Editor’s note: The GCM team will be doing our best to maintain an up-to-date feed of announcements on this page. If you have news you think belongs here, please email GCMOnline.com editor Megan Hirt.
Friday, April 30, 2021
• The Sierra Nevada GCSA recently held its annual Grassroots Tournament at Bing Maloney Golf Course in Sacramento, Calif., where the chapter announced its annual award winners:
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Sam Samuelson, CGCS, superintendent at Wildhawk Golf Club in Sacramento, Calif., and a 39-year GCSAA member, received the Distinguished Member of the Year honor.
- Muhammad Ali, superintendent at Bing Maloney Golf Course in Sacramento, Calif., and a five-year GCSAA member, was named Turfgrass Manager of the Year for the public sector.
- Dave Bermudez, superintendent at Del Rio Country Club in Modesto, Calif., and a 37-year GCSAA member, received the Turfgrass Manager of the Year honor for the private sector.
- Michael Kaveney, superintendent at Turkey Creek Golf Club in Lincoln, Calif., and a 31-year GCSAA member, received the President’s Grassroots Award.
- Tim Texeira of Sierra Pacific Turf Supply was presented with the Affiliate Merit Award. Sierra Pacific is a longtime sponsor and supporter of numerous chapters throughout California.
• Paul Giordano, Ph.D., of the Bayer Green Solutions Team has published a new “Talking Turf” blog post about annual bluegrass weevil control: Annual bluegrass weevil: Help is here.
Tuesday, April 27, 2021
• SOLitude Lake Management will host a free educational webinar, “Benefits Behind the Bubbles: Aeration + NEW Tech,” on Wednesday, May 12 at 2 p.m. Eastern. Aeration experts Todd Barhydt, Chris Byrne and Patrick Goodwin will be on hand to discuss various water body challenges and solutions, and to answer attendees’ questions. Learn more and register.
• Profile Products has hired Lauren Deem as a technical services associate, and Dave Snyder in the newly created role of alternative energy market development manager. Read more about Deem and Snyder and their new positions.
Monday, April 26, 2021
• The First Tee of Greater Richmond has announced the leadership team for Belmont Golf Course in Richmond, Va., which will reopen to the public on May 29 following a restoration by Davis Love III and Love Golf Design. Four-year GCSAA member Dan Sabina will run the daily agronomy of the course. Sabina joined The First Tee of Greater Richmond in May 2020 and previously worked at The Federal Club in Glen Allen, Va.; The Governors Club in Nashville; Oakland Hills Country Club in Detroit; and Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club near Portland, Ore. Since coming onboard, Sabina has worked closely with Love Golf Design and MacCurrach Golf Construction during the course renovation. Read more.
• Ascernity fungicide from Syngenta is now registered for use on turf in California. The company says Ascernity delivers long-lasting control of diseases such as anthracnose, large patch, gray leaf spot and more in warm- and cool-season turf.
• New public opinion research from the association RISE (Responsible Industry for a Sound Environment) shows Americans support the current federal and state pesticide regulatory framework. Among the key findings:
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Eight in 10 consumers think pesticides play an important role in protecting their home, health and community, and more than six in 10 have used pesticides in or around their home this year.
- A majority (78%) of consumers trust the EPA to effectively regulate pesticide products.
- Survey respondents overwhelmingly agree (82%) that the rigorous scientific review and regulatory process ensures that pesticide products can safely and effectively protect public health, safety and property.
Friday, April 23, 2021
• The National Golf Foundation has published insights on the impact of recovery in the travel sector on 2021 golf travel. Among core golfers, the average number of expected golf trips is up about 63% compared with last year. Read more on NGF’s “The Q.”
• Spiio has announced a partnership with Ewing Irrigation & Landscape Supply, which is now an authorized distributor of Spiio’s wireless soil sensors for the U.S. golf market. “Bringing on Ewing as a distributor greatly increases our ability to introduce our Spiio technology to golf customers in the northeastern, southeastern and southwestern U.S.,” says Chris Thorup, Spiio co-founder and chief commercial officer.
Thursday, April 22, 2021
• According to a new study by Penn State researchers, Poa annua possesses transgenerational memory, “remembering” whether its parent was mowed or not mowed. The discovery solves a two-decades-old mystery that had vexed David Huff, Ph.D., professor of turfgrass breeding and genetics at Penn State, whose research trials are aimed at breeding Poa annua to produce seed for greens. Read more in Golf course turfgrass species ‘remembers’ if it was mowed, develops differently.
• Two GCSAA members recently completed levels in the association’s Equipment Management Certificate Program:
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John Patterson, Atlanta (Ga.) Athletic Club (Level 2)
- Jason Sargent, Abenaqui Country Club, Rye Beach, N.H. (Level 1)
• Ben Geren Golf Course in Fort Smith, Ark., and superintendent Jay Randolph, CGCS, have been honored with the Chairman’s Landowner Achievement Award from the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission for the facility’s native tallgrass prairie, which is also part of a University of Arkansas-Fort Smith research project. Randolph is a 25-year member of GCSAA. Read more.
• DLF Seeds has named Ben Addington the director of marketing for its North America strategic business unit. Addington’s background includes over 15 years of marketing and communications experience, most recently as manager of marketing and customer experience for La Crosse Seed in La Crosse, Wis. Read more.
• SePRO has launched EutroSORB Phosphorus Filtration Technology, which the company says is designed to improve watershed management by being a simple solution for intercepting excess phosphorus from moving water. Eutrophication, caused by excess levels of nitrogen and phosphorous in water, leads to harmful algal blooms that can put entire aquatic ecosystems as well as humans, pets and wildlife at risk.
Wednesday, April 21, 2021
• GCSAA Class A superintendent Jerry Cotton (right) has been named national Superintendent of the Year by Indigo Golf Partners. Cotton, a 17-year association member, oversees Joe Louis “The Champ” Golf Course in Riverdale, Ill. Read more, and check out a video of Cotton being presented with the award.
• Heritage Golf Group announced the purchase of Stanton Ridge Golf & Country Club in Whitehouse Station, N.J., and Boulder Ridge Country Club near Chicago. With the acquisitions, the company now manages 11 facilities in seven states. Read more.
• The city of Amsterdam, N.Y., has selected BrightView Golf Maintenance to maintain its Amsterdam Municipal Golf Course. The 18-hole championship course opened in 1938 and was designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr. Read more.
• The USGA and the National Alliance for Accessible Golf have provided a $12,500 grant to the I Got This Foundation, a nonprofit that promotes golf instruction, playing opportunities and organized events for people with Down syndrome and other intellectual disabilities. The grant will be earmarked toward the I Got This Foundation’s newest initiative: a golf academy for those with intellectual disabilities. Learn more.
Tuesday, April 20, 2021
• CMF Global Inc., maker of the HDPE piping system AquaFuse, has entered into an agreement with Owens Corning to produce new AquaFuse lake liners. The liners are made of high-quality reinforced composite polyethylene (RCPE) geomembranes, and the company says they serve as a protective layer that prevents the loss of water, maintains water quality, and prevents exfiltration into subsurface water resources. Read more.
• The USGA announced Newport (R.I.) Country Club has been awarded the 2024 U.S. Senior Open Championship, June 27-30, 2024. The club was originally scheduled to host the 2020 championship, but the event was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2024 U.S. Senior Open Championship will be the fifth USGA championship to be held at Newport Country Club, which hosted the inaugural U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur championships in 1895. GCSAA Class A superintendent Christopher Coen, a 16-year member of the association, leads course maintenance at Newport Country Club.
• Sanford Golf Design has completed a comprehensive redesign of Martin County Golf Course in Stuart, Fla., which was recently renamed Sailfish Sands Golf Course. Teaming with contractor TDI Golf, Sanford Golf Design reduced the overall footprint of the former 18-hole course, originally built in the 1920s, into a reversible nine-hole course that can be played in two different directions. Read more about the project from Golf Course Architecture.
Monday, April 19, 2021
• Syngenta has published new GreenCast Advisory articles for golf course superintendents:
Friday, April 16, 2021
• Arborjet introduced its new soil injector, the AccuFlo Soil Injector ISD. The system allows applicators to precisely apply plant growth regulators, fertilizers and more as a soil injection as well as a soil drench or spray. “The AccuFlo Soil Injector ISD uses Arborjet’s highly effective product application technology to deliver precise and repeatable dosing at twice the pressure and half the weight of competitor devices,” says Russ Davis, president and CEO Arborjet Inc. “It is a versatile, portable and intuitive system for all soil injection, drench and foliar spray application needs.” Learn more.
Thursday, April 15, 2021
• The GCSA of New England has honored Kip Tyler, CGCS, with its 2021 Distinguished Service Award. Tyler, a 43-year GCSAA member, retired last year after nearly four decades as the superintendent at Salem (Mass.) Country Club. Read more.
• Two GCSAA members recently completed Level 2 of the association’s Equipment Management Certificate Program:
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Cody Burnsed, Montezuma, N.C.
- Jeremy Meadows, Westfield Country Club, Westfield Center, Ohio
• The Colorado Golf Coalition — which includes the Colorado Section of the PGA of America, the Rocky Mountain GCSA and the Mile-High Chapter of the Club Management Association of America — has published the “Colorado Golf Economic & Environmental Impact Report.” Produced in collaboration with the National Golf Foundation and Radius Sports Group, the report shows the state’s golf industry generated more than an estimated $2 billion (direct, indirect and induced) to the wider Colorado economy in 2019, with more than 19,400 jobs supported, $696.5 million in wage income, and more than $166.5 million in state and local taxes. Among the environmental highlights, Colorado’s 236 golf facilities furnished approximately 33,061 acres of green space, and about 97% employed at least three or more water conservation measures. Read the full report here.
Tuesday, April 13, 2021
• Ingersoll Rand Inc. has entered into an agreement to sell its specialty vehicle technologies segment, Club Car, to the global private equity firm Platinum Equity. The transaction is expected to be completed by the third quarter of 2021. “Club Car has a long history of leadership in golf, utility and consumer low-speed vehicles, and we look forward to nurturing their core business and supporting the diverse needs of the company’s customers,” says Tom Gores, chairman and CEO of Platinum Equity. “We are excited to partner with the Club Car team and support the business as it executes on its strategy of operational excellence and ongoing, profitable commercial growth.” Read more.
• Target Specialty Products will host the next installment of its Turf Fuel Master Class series on Thursday, April 15 at noon Eastern. The free webinar, “More Than Just Nutrition: Turf Troubleshooting,” will be an interactive discussion led by Target Specialty Products proprietary products manager Mark Jull. Register for the webinar.
• Capillary Bunkers has hired Cory Blair as its new sales and business development manager for the southeastern United States. Blair’s territory will extend from Arkansas in the west to the Carolinas in the east and include Georgia, where he is based, Tennessee and Mississippi. Blair is a graduate of Auburn University with a degree in agronomy and soils. “As someone who worked on golf courses for a number of years, I like being able to help superintendents,” Blair says. “I see Capillary Bunkers as an Everyman product. Although it’s high-spec, it is still affordable to little mom and pop courses, because they can install it in-house as resources allow.”
Monday, April 12, 2021
• Golf course architect Forrest Richardson, who is the current president of the American Society of Golf Course Architects, has announced that Jeffrey A. Danner, ASGCA, has joined his design firm as senior golf course architect. Known for decades as Forrest Richardson & Associates, the firm will transition to Richardson | Danner Golf Course Architects and operate from two offices, in Phoenix and Northern California. “It’s a goal we’ve had for several years, to bring the right person aboard,” Richardson says. “There’s strength in having two golf course architects coming together to build upon a shared passion that golf must be fun, inclusive and sustainable. It’s especially effective when one golf course architect is older and has ‘seen it all,’ and when the other is experienced, but younger, with a fresh perspective. Jeff fits the bill perfectly.” Read more.
• Troon has been selected to manage three Southern California golf courses owned by Garden Grove-based Sanyo Foods Corp. of America: Yorba Linda Country Club in Yorba Linda; Lomas Santa Fe Country Club in Solana Beach; and Tustin Ranch Golf Club in Tustin. Yorba Linda CC is set in the rolling hills of north Orange County and features a Harold Rainville-designed course. The golf course at Lomas Santa Fe CC, located 20 miles north of San Diego, was designed by William Bell. Tustin Ranch GC features a Ted Robinson-designed course that’s the centerpiece of the Tustin Ranch community. Read more.
• The National Golf Foundation has published insights on the impact of increased remote working on the golfing habits of non-retired core golfers. Read more on NGF’s “The Q.”
Thursday, April 8, 2021
• Beginning March 5, 2021, Patrick Husby, superintendent at Navesink Country Club in Red Bank, N.J., ran 4 miles every four hours for 48 hours in the David Goggins 4×4×48 Challenge, with the goal of raising money for the GCSANJ Foundation, the charitable arm of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of New Jersey. A 16-year GCSAA member, Husby (on the left in the photo below, with GCSANJ Foundation president Tyler Otero) raised $16,200 from 150 donors throughout his community and the local golf community. The challenge is inspired by retired Navy Seal David Goggins, and Husby completed it March 7, with supporters able to follow his progress on Twitter.
Wednesday, April 7, 2021
• Sixteen GCSAA members recently achieved Class A superintendent status:
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Jose Alvarez, Fort Washington Country Club, Fresno, Calif.
- James N. Armstrong, Glade Springs Village Property Owners Association, Daniels, W.Va.
- Collin J. Cannon, Grand Forks (N.D.) Country Club
- George Chavez, Pelham Bay and Split Rock golf courses, The Bronx, N.Y.
- Ryan D. Emerich, Vesper Country Club, Tyngsboro, Mass.
- Patrick M. Hagan, Waccabuc (N.Y.) Country Club
- Justin F. Hunt, Mission Hills (Kan.) Country Club
- Shaun D. Marcellus, Wanumetonomy Golf and Country Club, Middletown, R.I.
- Aaron Motl, Lincoln Golf Course, Grand Forks, N.D.
- Steven Murphy, Ole Miss Golf Course, Oxford, Miss.
- Kevin W. Nash, Greystone Golf Course, White Hall, Md.
- Emmett Reilly, Quit Qui Oc Golf Club, Elkhart Lake, Wis.
- Ryan Sloan, Brockville (Ontario) Country Club
- Kyle Stirn, Baker National Golf Course, Medina, Minn.
- Jacob R. Talley, Tipton (Ind.) Municipal Golf Course
- Zachary M. Tolleson, Rock Creek Golf Club, Fairhope, Ala.
• Two GCSAA members recently completed Level 1 of the association’s Equipment Management Certificate Program:
- Glenford Downey, Okanagan Golf Club, Kelowna, British Columbia
- Chris Richardson, Skaneateles (N.Y.) Country Club
Tuesday, April 6, 2021
• The new Stillwater community and golf club near Jacksonville, Fla. — set to open in late 2021 — will feature revetted pot bunkers made possible by EcoBunker’s synthetic bunker edging system. Synthetic grass tiles are built on top of each other to create a layered effect, and the end product is a fortified bunker that reduces wind-based erosion. “Revetted bunkers are exceptionally rare in warm-season grass environments,” says Richard Allen, inventor and CEO of EcoBunker. “The extreme nature of these climates means that bunker faces can easily be destroyed by heavy rain. Our product helps solve that problem.” The 18-hole Stillwater course was designed by Bobby Weed.
• Target Specialty Products has launched Turf Fuel INFINITE, a soil surfactant and stress management system. Turf Fuel INFINITE combines Diuturon, a patent-pending surfactant, Templar, a plant stress technology, and four other companion polymers, which the company says enables turf managers to take control of soil hydration and plant health like never before. The product will be available in late April 2021 on a state by state basis as regulatory approvals are granted.
• Troon has been selected to manage Esplanade Golf & Country Club, a private club and community in Naples, Fla. Troon Privé, the private-club-operating division of Troon, will manage golf course agronomy as well as the club’s resort-style amenities, food and beverage operations, membership marketing, and more. Esplanade Golf & Country Club features an 18-hole Chris Wilczynski-designed golf course that was named one of the “Best New Courses in America” by Golf Digest in 2014. Evan Fisher, a seven-year GCSAA member, is the golf course superintendent at Esplanade Golf & Country Club.
Monday, April 5, 2021
• Redwood Canyon Golf Course in Castro Valley, Calif., has achieved designation as a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary. Superintendent Justin Brasseur, an eight-year GCSAA member, spearheaded the initiative. The 18-hole public course’s environmental efforts include providing extensive native acreage; reducing irrigated areas to conserve water; establishing buffers around water bodies; providing wildlife habitat for indigenous species; and conducting extensive water quality testing. Learn more.
• The USGA announced Philadelphia Cricket Club will host the ninth U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship, May 25-29, 2024. Match play and stroke play will be contested at the club’s Wissahickon Course; the club’s Militia Hill Course will serve as the stroke-play co-host course. The Pennsylvania club was originally scheduled to host the 2020 U.S. Amateur Four-Ball before the championship was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. GCSAA Class A superintendent Dan Meersman, a 21-year association member, is the director of grounds and facilities at Philadelphia Cricket Club.
• Prime Source has hired Jeremy Moore as Southeast territory manager. Moore has over 20 years of experience in the turf and ornamental industry, previously working in sales for TruGreen, Scotts Lawn Care and Quali-Pro. He holds a bachelor’s degree in ag-business from North Carolina State University and will be based in North Carolina.