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The host of the 1999 and 2005 U.S. Open Championships at Pinehurst No. 2, Paul Jett, CGCS, shot a one-under-par 71 to win the Carolinas GCSA championship last November. Jett beat out about 330 other golfers from across North and South Carolina for the championship, which was presented in partnership with Smith Turf and Irrigation and The Toro Co. The win represents Jett’s third in the annual championship for the association.
Eastman Industries, the manufacturer of HoverMower lawnmowers, has recently entered the tractor market after purchasing Ingersoll Tractor Co., bringing it to Portland, Maine, from Wisconsin. Eastman also opened a new 40,000-square-foot manufacturing facility, which houses the lawnmower and tractor production lines. The company invested more than $3.5 million in the purchase plus updates and preparation for the building and manufacturing operations. Nick Nikazmerad, president of Eastman, says he hopes to increase employment along with the addition of the Ingersoll line of garden tractors and compact loader backhoes. Additionally, the company named Bob Jensen as its director of sales for Ingersoll Tractor Co.
Six recent college graduates have joined the USGA’s Fellowship in Leadership and Service program. Representing a variety of interests and academic backgrounds, the fellows are: Blair Bodine (Columbia University) of Philadelphia; Josh Gelfand (University of Pennsylvania) of DuBois, Pa.; Erica Goodman (Middlebury College) of Fort Ann, N.Y.; Gennessa Guzman (University of Kentucky) of Covina, Calif.; Matt Keys (Dickinson College) of Carlisle, Pa.; and Amanda Wilson (Michigan State University) of Portage, Mich. Their academic disciplines include East Asian languages and cultures, economics, history, international business, marketing and political science. The fellows will work in the USGA grants and fellowship office in Colorado Springs, Colo., through the two-year postgraduate commitment with an option to petition for a specialized project in the third year. Fellows also have the opportunity to work at one of 13 championships the USGA holds annually.
To recognize companies, organizations and individuals who promote the beneficial effects of green spaces, Project Evergreen presents its annual Because Green Matters Award. The organization summons nominations, which are open to anyone and can include self-nominations. Last year’s winner was Southern Land Co. for its addition of landscaping and horticulture to its real estate development. In 2005, the University of Akron won the award for adding 30 acres of green space and planting 30,000 trees on its campus. Applications are available at www.projectevergreen.com and will be judged by an independent group of experts. Applications must be postmarked by March 1. The winner will be announced that month.
Hoping to increase the number of families participating in golf together, U.S. Kids Golf and ValleyCrest Golf Course Maintenance are pairing up to attract children and families to the sport. ValleyCrest is providing customized tee plates and other materials for the U.S. Kids Golf Personal Tee Golf Learning Program, which helps courses nationwide increase participation and revenue. The program provides courses with affordable and easy methods for reducing the yardage on holes and helping players of varying abilities play together. Green and yellow Personal Tee fairway and cart path tee plates can be placed in front of traditional forward tee locations for a shorter, less intimidating course, the companies say.
Hustler Turf Equipment recently held its first Hustler Days celebration in Hesston, Kan. Its annual sales awards were awarded at the three-day event, which gathered hundreds of dealer representatives. In addition to top-performing sales awards, the company also gave out “Rising Star” awards to 60 dealers who show promise as up-and-comers, the company says.
Club Car, continuing its support of golf at a grassroots level, reached an agreement with the Executive Women’s Golf Association to provide opportunities for women in the sport. As a supporting sponsor, Club Car will provide financial assistance, encourage EWGA membership among its employees and participate in the group’s online auction benefiting the EWGA Foundation.
Winning its third team victory in a row at the Florida GCSA’s annual golf championship last October was the South Florida GCSA. The chapter took home the chapter team and low medalist honors at the event held at Southern Dunes GC. Bob Harper of The Club at Emerald Hills won his second title in his last three tries. Harper will compete in this month’s GCSAA National Championship in Palm Springs, Calif. The Florida GCSA comprises 1,100 members in 12 regional chapters.
RedMax has renewed its status as the official handheld outdoor power equipment used by the grounds maintenance staff at Petty Enterprises, including Victory Junction Gang Camp, a 72-acre, year-round themed camp for children with chronic or serious illnesses. Through the agreement, RedMax supplies the Randleman, N.C.-based camp with trimmers, edgers, blowers and chainsaws.
To show its commitment to environmentally sound practices, Kubota Tractor Corp. has decided to fuel specified Kubota diesel-powered products with a “B5” biodiesel that contains 5 percent biodiesel and 95 percent petroleum diesel. The company’s American B5 blend has been tested to ensure it meets requirements of the American Society of Testing and Materials.
As the winner in a recent promotion by The Toro Co., Michael Martin of M&M Lawncare, Evansville, Ind., received a free Toro Dingo TX 413 compact utility loader and bucket attachment. Martin was one of several thousand entrants who received a postcard and responded to the drawing, which has been an annual event sponsored by Toro. Previously the owner of a Toro Dingo TX 420 model, Martin says the new model will enhance his expanding lawn business, which provides services to about 100 commercial and residential lawn customers. The business has expanded to also include irrigation design and installation, landscaping and snow removal, Martin says.
Headway fungicide from Syngenta is now registered for use in California. The product is ormulated to control a broad spectrum of turf diseases including dollar spot and brown patch, and uses two active ingredients. Nearly odorless, the fungicide is designed to mix into a clear solution with other products.
During a dedication ceremony, the PGA Golf Club at PGA Village unveiled the names of two newly renovated courses in Port St. Lucie, Fla. The North Course has been renamed the Ryder Course after Samuel Ryder, the Ryder Cup’s founder. The South Course has been renamed the Wanamaker Course as a namesake of Rodman Wanamaker, a New York City department store magnate who inspired The PGA of America. The courses are both designed by architect Tom Fazio, who also oversaw the renovations.
Ewing has opened its 159th facility, this one in Suwanee, Ga. The new branch will provide training seminars on irrigation, lighting and pond installation. The facility’s first pond seminar will involve building a pond, and the first lighting seminar entails a real lighting installation, the company says. Jennifer Sewell will head up the new facility as manager. Sewell previously worked as assistant branch manager for Central Irrigation Supply.
People News
BASF Professional Turf & Ornamental has hired Michael Kropp to serve as its sales specialist for Northern California and the Pacific Northwest. Kropp will work with chemical distributors, golf course superintendents and lawncare operators in the area. He previously worked as a technical sales manager for Motomco/Bell Laboratories, a rodenticide manufacturer.
Grigg Bros. has hired Gordon L. Kauffmann III to serve dual roles — one coordinating university and independent research trials and new product development, and one as the company’s technical sales representative serving the Northeast. Most recently, Kauffmann contracted with Syngenta Crop Protection as a field technical and sales support specialist in the Northeast.
Scott Bingham has been appointed as Follett Corp.’s product marketing manager. Bingham will identify product opportunities for new and existing products in the company’s ice storage and transport line for commercial food services.
ProLink Solutions has named L. Gerard Johnson as senior vice president of operations. Johnson, a 19-year veteran of Fortune 500 manufacturing companies, will manage and coordinate new ProLink GPS system installations in the United States and Japan, oversee its product support center staff and direct the regional service manager and technician team.
Bayer Environmental Science recently hired Donald Botkin as its senior field sales representative for Ohio and Michigan.
Profile Products LLC, a manufacturer of erosion control, sports field and golf course products, has hired Chris Wilhite as its new marketing director.
Pete Gumas has joined Ewing Irrigation Products as its agronomic sales representative. Gumas’ sales region will be the San Francisco bay area. The position is intended to expand Ewing’s customer service for Northern California’s green industry, including soil testing, fertilizer sales, weed identification and disease troubleshooting.
SynaTek, a manufacturer of golf, turf and ornamental products, has appointed Michael Zellner as its golf technical sales representative. Zellner has previously served as golf course superintendent for eight years. He will cover Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley region.
Golf briefs
Operational responsibilities for Hiddenbrooke GC, an Arnold Palmer Signature Golf Course in Vallejo, Calif., have been awarded to KemperSports by the course’s owner, Hiddenbrooke Inc. The 18-hole layout near San Francisco and Napa Valley is playable year-round and hosted the Samsung World Championship, an LPGA event, from 2000 through 2002.
Opening in spring 2007 is Blackstone CC in Aurora, Colo., designed by golf course architecture firm Jay Morrish & Associates. The 7,313-yard, 18-hole private course is framed by the Rocky Mountains to the west and includes five lakes and a 30-foot waterfall.
In September 2007, Chicago’s Cog Hill G&CC will host the first-ever BMW Championship — the third of four PGA Tour playoff tournaments that conclude with the new FedExCup that also debuts this year. Outlined in a six-year agreement among BMW, the PGA Tour and the Western Golf Association, the event will return to Chicago every other year, with even-numbered year events occurring at other Midwest courses. The 2008 event will be held at Bellerive CC in St. Louis, and at the Crooked Stick GC in Indianapolis in 2010.
Western Golf Properties has added two golf courses under its management umbrella. Plantation Lakes GC, an 18-hole daily fee course in Millsboro, Del., set to open in spring 2008, and Two Rivers GC, a private golf community scheduled to open in spring 2009 in Crofton, Md., increase the company’s portfolio to 16 golf course properties.
Barton Creek Resort & Spa in Austin, Texas, recently renewed its Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary status through Audubon International for its Fazio Foothills, Crenshaw Cliffside and Palmer Lakeside golf courses.
A major renovation is under way at Nicklaus Design’s Palm Coast Resort and Palm Harbor GC. The redesign encompasses all 18 holes, a new clubhouse, a full-service golf shop, dining and lounge areas, locker facilities and a new practice facility. When the new course is unveiled at a scheduled fall 2008 date, it will be known as The Harbor Course at Palm Coast Resort.
Key West GC has officially reopened after the course’s greens suffered damage and salt water intrusion from Hurricane Wilma in 2005. The 18-hole public golf course was redesigned with salt-tolerant Seadwarf seashore paspalum turfgrass from Environmental Turf Inc. The storm caused an 8-foot surge that flooded the course, depositing 4 feet of salt water and inundating the irrigation ponds with ocean water. Key West’s irrigation water, drawn from lakes on the 100-acre property, was tainted with at least 1,500 parts per million of salt.
Pooler Development recently selected KemperSports Management to manage The Timber Banks GC, an 18-hole layout in Lysander, N.Y. KemperSports will supply development and marketing consulting services for the course until its opening in 2009, when the golf course management firm will assume operations.
Aligning with OSHA
The Tree Care Industry Association recently renewed its alliance with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to further safety and health for members of the tree care industry. The agreement, which was signed Nov. 10 at the association’s exposition in Baltimore, will focus on providing TCIA members with information, guidance and access to training resources with particular attention to the prevention of exposure to tree removal, electrical, falls and struck-by hazards, the group says. The alliance also will provide opportunities for OSHA and TCIA professionals to speak, exhibit and appear at conferences and other events such as certified tree-care safety professional workshops, student career days, TCI Expo and the Winter Management Conference.
Agricultural honor
Wayne Hanna, Ph.D., was recently inducted into the Agricultural Research Service’s Science Hall of Fame. Hanna’s 35 years of research in forage and turfgrass breeding and genetics earned him the distinction. The honor was given at a recent ceremony at the U.S. National Arboretum in Washington, D.C. ARS, the research arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, lauded Hanna’s bermudagrass varieties as having more vigor and resistance to pests and heat while needing less fertilizer, pesticides and water.
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