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From the TurfNet NewsDesk

  • John Reitman
    For the past three years, Jacobsen supports turfgrass education by awarding scholarships to deserving students. Recently, the Charlotte, North Carolina-based manufacturer of turf management equipment awarded scholarships to 27 college seniors in North America who are studying turfgrass management.   Auburn University senior Matthew Golson, an intern with the Green Bay Packers, said the program helps ease the burden of paying for a college education for many students.   "As turfgrass students and interns, we are so fortunate to have opportunities of financial support from generous scholarship programs like Jacobsen's," Golson said. "For part-time workers and full-time hopefuls like us, this scholarship brings some peace of mind to turf students while we manage our educational and vocational experiences and work hard to make ends meet."   Jacobsen supports industry education through the Jacobsen Turfgrass Scholarship program as well as other initiatives including the Future Turf Managers Program, a week-long educational event for recent college graduates, and Jacobsen University, an in-house educational facility providing hands-on training to students, superintendents, technicians and sales representatives. In addition, Jacobsen donates equipment and resources to several turfgrass programs throughout the United States.   "At Jacobsen, we take great pride in the turf industry and are committed to supporting turf managers at all levels. Awarding scholarships to these deserving students is one way we are able to reward their current success and invest in the future of this industry," said David Withers, president of Jacobsen.  "We look forward to working with these turf managers for many years to come."   This year's recipients are: Brandon Bousema, Iowa State; Cody Chavez, Mt. San Antonio College; Andrew Christesen, Michigan State; Morgan Creighton, Olds College; Jonathon Fox, Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College; Matthew Golson, Auburn; Micah Gould, Oregon State; Timothy Halvorson, Minnesota-Crookston; Wyatt Kotary, SUNY-Delhi; Jack Leising, SUNY-Delhi; Christopher Marra, Penn State; Kyle Mast, Rhode Island; Ryan May, Iowa State; Morgan McAdams, Southeast Missouri State; Luke McGhee, Wisconsin; Gerald Navarre, Michigan State; Spencer Nelson, Iowa State; Meagan Nunn, University of Guelph; Matthew Sorrell, Florida Gateway College; Mark Stoklosa, Kwantlen Polytechnic University; Zachary Strader, Texas A&M; Matthew Valeriani, University of Guelph; Joseph Villela, New Mexico State; Andrew Wilhelm, Purdue; Blake Willems, Arkansas; Cody Woods, Penn State; Tyler Zidik, Penn State.
  • At this year's Golf Industry Show, John Deere made a big splash when it introduced its A Series of fairway rough and trim mowers.
     
    To accommodate the new additions to the Deere lineup, the company overhauled the assembly line at its Turf Care Facility in Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina. A video from John Deere provides an inside look into that assembly line and explains some of the changes necessary to maximize efficiency and quality of the production process.
     
    According to Deere, the new assembly line was three years in planning and was designed to offer what the company called "the ultimate in mistake proofing."
     
    It incorporates common tools and components as well as manufacturing processes between products designed to simplify the assembly process, thus minimizing the chances of mistakes. Safety checks include the use of cameras, not as a surveillance tool but to help identify and prevent mistakes, job orders that tell assembly line workers what part is needed for a specific task and LED lights that identify those parts.
     
    The goal is create a mistake-proof environment, makes assembly easier and allows for anyone else to step into any station and complete its given task.
     
    Stripping down the old assembly line was completed in two days, according to the video, and the new one constructed in less than four weeks.
  • A new mobile application from the American Phytopathological Society offers a host of diagnostic tools and treatment tips to help professional turfgrass managers identify and control a variety of common turf diseases.
     
    The app, called Turf MD, includes an overview of common turfgrass diseases, diagnostic tools such as photographs, symptoms, detailed information on disease development and conditions that, decision-support tools, disease-control strategies and recommendations and a directory of turf extension resources for additional information. 
     
    Diseases also can be cross-referenced by turf type.
     
    Developed by the American Phytopathological Society, the app's content is based on three APS Press books: Turfgrass Diseases, Third Edition (Richard W. Smiley, Peter H. Dernoeden, and Bruce B. Clarke); A Practical Guide to Turfgrass Fungicides (Richard Latin ; and additional images and keys found in the Turfgrass Diseases, Diagnosis and Management CD-Rom (Gail L. Schumann and James D. MacDonald).
     
    The app is available for iPhone and iPad for $2.99 on the Apple App Store.
  • Surveys and statistics reveal that golf course conditions are the most critical component in determining golfer satisfaction, not square footage of the clubhouse, diversity of apparel in the shop, or quality of food in the lounge. And the golf course superintendent has the single greatest influence on producing those conditions.
     
    But life at the top as a superintendent can be lonely. When conditions are good, praise often is heaped onto the staff in the golf shop. Often, it only is when something goes wrong that the work of the superintendent is singled out.
     
    If that is not enough, the superintendent not only must be a self-disciplined, multi-tasking agronomist in charge of managing the clubs most valuable asset, he or she also must be a multi-lingual manager, babysitter, therapist, accountant, electrician, hydraulics expert, ditch digger, arborist, environmentalist, integrated pest management specialist, turfgrass pathologist, entomologist, irrigation expert and mechanic.
     
    Since 2000, the TurfNet Superintendent of the Year award has been highlighting the accomplishments of golf course superintendents throughout North America.
     
    Presented by Syngenta, the Superintendent of the Year award program honors dozens of nominees each year for their work in producing great playing conditions often during times of adversity, such as hurricanes, tornadoes, drought, flooding, extreme heat, ice damage, or stress caused from insects and disease.
     
    If you know someone who fits this description, nominate him for the 2014 Superintendent of the Year award.
     
    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 years award, visit the 2014 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 and colleagues. Deadline for submitting nominations is Nov. 30.
     
    A panel of judges will select a list of finalists and a winner, who will be named at next year's Golf Industry Show in San Antonio.
     
    Previous winners of the award include Chad Mark, Kirtland Country Club, 2013; Dan Meersman, Philadelphia Cricket Club, 2012; Paul Carter, The Bear Trace at Harrison Bay (Tenn.), 2011; Thomas Bastis, California Golf Club of San Francisco (Calif.), 2010; Anthony Williams, Stone Mountain Golf Club (Ga.), 2009, Sam MacKenzie, Olympia Fields Country Club (Ill.), 2008; John Zimmers, Oakmont Country Club (Pa.), 2007; Scott Ramsay, Golf Course at Yale (Conn.), 2006; Mark Burchfield, Victoria Club (Calif.), 2005; Stuart Leventhal, Interlachen Country Club (Fla.), 2004; Paul Voykin, Briarwood Country Club (Ill.), 2003; Jeff Burgess, Seven Lakes Country Club (Ontario), 2002; Kip Tyler, Salem Country Club (Mass), 2001; and Kent McCutcheon, Las Vegas Paiute Resort (Nev.), 2000.
  • The annual bluegrass weevil is one of the most destructive pests on golf courses in the northeastern United States. Syngenta recently launched Ference, a new insecticide that gives golf course superintendents another tool in their battle with this troublesome and mobile pest.
     
    With the active ingredient cyantraniliprole, Ference offers increased control of annual bluegrass weevil through Syngenta's ABW Optimum Control Strategy, detailed here.
     
    Ference controls annual bluegrass weevil larvae inside the stem (first to second instar) and outside the stem (third to fifth instar). Because Ference controls all larval stages, it is especially well-suited to control the asynchronous summer populations. Ference is in the same class of chemistry found in Acelepryn insecticide and can stop damaging feeding of young larvae within minutes after ingestion of treated turf. It can be applied to all turfgrass areas on the golf course, including tee-box areas, roughs, fairways, greens and collars.
     
    "The active ingredient in Ference provides a new, extremely effective management tool for superintendents dealing with ABW infestations, particularly when multiple generations, or asynchronous populations, are present," says Mike Agnew, Ph.D., technical manager, Syngenta Turf and Landscape. "As insect resistance to pyrethroids continues to grow, we have to integrate alternative chemistries into our pest control strategies."
     
    Ference works in tandem with Acelepryn, Provaunt and Scimitar GC insecticides as part of the Syngenta Optimum Control Strategy that can be followed through WeevilTrak.com. Weevil Trak and the Optimum Control Strategy are supported by seven independent entomologists and 38 turfgrass consultants across the Northeast.
     
    Once limited to southern New England, annual bluegrass weevil now is found on golf courses as far west as Ohio and as far south as North Carolina, as well as in Ontario and Quebec. Weather conditions determine when adult ABWs become active, and larvae from ABW reproduction develop at different times. Once active, ABW cycle through reproductive stages quickly, producing up to four generations in any given season. Historically, detecting, monitoring and tracking ABW development requires different techniques because of these life cycles and thus treatment options have varied as well.

  • Flood of emotions

    By John Reitman, in News,

    There are times when Aaron Porter maybe wishes the members of his grounds crew at Fargo Country Club weren't quite so efficient.   With nine of 27 holes on the 100-year-old Willie Watson design in North Dakota prone to flooding from the Red River, Porter's crew of 18 has become very good at flood recovery work. That's a good thing, because in the six years that Porter has been superintendent at Fargo, the north-flowing river has overrun its banks onto the golf course 16 times, including this year. Nine of those floods, including this year's, are what the 40-year-old Porter calls "killers" in that they wipe out just about everything in their path.   Each time the floodwaters recede, Porter and his staff routinely have the course cleaned of silt, reseeded and ready for play in about a month. Such efficiency has made it difficult to sell members on a pricey flood-mitigation plan drafted by professional golfer and course architect Tom Lehman that would bring all of the holes out of harm's way.   "If I had a bad crew, maybe I could've gotten (the flood-mitigation plan) through by now, but we're so good at establishing ryegrass in this valley that I'm able to whip something together," Porter said.    As good as Porter and his crew are, the arduous task of recovery can take it's toll.   "All this sweat for what? So you can play golf on it for two weeks?" he said. "Because that's all we've had so far this year."   The Red River once was marked with acres of wetlands that held water and made flooding truly a 100-year event. But as more of that land is converted to agriculture use, flooding has become an annual occurrence during the past 15 years.   "We are a by-product of modern agriculture," said Porter, a finalist for TurfNet's 2009 Superintendent of the Year award. "The Red River Valley used to be part of the Prairie Pothole Region with slews and ditches. They've all been drained.   "All the water from those farm fields shears off the fields and right into the river. Now, after a 3-inch rain the river jumps 5 feet. It used to be 3 inches of rain never moved the river."   Most of the course has remained unchanged since Watson signed off on the design in 1914. Nostalgia, as much as anything, is to blame for the club's more established members not falling into line with Lehman's plan.   "The holes located down in the floodplain are beautiful, when they're not flooded. The other holes are as good as you will find anywhere," Porter said.    "Instead of this course being a 100-year-old classic, we flood. The holes that don't flood are great, but it's the holes that flood that take precedence. They are what we are known for."   Throughout the course, Fargo has bentgrass tees and Poa greens. The fairways that remain dry are a mix of old bluegrasses that have stood up to the test of time.   Although several holes are prone to flooding, Nos. 14-18 get the worst of it during summer. And each time, fairways are cleaned of silt then prepped and seeded with perennial ryegrass, for its quick establishment, at rates that Porter calls "ridiculous." Porter uses a three-way blend of Barenbrug's Regenerative Perennial Ryegrasses for quick establishment as well as for their regenerative properties.   Prep work includes running a spiker in multiple directions over the fairways, disrupting the top inch or so of the soil until it produces a smooth seedbed. The site is aerified and a spreader broadcasts seed at rates up to 15 pounds per 1,000 square feet, or as much as five times the normal rate, Porter said. A drum roller helps maximize seed-soil contact before fertilizer and water are applied to help the process along. Each time, the fairways are ready for mowing after about a week.   So far this year, Porter says he's used 8,000 pounds of ryegrass seed and at least 72,000 pounds since he started at Fargo.   "It's grass on steroids," Porter said. "It's unconventional. If I had time, I'd seed at 2 to 3 pounds per 1,000, but I don't have time. We just blow it in."   A graduate of Iowa State University, Porter was the North Course superintendent at Des Moines Golf and Country Club in Iowa before taking the job at Fargo. One of his former bosses at Des Moines says Fargo's members made the right choice for such a daunting and recurrent task as flood recovery when they hired Porter in 2008.   "He has always been a hard charger. He goes 100 percent in one direction," said Rick Tegtmeier, CGCS at Des Moines. "He's not afraid to make a mistake and he doesn't worry about consequences because he is so confident in his abilities."   Porter had no experience dealing with flooding when he accepted the job at Fargo in 2008. He's had plenty since, and he says he's learned from the best in assistants Bill Broeckmeier and Dave Lorentz, who have more than 40 years combined experience at Fargo.   "They are rock stars," Porter said. "We've gotten so good, that a month after a flood, our members have forgotten about it."   Although most of the damage is to fairways, some greens have been damaged through the years, as well, and that is becoming a problem. In five years, Porter has exhausted his nursery and has had to take from other areas of the course for sod.   "I've been robbing from everywhere I can rob grass," he said. "We've cut up a chipping green. Now, we're regrowing the practice green to use it for sod. We rob low parts of the fairways and strip the backs of tees that are not highly used."   With so much devastation year after year, Porter says it's a challenge to keep himself and his staff motivated.   "It's hard not to show your emotions and to keep motivated," he said. "But, I have a job to do, and I love what I do. There is nothing else I'd rather be doing besides working on a golf course, except doing it where we're not constantly recovering from flooding."  
  • Golfweek says Pete Dye might be the most influential golf course architect of the past half-century. Along with his wife, Alice, the Dyes have been a formidable team that has left an imprint on golf course architecture around the world.
      Golfweek is offering Dye aficionados, or those simply interested in knowing more about to the game, a three-day symposium at Kiawah Island Resort, home to one of Dye's most renowned creations - The Ocean Course. The event will showcase the accomplishments of Pete and Alice Dye and how they influenced the game through 50 years of course design.   Scheduled for Nov. 9-11 at Kiawah Island, the 2014 Golfweek Architecture Summit, Honoring Pete and Alice Dye, will include a host of featured speakers, including honorees Pete and Alice Dye, Jerry Pate of Jerry Pate Design, Ty Votaw of the PGA Tour, Bill Coore of Coore-Crenshaw Design, Tom Doak of Renaissance Golf, Jason McCoy of Greg Norman Golf Course Design, Lee Schmidt of Curley-Schmidt Golf Course Design, former PGA Tour commissioner Deane Beaman and golf course architect Jan Beljan.   A 2008 inductee into the World Golf Hall of Fame, and one of just a handful of architects to receive the honor, Pete Dye has designed, co-designed or redesigned hundreds of courses on five continents, among them TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida; Harbour Town Golf Links on Hilton Head, Island, South Carolina; The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island Resort in South Carolina; The Straits Course at Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wisconsin; Des Moines (Iowa) Golf and Country Club; and The Honors Course in Ooltewah, Tennessee.   According to Golfweek, Dye's "distinctly modernist appropriation of classical, links-inspired, ground-game design features and geometry revolutionized the face of American golf and provided a stunning aesthetic contrast to the strictly aerial, down-the-middle approach, of postwar golf architecture. He also transformed the craft of course construction through a design/build approach in the field that he handed down to several dozen apprentices, many of whom became influential designers in their own right, among them Bill Coore, Tom Doak, Tim Liddy, Jason McCoy, Lee Schmidt and Rod Whitman."   Says Golfweek: "Pete and his wife, Alice, also devoted considerable attention to forward and middle tee placement and course playability in an era when the experience of everyday golfers was virtually being overlooked. And their work has indelibly stamped the golf map with unforgettable images ? of island greens, railroad ties, lunar bunkering, madcap doglegs, and landscape features on an outrageous vertical and linear scale."   Click here for more information, or to register.  
  • Conduct a Google search on the terms "water" and "golf courses" and the results are fairly predictable. Stories pop up about water-use restrictions, water conservation efforts, "water-thirsty" courses that "guzzle" precious resources. But one of the first things that pop up is an article penned by former USGA Green Section director Jim Snow about water-saving efforts by superintendents. The story was written in . . . 2001.
     
    Since then, the USGA has done even more to help superintendents become better water stewards. A grant through the U.S. Department of Agriculture Specialty Crop Research Initiative to five southern universities has helped establish new turf breeding programs that is leading to the development of new drought- and salt-tolerant grasses.
     
    Four years ago, the University of Florida, University of Georgia, North Carolina State University, Oklahoma State University and Texas A&M University received $3.8 million from the USDA initiative. Used as a financial match to secure the SCRI grant, the USGA funds $120,000 per year to a few of these universities.
     
    The timing has been perfect, with much of Oklahoma and Texas experiencing severe drought conditions for the past three years. The unseasonably cold conditions of the past winter stretched all the way into Florida and have provided an opportunity to test the many cultivars for cold tolerance as well.
     
    Recently, researchers from all five universities met at the University of Florida to discuss the ongoing results of the project that has become the focus of research projects by at least seven graduate students spread across the five schools.
     
    According to the USGA, hundreds of Bermuda, zoysia, Paspalum and St. Augustine grasses have been tested for drought and salt tolerance. Three Bermudas and at least 10 zoysiagrasses were entered into last year's National Turfgrass Evaluation Program trials.
     
    Click here to read more.
  • When the time came for a greens restoration at Duke University Golf Club, there were plenty of reasons to shun tradition and regrass the putting surfaces with warm-season turf, but superintendent Billy Weeks and general manager Ed Ibarguen couldn't come up with any good reasons not to.   "I had been researching this change for over 10 years. I was fully committed to making the change," said Ibarguen. "My only difficulty was convincing those with a stake in the golf course at the university that ultradwarf Bermuda was better than bentgrass for our location in North Carolina. That process delayed the conversion by several years."   By the time the decision finally was made to regrass the course in Durham, North Carolina with Bermuda in 2013, the university had hired superintendent Billy Weeks, who despite his age, already was an old hand at managing Bermuda.   A graduate of Mississippi State University, Weeks had spent most of his career on warm-season grass in Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia and Texas until taking the job at Duke three years ago.    The former superintendent at Steelwood Country Club in Loxley, Alabama, Weeks prepped under Eric Bauer, then at The Club at Carlton Woods near Houston, managed a putting green at Jack Nicklaus' home in North Palm Beach, Florida and interned at places like Augusta National Golf Club.   Prior to the 2013 restoration, Duke Golf Club last was renovated in the mid 1990s when the greens were seeded with Penncross. Weeks found evidence that they'd since been interseeded with L-93, A-1, A-4, G-2 and Crenshaw.    Carved out of the edge of the Duke Forest, which covers more than 7,000 acres, the course is heavily lined with trees, and since the idea of using fans to promote air movement conflicts with the university's sustainability efforts, coupled with the area's historically hot summers, it wasn't long before those Heinz 57 greens began to show signs of weakness.   Some greens had become as much as 80 percent Poa annua.   "Bentgrass in the correct climate is a wonderful playing surface," Ibarguen said. "Golf courses in cooler climates have greatly benefited from improved varieties of bentgrass. However, if you have a golf course in a location that has prolonged heat during the summer months, it is insane not to convert to an ultradwarf Bermudagrass.   "There are too many (benefits) to count. The critical ones for us are related to bottom line revenue and player satisfaction."   By the time Weeks was hired at Duke three years ago, Poa had encroached on just about every putting green on the course.    "Bermudagrass was a great way to improve the course and adhere to what the university wanted to do," Weeks said.    Weeks explored all options, and looked at ultradwarf varieties from TifEagle to MiniVerde. He decided on Champion. Although Weeks doesn't consider himself a follower of the herd, several other courses throughout central North Carolina already were managing Champion, and he liked the idea of having a ready-made support network.   "All the ultradwarfs are good grasses, but Champion had the characteristics I was looking for here at Duke," he said. "Ed and I test drove all the ultradwarfs and ultimately Champion was the grass I recommended to the University."   The final choice came down to Champion and one other popular ultradwarf - MiniVerde.   "Deciding between the grasses took some research as well," Ibarguen said. "We met with both several grass suppliers, visited and/or played multiple golf courses that had already installed the grass. All the ultradwarfs are excellent grasses, but ultimately we decided that Champion would be the best fit for the Duke University Golf Club."   Seemingly like many universities, there are construction projects galore taking place at Duke, some of which include upgrades to athletic facilities. Specifically at Duke, current projects include a renovation of the Wallace Wade Stadium and construction of a new track and field complex. Because of the strain of so many projects running concurrently, the golf course restoration was completed using the no-till method.   With the help of architect Rees Jones, the plan was to reclaim as much of the original green contouring as possible. Weeks said he and Jones went over each detail of every green three times before the project started.   About 25,000 square feet was reclaimed throughout the course, however, the No. 7 green presented a problem. The presence of a greenside bunker and slope severity prevented reclaiming lost space there because doing so would have eliminated space needed to turn greensmowers, Weeks said.   The project also included plans to selectively remove trees around the green complexes to allow for sunlight and air movement on the new greens, and that required getting the approval from officials who manage the Duke Forest.   The forest covers 7,000 acres spanning three counties and has been a research and educational tool for the university since 1931.   Weeks used a mobile app called Sun Seeker that allowed him to create a presentation showing before-and-after effects of shade on specific areas in question. Once Jud Edeburn, special projects manager for the forest, granted his stamp of approval in short order once visited the course and saw the plan firsthand and learned how it fit in with the university's overall conservancy ideals. Removing the trees occurred during the winters of 2011 and 2012.   The no-till method included sprigging the greens at a rate of 35 bushels per 1,000 square feet, or about 40-50 bags of sprigs per green, Weeks said. A heavy regimen of topdressing, often at rates of up to 200 pounds per 1,000 square feet, watering and feeding had the greens ready for mowing about a month after sprigging despite what turned out to be a cool summer in 2013.   "Every two to three days something was going out on those greens," Weeks said. "We pretty much followed Mike Brown's recommendation from Champion Turf Farms for our grow-in program.  They have perfected this process I didn't see any reason to reinvent the wheel.   "The summer was rough. We were in the 90s only five or six times with 26 inches of rain from the day we closed June 1 to the day we reopened September 1. We were still ready in 90 days."   After about 11 months of play, greens are rolling at 12 on the Stimpmeter and the reviews have been overwhelmingly positive.   "The new putting surfaces provide our players with championship quality putting greens on a daily basis throughout the year," Ibarguen said. "We have never been able to say that while we had bentgrass greens because the summertime playing conditions were abysmal. Elevated mowing heights, never finding a balance between too dry and too wet, ball marks were abundant, the greens always on the verge of disease and the playing speeds were far too slow for an enjoyable round of golf.    "Our superintendent, Billy Weeks, has found the perfect blend of creating a smooth and firm surface yet, hold good shots perfectly."  
  • United Turf launches azoxystrobin fungicide
    United Turf Alliance recently introduced ArmorTech ZOXY 2 SC, a new liquid formulation fungicide.   ArmorTech ZOXY 2 SC, with the active ingredient azoxystrobin, is labeled for the control of many turfgrass diseases on golf course greens, tees and fairways, as well as residential, commercial, recreational and sports turf. The highly concentrated liquid formulation contains 2.08 pounds of active ingredient per gallon. It is a water-based product offering low odor and easy tank mixing.   ArmorTech ZOXY 2 SC is available in 4x1-gallon and 4x1-quart cases. One quart treats approximately 1 acre of turf at the standard use rate.   Engage reaches deal to market fungicide/animal repellent
    Engage Agro USA has reached a distribution agreement with Taminco U.S. Inc. to be the exclusive U.S. distributor of Defiant fungicide and animal repellent.   With the active ingredient tetramethylthiuram disulfide, Defiant is a dry flowable Thiram formulation for preventive control of several turf diseases, including dollar spot, brown patch, fusarium patch and pink snow mold.   Defiant also thwarts many species of animals, including deer, rabbits, rodents and migratory birds, and prevents the damage they can cause.
    Bayer names Batisky as sales manager
    Environmental Science, a division of Bayer CropScience, named Darrin Batisky as area sales manager for the North American turf and ornamentals business.    In his new role serving the Kentucky, Southern Indiana and Central and Southern Ohio markets, Batisky is responsible for the growth and maintenance of user relationships and initiating buyer opportunities.   A former golf course superintendent for 15 years in New York and Pennsylvania, Batisky also has a strong background in golf industry sales, having most recently served as a territory sales manager for Jacobsen.   Batisky is a graduate of Ohio State where he also served as a turfgrass research assistant while attending school at the Ohio Turfgrass Foundation Research Center.
  • Turf Pride LLC has completed its purchase of Trion Lifts Inc., a manufacturer of lift equipment designed for the maintenance of turf equipment.   Formerly based in Evans, Colorado, Trion began manufacturing lifts in 1991 and later added a line of workstation accessories. Operations have been moved to Turf Pride's home in Andalusia, Alabama.    "The completion of the sale is a significant milestone in our company's history. We enter this new phase of our growth and development with a product that has an excellent reputation in North America and many areas around the world," said Don Cotton, president of Turf Pride.   "Trion has been moved to our location in Alabama, our day?to?day operations will remain the same, and our dedication to providing our customers with products enabling them to make their jobs more productive. We will invest in our growth as a company for the benefit of our customers and employees. By incorporating the Trion Lift into our existing product line, it will enable us to significantly reduce the manufacturing cost and be more competitive with other makes and models of lifts."   Turf Pride manufactures products for professional turfgrass managers, such as deep tine aerators, core collectors, reel and bedknife sharpeners, de-thatchers, large area spreaders, bedknives, rollers and replacement parts.
  • July 10 was "Toro Day" throughout Minnesota as Gov. Mark Dayton helped the company celebrate its centennial anniversary.
      More than 2,000 employees, retirees, channel and business partners, and other guests gathered at Toro headquarters in Bloomington, as the governor presented Toro chairman and chief executive officer Michael Hoffman with the proclamation. Also present was Bloomington Mayor Gene Winstead.   "As we celebrate our first 100 years, it is truly gratifying to be surrounded by many of those who played such a significant role in the company's success," Hoffman said. "We are honored to have such talented employees around the world and individuals who have served the company throughout our history, along with great channel and business partners, who work every day to serve our customers and help advance our efforts in the industry. And, I especially want to thank Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton and Bloomington Mayor Gene Winstead for joining our centennial celebration and honoring the people of Toro."   "Part of the mentality of Toro is reaching out to its customers and to the communities, and developing high-quality products while strengthening your market through innovation," said Governor Dayton. "I don't think that the founder could have imagined 100 years ago that Toro would grow to be a Fortune 1000 company, or that more importantly, you'd be a leading corporate citizen in Minnesota. Your contributions to this state have been enormous."   Winstead added, "Toro is an important partner in the Bloomington community, and is a company that has endured because of its commitment to customer service and innovation. I urge all citizens to recognize and celebrate the 100th anniversary of this valued business and community partner within the city of Bloomington."   Among the many events taking place, invited guests were able to see the unveiling of a new history display featuring an extensive collection of vintage products from throughout the company's first 100 years ? including the first Toro-branded piece of equipment, the legendary To-Ro power cultivator introduced in 1919. Also on display were many of the company's current products for golf courses, sports fields, parks and municipalities, construction, professional contractors, homeowners and agricultural growers.   During its centennial year, the company's many locations around the world have focused on giving back in communities where employees live and work. This has included Toro's "100 Acts of Caring" initiative, planting 100 trees in each Toro community worldwide, and a Centennial Legacy Grant Program supporting nonprofits in their efforts to beautify and preserve outdoor environments, and enhance green spaces. 

  • Golden moments

    By John Reitman, in News,

    The image of Jack Nicklaus holding his putter aloft after making birdie on No. 17 at Augusta National to take the lead in the 1986 Masters has become an iconic symbol of major championship golf. A 46-year-old, supposedly past his prime, Nicklaus became that year the oldest player to win the Masters. Only Julius Boros, who won the 1968 PGA Championship at age 48, was older when he won a major.   Indeed, no golfer is associated more with major championship golf than is Nicklaus. And no image has become more synonymous with the Masters than that image of the Golden Bear staring down the hole as the ball dropped into the bottom of the cup giving him the lead in his 18th and final major championship.   Nicklaus' achievements on and off the course are on display at the Jack Nicklaus Museum on the Ohio State campus.   A bronze edifice that depicts the Golden Bear during the prime of his career greets visitors in the foyer and points the way to a series of exhibit halls and theaters that reflect his accomplishments in junior, amateur and professional golf, family life at home and his ongoing exploits as one of the game's leading golf course architects.   Nicklaus has donated literally thousands of items to the museum, including trophies, golf clubs and bags, photographs, clothing worn during memorable victories, original blueprints from golf course design projects and lettermen's jackets and sweaters from his high school days at Upper Arlington as well as his time as a collegian at Ohio State.   The first exhibit pays homage to the game's golden era and early pioneers, including the late, great Bobby Jones who Nicklaus credits for helping mold his career. Other exhibits include: displays entitled Decades of Nicklaus, which details his career progression including his achievements as a player and/or captain in eight Ryder Cup events; Major Championships, including the Masters, U.S. Open, British Open, PGA Championship and the U.S. Amateur, which he won a combined 20 times; Nicklaus' Family Room; the Memorial Tournament; Nicklaus Design Gallery; an art gallery; and finally an exhibited dedicated to the Ohio State turfgrass management program that educates visitors on the contributions to the game made by university researchers, extension specialists and educators as well as the science behind turfgrass management.   Nicklaus grew up in Upper Arlington, which is a driver and wedge from the Ohio State Golf Club. As a junior golfer, he won numerous tournaments, including the Ohio State Junior championship a record five consecutive years beginning at age 12.   Nicklaus, who could have played anywhere, chose Ohio State where he was the NCAA Division I medalist in 1961, the same year he turned professional, and twice won the U.S. Amateur (1959, 1961).    Video theaters throughout the museum include video highlights, narrated by legendary sportscasters such as Jack Whitaker, that pay homage to Nicklaus' career accomplishments throughout various stages of his career.   Another common theme throughout the exhibit is the importance of family on Nicklaus' career, including father Charlie who played a key role during his formative junior career. One of the last stops on the tour is a replica of the family room in Nicklaus' home in North Palm Beach, Florida. A looping video that plays on a TV monitor in the room includes reflections of his five children on what it was like growing up with the Golden Bear. Nicklaus recounts through the many years on tour that he never spent more than 14 consecutive days away from home, and how, no matter where he was at the time, he returned home for the birth of each child.   Son Jack II tells visitors how his dad gained notoriety for fainting in the hospital at the birth of each child: "Maybe he was amazed by the beginning of life, or it's a commentary on how ugly his kids are when they're born."   There is a great deal of space throughout the museum devoted to Nicklaus' wife, Barbara, without whose help, he says, his success would not have been possible.   And there is evidence of a lot of success here.   Literally hundreds of items are on display that reflect Nicklaus' efforts at Augusta National, where he won the Masters Tournament six times (1963, 1965, 1966, 1972, 1975, 1986), including the club's trademark green jacket given each year to the winner. The display also includes the putter used during his win in 1966, shirt worn during the final round of his victory in 1975, the Macgregor irons he played during his infamous win in 1986 when he became the tournament's oldest winner at age 46, a feat that still stands today, as well as the signed scorecards from each round of that historic event.   The Decades of Nicklaus exhibit shows how Nicklaus took the professional golf world by storm in the 1960s, winning 30 tournaments, including six majors. But it is when visitors take a step into the 1970s that they are see firsthand Nicklaus' greatest period of success.    Known derisively as "Fat Jack" during the early stages of his career, a slimmed down Nicklaus exploded in the 1970s, winning 39 times, including eight majors, including that infamous final Masters victory in 1986.   As successful as Nicklaus was on the course as a player, he's nearly equaled those feats as a designer, with his name attached to 380 courses on six continents. The exhibit includes the original blueprints of the Nicklaus-designed Bear's Club course in Jupiter, Florida. The works include pages of original designs, including separate plans detailing hole strategy, contouring, drainage and grassing of the course.   The last stop on the tour is the Nicklaus Theater that features a final video tribute to Nicklaus' career, during which he became known - and disliked by some - for his deliberate play. In a final parting shot, fellow World Golf Hall of Famer Gary Player, in a video on display in the museum's Nicklaus Theater, takes good-natured jabs at his contemporary's one-time weight issues and the deliberate pace of play for which Nicklaus was famous.   "One bad thing was how many times Arnold (Palmer) and I had to wait," Player says. "If he had been a racehorse and been that slow, he would have been shot."   Regardless of what one thinks of Nicklaus' slow play or the courses he designed, his contributions to the game can't be overlooked.
  • The deadline is rapidly approaching to nominate your dog for TurfNet's 2015 Superintendent's Best Friend Calendar, presented by Syngenta.
      As many superintendents have said over the years, dogs are pretty good at golf course public relations and keeping a smile on players' faces and keep critters large or small on the run or on the wing. And once a year, TurfNet and Syngenta give superintendents and assistants an opportunity to give golf course dogs a pat on the head for a job well done.
     
    Since 2002, the TurfNet Superintendent's Best Friend Calendar has highlighted 14 golf course dogs for their tireless contributions to golf courses across the country and around the world. If this describes your golf course dog, then nominate your canine friend for a place in the original golf course dog calendar. Nomination deadline is July 31.
     
    A panel of judges will select the 14 dogs for the calendar, including the cover and December 2014. Images should be taken horizontally at your camera's highest resolution setting. Also, try not to center your dog in the frame, as left or right orientation often can result in a more dramatic photograph. 
     
    Each dog nominated will be included in our online photo gallery and also will receive a free gift courtesy of Syngenta.

    Here are a few tips to increase the chances of your dog being selected: All dogs chosen must work or spend a significant amount of time at the golf course, photographs taken on a horizontal orientation rather than vertical work best, action photos are strongly encouraged, do not have your dog wear sunglasses or pose as if driving a motorized vehicle.
     
    To nominate your dog, email HIGH-RESOLUTION photos to Laura Salinas 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, click here to submit your dog through our online form.
     
    Deadline is July 31.
  • For the past couple of years, engineers at John Deere have been busy developing a stable of new equipment that reflected the company's largest new product introduction since the company entered the golf business a quarter of a century ago.   This summer, Deere's distribution network has been nearly as busy demonstrating the new portfolio of eight new A Model mowers, to customers around the country.   Although current generation models are still available, limited numbers of new A Model fairway, rough, and trim and surrounds mowers that were introduced at the Golf Industry Show in February, are being demonstrated across the country by John Deere distributors.   During years of refinement, John Deere worked closely with its customers to implement the changes that would improve operator productivity, make machines easier to service, and provide superintendents with more control over after-cut appearance.   "Throughout product development, we've had touchpoints and reviews with customers," said Tracy Lanier, John Deere product manager. "In our last feedback program, for instance, we asked customers to come in and use the equipment so they could make sure our solutions work for them."   New models include 7500A, 7700A, 8700A PrecisionCut and 7500A E-Cut Hybrid fairway mowers, 7400A TerrainCut and 7200A PrecisionCut trim and surrounds mowers, and the 8800A TerrainCut rough mower.   The A-series intelligently integrates electronic controls with mechanical features to deliver improved performance, better diagnostics, and more uptime and reliability. The complete line is Final Tier 4 compliant.   Some of the many new features across the line include a TechControl display that allows operators to set or change mowing, turning and transport speeds, which limits variations in performance by different operators. The TechControl display serves as a platform to set, diagnose and maintain each piece of equipment. The password-protected display enables the superintendent to set or change mowing, turning and transport speeds, and limit variations in performance by different operators.   The TechControl display can also be used to diagnose and maintain the equipment via on-board visual diagnostics and the ability to set regular service times.   The AutoPedal system allows engine RPM to be controlled via foot pedals for easier operation and training, while also saving fuel and reducing noise levels.   LoadMatch technology, borrowed from the John Deere compact utility tractor line, automatically adjusts the speed of the machine to maintain sufficient power to the cutting units during heavy load conditions, such as when mowing thicker turf or in wet conditions. This provides a better quality of cut without the need to train operators to recognize when they need to adjust their speed.   The eHydro traction pump and internal wet disc brakes make maintenance easier on technicians. The new electronic pump is no longer controlled via mechanical linkages. Reducing the complexity of the drive system eliminates the need to adjust or repair linkages.   "We have units out in the field with distributors now who are doing demonstrations for customers," Lanier said. "We've had a lot of positive feedback on the changes."   Contact your local John Deere distributor for a demonstration.
  • The drama surrounding California's water woes sounds like the plot for a Hollywood film. In fact, it is.   Water in California is a system wrought with politics and intrigue, and was the subject for the 1974 Oscar-nominated film Chinatown that revealed the underbelly of the struggle to secure water rights in early 20th century Los Angeles.   Like any movie, the tale of water in California has all the essential ingredients of a good cliffhanger: plot, protagonists, antagonists, crisis and conflict. The one ingredient it seems to be missing is resolution.   Found smack in the middle of this adventure are some 1,100 golf courses, nearly all of which are struggling to get enough water to keep players happy, yet seem to have too much to suit a general public uber-aware of the state's many environmental issues. Finding a balance between the two has been so impossible that if it were left to any of Hollywood's iconic directors to depict in a believable manner in a motion picture, they'd likely be so far over schedule and over budget they'd never find work again.   For those reasons, it might appear to some that the golf industry in California does not approach water issues with the same zeal and purpose that has become the norm in other water-challenged states. But rest assured, the state's golf industry has been a proactive leader on water-use issues for years. And that isn't easy in a place with so many inherent challenges.   When factions in the golf industry from other states have developed self-imposed best management practices regulating water use, they were able to do so partly because there are so few regulating agencies to satisfy. For example, in Florida, where golf courses have been able to become BMP-certified since 2007, five entities manage water resources for more than 19 million people statewide. In Georgia, the state's GCSA chapter built a water BMP certification template for courses around the state in the face of widespread drought in 2007. Its efforts had to pass the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and the governor's office.    By contrast, there are more than 3,000 water districts in California governing collection, distribution and pricing of water from myriad sources to nearly 40 million users across the state. Some of those purveyors serve millions of customers, while others are miniscule in comparison, providing water to a handful of users. All operate under their own guidelines.   Through the years, factions within the golf industry have come together to create task forces in Los Angeles, San Diego, the Coachella Valley and most recently Sacramento in an effort to give the game a voice with regional water agencies throughout the state.   "It's very complicated here," said Craig Keller, director of government affairs for the Southern California GCSA. "It's not only complicated; it's also very sophisticated."   Indeed.   Californians get their 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 provides 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.   "We've already cut back 20 percent. Twenty percent plus another 20 percent? Golf course superintendents don't want to get measured on what they're already cutting. We want to be measured by the historical norm. With 40 percent cutbacks, you would be hurt. You'd have to think about reducing acreage."
      And the state's water supply is under siege from drought, competition for access and pricing, making it a challenging time for golf courses, agriculture and private residential users statewide.   Ongoing drought in the North, which supplies water to much of the rest of the state, is taking its toll statewide (the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission recently raised rates by 50 percent on all users) and threatens to supercede voluntary water-saving efforts by superintendents that have been in place for years.    According to the California Department of Water Resources, 2013 was the driest year on record since California attained statehood in 1850. That lack of precipitation along with rising temperatures also has affected snow pack in the Sierra Nevada, which contributes to much of the state's water supply.    The State Water Project accounts for nearly half the water supplied to the city of Los Angeles through a century-old system of pipeline and aqueducts. And much of that water comes from Sierra Nevada snow pack, which was at 30 percent of the historic average during this past winter, according to the California Department of Water Resources.   According to CDWR, 22 of the state's 47 reservoirs monitored on the department's web site are operating at capacities of 50 percent or lower. Only 11 are near capacity.   For example, Folsom Lake near Sacramento is operating at 46 percent of capacity. It only is that high because of relief provided by spring rains. Water levels in the reservoir dipped to as low as 19 percent of capacity in 2013 and dropped to 17 percent in early 2014, revealing an old mining community that had been submerged for 58 years.   These numbers have not gone unnoticed in Sacramento where Gov. Jerry Brown, in April, signed a drought emergency declaration that, among other measures, carries a mandatory reduction in outdoor water use by private residences and urges golf courses to "limit the use of potable water for irrigation."   That declaration came on the heels of a similar measure in January that included an order from Brown directing golf courses to "immediately implement water reduction plans to reduce the use of potable water for outdoor irrigation."   "California is unique in a lot of ways. Agriculture made the state, but the gold rush made it grow up too quickly. ... Some, literally, are still operating on the same rules that miners gunslinged out years ago."
      Many local agencies already have implemented their own water-saving restrictions, making it difficult to tell just what the governor's directive means, if anything.   "You can go all over the state and to all of these crazy situations and naturally golf gets thrown into the middle of it," said Mike Huck, a former golf course superintendent and now a water conservation consultant for the golf and landscape industries. "Turf has been a bone of contention for a lot of people for a long time."   Being a proactive bunch, superintendents at many of the state's 1,100 golf courses already have been operating under voluntary water-use cutbacks of up to 20 percent for as many as four years. They're worried that additional mandatory restrictions will come on top of the voluntary cutbacks already in place if the drought persists into 2015.   "Government officials, they don't know what we as superintendents do," said Jim Ferrin, director of landscapes for Sun City Roseville, a 27-hole golf community near Sacramento.   "We've already cut back 20 percent. Twenty percent plus another 20 percent? Golf course superintendents don't want to get measured on what they're already cutting. We want to be measured by the historical norm. With 40 percent cutbacks, you would be hurt. You'd have to think about reducing acreage."   Golf courses aren't the only entities using less water nowadays, says Keller, who has served as SoCal's director of government affairs for five years.    By nature, Californians are supportive of many environmental issues, and he says water utilities, state government and individual users deserve some credit for their conservation efforts. The state's population has doubled in the last half-century, and in that time, statistics show that 4 million people in Los Angeles used less water in 2010 than 2 million people used in 1970. Selling the merits of such stewardship to golfers statewide, however, has been more challenging.   "I almost feel funny saying this, but we have to lower our maintenance standards," Keller said. "But conditioning gets amped up more and more. That has been the trend for years. We have to keep up with our neighbors."   Although conserving water is important and necessary, water is big business in California, and scaling back use affects the bottom line for those who sell it.   Some water-governing agencies are tiny, regulating water use to just a handful of users, while others are massive, like the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.    LADWP provides water resources to nearly 4 million users in Los Angeles. Mandatory cutbacks of 20 percent could cost LADWP as much as $150 million.   The Met, the country's largest public utility, is a consortium of 26 municipalities and water districts that bring water to a staggering 19 million residents in six Southern California counties.   The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, a division of the U.S. Department of the Interior, manages water distribution to agricultural users in the state's fertile interior through the Central Valley Project. Water shortages there have been so severe that earlier this year the Fed completely cut off water for Central Valley farmers.   "It's convoluted as to who is going to be in trouble if there are cutbacks," Huck said. "It comes down to the individual water districts and water purveyors."   Many of the smaller providers still operate with an Old West mentality carved out more than 150 years ago. Some even continue to measure flow in what is known as miner's inches, a measurement of flow first employed to quantify water use in hydraulic mining during the 19th century gold rush era. Even more peculiar, a miner's inch in Northern California is the same as in Oregon and Nevada, but different than a miner's inch in Southern California.   "California is unique in a lot of ways," Ferrin said. "Agriculture made the state, but the gold rush made it grow up too quickly.   "Some, literally, are still operating on the same rules that miners gunslinged out years ago."   That Old World way of thinking can be a problem for a state that leads the country with a population of more than 37 million (nearly twice the population of New York, the country's third most populous state), is third in geographic size spanning more than 158,000 square miles (Florida would fit into California nearly three times) and stretches nearly 800 miles north to south.    "Once, I was like Chicken Little. I kept telling people, 'It's coming,' and no one believed it. Now, it's hitting us with both barrels. Now, I'm saying 'I told you so.' "
      Because of its size, proximity to the Pacific and topography that includes mountains and valleys from one corner of the state to the other, California has microclimates unlike any other U.S. locale. Weather conditions can vary wildly even on the same golf course, such as Pacific Grove Golf Links on Monterey Peninsula.    The original nine holes at Pacific Grove wind through a tree-lined residential neighborhood, where golfers often encounter warm, sunny conditions. The second nine jut out onto the peninsula's extreme northwestern corner on land once occupied by a U.S. Coast Guard station, and can be enveloped in fog for much of the day. Each nine can have different irrigation needs on the same day depending on the weather.   Nowhere in the state have golf courses faced scrutiny like they have in the Coachella Valley region that includes Palm Springs and Palm Desert, neither of which would exist to the extent they do today without the golf industry.   Still, virtually all of the 124 courses there have come under fire from local media sources and non-golfing residents whose home values are directly tied to the industry they bemoan. Ironically, residential use in the Coachella Valley is among the highest in California, according to the Desert Water Agency.   According to the Coachella Valley Water District, more than 20 courses in the valley use recycled water or a mix that also includes Colorado River water. Twenty-nine courses take water directly from the Colorado and 73 others pump groundwater. The goal is to eventually get at least 50 courses in the valley on recycled water.   While factions within golf have tried to tackle water issues on a regional basis, some insiders acknowledge the industry could do more to help itself. For example, there has been no grassroots effort to organize on a statewide level, and doing so could help educate state legislators and water district officials from San Diego in the south to Yreka near the Oregon border. Huck said he has  been preaching for years the need for the golf business to organize statewide in the event of a water doomsday event.   "California, which usually starts trends, well, we lag behind in this," Huck said. "We have no comprehensive plan for water management for golf courses.   "Once, I was like Chicken Little. I kept telling people, 'It's coming,' and no one believed it. Now, it's hitting us with both barrels. Now, I'm saying 'I told you so.' "  

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