CHIPS & PUTTS OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE POCONO TURFGRASS ASSOCIATION www.ptga.org Founded in 1936 VOL. 19 NO. 3 May 2013 May Meeting Fox Hill CC Host: Ron Garrison, GCS Speaker Topic: H2B Workers The month of May takes us to one of the PTGA’s favorite stops in Fox Hill CC. Found- ed in 1920 as a 9 hole course, the Club quickly expanded to 18 holes in 1924 under the ar- chitectural design of one of the most famous classical architects, A.W. Tillinghast. This 6,555 yard par 71 course winds over the gently rolling terrain to present a challenging and memo- rable experience. The primarily bentgrass fairways and poa/bent greens are always in great shape, and I’m sure host Superintendent Ron Garrison will have them rolling smooth and fast for us. Ron is a 1987 Penn State graduate who has been in this industry all his life. A Berwick native, Ron has been at Fox Hill since 1997. Before coming to Fox Hill, Ron gained Continued on page 5….. Page 2 President's Message..... Officers & Directors 2013 Well, it is quite a change from last year. Mid April and we are just getting to the first mowing in the upper Poconos. For most a shorter season already. PRESIDENT Our first Pocono Turfgrass meeting was well attended and a John Downer, Marjon GC 570-840-0078 success thanks to Kelly and his staff - Great Job. Looking forward to May. You will notice this year that we have a late May meeting and VICE PRESIDENT Patrick Knelly, Sugarloaf Golf Club an early June meeting within a couple of weeks of each other. We will 570-384-4724 have the July meeting later in the month. This was all in the planning. TREASURER Greg Boring, Country Club of Scranton The last two weeks of June and the first three weeks of July are 570-587-4046 “meetingless.” Fellow turfgrass associations are doing away with the SECRETARY July meetings altogether. At such a critical time of year and with a Ray Wadell, Elmhurst CC 570-842-4705 major holiday, the Fourth of July, course maintenance and watering are more important than a meeting. We hope this eases the pressure DIRECTORS you feel in the summer heat times. Enjoy your season. Steven Chirip, Grass Roots, Inc. 973-418-3468 Patrick Healey, Scranton Canoe Club 570-378-2249 John Downer Thomas Height, Country Club of Scranton 570-237-0878 Gino Marchetti, Glen Oak CC. 570-586-5791 James Gurzler, Green Valley Landscaping 570-592-2473 Editor’s Notes….. Corey Pries, Pocono Manor GC 570-994-8270 Chris Moran, Honesdale CC 570-253-9094 __________________________ CHIPS & PUTTS STAFF EDITOR In our continuing series from Dr. Mike Fidanza, who will also be Brian Bachman, Genesis Turfgrass, Inc. a speaker this year for one of our summer meetings, we will take a look 484-661-6105 bbachman@genesisturfgrassinc.com at one of the few things I’m sure can survive a nuclear blast (along with twinkies and cockroaches), poa annua. Managing Editor Melinda Wisnosky 570-388-2167 Thanks to Dr. Mike for the articles he has provided!! mmel500@aol.com PAST PRESIDENT Also, thanks to Pat Healey for bringing my attention to the arti- Rick Anglemyer, Water Gap CC 570-424-6391 cle discussing the fact that all three U.S. major tournaments this year will be hosted by PSU grads!! We had a great day for golf at Southmoore last month in what has been an unusually cool spring. I hope to see everyone at Fox Hill in May. PTGA Office 309 Terrace Avenue And keep those pictures coming….. Harding, PA 18643 Phone/Fax: 570-388-2167 Any opinions expressed in this publication are those of the Brian Bachman author and/or person quoted, and may not represent the position of PTGA. Information contained in this publication may be used freely, in whole or in part, without special permission, as long as the true context is maintained. We would appreciate a credit line. PagePage 3 3 Pocono Turfgrass Association 2013 Scholarships The Patterson Scholarship for Turfgrass Related Studies The Pocono Turfgrass Association is now accepting scholarship applications for the Patterson Scholarship. The deadline for application is June 30, 2013. The following is a list of guidelines for all individuals interest- ed in applying for the scholarship: 1. Applicant must be in his or her final year of study or a recent graduate of a two- or four-year turf relat- ed program. 2. The applicant must be a member of the Pocono Turfgrass Association, employed by a member of PTGA, or an immediate family member of a member of PTGA. 3. The applicant must submit, in writing, why he or she would like to be considered for the scholarship. The essay should include what he or she feels their contribution to the turfgrass field will be. 4. Applicants must include a letter of endorsement from their PTGA relation with their application. The Pocono Turfgrass Association Scholarship for Non-Turf Related Studies The Pocono Turfgrass Association is now accepting applications for a non-turfgrass related field of study scholarship. The deadline for application is June 30, 2013. The following is a list of guidelines for all individ- uals interested in applying for the scholarship: 1. Applicant must be in his or her final year of study or a recent graduate of a two- or four-year non-turf related program. 2. The applicant must be a member of the Pocono Turfgrass Association, employed by a member of PTGA, or an immediate family member of a member of PTGA. 3. The applicant must submit, in writing, why he or she would like to be considered for the scholarship. The essay should include information pertaining to field of study, educational achievement, and future goals with respect to utilization of his or her education. 4. Applicants must include a letter of endorsement from their PTGA relation with their application. Applications should be submitted to: John Downer 461 Swartz Valley Road Springbrook, PA 18444 Page 4 PTGA Membership Drive Calling all Assistants Thinking of becoming a Do you have an Assistant PTGA Member?? who could benefit from membership? Anyone who joins the Association (with their paid dues and approved application of course) will be able to attend any monthly meeting immediately following their membership for half price!!! (Half-price meeting excludes the Clambake ) Talk to any Board Member for additional details. April Meeting Wrap Up Thanks to Kelly Kressler and his staff for a great first We would like to thank the new Turf Equipment meeting of the year. I think we’re all still feeling the Rep Mike Longyhore for picking up our bar tab at windburn from the day!! this meeting. Also, thanks to all our lunch sponsors: Syngenta, BASF and Finch Services. Members: 1st Place Kelly Kressler/Ron Garrison 69 2nd Place Brian Cross/Brent Wood 72 Closest to the Pin #3 Frank Achenback 2 ft #12 Mark Merrick Long Drive #8 T.J. Hart Skins #2 Opdyke #3 Pat Healy/Frank Achenback #17 Steve Chirip/Dave Schell Page 5 …..Continued from page 1 experience working as superintendent at Glen Oak CC. He was also the construction and grow-in superintendent at The Center Valley Club and served at two different TPC courses. In his 16 years at Fox Hill, Ron has seen a large contingent of former assistants move on to superin- tendent jobs in the area, as well. Some of the recent projects at the Club include the construction of new tees and the installation of some grass bunkers. Ron is assisted by long time Assistant John Pollock and their crew of 3 full timers and 7 seasonal employees. Be sure to make it out to enjoy our May meeting at this beautiful venue and knowing Ron, the odds are that he will make it a memorable event. Page 6 Research to Reality: The DNA of Poa Our good friend, Dr. Karl Danneberger (THE Ohio State Universi- ty) recently said that Penn State’s Dr. David Huff produced the most significant piece of turf research in the past 10 to 20 years. Poa annua is an enigma in the plant kingdom, since no other plant demonstrates such extreme morphological* variability and at the same time also is extremely adaptable. Poa annua has been found on all seven continents … yes, even in Antarcti- ca! The Poa annua populations that persist in greens tend to behave as what we perceive to be a “perennial biotype”. However, if we remove the lowing mowing stress, that plant can eventually revert back to its annual nature. How can golf course turf professionals use this information? If you want Poa annua to revert back to its potentially weaker annual biotype, remove the stress on those Poa populations and raise the mowing height on your greens to tee or fairway or even rough height – but that’s not practical, and it certainly can’t become an annual overnight. As the late Stan Zontek would say, “you have to decide to either control Poa, or main- tain it; you can’t do both”. Incidently, Dr. Huff’s research also confirmed the origin of Poa annua: conceived during the last ice age in Europe (the “father” being the annual-type Poa infir- ma of Northern & Western European heritage, and the “mother” being the perennial-type Poa supina of Southern & Central European heritage; …having been to Italy many times, I am not surprised!). Sources: •Danneberger, K. The evolution of Poa annua. Golf- dom 68(11):16. •LaMantia, J.M. and D.R. Huff. 2011. Instability of the greens- type phenotype in Poa annua L. Crop Science 51:1784-1792. •Mao, Q. and D.R. Huff. 2012. The evolutionary origin of Poa annua L. Crop Science 52:1910-1922. *Morphology: plant form, structure and features. Mike Fidanza, Ph.D., Professor of Plant and Soil Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, Berks Campus, Reading, PA; (email: fidanza@psu.edu; twitter: @MikeFidanza). Jo Dow hn ner As a service to our members and a way to say thank you…..all PT GA PTGA members will receive their own bag tag to proudly display. Me mb er Please pick up your tag at the meetings throughout the season. Page 7 Photo of the Month We all see interesting things every day….wildlife (like bald eagles and bears), strange turf problems (like a lightning strike), an employee who stayed out too late the night before, etc. So if you have a great photo, send it to me (bbachman@genesisturfgrassinc.com) and share it for everyone to enjoy (or laugh at). May Photo of the Month This month’s photo is from Corey Pries at Pocono Manor. So you want to work at a golf course?? Sometimes superintendents get to do fun construction projects as well as maintain their courses. This is a new bridge, designed and built by Corey. He must have a lot of faith in his construc- tion to park his own Jeep on it. Looks great!!! Page 8 Forks Join Bluegrass in Education of Masters Greenskeeper Before Marsh Benson mastered the art of fairway grooming as su- perintendent of Augusta National Golf Club, he first had to learn how to set a table properly. That was part of his course work in Penn State University’s turf science program, where students study everything from the proper height to mow Kentucky bluegrass to which forks and glasses are used for a formal place setting. For the first time, the State College, Pennsylvania, school has produced all three superintendents for this year’s U.S.- based major golf tournaments -- the Masters, which began this morning in Augusta, Georgia; the U.S. Open; and the PGA Championship. At Penn State, Benson was schooled by Joseph Duich, a man who stressed that proper comportment was part of the job and force students to take an etiquette course. “Mrs. Franz; I can’t believe I still remember her name,” Darren Davis, a 1989 Penn State graduate, for- mer Augusta National grounds crew employee and superintendent of Olde Florida Golf Club in Na- ples, Florida, said in a telephone interview. “It was such an aggravating class. Many students hated it and begged him to get rid of it, but he knew that how we presented ourselves was huge. If you can’t talk to the CEO of Ford, you can’t work at a place like Augusta. I still have my notes from that class.” Opening Shots The 77th Masters began this morning under a cloudy sky with former champions Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player hitting the ceremonial first tee shots. Larry Mize, the 1987 Masters champion and an Augusta native, made the tournament’s first birdie and is among a group of players tied for the early lead. Top-ranked Tiger Woods, a four-time Masters champion and this year’s pre-tournament favorite at 7-2 odds, is scheduled to start his first round at 10:45 a.m. local time. Three-time Masters champion Phil Mickelson has a 1:30 p.m. tee time, with Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland following him in the next-to- last group. Including this year’s Masters, U.S. Open and PGA, 10 of 16 major championships dating back to the 2008 Masters will have been conducted with a Penn State-educated superintendent in charge of the course. Continued on Page 9….. Page 9 …..Continued from Page 8 The school’s two-year Golf Course Turf Management Program, the oldest such curriculum of its kind, also produced Augusta National assistant superintendent Brad Owen, who did his Penn State internship at Au- gusta. Benson and Owen declined to be interviewed, according to club spokesman Steve Ethun. Penn State Matt Shaffer, who oversees Merion Golf Club, site of this year’s U.S. Open in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, and Jeff Corcoran, superintendent of PGA Championship host Oak Hill in Rochester, New York, also studied at Penn State, as did Curtis Tyrell at Medinah Country Club, host of last year’s Ryder Cup matches outside Chicago. “A lot of the students coming in, their end goal is to host the U.S. Open or become a superintendent at a top club,” said John Kaminski, who has overseen the 56-year-old program since 2009. “We can say, ‘Look, our alumni are there and if you work hard and put in your time, that could potentially be you.’” Kaminski, 38, said Benson was among the students learning etiquette as well as turf science during his time at Penn State, which was chartered in 1855 (AL185) as the Farmers’ High School. Biggest Program With about 150 students in Penn State’s two- and four-year campus-based programs and “hundreds” of others taking courses online, Kaminski said the school has the largest turf science curriculum in the U.S. Mark Kuhns, who cares for the grounds at New Jersey’s Baltusrol Golf Club and is a former president of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, is a 1977 graduate of Penn State’s program. Kuhns hosted the 1994 U.S. Open at Pennsylvania’s Oakmont and 2005 PGA Championship at New Jer- sey’s Baltusrol. Course superintendents make, on average, $82,573 a year, according to their industry group. While Benson and Owen are among Penn State’s most high- profile superintendent alums, the school isn’t alone when it comes to producing marquee grass groomers. New Jersey’s Rutgers University educated Glenn Burton, who developed the Tifway 419 Bermuda Grass hybrids, known as Tif grasses. They cover more golf courses than any other types of grass in the southeast- ern U.S., including Augusta National. Continued on Page 10….. Page 10 …..Continued from Page 9 Rutgers Grass During the Masters, Augusta National’s Bermuda fairways, which remain dormant through the winter months and early spring, are covered by green rye grass developed at Rutgers. Every April, students from Rutgers, Penn State and other programs descend upon Augusta for hands-on learning. The Augusta experience, Merion’s Shaffer said, might be just as important as the time spent at Penn State. In 1985, with 13 years of experience as a superintendent at a rural Pennsylvania course, Shaffer applied for a job at a new club in North Carolina. The Wade Hampton Golf Club, ranked No. 20 on Golf Digest (3319) magazine’s U.S. course list, never interviewed him for the position. “I thought ‘Oh, they’re going to hire me,’” Shaffer said. “I was totally crushed.” The job at the Tom Fazio-designed course went to Bill Knox, a former assistant superintendent at Augusta National. Shaffer, 51, realized that he needed to get that experience on his resume, so he moved to Georgia to work at the club. Shaffer said he needed to get a “Masters degree” to go with his Penn State education. Country Clubbers Beyond grass growing, programs such as Penn State’s prepare enrollees for country-club life. Like Davis, Shaffer has not-so- fond memories of the etiquette course, which taught working- class students how to dress and write proper English. “Most of the guys come from a humble background, but you’re going to be working with bluebloods,” Shaffer said. “The very first way to show your ignorance is to be uncomfortable in their presence.” Carl Spackler comes to mind, Penn State’s Kaminski said, referencing actor Bill Murray’s grass- and dirt- stained greenskeeper character in the 1980 movie “Caddyshack.” Spackler is fiction. “It’s a lot of science,” Kaminski says of the modern-day superintendent’s work. “But it’s starting to morph into a lot of business management. In truth, 15 percent of what you’re doing is related to agronomy and 85 percent is those other areas.” To contact the reporter on this story: Michael Buteau in Atlanta at mbuteau@bloomberg.net Chips & Putts PATRON SPONSORS AERIFICATION AND OVERSEEDING Aer-Core Stephen Thompson 610-972-5933 IRRIGATION AND DRAINAGE Andre & Son, Inc. John Vojick 607.768.0575 John Deere Brent Wood 570.499.1441 Rich Gdovin 570.278.1131 Turf Equip. & Supply George Skawski 610.554.9366 Lawn & Golf Chris Butler 710.933.5801 Michael Longyhore 610.390.8827 EQUIPMENT PLANT PROTECTANTS Aer-Core Stephen Thompson 610-972-5933 Andre & Son, Inc. John Vojick 607.768.0575 Andre & Son, Inc. John Vojick 607.768.0575 Rich Gdovin 570-278-1131 Rich Gdovin 570.278.1131 Fisher & Son Bob Seltzer 610.704.4756 Lawn & Golf Chris Butler 610.933.5801 Genesis Turfgrass Brian Bachman 484.661.6105 Turf Equip. & Supply Michael Longyhore 610.390.8827 Grass Roots, Inc. Steve Chirip 973.418.3468 George Skawski 610.554.9366 John Deere Brent Wood 570.499.1441 Finch Services Ted Zabrenski 484.614.6436 Growth Products Craig Lambert 973-601-3303 Lawn & Golf Chris Butler 610.933.5801 Syngenta Lee A. Kozsey 610.861.8174 FERTILIZER Andre & Son, Inc. John Vojick 607.768.0575 SEED & SOD Rich Gdovin 570.278.1131 Andre & Son, Inc. John Vojick 607.768.0575 Fisher & Son Bob Seltzer 610.704.4756 Rich Gdovin 570.278.1131 Genesis Turfgrass Brian Bachman 484.661.6105 Finch Services Ted Zabrenski 484.614.6436 Grass Roots, Inc. Steve Chirip 973.418.3468 Fisher & Son Bob Seltzer 610.704.4756 Growth Products Craig Lambert 973-601-3303 Genesis Turfgrass Brian Bachman 484.661.6105 Lawn & Golf Chris Butler 610.933.5801 Grass Roots, Inc. Steve Chirip 973.418.3468 Lawn & Golf Chris Butler 610.933.5801 GREEN AND TEE SUPPLIES TOPDRESSING / SOIL AMENDMENTS Andre & Son, Inc. John Vojick 607.768.0575 Andre & Son, Inc. John Vojick 607.768.0575 Rich Gdovin 570-278-1131 Rich Gdovin 570.278.1131 Fisher & Son Bob Seltzer 610.704.4756 Blue Ridge Peat Farms Gene Evans 570.443.9596 Genesis Turfgrass Brian Bachman 484.661.6105 Fisher & Son Bob Seltzer 610.704.4756 Grass Roots, Inc. Steve Chirip 973.418.3468 Genesis Turfgrass Brian Bachman 484.661.6105 John Deere Brent Wood 570.499.1441 Grass Roots, Inc. Steve Chirip 973.418.3468 Lawn & Golf Chris Butler 610.933.5801 Lawn & Golf Chris Butler 610.933.5801 Profile Products LLC Dan Fick 610.562.0547 Support our Sponsors - They support us! PTGA SCHEDULE POCONO ROUNDUP May 31 PTGA meeting @ Congratulations! Fox Hill CC Speaker Topic: H2B workers Congratulations go out to Jeff Lesoine from Wa- ter Cap C.C., along with his wife, Olivia, on the June 11 PTGA meeting @ birth of their first child, Niko Archer Lesoine. Niko Pocono Manor GC was born on Thursday, April 18. Speaker: Dr. Mike Fidanza July 29 PTGA meeting @ C.C. of Scranton Speaker: Dr. Kaminski Clam Bake Aug. 26 PTGA meeting @ Elmhurst C.C. Speaker: Richard Buckley POCONO TURFGRASS ASSOCIATION R.R. 1, BOX 219 POSTAGE HARDING, PA 18643 POCONO TURFGRASS ASSOCIATION 309 TERRACE AVENUE HARDING, PA 18643 NAME & ADDRESS PHONE/FAX 570-388-2167 WEBSITE: ptga.org ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED.