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From the TurfNet NewsDesk

  • John Reitman
    Jorge Croda, CGCS, and Rick Tegtmeier, CGCS MG, come from two vastly different worlds. 
      Tegtmeier grew up in the Norman Rockwell-esque Midwest, while Croda left his native Mexico to make a better life for himself and his family.   Due to a first-time tie in the judges' scoring, both were named 2017 TurfNet Superintendent of the Year in a presentation in the Syngenta booth at GIS. 2017 was the tenth year of award sponsorship by Syngenta.   Though their stories are forever intertwined, the circumstances that brought Croda and Tegtmeier together couldn't be more different.   Tegtmeier, director of grounds at Des Moines Golf and Country Club in Iowa, was recognized not just for staging a virtually flawless venue for the 2017 Solheim Cup. He also won acclaim for the four years of hard work and preparation leading up to the event and, most importantly, how he used the event to help others, including fellow superintendents throughout Iowa and colleagues around the country who had once worked for or with Tegtmeier.   Croda, superintendent at Southern Oaks Golf Club in Burleson, Texas, has a reputation that is more grass-roots.   He has been applauded by Southern Oaks members for the manner in which he revived their course. Once an "eyesore" and an "embarrassment" as well as a threat to home values, according to some of the members there, the course now is rated by some among the best courses in the Fort Worth area.   "Jorge Croda is exceptional in possessing all of the talents required. Recently, I marveled at the quality of product he creates as I 'secret shopped' 20 golf courses in the Dallas metroplex. His facility was clearly the finest," wrote industrial strategist and marketing guru J.J. Keegan.   But it wasn't always that way.    "The change from where it was then to where it is today speaks to Mr. Croda's dedication and passion in forming a team that was committed to excellence based on fulfilling the vision of a new owner."    Croda and Tegtmeier were chosen from a field of finalists that also included Mark Hoban of Rivermont Golf Club in Johns Creek, Georgia, Chris Ortmeier of the Champions Club in Houston and Josh Pope of the Old White Course at The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.   Croda and Tegtmeier each receive a trip for two on the annual TurfNet golf trip to Ireland, courtesy of Syngenta.   Croda began rebuilding distressed golf courses in his native Mexico, and through a management company he started has had a hand in about 20 improvement projects south of the border.   Renovating golf courses represents only a slice of what Croda gives back to the community. And, it is among the least significant of his accomplishments. His passion for helping others symbolize what service is all about.   Like everything he touches, Croda's goal is to make it better, whether it is playing conditions on a golf course or the lifeskills of his employees who him produce those conditions.   "My job is to try to make people better," Croda said.    The consummate ambassador for golf, Croda speaks at chapter, state, national and international events; lobbies elected officials on behalf of the golf industry; and is active on his North Texas chapter board - all in an effort to promote the superintendent profession to those in and outside the golf industry.    Even that doesn't compare to what he does for members of his team, junior golfers and his neighbors in the Fort Worth area.   A certified First Tee coach, Croda is passionate about working to grow the game and instilling in young golfers the values the on which the game is built.   "We can make good choices, or we can make bad choices," he said. "I want to help them make good choices."     Among the jobs Croda is most passionate is that of mentor to members of his team. He provides for them computer classes, training in English language and more.   "I am trying to bring more opportunities to them," he said. "They're in the United States; they need to be able to speak English.    "My goal is to train people to be able to leave for better jobs elsewhere if they choose."   Like Croda, Tegtmeier was singled out because of how his actions affected others.   When it was revealed that Des Moines Golf and Country Club had received the 2017 Solheim Cup, the club already was hip deep in developing a master plan and working toward a four-year-long renovation of the 36-hole DMGCC under the direction of architects Pete Dye and Tim Liddy.    Tegtmeier immediately saw the Solheim Cup as an opportunity to fill a gap for other Iowa superintendents.    Iowa is home to an annual Champions Tour's Principal Charity Classic, but otherwise is without a major professional franchise or event.    Tegtmeier wanted to prove to the world that Iowa superintendents were more than capable of producing a venue that rivaled anything in professional championship golf, so he opened the door for volunteers to any Iowa greenkeeper who wanted to help him prove his point. He also extended that invitation to former colleagues now scattered around the country.   In all, 87 volunteers, all with ties to Tegtmeier, showed up to work. The flawless conditions, large crowds and patriotism turned the Solheim Cup into an experience that almost was surreal.   "I wanted to use this as a stepping stone to show what other superintendents in Iowa could do," Tegtmeier said. "I told them if they wanted to work a major event this was their chance.   "They stepped up."   Their work resulted in more than two-dozen nominations on Tegtmeier's behalf, including one from Team USA Solheim Cup captain Juli Inkster.   Two other nominations - one from 2006 Masters champion and Iowa native Zach Johnson and one from Iowa secretary of agriculture Bill Northey - supported Tegtmeier for the award because of what his work did for the people of Iowa as a source of pride for their home and as an economic driver for the local economy.   "Rick's exceptional management has allowed the Des Moines Golf and Country Club and the state of Iowa to gain international attention as they hosted the Solheim Cup," Northey wrote in his nomination. "This put Des Moines on the map and provided other great economic benefits to Des Moines and the state."    
  • The TurfNet Beer & Pretzels Gala was a favorite event in Jerry Coldiron's year, so it was the perfect venue to announce the first four Jerry Coldiron Positivity Awards Tuesday night at the Quarry Golf Club in San Antonio. Jerry's wife Susan and son Jake presented the first awards.
    Named for the late career superintendent turned Caribbean sales pro and long-time friend of TurfNet, the Coldiron Positivity Awards are cash stipends from the Jerry Coldiron Embrace Life! Fund and TurfNet to recognize individuals within the golf turf industry who live lives of positivity, caring, sharing and compassion for others... or who are experiencing personal hardship due to illness, natural events or job loss... or who do something special for the natural world (a special thing to Jerry). 
    More about Jerry here.
    The four recipients announced Tuesday are:
    Marcos "Mike" Morales of the Buccaneer Golf Club in St. Croix, US Virgin Islands John and Peggy Colo, Jupiter Hills Golf Club, Tequesta, Florida Adam and Erin Engle, Lake Shore Yacht and Golf Club, Cicero, NY John and Nick Paquette, Indian Hills Country Club, Northport, NY When Hurricane Maria devastated much of the Caribbean in late September, several members of Mike Morales's staff at the Buccaneer lost their homes. Mike found one living under a tree but with his uniform washed and drying on a branch so he wouldn't miss work the next day. Morales launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for his staff members, and Jerry Coldiron picked up on it and promoted it on Twitter. Morales was a customer-turned-friend of Jerry's, who covered the Caribbean for Hector Turf, the Toro/Club Car distributor in Deerfield Beach, Florida.
    Mike and his wife and daughter were on hand at Beer & Pretzels to receive his $2500 check from Susan and Jake Coldiron.

    John Colo is another long-time TurfNet member who many will remember for organizing the globe-trotting "Where's TurfNet" banner program back in 2009/10, for which he was recognized at B&P 2011 as TurfNet Member of the Year 2010 (our only such award).

    Superintendent at the Country Club of York, PA, at the time, Colo ultimately lost his job there. Two days after getting the pink slip at CCY, Colo's wife Peggy was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. With two young sons, John utilized his time off to care for Peggy and their two sons, Robert and Kevin. Long story short, John spent the next several years pursuing his next superintendent job while doing whatever he could to support his family... and keeping a positive attitude the entire time. After a year at a club in his hometown in Ohio, he landed the superintendent position at the Hills Course of Jupiter Hills Club.
    Peggy's health issues persist, but she and John both maintain a positive attitude and serve as role models for Robert and Kevin. All now live in Florida.
    John's identical twin brother Jim, superintendent at Naples National Golf Club, was on hand for the award.  More on the Colo brothers here.
    Adam and Erin Engle lost their 7-year old son Griffin to a rare pediatric brain cancer in 2014. Although devastated by their loss, the Engles formed Griffin's Guardians, a recognized nonprofit 501©(3) organization that provides support and financial assistance to children battling cancer in central New York. In the three years since its inception, Griffin's Guardians has raised over $500,000 to fund cancer research... but also to comfort children and the families of those going through the same battle that Griffin did.
    Griffin's Guardians is now Erin Engle's full-time volunteer job. They have involved the entire Syracuse-area community in it's fund-raising efforts.
    Adam and Erin's daughter Grace created Grace's Sibling Sunshine to make crafts and raise money through school group involvement because the siblings of cancer patients "are going through a hard time, too."
    Adam has played for a dozen years on Team TurfNet in the annual Golf Course Hockey Challenge tournament for superintendents, assistants and suppliers, held in Niagara Falls, Ontario each January.


     
    John Reitman profiled the Engles last year here. Both Adam and Erin were on hand to accept the $2500 check from Susan and Jake Coldiron.
    John Paquette has been a long-time friend of TurfNet and member since our first year in 1994. He and his wife Roxanne's (only) son Nick is a talented basketball player who contracted chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) in late April, 2017. John started a thread in the TurfNet Forum (members can follow it here) the following week to seek any help or guidance the TurfNet community could offer. The response was astounding, to all.
    John, Roxanne and Nick's attitude during the summer of chemo and other treatments was WE GOT THIS! Long story short: Nick finished the treatment, returned to SUNY New Paltz in late August and is back on the basketball court. Read about Nick's journey here.

    The story gets better. Less than a month ago, Nick learned that University of Texas Longhorns guard and NBA prospect Andrew Jones had been diagnosed with leukemia, and wrote Jones an open letter via Yahoo Sports. After many local news networks around the country picked up the story, Nick was contacted by ESPN, who visited the New Paltz campus on January 27 to shoot a yet-to-be-aired segment on Nick at the college Athletic Center. Read about that here.

    "While losing a great friend -- one of my best friends, personally -- is devastating, good can always arise out of that," said Peter McCormick, TurfNet founder and organizer of the Coldiron fund and awards. "Jerry was an amazingly positive person, a real cheerleader among men. We are happy to continue that legacy through these awards, and hope to keep shining Jerry's light well into the future."
  • It's never a good thing to be compared to the Titanic regardless of the context.   Nevertheless, that was one of the messages Jim Koppenhaver of Pellucid Corp. and Edgehill Consulting's Stuart Lindsay latched onto during their annual state of the golf industry presentation at the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando.   The comparison between golf and a sinking ship actually was made by Stewart Darling, the non-executive director of Scottish Golf, that country's governing body of golf, during its recent Future of Golf in Scotland conference.    Koppenhaver and Lindsay just recognized the uncanny accuracy of the analogy.   The number of golfers, rounds played and golf courses in the market all were down in the past year in this country, echoing an all-too-familiar trend in place for more than a decade.   According to the Koppenhaver-Lindsay report, U.S. rounds played in 2017 slipped to 447.4 million, down 13.4 million from 460.8 million rounds in 2016 and erasing the gains of 2.7 million rounds from 2015 to 2016. Last year's figures also are down 12 million rounds from the 10-year historic average and a staggering 71 million rounds from the game's high-water mark of 518.4 million rounds played in 2000.   Leading up to the drop in rounds played is a slow leak in the number of golfers. The number of players in the market dropped by 150,000 in 2016 to about 21 million, the latest figures available.   Men comprise the largest single demographic, with 15.4 million players, and their numbers increased up by a modest 1.6 percent in 2016. Women, on the other hand, make up just 26 percent of the golf market. And although they are an audience many golf course operators are trying to court, they left the game in 2016 at a rate of 6.6 percent, more than offsetting any gains made by men.   Equally disturbing is that juniors and those age 18-34 also are dropping out. In 2016, the number of juniors playing golf dropped by 9 percent, while those aged 18-34 were down by 4.5 percent.   Baby boomers, particularly male baby boomers, continue to carry the game on their collective backs, a trend that eventually will reverse for a generation in decline. Millennials overtook baby boomers as the country's largest generation in 2015. As the baby boomer generation's numbers continue to decline, they will be surpassed by Generation X in about another decade, according to the Pew Research Center.   Fewer golfers and fewer rounds played have had a predictable outcome.    Before 2006, one had to revert back 60 years to the Truman Administration to find a year in which more golf courses closed than had opened. Since 2006, golf course closings have outpaced openings for each of the past 12 years. I  
    We can discuss who gets to sit at the Captain's Table or who gets the best deck chair; but at the end of the day, we're all on the Titanic."
     
    Last year, 25 new courses were built and 175 established ones closed for a net loss of 150. Since 2006, there has been a net loss of 1,298 golf courses as the market self-corrects to supply-demand equilibrium.   But is supply really the problem, or is it demand - or lack of it?   In the early 1960s, there were 5,600 golf courses nationwide, and that number swelled to nearly 8,500 by 1970. In those days, there were only about 900 golfers per course. Today, there are about 13,500 golf courses with 1,300 players per course.   The report wasn't all bad news.   For the first time in 2017, the NGF last year began measuring data collected from off-course golf-related activities including Topgolf, Flying Tee and indoor simulators.   In a survey of Topgolf participants show, 29 percent of golfers say that playing Topgolf leads them to play more traditional golf. The survey also shows that 23 percent of golfers follow the game more closely as a result of playing Topgolf. Finally, 53 percent of non-golfers surveyed said that playing Topgolf has positively influenced their intentions of playing golf.   It remains to be seen whether this new data reflect a potentially larger golfer database and an avenue to grow participation, or if it is as hopeless as a stowaway on the Titanic.  
  • The annual Golf Industry Show is the largest single provider of education for golf course superintendents and is a virtual clearing house for all that is new in the way of equipment, chemicals, fertilizers and other products for the turf industry. It also happens to be the best opportunity for professional networking for turf managers.
      Keeping up with all that takes place throughout the week is more than a challenge. You can stay up to date with everything that's happening at this year's Golf Industry Show in San Antonio by visiting the TurfNet GIS 2018 Blog. Well, almost everything.   We'll keep you posted on new product launches, the most innovative gadgets, promotions and giveaways from the tradeshow floor; news from in and around the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center; and fun stuff and other happenings from around town throughout the week.   From the inaugural Jerry Coldiron Positivity Awards, named in honor of the late longtime friend to TurfNet, that will be named Feb. 6 at the annual Beer & Pretzels Gala, to the winner of the 18th annual TurfNet Superintendent of the Year Award, presented by Syngenta, who will be named Feb. 8 at the Syngenta booth (#16065), and (almost) everything in between, you'll find it on the TurfNet GIS blog.    Whether you're unable to attend this year's show, or just looking for a way tool to help you stay connected with what's happening, TurfNet has you covered.
  • Think you know what companies comprise the list of the top 100 businesses in golf?   Here's a hint: Many of them were on display last week at the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando. Here's another hint: Many more will be showing their wares next week at the Golf Industry Show in San Antonio.   Mention the phrase "top 100 companies in golf" and immediately attention is focused on the consumer side of the business. Acushnet, Adidas, Bridgestone, Callaway, Cleveland Golf-Srixon, Nicklaus, Nike, Ping, TaylorMade, Under Armour, Wilson and Winn all are on the short list of no-brainers.   But how about BASF, Bayer, Club Car, ClubCorp, CourseCo, Hunter, John Deere, Par Aide, Rain Bird, SiteOne, Standard Golf, Syngenta, Textron, Toro (pictured on front page), Wadsworth and Yamaha? They all made the list, too.   In fact, at least 30 of the companies on the National Golf Foundation Top 100 Businesses in Golf have some or all of their roots on the turf side of the golf business, comprising the second-largest category on the list (behind consumer golf equipment), giving further credence to the fact that managing course conditions is the single most important part of the industry. Without a golf course, there are no sticks or balls to sell; no sweaters, shirts or hats; and no hot dog and a beer at the turn.   The inaugural list, NGF says, was created to recognize and celebrate the most successful, influential and prominent companies, organizations and associations in golf.   Companies were evaluated subjectively on a variety of factors, including revenue, industry influence, growth rate and success, prominence and leadership within a segment, contribution to the growth and vitality of the game, innovation and philanthropy.   The NGF Top 100 in alphabetical order are: Acushnet, Adidas, Ahead/Cutter & Buck, American Golf, Arcos, Arcis Golf, BASF, Bayer, Billy Casper Golf, Bridgestone Golf, BrightView, Bushnell Golf, Callaway, Century Golf Partners-Arnold Palmer Golf Management, Cleveland Golf-Srixon, Club Car, Club Champion, Club Glove USA, ClubCorp, Cobra-Puma Golf, CourseCo Management, Dick's, Ecco, EZLinks, FST-KBS, Fujikara, Full Swing Golf, GCSAA, Global Value Force-Globalgolf.com, Golf Channel-Golf Now, Golf Digest, Golf Genius, Golf Magazine, Golf Pride, GolfTec, Golfweek-USA Today, GreatLife, Greg Norman Co., Hunter, Imperial Headwear, John Deere Golf, Jonas Club Software, Kemper Sports, Lamkin, Landscapes Unlimited, LPGA, Marriott Golf, Mitsubishi-Aldila, Mizuno, Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday, NGCOA, Nicklaus, Nike, Nippon Shaft, Nivel, Oakley, OB Sports, Par Aide, Peter Millar, PGA of America, PGA Tour, PGA Tour Superstore, Ping, Polo, Prestwick Golf Group, PrideSports, Primera, PXG, R&R Products, Rain Bird, Ship Sticks, SiteOne Landscape Supply, Standard Golf, Summit Golf Brands, Sun Mountain, Syngenta, TaylorMade, Textron (E-Z-GO, Cushman, Jacobsen), TGR-Tiger Woods Ventures, The Golf Warehouse, The First Tee, Toll Brothers Golf, Topgolf, Toro, Touchstone Golf, Tour Edge, TrackMan, Troon, True Temper, Trump Golf, U.S. Kids Golf, Under Armour, USGA, UST Mamiya, Volvik, Wadsworth Golf Construction, Wilson, Winn, Worldwide Golf Shops, Yamaha.  
  • For more than 40 years, Tim Hiers has been practicing environmental stewardship in one of the country's most affluent and intensely competitive golf markets.    He has redefined sustainability by being on the forefront of using new-to-the-market grasses that help reduce inputs and redirect labor and he's incorporated habitat for native plants and wildlife all while producing playing conditions that are second to none in the Naples, Florida area.   On Saturday, Feb. 3, Hier's efforts will be recognized when he receives the 2018 USGA Green Section Award.     Presented annually since 1961, the USGA Green Section Award recognizes "an individual's distinguished service to the game of golf through his or her work with turfgrass, including research, maintenance and other areas that positively impact the landscape upon which golf is played."   A graduate of Lake City (Florida) Community College (now Florida Gateway College) Hiers, has been a golf course superintendent since 1976 and currently serves as the director of agronomy at The Club at Mediterra in Naples. Hiers stands at the forefront of golf's environmental opportunities and challenges, while also driving advances in golf course management. An avid and articulate educator, he frequently hosts visitors ranging from school field trips to scientists and government officials.   Under his direction in 1994, Collier's Reserve in Naples became the first golf course to earn Audubon International Cooperative Sanctuary status. Six years later, he joined The Old Collier Golf Club and led the effort to achieve the first designation of Audubon International Gold Signature Cooperative Sanctuary. There, he was the first superintendent to totally grass a golf course with paspalum. There, he chose Platinum paspalum for traits such as shade and cold tolerance and bright green color. When he moved to Mediterra, he regrassed 36 holes there with Platinum also.   "I learned to play golf on a cow pasture and I've been hooked on the game ever since," said Hiers. "In this business, you can never learn enough. There's always a challenge, and that's what I love about being a superintendent. It's a privilege to be recognized for just doing what you love every day."   During his career Hiers has been recognized for his accomplishments with the following awards: > 1986 Florida GCSA Distinguished Service Award. > 1993 Southeastern Environmental Steward Award. > 1994 John James Audubon Environmental Steward Award. > 1994 GCSAA National Environmental Steward Award. > 1995 GCSAA Presidents Environmental Leadership Award. > 1998 Florida Turf Grass Association Wreath of Grass Award. > 2009 GCSAA Excellence in Government Relations Award.   He will receive the Green Section award at the USGA's annual meeting Saturday in Miami Beach.
  • Call it the smalltown golf course with big ideas. Really, really big ideas.   Hickory Sticks Golf Club in rural northwestern Ohio has defied the odds for nearly 60 years, trudging along in an area with a modest population that has always hovered in the neighborhood of 9,000-10,000 people. It's a conservative area where playing it safe can be a way of life.    The golf course entered a new era last month when former owner Mark White, a local businessman who owns a string of nursing homes, donated the 27-hole facility to the YMCA of Van Wert County. And YMCA director Hugh Kocab and new golf course superintendent Mike Fast are ready to usher the course into the future and make the property a regional showcase for golf enthusiasts.   Their strategy includes improvements to the golf course and a business plan that consists of a renewed focus on women and junior players and innovative membership options that target this family friendly farming community. Their plan for the future also includes converting nine holes into a four-hole course that includes free lessons and free play for juniors and an area for footgolf and disc golf, both of which also will be free.   "We're going to embrace those groups," Kocab said. "Everything can't be about money. Sometimes, it's also about providing opportunities for exercise and recreation for the community."   Still, turning a profit shouldn't be much of a problem.   "We don't have a lot of competition here," Kocab said. "We are working hard to include women and juniors. We know what they want and what they're looking for and how to present it to them."   The Van Wert area is anything but a golf mecca.   More than 600 farms occupying nearly a quarter-million acres comprise the bulk of Van Wert County. It is so flat here that it is home to the state's largest wind farm. More cows than people call it home.   Like many farming communities, there is an emphasis here on families and traditional values, which Kocab and the Y's board of directors see as an opportunity for the golf course to reach local residents.   Who can blame them for their optimism?   The Y has about 3,500 members, which equates to a market penetration rate throughout the county of about 35 percent, and that gives the golf operation a pretty good pool from which to start. Membership plans include an option that combines enrollment in both the Y and the golf course. That's something the former owner and other nearby courses - the few that are here - couldn't offer.   When it came to unloading the course, White contacted only the Y.   "I looked at it as a community asset," White said. "And I think the community will rally around it.   "There was nobody ready to write Mark White a check for a golf course."   As White predicted, the community already has embraced the concept of a Y-owned golf course.   In one of the coldest, snowiest winters in northwest Ohio in the past decade, Hickory Sticks has been a hot topic throughout the county. Memberships already are double what they were a year ago under the previous owner. Even non-golfers are buying memberships because, "they want to support what we're doing," Kocab said.  
    We don't have a lot of competition here. We are working hard to include women and juniors. We know what they want and what they're looking for and how to present it to them."
     
    The Y director attributes part of the excitement to the option to join both the Y and the golf course together in one fee, as well as the improvements that are being made to the course under Fast.   A native of Haviland, Ohio about 10 miles from Van Wert, Fast is a 1992 graduate of Ohio State's turf program. For the past 22 years, he was the superintendent at nearby Delphos Country Club. Making the move to a Y-owned property was not a decision he made lightly.   "There are some issues here," Fast said of Hickory Sticks. "There are a lot of dead ash trees and the bunkers aren't in the best shape. I thought 'do I want a change like this?' The YMCA and the board have committed a lot of money to equipment to improve the conditions. I'm up for the challenge. I see this as a good opportunity."   What equipment the club had prior to Fast's arrival was decades old and much of it didn't run. A fairway mower was used to mow tees because the tee mower wouldn't start.   The Y has put up money for a new tee mower, another fairway unit, a sprayer, roller, topdresser, aerifier and blower and just about whatever else Fast needs to bring the course up to standard.   "For chemicals and fertilizer," he added, "they told me 'whatever you need, get it.' "   Discussions about donating the course to the Y began almost a year ago in a local drug store when Kocab and White bumped into one another as each sought a remedy for a late-winter cold. It's one more example of the closeness of this community, where everyone knows just about everyone else - even if your closest neighbor is a mile down the road at the next farm.   Still, this was not a deal the Y entered into blindly just because it was getting a golf course free of debt.   There are only a handful of YMCA-owned courses across the country, making it a unique business model. Before deciding whether to accept or reject White's donation, Kocab and members of the Y's board went to North Carolina, home to at least two such golf courses, to begin the process of conducting due diligence. In fact, Y officials attacked the project like a group of seasoned golf industry professionals.   "We've done our research. We know the golf economy is not good and that courses are closing," Kocab said. "We looked into why they are closing are most are because of market saturation, debt ratio and changing demographics.   "It wasn't just me. Our executive committee had to make sure it was a viable option. Three attorneys, two accountants and all 16 of our board members all looked at it, and everyone had the same reaction: It was a no-brainer. We are debt free. We're reaching out to women and juniors and we're going to develop programs that are exciting for these groups and we're offering knockout membership deals for everyone in our community. All those things combined; that's what's going to set us apart."   Improvements to the golf course will include all new bunkers, including new drainage and new sand, a new agronomic program courtesy of Fast, something the course never had in the past, and a regular greens aerification schedule.   "Down deep, this is a good golf course," Fast said. "It just needs a little TLC, and now the YMCA is backing it.   "We're buying a lot of equipment, and I already have about three-quarters of what I need to get the job done."  
  • There was a day not that long ago when Randy Wilson couldn't wait to jump on a story about damage caused by the emerald ash borer because he thought the name of the tiny, destructive pest sounded indecent.   I'm not sure what obscenities rhyme with "emerald", but the devastation caused by this feral invader from Asia no longer is a laughing matter in Georgia, or, for that matter, nearly two-thirds of the rest of the country.   The emerald ash borer's range once was confined to Ontario and a handful of states that ringed the Great Lakes, but no more. Today, there are confirmed sightings in three provinces in Canada and 31 states, including Georgia. Eight other states, where the threat is perceived as imminent, have made information available about what to do if you spot one.   Few if any people on this continent had ever heard of the emerald ash borer two decades ago. Since the first ones entered Detroit aboard a cargo ship 16 years ago, the pest has wiped out billions of trees causing billions in damage. Much of that damage has been on golf courses, and likewise has affected the game of baseball. The wood bats used by major leaguers for decades are crafted from white ash, and EAB's presence is threatening that industry.   Baseball legend Ty Cobb - a Georgia native - would not be amused.   Native to parts of eastern Asia, the EAB borer burrows into ash trees as an adult where it lays its eggs. The larvae feed on the layer beneath the bark, disrupting the tree's vascular system and its ability to take up water and nutrients and eventually kill the tree.   The ash borer's current range has increased dramatically, according to the web site emeraldashborer.info, and borders Colorado to the west, Texas and the Gulf Coast to the South, the Atlantic to the East and north all the way to New Hampshire. It is found in Canada in Ontario, Quebec and most recently Manitoba. The EAB web site is a news and information portal that is a cooperative effort between Michigan State, Purdue and Ohio State universities, the Michigan and Ohio departments of Agriculture; the Michigan, Indiana and Ohio departments of Natural Resources; the USDA Forest Service; the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS); and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.   That's a long way for such a small bug to travel. It has had help by those who, by moving infested firewood, have unwittingly violated U.S. Department of Agriculture quarantines.     Think ash borers aren't a big deal for some golf course superintendents? Think again.   Dead and dying trees are more than an eyesore. They are a safety hazard and a legal liability if someone was injured by a falling bough or branch.   The bug has affected golf courses throughout its adopted range. Racine County, Wisconsin has padded the operating budget of its two courses to evaluate, treat and remove infected trees. At least 35 trees there were removed last year, and nearly 100 more are scheduled to be removed.   It's the same story at Hickory Sticks Golf Course in Van Wert, Ohio, where superintendent Mike Fast said 20 trees have been cut down. He plans to take down at least 50 more. At Bowling Green State University, an hour north of Van Wert, the school's golf course lost nearly 200 trees to the ash borer before closing its doors last year.    Scientists believe that the pest eventually will reach the entire ash tree range in North America, an area that covers parts of at least 42 U.S. states and six provinces in Canada. Each ash borer, however, only flies a few miles throughout its lifecycle, so moving firewood, or not, is critical to controlling its spread.   EAB kills ash trees by disrupting the uptake of water and nutrients through the trunk and into the upper reaches of the tree.   Adult females, which grow to about a half-inch in length, create a hole in the bark into which they deposit their eggs. After hatching, the larvae feed on and chew galleries through the tissue beneath the bark layer. In the spring, new adults chew through the bark and emerge leaving behind a D-shaped exit hole before flying into the canopy to ingest ash leaves and the reproductive process begins all over again.   Symptoms of infestation include thinning of the canopy and sprouts growing from holes in the trunk that were created by the pests, along with an scores of hungry woodpeckers that eat them. According to the Ohio Department of Agriculture, canopies of mature ash tree typically are decimated within two years of infestation and the trees dead within five years.   Tree canopies can be wiped out within two years, and mature, healthy trees typically are dead within three to four years. All native North American ash species are susceptible to damage.   During the past several years, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has been studying and raising non-stinging parasitic wasps from Asia to help control EAB.   Four species of wasp, Spathius galinae, Oobius agrili, Spathius agrili and Tetrastichus planipennisi have proven to be effective at parasitizing 50-90 percent of the target EAB ova or larvae.   The wasps are raised at the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service facility in Michigan.  

  • It's odd how the meaning of an expression can change over time.   During the 1990s, the phrase I wanna be like Mike referred to those who dreamt of jumping, soaring and dunking a basketball like Michael Jordan.   Fifteen years after his NBA career ended, Jordan is the majority owner in a new golf course construction project in southeastern Florida, giving new meaning to that 30-plus-year-old slogan   Grove XXIII, named to reflect Jordan's 23 jersey number with the Chicago Bulls, will be designed by Ponte Vedra Beach-based architect Bobby Weed and built on the site of a former citrus grove on 227 acres in Hobe Sound.    The area in and around Hobe Sound is a playground for golf's rich and famous, including Tiger Woods and Greg Norman, who live nearby. The neighborhood also is home to some pretty high-falutin' layouts, including Jupiter Hills in Tequesta; The Medalist, built and owned by Norman and where Woods is a member; and The Floridian in Palm City, which was built by garbage and automobile magnate H. Wayne Huizenga and where members include Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka.   Jordan owns a home and is a member at the Bear's Club in Jupiter, as are Rory McIlroy, Luke Donald and Michelle Wie.   Unique in its design, the two nine-hole routings at Grove XXIII will be intertwined, criss-crossing each other. The result for the golfer of this uncommon approach are four possible nine-hole routings.   "This project is an opportunity to update how architects provide all players with a fun and interesting challenge," Weed told Golf Course Architecture magazine. "It will be a course for tomorrow, a course with a refined edge."  
  • It would be a challenge to find two stories in the golf world in 2017 that represented polar opposites on the spectrum like the feel-good story that was the Solheim Cup and the heart-wrenching images of golf courses throughout the Southeast that were plagued by hurricane-induced flooding.   Those are examples of the experiences of just two of the five finalists for the 2017 TurfNet Superintendent of the Year Award, presented by Syngenta.   Finalists are Jorge Croda of Southern Oaks Golf Club in Burleson, Texas, Mark Hoban of Rivermont Golf Club in Johns Creek, Georgia, Chris Ortmeier of the Champions Club in Houston, Josh Pope of The Old White Course at The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia and Rick Tegtmeier of Des Moines Golf and Country Club in West Des Moines, Iowa.   That group was selected from a list of 42 nominees by a panel of judges spanning the golf industry. The winner of the 18th annual award will be named at 2 p.m. Feb. 8 at the Syngenta booth during this year's Golf Industry Show in San Antonio and will receive a trip for two and a week of free golf on the TurfNet members trip to Ireland in October, courtesy of Syngenta. CLICK HERE for a full list of nominees.   Jorge Croda
    Southern Oaks GC, Burleson, Texas
      Jorge Croda first made a name for himself restoring the struggling Southern Oaks Golf Course in Burleson, Texas near Fort Worth. There he encountered a layout that in some areas had more weeds than turf, literally. In short order, he turned Southern Oaks around from an eyesore and what golfers there described as an embarrassment into a track that today is showing up on lists of some of the best daily fee courses in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. . . . CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ABOUT JORGE.   Mark Hoban
    Rivermont GC, Johns Creek, Georgia
      In four decades of managing turf in the Atlanta area, Mark Hoban has embraced a holistic approach to golf course maintenance. A disciple of Palmer Maples, Hoban has been a leader in utilizing native turf to influence the appearance of a golf course as well as minimize the amount of water, fertilizer and pesticides they require. . . . CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ABOUT MARK.   Chris Ortmeier
    Champions Club, Houston, Texas
      Hurricane Harvey dumped 34 inches in five days at Champions Club in Houston, Texas, where 95 of 150 acres were submerged under as much as 15 feet of water. Near the pump house, water was up to the eaves of the roof, and boat was the best way to navigate the course that was the site of the 1967 Ryder Cup Matches and the 1969 U.S. Open, the LPGA's Nabisco Championship in 1990 and on five occasions was home to the Tour Championship (1990, '97, '99, '01, '03). . . . CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ABOUT CHRIS.   Josh Pope
    The Greenbrier, White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia
      Just days before the 2016 edition of the PGA Tour's annual event at The Old White Course at The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, flooding rains washed out the course and led to the cancellation of the tournament. The flood claimed the lives of 23 neighbors, and superintendent Josh Pope and his team spent the next year alternating between preparing the golf course for the 2017 tournament and helping family and friends recover at home. . . . CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ABOUT JOSH.   Rick Tegtmeier
    Des Moines G&CC, West Des Moines, Iowa
      Rick Tegtmeier turned the Solheim Cup at Des Moines Golf and Country Club into more than just a golf tournament between the best women players from the United States and Europe. After a four-year renovation of the 36-hole club in West Des Moines, Iowa, he created a venue that left players and captains raving about conditions, and helped build an atmosphere that was a patriotic feel-good story that showcased all Iowa - including other superintendents throughout the state - had to offer. . . . CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ABOUT RICK.  
  • Jose Milan has been a familiar face around the agri-chemical industry for 30 years, including the past seven as director of green business operations for Bayer Environmental Science's turf and ornamentals division.   Bayer recently named Milan as the T&O market's global market manager, where he will oversee the company's golf, lawn and landscape and production ornamentals markets worldwide.   "As Bayer continues to expand its role as a global market leader in turf and ornamentals, it's critical that we sharpen our focus on better understanding and meeting the evolving needs of our customers," Milan said. "I'm looking forward to leading the effort to grow mutually beneficial relationships that help ensure the success of our customers and the advancement of the turf and ornamentals industry as a whole."   A graduate of LSU, where he earned a bachelor's degree in dairy science and a master's in agricultural economics, Milan is a founding member of the Turf and Ornamental Communicators Association, a trade organization for media, advertising and public relations professional in the green industry. He also is active in Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment, which represents manufacturers, formulators, distributors and other industry leaders involved with pesticides and, as a trade organization in that industry, promotes the safe use of pesticides to control pests and invasive species that are detrimental to human health and the environment.    Prior to Bayer, Milan held key leadership roles with Syngenta and its previous incarnations, Novartis and Ciba-Geigy dating back to 1987.   "With his deep market knowledge and proven passion for the green industry, Jose is uniquely positioned to bring surgical focus to our global marketing strategy and enhance customer experience globally, so that regardless of geography, our customers have the same world-class experience with Bayer," said Thierry Chenet, head of global marketing for Bayer Environmental Science. "Jose will play a critical role in aligning our sales and marketing teams to deliver the best results for our customers while helping to create a better life in the communities we serve."  
  • It took Alexander the Great 12 years to conquer his vast kingdom nearly 2,400 years ago. It has taken Nick Saban, college football's modern day version of the great Macedonian general, only a decade to vanquish his foes in similar fashion, begging the question: Is it too soon to dub Saban "Nicholas the Great"?   Since 2007, Saban has ruled over the college football realm in much the same way Alexander conquered a swath of land that stretched from modern day Eastern Europe as far west as the Danube all the way to India. Saban's kingdom includes subjugates like the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Pac 12, and everything in between.   Including a golf course.   Saban is among a group of investors who recently became part of the ownership group of Waterfall Country Club, the Clayton, Georgia property where Saban is a member and owns a home that rivals many of the fortifications routed by Alexander. Among the others in the new ownership group is Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator and Saban's golf buddy Ken Whisenhunt. The ownership change, announced by the club Jan. 11, came after its co-owner Terry Stiles, the Fort Lauderdale real estate developer, died of cancer last September.   Others joining Saban and Whisenhunt in the venture with Stiles' partner, Rob Hewlett, include Atlanta attorney Marlan Wilbanks, Lafayette, Louisiana real estate developer and contractor Lenny Lemoine and Mike Nixon, owner of Hawks Ridge Golf Club in Atlanta.   To date, no transaction has been recorded at the Rabun County Tax Assessor's office, but the news was announced by the club to its members and employees on Jan. 11.   Saban is reported to have a 10 index and his leadership skills that have helped him conquer the college football world, are legendary. In fact, we'll lay 10:1 that while he is part owner of Waterfall, a 1999 Scott Pool design on Lake Burton in the mountains of northeastern Georgia, the club never will show up on the National Golf Foundation's ever-growing list of closed courses.   It wouldn't dare.   We've come to associate Saban's name with excellence, if not perfection, that it's hard to imagine he's only a 10 index, that he'd ever need a mulligan or that an errant shot might land in a bunker, or worse, a lake. It is even more unfathomable that any business venture with which he is associated would be anything less than the best.   That's how he's wired.   Since returning to the college game from the Miami Dolphins a decade ago, Saban has won five national championships, including a recent come-from-behind win over Georgia in the 2018 title game in much the same way that Alexander laid waste to the Persians in the fourth century BC. Since the College Football Playoff was implemented for the 2014-15 season, his Crimson Tide teams are the only team to be included in the best-of-four series each year.     His six national championships, he won his first in the 2003-04 season at LSU, are matched only by fellow Alabama legend Bear Bryant. There was a time when it was inconceivable that any coach could be mentioned in the same breath as Bryant. Saban, however, has shown no signs of slowing down and, barring unforeseen circumstances, only a fool would bet against him eclipsing the legendary Bryant's mark - and ensuring Waterfall's success into the future.  
  • Talk about going out with a bang.   In one of his last official duties as the TurfNet Superintendent of the Year, Dick Gray recently rolled out a renovated and refreshed Ryder Course at PGA Golf Club.   New TifEagle greens, paspalum tees, Celebration Bermudagrass fairways and new drainage adorn the Tom Fazio design. At first glance, the project is no big deal; after all renovations occur all the time. But this is not your run-of-the-mill golf course upgrade project.   Gray, who is 74, is coming off his fourth renovation project in four years since he was hired by the PGA of America in 2013 to bring its 72-hole property in Port St. Lucie, Florida up to standard.   Yes, 74.   The aggressive $10 million plan actually started in 2013 when new management took over the PGA's flagship property located about an hour north of West Palm Beach along Interstate 95. That change in management included Gray, the property's director of agronomy, and general manager Jimmy Terry.    Both were brought in as part of a plan to usher in a new era as PGA Golf Club, which includes four 18-hole courses, a six-hole short course and one of the largest practice areas anywhere, approached its 20th anniversary in 2016.   The project included a renovated and expanded clubhouse and covered all or part of the Ryder, Wanamaker, Dye and St. Lucie Trail courses and put to the test Gray's philosophy of being "tournament ready every day," a mantra he has embraced since the early days of his career dating to the 1960s in his native Indiana at Pete Dye's famed Crooked Stick. And it's a philosophy he has maintained throughout his career at some of the best courses in South Florida, including Sailfish Point and Jupiter Hills, and the Dye-designed Loblolly Pines in Hobe Sound, where he was the construction and grow-in superintendent. Gray, who has a masters degree in restaurant, hotel and institutional management, also was the architect and general manager as well as construction and grow-in superintendent at the Florida Club in Stuart.   When it comes to building and rebuilding golf courses, Gray clearly knows a thing or two. But even his patience was tried at PGA, where he said conditions throughout were so bad when he arrived that he might not have accepted the job if not for his close relationship with the Dye family and an intense desire to help the PGA upgrade its brand.   "Dick Gray and his dedicated team have accomplished an impressive transformation that cements PGA Golf Club as a top golf destination in Florida," Terry said. "The renovations are shining examples of our dedication and commitment to provide great course conditions day in and day out to our club and PGA members, as well as guests."   PGA Golf Club opened in 1996, just about the same time Gray was carving out the Florida Club in Stuart and the Jack Nicklaus-designed Hammock Creek opened in Palm City, both just 20 miles south on I-95. Those three properties were the cornerstones of a building boom that ushered in a windfall of high-end daily fee golf along Florida's golf-crazed Treasure Coast a solid year before Tiger Woods became a household name.    Long after the Tiger effect has come - and gone - and after a recession that continues to gobble up distressed golf courses at breakneck speed, play dropped off and so did conditions. Enter Terry and Gray.   The project was a labor of love for Gray, whose commitment to fitness belies his age, and whose work ethic knows no peer. Gray knows a lot about growing grass and construction and he lives for sharing what he knows to make his team and the golf courses they manage the best they can be. So dedicated to the project was Gray that in the final run-up to the reopening of the Ryder Course and the impending winter golf season that Florida tracks depend on to make their hay, he declined the prize he'd won a year ago for being named the TurfNet Superintendent of the Year, a trip for two to Ireland and week of free golf, courtesy of Syngenta, the award's sponsor. His handiwork is gaining notice.   The Fazio-designed Wanamaker Course, which was restored in 2015, today is ranked No. 12 on the Golfweek's Best list of resort courses in Florida. The Dye Course made the list at No. 16. Time will tell if the Ryder layout will make the list.   The collection of golf courses that opened as the pride of the PGA to only become an embarrassment due to substandard conditions, finally has swung back in the right direction.   Now, that's going out in style.   The finalists vying to succeed Gray as Superintendent of the Year will be announced next week.
  • When it comes to facing - and overcoming - adversity, John Colo knows a thing or two. During the past several years, he's dealt with job loss and personal adversity that can test a person to their limits.
    "My biggest challenge was when I was let go from Hartefeld National Golf Club in August 2013 and then found out two days later that (wife) Peggy was diagnosed with stage III esophageal cancer," said Colo, now superintendent of the Hills Course at Jupiter Hills Club in Tequesta, Florida.   Rather than let such life-altering challenges keep him down, Colo, 46, prefers to be defined by how he gets up. His wife's cancer has progressed to stage IV and she continues to undergo treatment. Meanwhile, his seemingly endless supply of energy and positivity provide the couple's two teenage sons with an in-your-face lesson about overcoming misfortune that would make Norman Vincent Peale and Steven Covey blush.   "I'm just a glass half-full guy," Colo said. "I've never looked through rear-view mirror. My philosophy is to always look out the windshield and be better tomorrow than you were today."   To help keep him pointed straight ahead, Colo also has the luxury of a solid support network buoyed by a sibling.   Jim Colo is not just any brother. As twins, Jim and John are close.  As twins who happen to be golf course superintendents, they share a bond that others hardly can understand.    When John worked in Pennsylvania at Hartefeld National or the Country Club of York and Jim worked at The Alotian Club in Arkansas, they talked on the phone nearly every day on everything from labor and agronomics to club politics to checking on each other's children and spouses.   "We don't get too far away from each other in thought," said Jim, superintendent at Naples National Golf Club in coastal Southwest Florida since 2012. "We talk at least once a day. I've already talked to him once, and I'll talk to him again this afternoon. I'll ask 'What did you do at the course. How's Peggy? How are the boys?'We are both at clubs that demand perfection. It's about work and family, and we share that pretty closely."   The "elder" Colo echoed those sentiments - nearly verbatim.    "We talk once, sometimes two times a day," John said. "We talk shop every day. We talk about crew, hiring, equipment. Jim and I already have talked this morning, and I'll call him again this afternoon on my way home.   "Jim and I have always talked with each other - I think it's the twin thing happening - just about every day.  We are always talking shop.  It feels like the golf course has an extra superintendent working for them with the information and advice we discuss. We text and share pictures. We have great conversations on the phone on our way home from work - very open and honest.  Seems like Jim and I are leaving work just about at the same time.   "Jim has given me a lot of advice, guidance and a ton of support. It has been great to have Jim to lean on and discuss things with. We challenge each other." Natives of Painesville, Ohio, which is along Lake Erie northeast of Cleveland, the Colo brothers share a similar career path as well. Both are graduates of the two-year turf program at Rutgers.  I never lost my passion for the golf course," John said. "I knew what I wanted to do and what I didn't want to do. I stayed true to what I knew, and I believed the right opportunity would be there to get back in the saddle as a golf course superintendent. John prepped early in his career for legendary Jim Loke first at Quail Hollow Country Club in Painesville, and again during the construction and grow-in of Bent Creek Country Club in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It was a grueling time that served John well in the years since both on and off the golf course.
    "Jim showed me the ins and outs of the business then," John said. "He showed me a lot about turf - the hard way. And I learned.   "I learned how he dealt with the many chiefs in the clubhouse. I read his newsletters to the membership and I modeled what I learned from him and all the things that are thrown to you at one time. You have to keep moving forward."   Jim learned the trade in Florida under Steve Ehrbar, another Loke disciple and now his brother's supervisor at Jupiter Hills.   "Steve was Jim Loke's assistant at Quail Hollow," Jim said. "Steve worked for Loke, John worked for Loke and I worked for Bob Blaylock who worked for Loke, then I was Steve's assistant for seven years at Old Marsh."   Those experiences working for Loke and his prodigies helped toughen the Colo brothers for life on and off the course. When job loss struck John for the second time four years ago, he did what he had to do to get buy, staying busy driving a limousine and a UPS truck, plowing snow in the winter and working a landscape job in the summer so he could spend time at home taking care of his wife and their two sons. Still, he never waffled from what he believed to be his true calling - being a golf course superintendent.   "I never lost my passion for the golf course," John said. "I knew what I wanted to do and what I didn't want to do. I stayed true to what I knew, and I believed the right opportunity would be there to get back in the saddle as a golf course superintendent. I had been away from the golf course for 20 months before landing a job as a superintendent, so I knew the challenge to get back after being away would be tough, but I knew I had the knowledge and the experience and a solid network to help me succeed."   That includes his brother.   Although they live in the same state, the Colo brothers are separated by 175 miles, so it's not exactly easy to pop in on each other, but they do see on another more often than they did when they lived 1,000 miles or more apart.   "We try to see Peggy as much as possible, and that's comforting," Jim said. "And we're there if they ever need help or help with the boys."   Said John: "We used to see each other only once or twice a year. We see each other a lot more since moving to Florida. One of the reasons we moved here was to be closer to Jim and his family."   It's a twin thing.
  • When summing up Paul O'Leary as a man and an agronomist, his successor at Ekwanok Country Club had two things to say: "He was a nice guy," and "He was a better superintendent than I was."   Those who knew him said O'Leary was a nice man and a great superintendent who could produce a top-notch golf course without spending a lot of money.   O'Leary, one of New England's most legendary superintendents, died Jan. 7 in Manchester Center, Vermont. He was 92.   A superintendent for 45 years, O'Leary was the head greenkeeper at Ekwanok, located in Manchester, from 1958 until his retirement late in 1994.   "He was frugal," said Joe Bushee, Ekwanok's equipment manager, who worked for O'Leary for more than 20 years. "He was all about saving money for the club.   "For the amount of money he spent, the course always was in excellent shape. He was very good at growing grass; that's for sure. He did a lot of renovations over the years, and he was very meticulous. When we built something, he was very particular as to how he liked things done."   Joe Charbonneau of Winfield Professional Solutions is a Manchester-area native and called O'Leary a lifelong friend as well as a mentor when the former was the superintendent at The Golf Club at Equinox, which is right next door to Ekwanok.   When it came to managing turf, O'Leary was one with the golf course, Charbonneau said.   "He was constantly on the turf. He had a feel for it," Charbonneau said. "Every day he was on every green, and he had Poa and bent greens, so he had to be on top of them, even in southern Vermont. I would ask him when he was filling his tanks how much N he was putting out there. He'd answer 'I don't know. About that much.' He just had a feel for it. He was an incredible guy."   Incredible on and off the golf course, and treated his employees with the utmost respect. Bushee caddied at Ekwanok and later moved onto the crew and eventually into the shop.   "I started as a part-timer," he said. "He kept giving me more and more hours. He trusted me with everything, and I really enjoyed working for him."   A native of Worcester, Massachusetts, O'Leary was old school through and through.   He served in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II and liked to listen to the Big Band sounds of the Glenn Miller Orchestra. A man of deep faith, he attended church and prayed regularly at the altar of the Boston Red Sox.   O'Leary was introduced to the game like so many from that era - as a caddie. Later, he attended the University of Massachusetts and graduated in 1948 with a degree in agronomy. By 1950 he was the head superintendent at Warwick Country Club in Rhode Island.   A natural leader and mentor, he served on the board of the Northeastern GCSA and was instrumental in helping start the Vermont GCSA chapter.   "He was a turf gentleman," said David Berard, CGCS at Dorset Field Club in nearby Dorset, Vermont since 1987.   "He was very welcoming to new superintendents in the area. In fact, he administered my certification exam in 1995. He helped me off and on through the years with equipment issues and grinding. If you had a problem, he was always more than willing to help you out."   When Ted Maddocks succeeded O'Leary at Ekwanok on New Year's Day 1995, he immediately was cast into a unique relationship. For about 10 years after he retired, O'Leary, who would walk the property with his dog, Dan, popped in on Fridays for lunch with Maddocks and the crew, most of whom he had hired.   He was a welcome addition to the lunch table until health concerns eventually prevented him from attending. Maddocks is now the general manager at Ekwanok, and his son, Alden, is the superintendent.   "You had to have respect for him," Ted Maddocks said. "He was the superintendent here for 37 years."   The way Maddocks tells it, a lot of people had a great deal of respect for O'Leary.   When the elder Maddocks was superintendent, he and his family lived on the golf course in a home near the third hole. It was the same home where O'Leary and his family lived while he was superintendent.   Said Maddocks: "When I told people in town I lived on River Road on No. 3 on the golf course, they'd say 'Oh, you live in the O'Leary house.' It was never 'the golf course' or 'the Maddocks house'. It was always 'the O'Leary house.' "   When O'Leary retired, it signaled the end of an era at Ekwanok, Ted Maddocks said.    "Over the years, I made a lot of changes, and as I undid some things that he put into place, he never made a negative comment. All he would say was 'Ted, the course looks great,' " Maddocks recalled. "I cut down a lot of trees here, and Paul had planted a lot of them. I told him that when he eventually met St. Peter at the pearly gates, and St. Peter asked him what he did to make the world a better place he'd tell him 'I planted a lot of trees and made a beautiful golf course, but, God dammit, somebody cut them all down.'   "He was a very good superintendent, and I always said he was much better than I was. He did it with less money and got great results. I might have improved results, but I had to spend a lot more to do it, too."   O'Leary was preceded in death by his first wife, Rita, and daughter Anne. Survivors include his second wife, Elizabeth; daughters Kathleen (Joseph) Cassidy and Sharon O'Leary; sons Paul (Sherry), John and Kris O'Leary; and numerous grandchildren, nieces and nephews.
  • Winter has gotten off to a hot start throughout much of the eastern half of the country, putting superintendents on notice from Maine and Minnesota to as far south as Texas, Louisiana and Florida.   The National Weather Service recorded 3.5 inches of snow on Dec. 8 at Baton Rouge (Louisiana) Metropolitan Airport, and a coastal storm nearly a month later dumped the first measurable snow in three decades in Tallahassee, Florida, where it was colder on Jan. 4 than in Juneau, Alaska.   Also by Jan. 4, there were 5 inches of snow on the ground at the Clemson University's Pee Dee Research and Education Center in Florence, South Carolina, where Bruce Martin, Ph.D., conducts his research.   Prolonged cold throughout the Southeast has helped ease Bermudagrass into dormancy, making the cold a little more tolerable for superintendents there. Bermuda can withstand temperatures in the high teens to low 20s for a week or so, according to Martin, so many superintendents there have had covers out already.   "It's been cold here since Christmas, so the Bermuda is good and dormant," Martin said. "If it had been like last year, where we had green turf at this time, and then we got hit with this Arctic blast, that would have been bad news."   For those who don't have covers, the USGA Green Section says pine straw can be quite effective at protecting Bermudagrass from the effects of winter.   Superintendents into the northern tier of the transition zone who are managing Bermudagrass might have a harder time, Martin said.   "Covers are fine and dandy," Martin said. "But, if temperatures are in the single digits for five or six days, I don't know."   Gregg Munshaw, Ph.D., at the University of Kentucky noted soil temperatures of 30 degrees 2 inches below the surface at the A.J. Powell Research Center in Lexington. Temperatures like that probably won't kill rhizomes, but air temperatures could damage stolons. He suggests pulling a few samples now and placing them in a window with direct sun exposure to test their survival rate. He also suggests caution with pre-emergent herbicide applications in the spring.   Even in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic, December doesn't usually mean large amounts of snow accumulation or severely cold temperatures. But late fall and early winter have brought near-record snowfall and freezing temperatures to many areas, and an early season storm dumped more than a foot of snow Thursday in the Northeast.     Snowfall totals from Detroit to Toledo to Pittsburgh to Philadelphia were well above the historic average in December. A total of 22.5 inches was recorded in December in Detroit, nearly twice the historic average of 12 inches. And Philadelphia tied a record when the overnight low on New Year's Eve slipped to minus-9 degrees Fahrenheit. From New Year's Eve to Jan. 2, the overnight low in Toledo was minus-2, minus-3 and minus-6, respectively and are expected to approach minus-10 over the weekend, according to the National Weather Service. The Pittsburgh area, on average, receives about 8 inches of snow in December. In 2017, that number climbed to 14 inches.   Superintendents in northern states concerned about how these conditions might affect putting greens come spring shouldn't be worried just yet, says a leading expert on winter damage on cool-season turf.   "Snow is great. Even though it's cold, it's good insulation against these cold temperatures," said Kevin Frank, Ph.D., of Michigan State University.   "With as cold as it is, and the next couple days it's supposed to be even colder, there should be nothing going on under there."   Poa can survive under snow and permeable ice layers for 30-45 days, Frank says. Even with the two-week extended forecast calling for temperatures much colder than normal in the eastern U.S., there is little cause for concern just yet, Frank says.   "If you have any concerns about Poa greens, go out in next week or so and see what's under there. If there's snow and no ice, you're fine to let it ride until we get a melt in January, which we typically do," Frank said. "If you dig down and find crunchy ice, it still might not be impermeable. The only concern is if you dig down and find solid ice."   Superintendents managing bentgrass greens are more likely to have to deal with a broken water heater or furnace than winter damage, Frank said..    "Bentgrass will be OK for 90 to 120 days," he said. "If we don't get rid of it by then, we have much bigger problems on our hands."  

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