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From the TurfNet NewsDesk

  • John Reitman
    For more than a decade, TurfNet has been the leader in online education for professional turf managers. 
    Thanks to our longtime partner Brandt, TurfNet has been producing more than 20 webinars annually since 2008. Topics range from career development to stress management caused by a global pandemic, and from weed, disease and pest management to the latest in turf management research topics presented by the industries leading scientists.
    Our most recent webinar, Managing Covid-19-related stress by Paul MacCormack, Jodie Cunningham, Carlos Arraya and Anthony Williams, closed the book on our 13th season of TurfNet University Webinars. We produced 21 seminars this year, bringing our 13-year total to nearly 300 webcasts that have been viewed thousands of times.
    All webinars, including the live version and the recorded archives, are free for everyone.
    Topics this year have included Nematode management, Disease control in the summer of 2020, Tips on attracting and retaining employees, Managing annual bluegrass weevil, Update on the University of Nebraska GDD model and a two-part series on stress management as it relates to the pandemic of 2020.
    The 14th season of TurfNet University webinars kicks off on January 6 when Anthony Williams of TPC Four Seasons in Irving, Texas, delivers his career- and personal-development presentation entitled Jumpstart your career in 2021.
    His annual presentation includes how to establish realistic standards and how to go about working toward achieving them. He also talks about how to market yourself, from self-promotion and public relations strategies in your current position to resume-writing and other career advice tips designed to help you realize your next opportunity. 
    Particular emphasis will be placed on a look back at 2020, what we've learned and how lessons learned from a global pandemic in 2021 and beyond.
  • Above, Andrew Green (left) and Sam Green have a passion for helping grow the game by combining unique architectural experiences and solutions to help golf course superintendents. maximize playing conditions. Below right, Sam (left) and Andrew get ready to tee off. Photos courtesy of Andrew Green Spend just a few minutes talking with Sam and Andrew Green, and it's not readily apparent that they are related, much less brothers. Sam has a slow drawl that gives away his residence of Wilmington, North Carolina. Accentless Andrew, a resident of Bel Air, Maryland, sounds like he could be from Anytown, U.S.A.
    Sons of a Roanoke, Virginia-area dairy farmer and graduates of Virginia Tech, the Green brothers do share a love for the game of golf, and although they approach the industry from different sides, they also have in common a drive to make the game better for those who play it and more inviting for those who yet do not.
    Andrew, 43, is a renowned golf course architect who prepped with McDonald and Sons, and whose resume as principal of Green Golf and Turf includes work at such historic layouts as Oak Hill, Congressional, Scioto and Inverness.
    A former superintendent, Sam, 49, is a partner in Aqua Aid Solutions, which provides a variety of solutions and products to help superintendents improve soil and plant health.
    "We both have a passion for the dirt and the earth," Andrew said. "I didn't have 1,000 acres to farm. I found golf as an opportunity to connect to the earth."
    His passion is creating unique golf experiences for scratch players and novices alike.
    "There are a lot of places for golfers to spend their money," Andrew said. "I want to offer them a one-of-a-kind golf experience. That is the value in connecting with your history and uniqueness, so people can be connected and feel like they are part of something that is not mass produced."
    Older brother Sam originally had plans to become a pediatrician when he enrolled at West Virginia University. When he realized a career as a doctor was not in the cards, he enrolled at Virginia Tech with an eye on a career as a professional turf manager.
    He worked managing the athletic fields at Tech and later prepped in Hilton Head at Harbor Town under Joe Vuknic, who recommended a turn working for one of the biggest names in the business.
    "Joe told me that if I was going to go anywhere in this business, I would have to work for Paul Latshaw," Sam said. "I went to work on his crew in 1994 at Congressional, and I became his assistant in 1995 when John Zimmers left. I stayed on as his assistant through the 1997 U.S. Open."
    While Andrew's work has drawn widespread acclaim throughout the industry, his older brother remains one of his biggest fans.
    "During his time with Chip McDonald, he learned everything there is to do on a golf course," Sam said. "He can get on a bulldozer, a Sand Pro or hold a shovel. You name it, he's done it.
    "He's learned to shape from the ground up. He's worked his ass off. To graduate with two degrees to the success he's had, if it has anything to do with building a golf course, he's done it. The vision he has in his mind, it's unlike anything I've ever seen. And I'm not saying that as his brother, but as someone with 30 years in this industry."
    Whether it is designing or redesigning golf courses, or providing plant and soil health solutions for superintendents, the Greens are common in their desire to help provide a memorable golf experience for scratch and novice players alike.
    Andrew draws on technology to help recapture pieces of the past in restoring some of the country's greatest layouts.
    "Architecture combines my love for golf and the ability to create things in the dirt with the technology piece," he said. "I love the way technology allows us to do work we've never done before - surveying greens, laser technology, drones, computers and balancing that; it's one reason I love what I'm doing."
    Currently restoring Scioto Country Club in Columbus, Ohio, Green achieved creating that uniqueness two hours away in Toledo, where his restoration of Inverness Club has drawn rave reviews and was named by Golfweek as the top renovation of 2018. The Donald Ross classic was the site of the U.S. Junior Amateur in 2019 and next year will be the site of the Solheim Cup.
    "When working on old courses, I surround myself with digital images, articles, club history, aerials and drawings," he said. "Inverness is one of the most enjoyable projects I've worked on - finding the best solution for the modern game while keeping Donald Ross's intent. There were so many tools available to get that information. Technology allows us to get the information we need while also protecting history and making places better."
    Those who play Inverness would agree.
    "We put a long-term plan in place. We wanted to return Inverness to the Donald Ross golf course that it was intended to be," said Inverness green committee chairman Matt Douglas. "We stayed steadfast in that mission, and we made the membership aware of that, and they embraced that. I can tell you that our membership is absolutely blown away by the strides we have made."
    Sam believes his role with Aqua Aid and his drive to help provide superintendents with some of the tools they need to be successful and Andrew's vision for creating unique layouts that appreciate the game's past while embracing its future are inexorably linked in helping grow the game.
    "There is so much pressure on turf managers around the world on a daily basis," Sam said. "There are so many data points: moisture levels, tissue testing, sunlight data. You better be able to deliver a piece of research, or you're going to get passed by. Turf managers are getting younger, and they are data driven.
    "If Andrew can build it and get it dialed in, then the person managing it can get it dialed in for their members."

  • News and people briefs

    By John Reitman, in News,

    Central Texas GCSA benefits from Lebanon campaign
    LebanonTurf, a provider of innovative and high-performance plant nutrition for the golf and landscaping industries, announced its 2020 Emerald Isle Solutions campaign grand-prize winner, an Air Force agronomist from Texas. Justin Wheeler was selected and will be donating the $5,000 to his Central Texas Chapter of the Golf Course Superintendents Association.
    The campaign, launched at the 2020 Golf Industry Show, highlighted its Emerald Isle Solutions True Foliar Technology and aimed to show an increased commitment to customers and maintenance crews in the turf industry by giving away a $500 Amazon gift card each month, plus a $5,000 grand prize donation to one winner's local GCSAA or STMA chapter.
    As a part of the campaign, LebanonTurf announced a new, permanent lower price point for Emerald Isle Solutions—further elevating the product's value and giving superintendents and turf managers more freedom in managing their budgets.

    Toro upgrades Lynx system
    Toro Irrigation has expanded the cloud-based features in its Lynx Central Control System.
    New rendering schemes for the customized interactive course map add course management detail. Every sprinkler on the course is represented by a symbol and color that displays each sprinkler's location and its current status, and to which Precip Management Group it belongs. Superintendents can review irrigation rates and ensure that the water hitting the ground matches the infiltration rate of that area of the course.
    A patent-pending feature provides superintendents with a graphic display of the irrigation plan as programmed.
    The latest version also streamlines the relocation of sprinklers on the interactive map after adjustments have been made, eliminating the need to manually enter the changes and resynchronize the interactive map. With two clicks on the cloud-based Lynx Map application, the updates can be synchronized in about five seconds.
    Lynx provides a hybrid backup system, which means that the database is backed up both locally and in the cloud. Subscribers to Toro's exclusive National Support Network (NSN) who need new hardware will receive it with the backup already loaded, allowing them to put it to work instantly rather than having to take the time to load the backup themselves.
    SePRO names new T&O director
    SePRO has named John Wendorf as  director of its turf and ornamental team.
    Wendorf, who has nearly 30 years of industry experience, will focus on elevating SePRO's pace of innovation, with a strong emphasis on technical efficacy, operational efficiencies and social and environmental responsibility. While developing future-focused strategies for growth will be central to Wendorf's role with SePRO, building a strong, thriving team will be of equal importance. 
    Wendorf earned his bachelor of science in horticulture from the University of Wisconsin and a master's' of business administration from Texas A&M. He has been a member of the communications committee for RISE since 2017 and is also a current member of the FFA's National Floriculture Committee.
  • "Some say life will beat you down, break your heart, steal your crown."
    Learning to Fly - Tom Petty

    The older I get, the more philosophical I become about life. That's pretty easy to understand, I suppose. With each passing year, we become a little more gray around the edges, get a step or two slower and aches and pains become increasingly prevalent, all serving as constant reminders of our own mortality. And by the looks of my monthly insurance premiums, my healthcare provider is in complete agreement.
    Many of us, as we age, have read too many of our contemporaries' obituaries, and just about all of us probably have a handful of deceased friends and acquaintances who live on in perpetuity in our social media contacts feeds. Throw in a global pandemic that has revealed every crack in our culture and our psyche and it is hard not to step back and take stock of what really is important in life and what is not. 
    In fact, stopping to smell the proverbial roses is a journey I have been on long before any of us ever had heard of Coronavirus.
    I try to find joy in the simple things, like time with family and friends, flowers in the yard, the sound of rain and the changing colors in fall. Their supply is temporary and finite.
    Our supply of friends, too, has its limits.
    In the last four years, a good friend from high school as well as a former college roommate both have died. Each has helped remind me - long before Covid - that we can take nothing for granted.
    I had a small but close group of great friends in college. In the years following, we all went our separate ways. Marriage, kids and jobs took each of us off on a different tangent. That all changed in 2014 when our group of five suddenly became 20 percent smaller.
    The death of a close friend was a jolt. There was, however, something positive that came from this tragedy. Although we all still have our own lives - all in different states - we have become much closer and appreciate each other's friendship more as we close in on 60 than we did at 20. We chat via text almost every day. We talk about everything - our families, current events, sports and our common love for Kentucky bourbon.
    Besides family, their relationship 
    In more than 30 years as a journalist, I've met a lot of people, many of whom have faced personal tragedies of unfathomable magnitude. It is impossible not to be moved by the story of 7-year-old Griffin Engle who died of cancer in 2014 and how his parents, Erin and Adam have turned their loss into a mission to help others.
    Then there is the story of Matt Henkel, who is battling terminal brain cancer and has the courage to publicly share his journey and how is making the best of his time with his family.
    The challenges we all face have been placed under a microscope during Covid. Everyone I know is some combination of scared, frustrated, pissed and depressed.  Many lives have been turned upside down due to health concerns from the virus, job loss (their own or that of a spouse or partner) and economic uncertainty, educational concerns, separation anxiety and more.
    Like everything in life, the challenges brought on by Covid are only temporary, though it does not always feel that way. Rest assured that soon enough, Covid will be gone, but so will the things we hold most dear in life, so spend your time on those instead. 
    Life will beat you down only as much as you allow it.
  • Jim Snow's 35-year career with the USGA was dedicated to the future of turfgrass management. Jim Snow never was the loudest voice in the room, but his leadership and vision for the future of golf turf management spoke volumes throughout a USGA Green Section career that spanned 35 years.
    Snow died Nov. 25, just five days before the centennial anniversary of the USGA Green Section, where he worked from 1976 to 2011, including 21 years as its national director. He was 68.
    "Jim Snow was a quiet and unassuming man who led with vision as to where golf agronomy and maintenance needed to be," said Kim Erusha, Ph.D., who spent 29 years at the Green Section, including nine as managing director before retiring in 2019." He was steadfast in his support of identifying long-range issues, organizing the research to fully understand the problems and developing solutions to move the industry ahead."
    A native of Ithaca, New York, Snow earned bachelor's and master's degrees from Cornell University. 
    During his tenure with the Green Section, the USGA took over development and manufacturing of the Stimpmeter, initiated the Turfgrass Research Program to development turfgrass varieties that are easier to maintain and require fewer inputs, worked with Michigan State to develop the Turfgrass Information File, partnered on initiatives with groups that include Audubon International and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, updated its recommendations for putting green construction and introduced the TruFirm device to measure putting green firmness.
    "In the 1980s and 1990s, Jim was instrumental in guiding the USGA into supporting environmental research and supporting the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program," said Chris Hartwiger, director of course consulting services for the Green Section. "Both of these initiatives now have worldwide impact and have influenced many, either directly or indirectly.
    As golf went through the 1990s boom period, the need to fully update the USGA Recommendations for a Method of Putting Green Construction was evident, according to Erusha. In response, Snow, working with Jim Moore, gathered the collaborative support of Norm Hummel, Ph.D., and developed working partnerships across key industry groups from around the world. The methods underwent a comprehensive, intensive review and were thoroughly researched, vetted and updated for release in 2004. 
    "Jim will be remembered as an intelligent, thoughtful individual who gave his best to his career," Erusha said. "As his staff, we always knew he had our best interests at heart. He had a knack for creating a great working environment. He allowed this widely-divergent bunch of spirited individuals to do their jobs while guiding us with just the right amount of overarching goals and bumper guards."
  • We all know 2020 has been different. People are struggling with mental issues, separation anxiety, loneliness, stress related to job security and financial uncertainty as wealth as physical health stress related to the virus. It's always interesting to hear what people are thankful for, but since this year has been unlike any other, we thought it might be especially insightful to know what is on people's minds this year, so we asked some of our friends to share what they are thankful for this year.
    FYI, we figured "family" would be everyone's first response, so we asked them not to use that. 
    Joe Wachter
    Glen Echo Country Club, St. Louis
    Grateful that the membership who stepped up this season and supported the golf course and club when normal operations were curtailed significantly.
    For our staff with a number of Covid positive cases which was concerning to the staff but they came to work and had the place in great condition all season.
    Grateful that the election is over!!!!!!!!!!
    Always grateful for TurfNet and its community of members.
    Grateful for streaming services that kept my attention when there wasn’t much to do but work and go home.
    Tony Nysse
    Mountain Lake, Lake Wales, Florida
    Health: The Health of my family. Thus far, myself & my family have been fortunate to remain healthy through the pandemic. From day #1, my wife (who was in the medical field before being a full-time mom) changed the daily routines for herself & our daughter. She has gone through hoops to keep her safe & busy. We have also worn out our Amazon account during the same time period.
    Membership: A patient, supportive & understanding membership. Our membership has adapted & accepted new protocols to remain safe. While some of the “traditions” that we have here are on ice for the time being, everyone’s main focus has been to continue to provide an enjoyable atmosphere where they feel safe in every activity they partake in.
    Staff: A staff that has also had to make similar adjustments while dealing with the loss of a team member to Covid. Not only has the staff had to make adjustments because of the work around them, we have also made numerous adjustments throughout the course, have made strides to promote a safe, warm & accepting culture while trying to give everyone a sense of normalcy from the outside world.
    Peer groups, communication: Via zoom, twitter, email, text, trade publications & social media; we have not skipped a beat as a profession. Turf professionals continue to adapt, adjust & aid in advice, offering successful examples & thinking outside the box. We have shown that we can actually advance our profession during a pandemic. That says a lot of turf professionals & our profession, in general.
    Faith: Changing jobs in the middle of a pandemic may present uncertainties on paper. My faith in God to guide me into a new position during the onset of a world pandemic was just that-faith. He opened doors & placed people into my life along the way to make the transition much easier than it could have been.

    Carlton Henry, John Zimmers and Ryan Kaczor (left to right) of Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio. John Zimmers
    Inverness Club, Toledo, Ohio
    I am very thankful and grateful for my loving wonderful supportive wife. 
    I am also very thankful for my health and family and friend’s health, the great working environment that I am in, and the ability to try and do something positive for myself and others every day.
    Carlton Henry
    Inverness Club, Toledo, Ohio
    Being healthy in a time where everyone’s health is at risk, so that I can continue to do what I love.
    My dad for being a great role model of honesty and hard work and always giving great advice.
    The entire grounds staff at Inverness Club, for working hard with great commitment and positivity during a challenging year.
    My dog Max, for always putting a smile on everyone’s face, never talking politics and for watching over Inverness.
    The Golf Industry, which allows me to do what I love every day.
    Ryan Kaczor
    Inverness Club, Toledo, Ohio
    I am thankful for finding a positive each day during this crazy year, having a wonderful job surrounded by caring people, working in an outdoor environment with a beautiful view, having a healthy and supportive family and most importantly Mother Nature for providing me job security.
    Kevin Frank
    Michigan State University
    Girlfriend: Self explanatory.
    Dogs: Daily companionship in an isolated pandemic world.
    Job: Grateful to be employed and adapting to educating in a virtual world.
    Golf: When everything else seemed banned, I could still play golf and see my friends.
    House: Whether completing projects inside or out, keeps me busy.
    Tony Girardi
    Rockrimmon Country Club, Stamford, Connecticut
    Employed: Incredibly grateful to be fully employed right through 2020. Our club has been very responsible during Covid and allowed all our staffs to be employed since day one.
    Kids: Have three kids in college and all are great kids, lead clean lives, great group of friends and do very well in their academics.
    Summer 2020: Since we had a scaled down golf calendar at work (only club champ event) it allowed me to take virtually every weekend off. That hasn’t happened in 30-plus years of employment.
    Membership: After 26-years at RCC, I have to keep pinching myself to have an incredibly supportive membership.
    Wife: Last but not least, going to celebrate our 25-year anniversary in spring 2021.
    Brandon Horvath
    University of Tennessee
    Golf: Get outside, exercise, spend time with friends in an easy to social distance activity. 
    My son being in school: He has really blossomed this year and is grateful for being able to be in person rather than stuck online.
    My students: I’ve enjoyed having them face-to-face in class and they appreciate it too. I think we underestimate how important social contact is for us. 
    My job: It allows me to provide for my family, and while we made adjustments, I’ve stayed employed, and that’s not true of so many others.
    My grill: I’ve really gotten into cooking (I was into it before, but this heightened my desire to cook), and got serious about weight loss at the beginning of the pandemic. I love making healthy, flavorful meals for me and my family, and I’m down 50 pounds since the pandemic. Making lemonade out of lemons.
    Jim Brosnan
    University of Tennessee
    My wife: She’s the biggest luxury in my life and that was never more true than in 2020. I spent big portions of the spring stressing over pandemic related questions: Would my team be able to conduct our research this summer? How would we do it under COVID protocol? Would there be funding available to keep my employees paid? What about my students that had their degree programs active? What about the events that were planned? While I was swimming in my own pool of anxiety, she stepped up to outright lead our family. Not only did she make sure we had all the supplies needed to continue living as normal, she also jumped right into being a defacto 2nd grade teacher when my daughter’s school went online and did not miss a beat. All the while she was a rock for both my daughter and me as we adjusted to the new normal.
    My team: I’m blessed to have a great team to work with at UT and they demonstrated incredible resolve in 2020. From Zoom meetings, to sanitizing mowers, to laboratory exercises in masks, they’ve handled everything that 2020 has thrown their way and have not missed a beat. I’m proud of what we accomplished this year and will leave 2020 excited for what the future holds. The “pause” in normal activities imparted by COVID has allowed time for reflection on what we’ve been doing, as well as strategizing how we can best improve in the future.
    My job: Given the scope of economic contraction that’s occurred in 2020 (and is likely to continue), I’ve never been more thankful for my job at UT and that they’ve been supportive of creative approaches to conduct work in these unique circumstances.
    The industry: I’m thankful that I work in an industry like turfgrass that’s been able to offer so many an escape from the stress and anxiety of 2020. We’ve seen not only increased rounds in the golf industry, but an overall increased appreciation for urban greenspace and the benefits of spending time in nature. I’m hopeful this will continue in 2021 and beyond.
    My age: I’m thankful this pandemic happened when I was an adult. I really feel for the kids who have been affected by the pandemic. It has to be terribly strange to go to school online (particularly in grades K-12) or wear masks all day and interact socially within physical distancing protocols. I also feel for the young adults starting off in their careers and trying to forge their path. The uncertainty of this year has to make that even more difficult than normal.
    Last but not least, I’m thankful Zoom has an off button. Ha ha.

    Joe Rimelspach (left) and Todd Hicks of Ohio State University. Joe Rimelspach
    Ohio State University
    Thankful for a healthy new granddaughter, Grace Maire, born in Mexico. Hope to see her for the first time at Christmas.
    Thankful for a job (a livelihood) and one I can work from home through this Covid-19 times. Thankful I am not on the streets or a burden to family and or the public.
    Thankful for a very special golf outing this fall on a beautiful day with my two brothers and my dad (Bill) who is 92! Dad almost birded a par 3 hole. He still loves to play the game even with bad shoulders, knees and back. What a gift that day was.
    Thankful for my wife who is my best friend, encourager and companion!
    Thankful for a loving God the Father, Jesus my Savior from death and sin, and the power to live life on this earth to the fullest by the Holy Spirit.
    Todd Hicks
    Ohio State University
    My job: I am fortunate enough to really like what I do - and get paid for it.
    The ability to still do my job through our current Covid-19 problems: Many people are not able to work or have had their work severely hurt by Covid-19 restrictions.
    Industry and turf managers support: I am very thankful for all the support our program gets from the turf industry and the people who grow and manage turf in our area.
    My family and friends: The older I get, the more I measure my success at being a good person, OK maybe just decent person, is by the friends and family who continue to support me in work and life.
    Karl Danneberger
    Ohio State University
    Front Line Workers: I am thankful for the doctors, nurses and hospital staff who have saved lives during the coronavirus pandemic including mine.
    Steve Cook
    Medinah Country Club, Medinah, Illinois
    My health: I’m still able to get in the mountains or on my bike and do the physical things I love.
    That I have had positive role models in my life: Between my parents, my friends and coworkers I have people around me that exhibit positive attributes that I can learn from.
    My future self: The lessons of my past remind me that my best life is in front of me.
    That my parents gave me the love of reading: It’s my number one favorite hobby, and my eyesight is till good enough to enjoy it!
    I’m grateful I recognize there is something greater than me. I’m constantly reminded that whatever hardships I think I have they are only temporary.
    Bruce Williams
    Brandt Consolidated
    I am thankful for my health and as you get older you cherish how important it is.
    I am thankful for my friends. I have and continue to make many friends in the industry.
    I am thankful to be an American. Land of the free and home of the brave.
    I am thankful for my education, not only in the classroom but in real life.
    I am thankful for the many mentors I have had in my life and career. Without them I wouldn't be the person I am today.

    Rick Tegtmeier (left) and TurfNet founder Peter McCormick. Rick Tegtmeier
    Des Moines Golf and Country Club, West Des Moines, Iowa
    My wife: I have a woman who has supported and accepted this crazy career for 35+ years and never complains, it is huge when you have that kind of support.
    My club: To work for a club that has been very proactive and careful in this Covid world. Didn’t agree with it at first but really appreciate the education I received on it all.
    Our staff: To work with such a dedicated group of young professionals that come in everyday to face new challenges and conquer them without complaints.
    My mentors and what they taught me: This was the year that you had to draw from all of your experiences to try and develop new ways to do things or re-invent old ideas. I had a few people who have taught me and drove in some values that were very hard to understand back then but can be appreciated now. 
    Social media: I learn so much from others and it is great to learn new ideas and try new things because people share their experiences. There are a lot of things that are bad with social media but that is one of the good things.
    Dan Meersman
    Philadelphia Cricket Club, Philadelphia
    Our team members, because they have proven to be respectful of each other's health, and caring for members in continuing to perform their jobs at a high level.
    Our membership, because they ensured our employees are cared for and "made whole" from a compensation standpoint throughout every stage of the pandemic.
    Our club volunteer leaders, because of the amount of time they have dedicated to club-decisions this year.
    Simply being in the golf industry, because it is one of the few professionals that has maintained some sense of normalcy.
    That golf is bringing friends and families together more than ever this year, because that will persist long after the pandemic.
    That The Masters was able to be played in November, because seriously, who can live without it? 
    Sean Reehoorn
    Aldarra Golf Club, Sammamish, Washington
    I’m thankful for golf: Who knew in a pandemic it would provide a safe place for employment and easy access to a fantastic outdoor space?
    I’m thankful for friends that you can just have an honest conversation with about bad days.
    I’m thankful for technology: Zoom, podcasts, Netflix have made staying connected to friends and family easier and provide lots of good distractions.
    I’m thankful for working on myself: I’ve spent the last few years seeing a professional working on me and without, I think 2020 would have been more difficult and more stressful.
  • When Tom Watschke, Ph.D., (right) talked, people listened. The turf world lost a giant in the field of academia and research late last week with the passing of Tom Watschke.
    A native of Charles City, Iowa, Watschke was 76.
    He was remembered by colleagues and former students as a great teacher and research scientist who was devoted to his students and his trade. 
    "Tom was an outstanding turfgrass scientist and educator; he was also a good friend and colleague" said Al Turgeon, Ph.D., professor emeritus at Penn State. "He will certainly be missed by so many who benefitted from their association with him. I am deeply saddened by his loss."
    Darin Bevard earned a master's degree at Penn State in 1994 before starting a 23-year career with the USGA Green Section, where he is director of championship agronomy. 
    "I will first remember him for the friendship that we developed over the years after I departed Penn State," Bevard said. "We had a lot of fun fishing and solving the world's problems over a couple of beers. Second, I will remember the huge impact that he had on my life and my career. He was one of my primary mentors. Perhaps he saw potential in me that I did not, or at least had the wherewithal to get me to realize it."
    Watschke earned a bachelor's degree in horticulture from Iowa State University and his master's degree and doctorate from Virginia Tech. He joined Penn State's turfgrass program in 1970.
    Throughout his career at Penn State, Tom coordinated the undergraduate turfgrass program and advised all the students majoring in turfgrass science. In addition to resident instruction and research, he taught several online courses through PSU's World Campus.
    Watschke's research centered on plant growth regulators and herbicides. Some of his most important work focused on the positive influence of turfgrass on mitigating the movement of fertilizers and pesticides in waterways.
    He is part of a team who have placed countless graduates into the field of professional turf management.
    Many of Watschke's former students and colleagues took to social media to remember their friend and mentor.
    Leah Brilman, Ph.D., of DLF Pickseed wrote: "Dr. Watschke was a kind person but more than anything a dedicated teacher. Success of many PSU alums is probably due to him."
    Said Kevin Hicks, regional agronomist for EarthWorks: "He could be so intimidating in class, but you always knew he wanted you to learn. I had the opportunity (to) reconnect w/him years later when he reached out to me at the CDA Resort. He brought his son & grandson for a tour. Totally different person outside of the class. RIP Doc."
    Terry Laurent, former superintendent at Saucon Valley and co-owner of Cross Creek Golf Club in Decatur, Indiana said: "So sad to hear this! Great teacher, mentor and friend ... loved his classes! RIP And prayers for the family!" 
    He also was remembered for loyalty to friends and family and his sense of humor.
    "One of the funniest things that I remember was advice that he gave me during my time in graduate school," Bevard said. "I remember him walking out onto my research plots and saying 'Hey, Bevard, come here, I need to tell you something.' He proceeded to tell me that the liver is an organ not a muscle. Thus I did not need to 'exercise' it every day. I laugh about that to this day when I think of Tom. He was just a great individual and enjoyed teaching so many of us about turfgrass and life at a time when most of us could use a little education on both."
    Survivors include his wife, Christa, and daughters, Katelyn and Madison, son, Jon (Kim) Watschke, brothers, Doug (Ginny) Watschke and Gary (Nancy) Watschke, sister, Colleen (Bruce) Copper, stepmother, Bette Gullickson, grandchildren Micah, Sierra and Sawyer, and many cousins, nieces and nephews.
    To honor Watschke's legacy, his family has arranged for donations in his honor to be made to Penn State's Turfgrass Program in the College of Agricultural Sciences.
  • Inverness Club green committee chairman Matt Douglas, Zach Nicoludis of the USGA Green Section, Inverness superintendent John Zimmers and past president Jerry Lemieux (left to right) mark the 100-year anniversary of the Green Section. Below right, Lemieux discusses the history of the club and the Green Section and how they are intertwined. It is doubtful that E.J. Marshall could foresee the long-range impact of his decision when the Inverness Club's green committee chairman sought help for an undiagnosed issue on the greens in advance of the 1920 U.S. Open.
    About two months before the Open, Marshall and greenkeeper William J. Rockefeller, a distant cousin to Standard Oil magnate J.D. Rockefeller, began noticing brown patches of dead or dying turn on the greens at the course in Toledo, Ohio, that architect Donald Ross called one of his favorites.
    It was to be the first of four U.S. Opens held at the course that Ross began redesigning in 1916, and with the likes of such seasoned pros as Harry Vardon and Ted Ray on their way, everything had to be just right. Marshall called in experts from the U.S. Golf Association and the U.S. Department of Agriculture for help. That collection of agronomists assembled to help revive the greens for the 1920 Open eventually led to the formation of the USGA Green Section on Nov. 30 of that year. Since then, the Green Section has played a key role in turfgrass research, education, course consulting services and supporting agronomic decision making for championship events.
    Recently, members of the club marked the centennial of the Green Section and the role Inverness played in helping found it. As part of the celebration, the membership at Inverness presented current superintendent John Zimmers with a plaque to commemorate the club's place in the annals of agronomic research. That plaque now hangs in the turf maintenance facility at Inverness that is named in Marshall's honor.
    "As he looked for information on turfgrass, he really didn't find much and ended up approaching the USGA and the USDA," said Inverness past president Jerry Lemieux. "We have a whole bunch of minutes and correspondence back and forth between Marshall and those organizations, and out of that was formed 100 years ago at the end of this month the USGA Green Section that for the last 100 years has made strides and supported turf research. If you play golf anywhere in the world, you've been touched by the USGA Green Section. We thought the anniversary was an appropriate time to dedicate this building as the E.J. Marshall Green Department Office Building."
    As a leader in the formation of the Green Section, Inverness enjoys a history of firsts.
    The 1920 was Vardon's last, but it was the first for the great Bobby Jones, who later founded Augusta National Golf Club and The Masters Tournament. It also was the first for Gene Sarazen and Tommy Armour. Inverness also is where an amateur named Jack Nicklaus played in his first U.S. Open in 1957. Nicklaus went 80-80—160 and missed the cut before eventually going on to win four U.S. Open championships and 14 other major titles throughout his career.
    "A lot of firsts have happened here," said Lemieux, who has served as a rules official in more than 60 USGA events. 
    "The genesis of the Green Section that means so much to so many people around the world started here. Think of the worldwide impact it has and all of it out of frustration from a guy losing his greens ahead of the U.S. Open and trying to figure out what to do."

    Bobby Jones, right, waits while eventual winner Ted Ray putts on the 18th hole of Inverness Club during the 1920 U.S. Open. Photo from Inverness Club Until 1920, competing pros were not allowed access to a club's locker room facilities. That changed with the first Open played at Inverness. To show their appreciation, the competitors presented the club with a grandfather cathedral clock that still marks time at Inverness today. That air of welcome is a legacy that remains a bedrock on which Inverness rests today. 
    "The way I view it, we are a club for the people," said Inverness green committee chairman Matt Douglas. "We appreciate the game of golf and respect the history and tradition. We know who we are, and we know what an asset we have out there. 
    "We enjoy playing here day in and day out. That being said, we enjoy hosting people here. It is a privilege to host people here and show off what we think is one of the top national golf courses. We as a club embrace the USGA Green Section, and we are honored to be called the home for it."
    Much about the game has changed since 1920, and the Green Section has been there every step of the way, helping educate superintendents on changing conditions and turf management protocols.
    "For me, this is quite an honor," said Zimmers. "When you think about the Green Section, people miss a lot of things. It's not just about turf; it's about water quality, it's about proper drainage, it's about tree removal, it's about sun and shade and different varieties of grass. It has changed so much over the years.
    "It has changed how golf is viewed and our responsibilities for inputs and fertilizers and chemistries, and their relationships with our suppliers who give us better and safer products, the research with universities. Their influence is felt all over the country and all over the world."
    Throughout its 100-plus year history, Inverness has been the site of four U.S. Open Championships (1920, 1931, 1957, 1979) and two PGA Championships (1986, 1993).
    The club, named for the town in Scotland of the same name, will be on the big stage again in 2021 when it is the host site of the Solheim Cup.
    The influence of the Green Section is evident still today at Inverness, where architect Andrew Green completed a restoration in 2017 that brought back many of Ross's design elements that had been lost through the years. 
    The restoration coupled with Zimmers' reputation for being tournament ready every day has made the revival project a smash hit with members.
    "We put a long-term plan in place. We wanted to return Inverness to the Donald Ross golf course that it was intended to be," Douglas said. "We stayed steadfast in that mission, and we made the membership aware of that, and they embraced that. I can tell you that our membership is absolutely blown away by the strides we have made."
    Everything was put to the test in June when the LPGA asked to host a tournament at Inverness in late July that ran concurrently with the Marathon Classic at Highland Meadows in nearby Sylvania. The goal of the LPGA, which had been on site regularly because of the upcoming Solheim Cup, was to create a bubble in the early days of the pandemic to limit contact and exposure for its players by kicking off its season with two tournaments in the same market. That gave Zimmers, assistants Carlton Henry and Ryan Kaczor and the rest of the team just six weeks to go from zero to 60.
    "They came and knocked on the door, and we were ready," Douglas said. "A lot of that is because of JZ and who he is and the crew he has developed here, and a lot of that is because of the USGA Green Section."
    By most accounts, the event went off without a hitch. In fact, the only one who knit picked it in anyway was Zimmers.
    "Tournaments are all different, and this one was new for me," he said. "I've been blessed to be part of a lot of tournaments, but this was my first LPGA event, so it was new getting used to how they do things. 
    "The good thing is it's exposure, but with exposure, you put yourself out there for everyone to see. That week we had record heat, and we were just working through the mental stress of Covid. The play was delayed when a fog bowl rolled in out of nowhere and just sat on the golf course. We had a good week, but the weather was tough."
    Deep down, the LPGA knew if there was a place within shouting distance of Highland Meadows that could be ready for the LPGA field and a TV audience at the drop of a hat, it was Inverness.
    "Logistically, that is not easy to get a golf course ready that quickly," said Green Section agronomist Zach Nicoludis. "If you were going to ask me to give you five superintendents who at the drop of a hat could host a PGA Tour event, LPGA event or a USGA championship, I'm pretty sure John's name would be on that list every time."
    Being ready for anybody and everybody all the time is just part of being a golf course "for the people."
  • Removing accessories from the golf course has helped improve efficiency at The Club at Snoqualmie Ridge near Seattle. Photo by Ryan Gordon via Twitter At one time, 36-hole Kenton County Golf Course had a reputation as one of the finest public facilities in the Cincinnati area. Indigo Golf Partners, formerly Billy Casper Golf, wants to restore the two courses that were built a decade apart, to their former status among the best daily fee properties in a great public golf town.
    In January, the one-two punch of general manager David Peru and superintendent Ron Freking, made the move from Devou Park, another municipal course in nearby Covington, to help make that goal a reality.
    "Kenton County has certainly been challenging, but also rewarding," Freking said. 
    "Indigo Golf Partners has a goal of making Kenton County Golf Courses the premier public golf facility in Northern Kentucky. This will be a long-term partnership with the county. Much has been done already, but there is still much to do. We know that over time, we can provide a golf facility that everyone will be proud of."
    Trying to tackle a laundry list of projects like irrigation and water-management issues, cart paths in need of repair, labor challenges, tree management and greens longing for some TLC has been a challenge in the face of a pandemic that has brought golfers onto the property in droves.
    "Early on, we were closed twice, but for only a couple of days each time,"Freking said. "We were not allowed to rent golf carts for quite some time and were open to walkers only. But even then, we were approaching 400 rounds of golf on nice days."
    Freking's story, or at least something similar to it, is one that has been told across the country, including at The Club at Snoqualmie Ridge in Snoqualmie, Washington.
    The club near Seattle is home to the Champions Tour's Boeing Classic, and getting everyone accustomed to new rules during the Covid era has been no easy task for superintendent Ryan Gordon.
    "I'd say that the single biggest challenge has been in regards to unifying our membership and employee base on how we operate within the framework of the new rules imposed on us by the state in an attempt to contain the virus," Gordon wrote via email. "Plus, there were other things that we as employers had to change to make our workplaces as safe as we could for our employees to ensure that we could continue to operate in a worst-case scenario. Most people in this country have never faced a pandemic, so there is definitely a broad spectrum of opinions on how we ought to do things."
    The impact on staff has included moving morning meetings from the break room to the parking lot, stowing away the coffee maker and eating lunch either off in a utility vehicle or in their cars.
    "Removing amenities that make life more comfortable for the sake of safety was a hard thing for some of our staff members to swallow while others were very appreciative of the extra measures that we took" Gordon wrote.
    Moving the meeting location made Gordon's crew a little more efficient.
    "By having our meetings outside, our guys were already out the door and on the golf course," Gordon wrote. "Because they were already outside, there was less grabbing that last cup of coffee or changing shoes."
    There have not been any outings at Snoqualmie Ridge, but there have been plenty of golfers.
    Gordon has removed most if not all touchpoints on the golf course, including accessories like rakes and benches and reducing the depth of each cup.

    The Pioneer Course at Kenton County Golf Courses in Independence, Kentucky. "All of this was very different for everyone," Gordon wrote. "And while it did create some challenges, we also found a lot of efficiencies that will be useful even in a post-pandemic world. 
    "Without shotguns, we were able to gain extra time on the golf course prepping ahead of the first tee time rather than having to be off the entire course at a much earlier time. No bunkers rakes was also a victory for us. It made mowing around our 114 bunkers much faster, and our sand depths remained more consistent due to our members not having a rake to pull the sand away toward the exit points."
      After 31 years at Devou Park, changing jobs was a big move for Freking. And with a new job comes a new staff, and Covid arrived just in time to greet him and his new team.
    "Covid hit just about the same time as I had planned extensive training for my team, and we were ramping up for a full and busy season," Freking said. "Because of Covid, we staggered our start times to create social distancing. We stopped using our time clock and went to paper time sheets to eliminate a common touch point.
    "I did have a few at-risk individuals who chose to stay away, either on their own or following their doctors' advice, and of course, we encouraged everyone to protect themselves as they saw fit."
    With a calm and easygoing demeanor, Freking is as patient as any superintendent can be. While at Devou Park, he regressed the fairways using squares of sod from a small nursery on the golf course. The nursery was so small, the fairway conversion project, completed at basically no cost, took eight years to finish. He's called upon that patience again this year.
    "Covid did prevent me from conducting some of the large training sessions I had planned where we could gather everyone together and have group discussions regarding course conditions, maintenance practices, etc." Freking said. 
    "Leaving Devou after so many years was not easy, but I am honored that Kenton County's care has been placed in my hands."
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    In January, it was impossible to foresee what the rest of 2020 would look like. Covid 19 was just coming into the public forefront, but no one knew much if anything about it. Even when the virus began to take hold in March, it was unfathomable to think then that almost nine months later the virus would not only be a thing, but quite literally dictate just about every aspect of our personal and professional lives.
    In response, TurfNet University sponsored by Brandt presented in the spring a 90-minute roundtable discussion presented by Paul MacCormack (Fox Meadow GC, Prince Edward Island), Jodie Cunningham (Optimus Talent Partners), Carlos Arraya (Bellerive GC, St. Louis) and Anthony Williams (TPC Four Seasons, Las Colinas, Irving, Texas). Our panel discussed personal and professional challenges, safety concerns and more. With much of the country in some version of Lockdown: The Sequel, our panel will reconvene Wednesday, December 9, for Covid-related stress and anxiety: Part II. The event is free for everyone. Click here to register.
    When Covid became the headline in March, no one was prepared for what was to come. Two weeks to flatten the curve, etc., led us to believe it was something we could escape in a matter of weeks. But little was known of this invisible foe.
    Instead, we entered into a surreal experience that has caught everyone off guard, and by April, many began grousing about how badly 2020 sucks. The Masters was postponed, the start of the Major League Baseball season was delayed until whenever, March Madness was simply canceled. Summer brought a glimmer of hope and with it, golfers, a lot of golfers.
    Fresh off an ugly and contentious presidential election that still is not over, Thanksgiving and Christmas around the corner, hundreds of thousands of Americans sick, dying or dead, and the promise of an effective vaccine still in the future, there are quite literally no words to describe the level of "suckage" associated with 2020.
    Despite the increase in play coast to coast, still it has been an odd year for golf. Play is up, budgets are down, outings and other revenue-generating events have been as hard to find on a golf course as a ball washer.
    This time around, our panel will discuss mental health issues, labor concerns, worn out golf courses, financial challenges associated with F&B and outings losses and more.
    Our panel also will look at where we’ve been and offer some ideas on where we are headed as an industry and some advice on how to manage your mental health as well as you do your operation.
    The event is free for everyone and an archived recording also will be available on TurfNet.
  • It has been a busy year for superintendent Scott LesChander at recently renovated Terrace Park Country Club in Milford, Ohio. Photo by Scott LesChander via Twitter When it comes to top-of-mind issues for superintendents, employee safety always seems to be the first item on the list. For so many, the past eight months have heightened concerns about the health and well being of members of the team.
    Since the advent of the pandemic, Matthew Wharton, CGCS, and his team have been crazy busy at Carolina Golf Club in Charlotte. And although they have their hands full with trying to maintain a golf course while under the pressure of record rounds played, that's nothing compared with the stress of trying to keep members of his crew healthy.
    "Being responsible for people's livelihood is one thing," Wharton said. "Being responsible for their life is a different animal."
    Golf has been different on many levels for Wharton and just about every superintendent across the country. Among the biggest challenges has been managing turf under stress caused by what for many has been record rounds played.
    Through September, Carolina Golf Club was just 500 rounds shy of its total for all of 2019, and that is with no outings and guest play suspended.
    "Golf never closed in North Carolina, so we have been smashing records since April," Wharton said. "We managed to do this with what at times felt like more than one hand tied behind our backs, because we were constantly short-staffed despite making seven new hires - all of whom quit within weeks, or a few months. Also, in the earliest stages of the pandemic, member expectations were still high. They did not temper their expectations until some time passed and they began to realize they were fortunate to be playing when many people in other parts of the country and around the world were not permitted to do so."
    Wharton is, by no means, alone in battling through a host of issues through the pandemic, not the least of which is the recent news of his wife, Darless, being diagnosed with breast cancer, a personal test that dwarfs anything related to hitting a ball with a stick and tending the grass on which it is done.
    Chase Best faced his own health issues during the early stages of the pandemic, undergoing a kidney transplant in April. His body and the new kidney are getting along fine and Best was quickly on the mend, just in time to return to a packed golf course at Lucas Oil Golf Course in English, Indiana. To squeeze in luxuries - like fungicide sprays - he has had to adjust his crew's schedule to work around play.
    "Tee sheets have been booked solid," Best said. "Management has wanted to get in every golfer possible, so we've actually lost production time with that. Adjusting our spray schedule, not having the amount of time we normally would to get our sprays out due to a decrease of blocked times has made us adjust. We've had to come in earlier to get our products applied so that we can still comply with re-entry rules. Another big change and challenge we had to figure out was mowing scheduling. With more play on the course, we've had to learn to avoid golfers if we can, but also be more informative at the pro shop, so they could let golfers know we have machinery on the course and avoiding them might not be like it used to be."

    With downtown Charlotte in the background, Carolina Golf Club has seen almost as many rounds through September as were played there in all of 2019. Photo by Matthew Wharton via Twitter The crowded tee shirt hasn't meant just moving start times of some practices, it has meant canceling some, at least temporarily.
    "A big challenge for me personally has been cultural practices such as top dressing, verticutting and monthly venting of greens," Best said. "We had to forego our weekly topdressing in favor of trying to get one in monthly. Same goes for verticutting. These were practices that we just had to fit in where we could. Same for the monthly venting. To offset this, we raised the height of cut of our putting greens and found a good medium of alternating rolling and mowing to provide consistency to the greens and keeping stress scattered."
    It is a similar situation at Terrace Park Country Club in Milford, Ohio, where superintendent Scott LesChander can barely get on the golf course that was recently renovated by architect Andy Staples.
    "Quite honestly, our biggest challenge has been trying to make sure we get everything done that needs to be done around the increased play," LesChander said. "It has been a blessing and a curse. Keeping up with cultural practices has been difficult as normally we can get out ahead of the rounds, or squeeze in between, but lately there has been very little room to work."
    The pandemic has been tough on Best's crew, and he has tried to make the golf course more than just a work. He's tried to make it a place of escape during what is a difficult time for everyone.
    "One thing that I really wanted to do for my staff was to make the workplace a release from what was going on in the world," Best said. "I wanted them to know that the focus was here on the course, wanted it family oriented and really let them know how lucky we are to have jobs that are outside that golf as a sport and maintenance wise was pretty good at already socially distancing. The company I work for, Lucas Oil Golf Course and Lucas Oil Products, is already a family oriented environment. They do anything they can to make.sure our employees continue to work so they can receive benefits and pay for their families."
    Wharton echoed similar sentiments about his team at Carolina and how they have met and overcome countless challenges since March.
    "I am amazed at the resilience of my team," Wharton said, "and am immensely proud of their perseverance and achievement this year as I believe the golf course to be in fine condition, albeit the stress of increased traffic is noticeable to the trained eye."
  • For the golf business, 2020 has been defined by record rounds played, labor challenges and crazy weather.
    Combined, those factors have resulted in golf course turf that is worn out, tired and more susceptible than ever to biotic and abiotic stress.
    Syngenta has a turf disease identification guide to help superintendents diagnose problems faster so they can get back on the road to recovery sooner.

    The guide provides detailed information on more than two dozen common turfgrass diseases that affect warm- and cool-season grasses, and cross references them including susceptible varieties, geographic region and conditions that favor disease, giving superintendents quick and easy access to management tips and control options.
  • In a discussion of the game's best players, Lloyd Mangrum's name is not likely to come up very often. He is not as well known as Nicklaus, Palmer, Woods, Hogan, Nelson or Player. James Murray, the late Pulitzer-winning columnist for the Los Angeles Times, once dubbed him golf's "forgotten man."
    Mangrum turned professional in 1929 at age 15 and joined the PGA Tour eight years later. He died a young man at age 59 in 1973. As Murray's nickname indicates, Mangrum and his career in golf have a footnote in history.
    That's too bad. What Mangrum accomplished on the golf course is unmatched by some of the game's greats. What he did off the course in the U.S. Army was even greater.
    Throughout his career, which was interrupted by active duty during World War II, this steely Texan amassed 36 PGA Tour wins. That's more than Vijay Singh, Horton Smith, Lee Trevino, Johnny Miller, Gary Player, Raymond Floyd, Davis Love III, Hale Irwin, Greg Norman, Ben Crenshaw, Tom Kite and Julius Boros. 
    Only a dozen players - Sam Snead, Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus, Ben Hogan, Arnold Palmer, Byron Nelson, Billy Casper, Walter Hagen, Phil Mickelson, Cary Middlecoff, Tom Watson and Gene Sarazen - won more Tour events than Mangrum.
    We are reminded on Veteran's Day, during a November Masters week, that despite Mangrum's accomplishments with a club in his hands, some of his most important contributions were made while toting a rifle.
    Mangrum served in the Army during World War II, eventually attaining the rank of staff sergeant. While troops were training early in 1944 for Operation Overlord, the Allied invasion of Normandy, Mangrum was offered the position of golf pro at the Army's golf course at Fort Meade in Maryland. 
    Spending the duration of the war playing golf or serving in active combat duty seems like an easy choice. And for Mangrum, it was. He believed helping rid the world of fascism was more important than remaining stateside and playing the game he loved. Mangrum was but one of many professional golfers to serve during wartime, but few walked where he did. 
    He was among the hundreds of thousands of troops who stormed the beaches of Normandy in 1944 when the Allied forces launched the invasion of the European mainland that turned the tide of the war. Within a month, more than 1 million troops came ashore on those French beaches in a barrage of manpower that eventually repelled Hitler's Third Reich.
    By Christmas, Mangrum and the rest of Gen. George Patton's Third Army had advanced to the Ardennes Forest in Belgium for what has become known as the Battle of the Bulge, a conflict called the most violent campaign in modern warfare.
    By war's end, Mangrum was a highly decorated soldier and two-time recipient of the Purple Heart.
    Mangrum found his greatest playing success after returning home from Europe. He won 31 of his 36 PGA Tour titles after the war, including the 1946 U.S. Open at Canterbury. In 1951, he was the Tour's leading money winner and won the Vardon Trophy for lowest scoring average, a feat he accomplished again in 1953, the same year he captained the U.S. Ryder Cup team. Despite his accomplishments, his career was largely overshadowed by his contemporaries that included Snead, Hogan and Nelson.
    Mangrum was indeed a different golfer after the war. Other Tour pros reached the conclusion that it was those life-or-death moments in foxholes that changed him, leading Mangrum to once say: "I don't suppose that any of the pro or amateur golfers who were combat soldiers, Marines or sailors will soon be able to think of a three-putt green as one of the really bad troubles in life."
  • Tree and brush work is under way at Ware Shoals Golf Course. Photos from Mike Pitts via Twitter Industry initiatives do not help grow the game of golf, people do. People like the Pitts family.
    The Pitts have a long history with junior golf in South Carolina's Piedmont region, and they know that helping to promote it is critical to growing the game at least in their corner of the world. Mike and brother David, owners of Environmental Landscaping, grew up playing junior golf and excelled on the Ware Shoals High School team. Their father, Don, was a fixture in junior golf for more than a decade.
    From junior golf, through high school and beyond, one common thread for so many in this area south of Greenville has been Ware Shoals Golf Course. A fixture in the community for more than 75 years, the course is a modest nine-hole daily fee that has fallen on hard times. The Pitts want to bring it back to its former glory and utilize it as a resource to promote junior golf and help grow the game in the local community.
    The Pitts' Environmental Landscaping Inc., a golf course and sports field construction company, took over management of the course on Nov. 2. Their plan is to gradually improve playing conditions over the next few years of their three-year lease with the Ware Shoals Community Foundation, which owns the course.
    "The course has been open, but in a capacity in which it is in dire need of life support," said Mike Pitts, owner of Environmental Landscaping. 
    "We approached the foundation in April with a plan to restore and renovate the golf course and make it a place for junior golf in the community."
    The greens, which have a modest footprint of just 30,000 total square feet, never have been renovated are mostly mutated versions of 328 Bermudagrass, and are in surprisingly good condition, as are the tees that are mostly common Bermuda and 419. The fairways, though, will need some work, Mike Pitts said. 
    "We overseeded the greens with Poa Trvialis this year, and they are in pretty good shape, as are most of the tees," he said. 
    "One goal I've set for fairways, and it may be overly ambitious, is to get on them in December with herbicide applications and push them in the spring and get a fairway unit on them for some grooming by July. They are a hodgepodge of every southeastern turf weed imaginable. There is a lot of Bermuda there, but it is covered up."
    The nine-hole course was built in 1943 by the Riegel Textile Corporation, which once was one of the area's largest employers. The thousands of people who worked at the mill were automatically made members. Everything for Ware Shoals - the town and the golf course - changed in 1984 when the textile mill closed. According to local legend, a fire in the mill expedited the closing.
    Ownership of the golf course was transferred to the Ware Shoals Community Foundation with the agreement that it always remain a golf course. A host of operators have come and gone since then. The latest, Johnny Magaha, has managed the entire operation - golf course and golf shop - as a one-man show since 2012.
    "He's done a good job," Pitts said. "He just needs more help. One thing we bring is that we have full-time jobs. We're not living out of the cash register."

    Magaha will stay on to help in the golf shop and foster the many relationships with locals he has built in his time as Ware Shoals' operator.
    The Pitts brothers and their father will serve as superintendent by committee. 
    "It's going to be a collaboration of myself, my dad and my brother," Pitts said. "We are using our renovation company as a main resource, and my dad will be there every day. He's recently retired and looking for something to do. I've built relationships with about 25 superintendents in the Southeast, and I'm sure we'll be leaning on those friends to help with some problems."
    Ware Shoals will never be confused with Kiawah Island or Sea Island. It's a humble course, with a humble background. And its comeback is on a similarly humble schedule, and it will remain open throughout the improvement work.
    The plan is to work on the course throughout the fall, winter and spring and be ready for a popular two-person invitational tournament at the course.
    "We've committed to the foundation and the community that we would improve the fairways, tees and greens by next spring," Pitts said. "We're going to do bunker work over the winter and plan a grand opening for late summer. It won't be where we want it by then, but we will be on our way."
    The foundation owns a limited amount of equipment, including a triplex mower, bunker rake, tractor and a few other pieces, some of which date back to the 1980s.
    "I've done some horsetrading with superintendents over the years on equipment that is coming off lease or is just parked out back, and through that we've acquired a couple mowers, greens mowers, tee mowers, blowers and Gators," Pitts said. "I have three triplexes, so we can mow greens, tees and collars. I also have a couple of sprayers. A dedicated fairway unit is a real need."
    Ware Shoals has a history with junior golf, and that is a connection the Pitts will continue. 
    "We have some architects who have agreed to help us," Pitts said. "They're going to help us tweak things and make the course fun and more entertaining. We have a lot of good people lined up to help us make it a playground for junior golf, get more tournaments and get the membership built back up."
  • For nearly a century, Foley Co. has been manufacturing grinding equipment to help superintendents maintain turf above ground. After a recent acquisition, the Wisconsin-based company will help them tend to problems beneath the surface, as well.
    Foley announced that it recently acquired the assets of GT Airinject, maker of the Air2G2 air-injection/soil-decompaction system. Founded 10 years ago by Glen Black, Air2G2 is the manufacturer of the Air2G2 336, Air2HP, Air2GO and Air2G2 436R. The transaction has been nearly two years in the making, and the wholly owned subsidiary of Foley, known as Foley Air, and the bulk of its operations will remain in Jacksonville, Florida.
    Foley has been manufacturing grinders since 1926. The addition of a subsurface soil-decompaction system is the start of a well-rounded portfolio that provides superintendents with solutions above and below ground.
    "It lines up with our strategy to expand into the turf and rec market more than we are today and gives us a whole new addition to the portfolio," said Paul Rauker, Foley's president and chief executive officer. "The way the product is produced here in the U.S., and our capabilities matched up really well.
    "Our philosophy is going to be Foley is all about above and below the ground."
    The Air2G2-336 uses an air-injection process that relieves soil compaction and increases porosity and respiration by fracturing the soil to enable airflow and promote better drainage, all while creating minimal disruption to the surface and without damaging roots below the surface.
    The Air2G2-336 was the winner of the 2015 Innovation Award from the Sports Turf Managers Association.
    Air2G2's staff of nine will remain on after the acquisition. Black, who first drew up plans for a soil air-injection system in 2010 on the back of a napkin at an Outback Steakhouse, also will stay on for about a year or so to train Foley's sales staff. 
    Selling his invention to a company with a similar corporate philosophy toward employees was important to Black.
    "That is a very important part of our lives, the people who work here, their families," Black said. "We have been so blessed to watch employees buy new homes, new cars and improve their lives."
    Although the operation will remain in Florida, the transaction coincides with construction of new headquarters in Prescott, Wisconsin, about 10 miles south of Foley's original headquarters in River Falls. Located on 12 acres, the 67,000-square-foot facility includes 55,000 square feet of manufacturing space and 12,000 square feet of offices. The city donated the land along with some funding for the construction of the building.
    The new building replaces an 85,000-square-foot structure in River Falls. Foley utilized 60,000 square feet and rented the remaining 25,000 square feet to a tenant that has since bought the complex. Although the building is large enough, it now longer met Foley's needs.
    "Even though it was going to be more space, we wanted it to be set up in an easier fashion," Rauker said. 
    "We had adopted lean manufacturing a few years ago, so as we move forward, we wanted to ensure that the overall design was compatible with that effort."
  • The new learning center at Horry-Georgetown Technical College will provide a real world learning experience for students. Photos courtesy of HGTC
    Horry-Georgetown is taking hands-on learning to another level for students in its golf and sports turf management program.
    This week, the school celebrated the grand opening of its new 27,000-square-foot learning center at its Conway, South Carolina campus. The learning center, which has been open since August, includes a variety of warm-season and cool-season turf plots grown into a 65-yard par-3 hole with a TifEagle putting green that students can utilize for real world experience they can't get from a textbook.
    The facility was built by Craig Schreiner of Schreiner Golf in Myrtle Beach. At a cost of $75,000, the project was completed with help from many other industry suppliers who either donated products or services or made them available at a deep discount.
    It will be used by students in the turf program and will provide a place for first-year students to learn tasks such as walk mowing and second-year students to master spraying herbicides, pesticides and fertilizers.
    "Somewhere along the way, instruction even at the technical level, became more collegial and less hands-on," said HGTC professor Ashley Wilkinson. "We are lucky to have gotten this done. This allows us to get back more to our roots, at least here we are.
    "We have plots, but we are not a research school, but, if we want to take the students out and look at weeds, or 'hey, let's go damage some turf' then we can do that."
    The center includes Bermuda, paspalum, zoysiagrass and a couple of creeping bentgrass plots, as well. It will serve as a place where students can develop spray programs, experiment with BMPs and height of cut. A soon-to-be-built 1,200-square-foot laboratory building will serve as a location where students can pull samples and study various diseases under a microscope.
    Students have been using the center as a learning lab since the start of the current school year, and also help maintain it on a daily basis.
    "We weren't sure how they were going to take that, or if they thought they were just being used as free labor," Wilkinson said. "We've found that kids today don't know what they need to know to succeed when they get here. This is good experience for them."
    Although it started at a time when many things were shutting down, the project plodded through the pandemic uninterrupted.
    "As others were hunkering down, the school told us they'd earmarked the money for it and to go ahead," Wilkinson said. 
    "It has helped that Craig is local and that we are near the golf tourism capital of the country and there are so many partners here willing to help us.."
    Partners in the project include: Schreiner Golf, Smith Turf and Irrigation, New Life Turf, Bill Nelson Irrigation, American Materials Corp., Pike Creek Turf Farms, Revels Turf and Tractor, Coastal Floratine, Helena, S & R Turf & Irrigation Equipment, Quail Hollow Club, SiteOne, Hackler Golf Course Founders Group International Prestwick Golf Club, Legends Resort, Vereen's Turf Center, Simplot, Barenbrug and Tee2Green.

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