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From the TurfNet NewsDesk

  • John Reitman
    Sean Anderson Card Sound GC, Florida   Tom Barrett MacArthur, Florida   Garrett Bodington Sebonack GC, New York   Tim Busek The Manor GC, Georgia   Tim Christians Makray CC, Illinois   Jim Colo Naples National GC, Florida   Jorge Croda Southern Oaks GC, Texas   Paul Culclasure Kilmarlic GC, North Carolina   James Cunnginham Trump National GC, New Jersey   Mike Dachowski Shelter Harbor CC, Rhode Island   Matt DiMase Abaco GC, Bahamas   Stanley Elliot Cypress Landing GC, North Carolina   Michael Golden Sterling Farms CC, Connecticut   Brian Green Lonnie Poole GC at NCSU, North Carolina   Jason Harrison Hamilton Farm CC, New Jersey   Lukus Harvey Atlanta Athletic Club, Georgia   Mark Hoban Rivermont GC, Georgia   Jason Hurwitz Fox Chapel CC, Pennsylvania   Gary Ingram Metropolitan Golf Links, California   Greg Jones Champions Run GC, Nebraska   Jared Kalina Ballyneal CC, Colorado   Carson Kamps Palma Ceia GC, Florida   Tim Kennelly Baltimore CC, Maryland   Scott Kinnan Farmington CC, Virginia   Scott Krout Superstition Mountain CC, Arizona   Wayne LaGasse Fox Hop Yard GC, Connecticut   Pat Lewis Sierra Star GC, California   Dan Meersman Philadelphia Cricket Club, Pennsylvania   Robert Mitchell FarmLinks GC, Alabama   John Nelson Merit Club, Illinois   Bryan Nuss Jack Frost GC, Pennsylvania   Chris Ortmeier Champions Club, Texas   Kyle Peterson Conestoga GC, Nevada   Josh Pope Greenbrier, West Virginia   Steve Rabideau Winged Foot GC, New York   David Renk Lookaway CC, Pennsylvania   Eli Rodriguez Cobbs Creek GC, Pennsylvania   Chris Swim Lakewood CC, Colorado   Rick Tegtmeier Des Moines G&CC, Iowa   Frank Tichenor Forest Hill Field Club, New Jersey   Marty Walker Compass Pointe CC, North Carolina   Adam Winslow Glades G&CC, Florida   Buck Workman Cateechee GC, Georgia  
  • The drought in California might be over, but managing water use likely will be a way of life forever for golf course superintendents - and everyone else with a spigot - in the country's most populous state.   Since one of the worst droughts in California's history ended in 2016 after five years, the California's reservoirs are brimming with water. The rising cost to deliver that water coupled with erratic climate conditions and uncertainty about future supplies as well as a groundwater system that still is overtaxed and might never recover all have combined to help providers and users, as well as lawmakers realize that long-term management of the state's water supply is a necessity.   For all those reasons, a law that has been in place since the early 1990s but largely forgotten since, is taking center stage as Californians plans how to manage the state's urban water supply.   "Because of the compelling nature of water in California and because of all the droughts we've had, and because we're seeing evidence of a climate that is statistically, whatever the reason may be, warmer than it used to be and not as stable as it used to be, California is now on a three-year rolling basis of reviewing this particular ordinance," said Craig Kessler, director of governmental affairs for the Southern California Golf Association. "Since this ordinance was adopted in 1991 or '92, it was reviewed every 10 years. That was reduced to five years, and now is every three years.   "This is important, because it takes almost three years to do it, so we're almost in permanent review of this ordinance."   That is how important water is in a state of 39 million people and that some project could swell to nearly 60 million by 2050: stakeholders there are seeking - in perpetuity - more efficient ways to use it.   Thanks to people like Kessler and others, golf has a seat at that table and they stand collectively as an example of what can be accomplished when industry stakeholders work with government officials, utility providers and even environmental groups.   Known as the Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance, the legislative rule was adopted in the early 1990s to "reduce the water footprint of landscape pallets of all kinds," Kessler said. That includes back yards and golf courses and everything in between. Among the goals of the ordinance is to reduce that water footprint by reducing the number or irrigated acres of turf throughout the state. And a popular target for such a philosophy is golf.  
    They're not anti-turf or anti-golf. But the goal is to reduce the amount of irrigated turf across the state."
     
    What people like Kessler, Mike Huck and Jim Ferrin, CGCS, are doing is ensuring that water providers, lawmakers and environmental groups know that golf course superintendents already are well-schooled on water-use efficiency, with many throughout the state already operating for several years under voluntary cutbacks of up to 20 percent.   Throughout the review process, an independent technical panel of 11 people, comprised mostly of public utilities and environmental groups, establishes and makes recommendations to the California Department of Water Resources. That group, which includes Kessler, will meet in early December and will submit its final recommendations to the CDWR in January and an updated version of the ordinance will be in place, Kessler predicts, in about a year. Huck, an irrigation consultant and an expert on California golf's water issues, drafted the language in the current set of recommendations that relate to golf.   For the purposes of the ordinance, golf courses are lumped into a group - known as special landscape areas - with other entities like parks and cemeteries, where there is no substitute for turfgrass. The rule applies to new and rehabilitated (i.e., renovated in golf vernacular) properties and is aimed primarily at residential landscapes, Huck said. Under the current language of the rule, the SLAs are exempt in that each is allotted a certain amount of water and can manage it how they see fit.     The last time the ordinance went through the review process three years ago, there were some who wanted to permanently reduce the amount of water available to golf courses by 20 percent. Since so many already are operating under voluntary cuts, that 20 percent would actually be 64 percent of the maximum allowable water under allocation. That would be devastating for many golf courses in California.   "We've been lucky to get 100 percent of maximum allowable water under allocation. If we get .8 of that and they tell us to cut by 20 percent, now you're getting close to .6 and you're going to have turf loss with that," said Ferrin, who oversees Timber Creek and Sierra Pines golf courses in Roseville, near Sacramento.   "The problem with golfers, they hear water reductions and savings and they see courses go brown just a little bit, and there is a pushback. They stop playing. The public doesn't like it. They don't like the hard surface. . . . What do you do when you go brown? That message sure hasn't been embraced by golfers."   Kessler, a former attorney, and others were able to intervene on behalf of the state's golf industry and keep water use at 100 percent of maximum allowable water under allocation during the last review. That the panel came so close to adopting a measure that might have doomed many golf courses shows what can happen when those who don't understand how the industry works are making decisions - without input - that affect its future, Huck said.   "They're not anti-turf or anti-golf," Huck said. "But the goal is to reduce the amount of irrigated turf across the state."    Kessler can't overstate how important it is to show water providers and lawmakers how willing the industry is to work with them for a positive solution, which for many golf courses will include further reducing the amount of irrigated turf under management.   "This is an example of an industry proactively getting out in front of inevitability and writing a regulatory protocol that is most consistent with (an industry's) ability to thrive and gives you the time to do it," Kessler said.    "If we wait, we fought back the .8 (maximum allowable water under allocation) a couple of years ago, and maybe we'll be able to do it again, but at some point we'll lose that and we may lose more. . . . We just want golf courses to thrive and do business, and in the case of superintendents, keep their jobs. It's an evolutionary way of reducing your (water-use) footprint, which ultimately makes you competitive in your business because you're going to have to do that just to accommodate the cost of water in most places in California."  
  • The TurfNet community and the turfgrass world at large were shocked Thanksgiving morning to learn of the death of Jerry Coldiron, Jr., CGCS, of cardiac arrest the previous evening, November 21.
    Coldiron, 60, was a native of Kentucky and an alumnus of Eastern Kentucky University with a BS in horticulture and turfgrass management. He spent his entire 25-year superintendent career with Boone County (KY) Parks & Recreation, retiring in 2006 as director of golf course maintenance for Boone Links and Lassing Pointe Golf Courses. He never forgot his Kentucky roots; following UK sports was a favorite pastime.
    After retirement from active golf course management, Jerry and his wife Susan relocated to Boca Raton, FL, so Jerry could embark on a second career in sales with Hector Turf of Deerfield Beach, FL. As long-time fans of Jimmy Buffett's music and lifestyle, Jerry and Susan's move to Florida and Jerry's new sales territory covering the Caribbean islands for Toro and Club Car was a perfect match. When he had to wear a necktie, the knot was usually loose; Jerry's favorite attire was shorts and a Life is Good t-shirt.

    Jerry and Susan's adopted South Florida "Jimmy Buffett lifestyle" suited them well.
    Jerry was a long-time active TurfNet member, joining in 1996 when online discussion and communication was in its infancy. He actively participated in the Forum, contributing over 400 posts to various turf- and non-turf related discussions. Our Beer & Pretzels Gala was a highlight of Jerry's year, providing a platform where he could work the crowd, grinning, laughing, bear-hugging and backslapping friends old and new.
    "Jerry embodied the true TurfNet spirit of sharing, caring, compassion and camaraderie," said Peter McCormick, TurfNet founder. "He was a real pillar of our community, to coin a phrase. Always humble, Jerry loved to have fun and pump others up, encouraging everyone to live life to the fullest and enjoy every day. Over the years he became one of my very best friends. I still can't get my head around this."

    A TurfNet contingent visiting the Atlanta Children's Shelter in 2006 to present a donation check from a fund-raiser. Jerry was right in the center of it.
    Above all else a family man, Jerry and Susan were married for 36 years and raised three sons, Josh, Jake and Jared. Josh and wife Natalie had Jerry's first grandchild, Ellie Taylor, last year. All now live in Florida.

    Jake, Susan, Josh, Jerry and Jared at Josh's wedding to Natalie in October, 2015.
    Jerry was very active on social media (Jerry Coldiron on Facebook and @CaribeTurfman on Twitter), his posts chronicling his many adventures and sporting events attended with Susan and the boys. Sunrises, sunsets and family were favorite topics, with #blessed, #laFamilie, #floridays, #PayItForward and #EmbraceLife his often-used hashtags.
    The family has set up a tribute website (jerrycoldironembracelife.us) and established a fund to continue Jerry's legacy of positivity and embracing all life has to offer. The fund (and ultimately a foundation) will fund one or more awards to be given annually to recognize an individual or individuals within the golf turf industry who live lives of positivity, caring, sharing and compassion for others... or who are experiencing personal hardship due to illness, natural events or job loss (not to compete with Wee One)... or who do something special for the natural world (a special thing to Jerry).
    Alternatively, donations can be made to United for Puerto Rico Hurricane Relief or St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church. Details for each are at Jerry Coldiron Embrace Life!
    Jerry's obituary can be found here.
    A funeral mass will be held at 12:30 PM on Saturday, December 2nd at St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church in Boca Raton, FL. A Celebration of Life will follow the mass at the Mercy Center at St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church. All are welcome to attend and celebrate Jerry's life.
  • John Deere recently launched a redesigned web site that makes it easier for customers to find the information they need.   The web site is mobile friendly and functions on a variety of screen sizes, from smart phones and tablets to traditional desktop computers. It includes easy-to-find links for all of John Deeres industry segments including golf and sports turf, agriculture, construction, lawn and garden, landscaping, forestry, engines and drivetrains, government and military, and rental markets.   Features of the site include: > Concise product information and easy-to-use navigation. > More useful tools for those who shop for and own Deere products and services. > A product-centric focus on helping users accomplish key activities such as identifying the right machine for their use or locating a dealer. > Easy spec-to-spec comparisons across John Deere and competitive models.   The site separates professional turf equipment into two categories, golf and sports turf, making it easier for superintendents and sports turf managers to find information on products specific to their respective markets.   "This redesign benefits all of our customers whether they are farmers, ranchers, construction contractors, landscapers, loggers and all others whose work is linked to the land," O'Hanlon said. "Our customers want to quickly find the information they need, whether they are searching from their desk or from a jobsite."   The new-and-improved site also includes customer testimonials, and sub sites for options like parts, financing and John Deere's loyalty program.   The global launch of the site, that draws about 2.5 million viewers per month, includes 33 John Deere sites in 16 languages and approximately 2,300 product pages.  
  • Nearly 10 years ago, a pair of visitors arrived at the Bear Trace at Harrison Bay golf course, and each year, like clockwork, they return. If only golfers were as loyal.   Since 2010, Harrison Bay State Park near Chattanooga, Tennessee, has been a nesting site for a pair of bald eagles and the many offspring they have hatched and reared there. That, in and of itself, is nothing unique. Bald eagle numbers are on the rise nationwide after spending years on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services list of threatened and endangered species.   What is unique are the lengths state officials in eastern Tennessee have gone to help educate people on the ways of bald eagles.   Through the miracle of technology, park and golf course officials at the state-owned layout on the banks of the Tennessee River have worked to educate people on the nesting habits of bald eagles and offer insight into the remarkable comeback of this once endangered species with the help of an elaborate system of cameras, microphones and cables that help stream the sights and sounds of life in a nest 100 feet above the golf course to viewers around the world.    After technical issues with the camera derailed those efforts last winter, the infamous if not famous Harrison Bay Eagle Cam is up and running again this year.   Once the birds were on the nest, federal regulations made it impossible to go up and make repairs and get the cam online last year. According to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, that would have constituted harassing the eagles, an offense punishable by fines of as much as $250,000 or two years of imprisonment. The fine doubles for an organization.   "We can't really say why the camera stopped communicating," Bear Trace superintendent Paul Carter said in his blog, "but we believe it was a wiring issue going up the tree."   Elliot and Eloise, so named by Carters daughter, Hannah, had been nesting in a tree above the ground at the golf course when Eloise failed to return last winter and a new female showed up in her place, and hatched a new generation of eaglets.   This year, Elliott and Eloise are back and making repairs to the nest. Two other females, one of which was around last year, also have been spotted in the area debunking a popular belief that bald eagles choose a single mate for life.    Angelo Giansante, a ranger at nearby Hiwassee/Ocoee State Park, and a former Army ranger, had the duty of shimmying up the tree to retrieve the camera and reinstalling it after repairs had been made, along with two other cameras, including a new one that will be used as a backup if needed. Matt Vawter, a ranger at Harrison Bay State Park, is the IT person who built the network and web site that brings the world of bald eagles to computer screens around the world.   Thanks to the USGA and the fundraising efforts of the Friends of Harrison Bay, the park has been able to upgrade video equipment each year. The program's popularity has grown each year, with hundreds of viewers checking in from around the world to watch from the time eggs are laid to the eaglets hatching and eventually leaving the nest - about five to six months after hatching or when the adults tire of feeding them, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.    Historically, Eloise has laid eggs in early winter and eaglets have hatched in late winter or early spring. According to the National Eagle Center, bald eagles can live up 20 years in the wild, but as many as 80 percent die before age 5.  
  • It is difficult to imagine blowing up a Thomas Bendelow-designed golf course, starting over from scratch and making the contemporary version not just a new, but an improved experience for golfers. That is exactly what is happening in Denver, where the City Park Golf Course, a 1913 Bendelow classic, is being completely reinvented by architect Todd Schoeder and Hale Irwin so the property also can be utilized as a stormwater-detention area to alleviate flooding in the adjacent Park Hill neighborhood.   "Its principal function is to remain an 18-hole public golf course," said Pamela Smith, CGCS, director of agronomy for the city and county of Denver's golf division that includes eight properties. "And every once in awhile, a few holes will serve as stormwater detention for a brief period of time."   City Park Golf Course's construction closely coincides with the installation of the city's original stormwater drainage system. Although both historically have helped move water into the Platte River and eventually downstream and away from the city, each is inadequate to handle 100-year or even 10-year flooding events.    Rebuilding the course and reconfiguring the layout so it can accommodate state-of-the-art drainage technology and hold excess water during what otherwise would be catastrophic flooding for surrounding neighborhoods is a key component for the city's long-term flood-control plan.   "There is a 102-inch drainpipe out on the golf course, but it is underground," City Park superintendent John Madden, Jr said. " During a significant rain that pipe fills to capacity and there is nowhere for the water to go except out on the street."   The course closed in November for construction to begin and will reopen in May 2019. The redesign will include a stream meandering through the property as part of the detention system that promises to move water off the course after a 100-year event in a matter of hours, Madden said.   Schoeder, of iCon Golf Studio, is an expert on Bendelow architecture, and players there might be hard-pressed to tell the difference between the new City Park layout and a classic-era Bendelow design, said the 47-year-old Madden, a veteran of several major construction projects throughout his career.   "Conversations always occur around change. There is a lot of history at City Park Golf Course. A lot of people play there and have made a lot memories," Madden said. "I'm not an architect, but I know what I like, and when I go from a Tillinghast course to a Bendelow course, obviously there are some differences.   "Todd is really trying to save and incorporate Bendelow characteristics into the new design, honoring and respecting that traditional Bendelow feel and deliver that into the new project."   Just as important in the current golf climate, there are aspects of the project that will help Madden and Smith adopt a more sustainable management system at City Park. USGA-spec greens with T1 creeping bentgrass - selected for its drought and heat tolerance - will replace the old push-up greens. Turf selection, along with new drainage, new bunker construction and state of the art irrigation will help Madden use water more efficiently.   "That represents a whole other level of management and ease of operation," Madden said. "With the new irrigation system, we are going from field controllers to decoders and we'll be utilizing current industry standards to help Denver golf meet its goal of providing affordable and sustainable golf where we can conserve water and energy."   New putting green construction also will result in a golf course that is more player friendly and has more pin options, said Smith, a 10-year veteran of Denver municipal golf.   "Over the years, we've received a lot of complaints that the slopes on the greens are too steep, and golfers can't keep their ball on the green. If we push green speeds past 8.5 we don't have very many pinnable locations."   Irwin, a Colorado native who reportedly played City Park as a youngster, wanted to get involved in the project when he heard about the well-publicized plans.   The project will include removing more than 200 mature trees, and planting more than 700 new trees. That, along with closing the course for a year-and-a-half, has been a source of anxiety for some Denver residents, but mitigating flood damage is of utmost importance to city leaders.   "It's part of being a good neighbor," Smith said. "Taking an existing property and having it function as a golf course and redesigning it for stormwater detention is part of the landscape for many metropolitan areas. City Park Golf Course will provide an exceptional 18-hole golf experience while protecting our community from uncontrolled storm water."  
  • Ask experts whether the active ingredient in the world's most widely used weed killer causes cancer, and you're not likely to receive a definitive answer.   "Maybe," "probably" or "perhaps - in very high doses" seem to be the most popular answers when experts are asked whether glyphosate, the active ingredient in RoundUp, is a carcinogen. Until now.   A recent study, published in the November issue of Journal of the National Cancer Institute concluded there was no relationship between glyphosate and cancers including "any solid tumors or lymphoid malignancies overall, including non-Hodgkin Lymphoma and its subtypes."   The study also concluded there is "some evidence of increased risk of acute myeloid leukemia among the highest exposed group", but that the association was "not statistically significant".   The research is part of the Agricultural Health Study that has been tracking the health of farmers, farm workers and their families in Iowa and North Carolina.   In a summary of the results, the researchers, led by Laura Beane Freeman, principal investigator of the Agricultural Health Study at the U.S. National Cancer Institute, said that among 54,251 pesticide applicators studied, 44,932, or 82.9 percent, used glyphosate.   "Glyphosate was not statistically significantly associated with cancer at any site," researchers wrote in the summary.   The results of the study are almost certain to impact a host of pending legal proceedings against Monsanto. Currently, nearly 200 plaintiffs have claimed that exposure to glyphosate is responsible for them getting cancer, according to published reports.    Concerns about the safety of handling and working with products containing glyphosate have circulated for years in 2015 when the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer concluded that the active ingredient in RoundUp was "probably carcinogenic."   As a result of that report, California's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment, in July, added glyphosate to its list of cancer-causing agents and the state will require all products containing the chemical to carry a cancer warning on their label by next year.   Since the results of the Agricultural Health Study research have been published, Monsanto, as well as advocacy groups from the agricultural industry, have filed suit against the California agency to stop the amended warning labels.  
  • Editor's note: A few weeks ago, we came across a story about Monty Elam, a legally blind golf pro who had graduated from Penn State's World Campus with a degree in turfgrass management. Recently, TurfNet caught up with Elam to learn more about his inspiring story.   There was a time in Monty Elam's career as a teaching professional when his input was not always welcomed by colleagues during annual budget meetings with club owners and managers from other departments.   "Superintendents never cared about my experience during budget meetings," Elam said. "They didn't care how much experience I had because I was a PGA professional, not a superintendent. It was almost like they were saying 'I'm the agronomist, so you need to go sit over there and be quiet.' "   Like a lot of things in Elam's life, that seems like oh so long ago.   Elam, 52, has been a teaching professional since 1992 and has been a card-carrying member of the PGA of America since 1995. Legally blind for the past 10 years, Elam doesn't give many lessons these days, but limited vision has done nothing to affect his ability to run a golf operation. And for the past seven years, he has plied his trade as director of golf at Whiteford Valley Golf Club in Ottawa, Michigan.   His story is an inspiring record of triumph over adversity. Oh, and his opinions at those meetings carry a little more weight now.   Last spring, Elam earned a bachelor's degree in turfgrass management through Penn State's online World Campus and is working toward a master's in the same field. His hope is to spend his retirement teaching future turfgrass managers.   A self-described lifelong learner, Elam studied turf management for several reasons. Expanding his knowledge base gives him more credibility within the industry and throughout the operation at Whiteford Valley. He loves the science behind growing highly managed turf - and keeping it healthy - and it gives him options for the next phase of his career after his wife, Lisa, retires from her teaching position in the Toledo, Ohio public schools in the not-to-distant future.   "I'd like to teach turf management or soils," he said. "My wife has about seven more years to work, then she can retire. That opens the doors to moving.   "Teaching is what I want to do. If I have to move to do it, that's OK."   It would have been easy for Elam to fold the tent on his PGA career as well as his emerging plans to teach future turf managers, but that's not his way.   Ten years ago, Elam, then the owner of Blackberry Patch Golf Course in Coldwater, Michigan, had just undergone what was supposed to be routine laser surgery to remove blood vessels that had formed on the backs of his eyes. But something went horribly wrong, and both eyes were overexposed to the laser.    "I couldn't see at all for six months," he said. "You learn a lot about yourself in six months. Things you took for granted, from boiling a pot of water to going to the bathroom, you don't take for granted anymore.   "And things you once thought were important, they're not important anymore."  
    Honestly, I can say the biggest regret I have is buying that golf course. We bought it when it was overpriced, during the golf boom. It put a strain on us financially, and it put a strain on our marriage. If this hadn't happened, I can't say my wife and I would still be together."
     
    Doctors, Elam said, assured him that his vision would return to normal. When it didn't, he was referred to the Cleveland Clinic.   Eventually, he regained partial sight in his left eye, a sensation he described as relatively normal close-up, but increasingly cloudy the farther away an object appears. To this day, he remains completely blind in his right eye.   That reality, coupled with a sinking golf industry, was enough to get him out of the business of owning a golf course. Ironically, he had to lean on his wife heavily for support.   About 100 miles separated the Elam's home, then in Bowling Green, Ohio, and Blackberry Patch. Each week, he would leave for the golf course on Monday morning and return home on Saturday evening, spending weeknights in hotels or in members' vacant summer cottages near the golf course, leaving his wife and twin daughters at home.   When he returned home for the weekends, his mind often was elsewhere, usually on work. It was not an ideal situation for anyone involved.    "I was gone all the time," Elam said. "Even when I was home, I wasn't really here mentally."   Life now is a lot different. Elam can't drive a car. He can play golf - with help. Some people would resent such a fate, but Elam embraces it and welcomes the positive changes it has brought to his life.   "Honestly, I can say the biggest regret I have is buying that golf course. We bought it when it was overpriced, during the golf boom," he said. "It put a strain on us financially, and it put a strain on our marriage. If this hadn't happened, I can't say my wife and I would still be together.   "This whole thing has made us really close."   He even manages to get out and play golf a couple of times a month with help from his wife or daughters.    "I can see the top of the ball in the grass, but someone has to stand behind me and help me aim and watch my ball," he said.   "I'm OK off the tee, and my second shot's not too bad. Where I have problems are pitch shots from 20 to 30 yards. I can't see the pin, so my shot is based on what someone tells me. Same with putting. I have to walk to the hole and back and feel the undulations underneath me.   "I'd like to have my vision back to play golf. How I played then, and how I play now, there is a big difference. I'm still able to do everything at the golf course. I work the counter. Until a customer gets close I can't see a face, but I function OK. Nobody knows I'm blind, and they don't need to know"   Until now.  
  • Delaware Valley University professor Doug Linde, Ph.D., likes to incorporate as many real-world learning opportunities as possible into his curriculum. His students like that, too.   Each year, as part of a course he teaches on irrigation, his students simulate an irrigation system installation by putting together all the piping above ground around the university's research putting green. The exercise allows students to put everything together - even if it is above ground - so they have some degree of experience when they have to tackle such a project in the field for the first time.   The putting green and research plots are just steps away from the classroom located in what Linde called the "farm machinery building" and thus make for a convenient diversion for outdoor learning opportunities.   "We do all sorts of things out there," Linde said.    "There is a big demand for experiential learning. I try to do as much of that as I can."   This year, those students got to take part in a real install project after Linde decided it was time to replace the practice green's aging irrigation system. A host of industry vendors and partners got together in mid-October and donated pipe, irrigation heads, fittings and expertise to make the project happen.   Mike Hartley of Turf Equipment and Supply Co., a Jessup, Maryland-based Toro dealer with outlets throughout the mid-Atlantic, quarterbacked the project and the company donated the pipe and sprinkler heads. Harco furnished fittings and contractor George Ley, principal of George E. Ley Co., supplied the know-how.   Hartley said helping Delaware Valley students complete such a project aligns perfectly with his Tesco's goals and philosophy.   "Education is part of Turf Equipment and Supply Company's mission," he said.   About 20 students worked with Ley and Hartley on the project in a series of work stations so all students got to "touch" the project. Linde estimates donations of product and labor totaled about $6,000 to make upgrades to the 5,000 square foot green.   "We had 20 students and four industry reps spaced out in work stations on this project," Linde said.    "It was a great example of how the industry helps education."  

  • News and people briefs

    By John Reitman, in News,

    EPA OK's PBI's Tekken fungicide
      The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently approved federal registration for Tekken, a broad-spectrum fungicide from PBI-Gordon Corporation.   With the active ingredients isofetamid and tebuconazole, Tekken is registered for use on warm- and cool-season golf course greens, tees and fairways for control of more than 20 turf, including anthracnose, brown patch and dollar spot.   It will be available for sale in early 2018.   A FRAC Group 7 + 3 flowable suspension concentrate, Tekken's dual mode of action provides preventive and systemic control for up to 28 days per application. It also features one convenient rate for all diseases.   Builders honor Melrose with Rossi award
      The Golf Course Builders Association of America named former Toro president Ken Melrose as the recipient of its Don A. Rossi Award.   The award honors individuals who have made significant contributions to the game of golf and its growth and who have inspired others by example. It is named for Don A. Rossi, who served as executive director of the National Golf Foundation from 1970 to 1983, was instrumental in forming the National Golf Course Owners Association and served as executive director of the GCBAA from 1984 to 1990.   Melrose was named president of The Toro Co. in 1981, and was elected CEO in 1983. Under his direction, the company expanded its position as a leader in the golf turf industry through a constant stream of innovative products and service support. He also promoted the company's long history of supporting philanthropic and research efforts and was also instrumental in helping establish The Toro Foundation, which supports many community and industry causes around the world.     Following his retirement from Toro in 2005, Melrose formed Leading by Serving, LLC, whose mission is to advance the principles of servant leadership in organizations. He also remains an active supportive of the golf industry and its future growth. In 2012, he established The Melrose Leadership Academy with the Environmental Institute for Golf to help support the professional development of GCSAA member superintendents providing scholarships to attend the Golf Industry Show.   Throughout his Toro career, Melrose was a fierce champion of the golf business and industry, and remains so to this day.   The Don A. Rossi Award will be presented Feb. 6 at the 2018 Golf Industry Show in San Antonio during the GCBAA opening reception.   Wiedenmann names new sales manager
      Wiedenmann North America recently named Jeremy Stafne as sales manager.    He will be responsible for sales in central and eastern North America.   Stafne was a territory manager with Frontier Ag & Turf prior to joining Wiedenmann North America. He earned an MBA from Concordia University in 2015 and is a U.S. Navy veteran.   Based in Savannah, Georgia, Wiedenmann North America is the North & South American distributor for Wiedenmann GmBH, a manufacturer of turf maintenance equipment.
  • The North Carolina State University Center for Turfgrass Environmental Research and Education is helping professional turfgrass managers stay abreast of the latest in turfgrass management issues with the second annual research symposium.   Entitled Turf Trends for Changing Times, the free event is scheduled for 8 a.m.-3:30 p.m. on Dec. 14 in the Hunt Library. Three speakers from different avenues in the turfgrass industry will discuss emerging trends in turf management, and NC State researchers will provide updates on relevant research.    Bob Harriman, Ph.D., vice president of The Scotts Co., will present "Developing the next generation of enhanced turfgrasses"; Renee Keese, Ph.D., project leader for BASF, will discuss "Plant protection products: What does the future hold?"; and Mark Schmidt, Ph.D., manager of global university relations for John Deere, will address "Defining a purpose and adapting a plan: Enabling a sustainable future for the turfgrass and managed landscape industry."   The event also will be streamed live, so those unable to attend in person still can listen in from home or office.
  • Some things are just meant to be.   Since he can remember, Steven Scott has been good at two things: growing grass and business acumen.   Although he tried his hand at business school, he eventually melded his two passions into a single purpose, running the rural northwestern Tennessee golf course where he worked and played as a kid.   After he quit business school at the University of Memphis and graduated from the University of Tennessee at Martin's golf course and landscape management program, Scott, became the operator and superintendent at Persimmon Hills Golf Course in Sharon, Tennessee.   A 2007 graduate of UT-Martin and the owner of Scott Golf Management, the 33-year-old Scott has held the management contract at Persimmon Hills since 2012.   "I'm the general manager, the superintendent, the chef, the mechanic and the plumber," Scott said. "That's probably not as uncommon as you think at some of these smaller courses."   Scott tripped into a career in golf. As a youngster growing up in Martin, he wanted to follow in the footsteps of his older brother, who was working with the city parks and rec department during the summer helping maintaining ballfields.    "I like growing grass, fertilizing and mowing," Scott said. "I applied to work Martin Parks and Recreation maintaining ballfields in high school. That's what my brother did, and that's what I wanted to do, but they turned me down."   Gary Smith, a retired superintendent from Illinois, and his wife had just bought Persimmon Hills, so Scott went there and asked for a job. Nearly 20 years later, Persimmon Hills is one of the only employers he's ever had. Persimmon Hills is the only course in the Martin area, which is home to 11,000 people. It also is the only course in all of Wheatley County (population 35,000), but it's not the only course in the area. Obion County to the west and Gibson County to the south together have seven other courses spanning a three-county area with a population of about 100,000. Scott is defying the odds of the golf economy and thriving because of just one thing.   "We sell the golf course on conditioning. That's how we differentiate ourselves," Scott said. "As long as we are the best-conditioned course in the area, we're going to draw golfers, and get people from 40 to 50 miles away."   Although Persimmon Hills is a small budget property in a rural area, Scott keeps up with the latest trends in turf management. He doesn't attend national conventions. No budget room for that. He does make the short drive each year to the Nashville area for the Tennessee Turfgrass Association annual show and stays connected to colleagues around the country through avenues such as TurfNet, Twitter and Facebook.   "The good thing about these diff forums, we have access, in rural America at these little courses with farmers running them, to more information that we would have never known about before, especially the guys who never join an association or talk to anybody from another club. At the same time, you have to embrace that. If I go to a conference, I can sit for hours and maybe get one thing I can use. I can spend 15 minutes on the Internet to get what I need and get back to work."   Among the people he follows online for advice is Rick Tegtmeier, CGCS at Des Moines Golf and Country Club in West Des Moines, Iowa, site of this year's Solheim Cup.   "I've never met Mr. Tegtmeier, and even though he's in Iowa and I'm in Tennessee, I can take one or two things he is doing and apply it at my golf course," Scott said.   Combining computer knowledge, a knack for business and a love for growing grass has been a natural fit for Scott. Upon graduating from Westview High School in Martin, he had earned an academic scholarship to Memphis to study management information systems. Summer jobs on the golf course, however, soon had him rethinking his future. He wanted to drop out of Memphis to attend Horry Georgetown in South Carolina. But his parents intervened and convinced him that if he was giving up a free ride to college, he needed to stay home and attend UT-Martin.   "The first summer in college, I worked at Olive Branch Country Club in Olive Branch, Mississippi. The next summer, I came home, took some classes at UT-Martin and worked at Persimmon. That's when I had an epiphany," Scott said. "I liked working on the golf course and decided I didn't want to be behind a desk the rest of my life.   "My parents told me that UT-Martin had just started a turf program. I was dead set on Horry Georgetown, but they weren't too thrilled about that since I had a full ride to Memphis."   With that background, he was destined to be a boss, not an employee.   "I've worked at a seed company and a garden center, but I'd never been my own boss," he said. "In this day and age, there's not a ton of stability in the golf business. If things collapse, it's on me, not because my boss mismanaged something. And I'm not going to lay myself off because we're hurting."  
  • As the assistant superintendent at Hamilton Golf and Country Club in Ontario, Jordan Kitchen knows a thing or two about using greens covers during Canada's long, tough winters.   He also knows a little bit about how grueling it can be to remove cold, wet covers each spring and the toll such a task can take on one's hands, back and a superintendent's bottom line.   "The first year we had them, that was pretty easy. They were dry and came right from the factory," Kitchen said. "The next spring, after the third tarp in March, you know, it's cold and wet, they're slippery, you're shoveling snow, I was thinking to myself 'there has got to be a better way to do this.' "   When he could find no existing solution to his problem after consulting the online expert for everything (Google), Kitchen decided if there was a possible solution to make managing tarps easier and more efficient, he would have to create it. After about a year of R&D, Kitchen developed TarpDevil, a tractor-mounted system that automatically rolls tarps for easy storage.   The system, which was designed and manufactured by Kitchen and manufacturing engineer Ian Trepte, is a hydraulically driven device that mounts to any tractor and can be used to deploy and remove any permeable or impermeable tarp or cover. Simply fold the tarp or cover to the same width as the roller, and the TarpDevil rolls it up and squeezes out any excess moisture for easy storage.   Superintendent Rhod Trainor began using tarps at 27-hole Hamilton G&CC after a brutal winter storm in 2014 wiped out greens on golf courses throughout parts of Canada and the Northeastern U.S. The crew there typically double-covers each green with an impermeable tarp and another cover, either permeable or impermeable. A video on the TarpDevil web site shows how the device works.  
    Even when it was functioning, it wasn't sold in some people's minds until more than one was rolled. By the third one, people were saying 'wow, this is changing our world right now.' "
     
    Kitchen said it used to take 12-14 people four days to removed 54 tarps. With the help of the TarpDevil in March, six people were able to remove all 54 covers in three days. Kitchen said that translates into savings of about $1,800 (Canadian).   "The other piece to this, because it rolls them tighter and eliminates water, it retracts them with an even pull and is extending the life of the cover because it is more gentle on the fabric," Kitchen said.   "These things get snagged when stored, and pulling them by hand results in an uneven pull and they fray over several uses. We think it increases the lifespan by 15 to 20 percent, and it rolls them so tight they can be stored back in the manufacturer's bag. That's something you can't achieve in March when they are soaking wet and you remove them by hand."   Even members of the crew at Hamilton were skeptical of what the TarpDevil could do when Kitchen rolled it out in March. They were believers after just a few holes.   "Even when it was functioning, it wasn't sold in some people's minds until more than one was rolled," Kitchen said. "By the third one, people were saying 'wow, this is changing our world right now.' "   Kitchen invented the TarpDevil not as a product to commercialize, but, he said, as a solution to a problem.   "It helps us save labor and redirect it," he said. "Our employees really like it. It saves their backs and their hands. There's nothing exciting about covers. But, if you can take the back-breaking work out of it, it has to be worth something."
  • The Michigan State University Turf School is an intensive, week-long course designed to teach the basics of turfgrass science as well as the practical techniques of managing turfgrass.    Scheduled for Dec. 11-14, the program will be team-taught by MSU turfgrass faculty and staff. The curriculum is designed to deliver a wide range of turfgrass management topics including basic soils and soil management, turfgrass species identification, selection and physiology, turf establishment and renovation, fertilization, proper pesticide use and environmental stewardship.    A significant portion of the school is dedicated to weed, insect and disease identification and management. The pest management section is delivered in lecture and laboratory settings with hands-on learning emphasized.   All members of the MSU turf team will teach at least one portion of the session, including Joe Vargas, Ph.D., Trey Rogers, Ph.D., Jim Crum, Ph.D., Kevin Frank, Ph.D., Thom Nikolai, Ph.D., Emily Merewitz, Ph.D., Dave Smitley, Ph.D., Aaron Hathaway, Nancy Dykema and Adam Palmatier.   The program is geared toward anyone looking to expand their turf knowledge. The school starts with the turf basics and expands throughout the week. Past attendees include superintendents, greenkeepers, lawn care operators, equipment managers, sales reps and sports turf managers.   Topics to be covered will include turfgrass species and cultivars including a hands-on identification lab; establishment and renovation; nutrition and fertilizers; weed, insect and disease management including hands-on identification labs; turfgrass soils, cultivation, compaction and thatch including a hands-on soils lab; and a review of information for the certified pesticide applicator test.   The winter turf school will be held Dec. 11-14 at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center on the MSU campus. Instruction will be from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. daily.   CLICK HERE for cost and more information, email events@anr.msu.edu or call 517-353-3175.
  • Since Tifdwarf made it to market in 1965, ultradwarf Bermudagrasses have helped superintendents provide putting conditions that rival those historically associated with creeping bentgrass in areas where cool-season turf can struggle in searing summer heat.   Conversely, those same warm-season turf types can suffer if exposed to prolonged winter conditions. Greens covers can provide relief from winter injury if used properly.   Recent research conducted at the University of Arkansas helps establish thresholds for exposure of ultradwarf Bermudagrasses to cold temperatures, allowing superintendents to minimize the threat of winter damage and improving spring green up.   "This project was really focused around a lack of concrete evidence for the recommendation of covering (ultradwarf Bermudagrass greens) at 25 degrees," said Eric DeBoer, a master's student at Arkansas. "We wanted to come up with a concrete number backed by research that superintendents could make informed decisions around when covering their greens and hopefully help them save money by reducing covering events."   The research was funded by the USGA, Arkansas Turfgrass Association and the Arkansas GCSA.   The results of the trial, conducted in 2015-16 and 2016-17 at the University of Arkansas Agricultural Research and Experiment Station in Fayetteville, could be especially meaningful for superintendents managing warm-season turf in the transition zone, which typically experiences extreme heat in the summer and copious amounts of cold weather in the winter. While covering greens protects them from cold weather damage, it also prevents play and requires more manpower to deploy and remove, adding to the course's operating costs.   "The results will give superintendents better information on the low temperature threshold for applying the covers," said Mike Kenna, USGA research director. "This will help reduce the number of covering events, save labor costs, and increase days the golf course is open for play."   DeBoer and his research team that included advisor Mike Richardson, Ph.D., Doug Karcher, Ph.D., and program technician John McCalla, tested Champion, TifEagle and MiniVerde using covers at 25 degrees, 22 degrees, 18 degrees and 15 degrees Fahrenheit. TifEagle and MiniVerde proved to be more cold tolerant than Champion.   According to the study, Bermudagrass greens covered when temperatures reached 15 degrees survived throughout the winter with improved spring green up. Covered greens even survived two days of extreme cold temperatures where overnight lows dropped to 0 degrees on consecutive nights.   "We had two relatively mild years, but our second year we had two night get down to 0 degrees, and that was enough to kill our uncovered controls," said DeBoer, who interned at the Creek Club at Reynolds Lake Oconee in Georgia. "We haven't had any super long cold snaps or temps lower than that, but all plots covered, recovered similarly after being exposed to 0 (degrees) for two nights. Obviously, some things are out of our control, like overall low temps and the duration of the cold temperatures. I think the best thing to do is to let your ultradwarfs cold-acclimate through November and check into dormancy, because I think keeping them green through the fall into the winter, followed by a long cold snap could have negative effects."   The trial also included an untreated control. He used permeable covers and put down a late-season wetting agent application to control undetectable dry spots in dormant turf.   "So the idea behind a late-season wetting agent application is localized dry spot is apparent on actively growing turf but it may not be apparent on dormant turf like ultradwarfs," DeBoer. "This may be leading to increased winter injury from soil hydrophobicity throughout the winter.    "The wetting agent effect was most evident during the first year when, potentially due to natural causes, volumetric water contents were lower overall. This may benefit the plant by reducing desiccation but the increased water may also provide some extra insulation from low air temperatures.   "We presume this was due to higher volumetric water contents in the soil profile during the second year."   The trial will continue this year and next, and results should be ready for submission for peer review by next summer.  
  • For experienced professionals looking to brush up on their skills, or aspiring turfgrass managers, the University of Massachusetts Turf Winter School still is accepting applications for its next session.   Scheduled for Jan. 8-Feb. 16 at the main campus in Amherst, the UMass Winter School for Turf Managers is a compressed certificate program that covers all the concepts essential to maintaining high quality turf, with emphasis on environmental stewardship and fiscal responsibility. This comprehensive, dynamic short course is ideal for experienced professionals associated with the management of golf courses, athletic fields, parks, municipal and private grounds, fine lawns and landscapes.   Winter School is an excellent choice for practitioners who seek to expand their knowledge and practical skills. The program is also uniquely suited for those who want to advance in their career, but cannot schedule a two- or four-year program, as well as career changers who want to enter the field of turf management.   Students are immersed in an intensive, full-time program scheduled Monday through Friday for six weeks. Classes are scheduled: 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8 a.m.-noon on Fridays throughout the session. This schedule is designed to accommodate weekend commuters who may want to stay in the Amherst area Monday through Thursday evenings but return home on weekends. Some area hotels offer special accommodation and rate packages for UMass Winter School students.   UMass Amherst faculty and distinguished guests lead a combination of classroom, laboratory, group project and discussion activities. Close-knit classes offer an opportunity to learn from the experiences of fellow students and to form relationships that will last a lifetime.   A Certificate of Completion will be awarded to those who satisfactorily complete the program requirements. A high school diploma or GED is required for admission.   Pesticide recertification contact hours will be offered for all New England states, and 20.4 CEUs are available.

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