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From the TurfNet NewsDesk

  • John Reitman

    Cultural differences

    By John Reitman, in News,

    During his 30 years as a superintendent, Jim Thomas has managed just about every type of grass imaginable. Bentgrass, Bermuda, ultradwarfs you name it; he's seen it. As the host superintendent of a PGA Tour event for the past 10 of those years, he also has picked up a trick or two about keeping turf healthy during challenging times.
      "I've done 328 Bermuda, Crenshaw and Penncross bentgrass, and now I've got about 10 years of Champion (ultradwarf Bermuda)," Thomas said during an ultradwarf management seminar at the recent University of Tennessee turf research field day. "I've pretty well made mistakes on all of them."   Thomas, who is director of golf course operations at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee, home of the PGA Tour's FedEx St. Jude Classic, he also has done a lot of things right.   Through cultural practices that include a lot of verticutting, topdressing and use of rollers and groomers, Thomas is able to produce consistently firm, fast and healthy greens without ridiculously low mowing heights.    His program includes verticutting weekly in two directions at one-eighth inch and topdressing every other week. He also rolls four times each week and double-cuts, first using a walk-behind unit with a cutting height of 0.125-0.130, followed by a triplex at 0.100-0.105. Half the triplex units are outfitted with brushes out front, the other half with groomers. On weeks when he topdresses, Thomas waits four-five days before grooming and brushing, so the sand can work into the canopy. Once each summer he introduces a more intense verticutting, using a scarifier at depths of three-eighths inch to one-half inch in three to five directions, followed by relieving compacted soils with the DryJect system and core aerification.   Thomas also goes light on his fertility, using 3-4 pounds of nitrogen per 1,000 per year. That program includes granular applications in the spring to induce growth and again in the fall to promote root growth. Throughout the summer, he applies a foliar at a rate of one-tenth of a pound every other week to retain a dark green color.   "I've gone from one extreme to the other," he said. "I think the leaner the better."     It might sound like an intensive program, but the dense nature of Champion makes regular cultural practices necessary when producing healthy greens that consistently roll between 11 and 12 on the Stimpmeter.   "You have to find time to do it regularly," he said. If you push Bermuda up against the grain, take a pocketknife and look at it. It's layered on top of each other three to five layers. From a verticutting standpoint, that is what we're trying to do, cut those out, because that is what forms that and makes the green puffy.   "When the turf is thin, just on the verge of seeing soil, that is the best green you can have."   Thomas' work falls under regular scrutiny each year during the St. Jude, with TV analysts constantly broaching the subject of grooming. Brushing and grooming fluffs the turf prior to mowing. Along with verticutting those practices also help manage organic matter.   "They'll say the greens are rolling at 12.5. But that was in the morning after they were double-cut and rolled," he said. "Where are you at 1:30? That's what's important."   Thomas' program usually produces greens that by mid-afternoon still are rolling at 11.5.   "If I'm at 11.5 at 1:30 in the afternoon, that's really, really good," Thomas said. "They'll still think it's 12.5."
  • The Georgia Golf Environmental Foundation will give nearly $10,000 to the University of Georgia to help fund ongoing search for more sustainable golf course grasses. The money will help compensate graduate students working with Brian Schwartz, Ph.D., of the university's crop and soil sciences department.
      "We are very happy to provide this support to Dr. Schwartz and UGA," said GGEF research committee chairman Kyle Marshall of the Capital City Club in Woodstock. "It seems to us to be such a sure thing to support. I don't know of any research department anywhere that has had the record of success that UGA has produced when it comes to turfgrass."   Schwartz's work continues a tradition of turfgrass breeding research at UGA established by Glenn Burton, Ph.D., and Wayne Hanna, Ph.D. Schwartz and Hanna partnered on the recent release of a new drought-tolerant Bermudagrass called TifTuf.   "While the nature of our funding is to review programs each year, we do expect this support of Dr. Schwartz's research will be long-term," Marshall said. "The fact that he is doing much of this work on fully functioning golf courses promises real world results, but it also adds considerably to the cost in terms of travel. It makes sense for us to support this research that promises to benefit all superintendents and therefore the golf industry."   Schwartz believes that "input from experienced superintendents around the state that know what is needed day in and out will pay dividends well into the future."    Partnership between the Georgia Golf Environmental Foundation and the Georgia Golf Course Superintendents Association is the best way to develop new turfgrasses that will benefit the game of golf, he says.   The GGEF has supported various research efforts since it was established in 2004 with UGA a major beneficiary. Total funding of research efforts by GGEF has exceeded more than $150,000 during the past decade. Each year, GGEF also provides a free daylong education seminar for golf course superintendents with the latest information on advances in environmental sustainability for golf courses.   GGEF is a fundraising arm of the Georgia GCSA and delivers programs and services involving information collection, research, education and outreach that communicate the best management practices of environmental stewardship on the golf course.  
  • Stuart Lindsay is concerned that the golf could follow in the footsteps of a former Lindsay family business if course operators and those who drive industry rhetoric are not more aware of what potential newcomers to the game say is important to them.
      "My family used to sell buggy whips. Once Henry Ford came along, the market dried up. It didn't matter how much you discounted the price, you weren't going to sell many buggy whips," said Lindsay, who has been helping golf courses in the upper Midwest maximize profitability since 1989 through his Milwaukee-based firm, Edgehill Golf Advisors. "Where is golf going? Is it a buggy whip? For years, people have been telling us in large numbers that they don't want our product. We're discounting it and telling everyone it's only worth 50 cents on the dollar. If you still can't sell it at a discount, then something is wrong with your product."   It's no secret that a slow and steady decline in demand has marked the golf industry since nearly 520 million rounds were played in 2000. According to the National Golf Foundation, 450 million rounds were played last year, signaling a decline of more than 13 percent since that high-water mark in 2000. Along those lines, a net 951 courses opened nationwide between 2000-2005. Since 2006, a net 768 have closed. How millennials and other groups view the game is part of the problem of declining interest in the game.   According to NGF, millennials view the game as fun, but see others who play it as stuffy stuffy, the atmosphere to be unfriendly and uninviting, the rules too restrictive and the dress as nonconforming to their lifestyle.   According to Lindsay, the NGF, other industry groups and many individual owners and operators have not done enough to recognize this and do what is necessary to attract new customers, including millennials, juniors, women and minorities.   Those barriers cited by the NGF, said Lindsay, are every bit as real as the other excuses often tossed about in the golf business.   "It is convenient in golf to blame time, economy and social changes," Lindsay said. "It does not change the fact that people will spend money on recreational pursuits they enjoy."   "That's the problem. (Golf course operators) don't get it. If they got it, then we wouldn't be having a conversation about people saying they're not treated right when the go to the golf course."   Jim Koppenhaver, Lindsay's partner during the annual State of the Industry Report that the two present during the PGA Merchandise Show, said he returned to the status of core golfer this year for the first time since 2000. After signing up for a package of lessons with an instructor and practice sessions on a simulator, he failed to schedule his final session. Equally guilty, the pro failed to contact him as well to schedule the session, ask how they were going or if he was interested in continuing.   "Instructors, by and large," Koppenhaver wrote, aren't particularly good marketers."   Although changing or relaxing USGA rules and openly accepting casual wear such as cargo shorts or jeans might seem like a bother to some, Lindsay says there is some truth to the claims that some who work in the business seem to go out of their way to make newcomers to the game feel unwelcome.   According to NGF, 87 percent of golfers and 63 percent of non-golfers believe the game is fun and 86 percent and 74 percent (respectively) said it is a good way to enjoy the outdoors. However, only 31 percent said golf was welcoming to novice players, 36 percent said the atmosphere at the course is stuffy, 30 percent said the rules are to restricting and 33 percent don't like generally accepted golf attire.   "(According to NGF statistics) 92 percent of the population has no interest in playing golf," Lindsay said. "We must be doing something wrong.   "Golf doesn't understand that it is in the hospitality business. Why would you want to join a tight little circle, put up with crap because you're a newbie, only to eventually not be a newbie any more and be one of the group?"   Private clubs are able to offer better service only because they have a smaller population to get to know, Lindsay says. It's a lot easier to learn names and faces for 300-400 people than it is the thousands of unique customers who pour through a daily fee facility.  
    It is convenient in golf to blame time, economy and social changes. It does not change the fact that people will spend money on recreational pursuits they enjoy.
      Some of that lack of familiarity could be offset with if operators worked harder to collect contact information, especially email addresses, each time a customer walks through the door.   "You can have an iPad out there at the club drop," he said. "Staff can ask their name, tee time and get them set up with a cart. ?This is Mr. Smith, and the last time he played here was 10 days ago, or he's never been here before. Granted, that is expecting a lot from a bag boy.   "That's another problem. Who are we getting to work here? Most are working for minimum wage or close to it. We don't get much, but what do you expect?"   Admittedly, Lindsay said, those who patronize daily fee courses ? which comprise the bulk of the supply ? might be reluctant to give up an email address. Giving them a discount coupon by email, however, can help diffuse those worried about spam.   He points to a high-end resort course he has played every year for the past 27 years as an example of how a little effort to reach the customer could improve the experience for the guest and the golf course. Each time he approaches the counter, instead of being told "hi, Mr. Lindsay, welcome back," he is asked the same question: "Have you ever played here before?"   Lindsay has spent years crunching data for clients, and said it only makes sense to collect as much information as possible on customers. It makes them easier to recognize, easier to market to and, he added, data shows they spend as much as $150 more per year on services at the golf course than those who do not surrender contact information.   "It's no wonder people don't feel welcome at the golf course," he said, "when you have a staff that is not trained to take advantage of the technology available to them."
  • Rain Bird Training Services will host more than 85 irrigation training events in 25 states throughout the country through May 2016.
     
    Classes are for irrigation professionals at all experience levels, including golf course superintendents, contractors, distributors, designers and architects. All classes are certified for CEUs from the Irrigation Association.
     
    Rain Bird Training Services offers two different training programs designed to help irrigation professionals enhance their skill sets and improve their career prospects.
     
    Rain Bird Factory Trained classes provide comprehensive training on Rain Bird products and help attendees become experts on installing, managing and maintaining Rain Bird irrigation systems. Rain Bird Services will offer 45 of Factory Trained events during the 2015-2016 training season. Space is limited.
     
    Rain Bird Academy classes provide training on products from various manufacturers. This training track includes Rain Bird's Boot Camp classes, which are endorsed as IA Select courses by the Irrigation Association. Rain Bird Academy classes help prepare individuals for the IA's certification exams (Irrigation Technician, Certified Landscape Irrigation Auditor, Certified Golf Irrigation Auditor, Certified Irrigation Designer and Certified Irrigation Consultant).
     
    Rain Bird Services also offers on-site, customized training that is ideal for medium and large-sized irrigation contractors, public agencies and irrigation distributors.
     

  • FMC recently launched its Fame line of fungicides.
      Fame SC and Fame Granular are strobilurin fungicides that include the active ingredient fluoxastrobin. Fame +C and Fame +T are combination products that also include chlorothalonil and tebuconazole, respectively.   All four offer systemic control of a variety of turf diseases.   Fame SC is a suspension concentrate fungicide containing fluoxastrobin that controls many major turfgrass diseases, including anthracnose, blight and root dysfunction, fairy ring, summer patch, gray leaf spot and light-to-moderate infestations of dollar spot (shown here). It provides foliar and root uptake with xylem and translaminar movement.   Fame Granular is a spreadable fluoxastrobin fungicide that offers flexible surface application and uptake and movement within the plant.   Fame +C is a suspension concentrate fungicide that combines the systemic activity of fluoxastrobin and the contact action of chlorothalonil in a premix. Fame +C offers broad-spectrum protection against 30 prevalent diseases, including anthracnose and brown patch.   Fame +T is a suspension concentrate combination of fluoxastrobin and tebuconazole that optimizes resistance management with dual modes of action. University testing has shown that it protects against both root and shoot diseases, including dollar spot, snow mold and spring dead spot and major patch diseases.   

  • News and people briefs

    By John Reitman, in News,

    Bayer launches Signature Xtra Stressgard
     
    Bayer Environmental Science recently launched Signature Xtra Stressgard fungicide.
     
    With the active ingredient aluminum tris (O-ethyl phosphonate) Signature Stressgard is formulated for disease control, plant health performance and to improve program flexibility for superintendents.
     
    Signature Xtra Stressgard offers updated label language, outlining improved disease control and added plant health benefits, including the alleviation of both abiotic and biotic stresses, antioxidant properties leading to oxidative stress protection, enhanced root growth, wilt protection, mitigation and recovery from wear stress as well as improved turf color, quality and density.
     
    This new product also includes 25 percent less active ingredient compared with other Bayer Signature products. This allows for the optimization of physiological plant processes and the natural growth of the turfgrass plant.
     
    An improved flexible rate structure means Signature Stressgard Xtra is customizable for seven-, 14- and 21-day application intervals. It is available in 4 x 5.5-pound bottle/case to help optimize usability and storage.
     

     
    Valent's Aloft available from Nufarm
     
    Aloft insecticide from Valent U.S.A. is now available for sale through Nufarm Americas.
     
    With the active ingredients clothianidin and bifenthrin, Aloft is labeled for contact and systemic control of several turfgrass insects, including fire ants, billbugs and annual bluegrass weevils.
     
    Nufarm has been the exclusive distributor of Valent products since 2014.
     
    Company president gifts distributorship to employees
     
    Lawn & Golf Supply Co. of Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, a Jacobsen dealer for parts of Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania for almost 80 years, is now an employee-owned company.
     
    Started in 1937 by Joe Holman, Lawn & Golf Supply was gifted to the employees by current president Bob Holman, the founder's son.
     
    Throughout the next year, Ken Jeinnings will transition into the role of president. Jeinnings has worked at Lawn & Golf for more than 27 years, including the past nine as vice president and sales manager.
     
    Bill Corcoran will become the company's new sales manager. He has more than 24 years of experience in turf equipment sales distribution. Lawn & Golf also represents Smithco, Ventrac, Turfco, Redexim, Turflux, Neary Grinders and AquaMaster products.
     
    The Andersons names new president, CEO
     
    The Andersons board of directors recently named Pat Bowe as the company's president and chief executive officer.
     
    He will oversee all aspects of The Andersons multi-platform corporation that serves several markets, including the turf and ornamental industry.
     
    Bowe has more than 35 years of experience in the agri-chemical market, including most recently as corporate vice president of Cargill, Inc. He will succeed Mike Anderson as president and CEO effective Nov. 2. Anderson will remain with the company as chairman of the board of directors.
     
    Bowe also will be appointed to the board.
     
  • To produce the conditions necessary to keep his members happy at Valley Brook Country Club, John Shaw, CGCS and his crew once double-cut and rolled greens on a daily basis. Those days are long gone since the Pittsburgh-area club made a drastic change to how it maintains its putting surfaces.
      Beginning this season, six RG3 robotic greens mowers that cut and roll all in one pass produce straight lines, fast putting conditions, crisp and clean turns, and what Shaw calls the neatest clean up pass you'll ever see.    He even can program varying turning points so that the mowers do not repeatedly reverse direction in the exact same spot every day   "We all think we're some of the best greens mowers in the world," Shaw said. "We still can't do what this mower's doing as far as a nice gentle drop. There's never a mark on the collar."   Shaw began using a pair of RG3 mowers last year to maintain 10 greens at 27-hole Valley Brook, including the nine holes on the Gold course as well as the club's practice green. It wasn't long before he was convinced the robotic mower, which was acquired from Precise Path last year by MTD (under the Cub Cadet label), was more than up to the task of producing the conditions that members demanded.   The battery-powered RG3 works by programming boundaries for each green into an onboard computer system. A collection of beacons placed around each green guides the mower using sound and light waves that control where it goes and doesn't go. A wire buried beneath each green controls where the mower travels to complete a clean up pass.   Traveling at speeds up to 3.4 mph, the RG3 produces green speeds at Valley Brook that are up to 12 inches faster than traditional mowing and rolling. The difference, which Shaw attributes to increased frequency of clip on the RG3, was so significant, that he raised the height of cut on the greens mowed with the robots to match the conditions on the other greens throughout the property. Greens mowed with the RG3 also pass the eye test for visual quality.   "The perception is that if you have stripes when you mow, then your greens are slow, and if your greens are fast, then you don't have stripes," Shaw said. "We have stripes, and we're fast."   His staff is able to mow five greens on a single battery charge in about 3:25. The RG3 frees up staff to complete other tasks, such as rake bunkers, change cups, repair ball marks and more. One downside, he said, was cost ? each unit carries a price tag of about $45,000. The tradeoff in labor savings, however, was such that he was able to offset the cost of a five-year lease program before the ink was dry on the contract.   When the RG3 debuted before superintendents at the 2009 Golf Industry Show in New Orleans, many attendees were intrigued but admitted they would have a difficult time turning a robotic mower loose on their greens. When Shaw first saw the RG3 in New Orleans, his first reaction was: "I wondered if (the RG3) could do a better job then what we were currently doing."   Members also noticed a difference in visual quality and playability, and were intrigued by the technology. They also were hesitant for their course to be a pioneer in the use of robotic technology on greens. In the end, they entrusted Shaw, who has been at Valley Brook for 13 years, with the final decision.   "My chairman at the time told me ?if we get some weird disease, you know everyone will blame the robots,' " he said.    "It was the hardest sell I've ever done. What it came down to, I told them that if I was willing to stick my neck on the line, they should be willing to put it out there with me.   "In the end, they trusted my judgment and willingness to put my reputation on the line."
  • Jacobsen launched its Professional Series commercial-grade mowers and utility vehicles for golf course superintendents and other professional turf managers. The line of new Professional Series mowers and utility vehicles includes three lines of zero-turn mowers and six different models of utility vehicles. 
      "One of our main goals with the launch of these exciting new products was to offer a wide range of options that satisfy many different categories of customer needs," said Bryan Holby, product manager for Jacobsen. "The new mowers and utility vehicles offer a myriad of options in features, benefits and pricing that will appeal to everyone from large fleet owners to one-truck-and-trailer operations."   The flagship of Jacobsen's new Professional Series is the RZT line of ride-on zero turn mowers, which provide the power and performance to handle any turf job with ease. The RZT mows up to 5.3 acres per hour with either a 25 or 27 horsepower Kawasaki FX engine or a fuel efficient 27 horsepower Kohler EFI engine.    Jacobsen's SZT stand-on mower packs power into a small footprint and features a 26 horsepower Vanguard engine and two different deck sizes. The new mower series is rounded out with the WZT walk-behind mower. The WZT features an 18 horsepower Briggs & Stratton engine and single or dual-drive drivetrain options.   The new Jacobsen utility vehicles are led by the gas-powered Truckster MS/MX (pictured here), featuring a large capacity of 1,200 pounds and a top speed of 17 MPH. An available linked suspension on the MX model allows it to handle rough terrain with ease.    For customers needing a quiet, electric option, the Truckster MS-E/MX-E is powered with a 72-volt electric drivetrain and an impressive capacity of up to 1,000 pounds.       The gas-powered Truckster LS/LX offers an 800-pound capacity and a polyethylene bed that provides years of worry-free service.    "Today's professional turf managers are being asked to take on more responsibilities and projects," said David Withers, president of Jacobsen. "They need a wide range of maintenance tools to help them get the job done quickly and easily. That's why we've expanded our product line to include nine more dependable machines to our portfolio of products."
  • When a graduate student at the University of Kentucky first showed off an area dedicated to pollinating insects during a 2012 turf research field day, few, if any, superintendents that day showed much concern for their plight, or how it might apply to golf course operations.
      Much has changed since then. Emily Dobbs, the grad student working under UK entomologist Dan Potter, Ph.D., has moved on, and the many challenges faced by pollinating insects, and their significance, have intensified.   On Sept. 17, Potter will host "Bees, Pesticides and Politics: Challenges and Opportunities for the Green Industry", the first of two TurfNet University Webinars presented by USGA Green Section Award-winning entomologists.   On Sept. 23, Pat Vittum, Ph.D., of the University of Massachusetts, this year's Green Section Award winner, will discuss the latest in white grub control in "Everything You Wanted to Know About White Grubs (in 1 hour) but were Afraid to Ask".   Both are free for everyone.     Vittum's presentation will include information about the different beetle species that produce white grubs, the life cycles of each and differences between them. She also will discuss threshold levels, cultural strategies for control as well as preventive and curative chemical strategies.   Potter, who was the recipient of the 2010 USGA Green Section Award, will discuss the controversy between bees and neonicotinoid insecticides, why it matters, how to talk to the public about bees and pesticides, and how to safeguard bees and other pollinators when controlling pests in turf and landscape settings.    The presentation also will cover the differences between bees and wasps, and the major causes of bee decline including parasites, diseases, bee-keeping practices, and habitat loss, and how systemic insecticides might or might not be contributing to the problem.   These and all other TurfNet University Webinars can be found here.
  • By his own admission, Matt Shaffer is a taskmaster. Once focused on an undertaking, Shaffer is as intent on reaching his goal as a 10-year-old child fixated on a Popsicle on a hot summer day.
      "I've always been a task-oriented guy," Shaffer said. "As my dad said: 'Give that boy a round peg and he'll pound it right through a square hole.' "    That intensity and focus have been important attributes for Shaffer, who has spent the past 13 seasons of a 40-plus-year career as director of golf course operations at Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pennsylvania. The East Course at Merion, a 1912 Hugh Wilson design, is No. 8 on Golfweek's list of the top 100 classic-era courses, and success there requires more than doing things the way they've always been done in the past. It means embracing technology, cutting edge thinking and a new way of doing things, things that might seem like unnecessary risks at other courses. It means being an industry leader in managing turf and personnel.   "He's not afraid to take chances," said Jamie Kapes, who worked at Merion from 2001 to 2007, when he left the nest to become property manager at Woodway Country Club in Darien, Connecticut. "He's calculating, and he's outspoken.   "He's never about doing what is easy. He's all about doing what is right."   Shaffer is indeed a walking contradiction. A 1974 Penn State graduate, he has earned a reputation as an early adopter and an outside-the-box thinker, traits he still embraces at age 62.    To his credit, not only is he shaking up the way golf courses can be managed, but he's doing it at a place that is highly visible; a place where his successes -- and failures -- are on display for all to see. That takes guts at a place where the great Bobby Jones twice won the U.S. Amateur (1916, '30).   "Yes, Matt certainly thinks outside the box," said longtime friend John Zimmers, superintendent at Oakmont Country Club and Shaffer's right hand during the 2013 U.S. Open. "I myself follow more of the straight road. Matt loves to experiment and try many new things. I think he has a little researcher in him along with engineer.   "He is always trying to improve something to make the course better."   The most recent cause du jour at Merion is changing how turf is managed through a program that includes reducing spray applications and watering less often.    While going the better part of a year between spray apps might sound like a one-way ticket to the unemployment office to some, it works for Shaffer and it works for Merion. He says sound agronomics are key to learning how far he can extend those windows.   "It's been a 198 days between sprays on our greens, and 212 days on fairways," Shaffer said. "It's all about understanding the plant.   "My initiative now is to figure out how to grow grass, not spray grass, water less and truly be sustainable."   Convincing others to push the limits at their respective courses can be difficult.   "Superintendents have no job security. To ask them to do something that is risky is in itself risky for them, because they can be fired if it doesn't work," he said. "My wife says it's like being married to a football coach, except we don't make as much money. In coaching, if you win you keep your job. If you lose, they pull up the slack on the trigger so fast, you're dead before you hit the ground. So, it's hard for superintendents to take risks. I'm getting close to retirement, so I'm going to take them. I work for a club that has a high profile and feels like they should be on the leading edge. If we can do risky things here, that should be leverage for any other club to do it, so kudos to the members her for that."   His revolutionary style extends beyond turf to include being an intense people manager, who drives employees to give their all and be their best while they are on the golf course, and to forget about work when they're off it.    Woodway's Kapes, who called Shaffer's management style a form of tough love, credits his former boss for giving him the tools necessary to succeed at the next level.   "Working for him was hard. This is an in-your-face industry, and he treats you the way members are going to treat you," Kapes said. "There is no polish on his message, and I don't think a lot of people come in expecting that teaching method. He's that way because he wants you to be prepared. He cares about his employees. He is fair and genuine."   Another former employee recalls a time when that intensity was ramped up even for Shaffer.   "Matt's an intense guy. One time he started coming into work like a raging bull and we all wondered what he was always yelling at," said Scott Bordner, a Shaffer protégé who has been superintendent at Chicago Golf Club since 2009. "We found out his wife had bought him an espresso machine. We learned that if you needed anything from him you had to wait until 10 or 11 o'clock when the caffeine wore off and he was rational again."   Caffeine rushes aside, Shaffer even promotes himself as a superintendent on the edge. It's a reputation that is only partly true. He's also a superintendent who cares about his workers and wants them to have a life off the golf course.   "A lot of my peers thought I was crazy for working for him," Kapes said. "They said 'He's crazy. I hear he makes you work 20 hours a day.' If you're willing to put the time in and care about the golf course, there is no one better to work for than Matt Shaffer.    "There are a lot of superintendents who might go three or four months before they give their assistants a weekend off, but Matt always made sure you had every other weekend off. When you were there, you worked, but if it was your weekend to be off, he wanted you outta there at 3 o'clock on Friday, and he didn't want to see you until Monday morning. I do that here (at Woodway) with my crew."   Shaffer's reputation as a mad scientist came to the forefront during preparations for the 2013 U.S. Open at Merion, which many believed was too short for a major championship.   "When we got the Open, I got really nervous," Shaffer said. "(Professional golfers) are so gifted. It doesn't seem real how good they are. I thought 'we're only 6,950 (yards). They'll straighten us right out.' "   The only straightening out was the lesson Shaffer and his crew imparted upon the world's best players.    With pundits predicting a winning score of 10 under par or lower, Justin Rose needed an even par 70 on Sunday to win at 1 over par despite 6 inches of rain in four days that saturated and softened the course the week before the tournament. Only six players in the field were under par on the tournament's final day.    Making a short course difficult was a challenge. Shaffer sought new grasses that when planted strategically changed the way the East Course played.   "I got creative. I got really creative," he said. "I spent months looking for the worst grasses to play out of, then I found those grasses and planted them in the landing zones and in the rough. I planted some of them together in different combinations in the same area, so if you landed in a 4-foot square four days in a row you could have four different lies."   Given Merion's length, Shaffer said he thought it was his responsibility to prove the USGA didn't make a mistake in choosing the 1912 Hugh Wilson design for its national championship.   He experimented with mixing concrete into topdressing sand, but that made the greens too hard. He finally settled on an ultra fine sand, and proceeded to work that into the greens for three years, making them hard as bricks and a fair but tough challenge for the Open field.     "I thought 6 under would win it," Shaffer said. "I figured if it was 6 under or less, the Open would come back some day. If it was 10 under or more, they're never coming back here. That's what I cared about. I want the members' kids to have an Open here some day, so I figured it was my responsibility to cave (tour) golfers' heads in.   "To this day, I still can't believe plus-1 won here. I'm thankful I don't have to replicate that performance. I'm pretty sure I couldn't top that effort."   That preparation did little to ease the tension that comes with hosting a major.   "I probably slept seven hours in 10 days," he said.    "I thought the rain hurt us, but the course dried out every day and got progressively more difficult. Then oddly enough the wind came out of the east for the championship. It always comes out of the west, but when it comes from the east it makes the course play much harder. I'm positive God was looking over my shoulder for that even, which was a good time for him to show up."   Shaffer calls himself a superintendent who was "stuck" in his career until Paul R. Latshaw hired him in 1986 to be the assistant superintendent at Augusta National Golf Club. It was under Latshaw's tutelage that Shaffer learned championship golf. Ever since, he has made himself available to colleagues and competitors alike to help them achieve a similar goal.   "He always left his door open for anyone," Bordner said. "He has a lot of young guys who look up to him. He's like a father figure to a lot of us who were working there and were far from home. Merion was like our family, and like a parent, he let us go out and experience things -- without letting us do anything too stupid.   "If someone calls him for advice, it doesn't matter if it's another elite private club or a nine-hole municipal course, he'll talk to them for an hour if they need to."   Kapes said that willingness to share information is another Shaffer trait he tries to copy, sometimes not as successfully as his former boss.   "Two of my former superintendents have gone on to become superintendents, and when they call me sometimes I might not get to them within 24 hours," Kapes said. "That makes me feel awful, because Matt always gets back to me within an hour."   That willingness to share the experiences of a career that has spanned more than 40 years is something Shaffer says he learned growing up on the family farm in Martinsburg, Pennsylvania. There, he said, his parents gave him the gifts of a work ethic, the ability to forgive and the communications skills necessary to share his good fortune with others.   "He was always asking for opinions, too," Bordner said. "He never thought he had the answer to everything."   It just seems like he does.
  • The list of must-read titles for golf course superintendents is a long one. On it are books such as "Management of Turfgrass Diseases" (Joe Vargas, Ph.D.), "The Future of Golf in America" (Geoff Shackleford), "Turfgrass Management" (Al Turgeon, Ph.D.) and "Rough Meditations" (Bradley S. Klein, Ph.D.), just to name a few.
      Another selection for that list could be the "Golf Solutions Guide" (by Bayer Environmental Science).   Wait. What?   Compiled by the Bayer Green Solutions Team, the Golf Solutions Guide offer complete diagnostic tips and solutions for problems caused by turf diseases, weeds and insects.   Each section includes background information on each disease, weed or insect pest, symptoms and recommended solutions specific to warm- and cool-season grasses. Both publications also include product guides for Bayer fungicides, insecticides and herbicides. Solutions include tips on what to apply as well as label information inlcluding rates and timing.   The guides are available here.   Cool-season guide
      > Diseases: anthracnose, bacterial decline, brown patch, curvularia blight, dollar spot, fairy ring, gray leaf spot, leaf spot and melting out, Michrodochium patch, Pythium disease, rapid blight, snow mold, summer decline, summer patch, take-all patch.  > Weeds: annual bluegrass, crabgrass and goosegrass. > Insects: billbugs, nematodes and white grubs.   Warm-season guide
      > Diseases: Bermudagrass decline, curvularia blight, damping-off, dollar spot, fairy ring, large patch, leaf spot and melting out, leaf and sheath spot, Michrodochium patch, Pythium disease, rapid blight, spring dead spot and take-all root rot.  > Weeds: crabgrass, dalllisgrass, doveweed, goosegrass, annual bluegrass, sedges, tropical signalgrass Virginia buttonweed.  > Insects: billbugs, fire ants, mole crickets, nematodes.  
  • Editor's note: This letter on the importance of understanding the culture of Hispanic workers was submitted by 2014 Superintendent of the Year finalist Jorge Croda. Jorge is a Mexican national living and working in Burleson, Texas, where he is superintendent of Southern Oaks Golf Club. 
      Today's workplace environment is vastly different than it was ten years ago. Management practices that worked in the past and that suited some cultures do not necessarily work with the changing cultural workplace climate of today. According to the American Immigration Law Foundation, Hispanics represent more than one-fifth of the entire workforce in the landscape industry and 13% of the entire U.S. workforce. So what does this mean to you and your business? Understanding the cultural differences of your workforce can build better workplace relationships and impact productivity which can in turn positively impact your business. By taking the time to learn about different cultures it gives us the opportunity to broaden our perspective and make connections between ourselves and others that can allow us to be stronger leaders.    Being of Hispanic descent myself and having immigrated to the U.S. to build a better life for my family I am able to more accurately detail the aspects of my own culture, therefore this article is focused mainly on Hispanic cultural nuances. That is not to say however that the same regard and practices cannot be applied to many different cultures and produce positive results. It is worth noting that the observations made are generalizations, not all people within a specific culture are the same and there are similarities and differences within every culture.    As with most people, work ethic, family values, respect and resourcefulness are dominant characteristics of Hispanic immigrant workers. It is the culturally driven nuances behind these characteristics that can make them stand apart from other workers of different descent.    America was established as the land of opportunity. Our differences are what make this country great. Acknowledging and understanding these differences is a respectful practice that can be used to yield positive results in the workplace. Hispanic immigrants who come to the United States are pursuing the American Dream, doing so to build a better life for their family. Family values are a top priority. They are filled with optimism about the opportunities available and the ability to build a better life. Building a better life begins with securing employment. The work ethic of Hispanic immigrants is driven by the importance that they place on the opportunity to build a better life. The working conditions and wages in the U.S. are considerably superior to some countries and they want to excel at their job in order to remain in a position to stay in the U.S. and provide for their families. Hispanic immigrants tend to value stability and long-term gains over short-term gains. This means staying in a position and working their way up rather than going from job to job searching for higher wages. Understanding this work ethic and the reasons behind it is a big step in strengthening workplace relationships. Find ways to allow your employees to feel a sense of pride and ownership in their jobs and the tasks they are undertaking, this will establish a relationship between your employees and company.      Respect is an important aspect of the Hispanic culture. Hispanic immigrants have an engrained respect for authority; it is natural to respect those in positions of authority whether they are supervisors, teachers, law enforcement, or other individuals. If you gain their trust you will have an employee who is loyal to their employer and will go above and beyond to get their job done. However, at the same time respect in return is expected. The inability to gain the respect and trust of your employee can result in them appearing to be, but not actually being as productive as possible. If you are respectful towards your employees it will allow them to trust you and build relationships that will build a stronger workplace. I have monthly carne asada lunches for my crew as a way to show appreciation for their hard work and dedication to our golf course and to foster camaraderie. Knowing that people from different places and cultures have different food preferences the choice to serve carne asada was made by talking to my crew about where they are from and what they prefer to eat. When your employees know that you acknowledge and respect the cultural differences that are present in the workplace they will gain respect for you as a leader and this will strengthen the sense of teamwork.    Resourcefulness is a key characteristic to the Hispanic culture. Many Hispanic immigrant workers come from countries that do not have a variety of resources available to them. They are able to complete tasks with a resourcefulness that stems from the necessity of getting the job done regardless of what resources are or are not available to them. Connecting back to their emphasis on family values and respect, they value teamwork and will all work to pick up the slack when needed and ensure that the task gets done. An important aspect of teamwork is having a cohesive vision. Focus on being a leader and not a boss, leading by example is always important. I make sure that my employees know the vision and values of our golf course. Where we want to go and why we are doing the things we do. This allows us to be a team that has one specific goal in mind, achieving the vision through our teamwork and effort. I also encourage my crew to use the creativity that comes from their resourcefulness when completing tasks. If they can draw from this aspect of their culture and find a more efficient way to do something, this should be encouraged.    Again, these observations are generalizations and can be applied to almost any individual. The question is, "What can you do to acknowledge these cultural differences and begin seeing positive gains in your business?" Three words will begin this process; leadership, camaraderie and vision.
  • Researchers at a recent university field day believe that powerful, ground-penetrating radar might one day help superintendents gain a better understanding of just what lies beneath the surface at their golf course.
      "Originally, our research focused on being able to map infrastructure at the base of the greens, particularly drainage systems, sand and gravel," said Barry Allred, Ph.D., of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. "Recently, we've been looking at it to map water content in the sand layer."   Allred and others from the Soil Drainage Research Unit of the USDA's Agricultural Research Service, have been testing ground-penetrating radar at two Columbus-area golf courses and demonstrated the technology's capabilities for others at the recent Ohio Turfgrass Foundation-Ohio State Turfgrass Research Field Day in Columbus.   Unlike hand-held meters that measure moisture content through the rootzone, ground-penetrating radar can go much deeper, and thus can detect structural deficiencies that might otherwise go undetected.   Ground-penetrating radar can rapidly measure and map bulk water content over vast and deep areas. The unit Allred was demonstrating at Ohio State, the SIR 3000 developed by Geophysical Survey Systems Inc. of Nashua, New Hampshire, can measure and map bulk water content from the surface to the base of the sand layer by emitting ground-piercing radar signals and measuring the time it takes to travel to and from the unit's antenna.    "It can differentiate between sand, native soil and gravel," Allred said.    "It measures the values of depths at various locations, the spatial variation across the green, whether it is draining well or staying wet."   The unit on display at Ohio State was mounted onto a three-wheeled device that looks like a steroid-enhanced baby stroller. And that mobility allows it to cover a large area in short order.   "If you have overly wet spots, you can put in localized drainage. If you have overly dry spots, you can hand water," said Ed McCoy, Ph.D., associate professor at Ohio State. "The goal would be to have this unit mounted onto a mower. Every day the mower goes across a green, it would spit out a map to the computer screen, calculate differences from one day to another and find tendencies."   A 2002 University of Berlin study by Stoffregen, Yaramanci, Zenker and Wessolek showed that ground-penetrating radar could measure water content in the soil at depths up to 5 feet. The technology is expensive, with a start-up cost, Allred said of $25,000-$30,000.   Despite the capabilities of GPR, handheld meters that operate on technology known as time-domain reflectometry are used on a wider scale, and it's not just because TDR meters have a lower cost point.   Research studies conducted by scientists at the Berkeley National Research Laboratory (Huisman, Hubbard, Redman and Annan in 2003 and Lunt, Hubbard and Rubin in 2005) as well as Kennesaw State University in Georgia indicate that TDR technology, which also measures then quantifies reflected waves, produces data that is as reliable or even exceeds that produced by GPR.    Where GPR has an advantage, said Ohio State's McCoy, is that it can detect problems with greens construction that are not detectable any other way. He also admitted that the cost means it will be years, if ever, that it makes inroads into golf.   "It can pick up problems on greens due to construction issues; cases where the integrity of the interface between the sand and gravel is disrupted for some reason and therefore never formed a perched water table, and therefore there is always a localized wet problem or dry problem," said McCoy.   "If we can incorporate this onto a mower, we will be able to get a much more rapid collection of data, each data point will cost substantially less money. There is an initial investment, but it gets cheaper over the long term."
  • Ballmarks created by golfers, or more precisely players' refusal to fix or repair them, has been a problem nearly as old as the game itself. According to a recent study in England, convincing golfers to fix the scars they create could be as simple as refining the way in which they are asked.
      Golf course superintendents have used a variety of methods, including blogs, newsletters, PowerPoint presentations delivered during green committee meetings, and even signs on bulletin boards and in restrooms to communicate the significance of correctly repairing ballmarks. All have been met with varying degrees of success. It turns out, signage that reminds players that someone might be watching them resulted in a nearly 80 percent reduction in unrepaired ballmarks in a study conducted throughout June and July at a golf course in England.   The Surrey-based firm of Sport Psychology Ltd., teamed with Wimbledon Signs to post a sign on one green at Surrey Downs Golf Club that showed a pair of menacing eyes. The sign read, "Did you leave a pitchmark? Don't leave it -- repair it."   Results were compared with two nearby greens that did not have the sign.   Unrepaired ballmarks on a control green increased by 27 percent, while the number of ballmarks on the green with the signage decreased by 51 percent, creating a difference of 78 percent.   The two greens selected for the study were similar in length and design. One was 330 yards in length and the other 347, and each with a sharp left dogleg and approach shots of 90-130 yards. Both greens also had similar design features, rising 2-3 feet in elevation from front to back. Both also shared a history of suffering from unrepaired ballmarks.   Researchers measured the number of unrepaired ballmarks after one month of play.   Kansas State University research conducted in 2005 showed that unrepaired ballmarks left cavities in the putting surfaces and improperly repaired ballmarks took twice as long to heel as those that were fixed correctly. Ballmarks that were repaired incorrectly also left the worst scars compared with those that were fixed correctly or left unrepaired entirely.   According to Sport Psychology, forward-facing eyes lead golfers to focus on the sign and its message, because, according to the group's research, the eyes have a powerful emotional impact. The group also concluded that similar signage with other messages could produce the desired results regarding other challenges superintendents encounter throughout the golf course.
  • Surveys show that playing conditions on the golf course are the most important factor in determining golfer satisfaction, not the size of the clubhouse, amount of apparel available for purchase in the shop, or quality of food in the lounge. And the golf course superintendent has the greatest influence on producing those conditions.
      Today's golf course superintendent must wear many hats to provide the best possible playing conditions for the club's golf clientele with the resources at hand.    To do that, he (or she) must be a self-disciplined, multi-tasking agronomist in charge of managing the clubs most valuable asset; a multi-lingual personnel manager; babysitter; therapist; accountant; electrician; politician; hydraulics expert; ditch digger; plumber; arborist; environmentalist; integrated pest management specialist; turfgrass pathologist; entomologist; irrigation expert; and mechanic.   If this sounds like your golf course superintendent, or one you know, nominate him (or her) for the 2015 TurfNet Superintendent of the Year Award, presented by Syngenta.  In the photo at right, Stephanie Schwenke of Syngenta presents the 2014 Superintendent of the Year Award to Fred Gehrisch, CGCS.   Since 2000, the Superintendent of the Year award program has been honoring dozens of nominees each year for their work in producing great playing conditions often during times of adversity.   Nominees are judged on their ability to excel at one or more of the following criteria: labor management, maximizing budget limitations, educating and advancing the careers of colleagues and assistants, negotiating with government agencies, preparing for tournaments under unusual circumstances, service to golf clientele, upgrading or renovating the course and dealing with extreme or emergency conditions.    To nominate a deserving superintendent for this year's award, visit the 2015 Superintendent of the Year Award nomination page. For more information, email John Reitman.   Nominations can be submitted by golf course owners, operators, general managers, club members, golf professionals, vendors, distributors or colleagues, even by mothers and wives. The nomination deadline is Nov. 27.   A panel of judges will select a list of five finalists and a winner, who will be named at next year's Golf Industry Show in San Diego.   Previous winners of the award include Fred Gehrisch, Highlands Country Club, 2014, Highlands, North Carolina; Chad Mark, Kirtland Country Club, Willoughby, Ohio, 2013; Dan Meersman, Philadelphia Cricket Club, Philadelphia, 2012; Paul Carter, The Bear Trace at Harrison Bay, Harrison, Tennessee, 2011; Thomas Bastis, California Golf Club of San Francisco, South San Francisco, California, 2010; Anthony Williams, Stone Mountain Golf Club, Stone Mountain, Georgia, 2009, Sam MacKenzie, Olympia Fields Country Club, Olympia Fields, Illinois, 2008; John Zimmers, Oakmont Country Club, Oakmont, Pennsylvania, 2007; Scott Ramsay, Golf Course at Yale, New Haven, Connecticut, 2006; Mark Burchfield, Victoria Club, Riverside, California, 2005; Stuart Leventhal, Interlachen Country Club, Winter Park, Florida, 2004; Paul Voykin, Briarwood Country Club, Deerfield, Illinois, 2003; Jeff Burgess, Seven Lakes Country Club, LaSalle, Ontario, 2002; Kip Tyler, Salem Country Club, Peabody, Massachusetts, 2001; and Kent McCutcheon, Las Vegas Paiute Resort, Las Vegas, 2000.
  • Golf rounds played drop 2 percent in June
      It appears that the golf business is headed for another lackluster year, according to the latest year-over-year rounds played report. Despite favorable weather conditions throughout much of the country in June, rounds played were down 2 percent nationwide compared to the same month last year, according to the Golf Datatech National Golf Rounds Played Report.    Only nine states across the country experienced an increase in rounds played, while 40 others saw a decrease. The survey of 3,620 private and daily fee facilities does not include Alaska.   Iowa and Minnesota led the way in June with a 10 percent increase in rounds played. Play also was up in North and South Dakota (8 percent), Washington and Wisconsin (7 percent), Georgia (4 percent) and Alabama (less than 1 percent.   The biggest losses were in Hawaii (down 12 percent); Maine, Missouri, New Hampshire and Vermont (all down 11 percent); and Texas (down 10 percent).   Year-to-date rounds played were up by 0.6 percent through the first six months of the year, compared with the same period last year.       WinField Academy offers education for turf managers
        The 2015 WinField Academy is an interactive program that brings career-development courses to professional turf managers and others in various markets throughout the country.   The Academy teaches attendees about new products and technologies, application processes and new business strategies for golf turf, lawn, sports turf, ornamentals, pest control, aquatics and vegetation management.   Sessions are designed to provide practical insights through interactive learning, product testing and tutorials. Instructors include Frank S. Rossi, Ph.D., Cornell University; Thom Nikolai, Ph.D., Michigan State University; Aaron Palmateer, Ph.D., University of Florida; Brandon Horvath, Ph.D., University of Tennessee; and representatives from BASF, Bayer and Dow AgroSciences.   Click here for a list of remaining classes.   United Turf Alliance launches new fungicide
      United Turf Alliance recently launched ArmorTech ZOXY-T fungicide.   A combination product that includes the active ingredients azoxystrobin and tebuconazole, ZOXY-T is labeled for control of a variety of patch, foliar and soil-borne diseases, including brown patch, dollar spot and Pythium on greens, tees and fairways.   ArmorTech ZOXY-T is currently labeled for golf course use only and available in four 1-gallon cases from United Turf Alliance members and partners.

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