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P U B L I C AT I O N O F T H E C A R O L I N A S G O L F C O U R S E S U P E R I N T E N D E N T S A S S O C I AT I O N
MARCH - APRIL 2015
Back From
The Grave
Ipock Helps Lead
Club Resurrection
Plus
Bulls Bay Durham
High Hopes for Valley
w w w. c a ro l i n a s g c s a . o r g
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OFFICERS AND
DIRECTORS
President
William E. Kennedy, CGCS
Chechessee Creek Club
Bluffton, SC
(843) 987-2740
[email protected]
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Vice-President
David Lee
Hope Valley Country Club
Durham, NC
(919) 489-4308
[email protected]
COLUMNS AND DEPARTMENTS
4 President’s Message
6 Executive Director’s Message
Secretary-Treasurer
P. Adam Charles
The Preserve at Verdae
Greenville, SC
(864) 676-1515
[email protected]
Immediate Past-President
W. Brian Powell, CGCS
Old Chatham Golf Club
Cary, NC
(919) 361-1401
[email protected]
8 The Pat Jones Index
12 Turf Talk
16 Headliners
18 Government Relations
19
32 Local Association News
38 Industry News
43 Our Friends
44 New Members
Directors
Danny B. Allen
Camden Country Club
Camden, SC
(803) 432-5450
[email protected]
46 The Clean Up Lap
NEWS AND FEATURES
John W. “Billy” Bagwell
Callawassie Island Club
Okatie, SC
(843) 987-2131
[email protected]
Robert A. Daniel, III, CGCS
RiverTowne Country Club
Mount Pleasant, SC
(843) 849-2400 Ext 2417
[email protected]
19 Ready for Rounds4Research
21 Durham Dominates the Bull
24 Networking: An Assistant’s View
21
25 Hope Valley Hosts Conference
26 Andy Ipock Carries the Crystal
Chris DeVane
Forsyth Country Club
Winston-Salem, NC
(336) 760-8191
[email protected]
W. Scott Kennon, CGCS
Myers Park Country Club
Charlotte, NC
(704) 529-5490
[email protected]
Andrew S. Ramsey
Cutter Creek Golf Club
Snow Hill, NC
(252) 717-6927
[email protected]
Charlie Spears
Cherokee Plantation
Yemassee, SC
(843) 844-9937
[email protected]
Brian J. Stiehler, CGCS
Highlands Country Club
Highlands, NC
(828) 526-5371
[email protected]
26
Cover photo:
Andy Ipock has
helped the Country
Club of the Crystal
Coast survive the
worst of the recession.
Published bimonthly by the Carolinas Golf
Course Superintendents Association
Executive Director: Tim Kreger
Carolinas Green:
Editor: Trent Bouts email: [email protected]
Design: Julie Vincent
Contact Information:
103 Edgemont Avenue
P.O. Box 210 Liberty, SC 29657-0210
Phone: 800-476-4272
Fax: 864-843-1149
www.carolinasgcsa.org
Matthew Wharton, CGCS
Carolina Golf Club
Charlotte, NC
(704) 942-1370
[email protected]
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PRESIDENT
Bill Kennedy, CGCS
Time to Step Forward for
Stewards of the Game
in other parts of the country have
foundered, our partnership led to
a continually strong event,” Chuck
explained. Pat agrees. “Chuck Borman
and Tim Kreger’s leadership have helped
to inspire and promote strong attendance
to these meetings each year,” he said.
“As a result it has long been one of
the highest-attended USGA regional
meetings in the country.”
But Chuck had something else to say
that should make us all take notice: “It
would be a shame to see this event come
to an end.” The fact is the future of our
annual USGA Southeast Green Section
Conference is up in the air following
some sweeping changes within the Green
Section.
Bill Kennedy, CGCS from Chechessee Creek Club and his assistant superintendent Nathan
Stevely during the winter meeting at Bulls Bay Golf Club.
B
eing an active member of the
Carolinas GCSA has afforded
me the opportunity to meet and
work with so many good people. We
have relationships with many allied
golf associations and groups. These
connections and relationships have been
a huge part of our association’s growth
and success.
One of the greatest and longestrunning relationships has been with the
USGA. This March we again partner
with the USGA for our joint meeting
with education and golf at Hope Valley
Country Club in Durham, NC. The USGA
Green Section regional conference
is always well attended and I find it
personally rewarding and fun.
Like most of you, I have known Pat
O’Brien and Chris Hartwiger as the
USGA’s Southeast Green Section
agronomists for a number of years. As
golf course superintendents, we might
not always agree completely with their
opinions but by the same token no
4
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one would argue with their knowledge
or experience or their passion or
commitment. The fact that they have
always gone about their work with a
smile and a sense of humor has always
made their presentations enjoyable as
well as informative.
But I know the relationship between our
two groups predates my arrival in the
Carolinas so I had to reach out to the
Carolinas GCSA’s Chuck Borman for
some historical perspective.
Chuck explained that up until 2001
Patrick and the Green Section ran all of
the administration for the conference
and we ran the administration for
the golf portion of the event. In 2001,
Chuck recommended that we take over
administration of both the education
conference and the golf. That allowed Pat
and Chris to concentrate on the content
that we as superintendents and other golf
industry members would enjoy.
“While the Green Section conferences
March - April 2015
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Of course our relationship as
superintendents with the USGA goes
much deeper than one meeting a year.
I am an 18-year member of the USGA.
I have personally had visits from Pat
and Chris at Chechessee Creek Club.
They have helped me confirm with
members and management that our
programs are strong. They have helped
us transition from an overseeded golf
course to painting fairways. Golf course
conditioning is at its highest level ever
and expectations are still climbing.
The USGA Green Section has been a
big part of our improvements as an
industry. All of our allied associations
are important and we all share the same
goals; keeping golf healthy and growing
the game. But no group embodies
those goals greater than the USGA. If
you are not already a member I highly
recommend it. I also recommend
participating in the USGA meeting in
Durham this year. I am proud of our
relationship and I would love think we
could continue to enjoy it for years to
come. This year, more than any other, is
the year to show your support in thanks
for all the support we have received over
the years.
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EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Tim Kreger
No such thing as Too Many Friends: Ask Switzerland
state agree to represent us was a big deal.
But that day was nowhere on the radar
when Charlie and I first met.
Another person I met working in my
junior golf days who I now regard as a
friend is Gene Morris, owner of Morris
Marketing. That relationship carried over
when I came to the Carolinas GCSA and
Gene now advertises Radios for Golf in
this magazine and is a general sessions
partner at Conference and Show.
Carolinas GCSA executive director Tim Kreger, Brian Stiehler, CGCS, Chris DeVane, Billy
Bagwell, plant manager Scott Austin, Matthew Wharton, CGCS, Bill Kennedy, CGCS and
Adam Charles at the TaylorMade facility in Liberty, SC.
W
e’ve all heard the saying that
“It’s not what you know but
who you know that matters.”
I’m not sure that’s the whole story. At the
end of the day you have to know what
you’re doing no matter how many friends
you might have in high places. Ignorance
is no excuse in the eyes of the law and
I don’t think many employers tolerate it
very well either.
But I also think it’s important to know
people for the right reasons. Sometimes I
think determined networkers fall into the
trap of “over-designing” their professional
map. By that I mean that they identify
certain people they believe might be
helpful at some point and are often too
quick to shrug off others.
I think that’s a mistake. By all means it
helps to network with people who you
believe can be helpful in your career. But
the fact is it helps to network with all
kinds of people because you never know
how the future is going to play out. The
intern making coffee and emptying the
trash might be your boss one day.
Which brings me to another old saying
that I believe to be 100 percent true, “You
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can never have too many friends.” To me
that is a rule of thumb that is ultimately
more helpful than building a network for
purely professional reasons. Friends look
out for each other beyond just a work
setting. So get to know the person, not
just their position. A good relationship
will survive a job change, whether that’s
yours or theirs.
Take our South Carolina government
relations counsel Charlie Rountree III as an
example. I first got to know Charlie when I
was working for the South Carolina Junior
Golf Foundation and he was on the board
of the South Carolina Golf Association. I
was a lot younger and finding my way. I
think Charlie appreciated my energy and
was kind enough to offer advice here and
there that helped me get better at what I
was doing.
Over the years we became good friends,
playing our share of golf and hunting our
share of ducks together. It was only years
later that I came to work for the Carolinas
GCSA and some years after that when we
realized we needed a voice on our behalf
on legislative matters in Columbia. To be
able to pick up the phone and suddenly
have one of the leading lobbyists in the
March - April 2015
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Clemson golf coach Larry Penley is
someone else I have been fortunate to
know from way back when. In those days,
neither he nor I was thinking he would
be a great speaker for an audience of golf
course superintendents at the Grove Park
Inn in Asheville, NC one fall meeting, but,
a few years ago, he was.
Recently, I toured the TaylorMade golf
ball manufacturing facility here in Liberty,
SC with several Carolinas GCSA board
members. It was interesting for all of us,
including the folks at TaylorMade who
learned a new appreciation for just how
involved and engaged our association
is in the industry in general. Who
knows where this relationship will go, if
anywhere? But the fact is we have now
established an open line with neighbors
in Liberty and potential allies in golf.
I took it as a compliment the other
day when one of our industry partners
jokingly called me “Switzerland.” That’s
how he said he viewed me and how I
manage all relationships equally while
keeping everyone happy.
It’s like Charlie Rountree and Chris
Valauri, his counterpart in North Carolina,
always say, the time to establish a
relationship is when you’re not asking
for something. It’s better still when you
can bring something, even if it’s simply a
warm smile and a genuine interest in the
other person.
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T H E P AT J O N E S I N D E X
Pat Jones
Oh Canada, You’re Cold
But Warm in Other Ways
is shrinking and every indicator is that
it will continue to shrink for at least a
decade. We are heading for a smaller,
leaner and (hopefully) smarter industry in
the future.
There is no “new golf boom” coming. To
use a phrase I despise, “It is what it is.”
Pat Jones
N
ot all of my trips are southward
to see y’all. Despite already
living a driver and a wedge from
the Arctic Circle here in Cleveland,
OH I occasionally head even farther
north to visit Canada. Best case, I’m
carrying fishing rods when I hop over
the world’s longest international border.
But, the second-best scenario is that I’m
attending one of our northern neighbors’
great turf conferences.
My latest Canadian adventure took me
to the Ontario GSA’s annual conference,
which is a shockingly large affair that
was well-attended by most of the
superintendents in the eastern half of
the country (including the Toronto area
which accounts for more than a third of
the 2,000-plus courses up there).
As usual, I was speechifying. I presented
my take on the current state of the
market but they also specifically asked
me to shine up my crystal ball and talk
about the future. What will be the traits
of the successful superintendent in the
future? What will separate great facilities
from those that will flounder or fail?
Let’s talk about the second question first.
Get ready for some news that might
make you squirm a little: The golf market
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“The golf market is
shrinking and every
indicator is that it will
continue to shrink for at
least a decade. We are
heading for a smaller,
leaner and (hopefully)
smarter industry in the
future.”
So, how does a facility thrive in that
semi-bleak future? By offering something
unique and appealing. In the new
market, clubs and good daily fee facilities
absolutely must have a niche…that
special thing that differentiates them
from dozens or hundreds of other choices
that potential members or customers
have. Be the “family first” club. Be the
“party” club. Be the daily fee that overdelivers for leagues. Be the “social
networking” club. Be the “wired” facility
that gives you Wi-Fi in carts.
Just be something!
Have a niche that’s meaningful to people
with money. Otherwise, you’re just a
commodity. It’s honestly not that hard
to identify and capitalize on your niche,
but it requires the entire ownership and
management team to get together, figure
it out and commit to it. Superintendents
March - April 2015
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can and should be part of that process.
The traits I identified for the successful
super of the future are probably not much
different than they are today, but it’s
worth considering where you are on the
spectrum. Here’s what I think will really
matter to your success 10 or 15 years
from now, perhaps even more than today:
Be Curious and Tinker: Be a person
who constantly asks “Why?” Always be
playing with new ideas and new things.
Your practice green is a laboratory and
you never, ever say “If it ain’t broke, don’t
fix it.”
Advocate for Investment: It’s up to
you to build a case for those critical
investments in the golf course that will
separate your facility from 15,000 others
in a dogfight market that will continue to
shrink. It might be a new irrigation system
that reduces your reliance on increasingly
expensive outside water. It could be
bunkers that drain properly and hold their
faces. It might be that move to ultradwarf
Bermudagrass. It could be a “smart”
sprayer system that costs $40,000 but
pays for itself in a year or two. Someone
has to sell the idea…and that someone
needs to be the superintendent.
Cultivate Smart People…and Listen
to Them: The most successful
superintendents I know never work in
a vacuum. They constantly reach out
to others with new ideas or different
points of view. They challenge their own
worldview by networking with a broad
spectrum of successful people inside
and outside our business. Social media
makes this easier than ever, but you have
to make a conscious effort to do it. Start
now.
Balance Agronomy and Business: The
days of getting your budget, spending
it on conditioning and not worrying
about revenues, membership numbers
(continued on page 10...)
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T H E P AT J O N E S I N D E X
(...continued from page 8)
ADVERTISERS A.C. Schultes of Carolina......................................... 11
Agri-Business Technologies, Inc......................... 28
Buy Sod.......................................................................... 7
Cardinal Chemicals .................................................. 31
Corbin Turf & Ornamental Supply......................... 5
Divots, Inc.................................................................... 17
Golf Agronomics........................................................ 17
Green Resource........................................................... 9
Greenville Turf & Tractor/John Deere.....Inside Front
Howard Fertilizer & Chemical................................ 13
Milorganite Fertilizer............................................... 34
Quali-Pro..................................................................... 25
PBI Gordon Corp...................................................... 20
Pathway Biologic........................................................ 31
Radios for Golf................................................... 42?IO
Revels Turf & Tractor/John Deere....... Inside Front
Show Turf/John Deere........................... Inside Front
Smith Turf and Irrigation ....................... Back Cover
Southern States Cooperative................................ 10
Tifton Physical Soil Testing.................................... 36
Tif/Eagle Tif/Sport..............................................Insert
Tri-State Pump & Control.......................Inside Back
or other key business metrics are over.
Tomorrow’s successful superintendent
has to be engaged in the operational
and financial management of the facility.
Commanding knowledge of the entire
P&L makes you more valuable and less
vulnerable when change happens. And it
always happens.
Be Passionate or Get Out: The
superintendent profession is evolving
right now. We’re still working through
the glut of folks who got a turfgrass
management degree in the ‘90s or
‘00s thinking the job would be fun and
relatively straightforward. The postrecession reality of long hours, thin
budgets and reduced staffing slapped a
lot of them in the face because they got
into the business for the wrong reasons.
The only reason to be in this crazy industry
is because you passionately love the daily
challenge and reward process. If you don’t,
it’s time to reassess and move on.
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Overall, I found your Canadian brethren
to be not that much different than y’all.
Just substitute “hockey” for “SEC football”
and the conversations were pretty much
the same. Another interesting similarity
was their strong primary allegiance to
the Ontario GSA. Yes, most are also
members of the national Canadian Golf
Superintendents Association just as most
of you are GCSAA members. But, like
the late Congressman Tip O’Neil used to
say, all politics are local. They found that
a strong regional association was just as
important – maybe more so – than being
part of the national group.
So, you may be most of a continent apart
from your Canuck colleagues and you
may have very different accents…but the
language of turf is universal. If you get
a chance to visit, take it. Great courses,
great people and great fellowship…just
like home.
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®
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March - April 2015
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T U R F TA L K
Dr. Bert McCarty
Battling Poa in Bentgrass:
An Update from the Front
Turf Talk Sponsored by:
Q:
A:
Poa control in my bentgrass
continues as an ongoing
battle. What are the latest
products and application
programs for this?
As discussed in the past,
Poa is the number one weed
problem in golf turf, worldwide.
The most recent contributor to this is
herbicide-resistant Poa populations.
This, along with loss of key control
products, has intensified the problem
and further narrowed available solutions.
In bentgrass, Poa control involves a
holistic program including shifting the
competitive growth edge to bentgrass
(Table 1) plus the intelligent use of
Dr. Bert McCarty
Dr. Bert McCarty, Research
and Extension Turf Specialist
at Clemson University, will
address any turf-related
question in this column.
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Realistic expectations are needed on
Poa control in bentgrass. Once Poa
infests a bentgrass stand, no selective
herbicide exists which will totally control
all biotypes. A more realistic control and
suppression goal is 80 percent to 90
percent. Since herbicide use can be very
tricky on bentgrass, courses have opted
to become mostly dependent on PGRs
to suppress Poa populations. Even PGRs
are not totally effective as Poa tends to
flower (produce seedheads) throughout
the growing season and these products
work best in preventing seedhead
expression. Once seedheads are visible,
PGRs just don’t work as well.
(continued on page 14 ...)
Figure 1.Poa continues to be problematic in all turf situations. Not only is the sheer
amount of Poa a problem, the presence of various annual and perennial biotypes
makes control very challenging. Long-term Poa management involves a three-pronged
approach of implementing cultural practices to favor bentgrass growth over Poa,
possible herbicides and certain PGR use.
Write to him c/o:
Clemson University,
Department of Horticulture,
Box 340375, Clemson, SC
29634-0375
or: [email protected]
12
herbicides (Table 2) and plant growth
regulators (Table 3).
March - April 2015
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T U R F TA L K
Table 1. Some means of minimizing/controlling Poa seed and plants in bentgrass.
• Fumigate all soil mix before planting/topdressing.
• Use certified seed, sprigs or sod free of Poa.
• Interseed yearly to thicken turf density.
• Obtain and maintain good turf density to reduce Poa invasion.
• Retain good drainage to prevent soil compaction and excessive moisture.
• Reduce soil compaction: aerify and use light weight walk mowers; spike frequently to reduce surface compaction and to sever turf
stolons which encourages turf density.
• Avoid overseeding areas adjacent to bentgrass which, in turn, greatly encourages Poa invasion.
• Core prior to peak Poa seed germination periods.
• Remove clippings to remove Poa seeds.
• Reduce P soil levels as excessive P levels favor Poa. Spoon feed N in summer which encourages bentgrass growth over Poa.
• Hand pick and wick/dab non-selective herbicide on small Poa plants.
• Plug larger spots with Poa-free turf.
• Do not over-water; hand water heavily but infrequently as this stresses Poa more so than bentgrass.
• Avoid controlling diseases specific to Poa when pressure is low (e.g. anthracnose, summer patch).
• Improve sunlight (especially morning) and water and air drainage. Bentgrass does not compete well with Poa in shade or
compacted and/or poorly drained soils.
• Control Poa in greens surrounds and approaches.
• Selectively moisture-stressing Poa more than bentgrass – although this can be tricky and not for everyone.
• Use pre-emergence herbicides in spring and fall.
• Use PGRs in spring and fall to reduce Poa competition and seedhead development.
In terms of using pre-emergence herbicides, a couple of products containing bensulide, a few distributor labels containing dithiopyr
as well as siduron (Tupersan) are available for greens. Bensulide- and dithiopyr-containing products help prevent Poa infestations
and spread. Siduron is used mainly to suppress bermudagrass encroachment and isn’t a great Poa product. With any of these
products, apply only to dry, well established greens, prior to Poa germination and when air temperatures are below 85F. Water-in
as soon as possible. Delay reseeding for four months after treatment. Erratic control typically occurs if perennial Poa biotypes are
present and research suggests repeat applications over multiple years (min. four) are necessary for significant reductions of these.
Table 2. Post-emergence herbicides for selective Poa control in bentgrass.
Prograss 4SC (ethofumesate)
Xonerate 70WDG (amicarbazone)
• Risky and erratic on creeping bentgrass,
• Inconsistent results = Tight temperature restrictions,
• Temperature (cold), shade and poor drainage sensitive,
• Resistant/tolerant Poa biotypes are common,
• Not labeled for greens.
• Repeat applications mandatory,
• Flashing possibility.
PoaCure 2SL (methiozolin)
Velocity 17.6SG (bispyribac-sodium)
• Currently, a good choice for creeping bentgrass when used at
multiple applications at lower rates,
• Flashing possibility with higher rates/fewer applications,
• Resistant/tolerant Poa biotypes are common,
• Good efficacy against annual and perennial biotypes,
• Availability (possibly 2016 or 2017 in U.S.) and site use
restrictions,
• Expense – still unknown.
• Not labeled for greens.
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Table 3 lists various PGRs used to regulate Poa plants. Specific timing and repeat applications are prerequisites for success with
some possible programs listed in Table 4. A dedicated PGR program can reduce Poa more than 80 percent in two years, but if it is
then abandoned, you go back to square one the following year.
Table 3. Plant growth regulators for selective Poa control/seedhead suppression in bentgrass. Combination products such as
Legacy 1.5L (flurprimidol + trinexapac-ethyl) and Musketeer 1L (flurprimidol + paclobutrazol + trinexapac-ethyl) also are available.
Embark T&O (mefluidide)
Proxy 2L (ethephon)
• Poa seedhead suppression,
• Poa seedhead suppression,
• Limited supplies, uncertain future.
• Often combined with other products (i.e., trinexapac-ethyl)
for enhanced turf quality or to enhance the efficacy of others
(i.e., paclobutrazol).
Trimmit/Turf Enhancer 2SC (paclobutrazol) and Cutless 50WP
(flurprimidol)
Primo Maxx/Trinexapac-ethyl 1L (trinexapac-ethyl, or TE)
• Poa growth suppression, results in smaller plants with
dwarfed seedheads,
• Bentgrass growth suppression,
• Combined with other products to improve turf quality.
• Repeat applications in fall, winter and spring required,
• Care needed when using flurprimidol on semi-dormant
bermudagrass collars and surrounds.
Table 4. Some common PGR programs for Poa management in bentgrass.
Options
Month
March
Cutless (8 oz/a)/
Legacy (8 oz/a)
Musketeer (18-22 oz/a)
Proxy (5 oz/M) +
TE (5 oz/a)
or Trimmit (16 oz/a)
April
Cutless (8 oz/a)/
Legacy (8 oz/a)
Musketeer (18-22 oz/a)
Proxy (5 oz/M) +
TE (5 oz/a)
or Trimmit (16 oz/a)
May
Cutless (8 oz/a)/
Legacy (8 oz/a)
Musketeer (12 oz/a)
Proxy (5 oz/M) +
TE (5 oz/a)
or Trimmit (16 oz/a)
June
Cutless (4-8 oz/a/14d)
Legacy (8 oz/a)
Musketeer (12 oz/a)
or Trimmit (6-12
oz/14d)
July
Cutless (8 oz/a/14d)
Legacy (8 oz/a)
Musketeer (12 oz/a)
or Trimmit (3-12 oz/14d)
Aug
Cutless (8 oz/a/14d)
Legacy (8 oz/a)
Musketeer (12 oz/a)
or Trimmit (3-12 oz/14d)
Sept
Skip application to allow coring + reseeding
Oct
Cutless (8 oz/a)
Legacy (8 oz/a)
Musketeer (18-22 oz/a)
or Trimmit (16 oz/a)
Nov
Cutless (8 oz/a)
Legacy (8 oz/a)
Musketeer (18-22 oz/a)
or Trimmit (16 oz/a)
Dec.
Cutless (8 oz/a)
Legacy (8 oz/a)
Musketeer (18-22 oz/a)
or Trimmit (16 oz/a)
M=1,000 sq.ft.; a=acre; TE=trinexapac-ethyl. Applications are made every 30 days (d) unless indicated otherwise. In southern U.S.,
optimum PGR timing is fall plus spring. In cooler regions, active growth extends into and through summer, thus, PGR listing in bold
months are for those areas. Also, in cooler regions, a degree-day model is often used to predict/estimate optimum PGR applications.
These models, however, have been less accurate in southern locations due to extensive winter temperature fluctuations. PGR rates
vary depending on parameters such as environmental stress, geographical location, timing, percentage Poa populations, acceptable
turf injury ranges, etc. Therefore, read and follow all label instructions prior to use.
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15
HEADLINERS
Sea Pines Worker Hits
50 Years on the Job
The regular Headliners column
features media coverage of golf course
maintenance issues and personalities,
as part of an ongoing partnership with
Syngenta Professional Products. The
following story appeared recently in The
Island-Packet newspaper on Hilton Head
Island, SC.
A
cie Baker started work at Sea
Pines 50 years ago, and he’s still
on the job. One recent Thursday,
he helped slice a large white sheet cake
with the Harbour Town Lighthouse
on it as the rest of the golf course
maintenance crew for the Ocean and
Heron Point courses watched. Company
officials gave him a wrapped gift and
praised his dependability, eye for detail
and even the bacon, grits and eggs he
sometimes brings everyone for breakfast.
Baker, 72, declined his opportunity to make
a speech. Then he went back to work.
It’s hard to imagine that anyone has ever
worked longer for a single employer
on Hilton Head Island. Sea Pines was
founded in 1956. In 1965, Baker started
his early morning trek from Bluffton to
work on the island’s first golf course.
He has now worked at Sea Pines
almost twice as long as its founder, the
late Charles E. Fraser, who famously
discovered that golf courses gave value to
otherwise unsellable land, and became a
magnet for vacationers and retirees.
Baker discovered that mowing and
trimming greens, tees and fairways could
bring a steady, year-round income. It
helped him raise nine children who all
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Steve Birdwell, The Sea Pines Resort president, left, and golf course superintendent,
Jim Cregan, right, with Acie Baker at the ceremony honoring 50 years of service on the
golf course maintenance team.
found more opportunity than he did as a
young man in the Lowcountry.
At Sea Pines, where 11 current employees
have hit at least the 30-year mark and
where the ebullient Earl “Happy” Mitchell
retired in 2009 after 45 years, Baker has
become a quiet marvel. He never uses
his sick days, he’s always on call and he’s
always early. Baker blasts holes through
the U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics that
show the median employee tenure in
America is 4.6 years.
“I like my work,” he says.
Baker’s work is a portrait of the new
world sketched by Fraser, Fred Hack and
the McIntosh family when they bought
into Hilton Head for its timber in 1949.
He was born on April 24, 1942, to a
midwife named Miss Florine in a hushed
corner of Bluffton’s Belfair Plantation.
That’s where his grandfather, James
Baker, and his father, also Acie Baker,
lived. Baker’s father worked in the May
River, picking oysters. And that’s what
Baker did too, when he left Michael C.
March - April 2015
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Riley School in the 10th grade.
He worked for John Samuel “Junior”
Graves Jr. at the Bluffton Seafood Co.,
where Bluffton Oyster Co. is today at the
foot of Wharf Street. He was provided a
16-foot wooden bateau built on the hill by
older Gullah men Baker recalls as Clifton
Gaston, Frank Kidd and “old man Colson.”
Graves outfitted it with a 10-horsepower
Johnson outboard motor, which Baker
paid for over time.
Oystering was big business in those days.
Graves had several shucking houses,
along with other oystermen including
Frank Toomer, Billy Toomer, S.V. “Chief”
Toomer and Benny Hudson. Baker said
the shucking house he supplied could
turn out 300 gallons a day. He never
really liked picking oysters, but for whites
and blacks in the Lowcountry, that was
about the only way to a dollar.
“I had no choice,” Baker said. “You could
farm, but the trouble with that was you
could eat up all your money.”
Golf wasn’t Baker’s initial swing thought.
He worked for Whaley Construction in Savannah for a while.
That’s the company that would eventually build Harbour
Town. He worked on Pinckney Island when it was a private
hunting preserve. And he ended up working on the golf course
at Port Royal Plantation, where he was poached by a man from
Sea Pines named Al Dunning. He went to work on the Ocean
Course on January 15, 1965.
“I’m still here,” Baker said.
He’s afraid if he sits down he might not get up. So he still
works, and he still goes in the river, and he still cooks for
crowds on a grill someone made for him from a 120-gallon
gas tank. Baker stands for the local folks who made the
Lowcountry what it has become, even though the developers
have gotten most of the attention.
And in his spare time, he likes to get with co-workers who
are like his brothers - Harold “Fox” Jenkins and Leroy “Dab”
Jenkins - and play golf.
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17
GOVERNMENT
R E L AT I O N S
Chris Valauri
Big Spending, High Stakes And the Work Grinds On
T
he 2014 U.S. Senate race won
by former House Speaker Thom
Tillis over Kay Hagan eclipsed
$100 million in expenditures. This set a
record as the most expensive Senate race
(including larger states such as California,
New York and Texas) in history. This is
a trend which appears to set the tone
for years to come as North Carolina has
become the ninth most populous state
with more than nine million Americans
calling it home.
With NC correctly perceived as
a battleground state for the 2016
Presidential sweepstakes and with
our Senior Senator Richard Burr up
for re-election another new spending
record could (and probably will) be
set. For those exhausted by political
ad fatigue from last summer through
early November, be advised there is
probably a reprieve until late summer
when (like the movie Groundhog Day) it
begins all over again. The messaging will
probably remain much the same but the
names will change. Such is the state of
contemporary American politics.
Brown of Jacksonville and Tom Apodaca
of Hendersonville as Rules Chair. Some
of you may remember Tom being kind
enough to come and speak to our fall
meeting at Champion Hills Club several
years back.
Much of what you’ll be reading about
or hear on the evening news will focus
on economic development; examination
of the business regulatory network and
how to pay for basic state services such
as road construction and the demand for
new schools brought about by population
growth as less revenue is coming in
because of tax cuts. It is a very delicate
balance.
When someone asks how the golf
industry is doing these days I give the
same answer I’ve been giving for the past
seven years. The golf industry has been
and remains in challenging times. I expect
to give that same answer during the
current legislative session.
Getting back to the here and now,
the General Assembly gets underway
as I write this, in late January, with a
mixed bag of expectations and a ‘work
in progress’ agenda. There is a sense
that after four years of major partisan
shifts, the Republican majorities in both
chambers have accomplished most of
the campaign promises that led to their
historic takeover in 2012. The emphasis
will now transition to the nuts and
bolts (and challenges) of running state
government. Now it’s time to govern.
As we have over the past decade we
will continue to trumpet the economic,
environmental and social contributions
(our holy trinity) makes to the state, the
region and the nation. This “golf...more
than a game” theme has been our core
message since the first NC Golf Day
nine years ago. It has gained traction
among members of the legislative staff,
the capital media, legislators and key
members of the regulatory community.
It has allowed us to enter public policy
discussions over water use, taxation
policy and broader issues related to travel
and tourism. The phrase has become our
legislative calling card.
There will be new members to meet and
establish working relationships with.
The new Speaker of the House is Tim
Moore from Shelby in Cleveland County.
Speaker Moore is an attorney and has
served in the House since 2004. The
leadership team on the Senate side will
remain virtually unchanged from last
session led by Senator Pro Tem Phil
Berger of Eden; Majority Leader Harry
There is an old adage that suggests
certain issues never really go away. They
simply get rebranded and take on a new
identity. Clearly the debate over servicebased tax policy continues to be subject
to consideration and discussion. As North
Carolina evolves as a service economy it
will be in play. The days of the state being
a leader in manufacturing are well in the
past. The globalization of the economy
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March - April 2015
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took a major toll on textiles and furniture
in particular.
During the last legislative session there
were many changes in the tax code led
by reductions in corporate and personal
income taxes. The key question becomes
what to do and where to turn in the event
of a revenue shortfall. We will pay close
attention to fiscal policy as the session
unfolds.
While the Mid-Atlantic region has been
spared a drought in recent years growing
population continues to place a strain
on water resources. Though there hasn’t
been much discussion of water policy in
the past few years. There appears to be a
consensus that this might be the year to
call stakeholders back together to begin
taking steps to formulate a long-term
water policy.
Along those lines it is worth noting there
were a few key changes in Governor
McCrory’s cabinet. Department of the
Environment and Natural Resources
Secretary John Skavarla was reassigned
as the new Commerce Secretary.
Secretary Skvarla will oversee business
and economic development as well as
sports development and travel-tourism.
He is a proven industry ally during his
tenure at DENR, especially on water
issues. He lives in Southern Pines and
has known former USGA Commissioner
David Fay since they were kids in New
York.
The new DENR Secretary is Don van der
Vaart.
In closing I want to encourage all
Carolinas GGSA members to become
acquainted with your local delegations.
The effort will pay guaranteed dividends
as we move forward.
Happy trails.
- Chris Valauri is Carolinas GCSA
government relations counsel in North
Carolina.
NEWS
New Energy at the Top
For Rounds4Research
about a problem. It is imperative that
superintendents continue to urge their
courses to donate rounds in support of
this critical program.”
GCSAA past-president Pat Finlen, CGCS; Carolinas GCSA chapter delegate Brian Stiehler,
CGCS; GCSAA chief executive Rhett Evans; and GCSAA vice-president, John O’Keefe, CGCS;
with a check for money raised in last year’s Rounds4Research auction.
C
arolinas GCSA leaders are
optimistic that new oversight for
Rounds4Research at a national
level will help elevate the program to
new heights in 2015. The new associate
director for Rounds4Research from
the Environmental Institute for Golf is
Mischia Wright who has been a part of
operations at GCSAA headquarters in
Lawrence, KS for nearly 10 years. “We look
forward to keeping Mischia and everyone
at Rounds4Research busy with a huge
load of donations this year,” says Carolinas
GCSA executive director Bill Kennedy,
CGCS from Chechessee Creek Club.
Kennedy appealed not just to golf course
superintendents, but anyone from a golf
facility in the Carolinas, to do all they can
to secure tee-time donations for sale in
this year’s auction that runs June 8 to 21.
The auction coincides with two major
events in the lives of many golfers, the
U.S. Open Championship and Fathers Day.
“Everyone who works in golf or who enjoys
playing the game has an incentive to make
sure their facility donates a foursome to
Rounds4Research,” Kennedy says.
Donations can be made online at www.
rounds4research.com.
The Carolinas GCSA pioneered the online
auction to help solve a growing shortfall
in funding for golf turfgrass research.
Since its inception, the Carolinas GCSA
has invested more than $225,000 to
research institutions for projects with
specific application in the region. Some
of those funds have been generated with
the generous support of the 13 local golf
course superintendent and turfgrass
associations in the Carolinas. The latest
grant, announced in February, is for nearly
$50,000 over two years to help devise
best management practices minimizing
off-target impacts from herbicide
applications.
“It is with great honor that the Carolinas
GCSA, on behalf of all local associations
and the Rounds4Research program,
can announce another grant funded
through these programs,” Carolinas
GCSA executive director, Tim Kreger,
says. “This is the latest example of
golf course superintendents helping
achieve solutions instead of complaining
North Carolina State University’s assistant
professor Travis Gannon and professor
Fred Yelverton will lead the latest research
effort funded by the program. Their
research will determine the effect of soil
moisture on herbicide movement and offtarget injury as well as formulate BMPS to
minimize off-target injury.
“Identifying knowledge gaps,
understanding factors that influence and
developing best management practices to
minimize off-target movement will allow
the turfgrass industry to proclaim the
positive impacts of golf courses and other
turfgrass entities on the environment,”
their grant application says.
“It is anticipated we will establish best
management practices (example:
establish soil moisture content where
lateral movement and/or runoff are
likely to occur) to minimize off-target
movement, allowing golf course
superintendents to use herbicides
without adversely affecting adjacent
turfgrass or other species. Further,
development of these practices is a
step towards allowing the industry to
keep appropriate products in the hands
of turfgrass professionals for pest
management. Further, the proposed
research results will be applicable
to all regions of the Carolinas and
will allow turfgrass managers to
comprehensively manage pests in the
most environmentally-benign manner.”
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NEWS
Durham Birdies Leave
Him Running the Bull
A
nthony Durham’s win in this
year’s Carolinas GCSA assistant
superintendent golf championship
ensures at least one quarter of this
year’s Virlina Cup team will know the
drill. Durham’s victory at Bulls Bay Golf
Club in Awendaw, SC makes him an
automatic qualifier for the eight-man
team to represent the Carolinas GCSA
against the Virginia GCSA in the annual
challenge this fall. He joins Steve Agazzi
from Kiawah Island Resort’s Turtle Point
course who qualified once again as the
reigning Carolinas GCSA superintendent
champion. The two were team-mates in
the inaugural Virlina Cup in 2010.
Durham strung together three
consecutive birdies late in his round at
Bulls Bay on a cold, windy day to card a
two-over par 74. That hot streak helped
him card a 32 in the back nine. More
than 120 people registered for golf and
education at the annual winter meeting
and enjoyed a course in excellent
condition, thanks to the efforts of host
superintendent Ken Ohlinger and his
staff.
Carolinas GCSA executive director Tim
Kreger paid tribute not just to conditions
but also to the course set up which was
challenging but fair. He pointed out that
the combined distance of the winning
shots in the closest to the pin contest
on Bulls Bay’s five par threes was less
than 18 feet. Play on the Mike Strantzdesigned course, which features the
highest point in Charleston County with
the clubhouse perched on top, was highly
anticipated after an ice-storm forced
the cancellation of the corresponding
tournament in 2014.
The two-day event began with an
education panel on career development.
Panelists included Carolinas GCSA board
members Matthew Wharton CGCS from
Carolina Golf Club and Billy Bagwell
from Callawassie Island Club, along with
Chuck Connolly from Greenville Country
Club (SC), Tony Nysse from Pine Tree
Golf Club in Florida and Trent Bouts of
Tee Media Consulting. The panel was
moderated by board member Rob Daniel,
CGCS from RiverTowne Country Club.
On the morning before the education
panel, presidents from the local
associations in the Carolinas gathered
with Carolinas GCSA staff and leadership
for the annual local association planning
meeting. Leaders from all but two of the
13 local associations attended.
Rugged up on a cold day, from left, Rodney Crouse, The Players Club at St. James Plantation; Andy Yoder, Diamond Creek Golf Club; Erik Guinther,
CGCS, Roaring Gap Club; Anthony Durham, Old Town Club; Matthew Carver, Tri-State Pump and Controls; Gil Herzberg, Moss Creek Golf Club; and
Chase Watson, Diamond Creek Golf Club.
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21
NEWS
Golf results:
First Flight
Gross: 66 Rob Daniel, CGCS, RiverTowne Country Club
Brent Bagwell, Snee Farm Country Club
Net:63 Nick Price, Sunset Country Club
Curt Sheffer, Osprey Point Country Club
Second Flight
Gross:73 Tim Carpenter, Gaston Country Club
Eric Downs, Gaston Country Club
Net:62 Sean Hardwick, Seabrook Island Club
Brian Drinkard, Seabrook Island Club
Third Flight
Gross:71 Matthew Carver, Tri-State Pumps and Controls
Anthony Durham, Old Town Club
Net:62 Brooks Riddle, Yeamans Hall Club
Samuel Austin, Yeamans Hall Club
Assistant superintendent champion Anthony Durham.
Fourth Flight
Gross:72 Steve Martin, CGCS, River’s Edge Golf Club
Jonathan Stewart, Sandpiper Bay Golf and Country Club
Net: 61 Dawn Johnson, Bulls Bay Golf Club
Gilberto Espinoza, Bulls Bay Golf Club
Closest to the pin
No. 3 – 4’3” Brian Drinkard, Seabrook Island Club
No. 7 – 1’2” Matthew Carver, Tri-State Pump and Controls
No. 12 – 2’ Eric Downs, Gaston Country Club
No. 14 – 3’6” Chris Pearson, Green Resource
No. 17 – 6’6” Steve Martin, CGCS River’s Edge Golf Club
Bulls Bay’s tee-markers are as much trademarks of the course as the
clubhouse that sits atop the highest point in the county.
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Ken Ohlinger received a plaque in recognition of his efforts as host
superintendent.
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Moderator Rob Daniel, CGCS RiverTowne Country Club; with panelists Trent Bouts, Tee
Media Consulting; Tony Nysse, Pine Tree Golf Club; Billy Bagwell, Callawassie Island Club;
Matthew Wharton, CGCS Carolina Golf Club; and Chuck Connolly, Greenville Country Club.
Shannon Peterson, CGCS from Mountain Air Country Club, and Erik
Guinther, CGCS from Roaring Gap Club, represented the Western North
Carolina Turfgrass Association.
Mitchell Williams, representing sponsor
Green Resource, welcomes attendees to the
education session.
Rick Henderson, Greenville Turf and Tractor, and Daryl Ewing,
Carolina Lakes Golf Club, attended on behalf of the North-South
Turfgrass Association.
Rodney Moss, River Ridge Golf Club, from the Triangle Turfgrass Association; and Stanley
Elliott, CGCS Chocowinity Golf Club, from the Eastern North Carolina Turfgrass Association.
David Green from Hejaz Shrine Golf
Club represented the Upstate Turfgrass
Association while Daniel Knight from
Sedgfield Country Club represented the
Piedmont GCSA.
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Rodney Crouse
A S S I S TA N T S
Networking: Simple Task Offering Super Results
email to ask any question that comes up.
All of these people are individuals that I
have the utmost respect for. They all have
a proven track record in the turf industry
and are respected by their peers.
Here comes the disclaimer, know who
you are getting your advice from. Not
everyone is going to look out for your best
interests. It is imperative that you know
you are getting sound advice. Networking
is a valuable tool, but be careful who you
surround yourself with. Make sure the
people you are getting your knowledge
from are credible sources.
Networking opportunity: Carolinas GCSA director Chris DeVane from Forsyth Country Club
with assistant superintendents Josh Schumacher from The Dunes Golf and Beach Club and
Christian Drake from Highlands Country Club after social golf at Yeamans Hall Club.
T
he definition of networking is
“to interact with other people to
exchange information and develop
contacts, especially to further one’s
career.” As an assistant superintendent,
networking is vital to the advancement
of our careers. So, why is networking
so important? What does successful
networking mean, and how do we
develop a strong list of connections that
will help us grow as professionals?
The good news is that networking is a
fairly simple task. All you have to do is be
able to interact with people. Networking
encompasses several areas of interaction.
In this era of technological advancement,
you don’t have to muster up the courage
to talk to someone face to face. You can
e-mail, tweet, or be old fashioned and
pick up the phone and call someone.
However you choose to do it, don’t be
afraid to approach the people you want
to know better. In my experience, I have
found that most turf professionals are
happy to take the time to stop and talk.
A word of advice though, always make
it a point to be courteous and respectful
when talking with people in your chosen
profession. You never know where this
industry will take you, and you could be
applying for a job with this person in the
future. We should treat every networking
24
CAROLINAS
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situation like a job interview.
Networking can make a huge difference
in your career. In an article in Forbes
Magazine titled “The No. 1 Way to Get
Hired Today,” Nancy Collamer states that
referred candidates are 40 percent more
likely to be hired than other candidates.
This truth is even more prevalent in the
golf course maintenance world.
The fact is that in the turf industry it’s
not always what you know, but who
you know. Now, more than ever, it is
important for assistant superintendents
that have aspirations to take the next
step in their careers to be proficient in
networking. Effective networking can be
the major factor that decides the next
phase in your professional career. Simply
put, networking can get you the referrals
you need to apply for the jobs you want.
Proper networking can also promote
better decision making. There are
many aspects to our jobs as assistant
superintendents. It’s safe to assume that
most of us do not have the answers to
every problem that arises. This is where
networking can give us another resource
that we need to make informed decisions.
In addition to my superiors at work,
I have a list of five successful turf
professionals that I know I can call or
March - April 2015
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Luckily for us, the Carolinas GCSA is
continuously working hard to create
opportunities to network. As assistant
superintendents we have two assistant
meetings every year. The last meeting
was at Chechessee Creek Club where
there were almost 40 assistants, several
Green Resource representatives and
the new president of our association,
Bill Kennedy, CGCS. The next assistant
meeting was scheduled early February
at Lonnie Poole Golf Course in Raleigh,
NC. Assistant superintendent events
are set up to offer us great education
and networking opportunities, so take
advantage of them if you are able.
In addition to assistant events, the
Carolinas GCSA also facilitates fall
and winter association meetings, local
association operations and the best
regional turf conference in the country
every fall at the Myrtle Beach Convention
Center.
Recently, in an effort to make assistant
superintendents more informed and
connected, the assistant superintendent
committee created a Facebook page.
This page is a place where you can check
out upcoming events and find other turf
professionals to interact with. The page
can be found at www.facebook.com/
carolinasassistants. Make it a point to
check it out soon.
- Rodney Crouse is assistant golf course
superintendent at The Players Club at St.
James.
NEWS
High Hopes for Turnout
At Historic Hope Valley
The First
Post-patent
Azoxystrobin.
Hope Valley is a classic Donald Ross design.
T
his year’s USGA Green Section
conference heads to a new venue
for the first time in several years
with golf and education at Hope Valley
Country Club in Durham, NC on March
23 and 24. Hope Valley is a 1926 Donald
Ross design maintained by Carolinas
GCSA vice-president David Lee.
“Hope Valley Country Club and its
members are excited to host the USGA
SE Regional educational conference,” Lee
says. “The club has been fortunate to
have a rich golf historical past with Byron
Nelson winning his fourth tournament
here in his run of 12 straight in 1945 and
was home to 15-time PGA Tour winner
and twice Ryder Cup player Mike Souchak
for many years. The club is dedicated to
promoting the game of golf and is truly
delighted to host this USGA event.”
For a number of years the annual
conference has rotated between
Pinehurst Resort in Pinehurst, NC,
Grandover Resort in Greensboro, NC
and Carmel Country Club in Charlotte,
NC. Carolinas GCSA executive director
Tim Kreger anticipates strong interest as
a result of the first-time venue. “I think
Hope Valley and its history will be a big
draw for a lot of people,” Kreger says.
The USGA Green Section’s Pat O’Brien
has put together a strong list of speakers
headed by Henry DeLozier, one of Golf
Inc. magazine’s most influential people in
the game. DeLozier’s presentation – ‘Golf
in the 21st century: what you need to be
successful’ – will provide an important
check list for golf course superintendents
and other key golf personnel looking to
get ahead in a tight economic climate.
DeLozier is a partner with Global Golf
Advisors and before that was a vicepresident with Pulte Homes, at the time
the largest developer of golf communities
in the country. With Pulte, DeLozier
developed 27 golf courses in 10 states
and was responsible for the operation of
more than 20 courses in the Pulte stable.
He is a past-president of the National
Golf Course Owners Association, has
served on committees for GCSAA and
serves on the employers advisory council
for the PGA of America.
Others speakers include John Foy,
director of the Green Section’s newly
expanded southeast region. Foy, who is
based in Hobe Sound, FL, will discuss
the growing trend towards no-till
bermudagrass fairway renovations. Hunki
Yun, the USGA’s director of strategic
projects, will provide an update on
extensive research into pace of play, one
of the biggest issues facing the game.
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CAROLINAS
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25
Ipock Helps Put Polish
A
ndy Ipock recalls the night rock
bottom arrived at The Country Club
of the Crystal Coast on the Outer
Banks of North Carolina. It was a Tuesday
and Ipock was sitting in on a board meeting
when the club treasurer set everyone’s hearts
sinking. The club, situated on a narrow sliver
of land separating Bogue Sound from the
Atlantic Ocean, had just $700 in the bank.
Tidal waves might as well have been crashing
in from both sides.
26
CAROLINAS
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Ipock, with two infants and a mortgage on a new house,
had already taken a 10 percent pay cut. He remembers
thinking, “Hold on…we get paid on Thursdays. How in the
heck is that going to happen?”
That was spring of 2009 but there wasn’t much warmth
in the air, on the contrary. Membership once north of 500
had plummeted by more than 200 in just 12 months. The
club ran a $300,000-plus deficit over the same period. It
wasn’t just the recession. The general manager at the time was
recovering from serious injuries sustained in a car accident
that killed his wife. “Everything was a mess,” Ipock says.
He wasn’t the only one with a pit in his stomach that
night. “Everyone else pretty much jumped ship,” he says.
While he didn’t take the same leap he did expect to be
pushed. “At that point I was learning more and more about
the golf industry and how volatile it was,” he says. “I’d hear
about guys losing jobs without warning and I was thinking,
‘I’m going to be one of those guys. I guess I better get to the
March - April 2015
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“
We’re making good
progress overall. It
hasn’t been easy. It
was week to week
there for a long
time. I think we got
lucky. We found good
people and we have
wonderful members.
”
-Andy Ipock
Andy Ipock and his staff built the rock wall welcoming golfers
to The Country Club of the Crystal Coast.
Back on Crystal Coast
by: Trent Bouts
unemployment office.’”
What transpired next and since is surely one of the
more remarkable resurrections in Carolinas golf. Club
members stepped forward and with their own money –
some of it through personal loans - staved off bankruptcy.
With most senior staff gone, “Everything pretty much came
back to me,” Ipock says, of the subsequent year.
The club eventually secured a new general manager,
Chip Chamberlin, PGA an industry veteran from Michigan
and Florida, who himself had become “one of those guys”
at Donald Ross-designed Dunedin Country Club. He arrived
grateful for the opportunity and with the doors still open,
Ipock kept coming to work.
They’ve been a good pair. Without much more than
experience, enthusiasm and an old-fashioned work ethic,
they’ve helped get the club back on track. Membership is up
close to 340 and the club has been profitable for the past
three years – still short of a fairytale but at least no longer
a horror story. Ipock’s role in that recovery is difficult to
overstate.
This year the club celebrates its 40th anniversary.
“Andy does a phenomenal job,” Chamberlin says. “He’s
one of the top two superintendents I’ve worked with in 36
years as a general manager. He does a great job and has
helped this club come back from almost not making it.”
From the dead, you might say, which is kind of ironic given
his upbringing.
Andy Ipock is the son of a gravedigger. His father Lennis
hand dug more than 4,000 graves over a 30-year career
working in Morehead City. “He’s got forearms like Popeye,”
Ipock says. The dash of his dad’s pick-up bore a sticker that
read: “The only job where you’ll start on top and finish
underneath is digging holes.” Ipock saw that sticker every
day growing up and still laughs about it today. Watching his
dad and sometimes wielding a shovel alongside him taught
the son a work ethic that is “above and beyond.”
carolinasgcsa.org
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CAROLINAS
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27
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This island in front of a par three green is another
project that Andy Ipock completed in-house.
That’s part of the reason Ipock has brought his golf
course maintenance costs in under budget every year since
becoming superintendent in 2006. He came in $15,000
below budget in 2014. “It’s easy to save on budget when
you’ve got nothing to spend,” he laughs, harking back to the
dark days when purchasing became “pretty much” COD.
“Really, we save a ton because we do a lot of stuff in-house.
Honestly, I get offended if they (the club) go out and ask for
bids on anything.”
Ipock was eyeing a landscaping career when he
graduated as a bachelor of agronomy from North Carolina
State University in 2002. He was engaged to his high school
sweetheart Aubrey – who became mother to their two
children Gracie, 10 and Drew, 8 – who spotted a newspaper
ad for help at what was known at the time as Bogue Banks
Country Club. Two days after returning from graduation
Ipock was laboring for $7 an hour. He’d never been on a
golf course before.
His effort and aptitude were quickly apparent though
and after six months he was promoted to assistant
superintendent. Three years later he became superintendent.
It’s not the only trick in his bag. He is also a certified
mixologist which, he explains, “is a fancy term for a
barman” and a certified pyrotechnician, allowing him to set
off the kind of fireworks people travel miles to see.
Photo Credit Cynthia Rose Photography
More of Andy Ipock’s handiwork, this time with fireworks.
Indeed, Ipock’s fireworks expertise (see image left)
is a factor in the club’s growing reputation as a wedding
venue. The club recently won a couples’ choice award
from Wedding Wire which Chamberlin says puts it in the
top five percent of venues in the country. Credit for that
achievement is shared by Aubrey Ipock, food and beverage,
executive chef Scott Stiehl and events and sales manager
Barb Costanza. The club’s Fourth of July fireworks attract as
carolinasgcsa.org
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CAROLINAS
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29
many as 500 people. Two years ago Metro North Carolina
Coastal Magazine recognized the club in its best coastal
event venue and best coastal golf course awards. Ipock is
now aimed at achieving Audubon Sanctuary certification for
the club.
“We’re making good progress overall,” he says. “It hasn’t
been easy. It was week to week there for a long time. I think
we got lucky. We found good people and we have wonderful
members. They treat me like I’m a member too. I play in all
the tournaments, the member-guest and so on. I go on golf
trips with them. They take me to football games. They are
phenomenal. The board has always been super supportive.”
Ipock also gives a nod of appreciation to some people
who exercised patience at a critical time for the club and
showed faith in him in the process. “I kept hearing from
vendors ‘You guys haven’t paid your bill,’” he says. “But a lot
of them were very understanding. I found that a lot of them
- if you just talk to them - are willing to work with you. Chip
came in and found ways to get them some of their money to
keep things moving.”
The club also received a one-time injection of $110,000
working with the town of Pine Knoll Shores and the State
Government on a collaborative flood mitigation project,
which was the first of its kind in North Carolina. The
money was effectively payment for an easement the course
offered so the town could install a powerful system to draw
storm water through the course and its system of ponds and
eventually into the Sound.
“The town notifies me when a storm is coming and I
start lowering my ponds,” Ipock says. “We’re on a giant sand
dune basically so I can run water for hours and you’ll never
see any of it on the golf course.”
The filtering process the course provides is closely
monitored by the Division of Water Quality, and other
agencies, and critical to maintaining the health of shellfish
populations. Storm water entering the Sound is now cleaner
than it was in the past, the town is less susceptible to
flooding and recovers quicker and the same is true for the
golf course.
“The entire course is just under 100 acres and the whole
island is basically a septic system,” Ipock says. “So this
project really is a win-win, for the town, environmentally
and for us because we can be open sooner now after rain
that would have had us flooded in the past.”
As earnestly as Ipock works at his superintendent role,
his commitment to the club is never more apparent than
when he wears a different hat - sometimes quite literally.
He has been known to step into another kind of spotlight
at the club’s dinner theater nights. This past Christmas he
played a “sleaze ball, used car salesman” in a Judge Judytype scenario. “Never a dull moment,” he laughs. “As a
superintendent you’re supposed to know a little bit about
everything!”
The outlet from the new green flood mitigation project filters
floodwaters before entering Bogue Sound.
30
CAROLINAS
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March - April 2015
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CAROLINAS
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31
LO CA L N E WS
Eastern NC
Foster Lake and Pond Management and
Lee Butler and Dr. Travis Gannon, both of
North Carolina State University, for their
presentations.
Josh Purvis will host our March meeting
at Carolina Colours Golf Club in New
Bern. David Hardy from North Carolina
Department of Agriculture and Consumer
Services will be our speaker on the topic
‘How to Best Interpret Soil, Water and
Plant Test Results.’ We have not been to
Carolina Colours in a while and I know we
are in for a treat. I am sure the course will
be in great shape for those who choose
to play.
Rob Woods received a flag in appreciation of
his work on the annual pesticide meeting.
On April 16, we meet at Belmont Lakes
Golf Club as guests of superintendent
David Coley. A representative from
A.C. Schultes will talk on the topic
‘Understanding Wells and Pump Stations:
Keeping Your Course on Course.’
Our fundraising tournament is scheduled
for May 14 Timberlake Golf Club in
Clinton. Please plan on joining us for
this important event. The proceeds help
support turfgrass research, scholarships
and other aspects of the turf industry.
Lee Butler was among presenters at the
pesticide meeting.
I would like to thank all of our 2015
sponsors and the Eastern NCTA board
members for their continued efforts to
ensure the success of the association.
Please visit our website at www.encta.org
and our Facebook page for more dates
and information on our 2015 schedule.
Stanley Elliott, CGCS, Cypress Landing Golf
Club (252) 378-5743.
Palmetto
Travis Gannon addresses the group at Wayne
Community College.
The Eastern NCTA started off the year
with our annual pesticide conference at
Wayne Community College. Rob Woods
hosted the meeting which included four
hours of education and a great lunch.
Special thanks go to Ryan Stanley of
32
CAROLINAS
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The Palmetto GCSA December meeting
was hosted by Kevin Przybylski at Wild
Wing Plantation. Participants were asked
to bring an unwrapped toy for “Toys for
Tots.” We were able to fill two collection
bins full of toys for the children and,
through an anonymous donation, donate
several bicycles. The Palmetto GCSA
was also fortunate to make donations in
the amounts of $2,500 each to Habitat
for Humanity and Barnabas Horse
March - April 2015
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Foundation, two local charities in Horry
County.
The format for the golf event for our
December outing was a three-man twolow net. The winners were the team of
David Hughes from Myrtlewood Golf
Club, Cory Sims from Litchfield Country
Club and Joseph Kobylarz from the River
Club. Second place was captured by the
trio of Barry “Digger” Barthelman, CGCS
from River Club/Willbrook Plantation,
Robert Gamble from The Pearl Golf Links,
and Steve Martin, CGCS of Pro G Golf
Management. Congratulations to the
winning teams.
Our annual scholarships were also
awarded at this meeting and the
recipients of the $500 scholarships
were Stevie Martin, Patrick Saber and
Lucy Warner. Lastly, we would like to
thank all of our gracious sponsors, and
a very special thank you to Vereens Turf
Products, Smith Turf and Irrigation and
Revels Turf and Tractor for donating the
food for the event.
Jay Noyes, Blackmoor Golf Club
(843) 650-8534.
Midlands
The Midlands TA would like to thank
you for your support in 2014 and we
hope that support will continue in 2015.
Our membership is the reason that we
have such a great association. A special
thank you to all of the vendors and
sponsors who continue to support our
association. Without you, we would not
be as successful as we are. With that,
I encourage our members to please
include our vendors and sponsors in your
purchasing decisions throughout the year.
On December 11, the Midlands TA
regional seminars were conducted at
the Letterman’s Lounge at WilliamsBrice Stadium. After a presentation
‘Demystifying Turfgrass Pathology’ by Dr.
Jim Kerns and Lee Butler, we also heard
from Dr. Kerns and Dr. Rick Brandenburg,
on the topic ‘Dealing with Bugs and Crud
Affecting Warm-Season Turfgrass.’ We
LO CA L N E WS
are grateful to these three gentlemen
from North Carolina State University.
Both seminars were very informative
and hopefully the attendees will be able
to use some of the information to assist
when problems occur. The Midlands TA
also would like to thank Clark Cox, of the
University of South Carolina, for hosting
this event, and to each of the presenters
of each seminar, the attendees and the
Carolinas GCSA staff for their hand in
making it a success.
The association met for our annual
business meeting at Ponderosa Country
Club on December 18. Dean Bedenbaugh
and the staff at Ponderosa provided
an awesome barbecue lunch, as they
do every year. Congratulations to Alex
Tolbert from Country Club of Orangeburg
and Nick Price from Sunset Country Club,
who were elected to serve on the board
of directors with current members, Mike
Holt, from Santee National Golf Club,
and Happy Taylor, from Spring Valley
Country Club. Patrick Murphy, from The
River Golf Club, was elected president;
Tim Flanagan, from Forest Lake Club,
vice-president; Eddie Foust, of Humate
International, treasurer; Sam Cheatham,
of Midlands Turfgrass Association,
secretary, and Clark Cox, past-president.
We also thank Chad Berry from Golden
Hills Golf and Country Club and Sam Friar
from Members Club of Woodcreek and
Wildewood for their board service for the
Midlands TA over the past years. Lastly,
we express great gratitude to Clark Cox
for a great job as president in 2014.
The association is scheduled to get
together on March 10 at The Windermere
Club, in Blythewood, for our next
meeting, with Troy Thrall as our hosting
superintendent. We plan for Carolinas
Golf Association agronomist Bill
Anderson, CGCS to speak at this event
and I am positive it will be an informative
talk.
Mike Holt, CGCS, Santee National Golf Club
(803) 378-3274.
Triangle
Lee Butler and wife April, Brian Green and wife April, and Ann and Jim Kerns, enjoy the Triangle
TA Christmas party at Carolina Country Club.
The Triangle TA met for its annual
Christmas party in December at Carolina
Country Club. Bob Young, CGCS was our
gracious host superintendent. In the past,
we have normally seen the same people
at this event, but this year was different.
I saw a lot of new faces, mostly younger,
which is awesome. It was also good to
see the wives who support us so much in
our profession.
Our annual pesticide conference will
have taken place in early February by the
time this article is published. I am going
to wait until the next publication to write
about and hopefully provide pictures for
this event.
Our association’s annual Bob Mashburn
Scholarship Fundraiser will take place
at Duke University Golf Club on April 6.
Look for more details on the Carolinas
GCSA website.
I also want to remind all of you about
Rounds4Research. Please donate. It is
a good vehicle to provide much needed
research for our profession.
Rodney Moss, River Ridge Golf Club
(919) 906-2082.
Piedmont
At the social and business meeting of
the Piedmont GCSA in December, we
elected the following new officers and
board of directors for 2015: president:
Daniel Knight, Sedgefield Country Club;
vice-president: John Crowe, Jamestown
Park; secretary: John T. Dawson, Colonial
Country Club; treasurer: Jeff Corn, Smith
Turf and Irrigation; past-president: Chris
DeVane, Forsyth Country Club; and our
directors Gary Stafford, Carolina Golf;
Dean Farlow, Holly Ridge Golf Links,
Steve Richau, Pinewood Country Club;
Andrew McClannon, Starmount Forest
Country Club; and Jeff VanPelt, Alamance
Country Club.
So far this winter, the new board has been
busy planning the year for the Piedmont
GSCA. We do not have anything set in
stone yet, but we should have announced
our first event for the month of March
by the time you read this. We will expect
to have updates on our website and
Facebook throughout the year. Also,
watch for e-mails. We are all looking
forward to a successful year here in the
Piedmont.
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LO CA L N E WS
One more thing I would like pass on.
One of our members received a great
award this past year. Keith Wood,
superintendent for Sedgefield Country
Club, was named superintendent of
the year for the American Junior Golf
Association. Every year, Sedgefield hosts
the Footjoy Invitational, a tournament
in which many of the best junior golfers
play. The AJGA puts on hundreds of
tournaments every year at some of the
finest venues in the country. Keith will be
presented with the award in June, when
Sedgefield hosts the tournament this
year. Congratulations to Keith for this
well-deserved honor.
North-South
Daniel Knight, Sedgefield Country Club
(336) 643-4941.
SEEDING
Del Ratcliffe from the North Carolina Golf
Course Owners Association.
THIS SPRING?
Chris Valauri talks government relations.
As we approach the terminus of winter
and the threshold of spring, I will share
a quote from our nation’s grandest
humorist. You may know him as Mark
Twain but his mama called him Sammy.
Sammy said, as we have all experienced,
“In the spring, I have counted 136
different kinds of weather inside of 24
hours.”
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34
CAROLINAS
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March - April 2015
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Hopefully everyone has had a productive
winter of projects, planning, reel grinding
and painting tee markers. Maybe you
have not broken all of your resolutions yet
and have been able to carve out a little
R&R for yourselves.
The North-South TA kicked off our 2015
calendar in late January, with robust
attendance at our annual breakfast.
Special thanks to Matthew Wharton,
CGCS for allowing us to invade the
clubhouse at Carolina Golf Club. We
LO CA L N E WS
filled our mouths and our minds, and
we were honored to have Carolinas
GCSA executive director Tim Kreger,
NC government relations counsel Chris
Valauri, and Del Racliffe, president of the
NC Chapter of the Golf Course Owners
Association join us for what was a great
update on legislative affairs affecting our
industry in the Carolinas.
We have a date and venue for the
Hamrick Cup. The 2015 installment of
this fabled grudge match will be hosted
by the Western NCTA on March 31
at The Cliffs at Walnut Cove. Former
North-South TA member Steve Shand is
currently superintendent at Walnut Cove
and is sure to provide a great venue. So
let’s ready our torches, pitchforks, hybrids
and wedges and storm the gates. It has
been far too long since we have tasted
the spoils of victory. Rally the troops and
let us defend the civilized world from the
scoundrels from the Western NCTA and
the usurpers from the Upstate TA.
Blue Ridge
Scholarship winner Caleb Shoupe (with plaque) with Blue Ridge TA leaders from left, Bo Miller,
Anthony Durham, Erik Guinther, CGCS, Nick Raby, Michael Hileman, Matt Carver and Robert
Arrington.
The remainder of the current 2015 NSTA
calendar includes the following schedule
of meetings and events:
First off, I would like to thank Matt
Carver of Tri-State Pump and Controls
for all of his leadership and dedication
as the first president and one of the
founding members of the Blue Ridge
TA. Everybody involved has put in a lot
of time and effort, but Matt’s efforts
have been above and beyond the call
of duty. From everybody involved in the
association, thank you, Matt.
June 18: Golf Classic at Birkdale Golf
Club, to benefit the Central Piedmont
Community College turfgrass program.
July 17: Family Knight at Charlotte
Knights Stadium.
September 22: Two-man captain’s choice
event at Rock Hill Country Club.
October 23: Member-member
tournament and business meeting.
Dec 9: Christmas Party at Chimas
Brazilian Steakhouse.
Erik Guinther, CGCS from Roaring Gap Club
and Michael Hileman of JRM.
Thanks everyone. We hope you all can
make it out to several events this year.
Fellowship with your colleagues is good
for the heart, soul and mind. Follow us on
twitter @NSTACarolinas. Until then,
Rick Henderson, Greenville Turf and Tractor
(864) 419-4907.
Past-president Matt Carver of Tri-State Pump
and Controls with wife, Holly.
2014 finished up as a successful year. In
October, we conducted our joint meeting
with the Western NCTA at Hound Ears
Club. The meeting started off with an
educational session presented by Dr.
Lane Tredway of Syngenta. As always,
it was enjoyable and informative. Thank
you Lane and Syngenta. The educational
meeting was followed by our annual
match with the Western NCTA. After
losing in 2013, the Blue Ridge TA pulled
out the victory, giving both associations
a 1-1 record. A special thanks to
superintendent Allen Storie and his staff
for hosting us and having the golf course
in excellent shape.
We started off 2015 with our annual
meeting at Foothills Brewing Co. in
carolinasgcsa.org
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CAROLINAS
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LO CA L N E WS
Winston-Salem. The current board is
extremely appreciative not only to Matt
Carver, but also to Mike Mizelle from
Oakwoods Country Club and Robert
Arrington from Catawba Country Club for
their years of service. Newly-elected board
members are Matt Adams from Mt. Airy
Country Club, Shane Harrelson from Ole
Still Golf Club and Andrew Johnson from
Brushy Mountain Golf Course. We look
forward to a great year with the assistance
of these new directors.
At the annual meeting, we also presented
Caleb Shoupe with our first $1,000
scholarship. Caleb is enrolled in the
turfgrass management program at
North Carolina State University and is an
employee at Oakwoods Country Club in
North Wilkesboro. Congratulations Caleb.
Finally, as the new president of the
Blue Ridge TA, I am looking forward
to a great 2015. I am humbled to have
been selected as the new president and
am grateful to be surrounded by such
great people in our association. We look
forward to continuing with our usual
events which have been very successful
to date. Look for the addition of a few
other new events as well. As always, a
huge thank you is in order for all of our
members and sponsors who continually
support our association. Without you,
there would be no Blue Ridge TA.
Erik Guinther, CGCS, Roaring Gap Club
(336) 466-1737.
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Western NC
Six years ago when I became involved
as a board member with the Western
NCTA, I never would have imagined that
time would go by so quickly. But here
we are, already in 2015, and I will be
serving the next two years as the Western
NCTA president. I would like to thank
Mark Rogers, of Vereens Turf Products,
for his service over the last two years
as president. Mark will, of course, serve
the association as past-president, so we
will, from time to time, pick his brain as
we continue with the progress of the
association. I would also like to thank
all of our members, vendors, sponsors
and those who hosted meetings in 2014.
Without your continued support we would
not have a successful local association.
We are grateful for all that you do.
Your board has already scheduled and
booked several great meeting sites for
2015, but we are still working to secure
a few more details on others. The exact
dates will be finalized soon and posted
to the Western NCTA section of the
Carolinas GCSA web site.
The Western Turfgrass Conference is
scheduled for early March in Fletcher and
should provide educational material, the
opportunity to earn pesticide points and
GCSAA points as well. More information
on this event, organized by North Carolina
State University, should be available on the
March - April 2015
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NC State turfgrass website.
We will meet for our first Western NCTA
golf event on March 31 at The Cliffs at
Walnut Cove, where our association will
host the Hamrick Cup competition with
the North-South TA and the Upstate TA.
This is sure to be a treat for all. You may
sign up for this event and all other events
on the Carolinas GCSA website as soon
as details are finalized.
As most everyone knows, several years
ago we voted to change the officer terms
from one-year to two-year terms. Twoyear terms have been more productive,
giving the officers more time to learn
their positions and work on association
business. If anyone is interested in future
board service or in hosting a meeting,
please see one of the current officers or
board members for more information.
The officers elected for 2015 are president:
Shannon Peterson, CGCS Mountain
Air Country Club; vice-president: Craig
DeJong, Hendersonville Country Club;
secretary-treasurer: Brent Ward, Bald
Mountain Country Club; and pastpresident: Mark Rogers, Vereens Turf
Products.
Our additional directors are David Sluder,
Greenville Turf and Tractor; Lee Howell,
Helena Chemical Company; and Barry
Graham, CGCS Wildcat Cliffs Country Club.
Shannon Peterson, CGCS, Mountain Air
Country Club (828) 284-0712.
LO CA L N E WS
Low Country
In May, our annual pro-super tournament
will be hosted by Wexford Plantation
Golf Club on Hilton Head Island. Jamie
Mathews, our new superintendent
director, will be busy putting that all
together for us.
There are a couple of other events
planned in our area to which I would like
to call everyone’s attention. Long Cove
Club will host the annual Darius Rucker
intercollegiate tournament for the fourth
straight year. This NCAA sanctioned
women’s tournament will include many
of the top teams in the country. Also, the
2015 U.S. Junior Amateur Championship
will be hosted by Colleton River
Plantation Club on its Pete Dye course.
I will pray for good weather and play for
both courses.
Corey Hall
Callawassie Island Club, who has been
recently added to the board of directors
for the Carolinas GCSA. Congratulations
to both of them.
This year is going to be a very busy year
for the members of the Low Country
GCSA. The board has put together some
excellent events throughout the year, with
at least one event in 10 of the 12 months.
So no excuses everyone.
Scott Denny
It has been another cold and very wet
winter for the Low Country GCSA.
Temperatures down into the teens have
forced all the turf into a hard dormancy.
Let’s just say we are really looking
forward to some spring weather. We
do have a good piece of news to share
with everyone. Mike Heckman, from
Long Cove Club, the current assistant
representative on our board, has been
elected as our new treasurer. Mike
will take over for Billy Bagwell, from
Our annual bowling event took place
in February at Station 300 in Bluffton.
We thank Allen Gerstner of John Deere
Landscapes for setting up this outing. Our
March meeting, which may have taken
place by the time you read this, is our
annual association championship, this year
contested at the Robert Trent Jones Course
at Palmetto Dunes. More on that later.
One first-time event we are presenting
this year is a pool tournament at Cheap
Seats on Hilton Head Island. I am looking
forward to this event at which we will
raise money for this summer’s First
Tee project on Hilton Head Island. We
certainly look forward to a big turnout.
So mark your calendar and please sign
up and pay for all events through the
Carolinas GCSA website.
My meet-a-member this issue is Scott
Denny, the current president of the Low
Country GCSA. Scott has been in the golf
industry for 14 years and counting, and
has been the superintendent at Argent
Lakes Golf Course in Sun City for the
past three years. He has worked at many
different courses in the Low Country,
including Long Cove Club, Bloody Point
on Daufuskie Island, Indigo Run at
Golden Bear and Hidden Cypress. Scott
received his education through the Penn
State World Campus and is attending
continuing education classes yearly. A
couple of Scott’s goals this year are to
get our local association more involved in
the community and to work with the First
Tee project on Hilton Head, which hopes
to grow the game of golf through our
future generations. Two of Scott’s favorite
quotes are “It is what it is” and “Life is too
short to dwell on the past.” This will be
Scott’s fifth year on the board of the Low
Country GCSA and we look forward to his
service as our president.
There is a photo of Scott with this news and
also one of Corey Hall who was our feature
member in the January-February issue.
Nathan Stevely, Chechessee Creek Club
(843) 247-7028.
carolinasgcsa.org
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INDUSTRY NEWS
Sedgefield’s Wood Wins Junior Award
Carolinas GCSA member Keith
Wood from Sedgefield Country
Club in Greensboro, NC has
been named Superintendent of
the Year by the American
Junior Golf Association for his
work with the FootJoy
Invitational. The event, held
annually in June, features 90 of
the nation’s top junior boys
competing on the course that
also hosts the PGA Tour’s
Wyndham Championship.
Each year, the AJGA presents
awards to the tournaments
Keith Wood
with the best individual
hospitality, Junior-am
fundraising tournament, charitable giving and volunteer base.
Awards are also given to the events with the highest media
and social media participation. Finally, the AJGA recognizes
the year’s most outstanding golf professional, superintendent
and general manager, as well as the most improved event, best
new event, best Junior All-Star tournament, best Invitational
and overall tournament of the year. Tournament awards for the
2014 season will be presented on-site at the 2015 tournament.
“I am so grateful to the AJGA for this award, and I take it on
behalf of my staff, because I think of this as a team award
rather than an individual one,” Wood says. The grounds crew
at Sedgefield Country Club faces a difficult challenge each year
hosting the FJ Invitational two months before the annual PGA
Tour event.
“The time of year that the FJ Invitational is played is definitely
busy, but it provides us some great opportunities,” Wood says.
“In fact, because of the course played in June, I would say it is
tougher for the FJ Invitational than it is for the professionals in
the Wyndham Championship.”
Sedgefield Country Club is a storied club, dating back almost
90 years, having played host to legends of the game such
as Sam Snead, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and many others.
There are two courses on the Sedgefield property, the Donald
Ross Course and Pete Dye Course, named after the course
architects. “Working at this course is such a wonderful
experience,” Wood says. “Just getting to watch the AJGA staff
run this tournament and see these incredibly talented kids
attack this course is an honor as well.”
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Two Renew Certification
Congratulations to two Carolinas GCSA members who recently
completed the renewal process for certification with the Golf
Course Superintendents Association of America. Danny Gwyn,
CGCS now senior director of agronomy for ClubCorp and
Donald Garrett Jr., CGCS at The Walker Course at Clemson
University, Clemson, SC both maintained their elite stats with
GCSAA.
Gwyn who was at Devils Ridge Golf Club in Holly Springs,
NC since 1998 now oversees the golf course maintenance
operations at 35 properties for the company, from Hilton
Head to Kansas City and up to Boston. A 28-year GCSAA
member, he initially achieved his certification in 1990. Garrett,
a Carolinas GCSA past-president, has been at The Walker
Course since 1999. A 28-year GCSAA member, he initially
achieved his certification in 1995. Only about 1,500 golf course
superintendents worldwide currently hold top-level status as a
certified golf course superintendent.
Clemson to Fill Research Role
Nathaniel “Nate” Gambrell, a
native of upstate SC from
Pendleton, is the new research
technician for Clemson
University turfgrass professor
Dr. Bert McCarty. Gambrell
replaces Alan Estes who took a
job with PBI-Gordon. McCarty
announced Estes’ move
recently saying, “…after 14
years of excellent work, my
research technician Alan Estes
has accepted a position with
PBI Gordon. I wish Alan nothing
but the very best in this new
Nate Gambrell
position.” Estes can now be
reached at (864) 710-7904 or [email protected].
Gambrell received a bachelors of science degree from Clemson
University in turfgrass management in 2011 and a masters
degree from Clemson University in plant and environmental
science in 2014, specializing in turfgrass science. His thesis
dealt with screening possible new St. Augustinegrasses for the
transition zone.
In January 2012, he founded Turf Plus LLC, a specialized weed
control business catering to residential lawns and local sports
fields. In addition, Gambrell has worked on a golf course and
several sports fields including Clemson University Athletic
Department. Gambrell can be reached at (864) 642-7411 or
[email protected].
March - April 2015
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INDUSTRY NEWS
Industry Role For Greytok
Former Eagle Point golf course
superintendent and Carolinas
GCSA member Eric Greytok is
now national sales director for
Macro-Sorb Technologies and
SMS Additive Solutions.
Greytok also spent five years as
superintendent at Belfair
Plantation Golf Club in Hilton
Head, SC before moving to
Eagle Point in Wilmington, NC.
In 2000, while at Pebble Beach
Golf Links in California, Greytok
became the youngest golf
course superintendent to host a
Eric Greytok
U.S. Open at age 27. He later
moved to Winged Foot Golf
Club in Mamaroneck, NY where he hosted the 2004 U.S.
Amateur and the 2006 U.S. Open.
Thistle didn’t overseed its new greens in 2014 and plans to
continue coloring with pigments in future winter months rather
than overseed, following another new trend in the market. “I
think they turned out really well,” Pridgen said.
The changeover at Thistle leaves just 10 Grand Strand courses
with bentgrass greens, with seven of those in Brunswick
County, N.C. Conversely, there are now nearly 60 area courses
with ultradwarf bermudagrass greens, and all have been
installed since the early 2000s.
-The Sun-News, Myrtle Beach, SC.
Golf House Opens In Southern Pines
Greytok will direct sales activities for both companies,
implementing agronomic programs, strategic planning and new
product development, as well as provide assistance and product
training for golf course and sports turfgrass professionals
throughout the country.
Thistle Switching To Ultradwarf
Thistle Golf Club is joining much of the rest of the Grand Strand
and changing its greens to a form of ultradwarf bermudagrass
in a project that is expected to be completed by early October.
The 27-hole Tim Cate design has featured L93 bentgrass since
it opened between 1999 and 2000, and greens on the Mackay
nine were already changed to TifEagle when those holes closed
last June through September.
The Cameron nine is scheduled to close from May 11 through
July 1 for the transition to TifEagle, and the Stewart nine will
follow from July 2 into late September or early October. So the
Sunset Beach, NC property will always maintain at least 18
open holes.
“A lot of courses have struggled with bentgrass greens over the
years,” Thistle superintendent John Pridgen said. “I just feel the
summer is where we always struggle and we’ve been having so
much play in the summer. Now we can increase our play in the
summer and not have to worry about it. The cost of chemicals
is about the same, but the labor cost of the bentgrass is more
because of hand watering. It won’t be as labor intensive with
man power.”
Carolinas GCSA representatives Tim Kreger, Bill Kennedy, CGCS and
past-president Bob Farren, CGCS at the opening of Carolinas Golf
House.
Carolinas GCSA leaders helped celebrate the opening of
Carolinas Golf House at the end of January. Golf House will
serve as the headquarters for the Carolinas Golf Association,
which was founded in 1909. Carolinas GCSA president Bill
Kennedy, CGCS, executive director Tim Kreger and several
other Carolinas GCSA members attended the formal dedication
ceremony in Southern Pines, NC.
The ceremony was held in conjunction with the CGA’s
annual meeting and Golf Night, which honors the past year’s
champions and Players of the Year. The new 13,000-sq. ft.
building is about three times the size of the association’s former
offices in West End, NC. The new building also has room
dedicated for a museum.
carolinasgcsa.org
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CAROLINAS
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INDUSTRY NEWS
Hahn’s Super Bowl Win one of Many
One of his work buddies had noticed too and so before heading
off to buy a lottery ticket he pulled Hahn close in the golf course
maintenance facility. “He rubbed my head for luck and off he
went,” Hahn says. “He bought a ticket and won $100!”
Members Make A Mark on Nail Bay
Panthers mascot Sir Purr with Tim Davis and the lucky Chris Hahn.
Chris Hahn, assistant superintendent to Tim Davis at Cabarrus
Country Club in Charlotte, NC, was already in for a big year
in 2015 but it keeps getting bigger. For one, Hahn is getting
married in April. That’s momentous enough for most people.
But then in January he won an all-expenses-paid trip for two to
the Super Bowl.
An avid Carolina Panthers fan, Hahn owns a permanent
seat license with the team and as such was eligible to enter
a drawing for the big prize. “His seats are way up in the
nosebleed section and there are like 20,000 PSL owners but his
was the name they drew,” Davis says. Davis and Hahn’s family,
who were notified by the Panthers before Hahn, had some fun
with breaking the good news.
Hahn, who has been with Davis for two years, says his boss told
him he wouldn’t be able to go home for lunch like he normally
did. “He said we had to meet the general manager and the
incoming and outgoing club presidents instead,” Hahn says. “I
was thinking oh, great, I’m going to lose my job. Then we got
near the clubhouse there was all this loud music and Tim says,
‘It looks like they’re having a dance recital or something.’”
When Hahn stepped into the clubhouse he found his family, his
fiancée and Panthers cheerleaders and paraphernalia all over
the place. “I had no idea what was going on,” Hahn says. “My
mom said my color wasn’t good. She said I looked like a sheet
of notebook paper.”
Needless to say Hahn and his wife-to-be had a ball at the Super
Bowl. But, as they say in the commercials, that’s not all. A day
or two before Hahn won his Super Bowl trip, his fiancée Ariel
won a three-day trip at a bridal shower. Then a few days later, at
another bridal shower, she won another three-day trip, this time
to the Dominican Republic. “It’s been a pretty lucky couple of
weeks,” Hahn says. No kidding.
40
CAROLINAS
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A view from Nail Bay, the first golf course in the British Virgin Islands.
Carolinas GCSA members have been instrumental in bringing
the first golf course to British Virgin Islands. Nail Bay, a
nine-hole private club, is maintained by Carolinas GCSA
member Jaman Spake who at 22 became one of the youngest
superintendents in the business when he landed a job at
Barefoot Resort in Myrtle Beach, SC following an internship
there.
Spake has since turned to a number of contacts he made
during his time at Barefoot to help build and grow-in Nail Bay.
They include Patrick Donelan, CGCS, Alan Jarvis, CGCS from
Pine Lakes Country Club, Greg Salisbury of Watertronics and
Jimmy Abernathy of Catawba Valley Community College.
Spake graduated from Catawba Valley’s turfgrass management
program in 2006.
Nearly 10 years after working with Donelan at Barefoot, Spake
invited him to help construct Nail Bay designed by Chris Gray
of Grayworks, with wall-to-wall Paspalum. Spake reached out
to Jarvis for Paspalum tips then to Salisbury for help with build
a reverse osmosis plant and pump station. Salisbury installed
pump stations at Barefoot and Pine Lakes.
With help from that group and others, Spake has been able to
overcome several challenges unlike anything he encountered
in Myrtle Beach. The BVIs’ lack a lot of infrastructure and
equipment was one. Volcanic rock, soil that wasn’t conducive
to growing grass and the lack of freshwater were others. Spake
also had to nurse his sod back to health from the brink following
a weeks-long trip from Georgia.
March - April 2015
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INDUSTRY NEWS
Anderson Lands Award, New Role
Bill Anderson, CGCS
Carolinas GCSA past-president
and Distinguished Service Award
winner Bill Anderson, CGCS is
now serving the golf industry
as consulting agronomist for
the Carolinas Golf Association.
Anderson began his new role
January 1 becoming the third
CGA agronomist since the
program’s inception in 1982.
Then in February he was
honored by the USGA win the
Ike Grainger award for 25 years
of volunteer service to the USGA
Green Section committee.
Anderson was one of 16
recipients named at the
USGA’s annual meeting at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New
York in February. Ike Grainger served on the USGA Executive
Committee and served as USGA president in 1954 and 1955.
The award in his name was instituted in 1995.
The CGA was the first state or regional golf association to offer
an agronomy service to its member clubs and currently is one
of only three associations to do so. The service is free of charge
to CGA member clubs, excluding expenses. “This is a great
opportunity for me to do some positive work in the turfgrass
industry,” Anderson says. “I hope I can bring some experience
as well as some new ideas to the program.”
A 40-year superintendent at Carmel Country Club in Charlotte,
NC Anderson received his Bachelor of Science degree in
Crop Science and Turfgrass Management from Michigan
State University. He is a member of the USGA Green Section
Committee.
Dr. Carl Blake of Raleigh, NC was the CGA’s first agronomist
and served clubs for 15 years. In the process, he became a
legend for his expertise and his sense of humor. Dr. Blake retired
after the 1997 season and the role was taken over by Dr. Leon
Lucas of Apex, NC. Dr. Lucas retired from the CGA in 2014 after
17 years. “This has been a whole lot of fun,” Dr. Lucas says. “I
enjoyed visiting clubs and working with superintendents, their
staffs and club members.”
Anderson can be reached at [email protected].
Carolinas Calendar
March 23 - 24, 2015
USGA Regional Conference
Hope Valley Country Club
Durham, NC
May 4, 2015
Carolinas North-South
Myers Park Country Club
Charlotte, NC
October 5 - 6, 2015
Fall Meeting
Grandfather Golf & CC
Linville, NC
November 16 - 18, 2015
Annual Conference and Show
Myrtle Beach Convention Center
Myrtle Beach, SC
carolinasgcsa.org
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CAROLINAS
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March - April 2015
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OUR FRIENDS
Cameron A. Blair has been promoted to golf course
superintendent at Carmel Country Club, Charlotte, NC.
Scott Clawson, former golf course superintendent at Seven
Lakes Country Club, Seven Lakes, NC is now golf course
superintendent at Prestonwood Country Club, Cary, NC.
Sam W. Crowe, CGCS, former golf course superintendent at
The Reserve at Lake Keowee, Sunset, SC is now golf course
superintendent at Summit Chase Country Club, Snellville, GA.
Steven Donahue, former golf course superintendent at
Heron Point Golf Club, Myrtle Beach, SC is now golf course
superintendent at Whispering Pines Golf Club, Myrtle Beach, SC.
John Fralick is now territory manager with HARCO Fittings,
Columbia, SC.
Asa High, former assistant golf course superintendent at
Augusta National Golf Club, Augusta, GA is now golf course
superintendent at Adena Golf and Country Club, Ocala, FL.
Colton C. Jones, former intern at Pinehurst, LLC., Pinehurst, NC
is now assistant golf course superintendent at The Peninsula
Club, Cornelius, NC.
Owen Legg, III, former first assistant golf course
superintendent at Dormie Club, West End, NC is now first
assistant golf course superintendent at Brook Valley Country
Club, Greenville, NC.
Mark A. Letson, former assistant golf course superintendent
at Trillium Links, Cashiers, NC is now director of amenity
maintenance at Trillium Links and Lake Club, Cashiers, NC.
Alan J. Owen has been promoted from assistant
superintendent at Pinehurst No. 2 to golf course superintendent
at Pinehurst No. 6 and No. 8, Pinehurst, NC.
S. Perry Payne, CGCS former golf course superintendent at
Tobacco Road Golf Club, Sanford, NC is now employed with
Spence Golf, Inc., Greensboro, NC.
Scott M. Pitts is now assistant golf course superintendent at
Trillium Links and Lake Club, Cashiers, NC.
Allen O. Schley is now golf course superintendent at Bradford
Creek Golf Course, Greenville, NC.
Robert W. Sinclair, former assistant golf course superintendent
at Wildcat Cliffs Country Club, Highlands, NC is now golf
course superintendent at Bear Lake Reserve, Tuckasegee, NC.
Lee Souther has been promoted to golf course superintendent
at Chowan Golf and Country Club, Edenton, NC.
Jaman T. Spake, former golf course superintendent at
Barefoot Resort and Golf, Myrtle Beach, SC is now golf course
superintendent at Nail Bay Resort, British Virgin Islands.
Dockery Steed, former golf course superintendent at
Founders Club at St. James, Southport, NC is now golf course
superintendent at The Players Club at St. James, Southport, NC.
Andrew T. Stephens, formerly with Prestonwood Country
Club, Cary, NC is now golf course superintendent at Belvedere
Country Club, Hampstead, NC.
Shawn A. Thornton is now assistant golf course superintendent
at Greenville Country Club, Greenville, NC.
Joseph R. Wagner, former assistant golf course superintendent
at Greenbrier Country Club, Chesapeake, VA is now second
assistant golf course superintendent at Belle Haven Country
Club, Alexandria, VA.
Robert J. Warner, former golf course superintendent at
Whispering Pines Golf Club, Myrtle Beach, SC is now retired.
WITH SYMPATHY
Samuel “Sam” Ayers, Sr.
Carolinas GCSA members and friends extend their deepest sympathies to the family of long-time member Samuel “Sam” Ayers,
Sr., 64, of St. John Towers, Augusta, GA who died January 26, 2015. Ayers was a native of Columbia, SC and a former resident of
Aiken, SC who made Augusta his home for the past two years. He was a retired golf course superintendent with more than 30
years of service and was a member of the Carolinas GCSA, GCSAA and of Edisto Baptist Church. Survivors include his wife of 20
years, Roberta W. Ayers; three sons, Samuel Ayers, Jr., Christopher Ayers and Noel Leseueur; three daughters, Laural McLean, Angel
Stewart and Jennifer Stewart; a brother, Edward L. Ayers, Jr.; and nine grandchildren. Memorials may be made in lieu of flowers to
the St. John Towers, 724 Green Street, Augusta, GA 30901.
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W E LCO M E N E W M E M B E R S
CLASS SM - Superintendent
David S. Mattes, The Links at Challedon, Mount Airy, MD
The Carolinas GCSA would like to recognize
our conference and show partners for
their generous support of the conference
and show. The support offered through
these partnerships allows Carolinas GCSA
members to enjoy an extensive array of
member benefits throughout each year.
Monday Golf Championship
SMITH TURF & IRRIGATION
THE TORO COMPANY
PNC EQUIPMENT FINANCE
TCF EQUIPMENT FINANCE
Monday and Tuesday Seminar Education
SYNGENTA
Tuesday Seminar Luncheon
GOLF AGRONOMICS
QUALI-PRO
Exhibit Hall Plant Designs
MCPHERSON GREENHOUSES
Tuesday Carolinas Night at the Beach
TRI-STATE PUMP & CONTROL
Wednesday Fellowship Breakfast
CORBIN TURF SUPPLY
NEW LIFE TURF
Wednesday General Session
On Site Communications
RADIOS FOR GOLF
VERTEX STANDARD
Sporting Clay Event
BAYER CROP SCIENCE LP
CAROLINA FRESH FARMS
Wednesday Buffet Luncheon
COASTAL FLORATINE, INC.
ARMOR TECH
27-Hole Challenge
JOHN DEERE GOLF
REVELS TURF & TRACTOR
GREENVILLE TURF & TRACTOR
SHOWTURF
Refreshment Breaks
HARRELL’S, INC.
MBCC Parking Sponsor
CARDINAL CHEMICALS
CAROLINA FRESH FARMS
BAYER CROP SCIENCE LP
Welcoming Sponsor
GREEN RESOURCE
Student Turf Bowl
PRECISION LABS, INC.
Distinguished Service Award Dinner
J.K. MORRO, INC.
KNOX FERTILIZER COMPANY
Technology Station
SUNBELT RENTALS, INC.
MODERN TURF
NUFARM AMERICAS, INC.
Trash Can Wraps
VANDEMARK FARMS, LLC
E-Newsletter
GOLF COURSE INDUSTRY
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March - April 2015
CLASS C – Assistant Superintendent
J. Glenn Bryant, Pinehurst, Pinehurst, NC
Linsey W. Eckles, Myrtle Beach National Golf Club, Myrtle Beach, SC
William G. Ford, Edgewater Golf Club, Lancaster, SC
Wyatt W. Kotary, Cape Fear National Country Club, Leland, NC
James A. Liddle, Mill Creek Golf Course, Mebane, NC
Nathan M. Martin, Wade Hampton Golf Club, Cashiers, NC
Nick J. McLennan, The Peninsula Club, Cornelius, NC
Phillip R. Rudd, High Point Country Club, High Point, NC
Robert R. Sabour, Myers Park Country Club, Charlotte, NC
Blake Stephenson, Prestonwood Country Club, Cary, NC
R. Mahon Wilson, Holly Tree Country Club, Simpsonville, SC
CLASS AS - Associate
Scott Gerbereux, Carolinas Golf Association, Southern Pines, NC
CLASS AF - Affiliate
C. Graham McElveen, Mirimichi Green Express, Castle Hayne, NC
Daniel A. Sherman, Piedmont LLC, Shelby, NC
CLASS AFCORP - Corporate Member
Cam Coor, Cardinal Chemicals, Clayton, NC
David Dudek, E-Z-GO/Cushman, Augusta, GA
Chris Dyer, E-Z-GO/Cushman, Augusta, GA
Paul Grosh, Nutrite, Lancaster, PA
Matthew J. Gross, Smith Turf and Irrigation, Charlotte, NC
Clint Hickman, Smith Turf and Irrigation, Charlotte, NC
Matt Pound, Smith Turf and Irrigation, Charlotte, NC
Richard Warriner, BASF Corporation, Research Triangle Park, NC
Russell Zamostny, John Deere Landscapes, Bluffton, SC
WITH SYMPATHY—Buddy Jones
Carolinas GCSA members and friends extend their deepest sympathies to the family
of long-time member Buddy Jones, 82, of Greenville, SC husband of Jo Ann Porter
Jones, who died November 6, 2014. Born in Greenville, he was a son of the late Linton
L. and Verbie Poston Jones and served in the U.S. Navy and later worked for John D.
Hollingsworth.
He was hired by Carolinas GCSA legend, James “Whitie” Wright, to work part-time at
Greenville Country Club when the club’s Chanticleer course opened. He would become
a golf course superintendent and spent almost 25 years working for the club between
the Chanticleer and Riverside courses until his retirement. He was a member of Salem
United Methodist Church.
Surviving, in addition to his loving wife of 61 years, are a son, Chris Jones and wife
Brandy of Piedmont; two daughters, Debbie Carroll and husband Nelson of Greenville,
and Joni Jones Dilworth of Greer; eight grandchildren, Cody and Hunter Dilworth,
NJ and Neelie Carroll, and Lexi, Gabriel, Josiah and Isabella Jones; and a sister, Ruby
Powell and husband E.C. of Piedmont. He was preceded in death by a grandchild, Noah
Jones; two brothers; and two sisters.
Memorials may be made to Salem United Methodist Church, 2700 White Horse Road,
Greenville, SC 29611.
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W I T H S Y M P AT H Y
Edgar McCoy Huggins
John David Hilton
Carolinas GCSA members and friends
extend their deepest sympathies to
the family of long-time member John
David Hilton, who died suddenly on
January 25. He was 88. Born in Dillon,
SC Hilton enlisted in the U.S. Navy
at age 17 with the help of his parents
after graduating from high school in
June, 1943. He served on a destroyer
ship in the Pacific campaign during
World War II. After the war he attended Wofford College in
Spartanburg, SC playing baseball and football.
Hilton enjoyed a 32-year career in golf after earlier work in
home construction, finance, insurance and banking. He was
manager with First Citizens Bank and Trust in Carolina Beach,
NC when he built Half Moon Park Family Campground in 1961
along the Intracoastal Waterway.
Hilton entered the golf and turf industry by chance when he was
asked to manage the local Fort Fisher Country Club in 1968.
Despite no previous turf experience other than playing golf, he
fell in love with the industry and joined as many associations
and allied programs as he could. Among them were the Eastern
NCTA, Triangle TA, Turfgrass Council of NC, Carolinas GCSA,
and GCSAA. He served on several boards and was president of
some of these associations. He joined the Carolinas GCSA in
1971 and served on the board. He was instrumental in working
with his peers to lobby the State of NC Agriculture Commission
and Governors office on behalf of the golf industry.
He would crisscross the state to attend all monthly meetings
regardless of location. His son David says his father “loved
meeting with his peers, vendors and university professors to
improve his education and gain more knowledge.” That sentiment
was echoed by Carolinas GCSA Distinguished Service Award
winner Bob Bell, now retired from Smith Turf and Irrigation.
“John was always a true, true gentlemen and a good friend to
many people in the golf course business,” Bell says. “He was
just a great guy all the way around, very even-tempered and
he sincerely loved the golf course business.” Hilton’s passion
was underlined with his collection of more than 500 golf books
which he graciously and quietly donated to the Carolinas
GCSA several years ago.
Over the years he served golf facilities in a host of capacities
including manager, site representative, construction
superintendent and golf course superintendent. Those facilities
included Fort Fisher Country Club, Bald Head Island Golf and
Country Club, Echo Farms Golf and Country Club, Country
Club of Spartanburg, Cape Fear Country Club, Country Club of
Virginia, Prestonwood Country Club, Governor’s Land at Two
Rivers Country Club, Tantallon Country Club
Hilton’s working career ended in 2000 at age 74 when he
retired to a farm in New Manchester, WV.
Carolinas GCSA members and friends
extend their deepest sympathies to
the family of long-time member Edgar
McKoy Huggins, 82, of Fairmont, who
died January 22 at National Health
Care in Garden City, SC. Huggins,
who became chief executive officer
of Mullins Truck and Tractor in 1973,
was responsible for the company’s
expansion into the professional turf
equipment business.
Mullins was born August 16, 1932 in Fork, SC to Mitchell
McKoy and Flossie Jones Huggins. He attended Lake View
schools and earned a Bachelor of Science degree from
Clemson College. Upon earning his Master of Agricultural
Economics from Clemson, he became an agronomist for the
university. He worked there until leaving to become vicepresident of Southern Agricultural Chemicals in Kingstree, SC a
position he held until 1983.
In his youth, Mullins helped on the family farm, was a member
of Fork Baptist Church and was active in Boy Scouts and other
organizations. Throughout his life, he fondly recounted a trip
he earned to the National 4-H Congress in Chicago for winning
a state achievement award. That experience, at age 14, had a
lifelong effect on him.
He served in the U.S. Army and Army Reserve, resigning with
a rank of staff sergeant (E-6). He was an honorary member of
the S.C. Agricultural and Mechanical Society, and was active
in the National Soybean Association, the South Carolina Seed
Certification and Crop Improvement associations and in Lion’s
Club International. He served his Lord in several capacities over
30 years at Trinity United Methodist Church in Fairmont.
He is survived by his wife of 61 years, Sylvia Oliver Huggins; a
son, Gregory Dale and his wife Paula of Fork; and son, Justin
Clark (J.C.) and his wife Melanie of Columbia. He also is survived
by six grandchildren, Jessica, Nancy, Jillian, Adeline, Lila and
Shepard Huggins; and his sister, Jackie Huggins McLellan.
He was preceded in death by two sons, Edgar (Edd) McKoy Jr.
and Richard Oliver; a granddaughter, Jennifer Marie; his parents;
and his sister, Bobbie Huggins Page. Memorials may be made
to Trinity UMC, 304 Trinity St., Fairmont, NC 28340; Marietta
Cemetery, P.O. Box 99, Marietta, NC 28362; or the Boys and
Girls Homes of NC, P.O. Box 127, Lake Waccamaw, NC 28450.
The Carolinas GCSA extends sincere sympathies to the
family and friends of long-time member Dale Hanna of Green
Resource following the death of his son Furman “Mitch” Hanna,
31. Mitch Hanna was killed in a road accident near Conway, SC
early January.
carolinasgcsa.org
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CAROLINAS
green
45
THE CLEAN UP LAP
Horses for Courses
Winter may send golfers
indoors but it brings horses to
Pinehurst, NC. Tracks adjacent
to Pinehurst Resort become
busy when harness racers
avoid the northern cold at that
time of year. But every now and
then a horse seeks an
alternative to the sand tracks
and makes a getaway for the
golf courses. It happened again
recently with one nag racing up
and down several holes on
courses No. 3 and No. 5.
Fortunately police and the
horse’s trainer managed to get the beast back in harness before
too much damage was done. Kevin Robinson, CGCS, above,
says two greens were easily repaired with a ball mark tool. “You
hope they run across the greens in a straight line,” Robinson
says. “It’s when they decide to change direction that they can
really tear it up.”
saline solution and, yes, his contact lenses. “Everybody has their
moments,” he says. With no replacements or glasses on hand,
he woke especially early the next morning to beat the traffic on
a 90-minute drive home to Kiawah to get another pair before
driving back to Bulls Bay for golf. “I’m blind as a bat without
them,” he says.
Ace Venturers
Golfers at the Carolinas GCSA winter meeting at Bulls Bay Golf
Club followed in the footsteps of some pretty cool history on the
par three ninth hole. The plaque, above, tells how two golfers
drained consecutive holes in one back in 2011, a feat with odds
calculated at 17 million to one. For the record, the closest anyone
got from the Carolinas GCSA was 3ft 6in by Chris Pearson of
Green Resource.
Dig This
This issue’s main feature on Andy Ipock references his dad’s
career as a gravedigger. Lennis Ipock shoveled holes for caskets
for 30 years. When he finally retired he went to work on the golf
course maintenance crew for his son at The Country Club of
the Crystal Coast. Thinking he’d ease the old man into the new
environment, Andy set Lennis a task he knew he could handle
– digging holes for trees to be planted around the clubhouse.
When the son came back to check on dad’s progress he found
the holes in all the right places except each one was perfectly
square. Old habits are hard to break.
Inside View
TransGolf’s George Frye, left, is
unlikely to forget this year’s
winter meeting at Bulls Bay Golf
Club. Although he might like to.
After a late decision to spend
the night in Charleston, Frye
woke thirsty at one point and
headed to the bathroom for
some water. He drained his glass
but something wasn’t quite right.
“I felt something go down my
throat and wondered if there was
dirt in the glass,” he says. “There
was like a three-second delay
and then I thought, ‘Oh no!’”
Frye’s worst fears were confirmed when he turned on the light
to reveal that he’d picked up the glass he’d earlier filled with
46
CAROLINAS
green
Hurtin’ Curtains
The Carolinas Golf Association’s new agronomist Bill Anderson,
CGCS may be one of the most recognizable faces in golf course
maintenance in the region. But he is currently sporting a new
look likely to make some heads turn. Anderson was hanging
a curtain rod when the chair he was standing on flipped and
his forehead came crashing down on one of the upturned legs.
Fifteen stitches later his doctor starting talking about plastic
surgery. “My wife told him not to bother,” Anderson laughs.
Well, Mow me Down
Just making sure everyone noticed the nod to colleague Thomas
Bailey in Golfweek recently. In a glowing piece on Wade Hampton
Golf Club in the mountains of western North Carolina, Brad Klein
wrote: “Since arriving at Wade Hampton 11 years ago, golf course
superintendent Thomas Bailey IV has overseen installation of
25 miles of drain tile. And the reason you can bump-and-run an
approach shot into these greens is simple – but the product of
considerable labor. Bailey’s crew hand mows the last 20 yards of
approach area into the greens and treats the ground there to a
greens-quality topdressing program.” Everyone does that, right?
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TIFEAGLE
SOARS AT PRESTWICK C.C.
“To be honest, Champion
Paul Kaufman-Superintendent
was on my mind early on,
Prestwick Country Club
because it was the sexy,
Myrtle Beach SC
in-vogue pick. But I put in
a test green with TifEagle,
MiniVerde and Champion,
and after 2 years of playing
around with all three, I got
to see the limitations and
strong points of each grass. I also looked at a lot of TifEagle courses.
In the end, my bosses and I agreed that TifEagle was by far the best
ultradwarf for Prestwick.”
You’ll find TifEagle Bermudagrass at the
spectacular Prestwick Country Club in Myrtle
Beach SC. This links-style gem was designed
by Pete Dye and his son P.B. Dye and opened
in 1989. Superintendent Paul Kaufman is responsible for the day-to-day management and
upkeep of this top-flight course that features
towering dune-like berms, stairway bunkers
and bulkhead-protected greens. It was Paul
along with his bosses who made the decision
to go with TifEagle. “Our Tifdwarf was really
beginning to show its age and was getting to
be almost unmanageable. On top of that, the
Myrtle Beach area is so competitive. There
are almost 100 courses here now in what’s
essentially a one-mile by 30-mile strip,
and the majority of them have ultradwarf
greens. From a competitive standpoint we
were just lagging behind. So I put in a combination test green with TifEagle, MiniVerde and
Champion and evaluated all three grasses for
over two years. I also looked at a lot of other
clubs, and talked to a lot of other superintendents, We decided to no-till and shut the course
down on June 18th. Believe it or not, we were
open for play on September 1 with superb
new TifEagle greens.” Take a tip from Paul
Kaufman. Whether you’re renovating your existing greens or planning a brand new facility,
insist on the best. Specify certified TifEagle
Bermudagrass by name. You can sod it, sprig
it or even no-till it under the right conditions.
Visit us on the web at www.tifeagle.com, or
call 706 542-4525 for more information.
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