Golf Course Management - September 2015

INSIDE: DIY golf course renovations

PAGE 56

GCM Offcial Publication of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America

Down year for seed? 34 Overtime overhaul 38 Partnership power 76

Linked In

Will Rockwind R k i dC Community it Li Links k ignite an industry trend?

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Golf Course Management Magazine www.gcsaa.org • September 2015

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Think people don’t notice the accessories?

On a golf course every detail is important. So make sure your accessories work as hard as you do to enhance the image of your golf course.

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More than ever, you have to wow golfers with your golf course. That’s because the No. 1 reason golfers give for not returning to a golf course is “poor course conditions.” But there’s more to course conditions than greens, tees, fairways and bunkers. Consider accessories – something golfers see, touch and feel on every hole.

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CONTENTS09.15

46

Links to the future?

Golf course architect Andy Staples goes to great measures in pursuit of a concept that may be coming to a town near you.

Howard Richman

Golf’s DIY network More and more superintendents are being entrusted with overseeing all aspects of major golf course renovation projects for their facilities.

Stacie Zinn Roberts

56

64

Dynamic duos

When golf course superintendents and architects team up, the result is mutually beneficial relationships that improve both course maintenance and the golf experience.

Norman Sinclair

In it together Great Northern Golf Co. has found success by trusting in what brought a trio of GCSAA and PGA of America members together in the first place.

Bill Newton

76

82 An irrigation renovation By choosing a leak-free, long-lived pipe material, Southern Hills Country Club made a water-wise upgrade to its irrigation system, and was able to keep much of the labor in-house. Susan Hylton • On the cover: The 16th hole at Rockwind Community Links in Hobbs, N.M., which held its grand opening in May. Photo by Tony Roberts

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GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.15

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INSIGHTS

Turf Tough times for turf seed Teresa Carson

34 Shop

36

A filter fix (for when the factory manual fails) Scott R. Nesbitt

Advocacy

38 Environment 40

President proposes overtime overhaul Kaelyn Seymour

Reduce irrigation energy demand Pamela C. Smith, CGCS

RESEARCH

88

Field-scale monitoring of pharmaceuticals and personal care products applied to active golf courses via recycled water The turfgrass/soil system reduces leaching of pharmaceuticals and personal care products after irrigation with recycled water.

R.L. Green, Ph.D. M.H. Young, Ph.D. J.L. Conkle, Ph.D. M. McCullough, M.S. D.A. Devitt, Ph.D. L. Wright, M.S. B.J. Vanderford, Ph.D. S.A. Snyder, Ph.D.

Career

42

Career management: ent: Turn goals into reality Carol D. Rau, PHR

99 Cutting Edge Teresa Carson

ETCETERA09.15 16 President’s Message 18 CEO Update 20 Front Nine 32 Photo Quiz 86 Up to Speed

12

98 Verdure 100 Product News 104 Industry News 110 Climbing the Ladder

GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.15

110 On Course 111 Coming Up 112 In the Field 113 On the Move

115 Newly Certified 115 New Members 116 In Memoriam 120 Final Shot

Golf Course Management Magazine Offcial Publication of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America

GCM MISSION

Golf Course Management magazine is dedicated to advancing the golf course superintendent profession and helping GCSAA members achieve career success. To that end, GCM provides authoritative “how-to,” career-oriented, technical and trend information by industry experts, researchers and golf course superintendents. By advancing the profession and members’ careers, the magazine contributes to the enhancement, growth and vitality of the game of golf.

GCSAA BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Aerating yields multiple agronomic benefts to all the playable surfaces of the golf course, including improving water infltration, relieving compaction and increasing oxygen to the root zone.

The downside of this critical cultural practice is the disruption of play and the necessary time needed to return the golf course surfaces back to optimal playing condition. The best way to encourage rapid turf recovery is by using Country Club MD and Roots endoRoots before and after aeration.

President Vice President Secretary/Treasurer Immediate Past President Directors

Chief Executive Offcer Chief Operating Offcer

JOHN JOH J. O’KEEFE, CGCS PETER PET J. GRASS, CGCS BILL H. MAYNARD, CGCS KEITH KEIT A. IHMS, CGCS RAFAEL BARAJAS, CGCS RAF KEVIN KEV P. BREEN, CGCS DARREN DAR J. DAVIS, CGCS JOHN JOH R. FULLING JR., CGCS MARK MAR F. JORDAN, CGCS J. RHETT R EVANS J.D. DOCKSTADER

GCM STAFF Editor-in-Chief Managing Editor Sr. Science Editor Associate Editor Sr. Manager, Creative Services Manager, Creative Services Traffc Coordinator

SCOTT SCO HOLLISTER sho shollister@gcsaa.org MEG MEGAN HIRT mhirt@gcsaa.org mhi TERESA TER CARSON tcar tcarson@gcsaa.org HOWARD HOW RICHMAN hric hrichman@gcsaa.org ROGER ROG BILLINGS rbillings@gcsaa.org rbill KELLY KEL NEIS kneis@gcsaa.org kne BRETT BRE LEONARD bleo bleonard@gcsaa.org

GCSAA This Week/Turf Weekly

One week before aerifcation, apply: Country Club MD 16-0-8 Ammoniacal 1% Fe 1% Mg .5% Mn @ .5# N / M After aerifcation has been completed and while the holes are still open, apply: Roots endoRoots 3-3-4 Granular Mycorrhizal @ 8 lbs / M If cores are being removed, apply Roots endoRoots AFTER they have been removed and drag into open holes.

If cores are not being removed, apply Roots endoRoots BEFORE breaking up the cores, as it can be dragged into the holes at the same time as the cores are broken up.

Editor

ADVERTISING 800-472-7878 Director, Corporate Sales Sr. Manager, Business Development Sr. Manager, International Development Account Development Manager Account Managers

ANGELA ANG HARTMANN aha ahartmann@gcsaa.org

MATT MAT BROWN mbr mbrown@gcsaa.org JIM CUMMINS jcum jcummins@gcsaa.org ERIC BOEDEKER eboedeker@gcsaa.org ebo BRETT ILIFF BRE biliff@gcsaa.org bilif SHELLY SHE URISH surish@gcsaa.org suri KARIN KAR CANDRL kca kcandrl@gcsaa.org

Topdress and irrigate as you normally would after aerifcation.

The articles, discussions, research and other information in this publication are advisory only and are not intended as a substitute for specifc manufacturer instructions or training for the processes discussed, or in the use, application, storage and handling of the products mentioned. Use of this information is voluntary and within the control and discretion of the reader. ©2015 by GCSAA Communications Inc., all rights reserved.

Best of All Worlds® www.LebanonTurf.com 1-800-233-0628

We understand how demanding and ever-changing each day is at the golf course. That’s why we developed golf course agronomic programs featuring both Country Club MD and Emerald Isle Solutions products to assist superintendents in maximizing their turf’s performance; whether with a complete seasonal fertility program or with specifc situations like a tournament prep, quick divot repair or aerifcation.

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(president’s message)

The best and the brightest

John J. O’Keefe, CGCS turfjok@aol.com

It’s easy for superintendents to sometimes feel insulated and isolated from other parts of the golf industry, but my experiences have shown me that we have many important and infuential people in our corner.

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GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.15

Serving on GCSAA’s national board of directors has been an eye-opening experience.

During my time of service, I have met people I may not have otherwise met, learned things I may not have otherwise learned, and been exposed to viewpoints I may not have otherwise considered had it not been for my role on the board.

Among the most gratifying of those discoveries has been just how many friends this association and this profession has within the larger business of golf. It’s easy for superintendents to sometimes feel insulated and isolated from other parts of the golf industry, but my experiences have shown me that we have many important and infuential people in our corner.

One such person is Herb Kohler, who served as CEO of the Kohler Co. for 43 years.

He is best known in our industry as the man behind Blackwolf Run and Whistling Straits, the major championship venues along the shores of Lake Michigan in Wisconsin. But I have come to know Mr. Kohler best through his involvement with the Environmental Institute for Golf (EIFG), GCSAA’s philanthropic arm. He was a two-time member of that organization’s board of trustees, was instrumental in the renaming of the organization as the EIFG back in 2002, and, more broadly, has emerged as a champion of superintendents and the work they do to ensure the game’s sustainable coexistence with its natural surroundings.

All of those accomplishments played into the board’s decision to award Mr. Kohler with GCSAA’s highest honor, the Old Tom Morris Award (read more in “Kohler named Old Tom Morris Award recipient” on Page 24). It’s an award he’ll offcially receive during the Opening Session of the 2016 Golf Industry Show in San Diego, but he frst learned about the honor in a very special and very appropriate spot for such an announcement: the Home of Golf.

I had the good fortune of attending this year’s British Open along with GCSAA CEO Rhett Evans, and among our offcial duties during our trip to St. Andrews was to notify Mr. Kohler that he was to receive the Old Tom Morris Award. Learning of that at a course that is so closely associated with the namesake of the award is something I know Mr. Kohler appreciated, and it was a memory I will cherish for many years to come.

I’m often asked how the board of directors goes about selecting the recipients of the Old Tom Morris Award each year. While there are clearly numerous factors that go into our decision, we are steadfast in allowing the award’s original mandate to guide us — to help us identify a winner who, “through a continuing lifetime commitment to the game of golf, has helped to mold the welfare of the game in a manner and style exemplifed by Old Tom Morris.” In Mr. Kohler, I believe we have found an individual who fts that description perfectly.

As our Old Tom Morris Award winner, Mr. Kohler joins an illustrious list of past honorees who have come from a wide variety of backgrounds. Hollywood has been represented (Bob Hope), as has professional golf (Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Nancy Lopez, among others) and golf course architecture (Rees Jones, Pete Dye, Robert Trent Jones Sr.). And there have been winners from the world of golf course management, from Sherwood Moore, CGCS, and James Watson, Ph.D., to GCSAA founder Col. John Morley and Joseph Duich, Ph.D. The Old Tom Morris Award isn’t the only place we acknowledge the luminaries on our side of the business, of course. Over the years, the best and brightest in golf course management have been among those honored with the Col. John Morley Distinguished Service Award (DSA). Those greats have always shared equal billing with our Old Tom winner during the Opening Session, and I know you’ll be as excited as I am when the 2016 DSA selections are revealed in just a few months.

As a national association with international reach, it is important for us to regularly recognize those who have given so much not only to the game of golf in general, but also to our particular corner of the business. I’m pleased that GCSAA has both of those bases covered through the Old Tom Morris Award and the Distinguished Service Award, and I hope you’ll join me in congratulating Mr. Kohler, as well as the DSA winners who will be announced shortly.

John J. O’Keefe, CGCS, is the director of golf course management at Preakness Hills Country Club in Wayne, N.J., and a 35-year member of GCSAA.

THE POWER TO MAKE THINGS GROW

Green coating. Green course.

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(from the CEO)

All for one, one for all

J. Rhett Evans revans@gcsaa.org Twitter: @GCSAACEO

“There is a camaraderie within this profession that is second to none.”

— Chris Zugel, CGCS

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GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.15

When I was young, I played my fair share of team sports. Baseball was my favorite, but in high school I focused on wrestling, and I won an individual state title in Arizona. My team took top honors as well.

As I’ve grown older, I fnd myself staying active with individual sports — running, cycling, triathlons, mountain climbing and ftness training. I miss the team concept sometimes, but I have learned that I still depend on others to be at my best.

A superintendent’s career can at times feel solitary as well. You have supportive teammates almost everywhere you turn, however — at your facility, within your local chapter, and as a member of GCSAA. I know I feel like I am part of a winning team as the CEO of this association, and it’s our goal to help you feel a part of this team, too.

Superintendents push themselves every day to be their best. You work as part of a team within the golf course management staff, and as part of a bigger team at the facility, providing input and insight into different facets of the business.

I’m reminded each time I attend a major golf championship just how far superintendents go to help each other. I recently attended the PGA Championship, where I again witnessed nearly 100 volunteers coming out to support their fellow GCSAA members in making Whistling Straits as perfect as possible. They stayed in college dormitories and worked 14-hour days.

Sixty volunteers were on hand just to hand-rake 1,000 bunkers each morning!

Chris Zugel, CGCS, the superintendent at Whistling Straits, was also impressed. “We couldn’t do it without all of the volunteers.

They are extremely valuable to us being able to bring a major championship to Whistling Straits,” Zugel says. “There is a camaraderie within this profession that is second to none.”

All of those who worked on the golf course became a part of the larger team working to showcase the PGA Championship, under the direction of Pete Bevacqua, CEO, and Kerry Haigh, chief championships offcer.

Yes, a superintendent’s hard work can sometimes go unnoticed, even at your home golf course. But superintendents have a role in golf that is most important: They manage the largest asset of the golf facility. Their expertise is what drives membership, play and revenue.

“The Golf Course Superintendents Association of America and all golf course superintendents are probably the most important single entity that we have in golf,” says Arnold Palmer, offering a kingly endorsement. “The conditions and the golf course’s beauty, the environment, the wetlands, everything depends on their perseverance and their knowledge and the work they do to maintain the golf courses.”

Communicating what you do and how you do it is increasingly important for superintendents. So, let me urge you to take a step or two further in building teamwork and support.

Within your golf course management staff, support your equipment manager with a GCSAA membership, and encourage him or her to take advantage of the resources and educational opportunities that come with membership. At your facility, continue to communicate with members and golfers to let them know what you are doing and why, and that you are working hard for them. Build support in your neighborhood and community by being active.

Share your expertise.

Meanwhile, know that through your GCSAA membership, you have more than 90 GCSAA employees working hard for you and your team. We care about and encourage your success. That is why GCSAA continues to: • Deliver vital professional development tools through weekly webinars • Offer more than 500 hours of continuing education at the annual Golf Industry Show • Work with allied organizations to raise our professional profle within the golf industry • Elevate the golf course management profession through carefully crafted promotional campaigns • Use scientifc research to show progress in key environmental areas • Celebrate the best of our profession with recognition and annual awards • Advocate for the profession and the entire golf industry When GCSAA was founded in 1926, its frst president, John Morley, quickly saw how much we all rely on each other for success. “No life is, or can be, self-existent,” he said. “We depend upon each other.” I hope you feel that you can depend upon us at GCSAA.

J. Rhett Evans is GCSAA’s chief executive offcer.

Gone but not forgotten Augie Young’s mother worked on the 11th foor in Tower 2 of the World Trade Center.

“Many times I walked into that building. It was something you grew up with, just took for granted, thought it would always be there,” Young says, nearly 14 years after the terrorist attacks of 9/11.

Young calls himself a “military brat.” He was raised by his mother and father, Terry and Ted Young, the latter of whom was stationed on Governors Island, which is located in New York Harbor, a seven-minute ferry ride from shore.

A nine-hole golf course was part of Governors Island’s fabric. In time, Young would become its superintendent. The golf course was squarely in the shadows of the Manhattan skyline.

For a time, at least, it included views of the World Trade Center.

“I grew up there, so I knew the golf course like the back of my hand,” says Young, who recalls the old push-up greens that were a bentgrass/ Poa annua mix and fairways that combined bluegrass and fescue. “I was 21, and it was my frst superintendent job. I had a lot to prove and a lot to learn at the same time.”

During Young’s youth, more than 4,000 people lived on Governors Island, which for decades served as a military base. The facility played a key role all the way back to the War of 1812, in the Civil War and in both World Wars. Gen. George C. Patton played polo on the grounds there.

In 1966, the U.S. Army left and was replaced by the U.S. Coast Guard.

Former GCSAA member Thomas McConnell served as general manager of the golf course at Governors Island from 1978 until it closed 20 years ago (soon thereafter, the Coast Guard vacated the island). He

Photo by Robert Walker

BY THE NUMBERS Golf Course Construction and Renovation National Golf Foundation’s “Golf Facilities in the U.S., 2015 Edition”* National Golf Course Owners Association 2015 “Pulse of the Industry”† NGF/Sirius Golf Advisors § GCSAA 2012 Capital and Labor Survey //

175* Golf courses (18-hole equivalents) that opened, were under construction, were in planning or were proposed in the United States in 2014.

48%† Golf course owners who set aside between 2.5 and 3.5 percent of total revenue for major repairs and replacements in 2015.

80%† Golf course owners who set aside at least 2.5 percent of total revenue for major repairs and replacements in 2015.

$661,125§ Average annual revenue boost among eight public golf courses in the Dallas-Fort Worth area in the frst year of reopening after a major (average of $5 million spent) renovation.

51.9%// Superintendents who say they defnitely would consider doing a major drainage renovation completely in-house with the golf course maintenance staff.

47%† Golf course owners considering adding FootGolf or other alternative play to their facilities within the next 12 months.

Miniature golf is part of the new-look Governors Island. Photo by Anthony Collins

recalls some of the aspects of the golf course that made it special, including how players had to ring a bell adjacent to the 11th hole so golfers behind them who faced a blind shot into the green knew it was safe to hit.

“It was so historical on the island,” McConnell says.

“You had a bowling alley, gas station, and then you had the golf course views straight into the World Trade Center.

I probably was in there about 30 times. We went to dinner there several times. It was a window to the world. You could see so far.”

Except for a celebrity match in October 2006 that teamed Donald Trump and Tom Watson against Annika Sorenstam and Natalie Gulbis, the golf course at Governors Island has remained shuttered. Instead, it now is run

by The Trust for Governors Island, a nonproft corporation created by the City of New York. Civilians can take advantage of its bike paths, food trucks, hammocks and ecologically themed pavilions.

It also has 10 holes of miniature golf.

Young, now northeast territory manager for Sipcam Agro USA, points out that his mother was no longer in Verizon Communications’ offces working the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. Others he knew, however, were not so fortunate.

“I had good friends who were fremen. Lives were lost,” says Young, in reference to the terrorist attacks on that day in which thousands died in Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C., and the World Trade Center, a moment in time that lives in infamy. “It is hard to comprehend the devastation. I still envision what it used to be.”

He also remembers that tiny golf course on Governors Island. It reminds him of better days — and that nothing is guaranteed.

“It was a great launching platform,” Young says.

“But things don’t always last forever, sometimes even the golf course.”

— Howard Richman, GCM associate editor

Georgia GCSA continues Goshen Valley support Members of the Georgia GCSA have completed the latest phase of what is now a frst-class sports complex for boys in the state’s foster care system.

The sports complex at Goshen Valley Boys Ranch in Waleska, about an hour north of Atlanta, includes a 60,000-square-foot, fully irrigated sports feld and a baseball feld.

“You wouldn’t recognize it from what it was when we started three years ago,” says Sam Burgess from Ansley Golf Club in Roswell. “It’s been a huge team effort every year. A lot of people have contributed to what we’ve been able to achieve. It’s a sheer blessing.”

Goshen Valley has six residences on a 300-acre cattle ranch and serves 10- to 21-year-olds, many of whom have been victims of abuse or neglect. The ranch has the highest occupancy rate of any foster care system facility in the state.

Burgess, who coordinated this year’s volunteer effort along with Scott Lambert from Peachtree Golf Club, says one of the most rewarding aspects of the project has been working hand in hand with Goshen Valley residents each year.

“Part of the beauty of it is that, every year, kids from the ranch have worked right alongside us,” he says.

“They’ve been involved, worked hard, and I’m sure they’ve picked up some skills along the way.”

Activities performed at the most recent volunteer work day included installing an outfeld fence on the baseball

September brings to mind the start of school. Fall. And, of course, football. In honor of the game that is played on the gridiron, GCM takes a look at how the game of golf and football share common bonds. Several golf courses have ties to football. A couple of them are featured in Texas, where football is king.

War Memorial Stadium, Little Rock, Ark. The home-away-from-home for the Fayetteville-based University of Arkansas football team since 1948, the Razorbacks have played nearly 200 games there. Adjacent War Memorial Golf Course serves as a parking lot/tailgating area on game days. J.P. Rogers, 17-year GCSAA member, oversees the course.

Sammy Baugh Golf Course, Snyder, Texas. Located on the campus of Western Texas College, the course is named in honor of quarterback legend “Slingin’” Sammy Baugh, who played for Texas Christian University and the Washington Redskins. When he retired in 1952, Baugh held more than a dozen NFL records. Later in life, he was an active member of the golf course that now bears his name. Geoff Pinkerton is the superintendent.

4 411

The

feld, sod-cutting the infeld, lining the feld, spraying out weeds, and topdressing and fertilizing both felds. The work team installed 260 feet of fencing, donated by Chamblee Fence Co. Other groups that donated materials or services this year include Bulk Aggregate Golf, Ewing Irrigation and Landscape Supply, Harrell’s, Helena, Jerry Pate Turf and Irrigation, Peachtree GC and Trion High School.

Goshen Valley founder John Blend says the sports complex does much more than provide a place for games.

“It’s a very therapeutic setting, the way it’s been set up,” he says. “For families looking to reunify and rebuild their ties with their boys, this is a space they are really gravitating toward. So, it’s not just a place to play baseball or softball. It really serves a deeper purpose.”

The Georgia GCSA’s relationship with Goshen Valley stems from ties the boys’ home had with former superintendent Billy Fuller, now principal of Billy Fuller Golf Design.

— Trent Bouts

Cowboys Golf Club, Grapevine, Texas. The world’s frst NFL-themed golf course, named in honor of the Dallas Cowboys, opened in June 2001. The clubhouse features a Hall of Honor, including a display of Super Bowl trophies and assorted memorabilia. The par-72 course features dramatic elevation changes and that recognizable Cowboys’ star logo in the fourth fairway. GCSAA Class A member Matt Meinershagen, 18-year association member, is director of maintenance.

Herb Kohler

Colbert Hills, Manhattan, Kan. The course’s namesake, Jim Colbert, arrived at K-State more than 50 years ago with a full football scholarship.

He departed as a future golf champion. Colbert won eight times on the PGA Tour and recorded 20 victories on the Champions Tour. Along the way, he formed a strong friendship with K-State football coach Bill Snyder. Matt Gourlay, CGCS, is a 12-year association member and director of golf course operations.

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GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.15

Kohler named Old Tom Morris Award recipient

Brookside Golf Club, Pasadena, Calif.

A mere chip shot from the famed Rose Bowl and in the shadows of the San Gabriel Mountains, Brookside Golf Club is a 36-hole facility on Rosemont Avenue.

For UCLA home football games, part of the Brookside GC is used for overfow parking. GCSAA Class A member Jesse Seguin, 12-year association member, is director of agronomy.

Herbert V. Kohler Jr., who served as CEO of the Kohler Co. for 43 years and led the company into golf and hospitality, will be the recipient of the 2016 Old Tom Morris Award from GCSAA. Kohler will receive the award Feb. 9 at the Opening Session of the Golf Industry Show in San Diego. The Opening Session will again be presented in partnership with Syngenta.

“I am particularly honored, and I sincerely thank the GCSAA for this award,” Kohler says. “I am delighted. Old Tom was an entrepreneur, an infuence in the creation of the Open Championship, a designer of golf products and some of the best courses in the world to this day. He

nurtured the environment as the frst offcial keeper of the greens.”

Kohler, 76, brought world-caliber golf to the company that bears his family name and that is most synonymous with the manufacturing of leading-edge products for homes.

An avid golfer, Kohler hired famed architect Pete Dye to build four courses at two championship venues, Blackwolf Run and Whistling Straits, both in Kohler, Wis. Whistling Straits was host to last month’s PGA Championship.

In 2004, Kohler ventured into the birthplace of the game when the company bought the Old Course Hotel Golf Resort and Spa in St. Andrews. Five years later, he expanded the Kohler presence in St. Andrews with the purchase and development of Hamilton Grand. The historic landmark sits behind the 18th hole of the Old Course and has 26 private residences.

Kohler has also given back to the game. He served two three-year terms on the board of trustees for the Environmental Institute for Golf (EIFG), the philanthropic organization of GCSAA, and was board chairman in 2001-2002.

Kohler was instrumental in renaming the fundraising organization as EIFG in 2002, to convey that money raised would be focused on golf’s environmental future.

“We are indebted to Herb Kohler for what he has done for this association, and for what he has meant to the game over the past four decades,” says GCSAA CEO Rhett Evans. “He has made an indelible mark in golf with his focus on the importance of environmental stewardship, both now and for the future.”

The award has been presented annually by GCSAA since 1983 to an individual who, through a lifetime commitment to the game of golf, has helped to mold the welfare of the game in the manner and style exemplifed by Old Tom Morris, a four-time British Open champion who was also superintendent at St. Andrews in Scotland until his death in 1908.

“Like Old Tom Morris, Herb Kohler has succeeded in many disciplines and is dedicated to the game of golf,” says GCSAA President John J. O’Keefe, CGCS. “Mr. Kohler has said that this award was a highlight of his life with golf, so I am proud that GCSAA can honor him with an award beftting his personality and his contributions to the game.”

Past winners of the Old Tom Morris Award include Arnold Palmer, former President Gerald Ford, Dinah Shore, Jack Nicklaus and Sherwood A. Moore, CGCS. Learn more about Kohler in the December issue of GCM.

Karen named incoming CEO at NGCOA Jay Karen has been named CEO of the National Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA). He begins Oct. 1.

Karen was previously director of partner relations and membership for NGCOA from 1997 to 2007. Most recently, he served as CEO for Select Registry, which is

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GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.15

Jay Karen will become NGCOA’s new CEO on Oct. 1. Karen worked there for a decade before his most recent position as CEO for Select Registry. Photo courtesy of Buffalo Brand Invigoration Group

a collection of more than 300 fne inns, bed-and-breakfasts and boutique hotels. At NGCOA, he replaces Michael Hughes, who announced in January he was stepping down after 25 years at the post.

“The bedrock of the golf community is the golf course owner,” Karen says. “Therefore, I’m eager to aggressively build on Mike Hughes’ remarkable accomplishments of helping owners and operators run more successful businesses.”

Six-fgure pond aeration study begins this month Linne Industries is supplying Delaware State University with three PondHawk solar-powered pond aeration systems for its $100,000 research project on water quality and aquatic weed control for golf course ponds.

According to the company, the project is the frst of its kind to quantify the benefts of solar-powered subsurface pond aeration. The study kickoff event is scheduled for Sept. 24. The project was made possible by a grant through the Delaware Bioscience Center for Advanced Technology.

“The research project was driven from our work with golf course superintendents,” says Sandra Burton, cofounder of Linne Industries. “We are excited to have partnered with Delaware State University on this innovative study, and look forward to providing superintendents and course owners with meaningful data to make decisions on their water features.”

Over the next 12 months, the experts at Delaware State University’s Aquaculture Research and Demonstration Facility will measure aeration’s impact on pH, nitrogen, phosphorus, algae and mosquitoes, while the company will assess the energy and maintenance costs.

For the Sept. 24 event at Delaware State University, golf course owners, managers, superintendents and anyone interested in pond management is invited to attend to learn more about the study and talk with the study princi-

pals. For information on the event, contact Burton at 302474-1439 or sburton@linneindustries.com.

Garske grant winners announced Five students received this year’s Joseph S. Garske Collegiate Grants. They are Kelsi Stieler, Brooks Leftwich, Alexis Gomez, Dalton Trout and Heidi Kastenholz.

Established in honor of Par Aide Co. founder Joseph S. Garske, the Garske grant program is funded by the golf course accessory company and administered by the Environmental Institute for Golf, the philanthropic organization of GCSAA. The program helps children of GCSAA members fund their education at an accredited college or trade school with one-time, one-year grants. Grants are based on community service, leadership, academic performance and a written essay.

Stieler, daughter of Michael F. Stieler, CGCS, at Spring Creek Golf and Country Club in Ripon, Calif., plans to attend Fresno State University. She earned a $2,500 scholarship. Leftwich, son of Michael C. Leftwich, retired superintendent, is a University of Tennessee student.

He received a $2,000 scholarship. Gomez, daughter of GCSAA Class A superintendent Rey Gomez from Summit Rock Over Horseshoe Bay Golf Course in Horseshoe Bay, Texas, is a Texas Tech University student. She was awarded a $1,500 scholarship. Trout, a Penn State University student, is the son of GCSAA Class A superintendent David L. Trout, from Azalea Sands Golf Club in North Myrtle Beach, S.C. Trout earned a $1,000 scholarship.

Kastenholz, a Butler University student, is the daughter of Mark Kastenholz, CGCS, at Tipton (Ind.) Golf Course. She received a $500 scholarship.

Sheets honored with award Steve Sheets won this year’s Distinguished Service Award from the Carolinas GCSA.

Director of golf course maintenance, development and operations at Linville (S.C.) Ridge Golf Club, Sheets will receive the award during the Carolinas GCSA annual conference and trade show, set for Nov. 16 through 18 in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Sheets has been at Linville Ridge since 1984. The property sits at almost 5,000 feet above sea level, making it the highest golf course east of the Mississippi River. In addition to the course, Sheets oversees landscape maintenance and all new projects undertaken by the development, which spans 1,800 acres.

During his time at Linville Ridge, Sheets served two terms as president of the Carolinas GCSA. He also helped establish the Carolinas GCSA’s Superintendent Image Campaign, raising money to disseminate “proper information, not hearsay” about the work superintendents do.

Georgia endowment more than halfway home A turfgrass breeding endowment at the University of Georgia has reached slightly above 50 percent in funds already secured for what is hoped to be a $2 million endowment, which was launched by retired university turfgrass breeder Wayne Hanna, Ph.D., and his wife, Barbara.

The endowment is aimed at maintaining the strength of the turf-breeding program at the Tifton campus under the guidance of current university turf breeder Brian Schwartz.

“An endowment like this allows us to concentrate on the breeding of turfgrasses for the long haul,” Schwartz says. “We can now test for a decade or 15 years and look after the qualities that matter, whether it’s drought tolerance or wear tolerance. With this endowment, we won’t worry about our funding from year to year.”

Georgia-based turf companies Super-Sod of Lakeland and Georgia Seed Development of Athens are among those that made fnancial contributions to the endowment.

USGA sets future U.S. Open dates, sites Get ready, The Country Club in Brookline, The Los Angeles Country Club and Pinehurst No. 2. The U.S. Open is on its way.

The USGA announced that the three sites are scheduled to host the U.S. Open in 2022, 2023 and 2024, respectively.

The 2022 U.S. Open at The Country Club in Brookline will be the venue’s fourth U.S. Open. Bill Spence, 39-year

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GCSAA member, is director of grounds, and superintendent Andrew Updegrove is a nine-year association member.

The 2023 U.S. Open at The Los Angeles CC will be only the third U.S. Open in Southern California. Russ Myers, director of golf courses and grounds, is a 21-year GCSAA member. Matt Dachowski, 10-year association member, is the North Course superintendent. Patty Reedy is the GCSAA Class A superintendent of the South Course and a 13-year member of the association.

The 2024 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2 will mark the fourth time the event has been played there. Bob Farren, CGCS, a 35-year GCSAA member, is director of golf course maintenance. Kevin Robinson, CGCS, an 18-year member, is golf course maintenance manager, and John Jeffreys, a three-year association member, oversees Pinehurst No. 2.

Helland hire bolsters GCSAA advocacy efforts GCSAA has bolstered its industry advocacy efforts with the hire of Robert Helland, who served as GCSAA’s Washington, D.C.-based federal lobbyist from the law frm of Reed Smith LLC for the past 10 years. Helland joins GCSAA as director, congressional and federal affairs, and will work full time out of the Washington, D.C., area.

Helland will work directly for Chava McKeel, GCSAA director of government relations, to strengthen GCSAA’s communication with policymakers. He will also support the integration of the association’s lobbying efforts with the Grassroots Ambassadors program, which seeks to link superintendents with their federal legislators.

He will serve as an expert resource for the association as it continues to address various current legislative and

Bob Helland

regulatory issues, such as implementation of the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers’ Clean Water Rule that expands federal regulation of surface waters protected under the Clean Water Act, and he will continue to help organize and enhance the annual National Golf Day event.

“We are fortunate to have someone with Bob’s background and expertise join the association to add important member value and help take our advocacy efforts to the next level,” says Rhett Evans, GCSAA CEO. “It is critical that we have a consistent presence on Capitol Hill and in Washington, D.C., to directly promote the benefts of the golf industry, which annually delivers $69 billion in economic impact and more than 2 million jobs.”

In the

NEWS Revival in the works Not everyone has given up on East Orange Golf Course in Short Hills, N.J. Atop that list, according to The New York Times, is the city’s mayor. Superintendent Juan Casiano, a six-year GCSAA member, also features prominently into this story. www.nytimes. com/2015/08/02/sports/golf/a-struggling-cityrenovates-its-golf-course-envisioning-more-green.html

Chicago-area course reopens After $9 million in renovations, the Mt. Prospect (Ill.) Golf Course reopened this summer, the Chicago Daily Herald reports. More than $1 million was spent on a new irrigation system. www.dailyherald.com/ article/20150728/sports/150729060/

‘Hitting the slopes’ takes on new meaning in Utah Former Jack Nicklaus design colleague Gene Bates has developed his own vision in Park City, Utah, called Canyons Golf. What makes it different? The course, according to The Salt Lake City Tribune, is in the middle of a ski resort. Todd Bunte, the course’s GCSAA Class A superintendent and a 15-year association member, is featured in the article. www.sltrib. com/home/2772234-155/kragthorpe-gene-batescarves-canyons-golf

The drawing board Adam Lawrence adam.lawrence@golfcourse architecture.net Twitter: @adamlawrence

Editor’s note: The Drawing Board is a quarterly feature that spotlights new golf course development and construction projects in both the United States and around the world worthy of note to superintendents.

The feature is authored by Adam Lawrence, the editor of Golf Course Architecture magazine as well as By Design, the quarterly publication of the American Society of Golf Course Architects.

one that Willie Park Jr. originally designed back in the 1920s. Many original features were reinstated, including Park’s island bunker on the long par-5 frst hole. Additionally, the pond in front of the green on the fnal hole, which had expanded over the years, extending almost all the way across the putting surface, was returned to its original size, merely jutting into the fairway.

Sand Valley Golf Resort Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.

Tweets

RETWEETS Paul B. Latshaw, MSM @Pblatshaw Drainage going into 11 fwy. Wet pattern ID's problem areas. Drain it now or sod it later!

Mike Huck @IrrTurfSvcs Attended excellent @GCSAA webinar this AM on #WOTUS fnal rule, head is spinning, unfortunately rules are vague, confusing & lack clarity Ryan Blair @blair1927 Got my 21 year card in the mail yesterday @GCSAA how has it been that long!

Brandon Oppelt @BOGolf1 Always glad to lend a helping hand to fellow supers, especially when it hits home. Damage is surreal.

Sean McCue @SKMQU Tweeting via voice to text and hand watering simultaneously equals bad things

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GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.15

Tara Iti Golf Club New Zealand Financier Ric Kayne considered developing a course near his California base before concluding that permitting problems meant building halfway across the world in New Zealand was a better option. After fnding the Tara Iti property — in the far north of the country, in the province of Northland — Kayne hired Tom Doak and his Renaissance Golf Design team to sculpt the sand dunes into a golf course. Doak, of course, has experience in New Zealand, having built the acclaimed Cape Kidnappers. Kayne plans for Tara Iti to be private, but traveling golfers keen to see Doak’s work will be permitted one visit, as is the case at other remote retreats, such as Nebraska’s Sand Hills Golf Club. Doak says he thinks the course is among his frm’s best work, and with his record of creating top-class courses, especially when given oceanfront sites, combined with the evident majesty of the property, all signs point to Kayne having a hit on his hands.

Olympia Fields (Ill.) Country Club Recently host to the U.S. Amateur, the North Course at Chicago’s Olympia Fields Country Club was prepped for the tournament by architect Mark Mungeam, who has consulted with the club for more than 20 years.

Mungeam extensively renovated the North Course before it held the 2003 U.S. Open, but on this occasion, he, along with club green chair Andy Revell and GCSAA Class A superintendent Sam Mackenzie, a 33-year association member, decided a lighter touch was needed.

In particular, Revell’s discovery of some old aerials of the course set the project team on a restorative track, with the aim of making the North Course look more like the

Super-developer Mike Keiser’s latest project, the Sand Valley Golf Resort, is in full construction in central Wisconsin, near the small town of Wisconsin Rapids.

Keiser originally acquired 1,500 acres of land, potentially enough for at least fve courses, and let architect Bill Coore loose on the property, with orders to fnd the best course possible. Coore promptly strayed onto land that Keiser did not own, requiring the purchase of another 300 acres, and now grassing is well underway on his course. Keiser’s son, Mike Jr., who is playing a leading role in managing the project, expects several holes to be ready for play, by insiders at least, before the site is shut down for the winter, and then some kind of soft opening in 2016. The property includes dramatic topography, with dunes and ridges, while Coore and Crenshaw’s course begins atop one of the site’s largest sand hills. The ninth hole, a dramatic short par-4, has its green banked into the same dune. The second course, designed by David McLay Kidd, will begin construction next year.

Ballybunion Golf Club Ireland Down in County Kerry in Ireland’s southwest, a major project is being planned on The Old Course at Ballybunion. Dissatisfed with the state of the club’s mostly Poa annua greens, newly hired superintendent John Bambury (a three-year GCSAA member), Scottish architect Graeme Webster and local contractor Anthony Bennett are planning to rebuild all 18 this fall.

Bambury and Bennett have created two enormous turf nurseries on either side of the practice range, grassed entirely in fescue, and come October, crews will move onto the course to strip turf, remove the root zone on the greens, and rebuild them using fresh dune sand ameliorated with peat. A few changes will be made to the surfaces, but they have been digitally surveyed, and the objective is broadly to rebuild them as before. The team intends to complete the rebuild in six weeks and have the course open again by next spring. Bambury says he is conscious of the risks involved in such a dramatic project at a world top-10 course like Ballybunion, but says he believes a venue of such status requires greens of a similar quality.

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By John Mascaro President of Turf-Tec International

(photo quiz)

Turfgrass area: Putting green

Location: Sharon, Tenn.

Grass variety: 3-week-old Emerald bermudagrass

(a) PROBLEM

Marks on turf

Turfgrass area: Rough

Location: Bremerton, Wash.

Grass variety: Ryegrass/Poa annua/other blend

(b) PROBLEM An unfortunate crow Presented in partnership with Jacobsen

Answers on Page 108

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GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.15

Class-Leading Payload Capacity, Power & Comfort The all-new Jacobsen Truckster XD heavy-duty utility vehicle features the largest and toughest bed in the industry. With a massive 3,550-lb. payload capacity and thick 12-gauge steel, the Truckster XD hauls more sod, more rocks, more sand, more of anything you need to move. That means less trips, less time and less work. Only the all-new Jacobsen Truckster XD can make easy work of your toughest jobs. Visit www.jacobsen.com or your local Jacobsen dealer to schedule a demo.

1.888.922.TURF | www.jacobsen.com Š2015 Jacobsen division of Textron. All rights reserved.

Teresa Carson tcarson@gcsaa.org Twitter: @GCM_Magazine

(turf)

Tough times for turf seed The fnal verdict is not in. All the crops have not been harvested. But clearly this has been a less-than-stellar year for turfgrass seed production in the Pacifc Northwest. Some growers have gone so far as to use the words “crop failure.” And even bermudagrass production in Arizona and Southern California has taken a hit.

The fgures given to GCM at press time in mid-August were fairly consistent across seed companies, but seed yield will vary among growers because conditions differ from location to location, and some numbers may change signifcantly after the harvest is complete. The percentages below represent declines in turfgrass seed yield. Ranges from Oregon are combined ranges from Seed Research of Oregon and Barenbrug USA; Idaho numbers are from Jacklin Seed by Simplot.

• Annual rye: Oregon, 25%-30% • Creeping bentgrass: Oregon, 25%; Idaho, 30%. Creeping bentgrass is still being cleaned, so these fgures are estimates.

• Fine fescues: 20% decline • Kentucky bluegrass: Oregon, 20%-40%; some Midnight types, 50%; Idaho, 50%60% • Perennial ryegrass: 15%-30%, with some felds as high as 50%; Idaho, 25%-30% • Tall fescue: Oregon, 15%-20%; Idaho, 25%-30% John Rector, turf products manager at Barenbrug, puts some perspective on the numbers:

Presented in partnership with Barenbrug

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GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.15

A grower’s feld of turfgrass in Oregon’s Willamette Valley in 2012. Photo by Teresa Carson “Fifteen to 20% is not terribly unusual, 20%30% is signifcant, and above that ... ouch!”

What happened? The widely reported California drought extended to the Pacifc Northwest. Oregon, where much of the cool-season grass is grown, had the hottest, driest summer on record, with several days of temperatures higher than 100 F, and, in early August, the Seed Research of Oregon research station in the Willamette Valley reported a soil moisture reading of zero at a depth of 16 inches.

Go back a few months, and winterkill in Canada and Minnesota reduced acreage by 35% of normal yield. In Idaho, Doug Brede, director of research at Jacklin Seed by Simplot, reports that “creeping bentgrass losses were mainly due to high temperatures during pollination. The pollen just dried out before it got to the fower.”

Unseasonably cold weather also contributed to a lack of vernalization. Brede says, “Vernalization is the requirement in certain grasses for a cold treatment (of 12 or more weeks) during ... winter to initiate fowering in the spring.”

Another problem, says Brede, is that grasses cannot begin to vernalize if they are in drought stress.

Kentucky bluegrasses were hit especially hard. Brede says that, for Jacklin, the common types were off about 20%, but the elite types suffered declines of 50%-60% because of a lack of vernalization.

But warm weather must be good for bermudagrass? Not necessarily. If temperatures are too high during pollination — as they were this year — some of the pollen gets “fried,” resulting in reduced seed set, says Mike Hills, tech-

nical agronomist at Seed Research of Oregon.

This year, Arizona and California, where 95% of bermudagrass is grown, experienced unusually high temperatures during pollination in early spring.

Tom Bodderij, division manager of Seeds West/Pennington Seed in Arizona, describes the company’s bermudagrass yield as “slightly below average,” and Hills says his company expects a decrease of 10%-15%. Hot temperatures and dry conditions resulted in about a 5% decrease in yield for bermudagrass grown in Oregon. Hills says Oklahoma growers expect lower bermudagrass yields as well, but they do not harvest until September or October. Both Hills and Bodderij expressed optimism about availability of bermudagrass seed, because reductions in yield were not severe, and because there is some carryover in supply from last year’s harvest.

The problems caused by this year’s heat wave will not end with 2015. The message to customers is to plan ahead and order seed early, because supplies will likely be low, particularly in spring and summer 2016. In some cases, the current crop may have a lower germination rate. Some prices will also be higher.

If there is a bright side, says Leah Brilman, director of research for Seed Research of Oregon/DLF International Seeds, it is that the heat and drought have allowed plant breeders to identify plants that will provide material for new varieties that can withstand future heat waves.

Teresa Carson is GCM’s science editor.

Exclusively From

Scott R. Nesbitt ORPguy@windstream.net

(shop)

A flter fx (for when the factory manual fails) A recent repair conundrum helped me learn that you can believe some of the stuff on the Internet. And, my faith in factory service manuals was diminished a bit when it comes to troubleshooting problems with older machines.

The teaching moment involved a Cummins 6BT turbo-diesel engine in a 1997 Dodge Ram 3500 heavy-duty pickup. There are lots of these trucks around, no doubt on quite a few golf courses.

The truck’s 6-cylinder diesel engine was starting easily and running well with light loads, but it lacked the extra power needed when pulling a trailer. The truck’s owner went to the dealer, then to two independent shops.

They urged installing a new injection pump or replacing the turbocharger, each of which would cost north of $1,000. The engine seemed to be suffering from a shortage of suffcient fuel getting to the cylinders. Idle and lowload situations were OK, but the truck couldn’t handle hills or haul a heavy trailer.

You can fnd the same engine or its 4-cylinder 4BT version in tractors, skid-steers and any of the millions of vehicles that operate with this engine family.

The truck’s factory service manual has a faw common to most machinery publications: The big book doesn’t cover mechanical problems that crop up after many years and many hours of use in the feld and on the road.

Computerized manuals are a blessing. On Windows computers, you hold the keyboard combination “Ctrl” and “F,” and, in all programs I’ve used, you get a “fnd” pop-up that lets you search the document for a particular word or phrase. The command also works on Internet pages. Handy!

We downloaded our Dodge and Cummins factory service manuals from the digital library Scribd.com, which has service manuals for a wide range of small gasoline and diesel engines used in turf equipment, along with truck and car manuals. A subscription to the

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GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.15

Spray carburetor cleaner coupled with a gentle blast of clean air allowed fuel to fow through the pre-flter screen again, helping restore the truck’s performance.

A clogged pre-flter caused severe loss of power in this diesel engine. Photos by Scott R. Nesbitt Black goo from the fuel tank had plugged the main website costs about $50 a year. (Be sure to read all the fne print on any website that offers document downloads to avoid any hidden fees and to keep any unwanted software from showing up on your computer.)

After searching the digital Dodge factory manuals from 1996 through 1998 for the problem with the pickup and coming up blank, I went back online and simply searched for “Dodge/Cummins lack of power,” “fuel starvation” and other comparable phrases. A number of online forums showed up, and from amid the babble and musings of hundreds of truck users and fans, the answers emerged.

The Cummins engine has an electric “fuel heater” that’s supposed to improve fuel fow when diesel fuel thickens up in cold weather.

The bottom of this heater has a “pre-flter” screen intended to keep bigger chunks of fuel from reaching the main fuel flter.

In the factory manual, this pre-flter is mentioned only once — like, on page 1,331 out of nearly 2,000.

The photos above show the pre-flter on our truck was clogged, as was the main fuel flter.

At one time, a few gallons of gasoline had accidentally been pumped into the trunk’s tank.

The tank was drained immediately and flled with fresh diesel, but the gasoline appears to have dissolved the goo and sludge that unavoidably builds up in diesel fuel tanks, and that nasty stuff made its way to the pre-flter, then the main flter.

fuel flter. Online forums clued us in to the existence of a pre-flter, which receives little mention in the vehicle’s factory service manual.

The forums also pointed a warning fnger at the plastic fuel heater mounted above the pre-flter. The heater’s electric coil can melt its plastic body, allowing air to be sucked into the fuel stream. The compressible air displaces incompressible fuel, causing the plungers inside the injection pump to deliver less fuel, and at a reduced pressure.

The pre-flter cup unscrews with a 17-millimeter wrench, and spray carburetor cleaner along with a blast of air gets rid of the gunk.

Several forum posts suggested taking out the fuel heater altogether — a good fx given that diesel fuel doesn’t often chill enough to require a heater here in northeast Georgia. The heater can be removed with an 8-millimeter (5/16inch) Allen wrench, and the pre-flter cup can then be screwed back on in its place.

Problem solved, with almost no cost — just an investment of time in learning what the factory couldn’t have anticipated when it put together the truck’s service manual 18 years ago.

Scott R. Nesbitt is a freelance writer and former GCSAA staff member. He lives in Cleveland, Ga.

Kaelyn Seymour kseymour@gcsaa.org Twitter: @GCSAA

(advocacy)

President proposes overtime overhaul On July 6, 2015, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) published a notice of proposed rule-making in the Federal Register aimed at changing the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) in terms of how overtime pay is calculated for certain salaried employees.

To be classifed as a salaried employee and exempt from overtime pay currently, individuals must meet three separate guidelines: a job duties test, a salary level test (salary is at least $23,660 per year, or $455 per week) and a salary basis test (employee paid on a fxed-salary basis). Under the FLSA job duties test, salaried employees are classifed as either Executive, Administrative, Professional (EAP), or as Highly Compensated (HCE).

The July 2015 proposal would raise the salary level threshold to $50,440 per year, or $970/week for EAP employees, and to $122,148 from $100,000 for HCE. The rule does not propose regulatory changes to the salary basis test or the job duties test, which requires employees to perform certain primary duties to qualify for an overtime exemption, although DOL is seeking feedback on whether the job duties tests should be revised.

Currently, under the DOL regulations, all workers are entitled to premium overtime pay for each hour worked over 40 hours a week, unless they are found to be exempt. The President and DOL want to lift the salary cap higher.

The proposal also advocates automatically adjusting exemption thresholds in the future, to ensure the threshold for EAP workers is set at the 40th percentile of full-time salaries and, for HCE workers, at the 90th percentile of fulltime salaries.

There is both strong support and opposition to the overtime pay proposal. Opponents of the

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GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.15

Photo © Andrey_Popov/Shutterstock

proposal don’t think the proposal will help employees. The Federation of Independent Businesses guesstimates that employers will consider spreading around the same amount of money across a slightly larger pool of hourly and parttime workers.

Employers, especially small businesses, may implement various cost-cutting measures in order to work within the overtime regulations without any change to their bottom line, including: • Reclassifying salaried workers as hourly workers • Reducing hours to avoid overtime premiums • Increasing salary of employees near threshold According to the National Journal, some employees may be reclassifed as hourly workers and see an hourly wage reduction, while some employees with a salary near the new threshold may see their salary increased so that their employers can avoid paying overtime premiums.

The Obama Administration is attempting to reverse a 2004 Bush Administration rule that it believes made more workers ineligible for overtime pay. The Department of Labor estimates 1.2 million employees would see wage increases from the new overtime regulations.

Supporters of the expansion say that because of the cut in hours worked by salaried employees under the threshold, more part-time jobs will be added to pick up the slack. While supporters recognize some of the unintended consequences of the change that critics emphasize, such as reduced hours of existing employees, they think the proposal will lead to job creation and ultimately boost the economy.

One thing that supporters and opponents both agree on is they expect the proposal to be challenged in court and by Congress.

GCSAA is closely monitoring the proposal and working with our golf allied partners to submit comments to the federal docket by the Sept. 4 deadline. The comments will focus on fve key points: • The golf industry wants to ensure bonuses and commissions are counted in a total compensation package, and we would like a stronger defnition of “total compensation.”

• The golf industry objects to any change to the primary duties test without a separate proposed notice of rule-making.

• The industry, along with the American Society for Association Executives (ASAE), of which GCSAA is a member, is concerned the salary threshold does not account for regional cost of living. In comments submitted to the federal docket by ASAE, the association specifcally asks the DOL to take into account regional costs of living and adjust the threshold accordingly.

• Because keeping morale high at facilities is important, there is concern about the impact to employees when they are “demoted” from salary to hourly.

• Most important, the industry is comprised of small businesses with seasonality and fuctuating hours, which will not cleanly ft into the proposed changes.

GCSAA will continue to monitor the rule as it makes its way through the regulatory process, and the industry’s offcial comments will be posted in Government Relations Online at www.gcsaa.org.

Kaelyn Seymour is GCSAA’s government relations specialist.

Pamela C. Smith, CGCS greenskeeper99@yahoo.com

(environment)

Reduce irrigation energy demand The signifcance of energy management is easy to overlook when it comes to golf course irrigation. The superintendent’s primary objective is to deliver water in a manner that optimizes playing conditions and turf quality, and is within the confnes of pump station and pipe capacity. As a result, irrigation energy expenses may seem an unmanageable cost of doing business. However, a better understanding of how energy companies bill for consumption and demand can shed light on opportunities to fne-tune pump station operation to lower energy bills.

Understanding the difference between energy “consumption” and energy “demand” is the frst step when managing irrigation in conjunction with energy costs. Energy consumption is fairly straightforward — what you use is what you pay for. The “demand” side of an energy bill is a little more diffcult. “Demand” can have different terms throughout the country, and different utilities use different methods to arrive at demand costs. It can commonly be called a “demand,” “ratchet,” “peak demand” or something of the like. Whatever the lingo, an energy ratchet is a cost-recovery method used by the utility company to ensure it has the infrastructure to provide energy to consumers at their highest demand level.

Let’s look at an example of ratchet (shown in the graph above). During the irrigation season, say that a 1,800-gallons-per-minute (gpm) pump station running at full capacity has a peak energy demand of about 150 kilowatts. In the off-season, that demand drops to 10 kilowatts. Yet even though you’re not using more than 10 kilowatts, the demand is billed at 80 kilowatts. This amount is the ratchet. The utility company calculates the cost of the ratchet based on a percentage of peak demand and actual consumption. Even

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GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.15

Graph by Pamela C. Smith

though you may not be using 150 kilowatts, the power company must have the infrastructure to deliver that demand if necessary.

If that was confusing, try thinking about it in terms of irrigation water demand. Let’s say you need to apply 100,000 gallons for an irrigation cycle, and you can choose to do it over eight hours or two hours. The twohour cycle will require bigger gpm capacity (demand) even though the same amount of water will be applied (consumption). This is the same idea for energy demand — the more energy you require in a set interval means the power company has to have the infrastructure to fulfll that demand should it need to. Managing a pump station in a manner that decreases peak demand can thus minimize your energy expenses.

Strategies to reduce demand: • Get rid of ineffcient equipment. Old and worn motors can increase demand because of their poor performance. The energy effciency of new machines can recover the initial investment over the lifetime of the equipment. High-effciency motors and VFDs can also qualify for rebates from your energy company.

• Upgrade to VFD controls. Use only enough energy to deliver the water you require. Syringing, hand watering and similar practices shouldn’t require a motor to run at full speed.

• Take full advantage of t e water window. If you can get your irrigation done in eight hours but choose to do it in four, you are killing the demand side of energy use. Spread out irrigation cycles for the full water window, and even over several days if possible.

• Ramp up pump station capacity slowly. If you’ve ever measured the amps of a motor at start-up versus during operation, you know that the

most energy is required to start the motor, and energy demand then levels off during operation. If you need all pumps to run at full capacity, do so being mindful of when demand is measured — within 15 minutes or 30 minutes, for example (your utility company representative will be able to tell you this). Spread out start-up so that only one motor starts within that time period, and design irrigation programs to slowly ramp up to desired gpm.

• Design new pump stations wit nergy use in mind. Can premium-effciency motors justify their price with energy savings over the life of the pump station? With rising energy costs, that’s a calculation not to be overlooked before purchasing a new pump station or motor.

Not all energy providers use a demand ratchet to recoup the costs of supplying energy.

Where a ratchet is used, however, it can present an opportunity to change operations to reduce energy costs, and doing so could result in marginal or substantial savings. Either way, this is one more area where the superintendent can demonstrate expertise in fnding ways to conserve energy and reduce expenses.

Pamela C. Smith, CGCS, is the director of agronomy for a large city and a 25-year member of GCSAA.

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Bayer CropScience LP, Environmental Science Division, 2 TW Alexander Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709. 1-800-331-2867. www.BackedbyBayer.com. Bayer (reg’d), the Bayer Cross (reg’d), and Specticle ® are registered trademarks of Bayer. Not all products are registered in all states. Always read and follow label directions. ©2015 Bayer CropScience LP.

(career) Carol D. Rau, PHR careeradvantage@sunfower.com Twitter: @CareerGolf

Moving the pieces of the puzzle into place to secure your dream job must happen long before you’re conducting a job search.

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GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.15

Career management: Turn goals into reality If you and I sat down for a career consultation right now, would you be able to answer these two questions: What are your career goals, and what is your plan to reach those goals? Moving the pieces of the puzzle into place to secure your dream job must happen long before you’re conducting a job search, and the frst of those pieces is to establish a basic inventory of your goals and to chart your path to achieving them.

W at are your career goals? Clients’ answers to this question vary greatly, ranging from holding a specifc position at a specifc golf facility to more general aspirations, such as wanting to be a superintendent and contribute to the golf industry in meaningful ways. To help you narrow your focus, consider how your professional and personal desires match up to characteristics of certain jobs. For example, do you want to work in a particular region of the country? Near family and friends? At a private golf club? Other common considerations for golf industry jobs include whether the facility is multi-course, a resort or tropical property, formal or casual, or a professional athletic feld.

Factors such as work culture and whether the position offers the opportunity for golf industry leadership, community involvement and tournament hosting may also infuence your assessment. Identify which of these and other qualities of a job pertain to your goals, and then prioritize them to gain a better sense of what you’re aiming for.

W at is your plan to rea our career goals?

After you’ve taken time to pinpoint your professional objectives, you can begin to determine your path to attaining them. Components of your path will likely include obtaining education in a certain feld, certifcations, professional development in leadership and business, and experience and skills with turf varieties and facility types. I recommend creating target time frames for completing the different components of your career plan to keep you motivated and moving toward your ultimate destination. As you progress through the stages of your career, you must also seek out strong mentors and managers to build your network and to help guide you in your career moves.

One member’s story. Each year, I provide one-on-one consultations at the Golf Industry Show as part of GCSAA’s complimentary ca-

reer services for members. A superintendent I met in San Antonio this past year stood out as a good example of clear, defned goals providing framework, motivation and perspective during his career.

The member’s résumé showed the fairly typical progression in golf course management, with education, internships, assistant superintendent roles, and then successful years as a superintendent. When we met, though, he had recently resigned from his superintendent job to accept a position as assistant superintendent.

W at? How can t is be a model of exceptional career planning? If you merely look at job titles, yes, this may appear to be a step down. In reality, however, it was a well-calculated stride closer to reaching his ultimate goal.

The member explained that his dream job is to be superintendent at a golf facility that hosts PGA Tour events, and early in his career, he’d zeroed in on this goal and mapped out a route to get to it. After acquiring the business and leadership experience inherent in a superintendent role, the last piece of the puzzle was to gain frsthand knowledge of hosting PGA Tour events. So, when he learned of an opening at a PGA Tour site hosting an upcoming major, he jumped at the opportunity. During our conversation, he talked about the privilege of working under one of the most respected superintendents in the business. He also spoke about working hard and learning as much as he possibly could in the upcoming years about preparing the course for the tournament as well as about the actual event management.

While this more unconventional route doesn’t suit everyone, in my more than 20 years as a career consultant, I’ve learned that every person’s career follows a unique path, which makes it even more important for you to identify your goals so you can begin working toward your target. Your dream job awaits.

Carol D. Rau, PHR, is a career consultant with GCSAA and is the owner of Career Advantage, a career consulting frm in Lawrence, Kan., specializing in golf and turf industry careers. GCSAA members receive complimentary résumé critiques by Rau and her team; résumé, cover letter and LinkedIn creation for a reduced member rate; and interview preparation and portfolio consultation.

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Links

future? to the

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GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.15

Golf course architect Andy Staples goes to great measures in pursuit of a concept that may be coming to a town near you.

Howard Richman

Photo by Joni Morrill

09.15 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT

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The 16th hole at Rockwind Community Links is a 484-yard par-5 from the tips. Photo by Tony Roberts

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GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.15

Preston “Buck” Brandon frst laid eyes on Hobbs, N.M., in 1962.

In his mid-20s, when John F. Kennedy presided in the White House, Brandon arrived with a physical education degree in hand and big plans in his heart. Hobbs, which 53 years ago was less than half the size it is now, offered possibilities he could envision on the fat terrain sandwiched between Lubbock and Albuquerque.

“I liked being able to see for miles and miles and miles,” Brandon says. “I decided to stay.”

Since his arrival, Brandon has witnessed magical moments.

The frst was seeing his mentor, high school basketball coach Ralph Tasker, compile a record of 1,122-291 and 11 state championships. The second was catching a glimpse of Hobbs’ own Tim Smith, who, as a rookie for the Washington Redskins in 1987, set a league record with 204 rushing yards in the Super Bowl.

Nowadays, it is a renovated public golf course that Brandon believes has the opportunity to make history in Hobbs, a city of slightly more than 30,000. He swears he has never seen anything like it.

Really, nobody has — at least not in this context.

Rockwind Community Links offcially became more than just a completely redesigned golf course this year. Golf course architect Andy Staples of Staples Golf, who spearheaded the $12 million project, learned May 26 that his submission to trademark the phrase “Community Links” had become a reality. That same month, Rockwind Community Links debuted.

“Quite honestly, I was looking for a story that could be told that could garner support from all levels of a community, not just those that play golf,” says Staples, 42, noting that the trademark process took nearly two years to complete. “Community Links allows you to sell the brand of golf and all of the great things that come along with the game. We can sell health. Competi-

tion. Integrity. Outdoor recreation. And, it can refect on the community in which it exists.”

Staples’ concept features the exploration of alternative revenue streams other than green fees; expanding facility benefts to increase facility use by non-golfers; emphasizing new golfer development programs for youths; and maximizing the effcient use of water, energy and fuel.

“No one really ever talks about the social or people aspect of sustainability,” he says.

Golf, though, is the thread that connects other activities at Rockwind Community Links, which was previously known as Ocotillo Park Golf Course. It includes open green spaces for events. A surrounding trail system with multiple trailheads. Picnic areas. Then there are those scenic vantage points, which have access to the site’s 5-acre lake.

Former GCSAA President Sandy Queen, CGCS, who boasts deep experience in municipal golf, likes the idea.

“The fact that a person has trademarked the phrase is pretty sharp. Partly depending on how it’s marketed, I think it will have some legs to it,” Queen says. “The days of the standalone golf course may have come and gone for municipalities because of the fnancial aspect of it. So many municipalities spent millions and can’t retire the debt that became a load for the city. It kind of gave golf a bad name.”

Hobbs High School golf coach Vic Rotunno sees only the good in Rockwind Community Links.

“Basically, it’s a jewel in the desert,” Rotunno says.

Roots of an idea Let’s get this much straight: Nobody, not even Staples, is saying that Rockwind Community Links is an original thought.

Its purpose, however, seems to be well timed.

“Certainly, the time is right now and has been for, say, maybe the last seven or eight years,” says Steve Mona, chief executive offcer of the World Golf Foundation. “Would we have been better off if this concept took hold 15 or 20 years ago? Probably. Then again, times change and concepts change, and it probably wasn’t something viewed as necessary 20 years ago. Today, it certainly is.”

Creating multiple uses for a golf course — which is at the heart of Community Links — possesses historical roots.

In some ways, it is as old as the birthplace of golf, St. Andrews in Scotland, where Sun-

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GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.15

Rockwind Community Links’ general manager/head professional Linda Howell, left, with assistant pro Camren Bergman; Hobbs city manager J.J. Murphy; and GCSAA Class A superintendent Matt Hughes. Photos by Joni Morrill

“I’ve found that a deep-rooted connection between a golf course and its citizens and its community is almost always one of the things that’s been a recipe for success.”

— Andy Staples

days are all about picnics and walking dogs across the famed Swilcan Bridge rather than posting a score at the Road Hole. Believe it or not, there is no Sunday golf at St. Andrews, except when the British Open is scheduled.

Erik Larsen, former president of the American Society of Golf Course Architects (ASGCA), praises Staples as “a visionary” who is adept at the reduction of irrigated turf. More than a decade ago, Larsen’s fngerprints were all over the development of Eagle Ranch Golf

Club in Eagle, Colo., which showcases its own community feel.

“It was a very nice interaction between golf, a stream, a greenway and a trail system that were all intertwined,” says Larsen, in those days a member of the Arnold Palmer Design Co. team. “You’d see moms with strollers, big dogs on the greenway, and guys fshing in the stream. It can be done.”

Staples, whose works include The Golf Club at Sand Hollow Resort, which was once named the No. 1 course in Utah by Golfweek, reels off examples of Community Links’ spirit.

“I’ve found that a deep-rooted connection between a golf course and its citizens and its community is almost always one of the things that’s been a recipe for success,” Staples says. “And I think it’s starting to prove out in places like Bandon Dunes, Sand Hills in Nebraska, and Blackwolf Run in Wisconsin.

Pinehurst also comes to mind. When golf is invariably rooted in your community and linked to your community, then it has a better chance of succeeding.

“I’m not leveraging this trademark for anything else other than I want the golf course to feel like they’ve got something unique.”

The bottom line for any type of facility, Queen says, is protecting the game.

Andy Staples, golf course architect, helped put the dream in motion at Rockwind Community Links. Photo courtesy of Staples Golf

Youth participation is a key element of the spirit at Rockwind Community Links.

Home away from home For 18 months, GCSAA Class A superintendent Matt Hughes rarely saw his twins, Harrison and Huntleigh. The same went for his wife, Kristy. It wasn’t as if they were several miles away, in another county or even an adjacent state. All that separated them from each other was a road.

The Hughes family lives across the street from Matt’s place of employment, Rockwind Community Links in Hobbs, N.M. When he arrived in 2006, the golf course was still known as Ocotillo Park.

Nearly a decade later, the course was renovated and rebranded as Rockwind Community Links.

“The highlight was the day the frst bulldozer arrived,” says Hughes, a 13-year association member whose presence was a constant during the construction and grow-in phases. “The lowlight was not seeing my family for more than a year.”

During the renovation process, Hughes developed in his role.

“I think it helped make me a better superintendent. I learned more than just what it takes to maintain grass,” says Hughes, who earned his associate’s degree in golf Photo by Tony Roberts course operations from Western Texas College in Snyder.

A native of Kerrville, Texas, Hughes was previously superintendent at Thanksgiving Point Resort in Lehi, Utah, and River Run Golf Club in Eagar, Ariz., and was golf course consultant for Golf Course Group at Coyote Willows Golf Club in Mesquite, Nev. Now a fxture in Hobbs, Hughes enjoys nothing more than spending more time with his wife and children, and also watching youths take advantage of Rockwind Community Links.

“It’s neat to see little kids whacking away at golf balls. It makes what I do worth it,” Hughes says.

— H.R.

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GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.15

“When you start talking Frisbees and FootGolf, some people roll their eyes. The trick is to blend them and maintain the integrity of the golf course,” Queen says.

Financially speaking Hobbs city manager J.J. Murphy is convinced the investment in Rockwind Community Links is worthwhile.

So far, so good.

Murphy reports that golfers played 2,500 rounds in June (resident adults pay $15 to walk and play 18; juniors pay $6), and 250 youths participated in The First Tee (there is also a par-3 layout called Li’l Rock).

“Our drive is to bring people to see what else we have besides golf,” Murphy says. “To deliver a project like this and see so many people happy is what a city manager dreams of.

This is how it’s going to have to be done in the future.”

Those dreams are being realized, according to Rockwind Community Links general manager/head professional Linda Howell.

“It got families here. It already has paid off,” Howell says.

But do non-golf activities create revenue?

It depends, especially based on the type of facility, Larsen says.

“A key point to the issue of alternative uses on a golf course is that green space and alternate uses probably do not generate enough revenue to provide renovation or to sustain operation of a private resort or facility. Selling real estate provides those fnancial solutions,” Larsen says. “Using golf courses for other recreation will best work to serve a municipal need, i.e., parks, trails, community center, etc.”

Yet it’s not all about money or complete redesigns, Staples says.

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Rockwind Community Links welcomes golfers of all ages. You can even walk your dog on the property. Photos by Joni Morrill

“The idea you have to come in and completely change the facility and spend all kinds of money is not the idea here,” says Staples, whose work at Rockwind Community Links included features such as elevated greens, fve sets of tees, coffn bunkers, and rock walls rolling throughout the 7,100-yard course.

“But what I do say is, in order for you to fully embrace the concept, there are things that the owner of the golf course, or the city or the county as owner of the golf course, have to understand. They have to understand that investing in quality recreational facilities is a core value here, it’s a priority, and so that may mean we’ll be looking at upgrading anything that’s been deferred from a maintenance perspective, or possibly making adjustments in the golf course that make it more friendly to non-golfers.”

GCSAA Class A superintendent Matt Hughes takes pride in making Rockwind Community Links playable for everyone.

“We’re devoted to building the game of golf,” Hughes says.

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Howell, Larsen and Golf Digest architecture editor Ron Whitten all agree that liability is a concern for golf courses that offer multiple activities. “We are always thinking about it (liability) when we mark the course,” Howell says.

An ex-lawyer, Whitten may understand that issue more than most. “People are prone to hitting errant golf shots. Having been hit myself a couple of times, it’s pretty painful,” he says.

What’s next?

Staples thinks big regarding Community Links beyond Rockwind.

“I think it’s something that should be done in every state,” he says.

Golf courses in Northern California and Utah are two possibilities, he says, but nothing is imminent. Still, Staples is sure the message Community Links sends is strong.

“They (Hobbs) basically have used the game of golf as a focus of how to promote their city, and they think the game of golf is integral to quality of life. It’s a reason why someone might move to their city,” Staples says. “This isn’t golf as you knew it. This is the future of golf.”

Fellow golf course architect Craig Schreiner supports Staples’ cause. “I’m just waiting for more concepts like this to come along,

because courses are closing. I’m all for whatever it takes. The more people you get on a golf course, the better the chance they end up playing,” Schreiner says.

Whitten sees merit to Community Links for its ability to draw people in and perhaps alter the sport’s reputation.

“A lot of places are turned off by golf — some see it as guarded gates, fences, the course hidden, that golf is exclusive,” Whitten says.

“It would be neat to see other communities embrace the (Community Links) idea. We need to make the game more integrated.”

Brandon, meanwhile, is now 78. His ties to Hobbs include coaching the high school golf team to three state titles. The town, he says, is the true champion with the development of Rockwind Community Links.

“I always looked at it that the more things you can provide for a community to do, it’s a good thing,” Brandon says. “Most everybody thinks we’ve got a good thing going. I just hope we can continue it.”

Howard Richman (hrichman@gcsaa.org) is GCM’s associate editor.

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Golf’s DIY

network work 56

GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.15

More and more superintendents are being entrusted with overseeing all aspects of major golf course renovation projects for their facilities.

Stacie Zinn Roberts Highland Woods G&CC in Bonita Springs, Fla., recently completed a wall-to-wall renovation of the 20-year-old facility, with superintendent Billy Huskins, CGCS, overseeing not only the renovation work itself, but also the design of the new layout.

Photo courtesy of Billy Huskins

09.15 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT

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Superintendent Jeff Miller (far right) kept the recent renovation of the irrigation system at Harbor Club in Lake Oconee, Ga., completely in-house. Pictured with Miller (from left to right) are Jacan Dossett, assistant superintendent; Rob Patient, irrigation tech; and Brad Ward, the crew foreman for the project. Photo courtesy of Jeff Miller

Billy Huskins, CGCS, looks out over the green bermudagrass fairways of Highland Woods Golf & Country Club in Bonita Springs, Fla., with an immense sense of pride. He knows every blade of grass, every contour, every undulation — and it’s not just because he’s managed the course every day for more than eight years. No, it’s more than that. Huskins knows every grass blade, every contour and every undulation because he put it there.

This summer, when the 20-year-old, 18-hole golf course underwent a full-scale renovation, Huskins was at the helm not only as superintendent, but also as the renovation architect. “I’m proud of the fact that they (the club membership) let me do it, and I think it would be great if other guys in the industry got to do it, too,” the 24-year GCSAA member says. “I just think superintendents are a hidden gem at the club.”

Whether it’s installing irrigation systems, reshaping bunkers, or acting as architect and contractor on a complete golf course renovation, superintendents across the country are stepping outside of their daily maintenance routines and taking the initiative to plan and execute larger projects at their facilities.

A new challenge At Harbor Club on Lake Oconee in Greensboro, Ga., GCSAA Class A superintendent Jeff Miller and his crew recently fnished a renovation of the club’s irrigation system. While a representative from the distributor, Ewing Irrigation, installed the course’s new Hunter Irrigation controller, Miller and his staff put in 225 new Hunter G885 rotor irrigation heads with total top serviceability on all 18 greens, at the driving range, and in a few hightraffc areas.

Miller and his team tested the heads by installing them on just one green in 2013 to monitor how they watered, and to get an idea of the installation process itself. Based on the success of that trial, the irrigation renovation began in January 2014.

The three-man crew, made up of irrigation tech Rob Patient, assistant superintendent Jacan Dossett and 20-year crew member Brad Ward, worked from January through April to install eight to 10 new rotors per green. The crew created a system — “like an assembly line,” Miller says — in which the frst man dug up the old irrigation head and wires, setting aside any sod that was disturbed, and then moved on to the next irrigation head. The second man came in after him and installed the new rotor, and the third backflled around the new head and replaced the sod.

The original plan, Miller says, was to have the complete irrigation renovation fnished before summer, but two big snow events slowed down the process. Miller didn’t want to

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GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.15

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chance turning off the irrigation to his bentgrass greens in the heat of the Georgia summer, so the project was put on hold until October 2014, when the crew fnished up the fnal nine holes.

This wasn’t the frst time Miller was involved in a renovation project. As an assistant superintendent, he participated in the renovation of the driving range at Atlanta Country Club, and as a spray tech, he helped with the complete construction and grow-in of another golf course. “Anytime you do a renovation project, it provides you the opportunity to learn and grow,” the 10-year member of GCSAA says. “There’s nothing like a good challenge to stimulate the mind.”

A cautious approach In the 25 years that Keith Ihms, CGCS, golf course maintenance manager at Bella Vista (Ark.) Village as well as the immediate past president of GCSAA, has been in the business, he’s built cart paths, renovated an irrigation system, and spearheaded a full 27-hole bunker renovation without the aid of an architect. Ihms also participated in the complete renovations of two golf courses for which there were architects and contractors on the job.

Even on the projects with design and construction professionals in place, “You usually end up being more involved than you think,” Ihms says. “That’s what I’ve learned.”

He advises that taking on a full-scale project on one’s own may not be the right choice for every superintendent, however.

“The advantage to having a contractor over doing it in-house? You know, golf course superintendents and their staff tend to be pretty good at doing a lot of things, but that’s not something we do every day,” Ihms says. “We maintain turf, mainly. We do small projects, but a golf course construction project may be $6, $7, $8, $9 million, and it’s pretty intense.

It has to be done pretty quick, and you have to have a lot of people. Most golf courses are not set up to do that. If it’s only a partial renovation, you still have to maintain the rest of what’s going on, whether it’s your clubhouse grounds or not. It can stretch you pretty thin.

What I’ve seen over the years is a lot of golf course superintendents get into trouble when they try to do a lot of in-house projects and they’re not getting their everyday stuff done.”

Ihms adds, “The plus sides are, theoretically, you can do it cheaper. But I caution people about doing it just because they think

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GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.15

Huskins (left) and Keith Ihms, CGCS, both understand the benefts and drawbacks of overseeing in-house renovation projects. Photo courtesy of Billy Huskins; photo by Joel Schmidt

it’s going to be cheaper. The most important thing is that the quality is there when you’re done and that it’s done right. There’s golf course superintendents out there now who are maintaining golf courses who worked on construction crews for the big construction companies. They’ve done it. They know what’s involved. I think there are superintendents out there that could defnitely make it happen, and then there’s some of us that could do a pretty good job.” And, he says with a laugh, “Then there’s some who probably ought to just stay the heck away from it.”

Practice makes perfect At Highland Woods, Billy Huskins falls into the category of superintendents who’ve had a lot of previous construction experience.

He’s worked for golf course developers and management companies, led the construction of two golf courses in north Georgia, and rebuilt two holes at Fiddlesticks Country Club in Fort Myers, Fla., as superintendent there. As an intern (or “apprentice superintendent”) at Augusta National, Huskins participated in “a miniscule way” in the rebuilding of Rae’s Creek and the bunkers on the 15th hole.

When he arrived at Highland Woods, Huskins knew right away he wanted to make changes to the course. “There weren’t major

agronomic problems. The golf course just needed a new look,” Huskins says.

His frst summer at Highland Woods, Huskins proposed to the membership a renovation of the greens on holes nine and 18, which were connected into a single putting surface. “It had a bunker in the middle of it, and no one liked it,” Huskins says. He split the green in two, and says it turned out great.

“That started the tone for their confdence in me, for me being able to do construction,” Huskins says of demonstrating his ability. “It was a lot of little jobs, but they were big jobs in their eyes.”

A few years later, Huskins proposed a renovation of the course’s irrigation system.

Huskins designed it, and the crew installed it. He started with one hole, to “test the waters,” and the project comprised six holes per year over the next three years. It came in below budget, and Huskins says he saved the club an estimated $600,000 by doing it in-house.

By the time Huskins proposed a major renovation of the course design, he had already gained the trust of the Highland Woods membership. He backed that up with information, attending a club meeting called to discuss the proposal armed with aerial photos of each hole, over which he’d drawn in new bunker placements and changes to the hole.

He’d also drawn a dollar sign for every hole,

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By using the existing crew at Highland Woods G&CC to oversee the club’s recent renovation, Huskins estimates a savings of almost $1.2 million in architect and contractor fees. Photos courtesy of Billy Huskins

including with it an estimation of the cost to make the changes. “It was approved immediately,” he says.

The course renovation approval process went so smoothly, Huskins says the general manager proposed a renovation of the clubhouse that was given the green light as well.

The finished product Project planning took about two years.

Huskins created a book for all of his notes, a bible of sorts, detailing his acreages and square footages, with drawings for quick reference.

There were no real blueprints. The details, if not in the book, were in his head. “The drawings I’d shown the membership had no slope, none of that,” he says.

Because so much of it was in his head only, Huskins had to give continual direction to his 21-man crew, plus another 10 temporary laborers and a bulldozer operator with a company called GCID that had been hired to do the bunker shaping.

He kept two paint guns in his cart at all times and traveled the project, painting lines to show the crew where to move dirt, where to install pipe, wire and drainage tiles, where to place trees and gravel, and where to shape bunkers. “I went through 18 cases of paint,” Huskins says.

“We rebuilt and changed the whole golf course,” Huskins says of the renovation. “We rebuilt all the greens, tees and bunkers. We rebuilt two holes completely. We brought in

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300 truckloads of fll dirt. We had a company build 2,500 linear feat of bulkhead for the lakes. We redid all the cart paths, and because of the bulkheads, we widened tee tops and fairways. It’s been a total transformation. You wouldn’t think it’s the same place.”

The course closed for construction on April 27 of this year. Grassing was complete

by July 3. “All we have to do now is grow it in and then do the cart paths later this summer,” he says. Although Huskins expects the new TifEagle bermudagrass greens and Celebration bermudagrass fairways and tees to be grown-in by the end of summer, the course won’t reopen until construction of the new clubhouse, ftness center and cart barn is fnalized in mid-November.

During the project, Huskins had weekly update meetings with his general manager.

The general manager then took that information from their discussions and communicated it to the membership through the community newsletter. Because the project took place during the Florida off-season, most residents were out of town during the construction. Those that remained, Huskins says, “come up and rave about how excited they are, how they love what we’ve done, and how hard the guys are working” in the summer heat.

A memorable experience When it’s all said and done, Huskins estimates he’ll have saved the club about $1.2 million in architect and contractor fees. With that

in mind, he advises any superintendent who’s considering tackling on a renovation project to negotiate a bonus package with his or her club for taking on the extra work and responsibility.

Leadership qualities are also a must, he says, when spearheading a task so large.

“Make sure you’re a true leader. You can’t be passive in your decision-making. You’ll make about 200 to 300 decisions a day, and every decision has got a dollar sign wrapped around it. Don’t do it if you don’t feel committed to it,” Huskins says.

Given all the work, stress and long hours that went into it, Huskins says the Highland Woods course renovation is an experience he’ll never forget. “It’s going to be one of those things, when I think back when I’m an old man, I’ll think about this summer. I’ll think about how you’re just full of life when you’re doing this type of stuff. When you’re a superintendent for as long as I’ve been, it can get kind of stale. It’s exciting to be doing it, to create something that you know is going to be there for ...” Huskins pauses, then laughs.

“Well, until they redo it again.”

Stacie Zinn Roberts is the president of What’s Your Avocado?, a writing and marketing frm based in Mount Vernon, Wash., and a frequent GCM contributor.

AT THE TURN Norman Sinclair

Architect Chris Wilczynski (left) and Corbin Todd, director of golf courses at the University of Michigan, discuss the expansion of the native grass area on the frst hole of the university’s Radrick Farms Golf Course. Wilczynski has been consulting at Radrick Farms since 2012. Photo by Dave Richards

(master planning)

Dynamic duos When golf course superintendents and architects team up, the result is mutually benefcial relationships that improve both course maintenance and the golf experience.

Golf course superintendents and the architects who sometimes bedevil them with their designs are discovering they may not be such strange bedfellows after all.

With the decline in new course construction and megabucks consulting deals a thing of the past, some architects are reaching out to superintendents to offer their services for smaller, different projects they may not have considered undertaking just a few years ago. Constrained by shrunken budgets, superintendents are in turn learning they can do a lot more for a lot less by working with architects, who can often recommend in-house fxes that result in lower maintenance costs.

Whatever the challenge — an aging course, persistent drought — a number of superintendents have found tapping the fresh perspective of a talented architect to be the solution to tackling on-course problems as inexpensively as possible.

A road map to improvements In Ann Arbor, Mich., architect Chris Wilczynski, a former Arthur Hills associate, realized when he launched his own design business, C.W. Golf Architecture, in the middle of the re-

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GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.15

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Wilczynski, Todd and Dan Mausolf, GCSAA Class A superintendent at Radrick Farms Golf Course in Ann Arbor, Mich., examine the rough grading for a new tee on the course’s 16th hole. Photo by Dave Richards

“It’s kind of like a fnancial planner taking all your information and analyzing it.”

— Chris Wilczynski

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cession that he would need a backup plan to bring in future work when new “jobs” — in the traditional sense — became tight.

Even though he was keeping busy designing two new courses in Sarasota and Naples, Fla., during the past three years, Wilczynski began making inroads with local superintendents, offering his services in one-day walkaround evaluations of their properties.

For a fee starting at about $1,500, Wilczynski spends a day examining all aspects of a club, from the landscaping of the driveway to an inspection of every hole, and he then writes a report that itemizes defciencies and offers corrective solutions.

“It’s kind of like a fnancial planner taking all your information and analyzing it,” Wilczynski says. “My goal is to provide a list of things that can be done in-house — things that are simple and may require in-house labor but not a lot of (capital) investment. It’s a way to build a relationship without requiring a lot of investment upfront, to give the superintendent and the club a kind of a road map to what needs to be done.” Wilczynski says he hopes this kind of introduction will lead to more lu-

crative work for his frm down the road, which turned out to be the case with the University of Michigan’s Radrick Farms Golf Course in Ann Arbor, where, a few years ago, Wilcznyski did one of his one-day inspections on the 50-year-old course, designed by legendary architect Pete Dye. “I did that study, and then two years ago I did some more detailed planning work for them for a few different holes, and last year they asked me to do a master plan for the entire golf course,” Wilczynski says. “That’s exactly how I would like it to evolve.”

Corbin Todd, the director of golf courses at the University of Michigan, which owns and operates Radrick Farms, was the frst to reach out to Wilcznyski and says the affliation with the architect has been an asset to the club. “While Pete Dye is our primary architect and the guy we consult with, Chris is local, and it’s just real easy to have him come and look around, and bounce ideas off him,” says Todd, a GCSAA Class A superintendent.

“He brings a new perspective that enabled us to make some valuable improvements without spending a lot of money.”

Photo by Dave Richards

Career best With more than a decade of experience working as a superintendent, Corbin Todd says his move from the maintenance shop to the executive suite as director of the University of Michigan golf courses is not as far a leap as some folks may think.

Seasoned superintendents, he says, are logical fts for top management positions in the golf business. “They are naturals for that kind of job because they think in complex ways, they deal with a ton of variables and they are problem solvers,” Todd says.

Todd’s journey to the top began in the early ’90s, when he was in college at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti. “Growing up, I worked on golf courses, and when I was in college, a buddy invited me to come see Radrick Farms,” he says. Radrick Farms Golf Course is an early Pete Dye design that was constructed for faculty and staff at the University of Michigan. “I was impressed, and I stayed on working there while going to school,” Todd says.

After completing a bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1992, he earned a two-year certifcate in turf management from Penn State University, and later a master’s degree in management from Eastern Michigan. By 2000, Todd had worked his way up to superintendent, a position he would hold for 10 years.

“I didn’t really have a master plan, but if you are prepared when opportunity comes, good things happen,” he says. “I always knew I wanted to keep trying to get better and take on more responsibilities, but I didn’t know exactly where it would lead.”

He found that new direction in 2010, when the club’s longtime general manager retired.

“I didn’t see that coming, but I applied for the job and got it,” says Todd, a GCSAA Class A superintendent and a 20-year member of the association. Three years later, the University of Michigan moved Radrick Farms into the Department of Athletics, pairing it with the university’s classic, 1931 Alister MacKenzie course. In January 2013, Todd was named the frst director of the University of Michigan golf courses.

“When you go from a superintendent to a general manager, you are representing your whole golf club to external entities, plus dealing with a board of directors or whoever is governing you,” Todd says of the transition. “In my case, it is the university higher-ups. You have to have mental dexterity. It’s a little different being down in the shop with the guys than dealing with the executives at the University of Michigan. That has probably been the biggest challenge for me.”

For superintendents who want to move up, Todd advises them to step out of their daily duties to add variety to their résumé, such as through an advanced degree or a business connection. “I sit on the board of a nonproft preschool, where I get experience in dealing with things at a board of director’s level,” he says. “Get involved in the local superintendents chapter to get some exposure to how organizations operate. Just get out of that box as the guy that mows the grass.”

— N.S.

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Adam Haberkorn, the GCSAA Class A superintendent at Huron Meadows Metropark, a municipal course in Brighton, Mich., is always conscious of expenses when reporting to his political bosses in the small town.

Haberkorn says Wilcznyski’s assessment of the Huron Meadows course has boosted his credibility with his overseers as he lobbies for improvements he wants to make.

“Right now, on the municipal side, everybody is still locked down on spending money on golf,” says Haberkorn. “This report gives me something concrete to take in when we go to budget time in September each year. It is a great tool for me to use with the municipality.”

Some of Wilcznyski’s suggestions that Haberkorn and his crew have carried out not only improved the playability and the look of the course, but saved a tidy amount in Haberkorn’s budget.

“We made some immediate impact on the golf course by taking out some trees,” says Haberkorn, a 13-year GCSAA member. “Then we actually reduced some maintenance cost by removing some 30 acres we used to mow. At the same time, we increased the native areas and enhanced the look of the course. Dollar for dollar, the $1,500 was the best money I’ve spent on the golf course.”

Superintendent Jeffrey Holmes, CGCS, operates at the other end of the golf course spectrum, tending to two 18-hole courses designed by Arthur Hills at the private Egypt Valley Country Club in Ada, Mich., on the west side of the state.

Holmes, who is in his 22nd year at Egypt Valley, says his relationship with Wilcznyski dates back to the architect’s days working for Arthur Hills. This summer, Holmes asked Wilcznyski to do one of his one-day appraisals for both Egypt Valley courses.

“My goal was to have a working platform, a written document, that could be passed on or at least reviewed each time we have a new golf course committee,” Holmes says. “And with the guard changing at different times, you might have the same people for four or fve years, and then you might have turnover in one or two years. This is really a bird’seye view from a professional architect, to see where we are, where we’ve been, and how we stack up against the competition.”

While Wilcznyski didn’t recommend any major renovations, Holmes, a 34-year association member, says his input was valuable because it pinpointed projects that Holmes and his staff could undertake on their own. “It’s

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Above: Architect John Sanford and Jack Nicklaus at Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point, in the shadow of the Bronx-Whitestone Bridge in New York City. Photo by Jim Mandeville/Nicklaus Design

Right: Sanford and Nicklaus collaborated on the design of Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point, an 18-hole public course that opened earlier this year and was built on a former landfll in the Bronx, N.Y. Photo courtesy of Sanford Golf Design

“There are situations where he very much has the superintendent and his job in mind when he is doing his designs. That makes it easier for all of us.”

— Deron Zendt, on golf course architect John Sanford

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a pretty low investment with a high value in the golf world,” Holmes says of Wilcznyski’s report. “It also helps in budgeting, too, if you want to later tackle this project or that. It’s a snapshot of things you can do now, and here are some things your group can do in the future.”

A golfer’s insight In Jupiter, Fla., John Sanford, the principal of Sanford Golf Design and also a pretty fair golfer who sports a 3 handicap, establishes relationships with superintendents the old-fashioned way — by playing golf with them.

Sanford has had a recent run of high-profle, nationally acclaimed architectural jobs, including reclamations of old municipal landflls recast as award-winning golf clubs. The Granite Links Golf Club was created on top of two old dumping sites near downtown Boston, and Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point, another old dumping ground where Sanford collaborated with Jack Nicklaus on the design, is in the South Bronx on the East River, with the New York City skyline as the backdrop.

Even so, Sanford still does what he calls one-day evaluations of golf courses, providing written reports that break down all components of a course — tees, greens, bunkers, fairways, rough, landscape, drainage, irriga-

tion and cart paths — and include a prioritized list of suggested improvements.

Sanford works his home turf in southeast Florida, striking up connections with superintendents right on the golf course. One such friendship began in 2004, when Sanford played a round of golf with Deron Zendt, the superintendent at Banyan Golf Club in West Palm Beach and the 2014 winner of the GCSAA National Championship. Since that frst game, the two men have compared notes over the years on the needs of Banyan Golf Club, and two years ago, Sanford was selected to oversee a complete bunker renovation for the course.

“John and I have a good, constructive relationship,” says Zendt, who’s been a member of GCSAA for 17 years. “There are situations where he very much has the superintendent and his job in mind when he is doing his designs. That makes it easier for all of us.”

John Spiwak, who is in his 14th year as superintendent at Eastpointe Country Club in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., mentions Sanford’s golfng ability as a quality that impressed him when the club was looking for an architect to do a restoration of Eastpointe’s George and Tom Fazio course, which opened in 1974.

Li’l Rock is a par-3 layout at Rockwind Community Links in Hobbs, N.M. Architect Andy Staples’ work on the kids’ course led to him later doing a complete master plan for the club. Photo by Tony Roberts

“He’s a golfer, and that was important to us to have someone who could relate to us as a player as well,” Spiwak says. “There are a lot of people in our industry who can talk the game, but can’t play it.”

Spiwak says his easygoing alliance with Sanford led to one of their better ideas during the bunker restoration process. “It didn’t amount to rocket science,” Spiwak says, “but John found an aerial photo from 1975 and I got a newer one, and we put it over the older one and traced out some of the original shapes of the bunkers and green sizes and fairways.”

A water-conscious perspective The prolonged drought in the western U.S. has made architect Andy Staples of Scottsdale, Ariz., whose expertise is water effciency, an invaluable ally to superintendents.

A visit to California early in his career, where he discovered that water effciency and the golf industry were not in sync, prompted Staples to devise his own version of the oneday walk-around: a golf course water- and energy-effciency audit.

“It turned out very little was known about the whole idea of energy and water effciency

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together with golf course pump stations and water use,” Staples says. “So I developed a tool I call the Energy Snapshot, where I can actually give a quick energy- and water-effciency use assessment just by asking a few questions.

It produces a PDF report that I can email right after I get through talking to a superintendent. It’s a piece of information that a course can begin building on immediately.”

Water and energy matters are now an important focus of Staples’ company, Staples Golf, which offers golf course design along with water- and energy-management solutions.

“For me, living in the Southwest and having the water and energy issues that we do make it easy to a have a conversation with superintendents, because it’s on everyone’s mind,” Staples says. “Cost savings is really the conversation everyone is interested in having. And it helps in building a relationship knowing that, at some point going forward, if things improve economically, I could come back and do some work at that club.”

One of those clubs is Fayetteville (Ark.) Country Club, where Brandon Nichols is the GCSAA Class A superintendent. Nine holes of the course, a Perry Maxwell design, were

Among Staples’ work is the construction of the 7,300-yard, 18-hole Championship Course at Sand Hollow Resort in Hurricane, Utah, on which he worked with designer John Fought. Staples estimates he saved more than $700,000 in construction costs by not building a lake and pump station, instead shifting to the use of a water tank. This saves approximately $75,000 per year in energy costs associated with pumping. Photo courtesy of Staples Golf

renovated in 1995 using one architect, and then another came in and reworked the second nine three years later. The result was inconsistencies in playability and design, says Nichols, who had already been consulting with Staples on water and energy issues when the club brought Staples in to do a one-day report on inexpensive improvements to fx the disconnect between the two nines.

That one-day assignment led to the club hiring Staples to do a master plan for the entire property in 2009. “I learned to see what an architect sees when he goes out on a course,” says Nichols, a 16-year GCSAA member, of working with Staples. “And I hope it was mutually benefcial to Andy to see what superintendents deal with on the course after the architect is long gone. I think he is really receptive to my ideas. I’ve seen courses where maintenance wasn’t in the thought process of the architect.”

A water-specifc problem prompted GCSAA Class A superintendent Matt Hughes of Rockwind Community Links in Hobbs, N.M., to

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“Andy shares my feeling that a golf course doesn’t have to be wall-towall green grass.”

— Matt Hughes reach out to Staples. “We needed an irrigation system,” Hughes says. “Our irrigation system was 35-plus years old and falling apart. We were repairing more leaks than we were putting out water.”

Wells are the primary source of water on Rockwind Community Links, and with the new irrigation system, the club switched to using effuent water.

“We needed some golf course improvement that could handle effuent water. We made some improvements to the greens, then we had Andy do a kids’ par-3 course,” says Hughes, a 13-year association member. The kids’ course led to Staples doing a complete master plan for the club, and he’s now completed a renovation of the entire golf course.

“He walked us through the process, and it’s been enjoyable having somebody from that side of the industry and from the construction side help with this, because, truthfully, I maintain golf courses, so it is all new to me,” Hughes says. (Read more about Hughes and Rockwind Community Links on Page 46.)

Hughes and Staples have a common philosophy of how a golf course, regardless of drought, should be maintained. “Andy shares my feeling that a golf course doesn’t have to be wall-to-wall green grass,” Hughes says. “That has helped me in selling (the idea) that the green doesn’t have to be everywhere.

“We are in the desert, so we have the desert look on the outside of the fairways, and we have sage brush, we have cactus, we have a little bit of everything. Our primary irrigation is focused on our fairway. Our rough is not going to be thick, lush rough — it is going to be patchy in areas as it goes out into the native areas, and that is all part of practicing water effciency.”

Norman Sinclair is a freelance writer based in Michigan.

AT THE TURN Bill Newton

Bridger Creek Golf Course in Bozeman, Mont., part of the Great Northern Golf Co., has thrived under the management of GCSAA Class A superintendent Dane Gamble and PGA of America director of golf Mark Holiday. Photos courtesy of Dane Gamble

(business)

In it together Great Northern Golf Co. has found success by trusting in what brought a trio of GCSAA and PGA of America members together in the frst place.

“People are coming to the golf course to enjoy themselves. We know how to take care of a golf course, and we know how to take care of people.”

— Joe Schumer

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Editor’s note: This is the eighth in a series of articles highlighting the important relationship between GCSAA superintendents and PGA of America professionals. These stories are being published simultaneously in both GCM and PGA Magazine.

Dane Gamble and Mark Holiday have been co-workers since 1978. In their current partnership at Bridger Creek Golf Course in Bozeman, Mont., Gamble serves as the GCSAA Class A golf course superintendent, and Holiday as the PGA of America director of golf.

But this pair doesn’t just work together at Bridger Creek. They are also business partners who own the golf course. In fact, as the principals of Great Northern Golf Co., they own three other golf courses as well.

The ownership bug frst bit Gamble and Holiday almost 40 years ago. When Gamble was working as the superintendent for Green Meadow Country Club in Helena, Mont., he partnered with the club’s PGA golf professional at the time, Joe Schumer, and Holiday, who was a member of the club, to fnd a public course to buy.

“We looked at almost 40 courses, looking for a good business opportunity,” says Gamble, a 35-year GCSAA member and a past president of the Peaks and Prairies GCSA. The trio settled on The Pines Golf Course in Lake Isabella, Mich., and bought it in 1989. All three of them moved their families to the area and jumped right in. Five years later, they bought newly built Bridger Creek, and Gamble and Holiday moved back to Montana, with Gamble

Top: Bridger Creek PGA professional Tyson McFarland works with a junior golfer on her bunker game. The junior program at Bridger Creek has grown to attract more than 350 participants.

Bottom: Holiday (left) and Gamble have worked together since 1978.

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growing in the new course. Schumer stayed at The Pines, where he is in his 26th year and now uses the title “Director of Fun.” “We have a great relationship,” Schumer says of his partners in Montana. “None of us are selfsh. We’re not in it to get rich. We want to get our golf courses in the best shape we can, and provide the best experience for golfers as we can. People are coming to the golf course to enjoy themselves. We know how to take care of a golf course, and we know how to take care of people.”

Gamble and Holiday brought that same philosophy with them to Bridger Creek.

“Our grand plan was to provide good public golf for a good value,” says Holiday, who is certifed by the Titleist Performance Institute and was honored in 2012 with the PGA of America’s Player Development Award for growing the game. “From the outset, we have oriented our operations to provide daily-fee play and development of golfers young and old. We host lots of corporate events and outings, which gets some people who may not play an individual round, but may come with a group and like it, to come back for lessons.”

That dedication to advancing the game has paid off at Bridger Creek, which now boasts a successful junior program with 350 participants, and a recently started senior program. As the two men point out, they’re

now offering golf lessons for players from age 4 to 94.

“One of the things we’ve been able to do is develop the Rocky Mountain Golf Academy,” Holiday says. “We took some acreage unused next to the practice green and added practice bunkers that we utilize during lessons. That translates into more golfers.”

Rounding out the portfolio After buying The Pines and Bridger Creek, the next course that caught the men’s eye was Falcon Ridge Golf Course in Stacy, Minn., a 27-hole public facility with a ninehole executive course. When that purchase was complete, they brought on John Hamilton as the PGA professional, and Jamie Kleven, a 17-year GCSAA member, as the Class A superintendent.

“They have a product that’s hard to beat,” Gamble says of Falcon Ridge. “They have a really active junior program, especially with the short course. They enjoy it, and they enjoy having a high degree of autonomy, with us being so far away.”

In 2000, the partners bought Emily Greens, a short 18-hole public course in Emily, Minn. Gamble’s brother, Gregg, and Gregg’s wife, Susan, operate that course.

“We’re all working golf course superintendents and working PGA golf professionals in

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Although Gamble and Holiday both work out of Bridger Creek, they share their attention with the other three courses currently under the Great Northern Golf Co. banner.

“I was smart enough to know that I wanted to get into business with two guys smarter than me, and that’s what I have.”

— Joe Schumer

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GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.15

addition to our administrative responsibilities, so we’re wearing many different hats,” Gamble says. “National and regional management groups strive for some local market synergies, but that isn’t us. We have owners as partners.

We didn’t look for regionalization. We share the same values — provide good quality public golf and teach the game.”

A unique partnership Gamble and Holiday treat their business partnership just like their day-to-day management of Bridger Creek, where they share an offce and plan everything that happens to and on the golf course together as a team.

“We weren’t buying courses to make a lot of money,” Gamble says. “We just love golf.

These are blue-collar, public courses. We were looking for good deals that made sense. We look at every decision carefully, and we always consider each other so that we can accomplish more. If it isn’t successful, there are real ramifcations for our families and us. It’s not like we can just move on to another job.”

Holiday tells a noteworthy story about bringing in a candidate for the head golf professional position.

“He was very surprised that the grounds crew would be so helpful at the range,” Holiday recalls. “He was used to a setup where the pro runs the range and shop, and the grounds crew might mow it (driving range) once a

week — if the balls are picked up. If you are an owner and the golf pro, you have a lot of shared direction with the superintendent and shared reason for success.”

Schumer speaks with frsthand knowledge of how well his two partners in Montana work together.

“Mark and Dane are so supportive,” Schumer says. “I was smart enough to know that I wanted to get into business with two guys smarter than me, and that’s what I have.

Dane is the number cruncher. He’s so good at analyzing that stuff. And Mark is so good at seeing different angles, which is helpful.”

Gamble and Holiday have a unique working relationship in that they get along so well, and that they have done so for so long as the superintendent and the director of golf at Bridger Creek. Their working relationship is even more exceptional in that they are business partners who own the golf course, in addition to three other facilities. Several elements comprise the secrets to their success, but the biggest factor is a shared vision for providing a quality golf course and a quality golf experience — which is a vision that their associations, GCSAA and the PGA of America, can get behind as well.

Bill Newton is a freelance writer based in St. Louis and the former public/media relations manager for GCSAA.

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The fexibility of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) irrigation pipe allowed the in-house installation crew at Southern Hills Golf Club in Tulsa, Okla., to wind the pipe through the course before burial. Photo by Susan Hylton

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An irrigation renovation By choosing a leak-free, long-lived pipe material, Southern Hills Country Club made a water-wise upgrade to its irrigation system, and was able to keep much of the labor in-house.

To stay on the short list of top golf courses in the country, staying on top of ongoing infrastructure needs is imperative.

When the staff at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Okla., was considering capital improvement plans for 2015, they decided it was time to focus on water effciency by replacing the 40-year-old irrigation pump station and the PVC mainline pipe that feeds water to the entire 27hole course. The resolution gave superintendent Kris “KD” Davis, CGCS, the opportunity to do what many progressive golf courses are doing: switch to irrigation pipe made of high-density polyethylene (HDPE).

Davis did research and consulted other superintendents across the country about the best irrigation pipe for his club’s historic, major-championship course, and he quickly learned of the solid reputation of HDPE pipes linked by heat fusion. “The consensus is that about 85 percent of the jobs are going that way — complete renovations with HDPE,” Davis says.

The trend isn’t surprising given the advantages HDPE offers over other irrigation line options.

Leak-free joints. HDPE pipe lengths are joined through heat fusion technology, which creates one seamless conduit insusceptible to developing openings. This zero leakage rate conserves water, in turn lowering water costs.

Corrosion an emical resistance. HDPE doesn’t corrode or rust, nor is it compromised by chemicals it may be exposed to underground, preventing additional maintenance expenses down the road. HDPE also doesn’t leach chemicals, so infltration into the water supply isn’t a concern.

Freeze/t aw tolerance. While metallic pipelines are prone to rupturing during freezes and thaws — resulting in costly repairs and immense inconvenience — HDPE heat-fused pipelines can endure temperature extremes without breaking, even if the lines are frozen solid.

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GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.15

Tren less installation. Compared with excavating, trenchless installation of irrigation pipe causes minimal disruption to the environment. HDPE is especially suited to trenchfree procedures because it can be pulled underground and under waterways by means of horizontal directional drilling, slip lining or pipe-bursting methods.

Seismic resistance. Along with its strength and durability, HDPE heat-fused pipe is fexible, and this allows it to withstand ground shifting. Studies have shown that irrigation lines made of cast iron or ductile iron shatter or rupture during earthquakes, while HDPE heat-fused pipelines don’t — even in the event of earthquake magnitudes beyond 8.0. This feature is of particular interest in Oklahoma, which has surpassed California in the occurrence of earthquakes.

An in-house job HDPE’s lack of leaks, its 100-year life expectancy, and its ability to stay intact during freezes, thaws and settling were key selling points for Davis, an 18-year member of GCSAA. He also took into consideration whether his crew could tackle the installation work themselves, and whether they could get it done in only three months — just before the arrival of spring golf season.

In shopping around for a source for HDPE pipe, Davis learned of McElroy Manufacturing, the leading maker of heat fusion machines for HDPE pipe, which also happened to be based in Tulsa. He also learned of the training the company offers on its small-, mediumand large-diameter pipe fusion machines at its Tulsa headquarters. Davis opted to give the training a try, putting four of his team members through the four-day course. “I felt comfortable with the training ... and I wanted to provide the learning experience for my staff, combined with the savings of not hiring an outside contractor,” Davis says. “It was incredible. McElroy went beyond what I expected.”

The renovation got underway in January 2015. McElroy sent in technicians to provide additional support on the job site, forming a team of six to eight people working on the project at any given time. Davis’ crew made steady progress on the mainline, fusing 4,200 linear feet of HDPE pipe ranging from 16 inches in diameter to 20 inches in diameter, and 120 linear feet of 30-inch-diameter pipe.

All told, the workers completed approximately 130 fuses, which took six weeks. Digging trenches, laying the mainline pipe, making connections from the mainline to the existing pipes, backflling and re-sodding required another four to six weeks. Despite being slowed

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GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.15

Checking their work Quality control played a crucial role in the overhaul of the Southern Hills mainline irrigation pipe, as it was the staff’s frst pipe-fusion job. They were also challenged by single-digit temperatures, which caused the heater to take longer to get to the right temperature to melt the pipe ends, and made the melted pipe materials take longer to fow and mix to form the fusion. To ensure they performed the work properly, the Southern Hills team enlisted McElroy’s DataLogger 5, a hand-held computer that records each step of the fusion process. The DataLogger 5 provides the user with a visual graph to confrm that a fusion joint was established at the right pressure and temperature, and for the right amount of time. The device has a 5-megapixel camera to capture the GPS stamping of fusion joints so the joint can be located after the pipe has been buried. By reviewing the DataLogger 5 records, the crew was able to confrm they’d met the correct parameters of the fusion process.

When they pressurized the line after the installation was fnished, all the fusions held frm.

down a bit by chilly temperatures, the crew was able to fnish everything successfully before spring tee-up times.

Tailor-made, timesaving machines Southern Hills rented most of the heat fusion machines from a major distributor that has a branch in nearby Pryor, Okla. Fusion machines included McElroy’s MegaMc 1236, TracStar 500 and TracStar 630. The crew was able to fuse nearly 300 feet of pipe at a time in

one main staging area before moving it to the trenching area, where it was then buried 2 to 3 feet deep.

In the main staging area, workers got assistance from the McElroy PolyHorse and Low Profle Rollers, pipe-handling accessories that Davis says were “a must” in maintaining productivity. The PolyHorse is a series of racks that holds a day’s worth of incoming pipe lengths (each of which is 40-feet-long) and guides one at a time into the fusion machine.

After fusion, pipe is pulled to the other side of the fusion machine, where it’s supported by the Low Profle Rollers. As the string of pipe gets progressively longer as more fusions are made, the Low Profle Rollers assist in pulling the fused pipe considerable distances, minimizing pipe drag.

“The nice thing about the HDPE was that the pipe came in longer lengths, which allowed for less fuses than traditional PVC,” Davis says.

The crew made four tie-in connections from the new HDPE mainline to the existing PVC irrigation sprinkler system using a McElroy DynaMc 28 with an electric pump.

Davis says Southern Hills plans to replace the PVC sprinkler system with HDPE pipe as renovation work continues in the coming years.

Pump station improvements The HDPE mainline connects Southern Hills’ new, energy-effcient pump station to the existing irrigation system, which provides water to all the greens, fairways, trees and landscaping. Southern Hills has its own water wells, and it supplements with water from the City of Tulsa in addition to catching rainwater.

As part of the renovation, the course’s pump station was relocated from the main drive near the clubhouse to a more discreet spot on the West Nine. The new station, designed by Watertronics, features precise pump control for energy savings, and it’s also able to inject fertilizers and wetting agents directly into the delivery system.

Davis reports that the new pump station and mainline have been running great since the renovation wrapped up in early spring.

“Members are excited that we have a longterm fx in place for some of our infrastructure — something our club will utilize for years to come,” Davis says.

Susan Hylton is a public relations specialist at McElroy.

They have a voice in the industry Through the GCSAA Superintendent Research Panel, these individuals have a voice in the industry. They are also receiving great rewards for their participation on the panel through our quarterly prize drawings.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WINNERS OF THE LATEST PRIZE DRAWINGS:

2015 2nd Quarter Prize Winners Troy D. Smith Venice, FL Bobby Jones Golf Club

Shane Roth Laguna Hills, CA Coto De Caza Golf & Racquet Club

Matthew D. Kraemer, CGCS Rochester, MI Pine Trace Golf Club

Let your voice be heard. Learn more about becoming a member of the Superintendent Research Panel at gcsaa.org/Community

Brian Hampson Scottsdale, AZ Troon Golf

Matthew A TenEyck Hollis Center, ME Sable Oaks Golf Club

(up to speed)

Quoting Shakespeare Thomas A. Nikolai, Ph.D. nikolait@msu.edu

When all is said and done, maybe it doesn’t matter what we call our management program. ... After all, a rose by any other name is still a rose.

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GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.15

When I was an undergrad at Michigan State University, Bruce Branham, Ph.D., was my adviser, and, upon his urging, I enrolled in a series of three courses focused on integrated pest management (IPM) in agriculture. In one course, I was the only undergraduate student, and I had a moment of pride when George Ayers, Ph.D., scolded my classmates one day, saying, “Nikolai is the only one here who knows what’s going on, and he is wasting his life on turfgrass.”

Those IPM classes forced me to look at turfgrass management through a different lens, and it remains the way I view the effectiveness of my research efforts all these years later. With that said, I cringed when our industry adopted the term “IPM” in the early ’90s, because, more often than not, IPM has been oversimplifed and misunderstood in the turfgrass world.

Why the confusion? Well, partially because the acronym has been defned as “integrated plant management,” “intelligent plant management” and “integrated pest management,” none of which are the same thing. Managing a golf course under traditional IPM doctrine is so complex and time-consuming that most properties that take on the challenge have the resources to hire consultants.

The misunderstanding with IPM led some in the golf industry to embrace the term “sustainability.” Now, to be honest, I am not formally trained in “sustainability,” but it seems to me that attempting to manage anything in a calculable, sustainable manner is even more complex than IPM. Tony Koski, Ph.D., gives a tremendous presentation on the sustainability of golf courses in Colorado as measured by his graduate students. As fantastic as the presentation and the data are, they also highlight the complexity of making the measurements and calculating the meaning. Please don’t get me wrong — IPM and sustainability are worthy and noble goals for all facets of agriculture.

But on a day-to-day basis, they are also lofty and time-consuming endeavors for the average course that starts most days by mowing greens, tees and fairways, rolling, raking bunkers, and making unscheduled irrigation repairs.

“Turfgrass health” and “total plant health” are the newest management catchphrases in our industry, possibly replacing the often-

confusing terms “IPM” and “sustainability.”

I’m not certain of the long-term acceptance of the terms “turfgrass health” and “total plant health,” but I welcome them, because they are reminders of the importance of managing for a healthy plant and avoiding practices that create weak plants. Turfgrass health is also somewhat measurable, and turfgrass health programs have been the focal point of research efforts for decades.

Examples of successful research that has led to accepted management programs that promote turfgrass health while minimizing pests include: • Making timely applications (measured with growing degree days) for Poa annua seedhead control and pre-emergent crabgrass control • Rolling to reduce disease, moss, weeds and localized dry spot • Rolling in place of mowing during times of drought and/or heat stress on cool-season turf, or during cool periods on warm-season turf • Mulching tree leaves into turfgrass roughs (and fairways, if possible), which leads to increased nutrient content in the plant and, in the long term, decreased weed growth (or less competition for our plant and, therefore, better turf health) Recent research efforts at numerous universities have focused on core-cultivation hole-closure. It is apparent that the longer cultivation holes remain open, the greater the likelihood of increased dollar spot, desiccation and, certainly, less-than-favorable playing conditions. In addition to fnding benefts from rolling after aerifcation, research is also showing that, if the turfgrass plant is in a healthy state before core cultivation, the holes will heal more quickly.

When all is said and done, maybe it doesn’t matter what we call our management program.

Maybe it’s much ado about nothing. After all, a rose by any other name is still a rose. With that said, I’d like to propose a toast to your turfgrass health.

Thomas A. Nikolai, Ph.D., is the turfgrass academic specialist at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Mich., and a frequent GCSAA educator.

We understand that your professional reputation and livelihood are dependent on the quality of the turfgrass you manage. We also know that you have many choices when it comes to foliar nutrition, and Floratine is not always the least expensive option. But with so much at stake, we refuse to take short cuts in the design, formulation and technical support of our products. Yes, there are lower-grade raw materials and ‘all-in-one jug’ solutions on the market, but that’s not what we’re about. As a family-owned company, we proudly manufacture our products in our own facility in Tennessee, using only the highest-grade raw ingredients to ensure you get nothing but the best in every jug.

With so much on the line, staying Rooted in Science™ is our commitment to you.

Sincerely,

Kevin Cavanaugh, Co-Owner (901) 493-7211 | kcavanaugh@foratine.com

Mike Cavanaugh, Co-Owner (215) 588-5594 | mikecavanaugh@foratine.com

The Environmental Institute for Golf provided partial funding for this research through a grant to GCSAA.

R.L. Green, Ph.D. M.H. Young, Ph.D. J.L. Conkle, Ph.D. M. McCullough, M.S. D.A. Devitt, Ph.D. L. Wright, M.S. B.J. Vanderford, Ph.D. S.A. Snyder, Ph.D.

Field-scale monitoring of pharmaceuticals and personal care products applied to active golf courses via recycled water The turfgrass/soil system reduces leaching of pharmaceuticals and personal care products after irrigation with recycled water.

Water use for expanding urban areas, agricultural production and the environment is creating ever-increasing demands on water supply, especially during periods of drought, and in arid and semi-arid regions. Because landscape irrigation accounts for a substantial portion of urban water use, there is an increased interest in and need for irrigating

more landscapes, including golf courses, with recycled water in order to conserve potable or groundwater supplies. In this article, recycled water refers to treated wastewater generated from municipal wastewater treatment facilities. A recent survey showed that in California, the top three benefcial uses of recycled water were for agricultural irrigation (37%),

Three drain gauges, one at the far end of each of the three paths in the photo, were installed underground at each of the four sites. The green circular metal covers provide access to the fuid extraction lines. Photos by Kathie Carter

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landscape and golf course irrigation (24%), and groundwater recharge and seawater intrusion barrier (19%) (3). As might be expected, the state of California has set goals for increasing the use of recycled water.

A new hazard in recycled water?

A primary concern in using recycled water for irrigation is balancing salinity and nutrient levels. A relatively new concern has also arisen, however: the presence of pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) and their transport in water that percolates below the root zone of plants and potentially contaminates groundwater. Generally, PPCPs are products used by individuals for personal health or cosmetic reasons, or used by agribusiness to enhance growth or health of livestock (7). These organic compounds are not completely removed during the chemical or biological water treatment process, and are found ubiquitously at trace concentrations in recycled water (4). More than 100 individual PPCPs (not including antibiotics and steroids) had been identifed in environmental samples and drinking water as of 2007 (7). Although the human and ecological risks from exposure to PPCPs at trace levels is not yet fully understood, the concern over potential groundwater contamination, if not properly addressed, may

Site information Golf course site

Fairway turf

Soil texture/other†

Climate

Recycled water use‡

Site LLV Las Vegas Valley, Nev. 18-hole golf course

Tifway bermudagrass perennial ryegrass overseed

average for 6- to 53-inch soil depth: loam to clay loam, 25% clay, 41% sand, 2.0% total organic matter, pH = 8.0, CEC = 27.7 meq/100 grams

arid

since 1960s

Site SJC San Jose, Santa Clara County, Calif.

18-hole golf course

perennial ryegrass

average for 6- to 33-inch soil depth: clay, 48% clay, 31% sand, 2.0% total organic matter, pH = 8.2, CEC = 31.7 meq/100 grams

Mediterranean

since 1999

Site LAC San Gabriel Valley, Los Angeles County, Calif.

18-hole golf course

common bermudagrass perennial ryegrass overseed

average for 6- to 51-inch soil depth: sandy loam to clay loam, 20% clay, 59% sand, 2.2% total organic matter, pH = 7.6, CEC = 32.1 meq/100 grams

Mediterranean

since 1983

Site PSP Coachella Valley, Riverside County, Calif.

18-hole golf course

common bermudagrass perennial ryegrass overseed

average for 12- to 59-inch soil depth: sand, 7% clay, 90% sand, 0.6% total organic matter, pH = 7.8, CEC = 2.9 meq/100 grams

arid

since 1968

†

The CEC (cation exchange capacity) of a soil is measured in milliequivalents (meq) per 100 grams (~3.5 ounces) of soil.

Recycled water at each site was treated similarly, undergoing primary screening and grit removal, secondary aeration and/or clarification, and tertiary disinfection.

‡

Table 1. Information for each site concerning location, facility, fairway turfgrass, soil texture, climate and recycled water use for irrigating the turf.

hinder the acceptance and adoption of recycled water for landscape and golf course irrigation.

Studies have shown that healthy turfgrass is generally effective for preventing pesticide and nitrate transport in water that percolates below the root zone and potentially toward groundwater (2). Relatively high levels of organic matter — and associated microbial activity in thatch and mat layers and organic matter in the root zone — immobilize and degrade applied pesticides and nitrates. It should also be noted that rapid uptake of nitrogen is caused by high root densities in the upper 6 inches (15.24 centimeters) of the soil profle.

The question related to the present study is: Can the turfgrass/soil system also prevent or reduce PPCP transport in water that percolates below the root zone and toward groundwater on golf courses irrigated with recycled water? Several recent studies used Tifway bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers. × C. transvaalensis Burtt-Davy] grown on the same feld plot lysimeters (1, 9) and on feld column lysimeters (8). These studies demonstrated that higher amounts of PPCPs would be expected only for the more mobile PPCPs, for sandy soils with low organic matter, and for irrigation with higher leaching fractions.

Because on-site golf course studies are needed to confrm the results of lysimeter studies, the experimental approach taken in this study was to monitor, for a period of two years, PPCP compound transport and mass

fux in drained soil water through soil-packed drain gauges located below fairway turfgrass on four active golf courses. (“Flux” is the transport of mass across a defned area and duration; an example is milligrams/hectare of a pharmaceutical compound that leaches below the turfgrass root zone during a twoyear period.)

Golf courses were selected based on their long-term use of recycled water. Because irrigation and turfgrass management practices did not vary from normal practices, the results were from representative golf course conditions. The goals of the study were to: (1) measure movement of water and pharmaceutical compounds through soils at sites that are irrigated with recycled water and that vary by climate and soil; and (2) estimate long-term mass fux of target compounds as a means of determining potential contamination of deeper environments (possibly surface water or groundwater). As potable water resources become stressed from rising populations and higher treatment costs, use of recycled water for irrigating golf courses, parks and playing felds will likely increase. Results of long-term studies can help defne potential impacts of using recycled water as an irrigation source.

This study was part of a larger project, “Attenuation of PPCPs through Golf Courses Using Recycled Water” (6). In addition to the golf course study described here, the project included laboratory adsorption and degrada-

tion experiments, a feld column lysimeter study (8), and a feld plot lysimeter study (1).

The results of the project as a whole support the use of recycled water for irrigation purposes, as long as sound, science-based irrigation management practices are implemented.

The use of recycled water also allows communities to extend their water resources while minimizing the discharge of recycled waters into aquatic systems.

Materials and methods Field monitoring at each site was conducted using the same sampling and experimental methodologies. Instruments were installed on four golf courses — one in Nevada and three in California — all of which had histories of using recycled water on their fairways. Selected information for each course, including soil analyses, is shown in Table 1.

Soil samples were sent to A&L Laboratories (Modesto, Calif.) for analyses. Recycled water at each site was treated similarly, undergoing primary screening and grit removal, secondary aeration and/or clarifcation, and tertiary disinfection (11). Irrigation amounts and scheduling were controlled and determined by the golf course superintendents, without being infuenced by this research. In this way, experimental conditions at the sites were as similar as possible to actual feld conditions.

Thirteen target compounds (constituents) were chosen for analyses (Table 2). These

09.15 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT

89

Target compounds Compound

Human usage

Some brand namesâ€

Atenolol

reduce high blood pressure and chest pain

Senormin, Tenormin

Atorvastatin

decrease cholesterol, other fatty substances in the blood

Lipitor

Carbamazepine

anticonvulsant and mood-stabilizing drug

Carbatrol, Epitol, Tegretol

Diazepam

sedative and anticonvulsant

Valium

Diclofenac

anti-inflammatory

Voltaren, Cambia, Zipsor

Fluoxetine

treat depression and other psychological disorders

Prozac, Sarafem, Selfemra

Gemfibrozil

reduce triglycerides and cholesterol in blood

Gemcor, Lopid

Ibuprofen

anti-inflammatory

Advil

Meprobamate

tranquilizer to treat anxiety

Equanil, MB-TAB, Miltown

Naproxen

anti-inflammatory

Aleve, Midol Extended Relief

Sulfamethoxazole

antibiotic

Gantanol (discontinued)

Triclosan

antibiotic

used in toothpastes, soaps and more

Trimethoprim

antibiotic

Proloprim, Trimpex

â€

Trade or brand names mentioned are used only for the purpose of information; no endorsement of products mentioned is intended, nor is criticism implied of products not mentioned.

Table 2. List of target compounds, their usage in humans, and some common brand names.

Irrigation valve box

Electrical leads conveyed to logger

Ground surface Backfill material taken from borehole cuttings

Fluid extraction lines 7-15 cm

Top of divergence control tube

Platform, filter and wick material, covered by diatomaceous earth

66.0 cm

Figure 1. A schematic drawing awing showing installation of the drain gauges (not to scale). A photo oto of the system is on the left. All gauges auges were installed so that the top of the gauge was approximately 3 to 6 inches (7 to 15 centimeters) below the ground’s surface. rface.

Figure by M. Young oung

177.8 cm

Upper chamber Lower chamber PVC pipe, rests on gravel 15.0 cm

Gravel and soil backfill 30.5 __ cm cm

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GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.15

compounds were chosen because they represent a broad range of medications used to treat different human health conditions (from heart ailments to depression to infections); they are likely to appear in recycled water used for landscape and golf course irrigation in this region (6); and they have been studied previously by this team.

Drain gauges The monitoring program at golf course sites was centered on the use of the passive capillary drain gauges (model G2, Decagon Devices; Pullman, Wash.). A full description can be found on the Decagon website (www.decagon.com/products/hydrology/ lysimeters/drain-gauge-g2-passive-capillarylysimeter). Figure 1 shows a schematic of the gauge installation and an inset photograph showing the instrument itself. Using a skidsteer, soil was excavated in layers approximately 3 to 4 inches (7.6 to 10 centimeters) thick, and then transferred into the diversion control tube, which had a top surface area of 48.7 square inches (314 square centimeters).

All efforts were made to repack soil maintaining the original layering, avoiding any air gaps or preferential fow paths inside the diversion control tube. The tops of the drain gauges were positioned 3 to 6 inches below the ground surface and then backflled. The same sod piece was replaced on top of the drain gauges (see photo, Page 88).

Three gauges were installed at each of the four sites. Water percolating through the diversion control tube was collected in an upper chamber (volume = ~35 millimeters, corresponding to 1 millimeter water depth) (Figure 1). This was monitored hourly by a datalogger (model EM50, Decagon Devices).

When the upper chamber was flled to capacity, fuid was siphoned out and drained into a lower chamber and ultimately into the soil environment. The datalogger was stored below ground in a watertight case, protected by a rectangular irrigation valve box (photo, Page 96). Monitoring periods lasted approximately two years (2009 and 2010) at each site, spanning two winter overseeding periods.

Thoroughly cleaned syringes were used to remove water from gauges via a fuid extraction line, which ran to the surface and was housed in a circular irrigation valve box (Figure 1). All samples were preserved with sodium azide (or sodium azide and ascorbic acid) and shipped overnight on ice to an analytical laboratory

at the Southern Nevada Water Authority in Las Vegas. Samples were kept at 39 F (4 C) and extracted within 14 days. The analysis employed solid-phase extraction and liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), using electrospray ionization in both positive and negative modes. Concentrations of compounds were reported as parts per trillion using reportable limits rather than method detection limits (MDL), based on previous work. Samples of the irrigation water sources were also collected and sent to the laboratory on a somewhat periodic basis.

In general, because volume from a single drain gauge was inadequate, samples collected from multiple drain gauges at the same site and date were consolidated in the feld before analyses.

The increased fuid volumes allowed lower detection limits (reportable limits). Trip blanks were collected in the feld to ensure quality control. Trip blanks contained deionized water and the same preservative used for the water sample to check for potential contamination during shipping and laboratory analytical procedures.

The original intention was to collect samples of equal volumes at regular time periods, but it soon became apparent that water was draining through gauges irregularly or was delayed by months. At times, this led to decreased sample volumes. We thus opted to collect samples at irregular intervals to increase fuid volumes and improve analytical detection limits.

Calculating input mass fux During the two-year study, input mass fux of 13 compounds applied in irrigation was calculated using irrigation depths and compound concentrations. Concentrations were assigned to the irrigation depth at the midpoint between sampling dates. For example, for sampling dates June 2, June 26 and July 23, 2009, we would assign the concentrations obtained from June 26, 2009 to irrigation depths from June 14, 2009 through July 9, 2009. Input mass fux was then calculated as the product of the irrigation depth and concentration, and upscaled from the drain gauge scale to milligrams of compound per hectare during two years.

Output mass fux of 13 compounds in drainage water at the 29- to 32-inch (74- to 81-centimeter) soil depth was calculated by using depth of drainage water and compound concentrations. Drainage measurements from

A site where drain gauges were installed was prepared by carefully removing the sod so it could be replaced after the installation.

A skid-steer with a large auger was used to drill holes for the drain gauges.

09.15 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT

91

Total depths for irrigation, precipitation and average gauge drainage, 2009-2010 Golf course site

Irrigation

Precipitation

Average gauge drainage

inches (millimeters)

LVV

118.2 (3,003)

8.9 (226)

0.9 (23)

SJC

80.9 (2,055)

39.0 (990)

4.2 (108)

LAC

64.7 (1,643)

35.5 (901)

1.6 (40)

PSP

88.1 (2,239)

10.1 (257)

2.9 (75)

Table 3. Total depths for irrigation, precipitation and average gauge drainage for all four golf course sites from Jan. 1, 2009 to Dec. 31, 2010.

the three drain gauges were geometrically averaged for each measurement period. Individual compound concentrations, measured throughout the study period, were assigned to the average drainage depth at the midpoint between sampling dates. Output mass fux was then calculated as the product of the drainage depth and concentration, and upscaled from the drain gauge scale to milligrams of compound per hectare during two years.

Results below reportable limits Laboratory values below reportable limits were used in input and output mass fux calculations for each compound and at each site, depending on the number of analyses found to be above or below reportable limits.

Different analyses were used because of the challenge of dealing with results below reportable limits. When more than 50% of analyses were below reportable limits, a range of mass fuxes was calculated. For the low end of the range, concentrations below reportable limits were replaced with zero; for the high end of the range, the reportable limits value itself was used, except when reportable concentrations were obtained from the laboratory. For cases in which 50% or more analyses were above the reportable limits, the nonparametric KaplanMeier (KM) test was implemented (5), which resulted in a single average value. For a few cases, 100% of analyses were reportable and directly used to calculate a single value.

Results and discussion Three of the four soils examined were somewhat similar in clay content (~20% to 50%), total percent organic matter (~2%) and cation exchange capacity (CEC) (28 to 32 milliequivalents/100 grams) (Table 1). However, the soil at site PSP, which was classifed

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GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.15

as sand throughout the profle, contained only 7% clay and 0.6% total organic matter, and had a CEC of 2.9 milliequivalents/100 grams.

The soil properties at site LVV, site SJC and site LAC should therefore have lower water movement through the soil profle and more potential compound sorption, because they have higher organic matter and clay contents than site PSP. Gauge drainage measurements Total depths for irrigation, precipitation and average gauge water drainage for all four golf course sites from Jan. 1, 2009 to Dec. 31, 2010 are shown in Table 3. Water drains from the gauges at the 29- to 32-inch soil depth and is the transport agent for compound mass. The lowest total average gauge drainage was recorded at site LVV, which required more than one year for fow to initiate. Ultimately, only 0.9 inch (2.3 centimeters) of drainage was collected from this site. Generally, more than 50% of all drainage occurred toward the end of September 2010, from summer thunderstorms, irrigation or a combination of both. Site SJC had the highest total average gauge drainage, 4.2 inches. A substantial increase in drainage occurred soon after irrigation was used to supplement low summer rainfall during July 2010. Drain gauges at site LAC began collecting water three months after installation, but drainage increased considerably after higher-than-average precipitation in the desert Southwest in the U.S. during the winter of 2009-2010. Toward December 2009, signifcant drainage was measured as a result of higher irrigation to support winter overseeding and precipitation. Gauge drainage at site PSP was disrupted by two closures that occurred from the regional economic down-

turn. These periods were Sept. 22 through Oct. 11, 2009, and June 21 through Dec. 7, 2010. The second closure was signifcant, lasting more than fve months. During this time, the turfgrass underwent limited irrigation and maintenance, which reduced the total average gauge drainage.

Generally, highest amount of water drainage for sites LVV, LAC and PSP occurred during the period for establishing perennial ryegrass overseed on bermudagrass fairways, and during periods of winter storms, because during other periods, normal irrigation caused zero to minimal leaching at the 29- to 32-inch soil depth. Generally, site SJC had the highest amount of water drainage during periods of winter storms and during the summer when the perennial ryegrass fairways were irrigated.

Detections above reportable limits Table 4 shows the number of detections above reportable limits for the 13 compounds in water sampled from irrigation sources and drain gauges for all sample dates at the four golf course sites. The number of drain gauge sampling dates ranged from fve to 20 among the golf course sites, while sampling dates for irrigation sources ranged from four to seven.

With the compound concentration range in parts per trillion, detections above reportable limits were considerably higher in water sampled from irrigation sources (178) than in water samples taken from drain gauges (112).

In water sampled from drain gauges, carbamazepine, meprobamate and sulfamethoxazole had the highest number of total detections above reportable limits; diclofenac, gemfbrozil, ibuprofen, naproxen, triclosan and trimethoprim had one to nine total detections above reportable limits; and there were no detections above reportable limits for atenolol, atorvastatin, diazepam and fuoxetine.

All compounds had at least one detection in water sampled from irrigation sources for total number of detections above reportable limits.

However, sites LVV, SJC and LAC had one to four compounds that were not detected above reportable limits (atorvastatin at three sites, ibuprofen at two sites, and diclofenac and naproxen at one site). The percent detection of 13 compounds for all sample dates (bottom row of Table 4) demonstrates the variability among sites and compounds for detections above reportable limits in irrigation water and water sampled from drain gauges.

Detections of compounds above reportable limits Site LVV

Compound

†

Site SJC †

Site LAC

Site PSP

Total

IRR

DG

IRR

DG

IRR

DG

IRR

DG

IRR

Atenolol

6

0

4

0

5

0

4

0

19

0

Atorvastatin

0

0

0

0

0

0

1

0

1

0

Carbamazepine

6

1

4

20

5

8

4

5

19

34

Diazepam

5

0

2

0

4

0

4

0

15

0

Diclofenac

2

1

0

1

3

1

4

0

9

3

Fluoxetine

3

0

2

0

5

0

4

0

14

0

Gemfibrozil

6

0

4

6

5

0

4

0

19

6

DG

Ibuprofen

1

1

0

0

0

0

3

0

4

1

Meprobamate

6

2

4

20

5

7

4

2

19

31

Naproxen

1

0

0

1

4

1

3

2

8

4

Sulfamethoxazole

6

1

4

16

5

3

4

3

19

23

Triclosan

6

2

1

3

5

1

4

3

16

9

Trimethoprim

3

0

4

1

5

0

4

0

16

1

A. Total detections

51

8

29

68

51

21

47

15

178

112

B. No. of sample dates

7

5

4

20

5

9

4

6

C. Total possible detections (B × 13 compounds)

91

65

52

260

65

117

52

78

56%

12%

56%

26%

78%

18%

90%

19%

% detection of 13 compounds for all sample dates [(A/C) × 100] †

Sample sources for each site are irrigation sources (IRR) and drain gauges (DG).

Table 4. Number of detections of compounds above reportable limits in water collected from irrigation sources and drain gauges.

Input mass fux of compounds from applied irrigation Compound Atenolol Atorvastatin

Site LVV

Site SJC

Site LAC

Site PSP

(milligrams/hectare)/2 years 862† 0-203‡

1,813†

15,513†

0-76‡

0-88‡

8-13§

3,809

3,384

3,544

332†

Diazepam

237//

42//

41//

113†

Diclofenac

1,362-1,429§

0-85‡

45-56§

69†

Carbamazepine

†

3,836† †

//

Fluoxetine

72

Gemfibrozil

571†

//

†

169

681†

173

2,680†

4,509†

4,497†

‡

‡

Notes. Flux is the transport of mass across a defined area and duration, and is shown as (milligrams/hectare)/2 years (Jan. 1, 2009 to Dec. 31, 2010).

1 hectare = 2.47 acres; 453,592 milligrams = 1 pound; 28,350 milligrams = 1 ounce.

When 50% or more analyses were above the reportable limit, a single value was calculated for input mass flux, and when more than 50% of analyses were below the reportable limit, the low end and high end of input mass flux were calculated, which provided a range.

Ibuprofen

28-428

0-161

0-208

4,531//

Meprobamate

19,219†

5,469†

7,025†

34,840†

†

Naproxen

4-210§

0-80‡

156//

1,366//

‡

Sulfamethoxazole

2,880†

4,986†

3,114†

9,985†

Triclosan

2,615†

29-408§

114†

129†

Trimethoprim

§

†

§

113-146

†

927

†

420

3,418†

For this compound, 100% of analyses were reportable (single value).

For this compound, 100% of analyses were below the reportable limit (range). § For this compound, more than 50% of analyses were below the reportable limit (range). // For this compound, 50% or more analyses were above the reportable limit (single value).

Table 5. Input mass fux of compounds from applied irrigation at each site.

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Output mass fux of compounds leached below root zone Compound Atenolol

Site LVV

Site SJC

Site LAC

Site PSP

(milligrams/hectare)/2 years 0-2†

0-1†

0-5†

0-2†

†

†

†

Atorvastatin

0-1

0-6

0-2

0-8†

Carbamazepine

0-1†

202§

50§

9§

†

†

†

Diazepam

0-1

0-5

0-1

0-4†

Diclofenac

0-4‡

0-6‡

0-1‡

0-8†

Fluoxetine

0-1†

0-6†

0-2†

0-8†

†

‡/

†

0-1

0-4† 0-2†

Gemfibrozil

0-1

1-1

Ibuprofen

0-2‡

0-1†

0-5†

‡

§

§

Meprobamate

2-2

112

12

4§

Naproxen

0-1†

0-6‡

1-2‡

1-8‡

Sulfamethoxazole

0-1‡

6§

1-2‡

40§

Triclosan Trimethoprim

‡

‡

‡

21-21

0-6

1-6

1§

0-1†

0-3‡

0-1†

0-4†

Notes. Flux is the transport of mass across a defined area and duration and is shown as (milligrams/hectare)/2 years (Jan. 1, 2009 to Dec. 31, 2010).

1 hectare = 2.47 acres; 453,592 milligrams = 1 pound; 28,350 milligrams = 1 ounce.

When 50% or more analyses were above the reportable limit, a single value was calculated for output mass flux, and when more than 50% of analyses were below the reportable limit, the low end and high end of output mass flux were calculated, which provided a range. All values in the table are rounded, and identical numbers within a range are the result of rounding. For example, a range of 2-2 could be a range of 1.9-2.1. †

For this compound, 100% of analyses were below the reportable limit (range).

For this compound, more than 50% of analyses were below the reportable limit (range). § For this compound, 50% or more analyses were above the reportable limit (single value). ‡

Table 6. Output mass fux of compounds leached below the root zone at each site.

Input mass fux at all sites Input mass fux for 13 compounds at four sites is shown in Table 5. As seen in the table footnotes and described in the “Materials and methods” section, methods used to calculate mass fux resulted in either a single value (50% or more analyses were above reportable limits for a specifc compound and site), or a range (more than 50% of analyses were below reportable limits for a specifc compound and site). For this article, the high value of a range was used. It should be noted that in a scientifc journal article about this study (10), the high value of a range was considered for summary information only when its calculation involved at least one detection above report-

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GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.15

able limits. The approach used in this article was primarily used to help provide a more understandable data summary for a general audience, without excessively compromising the integrity of the data set.

Input mass fux was variable for compounds and sites. The observed variations in compound infux could be the result of several possible factors, including higher sampling frequency midway through the study, patterns of prescription drug use by local residents, local wastewater treatment plant technologies, progressive municipal prescription drug disposal programs, and additional environmental factors that affect compound stability. Some of the highest mass fuxes were meprobamate

(34,840 milligrams/hectare/2 years) and atenolol (15,513 milligrams/hectare/2 years) at site PSP, whereas some of the lowest were atorvastatin (13 milligrams/hectare/2 years) at site PSP, and diazepam (41 milligrams/hectare/2 years) at site LAC. Considering the possible 52 cases (13 compounds × 4 sites): Input mass fux was greater than 1,000 milligrams/hectare/2 years in 22 cases; 100 to 1,000 milligrams/hectare/2 years in 20 cases; and 10 to 99 milligrams/ hectare/2 years in 10 cases. Compounds with high input mass fux at all sites (more than 1,000 milligrams/hectare/2 years) included sulfamethoxazole, meprobamate and carbamazepine (the exception was carbamazepine at site PSP, with 332 milligrams/hectare/2 years). Atenolol and gemfbrozil were also noteworthy (Table 5).

Output mass fux for 13 compounds at four sites is shown in Table 6. Ranges are reported more often because the number of detections above reportable limits was relatively low in water collected from drain gauges (Table 4). Like input mass fuxes, output mass fuxes were variable for compounds and sites.

The highest output mass fux was carbamazepine at site SJC, which was 202 milligrams/ hectare/2 years. Of the possible 52 cases (13 compounds × 4 sites): Two were above 100 milligrams/hectare/2 years; four were between 10 and 100 milligrams/hectare/2 years; and 46 were between 1 and 9 milligrams/ hectare/2 years. As with input mass fux, sulfamethoxazole, meprobamate and carbamazepine had the highest output mass fux.

The percent removal (attenuation) of 13 pharmaceutical compounds contained in recycled irrigation water and then collected from drained soil water at the 29- to 32-inch soil depth is shown in Table 7. These calculations were based on input mass fuxes in Table 5 and output mass fuxes in Table 6. Results show that in nearly all cases, attenuation was 95% to 100% (45 out of a possible 52 cases). For the remaining cases, attenuation was 88% to 93% (six cases). For site PSP, the attenuation for atorvastatin was 38%, which would be considered uncharacteristically low for reasons that are unclear.

No signifcant correlations were observed among the soil properties and target compounds, largely because of the low number of observations. In general, soil organic matter is the major driver of compound attenuation for nonpolar compounds. However,

% removal of 13 pharmaceutical compounds Compound

Site LVV

Site SJC

Site LAC

Site PSP

Average

Atenolol

100

100

100

100

100

Atorvastatin

100

92

98

38†

82

Carbamazepine

100

94

99

97

97

Diazepam

100

88

98

96

95

Diclofenac

100

93

98

88

95

Fluoxetine

99

96

99

99

98

Gemfibrozil

100

100

100

100

100

Ibuprofen

100

99

98

100

99

Meprobamate

100

98

100

100

99

Naproxen

100

93

99

99

98

Sulfamethoxazole

100

100

100

100

100

Triclosan

99

99

95

99

98

Trimethoprim

99

100

100

100

100

Note. Percent removal calculations were based on input mass fluxes in Table 5 and output mass fluxes in Table 6. Data used were either a single value or the high value of a range. † Atorvastatin at Site PSP was an outlier for reasons that are not clear.

Table 7. Percent removal of 13 pharmaceutical compounds contained in recycled irrigation water and then collected from drained soil water at the 29- to 32-inch soil depth.

our target compounds tended to be more polar, reducing the infuence of soil organic matter on compound attenuation. Attenuation of compounds is highly complex, and more work is needed to examine these factors across various scales to fully understand the infuence of environmental parameters on compound attenuation.

The practice of defcit irrigation to reduce water leaching below the root zone likely decreased compound mass fux. Water containing target compounds is generally confned to the top of the soil profle, where exposure to the environment, biological activity, and soil organic matter are the greatest. During most of the year, the climates around these golf courses are hot and dry, which may help increase abiotic compound degradation. The root zone is also more biologically active than greater depths, increasing the potential for microbial degradation near the soil surface.

Additionally, higher soil organic matter concentrations in the root zone and extended periods of contact time between the compound and the soil can lead to increased sorption through the process of “aging.” The phenomenon is a result of compounds becoming more

strongly bound and intertwined into the matrix over time. Therefore, defcit irrigation likely caused increased biotic and abiotic degradation as well as stronger partitioning with the soil matrix, resulting in less transport of compounds during water fow events.

Interpreting compound mass fux values requires that concentrations in water draining the soil profle be considered in the context of the total water volume from precipitation and irrigation. When these two inputs were jointly assessed, it was shown that most of the downward movement of compounds occurred in pulses, coinciding with seasonal precipitation patterns or with irrigation to establish perennial ryegrass overseed. The sites in Southern California and Nevada rely on defcit irrigation during most of the year; however, they may receive larger pulses associated with winter precipitation and overseed irrigation in fall.

These two water pulses are the major driver of compound fux from the root zone. It should be noted that site SJC has considerable irrigation during the summer because fairways are planted to perennial ryegrass, though the site also receives considerable winter precipitation, especially during storms.

Conclusions As water resources have become stressed, irrigating turfgrass with treated wastewater has become a growing practice in many parts of the world. While this practice may be cost-effective and prevent unnecessary use of potable water, there are concerns that trace amounts of pharmaceuticals could contaminate groundwater. The presence and mass fux of 13 compounds commonly detected in recycled water were examined during a two-year period at four golf courses in the southwestern United States — two in an arid climate and two in a Mediterranean climate. All golf courses had long histories of using treated wastewater as an irrigation source.

Results showed that the highest output mass fux, 202 milligrams/hectare/2 years, was for carbamazepine at site SJC. Considering the possible 52 cases (13 compounds × 4 sites), two were above 100 milligrams/hectare/2 years; four were between 10 and 100 milligrams/hectare/2 years; and 46 were 1 to 9 milligrams/hectare/2 years. Sulfamethoxazole, meprobamate and carbamazepine had the highest output mass fux.

Input mass fux was greater than 1,000

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tial risks to groundwater will be periodic. Neither of these two conclusions would be possible using data from a short-term study. And, fnally, the mass fux of compounds is an important parameter for establishing potential environmental impacts; concentration alone is not suffcient, as a high compound concentration with low water fux is an indication that contaminants are remaining in the soil and not reaching groundwater.

Water percolating through the diversion control tube (shown in the diagram in Figure 1) was collected in an upper chamber. This water was monitored hourly by a datalogger (shown in the photo above) that was stored below ground in a watertight case, protected by a rectangular irrigation valve box.

milligrams/hectare/2 years in 22 cases; 100 to 1,000 milligrams/hectare/2 years in 20 cases; and 10 to 99 milligrams/hectare/2 years in 10 cases. Percent removal (attenuation) of 13 pharmaceutical compounds contained in recycled irrigation water and then collected from drained soil water at the 29- to 32-inch soil depth was very high — 88% to 100% for 51 of 52 cases, and 95% to 100% for 46 of 52 cases. Compounds with high input mass fux at all sites (more than 1,000 milligrams/ hectare/2 years) include sulfamethoxazole, meprobamate and carbamazepine (exception was carbamazepine at site PSP, with 332 milligrams/hectare/2 years). Input mass fux was also high for atenolol and gemfbrozil at all sites except LVV. This research highlights the ability of the turfgrass/soil system to retard and reduce the concentrations of target pharmaceutical compounds leaching through the soil after irrigation with recycled water. The benefts of irrigating golf courses with recycled water are numerous: • Such irrigation conserves potable water while minimizing the discharge of such waters directly into aquatic systems, which can cause environmental problems.

• Golf course irrigation provides a location to apply recycled water.

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• Mass removal of pharmaceutical compounds is high enough to conclude that the turfgrass/soil ecosystem serves as an effective bioflter by removing pharmaceutical compound mass delivered by recycled-water irrigation.

• A well-maintained turfgrass/soil ecosystem provides ground cover and soil organic matter that serve as sorption sites for chemicals and support considerable microbial activity.

• For superintendents, managing irrigation systems in an effcient and prudent manner is standard practice, which reduces the risk of leaching pharmaceutical compounds.

It should be noted that the potential for leaching pharmaceutical compounds is increased under some conditions: sandy soils with low organic matter and CEC; excessive irrigation; shallow water table, especially in proximity to surface water; and pharmaceutical compounds that are mobile.

This study also shows that the number of reportable concentrations observed during this long-term study was low, which speaks to the effectiveness of a relatively thin soil profle to reduce concentrations of 13 pharmaceutical compounds. On our study sites, water fow and compound mass fux occurred primarily in pulses during either overseeding or winter rain periods. Therefore, at these sites, poten-

Acknowledgments Special thanks to Mike McCullough and the Northern California Golf Association for administering this important project. Thanks also to Dan Woltering, Ph.D., project manager and director of research, Water Environmental Research Foundation (WERF), and members of the WERF project subcommittee. We are also grateful to John Healey, research associate, Desert Research Institute, Las Vegas; the GCSAA golf course superintendents who unselfshly hosted the study on their golf courses; Janie Zeigler, research associate and chemist, Southern Nevada Water Authority; Kathie Carter, research associate, University of California, Riverside; and Chris Dubridge, assistant superintendent, for their help in feld installation and site maintenance during the study.

Literature cited 1. Bondarenko, S., J. Gan, F. Ernst, R. Green, J. Baird and M. McCullough. 2012. Leaching of pharmaceuticals and personal care products in turfgrass soils during recycled water irrigation. Journal of Environmental Quality 41:1268-1274.

2. Branham, B. 2008. Leaching of pesticides and nitrate in turfgrasses. Pages 107-120. In: J.B. Beard and M.P. Kenna, eds. Water quality and quantity issues for turfgrass in urban landscapes. Special Publication 27. Council for Agricultural Science and Technology, Ames, Iowa.

3. California State Water Resources Control Board.

2009. 2009 Municipal Wastewater Recycling Survey.

Water Recycling Funding Program, State Water Resources Control Board. Sacramento, Calif. (www. waterboards.ca.gov/water_issues/programs/grants_ loans/water_recycling/munirec.shtml). Accessed July 31, 2015.

4. Diaz-Cruz, M.S, M.J. Lopez de Alda and D. Barcelo.

2003. Environmental behavior and analysis of veterinary and human drugs in soils, sediments and sludge.

Trends in Analytical Chemistry 22(6):340-351.

5. Helsel, D.R. 2005. Nondetects and Data Analysis.

John Wiley & Sons, New York.

Funding The research described in this paper is part of a much larger project that took place over many years and was carried out by numerous individuals from several universities and other institutions and organizations.

This research was supported by the Water Environment Research Foundation and the WateReuse Research Foundation, with additional funding provided by the Environmental Institute for Golf, the United States Golf Association, and the following water and sanitation agencies and other interested agencies and organizations in California and other regions: • California Association of Sanitation Agencies • California Golf Course Owners Association • California Golf Course Superintendents Association • City of Santa Rosa • Coachella Valley Water District • Contra Costa Water District • Delta Diablo Sanitation District • Denver Water

6. McCullough, M.D. 2011. Attenuation of PPCPs through golf courses using recycled water. Project No. WERF1C08. Water Environment Research Foundation and WateReuse Research Foundation, Alexandria, Va. (www.werf.org/a/ka/Search/ ResearchProfle.aspx?ReportId=WERF1C08).

Accessed Aug. 5, 2015.

7. USEPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency).

2012. Pharmaceuticals and Personal Care Products (PPCPs). Frequent questions. (www.epa.gov/ppcp/ faq.html). Accessed Aug. 5, 2015.

8. Wright, L., D.A. Devitt, M.H. Young, J. Gan, B.J. Vanderford, S.A. Snyder, M. McCullough and L. Dodgen. 2012. Fate and transport of thirteen pharmaceutical and personal care products in a controlled irrigated turfgrass system. Agronomy Journal 104:1244-1254.

9. Xu, J., W.P. Chen, L.S. Wu, R. Green and A.C. Chang.

2009. Leachability of some emerging contaminants in reclaimed municipal wastewater-irrigated turf grass felds. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry 28:1842-1850.

10. Young, M.H., R.L. Green, J.L. Conkle, M. McCullough, D.A. Devitt, L. Write, B.J. Vanderford and S.A. Snyder. 2014. Field-scale monitoring of pharmaceutical compounds applied to active golf courses by recycled water. Journal of Environmental Quality 43:658-670.

11. Young, M.H., R.L. Green, M. McCullough and D.A. Devitt. 2012. Experiments at active golf courses. In: M. McCullough, ed. Attenuation of PPCPs through

• Dublin San Ramon Sanitation District • Inland Empire Utility Agency • Irvine Ranch Water District • Las Vegas Valley Water District • Los Angeles Department of Water and Power • Monterey County Water Resource Agency • Monterey Regional Water Pollution Control Agency • PhRMA

golf courses using recycled water. Water Environment Research Foundation, Alexandria, Va.

R.L. Green (rlgreen@cpp.edu), previously at the department of plant sciences, University of California, Riverside, is now an adjunct professor in the plant sciences department, California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, Calif. M.H. Young, previously at Desert Research Institute, Division of Hydrologic Sciences, Las Vegas, is now associate director for the Environment Division and a senior research scientist at the Bureau of Economic Geology, Jackson School of Geosciences, University of Texas, Austin. J.L. Conkle, formerly a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Riverside, is now an assistant professor at Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi.

M. McCullough, previously director of environmental and water resources and director of turfgrass services for the Northern California Golf Association, Pebble Beach, Calif., is now the recycled-water program assistant with the Monterey Regional Water Pollution Control Agency, Monterey, Calif. D.A. Devitt is a professor, and L. Wright was a research associate and graduate assistant in the School of Life Sciences, University of Nevada, Las Vegas; B.J. Vanderford is principal research chemist at the Southern Nevada Water Authority, Las Vegas; and S.A. Snyder is a professor of chemical and environmental engineering in the department of chemical engineering, University of Arizona, Tucson.

• Reedy Creek Energy Services • San Francisco Public Utilities Commission • Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County • Santa Clara Valley Water District • Sonoma County Water Agency • South Bay Recycling • The Toro Co. • The Toro Foundation

The RESEARCH SAYS • Concerns about the levels and fate of pharmaceutical compounds and personal care products (PPCPs) in recycled water used for golf course irrigation led to this study of four golf courses: two in arid climates and two in Mediterranean climates over two years.

• A total of 52 cases were studied (13 PPCPs at four courses).

• Percent removal of the 13 PPCPs contained in recycled irrigation water and then collected from drained soil water at the 29- to 32-inch soil depth was 88% to 100% for 51 of 52 cases, and 95% to 100% for 46 of 52 cases.

• In 46 of the 52 cases, output mass flux was minimal: 1 to 9 milligrams/hectare/2 years. The highest output mass flux was 202 milligrams/ hectare/2 years.

• Mass removal of PPCPs is high enough to conclude that the turfgrass/soil ecosystem serves as an effective biofilter for removing pharmaceutical compound mass delivered by recycledwater irrigation.

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(verdure)

The answer is blowing in the wind

Beth Guertal, Ph.D. guertea@auburn.edu Twitter: @AUTurfFert

In the hottest part of the day, there was, on average, an additional two hours when the soil was kept cooler by the combined use of fans and syringing.

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Lately, the turfgrass Twittersphere has seen some discussion about the impacts of cooling fans and syringing on bentgrass putting green performance. Given this small yet Twitterdemonstrated level of interest, I decided to summarize one of my own published research articles on the topic in this month’s Verdure.

We explored the use of fans, syringing and a combination of the two, because little research had been done in this area. Treatments testing all possible combinations of the effects of the presence or absence of fans and syringing were installed on large blocks of a Crenshaw creeping bentgrass putting green (native loamy sand soil): (1) fans only; (2) syringing only; (3) fans + syringing; and (4) no fans, no syringing. The fans were set to run during the hottest part of each day (11:15 a.m. to 5:15 p.m.), and the experiment was initiated when daytime afternoon air temperature consistently reached 84 F to 90 F (29 C to 32 C). We collected data from June 23 to Aug. 7, 2000, and from July 9 to Sept. 5, 2002. Syringe treatments of 0.05 inch (1.3 millimeters) of water were applied to each plot every day at noon, 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. for a two-minute cycle. There were four replications of each fan/syringe treatment. Collected data included soil temperature measured at a depth of 0.5 inch (1.3 centimeters) every fve minutes during the experimental periods; hourly air temperature; and weekly root length (0- to 8-inch depth).

One of the frst fndings with this work was that creeping bentgrass in the southern U.S. is exposed to some pretty high temperatures, and nighttime minimum temperatures often do not drop to levels considered optimal for bentgrass growth. In both years, the combination of fans and syringing had a signifcantly greater effect on lowering maximum soil temperature than syringing only; fans only; or no syringing, no fans. In general, soil temperatures were lowered most by (from best to worst): (1) fans + syringing; (2) fans only; (3) syringing only; and (4) no fans, no syringing. The effect of fans on reduced soil temperatures did not last very long each day.

Within two hours of fans being shut off in the evening, temperatures had risen to equal those measured in the no-fans plots.

The best results were clearly observed when both fans and syringing were used. Other researchers have shown that root growth and bentgrass quality decrease at soil temperatures above 81 F, making 81 F a “critical value” for

soil temperatures for creeping bentgrass. In our work, a combination of fans + syringing was needed to maintain temperatures below 81 F. That combination reduced the time that the soil temperature (at 0.5-inch depth) was greater than 81 F by an average of two hours per day. Thus, in the hottest part of the day, there was, on average, an additional two hours when the soil was kept cooler by the combined use of fans and syringing.

What about root growth? In the frst year, the use of fans alone increased root growth (especially in August, when increases were signifcant in fve of 17 measurement dates), and in the second year, syringing alone sometimes decreased root length (in July). The combination of fans + syringing (the interaction) did not affect root length.

It should be noted that this research green was an older, well-established research green.

In 2002 and 2003, we repeated this study with a brand-new seeded green (those data have not been published). In that study, many results were similar to the ones reported here, but they were magnifed: The combination of fans + syringing was most benefcial for root growth, and the use of syringing alone signifcantly and dramatically reduced root growth in the brand-new green.

Finally, keep in mind that this work was done in Alabama, which could accurately be described as a very humid and hot environment. The combination of high relative humidity, hot nights and reduced air movement in many of our putting greens pushes bentgrass into an extremely stressful environment.

The results we found here may not translate well to climates that are hot but dry, and that have low relative humidity. In such climates, syringing may very well be far more valuable for management of bentgrass, and we need to explore that effect further.

Source: Guertal, E.A., Edzard van Santen and D.Y. Han. 2005. Fan and syringe application for cooling bentgrass greens. Crop Science 45:245-250.

Beth Guertal, Ph.D., is a professor in the department of crop, soil and environmental sciences at Auburn University in Auburn, Ala., and the editor-in-chief for the American Society of Agronomy. She is a 19-year member of GCSAA.

CUTTING EDGE Teresa Carson

Photo by Joseph Young

Photo by Andrew James Mackay

West Nile virus transmission risk and invasive plant management Artifcial aquatic habitats are highly susceptible to colonization by invasive plant species. Recent research indicates that the establishment of invasive plant species can trigger ecological cascades that alter the transmission of vector-borne pathogens that imperil human health. In this study, researchers investigated whether the presence or management of two invasive, emergent plants — cattails (Typ a species) and phragmites (P ragmites australis) — in stormwater dry detention basins altered the local distribution of vectors, avian hosts, or the transmission risk of West Nile virus (WNV) in an urban residential setting. Mosquitoes and birds were surveyed at 14 dry detention basins and paired adjacent residential sites. During the study, site managers mowed emergent vegetation in three dry detention basins. Where basins were not mowed, the overall abundance and species composition of both adult vectors and avian hosts differed between residential and detention basin habitats. However, the risks of WNV infection by mosquitoes were equivalent. Communal bird roosts, composed primarily of European starlings, red-winged blackbirds and common grackles and representing a broad range of WNV reservoir competence, were observed at half (three of six) of the basins containing un-

mowed stands of phragmites. The presence of a communal roost was associated with a lower seasonal increase in vector infection rate. Conversely, mowing emergent vegetation resulted in a signifcant and sustained increase in the abundance of WNV-infected vectors in the basins, and the rise in risk extended to adjacent residential sites. These fndings indicate that WNV transmission risk can be decreased by the presence of communal bird roosts, and increased by mowing invasive plants in dry detention basins during the growing season. — Andrew James Mackay, Ph.D.; Ephantus J. Muturi, Ph.D.; Michael P. Ward, Ph.D.; and Brian F. Allan, Ph.D., University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Long-term carbon sequestration potential from bermudagrass fairways Previous studies have documented the carbon sequestration potential of cool-season turfgrasses on golf course fairways, but limited research has been conducted on warmseason grasses. The objective of this study was to determine baseline carbon sequestration potential of bermudagrass fairways by evaluating total soil carbon and nitrogen, soil organic matter (SOM), inorganic nitrogen, and soil physical and chemical properties from golf courses of various ages in Lubbock, Texas. Soil samples were collected from bermudagrass fairways at fve golf

courses ranging in age from 13 to 93 years.

Soil samples were divided into two depths, 0 to 3 inches (0 to 7.5 centimeters) and 3 to 6 inches (7.5 to 15 centimeters), air-dried, and sieved to pass a 2-millimeter mesh screen.

Soil pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total carbon and nitrogen, SOM, and inorganic nitrogen were obtained using laboratory techniques. Soil pH and EC from these locations were typical for soils in the region, with a soil pH of 7.1 to 8.5, and an EC of 510 to 1,181 microsiemens/centimeter. Soil organic matter and carbon accumulated readily in the top 3 inches of soil for the frst 36 years of establishment. However, there was an unexpected reduction in SOM and carbon as the golf courses reached 80 or 93 years. This decline may have been the result of a shift in carbon-to-nitrogen ratio that increased SOM degradation rates. This study was among the frst to examine carbon sequestration potential from bermudagrass fairways. The results can be used to explore how turfgrass management practices could beneft the environment by mitigating carbon emissions.

— Prativa Gautam and Joseph Young, Ph.D. (joey. young@ttu.edu), Texas Tech University, Lubbock

Teresa Carson (tcarson@gcsaa.org) is GCM’s science editor.

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(product news) Kioti

Repurposed

MATERIALS Coverings made from repurposed conveyor belts to keep timber bridges

Kioti Tractor unveiled four new models in its CK10 K10 Series. Built with a Tier 4-compliant Daedong diesel engine, the new models provide a powerful, environmentally friendly option for operators of the low-maintenance tractor series, the company says. The CK10 models include two gear and two hydrostatic transmission models ranging from 25.4 to 40 horsepower. The new models can be augmented with a Kioti KL4010 front-end loader with up to 1,835 pounds of lift capacity, and a 60-inch or 66inch quick-attach bucket. Front-end loader work is made easier with the use of a single-lever joystick, which comes standard on new CK10 tractor models. Contact Kioti, 877465-4684 (www.kioti.com).

in good condition are one of many products distributed by repurposedMaterials.

When golf carts travel across timber bridges, the tires can cause damage to the wood. That’s where repurposed conveyor belts come in. The rubberlike material of the belts is fexible yet durable, and it can withstand the wear and tear of the elements and of golf carts, maintaining bridges’ appearance and stability. Contact repurposedMaterials, 303-321-1471 (www.repurposedmaterialsinc.com).

OxCart utility carts are designed to hold, move, lift and dump heavy loads more easily and in less time.

The carts have been dynamically load-tested by an independent certifed lab to handle up to 1,100 pounds, and

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they featur feature an exclusive hydraulic lift assist, a heavy-duty tub and all-square tube steel construction. Tub capacity is 12 cubic feet. Additionally, the design of the hydraulicassisted tub lift on carts helps make loads feel up to 90 percent lighter. A 500-pound load, for example, will lift with ease and feel like only 45 pounds when the operator tilts the tub during unloading. OxCart carts also have a rear offset-dump-pivot design, which gives the operator more control when directing where to unload material. The tub rotates 55 degrees to either side of the frame. Contact OxCart, 316-650-2796 (www.oxcart.com).

Sydney Solutions LLC announced the availability of SPaRKS Web, an online version of its popular fertilizer and pesticide record-keeping system. SPaRKS Web (an acronym for “Superintendents Planning and Record Keeping System”) provides anywhere access to application plans and records, multiple-user capability, and automatic data backup. A calendar interface shows an entire month at a glance and enables users to create new or update existing fertilizer and pesticide application plans directly from the main screen. SPaRKS is designed for users who are looking for fertilizer and pesticide record-keeping software that is comprehensive yet easy to use and cost-effective.

For more information or to sign up for a free, 30-day trial, go to www.sparks2.com.

EverBlock Systems LLC released its modular building blocks system for golf courses and special events. EverBlock is a series of oversized,

EverBlock interlocking plastic blocks that allows you to build all types of kiosks, event furniture and decor, divider walls, and displays at golf courses and event venues. EverBlock comes in four modular sizes: a 12-inch-by-6-inch-by6-inch block, a 6-inch-by-6-inch-by-6-inch half block, a 3-inch-by-6-inch-by-6-inch quarter block, and a fnishing cap to hide the connectors. Modules can be confgured as needed, and broken down and stored on pallets when not in use. The company currently offers 14 standard colors and can match custom colors for larger orders.

Contact EverBlock Systems LLC, 844-422-5625 (www. everblocksystems.com).

GolfBuddy is offering products in all golf course distance measuring device categories. With the 2015 release of its frst laser rangefnders, the LR5 and LR5S, GolfBuddy now has a fully comprehensive lineup of golf distance measuring devices. The LR5 complements GolfBuddy’s existing offerings of wearable, handheld and voice GPS devices, all of which are designed to boost a golfer’s course awareness and distance recognition. Contact GolfBuddy, 888-296-1428 (www. golfbuddyglobal.com).

Tank-mixing of Clipper herbicide and 2,4-D from Nufarm Americas is now registered in New Hampshire for control of fanwort and variable leaf milfoil.

The mixture enhances control for both species of invasive submersed weeds with one application. Clipper may be tank-mixed with other registered aquatic herbicides for increased control of submersed and foating plants. Contact Nufarm Americas Inc., 800-345-3330 (www.nufarm.com/ USTO/Clipper).

The Turfgrass Group has been named the licensing and marketing agent for TifTuf certifed bermudagrass, a new drought-tolerant turfgrass developed by a team of researchers led by Wayne Hanna, Ph.D., and Brian Schwartz, Ph.D., at the University of Georgia. TifTuf (experimental name DT-1) has been in testing at the University of Georgia since 1993 and was selected for release from a pool of more than 27,700 potential cultivars because of its extreme drought tolerance and high turf quality. Further research conducted at the university, demonstrated in ongoing National Turfgrass Evaluation Program (NTEP) trials and other tests at farms from Texas to Georgia, confrmed Schwartz’s initial fndings that the turfgrass uses less water (TifTuf used 38 percent less water than Tifway during a 2011 drought trial); performs better under drought stress; and posts faster green-ups in unirrigated stress trials. More information is available at www.theturfgrassgroup.com.

Performance Nutrition, a producer of environmentally sustainable fertilizers, soil amendments, crop protection products, micronutrients, and specialty products for agriculture, turf and ornamentals, launched a redesigned website at www.pnfertilizers.com. The new Performance Nutrition website provides turf managers, farmers and landscape contractors with the resources and information they need to grow stronger crops, increase

Next

GENERATION E-Z-Go unveiled the next-generation model of its RXV Golf Car, which is equipped with a revolutionary combination of AC power and IntelliBrake technology for superior performance and increased energy effciency. E-Z-Go’s AC Drive technology is up to 25 percent more effcient than the DC technology traditionally used in electric golf cars, the company says, and provides a powerful, consistent and reliable ride on all types of course terrain. The IntelliBrake system encompasses two technologies: a motor brake that automatically slows the vehicle when traveling up or down steep grades, and a parking brake that automatically engages when the vehicle stops. This system also delivers full-time regenerative braking, redirecting energy back into the vehicle’s batteries whenever the brakes are applied, recharging the batteries during use, and further extending the vehicle’s energy effciency and range. Besides the electric model, the RXV is also available with a 13.5-horsepower Kawasaki engine. Contact E-ZGo, 800-241-5855 (www.ezgo.com).

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yields, and manage healthier turf and ornamentals. The website features an archive of research data, industry news, product information, and useful management tips for agriculture, sports turf and landscapes.

PLATINUM PARTNERS

Golf DataTech LLC launched a market analytics service for small and mid-sized golf companies, retailers and sales organizations. The new SMART (Summary Market Trend) Reports aim to assist sales and marketing efforts of small to medium-sized companies by supplying expert insight, data and trend information.

Among the categories covered by SMART Reports are men’s and women’s apparel, outerwear, footwear, bags, putters, gloves and wedges. Contact Golf DataTech LLC, 888-944-4116 (info@golfdatatech.com).

Larson Electronics introduced its 100-foot twist-lock extension power cord. It’s designed for 480-volt three-phase indoor and outdoor applications.

The cord is constructed of 8-gauge, 4-conductor wire and equipped with 30-amp-rated L16-30 male and female twist-lock cord caps. This industrial-use extension cord allows operators to extend power to equipment when stationary outlets are not readily available.

Contact Larson Electronics, 800-369-6671 (www.larsonelectronics.com).

GOLD PARTNERS

SILVER PARTNERS

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SILVER PARTNERS

SILVER PARTNER

Partner Recognition Program The Andersons Plant Nutrient Group is part of The Andersons, Inc., which was founded in 1947 in Maumee, Ohio, and is currently a 4.5 billion dollar corporation (NASDAQ:ANDE). The Andersons is a major manufacturer and marketer of Contec DG® along with other premium, patented dispersible and nondispersible granular products for several professional markets that include golf courses, sports turf, lawn and landscape, horticulture, and agriculture markets across the country and internationally.

In early 2015, the Turf and Specialty Group and the Plant Nutrient Group within The Andersons merged to create a much larger Plant Nutrient Group. In May the Group acquired Kay Flo Industries’ Crop Nutrient Group (Nutra-Flo), based in North Sioux City, SD. With the Nutra-Flo acquisition, The Andersons is the largest manufacturer of traditional crop row starters as well as specialty nutrients. The Nutra-Flo acquisition, along with the merger of the two Groups, will aid The Andersons’ sales and distribution opportunities. With 40 locations nationwide, The Andersons Plant Nutrient Group is well-positioned to provide improved products and service to valued customers.

The Andersons is an active member of the GCSAA and provides support through various vehicles such as marketing, advertising, feld representation, trade show exhibiting, and sponsorships. As a Silver Partner, The Andersons believes in the purpose and goals of the GCSAA in wanting to help the superintendent in growing and enriching the golf business. The Andersons is also an active member of NGF, PLANET, STMA, ITODA, RISE and many other industry organizations.

The Andersons Inc. also includes business groups that serve other markets including Grain, Ethanol, Rail, and General Retailing. For more about The Andersons, go to www.andersonsinc.com.

Founded more than 100 years ago in Cedar Falls, Iowa, Standard Golf Company is the world’s oldest continually-operated maker of golf course accessories, providing products and services to golf course superintendents, pro shops and driving ranges around the world. Today, Standard Golf is the world’s leading manufacturer of golf course accessories. In-stock and customizable products include fags and fagsticks, bunker rakes, ball washers, course signs, cups, litter receptacles and yardage markets. Standard Golf is also the manufacture of the Magnum line of maintenance tools, which are considered the most durable tools of their kind.

“Top quality products and the best value possible is Standard Golf’s mission. The true measure of excellence is having great people in place who consistently provide our customers with the ultimate buying experience.” – Peter Voorhees, President / Owner.

(industry news)

Dana Fry, Michael Hurdzan, Ph.D., and Ken Wright

Golf

LEGENDS Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and Lee Trevino are collaborating for the frst time on a proposed mountain course in West Virginia. It will feature dramatic elevation changes and spectacular vistas overlooking the historic Oakhurst Links course, and it will be the centerpiece of Oakhurst, the newest neighborhood planned for The Greenbrier Sporting Club subdivision. The Greenbrier owner Jim Justice brought this well-known foursome together to design a course that will one day host a major championship. The project, which is anticipated to include a modest private ski facility, was scheduled to break ground last month. The opening is slated for fall 2016. “No four guys with those credentials have ever built a golf course together,” says Trevino, The Greenbrier’s golf pro emeritus. “It’ll be a unique challenge, but we’ll get it done. I’m OK with it, because all of my holes are going to be short par-3s, dogleg right. All joking aside, there’s no question in my mind that with this new golf course, The Greenbrier Sporting Club will be the greatest sporting club on earth.”

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Devil’s Pulpit Golf Course celebrated its 25th anniversary this summer. Designed by Dana Fry and Michael Hurdzan, Ph.D., the golf course in Ontario was built by the inventors of Trivial Pursuit, Scott Abbott and Chris Haney. Golf magazine awarded it with its “Best New Course in Canada” designation in 1990. Those attending the celebration included Fry and Hurdzan; Abbott and Sarah Haney; Ken Wright, the original and only superintendent at the club (pictured on the right with Fry, far left, and Hurdzan); and 400 guests. Fry and Hurdzan also collaborated on Devil’s Paintbrush, Devil’s Pulpit’s sister course. “Chris Haney is still to this day the most crazy and interesting person I ever worked for,” Fry says.

Anuvia Plant Nutrients, a new nutrient company headquartered in Zellwood, Fla., announced that Amy Yoder is its new CEO, and Hugh MacGillivray joined the company as executive vice president of marketing and business development. Yoder came to Anuvia from Arsyta LifeScience North America, where she served as president and CEO for several years. A 20-year veteran of the agricultural industry, Yoder has held a variety of sales, marketing and executive positions in the crop protection and fertilizer industries. MacGillivray previously served as head of marketing and business development for Arysta LifeScience North America. Over the course of his career, MacGillivray has held marketing and sales leadership positions with companies in the crop protection, seed and e-commerce sectors of the agricultural industry. Anuvia is focused on a new, innovative and patented way of

manufacturing an enhanced-effciency fertilizer for the turf and agricultural industries.

Glenn Rougier was named the new head of marketing for the turf and ornamental business for Bayer CropScience. Rougier is responsible for driving best-in-class innovation, portfolio development, communications and customer programs through his integrated team. Rougier has worked with the Bayer family of businesses for 12 years. Most recently, he served as director of strategic marketing for Bayer HealthCare’s radiology business, where he led a global brand team responsible for developing and activating global brand plans.

Project EverGreen announced the completion of its latest Healthy Turf. Healthy Kids. project, fnishing weed removal, soil aeration and fertilizer

Project EverGreen applications for the baseball and softball felds at Fair Oaks Park in Marietta, Ga. Working in partnership with the Cobb County Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs Department, Project EverGreen and ValleyCrest Landscape Cos. delivered much-needed turf management services to restore and renew 22,000 square feet of turf on the park’s ball diamonds. The renovated baseball and softball felds are used by an estimated 5,000 Marietta residents of all ages for community church leagues, youth and adult teams, family reunions, and other community activities.

ValleyCrest donated the organic materials, equipment and personnel to make the renovations.

Alex Kicklighter was among 20 students to receive Legacy Award scholarships from GCSAA. Scholarships of $1,500 each were awarded with funding from GCSAA’s philanthropic organization, the Environmental Institute for Golf (EIFG), and Syngenta. Kicklighter is the son of Hampton Kicklighter, CGCS, at Dublin (Ga.) Country Club. Alex, who was diagnosed with leukemia as a young boy, is now in remission, and he will use his scholarship money to help defray the cost of his frst year at the University of Georgia, where he plans to study engineering. Other award recipients were (along with school and GCSAA relative who has been active for fve or more consecutive years): Lauren Colloredo, Mississippi State University, William Colloredo, CGCS, Turtle Point Yacht & Country Club, Killen, Ala.; Marcy Eichner, Suffolk University, Mark J. Eichner, superintendent, Shelter Harbor Golf Club, Charlestown, R.I.; Alexa Ferrie, University of Minnesota, Brian J. Ferrie, superintendent, Horseshoe Bay Golf Club, Egg Harbor, Wis.; Ryan Franceschini, St. John’s University, Frank Franceschini, superintendent,

Middle Island Country Club, Middle Island, N.Y.; Natalie Michelle Gentile, University of Colorado, Patrick Gentile, CGCS, Patty Jewett Golf Course, Colorado Springs, Colo.; Dylan Charles Goike, Central Michigan University, Steve Goike, superintendent, Alpena (Mich.) Golf Club; Abigail Goudey, St. Michael’s College, Brian Goudey, superintendent, Van Patten Golf Club, Clifton Park, N.Y.; Abigail Gullicks, University of St. Thomas, William Gullicks, superintendent, Bellwood Oaks Golf Course, Hastings, Minn.; Julie Hemphill, University of Pittsburgh, Jeffrey Hemphill, CGCS, Nissequogue Golf Club, St. James, N.Y.; Walker Edwin Aloysius Hoolehan, South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, Sean Hoolehan, CGCS, Wildhorse Resort and Casino, Pendleton, Ore.; Amy Elizabeth Kruzick, Texas A&M University, George Kruzick, CGCS, retired; Brooks M. Leftwich, University of Tennessee, Michael C. Leftwich, retired superintendent; Elizabeth Lopez, Auburn University, James Schwarzenberger, retired superintendent; Kelsy Emma McIntyre, Santa Monica College, Daniel E. McIntyre, CGCS, retired; McKenna Millies, Iowa State University, Jeff Millies, CGCS, Edgewood Golf Course, Big Bend, Wis.; Sophie Ohrn, Columbia University, Paul O’Leary, CGCS, retired; Madison Reed, Hofstra University, Eric Reed, CGCS, Valley Country Club, Sugarloaf, Pa.; Laura Sowatsky, Grand Valley State University, Steve Sowatsky, superintendent, Links at Lake Erie, Monroe, Mich.; and Jacob Yurigan, University of Florida, Adam Yurigan, deceased.

Event

PLANNING Dena Jenkins joined Jacobsen as events and channel manager. Jenkins is responsible for planning and managing the company’s events and working with Jacobsen’s network of dealers on marketing initiatives. She has more than 10 years of experience in the turf industry, holding a variety of marketing roles at Woods Equipment Co., LG Seeds and Dixie Chopper. Before coming to Jacobsen, Jenkins was events manager for Bell Helicopter, planning events across the globe for the rotorcraft manufacturer.

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Engage Agro USA is celebrating its fve-year anniversary of service to the agriculture, turf and ornamental industries in the United States. Engage Agro USA was based on the successful business model developed in Canada by Engage Agro Corp., located in Guelph, Ontario.

President Trevor Thorley heads Engage Agro USA. In his 30-plus-year career, Thorley has held various management positions with leading agricultural companies, including Bayer Corp., Valent USA/Sumitomo Chemical, and AMVAC Chemical.

Oregon Seed Association (OSA) executive director Angie Blacker was appointed to the board of the American Seed Trade Association (ASTA), which is one of the oldest trade organizations in the U.S. Blacker, an account manager at Pac West, serves clients such as the Willamette Valley Specialty Seed Association, Oregon Building Trades Council and others.

Sod Solutions and Barenbrug USA began a partnership in July to sell sod-quality seed to sod farms for Barenbrug distribution. Sod Solutions will sell both Barenbrug Regenerating Perennial

Ryegrass (RPR) and Turf Type Kentucky Bluegrass (Turf Blue) sod-quality seed.

RPR is a new subspecies of traditional perennial ryegrass and was created exclusively by Barenbrug’s innovative Turfgrass Research and Development Group to withstand heavy traffc and recover rapidly.

Barenbrug USA is now the owner of Oregon Seed Enhancement (OSE). OSE is a high-output seed coating facility located down the road from Barenbrug USA headquarters in Tangent, Ore. The purchase will continue the substantial investments by the company to enhance its supply chain, with the overall goal of meeting market realization of the value-creation of seed-enhancement technology in both forage and turf.

The engine division of Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A., joined in a partnership with the National Hispanic Landscape Alliance (NHLA), becoming one of the organization’s supporting members and helping it facilitate and promote the advancement of Hispanic Americans as landscape industry professionals and leaders. NHLA has developed plans and activities that inform, encourage, empower and support

its members so they can become highly successful professionals, better-engaged leaders and more effective industry advocates.

A new Field Service Advisor Program highlights Kawasaki’s continuing enhancement of dealer services activities. There are offces in four regional centers: Atlanta; Fort Worth, Texas; Eatontown, N.J.; and Grand Rapids, Mich., which is the division’s headquarters facility. The Field Service Advisor Program is intended to enable closer contact between the company’s highly trained technical personnel and dealers selling and servicing Kawasaki’s advanced line of engines. Each location is staffed by two feld service advisers responsible for proactive dealership visits, phone-based technical services, warranty review and questions, dealer training, and in-person technical assistance as needed.

To commemorate the East Lake Foundation’s 20th anniversary, the foundation partnered with the Tour Championship by Coca-Cola to host the Road to East Lake 5K in Atlanta.

The route Aug. 22 included the opportunity for participants to run through the front nine holes of historic East Lake Golf Club, home to the Tour Championship, set for Sept. 24.

Oregon Seed Association (OSA) hosted its 46th annual summer convention in June at The Resort at the Mountain in Welches, Ore. More than $12,000 was raised for its sought-after scholarship program. This year’s convention achieved a 15 percent increase in attendance over previous years. It featured guest speakers such as DuPont pioneer Stephen Smith, Ph.D., Trevor Whitman of The Scotts Co., and David Altman, Ph.D., president of IPR Consulting. The scholarship committee recognized two young adults as recipients of the OSA Memorial Scholarship, an award presented to a child or grandchild of a current member who is pursuing higher education. Jacob Stewart, a student at Oregon State University, and Ashley Williamson, who starts this fall at Oregon State, each received $1,500. OSA also welcomed two new members: Pathfnder Logistics as an associate member, and Cascade International Seed Co. as an active member.

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Shiloh Springs Golf Club in Platte City, Mo., selected KemperSports to manage its 18-hole golf facility. Shiloh Springs GC, located 5 miles from Kansas City International Airport, opened in 1995.

Bandit Industries announced it was awarded an additional contract from the National Joint Powers Alliance (NJPA) contract for medium-duty and compact construction and maintenance equipment with related attachments, accessories and supplies. The new contract gives potential municipal customers an added incentive to purchase Bandit equipment, as buying through NJPA will let them avoid the lengthy and costly request-for-proposal process so they can get right to buying the equipment they need.

John Cisar, Ph.D., retired from the University of Florida at the rank of full professor, Turfgrass Producers International reported. Cisar, who mentored and served on the committees of numerous Master of Science and Ph.D. students, started at the university as an assistant professor of environmental horticulture in 1986.

His work in areas such as water quality, turfgrass nutrition and irrigation effciency is highly regarded in the industry.

The winning team in this year’s John Deere Classic Pro-Am had representatives from the U.S. and Canada. The team was comprised of PGA Tour pro Oscar Fraustro; Ken Cousineau, executive director, Canadian Golf Superintendents Association; Jimmy Terry, PGA general manager at PGA Golf Club, Port St. Lucie, Fla.; Rob Fogg, corporate business manager, John Deere Agriculture and Turf Division; and Guy Cipriano, assistant editor, Golf Course Industry. The event was held July 6 at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Ill. GolfBoard selected Buffalo Brand Invigoration Group to lead brand development and promotion.

GolfBoard is a surf-inspired motorized golf vehicle built specifcally for the sport and designed with a safety-frst mantra.

Powered by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, GolfBoard provides golfers a more active alternative to riding in a cart.

WATCH. LISTEN. LEARN. “The best golf course superintendents are the obscure guys.You know they work hard, they have limited resources, they produce unbelievable products and may never get the recognition because nobody knows them. That doesn’t diminish the fact that they’re the best superintendents in America.”

“I think honesty and integrity, the willingness to share and taking time for people (make a great mentor).”

BOB FARREN

Director of Golf Course and Grounds Operations, Pinehurst Resort

MATT SHAFFER

JIM NEDROW

Golf Course Superintendent, Indian Creek Golf Course

Director of Golf Course Operations, Merion Golf Club

Presented by

GCSAA.TV/Mentor Produced by

“I appreciate learning from them how to treat people. At the end of the day that’s what this is about. I can know as much as I possibly can about agronomics and turf and golf business, but if I can’t create a culture that people enjoy working in, it’s all for naught. “

Presented by

(photo quiz answers)

By John Mascaro President of Turf-Tec International

(a)

PROBLEM The marks on this green are the indirect result of thunder and lightning. On a July night, a herd of cattle from a pasture located near the golf course were spooked by a thunderstorm and broke loose. They ran across the course, stomping over three greens before settling into a more leisurely round of night grazing until the sun came up and they were discovered. Some of the greens had been re-grassed three weeks before the incident, and those were the ones that suffered the most damage. The same cows had roamed onto the course before, but because they were just walking — not running scared — in those instances, they never did any real harm. The superintendent initially tried to fx the hoof prints the way ball marks would be repaired, but because the greens were so new and lacked much root structure, that strategy didn’t work. Instead, crews flled in these areas with topdressing sand and then rolled the greens.

Filling all the hoof prints with the topdressing sand took an entire day. Some golfers were worried this might set back the opening of the new greens, while others quipped that the facility could always raise cattle if the golf market were to head south. The owner of the farm is actually a member of the course, and he was pretty embarrassed by the whole incident. Another member told him he needed to take out an additional membership if he wanted his livestock to play the course.

Photo submitted by Steven Scott, the GCSAA Class A superintendent at Persimmon Hills Golf Course in Sharon, Tenn., and a three-year member of the association.

(b)

PROBLEM

The irrigation system on this golf course has 45-year-old impact sprinklers, which ultimately factored into the unfortunate fate of this crow. Another local superintendent was playing the course in an amateur tournament when he noticed this sight. He says it was the frst time he’d ever seen anything quite like it, and that he had to take a picture of it to share in Photo Quiz. Apparently, because of the sprinklers’ age, they can get stuck open following an irrigation run. This unlucky crow must have been drinking water from inside the open sprinkler and bumped the head, causing it to retract and leading to his untimely demise. The superintendent reports that he and his team see quite a few birds sipping around the sprinkler heads at the time of year this photo was taken. He also says that crows often cause other problems on his course, such as fipping over divots and raiding golfers’ carts for whatever food they can fnd and fy off with. The superintendent added that a crewmember recalled an earlier instance in which a squirrel had met the same sprinkler-induced fate.

Photo submitted by Michael Goldsberry, the GCSAA Class A superintendent at Wing Point Golf & Country Club in Bainbridge Island, Wash., and a 15-year GCSAA member. This photo was taken at Gold Mountain Golf Complex in Bremerton, Wash., where 19-year GCSAA member Edward Faulk is superintendent.

Presented in partnership with Jacobsen

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If you would like to submit a photograph for John Mascaro’s Photo Quiz, please send it to: John Mascaro, 1471 Capital Circle NW, Suite #13, Tallahassee, FL 32303, or email it to john@turf-tec.com.

If your photograph is selected, you will receive full credit. All photos submitted will become property of GCM and GCSAA.

MEMBERS ONLY ON COURSE Sept. 3-6 — Symetra Tour, Sioux Falls GreatLife Challenge, Willow Run Golf Club, Sioux Falls, S.D.; Barry Anderson, superintendent member.

(climbing the ladder)

Sept. 3-6 — European Tour, MZM Russian Open, Skolkovo Golf Club, Moscow, Russia.

Timothy Davies Was: Is:

Sept. 4-7 — PGA Tour, Deutsche

Assistant superintendent, Eagle Ranch Golf Club, Eagle, Colo.

Bank Championship, TPC Boston, Norton, Mass.; Thomas Brodeur, GCSAA Class A superintendent.

Equipment manager, Eagle Ranch GC

Sept. 10-12 — USGA, USGA Women’s State Team, Dalhousie Golf Club, Cape Girardeau, Mo.; Todd Ellis, superintendent.

Getting to know you To say that 2008 was eventful for Timothy Davies might be a huge understatement.

In January of that year, he was offered the job of second assistant at Eagle Ranch. In February 2008, he married Katie, whom he met when both of them served as skiing and snowboarding instructors at Beaver Creek Resort in Colorado.

Q: Your accent is the frst hint that perhaps you came to the U.S. from another country.

A: I grew up in Hamilton, Australia.

Q: How and why did you make the jump from second assistant to equipment manager?

A: I had been in and out of the shop helping the previous equipment manager when he needed a hand. I sharpened reels, set up mowers. I grew up on a sheep farm, and we always had to fx stuff, such as small engines. I have always liked to pull stuff apart and put it back together, so this job was a good ft.

Q: What type of challenges did you enjoy reassembling?

A: My next-door neighbor and me took a pile of broken-down motorcycle pieces and rebuilt them. It would take parts from about fve old motorcycles to get one to run. I’d ride it until it died, and then fnd more parts to rebuild it again.

Q: What is your favorite tool in the shop?

A: 16-millimeter wrench. I could not do without that.

Q: Is there something in particular that makes your job rewarding?

A: I like it when I set up a good mower, take it out of the shop, and it mows perfectly straight away.

Q: Do you have a hobby?

A: I golf a little, but I mountain-bike a lot. The area around here is known for mountain biking. I try to do 50 miles a week.

Q: Explain the importance of the equipment manager.

A: Things break. Knives don’t sharpen themselves. You have to have a good plan in place.

— Howard Richman, GCM associate editor

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Sept. 10-13 — Web.com Tour, Hotel Fitness Championship, Sycamore Hills Golf Club, Fort Wayne, Ind.; David Thompson, GCSAA Class A superintendent.

Sept. 10-13 — LPGA, The Evian Championship, Evian Resort Golf Club, Evian-les-Bains, France.

Sept. 10-13 — European Tour, KLM Open, Kennemer Golf & Country Club, Zandvoort, Netherlands.

Sept. 11-13 — Symetra Tour, Prairie Band Casino & Resort Charity Classic presented by Toyota, Firekeeper Golf Course, Mayetta, Kan.; Robert Christie, GCSAA Class A superintendent.

Sept. 12-13 — USGA, Walker Cup, Royal Lytham & St. Annes Golf Club, Lancashire, England.

Sept. 17-20 — PGA Tour, BMW Championship, Conway Farms Golf Club, Lake Forest, Ill.; Chad Ball, CGCS.

Sept. 17-20 — Web.com Tour, Chiquita Classic, River Run Country Club, Davidson, N.C.; Michael Cagiano, GCSAA Class A superintendent.

Sept. 17-20 — European Tour, 72nd Open d’Italia, Golf Club Milano, Pareo Reale di Monza, Italy.

Sept. 18-20 — Champions Tour, Pacifc Links China Championship, 27 Club, Tianjin, China.

Golf Preservations Inc. Sept. 18-20 — LPGA, The Solheim Cup, St. Leon-Rot Golf Club, St. Leon-Rot, Germany.

Sept. 18-20 — Symetra Tour, Garden City Charity Classic, Buffalo Dunes Golf Club, Garden City, Kan.; Toby Witthuhn, GCSAA Class A superintendent.

Sept. 24-27 — PGA Tour, Tour Championship by Coca-Cola, East Lake Golf Club, Atlanta; Ralph Kepple, CGCS. Sept. 24-27 — Web.com Tour, Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship, OSU Golf Course-Scarlet Course, Columbus, Ohio; Dennis Bowsher, CGCS.

Sept. 24-27 — European Tour, Porsche European Open, Golf Resort Bad Griesbach, Bad Griesbach, Germany.

Sept. 25-27 — Champions Tour, Nature Valley First Tee Open at Pebble Beach, Pebble Beach Golf Links, Monterey Peninsula, Calif.; Chris Dalhamer, CGCS. Sept. 25-27 — Symetra Tour, Murphy USA El Dorado Shootout presented by PepsiCo, Mystic Creek Golf Club, El Dorado, Ark.; Vincent Kuhn, superintendent member.

Sept. 26-Oct. 1 — USGA, U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur, Hillwood Country Club, Nashville, Tenn.; David Robertson, superintendent member.

Sept. 26-Oct. 1 — USGA, U.S. Senior Amateur, Hidden Creek Golf Club, Egg Harbor Township, N.J.; Clark Weld, GCSAA Class A superintendent.

Golf House, Lemont, Ill. Phone: 630-257-2088

Nationwide Golf Course Drainage Company

Sept. 10 — GCSAA Webcast: UAVs in golf course management — it’s time for you to take to the skies Contact: GCSAA Education Phone: 800-472-7878 Website: www.gcsaa.org/education/ webcasts.aspx Sept. 17 — UC Riverside Turfgrass & Landscape Research Field Day, Riverside, Calif.

Phone: 530-750-1260 Website: www.ucanr.edu

Sept. 24 — GCSAA Webcast: Coolseason turf winter pre-conditioning & snow mold control Contact: GCSAA Education Phone: 800-472-7878 Website: www.gcsaa.org/education/ webcasts.aspx Oct. 1 — GCSAA Webcast: Optimizing your annual bluegrass weevil management program Contact: GCSAA Education Phone: 800-472-7878 Website: www.gcsaa.org/education/ webcasts.aspx

Specializing in Drainage Installation on Existing Greens, Approach and Fairway Drainage

Oct. 4-5 — 69th Annual Northwest Turfgrass Association Conference, Coeur d’Alene Resort, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

Phone: 406-273-0845 Website: www.idahogcsa.org

Oct. 8 — GCSAA Webcast: Turfgrass literacy Contact: GCSAA Education Phone: 800-472-7878 Website: www.gcsaa.org/education/ webcasts.aspx

COMING UP Sept. 3 — Northern Ohio GCSA Hall of

Oct. 13-15 — Deep South Turf Expo,

Fame Induction Ceremony, Northern Ohio Golf Association, North Olmsted, Ohio.

Phone: 216-469-9287 Website: www.nogcsa.com

Mississippi Coast Convention Center, Biloxi, Miss.

Phone: 334-821-3000 Website: www.deepsouthexpo.org

Sept. 3 — Oregon State University

Oct. 19-20 — Inland Empire GCSA Fall Meeting & Trade Show, Coeur d’Alene Casino Resort Hotel, Worley, Idaho.

Phone: 406-273-0845 Website: www.idahogcsa.org

Field Day, Corvallis, Ore. Phone: 541-737-3695 Website: horticulture.oregonstate.edu

Sept. 10 — Chicago District Golf Association Turfgrass Field Day, Midwest

Oct. 21 — GCSAA Webcast: Review

Golf Preservations Inc. 504 Gloucester Ave Middlesboro, KY 40965 606-499-2732 www.golfpreservations.com Email: golfpreservations@yahoo.com

(in the field)

Southwest Jeff Jensen

In April, Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval established ed the Nevada Drought Forum to bring together experts and all interested stakeholders to discuss the drought and water-conservation best practices and policy needs. The Nevada golf industry had the opportunity to participate in Nevada Drought Forum meetings in Las Vegas in July. Sierra Nevada GCSA president Rob Williams, superintendent at Stockton Golf & Country Club in Stockton, Calif., represented northern Nevada, and Southern Nevada GCSA president Grant Becwar, superintendent at ReSuperintendents Grant Becwar (left) and Rob Williams vere Golf Club in Henderson, Nev., attended on behalf of the (right) with Leo Drozdoff (center), director of the Nevada southern portion of the state. Williams and Becwar focused Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, at a Nevada Drought Forum meeting July 17 in Las Vegas. their message on golf’s water use — which is less than 2 perPhoto courtesy of Rob Williams cent of the state’s total — and courses’ efforts to reduce water consumption through sound agronomic practices, efficient and targeted irrigation, use of reclaimed water, turfgrass research, and continuing education provided by GCSAA and its affiliated chapters. They also highlighted golf’s financial benefits: The state’s 98 golf courses employ approximately 5,000 people, generate more than $300 million in wages, and have a direct economic impact of $1.1 billion. “It was a great opportunity for the golf industry to show our policymakers that we are a beneficial user of water,” says Williams. “Our industry is going to play an important role in helping further develop the state as a leader in global tourism, and we want to make sure our officials know that we can provide a great product while still reducing our environmental footprint.” For more information on the Nevada Drought Forum, go to www.drought.nv.gov.

South Central Brian Cloud

While it’s hard for an Aggie like me to compliment anything in the Lone Star State that isn’t maroon, there’s no denying that the turf program at Texas Tech University has made some really great strides over the past two years under the leadership of Joey Young, Ph.D. This momentum was obvious at the second annual Turfgrass Field Day held in Lubbock in July. More than 200 superintendents, sports turf managers, landscape maintenance contractors and even Lubbock homeowners attended the event, where they heard about the latest turfgrass research by Young and his team that’s being conJoey Young, Ph.D., addresses the professional attendees at the Turfgrass Field Day July 13 about different ducted at Quaker Research Farm near the Texas Tech campus. Young fertilizer treatments being tested on the research farm made a point to thank GCSAA and the Environmental Institute for Golf near the Texas Tech campus. Photo by Brian Cloud for their support funding research at Texas Tech. Among the speakers was Li Li, a master’s student in turfgrass science, who introduced research he’ll be conducting on reducing salinity with cultivation practices and products on golf course fairways. Prativa Gautam, also a master’s student in the turfgrass science program, spoke about her research on carbon sequestration potential from bermudagrass fairways of golf courses of various ages in Lubbock.

(Read more about Gautam’s research on Page 99.) Matt Elmore, Ph.D., with the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, discussed herbicide resistance and management, and Casey Reynolds, Ph.D., of Texas A&M, helped attendees learn more about pesticide labels to better control weeds, insects and diseases. Congratulations to Dr. Young on making Texas Tech’s turfgrass program an outstanding part of the state’s turfgrass scene.

For the latest updates from all of GCSAA’s feld staff representatives, go to www.gcsaa.org/ community/regions.aspx.

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your bentgrass greens management plan Contact: GCSAA Education Phone: 800-472-7878 Website: www.gcsaa.org/education/ webcasts.aspx

Oct. 27-29 — Peaks & Prairies GCSA Fall Meeting & Trade Show, Holiday Inn, Billings, Mont.

Phone: 406-273-0845 Website: www.idahogcsa.org

Oct. 29 — GCSAA Webcast: How to read your soils report Contact: GCSAA Education Phone: 800-472-7878 Website: www.gcsaa.org/education/ webcasts.aspx Nov. 5 — GCSAA Webcast: Reclaimed wastewater for turf irrigation Contact: GCSAA Education Phone: 800-472-7878 Website: www.gcsaa.org/education/ webcasts.aspx

Nov. 10 — Pesticide Education Seminar, Wellshire Golf Course, Denver Phone: 330-255-9611 Email: info@rmgcsa.org Nov. 12 — GCSAA Webcast: Hosting a First Green feld trip Contact: GCSAA Education Phone: 800-472-7878 Website: www.gcsaa.org/education/ webcasts.aspx

Nov. 16-18 — Carolinas GCSA Annual Conference and Trade Show, Myrtle Beach Convention Center, Myrtle Beach, S.C. Phone: 800-476-4272 Website: www.carolinasgcsa.org

Nov. 18 — GCSAA Webcast: The BOLD speaker Contact: GCSAA Education Phone: 800-472-7878 Website: www.gcsaa.org/education/ webcasts.aspx

Nov. 30 — USGA Regional Seminar, PebbleCreek Resort, Goodyear, Ariz.

Phone: 480-609-6778 Website: www.cactusandpine.org ——— To fnd out whether you can receive education points for any of these upcoming pro-

grams, go to the External Education Listings in the education section of our website at www.gcsaa.org/education/externaled/ current.aspx.

——— We want to know about your event in advance. To submit an entry for “Coming Up,” please send your information fve to six months before you’d like to see it in the magazine. We run event information for three months. Send a contact name if all details are not fnal. Contact Golf Course Management, Attention: Coming Up, 1421 Research Park Drive, Lawrence, KS 660493859; 785-832-3638; fax: 785-8323665; email: hrichman@gcsaa.org.

ON THE MOVE ALABAMA Andrew K. Charcandy, formerly (C) at Hoover Country Club, is now (C) at Vestavia Country Club in Birmingham.

William L. Fillingim, formerly (A) at Healy Point Country Club, is now (A) at Anniston Country Club in Anniston.

ARIZONA Jordan S. Gill, formerly (C) at Deer Valley Golf Course, is now (Supt. Mbr.) at Deer Valley Golf Course in Sun City West.

William R. Mellinger, formerly (Supt. Mbr.) at Bahia Beach Resort & Golf Club, is now (Supt. Mbr.) at Poston Butte Golf Club in Florence.

CALIFORNIA Michael T. Caranci, formerly (A) at Candlewood Country Club, is now (A) at Rancho San Joaquin Golf Course in Irvine.

Michael J. Kaveney, formerly (A) at Plumas Lake Golf & Country Club, is now (A) at Turkey Creek Golf Club in Lincoln.

Jarred S. O’Barr, formerly (C) at Monterey Peninsula Country Club, is now (Supt. Mbr.) at Monterey Peninsula Country Club in Pebble Beach.

Tobin W. Ross, CGCS, formerly (A) at Williams Country Club, is now (A) at Valley Crest Golf Maintenance in Calabasas.

Sean R. Sherbert, formerly (AS) at Pebble Beach Golf Links, is now (C) at Poppy Hills Golf Course in Pebble Beach.

COLORADO Clay R. Payne, formerly (Supt. Mbr.) at Dismal River Club, is now (C) at Ballyneal Golf and Hunt Club in Holyoke.

FLORIDA Nathan Bitter, formerly (A) at Pelicans Nest Golf Club, is now (AF) at ProPlus Golf Services in Bowling Green.

Carlos Burquillo, formerly (C) at Esplanade Golf & Country Club of Naples, is now (C) at Forest Glen Country Club in Naples.

Bayne Caillavet, formerly (A) at The Villages-Championship Golf, is now (A) at Trilogy at Ocala Preserve in Ocala.

Andy Jackson, formerly (C) at Windsor Parke Golf Club, is now (Supt. Mbr.) at Champions at Julington Creek in St. Johns.

Wyatt W. Kotary, formerly (C) at Cape Fear National Golf Club, is now (C) at Lost Tree Club in North Palm Beach.

Chris P. Kramer, formerly (EM) at Palmira Golf & Country Club, is now (EM) at Wyndemere Country Club in Naples.

Dennis E. Krause, formerly (A) at Ameriturf, is now (A) at Greynolds Park Golf Course in North Miami Beach.

Erick Landis, formerly (C) at Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club, is now (C) at The Club at Mediterra in Naples.

Randy R. Langston, formerly (S) at Penn State University, is now (C) at the University of Florida Golf Course in Gainesville.

Jason Moore, formerly (AF) at Jacobsen, is now (AFCR) at Golf Ventures in Lakeland.

Eric T. Oster, formerly (C) at Kensington Golf & Country Club, is now (SM) at Coral Oaks Golf Course in Cape Coral.

Jamie Pavlas, formerly (C) at Banyan Golf Club, is now (C) at Old Palm Golf Club in Palm Beach Gardens.

George A. Ralish, formerly (C) at Longboat Key Club-Harborside Courses, is now (C) at Longboat Key Club-Islandside Course in Longboat Key. Shane P. Rice, formerly (C) at Indianwood Golf & Country Club, is now (C) at Eastpointe Country Club in Palm Beach Gardens.

Richard J. Robinson, formerly (Supt. Mbr.) at Crooked Creek Golf Club, is now (C) at Palm Beach Gardens Golf Course in West Palm Beach.

Michael A. Rowe, formerly (A) at Gainesville Golf and Country Club, is now (AFCR) at Golf Ventures in Lakeland.

Steve Swanhart, formerly (Supt. Mbr.) at Boca Pointe Country Club, is now (Supt.

Mbr.) at Eagle Marsh Golf Club in Jensen Beach.

Adam Winslow, formerly (C) at Foxfre Country Club, is now (C) at Talis Park Golf Club in Naples.

Steven M. Wright, CGCS, formerly (A) at Boca West Country Club, is now (A) at Pine

09.15 GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT

113

Tree Golf Club in Boynton Beach.

GEORGIA Charles Aubry, formerly (C) at Atlanta Country Club, is now (C) at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta.

Joey Brown, formerly (A) at Georgia National Golf Club, is now (A) at Healy Point Country Club in Macon.

Steve A. Connally Jr., CGCS, formerly (A) at Affniti Golf Partners, is now (A) at Mosaic Clubs and Resorts in Flowery Branch.

Mark A. Hearn, formerly (C) at Lookout Mountain Golf Club, is now (Supt. Mbr.) at Lookout Mountain Golf Club in Lookout Mountain.

John F. McCarthy, CGCS, formerly (A) at Crystal Falls Golf Club, is now (A) at Brookfeld Country Club in Roswell.

HAWAII Brian W. Tanner, formerly (Supt. Mbr.) at Kohanaiki, is now (Supt. Mbr.) at Princeville Golf Resort in Princeville.

IDAHO Cooper C. Hayes, formerly (Supt. Mbr.) at Mira Vista Golf & Country Club, is now (Supt. Mbr.) at The Valley Club in Hailey.

ILLINOIS Blaine O. Doherty, formerly (C) at Vesper Country Club, is now (C) at Chicago Golf Club in Wheaton.

Douglas L. Hayes, formerly (C) at South Side Country Club, is now (Supt. Mbr.) at South Side Country Club in Decatur.

Matthew M. McDonald, formerly (C) at Naperville Country Club, is now (Supt.

Mbr.) at Water’s Edge Golf Club in Worth.

Matthew K. Senatra, formerly (A) at Orchard Valley Golf Course, is now (A) at Willow Crest Golf Club in Oak Brook.

Greg J. VanWeelde, formerly (C) at Water’s Edge Golf Club, is now (C) at Prestwick Country Club in Frankfort.

KANSAS Eric C. Draper, formerly (I), is now (A) at Osawatomie Golf Course in Osawatomie.

KENTUCKY Jason W. Clary, formerly (C) at Standard Country Club, is now (Supt. Mbr.) at Henry County Country Club in New Castle.

William R. Jones, formerly (SW) at Ohio State University, is now (C) at Idle Hour Country Club in Lexington.

MARYLAND Brett T. Niner, formerly (S) at Penn State University, is now (AS) at Cattail Creek Country Club in Glenwood.

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MASSACHUSETTS Andrew R. Updegrove, formerly (C) at The Country Club Brookline, is now (Supt.

Mbr.) at The Country Club Brookline in Chestnut Hill.

MICHIGAN Michael W. Fouty, formerly (A) at Lake Forest Golf Club, is now (A) at Mystic Creek Golf Club in Milford.

Michelle Holcomb-Murch, formerly (Supt. Mbr.) at Domino’s Farms, is now (Supt. Mbr.) at Huron Hills Golf Course in Ann Arbor.

MINNESOTA Nathan R. Beckman, formerly (C) at Minebrook Golf Club, is now (Supt. Mbr.) at Cloquet Country Club in Cloquet.

Erik A. Lemke, formerly (A) at Pomme de Terre Golf Course, is now (A) at Simon’s Green in Excelsior.

MISSOURI Christopher J. Finnerty, formerly (C) at Westwood Country Club, is now (A) at Bogey Log Cabin Club in St. Louis.

MONTANA Travis D. Martin, formerly (C) at Meadow Lake Golf Resort, is now (Supt. Mbr.) at Meadow Lake Golf Resort in Columbia Falls.

NEW JERSEY Justin C. Eckert, formerly (S) at Penn State University, is now (C) at Manasquan River Golf Club in Brielle.

Thomas J. Kennedy, formerly (C) at Trenton Country Club, is now (C) at Trump National Golf Club-Bedminster in Bedminster.

Robert M. McClay, formerly (C) at Plainfeld Country Club, is now (C) at Minerals Golf Course in Vernon.

NEW MEXICO Chad Hinderliter, formerly (Supt. Mbr.) at Black Mesa Golf Club, is now (Supt. Mbr.) at The Club at Las Campanas Santa Fe in Santa Fe. NEW YORK John K. Harrison, CGCS, formerly (AFCR) at Target Specialty Products, is now (AFCR) at Winfeld Solutions LLC in Lyons.

Joshua C. Haugh, formerly (C) at Willow Ridge Country Club, is now (C) at Siwanoy Country Club in Bronxville.

Brett A. LaBarre, formerly (C) at Vestal Hills Country Club, is now (Supt. Mbr.) at Vestal Hills Country Club in Binghamton.

Kevin Ringelberg, formerly (C) at Atlantic Golf Club, is now (Supt. Mbr.) at Hamlet

GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.15

Golf & Country Club in Commack.

NORTH CAROLINA Jeremy O. Chambley, formerly (C) at The Pearl Golf Links, is now (Supt. Mbr.) at The Pearl Golf Links in Sunset Beach.

Adam G. Holt, formerly (C) at Prestonwood Country Club, is now (C) at Carolina Country Club in Raleigh.

Art McCoy, formerly (AFCR) at Golf Ventures, is now (AF) at Jacobsen in Charlotte.

Alan D. Smith, CGCS, formerly (I), is now (A) at The Golf Club at Eagle Creek in Moyock.

Charles B. Womble, formerly (A) at Stumpy Lake Golf Course, is now (A) at Bayonet at Puppy Creek in Raeford.

NORTH DAKOTA C. Michael Moran, formerly (A) at Indian Lakes Resort, is now (A) at Fox Hills Golf and Country Club in Watford City.

OHIO Bart Cash, formerly (AF) at Direct Solutions, is now (AF) at Helena Chemical Co. in Columbus.

John Colo, formerly (ART), is now (A) at Little Mountain Country Club in Painesville.

Tony R. Taylor, formerly (S) at HorryGeorgetown Tech College, is now (C) at Hyde Park Golf & Country Club in Cincinnati.

OREGON Joseph D. Clarizio, formerly (A) at Arrowhead Golf Club, is now (A) at Creekside Golf Club in Salem.

Mark S. Hatala, formerly (C) at Heron Lakes Golf Course, is now (C) at Colwood National Golf Club in Portland.

Farms Golf Course, is now (A) at Pine Lakes Golf Course in Rockford.

TEXAS Joshua Brewer, formerly (A) at Pinecrest Country Club, is now (A) at Raveneaux Country Club in Spring.

Kyle Bunney, formerly (C) at Pinnacle Country Club, is now (C) at The Honors Golf Club in Carrollton.

Aaron Cox, formerly (A) at Wildwood Golf Course, is now (A) at Grand Pines Course at Bentwater Country Club in Montgomery.

James A. Davis, formerly (I), is now (AF) at Quali-Pro in Pasadena.

Michael Powers, CGCS, formerly (AF) at A & L Supply, is now (AF) at Professional Turf Products in Houston.

Cody Swirczynski, CGCS, formerly (A) at Damarco Golf, is now (A) at Professional Golf Services in Fort Worth.

Barry S. Szydloski, formerly (Supt. Mbr.) at Cross Timbers Golf Course, is now (Supt. Mbr.) at Tour 18 Golf Course Dallas in Flower Mound.

VIRGINIA Mathieu C. LeCompte, formerly (C) at Governors One Course at Governors Club, is now (C) at Two Rivers Country Club in Williamsburg.

Dylan Payne, formerly (SW) at Virginia Tech, is now (C) at Hermitage Country Club in Manakin Sabot.

WISCONSIN Robert B. Larsen, formerly (C) at Sunset Ridge Country Club, is now (Supt. Mbr.) at Green Bay Country Club in Green Bay.

SOUTH CAROLINA Michael W. Reeves Jr., formerly (C) at Shipyard Golf Club, is now (C) at Belfair Plantation in Bluffton.

Benjamin C. Wood, formerly (S) at Clemson University, is now (C) at Walker Golf Course at Clemson University in Clemson.

CANADA Steve R. Hatch, formerly (A) at Seven Lakes Golf Course, is now (AF) at Evergro Canada in Delta, British Columbia.

Tom A. Kinsman, formerly (C) at St. George’s Golf & Country Club, is now (C) at Whistle Bear Golf Club in Cambridge, Ontario.

Donald Smith, formerly (C) at Mississauga Golf & Country Club, is now (ISM) at Oakville Executive Golf in Oakville, Ontario.

Scott G. Webster, formerly (C) at Saskatoon Golf & Country Club, is now (C) at Storey Creek Golf Club in Campbell River, British Columbia.

SOUTH DAKOTA Ryan K. Munro, formerly (C) at Grand Falls Casino Resort, is now (C) at Dakota Dunes Country Club in North Sioux City.

ENGLAND Lee Strutt, CGCS, MG, formerly (A) at Ochil Developments, is now (A) at The Royal Automobile Club in Epsom.

PENNSYLVANIA Joseph B. Lynch, formerly (C) at Huntingdon Valley Country Club, is now (Supt.

Mbr.) at Warminsters Five Ponds Golf Club in Warminster.

TENNESSEE Donald S. LeQuire, formerly (A) at Egwani

SAINT VINCENT and the GRENADINES Paul Sheppard, formerly (Supt. Mbr.) at St. Lucia Golf & Country Club, is now (Supt. Mbr.) at Canouan Resort Golf Course in Canouan Island.

SOUTH KOREA Rodney V. Tocco Jr., formerly (E) at Winfeld Solutions LLC, is now (E) at Bayer CropScience in Seoul.

SWITZERLAND Ross Monaghan, formerly (Supt. Mbr.) at Loch Lomond Golf Club, is now (Supt.

Mbr.) at Golfclub Bad Ragaz in Bad Ragaz.

UNITED KINGDOM Euan J. Grant, formerly (A) at Turnberry Resort, is now (A) at JCB Woodseat Hall in Uttoxeter, Staffs.

Editor’s note: The information in this report was pulled from GCSAA’s member database on July 22, 2015.

NEWLY CERTIFIED Jeffrey R. Sexton, CGCS, Evansville (Ind.) Country Club Brian Gietka, CGCS, Fountain Head

Country Club, Hagerstown, Md. Nicholas Mooneyhan, CGCS, Hobbits Glen Golf Club, Columbia, Md. Stephen Britton, CGCS, TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm, Potomac, Md. John W. Hoyle, CGCS, Oakhurst Country Club, Grove City, Ohio Matthew Allen, CGCS, Los Alamos Municipal Golf Course, Los Alamos, N.M.

NEW MEMBERS ALABAMA Jeff D. White, Class C, Birmingham ARIZONA William J. Barnard, Affliate, Goodyear Alex C. Flores, Class C, Tucson Jason D. Whitehill, Supt. Mbr., Goodyear ARKANSAS Josh Lambert, Class C, Hot Springs Village Brady McAdoo, EM, Little Rock Terry Pullen, EM, Bella Vista CALIFORNIA Carlos Burbano, Affliate Co. Rep., Camarillo Mariano Galindo, Supt. Mbr., Beaumont Jordan M. Gilmore, Class C, Dana Point Scott A. Hall, Class C, Lincoln

David Irwin, EM, Truckee Carlos Rodriguez, EM, Watsonville Neil Wahlgren, Affliate Co. Rep., Camarillo COLORADO Michael D. Blais, Class C, Golden Nicholas L. Boye, Class C, Edwards Benjamin T. Hayek, Student, Fort Collins CONNECTICUT Nicholas A. Capozzi, Class C, Middlefeld Alan L. Martin, Class C, Middlefeld FLORIDA Matthew A. Bean, EM, Jupiter Thomas C. Boehl, EM, Fort Pierce Chris D. Cannon, EM, Hobe Sound Joey Desimone, Supt. Mbr., Port St. Lucie Steven C. Dunn, EM, Palm Beach Gardens Daniel J. Gardner III, Class C, Longboat Key Bob Hetman, EM, Panama City Beach William J. MacDonald, EM, Vero Beach Travis M. Mansfeld, Class C, Longboat Key Haas I. Mengloi, EM, Jupiter Marshall Scott Molter, EM, Vero Beach Dave Oliver, Affliate Co. Rep., Lakeland Ken Seybert, EM, Naples

GEORGIA Howard Horne, EM, Atlanta ILLINOIS Matt Cass, EM, Deerfeld Brian Chasensky, Class C, Wheaton Brad D. McLauglin, Class C, Decatur Lee Rodriguez, EM, Glenwood INDIANA Dan Neidig, EM, Plymouth Troy Stults, EM, Fort Wayne Brian T. Woodward, Class C, Newburgh IOWA Adam M. Osbourne, Class C, Burlington KANSAS Kurt Lading, EM, Prairie Village LOUISIANA Dave Pons, EM, Avondale Jesse A. Stapler, Supt. Mbr., Gretna MAINE Jonathan L. Burnett, Class C, Bangor MARYLAND Harry Brown, EM, Lusby Kyle Gross, Class C, Baltimore Rob Socks, EM, Myersville

MASSACHUSETTS Erik R. Anderson, Class C, Plymouth Patrick T. McAuliffe, Student, Amherst Brian E. O’Connell, EM, Stoneham Alan-Michael Turner, Student, Amherst

NEW YORK Jason C. Buckley, Class C, Binghamton Joshua R. Crouse, Class C, Cooperstown Rich Mienko, EM, Glen Head Michael D. Sanderleaf, EM, Eastchester

MICHIGAN Dave Ertle, EM, Traverse City Dan L. Seamon, EM, Harbor Springs Kevin C. Thren, EM, Stanwood

NORTH CAROLINA Dale Ashburn, EM, Bolivia Thomas Anthony Mewborn, Class C, Wallace

MINNESOTA Tyler J. Mentz, Class C, Saint Paul

OHIO Randall J. Orr, EM, Canfeld Travis Parker, EM, Orrville Shea Sudimak, EM, Canfeld

MISSOURI Allen Baumstark, Affliate Co. Rep., Kansas City Alan Estes, Affliate Co. Rep., Kansas City Trevor Radford, Affliate Co. Rep., Kansas City NEW HAMPSHIRE Caleb David Harris, EM, Candia NEW JERSEY Robert Grigal, EM, Mendham Eric Levee, Class C, Marlboro Manuel Junior Torres, Student, New Brunswick

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OKLAHOMA Duane Carriger, EM, Edmond OREGON Russell Kurt Hanson, EM, Bend PENNSYLVANIA Denis A. Bergey, Class C, Blue Bell Ed Boyskey, EM, Medis Joshua S. Lemons, Student, University Park Jeffrey J. Reggio, Student, University Park Mark Richards, EM, Fort Washington

GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT 09.15

SOUTH CAROLINA Adam L. Ferrell, Class C, Myrtle Beach Chris F. Flowers, Supt. Mbr., Cheraw TENNESSEE Matt McClanahan, EM, Hendersonville TEXAS Andy Hudgins, EM, Horseshoe Bay Randy R. Krobot, EM, Richmond Tim J. Lawson, Affliate, Mabank Stephen M. Logan, Class C, Spring WASHINGTON Brian Cowin, EM, Sammamish Ryan Riley, Affliate, Cheney WISCONSIN James M. Windsor, Class C, Edgerton AUSTRALIA Adam Marchant, Class C, Sydney CANADA Doug Cranch, EM, Fairmont Hot Springs, British Columbia Lauren E. Lasocha, Student, Guelph, Ontario Jeff Parsons, ISM, Espanola, Ontario Bobby Poirier, EM, O’Leary, Prince Edward Island

Jarret C. Rempel, Student, Winnipeg, Manitoba Dan Southgate, EM, Camlachie, Ontario Eric Teskey, EM, Victoria, British Columbia FRANCE Jean Marc Gohard, ISM, Saint-Cyrsur-Mer SINGAPORE Abdul W. Tugiman, EM SOUTH KOREA Youngwan Kim, ISM, Chilgok-gun

IN MEMORIAM George T. Davis, 68, died May 5, 2015.

Mr. Davis, a 31-year member of GCSAA, was superintendent at Wedgewood Golf Course in Wilson, N.C. Mr. Davis was instrumental in helping launch the Wilson Junior Golf Program. He spent many hours helping young people build and sharpen their golf skills. Mr. Davis is survived by his wife, Marianne Mattox Davis; children, Elizabeth (Andrew) Walker and Anne (Kevin) O’Hara; aunt and uncle, Alice and Bill Davis; aunt, Sara Davis Etheridge; father-in-law, Dr. Huitt Everett Mattox

Jr.; and brothers-in-law, Dr. Huitt Everett Mattox III, Dr. Thomas Fleming Mattox and Walter Anderson Mattox, and their spouses and children.

Robert E. Grant, 90, died March 20, 2015. Mr. Grant, a 60-year member of GCSAA, was employed for 24 years as the golf course supervisor and country club general manager at Brae Burn Country Club in West Newton, Mass. Before arriving at Brae Burn, Mr. Grant supervised the construction of the International Course in Bolton, Mass. Mr. Grant is survived by his wife, Gladys Grant; children, Linda (Joe) Knight, Douglas (Lisa Erbin) Grant and Richard (Caroline) Grant; and grandchildren, Alexandra, Joe Robert, Abigail, Christopher, Jessica and Andrew.

Mickey D. Hughes, 57, died March 19, 2015. Mr. Hughes, a 15-year member of GCSAA, was superintendent at Green Oaks Golf Club in Columbus, Miss.; Columbus Country Club; Colonial Country Club in Memphis, Tenn.; Chase Lake in Birmingham, Ala.; and Altadena Country Club in Birmingham. Mr. Hughes is survived by his wife, Sandy Hughes; children, Trevor, Chris and Claire; parents, Charles Kenneth and Hazel Hughes; sister, Pat Matthes; niece, Kim

Sheppeard; nephew, Matt Matthes; and four great-nieces.

William S. “Bill” Leith, 85, died Dec. 1, 2014. Mr. Leith, a 53-year member of GCSAA, spent much of his life at Elgin (Ill.) Country Club, where his father, Willie, was the golf club professional. Mr. Leith, who retired as the superintendent there at 71, served in the U.S. Air Force from 1950 to 1954. Mr. Leith’s responsibility on the golf course, his family says, was to “make sure the fairways were fair, the roughs were rough, and the greens were immaculate.” He was a fan of the Chicago Cubs, Chicago Bulls, Chicago Blackhawks and NASCAR. Mr. Leith is survived by his brothers, Tom (Judy) Leith and Bob (Susan) Leith; grandson, David (Jennifer) Leith; granddaughter, Veronica Leith; and great-grandchildren, Sydney, Eric, Parker, Katrina, Benjamin and Katy Leith.

R. Alan “Slim” Puckett, 55, died June 19, 2015. Mr. Puckett, a 26-year member of GCSAA, was employed as a territory manager for Southeast Turf Partners.

Mr. Puckett served as president of the Ridge chapter of the Florida Golf Course Superintendents Association, and also the Florida Turfgrass Association. He also served on numerous committees

that promoted the turfgrass industry. Mr. Puckett loved fshing, NASCAR, the Florida Gators, his family, and especially his dog, Roscoe. He is survived by sisters, Karen (Billy) Merritt and Sheila McElwee; and nephews, Brandt (Kristy) Merritt, Kyle (Andrea) Merritt and James McElwee.

Dale B. Quinn, 60, died July 8, 2015.

Mr. Quinn, a 35-year member of GCSAA, possessed a lifelong passion for golf, which included being the co-owner and director of golf and grounds at La Cita Country Club in Titusville, Fla. Mr. Quinn was also superintendent at places such as Whispering Pines (N.C.) Country Club; Country Club of North Carolina, Pinehurst, N.C.; Midland Farms, Pinehurst, N.C.; Metaire (La.) Country Club; Woodlake Country Club, Vass, N.C.; and Wexford Plantation, Hilton Head Island, S.C. Mr. Quinn is survived his wife of 38 years, Leslie; his mother, Norene; daughter, Shelby, and her husband Jay and sons Connor and Luke; and son, Kyle, and his wife Candy.

James S. Schwarzenberger, 81, died June 27, 2015. Mr. Schwarzenberger, a 26-year member of GCSAA, helped develop and eventually became superintendent of Sand Creek Golf Course in Idaho Falls, Idaho. One of his most memorable contributions was designing and building the junior course at Sand Creek. In college at Idaho State, Mr. Schwarzenberger was a founding charter member of the school’s chapter of Alpha Kappa Psi business fraternity.

He also had a passion for raising sheep, and he was a member of the Idaho Wool Growers Association. Mr. Schwarzenberger is survived by his wife, Lucille Schwarzenberger; children, Rosemarie Schwarzenberger, Frances (Carlos) Lopez, Stephen Schwarzenberger, David (Mirma) Schwarzenberger, Patricia (Mark) Taylor, Matthew (Angela) Schwarzenberger, Daniel Schwarzenberger and Timothy (Marie) Schwarzenberger; and 18 grandchildren.

GCM (ISSN 0192-3048 [print]; ISSN 2157-3085 [online]) is published monthly by GCSAA Communications Inc., 1421 Research Park Drive, Lawrence, KS 66049-3859, 785-841-2240. Subscriptions (all amounts U.S. funds only): $60 a year. Outside the United States and Canada, write for rates. Single copy: $5 for members, $7.50 for nonmembers. Offce of publication and editorial offce is at GCSAA, 1421 Research Park Drive, Lawrence, KS 66049-3859. Periodicals postage paid at Lawrence, Kan., and at additional mailing offces. POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to: Golf Course Management, 1421 Research Park Drive, Lawrence, KS 66049. CANADA POST: Publications mail agreement No. 40030949. Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to P.O. Box 122, Niagara Falls, ONT L2E 6S8.

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Photographer: Jeff Everett, Cub Cadet, Indianapolis Title: Director, Golf Products Course: Valley Brook Country Club, McMurray, Pa. GCSAA membership: Affliate, seven years The shot: As the fog lifted in the hills on a serene, late-fall morning, Everett snapped this shot of John Shaw, CGCS (left), and his assistant, John Fossum, on the third green of Valley Brook CC’s Gold Course, the RG3 robotic mower quietly carrying out the morning mowing rotation nearby. Camera: iPhone 5

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@SyngentaTurf ©2014 Syngenta. Important: Always read and follow label instructions before buying or using Syngenta products. The label contains important conditions of sale, including limitations of remedy and warranty. All products may not be registered for sale or use in all states. Please check with your state or local Extension Service before buying or using Syngenta products. Daconil Action,™ the Alliance Frame, the Purpose Icon, and the Syngenta logo are trademarks of a Syngenta Group Company. Secure® is a registered trademark of Ishihara Sangyo Kaisha, LTD. MW1LGG4036-P1 8/14