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From the TurfNet NewsDesk

  • John Reitman
    Five superintendents who otherwise wouldn't be attending this year's Golf Industry Show will be heading to San Diego thanks to the Bayer Superintendent Grant Program. 
      Through the Bayer Superintendent Grant Program, Bayer Environmental Science, the GCSAA and the Environmental Institute for Golf are sending five golf course superintendents to the 2016 Golf Industry Show in San Diego.   The purpose of the grant is to assist superintendents with their professional development through participation in the annual event.    Winners are: Jonathan Gruber of Hampton Cove Golf Course, Owens Cross Roads, Alabama, John Ekstrom of Indian Boundary Golf Course in Chicago, Daryl Moldenhauer of American Falls Golf Course in American Falls, Idaho, Ethan Shamet of Deer Trace Golf Course in LaCygne, Kansas, and Jerry Webb of Stillwater Oaks in Stillwater, Minnesota.   Winners are chosen through a random drawing. Each receives airfare, hotel accommodations for five nights, conference full-pack registration, two education seminars and $200 spending stipend.
  • Talk about a strange way of making friends. 
      Nearly 100 devoted followers on the morning of Jan. 28 packed a conference room at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando and almost as many attended online to get their yearly beat down from Jim Koppenhaver of Pellucid Corp. and Stuart Lindsey of Edgehill Consulting during their 12th annual State of the Golf Industry Report at the PGA Merchandise Show. If that wasn't enough, almost 200 more showed up in the afternoon to take their medicine.    The message out of Orlando, as usual, was mixed.   Rounds played in 2015 were up for the first time in three years, fees and facility revenue both were up slightly as well, but the supply of golf courses measured in 18-hole equivalents was down for the 10th straight year, with almost no end in sight, said Koppenhaver.   Still, it might be the most good news Koppenhaver and Lindsey have voiced in their 12 years of delivering haymakers at the PGA Show.   "Things are stabilizing," Koppenhaver said. "It's a little bit better, but we still have a really long road."   That long road could be another 15 years or more.   Nine new courses were built in 2015, while 234 closed, leaving a net loss of 225 18-hole equivalents. It was, by far, the greatest net loss in course supply since closings began outpacing openings in 2006. In that time, there has been a net loss of 993 18-hole equivalents. That number will have to get larger, much larger, Koppenhaver said, before the golf industry can be declared healthy once again.   "The absorption is picking up, a little over 200 facilities. The problem is it's still too little," he said. "That's about six-tenths of a percent. We're about 8 percent over supply currently, so at six-tenths a year we're still 15 or 16 years away from getting back to what we believe was healthy equilibrium in the industry, which happened back in 1994.   "The good news is absorption of supply is picking up. The bad news is it's still a glacial pace. We need to take a couple thousand courses out of play, and it's just not happening quick enough."   Among the courses coming out of the ground are a disproportionate amount of public and nine-hole facilities. Public facilities comprise 73 percent of the country's overall supply, but 83 percent of the courses closed in 2015. It's a darker picture for nine-hole facilities that make up 7 percent of the nationwide supply, yet represented 58 percent of last year's closures. These are the types of courses the industry needs, Koppenhaver said, to attract and retain new golfers.   "Unfortunately, we're taking bunny slopes out of play," he said. "And oh, by the way, we're trying to introduce people to the game of golf.   "A little bit of a concern for me is that the balance of what we're taking out is not going in the same direction we'd like the industry to go."   In 2014 (the last year data was available for golfer population), a net 900,000 people stepped away from the game, leaving the industry with 22 million golfers. That is the fewest in the industry pipeline in decades at least since the mid-1980s. The game was at its zenith in 2002 when 29.9 million people said they played the game. Population segments that dropped out of the game were men (down 4 percent), women (3 percent), ages 35-54 (6.7 percent), ages 18-34 (7.8 percent) and ages 7-17 (8.5 percent).  
    We are not successful in generating demand outside of what weather is giving us. So, at this point, we're just on a roller coaster that says if Mother Nature gives us a good year, then we're OK; if she doesnt, then we just follow her down."
     
    Koppenhaver referenced projections from 2010 in the wake of several growth initiatives that many hoped would resuscitate the industry.  According to Koppenhaver, Golf 2.0 projected we would be back at that 29.9 million golfer level by 2014. The National Golf Foundation predicted the number of golfers to be at 27.9 million, and even Koppenhaver thought the number of people in the game in 2014 would be at about 25.2 million.    All were way off, and Koppenhaver said Thursday he expects the number to dip below 20 million sooner rather than later. The problem has been a steady stream of attracting 3 million to 4 million new golfers per year, but losing 4 million to 5 million others.   "Our biggest problem is we're losing golfers at 3 percent per year," he said.    "We gotta figure out a way to retain the people who are playing the game and get the people who are engaged to play more frequently."   Although the number of golfers in the game decreased for the 15th straight year, rounds played were up, even if just slightly.   According to Koppenhaver, golfers played 456.7 million rounds last year, a 1.5 percent increase over the 450 million rounds played the year before, about all of which Koppenhaver attributed to favorable weather conditions. It was the first increase in rounds played since 2012, however, it is well off the record of 501.8 million rounds set in 2000.    "We are not successful in generating demand outside of what weather is giving us," he said. "So, at this point, we're just on a roller coaster that says if Mother Nature gives us a good year, then we're OK; if she doesn't, then we just follow her down."   Rounds played averaged 32,441 per EHE, which was the most since 32,991 per EHE in 2012. Ideal capacity, Koppenhaver said, is about 35,000 rounds per facility.   Facility revenue also increased in 2015, rising 3 percent over the year before. Most of those gains were made in food and beverage (5.4 percent) and merchandise sales (4.2 percent). Only 2.2 percent of those revenue hikes came in the form of golf fees.    "The slight concern I have is the big driver there is golf fee revenue," Koppenhaver said. "We can sell a bunch of food and beverage and merchandise, what drives our businesses are golf fees."
  • Whether it is removing Poa annua from cool-season turf or organic matter from warm-season grass, fraise mowing has been an accepted practice for renovating athletic fields for nearly a decade. Although it is an invasive practice, fraise mowing and other ultra-aggressive grooming practices also have a place in golf, says Jerad Minnick, a sports turf management consultant.
      "If you have a problem with organic matter on a golf course, this can fix it," Minnick said during the recent Tennessee Turfgrass Association Conference and Show.   Fraise mowing utilizes hundreds of blades on a helix-shaped rotor that remove material from the surface, leaving behind what Minnick says are stronger, healthier plants that can be ready for traffic in a few days to a few weeks depending on how much is removed.   The process was developed in 1996 by Ko Rodenburg, a Dutch sports field manager, to remove Poa annua from cool-season sports turf. True fraise mowing is performed with the Imants Koro Field Topmaker that was named for Rodenburg. But similar aggressive grooming practices can be achieved with equipment from other manufacturers. Fraise mowing often results in phrases such as "whoops" or "uh oh" when sports turf managers, superintendents or facility managers and administrators see just how much organic matter it displaces.    The material removed and how much depends on two factors: whether the surface is warm- or cool-season and the depth setting of the machine taking it out. A Kentucky bluegrass or ryegrass soccer field can produce 12 22-yard dumpsters of organic material, and a Bermudagrass field will yield twice as much, Minnick says.    The results, Minnick says, are worth it, and its practice is used increasingly in sports turf management in the U.S. and abroad with all professional soccer fields in the United Kingdom employing it since its inception. It also is used in the U.S. on everything from high school and municipal fields to professional soccer stadiums.   Whether it was during his days managing the Maryland Soccerplex near Washington, D.C., or consulting on field renovation projects throughout the United States and Europe, Minnick says fields can be ready for play within four weeks or so of fraise mowing, even under adverse conditions.   Two weeks of record cold temperatures descended on north-central Texas immediately after a fraise mowing procedure to renovate the Bermudagrass playing surface at Toyota Stadium, home to the FC Dallas MLS franchise. With the use of tarps to protect the surface from freezing temperatures, the fields were ready for play four weeks after a mowing procedure that Minnick and others describe as verticutting on steroids.   He oversaw a similar procedure in Paris in which fraise mowing was incorporated to remove Poa annua from a ryegrass field six weeks before the start of the season.   John Jeffreys, superintendent at Pinehurst No. 2, has used Turfplaning Services, which employs a similar procedure to renovate par 3 tees that had become elevated over time and on greens surrounds to manage what he called a "collar dam" on the famed Donald Ross design.    "It had become like a bowling lane bumper around the green," Jeffreys said. "We had to peel that out and eliminate that elevated collar."   Removal of organic material improved how water moved off the greens after rain events, said Jeffreys who also performs what he called very aggressive verticutting with a pair of Wiedenmann units. Collars also were more firm and the turf healthier after being exposed to such an aggressive practice. The work was performed when the course already was closed for renovation work, so taking areas out of play for weeks at a time was not an issue.   "The best aerification you can do on Bermudagrass is to get rid of that organic matter," he said. "It really slows water from exiting the green."   Minnick said such practices are catching on in Florida. Many of the courses there are opting for closing nine holes for a few weeks through the middle of summer and completing the other nine the following year.   Mark Langner, CGCS, formerly of FarmLinks in Alabama and currently of Aqua Aid, which represents Campey Turfcare Systems and Imants, also at the Tennessee show, said courses in other parts of the Southeast, including high-profile facilities in the Birmingham area.    "Because of how it controls thatch, you can get on the fairways right after it rains because that sponge that holds the water is gone," he said. "It might cost a little revenue up front for courses to close, but they'll capitalize on the backside because the conditions are so much better."
  • A new mobile app from Bernhard and Co. is designed to help turf managers ease record-keeping of agronomic practices and tracking playing conditions on the golf course.   Named the Turf Toolkit, the app allows registered users to enter model-specific information on Bernhard reel grinders, bedknife grinders and roatary blade grinders, and mowers (Jacobsen, John Deere and Toro). Users also can maintain a grinding log for each bedknife, including face angle and front face angle, and a mowing log for each piece of machinery.   Users then can also enter green speed info allowing for multiple inputs on numerous locations throughout the golf course and includes a selection to categorize weather conditions (rain, wind, clouds, sun, other) for each entry.   The free app is available now through the Google Play Store and will be available in February on the Apple iStore. It includes a section where equipment managers can track spare parts for Bernhard Grinders, information on producing better grass for less, company history and an FAQ section.
  • BIGGA nembers have spoken out about the need for access to more turfgrass research and education, and the British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association has listened. 
      Jim Croxton, the association's chief executive officer, cites an expanded education schedule for daily attendance that was up by about 10 percent each day and 1,000 people overall at this year's BIGGA Turf Management Exhibition (BTME).   The association has gradually expanded education, from 2,000 hours in 2010 to 5,000 hours this year. That includes more offerings for those in entry-level positions and more speakers from the United States.   "I think (there is) a greater focus on value for money," Croxton said. "People have to justify their reason for attending. The key driver to that is education."   BTME once was primarily a trade show, and the new format and increased attendance due to education has been a hit with vendors eager to have more facetime with show-goers.    "People are coming to the conference as a conference, where it used to be just an exhibition and a few seminars," Croxton said. "They're planning their trips better, they're staying longer, which is great for us because they are spending more time engaging with exhibitors as well as the education. And of course they socialize a lot, and greenkeeping is a networking business."     During this year's show Rick Tegtmeier, CGCS, director of grounds at Des Moines Golf and Country Club, became just the 67th person to achieve the title of Master Greenkeeper since the BIGGA began recognizing the achievement 25 years ago.   Croxton noted a larger-than-usual presence from the U.S. this year both in terms of attendees and speakers, which included Beth Guertal, Ph.D., of Auburn; Jim Kerns, Ph.D., of North Carolina State; John Kaminski, Ph.D., of Penn State; Mark Kuhns, CGCS, of Baltusrol Golf Club, Stan Kostka, Ph.D., of Aquatrols, as well as TurfNet's Jon Kiger, who delivered three presentations in Harrogate.   The program also included more education aimed at entry-level workers in the turf-management field, as well as more education for seasoned greenkeepers hoping to make the leap into club management.   "We deliberately put a whole stream in this year for greenkeepers early in their career," Croxton said. "We're probably not doing enough on elements that linked greenkeeping to the business of golf. We're doing customer service, golf business, obviously lots of people management and resource management, those kinds of things. The agronomic side is still there. A lot of our guys are geeks for agronomy. They want to find out the latest research, but actually around that is a lot more rounded education to be a manager."  
     
  • When thinking back on his 17-year run as head football coach at the University of Tennessee, Phillip Fulmer prefers to think of himself somewhat like the patriarch of a very large family that included more than just players and coaches. It was a family that included wives, children, fans, support staff and anyone else associated with an interest in the Volunteers' success on the football field.
      That approach helped Fulmer and his Volunteers win a lot of football games, and it's advice he says translates to a winning formula at any operation, including a golf course, he told attendees recently during his keynote address at this year's Tennessee Turfgrass Association Conference and Show in Murfreesboro.   Fulmer recalled a game against Alabama in 1993, his first full season as head coach in Knoxville. With the Volunteers ahead by 8 points with less than a minute-and-a-half remaining, Alabama went 83 yards and converted a 2-point conversion with just seconds left, and Fulmer and the Vols left Legion Field in Birmingham with a bitter 17-17 tie. In the car, he snapped at wife Vicky, who stopped the car and told him: "Right now, everyone in Tennessee hates you except me, and you're really close to losing me."   "She was right," he said. "We have to surround ourselves with people who will support us in the toughest of times.   "Maximize your successes and minimize your failures."      CLICK TO READ: Phillip Fulmer and Charlie Daniels team up to tackle teen suicide.     No one, apparently not even former All-Americans who went on to NFL stardom, played a bigger role in the Vols' success on the gridiron than Bobby Campbell, then the university's sports turf manager.   "We were a family. We all had a job to do, and we were expected to do it and be part of the family, enjoy the wins and suffer though the losses," Campbell said while introducing Fulmer at TTA.    "Whether you were Peyton Manning or a groundskeeper, we all were part of the family," added Campbell, who retired after the 2010 season. "And we all had our part to do."   Today, the 65-year-old Fulmer is a partner in BPV Capital Management in Knoxville. When he headed UT's football team, he had what he called a close and unique relationship with Campbell, but one that often was focused on the condition of Tennessee's practice fields.   "The condition of the grass was something you had to pay attention to," Fulmer said. "I thanked the Good Lord every day for Bobby Campbell and the good job he did for us. We fought like cats and dogs. He was always right, and I just always wanted more practice space.   "I don't think Bobby ever told me 'no', but as I remember I think he always got his way. We made it work, and along the way had a great, great friendship.   "And thanks to Tom Samples, who we called on to help us when we tried something new. And I did pay attention, because we had a limited number of fields we could practice on."   That open-door relationship between Fulmer and Campbell was, in the latter's view, an anomaly among Division I football coaches and sports turf managers. Campbell recalled how his colleagues at the annual Sports Turf Managers Association meetings would complain about coaches and their treatment of playing surfaces.   "I was very fortunate," Campbell said. "I was the envy of everyone (at STMA) because I could say I have a fella at my place I can talk to.   "It was a special feeling to be at a place where I had a head coach who I could talk to any time I wanted to. And he made a deal with me early on, he told me 'don't come in here and tell me I can't use the fields, but if you can tell me a reason why I shouldn't, the decision will be mine, and I'll suffer the consequences if there are any consequences to be had.' "  
    Right now, everyone in Tennessee hates you except me, and you're really close to losing me."
     
    As an assistant coach under Johnny Majors, Fulmer came to dislike the artificial turf at Neyland Stadium, which had acquired the nickname "Doug's Rug" for former UT head coach and then-athletic director Doug Dickey who had it installed. So when he succeeded Majors midway through the 1992 season, Fulmer made it a priority to replace the artificial turf with natural grass for the 1994 season.   Fulmer learned a lot about 419 Bermudagrass during his time as head coach. About a 13-handicap on the golf course, Fulmer knew enough to understand that Tennessee's location in the transition zone made it hard to grow Bermuda, or anything else, with any degree of certainty.   "We have some challenges growing Bermuda in upper, east Tennessee, because we're on the edge of a good growing area," Fulmer said. "Winter can be touch, spring can be tough."   During his introduction of Fulmer to TTA, Campbell recalled how some members of the UT family were better listeners than others.   "I was thinking last night about all the times I went to Phillip and was able to talk him out of not doing something," he said. "And I hate to say this after laying in bed and thinking abou it, I haven't thought of one yet."   Despite the success of his teams on the field, which included winning the inaugural BCS National Championship in the 1998-99 season, a 152-52 record  and an 8-7 mark in postseason bowl games, two Southeastern Conference titles and coaching 90 players that went on to compete in the NFL, Fulmer says his fondest memories of his time at UT are the relationships he formed with his extended family. That list includes former players and coaches and support staff like Campbell.   "It was wonderful to coach players like Jason Whitten, Peyton Manning and Eric Berry, Cosey Coleman and Jamal Lewis, and there were so many others," Fulmer said. "We were a family, and we had a family atmosphere here. Seeing all of your players grow into men is special. Of course, when they get here they think they're men, but really they're still children. To see them grow into adults and have very special relationships with them has been great, and now I have time to enjoy that.   "Not a day that goes by where I don't have a couple of conversations or texts or emails about a baby announcement, a new job or looking for a new job, or one of those kinds of things, because they're always your kids."
  • Seven seconds; that's how long it takes to make that all-important first impression in a job interview. It takes only five minutes, barely enough time to start chit-chat, for someone in a hiring position to decide whether they are remotely interested in a job candidate, says one communications expert. Within another 10 minutes, most already have decided if that job candidate will receive either an offer or the old "don't call us, we'll call you" treatment.
      As if navigating the interview process wasn't already stressful enough.   Statistics like that, says Laura Katen of NYC-based Katen Consulting, mean it's important in an interview, or any professional environment for that matter, to put your best foot forward long before you open your mouth. In fact, when it comes to nonverbal cue, Katen said, actions do indeed speak louder than words.   According to research by Harvard University and Stanford University, there are four key elements to making a positive, first and lasting impression, and very little actually involve spoken communication.   "Everything you say and do says something about you," Katen told a packed room at the Tennessee Turfgrass Association Conference and Tradeshow in Murfreesboro. "Is that saying what you want it to say about you?"   Appearance
      A total of 60 percent of employers surveyed in research cited by Katen said that employee dress was their No. 1 office pet peeve. That might not mean much at a golf course on a day-to-day basis, but it applies for committee meetings or interviews when seeking that next opportunity, Katen said.    Simple tips like properly fitting slacks and blazers might seem elementary to some, but they are things everyone notices, she said.   "If you think it doesn't matter, it absolutely does," she said. "How people dress influences what you think of them.    "I'm not saying it's right, I'm not saying it's fare. I'm saying it's fact. People will look at you, size you up immediately and then decide if they want to get to know you."  
    Communication
      Katen says research indicates that 55 percent of every person's communication is made through body language. That includes facial expressions, hand gestures, posture, eye contact and smiling (or not). A total of 38 percent of the average person's communication is made through tone of voice, leaving only 7 percent of all effective communication coming through the actual words one speaks.    For those historically focused more on their words than how they deliver them, that can be a little scary.   Failing to smile or make eye contact can convey all sorts of emotions, including boredom or arrogance. Crossed or folded arms can be interpreted as defensive or unapproachable, and poor posture might make someone look disinterested or bored. Even a high-pitched voice or the practice of what Katen called up-talking (tone of voice steadily escalates as someone speaks) can convey a feeling of stress. It doesn't matter, Katen said, if those perceptions are not accurate. It's how the receiver of those messages interprets them that counts.   "If you want to communicate confidence, substantiveness, credibility and success, it's about what people seek from you," Katen said. "It is always about them; it's never about you.   "There is a difference between being arrogant and confident, and there is a difference between being aggressive and assertive. Everyone wants to be known as confident and assertive. No one wants to be known as arrogant and aggressive."  
    Interacting and building rapport with others
      Two of the fastest and easiest ways to build immediate rapport are a strong self-introduction and the ability to make small talk, according to Katen.   "Ask open-ended questions, ask people about themselves. People love to talk about themselves," Kate said. "Death is you not being able to converse. People need to know who you are if you want to progress your success."   Part of that memorable introduction is the perfect handshake, which lies somewhere between the proverbial "limp fish" and "the crusher."   That perfect handshake is web-to-web (the fleshy part of the hand between the thumb and forefinger), firm (whatever it takes to open a refrigerator door is enough), two to three shakes, then let go, said Katen. And the same rules apply for women regardless of whether they are on the giving or receiving end of a handshake.   "Women today wanted to be treated equally," Katen said. "We want the same pay, and we want a firm handshake."   Social etiquette
      Whether it's a lengthy interview that includes lunch or dinner, a meal with a green chairman or club president, or hitting the road for a professional conference, knowing proper etiquette in social situations can be the difference between "salad days" or being "out to lunch."   "Whenever food, drink and conversation are involved, you want to navigate them seamlessly," Katen said.    "You should know which side the bread plate is on and drinking glass, when to split the bill with a host or not, when to transition to talking business from small talk, what not to order, what to order."   Most importantly, Katen said it was impossible to overstate the importance of smiling and eye contact in business communications. Combining the two together is a process she called "smizing."   "Everyone wants to be perceived as warm and opening and welcome and confident," she said.   "Smile and make eye contact. People will forgive a lot if you smize them."  
  • What a difference a year can make.
      By Thanksgiving Day in 2014, much of the upper Midwest was paralyzed after a Nov. 21 storm left more than a foot of snow in places like Milwaukee, Chicago and Detroit. Fast forward to just a couple of months ago, and Detroit flirted with 60-plus-year record highs and golfers throughout much of the country headed to the golf course in droves - at least compared to the same time in the previous year.   A month ago, golf industry analyst Jim Koppenhaver hinted that warmer-than-average conditions might result in a year-over-year boom in November, and he was right. Rounds played in November were up nationwide by 19.5 percent compared with the same month in 2014, according to the Golf Datatech Monthly Rounds Played Report that surveyed 3,560 private and public-access courses in 49 states (sorry, Alaska).    In all, rounds played were up in 38 states and down in 11. The exceptions to Mother Nature's benevolence were the mountain states, Pacific coast and small pockets of the sun belt.   Predictably, the states that were hit hardest in 2014 led the way a year later, with rounds played up by 227 percent in Wisconsin, 202 percent in Minnesota and 194 percent in Michigan.   Triple-digit increases also occurred in North and South Dakota, where rounds were up by 169 percent; Ohio (149 percent); Iowa (126 percent); Illinois (125 percent); Indiana (123 percent); Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont (122 percent); and West Virginia (113 percent).   The gains were felt by both public-access and private facilities alike, with increases of 21 percent and 13 percent, respectively.   Despite the huge numbers across much of the country, year-to-date rounds played were up just 1.5 percent when compared with the first 11 months of 2014. The biggest losses in November were in Utah, down 17 percent, and New Mexico (10 percent).  
  • For the short playing season that is golf in Alaska, Marty Baumann, CGCS, might be the busiest superintendent anywhere in the world.
      In June, July and August, Anchorage Golf Course can accommodate three shotgun tournaments per day. That's up to 350 rounds per day and 10,000 rounds per month. On the first day of summer, there is enough sunlight to play golf from 4 a.m. to 2 a.m. the following day. For the remainder of that three-month period, golfers only have about an 18-hour window in which to play each day.   Golfers come from Japan and Korea and other countries the world over for those three months, many bent on playing 100 holes in a day.   "During the summer, there is no doubt we are the busiest golf course in the world," Baumann said. "We have more traffic, more compaction and more wear than any course in the country for 90 days."   Because conditions the other nine months of the year are mostly inhospitable to any outdoor activity that doesn't involve skis, Baumann also must conduct all of his agronomic practices while golfers are ushered through Anchorage's nearly 24 hours a day.   "Double shotguns are the norm for most courses, but we will often have three shotguns a day; 7 a.m., 1 p.m. and 7 p.m.," said Anchorage general manager Tom Farris. "As a result, Marty must be creative in his staffing and agricultural practices."   That pressure for time on the golf course means that Baumann and his crew begin their day at 2:30 a.m. That schedule includes mowing greens and changing cups every day. He slices the course and topdresses every 10 days or so, but his program is limited to bayonet tines because closing the course to pull cores is not an option with such a short playing season.   He maintains the greens at a height of cut of 0.138 inches that typically roll between 7.5 and 8.5 on the Stimpmeter. Greens speeds this summer reached as high as 11, according to Farris. But speeds that fast also can deliver diminishing returns, Baumann said.   "We can do more (than 7.5-8.5), but I can't go faster than that or it affects pace of play," he said. "And with 10,000 rounds a month, we need to get golfers through here."   Slow pace of play also would conflict with Baumann's mantra of dispelling preconceived notions people might have about golf in Alaska. The course is ranked by many as the state's top course and its pro-shop is a regular winner of marketing awards.   "We advocate Alaska golf very strongly, and we're proud to be the No. 1 golf course in Alaska," he said. "We will put ourselves up against anyone."   Other challenges for Baumann also are indirectly caused by the climate.    Cold winters, and long sunny days in the summer mean a true lack of biodiversity throughout much of Alaska, Anchorage included, Baumann said.    "There are few microorganisms in the soil and few tree species," Baumann said. "Grass isn't native here. Bluegrass, ryegrass and bentgrass, all of which we have, are not native. There are no pests and no diseases except snow mold."   Disease control in Alaska is not the same as in the upper Midwest, and it has taken Baumann some time to get a handle on developing a program.   "It's voracious. I spend 80 percent of my chemical budget on snow mold," he said. "I couldn't apply normal standards until I changed my agronomic practices to fit the narrow biodiversity. It took me a year or two to learn that.   "Now, I could write a book on snow mold."  

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

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

  • News and people briefs

    By John Reitman, in News,

    Lebanon combo product offers 1-2-3 punch
      LebanonTurf recently launched Proscape Fertilizer with Acelepryn plus Dimension, a combination product with fertilizer, insecticide and herbicide that controls and protects against grubs and crabgrass all season long.   Proscape Fertilizer with Acelepryn plus Dimension is designed for just one spring application in most environments. Applications include golf course fairways, tees, collars and roughs, plus athletic fields, established home and commercial lawns, office complexes, parks, playgrounds, schools and day-care facilities.    Proscape fertilizer features patented MESA, Meth-Ex and Expo nutrient components. The Acelepryn insecticide (chlorantraniliprole) combats grubs, caterpillars and weevils, as well as chinch bugs and billbugs. Also, the Dimension herbicide (dithiopyr) kills and prevents crabgrass, goosegrass and Poa annua, among other unwanted grasses and weeds.  
    Registration open for Asian turf conference
      Registration for the Sustainable Turfgrass Management in Asia 2016 conference, at Pattaya from March 7 to 9, is open. All the information is on the conference website, www.asianturfseminar.com.   Slides and handouts from last year's show are available for download, and photos from the 2015 conference give a preview of what to expect in 2016. Other speakers for this year's event include Jim Kerns, Ph.D., of North Carolina State, and Elizabeth Guertal, Ph.D., of Auburn University.   In advance of the show, here are a few things Micah Woods, Ph.D., of the Asian Turfgrass Center has been up to.   > three most-viewed posts from ATC's Viridescent blog: 2 similar approaches to fertilization, with one notable difference As clear as mud Silica and Green Speed   > TurfNet webinar on MLSN Guidelines: what they are, and how to use them.   > Three episodes of Frankly Speaking on TurfNet   > Article in GCM China.   > The 2015 Global Soil Survey.   > The Turfgrass Zealot Project on TurfNet with Dave Wilber.   Click here for more information on this year's conference.  
    ASGCA names Donald Ross winner
      Michael Bamberger, a senior writer for Sports Illustrated and author of several books on golf, has been named the recipient of the Donald Ross Award by the American Society of Golf Course Architects.    The award, given annually since 1976, is presented to a person who has made a significant contribution to the game of golf and the profession of golf course architecture. It will be presented to Bamberger at the 2016 ASGCA Annual Meeting on April 24 in Bethesda, Maryland.   A native of Patchogue, New York, Bamberger was introduced to golf in an eighth-grade gym class. He first played on the public courses of Suffolk County and on the Patchogue-Medford High School golf team. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania he became a newspaper reporter, working for the Vineyard Gazette, on Martha's Vineyard, and later for the Philadelphia Inquirer. Since 1995, Bamberger has been a senior writer at Sports Illustrated.    His books on golf include "The Green Road Home" (1986), about his experiences as a caddie on the PGA Tour in 1985; "To the Linksland" (1992), about an extended honeymoon trip Bamberger and his wife, Christine, made on the European golf tour and through coastal Scotland; and "Men in Green" (2015), a then-and-now look at various golf legends from the 1970s. He is the inventor of The E-Club, a utility golf club for which he was issued a patent.   Bamberger joins an impressive list of journalists who have received the Donald Ross Award, including Bradley S. Klein, Herbert Warren Wind, Peter Dobereiner, Charles Price, Dick Taylor, Ron Whitten, George Peper and James Dodson.   Riverside Turf launches Sod Services
      Riverside Turf of Charles City, Virginia, recently launched Sod Production Services.   Sod Production Services was formed to fund research for and market new turfgrass varieties to licensed sod producers to grow proprietary grasses, and to offer agronomic consulting services to the turf industry. Al Hunter has joined Sod Production Services as its director of business development. The first grass in the Sod Production Services portfolio is PremierPRO Bermudagrass.   Hunter will work with Riverside Turf's Brian Walker to create a new business model in the turfgrass licensing segment that focuses on a team approach to sod production, sales and distribution with a dedication to science-based claims, customer support and agronomic consultancy.   PremierPRO is a dense, fine-bladed Bermudagrass developed by Milt Engelke, Ph.D., at Texas A&M and Virginia Lehman, Ph.D. for wear tolerance.  
     

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