A championship-winning football coach, a pioneering sports turf manager, a leading career development consultant and some of the game's most successful superintendents: those are just a few of the speakers who will be on hand at the 50th annual Tennessee Turfgrass Association Conference and Show, proving you don't have to live or work in the Volunteer State to get something out of the program.
Phillip Fulmer, head football coach at the University of Tennessee for 17 seasons and who led the Volunteers to the 1998 BCS National Championship, will be the keynote speaker at the conference and show scheduled for Jan. 12-14 in Murfreesboro.
Also scheduled to speak at the three-day event are superintendents like Chris Tritabaugh of Hazeltine National Golf Club, Paul Carter, CGCS, of the Bear Trace at Harrison Bay, Rod Lingle, CGCS, of Ridgeway Country Club, David Stone of The Honors Course and more; a host of researchers from UT; sports turf manager Jerad Minnick of Growing Innovations; and professional development consultant and coach Laura Katen.
Stone will open the event by reflecting on his 40-plus years as a superintendent, including at The Honors Course in Ooltewah near Chattanooga, which is ranked No. 25 on Golfweek's List of the Top 100 Modern Courses. Tritabaugh will speak on preparing Hazeltine, No. 72 on Golfweek's modern list, for next year's Ryder Cup Matches.
Carter, recipient of the 2011 TurfNet Superintendent of the Year Award, along with Lingle, Chris Hartwiger of the USGA Green Section and Jim Brosnan, Ph.D., of the University of Tennessee, on Jan. 13 will lobby on the benefits of growing Bermudagrass in the transition zone. Brandon Horvath, Ph.D., and John Sorochan, Ph.D., both of UT, Jeff Huber of The Golf Club of Tennessee and Dan Stump of Chickasaw Country Club will argue on the benefits of growing creeping bentgrass in the transition zone.
Katen, president of New York-basked Katen Consulting, will discuss interviewing and first-impression strategies designed to "enhance your chance of success".
Minnick, a graduate of the University of Missouri turfgrass management program, has taken a page from the European way of maintaining soccer fields to become an expert on pushing natural grass sports fields. His talk will focus on budget-responsible solutions that also can improve the quality of natural grass fields.
Fulmer compiled a 152-52 record in 17 seasons as the head coach of the Vols, including consecutive Southeastern Conference championships and an undefeated national championship in 1998. He will speak at the conference on his experiences as a coach and interactions with turf managers both on the football field and the golf course.
Other speakers include Burton English, Ph.D., and Aaron Thoms, Ph.D., both of UT, Clint Waltz, Ph.D., of the University of Georgia, Jim Thomas of TPC Southwind, golf course architect Bill Bergin of Bergin Golf, Craig Current of Legacy Golf Management and many others.