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From the TurfNet NewsDesk

  • John Reitman
    Even at an average golf course, keeping equipment in top shape is no small feat. With hundreds of feet in elevation change Pikewood National Golf Club is no run of the mill layout. Located in a forested plateau some 2000 feet above the valley floor beneath, Pikewood National in Morgantown, West Virginia, is situated on terrain that beats up equipment the way former heavyweight champ Mike Tyson beat on Marvis Frazier.   Very little dirt was moved when architects John Raese and J. Robert Gwynne built Pikewood National. The natural terrain presents a stern test of golf and a stern test for maintaining equipment. The fourth hole alone has more than 132 feet of elevation change from tee to green.   "Kris Bryan has a very difficult job as the head maintenance mechanic at Pikewood," said superintendent Brett Bentley. "He has a large fleet of equipment that has grown each year. The equipment has more than the usual maintenance issues due to the rugged terrain and elevation changes here at Pikewood. Kris does an excellent job of keeping equipment like new."   Bryan is one of three finalists for the 2016 TurfNet Technician of the Year Award, presented by Toro. The winner will receive the Golden Wrench Award and a slot in an upcoming Toro Service Training Academy session.      Even the best equipment manager can't prevent equipment and parts from breaking down under difficult conditions. However, Bryan excels in getting the equipment back together and back out on the golf course.    "Our equipment is a mixture where we continually replace older equipment with new equipment to maintain state of the art conditions," Bentley said. "Despite this process, some of our equipment will have a tendency to have maintenance issues.   "Because of Kris' efforts, the efficiency of the crew is maintained at a high level, which reduces our labor costs. He keeps me informed on our repairs and has one of the most efficient preventative maintenance programs in place. All of these programs keep us within budget."    Perhaps Bryan's greatest attribute is the peace of mind he affords to Bentley. The pair meet at least twice every day, first thing in the morning and again before they go home.    "We talk for 5 or 10 minutes in the morning and at the end of the day, so we're always on the same page," Bentley said. "He has a great work ethic. He's just a guy I can count on, and that is important. He can self-manage. That gives me the peace of mind I need so I can I do other things on the course, knowing he will make the right decisions."   Previous winners are (2015) Robert Smith, Merion Golf Club, Ardmore, PA; (2014) Lee Medeiros, Timber Creek and Sierra Pines Golf Courses, Roseville, CA; (2013) Brian Sjögren, Corral de Tierra Country Club, Corral de Tierra, CA; (2012) Kevin Bauer, Prairie Bluff Golf Club, Crest Hill, IL; (2011) Jim Kilgallon, The Connecticut Golf Club, Easton, CT; (2010) Herb Berg, Oakmont (PA) Country Club; (2009) Doug Johnson, TPC at Las Colinas, Irving, TX; (2007) Jim Stuart, Stone Mountain (GA) Golf Club; (2006) Fred Peck, Fox Hollow and The Homestead, Lakewood, CO; (2005) Jesus Olivas, Heritage Highlands at Dove Mountain, Marana, AZ; (2004) Henry Heinz, Kalamazoo (MI) Country Club; (2003) Eric Kulaas, Marriott Vinoy Renaissance Resort, Sarasota, FL. No award in 2008.
  • The stereotype of a curmudgeonly mechanic and wary equipment operators struggling to coexist in a world of mower reels and topdressing sand is nearly as old as the mechanized mower itself.   The Wilderness at Fortune Bay golf course in Tower, Minnesota, has been immune to such an affliction, all thanks to equipment manager Jori Hughes.   At age 28, Hughes already has been the equipment manager at The Wilderness for eight years under Vincent Dodge, CGCS. And in that time he has built a rapport with members of Dodge's crew that has resulted in 1) them being better and more efficient in the day-to-day aspects of their jobs, 2) equipment that is better cared for and lasts longer, and 3) peaceful coexistence between mechanic and operator.   Not possible, you say. Dodge says it is, and that is a big part of why Hughes is one of three finalists for the TurfNet Technician of the Year Award, presented by Toro. The winner will receive the Golden Wrench Award and a slot in an upcoming Toro Service Training Academy session.   "Where I see the most improvement is not just his technical skills, but his social skills," Dodge says. "We have a staff of more than 20 people, and many mechanics struggle with a staff that large. Jori actively works with them, not just on fixing and repairing things, but showing them how to become a better operator. He does it all with a positive attitude. I've been around some mechanics who, when something breaks, get angry. He doesn't. His attitude makes the worker's job easier."     And when they do break or damage something?   "Since he is approachable, they will come to him if they damaged or broken something," Dodge said. "They know they're not going to get yelled at."   In fact, for Hughes, training the staff on safe operation of equipment and tools helps head off a lot of the problems he might encounter otherwise at The Wilderness, which is part of a casino and resort destination.   "Safety in the workplace for Jori involves both safety in the shop and safety in the field," Dodge said. "Safety in the shop is accomplished by the acquisition of the proper tools to do the job and then the training to use them properly. Jori makes all the right recommendations to make the shop a safer place. Where Jori truly excels, however, is in the way he assists others in operating equipment in a safe manner. He does this by ensuring that all of the safety features of equipment are working properly and by assisting in the training of other employees to operate their equipment in a safe fashion."   As its name implies, The Wilderness is located in a remote and environmentally sensitive area that is in the headwaters of Lake Superior. Maintaining a balance between golf and environment is a job Hughes takes seriously.   Hughes, who spends his free time building, maintaining and racing cars, has developed programs for recycling just about anything. All fluids drained from mechanized equipment are saved into spill containers and processed by recycling companies. He also has played a key role in a steady transition to electric and hybrid equipment. Those are important attributes to Dodge, who sees the golf course as a vehicle in the drive to achieve sustainability.   "He understands the seriousness of being an environmental steward as much as I do," Dodge said. "And he helps me achieve that goal."   Previous winners are (2015) Robert Smith, Merion Golf Club, Ardmore, PA; (2014) Lee Medeiros, Timber Creek and Sierra Pines Golf Courses, Roseville, CA; (2013) Brian Sjögren, Corral de Tierra Country Club, Corral de Tierra, CA; (2012) Kevin Bauer, Prairie Bluff Golf Club, Crest Hill, IL; (2011) Jim Kilgallon, The Connecticut Golf Club, Easton, CT; (2010) Herb Berg, Oakmont (PA) Country Club; (2009) Doug Johnson, TPC at Las Colinas, Irving, TX; (2007) Jim Stuart, Stone Mountain (GA) Golf Club; (2006) Fred Peck, Fox Hollow and The Homestead, Lakewood, CO; (2005) Jesus Olivas, Heritage Highlands at Dove Mountain, Marana, AZ; (2004) Henry Heinz, Kalamazoo (MI) Country Club; (2003) Eric Kulaas, Marriott Vinoy Renaissance Resort, Sarasota, FL. No award in 2008.
  • Just about every golf course equipment manager casts a discerning eye on turf conditions and quality of cut. It comes with the job. Few do so from a golfer's perspective. Elias Matias is one of them.   Elias, who has worked as a technician at 36-hole Pronghorn Golf Club in Bend, Oregon since 2007, including the last six as equipment manager, plays to a 10 index when he's not in the shop. He's scratch player when under a lift, seated at a grinder or training other members of David Freitag's staff. Those skills with club and ball definitely come in handy when performing the work of a mechanic.   "It definitely helps. It's a contributing factor as to how he does his job," said Freitag, director of agronomy at Pronghorn. "He is the first one here to see everything every morning. Topdressing is a necessary practice, and a lot of times, you have to go head to head with the mechanic on things like that because of what it can do to equipment. Elias understands what things like that mean to the playing surface and why we do them.   "Elias plays to about a 10 handicap which of course isn't a requirement, but certainly gives him common ground with our superintendents and helps him understand the game and conditions we are trying to maintain on a daily basis."   Aside from being an exceptional golfer, Matias also is a pretty good wrench-turner, and it is why he was named one of three finalists for the TurfNet Technician of the Year Award, presented by Toro.   Much of the equipment at Pronghorn was purchased during construction and grow-in from 2003 to 2005. One of the club's spray units has more than 7,500 hours on it.   "Often, when you get to 3,000 hours, they just don't work anymore," Freitag said.      While superintendents at other nearby facilities say their aging equipment shows its age, but Pronghorns, while not new, at least looks it - even a fairway mower in its 14th season.   "There is a standard of expectation here that we must meet," Freitag said.    "When something is getting old and probably should be replaced, ownership asks if we can make it last, and we can. We've developed that track record, and that is because of Elias."   And Matias manages a lot of equipment.   Not only is he in charge of keeping everything running so the crew can manage Pronghorn's Jack Nicklaus- and Tom Fazio-designed golf courses, he also is responsible for all landscaping equipment for the central Oregon resort. And if that wasn't enough, Pronghorn also contracts with the local homeowner's association for snow removal of 30 miles of road, and that means maintaining a 5-yard dump truck and a 1-ton pickup and plowing apparatus for both.   "He's able to take of a lot more than just mowers," Freitag said.    Like any great mechanic, Matias goes wherever he is needed at Pronghorn. One day that might be building racks to hang buckets for capturing clippings, helping a co-worker get back on the road or making repairs in the clubhouse.   "It doesn't matter if he is dealing with cutting heights and greens speeds, hybrid systems, custom fabrication, employee training, helping troubleshoot an employee's personal vehicle, or evaluating major purchases, our entire club benefits from Elias's skills, knowledge, and efforts," Freitag said. "To have his level of expertise on staff and the freedom to send problems his way knowing that Elias will get back to us promptly is a huge advantage in managing Pronghorn's expenses, both in lost time for our staff and materials."   Previous winners are (2015) Robert Smith, Merion Golf Club, Ardmore, PA; (2014) Lee Medeiros, Timber Creek and Sierra Pines Golf Courses, Roseville, CA; (2013) Brian Sjögren, Corral de Tierra Country Club, Corral de Tierra, CA; (2012) Kevin Bauer, Prairie Bluff Golf Club, Crest Hill, IL; (2011) Jim Kilgallon, The Connecticut Golf Club, Easton, CT; (2010) Herb Berg, Oakmont (PA) Country Club; (2009) Doug Johnson, TPC at Las Colinas, Irving, TX; (2007) Jim Stuart, Stone Mountain (GA) Golf Club; (2006) Fred Peck, Fox Hollow and The Homestead, Lakewood, CO; (2005) Jesus Olivas, Heritage Highlands at Dove Mountain, Marana, AZ; (2004) Henry Heinz, Kalamazoo (MI) Country Club; (2003) Eric Kulaas, Marriott Vinoy Renaissance Resort, Sarasota, FL. No award in 2008.  
  • Recently, TurfNet spoke with Cory Blair and Anthony Williams about how they approach their jobs after years of being a golf course superintendent. In Part II, they discuss how they initially coped with the loss of a job and how it affected their lives at home.
      It didn't take Cory Blair long to realize what was about to happen; that his life, and those of his wife and his children were about to be turned upside down.   It was about 5 p.m. on Dec. 17, 2008, and he was sitting in his office at the newly opened Rarity Bay golf course outside Knoxville, Tennessee completing paperwork, when a car pulled up outside his office window. Out climbed his general manager and a representative from the Rarity Communities corporate office.   "I still remember it vividly. It was one week before Christmas," said Blair, now 44. "I knew the minute I saw them together that I was getting fired."   A lot of time has passed since that day in 2008 when Blair lost his job as superintendent over multiple properties for the now-defunct real estate development company. The memories, though, are still fresh.   The feeling was like a knife in the back for Blair, who just months earlier had opened the Bob Cupp-design.   "I was shell-shocked. I had worked for the company for five years, and we had just opened a great golf course," he said. "They gave me one month's severance for five years of service."   That modest settlement came with a confidentiality clause that prevented him from publicly discussing his employment separation. The way everything was handled had robbed him of some of his dignity, at least temporarily.   "I was scared at that point. It wasn't much, but it was a month's severance," he said. "We had two young kids at home, and I needed the money.   "I really wanted to bury these people because of some of the things I had seen happening, but I couldn't. I think some people use that fear against you.   "I was here on Day 1 driving a bulldozer when we started taking down trees, and I was here when it opened. We had build a great golf course, and that's something they can't take away from me."   Ironically, Blair taught a class for years at the Golf Industry Show on how to avoid getting fired and what comes next if you do. It never occurred to him that he might have to follow his own advice. His class covered coping with the grief associated with job loss and helped provide the tools needed to eventually move on and find a new job.    While researching curriculum for his class, Blair discovered that many experts compared the grief experienced from job loss to the death of a close family member.   Executive career coach Andy Robinson agrees.   The symptoms of job-loss grief "are quite similar to the symptoms of death-related grief," Robinson writes.   "And just as a severe physical injury can take a long time to heal, the death of a loved one, a divorce, or even a job loss normally means a substantial period of grief.   "Family symptoms for job-loss grief may be considerably different from those for death-related grief, although there are some similarities. The two immediate tasks are the same, however. The family needs to be a primary support group and must adjust to the new situation by changing the way it operates."   In Blair's case, he found immediate support from his wife, Natasha, but in retrospect he admits the entire experience pulled at the thread that eventually unravelled their marriage.   "After I was fired, she was very supportive," he said. "I don't know who was more mad when it happened, her or me. She knew how hard I had worked.   "When it happened, we sat down and talked about where we wanted to live and where we wanted to raise our children."   In an ideal world, Blair had hoped to find work as a superintendent at another course in the Knoxville area to avoid uprooting his wife from her job as an engineer at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Eventually, they had decided they would relocate to Atlanta, which promised more opportunities in what at the time was a downtrodden economy.   "Finding a new job became my new job," he said. "I worked on that for hours every day."   Blair quickly found work with Stovall & Co., an irrigation supply company and Rain Bird distributor in Atlanta. His wife continued to work at Oak Ridge and lived in Tennessee while she sought other opportunities in Atlanta. She wasn't as fortunate, often cramming five days of work into three or four days so she could be with the rest of the family in Atlanta.    "By then, the economy was in a shambles, and nobody was hiring anyone, much less a specialized engineer like she is," Blair said. "She couldn't find a job (in Atlanta). That's what started everything."   Nearly three years of a long-distance relationship eventually became too much for them to bear, and they divorced in 2012.   Blair has custody of the couple's two children, now aged 14 and 12. Every other weekend they spend with their mom, either in Tennessee or in Atlanta when she comes to watch them compete in sports.   "I didn't realize how much she was busting her ass, working 36 hours in three days," he said. "She was killing herself to spend three days a week with us. I didn't acknowledge that.   "Eventually, I came out of the divorce OK, but I wouldn't want to go through it again."   Anthony Williams went through a similar situation just recently at Stone Mountain Golf Club in the Atlanta area when Marriott Golf eliminated his position last year after he spent 30 years with the company. Compartmentalizing the experience and putting it away has been a challenge because his wife, Phyllis, works in the administrative offices of the Marriott hotel on the same property.   In fact, shortly after he was "retired" Williams was picking up his wife from work when he went past the 36-hole golf club and noticed the lake on the property backing up onto one of the courses because of a clogged intake.   "I was going to stop the car and get out and fix it when I remembered I wasn't responsible for that anymore," Williams said.    Like Blair, Williams also is a regular on the conference speaking circuit on topics of career development and motivational techniques. When faced with a job loss, even the always-positive Williams was knocked backward. It didn't help that he received notice of his forced retirement a little more than a year after his wife had suffered a heart attack and one year to the day after he had open heart surgery.   Trying to put a light-hearted spin on summing up his feelings, he fell back on a1960s TV show.   "It was like when Batman was about to be dropped into acid, but he always escapes," he said. "I didn't escape. They eliminated my job.   "When your employer puts you out in the streets, it sucks. Anyone who says otherwise is lying, even if you're (professional motivational speaker) Tony Robbins. When you know you've been outright wronged, there is no silver lining to that."   As the newly minted head of sales and marketing of Jacksonville, Florida-based Green Technologies, he sees others of his generation who still are in the business fearing for their jobs, and others who are younger and still oblivious to what might await them in 10 or 20 years.   "I have loved the golf business, but it's a two-edged sword," he said. "There is some real fear out there, then there are others don't realize there is a tiger out there waiting to chew their leg off."   He too found the process of getting over the loss of his job not unlike mourning the loss of a loved one.   "It's a very personal thing, and you have to cope with the loss," he said. "I put a nice double-cut on my front yard for a few weeks because I had no function, no purpose."   To get through the process, he eventually took to heart the same advice he gives others during his speaking engagements. That formula includes taking a week to reflect on what has happened, writing journal notes and conducting service work to help others to "get your mind back in the right place."   "You have to punctuate all those sentences and do something that is right, or you will stew in a dark place," he said.    "The only way to get on the saddle and put this in a positive light is to wrassle all those things up and put them behind you. When you finally get to the other end, it will be in a better place."   He didn't have to look far for support while trying to get to that spot.   "Phyllis has always been my No. 1 fan," he said. "She told me she was glad it happened and that I should find something that makes me happy. And I think she also said get something that pays the bills.   "It definitely puts a strain on the relationship, and if you were already having trouble, something like this would be gas on the fire. She told me 'I'm here with you, and our family is not going to end because of this.' When it comes to picking wives, I made a good choice. She has always picked me up and put me back together."   That support helped provide the tools he needed to get back about the task of finding another job.   "When you get bounced, you feel stuck in the mud, and that feeling grows like a fungus," he said. "You have to find the drive in you.   "Like they say in The Shawshank Redemption" 'you can get busy living, or you can get busy dying.' "   Initially, he hoped that new start would include another job as a superintendent, but that was a short-lived dream.   "I recognized if someone didn't drive up to the house in the first two months and offer me a job as a superintendent that my life was going to change," he said.   "You can't wait for the next opportunity when you're a 50-something golf course superintendent. You have to go create it."   Williams says it's not too late to reinvent himself. His plans include studying online for an MBA and after that, who knows?   "I'm in the fourth quarter, but I'm still young enough to make it count," he said. "If I was 62, then maybe I'd be in the 2-minute warning, but I'm not. I'm still driven and focused on success, but it's not about salary any more. It's about quality of life and putting me and my family in a good place."   This is the second in a two-part series on life after being a superintendent.  

  • Make golf fun again

    By John Reitman, in News,

    It is difficult to imagine a fringe sport like footgolf becoming more popular than the game it was born to complement. That said, it is equally hard to imagine golf existing in its traditional form - expensive and difficult, which equals not overly fun - into the distant future. Whatever changes must occur to keep the game solvent, rest easy, Golf 20/20 is on top of it and soon will unveil (yet another) solution to save the game.
      The demographic carrying golf - 65 and older - won't be around forever, and those coming up behind them are not embracing the game in the same manner. While the number of golf courses is declining and, according to many industry experts, will continue to do so for several more years, those properties allowing footgolf - and other non-traditional golf-related activities - is increasing at an equally astonishing rate.   According to a paper by Golf 20/20's millennial task force, a 12-person team created to increase awareness, interest and participation in golf among millennials, there are several reasons why the game is attractive to those age 18-34, such as lifelong lessons of etiquette, sportsmanship and fairplay, but there are many others, few of which have much to do with traditional golf.    There also are several reasons why golf is not attractive to millennials, namely a snobby atmosphere (especially toward newcomers), cost, time and difficulty, all of which are magnified by longer courses and balls that fly farther - even if that is left or right of the target.   Somewhere, something has to give, and right now it looks like the five-hour, 18-hole round is at the top of the list.    Oh, sure, private clubs, resorts and many of the high-end daily fees (if there is such a thing anymore) probably will be safe. But the types of courses where many people learned the game and that are critical to attracting new players - muni courses, nine-holes and low-end daily fee - continue to face an uncertain future.   The Golf 20/20 millennial task force offers a host of suggestions to make golf facilities more millennial friendly. They are broken into the segments, prior to arrival, on site and post-visit. These include enticements like a mobile-friendly web site, social media presence, accommodations that allow golfers to listen to music on the course, footgolf, special events that center on social activity and more.   These changes appear to be attracting footgolfers (that game now is played on 450 courses in 48 states and Washington, D.C.) but don't appear to be a game that is translating into paid rounds. So, where are the millennials who are going to save golf?    The game lost 1.3 million players in 2013 and 2014. One million of them were aged 7-34, including 700,000 millennials. Only the 65-and-older set gained golfers. Not exactly a recipe for long-term success.   A total of 510 courses have been built since 2006 and 1,503 have closed. That's a net loss of 993 (in 18-hole equivalents) in a decade. Industry analysts predict another 1,500 (net) or so still must close to find supply-demand equilibrium in the current economy.   The 22 million people playing golf today are the least since the mid-1980s, begging the question "Where are tomorrow's golfers going to come from?"   Just about everyone with a cash register in this business is asking that question. No one, it seems, has the answer.   The problem with golf is not a lack of wifi in every cart. The problem with golf is that it is not affordable and it is not fun. Courses, clubs and balls made for heavy hitters, make for a difficult game and contemporary maintenance standards have made it too expensive. Five hours, 7,000 yards, scores north of 100 and an uninviting golf shop atmosphere is no way to attract a generation that is defined by its need for immediate gratification.   So until millennials start turning out in droves, like Golf 20/20 insists they will, save the wifi-enabled carts and make golf fun again.
  • United Turf Alliance added two new herbicides to its ArmorTech line of professional turf-management products.
      ArmorTech Sulf 396, with the active ingredient sulfentrazone, is labeled for control of sedges and many other weeds, including crabgrass, goosegrass, spurge, annual bluegrass and more. It works by launching a two-pronged attack with above-ground foliar control and tuber interaction below the soil.    ArmorTech Sulf 396 can be applied in early spring, late summer and fall on established cool-season and warm-season turfgrasses. It is labeled for use on golf course fairways and roughs, sod farms and other areas. ArmorTech Sulf 396 is available in four 1-gallon or 12 6-ounce cases.   With the active ingredient mesotrione (a byproduct from the bottle brush plant), Trione can be used during turf establishment and renovation projects to prevent or eliminate weeds and reduce competition with emerging turfgrass.    It is absorbed through roots, shoots and leaves and can be used safely in Kentucky bluegrass, centipedegrass, buffalograss, tall fescue, perennial ryegrass, fine fescue and St. Augustinegrass for pre-emergent and post-emergent control of many grassy weeds including annual bluegrass, buckhorn plantain, chickweed, clovers, crabgrass (large, smooth, southern), purslane and more. It can be used for pre- and post-emergent control of crabgrass and can be used to eliminate bentgrass growing in unwanted environments.   Trione is available in four 64-ounce and 12 8-ounce cases.   Both products are available from suppliers throughout the UTA partner network.  
  • In times of crisis, it can be comforting to have a voice of reason. Someone who delivers the truth. Someone who tells you what you need to hear, not always what you want to hear. For many in the golf business who are struggling to cope with issues associated with water shortages in California, Mike Huck has been such a voice.
    A former superintendent and USGA Green Section agronomist, Huck has been an independent irrigation consultant and de facto water guru for the past 15 years. He consults on everything from the design and installation of the most water-efficient irrigation systems, through his company Irrigation & Turfgrass Services, to helping superintendents understand myriad water-conservation regulations and restrictions passed down at the state and local levels, including what they mean and how to comply with them.   Whether it's the California State Water Project that funnels water from rivers and snowpack in the North to millions of consumers in the South, Colorado River water diversion that siphons drinking water to SoCal or issues affecting recycled water in the Coachella Valley, Huck is the trusted go-to source of information for many.    His passion is what one might expect from a hydrologist or someone from the U.S. Geological Survey, not a former golf course superintendent.   Huck has indeed become for many, a voice of reason in, no pun intended, a sea of uncertainty.    "Mike is the most trusted voice of water issues in the state," said Russ Myers, who recently returned to Southern Hills in Tulsa, Oklahoma after spending six years at The Los Angeles Country Club. "Mike is a former golf course superintendent, but he's not a golf guy. He's a water guy.   "With Mike, you felt you had a real voice, not a blind advocate or a paid lobbyist. He knows what the issues are, what is realistic and what is not."   Water issues in California definitely are real.   It was more than a year ago - April 1, 2015 to be exact - when, after four years of drought, California Gov. Jerry Brown ordered the California Water Resources Control Board to implement cutbacks that would reduce water use statewide by 25 percent by June 2016. Implementing those restrictions became a complicated process that included giving the state's 400 urban water suppliers carte blanche to decide who among their customers they would target and how much each would be required to save. Cutbacks statewide ranged from nothing to more than 50 percent.  
    Mike is the most trusted voice of water issues in the state. Mike is a former golf course superintendent, but he's not a golf guy. He's a water guy."  
    Before final details surrounding the cutbacks were announced, Huck had predicted cutbacks would reach 40 percent or more for some golf courses. He was right.
    "The state is trying to deal with the fear factor surrounding water, and so they throw in broad-stroke regulations to try to solve it all," Myers said.    "Mike already knows it all. From Los Angeles to San Francisco, he knows the issues, understands them and share it with everyone so that these regulations make sense to them."   A native of Wisconsin, Huck, 59, has been in the golf business since the early 1970s when he worked at Maplecrest Country Club in Kenosha. He's been a Californian since his days studying turf at Cal Poly Pomona, where he graduated in 1982. While at Cal Poly, he worked at Industry Hills Golf Club at Pacific Palms Resort, first on the crew, then as assistant and later superintendent until 1989. He then moved on to become superintendent at Mission Viejo Country Club and later the Southern California Golf Association Members Club.  Huck admits he struggled to deal with the private club-member mentality at Mission Viejo.   "I was getting burned out, and there was a guy coming on the board who didn't like me, and he was coming to get me, so I left," Huck said. "I thought it was better to leave on my own terms, but that hurt because I had put my heart into that property.   "Golf is a fun game, but it's a funny business."   He thought he'd find relief at the daily fee SCGA property, but he was wrong.   "I thought that opportunity would renew the fire in my belly, but it didn't," he said.   "I thought I was going to a daily fee operation, but it was more like the country club I'd just left, with all the grandiose ideas, but no money in place to do anything. They expected to reach the stars, but could only get to the moon."   It was in 1985 that he applied for a vacancy in the USGA Green Section as a regional agronomist. That turned out to be a short-lived career thanks to a benign tumor that four years later resulted in a 90 percent loss of hearing in his right ear and contributed to problems with his equilibrium that made frequent travel for Green Section work nearly impossible.   "When I turned my head, it was like things were still moving, almost like vertigo," he said. "I went back out on the road, and a year-and-a-half later it still was not getting better. I couldn't walk a straight line. It became a quality-of-life issue. I couldn't keep up that travel schedule like that."   Although the tumor was benign, that did little at the time to alleviate Huck's fears as he faced surgery to remove the growth.   "Trust me, that even with these assurances there were plenty of sleepless nights doing research online to understand what I was facing," he said. "In reality, doing research online is probably the worst thing I could've done. You only read the horror stories online. You don't read about the successes when it comes to the outcomes of these surgeries. I read plenty about people who could never get back to work and had trouble walking, etc., because of the effect on their balance and stamina from botched surgeries."   As it turned out, the USGA's loss was California golf industry's gain.  
    I thought I was going to a daily fee operation, but it was more like the country club I'd just left, with all the grandiose ideas, but no money in place to do anything. They expected to reach the stars, but could only get to the moon."  
    After a brief attempt at a career in irrigation sales, Huck's life changed forever when Mark Mahady, a turf researcher and consultant near Monterey, enlisted his help on a water-allocation project in Las Vegas. Because other players in the project were juggling other projects, Huck ended up doing a large chunk of the work to keep the Vegas job on schedule. He enjoyed the work so much, he became a certified irrigation auditor and a new career was born. He has since stayed busy writing irrigation audits, consulting on recycled water programs and helping superintendents statewide squeeze every drop from their irrigation sources.
    "Mike, by virtue of his background, became an expert in irrigation and water quality," said USGA Green Section West Region director Pat Gross, who, like Huck, lives in California's Orange County. "What sets Mike apart is his unselfishness in sharing this information. He reads all the articles, attends all the meetings because he sees how important this is to the industry."   He was among the group that founded the California Alliance for Golf, a nonprofit advocacy organization that represents the interests of the state's golf industry. He also helped found its predecessor organization.   Long before drought was a four-letter word in California, Huck was promoting water conservation and pushing the importance of regular irrigation audits. Ted Horton, CGCS, who spent more than 40 years as a superintendent at places like Pebble Beach Golf Links, said he believes it was Huck's time with the Green Section that helped form his views on smart use of irrigation water.   "Mike was an early proponent of irrigation audits and never failed to urge those he came in contact with to improve system maintenance, scheduling, moisture sensing and the like," Horton said.   "I would be willing to speculate that his visits to multiple properties convinced him that (most superintendents) would benefit from better irrigation equipment and better irrigation practices. This knowledge happens to be a strong suit for Mike, and he saw an opportunity to share earn from consulting in that part of the management of golf courses."   Like the water on which he is fixated, work as an independent consultant has its ebbs and flows.   "It comes in waves," he said. "I'm either in over my head, or twiddling my thumbs."   Whether it is when his work flow is at high tide or low, Huck's endeavors have taken on added significance since the drought, now in its fifth year, began.    Although irrigation work is how Huck earns a living, he shares a lot of his knowledge of California's big picture water challenges as a sort of value-added commodity because he knows it is important for people to be informed.   He posts reams of information on water issues in California to social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter. He also provides input to state agencies in Sacramento and to local water districts about the lengths to which superintendents are reaching to use water wisely. Likewise, he provides information to those in the golf business about state and local regulations and rationing policies, how to conform to them and how to make every drop count on the golf course.   "Mike contributed significantly to the effort of informing the regulatory water agencies, counties, cities and state about turfgrass irrigation and helped the industry to obtain reasonable drought-emergency practices," Horton said.    "To keep abreast of the rapidly expanding knowledge, Mike pursued the information relentlessly. But most importantly, he shared most of what he learned with a large number of fellow turf management people and continues to filter reams of information, ultimately passing on the same to us."   It's just what one would expect from a water guy.
  • While the term tree-management is code for removing as many trees as possible without incurring the wrath of golfers, nearby residents and environmental groups, it takes on an entirely different meaning at Lochinvar Golf Club.   Built in 1980 and designed by Jack Nicklaus, Lochinvar Golf Club in Houston, embraces the thousands of trees spread across the property's 207 acres.   In recent years, several factors, including lightning (always a concern on the Gulf Coast), drought and the southern pine bark beetle, are claiming dozens of trees each year. Throw in damage from Hurricane Ike back in 2008, and Lochinvar has lost more than 1,000 trees in the past eight years.   "We are flat with loblolly pines, many of which are quite majestic," said Lochinvar superintendent Kevin Cooper. "We are losing 20 to 30 trees a year to lightning, pine bark beetle and drought."   A member of the weevil family, the southern pine bark beetle is native pest that, like other bark-burrowing critters, disrupts a tree's water and nutrient uptake ability by digging through the vascular system. During the past 50 years, the southern pine bark beetle (just one of more than 200 bark beetle species) is responsible for more than $1 billion in damage, according to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.   Cooper's tree-management plan includes continuing to cull dead, dying or ailing trees affected by natural phenomena, as well as promoting new tree growth.   Cooper, who has been at Lochinvar for eight years, has spent much of the past six overseeing the planting thousands of saplings to restore the area to how it looked before and gradually reintroduce trees in strategic locations on the golf course.   "Since 2010 we have planted more than 3,000 trees," Cooper said. "Many are strategic throughout the golf course, but over the next 70 to 80 years we'll help reforest the place."   Before being named superintendent at Lochinvar, Cooper prepped for Paul B. Latshaw, CGCS, at Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio. Before beginning his tree-management plan, he invited Latshaw's father to Houston for a consulting visit.   "He took one look at the place and told me 'I'm no tree-hugger, but you can't lose these trees.' " Cooper said. "They are a big part of the property."   Cooper is fortunate that crewmember Delfino Flores, though not an arborist, is well versed in tree care and management. His primary job at Lochinvar is feeding, watering and otherwise managing trees of strategic importance. He also works with a local arborist on what to plant where, and how to care for the trees to ensure they are around for generations to come.   Tree management, even something as simple as pruning and trimming, can be a source of angst for golfers who tend to embrace things like trees. Not so at Lochinvar, where members are tree savvy.   "At a lot of places, trimming trees makes people nervous," he said. "Here, trimming trees is not frowned upon. They know we're trying to take care of everything on the property, including the trees."
  • There was a time when Cory Blair, CGCS, could not envision being anything other than a golf course superintendent. After more than eight years out of the business, he can hardly imagine going back.
      It's not the same as when Blair, now 44, entered the turf business fresh out of Auburn University some two decades ago. Superintendents are the same as they always were - eager and willing to help each other. But the business side of golf is not so friendly, say a group of former superintendents. And now as industry vendors, each says he sees those problems more clearly from the outside when talking with friends and customers who still are superintendents.   "The business has changed. There is no loyalty any more," Blair said. "The camaraderie between superintendents is still there, but everyone is job-scared.   "In the last 10 years, there has been such a glut of young guys that if you are a super making a good salary, then you have a bullseye on your back."   Since he was fired in 2007 when he was in charge of multiple properties for the now-defunct Rarity Communities in eastern Tennessee, Blair has found his comfort zone first as a sales rep and now as golf irrigation manager with Stovall & Co., an Atlanta-based irrigation supply company and Rain Bird distributor. His experience as a superintendent not only shortened the learning curve with Rain Bird products, but gave him much-needed credibility with customers.   Many superintendents are cynical by nature, Blair said. Breaking down that barrier was easier for him as a former superintendent than it might be for a professional salesman, he said. And knowing what it is like to be a superintendent fending off salesmen has helped him approach his job as someone who wants to provide long-term solutions for a colleague, not pressure a faceless customer into a sale for short-term gain.   "When they see someone new in sales, they put a wall up. You have to earn their trust," he said. "I had instant credibility. When a guy calls you stressed out on a Friday saying 'I need this' or 'I need that' because of a mainline break, as a former superintendent I know what that's like because I've been that guy."  
    I'm sympathetic to guys on the other side of the desk. For 30 years, I was that guy."
     
    Anthony Williams, CGCS, another former superintendent-turned-salesman, had hoped to lock down another job as a superintendent after his position at Stone Mountain Golf Club was eliminated late last year. But after 30 years with Marriott Golf, high-level jobs for a 50-something superintendent were not exactly growing on trees.   "I went aggressively after another superintendent job, but the cupboard was pretty bare," Williams said. "Apparently, when you turn 50, not that many people are interested in hiring you."   Dealing with job loss was particularly hard for Williams since news of his dismissal came a year after a series of tragic events changed his life. Within a nine-week period in 2014, his stepbrother died in a one-car accident, wife Phyllis suffered a heart attack and Williams underwent open-heart surgery.   Immediately after his position was eliminated, he worked with Bruce Williams, CGCS, also a former superintendent now serving the industry as a consultant and head hunter.   "He told me that they fire you for the same reason they hire you," Anthony Williams said.   In other words, he built a system that ran so smoothly, he no longer was needed to manage it.   Williams, now 52, has won several awards throughout his career, including TurfNet Superintendent of the Year in 2009 and the J.W. Marriott Award of Excellence, and has been a regular speaker at industry conferences. In 2005, he won the GCSAA Environmental Leader in Golf Award in the resort division at the Pine Isle Resort near Atlanta. The following year, he was the public and overall winner at Stone Mountain. Because of his high-profile career, he caught one golf course administrator off guard during a recent interview.   "He looked up at me and said 'I know you. What are you doing here?' " Williams said.   His break came when he received a call from Amir Varshovi, Ph.D., founder of Florida-based Green Technologies, a maker of organic nutrient products, after someone from the company read Williams' LinkedIn bio.   Hired as the company's director of sales and marketing, Williams also prefers the soft-sell method. It's the sort of approach he appreciated from sales professionals during his 30 years as a superintendent, and figures other superintendents probably feel the same way.   "When I was a superintendent, the best kind of salesmen weren't salesmen. They were people who wanted a partner and were interested in building relationships," he said. "That's me. I'm a farmer, and if you sow your seeds hopefully there will be a good harvest at the end of the road.   "I'm sympathetic to guys on the other side of the desk. For 30 years, I was that guy."   Williams too has noticed a difference in the business since he entered it more than three decades ago. The difference appears to be tied to generational lines and economics, which seem to go hand-in-hand.   "I've been in 30 (superintendents') offices in the last month, and I've yet to find one where the mood is positive," he said. "Either it's an older guy terrified and trying to hang on, or a younger guy who is terrified that his bosses are going to find out he's not as knowledgeable as he pretends to be."   That is exactly the kind of atmosphere that has prevented Blair from getting back in the saddle over the past 8-plus years.   "It would have to be a single owner who is into golf, not a real estate developer. Even then, I don't know," Blair said.   "With a $100,000 job comes $100,000 stress."   For Blair, his time servicing golf courses rather than working at one has resulted in a whole new level of expertise in other fields.   "My skill set has changed," he said. "I'm a better manager now than I was then - on the fiscal side of the business. But my agronomic skills have probably dropped off a little. It's like anything else; if you don't use it you lose it."   Larry Balko has taken an entirely different approach to life after being a superintendent.   After working Florida's grinding 12-month golf season at Park Ridge Golf Course in Lake Worth from 2006-2011 followed by two years at Presidential Country Club in Miami, Balko felt the need to try something different. He jumped headfirst into sales and in January 2015 started his own business Biff Inc. that distributes products for a host of companies serving the golf course maintenance business.   Among the products in his portfolio are Turf Dietitian, which is a BMP implementation program, and Playbooks. He even attended the 2015 GIS in San Antonio with the Playbooks folks to learn the product and work their booth. Sales came naturally to him.   "I can talk to a telephone poll, so talking to people is no problem," said Balko, also an Auburn grad.   "I immediately sold 10 to people I know. Connections in this business are everything."   He too calls upon his years of experience as a superintendent when constructing his own sales techniques.   "I know how I wanted to be treated by vendors, and I used that to sell," Balko said. "You know the guys who you can pop in on, and you know the guys who you better call first. In Florida, it's a gate game. With some guys, if you don't call ahead and make an appointment, you're not getting in the gate. But I know how guys wanted to be treated, and that's how I treat them. I don't pressure them. Still, I have girls in college, and I need to make money."   This is the first in a two-part series on life after being a superintendent.
  • Straight from of all places Portugal comes the newest thing to hit fairway mowing since the reel.
      The Turflynx robotic electric fairway mower promises to reduce costs associated with fairway mowing, including labor, fuel and maintenance, by as much as 60 percent.    The Turflynx is available in two models. The F312 comes equipped with a lead acid battery that can mow about 6 acres of fairway turf on a single charge.    The F315 is powered by a lithium battery capable of mowing about 8.5 acres between charges.   Both can reach speeds of 5-6 mph and come equipped with three cutting units outfitted with seven blades. Optional 11- and 14-blade set-ups also are available.   Mowing patterns and schedules are established using a web-based interface that also allows each unit to find its way to the next fairway with reels in the up position allowing employees to perform other duties. An operator is required to maneuver the vehicle to its first pre-determined fairway and to return it to the shop.   Because it is web-enabled, the Turflynx automatically produces detailed reporting after each use.   Because it has a low profile and low center of gravity, the Turflynx can mow slopes up to 16 degrees in slope and has a rollover angle of 22 degrees.
  • For superintendents who need to get the most from their irrigation source, Aquatrols has launched its Advantage Plus pellet line. 
      As a supplement to Aquatrols' line up of soil surfactants, Advantage Plus is a palletized soil amendment formulation of polyhydroxyethyl alkoxy alkylene oxides designed to improve the results of hand watering. The formulation allows each pellet to dissolve more evenly thus helping distribute water more uniformly throughout the soil profile, especially during syringing and hand-watering.   Aquatrols also introduced two other Advantage Plus lines, one with humic and fulvic acid and another formulated with seaweed extracts.    Advantage Plus Humic and Fulvic Acid helps evenly disperse water in the soil profile, improves plant vigor, enhances stress tolerance and promotes longer and deeper roots.   Combined with seaweed extract, Advantage Plus Seaweed does all of the above while also promoting rapid recovery of stressed and damaged turf.   The pellets come with an applicator that fits a 1-inch or can be attached to a 0.75-inch hose by using an adaptor. Each pellet can cover up to six average-sized greens at a rate of 20 to 30 minutes per green.

  • Tech support

    By John Reitman, in News,

    A good equipment technician can be hard to find; a great one nearly impossible. Those superintendents lucky enough to have one know that an exceptional mechanic is the backbone of any successful golf course maintenance operation. Not much gets accomplished with equipment that does not work properly or reliably, or when parts are strewn about a disorganized shop.
      If your equipment tech is great or even just plain good, nominate him or her for the TurfNet 2016 Technician of the Year Award, presented by The Toro Company - the original award for golf course equipment managers. The deadline, however, is quickly approaching.   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 University 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 (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. No award in 2008.  
  • When it comes to confrontations, Jason VanBuskirk says he prefers avoidance over engagement, but when the topic of cell phone use by maintenance staff on golf courses came up in a seminar during a recent Golf Industry Show, he could not help himself.
      While some at the seminar voiced their disdain for cell phone use on the golf course, VanBuskirk of 36-hole Stow Acres Country Club in Massachusetts, is among the growing population of superintendents who believe they have a place in day-to-day maintenance operations.   "Plenty have argued in the past that they get in the way of what we do. If your course has a policy of no cell phones, then yes, that is the reality. But if it's a superintendent who says no just to say no, that is ridiculous," Van Buskirk said. "We have to keep up with the communications standards that have been set to get the job done. It's a topic I'm passionate about.   "I am a heavy technology adopter, user and creator. I wouldn't say I see cell phones as a convenience on the golf course. I see it as a need and a necessity."   For some, the idea of employees with cell phones on the golf course might conjure thoughts of 20-something-year-old interns kicked back in a utility cart trading Tweets and texts with their friends. The reality, many say, is cell phones are replacing radios, help workers and superintendents stay connected to job boards and irrigation systems, and provide a quick and efficient way to trade photos of unexpected challenges on the golf course.    On a typical day at Lochinvar Golf Club in Houston, superintendent Kevin Cooper will 30 or more employees spread across the club's 207-acre property, and keeping in touch with everyone in a pinch would be a challenge without cell phones.   Cooper and his assistants use their smartphones to track daily readings from TDR and Pogo moisture meters.   Phones also provide a quick and easy way for any of Cooper's employees to communicate with the mechanic in an instant when something breaks down and have proven to be especially beneficial for his Spanish-speaking employees.   If an issue arises with one of his employees who speaks little or no English, they are able to call one of their colleagues who does who then can get with Cooper or his assistant.   "At first, I wasn't in favor of it, but working on a piece of property that is more than 200 acres, not everyone has a radio and cell phones are the fastest way to communicate who don't have a radio," Cooper said. "When I started seeing that, I became more lenient on cell phone usage.   "I'm still not 100 percent for it, but I'd say I'm 85 percent or 90 percent in favor of it."   Rick Tegtmeier breaks the mold of those using cell phones on the golf course. Straight out of the Baby Boomer generation, Tegtmeier once was against cell phones on the golf course entirely, but now says smartphone technology provides him and his staff with a key tool at Des Moines Golf and Country Club in Iowa.   He can manage his daily job board from his phone, meaning if someone sees something unexpected on the course that requires immediate attention, they can take a photo of it with their phone, send it to Tegtmeier or one of his superintendents who then can adjust the job board to make sure the problem is addressed in short order - all without ever returning to the shop.   "I used to be the guy on the other side of the fence. I hated them," Tegtmeier said. "We have found a lot of uses for them."   "The time in lost labor that it saves alone makes it worth having them," Tegtmeier said.   Like Cooper, he tracks daily moisture readings produced by his TDR meter as well as firmness data provided by the True Firm device.   He doesn't have to run his irrigation system through his phone, but he does anyway.   "It runs through the radio," he said. "But I run it through my phone. It's easier than the radio."   With the Solheim Cup coming to Des Moines Golf and Country Club next year, Tegtmeier is able to share changes to maps that show locations of tent placement, traffic routes, infrastructure, underground wiring, firmness readings and more with LPGA officials through the DropBox app on his phone.   Even many of the apps available through Google, such as Google Translate, make it possible for workers who are not bilingual to communicate back and forth in a pinch from English to Spanish or vice-versa.   While detractors might claim cell phones inhibit productivity, Tegtmeier says the opposite is true, at least at Des Moines Golf and Country Club.   "Being connected has its advantages. If someone comes upon a downed branch on a tree, or a dead animal, or something like that that is a hazard, they can take a picture of it and send it to us and we've been able to take care of it right away," he said. "It can lead to increased productivity, or a lack of productivity depending on how it is used."   Allowing his employees to listen to music either on the golf course or in the shop, he says, has resulted in improved morale. He even has provided three Sonos speakers for use in the shop so employees can hear their music over the din of a mower or grinder.    "The simple fact of letting them listen to a little music when working makes them a happy group of people."   Tegtmeier's iPhone also helps him stay in touch with members, who also are connected 24/7, regarding issues affecting the golf course.   "The ability to put something out on Twitter helps me address something on the golf course right away with members," he said. "And they love that."   Matthew Wharton and his employees utilize mobile technology to help them manage the Carolina Golf Club near downtown Charlotte, but he also can understand why some superintendents can't or won't use cell phones on the golf course.   "Each club is its own entity with its own dynamic. There are a lot of clubs where the membership, guests and clientele not only don't want to see you on your phone, they don't want to see you period," he said.    "We make an effort to stay out of the way, but we don't hide. There is nowhere to hide here, that's why we have to be discrete. Membership is paying you to maintain and prep the golf course, not play on a phone. It's hard to get your work done out here and be invisible."   That said, cell phones have proven to be invaluable in the day-to-day operations of the course, especially if he's on the other side of the property.   "They'll take photos and send them to me. It might something as simple as a head that is weeping," he said. "They'll take a photo and text the hole number. Then I can see the yardage plate on it, so I know exactly where it is."   Van Buskirk not only uses cell phones to manage job boards, he uses them to manage job boards that he builds himself. He figures he or his assistant is going to be on the phone most of the day anyway, and says using it for things such as filling out the next day's tasks on his job board saves at least two hours each day in labor. Extrapolate that over a week, a month or a year, and it's easy to see why he is a fan of digital technology.   "Does that equate to a monetary savings? No, but it's time that is now freed up to do something else," he said.    Even those who have recognized the value of using cell phone technology for work purposes acknowledge its use comes with a certain amount of responsibility and accountability.   "We instruct everyone from Day 1 how to use them and how not to," Wharton said. "We don't have a lot of trees here, so I can spot almost anyone on the golf course from 400 yards away."   Even with the threat of a potential rule-breaker, the positives of using cell phones for on the golf course far outweigh the negatives, says Tegtmeier.   "World is changing, employers have to recognize the value something like this offers," he said. "They can lead to productivity or lack of productivity depending on how used.   "I have a big staff and now with a phone I also have a mobile office. Those who aren't embracing are missing out."  
  • Annual bluegrass weevil is a growing and ever-changing challenge for golf courses that requires an equally fluid and variable response. To that end, updates to Syngenta's WeevilTrak are designed to make it even easier for superintendents to monitor and manage annual bluegrass weevil. And with 31 course now reporting on ABW activity, WeevilTrak's reach also is now longer than it's ever been.   The two newest features of the online ABW management tool are CrowdTrak and a growing degree days tool.   The new CrowdTrak feature allows superintendents to report their own WeevilTrak.com data that will help other superintendents in the Northeast make the most accurate predictions possible.   The Growing Degree Days model calculates GDD data for superintendents based on zip code and has been calibrated specifically to provide data for monitoring ABW development.   Other recent WeevilTrak updates include a new blog updated by independent researchers, including Albrecht Koppenhoffer, Ph.D. of Rutgers, Ben McGraw, Ph.D., of Penn State, Dan Peck, Ph.D., of Cornell, Pat Vittum, Ph.D., of UMass, Rick Brandenburg, Ph.D., of NC State and Steve McDonald of Turfgrass Solutions, and the Syngenta Optimum Control Strategy that provides information on control programs based on factors such as resistance to some active ingredients and the life stage of the pest at any given time.   The system also sends automatic email notifications on ABW activity in a specific area based on a list of golf courses each user chooses to follow. 
  • When Samson Bailey agreed late last year to lease historic nine-hole Middlesboro Country Club for the next quarter century, he never intended to make this tiny town in southeastern Kentucky a golf destination. However, through a much-needed renovation, he does plan to pull the struggling property up by its proverbial bootstraps while also using it to showcase his other Middlesboro-based business - Golf Preservations.
      "The golf course is six blocks from my house," said Bailey, an Eastern Kentucky University turf grad who spent years working on golf courses before launching Golf Preservations, which specializes in golf course drainage and construction. "I have all the construction equipment. It's going to be a showcase of what we can do for our clients."   Eventually.   Middlesboro Country Club opened in 1889 and bills itself as the oldest, continuously played course in the country. Recently, however, the course has fallen on hard times. Much of the maintenance in the recent past has been performed by volunteers, and several greens on the property became virtually unplayable until Bailey took over last November with the goal of breathing life into the once-proud layout while also holding it up as a marketing tool for his company.   The marriage of a company that specializes in golf course drainage and construction with a nine-hole property in dire need of some TLC after 127 years of business seemed like a win-win situation. But plans of highlighting the finished product hit a snag when a Feb. 29 fire destroyed Middlesboro's maintenance building and nearly everything inside it. Bailey, who has been restoring the course since taking over the lease in November, had been planning to reopen Middlesboro in May, but his focus now is just getting the place up and running again. And that is going to be a long and difficult process.    "It's almost April and we don't have a sprayer," Bailey said. "A new one is supposed to be here next week. We lost our spreader. Right now, we're using a push spreader I bought at Wal Mart just so we could get some fertilizer on the sod since it's been so warm."   Damage from the fire was estimated at $300,000, which includes $100,000 for the structure and another $200,000 for its contents, including 26 golf carts, a Kubota tractor, nine mowers (a rough unit, four walk mowers, three triplex units and two zero-turn mowers), a Sand Pro, two spray units, a Gator and two other utility vehicles, all of which were in various stages of their respective life cycles. Also lost was much, but not all, of his leftover supply of fertilizer, seed and chemicals.    "We lost a couple thousand (dollars) in seed, fertilizer and leftover chemicals," he said. "Thankfully, my big pre-order hadn't made it in yet."   Because of some of the verbiage in the fine print of his insurance policy, Bailey says any settlement with his carrier likely will fall far short of covering the cost of the damage.     Since taking on the 25-year lease agreement in November, Bailey has spent much of the offseason making improvements to the course, including rebuilding greens on top of his own drainage system. He had sunk an estimated $100,000 of his money into the project when the fire hit. He was planning on installing new irrigation this summer. And while the timetable for reopening the course might not change, some of the other work he had planned, like a new irrigation system, might have to wait a while.    "Some things are just going to have to be put on hold until we can recuperate," he said. "We're going to be using a water truck for a while.   "Our cups were getting powdercoated, so they made it, but we lost three cup cutters and our flags are gone. We can't even cut a cup right now. Thankfully, we don't have to now, but we will soon. Other things, like water hoses and nozzles are gone. It's the little things that you reach for when you need them then realize 'oh (expletive deleted), we don't have that.' "   In what might be the greatest product endorsement of all time, a U.S. General toolbox and its contents emerged from the fire largely unscathed.   Middlesboro is tucked into the southeastern corner of the state near the borders of Tennessee and Virginia, and there aren't a lot of other courses in that neck of the woods to help him out. Ladd's, a Memphis-based supplier of turf equipment for the golf industry, stepped up and, unsolicited, loaned him a Jacobsen triplex greensmower and a Lastec rough-mowing unit as the two entities work out an equipment-lease program. Nearby Wasioto Winds Golf Course at Pine Mountain State Park has volunteered some much-needed extra labor.   He has established a Go Fund Me account to help offset some of the losses and expedite the long comeback process.   Fire officials pinpointed the source of the blaze, which started in the shop at about 12:50 p.m., to a battery charger that was being used to jump start a mower that had been dormant since at least November. No one was in the shop when the fire broke out. Equipment manager John Thompson was out shopping for a transmission for a Gator that was destroyed and greenkeepers Darrell Lawless and Jeff Allen were in the clubhouse eating lunch.   Lawless discovered the fire when he returned to the shop, and called it out over the radio.   "We thought he was joking," Bailey said.   "The (mower's) gas tank is next to the battery, and a hydraulic tank is next to the gas tank. That's a bad combination of things there. Everything is pretty much gone."
  • Talk about effective visual aids.
      For the past six years, people around the world have had a unique opportunity to learn more about the secret lives of bald eagles without ever leaving their homes or offices, thanks to the folks at a state park golf course in eastern Tennessee. Followers of the Harrison Bay Eagle Cam now have a chance to visit the property to learn firsthand about the nesting habits of bald eagles.   The second-annual Harrison Bay Eagle Cam Meet and Greet and Nest Tour is scheduled for May 13-14 at Harrison Bay State Park just outside Chattanooga.   The event is open to the public, and will include displays, videos and opportunities to see a live bald eagle up close and personal, courtesy of Dave Haggard, a ranger and state naturalist at Reelfoot Lake State Park in Hornbeak, Tennessee. Reelfoot houses several rescue raptors, including hawks, owls and an eagle that cannot be returned to the wild.   The Harrison Bay Eagle Cam project took flight late in 2011 after a pair of bald eagles began building a nest in the top of a tall pine along the Bear Trace golf course inside the park. The project initiated by the Friends of Harrison Bay State Park, a community group that does projects and fundraising for Harrison Bay State Park. Park staff also reached out to the USGA, our superintendent chapters, Toro Co., Smith Turf and Irrigation, and others.   Since then, five pairs of eaglets have been hatched at Harrison Bay and locals as well as online visitors from around the world have learned more about the good stories golf has to tell.   "The Harrison Bay Eagle Cam gives people, golfers and nongolfers alike, an up close look into the nesting habits and practices of a pair of American bald eagles," said Bear Trace superintendent Paul Carter, CGCS. "It also demonstrates that if managed properly golf courses can be an environmental sanctuary where wildlife can thrive and raise their families."   This year's eaglets, HB9 and HB10, hatched March 5 and March 6, respectively.They are the ninth and 10th eaglets fledged at Harrison Bay since 2011. A pair of eaglets hatched in 2012 did not survive.   Thanks to the fundraising efforts of the Friends of Harrison Bay, the park has been able to upgrade video equipment each year, and Elliot and Eloise, who were named by Carter's daughter Hannah, have been broadcasting in high definition since 2014. The program's popularity has grown each year, with hundreds of viewers checking in from all around the globe to watch from the time eggs are laid to the eaglets hatching and eventually leaving the nest - usually five to six months after hatching, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. It's not uncommon to watch online as one of the adults shreds a fish or a blackbird to feed to the young.    The meet and greet will begin May 13 with a dinner and other activities, including a history of the eagle cam project and a chance to see Haggard's rescue eagle. Officials with the USGA and the American Eagle Foundation also have been invited to participate. Donations will be accepted and all proceeds benefit the Harrison Bay Eagle Cam project.   The following day's events begin at 7 a.m. with a site visit to a spot nearby the nest and a chance to view the eagles through long-range spotting scopes.   Carter, who has been an instrumental part of the program since its inception says telling the two birds apart - bald eagle pairs stay with the same mate for life - is easy after a while.   "Eloise is about 20 to 25 percent larger than Elliott, which is common in the raptor species," he said. "Sure ways to tell them apart is to look at the orbital ridge, or eyebrow area. Eloise has a very distinct stern look about her at all times. Her beak is darker yellow and shows signs of age and use. If you look at her legs you will see white feathers on them. If watching at night, it is 99.99 percent certain that she is on the nest, as that is her nature."

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