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The Toro Co. made an entrance in the 2006 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade as the event’s official provider of utility vehicles. Toro’s Workman utility vehicles were used for the annual parade, which celebrated its 80th anniversary last year. A fleet of the vehicles escorted hot air balloons resembling Flying Ace Snoopy and Pikachu down the 2.5-mile route in New York City. A flight management team of 12 pilots and captains, plus hundreds of balloons handlers, coordinated the vehicles through the journey.
A celebrity reception with Hank Aaron and other Atlanta notables highlighted the 2nd Annual Andrew and Walter Young Family All Pro Golf Tournament, which took place last fall at the Golf Club of Georgia in Alpharetta. The event, which benefits the Andrew and Walter Young Family YMCA, signed up FedEx as its premier sponsor and the PGA Tour as its premier logistics sponsor. Additional funds were raised through the event’s celebrity reception, a post-tournament reception and a silent auction with memorabilia from the Atlanta Braves, Atlanta Hawks, Atlanta Thrashers and several other professional athletes and celebrities. Other sponsors included the Atlanta Braves, Chick-fil-A, Crawford Communications, Delta Dental and Hawks.
Jacobsen, a Textron Inc. company, has partnered with Western Golf Properties to supply its turf equipment to the 13 golf facilities nationwide the golf firm manages. As Western Golf Properties continues to expand, Frank Denniston, president of the company’s procurement arm, Western Golf Procurement, said in a company-issued statement that it looks forward to a long-term relationship with Jacobsen. One major reason for the selection of Jacobsen was the company’s strengthening of its national dealer network, including G.L. Cornell Co., a dealer in Maryland and Virginia, according to the release.
Walt Gooder, superintendent at Country Hills GC in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, has been named the winner of the 2006 Alberta Golf Superintendents Association Distinguished Service Award. Designed to promote AGSA members and to recognize superintendents who excel at their profession, the award honors Gooder’s continuous leadership to the industry for more than 35 years. A past president of the Canadian Golf Superintendents Association, Gooder also served as chairman of the CGSA’s international conference and trade show and is a past winner of the association’s Superintendent of the Year award. Gooder founded the AGSA Property Manager’s Conference and is credited for bringing the Alberta Golf Industry Association together. His environmental commitment is highlighted by Country Hills GC’s certification through the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program. He has helped construct and grow the two courses at Country Hills since 1989.
In a superintendent survey conducted by the GCSA of New England, about half of respondents said they managed their staffs themselves, while the other half delegated the task in part or whole to their assistants. Less than half of surveyed superintendents said they communicated the daily schedule to the staff, while 26 percent said it was a responsibility exclusive to the assistant superintendent. When asked who performs office and clerical work, 73 percent named themselves, 21 percent said it’s shared between themselves and their assistants; and 6 percent said a secretary. Forty percent report to a green chairman, 31 percent report to an owner, 9 percent report to a general manager, 8 percent report to a club president and 8 percent report to a management company. In the job satisfaction category, 59 percent said they like their job; 29 percent said they love it; and 9 percent said it’s OK.
Redexim Charterhouse Inc. will have a new sales office in Fenton, Mo., a suburb of St. Louis. While the office will serve as the company’s headquarters for its North American sales and marketing department, the company will continue to run its administrative, distribution and technical operations out of its Pittston Township, Pa., facility, says Paul Hollis, the company’s executive vice president.
Quail Run GC in Sun City, Ariz., has recently achieved designation as a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary by Audubon International. Chuck Manning, Class A superintendent and a 13-year member of GCSAA, led the efforts in making Quail Run the first nine-hole course in Arizona to receive the environmental honor. To obtain the status, the maintenance staff at Quail Run demonstrated a high degree of environmental quality in several categories: environmental planning; wildlife and habitat management; outreach and education; chemical use reduction and safety; water conservation; and water quality management.
Trophy Golf Management has acquired Coral Creek Club, a Tom Fazio-designed course in Placida, Fla., and its capital partner, ELV Associates Inc. During Trophy Golf’s first private golf club acquisition, Coral Creek members and staff experienced a seamless transition to the new ownership, according to a statement from the company, which specializes in the development and management of golf-oriented properties in the United States and worldwide.
Synthetic Turf International has expanded its distributor network with six international dealers to increase the company’s presence in the state of Washington, Indiana, Florida, Northern California, Puerto Rico, the West Indies, Trinidad, Tobago, Barbados, Antigua, the Lesser Antilles, Grenada and Dominica. The new distributors are: Artificial Surfaces Plus, Trinidad; DCI, Contra Costa County and Marin County, Calif.; Synthetic Turf Designs, Brevard County, Fla.; Synthetic Turf of Puerto Rico, Humacao, Puerto Rico; Virtual Golf Center, Seattle; and Wilmer Concrete, Fort Wayne, Ind.
E-Z-Go recently sponsored the 2006 World Club Championship, an amateur golf tournament played at Sage Valley GC in Graniteville, S.C. The event, which was televised by The Golf Channel, represented 11 different countries and was held in South Korea for the past five years. As an event sponsor, E-Z-Go hosted a party for participants and other tournament associates, received logo placement on scoreboards and practice round flagsticks and was represented in the pre-tournament Benefactors Cup.
People News
Agrotain International LLC has hired Dan Kuttenkuler as project manager for the company’s new stabilized nitrogen granulation production center in St. Louis. The facility is scheduled to be completed this summer. In addition, the company has appointed Paul Enns to regional manager in Saskatchewan, Canada. He will manage the sales and service of the company’s stabilized nitrogen products in the province.
Jerry Coldiron, CGCS, has joined the sales team of Midwest Golf & Turf, a grounds care equipment provider servicing Kentucky, Ohio and Indiana. Coldiron brings more than 30 years of grounds and golf operations experience to the position.
Adriana Vizcaya has been named vice president of sales for Synthetic Turf International. Vizcaya will supervise the company’s retail and inside sales departments, as well as manage and increase its worldwide network of sales representatives and distributors.
Frontier Golf, a course construction company, has hired Rich Abbott to head up its new Southeast Division in Camden, S.C. As president of the Southeast facility, Abbott is overseeing several projects, such as a renovation of The River Course at Kiawah Island Golf Resort and a drainage installation at the Ocean Winds course at The Club at Seabrook Island in Johns Island, S.C.
Billy Casper Golf has promoted Bill Rehanek to senior vice president, taking on course management responsibilities in the Chicago area. He previously oversaw operations for Cook County Forest Preserve Golf in Illinois and other courses in the Midwest.
Jessica Ziebart has been named the new marketing coordinator for Amiad Filtration Systems in Oxnard, Calif.
Columbia Seeds LLC has named Ryan Jeffries as its national sales manager. Jeffries, who will work out of Denver, will be responsible for nationwide sales and marketing, including the company’s continued growth in turf and forage grass products. He previously served as products manager for Arkansas Valley Seeds.
Danny Summers, executive vice president of the Southern Nursery Association, has officially stepped down from his post, the association’s board of directors recently announced. Summers will pursue other opportunities in the nursery industry, while the association says its activities will continue to be carried out during the transition stage.
Darren Powers has been hired as national accounts manager for Turfline Inc. He will be responsible for about 50 percent of the company’s U.S. sales region. A former GCSAA employee, Powers worked as the association’s senior manager of corporate marketing and sales.
Agrotain International has appointed Ben Thompson to serve as its ag regional sales manager for the Florida region. Thompson possesses more than 25 years of experience in the fertilizer industry. He also will help expand the company’s industrial business division across the nation.
Jim Helms is the new general manager at Dorado Beach Resort and Club in Dorado, Puerto Rico. Helms has worked with KemperSports in projects of several facilities it manages, including Harding Park, The Links at Bodega Harbour and Hiddenbrooke Golf Club. KemperSports also has named Amy Spittle its regional director of sales and marketing. Spittle will support sales and marketing efforts for the company’s northwestern portfolios. She recently served as sales and marketing director for The Golf Resort at Indian Wells in California’s Coachella Valley.
The first telehandlers manufactured by JLG Industries and branded with the Caterpillar tag made their way to the U.S. market last fall through Cashman Equipment, a Caterpillar dealer in Nevada. The partnership through JLG and Caterpillar sent more than 100 new Cat telehandlers from JLG’s plant to Cat dealers. The partnership applies to six models of new Cat telehandlers to North and South America: the TH220B and TH330B, plus the new TL Series, which incorporates Caterpillar components with JLG-branded designs, the TL642, TL943, TL1055 and the TL1255 with a capacity range of 6,500 pounds to 12,000 pounds. Maximum lift heights on the new models range from 42 to 55 feet.
Golf Briefs
The Lakes Course at The Resort at Red Hawk in Sparks, Nev., has recently been recertified with the Audubon International Signature Cooperative Sanctuary Program. Originally certified as a Signature Cooperative Sanctuary in 2000, the Lakes Course remains the only golf course in Nevada to have earned this distinction. The efforts of Tom Steinberg, the course’s Class A superintendent and a 13-year member of GCSAA, and his maintenance crew, were credited with the course recertifying its status. Once a duck-hunting retreat, the 7,140-yard Lake Course is in the Spanish Springs Valley and includes a wetlands area. The front nine holes have been incorporated into natural springs, and the back nine holes surround two lakes and wetlands.
Nicklaus Design has opened its 300th course, Sebonack GC in Southampton, N.Y. A collaboration between Nicklaus and golf course designer Tom Doak, the 18-hole course sits on 300 waterfront acres, stretches 7,220 yards from the back tees and plays a par 72. Since the opening of Sebonack GC, Nicklaus Design has opened four more courses. The firm’s portfolio of courses represents 29 countries and 38 states, with 50 courses under construction or development.
University Ridge GC has undergone an expansion project in collaboration with golf course design company JJR LLC, Robert Trent Jones Jr. and Bryant Taylor Gordon Golf. The plans call for an expansion and reconfiguration of the course to include a new nine-hole academy course, a practice area for the golf team at University of Wisconsin, Madison, a new driving range and a running course for the university’s cross country team. The renovation is planned to be completed for fall 2007.
Chambers Bay GC, a championship 18-hole layout in Pierce County, Wash., is being constructed within the 930-acre Chambers Creek Properties. A former gravel mine overlooking Puget Sound, the Robert Trent Jones II design is scheduled to open in May. Managed by KemperSports, the course will feature a marine shoreline, tree-covered islands, elevation changes and the Olympic Mountains in the background.
Victoria Hills GC in DeLand, Fla., has been selected to host a U.S. Open local qualifier May 21. Chosen by the USGA and the Florida State Golf Association, Victoria Hills is a 6,923-yard layout with a double-sided driving range, a short game area and a state-of-the-art practice facility. The tournament format will be 18 holes of stroke play with two hours of tee times at nine-minute intervals.
Plans for Sand Hollow Resort, a new destination golf resort in southern Utah, have been unveiled. The resort, which is breaking ground this year, will include more than 1,700 private residences, vacation villas, 27 holes of golf at Sand Hollow GC, a spa and fitness center, pools and water features. A 15-acre water park will encircle the resort and will include a lazy river and stair-stepping through a series of pools.
Club Car recently became the preferred supplier of turf and utility vehicles and golf cars for the European Golf Course Owners Association. The agreement between the two entities was made official through a mutual signing at the first annual EGCOA conference in Amsterdam last fall, which brought together more than 170 EGCOA members from 12 different European countries. EGCOA represents 600 golf course owners.
Troon Golf has been named to manage the operations of Batalha and Furnas golf courses of the new Verde Golf Resorts in the Azores on the island of Sao Miguel. Troon Golf’s management responsibilities will include the two courses in addition to courses planned for future development, the company says.
Saddle Creek Resort, a 900-acre community in the Sierra Nevada foothills, opened its expanded practice facility recently with new zoysiagrass target greens, more driving stations and an enhanced short game area with new chipping and putting greens. The improvement came in time for the course’s hosting of the 2006 Northern California Open Championship Sept. 24-27.
SouthWood GC was recently named Tallahassee, Fla.’s “Best Golf Course” by Tallahassee Magazine. Onsite instructor Becky Sauers also was voted the top golf instructor. Both public and private courses were considered in the magazine’s golf category, which has been awarded to the Fred Couples- and Gene Bates-designed SouthWood twice.
OslerBrook G&CC has been named the winner of The Ontario Archaeological Society’s 2006 Heritage Conservation Award for setting an example of conservation awareness in the community and long-term conservation planning, among other criteria. The club created a monument viewable from its 10th tee that commemorates the original inhabitants of the site and their history. The monument can potentially serve as an outdoor classroom for history and archeology sessions for children.
Marriott Golf has announced it will assume management of the golf facilities at Tucson, Ariz.-based Starr Pass GC, including a 27-hole Arnold Palmer Signature Golf course. It will oversee club operation, golf course maintenance, instruction programs, food and beverage services and golf programming.
South Carolina’s Kiawah Island Golf Resort earned the recent honor of the No. 1-ranked golf resort in the United States by Travel + Leisure Golf magazine. The publication listed Kiawah Island as its readers’ top choice in its “2006 Reader Survey, World’s Best Golf Resorts.” The resort’s Pete Dye-designed Ocean Course, covered with Sea Isle Supreme paspalum, is listed as its main attraction.
The Blue Tip golf course at The Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman, West Indies, opened last fall for hotel guests and residence owners. The Greg Norman-designed Blue Tip is a 3,515-yard, nine-hole par 36 with five sets of tees for varied levels of play. Water challenges appear on eight out of nine holes. Blue Tip is said to be the first course to be built on Grand Cayman in a decade. The course also is designed to avoid or minimize damage to its natural surroundings. The Ritz-Carlton offers its golf caddie concierge program, which provides a professional attendant to accompany each golfing group and cater to them, the hotel says.
Billy Casper Golf has been selected to oversee operations of The Osprey’s Golf Club, including an 18-hole layout and a restaurant in Woodbridge, Va. The multi-year agreement outlines that Billy Casper Golf will provide management services, including agronomy, staffing and training, clubhouse operations, golf instruction, marketing and public relations, special events, financial management, merchandising, and food and beverage. The course is part of the Belmont Bay community, which resides on the Occoquan River and includes a marina.
The USGA and the Florida State Golf Association have announced that Camp Creek GC in Panama City, Fla., will host a U.S. Open local qualifier on May 14. Since its opening in 2001, the Tom Fazio-designed Camp Creek has hosted several events, including the U.S. Amateur Championship Sectional Qualifier in 2005.
Billy Casper Golf has signed a multi-year agreement to operate
Pine Ridge GC, a championship layout in Coram, N.Y. Billy Casper Golf will provide management in course maintenance, golf operations, marketing, public relations and food and beverage services, it says. Pine Ridge, a daily-fee public course, is a 6,607-yard layout with three sets of tees, tree-lined holes, bentgrass fairways and a practice center. The course also planned on opening a 4,000-square-foot restaurant and clubhouse at the start of 2007.
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