was just recovering from a devastating flood that had the course closed for up to 2 months. Everything had been affected from tee to green and the crew had been worn thin from the everyday process of cleaning up all the trash. The native grass was destroyed the irrigation lines where a mess and morale of the entire staff seemed to be defeated.

Dan came to work and said, "Let's do this". He was right in the middle of everything that was going on and even stepped up to build additional items for the club that's not anywhere close to the golf course. I know many of you understand that clubhouse area that's no where related to growing grass and the superintendent is the one who always gets the call. Dan never batted an eye and was always there to fix whatever needed to be fixed and stayed late of course to make sure all was done before leaving. The 80 to 90 hour work weeks did not stop this man nor was he going to allow his crew to be affected, They built fences, fixed irrigation leaks continued to build cart paths attended to club house plumbing issues and still made the golf course look better than it ever has with a year having record rounds at the facility.

With the year 2016 almost in the books and all the projects that have been completed and all the players growth programs implement we can say that The Tribute Golf Links will be reaching a record high in player rounds, revenue and overall club EBITDA. We are approaching THE BEST year in the history of the club since 2000. All of this with some of the biggest obstacles in our way and with the best golf course conditions ever to go along with a stellar performance. Thank You, Dan Boley.

With all the financial growth, with all the determination from the staff and to prove the willingness to survive and grow we have proven to be the best and now earned the support of our financial team and owners to provide additional funding to renovate all of the bent grass greens next year to a hybrid Bermuda. As you know this is a huge project and requires much detail and attention from the superintendent to grow in. This just shows the amount of confidence that our team has in Dan Boley. Here we go again, the drive to be even better than our best year is not enough. We will continue to strive for the best.

All of this is not possible without one of the greatest Golf Course Superintendents. This is why I nominate Mr. Daniel Boley, Golf Course Superintendent at The Tribute Golf Links.

Thank You for your consideration. Chip Graham, PGA, Head Golf Professional, The Tribute Golf Links

I would like to recommend Dan Boley from the Tribute as Superintendent of the Year. I hired Dan as the Superintendent in October 2016 and in the past year the club has dramatically improved in both financial performance and consumer experience.

To give some history of the club and perspective : The club was opened in 1999. The high water mark in regards to rounds counts was in 2005 at 38,912. YTD in 2016 we have done 49,356. All of this on 17 year old bent grass. I have had the pleasure of working with over 300 Super's across the country in my career with ClubCorp, CPGM, and AGC. I can safely say, Dan is the epitome of hard work, dedication, and practical understanding of how the Maintenance department drives the club performance.

Thanks for your consideration, Dan Cortese, VP — Public & Resort Golf : Century Golf Partners Director of Operations, Planning, and Analysis : American Golf

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Jorge Croda CGCS SOY Nomination I am pleased and honored to write this letter in support of the nomination of Jorge Croda for the A.C and Garry Bearden Superintendent of the Year Award. I have known Jorge for over six years and he is a remarkable man who has a great passion for his profession and a wonderful heart for working with youth in our program.

Jorge Croda Golf Course Superintendent Southern Oaks Golf Club

Jorge is a very unique individual in that he has the rare quality of being respected by peers, colleagues, friends, family and from my prospective, is truly able to connect with young people. The excitement he demonstrates when working with the participants in our program is truly impressive.

His knowledge of both the game of golf and the fundamental life skills and character development aspects of our program makes him an effective instructor, role model and mentor. Jorge's ability to engage and build positive relationships with anyone he is around is truly inspirational and a valued aspect of his abilities in The First Tee program.

There is no doubt that Jorge will continue his fine work at Southern Oaks and his service to The First Tee. I am very fortunate to call him a colleague and friend and recommend him to your committee enthusiastically. Feel free to contact me at any time for additional information about Jorge and thanks for providing this opportunity to him !

Sincerely, Kevin Long, Executive Director, The First Tee of Fort Worth I am immensely proud to enthusiastically recommend Jorge Croda, our Superintendent at Southern Oaks Golf Club for the A.C. and Garry Bearden Superintendent of the Year Award.

I have a certain historical advantage of living on the 18th fairway of Southern Oaks Golf Club (SOGC) for the past twenty years. I wake up each morning and go to bed each night having the pleasure (and previously considerable pain and consternation) of observing the various iterations of the golf course I have played hundreds of times.

Jorge has returned the course to conditions that continue to earn praise from Avid Golfer and area publications. Southern Oaks is now referred to as the "Hidden Gem" of the Dallas/Ft Worth Metroplex. As a result: the club facilities are expanding (beautiful events center completed, planned tennis facility, and planned fitness center), our neighborhood is growing, rounds-played is increasing, hi-profile tournaments are being scheduled and our Men's, Women's and Senior Golf Assns. are continuing to grow in membership. The course is in better shape now than it has ever been! Considering all of this, Jorge will still tell you that the quality of the course is only at about 80% of what he plans and expects it to be. In summary, Jorge Croda has been a credit to his profession and a God-send to our particular facility. We are not a high-profile, highly-promoted, exotic location, destination, "bucket list" type of golfing Mecca (yet!) We are simply (now) a wonderful place to enjoy the game we all love/hate. However, given our history of "near death" to the current sublime beauty due in large part to Jorge Croda...l can't think of a more poignant story of the possibilities that golf engenders...hard work, dedication honesty and integrity and professionalism...Jorge Croda.

Joseph G. (Jody) Durham I want to take this opportunity to nominate Jorge Croda, the superintendent at Southern Oaks Golf Club, for the 2016 ABC. and Garry Bearden Superintendent of the Year Award. My name is Jeff Kauffman. I am the president of the Men's Golf Association at Southern Oaks Golf Club and I have also lived in the neighborhood surrounding the course for over ten years.

One of the most striking things that Jorge has done on the course is improving the overall health of the turf. He has accomplished this through persistence, knowledge and strong and thorough agricultural practices, He is innovative and creative jn his practices and always looking for ways to accomplish his goals that are environmentally responsible and cost effective. In the three years that Jorge has been at Southern Oaks he has been an incredible agent of change. He has improved the playability of the course for players of all levels, adding options that can increase or decrease the difficulty depending on the golfing experience you are looking for. Jorge is a diehard proponent of the game of golf. He is a great communicator and stays in close contact with me about what is going on at the course. These are just some of the reasons that I know Jorge is deserving of the Superintendent of the Year award in 2016. He is truly an ambassador for the game of golf and it shows in the passion he displays each and every day both on and off the course, Jeff Kauffman, President, Men’s Golf Association, Southern Oaks Golf Club

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Paul Madewell SOY Nomination As the City of Plano's Manager for Pecan Hollow Golf Course I am thrilled to ask that you consider Pecan Hollow's Golf Course Superintendent Paul Madewell for your Superintendent of the Year award. He is amazing and one of the best Golf Superintendents that Plano has ever seen.

Before we started our golf course renovation in 2010 (finished 2011), I had the opportunity to hire a new superintendent as the previous one was retiring, I had never gone through a golf course renovation but I knew I had to hire the right superintendent. I did and I got more when I hired Paul Madewell. Paul's dedication to detail is impeccable and his knowledge of agronomy is supreme, He was involved with every aspect of the $11 million dollar renovation and a few times I think he actually slept overnight at the course just to make sure every last detail went as he thought it

Paul Madewell Golf Course Superintendent Pecan Hollow Golf Course

should. The renovation design was done by Weibring Wolfard Golf Design and attached is an endorsement letter from course designer Steve Weibring re-enforcing that Paul is so deserving of this award

Now, six years later from when he was hired, he has not lost this attention for detail and the course looks just as good as the day we re-opened after the renovation. I consider Pecan Hollow to be one of the best municipal courses in the metroplex if not the state. I owe this to Paul and his dedication to the profession. He is a golf course superintendent through and through and lives for this job, Paul is always looking for new ways to improve and new processes to try to better the course conditions. Robin Reeves, Director of Plano Parks and Recreation with 30 years of experience told me, "Pecan Hollow Golf Course has never looked better and that is a direct result of Paul's leadership and dedication to making it a great course!"

Pecan Hollow Golf Course is packed and our Golf Professional and on-site GM Steve Heidelberg had this to say about Paul, "Paul and his team work to create the nicest greens and tee boxes. His attention to detail is what sets him apart and makes for an awesome golfing experience!"

I feel very strongly that he is deserving of the Superintendent of the Year distinction. Thank you for your time.

Sincerely, Colette Hall, Recreation Services Manager, City of Plano Parks and Recreation Department

Paul Madewell and I began our working relationship in 2010 when construction kicked off on the Pecan Hollow Golf Course 'renovation. As the recently hired golf course superintendent, Paul was 'tall in" from the start and was an integral part of the planning and implementation of the improvements. The golf course has been extremely popular since opening on time in the fall of 2011. This is in no small part due to the consistently high level of playing surface conditions from the first day it opened up until today. Not always easy to do on a flood prone golf course.

Paul is a good player, holds himself to high standards and works very hard every day to achieve ('tournament" conditions. The presentation that Paul and his staff provide Pecan Hollow customers with the resources in place is truly remarkable. It isn't easy to raise maintenance standards that have been in place for 40 years.

Please accept my endorsement of Paul Madewell for NTGCSA Superintendent of the Year without reservation.

Sincerely, Steve Wolfard, Weibring Wolfard Golf Design

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Tripp Davis’ renovation work at the Northwood Club gets underway Construction is underway on a renovation project at the Northwood Club golf course in Dallas, Texas.

The project is being led by golf course architect Tripp Davis and a team from his design firm. Davis was commissioned by the club to draw up a renovation and restoration plan for the Bill Diddel-designed course back in early 2015.

Sean Dudley

The work will see the restoration of all tees, greens and bunkers across the course.

New NorthBridge bermudagrass will be introduced across the entire course. The only exception will be the greens, which will use bentgrass.

Davis’ team includes shaper Jason Gold, design associate and construction specialist Kyle Downs, and builder Landscapes Unlimited.

A new four-hole ‘short course’ will also be introduced as part of the project, which aims to appeal to junior golfers. The club’s existing practice facilities will be rebuilt, and a new irrigation lake will be installed.

“Northwood is a great club with one of the best and most historic golf courses in Texas,” said Davis. “Our approach will be to restore the original character found in Mr Diddel’s greens, rebuild the bunkers to reflect Diddel’s style, and reposition bunkers and tees to be more strategically relevant for today’s game.”

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Northwood hosted the 1952 US Open, and club president Chris Harris described the current project as a ‘high profile opportunity for both our club’s members and the architect’.

Good luck to NTGCSA Member and former President Kevin Carpenter with this project!

We are looking forward to seeing the finished product!

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Annual Meeting at Grapevine Golf Course

October is Annual Meeting time and we were hosted by Merlin Tielkemeier at Grapevine Golf Course. Registration was great with almost 100 member in attendance. Thank you all for your participation. At the Annual Meeting, President Kevin Redburn gave a very thorough review of the association’s activities and financial status. The association has a strong financial position thanks to our very active membership and strong affiliate support. At the meeting, three new Superintendent board members were elected: Michael Underwood CGCS, Jorge Croda CGCS, and Willie Wallace, CGCS. Curt Franklin was elected to a two year Affiliate Board Member position. Thank you to these fine representatives for stepping up to the plate and serving your

association. Michael Epps will serve as the association President in 2017, and Kirt Phillips will serve as Vice President.

Brent Harvey of Ewing Irrigation was the lucky winner of the 50/50 pot raffle and he graciously donated his winnings back to benefit the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital. Turf Materials was our Platinum Sponsor for the day. Tony and Brenda Campagna hosted a closest to the hole contest which resulted in a $550 donation to the TSRHC which they very generously matched to make a total contribution of $1100!

Thank you Campagnas!

Our golf winners that day were Aaron Schick and Brian Honea: Low Gross Champions, and Jorge Croda and Brian Cloud: Low Net Champions. Proximity prize winners were Kelly McColpin, Wes Avance, Scott Alford and Zach Evans. Thanks for everyone who played and the staff at Grapevine GC for making it a great day!

NTGCSA 2017 Team Match Play Championship Presented by:

Turf Care of Texas

GCSAA 2017 Member Engagement Opportunities

Entry Fee - $25 per player The GCSAA Board of Directors invites you to submit your name for consideration for a 2017 committee/task group service. Please select the Areas of Interest/Expertise for which you would be most interested in serving. Experience/expertise, along with previous chapter leadership and committee/task group service, will all be considered when making the appointments for 2017.

No Entry Fee for Emerald or Bronze Members Registration closes January 31, 2017.

Winning team wins an all expense paid trip to 2018 GIS. Registration details at ntgcsa.org

Congratulations Jeff Hansen Squaw Valley Golf Course Jeff was one of nineteen golf course superintendents awarded the opportunity to attend 2017 Golf Industry Show in Orlando through the Melrose Leadership Academy. The Melrose Leadership Academy program supports the professional development of GCSAA member superintendents. It is administered through the Environmental Institute for Golf (EIFG), the philanthropic organization of the GCSAA. The program was established in 2012 by Ken Melrose, retired CEO and chairman of the board of The Toro Co., and is supported by a $1 million gift to the EIFG from the Kendrick B. Melrose Family Foundation.

Academy members are chosen through an application process based on financial need, volunteerism and a drive to advance their careers. The new class will participate in networking and leadership activities, as well as attend a variety of education seminars.

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Chapter Delegates Wrap Up

Chapter delegates discuss member growth, BMP guide at annual event Eighty-two delegates from 84 chapters convene at GCSAA headquarters Membership engagement and growth, advocacy efforts and an upcoming best management practices guide were among the key topics of the 2016 Chapter Delegates Meeting. The 82 delegates from 84 chapters also heard from nominees for the 2017 GCSAA Board of Directors. The two-day meeting, held Oct. 11-12 in Kansas City, Mo., and at GCSAA headquarters in Lawrence, Kan., also offered delegates the chance to discuss issues and provide input in small group sessions and during a "town hall" session.

While one third of attendees were first-time delegates, many of the veteran delegates return for the opportunity to make a difference for the association and profession.

"It's good to come and meet new people," said Sean Wilson, CGCS at The Club at Falcon Point and delegate for the South Texas GCSA. "You feel like you are truly a part of changing things for the better."

The event opened with updates from GCSAA President Peter J. Grass, CGCS, and GCSAA CEO Rhett Evans, as well as check presentations to chapters that participated in Rounds 4 Research in 2016. The second day offered staff presentations on key initiatives, including:

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Membership engagement and growth: Plans to increase member engagement include strategies across all classifications. Contact with new members will increase, with personalize messages sent at one, three and six months after joining. There will also be focused efforts on moving Class B members up to Class A, creating new member packets specifically for the equipment manager (EM) class, and strengthening the connection between student members and local chapters. Potential bylaw changes to the definitions of the EM class and International Superintendent Members could broaden growth opportunities.

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Government affairs: The Grassroots Ambassadors program continues to grow, and government affairs efforts are currently focused on the issues of H-2B, Mega 16 initiative, WOTUS and the overtime pay rule.

Discussions were also held on engagement through the use of the #golfvotes hashtag on social media during the upcoming election season, participation in the 10th anniversary of National Golf Day in 2017 and options for expanding GCSAA advocacy efforts.

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Best Management Practices Planning Guide and Template: Delegates got a sneak peek at GCSAA's BMP Planning Guide and Template, which will be launched at the 2017 Golf Industry Show in Orlando.

The tool will provide a road map for golf-centric organizations at the state level to develop and implement BMP programs. The goal is to have Thank you Jorge Croda for representing the NTGCSA at this important meeting. We appreciate you taking the time from your busy schedule to attend.

“Jorge did an outstanding job at this meeting. Being a first time delegate is not easy but Jorge fit in very well and represented the chapter very well.” Brian Cloud GCSAA Field Staff Representative.

Scholarship Tournament at Dallas Athletic Club

We enjoyed a beautiful November day at Dallas Athletic Club and a great turnout by NTGCSA members to raise money for 2017 Legacy Scholarships. Thank you Kevin Nettles for a wonderful golf course and arranging a terrific event. Visiting DAC is always a special treat for a our members! And thanks to Robert Fleetwood and his daughter Lauren for always being willing to help out at the Scholarship Tournament. We couldn’t do it without you! Lucky Donny Lecroy with a big 50/50 pot winning. We were also treated to a special thank you from a volunteer from the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital who gave a very heartwarming word of encouragement. It was really great to see John Colligan back in the swing of things! Great to see you John!

Golfers were all smiles on such a beautiful day. EZGO sponsored a hole-in-one contest for a new cart but no one was lucky (or skillful) enough to take it home. Big winners for the day were Todd Gilmour and Kyle Embry who took home the Low Gross Championship, Aaron Fox and Shawn Leach - Low Net, Trey Kemp and Mark Kazlowski were runner-ups in the Gross Division and Jeff Smith and Scott Alford took runner up honors in the Net division. Proximity winners included Scott Miller and Mark Herrera. Good shootin’ guys.

Each year, members of the NTGCSA support this event to raise money for Legacy Scholarships that benefit children and grandchildren college students. For many years, the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital has also been a special partner in the event offering a closest-to-the-pin contest. Proceeds from the contest are donated to the hospital.

Thanks again to our gracious hosts - Dallas Athletic Club, all of the participants who enjoyed our special day, and our awesome sponsors who we always count on for support and generosity. A great day at DAC!

New fungal disease on southern golf courses unmasked Writer: Kathleen Phillips, 979-845-2872, ka-phillips@tamu.edu Contact: Dr. Younk-Ki Jo, 979-862-1758, ykjo@tamu.edu A turfgrass disease that looked like an ink spill on many southern golf courses has been identified and all but blotted out, according to a plant pathologist with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.

The disease, which occurs on short-cut Bermuda and Zoysia grasses, had golf course superintendents from Texas to Florida “scared,” Dr. Young-Ki Jo said, because it ruined the aesthetic looks of their fairways and greens, which could have some players teed-off.

Jo and his counterpart Dr. Maria Tomaso-Peterson at Mississippi State University independently were examining samples of the infected grasses from various courses and, when they compared notes, agreed that the responsible pathogen was not known to scientists.

Ultimately, through lab tests and DNA sequence comparisons, the researchers found the pathogen was a new species of fungal disease, which they named Curvularia malina. Their finding was published in a recent edition of the journal Mycologia.

“Fungi is a common culprit of turf disease. So we isolated and cultured them for identification,” Jo said.

They also poured over reports of similar fungal diseases and found similarities on various courses in Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, Florida and even in Japan and China, yet it remained unnamed and with few details about its life cycle.

“If we don’t know the biology of a fungus, there is no management protocol,” Jo explained. “So of course the golf course superintendents’ first response is to be scared that the disease will take over the course.”

A new species of fungal disease, Curvularia malina, was found to be causing ink-link spots on fairways of many southern golf courses. (Photo courtesy of Dr. Young0Ki Jo, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service).

In Texas alone, there are some 1,000 golf courses with a total of about 115,000 acres, according to the Texas Water Resources Institute.

Jo said it’s costly to apply fungicides, especially if there is no idea whether it will work. With about 40 acres per course in fairways, putting greens and tees, the cost could easily reach $5,000 to spray a product that might not even work against the fungus. Besides, because it was a previously unknown species, no product was labeled for legal use against the fungus.

“You can spend a lot of time and money and still not manage a disease,” he said. “Proper diagnosis is a really critical thing.”

With extensive testing, and by comparing results from scientific databases online, the team was able to sequence and examine three genes and place the fungi in the Curvularia group. They named the new species malina, from the Sanskrit word for “dirty or stained,” because of its dark brown to black splotches in the turf.

In further field tests, the team found a fungicide that can be used preventively or to treat infected areas at the time of year it is most likely to appear, which is on short-cut grass in the more humid seasons of southern spring and fall.

“The fungi is only observed on golf course fairways, putting greens or tees,” Jo said. “It may be in grass with longer mowing heights but the distinctive symptoms just don’t show up there.”

Though grass with the inky disease turns dark with leaves that get mushy, the condition clears up with drier summer

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weather, he said. It commonly is spread possibly by mowing equipment or with aeration, a common management technique that pulls plugs of grassy soil out to help the turf get water and nutrients better.

“Luckily this fungal disease does not completely kill the grasses. The roots are still alive, and the crown is still alive, so if you apply proper treatments the the grass will recover,” the plant pathologist said. “But there can be lot of black spots, which really reduce the aesthetic quality and playability of the turf.

Back in 2017 by Popular Demand!!

The North Texas GCSA Board has decided that Emerald and Bronze Memberships will be available again in 2017! This special membership was a great hit in 2015 and 2016. Members enjoyed pre-paid entry in to all meetings and events (not including Scholarship Tournament and Annual Banquet). It is a great value for vendors and professional members alike. Think about it: 1 trip to the account-

ant vs. 10! 39 members took advantage of this great deal in 2016 and enjoyed free events and hassle free registration.

Available to Affiliate Members $450 for all year!

Available to Professional Members for $450

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