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From the TurfNet NewsDesk

  • John Reitman
    There was a time when it seemed like nothing could stop the golf course construction juggernaut. Now, it seems as though nothing can restart it. And there are those who say it doesn't deserve a boost until there is, if ever, a seismic shift in popularity of the game.   According to the National Golf Foundation, only 14 new courses (in 18-hole equivalents) were built in 2014 in the United States and another 157.5 closed their doors, for a net loss of 143.5 courses. Declining interest of the current magnitude once was nearly inconceivable in a business marked for decades of slow, steady growth. However, last year marked the eighth straight year that more courses closed than opened, a trend that has become so common it now is known around the industry as "market correction."   But the need for a market correction goes much deeper than real estate golf gone wild. It is the result of a complex relationship of supply and demand and how the game is perceived across gender, age and racial lines at a time in which adults in their prime earning years are more willing to devote time on weekends to getting their children to travel league sporting events than their own R&R. And this correction is taking far too long to occur, said Jim Koppenhaver of Pellucid Corp., during the annual state of the industry address he conducts each year with Stuart Lindsay of Edgehill Golf Advisors during the PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando, Fla.    According to NGF statistics cited by Koppenhaver, a total of 3.7 million people took up golf in 2013, however, 4.1 million golfers left the game, for a net loss of 400,000 players. A net gain of almost 260,000 women golfers was offset and more by a net loss of nearly 650,000 men. The biggest losses were in the 18-34 age group, where nearly 200,000 people found something else to do with their spare time and their disposable income.   The PGA of America, through its Golf 2.0 player-development initiative, had projected a total of 28.7 million golfers in 2013. NGF estimated there would be 27.1 million players last year, and Koppenhaver's Pellucid Corp. put that number at 25.7 million. All were well off the mark with, according to Koppenhaver, the estimated number of U.S. golfers at 24.1 million. The game reached its zenith in 2000-01 when 29.8 people played 518 million rounds.   "Golfer attrition s the No. 1 problem we have in the market," Koppenhaver said.   Fewer golfers mean fewer rounds played, and rounds played also were down last year to 462 million, according to Golf Datatech. That is the fewest rounds played since 441 million in 1995, according to the report. Last year's number is well off the 10-year average of 492 million rounds played and way behind the record-setting years of 2000-01.   The golf industry began shedding its oversupply in 2006, marking the first time since 1946 that more courses closed than opened. Since this trend began eight years ago, there has been a cumulative net loss of 643 courses nationwide, according to NGF, going from an all-time high of 15,207.5 18-hole equivalents in 2005 to 14,564.5 in 2013. And even more must go, and quickly, Koppenhaver said.   "It's a lot harder to plow a golf course than it is to plant one," he said. "I hope people think about that before they put one in."   Of the 157.5 courses that closed last year, 151.5 were public-access facilities; just the kind that would appeal to those the game needs most, newcomers, casual golfers, women and juniors. A total of 144.5 of the public-access facilities were daily fee and seven were municipal operations.    Course inventory grew by 4,500 (more than 40 percent) in the 20 years from 1986 to 2005, according to NGF. Industry analysts project equilibrium to occur once the industry has shed about 1,500 courses from the 2005 inventory total. To reach that number in a timely manner, Koppenhaver said, courses should be disappearing at twice the current rate.   "It took us five years to get them in the ground. It's taken eight years and counting to get them out," Koppenhaver said. "Supply reduction was about 1 percent. And the thing I keep saying is we need to be losing 2 to 2.5 percent of our supply a year to get back to equilibrium some time in the next three to five years. So, at the current pace of 1 percent we still have probably another seven to 10 years before we get back to the equilibrium we enjoyed back in the mid-1990s when people were relatively happy and prosperous."   Koppenhaver pointed to rounds played at each facility to illustrate the need to reach equilibrium and the snail's pace at which the industry is approaching it.   An average of 31,720 rounds were played per 18-hole equivalent in 2013. That is 1,646 rounds per unit less than in a weather-aided 2012 and represents a steady downward trend that has been in place since Koppenhaver began following the business in 2000. The quicker equilibrium is reached, the better it will be for those facilities that will survive in the long run, he says.   "The average course was healthy at about 35,000 rounds per 18-hole equivalent," he said. "Other than 2012 when we got a nice bump from the weather, the trend here is not looking very favorable."

  • Focus on plant health

    By John Reitman, in News,

    With this year's Golf Industry Show almost here, attendees once again will have many opportunities to learn about one of the most increasingly popular, yet least understood terms in the turf maintenance industry: plant health.   Plant health isn't just about new fungicide products. Plant health is a complex equation that includes new chemistries as well as tried and true agronomic and cultural practices.   Acibenzolar S methyl, the active ingredient in Syngenta's Daconil Action, triggers a plant's natural defense mechanisms to help the plant defend itself against disease pressure.   At BASF, researchers define plant health as the ability of the company's Intrinsic line of products to produce turf that has enhanced root development and is tolerant to disease stress.   Bayer says fungicides formulated with its StressGard are better able to control disease and alleviate stress.   Civitas is a petroleum-based fungicide that like Syngenta's Daconil Action, triggers the turf plant's natural defense mechanisms.   Whatever the definition, most agree that in essence that plant health is the turf's ability to tolerate stress longer before going into decline as well as its capacity to recover from stress.   Promoting year-round plant health also can result in a more consistently healthy plant. That is more important than ever before because of seasonal weather extremes that include heat, cold and drought.   "It results in a more balanced approach to seasonal turf management that is more steady," said James Rutledge, Ph.D., product development manager for Bayer Crop Science during last year's Green Start Academy by Bayer and John Deere Golf. "What we want to do is moderate that undulation throughout the season. And one way to do that is to manage the health of the plant."   Not everything in plant health is about new fungicides. In fact, some factors that influence plant health are more readily controlled by superintendents, Rutledge said.  
    Not everything in plant health is about new fungicides. In fact, some factors that influence plant health are more readily controlled by superintendents..."
      That includes selecting turf plants that are adapted to the geographic area in which they will be grown and managed and altering cultural practices such as mowing height and frequency, aerification timing and depth, and managing air movement and shade.   "You probably inherit what you have. That is more typical. You manage it the best you can," Rutledge said. "Then, the turf is more reliant on cultural management."   Cultural practices aren't always enough when producing a healthy plant. Often, because of limitations associated with such factors as weather, wind, shade and more, it is necessary to use a fungicide with plant health qualities.   "That's the final piece," Rutledge said. "That is where we fit in and tie into the other pieces."
  • Nufarm Americas will be the exclusive distributor of Turf, ornamental and aquatics products manufactured by Valent U.SA. Corp., according to an agreement released by both companies on Jan. 29.   Nufarm's portfolio now will include both Valent's products as well as its own. The newly combined portfolio of the two companies will include sales and technical teams of both companies.   "We each bring complementary strengths to the market, and by combining these resources with customer collaboration, we will generate new and innovative solutions that uniquely fit the needs of the market," said Darryl Matthews, Nufarm general manager.    The agreement builds on the many successful distribution collaborations established between Valent's parent company, Sumitomo Chemical Co., and Nufarm Limited since Sumitomo's investment in the global Nufarm Limited business in 2010.

  • War and peace

    By John Reitman, in News,

    Sometimes it's not so bad to be trapped behind the lines in enemy territory. Just ask Scott Thompson.
     
    A 2006 graduate of North Carolina State University's turfgrass management program, Thompson is the head groundskeeper at Duke University, one of the Wolfpack's most hated rivals. A mere 25 miles separate Williams Hall, home base for NCSU's crop science program in Raleigh, and Duke's Wallace Wade Stadium in Durham. But that is way too close for fans who root on each school's respective athletic teams.
     
    For Thompson, 29, Duke fits like a comfortable pair of jeans.
     
    "Most of the people (in sports turf) around here are NC State guys," Thompson said.
     
    "Duke has been great. I enjoy the people here most. Working with the field crews and also being able to interact with different athletic programs and staffs. This position also combines my love of athletics and turfgrass maintenance."
     
    Thompson is in charge of maintaining 70 acres of athletic fields for seven sports teams as well as 150 additional acres of campus grounds, including Krzyzewskiville, the area around Cameron Indoor Stadium, home to the school's four-time national championship men's basketball team coached by Mike Krzyzewski.
     
    In fact, many probably equate Duke athletics with men's basketball team, but the Blue Devils have a long legacy in other sports, including national championships in men's soccer and lacrosse. Even the school's football team has enjoyed recent success under coach David Cutcliffe, including a spot in the Chick-fil-A Bowl on New Year's Eve.
     
    A native of Fremont, N.C., Thompson never envisioned a career in sports turf management during his days at NCSU. Instead, he majored in turfgrass management with his sights set on being a golf course superintendent. He even worked at Carolina Country Club in Raleigh and Wilson Country Club before focusing his career on sports turf management.
     
    When Thompson and wife Kristen married six years ago, he soon realized the time dedication required to be a successful superintendent was not conducive to starting a new family, and that it was time to explore other career options in turf management if the couple wanted to see each other on a regular basis.
     
    "It was just the timing. I never looked to get into sports. It just happened," Thompson said. "I had been a golfer. I wasn't looking for a chance to get out, but the opportunity presented itself.
     
    "I'd just been married for a few months, and it was an opportunity to get away from that schedule of working on a golf course."
     
    Managing turf at a Division I athletic program has its challenges as well.
     
    Duke's natural grass fields include Wallace Wade Stadium (football) and an outdoor football practice facility, game and practice fields for men's and women's soccer and game and practice fields for men's and women's lacrosse. Duke also has synthetic turf on two lacrosse practice fields, an indoor practice field at the Yoh Football Center, at Jack Katz Stadium for field hockey, Jack Coombs Stadium for baseball and two practice fields for lacrosse.
     
    A hands-on manager, Thompson says his first responsibility is to provide safe and aesthetically pleasing playing surfaces for Duke's student athletes. And he can't do that until he motivates members of his crew to help him.
     
    "My biggest responsibility is to make sure my staff my staff is motivated and encouraged to be the best they can be," he said. "By doing so, they are able to perform at the highest level and maintain the fields and facilities at the same level."
     
    Among his greatest challenges was getting acclimated to the differences between managing creeping bentgrass greens mowed at one-eighth-inch and Bermudagrass fields maintained at a half-inch.
     
    "It was a huge learning curve," he said. "The fields are built like a golf course; grass over sand over gravel, so the concept is kind of the same. In this part of the country, you have to be on your toes. There is a lot of disease and insect pressure."
     
    Although the same disease pressures don't exist on high-cut Bermuda, Duke's 419 is susceptible to dollar spot, pythium after turf covers are used. Even brown patch is an occasional visitor on Duke's 419 Bermudagrass soccer fields after they are overseeded with perennial ryegrass.
     
    "We do have some disease pressure," he said.
     
    "It isn't remotely like what the golf guys see on bentgrass."
  • Since he arrived at The Bear Trace at Harrison Bay in 2001, Paul Carter, CGCS, admits he spends as much time on environmental management as he does tending golf course turf.
      In that time, Carter has undertaken a variety of projects, all with local wildlife and the environment in mind.   His work includes renovating the Jack Nicklaus Signature course on the banks of the Tennessee River near Chattanooga, as well as achieving status as an Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary and becoming the first course in Tennessee to be named as a Groundwater Guardian Green Site by the Groundwater Foundation. Last year, he converted to an all-electric fleet of mechanized equipment.   The TurfNet 2011 Superintendent of the Year Award winner, Carter recently was named the public and overall winner of the GCSAA's Environmental Leaders in Golf Award. Other winners were Scott Bower of Martis Camp in Truckee, Calif. in the private category; Chad Corp, CGCS at Mountain Ridge in Thompsonville, Mich. (resort category); and Andrew Hardy of Pheasant Run Golf Club in Sharon, Ontario (international category).   Carter's work began to grab national attention with Harrison Bay's Eagle Cam, that showed the world the nesting and parenting habits of bald eagles that were named Elliott and Eloise by Carter's daughter, Hannah.   Bower was recognized for his work at managing the ecologically sensitive Martis Camp property in the Sierra Nevada. His water quality management program, which includes minimal pesticide applications, has won the praise of several local environmental groups.    Sustainability also is a goal at Mountain Ridge, where Corp was recognized for his development of compost tea as an organic fertilizer. The organic amendment also helps reduce the dependency on fungicide and growth regulators. His management program also incorporates the use of bio-diesel in rolling stock.   Spraying for control of pests of any kind is a last resort for Sharon Golf Club's Hardy. With an eye on water use, he has been able to cut consumption by as much as 23 percent through a program that includes regular use of growth regulators and surfactants. His work also was recognized by the East Gwillimbury Chamber of Commerce with its Environmental Business of the Year Award and the Town of East Gwillimbury Award for Excellence.   Chapter winners in the public category were: Paul Grogan, CGCS, TPC Deere Run, Moline, Ill.; Gary Ingram, CGCS, Metropolitan Golf Links, Oakland, Calif.; Scott Spooner, Leslie Park and Huron Hills Golf Courses, Clinton, Mich.   Chapter winners in the private category were: Steve Britton, TPC Potomac at Avenel, Potomac, Md.; Tim Connolly, TPC Jasna Polana, Princeton, N.J.; Mike Crawford, CGCS, TPC Sugarloaf, Duluth, Ga.; Tom DeGrandi, TPC River Highlands, Manchester, Conn.; Dave Faucher, CGCS, TPC Rivers Bend, Maineville, Ohio; Charles Robertson, CGCS, TPC Craig Ranch, McKinney, Texas; Jim Thomas, CGCS, TPC Southwind, Memphis, Tenn.; Russell Vandehey, CGCS, Oregon Golf Club, Oregon City; Matt Weitz, Victoria National Golf Club, Newburgh, Ind.   Chapter winner in the resort category was Tom Vlach, CGCS, TPC at Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.   Dave Davies, CGCS at Stonebrae in Hayward, Calif., was named a winner in the merit category.   The Environmental Leaders in Golf Awards recognize superintendents and their courses for overall course management excellence in the areas of water conservation, water quality management, integrated pest management, energy conservation, pollution prevention, waste management, wildlife and habitat conservation, communication and outreach, and leadership.
  • For many folks in the turf business it comes as second nature to give back to their profession. And then there was Dennis Warner.   During his career as a superintendent, including the past 35 years at Kenwood Country Club in Cincinnati, Warner's management style showed employees how much he cared about them, and they returned the favor. When the Ohio Turfgrass Foundation or regional GCSA chapters needed a speaker, he was always willing to accommodate them.   And when area superintendents were between jobs, Warner would hire them on his crew to keep some money coming in the door until they found another job.    "He was a giver," said John Fanning, a former superintendent who turned to a career in sales.    "We used to make fun of him for that. Over the years, he probably put four or five superintendents, maybe more, on his payroll until they found something. Of course, that didn't hurt the depth of his crew, either."   Warner died Jan. 20, while visiting family in California. He had suffered a heart attack while on the trip, according to the Ohio Turfgrass Foundation. He was 66.   While some will miss Warner's management and leadership philosophy, Barry Strittholt will miss his fishing buddy.   A former superintendent who found a home on the Kenwood staff for the past three years, Strittholt fished with Warner each Monday on the club's lake. It wasn't uncommon for them to pull out slab crappie and largemouth bass in the 3- to 5-pound range.   "It was a competition to see who could land more and bigger fish," Strittholt said. "He fished with live bait, and I was the angler using artificial bait. He always tried to out-do everyone," Strittholt said.    Competition among peers was always important to Warner. When he was superintendent at Portage Country Club in Akron, Ohio, he left for Kenwood because it received more play, Fanning said. Kenwood is one of the industry's true 36-hole properties from the classic era. Opened in 1930, it has layouts designed concurrently by Donald Ross and William Diddel.    "He always told me how beautiful it was at Portage and how much he loved it there," Fanning said. "But he also said it wasn't busy enough there. Members there didn't play enough for him."   A graduate of Ohio State, Warner was a devout OSU fan and was especially proud of his affiliation with the school's turfgrass program. In 1986, he won the Ohio Turfgrass Foundation Professional Excellence Award, which is given annually to those who promote the turfgrass industry through fellowship, inventive ingenuity, involvement and dedication.   Fanning and his wife, Debbie, have been friends with Warner and his family for more than four decades. Their families vacationed together for years, so Fanning is as familiar with Warner as just about anyone. And as a former sales rep for such companies as The Andersons, Fanning has seen his share of golf course maintenance crews in action. He said he hasn't seen any crew as capable and polished as those who've worked for Warner.   "I saw a lot of crews in my time," Fanning said. "At any time, he might have 50 people on the ground at Kenwood. His crews among the best."   Survivors include wife Alberta; daughter Meredith (Matthew) Slater; son Gregory (Alicia) Warner; daughter Rachel (Jacob) Lawrence; grandchildren Jackson and Jillian Warner, and Audrey Slater; loving nieces and great-nephews. Visitation is scheduled for 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Aug. 26 at Mihovk-Rosenacker Funeral Home, 10211 Plainfield Road, Cincinnati. Services are scheduled for noon-1 p.m. Monday at St. Paul Community United Methodist Church, 8221 Miami Road, Cincinnati.
  • The run-up to the 2013 U.S. Open should have been a fun ride for Matt Shaffer and his crew at Merion Golf Club. Indeed it was a ride, although whether it was fun is a matter of debate.
     
    With several inches of rain falling at the course in Ardmore, Pa.,  in the week leading up to the event and the challenges it brought, Shaffer, his crew and his volunteer army of superintendents faced a stiff challenge to get Merion ready for the Open and keep it that way.
     
    But succeed they did, and Shaffer has been widely credited for his ability to provide a course that not only was playable, but, despite its length of just less than 7,000 yards, left the world's best golfers battered and bruised, including one who said via social media that he could take no more.
     
    For his ability to maintain his composure under pressure and present a U.S. Open that is talked about for all the right reasons, Shaffer is has been named as one of six finalists for the 2013 TurfNet Superintendent of the Year Award, presented by Syngenta.
     
    Other finalists include Matt Gourlay, CGCS, of Colbert Hills in Manhattan, Kan.; Brad Jolliff of KickingBird Golf Club in Edmond, Okla.; Chad Mark of The Kirtland Country Club in Willoughby, Ohio; Josh Saunders of Longue Vue Club in Penn Hills, Pa.; and Curtis Nickerson of University Park Country Club in Sarasota, Fla. Click on the links to read more about each finalist. To read more about Shaffer's year at Merion, click here.
     
    The finalists were selected by a panel of judges from a list of 96 nominees.
     
    Criteria on which nominees are judged include labor-management skills, 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, dealing with extreme or emergency conditions.
     
    Judges include Bob Goglia and Stephanie Schwenke of Syngenta; Peter McCormick, John Reitman and Jon Kiger of TurfNet; Chris Hartwiger of the USGA Green Section; Cal Roth of the PGA Tour; Tim Moraghan of Aspire Golf; Joel Jackson of Florida Green magazine; Larry Hirsh of Golf Property Analysts; Mike McCullough of the Monterey (Calif.) Regional Water Pollution Control Agency; Bradley Klein, Ph.D., of Golfweek; Dave Wilber of Sierra Pacific Turf; and current superintendent of the year Dan Meersman of The Philadelphia Cricket Club.
     
    The winner will be announced Feb. 6 at the Syngenta booth during this year's Golf Industry Show in Orlando, Fla.
     
    Previous winners include: Meersman (2012); Paul Carter, The Bear Trace at Harrison Bay, Harrison, Tenn. (2011); Thomas Bastis, The California Golf Club of San Francisco (2010); Anthony Williams, Stone Mountain (Ga.) Golf Club (2009); Sam MacKenzie, Olympia Fields (Ill.) Country Club (2008); John Zimmers, Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club (2007); Scott Ramsay, Golf Course at Yale University, New Haven, Conn. (2006); Mark Burchfield, Victoria Club, Riverside Calif. (2005); Stuart Leventhal, Interlachen Country Club, Winter Park, Fla. (2004); Paul Voykin, Briarwood Country Club, Deerfield, Ill. (2003); Jeff Burgess, Seven Lakes Golf Course, Windsor, Ontario (2002); Kip Tyler, Salem Country Club, Peabody, Mass. (2001); Kent McCutcheon, Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort (2000).
  • 2013 Superintendent of the Year finalist


    Matt Shaffer, Merion Golf Club, Ardmore, Pennsylvania

    To say the deck was stacked against Matt Shaffer before last year's U.S. Open would be an understatement.
     
    Preparing for and hosting a major championship can be a once-in-a-lifetime moment for a golf course superintendent. When the USGA granted last year's U.S. Open to Merion Golf Club's East Course, many wondered whether the 100-year-old classic, was worthy of such acclaim. That was especially true after weather conditions in the Philadelphia area became a major part of the story surrounding last year's Open.
     
    There is no questioning the integrity of the 1912 Hugh Wilson design in Ardmore, Pa. that is ranked No. 7 on Golfweek's list of top 100 classic U.S. golf courses. But with a length of less than 7,000 yards, the concern was whether the East Course could provide an adequate test to the world's best players. And when the remnants of Tropical Storm Andrea coughed up as much as 9 inches of rain in eastern Pennsylvania in the week leading up to the Open last June, questions circulated about whether Shaffer, or any other superintendent for that matter, would be able to have a course measuring 6,696 yards and softened by torrents of rain ready for an event of such magnitude.
     
    The fear was that the pros would take target practice on the rain-softened soil-based greens at Merion.
     
    Shaffer, who has been at Merion since 2002, has developed the reputation as a skilled agronomist and shrewd manager. Since he stepped foot on the property he also has been known as a minimalist, keeping the historic track on the dry side while constantly improving its drainage.
     
    The end result was a 1-over-par win for England's Justin Rose on a short and narrow course that left the pros grinding. Only five players managed to shoot under par on the event's final day.
     
    After the tournament, players talked openly of the difficult conditions and set up at Merion.
     
    Tweeted Brandt Snedeker afterward: "The rough did me in this week. I am done."
     
    Lee Westwood went on Twitter with: "If Merion would have played dry this week like the USGA wanted it would have been impossible."
     
    Hunter Mahan told ESPN: "Man, it was brutal out there. It was tough finishing.
     
    "At the start of the week, everyone thought we were going to rip it up, but I just knew that somewhere around even par was going to win it."
    "Matt is considered to be one of the most innovative and forward-thinking individuals in the industry," said East Course superintendent Aaron McCurdy. 
     
    "After hosting the most prestigious event in golf on a golf course that everyone said did not deserve to do so, Merion Golf Club was the only major to record an over-par champion."
     
    Although much praise was heaped upon Merion for the way in which he prepared and maintained the course, Shaffer prefers to deflect praise to his superintendents and staff as well as his volunteers. In fact, Shaffer also has developed the reputation of mentoring others who go on to head superintendents positions elsewhere.
     
    "His philosophies encourage staff members to think critically and make decisions that ultimately are in the best interest of playability, not so much of turf health," McCurdy said. "Matt also is at the forefront of environmental stewardship with an IPM strategy and implementation that requires far less inputs than any top 100 golf course in America."
  • 2013 Superintendent of the Year finalist


    Curtis Nickerson, University Park Country Club, Sarasota, Florida

    While golfers praising the work of superintendents might, for some, appear to be a rare occurrence, club members actually standing and clapping for a greenkeeper is all but unheard of - except at University Park Country Club in southwestern Florida where Curtis Nickerson works.
     
    Three years ago, Nickerson, a veteran superintendent who has worked at courses throughout Florida, inherited a University Park course in need of some TLC. 
     
    In those three years, Nickerson has turned around a golf course that members say was "an embarrassment" and turned it into "a thing of beauty."
     
    Members have been so amazed at how he has been able to turn around conditions in such a short time that 75 of them submitted nominations on his behalf for TurfNet's 2013 Superintendent of the Year Award, presented by Syngenta. A total of 36 of those nominations were submitted by members of the club's ladies golf association.
     
    "Curtis has made a huge difference in the quality of our golf course greens, fairways and bunkers in the short time he has been here," said University Park member Elaine Kulbako. "He gets a standing ovation whenever he comes to our LGA luncheons to talk about course conditions."
     
    LGA president Nancy Kopinsky echoed those sentiments.
     
    "He turned this course around in two years. When he took over the course was in really,really bad condition . . . . He is available in person and via email at all times, he answers your concerns immediately, and sends out e mails with explanations of what is happening on the course and why. He was asked to attend our opening season meeting, where he got a standing ovation and cheers from our members.
    We are happy and lucky to have him as our course superintendent."
     
    Nickerson, who worked at University Park for about a year before being named superintendent, conducted an immediate audit of equipment, agronomic programs and personnel, and he empowered members of his staff to take part in the property's pending rebirth by asking each to assess where they thought the quality of course management and where it should be headed. 
     
    He worked to replace broken down equipment, and because he had been on property for about a year, felt like he had a head start on where to focus his efforts.
     
    He immediately dialed in on an irrigation program that dried down the course and implemented an aerification program designed to begin removing an organic matter layer that had reached a depth of 5 to 7 inches in some areas of the putting greens, Nickerson said. 
     
    "When I arrived at University Park, the course was solid and had all the makings of a great golf course. The main problems, well, it was simply tired and the maintenance practices and equipment fleet a bit outdated," Nickerson said. 
     
    "After a bit of re-structuring of the management staff, a major house cleaning of obsolete and broken down old equipment and an the implementation of an entirely new agronomic plan with new core values and goals we were prepared to re-staff, retool and hit the ground running."
     
    As he began making changes throughout the course, he kept in constant communication with members and administration through a regular newsletter, open-house meetings and email.
     
    "Since Curtis Nickerson (has been) our superintendent, the fairways are lush and well maintained and the greens are true and fast," said University Park member Martin Graaf. "This is not unusual for many golf course. What is astounding is that Curtis has achieved this standard of excellence in less than a year, from a very poor and sickly looking golf course, where greens were virtually dead and the fairways had barely any grass and were poorly maintained. 
     
    "This man deserves a medal."
  • 2013 Superintendent of the Year finalist


    Josh Saunders, Longue Vue Club, Penn Hills, Pennsylvania

    When a member accuses a golf course superintendent of turning a course upside-down, it usually is not meant as a compliment.
     
    In the case of Josh Saunders, the topsy-turvy description of his first year at Longue Vue Club in Penn Hills, Pa., is a term of endearment.
     
    Conditions at the course near Pittsburgh had slipped in recent years beyond a point with which members had become accustomed. Upon the start of his tenure that began on New Year's Day, 2013, Saunders immediately set into motion a new agronomic program and management style that pumped what some have called a much-needed breath of fresh air into the golf course, crew and membership. And the result is a well-maintained piece of property that is managed by an engaged crew and enjoyed by an informed group of members.
     
    "During his short tenure, he has done remarkable things and the course conditioning has improved dramatically," wrote Longue Vue member David Koi in his nomination of Saunders for TurfNet's 2013 Superintendent of the Year Award.
     
    "With Josh at the helm, many of our members feel that Longue Vue has been restored to its long tradition of greatness."
     
    Presented by Syngenta, the award winner will be announced Feb. 6 during the Golf Industry Show in Orlando, Fla.
     
    Some of the words used to describe conditions at Longue Vue upon Saunders' arrival included "bad shape", "unplayable" and "horrific."
     
    Today, members use words like "magnificent" and "pristine" when describing playing conditions at Longue Vue.
     
    Saunders, who came to Longue Vue from Kinloch Golf Club in Virginia where he had been an assistant, said his first order of business was creating a new culture at the club in western Pennsylvania. 
     
    That started with instilling more discipline in his crew, which he termed "instituting an attention-to-detail policy" by retraining and reinvigorating his crew. From implementation of a staff uniform policy to addressing placement of rakes in bunkers to how and when divots are filled to respecting pace of play while conducting on-course activities, Saunders constructed from his staff an entirely new crew.
     
    "Implementing a change in culture philosophy was the driving force to the success of the turnaround that we experienced over the past season," Saunders said. "The change started with staff development and training and educating a tenured greens department about instituting the techniques, practices and protocols I learned during my tenure as a top assistant at Kinloch Golf Club. Improving playability and turf health provided the foundation toward turning the corner, and the entire greens department quickly bought into my system."
     
    In the past, Longue Vue also had been plagued by disease issues, such as wet wilt, that Saunders said were attributed to over watering. In an effort to minimize such threats he cut back on use of irrigation water, and he also began using walk mowers, and implemented new chemical and fertility programs.
     
    With his plan in motion, Saunders' next step was to educate Longue Vue's members about what was happening in relation to restoring their golf course, which he accomplished through social media and a blog.
     
    "Aside from the course itself," said club member John Dick, "Josh has engaged the members on an entirely new and constructive level, even taking to Twitter on a daily basis to keep everyone informed about his progress, completed work, and even the daily pin placements."
     
    Saunders says he can't take all the credit for his philosophy, admitting he stole much of his ideology from his mentor and former Kinloch superintendent Pete Wendt, CGCS.
     
    "My mentor gave me good advice: In order to be an effective manager, you have to be an effective communicator," Saunders said. "That philosophy clearly has contributed to the turnaround."
  • 2013 Superintendent of the Year finalist


    Chad Mark, The Kirtland Country Club, Willoughby, Ohio
     

    The Chagrin River provides an aesthetic backdrop for golfers at The Kirtland Country Club. Mark Petzing, the club's general manager and chief operating officer, called the river both a blessing and a curse. It is a blessing because its meandering beauty is pleasing to the eye and the steelhead that swim its waters provide yet an additional recreational opportunity for the club's members. It also is a curse, because like most courses that wind through golf courses, it has a tendency to overrun its banks during times of excessive rain.
     
    That is exactly what happened July 20 when more than 5 inches of rain fell at the club in Willoughby, Ohio. The Chagrin encroached onto the course covering parts of six holes (Nos. 10-15).
     
    The manner in which superintendent Chad Mark and his staff brought the course back after the flood is just one of many reasons that Petzing, several Kirtland members and a handful of former employees nominated him for TurfNet's 2013 Superintendent of the Year Award, presented by Syngenta. Those who nominated him also included a pair of fellow nominees for the award - a TurfNet first.
     
    Removing silt from the course after the water receded was a multi-step process that began with using snow shovels, brooms and hoses to clear silt from the 10th and 11th greens.
     
    The crew then moved on to clear fairways on Nos. 14 and 15 and the approach on 13. 
     
    Any turf that couldn't be repaired was replaced, and Mark went though a total of 30 pallets of sod and a half-dozen pales of seed.
     
    When mud and silt finally were removed, any signs of damaged turf were aerified using five-eighths-inch hollow tines, filled with topdressing sand and overseeded with Alpha creeping bentgrass at a rate of 3 pounds per 1,000 square feet. A slit seeder was used to drop in even more seed at half the overseed rate.
     
    A Verti-Drain was used a month later to relieve compacted soil.
     
    Area clubs and vendors helped Mark and his crew with the repair work by donating the use of equipment, including fans and pumps.
     
    He rewarded his staff's efforts with a swag bag of Under Armour items.
     
    "Chad is an exceptional, skilled professional who has exceeded everyone's expectations at Kirtland," said Kirtland grounds chairman Tony Rehak. "He leads by example and commands respect with his team."
     
    The gifts were just one example of how Mark strives to keep his crew motivated and engaged. He also has developed a unique scheduling system that actually gives time off (including weekends) to his hourly and permanent staff.
     
    The result of his efforts is a course that is ranked among the finest in northeastern Ohio (it is ranked No. 90 on Golfweek's list of the top 100 classic courses) despite a budget that hasn't budged since at least 2006.
     
    Mark, who has been superintendent at Kirtland for 10 years, holds a unique place among this year's list of nominees. He has worked for former Superintendent of the Year John Zimmers of Oakmont Country Club, and also prepped under 2013 super of the year nominees Jim Roney of Saucon Valley Country Club and Paul B. Latshaw of Muirfield Village Golf Club.
     
    During Mark's time at Kirtland, two of his former assistants have been named head superintendent elsewhere, Chuck Zaranec, West Course superintendent at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, N.Y., and Chuck Lewanski, superintendent at Sleepy Hollow Golf Course in Brecksville, Ohio.
  • 2013 Superintendent of the Year finalist


    Brad Jolliff, KickingBird Golf Club, Edmond, Oklahoma
     

    Golf course superintendents are used to performing often under grueling conditions. Still, it's difficult to imagine facing some of the conditions Brad Jolliff encountered in 2013.
     
    Superintendent at KickingBird Golf Club in Edmond, Okla. for the past 15 years, Jolliff faced a trying set of circumstances last year that included both of his assistants and a full-time equipment operator leaving early in the year, leaving only Jolliff and his mechanic as the only full-time employees for much of the season at a daily fee facility subject to heavy play.
     
    Add to that an extremely wet spring and summer that brought about 37 inches of rain between April and July in the Oklahoma City area, which is about 17 inches above normal, according to the National Weather Service. Those rainfall totals included a record 14.5 inches in May, according to NWS.
     
    Despite the many hurdles facing Jolliff, many of the golfers who play at KickingBird say its greens rate with any found in the Oklahoma City area, including at private clubs. And they say Jolliff is the reason why.
     
    "I have played KickingBird Golf Course since the 1970s. Never has this course been as attractive, well-groomed and inviting to players," said KickingBird golfer Judy Warren. "I have recommended this course to many individuals. On every occasion, I have described KickingBird as public course that could be mistaken for a private club course. That explains the dedication and desire by Brad and his team to please the public and those of us who do not have private club memberships."
     
    By May, Jolliff's second assistant and equipment operator had left KickingBird, and his first assistant received a head superintendent's position about a month later. With the months of golf left for KickingBird, only Jolliff and equipment manager Sylvester Tillman were full-time employees of the city-owned course. Seasonal helped ranged between eight and 10 (mostly high school students working their first jobs) throughout the season.
     
    For his dedication to the course and those who play it, Jolliff has been named as a finalist for the 2013 TurfNet Superintendent of the Year Award, presented by Syngenta. The winner will be announced Feb. 6 during the Golf Industry Show in Orlando, Fla.
     
    A total of 38 people who play or work at KickingBird submitted nominations on Jolliff's behalf. Humbled by the recognition, he doesn't believe he has done anything that any his 15,000 or so colleagues around the country wouldn't do if put in his position.
     
    "What I did is very similar to what I hear a lot of superintendents have done," Jolliff said. "There are periods in our careers when we will have to work a lot if not every day. I worked every day for five or six weeks.
     
    "I know that I didn't count the hours. That might get discouraging."
     
    Still, golfers who play at KickingBird are indebted to Jolliff for ushering the course through trying times in 2013.
     
    "His team consisted entirely of seasonal employees, with the exception of his full-time mechanic,. Due to this shortage Brad put in many extra hours throughout the summer," said Brett Pribble, a member of KickingBird's advisory board. "I appreciate his effort and am proud that he was able to keep our municipal course in excellent shape."
     
    For Jolliff, the dedication required to get through the year is part of doing what he loves best - providing a golf course with the best possible playing conditions.
     
    "I enjoy the customer interaction as much as the agronomic side of the business," he said. "That is why I don't mind the hours. There is a lot of satisfaction knowing that the customers are enjoying their time at KickingBird because of what we have done in preparation for them."
  • 2013 Superintendent of the Year finalist


    Matt Gourlay, CGCS, Colbert Hills, Manhattan, Kansas

    Each year, Colbert Hills is ranked among the best public golf courses in Kansas. According to many of the golfers who play there, Matt Gourlay, CGCS, is big reason they hold the course in such high regard.
     
    Gourlay not only keeps the course in Manhattan, Kan., in championship condition throughout the playing season, he does so with a budget and staff that would make operators at some mom-and-pop facilities blush. He also is recognized by members for his selfless dedication to the facility where he has been known to pinch hit behind the counter in the golf shop and for his ability to manage the course in a way that matches playability with environmental stewardship and sustainability.
     
    For his efforts, Gourlay has been named as a finalist for the 2013 TurfNet Superintendent of the Year Award presented by Syngenta.
     
    "It is well known that Colbert Hills has won many awards for environmental, conditioning, training, turfgrass research and the development of future golf course superintendents," said Gourlay's father, David, general manager and chief operating officer of Lakewood Country Club in Westlake, Ohio.
     
    "It is an honor for me to make a recommendation for Matt Gourlay for TurfNet Superintendent of the Year. Truth be told, Matt should have been recommended each year for the past seven years."
     
    The Superintendent of the Year Award winner will be named Feb. 6 at the Golf Industry Show in Orlando, Fla.
     
    Colbert Hills is home to dozens of tournaments each year, including, including collegiate tournaments hosted by the men's and women's golf teams from nearby Kansas State University. 
     
    "We strive to have Colbert Hills in tournament ready condition every day as we host over 65 tournaments yearly," Matt Gourlay said. 
     
    And he does so with comparatively modest resources.
     
    Gourlay has a humble annual budget of about $550,000, and he spends about 27 percent ($150,000) of that on irrigation water, according to professional golfer Jim Colbert, the course's namesake and architect. And he maintains the course with a crew that includes a full-time assistant superintendent and a makeshift crew comprised of Kansas State turf students. Although the students bring a certain amount of expertise to Colbert Hills, the staff has a high rate of turnover as students enter and leave the school.
     
    Still, Gourlay spends a great deal of energy helping to further the career of others. He teaches at regional turf conferences and 28 of his former employees have gone on to become a superintendent or assistant superintendent at other courses.
     
    "I have had at least 50 superintendents in my employ over the last 25 years, and I would put Matt Gourlay at the head of the class," Colbert said in his nomination. "This year Matt, did a great job of restoring Colbert Hills to its top form . . . He did all of this with a total budget of $550,000, and $150,000 was for water - a remarkable feat in this part of the country. Those numbers are well below the norm for just daily maintenance and he has done all of this with a makeshift of talented but part time staff. His dedication to Colbert Hills is unparalleled."
     
    Although Gourlay's agronomic and management skills have helped make Colbert Hills one of the premier golf destinations in Kansas, he selflessly lends his expertise to other departments throughout the property.
     
    Besides managing the maintenance facility, Gourlay goes above beyond the normal call of duty for a superintendent by sometimes selling merchandise and tee times in the golf shop, and cooking, tending bar and even washing dishes in the restaurant.
     
    "Making our golf clientele's experience at Colbert Hills memorable," he said, "is my main priority."
  • The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recently gave the thumbs-up to two new highly mobile BASF fungicides for professional turf managers seeking rapid preventive and curative control of a host of common turfgrass diseases.   Xzemplar fungicide and Lexicon Intrinsic brand fungicide both contain the active ingredient fluxapyroxad, brand name Xemium, a new succinate-dehydrogenase inhibitor. Fluxapyroxad is a highly mobile active ingredient that provides both preventative and curative activity on many turfgrass pathogens. Xzemplar fungicide is a solo product containing only fluxapyroxad.    Lexicon Intrinsic brand fungicide contains a 1:2 ratio of fluxapyroxad and pyraclostrobin, the active ingredient in Insignia SC Intrinsic brand fungicide. Lexicon Intrinsic is a next-generation Intrinsic product with disease control and advanced plant health, say BASF scientists. Field trial results for Lexicon Intrinsic brand fungicide have shown it provides efficacious control on a variety of turfgrass diseases, including brown patch, dollar spot, summer patch and fairy ring, in addition to 22 other diseases.   Research shows Xzemplar fungicide and Lexicon Intrinsic brand fungicide provide consistent, long-lasting protection against a broad range of turf diseases. In trials conducted during 2008-2013 by both university and private contract researchers, excellent disease control was observed.   Trial results for Xzemplar fungicide have shown excellent control against dollar spot at all rates and spray intervals (14-28 days) on greens and fairways. In a fairway dollar spot trial at Penn State University in 2013, Xzemplar fungicide on a 21-day spray interval was the top performing treatment among 40 entries. On the final rating date, Xzemplar fungicide was the only treatment with no dollar spot present, while the untreated plots contained over 140 dollar spot lesions per plot.    In a curative dollar spot trial on a Crenshaw Bentgrass putting green at the Pee Dee Research and Education Center of Clemson University, Xzemplar fungicide plots contained an average of two dollar spot lesions as compared to the untreated plots that contained over 20 lesions at 14 days after the application.   Lexicon Intrinsic brand fungicide trials demonstrated efficacious control of a variety of diseases including brown patch, dollar spot, summer patch and fairy ring. In a trial conducted on SR7100 colonial bentgrass, no Rhizoctonia infection (brown patch) was observed in Lexicon Intrinsic brand fungicide plots at 21 days after application as compared to the untreated control plots that averaged 70.5 percent disease incidence at the Rutgers? trial site.   Similarly, in a trial conducted on Baron Kentucky bluegrass showed low infection (1.8 percent) of summer patch after 21 days, compared with 58.2 percent in the untreated control.   Both Xzemplar fungicide and Lexicon Intrinsic brand fungicide are expected to be available for sale later this year.   Click here to read more about Xzemplar and Lexicon Intrinsic fungicides.  
  • TurfNet contributor Hector Velazquez has been named to the board of directors of the International Golf Course Equipment Managers Association.   Velazquez, equipment manager at Walnut Creek Country Club in South Lyon, Mich., will join several others named as officers or board members of the association.   Mike Kriz of Arrowhead Golf Club in Rapid City, S.D., was elected the association's next president, and serving as vice president will be Henry Heinz of Belfair Plantation Golf Club in Bluffton, S.C., and secretary/treasurer John Weidler of Ironbridge Golf Club in Glenwood Springs, Colo. John Patterson of PGA National Golf Resort and Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., is the association's immediate past president.   Joining Velazquez on the board of directors will be Bret Hart of Turning Stone Resort in Verona, N.Y., Scott Sanderson of Stonebridge Country Club in Goffstown, N.H., Chris Rapp of Bellerive Country Club - St.Louis, Mo., Luke Spartalis of The Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Melbourne, Australia, Adam Thompson of Commonwealth Golf Club in Victoria, Australia, Alan Bussey of The Ford Plantation in Richmond Hill, Ga., and Kenneth Meals of Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield, N.J.

  • Bridging the gap

    By John Reitman, in News,

    Connecting the gap between generations has been a challenge for the ages, but it's been especially tough on the golf business during an ever-changing economy.   Attracting new and younger players has proven to be, despite widespread efforts, nearly a futile effort. And expecting the next generation of employees to display the same work ethic their parents did, is, for many superintendents, an exercise in frustration.   Indeed, the complaint is a common one among seasoned superintendents: Younger employees lack the work ethic displayed by their older colleagues. Interns arrive ready to get on the fast track to becoming a head superintendent, yet don't want to work weekends and lack the experience required to rake a bunker.   And when it comes to assigning blame for that lack of work ethic, senior superintendents might not like where they have to look for an answer a mirror.   As a consultant to corporate America, Steve Drake says 20-somethings weren't born with a lack of get-up-and-go; it was taught to them by doting helicopter parents who teach that effort trumps results.    "Now, here's this Gen Y, who from the time they were born got a trophy if they woke up. Seriously. You got a trophy for participating. You didn't have to win," said Drake, a speaker at last month's Syngenta Business Institute in Winston-Salem, N.C.   "Who trained this generation to expect that? (Baby) Boomers and older (Generation) Xers."   The younger generation of today's workers, called Generation Y or Millennials by Drake,  also learned a lack of loyalty for employers by watching their parents, despite years of dedicated service to a single employer, get laid off in their 50s thanks to sweeping cost-cutting moves. (Sound familiar?)   Regardless of how potential employers feel about any of this, Millennials are here to stay. This age group comprises more than 70 million people and is the country's fastest-growing demographic due to immigration, Drake says. And they're not likely to change how they view employers and what they expect in return.   "Baby Boomers live to work. To them, work is a place where you go every day," Drake said. "For Generation Y, they work to live. Things that are important to them are flex time, friends, family, community service and social media."   Superintendents on the other hand are simply worried about hiring, managing and retaining a good crew so playability on the course is not compromised and everyone gets to keep his or her job. But that won't always be enough.   "Now, the challenge is we have to deal with this, because (Millennials) want recognition and rewards," Drake said.   Like it or not, Drake says, managing a younger workforce eventually is going to require some change by those up the chain of command to be more accepting of the factors that are important to younger workers.   Although offering flextime to someone scheduled to be on a mower at 6 a.m. daily is a stretch, there are other, easier-to-implement ways to engage younger employees, Drake says. That list includes promoting feedback, empowering workers, embracing technology, offering educational and career-advancement opportunities, employee golf outings or take-your-child-to-work days and promoting stronger interpersonal communications.   Attracting and engaging the next generation of golfers has been even more difficult for an industry struggling under current economic conditions. Since 2006, rounds played have been relatively flat resulting in a net loss of more than 500 golf courses, according to the National Golf Foundation. Research by Pellucid Corp. shows that golf is increasingly a game carried disproportionately by those age 50 and above.   Like their peers who work at golf courses, members of Generation Y are attracted to golf's social aspects, Drake says. And golf facilities that hope to attract them will have to promote that interpersonal touch.   "What are you going to do to get them?" Drake asked. "They have a lot of other things to do (with their time). Keep in mind that according to all generational research, they like to do things as groups of friends. What does golf do to get groups of friends to play golf? Appealing to them to play golf on their own ain't gonna work."

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