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From the TurfNet NewsDesk

  • John Reitman
    Promoting environmental stewardship on the golf course is not a passing fancy or a fad with Anthony Williams. It is a way of life - literally. And he has the hardware to prove it.
    Williams was named the winner of the GCSAA/Golf Digest Environmental Leaders in Golf Award in 2020 in the Communications and Outreach category for his work at TPC Four Seasons in Irving, Texas. Williams has earned four ELGA awards on three different properties, including the Private and Overall winner at Four Seasons in 2017, Public and Overall winner at Stone Mountain (Georgia) Golf Club in 2006 and he tied with Troy Russell of Bandon Dunes for in the Resort category in 2005 when he was superintendent at the Renaissance Pineisle Resort in Sugar Hill, Georgia.
    Being at his best is something Williams strives for every day, whether it is at a state park golf course in Georgia or the home to one of the game's greatest players.
    "Every morning when I make my first round, I am reminded when I go by the Byron Nelson statue, of how excellent he was and what a legacy he has in golf, in Texas and on this property," Williams said. "And I am reminded that I am the keeper of this legacy."
    That was a challenge in 2020.
    When the Four Seasons was closed to golfers, Williams not only oversaw agronomics with a shadow of a crew, he also played the role of security guard, chasing off those daring enough to try to sneak onto the course to play a few holes or make their way to the practice area.
    When the property did reopen, it was in phases.
    "We were immediately tasked with a physical ask and a mental ask," Williams said. "And we had to figure out how to deal with protocols to be safe and produce a great product consistently as we brought the first course back online, then the second course, then the resort."
    Eventually, the Four Seasons reopened to member and guest play and the resort served as the Major League Baseball postseason bubble, housing all the teams that qualified for the playoffs, including the World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.
    To ensure the safety of MLB players and personnel and protect the integrity of the postseason, resort staff had to make sure that the bubble was not compromised.
    "That was an opportunity to show our ability to keep people safe and show our hospitality," Williams said. 
    "We ran a fence to split the property in half. October is also when we have our member-guest and all club championships, and it was also the time when we had to separate members from our high-profile guests, and success was expected. Only a few of us were allowed inside the bubble. I've never before mowed pool grass at night while our guests were at the (Texas Rangers baseball) stadium. While they were at the game, we were able to take care of everything to protect the asset and our guests.
    "We've always had contingencies in place here, but I never thought it would have to go as severe as it did this year. We were able to make adjustments, because we had total buy-in and good processes that just needed to be tweaked."
  • As a golf course superintendent, Stephen Rabideau wears many hats - agronomist, accountant, personnel manager and counselor. In 2020, he also put on the hat of amateur psychologist in an attempt to console members of his team when an event for which they had been preparing for months was cast into doubt in the early stages of the pandemic.
    Rabideau and his crew at Winged Foot in Mamaroneck, New York, had been busy getting the West Course ready for the 2020 U.S. Open, when the event was put on hold and its fate uncertain, sending their collective psyche on a months-long roller coaster ride. And when it was decided the Open would be played - without fans - late into the summer from Sept. 17-20, a smaller-than-usual team was charged with providing U.S. Open conditions at the end of the season when they normally would be getting the course ready for the offseason.
    "We had no idea what was going on with the Open," Rabideau said. "There was so much unknown, and there was a letdown among those on the crew. 
    "The Open gets moved to September, and now we have to keep the golf course perfect through the summer. That's hard. In September we're holding a U.S. Open when we're normally aerifying the golf course because it's tired."
    By early March, construction of staging areas was underway. The following week, there were at least 100 more people on site as construction continued. By the third week, everything changed.
    "We were two years out preparing for the Open," Rabideau said. "In December of 2019, we were building and paving roads. We put in 5,000 feet of water lines to get to the USGA's food areas. In January and February of 2020 it was so mild we worked all winter.
    "Covid began ramping up, then the USGA stopped work and sent their guys home. Everything was at a standstill. We didn't know if there was going to be an Open."
    New York quickly earned the reputation as being the epicenter of the virus, but Rabideau and his team were deemed essential workers.
    "People were being told to stay home, because it was not safe, but we were told it was OK to come to work," he said. "We had no idea what was going on with the Open. It was confusing. Team morale was pretty bad."
    A month after the world had shut down, Rabideau still did not know if there would be an Open, or whether the months of work put in by his team would all be for nothing.
    "There were rumors it might move, and there were rumors that it hinged on the British Open," he said. "Everyone was fighting for the same weekend in the fall. One weekend, we were told that it was moving. That was not good.
    "Motivating our guys was becoming really hard. From March, all the April and May into a week or two into June, we still had less than half a staff to maintain two top-100 golf courses, but the expectations were the same. The guys were asked to do more, all not knowing what was going on with the Open."
    Finally, by July, word came that the Open would be played - in September and without fans.
    "That was another letdown," he said. "That meant no family, no friends, nobody."
    Whether it was the drama and uncertainty of the Open schedule, or the late summer date on the calendar, none of that prevented Rabideau and his team from providing the world's best players with Open-caliber conditions.
    After winning his first major championship in September, Bryson DeChambeau called Winged Foot "an incredible test" and eight-time majors champion Tom Watson called the West Course "arguably the toughest course there is."
    "The big thing was the rough," Rabideau said. "We were fertilizing and watering the rough through the summer. Then if you do that, you have to spray it. This was not an easy year. It was hot and dry, and we had to keep the greens, tees, fairways, approaches and rough perfect until fall. That is a lot. Then by September we had two hours less daylight.
    "We were really busy seven days a week. Typically, we're aerifying in September. This year, we were hosting a U.S. Open instead."
  • Just a few years removed from what some called the driest period in the state's history, California might be on the cusp of another drought.
    According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, the entire state is under some level of drought, ranging from Abnormally Dry to Extreme Drought conditions. And California is not alone. Nine other western states are completely under drought-like conditions and eight more are very close.
    Winter snow in the Sierra Nevada range supplies about 30 percent of the state's water supply through a system of aqueducts and waterways known as the State Water Project that captures runoff. The California Department of Water Resources says based on reports from 204 weather stations throughout the Sierras that snowpack in the mountain range that runs along California's spine for 400 miles is at an average of just 42 percent of normal through January 19. 
    The state is so dry that two power providers in Southern California interrupted power to thousands of customers, out of fear that winds could take down electrical lines leading to more wildfires.
    "The snow survey results reflect California's dry start to the water year and provide an important reminder that our state's variable weather conditions are made more extreme by climate change," said Karla Nemeth, director of the department of water resources, in a news release. "We still have several months left to bring us up to average, but we should prepare now for extended dry conditions. The Department, along with other state agencies and local water districts, is prepared to support communities should conditions remain dry."
    Rainfall throughout Los Angeles County was down by about 25 percent through 2020 according to the National Weather Service. No rainfall at all was recorded in the county in five months throughout the year, including four months straight from June through September. Some of the largest of the state's 47 reservoirs are well under storage capacity, including Shasta (42 percent), Oroville (34 percent) and San Luis (49 percent).
    "While the dry conditions during late summer and fall have led to a below average snowpack," Nemeth said, "it is still encouraging to have the amount of snow we already have with two of the three typically wettest months still to come."
    The last drought plagued most of the state at some point from 2011 to 2017 and resulted in mandated water-use restrictions statewide.
  • Several varieties of beneficial predators will attack clay versions of some turfgrass pests, such as fall armyworms and black cutworms. Photo by University of Georgia Turf managers can use all the help they can get when it comes to managing common pests such as fall armyworms and black cutworms. But little is known how natural predators interact with these pests.
    Research at the University of Georgia is shedding light on how various predators attack their pray when it is in its vulnerable larval stage. And the medium used to track this activity.
    The study showed that beneficial predator insects will attack even clay models that resemble their prey, the larvae of cutworms and armyworms. Results of the study by entomology University of Georgia doctoral candidate Fawad Khan were published in November in the publication "Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata." It is believed to be the first study that used modeling clay in such a manner in turfgrass research.
    The research team, that included assistant professor Shimat Joseph, Ph.D., created two sizes of simulated larvae from modeling clay. Then they collected natural predators from turf lawns at UGA's Griffin campus. Each collected arthropod spent 48 hours in a petri dish with two sizes of clay larvae models. This was enough time for them to make their marks. Because the clay stays soft at room temperature, any markings left by the predators were preserved.
    Researchers observed how the predators interacted with models in the field. Outside of the petri dish-controlled environment, they also placed the clay models near a fire ant mound in turfgrass. The study found different types of predators created distinct markings after attacking the clay models.
    Researchers noted the differentiations in the specific markings left by each of at least a dozen types of predators, so they could further study these relationships in real-world settings.
    According to Joseph, the clay models are effective and cheap. Clay models of worm larvae left on trees or in the turf canopy usually will attract predators within a day or two.
    Further research into predation on cutworms and armyworms by different predators in different systems so as to include the results in IPM programs and that predatory behavior actually can be manipulated and influenced.
  • Educational events like the Syngenta Business Institute (below) and the Green Start Academy, held by Bayer and John Deere, (below right) went from in-person to online events in 2020. Around the world, people are suffering the effects of a new infirmity; one that can leave its victims lethargic, disinterested and unable to focus on the task at hand. When seeking out its victims, Zoom Fatigue plays no favorites. It has affected people in every age group, from the kindergarten playroom to the corporate boardroom and everywhere in between.
    The only cure, it seems, might be a return to a normal way of life, one in which children can go back to school and their parents can attend meetings, trade shows and educational seminars in person. Until such time, virtual education is here to stay.
    That's true in turf, where regional conferences, university field days and even meetings that once occurred in what seems like an old-fashioned face-to-face format, now take place on a computer screen or cell phone.
    "I am on two to three Zoom calls every day," said Dan Meersman, director of grounds at the Philadelphia Cricket Club. "I'm in them all the time. I had to attend one last night where I did not have to speak much. I worked out in our basement while the meeting was going on. I paused to make a statement, then finished my workout."
    As the first virtual version of the Golf Industry Show approaches, many wonder what turnout will be like. Other virtual events that have occurred since last March indicate that turfgrass management professionals embrace the idea of online education.
    Although overall attendance was down at the hybrid version of the Carolinas GCSA show, nearly 2,200 "seats" were sold for virtual education, topping the previous in-person record of 1,379.
    When the University of Tennessee decided last spring to cancel its annual field day held each September at the East Tennessee Research and Education Center, the event was replaced with Turfgrass Tuesdays, a live webinar series held the first week of each month. 
    An average of 130 turf professionals logged in for each session.
    When educational conferences like Green Start Academy, presented annually by John Deere and Bayer, and the Syngenta Business Institute, went online, they were met with the same enthusiasm attendees had for in-person events.
    "I thoroughly enjoyed the Syngenta Business Institute," said Parish Pina, superintendent at The Ridge Club in Sandwich, Massachusetts. "I thought the way they made it interactive within groups and engaging to listen to, outstanding. I don't have many other online learning experiences to set a precedent as yet, but they have definitely set the bar."
    Meersman has been a speaker or mentor at the past two Green Start Academies, including the virtual version in 2020, when he led a breakout session after each of four weekly events. Meersman believes the comfort of attending from home or work in some ways improved the experience and led to better interaction between attendees and mentors.
    "I thought they were more candid and honest and asked really good questions," Meersman said. "And we had more time after each topic to discuss what was brought up in the discussion and provide real-world examples."
    For more than a decade, Syngenta has been providing business education for dozens of superintendents through the Syngenta Business Institute held in cooperation with the Wake Forest University School of Business.
    The program provides graduate school-level instruction on topics including financial management, human resource management, negotiating, managing across generations and cultural divides, impact hiring and other leadership- and professional-development skills. The event, which has been held annually at Wake Forest, was all virtual last December.
    "Syngenta is deeply committed to educating superintendents, so we were pleased to be able to offer the Syngenta Business Institute in a safe and effective virtual format," said Stephanie Schwenke, turf market manager for Syngenta. "I was very impressed with how engaged the 2020 class was throughout the week. They were extremely involved with each other, asked the four professors great questions, added invaluable insights for everyone and built relationships through the social events. The 2020 cohort exceeded my expectations. We look forward to meeting as many of them as possible in person during future industry events."
    Rick Mooney, vice president of maintenance and development at Shorelodge in McCall, Idaho, had read and heard all about SBI since its inception 12 years ago, and although the event was online in 2020 he was excited he had landed a spot in the annual rotation of about 40 golf course superintendents chosen to attend.
     "I came into the institute with an open mind willing to put in the effort and try to become a better business leader," Mooney said. "The curriculum was great, and I found myself fully engaged and feeling like we could have extended class possibly with a break for lunch with a morning and afternoon session. I found that I wanted further interaction with my peers, and I wish we would have had more time exchanging ideas and learning from each other's experiences as well as the instructors' input. If they offered a Syngenta virtual 2.0, I am sure that I would ask to continue my learning experience."
  • The Syngenta booth is always a hub of activity during the Golf Industry Show. Even with this year's show taking place online, Syngenta's virtual booth still will have a lot going on.
    During the virtual 2021 Golf Industry Show, scheduled from Feb. 2-4, Syngenta will encourage superintendents to share their perspective for the year ahead, network and celebrate each other and focus on their personal health while also learning about the latest products available from Syngenta. 
    While visiting the Syngenta virtual booth or GreenCastOnline.com/GIS, visitors can choose their own adventure through an interactive video that provides insights into controlling turf diseases such as dollar spot, large patch, fairy ring, anthracnose, spring dead spot and take-all root rot featuring the latest fungicides, Ascernity, Posterity XT and Posterity Forte, as well as assurances and agronomic alerts. Upon completion, participants will receive their choice of a 12-ounce or 16-ounce YETI Rambler Colster can insulator. 
    Additionally, from Jan. 17 – Feb. 4, golf course professionals can follow @SyngentaTurf on Facebook and Twitter and share their positive #TurfPerspectives for a chance to win one of seven Solo Stove Yukon fire pits. 
    At GIS, Syngenta will introduce the GreenCast Turf App, which has been redesigned with added features and flexibility to fit each user’s needs. All data is now cloud-based, allowing for access on multiple devices and the ability to share information easily. 
    During the virtual show, Syngenta also will be supporting numerous events, including the Opening Ceremony, Ladies Leading Turf panel discussion and networking reception, the GCSAA Certification Luncheon, several education sessions as well as the annual Health in Action 5K, which will be hosted virtually.
    "While we are certainly going to miss seeing our customers face-to-face at the Golf Industry Show, Syngenta is committed to providing the best support possible for superintendents through the virtual format," said Stephanie Schwenke, turf marketing manager at Syngenta. "We hope it will provide an opportunity for even more turf professionals to participate who may not have historically been able to do so. Our team will be available throughout the show and look forward to interacting with everyone."
  • After leasing the property since 2012, Tracy and Steven Scott (below right, signing loan papers at the bank) bought Persimmon Hills Golf Course in Sharon, Tennessee, during a global pandemic, and he's been busy ever since.. As the world was on the verge of a global health crisis that has influenced the course of history, Steven Scott was in an unlikely place - in a bank securing a loan to buy a golf course.
    Last March 16, just days after "coronavirus" entered popular vernacular, Steven and wife Tracy signed papers to buy Persimmon Hills Golf Course, the daily fee facility in Sharon, Tennessee, that Scott had been leasing for almost a decade. They closed on the loan in early June.
    "I don't think we got to that point of panic," Scott said. "Everybody was scared. We didn't know how this was going to work out. We didn't know that people's jobs and lives were going to be on the chopping block, much less who was going to be on it. We asked ourselves, 'We're going to get through this, right?' ' There is another side, eventually, right?' We thought everything has to get back to normal eventually. We were hedging our bets on normal."
    A 2007 graduate of the University of Tennessee-Martin golf and landscape school, Scott has been leasing Persimmon Hills since 2012
    Whatever reservations he and his wife had about signing those bank papers to buy the property quickly were put to rest.
    After the first few weeks of the pandemic period, golf in Tennessee, including at Persimmon Hills, has been very busy.
    Through November 2020, the most recent data available, rounds played in Tennessee were up nearly 22 percent, which is outpacing the national average by about 8 percent. Compared with 2019, paid greens fees at Persimmon Hills were up a staggering 56 percent and member sales increased by 25 percent, Scott said.
    "We were banking on just doing as well as we had when we were leasing the course. We thought we can make a living doing this," Scott said. "We were not expecting the huge bump we got."
    Even when the Scotts decided they wanted to buy the property outright, getting a bank to OK the deal was not automatic.
    "The way our lease was structured, it was lease to own," he said. "Every rent payment was going toward the previous owner's mortgage and any equipment payments he had. My buyout was whatever it took them to get out of debt. Some banks told us that we had to keep paying down their debt for a few more years. We finally found the right bank to make it happen."
    Scott believes being a superintendent gives him a leg up on some of his competition, where operators come from the club pro side of the business. Especially at what literally is a mom-and-pop operation.
    "We don't have any frills. The golf course is our product," he said. "So, being the best conditioned golf course is how I make money. It's how we market ourselves. We don't have tennis courts or the biggest clubhouse, but we have the best playing conditions in this area."
    The 55-year-old clubhouse building is getting a renovation that Scott said is 40 years overdue, and future plans include a golf simulator to help drive revenue throughout the winter months.
    There is much about owning and operating a golf course that Scott did not learn in college.
    "As a superintendent, I spent all these years leaning on other superintendents for help," he said. "Thanks to social media, I can pick their brains and get help for whatever I need. As an owner, I find myself leaning on accountants and lawyers. I had one accounting class in college. I could have had five and it would not have been enough."
    Although he has to be educated on tax and zoning laws and concerned about safety issues for employees and guests, Scott also remains focused on the core of his business.
    "We offer a fair golf course for a good price, and we are going to keep it that way," he said. "The course has been here since 1965, and we hope to keep it here another 55 years."
  • Aqua-Aid Solutions recently launched Excalibur, a rapid response soil surfactant that delivers quick infiltration and consistent dry down.
    Excalibur is powered by Potentiated Hydrophobe Technology (PHT), a new surfactant technology to the U.S. market.
    PHT is comprised of a molecule with a strong hydrophobic chain that permits a more powerful affinity to attach to a soil particle surface allowing for better infiltration and longevity, the company says. 
    Excalibur is a great tank mix partner with your current agronomic program to target mitigation of varying environmental factors and place synergistic chemistries in the correct zone of the soil profile for maximum effectiveness. Targeting these zones within the soil profile makes excellent plant health achievable.
    Excalibur is safe to turf and can be applied at any time of the year to substantially improve turfgrass quality and resistance to stress. Excalibur is easy to apply through standard spray application equipment to all turfgrass areas.
    Benefits of Excalibur include:
    Enhances adsorption to hydrophobic particles provides consistent dry-down and soil hydration Radically increases the infiltration of water Potentiated chemistry sets a NEW standard for management of environmental stresses Provides resilient, high-quality, consistent turfgrass Effective at significantly lower use rates than competing products.
  • Harry Niemcyzk and Patricia Cobb in a 1985 issue of Weeds, Trees & Turf. Photo from Michigan State University Libraries The turf industry lost two legends during the holiday season. 
    Harry Niemczyk, Ph.D., a longtime entomologist at Ohio State, died December 16 at age 91. Don Waddington, who spent nearly 30 years as a professor of turfgrass management at Penn State, died on New Year’s Day. He was 89.
    A native of Grand Rapids, Michigan, Niemcyzk earned a doctorate degree from Michigan State in 1962 and two years later took a position at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center in Wooster, an arm of Ohio State. He spent the next 30 years there, and his self-published book Destructive Turf Insects (1981) became required reading for many turfgrass students across the country.
    An Air Force veteran, Niemczyk reached the rank of staff sergeant during the Korean War and served as a technical instructor. Niemczyk was an avid outdoorsman and particularly enjoyed bird watching and fishing the rivers and streams of Michigan. According to a 2012 newspaper article, Niemcyzk was so passionate about sharing his love for fishing that he was known by other anglers as Pierre Z. Guide. 
    He was preceded in death by his wife of 66 years, Dolores. Survivors include Mark Niemczyk of Apple Creek, Ohio, Sharon Niemczyk of Portland, Oregon, Kathy Kruse of Wooster, and Lisa (wife of Kip) Nussbaum of Orrville, Ohio.
    Waddington was a native of Norristown, Pennsylvania. He earned a bachelor’s degree at Penn State, but struck out to Michigan State for a master’s degree and earned a doctorate at UMass in 1964. He made his way back to Pennsylvania a year later to begin a 26-year career at Penn State.
    His research focused on soil amendments and modification, nutrient availability and uptake, soil test calibration, nitrogen source evaluation, and surface characteristics of athletic fields, including methods to assess impact absorption properties and traction. He and colleague Jack Harper collaborated on studies related to the safety and playability of athletic field surfaces. 
    Waddington has published his research results in scientific journals as well as publications for turfgrass managers. He is co-author of the book Turfgrass Soil Fertility and Chemical Problems: Assessment and Management.
    During Waddington's Penn State tenure he taught more than 1,100 students in two-year turf management, four-year undergraduate and graduate programs. Courses included soil physical and chemical properties, fertility, and weed control. For two years after retirement he continued to advise graduate students and teach courses in the two-year program.
    He was preceded in death by his wife of 55 years, Caroline, and brothers Harold and Samuel. He is survived by his children Mary Waddington of State College, Pennsylvania, James Waddington of Bradenton, Florida, Lauretta (Marcus) Mann of Allentown, Pennsylvania, Kathy (Richard) Lirette of Pace, Florida, David (Monica) Waddington of Springfield, Virginia, and Douglas Waddington of State College.
  • The most-read story on TurfNet in 2020 is Matt Henkel's ongoing battle with brain cancer. For better or worse (mostly worse), 2020 was a memorable year for golf. 
    Defined by years of declining interest, the game enjoyed a revival in most places in 2020. Although year-end statistics won’t be known until later into January, it’s safe to say year-over-year growth in 2020 has set many records. That’s the good.
    That renaissance was driven almost entirely by a global pandemic that for months literally drove a stake through the heart of many other activities and forms of entertainment. That’s the bad.
    We have compiled a list of the 10 most-read stories of the year on TurfNet. Some brought good news; some, not so much. Click on the headline to read the full text of each story.
    10. Jacobsen turfcare manufacturing moving exclusively to U.K.
    In an attempt to further streamline operations of its turf division, Jacobsen will move all manufacturing of its turfcare products to its facility in the United Kingdom. The Ransomes/Jacobsen manufacturing center in Ipswich offers more flexibility and will lead to increased manufacturing efficiency, the company said. 
    9. Yale Golf Course begins long road back to former glory
    First, Yale Golf Course lost its longtime superintendent, then its general manager then the course at the Ivy League school in New Haven, Connecticut, was closed in response to Covid. It was all downhill from there as conditions waned at the 100-year-old Seth Raynor classic.

    When it comes to doing more with less, few can match Matt Lean in Stuart, Florida. 8. Florida superintendent redefines low-budget success
    On the surface, Monterey Yacht and Country Club in Stuart, Florida, sounds like one of South Florida's premier golf clubs that can be found in a 10-minute radius. In reality, Monterey YCC is a modest, yet well-maintained nine-holer that redefines low-budget golf. Providing players at this 55-and-older community is superintendent Matt Lean, who has rewritten what it means to do more with less.
    7. Former superintendent goes all-in to help solve labor problems
    Finding solutions to some of golf's most pressing issues, like those related to labor, requires a unique way of thinking. Solving golf's labor issue, says former superintendent Tyler Bloom, is the result of a formula that includes matching the right applicant with the right job at the right golf course under the right superintendent. It's a process Bloom calls workforce development, and he is willing to stake his future on it.
    6. For Schwab, facilitating change in the workplace begins at home
    Creating a more diverse workplace in the golf industry is not part of a plan developed by a multi-association ad-hoc committee, nor is it a result of a bullet point plan on an academic's PowerPoint presentation. At least not at Pheasant Run Golf Club in Sharon, Ontario, where superintendent Leasha Schwab has created an inclusive workplace in which everyone is held to account by how they perform their job rather than how they look while doing it.
    5. Walter Montross, 66, career superintendent and Charter TurfNet Member
    A legend in the Mid-Atlantic for more than 40 years, Walter Montross died on Easter Sunday at age 66. A Maryland native who graduated from the University of Maryland in 1975, Montross started under Lee Dieter, CGCS, at Washington Golf & Country Club (Arlington, VA), then went to Springfield (VA) G&CC for 11 years, and in 1990 moved to Westwood Country Club in Vienna, VA until he retired in 2011.
    4. Nicklaus says Muirfield's Mark is the right man for Tour's doubleheader
    When the PGA Tour returned to play in July, it did so at Jack Nicklaus's Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio where director of grounds operations Chad Mark and his team hosted two PGA Tour events in two weeks - The Workday Charity Open and The Memorial Tournament. "The back-to-back tournaments at Muirfield, if anyone was going to handle it, I think it's in the hands of the right person," Nicklaus said of Mark.

    Chase Best (left) and Jake Yonkers (right) first were connected through baseball. Their connection runs much deeper today. 3. Superintendent in need of a transplant gets a kidney from an unlikely source
    At age 10, Chase Best's kidneys functioned like those of a 50-year-old man. Today, his kidneys function at about 8 percent of normal capacity, leading to fatigue, lethargy and worse, like minimizing the body's ability to cleanse itself of impurities. His condition worsened over time, and he's been on a donor list for the past three years. Ultimately, he found a donor in  his former Pony League baseball coach, Jake Yonkers. He's been undergoing dialysis since Jan. 6. Friends started a gofundme page on behalf of the family to help raise money and awareness.
    2. Assistant has vision to introduce at-risk kids to careers in turf
    Chris McIntyre did not have a lot growing up in Green Bay, Wisconsin. A part-time job at a golf course was an unlikely landing spot for an African American kid from the other side of the tracks. Today, McIntyre believes it is his responsibility to pay forward his good fortune and do for others what his former boss did for him.
    1. For superintendent and his family, one question remains: Why?
    Matt Henkel, general manager and superintendent at Prairie View Golf Club, a public forest preserve property in Byron, Illinois,, was diagnosed with brain cancer 12 years ago. After several surgeries and radiation treatments, he was cancer-free for four years until his annual check-up last fall when doctors discovered a grade 4 glioblastoma that has left the family feeling gut-punched, unsure of the future and asking "why".
  • Editor's note: There is a lot to say about 2020, but I can't really write what I want to and stay within the guidelines of journalistic ethics, so this watered down version will have to do. Suffice to say, “sayonara, 2020.”
    Even when he was alive, Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve has never been must-see TV for me. In fact, it has been a long time since I've made it a point to celebrate New Year's. Turning another year older has never been all that appealing, so, in sort of a silent protest, I've been asleep by midnight more often than not during the past two decades. 
    Historically, I have approached New Year's resolutions with the same lack of enthusiasm.
    Exercise more, lose weight, find a new hobby, learn to play a musical instrument all have had their moments on the New Year's resolution list with mostly disappointing results. Other than fishing, I have never had much interest in any other hobbies, and I continue to struggle with weight as I sit and stare at the dusty piano in my living room. But this is 2020, and if this year has taught us anything, it is that everything is different now.
    A lot more people than usual probably will stay up - albeit at home and alone - to ring in the New Year. I don't really care about Jennifer Lopez or Miley Cyrus, or anyone else scheduled to perform on Rockin' Eve. I am more interested in staying awake so I can tell 2020 to kiss it - even if there is little evidence to suggest 2021 will be much better.
    For nine months we have been told to stay home for the safety of ourselves as well as one another. We have been assured by elected officials that “we are in this together” despite an unemployment rate that skyrocketed to 14.7 percent in April. 
    The virus has exposed every crack in every institution and every business in every country. Literally, nothing, other than big-box stores and delivery services, has been immune to the effects of the virus. Small businesses and large, schools, places of worship, sporting events, family gatherings, restaurants all are feeling the effects of the virus. As vaccines slowly trickle out, questions remain about their efficacy and side effects, and it is unclear if and when all aspects of the economy will fully reopen in every state.
    A few things, however, are crystal clear: We have far less control over the details of our daily lives than we knew, elected officials (in both parties) are, more often than not, incompetent as leaders and the collective state of our mental health is extremely fragile as is our society's ability to confront it and meet the needs of those most at risk.
    If ever there was a time for a New Year's resolution, this is it. As a matter of fact, there are easy-to-implement lifestyle changes that many of us have been practicing since spring.
    If anything good has come from the pandemic, it is that we have enjoyed more time with family and we have had a chance to take a long, hard look in the mirror to think about how we treat others. Perhaps it is because many feel so fragile and on edge with the unknowns that accompany a global pandemic, but most of the people in my circle have become much more kind and thoughtful in how they treat others - and it is appreciated. This does not include the anonymous and passive-aggressive world of social media, but the folks we talk to on the phone, communicate with via email, meet on Zoom or, on the rare occasion, see in person.
    Being kind, being happy and being hopeful are far easier and more effective than the alternatives, and they are lifestyle changes that I hope outlast the pandemic. Goodness knows we all need it.
    Sure, promises to eat better and exercise more will return again - tomorrow. Not to mention, I still have that piano in the living room. I just hope I don't break the stool before learning to play it.
  • CLICK HERE TO NOMINATE YOUR TECH

    Jamie Worsham (center) of Beard Equipment, a Baton Rouge John Deere distributor, and Ryan McCavitt (right), director of golf course operations at Bayou Oaks at City Park, congratulate 2020 Golden Wrench winner Evan Meldahl. The past year has been a challenge for just about everyone in the golf industry. This time a year ago, many courses were closed, and no one was quite sure when they would be reopened and what things would look like then. 
    By the time things reopened, many places had sent workers home and golfers began to descend on shorthanded golf courses in record numbers, resulting in added pressure and stress to superintendents and their teams, including equipment managers. 
    With more golfers on the course and shorter windows to conduct daily maintenance, technicians were asked to do more and more, often with fewer and fewer resources. 
    If you have an equipment manager who has gone above and beyond the call of duty during the past year - and there must be a lot of deserving candidates since the implementation of Covid protocols - nominate him or her for the TurfNet 2021 Technician of the Year Award, sponsored by John Deere. The winner will receive the Golden Wrench Award along with their choice of a spot in a Deere training session in North Carolina or a chance to assist with equipment maintenance at next year’s Players Championship at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. Either will result in an equipment manager who is better trained and more motivated and will make your property better.
    CLICK HERE to submit a nomination.
    Nominees are considered by our panel of judges on the following criteria: 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.
    Deadline to submit a nomination is June 1.
    Previous winners include (2020) Evan Meldahl, Bayou Oaks at City Park, New Orleans, LA; (2019) Dan Dommer, Ozaukee Country Club, 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.
  • 2020 TurfNet Superintendent of the Year nominees
    Todd Allen
    Waiehu GC, Waiehu, HI
    David Brooks
    Cleveland Country Club. Shelby, NC
    Michael Broome
    Hollywood GC, Deal, NJ
    Alan Brown
    Timaquana CC, Jacksonville, FL
    Justin Collett
    The Club at Osprey Cove, St. Marys, GA
    Joe Davis
    The Club at Brookstone, Anderson, SC
    Justin DePippo
    Bel Air CC, Los Angeles, CA
    Brent Doolittle
    Shady Oaks CC, Fort Worth
    Brent Downs
    Otter Creek GC, Columbus, IN
    Richard Duggan
    Milbrook GC, Greenwich, CT
    Richie Edwards
    Ft Walton Beach GC, Ft Walton Beach, FL
    Joey Franco
    Daniel Island GC, Daniel Island, SC
    Jon Jennings
    Shinnecock Hills GC, Southampton, NY
    Bobby Jewett
    Ryderbrook GC, Morrisville, VT
    Matt Lean
    Monterey Yacht & Country Club, Stuart, FL
    Scott LesChander
    Terrace Park CC, Milford, OH
    Augustin Lucio
    Coral Hospitality, Naples, FL
    Paul MacCormack
    Fox Meadow GC, Prince Edward Island
    Scott McBane
    Galloway National GC, Galloway, NJ
    Bob McLean
    Indian Hills CC, Bowling Green, KY
    Pat McMahon
    Blue Heron Pines GC, Atco, NJ
    Ed McSeaman
    Toms River CC, Toms River, NJ
    Eddie Mullins
    Stonecrest GC, Summerfield, FL
    Chris Ortmeier
    Champions Club, Houston
    Dustin Perdue
    Sage Valley GC, Graniteville, SC
    Steve Rabideau
    Winged Foot GC, Mamoroneck, NY
    Chris Reverie
    Allentown Municipal GC, Allentown, PA
    Chad Schie
    Union CC, Dover, OH
    Justin Sims
    Alotian Club, Roland, AR
    Brian Stiehler
    Highlands CC, Highlands, NC
    Steve Turner
    South Park GC, South Park, PA
    Anthony Williams
    TPC Las Colinas, Irving, TX
  • With the convention business feeling the brunt of a global pandemic, you're not alone if you've wondered how the rest of the turf industry might respond to a virtual education conference and trade show.
    More than 700 turf managers participated in Conference Comes to You, a virtual educational event presented in November by the Carolinas Golf Course Superintendents Association.
    The event offered 30 two-hour educational seminars and was open to members of the Carolinas GCSA as well those from 35 regional chapters and the British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association.
    A total of 727 turf managers bought nearly 2,200 "seats" in the monthlong educational series, which outpaced the previous in-person record of 1,379. Last year's in-person Carolinas GCSA Conference and Show attracted a record-high 2,020 attendees. Still, this year's total is nothing to sneeze considering the dichotomy of the newness of bringing an entire educational conference online in a year when many also happen to be suffering from Zoom fatigue.
    In July, when the pandemic forced the cancellation of that three-day event historically held at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center, the association crafted a slate of 30 unique two-hour seminars over 30 days in its place. Close to 2,200 seminar seats were sold, easily eclipsing the record of 1,379 at the traditional conference.
     
    "Most importantly, we delivered on our mission statement despite the pandemic," Carolinas GCSA executive director Tim Kreger said. "Our association exists, first and foremost, to provide educational opportunities for the continual advancement of the profession of the golf course superintendent in the Carolinas. We're proud we were able to deliver."
    Nearly 40 vendor partners stepped forward with financial support for the virtual conference. The 35 participating regional chapters as well as BIGGA received a share of each seminar fee paid for by their members.
     
    "That kind of support from industry partners and our allied chapters speaks volumes for the credibility the Carolinas GCSA has developed over decades," says president, Brian Stiehler, CGCS, MG from Highlands Country Club in Highlands, NC. "Conference Comes to You was an untried idea in the middle of extremely uncertain times, yet our partners stepped right up. The board is extremely proud of our staff for developing the concept then bringing together all the elements to make it a reality."
    Participating chapters included: Alabama, Calusa, Central Florida, Central Ohio, Connecticut, Eastern Shore, Everglades, Florida, Florida West Coast, Georgia, Gulf Coast, Hawaii, Heart of America, Hi-Lo Desert, Louisiana-Mississippi, Met GCSA, Miami Valley, Mid-Atlantic, Minnesota, New England, New Jersey, North Florida, Northern California, Palm Beach, Rdige, Rocky Mountain, Seven Rivers, South Florida, Southern California, Southern Nevada, Suncoast, Tennessee, Treasure Coast, Wisconsin and Virginia.
  • Paul MacCormack
    Fox Meadow Golf Course, Stratford, Prince Edward Island
    Simplicity - We glimpsed how much fun less can be this season. Let's make it stick.
    Sustainability - This pandemic offered us a view of what we need to make the game truly sustainable. 
    Fun - The game needs to just be more fun . . . period. 
    Connection - Value our ability to connect with others and never take it for granted.
    Kindness - Don't have time for pettiness and meaningless debates. Just be kind. 
    Leasha Schwab
    Pheasant Run Golf Club, Sharon, Ontario
    Living wages for people starting out in the industry (ex. spray techs, AIT, second assistants, in some cases even assistants are very underpaid).
    More in-depth learning opportunities. I feel we constantly review the same things in education. 
    People from clubs with lower budgets sitting on boards, winning awards, etc. 
    The public gaining an understanding about how valuable the greenspace of golf courses is.
    More inclusive memberships, golf can be expensive to get into and it would be beneficial to have more flexibility for people just starting out. 
    Matthew Gourlay
    Colbert Hills, Manhattan, Kansas
    Robotic mowers.
    Continued enthusiasm with play ... rounds up 50 million nationwide in 2020 vs. 2019.
    Capital improvements for the course, maintenance facility, equipment, etc.
    Understanding from members/golfers of the stresses of maintaining a golf course.
    More Christmas wishes?
    Laurie Bland
    Miami Springs Golf Course, Miami Springs, Florida
    I wish great health and well-being of all my family, staff, patrons, vendors and the public in general.
    I wish that everyone gets to enjoy peace and balance into the new year in beyond, not just in their work life but their personal life too.
    I hope that one day (in the near future) we will get to redo this historic golf course and celebrate its great history with the world. 
    I hope that the general public knows that golf courses here in Miami and around the world provide so much, not only the physical well-being but also the mental well-being. We must protect them!
    I’m excited to see golf taking off again, seeing more new faces that are coming out to enjoy this great game. I hope more folks consider us in the municipal/public realm in the future.
    Steven Neuliep
    Etowah Valley Golf Club and Lodge, Etowah, North Carolina
    Good mental and physical health for staff and golfers.
    Better work life balance for management level employees.
    Golfer expectations better matching resources provided by the facility.
    Continued innovations of products required to properly maintain a golf course (Ex. chemical control products, g.c. supplies and equipment advances).
    Get turf professionals to gravitate toward non-agronomic/ scientific educational offerings. Things like: financial management, personnel management, retirement planning and mental and physical health education!! Taking these will make us all more well rounded and also allow us to be better at our profession.
    John Kaminski
    Penn State University
    Confirmation this month that I'm 2.5 years cancer free so I can get back to playing more golf as I did in 2020.
    COVID Vaccine shots - ready to get back to teaching and traveling and visiting my students on their golf course internships in 2021.
    Golf outings to continue to go up post COVID. COVID was actually good for much of golf and I hope this trend continues after we get back to "normal".
    Economy to remain strong and improve. So golf projects and restorations continue to expand.
    Courses to continue to recognize the shortage of qualified labor. We seem to be seeing an uptick in requests for information and applications as superintendents are once again recommending this as a good career for people. The future looks really good for young people wanting to go to school for turfgrass science.
    Anthony Williams
    TPC Four Seasons, Irving, Texas
    That the boom in golf rounds played in 2020 would translate directly into bigger maintenance budgets in 2021.
    For superintendents and their staffs to come out of the shadows and walk in the light of the game they make possible. Teach and tell everyone (start with the person in the mirror) the realities of how golf operations really work and how tough it is to craft great playing conditions with limited resources at every level of the industry. However, don’t forget to tell how great it is when it all comes together!
    For all of the organizations that sponsor events and education for the golf industry to feel like they got more than their money’s worth this year and continue to invest in the human assets that will steward golf today and in the future. That would be truly visionary and help heal many of 2020’s wounds.   
    For everyone to reach their next level of aspiration. Where ever you are in this great industry, be it an intern/apprentice, irrigation/spray tech, equipment manager, assistant superintendent, superintendent or director of agronomy no matter the position; I wish that you reach your next level of opportunity this Christmas. If we are all growing it will be difficult for our industry to fail so help someone move forward.
    That everyone who is fighting a personal battle no matter the foe (depression, finances, faith, substances, weight, health, grief etc.) will find some measure of peace. Give the gift of kindness to yourself and others this Christmas.  
    Mike Fidanza
    Penn State University
    Time to read those turf articles we've been meaning to get to, or better yet, read a good book outside of turf.
    Time to watch those TurfNET webinars we've been meaning to get to.
    Time to teach and mentor our younger members of the industry.
    More time to spend with family and friends to clear our minds and alleviate stress.
    We should all make the time to visit Damon DiGiorgio and Pinki at Playa Grande in the Dominican Republic!
    Nate McKinniss
    Muirfield Village Golf Club, Dublin, Ohio
    Safety/health - that employees remain free of any accident or illness.
    Timely rains - to minimize the long summertime dry spells while refraining from excessive moisture.
    Budget increases - especially for smaller clubs with high golfer demands.
    Growing interest in turf from younger generations and women, too.
    Work hard, live harder - that people can spend more quality time with family and friends; in addition, enjoying their interests and hobbies more often.
  • CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT A NOMINATION FOR TURFNET SUPERINTENDENT OF THE YEAR
     

    Tripp Trotter, head of marketing for Syngenta turf and ornamental, and 2019 Superintendent of the Year Matt DiMase.
    Deadline to submit a nomination for this year's award is December 31.
    With all the challenges facing golf course superintendents this year, Covid, labor issues, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes and golfers, lots and lots of golfers, we fully expect to bursting with nominations for this year's TurfNet Superintendent of the Year Award, presented by Syngenta.
    After all, superintendents always are called on to do things that to others might seem impossible. Take last year's winner, Matt DiMase, for example.
    With Hurricane Dorian bearing down on The Bahamas just last summer, DiMase didn't give much thought to leaving. 
    The superintendent at The Abaco Club on Winding Bay, DiMase could have ridden out the storm with his wife and kids in the safety of the family home in Ocala, Florida.
    But he didn't.
    DiMase rode out the storm, brought the devastated golf course back from the dead and played a key role in a humanitarian effort to help members of the club, his employees and members of his Bahamian community. His selflessness earned him the honor of being named the recipient of the 20th annual TurfNet Superintendent of the Year Award, presented by Syngenta. 
    "For us, this is a job, but for our members, this club is their investment," DiMase said when he received the award at the last Golf Industry Show from Syngenta turf market manager Stephanie Schwenke. "I told my team we can stay and protect their property, or we can abandon ship and who knows what will happen. . . . I didn't want to leave. I wanted to stay because of the people."
    Nominations for DiMase's successor are now being accepted. Although it's hard to imagine anyone going through a more trying experience than what DiMase faced in 2019, there has been much about 2020 that has been hard to believe.
    A panel of judges will select five finalists and ultimately the winner from the list of nominees. In a year that will be defined by a global crisis and one in which people starved for outdoor recreation have flocked to courses around the country, the nominations should be plentiful.
    Criteria on which nominees are judged include: labor management, maximizing budget limitations, educating and advancing the careers of colleagues and assistants, negotiating with government agencies, preparing for tournaments under unusual circumstances, service to golf clientele, upgrading or renovating the course and dealing with extreme or emergency conditions.
    CLICK HERE to submit a nomination. Deadline for nominations is Dec. 31. This year's winner will receive a Sonos Cinematic Surround Sound Audio System and Weatherproof Outdoor Sound System courtesy of Syngenta.
    You can nominate a colleague, supervisor, employee or heck, even nominate yourself.
    Previous winners include: Matt DiMase, The Abaco Club on Winding Bay, Great Abaco, Bahamas (2019); Carlos Arraya, Bellerive Country Club, St. Louis, MO (2018); Jorge Croda, Southern Oaks Golf Club, Burleson, TX, and Rick Tegtmeier, Des Moines Golf and Country Club, West Des Moines, IA (2017); Dick Gray, PGA Golf Club, Port St. Lucie, FL (2016); Matt Gourlay, Colbert Hills, Manhattan, KS (2015); Fred Gehrisch, Highlands Falls Country Club, Highlands, NC (2014); Chad Mark, Kirtland Country Club, Willoughby, OH (2013), Dan Meersman, Philadelphia Cricket Club (2012), Flourtown, PA; Paul Carter, The Bear Trace at Harrison Bay, Harrison, TN (2011); Thomas Bastis, The California Golf Club of San Francisco, South San Francisco, CA (2010); Anthony Williams, Stone Mountain (GA) Golf Club (2009); Sam MacKenzie, Olympia Fields (IL) Country Club (2008); John Zimmers, Oakmont (PA) Country Club (2007); Scott Ramsay, Golf Course at Yale University, New Haven, CT (2006); Mark Burchfield, Victoria Club, Riverside, CA (2005); Stuart Leventhal, Interlachen Country Club, Winter Park, FL (2004); Paul Voykin, Briarwood Country Club, Deerfield, IL (2003); Jeff Burgess, Seven Lakes Golf Course, Windsor, Ontario (2002); Kip Tyler, Salem Country Club, Peabody, MA (2001); Kent McCutcheon, Las Vegas (NV) Paiute Golf Resort (2000).

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