Industry News

GCM magazine honored for writing and design

GCSAA’s monthly magazine once again brought home multiple awards from the Turf and Ornamental Communicators Association’s annual meeting, held this year May 8, in Minneapolis, Minn. GCM staff and contributors received six first-place awards and one merit award for their writing and design work.

The winners were:

Merit award:

• Environmental stewardship article: “Playing the numbers game,” Peter Bronski, February, page 86.

First-place awards:

• Photo story (two or more photographs to illustrate an article in a printed magazine): “King of apparel,” Roger Billings, November
• Printed magazines, two-plus page design, editorial: “King of apparel,” Roger Billings, November
• Ornamental feature article: “Tree trouble,” John C. Fech, Ph.D., September
• Product information article: Alternative energy, part one: “Taking the high road,” Terry Ostmeyer, March
• General feature article (magazine-staff written): “A Shark’s tale,” Seth Jones, December
• Headline writing: “From tee off to face off,” Scott Hollister, March

"Name It & Claim It" to win a Toro mower

The Toro Co. is  putting the finishing touches on its new stand-on mower set for release this fall, but there’s one key component that’s still missing – the mower’s name. That’s why the company has opened its "Name It & Claim It" competition, which offers the opportunity to win the mower in exchange for submitting the ideal name.

"Since the project’s inception, we’ve been focused on delivering everything landscape professionals have been asking for in a stand-on mower, including Toro’s legendary performance and durability -- plus a smooth, comfortable ride," explains Edric Funk, marketing manager for Toro’s Landscape Contractor Equipment line. "Now we’d like our customers to help with the final step -- delivering the product’s name.!"

Visit http://www.toro.com/nameit before June 15, 2008, to try your hand at naming the mower, which offers a compact, maneuverable stand-on mower that delivers a superior quality of cut while minimizing operator fatigue through exceptional handling, enhanced operator comfort, and ease of use. Mail-in entries postmarked by June 15, 2008, and labeled "Name It & Claim It Contest" will be accepted at The Toro Co., LCB Marketing Dept. 8111 Lyndale Ave. So., Bloomington, MN 55420.

In successive months, Web site visitors will be able to vote for their favorite choice(s) from among those submitted and learn the winning name when it’s revealed in August.

TOCA Environmental Communicator of the Year goes to Colorado
           
The allied golf associations of Colorado have been selected as the recipient of the 2008 Turf & Ornamental Communicators Association Environmental Communicator of the Year award. Sponsored by Project EverGreen, the honor was presented at the TOCA annual meeting in Minneapolis, Minn., earlier this month.

The consortium was among the first groups to communicate the positive attributes of golf and based its campaign on the self-funded study: Golf in Colorado – An Independent Study of the Economic Impact and Environmental Aspects of Golf in Colorado.

The TOCA Environmental Communicator of the Year award is given annually to an active green industry member for outstanding efforts in communicating the benefits of environmental stewardship to a particular audience within the turf and ornamental industry.
 
The Colorado study was one of the first of its kind in the United States to gather information linking water use to the economy of the state and compare natural resource usage to other industries within the state. The efforts have strengthened the voice of golf in Colorado, defined economic impact numbers that were previously unavailable, defined the environmental inputs required to operated a golf course in Colorado and quantified the amount of water consumed by Colorado golf courses annually. Conducted in 2002, the study is still used today to communicate with legislators/regulators, media, the environmental community, golfers and general public.

The study was executed by Colorado State University and THK Consulting at the direction of the Rocky Mountain Golf Course Superintendents Association, Colorado Golf Association, Colorado Women’s Golf Association, Colorado Section of the PGA, Colorado Chapter of the Club Managers Association of America and the Colorado Chapter of the National Golf Course Owners Association. Joe McCleary, GCSAA certified golf course superintendent at Saddle Rock Golf Course in Aurora, Colo., was the project leader. To view the survey, click here.

The study has also received the GCSAA President's Award for Environmental Stewardship in 2006.

Golf Industry Show attendee wins big

The fairways at Hillwood Country Club will start the summer golf season healthier thanks to a big win at this year’s Golf Industry Show. Like many attendees, Wallace L. Smith, Hillwood’s general manager, entered the Toro ProCore Processor sweepstakes in the Toro booth, but never expected to win.

"I was in disbelief," Smith said.  "I had never won anything before, so winning the ProCore Processor for Hillwood was a pleasant surprise."

Valued at $25,000, the Toro ProCore Processor sweeps processes and disperses aeration cores in one quick operation. This innovative new product will return a course to playable condition in substantially less time, and with less stress to the turf, the equipment operator and the superintendent.

 "The ProCore Processor is going to help streamline our operations and provide a more efficient, cleaner application," Smith said.

Mark Littlejohn, CGCS at Hillwood Country Club for 23 years, agrees. "The ProCore Processor will reduce labor during the aeration process and help get the course back to normal playing conditions faster," he said. "Core aeration takes the course out of play, but the Toro ProCore Processor should help cut the time in half."

Bill Blackburn, general manager for Smith Turf & Irrigation, Toro’s Nashville-area distributor, delivered the good news along with the ProCore Processor to Hillwood Country Club.

"Hillwood is a prominent club right in our backyard," Blackburn said. "We have worked with them for many years and they are a great home for this equipment. They already have a fairway aerator, so the ProCore Processor will be the perfect complement to get the fairways quickly and neatly back into play."