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From the TurfNet NewsDesk

  • John Reitman
    Seven seconds; that's how long it takes to make that all-important first impression in a job interview. It takes only five minutes, barely enough time to start chit-chat, for someone in a hiring position to decide whether they are remotely interested in a job candidate, says one communications expert. Within another 10 minutes, most already have decided if that job candidate will receive either an offer or the old "don't call us, we'll call you" treatment.
      As if navigating the interview process wasn't already stressful enough.   Statistics like that, says Laura Katen of NYC-based Katen Consulting, mean it's important in an interview, or any professional environment for that matter, to put your best foot forward long before you open your mouth. In fact, when it comes to nonverbal cue, Katen said, actions do indeed speak louder than words.   According to research by Harvard University and Stanford University, there are four key elements to making a positive, first and lasting impression, and very little actually involve spoken communication.   "Everything you say and do says something about you," Katen told a packed room at the Tennessee Turfgrass Association Conference and Tradeshow in Murfreesboro. "Is that saying what you want it to say about you?"   Appearance
      A total of 60 percent of employers surveyed in research cited by Katen said that employee dress was their No. 1 office pet peeve. That might not mean much at a golf course on a day-to-day basis, but it applies for committee meetings or interviews when seeking that next opportunity, Katen said.    Simple tips like properly fitting slacks and blazers might seem elementary to some, but they are things everyone notices, she said.   "If you think it doesn't matter, it absolutely does," she said. "How people dress influences what you think of them.    "I'm not saying it's right, I'm not saying it's fare. I'm saying it's fact. People will look at you, size you up immediately and then decide if they want to get to know you."  
    Communication
      Katen says research indicates that 55 percent of every person's communication is made through body language. That includes facial expressions, hand gestures, posture, eye contact and smiling (or not). A total of 38 percent of the average person's communication is made through tone of voice, leaving only 7 percent of all effective communication coming through the actual words one speaks.    For those historically focused more on their words than how they deliver them, that can be a little scary.   Failing to smile or make eye contact can convey all sorts of emotions, including boredom or arrogance. Crossed or folded arms can be interpreted as defensive or unapproachable, and poor posture might make someone look disinterested or bored. Even a high-pitched voice or the practice of what Katen called up-talking (tone of voice steadily escalates as someone speaks) can convey a feeling of stress. It doesn't matter, Katen said, if those perceptions are not accurate. It's how the receiver of those messages interprets them that counts.   "If you want to communicate confidence, substantiveness, credibility and success, it's about what people seek from you," Katen said. "It is always about them; it's never about you.   "There is a difference between being arrogant and confident, and there is a difference between being aggressive and assertive. Everyone wants to be known as confident and assertive. No one wants to be known as arrogant and aggressive."  
    Interacting and building rapport with others
      Two of the fastest and easiest ways to build immediate rapport are a strong self-introduction and the ability to make small talk, according to Katen.   "Ask open-ended questions, ask people about themselves. People love to talk about themselves," Kate said. "Death is you not being able to converse. People need to know who you are if you want to progress your success."   Part of that memorable introduction is the perfect handshake, which lies somewhere between the proverbial "limp fish" and "the crusher."   That perfect handshake is web-to-web (the fleshy part of the hand between the thumb and forefinger), firm (whatever it takes to open a refrigerator door is enough), two to three shakes, then let go, said Katen. And the same rules apply for women regardless of whether they are on the giving or receiving end of a handshake.   "Women today wanted to be treated equally," Katen said. "We want the same pay, and we want a firm handshake."   Social etiquette
      Whether it's a lengthy interview that includes lunch or dinner, a meal with a green chairman or club president, or hitting the road for a professional conference, knowing proper etiquette in social situations can be the difference between "salad days" or being "out to lunch."   "Whenever food, drink and conversation are involved, you want to navigate them seamlessly," Katen said.    "You should know which side the bread plate is on and drinking glass, when to split the bill with a host or not, when to transition to talking business from small talk, what not to order, what to order."   Most importantly, Katen said it was impossible to overstate the importance of smiling and eye contact in business communications. Combining the two together is a process she called "smizing."   "Everyone wants to be perceived as warm and opening and welcome and confident," she said.   "Smile and make eye contact. People will forgive a lot if you smize them."  
  • What a difference a year can make.
      By Thanksgiving Day in 2014, much of the upper Midwest was paralyzed after a Nov. 21 storm left more than a foot of snow in places like Milwaukee, Chicago and Detroit. Fast forward to just a couple of months ago, and Detroit flirted with 60-plus-year record highs and golfers throughout much of the country headed to the golf course in droves - at least compared to the same time in the previous year.   A month ago, golf industry analyst Jim Koppenhaver hinted that warmer-than-average conditions might result in a year-over-year boom in November, and he was right. Rounds played in November were up nationwide by 19.5 percent compared with the same month in 2014, according to the Golf Datatech Monthly Rounds Played Report that surveyed 3,560 private and public-access courses in 49 states (sorry, Alaska).    In all, rounds played were up in 38 states and down in 11. The exceptions to Mother Nature's benevolence were the mountain states, Pacific coast and small pockets of the sun belt.   Predictably, the states that were hit hardest in 2014 led the way a year later, with rounds played up by 227 percent in Wisconsin, 202 percent in Minnesota and 194 percent in Michigan.   Triple-digit increases also occurred in North and South Dakota, where rounds were up by 169 percent; Ohio (149 percent); Iowa (126 percent); Illinois (125 percent); Indiana (123 percent); Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont (122 percent); and West Virginia (113 percent).   The gains were felt by both public-access and private facilities alike, with increases of 21 percent and 13 percent, respectively.   Despite the huge numbers across much of the country, year-to-date rounds played were up just 1.5 percent when compared with the first 11 months of 2014. The biggest losses in November were in Utah, down 17 percent, and New Mexico (10 percent).  
  • For the short playing season that is golf in Alaska, Marty Baumann, CGCS, might be the busiest superintendent anywhere in the world.
      In June, July and August, Anchorage Golf Course can accommodate three shotgun tournaments per day. That's up to 350 rounds per day and 10,000 rounds per month. On the first day of summer, there is enough sunlight to play golf from 4 a.m. to 2 a.m. the following day. For the remainder of that three-month period, golfers only have about an 18-hour window in which to play each day.   Golfers come from Japan and Korea and other countries the world over for those three months, many bent on playing 100 holes in a day.   "During the summer, there is no doubt we are the busiest golf course in the world," Baumann said. "We have more traffic, more compaction and more wear than any course in the country for 90 days."   Because conditions the other nine months of the year are mostly inhospitable to any outdoor activity that doesn't involve skis, Baumann also must conduct all of his agronomic practices while golfers are ushered through Anchorage's nearly 24 hours a day.   "Double shotguns are the norm for most courses, but we will often have three shotguns a day; 7 a.m., 1 p.m. and 7 p.m.," said Anchorage general manager Tom Farris. "As a result, Marty must be creative in his staffing and agricultural practices."   That pressure for time on the golf course means that Baumann and his crew begin their day at 2:30 a.m. That schedule includes mowing greens and changing cups every day. He slices the course and topdresses every 10 days or so, but his program is limited to bayonet tines because closing the course to pull cores is not an option with such a short playing season.   He maintains the greens at a height of cut of 0.138 inches that typically roll between 7.5 and 8.5 on the Stimpmeter. Greens speeds this summer reached as high as 11, according to Farris. But speeds that fast also can deliver diminishing returns, Baumann said.   "We can do more (than 7.5-8.5), but I can't go faster than that or it affects pace of play," he said. "And with 10,000 rounds a month, we need to get golfers through here."   Slow pace of play also would conflict with Baumann's mantra of dispelling preconceived notions people might have about golf in Alaska. The course is ranked by many as the state's top course and its pro-shop is a regular winner of marketing awards.   "We advocate Alaska golf very strongly, and we're proud to be the No. 1 golf course in Alaska," he said. "We will put ourselves up against anyone."   Other challenges for Baumann also are indirectly caused by the climate.    Cold winters, and long sunny days in the summer mean a true lack of biodiversity throughout much of Alaska, Anchorage included, Baumann said.    "There are few microorganisms in the soil and few tree species," Baumann said. "Grass isn't native here. Bluegrass, ryegrass and bentgrass, all of which we have, are not native. There are no pests and no diseases except snow mold."   Disease control in Alaska is not the same as in the upper Midwest, and it has taken Baumann some time to get a handle on developing a program.   "It's voracious. I spend 80 percent of my chemical budget on snow mold," he said. "I couldn't apply normal standards until I changed my agronomic practices to fit the narrow biodiversity. It took me a year or two to learn that.   "Now, I could write a book on snow mold."  

  • When it comes to using his staff to complete construction projects at Scioto Country Club, superintendent Bob Becker, CGCS, says he is motivated by two factors: "I like building things," and "I hate seeing money walk out the door."
      Becker, 40, has been at this Donald Ross design in Columbus, Ohio for 17 years, including the past four as head superintendent. The course is ranked No. 52 on the Golfweek list of Top 100 Private Courses and is ranked among the top three private layouts in Ohio on just about every golf course rating service.   Becker's list of recent in-house projects includes removing a moat - at the urging of Columbus native Jack Nicklaus, who grew up playing at Scioto - that surrounded the No. 8 green, dredging an irrigation pond, a golf course restoration that was recognized by Golf Inc., and overseeing construction of a new maintenance facility. He and his crew also completed site work for a $21 million clubhouse renovation project that included all site work, building the parking lot, installing brick walkways and cart paths (about 1 million bricks in all) and working with utility companies on making all connections to the new clubhouse as Scioto applies the finishing touches in advance of this year's U.S. Senior Open.   Though he's never put pen to paper to figure out exactly how much this all has saved the club, the savings have been dramatic, and not overlooked by the club.   "Bob is extremely budget conscious and works with the funds that are given him on a daily and yearly basis," said Scioto general manager Gregory Wolf. "He has been invaluable driving and monitoring the many construction projects that have occurred in his tenure."   Taking out the moat around No. 8 green was a tall task since much of the work occurred during one of the coldest winters in recent memory in central Ohio. Frozen ground, broken water mains that flooded the area with first water then ice made an already difficult project even more challenging on a course that drains water from the surrounding area.   "During big rains, everything flows through the golf course. We've built up greens over the years so it's not a problem," Becker said. "A ditch runs through the property, so during big rains we'll have rapids running through the course. We've become very efficient at moving water around this area.   "When the water main broke, there would be 10 feet of water on top of what we were working on.   Construction of the new maintenance facility was, the club admits, long overdue. The project included a wash bay, chemical-storage facility, separate area for Scioto's equipment manager, offices, break room, laundry facility for the entire club, intern housing, additional cart storage and even a members-only restroom facility for the nearby paddle tennis facility.   Construction of the facility included a wash bay for equipment, chemical-storage facility, room the equipment manager, offices and a break room. The building also houses laundry facilities for the club, intern housing, cart storage and member restrooms for the nearby paddle tennis facility.   "It is nothing for us to redo a tee complex, change a bunker or fairway line, we do that all in house with our staff under Bob's capable leadership,"Wolf said.   "All this was done in the worst winter in history in the Midwest, on-time and in-budget."    
  • Jorge Croda came to Southern Oaks Golf Club near Fort Worth, Texas three years ago with a reputation for whipping downtrodden golf courses into shape back in his native Mexico.
      Two years later, he converted into a thing of beauty a course that was in such bad shape it was dragging down home values in the surrounding neighborhood.   Now, with a golf course they can be proud of, members are getting a glimpse into why Croda is so successful. Hint, the answer goes far beyond agronomics.   He works not only to provide an enjoyable golf experience for his members, but also promotes life and professional skills for his crew, is active in a church golf league and has become a certified First Tee coach to help grow the game.   "Jorge is a very unique individual in that he has the rare quality of being respected by peers, colleagues, friends, family and from my perspective, is truly able to connect with young people," wrote Kevin Long, director of The First Tee of Fort Worth, in his nomination letter. "The excitement he demonstrates when working with the participants in our program is truly impressive. His knowledge of both the game of golf and the fundamental life skills and character development aspects of our program makes him an effective instructor, role model and mentor. Jorge's ability to engage and build positive relationships with anyone he is around is truly inspirational and a valued aspect of his abilities in The First Tee program."   Croda saw hiring and training his own crew as the first step toward reviving the course when he came aboard at Southern Oaks three seasons ago.   For his philosophy as an agronomist, manager and member of the community to be successful, he says, it must reflect the mission and values of the club.   And just like Croda's resume since coming to Southern Hills, the club in Burleson promotes an atmosphere that values teamwork and volunteerism.   "I have known Jorge for approximately five years. We met when he joined the parish golf league at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church in Keller," said Tom Schneider, who also nominated Croda. "Jorge was immediately liked by all the players in the league.  We quickly came to realize that not only was Jorge a great player, but that he also genuinely cares about others.  He always takes the time to offer a piece of instruction where appropriate, sharing his vast knowledge of the swing and short game with his friends in the league.  His presence in our parish golf league has made a major impact. His contributions, in playing, helping others improve their game and always being an encouraging member, have helped our league to win the last three years after having lost for the previous 10 years."   He shows similar penchant for coaching his workers, for whom he provides computer training and English language instruction to improve their employment opportunities in the U.S.   "We need to understand (other) cultures. We need to respect that," Croda said. "I teach that to my crew. For Mexican workers in the United States, the motivation is to do better. You can come here, and you can better yourself.   "I need to understand more about this culture in the United States. If I learn more about it, I can do a better job. If I just say, 'no, no, no, this is my culture and you need to understand me,' that's not true."    
  • Since Matt Crowther, CGCS, arrived on Martha's Vineyard 20 years ago, golfers at Mink Meadows never cease to be amazed at the conditions he can provide with minimal inputs at this nine-hole layout in Vineyard Haven, Massachusetts. To that end, chemical salesmen wish they had half the relationship with him that environmentalists do.
        Mink Meadows member John Verret said there was a time before Crowther's arrival that Mink Meadows was more like a goat track than a golf course, but no more.   "He could grow grass on cement," Verret said Crowther's agronomic skills.   While greens and tees are managed in what Crowther called a "traditional" manner, fungicide apps in the fairways are practically an afterthought (instead, he uses bacteria found naturally in the soil), and insecticide use occurs less than infrequently.   "Initially, I was spraying preventively the first few years, but since then I've all but eliminated fungicide sprays," Crowther said.   Annual bluegrass weevil might be the Northeast's major pest problem, but Crowther keeps apps to a minimum, typically limiting his exposure to the perimeter of the fairways in hopes of creating a buffer that thwarts the pest's advance onto the golf course.   This year, he plans to spray for white grubs, which attract skunks looking for an easy meal. Although that might be a pretty traditional practice for many superintendents, it will be Crowther's first insecticide application for grubs in a dozen years.    "It makes you feel good not spraying chemicals all over the place," he said. "But, it's disheartening on September 1 when the fairways look good, then on September 15 when it looks like someone came through with a Rototiller."   He even has switched from granular fertilizers to liquid in response to new local fertilizer regulations that went into effect last year.   It hasn't been difficult to get buy-in from members, many of whom also are in tune with the environmental philosophy that prevails on the island.   "Matthew has been at Mink Meadows golf course since 1995," wrote Mink Meadows member Richard Barbini. "When he arrived the course was a simple 9-hole course on a resort island. His environmental stewardship and professional skills have transformed the course to be considered one of the best in the area. No small feat considering these other courses have far greater resources."   Nowhere is that disparity in resources between Mink Meadows and some of its competitors felt than in its irrigation system. While many of the components have been upgraded through the years, much of the piping is left over from the 1990s and the main line was installed in 1936.   Member George Santos has seen the good and the bad at Mink Meadows since he was a caddy there in the 1960s. Crowther brought a new level of professionalism to the course when he started there in 1995.   "For years the course was pretty rough with a partial irrigation system that was manually operated. In addition, the equipment to maintain the course was old and outdated," Santos wrote in his nomination letter. "Matt was involved in putting in a new fully automated system.   "Matt Crowther has been an asset to the club since the day he started at Mink Meadows."   Crowther's signature also is evident at just about every ballfield on Martha's Vineyard. He began coaching when his son, now 24, began playing baseball and soccer on the island 20 years ago and he noticed what poor condition the fields were in.   "The field was just clumps of fescue and dirt, and the ball bounced all over. I wanted to help fix the field and ended up on the board of Friends of Vineyard Soccer," he said. "Then, when he started playing baseball, I saw how all those fields were in horrible shape, and I worked on all of those, about six or seven fields."   The culmination of that work was the formation of Vineyard Baseball Inc. and Vineyard Baseball Park that is home to the Martha's Vineyard Sharks of the Futures League featuring college players focused on a career in professional baseball.   "Matt is the go-to guy for every field project on the island, including the high school football and baseball fields and every little league park out there," Verret said. "He is always there to help."  

  • It's hard to imagine anyone has had a passion for golf quite like John Cunningham, CGCS. He has built a career providing championship conditions across three Top 100 clubs, works tirelessly to educate himself while also promoting the careers of those who work for him, and shares what he knows with golfers in a way that makes sense to them.
      The way Cunningham sees it, the golf course can't be at its best unless everyone working their is operating at their peak.   "John is in his fourth year at Bellerive (Country Club in St. Louis), and is constantly striving to make Bellerive the best. Not just the golf course, but the Bellerive experience," wrote equipment manager Chris Rapp. "In order for the Bellerive experience to be the best, it is necessary for the team to be the best."   Cunningham says he learned that philosophy from his mentor, legendary South Florida superintendent Dick Gray.   "Early on in my career, he told me "you always have to make sure you water your horses, because those are the guys who get things done,' " Cunningham said.    Cunningham doesn't look at himself as a manager or supervisor. Instead, he views his role more like that of a coach of a team.   "We are coaches. That's what we do. We coach our staff, peers, members," he said. "I've always approached it that way."   Cunningham has built a career on coaching all the constituencies of a golf course operation, including equipment managers and the non-golfing public.   A decade ago, Stephen Tucker, had the idea of creating a trade association for golf course equipment managers. focused on professional development and education for golf course equipment managers. Soon after, the International Golf Course Equipment Managers Association was born.   It was Cunningham who, despite managing the challenges associated with being a superintendent at places like Black Diamond Ranch in Florida, TPC Las Colinas in Irving, Texas (home to the PGA Tour's AT&T Byron Nelson Classic) and Bellerive (site of the 2013 Senior PGA Championship and will be the host to the 100th PGA Championship in 2018), stepped in to help Tucker and his association take that next step.   Cunningham and other superintendents in the Mississippi Valley GCSA, along with Rapp and Tucker, worked together to develop a series of semi-annual meetings for other equipment managers from throughout the chapter, providing education, certification and even sponsoring a trip to the Golf Industry Show each year for one mechanic in the region.   He also served on a task force that eventually recommended the GCSAA absorb the IGCEMA, a move that members believe helps further them on their path toward career development.   "To me, this is the definition of a leader," wrote Tucker, equipment manager at Four Seasons Orlando near Walt Disney World. "He has given his time and effort to a cause that benefits the people around him. John didn't get paid more to do it. He didn't ask to be on the GCSAA committee. He's not looking to be an equipment manager. He did it for me, he did it for Chris, he did it for the others out there that he could see the bigger vision we were trying to create.   "To me there isn't anyone as committed to seeing others succeed than he is. I see it with his assistants that have moved up in the business, I see it in his staff when I visit Bellerive and I see it in his colleagues, GM and his greens committee chairman, whom we played golf with."     The consummate coach and teacher, Cunningham's drive to educate others began long before he started at Bellerive. While at Black Diamond Ranch, he held field days for local school children (and their teachers and parents) to teach them about mole crickets and the environmental achievements of superintendents. At Las Colinas, his equipment manager Doug Johnson was named the winner of the TurfNet Golden Wrench Award. And he's famous for conducting weed-pulling competitions on his staff and more.   He's a voracious reader and tries to instill that in others.   "I've always believed in looking outside yourself and being a good coach and delegator," he said. "There are a million and one books out there to help you do that. At Christmas time, I give out books on how to better yourself."
  • Matt Gourlay, CGCS, is Exhibit A that one does not have to work in California, Arizona or Texas to be focused on saving water.
      In the nine years he has been a superintendent at Colbert Hills in Manhattan, Kansas, Gourlay has cut water use by 71 million gallons per year, from 110 million gallons annually to 41 million gallons. For those keeping score, that is a reduction of 63 percent. At a current rate of $3,000 per 1 million gallons, the savings add up quickly.   Such frugality, Gourlay says, is reminiscent of some other courses golfers might be more familiar with, thanks to TV.   "We are going for more of the Pinehurst look," said Gourlay, whose official title is director of golf. "In fact, we were that way before Pinehurst became the model everyone is trying to emulate."   Unlike at Pinehurst, which turned back the clock for USGA championships, Colbert Hills did so out of necessity. Like most golf courses not named Pinehurst, Pebble Beach or Augusta, Colbert Hills has felt the effects of a slow economy and declining interest in golf. As a result, Gourlay's 2015 budget was cut by 20 percent, according to Colbert Hills board member Zac Burton, who nominated Gourlay for the award.   "It all stemmed from budget issues," Gourlay said.   "Water is an issue for us," Gourlay said. "We have to buy it all from the city. We removed between 700 and 800 (irrigation) heads, reduced the amount of fertilizer we use on greens by 90 percent and 75 percent on tees.   "Like so many courses, a lot of times we're just trying to stay afloat in the economy."   Budget cuts did little to affect conditions on the golf course. As a matter of fact, they were better than ever, said Burton, who belongs to other high-end private clubs in the area that have larger budgets than Colbert Hills. Despite those disadvantages, conditions at Colbert Hills outshine those at those other big-budget clubs, Burton said.   "I believe there's no one in the industry that faced more challenges than he did this year," Burton wrote in his nomination. "Never once did I hear a complaint. Never once was an excuse made. And in spite of all these challenges, he delivered the best course conditions at Colbert Hills we've had since the facility opened in 2000.   "Matt's official title is head superintendent, but in reality, he's the lifeblood of the course. He's involved in some extent with every facet of the club because he genuinely cares about our customers' experience."   Those challenges didn't dampen his spirits either.   "Due to difficult revenue-generating conditions, Matt is tasked with working with a limited operating budget," said Colbert Hills GM Steve Lambert. "The funds he has to work with are similar to what I saw 20 to 30 years ago, yet Matt never complains about restricted resources. He just goes out and gets the job done."     The home course to Kansas State University, Colbert Hills enjoys most of its success during the height of the college football season. When the Wildcats are enjoying success on the field, so is Colbert Hills.   Snyder, who has been coach at K-State for all but four years since 1989, has won 65 percent of his games in Manhattan.   "Everyone in Manhattan owes their success to Bill Snyder," Gourlay said.    Gourlay also deflects credit to his largely homegrown staff.   "This is the best group I've ever had since I became superintendent nine years ago," said Gourlay.   "Almost everyone on staff is a K-State student or alum, and they are among the brightest people in the business."   Lambert has been GM at Colbert Hills for nearly three years, and it didn't take him long to discover what he had in his superintendent.   "After the first few weeks of my arrival in Manhattan, it became readily apparent that I was working with a special individual," Lambert said. "Not only is Matt a superior manager of turfgrass conditions, he is an outstanding leader of personnel."  
  • Call it the career that almost never was.
      Former University of Tennessee football coach Phillip Fulmer remembers the 1994 season as if it were yesterday. The Volunteers were coming off a 10-2 finish in 1993 and entered the next year with national championship aspirations. But an injury-plagued season nearly derailed his head coaching career before it got started, Fulmer told a packed room at this year's Tennessee Turfgrass Foundation Conference and Show in Murfreesboro.   The Vols eventually rebounded after a 1-3 start in '94 to finish the season 8-4. That was a blessing not only for Fulmer, who went on to win a national championship four years later, but also for many of the hundreds of young men who played for him during his 17-year career as head coach in Knoxville and scores of at-risk children nationwide whom he strives to help to this day.   Since 1998, Fulmer has been the national spokesperson for the Jason Foundation, a nonprofit entity that promotes awareness, outreach and education for the prevention of teen suicide. His commitment includes The Phillip Fulmer & Charlie Daniels Golf Classic that helps fund the foundation.   During the 1997 football season, Fulmer received a letter from Clark Flatt, whose 16-year-old son Jason had committed suicide that summer. Jason's father describes his son as a normal 16-year-old who made good grades in school. There were no outward signs of trouble Flatt could pick up on, but he also did not know what to look for then. Now, he does. While trying to make sense of his own son's death, Flatt has read enough research to learn that four of five teenagers who attempt suicide show warning signs of a problem. And he, along with Fulmer, Daniels and others work with the Jason Foundation to provide parents, friends, teachers, counselors and others with the tools necessary to detect at-risk children, and tell them where to go for help. To date, the annual tournament has raised more than $1 million for the Jason Foundation.   Such tragedies have been in the back of Fulmer's thoughts for many years, partially explaining his zeal for this cause.   "As a father, mentor of young men and as a coach, (suicide) was something I was always afraid of," Fulmer said at the TTA show. "Just how far can you push a guy? You don't know all that's going on in the world with them all the time. It was always a concern for me."   With good reason.   According to the Centers for Disease Control, there are - on average - 5,000 suicide attempts by children in grades 7-12 every day and one of them succeeds every two hours. Suicide is the second-leading cause of death for people age 10-24, and more teens and young adults die from suicide than from cancer, heart disease, AIDS, birth defects, stroke, pneumonia, influenza and chronic lung disease combined.   Those are startling facts, says Fulmer while explaining why he wanted to get involved in helping the Flatt's foundation that provides information on recognizing warning signs, risk factors, resources and where to go for help (including a toll-free hotline).   "It's about education and awareness in preventing teenage suicide, not responding after it happens," he said.    The 79-year-old Daniels joined the tournament about five years ago, which has helped expand the foundation's reach even further.   "That added a whole new dimension," he said. "Now we have a lot of people in country and western music behind it."   The American Football Coaches Association also backs it, and in 2007, the Tennessee legislature adopted the Jason Flatt Act, making it mandatory that teachers and counselors in Tennessee schools receive annual training on suicide prevention. Since then, at least 15 other states have passed similar measures.   "I can't tell you how many young people we've helped through the hotline that goes straight to the hospital, because we're not professionals in that. If it helps save one young person it's been worth it, but there have been hundreds who have been saved."   Chalk it up to part of the family atmosphere Fulmer preached during his 17 years as the Vols' head coach.   "Helping young people has been very fulfilling, but that's not why you do it," Fulmer said. "You do it because there is a need."   Fulmer's chances of helping young people, whether they be at-risk teens or the many Tennessee players whose lives he's touched - and vice-versa - almost were grounded before they ever had a chance to take off.  
    Helping young people has been very fulfilling, but that's not why you do it. You do it because there is a need."
     
    Fulmer, who was a guard for the Volunteers under former coaches Doug Dickey and Bill Battle, was in his second full season as head coach of the Volunteers after succeeding Johnny Majors midway through the 1992 campaign. The Vols were fresh off a 10-2 finish and a No. 6 ranking in 1993, and there were national championship aspirations in the air in '94.   That campaign began with No. 13 Tennessee and 14th-ranked UCLA kicking off the season in the Rose Bowl. The Vols lost that game 25-23 and Fulmer's honeymoon in Knoxville officially was on shaky ground.   After a 41-23 win over Georgia the following week, an injury-plagued Tennessee team followed up with a 31-0 loss at home to hated Florida and a 24-21 setback at Mississippi State. Forget marriage counseling; suddenly the once rosy relationship between Fulmer and the Volunteer Nation was seemingly headed straight for divorce court.   The week before playing Washington State, Fulmer visited with Dickey to lament his team's injury woes that included starting quarterback Jerry Colquitt and backup Todd Helton (who later starred with MLB's Colorado Rockies) as the Vols' season began spiraling out of control.   "Coach, I don't know if we can beat Washington State. Fact is, if we don't get some people healthy, I don't know if we can win another game. Coach, if we don't win another game, are you still going to love me?" Fulmer said in recalling his conversation with Dickey. "He looked at me and said, 'Phil, we're still going to love you, but we're sure going to miss you.' That was a crossroads."   The coaching staff identified where changes needed to be made both in coaching style and player personnel. Coaches and players blocked out all the negativity, and that family atmosphere Fulmer preached reached unprecedented heights. The Vols rallied to win seven of their final eight games, including a 45-23 win over Virginia Tech in the Gator Bowl, then went on to post a cumulative record of 45-5 over the next four seasons, culminating with the 1998 national title. The ascension of a third-string freshman quarterback named Peyton Manning didn't hurt, either.   "Out of the ashes of that 1-3 start," he said, "we laid the foundation for the most successful era in modern Tennessee football history."   And it almost never happened.   His former players and coaches as well as countless teenagers around the country and their parents should be grateful it did.  

  • News and people briefs

    By John Reitman, in News,

    Lebanon combo product offers 1-2-3 punch
      LebanonTurf recently launched Proscape Fertilizer with Acelepryn plus Dimension, a combination product with fertilizer, insecticide and herbicide that controls and protects against grubs and crabgrass all season long.   Proscape Fertilizer with Acelepryn plus Dimension is designed for just one spring application in most environments. Applications include golf course fairways, tees, collars and roughs, plus athletic fields, established home and commercial lawns, office complexes, parks, playgrounds, schools and day-care facilities.    Proscape fertilizer features patented MESA, Meth-Ex and Expo nutrient components. The Acelepryn insecticide (chlorantraniliprole) combats grubs, caterpillars and weevils, as well as chinch bugs and billbugs. Also, the Dimension herbicide (dithiopyr) kills and prevents crabgrass, goosegrass and Poa annua, among other unwanted grasses and weeds.  
    Registration open for Asian turf conference
      Registration for the Sustainable Turfgrass Management in Asia 2016 conference, at Pattaya from March 7 to 9, is open. All the information is on the conference website, www.asianturfseminar.com.   Slides and handouts from last year's show are available for download, and photos from the 2015 conference give a preview of what to expect in 2016. Other speakers for this year's event include Jim Kerns, Ph.D., of North Carolina State, and Elizabeth Guertal, Ph.D., of Auburn University.   In advance of the show, here are a few things Micah Woods, Ph.D., of the Asian Turfgrass Center has been up to.   > three most-viewed posts from ATC's Viridescent blog: 2 similar approaches to fertilization, with one notable difference As clear as mud Silica and Green Speed   > TurfNet webinar on MLSN Guidelines: what they are, and how to use them.   > Three episodes of Frankly Speaking on TurfNet   > Article in GCM China.   > The 2015 Global Soil Survey.   > The Turfgrass Zealot Project on TurfNet with Dave Wilber.   Click here for more information on this year's conference.  
    ASGCA names Donald Ross winner
      Michael Bamberger, a senior writer for Sports Illustrated and author of several books on golf, has been named the recipient of the Donald Ross Award by the American Society of Golf Course Architects.    The award, given annually since 1976, is presented to a person who has made a significant contribution to the game of golf and the profession of golf course architecture. It will be presented to Bamberger at the 2016 ASGCA Annual Meeting on April 24 in Bethesda, Maryland.   A native of Patchogue, New York, Bamberger was introduced to golf in an eighth-grade gym class. He first played on the public courses of Suffolk County and on the Patchogue-Medford High School golf team. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania he became a newspaper reporter, working for the Vineyard Gazette, on Martha's Vineyard, and later for the Philadelphia Inquirer. Since 1995, Bamberger has been a senior writer at Sports Illustrated.    His books on golf include "The Green Road Home" (1986), about his experiences as a caddie on the PGA Tour in 1985; "To the Linksland" (1992), about an extended honeymoon trip Bamberger and his wife, Christine, made on the European golf tour and through coastal Scotland; and "Men in Green" (2015), a then-and-now look at various golf legends from the 1970s. He is the inventor of The E-Club, a utility golf club for which he was issued a patent.   Bamberger joins an impressive list of journalists who have received the Donald Ross Award, including Bradley S. Klein, Herbert Warren Wind, Peter Dobereiner, Charles Price, Dick Taylor, Ron Whitten, George Peper and James Dodson.   Riverside Turf launches Sod Services
      Riverside Turf of Charles City, Virginia, recently launched Sod Production Services.   Sod Production Services was formed to fund research for and market new turfgrass varieties to licensed sod producers to grow proprietary grasses, and to offer agronomic consulting services to the turf industry. Al Hunter has joined Sod Production Services as its director of business development. The first grass in the Sod Production Services portfolio is PremierPRO Bermudagrass.   Hunter will work with Riverside Turf's Brian Walker to create a new business model in the turfgrass licensing segment that focuses on a team approach to sod production, sales and distribution with a dedication to science-based claims, customer support and agronomic consultancy.   PremierPRO is a dense, fine-bladed Bermudagrass developed by Milt Engelke, Ph.D., at Texas A&M and Virginia Lehman, Ph.D. for wear tolerance.  
     
  • The Toro Company is making a good thing even better.
      The Bloomington, Minnesota-based manufacturing of turf maintenance and mowing equipment has instituted innovations and updates to its reel-cutting systems that have been integrated into what the company calls its new EdgeSeries reels that will be available on all Greensmaster walk and riding mowers and Reelmaster fairway mowers. The units also will be available as after-market replacement parts.   The EdgeSeries reels feature updated blade materials for longer reel life, thus reducing maintenance costs and increasing productivity. The new reels also provide changes to blade angle and helix that the company says can result in a cleaner cut, reduced disease stress and improved fuel efficiency.     "The material properties itself, the hardness is often thought of as the key element in edge retention. Actually, the microstructue of the steel is ever more important," said Tom Langworthy, Toros senior program manager for greensmowers, in a video promoting the reels.   "We did a lot of testing both in the field and in the lab to ensure that we didnt just meet, but that we exceeded all of our standards we have today."   The EdgeSeries also can reduce backlapping and grinding.   "Simply put, these reels cut our reel maintenance labor by more than half, thanks to the composition of the reel material," said Jim Gloor, equipment manager at May River Golf Club in Bluffton, South Carolina, where the new reels were part of a trial program. "We put a relief grind on them, and backlap them, and they go out with no issues at all. I've been doing this for 32 years, and I've never had a reel like this."   Low-friction seals and bearings also are available on cutting units for select Greensmaster and Reelmaster models. The new system also is designed to yield greater fuel efficiency and maximize the overall productivity of the cutting system.   "Thanks to the reels, the sustainability of the aftercut appearance for our fairways is much greater than anything we've used in the past," said May River superintendent Chris Johnson.   Toro's EdgeSeries reels are available in a number of sizes and blade configurations to fit Toro Greensmaster and Reelmaster models.  
  • The next time a 20-something assistant arrives late for work, or a new intern is more concerned with sipping coffee with his buddies in the break room when he's supposed to be on a mower on the back nine, don't blame him or his upbringing. Instead, it might make more sense to blame tech toys like his iPhone or some traumatic event such as 9/11, according to an expert on managing people across cultural and generational lines. 
      An overly active social life nurtured by electronic devices that easily keep one connected to friends and family, as well as stressful childhood events such as a climbing divorce rate among their parents' generation and the terror attacks of 15 years ago, are just a few examples of some of the experiences that might have helped shape the lives of Generation Y, defined as those born between 1980-1995, said Amy Wallis, Ph.D., of Wake Forest University during the recent Syngenta Business Institute. That doesn't mean Gen Y'ers cannot be convinced to carry out the duties for which they are being paid, it just means their supervisors likely will have to meet them halfway, or more.   "Things that are important to you are not important to them, so trying to use what is important to you as an incentive is not going to help them change their behavior," Wallis said.   "The observation with this group is they are less achievement oriented. Is it more important to you to be the best at what you do, or enjoy what they are doing? With this group, it's more important to enjoy what they are doing. It doesn't mean they are not competitive, but competitiveness is not what is most important to them."   Oh, there is one other problem.   "Millennials are fundamentally narcissistic," Wallis said. "This gets in the way of their ability to adapt."   An intensive four-day educational and professional-development program presented by faculty from the Wake Forest School of Business, the Syngenta Business Institute is designed to help superintendents expand their knowledge in non-turf curriculum like management, negotiating and accounting principles.   Wallis's discussion on managing employees from varying cultures and generations generated a lot of feedback from many of the two-dozen superintendents in attendance, some of whom expressed frustration with what they perceive as a lack of work ethic from those hailing from Generation Y. Complaints ranged from being late to work to being lazy once they get there.   "Some people think that being an assistant (superintendent) means wearing Oakley sunglasses and driving around the golf course all day with a dog in the cart," said one attendee who, for the sake of his (former?) assistant, will remain nameless. "There's a lot more to it than that."   But what those from one generation view as lazy or even disrespectful, those from another view it as perfectly normal.   "Very few people walk into their supervisor's office and say 'how can I make this person angry today?' " Wallis said.   Those who manage others should think of culture (yes, generations are cultures) the way a sea captain might view an iceberg.   "What we don't see below the surface is far bigger and more significant than what we see above the surface," Wallis said. "The culture we see tends to be behavioral and reflects the beliefs people enact on a day-to-day basis. What we don't see are people's values and what they think about things. Those might be subconscious values, bias and thoughts and ways of conceptualizing the world."
    You were all 20. You know how likely you were to adapt to something an older person is telling you. It's just developmentally difficult to trigger someone to do that."
     
    Generally speaking, Wallis said, those who make up Generation Y (also known as Millennials), exhibit dramatically different traits, compared with Generation X (born between 1965-1980) and Baby Boomers (1946-1964). That can be problematic for those who don't have a doctorate degree in psychology, but nonetheless must manage Millennials on a daily basis.   "Typically, the argument for finding ways to adapt and meet in the middle is a stronger argument than this is my house, and we are going to do it my way,' " she said.    "You were all 20. You know how likely you were to adapt to something an older person is telling you. It's just developmentally difficult to trigger someone to do that."   Economic factors also have helped influence how people from different generations behave, Wallis said. Baby Boomers lived through three distinct economic periods, industrial, service and knowledge-based, while Gen Xers have experienced the latter two. Millennials, however, have lived only in a society marked by the exchange of information through digital media. This group also grew up with a more relaxed attitude toward authority figures, meaning they have a different take on the relationships between employer and employee, often viewing themselves as equal to their superiors.   Baby Boomers and Gen X'ers are characterised by traits such as independence and loyalty to their profession, but those coming after them are not.   Some on-the-job characteristics of Millennials are:   > want a job that lets them exercise personal values and beliefs, > are not willing to give up their lifestyle for a career,  > multitasking (i.e., checking Twitter or texts while talking to you) is a way of life, > want to be part of a team, > need constant feedback (especially praise), > have little patience for ambiguity, > loyalty to their boss is No. 1 reason they stay in a job.   Many at SBI admitted they find it far easier to manage those from different cultures than Millennials, even if a language barrier exists. One superintendent (who also shall remain anonymous to protect his staff from shame) admitted that the Spanish-speaking members of his crew openly mock their American counterparts for what they also perceive as a lack of work ethic.
    Very few people walk into their supervisor's office and say 'how can I make this person angry today?' "
     
    Convincing or coercing them to change their lifestyle habits, Wallis said, pretty much is a fruitless labor. The key to getting them to work on time and to work harder when they are there is to tap into what makes them tick. In fact, in the case above, she said Millennials likely would be far more motivated if they knew others were poking fun at them than by a scolding from their superintendent.   "The social pressure of showing them how they embarrass themselves probably has more weight than saying you are going to write them up if they come in late," she said. "They are more concerned about their social image and relationships than any monetary rewards.   "How do you use that relational style to get people to change their behavior? Because you're not going to do it by pushing on the task."    All hope, however, is not lost for Gen X'ers and Baby Boomers managing a staff of 20-something ne'er-do-wells, Wallis said. But whereas a 50-year-old superintendent might be fixated on making sure all greens are mowed and bunkers are raked before the first foursome of the day goes out, Millennials might be equally concerned, or more, with their morning cup of Starbucks and whether that oh-so-clever Tweet from the night before has any "likes". Finding the key to unlocking that untapped potential likely will be the job of the supervisor, not the employee. And showing some willingness to change might be just the ticket to convincing them to follow suit.   "The dilemma is that I can change what I do, but I can't change what you do," she said. "We all have a responsibility to meet people halfway and adapt on both sides. You need to consider that being in a leadership position, you are role models that people look to see what they are supposed to do. You are in a better place to adapt and model that than a person a generation (or two) behind you."  
  • Now clear of a legal hurdle that nearly endangered its existence, municipally owned Sharp Park Golf Course in Pacifica, California, is undergoing the first of a multi-phase renovation designed to bring it back to its glory days.
     
    The Alister MacKenzie-designed course, opened in 1932, is owned and operated by the City of San Francisco Recreation and Park Department, though it technically occupies part of a 412-acre park in adjoining San Mateo County.
     
    Sharp Park was at the center of long-running challenge by various environmental litigation groups claiming that the layout was degrading the habitat of the endangered California red-legged frog and the threatened San Francisco garter snake. A succession of claims made by a coalition comprising the Center for Biological Diversity, Sierra Club and Wild Equity Institute have now been rebuffed, with the federal court in the Northern District of California ruling that the facilitys maintenance practices are consistent with standards established by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
     
    San Francisco Public Golf Alliance, a citizens action committee that successfully undertook the legal defense, is now turning its attention to a long-term upgrade of the course. Initial stages of work, undertaken in-house with local contractors and funded by the city, included a new frog pond south of the course, an upgrade to the pump house, renovation of a culvert, rerouting two cart paths away from wetlands and the dredging of cattails in the channel between environmentally sensitive Laguna Salada and Horse Stable Pond.
     
    That work follows a $12 million overhaul of a water-delivery system, funded by local and federal agencies, that brings recycled water to the golf course. Irrigation-pipe laterals servicing four holes have now been completed, with more work anticipated as part of the upgrade.
     
    Richard Harris, who with fellow attorney Bo Links is co-founder of the S.F. Public Golf Alliance, reports that architecturally detailed restoration plans are now being developed by Tom Doak, in collaboration with Jay Blasi. Preliminary construction estimates for the work, involving greens, tees and bunkers, are in the $8 million range, plus soft costs for permitting, and likely would take 3-4 years to complete. Work on the project is being funded through a partnership of the S.F. Public Golf Alliance and the privately funded Alister MacKenzie Foundation.
     
    At the same time, discussions are underway at the governmental level among officials from San Francisco and San Mateo County that could see the county take over daily management of the course, though not ownership of the property.
     
    - by Bradley S. Klein, Golfweek

  • News and people briefs

    By John Reitman, in News,

    AmeriTurf, Performance Nutrition reach distribution agreement
      AmeriTurf will begin offering Performance Nutrition fertility and disease-control products through its coast-to-coast distribution network.   AmeriTurf is a specialty-products distribution company based in Italy, Texas. With headquarters in Hazlet, New Jersey, Performance Nutrition is a subsidiary of LidoChem that produces fertilizers, soil amendments and other turf-specialty products.    Among the Performance Nutrition products that AmeriTurf will make available through its national distribution network are: KaPre RemeD8 seed treatment and fertilizer additive that delivers microbes and enhances fertilizer uptake; KaPre Exalt blend of concentrated fulvic acid and plant-based surfactants; KaPre ExAlt that releases nutrients and micronutrients bound in soil; Nutrol bio-pesticide, tank buffer and water soluble fertilizer.  
    Colorado Golf Association honors Lyon
      Dennis Lyon, CGCS, recently was named the Colorado Golf Associations Superintendent of the Century.   Lyon, who worked as manager of golf for the City of Aurora, Colorado for more than 30 years before he retired, received the award during the associations recent 100th anniversary celebration that honored those who have made significant contributions to golf in Colorado.   Lyon has won a long list of awards including the USGA Green Section Award (2011), GCSAA Col. John Morley Distinguished Service Award (2013) and the USGA Ike Grainger Award (2011) for his 25 years of volunteer work on the USGA Public Golf and Green Section committees. He was inducted into the Colorado Golf Hall of Fame in 2011, was president of the GCSAA in 1989 and the Colorado Golf Association in 2002,    During its 100th anniversary celebration, dubbed the Century of Golf Gala, the association also recognized Hale Irwin (male player of the century), Barbara McIntire (female player of the century), Charles Kline (golf professional of the century), Will Nicholson Jr. (man of the century) and Judy Bell (woman of the century).   The event was held in mid-November at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs.
    Floratine names agronomist for southeast region
      Floratine recently named Pat McHugh, CGCS, as corporate agronomist for its southeast region.   McHugh has more than 41 years of experience in turfgrass agronomy and will be responsible for evaluating customers turfgrass and soil conditions to help them develop customized nutrition programs that best fit their specific needs.   A former superintendent, McHugh achieved certification 27 years ago and has managed a variety of courses throughout his career. He is the founder of North Carolina Turf Support, an organization that specializes in providing services for turf nutrition, physical and chemical properties of soil, water analysis and both national and international consulting.  
  • People who care about honeybees know that insecticides and pollinators usually are a bad mix, but herbicides used to control weeds can spell even bigger trouble for bees, according to university research.
      Jeff Harris, bee specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service and Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station researcher, said herbicides destroy bee food sources.   "When farmers burn down weeds before spring planting, or people spray for goldenrod, asters and spring flowers, or when power companies spray their rights-of-way, they're killing a lot of potential food sources for bees and wild pollinators," Harris said.   The direct effect of these chemicals on bees is so much less of an issue than their loss of food supply, he said.   "Disappearing food is on the mind of beekeepers in the state," he said. "That is even more important to them than losses of bees to insecticides."   Johnny Thompson, vice president of the Mississippi Beekeeping Association, is a cattle and poultry farmer in Neshoba County who has been in the bee business for the last 10 years. He said rather than eradicating weeds, he mows them so the food source is available longer to bees.   "Before we got back into bees, I sprayed pastures by the barrel to kill weeds. As a cattle farmer, weeds are a nuisance," Thompson said. "I'm trying to grow grass for the cows to eat and not weeds, but as a beekeeper, those weeds are not weeds. That's forage for the bees."   He now uses the bush hog more than he sprays herbicides to keep the food supply for bees intact on his land.   "If you kill everything the bee has for food, you may as well go in and spray the hive directly. The bees are going to die," he said. "All the emphasis is being put on insecticide, but the greater risk to bees are the herbicides."   He has made management changes for the sake of his bees' food supply, but he recognizes the tension between current agricultural management practices and pollinators' best interests.   "When you travel through the Delta or the prairie part of the state in February, the row crop land is purple with henbit blooming. By the end of March, it's all gone because farmers burned it down with chemicals to try to kill everything in the field before they plant," he said.   "They burn it down early because weeds in March or early April are a reservoir for insect pests to the crops that will soon be planted," Thompson said. Crops in the field, especially soybeans, are great sources of bee forage, and farmers and beekeepers can coordinate to protect both of their interests.   "We moved bees to the Delta this summer to make soybean honey," Thompson said. "We're working with the growers to try to put the bees in areas that are fairly protected and won't get directly sprayed."   But farmland is not the only place bees find food. Yards, roadsides, golf courses and power line rights-of-way are other places bees forage when plants are allowed to bloom naturally.   "We need to stop looking at them as weeds and instead look at these plants as forage," Thompson said. "I can manage around the insecticides, but if herbicide use means there's nothing for a bee to eat, there's no reason to put a hive in an area."   - Mississippi State University
  • What a difference a year makes. About an inch-and-a-half of snow fell last December 22 in Columbus, Ohio; and this year, the temperature in Columbus on that day was a balmy 57.  It has been pretty much like that since mid-autum and into the first couple of days of winter. With temperatures throughout much of December topping the 50-degree mark on 14 occasions so far this year and projected to be above normal through the first week of 2016, the phones at the Ohio State turf pathology offices of Joe Rimelspach, Ph.D., and Todd Hicks have been ringing off the hook from superintendents concerned about unseasonable disease pressure.   "You have to change your mindset right away," Hicks said in an Ohio Turfgrass Foundation Turf Tips video. "You're going to have to get away from the mindset that it's the end of the year, time to shut the doors, work on machinery, dream about next year and forget about last year. You're going to have to be more like our folks down in the transition area of the country. Where you're going to have to be concerned, maybe not on a weekly basis, but you need to be looking at your greens and tees and some of your other critical areas every week, every other week, something like that and checking to see what is going on out there."  
    This is not the year we put our feet up and forget about spraying anymore."
      Warmer-than-average temperatures throughout late fall and into winter, Hicks said, means cool-season turf will continue. Those temps also usually mean rain, and the result is conditions that are optimal for diseases such as pink snow mold, dollar spot and even anthracnose as well as leaf spot, which typically is associated with spring.   "We're going to see some growth. It may be slow," Hicks said.   "But it's sooner or later going to catch back up with us. These 50- to 60-degree days and 40- to 30-degree nights leaves us wide open for a couple of pathogens, and they're usually big hitters."   Many superintendents and sports turf managers, Hicks said, are concerned whether their snow mold application made in November will now be enough to get through the winter and into spring.   "If you're worried now, go ahead and hit it again," he said. "Make sure you're not going over label, not only rates, but also limits."   He noted to make sure any offseason apps don't conflict with a summer spray program.   "This is not the year we put our feet up and forget about spraying anymore," Hicks said. "You're probably going to have to look at it up until spring if this weather pattern continues."   Others were concerned about whether to continue mowing and its effects.   "The concern is that if you're using products that are local penetrants or contacts, those are going to be removed with mowing," Rimelspach said.     "If it's growing and you can keep mowing without causing ruts or problems with soft turf, keep mowing as much as possible."

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