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From the TurfNet NewsDesk

  • John Reitman
    For more than a half-century, chlorpyrifos has been effective at eliminating many species of insect pests, some of which are found in finely managed turf. For more than a decade, the chemistry has come under fire from those who want to see it banned because they view it as a toxic threat to humans and non-target organisms.
    Two years ago, detractors of chlorpyrifos lobbied the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to cancel its registration. The EPA denied that request, but states are beginning to take matters into their own hands.
    The New York Department of Environmental Conservation canceled registration of chlorpyrifos and more than two dozen other pesticides, effective Dec. 31, 2020. The department announced in July the final regulations prohibiting the sale, distribution, possession and use of products containing the active ingredient.
    Late in 2020, the Oregon Department of Agriculture announced it will begin to limit use of chlorpyrifos, with plans to virtually phase out its use by 2023.
    The Oregon plan will include banning the chemistry, which is effective for controlling armyworms, for use on golf courses. The most common use of chlorpyrifos in Oregon is on Christmas trees.
    A request to ban the chemical was submitted by at least a dozen public advocacy groups as well as the states of New York, Washington, California, Massachusetts, Maine, Maryland and Vermont in 2007. Chlorpyrifos was banned nationwide for use in the residential market in 2000, but still is registered for professional use in 49 states (Alaska). 
    Lawmakers in Hawaii have enacted a statewide ban that will go into effect next year. California enacted a similar ban that became law this year.
    Opponents say long-term exposure to the chemistry, which was patented by Dow in 1966, can cause neurological damage and claim that children are especially at risk. A data sheet published by Oregon State University says it does not bind to the soil and is not commonly taken up by plants, but is a concern in runoff. 
    The EPA in 2015 produced studies it said at the time backed up such claims, but has since reversed its own findings.
  • The career path of Carlos Arraya has been on a trajectory that rivals anything even SpaceX has put on the launch pad in recent years.
    First the golf course superintendent at historic Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis, then the club's director of agronomy and later assistant general manager since 2019, Arraya recently was approved by the club's membership to become its next general manager. He will succeed Michael Chase. Chase, who previously worked at Druid Hills in Atlanta, The Loxahatchee Club in Jupiter, Florida, and The Philadelphia Cricket Club before coming to Bellerive in 2018, is moving on to take another position at Atlantic Beach Country Club, near Jacksonville, Florida.
    Since the early days of his career at Hawks Nest in Vero Beach, Florida, where he was assistant superintendent from 1998-2002 and later returned as general manager from 2005-2014, Arraya has adopted a team-first management style that has helped accelerate his career. It is a philosophy that he learned from his mentor John Cunningham, who in turn picked it up from Dick Gray years ago at Martin Downs in Palm City, Florida.
    But the real turning point for Arraya was triggered by the tragic loss of his son, Isaih, in a car accident in 2016.
    "Isaih's passing was the crossover for me to grow people," Arraya said.
    In the wake of the PGA Championship three years ago at Bellerive, Arraya was named the recipient of the 2018 TurfNet Superintendent of the Year Award. He spoke then at length about how personal tragedy helped lift him up to appreciate those around, including members of his maintenance team.
    "Losing my son gave me a new perspective," Arraya said in 2018 upon winning Superintendent of the Year. "Tragedies really awaken people, or they make them go down a road they can't come back from."
    Obviously, Arraya chose the former, and folks at Bellerive noticed.
    Upon taking a position with another club, Chase recommended Arraya to Bellerive's members as his permanent successor.
    "I feel strongly there is no better candidate than Carlos," Chase wrote in his recommendation. "Carlos understands and is a key force behind the club's continuing positive trajectory."

    Carlos Arraya, right, with mentor and friend John Cunningham, on the TurfNet trip to Ireland after Arraya was named 2018 TurfNet Superintendent of the Year. Members of the club, its board of governors and a search committee formed to find Chase's replacement agreed.
    "I think with his prior experience as a General Manager, his business acumen, his knowledge of Bellerive and the membership, his respect and love for the golf course and our reputation in the golf world, our traditions, and a sincere appreciation for our community standing and the Club as a whole, as well as his commitment to St Louis, he would make a fantastic General Manager," Bellerive president Rick Walsh wrote in announcing Arraya's promotion.
    Never was Arraya's management style on display more than during the pandemic. He played a key role in developing flex scheduling and selling the "Bellerive experience" to hourly employees, many of whom could have earned more elsewhere, but decided to stay at the club.
    Management avoided layoffs and even attracted a whole new demographic to the workforce - teenagers.
    "The turning point, where we had to make some tough decisions, came when you ask how you are going to compete with Domino's, who is paying $15-plus, or Amazon at $18-plus," Arraya told TurfNet last year. "There is something like $8 billion in construction contracts over the next few years in St. Louis. People are being paid more than $20 an hour just to pour concrete.
    "We have to sell something. How do we make this fun?"
    The Bellerive Experience included team outings and other events to help promote a feeling of unity. Bellerive also became a place that employees could rely on when they could rely on little else during the pandemic.
    "During the pandemic, we didn't cut anyone. We cut hours, but we didn't cut jobs," Arraya told TurfNet. "People here know they have a safe place to work.
    "We've had more young kids apply than ever before. It's not the pay, it's parents saying this is a safe place to work. This is the youngest staff we've had since I've been here."
  • The year was 1964.
    Lyndon Johnson occupied the White House. The nationwide average for gasoline was 30 cents a gallon. The Beatles "invaded" America, and their hit single "I Want to Hold Your Hand" topped the Billboard chart. My Fair Lady won an Academy Award for Best Picture, and Julie Andrews took home an Oscar for her performance in "Mary Poppins."
    And Frank Dobie was just starting as the new general manager and superintendent at The Sharon Golf Club in Ohio.
    Dobie's career at Sharon lasted more than a half-century, making him, upon his retirement in 2020, the country's longest-tenured superintendent. Dobie, 81, points to a long line of positive lifestyle choices for helping provide a long and healthy career and life.
    For the past 60 years, Dobie has been devoted to a lifestyle that includes organic foods, vitamins and mineral supplements.
    "When life choices and opportunities presented themselves, I made positive life choices," said Dobie. "I feel a lot younger than I am."
    Although he can attribute some of his longevity to diet and supplements, some also is just the luck of the draw, Dobie said. 
    "Genes also have a lot to do with it," he said. "My dad lived until he was 95. I had an uncle who lived until he was 90 and an aunt until she was 93. There is a lot of longevity there."
    Healthy life choices have led to a long life off the golf course and a lengthy career on it. Dobie, who studied under Joe Duich and Burt Musser at Penn State, and prepped under Bob Williams at Bob O'Link in Chicago, lasted 56 years at Sharon by equally healthy circumstances - like not having to deal with committees.
    Dobie was the superintendent at Fairlawn Country Club in Akron when one of the members asked him to put together a superintendent's wish list for a new course in the area that was under construction.
    That man happened to be Jerry O'Neil, then the president of General Tire, and the "list" was a ruse to offer Dobie a job.
    "When I got to the meeting, he told me 'I don't care about the list. What we brought you here for was to offer you a job," Dobie said. "I told him I already had a job, but Jerry O'Neil was not used to hearing 'no'."
    O'Neil then dropped the other shoe by offering Dobie the job of general manager, as well. 
    "He told me no one would tell me what to do but him. No boards. No committees," Dobie said. "I told him I would think about it." 
    Eventually, he said yes to O'Neil, and that was the right decision. O'Neil was Sharon's only president from its opening until his death in 2009.
    "The key to my longevity at Sharon was that I showed respect to the members at all times, and Jerry O'Neil demanded that they respect me. It's why I loved my job," Dobie said. "I think the fact that I loved going to work every day had a lot to do with my health."
    Although O'Neil was a one-man committee at Sharon, he never micro-managed Dobie or other employees.
    O'Neil didn't believe in budgets, but rather income and expense "estimates". 
    "From the day the club opened, we had 54 consecutive years of an operating profit. We never had a deficit, and we never assessed the members for anything," Dobie said. "O'Neil's directive was never spend more money than you have in the bank.
    "We always had a full membership, and I think that the fiscal restraints had a lot to do with that. O'Neil always said that we don't need a lot of frills to keep up with the Joneses, because we were the Joneses."
    One thing Dobie learned from O'Neil was the importance of semantics. "He told me don't call it a 'budget', call it a 'cost estimate'," Dobie said. "If it's a cost estimate, and something costs more, then it costs more. And if something costs less, it costs less." 
    Not only did Dobie operate safely within his financial constraints, he managed to do so while also being an innovator.
    Dobie developed the first bunker liner system in 1967 designed to eliminate contamination from the surrounding soil. All the bunkers at Sharon were installed with this system and no bunker sand has ever been replaced due to contamination. Even after his retirement, Dobie is willing to share his bunker construction method with anyone who is interested.
    Dobie had plenty of opportunities to move on from Sharon, but never found a better deal than what he already had. He was even invited to interview for the job at Augusta National and declined. In the end, the culture at Sharon was as beneficial to his mental health as the organic food and supplements have been to his physical health. 
    "Jerry O'Neil's two main tenets were, don't spend money you don't have and show respect to all those you work for and all those who work for you," Dobie said.
    Dobie has a few career guide bullet points of his own: don't work more than 50 hours a week in season or more than 40 hours a week offseason, don't be married to your job and have a partner who is supportive.
    "When it came to life choices," he said. "I always trusted my gut."
  • You knew it was coming. It was just a matter of time.
    As part of its multi-phase approach to resolve its ongoing litigation related to Roundup causing non-Hodgkin's lymphoma in thousands of cancer patients, Bayer will discontinue sales of its popular herbicide in the consumer market. Bayer said in the July 29 statement that, beginning in 2023, it will replace its glyphosate-based products in the U.S. residential lawn and garden market with new formulations that rely on alternative active ingredients.
    The news is part of Bayer 's five-point plan released in May to deal with claims alleging Roundup causes non-Hodgkin 's lymphoma in users. The decision to pull Roundup from shelves for everyday consumers is being made exclusively to manage litigation risk and not because of any safety concerns on the part of Bayer, the company says. There will be no change in the availability of the company 's glyphosate formulations in the U.S. agricultural and professional markets, which includes golf.
    Bayer soon will file a petition with the U.S. Supreme Court appealing a lower court decision in the Hardeman v Monsanto Co. case. The company claims federal preemption prevents Bayer from complying with some states ' laws asking for cancer warnings on product labeling.
    If the Supreme Court rules in Bayer's favor, it could effectively end U.S. Roundup litigation. But if the court issues a ruling in favor of the plaintiff, Bayer estimates an additional $4.5 billion might be necessary to settle future litigation. In the event of a Supreme Court decision that favors the plaintiff, Bayer will establish a claims administration program with pre-determined compensation values similar to those for current settlements.
    Bayer has, to date, settled about 100,000 lawsuits for an estimated $11 billion. Another 30,000 claims are pending. According to Bayer, about 90 percent of all lawsuits originated in the consumer market.
    In addition to releasing new alternate formulations for the residential market, Bayer plans to start discussions with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency about Roundup labels with the goal of providing more information to users.
  • Bayer launches Densicor fungicide
    Densicor, a new fungicide from Bayer is now available for purchase. 
    With the active ingredient prothioconazole, Densicor provides control of many common turf diseases, including dollar spot, brown patch, anthracnose, gray leaf spot, snow mold and more.
    It can be used on warm- and cool-season turf, and just one bottle treats six acres, allowing superintendents to cover more turf with less product.
    Rain Bird names new manager for SE Asia
    Rain Bird recently named Rob Weiks as area manager for its Southeast Asia golf team.
    Weiks will be responsible for sales planning and business development in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Guam and Brunei. He will also establish and manage relationships with distributors, golf course owners, green committees and superintendents while promoting Rain Bird solutions for new golf course projects and renovations.
    A native of Australia, Weiks has more than three decades of experience in the horticulture industry. He will be based in Singapore.
    Turfco compact aerator now powered by Honda
    The Turfco line of TurnAer XT5 compact aerators for small areas now come equipped with the Honda GXV160 engine. 
    The XT5 is powered by a 163cc, 4.3hp gas-powered GXV160, and a 1.5-gallon fuel tank allows for longer use between fills.
    The XT5's hydrostatic controls are designed to make the unit more maneuverable and user-friendly. Operators can turn and reverse direction with the XT5 while keeping the tines in motion, thanks to the hydrostatic drive system coupled to Turfco's patented, steerable aerator technology. Turning with tines to the ground reduces operator fatigue and improves productivity. 
    The XT5's EasyChange tines reduce the amount of time required to change tines. Patent-pending tine wheels enhance steering and increase hill-holding stability. The XT5 also advances aerator durability with a low-profile design and rugged, unibody steel frame. Instead of belts, the XT5 uses drive chains that are covered and located outside of the frame for long-lasting, trouble-free operation.
    Profile Products names new sales manager
    Profile Products named J.R. Stewart as national sales manager for the eastern U.S. Stewart will manage and support the eastern team of regional sales and market development managers.
    Stewart has more than 15 years of experience in the industry, most recently as a national sales manager for Filtrexx International. 
    Stewart earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.
  • Robert Muth, who is both the equipment manager and a mower jockey at Allentown Municipal Golf Course in Pennsylvania, is the winner of the 2021 TurfNet Technician of the Year Award, presented by John Deere. Photos by John Reitman When Robert Muth received the plaque that identifies him as the recipient of the 2021 TurfNet Technician of the Year Award, presented by John Deere, he called it "A big plaque for a little place."
    Muth is more than the equipment manager at Allentown Municipal Golf Course in eastern Pennsylvania;. He also is a member of the crew who also rides a mower, sprays, cuts cups and more on a daily basis, all while keeping all equipment in top shape for Allentown superintendent Chris Reverie, who nominated Muth for the award for his ability to innovate and  create solutions, play a leadership role on the staff, finding creative ways to meet budget and helping drive and environmental philosophy at one of the best maintained municipal courses in Pennsylvania - and beyond..
    "It's nice for the little guy to win," Muth said. "We are a very small muni with a small staff; there are six of us for the entire property. I'm not just a mechanic."
    Muth came to Allentown from a background in auto mechanics, so he had a pretty good handle on the job with one exception - grinding.
    "He was a quick study," Reverie said. 
    "He knows he has to stretch things."
    He also now knows his way around reels, and often is able to make bedknives last an entire season on a single grind.
    "As a machinist, I'm about precision. I am about thousandths, not watching for sparks and listening for noise. That doesn't work for me. I'd rather know how much I'm taking off. That's how I save bedknives for a year. If I know how much I'm taking off and how thick the bedknife is, I can account for all of that."
    Muth is active in driving Reverie's goal of achieving Allentown's certification as an Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary. Audubon certification. To minimize issues associated with water runoff around the maintenance facility, he blows equipment clean instead of washing it when feasible and built a hybrid filtration system to catch water from the washpad behind the building. Water now moves through rock sediment and moves through grasses, then into a pool. All those materials are getting stopped before entering into the water into the ground."

    Robert Muth build a wash area behind the Allentown Muni maintenance shop that filters impurities from the water. Muth was selected by TurfNet's panel of judges and received the Golden Wrench Award along with a $1,000 cash prize. On hand to present Muth with the 15th annual award were Reverie and Ted Zabrenski, account manager for Finch Turf Inc., a John Deere distributor covering eastern Pennsylvania.
    "I've been coming to Allentown Muni as a sales rep for 11 years, and I've coming here for 25 years overall," said Zabrenski. "You can see the enthusiasm that Chris and Robert bring to the job. These guys eat, live and sleep, Allentown Muni."
    When he is not fixing equipment at Allentown, Muth is operating it, splitting time as mechanic and a member of Reverie's small, but dedicated on-course staff of six.
    "He is the greatest assistant (superintendent) and mechanic any superintendent could hope to have," Reverie said. "Having the golf course in this condition is a direct reflection of Rob and the job he does. If I don't have someone in his position who is able to do what he does, then I don't have a golf course in the condition it's in right now."
    Criteria on which candidates are judged include: crisis management; effective budgeting; environmental awareness; helping to further and promote the careers of colleagues and employees; interpersonal communications; inventory management and cost control; overall condition and dependability of rolling stock; shop safety; and work ethic.
    Previous winners of the Golden Wrench Award are: (2020) Evan Meldahl, Bayou Oaks GC, New Orleans; (2019) Dan Dommer, Ozaukee CC, Mequon, WI; (2018) Terry Libbert, Old Marsh Golf Club, Palm Beach Gardens, FL; (2017) Tony Nunes, Chicago Golf Club, Wheaton, IL; (2016) Kris Bryan, Pikewood National Golf Club, Morgantown, WV; (2015) Robert Smith, Merion Golf Club, Ardmore, PA; (2014) Lee Medeiros, Timber Creek and Sierra Pines Golf Courses, Roseville, CA; (2013) Brian Sjögren, Corral de Tierra Country Club, Corral de Tierra, CA; (2012) Kevin Bauer, Prairie Bluff Golf Club, Crest Hill, IL; (2011) Jim Kilgallon, The Connecticut Golf Club, Easton, CT; (2010) Herb Berg, Oakmont (PA) Country Club; (2009) Doug Johnson, TPC at Las Colinas, Irving, TX; (2007) Jim Stuart, Stone Mountain (GA) Golf Club; (2006) Fred Peck, Fox Hollow and The Homestead, Lakewood, CO; (2005) Jesus Olivas, Heritage Highlands at Dove Mountain, Marana, AZ; (2004) Henry Heinz, Kalamazoo (MI) Country Club; (2003) Eric Kulaas, Marriott Vinoy Renaissance Resort, Sarasota, FL.
  • The Federal Trade Commission recently voted to enforce existing laws around the Right to Repair, ensuring U.S. consumers will be able to repair their own electronic and automotive devices. If you have ever felt like you are being held hostage by a manufacturer when an electronic device breaks down, fear not, you are not alone. From cell phones to cars to mechanized agricultural equipment and everything in between, breakdowns can mean a visit by a factory-certified technician and service call fee, even if a product is under warranty.
    Amid pleas from consumers who say they are tired of being fleeced for repairs they would make themselves - if only they could - the Federal Trade Commission recently voted to enforce existing laws around the Right to Repair, ensuring U.S. consumers will be able to repair their own electronic and automotive devices.
    Proponents of Right to Repair argue consumers should have access to tools, parts and software to make repairs to products they own. Manufacturers say they have a right to protect proprietary software - even if the software is embedded in a product someone else own.
    Right to Repair has its roots in agriculture and could soon branch off into the golf industry.
    The inability to access embedded software or proprietary repair tools prevents owners and independent repair shops from performing some fixes that they say they could do cheaper than factory reps. 
    After its decision, the FTC says it is dedicated to investigating restrictions that might be illegal under the nation's antitrust laws as well as the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act, a consumer protection law governing product warranties.
    The ruling targets small electronics manufacturers, such as Apple, that make phones with inaccessible memory and batteries and seal products with glue. It also targets the auto industry and companies that make large agricultural equipment.
    U.S. Rep. Joe Morelle-D, N.Y., has introduced the Fair Repair Act, legislation that would guarantee consumers and small businesses a right to repair their own products by requiring manufacturers to make diagnostic repair information, parts, and tools readily available. Many states have introduced a similar version of fair repair legislation, and it has been enacted into law in Massachusetts.
  • GroundWorx, a wireless innovations and water conservation company that serves the professional turf market, has teamed with Morey Corp., which partners with other companies to manufacture products for sustainable business practices, have teamed up to offer the GX-1A turfgrass sensor. 
    The GX-1A is an all-in-one turf management platform that includes soil monitoring sensors, a handheld spot-check device, a microweather station and a mobile app that together provide users with real-time notifications on soil moisture, salinity levels and temperature, telling professional turf managers where and when water is needed and how much. These up-to-the-minute notifications can help users streamline operations and reduce costs.
    GroundWorx markets its service as a lease, requiring no up-front costs. Courses may also buy the equipment and subscribe to the AI-powered platform on a monthly basis. For commercial properties, companies can deploy as little as a handful of sensors or scale to thousands of locations, all mapped within the technology with an accuracy of plus or minus 10 centimeters. Properties such as universities and resorts can add a micro weather station that brings critical weather data to their facility. GroundWorx utilizes machine learning and AI, providing predictive analytics for Turf Managers to make informed decisions leading to water conservation and staff efficiency.
    After collecting sufficient data via the soil monitoring sensor, machine learning will continue to model how the turf will adapt so users can deploy sensors elsewhere to maximize coverage. The GX-1A is easy to install, and it works with any irrigation system, the company says.
    Morey, based in Woodridge, Illinois has eight decades of electronics ingenuity enriching lives through connectivity.
  • Former Nebraska turf professor Bill Kreuser is happy managing greens at Jim Ager Golf Course in Lincoln, Nebraska, and growing his business.
    The titles "academic" and "educator" might seem interchangeable, but as Bill Kreuser, Ph.D., reinvents his career, he is proving that those labels are mutually exclusive. 
    After recently leaving the University of Nebraska, where his duties for seven years included teaching, research, writing (and getting published) and extension, Kreuser still is an educator and scientist, even if the classroom where he teaches looks a little different.
    Today, Kreuser is managing turf and conducting research as superintendent at Jim Ager Golf Course, a nine-hole municipal layout in Lincoln. He does his own research there and makes areas of the course available to University of Nebraska turf students looking for a real-world research plot. He also is dedicating more time to growing TurfGrade, the research and education business he owns with his mentor Doug Soldat, Ph.D., from the University of Wisconsin, where Kreuser earned bachelor's and master's degrees.
    "My career in academia is over," Kreuser said. "This way, I can keep doing what I love doing: writing articles, teaching, doing research. I'm just doing it in a different capacity.
    "I left the university to be more involved in running my company. I was being pulled in so many directions, I wasn't doing anything well. This is less stressful and more fulfilling. I don't want to be a consultant, but if people need help, I do some of that. This way, I do it on my own terms."
    Through TurfGrade, Soldat and Kreuser manage GreenKeeper. A mobile- and desktop-friendly application that Kreuser developed at the University of Nebraska as a way to help turf managers be more efficient with plant growth regulator use based on a growing degree day model, GreenKeeper monitors weather and employs user data to provide turfgrass managers with information to make informed decisions about applying PGRs, fertilizers and other inputs. 
    Kreuser developed the app while employed at the university, which still owns it. TurfGrade pays the university royalties for exclusive rights to operate it with an option to buy after 10 years. Kreuser and Soldat are four years into that agreement. 
    "It tells you what to spray and when," Soldat said. "We are using research results to make superintendents' jobs easier. That's why people use it."
    TurfGrade is a multi-pronged tool with one simple goal in mind - to help turf managers do their jobs better and more efficiently. Some of that occurs through the GreenKeeper App, and some includes university-level education from some of the brightest minds in the business. Kreuser's new path dovetails nicely with that goal, Soldat said.
    "In academia, you're always doing applied research to help people do their jobs better, but they also need support," he said. "Bill is taking that to the next level. 

    Jim Ager Golf Course is Bill Kreuser's new classroom. "I don't get credit for developing software. I get credit for writing papers no one reads and giving talks that hopefully blow the socks of one or two people who when they go home make changes at their golf course. If you sign up for GreenKeeper, you don't have to remember what I said about PGRs. You need someone to do the applied research, but you also need a way to get the research into their hands so they are not making wholesale changes all by themselves. Bill is a more effective educator by working at a nine-hole golf course and continuing to develop software."
    Kreuser is working hard to grow the business.
    "Any money Doug and I make goes right back into the company. We don't take anything out," Kreuser said.
    "We want to keep seeing it grow. Our mission is to transform the way turf managers make decisions. We are doing that with classes and the app."
    TurfGrade employs three full-time and three part-time developers who, based on Kreuser and Soldat's work, are constantly updating GreenKeeper.
    "We are getting more integrated with hardware and sensors," Kreuser said. "The app won't take the place of superintendents. We want to give them information in a clear way and help them make the right decisions."
    Through GreenKeeper, Kreuser and Soldat are redefining turf education at, no pun intended, a grassroots level. The app allows superintendents and sports turf managers to dial in on best management practices from their laptop or phone 24/7. GreenKeeper University provides those already with an understanding of turfgrass physiology with more in-depth education. Besides Kreuser and Soldat, some of GKU's instructors are Tom Nikolai of Michigan State, Paul Koch (Wisconsin), Aaron Patton (Purdue) and Ben McGraw (Penn State). The GreenKeeper U template is a spinoff of the Great Lakes School of Turfgrass Science model that Soldat runs with Koch, Brian Horgan, Ph.D., now the chair of the Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences at Michigan State, and Sam Bauer, Ph.D. at the University of Minnesota.
    "We are passionate about helping people do their jobs better," Soldat said. 
    "We expect people to have some general experience in turf. GreenKeeper University offers a more specific curriculum. It's a more focused platform. We are seeing trends in declining enrollment, even in some two-year programs. This is not meant to replace university education, but to get university-level education into the hands of those who don't have the time or money to get a two-year or four-year degree."
    Leaving the university for more time growing TurfGrade and GreenKeeper has not stopped Kreuser from his research.
    As the superintendent at Ager, which might soon be the world's best-conditioned par-3 course, Kreuser conducts research trials just as he did at the university. He also lets UNL turf students use the course that has a long history with the university.
    UNL alumni have served as superintendent there in the past, including Kreuser's predecessor at Ager, Andrew Getty, superintendent at the Prairie Club in Valentine, Nebraska.
    The course also has a legacy in growing the game. It has a vibrant junior golf program Foot Golf is popular there. While working around junior programs, foot golfers and 20,000-plus rounds a year, a lot of research also takes place at Ager. Wetting agents, fertilizers, fungicides and, of course, PGRs, all get tested there, including a current yellow nutsedge trial. A traffic study is meant to simulate conditions during a major championship. And the results of all these trials help feed GreenKeeper.
    "This is a 40-acre test course. It doesn't take a ton to make it look good, but we have high standards for an $11-a-round golf course," Kreuser said. "It's easy to lose touch in academia with all the pencil-pushing. When I got off the grass I felt like I was getting more distant from the industry. Working on the golf course also helps me stay connected to the industry."
  • Chris Claypool, the former general manager of Jacklin Seed Co., was sentenced July 7 in federal court to three years in prison for conspiring to commit wire fraud and money laundering for his role in a plot to defraud the J.R. Simplot Co., Jacklin's former owner, and the company's customers, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
    Claypool (right) was charged Feb. 24 in the fraud and money laundering scheme. He waived the indictment and pleaded guilty to all charges.
    Under the terms of the plea agreement, Claypool already paid nearly $8.3 million in restitution and has agreed to forfeit nearly $7.8 million in ill-gotten gains. He will face another three years of supervised release after serving his sentence.
    According to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Oregon, Jacklin Seed contracted with independent growers for the production of proprietary grass seed varieties and fulfilled orders from a distribution facility in Albany, Oregon. But much of what Jacklin delivered, under Claypool's direction, was not what customers ordered, according to federal documents.
    Claypool, 53,oversaw the company's product sales to domestic and international distributors.
    U.S. attorney officials said Claypool's alleged schemes include packaging seed varieties with false and misleading labels, embezzling more than $12 million while posing as a foreign sales partner and conspiring with a travel agency in Spokane, Washington, to inflate costs of his international travel.
    Throughout the duration of Claypool's plot of fraud and deception, Jacklin Seed was a division of JR Simplot Co. Jacklin was acquired by Barenbrug in October 2020.
    The U.S. Attorney's Office says Claypool and other Jacklin employees, upon recognizing shortages of some lower yield turfgrass varieties, began a process of substituting different varieties of seeds and hiding the substitutions from customers with falsified labels and invoices, all to avoid paying premiums to growers that would adversely affect the company's profits and their own careers. This began in early 2015 and continued at least until 2019, according to the justice department.
    Claypool and a colleague directed Jacklin employees to invoice the customers under the original terms of their contracts, notwithstanding the unauthorized substitutions. As a result of this scheme, Simplot has refunded or credited more than $1.5 million to defrauded buyers.
    As part of the scheme, Claypool directed Simplot's payment of more than $12 million in "rebates" and "commissions" to entities that were posing as foreign sales partners but were, in fact, fronts for Claypool's co-conspirators in embezzling those funds. The co-conspirators then transmitted part of their illegally conceived windfall from accounts in Hong Kong to real estate investments in Hawaii under Claypool's control. Years later, Claypool sold the real estate and wired the proceeds to investment accounts in Spokane as part of an intricate money laundering operation.
  • Favorable weather and an increase in rounds played were linked at the hip in June. File photo by John Reiitman Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. are separated by 140 miles. Thanks to local weather in each location, they were worlds apart for golfers in June.
    Midway through the year, rounds were up slightly nationwide, less than 1 percent, in June, compared with the same month in 2020, according to the Golf Datatech Monthly Rounds Played Report. But that statistic, quite literally, tells only half the story.
    A total of 20 states showed an increase in rounds played of 2 percent or more, while rounds played were down by the same amount in 20 others. Nine states showed a push in the monthly report that routinely ignores Alaska.
    The dartboard results for June are attributed to a weather-induced reduction in golf playable hours. GPH is a function that measures the pool of hours conducive to playing the game, based on factors such as daylight, wind, temperature and precipitation.
    In Washington, where rainfall for the month of June was 1.5 inches above the historic average, rounds played were down by 7 percent, according to the National Weather Service. In Philadelphia, rainfall in June was an inch below average, and rounds played were up by 2 percent.
    For the year, rounds are up 22 percent over the first six months of 2020's record-setting rounds. The greatest monthly gains were in Hawaii (up 31 percent), which was essentially off limits to travelers throughout much of last year. Other significant gains were in New York (28 percent); Alabama, Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont (all 13 percent); and Iowa and Missouri (11 percent).
    The biggest loser in June was Oklahoma. Rounds played there were off by 31 percent. Rainfall in Oklahoma City was significant, registering 7.37 inches at the airport, according to the NWS. That number is almost 3 inches and 64 percent above the historic average. Other big losers for the month were Arizona and Indiana (down 12 percent) and New Mexico (10 percent).
  • Even in retirement, Matt Shaffer finds it difficult to sit still. File photo by John Reitman After a career spent managing demanding conditions and demanding golfers, most superintendents probably would be content, upon retirement, riding off into the sunset for some R and R in a more benign environment. Matt Shaffer is not now, nor has he ever been most people.
    Although he lives in rural Pennsylvania for half the year, and spends the other half driving a bass boat around Okeechobee, Florida, Shaffer has been anything but idle following retirement from Merion Golf Club in 2016. He currently consults for several entities, including some that are in the turf maintenance business, others that are considering it and a museum owned by descendents of Christopher Columbus.
    "When I left Merion, I was worried about going from 90 to zero," said Shaffer, who calls himself a "brand ambassador" for his clients.
    "It has been a good experience. I travel the U.S. and meet superintendents, generate leads for my clients and open doors for them. And they pay me to do that."
    Since he left Penn State in 1974, Shaffer has spent his career swimming against the current. "That's the way we've always done it" never has been part of his vocabulary. Tell him he can't do something, and you better move over. When skeptics said Merion, at 6,950 yards, was too short and undeserving of the 2013 U.S. Open, he coaxed conditions out of the rain-softened Hugh Wilson design that resulted in Justin Rose winning the tournament at 1-over. 
    When something new and innovative hits the golf market, it's a good bet that Shaffer will be among the first to try it.
    "I'm an early adopter. I'm not a techy, but I am a Curious George," he said. "I'm  always interested in what's happening."
    Which explains him hanging out a shingle under the Minimalistic Agronomic Techniques, or M.A.T. with Matt, and working not only with established companies such as Steiner and Ryan, but also stumping for newer, lesser-known players in the turf industry, such as Aneuvia and BioBoost.
    "It's not about the money, although the money is nice," he said. "It's about helping people and having something to do."
    When he is not helping clients promote their wares and services, Shaffer can be found tending the grounds of the Boals Family Museum in his hometown of Boalsburg, Pennsylvania, fishing in Florida, or, once in a while, even relaxing with wife Renna.
    The Boals Family Museum, located just a few miles from the Penn State campus, is owned by descendents of Christopher Columbus and exhibits include pieces once owned by the explorer.
    Even when spending the winter months in Okeechobee, Shaffer does more than skim the lakes in search of bass. He takes advantage of his time there to visit with clients throughout the South.
    "In all those years of work, I never really sat down and relaxed. Even if we were at the beach, I never relaxed. I think my wife would like me to step off altogether and retire, but I'm not there yet. This way, some days I work, some days I don't. Today, I'm going to get a haircut and a new bar for the chainsaw. On Friday, I have three Zoom meetings. Some days are all my own. It's pretty euphoric."
    When Shaffer "retired" from Merion, the club retained him for a year to consult with his successor and friend, Paul B. Latshaw, who after 14 years at Muirfield Village, five years at Oak Hill and six years (1992-98) at Merion, hardly needed the help.
    "We are diametrically opposite," Shaffer said. "For us to work together, it wouldn't work. Neither of us are budging and inch, and it's only going to compromise our friendship."
    Good bye, Merion. Hello, M.A.T. with Matt.
    Shaffer says he has tendered many recruiting offers to pitch products, manage people and even run a hospital.
    "That's how desperate people are for management," he said. 
    "Every generation gets weaker. Parents want their kids to have it better than they did. To do that, they try to help them and make things easier for them. What they are doing is making them weaker. 
    "There is a reason why you see so many people with white hair managing people. Companies are throwing money at them and convincing them not to retire. I'm still going 90 miles an hour, just not 150 with my hair on fire."
  • Almost a year after Bayer agreed to drop billions to settle nearly 100,000 cases in which plaintiffs claimed the weedkiller was responsible for their cancer, another round of suits against the chemical company are set to begin.
    A California woman who used Roundup for more than 30 years is the next person to say glyphosate, the active ingredient in the popular weed killer, caused her non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. The trial is set to begin July 19 in San Bernardino County Superior Court.
    In September, Bayer settled thousands of cases for a total of $11 billion. The company also sought to shelter itself against future litigation, but a judge in San Francisco denied Bayer's proposal to set aside another $2 billion to settle all future claims.
    Instead, many attorneys have rejected offers from the class action settlement as insufficient, according to published reports. With thousands of cases still pending, and Bayer's turf and ornamental segment up for sale, it appears the legal system is ready to let this play out until the company has nothing left to give. 
    Bayer bought Monsanto (and Roundup) in 2018 for $63 million and has been defending itself against cancer claims ever since. It has said it is considering removing Roundup for sale to the residential consumer market.
    The decision to divest Bayer Environmental Science includes its professional turf and ornamental business, but does not include the segment's agricultural  or commercial units, which are among its most profitable divisions. The company's Crop Science division plans to focus heavily on growing its presence in the agriculture industry. 
    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released studies indicating that Roundup was safe if used according to label instructions. The courts, however, sided with those who cited World Health Organization data and a document known as the Zhang paper that state glyphosate could be a carcinogen.
  • Atticus, a manufacturer of generic pesticide products for the professional and agricultural markets, is rebranding its line of products for the turf and ornamental industry under the EcoCore badge.
    Based in Cary, North Carolina, EcoCure's philosophy is to fights pests in a sustainable manner, the company says.
    Mike Maravich brings years of experience in the turf industry to his new role as vice president of Atticus. A graduate of the turf management program at Ohio State, Maravich has previously worked at Sipcam Agro, Primera Turf and FMC Corp. His responsibilities at Atticus will include identifying needs and bringing new products to market.
     
    "This industry has been my passion for my whole career. Building off my recent experience in agriculture, I'm inspired to come back to my roots in non-crop and grow the EcoCore markets at Atticus," said Maravich. "Aligning my passion and experience with the Atticus purpose-driven attitude and a strategy that is committed to desired outcomes with an unwavering commitment to help elevate our customers' ability to serve their industries and enhance daily life."
     
    The Maravich-led EcoCore team will optimize the current portfolio and continue to develop and drive product development going forward. "With an ever-expanding portfolio of more than 60 active ingredients and 120 end-use registrations, Atticus has the depth to deliver relevant, straightforward products and the vision to meet customer priorities and challenges," Maravich said.
     
    "Atticus has been directionally consistent for years, and we are using that momentum to springboard the EcoCore business," Maravich said. "With an extensive portfolio, a well-rounded team, and a defined cultural framework, we're in a unique position to deliver on our value proposition: Relevant-Simple-Reliable."
  • The Pulpit Club near Toronto will become a training center for Toro turf and irrigation products. Photo by The Pulpit Club The history of The Pulpit Club near Toronto is linked forever to a popular board game, but a recent arrangement that will include utilizing the property for educational purposes is no laughing matter.
    Turf Care Products Canada, an Ontario-based distributor of equipment to golf courses, parks and municipalities, and The Toro Company have reached a 10-year partnership with The Pulpit Club in Caledon. The agreement includes the club's continued use of Toro equipment and irrigation systems on both the Pulpit and Paintbrush golf courses and use of the club as a Toro equipment and irrigation training center.
    The Pulpit's high profile status in Canada makes it an ideal location for professional training.
    Formerly known as the Devil's Pulpit Golf Association, The Pulpit Club was founded by Chris Haney and Scott Abbott, the creators of the game Trivial Pursuit. Both courses there were designed by the golf course architectural firm then known as Hurdzan-Fry. The Pulpit opened in 1990, the Paintbrush followed in 1992. Each was named the best new course in Canada upon opening and both are ranked among the country's top 20 golf courses.
    There also is a strong family connection at The Pulpit. Rob Wright has been superintendent at The Pulpit Club since 2015, when he succeeded his father, Ken Wright, the club's only other superintendent.
    "Our relationship with Turf Care as our distributor has been a very positive one," Rob Wright said, "and I have no doubt that it will continue to grow as we embark on this exciting journey together."
  • In response to the NCAA's updated policy on amateurism that allows college athletes to capitalize on their name, image and likeness, the USGA and The R&A announced Tuesday, July 6 that they will waive most NIL-related breaches of the Rules of Amateur Status for collegiate golfers through the end of the year - as long as that golfer retains his or her NCAA playing eligibility.
    Golf's governing bodies proposed permanent changes to the Rules of Amateur Status in February that, if adopted, will no longer restrict many NIL-related activities for collegiate golfers beginning January 1, 2022. The USGA's plan is to finalize the modernized Amateur Status rules later this year, with the goal of ensuring a smooth transition and minimal disruption for all involved.
    After learning of the NCAA's recent announcement, the USGA and The R&A have taken this interim step after considering what affect the NCAA's announcement could have on amateur golfers, event organizers, coaches and committees worldwide through this interim period.
    Immediately after the NCAA announced that college athletes could profit off their name, image and likeness, college athletes nationwide began seeking endorsement deals and other revenue-generating opportunities. Among them were several college golfers unsure of how the new rules might affect their amateur status with the USGA, including Auburn's Mychael O'Berry, who had recently qualified for this year's U.S. Women's Amateur.
    The decision by the USGA and R&A will allow O'Berry and other golfers like her to earn money off their likeness while also maintaining their amateur status with the USGA.
    Recognizing the immediate impact these decisions may have on a player's amateur status, the USGA  will actively monitor how these policies will affect the amateur game and, if necessary, will update the information provided as appropriate. These new rulings do not waive the Rules of Amateur Status in general for collegiate golfers, or Rule 6 (Use of Golf Skill or Reputation) in its entirety. This interim approach is intended to provide a short-term solution with minimal impact on the amateur game.
    "While the timing of this interim guidance doesn't match the revision cycle for the Rules of Amateur Status, as we announced during our feedback period in February on the proposed Rules of Amateur Status, all amateur golfers will likely be able to benefit from their name, image, or likeness beginning in 2022," said Craig Winter, the USGA's senior director of rules of golf and amateur status. "We do not expect either this interim guidance nor the revised Rules come January to pose any threat to any amateur golf competition, including our own amateur championships."
    The USGA still encourages collegiate golfers to discuss their specific situation with their school's compliance office before entering into any agreement, or contract.
    Collegiate golfers must be prepared prove NCAA eligibility - such as a letter from the school's compliance office - before competing in a USGA amateur event. 
    For all other amateur golfers, the current Rules of Amateur Status continue to apply. For example, amateur golfers who do not compete at the college level could lose amateur status by profiting from their name, image or likeness before the new Rules of Amateur Status are adopted in January.

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