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From the TurfNet NewsDesk

  • John Reitman
    Longwood Golf Club is proof that every cloud has a silver lining. Literally.   Hurricane Harvey made landfall Aug. 25 near Corpus Christi, Texas, as a Category 4 storm packing winds of 130 mph, ripping up lives and property for hundreds of miles over several days. As the storm slowly slogged its way through Texas, it dumped as much as 40-60 inches of rain across the Houston area 200 miles to the northeast of Corpus Christi.   The storm left much of the state devastated, including 27-hole Longwood in the Houston suburb of Cypress. Longwood already serves as an ad-hoc floodplain for the homes that surround it, so when Harvey dumped rain measured in feet rather than inches, it wasn't long before the creek that runs through the property became a raging torrent that overwhelmed everything in its path.   Harvey left Longwood flooded and covered in silt, and the clubhouse flooded up to nearly 3 feet. But eight days after the storm made landfall, the team there cobbled together 18 holes from the 27-hole layout so the club's members, most of whom also also were affected by the storm, could escape the horrors of the tragedy, even if only for a short time.   While repairs were being made to the clubhouse, the course was opened for member-only play on weekends the first two weeks after the storm. After a morning shotgun each day the course was closed and remained closed throughout the week so that personnel could shift their focus back to the badly damaged clubhouse."   "We were not fully operational, and we couldn't open to the public. We let members know whoever wanted to play in a shotgun on Saturday and Sunday mornings could just show up and register when they got here," said Longwood general manager Tim Sulak. "We had 40 to 70 people every day."   The makeshift 18-hole layout zig-zagged across Longwood's Palm, Pine and Post Oak courses, crossing from one layout to another six times. And although there never was much of a walk from one green to the next tee complex, Longwood's staff went the extra mile to ensure golfers knew where they were going.   "It was a seamless layout, but we did rope off cart paths so golfers knew where to go, and we created some signs on the golf course," Sulak said. "We also had maps and printouts at the counter for golfers.   "We were able to put something together to service our members and service our club, even though we were not fully operational. Really, we should have been closed for at least a month."   As a virtual floodplain for the homes that surround it, Longwood Golf Club often takes on vast volumes of water. The property now has flooded four times in the two years Martin Delgadillo has been superintendent there, but nothing like what happened when Hurricane Harvey crashed ashore.   "That was the fourth flood here in 17 months. The whole golf course was under water," Sulak said. "We're a giant retention pond for the subdivision here, and a creek bisects the golf course."   Last year, Delgadillo raised the irrigation satellites to protect them from floodwaters. After spending part of his career managing golf courses in Mexico, the native of Pasadena, Calif., has learned that preparing for disasters like Harvey can be the difference in opening up for play in less than two weeks, or losing an irrigation system entirely and eventually suffering through dead turf.   "You don't always have everything you need in Mexico," he said. "You can't call people for help and expect them to be there the next day. You have to learn how to do things yourself."   As luck would have it, work was nearly complete on a bunker renovation project when Harvey came through and wiped out just about everything that had been completed by Diamond Golf International. The good news was that company out of Murrieta, California, still had its equipment at Longwood, and they were only too happy to help Longwood's recovery.   "They helped us get the silt off the greens and get the course back in order," Sulak said. "If not for them, we would not be in the position we are today.   "I think the members appreciate it. They were happy to get back out onto the golf course."  
  • EPA OK's fourth application of BASF fungicide
      Lexicon Intrinsic brand fungicide from BASF now is labeled for four applications per year at the highest rate of 0.47 ounces per 1,000 square feet. This is an increase over the original labeled rate of three applications per year. The fourth application is not approved in New York.   With the active ingredients fluxapyroxad and pyraclostrobin, Lexicon Intrinsic brand fungicide optimizes disease control and provides plant health benefits for longer, stronger roots, increased growth efficiency and greater stress tolerance.    This broad-spectrum fungicide is labeled for control of 27 diseases for up to 28 days, proving the confidence that comes with long-lasting control. Its proven plant health benefits provide faster recovery from stressors like heat, humidity, low light, drought heavy play and aeration.   PBI-Gordon is celebrating its 50-year anniversary
      PBI-Gordon is celebrating its 50-year anniversary.   Founded in 1947 in Kansas City, Missouri, as Private Brands Inc. by John Mueller, Bob Mueller, John Mathias and Roy Boxmeyer, the company started by formulating pesticides for a variety of chemical companies.   In 1956, Private Brands Inc. acquired Gordon Chemical. Fourteen years later, in 1970 the names of the two companies were combined and Private Brands became known as PBI-Gordon.   By 1968, the company, while still formulating chemistries for other companies, started its own brand of products.   Today, the employee-owned company produces its own line that includes herbicides, insecticides, fungicides and growth regulators for the professional turf and ornamental management industry. The company also develops and markets products for the consumer lawn, garden, farm and ranch, animal health and grooming, and consumer and veterinary markets.    Civitas EOP under way
      The Intelligro Civitas Turf Defense Early Order Program will continue through Dec, 15.    Participants can save 5 percent on orders of 75-199 gallons, 7.5 percent on 200-500 gallons and 10 percent on all orders of 500-plus gallons.   Also, members of the  Civitas Turf Defense Rewards Program automatically receive double rewards points on purchases made before Dec. 1   Bayer program extended for customers affected by hurricanes
      Bayer Environmental Science's early order incentive program, Bayer Fall Solutions Program, will continue through Dec. 8.   The program includes savings on products such as Specticle, Signature XTRA Stressgard, Indemnify and Exteris Stressgard.   Customers can save up to 24 percent on PAKs with a large selection of individual solutions and product bundles geared to suit specific turf needs and also can earn a 1 percent bonus rebate on their entire purchase when they buy any PAK and an additional 1 percent on purchases made before Oct. 31.    In response to the recent hurricanes, Bayer has extended the October bonus incentive through Nov. 30 for customers in Florida, Texas and Puerto Rico.  
  • For more than a decade, the $64,000 question in golf has been "how to grow the game?"   Adjusting for inflation, anyone who can come up with a foolproof answer to that stands to make a lot more than 64 Grand.   Once held up primarily by white males, the game now is defined by shifts in ethnicity and a declining customer base that has a wide range of goals and interests, from traditionalists who like the game the way it is, to those who view it purely as an instrument of social interaction and refuse to fill in a scorecard; from those who adhere to the game's many rules, to those who prefer to play music from their smart phones; from those who would rather hire a caddie to those who won't play if they can't ride a GolfBoard.   Good luck with that.   Baby boomers, golf's bread and butter, are entering retirement, and their influence will slowly and steadily decline. Although recently overtaken by millennials as the country's largest population segment (together those two groups comprise about half the country populous), baby boomers should continue to bolster the game for the next generation, but what happens next is anyone's guess. If successive generations show an accelerated disinterest in golf like Generation X and millennials, the challenges facing the golf business will be significant.   Millennials, loosely defined as those born between the early 1980s to late 1990s, are 25 percent of the overall population, but account for only 20 percent (90 million) of the 450 million rounds played annually. By comparison, baby boomers, those born between 1946 and 1964, comprise 24 percent of the population, but make up 115 million (25 percent) of all rounds played.   When it comes to golf - and a lot of other things - millennials take a different approach than those who came before them. Generally speaking, research shows they prefer social interaction over competition and a relaxed atmosphere over strict rules. As a rule as many as half of millennials say golf takes too long to play and has too many rules.   The bottom line is millennials still represent a lot of buying power - as much as $200 billion annually - and golf's stakeholders must figure out how to make the game more attractive to them, as well as juniors, minorities and women. That might mean allowing music on the golf course and relaxed policies on cell phone usage and dress codes.   In a recent study, the NGF lumped millennial golfers into three groups: throwbackers, breakfast ballers and dabblers.   Throwbackers make up about half the millennial golfer population. Most likely introduced to the game by their parents, their views of the game reflect those of older golfers. They like the game the way it is. They practice, follow the rules, keep score and thrive on competition. They also make up only about 3.6 million of the U.S. golfer database of 21 million players.   Breakfast ballers, about 22 percent of the millennial golf segment, are driven by social interaction, and are more likely to incorporate social media, playing music over their smart phones and and alcohol consumption into their golf experience. They believe golf has too many rules, they take mulligans at will, improve their lie anywhere on the course and rarely keep score.   Dabblers, 27 percent of the millennial golfer index, are even less committed than breakfast ballers. They tend to be women, play sporadically (like their descriptor implies), do not self-identify as golfers and admit they don't like the game all that much anyway.   In his most recent newsletter, Jim Koppenhaver of Pellucid Corp., questions if millennials are shunning golf only, or whether they are saying no to physical activity in general.   As the NGF study shows it is impossible to paint any demographic with a broad brush, but millennials overall are active, they just choose to spend their energy in ways their parents and grandparents did not. Generally speaking, they don't join gyms and don't participate in competitive activities like older generations.   They don't do a lot of things that other age groups would consider traditional.   For example, about 90 percent of all baby boomers were married at least once by age 40. Among millennials, that number is down to about 70 percent, according to research at Bentley University in Massachusetts.    They take what others would consider a non-traditional approach to fitness and exercise, as well, research shows. For millennial, fitness is a lifestyle that incorporates physical well being and quality of life. To that end, any physical activity they engage in likely will include a social component that allows them to interact with friends and family.   Golf, if it is going to thrive into the future, must reflect those changes in consumerism.    The challenge will be retaining enough of the game's old ways to appeal to traditionalists, while incorporating enough changes to pull in less avid golfers, all without alienating one group or the other. Survival indeed will mean being all things to all people.   That will be a challenge for everyone and results will be case by case, club by club. There won't be any cookie-cutter solutions from the industry's alphabets, so don't wait for one.  
  • Foley United named Brad Kautzer as its president and chief executive officer. He succeeds Jim Letourneau, who announced in May that he would retire at the end of 2017. Kautzer's appointment is effective immediately.
     
    Kautzer worked 28 years for Honeywell before joining Foley United, a maker of grinding and sharpening products for turf maintenance equipment with headquarters in River Falls, Wisconsin. His career at Honeywell included serving as vice president and general manager of the companys electromechanical sensing and control business and vice president of industrial control products in its Asia-Pacific market.  
     
    He is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Stout with degrees in technology education and industrial technology, and is has achieved Six Sigma certification.
     
    Letourneau retires after a 30-year career with Foley United, which was founded by Walter Ringer in 1926. As part owner of the company, Letourneau will remain on as an advisor and member of the company's board of directors.
  • Spend any time at all with Billy Crow, Ph.D., and it quickly becomes apparent that he has a genuine passion for his work.    For the past 17 years, Crow has been the University of Florida's turfgrass nematologist and extension specialist, and he doesn't just enjoy his work; he loves it. When he's discussing nematodes, or showing students or others how to find them under a microscope, his enthusiasm shows.   In fact, Crow has such a zeal for what he does, his colleagues question whether it really qualifies as work at all.   "You can see it in his lectures. He is extremely passionate," said Travis Shaddox, Ph.D., assistant professor of turfgrass science and extension specialist at the university's Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center.   "You can tell the man never works, because he's doing exactly what he loves every day."   A Florida native, Crow graduated from the University of Hawaii with a bachelor's degree in agriculture and initially had designs on a future that included researching nematodes in potatoes, not turf. That wasn't where the demand was when he started at UF in 2000.    Since then, Crow has become one of the world's foremost authorities on nematology, and turfgrass managers throughout Florida, across the country and around the globe have been recipients of that good fortune.   As its name implies, Old Marsh Golf Club in Palm Beach Gardens sits nestled in an area dominated by natural wetlands. Since Pete Dye carved it out of the landscape in 1987, Old Marsh gained a reputation as one of the most challenging layouts in Florida thanks largely to its natural surroundings.    That environment also presents some challenges, namely ensuring that all surface water drains either into canals or ponds and not the natural wetlands.  
    You can see it in his lectures. He is extremely passionate. . . . You can tell the man never works, because he's doing exactly what he loves every day."
     
    The course went under the knife in 2016 for a major renovation by Chris Lutzke of Albanese & Lutzke to make sure it remained a relevant challenge to golfers and moved water as efficiently as possible. That included bringing in 3,700 dump trucks of fill and regrassing the fairways with Latitude 36 Bermudagrass, which is known for its drought tolerance.   While growing in the Latitude 36 last year, Old Marsh superintendent Tony Nysse noticed that the turf in some areas wasn't as healthy as it could be.   Samples submitted to Crow's lab in Gainesville confirmed the source of the problem.   "Our first instinct was nematodes, but before making any sort of applications, we decided to send samples to Dr. Crow and the University of Florida," Nysse said. "Our results came back confirming our thoughts - lance and sting nematodes over 500 and 100 (per cubic centimeter, respectively). This is way past the threshold of allowing for any grass to grow."   Crow established a control program that has helped the reworked Old Marsh get back to being as grueling and aesthetically pleasing as ever.   "We have so many different applications available at our fingertips to combat the onslaught of nematodes. As we try to always be good stewards of the land, to have the ability to have answers 24 to 48 hours after sending a soil sample to the University of Florida is vital to any superintendent's success in our state," Nysse said. "To have a professor of Dr. Crow's caliber, and his team, whose focus is nematodes, is a huge benefit to the Florida Golf Course Superintendents Association."   During a recent two-day Evidence-Based Turfgrass Management conference in Gainesville that focused on pest management, Crow showed professional turf managers how he and his team extract nematodes from soil samples for analysis and helped the group find the pests under a microscope, and more.   "The highlight, and everybody's been wanting to get to do this, is you guys are going to actually tease a female root knot nematode out of a Bermudagrass root," Crow said during the seminar. "How many of you have done that before. It's guaranteed to be something new." Today, the UF nematology lab receives samples from near and far from turf managers and homeowners seeking help with the grass they manage.     "We get samples from all over," Crow said. "They're mostly from southern states, but we're increasingly getting them from Midwest and northern states as well. We just got a permit to get samples from Hawaii, and so we've started to get them from there over the past few months. We get them from California, Washington, all over."   As Nysse hinted, a team that specializes in turfgrass nematology makes the Florida lab unique. Crow's lab doesn't have a permit to receive live samples from out of the country, but he does accept those that have been preserved in a solution, which allows him to receive samples from places like China, Australia and South Africa.   "There are some good diagnostics labs in a lot of places, but not in every place, and not ones that specialize in turf diagnostics," he said. "Many nematode diagnostics labs will specialize in nematodes on tobacco, or potatoes or cotton. They don't really work with turf. That's where we can help."   Crow was on the interview committee that hired entomologist Adam Dale, Ph.D., in 2016. Today, Dale considers Crow more than a colleague. He's a mentor, too.   "Having him as a resource to come to and ask questions has really been valuable to me from the beginning. From my interview until now," Dale said.    "He is the world's leading specialist in turfgrass nematodes. In turfgrass nematology there is one person people point to and that is Dr. Billy Crow."   Even colleagues seek out advice on such a specialized field.   "He's who I call if someone calls me about nematodes," Shaddox said. "I know the basics and can help direct them in the right direction, but if they need more detailed information , he's the specialist other faculty call. It's not just homeowners and turf managers, other faculty go to him as a resource."  
  • With near-record heat reaching deep into September throughout much of the country, it might be hard to remember that winter is around the corner. But cooler temperatures are coming - eventually - and GRIGG wants to make that transition and emergence in spring as seamless as possible.
      Grigg, in cooperation with the universities of Massachusetts and Georgia, recently presented a three-day series of webinars covering winter prep on golf courses for cool- and warm-season turfgrasses.   Held Sept. 26-28, the three-day seminar included presentations by Michelle DaCosta, Ph.D., associate professor of turfgrass physiology at UMass; Gordon Kauffman, Ph.D., turf and ornamental technical manager for Brandt, the parent company of Grigg; and Gerald Henry, Ph.D., associate professor of turfgrass environmental science at the University of Georgia.   All three are available for on-demand playback by clicking here.   DaCosta has published several pieces of research on the effects of winter conditions on annual bluegrass and creeping bentgrass. Her presentation entitled "Maximizing cool-season turfgrass physiology and management for winter survival" focused on a practical overview of cool-season turfgrass physiology and management strategies as related to low temperature preconditioning and winter survival.    Topics discussed include the major causes for winter injury in northern climates, physiological mechanisms aiding in turfgrass freezing tolerance, as well how environmental conditions and management practices interact with turfgrass physiology to impact winter survival.    She also addressed best management practices to help minimize winter injury and promote turf recovery in the spring.   Part II in the series was Kauffman's "Cultural strategies for autumn and cool-season turfgrasses."   His focus was on fertilization and additional cultural practices that can lead to improved turf vigor, winter survival, and spring green up, as well as nutrient requirements, their source, and timing and method of application.    That presentation also covers topics such as how carefully planned fall fertilization, mechanical cultivation and disease control strategies can impact turfgrass growth and vigor in late fall and winter.   The series concluded with Henry's presentation "Preparing warm-season turfgrasses for cold stress."   Henry, who started the turf program at Texas Tech, came to UGA in 2012 after the retirement of Keith Karnok, and is an associate professor of turfgrass science with an emphasis on plant, pest and environmental interactions. His research interests include a wide range of subjects, such as physiology, ecology, weed science, fertility and management.   His winter prep presentation addressed low-temperature stress and proper management strategies to enhance warm-season turfgrass acclimation to winter conditions.    Specific topics include impact of cultural practices on the onset of turfgrass dormancy, symptomatology of freezing injury, genetic variability in freezing tolerance and microclimate influences on injury severity. He also discussed best management practices for the reduction of winter injury and encouragement of turfgrass recovery/spring green-up.   All TurfNet Webinars are sponsored by Grigg and BASF and live broadcasts are free for TurfNet members and non-members. All are recorded and available on-demand for TurfNet members. Select archived webinars, including the winter prep series, are available for non-members, as well.   Click here for more information about the benefits of TurfNet membership.  
  • In response to natural disasters throughout parts of the Southeast and Gulf Coast states, BASF is extending the window to qualify for its October Early Order Program rebates.
     
    Customers in areas impacted by hurricanes Harvey and Irma have until Nov. 15 to qualify for the rebate program. The extension has been granted to customers throughout all of Florida, Houston and coastal Texas as well as southern and coastal Georgia so they can continue to focus on their personal needs, not EOP EOP deadlines.
     
    "We are very saddened by the devastation these hurricanes have caused, and we know how many of our customers are impacted," said Jeff Vannoy, BASF senior product manager for turf products. "This extension is just a small helping hand to allow customers to focus on whats important in the short term."
     
    Customers in these areas should contact their local BASF or distributor to take advantage of the extension.
  • Willie Pennington says he is living proof that the proverb "It takes a village to raise a child" is far more than mere words.   From his parents, to his college professors and football coaches at Tuskegee University and even an induction officer at a military recruiting center during the height of the Vietnam War, Pennington credits all of them with helping shape him into the person he is now: someone who recognizes that hard work, perseverance and focus are key tools needed to navigate through life's stormy seas.   Pennington's relationship with Tuskegee came full-circle on Sept. 15 when he and nine other former Golden Tigers were inducted into the Tuskegee University Athletic Hall of Fame.    "You'd be surprised at who some of the people are in that village," Pennington said.   "They taught you perseverance, the frailty of life, the hardships of life, that you would struggle to get somewhere in life. When you're surrounded by folks of that caliber, things stick with you. You know there are going to be tough days ahead, but you can ease through it and get to where you are trying to go if you stay focused on that end goal.   "The hall of fame wasn't about me, it was about that village."   Those old-school values serve as the founding principle of Tuskegee where a statue of the school's founder, Booker T. Washington, reads: "He lifted the veil of ignorance from his people and pointed the way to progress through education and industry."   Those words helped Pennington on the football field at Tuskegee where he was a four-year starter at guard, and in life and they continue to resonate with him today. On Friday, Sept. 22, the 69-year-old Pennington, a native of Lisman, Alabama, will celebrate his 45-year anniversary with BASF.   Pennington was a four-year starter at guard on the Tuskegee football team and helped lead the Golden Tigers to the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship in 1967, 68 and 69. He was named to the all-SIAC team in 1968.   "What an honor to be recognized when you look at the accomplishments of all those young kids," Pennington said.    "When I got there, I was only 16 in 1965. We were just young kids having a good time. Never in my mind did I ever think anything like this would happen to me."   Each year since 1974, the Tuskegee University Athletic Hall of Fame honors many of its former athletes, athletic staff and supporters who have "demonstrated outstanding achievement in areas such as sportsmanship, leadership, community service, education, university support and professional fields."  
    He lifted the veil of ignorance from his people and pointed the way to progress through education and industry."
     
    The accomplishments of Tuskegee University graduates read like a who's who of medicine, science and industry, entrepreneurship, politics, civil service, athletic endeavor and entertainment.   George Washington Carver taught there, the university gave rise to the Tuskegee Airmen, and the The Commodores originated there during Pennington's freshman year.   When Pennington arrived on campus as a green-behind-the ears teenager, he did so with aspirations of following in the footsteps of his idol Daniel "Chappie" James Jr.   A 1942 graduate of Tuskegee, James was as a flight instructor and combat pilot in the U.S. Army Air Corps and U.S. Air Force during World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam War. He was the first black man to attain the rank of four-star general and eventually served as the commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) in Colorado.   "I wanted to be a Tuskegee Airman," said Pennington. "I wanted my bars as a second lieutenant, and I wanted to fly B-52s in Vietnam."   After going through Tuskegee's ROTC program, Pennington arrived at an induction center in Montgomery hell-bent on earning his wings.   Surprisingly, an officer there told him to stay in school and forget about life in the military.   "He saw potential in me to do something more," Pennington said. "He told me I was better off not to go to a war-torn country and be back in six weeks in a body bag.   "I look back on it as a blessing. He saw potential. He saw that I could do something better and be part of society and contribute to it."   Although Pennington excelled on the football field, the road to matriculation at Tuskegee wasn't always so easy. As a football star, he recalled how he didn't think he needed to attend English classes.   "I felt I didn't have to go to class," he said. "I was a football player."   His professor eventually set him straight.   "She asked me if I couldn't converse or write a letter, how was I ever going to be able to talk with anyone," he said. "It was all part of being the best you can be."     After earning a degree in chemistry education in 1970, Pennington briefly joined the football staff as an interim coach and scout, before moving on to General Electric later that year where he worked as a nuclear technician reprocessing spent nuclear fuel in the company's Midwest Fuel Recovery Plant in Morris, Illinois.    Two years later, he moved on to begin a long career with BASF. Currently the company's sales representative for the Carolinas region, Pennington has filled a number of roles throughout his 45-year career with the company, including national accounts manager, market manager and fumigation specialist.   He has been named BASF's salesman of the year three times and developed a method for regrassing golf courses that still is used today. For some perspective, Pennington said that when his career with the company began, Jon Sweat, BASF's director of professional and speciality solutions, was just one-day old.   Pennington has given back to others on mission trips to Europe and Central America with his church in his home of Raleigh, North Carolina.   "Tuskegee has a unique history," Pennington said. "When you just look at that statue of Booker T. Washington, whose goal was to lift the veil of ignorance for those who didn't think they could get anywhere, you realize you can do something with your life and be the best you can be. It just takes perseverance and hard work. Tuskegee taught me that."  
  • Golf and government do not always mix. Just look at Fort Brown Memorial Golf Course in Brownsville, Texas.
      Fort Brown once stood as a shining monument to Texas history. Today, it's a discarded remnant of the past.   Built on the site of a former historic military installation named for the city's namesake, Maj. Jacob Brown, the golf course operated from the mid-1950s until its closing in 2015.   It wasn't declining interest in the game that doomed Fort Brown as much as it was federal immigration policy that nearly sealed off the course from the rest of the country and left the property's owner, its determined manager and those who played there out in the cold.   Like many cities throughout the state, Brownsville is rich with history dating to the Texas Revolution, the Mexican-American War and the Civil War.     Commissioned in 1846, the military installation at Fort Brown saw action in armed conflicts dating from the Mexican-American War (1846-1848) to the Civil War to World War II. Originally named Fort Texas, it was late renamed to honor its leader who was killed there in 1846.   During the Civil War, the installation was occupied at one time or another by both Confederate and Union forces, and the Army used it for air combat training during World War II.   Shortly after the fort was decommissioned in 1946, a full century after it was established, the city of Brownsville built a golf course on the site. According to historic archives, the course, like so many others, was built to as an alternative to country club golf.   For more than a half-century, the Fort Brown Memorial Golf Course was a place where locals, including much of the area's Hispanic population, could learn the game and enjoy affordable golf. Originally owned by the city, the course was turned over in 1992 to nearby Texas Southernmost College, which, along with local high schools, used the facility as its home course.   Located on the southern tip of one of the many peninsulas formed by the meandering Rio Grande, the course literally was a short-iron from Matamoros, Mexico. Years ago, that city became a haven for Mexican drug cartels and gangs and quickly cemented a place on the U.S. government's short list of Mexico's most dangerous cities.   Despite its location and aging infrastructure, the course remained quite busy after Bob Lucio took over as manager in 1997. With new irrigation in 2004 and Champion Bermudagrass greens, Fort Brown was humming right along to the tune of about 40,000 rounds per year just as the golf industry was about to go off the rails..    Then came 2005 when word of a pending border fence project leaked out. Lucio's family was heavy into local politics, so he had been aware of border fence rumors in the air, but efforts to fight the fence seemed fruitless. Almost immediately, many who played at Fort Brown on a regular basis stopped coming back and Lucio's insurance carrier nearly doubled his rates. It was bad timing for the operator, who just the year before had invested in a new irrigation system.    With the wounds inflicted on 9/11 still fresh in the United States, the Department of Homeland Security made good on a pledge to try to curtail drug and crime activity in Matamoros from crossing the border and in 2008-2009 constructed the fence years before political rhetoric of a wall dominated the news and election cycles. Rather than follow the course of the river throughout the entirety of its run between the Brownsville and Matamoros, the fence cuts along in a series of straight lines in some of those peninsular areas, virtually isolating sects of American territory between Mexico and the manmade barrier and alienating people on both sides of the Rio Grande. Located in that no-man's land, seemingly cut off from the rest of Brownsville and the state of Texas was the golf course.   There was still limited access to the course after the fence went up, but getting there became a lot harder and being there became a lot less safe. Predictably, play slowed to a trickle right away. Revenue, according to past reports, dropped by nearly half that first year, but Lucio was determined to try to make a go of it. Eventually, the prep and college teams that called Fort Brown home were forbidden to play or even practice there out of concerns for player safety.   A sign on the 16th hole warned golfers that hitting a ball into Mexico - which was very doable from many areas on the course, even for hackers - would mean prosecution. It was intended as a lighthearted reminder of the proximity to one of Mexico's worst neighborhoods.   The writing was on the wall for golfers at Fort Brown and its manager, who slogged on until 2015, when the course finally closed.   Two years later, reminders of the course still are visible, and a video by USA Today indicates fixtures still remain inside the abandoned clubhouse.   Fort Brown Memorial's past as a purveyor of affordable golf for the masses is a reminder of what is good about golf. Overgrown and abandoned, and its stakeholders forgotten, it also is a reminder that golf and government don't always mix.
  • Many parts of the country really haven't had much in the way of summer-like conditions this year, so it's a little hard to believe it already is time for many superintendents to begin thinking about winter prep.
      GRIGG (formerly Grigg Brothers), in cooperation with the universities of Massachusetts and Georgia, is presenting a three-day series of TurfNet University Webinars covering just about all aspects of winter prep on golf courses.   The three-day seminar takes place from 1-2 p.m. each day from Sept. 26 through Sept. 28.   Michelle DaCosta, associate professor of turfgrass physiology at UMass kicks things off Sept. 26 with her presentation titled Maximizing cool-season turfgrass physiology and management for winter survival.   DaCosta has published research on the effects of winter conditions on annual bluegrass and creeping bentgrass. Her presentation will focus on a practical overview of cool-season turfgrass physiology and management strategies as related to low temperature preconditioning and winter survival.    Topics for discussion will include the major causes for winter injury in northern climates, physiological mechanisms aiding in turfgrass freezing tolerance, as well how environmental conditions and management practices interact with turfgrass physiology to impact winter survival.    Attendees will gain a better understanding of best management practices to help minimize winter injury and promote turf recovery in the spring.   The series continues on Sept. 27 when Gordon Kauffman, III, Ph.D., turf and ornamental technical specialist for Brandt, presents Cultural strategies for autumn and cool-season turfgrasses.   In this webinar, the emphasis will be on fertilization and additional cultural practices that can lead to improved turf vigor, winter survival, and spring green up. Specific attention will be paid to nutrient requirements, their source, and timing and method of application.    Attendees will gain an important understanding of how carefully planned fall fertilization, mechanical cultivation and disease control strategies can impact turfgrass growth and vigor as we head into the late fall and winter seasons.   The series will close Sept. 28 when Gerald Henry, Ph.D., associate professor of turfgrass environmental science at the University of Georgia, presents Preparing warm-season turfgrasses for cold stress.   In that presentation, Henry will discuss low-temperature stress and proper management strategies to enhance warm-season turfgrass acclimation to winter conditions.    Specific topics will include impact of cultural practices on the onset of turfgrass dormancy, symptomatology of freezing injury, genetic variability in freezing tolerance and microclimate influences on injury severity.    Expected learning outcomes include the identification of best management practices for the reduction of winter injury and encouragement of turfgrass recovery/spring green-up.   All TurfNet University Webinars are sponsored by GRIGG and BASF and are free for TurfNet members and non-members. These and all webinars are recorded for on-demand playback, but you have to be a TurfNet member if you want to watch those.   Click here for more information about the benefits of TurfNet membership.
  • Ben Franklin is credited with saying "Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn."   His words are as poignant now as they were in the 18th century, and that philosophy is the basis for a hands-on learning experience that professors at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences are bringing to turf managers across the state.   The two-day Evidence-Based Turf Management workshop includes a mix of classroom lecture followed by hands-on learning in a laboratory or field environment. Part I, held last year at the university's research station in Fort Lauderdale, focused on the role of water, light, temperature and nutrition in turf management. Part II, held recently at the main campus in Gainesville, focused on managing pests, namely weeds, pathogens, insects and nematodes, with a half day devoted to each.   "One of the cool things is we enforce lectures with hands-on experience. We spend time in the laboratory looking through a microscope looking at plants with diseases and scraping those leaf surfaces and look at them under the microscope and identify them, and then we come back and reinforce that with some lecture content," said Bryan Unruh, Ph.D., professor of environmental horticulture, extension specialist and assistant director at UF's West Florida Research and Education Center in the Panhandle town of Jay.   "Because it is a two-day event, we are able to dig in deeper. We still provide education at state conferences and regional seminars and industry meetings. Those are good, but you can only go so far in one hour. Here, we have two days digging in and digging in deep. It's cool to see light bulbs go off and have 'aha' moments when attendees connect field experience with what they are seeing in a lab."   Instructors in the pest management workshop were weed scientist Jay Ferrell, Ph.D., turf pathologist Phil Harmon, Ph.D., entomologist Adam Dale, Ph.D., and nematologist Billy Crow, Ph.D., who gave a primer on nematodes that are commonly found in finely managed turfgrass in Florida.   
    Because it is a two-day event, we are able to dig in deeper. We still provide education at state conferences and regional seminars and industry meetings. Those are good, but you can only go so far in one hour. Here, we have two days digging in and digging in deep."
     
    That session also included a visit to the nematode lab, where workers there demonstrated how to extract nematode samples from soil before they can be identified. Attendees then prepared their own lance nematode samples for viewing under the microscope. He also led a demonstration in which his "students" used forceps to coax female root knot nematodes from galls on the leaf surface of turf samples.   "The primary objective was to teach attendees about the major types of nematodes that affect turf, recognize the symptoms of different types of nematodes, take samples and interpret the results," Crow said. "It is important to make the correct identification so you can pick the right control method for the specific nematodes you have."   Ferrell kicked off the workshop with a brief history of herbicides, a lecture on how they work and why some work better than others. Visitors to Phil Harmon's lab in Fifield Hall went into the yard outside the building for some quick in-the-field disease diagnosis and retreated inside to learn the differences between some common turf pathogens. That workshop also included preparing and viewing samples under a microscope for the purpose diagnosing pathogens such as sclerotinia homeocarp, rhizoctonia, curvularia and Pythium.   All lessons and findings shared with attendees are supported by published peer-reviewed research.   "When we set out to do these evidence-based turf management workshops, we get published research behind them," Unruh said. "These are not our opinions or ideas, these are facts."   The emphasis on correct diagnosis of a pest problem was an overarching theme throughout each of the four presentations.   "Correct diagnosis is the first step to effective control," Dale said.   His presentation covered some of the most common insect pests in Florida turfgrass. And although superintendents in other parts of the country might never have to worry about control methods for southern mole crickets, the basic tenets of Dale's presentation transcend geography and insect species.   "All pests directly interact with temperature, water, plant stress. Anything that makes the landscape what it is has an effect on insect pests," Dale said. "The keys to pest management are: what is the host, how does the pest feed, what is its lifecycle. All these things tell you how to treat, with what and when."   He offered a five-step process to implementing a successful IPM plan for insect pest management.   > know what problem is; > track the problem, monitor pests and damage; > decide when to act; > select a specific IPM; > evaluate progress.   "There was a need across the state for more information. We put our brains together and came up with an event that provided greater value than a traditional turf conference," said Travis Shaddox, Ph.D., assistant professor of turfgrass science and extension specialist at UF's Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center. "We felt we could provide experiential value, looking under a microscope and going out into the field to support a lecture."  
  • For those who need a utility vehicle designed for rugged terrain and extreme conditions, John Deere offers two new additions to its Gator lineup.
      The gas-powered Gator HPX615E and the diesel-powered Gator HPX815E offer four-wheel drive as well as enhanced payload, cargo capacity, towing and overall stability.   Most notably, the cargo box features removable sides and tailgate, a one-handed, pickup style opening, and is designed to last with durable composite construction that makes it dent, rattle and rust-resistant.    The new Gators also offer more cargo volume, up to 16.3 cubic feet. And the cargo box can be transformed to a flatbed for carrying large, irregular shaped cargo.   Both new models boast new styling, 1,000-pound cargo capacity, 1,300-pound towing capacity and 1,400-pound payload capacity. Optimal weight distribution, 6-inches (152.4 mm) of ground clearance and four-wheel drive allow both the gas- and diesel-powered models to tackle most types of terrain and go places many other vehicles cannot.
  • Hazard: an unavoidable danger or risk, even though often foreseeable; something causing unavoidable danger, peril, risk, or difficulty; the absence or lack of predictability; chance; uncertainty.   According to the USGA's Rules of Golf, bunkers on golf courses are supposed to be hazards, and should be maintained as such. Golfers, on the other hand, appear to be split on that issue.   There are golfers who view hazards as the USGA does, and those who believe they should have a perfect bunker lie every time; the latter meaning the only hazard on a golf course is the cost of maintaining them.   Finding ways to reduce bunker maintenance is the easy part. Convincing some golfers of the merits of reducing the amount of labor spent maintaining hazards and redirecting it elsewhere can be another matter entirely. Since it doesn't appear that the economics of golf are going to get better anytime soon, it's always a challenge worth taking on.   According to Brad Klein of Golfweek in a story written more than a decade ago, bunker rakes were not used on golf courses, even during major championships, until the 1950s. Before that, "bunker" and "maintenance" were two words that had no business appearing in the same sentence.   Recently, the USGA Green Section published a short piece on an alternative method to bunker maintenance that minimizes the time workers spend hand raking by devoting attention only to disturbed areas, allowing superintendents to devote resources where they are needed most. Known as the Australian Method, it also all but eliminates fried egg lies and results in bunkers that are playable, but not perfect, retaining some of that original intent of penalizing golfers for hitting a wayward shot.   This raking technique produces finely raked and consistent bunker floors and smooth edges. It is something the USGA has been promoting for more than five years when it was the preferred method of bunker maintenance during the 2011 Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne in Australia.    Superintendents and their teams that have used variations of this method have used brooms, squeegees and other implements to produce the smooth outer edges. But the technique was tweaked, if not perfected, by the green staff at Pinehurst as they prepared for the U.S. Open and U.S. Women's Open, held on No. 2 in successive weeks in 2014.   Unable to produce the desired smoothness with other tools, the staff their found the look and conditions they sought simply by flipping the furrowed rakes and using the backside.   The results since include playable, but not perfect, conditions on the bunker floors and smoothed faces that only are groomed when disturbed. The infrequent maintenance time spent on those faces results in a crustiness, says the Green Section, that resists embedded fried egg lies.   The ability to produce more consistent bunker conditions while reducing maintenance costs and minimizing fried eggs is a solution any golfer should be able to support.
  • When discussing turf stressors in the Midwest, nematodes typically do not come up in conversation very often. But, it is a discussion that is becoming more common.   Don't tell that to Tim Glorioso, who has been struggling for ways to control stunt nematodes for much of his 17 years at Toledo Country Club, an 1897 Willie Park Jr. design along the Maumee River in northwestern Ohio.   "I don't think we had a problem when I got here, but when I got here, I started a heavy topdressing program," Glorioso said. "That's when it became a problem. When you have that sand layer you have created a perfect environment for nematodes."   Shortly after he started building that sand layer at Toledo, Glorioso noticed occasional signs of stress he hadn't seen before. Symptoms appeared as yellowing, stressed turf. It wasn't until about seven years ago, after talking with turf consultant Brian Mavis, that Glorioso even considered nematodes.   "It was irregular. Something was going on, but I didn't know what it was," Glorioso said.   "Brian asked if I had ever checked for nematodes, and I said nematodes? We don't have nematodes in Ohio, "   A root sample sent to the University of Massachusetts revealed otherwise.   The presence of nematodes in Ohio and other northern states isn't all that rare, says Joe Rimelspach, Ph.D., turf pathologist at Ohio State.    Factors contributing to nematodes entering the conversation on a more regular basis, he said, are the loss of some control products, and, as in the case of Toledo Country Club, misdiagnosis.   "We are seeing a lot of nematodes this summer," Rimelspach said.   "It's not abnormal to have nematodes in Ohio, but I think one of the reasons were seeing so many is because we had some really strong products in the past, like Nemacur, that we've lost."   After Oct. 6, Nemacur will be gone for good in the United States. Nemacur sales were stopped in 2008, but the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency gave turf managers until Oct. 6, 2014 to use existing stock. That deadline was extended in September 2017.   Even when he learned he had nematodes at Toledo Country Club, Glorioso struggled to control them. Turf that showed increasing signs of stress summer after summer. And he and members of his team had to return to the course every afternoon throughout the summer to hand water the weakest areas.   "We had whole areas on greens wilting," he said.    "We had to come in every afternoon and syringe them. You couldn't go a day without it. It was a train wreck."   Recently, hes tried a couple of new products - Indemnify and Divanem - and his life has gotten much easier.   "I tried different products over the years, and nothing worked," he said.    "I think I've finally found something that works."   He is still testing greens every day with a TDR meter, but hes spending less time hand watering and believes he can cut that time even more.   Now, other turf managers around the area are calling him asking for tips on nematode control.   "We've probably cut our hand watering time in half," he said. "This is my first year, so I don't know yet how far I can go. I'm still afraid. I still go check them every day. I think we can cut even more if I had the nerve to just let them go."
  • As Hurricane Irma bears down on Florida, Jacksonville-based GT AirInject Inc. plans to deliver four new Air2G2 Soil CPR machines to help renovate and restore more than 20 golf courses and sports fields in Texas in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. The machines will be delivered next week to aid in the ongoing recovery of the Texas facilities.   GT AirInject, Inc. will transport the machines to Texas on Monday, Sept. 11 for use at approximately 20 golf courses  and numerous athletic fields. Hurricane Harvey did damage to facilities at every level. Golf courses and sports fields ranging from recreation, municipal and professional facilities, all sustained damage from flooding and compaction.    The Air2G2 machine injects air into the soil profile to open pore space, increase percolation to move standing water through the soil column and help turf recover. Turf managers who have expressed interest in utilizing the Air2G2 to help recover their turf from massive flooding, particularly in the Houston and southeast Texas region will be able to do so at no cost to them at least through October. The transport from Jacksonville to the Houston area is expected to take at least 48 hours and the shipping and usage will come at no expense to the facilities.   Jeff Kadlec, owner and manager of GLK Turf Solutions in San Antonio and an Air2G2 distributor, will coordinate the effort in Texas.
  • When Dick Gray of PGA Golf Club learned that he had been named the recipient of the 2016 TurfNet Superintendent of the Year Award, presented by Syngenta, he immediately asked in jest: What's the criteria, age?   For the record, age is not among the criteria on which nominees are judged, and in Gray's case, it didn't even help, even though he was 74 when he won the honor.   TO NOMINATE SOMEONE CLICK HERE    What does matter is experience and performance in several other areas. And like so many others who have been nominated for the award during the past 17 years, that is where Gray excelled. In fact, by the time he relinquishes his title, Gray will have overseen renovations on four golf courses in four years, including one this fall, at the PGA of America-owned facility in Port St. Lucie, Florida.   In fact, the criteria for the award when Gray won have been the same since Kent McCutcheon, then of Las Vegas Paiute Resort won the inaugural Superintendent of the Year Award in Y2K: 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 you know a superintendent who excels at any combination of the above, please nominate him or her for the 2017 TurfNet Superintendent of the Year Award, presented by Syngenta.   Nominations can be submitted by colleagues, employees, general managers, golfers, club members, vendors, or anyone else who believes their candidate deserves recognition.   The nomination deadline is Nov. 30.   The winner will receive a nifty plaque and a trip for two on the TurfNet members golf trip in fall 2018 to a destination that has yet to be determined. Prior stops on the trip include a host of courses throughout Ireland, Whistling Straits and Bandon Dunes. This year's trip, scheduled for October, will be a tour of golf courses in Scotland.   Finalists will be profiled later this year on TurfNet and the winner will be announced in February at the 2018 Golf Industry Show in San Antonio.

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