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Caterpillar recently donated a CAT Chopper to raise funds for the Victory Junction Gang Camp, a charitable organization founded by the Petty family of NASCAR racing fame that supports seriously ill children. The chopper was donated in a ceremony at Caterpillar’s building construction products division in Clayton, N.C. Caterpillar is in its 14th season of serving as a NASCAR sponsor, starting in 1993 as an associate sponsor of Kyle Petty’s #42 Pontiac. The company currently is the primary sponsor for the #22 car driven by Dave Blaney in the Nextel Cup Series.
John Deere joins the ranks of the world’s most ethical companies, according to the Ethisphere Council, which examines more than 5,000 companies spanning 30 industries to recognize corporate ethical leadership. In its 2007 rankings, the group recognized John Deere’s 170 years of service and core values such as integrity, quality, innovation and commitment. The group adds that the company makes its conduct guidelines transparent to employees, customers and suppliers, and it contributes to the greater good by supporting the quality of life in communities, protecting the environment and preserving resources.
The Ohio Turfgrass Foundation recently honored Dave Gardner with its Professional Excellence Award. Gardner, an associate professor of turfgrass science at Ohio State, has written 16 peer-reviewed publications and won the Price Advising Award for service to turfgrass science students. He conducts between 15 and 30 field research studies annually with emphasis on weed control, turfgrass stress physiology, and nitrogen and pesticide fate in turfgrass. In addition to the award, the OTF presented a check to Ohio State for more than $154,000 to support turfgrass science faculty and staff, annual management of the OTF Research and Education Facility, and to support turfgrass student scholarships. Recipients of the group’s 2006 scholarships are: Ian Gallagher, Joshua Bryant, Joseph Lachey, Jeffrey Ritzert, Erick Shreve and John Gruneisen.
At the first European Golf Course Owners Association Conference in Amsterdam, the European Institute of Golf Course Architects signed an agreement of partnership with the association. The EIGCA comprises 130 members in 30 countries, while the EGCOA is made up of approximately 600 golf course owners across 12 European nations.
S&S Tree and Horticultural Specialists, a tree care company, has acquired Kunde Co., a company that installs 250,000 feet of control line annually and provides oak wilt control. The acquisition will allow S&S Tree to promote eco-friendly practices and increase consulting offerings such as tree preservation, tree mapping and inventory, rainwater gardens, wetland restoration and urban erosion control. Kunde Co. will operate as a division of S&S Tree, and five of its current employees will remain on staff, including past owner Steve Kunde.
Spindler Enterprises, owner of BioPro liquid fertilizer and a PGR line started by Toro, has acquired the CytoGro rooting biostimulant from Plant BioTech. Developed by former Colorado State University professor Jerry Meyeux, CytoGro was introduced to the market in 1988 and functions as a biostimulant that has been shown to promote greater root mass and density. The company announced plans to expand distribution of CytoGro, increase promotions and incorporate it into more combination products.
The Rhode Island GCSA elected its 2007 Board of Directors at its annual meeting at Agawam Hunt, Rumford, R.I. The newly elected board is: Paul Jamrog, president, superintendent at Metacomet CC; John LeClair, CGCS, vice president, superintendent at Warwick CC; Jerry Noons, treasurer, superintendent at Reservation GC; Joseph Oliveira, secretary, superintendent at Green Valley CC; Paul Barratt, CGCS, immediate past president, superintendent at Titleist-Footjoy-Cobra Worldwide; Kirk A. Whiting, CGCS, director, superintendent at Sakonnet GC; Michael Kroian, director, sales representative for Harrell’s Turf Specialty; Michael Whitehead, CGCS, director, superintendent at Pawtucket CC; and Vincent Iacono, newsletter editor, superintendent at Blue Hill CC.
The Executive Women’s Golf Association has launched a program that allows golf facilities to earn an official designation as a women-friendly course. All facilities participating in the EWGA Golf Club Network are eligible for the distinction, which can be merited by meeting criteria rated on playability of the course and customer experience. Golf courses are required to complete an application verifying how they meet the qualifications, including having at least two sets of tees rated for women, distance markers inside of 100 yards, clean restrooms available at least every six holes and equal services to men and women. Participating facilities pay an annual fee and offer special rates for play, practice or instruction as a benefit to EWGA members. In return, facilities are listed in the association’s print and online directories.
Fiberbuilt Manufacturing Inc., manufacturer of a golf mat system and other golf products, has moved its head office and main manufacturing facility to a new, custom-built 48,500-square-foot building in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The new building is designed to accommodate the company’s growing operations, it says. It will maintain U.S. operations at its warehouse and distribution center in Pinehurst, N.C.
Bulle Rock GC in Havre De Grace, Md., is the first public golf club in the United States to ban traditional ball mark repair tools. The club, which plays host to the 2007 McDonald’s LPGA Championship, has exclusively switched to the GreenFix Ball Mark Elimination System from GreenFix Golf. At Bulle Rock, all golfers will be provided a free GreenFix Wizard on the first tee, and the course mandates the tool used exclusively to fix ball marks throughout the round. More than 100 golf courses nationwide are following suit with the GreenFix Ball Mark Elimination System, the company says.
The Golf Wisconsin Heritage Center Museum in Green Lake, Wis., is scheduled to open in fall 2008. In anticipation of its opening, the Green Lake Area Chamber of Commerce hosted a fundraising golf tournament in May featuring a five-person pro-am scramble, an on-course lunch and a post-golf dinner. The museum will showcase all golf courses in Wisconsin and the history of golf in the state.
Two Class A GCSAA members are the new owners of 42- and 57-inch Sharp LCD televisions, courtesy of a recent contest held by Bayer Environmental Science at GCSAA’s Golf Industry Show this year in Anaheim, Calif. Greg Hall, the Class A member at Fairwood G&CC in Renton, Wash., and Harry Lovero, the Class A member at Orchard Valley GC in Aurora, Ill., were selected randomly from entries submitted by Bayer’s booth attendees who completed a plot tour survey during the show. Participants toured plots of untreated, diseased turfgrass next to turf treated with the company’s Lynx fungicide, Tartan insecticide and Chipco Signature fungicide.
Superintendents can now view a demonstration on their computers of DryJect Services LLC’s aeration services. The company’s Web site features an explanation of aeration benefits and its one-hour challenge, a pictorial that demonstrates how the DryJect service works on a 6,200-square-foot golf green that is aerated, amended and playable in one hour. In addition to the flash demonstration, the redesigned site also provides a video of the DryJect machine in action, case studies on golf courses that have used DryJect and information on how to schedule an on-site demonstration.
Bass Pro Shops announces it will sponsor this month’s Bass
Pro Shops Junior Open Aug. 6-9 at Rivercut GC in Springfield, Mo., the company’s headquarters. The American Junior Golf Association event is a 99-player, 54-hole tournament featuring the nation’s top junior boys and girls from ages 12-18. Running concurrently will be the Bass Pro Shops Fishing Contest. Bass Pro Shops vice president of marketing Stan Lippelman says the partnership is a natural one because of the synergy between golf and the great outdoors. Kenneth Ault, an eight-year GCSAA member, is the superintendent at Rivercut GC.
The Toro Co. has entered a relationship with Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway to serve as its exclusive supplier of turfgrass maintenance equipment. The company has supplied its Toro Workman 1110 utility vehicles, several walk power mowers and riding mowers, plus the Groundsmaster 580-D wide-area rotary mower with a 16-foot width of cut.
People news
Redexim Charterhouse announces its Distributor, Salesman and Distributor Parts Department of the Year Awards. Luber Bros. in Dallas received the Distributor of the Year Award, while Lawn & Golf Supply Co. in Phoenixville, Pa., won the company’s Distributor Parts Department of the Year award. Distributor Salesman of the Year Awards went to a top five: Garth Kovenor, Reynolds Turf; Craig Schleider, Malvese Equipment; Steve Hesser, Lawn & Golf Supply; Wes Mathany, Turf Professionals Equipment Co.; and Timmy Brent, Luber Bros.
DuPont Professional Products has hired Nick Grisafe as its West Coast sales representative. Based in California, Grisafe will lead sales efforts for the company’s landscape, golf and pest management industries. He possesses more than 20 years of sales experience in turf and pest control.
Absorbent Technologies Inc. has hired Michael Harowitz as the regional manager for its Southeast market. Harowitz will cover Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama and Virginia. His primary responsibility will be to promote Zeba, the company’s starch-based superabsorbent soil amendment.
David A. Morris has been named commercial leader of the turf and ornamental and technical products business for Dow AgroSciences. He will continue to be commercial leader for the company’s pest management business.
BASF Professional Turf and Ornamentals has appointed Thomas Hill its communications manager for its professional turf and ornamentals business. Hill will manage all communications, advertising and public relations. He previously worked for a global public relations firm and worked on behalf of General Motors.
The Toro Co. named Frank Warden its new golf sales manager for its Southeast region. Warden joins Toro after working for Harrington Corp., a supplier of golf course fittings, for 11 years. He’ll manage Toro’s golf irrigation business in the Southeast, including distributor partners.
Robert Womac, CGCS, and Kevin Scott have joined the golf sales staff of Ewing Irrigation, Golf & Industrial. Womac, a 15-year GCSAA member, has served as owner and operator of an irrigation company as well as director of golf and grounds for a 27-hole course. He served on GCSAA’s Communications Committee and as director and treasurer of the Georgia Turfgrass Association. Womac will provide agronomics support to golf professionals in Georgia. Scott brings six years of golf sales experience to the position. He will serve central and south Florida.
Vincent C. Brockman has been promoted to senior vice president for The Scotts Miracle-Gro Co. Brockman joined the company’s legal staff in 2002, was named chief ethics and compliance officer in 2004 and chief administrative officer in 2006.
ClubCorp announces a slew of new hires and organizational changes. Chuck Feddersen, formerly regional manager, has been named regional vice president of the Southern California/desert region. John Woodeshick is the new regional vice president for the South Texas region. Gordon Digby, a 27-year industry veteran, has been named regional vice president of operations in the Mid-Atlantic region.
Saumya Verma is a new sales representive for Dow AgroSciences. She will handle the company’s turf and ornamental market in Virginia, Delaware, Maryland and eastern West Virginia. Verma replaces recently retired Bill Davis. She started working for the company in 2006 as a sales trainee.
Golf briefs
Project EverGreen has named two winners of its Because Green Matters Award, which recognizes facilities that excel in the promotion and planning of green spaces. Evergreen Marriott Conference Resort and the Stone Mountain GC near Atlanta (pictured) won for programs that blend environmental and business stewardship. Stone Mountain is a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary, has converted 12 acres to native grass and wildflower habitat, and features comprehensive programs for water management, wildlife habitat preservation and integrated pest management. Anthony Williams, CGCS, is director of grounds at Stone Mountain. Verandah, a master-planned community by Bonita Bay Group near Fort Myers, Fla., also won the award this year for its certification as a Green Development by the state’s Green Building Coalition. Steven Bill, a nine-year GCSAA member, is superintendent at Verandah.
The Daniel Island Club’s Ralston Creek Course in Charleston, S.C., has been chosen as one of four recipients of the National Arbor Day Foundation’s 2007 Building with Trees Award of Excellence. The award recognizes the efforts of The Daniel Island Co. to protect and preserve trees during design and construction of the course, which opened in 2006. The company’s Beresford Creek Course won the award in 2003. Ralston Creek was the only golf course to receive the award this year.
ValleyCrest Golf Course Maintenance has entered an agreement with Castle & Cooke to provide comprehensive golf course maintenance services for Coyote Creek GC in San Jose, Calif., and The Golden Bear Club at Keene’s Pointe in Windermere, Fla. The two Castle & Cooke courses are both Jack Nicklaus designs. The Golden Bear Club at Keene’s Pointe is an 18-hole course in an environmentally sensitive region. ValleyCrest’s James Sullivan is superintendent, and David Rogers, CGCS, is regional superintendent. Coyote Creek GC is a 36-hole layout in the Diablo Range comprising the Tournament Course and the Valley Course. Cavin Brown of ValleyCrest is superintendent, and Danny Fielder, CGCS, serves as regional superintendent.
Aquila Property Co., a real estate investment and management firm, has completed the acquisition of Binks Forest GC from Peninsula Bank and is continuing toward its restoration. The once-acclaimed 18-hole golf venue in Wellington, Fla., will be managed by KemperSports. The course, which will be classified as a high-end, premium daily-fee course, is scheduled to open this fall. Timothy Haines, CGCS, is the superintendent.
Troon Golf has been appointed by Malcolm and Edson Robertson to manage the operations of Sand Barrens GC in Swainton, N.J. A 27-hole design by Hurdzan/Fry, Sand Barrens features more than 100 acres of sand, some in bunkers and some in sweeping waste areas. The facility also includes the Sand Barrens Golf Academy, which offers lessons in one-, two- and three-day schools.
Shingle Creek GC, part of the 230-acre Rosen Shingle Creek Resort, was named one of the Top 40 Best New Courses by Golfweek Magazine. The two-year-old, par-72, 7,228-yard course is a David Harman design with undulating fairways and interconnecting waterways bordered by oaks and pines along Central Florida’s historic Shingle Creek. The Rosen Shingle Creek Resort also includes 1,500 guest rooms including 139 suites, 445,000 square feet of meeting space, a 95,000-square-foot ballroom, a spa, health club, four outdoor swimming pools, two tennis courts, basketball, seasonal canoe trips, nature trails, fishing and a volleyball court. Rickey Craig is the superintendent at Shingle Creek.
Tom Doak and Renaissance Golf Design have broken ground on Wicked Pony, a private club scheduled for completion by July 2008 that will serve as part of the new Remington Ranch resort development outside of Redmond and Bend, Ore. Developed by Winchester Development, Wicked Pony is an invitation-only, single membership private golf course stretched over Remington Ranch’s 2,079 acres. The facility also includes a 12,000-square-foot clubhouse. In all, the resort will feature two private golf courses, one public course, 800 homes and 400 overnight units.
The city of El Paso, Texas’ Department of Aviation and KemperSports, operator of Butterfield Trail GC, have partnered to launch the club’s official Web site, www.butterfieldtrailgolf.com. The championship layout designed by Tom Fazio is set to open this year, the groups say. The site features the history of the Butterfield Trail, development updates, course layout and hole-by-hole descriptions, plus a section dedicated to Tom Fazio. Martin Wells is the Class A superintendent at Butterfield Trail.
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