I posted a blog entry after the 2012 Barclays held on the Black Course at the Bethpage State Park and mentioned "set-up man extraordinaire" Rich Roble. Rich passed away on Friday after a short battle with pancreatic cancer.
I'd known Rich for almost 15 years as a member of the Bethpage State Park staff. I can say with certainty he was the grumpiest perfectionist with the biggest heart I'd ever known. Rich was a native Long Islander born and raised around golf. He started as a really good pla
Topdressing ENCOURAGES accumulation of organic matter? Say what?
In this EPIC episode of Frankly Speaking, I chat, argue, holler and challenge Dan Dinelli, CGCS, at North Shore CC in Chicagoland and recipient of the GCSAA"s Presidential Award for Environmental Stewardship.
Our conversation ranges from Dan's long-term research in putting green rootzone behavior over time, to cultivar assessment and selection for the impending rebuilding of the 1924 greens at North Shore, to the successes
In this episode of Frankly Speaking, I chat with my old buddy Norm Hummel, Ph.D., recently semi-retired after selling his soil physical testing lab to Turf and Soil Diagnostics. Norm and I chat about what superintendents can do "from the bottom up" to manage putting surface firmness given the new tools available to put actual numbers to firmness and moisture levels.
Norm gives guidance regarding "knowing what you're putting down" when topdressing, layering different texture sands on one ano
I've been ranting this past year about the demise of "Plant Health" as a viable term in golf turf management. The fact is the longer I ruminate about the concept that we think we can make a plant healthy, the more ludicrous plant health seems. The existence of an organism on a golf putting surface is entirely related to stress tolerance.
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Developing perennial surfaces requires a golf turf manager to understand
ALL the stresses the plants are under-imposed by us, the weather or the p
In this episode of Frankly Speaking on TurfNet RADIO I chat with Mike Huck, former USGA Agronomist now with Irrigation and Turfgrass Services of California, about the latest on efficient water management, the situaion CA golf courses are facing, and how water use will change in the next five years. Have a listen, or download the .mp3 for offline listening.
Anyone who has been in the golf business for more than a few years knows the excitement about Masters Week. This marks the beginning of the golf season for many in spirit. For many superintendents it is also the beginning of the whining season.
It is not just the golfers who whine about the massive difference between Augusta National and their course, but many superintendents will lament that this week is the root of all the complaints they receive. It is such an important aspect of our live
Methiozolin, currently trade named PoaCure, from Moghu Research Center in Korea could be a game changer. Doctor S.J. Koo, lead scientist and Cornell University Ph.D. may have in fact found a "cure" for annual bluegrass invasion. The question are we ready for this cure.
There is no question in my mind that it has the kind of selective herbicidal activity as both a preemergence and postemergence product to affect meaningful changes in populations on greens, tees and fairways. It appears to be
In this episode of Frankly Speaking, I chat with David Bataller, Director of Golf Operations at PGA Catalunya Resort near Barcelona, Spain.
An admittedly bad student who was "fired from high school", David went on to high school and riding BMX bikes in Kansas before embarking on his career at PGA Catalunya. After serving as golf course superintendent for 15 years, he was recently promoted to Director of Golf Operations. David quips that he has never been fired from a golf cours
I'm taking a break from thinking about winter turf damage to watch the WGC at Doral. Listening to the commentary after the first three rounds I was struck by certain quotes. Of course Johnny Miller insisting there was grain all over the greens-south by southwest I heard him say. But Bubba Watson's comment with ESPN Golf Reporter Michael Collins gets the prize.
"I hit the shot I normally hit when playing in the US", Bubba explains of his shot that hit the green and rolled into the water, "tha
Just back from a week-long tour of Sweden and turned on the Golf Channel coverage of Pinehurst. Brandel Chamblee and Frank Nobilo sat with Coore and Crenshaw, then with Don Padgett II and of course the topic was the "restoration" of #2. I think rather it is a transformation in that it offers the entire golf industry a chance to transform a culture that many leaders of the game now argue has taken golf down an unsustainable path.
Chamblee stated, "maybe we should call them putting surfaces, i
Following up on two previous deep-dive conversations into the role and management of organic matter in fine turf, I once again host Dr. Roch Gaussoin of the University of Nebraska and Dan Dinelli, golf course superintendent at North Shore Country Club in the Chicagoland area.
Listen in we go at it for an hour, winding up with a fascinating discussion about Dan's research into biochar as a component or amendment of golf turf.
As always, smart talk from leading thinkers... presented by Dry
In this episode of Frankly Speaking, I chat with Paul MacCormack, superintendent/GM at Fox Meadow Golf & Country Club (Stratford, Prince Edward Island, Canada) and author of The Mindful Superintendent blog on TurfNet.com. We speak frankly about facing grief and loss with kindness, taking time to recharge during the off-season, and wellness tips that take care of your best asset during the heat of the season - YOU!
Check Out Science Podcasts at Blog Talk Radio with TurfNet RADIO on Blo
I have been doing some great travel this season so far from Spain and England to Canada, as well as Chicago and Wisconsin. There are few things I enjoy professionally more than walking a golf course with the person charged with stewarding the land. In every case the superintendent greets me graciously and shares their thoughts on golf turf management.
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Anyone that has seen Jack Nicholson in The Shining can get a sense of what your golfers will be like this Spring--Here's Johnny!
In this episode of Frankly Speaking, I have a great conversation with Sarah Glenn Jackson, a recently married Texas Tech graduate who for six months has been the assistant superintendent at Plantation Golf Club in Frisco, Texas.
I first became aware of Sarah via Brian Cloud's GCSAA blog and immediately knew her experiences as a female assistant in a vastly male industry would make for good conversation. She didn't disappoint!
Got a chance this week for a chat (AKA banter, debate, even argument) with my old pal Dan Dinelli. Anyone in this business with even the slightest interest in a broader environmental perspective on golf turf management knows Dan. I know him as a thoughtful, passionate steward of a piece of land (and exceptionally fine turf) that happens to be a great old country club on the north shore of Chicago. As usual our chat left me with more questions than answers.
The topic this time was Bacterial E
In this episode, I speak frankly with field agronomist extraordinaire Steve McDonald, owner/operator of Turfgrass Disease Solutions in Eastern PA. We start with the growing season of 2016 so far for the always-tough Mid-Atlantic region, and then move on to some of the latest thinking on annual bluegrass weevil management, summer disease prevention and some great conversation on techniques to manage the not-so-low-maintenance native rough areas.
Recorded June 13, 2016.
Presented by DryJec
The annual roar or core cultivation equipment is well underway, albeit often later these days than just 5-6 years ago. This will be an especially busy year cultivation-wise as there was widespread turf loss from the "days of hell" across the country this summer. The mantra of "what you do now benefits you next season" is what drives this activity.
I contend that when we adapt IN-SEASON with regular "venting" for gas exchange (poke), brushing to alter canopy structure (brush), and light topdr
In this second episode of Frankly Speaking on TurfNet RADIO, Dr. Doug Soldat of the University of Wisconsin-Madison talks about some surprising research into long-standing notions about turf nutrition - notably that late-season shot of nitrogen, and where it does and doesn't wind up.
He also calls into question the practice of boosting potassium fertility at the end of the season to "promote plant hardiness" - where in reality it might best be applied early- and mid-season to combat basal r
In this episode of Frankly Speaking, I chat with Dr. Paul Vincelli of the University of Kentucky about the state of turf research in general and plant pathology in particular; looking outside the turf industry for inspiration and innovation that can be applied to turf; enhancing public knowledge about climate change; and the state of genetic research.
As always, frank talk from leading thinkers in the turf industry.
Presented by DryJect and Turf Screen.
I enjoyed watching last week's coverage of the PGATour's Major Event-The Players Championship. As a Turf Geek - a'la Dave Wilber - I am obsessed with any talk of turf conditions and especially when they ask for player comment and now with Shotlink Data - It is a GEEKS Dream! I wish the discussion included how nimble the Tour Officials and Agronomy Staff were at adapting to the situation at hand.
The focus of the talk was the weak putting surfaces. The commentary had so many angles to it from
In this episode, I Speak Frankly with Doug Bechtel (Executive Director) and Tara Donadio IDirector of Cooperative Sanctuary Programs) from Audubon International about the changes going on the last few years at AI, including the development of programs beyond golf and the the role Audubon and other environmental programs can play in supporting the "greener" side of golf turf management
Progressive talk from intelligent professionals and always Frankly Speaking!
In this episode of Frankly Speaking, I chat with Brian Winka, CSFM, about the benefits of "Bluemuda" vs the "insanity" of the traditional process of overseeding Bermudagrass on sports fields and golf courses in the south and transition zone.
Presented by DryJect/Maximus and Civitas/Intelligro.
In this episode of Frankly Speaking, I chat with one of my old pals, Dr. Roch Gaussoin of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Roch did some fascinating research on managing soil organic matter, and the value of sand topdressing, coring/not-coring, spiking, solid-tining, slicing/venting, and other new-age cultivation techniques.
He also has some intriguing conclusions that are bound to stimulate thought and conversations among the superintendent (and academic) community. Smart talk from lea
Maybe Spring will show up in much of the northern US states? Still, well before many are mowing north of the Mason-Dixon line, the annual bluegrass seedhead suppression discussion is underway; "What combination of products do you use?, What growing degree day (GDD) timing model do you look at?, Do you use phenological (plant) indicators?" All good questions but....
Why not use soil moisture?
In other parts of the world where chemical technology is more restricted and less available, you
In this episode of Frankly Speaking, my guest is Dr. Joe Roberts, plant pathologist at the University of Maryland. Hot topics include bacterial etiolation and decline and their relation to environmental and agronomic stresses, and the new Turfgrass Microbiome project that Dr. Roberts is participating in. The Turf Microbiome project will identify and study communities of microorganisms that live within and on the plant that may be related to functions in turfgrass health.
As always, smart t
