From the desk of GCM

Analysis: Syngenta, DuPont taking different paths

Consider this a tale of two companies.

Wednesday's announcement that Syngenta had acquired DuPont Professional Products' insecticide business in a $125 million deal brought into clear focus the divergent paths being taken by the two companies, at least as they relate to their professional products' businesses and to the golf course management industry.

Heading in one direction is Syngneta, a plant-protection staple in golf and one of GCSAA's gold partners in its Partner Recognition Program. As Scott Reasons, the head of Syngenta's turf and landscape dvision, told me today when we chatted about yesterday's developments, this acquisition should signal to golf course superintendents his company's "long-term commitment to this market."

"With the combination of the DuPont products that we acquired and the current highly complimentary portfolio that we offer," he continues, "we are very excited about the growth potential we see for the future."

Syngenta acquires DuPont's insecticide business

Syngenta Professional Products made a bold move to strengthen its insecticide product line today with the announcement that it had acquired DuPont's insecticide business in a $125 million deal.

The acquisition includes the Advion and Acelepryn brands, along with other intellectual properties and a number of DuPont's employees. The deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter of this year.

Below is the official release from Sygnenta:

Syngenta to acquire DuPont Professional Products business
Basel, Switzerland, August 29, 2012

• Acquisition strengthens Lawn and Garden leadership position
• Broadens portfolio of established product brands
• Reflects strategic focus on high value chemistry and genetics

Syngenta announced today that it has agreed to acquire the DuPont Professional Products insecticide business, a leading supplier of innovative products for the professional turf, ornamentals and home pest control markets. The acquisition will expand the range of products which Syngenta offers to golf course and lawn care professionals and to ornamental growers, and will also strengthen its portfolio for the control of home pests.

USGA Green Section's Zontek dies

Terribly sad news this morning from our friends at the USGA Green Section: Stanley Zontek, the longtime director of the Mid-Atlantic region and the winner of GCSAA's Col. John Morley Distinguished Service Award in 2006, has died. Stan was a friend to many, many folks in this industry — including the staff of GCM — and our thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends on this difficult day.

More details to come as they become available.

Update (1:17 p.m., 8/28/12): A statement from GCSAA president Sandy Queen, CGCS, on the death of Stanley Zontek. "To say Stan Zontek was an icon in the golf course management industry understates who he was. Stan Zontek was dedicated, personable, supportive and talented. He was truly liked and respected by all. His passing leaves a void. He will be missed. Our thoughts and prayers go to his family and his teammates at the USGA.”

Update (1:32 p.m., 8/28/12): The following is a letter from USGA executive director Mike Davis concerning the death of Stanley Zontek:

August 28, 2012 

Dear USGA Committee Members and Staff, 

It is with incredible sadness that I inform you that Stanley J. Zontek, director of the USGA Green Section’s Mid-Atlantic Region, passed away this morning after suffering a heart attack. He was 63. 

A Hollywood turn for New Hampshire course

 

Kudos to GCSAA business development manager Jim Cummins for passing along this cool YouTube video, which features the maintenance crew at Eastman Golf Links in Grantham, N.H. Michael Gornnert, a 19-year GCSAA member, is the Class A superintendent there. This is one of several similar videos I've seen floating around out there, and also one of the best.

If you're crew has made its own video, let us know about and we'll feature it here on the blog.

Florida superintendent eyes the storm

Like other superintendents in his part of the world, Kyle Sweet, CGCS, braces for a tropical storm. Whether it becomes something more, well, only time will tell.

Sweet, a 21-year member of GCSAA, is superintendent at The Sanctuary Golf Club in Sanibel, Fla., where late summer into fall often means tropical storms and hurricanes. On the radar, as you read this, is Tropical Storm Isaac, which Sweet is monitoring closely.

"They've got us in its path," Sweet tells GCM.

It would be nothing new for Sweet. In 2004, Hurricane Charly did more than $13 million in damage in Florida. Most of the damage at The Sanctuary GC was the destruction of trees and vegetation, enough damage that the club was closed for 45 days.

What makes the possibility of Tropical Storm Isaac evolving into a hurricane so concerning to Sweet is that most of those trees and vegetation finally have grown back, recovered from Charly's wrath. They, however, could be in jeopardy once again if Isaac gets out of hand.

"Charly was a wakeup call for us," Sweet says. "It made us think about how to be better prepared in case something like that happens again, such as removing and protecting antennas on top of the clubhouse for our radios. You prepare to avoid additional costs in case the storm hits."

Part of the preparedness plan includes packing up computers and hardware if the storm reaches the warning stage. The Weather Channel reported today that watches could be issued for south Florida and the Florida Keys by tomorrow night. Florida Gov. Rick Scott said earlier that the State Emergency Operations Center would be activated today.

Syngenta launches two new fungicides

With Pinehurst Resort and its iconic No. 2 course serving as the backdrop, Syngenta continued a busy 12 months of new product launches by unveiling a pair of new fungicides today.

During a day-long media event the company convened in the Sandhills region of North Carolina, Syngenta officially launched both Briskway, which combines a new DMI (DeMethylation Inhibitor) with Hertiage fungicide, and Secure, a new multi-site contact fungicide designed to partner with Daconil Action, another recently released fungicide from the company.

Briskway combines a new active ingredient, difenoconazole, with the broad spectrum fungicide azoxystrobin, the active ingredient in Heritage. The company cites the new product's few heat restrictions as the biggest benefit for superintendents looking for control of major summer diseases when temperatures rise, a list that includes dollar spot, brown patch, anthracnose and summer patch. Secure contains the active ingredient fluazinam, and Syngenta says it has no known resistances. It is designed to be used in concert with Daconil Action, the company says, for season-long protection, with one application rate for 12 annual applications.

Much more on these new products in the Product News section of the October issue of GCM.

Augusta National adds female members

Augusta National Golf Club, home of the Masters, has its first female members.

Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and South Carolina financier Darla Moore are the first two women to receive green jackets, Augusta National Golf Club Chairman Billy Payne announced today in a statement released by the club. Here is what Payne says in it:

This is a joyous occasion as we enthusiastically welcome Secretary Condoleezza Rice and Darla Moore as members of Augusta National Golf Club. We are fortunate to consider many qualified candidates for membership at Augusta National. Consideration with regard to any candidate is deliberate, held in strict confidence and always takes place over an extended period of time. The process for Condoleezza and Darla was no different.

These accomplished women share our passion for the game of golf and both are well known and respected by our membership. It will be a proud moment when we present Condoleezza and Darla their green jackets when the club opens this fall. This is a significant and positive time in our club's history and, on behalf of our membership, I wanted to take this opportunity to welcome them and all of our new members into the Augusta National family.

In 2003, Martha Burk of the National Council of Women's Organizations held a protest near Augusta National Golf Club during the Masters, urging the club to include female members. Augusta National Golf Club opened in 1932.

Easy as 1... 2... tree for Rory

Rory McIlroy had lots of reasons to smile yesterday. The Ocean Course superintendent Jeff Stone contributed to McIlroy's disposition.

Stone, 25-year GCSAA member, got to meet McIlroy after his dominant victory in the 94th PGA Championship at The Ocean Course in Kiawah Island, S.C. (pictured left is Stone's crew at work, courtesy of Margaret Corley, who sent this to us.). One of the memorable shots that McIlroy hit happened Saturday, when his tee shot on No. 3 lodged in a thick old oak tree branch. After searching for it on the ground, McIlroy was tipped off that it might be in the tree. Sure enough, there it was, and McIlroy took an unplayable lie, managed to par the hole, and went on to post an 8-stroke victory.

During a post-championship reception, Stone mentioned the tree incident to McIlroy.

"I told him we'd rename it Rory's Tree," Stone tells GCM, "and he laughed. I also told him the way he was bombing in putts, we'd have to put in smaller cups. He smiled."

Scotty's sensational summer

Scotty Reams will be able to tell some pretty good stories when he goes home to Minnesota.

Reams (pictured to the left) has been working as an intern for golf course superintendent Jeff Stone at The Ocean Course, where the 94th PGA Championship is expected to be completed today. Soon, Reams returns to Minnesota, where he attends Anoka Technical College. He also works at Izatys Golf Resort in Omania, Minn.

In time, Reams would like nothing more than to carve a niche in the golf course design industry. You can imagine then what it meant to him to recently meet Pete Dye, the iconic golf course architect who designed The Ocean Course.

"This whole experience is unlike anything I could ever imagine," Reams says.

Another perk of interning at a course that is the site of a major championship is the opportunity to see the best golfers in the universe up close. In fact, Reams got Dustin Johnson's autograph.

What has he learned about what it takes to be a superintendent?

"I've learned that your work is never done," Reams says.

Rest for the weary

The crew of The Ocean Course golf course superintendent Jeff Stone has a rare opportunity to be well-rested for their final day of the PGA Championship.

Since play was officially suspended at 6:22 EST this evening because of weather-related issues, including about one-half inch of rain, Stone's crew won't be at the golf course until around 11 p.m., as has been the case throughout the week. Instead, they were able to retreat to their night quarters, meaning they have a chance to get more than just the three or four hours of sleep that many of them have been limited to for the championship.

"This gives us a little bit of a break," says The Ocean Course first assistant Lee Painter. "It's been a challenging week, but it's been exciting and our morale is good. We'll get some good rest and be back out here at 4 in the morning."

Painter says after play was officially suspended, the crew's final job was to mark all of the ball marks that were left by players who remained on the course when play was first suspended at 4:50 p.m. EST. Tomorrow, play is set to resume at 7:45 a.m. EST.