From the desk of GCM

Two seek elbow room in equipment game

The highly competitive golf course turf equipment game has two new players, bravely jumping into the fray after many years of skirting the industry's fringes.

Announcing their intentions Thursday at the GIS were Hustler Turf Equipment and Stens Power Equipment Parts. Both are bolstered by recent strategic alliances and both are anxious to expand their time-tested relationships with golf course superintendents.

Hustler, featuring specialty rotary mowers manufactured by Excel Industries Inc. for nearly 50 years in the Kansas small town of Hesston, struck up a partnership with IHI Shibaura Machinery Corp., which has been doing business for even longer in one of the world's largest cities, Tokyo, Japan, making diesel engines, tractors, drive systems and reel mowers.

Excel CEO Paul Mullet (in the photo with this post) notes that ever since the company came out with the first zero-turn mower in 1964, there has been a tie with superintendents, but the new alliance of innovation and manufacturing expertise has resulted in Hustler's full-fledged entrance in the golf course equipment marketplace with an emerging product line of fairway and fine turf mowers.

"Shibaura has a tremendous knowledge base in diesel engines, four-wheel drive systems and reel mowers, while our strengths are in zero-turn rotary mowers and hydraulic-drive systems. Without question, the collective strengths of Shibaura and Hustler Turf Equipment makes us a powerful team and we are moving forward together."

Hustler has lauched a marketing and development strategy and is lining up a distributor network as several new products are introduced in the U.S. and global markets.

Meanwhile, Stens, a longtime supplier of equipment parts that has counted the golf course industry among its valued customers and is also a former distributor for R&R bedknives and reels, revealed that it is lauching a new Golf Division.

The move comes on the heels of Stens' new partnership with Locke Turf, which allows the Jasper, Ind., company to now offer a variety of golf course-related parts such as reels, rollers and bedknives and even its own brand of lapping compound, True Grit. Also, the new division has spawned a new Stens Golf Catalog. In all, Stens CEO Peter Ariens (pictured here) says Stens will offer around 100 new items specific to the golf course industry.

A subsidiary of Ariens Co., Stens has 50,000 customers worldwide and an international distribution network.

Donald Hearn, CGCS

Editor's note: This is the first of three expanded biographies of this year's recipients of GCSAA's Distinguished Service Awards. The abbreviated versions can be found in the February issue of GCM.

Donald Hearn, CGCS, was nine years old when he started caddying for his father on a local golf course -- his first introduction to the game. He didn't notice the grounds crew right away, but knew he liked caddying and being on the course. "I wasn't thinking of getting into the golf business at that time," he says.

Then around age 15, things started to change. He considered working in the golf shop, and started working at Woburn CC in Massachusetts. After a few summers of caddying, he transitioned to working in the golf shop in the summer and out on the course in the springs and falls. "It got in my blood, I guess," he says. Hearn continued in the field and attended the University of Massachusetts' Stockbridge School.

Hearn has worked at a number of courses in Massachusetts, including Weston GC for 29 years, Lexington GC and Vesper CC in Tyngsboro. He also excelled in the industry through service and leadership, serving as a USGA Green Section committee member and a member of the Massachusetts Golf Association Executive Committee.

In 1984, Hearn was elected president of the New England GCSA, which awarded him with its Distinguished Service Award in 2004. His ascension in the industry didn't stop there -- in 1987, Hearn became president of GCSAA, a goal he had several years prior set for himself to obtain. During his presidency, Hearn chaired GCSAA's certification committee, and with the help of then-director of education Jim Prusa, he updated the certification program.

Despite these achievements, Hearn is a humble man, preferring to give credit to others than to boast about his own successes. In fact, he thought Ricky Heine had dialed the wrong number when he called with the news of this award. "I was shocked when Ricky called," he says. "I had no inkling, no clue that anything was going on, or that anyone had seen fit to nominate me. I'm very happy and flattered that a group of people got together and did what they did to help me win this award."

Hearn remained mum on what's led to his success, but Bob DiRico, superintendent at BraeBurn CC in West Newton, Mass., says his friend and mentor of 26 years is professional and approachable to everyone. "He could easily hang out in another stratosphere, and he doesn't," DiRico says. "He is very comfortable with all kinds of people and all kinds of situations. He's not just a great friend, but as a professional, there's no one I've ever encountered that I think more of than Don Hearn. You could call a thousand people who would rave about Don. He's been a friend and mentor and adviser to numerous people, throughout the country."

Hearn lives with his wife, Joan. They have a son, Donnie, and a daughter, Kristen.

Racing takes over the Team Solutions Center

Anyone who has ever watched a NASCAR race knows that racing pit crews are the epitome of teamwork, and the Pit Crew Challenge at the Team Solutions Center at the Golf Industry Show makes the most of that fact.

The TrackTime Driving Schools’ Pit Crew Challenge is an action-oriented test of teamwork for teams of three to five individuals.  Teams get three timed runs to improve their times which are posted on an electronic leader board provided by Magnolia Golf Group.

One of the first teams up was the staff from Circling Raven Golf Club in Worley, Idaho. Superintendent Brian Woster, his assistant Todd McCord, 2nd assistant Tom Waller and equipment manager Darak Bigler posted a best time of 12.57 seconds for removing two wheels and tires from the car, rotating them and reinstalling them.

The TrackTime crew helped each of the teams, reinforced the value of teamwork and offered advice on who to achieve it.

Interested in becoming a GM?

Then these general managers have some advice to share about how to get your foot in the door and what to expect once it happens. At Thursday's Career Forum, Richard Staughton, CGCS, superintendent and general manager of Towne Lake Hills GC, Woodstock, Ga.; Jon Christenson, CGCS, general manager at Whispering Creek CC, Sioux City, Iowa; and Michael Leemhuis, COO and general manager for Congressional CC Inc. in Bethesda, Md., spoke about the differences between the gigs of superintendent and GM and offered some tips on how to make that transition.

Joe Perdue, CCM, an academic adviser for CMAA and a GCSAA career services committee member for many years, moderated the discussion and said a growing number of superintendents are making the switch to club management.

Staughton first became a multi-course superintendent before moving to the GM position at Towne Lake Hills in 2004. The needed skills to move to the GM role are similar to that of a superintendent: financial, communication, time management, golf and delegation. He budgets for six different departments now as opposed to one. Understand your visibility to membership increases, and customer service is more important. He attends more meetings, food and beverage events and outings now. You'll have more opportunities to play golf, and it'll give members the idea you know a little something about the game. Hiring a good staff and, especially, good department managers is a must to free the GM from feeling like he has to do it all. He says having two jobs to do can be overwhelming, but the financial reward is there.

Christenson, who's worked in the golf course field for 26 years, as a superintendent for 15 years, and now as a GM for five years, got into the GM position for economic reasons at Whispering Creek. Where he used to spend a third of his time tending to the golf course, now more administrative and financial duties occupy his time. He learned quickly to respect the big picture of golf as a business when a corporate golf event was planned for the morning after a big rain. He initially said no carts can go onto the course, but was asked by his employer to go out onto the course, evaluate how much damage holding the event would cause, and compare that to the $30,000 in revenue the event would pull in. Understanding that big picture is key as a GM, he says. He asks the superintendent and golf pro to help each other out on projects to foster a mutual understanding of both operations. Christenson also stressed the importance of communication and hiring the right people, and said he doesn't miss the 5 a.m. wake-up calls.

Michael Leemhuis, CCM, says the best general managers come from superintendent and golf pro backgrounds, and urged more superintendents in the room to pursue the switch and also get involved with CMAA and its certification program. As a physical education and history high school teacher, tennis pro and golf pro before Congressional, Leemhuis didn't take the traditional route to GM he says is mostly dominated by food and beverage managers. But people come to Congressional not for the hamburgers or beer, but the golf. He likes the diversity of his job, describing that on any given day he'll deal with wine vendors, USGA officials about an upcoming event, food and beverage, pool issues, sewer lines, etc. When asked how a superintendent should market himself to another club for a GM position, he recommended taking CMAA classes in finances, food and beverage, legal issues, HR, something to prove that you're self-prepared for that move. With the relationship between CMAA and GCSAA, it's a natural transition, he says.

Shark's first, Mona's last, Opening Session

Great Opening Session to kick-start the GIS this morning. It was in a TV talk show format, with The Golf Channel's Adam Barr serving as host. GCSAA President Ricky Heine and Steve Mona served as a two-headed Paul Shaffer to Barr's quip-whipping David Letterman. A great show.

Everyone looked natural as they were pulled on stage to talk industry. Mona, in his last Opening Session as GCSAA CEO, thanked the membership for their support through the years, momentarily choking up as the emotions caught up with him.

"What’s most important to me is the way in which our members are perceived… To the members, thank you, it’s been a great ride these last 14 years," he said. A standing ovation for the CEO, soon moving on to become the CEO of the World Golf Village, ensued, while Heine offered Mona a hug.

The environmentally friendly Greg Norman, "The Shark," dazzled, as he is known to do. With tennis great fiancee Chris Everet in tow (pictured), Norman spoke on behalf of the superintendents and the environment. "The superintendents should be dictating, telling everyone what we can do. If you allow him to do his job, he’ll make sure to take care of the environment and the golf course will benefit from that...

"It’s time to put the respect back where it belongs,” Norman concluded. “We have a tremendous voice… look at this room. I’m honored to win this award but the award should go to everybody in this room, because making golf compatible to the environment is all of our responsibilities.”

Looking for assistance: Assistant Superintendent Session

This is the first year for the Assistant Superintendent Session, sponsored by Syngenta and Toro.

From left to right you have the panel, namely:

• David Phipps,CGCS, Stone Creek (Ore.) GC
• John Miller, CGCS, LPGA Tour Agronomist
• Jon Jennings, CGCS, superintendent at Chicago GC
• Bob Farren, CGCS, Pinehurst Resort

I feel a little old in this room. No surprise that most of the attendees are young assistants.

"The assistant superintendent position isn't any longer an entry-level position. We as an industry have done a great job of elevating the role of the superintendent, and the assistant superintendent has moved up as well," Farren said. "A lot of assistant superintendents have started out as interns, spray techs... I'm really happy to say that at Pinehurst, each of those individuals came from the ranks of interns with us."

"Whether it's private, public, resort, you need to find the right type of person you work for. What I mean by that is you need to make sure you're getting a return on your investment," Jennings said. "You need to find something that's going to springboard you to the next level."

Communication is a key topic here. Miller suggests that assistants practice speaking whenever they can... to their girlfriends or boyfriends, to the mirror, on a video camera... to hone their speaking abilities.

Get more involved with the budget at your course, Phipps suggests. Also, ask a simple question of your superintendent: How am I doing?

The questions have been opened up to the floor, and this room is full of questions. What do you know now that you wished you knew back then? How important is it to speak with your golfers on the course? What advice to you have for the interview process?

Good stuff here. Seasoned superintendents helping out young future superintendents. Like Dave Ravel, golf marketing manager for Syngenta, said to open the panel, "Leaders invest in their future, and that's what you're doing."

Toro Underwrites Pesticide Survey

With about six weeks left for superintendents to respond to the latest phase of  GCSAA's Golf Course Environmental Profile project, The Toro Co. made it official Thursday, giving the Environmental Institute for Golf $50,000 to fund the current pesticide survey. Participants have until March 15 to complete the survey.

The presentation of an oversized check was made by Toro's Mike Happe (far left in photo) and Stacy Bogart (second from left)during a news conference in the Media Center at the GCSAA Education Conference and Golf Industry Show in Orlando. Accepting were David Pillsbury, president of PGA Tour Golf Course Properties and chairman of EIFG Board of Trustees (second from right), and Clark Throssell, GCSAA director of research (right).

Happe, managing director of commercial equipment business for Toro, which is sponsoring the entire Golf Course Environmental Profile project, also joined Pillsbury and Throssell in reviewing and updating the planned five surveys at the news confrerence.

Jungle Beat

You just never know what you're going to see on the trade show floor. Case in point: Coming back onto the floor after my lunch break, I was drawn by the syncopated beat of somebody banging on drums, or SOMETHING. The something turned out to be some street performers banging the heck out of some E-Z-Go equipment with drumsticks. Not to worry. The performers, known as the Street Beats out of New York City, were part of E-Z-Go's midday floor show, and the E-Z-Go equipment was none the worse for wear. Says a lot about the quality of the E-Z-Go product, no?

What's behind this curtain?

Motoring from the media center to the GCM trade show booth, I passed the Jacobsen booth and this mysterious display. Obviously, an unveiling is in the not-so-distant future. My spies tell me it might be a prototype hybrid mower that the company has been toying with recently. I'll learn more when I meet with the fine folks from Jacobsen tomorrow morning, but if the curtain drops before then, we'll try to run by and give you a quick look at what hides behind this curtain.

Bus Stop

Quite a lot of work gets done here at GIS while waiting to board the bus for the convention center. So it's no surprise that I met one of GCM's friends (advertisers) this morning on Universal here in Orlando: Joe Korman, owner of Burlington, Ontario-based TTG Custom Signage. Joe was stoked about his company's new partnership with numerous regional golf associations to benefit young golfers. Under these agreements, whenever someone places a custom order with TTG, his/her association's logo is also placed on the markers. But even without the agreements, Joe says, TTG is committed to providing $5 from every piece sold to junior golf. "We're investing in the future of golf," Joe says. Programs that will benefit from the partnership include the Callaway Golf in Schools initiative and the Chicago District Golf Association's "Sunshine Through Golf Foundation." Read more about TTG Custom Signage's initiative on page 195 in the January issue of GCM. Here at the show and don't have one with you? Come by the GCM booth (2203) and pick one up! See ya there!

Let the games begin

The doors to the trade show floor opened a few minutes ago for the distributor preview, which means the 2008 GCSAA Education Conference and Golf Industry Show is officially open for business. It's going to be a crazy day, with the Opening Session -- featuring Old Tom Morris Award winner Greg Norman and his  subsequent walkabout on the trade show floor -- highlighting the day.

Already today we've had posts recapping yesterday's Turfgrass Field Seminar and a media reception held by our next-door neighbors on the trade show floor, Syngenta. There will be plenty more where those came from throughout the day, so check back often for the latest news from Orlando.

Before I go, one big announcement has already come out -- Profile Products has sold its DryJect Services business to a pair of former owners, Peter Van Drumpt and Chris des Garennes. DryJect is the aeration process that uses high-pressure jets of water as opposed to solid tines to puncture the turf's surface.

Profile, who I'll be meeting with later today, will continue to manage the products franchise territory in Florida and will continue to provide operational support for the business assets included in the purchase to Van Drumpt and des Garennes.

"We will continue to promote the many benefits of the DryJect System's unique aeration and injection technology and remain very excited about the opportunities within the golf and sports field markets," Profile's president John Schoch said in a company release. "The sale of the DryJect business back to the former owners is designed to help us all more efficiently focus on our respective areas of expertise.  We remain united by the common goal of providing our shared customers with innovative soil solutions."

Bunny Smith, our intrepid managing editor, is next up on the blog. She's sitting right next to me typing away on her laptop, so more news to come.

Oh, and just in case you missed it, check this post out.

a day in the sun

Yesterday I got off the convention center grounds with three busloads full of superintendents from across the globe for GCSAA's annual Turfgrass Field Seminar. Led by the University of Florida's Phil Busey, Ph.D., we visited three courses of various types, learned about the cultural practices and unique water issues specific to central Florida and also visited a sprawling sports complex of more than 40 acres of maintained athletic fields of bermudagrass at Disney's Wide World of Sports.

First stop, Shingle Creek Golf Club, where superintendent Rickey Craig gave us the scoop of the Championship resort property that was purchased from Universal and once was zoned for an amusement park. The David Harman-designed, 7,228-yard course sees up to 200 rounds a day and boasts TifEagle greens. Craig said he grooms every day and light frequent topdresses every other week. The area's water district just moved into phase three a couple of weeks ago, cutting its water consumption by 45 percent. That doesn't affect Shingle Creek too much, Craig said, because about 95 percent of the club's water comes from a reclaimed water pond. An emergency well serves as back-up. He irrigates with about 225,000 gallons a night.

Bay Hill Golf Club and Lodge's superintendent Matt Beaver gave us a tour next of the maintenance facility at Arnold Palmer's course, where he plays most every day. The 18-hole Championship Course and the 9-hole Charger Course feature TifEagle greens, an area where Beaver said nematodes have been an issue. For this reason, he stocked up on Bayer's Nemacor, since the product expires later this year. He's searching for other alternatives in the meantime. He uses a lot of liquid fertilizer, spraying on a weekly basis with either calcium or micronutrients. He also employs fertigation. Bay Hill uses reclaimed water with two wells for back-up. That means a lot of debris ends up in the irrigation heads -- he once found a cell phone and a hack saw in the filters. Here, they also showed off some new Jacobsen Eclipse electric mowers, which they had in the shop but hadn't tried out yet.

Beaver also showed off an 18,000-square-foot practice green where he tests A1, L93, G2, Champion, Mini Verde, SeaIsle Supreme and more varieties. Palmer also has urged Beaver to experiment with Sub Air's hydronics, which would allow a 10 degree change in the surface temperature by running cold or hot water through a network of underground tubes (pictured below). Several renowned courses such as Augusta and Southern Hills have used the method, but it's yet to be tested out here.

The last but not least traditional course we visited was Orange County National Golf Center and Lodge, with 36 Championship holes. We lunched in a tent on the driving range and then got to hit some balls. The range is part of a 42-acre circular practice facility with eight separate ranges directed inward, in a semi-circle. Brandon Page (left), assistant superintendent of Orange County's Crooked Cat course, said all water is effluent; the water enters the golf course through three turn-outs. No fertigation takes place here without a pump station, but Page said some nitrogen is introduced to the grass through the effluent water. He aerifies everything twice a year, topdresses regularly and verticuts four to six times a year. The course hosts a number of events, including Q Schools qualifying events, the GCSAA Championship, and the PGA Merchandising Show's demo day with vendors just earlier this month. The 900-acre property includes on-site lodging and 561 acres of unmaintained natural areas.

Then we entered Disney, a vast complex with 40 acres of athletic fields and 40 acres of maintained turfgrass areas, all 419 bermudagrass, that see an unbelievable amount of wear. The Atlanta Braves play here in the pre-season, as well as the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. The complex also hosts the World Baseball Classic, Division I and III soccer championships, softball tournaments, college football, high school football, lacrosse, field hockey, track and more. In one weekend, 5,000 games were played here. Preston Courtney, sports turf manager for the complex, said 24 more fields are needed, given the wear of the existing fields. But sales are strong, and teams are on waiting lists to get in. In this industry, the event takes priority, and the goal is no injured athletes, whether it's an 8-year-old soccer player or a pro athlete worth millions, so Courtney says he has no budget; just whatever it takes. He does aerify when he has a window, but it's not often and not lengthy. He buys 400,000 pounds of ryegrass for overseeding every year and fertilizes a pound of nitrogen every month.

Tenacious D

A few members of the GCM staff made it over to the Syngenta researcher and media reception, where we heard more about Syngenta's newest herbicide, TENACITY.

Tenacity received registration last month and can remove bentgrass in roughs. It can also control 46 other troublesome weedgrasses, carries a low environmental risk, and can be used at or before seeding, at seed establishment or during renovation.

Tenacity had its start some 25 years ago when a scientist in California looked out at his yard and realized that there were fewer weeds growing under his Callistemon Citrinus (Bottlebrush) plants. Out of curiosity he studied this phenomena and the science behind what he learned then is the science behind Tenacity today.

Of course, it wasn't all business at the Syngenta reception. While we were learning about Tenacity (and Concert), many of us were playing Nintendo Wii golf. Included in this post is a shot of GCM editor-in-chief Ed Hiscock testing his mettle at the Wii at the Syngenta reception. 

Every man a Wildcat

A little something for all of my KU friends to enjoy on this day after the end of The Streak. And yes, watching yesterday's showdown in Manhattan as a K-Stater (no, I didn't go to school in Manhattan, but both my parents did and several years of Jack Hartman Basketball Camp earned me my stripes) amongst a whole host of Jayhawkers who happen to be GCSAA staff members was tough. But I persevered -- thanks to spending most of the second half on the deck -- and learned that good things can come to those who wait. Even if that wait lasts 24 years.

The key to early success? Try a management company...

I'm at the Multi Course Companies: What You've Always Wanted to Know panel. The room is packed (about 150 people), all the seats are filled and there's a row of people standing in the back. This is the first time GCSAA has hosted this panel, and it seems to be a hit so far (I'm reporting as the session goes, so if the session ends in an all-out brawl between the different management companies, I'll rescind that last comment).

There are a lot of golf courses represented by the panelists. They are:

• Ted Horton (moderator), Senior Consulting Superintendent, ValleyCrest
• Bill Rehaneck, Senior Vice President, Billy Casper Golf
• Ron Jackson, CEO, Meadowbrook Golf/IGM
• Jeff Spangler, Senior Vice President of Science and Agronomy, Troon Golf
• Keith Hanley, Senior Vice President of Operations, Eagle Golf

By the end of the panel, they're going to get into debunking myths about the management company. So far, the panel has talked about the benefits of a management company both to the individual superintendent and to the golf course. An early theme: Young future superintendents with a management company can climb the career ladder faster than a young future superintendent working for a privately owned and managed golf course.

"The hardest step in this business is the step from assistant to superintendent," Spangler said. "One of the single biggest benefits of working for a golf course management company is career opportunities. We're able to promote young, hard-working superintendents. We're also able to promote to other areas of the program. You're a known quantity in an organization like ours."

"(A management company) provides a fast track for a bright, capable superintendent," Rehaneck said. "Most of the people in the room, you probably haven't reached your career endzone. We've had assistant superintendents come in and quickly move up to 36-hole facilities in three, four years."

Horton asked about the reporting process for a superintendent in a management company... is it true that the there's a much more difficult chain of command, bringing more paperwork to the superintendent?

"A superintendent is held accountable, there is a more rigid method of reporting," Jackson said. "I don't think it's a negative. There is certainly more structure... but it's a positive. You cut down on the downside and increase the upside."

Spangler added: "Who would you rather report to, a green committee who doesn't know anything, or a group who has been there before?"

Horton asked the panel how soon a superintendent might find out if his or her course may have a management company move in, and if they do move in, is that superintendent's job in jeopardy?

"A majority of the time when we're brought in, we meet off-site, nobody knows," Hanley said. "But a superintendent who is doing a good job is the most important thing. We have a saying -- 'keep the best athletes.' If there is a good superintendent already at the course, we do everything possible to keep them there."

Horton asked, if a management company takes over a course, does that mean the superintendent's salary will soon be slashed?

"I think it's just the opposite," Spangler said. "You get in a competitive market salary earlier, quicker. You've heard from all these guys, they all get it that agronomy is important. It's usually based on a lot of things, some of it more objective, some of it more quantifiable."

And then Spangler dropped this gem on us: Of the 10 highest paid employees of Troon Golf... a majority are superintendents.

So as I post this at the conclusion of the panel, there was no brawl, no one was offed Sopranos style (though there was one Sopranos reference). The crowd seemed really impressed with the panel, and hardly anyone left during the meeting.

What do you think about the management company? What do you think about what was said at this panel? Feel free to post below in the comments, or e-mail me if you want to remain anonymous. I'd love to hear what GCM's readers think.

Strickland closes it out

There will be no crow eaten here. Seth Strickland made sure of that.

After predicting that the final round of the GCSAA National Championship would be nothing more than a "coronation" and a "victory lap" for the superintendent from Miami Shores Country Club in south Florida in a post earlier today, I wondered whether I had spoken too soon. After all, the final 18 holes of this event have featured plenty of twists and turns in past years. If it happened then, it could happen now, right?

Wrong. Strickland made sure of that with his third consecutive round of 4-under-par 68. That gave him a three-day total of 12-under-par 204 -- the lowest winning score in the 58-year history of this tournament -- and a stunning 16-shot margin of victory -- also the biggest in tournament history. To put it simply, Strickland turned the Tom Watson-designed Independence Course at Reunion Resort into his own personal playground.

"I think I have a new favorite golf course," he told me afterward. You think?

Now a two-time champion -- he won the event the last time it was played in Orlando, in 2005 -- Strickland has clearly set a new standard for what it will take to win this event going forward. As you'll find out when you read my story about this year's event in the March issue of GCM (yep, another shameless plug), winning this tournament wasn't a happy accident for Strickland. The bar has been raised in terms of preparation and the level of play necessary to win the GCSAA National Championship. It will be interesting to see how many superintendents are willing and able to take that challenge.

I shared an adult beverage and about 20 minutes with our new champion earlier tonight, so I'll get one more post up about the tournament tomorrow. Then it's full bore into conference and show. Stay tuned -- things are going to get even more interesting around here.

No plane at gate 39

We're at the airport, supposed to be taking off right now. Too bad our flight circled above head for a while before diverting to St. Louis. Now we're looking at a two hour delay.

Photos from Kansas City International, including one of my daughter looking out at the snowy tarmac, included here.

Not Everyone is in Orlando, yet

Experienced GCSAA staffers know that the arrival of conference and show is almost always accompanied by "interesting" weather in northeast Kansas.

Not too many years ago, GCM editor Scott Hollister got hit with an ice storm on the day he was supposed to leave for the show.

This year he and most of the rest of the staff are already in warm, sunny Orlando, while a few of us are still in Lawrence. Right now we're looking out the windows at a howling blizzard. I'd take a picture of it for you, but my camera is at home, packed in my luggage. The best I can do is this radar image from 11:15 a.m. Jan. 29.

The good news is that it looks like it's going to blow over in a couple of hours, so I can get home to Topeka. I wouldn't want to miss that flight to Orlando tomorrow morning.

Rainbird and E-Z-GO become GCSAA Silver Partners

Rainbird and E-Z-Go are the two most recent companies to participate in GCSAA's Partner Recognition Program. Both companies will invest at the Silver level.

"We're proud to welcome these companies to the Partner Recognition Program," said GCSAA CEO Steve Mona, CAE.

The partners invest in the program for the benefit of GCSAA's stakeholders -- member superintendents, their facilities and the golf course management profession. The funds are put to work to develop education programs, conduct research, offer career resources, create information resources and develop tools to assist GCSAA members.

Both companies are long-time supporters of GCSAA and The Environmental Institute for Golf.

E-Z-Go and Jacobsen, both Textron companies, combine for the Champion's Club level in The Institute's cumulative giving program of organizations that have contributed between $250,000 and $499,999 since 1987.

E-Z-Go is also a Double Eagle donor in the Golf Industry Show Silent Auction. Rain Bird qualifies for the Presidential Club level for of organizations that have contributed between $100,000 and $249,999.

Rain Bird is also a member of the Platinum Tee Club, a presenting partner of the GCSAA/Golf Digest Environmental Leaders in Golf Awards and a Double Eagle donor in the Golf Industry Show Silent Auction.

Where are the Slovenians?

This morning I woke up and realized that anyone who read my last blog thinks I don’t know what reverse chronological order is. I can only blame fatigue. I started out with the best of intentions and then lost my way!

Today I am on a quest -- I’m looking for Slovenians.   For the past several years, Gorazd Nastran has been the driving force with the Slovenian Greenkeepers Association, which has forged strong ties with GCSAA. I have heard that as many as 50 members of their association will be attending GIS this year. This is absolutely incredible -- are there 50 golf courses in Slovenia? I don’t know, but I hope to find out soon!

A coronation?

I hesitate to even think this for fear of Seth Strickland hunting me down and beating me with a 3-iron for putting the whammy on him like this, but it's hard not to think that today's final round of the 2008 GCSAA National Championship and Golf Classic will be anything but an extended victory lap for the superintendent from Miami Shores (Fla.) Country Club.

Six shots clear of his closest competitor and a whopping 12 shots clear of all but two players in the 97-person National Championship field, what other possible conclusions can you draw? The back-to-back 68s that Strickland has posted in the first two rounds are the two best rounds I've seen played in this event in the nine years I've covered it for GCM. The only one that comes close is the final-round 68 that Tommy Robinson, superintendent at Ravinia Green Country Club in Riverwoods, Ill., fired in the second round of the 2004 tournament in San Diego to win that event.

Calling this one based on the early returns is no slam on the only two players with a realistic chance to catch Strickland, either. Shawn Westacott, superintendent at Jackson (Tenn.) Country Club, got himself dialed in on the back nine in round two. He ate up the par-5 14th hole on the Independence Course at Reunion Resort, carding an eagle 3, is big off the tee and is used to pressure situations from his playing days in college at Southern Mississippi. Mike Stieler, superintendent at Riverbend Golf Club in Coarsegolf, Calif., has been a contender in this event since that 2004 tournament, and his 69 yesterday was the second-best round of the tournament.

But for either player to realistically have a shot at Strickland, he's going to have to make some mistakes today. And thus far, that's something he has refused to do, with just two bogeys in the 36 holes he's played. When I've watched him this week, he's played extremely smart, careful golf. He's long off the tee, but isn't afraid to pull out a hybrid or a long iron when he wants accuracy over length. He's a good putter who frets over the two-footers just as much as the 20-footers. And not to give away too much of the story I will tell in the March issue of GCM if he does indeed close the deal, but let's just say Strickland has been rather focused on this tournament the past few months.

This being golf, there is certainly a chance the tide could turn today. A double bogey on one side coupled with an eagle on the other can shrink a big lead in a hurry and tighten the collar on any front-runner. I could be back on here this afternoon, eating crow, putting an ice pack on the bruises left by Strickland's 3-iron and talking about one of the greatest final-round comebacks in GCSAA National Championship history.

But I doubt it.

For those interested, there are a large batch of new photos posted to the GCSAA Tournament photo album that you can access on the right side of this page, some of which I've added to this post. I haven't had an opportunity to post captions with all of them, but there are photos from Saturday night's Welcome Reception, the scoring area in the main ballroom here at the Caribe Royale and a host of shots from second-round action at the Independence Course at Reunion Resort.

Life at the OCCC

My life may not be as exciting as Seth’s or Scott’s, but I am in Orlando at the Orange County Convention Center at the first day of the GCSAA’s education conference. It always seems quiet at the beginning of the week because everyone attending the conference is holed up in a classroom for eight hours -- not much traffic, but that doesn’t mean there’s no excitement.

I’m going to write today’s blog in reverse chronological order because one of the coolest things that happened all day was on my bus ride back to the hotel -- and it wasn’t the singing bus driver.

The cool part was that Ted Horton, this year’s USGA Green Section Award winner sat across the aisle from me. He was very enthusiastic about a seminar he had attended about Web sites for golf courses. We talked a little bit about how complex Web sites are and how difficult it can be to develop an effective Web site. He said that he likes having the different associations grouped together in one show, but that he now feels like he’s stretched a little thin because he is interested in so many different facets of the industry. He also believes that the regional shows are very important, and he hopes that California will have one soon. He pointed out the success of the New England show, which our own Scott Hollister is planning to attend -- right, Scott? Horton is a delight to talk to -- so many ideas, so much enthusiasm for the golf industry.

The rest of the day was nice, but that had to be the high point. However, I must say that seeing GCM’s booth on the trade show floor was a bit of a thrill. At lunch, I grabbed the camera and went downstairs to check out the GCM booth and the trade show. Awesome! Our booth is up -- well, the shell is up -- and we have a great location. Most of the booths in our area were still under construction  -- after all , they just got started. It’s always exciting to see all the activity.  You have to be careful on the floor because those folks who drive the forklifts have no mercy. You’d better get out of their way!

For the first couple of days of the education conference, I usually pop in and out of classrooms to see what the instructors and the students are talking about. Sometimes the students’ questions, or just an offhand remark, can give me an insight into what they’d like to see in the research section.

I spent about half the day in just two sessions today -- Keith Karnok’s morning seminar about managing turfgrass root systems in the South was the morning offering that caught my eye. I learned that Southern fertility programs should always include some nitrate, especially in summer, and that some superintendents are having problems getting large quantities of ammonium nitrate because it can be used to make explosives. I was shocked when Karnok displayed a slide of the first page of an article published by a magazine that is a competitor of GCM. However, he used that slide to point out what he considered bad advice, so he’s forgiven. By the way, Karnok says he’s sticking to his admonition to water deeply and frequently if you want a good root system.

One more thing about Karnok’s class. He has a unique and very effective way of keeping his students awake. He sums up each section with a one-sentence “take-home point” that is displayed on the screen. Just as the sentence appears on the screen, a very loud trumpet sounds, all the students sit bolt upright, lean forward in their chairs and write the take-home point in their notebooks. It’s, at the least, mildly amusing to see everyone in the room move as one person when the trumpet blasts.

I also managed to spend a good part of the afternoon in Rick Brandenburg’s entomology class, “Advanced management of warm-season turfgrass insect pests.” There aren’t many turfgrass entomologists, and Dr. Brandenburg, who teaches at NC State, is one of the best. Besides providing his students with solid information about controlling turf insect pests, he also features some movie highlights. The first time I ever walked in on one of his classes, he was showing a scene with an alien insect from “Men in Black.” Today’s feature was from “Starship Troopers,” a movie I am not familiar with that appears to be some kind of cult classic. As far as I can tell, alien insects are trying to take over earth. Planes are strafing the insects; soldiers are shooting them with machine guns and grenade launchers. Just when it looks like the arachnid warriors (they look sort of like giant grasshoppers) are down, a giant beetle erupts from the earth behind the humans. Brandenburg said this scene shows what it’s like for superintendents --they face down a huge bug problem and finally tackle it. And then what happens? An even bigger insect problem sneaks up behind them! One of Brandenburg’s favorite lines in the movie is, “Shoot a nuke down a bug hole, you got a lot of dead bugs.” But I think another line sums up Brandenburg’s philosophy, “To fight the bug, we must understand the bug.”

Time for me to say goodnight. Tomorrow more of the Publications team is coming to Orlando, so you’ll have an even better idea of what’s happening at the OCCC.

Strickland extends lead at GCSAA National Championship

Another day, another mistake-free round for Seth Strickland.

The superintendent at Miami Shores (Fla.) Country Club (in photo left) moved one step closer to his second GCSAA National Championship Monday with a bogey-free round of 68 in the second round of the tournament at the Independence Course at Reunion Resort.

That second-round performance by the six-year member of GCSAA gave him a two-day total of 8-under-par 136 and extended a lead that was four shots at the start of the second round to a whopping six shots heading into tomorrow’s final round. His closest competitor is Shawn Westacott, the superintendent at Jackson (Tenn.) Country Club and an eight-year GCSAA member, who fired a 2-under-par 70 on Tuesday and is at 2-under-par 142 after two days.

Joining those two in the final group at Mike Stieler, the superintendent at Riverbend Golf Club in Coarsegold, Calif., who finished round two with a 3-under-par 69 and is at even par 144 for the tournament, and 2006 champion Joseph Anderson, the superintendent at Piney Woods Country Club in Center, Texas, and an 11-year member of the association, who was 2-under-par in round two and is at 4-over-par for the tournament.

Round-two play was delayed by about an hour because of frost at Reunion. In the Golf Classic, play at Orange County National was held up for about 90 minutes for the same reason.

The Faldo Legacy Course

I'm back home from the Dominican Republic. What a trip! Everyone in the office has already yelled at me for coming back home with a tan.

Over the weekend, I spent all of my time at the FALDO LEGACY COURSE at Roco Ki Resort. Yes, this Troon course has its official name now, and I was among the first to be introduced to the course by its name. I was also among the very first to play this magnificent gem on the southeast coast of the Dominican Republic. The course is only half-way finished, so I was given a tour of the holes under construction as well.

Even though the course was only half-way done, this is easily one of the most beautiful courses I've ever played. Holes 17 and 18 alone take your breath away. (Photos of both holes accompany this post.)

No. 17 is a short par three to a green that's neatly placed on a rocky cliff between 90 and 135 yards away, depending on your tee. Waves are crashing all around. It reminded me of that golf cartoon I see every once in a while hanging on a dentist's or doctor's wall, where the setting is very similar, except the green was sloped at something like a 45-degree angle. This was a similar image, only with a much more reasonable green.

The tee shot gave me fits all weekend... I never did better than a bogey on the hole. But seeing your tee shot in the air, hanging in the balance, for that one moment... man, who cares if you get a double bogey! Like Nick Edmonds, manager of Faldo Design, said, "The par three 17th is the most enjoyable six of your life." 

Once, I left my tee shot on the far side of the green on the collar, and I was getting ready to chip on to the green... one of my playing partners, a well-known golf photographer whom I'll leave nameless, told me to hold on, that he'd mark his ball for me. "Slow down, Seth," he said. "When you're playing the new most beautiful hole in golf, you have to take your time."

And I did. Another bogey, but like I said, it didn't really matter. What nature, Faldo and the staff at Roco Ki collaborated on here really took away any guilt from a poorly played golf shot.

OK, I'm raving like a lunatic. Sorry. The good news is, I also did some honest-to-goodness work for GCM. The words "Roco Ki" (pronounced ROW-ko key) is Tiano Indian for "honoring the land." Damon and his crew at the Faldo Legacy Course are doing some unique maintenance practices there to make sure that the land is indeed honored (Damon pictured here with his assistant superintendent Juan Carlos). Literally, every plant on the course is from the course -- no plants have been brought in from off-site. They're also taking steps to become a certified Audubon course.

More detail on this in a future issue of GCM. For now, I'll just encourage you to click on the photos.

Strickland grabs first-round lead at GCSAA National Championship

The home-field advantage obviously agrees with Seth Strickland.

The superintendent at Miami Shores (Fla.) Country Club and the winner of the GCSAA National Championship the last time the event was played in his home state in 2005 got off to a strong start in the 2008 version of the event Sunday in Orlando, firing a 2-under-par 68 in the first round to build a four-shot lead over two other competitors.

Strickland, a six-year member of GCSAA, tore up the front nine at the Independence Course at Reunion Resort, carding three birdies en route to a 33. His back-nine ride was a tad wilder, but he managed to counter his only two bogies of the day with another three birdies to finish at 68.

Two superintendents were tied for second after round one following even-par showings. Shawn Westacott, superintendent at Jackson (Tenn.) Country Club and an eight-year member of GCSAA, and Thomas Ashfield, superintendent at Quaker Ridge Golf Club in Scarsdale, N.Y., and a 15-year GCSAA member, both fired 72s.

A shot behind those two and five off the pace were five-time runner-up Paul Jett, CGCS at Pinehurst (N.C.) No. 2 and a 21-year GCSAA member, and David Brown, superintendent at Flatirons Golf Club in Boulder, Colo., and a 26-year member of the association.

Defending champion Jason Regan from Selma (Ala.) Country Club opened his title defense with a 79.

Bigfoot

As Forrest Gump said, “My mama always said, ‘Life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get.’ ” I’ve never been a big Forrest Gump fan, but I have learned that you never know what you’re going to get, and that lesson was reinforced yesterday.

As we approach GIS, everyone at GCSAA headquarters is busy -- very busy -- and some of us are just a little bit tense. Yesterday, I was certainly one of the tense ones, holed up in my cubicle, working away, trying to get everything done before I head off to Orlando.

I was a little surprised when I was asked to sign for a package because I wasn’t expecting anything. The return address said it was from Valent, and I assumed they had sent me product information that they wanted me to have before I went to Orlando -- but the package didn’t look like it contained product information.

I opened the box, and it looked like there was an animal inside -- I saw lots of fur and a claw. I knew it wasn’t real fur and a real claw, but it did look like maybe a stuffed animal. In fact, it was Big Foot slippers! Huge, gi-normous Big Foot slippers! I was amazed. I couldn’t stop laughing. I showed them to everyone. I tried them on and then showed them to everyone again. I tried a yoga pose while I was wearing them. Roger Billings, our senior art/production manager, took photos just to commemorate the occasion. It made my day. Really, there’s nothing like a surprise -- especially a silly surprise.

So why did Valent send me some slippers? Do those folks in California feel sorry for me because I live in Kansas and the temperature sign at the bank on the corner read 0º the other day? Although they are undoubtedly nice people, the Valent folks (or their PR agency) are also clever. With the slippers, there was a note from “Bigfoot” introducing the company’s new fungicide, Tourney, which also has a Web site, www.TourneyBelievers.com. In his (her? its?) message, Bigfoot says that “seeing is believing” and invites me to “walk in my (his) shoes.” Tourney fungicide is also characterized as a “mythbuster.” Very cute.

The best may be in store. Bigfoot just might be making an appearance on the trade show floor at GIS. Maybe I need to pack my slippers.

Look at the photos!

I've slapped the first round of photos from my time here in Orlando -- like this one of the pool at the Caribe Royale -- into a photo album that you can access in the bar on the right side of this page. And over the course of the next week, we'll have photo albums posted there from both the tournament as well as conference and show (and maybe from Seth Jones' exploits in the Dominican) that you can reference. We'll update them daily while those events are going on, so check back often.

Checking in with the folks from Toro who are currently manning the registration booth, sounds like more than half of the field has checked in at this point. Last count was around 275. That flow is pretty typical of this event -- competitors will generally play practice rounds on Friday and Saturday and then trickle in to register when they can.

Speaking of what's "typical" of this event, I get a lot of questions about exactly what this event is. It's pretty obvious that this is a golf tournament for the members of GCSAA, but folks are often confused about the event's structure, participation numbers, locations, etc. So I thought I'd open today with a brief FAQ about the GCSAA National Championship and Golf Classic. And yes -- this is a gimmick just to give me something to post on a Saturday morning.

Q: How many competitors take part in the tournament?

A: Well, Scott, although we've never officially checked, it's assumed that the GCSAA tournament is among the largest amateur golf tournaments in the U.S. This year, 504 players are signed up to compete. In some years, the field can reach 700.

Q: Gosh, how do you fit that many players on one golf course?

A: Very carefully.

OK, we really don't do that. Instead, the tournament utilizes multiple golf facilities to host flighted play, all the way from a championship flight for players with a handicap index of 5 or less to a trio of senior flights. All told, there are nine flights of competition this year spread out over five 18-hole layouts at four different golf facilities.

Q: What golf facilities would those be, exactly?

A: That's a good question, Scott. This year's National Championship will be played on the Tom Watson-designed Independence Course at Reunion Resort. The Four-Ball (more on that later) and Golf Classic will take place at Grande Pines Golf Club, Hawk's Landing Golf Club and on the Crooked Cat and Panther Lake courses at Orange County National.

Q: What is this "four-ball" you speak of? Is it an element of the golf tournament as a whole?

A: Wow, a couple of great questions, Scott. You're really paying attention here. The tournament event is structured like this -- the national championship is a 54-hole stroke play competition played out on one course. As I mentioned previously, players with a handicap index of 5 or less are eligible to play in the national championship. The defending champion is Jason Regan, the superintendent at Selma (Ala.) Country Club.

The rest of the field competes in the flighted Golf Classic, which features 36 holes of competition played at two different courses using the point quota scoring system -- five points for a double eagle, four points for an eagle, three for a birdies, etc. Players in the Golf Classic can also participate in the previously mentioned four-ball competition that is held opposite the first round of the National Championship.

Q: So when does this year's tournament begin?

A: Play is officially off and running tomorrow with the four-ball and first round of the national championship. Everything finishes up Monday and Tuesday before most of us head down I-Drive to the Orange County Convention Center for the GCSAA Education Conference and Golf Industry Show.

Q: So what are you going to do for the rest of the day, Scott?

A: Well, I still need to run over to snap a few photos of Grande Pines and Hawk's Landing. Then later tonight, the festivities kick into high gear with the Welcoming Reception here at the Caribe Royale. I'll snap a few shots of that soiree to give you a peak at that event. Then it's off to Reunion Resort tomorrow, where I'll provide live updates of tournament action throughout the day, provided I can find a decent wireless signal.

Calm before the storm

I hate to beat a dead horse because I know we've covered this territory before, but the most difficult thing about keeping this blog current is, well, keeping this blog current.

We're out there experiencing all these great things, chronicling them in both words and photos -- heck, right now Seth Jones is at a new course opening in the Dominican Republic and yours truly is in Orlando at the fabulous Caribe Royale (pictured here) for the 2008 GCSAA National Championship and Golf Classic -- and giving you unprecedented access to some of the most important events in the golf course management industry. But when you're doing these things, you're not sitting at your laptop, banging away at the blog. That has to wait until those other things are done, and often that's at the end of a very long day.

That's where I find myself right now, at 11:19 p.m. Eastern -- at the end of a very long day and running on the fumes left over when the fumes I was running on a few hours ago faded away. It really wasn't the most trying of days -- Fridays are traditionally pretty quiet at the tournament -- but that hasn't stopped me from hitting the wall at the end of it.

So here's how my Saturday morning will start: After an early workout in the tastefully appointed fitness center here at the hotel (and yes, I really am going to workout!), I'll give you a post that fully recaps early registration figures (yep, those are actual competitors registering in the photo on the left), the host course luncheon I attended and the trip that I took to two of the four host facilities, Reunion Resort and Orange County National. I can also promise a post tomorrow that'll give you a glimpse of the other two facilities in this year's rotation, Hawk's Landing and Grande Pines, and answer a few of the most common questions I get about this event. In fact, if you have any of your own you'd like answered, post a comment with this or any tournament-related post and I'll do my best to get it answered for you.

La Cana & Corales Golf Clubs

Just got the VIP tour of both La Cana Golf Club (2001, P.B. Dye) and Corales Golf Club (Summer 2008, Tom Fazio), courtesy of Julio Diaz, superintendent of the facility (pictured on No. 3 of the La Cana course, below).

I don't have a whole lot of time -- Damon is en route to pick me up and take me to Roco Ki -- but I wanted to throw up a photo of Corales real quick. It's going to be a special golf course, that's for sure. They've moved 1.6 million cubic meters of dirt over there, and the waves are CRASHING against the cliffs on several golf holes. The course is going to be ultra-exclusive, seeing only 3,000 rounds a year. I don't know what you think of Fazio's handiwork, but the courses I've seen of his are really eye-catching. And in a country filled with eye-catching views, his design fits right in.

More on the Puntacana resorts... including a really interesting interview with Diaz -- next week. Last photo is a shot of my temporary office this week -- Soles in the DR. You can see my laptop on the bar top.

Hola from Soles (so-lays) and the Dominican Republic

The best news today? That Damon's internet was down.

Darn. Guess I'll have to walk the 50 yards from his apartment to Soles, a bar on the beach with wireless internet and Presidente cerveza. (Damon, the superintendent at the Roco Ki resort, pictured here with his girlfriend, the amazingly sweet Anna.)

I got down here to the Dominican Republic with no problems. Nice flight. Damon was waiting for me at the airport. Once we got here, we immediately got to work, and headed to Cap Cana, the Punta Espada course, for a tour of the facility. Superintendent Roberto Garcia gave me a tour of all 18 holes. A few photos of the course included in this post.

The Dominican Republic is... beautiful. I can see why Harrison Ford was here with Calista Flockhart a few days ago. The weather is perfect, the views spectacular. Building golf courses all over this island is a no-brainer.

I was able to join Damon and his girlfriend Anna, as well as Julio Diaz, superintendent at Punta Cana Resort and Club, and the aforementioned Garcia (on the right, pictured with his assistant superintendent Wilson Contreras), for dinner at Soles. I was told to order the mahi mahi. I did, as did the rest of the group. After all, it was pulled from the Atlantic a few hours ago.

But then the cook came out, and apologized to Damon. There were only two left.

Well, somehow I still ended up with fresh mahi mahi. And yeah, it was delicious.

So here I am, back at Soles. All the superintendents have gone to bed. Tomorrow, I get a tour of Punta Cana, courtesy of Diaz. And then the meat of the trip begins -- the tour of Roco Ki, which is still growing in. I'll be staying with the Roco Ki folks for the remainder of my trip, but until then, I'm getting a great snapshot of the golf scene in southeastern DR. The Champions Tour will be coming to the DR, April 4th through 6th, the Cap Cana Championship. It'll be played at Garcia's course.

Before I came here, I had a lot of people ask me, "...Puerto Rico?" "...Costa Rica?"

I even had one friend talk to me in a fake Jamaican accent.

It's the Dominican Republic. I think it'll be making a name for itself in the golf world very soon.

Greetings from Orlando

Seth Jones isn't the only one happily fleeing the new frozen tundra that is eastern Kansas. I arrived a few hours ago in what is supposed to be sunny Florida. Today, it was anything but in the Orlando area -- thickly overcast Florida would be more accurate. But when you're trading wind chill factors of 10 below for the upper 60s and lower 70s, you don't complain.

For the next five days, I'll call the Caribe Royale Resort home as I work the 2008 GCSAA National Championship and Golf Classic. The coverage of that event that you'll read on this blog in the coming days is only the first taste of Orlando that you'll get from the staff of GCM between now and next weekend. In varying stages, members of our staff will begin arriving in central Florida and bringing you live, world-class coverage of all of GCSAA's activities here, starting with this tournament and followed up by next week's Education Conference and Golf Industry Show. You'll want to check back often as we'll pass along all the breaking news, the color and the excitement that surrounds these annual events.

For now, though, I'll leave you with a quick, albeit belated, welcome to the GCM family. For those of you on the subscription list for the association's weekly e-newsletter, NewsWeekly, you probably noticed a design change this week. We're proud to announce that product has been officially rebranded as GCM's NewsWeekly, which brings together the industry's most respected and most credible monthly publication with the industry's most respected weekly news product. This is just another in our efforts to make GCM more than just a monthly magazine, to make it a one-stop shop for news and information about the golf course management industry, delivered in a variety of ways designed to suit the busy lifestyles of today's superintendents. And if you see NewsWeekly editor and now de facto GCM staff member Ken Moum on the trade show floor (he'll be sporting all-new GCM gear), make sure to congratulate him on the changes and let him know what you'd like to see in NewsWeekly.

OK, off my promotional soap box now. More tomorrow from Orlando as the first tournament competitors begin to arrive.

3 degrees (-15 with wind chill)

For those superintendents on their way to sunny Florida for the GCSAA golf tournament, I feel your joy.

Goodbye, 3 degrees (-15 with wind chill). I'm heading South, for warmer weather.

In my case, I'm heading down to the Dominican Republic. The Roco Ki resort in Punta Cana is hosting media at their golf course before its grand opening, and GCM made the invite list. To say I'm excited would be an understatement.

Superintendent Damon Di Giorgio will be my host while I'm there. Tonight, he's arranged for me to join him and other area superintendents for dinner. There's a golf boom in the DR right now -- within 30 kilometers there are 5 courses under construction and another 15 in development. All in the Punta Cana region.

I grabbed a travel guide to the DR at the Lawrence library. I'm already liking what I'm seeing. There's an arrow pointing to Punta Cana in the first two pages of my book, and it says, "Punta Cana: The DR's beach and all-inclusive resort capital with stunning white-sand beaches and blue-green seas." Also, according to weather.com, the low temperature has been in the 70s. That I can definitely handle.

Punta Cana means "gray-haired point." Sounds like I'll fit right in.

Lots more from the DR as the week progresses.

A tough, quick animal

Fifty years ago, Melroe Manufacturing Co., Gwinner, N.D., purchased rights to a three-wheeled loader built by Cy and Louis Keller, two blacksmith brothers who built the machine in response to a farmer who needed a better way to clean manure out of the upper deck of his turkey barn.

It was this, and a few other serendipitous occurrences, that led to the beginnings of Bobcat Co., which celebrated its 50th anniversary with a media event I attended yesterday at Loews Lake Las Vegas Resort in Henderson, Nev.

That Melroe self-propelled loader was the forerunner to what would become the Bobcat skid-steer loader, and what catapulted the compact equipment industry.

Sylvan Melroe, whose cousins and uncle first got into the business with the Keller brothers, spoke at this event, sharing anecdotes about the humble beginnings of Bobcat and its evolutions over the years. He told about an advertising man in Minneapolis who brought a dictionary to their lunch meeting to come up with a name for this machine. The definition of a bobcat seemed fitting: a tough, quick animal. All within the same day, they also came up with the Bobcat's color scheme and logo.

The versatility of the Bobcat skid-steer became apparent as more and more industries found it applicable. That also was apparent by the trade industries represented by the media at the event: waste management, ATVs and utility vehicles, hobby farming, landscaping, golf and more.

After the evening presentation, Bobcat's Paul Anderson (pictured) described the evolution of Bobcat machines through features on several models that have been discontinued.

Bruce Collins, vice president of Bobcat's attachments and vehicles, spoke about the company's acquisition by Doosan Infracore late last year. "We have a parent company that wants to be in our business, and they want it to grow," he said. The company also made David Rowles, previously president of Bobcat Americas, chief executive officer of its U.S. subsidiary.

A new product presentation followed yesterday morning, where product and development company representatives showed off some compact utility tractors, a relatively new market for Bobcat. Four more models with horsepower up to 50 will be unveiled in the coming years.

To finish, the company let us press folks jump on some of their machines and give them a whirl. Coincidentally, we tested out the vehicles on the construction site of a future golf course -- Rainbow Canyon, an 18-hole Tom Fazio design that stretches from Lake Las Vegas to the Rainbow Gardens Geological Preserve (pictured left is the course currently under construction in the background of a Bobcat CT235 compact tractor). I gave a decent attempt at moving around some dirt on that machine (lower left). The best part was taking a utility vehicle on an obstacle course complete with deep, continuous trenches and very steep hills (below). I screamed and thought I'd tip over at any moment with tires in the air, but it was worth it. Thanks for hosting me, Bobcat, and congrats on 50 years.

Is yellow the new red – or green – or orange?

News reached us by iPod the other day about Hesston, Kan.-based Hustler Turf Equipment’s entry into the golf market with three new mowers set to be introduced at next week’s Golf Industry Show in Orlando.

Two questions may come to mind with that statement – one about the company’s equipment itself, and another that goes something like, “What do you mean that news came to you by iPod?”

Arriving on my desk via FedEx Monday was a box topped with a yellow sticker with a Hustler-logoed golf ball on it and the announcement that “Golf has a new color.” Inside the box (in one of the more interesting and attention-grabbing PR ploys I’ve seen in a while) was a new iPod Nano pre-loaded with mp3s of Hustler press releases and photos of the new equipment, photos of company execs and information on a Hustler press conference.

The letter in the box, from Jody Alexander of Hustler’s PR firm Nelson Schmidt, says “We hope you enjoy our fun, innovative news distribution method. Keep your Hustler Turf PR iPod handy, as we plan to send over mp3s, videos and news on a continual basis to keep you informed on the go!”

That’s right – I’ll keep the thing until my jealous techno-geek GCM co-workers jump me from behind to get their hands on this “innovative news distribution method.”

The equipment introductions include the 7700, a new fairway mower, the 3500/3700, an out-front rotary mower and the 50/55, a walk-behind greens mower. Hustler, which has been in the commercial mower business for 40 years and was established as a division of Excel Industries, developed the first zero-turn-radius mower. A few months ago, the firm announced a partnership to develop products with Japan-based Shibaura, which has long golf experience with diesel engines, drive systems and reels. The new products carry Shibaura engines.

Hustler also plans to highlight what it calls an industry-leading warranty, quick customer service and its 1,200-dealer distribution network.

Those interested can get more information at the company's Web site or at Hustler's booth on the show floor (#4443). In the meantime, I’ve gotta figure out how I keep my innovative news distribution method away from salivating GCM geeks.

Former GCSAA exec dies

We received some sad news earlier today from Joel Jackson, the executive director of the Florida GCSA, about a true giant of our industry -- Gene Nutter, Ph.D., the former executive director of GCSAA, has died at the age of 85.

Nutter led the association in the early 1960s out of an office in the Jacksonville Beach, Fla., area. He also is credited with founding the Florida Turfgrass Association and the golf operations program at Lake City Community College, and was a driving force behind the turf program at the University of Florida. After helping to establish the Lake City program, Nutter worked for lawn and landscape company ChemLawn, owned a chicken farm and spent some time working in finance.

We'll have more on the passing on Gene Nutter in the March issue of GCM.

live from the desert

Here I am, at Loews Lake Las Vegas Resort in Henderson, Nev., just outside of Las Vegas. I'm here for Bobcat Co.'s 2008 Media Event, where they'll show off some new and historical machines and also give presentations about its 50th anniversary this year.

I visited the hotel's Web site before my trip -- it looked pretty nice, but I didn't realize quite how fancy until I arrived earlier this morning. People are escorting me around and calling me "Ms. DeV