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From the TurfNet NewsDesk

  • John Reitman
    LebanonTurf, a provider of innovative and high-performance plant nutrition for the golf and landscaping industries, announced its news Growing Together end user reward program for industry professionals to maximize their maintenance budget.
    Through Feb. 28, 2022, golf course superintendents and turf managers can earn rewards on LebanonTurf's most popular products used in the industry, which include Country Club MD, Emerald Isle Solutions, Country Club with Acelepryn + Dimension, Country Club Humic Max and Country Club Root Reviver.
    “Our industry professionals are at the center of all we do and we’re constantly looking for more ways to involve and reward them with LebanonTurf’s brands ,” said Chris Gray, golf market manager for LebanonTurf. “By offering a rich reward program with multiple ways to redeem them, we’re giving them more reasons to engage with us.”
    Industry professionals will earn a reward for each unit purchased during the program period that can be redeemed as either an Amazon e-gift card or as a distributor credit. A minimum purchase of 50 units is required to qualify for the reward payment and they can double the total reward with a purchase of 150 total units or more.
    Click here for more information on the Growing Together reward program, including the full list of eligible products and rewards.  
    LebanonTurf, a division of privately held Lebanon Seaboard, offers the landscape and golf markets both microbiological components and advanced controlled-release fertilizers delivered as part of an integrated systems approach to turf- and plant-care needs.
  • This slide reflects one of the many models Herb Stevens and Garrett Bastardi use to predict long-range weather forecasts, including an upcoming La Niña winter in 2021-22. Photo courtesy of Garrett Bastardi. Photo below from Michigan State University. Anoxia, a complete lack of oxygen in the turf plant caused by prolonged periods of ice cover on some types of cool-season putting greens, is a major concern for golf course superintendents.
    Imagine the benefits of knowing about threatening weather events long before they arrive. 
    Herb Stevens, a former TV meteorologist and one of the original on-air personalities when The Weather Channel debuted in 1982, has been providing weather reports to the skiing and golf turf industry for more than 20 years. His clients in the golf business say his mid- to long-range forecasts are more reliable than anything they can get anywhere else.
    In a recent TurfNet webinar he presented with fellow meteorologist Garrett Bastardi, Stevens said superintendents in some areas of the country can expect colder-than-average temperatures and higher-than-normal amounts of precipitation that are common in a La Niña winter.
    CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THIS AND ALL PAST TURFNET UNIVERSITY WEBINARS
    "As we take a look at the next five months or so, you have to understand the main consideration is where the potential energy is wrapped up in the whole global machine of the weather. Oceans are where we look first," Stevens said.
    "A La Niña usually results in a colder-than-normal winter for much of the country."
    Stevens has been providing weather updates for superintendents under the Grassroots Weather badge and has teamed with Bastardi and others to recently launch the Turf Threat Tracker app that provides geo-specific short-term weather updates.
    For the second straight year, the United States appears to be headed into a La Niña winter, which is triggered in part by cooler water in the Pacific Ocean according to Stevens and Bastardi. 
    Stevens explained that temperatures are colder than usual for much of the U.S. even in a weak La Niña year. 
    "There is a fair degree of variability during the course of a winter," Stevens said. 
    "If you get to moderate (La Niña), it changes things. You have a colder-than-normal winter for a good portion of the country."
    There are differences between the La Niña predicted for the upcoming winter and the last one, including pockets of warm water off the coast of Alaska last year that kept precipitation amounts down. Those warm waters have been replaced by cooler waters this year signalling more chance of precipitation in the Midwest and Northeast, and increased chance for ice accumulation where cold and warm air masses meet. As warm moist air from the Gulf of Mexico sweeps north and meets a cold air mass, the result is snow, or worse, ice.
    "The weather event that scares me the most is the ice storm," he said. 
    "You tend to have dry winters in Florida. If you like to go to Florida during the winter time, La Niñas are a good time to go."
    It is no surprise that Stevens eventually brought his forecasting to the golf industry. An accomplished golfer, Stevens caddied on the PGA Tour from 1969-80, including five years for Larry Nelson. He once called caddying for Nelson during the 1979 Ryder Cup at The Greenbrier in West Virginia, his greatest golf memory. As a graduate of Penn State University's meteorology school, Stevens always believed it made sense to work with superintendents, given the school's well-known turfgrass program.
    Most traditional forecasting services use information from the National Weather Service. But those forecasts only look at small windows of time. Stevens and Bastardi make their long-range forecasts from studying time-tested forecasting models that marry current conditions with information gleaned from examining similar weather patterns and cycles from the past.
    Several European models that Stevens and Bastardi have studied point to a second straight La Niña winter.
    "There's going to be a battle between the cold air that's going to want to push in due to the driving forces through the atmosphere along with the warmer that's farther south due to some of the La Niña impacts," Bastardi said.
    "So what you're going to see is a lot of back and forth this upcoming winter. We think early on, everything is pointing toward a cool, fast start. But after we get past that cool, fast start to winter there is going to be some variance. And so when you look at these temperature anomalies at 5,000 feet above the surface it very much reflects what you see with the 500 millibar pattern: cooler across the northern plains, cooler than normal in Canada, warmer than normal across the South, and in turn, the stormiest weather you are going to see is right at the collision of those two air masses."

  • News and people briefs

    By John Reitman, in News,

    Aquatrols names 2 new managers
    Aquatrols, a manufacturer of soil surfactants and related technologies, has appointed August Young and Tom Breiner as U.S. territory managers. 
    In their new roles, Young will be responsible for overseeing the company’s business in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island and Vermont. Breiner will oversee business in Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C. 
    Both Young and Breiner join Aquatrols after holding previous sales positions within the turf industry and between them hold more than 25 years of combined experience.

    SubAir partners with Soil Scout
    SubAir Systems has announced a partnership with Soil Scout, a wireless underground soil moisture sensor startup from Finland, to give turf managers more control with automated subsurface monitoring and ventilation.
    Soil Scout’s sensor transmits moisture, temperature and salinity data in real-time from more than 6 feet below the surface and works in concert with SubAir’s subsurface aeration and moisture-removal units to automatically adjust soil-moisture levels.
    Soil Scout, which was founded by Finnish agro-technology researcher and 19th-generation farmer Johannes Tiusanen, Ph.D., and electronics expert Jussi Sirkiä, also recently announced its partnership with GreenSight, a U.S.-based provider of autonomous aerial intelligence services, and is expanding its U.S. operations to help combat the ongoing drought in California.
    LidoChem names new president and CFO 
    Lisa Pucillo has been named acting president and chief financial officer of LidoChem, Inc. She assumes the leadership role held by her longtime business partner, Don Pucillo, who died in October.
    Now in its 40th year, LidoChem will carry forth the “Partners in Growth” philosophy embodied in a quote from Don Pucillo: “We appreciate the trust growers and turf managers place in us when they buy our products, and we honor that trust by continuing to offer the best products we can.” 
    LidoChem was founded in 1981. In 1999, Don Pucillo was one of the first in the industry to acknowledge a change in the needs of crop, turf and ornamental growers. Both regulations and environmental awareness drove demand for economical, effective and greener products, and he recognized the need to utilize natural resources to provide nutrition for plants and soil microbes.
    The Performance Nutrition division was later created within LidoChem to develop eco-friendly products for the agricultural and turf markets using new and cutting-edge technologies. 
  • If you have forgotten how to pack for a road trip after being grounded for nearly two years by a global health crisis, there is no need to worry, because you probably are not alone. After all, who has not forgotten such travel essentials as toothpaste, a hairbrush or, oh, say a copy of your Covid 19 vaccination card? Everyone headed to next year's GCSAA Conference and Trade Show in San Diego better pack all three.
    The California Department of Public Health recently reaffirmed its rule that all attendees at indoor events of 1,000 or more people - which includes the GCSAA Conference - must show proof of a Covid-19 vaccination or a negative test result. The department most recently reviewed its policy on what it calls "mega events" on Oct. 28, and there is no indication that it will be reviewed again before the GCSAA Conference scheduled for Feb. 5-10 in San Diego. And that policy has not influenced the association's desire for an in-person show for its members and industry partners in 2022.
    Proof of a vaccine or negative test result, so far, are NOT necessary to fly anywhere in the continental United States, including San Diego, but one or the other will be required to gain access to the convention center upon touchdown at Lindbergh Field. Convention center personnel told TurfNet that a picture of a vaccine card downloaded to a smartphone will suffice for proof.
    "Nope," was Joe Wachter's response when asked if showing proof of a vaccination will influence his decision to attend the show. 
    "I'm planning on going. Just a few more left for me, unless I go after I retire. Which could happen, I guess."
    If you have not been vaccinated, you better stick a mask in that suitcase, as well.
    According to convention center personnel, the facility follows all CDC recommendations for masking, which includes mandatory mask use for anyone who has not been vaccinated. And since showing a vax card is required for entry, there is no faking it - at least when entering the facility. What happens afterward is between each unvaxxed attendee and their respective conscience.
    The convention center also suggests vaccinated visitors mask up, but it is not required - at least by the convention center. Host organizations are at liberty to impose stricter guidelines for their events, including masks for all attendees, according to convention center staff.
    Rick Tegtmeier, CGCS at Des Moines Golf and Country Club in Iowa, said he is OK with vax mandates.
    "I don't mind showing that I have been vaccinated to go to the show," Tegtmeier said. 
    "I am not going to Beer and Pretzels and wear a mask, or walk the trade show floor with a mask on. I would rather stay home than be forced to do that at any function."
    This year's show scheduled for Las Vegas was canceled due to Covid, and was replaced by a virtual show. In the event a physical show goes off as planned in 2022, there will still be a virtual show held over a 32-hour period Feb. 23-24, and the education will differ from that offered in the live conference.
    Although the GCSAA is planning for an in-person show, nothing is certain. The number of Covid cases has been on the decline in California, but much can change between now and February. If Covid conditions in California were to worsen, another all-virtual event could be on tap again.
    John Zimmers of Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio, said he probably will be headed to San Diego, but he also wonders how many of his colleagues will be staying home this year, either because of Covid concerns, opinions on vaccinations, club economics or just plain old coronavirus fatigue.
    "From my perspective, I've been vaccinated, so it probably wouldn't really change much of what I will decide to do, or not do," Zimmers said. "But it is interesting, and I'm sure it will have some sort of output or input on people who are going or not going. Everybody seems to have a different opinion on it. But it appears if you are going to travel that you are going to have to have the vaccine. I think it would certainly be easier if everyone would standardize things.
    "I think it will be very interesting to see how many people actually do travel. There is still a lot of uncertainty with people and kids in school and being around other people, and I also think there are a lot of employers that are still kind of a little hesitant in terms of employees traveling."
  • Just when you thought you've seen everything, something comes along that makes you realize just how naive you are.
    Since the golf industry slipped into a decline of waning participation, fewer players and even fewer golf courses nearly 20 years ago, operators have been searching for ways to cut expenses. A French company believes it has a handle on wrangling some of those high costs associated with maintaining a golf course - just stop mowing the grass, or watering it.
    At least some of it, anyway.
    Academie 57, a golf academy in the east of France, is constructing a golf course with synthetic turf on greens and tees and around bunkers.
    Academie 57 is a golf learning center in the city of Metz about 40 miles from the German border. Its facilities include a host of instructional golf opportunities for children and adults, including classes and clinics and classroom education - and apparently teaching newcomers to play the game on a surface they probably never will encounter again lest it include a windmill.
    The project, a nine-hole short course comprising par-3 and par-4 holes, is being led by Diamond Golf Architects of Belgium and Southwest Greens Construction, located in The Netherlands. Greenshaping, a French partner of Southwest Greens, also is involved in the project.
    The project will have natural grass in all other areas. Officials did not say how much they expect to save on maintenance and water use over the lifetime of the course. Academie 57 officials have said they are confident the synthetic surface will stand the test of time. That opinion is based on their testing the product . . . for two years. Fortunately, it comes complete with a user guide and five-year warranty.
    According to the American Society of Golf Course Architects, a golf course putting green constructed with natural grass should last 15 to 30 years - but does not include a user guide.
  • Thousands of trees were damaged or destroyed at TPC of Louisiana by Hurricane Ida in August. Photo by TPC of Louisiana New Orleans has a long history with professional golf, dating back to Lighthorse Harry Cooper's win in the first and only Crescent City Open at City Park Golf Course more than 80 years ago.
    Since Cooper's win at City Park in 1938, there have been several name changes to what is now the Zurich Classic, and it has been played a host of courses since finally settling in - for the most part - at the TPC of Louisiana in nearby Avondale in 2005. 
    New Orleans also has a history with tropical weather, and sometimes Mother Nature wins out over golf.
    The TPC of Louisiana, a Pete Dye design 15 miles upriver from the French Quarter, reopened recently after being closed for two months courtesy of Hurricane Ida, and the course lost perhaps its most well-known feature when the Category 4 storm passed by on Aug. 29.
    The 105-foot bald cypress once located 80 yards in front of the 11th green was uprooted by Ida, which recorded maximum sustained winds of 120 miles per hour. The storm damaged or toppled at least 500 trees on the course, and thousands in the surrounding woods and swampland.
    Course officials hope to replace the tree with another cypress on the course before next spring. A healthy 75-foot cypress in a nearby wooded area has been identified as a possible replacement. A company that specializes in moving trees could complete the job in late January or early February.
    Officials plan to re-plant hundreds of trees on the course over the next year to restore heavily damaged wooded areas throughout the course.
    Four buildings on the site also received roof and interior damage from winds and wind-driven rain and are under repair.
    The forerunner of the Zurich Classic has been played in New Orleans since that inaugural event in 1938. The only interruptions to play were in 1943, 1947, 1949-57 and 2020. Tournaments were played at City Park from 1938 to 1962, Lakewood Country Club (1963-88), English Turn (1989-2004, 2006) and TPC Avondale (2005, 2007-21). TPC Louisiana is no stranger to tropical weather. The Zurich was moved back to English Turn in 2006 when the TPC was closed due to damage from Hurricane Katrina, which struck the area the year before.
  • The folks who revolutionized the way superintendents relive soil compaction on golf courses are now offering their services to the residential and commercial turf and tree-care markets.
    DryJect recently launched Advanced Agro, a version of its soil compaction-relief service that uses a high-speed, water-based injection system to blast aeration holes through the root zone to fracture the soil and simultaneously fills holes to the surface with high volumes of sand or amendment. This allows users to relieve compaction, increase water infiltration, reach the root zone with oxygen and amend the soil with high volumes of material all at the same time while also leaving the surface smooth and immediately playable. 
    Current DryJect franchisees are bound to golf or sports turf. Advanced Agro will serve the commercial and residential turf and arboriculture markets.
    "We have a soils-first mentality," said DryJect president John Paddock. "If you build the soils, you have happy turf and happy trees. If you take care of everything below the surface, you will have the ability to take care of everything above the surface."
    DryJect worked with a local tree-care company in Arizona to develop the new service under the name Advanced Agro, which features a machine that is 2 feet shorter and a foot narrower than the original DryJect equipment. It also has the capability to deliver multiple products at once at the root or surface level for turf and tree care, Paddock said. 
    "The machine is set up for a 36-inch gate and an injection pattern that is 32 inches wide with eight injectors spaced 4 inches apart," Paddock said. "It gives us the ability to inject four products at the roots or surface and incorporate some things that the tree-care industry is looking for, such as nutrients, plant growth regulators or two dry products."
  • City-owned Balboa Golf Course in Los Angeles opened in 1954. Photo by golf.lacity.org Too much water in some places, not enough in others. Increasing negative publicity as a fallout from water use, chemical and fertilizer applications and a longing eye from those who look at golf courses and see what "could be." There is no doubt that a perfect storm has been brewing in California for some time, and some golf courses throughout the state could get caught in the maelstrom.
    Is California caught up in yet another drought similar to the one that reigned over the state from 2012 to 2016, or has this year been part of a longer event? Did recent storms that dumped unusual amounts of rain and snow for October do anything to alleviate those concerns of drought? With the state mired in what some consider a climate event that has been ongoing for two decades, one thing is certain, California is facing a water crisis of dire proportions. Many reservoirs built to collect surface water to feed the needs of nearly 40 million people are at a fraction of their holding capacity and the governor recently declared a statewide water emergency.
    The declaration does not call for mandated cuts in use, but does establish target goals that call for voluntary savings statewide of 15 percent compared with 2020.
    "That storm was really good. It didn't end the drought for us, but it certainly helped," said Tom Hsieh, whose company manages municipal Gleneagles Golf Club at McLaren Park in San Francisco. "It allows most of us to turn off the water for a little while here, and it gives us a little bit of hope that we will have a normal season; we don't know. This rain storm does not end the drought by any means. We're not going to be out of a drought until at least a year of normal, maybe two years of normal rainfall before they declare the drought over."
    California's water woes are at a confluence with another problem plaguing much of the state - a lack of affordable housing. A bill introduced into the California Assembly could make it attractive for some cities to convert municipal golf courses to high-density real estate.
    Assembly Bill 672, introduced in February by Cristina Garcia of California's 58th district in Los Angeles County, targets municipal golf courses as potential sites for affordable housing and open space, died in committee in April. However, the bill has been amended as of September 1 with changes, including an influx of public assistance and the elimination of certain zoning requirements. It is expected to make a return engagement in session in January as a two-year bill.
    "It doesn't matter, in every city in the state the most pressing issue everyone is talking about is affordable housing," said Craig Kessler, governmental affairs director for the Southern California Golf Association.
    "The problem golf has goes to public opinion. Land is precious and extra expensive. Golf encompasses acres of land in cities that cannot meet their housing needs."
    AB 672, in its newest form, makes available $50 million from the state's general fund "to provide grants to cities, counties, and cities and counties to incentivize making publicly owned golf courses in densely populated areas available for housing and publicly accessible open space," the bill states. It also removed zoning requirements and the need for an environmental impact statement in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act.
    The allure of a piece of that $50 million pie might be too good to pass up for elected officials looking to curry public favor by paving the way for more affordable housing and greenspace at the expense of what many in the public consider an extravagance for the privileged.
    "People love wide-open spaces in an urban setting," Kessler said. 
    "If you don't play golf, a 150-acre golf course doesn't do you much good, but a park does, even though we know golf courses are much more utilized than public parks."

    Municipal Rancho Park Golf Course in Los Angeles serves the city's west side. Photo by golf.lacity.org In March, leaders from 191 cities and six counties comprising the Southern California Association of Governments voted for a plan to add 1.3 million new homes by 2029. Municipal golf might be considered low-hanging fruit, but it will not go very far in helping Southern California meet its housing needs. The City of Los Angeles owns seven regulation golf courses, three nine-hole facilities and two par-3 layouts.
    Hsieh, who has a background in local politics and public advocacy, says AB 672 is bad for golf and does not go far enough to accomplish its stated goals.
    "This bill concerns me a great deal," Hsieh said. "There are many other options to accomplish home-density goals, but instead this bill targets low-hanging fruit, and that's the golf industry; specifically the municipal and public golf industry.
    "I think the assembly member has ample ability to introduce or support measures that increase the housing density that we need in California to meet the housing needs, but it's obviously a little bit harder, because it has to go into existing neighborhoods, or rezone existing places."
    Hsieh points to legislation, such as Senate Bill 10, which was introduced by State Sen. Scott Wiener and signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Sept. 21. SB 10 calls for increased high-density housing on existing transit corridors and provides bonuses for increasing density in existing structures.
    "In many ways, Assembly Bill 6-7-2 is in exact opposition to the stated goals of California to reduce emissions and to get people out of their cars.
    "Golf courses are Fortunately, during the pandemic we were able to showcase why golf is important from a holistic community point of view, beyond just affinity for the sport. This measure eliminates that opportunity. It eliminates it. And it contributes to urban sprawl. And it contributes to increased CO2 emissions. It's going to make people drive. Most golf courses are not in the center of a city. I think San Francisco is the only place that has them in the center of a city. It's an ill-advised, not thoughtfully crafted piece of legislation."
    Kessler said state golf associations are busily preparing a marketing campaign to educate the public on the merits of the game, namely public golf. With $50 million dangling in front of local leaders, that might be a tall order, especially in times of drought. Hopefully, recent weather systems that have dumped rain throughout much of the state and snow by the foot in the Sierra Nevada, which is critical to feed water supplies during spring thaw, continue and are not an anomaly, Kessler said.
    "We want to give golfers a reason to take a few minutes to make a call, or send an email," he said. "It's going to be a challenge, but I'm optimistic. It's bad policy that creates a lot of problems and doesn't address the problems it is designed to solve."
    "You can't hide a golf course in a drought, and you can't hide it when others covet it for other uses."
    Hsieh hopes the public and state officials see golf courses for what they are, valuable recreational outlets that played a key role during the pandemic, and that taking any of them away for high-density housing is misguided - at least in California.
    "Municipal golf courses are recreational outlets not unlike a softball field, or a public swimming pool, or tennis court, and we saw the benefit of open accessible public space like a golf course during the pandemic when everything else was closed and the safest way to recreate as a family was on a publicly managed golf course. Unfortunately, it took a pandemic to realize that," he said. "So, the whole trope that golf is an elitist sport and golf courses are not widely used is just not true. So, I think it's a misguided piece of legislation, and I hope the rest of the assembly sees it for what it is."
  • Registration is open for the 2022 University of Massachusetts Winter School for Turf Managers.
    The Winter School is a certificate program designed to present concepts essential to maintaining high quality turf, with emphasis on environmental stewardship, input reduction and fiscal responsibility. This comprehensive short course is designed for experienced professionals working in the golf, sports turf, LCO and parks and recreation industries. It also is ideal for those who want to advance in their career, but do not have the time or resources for a traditional two-year or four-year academic program.
    CLICK HERE TO APPLY
    Since the onset of the pandemic, the Winter School has made the transition from a full-time, in-person, six-week event to a 10-week virtual experience scheduled for Jan. 3-March 11, 2022. Instruction will be a combination of live and on-demand content. The routine schedule will feature live class time from 1-3:30 p.m. and 3:30-5:30 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays and 3:330-5:30 p.m. on Wednesdays. On-demand content can be viewed as time allows for each attendee.
    Topics to be covered include: Fundamentals of Turf Management; Advanced Topics in Turf; Soil Science and Management; Turf Pathology; Turf Entomology; Weed Management; Irrigation and Equipment Management; Arboriculture.
    Winter School instructors will include Michelle DaCosta, Ph.D., Deborah Henson, Ph.D., Geunhwa Jung, Ph.D., Olga Kostromytska, Ph.D., Jason Lanier, Angela Madeiras, Ph.D., James Poro and Randall Prostak, all of the University of Massachusetts.
    Everyone who completes the program will receive a Certificate of Completion. Continuing Education Units also are available. Pesticide recertification contact hours will be offered. The UMass Winter School for Turf Managers meets continuing education requirements for licensed pesticide applicators in all New England states.
    Deadline for application is Nov. 19, and space is limited. All interested parties must apply and be accepted to enroll, and applications will be considered in the order received. All applicants will be notified via email of application status within one week of submission of a complete application, therefore please provide an active email address and check spam/junk folder, or contact us if not notified within one week. Payment is required within three weeks from the date of your acceptance email, and the deadline for all students to pay in full is Dec. 10.
  • When former golf course superintendent Jim Hill decided it was time for a change of scenery in his professional career, he opted for a line of work far less stressful than managing greens for demanding golfers - he started a business to assist other superintendents and entered the world of politics to help his local community.
    Hill, 52, currently is vice mayor of Sebastian, Florida, a still somewhat sleepy-ish town in Indian River County that has managed to avoid some of the unchecked growth so common in the state's coastal cities. In mid-November, he will be named the city's mayor, a title he has held so many times (at least five) since he was first elected to the Sebastian City Council in 2000, he admits he is losing count.
    "Right now, my title is vice mayor. If you wait a few weeks, I'll be the mayor again," Hill said. "I've probably been vice mayor eight times, and I think five times I've been named the mayor."
    Sebastian operates as a city manager-run town. City council, which determines long-range goals for the city, chooses a mayor and vice mayor from its body.
    "The city manager runs the day-to-day operations of the city," Hill said. "The city council oversees the city manager and establishes a long-term vision for the city. The city manager takes that vision and makes it happen."
    A 1997 graduate of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in Tifton, Georgia, Hill was most recently superintendent from 2005 to 2008 at Pointe West Country Club in Vero Beach, Florida. He left the ranks of working golf course superintendents to start Innovative Drain Technologies, which specializes in clearing clogged drainage systems on golf courses.
    IDT provides no-dig clearing of sand, silt, sediment, rocks, roots and other blockages from drainage systems without the need for excavation. The system works through a high-pressure, bullet-shaped nozzle that uses water pressure to work through and clear blockages. Since Hill founded the company, it has expanded to offer video inspection of drainage systems and ground-penetrating radar services.
    Hill's next term as mayor, which runs for one year, will be his last. 
    "I don't have any intention to run again in 2022," Hill said. "To be honest, my business is doing so well, it takes up so much of my time, and I am traveling so much. I have focused the last 22 years of my life on the City of Sebastian; I think Sebastian is in good hands. I'll let the new guys take over and take control, and I will focus on business and family."
    The life of a politician - even at the local level - is not a lot unlike being a golf course superintendent. Both positions have constituents who criticize and praise your work.
    "The mayor takes a lot of complaints or praise from the public, does ribbon-cuttings and veterans memorial services," he said. "We take input from the public on what they would like to see happen.
    "There is a lot of negative stuff, just like you see in national politics. If someone disagrees with you on one thing, suddenly you are inept and corrupt, all the things you hear about politicians, suddenly you're that person. The difference is, you go to the same church and grocery store as these people, so when negative things are said about you, it sticks to you a little more because you see them in the community."

    Jim Hill's IDT uses ground-penetrating radar to locate lost greens perimeters and clogged drain outflows. In more than two decades serving his community, Hill believes he has made a lasting impression on Sebastian, which has a population of about 25,000. Tucked between cities where growth has run amuck, Sebastian and Vero Beach (population 16,000) still have a hint of Old Florida charm about them. That feeling is lost in Palm Bay to the north (population 112,000) and Port St. Lucie (pop. 190,000) to the south.
    The road connecting the town to Interstate 95 looks the same today as it did two decades ago. There has been commercial growth, mainly retail shops and restaurants, along the Indian River (Intracoastal Waterway) to provide services to residents and help attract tourist dollars.
    "When I came here, (State Road) 512 was four lanes, and you'd see some stores pop up on it. I want to keep it that way," he said. "We've been able to keep Sebastian a cool place. We've built up the riverfront, we've developed the airport to help build the tax base, we've developed parks, but we've been able to keep it a small place that is very cool."
    Hill's background in golf has helped the city develop its own IPM program and ward off attempts from those who have promoted pesticide and fertilizer bans.
    "We just finished establishing an IPM program that took two years to complete," Hill said. "We've had some fairly boisterous environmental groups push for fertilizer bans and pesticide bans and talk to us about water use. 
    "My degree is in environmental horticulture, so I have been able to look at these issues through a scientific eye and make recommendations based on that knowledge. I have been able to convince the majority of the council that those bans are not beneficial in the long run and that we are doing the right things. 
    "We developed a program that is specific for Sebastian, our stormwater issues, parks and wetlands, and we put it into a published IPM that people can look at and read the data. You can talk to people 'til the cows come home that you are doing the right thing, but until you have documentation for them to look at, it is hard for them to listen to you."
    So, will Hill miss local politics when he steps away to focus on family and business?
    "I've gotten out of it what I went into it to get," he said. "I love my community. It's a nice city with a vibrant riverfront district that still has that small-town feel. And we've been able to keep it that way."
  • California is coming off its second-driest year ever in 2020. Photo by James Hempfling California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a statewide drought emergency on Oct. 19, but stopped short issuing any use-reduction mandates. The move by the governor came after voluntary conservation efforts continue to fall far short.
    Newsom also authorized California’s water regulators to ban practices, such as hosing off public sidewalks, and directed the Office of Emergency Services to fund drinking water as needed. 
    Today’s announcement extends drought emergencies, already declared in 50 counties, to the eight remaining counties where conditions had thus far not been deemed severe enough. They are Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, Imperial, San Francisco and Ventura counties. 
    Under the proclamation, local water suppliers must begin preparing for the possibility of a dry year ahead.  
    Data released Oct. 19 by the State Water Resources Control Board showed that year-over-year water use in California was cut 5 percent in August compared with the same month last year. The state had sought cutbacks of 15 percent.
    The current reductions in water use are on top of conservation that has continued since the last drought. In 2020, Californians were already using about 16 percent less water in their homes and businesses statewide compared to 2013, according to the state water board.
    August was the hottest and driest month on record in California, according to the governor’s office.
    With nearly 90 percent of the state under extreme drought, last year was the second driest on record in California, and reservoirs statewide are at an average of 60 percent of capacity, according to the board.
    State officials have said water providers south of the San Joaquin River Delta might be cut off from water from the State Water Project, which collects surface water and transports it throughout the state via a system of canals and aqueducts.
  • SiteOne recently launched a new line of Lesco ride-on spreaders and sprayers for a variety of applications.
    The new Lesco 100, 200, 300 and 600 Applicator models boast an all-stainless steel frame and coated Peerless transaxle to resist corrosive granular chemicals.
    The 100 model features a low center of gravity for improved stability on sloped terrain, and the 200 can be used to apply dry or liquid materials and features a dual setting spray system with 3-foot and 10-foot settings for multiple applications. It also has a narrow width of 35.5 inches making it easy to navigate around tight spaces.
    With zero-turn drive and a variable spray system, the 300 model delivers coverage widths of 2, 4, 6 or 8 feet. Two liquid spray tanks provide a total capacity of 24 gallons for up to 2.2 acres of coverage.
    As the largest model in the lineup, the 600 model provides 20 percent more liquid and granular capacity. It offers 12-foot spray coverage, plus a pivoting front axle with a low center of gravity for improved performance on uneven terrain. 
  • By Pat Jones: I have to admit that the idea of selling pre-packaged divot mix made me scratch my head at first. After years of carefully tracking what got bought and used at golf courses, it just was not on my radar.
    But it was very much on the minds of superintendents and sports turf professionals, and Jeff Stahman knew it.
    TurfMend was born in 2017 when Stahman helped a friend with a problem.
    "Another superintendent called me and said, 'I can't get my divots to grow and I need your help.' I gave him my formulation that I'd developed over the past 15 years in the industry," Stahman said. "He called me back in a couple of days and said, 'This is amazing and maybe you should sell it.' I'd never thought about it before either. But that was the moment."
    Stahman, an Idaho native, is an experienced turf pro who has managed or worked at a half-dozen facilities around the Northwest and even at a Ritz-Carlton course in the Cayman Islands for a while. But he had always been curious about the science side of the business, and he had earned his research chops while earning a degree at Kansas State. He even ran some turf trials in New Zealand during a study abroad tour back in the day.
    Just a few years ago, Jeff was at a crossroads and was faced with a decision of whether to try and remain in the golf industry, or pivot into something else. He and his wife Amy moved to eastern Washington and he "gulped hard" and took a position with a city parks department. "It was tough to give up being a superintendent, but if I had been working at a golf course I never would have been able to build TurfMend in my spare time."
    Now, after four years of building the business from scratch, Stahman and his wife Amy (who works for a  manager of a landscape company) have reached the point where they have made a leap of faith: They quit their jobs, moved to Indiana and are now focused 100 percent on TurfMend.
    I caught up with Jeff recently while he and Amy were on their way to Oregon's Willamette Valley to discuss future strategy – to learn more about TurfMend and why it is such a good fit for more superintendents and turf pros in today's changing industry.
    PJ: Once you decided to commercialize TurfMend, what were the big challenges from the product-development side?
    JS: When you make something out in the field you don't have to worry about packaging and shelf life and such. How hard could it be, right? So, we started out with a mixture and packaging I thought would work…and it didn't. We failed over and over and over again. You fail until you get it right.
    The biggest issue was the packaging. The material didn't have enough holes to "breathe" or it had too many and would dry out. That problem alone probably should have bankrupted us but Barenbrug believed in us. James Schneider, their U.S. executive, said "If you're not failing, you're not learning." Boy did we learn a lot.
    PJ: Tell me about the products.
    JS: Our first product was a USGA-spec sand, peat moss and grass seed mix. It works exactly like it should but shipping it a long way can be expensive. So, product number two is an OMNI-listed compost, peat moss and grass seed. It's much lighter. That's been a game-changer for us.
    PJ: How do the products differ in terms of performance?
    JS: Very little, but some clubs prefer the sand-based product because they feel it's less dusty. We've had good feedback and performance-wise they both work. Some people say the compost holds moisture better and may germinate a little quicker. It's a personal preference.
    PJ: This is kind of a niche product. What has helped you get the world out?
    JS: We had two universities reach out and order out of the blue yesterday and they both found us through Twitter. Turf Twitter and social media have been really important for us. I admit I wasn't a fan of Twitter before, but Peter McCormick from TurfNet convinced me to do it. And he was right. He's been a tremendous resource for the company and for me personally.
    PJ:  So bottom line: If I am a pro turf manager who has always just mixed up my own stuff, why should I buy this instead?
    JS: First, it's a consistent formulation. Second, we use Barenbrug, Jacklin and Tee-to-Green varieties so we have access to the best seed around. Finally, it's a massive time saver because you don't have to mix it. You cut open a bag and you're good to go.
    Most often in golf, it's being used to fill divot bottles in the cart barn. The cart attendants just open a bag and refill the bottles. Even if you have a divot crew, there's no guesswork anymore. It's all done for you and it's going to be the right seed.
    One obvious problem we see a lot with homemade mixes is contamination from the wrong seed getting used. Ours are clearly labeled so any member of the crew can pick a bentgrass mix for bent areas and a ryegrass mix for rye areas or whatever. It's ready to go and it's always going to be right.
    PJ: Who else is using TurfMend besides golf course superintendents?
    JS: Professional landscapers, property management companies, colleges/universities, school districts, municipalities, and sports fields managers. In addition, homeowners make up a large portion of our customers as well. They are using our smaller 8 pound bags to fix dog spots in their yards and fill bare spots.
    PJ: How do landscapers use it?
    JS: Lawn care operators often tear up a little turf with their tires, so they'll keep a bag of TurfMend in the trailer and throw some down.  Any place they need a quick fix. Also repairs for dog spots is huge. We found the compost version fixes urine damage very quickly because it neutralizes the pH of the soil.

    PJ: Ball field managers are also digging it.
    JS: When I was in golf, I was hopelessly ignorant of sports field management and how complex it is. Baseball parks, soccer complexes, high school football stadiums. They are amazing with small crews and no budgets but they love TurfMend.
    I've learned a lot from seeing how even a single-A head groundskeeper with a really modest budget finds value in TurfMend. For example, they can apply it anywhere, accurately, with a drop spreader because it's so dry, so they can put it around home plate, the mound or anyplace where there's wear and tear.
    PJ: How important is it that you can provide a seed variety that matches what they have?
    JS: It's very important, particularly with bent. Again, Barenbrug has been great about allowing us to work with their different varieties and their Yellowjacket seed coating really stands out. It's a great technology that helps with germination and prevents melting out and pythium during the summer, especially in the Midwest and east coast.
    PJ: What is the usual response when people hear about TurfMend the first time?
    JS: Obviously, some people still say they prefer to do it themselves. But more and more understand the value of having a consistent blend with their bentgrass. Or they just can't justify the labor cost of mixing it anymore.
    PJ: You and Amy just quit your jobs and moved 2,000 miles to commit full-time to this business. What makes you confident enough in TurfMend to do that?
    JS: We have seen exponential growth in 2021. Big-name customers are reaching out to us due to word of mouth and we are at the point where the company can no longer be managed as a side gig. We decided it was time to either commit 100 percent to this or simply give up on our dream. It was an easy decision really: we're not giving up, we're going all in. 
    PJ: How do you hope this will develop and what it will mean for superintendents and other turf pros?
    JS: I also think supers are starting to realize the value of something they can throw in the cart barn, particularly when you consider the cost of labor and the desire for consistency. More of them are doing the math and figuring out we're more than worth it.
    It's Twitter and word of mouth. There's a buzz and I feel like people a realizing we're onto something here. We're also getting some attention from good turf distributors who realize it's a smart thing to recommend to customers who are choosy about their bentgrass varieties.
    PJ: So, final thoughts . . . why try TurfMend?
    JS: We're made in America. We have great seed partners on our team. I'm a former golf course superintendent who's taking a leap of faith and starting a family-owned business. And we're genuinely passionate about the value of TurfMend. Give us a try."
  • Anyone who listened in on Craig Kessler's TurfNet webinar on government relations heard about the next issue coming down the line from a government agency that could have an effect on the golf industry.
    On Saturday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed into law Assembly Bill 1346 that orders the ban on the sale of new gasoline-powered equipment under 25 horsepower. The new law, which requires all lawn equipment to be zero-emission, includes all small off-road engines that power generators and lawn equipment such as mowers, blowers, chainsaws and pressure washers.
    The California Air Resources Board has begun working on a rule to implement the ban as early as 2024. Gas-powered generators must be zero-emission by 2028.
    AB 1346 was authored by Assemblyman Marc Berman, who represents California's 24th district that includes parts of San Mateo and Santa Clara counties and much of Silicon Valley. 
    Proponents of the bill say it will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the country's largest state. According to the bill's author, there are 16.7 million small engine-powered tools in California. 
    Others say using zero-emission equipment is cost-prohibitive. The National Association of Landscape Professionals, said the zero-emission commercial-grade equipment landscapers use currently is prohibitively expensive and less efficient than the existing gas-powered lawn mowers, leaf blowers and other small machinery, costing at least twice as much. The association also said, for example, a three-person crew will need to carry 30 to 40 fully charged batteries to power its equipment during a full day's work.
    The state has set aside $30 million in the current budget to fund a rebate program to entice users to exchange their existing gas-powered equipment for battery or plug-in replacements.
  • Allentown Municipal Golf Course in Pennsylvania. Photo by Chris Reverie If a song title were used to define the work schedule of golf course superintendent for the past 19 months, a Beatles classic like Eight Days a Week, or Hard Day's Night, might be appropriate.
    "My job was always 24-7 before Covid," said Anthony Williams, CGCS at the TPC Four Seasons at Las Colinas in Irving, Texas. "Now, it seems like it's 25-8."
    From record play, Covid and quarantines, unparalleled labor challenges, inflation, supply chain issues and golfer demands that conflict with all of the above had made the past year-and-a-half a series of hurdles worthy of an Olympic performance.
    Supply chain issues have plagued many industries (drive past a new-car lot sometime), and golf is not immune. A shortage of parts, components and microprocessors, not to mention increased cost of fuel have made getting resources from A to B harder for just about everything and everyone. That includes grass seed, which is famously in short supply.
    When Chris Reverie, superintendent at municipal Allentown Golf Course in Pennsylvania, looked into buying seed this year, he figured it would be more expensive than the $1 per pound or so he was accustomed to paying in the past. What he was not ready for was a price that was up exponentially, from a final cost of about $2,000 to $7,000.
    "I thought 'Holy cow! That's not possible,' " Reverie said. 
    "The shortage of seed is affecting everyone."
    Difficulty in acquiring parts and components is just as difficult.
    Reverie still is awaiting delivery on a new utility vehicle.
    "We ordered it in November," he said. "And it's still not here."
    All around the country the stories are similar, only the names have changed.
    "Equipment manufacturers are dependent on the supply chain even when it is working perfectly," said Steve Agin, superintendent at Ruby Hill Golf Club in Pleasanton, California. "Now, when you don't have two or three components, they can't finish manufacturing something. Some equipment we ordered in the third quarter won't be here until May."
    It is not all bad news. Many golf courses are seeing record amounts of play, including Ruby Hill, located about 40 miles east of Oakland.
    Agin found unexpected help throughout the summer when he hired high school students who balked at an eight-hour schedule, but were able to work five hours a day doing detail work that would otherwise go unfinished.
    "Five years ago, you'd stomp your feet, and that's for you; but now I need you, so I have to make it fit," Agin said.
    "We're all in the same boat. You have to be flexible. Those who are not are going to have a hard time."
    Arcis, the company that manages Ruby Hill, is reinvesting in many of the better-performing properties in its portfolio.
    "We had a good year for golf, and now weddings are back up and running. We've had good growth in membership, as well," Agin said.
    "Their approach, in properties where it makes sense, is to invest to make the golf course better."
    In the Dallas area, where play is at a fever pitch at the Four Seasons, Williams is feeling the pressure to make sure conditions match demand at the property's resort and member courses, even if he does not always have the help he needs.

    Ruby Hill Golf Club in Pleasanton, California.   "The labor issue is as crazy as I've ever seen it," said Williams, who has been a superintendent for more than 30 years. "The labor pool that was already small is almost dried up. There are a lot of people in the (Dallas-Fort Worth) Metroplex, but not a lot of them want to come to work at 4:30 in the morning. You have to pay $16 to $18 for entry folks, or you're not going to have any entry folks. And then, you have to raise up your experienced workers.
    "We're doing budgets now for next year. The price of everything is going up. You can't find parts, so when a mower goes down and you need a specific part, you can place an order, but they can't give you a guarantee when you'll get it."
    When ordering fertilizer, Williams said some sales reps can only guarantee bids up to 14 days out, because of fluctuations in price.
    "Before, you just tried to get the best deal. Now, you're trying to forecast," Williams said. "In six months, who knows what the cost and availability will be like. It's unprecedented."
    Golfers are not much interested in labor shortages, or problems associated with availability of parts. They want a great golf course.
    Williams recently achieved the title of master greenkeeper through the British and International Golf Greenkeeping Association, in part to satisfy his quest to make himself the go-to expert at the Four Seasons. 
    "Business is good. We're doing a zillion rounds, but how do you keep the course in excellent condition with all this play?" Williams asked. "There is more work than ever, and way less labor available, but the expectations are the same.
    "You have to present yourself as the expert, and qualify yourself as the voice for whatever is necessary. Just when you think you've seen it all, something new comes along that you never envisioned would happen."

    TPC Four Seasons Las Colinas in Irving, Texas. He also established an organic garden near the clubhouse that has been a hit with members. He even has gone so far as to organize a garden party for members.
    "We are golf people working for a hotel," he said. "You have to show expertise and criticality. Where guys get into trouble is when they think too small. Never compromise the vision. Adjust, but show progress - even in crazy times. If you do that, you're going to stand out. You have to get off the mower and preach this story every way you can."
    As a consultant at his own Aspire Golf, Tim Moraghan visits a lot of golf courses. He also meets with many members and green committees. He works to educate those from the administrative side of the operation just how challenging course maintenance is in times of record play and record labor shortages, including why three people on a maintenance team cannot maintain by hand more than a dozen acres of bunkers each day.
    He suggests superintendents use hard numbers, not vague terminology, during the budgeting process.
    "Everyone needs more money for staff, but clubs don't want to pay for that," Moraghan said. "If you're not going to pay for it, then what do you want, and what can you give up.
    "One thing I learned from the best guys in the business was to know your numbers. Know how long something takes, know the cost per ounce, the cost per gallon, how much everything costs, because they understand numbers."
    When the pandemic struck it exposed the cracks and imperfections in every industry, not just golf. For example, some suggest the semiconductor industry, which has brought many associated markets to their knees, is not expected to ramp back up to pre-covid production levels until 2023. Many in golf believed that 2021 would be the year to rebound out of Covid. The reality is no one know when issues affecting golf, such as labor, supply chain will, if ever, rebound.
    "Everybody is battle weary," Williams said. "We thought 2021 would be the rebound year, but it was really just an extension of 2020. Now it looks like 2022 is going to be the crucible, where all this stuff is going to come home to roost, where the stress is going to max out, and where the financial piece is going to start dropping. We thought we were in a marathon, but now it looks like we are in an ultra marathon."
    And what about that 25-8 schedule?
    "We have to be better than ever," Williams said. "As an agronomist, I'm excited for the challenge. As someone with a wife and a family, I'm not sure how I'm going to make that work."
    First in a multi-part series
  • Bayer won its first court decision amid a seemingly endless trail of allegations that its non-selective herbicide Roundup is to blame for causing cancer in thousands of litigants.
    In a decision that left both sides claiming victory, a Los Angeles jury ruled against plaintiff Destiny Clark, who claimed that Roundup was to blame for the Burkitt's lymphoma that killed her son, Ezra, attorneys said Oct. 5. According to court documents, Ezra Clark was 4 years old when he was diagnosed in 2016 with Burkitt's lymphoma, a rare form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
    Destiny Clark said her son often accompanied her when she applied Roundup to the family residence. She sued Bayer for failing to adequately warn her of the cancer risks of using glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup.
    Roundup has been blamed for causing non-Hodgkins lymphoma in thousands of people since Bayer bought Roundup's maker, Monsanto, in 2018 for $63 million.
    "While we have great sympathy for Ezra Clark and his family, the jury carefully considered the science applicable to this case and determined that Roundup was not the cause of his illness," Bayer said in a statement.
    An attorney for Clark said they will consider an appeal.
    "We're disappointed for the boy and his family," Fletcher Trammel, an attorney for the defense said in published reports. "We have multiple Roundup cases set across the country over the next year and look forward to trying them."
    In 2020, Bayer settled more than 100,000 of those cases for $11 billion, and set aside another $4.5 billion for potential future settlements, that currently count in excess of 30,000 additional claims. So far, four trials have been decided by jury. The Clark case is the first to be decided in Bayer's favor. According to Bayer, about 90 percent of all lawsuits originated in the consumer market.
    Bayer won its first court decision amid a seemingly endless trail of allegations that its non-selective herbicide Roundup is to blame for causing cancer in thousands of litigants.
    In a decision that left both sides claiming victory, a Los Angeles jury ruled against plaintiff Destiny Clark, who claimed that Roundup was to blame for the Burkitt's lymphoma that killed her son, Ezra, attorneys said Oct. 5. According to court documents, Ezra Clark was 4 years old when he was diagnosed in 2016 with Burkitt's lymphoma, a rare form of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
    Destiny Clark said her son often accompanied her when she applied Roundup to the family residence. She sued Bayer for failing to adequately warn her of the cancer risks of using glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup.
    Roundup has been blamed for causing non-Hodgkins lymphoma in thousands of people since Bayer bought Roundup's maker, Monsanto, in 2018 for $63 million.
    "While we have great sympathy for Ezra Clark and his family, the jury carefully considered the science applicable to this case and determined that Roundup was not the cause of his illness," Bayer said in a statement.
    An attorney for Clark said they will consider an appeal.
    "We're disappointed for the boy and his family," Fletcher Trammel, an attorney for the defense said in published reports. "We have multiple Roundup cases set across the country over the next year and look forward to trying them."
    In 2020, Bayer settled more than 100,000 of those cases for $11 billion, and set aside another $4.5 billion for potential future settlements, that currently count in excess of 30,000 additional claims. So far, four trials have been decided by jury. The Clark case is the first to be decided in Bayer's favor. According to Bayer, about 90 percent of all lawsuits originated in the consumer market.

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