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FRONT NINE |
Course workers aid rescue
efforts in fatal trolley crash
Maintenance staff members under the direction of superintendent Bob DiRico recently played a key role in the recovery of injured passengers on a transit trolley that rear-ended another trolley on a track that runs along a part of Brae Burn Country Club in West Newton, Mass.
One person died in the accident, the female driver of the trolley that hit the other from behind. Seven passengers were injured.
The golf course provided the only access to the early evening accident for emergency personnel and equipment, including helicopters. DiRico, a 21-year GCSAA member, his assistants Tim Brignolo and Michael DiRico, staff members and some pro shop staff spent several hours guiding rescue traffic through the course to the accident scene just off the 13th hole. Special extraction equipment was needed in the effort to free the driver. Brae Burn’s clubhouse staff provided food and drink for rescue teams around the clock.
The staff gave special attention to directing heavy vehicles, such as fire trucks and transit authority trucks, around the layout’s irrigation system. As many as 70 emergency vehicles were on the scene for several days. Holes 12, 13 and 14 were closed for two days, and Brae Burn members were allowed to play the other 15 holes during that time.
James B. Beard, Ph.D., a noted turfgrass educator and researcher for 50 years, recently received Britain’s Royal Horticulture Society’s Veitch Memorial Medal in recognition of his contribution to the advancement of the science and practice of horticulture. Beard, currently an instructor with International Sports Turf Industries out of College Station, Texas, is the first turfgrass scientist to win the international honor.
Floating green headlines
Canadian Open fringe events
Manderley Turf Products out of Ottawa, Canada, has done some pretty interesting projects over the years, such as installing an entire soccer field in 17 hours and replacing a golf course green overnight, but the company’s most recent endeavor was truly unique.
Manderley, one of the largest turfgrass producers in North America, transformed a utility barge into a floating golf green and surrounds for the RBC Canadian Open Million Dollar Shootout held in conjunction with the RBC Canadian Open championship in July.
As the sequential photos in the magazine show, the barge was turned into a real grass green complete with sand bunkers, shrubs and a tree or two, then towed out into Lake Ontario to be anchored in Toronto Harbour 165 yards off Polson Pier. In the days leading up to the Canadian Open, players took aim on the green from an elevated tee, competing to be closest to the pin for prizes such as a new car, golf clubs, passes to the tournament and also to qualify for the $1 million grand prize.
Toro water symposium goes virtual
The Toro Co. added a new ripple to its third annual Water
Smart Symposium in late July, broadcasting the two-day event via the Internet with presenters and attendees joining in from across the country.
Phil Burkart, vice president and general manager of Toro’s irrigation businesses division, told the Internet audience that the virtual conference reflected the company’s concern for protecting limited resources.
“We all have a responsibility to seek the best solutions to our water issues,” Burkart said. “Rather than travelling, this virtual symposium minimizes our carbon footprint.”
Conference sessions focused on irrigation efficiency and water conservation initiatives for residential and commercial landscape business, golf courses and agriculture.
Jack Nicklaus, an honorary member of GCSAA and winner of the association’s 2005 Old Tom Morris Award, kicked off the second day’s golf segment with a videotaped appearance. Nicklaus included hiring the “right superintendent” as early as possible in a description of his design firm’s approach to smart irrigation
management.
“Superintendents are very educated, well-rounded, experienced professionals. They are the most important thing you can find,” he said, adding that he believed “the environment controls everything we do in designing a golf course.”
For the golf course session, Nicklaus was joined by noted environmental golf course architect Michael Hurdzan, Ph.D.;
GCSAA’s director of environmental programs, Greg Lyman; and Brian Vinchesi of Irrigation Consulting Inc., a former president of the Irrigation Association. Hurdzan highlighted turf plant selection, regular irrigation audits, zonal maintenance and up-and-coming soil sensor technology in recommending an environmental approach to golf course irrigation.
“The right turf is lean and hungry turf,” Hurdzan said, adding, “Developing an action plan for maximum environmental benefit calls for a team approach, and the superintendent is the key.”
— Bunny Smith, GCM managing editor
Upbeat pattern in owner/
operator survey
The nation’s economic slowdown is taking a bite out of the business of many of the golf industry’s largest ownership and management companies, but a number of owners and operators say they will continue to invest in their facilities in hopes of growing revenues and gaining competitive advantages during the downturn.
Those were among the results of the annual Multi-Course Owners Pulse Report based on a survey of executives attending the National Golf Course Owners Association’s Multi-Course Owners Leadership Retreat in early July. Two-thirds of the owners and operators surveyed think their business will remain flat or decline as much as 5 percent in the second half of 2008. A quarter of the respondents said they will see gains of less than 5 percent.
As was the case in the aftermath of 9/11, outings seem to be the first to feel the economic pinch. Fifty percent of the survey participants said the number and size of outings sponsored by business and charitable groups was the area of their business being most affected. Most of the others said the number of customers playing their courses was where they were feeling the biggest effect.
The majority of the golf course executives surveyed said they plan to deal with the situation by pulling back on expenses and holding on until conditions improve. A number of respondents, however, said they will remain aggressive during the slowdown and plan to invest in more marketing to grow their business. Some added that they will make course or facility improvements to become more competitive.
Many of the owners and operators of multicourse companies also are increasing their efforts to attract new players from nontraditional segments, mostly by introducing player development programs in the last year aimed at women, Hispanics and juniors.
Nearly half of the respondents said the slowdown may present opportunities for acquisitions and added that they expect to add courses to their portfolios over the next 12 months, while 14 percent predicted they will dispose of properties during the same period.
With the U.S. golf market still overbuilt in many areas, the owners and operators are also bullish on international opportunities — 89 percent said they believed new business opportunities would increase in international markets in the next two years.
Superintendent, assistant beat
mighty big odds with back-to-back aces
What are the odds of two golfers in the same group recording holes-in-one on the same hole in the same round? One in 17 million. The odds of those two golfers being a golf course superintendent and his assistant? Who knows ... probably never happened before.
But it happened June 30 at the par-3 7th at Quincy (Ill.) Country Club during the annual Maintenance Cup, a competition between the maintenance staffs from Quincy CC and Westview Golf Course, a 27-hole municipal venue in Quincy. Rick Miles, superintendent at Westview, and his assistant, Kevin Ritter, pulled off the miraculous double ace. They were even riding in the same golf car.
Ritter was the first to hit and drained his 4-iron on the 176-yard hole. Moments later his boss, Miles, duplicated the feat with a 6-iron. Witnessing the shots were fellow Westview maintenance employees Tim Bearden and Steve Mast.
Miles, a 19-year member of GCSAA, said his ace was his fourth. It was a first for Ritter, who has been playing golf for only a couple of years. Oh, yes, Westview also won the Cup.
ELGA application deadline draws near
It isn’t easy being green, but the 2008 GCSAA/Golf Digest Environmental Leaders in Golf Awards will recognize those who are. Presented by GCSAA and Golf Digest in partnership with Syngenta Professional Products and Rain Bird Corp., golf division, the Environmental Leaders in Golf Awards recognize golf course superintendents and golf courses around the world for their commitment to environmental stewardship.
The application for the awards and more information is available online at www.gcsaa.org and must be submitted by Oct. 17. Applications will be evaluated in the five categories identified in the application: resource conservation, water quality management, Integrated Pest Management, wildlife/habitat management and education/outreach.
Although the application is online, one simple tip for making the process easier is to write your descriptions of your work in a Word document, edit it and run the spell check, then copy and paste it into the application. This not only lets you work on your submission without having to have Web access, but also provides you with a record of your application.
Winners of the awards will be recognized at the 2009 GCSAA Education Conference and Golf Industry Show in New Orleans.
The New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau was recently given the prestigious Gold Service Elite Award for 2008 by Meetings and Conventions magazine. The Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans is the site of the 2009 GCSAA Education Conference and Golf Industry Show, Feb. 2-7.
Methyl bromide remains on EPA chopping block
A host of new EPA regulations relating to soil fumigant pesticides are almost certain to affect a golf course near you.
Most notable to the golf industry were decisions relating to methyl bromide that, in essence, will prohibit the use of the product on golf courses and other sites “where alternatives are available.” GCSAA has responded to these decisions with the following statement:
“The EPA’s recently published re-registration eligibility decision for methyl bromide will remove golf course uses from the label beginning in 2010. The decision, which outlines strict new requirements designed to mitigate the risk of methyl bromide use, would remove all uses from the label for which EPA has determined have ‘low benefits and/or alternatives.’ Methyl bromide use is being phased out under an international treaty.
“The EPA has consistently denied GCSAA’s application for a Critical Use Exemption (CUE) for golf course use of methyl bromide, claiming, despite scientific research to the contrary, that suitable alternatives exist for golf course use. The CUE process was specifically designed to allow for continued use of methyl bromide until technically and economically feasible alternatives are available.
“Removal of golf course uses from the label will mean that golf will lose the ability to use stockpiled or reserves of methyl bromide, which is how golf courses are able to use it now. The GCSAA Methyl Bromide Task Force is meeting with the manufacturers of methyl bromide to determine how to best address EPA’s decision.”
Audubon International shuffles its deck
Ron Dodson, the founder of Audubon International and the creator of the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program, the Audubon Signature Programs and the Audubon Sustainable Communities Program, has stepped down as the CEO of the organization.
Kevin Fletcher, who has served as director of programs and administration for the past three years, has been promoted to executive director and is in charge of the day-to-day management of the organization.
To address many of the sustainability issues that Dodson has been involved with over the past 20 years, he and others have created the International Sustainability Council, a not-for-profit organization that will be where Dodson manages his efforts connected with sustainability issues. In addition, Eric Dodson, a former AI employee, has launched Audubon Lifestyles to offer professional services aimed at facilitating sustainable lifestyles for people where they live, work, play, stay and learn. Ron Dodson will serve as sustainability adviser to that endeavor.
Also, Ron Dodson and golf course architect Bill Love recently announced the formation of Sustainable Golf Developments, a company focused on the design and planning of sustainable golf course community development projects.
— Information provided by
GCM NewsWeekly and GCM Blog
Carolinas paves way for Borman successor
The Carolinas GCSA board of directors has approved a succession plan for the retirement of current association executive director Chuck Borman, on Dec. 31, 2009. The board has designated Tim Kreger, current director of programs for the association, to be the new executive director of the Carolinas GCSA effective Jan. 1, 2010.
Over the next 16 months Borman will be working with Kreger to ensure a smooth transition of responsibilities. Borman has also agreed to consult with the association, from Jan. 1 to June 30, 2010.
Borman has been the executive director of the Carolinas GCSA since March 1998 and prior to that was GCSAA’s director of membership and COO. Before that he spent 23 years in the military. He received the CAE (Certified Association Executive) designation from the American Society of Association Executives in 2000.
Kreger came to the Carolinas GCSA almost a year ago as director of programs. Kreger, a graduate of Clemson University, was previously director of development for the South Carolina Junior Golf Foundation.
New opinion says children safe
from lead in synthetic turf
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is the latest government or industry interest to express an opinion on the risk level of lead exposure in synthetic athletic turf in the wake of tests conducted in New Jersey.
The commission said in a July 30 release that the lead in synthetic turf — used to extend its colorfastness — was not a threat to children, despite earlier evaluations that some artificial turf fibers could pose a possible health concern.
The ongoing tests were begun in early June by the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services. The state entity noted that higher lead levels were found in turf with nylon/polyethylene blend fibers and also in older, weathered and visibly dusty synthetic fields.
Initially, the Synthetic Turf Council, an industry trade group, declared the levels of lead were below the harmful level because it’s encapsulated in the synthetic blades and cannot leach out or become airborne. But, a month later, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and a California environmental watchdog group, the Center for Environmental Health, both issued opinions that raised a heightened level of concern over the amount of lead in several brands of artificial turf.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission did offer a caveat to its evaluation, asking that voluntary standards be developed for synthetic turf to preclude the use of lead in future products.
John Deere pro-am winners
The winners of the 2008 John Deere Golf Superintendent Pro-Am in a scorecard playoff at the TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Ill., were Shawn Emerson, director of agronomy, Desert Mountain Club, Scottsdale, Ariz.; Tom Comalli, national account manager, John Deere Golf; Jay Delsing, PGA Tour professional; Kurt Desiderio, superintendent, Saticoy CC, Somis, Calif.; and Matt Armbrister, marketing manager, John Deere Golf. The event, an annual run-up to the PGA Tour’s John Deere Classic at the TPC, drew 80 superintendents and other golf course industry professionals from seven countries and 28 PGA Tour players.
To help foster greater brand recognition for GCSAA and its members, the association has updated the official GCSAA logo, as well as CGCS and member logos, using the GCSAA lettermark as the central element. The new logos are available for download on www.gcsaa.org in the Join section or can be requested by calling the GCSAA brand marketing team at 800-472-7878.
New facilities enhance
FarmLinks’ education efforts
An informal groundbreaking was recently held in Sylacauga, Ala., for FarmLinks’ new offices and a state-of-the-art education pavilion located near the facility’s maintenance building. The groundbreaking marked the beginning of a series of expansion projects.
The new education pavilion will be at the forefront of the endeavor. The facility is intended to enhance the educational environment for guests and partners in The Experience at FarmLinks. The pavilion is designed to work in harmony with the environment and to offer hands-on educational programs, featuring an innovative, high-tech presentation theater that will open up to an outdoor research and demonstration area. The theater can also be transformed into focus group rooms.
The 3,500-acre FarmLinks property comprises an 18-hole championship golf course, the Experience at FarmLinks and various educational programs for turf professionals.
Superintendent to coach high school volleyball team
An article in the Lancaster New Era features GCSAA member Craig Esbenshade, superintendent at Lancaster (Pa.) Host Golf Resort, who is taking over as the varsity girls volleyball coach at Conestoga Valley High School where he used to coach boys and girls junior varsity volleyball, including current U.S. Olympian Kim Glass.
Vandals shoot down act of love
A letter to the editor in the Myrtle Beach Sun News by Jay Nelson, GCSAA Class A superintendent at Crown Park Golf Club in Longs, S.C., tells about the wildlife program he encourages there as part of the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program, including finding a puppy on his golf course in 2005 with a bullet lodged in its spine, rendering its hind legs useless, and how he kept it with him at the course every day until vandals shot, killed and dumped its body in the golf course pond while stealing gas one night this summer.
Novel way to battle loosestrife
Local television reports in New Haven, Conn., tell about Scott Gennings, CGCS at Wallingford (Conn.) Country Club, successfully using Galerucella beetles, instead of herbicides or costly equipment, to remove purple loosestrife, an invasive plant overtaking the wet areas of the golf course.
A story in the National Golf Course Owners Association’s official publication, Golf Business, tells about the role of the golf professional in today’s landscape of transforming roles and responsibilities in golf, featuring GCSAA Class A member John Gehman, owner and superintendent at Butter Valley Golf Port in Bally, Pa.
Show-and-tell works for budget-savvy superintendent
Golf Business features GCSAA Class A member Leonard Theis, former superintendent at Sun City Golf Course in Roseville, Calif., and current superintendent at Indian Creek Country Club in Loomis, Calif., who got his budget approved at Sun City by a cost-conscious board by hosting a maintenance open house.
Specialized degrees challenged
An article in U.S. News & World Report explores whether specialized majors like turfgrass science are good for long-term career prospects, featuring GCSAA member A.J. Turgeon, Ph.D., professor in Penn State’s turfgrass program.
Golf Inc. kicks off Green Awards competition
Golf Inc. magazine has recognized the winners in its inaugural Green Awards competition that included entries from more than 50 golf courses, companies and products promoting golf’s connection to nature.
The panel of judges included Michael Hurdzan, Ph.D., Hurdzan/Fry Golf Course Design; John Crowder, ValleyCrest Golf Course Maintenance; and Greg Lyman, GCSAA’s director of environmental programs.
The winners in the golf course category were Makena Golf Course, Kihei, Hawaii, Dan Honma, director of golf operations and maintenance; Kiawah Island Golf Resort, Kiawah Island, S.C., Steven R. Agazzi, golf course superintendent; and Fairmont Southampton Golf Course, Bermuda, Jason Pick, golf course
superintendent.
Troon Golf was chosen among the operations and associations entries and W.R. Love Golf Course Architecture was the winner in the product/service provider category.
The first-ever Green Awards winners will be featured in the September issue of Golf Inc.
PGA awards centennial championship to Baltusrol
The PGA Championship will return to Baltustrol Golf Club in Springfield, N.J., in 2016. It will be the 11th major golf championship at the 113-year-old club.
GCSAA vice president Mark Kuhns, CGCS, is director of grounds at Baltusrol and has prepped five majors himself, including the 1989 U.S. Senior Open at Laurel Valley in Ligonier, Pa.; the 1992 Women’s Open and the 1994 U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club near Pittsburgh.
Since coming to Baltusrol in 1999, Kuhns has hosted a U.S. Amateur and the 2005 PGA Championship.
Having the 2016 PGA at Baltusrol allows the PGA of America to celebrate its centennial year near its origins in New York.
Passing noted
Rick W. Tatum, Class A superintendent and director of golf course operations at Grey Oaks Country Club in Naples, Fla., died July 2 as a result of injuries suffered in a boating accident in the Florida Keys. He was 48.
A native Californian, Tatum graduated from Michigan State University’s turf management program in 1987. He had spent the past 20 years in golf course management in southwest Florida. Prior to joining the Grey Oaks staff in 2001, the 19-year GCSAA member worked at The Club at Pelican Bay, Bonita Bay Club, The Forest Country Club and Shadow Wood Country Club. He was a member of the Florida GCSA, the Florida Turfgrass Association and a past president of the Everglades GCSA.
A resident of Fort Myers, Tatum is survived by his wife, Sheryl; three daughters, Jeanette, Carly and Sydney; a stepson, Adam Barrett; his parents, Stan and Sally Tatum; a brother, Michael Tatum; and two sisters, Cristy Barry and Danielle Gallagher.
Memorials may be made to the Rick W. Tatum Trust Fund, 5886 Elizabeth Ann Way, Fort Myers, FL 33912.
The July/August issue of Golf For Women was the final publication of the magazine after 20 years. Charles H. Townsend, president and CEO of Conde Nast Publications, said the company did not believe the magazine could support Conde Nast’s long-term business objectives.
Legacy Awards to 20 member offspring
GCSAA has awarded $1,500 college scholarships to 20 recipients as part of its Legacy Awards program.
To be eligible, applicants must be a child or grandchild of a GCSAA member. The program is funded by The Environmental Institute for Golf and supported by Syngenta Professional Products.
The awards are based on academic achievement, community involvement, extracurricular activities and leadership skills. Applicants must be enrolled full time at an accredited institution of higher learning or be high school seniors accepted at such an institution for the next academic year. The 2008 winners include:
Britney Acosta, Mars Hill (N.C.) College
Father: Robby Acosta, superintendent, Country Club of Sapphire Valley, Glenville, N.C.
Major: music (math/religion minor)
Gina Andrews, Kansas State University
Father: Gary Andrews, Class A superintendent, Hillsboro (Kan.) Municipal Golf Course
Grandfather: Thomas Andrews, Retired, Class AA Life
Major: family and consumer sciences education
Taylor Behrman, University of Illinois
Father: David Behrman, CGCS, Midlothian Country Club, Tinley Park, Ill.
Major: division of general studies
Abigail Burch, University of Missouri
Father: Timothy Burch, Class A superintendent, St. Louis Country Club, Florissant, Mo.
Major: special needs education
Jackson Esoda, Georgia Institute of Technology
Father: Mark Esoda, CGCS, Atlanta Country Club, Marietta, Ga.
Major: industrial and systems engineering
Tracy Evans, South Dakota State University
Father: Tedd Evans, CGCS, Brookings (S.D.) Country Club
Major: nutritional science/pre-med
Sam Fannin, Ohio University
Father: Brian Fannin, Class A superintendent, Pine Ridge Country Club, Chardon, Ohio
Major: accounting
Jordan Fruchte, Westminster College (Utah)
Father: David Fruchte, CGCS, Pine Needles Resort, Southern Pines, N.C.
Major: flight operations
Elizabeth Hoolehan, Franciscan University of Steubenville (Ohio)
Father: Sean Hoolehan, CGCS, Wildhorse Resort and Casino, Umatilla Indian Reservation (Ore.)
Major: education (science/social studies)
Emily Kennedy, Eastern Kentucky University
Father: Tim Willard, CGCS, Frankfort (Ky.) Country Club
Major: elementary education
Katherine McAvoy, Fordham University (N.Y.)
Father: Thomas McAvoy, CGCS, Old Westbury Golf and Country Club, West Hempstead, N.Y.
Major: education
Mitchell McIntyre, Dartmouth College (N.H.)
Father: Daniel McIntyre, CGCS, Valley Crest Golf, Oakdale, Calif.
Major: business/economics
Sean Morris, University of Michigan
Father: Michael DeVoe Morris, CGCS, Crystal Downs Country Club, Frankfort, Mich.
Major: biochemistry and history
Sarah Myers, Cedarville (Ohio) University
Father: Steven Myers, CGCS, A.J. Jolly Golf Course, California, Ky.
Major: nursing (cross-cultural nursing minor)
Natasha Pinkerton, University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire
Father: Kristopher Pinkerton, CGCS, Oshkosh (Wis.) Country Club
Major: biology/pre-med
Adrienne Rathy, University of Texas at Dallas
Father: Alex Rathy, assistant superintendent, Grayson County College Golf Course, Sherman, Texas
Major: mathematics/computer science
Samantha Sprouse, Monmouth College (Ill.)
Father: Michael Sprouse, Class A superintendent, Randall Oaks Golf Club, Huntley, Ill.
Major: education/psychology
Robert Weber, University of Alabama
Father: Dennis Weber, CGCS, Wynlakes Country Club, Montgomery, Ala.
Major: economics/mathematics
Lauren Witt, University of South Carolina
Father: Tommy Witt, CGCS, Northmoor Country Club, Hawthorn Woods, Ill.
Major: sociology
Katherine Young, College of Charleston (S.C.)
Father: Richard Young, Class A superintendent, Bald Head Island Golf Course, Wilmington, N.C.
Major: special education