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From the TurfNet NewsDesk

  • John Reitman
    The PGA Tour will contribute $250,000 over five years to the GCSAA to help implement best management practice models for golf courses, with a focus on localities and states where Tour events are held. The Tour is joining the U.S. Golf Association in an industrywide effort to establish best management practices across the country. 
      "We believe in the good work that golf course superintendents are doing every day to establish quality, healthy playing conditions for all golfers, while protecting our environment," said Tour commissioner Tim Finchem. "Best management practices will help us demonstrate that golf courses can deliver benefits to everyone in a community. This also represents a longstanding commitment to environmental excellence at our own TPC courses."   The goal is to have BMPs in place in all 50 states by 2020, providing resources to help superintendents and promote credibility. Statewide BMP programs already have been established in some form in 11 states: Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont and Virginia.    "Best management practices are essential to all superintendents to measurably demonstrate that we are doing the utmost in our profession to care for the land while providing the best conditions possible for golfers," said Jeff Plotts, director of golf course operations at TPC Sawgrass. "We want BMPs to be part of the fabric of all TPC Network courses. But, we all need to work together to be qualified experts in our field."   The term BMP was first used in 1977 in response to the Clean Water Act, and it referred then only to soil conservation practices to protect water quality. It since has evolved to where it refers to other practices, such as drought management to pesticide application.    
  • With the announcement of a potential takeover of Syngenta by ChemChina coming just days before this year's Golf Industry Show, it was a foregone conclusion that the news would be a topic of discussion on and off the trade show floor in San Diego.
      TurfNet reported on Feb. 3 that the acquisition, if it indeed transpired at all, would have little noticeable effect for customers on Syngenta's day-to-day business, including supply chain operations.   Syngenta officials reiterated those claims during the show.   Once the deal is completed, which is expected to be by year's end, Syngenta will continue to operate as a business unit under the Syngenta name, with the same personnel, the same headquarters in Switzerland, the same business model and same stable of turf products.   "We are going to continue to innovate," said Stephanie Schwenke, Syngenta's turf market manager. "We now have a focus, and we are going to remain Syngenta."   The acquisition is being driven more by the agriculture market as Syngenta and China's state-owned chemical company, as well as their counterparts around the world, work to help feed a growing global population.   According to the U.S. Census Bureau and the World Population Clock, the world's population is about 7.3 billion. That number is expected to reach 8 billion by 2025, 9.2 billion by 2050 and 11 billion by 2100. An overwhelming percentage of that growth is to occur in developing countries in South America, Africa and Asia.    During that time, says the United Nations, about two dozen countries in Africa will more than double in population, India will overtake China as the world's largest country by population and Nigeria will supplant the United States as the planet's third most populous country.   The challenge for growers and agrochemical companies around the world is less about how to keep cool-season turf alive in summer and more about how to produce enough food to meet that demand.  
  • 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 TurfNet's 2016 Technician of the Year Award, presented by The Toro Company. - the original award for golf course equipment managers.   Criteria on which nominees are judged by our panel include: crisis management; effective budgeting; environmental awareness; helping to further and promote the careers of colleagues and employees; interpersonal communications; inventory management and cost control; overall condition and dependability of rolling stock; shop safety; and work ethic.   Here's a tip: Use specific examples when describing what he or she has accomplished - the more we know, the better your tech's chances of getting noticed.   The winner will receive the Golden Wrench Award (a real gold-plated wrench) from TurfNet and a weeklong training session at Toro's Service Training 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.  
  • It is never too late to put a good idea into action.
      With more than 50 years of combined experience between them, Paul Roche and Matthew Mikucki have finally struck out on their own, with the launch of their Golf Water LLC irrigation design and consulting firm.    A full-service irrigation consulting firm, Golf Water LLC offers services that include system analysis, master planning, design and specification, pump stations, course GPS mapping, vendor evaluations/recommendations, field staking, final drawings, control system programming and final map creation.   A published author and former greenkeeper, Roche has more than 30 years of experience in the irrigation business. He spent the past eight years with Rain Bird, where he was national specification manager from 2007-2009 and national sales manager for the golf division from 2009 until launching Golf Water. He also has held positions with I&E Supply Co. in Milford, Connecticut, and the S.V. Moffett Co., a Rain Bird distributor in Rochester, New York.    Hanging his own shingle has been a dream for more than 20 years, and it took a family tragedy for him to finally make the leap. Roche said his sister, Liz Teed, served as a motivational force in his life until her untimely death 15 months ago.   "It has been something that I have been thinking about since 1992 when I learned that you could actually make a living designing and consulting on golf course irrigation systems," Roche said. "Things became more of a reality for me when I lost my sister in 2014. Her passing made me think about doing what I really want to be doing every day when I wake up and go to work."   Mikucki has nearly 20 years of experience in all aspects of the irrigation manufacturing business, from service of existing systems to design of new irrigation control systems and central control systems to sales. Like Roche, Mikuckis most recent experience in the industry came in the form of several years with Rain Bird. His career began in technical support, where he worked in the field with superintendents to troubleshoot irrigation systems. He earned bachelors degrees in mechanical engineering and interdisciplinary engineering and management from Clarkson University and an MBA from the University of Arizona.   Roche, who co-authored "Golf Course Irrigation: Environmental Design and Management Practices" (with James Barrett, Brian Vinchesi, Robert Dobson and David Zolodske) is certified by the Irrigation Association as a Golf Course Irrigation Designer, Irrigation Contractor, Golf Irrigation Auditor and Landscape Irrigation Auditor.   Both are experienced irrigation trainers and have provided training at the University of Massachusetts, Rutgers, SUNY Delhi, SUNY Cobleskill, Michigan State and Cornell. 
  • By now, just about everyone in the golf turf business likely has read, or at least heard about the recent $43 billion bid by ChemChina to buy Syngenta. And many likely have one common question: How will things change for the golf business?
      The answer to that question, Syngenta says, is not much if at all.   According to a news release from the Swiss-based agri-chemical giant, the pending transaction is more about growth than change.   "Syngenta will remain globally headquartered in Switzerland and is committed to ensure it will be business as usual for customers, farmers, business partners, employees and the communities it serves in the U.S. and globally," according to the release.   "It will still be business as usual for our employees and customers who will have access to the same high quality portfolio of seeds, traits and crop protection products from Syngenta."   Key facts gleaned from the release include:   > the transaction ensures continued choice for growers at a time when considerable consolidation is taking place in the agricultural industry; > Syngenta will continue to be a strong competitor in the marketplace; > Syngenta management will continue to lead all aspects of the business, including delivering high quality products to American farmers; > this transaction ensures ongoing R&D investment across technology platforms and across crops; > it will still be business as usual for Syngenta employees and customers who will have access to the same high quality portfolio of seeds, traits and crop protection products from Syngenta.   Syngenta management will continue to run the company. After closing, a 10-member board of directors will be chaired by Ren Jianxin, chairman of ChemChina, and will include four of the existing Syngenta board members.   The transaction, Syngenta says, "minimizes operational disruption, is focused on growth globally, specifically in China and other emerging markets, and enables long-term investment in innovation. Syngenta will remain Syngenta and will continue to be headquartered in Switzerland."   Talks of a Syngenta merger have swirled for the past couple of years, with other suitors including Monsanto. However, multiple attempts by St. Louis-based Monsanto were unsuccessful in 2015.   The pending deal with state-owned ChemChina comes on the heels of an agreement in December of a merger between Dow Chemical and DuPont, which was worth $130 billion.
  • Five superintendents who otherwise wouldn't be attending this year's Golf Industry Show will be heading to San Diego thanks to the Bayer Superintendent Grant Program. 
      Through the Bayer Superintendent Grant Program, Bayer Environmental Science, the GCSAA and the Environmental Institute for Golf are sending five golf course superintendents to the 2016 Golf Industry Show in San Diego.   The purpose of the grant is to assist superintendents with their professional development through participation in the annual event.    Winners are: Jonathan Gruber of Hampton Cove Golf Course, Owens Cross Roads, Alabama, John Ekstrom of Indian Boundary Golf Course in Chicago, Daryl Moldenhauer of American Falls Golf Course in American Falls, Idaho, Ethan Shamet of Deer Trace Golf Course in LaCygne, Kansas, and Jerry Webb of Stillwater Oaks in Stillwater, Minnesota.   Winners are chosen through a random drawing. Each receives airfare, hotel accommodations for five nights, conference full-pack registration, two education seminars and $200 spending stipend.
  • Talk about a strange way of making friends. 
      Nearly 100 devoted followers on the morning of Jan. 28 packed a conference room at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando and almost as many attended online to get their yearly beat down from Jim Koppenhaver of Pellucid Corp. and Stuart Lindsey of Edgehill Consulting during their 12th annual State of the Golf Industry Report at the PGA Merchandise Show. If that wasn't enough, almost 200 more showed up in the afternoon to take their medicine.    The message out of Orlando, as usual, was mixed.   Rounds played in 2015 were up for the first time in three years, fees and facility revenue both were up slightly as well, but the supply of golf courses measured in 18-hole equivalents was down for the 10th straight year, with almost no end in sight, said Koppenhaver.   Still, it might be the most good news Koppenhaver and Lindsey have voiced in their 12 years of delivering haymakers at the PGA Show.   "Things are stabilizing," Koppenhaver said. "It's a little bit better, but we still have a really long road."   That long road could be another 15 years or more.   Nine new courses were built in 2015, while 234 closed, leaving a net loss of 225 18-hole equivalents. It was, by far, the greatest net loss in course supply since closings began outpacing openings in 2006. In that time, there has been a net loss of 993 18-hole equivalents. That number will have to get larger, much larger, Koppenhaver said, before the golf industry can be declared healthy once again.   "The absorption is picking up, a little over 200 facilities. The problem is it's still too little," he said. "That's about six-tenths of a percent. We're about 8 percent over supply currently, so at six-tenths a year we're still 15 or 16 years away from getting back to what we believe was healthy equilibrium in the industry, which happened back in 1994.   "The good news is absorption of supply is picking up. The bad news is it's still a glacial pace. We need to take a couple thousand courses out of play, and it's just not happening quick enough."   Among the courses coming out of the ground are a disproportionate amount of public and nine-hole facilities. Public facilities comprise 73 percent of the country's overall supply, but 83 percent of the courses closed in 2015. It's a darker picture for nine-hole facilities that make up 7 percent of the nationwide supply, yet represented 58 percent of last year's closures. These are the types of courses the industry needs, Koppenhaver said, to attract and retain new golfers.   "Unfortunately, we're taking bunny slopes out of play," he said. "And oh, by the way, we're trying to introduce people to the game of golf.   "A little bit of a concern for me is that the balance of what we're taking out is not going in the same direction we'd like the industry to go."   In 2014 (the last year data was available for golfer population), a net 900,000 people stepped away from the game, leaving the industry with 22 million golfers. That is the fewest in the industry pipeline in decades at least since the mid-1980s. The game was at its zenith in 2002 when 29.9 million people said they played the game. Population segments that dropped out of the game were men (down 4 percent), women (3 percent), ages 35-54 (6.7 percent), ages 18-34 (7.8 percent) and ages 7-17 (8.5 percent).  
    We are not successful in generating demand outside of what weather is giving us. So, at this point, we're just on a roller coaster that says if Mother Nature gives us a good year, then we're OK; if she doesnt, then we just follow her down."
     
    Koppenhaver referenced projections from 2010 in the wake of several growth initiatives that many hoped would resuscitate the industry.  According to Koppenhaver, Golf 2.0 projected we would be back at that 29.9 million golfer level by 2014. The National Golf Foundation predicted the number of golfers to be at 27.9 million, and even Koppenhaver thought the number of people in the game in 2014 would be at about 25.2 million.    All were way off, and Koppenhaver said Thursday he expects the number to dip below 20 million sooner rather than later. The problem has been a steady stream of attracting 3 million to 4 million new golfers per year, but losing 4 million to 5 million others.   "Our biggest problem is we're losing golfers at 3 percent per year," he said.    "We gotta figure out a way to retain the people who are playing the game and get the people who are engaged to play more frequently."   Although the number of golfers in the game decreased for the 15th straight year, rounds played were up, even if just slightly.   According to Koppenhaver, golfers played 456.7 million rounds last year, a 1.5 percent increase over the 450 million rounds played the year before, about all of which Koppenhaver attributed to favorable weather conditions. It was the first increase in rounds played since 2012, however, it is well off the record of 501.8 million rounds set in 2000.    "We are not successful in generating demand outside of what weather is giving us," he said. "So, at this point, we're just on a roller coaster that says if Mother Nature gives us a good year, then we're OK; if she doesn't, then we just follow her down."   Rounds played averaged 32,441 per EHE, which was the most since 32,991 per EHE in 2012. Ideal capacity, Koppenhaver said, is about 35,000 rounds per facility.   Facility revenue also increased in 2015, rising 3 percent over the year before. Most of those gains were made in food and beverage (5.4 percent) and merchandise sales (4.2 percent). Only 2.2 percent of those revenue hikes came in the form of golf fees.    "The slight concern I have is the big driver there is golf fee revenue," Koppenhaver said. "We can sell a bunch of food and beverage and merchandise, what drives our businesses are golf fees."
  • Whether it is removing Poa annua from cool-season turf or organic matter from warm-season grass, fraise mowing has been an accepted practice for renovating athletic fields for nearly a decade. Although it is an invasive practice, fraise mowing and other ultra-aggressive grooming practices also have a place in golf, says Jerad Minnick, a sports turf management consultant.
      "If you have a problem with organic matter on a golf course, this can fix it," Minnick said during the recent Tennessee Turfgrass Association Conference and Show.   Fraise mowing utilizes hundreds of blades on a helix-shaped rotor that remove material from the surface, leaving behind what Minnick says are stronger, healthier plants that can be ready for traffic in a few days to a few weeks depending on how much is removed.   The process was developed in 1996 by Ko Rodenburg, a Dutch sports field manager, to remove Poa annua from cool-season sports turf. True fraise mowing is performed with the Imants Koro Field Topmaker that was named for Rodenburg. But similar aggressive grooming practices can be achieved with equipment from other manufacturers. Fraise mowing often results in phrases such as "whoops" or "uh oh" when sports turf managers, superintendents or facility managers and administrators see just how much organic matter it displaces.    The material removed and how much depends on two factors: whether the surface is warm- or cool-season and the depth setting of the machine taking it out. A Kentucky bluegrass or ryegrass soccer field can produce 12 22-yard dumpsters of organic material, and a Bermudagrass field will yield twice as much, Minnick says.    The results, Minnick says, are worth it, and its practice is used increasingly in sports turf management in the U.S. and abroad with all professional soccer fields in the United Kingdom employing it since its inception. It also is used in the U.S. on everything from high school and municipal fields to professional soccer stadiums.   Whether it was during his days managing the Maryland Soccerplex near Washington, D.C., or consulting on field renovation projects throughout the United States and Europe, Minnick says fields can be ready for play within four weeks or so of fraise mowing, even under adverse conditions.   Two weeks of record cold temperatures descended on north-central Texas immediately after a fraise mowing procedure to renovate the Bermudagrass playing surface at Toyota Stadium, home to the FC Dallas MLS franchise. With the use of tarps to protect the surface from freezing temperatures, the fields were ready for play four weeks after a mowing procedure that Minnick and others describe as verticutting on steroids.   He oversaw a similar procedure in Paris in which fraise mowing was incorporated to remove Poa annua from a ryegrass field six weeks before the start of the season.   John Jeffreys, superintendent at Pinehurst No. 2, has used Turfplaning Services, which employs a similar procedure to renovate par 3 tees that had become elevated over time and on greens surrounds to manage what he called a "collar dam" on the famed Donald Ross design.    "It had become like a bowling lane bumper around the green," Jeffreys said. "We had to peel that out and eliminate that elevated collar."   Removal of organic material improved how water moved off the greens after rain events, said Jeffreys who also performs what he called very aggressive verticutting with a pair of Wiedenmann units. Collars also were more firm and the turf healthier after being exposed to such an aggressive practice. The work was performed when the course already was closed for renovation work, so taking areas out of play for weeks at a time was not an issue.   "The best aerification you can do on Bermudagrass is to get rid of that organic matter," he said. "It really slows water from exiting the green."   Minnick said such practices are catching on in Florida. Many of the courses there are opting for closing nine holes for a few weeks through the middle of summer and completing the other nine the following year.   Mark Langner, CGCS, formerly of FarmLinks in Alabama and currently of Aqua Aid, which represents Campey Turfcare Systems and Imants, also at the Tennessee show, said courses in other parts of the Southeast, including high-profile facilities in the Birmingham area.    "Because of how it controls thatch, you can get on the fairways right after it rains because that sponge that holds the water is gone," he said. "It might cost a little revenue up front for courses to close, but they'll capitalize on the backside because the conditions are so much better."
  • A new mobile app from Bernhard and Co. is designed to help turf managers ease record-keeping of agronomic practices and tracking playing conditions on the golf course.   Named the Turf Toolkit, the app allows registered users to enter model-specific information on Bernhard reel grinders, bedknife grinders and roatary blade grinders, and mowers (Jacobsen, John Deere and Toro). Users also can maintain a grinding log for each bedknife, including face angle and front face angle, and a mowing log for each piece of machinery.   Users then can also enter green speed info allowing for multiple inputs on numerous locations throughout the golf course and includes a selection to categorize weather conditions (rain, wind, clouds, sun, other) for each entry.   The free app is available now through the Google Play Store and will be available in February on the Apple iStore. It includes a section where equipment managers can track spare parts for Bernhard Grinders, information on producing better grass for less, company history and an FAQ section.
  • BIGGA nembers have spoken out about the need for access to more turfgrass research and education, and the British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association has listened. 
      Jim Croxton, the association's chief executive officer, cites an expanded education schedule for daily attendance that was up by about 10 percent each day and 1,000 people overall at this year's BIGGA Turf Management Exhibition (BTME).   The association has gradually expanded education, from 2,000 hours in 2010 to 5,000 hours this year. That includes more offerings for those in entry-level positions and more speakers from the United States.   "I think (there is) a greater focus on value for money," Croxton said. "People have to justify their reason for attending. The key driver to that is education."   BTME once was primarily a trade show, and the new format and increased attendance due to education has been a hit with vendors eager to have more facetime with show-goers.    "People are coming to the conference as a conference, where it used to be just an exhibition and a few seminars," Croxton said. "They're planning their trips better, they're staying longer, which is great for us because they are spending more time engaging with exhibitors as well as the education. And of course they socialize a lot, and greenkeeping is a networking business."     During this year's show Rick Tegtmeier, CGCS, director of grounds at Des Moines Golf and Country Club, became just the 67th person to achieve the title of Master Greenkeeper since the BIGGA began recognizing the achievement 25 years ago.   Croxton noted a larger-than-usual presence from the U.S. this year both in terms of attendees and speakers, which included Beth Guertal, Ph.D., of Auburn; Jim Kerns, Ph.D., of North Carolina State; John Kaminski, Ph.D., of Penn State; Mark Kuhns, CGCS, of Baltusrol Golf Club, Stan Kostka, Ph.D., of Aquatrols, as well as TurfNet's Jon Kiger, who delivered three presentations in Harrogate.   The program also included more education aimed at entry-level workers in the turf-management field, as well as more education for seasoned greenkeepers hoping to make the leap into club management.   "We deliberately put a whole stream in this year for greenkeepers early in their career," Croxton said. "We're probably not doing enough on elements that linked greenkeeping to the business of golf. We're doing customer service, golf business, obviously lots of people management and resource management, those kinds of things. The agronomic side is still there. A lot of our guys are geeks for agronomy. They want to find out the latest research, but actually around that is a lot more rounded education to be a manager."  
     
  • When thinking back on his 17-year run as head football coach at the University of Tennessee, Phillip Fulmer prefers to think of himself somewhat like the patriarch of a very large family that included more than just players and coaches. It was a family that included wives, children, fans, support staff and anyone else associated with an interest in the Volunteers' success on the football field.
      That approach helped Fulmer and his Volunteers win a lot of football games, and it's advice he says translates to a winning formula at any operation, including a golf course, he told attendees recently during his keynote address at this year's Tennessee Turfgrass Association Conference and Show in Murfreesboro.   Fulmer recalled a game against Alabama in 1993, his first full season as head coach in Knoxville. With the Volunteers ahead by 8 points with less than a minute-and-a-half remaining, Alabama went 83 yards and converted a 2-point conversion with just seconds left, and Fulmer and the Vols left Legion Field in Birmingham with a bitter 17-17 tie. In the car, he snapped at wife Vicky, who stopped the car and told him: "Right now, everyone in Tennessee hates you except me, and you're really close to losing me."   "She was right," he said. "We have to surround ourselves with people who will support us in the toughest of times.   "Maximize your successes and minimize your failures."      CLICK TO READ: Phillip Fulmer and Charlie Daniels team up to tackle teen suicide.     No one, apparently not even former All-Americans who went on to NFL stardom, played a bigger role in the Vols' success on the gridiron than Bobby Campbell, then the university's sports turf manager.   "We were a family. We all had a job to do, and we were expected to do it and be part of the family, enjoy the wins and suffer though the losses," Campbell said while introducing Fulmer at TTA.    "Whether you were Peyton Manning or a groundskeeper, we all were part of the family," added Campbell, who retired after the 2010 season. "And we all had our part to do."   Today, the 65-year-old Fulmer is a partner in BPV Capital Management in Knoxville. When he headed UT's football team, he had what he called a close and unique relationship with Campbell, but one that often was focused on the condition of Tennessee's practice fields.   "The condition of the grass was something you had to pay attention to," Fulmer said. "I thanked the Good Lord every day for Bobby Campbell and the good job he did for us. We fought like cats and dogs. He was always right, and I just always wanted more practice space.   "I don't think Bobby ever told me 'no', but as I remember I think he always got his way. We made it work, and along the way had a great, great friendship.   "And thanks to Tom Samples, who we called on to help us when we tried something new. And I did pay attention, because we had a limited number of fields we could practice on."   That open-door relationship between Fulmer and Campbell was, in the latter's view, an anomaly among Division I football coaches and sports turf managers. Campbell recalled how his colleagues at the annual Sports Turf Managers Association meetings would complain about coaches and their treatment of playing surfaces.   "I was very fortunate," Campbell said. "I was the envy of everyone (at STMA) because I could say I have a fella at my place I can talk to.   "It was a special feeling to be at a place where I had a head coach who I could talk to any time I wanted to. And he made a deal with me early on, he told me 'don't come in here and tell me I can't use the fields, but if you can tell me a reason why I shouldn't, the decision will be mine, and I'll suffer the consequences if there are any consequences to be had.' "  
    Right now, everyone in Tennessee hates you except me, and you're really close to losing me."
     
    As an assistant coach under Johnny Majors, Fulmer came to dislike the artificial turf at Neyland Stadium, which had acquired the nickname "Doug's Rug" for former UT head coach and then-athletic director Doug Dickey who had it installed. So when he succeeded Majors midway through the 1992 season, Fulmer made it a priority to replace the artificial turf with natural grass for the 1994 season.   Fulmer learned a lot about 419 Bermudagrass during his time as head coach. About a 13-handicap on the golf course, Fulmer knew enough to understand that Tennessee's location in the transition zone made it hard to grow Bermuda, or anything else, with any degree of certainty.   "We have some challenges growing Bermuda in upper, east Tennessee, because we're on the edge of a good growing area," Fulmer said. "Winter can be touch, spring can be tough."   During his introduction of Fulmer to TTA, Campbell recalled how some members of the UT family were better listeners than others.   "I was thinking last night about all the times I went to Phillip and was able to talk him out of not doing something," he said. "And I hate to say this after laying in bed and thinking abou it, I haven't thought of one yet."   Despite the success of his teams on the field, which included winning the inaugural BCS National Championship in the 1998-99 season, a 152-52 record  and an 8-7 mark in postseason bowl games, two Southeastern Conference titles and coaching 90 players that went on to compete in the NFL, Fulmer says his fondest memories of his time at UT are the relationships he formed with his extended family. That list includes former players and coaches and support staff like Campbell.   "It was wonderful to coach players like Jason Whitten, Peyton Manning and Eric Berry, Cosey Coleman and Jamal Lewis, and there were so many others," Fulmer said. "We were a family, and we had a family atmosphere here. Seeing all of your players grow into men is special. Of course, when they get here they think they're men, but really they're still children. To see them grow into adults and have very special relationships with them has been great, and now I have time to enjoy that.   "Not a day that goes by where I don't have a couple of conversations or texts or emails about a baby announcement, a new job or looking for a new job, or one of those kinds of things, because they're always your kids."
  • 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."    

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