Super Notes

GCSAA director of golf and landscape operations John P. Cunningham, CGCS is hosting the EDS Byron Nelson Championship at TPC Four Seasons Resort in Irving, Texas.

GCSAA golf course superintendent Mark Allison is hosting the Stanford International Pro-Am at the Fairmont Turnberry Isle in Aventura, Fla.

Golf course superintendent Lynn Childress is hosting the Liberty Mutual Legends of Golf at the Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort & Spa in Savannah, Ga.

GCSAA Class A golf course superintendent Tim Spillane is hosting the Henrico County Open at The Dominion Club in Glen Allen, Va.

Kent on XM Radio Wednesday

Follow the preparations for the PGA Tour's Wachovia Championship with Jeff Kent, GCSAA Class A superintendent at Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, N.C. He joins "Making the Turn with Peter Kessler" on XM Satellite Radio's PGA Tour Channel (146) at 7:35 a.m. (Central), Wednesday, April 30. Kent will also record an interview with "PGA Tour Live" on the PGA Tour Channel which will broadcast during the event and be posted online at PGATour.com.

Superintendents in the news

San Diego Tribune, "After U.S. Open, Woodward will vacate ‘hot seat’," Tod Leonard column about incoming GCSAA CEO Mark Woodward, CGCS, golf operations manager for the city of San Diego, and his three years of preparation for the upcoming U.S. Open at Torrey Pines’ South Course in La Jolla, Calif. It also features another GCSAA past president, Jon Maddern, CGCS, Woodward’s assistant manager.

Oneonta (N.Y.) Daily Star, "Safety of pesticides at golf course debated," about Bernie Banas, GCSAA Class A superintendent at Leatherstocking Golf Course in Cooperstown, N.Y., defending the use of pesticides at the course that borders Otsego Lake in response to comments about water testing made during a village board meeting.

Saginaw (Mich.) News, "Charting the course," about mid-Michigan golf courses seeing favorable conditions now that the more than 80 inches of snowfall this winter has finally melted away, featuring GCSAA members Rob Steger, superintendent at Saginaw (Mich.) Country Club; Jason Farah, Class A superintendent at Apple Mountain in Freeland, Mich.; and Chris Ballosh, superintendent at Maple Hill Golf Club in Hemlock, Mich.

Peterborough (Ontario) Examiner, "Better lawns with less work," about home lawn care, featuring GCSAA member Greg O’Heron, superintendent at Peterborough (Ontario) Golf and Country Club, who recommends fescues over Kentucky bluegrass.

Battle Creek (Mich.) Enquirer, "Golf courses truly green," Letter to the editor feedback from the April 20 story "Keepers of the greens," explaining how the Michigan Turfgrass Environmental Stewardship Program assists golf courses to voluntarily increase regulatory compliance, protect groundwater and surface water quality, enhance wildlife habitat and publicly recognizes golf courses for their environmental accomplishments.

Myrtle Beach (S.C.) Sun News, "New grass at Pine Lakes will be of major interest to other courses in area," On-course management feature by Trent Bouts about the renovation at Pine Lakes International Country Club in Myrtle Beach, S.C., which is regrassing the entire course with SeaDwarf seashore paspalum, wall-to-wall, and is scheduled to reopen in March 2009, featuring Alan Jarvis, CGCS.

Palm Springs (Calif.) Desert Sun, "Pipeline project will reduce pumping to preserve drinking water," about the Coachella Valley Water District's Mid-Valley Pipeline Project, which is 50 percent complete and on schedule to start delivering irrigation water to some valley golf courses by mid-July, featuring Richard Sall, GCSAA superintendent at Toscana Country Club in Indian Wells, Calif.

(Fort Lauderdale) South Florida Sun-Sentinel, "South Florida sports teams, golf courses go green," about golf courses and sports teams in South Florida taking the eco-friendly route, featuring PGA National Resort in Palm Beach Gardens; the Old Course at Broken Sound in Boca Raton; and Tom Trammell, CGCS, director of agronomy at Doral Golf Resort & Spa in Miami. 

Battle Creek (Mich.) Enquirer, "Keepers of the greens," article and accompanying video by Will Kowalski about the value of the golf course superintendent and the many hats they wear, featuring GCSAA members in Battle Creek, Mich., Ryan Dingman, superintendent at Binder Park Golf Course; Tim Hesselink, Class A superintendent at Cedar Creek Golf Course; and Bill Walters, Class A superintendent at Bedford Valley Country Club; with side links to Dingman breaking down some of Carl's mutterings to Ty Webb in the movie "Caddyshack" and a reminder to repair divots and ball marks.

Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, "Courses face rough ’08 season: Sluggish economy, weather have owners a bit worried," about Milwaukee, Wis., golf course owners and operators, already stung by a long, drawn-out winter that delayed course openings by weeks, fearing that golfers will play less this summer and not drive as far to tee it up because of gas prices. It features Brian Zimmerman, CGCS, golf manager for Milwaukee County Parks.

World Golf News, "John F. Anderson receives Environmental Award of Excellence," about GCSAA Class A member John F. Anderson receiving the Oregon GCSA’s Michael S. Hindahl Environmental Award of Excellence at the association’s annual meeting May 4, featuring David Phipps, GCSAA Class A superintendent at Stone Creek Golf Club in Oregon City, Ore.    

Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune, "Interlachen toughened up for U.S. Open," U.S. Women’s Open preview about tournament preparations, featuring Matt Rostal, GCSAA Class A superintendent at Interlachen Country Club in Edina, Minn.

Richmond (Ind.) Palladium-Item, "Richmond Golf Hall of Fame inducts 13 members," about GCSAA member Jerry McNally being inducted into the Richmond (Ind.) Golf Hall of Fame at an April 18 ceremony at Elks Country Club.

Jamestown (N.Y.) Post-Journal, "All in a day’s sports; Goodbye to the ‘Guru of Grass’," column paying tribute to the passing of GCSAA member Clem Nordsiek, the former superintendent at Moon Brook Country Club in Jamestown, N.Y., and owner of Willow Run Golf Course in Mayville, N.Y.

Craig (Colo.) Daily Press, "Course cultivation," brief and photo gallery featuring GCSAA member Jeremy Brady, superintendent at Yampa Valley Golf Course in Craig, Colo.

Miami County (Kan.) Weekend, "Zoysia surface being installed at Osawatomie," about Osawatomie (Kan.) Golf Course installing two acres of zoysia grass purchased from St. Andrews Golf Course in Overland Park, Kan., featuring GCSAA member Brad Waggoner, director of golf.

Valdosta (Ga.) Daily Times, "It ain’t easy being green," preview of the Nationwide Tour’s South Georgia Classic at Kinderlou Forest Golf Course in Valdosta, Ga., featuring Steve Singley, GCSAA superintendent.

Indianapolis Star, "Are U.S. golf courses too green," about links golf and the possibilities of water use reduction by U.S. golf courses if brown, firm conditions were acceptable, featuring Environmental Institute for Golf Advisory Council member Pete Dye, golf course architect.

Sacramento Bee, "A state alliance brings together forces to improve all facets of the game," about the recent formation of the California Alliance for Golf (CAG), the first collaborative effort all the state’s major golf associations, to voice the sport’s massive economic impact and proactively address an increasing water shortage, featuring CAG President Ted Horton, CGCS, owner of Ted Horton Consulting, consulting superintendent for ValleyCrest Golf Course Maintenance, executive director of the California Golf Course Owners Association, vice president of the California Golf Alliance and winner of the 1999 GCSAA President’s Award for Environmental Stewardship.

Lewiston (Maine) Sun Journal, "Getting green" about area golf courses being in better condition than usual despite all the snow this winter that is just now melting because the snow insulated the turf from ice, featuring Ed Michaud, GCSAA Class A superintendent at Fox Ridge Golf Club in Auburn, Maine.

(Little Rock) Arkansas Democrat Gazette, "Heavy rains affecting state courses," about the flooding at northwest Arkansas golf courses, featuring Nick Birch, GCSAA Class A superintendent at Hurricane Country Club in Bryant, Ark.

Wilmington (Del.) News Journal, "Odessa on track to open this summer," about new golf course Odessa (Del.) National Golf Club, due to open this summer, featuring GCSAA member Joe Gulotti, grow-in superintendent with Evergreen Turf Co.

Hilton Head (S.C.) Island Packet, "Course consensus for Verizon Heritage – great," preview of the PGA Tour’s Verizon Heritage about the course conditions at Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head, S.C., featuring Gary Snyder, GCSAA Class A superintendent.

XM Satellite Radio, "PGA Tour Live," radio interview on the PGA Tour Channel with Gary Snyder, GCSAA Class A superintendent at Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head, S.C., host of the PGA Tour’s Verizon Heritage.

Palm Springs (Calif.) Desert Sun, "Nine now ready: Vineyards offers good deals as Landmark takes over course," Larry Bohannan column about Landmark Golf resurrecting The Vineyard Golf Club in Coachella, Calif., featuring GCSAA member Ruben Ramirez, general manager and superintendent.

Club & Resort Business, "Going deep," about GCSAA member John McGee, superintendent at Sharon Heights Golf & Country Club, in Menlo Park, Calif., breaking through the hard aerification pans about four inches below the surface of their push-up style Poa greens by combining conventional aerification with a deep-tine aerification process and special application of topdressing.

Golf Digest, "Superintendent serves deep fried fairways," Ron Whitten story about 2007 GCSAA/Golf Digest Environmental Leaders in Golf Award national winners Christopher S. Gray Sr., GCSAA Class A member and director of golf course operations at The Marvel Golf Club in Benton, Ky., the public and overall winner; private winner Todd Lawrence, CGCS at TPC Wakefield Plantation in Raleigh, N.C.; resort winner Jonathan Moulton, GCSAA member and assistant superintendent at Old Greenwood Golf Course in Truckee, Calif.; and international co-winners Mark Dinan, GCSAA superintendent at Valle del Sol Golf Course in San Jose, Costa Rica, and Jay Miller, GCSAA member and superintendent at Four Seasons Golf Club in Guanacaste, Costa Rica.

Club & Resort Business, "Waste not," about GCSAA member Charlie Fultz, Southeast technical and distributor representative for Grigg Brothers Foliar Fertilizers and former superintendent at Shenvalee Golf Resort in New Market, Va., and his approach to taking a hard look at every aspect of the golf course maintenance operation to see how processes could be improved and how valuable resources such as labor, equipment and materials, could be conserved and used more cost-efficiently.

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