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From the TurfNet NewsDesk

  • John Reitman
    Every year since 2002, the TurfNet Superintendent's Best Friend Calendar has showcased 14 golf course dogs and their tireless contributions to golf courses across the country and around the world.
     
    Nominate your canine friend for a place in the next TurfNet Superintendent's Best Friend Calendar, presented again for 2016 by Syngenta.
     
    Some tips to improve your chances of winning:
    Shoot at your camera's highest resolution setting. Images should be taken in a horizontal format; we can't use vertical photos. Get down to the dog's level; don't shoot down at them from a standing position. Fill the frame with the dog as much as possible, but try not to center your dog in the frame. Left or right orientation often can result in a more dramatic photograph. Avoid clutter and distracting backgrounds. A scenic course background is fine as long as the dog is featured prominently. All dogs must belong to the course or to a course employee and spends significant time there. Submit your best photo; multiple entries are discouraged.
     
    A panel of judges will select the 14 dogs for the calendar, including the cover and December 2015. To nominate your dog, email HIGH-RESOLUTION photos to Anna Murray at amurray@turfnet.com and be sure to include the dog's name, age and breed; photographer's name; owner's name, phone number, email address; and the name of the golf course where the owner and dog both work. Or, submit photos using our online submission form. Deadline for nominations is July 31.
       
  • United Turf Alliance and Phoenix | UPI have voluntarily suspended sales of Armor Tech ALT 70 and Viceroy fungicides (respectively) pending an investigation into reports of adverse effects of the products on cool-season grass at multiple golf courses in the Northeast.
      With the active ingredient aluminum tris (O-ethyl phosphonate), ALT 70 and Viceroy are systemic fungicides labeled for control of anthracnose, Pythium and Phytophthora. Post-patent products, they are marketed as alternatives to Bayer Environmental Science's Signature fungicide. Bayer has issued a statement indicating there is no association between damaged turf and use of Signature.   Both products are manufactured by Tessenderlo Kerley Inc. of Phoenix, Arizona, and marketed as Armor Tech ALT 70 by United Turf Alliance, a consortium of distributors, and as Viceroy by Phoenix | UPI, a division of United Phosphorus, Inc.   The investigation was launched after reports of damaged turf at northeastern golf courses growing a combination of Poa annua and creeping bentgrass where ALT 70 was used as a component of a spray program.   A Web site, www.ALT70info.com, has been established as a central online location for the product manufacturer and distributor to share news and information about ArmorTech ALT 70 fungicide.   Armor Tech has not concluded that it was ALT 70 that adversely affected turf on these golf courses, but has retained help from researchers at Rutgers University and the University of Rhode Island who are helping to review spray patterns and programs and the resulting effects. In the meantime, customers can return unused product to UTA for credit.   All other Armor Tech products come from other sources unrelated to Tessenderlo Kerley, Inc. and are safe to use.    The ALT 70 label specifies that the product is not compatible with wetting agents and several other fungicide types. Click here to view the company's halt-sale letter.  

  • Steady hand

    By John Reitman, in News,

    (This story appeared in the June 2 edition of The Journal News in Westchester County, New York)
      Think about the level of pressure that comes with a sweeping downhill putt from seven feet to win a major championship.   It's a task that requires a steady hand.   Dave Dudones can relate to the queasiness. The director of golf and grounds at Westchester Country Club will be on the spot when the KPMG Women's PGA Championship gets underway. If the West Course looks spectacular on television and the competitors are complimentary, the members will respond with more than polite applause.   It's a task that requires a strong heart.   "We know Dave can handle this, and there is a tremendous amount of pressure with a national television audience looking on," said Westchester Country Club greens chairman Mark Christiana. "He's done such a good job since taking over last year. I don't believe Dave will sweat this. He is so easy-going. I talk with him every single day, and I can be a pain in the backside. I'll make suggestions and he's not afraid to let me know that a lot of ideas will not work. And when I persist, it's just, 'Mark, trust me.'"   Babysitting the likes of Mother Nature can make for a long week.   (Click here to read the rest of the story)  
  • It has taken a pair of earth-orbiting satellites that are the result of a joint effort between an American university, a German space agency, an R&D arm of NASA and launched from a Russian cosmodrome to get a handle on the fate of groundwater in the United States and around the world.
      From 310 miles above the surface of the earth, the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment satellites (known as GRACE), can calculate the amount of groundwater lost over time by measuring changes or anomalies in the earth's gravitational field. And the information those satellites are sending back to earth is disturbing.   Launched in 2002 from the Plesetsk Cosmodrome on the shores of the Arctic Ocean, the GRACE satellite project is a true global collaborative effort between the University of Texas Center for Space Research, NASA, the German space agency DLR and Germany's National Research Center for Geosciences known as GFZ. Daily operations and data collection are conducted by NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab in Southern California.     The two satellites, which were built in Germany, orbit the earth 137 miles apart, and take measurements of gravitational changes in the area between them. The data are converted into usable maps, with yellows, reds and browns indicating dry conditions and blues indicate wet conditions.   Information sent back from those satellites shows that groundwater supplies beneath parts of the United States, notably California, other parts of the American West and Florida, are being depleted at alarming rates. And if those areas are ever to be replenished, it will require water in almost-unimaginable volumes to do so.   Variations in the earth's gravitational field can be caused by many factors, including how much water is stored underground, in the rootzone and at the surface. And the GRACE system is able to see all of that.   In December, NASA imagery revealed that more than 11 trillion gallons had been lost from 2011-14 from California's Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, the largest estuary on the West Coast of the United States. That volume of water, says NASA, is more than the state's nearly 38.8 million residents use each year for non-agricultural purposes. The delta, which empties in San Francisco Bay, is steadily losing about 4 trillion gallons per year, according to NASA.   The space administration also says about two-thirds of those losses are due to groundwater pumping in the state's Central Valley. Occupying 22,000 square miles, the Central Valley represents about 1 percent of the country's agricultural land, but produces nearly 10 percent of the country's food supply.    It will require a water windfall equivalent in volume to Lake Mead (the country's largest reservoir), to replenish what has been lost in the delta.   NASA doesn't just measure groundwater storage beneath California. It has been monitoring it around the globe, and California isn't the only place where a lack of groundwater exists.   Predictably, other parts of the west, notably much of Arizona, Nevada and Utah are facing groundwater deficits, as are parts of the Midwest and the Northeast. Even much of Florida, most of which receives 50-60 inches of rain per year, is lacking sufficient groundwater supplies.     The same technology that shed light on the groundwater supply underneath the surface in California also has revealed that from 2004 to 2013, about 17 trillion gallons had been lost in the Colorado River basin, a major source of water for tens of millions of people in seven states, including places like Las Vegas, Phoenix and Southern California. Some 13 trillion gallons of that total was lost groundwater, according to NASA.   In 2014, PBS published a story citing GRACE data on the relentless draws from the massive Ogallala aquifer that supplies water to parts of Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas and Wyoming. The story indicated that over the previous 10 years the aquifer had been depleted by a volume equal to Lake Tahoe. Many of the states pulling from the aquifer have been in some stage of drought in recent years, including Texas, where officials say they have been pulling water from the Ogallala at a rate six times greater than what is going in.   In response to information provided by the GRACE system, California Gov. Jerry Brown in 2014 signed into law the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, multifaceted legislation that requires water agencies to develop plans to ensure long-term protection of the state's groundwater resources.   Since the advent of the GRACE system, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection in 2012 enacted its own Ground Water Management Plan designed to protect the state's underwater springs, surface water impoundments and provide a foundation to help regulate agricultural practices that use these resources.   The hope, of course, is that the GRACE system provides enough information that groundwater supplies can be protect rather than depleted further. In the past, protecting groundwater has been a difficult endeavor, because measuring what is in the ground has been difficult and unreliable.    Until now.   This is part of a multi-part series on golf and water in California.
  • The season got off to a rousing start in many areas of the country where golfers are itching to put winter behind them. 
      Rounds played were up 4 percent nationwide in April compared with the same month last year, a mark that included increased play in 31 states, according to Golf Datatech's National Golf Rounds Played Report.   Predictably, the greatest increases in rounds played occurred in places like Minnesota, up 102 percent, and North and South Dakota, where play was up 94 percent. Other states with double-digit increases in rounds played in April were Wisconsin (45 percent); Iowa (30 percent); Michigan (26 percent); Colorado (15 percent); Illinois (13 percent); and Idaho, Montana and Wyoming (up 12 percent).   According to Jim Koppenhaver's Pellucid Corp. there was an overall 8 percent increase in favorable weather conditions nationwide, a measure he calls golf playable hours. For the year, golf playable hours are up 11 percent.    For the year, rounds played are up 2.2 percent with the greatest impact being felt at public-access courses, where rounds are up 3 percent for the year, compared with 0.1 percent at private clubs.   The greatest decline in rounds played in April were in New England, where rounds were down 12 percent to 18 percent throughout a region that failed to capitalize on warm, dry conditions. Play also was down in the South-Central United States, led by Louisiana (down 18 percent) and Kentucky and Tennessee (down 13 percent).   The survey includes self-reported statistics from 3,465 private clubs and daily fee facilities in 49 states, excluding Alaska.
  • BASF's Pillar G Intrinsic OK'd for use in California
      Pillar G Intrinsic brand fungicide from BASF recently was granted label registration by the California EPA.   Pillar G is a combination Insignia fungicide (pyraclostrobin) and Trinity fungicide (triticonazole) on a granular carrier. This combination of two highly effective active ingredients delivers preventive control of dollar spot, anthracnose, brown and large patch, take-all patch, summer patch, pink snow mold, leaf spots and more.   Pillar G Intrinsic brand fungicide is formulated on a clay granule that provides spreading characteristics because of its density and uniform particle size. The active ingredient moves quickly off of the granule after regular irrigation or precipitation so that it can protect turfgrass soon after application.   Pillar G Intrinsic brand fungicide is labeled for use on most turfgrasses for both lawns and golf courses and provides healthier and higher quality turf, especially during environmentally stressful periods.   Nufarm promotes Copley to oversee golf market
    Nufarm Americas recently named Cameron Copley to the newly created role of golf national account manager for the company's turf and ornamental division.   A former assistant golf course superintendent, Copley will be responsible for the overall development of the Nufarm product line as well as all sales initiatives.   Before being appointed to his current position, Copley managed Nufarm's Southeast region in the T&O segment. He was on board during the integration of the Cleary Chemical line in 2013, and most recently has been working to integrate the Valent Professional Products line into the Nufarm's portfolio.   FMC rebates help superintendents save while targeting sedges
    FMC Professional Solutions has launched a rebate program that will help superintendents save between $5-$12.50 on various sizes of Dismiss South and Dismiss CA herbicides while controlling sedges and kyllinga.   The rebate program includes savings of $12.50 instant rebate on each half-gallon jug of Dismiss turf herbicide, $10 on each pint of Dismiss South herbicide, $5 on each 6-ounce jug of Dismiss CA turf herbicide and $5 on each 6-ounce jug of Dismiss turf herbicide.   Dismiss herbicide controls yellow nutsedge and green kyllinga in warm and cool-season turf. It attacks sedges at the surface for quick visible control, while also controlling tubers. This dual action helps prevent future sedge outbreaks and the need for retreats.    For turf managers fighting purple nutsedge, Dismiss South herbicide achieves fast, effective results against purple nutsedge, yellow nutsedge and green kyllinga in warm-season turf.    Registered for use in California and Arizona, Dismiss CA turf herbicide delivers fast, visible control of sedges like yellow nutsedge, purple nutsedge and green kyllinga, as well as a significant reduction in new sedge populations.     California OK's Syngenta's Velista
    The California Environmental Protection Agency recently approved Velista fungicide from Syngenta for use on some of a golf course's most critical areas.   With the active ingredient penthiopyrad, Velista is a broad-spectrum SDHI fungicide that controls anthracnose, fairy ring, rapid blight and more on greens, collars, fairways and rough areas. It is ideal for cleaning up diseases during transition times from spring to summer and fall to winter on all turf types.    Launched at this year's Golf Industry Show in San Antonio, Velista is a water-dispersible granular formulation and can be tank mixed with other products to enhance control. When mixed with Briskway fungicide, Velista has exhibited excellent control of summer stress diseases on greens when temperatures transition from warm to hot.  

  • It's complicated

    By John Reitman, in News,

    When vandals destroyed a temporary dam holding back 50 million gallons of water earmarked for recharging groundwater, police in Fremont, California were quick to respond, but not because they were worried about ensuring local ne'er do wells paid restitution to replace the rubber structure. They responded because enough water to supply 500 homes for a year, according to the Alameda County Water District, went to waste as it was whisked off into San Francisco Bay.
      The story from May 21 serves as a snapshot of just how serious officials in California are about conserving water, and how many questions remain moving ahead. And just like no two fingerprints are alike, it seems no two solutions for saving water are the same amid one of the worst droughts in the state's history.   Restrictions placed on the state's 411 urban water providers by the California Water Resources Control Board through an April 1 directive from Gov. Jerry Brown, range from 8 percent to 36 percent. The board has largely left it up to each district to achieve its quota any way it sees fit, with the end goal being a statewide 25 percent reduction in urban water use over the next year.
    Restrictions placed on the state's 411 urban water providers by the California Water Resources Control Board through an April 1 directive from Gov. Jerry Brown, range from 8 percent to 36 percent...
      The complexity of this issue illustrates the need for a solid foundation of relationships between the golf industry and government agencies and water providers. Such relationships are necessary so superintendents have the flexibility to responsibly manage water in a manner that works for them and their golf course rather than be held to a cookie-cutter solution handed down in seeming random fashion by a government agency or public utility.   "We're doing things that the golf industry has done in other states, and that is to get organized and learn how to work with governments," said Craig Kessler, director of governmental affairs for the Southern California Golf Association.    "It's up to individual water districts to interpret (drought restrictions), so we have to get in front of them."   Those types of relationships already exist in many other states as well as in some parts of California, but not everywhere. Standing as Exhibit A is the East Bay Municipal Utility District that serves customers to the east of San Francisco Bay.   Solutions for saving water on golf courses range from reducing irrigation in practice ranges, roughs and even fairways to replacing cool-season turf with drought-tolerant Bermudagrasses to constructing new catch ponds and wells, or expanding existing ones.   Converting turf to unmanaged, unirrigated space has been popular, especially in areas of Southern California where water districts have offered rebates of up to $1 per square foot.   It's clear this ride is only beginning for golf course superintendents, and it likely will be a long time before they will be able to disembark. Welcome to the new norm.    "Guys in this region are going to have to keep turf on the borderline," said Bob Zoller of Monterey Peninsula Country Club. "The course will still play well, and it won't really affect enjoyment of the game, but the course might not be as pretty as what people have become used to seeing."   To those outside California's borders, saving 25 percent might seem, on its face, a challenging-but-reasonable solution if it helps the greater good. If only things were that easy. The demands placed upon golf courses by individual water districts are just as fluid as the water they are ordered to conserve.   
    To those outside California's borders, saving 25 percent might seem, on its face, a challenging-but-reasonable solution if it helps the greater good. If only things were that easy...
      To call the situation complex is an understatement of dramatic proportion.   The Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta is formed by the confluence of two of the state's largest rivers to create the largest estuary on the Pacific Coast. The Delta eventually co-mingles with the Pacific to create San Francisco Bay. It also supplies much of the surface water used to irrigate golf courses in Northern California. Although many water suppliers are pulling from the same well, so to speak, their methods of conservation vary.   To wit: In the San Jose area, where cutbacks of 20 percent have been ordered by the CWRCB, some courses have been ordered to reduce water use by as much as 25 percent, while others are having their surface water supply turned off completely, only to have it replaced by more expensive potable water - with no restrictions.   In Marin County, where cutbacks of 20 percent and 24 percent are in place, some courses on untreated surface water say they haven't been asked to curb their use by a single drop. Instead, water districts there are focused on reducing consumption of potable water supplies.   In central Alameda County east of Oakland, where mandated cutbacks range mostly from 8 to 28 percent, the story is much the same. Some golf courses have been affected modestly. Then there is the East Bay Municipal Utility District, which has been directed by the CWRCB to cut water use by 16 percent.   One of the largest water providers in California with more than 1.25 million customers, East Bay MUD has taken things a couple of steps further, requiring an overall savings of 20 percent from its customers, and imposing restrictions of 40 percent on some of its larger users, such as municipalities and golf courses. EBMUD also limits its customers to watering just two days per week.     These recent restrictions are only the beginning. Current restrictions are mandated at the state level only until June 1, 2016. No one knows what will come next. Do the restrictions in place now become the new baseline?   Many of the state's water providers say they have enough water to get through this year and next under current drought status. What happens five years down the road, or 10? At least one study has linked the drought to changes in ocean temperatures, and some scientists have indicated that the drought could last for another 30-50 years. Will superintendents next be required to save 10, 25 or 40 percent from what they are using now?   This isn't a problem reserved only for California. Cash-for-turf programs have popped up through the years in Nevada and Arizona, and further restrictions there and in places like Colorado and Texas are only a matter of time.   This much is clear, it's a problem that likely isn't going away soon. California is filled with superintendents who have been voluntarily conserving 10-20 percent and even more, and those who stay in front of their water purveyors and educate public stakeholders on their conservation efforts will always have the best chance for succeeding during such challenging times.   This is part of a multi-part series on golf and water in California.
  • OnGolf, a cloud-based information platform for the golf turf industry has developed partnerships with hardware and software provides that will help superintendents make more informed management decisions. OnGolf product and data partners include Davis Instruments, Spectrum Technologies, Motor Controls, Campbell Scientific, ezLocator, GreenSight Agronomics and Growing Solutions.
      "(T)heir technologies will now be key data and informational sources of the OnGolf platform for our mutual customer base," OnGolf chief executive officer Walt Norley.   OnGolf is a cloud-based, data-analytics software program that aggregates key line-item data and provides superintendents with information they need to manage soil conditions, water use, fertilizer and pesticide use, labor and more as efficiently as possibly.   Founded by Norley, who brought golf UgMO (Advanced Sensor Technologies) and Matt Shaffer, director of grounds at Merion Golf Club, OnGolf was derived from an existing ag-based platform known as OnFarm.     Based in California's farming region, OnFarm is a cloud-based data-aggregation platform that has been helping growers increase yield and reduce the cost of production for three years. OnFarm has more than 1,000 clients large and small. More than 1.3 million acres of agricultural land are under management with OnFarm since 2012.   OnGolf's cloud-based system collects data from soil-monitoring technology and computerized irrigation systems, utilizes its own weather system and also can capture information such as fertilizer use, fungicide and pesticide inputs, and mowing schedules so superintendents can make informed decisions on inputs and other agronomic practices and manage human resources. By partnering with leading companies in each product sector, OnGolf is integrating products that already have a proven track record in golf course management, and now will be able to collaborate within the OnGolf platform. The plug-and-play model gives customers the ability to seamlessly navigate all of their systems in one place in real time. Superintendents can manage the information in an automated, cloud format on a browser or any mobile device.   Davis Instruments, a privately held manufacturing company and developer of instruments for weather, marine, and automotive use, offers professional wireless or cabled weather stations designed to provide a high level of accuracy, reliability and ruggedness. Spectrum Technologies was founded in 1987 and is a leader in providing advanced soil-monitoring technology for agriculture, horticulture and turf markets. Motor Controls Inc., founded in 1980, manufactures control systems as well as complete packaged pumping systems.   Campbell Scientific offers 41 years of experience in weather stations and systems and is a leader in dataloggers, data-acquisition systems, and measurement and control products, and ezLocator is a manufacturer of pin-placement software.   GreenSight Agronomics has a drone-based imaging service that delivers 1-inch resolution image maps, NDVI maps and 3D terrain models. By next year, the company's services will include automatic daily over-flight to monitor soil moisture, detect pests/pathogens, and deliver daily alerts related to these causes. Finally, Growing Solutions Inc. is a leader in pH control, providing cutting-edge technology for golf and maintenance facilities.
    "The customer is the driving force for our partnerships," Norley said. "Our business model is to include all hardware and software products on our platform based on what the customer currently has in on their course, or wants to have on their course. This offers customers a seamless experience with automation of data coming from these products which eliminates any manual inputting except Stimp meter readings and mowing practices."  
  • It is safe to say that James Sanders made a favorable impression on Steve Gross when they worked together at Brookstone Golf and Country Club near Atlanta. When Gross moved on to become superintendent at nearby Mirror Lake Golf Club and eventually needed a new equipment manager, he called on his former tech to ask if he was interested in a new job.
      "I went looking for him," Gross said. "We have a pretty tight budget, so I had to find some innovative ways to afford him. It all worked out eventually.   "I really can't say enough good things about my equipment technician, but as I think of what to say he really just performs his job like those people that are truly passionate about what they do."   That was two years and one management company ago. Since then, Sanders has been busy keeping Mirror Lake's aging equipment fleet in top condition every day. For that reason, Sanders has been named a finalist for the 2015 TurfNet Technician of the Year Award, presented by Toro.   Criteria on which nominees are judged include: crisis management; effective budgeting; environmental awareness; helping to further and promote the careers of colleagues and employees; interpersonal communications; inventory management and cost control; overall condition and dependability of rolling stock; shop safety; and work ethic.   The winner will receive the Golden Wrench Award (a real gold-plated wrench) from TurfNet and a slot in Toro's Service Training University at the company's headquarters in Bloomington, Minnesota.   Most of the rolling stock at Mirror Lake, Gross says, ranges from 12 to 15 years in age. Keeping that equipment ready for use on the golf course with a tight budget takes a skilled mechanic who also happens to be a frugal shopper.   "Jimmy, knowing that our budget is tight will take the time to find the best price on equipment parts," Gross said. "Just the other day, he called the distributor for a clutch assembly that was going to cost $ 1,300. Jimmy took the time and ended up getting the same new part on EBay for $300. He could have just bought the higher-priced part, but Jimmy sees the bigger picture. He operates the shop finances like (the money) was coming from his own personal checkbook."   The triplex greensmowers Gross and his crew use every day are at least 10 years old and each has more than 5,000 hours on it.   
    The triplex greensmowers Gross and his crew use every day are at least 10 years old and each has more than 5,000 hours on it.
     
    His military work ethic also carried over to Mirror Lake.
      "It was time to replace those probably 1,500 hours ago," Gross said. "Thanks to him, they're still going strong, and we cut at 0.120 consistently."   Even when Gross bought a refurbished fairway unit, Sanders, who received formal training as an aircraft mechanic in the U.S. Air Force, essentially rebuilt the unit so it met his standards. 
     
    "He is just passionate about what he does," Gross said.   "A lot of time in the summer, this job requires more than just an 8-hour day. And there are many nights when he's so busy during the day that he's here until 10, 10:30 or even 11:30 at night grinding and making sure reels are ready for the next day.    "That's a work ethic that only comes from a passionate employee."  
  • A few years ago, when Matt Shaffer took delivery of a new fleet of walk mowers at Merion Golf Club, one thing immediately stood out.
      "The 22-inch floating head wasn't cutting low enough for us," Shaffer said.   Then Shaffer had an idea. He looked at a riding unit with 18-inch heads and then turned toward equipment manager Robert Smith and said: "This isn't good enough. I want you to take these 18-inch cutting units and put them on these 22-inch mowers."   "He told me he thought he could do," Shaffer said. "I said to him 'good, because I want you to do it anyway.' It worked way beyond our imagination. We built a whole fleet of mowers like that, because, at the time, they weren't available like that from the manufacturer."   Shaffer tried to keep the invention under wraps, but colleagues eventually noticed them, and soon, Shaffer says, so did the manufacturer, who eventually began sending off the assembly line pretty much the same thing Smith had been building at Merion.   It's just one reason why Smith, who Shaffer calls 'maestro of the mowers,' has been named a finalist for the 2015 TurfNet Technician of the Year Award, presented by Toro.   Criteria on which nominees are judged include: crisis management; effective budgeting; environmental awareness; helping to further and promote the careers of colleagues and employees; interpersonal communications; inventory management and cost control; overall condition and dependability of rolling stock; shop safety; and work ethic.   The winner will receive the Golden Wrench Award (a real gold-plated wrench) from TurfNet and a slot in Toro's Service Training University at the company's headquarters in Bloomington, Minnesota.   A graduate of Penn State's now defunct turfgrass equipment maintenance program, Smith started as an equipment operator at Merion for four years before taking over as equipment manager.    He has gained a reputation for teaching and training upcoming mechanics and as an expert fabricator.   When an equipment operator drove ruts into a fairway last winter during a tree-management project, Shaffer told his mechanic to weld 1-inch tines onto a backhoe bucket, which then was dropped into each rut, turned and lifted, removing each truck tire rut just like it was a giant divot-repair tool.  "If Shaffer can dream it, Robert can build," Shaffer said.  

    If Shaffer can dream it, Robert can build it..."
     
    Smith has started his own training program to help fill a void of qualified mechanics in the golf business. At any given time, Smith has one entry level mechanic just entering his program, and one nearing completion of training. Trainees begin by mowing greens and raking bunkers for part of the day and stay in the program for two to three years before graduating. One of his trainees will "graduate" this fall and already has three job offers.
     
    Current or past trainees include former golf course superintendents and even college students majoring in engineering. Graduates have gone on to work as equipment managers at such places as Saucon Valley Country Club.
      "Merion is all about teaching," Shaffer said. "We have a saying here: ?If you're not teaching, you're not learning.' "   The training program is a rare way of giving back for a club that definitely is unique in how it conducts its turf management business.   Shaffer has become known for his minimalist philosophy in maintaining turf, and says he has not made a fungicide app since last September.   "We're mowers, not chemical dumpers," Shaffer said. "Robert is a big part of us being able to do that."  
  • When the Foley grinder is humming at the Jimmie Austin Golf Club at the University of Oklahoma, the sound echoes through the maintenance facility like an aria playing across campus in the Cimarron Opera House.
      "That's music to my ears," said superintendent Eddie Roach, Jr. "When I hear (the grinder) running, I know the blades are going to be perfect."   Perfect reels are important at Jimmie Austin, where just about everything except fairways and roughs are kept trimmed with an expansive fleet of walk mowers. Roach keeps about 20 walkmowers on hand, as well as a stockpile of about 50 reel and bedknife units.   Keeping those reels as sharp as possible is the job of equipment manager Rex Schad. And although golfers at Jimmie Austin might not know Schad, who eventually came to the golf business after learning diesel mechanics in the U.S. Navy, the side effects of his grinding skills are felt from the first tee to the 18th green.   Schad, who eventually came to the golf business after learning diesel mechanics in the U.S. Navy,    "We have a Foley bedknife grinder, and he keeps it rocking and rolling at least two times a week," Roach said. "He always a grind first mentality. He wants reels perfect all the time. He always has a bunch ready to go so he can pull others out and work on them. This way, everything is always ready when you need it."   Because of his ability to allow Roach and his staff to provide excellent quality of cut every day, Schad has been named one of three finalists for the 2015 TurfNet Technician of the Year Award, presented by Toro.   Criteria on which nominees are judged include: crisis management; effective budgeting; environmental awareness; helping to further and promote the careers of colleagues and employees; interpersonal communications; inventory management and cost control; overall condition and dependability of rolling stock; shop safety; and work ethic.   The winner will receive the Golden Wrench Award (a real gold-plated wrench) from TurfNet and a slot in Toro's Service Training University at the company's headquarters in Bloomington, Minnesota.   In his eight years as superintendent at Jimmie Austin, Roach has been so impressed by Schad's grinding skills that he has dedicated space to him on his turf maintenance blog in hopes of sharing with patrons just how valuable he is to the golf course maintenance operation.   "His position specifically is not one that is highly visible to members, but he has a tremendous impact on our product that we put out there every day," Roach said. "He gives us exceptional quality of cut. Our members and patrons don't see that, or know his face. He's not the guy who gets a lot of 'attaboys' like other people who golfers see out on the course."   Providing this kind of quality of cut means more than just keeping reels and bedknives in top condition. It means keeping all mowing equipment in as-new condition. And often, that means fabricating a tool for a specific task.    For example, when the hydraulics that hold gang units on the rough mowers in a closed position relaxed over time, causing the wings to drop when not in use, Schad fabricated a brace system to hold the decks in place.   "They created too large of a footprint," Roach said. "We needed that space."   Other inventions include a trailer system for spreaders that connects directly to utility vehicles.   It's not enough for equipment to run like it's new, it has to look that way, too.   "It's aesthetic, I know. But there is an image we are putting out there," Roach said. "You can have an old clunker piece of equipment that still achieves a superior quality of cut. But what is the golfer's perception of that? I don't want them to think we don't know how to take care of anything. It has to be an asset to the golf course."  
  • Spring into savings with BASF
      BASF has launched a summer holiday spray promotion that will help superintendents save up to 8 percent in earned credit on qualifying fungicide purchases.   The promotion, which includes Lexicon Intrinsic, Honor Intrinsic, Insignia SC Intrinsic and Xzemplar fungicides, will run through Aug. 31. BASF also is offering a Bose SoundLink Color Bluetooth speaker with the purchase of one case of Lexicon Intrinsic fungicide.   To qualify, all purchases must be made by August 31 and registered by Sept. 18 at betterturf.basf.us/holidayspray.     Par Aide says spruce up those tees
      Par Aide has a few new products available to help superintendents easily spruce up the appearance of any golf course.   Such products include club washers, spike brushes and ball washers that are designed to keep golf clubs, balls and shoes free of debris.   Other standby items include customizable tree branch tee markers and benches for taking a load off for those times when everyone is not necessarily playing ready golf.   The Andersons buys Kay-Flo
      The Andersons recently acquired Kay Flo Industries, a South Dakota-based provider of field and crop nutrient products.

    The acquisition is part of The Andersons? plan to grow its wholesale and specialty fertilizer business within the Maumee, Ohio company?s Plant Nutrient Group.

    Based in North Sioux City, Kay-Flo is a consortium of family owned companies that manufacture high-performance crop and animal nutrients that has been in business since 1928 when it started as Kay Dee Feed Co. The company also has operational facilities in Iowa and Nebraska.

    Kay Flo, through its Nutra-Flo Division, is the leading U.S. manufacturer of premium liquid starter fertilizers and is also a leading manufacturer and formulator of micronutrient enriched plant nutrients. Nutra-Flo serves hundreds of growers, ranchers, and agribusinesses throughout the Western Corn Belt with these products along with its conventional fertilizers.

    The purchase includes a state-of-the-art research-and-development laboratory and three plant nutrient manufacturing and distribution assets with more than 100,000 tons of tank storage that produce more than 200,000 tons of liquid fertilizers. The animal nutrient portions of Kay Flo are not a part of the acquisition.   Irrigation Association offers training courses
      The Irrigation Association is offering a schedule of on-site classes to help irrigation professionals improve industry proficiency, advocate sound water management, and grow demand for water-efficient products and services.   Classes include irrigation technician training, landscape irrigation design, certified irrigation designer, and golf irrigation auditor training.   Irrigation technician training is scheduled for May 19-20 (Apopka, Florida), June 16-17 (Sacramento, California), July 21-22 (Pensacola, Florida), Sept. 15-16 (Walnut, California).   Certified irrigation designer training is set for July 13-14 (Tucson, Arizona). Landscape irrigation design is scheduled for May 21 (Apopka, Florida), July 23 (Pensacola) and Sept. 17 (Walnut).   Toro recognizes Reinders
      The Toro Co. presented Reinders Inc. of Sussex, Wisconsin with its 2014 Partner in Excellence award for Best in Parts Operations. Reinders has won the award three times in the past four years.

    The award is based on a variety of criteria including overall fill rate, inventory turns, distributor quarterly evaluations, and an on-site visit by Toro personnel. Reinders was recognized for its best business practices relating to order accuracy, delivery time, back-order fulfillment and increasing Toro parts market share. Toro's Partners in Excellence program provides guidelines which focus on key business processes for building a successful distributorship. Reinders' achievement was the result of dedicated efforts from a multitude of its teams ? customer service, operations, outside sales, inside sales support and administration.

    Established in 1866, Reinders, Inc. is the Midwest's largest full service distributor of products to the commercial green industry. The company provides turf equipment, parts, fertilizer, grass seed, pond supplies, landscape/seasonal lighting, fungicides, herbicides, insecticides, irrigation products, landscape supplies, ice melt products and more throughout the Midwest with outlets Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota and Kansas.  
  • Not all winter damage on golf course turf is created equally.
      Damage caused by harsh winter conditions typically is a concern throughout the Northeast and much of the Midwest, but what causes it and its severity can vary from location to location and year to year. And this year is no different, with superintendents in some areas reporting minor damage and others calling this year's damage the worst they've seen.   Now that spring finally has arrived, the USGA Green Section recommends adequate moisture on areas where turf is damaged but still alive, slit seeding those areas with weakened turf and reducing or eliminating traffic until such areas are repaired. A leading university researcher suggests reseeding severely affected areas with creeping bentgrass followed by a strict fertility program.   At James Baird State Park Golf Course in Pleasant Valley, New York, 16 of 18 greens were lost to winter kill, a problem that kept the course closed into May. The same can be said for The Golf Course at Yale in New Haven, Connecticut, where superintendent Scott Ramsay, CGCS, called the damage the worst he has seen in his 31 years as a superintendent.   According to the USGA Green Section, there were several different causes for winter damage, including rain followed by freezing conditions in December and January that left exposed and dormant turf covered in ice for an extended period. At James Baird, an ice storm that rolled through Pleasant Valley in mid-January was to blame.   Copious amounts of snow in other areas left turf blanketed in snow so long that suffocation was a concern. Then later in March, turf in areas where standing water is a concern went through the thaw-freeze cycle. For other courses along the coast, wind was the problem, first removing snow cover and then blowing over exposed dry and dormant turf, resulting in desiccation.   While Green Section agronomists recommend reviewing programs and procedures, they acknowledge there is really little any golf course superintendent can do to prevent winter damage, other than to repair areas where standing water is a recurring problem.   That's the route Ramsay took at The Golf Course at Yale in New Haven, Connecticut, where he said winter damage could have been much worse if not for a fall aerification treatment that prevented standing water from accumulating in low areas on greens.   The story is the same on Long Island, where long and persisting winter conditions have resulted in delayed course openings, tournament postponements and temporary greens, according to published reports. Normal playing conditions at many courses, especially those with annual bluegrass putting surfaces, are not expected until summer.   As usual, courses with predominantly bentgrass greens fared better than those touting mostly annual bluegrass, which is the area's primary putting surface.   In December, Kevin Frank, Ph.D., of Michigan State University delivered a seminar on winterkill during the annual Ohio Turfgrass Foundation conference and trade show.   The ability to recover depends entirely on the level of damage incurred, but such programs often begin with seeding bentgrass. Frank discussed    One such recovery program Frank discussed at OTF included seeding with bentgrass, followed by a starter fertilizer application at 0.75 pounds of phosphorus per 1,000 square feet, followed by a foliar program of 0.10 pounds of nitrogen per 1,000 applied every four to five days through mid- to late May. That program also included delaying PGR use until mid-June.    Properly preparing the area for seeding to improve seed-soil contact also played a critical role in how quickly an area recovered.    Frank has had a lot of experience lately helping superintendents from throughout the Midwest deal with the aftermath of winter damage. Damage from harsh winter conditions throughout Michigan was worst in 2014, but was more widespread this year, he said.   A year ago, winter damage was concentrated mostly in the Detroit area, while this year courses northward into the state's thumb all the way to Gaylord are reporting dead or damaged turf. At least three courses in the Detroit area have filed documents in court against The Travelers Indemnity Co. for denying insurance claims associated with winter damage.
  • For those with severely sloped areas that are subject to high standards of maintenance, Jacobsen has launched its HoverKing lightweight hover mower.
      The HoverKing comes in two models, 16-inch and 20-inch mowing widths that weigh just 26 and 36.5 pounds, respectively.   "Hover mowers typically maintain the most sloped areas on a golf course where mowing is very difficult," said Chris Fox, product manager for Jacobsen. "We saw a real need for a lighter, more rugged hover mower that could be easily operated, maneuvered and transported. The HoverKing's lighter weight and ergonomic handle design make it easier to operate in all conditions."   With an ergonomic design for ease of use, the HoverKing features a padded handle and integrated handle mounts that stand up to the rigors of daily use.    "During our field research, superintendents told us that one of the most common problem areas on current hover mowers is where the handle mounts to the deck," Fox said. "Our engineers integrated the HoverKing's handle mounts into the engine mount, providing a much more durable attachment point that will hold up over time."   Both versions of the HoverKing offer a 3-inch height of cut, which is the highest in the industry. In addition, the HoverKing offers three cutting system options: metal blade, metal edge with nylon blade or nylon string.
  • TurfNet claimed 17 awards at the recent Turf and Ornamental Communicators Association annual Communications Awards contest.
      TurfNet's haul included seven first-place awards and 10 merit entries. One first-place award, a video by Jon Kiger, also earned a Gardner Award as a best-in-show winner.   Kiger claimed two first-place awards and four merit winners. He took first place in the Best CD/Audiovisual Presentation category with "TurfNet on the Global Stage - Preparing for the World Cup" and Best Short Video/DVD with "East Lake Golf Club: Individual Tool Lockers." "TurfNet on the Global Stage" also was named a best in show winner.   TurfNet's John Reitman won two first-place awards and two merits. He won first place for Writing for Website for "California's Water Story Needs a Hollywood Ending" and "Like Pulling Teeth."   Randy Wilson took first place in the Best Use of Editorial or Opinion in Video/DVD for "Straight Talk and Common Sense: Mike Young," Kevin Ross, CGCS, claimed first place in Best Long Video/DVD for "2014 On Course Awards Presentation," and Hector Velazquez won with "When is it Time to Replace That Reel?" in Best Instructional Video/DVD category.    Results of the contest were announced May 7 at the TOCA annual meeting in Milwaukee. Award entries reflect work completed during the 2014 calendar year.   Merit winners include:   > Best CD/Audiovisual Presentation: "Preparing for the Ryder Cup," Jon Kiger; > Best Instructional Video/DVD: "Rockaway Hunt Club - Quick Modification to Tandem Trailers," Jon Kiger; > Innovative Use of Social Media: "TurfNet Ryder Cup Video Tweet and Share Promotion," Jon Kiger; > Writing for Video/CD/Audiovisual Presentation: "TurfNet on the Global Stage Ryder Cup at Gleneagles preview script," Jon Kiger > Blog: "Greenkeeping - The Next Generation," Peter Braun; > Blog: "Home is Where . . ." Paul MacCormack; > Best Writing for Publication: "Show Me the Light," Paul MacCormack for the Golf Course Superintendents Association of Ireland (international category); > Overall Media Kit Design: "TurfNet 2014 Media Kit," Peter McCormick; > Headline Writing: "California's Water Story Needs a Hollywood Ending," John Reitman; > Miscellaneous Special Publishing Project: "2014 Superintendent's Best Friend Calendar," John Reitman.   In its 26th year, the Turf and Ornamental Communicators Association is a 200-plus-member organization of editorial, advertising and marketing professionals who work in the green industry.
  • The face of golf in California is about to change - forever.
      In response to a directive last month from Gov. Jerry Brown, the California State Water Resources Control Board approved on May 5, measures designed to reduce urban water use statewide by 25 percent through June 2016.   To meet that goal, the CSWRCB has placed each of the state's 411 urban water suppliers into an 8-tier system, each with different conservation standards. Reductions will range from 8 to 36 percent of 2013 water use figures, depending on per-capita use within each district. For individual users within districts, cutbacks ultimately will be determined by local suppliers.    The rule gives water suppliers a wide berth on how to interpret and implement the rule - as long as their prescribed numbers are achieved. Suppliers can set different reduction standards for different users within the same district and can develop and implement their own contingency plans to help individual users meet localized needs.   For example, the San Jose Water Co., one of the state's largest water suppliers, is in Tier 5, which means that during the next year it must reduce the amount of water it delivers to its customers by 20 percent compared with its 2013 use data. How it reaches that number is up to the water company. Some customers might be asked to save less than 20 percent, while some might be asked to save more. It is largely expected that customers who already have exhibited low-use practices will be asked to reduce their use by a lesser percentage and those with higher per-capita use rates will get hit hardest.   That same latitude applies to all 411 urban water suppliers throughout the state.     Mike Huck, a former golf course superintendent in Southern California and one of the state's leading irrigation consultants and water experts, expects some golf courses might be told to reduce water use by as much as 40 percent.   "The reasoning is the only available water savings are primarily going to come from outdoor landscape irrigation," Huck said. "There isn't much water left to be saved indoors due to water-saving appliances like low gallons-per-flush toilets, low gallons-per-wash clothes washers, dishwashers and low flow shower heads and faucet aerators."   Superintendents still unsure of what the new rule means to them are urged to contact their water supplier.   Californians get their potable water from several sources, including the Colorado River, local groundwater and recycled water from water-treatment plants. And then there is the State Water Project, which channels surface water from sources such as Sierra Nevada snowpack to provide water for nearly 70 percent of all Californians. The project is a system of 700 miles of canals, aqueducts and pipelines that channel water from 34 reservoirs to more the 25 million users throughout the state, including large metropolitan areas like Los Angeles and San Francisco.   With California entrenched in a four-year drought, Brown has pleaded with residents to voluntarily conserve water use.    Some took those pleas seriously. Golf course superintendent Steve Agin has cut water use at Ruby Hill Golf Club in Pleasanton, east of the San Francisco Bay area, by more than 20 percent since then.   "It wasn't mandatory," Agin said. "As a superintendent, I use the bucket analogy, and there is only so much water in the bucket before it runs out."   Not everyone was as proactive. According to the CSWRCB, voluntary cutbacks resulted in a savings of only 3 percent statewide in March, far below what state officials had hoped for. With no end to the drought in site - some reports had Sierra Nevada snowpack this past winter at 5 percent of normal - Brown decided it was time to get serious.   On April 1 he announced a mandate that would result in the state's cumulative reduction of water use by 25 percent through next June and threw the ball into the water control board's court to develop and implement a plan that would make that directive achievable.   Since the 25 percent-reduction rule went into effect May 5, many superintendents around the state have been thrust into panic mode as they wait to see how the rule will affect them.  
    Since the 25 percent-reduction rule went into effect May 5, many superintendents around the state have been thrust into panic mode as they wait to see how the rule will affect them...
      A day after the plan was approved, Craig Kessler, director of governmental affairs for the Southern California Golf Association and another of the state's experts on golf course water issues, was meeting with operators of four golf courses in Orange County who are nervous about how they will be affected.   The rule applies to well water use also, regulation of which was noticeably absent in previous water-conservation efforts, with the rule stating: "Commercial, Industrial and Institutional properties that are not served by a water supplier (or are self-supplied, such as by a groundwater well) also must either reduce water use by 25 percent or restrict outdoor irrigation to no more than two days per week. No reporting is required but these properties must maintain documentation of their water use and practices."   While the CSWRCB is responsible for implementing the governor's directive, penalizing those who fail to comply with the order is up to the individual water districts. And they have a wide range of discretion in levvying fines.   Cutbacks Those utilizing recycled water are exempt from the reduction rule, but that doesn't mean they are not feeling the effects of the drought.   Bob Zoller of Monterey Peninsula Country Club and superintendents from six other courses in Pebble Beach, are approved to draw as much as a combined 2.5 million gallons of treated water per day from the Forest Lake Reservoir in Pebble Beach. But conservation efforts on the Monterey Peninsula, the water utility there is able to produce only 1.3 million gallons per day.   "Golf is at a crossroads in so many areas," Zoller said. "Out here, water is more important than it is in some other areas. It's difficult at this point to look down the road and see what is going to happen."   This is part of a multi-part series of golf and water in California.  

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