Golfdom • June 2022 • Starter

Golf Course Superintendents of America Association (GCSAA) members and other industry professionals met virtually with state legislators from across the country to discuss the Personal Health Investment Today (PHIT) Act, the Protect America’s Children from Toxic Pesticides Act (PACTPA) and labor issues with H-2B Visas.

The PHIT Act would lower the cost of the activity and asks for use of pretax dollars in HSAs, FSAs and other medical accounts to pay for the prevention of disease. Included legislation covers youth and adult sports league fees, sports and fitness equipment, tournament and green fees, required uniform fees and more.

During the meeting with Ohio legislators, the PHIT Act was the focus of conversations. Rep. Michael Turner (R-OH) has already pledged support.

“The day went really well, and I know our voices were heard collectively as an industry,” says Mark Jordan, CGCS, past president of the GCSAA and Natural Resource Manager for Westfield in Westfield Center, Ohio. “It’s always good to be there physically, this is our second year in a row virtually, but we thought it was productive.

“Mental and physical wellness and creating that environment for golfers is a huge part of what we do, so that’s why we’re supporting (PHIT),” Jordan adds. “Also, it’s a chance to introduce new people to the game of golf.”

The PACTPA Act would ban pesticide products banned or otherwise prohibited by the European Union (EU), one or more countries in the EU or Canada. The GCSAA supports H.R. 7266, a bill sponsored by U.S. Congressman Rodney Davis (RIll.), which protects state pesticide preemption.

“We are supporting H.R. 7266,” Jordan says. “Really, it protects that state preemption and we feel very strongly about it. The (PACTPA Act) is about preemption, and being able to let any municipality set up these pesticide bans. H.R. 7266 would prevent that from happening.”

The H-2B Returning Worker Exemption Act would permanently exempt workers who were previously admitted to and worked in the U.S. on an H-2B visa during the past three fiscal years from the annual 66,000 visa cap.

“We really would like to have more H-2B workers,” Jordan says. “We’d like to promote these changes and expand opportunities to get more of these workers out there.”

According to the GCSAA, over 200 golf course industry professionals attended the meetings on May 11.

Sports industry business leader Phil Cotton is taking over as CEO of Nicklaus Companies. He succeeds John Reese, who transitions to vice-chairman after being CEO for more than 10 years

Cotton will oversee the existing businesses and teams of Nicklaus Brands, Nicklaus Design as well as all corporate relationships and new business opportunities.

“It is a huge honor to be leading the team at Nicklaus Companies. Jack has matched his on-course achievements with both his business and philanthropic endeavors and I am excited to have the opportunity to harness the great talent that we have within the business to continue to push the boundaries of what is possible and to ensure that the Nicklaus name remains synonymous with quality, excellence and innovation,” Cotton said.

LebanonTurf has launched Country Club IV, a line of greens grade products with “increased visibility” that make fertilizer applications easier to see.

“In the tradition of listening to our superintendent customers, we’re excited to bring these new products to our flagship golf course line of products,” Christopher Gray, senior brand manager of professional fertilizers for LebanonTurf, said. “We believe these new products will dramatically help the superintendent make accurate and effective fertilizer applications on their high-quality putting greens.”

Initially, the Country Club IV products will include the most historically popular analysis, 18-3-18, 18-9-18, 17-0-17 and 0-0-25. Additional product development will launch in the fall.

“We feel that our expanded portfolio of high-performing, greens grade products, both these new Country Club IV products and our incredibly popular Country Club MD products, offer today’s superintendent a wide range of real-world benefits that fit into any putting green nutrient program,” Gray said.

Ismael Hernandez, a golf course worker in San Leandro, Calif., died after a hit-and-run driver rammed into his riding mower on a nearby street, California police reported.

“It makes me sick. It almost makes me rage,” John Jorgensen, superintendent at Monarch Bay Golf Club, told The Sacramento Bee.

Hernandez died in the hospital on April 20 after being rear-ended by a stolen black Dodge Ram pickup truck on April 18, San Leandro police said in a news release.

Hernandez was returning a riding mower to the golf course maintenance shop via a bicycle lane. He is survived by three children and two grandchildren.

The driver of the pickup truck, whom witnesses say had earlier been driving recklessly in the area, drove off after the crash, police said.

Police later arrested a passenger in the truck on a warrant, leading to the arrest of accused driver Jason McDermott, 43, of Oakland, the release said. He’s been charged with vehicular manslaughter, hit-and-run and auto theft, according to reporting from FOX2 KTVU.

“It was so senseless for a man who’s so gentle. He never, ever, ever had a frown on his face,” Jorgensen said.

McDermott faces charges including negligent vehicular manslaughter, hit and run with injuries and other charges, police said. The golf course is mourning Hernandez’s death.

“My cousin started a GoFundMe to help cover taking his remains to Mexico. Any money left over will go towards a savings account for his children and grandchildren,” Felipe Hernandez, nephew of the victim, told Golfdom. “We appreciate the golf community so much for their generosity and kind words.”

It’s a thrill to see our own Alan FitzGerald, CGCS, LedgeRock GC, Mohnton, Pa., on the stage at the British Turfgrass Management Exposition (BTME). Fitz was one of three industry professionals who earned the Master Greenskeeper (MG) designation from the British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association. FitzGerald was joined on stage by fellow newly appointed MGs Richard Johnstone and Greg Fitzmaurice and Sami Strutt, BIGGA COO.

FitzGerald, Golfdom’s 2019 Herb Graffis Businessperson of the Year award winner, is a regular columnist for the magazine. Whenever we edit Fitz’s columns, we are sure to read them in our minds with an Irish accent.

Project EverGreen will hold its inaugural golf classic on Aug. 29, at the Lochmere Golf Club in Cary, N.C. According to Project EverGreen, the event’s goal is to support the company’s mission of creating a greener, healthier and cooler earth. Golfdom is a sponsor of the event.

“We are excited to combine the passion our volunteers and donors have for golf and the great outdoors with supporting Project EverGreen’s mission to create a greener, healthier, cooler Earth,” Cindy Code, executive director of Project EverGreen, said. “The work that is done to grow a healthier green space footprint through the GreenCare for Communities and GreenCare for Troops initiatives benefits communities and military families across the country.”

Central Turf & Irrigation Supply appointed Austin Lanzarone as its new turf category director for seed. Lanzarone will focus on strategic growth for the seed category.

Lanzarone has nearly 20 years of experience in the green industry and a degree in plant and soil science from the University of Kentucky. His career has been heavily focused on the grass seed industry and includes experience with procurement, distribution, key account management and sales.

“We couldn’t be more excited to have Austin join our team. With the rapid growth of our turf division, it’s critical for us to have an industry leader like Austin to focus on and execute category-specific strategies for the department,” Anthony Luciano, vice president of sales and marketing for Central Turf & Irrigation Supply, said.

Lanzarone’s addition to the team is part of Central’s overall growth goal for the turf division and is the department’s first dedicated category director position. Additional hires will also be joining Lanzarone as category directors for fertilizer and chemicals in the coming months.

Golfdom took home 13 awards as part of the 2022 Turf and Ornamental Communicators Association’s (TOCA) Awards Contest Winners include:

Joe Berggren
@joeberggren
Superintendent The Wilds Golf Club, Prior Lake, Minn.

My team is doing great! I didn’t even know we were expanding the tees this year!

Mississippi State University (MSU) scientists developed two new turfgrass cultivars as the first hybrid bermudagrass cultivars unrelated to the commonly used bermudagrass 328 (Tifgreen).

“The superior performance of these two grasses provides stakeholders with new options in the putting green market,” Hongxu Dong, assistant professor at MSU who specializes in turfgrass breeding and genetics, said. “These two grasses are adding novel genetic diversity to the bermudagrass cultivars, especially to the ones used on putting greens.”

The two types of grass, “MSB-264” and “MSB-285,” have a more upright leaf orientation than traditional bermudagrass putting green cultivars. While these are visually similar, MSU said they have different genetic compositions. Both are propagated vegetatively and are sterile triploid genotypes, meaning that they do not produce seeds.

As a self-certified Golfdom archives surfer, I was immediately drawn to the cover reprinted in the March 2022 issue. With all the research I do, acronyms are sometimes difficult to figure out if they are not spelled out first. The NRA mentioned in the photo caption should read the National Recovery Administration. (Editor’s note: We incorrectly identified the NRA logo as the National Rifle Association’s logo in that issue.)

For full disclosure, I always thought the NRA stood for National Recovery Act but, in fact, the NIRA — National Industrial Recovery Act — was the act that enabled the NRA to be an administration. The NRA acronym can be as confusing as the WWF was until they agreed to change to the WWE.

My fact-checking habit is the result of lessons learned as a second grader. Our school librarian started the “We Never Guess, We Look It Up Club,” of which there was no acronym, but we all got a nifty lapel pin. I’m going to assume I became her most fervent disciple.

Keep up the great work with your magazine. I always enjoy the reprinted archives feature every issue.

Doug Vogel, CGMAS
Certified Golfdom magazine archives surfer and superintendent, County of Passaic Parks & Recreation Department, Wayne, N.J.

I would like to thank you for the nice article regarding the Michigan Turfgrass Foundation and its recent decision to pledge and our initiative to the Vargas Endowed Chair (“A high honor for Turf,” March 2022).

It was well written, comprehensive and thoughtful of the purpose we are undertaking.

I am well aware of your history at Michigan State University and elsewhere (I read all your articles in Golfdom) and we appreciate your time that you put into preparing the article.

You may not recall any of our conversations — or who I am — but as an MSU Grad, course superintendent, club manager and now Executive Director of the Michigan Turfgrass Foundation, it has been my pleasure to be involved with so many classy individuals.

I just wanted to say how spot-on your column titled, “Canceled no more” (March 2022) in the new issue of Golfdom is. I went to the GCSAA Conference and Show and found it an excellent event. First of all, California seemed no more “locked down” than my state. Showing proof of vaccination was easy (and comforting) and mask-wearing indoors was lightly enforced. The education was excellent as always and the trade show still seemed as big to me, just less crowded, which selfishly was fine as it allowed me to move about easier.

Many folks I spoke with when I returned home would say “I heard the show wasn’t that good.” My reply was it was just as “good” as always, maybe not as well attended, but it didn’t hurt my enjoyment with having less of a crowd. I think GCSAA deserves a lot of credit for making it work. The opening session on the Midway was maskless as well as the closing ceremony.