 |
 |
INDUSTRY news |
Olympia Fields (Ill.) CC’s South Course is going to receive a major restoration. Golf course architect Steve Smyers intends to restore and modernize the Tom Bendelow-designed track, which was built shortly after the club was formed in 1915. About 500 yards will be added to the course to push the championship distance to 7,200 yards. Irrigation and drainage also will be improved. Construction will begin in late July or early August. Thomas Gray, CGCS, is the superintendent.
The Toro Co. has awarded Château Élan the use of one of its Groundsmaster mowers for one year. Mike Nicodemus, equipment manager at Château Élan in Braselton, Ga., was selected from those who submitted an application in the drawing, either through a magazine business reply card or at www.toro.com. There are 63 holes of golf at Château Élan, including the 18-hole championship Château and Woodlands courses; the par-3, nine-hole executive walking course; and The Legends, a private 18-hole golf club.
Neil Cleveland, the new director of U.S. green business for Bayer Environmental Science, recently took time to sit down and chat with GCM. Cleveland, who replaces Dan Carrothers, promised that customers won’t notice any difference in service from Bayer with him at the helm. According to Cleveland, there’s a five-year business plan that the company is in the middle of, and they’ll stick with it. For now, Cleveland says he wants to make sure superintendents know that Bayer is in the turf business for the long haul. “Look at the research and development we do,” he suggests. “Is there a problem that isn’t being solved today? You can expect Bayer to invest the resources, time and money into trying to find a solution. That’s what we do.” Cleveland has a bachelor of science degree in agronomy from Delaware Valley College.
In other Bayer news, the company, along with The Environmental Institute for Golf, sent 10 superintendents who were directly affected by hurricane-related weather to the 2006 GIS. The following superintendents were selected through a random drawing: Gary M. Brouillette, Eastover CC, New Orleans; Richard Cashio, Colonial CC, New Orleans; Hiram A. Denley, Eastover CC, New Orleans; Bryan E. Jackson, The Palms GC at Pleasure, Port Arthur, Texas; Chris McCallum, Lake Charles (La.) CC; Steven A. McDonald, Diamondhead (Miss.) CC; James A. Moore, TPC of Louisiana, Avondale, La.; Charles C. Simpson II, Shell Landing GC, Gautier, Miss.; James R. Smith, Riverlands G&CC, Laplace, La.; Alan W. Sullivan, Grand Bear GC, Saucier, Miss.
Deere & Co. has announced worldwide net income of $235.9 million, or $0.99 per share, for the quarter ending Jan. 31, compared with $222.8 million, or $0.89 per share, for the same period last year. Worldwide net sales and revenues increased 7 percent to $4.202 billion for the quarter, compared with $3.935 billion a year ago. Net sales of the equipment operations were $3.691 billion for the quarter, compared with $3.526 billion last year.
The United States had its warmest January on record, with an average temperature of 39.5 degrees F, which is 8.5 degrees above the 1895-2005 mean of 31.0 degrees F, according to the National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C. The warmth was a product of the jet stream remaining unusually far to the north during the month, trapping cold air in Canada and Alaska, and allowing relatively warm Pacific air to influence temperatures across the country.
Jacobsen is celebrating 85 years in the turf industry this year. The company began in Racine, Wis., in 1921 when Knud and Oscar Jacobsen decided to focus on grounds maintenance equipment. One of their early models was the first mower equipped with a motor specifically designed for cutting and maintaining turf. The “4-acre” had such an abundance of power that it became popular in Switzerland because of its ability to climb heavy mountain grades.
The Tree Care Industry Association has launched the industry’s first safety certification program, the Certified Treecare Safety Professional. For more on the certification program visit www.treecareindustry.org.
The Eastern Shore Association of GCS has elected officers for 2006. John Kotoski, CGCS at River Run Golf Club, was elected president; Eric Snelsire of The Links At Lighthouse Sound, vice president; Joe Pishtey of the Beach Club Golf Links, is secretary; and Harlyn Goldman, CGCS at Ocean Pines Golf & Country Club, is treasurer.
The Sports Turf Managers Association has elected five officers and three directors to its board of directors. Elected to second terms were Mike Trigg, president, Waukegan (Ill.) Park District; Mike Andresen, president-elect, Iowa State University; Abby McNeal, secretary, Bridgeview (Ill.) Stadium.; and Chris Calcaterra, treasurer, city of Peoria (Ariz.) Sports Complex. Elected to his first term was Tra DuBois, vice president-commercial, World Class Athletic Surfaces Inc., Leland, Miss. The new past president is Bob Campbell, University of Tennessee athletic department. Jay Warnick, BYU-Idaho; Lance Tibbetts, Town of Windham, Maine; and David Minner, Ph.D., Iowa State University, were elected to the board of directors.
The National Golf Foundation recently surveyed more than 400 golf industry executives regarding their outlook for the golf business in the coming year and 78 percent of them said “competition from other courses or clubs” was their biggest concern. Energy costs came in second, with 68 percent saying it was a concern. The survey also asked the operators to look at the future, and although optimists outnumbered pessimists regarding the next year in the golf industry, most respondents thought things weren’t going to change. Thirty-one percent of the executives said they expect the economy of the golf industry to be better a year from now, 17 percent said things will be worse and 51 percent said things will be about the same.
The Outdoor Power Equipment Institute says that for the 2005 model year, slightly more than 291,000 commercial turf outdoor power equipment units were shipped — a reduction of 1.9 percent from the previous year. A slight increase in the total of riding mowers comes partly from double-digit growth in the front-mounted riding units. The increase is significant because it is the first year mid-mounts have decreased in many years. This decrease in commercial mid-mounts may be attributed to the growth trend in consumer mid-mounts, according to the OPEI report. For more information visit www.opei.org.
Evergro Canada Inc. and The Pickseed Co. Group have joined in a distribution agreement for western Canadian professional turf seed. Under the agreement, Evergro will take over the blending, marketing and distribution for all of Pickseed’s Pro Turf varieties in British Columbia. The agreement will also allow Evergro to service its Alberta professional turf customers with a cooperative distribution arrangement with Pickseed. Pickseed will retain and maintain its well-established consumer grass seed business as well as its forage and corn business in British Columbia and Alberta.
The International Network of Golf has named its advisory board for 2006. Three new board members are filling full three-year terms: Steve Asman of Gustbuster/Sunbuster, George Baker of Razor Golf and Ron Garl of Ron Garl Golf Course Design.
FarmLinks has introduced the Innovations Committee. The brainchild of Mark Langner, director of agronomy and applied research at FarmLinks, and Dave Heegard, vice president of sales and marketing, the committee is composed of 10 superintendents from across the nation with a combined total of more than 100 years of golf course knowledge and experience. The committee is scheduled to meet at FarmLinks in mid-March, having completed its first major assignment: scouring the 2006 GIS floor for what’s new and exciting and what’s potentially most beneficial for the turf industry. The current members of FarmLinks’ new committee include Mark Clark, CGCS, Troon G&CC, Scottsdale, Ariz.; Sandy Clark, CGCS, Barona Creek GC, San Diego; Jeff Corcoran, Oak Hill CC, Rochester, N.Y.; Todd Daniel, Riverchase CC, Birmingham, Ala.; Pat Finlen, CGCS, The Olympic Club, San Francisco; David Gourlay, CGCS, Colbert Hills GC, Manhattan, Kan.; Tim Kennelly, CGCS, Baltimore CC, Baldwin, Md.; Rick Tegtmeier, CGCS, Elmcrest CC, Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Tom Vlach, CGCS, Greystone G&CC, Birmingham, Ala.; and Bruce Williams, CGCS, The Los Angeles CC.
People news
The Midwest Regional Turf Foundation recently honored Purdue alumnus and Bayer Environmental Science sales representative John Turner with its 2006 Distinguished Service Award. The Midwest Regional Turf Foundation, founded in 1946 for turfgrass research and education at Purdue University, presented the award to Turner for his continued commitment to the turfgrass industry. Turner, who was national formulator account manager for Bayer Environmental Science from 2002 to 2005, recently took on a new role with Bayer as senior sales specialist for the lawn and landscape division, covering the northern Midwest.
Melissa Gugliotti has been hired as a sales representative for the aquatics market by Syngenta Professional Products. She was previously market segment manager with BioSafe Systems, where she led sales for commercial and retail aquatic product lines and oversaw all marketing activities. Gugliotti will be Syngenta’s territory manager for the Midwest and Northeast.
Dow AgroSciences has named Doug Van Vooren as district sales manager and Patrick Bell has been hired as a sales representative for the turf and ornamental team. Van Vooren is responsible for managing the company’s sales representatives in Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah and Washington. Van Vooren has been with Dow AgroSciences for 24 years. Bell, who has been training with the company since June, will be a resource to customers in the lawn care, golf and nursery industries in eastern Florida, south of Palm Coast. He will be responsible for creating awareness for Curfew soil fumigant and Showcase specialty herbicide, as well as the rest of the turf and ornamental product line.
Rex VanHoose has been promoted to senior vice president/managing architect at Jacobsen Hardy Golf Course Design. In his new position, VanHoose directs the firm’s projects in design and construction. He joined the company in 2001 after spending seven years working in the golf course development business, first as a project superintendent for Rausch Construction, then as a design associate for both Keith Foster Golf Course Design and Lohmann Golf Designs.
Sue Rigsby has joined the International Club Suppliers sales team as regional manager in the Midwest. She will be responsible for starting and building a territory in Illinois, Wisconsin and northwestern Indiana.
Arthur Hills/Steve Forrest and Associates has hired John Odom as director of business development for the southeastern United States. He has previously worked in the health-care sector as project manager for Jacobson Consulting.
David Phipps, superintendent at Stone Creek Golf Course in Oregon City, Ore., has been named Cooperator of the Year by the Soil and Water Conservation District. The award has always been reserved for farmers and ranchers, but the district departed from the norm to recognize work Phipps has done in helping to establish a free “Golf Course Quality Lawns” class that is marketed to homeowners in specific neighborhoods. The goal of the course is to increase homeowner satisfaction with their lawns, while reducing the amount of fertilizers and pesticides applied.
Mark Burchfield, superintendent at the Victoria Club in Riverside, Calif., was named the 2005 Superintendent of the Year by Golfweek’s SuperNews. Burchfield was about three months into a project to make a series of renovations and improvements at the Victoria Club when 35 inches of rain deluged the area in early 2005. Runoff from the rains polluted the course’s primary lake with bacteria, eroded the banks of the flood channel and wiped out the foundations of several bridges. Floodwaters then exposed a sewer line running the length of the course. When the pipe began leaking, raw effluent started flowing into a federally protected creek and onto the golf course. Despite the hardships, the Victoria Club was able to stay open throughout the project and even hosted a U.S. Senior Open qualifying event and the Southern California Golf Association Ladies Invitational in 2005.
Nufarm Americas Inc. has promoted Sean Casey and Keith Hern to new management positions in the company’s turf and specialty group. Casey will be the company’s vice president of sales for turf and specialty. He has been with the organization for more than 15 years in various marketing and sales management positions. He was most recently the national sales manager for the turf division. Hern is the new vice president of sales for IVM and forestry. He has been vegetation management sales manager for the past two years and has more than 30 years of manufacturing and distribution experience in the industry.
Golf briefs
Weed Golf Course Design has completed a redesign of Jacaranda’s East Course in Plantation, Fla., just outside Fort Lauderdale. During the summer, Weed Design began a maintenance and renovation upgrade for the East Course, originally designed by Mark Mahannah in 1970. The updated par-71 layout stretches to 7,245 yards, borders lagoons and is vegetated with live oaks, mahogany, ficus and palm trees. SeaDwarf paspalum was planted on the tees and fairways while TifDwarf bermudagrass is on the greens, collars and approaches. Brian Haines, CGCS, is the superintendent at Jacaranda.
RECENT issues
 |
 |
March |
February 2006 |