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 Scott Hollister.
Friday, April 22, 2022
• The Florida GCSA has announced a new partnership with Brandt Consolidated that
will support the state's superintendent golfers through the creation of a new “points race” modeled on the PGA Tour’s FedEx Cup will lend even greater interest to the showcase annual golf events across Florida going forward.
Under the three-year partnership, the new program will provide an annual trophy for the overall winner plus travel, entry fees and uniforms for a total of 10 Florida GCSA members (two teams) to represent the state in the team event at GCSAA’s National
Golf Championships.
Golfers will earn points based on their performance in the Everglades GCSA Poa Annua Golf Classic, the Florida GCSA Steven Wright Memorial Golf Tournament, the North Florida GCSA Fall Classic, the Central Florida Crowfoot Open and, new this year,
the Florida GCSA Benevolent Fund Tournament.
In 2022, the event will be known as the “Florida GCSA Race to Orlando presented by Brandt.” The highest points earner will get to keep the Brandt Cup for one year as well as a trophy they keep permanently.
• Jeremy Vingson, an assistant superintendent at Foxfire Country Club in Naples, Fla., has completed his final certificate in GCSAA's Assistant Superintendent Certificate Series to complete the entire program. He will be receiving a GCSAA gift certificate from the program’s sponsor, John Deere.
Wednesday, April 20, 2022
• The USGA has announced a landmark partnership with
Pebble Beach that will bring four U.S. Opens and four U.S. Women’s Opens to the storied venue in the coming years, as well as create a joint initiative with the USGA Green Section to invest in turfgrass and water conservation research.
As part of today’s announcement, Pebble Beach will host U.S. Opens in 2027, 2032, 2037 and 2044, as well as U.S. Women’s Opens Presented by ProMedica, including next year’s championship and tournaments in 2035, 2040 and 2048. In
addition, for the first time, the U.S. Senior Open and U.S. Senior Women’s Open will be staged back-to-back at the same location in 2030, with the resort’s Spyglass Hill Golf Course serving as the host site.
“This relationship with Pebble Beach, long considered a national treasure, is a historic step forward for golf,” said USGA CEO Mike Whan. “In addition to elevating our Open championships, the USGA and Pebble Beach are committed
to working together to ensure a more diverse, welcoming and accessible game. We couldn’t be more thankful for their collaboration and like-minded vision.”
Beyond the future championships, the USGA and Pebble Beach are developing community-based programs to create internships and other career opportunities for the next generation of industry leaders, including the initiative with the Green Section,
that will contributing to the entities’ shared goal of creating enjoyable golf experiences that are environmentally and economically sustainable.
Tuesday, April 19, 2022
• Two assistant superintendents have recently taken the final steps in GCSAA’s Assistant Superintendent Certificate Series.
Tony Zerwas, the second assistant at Town and Country Club in St. Paul, Minn., and William Dennis, the assistant superintendent at Hendersonville (N.C.) Country Club, both completed the final certificates
in the ASCS, making them the 108th and 109th members to complete the entire series. Zerwas and Dennis will receive a GCSAA gift certificate from the ASCS sponsor, John Deere.
• Kayla Kipp, the equipment manager at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort in Farmington, Pa., has earned the Level 2 certificate in GCSAA’s Equipment Managers Certificate Program. She is the 77th member to complete both Level 1 and Level 2 certificates.
Thursday, April 14, 2022
• Landscapes Unlimited has opened the application process for its 2022 internship program that helps college
students hone skills in the development and construction of golf courses and sports fields. Integrating classroom learning and real-world work environments, students are mentored hands-on by Landscapes Unlimited project managers in the areas
of project policies, procedures, scope and communications; construction and irrigation techniques and processes; equipment management; and project execution.
“Leadership is the ability to achieve results through people,” says Brian Vitek, Chief Operating Officer of Landscapes Unlimited. “We are proud to cultivate the next generation of professionals and help future-proof the
golf course and sports field development and construction discipline.”
Internships are 10 weeks, and applications are due on April 30, 2022. For more information, contact amtucker@landscapesunlimited.com.
Tuesday, April 5, 2022
• Applications for the 2022 Syngenta Business Institute are now open. Following two virtual years because of the pandemic,
the professional development event returns in-person Dec. 6-9 at the Graylyn International Conference Center in Winston-Salem, N.C. Developed in partnership with the nationally ranked Wake Forest University Executive Education program, the
2022 event curriculum focuses on critical industry skills such as work-life balance, negotiations, financial management, tools for managing employees and leading across cultures and generations. Upon completion, participants will earn 1.5
GCSAA education points. The deadline to apply for SBI is midnight PDT on Aug. 22.
Monday, April 4, 2022
• The Musser International Turfgrass Foundation has selected Travis Russell and Devon Carroll, Ph.D., as recipients of its 2022
Award of Excellence. The award is given to outstanding Ph.D. candidates in turfgrass research.
Russell received his bachelor’s degree in horticulture, landscape and turf sciences at the University of Arkansas. He went on to earn his master’s in horticulture from the University of Arkansas, where his thesis research focused on
determining precise light requirements for golf course turfgrasses in the transition zone. He is currently completing his Ph.D. at Penn State University in agronomy. In May, Russell will start as the technical services representative for the
golf and lawn care industry for Bayer Environmental Sciences Canada.
Carroll received her bachelor’s degree in turfgrass science and master’s degree in agronomy, focused on turfgrass, at Penn State. She went on to earn a Ph.D. in plant, soil and environmental science, concentrated in weed science, from
the University of Tennessee. While there, she concurrently earned a second master’s degree in agricultural leadership, education and communications focused on recruiting women to the turfgrass industry. Since graduating, Carroll has
continued her research career as a development scientist contractor with Bayer Environmental Science.
• The USGA has invested $1.9 million in grants to
fund more than 80 research projects in 2022 through the Mike Davis Program for Advancing Golf Course Management — the largest private turfgrass and environmental research effort in golf’s history. The USGA’s commitment to
the program has totaled nearly $47 million since 1983, and the resulting sustainable management practices have contributed to a 20 percent decrease in water usage and a nearly 40 percent decrease in nutrient usage by golf courses in the last
decade. The 2022 grant recipients include more than a dozen universities in the U.S. and represent both short- and long-term projects that focus on science-based management practices, turfgrass innovation and environmental stewardship.