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From the TurfNet NewsDesk

  • John Reitman
    At the 2016 edition of the Ohio Turfgrass Foundation Turf Research Field Day, Dave Shetlar, Ph.D., was bid a fond farewell prior to his pending retirement. At this year's event, it didn't look like much had changed for Shetlar, who was Ohio State University's turfgrass entomologist for nearly 20 years. As about 200 attendees packed the OTF facility in Columbus to hear the latest in turfgrass management research from the OSU faculty, there was Shetlar, holding a cup filled with white grubs and talking to turf managers about how to kill them.    "The retired Dave Shetlar doesn't look very retired to me," said Joe Rimelspach, Ph.D., OSU's turfgrass pathologist.   The Bug Doc, as he's affectionately known, might be retired, but, unlike the grubs he was toting around during field day at the OTF Research and Education Facility, he's still quite active.   Shetlar, 71, still is doing a lot of extension work around the state. He is teaching an online course that is continually being tweaked and that he described as so exhaustive it will give students virtually everything they need to know about any invasive turf pest found anywhere in the world. He also is in the process of revising "Destructive Turf Insects" which he co-authored in 2001 with Harry Niemczyk, Ph.D.   His annual bluegrass weevil trials in the Cleveland area are ongoing, and after a mandatory 60-day separation agreement after his retirement last spring forced him off campus temporarily, he soon will have an office on campus and trials under way at the research facility.   "I had to move work off university property for a while. But in 2018 I will be back at the research facility working on sod webworms on bentgrass, billbugs, etc.," Shetlar said.    "I'm still trying to figure out what retirement really means. I have the chance to say 'no' to some extension work when I want to, but the reality is that I will be doing exactly what I've been doing. I'll still be doing field testing, still doing conferences and shows. Right now, all retirement means is I'm not getting a paycheck from the university. I'm getting a retirement check."   In the short amount of time he has been "retired" Shetlar already has been missed, said Rimelspach.   At a recent field day for lawn care operators, "more than one person asked 'where's the Bug Doc? And where is his replacement?" Rimelspach said. "If he's not here, his replacement should be here."   Shetlar said there are no plans to replace him as the university's turf entomologist. Contraction through attrition is a disturbing trend in turfgrass academia as researchers nationwide compete for a shrinking pool of funds.   John Street, Ph.D., who has been a turfgrass professor since 1975 when he headed the OSU-Agricultural Technical Institute in Wooster, has been on the main campus in Columbus since 1980 and since then has been one of the leading voices in sports turf management research, extension and education. Although he retired in 2015, he still retains professor emeritus status and directs the educational components of OTF's annual summer field day and the conference and show held each December.   "There will not be a replacement for John Street, and there will not be a replacement for Dave Shetlar. The bottom line reality is that the extension funding line of federal and state dollars has been on the decline," Shetlar said. "And the easiest decision to make is that when those positions are vacated we just won't fill them.   "I can't tell you how many times I've submitted grant proposals to federal agencies and got top marks for it. But it isn't food. You can't eat it, so it's not going to get funded. That's been my biggest frustration, and if you talk to any other turf entomologist they're complaining about the same thing. We have ideas; we have an industry that needs our expertise. But, try to get money for it. It isn't going to happen."  
    Right now, all retirement means is I'm not getting a paycheck from the university. I'm getting a retirement check."
     
    Shetlar came to Ohio State in 1990. Before that, he was a professor at Penn State and spent six years as a research scientist in the private sector for ChemLawn (now TruGreen).   In that time, he's helped countless golf course superintendents, sports field managers, lawn and landscape professionals and residential homeowners find solutions to their insect pest problems.   Fortunately for turf students, turf managers and homeowners throughout Ohio and elsewhere, he hasn't lost his zeal for sharing his knowledge about bugs in turf.   He is working with Purdue entomologist Doug Richmond, Ph.D., to revise "Destructive Turf Insects" and the online course he teaches - Entomology 5608-Turfgrass Insect and Mite Pests: Identification, Biology and Management - include 28 modules that cover virtually every turf pest on the planet, how to control them, and how to get the most out of insecticides and biological controls.   "Anyone who takes that course should have everything that they would ever need," he said. "It actually has more information than my book."   He also is developing a virtual pest tour that he hopes will be ready for students next spring. That module will present students with different problems at different locations during different times of the year and will prompt them to make recommendations for control based on their observations.   "The idea," he said, "is to get people thinking about different things that they need to be doing."    That's pretty innovative thinking for someone who is retired - or at least is supposed to be.
  • This year's Solheim Cup highlighted much of what is good about golf.   The hybrid course fashioned from 36-hole Des Moines Golf and Country Club was immaculate thanks to Rick Tegtmeier, CGCS, and his crew, who have been preparing for the event for much of the past five years. Tegtmeier also received a lot of help during the week of the event from dozens of volunteers from throughout state and the surrounding region, most of whom had previous ties to Iowa or Tegtmeier or both. Galleries turned out in record-setting numbers, and the state of Iowa, which isn't a familiar stop on the golf major trail, showed that it was more than capable of grabbing the spotlight on the game's biggest stage.   The event also shed light on some of the things that are wrong with golf. At the top of that list is the obvious fact that those who don't live every day in the turf world have no idea what takes place behind the scenes to ensure such an event goes off without a hitch.   Remember the Staples Easy Button? Regardless of how many "Thank a superintendent" ads the GCSAA cranks out on weekends, there are many people who believe pressing that button is all that is required to provide championship conditions, even for a high-profile event like the Solheim Cup.   That was never more evident than when a single irrigation head malfunctioned for no apparent reason, delaying a final-day match between Paula Creamer and Georgia Hall for all of three minutes. Tegtmeier's team was on top of the situation, and lickety-split the sprinkler was shut down, any excess water was squeegeed off and play resumed. No harm, no foul.   The incident falls under the category of stuff happens. Unexpected blips like this occur in every industry every day. The story isn't that these things happen. What is important is how those involved recover afterward.    Did it affect the match, won by Creamer, 1-up? Not likely.   Did it affect the outcome of the contest, won by the U.S., 16.5-11.5? Not a chance.   Things happen. It was fixed. Play resumed. End of story.   So, when reporters seized sprinkler-gate as a story opportunity, it's no wonder Tegtmeier, who spent nearly every day for the past five years preparing for the event, was, in a word, frustrated.   One media outlet even went so far as to say that the green would have flooded under the pressure of three minutes of water from a single head if not for the heroic efforts of a rules official who tried to stand on the sprinkler. Even the PGA of America climbed on the sprinkler-gate bandwagon.   Flooding?    After 3 minutes of water?   On a new, tournament-ready green?   Seriously?   One member of the media went so far as to point out his position in relation to the sprinkler, making the story not about how the mishap affected play, but how it affected him.   As Mark Twain once said: "It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt."   Tegtmeier hinted that a better storyline might be how the club staged what by all accounts was a successful event after five years of preparation that included dozens of people from multiple.    In all fairness, the local paper did a short feature on tournament prep, but spent more verbiage on the threat of rain and who at the LPGA was really calling the shots than any of the nuances of DMGCC or those who worked to make sure the best women golfers from the U.S. and Europe had a venue worthy of a Solheim Cup.   "That's not much of a story," was the abridged version of the response Tegtmeier received.   Therein lies the problem.     Media outlets were abuzz after the event about record attendance, record merchandise sales, and how city and state organizers came together to host an event that made Iowa and the Des Moines area, which never have held a U.S. Open, PGA Championship or Ryder Cup, look like veterans of major championship golf. For the record, the nearby Wakonda Club does a great job every year as the host site of the Champions Tour's Principal Charity Classic and DMGCC was the site of the 1999 U.S. Senior Open, but the area has never before been part of anything of this scale.   Civic pride? News.   Concerts? News.   Sprinkler malfunction? News.   Reporter standing near said sprinkler? News.   How to set up the venue on which the event is played? Sorry, nothing to see here.   The topic of turf management always has carried the stigma of being "too inside baseball" for the average media consumer, and evidently the average media outlet. Those outside the business don't care about grass as long as it is green. When playing conditions are less than perfect, even for 3 minutes, everyone wants a scapegoat.   If members of the media really want to know what is involved in preparing for a golf tournament, invite them to find out for themselves. If they want access to the superintendent, for good stories, or bad, they can be at the maintenance facility at 4 a.m. during tournament week like everyone else. See it, live it, learn it, understand it. Otherwise, keep your questions and comments to yourself.  
  • In the ongoing struggle to control white grubs in golf course turf, research conducted at Purdue University indicates that granular and liquid formulations of some biological controls can be effective tools in a turfgrass manager's arsenal.   Doug Richmond, Ph.D., associate professor of turfgrass entomology at Purdue, and Robert Behle, Ph.D., research entomologist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, recently completed a three-year study showing that liquid or granular formulations of a common biological control were effective at killing Japanese beetles, June beetles, masked chafers throughout various life stages.   The researchers used a USDA method, known as liquid culture fermentation, to mass produce Metarhizium fungi and convert them into granular form that is applied to the soil. According to Richmond and Behle, liquid and granular formulations of Metarhizium fungi made with microsclerotia that are capable of producing infective conidia after application to the field can be more effective than commercial grade biologicals at controlling grubs depending on the life stage of the pest.   Beetles were collected at three stages of the lifecycle and placed in cups where they were exposed to varied rates of commercial grade biologicals, granules made from microsclerotia and imidacloprid.   Control of biological products ranged from 20 percent in the larval stage early in the season to almost 70 percent in third instar grubs in late summer or early fall. By comparison, imidacloprid controlled virtually all grubs in the larval stage, but control was similar to that shown by biological products at the third instar level.   The project, which was conducted on Kentucky bluegrass turf in West Lafayette, Indiana, was funded by a grant from the U.S. Golf Association.   Researchers were not recommending biologicals as a replacement for tools like imidacloprid, but rather as part of an integrated pest management plan.  
  • In the high-stakes game of major championship golf, Rick Tegtmeier, CGCS, never has been a player. But if he didn't put a chip onto the table at least once in his career, Tegtmeier didn't want to spend the rest of his life asking himself "what if?"   In his one trip to the table, Tegtmeier hit the mother lode, delivering to the LPGA a golf course that was in nearly flawless condition and provided a stern test of player skill in what many are calling one of the best Solheim Cup championships ever played.   "When the opportunity came, it scared the (expletive deleted) out of me," said Tegtmeier, director of grounds at Des Moines Golf and Country Club, in West Des Moines, Iowa.   "It's always something I wanted to do. I thought to myself 'can Rick Tegtmeier do this?' I've had a lot of sleepless nights wondering if I could pull this off."   Turns out, Tegtmeier was worried over nothing. And that is because he has 36 freshly renovated holes and what he called a "rock star" team that planned for every possible contingency.   That team included North and South course superintendents Nate Tegtmeier and Tim Sims, respectively, DMGCC's staff of about 45 and dozens of volunteers from golf courses around Iowa and throughout the region, many of whom had Iowa ties.   One of the most important jobs of the week was blowing clippings from fairways after a fleet of borrowed fairway mowers arrived sans buckets.   In that group was Doug Krantz, general manager of D&K Products, a Des Moines-based supplier of turfcare products.  
    It's always something I wanted to do. . . . I've had a lot of sleepless nights wondering if I could pull this off."
     
    Krantz, according to his Apple Watch, walked 87 miles throughout the week - just blowing clippings.    Aaron Porter also logged some time with a backpack blower. The superintendent at Fargo Country Club in North Dakota, Porter also is a former North Course superintendent at Des Moines Golf and Country Club.   "Rick, Nate, and Tim have a finely tuned machine, as it always was," Porter said.   "(They) and the rest of the crew deserve all the credit on this one. They deserve to be proud as the course, the amenities, and the food they served us all week were first class. "There is no doubt in my mind that Rick Tegtmeier is one of the best in the game."   Tegtmeier wanted to ensure that the event helped shine a spotlight on his colleagues as well as his staff.   "I really wanted this to be an Iowa pride event," said Tegtmeier. "Iowa guys really don't get a chance to do majors, or big golf tournaments. To have something like that here and have so many guys from Iowa volunteer; that was way cool."   Mission accomplished.   The Solheim Cup was played on DMGCC's original 18 holes, which comprises a hybrid mix of holes from the club's recently renovated North and South courses. Beginning in 2013, the club closed and refurbished nine holes per year after a master plan developed by Pete Dye and Tim Liddy. The renovations were announced before the club secured the Solheim Cup.   "People think we did this for the Solheim Cup. We did this for our membership," Tegtmeier said.    "It was tough on the crew, Tim and Nate through the whole thing. And, it was tough on the membership to close nine holes a year for four years.    "The Solheim Cup is three days. What we did for the members is for a lifetime."     That doesn't mean the LPGA and the U.S. and European teams didn't benefit from Dye and Liddy's handiwork. They certainly did.   Attendance of 124,464 at the event, won by the U.S. team 16.5-11.5, set a new Solheim Cup record. Merchandise sales and infrastructure build out - concessions and souvenir tents, hospitality pavilions, grandstands - also established new LPGA records. That, according to the LPGA, included 250,000 square feet of flooring, 200,000 square feet of structure, bleacher seats to accomodate 1,200 people, 1 mile of fence and 1.5 miles of railing. The 7.3 million people who watched at home on TV, according to the Golf Channel, were the most since the 2014 U.S. Women's Open at Pinehurst No. 2.   The LPGA tweeted after the event: "Thank you, Des Moines/West Des Moines and the state of Iowa. You delivered!"   None delivered more than Tegtmeier's army of staff and volunteers that included Doug Ruffridge, Fargo's Porter and Steve Cook, the host superintendent of the 2004 Ryder Cup Matches and 2008 PGA Championship at Oakland Hills Country Club in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.  
    He drove up here every day and was always on time. It wrenches your heart that these guys are there for you."
     
    Andy Johnson, an assistant under Tegtmeier during their days together at Elmcrest Country Club in Cedar Rapids who is now out of the industry, took a week off from his job at a Seattle-area hospital to help his former boss.   Ruffridge, a retired superintendent from a nine-hole facility in Pocahontas, Iowa, drove 140 miles one way from Sunday to Sunday to be part of the event.   "He drove up here every day and was always on time," Tegtmeier said. "It wrenches your heart that these guys are there for you."   For the past nine years, Porter has been the superintendent at Fargo Country Club in North Dakota. Before that, he was the North Course superintendent at DMGCC under Tegtmeier from 2001 to 2008. He and his 11-year-old son, Roman, worked the event for six days, mowing fairways and blowing clippings. The trip back to DMGCC was a welcome homecoming.   "I put more work and time into DMGCC than any other course I've been at now just next to my current job of nine years at FCC," Porter said. "I wanted to see the changes to the course with the renovation, and I wanted to experience working on the other end of the spectrum of setting up a major tournament where I can watch and absorb everything that goes into it. "It has always been a goal to host an event at a high level and to experience it for the first time at DMGCC was priceless."  
  • This isn't your grandfather's weed handbook. In fact, at 136 pages, Purdue University's Turfgrass Weed Control for Professionals might be best described as the mother of all weed guides.   This newly expanded guide provides weed identification and control information that turfgrass professionals can use to develop effective weed control programs for golf courses, athletic fields, sod farms, lawns, and other turfgrass systems.    Updated annually since its inaugural printing in 2012, the guide identifies a total of 105 weeds and contains more than 300 color images. It is available in hard copy for $20 or as a download for $12.   Authored by Purdue's Aaron Patton, Ph.D., and Dan Weisenberger, the guide also includes input from scientists in several other states, including Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, Ohio and Wisconsin.   For each weed, the guide includes the scientific name and characteristics such as growth type, detailed physical description, habitat and favorable growth conditions, control options and similar weed types.   Other additions new to this year's edition include: a chart describing the label notes of postemergence crabgrass herbicides based on growth stage, modifications to the weed control efficacy tables. recommendations on herbicides for use on buffalograss as well as new information on herbicides and plant growth regulators.
  • Today would have been Griffin Engle's 10th birthday. Instead of helping him celebrate a milestone, dozens of his friends and family members will gather at Plank Road Park in Brewerton, New York, where Griffin played soccer so they can trade stories, cry on each other's shoulders, have a little fun and tell one another about how they were fortunate to know the fun-loving boy, who died three years ago after losing a brief fight with pediatric cancer.
      "My wife and I have a celebration at the park and soccer field where he played," said Adam Engle, Griffin's dad and the superintendent at Lake Shore Yacht and Country Club in Cicero, New York. "Friends and family get together and we all celebrate Griff."   Griffin Engle's story, and that of his family, is a complicated tale woven with immense tragedy, bravery, loss, heartache and an overwhelming desire to help others traveling a similar path.   The middle of the Adam and Erin Engle's three children, Griffin was diagnosed with stage 4 glioblastoma multiforme, an aggressive form of brain cancer, shortly after his sixth birthday in 2013. He underwent surgery and a series of radiation and chemotherapy treatments to no avail. He died Sept. 12, 2014, just 25 days after he turned 7. Since then, his family has worked tirelessly through Griffin's Guardians, a 501c3 foundation they established in his memory, to help others who are experiencing similar situations.   The foundation, which is supported through a series of annual fundraising events, provides support and financial help to families of children in central New York who are fighting cancer.   Their effort is a true family affair.  
    Griffin Engle's story, and that of his family, is a complicated tale woven with immense tragedy, bravery, loss, heartache and an overwhelming desire to help others traveling a similar path.
      Erin is instrumental in the day-to-day management of the foundation. Griffin's siblings Grace, now 12, and son Everett, 5, help out, as do grandmothers Rita Griffin and Judy Engle.   Financial help to families comes in the way of assistance with bills or helping to pay for personal items for families of children going through prolonged stays at the State University of New York Upstate Golisano Children's Hospital in Syracuse.   Since 2016, the foundation helped 77 families at Golisano.   "When we were going through this, everywhere we looked someone was supporting us," Erin Engle said. "We knew others didn't have it as good as we did.   "After Griff passed away, I told the kids we have to do something good with this and help other people. They agreed and were on board."   The foundation has taken on many forms.   Every time Griffin visited Golisano, he went to the hospital's reading room for a new book. Today, Griffin's maternal grandmother, Rita Griffin, manages a book drive that continues throughout the year to provide the hospital's eager readers with a perpetual supply of new books. Paternal grandmother Judy Engle heads an effort that provides patients with personalized pillowcases.   When a child is admitted into the hospital, each receives a unique, kid-themed pillowcase.   "It's so simple," Erin Engle said. "But it makes the hospital a little less scary and more like home."     Patients and parents aren't the only ones who struggle when a child has cancer. Watching a brother or sister go through cancer can be difficult for siblings, too.   Started by Griffin's big sister, Grace's Sibling Sunshine provides brothers and sisters of patients with a gift to remind them they are strong and brave, as well.   Erin Griffin personally interviews each family that seeks help. During one interview process, Grace asked her mom whether the patient had a brother or sister, because this affects them, too.   "I had sort of shrugged it off, but she's right," Erin said.   "She shops for them for a gift specific to their likes to let them know they are strong and brave, too. She justs wants them to know what they are going through is hard and she is thinking of them."   Radiation treatments for glioblastoma multiforme are very site-specific, so it is important that patients remain absolutely still during the process. Anyone who has children knows what a challenge that can be during the easiest of times, much less something stressful like radiation treatment. To keep patients from moving during the process, they are fitted with a mask that covers their head and shoulders, essentially pinning them down so they cannot move.   "It's terrifying for a child," Adam Engle said. "The only other option is to put them out. Then they're their all day. But if they can put the mask on and relax, it's over in a half-hour. But it's hard to get a kid to do that."   In Griffin's case, preparing for a month's worth of these procedures meant meditating with his mother, which gave him strength to endure the procedure. To help others through the process, a local artist paints the masks with images of superheroes and princesses.  
    When we were going through this, everywhere we looked someone was supporting us. We knew others didn't have it as good as we did."
     
    Helping others has helped the Engles as they continue through what doubtlessly will be a lifetime of mourning that comes with losing a 7 year old. It's a process that Adam has described as "a daily hell."   "I don't know how to explain it. It's so bad and so sad."   Those same emotions are what drive Erin to help others.   "For me, being able to lessen anyone's financial burden has been huge," Erin said. "Helping us carry on Griff's legacy and continue the way he lived his life is rewarding in itself.   "I've walked this path that others are just starting."   Griffin first showed signs that something wasn't right on his sixth birthday. That's when he began dropping things and complaining of headaches. His party was planned for the following day at Plank Road Park, but that was delayed in lieu of a visit to the doctor. By the time his seventh birthday party took place at the park, Griffin's condition was much more grave.    "As hard as it was for us, we are adults," Erin said. "But 6- and 7-year-olds don't understand what's going on. They don't know anything about cancer except that their friend has it and he is very sick. We thought it was important for them all to be together one last time."   Less than a month later, Griffin was gone.   Even before Griffin was sick, one of his favorite sayings, his mother said, was "It's a great day to be alive."   In retrospect, it was profound, especially for someone so young.   Thanks to the ongoing efforts of his family, other child cancer patients and their families in the Syracuse area now carry a similar message of hope.   "He said that all the time, and that's just another glimpse into our little guy. What other 5-year-old says that?" Erin said.    "That Griff touched so many lives even though he was alive just seven short years, that speaks volumes. He continues to touch lives today, and I'm honored to be his mom."  
  • Customers spoke, and Club Car listened.
     
    For operators who need to carry a lot of equipment from Points A to B, Club Car has introduced two new van box systems that can carry a lot of equipment in a secured container. based on commercial customer and dealer feedback. The boxes address problems such as damaged panels and corners, water intrusion and security.
     
    One system is designed specifically to fit Carryall 500 work utility vehicle, the other is designed for Carryall 700 work utility vehicles. This larger box features three lockable double doors, one set on each side and one set on the rear.   
     
    Each is made of rustproof, powder-coated aluminum.
     
    The boxes look similar to traditional van boxes, but come packed with standard features that include interior LED lighting for greater visibility, bolt-on panels that allow for easy replacement in the event of damage, reinforced corners that increase durability in commercial applications, no windows, which eliminates leaking and improves cargo security, magnetic catches on unlatched doors for easy opening and closing, especially on inclines.
     
    Each comes standard in white or gray, and several other optional colors are available.
    The boxes come standard in white or gray.
     
    Optional shelves increase the usable area within the van boxes and are ideal for parcels or supplies. The Carryall 500 shelf supports 75 pounds, while the 700 series version can support 150 pounds. The boxes are available pre-assembled.
     
    Brake and backup light systems are available for the street-legal versions of the 500 and 700 series vehicles.
     
  • Controlling pink or gray snow mold might not be a topic that is top of mind in August, but maybe it should be, according to the Green Solutions Team at Bayer.   "While August seems very early to be thinking about snow mold, for golf courses in the far northern tier of the country and the Rocky Mountain region, permanent snow cover can occur as early as October," said Rob Golembiewski, Ph.D., of Bayer's Green Solutions Team. "Add to the fact that snow mold sclerotia germinate in the fall when temperatures are between 50-65 degrees (Fahrenheit) yielding spores and mycelium that cause new infections, preventative fungicide applications are commonly initiated in late August/early September to maximize control in the spring."   Just like a pilot in the cockpit of a plane, there is a pre-flight checklist for snow mold control, and it's better to go over it sooner rather than later.   That list includes checking sprayer nozzle calibration and coverage, consider an early fungicide application, protect young turf and compromised turf, use multiple active ingredients, reapply after heavy rains.   Snow molds can affect any cool-season turf, but creeping bentgrass and annual bluegrass are more susceptible than other cultivars, like Kentucky bluegrass, perennial ryegrass and fescues, Golembiewski says.   He recommends fungicide applications, either a DMI or dicarboxamide, every two to four weeks until a final app is made when top growth has stopped and prior to permanent snow cover. The number of active ingredients. That last application, Golembiewski says, should be a tank mix of multiple chemistries depending on historic local conditions.   Care should be taken for new turf, which can be especially susceptible to disease because of high fertility rates, areas under stress. That includes areas that shaded, drain poorly, are compacted or are subject to high stress, and might also mean implementing cultural practices to simultaneously promote drainage, air exchange and healing.   Controlling that and avoiding late-season fertility applications in established turf can help make turf less susceptible to damage throughout the winter..   "Shaded areas, compacted clean-up and traffic areas, under-fertilized, and otherwise somewhat compromised areas may be more susceptible to snow molds," Golembiewski said. "To protect these susceptible areas, implement cultural practices to mitigate stress and ensure a good fungicide program is in place to maximize control."   For those not concerned with snow mold, Bayer's Zac Reicher and Laurence Mudge also offered late-season tips for controlling annual bluegrass in warm-season turf.   Annual bluegrass seed germinates in late summer or early fall, or when soil temperatures fall below about 70 degrees, according to Jim Beard's research. That also coincides with the prime growing season for warm-season grasses winding down in many areas. Germination can continue throughout the winter months. Because a single plant is capable of producing up 6,000 seeds, seed management is a critical component of controlling annual bluegrass.     Among the tips offered by Bayer include a preventive fungicide application prior to seed germination. Some active ingredients can damage newly established warm-season turf, so it is important to check labels before making any applications.   Other tips include managing fertility, raising height of cut, regular aerification to mitigate soil compaction and moisture management.   Regular aerification in spring and fall also is important, however, fall coring actually can help spread annual bluegrass seed.   "It makes more sense to pull cores in late spring or summer when annual bluegrass is not germinating," Reicher says. "That's a tough task to schedule during periods of high golf, high water use, and significant turfgrass stress."   He offers solid or needle tine aerification as an alternative.   Raising height of cut, even just a little, he said, also will promote the desired turf.  
  • The list of the winners of the Open Championship at Carnoustie Golf Links reads like a who's who of golf. When the winner of next year's tournament hoists the claret jug, he'll join the likes of Tommy Armour, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Tom Watson, Paul Lawrie and Padraig Harrington, all of whom were crowned Champion Golfer of the Year after winning at Carnoustie.   The old school course that has been herding through thousands of players a year since 1850 is going high tech to keep pace of play moving.   Tagmarshal is a geo-tagging system that communicates each group's position on the course and allows operators to monitor and manage pace of play and enhance the golfer experience.   Time is one of several barriers that people cite as preventing them from playing more golf or playing at all. How serious of a problem is pace of play?   According to Golfweek, the average time to play 18 holes at a U.S. course is four hours.    More than 60 percent of respondents in a recent survey of more than 50,000 golfers in 100-plus countries indicated that it takes too long to play a round of golf, and 53 percent said time away from work and/or family prevents them from playing golf more often.   In an era where more courses close than open, Tagmarshal provides an opportunity to keep play moving and improve the golfer experience.    "The Tagmarshal system is only being trialed at the moment as our head PGA professional wants to see if it is a system that can add value to our operations," said Sandy Reid, superintendent at Carnoustie.   The system shows operators, either on computer, tablet or phone each group's position on the course, and assigns a color to each group in relation to time goals. Green is good, orange is slow, but delayed by the group ahead, and red signifies a group that is behind and needs attention. The system also shows the position of rangers on the course and tracks their whereabouts throughout the day to ensure they are spending their time where needed to keep play moving.   The system alerts operators when groups are falling behind and where they are on the golf course in real time. It also provides data on rounds time per month, average round times per day and average time per hole as well as a map of all activity on the golf course.   A course in Michigan said it has improved pace of play by 15 minutes in just two months. At Erin Hills, site of this year's U.S. Open, head pro Jim Lombardo says the system has helped reduce pace of play by 10 minutes.    Pushing groups through 10-15 minutes faster than before could translate into extra rounds and revenue and priceless positive PR.   "Pace of play is obviously one thing we are looking for it to help with but not necessarily because it is a big issue," Carnoustie's Reid said. "We currently have course rangers to assist with slow play but their effectiveness is perhaps not as good as one would hope.    "The thought would be that if we purchased the Tagmarshal System then we could cease with our course rangers and instead have one of our concierge team go out on course to chase on a slow group if a they hadn't reacted to warnings from the system."   Developed and headquartered in South Africa, the Tagmarshal system is being used at some of the world's top facilities, Erin Hills, Kiawah Island, East Lake, Valhalla and Ballybunion in Ireland.   Geo-fencing, set-up and training takes about three weeks.   About the size of a matchbox, tags are rechargeable, and only one player or caddie per group need carry a tracking tag, which can be attached discreetly to a golf bag. Individual golf cars also can be tagged for monitoring.  
  • We're big fans of Joe Rimelspach, Ph.D., and Todd Hicks of the Ohio State University turf pathology department.   Aside from being pretty nice guys, they also produce a regular series of video Turf Tips for the Ohio Turfgrass Foundation detailing the latest turf conditions throughout Ohio and the Midwest region.   Although it has been a relatively cool summer in Columbus and beyond, that doesn't mean golf course superintendents experiencing benign conditions are out of the woods.   "Dollar spot is raging, as usual," Hicks said.   "Without the high temperatures we normally get this time of year, it's just not getting to that dormant mode. It keeps gnawing away."   Dollar spot also is affecting roughs and bunker surrounds, said Rimelspach, whose lab at Ohio State has been flooded with emails and phone calls about stressed, dead or dying turf.   "I've never seen dollar spot so aggressive and so widespread on high-cut grass," he said.    Even diseases like brown patch are lingering through the cool summer, according to Hicks.   "A lot of that is due to the humidity thing I was talking about," he said. "Remember, when humidity gets high and the temperatures are low, disease will still appear, or stick around."   Rimelspach says although many of the problems he is seeing are related to disease, others are due to flooding in July or irrigation system failures.   Hicks recommends regular fungicide applications but backing off cultural practices during times of summer-related stress - even during a cool summer.   "The one thing you don't want to do is push too hard too fast, and do too many thing agronomically," Hicks said. "Joe's getting a lot of calls, I'm getting a lot of calls and a lot of pictures of just brown grass. A lot of it is due to grass just giving up and going away this time of year. Other things are happening because guys are doing a little too much, being a little too aggressive and the turf just not holding up and they're failing.   "Keep that foot on the gas fungicide wise as always, maybe back off what you're doing agronomically and watch what you're doing to get us into the fall and get us to sleep."  

  • Test of strength

    By John Reitman, in News,

    In many ways, Sophia Vinzenz is a lot like most children her age.   Growing up in smalltown Kearney, Nebraska, 3.5-year-old Sophia likes to go to the park and the petting zoo and play with her friends. Those are good things.   In other ways, Sophia is totally unique among her peers.   She likes going to the doctor. After all, she's seen a lot of them. That's not a good thing.   Diagnosed at 21 months of age with stage 4 neuroblastoma, a cruel form of cancer that attacks the nervous system primarily in young children, Sophia has endured things no child should go through. So have her mother, Jazmin, and father, Jeremy, the superintendent of Wood River Golf Course.   While Sophia endured round after round of chemotherapy and radiation, surgery and stem cell transplants, her parents suffered through tremendous hardship, as well, most of which has centered on the unknown and wondering whether their daughter would see her second birthday.   "When the doctor told us it was cancer, the first thing we asked was how much longer did she have to live," Jazmin said. "All we knew about cancer was people dying, then the doctor said it was curable. It was a roller coaster. It was one good day, then one bad day."   Lately, there have been more good days than bad. After a year-and-a-half of treatments and driving 2.5 hours one way to get to them, Sophia, who will celebrate her fourth birthday on Oct. 28, was declared cancer free in January.   "We're in a good spot right now," said Jeremy. "There's always the chance it could come back.   "She's happy and healthy now. We'll take what we can get."   There wasn't always cause for such optimism in the Vinzenz home.   Their life of ups and downs all started with a bump that appeared on Sophia's neck in June 2015. Mom and dad dismissed it as a bug bite, or something equally benign. Sophia's doctor was a bit more concerned.   "They measured it and told us if it gets bigger to come back right away," Jazmin said.    Three weeks later, a CAT scan during a follow-up visit revealed more, and they were referred to Children's Hospital and Medical Center in Omaha, 2.5 hours away. There, Sophia underwent another CAT scan, an ultrasound and a biopsy confirmed their worst fears.   Predictably, their emotions ran the gamut.   "At first, I blamed God, wondering why would he do this to a kid," Jazmin said.    "Later, I accepted it and realized we had to have faith that she would get better. But it was still difficult, because it's your child and you feel helpless. As parents, all we could do was hold her and tell her everything was going to be alright."   The next year-and-a-half meant a lot of visits to the doctor. A stem cell transplant sapped Sophia of any energy, and kept her virtually bedridden in Omaha for nearly a month. She had to remain in Omaha for an additional three weeks as a precautionary measure.    "She did great. She was always laughing and happy," Jeremy said."The stem cell transplant was hard on her, but through the chemo she was always happy."   At one point, her treatment and recovery plan included driving 2.5 hours each way to the children's hospital in Omaha - every day for five weeks.   That caused some undue stress at home.   Jazmin had been enrolled in classes at Central Community College in Hastings to become a dental hygienist. After Sophia's diagnosis, she had to drop out to take care of her daughter.   Meanwhile, Jeremy, who was Ryan Smith's assistant at Gibbon Valley View Golf Course when Sophia was diagnosed, had just been named the head superintendent at municipal Wood River during the winter offseason, and the long drives back and forth to Omaha eventually fell on his wife's shoulders.   "I went to the first few (visits in Omaha), but I had just started a new job and nothing was getting done on the golf course," Jeremy said.    "My wife wasn't very happy. The new job was tough on our family situation. It had been a dream of mine for 10 years to be a superintendent, so when the opportunity came up I had to take it. I don't have a college education and I only have a few years of experience. I knew this opportunity wasn't going to come up again for a while."   In January, less barely two months after her third birthday, Sophia was given a clean slate.   Fortunately, her age prevents her from remembering too much about her experience. For her parents, however, the lessons remain fresh in their minds.   "We don't take our time together for granted. We don't know how much time we have with her, or something could happen to one of us," she said. "It's definitely brought us closer."   Jeremy echoed those sentiments.   "We were good at taking things for granted. We don't do that anymore," he said. "You expect things to always go right because you try to live right and be a good person. Even if you do that, bad things can still happen."   A few good things can happen, as well.  
  • Don't look now, but players might actually be having some fun this week at the PGA Championship. After 99 years, it's about time.   In a century-old break with tradition, players were allowed to wear shorts during practice rounds, Rickie Fowler and Rory McIlroy hosted hosted an impromptu Q&A session for hundreds of junior players and Justin Bieber was caught on social media inside the ropes hanging out with golfers.   PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan deserves some credit for trying to make the game more appealing to a younger generation of potential players. The question is, how many of them are paying attention to even notice?   Although such things might make Old Tom Morris spin in his grave, golf needs to show that even at its highest level it is still a game that has to be fun - even for the best players in the world.   There is no denying that golf is a game of tradition. There is some good and bad that comes with that label.   The game is built on values such as sportsmanship, honesty and integrity. In fact, those are just three of the nine values The First Tee tries to impart on kids when introducing the game to them. The others are respect, confidence, judgment, perseverance, responsibility and courtesy.   Those are some positive unwritten rules that, for the most part, help players self-govern the game.   Golf also is a game in trouble, and many of its other unwritten rules are perceived as a barrier to entry by those it so desperately needs if it is to survive in the future.   As an avid golfer who also brokers deals between golf course owners and prospective buyers, Larry Hirsh spends a lot of time on the links.   The principal of Golf Property Analysts, Hirsh sees what is good about the game, and what is not so good, and he believes there are a lot of areas where the game can change if it those with a vested interest in its future want to attract new players whose only exposure to the game is what they see on TV.   "I think golf has some big, fundamental problems as it relates to the younger generation," Hirsh said. "I like to say my daughter is the poster child for why golf is struggling. She's 23 years old, she's athletic, she has a father and two brothers who play golf, and she doesn't want anything to do with it. And the reason she doesn't want anything to do with it is there are too many rules. They tell her what she can't wear. They tell her she can't use her cell phone. You can't have fun. I think a lot of millennials see that kind of stuffiness that is projected when you turn on the Masters or the U.S. Open."   The number of golfers in the game dropped from 22 million to 21 million in 2015, a steady trend that been reflected every year since 2002 when nearly 30 million people played the game. Of the million or so people who dropped out in 2015, a total of 700,000 of those losses were among players between the ages of 7 and 34, and a half-million were women. The game also is turn off for minorities.   The game, according to Stuart Lindsay of Edgehill Golf Advisors, says the game is reverting to its roots, whether anyone likes it or not.     "Until the late 1950s, early 1960s, golf was a cult sport played by rich, old white guys and some of their wives," Lindsay said. "Until then, that's what golf was since the late 1800s when the USGA was founded.   "Golf is going back to what golf has always been. There was a 40-year period where we tried to make it into something else."   It doesn't have to be that way, says Lindsay, who agrees that TV golf paints an ugly portrait of the game in more ways than one.   "The messages golf sends out aren't the right message," he said. "And people are running."   As a consultant to golf course owners around the country, Lindsay is a proponent of match play and credits it with converting him from someone who plays a dozen rounds a year to as many as 70 rounds a year.   "If I go out to play stroke play and get an 8 on the first hole, how invested am I going to be in that round?" he asked. "If I'm playing match play, I'm only 1 down and move on to the next hole.   "We're missing the boat."   "The reason we don't see match play is because it's bad TV. The PGA Tour wants to show you 70 players, instead of four."   Lindsay points to efforts like the Golf Board and Top Golf that reflect the desire for social interaction among other demographics that the golf industry wants to target. He also points to other sports competing directly with golf for participation.   His son, Jackson, grew up playing junior golf. Like so many, he eventually drifted away from the game to participate in other sports, including baseball and later bicycling.   Cycling, says Lindsay, has a lot in common with golf.   Good equipment is expensive, the clothes are ugly and there are a lot of traditional rules (of the road) that govern the sport that millenials enjoy breaking.   "Part of the enjoyment for them is seeing how many people they can piss off and running every stop sign," Lindsay said.    "My son says golf is expensive, but owns a $5,000 bike. And the irony is, they will ride in groups 30 miles out and 30 miles back. And how long does that take to complete? About four hours. What does that tell you? It tells you millenials are voting with their wallets to spend their time in other ways.   "We're beating our heads against a wall trying to attract people who aren't interested in the sport."   So, will Bieber, Rory, Rickie and shorts have an impact?   "Maybe. If any millenials are even watching," said Lindsay.   "The problem is, these groups aren't being exposed to the game in the right way and things that make people play more golf. We're killing it one day at a time."  
  • To say it has been a wet summer in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic would be an understatement.   In July alone, up to 7.75 inches of rain were recorded in the Chicago area. Pittsburgh received nearly 7 inches for the month, and parts of Ohio recorded as much as 11 inches of precipitation.   So much for fast and firm.   Alternating periods of hot and cool temperatures along with copious amounts of rain followed by periods of dry weather have made for a fertile environment for annual summer weeds, like crabgrass, according to researchers at Michigan State University.   Annual summer weeds, like crabgrass, thrive in an environment where temperatures are 80 degrees or higher. Those conditions also are when low-mowed cool-season turf is at its weakest, says Aaron Hathaway, a research assistant at Michigan State under professor Kevin Frank, Ph.D.   Although there are several pre-emergent crabgrass control tools that are effective, such as prodiamine, bensulide, dithiopyr and pendimethalin, post-emergent control is a periodic necessity.   There are several options for post-emergent crabgrass control, but two stand out, says Hathaway.   Quinclorac and fenoxaprop-ethyl are effect for post-emergent crabgrass control, and there are properties unique to each.   Quinclorac is effective in controlling crabgrass is small - in the one-to-three tiller stage - or when it is what Hathaway called gorilla-sized - four or more tillers. Likewise, it is effective when used alone at controlling some broadleaf weeds, including clover and dandelions, and it can be tank-mixed with methylchlorophenoxypropionic acid (MCPP) and 2,4-D to enhance control of other broadleaf weeds. The addition of methylated seed oil also can improve efficacy. Quinclorac also is safe for use in new cool-season turf seedlings    Fenoxaprop-ethyl also is effective at post-emergent control of crabgrass at any growth stage - new or gorilla-sized. It is more effective than quinclorac at controlling goosegrass. When used alone it does not provide control of broadleaf weeds and thus should not be tank-mixed with phenoxy herbicides. The addition of a non-ionic surfactant, however, can improve efficacy.   Other post-emergent crabgrass control options, Hathaway says, include mesotrione, topramezone.
  • When the golf course superintendent's position at Findlay Country Club in Ohio became vacant earlier this year, Brian Heydinger thought it was as good a time as any to come home. In many respects it was if Heydinger, who had worked at the club years ago, had never left.   Heydinger, a former assistant superintendent at FCC from 1998 to 2005, succeeded Dan Koops as head greenkeeper May 23 after spending the past 12 years in the same position at Stone Ridge Golf Club in Bowling Green. Almost immediately, Heydinger was confronted by a challenging situation that proved to the club's members that they had picked the right man for the job.   "The primary quality in Brian that we saw was his leadership ability," said Chad Bain, Findlay Country Club's director of golf, membership and marketing. "He led a very good team at Stone Ridge, and the team here has really responded to him."   Starting a new job in the middle of the golf season can be a challenge for any superintendent. Throw in catastrophic flooding less than two months on the job and that can be a recipe for disaster for almost anyone.   In the early morning hours of July 13, torrential rains fell throughout much of northwest Ohio, including 4.25 inches in just a few hours at FCC and 11 inches in 14 days. Flash flooding in creeks throughout the area caused problems on several nearby tracks, most of which receded throughout the day. Things were a bit different at Findlay Country Club, where the flood-prone Blanchard River cuts through the 1908 Thomas Bendelow layout.    The river crested late on July 14 at about 16.53 feet, more than 5 feet above flood stage of 11 feet and 3 feet above what the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says is major flood stage of 13.5 feet. The river's depth on July 14 was the fifth highest on record in the city. In 2007, the river crested at 18.46 feet, just missing the all-time mark of 18.5 set in 1913. That 2007 flood caused more than $100 million in damage in Findlay alone.   By the time the river crested July 14 during this year's flood, most of four holes - 1, 8, 9 and 18 - were under water as was much of the rest of the city. Parts of the course that weren't flooded were covered in debris.    "Silt and debris was everywhere," Heydinger said.   As Heydinger and his crew set up to clean up debris, he received multiple offers by members who wanted to help with the clean up.   "The members take a lot of pride in the course," Heydinger said.   They also had a great deal of compassion for their new superintendent, and some perhaps were concerned that Heydinger might be second-guessing why he accepted the job. But Heydinger remained unfazed throughout the ordeal, and that impressed a lot of people at the club.   "A few people asked if we still had our new grounds superintendent," Bain said. "He handled it. He was ready. It was a tough thing to handle, but in the end it's been a good thing, because it allows the club to see what we have in Brian and what he has to offer under the most adverse conditions. You'd think anything else that comes after this should be easy."   When floodwaters had receded off the greens by the following Monday morning, Heydinger and his crew were at the ready with hoses in hand, literally removing the silt as soon as the water crept back off the playing surface.   "He was very prepared. That goes back to his leadership skills," Bain said. "He rallied the staff, and they rallied around him. He was efficient, and he made the right decisions. On that Friday, while the course was still flooded, he came to me and told me: This is what we're going to do Monday.' He knew the forecast, and he knew when the water would be down. They were out there with hoses waiting for the water to go down so that the minute it did they could wash the silt off the greens."   A former running back at the University of Findlay who later went on to earn a two-year turf management degree at Rutgers, Heydinger learned a lot about preparedness and organization from fDick Strahm, who won 183 games and four NAIA national championships in 24 seasons as the school's head football coach.   "That was a really good experience. (Strahm) was very detail oriented," Heydinger said. "He was very big on teamwork. Everyone had a responsibility and had to do what they were supposed to for the betterment of the team."   Sounds a lot like life on a golf course maintenance crew.
  • The events of June 23, 2016 will forever be part of Josh Pope's career, even if he is trying to forget much of what happened that day. What occurred during the following 12 months has defined his career.   When deadly floodwaters early last summer washed out the Old White course at The Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia and the PGA Tour event that was to be played there, Pope played a key role in leading a revival of the 100-year-old layout and the tournament.   "People asked how I did it," said the 38-year-old Pope.   "It's the rigors of our job."   "Josh was fantastic to work with," said golf course architect Keith Foster, who was called upon to map out, on the fly, a plan to rebuild the course. "Such a talented guy and committed to our success."   Early that June morning, rain greeted The Greenbrier Resort, where Pope had been in his current position as head superintendent of the Old White course for about a year-and-a-half and was just days away from hosting a PGA Tour event. Or so he thought at the time.   As the rain fell harder and harder, Pope's initial concerns were merely how the downpour would affect the final run-up to the tournament scheduled for July 4-10.    "We just tried to get through mowing and topdressing because we were 10 days out from the tournament," Pope said. "It continued to rain off and on, and it became too wet to do anything, so by 10 a.m. we closed the course and I sent the staff home."   His outlook changed when the storm, that began as a mere nuisance turned the normally benign Howard's Creek into a raging torrent that eventually was blamed for the deaths of nearly two-dozen people.   "It kept raining and raining. I was watching the radar, and it was just band after band of rain on top of us," Pope said. "The creek kept rising and rising. I thought it was going to stop, but it didn't. It kept raining until the creek came out of its banks."   It wasn't long before the overflowing creek had swamped many parts of the golf course, including parts of U.S. 60 that cuts through the property and the tunnels running underneath it that connect the maintenance facility to the rest of The Greenbrier.    "Until then, I was just thinking about the golf course. Then I saw the 15th green went under water and I realized we we were going to be in trouble," Pope said. "When I tried to get back to the maintenance facility, I was thinking 'this is going to end well.' By then, I wasn't thinking about the golf course any more.    "I was driving down 60 trying to get to the road to the maintenance facility, and that was kind of scary," Pope said. "Cars were hydroplaning on the road. It was like a scene out of a movie. I called (assistant superintendent) Chris (Anderson) at the clubhouse and told him not to even try to get back to the shop."   He would have been stranded there if not for Kelly Shumate, director of golf course maintenance at Greenbrier's three courses, who made his way to the maintenance shop in a four-wheel-drive truck.  
    Fortunately, I never saw that, but I'm trying to forget it happened."
     
    It wasn't until the next day, when the water had receded that Pope and his crew, along with the teams from the resort's Meadows and Greenbrier courses, could get out to assess damage. It was clear right away that the PGA Tour event wasn't going to happen.   High water marks exceeded 6 feet in some areas. A marker noting the depth of a 1915 flood near the 14th green and 15th tee on the 1914 Charles Blair Macdonald design was 8 feet under water.   By the following day, it was clear it would be impossible to stage a PGA Tour event within 10 days, and that the focus needed to be on recovery.   The property's entire golf staff, including teams from the Greenbrier, Meadows and Old White  courses as well as golf shop, paired up in teams of two and walked the entire property to assess damage.   "We documented every single thing. We took pictures and we wrote everything down," Pope said. "For two days, we documented everything that had been destroyed or not damaged.   "The million-dollar question was 'Where do we start? What do we do?"   The irrigation system didn't work and there were multiple breaks scattered throughout the property. A fuel tank from an unknown residence came to rest on the course and leaked diesel into the irrigation pond.   "I don't know where that came from," Pope said. "And I didn't know what was in that water."   Half the greens on the course were covered in silt. Everything that was under water the day before now was carpeted in mud up to a foot-and-a-half thick and dead fish from a nearby hatchery upstream.   Sod on teeing areas was rolled up like discarded carpet and drainage tiles had been ripped from the ground. Emergency first responders recovered the bodies of three flood victims from the golf course, including a 14-year-old boy whose remains were found lying against the pump house.   "Fortunately, I never saw that, but I'm trying to forget it happened," Pope said.    That wasn't so easy.   "Search-and-rescue teams were out here every day for a month looking for a fourth person. They finally found her body several miles from where she lived. She had been washed away."     Pope turned to his buddy Chad Mark for advice. Now superintendent at Jack Nicklaus's Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, Mark had his own flooding issues when he was superintendent at Kirtland Country Club in the Cleveland area.   "We had three or four major floods at Kirtland, but not on the magnitude of what Josh was dealing with," Mark said.    "I don't know how much I really helped him. I told him you have to realize you're not going to solve all of your problems at once. You have to make a list and tell yourself 'this is what we're going to do tomorrow,' and start from there.   "You have to prioritize and pick away at it. Just take it a day at a time and be a great leader."   Pope also called upon his early experiences working for John Zimmers at Oakmont and the legendary Dick Bator at the International Golf Club in Massachusetts.   "We tried to achieve perfection on a daily basis. That requires a lot of diligence, patience and teamwork, which is what we needed here after the flood," Pope said.   "If I didn't have that experience, I probably wouldn't have been prepared for it. That definitely gave me the wherewithal I needed."   Because so much work was required to restore the Old White Course to playing conditions, the decision was made to fully renovate the 103-year-old layout.   It wasn't just the Old White that was flooded. There was damage at the Meadows and Greenbrier courses and the private Snead course.   "People don't realize we were rebuilding three golf courses," Pope said.   The year before, Shumate and Pope had been in touch with Foster, the course architect, for a possible bunker renovation project. They called him again last summer to help fix the broken Old White. He visited the property in early July and by July 27 work already had begun. McDonald and Sons was brought on as the contractor.   "We couldn't just stick a Band-aid on the place. We needed consistency for the Tour," Pope said. "We couldn't have some new turf and some old turf, so from the standpoint of consistency and making sure the golf courses were on par prior to the flood, the position was to redo everything.   "It was all done on the fly. There wasn't time to draw any plans," Pope said. "Keith did all the work out in the field. A normal restoration is years in the making, and clubs develop master plans. There was no plan for this."   Foster was invited to collaborate on all the courses at The Greenbrier, but with several projects already in the ground, taking on a handful of courses on the fly was too much, so everyone settled on the Old White.   "Generally there is a lot of time working through first a master plan for the vision of the work, followed by detailed plans and a bid package, if you will," Foster said. "The program at Old White did not have the luxury of time nor design planning. They asked how I thought we could accomplish the work and I offered 'Let's go old school.' "    All greens and bunkers were rebuilt with new drainage and the course regrassed with door to door with bentgrass, including V8 on the greens, L93 on the tees and T1 on the fairways.   The entire rebuild took about 11 months to complete, just in time for this year's tournament. The first rounds played on the course since the flood were the week before, on the Sunday of the Quicken Loans National played in Potomac, Maryland.   It wasn't until the tournament was over that Pope, who spent the final run-up and the week of the tournament in an RV parked at the shop, was able to relax.   "On Sunday, a humongous weight had been lifted off everyone's shoulders," Pope said. "Then we had to worry about having daily golf the next morning after being closed for a year. We had 156 players tee off on Monday morning after the tournament.   "It wasn't me that did this. It was the entire staff here at Greenbrier. None of our regular crew left. They all stuck it out. Without them, none of this would have been possible. We have a great group of people who take a lot of pride in their work."  
  • It wasn't intentional, but recent research on putting green trueness might have pulled the rug out from underneath every golfer irritated by greens aerification.   According to recent research by Doug Linde, Ph.D., of Delaware Valley University, core aerification had little if any effect on putting green trueness.    The goal of the research project, which Linde presented at the recent International Turfgrass Research Conference in New Jersey, was to establish a standard for measuring putting green trueness.   "It depends on how you define trueness," Linde said.    "Is it staying on a predictable line? Is the ball bouncing a lot? If it is, it's not true. Does the ball snake left or right if it hits something?"   The research, conducted by Linde in 2015, measured how many balls holed out when rolled off a ramp from 8 feet, how far balls that didn't hole out went left or right of the cup and the spread dispersion when they came to rest.   The results showed that more often than not putts rolled off a ramp at a speed that simulated a golfer putting went ended up in the cup.    "Even if a green is core aerated, the data shows you can make most putts," Linde said. "It's baffling that at 8 feet you should be able to make most putts on a core aerated green."   For kicks, Linde duplicated his test from 16 feet, with predictable results.    "They were a lot harder to make," he said. "But I don't think most golfers are expecting to make 16-foot putts, except maybe Jordan Spieth."   The research helps identify what makes a true putting surface, and dispels some golfer conceptions.   "That wasn't what I intended," Linde said.   "Even though research shows you can make 8-foot putts with regularity on bumpy greens, in their minds, golfers think they can't, so the superintendent still needs to make greens true,"   That's because agronomists and golfers have different ways of determining putting green trueness, said Linde, whose research included a survey of 300 golfers. Researchers and golf course superintendents are more likely to base their opinion on trueness on the propensity of a ball to find its way into the cup, golfers are more influenced by aesthetics.   "For golfers, it how a ball bounces and how the green looks," Linde said. "Even if they're are not putting, when they walk onto a golf course and see (aerification) holes, they say: 'It's not true. These greens  are bouncy and I can't make putts on them.' As a golfer, that's what I always thought, and that's what the data shows."  

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