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From the TurfNet NewsDesk

  • John Reitman
    Golf has a good story to tell. What it has lacked is a voice to tell it.
      Until now.    Maybe.   A recent report detailing the day-to-day business practices of the Olympic Club helps shed light on the San Francisco club's efforts to pursue sustainability, corporate responsibility and being a good environmental neighbor in one of the country's most highly charged activist areas.   The study was completed in cooperation with IMPACT360 and measured key indicators such as Olympic's energy use, water use, biodiversity, emissions, waste and recycling and what factors the club weighs when choosing vendors, suppliers and other outside business partners.   The results were published in an 82-page corporate social responsibility report.   Billed as America's oldest athletic club, Olympic has more than 10,000 members spread across two campuses that include a 35-acre oceanside site with 45 holes of golf and a downtown City Clubhouse that accommodates multiple sports and includes an 18-room hotel. The fact that such a robust effort was undertaken at a high-profile, and massive, club like Olympic can only help communicate the story that other golf and sports clubs have to share.    "Since the report just came out last week, it is hard for me to measure any feedback from the community," said Olympic general manager Pat Finlen, CGCS. "I have received numerous emails from around the country from different agencies/associations. I have also received may emails from members who think this is the greatest thing as it tells our story. I am hoping to gain some local feedback in the coming weeks."   People inside the golf business know all about Audubon sanctuaries, low-use-rate pesticides, part-circle sprinklers, environmentally sound BMP programs and superintendents deft enough to weave all of this together while also maximizing playing conditions. Too often, those outside the industry see golf courses as chemically induced sterile playgrounds for the elite. That's where IMPACT360 comes in.    Started by Aubrey McCormick and Gina Rizzi, IMPACT360 offers sustainability consulting services, as well as collects environmental, social and economic information from a client golf course, distills it all into quantifiable data and combines it all into a corporate sustainability report designed to show how golf can positively impact the lives of those who play it as well as those who do not.   Its CSR report on Olympic shows that the club goals include reducing or eliminating completely its negative impact on the environment, including power usage. To that end, the club's Lakeside campus that includes two historic golf courses, has converted 90 percent of all light bulbs to LED. The goal is to reach 98 percent. Likewise, 82 percent of the club's waste is recycled or composted.   Olympic's efforts to expand biodiversity at the Lakeside campus have resulted in increased native plantings and installing pollinator-friendly habitat. As a result, at least 46 bird species have been recorded on property during Olympic's annual bird count   IMPACT360's McCormick said her company is in talks to undertake similar projects at other golf courses.   "We have been receiving positive feedback and many courses are finding interest in sharing their story around sustainability," McCormick said. "This report is the beginning of long-term impact we intend to help the industry achieve."   The club also is a leader in water conservation, with 97 percent of Lakeside's use coming from recycled sources - namely nearby Lake Merced that also supplies water to Harding Park and the San Francisco Golf Club, all of which, like Olympic, rim the lake.   Chemical use on the course is not quantified in the report, but it is recorded and reported to the necessary government agencies, Finlen said. The club's chemical use reporting also adheres to all G4 Sustainability Reporting Guidelines as well as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals that IMPACT360 says are the global standard for reporting pesticide and chemical use.   "This report," McCormick said, "is helping to set a standard around reporting that helps the general public gain a better understanding of how golf positively impacts their community and the environment."  

  • Shifting trends

    By John Reitman, in News,

    Worms, compost fertilizer, biological soil amendments and Mark Hoban.   A couple of decades ago, only one of these things could be found on golf courses around Georgia. Today, Hoban isn't the only superintendent using organic products and biologicals as part of their daily golf course maintenance routine.   According to a report by PACE Turf, the use of non-pesticide options has been on the rise in recent years. When compared with a 2007 industry survey on pest management practices on U.S. golf courses, a follow-up study conducted in 2015 revealed that cultural practices are up by 66 percent, use of plant growth regulators has increased by 44 percent and use of biological products is up 25 percent. We were curious about the shift, so we asked a few people on why management practices are changing, and everyone we spoke with said they use natural products and employ cultural practices to augment, not replace, their chemical programs.   Hoban has fashioned a career centered around using organic products at Rivermont Golf Club in Johns Creek, Georgia. He makes his own worm compost, brews his own compost tea and even uses carbon-enhanced topdressing sand to introduce beneficial microbes into the soil.   "I slowly became more and more aware of the soil biology . . .  . Compost and compost tea were the turning point in my program five years ago," Hoban said. "We were very successful the first year way beyond what I could have believed possible and the next year was as well."    While environmental stewardship and sustainability goals have influenced this trend toward increasing reliance on naturally occurring products, economics have played a role, as well.   "Economically, we're forced to reevaluate everything we're doing," said Fred Gehrisch, CGCS at Highlands Falls Country Club in Highlands, North Carolina. "The easy thing to do is put out pesticides and be preventive about everything. But that is expensive, and golf isn't what it used to be."   Among the changes at Highlands Falls is the use of Holganix, a blend of beneficial microorganisms. Gehrisch said he was willing to give it a try, but would not hesitate to scrap it if there were no signs of healthier turf.   "The first year, I saw an improvement of about 10 percent, which is big for us, because we're already maintaining turf at a high level," Gehrisch said.    "For us, it has to be economically feasible. It has to provide an improvement to what we're doing. It has to reduce disease. With Holganix, we saw all of that. I wasn't expecting that."   During his career, Matt Shaffer has become notorious for his increasingly minimalist approach to managing turf at Merion Golf Club, where he says his goal is to grow grass, not spray it or water it. He teaches those who work for him to do the same.   "I love to mentor young people, and I am thoroughly convinced that some day they are not going to have as much chemistry as we do now," Shaffer said. "Consequently, several years ago I started a program growing great grass with less chemistry. The really cool thing is that the young guys believe and live it. We utilize less water and grow healthy turf and work harder at not spraying (rather) than always spraying."   Incorporating cultural programs also is on the rise thanks to some of the research being conducted at universities nationwide.   During a recent TurfNet Webinar, Thom Nikolai, Ph.D., of Michigan State said rolling research conducted by Bayer's Paul Giordano, Ph.D., when he was a Master's student at MSU, produced an unintended consequences - increased dollar spot resistance. Studies showed that plots rolled twice daily showed less dollar spot than control plots as well as plots rolled once per day.   Other cultural practices, said Jim Pavonetti, CGCS at Fairview Country Club in Greenwich, Connecticut, can help provide a natural path to improved plant health.   "Maintaining good aeration, regular topdressing, good fertility, wetting agent programs, plant growth regulators and pinpoint irrigation practices were all things that we weren't mastering 10 to 15 years ago," Pavonetti said. "Once all of these programs were in place, diseases like basal rot anthracnose became very easy to prevent, where, in the late '90s and early 2000s, it seemed like nothing would control the disease once the environmental factors would become too intense. The increased use of plant growth regulators has enabled us to increase fertility and plant health without losing the quality playing surfaces by regulating the natural flush of growth that would occur otherwise."   The trend toward incorporating more natural products and cultural practices, however, is seen as a supplement or occasional alternative to a program that includes synthetic products, not a replacement. The PACE report also reveals that use of fungicides over the past decade is up 4 percent and herbicide use has rise 2 percent. After all, there is a reason only one course - Vineyard Golf Club on Martha's Vineyard - is billed as the country's only true organic golf course.    Supplementing his program with biologicals has allowed Gehrisch to extend the period between fungicide apps, not replace them. But when it comes to eliminating insect pests, nothing beats a chemical insecticide.   "For insects, I don't see anything that I'm willing to bet my career on," Gehrisch said. "There is not a biological or holistic product out there that anyone is willing to bet their life on. While some of those products work, they all work some of the time."  

  • Seeing is bee-lieving

    By John Reitman, in News,

    It might be difficult for some to fully understand, but the sound made by thousands of buzzing honeybees is music to Scott Witte's ears.
      For the past seven years, Witte has implemented bee-conservation efforts at Cantigny Golf, the Chicago-area club where he has been director of agronomy for the past two decades. His efforts, that include the Bee Barometer Project, take aim at helping local bees rebound from a population-depleting phenomena known as Colony Collapse Disorder and incorporates them into an overall environmental program to enhance Cantigny's oneness with nature.   His efforts are beginning to gain traction. Last year, Witte and Bayer Environmental Science hosted an educational event at Cantigny, and recently the company named Witte as the recipient of The Bayer Bee Care Community Leadership Award. The award includes a $6,000 grant to continue his bee outreach work. The Robert R. McCormick Foundation, a non-profit entity that owns the property on which Cantigny is located, is giving Witte a 2-for-1 matching grant, boosting the total to $18,000.    Witte's work in bee conservation provides a safe and healthy environment for bees and aligns with the property's environmental profile. The course has been a certified Audubon Sanctuary since 1993.   Cantigny Park is located on the grounds of the former home of Chicago Tribune magnate Robert R. McCormick, who died in 1955. Prior to his death, McCormick operated an experimental farm on the grounds, and the Tribune regularly published articles on the subject. Since his death, the foundation named in McCormick's honor has operated the property as a horticultural classroom designed to provide educational and recreational opportunities for the people of Illinois.   Part of that effort now is Witte's Bee Barometer Project that promotes a healthy environment for bees and provides snapshot of the overall health and diversity of the surrounding environment at Cantigny Golf and Cantigny Park.   He also performs outreach, teaching others about bees and bee care and serving as an on-call expert to remove (and rescue) hives throughout the local community. In 2015, he conducted a webinar on bee care on TurfNet entitled Beekeeping 101. Click here to watch it.   Witte will receive the award Jan. 24 at Seven Bridges Golf Club in Woodridge, Illinois at a combined fundraiser for the Wee One Foundation and the Midwest Area of Golf Course Superintendents.   The bee population, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, dropped steadily from 1989 to 2008, but has been on the rise ever since thanks to Witte and others like him. There were 2.66 million commercial bee colonies in 2015, which is just slightly less than the 2.7 million in 2014 that represented a 20-year high, according to the USDA.  
  • Last year appears, at least to a degree, to be going out on a high note in the golf business. But don't get your hopes up: Last year's late-season rally is not a sign that everything in the golf world is hunky-dory.   In fact, far from it.   Rounds played in November - yes, November - were up 11 percent compared to the same month in 2015, according to Golf Datatech's monthly rounds report. Unlike some past rallies that were saw ridiculous, three-digit bumps in participation in a handful of states, November's comeback is more grounded, with solid double-digit increases across the country. In fact, rounds played were up in 38 states and Washington, D.C., while a drop in participation was recorded in just 11 states (the report, which samples self-reported data from 3,250 private and daily fee facilities, does not include Alaska).   Although figures for December 2016 are not due for a few more weeks, November's gains are enough to signal what should be about a 2 percent increase in rounds played last year.   That's the good news.   The bad news is that it appears the golf industry is shedding yet more golfers and more golf facilities. While that means those who are playing golf are playing more often, it also means that fewer and fewer people are carrying the water for the entire industry.    According to National Golf Foundation data, it appears that 150-200 facilities (net) closed in 2015. If those numbers hold true, the (net) loss of 18-hole-equivalents since 2006 will be around 1,1000, give or take, meaning the industry is headed for another three to five years of contraction as it seeks supply-demand equilibrium.   Golfers also continue to leave the game at a rate of 3-4 percent per year. Another year like that, and there will be fewer than 20 million people playing golf in the United States. That will be the lowest number of players since the 1980s.   Koppenhaver and Stuart Lindsey of Edgehill Consulting will have all the latest data available later this month when they present their State of the Industry Report from the PGA Merchandise Show. And, at least for now, there is some good news to report unless you are an equipment manufacturer or retailer. Sales of new equipment in 2016 likely will be at its lowest since the economy tanked three presidential election cycles ago.   Of the 38 states reporting a year-over-year increase in rounds played in November, 32 saw a double-digit jump. Only three of 11 states reporting negative numbers in rounds played in November experienced double-digit losses.   TurfNet will report the full rundown for 2015 - including the good as well as the bad - when Koppenhaver and Lindsey deliver their full report later this month.
  • When Billy Weeks arrived at Duke University Golf Club six years ago, one of the most daunting challenges he faced was becoming acclimated to daily fee golf.   The former superintendent at Steelwood Country Club in Loxley, Alabama, Weeks prepped under Eric Bauer at The Club at Carlton Woods near Houston, managed a putting green at Jack Nicklaus' home in North Palm Beach, Florida and interned at Augusta National Golf Club.   While Duke looks, tastes and smells like a private club - golfer expectations run high at this course located off the university's Washington Duke Inn in a pristine forest setting - it is most definitely a public-access facility. And that transition has made Weeks a better superintendent.   "I've had to stay as organized as possible. I had to get out of the mindset of high-end private golf," said Weeks, director of agronomy at this course in Durham, North Carolina. "Everything I had at those places, I didn't have that here, but the expectations are still like those at private clubs.   "I have to make do with what was given to me. For me, it's about being as efficient as possible and getting everything I can out of labor and equipment. I have to get my guys to think the same way. We have eight hours to get things done. We use our time wisely."   Weeks also shares what he has learned by leading an educational session for assistant superintendents the past two years at the annual Green Start Academy in the Raleigh area.   Because of his ability to do more with less and share with others how to do the same, Weeks has been named a finalist for the TurfNet Superintendent of the Year Award, presented by Syngenta.   "Billy Weeks is a one-man tour de force without whom our course couldn't exist as it does now," said Gavan Fitzsimmons, president of the club's golf association. "He . . . has our course in truly exceptional condition year-round."   Duke Golf Club is essentially a self-supporting operation, so conditions have to be great all the time. And they are, even in the face of modest resources.   "He is particularly skilled in managing a relatively small staff to accomplish great things," said Duke Golf Club manager Ed Ibarguen. "And he is always mindful of our budget, keeping control of spending to meet our financial requirements."   When Weeks arrived in Durham, the course still had creeping bentgrass greens, as were many courses in North Carolina,Ibarguen was in the midst of researching a conversion to Bermudagrass.    It was another couple of years before the decision was made on a greens conversion. Choosing the right one was up to Weeks, who ultimately decided on Champion. By 2013, several other courses in the Raleigh-Durham area already had made the switch to Bermuda, and many went with Champion, and Weeks was smitten with the idea of having a support system already in place when the change at Duke was completed.   Duke could have kept its bentgrass greens and everything probably would have been fine, Weeks said. The conversion, however, made sense based on a combination of Raleigh's climate and peak play at this Robert Trent Jones design that opened in 1957.   "For us at Duke, bentgrass was not a bad thing. Bermuda just fit our model better," Weeks said. "Just look at our peak time of play. From Thanksgiving to April there is not a lot of play. The weather can be bad, students are out of school over the holidays. Our peak play is April to November. If you look in that time frame, that's when you're aerifying bentgrass. We'd be discounting greens fees for a few weeks in the spring and a again in the fall for a few weeks, and that would take away from our revenue. From a playability standpoint, Bermuda just fit our model better."   The conversion paid dividends last year during what was one of the hottest summers on record in North Carolina.   "Guys who still have bentgrass and never had issues before, had issues last summer," Weeks said. "That's not to say you can't have issues with Bermuda in winter if the grass stayed iced over. That said, we had two weeks of freezing weather two winters ago, and we did just fine."  
  • When Liam Doherty, an assistant in training, nominated Kevin Seibel for the TurfNet Superintendent of the Year Award, he described him as an excellent teacher and mentor to his staff. A deeper look into Seibel's resume reveals a pedigree that explains his outlook on education and professional development.   Seibel, 45, has been superintendent at Century Golf Club in Harrison, New York for 14 years, and surviving the Met for that long alone should qualify for some sort of award. The time he spent on the job before joining this Westchester County club prepared him for almost anything and everything. He spent time working at Pine Valley while studying at Rutgers, and worked for Paul B. Latshaw, Greg Armstrong and Matt Shaffer all at Merion Golf Club.   "We're in the heart of the met. Expectations are high, and there is a lot of competition," Seibel said. "There are great courses and superintendents all around you in Westchester County."   That learning period early in Seibel's career was an amazing opportunity to grown, and he's tried to share what he learned then with his own assistants and crew.   "Early on in my career, I was allowed to do my own thing and make mistakes and learn from them. And that was a good experience for me," Seibel said.     "I guess I'm not afraid to let them make mistakes, within reason. If there is anything they are too nervous to do the first time by themselves, I stay with them and help with it. It's just grass. We can fix that."   For his expertise as a greenkeeper, personnel manager and educator, Seibel has been named a finalist for the TurfNet Superintendent of the Year Award, presented by Syngenta.   "Kevin has provided one of the greatest educational experiences a 20-year-old could ask for in the turf industry," Doherty said. "As a superintendent, he takes the time to engage with his staff in their lives inside and outside of work, showing a true compassion for those that compassion for the industry. Kevin never hesitates to tell you exactly why you are doing a greens application, why one pin position is better than another on certain days.   "But it is also more than teaching to him. It is like each of his assistants and interns are his favorite football team, the Eagles. He roots for you, he wants you to make decisions, he wants you to become a successful superintendent no matter what it is you want that success to be."   His expertise as a teacher comes in handy during projects, like an ongoing restoration of this 1927 Harry Colt-Charles Alison design near New York City.   The project, Seibel declined to call it a restoration, includes an aggressive tree-management plan.    The first nine holes of the Keith Foster-led project were completed after Labor Day 2016. The other nine will be completed after the 2017 golf season. Trees were removed before the first half of the project began.   "In 14 years, we've been taking a few trees here and there. We've been selectively taking them out where it was not noticeable," Seibel said. Anything around the greens that affects the turf, we've always had the green light to take those down. It's just evolved. So many other clubs in the area have gone on tree-removal plans and been successful. Keith came in and sold the members on it. He really sells it. He only does two to three projects a year, so each one is high on the priority list. If you hire him, that expertise comes with the territory."   Expertise comes with the territory when hiring Seibel, as well.   "The industry is really changing. There are fewer young people involved and going to turf school," Seibel said. "If we don't keep them in the fold and engages, they will go elsewhere.   "I like to develop my own assistants. I feel like I know the correct distance to keep so they can make mistakes but still be under some guidance from me. I tell them my door is always open. In fact, I need for them to ask me questions. That way, I know they are thinking about what they are doing and thinking about the process."  
  • The word complex does not begin to describe Dick Gray.   A superintendent for parts of the past six decades, Gray is immensely proud of his profession. He has known Pete Dye almost since the day he got started in the 1960s and counts the renowned architect among his personal friends. He also is humble when he thinks about his place in the industry. The director of agronomy at the mammoth, 54-hole PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Florida, Gray's business card simply reads "greenkeeper."   Given the choice between a day on the golf course with his crew and a chance to do anything anywhere, Gray will, more often than not, choose the golf course, and he's likely to bring pizza for his staff to boot.   During the past quarter century, perhaps no one has made a larger footprint on the South Florida golf scene than Dick Gray. He has been superintendent at some of the top private clubs on Florida's Treasure Coast that includes Martin and St. Lucie counties, and he is the architect of record on a highly regarded daily fee layout near Stuart, Florida. Today, the 73-year-old still is going strong while he oversees daily maintenance at the PGA of America's largest property that includes courses designed by Dye, Tom Fazio and Jim Fazio, the Jim Fazio-designed St. Lucie Trail course and a massive, 35-acre learning center.   When he learned he was nominated for the TurfNet Superintendent of the Year Award, presented by Syngenta, the Gray asked "What are the criteria, age?" After he was told he had been named a finalist for the award, his hinted at declining the honor, stating: "I'm sure the guy who finished seventh is just as deserving."   "Ever since joining PGA Golf Club, superintendent Dick Gray has been instrumental to the growth and success of the flagship facility of the PGA of America," wrote Andy DeKeuster of Buffalo Communications, who nominated Gray for the award after visiting the property during the Dye Course restoration in 2016.   When Gray arrived in Port St. Lucie after several years selling biological soil amendments to superintendents, conditions at the property were not up PGA of America standards. Greens showed wide patches of dead turf and broadleaf weed infestation was a problem everywhere.   He oversaw a restoration of the Wanamaker Course in 2015, the Dye Course in 2016 and the Ryder Course will be redone this year. Although interest in golf has been on the wane for more than a decade, golfers have taken note of the work.   "Under Gray's direction, the club's iconic Dye Course underwent a complete re-grassing and renovation," DeKeuster said. "The end result is nothing short of spectacular, not surprising given the success of a similar re-grassing project Gray directed the previous year on the resort's Wanamaker Course.   "As a result of his unwavering attention to detail, leadership, encouragement and education of fellow grounds crew, conditions at the south Florida resort have never been better, leading to a 10.5 percent increase in membership and an all-time high in members satisfaction."   Shortly before the reopening of the Dye Course, Hurricane Matthew grazed Florida's east coast on Oct. 7, a day before making actual landfall in South Carolina. Matthew uprooted trees throughout the PGA Village complex, caused power outages all along the coast. Gray, who has worked along Florida's coast for more than 25 years at Loblolly Pines in Hobe Sound, Jupiter Hills in Tequesta and Sailfish Point, an oceanfront property on the end of a peninsula in Stuart, has hurricane-preparedness down cold.   "Thanks to a quick response, plenty of preparation and cool head, the course renovation kept on schedule and opened on time," DeKeuster said. "A very impressive feat given Matthew's impact along the East Coast."   Throughout his career that started at Crooked Stick in Indiana decades ago and includes designing the Florida Club in Stuart, Florida, Gray has recognized he only is as good as the people who work on his crew. To that end, he is fiercely loyal to them and takes their contributions to his success very seriously. At a property with dozens of people on his crew, including immigrants and guest workers, Gray knows every one of his employees by name. When he encounters them while riding the course, he stops, calls them by name and checks on the status of whatever project they are working on that day.   While touring the property with Gray to study the Dye renovation, DeKeuster saw firsthand Gray's dedication to his crew.   "He called each by name, thanking them, having fun with them, constantly reminding me that they are the real magicians," he said. "It felt like family out there more than a bunch of co-workers. It was amazing."    
  • Brian Green probably would be right at home in Las Vegas. After all, he's been playing against a loaded deck at Lonnie Poole Golf Course at North Carolina State University for nearly five years - and winning all the while.   As other golf courses throughout North Carolina continue to make the shift toward ultradwarf Bermudagrass putting greens, Lonnie Poole is sticking with bentgrass, and likely will do so into the foreseeable future.   Standing in the way of any talk of a conversion is timing.   Lonnie Poole opened in 2009 at the height of the economic bust and just as contraction in the golf industry was getting into full swing. At that time, most if not all courses in the Raleigh-Durham area still were growing bentgrass, but many soon made the switch. Today, closing a public golf course that still is less than 10 years old for an entire season to grow in Bermudagrass greens is not economically feasible - even in the face of near-record summer heat.   "Not many golf courses in the area then had ultradwarf. There were still questions about it," superintendent Brian Green said. "We're so new, it would be hard to pull the trigger.   "Doing that would mean about $500,000 in lost revenue. That makes it tough."   Turns out, there is no reason to pull the trigger anyway as Green has proven to be a master of managing bentgrass even in the hot Carolina summers.   For the manner in which he is able to manage bentgrass in the summer in the transition zone, as well as implement sustainable management practices, and manage a modest budget and labor force, Green has been named a finalist for the TurfNet Superintendent of the Year Award, presented by Syngenta.   "Managing bentgrass in summer is a challenge in the transition zone. The hallmark of Brian's approach to bentgrass management is proactive decision making," said Dan Adams, Ph.D., associate vice chancellor at North Carolina State and Green's director supervisor. "He closely monitors current and long-range weather forecasts and adjusts mowing height and frequency, cultivation practices, and water management ahead of heat stress periods."   For example, last year was in the top five for all-time hottest summers on record in the Raleigh area, with daytime highs above 90 and overnight lows topping 70 for virtually all of July and August. That made for an incredibly challenging environment for growing bentgrass. To prevent all-out turfgrass failure, Poole closed the course for an eight-day stretch to give the turf a much-needed break.   "It was to keep traffic off the course and let the greens recover," Green said. "I came in that Monday and while walking the course I could see the pin placements from the weekend. I knew if we didn't do something it was going to be catastrophic turf loss."   Green also was nominated for his sustainability efforts at Lonnie Poole, which he directed to Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary status shortly after it opened.    When Green noticed localized dry spots on greens, he mapped the root zone of all greens throughout the course and learned that the depth of root zone mix was inconsistent throughout the course. By adopting use of moisture meters he was able to get water where it was needed most and limit it where it was not needed. The results included more consistent putting conditions and annual water savings of 55 percent, or 3 million gallons.   He has been equally proactive as a manager of people. Green has developed a scheduling system that ensures that he or one of his two assistants are on hand at the golf course every day. That's important on a golf course that utilizes cheap student labor throughout the academic year.   "When have to rely on student labor, they're not as experienced as others," Green said. "This system bridges the gap in that experience level."  
  • To hear golfers at municipal Longshore Golf Course tell it, Michael Golden might have made a good magician in another life. After all, it was quite a trick to bring the course in Westport, Connecticut, back from the dead.
      Years of neglect at this municipal course in Westport, Connecticut, resulted in fairways that displayed more dirt than turf, unplayable rough and a subsurface layer of organic matter right smack in the rootzone of Longshore's putting greens.   The course is home to the annual Chappa Golf Tournament, which is billed as the country's largest high school tournament, attracting nearly 100 teams. Conditions were bad enough at Longshore that the city decided to get out of the golf maintenance business altogether and call in professional help. Enter Golden (and Valleycrest) who turned fairway dirt into a fast and firm playing surface, and dying greens into some of Connecticut's best putting greens.   "Michael took over maintenance of our course three years ago," said Longshore member Richard Donoghue. "Our greens were essentially dead, the fairways and teeing grounds were terrible. Under the same skimpy municipal budget he has transformed the grounds. The greens are as good as the private courses in our area. The fairways have been dramatically improved and the tee boxes provide a comfortable stance. We are all amazed by the transformation."   For his ability to bring back Longshore like a cat with nine nine lives, Golden was named a finalist for the 2016 TurfNet Superintendent of the Year Award, presented by Syngenta.   Among the factors contributing to problems at Longshore were a series of freeze-thaw-freeze cycles resulting in two consecutive years of dead greens in 2012-2013.    Playing conditions had become so bad at Longshore that some players left to find greener pastures elsewhere. Even after the first year of the recovery process, turf was still thin.   Year after year of dead turf on the greens caused a layer of organic matter that rested just 3-4 inches below the surface.    "The dead and decaying matter was just sitting there, and the roots were getting caught up in that layer," Golden said. "We had to get the roots past 1 inch where they were stuck at. That has been the main focus."   Said Longshore member Mike Durkin: "They smelled like rotten eggs."   Getting the greens back meant breaking up that layer as much as possible. Golden put into place a program of hitting the greens with needle tines on a weekly basis, deep tining several times per year and tons and tons of topdressing.   Valleycrest merged with Brickman Sports Turf in 2014 to form a turf and landscape management company known as BrightView, and the city, as well as Longshore golfers, have been nothing but pleased with the new direction the company has taken the golf course. BrightView even uses it as its East Coast model for trying to attract new business, said Durkin.   "He would bring core samples from the greens to our golf advisory committee, allowing us to see the effects of years of neglect and improper aeration techniques," said Longshore member Gary Solomon. "This has led to the approval and installation of proper drainage systems under our greens and purchase of a deep-tine rake to allow for bi-annual deep tine aeration which will allow for proper root growth for each individual "plant".   To see Longshore before and after Golden started work there, it is difficult to comprehend how far it has come in the past few years.   "Not only has Mike provided us with an excellent golf experience, he has also provided the membership with continuous education with regards to the needs of a golf course and has helped us make important decisions to ensure course excellence in the future," Solomon said.   "While restoring the course and greens, Mike has still been able to provide us with true and fast greens, particularly on tournament and club championship weekend when he has been able to bring green speeds up to U.S. Open standards rarely seen on a public course. Mike and his crew have been seen out before sunrise double-cutting, rolling and sanding each green, creating challenging course conditions worthy of a club championship."
  • Cedar Rapids Country Club is not unlike a lot of classic-era golf courses. So many share a history that includes a long line of members, chairmen, architects and superintendents who wanted to put their own stamp on the course approving an equally lengthy list of disparate and disconnected changes over a period of years and years. Eventually, the result is a golf course that barely resembles the one put in the ground by the original architect.
      When Dutch Elm disease ripped through the Midwest in the 1970s, folks at Cedar Rapids compensated for the loss with a tree-planting spree. Hundreds of new trees, combined with years of other design changes and greens that had shrunk over time produced a course that was a Donald Ross design in name only.   When Cedar Rapids didn't have the money for a full-blown renovation to restore the course to what Ross intended when he completely redesigned the Tom Bendelow layout in 1915, superintendent Tom Feller supervised a multi-year, in-house rebuild that saved the Iowa club about 75 percent of what the project would have cost if completed by outside help.   "We redid every tee box, removed the old cart paths, widened fairways, took the greens back out to their original pad," Feller said.   "We put in all new bunkers. Bunkers either were eliminated, shifted, moved, removed or added."   For his work at giving Cedar Rapids members their course back for pennies on the dollar, Feller has been named one of six finalists for the 2016 TurfNet Superintendent of the Year Award, presented by Syngenta.   "We shared the fate of many Golden Age pre-Depression era courses. Tree management had been pushed to the back burner. Our once expansive and asymmetrical putting surfaces had succumbed to rounding and shrinkage from efficient circular mowing patterns inherent with triplex riding greens mowers. Additionally, a number of our putting surfaces had been suffocated by years of significant tree overgrowth," wrote Cedar Rapids green chairman Vaughn Halyard in a letter nominating Feller for the award.   "Over the course of our three-year restoration, Tom and his crew delivered a meticulous expansion and reclamation of roughly 17,000 square feet of putting surface. The reconstruction of the putting surface complexes for Nos. 6, 15 and 16 elevated those putting surfaces and bunkers out of the floodplain and added an additional 5,500 square feet . . . ."   Feller began communicating to the club's membership the merits of a master plan and a large-scale restoration almost since the day he arrived at Cedar Rapids 16 years ago, but economics always seemed to get in the way.   "I was hired in 2002 to return the course to a classic Ross golf course," Feller said. "We brought in architects, but the plans never went anywhere. We continued to manage course with no direction, and I pushed for master plan so I could quit coming and asking for everything in meetings."   Finally, the plan gained traction a few years ago, and architect Ron Prichard was brought on board to give his views on a master plan and put together his thoughts for the restoration.   The project included rebuilding greens, blowing up the bunkers and starting from scratch, and thanks to some quick thinking by Feller, a tree-management plan to remove many of the trees that had been planted some 40 years ago.   Feller hired an arborist to inventory and "grade" all the trees on the course, a move that helped convince members that many trees - an estimated 2,500-3,000 of them - needed to go.   Holes 1, 4 and 10 near the clubhouse were the first to be completed in 2014, followed by the rest of the front nine in 2015 and the back nine last year.   In-house work by Feller and his crew, which ranges from six to 20 depending on the time of year, was critical to getting the project approved and completed.   The cost of the project was about $700,000. Others in the industry have told Feller the cost would have been around $3 million if he'd hired outside help.   "If would had thrown out a $3million bid," he said, "this never would have went anywhere."   Prior to the restoration, Cedar Rapids had 26 bunkers. Today, thanks to Prichard and his knowledge of Ross architecture, the course has 59.   "His philosophy was to put bunkers in areas where they fit," Feller said. "If there was a depression, he'd say 'Ross would have put a bunker there.' He put them where he thought they fit."

  • Learning curve

    By John Reitman, in News,

    One superintendent's trusted standby tool for completing a job is another's new-fangled gadget that takes a lot of getting used to.
      For years, superintendents through much of the country have been leaning on flurprimidol, the active ingredient in Cutless, to control growth and seeding of annual bluegrass in creeping bentgrass putting greens. Many of their colleagues in California, where the chemistry only has been OK'd for sale for the past two years, are still getting acclimated to it.   Austin Daniells at Monterey Pines, a U.S. Navy golf course in Monterey, has been using Cutless since it was approved in 2014. He says he's still tinkering with full rates, half rates and using it in combination with various nutritional products to help promote the bentgrass.   "I think I've probably been the most aggressive with it in this area, but I had a good stand of bentgrass to start with," he said.    "The Poa can't fight off the bentgrass. The bentgrass just comes right up through the middle of it. I never saw that before."   Producing a naturally healthy stand of bentgrass helps Daniells save elsewhere, including on fungicide applications. That's a bonus for a modest golf course that is surrounded by some of the country's most renowned layouts.   "If I can manage the bentgrass and limit my fungicide use, I'm going to do that," Daniells said. "(Bentgrass) is a better surface to play on than a mixed stand.   "My Poa troubles are mine personally. Golfers here aren't like Oh my gosh!. There's Poa out here.' They're paying 20 to 30 bucks to play golf. They just want to play golf."   About 60 miles north of Monterey Pines in Los Gatos, Kevin Breen also has been working with flurprimidol to control Poa annua at La Rinconada Country Club.   He has used other PGRs to help manage Poa in the past, but began using flurprimidol as soon as it was approved for use in California.   As with any herbicide, Breen said it is important to be accurate when estimating the percentage of Poa in the A4/T1 greens at La Rinconada, which is just south of San Jose.   "You have to be conservative. You don't want to underestimate how much Poa you have, because it has a real strong effect," Breen said.    To that end, Breen has been taking it slow, primarily with the half rate. That program hasn't eliminated any Poa, but it has helped him manage it.   "I'm using the half-rate, trying slowly to convert so I'm not compromising playing conditions," Breen said. "I haven't gone high enough to kill it, and I don't know if I could anyway. It's like the Freddie Krueger of grass: Just when you think it's dead, you turn around and there it is again. It just keeps coming back."

  • News and people briefs

    By John Reitman, in News,

    Standard Golf names new sales manager
      Standard Golf has named Lind Hunemuller as its national sales manager.   Hunemuller, who has been with the company since 2011, will replace Steve Tyler, who will be retiring. Tyler will continue to serve the company as a sales consultant.   Hunemuller previous worked in sales with Texas-based BSN Sports before joining Standard Golf.     Georgia GCSA honors award winners
      Courtney Young, CGCS at Ansley Golf Club was named the Georgia GCSA Superintendent of the Year.   Young, who has been at the 36-hole club since its Settindown Creek course opened in 1988, received the award at the association's annual banquet on Dec. 12. He was just one of several superintendents honored during the event.   Billy Fuller and the late George Kozelnicky were inducted in the Georgia GCSA Hall of Fame. Fuller is a former superintendent at Augusta National Golf Club and now principal of his own golf course design firm. He also is the inventor of Better Billy Bunkers.   Kozelnicky was a professor at the University of Georgia and Georgia GCSA executive secretary for more than 20 years. He is a member of the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame and a recipient of GCSAA's Distinguished Service Award.   Also receiving awards during the event were Anthony Williams, CGCS, formerly of Stone Mountain Golf Club, who received the chapter's Distinguished Service Award, Philip Soukup of The Landings Club, who won the Assistant Superintendent of the Year award; Aaron Saunders from Jekyll Island Golf Resort on Jekyll Island received the Environmental Leader in Golf Award; L.J. Robinson from Cherokee Town and Country Club in Atlanta won the Golden Pen Award for the best superintendent written article of the year for his piece Drones Give Superintendents Their Own Eye In The Sky.   In other news, Wally Gresham from Sunset Hills Country Club in Carrollton was elected to the chapter's board of directors.   Anuvia reaches deal with Andersons
      Anuvia Plant Nutrients will be a distributor of GreenTRX 16-1-2-17S-3Fe, a plant-nutrient product produced by The Andersons.   Anuvia's sales team in Florida will be representing Anuvia in the Florida golf, sports turf and lawn and landscape markets.   Anuvia began commercial production earlier this year at its new facility in Zellwood, Florida. The company's processing system uses organic materials to create enhanced efficiency plant nutrient products.
  • There hasn't been much in the way of rainfall throughout much of California the past few years, but there are dark clouds on the horizon, just not the kind golf course superintendents have been hoping for.   Looming challenges like escalating labor and health care costs, along with the all-too-familiar hurdles associated with years of drought are presenting obstacles that are largely unique to golf course operators in California.   Other states have faced prolonged drought, and operators throughout the country will have to deal with increased health care costs thanks to, oddly enough, legislation known as the Affordable Care Act. But few, if any, places across the country are faced with all three of these challenges - at the same time.   "I feel like there is a storm coming in golf in California," said Justin Mandon, superintendent at Pasatiempo Golf Club in Santa Cruz.    "It starts with the water, which has been on everyone's mind the last five years, and it's at the forefront of what we have all been struggling with and we will continue to struggle with. It's not going away."   Although state-imposed restrictions on urban water use implemented in June 2015 were lifted in May, drought conditions, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, still persist across much of the state prompting officials in Sacramento to leave it up to the California's 408 water districts to develop their own conservation plans.   The outcome is predictable as water purveyors are passing their losses - as usage statewide decreases - onto their customers. Even challenges like the ongoing water crisis can bring opportunities.   "The escalating cost of water has changed the landscape in California for ever, and I think it's for the better," said Kevin Breen, superintendent at La Rinconada Country Club in Los Gatos, a well-to-do Silicon Valley community southwest of San Jose. "Just about every golf course out here has reduced the amount of acreage of irrigated turf to native areas, and I don't see anyone going back. The price per unit of water is just so high."   Labor costs are equally concerning. The statewide minimum wage stands at $10 per hour, will rise to $10.50 per hour on Jan. 1, 2017. It will jump to $11 on Jan. 1, 2018 and again to $15 by 2022. The hourly rate also affects the state's minimum salary for exempt employees, which is twice the minimum wage, so when one goes up, so does the other.   "You can take labor and healthcare, and say all businesses have to deal with that in California, but you add the water, and that is the kicker," Mandon said.   "I don't know how revenue is going to keep up with expenses, so what do you do? For a lot of facilities, it's just going to become too overwhelming."   Factor in the cost of living in California, and some are wondering how they will make ends meet without making drastic changes to their respective operations.   "It's hard to find people, and I don't know if it's going to get any better in finding them or being able to pay them," Breen said.   "One of three things can happen: Golfer expectations will have to go down, they will have to start paying more to play or they'll have to pay for workers and take it on the chin."   Years of unrealistic expansion have left the golf business vulnerable, and by now, most have accepted that culling the weakest properties from the supply is, barring an unexpected rise in the game's popularity, a necessity. There has been a net loss of nearly 1,000 courses nationwide in the past decade, according to the National Golf Foundation, and self-correction will continue until the market reaches equilibrium between supply and demand.   "At least in California, it's going to continue to shake out after many years of growth," said Craig Kessler, director of government affairs for the Southern California Golf Association. "We're just scratching the surface of things that ail the golf industry in California. It is going to be a challenge going forward on all fronts."   Kessler, who has written volumes on the relationship between drought and golf in California, remembers all too clearly the game's glory days in his state, when labor, like land, was cheap, or at least stable, the environmental regulatory culture was less stringent and water ran like manna from heaven.   "The golf industry underwent incredible growth in an era when water and energy were cheap and plentiful, and infrastructure was new," Kessler said.    "Land costed much less, and groundwater was unregulated. You could stick a straw in the ground with impunity and with no regard for your neighbor and pump out what you wanted."   Those days are a memory, and, like Breen in Northern California, Kessler says that's not a bad thing.   In Southern California, where water often is in greater supply than it is in the northern tier of the state, many courses jumped on cash-for-grass programs that paid golf courses for each square foot of managed turf converted to unirrigated native area.   That program along with years of voluntary and mandated cutbacks have changed the look of golf throughout Southern California. And in a state widely known for environmental activism, many players have embraced the change.   "There has been a radical transformation in the look of golf in Southern California, and it's being led by well-heeled private clubs," Kessler said. "They're taking turf out of irrigation and changing overseeding practices. It's a different look and a different feel.   "There has been a race to 'my club looks more like a Mediterranean climate than yours.' It's a good signal to the rest of the industry."   Cash for grass hasn't caught on to that extent in Northern California, but converting managed turf to native plants certainly has. So has the search for cheaper sources of water.   At Pasatiempo, the cost of potable water from Santa Cruz has skyrocketed, including a 40 percent rate hike in October.    Pasatiempo soon will be getting most of its water through a new recycled system that is due to go online in mid 2017. The club paid neighboring Scotts Valley up front for a guaranteed 35 million gallons of recycled water per year for 30 years. It will go into effect once construction is complete on infrastructure, including a massive underground storage tank.   That project, which was overwhelmingly approved by Pasatiempo's membership, had been discussed for about a decade. The drought and the long-term damage it could mean for Pasatiempo finally helped sell city and water officials on its merit.    "When you start talking about jobs with city council and people in the community, I think that's when you start to get some reaction," Mandon said. "This is a historic golf course that has been in Santa Cruz for 85 years and employs over 100 people. There aren't too many businesses here that have been around that long and employ that many people."   With nearly 900 golf courses, California, like most places is overbuilt, said Ted Horton, a retired superintendent and consultant who founded the state's chapter of the golf course owners association. Properties that haven't prepared for the future, like Pasatiempo has, will be hard pressed to meet the mounting challenges, he said.   "Golf did not do itself any favors during the era when it allowed the real estate industry to totally control the development of golf," Horton said.    "Then the golf courses, when the houses are built, are sold for pennies on the dollar, and they put the mom and pop courses that you and I and everyone loves to learn to play on, out of business.    "Golf has has gone through two world wars and survived them. I'm sure it's going to get through this crisis and survive this, also."
  • Who says "municipal" golf can't work?

      In the ultimate holiday week vacation mix up, TurfNet's Jon Kiger landed in, of all places, Cuba. We're pretty sure his side trip was more about seeking robust cigars and some pretty good baseball more than it was about gaining political asylum in a communist regime. While there, he stumbled upon what turns out to be Cuba's only 18-hole golf course. Who knew?   Owned by the Cuban government's Ministry of Tourism, Varadero Golf Club is located on a peninsula in north-central Cuba, about 90 miles east of Havana and about 150 miles southeast of Key West, Florida. The head greenkeeper was absent during this visit, but GM Jose Tovar Pineda was happy to fill in to tour the property and proved to be quite knowledgeable on all things agronomy, discussing everything from pest and disease pressure to turf management challenges associated with local weather conditions .   Green fees at Varadero run about 80 Cuban pesos, which translates to about 100 bucks American. So with an average salary equivalent to about $25 per month, not many Cuban nationals are teeing it up at Varadero. A clientele comprised largely of Canadian snowbirds, as well as some Western Europeans, play upwards of 35,000 rounds per year there.    The only other course Pineda knew of on the island was a nine-hole facility in Havana, but said more - many more - are on the way as Cuba looks to cash in a growing global tourism market. He said at least 13 new construction projects soon will begin with future plans to include almost twice that number.   Sound familiar?  

    We didn't have greens, we had sand. . . . We fought with the golfers, 18 temporary greens is not a golf course."
     
    "One day, we will have 20-25 golf courses on the whole country. That will be an open door to attract a different quality of tourists," Pineda said in a heavy Cuban accent.   "(That will) give the opportunity of new jobs of Cuban peoples (and) open opportunities to increase tourism and quality of life for Cuban peoples. That is our point of view."   The property has a rich history. The land on which the course is located was owned nearly 100 years ago by Irene DuPont de Nemours of THAT DuPont family. The golf course, which originally was built in the 1930s, has had an up-and-down history that coincides with the ferocity of passing hurricanes.   Today's version of Varadero underwent a renovation from 1996-99 that was led by Canadian architect Les Furber. Greens were regrassed in 2010-11 with Seaspray paspalum after greenkeeper Amaro Aramis faced some of the same offseason issues as his colleagues in the southern United States who were growing Bermudagrass. Cooler temperatures combined with high winds and salty ocean air proved to be a disastrous combination for the Bermuda.   Because of the decades-long trade embargo imposed by the United States, finding anything for the golf course can be a challenge, but Aramis was able to secure enough Seaspray seed from a supplier in the Dominican Republic for the project. He opened temporary greens throughout the course, which was unpopular with golfers since they had nowhere else to play."   "We didn't have greens, we had sand," Pineda said.   "We fought with the golfers, 18 temporary greens is not a golf course."   Mowers and equipment, most of which are Toro and John Deere and all of which are used, come largely through Canada, as do parts and a fleet of refurbished Club Car vehicles. And although Varadero is on an island by itself, it's not isolated from help when it needs it.   U.S.-based turf researchers, including Clint Waltz, Ph.D., of the University of Georgia, and Auburn's Beth Guertal, Ph.D., are, on occasion, called upon for help. Aramis also stays on top of what is new in the industry through research projects under way at Cuba's Experiment Station - Indio Hatuey. Auburn also has entered research agreements with its Cuban counterparts to further support turfgrass research and education in Cuba.   "They have excellent mechanical equipment," said Beth Guertal, Ph.D., professor of crop, soil and environmental science at Auburn University. "And I'm amazed at how well they keep it all running, given their shortages of parts and supplies."   Among the other challenges there, according to Pineda, include "lombrices," which translates to earthworms (thank you, Google Translate).   With a crew of 30, Varadero appears to have better luck in attracting and retaining help than many of its U.S. counterparts. The course is a bit rustic, but the few Canadian golfers Kiger spoke with said they loved the place. Not bad for Cuba's vision of municipal golf, though we are not advocating a communist takeover of the U.S. golf economy.    The same conditions that drive golf in the U.S. also are important to people who play Varadero.   "Well, we're here two weeks not, and we're probably going to have seven rounds or more," said Nelu Toma, a Canadian tourist from Brampton, Ontario. "We have been here four or five years, and we love this course. I love the greens, they're usually in great condition."
  • It's not easy to get excited about nematodes, but Syngenta is ready to get superintendents jazzed about eliminating them with a host of events scheduled around the launch of the company's new nematicide, Divanem, at the upcoming Golf Industry Show.   Also during GIS, Syngenta will roll out its new GreenCast Turf App, a mobile tool that will be available for Apple and Android devices, that helps users keep records to simplify tasks such as tank mixing and allows users to generate a tank-filling plan that can be shared with their teams.   Opening night
    Syngenta will help GCSAA honor Paul R. Latshaw, recipient of the Old Tom Morris Award, as well as Environmental Leaders in Golf Award winners during the opening ceremony, scheduled for 5:15-6:45 p.m. on Feb. 7 in the Valencia Ballroom of the Orange County Convention Center with a reception to follow from 7-8:30 p.m. at Harry's Poolside at Rosen Centre.   Divanem nematicide launch
    Stop by the Syngenta booth (#2618) to learn more about Divanem, a nematicide that delivers excellent turf quality through proven, broad-spectrum control of nematodes on all turf types found on golf course tees, greens and fairways. Check out the nematicide trial plot at Orange County National Golf Center in nearby Winter Garden during the GCSAA Golf Championship.   Answers on the Hour
    While on the tradeshow floor, learn more about Divanem at 11 a.m. on Feb. 8 at booth #609 during a 30-45 minute discussion led by Lane Tredway, Ph.D., from Syngenta and Billy Crow, Ph.D., from the University of Florida.   Test your turf knowledge
    Syngenta booth #2618 Attendees can test their turf knowledge by playing the Syngenta in-booth trivia challenge. Syngenta will donate $10 to the Wee One Foundation for the first 500 people who play, and the top scorer each day will win a YETI Hopper 30 cooler. Everyone who plays will be entered for a chance to win one of 10 random drawings for a YETI Rambler tumbler.   Health in Action 5K sponsored by Heritage Action
    Begins at 6 a.m., Feb. 9 at the Hyatt Regency. Register online and all registration proceeds will benefit the EIFG. Tweet to #TurfInAction.   GCSAA certification luncheon
    Syngenta and the GCSAA will recognize the Class of 2016's newly Certified Golf Course Superintendents as well as those celebrating 25- and 40-year anniversaries at a luncheon from 12:30-2 p.m., Feb. 8 at a location to be determined.   TurfNet Superintendent of the Year
    Last but certainly not least, Syngenta and TurfNet will announce the winner of this year's Superintendent of the Year Award at 1:30 p.m. on Feb. 9 at the Syngenta booth (#2618). The award recognizes the accomplishments of an outstanding golf course superintendent nominated by his or her peers. Pictured on home page are past winners Chad Mark (2013), Paul Carter (2011), Anthony Williams (2009) and Fred Gehrisch (2014).  
  • Each time he is invited to speak on someone else's turf, Jim Kerns, Ph.D., makes it a point not to be what he calls a "seagull pathologist."   "That's someone who flies in, makes a lot of noise and leaves a lot of crap," said Kerns, a turfgrass pathologist at North Carolina State University, during this year's Ohio Turfgrass Foundation Conference. "And I don't want (Ohio State pathologist Joe) Rimelspach to have to go clean it up."   When he was asked to speak on a hot-button topic like "the influence of fungicides on turf health," Kerns decided, thankfully, to simplify matters, changing his presentation to a more general "maximizing turf health." Besides, as Kerns noted, a lot more than just fungicide is required to produce a healthy turfgrass plant.   Weather, cultural practices, mowing heights and drainage all play an important role in growing and maintaining healthy turf.   "For a pathologist, I still get that geeked out moment when I walk up and everything is dead," Kerns said. "The fun part is the challenge of helping you to fix that.   "The things that kill turf fastest are soil, you and Mother Nature. Disease is a distant fourth. It's not that they're not a problem, but we have to keep in mind that sometimes fungicides are not going to help us."   For 60 minutes, Kerns provided some quick tips that when used in concert with the right fungicides, can help maximize turf health. And much of the hour was spent discussing sand.   "Any time I make a site visit, I pull a plug and hope to see the crown buried in sand a quarter-inch below the mow line," Kerns said. "That's an indication of a good topdressing program."   Although some superintendents are able to topdress throughout the summer, many, at least in North Carolina, cease in late summer. That is a mistake, Kerns says, especially when there is no overnight break from extremely hot summer conditions.   "You can topdress all summer long, and it's not going to have an adverse affect," he said. "Yes, you might have to skip that 100-degree day, but you don't have to stop, because conditions can go backwards very quickly when you get those really warm days and warm nights."   He suggests light and frequent topdressing every two to four weeks.   "I think this is the most important thing we can do to make sure our fungicide program works well," he said. "We are helping water infiltrate the system and it keeps it away from the crown. You will see a vast difference if you commit to a program like this now. In the summer, you'll see things you've never seen before.   "The guys in North Carolina who do this rarely see me."   His claims are supported by anthracnose research conducted at Rutgers University that showed light topdressing brushed in every 14 to 28 days not only helped prevent disease, but also modified the thatch layer, helped provide a smoother putting surface, protects the crown of the plant and provides additional protection through the winter months.   Since the groundbreaking work at places like Michigan State and Tennessee on the benefits of lightweight rolling, it's no secret that rolling more and mowing less can help promote healthier turf. Kerns said superintendents doing that should also consider slightly rising the height of cut. The effect on ball-roll speed will be minimal, he said, but the difference in turf quality will be significant.  
    For a pathologist, I still get that geeked out moment when I walk up and everything is dead," Kerns said. "The fun part is the challenge of helping you to fix that."
     
    "Slight increases in mowing height could be the difference between a fungicide program working, or not," he said.    "You might lose some ball-roll speed, but what you make up for in plant health is worth it when you consider (putting on) dirt is really fast."   Because of the inconsistencies achieved when setting mowing heights, Kerns said he never leaves home without a prism gauge, and suggested superintendents do the same.   "Mowing is the single biggest stress we place on turf," said Kerns, who had extension data to back up his statement. "I spend 80 percent of my time with you guys in golf, and the other 20 percent with sports, sod and homeowners. Why is that? Mowing height."   Just as important are limiting shade cover, especially on warm-season turf and slight increases in nitrogen.   "There was a time when we were applying 6 to 7 pounds of N per year," Kerns said.    "I'm noy asking you to go up a pound, or two, or three or four. There is 10 to 12 years of research that shows if N rates were between .125 and 1.25 per 1,00 square feet per month per year, it had no effect on ball roll. What I'm asking is if you are at a tenth of a pound per week or every two weeks, they go up to an eighth. You're not going to see a dramatic decline in ball, but you're going to see a dramatic improvement to combat disease."   He also suggests using a growing degrees day model, like the one developed by Nebraska's Bill Kreuser, Ph.D., to track plant growth regulator applications.   Likewise, the benefits of aerification, whether it involves pulling a core or not, cannot be overstated.   "The more you can pull cores, the better you'll be," he said. "Pathogens thrive when soil becomes anaerobic."   Those who come from Roch Gaussoin's school of solid tining without pulling cores also can achieve great benefits, Kerns said.    That can include cooling the soil by allowing air in.   "If you punch holes every few weeks, it's like an apple a day: It will keep the doctor away," Kerns said. "It's not that labor intensive when you think of the difference vs. core aerification, and you're going to reap the dividends because you're going to keep that soil temperature down more than somebody who isn't doing it."   If, after trying all of this, turf still is under stress, Kerns said don't cut corners when it comes to sending samples to the lab.   "Our diagnostics lab usually receives about 500 samples a year. This year, we're at about 660 to 670, and the year's not over yet," Kerns said. "And 53 to 60 percent of what we see is not disease.   "If you want us to be accurate, submit and give us the most information you can. That's the key thing with making a diagnosis; it's an art."    

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