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From the TurfNet NewsDesk

  • John Reitman
    Time is running out to nominate a deserving colleague for the 2016 TurfNet Superintendent of the Year Award, presented by Syngenta.   TurfNet has been honoring superintendents with the Superintendent of the Year Award since 2000. Since then, the Superintendent of the Year award has recognized nominees for their work in producing great playing conditions often during times of adversity.    Nominees are judged on their ability to excel at one or more of the following criteria: 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.    If this sounds like a superintendent you know, there still is is time to nominate him (or her) for this year's award.   Nominations can be submitted by anyone with intimate knowledge of the candidate's accomplishments. The nomination deadline is November 30.    The winner, who is selected by a panel of judges from throughout the golf industry, will be named at next year's Golf Industry Show in Orlando, and will receive a trip for two on the 2017 TurfNet golf trip to Ireland, courtesy of Syngenta.   To nominate a deserving superintendent for this year's award, visit the 2016 Superintendent of the Year Award nomination page. For more information, email John Reitman.   Previous winners of the award include Matt Gourlay, Colbert Hills, Manhattan, Kansas, 2015; Fred Gehrisch, Highlands Country Club, 2014, Highlands, North Carolina; Chad Mark (pictured on cover page), Kirtland Country Club, Willoughby, Ohio, 2013; Dan Meersman, Philadelphia Cricket Club, Philadelphia, 2012; Paul Carter, The Bear Trace at Harrison Bay, Harrison, Tennessee, 2011; Thomas Bastis, California Golf Club of San Francisco, South San Francisco, California, 2010; Anthony Williams, Stone Mountain Golf Club, Stone Mountain, Georgia, 2009, Sam MacKenzie, Olympia Fields Country Club, Olympia Fields, Illinois, 2008; John Zimmers, Oakmont Country Club, Oakmont, Pennsylvania, 2007; Scott Ramsay, Golf Course at Yale, New Haven, Connecticut, 2006; Mark Burchfield, Victoria Club, Riverside, California, 2005; Stuart Leventhal, Interlachen Country Club, Winter Park, Florida, 2004; Paul Voykin, Briarwood Country Club, Deerfield, Illinois, 2003; Jeff Burgess, Seven Lakes Country Club, LaSalle, Ontario, 2002; Kip Tyler, Salem Country Club, Peabody, Massachusetts, 2001; and Kent McCutcheon, Las Vegas Paiute Resort, Las Vegas, 2000.
  • Two years ago, the British and International and Golf Greenkeepers Association launched a mobile app to make registration for its annual conference and show easier. This year, the group has improved the app to make registration for the diverse and growing BIGGA Turf Management Exposition easier than ever.
      Scheduled for Jan. 17-19 at the Harrogate Centre, BTME is the leading exhibition and educational conference for turf managers throughout Europe. The event annually attracts more than 9,000 attendees, including turf managers, owners, managers and industry professionals and offers more than 200 hours of education throughout four conference halls in the Harrogate Centre.
      The new and improved mobile app allows attendees to view details of BTME events, including a calendar of educational opportunities and information about exhibitors and sponsors.
      Another new addition to the app, which is available on the App Store as well as Google Play, is a map of each of the four exhibition halls as well as a conference-planning section. The app even offers suggestions on local eateries.
     
    Click here for more information or to register for the show.

  • News and people briefs

    By John Reitman, in News,

    BASF announces personnel changes
      BASF has named Nate Mezera as sales rep for the turf and ornamentals division in the Midwest region and Cozette Hadley Rosburg as strategic accounts manager for SiteOne, Primera Turf, BWI and Ewing Irrigation.
      Cozette was formerly the sales representative for turf and ornamentals in the northern Midwest. She joined BASF through the acquisition of Becker Underwood in 2012 and has been in the turf and ornamentals industry for 29 years.
      Mezera previously held a similar role as sales representative for the BASF Urban, Rural and Termite control segment in Louisiana and southeastern Texas for BASF.  Mezera has been with BASF since 2014 and in the turf and ornamentals industry for seven years.
      Ditch Witch launches new skid steer
      Ditch Witch recently introduced the construction-grade SK1050 mini skid steer for a variety of demanding landscape, hardscape and irrigation jobs.
      Equipped with a 37-hp Tier 4 Yanmar diesel engine, the SK1050 directs 30 hp to the hydraulic attachment, giving operators the power to tackle an assortment of challenging tasks with a variety of hydraulic attachments, including trenchers and augers.
      With a hinge-pin height of 83 inches and a load capacity of 1,062 pounds, the SK1050 enables efficient and flexible loading and unloading at a wide range of dump sites. The operator's station includes a spring-supported, 74-square-inch platform and a hands-free auxiliary-control pedal. The machines LCD display includes programming upgrades to provide direct visibility into all engine diagnostics and performance.
      Rounds played slip - again - in September
      Year-over-year rounds played dropped 2.3 percent in September, according to the Golf Datatech National Golf Rounds Played Report.
      With that drop, year-to-date rounds played are up by less than 1 percent, compared with the first nine months of 2015, with the bulk of the nations golf-playing window in the rear-view mirror.
      Rounds played for September were up in only 14 states compared to the same month in 2015. Only Georgia, where rounds were up by 11.8 percent, experienced a double-digit increase compared with September last year.
      Six states experienced double-digit losses. They were Idaho, Montana and Wyoming, where play was down by 16 percent; Michigan (down 13 percent); Alabama (down 12 percent); and New York (down 10 percent).
  • New diseases, increased pest pressure, erratic weather patterns and a growing uncertainty swirling around water. Those are just a few of the issues facing professional turf managers, and researchers at the University of Florida want to provide as many tools as possible in their increasingly difficult quest to manage turf.   Those are just a few of the reasons why UF has begun offering a series of short courses entitled Evidence-Based Turf Management, the second of which is scheduled for Jan. 31-Feb. 1 at the UF-Institute of Food and Agriculture Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center.   The two-day program, which compliments the inaugural short course held in August, will offer research-based solutions to managing a variety of pests, including weeds, insects, disease and nematodes.   The first session provided information on plant anatomy and physiology, as well as the role of fertility, water, light and temperature in plant management.    The program is open to turf managers of all levels, including golf course superintendents, athletic field managers and lawn care professionals.   The concept of an in-depth, onsite training program is the result of customer feedback and has been in the works for the better part of two decades, according to UF professor J. Bryan Unruh, Ph.D.    "We had polled the industry at different times, and they really indicated they wanted to have more of an in-depth type training opportunity," Unruh said. "And so with Dr. Shaddox on board here in Fort Lauderdale, the time was just right, and so we advanced forward and launched this evidence-based turf school for those attendees to come in and spend two days with us really kind of digging into the nuts and bolts of turfgrass management and really looking at the science behind the practices that they currently are doing."   Round 2 of the Evidence-Based Turf Management program will include lectures and labs on weeds by UF weed scientist Ramon Leon, Ph.D., insects, by UF entomologist Adam Dale, Ph.D., diseases by UF plant pathologist Phil Harmon, Ph.D., and nematology by UF nematologist Billy Crow, Ph.D. That group also will lead a session on managing resistance.   The overriding theme of both sessions is to remove the guesswork in turf management by providing science-based solutions to commonly occurring problems as well as everyday turf management that can help superintendents and other turf managers make the best use of their time and resources.   "What is the evidence saying? What is the overriding evidence in the scientific literature indicating? And how can we use that evidence to guide our management practices?" said Shaddox. "If there is one objective in a nutshell of the program, it's that. How can use the current evidence that exists in science to guide our management practices?"
  • From one corner of the country to the other, one common problem shared by many superintendents is a difficulty in attracting and retaining qualified interns.   Mike Ventola, coordinator of the turfgrass management program at Sandhills Community College in Pinehurst, North Carolina, will tackle that subject on Nov. 29 during a TurfNet University Webinar entitled "Interns: How to Attract and Manage Them.   In the upcoming seminar, Ventola, who has been managing the employer-intern relationship at Sandhills since 1999, will share what he knows to help golf course superintendents attract a quality intern and manage a productive internship for both parties.   The presentation is one of over 20 that TurfNet produces each year along with presenting sponsors BASF, Grigg Brothers and Jacobsen.   All live broadcasts, which begin at 1 p.m. eastern, can be accessed here. Even if you've missed one, archived recordings of each event are available for on-demand viewing anytime and anywhere an Internet connective is available. TurfNet members can access all archived webinars (you must be logged into your TurfNet account) by clicking on the Archived Events selection under the Webinars tab on the TurfNet homepage. That is access to hundreds of recordings of university-level education for an investment of $195.   Non-members can view a few selected recordings, as well, by clicking on the Free Archived Events option under the Webinars tab on the TurfNet homepage.   On-demand access to archived webinars is just one of many benefits of TurfNet membership. Other benefits include access to the members-only Forum as well as unlimited used equipment and job listings... all for $195 per year.   You don't need a university professor to recognize that is a good deal.
  • When it comes to making sound management decisions, information is everything. That's why University of Nebraska professor Bill Kreuser, Ph.D., can't understand why virtually all superintendents don't have at least one weather station at their golf course.   Earlier this year, Kreuser conducted an informal poll through his Twitter account that revealed only 45 percent of those responding had an onsite weather station. Even entry-level weather stations designed for personal home use, Kreuser says, can provide superintendents with enough real-time data to make more informed decisions regarding turf management.    "As we reduce our budgets, it's easy to think a weather station is too expensive, it's not essential," Kreuser said in video posted to the university's turfgrass management . "I argue actually it's more essential because now we're making decisions on how we should put down products, how we should manage that grass based on the weather conditions that we have."   Kreuser acquired a mid-range weather station through Weather Underground for use at the university's John Seaton Anderson Turf and Ornamental Research Facility for about $350. Weather stations designed for personal residential use can be purchased for even less.   Weather stations provide real-time data such as temperature, humidity, precipitation, sunlight and more that can be accessed through a computer, tablet or mobile device.     "I can log into my weather station on Weather Underground, and I can see current rainfall rate, how much rain has fallen, how strong the sunlight is, how warm it is, how the wind is blowing."   Kreuser says a handful of weather stations can capture conditions on every square inch of a golf course for peanuts, compared with the savings they will provide.   "Ultimately, I think putting personal weather stations, or a couple of them, on your golf course can be a great way to actually save you money," he said on the video, "because we have information on the conditions that are causing our grass to grow and conditions that may be favorable for disease."   But that's not all. Kreuser also suggested that linking weather stations to his Growing Degree Days model that predicts plant growth regulator application times or the more robust Greenkeeper web-based application, also developed by Kreuser, to make decision-making even easier and a process reinforced by data and science.   The Greenkeeper app includes everything built into the Excel document and more. That app, which can be accessed from a laptop or mobile device, also helps track and schedule pesticide applications and is accessible by multiple users at the same golf course. It also does a lot of the legwork for the user. Kreuser developed the GDD tracker while a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin.   Kreuser suggests buying a weather station that meets each of the three following requirements: measures solar radiation (critical in calculating ET), has accurate sensors and can link to wifi so it can be accessed remotely.
  • Almost 100 years after Donald Ross carved the Inverness Club out of a slab of farmland, the course in northwestern Ohio remains one of his most impressive works of art.
      Deep bowls and elevation changes serve as a stark contrast to the surrounding terrain, yet fit in as if they always have been there. The Toledo club has been the site of nine major championships in the past decade, and will make it 11 after the U.S. Junior Amateur in 2019 and the 2021 Solheim Cup that was announced Nov. 9. As the next chapter in the long and storied history of Inverness is written, it will be a new artist, superintendent Chad Mark, who will wield a brush and palette on this canvas.   "This is an amazing piece of property," said Mark, recipient of the 2013 TurfNet Superintendent of the Year award.   Inverness has a century-old tradition of providing a stern test of golf for players at the highest level, and that is part of what attracted Mark to the job after a dozen years as superintendent at The Kirtland Country Club east of Cleveland.   "It was hard to leave Kirtland," Mark said. "This is a national club with a national reputation.    "The first time I walked the course about 10 days before my interview, something about it just felt right. I told my wife that if I get the opportunity, it's going to be hard to say no."   A great deal of history has been made at Inverness, and Mark wants to be part of future chapters that have yet to be written. The 18th green is where Bob Tway holed out for birdie on the 72nd hole in a rain-plagued 1986 PGA Championship to beat Greg Norman in a Monday finish. In 1920, so the story goes, 43-year-old Ted Ray of England put down his putter there to relight his pipe before sinking a birdie putt on the final day to beat Jack Burke by one stroke and become the oldest Open champion in history (a mark that stood until Ray Floyd won in 1986 at Shinnecock Hills).   "Some of the things that have happened on this hole over the years, you don't really appreciate it until you all of these stories," Mark said.      Inverness has been the host site of four U.S. Open Championships (1920, '31, '57, '79), a pair of PGA Championships (1986, '93), two U.S. Senior Open Championships (2003, '11) and the 1973 U.S. Amateur.   "Inverness has a long history of championships. It's part of the DNA here. Our members and really the whole city are hungry for something like that."   Inverness and Toledo make a perfect fit for the Solheim Cup. The city has a long-running association with the LPGA. The Marathon Classic, which has been contested under various titles and sponsors for the past 32 years, is played each year at Highland Meadows in nearby Sylvania. The 2017 Solheim Cup will be played at Des Moines Golf and Country Club in West Des Moines, Iowa, and the 2019 edition is scheduled for Gleneagles in Perthshire, Scotland.   LPGA players are looking forward to contesting the event at Inverness.   "I think Inverness is going to be an unbelievable venue for us with all of the history with the guys playing there and just the history of the golf course itself," said LPGA pro Stacy Lewis, a Toledo native and three-time Solheim Cup veteran (2009, 2011, 2015).  "It's such a cool course to play with a bunch of holes really close and I think it's going to help make for a very loud Solheim Cup."   Between now and the '19 U.S. Junior Amateur and the Solheim Cup in 2021, Inverness will be even better, says Mark, who along with his crew will be busy getting the course into championship shape. However, that is something he would be doing regardless of whether the USGA and LPGA were coming to town.   "We want championship conditions every day. We want firm and fast and to increase velocity. That means a lot of cultivation over the next couple of years, and our members understand that," he said. "We want Inverness to be nationally recognized not only for its history but for its conditions. That is the only way to be in the mix for big tournaments.   "I want it to be perfect tomorrow. I need to be more patient, and I'm not a very patient person. The bones are here, and when we get it to where we want it, people will say 'wow, now I get it.' "   Future improvements also call for a new maintenance facility on the back of the property and a First Tee center on adjacent farmland owned by Metroparks Toledo.   "Inverness has a history of giving back to the community and the game," said Mark, who has quickly immersed himself in all things Inverness. "To do something that is going to help grow the game with the youth of Toledo is a big deal."   A high-pedigree job like Inverness seems like a perfect match for Mark, who runs in high circles. He interned under John Zimmers at Sand Ridge Golf Club in Chardon, Ohio, and later stayed on as the assistant for Jim Roney when Zimmers moved on to Oakmont. Among Mark's closest friends are Paul B. Latshaw, CGCS at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, site of the PGA Tour's Memorial Tournament, and Jeff Corcoran of Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York.   Through the years, Mark has worked several tournaments for his colleagues, and urges members of his crew to do the same. He is looking forward to soon being the host superintendent for a major event.   "When you volunteer for these things, you come back energized and it's exciting. Part of me wonders if I need that same kind of juice to make me feel like I've achieved what I wanted to in this business," he said. "I wasn't looking to leave Kirtland, but I would have kicked myself if I would have looked into an opportunity where I could come to a place like Inverness. Let's say in 10 years they host a PGA here. Would I be looking back and regretting it?   "To volunteer is nice. For one, you don't have to clean up when it's over. But I wonder what it would be like if I was hosting and planning a tournament like that at a place like this that is on the national stage."   Making the move was a big decision not only for Mark's career, but for his family, as well. Looking back, it was one that also made a lot of sense on several levels, not the least of which was a homecoming of sorts for his wife, April, who is from Edgerton, which is 70 miles west of Toledo. The couple's three children, 12-year-old Drew, Ryan (9) and Brett (6) also have assimilated into their new environs.   "We knew the kids would be around grandparents a little bit more than when we were four hours away from her parents and mine," said Mark, a native of southern Ohio. "Still, it was tough because we have a lot of friends in Chardon who we considered family.   "The kids have been great. They made a lot of friends and started playing lacrosse in the first two weeks after we moved, and they played football in the fall. Kids are so resilient. It makes you laugh looking back at some of the things you didn't do because of your kids. Then you learn they would've been OK, and it was me who couldn't handle it."  
  • Respect is earned, it's not given. That was one of the critical take-home messages shared by Justin Sims, superintendent at The Alotian Club in Roland, Arkansas, during the 16th annual Northern California Golf Association Assistant Superintendent Bootcamp.
      Sims, a 2006 bootcamp alumnus when he was an intern at The Olympic Club in San Francisco, was on hand to give this year's class tips on making the transition to head superintendent. He warned attendees not to come into the shop riding high and looking down at their new staff..   "Just because you come in as the new superintendent doesn't mean they're going to respect you," Sims said. "You wouldn't do that for someone else, either, and you know it.    "Don't come in and say 'I'm the boss, I'm the superintendent.' As soon as you do that, they're going to stop listening to you because you're going to sound like an idiot. If you have to tell someone what your title is, you probably suck at your job. You have to build up your street cred and earn their respect."   Like many, Sims first worked to become a superintendent because he enjoyed working outside. It wasn't until he began working for Pat Finlen in San Francisco that he realized the options available to him.   "I didn't know what kinds of jobs were available until I got here and started working at the Olympic Club," Sims said. "I didn't know what kind of earning potential was there."   Once he did, he quickly realized he needed a plan to get to the level he wanted to achieve.   There are two routes you can go, he said, the first of which is staying tied to a desired market, and the second is a willingness to relocate to just about anywhere.   "Someone who is willing to go anywhere already as a 50 times better chance of getting a job than someone who wants to stay in say California," Sims told the group. "If you're open to go anywhere, it increases your chances of getting a job.   "You have to be flexible to increase the number of options you have. It's harder now to get a job than it was when I was in your shoes."  
    Just because you come in as the new superintendent doesn't mean they're going to respect you. You wouldn't do that for someone else, either, and you know it."
     
    Sims, a native of southern Illinois, made several moves along his career path between Olympic and Alotian, including at Augusta National, where he was an assistant superintendent. In fact, he moved so many times, many of his colleagues worried, unnecessarily it turns out, whether he would be able to land a gig as a head superintendent.   "I moved all over the place," he said. "My buddies thought I was crazy - 'man, he won't stay anywhere.' "   Sims, however, already knew where he wanted to go and he had a plan to get there.   "To me it was like a competition," he said. "When I competed with other people in an interview, I wanted to make sure the board was more interested in me, so what could I do to make that happen?   "Know what you want, and have a plan to get there. You're not playing checkers; you're playing chess."   The trick, of course, is identifying the right kind of job for that next career move and recognizing when it is time to move on.    One of the attendees asked that very question, stating they wanted to stay at their current facility until they had the chance to work through a professional tournament.   "Don't stay for an event that is years away," Sims said. "Between now and then you could probably work at three other top 25 golf courses and be an assistant at one of them by then."   Case in point: Sims described a former co-worker who stayed years at one club, far longer than anyone else. Refusing to break out of that comfort zone is a phenomenon that Sims called "inside the bamboo."   "He was there for nine years. He was like your mother-in-law who comes over and never leaves," he said. "He was scared to death to leave, because he didn't know how he could ever function at another course. That's a bad way of thinking."   Leaving for the right job at the right time, Sims said, is more important.   "Every time I moved, it was for a better position. It was all logical, it was random with no rhyme or reason," he said.    "It has nothing to do with being loyal or not. It's a chess match, and you have to do things to separate yourself from others. I guarantee you, some of you in here will be interviewing against each other."  
    Don't come off as the geeky science guy. Members hate that. Give them the facts, and empower them to make decisions."
     
    Job-hopping was a question Sims said he had to answer for when he interviewed at Augusta National.   "I told them that this was the ultimate goal, to work at Augusta," he said. "The only reason I would have to move from there was to become a head superintendent."   And when is that right time to move forward? Good question.   "The minute you come into work and feeling like you have plateaued," he said. "When I was doing the same things every day, there was nowhere to go up because I there were people in front of me who weren't going anywhere, that's when I knew I'd gotten everything I could out of a place. That's when I knew it was time to go."   That advice was a comfort to Jeremy Nicholas, an assistant in training at Pebble Beach Golf Links. A graduate of Penn State, Nicholas also had worked at other courses, including Eugene Country Club in Oregon.   "I've moved around a lot, and I want to constantly progress," Nicholas said. "Each time I move I'm bettering myself. As long as I'm not going backward I'm OK. It gave me some relief to hear that from someone who already has been through what I'm going through."   Developing goals and a strategy to achieve them applies to starting at a new job as much as it does securing one.   Sims recommends, whenever possible, starting with small projects first before tackling big projects and renovations. He said he has seen many colleagues start a new job with a disaster plan because they excel at construction projects, but struggle in the day-to-day managerial aspects of the job.   "Most of the time, you're going to get a 'get out of jail free' card during construction, but don't invent problems. That's not a good way to operate," he said. "Make easy changes first. Changes that are simple and don't cost money."   Don't be that superintendent who, with every new job, says the place needs a new irrigation system, new drainage the greens are horrible.   "They do this, and then they get stuck and get fired," he said, "because a lot of superintendents are good at construction projects and inventing problems and making mountains out of mole hills to disguise the fact that they are not good at the day-to-day stuff."   There will be plenty of times when the problems facing the superintendent are real. It's always best, Sims said, to be honest with club administration when confronting problems.   "Be honest, and don't be afraid to say 'I don't know.' The job has to be about honesty and integrity over everything," he said.    "Don't come off as the geeky science guy. Members hate that. Give them the facts, and empower them to make decisions.    "Do what the members want. It's their course, not yours."  
  • For turf managers who need to clear a lot of out-of-play areas in a short amount of time, Jacobsen launched its ZT400 and ZT600 zero-turn series mowers.    The ZT400 is available with a 24 hp Kawasaki or a 25 hp Briggs & Stratton engine and comes in mowing widths of 48, 54 or 60 inches while reaching ground speeds of up to 9 mph.   The ZT600 (pictured at right) is available with up to a 24 hp Kawasaki FX or a 25 hp Kohler Confidant EFI engine and can reach speeds of up to 10.5 mph. Like the ZT400, the ZT600 comes in cutting widths of 48, 54 and 60 inches.    Designed with operator comfort in mind, the ZT600 comes standard with a suspension set for added lateral stability and improved durability.   Both models feature the InCommand console with keyless password protected ignition and SoftStart clutch for smoother clutch engagement. Both also feature a Parker transmission that is compact, quiet and 15 percent more efficient than transmissions found in comparable models, the company says.    The ZT series units also can run for 1,000 hours between oil and filter changes and feature maintenance-free PEER Turf Xtreme spindles with Contamination Exclusion Technology for improved bearing life, all of which help save shop time. Finally, the new PerfectTension deck drive system maintains optimal belt tension for reduced maintenance and 300 percent longer belt life.
  • MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIFORNIA - Tucked into a 750-acre park between two of Northern California's largest landmarks - San Francisco Bay and the massive Google campus - Shoreline Golf Links is as much off the beaten path as is humanly possible in the heart of Silicon Valley. But golfers are doing just fine finding this city-owned course in Mountain View without the aid of an Internet search engine. After all, 70,000 rounds a year don't lie.   Golfers can play the course for about 50 bucks on weekends and 40 during the week. That said, Shoreline has one of America's priciest addresses, where neighbors include Hewlett-Packard, AOL, LinkedIn, Apple and Stanford University.   The course was designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. of nearby Palo Alto and built in 1983 on a capped landfill. Besides occasional cracks in the surface that can result in methane leaks and parts of the course sagging due to settling layers of trash beneath the surface, there are a host of chronic challenges that could be a great source of stress for any superintendent.   The city's recycled water source is so dirty that cutting it with potable barely makes it acceptable for use on the golf course; rapid blight has appeared as the disease du jour on Shoreline's ryegrass; an army of protected ground squirrels have turned the property into a veritable ant farm; and the course, at first glance, appears to have more geese than Saskatchewan. Throw in the fact that superintendent Matt Wisely still is in his first six months on the job, and it's all enough to keep even the most seasoned superintendent awake at night.    Make no mistake, Wisely is sleeping just fine these days, but if he does have the occasional sleepless night, it's not because of anything at the golf course.   "When something happens here, I ask myself if it's a matter of life or death," Wisely said. "If it's the grass, you can always get grass to grow back."   Besides, Wisely has more important things on his mind. Things that aren't grass, and things that don't "grow back."   Two years ago, when he was superintendent at El Mecero Country Club in Davis, California, Wisely noticed his hands were becoming uncomfortably warm while he worked outside on the golf course and he began suffering from blurred vision. After several visits to the doctor and multiple MRIs, Wisely eventually received a diagnosis no one wants to hear: relapsing and remitting multiple sclerosis.    "My whole life at work has changed," he said. "I don't stress about anything. I can't.   "When something goes wrong, I'm the first person to get help and call for reinforcements. I will not stress about work."   For the first year after his diagnosis, Wisely injected himself daily with Copaxone, a synthetic protein that suppresses inflammation and stimulates the myelin that protects the nerves. Nowadays, he still self-treats with Copaxone three times a week and takes one pill per week that delivers 50,000 mg (yes, 50,000) of Vitamin D.  
    My whole life at work has changed. I don't stress about anything. I can't."
     
    Doctors have told him that although the symptoms only manifested recently, RRMS likely is something he has been carrying for years, and like a weed in the fairway, has been festering in hiding, waiting for the opportune moment to surface. To date, his treatment plan has kept his symptoms in check.    It has been said that a golf course superintendent cannot be successful on the job without the support of an understanding spouse. That goes double for Wisely, even when that spouse is a golf pro.   Wisely's wife, Kim Stevens, who is an LPGA teaching professional in the Silicon Valley, has been a pillar of support for her husband, both on the golf course and at home.    "When the doctor told him it was multiple sclerosis, I didn't even know what it was. I just knew it wasn't good," Stevens said.   "When I heard it, I just said 'OK, now what do we do? We're a team, let's figure this out.' "   The owner of Silicon Valley Golf Performance Center, Stephens contracts her services to several golf facilities throughout the South Bay area, including Shoreline and Summitpointe Golf Club in Milpitas. It was there at Summitpointe, in 2002, where the couple met. Wisely was the assistant superintendent and Stephens, who was conducting clinics on a roughshod practice range, needed the help of the maintenance staff, or she might be out of a job.   "The driving range was awful. People were tripping and falling," Stevens said. "I had to make friends with the superintendent and the assistant, because they were the ones who were going to fix it for me.   "I learned early on that to get what I needed and not get fired I needed to befriend them. From that day on, the superintendent was always the first person on the property that I wanted to meet, get to know and befriend because they are the ones who make my life easier."   The couple will celebrate their anniversary on New Year's Eve, 11 years after they were wed on Summitpointe's 16th tee.   So much for superintendents and golf pros not getting along.   "She says we have a symbiotic relationship," said Wisely. "She teaches people to tear up the golf course, and I fix them."   Fixing golf courses is one thing. Stressing over the work is another for Wisely, who still is getting to know all of Shoreline's nuances.   "I'm still learning this place," he said.    "For the first six months, I've been drinking from the firehose. Everything has hit me all at once. I'm just trying to make sure conditions are as consistent as possible."   That's easier said than done.   The city buys reclaimed water from Palo Alto that Wisely cuts it with potable before throwing it down on the course. Even then, impurities are running at about 300 ppm thanks to saltwater intrusion from the bay into Palo Alto's aging water lines.   
    When the doctor told him it was multiple sclerosis, I didn't even know what it was. I just knew it wasn't good. When I heard it, I just said 'OK, now what do we do? We're a team, let's figure this out.' "
     
    To keep salts and bicarbonates moving through the system, Wisely aerates once a month with needle tines and flushes the greens.   "We're trying to get it down as much as we can," he said. "We're never going to get it to zero. We have no control over what they are sending us.    "We aerate as much as possible to keep water moving through profile, and we use a lot of gypsum and calcium, and we flush every month to keep that salt moving down. It doesn't seem to matter what we do, it's always there."   Balancing water needs in areas that are out of play is not as easy at this Touchstone Golf property as it might be elsewhere. If the surface gets too dry it can crack, allowing methane to escape into the air, so Wisely still must irrigate large swaths of land where golfers rarely tread. If he puts down too much, the trash layer underneath can break down prematurely, leading to settlement issues and collapsing greens and fairways.   "If the trash gets wet, it breaks down faster, then we get more settlement issues," Wisely said. "That can lead to more methane development and cause underground fires. We have to keep standing water to a minimum."   There are many other challenges as well. On the surface, rapid blight on the primarily Poa annua greens is the most destructive of a pallette of diseases that also includes Waitea patch and anthracnose. With about 70,000 patrons per year coming through the door, Shoreline is subject to a tremendous amount of traffic, but not all of it is from golfers. Geese, coots and ground squirrels have the run of the property, and visitors to the park walk the course, and not just on the cart paths, they walk the fairways.   Geese and hundreds of ground squirrels that populate the property have taken over in such numbers that each is oblivious to the other. But the squirrels are only part of the problem.   Protected by the state, the Western Burrowing owl is a lazy opportunist that prefers to freeload inside the ready made quarters created by the squirrels, thus making the squirrels protected as well. Wisely is permitted to trap as many as 300 squirrels per year and relocate them unharmed to remote parts of the park, but they are prolific breeders, so transferring a few hundred per year does little to put a dent in the population. The end result is a seemingly endless supply of the subterranean ne'er-do-wells.     Constrained by the state, Wisely dismisses them as part of territory. Besides, since receiving his diagnosis, he, as much as anyone, has learned the value of the axiom live and let live.   "Squirrels are all over the place, and geese are crapping all over the place. I can't lose sleep over it," Wisely said. "It makes it interesting to have a problem like rapid blight and not stress about it."   The most common form of multiple sclerosis, RRMS is a neurological disease in which neuromuscular attacks are followed by periods of inactivity or remission that can last varying amounts of time. Wisely knows he has been fortunate that his medication has kept the symptoms at bay. He also knows he's guaranteed nothing, so he stays active to promote a healthy lifestyle and to increase muscle tone in the event the disease progresses.   "He's not in a wheelchair. It's sensory, not muscular, so he's dodged a bullet there," Stevens said. "It's about staying positive and doing everything possible to stay healthy, and he knows that."  
  • MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA - One of the most significant moments in Armen Suny's career occurred at one of the most unexpected of times.
      The moment occurred during the 1981 U.S. Open at Merion Golf Club, where Suny, fresh out of Penn State, was working as an assistant superintendent under Richie Valentine, who directed him to give a cart ride to a USGA official. During that ride, Suny, now an entrepreneur and search executive for the golf industry, introduced himself to then-USGA executive director Frank Hannigan and asked for a letter of recommendation.   Two years later, Suny used that recommendation to secure the head superintendent position at Cherry Hills Country Club near Denver, where he would be the host superintendent during the 1985 PGA Championship.   The letter, Suny said, read "I don't know if he can grow grass, but he can host the U.S. Open," Suny told a room filled with aspiring superintendents at the 16th annual Northern California Golf Association Assistant Superintendent Bootcamp in Monterey and Pebble Beach.   "That cart ride changed my life," said Suny, now search director at the executive search firm of Kopplin Kuebler and Wallace. "Who knows where I'd be know."   The true meaning behind Suny's "back when I was your age" story was simple: "You have an opportunity to impress someone every day with what you do," Suny told the group. "Distinguish yourself as an assistant. Make yourself stand out."   The NCGA bootcamp, held annually in Monterey and Pebble Beach, is a career-development program specifically for assistant superintendents and interns. This year was Suny's first time speaking at the event, and he knows a thing or two about standing out in a crowd.    After spending nearly two years at Cherry Hills, his career included being named vice president of agronomy and tournament director at Castle Pines Golf Club and general manager at Shadow Creek. Today, aside from his duties at Kopplin Kuebler & Wallace, he is sole owner or partner in two other business ventures.   Last year, his firm placed more than 70 professionals in the golf industry, including superintendents, head pros and general managers. With hundreds of job candidates vying for these positions, he sees a lot of good applications - and a lot of bad ones.   He warned bootcamp attendees that a poorly written resume can land in the cylindrical file very quickly.   "How does your resume start? With a career objective that says 'I want to be a superintendent.' No s***. I already know that. Start with the kind of person you are, your traits, your core values," Suny said. "Search committees see hundreds of resumes, and if they see the same career objective, what do you think they're going to do?"   A common mistake among superintendents, Suny said, is to dedicate a lot of space to information other superintendents might find interesting. That, however, is not writing to the correct audience.   "You're trying to sell yourself to a committee," he said. "Superintendents talk about renovation experience. Do you know what members think about renovations? It costs them money, and they can't play golf. If the first thing you talk about is a renovation, that's a loser."   Instead, steer the conversation to what is important to members of the search committee.  
    We have a guy who is a former club manager who worked for the treasury department. If you don't think he can find that you got picked up in college because you were drunk, you're wrong, he'll find you. If you think you can lie about your education, you're wrong, because he's checking. And if you've done something worse than that, he's all over you."
     
    "First thing, talk about how you present the golf course in great condition every day," he said. "That's going to get their attention."   That was simple advice that Daniel Quinn, assistant at Round Hill Country Club in Alamo, California, took to heart.   "This was eye-opening. He knows what goes on in an interview," Quinn said. "I've discovered that I have to prepare for an interview more than I thought I did."   Making enough of an impact with a resume to get an interview is one thing. What to say - and what not to say - during an interview is another matter entirely.   Suny stalked the attendees, firing out hypothetical questions they might hear from club boards and committees in an interview.   "How fast are the greens going to be?" he asked the crowd.    After listening to several in the audience struggle for a response that probably would get them jettisoned from an interview, Suny offered some advice.   "When you get an interview, it's important to walk the course first," he said. "That will tell you a lot.   "You could answer that question with something like: 'Let me talk about the agronomic things I saw on the course. I know you have thatch and black layer, so we need to straighten out those agronomic issues before we start dialing in the putting greens, and here's how we're going to do that.'   "Boom! Now you've taken control of the interview. You have to be able to hit these guys with good answers on this stuff. Otherwise, they'll chew you up, spit you out and move on to the next person."  
    You have an opportunity to impress someone every day with what you do. Distinguish yourself as an assistant. Make yourself stand out."
     
    That message made an impact on Ben Genest, the second assistant at Pasatiempo Golf Club in Santa Cruz, who was attending his first bootcamp.   "He pointed out a lot of things you have to accomplish in an interview; simple things that you might look back on and say 'I should have done this, and this, and this," Genest said. "He gave a real-world look at the golf industry."   It is important, Suny said, be yourself and be honest throughout the interview process. Many employers conduct background checks, including KK&W, which checks out everyone it interviews, he said.   "We have a guy who is a former club manager who worked for the treasury department," Suny said. "If you don't think he can find that you got picked up in college because you were drunk, you're wrong, he'll find you. If you think you can lie about your education, you're wrong, because he's checking. And if you've done something worse than that, he's all over you."   Many assistants might be too intimidated to apply for some jobs, thinking they have to start out small and work their way up. That's a misconception, Suny said.    "Every club we work with is looking for a leader; someone who will take them to the promised land," he said. "In half the searches I do, committees want to see the top assistants. It's not about money. It's about who is the best fit for that job."   Finally, when the interview is over, above all else Suny said he would like to see more candidates actually "ask" for the job they are seeking.   "When a sales guy comes in, does he ask for the sale? Every good salesperson asks for the sale," he said. "If you take away one thing from this, ask for the job and explain why you are the best person for the job. It's powerful, and nobody does it."
  • As water becomes increasingly more valuable as a commodity, pressure to use it wisely and efficiently will continue to mount.
      A recent study shows that using a surfactant during seeding can promote seed germination and improve turf establishment and growth with minimal irrigation.   Research conducted at the Eastern Oregon Agricultural Research Center has shown that tall fescue and perennial ryegrass seedlings, grown in growth pots, germinated faster and were more synchronously when the seeds were treated with a nonionic, block copolymer surfactant, compared with untreated seeds.   The research team monitored the effect of surfactant film coating on time needed to achieve 50 percent germination, mean germination time, difference between time to 90 percent and 10 percent germination and final germination percentage at three temperatures - 10, 20 and 30 degrees Celsius (50, 68 and 86 degrees Fahrenheit) - for both turf species.   According to the results, for both species the time to 50 percent germination was decreased by a day for both turf species at the low and high temperatures, but not at 20 degrees Celsius.   "Interestingly, a (surfactant film coating) was most effective at improving germination at suboptimal (10 degrees C) and supra-optimal (30 degrees C) germination temperatures for cool-season turfgrass," concluded study co-author Matthew Madsen, Ph.D., of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. "These results may indicate that a SFC treatment could have particular utility in extending the window turfgrass can be planted during the year."   The authors, who also included Mike Fidanza, Ph.D., of Penn State University, and Stan Kostka, Ph.D., of Aquatrols, concluded that the establishment experiment showed that a surfactant film coating treatment can enhance emergence and plant growth under a less than optimal irrigation regimen, which could help to conserve limited water supplies and enhance urban landscapes by lowering water requirements for establishing new turfgrass.   The researchers wrote that "in addition to a soil treatment, nonionic surfactants can have a direct effect on plant physiological functions with results varying with surfactant chemistry and application rate. Low concentrations of nonionic, block copolymer surfactants can be beneficial for stimulating tissue growth and enhancing cell viability in plant tissue culture media.   The study, which was published in HortTechnology in August also showed that biomass and ground cover of perennial ryegrass was nearly 50 percent greater than the untreated control when watered weekly to 70 percent of field capacity. Soil water content had decreased to 10 percent-30 percent between between waterings. Throughout the study, tall fescue density and cover was between 20-30 percent greater where seeds were subjected to a surfactant film coating compared with the untreated control.   "This is the first study to demonstrate that a low-dose application of nonionic surfactant applied directly to seed as a component of a seed treatment was effective at increasing seed germination rate and synchrony," Madsen wrote.   "These results may indicate that a SFC treatment could have particular utility in extending the window turfgrass can be planted during the year. It can be advantageous to plant turfgrass seeds during periods of the year that are not optimal for seed germination such as early spring."
  • For professional turf managers seeking a wide-area mower that helps minimize maintenance without sacrificing performance, Jacobsen has introduced the HR600 rotary mower.   With individual hydraulic deck motors with self-lubricating integral bearings, a fully sealed rear axle, and parking brakes integrated into the front wheel motors, the HR600 can help operators save up to 50 hours of annual routine maintenance.   Powered by a 65.2 horsepower Kubota diesel engine that is paired with an 11.4-foot-wide cutting width, the HR600 has a cutting capacity of up to 13.8 acres per hour.   The H600 features the InCommand console with onboard diagnostics for quick and easy troubleshooting. New SureStrength decks constructed with high-strength, high-performance steel deliver greater durability in a lighter design.   The new AdaptiCut system automatically adjusts mowing speed to ensure a consistent cut even through the thickest grass.   Built with operator safety in mind, the HR600 exclusively features Tilt Sensor Technology to automatically monitor slope angles and alert operators when nearing unsafe mowing conditions.   A ROPS-certified, climate-controlled cab with air-suspension heat is optional.   The HR600 comes on the heels of the HR700 and HR800 wide-area mowers that were released earlier this year.
  • No one can accuse Jim Schmid of standing idly by and waiting for someone else to take up the fight on behalf of water users in his community and his profession.    Director of operations at The Lakes Country Club in Palm Desert, California, where he oversees a golf course and a massive homeowners association, Schmid is one of four people running for the hotly contested District 2 seat on the Coachella Valley Water District board of directors.   On Nov. 8, voters in the CVWD's District 2 will choose one representative from a list that also includes incumbent Ed Pack, Anthony Bianco and Sergio Nunez.   A longtime member of the CVWD's Golf and Water Task Force, that, according to the district, is "committed to reducing the amount of water used by golf courses in the Coachella Valley," Schmid began attending district meetings about two years ago. Although he says he's never harbored any political ambitions, he considered running for a board seat after taking a closer look at the credentials of sitting board members, including Pack who is a retired fire prevention officer.   "I watched the process and deliberations, and it occurred to me that none of them really have a strong background in golf or HOA management," Schmid said. "And their policies affect golf courses and HOA operators."   The District 2 race has elevated beyond the scope of a simple local election. According to The Desert Sun, a Palm Springs-based newspaper, candidates running for water district seats rarely raise more than a few thousand dollars for their respective campaigns.   Schmid, who has established a web site in support of his campaign, says he has raised about $22,000. Bianco, a farmer from Palm Desert, has raised about $87,000, much of which has been donated from supporters living outside District 2.   "There are about 100 golf courses in the Coachella Valley, and one water district oversees all of them. Since getting in this, I've learned that golf is absent from the political process," Schmid said. "Ag is very involved and has a lot of money. When the person in my district was up for re-election, it dawned on me that somebody has to do this."   Coachella Valley has several water sources, including the Colorado River, recycled and groundwater. The golf course and grounds throughout The Lakes HOA utilize recycled water for irrigation purposes, but the 902 condominium units in 225 buildings and 44 pools use a lot of potable water.   Hot-button issues for voters include reducing water use further, extending the recycled water pipeline to the western edge of the valley and developing an equitable way to spread the rising cost of water in light of revenue shortfalls at CVWD caused by reduced use. Also on the minds of voters is how new regulations limiting the amount of Chromium 6 in drinking water derived from groundwater.   A New York native who earned a bachelor's degree in economics from SUNY Binghamtom and a turf certificate from Rutgers, Schmid says he wants the district to take a closer look at how it raises revenue to cover losses caused by water conservation and the costs associated with meeting the Chromium 6 standard. About two-thirds of the valley's golf courses are on recycled water, and Schmid also has said he wants to help more of them onto recycled or Colorado River sources.   The Sun's editorial board endorsed Schmid on Oct. 19.   "Schmid, director of operations at The Lakes Country Club in Palm Desert, showed he has the depth of knowledge and thoughtfulness to be a good representative not only of Division 2 covering Palm Desert and Thousand Palms, but of all of CVWD clients," the paper said.   "Every sector of California is going to have to continue to reduce water use moving forward," Schmid said. "I want to help the board structure policies in a way that can move us in the right direction without bringing business to a screeching halt. I want to make sure we are getting a fair shake.   "It's not just my profession, it's my community. I live here, and I am raising a family here, and these issues affect everyone."  
    A participant in this year's We Are Golf summit in Washington, D.C., to represent the interests of the golf industry, Schmid encourages other superintendents to get involved in local issues as much as possible.   "One of the things that resonated with me is that I thought we had a better opportunity to be more effective at the local level," he said. "A lot of the decisions that affect golf, zoning concerns, environmental concerns and water concerns, are regulated at the local level, and a little bit of input can go a long way.One of things resonated with me, thought we had a better oppty to be more effective at the lcoal level, alot of decisions on golf, zoning concerns, env concerns, water concerns, are reg at the local level and a little bit of input can go a long way."

  • Good to the last drop

    By John Reitman, in News,

    Golf course superintendents throughout California know they have to get all they can from every drop of water available to them - which at times isn't much. Researchers at the University of California Riverside are working to find ways that will help turf managers from throughout the state and across the country tap into even more smart water-use habits.
     
    Researchers from UCR provided a glimpse into some of that work at this year's Turf and Landscape Field Day held in September at the university's turfgrass research facility.
     
    Preliminary findings from that research, conducted by Marco Schaivon, Martino Cuccagna, Katarzyna Jagiello-Kubiec and Jim Baird, Ph.D., indicated that adequately fertilized Bermudagrass can be managed with less water under a program that includes regular applications of Revolution, a wetting agent from Aquatrols, and Syngenta's Primo Maxx plant-growth regulator.
     
    According to the material presented during this year's field day, researchers applied a combination of Primo Maxx (0.25 ounces per 1,000) and Revolution (6 ounces per 1,000) or Revolution alone to Princess 77 Bermudagrass plots under six fertilizer programs. Identical sets of plots received irrigation at 40 percent of ET and 70 percent of ET.
     
    Ratings were collected on 14 dates from mid-May through Mid-August.
     
    According to the preliminary results, "all ratings collected at the beginning of the study showed that Bermudagrass was significantly affected by lack of N fertilization. However, grass recovered quickly after the first application of N, and no differences between ET replacements were found until the beginning of July. Plots treated with Revolution achieved a sufficient rating of 6 or higher for two months even when irrigated at only 40 percent of ET. After July 8, no plots irrigated at 40 percent of ET achieved acceptable quality, although plots treated with Revolution, alone or in combination with Primo Maxx, showed consistently better quality of plots than those that did not receive Revolution. At 70 percent ET, plots that received both Primo Maxx and Revolution had higher visual quality in comparison to all the other treatments on four ratings dates, including during the entire month of August."
     
    The researchers concluded that "maintaining sufficient fertilization (5 pounds per 1,000 per year on Bermudagrass) and regular use of Primo Maxx and Revolution are the most powerful tools to manage Bermudagrass with less water."
     
    The study is ongoing.
     
    Revolution is the market's only commercially available modified methyl capped block copolymer wetting agent. Because of its molecular structure, Revolution is hydrophilic, or water-loving, which influences how it bonds to hydrophobic coatings that cause water repellency, according to a paper written by the late USGA Green Section agronomist Stan Zontek.
     
    Revolution's properties also have been shown to affect turf density and recovery in spring, said Stan Kostka, Ph.D. of Aquatrols.
     
    Other ongoing research on Revolution's properties is being conducted at the University of Arkansas, and research in Holland suggests it can enhance the conversion of organically bound nitrogen.
     
  • The recent sale of 10 Seattle-area golf courses to a Chinese investment firm might reflect more positively on the vigor of that country's leisure travel market than it does a beleaguered U.S. golf economy.    According to a news release by HNA Holdings, the company has agreed to buy 10 courses at eight locations in metro Seattle from OKI Golf for $137.5 million, citing "the continuing growth in the number and spending of high-net-worth outbound tourists from the (People's Republic of China)."   HNA also hinted that it might be looking to expand its U.S. portfolio beyond Seattle, which HNA Holdings executive director Xu Haohao called "a natural gateway into the American golf course market."   The sale includes two courses at The Golf Club at Newcastle, two at the Golf Club at Hawks Prairie in Lacey, Washington National Golf Club in Auburn, The Golf Club at Redmond Ridge, Trophy Lake Golf and Casting in Port Orchard, Harbour Pointe Golf Club in Mukilteo, The Plateau Club in Sammamish and Indian Summer Golf and Country Club in Olympia.   Washington National (shown at top) is the home course to the University of Washington men's and women's golf teams.   Based in Bellevue, Washington, Oki Golf will continue to operate all 10 courses through a lease deal that pays HNA $7.1 million annually. Oki Golf was started in 1994 by former Microsoft executive Scott Oki who is credited with building the software giant's international division. The company at one time owned 11 golf courses, but now only manages the 10 properties for HNA.   HNA Holdings, which owns at least one golf course in China, is a division of HNA Group, the parent company of China's Hainan Airlines. HNA Group, a Forbes Global 500 firm, also recently bought the Carlson-Rezidor hotel group that includes familiar brands like Country Inn & Suites and Radisson.   Chinese tourism is booming, and the United States is a prime benefactor. Nearly 2 million tourists from China visited the U.S. last year, and that number is expected to exceed 3 million by 2019, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce.   The U.S. golf economy, which has struggled for a decade, needs any help it can get. Since 2006, there has been a net loss of more than 900 golf courses in the United States, a number that is expected to increase over the next several years, according to the National Golf Foundation.  

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