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From the TurfNet NewsDesk

  • John Reitman
    After almost three years of being under the knife, The Golf Course at Yale has been revived.
    The 1926 Charles Blair Macdonald-Seth Raynor design is set to reopen April 28 after a comprehensive restoration by the architectural team of Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner just in time for its centennial celebration.
    The focus of the restoration is to restore conditions and bring the course back to Macdonald-Raynor-like dimensions and sight lines lost over time.
    Restoration highlights include expanding greens, tees, bunkers and fairways to their historic dimensions and rebuilding the signature No. 3 Double Punch Bowl green to its original 1926 design. The course's double fairway holes on Nos. 3 and 18 also were restored, as were two inverted bunkers on No. 6.
     
    Other changes include:
    Regrassing and rebuilding greens to USGA specifications Installing state-of-the-art irrigation Restoring bunkers Expanding teeing areas Implementing a comprehensive tree removal program Moving championship tees to extend the course to more than 7,000 yards
    After being closed for nearly three years, Yale Golf Course is set to reopen after a restoration by Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner. Yale Athletics photo The golf course experienced a comeback under Scott Ramsay, CGCS, who was superintendent at Yale for 17 years from 2003 to 2020. In that time, the course underwent a renaissance that placed it among the best university golf courses as well as on many Top 100 lists.
    After Ramsay's departure, the course was closed for several months during the Covid pandemic followed by a period marked by declining conditions.
    Reservations, when they reopen, will allow 14-day advance bookings for Yale students, faculty and affiliates, and 10-day advance bookings for outside play. Rates will be $150 for Yale students and faculty; $250 for university affiliates; and $350 for golfers with no school affiliation.
    The university has produced a video series it will share throughout March and April highlighting key aspects of the restoration.
  • Since 2020, the Super-Scratch Foundation has been helping fund education for the next generation of golf course greenkeepers.
    The program's goal is to promote turf management as a profession and help fund education for the future superintendents who might face financial barriers to pursuing their education. To that end, the foundation recently introduced regional fundraising events across the country designed to support turf students while connecting golfers with those responsible for caring for their courses.
    The expansion comes at a time when the golf industry faces a growing shortage of future superintendents, providing an opportunity for Super-Scratch to bring greater awareness to the issue while sharing its mission with a national audience and supporting additional turf programs.
    The number of students enrolled in college turfgrass management programs, according to the foundation, has declined by more than half in the past 20 years.
    Originally created as a competition pairing a scratch golfer with their course's superintendent, Super-Scratch events are evolving to provide opportunities for players of all levels to participate and support this venture.

    The Super-Scratch Foundation helps fund turfgrass education through a series of competitions that pair low-handicap players with golf course superintendents. The foundation recently announced a series of events to help support turfgrass education.
    Each regional event will feature a $10,000 scholarship purse with the top teams designating a university turf program to support. Super-Scratch then works directly with those schools to distribute funds to students for tuition assistance.
    Top teams in the Gross Division will earn exemptions into the Super-Scratch National Invitational being held at Huntingdon Valley Country Club in Philadelphia on Oct. 15. Last year's invitational had a scholarship purse of $120,000.
    Registration is open for the first three events being held in Philadelphia, Milwaukee and Canton, Ohio. Events in Texas and Rhode Island also are scheduled and additional locations will be added throughout the year.
  • Proposed federal legislation would prevent state and local governments from requiring chemical manufacturers to include health warnings on pesticide labels that are not consistent with language already used and required by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
    Known as The Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026, a draft of the proposed legislation was recently advanced by the House Agriculture Committee. If the act becomes law it could have a wide-ranging impact on issues such as the ongoing legal battle surrounding the herbicide Roundup and claims by thousands that the weedkiller caused them to get cancer. 
    Bayer, which acquired St. Louis-based Monsanto in 2018 and almost immediately became embroiled in thousands of lawsuits by those who say glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, is responsible for their non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. With headquarters in Germany, Bayer has paid billions in settlements and is currently negotiating another round of payouts to settle more outstanding cases. The company also is the defendant in a case before the U.S. Supreme Court on whether the company had a duty to warn customers that glyphosate could cause cancer. SCOTUS is set to hear the case next month.

    USGA photo In Kansas, lawmakers there soon will vote on a bill that would prevent lawsuits against chemical manufacturers for not warning users that their products could cause cancer or other diseases. 
    Bayer acquired Monsanto — and Roundup — for $63 million in 2018. Since then, the company has paid more than $11 billion to settle approximately 100,000 claims. It is preparing to settle an additional 65,000 suits for $7.25 billion.
    Glyphosate has been "linked" to cancer by the World Health Organization, a claim the EPA refutes. Bayer representatives have repeatedly said the weedkiller is safe in accordance with label directions. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency conducted a regulatory review of Roundup in 2020 and concluded the herbicide is not a carcinogen. 
    The company announced in 2021 that it would discontinue sales of glyphosate-based Roundup in the consumer market in 2023, replacing glyphosate with a combination of other active ingredients, but it would continue to be available in the company's agricultural sector.
  • Superintendents across the country will benefit from the latest round of research projects funded by the GCSAA at two major research universities.
    The latest projects to receive funding for this year are:
    "Nematode resistance management on golf course turf" by Billy Crow, Ph.D. at the University of Florida "Integrating alternative strategies to improve the sustainable management of dollar spot" by Paul Koch, Ph.D., of the University of Wisconsin The Wisconsin project also is supported by the Wisconsin GCSA.
    "In this particular project, we're looking to advance precision management of dollar spot that will allow us to pinpoint when and where fungicides can be the most effective," said Koch (right). "This will result in improved disease control and decreased costs for the superintendent."
    The University of Florida study is a continuation of an ongoing project. The latest round of support will fund the final three years of the six-year nematicide study. The project assesses a panel of nematicides with the goal of giving turf managers rotational options to manage against resistance.
    "The SDHI nematicides fluopyram (Indemnify) and cyclobutrifluram (Trefinti) are the most effective turfgrass nematicides currently available," Crow said. "However, the discovery of resistance to SDHI nematicides in turfgrass nematodes following prolonged use has made it clear that SDHI nematicides should be rotated with nematicides from other classes for resistance management."

    A project at the University of Wisconsin has the goal of pinpointing where and when to apply fungicide for optimal control of dollar spot. University of Wisconsin photo Dr. Crow's lab in Gainesville is a global leader in nematode research.
    "This first-of-its-kind experiment is a six-year project evaluating 10 different nematicide rotations of SDHI nematicides (Nematicide Resistance Group N-3) with nematicides from other Nematicide Resistance Groups," said Crow (below right). "There are two field trials, one targeting the grass root-knot nematode and the other targeting sting nematode. We are comparing the nematicide rotation programs for efficacy against the target nematodes, turfgrass health, development of nematicide resistance, and impacts on nematode community structure as an indicator of soil health."
    The projects were selected by a committee that included two members of the GCSAA board of directors, superintendents, university researchers and other professional scientists. Each project will receive up to $100,000 from a GCSAA Foundation block grant. 
    "The costs of conducting turfgrass research costs are rising, but many funding opportunities are decreasing because of cuts at the federal level," Koch said. "That's why the funding provided by the GCSAA and the WGCSA is so critical to advancing research that directly benefits golf course superintendents. In this particular project, we're looking to advance precision management of dollar spot that will allow us to pinpoint when and where fungicides can be the most effective. This will result in improved disease control and decreased costs for the superintendent. 
    With the 2026 funding, GCSAA funding is supporting nine ongoing university research projects, that total $582,807 in funding for applied turfgrass research.
  • Thanks to a grant by the FairWays Foundation, more than 100 golf courses nationwide joined Audubon International's Monarchs in the Rough program in 2025.
    A total of 127 golf courses joined the program last year, bringing the total number of golf courses in the U.S. and Canada that are participating in the program to almost 1,000. Those courses currently are managing more than 1,300 total acres of out-of-play areas as pollinator-friendly habitat.
    Monarchs in the Rough was started in 2018 by Audubon International and the Environmental Defense Fund, to help golf courses across North America create pollinator habitats in out-of-play areas to help boost declining populations. The USGA also became involved in the program in 2019.
    "Golf courses continue their positive contribution to the habitat needed," Audubon International CEO Christine Kane said in a news release. "Monarchs in the Rough is an effective and powerful way for courses of all kinds to take part in increasing new habitat for these iconic and beautiful creatures. We're thrilled so many courses signed on in 2025, and we look forward to adding many more this year and well into the future."

    Nearly 1,000 golf courses in the U.S. and Canada are participating in the Monarchs in the Rough program since it was launched in 2018. Monarchs in the Rough photo Every course received a shipment of regionally appropriate milkweed seed and signage promoting the program, technical guidance and tips about how to communicate the program to members and golfers.
    Tim McCann, director of greens and grounds maintenance at Harbour Ridge Golf and Yacht Club in Palm City, Florida, says he converted an acre from a former tee box location that had been moved.
    "We've filled one of our beds with a lot of milkweed," McCann said. "It was an old tee that was moved to another location."
    Established in 2019 by former Aquatrols president and CEO Matt Foster, the FairWays Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing conservation and environmental stewardship. By providing grants to both small and large-scale projects, the foundation addresses environmental challenges and supports educational initiatives worldwide.
    Since its founding, the foundation has donated more than $1 million to more than 60 recipients.
  • To better serve golf course superintendents in the fight against invasive grassy weeds, Moghu USA is expanding its distribution network for PoaCure SC herbicide.
    The company has reached distribution deals with Noble Turf and Genesis Distribution/Genesis Turf. Effective immediately both companies will offer Poa Cure.
    Genesis is based in Glen Rock, Pennsylvania. With headquarters in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, and additional outlets in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey and Warington, Pennsylvania, Noble Turf serves customers throughout parts of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. 
    With the active ingredient methiozolin, Poa Cure was developed in 2007 by researchers in South Korea at the Moghu Research Center. The company founded Moghu USA five years later to distribute the product in the U.S.
    "Our expansion through trusted partners like Noble Turf and Genesis Distribution transcends simple logistics; it is about ensuring golf courses have immediate, hands-on technical support alongside streamlined access to PoaCure SC," said Kyung Han, executive director of sales and technology at Moghu USA.
    Click here for a list of Poa Cure distributors.
  • A unique turf management educational program that targets non-traditional students entering its fourth year of producing the next generation of turf managers highlights the ongoing need for highly trained professionals in the business of golf course management.
    The USGA recently announced the next class in the fourth edition of its Greenkeeper Apprenticeship Program.
    "Simply put there still is a need (for more education)," said Carson Nesbella, Ph.D., program director for the USGA apprenticeship program and an instructor at Sandhills Community College in Pinehurst, North Carolina.
    "I think that if you talk to anybody that you might run into at a trade show or at one of our association meetings, they still have a need for entry level crew members. While we've addressed some gaps and some holes, at the leadership level, there's still a need to bring in individuals and to train them up and bring them up to speed."
    Developed in 2023 by leaders at Pinehurst Resort and the USGA in cooperation with Sandhills Community College, the program provides a mix of classroom instruction with on-the-job training, and pairs each student with an on-course mentor, intended to advance their professional development.
    The program was expanded in 2024 to include instruction in cooperation with Horry-Georgetown Technical College in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The program provides tuition-free learning for all students for one year and paid on-the-job training positions at partner golf courses.
    The Greenkeeper Apprenticeship program is designed to provide:
    A strong foundation in turfgrass and soils science, fertility, pest and water management, rules of golf and leadership skills Practical in-class instruction Work as an apprentice at a local golf course under the mentorship of a leader in the field to gain valuable experience and connections, all while earning an income as a full-time employee Through this program, students develop their skills at top-tier facilities such as Pinehurst Resort and Country Club, Tobacco Road Golf Club, The Dunes Golf and Beach Club, Bulls Bay Golf Club and Southern Pines Golf Club.
    The program has produced 68 graduates through its first three years. 

    A member of the USGA Greenskeeper Apprentice Program mows a green ahead of the 2024 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2. USGA photo by Kathryn Riley "Those are modest numbers compared to some of the more established programs," Nesbella said. "But at the same time, we're living in a space where with this program, you bring in a cohort. So we don't just take students asynchronously that are going to come in and start their program at one point and leave it another.
     
    "All of our students started the exact same time at the beginning of the year. They stayed together like a family throughout the year and then they graduated at the end of the year together. And so that cohort model means that we have to be a little bit more intentional about how many students we take."
    This year's class includes 36 students from 15 states. Among them are:
    Rick Shannon, 53, from North Carolina, who is an active military member with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice and a master's degree in business administration. Haley Fox, a Colorado native with degrees in biology and exercise science, the daughter of a PGA professional and a golf course superintendent of more than 30 years. Nicholas Chace, who was born in Russia and moved from Massachusetts to join the program.  A role in turfgrass instruction is a natural fit for Nesbella. With two bachelor's degrees from Michigan State (crop science and environmental science), a master's in applied horticulture from Cornell and a doctorate from Penn State in agricultural and extension education services, Nesbella is a natural educator. He served as a graduate teaching assistant while at Cornell and worked as an educator for three years in the public school system in Montague, Michigan, where the classes he taught included AP Environmental Science, Earth Ecology, Natural Resources, Food Science, Vet Science and Integrated Projects in Agriscience.
    "I have roughly seven years experience in the industry working on golf courses and athletic fields that I was able to accrue during during my time after high school and through college when I was focused on a crop and soil science degree and a concentration on turfgrass science and that gave me a really nice foundational knowledge for applied turfgrass science management," Nesbella said. "And then from there flipping over into the education space and getting a teaching degree and teaching high school agriculture, and then ultimately getting a doctorate in agricultural education, gave me sort of this sandwich effect, with the content knowledge on turfgrass and then the best practices and high impact educational philosophy.
    "And so putting those two together, I think it makes for at least myself an individual that can design and deliver a curriculum that is best suited and tailored to the needs of an individual who is in a continuing education capacity and wants to be a developed member of the workforce."
    Future plans for the apprenticeship program include not only growing throughout the Carolinas, but other parts of the country as well.
    "We envision expanding the program to a couple new sites and identifying those sites this year and locking in those sites to have a 2027 start date," Nesbella said.
    "And we think that what's needed about the program is it's going to have some regional influence in the curriculum, and going to have to shift and mold to the needs of those specific climates and the specific stakeholders right within those areas. And so, we've identified a few other sites that we'd like to expand to. And so in the next five-year window, you're probably going to see a map that has a nice little spread across the country of programs that are put in places where there's a high concentration of golf courses, some stakeholders that are extremely invested and supportive of the program in that area, and then also tailored to the needs of the area."
    Applications for the 2027 cohort will be accepted later this year.
  • For turf managers in Canada seeking to maximize their water use, Aquatrols recently launched Precip Acres.
    This new surfactant is formulated to promote hydration and infiltration throughout the plant to enhance water savings and reduce cost for superintendents, sports turf managers and other turf management professionals. 
    Precip Acres' formulation enhances water infiltration  and increases soil hydration. It acts by improving how water moves into and throughout the soil profile to help turf managers and lawn care professionals optimize irrigation water and rainfall. The result, the company says, is more consistent moisture, improved resource efficiency and healthier playing surfaces over time.
    "Water management continues to be one of the most important challenges facing today’s turf professionals," said Erick Koskinen, Aquatrols general manager. "With Precip Acres, we focused on delivering a practical, cost-effective solution that helps Canadian customers conserve water while maintaining high performance standards."
    Precip Acres is now available through authorized distributors across Canada.
    The Aquatrols Co. has been delivering innovative water-use solutions for turf managers, greenskeepers and superintendents for more than 70 years. The company now is part of The Lamberti Group. With headquarters in Gallarte, Italy, Lamberti is a global specialty chemicals manufacturer that includes surfactants for the turf industry.
  • Syngenta has named two new additions to its sales staff in the company's western territory.
    Frank Santiago (right) has been named a district sales manager for Syngenta Professional Solutions in the company's western market. He will oversee eight territory managers in that region, including Lorabeth Catterson, who succeeds recently retired Greg Fukumitsu.
    Based in Tucson, Arizona, Santiago has extensive industry and regional experience. Most recently, he served as a senior sales representative with BASF in the southwestern U.S. Santiago held similar roles across the Southwest and Pacific Northwest with Corteva and Simplot. He earned bachelor's and master's degrees in agricultural education from the University of Arizona.
    Prior to entering the turf industry, Santiago spent more than 10 years at his alma mater, where he served in roles overseeing student recruitment and academic services. He chartered the Turf Cats student organization and organized field days and study materials for FFA members.
    "Frank brings a wealth of knowledge, leadership and passion to the turf and ornamental industries, not only in sales and customer relationships, but also in fostering future talent," said Dave Ravel, head of sales for Syngenta Professional Solutions. "I have every confidence that Frank will excel in this role, providing our partners in the western U.S. with sales support and innovative products to solve challenges and drive success."
    Catterson (right) joined Syngenta in 2023 and previously served as a digital platform sales specialist. She also spent nearly a decade in golf course management in roles in Los Angeles at Hillcrest Country Club and Los Angeles Country Club. She earned a bachelor's degree in plant sciences from Rutgers University and a master's degree in data science from the University of Colorado.
  • The countdown is on in Connecticut. In about a year-and-a-half, many golf course superintendents there will be short one arrow in their quiver.
    Beginning Oct. 1, 2027, use of the neonicontinoid class of insecticides will be prohibited on golf courses, most lawns and other turfgrass environments throughout the state as a result of legislation signed last year by Gov. Ned Lamont. Turfgrass covers a total of about 350,000 acres in Connecticut, which is about 10 percent of the state's 3.5 million acres (or 5,543 square miles).
    The legislation includes exemptions for row crops, agricultural seed production, ornamental shrubs, trees and some non-plant uses, meaning superintendents will not be able to use the insecticides on turf, but can use them on shrubs, flowers and trees.

    Use of neonicotinoid insecticides on turf will be banned in Connecticut starting in October 2027. The law leaves room for special use exemptions. The commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Conservation can grant such an exemption after determining no other effective option is available. 
    Penalties for violating the new law will be $2,500 per violation.
    Proponents of the legislation say neonicotinoids are harmful to non-target species, especially many pollinating insects. 
    Neonicotinoids have been under fire since 2013, when a landscape company sprayed a clump of flowering Linden trees at an Oregon shopping center with an insecticide to control aphids and instead eliminated an estimated 50,000 bumble bees.
    The new legislation is considered a win by many proponents, however, others say it does not go far enough. An earlier version of the legislation included a complete ban, but was modified after pushback from farmers and the agriculture industry.
    Neonicotinoids were first developed in the 1980s and were launched into the marketplace in the 1990s. Some of the more popular active ingredients in neonicotinoids are acetamiprid, clothianidin, dinotefuran and imidacloprid.
  • For most of its 39-year history, the Links at Spanish Bay has been a solid third in the Pebble Beach Company's three-course lineup.
    A much anticipated restoration by the architectural team of Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner is designed to bring the course up to its highest standards since Tom Watson fired a 67 in the inaugural round there in 1987.
    The restoration will encompass work across the entire course located on California's Monterey Peninsula.
    Part of the project will include moving several greens and building a new par-3 hole to replace the current No. 13. Height of cut in the greens surrounds will be shortened to increase recovery options. Other putting surfaces to be moved to make room for the new par-3 No. 14 are current par-5 14th and 18th greens.
    The restoration has been in the plans for three years. The course will close in March and is scheduled to reopen shortly before the 2027 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. When it reopens, the public-access resort course will play from 4,705 yards to 7,115 yards, offering options for players of all skill levels, according to a news release from the Pebble Beach Co.

    A much-anticipated restoration of the Links at Spanish Bay will begin in March and will be completed shortly before the 2027 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. Pebble Beach Co. photo "The finished product will be more fun, playable and strategic for all golfers, while also better suited to challenge today’s elite player," the release read. 
    Other parts of the restoration will include:
    Expanding putting greens by 40 percent Widen fairways by 30 percent Move fairway bunkers Build new tee complexes and new cart paths Adding new drainage Adding 3 acres of natural areas and reducing irrigated turf by 12 percent. The project goal is to bring Spanish Bay more in line with expectations and golfer experience that players are accustomed to at Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill.
  • Golf course superintendents throughout the Mid-Atlantic now can access Bernhard's line of grinding solutions through a new distribution agreement with Turf Equipment and Supply.
    Under the new agreement, Turf Equipment will represent the Bernhard and Co. line of grinding solutions across its territory. 
    TES provides products and services for golf course superintendents, sports field managers, landscape contractors and institutional customers throughout the Mid-Atlantic. 

    "Together, we will ensure that our customers have access to the best technology and the best local support in the industry," said Daryl Nagy, sales manager for Bernhard in North America.
    "This new partnership is built on shared values and a clear focus on helping turf professionals achieve the highest possible standards. We are excited to be working closely together once again."
    With headquarters in Jessup, Maryland, TES also has outlets in Frankford, Delaware, West Chester, Pennsylvania and Fairfax, Virginia.
    Through Turf Equipment and Supply, customers will have access to Bernhard's full compliment of grinding equipment, including the Express Dual reel grinding line and the Anglemaster bedknife grinding line up.  
    The agreement is part of Bernhard's plan to expand its global network of distribution partners.
  • As the GCSAA marked its centennial anniversary at its conference and trade show in Orlando, the past and future of turfgrass maintenance was on full display at the Orange County Convention Center.
    While the history of the profession of turf management was evident with all manner of retro and period equipment, the story of this year's trade show was the overwhelming amount of new technology on display.
    There was literally a bright, shiny new toy at almost every intersection on the floor.
    There was more autonomous and robotic technology at the show than ever before, and you can bet there will be even more in years to come.
    Even companies that historically focus on solutions in a jug are branching out into the world of more touchy-feely technology.
    Autonomous and robotic mower manufacturers like FireFly Automatix, Kress and Husqvarna are not strangers to the show, and this year their collective offerings focused more on software upgrades than new hardware.
    New on the floor, however, was the Kress Voyager autonomous zero-turn mower that utilizes RTK mapping, LiDAR and Vision AI to navigate complex sites and slopes up to 40 percent. 

    The Astro autonomous sprayer by Frost is designed for use on greens. John Reitman photo There were other companies, showing off robotic technology, like Frost Inc., with its new Astro autonomous sprayer, the first autonomous sprayer designed specifically for applications on golf course greens. Guided by Ninja GPS, the Astro can cover a wide area with a 19-gallon tank feeding nine nozzles on 10-inch spacing.
    Also new were the Pace Technology fleet management system in the Jacobsen booth and the Bright Autonomy platform that promises to turn any piece of mechanized equipment into a robotic machine by retrofitting with just a few parts.
    One of the products making the biggest splash in the robotic sector was the new ULM 272 autonomous fairway mower from Baroness, a behemoth of a unit compared with other units in that sector because it can alternate between robotic and human operator control.
    The February edition of the Green Section Record hints that the next big thing will be sprayers that use a series of 3D cameras to identify and treat specific weeds.
    Even Syngenta, which this year will celebrate the 60th anniversary of Daconil receiving US EPA label registration, was highlighting a new tech tool in its booth with the introduction of the Aero GCX Microclimate Sensor. The Aero GCX can be paired with the company's Spiio GCX wireless soil sensor to become an integrated system that monitors conditions above and below the surface.
    For someone who has slogged through 20-plus, mostly boring trade shows, this year's event was the most enjoyable — by far — due to the overwhelming amount of new technology. Ideas that just five years ago were dismissed as unconventional are quickly becoming commonplace and accepted. 
    As the GCSAA moves into its second centennial, one can only wonder what new technology will be at your disposal in just the next five years, never mind the next 100.
  • Move over Reggie Jackson, there's a new "Mr. October" in town . . . Mac, a 1-year-old border collie mix from Hyannisport Club in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, received the most votes from attendees of the GCSAA Conference and Trade Show to become the 2026 "Dog of the Year."
    In what has become a must each year on the trade show floor, attendees of this year's GCSAA show visited the LebanonTurf booth to vote for their favorite pooch from the annual "Dog Days of Golf Calendar" to determine which would be crowned Dog of the Year.
    "Mac clearly won the hearts of this year's crowd at the show," said Christopher S. Gray, Sr., director of marketing for LebanonTurf. "He's a deserving winner who represents our industry very well as true golf course working dog."

    Mac, a 1-year-old border collie mix, works at Hyannisport Club in Massachusetts. Mac, who began patrolling the Hyannisport Club property at only 8 weeks old, has earned the title "The Chief of the Geese Police". Mac also enjoys checking irrigation heads to ensure they are working properly and playing with the syringe hose while his dad, first assistant golf course superintendent David Kennedy, keeps the greens cooled.
    Along with the glamourous title, Mac and David will receive $500 and a plaque. Additionally, Mac earned $3,000 for David's local GCSAA chapter and a $2,000 donation to K9 for Warriors.
    LebanonTurf and the GCSAA partner together annually to develop and provide the annual calendar that has become an industry staple for the members of the association and can readily be found in golf course maintenance facilities throughout the United States and abroad.
    Submissions for the 2027 calendar will open in the summer.
  • After several years of static attendance, the GCSAA Conference and Trade Show experienced its largest increase in nearly a decade.
    A total of 12,824 attended this year's show in Orlando, which is the most since the 2017 show, also in central Florida, attracted 13,600. That number also is almost 2,000 more than last year's show in San Diego (11,000).
    Illustrating the ongoing need for quality turf education, attendees filled 8,074 seminar seats, a number the GCSAA says is a new record that has stood since the 2008 show in Orlando that drew more than 25,000 attendees. This year's event was bolstered by education tailored for assistant superintendents and equipment managers.
    The trade show floor at the Orange County Convention Center featured 523 exhibitors (vs. 464 in 2025) and 178,600 square feet of exhibit space, an increase of 16% over 2025.

    Several awards also were handed out at the show:
    Col. John Morley Award — Bob Alonzi, CGCS, Joe Alonzi, CGCS. President's Award for Environmental Stewardship — Jim Pavonetti, CGCS, Fairview Country Club Greenwich, Connecticut. Outstanding Contribution Award — Bert McCarty, Ph.D., professor emeritus Clemson University. Emerging Leader Award — Steven Spatafore, Los Altos (California) Golf and Country Club. Edwin Budding Award — John Patterson, CTEM, Atlanta Athletic Club, Johns Creek, Georgia. Next year's conference and show is scheduled for Jan. 15-21 in New Orleans.
  • The post-pandemic golf boom continues to chug along.
    Nationwide demand for golf in 2025 reached a record 540 million rounds played, according to the annual state of the industry report presented recently at the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando.
    It marked the third consecutive year of record-breaking rounds played, according to the annual report. 
    Presented annually by Jim Koppenhaver of Pellucid Corp. and Stuart Lindsey of Edgehill Golf Advisors, the report also revealed that the number of golfers in the pipeline is still growing, and the inventory of golf courses continues to decline, even if ever so slightly. 
    An increase in demand for golf is just one of many statistics used to help measure the state of the golf industry. Those rounds played take on greater meaning when factoring in weather in 2025. 
    Years ago, Koppenhaver's Pellucid Corp. established a metric known as Golf Playable Hours. GPH is a measurement of the metrics that influence how many hours in a day one can play golf, including daylight, temperature, wind, precipitation, etc. According to this year's report by Koppenhaver and Lindsey, 2025 represented the lowest nationwide average for Golf Playable Hours was the lowest in 2025 since Koppenhaver established the metric.
    The number of golfers in the system grew in 2024 by about a net 900,000 players to about 24.2 million, according to Pellucid. Although final numbers on the number of golfers in the market are not yet in for 2025, the National Golf Foundation is predicting the number could be another million, bringing the number of players shooting upward to about 25 million.

    A total of 24 million golfers played a record 540 million rounds in 2025. Photo by John Reitman Behind that net gain of 900,000 golfers is a pick-up of 6.5 million players (3.4 million new golfers and 3.1 million recommitted golfers) coupled with 5.6 million people who walked away from the game.
    "And so now what we do is we look at this and say, okay, let's look at first retention," Koppenhaver said. "So, 76 percent of those were retained year to year.
    "In consumer packaged goods, if you've got a product and you're looking at year-year-to-year, 80 percent is an acceptable retention rate. We would like to see an 80 percent for a viable ongoing brand. So I look at our 76 percent, not bad."
    The golf industry has been marked by supply contraction for two decades, with closures outpacing new construction every year since 2006. Although construction is booming in a few places, such as South Florida and Texas, overall it was down again in 2025.
    Construction was completed on 20 golf courses in 2025, according to the report, but a total of 50 closed, for a net loss of 30 courses (in 18-hole equivalents).
    In those 20 years, supply has contracted from 14,848 golf courses in 2006 to 12,703 last year, for a total loss of 2,145 courses in 18-hole equivalents.
    The key to continued success at the individual facility level should be on player retention, because it is easier to keep golfers than attract new ones, said Lindsey.
    "How many rookies do we have to attract to offset a lost golfer?" asked Lindsey.
    "So the problem here is everybody we lose, we have to replace with more than one of them in the franchise."

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