Jump to content

From the TurfNet NewsDesk

  • John Reitman
    For those who have been waiting for another level for certifying environmental stewardship efforts on golf course properties, your wish has come true.
    Audubon International, which recognizes environmentalism in golf, has added a fourth level to its Signature Sanctuary Certification program.
    The Signature Sanctuary Certification program was created at the Bronze, Silver and Gold level for golf properties under renovation or new developments committed to sustainable practices.

    Audubon International's new certification level goes off the golf course. The Signature Sanctuary Platinum Certification was created to cover entire resort properties, including golf course and maintenance structures and systems as well as sustainable lodging and sustainable hospitality in the clubhouse.
    "The Signature Sanctuary Platinum Certification level provides an opportunity to have an all-encompassing certification for a property," said Kat Welch, Audubon's Signature Sanctuary Certification director, in a news release. "The nice part about Signature Platinum level is that it is a single title, encompassing multiple certifications, which is easier for the public or the client to understand and appreciate."
    The Green Lodging and Green Hospitality programs currently have 130 full-service certified resort members with sustainability goals that include but are not limited to the golf course.
    "If a resort is established and operating, but undergoing a renovation to only the golf course, it can still be a candidate for Platinum, because the Green Lodging and Green Hospitality Certifications were designed for existing properties," Welch said. "If it's a totally new construction, we look for the criteria to be built into the architectural plan."
    For golf course grounds and structures including cart barns and maintenance buildings, Platinum Certification adds a new level of requirements to the process. For example, native plantings must occupy 90% of out-of-play acreage, compared with 75% on the Gold Level.
  • Smithco recently recognized its dealers across the globe at this year’s GCSAA Conference and Trade Show in Orlando.
    Winners were:
    Dealer of the Year: Ladd's, Memphis, Tennessee (above)
    International Dealer of the Year: Trieu Giang, Vietnam (right)
    North American Salesperson of the Year: Jason D'Andrea, G.C. Duke, Ontario, Canada (below in the pink shirt)

  • A pre-packaged test kit developed by researchers at the University of Florida is designed to make taking, submitting and getting results on soil samples easy for homeowners, lawn and landscape operators and maybe even sports turf managers. One day, such a kit might also help make life easier for golf course superintendents.
    The UF/IFAS Soil Test Kit Powered by SoilKit was developed in cooperation with AgriTech Corp. of Foley, Alabama. For $29.95 per kit, users get everything they need to properly take and submit a soil test, including a prepaid shipping label, soil bag and a QR code to an instruction video. The cost also includes results and recommendations from a lab in Alabama.
    Within one or two days of receipt, users will receive an email with a link to results. Kits are available at extension offices in Florida or online.
    What seems like a simple concept actually was five years in the making.
    "We started working on this in 2017," said Bryan Unruh, Ph.D, associate professor with the University of Florida.
    "We are in the crawl, walk, run stage."
    The test was developed primarily with the residential lawn market in mind. Although it also can be used on sports fields, the kit is probably not a realistic fit for the golf market. At least not yet.
    Athletic fields that are pretty much a single stand of turf vs. golf courses that could require multiple tests from many locations two or three times a year could get costly. Today, many superintendents get soil tests conducted free of charge with the assistance of a fertilizer rep.
    "Three acres of homogenous turf vs. 30 acres of greens, tees and fairways," Unruh said. "At that price point, one test (in sports turf) vs. multiple tests (in golf) make it cost prohibitive for golf."
    Unruh and colleagues at UF have spent the past several years developing BMPs for golf courses, so a simplified test kit for superintendents seems like a natural extension to those efforts. 
    "Definitely," he said. "We're not there yet."
  • In what might come as a shock to his colleagues, Scott Griffith, CGCS, has never really known what it is like to struggle to find labor in nearly two decades at the University of Georgia Golf Course. 
    Every year for 16 years, Griffith gets anywhere from 20 to 30 UGA students who join his team as part-time employees on the crew. Most years at least a couple are turf students, but the overwhelming number are students studying for a life outside of turf.
    "I know a lot of superintendents struggle with labor. I've been blessed with it," Griffith said. "I just have to deal with the challenges of hiring student employees."
    Those challenges have everything to do with training and scheduling a team of part-timers who have to manage changing cups and mowing fairways with attending Calculus and chemistry classes.
    Most of his part-time team works about half a shift and is back on central campus by 11 a.m.
    "We might have 25 or 30 people, but because they are part time, it's like having half that many," Griffith said.
    Just because Griffith's student staff must prioritize their time in the classroom, it does not mean they are limited to edging and blowing.
    "We train them to do most everything on the golf course," Griffith said.
    "The acceptance rate here is low, so the kids here are smart, they're intelligent and they're motivated."
    Griffith can't take credit for this business model. Someone else put it into place, but he has maintained it.
    "I've been here 16 years, and it's been like this since Day 1," he said. "It was put into practice before I got here."

    University of Georgia students make up the bulk of workers at the school's golf course. Griffith does have a few full-time employees, including a golf course superintendent, an assistant, an equipment manager and an assistant, spray tech, irrigation tech and one longtime member of the crew.
    Griffith takes pride in the conditions he and his small but mighty team of six full-time employees and about two dozen half-timers. But golf at the University of Georgia is about so much more than duplicating the private club experience.
    "We're not a huge money-maker for the university; we're a place of recreation," Griffith said. "
    "We are about providing faculty, staff and students with a place to recreate, a place to work and a place to conduct research. Anything we can do to reach that goal, we're going to do it.
    "With that said, we do get about 40,000 rounds a year."
    The Covid pandemic threatened to derail Georgia's longstanding employment model, but the disruption was only temporary.
    Given what typically is a 12-month golf season in Georgia, Griffith sometimes has to get creative, and that means offering incentives at certain times of the year.
    "We've started increasing pay at certain times," he said. "I'll offer them an increase of $4 or $5 an hour during aerification, holidays or to get some employees to stay over the summer. 
    "This system works. I don't have to advertise; 80 percent to 90 percent of the people we get come by word of mouth. 
    "It's a neat experience to be part of their lives in this way."
  • Erik McDonald (left) and his brother, John (right) are officially taking over day-to-day operations from their father, Chip (center) at McDonald & Sons. It is difficult to imagine a company that has had a larger footprint in golf course construction and renovation during the past four decades than McDonald & Sons.
    During the past 38 years, the Jessup, Maryland-based construction company founded by Chip McDonald has been involved in nearly 2,000 golf course projects, including new construction and restorations.
    The "sons" part of the family business is now taking over with John McDonald II recently being named president and chief executive officer and Erik McDonald named vice president and chief operating officer. Chip's wife, Betty, will continue in her role as the company's secretary and treasurer.
    "The time was right," John McDonald II said in a release announcing the change. "Dad has been wintering in Florida for the past few years, so Erik and I had already been running the business side while Dad managed our equipment fleet. The construction business has become more complex and it's a lot to handle. He was ready to get out from underneath that."
    Chip McDonald began working in golf course maintenance in the 1950s and built his first course, Hobbit's Glen GC, for the City of Columbia, Maryland, in 1967. He stayed on there as superintendent for more than 15 years before starting his own company.
    Since the company was founded, McDonald & Sons has completed construction or restoration projects ranging from bunker renovations to full restorations to new course construction. Its client list reads like a who's who of golf, including names like Winged Foot, Oakmont, Oakland Hills, Congressional, Pine Valley, Olympia Fields, Card Sound, Inverness and Butler National to name just a few.
    "We were in the right place at the right time," Chip McDonald said. "Golf had its ups and downs along the way, but we did good work and built great relationships with clubs over the years and that made all the difference."  

    Oakmont Country Club is one of many clubs restored by McDonald & Sons. Photo by John Reitman McDonald's background as a superintendent gave him a unique perspective on construction and restoration projects and helped him build relationships with other superintendents from coast to coast, his son said.
    "Because dad was a superintendent, we always tried to leave the course's superintendent with something that was maintainable," said John II. "Yes, the club is the client, but we always try to keep the needs of the super in mind. And we think our finished work is second to none. When we leave a project, we want the new features to be the most noticed aspect, not our presence."
    That reputation has made McDonald & Sons a favorite among choosy clubs doing important renovations, preparing for big events, or simply tuning up to keep fresh. The firm's Design Group was launched in 2002 and since then their in-house work and collaborations with many notable architects and designers have yielded spectacular results. At one point their clientele included 25 of Golf Digest's Top 100 U.S. courses and they've done 54 projects at Congressional CC alone. "We've had an amazing run," says John. "We did 90 projects in 2022 and things continue to look very good moving forward."
    In addition to being known for the quality of their finished work, they also strive to give clients open bookkeeping and good communications along the way. "They always know where they stand," says John. "We try to minimize surprises. We don't typically have to do change orders."
    Erik says he is eager to carry on his father's legacy.
    "We're going to continue to provide the kind of high-quality, professional work the company has been known for since he got started in 1984," Erik McDonald said. "My dad's values – quality, trust and professionalism – are why I think we'll continue to prosper. Everything we do goes toward bettering the game of golf and the land it's played on."
    Although Chip is stepping away from McDonald & Sons, his other business, Chesapeake Specialty Equipment, still keeps him busy. The company provides dumpers, forklifts and telehandlers to construction firms.
  • Two resources that are in scarce supply on many golf courses are people and water. Researchers at the University of Arkansas are using drones to one day help superintendents better manage both.
    Unmanned aircraft are being used at Arkansas to monitor turf conditions and help superintendents determine when and where to irrigate without sending people, many of whom might not even be on the payroll anyway, to scout every inch of the golf course to get the same information.
    "There is a lot of great turfgrass research being done, but if we don't get water and labor right, I'm not sure how much we will get to appreciate all of that other great work," Daniel O'Brien, a Ph.D. horticulture student said on the University of Arkansas Extension website. "When it comes to water and labor issues, particularly on golf courses, drones have tremendous potential to help with both."
    Scientists at the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station have been using drones to collect data on drought and wetting agent studies and hydrophobicity for the past five-plus years.
    The same thermal and multispectral images that researchers use in drought studies and wetting agent trials in Fayetteville are now being used to scout large areas so superintendents will be able to determine where to irrigate and when and ultimately save water while also maximizing labor resources.
    Drones provide a way to scout large areas in a fraction of the time it would take to accomplish the same job in person, which allows the superintendent, assistant or members of the crew to work on other tasks, thus helping to maximize labor efficiency.
    "I can use a drone and see where the grass is hot, or dry, or weak, and can apply a wetting agent there, but I could also see where things are just fine and we don't need to run any irrigation," O'Brien said. "This can be a big water-saving mechanism with the information that we're getting from the sky.
    "Essentially, what we're asking is, 'what does a problem look like before it's a problem?'"
  • After attendance lagged, understandably, at last year's GCSAA Conference and Show, this year's event promised to show an improvement.
    Once exact with its figures, GCSAA reports statistics such as attendance, number of vendors, rented booth space and education seats in round numbers like about 11,000 people attending this year's show in Orlando. That is an increase of about 69 percent when compared with the roughly 6,500 people who were in San Diego in 2022, which is a bit misleading considering California was still under masking requirements and air travel was plagued with rampant delays and cancellations. 
    Comparing this year's show with the 2022 conference is hardly a fair comparison given the reality of the times from 2020-22. 
    Many superintendents elected to skip the show last year, either because of Covid protocols or potential travel challenges associated with said protocols.
    Measuring this year's show against last year's is not quite an apples-to-oranges comparison, but is more like comparing a bushel of apples to a bag.
    What is clear is that although show attendance was up compared with last year when fewer people were traveling, most metrics are still down compared with pre-pandemic levels.
    In a more accurate comparison, attendance this year was down about 6 percent compared with the pre-pandemic 2020 show in Orlando, which attracted about 11,700, and 8 percent compared with the 2019 show in San Diego.
    About 450 vendors exhibited at the show this year, representing approximately a 50 percent jump from 2022, but a 10 percent drop from the more than 500 companies that showed in 2020 in Orlando and in 2019 in San Diego.
    One area on the increase are education seats sold at the show. About 6,300 seminar seats were filled this year, which was up 70 percent over 2021, 15 percent over 2020 and was the highest number since 2008.
    You might remember 2008. That was the year that 25,737 attendees and almost 1,000 vendors showed up in Central Florida for the mega show that in those days included the golf course owners and club managers associations.
    Since we're comparing apples and oranges.
  • The 30th year of operations for TurfNet kicked off February 1 and will be celebrated with TurfNet@30, a series of retrospective videos, snippets and interviews focusing on the innovations, friendships and industry leadership fostered by TurfNet over the past 30 years.
    The idea for a fee-based information-sharing service for the golf industry jolted Peter McCormick awake in the middle of the night in late 1993.
    "I had a dream, seriously," he quipped. "With input from some friends, my brother Bob, and a couple of local superintendents, we refined the concept over the ensuing two months around my kitchen table in central New Jersey," McCormick reflected. He launched TurfNet at the 1994 GIS in Dallas by handing out home-printed business cards and brochures to superintendents he knew from the NJ and metro NYC areas.
    "It was the scariest day of my life," McCormick recalled. From there it was off to the races.
    "My first goal was to NOT be one of the 90% of new businesses that fail during the first five years," McCormick said. "We made it, and then some."

    TurfNet Monthly, the print newsletter that put TurfNet on the map with a no-nonsense style that didn't shy away from the tough issues. Noted for many industry "firsts" and innovations over those years — original dog calendar, first graphical discussion forum, first turf media website, Superintendent of the Year and Technician of the Year awards, free webinars and job listings (for members), first dedicated video channel (spearheaded by Randy Wilson, the first to poke fun at the industry), beyond-distributor-territory used equipment listings, member trips and even the Beer & Pretzels Gala — TurfNet@30 is appropriately presented by Kress, an innovative European manufacturer of autonomous mowers and 60v commercial landscape tools that is just breaking into the North American market.

    Golf Car Control, the epic Randy Wilson film that launched TurfNetTV and a new era where nobody -- including "The Alphabets" -- was exempt from Randy's satire.

    The third Beer & Pretzels Gala, held at Bubba Gump's in New Orleans in 1999, is still being talked about 20+ years later. Popcorn shrimp and a Hurricane, anyone? As part of the TurfNet@30 series, TurfNet will be sharing some of the key business strategies employed over the years to accomplish so much with only three people. "The first of those is having no business plan," said McCormick. "While that may fly in the face of business school teachings, we found that keeping our ears to the ground and our thumbs on the pulse of the industry guided us well over the years."

    Just the three of us! We will be sharing how we do it during the TurfNet@30 series.
  • When the idea of a smart ball bounced around the golf world, one that could transmit data that would make life simpler for its user, it is doubtful that many thought one would be available to superintendents for monitoring turf and soil conditions long before golfers would have one to put on a tee.
    The USGA officially launched the GS3 smart golf ball that measures metrics like green speed as well as surface firmness, trueness and smoothness.
    Seven years in development, the rechargeable GS3 is outfitted with sensors, accelerometers and gyroscopes that collect more than 15,000 data points to provide agronomic benchmarks that superintendents and researchers can use to make agronomic decisions and predict putting surface performance.
    "We are excited to provide a tool that enables the industry to objectively quantify putting green metrics, besides just green speed," said Matt Pringle, Ph.D., managing director of the USGA Green Section. "GS3 can clarify the impact of different maintenance practices, provide benchmarks and communicate to stakeholders how the course is performing." 
    The USGA had a soft launch last fall at the Carolinas GCSA Conference and Show in Myrtle Beach and officially launched the ball Feb. 7 at the GCSAA Conference and Show in Orlando.
    The GS3 operates in conjunction with the USGA's DEACON course management software to help superintendents determine agronomic practices designed to maximize putting green performance. All data is also calculated locally and can be synched to the cloud at a later time.
    The ball has been in use in real world conditions by some university researchers and at select golf courses, including Bel-Air Country Club in Los Angeles.
    "We have been utilizing GS3 for over two months, and I love being able to compile all of the information it provides in one spot," said Justin DePippo, director of golf course and grounds at Bel-Air "We are using the numbers to chart our green conditions and create benchmarks, which allows me to make course care decisions based on the data. GS3 and DEACON will improve the way we maintain our greens and we are looking forward to seeing positive results because of it."
    The GS3 also was used at USGA tournaments throughout 2022 and will continue to be part of the arsenal used for set up and daily decision making at future USGA championships.
    "This is an ingenious way for collecting tons of data," Cornell University professor Frank Rossi, Ph.D., said in a recent TurfNet webinar. "And that data is powerful in helping us predict what you could expect to happen under certain weather conditions, under certain maintenance conditions and how you could expect your   surfaces to perform."
    The GS3 is available from the USGA for $2,750 and includes one year's free subscription to the Deacon platform. Customers who renew the Deacon subscription will receive a new GS3 every three years.
  • John Deere introduced a lineup of sustainable equipment solutions at this year's GCSAA Conference and Show.
    That lineup includes a greens mower, fairway mower, utility rake and Gator, all of which will be available by Feb. 13.

    185 E-Cut, 225 E-Cut
    The 185 and 225 E-Cut electric walk greens mowers have an independent floating cutting unit mounted on the front and are powered by a 58-volt, 3.56 kwh maximum Lithium-Ion battery. The controllers provide power to the electric motors that control the gear transmission and reel. The near-silent operation opens the operation window where potential early morning or late evening noise is a concern, without compromising performance.
    The 185 and 225 E-Cut can cover about 50,000 square feet between charges. These machines offer an advanced TechControl Display, allowing operators to dial in frequency of clip based on reel and ground speed, 10 handlebar height positions plus a fore/aft adjustment for maximum comfort and ease when operating and turning, as well as Deere's Cleanup Pass Mode. The 185 and 225 E-Cut come equipped with a dual traction drum for ease of control when turning, and use the same attachments as the 180 and 220 E-Cut hybrid walk mowers.

    6700A E-Cut, 7700A E-Cut
    The 6700A and 7700A E-Cut hybrid models have the capability to mow, verticut and scalp. The 6700A is the first three-wheel fairway mower on the market available with 7-inch reels and electric reel drive. Both can reduce fuel consumption by up to 30 percent. Hydraulic leaks have been reduced by as much as 90% by electrifying the reel circuit. An advanced LoadMatch system with a smart alternator prioritizes cut quality in challenging conditions.

    TruFinish 1220
    The TruFinish 1220 utility rake helps save time by raking bunkers and field surfaces, reducing labor and ultimately resulting in increased crew productivity. The TruFinish 1220 is equipped with an updated hydrostatic drive with selectable 2-wheel-drive or 3-wheel drive, allowing customers to customize their drive to best suit the job at hand. Customers looking to work in lighter-duty applications can benefit from the 2WD option with higher transport speeds, while those looking to increase efficiency during applications where more traction is needed can utilize the 3WD option.
    Other features include a larger engine and increased fuel capacity compared with previous models. Improved traction speeds and rear attachment system can help save time when changing rear implements. A host of attachments, including brushes, scarifiers and light kits are available.
    Gator GS, Gator GS Electric
    Measuring 49.3 inches, the smaller and more narrow iteration of Deere's utility vehicle, the Gator GS and Gator GS Electric cargo bed allows for tools, equipment and materials to be transported easily around the course, with a 13.1 cubic foot, 800-pound capacity.
    Both versions of the Gator featured high-back bucket seats, two standard USB ports, low-effort steering system design and multiple storage compartments. Protection from the elements for both the operator and passenger is essential, as each machine is shipped with a dealer installed standard canopy.
    The Gator GS features a 14.25 hp gasoline-powered electronic fuel injected engine. The vehicle is easy to operate with a pedal start and infinite speed selection that does not require shifting with the continuous variable transmission drivetrain. The Gator GS Electric also features near-silent operation without compromising payload or towing capabilities. The 48V utility vehicle uses an AC drive motor and controller system to help maintain torque during even the toughest situations.
    The John Deere 185 and 225 E-Cut electric walk greens mowers, 6700A and 7700A E-Cut hybrid fairway mowers, TruFinishTM 1220 utility rake and Gator GS and Gator GS Electric will be available for order starting Feb. 13. For more information, visit www.JohnDeere.com. 
  • Santa Fe Country Club and Golf Association and the city have had a unique water rights agreement in place since 1959. Santa Fe CC photo Water-use issues and how they affect golf courses in locations like California, Arizona, Nevada and Colorado have been making news for years. Issues affected golf courses in New Mexico might not grab headlines like those in Las Vegas, Phoenix or Los Angeles, but challenges associated with water and access to it are just as real.
    Take Santa Fe Country Club and Golf Association for example and its struggle to maintain its unique water rights agreement that has been in place since the Eisenhower Administration.
    The City of Santa Fe gives the club access to reclaimed water to irrigate the golf course as long as the club grants access to the course to nonmember residents of the city. The deal struck in 1959 states the city would give the golf course access to water as long as the property is maintained as a golf course. Now, the city, which also operates its own golf course, wants out of the deal, saying the water is worth much more than the value of reduced greens fees for nonmember city residents. 
    The city has been trying to renegotiate the agreement with the golf course for 25 years and last July filed a 26-page complaint indicating it now seeks a deal that would comply with an effluent management ordinance that limits such deals to four-year terms and prices water at market value.
    The club responded in August with a 44-page counterclaim that says it intends to hold to the deal both sides agreed to 64 years ago. The dispute is set to be settled in court sometime this year.
    The club's attorney says the city is trying to recoup some of the $1 million or so it loses each year in managing municipal Marty Sanchez Links. According to the website for each property, weekend green fees range from $46 at Marty Sanchez to $62 at Santa Fe.
    The club is located on land once owned by the Catron family, which played a key role in development of the city in the early 20th century. In the 1930s, the family conveyed land to the city for use as a golf course. After 10 years, the city leased the property to the Santa Fe Golf Association in 1949 and eventually gave the property back to the Catron family 10 years after that. The family conveyed the property to the golf association in 1959, at which time it entered into the current water deal with the city.
    Through the years, the Santa Fe Golf Association says it has made significant investments to deliver water to the golf course, including constructing a pipeline to a wastewater treatment plant and other upgrades to pump houses and modern irrigation systems on the golf course. The club's attorney also claims that disruptions to service that have limited or cut off water on occasion have forced the club either to close or buy potable water from the city to remain open.
    The city contests such claims and has filed a motion asking the court to dismiss the club's counterclaims, which would threaten the financial viability of SFCC as a golf course. A pre-trial conference is set for March.
     
  • The Toro e3200 rotary mower can be configured with up to 17 lithium batteries. Toro photo For professional turfgrass managers who need extended power from a large-area rotary mower, Toro recently introduced the e3200 Groundsmaster.
    Powered by Toro's 11 HyperCell lithium battery system, the e3200 can be configured with up 17 batteries for all-day runtime, and smart controls optimize power consumption by continuously and efficiently providing ample cutting power without bogging down. The e3200's reserve power mode allows the operator to set parameters ensuring enough battery power to return to the shop for recharging. The on-board 3.3kW charger allows for overnight recharging.
    Toro's InfoCenter displays battery charge status, hours, alerts and a host of customizable settings for the operator. 
    The e3200 shares the same rugged chassis, commercial-grade mowing deck, and operator controls with our traditional diesel-powered platform.
    With a 60-inch mowing width, the two-wheel drive e3200 has a maximum ground speed of 12.5 miles per hour and can mow 6.1 acres per hour.
    Weighing in at 2,100 pounds, the e3200 has an 8-inch ground clearance and has a height of cut ranging from 1 inch to 6 inches.
  • Many awards, even those individual in nature, often are viewed by their recipients as a team effort.
    That was the response University of Nebraska professor Roch Gaussoin, Ph.D., had when he was named recipient of this year's USGA Green Section Award.
    "It reflects a body of work by collaboration," Gaussoin said. "This isn't just me. I've worked with many amazing graduate students over the years, and I've worked with many amazing colleagues inside the university as well as outside UNL."
    Since 1961, the USGA Green Section Award honors an individual's distinguished service to the game through work with turfgrass.
    Gaussoin was nominated by Rutgers' Jim Murphy and Bruce Clarke, the former being Gaussoin's classmate at Michigan State when both were completing their doctorate work.
    Gaussoin earned bachelor's and master's degrees at New Mexico State before moving on to MSU. He has been at Nebraska since 1991. 
    Gaussoin's curriculum vitae lists more than two dozen awards, including the 2013 GCSAA Col. John Morley Award, presented annually to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of the golf course superintendent's profession.
    "This one is a little different," he said. "When I see names up there like (2022 winner) Frank Dobie and some of the others, it's pretty special to be in that group."
    Much of Gaussoin's work at Nebraska has focused largely on organic matter management and providing superintendents with solutions to surface smoothness and firmness and the movement of water through the profile. He is a regular speaker at industry events and has become known for his minimalist advice on surface management that includes aerating without pulling cores.
    "I think (the award) says that a small school like Nebraska, a Big 10 school, but a small Big 10 school," he said, "can generate information that has real value."
  • Good news in the golf business has been as difficult to come by in recent years as equipment, parts and workers seeking a career in turf management.
    There was plenty of good news emanating Jan. 26 from the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando where Jim Koppenhaver of Pellucid Corp. and Stuart Lindsay of Edge Hill Golf Advisors presented their annual state of the industry address during the PGA Merchandise Show.
    Overall, the number of golfers is up, rounds played are down only slightly in what has been a horrible weather year, younger players are entering the game and revenue is up, according to Koppenhaver.
    "I thought we'd lose all those golfers who came during Covid because they had nothing else to do," Koppenhaver said. "The great news is they're still here, and we're two years down the road."
    Specifically, the number of golfers in the pipeline rose from 21.6 million to 21.9 million. That is the most since 2 million golfers played 451 million rounds in 2014. A total of 502.5 million rounds of golf were played last year. That figure is down from 518 million rounds in 2021. Although there was a drop in rounds played, Koppenhaver says he considers it a net gain considering the weather in 2022.
    Of the new players picked up during Covid, many play infrequently at best and the industry overall has to do a better job at retaining them and getting them to play more.
    "We have to get them up the involvement curve," Koppenhaver said. "At two rounds a year, it is easy to fall off that involvement curve."
    The good news is 80 percent of new golfers entering the game are under age 45 and half are under 35, with the average age of a new golfer being 36. The biggest difference was in female golfers, who comprise about 26 percent of existing players, Lindsay said. The median age of female golfers is down from 48 in 2015 to 37.
    Those aged 55 and older still play most of the rounds, with that group accounting for 54.6 percent of all rounds played.
    Koppenhaver's Pellucid Corp. tracks weather's effects on golf through a measurement he calls golf playable hours. GPH is a function of factors such as sunlight, temperature, wind and precipitation and how they can affect the number of available hours to play golf.
    The nationwide average of golf playable hours in 2022 was 1,932 hours. That number marks five consecutive years of GPH coming in below the 10-year average of 2,146 hours and is the first time in the two decades Koppenhaver has been tracking such data that it came in below the 2,000-hour threshold.
    With such a grim weather outlook, Koppenhaver said he would not expect such a hike in the number of golfers. Likewise, he said he would expect demand to be down by much more than 17 million rounds played, leading him to conclude that virtually all losses were due entirely to weather.

    "The story is not that we're down 3 percent. The story is we're 2 percent rounds up vs. weather," Koppenhaver said.
    "When the weather cooperates and we have the right conditions, people are still coming out. Demand is very strong."
    According to a study of 100 golf courses by Koppenhaver and Lindsay, revenue climbed 60 percent throughout the Covid era.
    "That's unheard of," Koppenhaver said. "We have been realists in the industry for 20 years. I've never had the opportunity to sit in front of you and talk about 15 percent annual growth rates in revenue, and 60 percent (growth) in three years."
    Every year since 2006, more golf courses have closed than opened, and 2022 was no different. The gap between new course construction and closings is narrowing because of the game's rise in popularity.
    A total of 97 courses (18-hole equivalents) closed in 2022 and only 23 opened, while another 102 courses changed ownership.
    Since 2006, 647 new courses have opened while 2,259 have closed for a net loss of 1,612.
    In that time, Koppenhaver has been preaching supply/demand equilibrium based on 35,000 rounds per 18-hole equivalent. 
    Since the Covid onset, courses nationwide cumulatively have been operating above supply/demand equilibrium.
    Courses nationwide have averaged 37,900 rounds played per 18-hole equivalent in 2020, 40,100 rounds in 2021 and 39,000 rounds in 2022.
    "What this is saying, if you are true to the math, with 502 million rounds with 14,000 18-hole equivalents, we could support another 81 18-hole equivalents," Koppenhaver said. "Now, can you just drop 81 golf courses anywhere? No, that's what we did wrong the last time. We didn't put them in the right place and we didn't build the right type. Everyone wanted to build the three P's: penal, pristine and premium.
    "We could start building more supply, but we need to pay attention to the right place and the right type of golfer. The industry has been out of balance for many years, and I sat up here saying we need to lose 1,000 18-hole equivalents, and we won't do that in my lifetime. Then Covid came along and changed all that in two years."
  • Instructors in the University of Tennessee online certificate program include Jim Brosnan, Ph.D., (second from right). Photo by John Reitman For those interested in pursuing a potential career in turfgrass management, or experienced industry professionals seeking supplemental education, the University of Tennessee is launching the UT Certified Lawn Care Professional Program.
    Despite its name, this introductory-level online program is designed for anyone interested in golf turf, sports turf and lawncare management. It is targeted toward everyone from industry newcomers to experienced turfgrass professionals seeking supplemental education.
    "The course content takes a from-the-ground-up approach to introducing and exploring the world of turfgrass," said UT extension specialist Anna Duncan. "For new or prospective turfgrass professionals, this will provide a strong foundation of knowledge that will prepare them for a successful start in their career and to be an effective member of a turfgrass management team. For more experienced folks, this course may provide an opportunity to explore the concepts of variety selection, pest management, and others in a new or more in-depth way."
    The course is taught by University of Tennessee faculty and staff, and is entirely online so students can learn at their own pace. 
    "This course utilizes the research of the UT turfgrass team and delivers those findings and recommendations in an approachable, digestible way," Duncan said. "Course topics are taught through short, engaging videos and written materials."
    Topics that are covered include:
    • Introduction to UT Extension
    • Turfgrass Identification
    • Turfgrass Selection
    • Soil Fertility
    • Water Management
    • Planting and Establishment
    • Turfgrass Weeds
    • Turfgrass Diseases
    • Turfgrass Insect Pests
    • Integrated Pest Management
    • Maintenance and Operation of Turfgrass Equipment
    Instructors include: Jim Brosnan, Ph.D., John Sorochan, Ph.D., Brandon Horvath, Ph.D., Tom Samples, Ph.D., Natalie Bumgarner, Ph.D., Christopher Cooper, Ph.D., Kyley Dickinson, Ph.D., Anna Duncan, Justin Stefanski, Mitchell Mote, Taylor Reeder, Seth Whitehouse, Jason Garrett, Tyler Carr, Ben Pritchaerd and Jose Vargas.
    Click here to register.
    A Spanish-language version will be available later this year.
  • Anyone who has watched professional wrestling knows the classic good vs. evil tag-team scenario: the bad guy (every story needs a villain) is on the verge of being pinned, caught in some inescapable hold with a catchy name. 
    With a championship belt on the line, the villain's manager distracts the referee just long enough so his partner can enter the ring undetected and kick our good guy in the back of the head, breaking his hold. With the roles suddenly reversed, the good guy, who moments ago was “this close” to a win, is now subjected to relentless assaults, one after another from all sides as the seemingly incompetent referee remains distracted by the slick-talking manager.
    It is a tactic as old as time. 
    In recent years, the golf industry is not unlike the wrestler who takes beating after beating, desperate to catch his breath before the next barrage of assaults is unleashed upon him.
    We all know, most of us anyway, that wrestling is theater, concocted purely for entertainment value. However, golf's foes are real, and they are powerful and they are just as relentless. And like the manager inside the squared circle, they manage to run enough interference to distract onlookers, convincing them that their intentions are based on facts and science, when in fact their message often emanates from misinformed blowhards interested in nothing more than political gain.
    Golf has become that PR punching bag for a lot of municipalities and water districts as well as those who do not play the game or know how hard you work to maintain a balance between creating playing conditions your golfers demand and doing what is right by the land over which you are a steward.
    They do not know how hard superintendents worked a generation ago in places like Georgia and Florida during a time of drought to carefully craft best management practices that prove you know more than elected officials about how to produce a great golf course with minimal inputs.
    The attacks on golf typically are based on use of water, pesticides and fertilizers. Nearly a decade ago, a now-defunct website known then as Decoded Science blamed algae blooms in Lake Erie on fertilizer runoff from northern Ohio golf courses, not the thousands of acres of agricultural land that ring that part of the state.
    Since then, golf courses have been blamed for water shortages in virtually every western state, despite efforts of superintendents to reduce the number of irrigated acres, as well as the advent of low-use pesticides and minimalist BMPs.

    Golf often is blamed for a shortage of water - in a desert. USGA photo A recent story about water use in Arizona blamed “high water use industries like golf” for declining levels in Lake Mead. The images of Lake Mead for the past several decades are indeed alarming, but water levels there are tied more to 40 million residential users across seven desert states than it is golf.
    Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs inherited a mess surrounding water issues in her state when she won her seat in the November election, and she ran on fixing it. Cutbacks are on the table as a solution, and golf is squarely in the crosshairs. 
    Lawmakers in California last year pushed for legislation that would have allowed for municipal golf courses to be closed and used for high-density housing. The City of Las Vegas recently imposed cutbacks of about one-third on its users. Many towns in multiple states now prohibit the construction of new courses while others have banned various pesticides.
    Why is golf the bad guy, while other users like agriculture or the millions of people living in a desert without blame?
    One word: Interference.
    It does not have to be this way.
    Last year, the Southern California Golf Association fought back against the campaign to kill public golf. In the end, municipal golf in California lived to fight another day, all because the SCGA fought back publicly armed with facts about water use and the economic impact of the game in California.
    Although the SCGA got a win for public golf, there are more challenges to be fought every day. The attacks are relentless, but unlike the wrestling counterparts, they are real. Those who do not fight back are at risk of being pinned.

×
×
  • Create New...