golf course management - august 2013
DESCRIPTION
ÂTRANSCRIPT
-
Offcial Publication of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America
www.gcsaa.org August 2013
golf course management
EDUCATIONHigher
Oak Hill, home to this months PGA Championship, has become a classroom for future superintendents. PAGE 42
T E C H N O LO G Y
healthy grass
Rhizomatous Tall Fescue
-
T E C H N O LO G Y
healthy grass
-
Offcial Publication of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America
www.gcsaa.org August 2013
golf course management
EDUCATIONHigher
Oak Hill, home to this months PGA Championship, has become a classroom for future superintendents. PAGE 42
-
Think people dont 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.
Wherever golf is played.
-
The right accessories improve course conditions and make golfers want to come back for more.
More than ever, you have to wow golfers with your golf course. Thats because the No. 1
reason golfers give for not returning to a golf course is poor course conditions. But theres
more to course conditions than greens, tees, fairways and bunkers. Consider accessories
something golfers see, touch and feel on every hole.
Having well maintained, proper golf course accessories is a crucial part of course conditions.
They make an important and lasting impression on golfers and reinforce the courses (and
your) reputation. Quality accessories from Par Aide can improve course aesthetics and
playability while saving you time and money. Find out how we can make your accessories
budget work harder than ever.
P A R A I D E . C O M 8 8 8 - 8 9 3 - 2 4 3 2
-
Its why Jeff Corcoran puts our hybrid technology to work at Oak Hill.
The last major of the year, the 2013 PGA Championship, is coming to Oak Hill for the third time.
And Jeff Corcoran, manager of golf courses and grounds, will be ready, thanks in part to John Deere.
Most importantly, the equipment does what we ask it to do. Theres the peace of mind you get from
the removal of the hydraulics from the reels. That, along with the relationships you build with the
people in the company, its been really important for Oak Hill and its been a great partnership.
So while your course may never host a major, you can have the same performance and support
Jeff and his crew experience everyday. Call your local John Deere Golf distributor for a demo today.
Trusted by the best courses on Earth.
-
55770
Oak Hill, East Course
JohnDeere.com/Golf
-
contents
August 2013
Volume 81 Number 8
42 Returning the favorThe beneficiary of plenty of help and encouragement along
his own career path, Oak Hills Jeff Corcoran is now paying
it forward to a whole new crop of golf course management
professionals.
Scott Hollister
54 Before the stormAdvanced planning and new storm-detection
technologies can help you keep golfers and your crew
safe when lightning threatens.
Ed Brotak, Ph.D.
64 Finding the middle groundWhat is the best choice for fairways in the Mid-Atlantic
region, where both warm- and cool-season grasses are
options?
Stacie Zinn Roberts
On the CoverThis months cover showcases the 13th hole on the East
Course at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, N.Y., site of
this months PGA Championship. The photo was taken by
Montana Pritchard for the PGA of America.
-
www.tee-2-green.com | [email protected]
BENTGRASS. IT'S ALL WE DO.
Heat Tolerant
Drought Resistant
Cold Tolerant
Disease Resistant
Salt Tolerant
Low Cutting Heights
Wear Tolerant
Golfers
Green ChairmanDurability for the Extremes
Is it us, or are growing conditions becoming more extreme?
With decades of proven history, Tee-2-Green bents resist
disease and tolerate extreme conditions for less maintenance
and less stress on your budget. From Penncross, the As and
Gs and Seaside ll, to Crystal BlueLinks, PureFormance blend
and our newest variety, Pure Distinction, Tee-2-Green bents
take the punishment and live to play another day.
-
contents
RESEARCH
THEINSIDER
DEPARTMENTS
16 Presidents message
18 Inside GCM
20 Front nine
28 Field reports
30 Photo quiz
70 Through the green
86 Industry news
90 Product news
94 On course
94 Coming up
98 Newly certified
98 New members
98 On the move
101 In memoriam
104 Final shot
32 The Insider: Assistant
Picking up the slack Parker Ferren
34 The Insider: Shop
MVT honors man of many talents Scott Hollister
36 The Insider: Environment
Generally electric Howard Richman
38 The Insider: Turf
Paints, pigment and turfgrass health Teresa Carson
http://gcm.typepad.com @GCM_Magazine
www.gcsaa.tv
36
34
72 Foliar uptake of nitrogen on creeping bentgrass and bermudagrass greens
Creeping bentgrass and hybrid bermudagrass
show similar uptake of foliar-applied nitrogen.
Chris Stiegler, Ph.D.
Mike Richardson, Ph.D.
Doug Karcher, Ph.D.
78 Phosphorus availability in root zones as affected by fertilizer type
What are the effects of organic fertilizers that sup-
ply excess phosphorus when they are applied in
quantities that supply sufficient nitrogen to turf?G.K. Stahnke, Ph.D.
E.D. Miltner, Ph.D.
C.G. Cogger, Ph.D.
R.A. Luchterhand
R.E. Bembenek
84 Cutting edgeTeresa Carson
GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENT (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.
90
72
12 GCM August 2013
-
Exceptional Results for Your Green Assets!
North America, LLC912-790-3004 | 866-790-3004 | www.wiedenmannusa.com
Terra RakeDethatch Fairways and Roughs.
Super 500Verticut & Pulverize in One Pass.
Terra Spike XFFastest Deep Tine on The Market.
Watch the Side-by-Side Comparison.
CORE RECYCLER Re-use Sand and Collect Thatch.
MEGA TWISTER Swivels 270 Over 14,000 cfus.
Terra GroomEffciently Brush Greens.
Scan QR Code for video proof
-
Golf Course Superintendents Association of America
golf course management
OUR MISSION
Golf Course Management magazine is dedicated to advancing the golf course superintendent pro-
fession and helping GCSAA members achieve career success. To that end, GCM provides authorita-
tive 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
President PATRICK R. FINLEN, CGCS
Vice President KEITH A. IHMS, CGCS
Secretary/Treasurer JOHN J. OKEEFE, CGCS
Immediate Past President SANDY G. QUEEN, CGCS
Directors RAFAEL BARAJAS, CGCS
DARREN J. DAVIS
JOHN R. FULLING JR., CGCS
PETER J. GRASS, CGCS
BILL H. MAYNARD, CGCS
Chief Executive Offcer J. RHETT EVANS
GCM STAFF
Editor-in-Chief SCOTT HOLLISTER
Sr. Managing Editor BUNNY SMITH
Sr. Science Editor TERESA CARSON
Associate Editor HOWARD RICHMAN
Sr. Manager, Creative Services ROGER BILLINGS
Manager, Creative Services KELLY NEIS
[email protected] Traffc Coordinator SHELLY URISH
Traffc Coordinator BRETT LEONARD
GCSAA This Week/Turf Weekly
Editor DARCY BOYLE
ADVERTISING 800-472-7878 or 785-841-2240
Managing Director
Marketing and Business Development MATT BROWN
Sr. Manager, Business Development JIM CUMMINS
Lead International Developer ERIC BOEDEKER
Account Development Managers BRETT ILIFF
KARIN CANDRL
SHELLY URISH
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. 2013 by GCSAA
Communications Inc., all rights reserved.Best of All Worlds
www.LebanonTurf.com 1.800.233.0628
ROOTS TurfVigor is the ultimate blend of high
impact microbial strains and biostimulants along
with macro and micronutrients. TurfVigor is
designed to increase turfgrass tolerance to stress
associated with temperature, drought and physical
injury. Call or visit our website to learn more.
TurfVigor
9-3-6Microbial and micronutrient blend for healthier turf
Super food in a bottle
Super food in a bottle
-
The importance of chapter success
Most national associations have some form of
regional divisions, usually based on state boundaries or other
geographic delineation.
I am not sure how vital these subgroups are for other as-sociations, but for GCSAA, chapters are critical because of the variety of climates, multitude of agronomic requirements and considerable disparity of local/regional government regu-lation that our members face. GCSAAs leadership recognizes many issues cant be solved on the national level, nor does a one-size-fts-all program apply across all 99 chapters.
GCSAA is continually looking to offer chapters the re-sources that will best allow them and our shared members to achieve success. There are many such programs and ser-vices in which GCSAA and chapters pool resources, but this month I want to touch upon three that are relatively new: Rounds 4 Research, chapter outreach grants and feld staff.
You might be aware that in June, Rounds 4 Research gen-erated $107,000, 80 percent of which is being returned to chapters. We are in the midst of the second auction that closes Aug. 11. I encourage you to reach out to your friends, peers and golfers at your facilities and share with them the link to the online auction www.rounds4research.com. We had very good chapter participation this year, with just over 50 percent of chapters participating. Our goal is to increase that fgure next year and expand the number of facilities partici-pating. The beauty of Rounds 4 Research is the collaboration between the national headquarters and chapters that gener-ates valuable research dollars that are then invested to address local/regional issues.
The chapter outreach grant program has been in existence for fve years, and was designed to help promote the profession, the chapter and the national association. GCSAA provides funds for chapters to use in these efforts with the stipulation they are matched. Just as our national efforts are directed to-ward elevating the image of the superintendent with key con-stituents including golfers, employers and lawmakers, this pro-gram is intended to achieve the same result on a chapter level. These funds have been invested in radio programming, televi-sion commercials, advertising, trade show banners, articles in golfer publications and other means. This is another example of how local implementation can complement national efforts.
Finally, we are in the last stretch of flling the remain-ing open feld staff position. We are conducting interviews and should have the person on board before the Chapter Del-egates Meeting Oct. 1-2. This program is resource-intensive and came into being during diffcult economic times, so I applaud the prior boards and GCSAA staff for their creativ-ity in implementing the program. The feedback we have re-ceived thus far has been extremely positive, and we have seen feld staff participate in government relations activities, write
Presidents Messageby Patrick R. Finlen, CGCS
articles for state and regional golf publications, and assist in building coalitions with allied golf associations, implementing Rounds 4 Research and helping create social media platforms to name just a few.
To date, the program has worked as it was originally envi-sioned, with staff in the feld working with chapters to iden-tify issues and then collaborating with staff at headquarters to deliver solutions. Its a team approach that has produced im-pressive results on your behalf at the chapter level, and we are currently working on a collection of online regional pages that will enhance communication and resource sharing, targeted for release early this fall.
Chapter programming is critical to your success and that of the industry. With the Chapter Delegates Meeting on the hori-zon, I encourage you to share your thoughts with your chapter representative so that we can continue to deliver value to you.
GCM
Patrick R. Finlen ([email protected]) is the director of golf at The Olympic Club
in San Francisco and a 28-year GCSAA member.
GCSAA is continually
looking to offer chapters
the resources that will best
allow them and our shared
members to achieve success.
16 GCM August 2013
-
Enclave is North Americas rst fungicide
with four modes of action,
giving you superior disease
control all over your course.
Introducing Enclave, the ultimate fungal control
thats proven to go the distance.
New Enclave is a broad-spectrum fungicide featuring a unique Quad-Control Technology
that helps you prevent and eliminate anthracnose, brown patch, dollar spot, snow mold
among many other diseases on your course. The result? Healthier turf with a product
that costs less and does more. Thats value.
See why Enclave is one of the best fungicide values on
the market today visit www.quali-pro.com/enclave
or call 800-242-5562.
2013 Quali-Pro. Enclave and Quali-Pro are registered trademarks of MANA. Always read and follow label directions.
Trust your whole course to Quali-Pro.
> Basically Better.
-
A little help from their friendsBefore I joined the GCSAA staff back in March of
1998, I had spent the previous nine years the first nine years
of my working life in the newspaper business as a sports
writer at a series of small daily newspapers around the Kansas
City area.
Because sports writers spend as much time away from their newsrooms as they do in them, covering games and chasing feature stories, your colleagues in the feld sports writers from rival newspapers or broadcasters from the local TV and radio scene become de facto coworkers. You see as much, if not more, of them as you do the folks who get their paychecks from the same place that you do.
As a result, camaraderie develops and friendships form. GCMs own associate editor, Howard Richman, and I, for ex-ample, knew each other for a number of years before we ever shared an offce at GCSAA thanks to this very phenomenon. We may have worked for different newspapers, but we spent more time than either of us cares to remember covering high school basketball, minor league hockey and, every once in awhile, big-time college football.
I was reminded of this unique part of my former profession last month when I spent a few days at Omaha (Neb.) Country Club for the U.S. Senior Open. The nearly 100 members of the golf course maintenance team that week may have come from a wide variety of different golf courses from all over the Midwest, but just like we used to do in rickety press boxes and cramped media dining rooms, there were bonds being devel-oped and connections being made.
The most obvious difference between what took place in Omaha and my adventures in sports writing, of course, was the fact that those superintendents werent just palling around while waiting to go about their business; they were in essence actively helping a competitor put their best foot forward. As tight as Howard and I might have become, he wasnt writing my stories for me and I wasnt helping him with his.
And that is really one of the things that makes this business such a unique one the uncanny way that superintendents help out other superintendents. Even in an increasingly com-petitive environment for golfers and the dollars they possess, superintendents rarely hesitate to lend a helping hand, whether that means volunteering at a professional tournament or shar-
ing equipment or agronomic advice. That even extends to helping colleagues in the industry
better themselves professionally. Mentoring is a crucial part of any business, but its especially pronounced in golf course management, where tales of younger superintendents beneft-ing from the sage guidance of more veteran turf managers are endless.
Its a tale that will be front and center around the mainte-nance facility at this months PGA Championship. Jeff Corco-ran, the manager of golf and grounds at Oak Hill Golf Club
Inside GCMby Scott Hollister
Even in an increasingly
competitive environment for
golfers and the dollars they
possess superintendents rarely
hesitate to lend a helping hand,
whether that means volunteering
at a professional tournament or
sharing equipment or agronomic
advice.
in Rochester, N.Y., knows all too well how much the help and advice of others meant to his career, and since becoming a head superintendent himself, hes been determined to provide those working for him that same kind of help.
You can read all about Corcorans career and his teams preparations for the PGA on Page 42 of this months issue. And Ill get yet another chance to witness the charitable spirit of superintendents when I arrive in Rochester to spearhead our behind-the-scenes coverage of golf course maintenance activ-ities at the championship. Our reports on our blog (http://gcm.typepad.com) begin Sunday, Aug. 4.
GCM
Scott Hollister ([email protected]) is GCMs editor-in-chief.
18 GCM August 2013
-
Bayer CropScience LP, Environmental Science Division, 2 TW Alexander Drive, Research Triangle Park, NC 27709. 1-800-331-2867. www.BackedbyBayer.com. Bayer (regd), the Bayer Cross (regd), and Tribute are trademarks of Bayer. Not all products are registered in all states. Always read and follow label instructions carefully. 2013 Bayer CropScience LP.
Tribute Total is the complete solution that goes the distance in weed control. Tribute Total provides post-emergent control of grassy weeds, broadleaf weeds and sedges. With one product, you can do more with fewer resources and free up time to handle other problems that might come into view. Tribute Total, the complete solution for the most troublesome weeds. For more information, visit www.BackedbyBayer.com/tributetotal.
-
20 GCM August 2013
see more @ www.gcsaa.org
front NINE 9front NINE 9
Golf course construction in America may never equal levels
of the 1990s. There are obvious signs, however, that we have not
seen the last course built in the U.S.
On July 9, New Orleans got the approval it needs to build a
$24.5 million championship golf course at City Park. Construc-
tion could begin before the end of this year with the hope it will
be open by 2015. In May, Dallas leaders unanimously approved
a plan to build a world-class course there, and it already has a
name: Trinity Forest.
In Scottsdale, Ariz., Ambiente is a renewal of what previously
was Indian Bend Golf Course at Camelback Golf Club. The new
design is one of the last under the Hurdzan/Fry Environmental
Golf Design label; Mike Hurdzan and Dana Fry announced last
year that they were forming their own companies but would com-
plete projects they started together.
Jason Straka, who worked for Hurdzan/Fry and now partners
with Fry, is overseeing Ambiente. He can put into perspective what
has occurred, and assess future possibilities, in the industry.
There has been an uptick in some work now, Straka tells
GCM, and youre starting to see a little more activity. Maybe not
so much new, but more in regards to renovations of courses.
National Golf Foundation Senior Vice President Greg Na-
than says his organization does not anticipate the number of
new openings will grow much in the foreseeable future. Only 14
courses opened and more than 150 closed in 2012. The num-
ber of combined net closures since the supply decline started
in 2006 is approximately 500, less than 4 percent of the total
national supply of facilities, which are nearly 16,000.
Owners and operators would not be rooting for increases
in new U.S. course openings because the current situation is al-
ready extremely challenging in terms of the supply and demand
imbalance that has them competing hard for golfers and rounds,
Nathan says.
Ron Whitten, Golf Digests senior architecture editor, says: I
dont see golf construction returning to the boom of the 1990s
anytime soon, perhaps not in my remaining lifetime. What drove
the 1990s boom was housing developments, and theres a glut of
homes with no need for new golf residential developments. Ca-
sinos seem to be the driving force behind new course construc-
tion in the U.S. right now, and that market is rapidly becoming
saturated.
As for Ambiente, it is following a trend that has become pop-
ular among redesigns and restorations: being environmentally
friendly and more sustainable. Ambientes GCSAA Class A su-
perintendent, Kirk Hardin, notes how Ambiente has been reduced
from 220 acres of turf to only 85.
There will be more native vegetation, which will create a bet-
ter situation for wildlife, reduce pesticides and decrease water use
by one-third, says Hardin, a 20-year member of the association.
Its fun to take something you knew was inferior and build some-
thing brand-new, on the same site. It doesnt feel like you are at
the same facility anymore.
When the Ambiente project is completed, the Fry/Straka team
has more work in the U.S., including Southern California. Many
of their projects, though, are overseas (including at least eight
in China, Straka says). He believes there are places in America
that could be targets for new golf courses, such as North Dakota,
western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio.
Whitten, though, isnt so sure. He points to the renowned
Donald Trump, who has a stable of courses in the U.S., including
Trump National in Bedminster, N.J. Lately, Trump has his eyes
elsewhere faraway places, such as Scotland and Dubai.
Donald Trump has taken his toys overseas, Whitten says.
Howard Richman, GCM associate editor
A new course for golf?
Vvv
Atlanta Athletic Club
(AAC) in Johns Creek, Ga., has
gone all Champion Ultradwarf
bermudagrass on its greens. The
Riverside Course began planting
Champion Ultradwarf bermuda-
grass (replacing bentgrass) on its
greens July 17. The process is ex-
pected to take about seven weeks
to complete, says Ken Mangum,
CGCS, director of grounds and
golf courses at AAC. The two
courses at AAC will be the site
for the 2014 U.S. Amateur. More
recently, AACs Highlands Course
(which switched to Champion
ultradwarf bermudagrass greens
in 2009) was the site of the 2011
PGA Championship.
Construction work is ongoing at Ambiente, the golf course develop-
ment that JW Marriott Camelback Inn Resort & Spa will unveil later this year.
Photo courtesy of Mastro Communications
-
22 GCM August 2013
see more @ www.gcsaa.org
front NINE 9
Canadian courses pummeled by foods
The worst fooding in Albertas history has taken its toll. Golf
courses obviously were not spared from the destruction.
Kananaskis Country Golf Course, where 20-year GCSAA
member Calvin McNeely is the superintendent, is closed for the
remainder of the season (Kananaskis has two courses). Glencoe
Golf & Country Club in Calgary was forced to put its grand re-
opening to showcase its $7 million renovation on hold.
Some clubs have had fooding before, but not to this extent,
says GCSAA Class A superintendent James Beebe of Priddis
Greens Golf & Country Club in Alberta. We have had nothing on
this scale not even close.
In a July 5 message on its website, the Canadian Golf
Superintendents Association noted that golf course managers
are surely the defnition of perseverance and dedication. It also
noted some of the courses that were affected have fully or partially
reopened.
That wont happen, though, at Kananaskis, a facility that is
government-operated. More than half of the greens there were
renovated in the past 12 months. The foodwaters that reached
as high as 8 feet on some of the greens overshadowed all of the
work that had been accomplished.
Inwood Country Club, then and now
Editors note: This piece was written by Kevin Doyle, GCSAAs
eld staff representative for the Northeast region.
Nearly seven months had passed between visits to Inwood
Country Club. My last call had come exactly one week after Hur-
ricane Sandy devastated the East Coast.
The story of Inwood Country Club refected the worst possible
scenario for our industry: the golf course entirely under saltwater,
maintenance building completely fooded, all equipment ruined and
the home and all personal belongings of GCSAA Class A superin-
tendent Kevin Stanya a total loss. Sandy was a natural disaster of
epic proportions, and at least one of our own took a direct hit.
There would be others. On Nov. 6, 2012, despite the sun
shining, there was a dark cloud over Long Island, and it seemed to
be thickest atop Inwood Country Club.
Fast-forward seven months. The dark clouds are no longer
fctional; with nearly 6 inches of rain in a scant four days, they
actually are hovering over Inwood. However, that only helps to ac-
centuate the silver lining.
The gray turf is now green. The 130 trees that were uprooted
by the hurricane no longer are on the site. The once-devastated
maintenance building and offce are flled with shiny new equip-
ment. Stanya and the leadership at Inwood chose to fght back
with the vigor that emulates the long-standing tradition of the club.
They clearly are winning the fght.
There are plans for a berm renovation project to better protect
the course. Stanya readily admits that while such an improve-
ment wouldnt have been enough to keep Sandy at (or in) the bay,
the effort will aid with moderate weather that continues to cause
problems on a regular basis.
The members now understand how fragile the situation is
and what it costs to come back from a disaster, says Stanya,
a 16-year GCSAA member. They want to protect what we have
now. An outside contractor will perform the work, atypical for
Inwood as most of the projects are usually completed in-house.
Stanya is in a better place personally as well. He no longer
lives in Long Beach, the site of his home lost in the hurricane.
While the home he and his longtime girlfriend share is no longer a
chip shot to the ocean, which he loved, he unknowingly purchased
a home next to a childhood friend. We played hockey together for
15 years growing up, Stanya says. Hes changed a little bit, but
recognized my name as soon as I introduced myself.
Memories of Sandy have faded as new issues, weather-re-
lated or otherwise, make headlines. Golf on Long Island continues
the fght back to pre-hurricane standards. Just as memories of
the Long Island Express storm of 1938 receded to the back of
residents minds or were completely erased, the hope is that Hur-
ricane Sandy of 2012 will one day do the same.
Severe fooding at Kananaskis Country GC in Alberta, Canada,
has forced closure of the facility for the season. Numer-
ous courses in the region suffered extreme damage.
Photo courtesy of Nelson Dechant
Open opportunitiesPhoto opportunities proved to be plentiful in June at both the mens and womens U.S.
Opens. Pictured here is U.S. Open champion Justin Rose after he triumphed at Merion Golf
Club. To his right is director of golf course operations Matt Shaffer. In the other image, Sebonack
Golf Club superintendent Garret Bodingtons daughter, Elizabeth, participated in Family Day
during the U.S. Womens Open, sponsored by LaCorte Equipment for the Long Island GCSA.
Ph
oto
co
urt
esy
of
US
GA
Ph
oto
co
urt
esy
of
Joh
n D
ee
re
-
24 GCM August 2013
see more @ www.gcsaa.org
front NINE 9
Smithco founder passes awayTed Smith may have gotten a late start in the game. There
is no doubt, however, that his entry into the golf course industry
was well timed.
Smith, who died June 10 at 98, was a pioneer and innova-
tor of turf maintenance products. He founded Smithco in 1967
in Wayne, Pa., and that same year launched the well-known Red
Rider utility truck, a nifty vehicle to transport people and walking
greens mowers.
He started Smithco at the age of 52 when most men were
thinking about retirement, his son, Don Smith, tells GCM. He al-
ways respected the golf course superintendent and only produced
products using their input.
Riding bunker rakes were another product that Ted Smith
developed. Smithco has grown through the years, adding facto-
ries in Kansas and Wisconsin, where they manufactured spray-
ers, sweepers and greens rollers. The Red Rider, though, always
seemed to be frst and foremost in his heart.
The Red Rider defnitely was his baby, Don Smith says. In
fact, in one of our last conversations while he was in the hospital I
asked him if he had any new ideas for the company. His response
was Bring back the Red Rider.
Smithco continues to keep running strong with Don Smith as
president, Bill Kenney as vice president and 65 dedicated sales,
engineering and administrative staff.
Howard Richman, GCM associate editor
Veteran turfgrass researchers retire
Two notable contributors to turfgrass research have an-
nounced their retirements from their university positions.
Peter Dernoeden, Ph.D., and Ali Harivandi, Ph.D., stepped
down from their academic posts. Dernoeden was turfgrass sci-
ence professor at the University of Maryland. Harivandi was with
the University of California Cooperative Extension.
And how about this? Their career paths had similar roots.
Ali and I were graduate students of Dr. Jack Butler at Colo-
rado State University in the 1970s, Dernoeden says.
Dernoeden, who often was a presenter at GCSAAs Educa-
tion Conference, received GCSAAs 2012 Col. John Morley Dis-
tinguished Service Award. He spent more than three decades at
Maryland; his teaching, research and extension benefted superin-
tendents throughout the Mid-Atlantic region. Dernoeden was highly
regarded and respected in both plant pathology and weed control.
He discovered bentgrass dead spot and identifed several dis-
eases and pathogens not previously reported in the eastern U.S.
His work with leaf spot in the mid-1990s laid the foundation for
managing perennial ryegrass in the transition zone, while his work
with herbicides proved selective control of annual bluegrass in
ryegrass fairways was possible.
Dernoeden, who published dozens of scientifc journal articles
and co-authored the books The Compendium of Turfgrass Dis-
eases and Managing Turfgrass Pests, also pioneered the use of
fne-leaf fescues for low-maintenance areas.
My best memories are of the many fne graduate students
that I mentored, recalls Dernoeden, adding that one of the rea-
sons he is retiring is that he has become hard of hearing, which
he says is affecting his ability to teach and participate in meet-
ings. They did a fantastic job in increasing our understanding and
management of turf diseases.
Harivandi started at California in 1979, when he was hired
for his expertise in turfgrass, soils, salinity, irrigation and recycled
water. Harivandi, who for more than two decades served as a
lecturer for GCSAAs education programs and received the asso-
ciations Distinguished Service Award in 1995, won the American
Society for Horticultural Science 2010 Outstanding Extension Di-
vision Educational Materials Award with his publication No-mow
fne-leaf grasses for California urban landscapes.
As an internationally recognized expert on recycled, reclaimed
and reused water for golf courses and landscapes, Harivandi also
encouraged Californians to use lower-input tall fescue for lawns
and established that leaving grass clippings on lawns was, in fact,
benefcial to the turf. He also recommended no-mow fescue for
areas such as roadsides, cemeteries and slopes that are diffcult
to mow.
The University of California granted Harivandi emeritus status,
and he plans to continue doing research and accepting speaking
engagements.
Dernoeden, meanwhile, says he hopes to still do some golf
course consulting work.
Teresa Carson, GCM senior science editor
Smithco founder Ted Smith (left) and his son, Don, have been
instrumental in the golf course industry business for decades. Photo courtesy of Jim Block
Vvv
The USGA announced
two championship sites for 2016.
CordeValle in San Martin, Calif.,
will host the U.S. Womens Open
July 7-10. GCSAA Class A super-
intendent Thomas Gray, CGCS, is
in charge there. He is a 34-year
member of the association. The
U.S. Mid-Amateur will be played
Sept. 10-15 at Stonewall Links
in Elverson, Pa. Daniel Dale, a
23-year member of GCSAA, is the
superintendent.
Dernoeden Harivandi
-
26 GCM August 2013
see more @ www.gcsaa.org
front NINE 9
GCSAA joins USGA pace of play initiative
Did you hear about the pace of play initiative that the USGA
launched in June during the U.S. Open at Merion Golf Club? If you
missed the original announcement, chances are you have seen
what it is all about with your own eyes.
Since that time, the USGA has broadcasted 30-second pub-
lic service announcements, using some big hitters to deliver the
message. Arnold Palmer, Tiger Woods, Paula Creamer, Annika
Sorenstam, Butch Harmon and Clint Eastwood participated in a
series of the announcements.
Called While Were Young, the initiative is aimed at speed-
ing up play. The line comes from the 1980 cult classic Cad-
dyshack, where Rodney Dangerfeld becomes impatient with
Ted Knight as he waggles his club over a tee shot and says to him
Lets go while were young.
The GCSAA has allied itself with the USGA for the cause
(GCSAA Chief Executive Offcer Rhett Evans and President Pat-
rick R. Finlen, CGCS, attended the announcement at Merion).
The PGA of America, R&A, Club Managers Association of Amer-
ica, National Golf Course Owners Association and the American
Society of Golf Course Architects also are on board.
USGA President Glen Nager said, Pace of play has been
an issue for decades, but now its become one of the most sig-
nifcant threats to the health of the game. Five-hour rounds are
common and theyre incompatible with modern life.
A National Golf Foundation survey says 91 percent of serious
golfers reported that theyre bothered by slow play and indicate it
detracts from the experience. More than 70 percent believe pace
of play has worsened over time and over half admitted to walking
off the course due to frustration over a marathon round.
Superintendents can aid the cause, says USGA Senior
Managing Director of Public Services Rand Jerris.
Ohio course celebrates 100 years
It is up for debate if famed golf course architect A.W.
Tillinghast had a hand in an Ohio golf course that celebrated
100 years of existence this summer. The Middletown Journal
tries to get to the bottom of it. www.middletownjournal.com/
news/news/local/harmon-golf-course-to-celebrate-100th-
anniversary/nP92n/
Vandals do serious damage to New
Hampshire course
Two teenagers went joyriding on a golf course but
they were not using a golf car. Read more in the Concord
Monitor about just what they did in June. www.concordmon
itor.com/home/7255554-95/police-arrest-teens-after-
danbury-golf-course-vandalized
The switch is on
More and more courses in the South and Southeast are
making the transition to ultradwarf bermudagrass. Here is
just one more example, courtesy of wate.com in Knoxville,
Tenn. www.wate.com/story/22457123/alcoa-golf-course-
joins-others-in-switching-to-bermuda-grass
Fungus issue subsides in Florida
Fort Walton Beach Golf Clubs courses have battled fun-
gus for more than a year, but the Northwest Florida Daily
News reports they are on the mend. www.nwfdailynews.
com/local/fwb-golf-courses-bouncing-back-1.165109
Vvv
The PGA Tour and PGA of
America joined the USGA and
R&As stance to ban anchored
strokes. The USGA and R&A an-
nounced May 21 that the
ban would go into effect for
competitions starting Jan. 1,
2016. The PGA of America and
PGA Tour made their announce-
ment July 1. The PGA Tour Policy
Board, though, also passed
a resolution strongly recom-
mending, along with the PGA of
America, that the USGA consider
extending the time period in
which amateurs would be permit-
ted to utilize anchored strokes
beyond Jan. 1, 2016.
Course design, course setup, is a very signifcant piece of it.
Superintendents make choices on a daily basis about hole loca-
tion, about rough heights and about green speeds, Jerris says.
Were trying to quantify what those impacts are. There are some
who believe, for example, that every foot on the Stimpmeter adds
20 minutes to a round of golf. Thats a pretty signifcant state-
ment if thats true. These are types of decisions that we are en-
trusting to our superintendents, and a lot of times they have a
lot of knowledge, they have a tremendous amount of expertise.
On occasion, their hands are tied by the green committees
and other important decision makers at the club. We need to pro-
vide the proper education to all of the decision makers that are
working at a facility, whether its the owner, the club manager, the
professional and the course superintendent is an important
piece to that puzzle.
Finlen said: They (superintendents) dont need education.
They just need permission. Superintendents can play a big role. It
just may come down to club offcials allowing them to take action.
Howard Richman, GCM associate editor
Omaha Country Club lead assistant superintendent Spencer Roberts was featured on a Page 1 spread last month in the Omaha World-Herald during the U.S. Senior Open.
Front and center
-
and irrigation system and grading work. What
first began as a service project for the chapters
assistant superintendents committee soon
attracted much broader support within the orga-
nization in the form of donations and volunteer
labor. Additional assistance from industry part-
ners included a donation of six truckloads of sod
from NG Turf, irrigation materials from Ewing
Irrigation, construction equipment from Forefront
Construction and grading services from WLM
Contracting. Part of the beauty of this project is
that it has an ongoing future where the assis-
tants committee can continue to stay involved in
the maintenance and development of the fields,
says John McCarthy, a member of the Georgia
GCSA board of directors and co-chairman of the
assistant superintendents committee. I really
have to pay tribute to the efforts of Jordan Bell
and Chris Bennett for the commitment they
made to getting the job done, no matter what
it took on their part. Theyve really given these
kids a field of dreams.
FIELD reports
Editors note: Field Reports highlights
news, notes and information from the front
lines of the golf course management industry.
To submit items for Field Reports, send them
to editor-in-chief Scott Hollister (shollister@
gcsaa.org). To learn more about GCSAAs
efforts on the local and regional level through
its affiliated chapters and field staff program,
visit www.gcsaa.org/chapters/default.asp.
NortheastThe American Littoral Society has recognized
Bey Lea Golf Course in Toms River, N.J., as the
first certified golf course in its Bay Friendly Golf
Course certification program. The society, which
promotes the study and conservation of marine
life and habitat, developed the program to
recognize golf courses that adopt practices that
reduce the impact on Barnegat Bay off the New
Jersey coast and its tributaries. Bey Lea and
its GCSAA Class A superintendent Joe Kinlin
scored a 99 out of a possible 100 during the
certification process to achieve the programs
Gold Standard. The American Littoral Society
commends course superintendent Joe Kinlin
for his commitment to reducing the impact of
Bey Lea Golf Course on Barnegat Bay and for
setting a stellar example for other golf courses
to follow, says Helen Henderson, the programs
manager. This is such an important step for-
ward for the bay.
Central PlainsChester Chet Mendenhall will join six other
luminaries in the Kansas City golf community
in the inaugural class of the Kansas City Golf
Hall of Fame. Recognized as one of the deans
of golf course superintendents in the Midwest,
Mendenhall served as the superintendent at
Mission Hills Country Club for 31 years and was
a charter member of GCSAA, serving in a variety
of leadership positions over the years, includ-
ing president in 1948. He received GCSAAs
Distinguished Service Award in 1986 and the
USGA Green Section Award in 1990. GCSAA
also gives the annual Mendenhall Award to the
top performer in the associations scholarship
program, in his memory. Others selected for
inclusion to the Kansas City Golf Hall of Fame
include professional golfer Tom Watson; long-
time Kansas City Country Club head professional
Stan Thirsk; Opal Hill, a founding member of the
LPGA; Leland Duke Gibson, longtime head
professional at Blue Hills Country Club; nation-
ally known Rules of Golf expert Bob Reid; and
Miriam Burns (Horn) Tyson, an accomplished
womens golfer.
SoutheastMembers of the Georgia GCSA recently
helped to transform a weedy, pot-holed pasture
into a 60,000 square foot sports field for boys
and young men in the states foster care system.
The project at Goshen Valley Boys Ranch in
Waleska, Ga., about an hour north of Atlanta,
delivered more than $40,000 in goods and
services, including Patriot bermudagrass sod,
Northwest
Southwest
Central Plains
Great Lakes
South Central
Southeast
Florida
Northeast
Mid-Atlantic
28 GCM August 2013
-
Identify the problem
Flag no longer in
correct position
PROBLEM A
Turfgrass area: Putting greenLocation: St. Albans, Mo.
Grass variety: Pennlinks bentgrass
PROBLEM B
Strange pattern on
green in early morning
Turfgrass area: Putting greensLocation: Naples, Fla.
Grass variety: TifEagle bermudagrass
B
John Mascaro
President of Turf-Tec International
PHOTO quiz
Answers on page 96
A CLOSER LOOK
A
Presented in partnership with Jacobsen
30 GCM August 2013
-
1.888.922.TURF | www.jacobsen.com
These conversations are happening around
the country as more and more golf courses
experience the performance and quality-
of-cut of Jacobsen mowers. Whether its
the ECLIPSE series of greens mowers with
adjustable frequency-of-clip settings and
15-blade reels, the surprisingly affordable
LF510TM fairway mower, or the AR-522TM
rough mower with TrimTekTM decks, Jacobsen
mowers will get your course talking and
texting. For more information about Jacobsen
or to nd a Jacobsen dealer near you, visit
jacobsen.com.
-
Parker FerrenTHE INSIDER: assistant
Its no surprise that the current economy has taken a toll on the golf course industry. Through budget cuts and layoffs, many, if not all superintendents have battled to produce and maintain the high-
quality courses that golfers continue to demand. These cuts and layoffs have certainly shrunk crew sizes
and shortened the work weeks of hourly employ-ees. The word overtime seems to make most owners, general managers and board members cringe.
Assistants have also shouldered the burden of this recession. With smaller crews, most as-sistants have assumed more responsibilities than ever and are faced with the diffcult task of ac-complishing the same amount of work with a smaller crew that is working fewer hours.
But although their daily tasks have become more demanding, we assistants can embrace the challenge, put a positive spin on the situation and make our jobs more fun and rewarding than ever.
One of my challenges in dealing with a smaller crew is daily scheduling using key em-ployees in the most effcient way possible. Proper planning makes scheduling easier and allows us to accomplish more in a single day. With limited crews and time, well thought-out scheduling is critical.
I have also found that I have become more active while working with a smaller crew. In the summer of 2012, the Pine Tree Golf Club crew completed a no-till fairway conversion to Cele-bration bermudagrass and also took on the task of regrassing the faces of 131 bunkers in-house. Most of the crew was dedicated to this project most of the time, so I took it upon myself to work with them more than usual. I helped prep bunkers, lay sod and even fnal-cut every bun-ker edge. My constant presence not only speeds up the work, but it also earned the respect of the
Picking up the slack
crew members and improved the quality of their work.
When a particular project or important task needs to be completed in a timely manner or on a specifc day, staggering the crews lunch breaks is a good way to increase productivity. Sometimes, for example, a few employees will break for lunch 30 minutes before the rest of the crew so they can take over for a mower or a blower while the oth-ers are eating. There have been times when I have jumped on a machine in order to keep things moving when the crew breaks for lunch. An extra 30 minutes goes a long way.
Since I began working at Pine Tree GC four years ago, the average number of golf course crew members has declined, and we have had to make a conscious effort to continue producing high-quality conditions. Whenever aerifcation or verticutting is scheduled to begin on Monday, my superintendents, all assistants, assistants-in-training and technicians will come in on Sunday night to begin the process mowing, cleanup, etc. The next day, no one has to wait around, and we are more productive.
This economy calls for us to be as productive and effcient as we can with smaller crews work-ing fewer hours. Its time for us to step up and pick up the slack.
GCM
Parker Ferren is the assistant superintendent at Pine Tree
Golf Club in Boynton Beach, Fla., and a seven-year member
of GCSAA.
If you recently graduated
from college, Micheal J. Burt and Coby
Jubenville, co-authors of Zebras &
Cheetahs: Look Different and Stay Agile
to Survive the Business Jungle, have
some well-timed tips for nailing down
a job in todays fast-paced, always-
changing and highly competitive busi-
ness world.
Respond quickly. With such a high un-
employment rate for college graduates,
most jobs wont stay on the market very
long after being posted.
Show up in person (and early) when
you can. Arriving at your interview with
plenty of time to spare is the first in-
person opportunity for you to show your
potential employer that youre hungry,
committed and motivated.
Differentiate yourself. Potential em-
ployers need to understand you, like
you and be able to envision you as a
part of their team before extending you
a job offer.
Showcase your innovation. Even if
youre going into a field that is generally
seen as non-creative, its still smart
to show that you are imaginative and
innovative.
Let them know you play well with oth-
ers. Companies want to hire people who
are willing and eager to be members
of a team, and who are capable of col-
laborating with others to reach the best
possible outcome.
NEWS & notes
32 GCM August 2013
-
Damaged turf on your #7 tee? Weak areas on your #2 and #12 greens? Want to improve the overall stand of grass
on your high traffic areas on #6 and #10? Greening up your course has never been easier or quicker with the
TriWave 40. Just hook up to your turf vehicle and seed them all in one trip.
Quickly adjust seed rates and depths to match conditionsno tools required
Patented floating heads and seed delivery system maximize germination rates
Patented WaveBlade technology optimizes seed-to-soil contact with minimal turf disruption
Seed while you turn so you can follow greens, collars and contours
Its your grass on the line. Save it with the TriWave 40.
CALL 1-800-679-8201 for a FREE on-site demonstration, or
VISIT WWW.TURFCO.COMto see the TriWave 40 in action.
[...on your tee boxes]
[...on your greens]
[...on your fairways]
[...on your high traffic areas]
GO GREEN.
INTRODUCING THE TURFCO TRIWAVE 40
-
MVT honors man of many talents
ing in Birmingham, Ala. Thats when he got the opportunity to move back to Sun Valley for a job as an assistant superintendent at The Valley Club. Shortly after that, the clubs equipment manager position opened, Heywood made the switch, and the rest is history.
Heywoods ability to tackle almost any chal-lenge in the shop or out is what ultimately drove Flaherty to nominate him for this years MVT. His acumen at maintaining and repair-ing equipment is a given. His shop is immaculate, both in cleanliness and organization. Hes a whiz with computers, and along with The Valley Clubs head professional, Jaime Sharp, and Flaherty, helped create a digital job board for golf course maintenance crews that they hope to make com-mercially available soon.
Hes a good mechanic, no doubt, says Fla-herty, but I know there are a thousand good mechanics out there. What sets him apart, in my opinion, is he does so much more here. He knows a lot of things about a lot of things.
Winning this years MVT and the $2,500 cash prize that went along with it left Heywood both humbled and grateful. I cant tell you how much I appreciate all of this, he says. I know there are a lot of people out there who do as good a job, if not better, than I do. Winning this award just foored me. Im really very, very grateful.
For more on Heywood his career, his work at The Valley Club and his MVT win visit the GCM blog at http://gcm.typepad.com.
GCM
Scott Hollister ([email protected]) is GCM s editor-in-chief
Scott HollisterTHE INSIDER: shop
Of course, not every superintendent is as fortu-nate as Gerald Flaherty, CGCS, who has a former certifed superintendent with experience hosting a pair of USGA championships manning the shop at The Valley Club in Hailey, Idaho.
I could defnitely call him one of my assis-tants, but he likes it out here (pointing to the shop area) in his domain, says Flaherty of Brian Hey-wood, his head equipment manager whose accom-plishments and multi-faceted talents earned him GCMs 2013 Most Valuable Technician Award, presented in partnership with Foley United.
I bounce all sorts of ideas off him. When it comes to things like topdressing or mower heights or applications of certain chemicals, I rely on him a lot because he has a lot of good experience.
For Heywood, that regular interaction with Flaherty is a key to the strong working relation-ship the duo has developed. Because Ive (been a superintendent), I know what hes going to need, Heywood says. I can anticipate and be proactive and not get caught off guard too many times.
That background as a superintendent began among the Grand Tetons in Wyoming at Jackson Golf and Tennis Club. He started there as an en-try-level laborer, but gradually moved his way up the ranks and eventually spent 20 years as super-intendent, hosting both U.S. Mens and Womens Public Links tournaments during that stretch. He also had a six-season run as the superintendent at the Elkhorn Course at Sun Valley Resort in Ket-chum, Idaho, just up the road from Hailey.
But a pair of personal situations in his life in-terrupted Heywoods career as a superintendent and left him ultimately looking for work while liv-
The other two equipment
technicians who joined Brian Heywood
as finalists for the 2013 Most Valuable
Technician Award brought their own
set of impressive credentials to the
competition. For example, Tim Johnson
from Arrowhead Golf Club in Wheaton,
Ill., not only manages the preparation
and maintenance of over 200 pieces
of equipment at that 27-hole facility,
he also lends his expertise to nearby
Geneva Golf Club, a 113-year-old,
nine-hole course down the road. Tim
isnt just a great technician; he is also a
devoted husband, father, brother, uncle
and a friend to many in this business,
wrote Justin Kirtland, the superinten-
dent at Arrowhead GC and a nine-year
GCSAA member, in his nomination.
The other finalist, Wesley Coots from
Champions Golf Club in Houston,
Texas (formerly at Redstone Golf Club),
established a stellar reputation for shop
organization and safety during his time
at Redstone, the annual host of the
PGA Tours Shell Houston Open. I have
extreme confidence in his abilities, so
much so that I dont worry about his
area at all, which allows me to focus
my time and attention on other areas,
said Randy Samoff, the GCSAA Class A
superintendent at Champions GC (also
formerly at Redstone) and 12-year
association member.
NEWS & notes
Gerald Flaherty, CGCS (right) considers his equipment technician,
Brian Heywood (left) a key agronomic adviser at The Valley
Club in Hailey, Idaho. Photo by Mike Geraci
Not many golf course superintendents turn to their equipment technician for hard-core agronomic advice in much the same way as few mechanics would turn to their superintendent for advice
on repairing a greens mower.
34 GCM August 2013
-
THE INSIDER: environment
North Carolina State
Universitys Lonnie Poole Golf Course
has become a certified Audubon Inter-
national Signature Golf Sanctuary and
a member of the organizations Signa-
ture Program. The Poole Golf Course
is one of only two university-owned
golf courses and 90 other projects to
earn the certification. Located on N.C.
States Centennial Campus, the Poole
Golf Course met Audubon International
qualifications due to careful planning
to fit managed turfgrass seamlessly
into the surrounding environment. The
golf course also serves as a living lab
for sustainable turfgrass management
and environmental stewardship for
various university programs and for
the nearby Centennial Middle School.
Brian Green is the GCSAA Class A
superintendent at Poole Golf Course,
and he worked with Danesha Seth
Carley, Ph.D.; Charles Peacock, Ph.D.;
and Tom Rufty, Ph.D., at N.C. State
throughout the certification process.
NEWS & notes
Generally electric
He (member) walked right out in front of it (the mower). He had to stop. He couldnt hear it, says Carter, a 21-year member of GCSAA. All you hear out here now is the rubber on the asphalt going along the cart paths.
Te near sounds of silence signal the major changes that have taken place at Bear Trace at Harrison Bay in Chattanooga, Tenn.
Te golf course already seriously environ-mentally sound has taken it up at least a notch now. Bear Trace at Harrison Bay, which is desig-nated as the top-ranked golf course by Audubon International, has gone to an all-electric feet of golf course maintenance equipment.
A state-operated golf course, Bear Trace at Harrison Bay received equipment from a variety of suppliers. Club Car, Jacobsen, Toro, Tru-Turf and Smithco contributed to the 18-piece feet, which emits very minimal noise.
It was a godsend, Carter says. We needed new stuf.
Funds from the Clean Tennessee Energy Grant program were used for the new feet at Bear Trace at Harrison Bay; funds came from an April 2011 Clean Air Act settlement with the Tennessee Val-ley Authority. Under the consent decree, Tennes-see received $26.4 million over a fve-year period to fund clean air programs in the state.
Battery-powered equipment replaced gasoline-powered equipment. Te new feet features triplex greens mowers for tees and approaches, bunker
Paul L. Carter, CGCS, likes to tell the story about one of his crew, mowing a putting green, and the response it evoked from a member.
rakes, greens rollers and utility vehicles. Tennessee state government ofcials estimate the new equip-ment is going to provide a 300 percent decrease in annual operation expenses and a 30 percent re-duction in carbon dioxide emissions. Gasoline re-duction alone will be down approximately 12,000 gallons a year.
Te new feet was showcased in late May at Bear Trace at Harrison Bay, which is a Jack Nick-laus design. Among those in attendance to see the equipment in action were representatives from the Tennessee Valley Authority, the Tennessee Golf Association and the Tennessee Department of En-vironment and Conservation (TDEC).
Te project exemplifes the environmental protection, fscal soundness and community ben-efts that are at the heart of sustainability, says Bob Martineau, deputy commissioner of TDEC.
Bear Trace at Harrison Bays commitment to sustainability includes its nest of bald eagles near the No. 10 green (which comes equipped with an eagle cam for Internet viewing). Te course also has 45 nesting houses, a large plant bed of 218 plants native to Tennessee and a renovated golf course chemical storage facility.
Also, about 40 acres have been naturalized to minimize maintenance, and putting greens were transformed from bentgrass to Champion ultra- dwarf bermudagrass. Tat alone reduced the chemicals budget from $39,000 to $8,000 annu-ally.
I am glad we can show other people there is a better way of doing things, Carter says. We feel anything we can do to help conserve resources, reduce emissions, is right in our wheelhouse.
Carter quickly realized that things had changed on the frst day his staf put the new feet to use.
I used to be able to stand in the middle of the front nine and tell where everybody was and fg-ure out if we were on schedule or behind schedule because I could hear the mowers, Carter says. Now I have to go fnd them.
GCM
Howard Richman ([email protected]) is GCM s associate
editor.
Presented in partnership with Aquatrols
Howard Richman
Paul Carter, CGCS (far right), welcomes a new electric feet. Photo courtesy of Jacobsen
36 GCM August 2013
-
www.aquatrols.com
High concentrations of salt in your soil disrupts osmosis, ef ectively sucking needed water
away from turf roots. This leads to rapid wilting, reduced shoot growth and leaf tip burn.
Aquaplex Amino sprayable osmotic regulator works within the plant to balance osmotic
potential, improving water and nutrient uptake and minimizing the impact of stress
caused by high EC.
Fight back against those evil little suckers.
-
One of the latest trends in golf course
management is the use of products containing paint
or pigment to relieve summer stress on creeping
bentgrass greens.
Some of these products claim to improve turf-grass health by reducing temperatures and respi-ration and increasing photosynthesis, but little research has been done to substantiate their ef-fectiveness. Clemson University researchers put four products to the test: TurfScreen (Turf Max LLC), a combination of zinc oxide, titanium dioxide and a green pigment; PAR (Harrells), a copper-based pigment product; Foursome (Quali-Pro), a colorant containing copper-based pigments; and a commercial paint for use on dor-mant turf throughout the winter.
Researchers carried out two studies on a 12-year-old L-93 creeping bentgrass green built according to USGA recommendations. All four products were applied weekly in the feld for 10 weeks from June 18 to Sept. 3, 2012. Two 10-day growth chamber studies with TurfScreen and PAR evaluated the products effects on creeping bentgrass stressed by supraoptimal temperatures. Treatments were applied at label rates.
A number of measurements were taken to evaluate turf health and turf quality. Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) readings were best for the untreated control, suggesting that the products did not produce more live green vegetation. In both feld studies, visual quality (1-9) of turf treated with TurfScreen, PAR and Foursome was similar to the untreated control, but the turf treated with commercial paint had signifcantly lower turf quality.
The CO2 exchange rate showed that net pho-
tosynthesis for all the treated turf was reduced compared to the untreated control. Canopy tem-perature was also higher in all the treated plots in comparison to the untreated control, with the commercial paint product having the highest temperatures (110 F average).
Microscopy studies on TurfScreen and PAR showed that TurfScreen covered the leaf stomata and PAR entered the leaf through the stomata. Both products may have been partially blocking the stomata, thereby reducing respiration.
Soil and tissue concentrations of zinc were signifcantly higher than the untreated control in
Paints, pigment and turfgrass health
TurfScreen plots, and copper concentrations in plant tissue were signifcantly higher for the com-mercial paint plots.
The researchers found that the products tested did not signifcantly enhance processes associated with improved turf health and qual-ity. In fact, the products appeared to disrupt the plants ability to cool itself through transpiration. The increases in heavy metal concentrations such as zinc and copper should also be considered, es-pecially with long-term use.
The research is being repeated this summer to validate the frst years results, which is the sci-entifc protocol for agronomic feldwork. How-ever, Bert McCarty, Ph.D., who is leading the project is confdent about the initial results. The data was so consistent over two 10-week studies plus two additional greenhouse/growth chamber studies, that Im really comfortable with the re-sults. We made daily measurements for over 70 days during the worst summer heat weve had in years, and it was consistent each day. I really hate to see superintendents spend money on some-thing that has shown no positive response in terms of improving their product in a heat-stress environment.
GCM
Teresa Carson ([email protected]) is GCMs science editor.
Teresa CarsonTHE INSIDER: turf
NTEP is partnering with
the USGA to establish a new putting
green trial for warm-season grasses.
The trial includes 15 bermudagrasses,
11 zoysiagrasses and two seashore
paspalum entries. The trial is being
planted this summer at 12 locations
across the South, Southwest and
transition zone. University researchers
are responsible for data collection, but
trial locations are split between golf
courses and university research centers.
Trial management goals are to achieve
Stimpmeter readings of 9-10 feet
while reducing inputs, as compared to
ultradwarf bermudas. Initial establish-
ment and management parameters
have been developed and these will be
tweaked over time. NTEP shipped one
box of each entry to eight locations on
June 24-25. Two other locations re-
ceived plant material shortly thereafter,
and an additional shipment was sched-
uled for mid-July. A final trial location
in the southeastern U.S. is expected to
be identified before the summer is over.
The warm-season putting green trial is
made possible by a grant from the USGA
Green Section Research Program.
NEWS & notes
Presented in partnership with Barenbrug
Current research at Clemson University is evaluating various products containing pigment or paint for improving plant health during summer stress on creeping bentgrass. Products tested as they appear when applied to transparent acrylic sheets (clockwise from upper left): PAR, TurfScreen, Foursome and commercial paint. Photo by B. McCarty
38 GCM August 2013
-
The benefciary of plenty of help and encouragement along his own career path, Oak Hills Jeff Corcoran is now paying it forward to a whole new crop of golf course management professionals.
Scott Hollister
FAVORRETURNiNG the
-
The 13th hole on Oak Hill CCs East Course, site of this months PGA Championship.
Photo by Montana Pritchard/The PGA of America
-
In nearly every career there are instigators. People who stir the pot, who nudge, cajole, prod, encourage and generally keep their charges on a path toward a brighter professional day.
These instigators are particularly prominent in the world of golf course management, where mentors such as these are common in every corner of the industry, and are regularly celebrated and revered. It isnt hard to fnd superintendents who have enjoyed the benefts of such instigating and are
eager to talk about it.For example, consider the case of Jeff
Corcoran, who oversees operations at Oak Hill Country Club just outside of Roch-ester, N.Y. With a shining professional achievement the hosting of the 95th PGA Championship on Oak Hills famed East Course looming on the horizon later this month, the 17-year GCSAA member has been taking stock of his own march to this particular place in time and the instigators in his own life who helped him along the way.
Folks like his older brother, Tom, a longtime superintendent himself who of-fered his younger sibling that frst mem-orable glimpse into a career tending golf courses. I remember exactly where I was when I asked him, Can you go to college for this? Corcoran says. And he just kind of looked at me and said, Well, yeah. That really set my career path.
Folks like Leonard Tork, a retired dairy farmer with a, um, colorful vocabulary who was the frst superintendent Corco-ran ever worked for as a teenager back at Stonehedges Golf Course in his home-town of Groton, N.Y. I learned more one-liners with interesting words from that guy, he says with a laugh. He was a tough old bird.
Folks like Bob Emmons, who for more than three decades guided students through the turfgrass program at SUNY-Cobleskill including a veritable whos who of championship-level superinten-dents who were Corcorans classmates and won GCSAAs Distinguished Service Award in 2003. I was so fortunate to have him as a professor, Corcoran says. An unbelievable human being.
And folks like Paul B. Latshaw, CGCS, a benefciary of a notable cast of instigators himself who took over the top spot at Oak Hill in 1999, while Corcoran was serving as the facilitys East Course superintendent. That was huge for me. He took my agronomic acumen to a differ-ent level, Corcoran says.
This trip down memory lane is more than just a nostalgic exercise, however. Its also a glimpse into what drives Corcoran today as Oak Hills GCSAA Class A manager of golf courses
Left: Jeff Corcoran, Oak Hills manager of golf courses and grounds, knows the benefts of mentoring frsthand. And after seeing how help from others benefted his own career, he is now passing on similar help to those who work for him. Photos by Mary CorcoranTop: Fred Doheny (left), the superintendent over the East and West courses, says he has learned much from Corcoran, enough so that hell be heading off for his frst head superintendent position following the PGA.Bottom: Molly, the trusty guardian of the maintenance facility at Oak Hill.
-
46 GCM August 2013
and grounds, an insistence on helping oth-ers in the same way he has been helped and making it a priority even in the face of play-ing host to the fnal major of 2013.
Its always on my mind, Corcoran says. How well I prepare the guys that work for me is directly correlated to the level of suc-cess theyre going to have after they leave this place. I know what others have done for me along the way, so I feel its part of my job to return the favor.
Monument to mobilityThe walls of Oak Hills gleaming new
maintenance facility (See Home sweet home on Page 48) bear tangible proof of just how important it is to Corcoran to help those who work for him get a leg up in the industry. Four framed golf fags adorn the walls of the break room, a wall of fame, for lack of a better term, showcasing for-mer Oak Hill assistants who have gone on to manage courses of their own.
Those guys are here busting their humps for 80, 90 hours a week, says
Top: Corcoran honors former Oak Hill assistants who go on to head superintendent positions with a spot on the Wall of Fame in the break room of the clubs brand-new maintenance facility.Bottom: Corcoran (second from right) with Oak Hills current crop of assistants: (from left to right) Doheny; Phil Cuffare, East Course superintendent; and Chuck Zaranec, West Course superintendent.
Corcoran, so I feel its part of my responsi-bility to get them into superintendents po-sitions as soon as I can.
Theres plenty of room on that wall for new additions, too, something thats not lost on the clubs current crop of assistants, who know all too well how much work-ing for someone like Corcoran during an event like a PGA Championship can do for their careers. And that next addition might come sooner rather than later, if all goes according to plan for Corcorans top lieutenant, Fred Doheny, who carries the superintendent title for both the East and West courses.
The Philadelphia native and nine-year GCSAA member knew all about his bosss reputation when he came to Rochester from Shackamaxon Country Club in Scotch Plains, N.J., fve seasons ago. He says the counsel hes received from Corcoran over those seasons is a large part of why he is planning on taking on his frst head super-intendent position shortly after the fnal putt drops at the PGA.
Honestly, this is what Jeff wants to see from his assistants, Doheny says. Thats part of the attraction of this place. Obvi-ously, its Oak Hill and its the tournaments theyve hosted, but its also Jeff and his place in the industry and his history.
Chuck Zaranec, the newest of Oak Hills assistants who is less than a year into his journey as West Course superintendent, adds, Jeff s one of the best in the business, no doubt. His track record of having assis-tants move on to their own head superin-tendent positions speaks for itself.
Sweating the small stuffWhatever you do, though, dont assume
Corcorans ongoing interest in helping the industrys next generation will somehow jumble his priorities come the frst full
week of this month. Even though the PGA Championship promises to be a bit of an old-home week around Oak Hill, the peo-ple that know him best his family, his friends, his employees say his legendary attention to detail and unwavering focus will keep him dialed in as he leads Oak Hills preparations for the PGA Champion-ship (Aug. 8-11), the 11th major champion-ship and third PGA to be contested at the club in its 112-year history.
Jeff s work ethic is second to none and his attention to detail is just off the charts, says Latshaw, who is now the director of grounds operations at Muirfeld Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio. Hes just one of those guys with a knack for growing grass.
Hes easily the most detail-oriented person Ive ever been around, and I consider myself pretty detail-oriented, says Phil Cuffare, another of Corcorans assistants at Oak Hill who focuses on the East Course. Whatever it is, from the new maintenance facility to working with the employees, hes constantly pounding us on the impor-tance of the details.
Even at home, the little stuff seldom es-capes Corcoran. He is all about attention to detail, across the board, says his wife, Mary. Its a bit of a running joke at home because I consider myself a rather reason-able and tidy person. But Jeff is off the charts. Id never seen anything like it until I met him.
Upstate upbringingAs professional pursuits go, its been golf
and almost nothing else for Corcoran since his formative years. The son of a machinist father and a kindergarten teacher mother, his very frst job was on the golf course and hes done virtually nothing else since. That wasnt completely by design, especially in the early days. It was a means to an end to
-
VISIT
http://griggbros.com
JOIN
http://gri.gg/join
LIKE
http://gri.gg/fb
SUBSCRIBE
http://gri.gg/tv
-
48 GCM August 2013
After years of making due with an antiquated mainte-nance facility, Oak Hill will enjoy a brand-new, state-of-the-art complex for this months PGA Championship.
Throughout its storied, 112-year history, there has been plenty for Oak Hill Country
Club to brag about. The Donald Ross pedigrees of its two courses. The long lineage of
major championship golf, including three PGA Championships, two U.S. Opens, two U.S.
Amateurs and a Ryder Cup.
Unfortunately, there has rarely been much bragging about the clubs maintenance fa-
cility, especially in recent years, when the old stone structure frst built in 1954 by famed
superintendent Elmer Michaels fell further and further behind the modern golf course
management curve.
The building had just one bathroom and a break room with a capacity of 10 for an
in-season staff that had grown to nearly 60 employees. It wasnt air-conditioned. The
clubs equipment techs couldnt lift equipment more than six feet off the ground because
of the shops low-slung ceilings. Equipment had to be staged at various locations around
the property including a 1946 Quonset hut that had been plucked from a World War II
surplus pile because there simply wasnt enough room at the main facility.
Dave Oatis with the USGA Green Section once told me it was the worst maintenance
facility for a top-50 golf course he had ever seen, admits Jeff Corcoran, Oak Hills man-
ager of golf courses and grounds.
Fortunately for Corcoran and the team at Oak Hill who will tackle preparations for this
months PGA Championship, those challenges are all just bad memories now. In Decem-
ber of last year, the team moved into an all-new, cutting-edge complex located on the
southwest corner of the property. It was like fying right out of the 17th century into the
21st century, Corcoran says.
The desire for a new facility wasnt exactly confned to just the maintenance staff. Oak
Hill members had identifed the maintenance facility as the clubs top priority for improve-
ments in a property-wide evaluation. And several of those members stepped directly into
the project, from builder Rick LeFrois, who worked closely with Corcoran on the facilitys
design, to Jim McKenna and Rick Brienzi, who lent their construction expertise during the
actual building process.
Corcoran got his hands dirty on the project from the very beginning. He and LeFrois
even staked out the physical footprint of the buildings prior to the start of construction.
Me looking at a fat piece of paper doesnt really work, Corcoran says. Spatially, I need
to kind of get inside and say, Hey, this room needs to be a little bit bigger, or, This hallway
needs to be wider, or, The traffc fow here doesnt work.
In the end, that attention during planning paid off. There hasnt been a whole lot weve
encountered that weve said, Oh, I wish wed done that differently, Corcoran says.
And there have been other ancillary benefts. Moving off the site of the old facility at
the center of the East Course has opened up prime real estate for additional corporate
hospitality sites during the tournament.
Attracting and retaining staff also got a boost from the new home. Staff morale has
gone up, Corcoran says. They defnitely take care of it better. And in recruiting new
employees, it defnitely helps. You bring a guy in to a shop with one bathroom, a break
room the size of a closet, hes not going to be so sure about working here. Now, thats all
changed. This building is a game-changer in that regard.
S.H.
.
homeswee t home
Oak Hills gleaming new 30,000-square-foot maintenance facility more than twice the size of the clubs old building has been a game-changer for the more than 60 full-time employees who use it every day, says manager of golf courses and grounds Jeff Corcoran.
-
MDMaximum Dispersion
Featuring Slow Release Nitrogen
MDMaximum Dispersion
Meth-Ex is a multi-chain length, methylene urea nitrogen source that delivers
consistent, extended release nutrition when the turf needs it most. This high-activity
nitrogen delivers excellent color response and maximum long-term feeding.
Stress-Bufering BiostimulantsCountry Club MD contains both Sea Plant Kelp Meal and
Humic Acid which helps the turf grass plant achieve optimum
performance by helping it prepare for the onset of stressful
conditions. Turf treated with Sea Plant Kelp Meal and Humic
Acid will outperform untreated turf in overall quality and
playability during stressful conditions.
Harvesting Ascophyllum
Nodosum in the Bay of Fundy
Humic Acid
The MD Advantages Stress ProtectionThe stress-bufering biostimulants incorporated in Country Club MD fertilizer will assist your greens in preparing for the
inevitable periods of stress that come in every growing season. These fertilizer and soil enhancers help maintain the
high-quality and playability of your putting greens by aiding the turf plant to achieve optimal performance levels before
biotic or abiotic stress conditions occur.
No Mower PickupCountry Club MD rapidly disperses into the putting greens canopy after irrigation to virtually eliminate the possibility of
being picked up by the greens mower during the next mowing. This delivery system ensures that the exact amount of
nutrients you intended to feed your greens with actually become available to the turf.
No Particle MigrationDue to its maximized dispersion technology, Country Club MD moves into the turf canopy so efciently that it practically
eliminates the threat of particle migration in situations of over-watering or heavy rain events. Ensuring the nutrients reach
and stay where they are intended is another MD advantage.
www.countryclubmd.com
See MD at WorkWhen Country Club MD comes into contact with water, the sea
plant kelp meal and humic acid quickly release from the particles
during dispersion, becoming immediately available to the plant.
-
50 GCM August 2013
play golf, and that was about it, Corcoran says. It was just a summer job, no pressure, and I got to play free golf six days a week.
But those summers at Stonehedges, working for that grizzled old dairy-farmer-turned-superintendent with his older brother by his side left their mark.
Looking back on it, it gave me expe-riences that I never would have gotten at other courses. I mean, Im 14 years old and Im aerifying greens and running a triplex, driving around equipment I had no busi-ness driving around on a golf course. I would never let a 14-year-old do that here, Corcoran says.
But it was unique. I got a lot of good, early experience and just kind of built on that.
That ultimate realization that maintain-ing and managing golf courses could be a career piqued Corcorans interest in SUNY-Cobleskill, a school about 2 hours east of Groton with a two-year turfgrass program that had developed a strong regional repu-tation. It was there he would form the un-breakable foundation of his career, thanks to one amazing professor and a renowned group of classmates.
That professor, Emmons, made an al-most immediate impression. I was ex-tremely fortunate to have him as a mentor, a teacher, Corcoran says. Its hard to believe that this one guy leading a small, two-year turfgrass program in upstate New York would shepherd all these guys who would
go on to do well in the industry through that program.
As for those classmates from his two years in Cobleskill, their names read like a whos who of Americas top superinten-dents. Theres Russ Myers from Los Angeles Country Club, who hosted the 2008 PGA at Southern Hills in Tulsa, Okla. Theres Mark Michaud, who worked at Pebble Beach be-fore hosting a U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills in 2004. Theres also Craig Currier a two-time U.S. Open host at Bethpage who is now at the Glen Oaks Club on Long Island and Jeff Kent the former su-perintendent at Quail Hollow in Charlotte who recently took over at La Gorce Country Club in Miami Beach and David Pughe the longtime superintendent at the Gar-den City (N.Y.) Golf Club.
Its a group that carries some impres-sive rsums, no doubt. But its also a group thats been extremely supportive of each other throughout their careers, and one that has largely kept in touch since those days in Cobleskill. And to a man, theyre quick with their praise of Corcoran.
The guy never misses a detail, never makes a mistake, Myers says. Its not that Jeff s a worrywart or anything, but hes just always on top of things. Hes as well-re-searched a superintendent as Ive ever seen. It doesnt take him forever to come to a de-cision about things, but he uses a ton of in-formation to get to that point.
If making signifcant architectural changes to
a golf course after it lands a major championship
is an industry trend, then consider Oak Hill Coun-
try Clubs East Course a trend-buster.
When the worlds fnest golfers take on the
Donald Ross-designed East Course during this
months PGA Championship, theyll fnd a layout
that has largely been unchanged since its last
major event the 2008 Senior PGA Champion-
ship and, really, dating back to the last time
the PGA came to town in 2003.
There have been a few nips and tucks along
the way, and the introduction of graduated rough
as a tournament maintenance practice a frst
for a PGA Championship will attract some at-
tention, but essentially theyre going to see close
to the same golf course they saw back then, says
Jeff Corcoran, Oak Hills manager of golf courses
and grounds.
If there is a marquee change to note, it is on
the par-3 15th, a 181-yard downhill hole with a
pair of bunkers guarding the left side of the green
and a pond standing watch over the right. Before
the changes, the pond was a full 4-5 feet from
the edge of the green, the bunkers were elevated
above the actual putting surface, and the entire
green sloped noticeably from left to right, which
limited the number of practical hole locations.
With Tom Marzolf of Fazio Golf Course De-
signers providing the vision and McDonald and
Sons Golf Course Builders the muscle, the green
was rebuilt, largely in an effort to provide more
(hole locations) and more exciting hole locations,
Corcoran says.
We changed the bunkers, reshaped the sur-
rounds and dropped the elevation of the left-hand
side, he says. It still runs left to right toward
the pond, but its much less severe now. We
also brought the pond right up to the edge of the
green, so its a little narrower than it used to be.
Corcoran speculates that the newly created
hole locations on No. 15, tucked tightly up against
the water, will be in play on as many as three days
of the championship.