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Message from the Director - Brand Loyalty IN THIS ISSUE

First for Bulgaria Noteworthy Vikers Scholar Second Time A Charm Green Acres Scholarships Turf Banquet Graduates Hosting an Amateur Turf Alumni Selling the Project Weak Winter 1. 2 4 6

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The Newsletter for Rutgers Turf Alumni

There has been an awful lot written about the importance of satisfied customers advocating on behalf of the products they respect and employ. Surely all of you are currently using materials, equipment, and consultants because of the value they bring you. And many of you have continued to employ your best staff over a long period of time and by so doing, in a slightly different way, demonstrated your brand loyalty to those individuals. In these difficult times when the importance of decisions regarding the deployment of capital resources become ever more critical, we tend to go back to what we know and respect. So it is that I am so appreciative for, the hundreds of letters we receive every year from our loyal alumni and so many others who recommend our program, the Professional Golf Turf Management School, to their next generation of employees. Though I havent checked with 100% certainty, nearly one-third of the applications we receive each year are from what I call legacies, those who have successfully completed our program and have now reached positions as superintendents and who believe that the best place to send their employee to become more valuable is here to Rutgers. Words cannot express our great sense of relief and appreciation that we have so many loyal customers across the U.S and beyond. Over my 34 plus years here at the university I have come to know and respect hundreds, if not thousands of our alumni, each of whom visited our campus for two ten-week sessions and have now gone on to achieve great things for themselves, for the golf communities they serve, and for the employees on whose expertise they so depend. I am well aware that there are many alternative sources for learning like that which we provide at Rutgers, but Ive become increasingly committed to our intentions and to the way we go about meeting them by developing the very best golf turf professional we can. To achieve this important objective, it takes many working parts, human beings and, at the end of the day, faith. I have been blessed throughout my career here at Rutgers to have had the cooperation and support of so many inspiring educators, many of who have been with me now for well over 25 years. Their energy, knowledge and familiarity with the game of golf are the real story behind our success. Their enthusiasm, mentoring, and genuine interest in our students make the difference. They are what separate us from the alternatives and for my money they are truly unique and precious resources. I am happy to announce that we will be bringing a new member to our team this fall. Mr. Steve McDonald of Turfgrass Disease Solutions comes to us with great enthusiasm and a successful track record of serving golf courses throughout the Mid-Atlantic states. Steve typifies the new hands-on specialist on whom golf courses have become increasingly dependent. I have every confidence he will bring his energy and passion into the classroom, providing even more value to our incoming and current students. Thank you to those superintendents who take the time to write letters of support on behalf of the next generation of turf leaders who seek to come to Rutgers. For without your vision and important coaching of young men and women in the field, our story could not be written. And more than just the alums send us those letters, for in fact we have received letters of support from some of the countrys most respected superintendents, despite having never come to Rutgers themselves. Wed like to think it is the reputation of our products, the young men and women who complete our program, that warrant their interest, and we take our responsibilities seriously.

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Summer 2012

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The Newsletter for Rutgers Turf Alumni

A First for Bulgaria

Reprinted with permission from the British and International Greenkeepers Association (BIGGA)
Copyright 2012

tournament to the yearly calendar after a six year absence but the first professional tournament to be held in Bulgaria. The final fairway and greens at Pravets were seeded in September 2010 with construction completed on December 11, and snow fall then covering the course from December 14 until early March. Grow-in of the last fairways had to be quick before temperatures fell, so a quick release ammonium nitrate product was sourced from local agriculture. BIGGA member, and 2005 Graduate Jordan Fairweather, describes his time working in one of the worlds newer golfing destinations. In December 2008, when golf coBulgaria is a relatively new country to the game of golf but in 2011 it has taken further steps in recognising itself as a golf destination. The country has recently been awarded the 2012 Undiscovered Golf Destination of The Year by the International Association of Golf Tour Operators and now has six 18-hole facilities open, offering two Gary Player Signature designs, a Peter Harradine, a Paul McGinley and two Ian Woosnams, all excellent facilities with teaching academys, residential apartments, hotels and spa resorts. Pravets Golf Club is the first to offer a fully flood light range and short game area. Back in April, 2010, the then soon-to-be opened Pravets Golf Club, designed by Peter Harradine and managed by Braemar Golf of St Andrews, was awarded the PGA Professionals championship of Europe by the PGAs of Europe, to be staged annually for three years from last September. This would not only be a return of a Fairways were sand capped but suffered from erosion damage before being handed over to the maintenance team. With limited supply of fungicide available in Bulgaria we managed to get together enough to apply Azoxystrobin to all surfaces prior to snowfall. When snow melted all surfaces were 100% free of disease and the first goal was to be ready for a grand opening on May 15 by the Bulgarian Prime minister, a full six months earlier than ideally preferred. Due to the geographical location of Pravets the weather changes dramatically and temperatures will rise from 3 degrees to 18 degrees in little

here for three to four months with this climate. Pravets is the first golf course to be seeded with traditional fescue bent in Bulgaria rather than creeping bents found on all other courses. When specifications for the course were drawn up, long term management costs had to be considered. With a country which only has 250 registered golfers grass varieties were chosen with keeping agronomic inputs and in turn costs manageable. If the choice had been to use creeping bent with rye grass roughs, maintenance costs would be significantly higher. With a greenkeeping team of 19, of whom 50% speak English, we worked towards opening. This was a task which was problematic due to four greens receiving major contamination from erosion of soil and clay before being handed over to us by the contractor along with some fairways, and also lack of access roads and infrastructure hindering us until mid July did not make it easy. A total of 1025 tonnes of sand was spread on the course in conjunction with needle tinning and hollow-coring to smooth out surfaces and remove soil contamination. Always in the back of our minds was the tournament in September and if we had not committed to the grand opening in May we probably would have re-laid four greens and three fairways.

With a country which only has 250 registered golfers grass varieties were chosen with keeping agronomic inputs and in turn costs manageable. If the choice had been to use creeping bent with rye grass roughs, maintenance costs would be significantly higher
over 10 days and will never drop below that until autumn. Summer temperatures rise to approx 36 degrees Celsius, coupled with high humidity, and during 2010, I had witnessed all kinds of disease on the turf from Dollar Spot, Pythium, Take All and Fusarium in a six week period. Warm season grasses would grow One thing we are very fortunate is our client, Terra Tour Services, wishes to see its golf course at the same level as their hotels, all luxury 4 star resorts. Due to this TTS signed a deal with Toro, a partner of Braemar Golf, for the biggest fleet of Toro equipment in (continued on page 3)

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Eastern Europe along with a state of the art maintenance facility. With grow-in near complete and the golf course open six months earlier than we would have liked we turned our minds to an agronomic programme to, not just suit our fescue turf, but to cope with the unknown stresses of the site. With no history of the site we have dealt with outbreaks of which at the time were unknown grasses germinating which had been in the native soil below the sand cap and worked their way up due to rotovating of the surfaces before sand spread, a lesson learnt for future construction! Common Bermuda grass encroachment from adjacent land, which thrives in our summer tried comfortable with the micro management of the grow-in we then started to tailor this to achieve consistency throughout surfaces. One thing professional golfers want is consistency, not colour and not always speed, but consistency. The PGAs of Europe use the same set of agronomy guidelines as the European Tour so the standard was to be the same as you would expect to find on any Tour event. Green speed has never been a concern of mine for our members as with average 30 degree heat and only 18 days of rain from June through September our fescue greens were more than quick enough. The PGAs of Europe asked us to set them at 10-10.5, which was not far off daily speeds. In the lead up to the costs and wastage. We have found this essential this year to deal with our surfaces where leaching is very high with higher irrigation water usage. Fertilisers like potash, calcium, manganese and magnesium are very easy to source here in Bulgaria due to the large agricultural produce of cucumbers, tomatoes, etc. so helps us greatly. Environmental Turf Technology, in the UK, is very helpful in not only helping us source and what we cannot source locally but helping us to analyse the makeup of certain fertilisers available in Bulgaria. Controlled release fertilisers have to be imported from the UK, Germany and Holland and sometimes transport costs outweigh the fertiliser costs. Due to this the only granular application we applied after the grow-in phase to tees and greens was a controlled release potassium nitrate in the autumn, which we will stick with in 2012. Working abroad always brings new challenges and you either have a bug for it or you dont. There are many great opportunities for greenkeepers out there in the market, you just need to find them, as the new countries to Golf and Sports Turf are numerous. The grasses are the same along with the methodology. I know greenkeepers in Tatarstan, Azerbaijan, Oman, Russia, Morocco and many other countries with few golf courses or turf surfaces. They all love their job as we do. The willingness to succeed and a love of Turfgrass keep us abroad! Jordan Fairweather has been working in the greenkeeping industry for 14 years. Originally from Scotland where he spent 7 years at Loch Lomond Golf Club while working on 11 European Tour events. He Graduated from the Rutgers Professional Golf Turf Management School in 2005. Working at the 2007 U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club and 2008 Ryder Cup at Valhalla Golf Club he then moved to the Middle East- Dubai and Abu Dhabi saw him take the position of Construction Superintendent where he constructed Yas Links, Golf City, and Meydan race track while overseeing maintenance on Al Nasr Football Stadium. For almost two years now he has been Superintendent at the Bulgarian Pravets Golf Club, successfully managed by Scottish company Braemar Golf.

Controlled release fertilisers have to be imported from the UK, Germany and Holland and sometimes transport costs outweigh the fertiliser costs
to invade; the need for golf carts on a relatively new sward in 35 degree heat has been a big stress but, with the revenue they provide, it is not something we can ban. Changing roller types and HOC on certain fairways and greens, a combination of hand watering and day watering being required to micro manage situations which were not only dealing with daily stresses but still at a growing in stage. With September approaching, and the greens and fairways now near a year old and having matured to the comfortable stage, we moved into more education. After having introduced the locally recruited staff to the nature of golf course management in the matter of months we moved on to furthering their knowledge by introducing them to tournament preparation. The PGA Professionals Championship of Europe event was to be filmed by Golfing World TV and shown to a TV audience of 350 million including 18 international inflight entertainment TV, along with social media networks. We had been monitoring our fertility and pesticide programmes and after we were tournament we were single cutting at 3.6mm and grooming at 3mm twice weekly. On the first days practice we followed up a single cut with a roll using salsco greens irons and with the mid afternoon temp around 28 the greens were stimping at 11.2 - 11.4 so the rollers were only used once later that week. Instead we preferred to cut morning and evening. The fescue bent mix was never really stressed through the week and received only some hand watering in the evenings. I had my reservations as to whether the fescue being the dominant grass would cope in a country where we would deal with temps over 30 all summer. With a clients expectations for a green, aesthetically pleasing course while maintaining the firm surfaces with speeds required for an event like ours, but it has been excellent and shows that with preventative stress measures and still with very little fertility input it can be done. Here at Pravets we tissue test every six weeks and base our foliar and drench applications of fertility around this. We mix up our own fertiliser on site which not only allows us to tailor the needs of the plant exactly what it wants when it wants but actually reduces our fertiliser

http://golfturf.rutgers.edu

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The Newsletter for Rutgers Turf Alumni

Noteworthy News
Edition came to NJ, by being the Editor of the The Greenerside and an active resource to the Rutgers Turfgrass Alumni Association by serving as Secretary and President. We can count on Ken to serve as a participant on our Superintendent Panel and be a strong advocate for our school. In 1978, Ken met Kathy Staron, the future Mrs. Krausz, and together they raised two daughters. He is currently enjoying being a grandfather. As an associate in the Old Tappan Volunteer Fire Department since 1971, his presentation to the graduating class highlighted the importance of community service, volunteerism and family.

Celebrating Career-Long Service - Kenneth Krausz

As we honored the Class of 2011 at the Graduation Ceremony and 22nd Annual Turfgrass Student Awards Banquet, we paid homage to Kenneth Krausz, one of our own, 1986 alumni. Born in 1955 in Teaneck, NJ, Kens first job was on a vegetable farm behind his house. He went on to become a laborer at the Old Tappan Golf Course where he was promoted to Golf Course Superintendent while attending the second year of the Rutgers Professional Golf Turf Management School. Then he accepted the position as Director of Greens and Grounds on the Paramus Golf Course. Kens deeproots in turf created the spark for him to partner in owning and operating Sports Turf Management Systems, a sports maintenance company. Although retired, he is still working as a seasonal employee at Patriots Bank Park, a minor league baseball stadium in Rockland County where he continues to nurture his passion. His service to the industry continually grew by becoming a Certified Golf Course Superintendent (CGCS), serving on the board of Directors of the GCSANJ, was named Member of the Year and then President of GCSANJ in 1999-2000. He has contributed to our community with his fellow firefighters volunteering to help rebuild a home for a deserving family when Extreme Makeover: Home

Weddings
Congratulations to some of our Professional Golf Turf Management School students on their recent nuptials!

Scott and Amy Estey June 11, 2011

Jon and Samantha Frederick October 21, 2011

Rutgers Professional Golf Turf Management School Instructor, Bingru Huang, Receives Recognition
Bingru Huang, professor in the Department of Plant Biology and Pathology at the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences, RutgersNew Brunswick, has been named the Ralph Geiger Endowed Chair in Turfgrass Science by the Rutgers University Board of Governors.

Je rey and Rachael Barr September 24, 2011 Brett and Kenzie Saganiec August 20, 2011 Pete and Jennifer Strahan May 20, 2012

Babies

From left to right -Scott & Conor Aiello, Lilliana & Brandon Alvarez, Ryan Michael Dilks, Ian & Dillon Bray, Zach & Lola Joy Stimson, Jason & Eliza McPhail, The Carper Family, Owen Michael Fetter, Jack Cliver, and Jesse & Isla Marie Shannon

In Memoriam Paul R. Boice Class of 1993 William Boruta Class of 1991 In Memorium, Woodrow C. Williams Class of 2011
Woodrow C. Williams (Woody) passed away on March 26, 2012 in Oceanport, NJ. Woody was born on June 23, 1976 in Red Bank, NJ to Timothy and Carol Williams. He was raised in Oceanport and graduated in 1994 from Shore Regional High School in West Long Branch, NJ, where he was a running back for the Varsity football team. After high school, Woody attended the University of Nevada in Las Vegas. It was there that he adopted his beloved dog Weezy. He always had a deep love and respect for animals. She accompanied him on many camping trips to Red Rock canyon and other areas. Recently Woody completed the Turf Management Program at Rutgers University in NJ. Golf was his passion. He travelled frequently seeking out new and challenging golf courses in the country. Woody was a young man who truly loved life. He was always a true friend to all and did everything he could to make the people in his life happy. He is survived by his parents Timothy and Carol Williams, sister Shannon Washington, grandfather Jack Williams, aunt Joan Williams, uncle Thomas Williams, aunt Gayle Willams, and cousins Jonathan Huhn and family and Jason Williams and family.

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The Newsletter for Rutgers Turf Alumni

Rutgers student MacKenzie named Vickers scholar

Reprinted Press Release, Trans-Mississippi Golf Association - December 2, 2011
was awarded the top Trans-Miss scholarship, its an honor. MacKenzie, whose father John is superintendent at North Oaks (Minn.) Golf Club, currently carries a 3.79 grade point average in Rutgers Golf Course Management Program and has completed internships at Oakmont Country Club and the TPC Twin Cities. He has volunteered on the maintenance staffs of several key golf events, including the 2009 PGA Championship, the 2008 U.S. Womens Open and two 3M Championships. Tyler MacKenzie is a highly motivated and extremely intelligent individual, says Edward V. Lipman Jr., MacKenzies academic advisor at Rutgers. His roots in the golf turf industry run very deep as his father has been a superintendent for over 25 years, and based on Tylers performance in his first year in the Rutgers Professional Golf Turf Management School, it is clear that it is his intention to walk in his fathers footsteps and become a successful golf course superintendent. MacKenzie earned a bachelors degree in economics from Wisconsin-Eau Claire before moving to Rutgers. Education is unbelievably important. Every year technology changes and information changes, MacKenzie said. Youve got to keep yourself educated, whether its reading articles put out in magazines or anything like thatits like everything nowadays, you just have to stay on top of the turf field. The Trans-Mississippi Golf Association is one of the oldest and most prestigious golf organizations in the United States. Established in 1901, the Trans is composed of more than 200 member clubs located throughout the country. Since the Trans-Miss Scholarship Fund granted a $600 scholarship in 1953 to Colorado State University (then Colorado A&M), the TransMississippi Golf Association has become a national leader in assisting young men and women pursuing careers in turf management. For more information on the TransMiss Scholarship Program go to www.trans-miss.com/scholarships. Christopher MacKenzie is a 2011 graduate of the Rutgers Professional Golf Turf Management School. h t t p : / / w w w. t ra n s - m i s s . c o m / scholarships/2011-scholars/

LAWRENCE, KANSAS -- Rutgers University student Christopher Tyler MacKenzie has been selected as the Vickers Scholarship winner among 14 students earning 201112 scholarships from the TransMississippi Golf Association (TMGA) through its Turf Scholarship Fund. MacKenzie, 24, will receive a $7,500 scholarship as he completes his education in the Rutgers two-year Golf Course Management Program this month. He also receives the Vickers Trophy, a bronze sculpture of Old Tom Morris. With two people close to me, my father and his assistant, both having won Trans-Miss scholarships, to join them with that especially my dad its kind of a legacy deal, said MacKenzie of Forest Lake, Minn. I didnt know the (TMGA) has been around as long as it has. To know that I

Welcome Our New Instructor, Steve McDonald!

S t e v e n McDonald is the founder of Turfgrass D i s e a s e Solutions, LLC which is an independent research and agronomic s u p p o r t company based in the Mid-Atlantic region. Steve has over 15 years in the golf course management business working at both private and public golf courses. He received a B.S in Turfgrass Management from Delaware Valley College and a M.S. in Agronomy from University of Maryland. Currently, Turfgrass Disease Solutions research efforts focus on plant protection, weed control, fertility, and cultural practices of fine turfgrass. Steve consults on over 100 golf courses annually. Previously, Steve taught Diseases of Ornamentals and Turfgrass in the Institute of Applied Agriculture at University of Maryland. He looks forward to joining Rutgers University as an adjunct instructor in the Professional Golf Turf Management School in the fall 2012 program.

Learn more about some of our Golf Turf Management School instructors by visiting their websites! Richard Hurley, PhD, CPAg http://www.bentgrassdoctor.com Stephen Kay http://kayandsmithdesign.com Steve McDonald http://www.turfgrassdiseasesolutions.com Brucy Neary http://bcnhorticulture.com Gene Westmoreland http://www.westmorelandgolf.org

Second Time a Charm for Local Golfer

By Michael Heinbach Reprinted with permission of the Missoulian
Jeff Nelsons official title at the Ranch Club golf course is spray technician. But Nelson does a little bit of everything in helping maintain the course. After rediscovering the game of golf within the last 10 years, the native of Winston-Salem, N.C., got hired on and found a job he loves. So much so, that Nelson studied for two winters at Rutgers University in New Jersey at turf school (2011) to enhance his resume.Recently, Nelson spoke with the Missoulian on his love of the game, his memories of attending every Masters since 2004 and what he hopes to do in the future. Q: How did you get your job and how long have you been doing it? A: This is my fifth year. I got the job because I was at the Good Food Store and a girl I worked with out there, her husband worked here at the Ranch Club. Basically, I was fed up with the food-service industry and I had gotten back into playing golf again. I started playing golf again when I was 21 because I quit when I was 15. Q: Why did you quit playing golf? A: Because I started seeing girls at the pool and I was just a lot more interested in them than I was in golf at the time I guess. Q: Why do you think golf stuck with you the second time? A: Probably just another challenge of a solo sport. Im a fly fisherman as well and I think they have a lot of similarities with each other, although I do know a lot of fly fishermen who hate golf. But I know there are a lot of other fly fishermen who do enjoy golf and for some of the same reasons I do. My dad is also kind of my tie to golf. Some of my earliest memories of him were on a golf course. And I got Masters tickets in 2004. Q: Was that the first Masters you attended? A: No, I went in 87 and 88. I was there when Larry Mize chipped it in. I didnt go again until 2004 and Ive been to every tournament round since the Thursday opening round in 2004. Q: What are some of your best memories of being at the Masters?
Professional Golf Turf Management School Winter 2011 class Photo courtesy of Jeff Nelson

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A: I thought he was just going to punch out. When I heard his contact I couldnt believe it and then when I saw the ball in the air and and land on the green it was absolutely amazing. Strangers were just looking at each other in total disbelief. Q: How did you come to study at Rutgers? A: After years of indecision I decided that I enjoyed this job and had found a job that I actually liked going to in the morning. So I wanted to take the next step and my boss, Tom Koehring, had gone through the Rutgers program years ago and wrote me a letter of recommendation. So thats how I ended up in New Jersey for two winters and I earned a certificate. We studied probably about 15 different courses each session. And we studied anything from irrigation to soils to tournament set-up to landscape design. Its a huge resume-builder and lately the industry has been tough to get into and people are holding on to the jobs they have pretty tight. I learned a whole lot in those 20 weeks. Q: How often do you get to play? A: I try to play twice a week and sometimes more, but later in the summer it will be a little less when the heat kicks in. Q: What are your future goals? A: I guess the ultimate goal is to become a golf course superintendent at a nice golf course with a good reputation. http://missoulian.com/sports/catch-all/ second-time-a-charm-for-local-golfer/ article_4fe92826-9c94-11e1-971e001a4bcf887a.html

A: Well, 04 obviously because that was Phil Mickelsons first win in a major. I was right there and I saw him do his little jump. That was real exciting because I hadnt been there in so long. This years Masters was really exciting as well and we were right in the thick of things. Q: How did you come to get so near Bubba Watson when he misfired on the second playoff hole and made that brilliant recovery that basically won him the tournament? A: We were waiting on (hole No.) 10 because the first playoff hole was 18 and there were just too many people on 18, so we figured wed get a head start to 10 and get a good spot there. Little did we know that he wasnt going to bend his drive around the dog leg. After he hit his drive I saw his right arm go up like he shanked it to the right and looked in front of me and I saw a Georgia state trooper duck and cover, so I kind of ducked and covered and when I did look up I saw the ball had landed about 10 feet in front of me and bounced down into the ravine where it landed. I stayed up where I was to hang out with my mom, but everybody else just ran to the ball. A friend of mine ran down and got right behind the shot. But my mom and I were up on the edge of the pine straw where you could see the green and we could see the trajectory of the shot. Everybody was pulling for Bubba and people were just going nuts. The foreigners dont stand a chance at Augusta when youve got a guy who went to Georgia. Q: Did you have an idea of what Watson was going to try and pull off?

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The Newsletter for Rutgers Turf Alumni

Green Acres
By Ed Kracz, Reprinted with permission of PhillyBurbs.com
WARMINSTER, PA -- Art Blank figures he was one of the first to play a round at Five Ponds Golf Club when the course opened in 1988. We didnt think it had a chance, said Blank, a resident of Doylestown. It was all mud. The greens were beautiful, the tee boxes were beautiful, everything else was mud, weeds. They really took care of this place and its matured very nicely. Twenty-three years later, after plenty of tender love and care and various renovations, Five Ponds is still going strong. On Friday, it got a whole more muscular after opening a brand new practice facility with a ribboncutting ceremony. The addition, which sits on about two acres of ground to the far left of the entrance to the clubhouse and features three greens, three large sand traps and the potential for long-distance chip shots, is believed to be the first of its kind in the area for a public golf course. We have a short game area here that works well for all groups, said Jim Waitkus, of Waitkus Design in Newtown, which helped shape the ground and prepare the layout. There are a lot of different ranges of shots you can play out here, from real short chip shots to 67, 70 yards to the backside of that green. It was kind of a dead space out here that now has a lot of value to the club for youth groups or whoever else wants to come out here and work on their short game. The well-designed and meticulously manicured new facility looks so grand, one might think the project cost a fortune. On the contrary. When course professional Gary Deetscreek approached course superintendent Eli Poppo Rodriguez with the idea over the winter, Rodriguez immediately put into use resources available to him. He reached out to regular course vendors, including Seeton Turf of Huntingdon Valley, which made a huge donation of labor. Ive known Eli for five, six years, said Seeton Turf sales rep Jim Morgan. We started out with a professional relationship that has now turned into a real friendship. The idea of a practice facility seemed like a no-brainer. This course is one of best conditioned in the area and this just tops it off. I cant think of another facility in the area that has the amenities like this. With so many people offering so much free of charge, the project was able to shave about $40,000 off the final total cost of approximately $85,000. I really only paid for sand, sod, and seed, said Rodriguez, who has an agronomy degree from Rutgers and has been the course super for nearly six years. Everything was donated. Warminster Township has a budget of $2.1 million for the course, which it owns, so the way underbudget project pleased them, to say the least. Were trying to grow the younger golfer, said Karen Whitney, the townships parks and recreation director. A lot of people, when they think of golfers, think of an older generation of golfers. Were trying to push to bring in people who are interested who are younger. Were looking for those teenagers now who will be in their 20s and 30s. There have to be future golfers. Were trying everything we possibly can to bring these people to our course. Deetscreek said the project had been talked about for the past five years but wasnt ever moved to the top of the priority list for (continued on page 9)

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various reasons. He believes the new facility is exactly what the course needs to achieve Whitneys, and the townships, hopes for growing golfers. It really should be good for the township because juniors now have somewhere to go, said Deetscreek. With this, its almost like a full swing for them, and they can practice without feeling like theyre in the way. The biggest challenges to the project were weather and lack of patience among some golfers anxious to play on the new facility. Keeping people off was hard, said Rodriguez, but I didnt want to open it too early. And, because the project began in March, a rainfilled April made work difficult. Still, it only took four-and-a-half months to complete. The other goal for the new facility is to increase business. Since it is free, the hope is that golfers will show up, work on their short game, then begin a round of 18 holes. Five Ponds drew 35,586 rounds in 2009 and 200 more than that in 2010. So far this year, it has seen over 15,000 rounds. Hopefully it will bring people here to play, said Deetscreek. Increase our play. Blank, for one, is on board with that. Ill probably be here every day, he said. Eli(ezer) Rodriguez is a 2002 graduate of the Rutgers Professional Golf Turf Management School. http://www.phillyburbs.com/spor ts/ five-ponds-golf-club-add-new-practicefacility/article_323bf5f5-1f73-58cb84e0-d4b32a4eafc8.html

- Rutgers Professional Golf Turf Management School Two-Year Certificate Program

Fall Session - October 3 to December 14, 2012 Winter Session - January 3 to March 15, 2013
As an alumnus of The Rutgers Professional Golf Turf Management School, we look to you to recommend qualified applicants who can help build the reputation of our Rutgers program. If you have an employee, a co-worker or an associate who may be interested in and qualified for our program, please have them contact Fran Koppell via e-mail at koppell@rci. rutgers.edu. Visit our website at www.golfturf.rutgers.edu for an online application!

Three-Week Golf Turf Preparatory Short Course

January 7 through January 25, 2013
Perfect for aspiring or current turf professionals looking to increase their professional value at an affordable price. Our compact course curriculum delivers essential academic turf knowledge and the practical applied training needed for success in the golf turf industry. The Three-Week Short Course provides high quality instruction by utilizing some of the best instructors found in our Two-Year Professional Golf Turf Management Program. The programs pace and varied subject matter is most valued by applicants with at least one year of golf turf experience, or an equivalent. For additional information, please contact the Office of Continuing Professional Education via email at ocpe@njaes.rutgers.edu.

Flooded Quechee Club Update

By Ryan E. Davis, Winter 2012 Graduate
Where do you start? That is a question that any of us turf professionals would be asking ourselves after suffering a major weather catastrophe. When all the work you have accomplished in years or maybe decades is heavily damaged by the wrath of nature, a very small question can seem gargantuan. On August 28th, 2011 tropical storm Irene came barreling towards New England bringing rains unequalled to anyones memories. Mount Killington in Vermont received 14-16 inches of precipitation that day and the runoff joined a body of water that already had swelled massively. That body of water is the Ottuaquechee River and it runs right through the middle of the Quechee Club Golf Course. Irene affected 22 out of 36 holes in some shape or form. Some fairways were cut open by fallen trees that joined a collection of debris in the flood. Two recently renovated greens on the Highland Course were laid to waste by the might of the supercharged river. When we awoke the next morning river silt and debris was left all over, some of it up to several feet in depth. Skid Steers, Rototillers, Excavators, and steel-toe boots may not make many appearances on your golf course, but during this project they were a necessity. Those first few days were a race to see how much turf we could uncover and then possibly save from suffocation. Fast forwarding to the present day, the club members have chosen to proceed with the master plan to renovate. We have now completed three out of four phases. The major flood reconstruction is finished, with a little help from our friends at MacCurrach Golf, however we are still growing in much of the damaged Lakeland Golf Course. The members will not believe their eyes when they get to tee off for their first round on the new nine holes later this summer. All of this was made possible by the perseverance of our leadership, crew, and membership. Of course this trek is still coming to its conclusion, yet as with all journeys you can only start one way, with that very first step forward.

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The Newsletter for Rutgers Turf Alumni

2011 Scholarship Recipients

Allen and Scott O Memorial Scholarship Jay Ewan Cleary Chemical Scholarship Evan Waite Dr. Paul Sartoretto Memorial Scholarship Abraham Buelt Duke Polidor Memorial Scholarship Albert Fletcher Douglas Porter Jon Frederick Corey Randall Casey Holloway Zachary Stimson Steven James William Unruh Christopher MacKenzie Golf Course Builders Association Scholarship Nick Delmar Eric Taylor Golf Course Superintendents Association of NJ Scholarship Jay Ewan Kevin Rundstrom James Hemping Chas Schmid Henry Indyk Graduate Fellowship Chas Schmid New Jersey Landscape Contractors Association Scholarship Eric Koch Eric Taylor Yan Yan New Jersey State Golf Association and Ralph Engle Caddie Scholarship Kevin Rundstrom Eric Taylor Yan Yan New Jersey Turfgrass Foundation Hall of Fame - Kevin Rundstrom Challenge - Nicholas Delmar Lou Vasvary - Yan Yan Norman Leising Memorial Scholarship Jay Ewan Gold Corporate Sponsor Storr Tractor Company, Somerville, NJ Paul DesChamps Memorial Scholarship Matt Corbridge John Paul-Plewa Brian Lenik Peter S. Loft Memorial Scholarship Karen Ambrose Eric Koch Lisa Beirn Emily Merewitz Pat Burgess Priti Saxena Mario Cornejo Ruying Wang Laura Cortese Michael Chikos James Cross Yuanshuo Qu David Jespersen Ralph Engel Scholarship Abraham Buelt Brian Lenik Alex Gordzica Evan Waite Ralph Geiger Scholarship Lisa Beirn Eric Koch Pat Burgess Amanda MacDonald Michael Chikos Emily Merewitz Laura Cortese Yuanshuo Qu James Cross Priti Saxena Ryan Daddio Ruying Wang James Hemping Yan Yan David Jespersen Rutgers Center for Turfgrass Science Kenneth MacNish Adam Suelow Rutgers Turfgrass Alumni Association Scholarship Matt Corbridge Sports Field Managers Association of NJ Scholarship Andrew Powers Syngenta Turfgrass Scholarship Jay Ewan

Silver Corporate Sponsor Grass Roots Inc., Randolph, NJ

Graduate Sponsors Atlantic Golf Club, Bridgehampton, NY (Graduate George Buckingham) Bridgewater Creek Golf Course, Bozeman, MT (Graduate Wes Easton) Kalamazoo Country Club, Kalamazoo, MI (Graduate Daniel Zaro) Lawn Doctor, Fort Collins, CO (Graduate Brian Berberet) Rockaway River Country Club, Denville, NJ (Graduate Robert Waldrop)

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2011 Golf Turf Banquet

Graduates Chris DeSalvia & Tom Kennedy Jim Morris, Recipient, Rutgers Turfgrass Association Achievement Award One day it will be ME up there!

Andrew Powers receives SFMA scholarship from Matt Olivi

Graduates George Buckingham and Robert LaRoque

Director Ned Lipman with graduates Wesley Easton, Derek Brunette and Andrew V. Brown

Honorees Ken Krausz and Joe Flaherty with Chris Carson and Mike Mongon

Dr. Jim Murphy with the Ralph Geiger Scholars

Dr. Bill Meyer, Associate Director Center for Turfgrass Science

Great opportunity to reunite and network!

Instructor, Steve Kristoph

Shaun Barry presents the Award for Professional Excellence to Ken Krausz

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AARON, CODY CARTERSVILLE COUNTRY CLUB CARTERSVILLE, GA Spray Technician ALEXANDER, JORDAN THE LOS ANGELES COUNTRY CLUB LOS ANGELES, CA Assistant in training ALLEN, THOMAS UNION COUNTY PARKS & RECREATION KENILWORTH, NJ Greenskeeper BARONE, DANIEL J. JACK FROST NATIONAL BLAKESLEE, PA Assistant Superintendent BASTOS, SAMUEL SUBURBAN GOLF COURSE UNION, NJ Assistant Superintendent BECKER, STEPHEN K. CORDILLERA VAIL ALLEY, CO Intern BEYER, AARON DALTON RANCH & GOLF CLUB DURANGO, CO Greenskeeper BLAKE, BRIAN MILWAUKEE COUNTY MILWAUKEE, WI Superintendent BROWN, ANDREW V. RICH HARVEST LINKS SUGAR GROVE, IL 2nd Assistant Superintendent BRUNETTE, DEREK J. MONROE GOLF CLUB PITTSFORD, NY Grounds Crew BUCKINGHAM, GEORGE ATLANTIC GOLF CLUB BRIDGEHAMPTON, NY Foreman BUELT, ABRAHAM Paramount CC NEW CITY, NY Assistant in training CLAIR, BRIAN J. ROYAL OAKS GOLF CLUB LEBANON, PA Assistant Superintendent

2011 Graduates
FLYNN, EDWARD AURORA, CO GAJDA, MATTHEW THE VINEYARD GOLF CLUB EDGARTOWN, MA Intern GARNER, ANDREW T. Capital City Club WOODSTOCK, GA Intern GORDZICA, ALEX FIREKEEPER GOLF COURSE MAYETTA, KS Intern GRAHAM, TIMOTHY LITTLE MILL COUNTRY CLUB MARLTON, NJ Assistant Superintendent GUFFEY, ROBERT MORRIS PARK COUNTRY CLUB SOUTH BEND, IN Assistant Superintendent HALL, BRIAN C. SHAWNEE INN & GOLF RESORT SHAWNEE ON DELAWARE, PA Assistant Superintendent HERZBERG, BRICE JACKSON GOLF CLUB COLUMBIA, SC Assistant Superintendent HILL, TIMOTHY FOXCHASE GOLF CLUB STEVENS, PA Superintendent HOOKER, MALCOLM LASTING IMPRESSIONS LANDSCAPE CONTRACTORS UPPER MARLBURO, MD Foreman HUMPHREY, JOHN BEACON HILL COUNTRY CLUB ATLANTIC HIGHLANDS, NJ 2nd Assistant Superintendent JAMES, STEVE BEVERLEY, EY JONES JR., MARK PINEY BRANCH GOLF CLUB, INC. HAMPSTEAD, MD Greenskeeper

CLARK, DANIEL S. FLANDERS VALLEY GOLF COURSE FLANDERS, NJ Foreman CLIFT, TODD J. COUNTRY CLUB OF ITHACA ITHACA, NY Assistant Superintendent COBURN, RYAN L. GLENWILD GOLF CLUB PARK CITY, UT 2nd Assistant Superintendent CORBRIDGE, MATT BAYONNE GOLF CLUB BAYONNE, NJ 2nd Assistant Superintendent CRANE, MICHAEL LAUREL CREEK COUNTRY CLUB MOORESTOWN, NJ Assistant Superintendent CUSACK , SHAWN RUMSON COUNTRY CLUB RUMSON, NJ Seasonal employee DAZET, DANIEL BALTUSROL GOLF CLUB SPRINGFIELD, NJ Assistant Superintendent DELLINGER, MATTHEW W. POOLESVILLE GOLF COURSE POOLESVILLE, MD Assistant Superintendent EASTON, WESLEY E. BRIDGER CREEK GOLF COURSE BOZEMAN, MT Irrigation Tech FALLER, JOHN A. SKYTOP LODGE, INC. SKYTOP, PA Maintenance FISHER, KURT M. TREETOPS RESORT GAYLORD, MI 2nd Assistant Superintendent FLETCHER, ALBERT DESERT FOREST GOLF CLUB CAREFREE, AZ Assistant Superintendent

KAPLAN, JONATHAN OWATONNA COUNTRY CLUB OWATONNA, MN Grounds Crew KELLER MICHAEL D. HYDE PARK GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB CINCINNATI, OH Irrigation Tech KLEIN, MATTHEW AUGUSTA NATIONAL GOLF CLUB AUGUSTA, GA Intern LAROQUE, ROBERT M. (Mike) COUNTRY CLUB AT WOODMORE MITCHELLVILLE, MD 2nd Assistant Superintendent LEMKE, MICHAEL GOLF COURSES AT LAWSONIA GREEN LAKE, WI Assistant Superintendent LIN, HUNG-WEI (JIMMY) OAHU COUNTRY CLUB HONOLULU, HI Equipment Manager LINDHOLM, DANIEL WOLF RUN GOLF COURSE RENO, NV Superintendent MACKENZIE, CHRISTOPHER TYLER THE OLYMPIC CLUB SAN FRANCISCO, CA Assistant in training MACLEAY, NICHOLAS EASTMAN GOLF LINKS GRANTHAM, NH Intern MARTEL-MOUGEOT, LAURENT PINEGROVE COUNTRY CLUB SAINT JEAN SUR RICHELIEU, QUEBEC Assistant Superintendent MARTIC, MICHAEL WILLOUGHBY, OH MARTIN, TRAVIS D. MEADOW LAKES GOLF RESORT COLUMBIA FALLS, MT Assistant Superintendent McCLANNON, ANDREW MOCKSVILLE, NC MCNAMARA, BRIAN P. LANDSCAPE COMPANY WESTMONT, NJ Maintenance MORGAN, CHRISTOPHER S. GREEN KNOLL GOLF COURSE BRIDGEWATER, NJ Assistant Superintendent

NELSON, JEFFREY W. THE RANCH CLUB MISSOULA, MT Spray Technician PLETCHER, ELI R. HANNASTOWN GOLF CLUB GREENSBURG, PA Greenskeeper PLEWA, JOHN-PAUL THE WIZARD GOLF CLUB MYRTLE BEACH, SC Maintenance POWELL, BRIAN ELMIRA COUNTRY CLUB ELMIRA, NY Assistant Superintendent POWERS, ANDREW Verona, NJ PRINCIOTTI, JOSEPH Little Egg Harbor, NJ RANDALL, COREY ESSEX COUNTY COUNTRY CLUB WEST ORANGE, NJ Assistant Grounds Superintendent RAYFIELD ROBERT DELTA, OH RYAN, CHRISTOPHER PRAIRIE DUNES COUNTRY CLUB HUTCHINSON, KS Crew Member SCAFARO, KEVIN MINTURN, CO SCHELLER, CHRISTIAN OLDE YORK COUNTRY CLUB CHESTERFIELD, NJ Assistant Superintendent SHIPLEY, KEVIN MADERAS GOLF CLUB POWAY, CA Assistant Superintendent SHURSON, ERIC POLE CREEK GOLF CLUB WINTER PARK, CO SPANO, VINCENT BERGEN COUNTY PARKS & RECREATI HACKENSACK, NJ Greenskeeper STANTON, MICHAEL T. BALTIMORE COUNTRY CLUB TIMONIUM, MD Spray Technician

STEFANSKI III, RICHARD TURNING STONE RESORT & CASINO VERONA, NY Lead Grounds Technician TENKMAN, GREGORY BLUE ASH GOLF COURSE CINCINNATI, OH Foreman THOMPSON, KEVIN ENGINEERS COUNTRY CLUB ROSLYN HARBOR, NY 2nd Assistant Superintendent TYLES, JAMES FOUNTAIN GROVE GOLF AND ATHLETIC CLUB SANTA ROSA, CA Assistant Superintendent ULANDAY, AQUILINO (Noel) ORCHARD HILLS GOLF COURSE PARAMUS, NJ Operations Manager UNRUH, WILLIAM HOLSTON HILLS COUNTRY CLUB KNOXVILLE, TN Assistant in training VIRGULAK, DANIEL M. POTOWOMUT GOLF CLUB WEST GREENWICH, RI Assistant Groundskeeper VIRGULAK, STEPHEN QUIDNESSETT COUNTRY CLUB NORTH KINGSTOWN, RI Assistant Superintendent WAITE, EVAN GREENWICH, CT WELSH. DAVID XGD DRAINAGE SYSTEMS STUART, FL Project Manager WILLIAMS, IAN P. POCANO FARMS COUNTRY CLUB GOULDSBORO, PA Intern WILLIAMS, WOODROW Deceased ZAROFF, DANIEL F. PINE VALLEY GOLF CLUB, NJ PINE VALLEY, NJ Assistant Superintendent ZETTLE, STEVEN BETHPAGE STATE PARK FARMINGDALE, NY Intern

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The Hidden Value of Hosting an Amateur Competition

By Chris Carson, Superintendent, Echo Lake CC, Westfield, NJ; Instructor Reprinted with permission of the USGA Green Section (July 2011)
Theres a lot more than meets the eye! In 1990, Echo Lake Country Club offered to the USGA to host the 1994 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship. We had many reasons for making this offer, but the most important was to give back to the game. There were many enthusiastic supporters of this effort, but there were also members who actively opposed the idea, concerned that we were giving away our course during the season. We took those concerns seriously during our four-year planning process, and we worked hard to convince critics that the effort was not only good for golf, but that our club would benefit as well. Little did we know how great that benefit would be. Our first steps were to initiate long-range planning for the event. We asked ourselves what we needed to do to prepare for the championship, and we put it all down on spreadsheets. We looked at all aspects of our club, from parking to the clubhouse and locker rooms to the golf course itself. We didnt realize it at the time, but this process was, in effect, a strategic planning exercise for our club. The fact that we had committed to a deadline for the championship caused us to sharply focus on doing what we could to make sure our club was prepared to be a successful host. Site visits to the 1991, 92, and 93 championships gave us a good idea of how the event would run and of the needs of the players and their families. We also determined what would be required of the members who would serve as player hosts during the week. From these visits, and with the support of the USGA, we developed timetables, established expectations of how our members and staff would interact, and identified a few areas of weakness at our own club, some of which were a surprise to us. For example, during this process it became clear that although the USGA did not ask us to do so, we needed to enlarge and improve our practice facility. This work was completed a year prior to the championship and rapidly became the most visible benefit to our members. By adding target greens and enlarging our tee, we attracted more and more members to this area. Quickly it became and has remained the most popular area of our club. It certainly served the164 boys well during the weeklong championship, and it has also served our entire membership since it was built. Our course has benefited in many more subtle ways as well. Our own careful analysis of our bunkers uncovered some disturbing flaws, as did a similar look at tees, fairways, trees, and irrigation distribution. Though we could not tackle all of the issues we discovered, we have, over time, made improvements in each of these areas. These are areas we might have ignored at least for a while if we were not under the pressure of a deadline. As the seasons went by, longrange planning moved inevitably to midrange and, ultimately, shortrange preparation. Along the way, we launched new programs and adopted new methods. We became aware of excessive trees on the course and the problems they cause, and we began the process of selectively culling out the undesirable ones, a program that continues to this day. The championship went well, and during the week most of the members who had been concerned about giving away the course discovered a newfound pride in their course and a new sense of camaraderie with their fellow members. Friendships were formed and solidified, and, on that Saturday afternoon when a young champion was crowned, the general feeling was This was great! When can we do this again? The answer to that question, Im happy to say, was 2002, when the USGA brought the U.S. Girls Junior Championship to our club. This time we had even more volunteers than before, the planning was smoother, and the event was embraced by nearly 100% of our members. The week went off wonderfully. As the superintendent, it is natural that my primary focus is on the course itself. In many ways, though, the larger benefit of hosting these championships has been to our club. Ours is definitely not a cliquey club, but like most organizations, our members had developed their own circles of friends. Although there was an overall sense of fellowship among all members, these comfortable circles interacted infrequently. As our members became involved in the various championship committees, an interesting phenomenon occurred. Small circles of friends morphed into larger groups and, after a while, into an energized membership pulling together for a common cause. Sharing the goals of supporting junior golf and to make the boys and then the girls feel at home at Echo Lake, our members became ambassadors for our club. Along the way, lasting bonds were developed, and members formed a deep sense of club pride. In a sense, our vibrant club is what it is today because of the two championships weve hosted, and we look forward to our next opportunity to showcase our club. The staff benefited as well. The many meetings of the championship committee helped the department heads develop a deeper understanding of member desires and the inner workings of our club. As we worked with our members to ensure a successful event, strong relationships developed that exist to this day. (continued on page 15)

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One of the common laments of golf course superintendents is that our members just dont understand what we do; they dont appreciate what we are up against. In developing a successful plan for the Junior Amateur Championship, many of the key members of the club developed a fuller appreciation of what their managers and staffs accomplish Of the many treasured moments I have of that championship, the one that stands out is the difficult weather that struck midweek. We received three powerful storms in a 16-hour period, totaling seven inches of rain. The green staff did a wonderful job of pumping, raking, and squeegeeing, and so too did our onsite USGA agronomist, Dave Oatis. What was most gratifying, though, was the spirit of our members who also pitched in to help. I have a photo taken just prior to resumption of play that shows the general chairman of the event and two other committee heads completing the raking of a washed-out bunker. With rakes in their hands and sweat on their brows, it perfectly illustrates the spirit of our club: we were all together, doing whatever was needed to achieve success. The three managers of our club the superintendent, professional, and club manager developed a similar sense of teamwork, and so too did our staffs. For the green maintenance team, the championships are cornerstones of our history that we frequently reference when defining goals and expectations and when remembering the fun times weve enjoyed. As I look back to that fateful decision in 1990 and think about what our golf course and club have become in the years since, I think the payback weve received by hosting these events has been remarkable. Though we focused our attention and resources on a specific week for a specific event, the real value, sometimes hidden, was to the course and our members. In our experience, the bar has been raised permanently; expectations are higher, and the resources to achieve them have, over time, been allocated. We are now undertaking an extensive master plan that is aimed at resolving some fundamental design flaws and finally addressing some of the concerns that were identified but not resolved 21 years ago. Though it might be lost on our current membership, I am convinced that the seeds of this current work were planted by a few members who asked a simple question: What will it take for us to host an amateur championship? Looking back, it seems to me that the bigger question was What will we gain? Hosting a week-long championship, if done with careful preparation, will provide fun, thrills, positive publicity for your club, and support the game of golf. But the larger value will be subtler and longer term . . . . Youll be moving your club forward in ways that may not be evident for years to come. CHRIS CARSON has been the superintendent at Echo Lake Country Club in Westfield, N.J., since 1986, and has been a member of the USGA Green Section Committee for the past eight years. He is a valued member of our teaching staff.

The Rutgers Turfgrass Alumni Association

Thanks to your generous support we continue to offer scholarships to turfgrass students who have worked hard and excelled in their studies, helping them on the road to success. When you have a moment, please visit the Alumni section of our website www.golfturf.rutgers.edu to view the featured links. The ability to complete a membership application and pay dues online means alumni are now able to enroll year round instead of just once with the annual mailing. While you are visiting our website, click on our new Share Your Story link and let your fellow alums know how the Rutgers Professional Golf Turf Management School benefitted your life. And join our Facebook page! We are proud that our alumni feel this special lifelong dedication to our program, and hope that your dedication to our future alumni continues each year. Thank you sincerely for your support, and best wishes for a successful season. The Rutgers Turfgrass Alumni Association is an affiliate of the New Jersey Turfgrass Association and supporter of Turfgrass Research at Rutgers. Help us touch base with someone from the Have You Seen... Contact Rosemary Mahony at 732-932-9271 or email turfalumni@gmail.com.

We gratefully thank the following people who have generously paid their alumni dues for 2011-2012.
Joseph Adkinson Frank Bevelacqua Jaret Brant Keith Carper Gregory Czaplinski Ronald Frazier Tom Gosselin Jose Mana Jason F. McPhail Francis Owsik Doug Porter Raymond Rippert Don Sauvigne Jim Stewart James Vogel Jeffrey Wilson Harold Bahrenburg Joseph Bianco Paul Bruni Tim Connolly Kenneth Duggan Aaron Gagnon Michael Howell Justin Mandon Thomas Murphy Vincent Jim Pavonetti Sidney Prinkey Thomas Ritchie Aragorn Schafer Paul Stokes Todd Wenzel Todd Work Travis Bates Greg Bochneak Andrew Bucceri Bryan Cosgrove Jeff Dumont John Garger Jr. Christopher Kastner Todd Marten Jeff Newell Mark Peterson Harold Pyett Efron Romero Jesse Shannon George Taylor Farley Westbeook Joe Berggren Barry Bollinger John Buck Thomas Crump Mike Faga Andrew Garner Durbin Loreno Shawn Martin Keith Nienow Jason Pierce Bill Reil Ronald Ruppert Phil Shoemaker Jonathan Tiernan Jeffrey Wetterling Anthony Bertels Paul Bradley Frank Caravella Janson Culver Jeff Feick Robert Gluck James Lynch Jim McGaughey Patrick Nowlen Joseph Pintar David Renk Chris Ryan Ben Starkel Matthew Turner Henry Wetzel

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Rutgers Turf Alumni

Congratulations to the many of you that have enhanced your position in the turf industry this year. Here is a sample! We wish you ALL much success!
RYAN BERGER, 2010 DOMINIC BOUCHARD, 2001 IAN BRAY, 2003 NICK BRITTON, 2007 BRIAN BUTCHER, 2010 WAYNE CARTER, 2008 BRIAN CLAIR, 2011 DANIEL COLEMAN, 2012 JAMES COLO, 1996 MATTHEW DELLINGER, 2011 MATTHEW DIERDORFF, 2009 JASON EDGAR, 2008 KURT FISHER, 2011 JUDD FITZGERALD, 2000 ALBERT FLETCHER, 2011 CHRISTOPHER GOEBEN, 2010 EDDY GRATTINI, 1999 JOSEPH GULOTTI, 2001 BRICE HERZBERG, 2011 JOHN HUMPHREY, 2011 PATRICK HUSBY, 2001 KEVIN HUTCHINS, 1996 MARSHALL KLAY, 2007 BRIAN LENIK, 2012 DANIEL LINDHOLM, 2011 ANDRY MARTIN, 2000 KYLE MEAD, 2006 MARCUS NIELSEN, 2008 JAMES OGARA, 2005 JASON PODRIS, 2000 STEVEN PRICE, 2005 NICHOLAS PUSKARICH, 2010 CASEY RICE, 2004 CHRISTIAN SCHELLER, 2011 KIRK SPIETH, 2004 LUCAS SPRAGUE, 2008 MICHAEL STANTON, 2011 TANNER STOVER, 2010 KYLE SWART, 2010 MICHAEL TARDOGNO, 2007 MATTHEW WILLIGAN, 1998 CHRIS WRENN, 2012 GLEN WRIGHT JR., 1992 Assistant Superintendent, GLENMAURA NATIONAL GOLF COURSE, PA Assistant Superintendent, KENNETT SQUARE GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB, PA Assistant Superintendent, APPLE RIDGE COUNTRY CLUB, NJ Assistant Superintendent, LAKESHORE YACHT AND COUNTRY CLUB, NY Assistant Superintendent, WESTCHESTER HILLS GOLF CLUB, NY Assistant Superintendent, WESTHAM GOLF CLUB, VA Assistant Superintendent, ROYAL OAKS GOLF CLUB, PA Manager, RYAN LAWN & TREE, KS Superintendent, NAPLES NATIONAL GOLF CLUB, FL Assistant Superintendent, POOLESVILLE GOLF COURSE, MD Assistant Director, ROGER DEAN STADIUM, FL Superintendent, SPRING HILL COUNTRY CLUB, OR 2nd Assistant Superintendent, TREETOPS RESORT, MI Sales, ENVIRO SYSTEMS, IN Assistant Superintendent, DESERT FOREST GOLF CLUB, AZ Assistant Superintendent, RIDGEWAY COUNTRY CLUB, WI Superintendent, BRANDERMILL COUNTRY CLUB, VA Superintendent, CAVALIERS COUNTRY CLUB, DE Assistant Superintendent, JACKSON GOLF CLUB, SC 2nd Assistant Superintendent, BEACON HILL COUNTRY CLUB, NJ Superintendent, EAGLE OAKS GOLF CLUB, NJ Territory Sales Manager, TECTRON, CA Superintendent, SLEEPY HOLLOW GOLF CLUB, WV Assistant Superintendent, MANHATTAN WOODS GOLF CLUB, NY Superintendent, WOLF RUN GOLF COURSE, NV Superintendent, OTEPPA GOLF CLUB, ESTONIA Superintendent, DANDREA GOLF CLUB, NV Owner, ARTESIAN SPRINKLERS INC., CO Assistant Superintendent, GREENBRIAR OCEANAIRE GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB, NJ Superintendent, MOYVALLEY GOLF CLUB, IRELAND Superintendent, ROCKY KNOLLS GOLF COURSE, SD Assistant Superintendent, MOUNTAINTOP GOLF AND LAKE CLUB, NC Superintendent, ESHQUAGUMA COUNTRY CLUB, MN Assistant Superintendent, OLDE YORK COUNTRY CLUB, NJ Superintendent, BEVERLY COUNTRY CLUB, IL Superintendent, CANYON SPRINGS GOLF COURSE, ID Spray Technician, BALTIMORE COUNTRY CLUB, MD Superintendent, GREAT LIFE GOLF & FITNESS, KS Assistant Superintendent, LINKS ON THE BAYOU, LA Superintendent, GREENBRIAR OCEANAIRE GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB, NJ Superintendent, FIDDLERS ELBOW COUNTRY CLUB, NJ Assistant Superintendent, CLIFTON HIGHLANDS GOLF CLUB, WI Project Manager, XGD SYSYTEM, FL

Have You Seen or Spoken to These Alumni?

Do you know where they work? If they left the industry? Drop a line to koppell@rci.rutgers.edu!
VINCENT BOCCUMINI CARL BRAUN JOHN CHALLENGER JOHN CONNIG ROBERT LEE HILL HARRY KASBARIAN JOHN PINO PATRICK ROWLAND MASASHI SASAKURA LEE BLANCHARD SCOTT S. KLEIN BRENT J. MOISA TERRY L. PAIGE DEIDRA PISAURO WILLIAM J. RYAN ESMERLIN (John) SALCEDO JEFFREY SMOLHA GREGORY M. STEMMER PAUL T. WILLIAMS JR. MITCHEL BONAGURO SUSAN BONITO HORACE M. BUNCH PREBEN JESSEN KENNETH MCCORMICK EDWARD W. MC ELROY JAMES MCGUINNESS DAVID E. MERSMAN EDWARD MILLS II JAMES P. MORGAN III KIRK C. SEDLACK MICHAEL H. TRZYNA LESLIE TUENGEL N. CHAPMAN VAIL III NEIL R. WARTMANN JOHN G. WASHKWICH GARRICK V. WHITTIKER KARL ZAINITZER, JR ROGER J. ANTHONY THAD ATKINS PETER BERGERON MICHAEL J. BLANDA JEFFREY BROWN DUNAUD CADET PETER H. COLLERAN BRIAN COOL THOMAS F. FISH RICHARD M. GAYLORD THOMAS HAYDEN III ALFRED M. HOLDEN MICHAEL J. MYLET JOHN T. PINSKEY TIMOTHY M. READING BRET A. ROBY WILLIAM J. SOETH GLEN W. VANISTENDAL GERALD K. AHMAI CHRISTIAN H. BAUER CORY BOWEN 1990 1990 1990 1990 1990 1990 1990 1990 1990 1991 1991 1991 1991 1991 1991 1991 1991 1991 1991 1992 1992 1992 1992 1992 1992 1992 1992 1992 1992 1992 1992 1992 1992 1992 1992 1992 1992 1993 1993 1993 1993 1993 1993 1993 1993 1993 1993 1993 1993 1993 1993 1993 1993 1993 1993 1994 1994 1994 THOMAS A. BUSH RANDY FREDERICK MARTIN A. GIANNINI STEVEN E. GROVES EARL D. HARGIS BRENDAN A. HOWARD DAN JULOW JOHN J. LABB DAVID M. MILLS JOSEPH B. MORTILLARO CHRISTOPHER ROTH JOHN K. SCHIKAL KEVIN SPRAGUE PATRICK L. STACHOWSKI ALBERT SWANSON III JANIS L. TETTEMER DAVID W. UGI ROBERT T. WACHTER WADE S. WEAVER JOHN R. WOLFF SCOT BAER THOMAS A. BERK SR. JAMES CARNEY TODD CASZATT CHRISTOPHER CLARK MARK C. FOULKS JEFFREY GREEN HAIG HANDSHAW RUDY HOBBS III STEVEN A. JONES JOHN KANNENBERG BRIAN KOWALENKO RICHARD MILLER GARY L. RAMSEY JOEL SAINT-ELIEN DONALD WOOLDRIDGE JAMES R. CONDER ROBERT L. DODDS HOUSTON H. FREY LEONARD J. GRIPPO KEVIN J. HALLAM CHARLES L. JENKINS DANIEL M. MC CALL STEVEN J. MORGAN JAMES B. MORRILL RANDALL B. OLSON ROBERT J. POLITANO RICHARD M. SAFFORD CURTIS M. SAKAMOTO PETER M. SHERONAS LUCAS SYLVESTER JR. MICHAEL J. TREZZA KEVIN B. YODER LISA ANCUTA BRYCE ANDERSON SHAWN BREHM TRACEY CARTER JEFFREY D. COFFMAN THOMAS E. CURRIE JR. 1994 1994 1994 1994 1994 1994 1994 1994 1994 1994 1994 1994 1994 1994 1994 1994 1994 1994 1994 1994 1995 1995 1995 1995 1995 1995 1995 1995 1995 1995 1995 1995 1995 1995 1995 1995 1996 1996 1996 1996 1996 1996 1996 1996 1996 1996 1996 1996 1996 1996 1996 1996 1996 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997 SAMUEL L. DEFOREST PAUL E. FOLLET STEVEN G. GRIMLER KEVIN HAASE GREGG S. HOKIT JEFFREY JOHNSON KARL KINDBERG JEFFREY LAUER BRIAN LUBECK CHRIS MCCORMACK DANIEL MELE SCOTT C. MUMMA RICHARD PALCKO WILLIAM PEDRAZZI RICHARD PIETROPOLA MATHEW RAUH CRAIG R. ROBINSON DANIEL P. SINEK JASON W. SMITH JAY STADLER THOMAS J. STEFFANN ALFRED (AJ) STUART III DAVID J. ULRICH GREGORY VITRANO TROY VROMAN DARIUS WADOLOWSKI ANTHONY S. WEAVER KEVIN WISCOMBE STEPHEN WOJDULA MICHAEL BABAK MICHAEL BARRETO DAVID P. CINALLI BRIAN DAMATO THOMAS V. FARRELLY WARREN GILDER QUENTIN HADLOCK ADAM N. HARRIS ALEX HENDRY JAMES HILL BRIAN HUDGINS TOD A. JACKSON PHIL JANGL JASON JOHNSON TOM KORINCHAK JR. EARL MARLATT RONALD S. MARTIN DANIEL MCCULLEY CHRISTOPHER A. MEYER DARIN C. MILLER DANIEL NECE ROBERT PALLAS WILLIAM RIEDEMANN JOHN E. SCHOLZ DANIEL SHUTT JR. TIMOTHY SMITH SHANE M. TRESSLAR JASON WHITE ROBERT ADAMS DREW C. ANFINSEN CHAD BAKER 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997 1997 1998 1998 1998 1998 1998 1998 1998 1998 1998 1998 1998 1998 1998 1998 1998 1998 1998 1998 1998 1998 1998 1998 1998 1998 1998 1998 1998 1998 1999 1999 1999

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ANTHONY T. BENFIELD BRIAN BESS COLE T. DREW JASON DYPSKY JOSEPH J. GLOVIAK CHARLIE LORUSSO LOUIS A. LUCERO JAY E. MARQUESEN MICHAEL MAURIN WILLIAM P. MCDERMOTT BRIAN C. MILLER SANTOS NIEVES TODD M. SAGANIEC JAKE C. SCHIPPER DAVID SIEVERS CHRIS P. SIMONETTA NIGEL SKINNER ALBERTO VASQUEZ THOMAS D. YODER PAUL A. ZANELLA TODD E. ARNOLD DAVID W. BIELAK BRANDON CONLOW GREGORY F. COX PATRICK L. FOGEL BRIAN D. GERVAIS DAVID L. HEFFERNAN JESSE JOHNSON CRAIG P. LAWRENCE RICHARD C. LEAHY GREGORY G. MILLER RICHARD A. MULLIKIN WILLIAM F. SANDERS STEVEN TIMMONS DAVID B. VARGO JOSHUA P. WALDSCHMIDT SETH WILSON WILLIAM T. FILMORE JEFFREY S. JACKSON DAVID KADESH KEITH D. LEE KEVIN P. MAHONEY RONALD D. MCHUGH DENNIS R. MCNAMARA ALAN K. RAMSEY BRIAN ALTANA OREST V. ROSHAK GREGORY M. SHARIN DONALD A. BROWN ROBERT P. FOGERTY MARC PALUMBO DENNIS D. LEIFSON JOHN A. NUNEZ 1999 1999 1999 1999 1999 1999 1999 1999 1999 1999 1999 1999 1999 1999 1999 1999 1999 1999 1999 1999 2000 2000 2000 2000 2000 2000 2000 2000 2000 2000 2000 2000 2000 2000 2000 2000 2000 2001 2001 2001 2001 2001 2001 2001 2001 2002 2002 2002 2003 2003 2003 2004 2004

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Selling the Project

Golf Course Industry - Industry News, Disease Kyle Brown - April 2012 that I came up with. Even if they didnt, they still feel that way.
It went in front of the membership. They needed X amount of percentage to get it over. We had the USGA come in and we had Dave Otis give a presentation about our irrigation system and the benefits of a new irrigation system. We did not bring in any of the consultants we had hired. We felt that the membership would look at them and say, Well of course hes going to say we need a new irrigation system. Youll make money on it. The USGA is Switzerland here. Dave did an awesome presentation. He walked off the stage and said, I tried my best, but I dont think its going to happen. About three weeks later they had a vote, and it passed. So what would you say were the secrets of getting this project through? Really, just presell, presell, presell, document and use the right people. I didnt go in front of a board and talk to them until I had spoken to each individual board member about it. You know, I would talk to the board member and say, Hey, have you got five minutes? I just want to show you something, and then go out and show them where Im having trouble with the irrigation. You know, Can you come down? I want you to take a look inside our pump house. This is what the story is here. We took photos, a lot of photos. We had bad electrical down there. I dont want to sound like this is a trick, but anytime you go and start saying this is a safety hazard, people listen. One of my lines is, I hope I dont get barbecued down there, because my wifes gonna own the course. My first year here, we had a lot of stressed areas because of irrigation problems. We took lots of photos to show hey, this is what it looks like. My old assistant went out and took photos of all the stressed areas. As a follow up, and it really worked out well, we took pictures of the course after the system was

in for about two years. We did an August pic of what it looked like that first year, and what it looked like a year or two after we put the system in, and it was night and day. People didnt really realize it until they saw it. The best way I think to do it is through photos. You can give them: The PSI isnt correct, were not getting good coverage. They dont understand it, and they really dont care. All they care about is that the golf course is in good shape. They dont want to hear the technical stuff. How do you go about pointing out the need for a project without sounding like whining? Some of that stuff, you almost have to prove yourself in other areas. If you go around saying, This stinks, this stinks, theyre not going to listen. But say, This is a problem we have, this is how I propose to solve it, and this is what youll get. Show how you can do things with less. People appreciate that. You have to spend the money like its your own. Show them where theyre saving their dollars and thats important, its their money, Youve really got to understand its their money, their dues. I see a lot of guys say, Its my golf course. Im gonna do it. No, it isnt; youre a superintendent. Keep your ego in check. You cant keep saying, Me, me, me. Its us and your course: I want to do it for your course. You cant say, I want to do it because it makes my life easier, because you know something? They really dont care how easy your life is. Show them what its going to do for them. They really dont care if youre here for five hours on that Saturday afternoon or what kind of hours as long as the course looks good. Youre not going to sell them on: Thats going to free my Saturday. Youre going to sell: I can water in-between play and I wont disturb you. Its all about them. Frank Tichenor is a 1995 graduate of the Rutgers Professional Golf Turf Management School. http://www.golfcourseindustry.com/ strictly-business-Frank-Tichenorforest-hill-field-club.aspx

Frank Tichenor, superintendent at Forest Hill Field Club, needed to replace his courses irrigation system. But first, he had to get the board on his side: heres how he did it. What was worked on? the project you

We did an irrigation project about five years ago, a while after I came on. When they looked for a new superintendent, they asked everybody in the interviews, What are your feelings about the irrigation system? The only people that got second interviews were the people that said, You need a new irrigation system. The irrigation system was really dated. The first year in we had a lot of problems with it, especially in the pump house. We did a good job documenting those problems. Howd you go about making the sale to your course? Through talks with the green committee, we knew our ultimate goal was to put in an irrigation system but it was going to be a tough sell. So we documented all the problems. If we had a breakdown in a pump station, we made sure everybody knew that. You always pre-sell any project that youre looking to do to pretty much to every member of the board. So when you go into a board meeting, you need all this stuff pre-sold, so each board member takes ownership of the idea. When it does come up to the board, all the sudden they feel like, yeah, this is a good idea

The Weak Winter

Golf Course Industry - Industry News, Disease Kyle Brown - March 2012
How will the weak winter affect golf courses in the Midwest? Dr. Bruce Clarke, extension specialist at Rutgers, explains what to look for when green starts showing up early. What are the implications of this very warm winter on anthracnose for 2012? I dont think anyone really knows the impact of the winter on the population of the fungus. If theres a lot of winter damage, is anthracnose coming in on weakened turf and causing a problem that way? I think weve seen more severe anthracnose coming in mid-to-late spring on top of areas that have been severely damaged by winter, maybe something like what we had last year. This year is probably one of the mildest winters weve had in many years. The only way I could see anthracnose being more severe is if its colonizing turf with these temperatures in the 50s and 60s. The caveat is that we really dont know the impact of the mild winter on fungus. What should superintendents do to prevent anthracnose from becoming a problem this spring? The bottom line for superintendents is trying to follow the best management practices that weve developed over the past 4-5 years to try to maintain vigorous, healthy turf. Thats the best way to deal with anthracnose before you start considering fungicide strategies. Whether warm or cold, try to improve your cultural program in the spring or summer. Anthracnose is a stress-related disease. With a mild year where the turf is not stressed as much, I would think it might play to the advantage of a superintendent. The turf is not damaged as much, so we go into the spring in a healthier condition. You want to look where youve had a history of anthracnose before, and you want to maintain a healthy level of nitrogen, in particular. You might want to increase your spoon-feeding programs. Take a look at mowing heights. You dont want to mow below what that species has been developed for: a tenth of an inch and below and continually mowing at that height would weaken the turf. Maintain an reasonable height of cut, with increased rolling and topdressing, which weve learned is a really important agronomic practice from the perspective of anthracnose in particular. Sand tends to reduce the severity of anthracnose throughout the season. A little more heavily in spring going to light or moderate in summer is a good approach to reduce the severity as well. Avoid wilt stress, which tends to predispose plants to anthracnose. You can run your greens dry, but not to the point where youre getting repeated wilt. What we dont know is the impact of winter temperatures on the survival of the anthracnose pathogen. How should superintendents look for anthracnose, if it is showing up already? Supers have to always be on the

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lookout for the yellowing associated with anthracnose. Look for the black porcupine spines of the fungus. Even if they see a small amount in the spring, always send it off to have a lab examine it. From the standpoint of wet conditions, you need moisture for the disease to occur, but for the most part its much more prevalent where theres desiccation. When should a superintendent start to really look for turf disease this spring? I think it basically goes back to control. For people who are using early spring applications for dollar spot, typically those go out on the second mowing in very early spring. This year, if turf starts growing a little earlier, that application might go out a week or two earlier than it has in the past. Keep an eye on the turf: when its actually picking up green tissue thats about the time to do it. I can see how that might get pushed up a little because youll probably get growth a lot earlier this year unless we get another strange cold spell. It may only be a week or two sooner. I dont know if theres a big impact with this winter, but they should just keep their eyes open a little earlier than they normally would. Dr. Bruce Clarke is an instructor of the Rutgers Professional Golf Turf Management School. w w w. g o l f c o u r s e i n d u s t r y. c o m / diseasedigest-030712-bruce-clarkeweak-winter.aspx

Directors Message - Brand Loyalty (continued)

If our winter class of 2012 is any indication, there is enormous interest in professional education within the golf turf industry, and the quality of those interested in succeeding continues to grow despite the current economy and the ever-increasing challenges and sacrifices required to achieve our certificate. At the end of the day, we are only as good as those we have served, and I have been tremendously proud of how far so many of you have advanced in realizing your personal goals. This is a story about which we can all be truly proud, and I hope you will upon reading this note consider who the next person on your staff might be to send along to Rutgers and to become part of a truly great tradition. Heres hoping you all have successful and productive summers. Wed love to hear about how we can continue to grow and serve your needs or about your personal successes and observations. Sincerely,

http://golfturf.rutgers.edu

New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station Office of Continuing Professional Education 102 Ryders Lane New Brunswick, NJ 08901 732.932.9271 732.932.1187 koppell@rci.rutgers.edu
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DIRECTOR Ned Lipman STUDENT / CURRICULA ADVISOR Dr. Richard Hurley SENIOR PROGRAM COORDINATOR Fran Koppell DIRECTOR, NJAES CENTER FOR TURFGRASS SCIENCE Dr. Bruce Clarke PROFESSOR, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, NJAES CENTER FOR TURFGRASS SCIENCE Dr. William A. Meyer RUTGERS TURFGRASS ALUMNI ASSOCIATION EXECUTIVE BOARD Executive Director Thomas Ritchie (76) President Donald Heynigher (75) Vice-President Robert Dickison (62) Treasurer Joseph Bianco (62) Past President Dr. Karen Plumley

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