Explore every episode of the podcast TurfNet Podcasts

Our latest Rising Star of Turf is J. Richard Brown, newly minted golf course superintendent at Florence (SC) Country Club. Richard got the nod for the Florence job after ten years "apprenticeship" in the South Carolina golf market, starting with five years at various courses in Myrtle Beach before becoming the senior assistant at Orangeburg Country Club, where he remained for the ensuing five years. Richard participated in one of our Assistant Situation roundtable conversations earlier this year, indicating that he was ready for a head superintendent job but just waiting for the right opportunity to open up. In the meantime, he felt he was being compensated fairly, had a good work/life balance for himself, wife and young son, and didn't want to hopscotch around taking other assistant positions for the sake of a small increment in pay. In this conversation with Peter McCormick, Richard recounts the recent process of procuring the unadvertised opening at Florence Country Club and what the experience has been like for him so far.  Watch or listen!

Jared Viarengo of Applebrook Golf Club in Malvern, Pennsylvania, bucked a trend early in his career by also becoming general manager at the club in eastern Pennsylvania. Since then, Viarengo's role has expanded as the club's director of grounds and director of club operations.  In this broadcast, Viarengo discusses how his career started in the field of psychology and how he eventually returned his roots on the golf course, where he had worked during summers since high school. He also talks about those who helped him forge his career and his role mentoring others. Finally, Viarengo talks about how the industry has changed in recent years and how newfound issues are affecting the turf business.

Chad Allen, finishing up his first year as golf course superintendent at the Club at Chatham Hills near Indianapolis, IN, has a unique background and training as a substance abuse and addiction counselor prior to shifting to turf management. A recent attendee of both Green Start and the Syngenta Business Institute, Chad employs a "bottom up" management style that centers on listening to and engaging his staff in the processes of managing the golf course.

Jordon Bowling found his calling into turfgrass management a little later than most, at 22 with a six-month old son to boot. His brother-in-law, Chad Kuzawa, was an NC State turf grad making the rounds of some clubs in the southeast and convinced Jordon to visit from his home in Michigan and shadow him for a couple of days. That set things in motion. He enrolled in the turf management program at Wayne Community College in NC and worked at Wedgewood GC, then Country Club of Virginia, Carolina Country Club and Wade Hampton Golf Club before signing on as the first assistant at Biltmore Forest Country Club in Asheville, NC. Jordon tells us about his journey to date, his experiences and mentors, and what hopefully lies ahead for him. Complete disclosure: Chad Kuzawa is an agronomist for EarthWorks (one of our sponsors) and recommended Jordon, among others. That's OK... he qualifies as a Rising Star in our book.

In this first "It's not just about growing grass" segment of TurfNet All Stars of Turf, we recognize Scott Dodson, CGCS, and John Taylor. Both career superintendents but perhaps better known as the founders of the Golf Course Hockey Challenge, an annual 2-day/4-game tournament that attracted as many as 16 teams of hockey playing superintendents, assistants and suppliers over a 25+ year run. Dodson has been at the Park Country Club in Williamsville (Buffalo) NY for 30 years. Taylor is the property manager at the Grand Niagara Golf Club near Niagara Falls, Ontario. TurfNet fielded a team in the Hockey Challenge for 22 years, providing offseason fun and friendships for many who wore the Team TurfNet jersey. Peter McCormick reminisces with Dodson and Taylor about the memorable exploits, characters and shenanigans that emerged from the event.

Our latest All Star of Turf is Michael Morris, CGCS, 36-year Director of Buildings and Grounds at Crystal Downs Country Club in Frankfort, Michigan. A native of Frankfort,  Mike is one of the few golf course property managers who has spent his entire career at one course, in his hometown. He is also a rarity in obtaining a BA and MS in English and film studies at Michigan State before realizing that life on the golf course spoke to him more than a future in academia. He is known internationally for his work with Dr. Thom Nikolai in quantifying the effects of lightweight rolling and other greens maintenance practices on ball roll distance and putting green consistency.  They took that a step further by correlating that data with golfer satisfaction in order to determine the ideal or proper green speed range for a particular golfing clientele. Together, Mike and Thom presented seminars for GCSAA for over 10 years, around the world. Mike also researched the effects of cutting unit sharpness and adjustment on putting green health and presentation, co-presenting a 5-day  QOC Week webinar series for TurfNet back in 2014. He has also presented several webinars and podcasts over the years with John Reitman and Frank Rossi. Some sage wisdom from an astute, thoughtful and courteous career superintendent. We are pleased to recognize his contributions to the industry. 

So who graduates from UMass in 1971 with a BS in Plant and Soil Science, takes an assistant job at a very private/secretive 500 acre facility on the NY/CT border, gets promoted to superintendent three months later, grows in a new back nine... and then stays for 51 years? We'll tell you who: Mike Maffei, CGCS, recently retired golf course superintendent at Morefar in Brewster, NY. Google "Morefar" and you won't come up with much. "A lot of newcomers to Brewster don't even know it's there," quipped Maffei. "We keep a low profile." Only two months into retirement, Maffei still says "we" rather than "them". 51-year habits are hard to break. This is a fascinating story of managing a corporation-owned property that intentionally flew under the radar, and existed solely for the entertainment of corporate guests. "I think we had 350 rounds on 9 holes the first year I was here," Mike recalled. "That grew to maybe 7,000 in our heyday in the late '80s/early '90s, but settled down to the 2500 or so we do today." Mike Maffei is also known for his association activities, serving in virtually all offices and on most committees of the MetGCSA, Hudson Valley GCSA and the New York State Turfgrass Association (NYSTA). He was instrumental in organizing a Turfgrass Advocacy Lobby Day for state legislators in Albany, which continues today.  He is continuing with his committee activities while in retirement. Watch or listen.

Our latest All Star of Turf is Jason Haines, whom many in the industry will remember for his high profile social media presence (as @PenderSuper) that suddenly went dark several years ago. As the golf course superintendent at Pender Harbour Golf Club and later Sunshine Coast Golf Club in British Columbia, Jason developed (by necessity) a low-input, minimalist turf maintenance strategy that he shared and brainstormed with his Twitter following of 8,000+ before deciding to step away from social media entirely. In the interim he was invited to speak at turf conferences in the US, Canada and internationally. In April of 2023 Jason made the leap from British Columbia 3000 miles east to take over the reins at Cabot Links on Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia. Along with Cabot Cliffs and a newer 10-hole short course, Cabot Links is part of Cabot Cape Breton and is ranked #35 on the World Top 100 golf courses. Cabot Cliffs is ranked #1 in Canada. In this fascinating conversation with Peter McCormick, Jason recounts the reasoning behind the advent of his minimalist turf maintenance programs, explains his departure from social media, and the positive move east to Cabot Cape Breton for him and his family. He uses the term "awesome" quite a bit in the conversation.

Rob Munro is finishing up his third season at Cabot Cliffs in Inverness, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, the #1 rated golf course in Canada. Rob landed there with a turf degree from Olds College in Alberta and Poa-and-bentgrass experience at Capilano Golf & Country Club on Vancouver Island, BC. This winter he will travel to New Zealand to satisfy both his yearning for travel and to also put another bullet in his agronomic holster. Have a listen and see why Lee Strutt, Director of Agronomy at Cabot Cape Breton, described Rob as "a leading superintendent of the future for all the right reasons."

James Morgan was fresh out of Lake City Community College (now Florida Gateway College) and a summer/part-time stint at the Country Club of Orlando when he followed CCO superintendent Kasey Kauff to build Trinity Forest in Dallas. Morgan started as an assistant and was promoted to superintendent during his 5+ year stay at the Coore/Crenshaw layout. That Coore/Crenshaw connection led him to being selected to grow in Wicker Point Golf Club on Lake Martin, the first new golf construction in Alabama since 2004. Wicker Point opened for play last week, culminating Morgan's efforts since he arrived there in March, 2021. In this conversation with Peter McCormick, James relates how his experiences and connections (including Green Start Academy) led him to this point in his career and as a TurfNet Rising Star of Turf.

In this episode, RW hands out the coveted Rockbottum Major Award for the best TurfNet Forum Topic ever.  Momma has a lively discussion with a government official who mistakenly believes Social Security is an "Entitlement" while helping him realize the folks north of Richmond need to improve their listening skills.  Also, RW explains how to achieve positivity on the golf course by being positive, not just sounding positive.

Sam Moynihan took over the reins at Detroit Golf Club this spring just 90 days prior to hosting the Rocket Mortgage Classic. Soon thereafter vandals painted two greens with Roundup as a "welcome" present. The challenge for Sam was on. A graduate of West Virginia Univiersity with a degree in agriculture, Sam kicked off his turf career with a stint at Muirfield Village Golf Club, first under Paul B Latshaw and then Chad Mark. He then moved over to Caves Valley Golf Club for the next five years as first assistant, including hosting the BMW Championship in 2021. Listen in as Sam relates his stressful first months at DGC, repairing the two vandalized greens and hosting a successful RMC event. Find out what Sam can't do without on the golf course, while we take a peek at his rrelationship with his wife Emily since getting married at Muirfield Village.

In this episode of Rockbottum Radio, learn RW's secret for living a calm and peaceful life on the golf course, regardless of the challenges we face in the years ahead. *Note:  This is not your daddy's podcast. It's more like your grandpappy's radio show from 1937.

Steve Cook has had a career laced with high profile tournaments, including two U.S. Amateurs, a Ryder Cup, and a PGA Championship while at Oakland Hills, and a BMW Championship in 2019 at Medinah Country Club. Yet to him, a career should be more about contribution than achievement. He has mentored and graduated many assistants onto their own successful superintendent careers, and takes great pride and satisfaction in the ongoing relationships with them. His primary criterion for hiring an assistant is character. "I owe it to the rest of the team to not bring in someone who isn't a good fit," Cook said. "I look for good people. The other stuff they can learn." Cook has a knack for boiling the seemingly complex down to the simple, whether it's writing a blog or orchestrating a management plan. "What we do as superintendents really isn't that complicated," he said. "I think we tend to overcomplicate it at times." Why are there so many open positions for assistants? "Because of the self-inflicted damage we've done to ourselves as an industry over the past two or three decades," according to Cook. This is a fascinating conversation with one who gets it. Gets the job and life away from it. Who else do you know who had climbed a 22,000 ft mountain in Nepal? Listen and learn.

Frankly Speaking with Paul MacCormack, Golf Course Supt. and General Manager of Fox Meadow Golf Club on Prince Edward Island about being intentional about pacing yourself during the season. The aggressive pace of the growing seasons can be stressful, especially in the North at this time and the South during the January to March period when your course is most actively used and judged. Tips on how to find a peaceful spot, even if it is at 5am before anyone arrives will be offered!  

The story of how TurfNet.com came to be comes to life as Dave Wilber interviews founder and creator, Peter McCormick. In a day and age when new things that actually work are rare, Peter McCormick talks about how TurfNet came to be. It's a great story in thinking way outside the box. It also shows what not worrying about what everyone else is doing can do for creativity. If you haven't heard Peter's entire story, this podcast will give you the 411 on one of the most influential people in the Turfgrass Business today. The Turfgrass Zealot Project is sponsored by Klingstone, proven bunker performance for over 15 years. www.klingstone.com  

Join me in another great chat with Paul MacCormack, GM/supt at Fox Meadow Golf & Country Club in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, and author of The Mindful Superintendent blog on TurfNet.com. We too often get caught up in the whirlwind of life and let that dust storm grind us down. Being mindful of those and all around you can help all of us keep one foot on the ground. Frankly Speaking is brought to you by DryJect, 21st Century Aeration.

The proverbial "60-hour work week" has been identified as one of the factors responsible for the decline in numbers of people entering the golf turf industry. Peter McCormick, host for this show, chats with Mark Fuller, CGCS, of the Connecticut Golf Club about his staff scheduling and how he avoids working his staff beyond an average of 48 hours each week... and why. The Ladder is presented by Penn State World Campus.  

In this episode of Rockbottum Radio, Randy Wilson chats (seriously) with envelope-pusher Mark Hoban, superintendent at Rivermont Golf Club in John's Creek, GA.  One of the true "mad scientists" of the golf course maintenance world, Mark always has new research going on with always a holistic view of soil/plant management. Mark fills us in on his current delvings into biochar, compost extracts (as opposed to compost tea... which he explains the difference), new applications for the Air2G2 machine, an untraditional take on beekeeping, and growing mushrooms for the club restaurant. Presented by VinylGuard Golf.

A great friend of TurfNet, Jerry Coldiron, needs to be remembered as the wonderful amazing man that he was. Peter McCormick, Founder and Maestro of TurfNet and Dave Wilber, The Turfgrass Zealot, take time to talk about the passing of a great friend and Turfhead. To so many, Jerry was a light of positive infulence and his untimely and unexpected passing will leave a huge hole in the industry. We speak candidly about what relationships mean and how the relationships that last are formed and maintained. And we tell some good stories about a good guy. If you didn't know Jerry, you will know him. And if you knew Jerry, you will know him better.   Please note: A tribute site is under development at http://jerrycoldironembracelife.us. The fund set up in Jerry's memory (while a foundation is being established) can be found at https://givehope.com/Jerry-Coldiron-Embrace-Life. Please consider a donation.

The big question on the turf industry's mind after the epic 2016 Ryder Cup Matches at Hazeltine National Golf Club (Chaska, MN) was, "Where's (senior assistant superintendent) Ryan Moy gonna go?" Turns out the answer was one just about nobody expected: Head Groundskeeper for the Minnesota United Football Club at the still under-construction Allianz Field in St. Paul and their training grounds in Blaine, MN. Once Ryan settled in there he was followed by former Hazeltine interns Mitch Ronning and Peter Braun to form the core of the MNUFC groundskeeping team. We at TurfNet got to know Peter when he was the 2014 TurfNet Intern in Ireland, working at the Mount Juliet Resort. TurfNet salutes Ryan, Mitch and Peter as Rising Stars of Turf for both their excellent past work in golf course maintenance but also their future in sports turf. This chat with Peter McCormick gives a fascinating glimpse into the career transition from a major golf event for Ryan, the culture shift from golf to sports turf, and the experiences they've had during their years with MNUFC at Allianz Field. Presented by Earthworks and DryJect.

In this special episode of Frankly Speaking, Frank Rossi chats with four influencers in the golf turf industry about how they manage their lives, health and careers through purposeful mindfulness. Frank's guests include Peter McCormick, founder of TurfNetDavid Kuypers, Syngenta CanadaPaul MacCormack, Fox Meadow Golf & Country ClubChris Tritabaugh, Hazeltine National Golf Club Spend an hour and learn how to turn off the noise, focus and prioritize. Presented by Civitas and DryJect.

Peter McCormick visits with Paul B. Hurst, husband of Kristi, father of Nicholas, Madison and Molli, dogfather of Lyla, man of many hats, guitar-playing half of MidLife acoustic duo, instructor in the multi-part So, You Want to Be a Sales Guy video series, honoree of a 2021 TurfNet Jerry Coldiron Positivity Award, and arguably the Most Interesting Man in Turf. They chat about a recent Tweet of Paul's and how the social media success of his and Kristi's singing and "nitwittery" on Twitter over the past two years have meant to them, and his business. Check it out.

Mike Lecavalier has been the golf course superintendent at the Kanawaki Golf Club in Montreal, Quebec for 17 years. For 13 of those years, and quite a few prior, he had a serious alcohol problem. Almost four years ago he looked himself in the mirror and admitted to himself that he needed help, and turned to friends, then AA, and ultimately the gym and a personal trainer. Here is his story.

For parts of four decades, Ralph Kepple has been the caretaker for the historic home course of the late Bobby Jones. A graduate of Ohio State, Kepple was named superintendent at East Lake Golf Club in 1992 and since 2018 has been the club’s director of agronomy. During that time, East Lake has been synonymous with the PGA Tour’s season-ending Tour Championship for 21 years. In this episode of All Stars of Turf, Kepple talks about the keys to career longevity and some of the changes that have occurred at East Lake during its time as the the final stop on the Tour schedule. Chief among those changes have been a conversion from bentgrass putting surfaces to ultradwarf Bermudagrass following a brutally hot summer leading up to the 2007 tournament and the infamous reversing of the nines on the Donald Ross design in advance of the 2016 event, as well as an upcoming restoration project by architect Andrew Green. Although East Lake occupies an important place in the game's history, it also plays an important role off the golf course through the work of the East Lake Foundation, the goal of which is to help revitalize one of Atlanta’s historic neighborhoods.

To say Nate McKinniss is on the career fast track would be an understatement of almost immeasurable proportions. McKinniss, 27, is the golf course superintendent at Muirfield Village Golf Club in Dublin, Ohio, where Job 1 is keeping the course what he called “Golden Bear ready.” That's a nod to Jack Nicklaus, who designed the course, has a home there and is the host of its biggest event, the PGA Tour’s Memorial Tournament. McKinniss has worked at the club in suburban Columbus since he graduated from The Ohio State University's four-year turfgrass management program in 2017. He was promoted into the position of golf course superintendent by Muirfield director of grounds Chad Mark late in 2020. “I started in 2017 here as an intern, and you talk about how fast things get moving, and usually how it’s been taking a longer amount of time for people, it goes to show that the program that you Chad has getting people on the fast track to that next step, and the people that were in that position before me, four people within four years, have gone on to become superintendents, I think that says a lot about Chad and the program that’s here developing guys,” McKinniss said. McKinniss accepted a job offer from Mark in 2017 when the latter was superintendent at Inverness Club in Toledo. Between the time the offer was made and graduation day in Columbus, Mark moved on to his dream job, managing Jack Nicklaus’ Muirfield. As a student at Ohio State, McKinniss once voiced a career goal of buying a popular daily fee course in his hometown of Findlay, Ohio. Since graduation, his focus has shifted to preparing for one of the PGA Tour’s premier events and making sure the course is ready every day for its most famous member. “It’s all about being Golden Bear ready.”

In response to a furor of sorts on Twitter after comments made by Steve Cook, CGCS MG, of Medinah Country Club, were posted, we decided to host a series of roundtable discussions to dig further into the topic. This is the condensed version of the discussion.  

In response to a furor of sorts on Twitter after comments made by Steve Cook, CGCS MG, of Medinah Country Club, were posted, we decided to host a series of roundtable discussions to dig further into the topic. This is the full version of the discussion.

The second in a series of roundtable discussions on "the Assistant Situation": a dearth of applicants for open assistant superintendent positions, a lack of upward mobility for existing assistants, and a life/work/compensation imbalance within the industry.

Peter McCormick goes 1:1 with Jordan Kitchen, golf course superintendent at Hamilton Golf & Country Club in Ancaster, Ontario.

The Assistant Situation conversation continues with "three old bald guys", Kevin Ross, Rick Tegtmeier and (almost bald) Peter McCormick. Both career superintendents and industry veterans, Kevin and Rick discuss points made in previous roundtables and add their own from their experience climbing the career ladder and managing staffs and budgets.

Fred Taylor, CGCS, retired in early October, 2023, after a 43-year stint working exclusively at Mankato Golf Club in his hometown of Mankato, Minnesota. Fred followed in the "bootsteps" of Boots Fuller in 1992, becoming who would wind up as only the third superintendent at MGC in almost 100 years. Fred takes credit for all that goes wrong and give his staff credit for all that is right on the golf course. He has over the years served as a buffer between the staff and club membership,"running interference" for his staff and allowing them to do their jobs unhindered by the inevitable politics of private club operations. Listen in as Fred, a long-time TurfNet member, recounts some of the highlights of his career and the enjoyment he has gotten from it. Fred will also be honored this December by the Minnesota Golf Course Superintendents Association with their Distinguished Service Award.

Tyler Guy, golf course superintendent at Signal Mountain Golf & Country Club near Chattanooga, TN, joins Peter McCormick to add his take on "Work/Life Balance" to the ongoing "Assistant Situation" conversation.  After speaking in generalities for about half an hour, Tyler went on a tear so we cut right to that.

For more than 15 years, Mark Hoban has built a career of promoting a sustainable and minimalist approach of managing golf course turf at Rivermont Golf Club in Johns Creek, Georgia. At age 67, he insists he is only getting started. Hoban, who prepped under Palmer Maples at the nearby Standard Club, uses biologicals, homemade compost tea and other organic nutrients to promote healthy turf and soils that require very little fungicides and are naturally resistant to disease pressure.  Through the use of several species of native grasses he has eliminated 30 acres of irrigated turf. Those native areas attract wildlife and he manages bees with the recent addition of an on-site apiary. Hoban first became interested in sustainability while working for Maples and has further developed his practices largely through research conducted in the agricultural industry. Hoban's work was brought into the public eye in 2014 through Randy Wilson's video series "Chasing Rivermont" that appeared on TurfNetTV. His work has since won acclaim at the state and national level, and Hoban says none of what he has accomplished would have been possible without the support of Rivermont owner Chris Cupit.

In this episode of Me Maintenance, Peter McCormick chats with Steve Cook, CGCS MG, Director of Grounds at Medinah Country Club in Chicagoland, about his life-changing experience climbing Ama Dablam, a 22,000' Himalayan peak in Nepal in 2016. Integral to the project was a fund-raising effort for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, for which Steve raised $35,000. From the three years of mental preparation and physical training to the month-long trek and ascent itself, Steve recounts his motivations, personal desires, triumphs and satisfactions, mistakes made and lessons learned along with his changed worldview and perspective about life and the golf industry. A fascinating conversation  withan individual who is always climbing higher in life.

Listen in as Carson Letot, Ph.D., joins TurfNet's John Reitman to discuss his less-than-traditional route from an intern on a golf course to becoming a school teacher to finally being named program coordinator of the USGA Greenkeeper Apprenticeship Program. A former TurfNet intern in Ireland, Letot fills us in on how the one-year GAP program works as it helps prepare non-traditional students in the North Carolina Sandhills area for careers in golf turf maintenance. He also addresses how he personalizes it to meet the needs of each participant based on their schedule, needs and previous experience. Finally, Letot talks about how he envisions the program changing in the future to meet the changing needs of those who are enrolled in the program.

Frank got the band back together for their annual conversation about the business of golf. Jim Koppenhaver of Pellucid Golf and Stuart Lindsay of Edgehill Consulting join Frank for a lively chat about the 20 percent growth in golf since the Pandemic, the lower supply of courses, changing golf playing patterns due to remote work and a vibrant economy stimulating the golfing demographic. Always something new to learn about how golf performs as a business.

Striking while the iron is hot, Dave and Peter mix it up again with a convo on loneliness at the top and the value of regular face-to-face "safety meetings". Glimmers of the week are shared, as are updates on Bruce and Frosty. Good stuff. Presented by TurfRad.

Scott Lambert's career in golf began like that of many superintendents — working on a golf course as a summer job. His career shifted onto the fast track after nearly 10 years prepping under William Shirley at Peachtree Golf Club in Brookhaven, Georgia, Lambert ventured 10 miles up the road to Atlanta Country Club, a 1965 William C. Byrd design, where he has been head superintendent since 2019. Although he has been a head superintendent for a short period, Lambert's leadership and professional skills have been recognized by his colleagues, who voted to make him a member of the Georgia GCSA board of directors. In this episode of Rising Stars of Turf, Lambert discusses his start in the business, how he changed majors — and colleges — to pursue his passion and how a decade at Peachtree helped form his outlook on personnel management.

Dave and Peter ponder the passing of Dave's dog Bruce, touch on the US election, debate the value of social media participation, and answer the question of whether Turf Twitter is dead.

Frank visits with Kayla Kipp, Certified Turfgrass Equipment Manager at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort in western Pennsylvania. Kayla takes us through her journey as the daughter of a handyman-Dad to her current leadership role at Nemacolin as well her support of Equipment Managers and Technicians benefiting from her involvement in the GCSAA’s education program. The conversation included a good ole’ deep dive into Reel Theory, her approach to mower set-up and how data informs her decisions. If you are involved in producing golf playing surfaces with reel mowers, you don’t want to miss this episode.

This episode is a hybridized Podcast/Radio Show starring Mark Hoban, the Jedi Master of golf turf.  He forced his way into our studio and demanded we tell the truth about his USGA Metrics Ball methods and results.  We managed to trick him into going to lunch early so we could complete the show and slip in a bonus Story Time.

For more than 30 years, David Fruchte has been superintendent at Pine Needles Lodge and Golf Club in Southern Pines, North Carolina, the site of this year's U.S. Women's Open, which once was owned by LPGA legend Peggy Kirk Bell. A graduate of the turfgrass program at Purdue, Fruchte learned the trade from the legendary David Stone at the Honors Course in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Since 1990, Pine Needles has become the epitome of resort golf in the highly competitive North Carolina Sandhills region.   In this episode of All Stars of Turf, Fruchte discusses what it takes to enjoy such a lengthy career at the same property that included being the four-time host superintendent of the U.S. Women's Open, including this year's event. Fruchte also talks about what it was like working for Bell, an LPGA legend and pioneer in instruction and introducing the game to thousands of women.   Fruchte also opens up about the challenges of post-pandemic golf that includes record rates of play and historic labor challenges.

In this post-election -- nah -- episode, Dave and Peter share some glimmers, chat about methods for dealing with unwelcome news and limiting the inroads allowed to stressors, talk about sore winners, and dump out the mailbag for comments and feedback. There's a bit of election rehash, the first Lesson from the Bus, and a reaffirmation of why we're doing this.

In this episode of Renovation Report Emily Casey, assistant superintendent at Seven Canyons Golf Club in Sedona, Arizona, talks with Brad Klein about her non-traditional route into the turf business from the corporate world. Casey, who has been chosen to attend next year's BTME conference as part of the Links to Success program, never played golf before moving from the Midwest to Arizona, and discusses learning through on-the-job training and getting valuable renovation experience under superintendent Andy Huber.  Casey also discusses how her dog Barley has become the darling of the golf course, the presence of javelinas on the property and the resulting and sudden rise of her social media presence and how it has helped build a new audience of what takes place at Seven Canyons.

Frank speaks with Dr. Chas Schmid from Oregon State University on the evolution of his thinking on organic matter and nutrient management from early days meeting in Nebraska, a stint for Chas Ph.D. at Rutgers University and now as part of the thriving OSU Turfgrass Program. An in-depth discussion of modern-day organic matter management with particular reference to the new 5 yr project underway at OSU investigating cultivation and topdressing on Poa annua greens in the PNW is followed by the same throughline from Rutgers to OSU on nutrient management. If you are looking for a deeper understanding of organic and nutrient management, this is the listen for you.

Glimmers galore in this somewhat music-themed show. Peter kicks it off with a glimmer about a hand truck and his mother-in-law, while Dave follows up with a nice reach out from Emily Casey about dear, departed Bruce. Stuck in a loneliness funk after being home alone (with two geriatric dogs) for a couple weeks, Peter's day is brightened by a package from an old friend. Taylor Swift, Bruce Springsteen and the unifying joy of live music round out this show. Presented by turfRad.