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From the TurfNet NewsDesk

  • John Reitman
    A good equipment technician is the backbone of any successful golf course maintenance operation. A great tech is something your operation should cherish and do everything humanly possible to retain. Not much gets accomplished if equipment does not work when you need it to, or parts are scattered about in a disorganized manner.
     
    If your equipment tech is great or just plain good, nominate him (or her) for TurfNet's 2015 Technician of the Year Award, presented by The Toro Company.
     
    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.
     
    Don't be fooled by imitations: The Golden Wrench Award is the original award for golf course equipment managers. Criteria on which nominees are judged 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.
     
    In other words, tell us what makes your technician worthy, with specific examples of what he or she has accomplished. The more we know, the better your tech's chances of getting noticed.
     
    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 30.
     
    Previous winners are (2014) Lee Medeiros, Timber Creek and Sierra Pines Golf Courses, Roseville, CA; (2013) Brian Sjögren, Corral de Tierra Country Club, Corral de Tierra, CA; (2012) Kevin Bauer, Prairie Bluff Golf Club, Crest Hill, IL; (2011) Jim Kilgallon, The Connecticut Golf Club; (2010) Herb Berg, Oakmont Country Club; (2009) Doug Johnson, TPC at Las Colinas; (2007) Jim Stuart, Stone Mountain Golf Club; (2006) Fred Peck, Fox Hollow and The Homestead; (2005) Jesus Olivas, Heritage Highlands at Dove Mountain; (2004) Henry Heinz, Kalamazoo Country Club; (2003) Eric Kulaas, Marriott Vinoy Renaissance Resort. No award in 2008.
  • Talk about an attention-getter.
      Gov. Jerry Brown's last winter for Californians to voluntarily curb water use by as much as 20 percent were met with mixed results. Many large water users, such as golf courses, already had been implementing smart-water practices by then, and those who hadn't been soon started. However, smaller users, including private residential customers and others exhaled a casual, dismissive "Huh? What?" But when Brown recently announced the first mandatory statewide drought restrictions in California's history, people from the Oregon state line to the border with Mexico took notice.   "What the governor wants from this bill is to get everyone's attention," said Craig Kessler, director of governmental affairs for the Southern California Golf Association. "He got it."   On April 1, Brown issued an executive order directing the State Water Resources Control Board to impose 25 cutbacks on the 400-plus urban water districts throughout the state. Just how those cutbacks will be achieved, however, is a work in progress that will unfold in the next several weeks. According to the SWRCB, the preliminary framework targets reducing "potable urban water use" by 25 percent through February 2016. Preliminary plans for meeting those cuts were published April 7, and a public comment period will run through April 13 before a final rule is published, probably next month.   "We might have some ideas soon about what this might mean," Kessler said. "But we're probably looking at May 4 or 5."   Even then, 25 percent won't mean 25 percent for everyone, and in some cases far from it. The proposed cutbacks, which will range from 10-35 percent will be based on per capita usage across 411 urban water suppliers statewide. Heavy users will be hit hardest, and those districts will have to cut as much as 35 percent to ensure statewide goals are met. Some lighter users will have to cut less than 25 percent, perhaps as little as 10 percent. To determine whether the necessary cuts have been met, water use from June 2015 through February 2016 will be compared to water use from June 2013-February 2014.   Golf courses using only reclaimed water, which represent about one-third of the state's nearly 900 facilities, likely will be exempt from any mandatory cuts, Kessler said. New legislation drafted in January technically places groundwater under state regulation. Since January, however, the SWRCB has had bigger issues than managing well water.   "As a practical matter, there are no constraints on (well water) because it is so new," said Kessler.   Water districts required to cut use by only 10 percent include San Francisco, Monterey and Santa Cruz. Cuts of 20 percent are part of the plan for Los Angeles, San Jose and Orange County. The proposed standard of 25 percent will apply in places including Livermore, Riverside, Sacramento, Fresno and Stockton. For the heaviest water uses, the plan calls for cutbacks of 35 percent in such places as the Coachella Valley and Truckee.    Cutbacks levied by the state apply to individual water districts, which in turn will mete out restrictions to their customers. That means users within the same district might be subject to different restriction levels.   "Water in California is very complicated because of pricing and conveyance," Kessler said.   The cutbacks are the result of four years of drought, mostly in the northern and central regions of the state, which happen to be the same areas that collect water and send it southward across hundreds of miles of pipe toward Los Angeles, which already has been operating under its own mandatory 20 percent cutbacks since 2010.   This much already is clear: The plan will not include agriculture, which is the state's largest water-using industry by far, and the 411 individual urban water districts will have a great deal of latitude to interpret the rule and develop a plan for individual customers to ensure it is in compliance. And it is important for water users to work in concert with their districts so they know exactly how they will be affected, says independent irrigation consultant Mike Huck.   "A lot of this is going to be left up to the individual water districts," said Huck, a former superintendent and USGA agronomist. "It's important to get organized and get with them now."  
    A lot of this is going to be left up to the individual water districts. It's important to get organized and get with them now.
     
    The cutbacks already in place in Los Angeles allow for golf course superintendents to irrigate as they see fit as long as they meet a water budget established by the department. That budget is based on ET, climate and other factors. Those baselines and restrictions were established using the Model Efficient Landscape Ordinance, or Assembly Bill 1881, which was developed after a sustained drought nearly 15 years ago.    The hope is that other water districts around the state will adopt a similar plan for establishing water budgets for golf courses.   "No water district presented with that protocol has ever said no to it, but you never know when you might find one district that wants to be difficult," Kessler said. "Any golf courses in such a water district would suffer mightily."   For now, the only specific mention of golf in the proposed regulation is a requirement for large water users to report monthly usage, using standards already in place, to the SWRCB.   Those who don't meet the demands placed on them by individual water districts face myriad potential penalties, including fines of up to $10,000 per day.   Los Angeles golf courses that violate the 20 percent mandate are placed by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, the state's largest water utility distributing nearly 140 billion gallons of potable water per year, on the same restrictions as residential users. Those limits are much more restrictive, including limiting water use at certain times of the day and throughout the summer.   "That is a death sentence for a golf course, especially in the summer," Kessler said. "There is tremendous incentive to be in compliance, and it works."   This is the first in a multi-part series on golf and water in California.
  • Judge upholds $12 million award for LidoChem

    A Michigan judge recently rejected an appeal ruling that representatives from Stoller Enterprises were in violation of the Lanham Act when they spread false and misleading information about one of LidoChem's agricultural grade fertilizers.
     
    The ruling by Judge Robert Wonker of the United States District Court, Western District of Michigan, upholds a 2014 decision when a jury awarded LidoChem $12 million for what it decided was Stoller's violation of the Lanham Act, which regulates interstate commerce.
     
    The ruling puts to rest a litigation process that began in 2001 when, according to court documents, representatives from Stoller claimed the LidoChem fertilizer contained an ingredient that was damaging to certain food crops.
     


    Army drafts Toro for maintenance duty


    The U.S. Army Installation Management Command chose The Toro Co. to provide equipment to help maintain nearly 50 golf facilities at installations worldwide. The recent contract award renews Toro's relationship with the U.S. Army that began in 2009. 
     
    "We are extremely honored to have been chosen by the U.S. Army to continue providing turf equipment and support to help create the best course conditions for members of the Armed Forces and their families to enjoy," said Darren Redetzke, vice president of Toro's commercial business. "These facilities provide an environment for individuals and families to come together, and we are excited to contribute to that experience."  
     
    Established in 1984, IMCOM's Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation branch provides guidance and oversight for Army garrison programs and services that benefit soldiers, families, retirees and civilians around the world, including golf facilities on installations in the United States, Germany, Japan and Korea.
     



    Rounds down nearly 3% in February

    Rounds played were down 2.7 percent nationwide in February, according to Golf Datatech. Rounds actually were up in 15 states and down in 20 others. There were no statistics available for 14 states mired in the throes of winter.
     
    Numbers were wildly dramatic on both sides of the ledger, with double-digit gains or losses reported in 27 of 35 states included in the survey.
     
    The greatest gains were in Colorado (96 percent). Gains of between 86 and 93 percent were reported in Illinois, Kansas, Oregon and Washington. The biggest losses were felt in New Jersey (down 51 percent). Losses of 23 to 43 percent were felt in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.
     
    Year-to-date rounds played are up by 0.9 percent, however, thanks to a 4.9 percent year-over-year increase in play in January.
     

    BioSafe names new research engineer

    BioSafe Systems recently named Melissa Carserino as research engineer and project manager.
     
    She will be responsible for working to develop new products and assist in the day-to-day management of production and procurement schedules.
     
    Carserino comes to BioSafe from Chemtura Corp., where she worked as technical sales service engineer and product/market analyst.
     

    Hunter taps Wagner for sales lead

    Hunter Industries recently named Dennis Wagner as sales manager for its golf division.
     
    Wagner has worked in the irrigation business for more than 25 years, including 14 years with Rain Bird, where he held various titles. Most recently, he worked as specification manager for Ewing Irrigation.
     
    Wagner also is vice president of the Golf Course Builders Association.
  • A research blog, additional research sites and new control strategies are among a host of upgrades to Syngenta's WeevilTrak site designed to help golf course superintendents maximize efforts to control annual bluegrass weevil.   Once registering for WeevilTrak updates, golf course superintendents will have access to blog posts and receive emails from select researchers throughout the spring and summer. The WeevilTrak Blog will provide live updates from the field to improve ABW tracking and recommended solutions all season long.     Now WeevilTrak also delivers a more comprehensive, geographical look at ABW pressure throughout the Northeast and in areas where ABW populations are spreading such as Ohio and North Carolina. Several new golf courses have been added to the existing program for improved tracking accuracy. Two new researchers, Rick Brandenburg, Ph.D., from North Carolina State University and Albert Koppenhöfer, Ph.D., from Rutgers University, have joined the program.    Registered users also will benefit from the addition of Ference insecticide to the Optimum Control Strategy. With the active ingredient cyantraniliprole, Ference, when applied at 12 fluid ounces per acre can help provide systemic control of ABW at all larval stages (first-fifth instar), and control asynchronous larvae populations that might be present in the summer generations from June to September. Along with Scimitar GC, Acelepryn and Provaunt insecticides, Ference enhances the Syngenta Optimum Control Strategy to help golf course superintendents achieve season-long control of ABW.   In other news, Syngenta has updated information on GreenCastOnline for monitoring and control of white grubs with Acelepryn.   With the active ingredient chlorantraniliprole, Acelepryn is labeled for control of white grubs, annual bluegrass weevil, turf caterpillars (including black cutworms, sod webworms and armyworms), billbugs, chinch bugs and more.   The site includes tips on the benefits of early season applications, favorable environmental conditions for maximum efficacy.
  • A headline in a story written three years ago asked whether the battle over environmental concerns at Sharp Park Golf Course was finally over. The rhetorical question was asked in response to a lawsuit filed by environmental activists claiming day-to-day golf course maintenance at the San Francisco municipal threatened two of the area's most infamous protected wildlife species.
      The short answer then was "no" as Sharp Park, which is located in the town of Pacifica, and the city of San Francisco, which owns the course, have withstood challenge after challenge to the validity of the property as a golf course.   Ask the same question today, and the answer - finally - might be different.   On March 11, the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit rejected a joint appeal filed on behalf of several environmental activism groups that claimed a construction project designed to provide permanent habitat for the California red-legged frog would do more harm than good and that mechanized equipment poses an undue threat to the San Francisco garter snake that doesn't know enough to get out of the way.   The decision by the three-person judicial panel could put to rest what attorneys for the city claim has been a prolonged effort by activists to paint Sharp Park, a 1932 Alister MacKenzie design, as a money-losing venture and an environmental hazard.  Their goal was to shut it down so the oceanfront property could be converted to unmanaged open space.    At issue in the latest appeal is the construction of a pond that the city says would provide reliable and consistent habitat for the frog. Attorneys for the activist groups said the project would result in depleted natural wetlands and a manmade watershed inhospitable to the frogs.  
    At issue in the latest appeal is the construction of a pond that the city says would provide reliable and consistent habitat for the frog...
      The three-person judicial panel wrote that the city and the golf course already were bound by and protected by a permit issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and under the advisement of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.   The courts also rejected a suit filed in 2011 that claimed daily maintenance practices posed a threat to both species. The recent suit, brought on behalf of the Wild Equity Institute, Center for Biological Diversity, National Parks Conservation Association, Surfrider Foundation and Sequoia Audubon and ultimately rejected by the Ninth Circuit, initially was filed in San Francisco Superior Court in April 2014.
  • As golf course managers around the country try to wrap their heads around how the Affordable Care Act will affect operations in the future, it is clear that another federal initiative, the H-2B temporary worker program, is ailing and in need of medical attention.
      A federal judge in Florida ruled March 4 that the Department of Labor, which oversees the program, along with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, does not have jurisdiction in deciding legislative regulations affecting the program.   That's right. According to a federal judge, a government agency doesn't have the authority to legislate how it manage a visiting worker program it is charged with overseeing. Let the confusion begin.   The decision essentially shut down the program that provides temporary, seasonal labor to a host of industries, including golf course maintenance.   In response to the Florida ruling, the DOL ceased processing applications for nearly two weeks until March 17 when it filed an unopposed motion for a temporary stay of the ruling until April 15. The DOL says it will continue to process applications until then, however, the process could come to a halt again if another temporary fix or a permanent solution is not reached by that date.    Although the U.S. Department of Labor is continuing to process visa applications through mid-April, the events of the past month show how badly broken the system is and proves that its long-term status is, for now, up in the air.   On March 13, the Department of Labor and the Department of Homeland Security announced plans to issue a joint interim final rule by April 30 that will be consistent with the federal court decision. Employers who have missed that April 15 deadline to submit visa applications, however, run the risk of missing out on much-needed seasonal labor for the foreseeable future if a fix is not in place by the end of the month.   The fallout would be devastating for the economy from coast to coast.   The H-2B program allows for 66,000 total workers per year from 68 eligible countries, with 33,000 visas allotted for the first half of the fiscal year (Oct. 1-March 31) and 33,000 in the second half of the fiscal year (April 1-Sept. 30).   The program allows for many industries to fill unskilled, low-paying manual labor jobs with temporary workers, mostly, employers agree, because U.S. workers find the pay unpalatable. Some of the other industries served by the H-2B program, according to the immigration service, include landscaping, hospitality, lodging, food service, resorts and theme parks, cruise lines, construction, ski resorts, security and retail. According to the GCSAA, golf courses around the country utilize about 6,300 H-2B workers.   Jobs also must be advertised locally to give resident workers an opportunity to apply. One superintendent said he received one local applicant when advertising openings for about a half-dozen seasonal positions he typically fills with H-2B workers.  
    The H-2B program allows for 66,000 total workers per year from 68 eligible countries, with 33,000 visas allotted for the first half of the fiscal year (Oct. 1-March 31) and 33,000 in the second half of the fiscal year (April 1-Sept. 30).
     
    H-2B is hardly a perfect system. Even when it works as planned, it is a gamble for employers seeking seasonal workers. If the six-month cap of 33,000 workers nationwide is reached before the deadline, the department must cease processing applications, and does so without warning, leaving employers in the cold until the next fiscal period. That was the case in January, when the cap was reached for the first half of fiscal 2015 with two months to spare.   The most recent troubles affecting the H-2B program started in March, when U.S. District Judge M. Casey Rodgers ruled that the Department of Labor lacks the authority under the Immigration and Nationality Act to decide regulations affecting the visiting worker program. In response, the department said it no longer could process applications.   Rodgers' ruling was in response to a suit filed by a Florida restaurant server who claimed rules implemented by the department hindered his job opportunities.    In 2008, the department published formal regulations on the labor-certification process, and implemented even stricter rules four years later that, among other things, decreased the number of H-2B workers an employer could hire and reduced their length of employment. In 2012, however, Rodgers struck down those rules as invalid, forcing the department to revert to its 2008 H-2B rules.   Rodgers' ruling is awaiting appeal in the U.S. Circuit Court 11th Circuit. Meanwhile, thousands of employers throughout the country and tens of thousands of workers from around the world are left waiting.
  • Proposed budget cuts for the University of Wisconsin might one day reach all the way down to the school's highly regarded golf course.
      The Capital Times in Madison, Wisconsin, recently obtained emails between a top university official and a state representative who broached the subject over the winter, and didn't dismiss it as a possibility, though the option was never officially tabled for consideration beyond that initial discourse.   The university has been targeted for $300 million in cuts in Gov. Scott Walker's proposed biennial budget for 2015-17, including $91 million in cuts that must be made by July 1. According to the emails, Kooyenga asked Blank whether the university could sell the golf course to cover the funding cuts to the university.   Built by Robert Trent Jones Jr. in 1991, the University Ridge Golf Course is ranked No. 3 on Golfweek's Best Campus Course list and is No. 7 on Golfweek's list of best public-access courses in Wisconsin. The course is owned by the university and is operated by the school's athletics department.   Blank indicated in the email exchange that she would consider selling the course if it is deemed a viable option, but that it was a decision for the university's board. Blank told The Capital Times the sale of the golf course could be enough by itself to absorb the proposed cuts to the university's budget.   University officials also said that while there are no specific plans on selling the golf course, they are exploring several options.  

  • Taking the plunge

    By John Reitman, in News,

    Dan Kaar doesn't think he's unlike a lot of other superintendents whose families have had to make personal sacrifices to accommodate his profession, who become frustrated with their jobs and who on occasion dream about walking out were it not for a shortage of open jobs in the marketplace.   What might set Kaar apart is that he's finally done something about it. He had been working as a superintendent for about 10 years in the Indianapolis area when it finally clicked that the sacrifices others, namely wife Stacie, were making because of him just weren't worth it.   "I remember the day like it was yesterday," said Kaar, 42. "It was Memorial Day weekend in 2013. My wife hung up the phone on me when I told her I was missing church with her for about the 50th time because I had to work. She was right, and 15 minutes later I was done. I walked out."   Kaar had bought his own aerifier and had been renting it out to superintendents who didn't have one and began refurbishing irrigation system components and took over management of a small golf course operation on a contract basis. Fortunately, his wife has a stable job as a pharmacist, so the couple could indulge his impulse decision and he could chase his dream of combining agronomy with entrepreneurship.   Just recently, Kaar, a 2000 graduate of Purdue's turf program, began leasing Fair-Way Golf Course from owners Marilyn Neese and Judy Cunningham, whose father Henry Corbly build the course in Lebanon, Indiana in 1961.   Kaar bought all machinery and equipment, leases the course and keeps the profit.   "If there is any," he said.   "I give them a check, then it's sink or swim. It's all your skin in the game."   Kaar's lease on the property began March 21, but was months in the works. Wearing the hat of superintendent and general manager, Kaar is determined to create a new business model for golf because: "The current model doesn't work. It's an intimidating and expensive game, and we sit behind a counter and wait for people to come to us. It's too expensive for families to get into, and we have to do something about that," he said.  
    Kaar is determined to create a new business model for golf because: "The current model doesn't work..."
      He charges $12 for nine holes with a cart, and $9 to walk ($5 through March). He has a special rate for families, and foursomes can play after 3 p.m. for $20 total. Local veterans can play for free on May 1.   His concession stand is a 20-foot-by-25-foot hut that also is the clubhouse, pro shop and bathroom, offers hot dogs, candy, chips and soft drinks and nothing costs more than $2. He employs two part-time workers on his crew, including a high school student who is his neighbor, and a couple of people to work inside the hut, greeting golfers, working the cash register and selling hot dogs.   "I'd had the idea to go out on my own for years. I finally decided to do it, or shut up and stop talking about it."   Fair-Way redefines simplicity, a concept that for golf is way overdue, he said. He makes the course available at no cost to local school golf teams, and even extends free play to those w
    ho tried out but were cut. Foot golf also is coming this year.   "The golf business overdoes everything," he said. "The $50 round of golf doesn't make sense anymore."   In other efforts to hold down his costs and attract clientele, Kaar collects golf clubs from wherever he can get them for use as free loaners (no rentals here). Superintendents from other area facilities have given him flagsticks and loan out equipment, such as trailers and bunker rakes. Because of the lack of space at Fair-Way, Kaar has equipment stored at three other golf clubs in the Indianapolis area.   He still is trying to figure out the right pricing model that will attract enough customers so he can pay the bills and one day hopefully have a little extra left over.   Fair-Way doesn't have in-ground irrigation, and spigots at each green allow Kaar to handwater where and when it's necessary.   Kaar isn't a fan of industry initiatives designed to help drive play. Industry efforts to grow the game, he says, don't do much good at a 3,000-hole layout in America's heartland. Nor does he like the idea of charging newcomers for lessons then asking them to cough up more money to play when their lesson is over. Kaar knows that to grow the game at Fair-Way, it's all up to him.   "I'm not a fan of that crap," he said. "Golf needs to be more like the cruise business where they might have free dance lessons on the lido deck, then you can go to dinner and go dancing afterward. Every golf course should offer free lessons, teach you how to swing then let you go have fun."   Granted, his philosophy won't fit at the most well-heeled private clubs in Indianapolis, or anywhere else for that matter, but he figures it might have a broad appeal at daily fee facilities nationwide. "The model we have now just keeps creating upper middle class golfers," he said. "That doesn't work.   "Then, when things don't work, the first thing that happens is they cut labor and cut our salaries."   He's even been critical of the foot golf industry for being too much like the rest of the golf business. Rather than pay $125 each for a regulation foot golf cup insert, he learned that a rubber livestock feed pan from Tractor Supply Co. that run $25 each works just fine.   The worst advice he's heard while striking out on his own was from someone who told him: "Your job is to get every penny out of every golfer that you can while they are at your course."  
    The worst advice he's heard while striking out on his own was from someone who told him: "Your job is to get every penny out of every golfer that you can while they are at your course."
      Kaar recognizes that as a model for failure.   The best advice he has received was to hire an accountant.   While time and cost are cited as barriers to the game by golfers, government regulations as well as the cost of workers compensation insurance and permits involved, Kaar says, are barriers to starting and operating a business.   "Pushing paper is a lot of the job," he said. "And when you hire an employee, it doubles your paperwork. I thought hiring people and giving them jobs was supposed to be a good thing."
  • Jacobsen recognizes top dealers
    Jacobsen recently recognized its top-performing dealers and sales personnel at this year's Golf Industry Show in San Antonio. B. Hayman, a Hawaii-based dealer with 45 years in the industry was named Jacobsen's Dealer of the Year, which is based on a dealer's sales growth, market penetration and market share.   
    Individual dealer salesperson awards went to Mitch Stewart of Turfwerks (Minnesota, Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska, and Missouri), Duane Cyr of Jacobsen'sdirect location in South Florida and Mike Harmon of C&M (Texas, Colorado, and New Mexico).   Krigger & Co. Inc. (Pennsylvania and West Virginia) and Wilfred MacDonald (New Jersey and New York) were recognized for 85 years of service as Jacobsen dealers. Others recognized with Years of Service awards as Jacobsen dealers were B. Hayman for 45 years, RMT Equipment (Northwest) for 30 years and TurfWerks for 10 years. In addition, Lawn & Golf Supply Co., Inc. (Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware) picked up the Dealer Service Award, which recognizes superior customer service.   Asia-Pacific dealers recognized were Mikuni Shoko Company (Japan), which was named winner of the Asia-Pacific Outstanding Service Award, Power Turf (New Zealand), which received the Asia-Pacific Investment in After Sales Support Award, and McIntosh and Sons (Western Australia), winner of the Asia-Pacific Sales Conquest Award.
     
    Wiblishauser joins Grigg Brothers
    Grigg Brothers recently named John Wiblishauser as technical sales representative for the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic region.   He replaces Gordon Kauffman III, Ph.D., who recently was named technical manager for Grigg Brothers and Brandt turf and ornamentals.   Wiblishauser's responsibilities include sales and business development, agronomic and technical support, and interfacing with supply channel partners.   Wiblishauser is a graduate of the Rutgers University golf course management program. Prior to joining Grigg Brothers, Wiblishauser previously held business development and technical sales positions with Petro-Canada and Bayer.   As technical manager for Grigg Brothers and Brandt, Kauffman, who earned a doctorate at Penn State University, will focus on new product development, trials and market development of the Grigg Brothers and Brandt turf and ornamental product portfolios.   Reicher named to Bayer team
    Bayer recently named Frank Wong, Ph.D., to the position of senior regulatory affairs consultant working in stakeholder engagement. A former turf pathologist with the University of California at Riverside, Wong had been a member of the Bayer Environmental Science Green Solutions Team since 2011.
      Bayer Environmental Science has hired Zac Reicher, Ph.D., of the University of Nebraska to fill the vacated position on the Green Solutions Team.   Bayer's Green Solutions Team ?translates research into practical, real-world solutions for tough turfgrass pests and stress, and helps look for new ways to manage challenges that turf managers face.?   The group, that also includes Rob Golembiewski, Ph.D., Derek Settle, Ph.D., and Laurence Mudge, recently completed a Bayer Golf Solutions Guide for both warm- and cool-season turf. Each guide provides solutions, technical information sheets and recommended maintenance programs for warm- and cool-season golf course turf.
    Deere marks manufacturing milestone
    John Deere recently marked a manufacturing milestone with the completion of the 500,000th unit built at the Turf Care factory in Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina. The unit, a John Deere ZTrak mower, will be on display at several upcoming local events.
      In 1997 the factory produced its first unit ? a Lightweight Fairway Mower. Today, Turf Care produces 10 different models of commercial mowing and golf equipment that are distributed throughout North America and exported to more than 100 countries.   Commercial mowing and golf equipment products manufactured by Turf Care include the wide area mower, front mower, gas and diesel ZTrak mowers, trim and surround mower, fairway mower, greens mower, ProGator and 7-Iron decks.  
     
  • One of the "big splash" product introductions at GIS 2015 was Toro's Reelmaster 5010-H - "the industry's first fairway mower with a true hybrid drive system".
    The Toro introduction being no big secret, John Deere countered at the time with a GIS press release documenting "ten years of hybrid technology leadership and innovation".
    Always sensitive to marketing-speak buzzwords such as "industry's first", "best-in-class" and the like, and knowing that both Deere and Jacobsen have had "hybrid" mowers in their lineups for many years, these declarations started my "smoke-and-mirrors" meter twitching. OK, here we go, I thought. I had an inkling that further investigation would boil it down to a matter of semantics of definition.
    Just like a good accountant or statistician can make numbers tell any story they want, so it can be with sales and marketing (and certainly political) posturing.  A foundation of fact is wrapped with window dressing, spin, hype or whatever one wants to call it to give one product a leg up on another.
    I didn't make it to GIS this year (a victim of the weather and the Airline Gods, both powers greater than I) so I didn't have my usual opportunity to explore this up close and personal with the product managers. But after reviewing the "hybrid" product lineups from all of the Big Three, I'll admit to being a bit confused... and if I'm confused, no doubt many of you are too. I decided it would be best to do some research and make a few phone calls.
    First, let's haul out Webster's Collegiate (at least figuratively) for a moment.
    We all know that a hybrid in a biological sense is the offspring of two animals or plants of different breeds, varieties, species or genera. Of course there are F1s and F2s and other classes and subclasses of animal and plant hybrids, but in a general sense "from two comes one".
    Of course there are F1s and F2s and other classes and subclasses of animal and plant hybrids, but in a general sense "from two comes one"... Beyond biology, the term hybrid has been popularly adapted to many things that arise from or contain combinations of characteristics from two or more distinct items. 
    Relating this to turf equipment and using a very broad definition, it could be claimed that the first "hybrids" might date to the introduction of hydraulic reel drive (or in the case of Jacobsen, installing hydraulic motors directly on the rotary spindles of their early Turfcats) and then hydraulic wheel motors and hydrostatic transmissions... all this compared to direct mechanical drive systems utilizing geared transmissions, shafts and gearboxes, and I suppose even belts (think National 68 and 84, for those of you who can remember them). With the introduction of hydraulics, one machine had two power systems, or was a hybrid of mechanical and fluid power.
    I point this out simply to illustrate that definitions can be tweaked rather easily to suit one's needs.
    Most recently, hybrid has been associated with the automotive industry to denote a vehicle that utilizes both an internal combustion engine (ICE) and electric power sources with the implication of greater fuel economy and environmental responsibility.  This loose definition was popularized by Toyota with their Prius model.
    Let's assume for our purposes here that "hybrid" includes an electric component. Then we'll take a look at how the Big Three interpret and implement hybrid technology... and they are all different.
    Note that only Deere and Toro have fairway mowers that use hybrid technology (of any ilk) at this point.  Jacobsen's hybrids are limited to their Eclipse triplex and walk greensmowers, but we'll take a look at their technology because it is unique in the industry to date.
    First off, let's go back to 2005 when John Deere introduced the 2500E triplex greensmower with electric reel drive. The electric reel drive system, which has morphed over the years into their current E-Cut series of greens and fairway mowers, has obvious benefits of greater control (FOC), lower noise, improved fuel economy and the removal of many potential sources of hydraulic leaks.  Note that the power plant was and is still an ICE (gas or diesel), and the mowers still have hydraulic systems for traction, reel lift/lower, steering, etc. 
    The electric reel drive system... has obvious benefits of greater control (FOC), lower noise, improved fuel economy and the removal of many potential sources of hydraulic leaks. Regarding fuel economy, electrical systems and components are by nature more efficient and thus require less energy than hydraulic systems. Think of the heat given off by hydraulic systems as just one indication of energy inefficiency. Heat is really energy in transfer, and if we need hydraulic coolers and that type of thing to get rid of excess heat from hydraulic systems, it's a pretty good indication of energy not being put to good use.  So the better efficiency of electrical systems along with the ability in some cases to operate a mower at less than full throttle (which would otherwise be required to operate a hydraulic system at peak efficiency), hybrid mowers are more fuel-efficient than standard hydraulic units.
    Let's look at the methodology of driving the electric reel system, as it is different across the three colors as well.

    I spoke with Tracy Lanier, product manager for John Deere Golf, who explained that the current John Deere 2500E, 7500A and 8000A E-Cut models utilize a 48-volt, 180-amp alternator belt-driven off the engine to directly power the reel circuits (only) without an additional battery system. The alternator engages only when the reel drive is engaged, so no power is produced during transport, etc.
    Traditional electric components (starter, lights, gauges, etc) are powered by a regular 12v battery. So, in a nutshell, the engine drives an alternator which powers the reel circuits. No extra battery pack.
    Part of the benefit of this system, according to Lanier, is that in systems that utilize a battery pack, the battery begins to lose its power immediately when used, so the frequency of clip would change over time as the batteries drain while mowing. By driving an alternator directly off the engine and not relying on battery power, the frequency of clip at the start of the day and at the end of the day is exactly the same.
    So there you have it from the 'green' perspective.  One might counter that the above statement should perhaps be limited to battery-only systems, and even then regenerative braking would recharge the battery intermittently during the day so it's not a linear discharge all day long.
    Chris Fox, product manager for greensmowers and heavy duty utility vehicles at Jacobsen, filled me in on the technology they use on the Eclipse 322 triplex greensmowers, of which there are two: an all-electric (strictly battery-powered) and a hybrid.  There's that H-word again.
    All systems -- traction, reel drive, lift/lower and steering -- on both Eclipse 322 models are electric. 48-volt electric motors power each wheel. Reel lift/lower is done via electric linear actuator (think sprayer boom lift), and steering is variable ratio steer-by-wire.  All electric/electronic.  There is no hydraulic system at all on either of the Jacobsen machines.
    The Eclipse 322 Electric has no internal combustion engine (ICE).  The drivetrain, in fact, is borrowed from the EZGO RXV electric golf car and modified for this application ("leveraging the technology of our sister company", in marketing-speak).  It's a full plug-in system utilizing an on-board high frequency 48-v charger. Regenerative braking also helps to recharge the batteries during use.
    Rather than use a battery pack as the sole power source as the Eclipse 322 Electric does, the Hybrid incorporates an ICE (either a 13hp gas or diesel) to drive a generator (the combination of which -- engine plus generator -- is termed a genset). The genset provides primary power directly to the machine.
    Unlike the Deere configuration, however, the Jacobsen hybrid also has a 48-v battery pack (albeit smaller than that on the all-electric unit) to supplement the genset power in heavy-demand situations.
    "If the unit needs power beyond what the genset can provide then it pulls from the batteries," Fox explained. "At this point the machine is using energy from both the battery and the genset.  The genset then charges the batteries when they are below a certain charge."
    The limiting factor with the all-electric system is range, or duration of use. Lead acid batteries can only power the unit for so long before the charge runs out, and when it's done, it's done. "We are looking for a lithium solution to further extend the runtime of the electric units," Fox said.
    All systems -- traction, reel drive, lift/lower and steering -- on both Eclipse 322 models are electric... There is no hydraulic system at all on either of the Jacobsen machines. So Deere uses an alternator, Jacobsen a generator.  What the difference? 
    A good resource for alternator and generator theory is here: http://www.rowand.net/Shop/Tech/AlternatorGeneratorTheory.htm. Not laying claim to being an electrical engineer, I'll simply paraphrase some of it below.
    Technically, the key difference between an alternator and a generator is what spins and what is fixed. On a generator windings of wire (the armature) spin inside a fixed magnetic field. On an alternator, a magnetic field is spun inside of windings of wire (the stator) to generate the electricity.
    In a generator, the current produced is directly proportional to the speed that the armature spins and to the strength of the magnetic field. If you spin it faster, it makes more and if you make the magnetic field stronger it makes more current. The speed of the spinning is controlled by the speed of the engine. A generator can only put out it's maximum rated current at or above some speed - at lower speeds the output drops off very quickly.
    An alternator can be "geared up" to spin at speeds higher than engine speed, while also reaching it's maximum output at lower engine speeds (so a car, for example, with an alternator is able to power all electrical components at idle speed) without relying on the battery.
    An alternator produces energy only when needed. A generator is working all the time. The Jacobsen units employ a bank of resistors to burn off excess electrical capacity when demand is low and the battery pack is fully charged.
    OK, enough electrical theory. On to the Toro hybrid fairway unit.
    I spoke with Steven Peterson, marketing manager for Reelmaster products for The Toro Company.
    "Our first challenge when designing a hybrid machine was to define what a hybrid is," Peterson explained. "We gravitated toward the Toyota definition, which includes two energy sources and an energy storage system."
    In the Toyota model, fuel economy and savings result from use of a smaller displacement engine and a battery storage system that switch off and on -- and in heavy load conditions combine -- to power the machine.
    Toro selected a 24.8 hp Kubota diesel engine (note that it's just under the 25 hp limit for Tier 4 emissions regulations), an inline motor-generator and a self-charging 48v battery pack to power the Reelmaster 5010-H.  By comparison, the John Deere 7500A E-Cut hybrid uses a 37.1 hp turbocharged diesel engine, and remember... no battery pack.
    Cutting units are driven by electric motors, as are those of the other two colors.  Traction drive and reel lift/lower are traditional hydraulic, like the Deere system.  Jake's traction and lift are electric.
    For the battery, Toro uses four 12-volt AGM (absorbed glass mat) batteries rather than traditional flooded (spillable) lead acid batteries to make up the 48-volt system.  The AGM batteries are sealed and maintenance free, and are similar to those used in the automobile industry for start-stop hybrids (those where the engine shuts off at a stoplight, and then starts up again upon acceleration). They are designed for long life in a shallow discharge/frequent recharge scenario. Shallow discharge is like when you plug in your cell phone overnight when the battery isn't dead; deep discharge would be when a golf car battery goes dead out on the course and requires a full recharge.
    Let's look at the motor-generator for a second. A motor-generator can operate as either an electric motor or a generator, converting between electrical power and mechanical power. Thus, by changing polarity, it can switch back and forth to power the cutting units or add additional power to the traction system when needed.
    A motor-generator can operate as either an electric motor or a generator, converting between electrical power and mechanical power... Toro calls the patent-pending system they developed for this unit PowerMatch. Under normal load conditions the engine drives the hydraulic/traction system and the motor-generator provides the electrical current to power the cutting units. 
    When hilly terrain or heavy mowing conditions increase the load and require more power, PowerMatch calls for the battery pack to assist the motor-generator, taking some of the load of the cutting units away from the engine (which, of course is driving the motor-generator as well as the hydraulic system) -- thus leaving the engine with more available horsepower for the traction circuit. 
    In extreme conditions, when maximum power may be required for verticutting, scalping or climbing steep hills, the batteries take on the cutting unit load exclusively and send the reserve battery power back to the motor generator, which reverses polarity and becomes an electric motor. The mechanical power that results provides a boost for the diesel engine in powering the traction system.
    The net result, by sensing demand and allocating or re-apportioning power from the engine, motor-generator and battery pack between the reel drive and traction drive circuits, the 5010-H "consistently creates 40+ horsepower in peak mode," according to Peterson. 
    Toro also states an average of 20% fuel savings with this system, but Peterson added that field testing over the past three years has shown fuel savings much higher than that at the test courses.  "Conditions are different everywhere, so we have found it best to under-promise and over-deliver when we can in these situations," Peterson said.
    In review, the Deere system utilizes an internal combustion engine to drive an alternator to power the electric cutting units, and the hydraulic system to power the traction, steering and lift/lower circuits.  There is no battery pack, as the alternator produces current only when needed and is sufficient to power the electric reel circuit.
    Jacobsen has an all-electric (batteries being the only power source) drive system, or an internal combustion engine driving a generator to power the traction, steering, lift/lower and cutting unit drive.  The generator also recharges the 48-volt battery pack.
    Toro has a small-displacement diesel engine that powers a motor-generator, battery pack and hydraulic system. The motor-generator typically powers the cutting units, but the battery can kick in and do that while the motor-generator shifts to motor mode to produce mechanical power to assist the engine in high-demand situations.
    Regardless of the nuances of definition and product features, the take-home message should be that all hybrid systems from each of the manufacturers offer solid benefits of reduced fuel consumption, better control of cutting units, lower noise and fewer leak points... all good things.
    For further reference: 
    US EPA Fuel Economy and Hybrid Technology animation
     

     

     
     
     
  • Someone once said that dogs are the only things that love you more than they love themselves.
      It seems, in the golf business at least, that the feeling is mutual since dogs are fixtures on courses across the country. And why not? Dogs don't talk back, they're not late to work and they don't complain about green speeds.   More importantly, they keep geese and other nuisance critters on the run, provide reliable companionship throughout the day and are effective at running interference against overzealous golfers.   If this describes your golf course dog, then nominate your canine friend for a place in the 2016 TurfNet Superintendent's Best Friend Calendar, presented by Syngenta.   Since 2002, the TurfNet Superintendent's Best Friend Calendar, the original golf course dog calendar, has paid tribute to the hard work and dedication of golf course dogs. Later this summer, our judging panel will choose 14 golf course dogs to grace the pages of next year's calendar.   Here are a few tips when taking and submitting photographs of your dog:    Images should be taken horizontally at your camera's highest resolution setting (at least 4mb). Also, try not to center your dog in the frame, as left or right orientation often results in a more dramatic photograph. The best photos are those in which we can clearly see the dog's face.   Nomination deadline is July 31.   To nominate your dog, email HIGH-RESOLUTION photos to Anna Murray and be sure to include the dog's name, age and breed; photographer's name; owner's name, phone number, email address; and the name of the golf course where the owner and dog both work.
  • Recent research indicates that there might be more to reclaimed water than meets the eye, or nose, in this case.
     
    One of the greatest concerns with using so-called dirty water has been the contaminants it contains and how to ensure they do not persist in the soil profile over time.
     
    Besides recycling a precious resource, there might be other benefits to using reclaimed water, according to recent research out of the University of Florida. That research suggests that recycled water not only contains impurities that often must be flushed through the soil to prevent problems such as compaction and hydrophobicity, but also contains essential nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorous.
     
    Reclaimed water is defined as wastewater that has gone through at least secondary treatment. 
     
    "The main difference between (reclaimed water) that has received secondary treatment versus advanced treatment is the reduced level of nutrients and other chemicals remaining in water subjected to advanced treatment," wrote Jinghua Fan and George Hochmuth, who authored the study. "Water receiving advanced treatment typically has 25 percent of the nitrogen and phosphorus and less soluble salts than contained in secondary treatments. Increasingly, the reclaimed water used for irrigation is from advanced wastewater treatment facilities."
     
    Among the benefits of using reclaimed water containing nitrogen, the researchers learned, is that it could potentially result in reduced nitrogen fertilizer inputs. To date, there is little research on the subject.
     
    "It is important to determine the optimum combinations of water and nutrient applications to support turfgrass production without impairing groundwater through losses of nutrients from the landscape," they wrote in their study published on the electronic journal HortTechnology.
     
    A University of Florida research team designed greenhouse experiments using Empire zoysiagrass, which is suitable for use on fairways from the Pacific Northwest, through the lower portion of the Midwest and into the Mid-Atlantic regions as well as all points south. The study also included St. Augustine grass, which is used in residential lawns throughout the Gulf Coast and Florida. 
     
    Treatments included irrigation with tap water (control), reclaimed water from a university wastewater treatment facility, irrigation with reclaimed water with additional nitrogen supplied from ammonium nitrate and a dry prilled fertilizer treatment.
     
    Based on visual turf quality and clipping yield, the study showed that turfgrass growth responded positively to nitrogen concentration in the irrigation water, but not to the same degree it did to the synthetic fertilizer treatment. The concentration of nitrogen in the non-amended wastewater was not sufficient for optimal turfgrass growth. Measurements showed no difference in turfgrass growth with the base level nitrogen in the delivered reclaimed water compared with tap water. The data showed that as more N was added to the base recycled water, turfgrass growth increased.
     
    Turf quality and clipping yield maximized when the total nitrogen concentration in the irrigation water was at least 5 mg per liter. Leaching of nitrogen was determined to be negligible with all treatments.
     
    The authors of the study ultimately concluded more research is needed, particularly outdoor field studies, to reinforce their findings.

  • Operation makeover

    By John Reitman, in News,

    When the going got tough at Centennial Oaks Golf Club, it didn't take long for members there to show just how tough they were, too.
      Faced with declining membership, contracting banquet and tournament business and the threat of their club going the way of nearly net-800 golf courses that have permanently closed during most of the past decade, members at this club in Waverly, Iowa, decided it was time for some out-of-the-box thinking, according to a story in Cedar Valley Business Monthly.    Exit Centennial Oaks Golf Club and enter the newly revamped Prairie Links Golf and Event Center.   The club changed not only its name, but also the way it conducts business and is going out of its way to attract new members.   When the limited liability corporation that signed the checks at Waverly went belly up earlier this year, a group of members quickly got together, drafted a new business plan and presented it to the rest of the membership for an expedited approval. That plan includes the option of buying equity membership in the club and shifting voting rights from a few people in the LLC to all equity members.   Click here to read the rest of the story.   The new business model also includes a variety of other non-equity golf and social membership levels that help drive business and raise much-needed revenue.   It became evident that something needed to be done when membership dipped by a third from an all-time high of about 230 just five years ago.   As the club moves into the future to attract more members and changing demographics, some things that continue to fit the new business plan are not changing. Among the carryovers at Prairie Links are superintendent Ryan Deur and golf pro Adam Miller.   Strictly a private operation, Prairie Links is planning to open its doors to the general public next month, hoping to capitalize on the Masters craze to attract new business on the links as well as in the clubhouse dining room.
  • The task of trying to identify the most significant challenges facing golf course superintendents today is a lot like trying to choose a favorite Beatles song: there are so many, it's nearly impossible to choose just one.
      Unlike listening to John, Paul, George and Ringo belt out Let it Be and Hey, Jude, which is a good thing, picking from a list that includes anthracnose and the threat of becoming unemployed at age 50 isn't so positive.   Too few players, lack of job security, shrinking budgets and escalating player demands, labor issues, a world of uncertainty due to changing healthcare legislation, inherent soil conditions, increased disease pressure, weather concerns. The list goes on and on.   Walt Norley, Matt Shaffer and a group of their colleagues believe they have come up with a tool that will allow superintendents to collect data on some of these issues and use that to develop a plan that will help them to save time, reduce operating costs, improve playability and produce a stronger, healthier plant.   OnGolf is a cloud-based, data-analytics software program that aggregates key line-item data to help superintendents manage soil conditions, water use, fertilizer and pesticide use, labor and more as efficiently as possibly.   Founded by Norley, who brought golf UgMO (Advanced Sensor Technologies) and Shaffer, director of grounds at Merion Golf Club, OnGolf was derived from an existing ag-based platform known as OnFarm.   Based in California's San Joaquin Valley farming region, OnFarm is a cloud-based data-aggregation platform that has been helping growers increase yield and reduce the cost of production for three years. OnFarm has more than 1,000 clients large and small, the biggest being Anheuser-Busch. More than 1.3 million acres of agricultural land are under management with OnFarm since 2012.   The data analytics that OnGolf brings to the table is similar, Norley says, to that which is used by sports teams and was made popular by the 2011 baseball movie Moneyball, in which Peter Brand (played by Jonah Hill) taught Oakland A's GM Billy Beane (Brad Pitt) how to build a winning baseball team without spending like the New York Yankees.     The same concept, Norley says, can help superintendents maximize playing conditions and plant health with minimal inputs and labor. And, he says, the technology brings decision-making power to golf that is long overdue.   "How do you manage something without information? It's perplexing to the rest of the world how to manage something without information," Norley said. "Other markets have been using data analytics and data-aggregation decisions on cost efficiencies and revenue for years. This industry has been slow to adopt to data analytics."  
    Norley's UgMO technology, which was the talk of the GIS trade show floor in 2008 in Orlando, was developed to help superintendents reduce water use and save money while improving playing conditions. Like UgMO, OnGolf isn't about making superintendents spend more money, it's about doing more with less.   Due out as early as April, OnGolf's cloud-based system collects data from soil-monitoring technology and computerized irrigation systems, utilizes its own weather system and also can capture information such as fertilizer use, fungicide and pesticide inputs, and mowing schedules. That's when OnGolf really kicks into action as the service, as Norley says, "crunches the numbers" and provides key information delivered to a smartphone or tablet that is designed to help superintendents make decisions on agronomic programs that will maximize playability, produce healthier turf and provide more consistent conditions while minimizing water and chemical inputs, energy as well as financial resources.   "It's integrating information that is already out there and putting it into one location where it all talks to each other," said Shawn Emerson of Desert Mountain in Scottsdale, Arizona, and president of OnGolf's advisory board. "The beauty of it is that it tracks everything, but the superintendent can make his own decision on what to do with that information.   "It is a virtual consultant."   Although it utilizes the same basic technology that has made OnFarm a hit in the agriculture market, OnGolf owns the rights to its own technology. That said, superintendent users retain ownership of all data uploaded to the cloud.   Managing labor at six-course Desert Mountain used to be a challenge for Emerson before he started using OnGolf. The system has helped him reduce his managers' workweek from 55 to 50 hours. It has helped him save in other areas as well.   "We don't have to water as much as we used to. We don't have to flush our greens as much as we used to, and of course we don't have to amend our soils as much," he said.   "We are the Moneyball of golf. While Billy Beane started that, now everyone uses analytics."   The system also communicates with human resource management systems like ADP and Paychex to help reduce overtime.     Shaffer said the tool has proven invaluable in preparing monthly reports for membership.   "Those reports take me 20 minutes to write, but it would take me an-hour-and-a-half just to gather the information," he said.    Now all the information he needs is in one portal.   What a superintendent does with the data OnGolf spits out on the back end depends on their goals.   Part of what Shaffer wants to accomplish is to further minimize inputs without compromising playability so he can keep costs down at Merion. At Desert Mountain, where play often is highest when places like Merion are under snow, is to remain green while using as little water as possible. By aggregating data and establishing acceptable limits, both are able to accomplish different goals with the same system.   "Our fertilizer and chemical costs have stabilized the last three years because of this information. Water costs are going up, we can't control that, but our water use is going down," Emerson said.   "I'm using it because I can't outrun it."
  • If the rest of 2015 is anything like the first couple of months, it is going to be a banner year for the Atkinson Resort and Country Club.    Located in Atkinson, New Hampshire, the property recently was named the winner of the 2015 National Golf Course of the Year by the National Golf Course Owners Association.   Presented at last month's Golf Industry Show in San Antonio, the award is based on four criteria: quality of the golf course, quality of ownership and management, outstanding contributions to the local community, significant contributions to the game of golf.   The privately owned, 420-acre club opened in 1996 with nine holes. The second nine opened two years later, and a par-3 layout debuted in 2009.    With 16 guest rooms and a practice facility that features 15,000 square feet of teeing ground, a 12,000-square-foot putting green, multiple bunkers and a 65-yard short-game hole, the property rolls out the red carpet to visitors. But it's the golf course that stands out at Atkinson.   First-year superintendent Eric Whitmore is judicious in his water use, and has data from soil moisture meters to back up his program. He uses air injection to disrupt compacted native soils beneath his bent/poa greens, and he has developed an aggressive tree-management program has introduced sunlight and airflow where once there was little.   "When I was the assistant the year before, I noticed that we were having a lot of trouble with controlling moisture on our greens. We have native soils that do not have the best drainage, so evaporation or infiltration was difficult," he said. "My past superintendents always drilled to me that you can put water down but can't take it up. I am always more on the dry side when it comes to my greens, so we had to develop a hole-specific moisture program that allowed us to manage how much water was being put on our greens. One of the ways we accomplished this was by using soil moisture probes that measured volumetric water content, and relied heavily on the use of hand watering of those specific spots."   The Air 2G2 by GT Air Inject has helped relieve soil compaction, promote better drainage and root growth.   The Air 2G2 is a self-propelled, hydrostatic drive three-probe air-injection machine that injects compressed air to depths of 7 to 10 inches and fractures compacted soil with no surface disruption. Air also is injected vertically, covering an area of up to 5 feet.   A graduate of the University of Maine, Whitmore credits his staff, namely assistant Andrew Koffman and equipment manager Dave Wallace, for helping to make him look good and helping the course look good in the eyes of the NGCOA.   "The soils at Atkinson also gave us a challenge with managing our micro/macro nutrient levels. With the utilization of several soil tests we were able to develop a specific fertility program just for our course," he said. "There were also several hundred trees and dense brush areas removed throughout the property to increase airflow and sunlight on the greens, tees, and fairways. Last but not least I had an outstanding management team and crew that took a great deal of pride in what they were doing, no matter what the task, each and every day. Without a great crew we would not have been able to accomplish this amazing award."    The property also is heavily involved in giving back to the community.   The club hosts a fundraiser tournament each year that benefits the local Boys and Girls Clubs, and Atkinson teaching professional Wayne Swanson doubles as head coach of the Timberlane Regional High School varsity golf team.   Other finalists for the award were Currahee Club in Toccoa, Georgia, Haggin Oaks Golf Complex in Sacramento, California, and The Legend at Shanty Creek Resorts in Bellaire, Michigan.
  • Each year, Syngenta brings together a group of about two dozen superintendents to North Carolina, not to sell them product, but to give them education through the Syngenta Business Institute.   The Syngenta Business Institute is an intensive four-day program designed to grow the professional knowledge of golf course superintendents and assist them with managing their courses. Through a partnership with the Wake Forest University School of Business, the program provides graduate school-level instruction in areas such as financial management, human resource management, negotiating, impact hiring and other leadership- and professional-development skills, and managing across generations and cultural divides.   Applications are being accepted for this year's event are being accepted through Aug. 18. This year's SBI is scheduled for Dec. 7-10 at the Graylyn International Conference Center on the campus of Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.    Eric Frazier of Willow Oaks Country Club in Richmond, Virginia, a 2013 SBI attendee, found the program to be so useful, he had a difficult time pinning down what he found the most useful.   "After a week of education and networking, it is hard to decide what was the best part," Frazier said. "I think for me that would have to be the opportunity for open discussion that happened during the educational sessions."   Interested superintendents must complete an online application, which requires them to write a 250-word essay summarizing why they should be selected for the program. Syngenta selects 25 individuals to participate based on their essays, commitment to the industry and other factors. Travel, lodging and meals are included for all superintendent attendees.   For more information, click here.

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