Jump to content

From the TurfNet NewsDesk

  • John Reitman
    Call it the smalltown golf course with big ideas. Really, really big ideas.   Hickory Sticks Golf Club in rural northwestern Ohio has defied the odds for nearly 60 years, trudging along in an area with a modest population that has always hovered in the neighborhood of 9,000-10,000 people. It's a conservative area where playing it safe can be a way of life.    The golf course entered a new era last month when former owner Mark White, a local businessman who owns a string of nursing homes, donated the 27-hole facility to the YMCA of Van Wert County. And YMCA director Hugh Kocab and new golf course superintendent Mike Fast are ready to usher the course into the future and make the property a regional showcase for golf enthusiasts.   Their strategy includes improvements to the golf course and a business plan that consists of a renewed focus on women and junior players and innovative membership options that target this family friendly farming community. Their plan for the future also includes converting nine holes into a four-hole course that includes free lessons and free play for juniors and an area for footgolf and disc golf, both of which also will be free.   "We're going to embrace those groups," Kocab said. "Everything can't be about money. Sometimes, it's also about providing opportunities for exercise and recreation for the community."   Still, turning a profit shouldn't be much of a problem.   "We don't have a lot of competition here," Kocab said. "We are working hard to include women and juniors. We know what they want and what they're looking for and how to present it to them."   The Van Wert area is anything but a golf mecca.   More than 600 farms occupying nearly a quarter-million acres comprise the bulk of Van Wert County. It is so flat here that it is home to the state's largest wind farm. More cows than people call it home.   Like many farming communities, there is an emphasis here on families and traditional values, which Kocab and the Y's board of directors see as an opportunity for the golf course to reach local residents.   Who can blame them for their optimism?   The Y has about 3,500 members, which equates to a market penetration rate throughout the county of about 35 percent, and that gives the golf operation a pretty good pool from which to start. Membership plans include an option that combines enrollment in both the Y and the golf course. That's something the former owner and other nearby courses - the few that are here - couldn't offer.   When it came to unloading the course, White contacted only the Y.   "I looked at it as a community asset," White said. "And I think the community will rally around it.   "There was nobody ready to write Mark White a check for a golf course."   As White predicted, the community already has embraced the concept of a Y-owned golf course.   In one of the coldest, snowiest winters in northwest Ohio in the past decade, Hickory Sticks has been a hot topic throughout the county. Memberships already are double what they were a year ago under the previous owner. Even non-golfers are buying memberships because, "they want to support what we're doing," Kocab said.  
    We don't have a lot of competition here. We are working hard to include women and juniors. We know what they want and what they're looking for and how to present it to them."
     
    The Y director attributes part of the excitement to the option to join both the Y and the golf course together in one fee, as well as the improvements that are being made to the course under Fast.   A native of Haviland, Ohio about 10 miles from Van Wert, Fast is a 1992 graduate of Ohio State's turf program. For the past 22 years, he was the superintendent at nearby Delphos Country Club. Making the move to a Y-owned property was not a decision he made lightly.   "There are some issues here," Fast said of Hickory Sticks. "There are a lot of dead ash trees and the bunkers aren't in the best shape. I thought 'do I want a change like this?' The YMCA and the board have committed a lot of money to equipment to improve the conditions. I'm up for the challenge. I see this as a good opportunity."   What equipment the club had prior to Fast's arrival was decades old and much of it didn't run. A fairway mower was used to mow tees because the tee mower wouldn't start.   The Y has put up money for a new tee mower, another fairway unit, a sprayer, roller, topdresser, aerifier and blower and just about whatever else Fast needs to bring the course up to standard.   "For chemicals and fertilizer," he added, "they told me 'whatever you need, get it.' "   Discussions about donating the course to the Y began almost a year ago in a local drug store when Kocab and White bumped into one another as each sought a remedy for a late-winter cold. It's one more example of the closeness of this community, where everyone knows just about everyone else - even if your closest neighbor is a mile down the road at the next farm.   Still, this was not a deal the Y entered into blindly just because it was getting a golf course free of debt.   There are only a handful of YMCA-owned courses across the country, making it a unique business model. Before deciding whether to accept or reject White's donation, Kocab and members of the Y's board went to North Carolina, home to at least two such golf courses, to begin the process of conducting due diligence. In fact, Y officials attacked the project like a group of seasoned golf industry professionals.   "We've done our research. We know the golf economy is not good and that courses are closing," Kocab said. "We looked into why they are closing are most are because of market saturation, debt ratio and changing demographics.   "It wasn't just me. Our executive committee had to make sure it was a viable option. Three attorneys, two accountants and all 16 of our board members all looked at it, and everyone had the same reaction: It was a no-brainer. We are debt free. We're reaching out to women and juniors and we're going to develop programs that are exciting for these groups and we're offering knockout membership deals for everyone in our community. All those things combined; that's what's going to set us apart."   Improvements to the golf course will include all new bunkers, including new drainage and new sand, a new agronomic program courtesy of Fast, something the course never had in the past, and a regular greens aerification schedule.   "Down deep, this is a good golf course," Fast said. "It just needs a little TLC, and now the YMCA is backing it.   "We're buying a lot of equipment, and I already have about three-quarters of what I need to get the job done."  
  • There was a day not that long ago when Randy Wilson couldn't wait to jump on a story about damage caused by the emerald ash borer because he thought the name of the tiny, destructive pest sounded indecent.   I'm not sure what obscenities rhyme with "emerald", but the devastation caused by this feral invader from Asia no longer is a laughing matter in Georgia, or, for that matter, nearly two-thirds of the rest of the country.   The emerald ash borer's range once was confined to Ontario and a handful of states that ringed the Great Lakes, but no more. Today, there are confirmed sightings in three provinces in Canada and 31 states, including Georgia. Eight other states, where the threat is perceived as imminent, have made information available about what to do if you spot one.   Few if any people on this continent had ever heard of the emerald ash borer two decades ago. Since the first ones entered Detroit aboard a cargo ship 16 years ago, the pest has wiped out billions of trees causing billions in damage. Much of that damage has been on golf courses, and likewise has affected the game of baseball. The wood bats used by major leaguers for decades are crafted from white ash, and EAB's presence is threatening that industry.   Baseball legend Ty Cobb - a Georgia native - would not be amused.   Native to parts of eastern Asia, the EAB borer burrows into ash trees as an adult where it lays its eggs. The larvae feed on the layer beneath the bark, disrupting the tree's vascular system and its ability to take up water and nutrients and eventually kill the tree.   The ash borer's current range has increased dramatically, according to the web site emeraldashborer.info, and borders Colorado to the west, Texas and the Gulf Coast to the South, the Atlantic to the East and north all the way to New Hampshire. It is found in Canada in Ontario, Quebec and most recently Manitoba. The EAB web site is a news and information portal that is a cooperative effort between Michigan State, Purdue and Ohio State universities, the Michigan and Ohio departments of Agriculture; the Michigan, Indiana and Ohio departments of Natural Resources; the USDA Forest Service; the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS); and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.   That's a long way for such a small bug to travel. It has had help by those who, by moving infested firewood, have unwittingly violated U.S. Department of Agriculture quarantines.     Think ash borers aren't a big deal for some golf course superintendents? Think again.   Dead and dying trees are more than an eyesore. They are a safety hazard and a legal liability if someone was injured by a falling bough or branch.   The bug has affected golf courses throughout its adopted range. Racine County, Wisconsin has padded the operating budget of its two courses to evaluate, treat and remove infected trees. At least 35 trees there were removed last year, and nearly 100 more are scheduled to be removed.   It's the same story at Hickory Sticks Golf Course in Van Wert, Ohio, where superintendent Mike Fast said 20 trees have been cut down. He plans to take down at least 50 more. At Bowling Green State University, an hour north of Van Wert, the school's golf course lost nearly 200 trees to the ash borer before closing its doors last year.    Scientists believe that the pest eventually will reach the entire ash tree range in North America, an area that covers parts of at least 42 U.S. states and six provinces in Canada. Each ash borer, however, only flies a few miles throughout its lifecycle, so moving firewood, or not, is critical to controlling its spread.   EAB kills ash trees by disrupting the uptake of water and nutrients through the trunk and into the upper reaches of the tree.   Adult females, which grow to about a half-inch in length, create a hole in the bark into which they deposit their eggs. After hatching, the larvae feed on and chew galleries through the tissue beneath the bark layer. In the spring, new adults chew through the bark and emerge leaving behind a D-shaped exit hole before flying into the canopy to ingest ash leaves and the reproductive process begins all over again.   Symptoms of infestation include thinning of the canopy and sprouts growing from holes in the trunk that were created by the pests, along with an scores of hungry woodpeckers that eat them. According to the Ohio Department of Agriculture, canopies of mature ash tree typically are decimated within two years of infestation and the trees dead within five years.   Tree canopies can be wiped out within two years, and mature, healthy trees typically are dead within three to four years. All native North American ash species are susceptible to damage.   During the past several years, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has been studying and raising non-stinging parasitic wasps from Asia to help control EAB.   Four species of wasp, Spathius galinae, Oobius agrili, Spathius agrili and Tetrastichus planipennisi have proven to be effective at parasitizing 50-90 percent of the target EAB ova or larvae.   The wasps are raised at the USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service facility in Michigan.  

  • It's odd how the meaning of an expression can change over time.   During the 1990s, the phrase I wanna be like Mike referred to those who dreamt of jumping, soaring and dunking a basketball like Michael Jordan.   Fifteen years after his NBA career ended, Jordan is the majority owner in a new golf course construction project in southeastern Florida, giving new meaning to that 30-plus-year-old slogan   Grove XXIII, named to reflect Jordan's 23 jersey number with the Chicago Bulls, will be designed by Ponte Vedra Beach-based architect Bobby Weed and built on the site of a former citrus grove on 227 acres in Hobe Sound.    The area in and around Hobe Sound is a playground for golf's rich and famous, including Tiger Woods and Greg Norman, who live nearby. The neighborhood also is home to some pretty high-falutin' layouts, including Jupiter Hills in Tequesta; The Medalist, built and owned by Norman and where Woods is a member; and The Floridian in Palm City, which was built by garbage and automobile magnate H. Wayne Huizenga and where members include Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka.   Jordan owns a home and is a member at the Bear's Club in Jupiter, as are Rory McIlroy, Luke Donald and Michelle Wie.   Unique in its design, the two nine-hole routings at Grove XXIII will be intertwined, criss-crossing each other. The result for the golfer of this uncommon approach are four possible nine-hole routings.   "This project is an opportunity to update how architects provide all players with a fun and interesting challenge," Weed told Golf Course Architecture magazine. "It will be a course for tomorrow, a course with a refined edge."  
  • It would be a challenge to find two stories in the golf world in 2017 that represented polar opposites on the spectrum like the feel-good story that was the Solheim Cup and the heart-wrenching images of golf courses throughout the Southeast that were plagued by hurricane-induced flooding.   Those are examples of the experiences of just two of the five finalists for the 2017 TurfNet Superintendent of the Year Award, presented by Syngenta.   Finalists are Jorge Croda of Southern Oaks Golf Club in Burleson, Texas, Mark Hoban of Rivermont Golf Club in Johns Creek, Georgia, Chris Ortmeier of the Champions Club in Houston, Josh Pope of The Old White Course at The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia and Rick Tegtmeier of Des Moines Golf and Country Club in West Des Moines, Iowa.   That group was selected from a list of 42 nominees by a panel of judges spanning the golf industry. The winner of the 18th annual award will be named at 2 p.m. Feb. 8 at the Syngenta booth during this year's Golf Industry Show in San Antonio and will receive a trip for two and a week of free golf on the TurfNet members trip to Ireland in October, courtesy of Syngenta. CLICK HERE for a full list of nominees.   Jorge Croda
    Southern Oaks GC, Burleson, Texas
      Jorge Croda first made a name for himself restoring the struggling Southern Oaks Golf Course in Burleson, Texas near Fort Worth. There he encountered a layout that in some areas had more weeds than turf, literally. In short order, he turned Southern Oaks around from an eyesore and what golfers there described as an embarrassment into a track that today is showing up on lists of some of the best daily fee courses in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. . . . CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ABOUT JORGE.   Mark Hoban
    Rivermont GC, Johns Creek, Georgia
      In four decades of managing turf in the Atlanta area, Mark Hoban has embraced a holistic approach to golf course maintenance. A disciple of Palmer Maples, Hoban has been a leader in utilizing native turf to influence the appearance of a golf course as well as minimize the amount of water, fertilizer and pesticides they require. . . . CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ABOUT MARK.   Chris Ortmeier
    Champions Club, Houston, Texas
      Hurricane Harvey dumped 34 inches in five days at Champions Club in Houston, Texas, where 95 of 150 acres were submerged under as much as 15 feet of water. Near the pump house, water was up to the eaves of the roof, and boat was the best way to navigate the course that was the site of the 1967 Ryder Cup Matches and the 1969 U.S. Open, the LPGA's Nabisco Championship in 1990 and on five occasions was home to the Tour Championship (1990, '97, '99, '01, '03). . . . CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ABOUT CHRIS.   Josh Pope
    The Greenbrier, White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia
      Just days before the 2016 edition of the PGA Tour's annual event at The Old White Course at The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, flooding rains washed out the course and led to the cancellation of the tournament. The flood claimed the lives of 23 neighbors, and superintendent Josh Pope and his team spent the next year alternating between preparing the golf course for the 2017 tournament and helping family and friends recover at home. . . . CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ABOUT JOSH.   Rick Tegtmeier
    Des Moines G&CC, West Des Moines, Iowa
      Rick Tegtmeier turned the Solheim Cup at Des Moines Golf and Country Club into more than just a golf tournament between the best women players from the United States and Europe. After a four-year renovation of the 36-hole club in West Des Moines, Iowa, he created a venue that left players and captains raving about conditions, and helped build an atmosphere that was a patriotic feel-good story that showcased all Iowa - including other superintendents throughout the state - had to offer. . . . CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ABOUT RICK.  
  • Jose Milan has been a familiar face around the agri-chemical industry for 30 years, including the past seven as director of green business operations for Bayer Environmental Science's turf and ornamentals division.   Bayer recently named Milan as the T&O market's global market manager, where he will oversee the company's golf, lawn and landscape and production ornamentals markets worldwide.   "As Bayer continues to expand its role as a global market leader in turf and ornamentals, it's critical that we sharpen our focus on better understanding and meeting the evolving needs of our customers," Milan said. "I'm looking forward to leading the effort to grow mutually beneficial relationships that help ensure the success of our customers and the advancement of the turf and ornamentals industry as a whole."   A graduate of LSU, where he earned a bachelor's degree in dairy science and a master's in agricultural economics, Milan is a founding member of the Turf and Ornamental Communicators Association, a trade organization for media, advertising and public relations professional in the green industry. He also is active in Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment, which represents manufacturers, formulators, distributors and other industry leaders involved with pesticides and, as a trade organization in that industry, promotes the safe use of pesticides to control pests and invasive species that are detrimental to human health and the environment.    Prior to Bayer, Milan held key leadership roles with Syngenta and its previous incarnations, Novartis and Ciba-Geigy dating back to 1987.   "With his deep market knowledge and proven passion for the green industry, Jose is uniquely positioned to bring surgical focus to our global marketing strategy and enhance customer experience globally, so that regardless of geography, our customers have the same world-class experience with Bayer," said Thierry Chenet, head of global marketing for Bayer Environmental Science. "Jose will play a critical role in aligning our sales and marketing teams to deliver the best results for our customers while helping to create a better life in the communities we serve."  
  • It took Alexander the Great 12 years to conquer his vast kingdom nearly 2,400 years ago. It has taken Nick Saban, college football's modern day version of the great Macedonian general, only a decade to vanquish his foes in similar fashion, begging the question: Is it too soon to dub Saban "Nicholas the Great"?   Since 2007, Saban has ruled over the college football realm in much the same way Alexander conquered a swath of land that stretched from modern day Eastern Europe as far west as the Danube all the way to India. Saban's kingdom includes subjugates like the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Pac 12, and everything in between.   Including a golf course.   Saban is among a group of investors who recently became part of the ownership group of Waterfall Country Club, the Clayton, Georgia property where Saban is a member and owns a home that rivals many of the fortifications routed by Alexander. Among the others in the new ownership group is Los Angeles Chargers offensive coordinator and Saban's golf buddy Ken Whisenhunt. The ownership change, announced by the club Jan. 11, came after its co-owner Terry Stiles, the Fort Lauderdale real estate developer, died of cancer last September.   Others joining Saban and Whisenhunt in the venture with Stiles' partner, Rob Hewlett, include Atlanta attorney Marlan Wilbanks, Lafayette, Louisiana real estate developer and contractor Lenny Lemoine and Mike Nixon, owner of Hawks Ridge Golf Club in Atlanta.   To date, no transaction has been recorded at the Rabun County Tax Assessor's office, but the news was announced by the club to its members and employees on Jan. 11.   Saban is reported to have a 10 index and his leadership skills that have helped him conquer the college football world, are legendary. In fact, we'll lay 10:1 that while he is part owner of Waterfall, a 1999 Scott Pool design on Lake Burton in the mountains of northeastern Georgia, the club never will show up on the National Golf Foundation's ever-growing list of closed courses.   It wouldn't dare.   We've come to associate Saban's name with excellence, if not perfection, that it's hard to imagine he's only a 10 index, that he'd ever need a mulligan or that an errant shot might land in a bunker, or worse, a lake. It is even more unfathomable that any business venture with which he is associated would be anything less than the best.   That's how he's wired.   Since returning to the college game from the Miami Dolphins a decade ago, Saban has won five national championships, including a recent come-from-behind win over Georgia in the 2018 title game in much the same way that Alexander laid waste to the Persians in the fourth century BC. Since the College Football Playoff was implemented for the 2014-15 season, his Crimson Tide teams are the only team to be included in the best-of-four series each year.     His six national championships, he won his first in the 2003-04 season at LSU, are matched only by fellow Alabama legend Bear Bryant. There was a time when it was inconceivable that any coach could be mentioned in the same breath as Bryant. Saban, however, has shown no signs of slowing down and, barring unforeseen circumstances, only a fool would bet against him eclipsing the legendary Bryant's mark - and ensuring Waterfall's success into the future.  
  • Talk about going out with a bang.   In one of his last official duties as the TurfNet Superintendent of the Year, Dick Gray recently rolled out a renovated and refreshed Ryder Course at PGA Golf Club.   New TifEagle greens, paspalum tees, Celebration Bermudagrass fairways and new drainage adorn the Tom Fazio design. At first glance, the project is no big deal; after all renovations occur all the time. But this is not your run-of-the-mill golf course upgrade project.   Gray, who is 74, is coming off his fourth renovation project in four years since he was hired by the PGA of America in 2013 to bring its 72-hole property in Port St. Lucie, Florida up to standard.   Yes, 74.   The aggressive $10 million plan actually started in 2013 when new management took over the PGA's flagship property located about an hour north of West Palm Beach along Interstate 95. That change in management included Gray, the property's director of agronomy, and general manager Jimmy Terry.    Both were brought in as part of a plan to usher in a new era as PGA Golf Club, which includes four 18-hole courses, a six-hole short course and one of the largest practice areas anywhere, approached its 20th anniversary in 2016.   The project included a renovated and expanded clubhouse and covered all or part of the Ryder, Wanamaker, Dye and St. Lucie Trail courses and put to the test Gray's philosophy of being "tournament ready every day," a mantra he has embraced since the early days of his career dating to the 1960s in his native Indiana at Pete Dye's famed Crooked Stick. And it's a philosophy he has maintained throughout his career at some of the best courses in South Florida, including Sailfish Point and Jupiter Hills, and the Dye-designed Loblolly Pines in Hobe Sound, where he was the construction and grow-in superintendent. Gray, who has a masters degree in restaurant, hotel and institutional management, also was the architect and general manager as well as construction and grow-in superintendent at the Florida Club in Stuart.   When it comes to building and rebuilding golf courses, Gray clearly knows a thing or two. But even his patience was tried at PGA, where he said conditions throughout were so bad when he arrived that he might not have accepted the job if not for his close relationship with the Dye family and an intense desire to help the PGA upgrade its brand.   "Dick Gray and his dedicated team have accomplished an impressive transformation that cements PGA Golf Club as a top golf destination in Florida," Terry said. "The renovations are shining examples of our dedication and commitment to provide great course conditions day in and day out to our club and PGA members, as well as guests."   PGA Golf Club opened in 1996, just about the same time Gray was carving out the Florida Club in Stuart and the Jack Nicklaus-designed Hammock Creek opened in Palm City, both just 20 miles south on I-95. Those three properties were the cornerstones of a building boom that ushered in a windfall of high-end daily fee golf along Florida's golf-crazed Treasure Coast a solid year before Tiger Woods became a household name.    Long after the Tiger effect has come - and gone - and after a recession that continues to gobble up distressed golf courses at breakneck speed, play dropped off and so did conditions. Enter Terry and Gray.   The project was a labor of love for Gray, whose commitment to fitness belies his age, and whose work ethic knows no peer. Gray knows a lot about growing grass and construction and he lives for sharing what he knows to make his team and the golf courses they manage the best they can be. So dedicated to the project was Gray that in the final run-up to the reopening of the Ryder Course and the impending winter golf season that Florida tracks depend on to make their hay, he declined the prize he'd won a year ago for being named the TurfNet Superintendent of the Year, a trip for two to Ireland and week of free golf, courtesy of Syngenta, the award's sponsor. His handiwork is gaining notice.   The Fazio-designed Wanamaker Course, which was restored in 2015, today is ranked No. 12 on the Golfweek's Best list of resort courses in Florida. The Dye Course made the list at No. 16. Time will tell if the Ryder layout will make the list.   The collection of golf courses that opened as the pride of the PGA to only become an embarrassment due to substandard conditions, finally has swung back in the right direction.   Now, that's going out in style.   The finalists vying to succeed Gray as Superintendent of the Year will be announced next week.
  • When it comes to facing - and overcoming - adversity, John Colo knows a thing or two. During the past several years, he's dealt with job loss and personal adversity that can test a person to their limits.
    "My biggest challenge was when I was let go from Hartefeld National Golf Club in August 2013 and then found out two days later that (wife) Peggy was diagnosed with stage III esophageal cancer," said Colo, now superintendent of the Hills Course at Jupiter Hills Club in Tequesta, Florida.   Rather than let such life-altering challenges keep him down, Colo, 46, prefers to be defined by how he gets up. His wife's cancer has progressed to stage IV and she continues to undergo treatment. Meanwhile, his seemingly endless supply of energy and positivity provide the couple's two teenage sons with an in-your-face lesson about overcoming misfortune that would make Norman Vincent Peale and Steven Covey blush.   "I'm just a glass half-full guy," Colo said. "I've never looked through rear-view mirror. My philosophy is to always look out the windshield and be better tomorrow than you were today."   To help keep him pointed straight ahead, Colo also has the luxury of a solid support network buoyed by a sibling.   Jim Colo is not just any brother. As twins, Jim and John are close.  As twins who happen to be golf course superintendents, they share a bond that others hardly can understand.    When John worked in Pennsylvania at Hartefeld National or the Country Club of York and Jim worked at The Alotian Club in Arkansas, they talked on the phone nearly every day on everything from labor and agronomics to club politics to checking on each other's children and spouses.   "We don't get too far away from each other in thought," said Jim, superintendent at Naples National Golf Club in coastal Southwest Florida since 2012. "We talk at least once a day. I've already talked to him once, and I'll talk to him again this afternoon. I'll ask 'What did you do at the course. How's Peggy? How are the boys?'We are both at clubs that demand perfection. It's about work and family, and we share that pretty closely."   The "elder" Colo echoed those sentiments - nearly verbatim.    "We talk once, sometimes two times a day," John said. "We talk shop every day. We talk about crew, hiring, equipment. Jim and I already have talked this morning, and I'll call him again this afternoon on my way home.   "Jim and I have always talked with each other - I think it's the twin thing happening - just about every day.  We are always talking shop.  It feels like the golf course has an extra superintendent working for them with the information and advice we discuss. We text and share pictures. We have great conversations on the phone on our way home from work - very open and honest.  Seems like Jim and I are leaving work just about at the same time.   "Jim has given me a lot of advice, guidance and a ton of support. It has been great to have Jim to lean on and discuss things with. We challenge each other." Natives of Painesville, Ohio, which is along Lake Erie northeast of Cleveland, the Colo brothers share a similar career path as well. Both are graduates of the two-year turf program at Rutgers.  I never lost my passion for the golf course," John said. "I knew what I wanted to do and what I didn't want to do. I stayed true to what I knew, and I believed the right opportunity would be there to get back in the saddle as a golf course superintendent. John prepped early in his career for legendary Jim Loke first at Quail Hollow Country Club in Painesville, and again during the construction and grow-in of Bent Creek Country Club in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It was a grueling time that served John well in the years since both on and off the golf course.
    "Jim showed me the ins and outs of the business then," John said. "He showed me a lot about turf - the hard way. And I learned.   "I learned how he dealt with the many chiefs in the clubhouse. I read his newsletters to the membership and I modeled what I learned from him and all the things that are thrown to you at one time. You have to keep moving forward."   Jim learned the trade in Florida under Steve Ehrbar, another Loke disciple and now his brother's supervisor at Jupiter Hills.   "Steve was Jim Loke's assistant at Quail Hollow," Jim said. "Steve worked for Loke, John worked for Loke and I worked for Bob Blaylock who worked for Loke, then I was Steve's assistant for seven years at Old Marsh."   Those experiences working for Loke and his prodigies helped toughen the Colo brothers for life on and off the course. When job loss struck John for the second time four years ago, he did what he had to do to get buy, staying busy driving a limousine and a UPS truck, plowing snow in the winter and working a landscape job in the summer so he could spend time at home taking care of his wife and their two sons. Still, he never waffled from what he believed to be his true calling - being a golf course superintendent.   "I never lost my passion for the golf course," John said. "I knew what I wanted to do and what I didn't want to do. I stayed true to what I knew, and I believed the right opportunity would be there to get back in the saddle as a golf course superintendent. I had been away from the golf course for 20 months before landing a job as a superintendent, so I knew the challenge to get back after being away would be tough, but I knew I had the knowledge and the experience and a solid network to help me succeed."   That includes his brother.   Although they live in the same state, the Colo brothers are separated by 175 miles, so it's not exactly easy to pop in on each other, but they do see on another more often than they did when they lived 1,000 miles or more apart.   "We try to see Peggy as much as possible, and that's comforting," Jim said. "And we're there if they ever need help or help with the boys."   Said John: "We used to see each other only once or twice a year. We see each other a lot more since moving to Florida. One of the reasons we moved here was to be closer to Jim and his family."   It's a twin thing.
  • When summing up Paul O'Leary as a man and an agronomist, his successor at Ekwanok Country Club had two things to say: "He was a nice guy," and "He was a better superintendent than I was."   Those who knew him said O'Leary was a nice man and a great superintendent who could produce a top-notch golf course without spending a lot of money.   O'Leary, one of New England's most legendary superintendents, died Jan. 7 in Manchester Center, Vermont. He was 92.   A superintendent for 45 years, O'Leary was the head greenkeeper at Ekwanok, located in Manchester, from 1958 until his retirement late in 1994.   "He was frugal," said Joe Bushee, Ekwanok's equipment manager, who worked for O'Leary for more than 20 years. "He was all about saving money for the club.   "For the amount of money he spent, the course always was in excellent shape. He was very good at growing grass; that's for sure. He did a lot of renovations over the years, and he was very meticulous. When we built something, he was very particular as to how he liked things done."   Joe Charbonneau of Winfield Professional Solutions is a Manchester-area native and called O'Leary a lifelong friend as well as a mentor when the former was the superintendent at The Golf Club at Equinox, which is right next door to Ekwanok.   When it came to managing turf, O'Leary was one with the golf course, Charbonneau said.   "He was constantly on the turf. He had a feel for it," Charbonneau said. "Every day he was on every green, and he had Poa and bent greens, so he had to be on top of them, even in southern Vermont. I would ask him when he was filling his tanks how much N he was putting out there. He'd answer 'I don't know. About that much.' He just had a feel for it. He was an incredible guy."   Incredible on and off the golf course, and treated his employees with the utmost respect. Bushee caddied at Ekwanok and later moved onto the crew and eventually into the shop.   "I started as a part-timer," he said. "He kept giving me more and more hours. He trusted me with everything, and I really enjoyed working for him."   A native of Worcester, Massachusetts, O'Leary was old school through and through.   He served in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II and liked to listen to the Big Band sounds of the Glenn Miller Orchestra. A man of deep faith, he attended church and prayed regularly at the altar of the Boston Red Sox.   O'Leary was introduced to the game like so many from that era - as a caddie. Later, he attended the University of Massachusetts and graduated in 1948 with a degree in agronomy. By 1950 he was the head superintendent at Warwick Country Club in Rhode Island.   A natural leader and mentor, he served on the board of the Northeastern GCSA and was instrumental in helping start the Vermont GCSA chapter.   "He was a turf gentleman," said David Berard, CGCS at Dorset Field Club in nearby Dorset, Vermont since 1987.   "He was very welcoming to new superintendents in the area. In fact, he administered my certification exam in 1995. He helped me off and on through the years with equipment issues and grinding. If you had a problem, he was always more than willing to help you out."   When Ted Maddocks succeeded O'Leary at Ekwanok on New Year's Day 1995, he immediately was cast into a unique relationship. For about 10 years after he retired, O'Leary, who would walk the property with his dog, Dan, popped in on Fridays for lunch with Maddocks and the crew, most of whom he had hired.   He was a welcome addition to the lunch table until health concerns eventually prevented him from attending. Maddocks is now the general manager at Ekwanok, and his son, Alden, is the superintendent.   "You had to have respect for him," Ted Maddocks said. "He was the superintendent here for 37 years."   The way Maddocks tells it, a lot of people had a great deal of respect for O'Leary.   When the elder Maddocks was superintendent, he and his family lived on the golf course in a home near the third hole. It was the same home where O'Leary and his family lived while he was superintendent.   Said Maddocks: "When I told people in town I lived on River Road on No. 3 on the golf course, they'd say 'Oh, you live in the O'Leary house.' It was never 'the golf course' or 'the Maddocks house'. It was always 'the O'Leary house.' "   When O'Leary retired, it signaled the end of an era at Ekwanok, Ted Maddocks said.    "Over the years, I made a lot of changes, and as I undid some things that he put into place, he never made a negative comment. All he would say was 'Ted, the course looks great,' " Maddocks recalled. "I cut down a lot of trees here, and Paul had planted a lot of them. I told him that when he eventually met St. Peter at the pearly gates, and St. Peter asked him what he did to make the world a better place he'd tell him 'I planted a lot of trees and made a beautiful golf course, but, God dammit, somebody cut them all down.'   "He was a very good superintendent, and I always said he was much better than I was. He did it with less money and got great results. I might have improved results, but I had to spend a lot more to do it, too."   O'Leary was preceded in death by his first wife, Rita, and daughter Anne. Survivors include his second wife, Elizabeth; daughters Kathleen (Joseph) Cassidy and Sharon O'Leary; sons Paul (Sherry), John and Kris O'Leary; and numerous grandchildren, nieces and nephews.
  • Winter has gotten off to a hot start throughout much of the eastern half of the country, putting superintendents on notice from Maine and Minnesota to as far south as Texas, Louisiana and Florida.   The National Weather Service recorded 3.5 inches of snow on Dec. 8 at Baton Rouge (Louisiana) Metropolitan Airport, and a coastal storm nearly a month later dumped the first measurable snow in three decades in Tallahassee, Florida, where it was colder on Jan. 4 than in Juneau, Alaska.   Also by Jan. 4, there were 5 inches of snow on the ground at the Clemson University's Pee Dee Research and Education Center in Florence, South Carolina, where Bruce Martin, Ph.D., conducts his research.   Prolonged cold throughout the Southeast has helped ease Bermudagrass into dormancy, making the cold a little more tolerable for superintendents there. Bermuda can withstand temperatures in the high teens to low 20s for a week or so, according to Martin, so many superintendents there have had covers out already.   "It's been cold here since Christmas, so the Bermuda is good and dormant," Martin said. "If it had been like last year, where we had green turf at this time, and then we got hit with this Arctic blast, that would have been bad news."   For those who don't have covers, the USGA Green Section says pine straw can be quite effective at protecting Bermudagrass from the effects of winter.   Superintendents into the northern tier of the transition zone who are managing Bermudagrass might have a harder time, Martin said.   "Covers are fine and dandy," Martin said. "But, if temperatures are in the single digits for five or six days, I don't know."   Gregg Munshaw, Ph.D., at the University of Kentucky noted soil temperatures of 30 degrees 2 inches below the surface at the A.J. Powell Research Center in Lexington. Temperatures like that probably won't kill rhizomes, but air temperatures could damage stolons. He suggests pulling a few samples now and placing them in a window with direct sun exposure to test their survival rate. He also suggests caution with pre-emergent herbicide applications in the spring.   Even in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic, December doesn't usually mean large amounts of snow accumulation or severely cold temperatures. But late fall and early winter have brought near-record snowfall and freezing temperatures to many areas, and an early season storm dumped more than a foot of snow Thursday in the Northeast.     Snowfall totals from Detroit to Toledo to Pittsburgh to Philadelphia were well above the historic average in December. A total of 22.5 inches was recorded in December in Detroit, nearly twice the historic average of 12 inches. And Philadelphia tied a record when the overnight low on New Year's Eve slipped to minus-9 degrees Fahrenheit. From New Year's Eve to Jan. 2, the overnight low in Toledo was minus-2, minus-3 and minus-6, respectively and are expected to approach minus-10 over the weekend, according to the National Weather Service. The Pittsburgh area, on average, receives about 8 inches of snow in December. In 2017, that number climbed to 14 inches.   Superintendents in northern states concerned about how these conditions might affect putting greens come spring shouldn't be worried just yet, says a leading expert on winter damage on cool-season turf.   "Snow is great. Even though it's cold, it's good insulation against these cold temperatures," said Kevin Frank, Ph.D., of Michigan State University.   "With as cold as it is, and the next couple days it's supposed to be even colder, there should be nothing going on under there."   Poa can survive under snow and permeable ice layers for 30-45 days, Frank says. Even with the two-week extended forecast calling for temperatures much colder than normal in the eastern U.S., there is little cause for concern just yet, Frank says.   "If you have any concerns about Poa greens, go out in next week or so and see what's under there. If there's snow and no ice, you're fine to let it ride until we get a melt in January, which we typically do," Frank said. "If you dig down and find crunchy ice, it still might not be impermeable. The only concern is if you dig down and find solid ice."   Superintendents managing bentgrass greens are more likely to have to deal with a broken water heater or furnace than winter damage, Frank said..    "Bentgrass will be OK for 90 to 120 days," he said. "If we don't get rid of it by then, we have much bigger problems on our hands."  
  • Tony Nunes symbolizes just about everything any golf course superintendent would want in an equipment manager.   He can build or fabricate just about anything. He teaches employees how to use equipment properly, then he drives the golf course to make sure they practice what he preaches. He is the go-to person to ensure that everything on the golf course and in the clubhouse at historic Chicago Golf Club is running the way it is supposed to. Tony is held in such high regard that when he was named the recipient of the 2017 TurfNet Technician of the Year, presented by Toro, his co-workers gave him a standing ovation and several members popped in to congratulate him.   If your equipment tech stacks up to Tony, nominate him or her for TurfNet's 2018 Technician of the Year Award, presented by The Toro Co. - the original award for golf course equipment managers.   Criteria on which nominees are judged by our panel include: crisis management; effective budgeting; environmental awareness; helping to further and promote the careers of colleagues and employees; interpersonal communications; inventory management and cost control; overall condition and dependability of rolling stock; shop safety; and work ethic.   Here's a tip: Use specific examples when describing what he or she has accomplished - the more we know, the better your tech's chances of getting noticed.   The winner will receive the Golden Wrench Award (a real gold-plated wrench) from TurfNet and a weeklong training session at Toro's Service Training Center at the company's headquarters in Bloomington, Minnesota.   CLICK HERE to submit a nomination using our online form. All finalists and the winner will be profiled on TurfNet.   Deadline for nominations is April 15.   Previous winners are (2017) Tony Nunes, Chicago Golf Club, Wheaton, Illinois; (2016) Kris Bryan, Pikewood National Golf Club, Morgantown, West Virginia; (2015) Robert Smith, Merion Golf Club, Ardmore, Pennsylvania; (2014) Lee Medeiros, Timber Creek and Sierra Pines Golf Courses, Roseville, California; (2013) Brian Sjögren, Corral de Tierra Country Club, Corral de Tierra, California; (2012) Kevin Bauer, Prairie Bluff Golf Club, Crest Hill, Illinois; (2011) Jim Kilgallon, The Connecticut Golf Club, Easton, Connecticut; (2010) Herb Berg, Oakmont (Pennsylvania) Country Club; (2009) Doug Johnson, TPC at Las Colinas, Irving, Texas; (2007) Jim Stuart, Stone Mountain (Georgia) Golf Club; (2006) Fred Peck, Fox Hollow and The Homestead, Lakewood, Colorado; (2005) Jesus Olivas, Heritage Highlands at Dove Mountain, Marana, Arizona; (2004) Henry Heinz, Kalamazoo (Michigan) Country Club; (2003) Eric Kulaas, Marriott Vinoy Renaissance Resort, Sarasota, Florida.   There was no award in 2008.
  • For about a millisecond 10 or so years ago, Emerald Falls Golf Course had a bright future.   Designed by Jerry Slack, the course in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma opened to plaudits by raters and reviewers.   Then reality set it.   Recession and a real estate market that had caved in doomed the property near Tulsa just seven years after it had opened.   The loss of Emerald Falls is of little significance in and of itself. It's not Southern Hills, and few, if any, outside the Tulsa area will mourn its loss. But it is a snapshot of what was wrong with golf when money to chase that quest to "build a course a day" was all but free. And it makes you wonder where some people in the golf business turn for advice.   The history of Emerald Falls has been an exercise in bad timing, poor judgment and seemingly uninformed decision-making since the course opened more than a decade ago.   It is one in a long line of Exhibit A's of what can happen when real estate developers turn their focus on making a quick buck on land deals rather than understanding the nuances of a unique and tough-to-get-your-hands-around business like golf. It's a story you've read over and over in the past 10 years, and one you'll continue to read about again and again.   Located about 25 miles east of Tulsa, Emerald Falls was a real estate golf course that opened in 2007 . . . on the precipice of an economic recession that continues to influence the golf industry to this day.   
    The course was set for a redesign by Jack Nicklaus and, it was thought at the time, would open about a year-and-a-half later as the centerpiece of the resort. First Fidelity Bank thought otherwise."
     
    Few expenses were spared in building Emerald Falls, site of the high school state championships in Oklahoma in 2010. The greens were an A-1/A-4 bentgrass mix (no doubt a challenge to manage in Oklahoma's hot summers) and fairways were Zorro zoysia. Native rock mined during construction was used throughout the property to line ponds and as features on tees on the course that was named one of the best new layouts of 2008 by Golf Digest.   Like many real estate golf courses, the Emerald Falls was built not as a golf experience first, but to entice people into buying real estate and building homes in the surrounding development. When home sales lag and the brand new golf course does not turn an immediate profit, things have a way of spiraling out of control quickly in this business.    Indeed, the writing was on the wall.   The ensuing economic woes led owners Lucia Carballo Oberle and her husband, David, to close the course just seven years later, and those who played there have been waiting for a savior ever since. The new owner of the real estate development recently put to rest any thoughts of reopening the golf course. Instead, Capitol Homes, which bought the development last fall, plans to start building new homes on vacant lots around the golf course, which is being repurposed as a park that can be utilized by residents of the community and surrounding area.   Emerald Falls closed in 2014 when the Oberles announced plans to begin construction on an adjacent $122 million resort. The course was set for a redesign by Jack Nicklaus and, it was thought at the time, would open about a year-and-a-half later as the centerpiece of the resort. First Fidelity Bank thought otherwise.   With the Oberles already saddled in debt over the project - only 35 homes had been built on the 200 available sites - foreclosure proceedings ensued shortly after the closing, squashing plans for the resort and the redesigned golf course.    Loss of jobs is regrettable, but repurposing the golf course was the right move, albeit one that was avoidable. It's a sad story we've heard hundreds of times and will hear a hundred more on the course to self-correction.  
  • Jorge Croda, CGCS, has built a reputation, career and brand on his ability to resurrect golf courses from the dead in much the same way, according to the Gospel of St. John, Jesus did with Lazarus.   A native of Mexico, Croda, 54, first made a name for himself restoring the struggling Southern Oaks Golf Course in Burleson, Texas near Fort Worth. There he encountered a layout that in some areas had more weeds than turf, literally. In short order, he turned Southern Oaks around from an eyesore and what golfers there described as an embarrassment into a track that today is showing up on lists of some of the best daily fee courses in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex.   Before putting his skills on display at Southern Oaks, he performed similar feats at courses in Mexico. Whether it was Croda personally, or the management company he formed that bears his name, he's had a hand in helping restore about 1:10 golf courses in his native country.   As if that were not enough, he also works help promote the golf course superintendent profession locally, as well as at the state and national levels, and does the same for members of his team, who, like him, are Mexican.  We're not done.   In an effort to help grow the game he is a certified First Tee coach, proving there is something everyone in this business can do to make it a stronger industry for themselves and others.   Not bad for an industrial engineer.   For his selfless efforts to grow the game as well as the people who work in it, Croda was named a finalist for the 2017 TurfNet Superintendent of the Year Award, presented by Syngenta.   Other finalists include Mark Hoban of Rivermont Golf Club in Johns Creek, Georgia, Chris Ortmeier of the Champions Club in Houston, Josh Pope of The Old White Course at The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia and Rick Tegtmeier of Des Moines Golf and Country Club in West Des Moines, Iowa.   The winner of the 18th annual award will be named at 2 p.m. Feb. 8 at the Syngenta booth during this year's Golf Industry Show in San Antonio and will receive a trip for two and a week of free golf on the TurfNet members trip to Ireland in October, courtesy of Syngenta.     "When (Croda) assumed responsibility for the golf course in 2011, it was struggling. The Mark Brooks-designed golf course was known as exceedingly difficult and poorly conditioned," wrote J.J. Keegan, golf industry strategist and consultant, in nominating Croda for superintendent of the year. "It was just far enough away from the masses to discourage only the avid to make the drive. Today, it is more playable for all levels of ability, finely conditioned and has become one of the must-play golf courses in the region.    "The change from where it was then to where it is today speaks to Mr. Croda's dedication and passion in forming a team that was committed to excellence based on fulfilling the vision of a new owner."   A graduate of the Universidad Regiomontana in Monterrey, Mexico with a degree in industrial engineering, Croda spent the first half of his career conducting R&D in the agriculture industry, a field he said was wrought with stress. It was after a heart attack in 2000 that he realized he had to make some changes.   Shortly after, a friend invited him to help rebuild greens on a golf course, and it was then that Croda's life changed forever.   "I did it with no pay. I loved it," he said. "I had found my passion."   Croda's greatest contributions to the game, however, might be in how he gives back to help others.    For the past two years, Croda has been part of the GCSAA contingent that travels to Washington, D.C., on National Golf Day to meet with legislators and lobby on the industry's behalf, and he has been a North Texas GCSA chapter board member and GCSAA chapter delegate. He speaks at national and international events, promoting the role of superintendents throughout the world and last year was named his chapter's superintendent of the year.   He works just as hard to enhance the progress of members of his team, conducting career-development classes that include computer training and English language seminars to strengthen their employability chances in the U.S.   "Jorge has received many honors, and rightfully so for his efforts and hard work at Southern Oaks," said Ernie Abraham, the club's general manager. "Not only is Jorge a leader at our club, but for the golf industry as he volunteers himself to all ages of golfers including the First Tee program in Fort Worth, volunteering countless hours helping young people learn and appreciate the game of golf."    
  • Some golf course superintendents wear jeans and boots to work, while others opt for slacks and loafers. Mark Hoban might want to think about adding a lab coat to his wardrobe.   In four decades of managing turf in the Atlanta area, Hoban, 63, embraces what he describes as a holistic approach to golf course maintenance. A disciple of Palmer Maples, Hoban has been a leader in utilizing native turf to influence the appearance of a golf course as well as minimize the amount of water, fertilizer and pesticides they require.   Since 2005 when he was named superintendent at Rivermont Golf Club in the Atlanta suburb of Johns Creek, Hoban has expanded his quest toward sustainability to include research into and use of biological nutrients, including vermi-compost and organically enhanced topdressing.   If Rivermont is the barometer by which Hoban's success is measured, it would appear that he has discovered the end-all be-all of organic turf maintenance. He admits, however, that his program still is a work in progress as he continues to test the limits of how much water and synthetic additives he can withhold and still produce one of the Atlanta area's best golf courses.   "I can't wait for tomorrow. I want to do more of it, Hoban said of his drive to achieve sustainable turf management. "Unfortunately for me, I have my hands in a lot of different things. I'm a jack of all trades and a master of none. I can't wait that long for the answers. I want to find them on my own. I'm impatient.   Because of his role as a leader in sustainable turf management, Hoban has been named as a finalist for the 2017 TurfNet Superintendent of the Year Award, presented by Syngenta.   Other finalists include Jorge Croda of Southern Oaks Golf Course in Burleson, Texas, Chris Ortmeier of Champions Golf Club in Houston, Josh Pope of The Old White Course at The Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, and Rick Tegtmeier of Des Moines Golf and Country Club in West Des Moines, Iowa.   The winner of the 18th annual award will be named at 2 p.m. Feb. 8 at the Syngenta booth during this year's Golf Industry Show in San Antonio and will receive a trip for two and a week of free golf on the TurfNet members trip to Ireland in October, courtesy of Syngenta.   Hoban has developed a worm farm for use in creating compost that he brews into an organic tea fertilizer that introduce beneficial microbes, fungi and nematodes into the soil. He even has established an onsite classroom to further study the benefits provided by earthworms.   Those attending his classes have included Rivermont members, the club's junior golf camp participants, members of the community and scores of people from throughout the golf industry.     Hoban's latest work, in cooperation with University of Georgia microbiologist Mussie Habteselassie, Ph.D., has focused on trials to enhance microbial populations to determine the impact of synthetic chemicals used on golf courses. He also has several trials under way on tees, greens and fairways involving products from companies from throughout the country and around the world.    He also shares what he has learned through presentations at golf, garden and agricultural conferences at the local, state and national levels.   Hoban has a long history of practicing environmental stewardship on golf courses long before it was chic, cool or a public relations necessity.   He was the construction and grow-in superintendent at The Standard Club in Atlanta when the club physically moved to a new location in 1986-87 and guided the course to Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary status, the first course in the Southeast to do so.   A year after he took over as superintendent at Rivermont in 2006, he, in accord with architect Mike Riley and owner Chris Cupit, led a renovation that included converting almost 30 acres of turf to native grasses and sedges. It was the beginning of transforming the 1971 Joe Lee design from a typical suburban layout to an organic golf course that stood out from the rest in Atlanta.    "Mark has continued his research and has been a pioneer in organic approaches to turf grass care.  The University of Georgia and other researchers have descended on Mark's office and course to look at his worm farm, his compost tea brewer and his microscopes laden with Trichoderma and other unpronounceable critters, Cupit wrote in nominating Hoban for Superintendent of the Year. "A typical morning may see Mark on a tractor, looking through a microscope, brewing compost tea or on the phone with any of a number of scientists and researchers from across the country.   Despite his work during all or part of the past five decades, Hoban's work is hardly done. In fact, with pesticide regulations in place in many parts of the country and more sure to follow, he is barely scratching the surface.   "I still think this is the future of golf course maintenance, Hoban said. "Fortunately, I have just one owner and not 400 members with ownership, so that gives me the freedom to do this. Now, we still have to maintain a golf course, so if the greens die it will be 'to hell with that organic crap'. I'm more jazzed no about this than ever and what it holds, and it makes me want to get more into the research end of it.  
  • Overcoming the effects of a single major weather event might be enough of an experience to last a lifetime for many superintendents. But in just three years at Champions Golf Club in Houston, Chris Ortmeier has experienced not one, but two 500-year flood events. The second hardship came in the way of Hurricane Harvey, which made landfall in southeastern Texas on Aug. 25, 2017, then stalled over land and dumped rain on Houston for several days.   By the time the rain had stopped, Harvey had dumped 34 inches in five days at the golf course, where 95 of 150 acres were submerged under as much as 15 feet of water. Near the pump house, water was up to the eaves of the roof, and boat was the best way to navigate the course.   It was a similar scene a year earlier when 15 inches of rain fell in a single day in Houston in April 2016, causing businesses and schools to close. By the time Ortmeier and his crew dealt with the effects of Harvey, they had the course back open for play 12 days after the rain had stopped.   "The good thing about Harvey was that by then we had refined the process of dealing with a flood," said the 33-year-old Ortmeier.   "As a superintendent, I am always looking forward. But looking back at what we've overcome, we did overcome some rather difficult things. So much of what we've accomplished is due to the hard work of the entire team here."   For the way he and his crew were able to spring into action and have things back to normal at Champions, Ortmeier was named a finalist for the 2017 Superintendent of the Year Award, presented by Syngenta.   Other finalists include Jorge Croda of Southern Oaks Golf Club in Burleson, Texas, Mark Hoban of Rivermont Golf Club in Johns Creek, Georgia, Josh Pope of The Old White Course at The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia and Rick Tegtmeier of Des Moines Golf and Country Club in West Des Moines, Iowa.   The winner of the 18th annual award will be named at 2 p.m. Feb. 8 at the Syngenta booth during this year's Golf Industry Show in San Antonio and will receive a trip for two and a week of free golf on the TurfNet members trip to Ireland in October, courtesy of Syngenta.     "He has been forced to deal with the unthinkable flooding as a result of Hurricane Harvey. Chris guided his crews to bring all 36 holes back to member play quicker than anyone in the area," said Champions Club member Kyle Krahenbuhl in nominating Ortmeier for superintendent of the year. "Someone visiting the club for a round would not believe there had even been a storm event if not for the mountains of flooring and drywall removed from the devastated homes bordering the outside of the course which still remain piled for removal on the city streets. Chris's leadership in the days and weeks following Hurricane Harvey cannot be overstated."   Founded in the late 1950s by professional golfers Jack Burke Jr. and Jimmy Demaret, the Champions Club has a long history of excellence and major championship golf. The 36-hole facility was the site of the 1967 Ryder Cup Matches and the 1969 U.S. Open, the LPGA's Nabisco Championship in 1990 and on five occasions was the home to the Tour Championship (1990, '97, '99, '01, '03).   The club had the chance to take center stage again when, within days after Ortmeier and his team had the Cypress Creek Course opened and ready for play, club officials approached him about hosting the U.S. Women's Mid-Amateur in Oct. 7-12 - just 44 days after reopening in the wake of a 500-year flood. The tournament originally was to be played at Quail Creek Club in Naples, Florida, but was moved after that area was affected by Hurricane Irma.    The request came straight from Jack Burke's wife, Robin, who was runner-up in the 1997 U.S. Women's Amateur, played on the 1998 U.S. Curtis Cup team and captained the squad in 2016.   "My first thought was why not move it to a place that didn't have a hurricane. The course in Florida had one and we had just had one of our own," Ortmeier said. "It was important to her to help out the USGA, so I told her 'let's figure out a way to get it done.' It seemed insurmountable at the time, but it turned out better than I ever could have projected to be honest. I'm glad we were able to pull it off."  
  • Mother nature wreaks havoc on golf courses with regularity.   Fire, flood, extreme heat and cold, hurricanes and tornadoes all are common foes of the golf course superintendent. But no one should have to endure what Josh Pope and his team experienced in 2016 and 2017 at The Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.   On June 23, 2016, just days before the PGA Tour's annual event at The Greenbrier's historic Old White Course, flooding rains washed out the course and led to the cancellation of the tournament. But that was only the beginning for Pope, the rest of the team at The Greenbrier and residents of southeastern West Virginia.   For what he endured and how he picked up the pieces - personally, emotionally and professionally, after all, some weren't so lucky - Pope was named a finalist for the 2017 TurfNet Superintendent of the Year Award, presented by Syngenta.   Other finalists include Jorge Croda of Southern Oaks Golf Club in Burleson, Texas, Mark Hoban of Rivermont Golf Club in Johns Creek, Georgia, Chris Ortmeier of the Champions Club in Houston and Rick Tegtmeier of Des Moines Golf and Country Club in West Des Moines, Iowa.   The winner of the 18th annual award will be named at 2 p.m. Feb. 8 at the Syngenta booth during this year's Golf Industry Show in San Antonio and will receive a trip for two and a week of free golf on the TurfNet members trip to Ireland in October, courtesy of Syngenta.   As rain fell throughout the day and showed no signs of letting up, Howard's Creek that runs through the golf course overflowed and flooded half the greens on the 100-year-old Old White, parts of U.S. 60 that bisects the multi-course Greenbrier property and the tunnels running beneath the highway connecting the courses.   The next day, a marker noting the depth of a 1915 flood near the 14th green and 15th tee on the 1914 Charles Blair Macdonald design was 8 feet under water, making the Greenbrier Classic scheduled for July 4-10 an impossibility.   The flood was about much more than golf. It was a community-wide tragedy that washed away possessions, homes, memories and the souls of 23 neighbors. The remains of three of the nearly two-dozen drowning victims were recovered on The Old White Course.     The story of tragedy, loss and recovery is one that Pope has retold countless times at conferences, cocktail receptions and in passing.   "As far as I am concerned, there is no possible way anyone other than Josh Pope at Greenbrier Old White can win this award," wrote East Lake Golf Club superintendent Ralph Kepple in nominating Pope for the honor. "Hell, I think you should just name it after him! To take that disaster and rebuild it better than before while under an extremely tight time frame is one of the best stories ever."   Recovery over the next year with the help of architect Keith Foster was a complex relationship between trying to balance golf, work and personal tragedy in an area where the local economy is so reliant on the well being of The Greenbrier. Every step of the process was a constant reminder of the pain and suffering felt by so many.   "The focus was on the golf course and personal stuff," Pope said. "We'd come to work, then go home and help family and friends rebuild. I asked A LOT of my assistants. There was a weight on our shoulders to get the course back open. That helped bring the community back because of the economic impact of the (Greenbrier). It was huge to get golf up and running."   The race was on during the next year to make sure the course was ready for the PGA Tour, and the course opened for practice by the pros the Monday of tournament week. The pressure to bring the course back on time took its toll on Pope, who admits to suffering a minor breakdown in the final run-up to the tournament. Even when his boss, director of golf course operations Kelly Shumate, ordered him to go home, Pope felt he belonged at the golf course.   "My boss was next to me when it happened. I was hyperventilating because the tournament was 30 days out and we were still laying sod. I didn't think we'd be done on time," Pope said. "The stress level over the past year had finally hit me.    "I went home, took some deep breaths and took a shower, and then went back to work, even though I wasn't supposed to. I'm a high-anxiety person to begin with, and you know how superintendents are: We worry about everything, and I was worried about the golf course being done on time."  

×
×
  • Create New...