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From the TurfNet NewsDesk

  • John Reitman
    Winter can be a stressful period for warm-season turf on golf courses and even athletic fields.
    As winter approaches, warm-season grasses go into dormancy to conserve energy. According to the book Turfgrass: Science and Culture by James Beard, Ph.D. (Pearson, 1972, 672 pages) "warm-season turf turns brown in winter because as light intensity increases, the rate of breakdown of chlorophyll increases and the total content of chlorophyll in the leaf decreases. As temperatures decrease, the growth rate of the plant decreases, which includes the production of chlorophyll. When light intensity is high and temperatures are low enough, the rate of chlorophyll breakdown exceeds the rate of chlorophyll synthesis and the turfgrass plant leaves turn brown." In other words, chlorophyll breaks down faster than the plant can produce it.
    Managing fertility, moisture and mowing practices are critical in setting up turf to withstand winter damage and help ensure a successful spring green-up.
    A recent study conducted by researchers in the Southeast has yielded tips for preparing warm-season turf for winter and minimizing the chances for winterkill damage. And some of their findings might come as a surprise.
    The study, conducted on sites in Arkansas, Maryland and Virginia, compared Bermudagrass plots that were fertilized with late-season nitrogen, mowed, irrigated and treated with wetting agents with untreated control plots. The study showed that raising mowing heights and application of more nitrogen in the late summer/early fall provided the greatest green color for hybrid Bermudagrass with no negative effects on winter survival.
    The study was conducted on a handful of Bermudagrass varieties, including Tahoma 31, Latitude 36, Tufcote and Tifway 419, from 2019 to 2023 at outdoor and indoor locations by researchers in Arkansas, Maryland and Virginia. Results of the study were published in the August 2024 issue of Crop, Forage and Turfgrass Management. Comprising the research team were Michael Battaglia, Jordan Booth, Ph.D., Eric DeBoer, Ph.D., Joseph Doherty, Ph.D., Wendell Hutchens, Ph.D. (right), David McCall, Ph.D., and Joseph Roberts, Ph.D. 
    Based on previous research, late-season nitrogen applications were not recommended with the thought being it would result in a flush of growth with all the nutrients going into the leaf and not into the roots. This project, however, showed that use of a slow-release nitrogen fertilizer either resulted in no impact or helped improve root health.
    "We weren't trying to prove anybody wrong. Some data says nitrogen in fall actually helps increase winterkill," said study co-author Wendell Hutchens, Ph.D., of the University of Arkansas. "There are conflicting reports, and we wanted to do the research to answer that question."
    Hutchens will present a webinar on TurfNet titled Preventing winterkill in warm-season turf on Nov. 19. Click here to register for that event.

    Wendell Hutchens, Ph.D., of the University of Arkansas, will present a TurfNet webinar on preventing winterkill on Nov. 19. University of Arkansas photo Applications of a 44-0-0 slow-release fertilizer were applied at varying intervals in early to late summer in each year of the study at rates of 2 pounds and 4 pounds per 1,000 square feet on plots mowed at 0.5 inches, 0.8 inches and 1 inch. 
    "Conventional wisdom has been not to apply nitrogen in fall," Hutchens said. "But slow-release fertilizer didn't seem to hurt it, and sometimes was beneficial."
    Because of mild winter conditions throughout the study, samples from the test plots were placed into a freeze chamber to simulate harsh winter conditions. Chamber conditions were 5 degrees Fahrenheit for five hours, and 15.8 degrees for two, four, six or eight hours.
    Results of the study showed that late-season applications of slow-release nitrogen can help retain fall color without compromising cold hardiness through winter. Those findings were consistent with other studies conducted by Mike Goatley, Ph.D., at Virginia Tech, Mike Richardson, Ph.D., at Arkansas and Gregg Munshaw, Ph.D., at Mississippi State. 
    The study also showed that fall mowing height at 0.5 inches increased green color retention going into dormancy and increased spring green-up. No negative effects associated with adjusting mowing heights or schedules were noted in the study.
    Plots were irrigated to levels less than 15 percent volumetric water content and more than 19 percent VWC. Data from the multi-site study showed that irrigation at the higher rate and applications of wetting agents before short-term freeze events reduced winter injury or winter winterkill. 
    Those findings, which are contrary to some studies conducted previously, leading the research time to conclude that more research on the subject is needed. Hutchens reminds turf managers that areas with chronic agronomic issues, including poor drainage and excessive shade, should be addressed to prevent winter damage.
    Many golf courses throughout the transition zone will open when conditions are conducive for golf, and too much play on dormant turf also can lead to plant stress. 
    "Areas where shade is an issue or are chronically wet are more prone to winter kill," Hutchens said. "Certain areas die every year, because the turf doesn't have time to mature."
    Hutchens said undue stress can be minimized by taking measures such as prohibiting single-rider golf cars, managing fairway entry and exit points.
    "It is important to try to get the plant as vigorous, healthy and happy as possible," Hutchens said. "The best fungicide is healthy turfgrass."
  • As a longtime golf course superintendent and general manager, Pat Finlen logged countless hours providing ongoing education to colleagues and aspiring superintendents in locations both near and far.
    He taught at events throughout Europe and Asia and has been a regular lecturer at national, state and regional events, including the GCSAA Conference, Green Start Academy in North Carolina and the Northern California Golf Association's Assistant Superintendent Bootcamp. Finlen (at right) also served his profession as a past GCSAA president, sat on 29 association committees and is a past president of three different GCSAA chapters.
    For his many contributions to the turf maintenance industry, Finlen has been named the recipient of the GCSAA's 2025 Col. John Morley Award. Named for the GCSAA’s founder, the award is presented annually to an individual who has made a significant contribution to the advancement of the golf course superintendent profession. 
    He will be presented with the award on Feb. 5 during the GCSAA Conference and Trade Show in San Diego.
    "Personally, I have learned immensely from Pat's leadership and commitment during his tenure on the board and as GCSAA president," GCSAA president Jeff White, CGCS at Indian Hills Country Club in Mission Hills, Kansas, said in a news release. "His approach has profoundly influenced the way I serve and guide our association."
    Currently the vice president of Denehy Club Thinking Partners, a Connecticut-based executive search firm, Finlen was a superintendent for 27 years at the Olympic Club in San Francisco, Bayonet and Black Horse in Seaside, California, and Lake Quivira Country Club in Kansas. He also was general manager at Olympic and Winchester Country Club in Meadow Vista, California for nearly 10 years combined. 

    Pat Finlen, CGCS, at left, has served the golf industry for nearly 40 years. Photo courtesy of GCSAA At Olympic he was the host superintendent for the 2012 U.S. Open, a U.S. Amateur, U.S. Junior Amateur and the inaugural U.S. Four-Ball Championship.
    "His strategic thinking and visionary leadership have been invaluable to our success," said GCSAA CEO Rhett Evans.
    Finlen, who was selected from a list of other candidates, was GCSAA president in 2013 and was named chapter superintendent of the year in 1996 by the Heart of America chapter and in 2004 by the Nor Cal chapter.
    At Denehy Club since 2022, Finlen leads executive search opportunities nationwide with a regional focus on the West Coast and supports Club Thinking Partner's many consulting projects and still is available for editorial development and education programs.
  • Nearly two weeks after Hurricane Helene made landfall, carving a path of destruction through North Florida, and parts of Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina, some areas along that route look like a war zone and will for some time. 
    Homes, businesses and roads have been washed away. Helicopters hover overhead still searching for survivors in the wake of the storm that has been blamed for more than 200 deaths, and left an unknown number of people missing or homeless. Trucks bringing everything from supplies to linemen working to restore power sport license plates from states near and far. 
    As a small army has mobilized to help however it can, golf industry professionals from throughout the area also are reaching out to provide assistance to those in need.
    To that end, the Carolinas GCSA is accepting donations of much-needed items for superintendents, their families and their teams affected by Hurricane Helene.
    "We're just trying to get back to normalcy," said Mark Semm, a former superintendent in Texas who now is a strategic account manager for BASF's turf and ornamentals division in Charlotte. "Whatever normalcy is."
    Several drop-off and pick-up locations have been established throughout North and South Carolina for Carolinas GCSA members, their families and their teams impacted by the storm that has been blamed for at least 227 deaths in six states.
    "There were a lot of industry professionals who initiated a group chat, gathering and transporting supplies to communities in (western North Carolina)," said Nate McKinniss, superintendent at Carolina Golf Club in Charlotte. "I donated to the group they started, but really my donation was minuscule compared to those whose efforts truly made an impact for folks that had been affected by Helene.""
    The Carolinas GCSA says there is a need for non-perishable food and water as well as the following items: coats and jackets, blankets, wool socks, gloves, toboggans, sleeping bags, toys, hand warmers, extension cords, duct tape, laundry detergent, N95 masks, flashlights and batteries, lamps and oil, lighter fluid, propane heaters and propane tanks, charcoal grills and charcoal, motor oil and premixed fuel.

    Supplies are loaded onto a truck at the Carolinas GCSA office for delivery to those in need. Carolinas GCSA photo Donations can be dropped at the following locations:
    South Carolina
    Inman – Helena warehouse – 120 Settle Road. Please contact Marc Allen (864) 706-3977 – open 8 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday-Friday. Liberty — Carolinas GCSA — 103 Edgemont Ave. Please contact Tim Kreger (864) 616-2910 to arrange drop-off time. Hilton Head Island/Bluffton – Please contact William Brooks (910) 968-6751. He is arranging transport to the Charleston location. Charleston — Smith Turf and Irrigation Store — 1110 Jack Primus Road. Please drop off during normal business hours. Columbia – Please contact Lori Carey (770) 375-6527 to arrange. North Carolina
    Winston-Salem – Green Resource warehouse – 191 Budd Blvd. Donations can be left anytime. After hours leave on loading dock Winston-Salem — Advanced Turf Solutions — 1136 Louise Road #120. Contact - Matthew Carver (336) 829-0511 Charlotte — Smith Turf & Irrigation — 4355 Golf Acres Drive. Durham — Hope Valley Country Club Maintenance Shop — 3803 Dover Road. Contact Ford Baker (919) 614-4376 for directions to shop and coordinate drop off. Pinehurst – SiteOne – 4930 US 1. Please drop off during business hours. Raleigh — Site One warehouse — 8890 Park Drive. Please make drop-offs during normal business hours.
    The crew at Bobby Jones Golf Links in Alpharetta, Georgia, works to remove silt and debris from the turf after Hurricane Helene. BJGL image Those in need can pick up supplies at Southern Ag warehouses at 395 Brook Hollow Road in Boone, North Carolina and at 511 Maple St. in Hendersonville North Carolina. For more information, contact Brandon Hicks at (336) 906-0803, or Nathan Biggs at (802) 999-4510.
    Volunteers are transporting donations from the drop-off to pick-up locations. More locations will be added for those in need as they become available, said Carolinas GCSA executive director Tim Kreger.
    "It's overwhelming when you see it," Semm said. "Where do you start? I've never seen anything like it. This area is going to look a lot different when the pieces get put back together."
    Helene made landfall as a Category 4 storm Sept. 26 near Perry, Florida with sustained winds of 140 mph, making it the deadliest U.S. hurricane since Katrina resulted in 1,392 deaths in 2005. Officials still are unsure how many people are missing in Helene's wake, according to The Associated Press.
    "This one just hit differently," Semm said. "You just help where you can help."
  • Desert Highlands in Scottsdale is a 1983 Jack Nicklaus design. Photo courtesy of Curtis Tyrrell Curtis Tyrrell, CGCS MG, considers himself a superintendent from a bygone era. So it might come as no surprise that he is retiring at year's end as director of agronomy at Desert Highlands Golf Club in Scottsdale.
    After all, what more does Tyrrell (at right) have to prove? Throughout his 30-year career, Tyrrell, a graduate of the two-year turfgrass management program at Penn State, has restored and rebuilt the equivalent of almost 10 golf courses at stops that include Desert Mountain and Medinah Country Club, where he was host superintendent for the 2012 Ryder Cup Matches.
    Although he no longer will be a working superintendent, Tyrrell is not exactly leaving the golf business behind for a life of fishing in the Florida Keys. Instead, Tyrrell, 54, is focused on the next phase of his career under a new boss — himself — as the principal of Molasses Kings, an organic fertilizer business he launched, and his consulting firm that operates under the Canon Golf label.
    At each stop throughout his career, Tyrrell used a molasses-based nutrient product pioneered by legendary superintendent Gary Grandstaff to help him produce the best possible playing conditions. 
    "I'm an old-school superintendent," Tyrrell said. "I still believe in core aerification, amending the soil and filling holes with a quality organic fertilizer material, like manure and molasses."
    After Grandstaff retired and that product no longer was available, Tyrrell began experimenting with his own molasses-based plant nutrient, and for the past year he has been busy putting the finishing touches on launching his own commercial entity — Molasses Kings.
    The company offers a line of sugar cane molasses-based organic nutrient products that currently includes three products — Sweet Heat, Mojo and Sea Sugar — and programs for warm-season golf turf, cool-season golf turf, athletic fields, houseplants and gardens as well as custom program options.
    "I went back to the drawing board," Tyrrell said. 
    "I found a reliable supplier of molasses and put it in the mix tank and made my own."
    According to the company's web site, short-term effects are improved plant strength and color. Long-term benefits can include deeper rooting, denser stand of turf with improved color, consistent yield, reduced supplemental inputs, improved resistance to drought and pests, he says.
    He made enough of his products through the Beta period to share the concoctions with colleagues, and the reception has been so positive that he is ready to go out on his own in this new venture.
    "People like it, and it's starting to grow," Tyrrell said. "It's time to pivot and focus on that."
    Before being named director of agronomy at Desert Highlands where he succeeded longtime superintendent Phil Shoemaker in 2019, Tyrrell was head superintendent at Bonita Bay Club in Florida, Medinah Country Club, Lake of Isles Country Club in Connecticut, Anthem Country Club near Las Vegas and Desert Mountain in Scottsdale.
    A 1983 Jack Nicklaus design, Desert Highlands is on the threshold of a $10 million renovation by Nicklaus Design that will include coring out and rebuilding all putting surfaces, rebuilding bunkers and tweaking at least two holes from tee to green. Tyrrell will help find his replacement and has agreed to stay on and consult on the project if needed, a service he offers through his other business, Canon Golf.
    Through Canon he offers project management, project development and agronomic master planning services. Some of his large-scale works so far include restoration projects at El Caballero Country Club in Tarzana, California, and Great Hills Country Club in Austin, Texas. He specializes in helping manage projects for superintendents who might not share his level of experience when it comes to renovations, handling details like permitting and ensuring all the proper players are in place.
    "I've built 140 USGA greens in my career. This project is pretty similar to projects I've done at Medinah and in L.A.," he said. "I'm here to help navigate through the project as much as they might need me. I really do enjoy that."
  • After moving on from life in the corporate world, Larry Stowell, Ph.D., and Wendy Gelernter, Ph.D., started what eventually became PACE Turf Information Center nearly 40 years ago with one simple goal — help golf course superintendents do a better job at managing turfgrass.
    Together, the pair has provided superintendents with independent, science-based information and advice for maintaining fine cut turfgrass.
    Now retired after passing the PACE torch to Micah Woods, Ph.D., Stowell and Gelernter have been named the recipients of the GCSAA 2025 Outstanding Contribution Award, that is given to an individual(s) who has made a significant contribution to golf course superintendents through outstanding contributions for the golf course industry. That contribution must be significant in both substance and duration, and it may be or have been regional in nature, according to GCSAA. Stowell and Gelernter will receive the award at next year's GCSAA Conference and Trade Show in their hometown of San Diego.

    PACE Turf Information Center founders Larry Stowell, Ph.D., and Wendy Gelernter, Ph.D., will be honored at the GCSAA Show with the association's Outstanding Achievement Award. GCSAA photo "It's really humbling. We certainly were not expecting anything like this," Stowell said. "We've always been satisfied contributing what we could. To win an award like this is icing on the cake."
    As an agronomist with the Asian Turfgrass Center, Woods had been a devoted follower of PACE before acquiring it when Stowell and Gelernter retired. Taking over what they had started only seemed to make sense, he said.
    "Because I was following what they were working on, in a way, and collaborating some, and really using them as a resource and asking them questions about particular issues, and invariably they would have two or three management guides or research summaries they'd written about the topic, so I was a student of theirs too," Woods said. "And I knew that the PACE Turf website has this wealth of information, and I didn't want that to go away.
    "When Larry and Wendy were ready to retire, I had the opportunity to acquire PACE Turf, and I did so because I wanted all this information to continue to be available, and I wanted to try to share some of it more widely, and make sure that others could have the same type of beneficial learning experience that I had. And that this type of practical and actionable information, still scientific, based on careful and rigorous research, but also directly applicable to solving real problems that turf managers face every day, I wanted to keep that information available and try to add to it as best that I can."
    Stowell founded PACE in 1986 after leaving the corporate world behind, and Gelernter joined him seven years later. The pair officially retired in January after a transition period that has Woods of the Asian Turfgrass Center now running PACE.
    In the pre-PACE years, Stowell and Gelernter worked for Mycogen, then a San Diego-based company that conducted seed work for the agriculture industry. The company has since been acquired by the Dow Chemical Corp.
    "I was not satisfied at my job in the corporate world. Wendy was still working there for several years after I left, and I wanted to stay in San Diego," Stowell said. "I was looking for a way to market my skills as a plant pathologist, and the turf market happened to be underserved."
    Since then, according to GCSAA, Gelernter and Stowell were responsible for much of the second phase of the association's Golf Course Environmental Profile, tweaking survey questions, analyzing data from the survey, writing reports for distribution to superintendents, writing articles for GCM and outlining the results. The project was extensive, spanning three years until its completion.
    Their intention throughout their work with PACE Turf was to help superintendents solve many of the problems they face in the day-to-day operations of managing a golf course. Their work, along with Woods, the current PACE director, on Minimum Levels of Sustainable Nutrition has become seminal work in sustainable fertilizer practices.
    "What always impressed me about their work was how practical it was," Woods said. "Take the growth potential concept, for example. This is now used all over the world, for things like nutrient prediction, aerification timing, sand topdressing rate estimates, overseed timing assessment, turf stress indices, etc. And they had the insight to see the turf seasonal growth curves that we are all familiar with, and to realize that they could use an equation to generate those curves from the temperature.
    "They were always doing research on things that were practical. Firmness of Torrey Pine greens prior to the U.S. Open there in 2008. Really taking a deep dive into soil oxygen and soil CO2 levels. Leading the way in identifying and coming up with effective management of rapid blight. Knowing more about algae than anyone I know. Then in 2011 Larry had the main idea for what would eventually become MLSN."
    Gelernter and Stowell also were instrumental in developing an Integrated Pest Management program for GCSAA that was completed in 2010 and has served as a blueprint for many IPM programs used at golf courses across the country today. The IPM program is continually updated and required several years of focus and attention to create.
    "Our goal was to provide an honest, independent service to clients that mimics university extension services and research in an education-type model," Stowell said. "We did our best to do a good job, and I hope people were helped by our work and that the industry is better off and more sustainable because of people properly using our advice."
    Previous winners of the award are: 2024 — Tenia Workman, Georgia GCSA; 2023 — Fred Yelverton, Ph.D., North Carolina State University; 2022 — Jack Fry, Ph.D., Kansas State University.
  • For years, Sipcam Agro has helped turf managers offset the effects of heat and drought stress as well as potential damage from the sun's ultraviolet rays through the company's Enhanced Turf Quality line of products.
    The technology in Sipcam's ETQ line of fungicides is now available on its own under the name ETQ Flex.
    ETQ is a proprietary blend that is absorbed by the turf and provides protection throughout the plant from the effects of UVA and UVB radiation during high-stress weather events.
    Until now, Sipcam's ETQ technology only could be found in its fungicide products Adrenalyn ETQ, Downforce ETQ, Echo Dyad ETQ, Eclipse ETQ, E-Scape ETQ and Sipcam Clearscape ETQ.

    Sipcam Agro's ETQ Flex provides protection throughout the turfgrass plant from the effects of UVA and UVB radiation during high-stress weather events. Because of its history as an add-on to other products, ETQ Flex on its own is designed to be mixed with a wide range of other common products for enhanced protection at rates of 1 ounce per 1,000 square feet every 14 days, or 2.5 ounces per 1,000 square feet every 21 days.
    The launch of ETQ Flex as a standalone product is in response to customer feedback, said Todd Mason, Sipcam's senior director of sales and development for the company's turf and ornamental division.
    "Our customers realized the added benefit of the ETQ technology in our fungicides but wanted to have the option of the product with their other plant support products, so they asked for this flexibility," Mason said. "We listen to our customers’ needs and this product is going to offer significant, flexible turf protection and benefits for a broader range of customers."
    ETQ technology, the company says, promotes plant health by supporting and maintaining healthy root mass development and maintaining leaf water and chlorophyll content under stress.
  • Retirement is supposed to be a time for relaxation and activities like playing golf.
    While Frank Dobie has been doing plenty of both since he retired in 2020 after 60 years as a superintendent, he is still busy serving the industry that has given him so much.
    As far back as 1999, more than 20 years before his retirement, Dobie began creating a system for collecting and cataloging biographies of golf course superintendents throughout the Northern Ohio GCSA chapter and elsewhere. Although Dobie, 84, considers the job a labor of love, make no mistake it is first and foremost labor.
    "I have 146 in various stages. Some gave me a little; some gave me a lot," Dobie said. "Some individuals just are not willing to talk about themselves. They don't want to blow their own horn. Some think they haven't done much, and some say they're just too busy."
    Dobie graduated in Penn State's second-ever class to go through what then was the school's new two-year turf program launched in 1957 by Joe Duich, Ph.D. He became a superintendent in 1960 and four years later was named superintendent and general manager at Sharon Golf Club in northeast Ohio, a job he held until his retirement four years ago. 
    Throughout the duration of his career he was and remains active in several other capacities. He has been president of The Musser International Turfgrass Foundation that promotes turfgrass management as a profession. He also oversees the Joseph M. Duich Scholarship, which operates under the Musser Foundation, and each year recognizes a doctoral student in turfgrass studies. He was named the recipient of the 2022 USGA Green Section Award — two years after he retired.
    Dobie sees recording the history of Northern Ohio chapter superintendents as just another way to serve his profession.
    "If you turn on any sports program, commentators refer to all sorts of figures and statistics," he said. "It doesn't matter if it's golf, football, baseball or tennis; the sports media has been compiling history for years. Every rookie has his history recorded on his first at-bat, but no one is doing this for superintendents who prepare these courses for their enjoyment, and that's a shame. It galls me, and that's why I started doing this."
    In hopes of collecting personal and professional accomplishments of other Penn State graduates as well as fellow superintendents in the Northern Ohio chapter, Dobie developed a questionnaire that superintendents can populate with their professional history. The questionnaire continues to undergo change in hopes of producing better information and making it easier for superintendents to respond.
    He recalls speaking at a conference and seeing only five hands shoot up when he asked if anyone in the audience of superintendents recognized the name Eberhard Steiniger, the longtime superintendent at Pine Valley. Recording the history of greenkeeping, Dobie believes, also can be an educational resource for other superintendents.

    After 60 years as a superintendent, Frank Dobie's legacy of giving back is anything but over. "It's hard to know where we're going when we don't know where we've been," he said. "There are so many things we can learn from each other.
    "I'm the self-appointed historian of the northern Ohio chapter, and I'm really pushing for superintendents to write in. I did mine first to see how it would work, and I've changed the format and added some things as time went on. How difficult is it to write a bio?"
    Among those who have responded to Dobie's plea for biographical information is Ross Miller, CGCS, director of agronomy at the Country Club of Detroit, and a 2004 Penn State graduate.
    "I think keeping records/archives like this is an often-overlooked important item that can be useful for resources on a number of fronts: Bounce ideas off of other counterparts that you know dealt with a similar challenge as you, reconnect with classmates, make connections/network with various generations of turf alumni to allow them to gain additional mentorship than the course/GCS they are currently working for," Miller said. "I also did this out of respect for Frank, as this is a large undertaking to try to build a database like this, and I respect the digging in on the challenge."
    Dobie not only would like to get better participation from within the Northern Ohio chapter, he would like to see other chapters take on such a project, as well. His ultimate goal is to kickstart a movement that leads to a superintendent's hall of fame, and you cannot nominate someone for induction into any hall of fame if you don't know what they've accomplished.
    "Capturing the history of these people is important," Dobie said. "My mind hasn't changed on that. Superintendents belong in golf's history."
  • It was not that long ago that robotic mowers seemed like something straight out of the Jetsons — interesting and intriguing, but not realistic. In fact, it was only 15 years ago when the RG3 autonomous greens mower appeared on the trade show floor at the 2009 GCSAA Show in New Orleans.
    Many of those circling the RG3 display at the Ernest P. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans had a similar message: "Looks interesting, but I'm not turning my greens over to a robot."
    Technology changes quickly, and the turf industry is no exception. Today, robotic mowing technology is gaining acceptance rapidly in the golf market, with many players in that arena. And there is officially a new face in that arena — Firefly Automatix.
    Based in Salt Lake City, Firefly Automatix recently launched its 5-gang mower for use on managed turf.
    Initially launched last year as the M100-AV, the mower has been rebranded as the AMP L-100 for use on golf courses, sports fields and sod farms.

    The Firefly Automatix robotic mower for managed turf is now available as the L-100. Firefly Automatix photo Powered by four 3.3 kilowatt motors, the Firefly mower can achieve a top speed of 6 mph. Combined with a lithium-iron battery pack that has a charge of up to 2.5 hours and a 100-inch cutting width, the unit can mow up to 25 acres on a single battery charge.
    Firefly Automatix was founded in 2010 as a provider of parts, equipment and machinery to the sod-harvesting industry. The company has a history in autonomous technology and developed the L-100 after 10 years of research and development. The company recently announced a lease program for the L-100.
    Two different cutting units, the Pitchride and Rolorocker, offer height of cut ranging from 0.25 to 2.5 inches.
    With no hydraulics or engine oil, turf-killing spills and leaks are not an issue.
    The AMP's four motors are synchronized with two independent steering motors for precise steering and maximum traction while minimizing turf stress.
    The wide profile and low center of gravity help ensure weight is equally distributed over each wheel and maximize the L-100's ability to safely and effectively tackle sloped surfaces.
  • Aquatrols adds 2 to management team
    The Aquatrols Co. recently welcomed two new team members.
    David Libby is the new territory manager for the Northeast, and Kate Garassino joins the company as marketing manager for the golf market and Aquatrols' new sports field marketing team. 
    Libby is a former superintendent with more than 25 years of industry experience and joins Aquatrols after a successful tenure at Prouts Neck Country Club in Maine. 
    Garassino previously worked as the Clay Technology Solutions marketing manager at Profile Products. She will manage social media, public relations and other aspects of the company's communications and marketing efforts.
    Envu taps Gore for its GST
    Envu Turf and Ornamentals recently named Adam Gore, Ph.D., to its Green Solutions Team.
    Before joining Envu he was a horticulture extension agent for Clemson University for six years, where he specialized in turfgrass agronomy and weed control.
    A South Carolina native, Gore earned bachelor's, master's and doctorate degrees from Clemson. His research included weed control and plant-health products on cool- and warm-season greens and the potential impact of copper within industry products. He has authored numerous peer-reviewed articles.

    RISE names 2 new board members
    RISE named two new members to its board of directors.
    Joining the Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment board at the group's annual meeting Sept. 20 in San Diego were Blaine Pinkerton, vice president of sales for Nufarm's turf and ornamental division, and Brian Rowan, SiteOne Landscape Supply's vice president of category management. They replace Scott Reasons of Syngenta and Kathy Bishop of Lebanon Seaboard Corp.
    The group's executive committee is:
    Neal Cleveland, PBI-Gordon Corp., chair Todd Mason, Sipcam Agro USA, vice chair  John Johnson, Prokoz Inc., treasurer Karen Larson, Clarke, immediate past chair  Continuing on the board are Barbara Aguiar of BASF, Jeff Bunting of Growmark Inc., Sam Barrick of SePRO Corp., Dan Carrothers of FMC Corp., Steven Farrington of Gowan USA, Brent Stauffacher of Corteva Agriscience, Mark Schneid of Envu, and Shayne Wetherall of Amguard Environmental Technologies.
    RISE also presented awards at its annual meeting. Recipients were:
    RISE Volunteer Service Awards 2022-2024
    Darryl Blakey of BASF, Julie Schlekau of Valent and Heidi Deja of BASF
    Strategic Driver Award 2024
    Brittany Wilkerson of PBI-Gordon Corp.
    Grassroots Advocacy Award 2024
    Buddy Freund, New Jersey Green Industry Council.
  • "On a hallowed hill in Tennessee — Like a beacon shining bright — The stately walls of old UT / Rise glorious to the sight."
    — University of Tennessee alma mater
    Turfgrass researchers at the University of Tennessee wanted to try something other than a traditional field day this year to connect stakeholders to research taking place at the institution's research facility.
    "We looked at this from the 10,000-foot level," said Jim Brosnan, Ph.D., professor and director of the weed diagnostic center at Tennessee. "We weren't sure it made sense to spend all that money putting up tents and providing lunch for 500 people, most of whom were just there to renew their pesticide credits and go home."
    Instead of doing the same-old version of a field day, UT launched Beacon 2024. The program connected dozens of job-seeking students with nearly 30 employers from throughout the turf industry in what was essentially a two-day job fair and research update held Sept. 12-13 in Knoxville.
    "We had not done a field day since 2019," Brosnan said. "The idea was to connect students and employers and then connect them both to the research we are doing here."

    Day 1 of Beacon 2024 connected students with potential employers. UT photo The event connected about 70 students with employers in 28 booths at a downtown Knoxville hotel. The second day was held at the university's research farm south of campus along the Tennessee River.
    The university has about 40 students enrolled in the turf program, with others in attendance from other fields in the horticulture arena. There also were a couple of students from the unversity's veterinary medicine program, along with a handful of attendees from local high schools and community colleges, said Becky Bowling, Ph.D., assistant professor and extension specialist who came to UT in May 2023 when Tom Samples, Ph.D., retired.
    Employers came from as far as Florida to exhibit at the event and meet with prospective new hires.
    Employers on site included chemical companies, golf courses and others. Interactive exercises such as a trivia competition encouraged students to visit each booth to maximize interaction between stakeholders.
    "Collectively, we decided not to do a field day," Bowling said. "It's not addressing the needs of stakeholders across the state. So many places are having challenges with labor and workforce development, and this kind of event provides a more intimate relationship with stakeholders across the state and our research program.
    "We thought, let's create an event that ticks three major boxes of an in-person program: One, it allows employers to connect with students and address the systemic challenges they are having; Two, it allows stakeholders to engage with faculty and our research program in a richer, more in-depth way; and Three, it gives everyone an opportunity to socialize, get away from the day-to-day, see people and have a good time."
    Day 2 of the event was held at the East Tennessee Research Facility for an update on current research projects taking place within the program. Pesticide points were not offered so the focus would remain on the students and the actual research being done at UT.
    "We intentionally did not offer pesticide points, because as soon as you do that changes the audience," Brosnan said. "Companies want to get to know students and they want to get to know our research. That's why they're here."
    When seeking a name for the event, Brosnan invited input from students and others. He finally settled on Beacon, which is the name of the student newspaper and is a key word in the university's alma mater.
    "I wanted a single word that we could own and we just had to add a year to the end of it every year," Brosnan said.
    "Beacon was perfect."

    The second day of Beacon 2024 provided attendees with an update on University of Tennessee turfgrass research projects. UT photo The event has been in discussion for more than a year, and the thought that went into developing, planning and staging such an innovative event is part of what attracted Bowling to Tennessee when she succeeded Samples as the university's statewide extension specialist.
    "One of the reasons I picked this job, I think this extension has the best juju, the best vibe, and that is because of Tom Samples," Bowling said. "He brought such positivity to this position.
    "There is a lot of capacity for me to come in and make this job my own, but I also want to honor the positivity that he brought and the relationships he built. He had great relationships with all of the county extension agents. It's daunting, he set the bar so high."
    Future tweaks to the Beacon program will include seeking ways to fund student travel through sponsorships so jobseekers from other areas and other universities can attend. Students from universities in Kentucky, South Carolina and Georgia expressed interest in the event but travel expenses proved to be a roadblock.
    "We would never turn any student away who is interested in attending. We invited regional programs like Horry-Georgetown and Abraham Baldwin, and there were students interested from Western Kentucky," Bowling said. "We might ask employers to help support travel, because there are cost limitations. Even though it was free to attend, students still have to get here and get accommodations. But we know the interest is there."
  • The efforts of Jim Pavonetti, CGCS, and his team at Fairview Country Club in Greenwich, Connecticut, were recognized through the Environmental Leaders in Golf Awards program. Photo by Jim Pavonetti The awards continue to pile up for Jim Pavonetti.
    After several runner-up finishes, Pavonetti, certified superintendent at Fairview Country Club in Greenwich, Connecticut, was named a winner in the Environmental Leaders in Golf Awards program. It was the second first-place award for Pavonetti, who has been named a runner-up "eight or nine times now."
    Pavonetti, who has been at Fairview since 2008, was the winner in the Natural Resource Conservation Award category. 
    Other winners are Mark Claburn of Tierra Verde Golf Club in Arlington, Texas, who won the Communications and Outreach Award; Kevin Ackerman of Royal Wood and Country Club in Naples, Florida, winner of the Innovation Conservation Award; and Steven Tierney, MG, at Golfpark Zurichsee in Wangen, Switzerland, who received the Healthy Land Stewardship Award.
    Pavonetti was the 2023 ELGA Innovative Conservation Award recipient and was the first runner-up for the 2018 and 2019 Natural Resource awards and the 2021 and 2022 Innovative Conservation awards.
    "It really is a nice honor to finally begin to break through the runner-up places in these awards," Pavonetti said. "We try to improve every year, so I guess we are finally getting over the hump."
    In 2018 the ELGAs were updated to recognize more superintendents in more focused areas of environmental sustainability. Instead of offering national awards based on facility type, the current version of the ELGAs is based on environmental best management practices and honor specific areas of focus.
    The Communications and Outreach Award recognizes effective communication of conservation strategies with facility employees, golfers and other members of the community. The Healthy Land Stewardship Award recognizes effective strategies for efficient use of pesticides and nutrients, as well as pollution prevention. The Innovative Conservation Award recognizes unique and innovative strategies for conservation. The Natural Resource Conservation Award recognizes effective strategies for water conservation, energy conservation and sound wildlife management. Among his conservation efforts at Fairview are plans to cut water use by 20 percent. The course uses a combination of surface water from catch ponds and effluent water from the course and neighborhood to eliminate reliance on potable water. Regular testing at Fairview shows that waster leaving the course is cleaner than when it enters.
    Lithium battery-powered golf cars and motion-sensor lighting help reduce energy use.

    Jim Pavonetti, CGCS, has increased bluebird nesting boxes throughout the golf course at Fairview Country Club in Greenwich, Connecticut. Photo by Jim Pavonetti On the golf course, Pavonetti has expanded areas for native plants and pollinators, buffer zones and no-spray areas, bat boxes and bluebird nesting sites.
    "Sustainability, best management practices and environmental stewardship are vital pieces to keeping golf a great sport and pastime for millions of people across the globe," Pavonetti said. "I am continuously looking to improve personally and professionally, especially when it comes to environmental stewardship. Sustainable initiatives and accomplishments have become some great ways to consistently improve the playing experiences for our members and guests here at Fairview. Whether it is wildlife enhancements, water conservation, or overall better turfgrass, the membership is incredibly supportive of these efforts, and it is so great to be recognized outside of this by my peers and family of golf/turf maintenance for these accomplishments."
    In July, Pavonetti was named to the board of directors of Audubon International and last year was named to the Greenwich Sustainability Committee that includes a cross section of stakeholders that includes engineers, local leaders and residents. As a member of the committee, Pavonetti lends his expertise to others and how the efforts of superintendents in the Greenwich area and throughout Connecticut and be a resource for other entities on their respective path toward environmental stewardship.
    "I am always humbled when asked for advice on some of these environmental efforts by other courses and organizations," Pavonetti said. "Being recognized as a leader in this industry is such an honor. This has been a collective effort that includes the entire staff here, and I am thrilled how others view these accomplishments through this awards program. My hope is that the surrounding communities of these great golf courses learn and appreciate what green spaces and golf courses bring to their neighborhoods, and I think the ELGA program is a great starting point."
    Mark Claburn
    Tierra Verde Golf Club, Arlington, Texas
    This is the second ELGA award for Claburn, who has been the superintendent at Tierra Verde Golf Club since 2005. He was the ELGA Public Golf Course and Overall Winner in 2004.
    Tierra Verde was the first golf course in Texas and the first publicly owned golf course in the world to be certified as an Audubon Signature Sanctuary. 
    The public golf course encompasses 263 total acres with 90 acres of managed turf.
    Claburn serves on the board of the North Texas Golf Course Superintendents Association; Sustainable Dallas, a local environmental and sustainable business organization; the City of Arlington Green Policy Council; and the Parks Environmental Committee.
    Situated on 263 acres, 90 of which are managed turf, Tierra Verde conducts tours for many groups and civic organizations to promote its environemental stewardship efforts and is a template for other golf courses and municipalities throughout North Texas for when crafting their own environmental programs.
    "I think as superintendents we sometimes take for granted the great office we have and the technical expertise we possess," Claburn said. "One of the great benefits of outreach and having non-golfers tour your course with you, is gaining a new passion for your profession when you explain the process of course maintenance and sustainable practices and then see the amazement of someone who has never stepped foot on a green before."
    Kevin Ackerman
    Royal Wood and Country Club, Naples, Florida
    Before recently accepting a job with FMC Corp. Ackerman had been superintendent at Royal Wood for 11 years. 
    In that time, he worked with the University of Florida entomology department on Tuttle mealybug research, and developed a program to control the pest that has since been adopted by many other superintendents.
    "Superintendents face various pressures daily, and the Tuttle mealybug is just one example of the potential challenges faced when maintaining ultradwarf bermudagrass greens," Ackerman said. "At first glance, the damage caused by this microscopic pest can resemble a disease or nematodes. My success combatting this pest can be attributed to the support of my peers, insights from the University of Florida entomology department, manufacturers and my own independent trails."
    Steven Tierney, MG
    Golfpark Zurichsee, Wangen, Switzerland
    Tierney also is a two-time ELGA winner in his 26 years at Golfpark Zurichsee. He was the GCSAA Environmental Leaders in Golf National Overall and International Winner in 2012.
    Tierney has had to adopt a novel way to combat cranefly problems because golf courses in the country must be, by law, insecticide free. To manage cranefly outbreaks, Tierney and his staff use black plastic tarps on greens at night and then manually clear the larvae in the morning.
    They use 18-foot buffer zones around all water and do not mow wildflower meadow areas before June 10 each year. He has adopted a recycling program to work toward a goal of zero waste. So far, the club has reduced waste by 30 percent in the past 10 years.
    "We are guardians of the natural habitats, not just the golf course," Tierney said. "In my opinion we should be doing everything possible to maintain it to better the environment we live in today and be able to pass it on to the next generations knowing we have done our best to maintain and improve our golf courses and local environments."
    Eight runners-up also received recognition for their environmental efforts.
    Natural Resource Conservation Award
    First Runner-up: James Sua, CGCS, Pei Tou Kuo Golf and Country Club, Taipei, Taiwan Second Runner-up: Justin Brimley, Crystal Springs Golf Course, Burlingame, California Communications and Outreach Award
    First Runner-up: Carl Thompson, CGCS, Columbia Point Golf Course, Richland, Washington Second Runner-up: Eric Verellen, Snoqualmie Falls Golf Course, Fall City, Washington Healthy Land Stewardship Award
    First Runner-up: Michael Bednar, Palouse Ridge Golf Club, Pullman, Washington Second Runner-up: Harlyn Goldman, CGCS, Needwood Golf Course, Derwood, Maryland Innovative Conservation Award
    First runner-up: Jorge Mendoza, Green River Golf Club, Corona, California Second Runner-up: Chris Robson, Glendoveer Golf and Tennis, Portland, Oregon
  • A new combination fertilizer and weed killer from LebanonTurf is a phosphorus-free Mesotrione product. LebanonTurf photo LebanonTurf, a provider of high-performance plant nutrition for the golf and landscaping industries, is launching ProScape 20-0-4 100% PCSCU SOP 8% Ca with .08% Mesotrione, the industry's first and only Mesotrione combination product that does not contain phosphorus and is designed for routine turf maintenance.
    Available exclusively from LebanonTurf, ProScape 20-0-4 100% PCSCU SOP 8% Ca, is a new, SGN 150, blended product that controls over 46 grassy and broadleaf weeds, including some of the most troublesome weeds, including crabgrass, dandelion and yellow nutsedge. It is labeled for use on golf courses, athletic fields and residential and commercial turf.
    "Up until now, the only fertilizer combination product with Mesotrione herbicide was the popular 21-22-4 Starter that's designed for seed establishment," said Christopher S. Gray, Sr. manager of professional marketing. "The development of this new product resulted from our professional customers asking for a product that contained no phosphorus so that it could be used for routine maintenance purposes."
    Mesotrione provides control of more than 46 broadleaf and grassy weeds with its novel technology based on a naturally occurring compound produced by the bottlebrush plant (Callistemon citrinus). It is absorbed through the roots, shoots and leaves and inhibits photosynthesis in susceptible plants, which results in bleaching of the leaves followed by necrosis and death of the plant. Mesotrione has been granted reduced risk status for use on turf by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
    "We've been working on bringing this product to market for several years," Gray said, "and are extremely excited about being able to help our loyal customers utilize Mesotrione for all of their turf management needs from turf establishment to general maintenance."
  • Like all disease-causing pathogens, Microdochium nivale is an opportunistic pest. Because it thrives under a wide range of conditions, the pathogen that causes Microdochium patch, or pink snow mold, has an open door to cause damage on cool-season turf on golf courses.
    Although it might seem early to begin thinking about pink snow mold prevention, the time to make preventive fungicide applications is just a matter of weeks away for many superintendents.
    "This is by far the biggest problem for golf courses in Oregon," said Alec Kowalewski, Ph.D., of Oregon State University. "It's a problem here from October through spring."
    Microdochium patch can be found in all types of cool-season turf where conditions are conducive.
    According to university research, it is more likely to occur under snow cover when the soil is not frozen, and begins with the infection of turfgrass leaf tissues by mycelium of Microdochium nivale residing on the plant. Mycelia typically spread under snow cover causing infections that result in patches of blighted leaves, stems or crowns. Spores formed on diseased tissue can promote new infections even after snow cover is not present. The pathogen survives as dormant mycelium in organic matter and in the soil during spring, summer and fall. 
    Typically, the deeper the snow cover and the longer the snow remains on the turf surface, the greater the extent of symptom development and turfgrass injury, according to research at Penn State University. 
    Ideal conditions for the development of pink snow mold include temperatures slightly above freezing at the snow/turf interface when the plant tissue is wet.
    University of Illinois research indicates that disease development occurs rapidly when humidity is high and temperatures are 32 to 46 degrees Fahrenheit, with a maximum of about 55 degrees. Once snow melts and no longer covers the turf, disease activity usually subsides but can become active again if cold, wet, and overcast conditions persist. 
    Symptoms include pink, white or tan patches of matted leaf blades inside an outer ring of copper-colored turf. Patches typically range from 2 inches to 10 inches in diameter, and fluffy white mycelium can sometimes be present around the patches in later winter or early spring during periods of high humidity.

    Research indicates that disease development occurs rapidly when humidity is high and temperatures are 32 to 46 degrees Fahrenheit. Chicago District Golf Association photo On creeping bentgrass greens, streaks of off-colored turf that follow surface drainage patterns might appear during the spring, according to research conducted at Purdue University.
    According to research at Penn State and Illinois, there are several cultural practices that can help minimize the onset of pink snow mold.
    Keep the turf mowed in the autumn until growth stops. Put turf to bed for winter dormancy in a hardened state, not in lush condition. Do not fertilize within about six weeks of the first frost or snow. Remove organic matter and thatch thatch accumulation.  Maintain moderately acidic soil pH — at or slightly below 6.5. There are many chemical options for controlling Microdochium patch, including chlorothalonil as well as DMI and Qol class fungicides.
    Although it is commonly found where snowfall is significant, the disease also can be a problem where snow accumulation is not as much of a concern, says Kowalewski. 
    Much of the Pacific Northwest does not get a great deal of snowfall, but prolonged periods of cool, wet weather there still make for ideal conditions for the pathogen to settle in for an extended period.
    "In Portland, Salem, Seattle and Eugene it doesn't really snow very much," Kowalewski said. "But the fungicide wears off, and we have to make repeated applications about every 21 days through winter and spring."
    Kowalewski says some superintendents in the Northwest relax fungicide applications in December and January when temperatures drop below freezing, when spread of the disease would cease.
    "Those are the risk-takers who do that, because it's too cold," he said. "But there aren't many doing that."
     
  • Following an emergency suspension of all uses of the herbicide dimethyl tetrachloroterephthalate (DCPA), the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is initiating a voluntary cancellation of registration of the weedkiller that has been in use for more than 60 years.
    First registered in 1958 for control of broadleaf weeds in ornamental turf and row crops, DCPA is the active ingredient in the herbicide Dacthal. The EPA initiated the emergency order in early August in response to years of concerns affecting both end users and others exposed to the chemical.
    Shortly after the EPA announced in early August that it was suspending use of Dacthal, AMVAC Chemical Corp. voluntarily halted sales of the product. The company announced in late August its intention to freely cancel all registration of the product in the U.S. and abroad.
    The EPA contends DCPA poses a threat to applicators and those exposed to it for long periods and is a particular threat to pregnant women and unborn babies.
    Safe use of DCPA had already been a subject of concern for many years when the EPA in 2022 issued a notice of intent to suspend production of technical grade DCPA citing "the registrant's long-standing failure to respond to EPA's request for necessary data" needed for EPA to fully evaluate the risks associated with DCPA.
    "The data requested by EPA relate to the potential effects of DCPA on human thyroid development and function," the EPA said in a June 2022 news release. "If the active ingredient DCPA cannot be manufactured, the production of the formulated product, Dacthal, would stop by default."
    That concern, according to AMVAC, stems from results of a test the company provided to the EPA.

    The emergency suspension was the first time in almost 40 years EPA has taken such an action, following several years of efforts by the agency to require the submission of data that was due in January 2016 and then assess and address the risk this pesticide poses, the agency said. The EPA said it took this action because unborn babies whose pregnant mothers are exposed to DCPA, sometimes without even knowing the exposure has occurred, could experience changes to fetal thyroid hormone levels, and these changes are generally linked to low birth weight, impaired brain development, decreased IQ and impaired motor skills later in life, some of which may be irreversible.
    The company contends that efforts to ban Dacthal are an overreach.
    "It is important to note that EPA's findings are based upon the test results of a single, relatively new study that the Company had provided to the agency over two years ago which showed an effect on fetal rodents at certain dose levels," the company said in a recent news release. "As is typically the case with such studies, the observed effect was extrapolated to indicate a potential effect upon human beings. The suspension order, then, was issued by EPA on the premise of preventing potential harm, rather than in response to an actual, reported harm. The Company had been working with the EPA in good faith for over one year to identify risk mitigation measures that might alleviate concerns and allow continued use of high-benefit use patterns. However, these measures apparently did not give the EPA sufficient certainty at the time. The Company was also discussing with the EPA the potential for completion of additional toxicology and exposure studies that may have alleviated risk concerns, had they been afforded time to proceed. The Company nevertheless thanks EPA for expending time and resources to consider and evaluate the many proposed risk mitigation measures."
    The emergency suspension "prohibits anyone from distributing, selling, shipping or carrying out other similar activities for any pesticide product containing DCPA," according to the EPA. It also means that no person can continue using existing stocks of those products. The EPA and AMVAC are working toward a return program for those who still possess existing stocks of Dacthal.
    "While the company continues to question EPA's conclusions in support of the suspension, we believe that the best course of action is to voluntarily cancel registrations of this product," the company said in the news release. "We are working apace with both state and federal authorities to effect product return and to remove Dacthal from channels of distribution. It is the Company's position that product stewardship be international in scope; thus, we will now proceed to voluntarily cancel all international registrations as well."
  • A new apprenticeship program for aspiring greenkeepers could help golf course managers solve their labor-shortage issues while also streamlining the education process for both employer and employee alike.
    The Greenskeeper II apprenticeship program by Tyler Bloom Consulting is a 4,000-hour training program designed to help put those without a formal turf education on a path toward a career in golf course maintenance. 
    The program provides on-the-job training combined with online instruction delivered through partnerships with university turf programs nationwide.
    The program, which has been years in planning, recently was recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Apprenticeship, which establishes nationally recognized standards and standardized training that ensures all candidates, regardless of their background, experience or location will have access to advanced educational resources and opportunities to develop their skills, Bloom said.
    The program also could open the door to providing financial incentives to employers for adopting such a structured educational program.
    "Credit to New York," Bloom said. "New York already offers $5,000 in tax credits to offset education costs."
    A shortage of labor has been an issue for a majority of golf course superintendents in recent years, according to industry reports.
    Curriculum includes irrigation, pest management, fertility and cultural practices, and all who are admitted to the program must attain their respective state's pesticide applicator's license upon its conclusion.
    The formal structure of a federally recognized program leads to its attractiveness, compared with a standard on-site training program, Bloom said.
    "It provides confidence for the employee that the employer is committed to advancing them and their career," Bloom said. "With on-the-job training there is some structure, but with this formal program, now it's real. Once they are enrolled in such a program it becomes real for the candidate."

    A new apprenticeship program for the golf industry is recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor. Photo by John Reitman The program has been in the planning process for at least four years, but has been in overdrive for the past year. Several superintendents associations, Bloom said, already have reached out to express interest.
    "Standardized training ensures that all candidates, regardless of their background or prior experience, have access to the advanced educational resources and opportunities for skill development, creating a level playing field for all applicants," said Bloom. "They'll also have networking opportunities designed to help candidates from diverse backgrounds connect with individuals who can offer guidance, support, and career opportunities."
    Bloom also believes the program will lead to increased employee retention.
    "From the jobseeker standpoint, it puts skin in the game," Bloom said. "You know the employer has committed to this kind of program."
    The federally recognized program mirrors to a degree a program Bloom developed when superintendent at Sparrows Point in Maryland from 2014-20.
    "This program is not just for elite clubs," he said. "Based on the program I set up at Sparrows Point, "The local daily fee club will find as much value if not more."
  • In more than 50 years as a golf course superintendent, Dick Gray never was at a loss for words. Even in retirement, he still finds it difficult to hold his tongue on some issues. So it should have come as no surprise that during what should have been a simple "how ya doin?" phone conversation went off the rails into a rant on a hot button issue for superintendents: "unfair" pin placements.
    Green speeds (too slow or too fast), fairways that do not produce enough roll, cart path-only days and greens aerification all are among the many things that get under golfers' skin.
    Of all the complaints golfers lodge — and there are a lot of them — the one grievance that should make any superintendent bristle is anything about unfair pin placements. 
    Just the word unfair implies that the prevailing conditions give one player a competitive advantage over another. Since every golfer plays the same conditions, is anything about the location of a hole really "unfair?" Maybe poorly placed, or not well thought out. But unfair? 

    When it comes to pin locations, retired superintendent Dick Gray says there might be bad ones, or even dumb ones, but he stopped short of labeling them as unfair. File photo Superintendents seek out pin locations that are challenging, fair and offer variety. There are unwritten rules about where and where not to cut a cup. Typically, a cup should be cut in an area that has a 3-foot radius of flat space in every direction. 
    Still, there are times when pin placements make headlines for all the wrong reasons. 
    Third round scores of the NCAA Women's Division III championship were tossed last year when a pin location on the par-4 sixth hole on the El Campeon Course at the Mission Inn and Resort in central Florida was ruled unplayable. Then there was the 2022 girls 3A state championship tournament in Iowa when a sloped pin placement resulted in an average score of quadruple bogey on the finishing hole of River Valley Golf Course in Adel.
    The latter example was bad enough that it prompted tour pro Billy Horschel to rant on social media that whoever set up the 18th hole should be banned from setting up tournaments in the future.
    Although every pin placement might not necessarily be a good one, Gray, whose wife died of cancer in 2020 at age 58, says the term unfair is a stretch and denotes something far more negative and permanent than a four-putt on the 10th green.
    "Wait a minute. What are we talking about here?" he said. "Unfair? Life is unfair. Cancer is unfair. A heart attack is unfair. Pin placements are not unfair. There might be stupid ones, or dumb ones. But there aren't unfair pin placements." 

    PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Florida, was a four-course property when Dick Gray oversaw four renovations in four years. File photo Whether the stakes are a Nassau during a friendly foursome, bragging rights at the club championship or the $25 million winner's share at the Tour Championship, golf at the end of the day is still a game.
    And no one wants to listen to someone complain while playing a game. Likewise, it is difficult to have empathy for professionals with out-of-this-world athletic ability bemoan playing conditions on the way to a seven-figure payout.
    The 2016 TurfNet Superintendent of the Year while at PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Florida, Gray had a successful career at many of South Florida's best club's, including Loblolly Pines, Sailfish Point and Jupiter Hills. He also was the construction superintendent and architect of record at the Florida Club in Stuart. While at PGA Golf Club, then a four-course property, he managed four renovations over four years. Clearly, he knows a thing or two about where a cup should be cut and where one should not, even if his former employers thought otherwise. 
    He recalled many a green committee meeting throughout his career where unfair pin placements were a topic of discussion. His response was to remind pe
    "I told them that hole wasn't unfair, it was just beyond their playing ability," Gray said. "There is no such thing as an unfair pin location."
    His message to golfers: "Remember, it's just a game."

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