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From the TurfNet NewsDesk

  • John Reitman
    The marriage of Monsanto and Bayer AG took a step closer to becoming reality on Tuesday when shareholders of St. Louis-based Monsanto approved the latter's takeover bid. Under terms of the $66 billion deal, which is expected to close in late 2017, Monsanto shareholders will receive $128 per share. The deal still must pass regulatory review.   "This is an important milestone as we work to combine our two complementary companies and deliver on our shared vision for the future of agriculture," said Hugh Grant, Monsanto chairman and chief executive officer. "By bringing together our expertise and our resources to drive this shared vision, we can do even more together to benefit growers around the world and to help address broad global challenges like climate change and food scarcity."   Getting to this point hasn't been automatic.   A deal was reached in September, but that came four months after Monsanto shareholders rejected a similar proposal in May.   "The acquisition of Monsanto is driven by our strong belief that this combination can help address the growing challenges facing farmers and the overall agriculture industry today and in the future," said Werner Baumann, CEO of Bayer AG.   The buyout follows other similar deals, including a $130 billion merger between Dow and DuPont and a $43 billion buyout of Syngenta by the China National Chemical Corp.   Monsanto has long been considered a coup for any chemical company in a takeover bid because of its presence in the ag seed market. Monsanto is the world's largest seed producer and a leader in genetically modified foods and seeds. Bayer AG, whose subsidiaries include Bayer Environmental Science, makes a host of products for the healthcare, agriculture and chemical industries.   Once the deal is completed, the combined agriculture business, according to Bayer, will have its global Seeds and Traits and North American commercial headquarters in St. Louis, its global Crop Protection and overall Crop Science headquarters in Monheim, Germany, as well as its presence in the Research Triangle Park area of North Carolina.  
  • The game of golf and its global image has a lot riding on the honesty and integrity of the mayor of a city in a Third World country.
      That's a long shot, even by Vegas standards.   The looming question, at least in golf circles, prior to and during the 2016 Summer Olympics in Brazil was what was to become of the Olympic golf course after the games were over. Privatize it, play on it, plow it under were the three main options. More on that in just a bit, because those choices might seem minor compared with the latest political fallout related to the Olympic golf course.   Last Friday, a judge in Brazil ordered that the assets of Rio de Janeiro mayor Eduardo Paes be frozen while authorities investigate allegations that he waived environmental fees required for building the course in the country's coastal wetlands.   According to records, developers should have paid impact fees equal to about $1 million for building the course in a coastal nature reserve. Paes, according to records, waived those fees to speed up construction of the course, which came in at $20 million.   Problems associated with the Olympic course only begin with environmental fees. Play has been slow, and the future of the course remains in doubt. Progolf, the company chosen to maintain the course, said it needs $80,000 per month just for upkeep. Problem is, that group hasn't been paid since the Olympics concluded.   The 2016 Olympics have been wrought with controversy. The games were largely unpopular with many in Brazil. The world's fifth-largest country by population, Brazil also is one of the poorest countries in the world and has the largest concentration of rural poverty in Latin America.   Many thought the billions used to stage the Olympics, including $20 million to build the golf course, could have been used to improve the lives of the people of Brazil.   Paes said developers have been charged for all the necessary fees for construction of the golf course. They just have not paid them, he has said. Let's hope he's right.   Sidestepping impact fees to expedite construction of a golf course in an environmentally sensitive area is in direct conflict with the standards established by those who build and maintain golf courses, including owners, architects, builders, contractors and superintendents.   Ignoring the law and compromising wetlands at a high-profile project like the Olympic golf course gives every naysayer of golf one more rock to throw; one more opportunity to say "I told you so" in defense of their argument that golf is bad for the environment.   The judge, hoping to collect some of the funds, decided to freeze Paes' assets after it was learned the mayor, whose term ends this year, would be leaving the country in 2017 for a temporary teaching assignment at Columbia University in New York.   Alleged shenanigans surrounding construction of the Olympic golf course are not the first time such indiscretions have arisen in Brazil. In fact, they're not even the only misdeeds currently under investigation there. In November, police arrested another public official after he was charged with overbilling on construction contracts for projects associated with the 2014 FIFA World Cup, also held in Brazil    Competition that brings together the world's best players in any sport is a good thing, but the price cannot be fraud and graft by politicians that will overshadow these events for years.   Let's hope this Third World politician is telling the truth, but I wouldn't bet on it, and if you would, then I have some waterfront property for sale . . . in Brazil.  
  • Bearing the weight of the world does not sound like a pleasant experience, but as director of agronomy at Oakland Hills Country Club, Steve Cook has felt the sensation in the figurative sense on many occasions. As a seasoned mountain climber, Cook wanted to feel that pressure in the literal sense as well. As it turns out, he'll never know that feeling, and that's OK, too.   Cook spent three years preparing the mountain climber's trip of a lifetime - ascending the Himalayan peak of Ama Dablam in Nepal. Located just a dozen miles from Mount Everest, Ama Dablam has a summit of 22,349 feet.   At that elevation, the air is thin and it takes days in camp at a lower elevation just to get acclimated to what lies ahead.   "At 22,000 feet it is going to feel like someone is standing on your chest," Cook said last year while preparing for the trip that occurred over a three-week span in October and November 2015.   Three weeks into the trip, his group, which included two other climbers, a guide and three sherpas, cut the climb short some 2,000 feet from the summit due to unsafe conditions.    Organizing another Himalayan excursion to satisfy his quest for the thrill is no easy task. Finding the motivation to train for such a trip again has been an even harder challenge for the 57-year-old Cook, who says the only climbing he's done since Ama Dablam is off the couch to get to the refrigerator.   "I never thought I'd say it, but when I got back, I'd lost the adrenaline," said Cook, a speaker at this year's Ohio Turfgrass Foundation Conference and Show. "I could never find the energy."   That's understandable after knowing the emotional commitment it took to prepare for the climb.   "I recognize the commitment necessary to make that trip is so intense, and I've not found that commitment again," he said. "It's just not something you take on lightly. First, it's super dangerous; second, everyone else is dependent on your fitness level and commitment level. You don't want to get anyone else hurt, much less yourself. As I look back, I was thinking about the trip every second of every day for a year-and-a-half. I would get up at a quarter-to-four to go to work, work out my meals for the day, work on training for the day, leave work early, work out in the afternoon, get home, eat, shower, set up my meals for the next day, get up in the morning and do it all over again. If it was an off day, I'd spend all day looking at my gear, buying gear or switching out gear, trying different things. I spent four to five hours a day doing something to get ready for that trip, and I'd spend every waking moment thinking about it. I'm just not there now. I'm not in that space. I know what it took to do it successfully, to be a safe member of the team, to be physically fit to do it, and I don't have the motivation to put in that commitment again."   Cook says he does not miss climbing. If he does, he's not letting on.    "I like a quote by the Dalai Lama: 'We must learn to let go of the things that are not meant for us.' I'm not sure (climbing) is meant for me, at least not now and maybe not anymore, and that's OK."   What he misses is another avenue for staying active and fit.   Climbing, and the requisite workouts that come with such an endeavor, were as much about creating a release for on-the-job stress as they were about getting to the top of a Himalayan peak. The problem is he hasn't found the motivation for a replacement activity, and that's not OK, says Cook . . . and his doctor.   "I found that when I climb, there is no time in my head to be thinking about anything other than where I am putting my hands and my feet, so it is total and complete focus on what I am doing. It's clarifying for me, and I was able to take that back to work," Cook said. "It gave me the confidence to solve problems at work. I've discovered that a lot of things on the golf course aren't that big a deal after I've had my ass hanging out over the side of a mountain at 20,000 feet.  
    We must learn to let go of the things that are not meant for us. I'm not sure (climbing) is meant for me, at least not now and maybe not anymore, and that's OK."
     
    "Climbing has allowed me to travel and see some stuff, and it's kept me fit. That's probably the biggest down side. I'm genetically disposed to high cholesterol, but I've always kept it below the borderline of medication through physical fitness. My doctor, prior to the trip, used me as his shining star for patients in their 50s and how physical activity can keep you away from meds. After my last physical three months ago, my cholesterol was off the chart, and I'm not my doctor's poster boy any more.   "I'm not a huge drinker, so to give up alcohol for a year-and-a-half (for the climb) was easy. Through the course of the summer, I'd have a drink every day. I'd come home from work and have a gin and tonic, which I like, and I'd eat anything that was in the kitchen, pizza, whatever. I paid no attention at all to my diet, I know that is taking place of what I gave up."   In the first few months after the climb, Cook put on 30 pounds, which he felt immediately on his slender 6-foot-1 frame. He's started working out some to at least manage his weight. What he lacks is a reason to work out.   "I'm missing the motivation to be physically fit. I'm not a guy who can go to a gym and stand on a Stairmaster for an hour. That's torture for me," he said. I'm better if I have a goal, and I have to figure out what that is."   That's a far cry from the flurry of activity that dominated Cook's life before heading to Nepal.   Before taking on Ama Dablam, Cook spent years hiking, trekking and climbing rock and icy faces, eventually graduating to U.S. summits like Mount Rainier in Washington and the Grand Tetons in Wyoming. None of that could quite prepare him for the Himalayas.   He learned after climbing Mount Rainier at age 50 that there are no short cuts in mountain climbing. That's true whether it's a 14,000-foot summit in Washington or a 22,000-foot climb in Nepal.   "Mount Rainier in 2009 was my first climb. I remember because it was my 50th birthday to climb that," Cook said. "I'd been trekking and hiking for years, and I knew if I was to go higher I'd have to learn to climb.   "(Mount Rainier) was a bridge too far for me then. I was probably not qualified to do that climb, but I decided to do it. It gave me an appreciation for the effort and commitment it took to do something like that. I'd missed two or three steps getting ready for that. They can drag anybody up the mountain, which is essentially what they did with me at the time. It made me take a step back to get better prepared for the next climb."   In preparation for an extreme climb on Ama Dablam, Cook camped out in his yard in sub-zero weather in anticipation of weeks of extreme cold that lie ahead. He practiced working with his gear in a pitch-dark basement until he knew every square inch of every piece like the back of his hand, and he even learned how to go to the bathroom while wearing what is perhaps a climber's most essential equipment - gloves.    "A guide told me to make sure you work in the winter on going outside and peeing with all your clothes on and my harness on and my gloves. Otherwise, you'll pee in your pants," said Cook. "You can't unzip at 20,000 feet and take everything off to pee.   "Last winter, on the coldest night of the year at 17 below (zero), I went out and set up my tent at midnight, put my gear on and was moving around in the tent with all my gear on, getting in and out of the sleeping bag with all my gear on and moving in cold weather and seeing where do you put your water bottle, where do you put your pee bottle, because in a tent you're peeing in a bottle, you're not going outside on the side of a mountain. At night I'd go down in basement, turn all the lights off, put all my gear on and work with stuff in total darkness. Can I tie a knot in total darkness? Can I put gear on in total darkness? When packing food in all of my pockets, what does it take to get food out of my pockets with my gloves on? How does that all work? Every bit of energy you use to take your backpack off are calories you are going to need to finish that climb. It was really important in all this training to go through that."   Clearly, life at 20,000 feet and above is an experience that is not for everyone. Cook never figured that would include him, but he's learning to live with it.   While on Ama Dablam, Cook's trek to the top stopped dead in his tracks while navigating a section of the mountain called the Grey Tower. The group encountered a rocky chute that typically is covered in snow that holds loose rocks in place. With no snowpack, rocks were coming loose and falling below as the guide climbed ahead searching for a safe route.   "It's typically snow-packed, but there was not a lot of snow in the chute, and there was a lot of rock fall. The sun was hitting the soil and warming it up, rocks were coming loose and falling down that chute," said Cook, who was speaking this week at the Ohio Turfgrass Foundation Conference and Show in Columbus. "The guide was not comfortable moving us through it, so we turned around at about 20,000 feet. You could look up and see the summit. It was right there, so that was disappointing, but we got home safely."   He later learned that a Chinese expedition coming up the mountain decided to attempt to ascend the Grey Tower when one of the climbers was struck by falling rock and broke an arm. When even a minor injury like that occurs, it's trip over for everyone in the climber's party. The emphasis changes from summiting the peak to getting the injured down the mountain to safety.   "I could hear the sherpa next to me saying 'mountain bad mood; mountain bad mood,' " Cook said. "I wouldn't consider a broken arm a serious injury. If you suffer a serious injury, there is no rescue at 20,000 feet."   Return climbs to Washington and Wyoming, his wife, Robin, suggested, would require far less training would still allow Cook to stay active while he preps for the easier climbs. But after climbing a mountain in the Himalayas, anything short of that would be like choosing meatloaf over filet mignon.   "The views were just beautiful. I can't put it into words," he said.   "I'm sure I'll climb or trek or backpack again, or do something, but it's a big undertaking. Maybe for someone who's 27 it's not such a big thing, but I'm 57. My feet hurt, my knees hurt. When I try to pick up the training intensity, I'm now icing my knees.   "Maybe biking is my next thing. I don't know. I have to find something to fill that void."  
  • In an effort to streamline its golf turf operations, Textron is integrating Jacobsen into its Augusta, Georgia-based specialized vehicles division. As part of that transition, the mower manufacturer will move next year from its current base in Charlotte, North Carolina, to Augusta, where it will be closer to sister company E-Z-GO.    During the migration, Jacobsen will move into a repurposed Procter and Gamble facility located on 240 acres about a mile from the E-Z-GO campus. The 80,000-square-foot facility allows Jacobsen to plan the space in the most efficient way possible.   The move, which is planned for next year, will be done in phases. Fabrication will make the move first. Parts and service will move last. During that time, Jacobsen branch locations will be on standby for any parts that are needed during the move, ensuring the process is a seamless one for customers and demonstrating Textron's commitment to the Jacobsen brand.   Besides combining Textrons specialized vehicle division into a single location, other advantages include collaboration between E-Z-GO, Cushman and Jacobsen brands.   To that end, the new plant will allow Jacobsen to simplify its manufacturing process, going from nine assembly lines in Charlotte to three flexible lines in Augusta that will be able to adjust quickly adjust to accommodate different product lines.    Jacobsen has been operating in Charlotte since 2001, when the company moved from its former home in Racine, Wisconsin.
  • Years of work by turfgrass researchers on behalf of golf course superintendents managing some of the country's most revered courses finally has come to fruition.   Recently, the Carolinas Golf Course Superintendents Association published its Best Management Practices for Carolinas Golf Courses, a nearly 300-page text that provides a turf management blueprint for hundreds of superintendents in North Carolina and South Carolina. The publication was co-authored by researchers from Clemson University and North Carolina State University.   "We are extremely proud of this manual and what it stands for," says new Carolinas GCSA president Adam Charles of The Preserve at Verdae in Greenville, South Carolina. "It is an excellent reference tool for superintendents, but just as importantly it clearly demonstrates just how committed we are to the environmental and economic sustainability of the game. The two go hand in hand."   "They will see from their very first glance just how seriously we take our responsibilities, not just to our facility but to the surrounding community," Charles said. "The vast majority of superintendents are already conversant with the contents of the manual. It will serve as an excellent reference for them. But it will be an eye-opener for many others I'm sure."   The collaborative efforts of authors Bert McCarty, Ph.D., of Clemson and Jim Kerns, Ph.D., of North Carolina State are reflective of an industry-wide spirit in the region, said Bill Kennedy CGCS at Chechessee Creek Club in Okatie, South Carolina, and a past chapter president.   "For the professors at these two institutions to work so closely together on this is a tribute to their professionalism and their commitment to the work we do," Kennedy said. "We see that spirit play out all the time whether it's from our industry partners on the sales and service side or amongst our members helping each other out as they did with the recent hurricane. It's something very special."    The cost of the project was offset by funds raised through the Rounds 4 Research program that generates funds by selling donated tee times online. Manuals were delivered in November to superintendents and their assistants throughout both states.  
     

  • News and people briefs

    By John Reitman, in News,

    UTA introduces new fungicide
    United Turf Alliance recently launched Armor Tech Rotator Fungicide.    With the active ingredient fluazinam, this new fungicide is labeled for control of a variety of common turf diseases, including dollar spot in green, tees and fairways.   ArmorTech Rotator Fungicide can be used as a rotational partner for chlorothalonil and in combination with systemic fungicides. It will be available in early 2017.   Rounds flatten in October
    It wasn't all good news for golf course operators in October, but it wasn't all bad either. Year-over-year rounds played were up 1 percent nationwide in October compare to the same month last year, according to Golf Datatech's Monthly Rounds Played Report.    Play was up in 27 states plus Washington, D.C., and down in 22 other.    Year-to-date rounds played were up by a humble 0.5 percent through October, compared with the first 10 months of 2015.   The largest gains in October were in Indiana (up 26 percent); Georgia (19 percent); Virginia (17 percent); Minnesota (12 percent); Iowa (11 percent); and New Jersey, Pennsylvania Tennessee and Texas (10 percent).   The most significant losses were in Washington (down 23 percent); South Carolina (14 percent); Idaho, Montana and Wyoming (12 percent); and Florida and Oregon (11 percent).   Aquatrols' new Web site focuses on mobile experience 
    Aquatrols unveiled its new Web site that serves as a central information hub for the company's distributors, industry partners and customers.    The site allows users to quickly access product information and sales collateral, as well as product-specific research and seasonal promotions. The new Web site places an emphasis on the mobile experience, and visitors, for the first time, will be able to access the full Aquatrols.com from their tablet or handheld device.    The new website also taps into Aquatrols' growing social media audience with Blog posts and social feeds displayed prominently on the homepage. The goal is to create a two-way conversation that strengthens Aquatrols' relationships with its growing customer base.    Wiedenmann thanks distributors
    Wiedenmann North America implemented an incentive program for the North and South American distributors of Wiedenmann natural and artificial turf maintenance equipment. Salespeople who reached the set threshold by the end of 2015 won a trip to Germany that included a tour of Wiedenmann's world headquarters.   Winners of the program were: Mike Cornicelli, A-OK Turf Equipment; Shane Cornicelli, A-OK Turf Equipment; Michael Cornicelli, A-OK Turf Equipment; David Shackelford, Austin Turf; Ryan Smith, Belkorp Ag; Sal Sorbello, Belkorp Ag; Tom Corralez, Belkorp Ag; Josh Berman, Finch Equipment; Phil Page, Finch Equipment; Paul Schultheis, Finch Equipment; Tim Fleegel, Frontier Ag & Turf; Jeff Robinson, Greenville Turf & Tractor; Rick Henderson, Greenville Turf & Tractor; Garry Bodnar, Martin Deerline; Sherri Hill, Pacific Golf & Turf; Michael McNeil, Pacific Golf & Turf; Wesley Weyant, Pacific Golf & Turf; Larry Adcock, Revels Tractor; Andy Lutz, Revels Tractor; Blair Quin, Storr Tractor; Matt Gardner, Stotz Equipment; Andy Means, Stotz Equipment; Zach Moore, Stotz Equipment; Teddy Rosztoczy, Stotz Equipment; Nick Scovel, Stotz Equipment.
        In other news, Wiedenmann North America recently was honored as Importer of the Year for 2014 and 2015 at an awards ceremony held in Munich, Germany earlier this year. Pictured are (from left) Jordy Smith, West Coast territory manager; Will Wolverton, general manager of Wiedenmann North America, LLC; Jeremy Stafne, Midwest territory manager; Juergen Wiedenmann, owner of Wiedenmann GmBH; Brad Boaz, East Coast territory manager; and Karl Wiedenmann, sales Manager, Wiedenmann GmbH. Wiedenmann North America is the North American distributor for Wiedenmann GmBH, a manufacturer of natural and turf maintenance equipment.
      Signature Control Systems helping troops and their families
    Signature Control Systems has partnered with Tee It Up for the Troops, a national veterans service non-profit, to support veterans and their families.  
    Proceeds from Signature's golf and turf product sales will go to Tee It Up for the Troops to help local and national veterans service organizations.
     
    Minnesota-based Tee It Up for the Troops hosts approximately 40 golf events across the country each year to raise funds for combat-affected veterans and their families. It provides more than $1 million in direct funding annually to veterans service providers.
     
    Signature Control Systems is a natural partner for Tee It Up for the Troops. The company has been a leader in golf course turf irrigation control and supplies for nearly 20 years. Its equipment can be found on hundreds of golf courses around the globe.
     
    The partnership was formalized in late November 2016. Signature will serve as Tee It Up for the Troops' exclusive irrigation partner and joins other golf industry partners such as E-Z-GO, Bridgestone Golf and PING.
      Former Valhalla GCS inducted into Kentucky hall
    Former Valhalla Golf Club superintendent Mark Wilson topped a group of three new inductees into the Kentucky Golf Hall of Fame.   A graduate of Eastern Kentucky University where he studied turfgrass management and played on the golf team Wilson spent 22 years - from 1988-2010 - as the superintendent at Valhalla, which has been owned outright by the PGA of America since 2000.   Wilson, 60, was the host superintendent for the PGA Championship in 1996 and 2000 and the 2008 Ryder Cup Matches.   Joining Wilson in the Kentucky Golf Hall of Fame were former Morehead State University golf coach Rex Chaney and former Kentucky Golf Association official Tom Cooksey.   The newest class was inducted Nov. 18 during a ceremony in Lexington.

  • Technical expertise

    By John Reitman, in News,

    When it comes to keeping equipment in top operating condition, Pikewood National Golf Club equipment manager Kris Bryan stacks up against anyone, says his superintendent, Brett Bentley. That's saying a lot at Pikewood, where the natural terrain takes a heavy toll on mowers, utility vehicles and just about anything else with an engine and wheels on it.
      A top-shelf preventive maintenance program that keeps equipment on the golf course and out of the shop is just one reason Bryan was named last years winner of the TurfNet Technician of the Year Award, presented by Toro.
      Located atop a mountain in northern West Virginia, Pikewood National occupies about 200 hilly acres of a 700-acre parcel, creating tremendous wear and tear on mowers and other equipment.
      "Kris has a great preventative maintenance program," Bentley said. "He does a very good job keeping equipment running.
     
    "He is a perfectionist, which is what we need."
      If you have a technician who is the backbone of your operation and deserves such recognition, nominate him for next years award.
      The winner will receive the Golden Wrench Award (a real gold-plated wrench) from TurfNet and a weeklong training session at Toro's Service Training University at the company's headquarters in Bloomington, Minnesota.
     
    Criteria on which nominees are judged include: crisis management; effective budgeting; environmental awareness; helping to further and promote the careers of colleagues and employees; interpersonal communications; inventory management and cost control; overall condition and dependability of rolling stock; shop safety; and work ethic.
     
    In other words, tell us what makes your technician worthy, with specific examples of what he or she has accomplished. The more we know, the better your tech's chances of getting noticed.
     
    CLICK HERE to submit a nomination using our online form. All finalists and the winner will be profiled on TurfNet.
     
    Deadline for nominations is April 30, 2017.
      Previous winners are (2016) Kris Bryan, Pikewood National Golf Club, Morgantown, WV; (2015) Robert Smith, Merion Golf Club, Ardmore, PA; (2014) Lee Medeiros, Timber Creek and Sierra Pines Golf Courses, Roseville, CA; (2013) Brian Sjögren, Corral de Tierra Country Club, Corral de Tierra, CA; (2012) Kevin Bauer, Prairie Bluff Golf Club, Crest Hill, IL; (2011) Jim Kilgallon, The Connecticut Golf Club, Easton, CT; (2010) Herb Berg, Oakmont (PA) Country Club; (2009) Doug Johnson, TPC at Las Colinas, Irving, TX; (2007) Jim Stuart, Stone Mountain (GA) Golf Club; (2006) Fred Peck, Fox Hollow and The Homestead, Lakewood, CO; (2005) Jesus Olivas, Heritage Highlands at Dove Mountain, Marana, AZ; (2004) Henry Heinz, Kalamazoo (MI) Country Club; (2003) Eric Kulaas, Marriott Vinoy Renaissance Resort, Sarasota, FL.
      There was no award in 2008.
  • The Air2G2 aeration machine has been creating a stir since it first appeared on the trade show floor at the 2014 Golf Industry Show in Orlando. After all, alleviating compaction without causing surface disruption or impacting play is a revolutionary take on golf course aerification. And that new way tackling an old task was not lost at this year's HSBC Golf Business Forum held Nov. 29-Dec. 1 TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.   On Nov. 29, Glen Black, president of GT AirInject, the Jacksonville firm that manufactures the Air2G2, was presented with the HSBC Golf Business Forum Innovation Award. The company was chosen from about 50 entries.   Laurie Potter, London-based event coordinator for the HSBC Golf Innovation Forum, said the third-annual award helps showcase contributions innovative companies make to the golf industry.   "The award gives professionals a chance to be identified by their peers and recognized by industry experts from more than 40 different countries," Potter said.   The HSBC Golf Business forum has a focus on fostering and recognizing innovation. "Innovation is a key pillar of the Forum," Potter said.   In a statement on the HSBC Golf Business Forum website, event organizers said the Air2G2 was selected for the award for its far-reaching potential to impact the golf industry, stating: "The Air2G2 will benefit every course manager in the world."   "We are so humbled to be chosen for this award," said Glen Black, president of GT AirInject. "We founded GT AirInject to revolutionize golf course maintenance with true aeration that doesn't create disruption for turf, course superintendents, or golfers. It's an honor to have that dream recognized."   It works on the principle of injecting compressed air vertically and horizontally over an area of 5 inches to 12 inches deep (depending upon probe fitting). This causes a fracturing effect of the compacted rootzone, with no surface disruption. Play on greens and fairways, tees and around bunkers can be resumed immediately following the treatment.   The Air2G2 runs on a Kohler 19hp gas engine with hydrostatic drive axle. It is easily maneuvered by the handles for forward or reverse. All operations are automatically controlled by the push of a button and a computer control panel.   The Air2G2 is used at some of the world's most highly regarded courses, including Gleneagles Resort in Muirfield Village, Medinah Country Club, Valhalla Golf Club and Desert Mountain.
  • When Peggy Kirk Bell died earlier this month, the golf industry lost more than an industry professional; more than a teacher; more than a golf course owner. The golf business lost one of its best ambassadors and a true pioneer and visionary in the world of women's golf.
      A native of Findlay, Ohio, she was one of the top amateur players of her era, was a golf course owner by the early 1950s and forever revolutionized golf instruction for women. Mrs. Kirk Bell died Nov. 23 at age 95 at her home in Southern Pines, North Carolina.   "(She was) One of the women (who) truly set the standard that we have tried to follow for 66 yrs," Tweeted LPGA commissioner Michael Whan.   When compared with the likes of Babe Zaharias, Patty Berg and Louise Suggs, Mrs. Kirk Bell's contributions to golf often go unnoticed. The fact is, women who today enjoy the game have many ground-breaking figures to thank, including Kirk Bell who was remembered as one of the game's leading pioneers and ambassadors, especially when it came to forging the way for other women.   A native of Findlay, Ohio, Mrs. Kirk Bell excelled on the women's amateur circuit. A charter member of the LPGA, she was a 1943 graduate of Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, and went on to win the Ohio Women's Amateur three times in the 1940s before participating on the 1950 U.S. Curtis Cup team. Her alma mater near Orlando still hosts an annual tournament that bears her name. Her other accomplishments on the golf course include the 1949 North and South Women's Amateur in 1949, participating on the 1950 U.S. Curtis Cup team and winning the Titleholders Championship, a women's professional major championship from 1925-1966.    By 1953, she and her husband, Warren Bell, her high school sweetheart and a former professional basketball player, bought the Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club and Mid Pines in Southern Pines, where she became a one of the game's most respected teachers, most notably by creating a system of instruction for women by women, which she called Golfaris.   In a statement to Pine Needles and Mid Pines members, club president and Mrs. Kirk Bell's son-in-law, Kelly Miller said: "She was a great lady and loved seeing and being around each and every one of you.   "Mr. and Mrs. Bell literally built the Pine Needles Lodges and most of the facilities here that you and others enjoy today. Her spirit continues today (through) each of you, for which the entire family is very thankful for. I know many of you who knew Mrs. Bell have a great 'Ma Bell' story. Thank you for providing her so much joy, so much laughter, and so much love."   Mrs. Kirk Bell was the recipient of several industry awards, including the USGA's Bobby Jones Award, the Golf Writers Association's William Richardson Award, the LPGA's Ellen Griffin Rolex Award. The National Golf Foundation's Joe Graffis Award and the National Golf Course Owners Order of Merit.   She was a member of seven halls of fame, including the Ohio Sports Hall of Fame, the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame, North Carolina Business Hall of Fame and the LPGA Teaching Division Hall of Fame, and she was the first woman inducted into the PGA Golf Instructors Hall of Fame. She was named among the game's top teachers by Golf Digest, Golf and Golf For Women. Mrs. Kirk Bell was the LPGA Teacher of the Year in 1961 and the PGA's First Lady of Golf in 2007. She also served on the National Board of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.   Tweeted Annika Sorenstam: "So sad to hear the passing of Peggy Kirk Bell. She was an extraordinary lady, passionate golf instructor & caring friend."
  • There are a lot of new faces at tradition-rich Ohio State Agricultural and Technical Institute.   Located in Wooster in northeastern Ohio, ATI has been serving students for decades. Today, that heritage is being ushered into the future by Ed Nangle, Ph.D., and Zane Raudenbush, Ph.D. Both are faced with the challenge of providing students with a two-year crash course that prepares them to work at any golf course or athletic field complex in the country.   Nangle joined ATI in August after three years as the agronomist for the Chicago District Golf Association and its 400 member courses that span five Midwestern States.   "I came here to ATI because I saw a lot of potential in it," Nangle said. "It's one of the few two-year programs in turf, and there is a huge potential to create something that offers value.   "Here, we have the opportunity to combine something quicker on the turnover with an opportunity for kids to start their career."   There is no mistaking that golf is at a crossroads. Demand is down as golfers continue a decade-long trend of fleeing the game at a stunning pace. In response, courses continue to close, taking with them hundreds of jobs.   It is a time of reckoning for those who train turf students as well, and who, despite the contraction of the golf industry, are having a hard time keeping up with the demand for would-be turfgrass managers.    Ohio State Agricultural and Technical Institute has been offering associate's degrees in turfgrass management for decades. Today, the calls coming into ATI begging for its graduates outnumber the two-dozen or so students enrolled in the program.   Declining interest in the game might partially explain why demand for turf managers outnumbers supply, even while golf is in decline, says Raudenbush, assistant professor of turfgrass science at Ohio State ATI since January.   "How do you really get interested in being a golf course superintendent if you've never been around a golf course, never played the game or appreciate what it's about? What gets you in the door there?" asked Raudenbush, a Rutgers graduate who worked for John Zimmers at Oakmont Golf Club from 2004 to 2007 before moving on to Kansas State where he earned master's and doctorate degrees.   "Sports turf is still growing. The jobs are there, and the students are more aware of those positions. What the golf industry needs is trained technical people, spray techs and mechanics."   Providing highly trained graduates with a solid foundation in technical know-how is what ATI, and other two-year programs, specialize in.   "What we offer is practical experience. We get our graduates out and working and interacting," Nangle said. "Applied learning has always been strong here, and it always will be."  
    Applied learning has always been strong here, and it always will be."
     
    Opened in 1969, ATI is home to 700 students, and, according to Ohio State, is the largest two-year satellite campus in the country.   "Students here get real practical education and skills," Raudenbush said.   "You can only teach them so much in two years. I tell them they'll only learn 20 to 30 percent of what they need to know in school. The rest they'll learn on the job. The question to ask is where is a two-year graduate after four years, compared with a four-year graduate after four years."   ATI provides several hands-on learning experiences, including a putting green built in the 1970s by John Street, Ph.D., ballfields, a mixing bay, a fleet of equipment, two new grinders and access to Hawk's Nest Golf Course.   The latter, which was donated to the school by its former owners, includes a bentgrass research green and an off-campus classroom, both for ATI students. The ATI experience also includes an internship, but not just any internship, Nangle said.   "I don't want to just tell someone they have to go somewhere for an internship. I want to know what they offer for housing, meals, clothing, and is there an actual learning process?" Nangle said. "I want to know what they'll be doing in one month, what's going on in month 2 and what is going on in month 3. Then we can show them what is going to happen, and it starts to sell itself."   ATI is long on practical education and training, but, lacks some of the other academic offerings associated with four-year programs. That ability to get through school and into the workplace in short order was one of the reasons Brett Bentley, superintendent at Pikewood National Golf Club in Morgantown, W.Va., chose ATI 18 years ago.   A native of Salem in northeastern Ohio, Bentley interned for Matt Shaffer and went on to work at Oakmont under Zimmers, himself a graduate of Rutgers' two-year program.   "I wanted to go to a two-year school so I could get out quicker and get to work," Bentley said.    "A lot of the work was hands on - running equipment, sharpening reels and calibrating equipment."   Although students at ATI can hit the workforce in half the time as those seeking a four-year degree, no corners are cut at this northeastern Ohio campus.   "We need to get students excited about these opportunities and the ability to make a solid income," Nangle said.    "Kids also have to understand that nothing is handed to them. One thing we don't do is sugarcoat things. This is a great industry, but it's not an easy one. If it was, everyone would do it."  
     
     
  • Time is running out to nominate a deserving colleague for the 2016 TurfNet Superintendent of the Year Award, presented by Syngenta.   TurfNet has been honoring superintendents with the Superintendent of the Year Award since 2000. Since then, the Superintendent of the Year award has recognized nominees for their work in producing great playing conditions often during times of adversity.    Nominees are judged on their ability to excel at one or more of the following criteria: labor management, maximizing budget limitations, educating and advancing the careers of colleagues and assistants, negotiating with government agencies, preparing for tournaments under unusual circumstances, service to golf clientele, upgrading or renovating the course and dealing with extreme or emergency conditions.    If this sounds like a superintendent you know, there still is is time to nominate him (or her) for this year's award.   Nominations can be submitted by anyone with intimate knowledge of the candidate's accomplishments. The nomination deadline is November 30.    The winner, who is selected by a panel of judges from throughout the golf industry, will be named at next year's Golf Industry Show in Orlando, and will receive a trip for two on the 2017 TurfNet golf trip to Ireland, courtesy of Syngenta.   To nominate a deserving superintendent for this year's award, visit the 2016 Superintendent of the Year Award nomination page. For more information, email John Reitman.   Previous winners of the award include Matt Gourlay, Colbert Hills, Manhattan, Kansas, 2015; Fred Gehrisch, Highlands Country Club, 2014, Highlands, North Carolina; Chad Mark (pictured on cover page), Kirtland Country Club, Willoughby, Ohio, 2013; Dan Meersman, Philadelphia Cricket Club, Philadelphia, 2012; Paul Carter, The Bear Trace at Harrison Bay, Harrison, Tennessee, 2011; Thomas Bastis, California Golf Club of San Francisco, South San Francisco, California, 2010; Anthony Williams, Stone Mountain Golf Club, Stone Mountain, Georgia, 2009, Sam MacKenzie, Olympia Fields Country Club, Olympia Fields, Illinois, 2008; John Zimmers, Oakmont Country Club, Oakmont, Pennsylvania, 2007; Scott Ramsay, Golf Course at Yale, New Haven, Connecticut, 2006; Mark Burchfield, Victoria Club, Riverside, California, 2005; Stuart Leventhal, Interlachen Country Club, Winter Park, Florida, 2004; Paul Voykin, Briarwood Country Club, Deerfield, Illinois, 2003; Jeff Burgess, Seven Lakes Country Club, LaSalle, Ontario, 2002; Kip Tyler, Salem Country Club, Peabody, Massachusetts, 2001; and Kent McCutcheon, Las Vegas Paiute Resort, Las Vegas, 2000.
  • Two years ago, the British and International and Golf Greenkeepers Association launched a mobile app to make registration for its annual conference and show easier. This year, the group has improved the app to make registration for the diverse and growing BIGGA Turf Management Exposition easier than ever.
      Scheduled for Jan. 17-19 at the Harrogate Centre, BTME is the leading exhibition and educational conference for turf managers throughout Europe. The event annually attracts more than 9,000 attendees, including turf managers, owners, managers and industry professionals and offers more than 200 hours of education throughout four conference halls in the Harrogate Centre.
      The new and improved mobile app allows attendees to view details of BTME events, including a calendar of educational opportunities and information about exhibitors and sponsors.
      Another new addition to the app, which is available on the App Store as well as Google Play, is a map of each of the four exhibition halls as well as a conference-planning section. The app even offers suggestions on local eateries.
     
    Click here for more information or to register for the show.

  • News and people briefs

    By John Reitman, in News,

    BASF announces personnel changes
      BASF has named Nate Mezera as sales rep for the turf and ornamentals division in the Midwest region and Cozette Hadley Rosburg as strategic accounts manager for SiteOne, Primera Turf, BWI and Ewing Irrigation.
      Cozette was formerly the sales representative for turf and ornamentals in the northern Midwest. She joined BASF through the acquisition of Becker Underwood in 2012 and has been in the turf and ornamentals industry for 29 years.
      Mezera previously held a similar role as sales representative for the BASF Urban, Rural and Termite control segment in Louisiana and southeastern Texas for BASF.  Mezera has been with BASF since 2014 and in the turf and ornamentals industry for seven years.
      Ditch Witch launches new skid steer
      Ditch Witch recently introduced the construction-grade SK1050 mini skid steer for a variety of demanding landscape, hardscape and irrigation jobs.
      Equipped with a 37-hp Tier 4 Yanmar diesel engine, the SK1050 directs 30 hp to the hydraulic attachment, giving operators the power to tackle an assortment of challenging tasks with a variety of hydraulic attachments, including trenchers and augers.
      With a hinge-pin height of 83 inches and a load capacity of 1,062 pounds, the SK1050 enables efficient and flexible loading and unloading at a wide range of dump sites. The operator's station includes a spring-supported, 74-square-inch platform and a hands-free auxiliary-control pedal. The machines LCD display includes programming upgrades to provide direct visibility into all engine diagnostics and performance.
      Rounds played slip - again - in September
      Year-over-year rounds played dropped 2.3 percent in September, according to the Golf Datatech National Golf Rounds Played Report.
      With that drop, year-to-date rounds played are up by less than 1 percent, compared with the first nine months of 2015, with the bulk of the nations golf-playing window in the rear-view mirror.
      Rounds played for September were up in only 14 states compared to the same month in 2015. Only Georgia, where rounds were up by 11.8 percent, experienced a double-digit increase compared with September last year.
      Six states experienced double-digit losses. They were Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, where play was down by 16 percent; Michigan (down 13 percent); Alabama (down 12 percent); and New York (down 10 percent).
  • New diseases, increased pest pressure, erratic weather patterns and a growing uncertainty swirling around water. Those are just a few of the issues facing professional turf managers, and researchers at the University of Florida want to provide as many tools as possible in their increasingly difficult quest to manage turf.   Those are just a few of the reasons why UF has begun offering a series of short courses entitled Evidence-Based Turf Management, the second of which is scheduled for Jan. 31-Feb. 1 at the UF-Institute of Food and Agriculture Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center.   The two-day program, which compliments the inaugural short course held in August, will offer research-based solutions to managing a variety of pests, including weeds, insects, disease and nematodes.   The first session provided information on plant anatomy and physiology, as well as the role of fertility, water, light and temperature in plant management.    The program is open to turf managers of all levels, including golf course superintendents, athletic field managers and lawn care professionals.   The concept of an in-depth, onsite training program is the result of customer feedback and has been in the works for the better part of two decades, according to UF professor J. Bryan Unruh, Ph.D.    "We had polled the industry at different times, and they really indicated they wanted to have more of an in-depth type training opportunity," Unruh said. "And so with Dr. Shaddox on board here in Fort Lauderdale, the time was just right, and so we advanced forward and launched this evidence-based turf school for those attendees to come in and spend two days with us really kind of digging into the nuts and bolts of turfgrass management and really looking at the science behind the practices that they currently are doing."   Round 2 of the Evidence-Based Turf Management program will include lectures and labs on weeds by UF weed scientist Ramon Leon, Ph.D., insects, by UF entomologist Adam Dale, Ph.D., diseases by UF plant pathologist Phil Harmon, Ph.D., and nematology by UF nematologist Billy Crow, Ph.D. That group also will lead a session on managing resistance.   The overriding theme of both sessions is to remove the guesswork in turf management by providing science-based solutions to commonly occurring problems as well as everyday turf management that can help superintendents and other turf managers make the best use of their time and resources.   "What is the evidence saying? What is the overriding evidence in the scientific literature indicating? And how can we use that evidence to guide our management practices?" said Shaddox. "If there is one objective in a nutshell of the program, it's that. How can use the current evidence that exists in science to guide our management practices?"
  • From one corner of the country to the other, one common problem shared by many superintendents is a difficulty in attracting and retaining qualified interns.   Mike Ventola, coordinator of the turfgrass management program at Sandhills Community College in Pinehurst, North Carolina, will tackle that subject on Nov. 29 during a TurfNet University Webinar entitled "Interns: How to Attract and Manage Them.   In the upcoming seminar, Ventola, who has been managing the employer-intern relationship at Sandhills since 1999, will share what he knows to help golf course superintendents attract a quality intern and manage a productive internship for both parties.   The presentation is one of over 20 that TurfNet produces each year along with presenting sponsors BASF, Grigg Brothers and Jacobsen.   All live broadcasts, which begin at 1 p.m. eastern, can be accessed here. Even if you've missed one, archived recordings of each event are available for on-demand viewing anytime and anywhere an Internet connective is available. TurfNet members can access all archived webinars (you must be logged into your TurfNet account) by clicking on the Archived Events selection under the Webinars tab on the TurfNet homepage. That is access to hundreds of recordings of university-level education for an investment of $195.   Non-members can view a few selected recordings, as well, by clicking on the Free Archived Events option under the Webinars tab on the TurfNet homepage.   On-demand access to archived webinars is just one of many benefits of TurfNet membership. Other benefits include access to the members-only Forum as well as unlimited used equipment and job listings... all for $195 per year.   You don't need a university professor to recognize that is a good deal.
  • When it comes to making sound management decisions, information is everything. That's why University of Nebraska professor Bill Kreuser, Ph.D., can't understand why virtually all superintendents don't have at least one weather station at their golf course.   Earlier this year, Kreuser conducted an informal poll through his Twitter account that revealed only 45 percent of those responding had an onsite weather station. Even entry-level weather stations designed for personal home use, Kreuser says, can provide superintendents with enough real-time data to make more informed decisions regarding turf management.    "As we reduce our budgets, it's easy to think a weather station is too expensive, it's not essential," Kreuser said in video posted to the university's turfgrass management . "I argue actually it's more essential because now we're making decisions on how we should put down products, how we should manage that grass based on the weather conditions that we have."   Kreuser acquired a mid-range weather station through Weather Underground for use at the university's John Seaton Anderson Turf and Ornamental Research Facility for about $350. Weather stations designed for personal residential use can be purchased for even less.   Weather stations provide real-time data such as temperature, humidity, precipitation, sunlight and more that can be accessed through a computer, tablet or mobile device.     "I can log into my weather station on Weather Underground, and I can see current rainfall rate, how much rain has fallen, how strong the sunlight is, how warm it is, how the wind is blowing."   Kreuser says a handful of weather stations can capture conditions on every square inch of a golf course for peanuts, compared with the savings they will provide.   "Ultimately, I think putting personal weather stations, or a couple of them, on your golf course can be a great way to actually save you money," he said on the video, "because we have information on the conditions that are causing our grass to grow and conditions that may be favorable for disease."   But that's not all. Kreuser also suggested that linking weather stations to his Growing Degree Days model that predicts plant growth regulator application times or the more robust Greenkeeper web-based application, also developed by Kreuser, to make decision-making even easier and a process reinforced by data and science.   The Greenkeeper app includes everything built into the Excel document and more. That app, which can be accessed from a laptop or mobile device, also helps track and schedule pesticide applications and is accessible by multiple users at the same golf course. It also does a lot of the legwork for the user. Kreuser developed the GDD tracker while a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin.   Kreuser suggests buying a weather station that meets each of the three following requirements: measures solar radiation (critical in calculating ET), has accurate sensors and can link to wifi so it can be accessed remotely.

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