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From the TurfNet NewsDesk

  • John Reitman
    Nikki Gatch definitely is a glass-half-full person. And that is a personality trait that comes in handy as the membership coordinator for the Southern California PGA.
    So when Gatch pointed out during the Ladies Leading Turf event at this year's Golf Industry Show that the overwhelming majority of members of two of the largest professional associations in the golf industry are men, she chose to look at that as a chance to effect change, not an obstacle to success.
    As a former collegiate golfer and the daughter of a golf pro, Gatch has spent virtually her entire life around the game.
    "It was simple, I wanted to be like dad," she said. "I didn't want to be a golfer necessarily. I just wanted to be like dad."
    As she spent more and more time around the golf course, Gatch noticed early on that there were not a lot of women in the golf business. They might have been selling merchandise in the pro shop or working in the office, but they were not the face of the business. Not like men, anyway.
    "They certainly weren't a golf pro," she said.
    They weren't mowing greens either.
    According to statistics Gatch presented at GIS, 4.4 percent of the PGA's 29,000 members and 1.5 percent of the 18,000-member GCSAA are women. 
    The number of female superintendents is even lower than what Gatch reported. According to the GCSAA, 112 female superintendents are members of GCSAA, only 61 of which are head superintendents.
    "Let's look at this as an opportunity," Gatch said during the Syngenta-sponsored event at GIS. "What can we do to close that gap? 
    "Maybe (girls and women) just don't know what we do every day. We have to educate them on that."
    In its second year, the Ladies Leading Turf event was organized by Leasha Schwab, superintendent at Pheasant Run Golf Club in Ontario. Unlike Gatch, who played competitively at Oklahoma State University, Schwab did not grow up around the game and doesn't really play it, either.
    "I grew up on a farm. I never golfed, I just wanted a job where I would be outside," Schwab said at GIS. "I think it's just a matter of educating women that this is even a thing and then mentoring and helping those who get into it."
    There are many benefits to diversity in the workplace, which include new ways of thinking, new ideas and new solutions to old problems. 
    Gender diversity is just one slice of that pie. 
    Hispanic laborers make up the backbone of the golf maintenance business in much of the country, yet few seem to make the transition to head superintendent. 
    Access to golf and education have made career development a challenge for many Hispanics. Jorge Croda, a native of Mexico and the co-winner of the 2017 TurfNet Superintendent of the Year Award, who now runs his own consulting business, says just educating fellow Hispanics that they can become a superintendent and helping them along the way is critical. He points to newly minted GCSAA president Rafael Barajas as an example for others to follow.
    "I'm so proud of him," Croda said. "I tell my workers 'You can do that.' We need more exposure to the game. In Mexico, you need a degree to be a superintendent. Here, you can have a two-year degree. Being a superintendent is a real opportunity for people who come to the United States."
    It's not always that simple.
    At the annual Syngenta Business Institute, a three-day professional development program developed in conjunction with the Wake Forest University School of Business, WFU professor Amy Wallis, Ph.D., discusses gender, generational and cultural differences in the workplace. She also points out how some Hispanics shy away from promotions and title changes because they don't want to be a boss among their peers.
    Jesus Romero is a native of Mexico and an assistant superintendent at PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Florida. He is a former superintendent at Sailfish Point in nearby Sewall's Point and knows first hand the challenges associated with elevating the careers of his workforce.
    "Some Spanish people take advantage of other Spanish people," Romero said.
    "We don't trust. You have to gain that trust. Spanish people, in the beginning, don't trust supervisors. It's worse if it's an Hispanic supervisor. First, you have to gain their trust. 
    "They will believe an American boss. But when they see a Spanish boss, they see somebody who they think is going to take advantage of them."
    Barajas came to the U.S. with his family when he was 14, started working on a golf course two years later when his brother hired him at Sunset Hills in Thousand Oaks, California, and hasn't looked back since. He's been in the business for 40 years, the last 36 as a superintendent.
    Although Hispanic workers comprise a large sector of the golf course labor market, many do not see a path to becoming a superintendent as a realistic option for them, and that is something that has to change.
    "The percentage of Hispanic superintendents is low. How do we change that?" Barajas said. "We just have to go out and encourage those in the industry to participate. We have to show them that this is an inclusive industry. I'm here."
    Barajas (pictured above) places heavy emphasis on the word "inclusive" when discussing his profession and his new role as GCSAA president.
    "I have been looked at through a large magnifying glass, and a lot of people want me to succeed. And there are some who don't," Barajas said.
    "I happen to be Hispanic. I have a great responsibility to continue to make sure that professional development is available, relevant and affordable. That is our responsibility and our mission. . . . I know I play a bigger role because of who I am and that I touch the Hispanic community more than any other past president because of my background and heritage. But it's not as much about Hispanics as it is everybody. We have to include everybody. This industry is inclusive. We include everybody. It's just how do we motivate some people. How am I going to motivate them? Just be being who I am. That's part of motivating Hispanics, but I do it for everybody."
    Schwab has become a self-appointed champion for other women in the field. Opening the door to women and minorities means not only educating people about turf maintenance as a career option. It also means current superintendents must be willing to mentor them. 
    "I know women who have gotten into this, and have been too intimidated and decided to leave the business because they didn't see anyone who looked like them," she said.
    "I did not have any women as mentors, but I was lucky I had some very good mentors who were men."
    Being a resource for others is a big reason why she created the Ladies Leading Turf event.
    "I wanted a place for women where they could network and talk with other women in the field, because I didn't know of anything else like this," she said. "I know nothing is going to change overnight, but it's a start."
  • A letter from Jack Harrell, Jr. CEO of Harrell's regarding recent decision to discontinue distribution of glyphosate products.
    There has obviously been some discussion and concern about our decision to stop selling glyphosate products. I apologize for any confusion about this and I would like to explain why we made this decision.
    First, Harrell's is not making any judgment as to whether glyphosate is detrimental to anyone's health. In fact, the weight of scientific evidence strongly supports its safety when used properly.
    That said, during our annual insurance renewal last month, we were surprised to learn that our insurance company was no longer willing to provide coverage for claims related to glyphosate due to the recent high-profile lawsuit and the many thousands of lawsuits since. We sought coverage from other companies but could not buy adequate coverage for the risk we would be incurring. So we had no choice other than to notify our Harrell's Team and customers that we would no longer offer products containing glyphosate as of March 1, 2019.
    We are still ready and able to help you with a variety of alternative products that will meet your non-selective control needs or to help you find glyphosate elsewhere. As always, we will make sure your needs are met no matter whether we sell a particular product or not.
    Finally, be assured that Harrell's will continue to partner with our suppliers, customers, and all National, State and Local associations to advocate for responsible regulation and legislation of our products and practices. Together we can educate lawmakers and the public and ensure we can continue Growing A Better World.
  • Growing the game will mean finding ways to make it more appealing to women and children. For the past century-plus, golf has had a pretty good run in this country as a game supported mostly by white males.Those demographics will have to take on a different look if it is going to be viable for the next 100 years.
    "One of our stated objectives is we want golf to look like America looks," said World Golf Foundation CEO Steve Mona. "That means gender perspective, age, ethnicity, physical disability, sexual orientation, you name it. And we're not there, obviously. The biggest delta is women are 50 percent of the population and just 24 percent of the golfer population. Minorities are 37 percent of the population and just 18 percent of the golfer population."
    There are plenty initiatives afoot to help golf usher in a new era. Some are taking place at the association level, like the First Tee, which started in 1997 and today claims to reach 5 million kids annually, and the recently launched PGA Reach program that also promises to introduce the game to children and veterans and to others through the workplace.
    Other attempts at growing the game are occurring at a more grassroots level.
    Jorge Croda is more than a skilled superintendent who transformed Southern Oaks Golf Club from a rundown daily fee in northern Texas into one of the best-conditioned courses in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area on his way to being named the co-winner of the 2017 TurfNet Superintendent of the Year award, presented by Syngenta. He also is one of the game's true ambassadors.
    An 8 handicapper, Croda is a skilled player who shares his passion for the game with anyone who has an interest in learning the game. A certified First Tee instructor, he has helped introduce thousands of Fort Worth-area kids to the game. He also teaches adults, and has helped dozens of employees and hundreds of others 
    Like the First Tee, which teaches children soft skills through its core values of honesty, integrity, sportsmanship, respect, confidence, responsibility, perseverance and courtesy, Croda believes adults too can learn from the lessons the game teaches. In fact, he said, it's a critical component of helping the game stick with newcomers.
    "One of my goals is growing the game, not just for kids, but women, minorities, all people," said Croda who recently started his own consulting business after a change in ownership at Southern Oaks Golf Club in Burleson south of Fort Worth. 
    "Teaching them the game has impacted their lives through focusing on the importance of values in their personal and professional lives, and also the importance of societal responsibility."
    According to the WGF, about 24 million people in the U.S. play golf. The National Golf Foundation puts that number at a little lower at about 20 million. Of the WGF's total, approximately one-fourth are women and about 4.3 million are minorities, which the association defines as African American, Latino or Asian.
    TurfNet reported recently that interest in golf is at an all-time high. Getting people to the golf course and convincing them to come back has been the challenge. Or, as Nikki Gatch, chief membership officer of the Southern California PGA, put it, there is a difference between introducing people to the game and making the experience a positive one. Gatch was on hand in San Diego as the keynote speaker at the second annual Ladies Leading Turf, a professional networking event for women in the golf industry. Held in conjunction with the Golf Industry Show, the event was organized by Leasha Schwab, superintendent at Pheasant Run GC in Sharon, Ontario, and sponsored by Syngenta.
    "Diversity is being invited to the party. Inclusion is being asked to dance," Gatch said.
    "In my opinion, you can't have one without the other. . . . Are we inviting people to the party, and if we are, are we inviting them to dance?"

    Jorge Croda, center, has taught the game to a lot of people through the years, including dozens of people who have worked for him. Croda is a regular Fred Astaire. He's taught the game to dozens of his crew members, hundreds of adults and thousands of kids in the U.S. and Mexico.
    "Hispanic people are very interested in learning the game," Croda insists. 
    "In Mexico, there is not too much opportunity to play golf, because about 95 percent of the courses are private. You only play if you are a caddie or work at a golf course. There is less opportunity than like you have here in the United States. Then there is an economic part, too."
    Mona agreed that there are cultural walls to break down to grow the game. And that, he said, is where the First Tee can play a role, especially its National School Program that makes golf part of the physical education program at more than 9,000 schools nationwide.
    "The parents might not play, but their kids go to school, and golf gets introduced in a four-to-six-week program in the P.E. curriculum," Mona said. "That's a big deal because parents will try to help their kids get ahead and help them pursue whatever interests they have. 
    "Latino parents here from Mexico probably were never introduced to the game, and it's unlikely they're going to come home and say 'Hey, let's go play golf today.' That's not going to happen. But, if their kids come home and say 'I really liked this,' they're going to do their best to try to get them introduced to the game."
    Objections to growing the game based on gender are not as challenging as those based on culture.
    Although women are about a fourth of the U.S. golfer population, they are ahead of the curve when it comes to new players, Gatch said. About 35 percent of new golfers are women or girls, and one-third of all junior golfers are girls, she said.
    "I think the game is in a great place," Gatch said at GIS.
    "Let's look at this as an opportunity. What can we do to close that gap? We have girls and women interested in the game. Maybe they just don't know what we do and we have to educate them on that."
    The game also has to be presented in a way that keeps people coming back.
    "It has to be welcoming, fun and inclusive," Gatch said. "We have to make the game fun. We can't lose site of that. If it's not fun, people are not going to spend extra money and extra time doing it."
    Croda agreed, saying golf has to be perceived as a more attractive option than other ways of spending discretionary income. He said the industry can learn a thing or two from Hollywood.
    "The game needs to be like going to a movie theater: It takes two hours to see a movie. It's expensive, popcorn, soda, everything," he said. "Golf can be six holes or whatever you can enjoy for two hours, and it should be too expensive. You can make your revenue on food."
  • Lawmakers in Miami are concerned with how runoff containing pesticides like glyphosate can impact environmentally sensitive waterways, such as Biscayne Bay. Roundup is the byproduct of years of scientific research, but its future, and that of many other popular pesticides, could be determined by raw emotion.
    As representatives are preparing to march on Washington, D.C., in the next edition of National Golf Day in May, lawmakers in Miami took the first step in banning one of the golf industry's most widely used chemistries. 
    No one should have been surprised last week when the city of Miami approved a resolution banning the use of herbicides containing glyphosate on city property. The ban affects city works and contractors working on behalf of the city. The PR campaign to stop the use of such pesticides is well organized, much more so than any efforts to save them.
    Although the Miami ban on glyphosate, the third in Florida so far, does not mention residential or commercial - which has the potential to be far more widespread - the story should serve as a wake-up call of challenges that are on the horizon.
    Glyphosate is the world's most popular herbicide and is an essential tool for golf course superintendents nationwide. Those who hope to continue using this and other pesticides targeted by environmental groups would be well advised to mobilize, much the way state associations did in response to water-use restrictions, to educate lawmakers on the responsible use of such products by those who are licensed to apply them.
    The Miami resolution, introduced by councilman Ken Russell, came in response to the city's continued reliance on glyphosate. According to published reports, the city used 5,000 gallons of it last year, and there is growing concern in South Florida how it might affect the environmentally sensitive waterways, particularly Biscayne Bay.
    There also is concern that glyphosate could be a cancer-causing agent, though there are arguments on both sides of that issue.
    A California jury last year ordered Monsanto to pay $289 million to a school groundskeeper who said his terminal cancer was caused by the popular weed killer. That figure was later adjusted by a judge to $78.5 million. However, in 2017, a study published by the Journal of the National Cancer Institute said there was no scientific evidence to link glyphosate and cancer in people. Another study published in Brazil came to the same conclusion.
    Whether glyphosate is in fact a carcinogen remains to be seen, there are concerns about how long it subsists in the soil.
    Developed in the 1970s by Monsanto, Roundup promises weeks of weed control, but there is strong evidence that the active ingredient subsists in the soil for much longer. Data presented at the 2014 Acres USA conference on sustainable and organic farming found traces of glyphosate in the soil 10 years after application and a recent study found the chemistry in dozens of wines and beers available on the market.
    Some studies even suggest glyphosate might be harmful to bees. I don't know whether the chemistry adversely affects pollinators, but I do know from first-hand experience that ants and spiders do not like it very much.
    Glyphosate has been named in more than 10,000 lawsuits globally, and Bayer, which acquired Monsanto in 2018, vows to fight those claims.
    Synthetic pesticides and fertilizers are coming under increased scrutiny globally and have been banned outright in some locales. It is time to start thinking about proactive measures now to ensure future access to such products, much in the same way many state associations did when regional government bodies threatened to turn off water. Although there is a big difference between synthetic pesticides and water and defending one against mounting popular opinion will be a challenge, it is possible to demonstrate responsible pesticide use. In fact, there are countless examples of superintendents across the country who successfully manage golf courses without upsetting the balance of environmentally sensitive areas that are in close proximity. 
    Those who want continued access to glyphosate - and other pesticides on the watchlist of various environmental groups - might want to put that on their agenda the next time they or those speaking on their behalf have an audience that includes lawmakers.
  • As the range of the annual bluegrass weevil increases, so to are efforts to combat this tiny-yet-destructive pest.
    To better help golf course superintendents manage annual bluegrass weevil, Syngenta has updated its WeevilTrak monitoring system with new courses, researchers and control recommendations. Updates include new additions to the ABW research team, new courses on the list of reporting stations and updates to the WeevilTrak site.
    "ABW activity is spreading to new locations, so we want to ensure WeevilTrak is evolving to meet the needs of superintendents through more monitoring sites and improved control products," said Stephanie Schwenke, turf market manager for Syngenta. "Based on requests we've received for additional input in Southern Virginia, we've added several new courses to the program. We've also improved the Optimum Control Strategy with Provaunt® WDG insecticide recommendations."
    This year, Thomas Kuhar, Ph.D., of Virginia Tech and Olga Kostromytska, Ph.D., of the University of Massachusetts have joined the WeevilTrak team of researchers and will monitor ABW activity in their respective locations and provide monthly updates for the WeevilTrak blog.
    Golf courses added to the list of reporting ABW research stations include The Federal Club in Glen Allen, Virginia, Ballyhack Golf Club in Roanoke, Virginia and Blacksburg Country Club in Blacksburg, Virginia.
    Since its launch 10 years ago, the WeevilTrak program has been continuously updated to provide new resources and help superintendents stay on top of the latest trends.
    New in 2019 are text alerts that provide timely updates on local ABW progression, a blog updated by 11 industry-leading ABW researchers, secondary course monitoring for additional localized stage-progression information, a growing degree day model designed specifically for ABW and control strategies. 
    "ABW has historically been the most troublesome insect for golf course superintendents in the Northeast, and, in recent years, it has continued to move to other regions," said Steve McDonald, principal of Turfgrass Disease Solutions, and managing consultant for the WeevilTrak research team. "To help superintendents combat this pest, WeevilTrak continues to provide the tools they need to stay informed on ABW activity and the control options needed to prevent damage throughout the season."
  • World Golf Foundation CEO Steve Mona (below) says that while interest in playing golf is at an all-time high, getting people to the course and keeping them there is the real challenge. There has been plenty of reason for concern with the state of golf during the past decade, but when it comes to the game's future, Steve Mona is the eternal optimist.
    As the chief executive officer of the World Golf Foundation, Mona knows all the game's indicators backwards, forwards and sideways, and although the game has leaked players steadily for the past 12 years, he is confident that there are more reasons than ever to be encouraged about where the game is headed.
    Nearly 15 million people in 2018 said they were interested in playing golf, and more than 2.5 million played the game for the first time last year, according to industry statistics. Off-course facilities attracted about 13 million people during that time, some of whom already are golfers, but many of whom are not.
    "Two words I use to describe the game are stable and evolving," Mona said during a sitdown with TurfNet at this year's Golf Industry Show.
    "Golf is riding a high of interest. Last year, almost 15 million people said they were interested in playing the game right now. Not when the kids get out of the house. Not when they retire. Not when they sell the house. That's right now. Interest is high, and trial is high. Last year, 2.6 million people tried golf for the first time. That was an all-time high in interest and trial. We don't have an issue with people interested in the game. We don't have an issue with people trying the game. The issue boils down to keeping them in the game."
    Rounds played were down about 5 percent from 448 million in 2017 to 427 million last year, and are off by about 50 million since the turn of the century 19 years ago. According to Mona's statistics, the golfer population in the U.S. has dropped from 32 million to 24 million since 2002 (the National Golf Foundation puts those numbers at 30 million and 20.8 million, respectively). But of those 24 million, he said, 19.5 million are "committed to the game."
    "Golf is part of their lifestyle," Mona said. "They are responsible for 95 percent of the spending and 95 percent of the rounds. The challenge for golf has been how to build on those numbers."
    And new golf experiences such as Topgolf, Drive Shack and golf simulators can help introduce people to the game in new and different ways and maybe eventually generate interest in a more traditional on-course golf experience.
    "If you were interested in the game 20 years ago, your ways of acting on that interest were fairly limited," Mona said. "Today, you can try Toopgolf, you can try Drive Shack, you can try a simulator. You've tried it, and that could lead to that green grass experience. That's why we view these entry points as complimentary to the game and not competitors.
    "I actually think the future, we have a great opportunity. We have more people showing interest in the game and more people trying the game. But it's a conversion or retention issue. But at least now we have entry points into the game."
    Millenials view golf - and just about everything else - differently than their parents do, and golf course operators would do well to tap into that, Mona said.
    "Golf used to be 8 a.m. on the first tee on a Saturday morning at a private club with the same foursome you've played with for the last 10 years, steel spikes, khaki slacks, a golf shirt tucked in with a cap facing forward," Mona said. "Now, it can be 8 p.m., cargo shorts, flip flops, shirt untucked, hat on backwards and a beer in one hand at Topgolf. That is a golf experience and an entry point into the game."
    Forcing newcomers to the game to conform to the rules of yesteryear could prevent them from becoming committed golfers.
    "This way, they get introduced to the game and if they have fun the might want to pursue it further and eventually move to a green grass experience. Now, that's not going to be a Topgolf experience because it is different, but it needs to be more aligned with it than not," Mona said.
    "What we have to recognize now is that there are different ways to experience golf and that the way in which people experience golf has to align with how they experience other forms of recreational time. We are compared against going to a football game, basketball game or the Lucky Strike Bowl, but those are all forms of entertainment. If there are rules that prohibit you from doing things freely at those other forms of entertainment and that bothers you at any level, then you are going to matriculate away from golf toward those other forms of recreation.
    Attracting and retaining players is not just about bending the game's staid rules. A lot of it comes down to basic customer service.
    "We call it the moments of truth at a golf course," Mona said. "Is there a bag drop? And if there is, what is that person like? You're probably going to have a starter. What is that person like? . . . It all matters in how welcoming are they. We have to be thinking that golf competes with any other form of discretionary spending, not just bowling or tennis. It also competes with going to a movie or going out to dinner. However you spend your discretionary income, we have to compete with that.
    "The ingredients are in place to address this. It's a matter of us as an industry making sure that people have the right experiences at all these points along the way."
  • John Cunningham (left) and Jim Pavonetti are locked in a negotiation dual at SBI 2015. Bill Davis, Ph.D. (below) leads a session at SBI 2017. Photos by John Reitman By the time John Cunningham, CGCS, attended the Syngenta Business Institute in 2015, he already had been promoted to director of agronomy and assistant general manager at Bellerive Country Club.
    SBI helped round out the skill set needed for the evolving role of today's business-savvy superintendent who wants to take their managerial talent to a new level, like Cunningham, who today is the general manager at Aronimink Golf Club near Philadelphia.
    "Golf course superintendents are truly responsible for running a business. Having the opportunity to attend three days of business classes focused on the many challenges we face as superintendents was unbelievable," Cunningham said during SBI. "Spending time with other superintendents was beneficial and walking away with best management practices, tools and solutions to help some of these problems was awesome."
    Superintendents hoping for the same experience can now apply for the this year's edition of the Syngenta Business Institute. An intensive three-day program developed in partnership with the Wake Forest University School of Business, SBI is designed to grow the professional knowledge of golf course superintendents and assist them with managing their courses. In its 11th year, the program is scheduled for Dec. 3-6 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and provides graduate school-level instruction in financial management, human resource management, negotiating, managing across generations and cultural divides, impact hiring and other leadership- and professional-development skills.
    About 25 superintendents will be selected to attend this year’s program. Application deadline is Aug. 13.
    "Superintendents work hard to make sure their turf is conditioned to perform at its best and recover quickly from stress," said Stephanie Schwenke, turf market manager for Syngenta. "But we know the turf is not the only thing they are managing. Every day, they make important business decisions and are responsible for leading their teams. At Syngenta, we don’t want to just provide products that help them take care of their turf. We want to continue to offer opportunities like SBI, where they can learn skills that will help them grow professionally and improve their golf courses." 
     
    Since its inception, more than 250 superintendents have graduated from SBI, and many recently attended a reunion event at the Golf Industry Show in San Diego. Over the years, they have continued to praise the program for its effectiveness and impact on their careers.
    "The reason I came is because this deals with things that are outside of our wheelhouse," said Jim Pavonetti of Fairview Country Club in Greenwich, Connecticut, when he attended in 2015. "Making greens great is what we do, but managing boards and owners, those are the kinds of things we can improve upon."
    The deadline to apply is Aug. 13. Selected participants will be notified in October.
  • Traditionally there is not a lot of show floor traffic on Day 2 of GIS. If the Golf Industry Show was a movie, it might have competed for an Oscar this year in the category of Best Animated Short Film, with a heavy emphasis on "short".
    With abbreviated trade show hours that included a 10 a.m. start on Wednesday and Thursday and a 90-minute, controversy-stirring variety show as its grand finale, GIS is nothing like the epic documentary version that once spilled over into Saturday. Heck, it's nothing like the the 2018 show that gave birth to the phrase "Forget the Alamo" and revived old standards such as “Viva Las Vegas.”
    Indeed, it appears as though the show is experiencing an identity crisis of sorts. The GCSAA places a lot of stock, as it should, in the number of "qualified buyers" who attend the show. Qualified buyers are people, like yourselves, who have the authority to make on-the-spot purchasing decisions on the tradeshow floor. There were about 5,950 such folks at this year's show, which is about 450 more than last year in San Antonio, but overall, that number, like most every indicator in golf, has been on a slow and steady decline for the past decade or more.
    What is not moving - at least not much, anyway - is the number of vendors displaying their wares at GIS. Although booth space is down in recent years, the number of exhibitors during that time has held strong in the low to mid 500s, and overall attendance is still solid, hovering around the 12,000 mark.
    Contrary to what some might believe, the GIS is not just an education and networking conference, although we heard many stories of superintendents who had gotten their fill of golf and education and headed home before the tradeshow kicked off Wednesday. 
    As the GCSAA's largest fundraiser, GIS still is a business-first event that typically enjoys brisk floor traffic for the first half of the first day then transforms into a ghost town where the only thing missing are tumbleweeds rolling across a convention center floor.
    When the GIS finale started late Thursday afternoon, the show floor was again flush with activity. The problem was most attendees flooded in from outside the convention center, because by then few superintendents were roaming the floor. It's a challenge for vendors to conduct business and support your fundraising efforts when attendees are outside waiting for the big show to begin, or worse, already on a plane heading home.
    And for those who still had business to conduct from 3:30-5 p.m. on the last day, doing so was nearly impossible since many booths were vacated due to the entertainment.
    With travel budgets heavily scrutinized, getting to GIS is no small feat in a city where hotels within walking distance of the convention center range in price from $250-$400 (or more). Even hotels a few miles out of downtown weren't a lot less, and even those quickly elevated into that range of $200-plus per night after throwing in roundtrip Uber fare.
    I can sympathize with the GCSAA, whose fundraising efforts are hitched to a wagon with a hobbled wheel. Although there is no clear-cut solution to strengthening show floor traffic, especially on Day 2, shortening the hours on an already abbreviated show and adding a 90-minute song and dance routine during the last 90 minutes sends a conflicting message, and makes it harder to sell that concept of business-first.
    It makes it harder to buy it, too.
  • Even a rare rainy day in Southern California can't dampen the spirits of Rose Bowl turf superintendent Will Schnell (right), assistant Miguel Yepez (left) and Martin Rodriguez. Photos by John Reitman Since Warren Harding occupied the White House almost 100 years ago, playing in the Rose Bowl - the game and the stadium - has been a dream for countless kids across the country.
    It's a legacy turf superintendent Will Schnell takes seriously at the world's most iconic stadium that opened in Pasadena, California in 1923.
    "Kids work their whole lives to get to this point," Schnell said. "We try to provide a surface where they can maximize their talents."
    Schnell has plenty of experience doing just that. For the past 18 years, he has been the man in charge of the most famous field in sports. Before that, Schnell, a Missouri native and graduate of Central Missouri State (now the University of Central Missouri), worked for the Cleveland Browns and several professional baseball stadiums, including three years across town as the sports turf manager at Dodger Stadium.
    He has a lot in common with golf course superintendents. Although the Rose Bowl game is played once a year, many other events are held there, and the turf must be in championship condition all the time. He has issues with shade, drought and traffic and even has to rope off access points so players and others don't wear a path from the locker room onto the field of play.
    He's been accused during most of the past two decades of managing the Rose Bowl turf like a 2.5-acre putting green. His field is held to such high standards that it often is compared favorably with that at Augusta National Golf Club - which opened in 1933, a full decade after the Rose Bowl.
    "That's what people tell me," Schnell said. "That's what we try to do. We try to make this field something special."
    It was just after 9/11 when Schnell made the move 10 miles from Dodger Stadium to Pasadena. College football's BCS National Championship system was in its infancy and the Dodgers had not been to the Major League playoffs in five years.
    "I had worked for the Browns and I like football," Schnell said. "The Dodgers weren't doing so well, and I wanted to be part of something new."
    Since then, Schnell has overseen 18 Rose Bowl games and four BCS National Championships.
    One thing that has been constant since Miami beat Nebraska for the BCS championship on Jan. 3, 2002, the field at the Rose Bowl, which Schnell and his team, which includes Miguel Yepez and Martin Rodriguez, resod several times per year and maintain anywhere from one-quarter to three-fourths of an inch depending on the next event, is nearly flawless every day.
    It has to be.
    Much like in golf, the Rose Bowl field must be in championship condition every day. Even when college football's best teams aren't competing there, the stadium is an important revenue-generating tool for the city of Pasadena that owns it and the adjacent Brookside Golf Course, and some part of it is used nearly every day.
    "The press box is important, the locker rooms are important," Schnell said. "There is not an area here that we don't rent out to raise revenue."
    And everyone who rents out space for a corporate event or wedding or whatever wants one thing - a field worthy of a Rose Bowl game.
    "UCLA plays seven homes games here, and there are events out here all the time every week," said Mike Steve, territory manager for Grigg/Brandt and a longtime partner in helping maintain the Rose Bowl look. "There can be a game on Saturday, a corporate event on Sunday and another one on Monday, and guess what I want? I want the field to look perfect like I know the Rose Bowl always does. That's the challenge; people have no idea the conditions people want here day in and day out."
    To achieve that, Schnell sods at least four times a year, including immediately after every concert with Bandera Bermuda grass from West Coast Turf. Grown an hour-and-a-half away in Palm Desert, it's the same overseeded sod used at historic sports venues across Southern California, such as Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum and Los Angeles Country Club, and is noted for its resistance to shade, cold, traffic and drought.
    While the press box might be the site of a wedding one day, the field might be the site of a concert the next. In fact, the Rolling Stones are scheduled to appear there May 11.
    Such an event, including setup and teardown, usually is about a nine-day window where the field is covered with a floor capable of supporting 10s of thousands of fans and several 18-wheelers delivering and hauling away concert infrastructure.
    As the trucks are pulling out, Schnell and his team are going in behind them stripping off the top 2 inches of the field with a Koro Field Topmaker. The process takes 20 hours over two days.
    "We have to resod after concerts because there is nothing left when you have a driveable terra floor on that turf for eight or nine days," Schnell said. "As they are going out, we are right behind them ripping up the field."
    Like a golf course superintendent, Schnell often has little time between establishing new turf and when it has to be not only playable, but perfect.
    "After we resod, we'll have another event seven days later," he said.
    "Our timelines are short. We usually finish resodding on a Friday or Saturday and then have a game the next week. Our goal at the Rose Bowl is that when we sod you cannot tell we resodded. If a coach or player sees a seam, the focus is not on football. We don't want them to think there is anything wrong with the field."
    And, like a superintendent, Schnell often has to throw out the turf management playbook to produce conditions that have to be perfect not only for 200 football players on the field, but more than 15 million viewers watching on TV.
    "We're constantly asking for information, asking for help. 'Will this work? If I use a product this way, will it work. Maybe it will, maybe it won't,' " Schnell said. "I keep a lot of calcium in the soil profile. Most people aren't doing that, but here we have to think outside the box. We have so many events and our timelines are so short that we have to. If a game is at 1 o'clock and something is wrong, I can't call ESPN and say 'Hey, can you delay?' No, that game is going to be at 1 o'clock."
    When Schnell took the job at the Rose Bowl almost two decades ago, one of the first things he noticed was bare soil where players would enter the field from the locker room. Like a superintendent who must manage entry and exit points on putting greens, he immediately devised a plan manage traffic onto and off the field. He ropes off those entry points and directs players and anyone else onto a different path that changes daily.
    "Those are the hardest places to keep grass. We don't ever walk in those areas," said Yepez, the Rose Bowl's assistant turf superintendent. "The only time we use (the real entry point) is the day of an event."
    While nearly 100,000 in person and millions more watch on TV admire the work of Schnell and his team, they rarely stop to enjoy the contest before them. Instead, they are monitoring the field and looking for ways to make the world's best playing surface even better for the next event. The team rates the field on a scale of 1-10 for visual quality and playability.
    "There's always room for improvement," Yepez said. "We're always looking to learn what we can do better for next year."
    Martin Rodriguez records the English and Spanish broadcasts of the Rose Bowl game to listen to what announcer say about playing conditions and the visual quality of the turf. And while aerial views from the Goodyear blimp make for great theater on TV, the overhead shots of the field are fodder for improvement for those who maintain the field. 
    "This year, I altered the overseed rate. When I saw those shots from the blimp, I could see more Bermuda than usual. There was a blockiness that I did not like," Schnell said. "No one mentioned a thing, but the three of us saw it. I should have overseeded a little heavier. The field was a 9. Next year, we'll look for a 9-and-a-half."
    Such scrutiny, self-imposed an otherwise, is a small price to pay for the privilege of taking care of the turf at the most iconic venue in sports.
    "I remember as a kid watching the Rose Bowl on TV. At home, it was cold and snowing and you turn on the TV and see people in shorts and short-sleeve shirts," Schnell said. "Then you actually get here, and wherever you go and people ask where you work, they all say 'Oh, the Rose Bowl.' It's an honor and a privilege to work here."
  • Water use in the fairways at Corica Park's South Course is down 60 percent since a renovation patterned after some of Australia's top courses. Last summer, Greenway Golf unveiled a newly renovated Corica Park South Course in Alameda, California. The project was three years in the making and was designed to help reduce water use in one of the country's most water-challenged environments. 
    Elements of the Australian Sandbelt design based on some of Australia's most historic layouts include a 6- to 8-inch sand cap, new drought-resistant turf in the fairways, targeted irrigation and landforms that help move water to hundreds of catch basins.
    Although much of California finally has more water than it needs, the efforts of Greenway Golf to make busy city-owned Corica Park a model of sustainability continue to raise awareness across the golf industry.
    Recently, the South Course at Corica Park and Greenway Golf, which manages the property were named recipients of the inaugural Water and Sustainability Innovation Award, presented by Audubon International and Ewing Irrigation and Landscape Supply.
    This award recognizes a project that addresses sustainability and water efficiency challenges and contributes to a healthy environment, quality of life or a vital economy. 
    Corica Park is a busy 45-hole municipal property near Oakland that includes the William Francis Bell-designed South Course, and the North Course designed by William Park Bell that is being renovated nine holes at a time. About 70,000 rounds per year are played on the South Course. 
    The project was planned with Australian layouts like Royal Melbourne and Victoria in mind and was the idea of Greenway agronomist Mark Logan, who is a native of Australia.
    The South's large greens were grassed with Pure Distinction creeping bentgrass. At an average of 7,500 square feet, each has enough contouring for three exit points for surface water and enough to make them interesting yet not too difficult for golfers.
    Nearly 34 acres of fairways were sprigged with drought-tolerant Santa Ana Bermudagrass, the first successful sprigging of that variety on the Northern California coast. Collars are Seaside II creeping bentgrass to handle mower and roller turns, and bunker edges are covered in Agrostis pallens, a cool-season grass native to California that Cook says looks and performs like a tall fescue.
    As a result, water use in the fairways is down about 60 percent. The irrigation system, with 5,300 heads, was designed to target the specific needs of each variety.
    "This project focuses on water recapture, target irrigation, native grasses, the design and playability," Jason Cook, regional superintendent for Greenway Golf, told TurfNet when the redesign was unveiled last year.
    "The cost of water, the cost of labor, aging infrastructure all are impacting golf significantly, especially in California. Investing in infrastructure now saves money down the road. I don't see the cost of water going down."
  • Reinders Green Industry Conference is the largest independent green industry conference in the Midwest. Billed as the Midwest's largest independent green industry conference, Reinders 24th Green Industry Conference will be held March 13-14 at the Waukesha Expo Center in suburban Milwaukee.
    The bi-annual conference, which began in 1973, will include a panel of speakers and more than 35 educational seminars, making it an ideal destination for those in the upper Midwest who are unable to travel to national shows.
    Educational tracks are available for golf course superintendents, professional landscape contractors, lawn care operators, sports turf managers, equipment technicians and irrigation contractors.
    Attendees will enjoy the famous homemade donuts and an Entertainment Zone. The industry's top vendors will be offering show specials in addition to daily door and raffle prizes.
  • The Arroyo Seco runs through Brookside Golf Course and adjacent to the Rose Bowl (at left). There is no such thing as an offseason at Brookside Golf Course.
    Even when more than 100,000 golfers per year aren't playing this historic, 36-hole layout by architect William P. Bell, there is always something happening at the city-owned facility adjacent to the iconic Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California. Indeed, compared with other municipal golf courses, Brookside is, on one hand, an aberration in that some of the things that happen here occur nowhere else. On the other, it shares many of the same challenges other municipal and daily fee tracks face, just maybe at a slightly more intense level.
    "There are a lot of challenges here," said superintendent George Winters. "It's something you have to zen with."
    Designed by Bell in 1928, Brookside lies in a valley beneath Pasadena known as the Arroyo Seco that is named for the watershed that bisects the property and drains water - when there is any - from the San Gabriel Mountains to the Los Angeles River 25 miles away. Once a natural gulley that traversed along its current path, the Arroyo Seco was paved to prevent erosion in the 1930s as part of President Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal that was designed to help get unemployed Americans back to work on the heels of the Great Depression.
    Today, upwards of 150,000 golfers per year trek back and forth across the Arroyo Seco to play Bell's handiwork adjacent to the historic Rose Bowl Stadium, which opened six years before the golf course in 1922. 
    The golf operation, which is managed by American Golf, has a historic past. The larger No. 1 Course was the site of the PGA Tour's former Pasadena Open from 1929 to 1938, where winners include the likes of Horton Smith and "Lighthorse" Harry Cooper. In 1968, Billy Casper won the Los Angeles Open at Brookside.
    As a municipal operation, Winters has a limited budget to go along with a lot of play. Like everyone in California, he struggles with water-related issues and a full schedule of non-golf events on the Rose Bowl campus mean compaction issues. Serious compaction issues.
    When asked what is the primary turf type on the golf course, assistant superintendent Alberto Munoz laughed and answered "all of them."
    Winters and Munoz don't carry around a top hat, magic wand or a rabbit, but what they produce at Brookside under the circumstances they face dozens of times per year is nothing short of magic.
    The stadium and golf course, both owned by the city, are important revenue sources for Pasadena. The stadium is the site of a New Year's Day bowl game, a half-dozen or so UCLA home football games and countless other events that rely on Brookside's fairways for parking, tailgate areas and more. The golf course also is the site of a two-day music festival that attracts about 50,000 concertgoers. 
    "We don't just run a golf course," Winters said. "We run a golf course, concert venue, parking lot and festival area all on the same property." 

    Superintendent George Winters (right) and assistant Alberto Munoz flip Brookside from a golf course to an event-support center dozens of times a year. The city even markets the 16th and 17th holes of the No. 1 Course as The Greens at the Rose Bowl for the purpose of selling events.
    Several new events on the schedule for 2019 will mean even more challenges ahead for Winters, Munoz and their team.
    "There will be 28 Fridays this year where those two holes are closed. It's going to be interesting to see how that goes," Winters said. "That is in addition to the 40 to 50 other disruptions here. We're at almost 100 days of disruption on the campus. The wear and tear is not a big deal. It's about generating revenue."
    A former superintendent at Robinson Ranch - now known as Sand Canyon - in Santa Clarita, Munoz joined Winters' staff last October because he wanted to be part of something special.
    "What attracted me was all the things the happen here. The diversity of things, the golf, events, concerts, charity walks and runs," Munoz said. "There are all kinds of different things happening here, but you really don't have any idea what it's like until you actually get here. They tell you about all the events, the concerts and the parking, but until you get here and see the tailgating and the parking you, nothing prepares you for it. There are always so many people and so many things going on. So much of the golf course is taken up by some of these events, it becomes like a whole other world. It's not even like it's a golf course anymore."
    It took Winters about a year to zero in on the process of preparing the course for non-golf events that include removing items like ball washers, tee markers and flagsticks, staking off greens and bunkers and installing diesel-powered temporary lighting (pictured below). 
    "You're so immersed in the event, you're not even thinking of this as a golf course anymore. It's a property where you're trying to manage all these things around you," Winters said. 
    "For a UCLA game, we will have staff on site for almost 48 hours straight. It's not a normal golf course where we come in at 5 in the morning and leave at 1 in the afternoon. We are very good at preparing this to be a parking lot. It's like second nature to us. We are very organized and we have it down to a science. An outsider just can't understand when they see all these cars and tens of thousands of people here, then about nine or 10 hours after the last car is gone, it's a golf course again. There's no trash, greens are mowed and the bunkers raked. And we don't do it just once. We do it dozens of times a year. It's pretty neat to see."
    Of course that schedule does result in a great deal of compaction and ground under repair. Winters aerifies fairways eight or nine times a year and goes through a lot of city water to alleviate compaction and repair damaged areas.
    About a decade ago, Pasadena had reached a deal with nearby Glendale to bring reclaimed water to the Arroyo Seco area. Most of the infrastructure was in place when residents in the surrounding area squashed the plan because they didn't want purple pipe coming through their neighborhood.
    "We're all potable water," Winters said. "There is no other source on the horizon."
    Before the days of water-use restrictions, Brookside used about 750 acre feet of water per year. Today, that number is about 500 acre feet.
    "Or less," Winters said.
    That makes it a struggle to provide the kind of conditions golfers want when they play Brookside.
    "If we were just golf with no other events, we would probably be OK with that," Winters said. "Disruption to irrigation, when we have to turn it off for two or three days when it's hot, that is our biggest challenge. We figured there are at least 250,000 people in any event season going through the golf course to the stadium. That is an astounding number in golf course terms. Once we get into these events where we have to recover, repair and grow-in, it's not possible in my opinion.
    "We have 40-ton semis, many, many semis, coming onto the golf course many times a year. Some of the damage doesn't show right away, so when it does people sometimes wonder whether we are doing everything we are supposed to be doing. We have dozens of areas like this all over the place and that slowly chips away at the golf course."
    The daily challenge for Winters and Munoz is to chip back and do what they can to produce the best conditions to keep more than 100,000 coming back year after year, and keeping the spirit of William Bell alive in one of the game's most unparalleled environments.
    "It's very cool to be part of this - the uniqueness of the property," Winters said. "There's always something fresh. We have our frustrations, but what job doesn't?"
  • Seems like the overall golf industry and the education conference and tradeshow for superintendents that bears its name are joined at the hip.
    Both are unable to match pre-recession participation numbers and both are struggling to find ways to boost interest in what appears to be a declining model.
    Attendance at this year's Golf Industry Show in San Diego came in at about 11,900 with 5,950 qualified buyers. That's about 200 more attendees and 500 or so additional qualified buyers compared with last year's mid-America show in San Antonio, which in two attempts has been pretty much a total bust - at least as far as numbers go. That attendance figure is about 500 behind the five-year average of 12,440 that includes two shows in San Diego (2019, 2016), two in San Antonio (2018, 2015) and one in Orlando (2017).
    Long walkways make the layout at the San Diego Convention Center appear deceptively large. To that end, the 510 vendors who exhibited at the show were 21 less than last year, 40 behind the 2017 show in Orlando and easily the fewest since the current GIS model was implemented in 2005 in Florida. 
    The last time the GIS was in San Diego in 2016, 550 vendors rented out 250,000 square feet of exhibit space in the convention center. This year's show fell short of that number by nearly 42,000 square feet, or about 16 average sized U.S. houses. 
    That said, exhibit space this year was up from last year's 184,400 square feet in San Antonio. The all-time low for exhibit space in the GIS era was 172,900 in 2013 in San Diego. The all-time high was 2008 in Orlando when the combined show that included the Club Managers Association of America attracted 965 vendors covering 300,900 square feet of booth space. To be clear, that was a different show in a different era, and, like pre-recession golf, we're never going back there.
    The show does typically receive a bump when it travels through Orlando, and next year's show could get a big boost by a schedule change that has it running back-to-back in late January immediately following the annual PGA Merchandise Show. Word on the street is that since two large tradeshows are running in succession the next installment of GIS might be moved across International Drive to the North/South Concourse of the Orange County Convention Center and away from its traditional home in the West Concourse. Whether butting up to the PGA Show was intentional or not, it's a move that is long overdue and kudos to the GCSAA hierarchy for trying something different to boost attendance as well as cut down travel expenses for the select vendors who exhibit at both shows.
    The following year's show in 2021 will return to Las Vegas for the first time since 2012. That show was considered a dud when compared to some of the old line shows of Orlando and New Orleans. Today, however, numbers like 14,700 attendees, 7,000 qualified buyers and 540 vendors sound pretty good. What the show holds after that is anyone's guess. A site has not been announced for 2022, which would be the traditional San Diego slot. What we do know is that sky-high hotel rates and a city ill-equipped to deal with its homeless population is not a good match for an industry trying to find its way in a shrinking market.
  • All good things come to an end at some point, even Law and Order and Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood.  After almost 100 episodes over an eight-year run on TurfNetTV, Hector Velazquez is closing Hector's Shop as we know it and moving on to the next challenge in educating turf equipment technicians, whatever and wherever that may be.
    On the heels of an epic week hosting Inside the Shop at GIS2019, receiving the Edwin Budding Award and appearing on Good Morning San Diego, Hector decided to seize the moment and springboard to something new.
    "I appreciate the experience I was able to gain from my time with TurfNet. I've learned a lot with your help and really am grateful," Hector said. "My wife and I are excited about what the future holds for my family, even though we're not sure at this point what that is or where it will be. The only thing I know is that I want to continue helping equipment technicians."
    The Velazquez family is not afraid to pull up roots and find a new adventure. In 2015, Hector took Hector's Shop and his family on the road and spent the next four years crisscrossing the country while living in an RV and homeschooling their seven children. Along the way he worked on a temporary basis at several golf courses, did onsite tech training, extreme makeovers, shop organization consultations, speaking engagements and hands on classes.
    "Hector's Shop on Tour was an amazing experience for me and my family, allowing us to see and experience parts of the country and meet people that we never would have been able to otherwise," Hector said. "But after four years on the road, we are ready to settle down.  We are looking for property now, preferably with a shop on it already."

    Awards Hector has won representing TurfNet in TOCA's annual contests. Peter McCormick of TurfNet said, "There is little doubt that Hector has done more over the last eight years to elevate the stature of the turf equipment technician than anybody else, ever. He has trumpeted the value of a clean, organized shop, shown us how to paint a shop floor properly (even sprinkling on some glitter), how to properly use basic to the most specialized tools, and has introduced little-known tools, techniques and gadgets to broaden the skill set of the equipment tech. His influence on the industry has been huge."
    Speaking of huge, anyone who has met Hector and shaken his catchers-mitt-sized hands knows that he has spent time in the gym. He is an imposing presence.
    An early Tips & Tricks video Hector did for us back in 2010 while he was the equipment manager at Westwood Country Club in Vienna, VA. "One of the most enjoyable things for me while working with Hector over the years has been the masterful way in which he has built his personal brand," said McCormick. "From the evolution of his logo (to currently include his caricature) to his signature bowling shirts, a professional branding agency could not have done a better job than Hector has done for himself. I wouldn't be surprised to see him pitching products on TV or hosting a show like This Old House or NPR's Car Talk some day. He has an open road ahead of him."

    A future for Hector as a pitchman, or as Bob Vila for equipment techs? Of note is the fact that Hector produced all of his videos himself, learning the nuances of lighting, camera and audio gear, and editing applications along the way.
    Hector's influence has not gone unnoticed outside the turf industry. He was recruited several years ago to produce 50 videos for Home Depot's tool rental department, and has worked with the Equipment & Engine Training Council (EETC).
    For the son of a preacher from New Jersey with little formal training in mechanics -- and none in video, audio or marketing for that matter -- Hector has done an amazing job. We wish him and his family nothing but the best... and Keep Those Zerks Greased.
  • Syngenta turf market manager Stephanie Schwenke, right, presents Carlos Arraya, CGCS, with the TurfNet Superintendent of the Year Award, presented by Syngenta. Personal tragedy once caused Carlos Arraya to question whether he had made the right career choice by becoming a golf course superintendent. If he ever has those thoughts again, Arraya, the director of agronomy and grounds at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis, probably has a future as a motivational speaker.
    That tragedy, the death of his son, Isaih, in a car accident in 2016, was the impetus for some honest introspection and sobering changes to the way he manages his life and his team as the 2018 PGA Championship loomed at Bellerive. 
    "Losing my son gave me a new perspective," Arraya said. "Tragedies really awaken people, or they make them go down a road they can't come back from."
    Count Arraya among the former.
    The pillar management style he implemented since the tragedy emphasizes people first, from recruitment through training, with the idea that "the best people will produce the best conditions and is a big part of why, during this year's Golf Industry Show, Arraya was named the recipient of the TurfNet Superintendent of the Year Award, presented by Syngenta.
    "The difficulty of this loss few of us will ever grasp," wrote Dr. Thomas Schneider, a Bellerive member and green chairman during the PGA Championship, in his nomination of Arraya for the award. "Carlos endured these dark days by crediting his deep faith."

    Syngenta's Stephanie Schwenke congratulates Superintendent of the Year winner Carlos Arraya, and finalists Brian Conn, Dwayne Dillinger and Matthew Wharton (left to right). It was eight months after he started at Bellerive as superintendent under John Cunningham that Arraya's son died. When Cunningham left the following year to become general manager at Aronimink near Philadelphia, Arraya decided it was time for him to change.
    "I told John I was going to do something different," Arraya said. "I didn't know at the time what that was, but I knew I wanted to do something different."
    His team-building management style helps members of his staff focus on specific tasks, take ownership of conditions and pride in the knowledge that their work in a definitive areas help prop up the pillars that hold up the golf course.
    The staff is separated into teams, and each member has six items as part of their routine and they have to take ownership of those six items. The pillar is the key to each team's success. This way, they know exactly what they are doing every day, they know our plan and how what they do impacts others.
    "Culture has a variety of meanings," he said. "What does it mean to this group? Professional excellence comes from remembering life is more than work."
    That even applied during the PGA Championship. Although preparing a golf course to challenge the world's best golfers on the game's biggest stage requires a lot of work, Arraya made sure members of his team were not overworked, especially those with young children at home..
    "We have to love each other, take care of each other and take care of our children," he said.
    "The golf course has been here since 1897. A lot of generations have come and gone, one day I'll be gone, but the golf course will still be there."
    Arraya was chosen from a field of five finalists that included Brian Conn of Transit Valley Country Club in East Amherst, New York; Dwayne Dillinger of Bell Nob Golf Course in Gillette, Wyoming; Pat O'Brien of Hyde Park Golf and Country Club in Cincinnati, Ohio; and Matthew Wharton of Carolina Golf Club in Charlotte, North Carolina.
    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.
    As the winner, Arraya receives an expense-paid trip for two on the TurfNet members golf trip to Ireland in October.
    Previous winners include: 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).
  • The Toro Co. is celebrating its 100th anniversary of serving the needs of golf course superintendents and greenkeepers.
    Founded in 1914, Toro brought the first motorized fairway mower to market in 1919. Known as the Toro Standard Golf Machine, the unit was developed for use at The Minikahda Club in Minneapolis. It consisted of five reel mowers attached to the front of a farm tractor and immediately was recognized as superior to horse-drawn equipment.
    Since then, the company's contributions to the golf business have been well chronicled - and used - with mowers for every applications, bunker-maintenance and irrigation equipment, soil-monitoring technology and more.
    The company credits its staying power to: listening to customer feedback, innovative products, customer relationships and its distribution network.
    The Bloomington, Minnesota-based company has a long list of influential employees who have helped it be a pioneer in the golf industry.
    The company's first president and co-founder, John Samuel Clapper, personally held several patents for golf course equipment, including the first electric-powered (corded) greensmower in 1928. Also on that list is Dr. James "Doc" Watson, who joined Toro in 1952, and is revered as a pioneer in agronomics and teacher. John Singleton joined the company in 1967 and was instrumental in establishing Toro's golf course irrigation division.
    "Without a doubt, we owe much of our success to the Toro employees who have helped shape the golf industry with countless innovations," said Rick Rodier, vice president and general manager of Toro's Commercial Business. "But we wouldn't be here today without the Toro customers across the globe who put their faith and trust in our products every day. As we celebrate a century in the golf industry, we simply want to say thank you to our customers and channel partners for continuing to put your trust in Toro people and products."
    The company has a long history of serving its community and industry.
    This year, the Melrose Leadership Academy sent 13 golf course superintendents to the Golf Industry Show.
    Developed in 2012 by former Toro CEO and chairman Ken Melrose, the foundation that bears his name supports professional development of golf course superintendents based on financial need, volunteerism and desire to advance their careers.
    Superintendents sent to this year's show through the program are: Dean Chase, Carnegie Abbey Club (RI); Benjamin Culclasure of Kilmarlic Golf Club (NC); Jason Culver of Pine Acres Country Club (PA); Ryan Dykes of Camp Creek Golf Club (FL); John Hardin of Oro Valley Country Club (AZ); Richard Lewis of Willowdale Golf Club (ME); Mitchell Miller of The Dunes Golf & Tennis Club (FL); Manuel Oliveira of Green Valley Country Club (RI); Charles Passios, CGCS, of TGC at Sacconnesset (MA); Patrick Skinner of Brown Acres Golf Course (TN); Douglas Vogel of Preakness Valley Golf Course (NJ); Toby Young of Val Halla Golf Course in Cumberland (ME); Timothy Zurybida of Alverthorpe Park Golf (PA).

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