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From the TurfNet NewsDesk

  • John Reitman
    "To lose patience is to lose the battle."
    — Mahatma Gandhi
    When it comes to developing new turfgrasses, no one can accuse David Huff, Ph.D., (right) of being impatient. 
    Charged with developing cutting-edge solutions for the turf industry when he was hired as a plant breeder at Penn State in 1994, Huff has been patiently working toward that goal of delivering something innovative to help his constituents.
    Huff has spent most of the past 30 years developing PA-33, the first commercially available seeded variety of Poa annua that has been tested on Penn State test plots as well as a handful of golf courses nationwide. Huff recently harvested the seed and is preparing it for sale later this year. Seed production, naturally, will be limited in the short term, said Huff who anticipates having 350-400 pounds for sale. Production could ramp up in the future if the endeavor is a commercial success, he said.
    The cost of production is about $100 per pound of seed. Although he still is calculating the final sale price, Huff said superintendents should expect something in the neighborhood of $625 for a 5-pound bag, which is a fraction of the cost of sod. A total of 10 pounds of seed is enough to cover an average 5,000-square-foot putting green, he said.
    PA-33, Huff says, is a high shoot density, dwarf perennial variety that is more tolerant to disease, heat and drought stress, is quick to germinate and provides coverage within about 21 days.
    More cost effective than sod, but slower to establish, PA-33 has a promising place in golf, say superintendents who have managed it during Huff's research phase.

    A mix of seeded Poa annua and creeping bentgrass at Laurel Creek Country Club in New Jersey. Photos courtesy of John Slade "I think that's the debate," said John Slade, superintendent at Laurel Creek Country Club in Mount Laurel, New Jersey. "If you're doing a greens renovation, you can buy sod and the course open more quickly, but you also have the option of seeding. 
    "If you have to do one or two greens, I think this will be the way to go."
    Developing a seeded Poa was not first on Huff's list when he came to Penn State.
    "I came in with a few ideas, like Kentucky bluegrass for fairways," Huff said. "People in the industry said to me: 'What else do you have?' 
    "If you look at the golf industry, Poa annua is a big part of it, but you couldn't buy seed for renovations."
    Huff did not believe it was possible to improve upon the Penn A and G series developed by his predecessor, Joe Duich, Ph.D., so he focused his efforts elsewhere.
    The aggressiveness and preponderance of so many bio-types of Poa annua led Huff to believe there was a place for a greens quality seeded variety.
    "Poa annua is a nice grass, but there are so many types it gets bumpy," he said. "If you have a uniform variety, you won't have that problem."
    He set out collecting Poa samples from golf courses coast to coast.
    "I started selecting and collecting samples in 1994," he said. "I was like a baseball scout, getting the best samples locally and from around the country."
    He collected several samples, whittling down the list until he had a dozen of the best performers under stressful conditions.
    Throughout the breeding process, one of his goals was to increase seed production without compromising the traits that make Poa annua such a good putting surface. 
    "At first I had a teaspoon full," he said. "Then I got an envelope full, then a bag, then a bigger bag. But I was losing the high shoot perennial nature I was looking for. It wants to become a seed-producing annual."
    Huff was not the first to explore development of a high-quality variety of seeded Poa annua. He found evidence of others' work in the field, including in the 1950s at UCLA, while other work was conducted at the University of Rhode Island. The most, however, was done at the University of Minnesota, where some varieties were released, but as seed production ramped up they reverted to what Huff described as a "wild, weedy annual type."

    Laurel Creek Country Club was one of five courses across the country chosen as a test site for seeded Poa annua that was developed at Penn State by David Huff, Ph.D. During the past 30 years of research, Huff learned a great deal about the habits of Poa annua, namely that it has transgenerational memory and is capable of "remembering" how it is mowed and where the seed was grown, traits that actually become embedded in the plant's DNA, which Huff says "violates the rules of genetics."
    "That's probably present in other turf species," Huff said. "It is so pronounced in Poa. That's its main operating system."
    PA-33 thrives under aggressive management, and superintendents should resist the temptation to manage it like a seeded bentgrass. Huff says his research has shown that seed production decreases the more PA-33 is mowed.
    "You really have to jump on it early. It thrives on that," Huff said.
    "The father (Poa supina) can't tolerate mowing below a tenth-of-an-inch. The mother (Poa infirma) can't tolerate mowing. Together, they can tolerate low mowing below a tenth-of-an-inch. I know it's counter intuitive. That's a head-scratcher."
    Brian Stiehler, superintendent at Highlands Country Club in Highlands, North Carolina, was one of five test sites around the country and had been growing PA-33 on his club's nursery. Recently he plowed up the nursery, not because of PA-33's performance, but because members at the club are wed to creeping bentgrass.
    "My nursery has always been an experimentation place," Stiehler said. "There has always been some Penn A4 on it. But seven or eight years ago, I gridded out the nursery with the most popular bentgrasses. It was like my own NTEP trial. I wanted to see what was the best bentgrass in case we ever redid our greens.
    "He developed the first harvested Poa seed, and asked if I would do a plot at Highlands. It did really well."
    The greens at Laurel Creek have not been rebuilt since the club opened in 1989. Initially grassed with PennLinks creeping bentgrass, the greens today are a bent/Poa mix.
    In the fall of 2022, a mix of Coho creeping bentgrass and PA-33 was seeded into Laurel Creek's new practice green as well as the practice range. He opted to mix the two varieties in an attempt to mimic conditions throughout the rest of the course.
    The quote he received for sod shipped from Pittsburgh came in at $20,000, making the choice of Huff's new variety an easy one.
    "We've spent the past year getting it down to height," Slade said. "The height of cut is down to match the rest of the golf course (at 0.100).
    "What I want to see is if it will decrease in seed production over time. We're not seeing that yet."
  • Arizona Grand Golf Course is an original Forrest Richardson design. Forrest Richardson Golf Course Architects photo For more than 30 years, Forrest Richardson (below right) has been designing and restoring many of the country's most prominent golf courses.
    His portfolio includes more than 50 original designs and renovation projects throughout the U.S., Mexico and Europe. He also has authored several books, including Course Brains (On Course Publishing, 2023, 69 pages), which poses a series of 25 questions for golf course stakeholders to generate their "course IQ" and plot a path toward future success. The book, which is available by digital download, was inspired in part by Richardson's mentor, Scottish architect — and former golf course superintendent — Arthur Jack Snyder.
    "Golf courses must realize that a decision to change and be better involves each individual decision you make — and that includes all of the sections and questions posed in this (little) book," Richardson wrote in the book. "Every decision in your path has the potential to bring about a more successful end result. No excuses for not striving for greatness. No apologies for not delivering a better product. No regrets for looking back and wishing you had done a better job." 
    After each topic, the book solicits an honest appraisal, or grade. At the end of Section 25, readers can tally the numeric value for each grade from each of the 25 questions. The total of all 25 will determine each course's I.Q.
    The grade choices are:
    140 and over Genius or near genius  120 -139 Very superior intelligence  110 -119 Superior intelligence  90 -109 Average intelligence  80 - 89 Dullness  70 - 79 Borderline deficiency  Below 70 Definitely feeble "I recommend having several people in your club take the test," Richardson wrote. "Compare the results and see where you might focus some time."
    The 25 items to be addressed are:
    Do you have a comprehensive evaluation of your managed turf area? Does your course drain well enough to not cause complaints, lost play time & extra cost? How are your greens? Bunkers, are they truly great ... or something less than great?  Is your course capable of yardage flexibility so it can be fun for all ages & abilities? Is your course attracting new players?   Are you guilty of selling just one "size" of golf?   Is your course a resource hog, or are you conserving water and power?   Is your course dangerous? Have you had a safety analysis performed?   Is your course policy smart, or policy happy?   Pace-of-Play? Does your course flow evenly, or do round times vary from okay to too long? How good are your practice opportunities?   Is your clubhouse up to par?   Is your image & marketing smart? Is the land you control being well utilized?   Mowing Priorities — Mow what matters!   Do you know your legacy?  Trees, trees & more trees...do you have too many or too few? Where does your course rank on embracing new technologies?  Is your irrigation system ready for the next several years...or is it costing you money?  Have you been open minded to bringing non-golfers into your facility?  What differentiates your course? Is your course ranked? How many awards and honors have you received? Who is your golf course architect? Is success an option at your course? In conclusion, Richardson wrote: "As Gary explains, 'Ford does not deliver a vintage 1970s car to the showroom. They deliver the best they are able to produce with all of the best ideas they can include at the price of the car.' In golf however, we see some very old and tired products being delivered and offered when there is no reason to settle for such a practice. Take a hotdog for example. If my attitude is that success is not an option, what is preventing me and my team from delivering the best hotdog possible? When success is a decision, the culture of your course will be to deliver successful, bright, good, award-winning, wow, tasteful and stellar service, goods, food— and golf. The 'A' grade is for those of you who can truly point to a culture where nearly every detail and every decision follows this thinking."
  • Simplot expands into Fort Myers area
    The J.R. Simplot Co. is expanding into southwest Florida with a new location scheduled to open soon in the Fort Myers area.
    Upon opening, the new location will offer a full range of products and solutions to help golf course superintendents and other turf managers grow healthy turf and ornamental plants.
    With the new location, Simplot Turf and Horticulture will have 26 locations in 17 states.
    Former golf course superintendent Andy Engelbrecht will be the regional sales representative servicing the golf market in the Fort Myers region. A graduate of the Penn State turfgrass program, Engelbrecht formerly was superintendent at Verandah Golf Club and Rotonda Golf and spent the past five years as a sales specialist with BASF. 
    As with the other locations, the Fort Myers team will support customers through building relationships and providing agronomic solutions.
    11 Garske scholarship winners named
    The GCSAA has named 11 college students as recipients of the 2024 Par Aide Garske Grants.
    Established in honor of Par Aide founder Joseph S. Garske, the Par Aide Garske Grant competition is funded by the golf course accessory company and administered by the GCSAA Foundation. For more than 20 years, the program has helped children and stepchildren of GCSAA members fund their education at an accredited college or trade school with one-time, one-year grants. There are eleven grants awarded for a total of $14,000. Grants are based on community service, leadership, academic performance and a written essay.
    The 2024 winners are: 
    Kiersten Bolon, Penn State, biochemistry, $2,500 — daughter of Thomas Bolon, Lake Forest Country Club Thistle Golf Club, Hudson, Ohio Jacob Shanahan, University of Arizona, finance, $2,500 — son of Tracy Shanahan, Peach Tree Golf & Country Club, Marysville, California. Hayden Fabulich, University of Florida, biochemistry, $1,000 — son of Scott Fabulich, Oceanside Country Club, Ormond Beach, Florida. Claire Marcinek, Temple University, nursing, $1,000 — daughter of Darrell Marcinek, Somerset County Park Commission, Somerset, New Jersey. Mia Waddle, Iowa State University, kinesiology/pre-physical therapy, $1,000 — daughter of Brandon Waddle, Lake Panorama National Golf Course, Panora, Iowa. Sarah Bagwell, University of Central Florida, $1,000 — daughter of Jason Bagwell, Gleneagles Country Club West, Chambers Bay Golf Course, Delray Beach, Florida. Trevor Keilen, Oakland Community Collego, computational data science, $1,000 — son of Andrew Keilen, Knollwood Country Club in West Bloomfield, Michigan. Riley Maronge, Auburn University, agricultural science, $1,000 — father of the late Andrew Maronge. Andrew Stewart, University of Central Florida, finance, $1,000 — son of Bryce Gibson, Interlachen Country Club in Winter Park, Florida. Jaclyn Kelly Skirhanich, Bentley University, accounting, $1,000 — daughter of Michael Skirkanich, Granite Links Golf Club, Quarry Hills in Quincy, Massachusetts. Mia Safrit, NASCAR Technical Institute, $1,000 — daughter of Steffie Safrit, TPC Piper Glen in Charlotte, North Carolina. Central Turf to open Florida location
    Central Turf and Irrigation Supply, a distributor of irrigation, lighting, drainage and landscape supplies, will open its newest location in Freeport, Florida.
    Established in 1990, Central Turf and Irrigation Supply is a family owned and operated wholesale distributor for irrigation, landscape, drainage, agronomic, sustainable products, lighting and grounds care equipment—with 60 locations in the U.S. and Canada.
    The Freeport location will offer one-stop shopping with inventory from several manufacturers, same-day delivery services, category experts, large-scale design services and hands-on training.
    Cabot Collection reaches deal with Audubon
    Audubon International recently entered into agreement making it the environmental stewardship partner for golf and resort developer The Cabot Collection. Cabot's portfolio includes Cabot Cape Breton in Nova Scotia, Cabot Saint Lucia, Cabot Revelstoke in British Columbia, Cabot Citrus Farms in Florida and Cabot Highlands in Scotland.
    Audubon International is an environmentally focused non-profit organization that offers members numerous certifications and conservation initiatives to protect their properties.
    In this partnership, Toronto-based Cabot is the first multi-property brand to enroll every golf course and surrounding built environment into Audubon International’s comprehensive, Platinum Signature Sanctuary certification program that was introduced in 2023.
    Platinum Certification brings an entire resort or community development under one certification umbrella, including golf courses, clubhouse facilities, lodging, real estate, restaurants and retail.
    Across its portfolio, Cabot currently has eight golf courses open for play, with three courses in development and future growth plans. Both of the acclaimed Cape Breton courses, Cabot Links and Cabot Cliffs, are individually certified in the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program and will move under the Platinum Signature Sanctuary umbrella along with its lodging, real estate, retail and restaurant facilities.
  • Operational sustainability is an ongoing goal in the golf industry. Not only is an increased focus on environmental stewardship the right thing to do, it also can help defray some of the negative public relations hurled at the industry from outsiders.
    Applebrook Golf Club in East Goshen Township, Pennsylvania, recently unveiled its latest step toward sustainability when it pulled back the curtain on its new and environmentally friendly Brecker Turf Care Center.
    The center is named for Jim Brecker, an Applebrook member who was on the committee to explore and undertake the project. The former CEO of the commercial construction firm of Irwin and Leighton in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, Brecker provided a great deal of know-how on such an undertaking, said Jared Viarengo, CGCS, Applebrook's director of grounds and club operations.
    "Jim brought a massive amount of expertise and knowledge to the project," Viarengo said via email. "His contributions were so enormous that the committee ultimately recommended to the board that the new facility be named the Brecker Turf Care Center in his honor. Jim, who in his career had built the most elaborate buildings, agreed at the end of the project that while the buildings were simple, the overall project was complicated — the land development approvals and all the additional specialized equipment that was outside the general contractor's scope."
    The facility replaces outdated buildings, and high-speed Internet, providing access to digital tools and resources while minimizing paper use. The building also includes employee locker rooms, break rooms and restrooms and a state-of-the-art shop. 

    The new maintenance facility at Applebrook Golf Club includes a concrete-encased fuel tank. All photos courtesy of Applebrook Golf Club The new facility is about 12,000 square feet with 1,100 square feet of mezzanine storage and aout 4,000 square feet of high-bay area and a lift, Viarengo said.
    The repair shop portion of the building is about 2,000 square feet and has its own office space, restroom, parts room, and separate area for sharpening equipment. Unlike its predecessor, it is also air-conditioned.
    "While we have only been using the new facility at full capacity for a few months, it has positively influenced staff morale," Viarengo said. "There is more energy to go around. It's a more professional work environment and better aligns with what we are working to accomplish on the golf course. Our crew went from a small break room with one undersized restroom and limited lockers to a facility with an appropriately sized break room, individual lockers in a drying room, and men's and ladies' restrooms with shower facilities. We are much better able to communicate with the entire team in the new breakroom, and we finally adopted an electronic job board, which we now have the space for and electrical power to use. The new facility has high-speed ethernet lines and boosted Wi-Fi for employees throughout."
    A few unique features that will reduce the environmental risk of Applebrook's operations are a new agricultural building and  a Carbtrol wash water recycling system equipped with a ConVault above-ground fuel storage tank on a concrete pad to contain spills. The tank is double-wall steel encased in concrete for impact and leak protection. 
    The club also focused on how it stores and mixes pesticides. Because the club had outgrown its manufactured steel chemical storage building, staff previously transported products out to the golf course to mix them. The new agricultural building includes PlantStar mix-load equipment that allows staff to mix spray product in large batches and fill the sprayers quicker and more efficiently than before. The building also has a sump floor to contain spills.
    "By prioritizing sustainability in every aspect of our operations, we aim to set a new standard for golf course management while preserving the natural beauty of our surroundings," said Chuck Lawson, Applebrook's president.
    There were many challenges and complications that made the project unique, said Viarengo.
    "The main one was that our golf maintenance facility resides on the East Goshen Township property. When the golf course was developed, the township acquired 100 acres of the original tract of land to build a park for the residents."
      The pharmaceutical company Smith Kline Beecham (now GSK) owned that tract of land, and the facility was in a few of the original buildings that subsequently were now on township property. With a complex agreement with the township, Applebrook acquired the lots with an easement to operate outside the buildings. 
    Golf course staff must cross a public road to get from the maintenance facility to the golf course. The original buildings comprised about 8,000 square feet, and club founders, motivated by the avoidance of new construction costs, deemed the old buildings adequate 24 years ago. Although construction was completed in just nine months, the planning process for the new facility took four years to navigate.

    Applebrook Golf Club members celebrate the club's new maintenance facility. "Our founding members were from Pine Valley, Aronimink, Merion and other area courses. As it so happens, these premier clubs had poor maintenance facilities," Viarengo said. "Based on the founder's frame of reference, they thought inheriting these old buildings and avoiding the cost of new construction was a home run. Where I came from in New York, the aging facilities were already being updated and improved. Within a decade of Applebrook opening, most courses I mentioned, and more, had reconstructed their facilities to a much higher standard."
    Because the club had a strict covenant with the township to operate a golf course maintenance facility in the middle of its park, the club was limited as to what it could and could not do regarding construction and storage of materials, Viarengo said.
    Adding to the complication, those buildings are next to a renovated farmhouse that serves as the Chester County Chamber of Business and Industry offices. 
    "Long story short, we had a lengthy approval process. Before we even got to the usual land development process, Applebrook had to get the entire agreement rewritten, and because of how the township acquired the land, the county had to be involved," Viarengo said. "The good news was that at the end of the day, while this was good for Applebrook, it was also a significant win for East Goshen Township, the residents and all the neighbors."
  • To say technology is advancing at breathtaking speed would be an understatement of dramatic proportion.
    It took years for man to figure out how to fly, but just 66 years after Orville and Wilbur Wright of Dayton, Ohio built a plane that could get off the ground for just a few seconds, Neil Armstrong, from nearby Wapakoneta, became the first man to walk on the moon.
    Technology is improving just as rapidly in turf maintenance. A pipedream just a few years ago, electronic mowers are now mainstream. When an autonomous greens mower arrived on the trade show floor at the GCSAA show in 2009 in New Orleans, the technology was intriguing, but failed to attract much more than curiosity from onlookers.
    Today, Blackhawk Country Club in Stratford, Connecticut, maintains all of its fairways with a fleet of autonomous mowers operating under solar power.
    "We had them installed in October 2023, and used that time to troubleshoot," said former golf course superintendent Bryan Barrington, co-founder and vice president of agronomy of Alliance Golf Management, which owns four courses and manages a fifth throughout Connecticut and Massachusetts.
    "This is really our first year with them. We wanted to see how they work in spring, summer and fall, with frost on the ground in the shoulder seasons and leaves on the ground — things that would impede them from going out first thing in the morning, or overnight."
    As a veteran superintendent of 27 years, Barrington has always considered himself a risk-taker and first-adopter who embraces new technology.
    A graduate of the University of Rhode Island turfgrass program, Barrington grew-in Worcester Country Club and Red Tail Golf Club, both in Massachusetts before moving on to do the same in 2004 at The Golf Club at Oxford Greens, a daily fee course winding through a Del Webb community in Oxford, Connecticut.
    In 2018, Barrington and Oxford GM Josh McKim founded Alliance Golf Management Co. with a group of other investors. Based in Farmington, Connecticut, Alliance acquired Blackhawk in 2022 and is on a path to buy a course approximately every 16 months. That portfolio includes Oxford Greens and Red Tail, as well as Silo Point Country Club in Southbury, Connecticut and Blackhawk. The company also manages Tunxis Country Club in Farmington.
    In the pre-Covid era, Alliance struggled to find enough help. During the pandemic, its Connecticut properties flourished due to lockdowns that included bans on golf in neighboring states like Massachusetts and New York.
    "It was a blessing in disguise," Barrington said. "People there flocked to Connecticut to play golf."
    Blackhawk has a collection of 29 Husqvarna 550 EPOS autonomous mowers (shown at right and in the video above) from GreenSight, with each driven by its own solar-powered charging station spread throughout the property. GreenSight is a Boston-based technology company that provides solutions to the golf, sports turf, agriculture and defense industries.
    Alliance also struggled to find enough help at Blackhawk when it bought the property two years ago. And although a shortage of labor was not why the company invested in autonomous mowing, it did play a role.
    "It wasn't our goal to deplete our labor. In fact, we've increased our staff," Barrington said. "We got (the mowers) so we can reallocate our resources to completing more of the detail work."
    Alliance chose Blackhawk for the autonomous mower program because a recent tree-management program has opened the course for the solar panels on the charging stations. Other courses in the company's portfolio either have too much shade or are prone to flooding.
    The satellite-based Husqvarna units can mow slopes up to 45 degrees, and a pin-activated alarm helps guard against theft.

    Each mowing unit has its own solar-powered charging station. All images and video courtesy of Alliance Golf Management The units can be managed through Husqvarna's mobile app, and height of cut is currently set at about 15 mm, or almost sixth-tenths of an inch, and each unit at Blackhawk can mow about 1.5 acres on a single charge before retreating to its own solar-powered station. The goal, Barrington says, is to get down to about 12-13 mm. 
    Each charging station has its own solar panel that measures about 5 feet in length, and since they require direct access to sunlight, they're not exactly hidden.
    "Some of the charging stations are visible, but GreenSight did a good job of putting them out of the way around the golf course," he said. "Now, golfers don't even notice them."
    When the charge is running low, the units return to their respective charging stations.
    "And when they leave the charging station, they go back to where they were and pick up where they left off," Barrington said.
    Among the other features of the Husqvarna unit is the ability to recognize obstacles in its path. If a mower bumps into something in its way, such as a golf car, it will back up then start moving again when the obstacle has moved out of the way.
    Stakeholders at Alliance take pride in being on the cutting edge of technology, and that played a role in choosing solar-powered charging stations rather than wired docks. There were other factors, however, involved in the decision-making process.

    The autonomous mowers at Blackhawk Country Club can run night or day. "The cost of running 110 (volt electrical lines) throughout the property was just too expensive," Barrington said.
    After initial set-up and mowing, the autonomous mowers require little human interaction, most of which is limited to removing organic matter from the undercarriage and changing out blades every 10 to 14 days, Barrington says.
    "Any build up of grass can put the mower out of balance, so we have to blow out the mowers and the docking stations," he said.
    "They're really pretty trouble-free."
    Alliance is a management company dedicated to finding innovative, technology-based solutions to many of the challenges facing golf industry stakeholders on the golf course as well as in the clubhouse. Although shade and the threat of flooding prevent expanding the autonomous mowing program to other courses under the company's umbrella.
    "I think that is realistic as we pursue improvements on the other golf courses," Barrington said. "It would be great if we could get them on the other courses."
  • A new herbicide-resistant seeded paspalum is set to hit the market.
    Pure Dynasty with ACCe, is a new herbicide-resistant paspalum that was developed by Pure-Seed Testing, which markets the product along with Atlas Turf International. It will be introduced June 20 at Pure Seed's field day at the company's Rolesville, North Carolina research facility.
    Pure Dynasty with ACCe was bred with ACCe technology developed by University of Georgia plant breeder Paul Raymer, Ph.D. It was tested on multiple sites over several years to incorporate UGA's ACCe technology.
    The new paspalum was bred to produce quicker establishment, as well as quick germination; improved density; enhanced salt, disease and wear resistance; early spring green-up; and flexibility for varied mowing heights for wall-to-wall use. 
    Pure Dynasty with ACCe was developed for improved tolerance to ACCe-inhibiting herbicides, including sethoxydim, fenoxaprop, fluazifop-butyl and pinoxaden to control annual and perennial grasses, such as Bermudagrass, crabgrass, goosegrass and tropical signal grass.
    As soon as the new paspalum is established, the old turf can be sprayed out with approved herbicides. 
    Bred from Platinum TE as one of its genetic parents, Pure Dynasty shares the benefits of vegetative paspalum including salt tolerance when mature, quick recovery, dark green color, and an upright growth habit for excellent playability. However, as a seeded variety, it is easier to acquire for countries with import restrictions on vegetative paspalum.
    "For 15 or 20 years, I have had a goal to identify a strain of paspalum with herbicide resistance, as I felt this would be a great help in eliminating Bermuda and other grasses in paspalum stands," Raymer said in a news release. "This is difficult – it is very hard to kill bermuda – and I have long believed this to be one of the greatest obstacles to the adoption of seashore paspalum.
    "I knew that mutations producing resistance to ACCase herbicides had been reported in several grass species, though not, until now, paspalum. We analyzed billions of cells and eventually identified a mutation that achieved what we needed."
    Its durability and flexibility of mowing heights makes Pure Dynasty with ACCe suitable for use on golf course greens, tees, fairways and rough areas; athletic fields; lawns and landscaping; and for erosion control.
    "Paul sent the mutated plants to us, and the Pure-Seed Testing team spent years evaluating and selecting the best parents to cross for the varieties in Pure Dynasty ACCe using natural breeding practices" said Crystal Rose-Fricker, president of Pure Seed and Pure-Seed Testing. "We now have a substantial quantity of seed harvested and ready for sale, enough for courses to trial."
  • The crew at Highlands Country Club in North Carolina is busy preparing the nursery for a Penn A4 conversion. Photo by Brian Stiehler As a self-described lifelong learner and an impassioned and creative thinker, Brian Stiehler, like so many of his colleagues, fits the mold of being a research scientist as well as a golf course superintendent.
    The head greenkeeper of Highlands Country Club for the past 23 years, Stiehler (right) has regularly maintained a nursery on the property in Highlands, North Carolina.
    The putting surfaces at Highlands, a 1928 Donald Ross design, were seeded with Penn A4 creeping bentgrass in 1998, three years before Stiehler's arrival. Thanks to tree and shade issues, the amount of Poa annua on the greens ranges from 10 percent to 90 percent, according to Stiehler. 
    To that end, the 5,000-square-foot nursery routinely included some amount of Penn A4 creeping bentgrass. But there was always more to that nursery, at least in the past decade, than growing turf for repairs and regrassing projects. And years of monitoring those various turf varieties has yielded the best choice for Highlands' greens. It is a simple template that can easily be replicated anywhere.
    "My nursery has always been an experimentation place," Stiehler said. "There has always been some Penn A4 on it. But seven or eight years ago, I gridded out the nursery with the most popular bentgrasses. It was like my own NTEP trial. I wanted to see what was the best bentgrass in case we ever redid our greens."
    Part of that test nursery was the a seeded Poa annua developed by Penn State plant breeder David Huff, Ph.D.
    "He developed the first harvested Poa seed, and asked if I would do a plot at Highlands. It did really well."
    After years of analysis, Stiehler has settled on what he believes is the best turf option for Highlands, and is converting the nursery from its former use as a research plot to one for harvesting purposes.
    Although a few varieties fared well, including Huff's seeded Poa and Pure Distinction creeping bentgrass, Penn A4 stood out from the crowd at Highlands, which has an elevation of nearly 4,000 feet and receives an average of 80 to 100 inches of precipitation annually.
    "This is a very unique climate. It's ideal for growing cool-season grass," he said. "You'd think any grass would do well, but some didn't. I'm not sure why, but I think rainfall has something to do with it. You can't control (rain) water. We spend more time trying to get rid of water.
    "We were testing eight different types. I was always partial to Tee 2 Green (varieties) because I went to Penn State. Some of the others just didn't do well."
    The new nursery will yield benefits almost immediately during a renovation of the Nos. 12 and 14 greens later this year. That project will involve enlarging the putting surfaces to increase the number of pinnable options on both greens."
    Despite the age of the greens at Highlands, turf quality precludes any further work on the putting surfaces other than the enlargement project on 12 and 14.
    "At some point we probably will, but the greens are so good there's no reason to," Stiehler said. "The Poa sticks out in the spring, but by late May, it's a pretty homogenous mix. And we have zero thatch. I'm proud of how we managed that. The USGA says the life of a green is 20 to 25 years. I understand what they're saying, but if you have a supportive membership, there's no reason they can't last 35 to 40 years or longer. Besides, when you seed greens to bentgrass, your membership wants to keep the bentgrass as long as you possibly can. 
    The only reason to rebuild is if you want to regrass them. Otherwise, there is no reason to blow them up."
  • For most of the past two decades, John Deere, Rain Bird, Bayer and now Envu have teamed to help prepare hundreds of future golf course superintendents for the next stage in their careers through the Green Start Academy.
    The application period for the 19th annual professional development and peer networking event is open through Aug. 1.
    Scheduled for Dec. 11-13 at Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina, the three-day education and networking experience is open to 50 assistant golf course superintendents and provides attendees with the opportunity to become immersed in lectures and roundtable discussions conducted by the golf industry leaders. According to the GSA website, the program is designed to provide "the best environment for assistant superintendents to impart essential knowledge and facilitate the sharing of industry best practices, with a clear focus on professional development."
    "Green Start Academy has consistently paved the way for assistant superintendents to excel in their careers," said Mark Ford, Envu customer marketing manager.

    John Zimmers, a veteran superintendent of two U.S. Open Championships in 2007 and 2016, a U.S. Women's Open in 2010 and the 2021 Ryder Cup Matches, speaks at a recent Green Start Academy. This year marks the fourth consecutive appearance for Green Start at Pinehurst, site of this year's U.S. Open Championship.
    The goal of the GSA program is to drive both personal and professional success by providing the tools and training needed by today's golf course superintendents while also giving attendees the chance to build relationships with peers and industry leaders.
    "Spending time with the mentors, our friends at John Deere and Envu at Pinehurst, the home of American golf. What could be better?" said Tony Whelan, national sales manager for Rain Bird. " Developing a program that helps prepare assistant superintendents from across the U.S. and Canada for their next role and seeing them building a network of peers and mentors. I know the golf course community's future is bright and in good hands with the graduates of this program."
    Previous Green Start Academy participants are not eligible, with the exception of the 2020 virtual class, who may reapply for consideration in this year's or a future in-person program. Applicants selected for this year's academy will be notified by Aug. 30.
    Click here to apply.
  • For superintendents seeking a 2-in-1 spreader-sprayer with a high capacity, Steel Green Manufacturing has launched its SGXL All-Granular spreader. The unit is built on the same chassis as the SGXL sprayer, which now features stainless steel architecture.
    The SGXL Granular Attachment Kit for the standard SGXL makes it easy to switch between liquid and granular capabilities.
    The new SGXL All-Granular features a 350-pound stainless steel hopper, and its stainless steel side trays can carry up to 500 pounds of additional product, giving it a total capacity of 850 pounds. With its hydraulic power spinner motor, it can spread up to 25 feet wide, meaning operators can complete their jobs faster and with fewer passes while using less gas.
    "The SGXL All-Granular is built with efficiency in mind," said Matt Smith, Steel Green cofounder and sales manager. "Here at Steel Green, we're always looking for opportunities to make equipment that helps our customers do jobs quickly and well, and this new unit is a testament to that philosophy."
    Based in Lebanon, Indiana, Steel Green Manufacturing is an employee-owned business with more than 100 years of combined experience in the equipment industry that builds zero-turn sprayer/spreader machines.
     
  • The phrase "the best defense is a good offense" most often is associated with football. Its origins, however, more than likely are grounded in military history. It was a philosophy utilized by George Washington during the American Revolution and was a cornerstone of the "The Art of War," a book written by Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu in the fifth century BC.
    Combing through old TurfNet webinars in the midst of grub season was a reminder that this philosophy also applies to the battle against white grubs in managing golf course turf. The most effective method for eliminating this foe from its subterranean stronghold where they chew on the roots of turfgrass is to apply an insecticide before they hatch so they have no chance to survive the first or second instar stages.

    Watch this TurfNet webinar on grub control by Pat Vittum, Ph.D.
    In fact, grubs are such a formidable opponent when they become fat and sassy that retired Ohio State entomologist Dave Shetlar, Ph.D., said years ago at an OTF-OSU field day that the best tool for control for third instar grubs was a bag of fertilizer, joking that the pests were so large that a 30-pound sack dropped on their rasters might be all that could eliminate them.
    While Shetlar's advice surely would be lethal against any grub, not all beetle species are created equally.
    Among the most common culprits in the war on grubs are the Japanese beetle, Asiatic Garden beetle, Oriental beetle and the European chafer. As their names indicate, all are invasive. Other common grubs that pose a problem in turf include native species like May and June beetles and masked chafers.
    Although each has just one life cycle per year, size varies between species and the exact timing of each stage can vary slightly, according to research. That can make control a potential challenge because habitat can overlap between species.
    Threshold levels can vary by species, which can be identified by their raster patterns.

    Researchers recommend preventive pesticide applications to control white grubs while they are in the first or second instar stage. Utah State University photo After completing the metamorphosis from larva to pupa to adult, beetles typically emerge from the soil in early to mid-summer to feed, mate and lay their eggs. Researchers recommend a preventive insecticide application typically between May and July in an attempt to get product into the ground before the eggs hatch or at least while the larva remain in the first or second instar stage when they are most vulnerable, according to Purdue University research.
    Adults are active for up to six weeks, and eggs hatch about a week after being laid. The eggs require moisture in the soil to remain viable, and females are able to delay laying them if the soil is too dry. Larvae remain in the first instar stage for about two to three weeks, and transition to the third instar typically in early fall, research says. After overwintering below the frost line, the grubs ascend through the soil and eventually pupate in late spring before emerging again in June as adults as the process starts over again.
    Larvae begin feeding right after they hatch, chewing on the roots of turfgrass and often feasting just below the thatch layer, according to research. Damage appears similar to drought stress, but can be dwarfed in comparison to secondary damage caused by predators like skunks and raccoons as they forage for a meal. Feeding, by both grubs and skunks, continues into early fall, with the exception of the European chafer, which is found in the upper Midwest and the Northeast. First identified in the U.S. in 1940 in Rochester, New York, the European chafer is less susceptible to cold than other grubs, and thus continues feeding deeper into the fall and is active earlier in the spring.
    Researchers recommend neonicotinoids, a combination of a neonicotinoid plus a pyrethroid, or chlorantraniliprole for preventive control. For curative control of third instar grubs through summer and fall, scientists recommend a carbamate or organophosphate.
    An exception is the Asiatic garden beetle. Native to Japan and China, the Asiatic garden beetle was first identified in the U.S. in 1922 in New Jersey. In a 2003 study, the neonicotinoids imidacloprid and thiamethoxam failed to provide control, but clothianidin did.
    What is consistent across grub species is the idea that it is best to strike first, because the best defense is a good offense.
  • Has anyone ever asked you "where do you see yourself in five years?" It is a question most ponder, yet few can accurately answer.
    Now, have you ever asked that about the golf business? 
    The game provides employment to more than 1.5 million Americans  while generating close to $100 billion in annual wages. The past few years have yielded a record number of golfers and more rounds played in the U.S. than ever before. It also can be a great form of exercise.
    As golf continues to ride a wave of renewed enthusiasm in a post-pandemic world, while at the same time continuing to fend off criticism from voices outside the ropes, the well-being of the game's future seems to be a fair question. How long will the comeback last? 
    There are many more non-golfers than golfers, and half of them, according to the National Golf Foundation, do not have a favorable view of the game. That's understandable considering their exposure to the game and the land on which it is played.
    When non-golfers are exposed to golf it likely occurs in a limited number of ways, watching tournaments like the Masters or the U.S. Open, and when they drive past a golf course they see irrigation running and lush, green turf.
    So, how do the game's stakeholders continue to navigate against the current of negative public opinion over golf's perceived negative environmental impact and its reputation of being exclusive? What, if anything, can be done to win them over?
    Successfully picking next week's winning lottery numbers might be easier. After all, facts have never mattered when smearing golf.
    Detractors point to several reasons they believe golf courses would be better used for other purposes.
    The game, they claim, is too exclusive. Additionally, golf courses use too much water. Fertilizers and pesticides poison the ground and present a hazard to non-target organisms. Some chemicals used on golf courses even have been blamed for causing cancer, resulting in several being banned in cities and states throughout the country, despite a lack of compelling evidence.
    An editorial in the Tampa Bay Times accused golf courses of being "an environmental blight" based on use of water, pesticides and fertilizers.
    Just a few years ago, the sports staff at CNN (didn't really know it had one) published a story declaring that golf was "on borrowed time" because of climate change. 
    The story went on to label golf as a "dirty sport that's wrecking the planet," and the game must become more sustainable "to save the planet."
    Access to water has long been a controversial topic in the West. Will golf courses in the arid West be relegated to target golf? Will the spigot for some be turned off entirely?

    Those who look unfavorably upon golf say golf courses use too much water. There are scores of alternative media that say it is time to abolish golf because of its (perceived) negative environmental impact. Further complicating this issue is a constant barrage of information — and misinformation — as the lines between mainstream and alternative media are more blurred now than ever. To that end, another common criticism by the media is that the game caters to the rich, and therefore the acreage dedicated to golf should be surrendered for the greater good for things like high-density housing or public greenspace (remember people picnicking on golf courses in the early days of Covid?). 
    The truth is more people than ever — 23 million, or about 7 percent of the U.S. population — played golf last year, and about 75 percent of U.S. golf courses are open to the public, according to the National Golf Founday.
    It's funny how those who say 150 acres of grass and trees are bad for the environment will also champion the construction of strip malls, parking lots and apartment buildings in their place.
    All those golfers and all those rounds mean spending a lot of time managing the golf course. And the game's naysayers already point fingers at mechanized equipment for belching greenhouse gas emissions into the air. Golf, they conclude, must do more to decrease their carbon footprint and become more sustainable.
    According to published reports, the United States emits about 6 million metric tons of carbon dioxide annually. That might sound like a lot, but it pales in comparison to the combined 15 billion — that's billion with a "B" — metric tons produced by China and India. Until headway is made in Asia, it matters little what anyone else does. But then again, facts seem to matter little in the cold war against golf.
    A recent University of Wisconsin study found that four golf courses emitted about 4,000 kg of carbon dioxide per year. Conversely, jet aircraft emit 6 kg of carbon dioxide per kilogram of fuel. The average private jet has a fuel capacity of about 6,000 pounds, or about 2,750 kg. That's as much as 16,500 kg of carbon dioxide in a single tank.
    If we're going to point fingers, then let's point fingers.
    The reality is golf courses are farther along on the route to sustainability than they've ever been. Products produced by chemical companies are safer than ever and are effective at lower rates. Many courses are using less water than ever. Wildlife abounds and bird boxes, bat boxes and naturalized areas are on more courses than not.
    All that seems to matter little to the anti-golf crowd. 
    Towns, cities and states from coast to coast have banned a variety of pesticides, many of which are used on golf courses. Some bans include golf, others have given the industry an exemption — for now. 
    Most recently, New York enacted a law that will ban the use of neonicotinoids. In December, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed into law the Birds and Bees Protection Act. The legislation is intended to protect pollinators by restricting the use of neonicotinoids containing clothianidin, imidacloprid, thiamethoxam, dinotefuran or acetamiprid on turf; coated corn, soybean and wheat seeds in agriculture; and outdoor ornamental plants. The law will go into effect Jan. 1, 2027. Despite a long history of responsible pesticide use in the turf industry, the ban includes golf, leaving superintendents there with few efficacious options.
    A total of 23 million people played golf last year. That is more than ever, but it also means more than 300 million people do not, and about 150 million of them do not look favorably on golf.
    As the cold war against golf shows no sign of letting up, have you asked where your industry will be in five years? Because facts matter little.
    Advocating for the game means more than just attracting new players. It also means educating those who will never pick up a club or strike a ball about the benefits of golf and what superintendents do to maintain the playing surface. And everyone who works in the game has a responsibility to school non-golfers and debunk the myths that others espouse.
  • Ignite Attachments recently launched a line of compact attachments, including a rock grappler (above) and bucket grappler (below). For turfgrass managers who need to move dirt, remove rocks or perform many other tasks but do not need a full-size piece of equipment to do so, Ignite Attachments has launched a compact line of its full-size grappling attachments.
    Based in Moorhead, Minnesota, Ignite offers attachments and three-point implements for compact equipment that are compatible with most compact makes and models for use in a variety of markets through a digital, direct-to-consumer storefront and retailers.
    Ignite recently introduced compact versions of its bucket, rock and rake grapples. Each unit features a laser-cut steel design resulting in a tighter fitting attachment with a long service life, all are available in 36-inch and 44-inch widths and can be paired with any brand of mini track loader.
    With a grapple opening of 26.6 inches and a minimum height of 22.1 inches, the Ignite mini bucket grapple is ideal for smaller jobs as well as those that require navigating tight spaces.
    A 2.25-inch bore by 1-inch rod cylinder is located behind the bucket, rather than on top, for increased safety and protection under the demanding conditions. Combined with a standard flat-faced coupler and full-length nylon hose sleeve, the bucket's design minimizes downtime and helps extend the life of the attachment.
    The mini rock grapple features many of the same design elements and features of its bucket cousin, including Ignite's dual interface. The grapple opening is 25.9 inches with a tine spacing of 3 inches for effective rock and debris removal. A unique faceplate design allowing for ease of integration with mixed fleets.
    The mini rake grapple has many of the same features and benefits of the bucket and rake attachments, and offers tine spacing of 6.75 inches on the 36-inch model, which allows operators to remove debris with less soil disturbance.
    Greaseable pins and heavy-duty cylinder protection minimize downtime and help extend the life cycle of the attachment.
  • Success has a way of altering one's goals.
    What once seemed like a lofty and out-of-reach dream later can become dwarfed by reality. Such is the case for Nate McKinnis, who since last April has been head superintendent at Carolina Golf Club in Charlotte, North Carolina. 
    A decade ago, when he was a student in the turfgrass program at Ohio State, McKinniss looked forward to the day when he could buy Hillcrest Golf Club, a daily fee layout in his hometown of Findlay, Ohio.
    After six years working alongside Chad Mark, CGCS, at Jack Nicklaus's Muifield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, the last year of which he spent as golf course superintendent, McKinniss, 30, took the reins last year from Matthew Wharton, who traded one Donald Ross design for another when he left Carolina Golf Club for Idle Hour Country Club in Lexington, Kentucky.
    "They've definitely changed," McKinniss said of his career goals. "It's the realization of what this industry is and how big it is. When you're in college, you don't understand all the possibilities that are out there. Back then, I had no idea I'd be here. Never in a million years."
    Although McKinniss could not foresee the future, the writing was on the wall that his prospects were bright. He was a two-time OTF scholarship winner at Ohio State. Through cooperation with Mike O'Keeffe and The Ohio Program at OSU, McKinniss interned in Ireland at County Louth Golf Club in 2016 as part of TurfNet's Next Generation of Greenkeeping, and his experience at Muirfield earned him a spot in TurfNet's Rising Stars of Turf series sponsored by Earthworks and DryJect.
    Now, chief on the list of career goals for McKinniss is being the same kind of mentor to his assistants and interns that Mark was for him at Muirfield.
    "I had a lot of questions when I started at Muirfield, but Chad kept saying 'Do you trust me? I'm not going to let you fail.' He always had the answers," McKinniss said. "Now, a lot of those things he was telling me all those years make sense.
    "I want these interns and young assistants to know that I am here to help them."
    Working for Nicklaus at the home of The Memorial Tournament under a mentor like Mark might make one wonder why McKinniss, or anyone for that matter, would want to leave Muirfield. 
    "Chad had given me full ownership of managing the golf course," McKinniss said.

    After six years at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, Nate McKinniss has been superintendent at Carolina Golf Club in Charlotte for more than a year. Photo courtesy of Nate McKinniss "I'm learning about managing a golf course in a different area. I'm working on Bermudagrass, which we learned about in class at Ohio State, but we didn't actually work on it. I want to learn as much as possible for any other opportunities that might come up in the future."
    Advancing his career did not come easily for McKinniss, who, in his own words "performed horribly" during the interview process for another position at another golf course. He was in the process of setting up an interview training session with Tim Moraghan of Aspire Golf when everything changed.
    At about the same time, Moraghan had been retained by Carolina to find Wharton's replacement and, after consulting with Mark, submitted McKinniss's resumé for consideration. 
    "The superintendents and assistants I work with, I'm picky about them. They have to have one foot over the finish line and the other off the ground," Moraghan said. "That's Nate. Chad trains his guys well.
    "Nate had construction experience and bentgrass experience."
    McKinniss said there was indeed a silver lining to that negative interview experience. As he and fiancé Alexa Spartis discussed their future, the subject of where they would like to live surfaced. North Carolina was tops on her list.
    "I needed something to motivate me," he said. 
    "I went in fired up. It felt like every moment of this opportunity felt right. This wasn't just for me. This was about where we would start our own story together."
    The outcome this time for McKinniss was a 180-degree turnaround from his earlier experience.
    "He blew them out of the water," said Moraghan, who was on the interview committee. "He arrived early, he reviewed the golf course, he talked with the assistant, he talked with Matt (Wharton), he had experience dealing with boards. Nothing came up that he hadn't already dealt with at Muirfield."

    Nate McKinniss, left, credited Chad Mark, right, his mentor and former boss at Muirfield Village for preparing him for the next step in his career. Photo courtesy of Nate McKinniss He started his job in Charlotte in April, about a month before the 2023 Memorial at Muirfield. The committee asked why, a month before a high-profile PGA Tour event, he would seek another job.
    "He told them he wanted to better himself," Moraghan said. "He said he had already been part of several tournaments at Muirfield and that when one man goes down, it's the next man up and we don't miss a beat. They were impressed by that."
    Today, McKinniss says it is his responsibility to do for his assistants and interns at Carolina what Mark did for him at Muirfield.
    "I see more of what Chad was teaching me now that I'm gone than I did when I was there," he said. "It's time for me to pay it forward. I have to put my boots on and get my hands dirty with these guys. I can start to see them getting it."
  • Envu recently launched its newest fungicide along with a handful of herbicides for use on turfgrass.
    Castlon is a fluoxastrobin fungicide that is labeled for control of more than two dozen common diseases in turfgrass, including fairy ring, summer patch, brown patch, leaf spot and Pythium. It also is OK'd for control of 22 landscape/ornamental diseases. 
    Castlon fungicide is a strobilurin chemistry that is highly systemic in plants with fast uptake. It is a good tank mix partner with Mirage Stressgard fungicide for improved plant health benefits.
    Castlon debuts alongside four postemergent turfgrass herbicides for use in cool-season turf that will be available June.
    Those new herbicides are:
    Acclaim Accelerate (quinclorac): Offers enhanced control of 3- to 5-tiller crabgrass and the many  midsummer weeds, including torpedograss on warm-season turfgrasses. Terradex Power Premix (2,4-D, triclopyr, dicamba, MCPA): Premixed formulation offers broad spectrum broadleaf weed control — including difficult-to-control weeds such as thistle on primary and no-mow roughs. Terradex Crabgrass and Broadleaf (2,4-D, quinclorac, dicamba): A combination of three active ingredients to provide postemergence control of both grassy and broadleaf weeds. Applied for late-season cleanup. Terradex Quick Strike (2,4-D, sulfentrazone, dicamba, MCPA): Rainfast in six hours, it controls broadleaf weeds fast with results in 24 to 48 hours.
  • STEC names new territory manager
    STEC Equipment recently named Ben Rothwell as its West Coast territory sales manager.
    Rothwell has an agricultural background that includes growing up working the family farm in Listowell, Ontario. He is a mechanical engineering graduate of the University of Guelph.
    His experience includes working for MacDon, a Manitoba-based manufacturer of harvesting equipment for the agricultural industry. Most recently, he was the project manager for a startup turf equipment company.
    His territory includes Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Washington. He can be reached at brothwell@stecequipment.com.
    Rezadone is latest Grigg turf health product
    Grigg recently launched Rezadone for enhanced turfgrass health and vitality.
    A liquid formulation, Rezadone accelerates the breakdown of grass clippings and improves water flow through the soil profile to reduce black layer, the company says.
    Rezadone prolongs microbial activity to improve soil health. 
    The product also enhances nutrient release, supporting improved growth and color, while reducing the need for frequent aeration and preserving soil structure and integrity.
    Hunter adds wireless valve certificate program
    Hunter Industries has launched its Wireless Valve Link Certificate Program that demonstrates installation methods and best practices for the company’s Wireless Valve Link System.
    The online program gives users the product knowledge needed to deliver successful results for even the most complex projects — without running costly wire or cutting into hardscape.
    The program includes 12 videos that provide an overview of product capabilities, installation, ideal applications and accessories.
    Those who complete the program with a score of 80 percent or higher will earn a professional certificate.
  • As an owner, operator and superintendent, Matthew Woodcock spends a lot of time on the golf course.
    Since he and wife Jill bought Old Erie Golf Club in Durhamville, New York three years ago, Woodcock increasingly spends more time on the course, even if the time allocated to various tasks changes year to year based on shifts in the number of customers playing the course.
    "We've had steady growth of 15 to 20 percent every year since 2021," said Woodcock. "We're seeing a lot of new golfers. We are seeing more women and more kids who are 16, 17, 18 years old. We're seeing more demographics than we did three years ago.
    "I had to hire someone to help on the golf course because we've grown so much."
    That extra help allows Woodcock to spend more time inside Old Erie's modest clubhouse so he can tend to other business matters at the course located about 30 miles east of Syracuse.
    Mind you, Woodcock is not complaining, and he welcomes the added business. Buying a golf course in the middle of a pandemic admittedly was a risk that has paid off for the Woodcocks. Indeed, there have been real costs (and benefits) stemming from the pandemic, and Woodcock's story is an example of how Covid has changed the business of golf.
    Just about every industry has been affected since the start of the pandemic in 2020. Many of the changes have been positive, others not so much. Golf has not been immune.
    Millions of newcomers have taken up the game in that time, and fortunately many of them have stuck with it, leading to an unprecedented amount of play. The game's popularity has been on a constant uptick in participation for the past four years after two decades of decline.
    The 520 million rounds played in 2023 were a record high. The Covid-driven surge in play during the past four years prompted Stuart Lindsay of Edgehill Golf Advisors to say in 2022: "It took us 19 years to lose 85 million rounds, and we regained all of them in two years."
    Although play is way up, new course construction still is way down during most of the past two decades. There has been a net loss of about 1,500 courses during the past 18 years, according to industry reports. As course closings continue to outpace new construction, the average number of players per facility has exceeded what Jim Koppenhaver of Pellucid Corp. has said is supply-demand equilibrium of about 35,000 rounds per year per 18-hole equivalent by as much as 11 percent.
    All that extra traffic can take a toll on turf conditions.
    "What is the true cost of Covid? What is the cost of Covid with all that extra play?" asked Chris Hartwiger, director of agronomy for the USGA Green Section.
    "The extra traffic is real. If there is 20 percent more play, then sure, there are going to be 20 percent more ball marks and 20 percent more divots. The more wear and tear there is, the more turf quality goes down, but that doesn't slow down golfers."
    At Old Erie, Woodcock is devoting more time to maintaining the golf course due to the boost in play. He is aerifying the greens three times more than he did in 2021 when he bought the golf course.

    A new group of golfers, both young and old, have been regulars at Old Erie Golf Club in Durhamville, New York, since the pandemic. Old Erie GC Facebook photo "I am doing more cultural practices than ever. But I don't know if that is because of increased play, or because of my obsession with making this the best golf course it can be for $25 and a cart for nine holes," he said. "I'm also putting three times as much sand down. 
    "The last couple of years we've had warm, dry summers. We're blessed and cursed. We only irrigate our greens. That's 1 out of 77 acres. The rest is Mother Nature-dependent. We don't have any cart paths. That means golfers don't enter and exit the fairways at the same place, so that spreads out wear."
    With play up and new course construction is down, many clubs are capitalizing on increased revenue streams to make improvements through restoration projects.
    So many courses are or have been under renovation in the past several years that something as basic as sand has been difficult to come by, and contractors to move dirt often must be booked months in advance.
    "Many are taking the money from all that extra play, and the smart ones are reinvesting it back into the club," said Thomas Bastis, CGCS, competition agronomist with the PGA Tour.
    Labor continues to be a concern for many businesses since the pandemic when hourly workers across the spectrum were told they were non-essential. Since then, workers who have taken that message to heart have been slow to return to jobs flipping burgers, or raking bunkers. Many of those who have returned have made themselves available to the highest bidder, with golf often losing employees to other businesses in other industries.
    Other challenges brought on since the pandemic include skyrocketing costs of new — and used — equipment, fertilizers, fungicides and pesticides, and supply chain issues that make getting that new machinery in a timely manner a true test of patience.

    Matthew Woodcock says play is up 15-20 percent each year at Old Erie Golf Club since he and his wife bought it three years ago. Old Erie GC Facebook photo "Pricing has created real hardships. I've never seen anything go up in price like turf equipment has," Bastis said. "But the real problem is getting equipment delivered."
    Those rising costs coupled with slow delivery times have trickled down, leading to an increased demand for quality used equipment.
    Woodcock recalled shopping for a part that he found on the used market for $279, compared with $299 for the OEM alternative.
    "At that point," he asked, "what's the difference?"
    Woodcock has turned to a couple of different sources to help with used equipment, parts and even products to apply to the golf course.
    When he needs something, as the owner and operator of a humble nine-holer, he relies on colleagues near and far. He scours social media for superintendents who might have what he needs, and he and his peers at a handful of other golf courses in the area share inventory with each other as needed.
    "There are six or seven courses in the area, and we share parts with each other," he said.
    The same goes for fertilizers and chemical products applied to the golf course.
    "If I need something and someone has some lying around, I'll ask if I can bum some off them until my order arrives," he said. 
    As the pandemic has helped lead more players to the golf course, it likewise has, in many cases, provided an avenue off the course for hourly labor, a barrier to success that is not unique to golf. The challenges associated with labor struggles, as well as the rising costs of equipment, fertilizers and pesticides also have provided an opportunity for superintendents in an area where they excel — innovating to find new ways to get the job done.
    For many, that has meant leaning on technological advancements — like robotic mowers — in the face of a declining labor force. Dan Meersman at the Philadelphia Cricket Club has been an early adopter of using robotic mowers in out-of-play areas. He hasn't made the move to robotics because of labor problems, but that technology definitely has come out at just the right time for superintendents who want to shift more manpower to in-play areas as golfer demands increase.
    "We have to be perfect every day," Meersman said. "(Robots) allow us to spend more time in areas that golfers care about."
    Bastis agreed that robots are not necessarily a cure for a depleted labor force, but do allow superintendents to concentrate efforts on areas of increased need.
    "Superintendents are asking themselves 'how can I make this better and do it cheaper?' I think that's why we're seeing so many (robots)," Bastis said. "Drones and robotic mowers, these types of things are not exorbitantly expensive. It's almost like why don't you have these things? 
    "There have been some challenges with Covid, but overall there is a lot of positive that has happened since Covid. I don't think anyone has anything to complain about."
     

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