Rutgers Golf Turf Management School Summer 2011 Newsletter

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Message rom the Director Whoever said life is about building positive relationships really knew what they were talking about. Take our Professional Golf Turf Management School for instance.It was 33 years ago (hard to believe!) when I first set foot here on the Rutgers campus -and quickly built lasting friendships with a community of veteran cooperative extensionfaculty who, at the time, were the primary educators for a relatively small class size for turfmanagement school. This was 1978. There were no computers, or electronic calculators(well, barely). For that matter, there was no cable TV, and the concept of value-addedrelationship building had yet to be fully expanded upon. And, most importantly, there wasno Facebook. But in my own nave way, I went about building strong relationships with a

truly caring group of faculty and, from those honest beginnings, we have assembled one ofthe truly great teaching faculty anywhere on this planet to serve your learning needs.

Though far from perfect, there is one central characteristic common among all of uswho teach in the turf program - heart. Yeah, sure, we all have one, but we do not always putit to good use. What I know about our turf instructors is that theirhearts are all aboutyourfuture success, and that goes to the relationship piece. Because of the concern for your ownfuture success, you chose to come to Rutgers and, in fact, have sent us generations of youremployees from across the United States and world. As I look back on a third of a centuryof service, nothing gives me greater pleasure than to learn of the continuing successes ofour alumni and current students. It is a pretty neat thing when you boil it all down totake a group of knowledgeable and passionate instructors, throw them into a classroom ofvery enthusiastic learners and all good things are possible. No matter how complicated theworld has become with our ever increasing dependency and connectivity through computertechnology, at the end of the day success usually forms around the in-person relationships

we build with others. And the degree to which we nurture those relationships will, in largepart, determine our ultimate success in whatever career field we choose.

We have just completed our 2010/2011 turf management schools, and I amdelighted to say that with recessions all around us (and very real to your industry in termsof negative impacts), our enrollment was as strong as ever and the quality of our studentscontinues to amaze me. There is no question that many of our students who will be comingback to finish next year, as well as those graduating this fall, will become superintendentsin the very near future. They will become your industrys future leaders. Now perhaps youhave gotten the theme of my message, and that is capturing success.

We have finally moved into the 21st century with our social networking initiativesthanks to Fran Koppell and others here in my office. We are now locating long lost alumnias well as making new friends through our Facebook presence. What I would now like to askof you is, if you believe you have a compelling story to tell about how our turf managementschool helped you fulfill your career goals from wherever you may have originated, wewould like to tell your story to your fellow alumni and our future applicants. Specifically,we would like to capture your impressions on video and share your story about your Rutgersdays and your current successes as a golf turf or sports turf management professional. Wewould boil your interview down and post it on our website (via YouTube), as well as shareit through our Facebook, for all the world to see. It would mean a great deal to me and toour faculty if we could reach many of you, and tell your stories, so that others will know ofthe great opportunity awaiting them here at Rutgers.

(continued on page 18)

GreensThe Newsletter for Rutgers Turf Alumni

IN THIS ISSUE

PJ McGuire 2

Noteworthy 4

Early Career Award 5

Perection by Lake 6

Tur Banquet 8

Scholarships 10

Graduates 12

Helping the

Environment 14

Environmental

Award 15

Two Hard

Working Guys 15

Alumni 16

Success Stories 19

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Certified Golf CourseSuperintendent P.J. McGuire (1994Graduate) mobilized his fellowsuperintendents to form an alliancethat advocates for the golf industryas a united front.

In December 2008, when golfcourse superintendents in Nevadabecame aware of a state bill that

potentially would cost golf courseshundreds of thousands, if notmillions, of dollars in additionaltaxes, Certified Golf CourseSuperintendent P.J. McGuire tookaction of his own. He mobilized themembers of the Southern Nevadaand Sierra Nevada chapters ofthe Golf Course SuperintendentsAssociaton of America (GCSAA),as well as the Southern NevadaGolf Association, the PGASouthwest Section, the ClubManagers Association of America,the Nevada Golf Course Owners Association and the First Tee ofSouthern and Northern Nevada,to form the Nevada Golf IndustryAlliance (NGIA).

After all, as the Director ofGolf Course Maintenance forPar 4 Golf Management Co. inLas Vegas, McGuire knows aboutstrength in numbers. He overseesmaintenance operations at fourLas Vegas-area propertiesPrimm

Valley, Badlands and Silverstonegolf clubs and Spanish TrailCountry Club.

Because of the organized effortsof the NGIA, the bill never madeit out of the state legislaturestaxation committee for a vote.Under McGuires leadership, thealliance is poised to challengesimilar legislation that is expectedto come up again this year.

For his efforts, McGuire won the

national GCSAAs 2011 Excellencein Government Relations Award.Recently, he told Club & ResortBusiness about his work to formthe alliance and, along with otherstakeholders in the industry, tostrengthen the golf business inNevada.

Q. How did you bring thedifferent golf associations inNevada together to form theNevada Golf Industry Alliance?

A. Nevada is kind of like the wild, wild West, and for manyyears no one cared what anyoneelse was doing. But golf coursesstarted getting attacked about water usage, and then it movedinto taxation.

About 10 years ago, werecognized that we needed to pulltogether and work as a team. Ourstate legislature only meets everyother year, and two years ago a billwas introduced that would changethe way golf courses are taxed.Different golf courses could havebeen taxed from $2,000 up to six

figures, with additional bottom-line tax dollars. This would havebeen an added expense for clubsthat are already struggling, and itwould have affected peoples lives.

So, the motivation was there towork together with a single voice.As individuals, we didnt have muchinfluence with legislators. But whenyou go to them as a representativeof a $2 billion industry in the state

that has 10,000 employees, andthe backing of several major golfgroups in Nevada, theyll give yousome time.

The way we set up the alliance

is that well try to take care ofwhatever issues come up whethertheyre issues affecting pros,superintendents, club managers orowners. We dont need to have onemission. We just need to be onegroup.

Water issues in southern Nevada will be important in the comingyears, and at some point, they will also be critical in the north.If the alliance pulls together witha unified voice, well be organizedand ready. It will simply be a matter

of informing our members.Q. What is the mission of the

alliance?

A. The mission of the allianceis to improve business conditionsfor the golf industry in the state ofNevada by serving as an educationalresource for the industry and thepublic, by serving as an advocatefor the industry before the statelegislature and other governmentalbodies, and by communicating tothe public the economic benefitsand environmental stewardshipprovided by the game of golf.

The interesting thing aboutpoliticians is that theyre folksfrom all walks of life, and theyrenot necessarily educated about thegame of golf or the business ofgolf. Its important for us to givethem someone to call. Otherwise,theyre going to listen to a lobbyistor the person who drafted the bill.But with golf-specific issues, wecan be the guys that will give themthe facts.

This year, 10 percent of the golfcourses in Las Vegas have closedtheir doors and another 10 percentare in danger of going bankrupt. If20 percent of the golf courses arealready closing their doors and youadd a bottom-line tax increase, thenumber of closures is going to goup. The other 80 percent of golfcourses in Las Vegas are barely


How P.J. McGuire Formed theNevada Gol Industry AllianceReprinted with permission rom ClubandResortBusiness.comCopyright 2011 Harbor Communications LLC


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http://golfturf.rutgers.edu

making ends meet because of issuessuch as the year-round season and thecost of purchasing reclaimed water.

Our revenues are really dependent ontourism, and because of the economy,the golf industry here isnt doing that well. Were struggling to make endsmeet, and the high cost of operatingexpenses, along with lower revenues,will put people out of work.

Q. How did you first become awareof the state bill that would no longerconsider golf courses as open spaceunder state tax laws?

A. In years past, we rode thecoattails of a few developers who hadpaid lobbyists at the state house. Wepiggybacked on other folks lobbyistsand their efforts. This year we wereable to stand on our own. We have no

choice, because the developers arentmaking any money either.

Q. How would the bill have affectedgolf courses in the state?

A. It would have added a bottom-linetax increase to golf courses that trulycouldnt afford it.

Q. Tell us about your initial visit tothe state legislature to discuss the billwith lawmakers.

A. Our initial visit wasnt about thebill. Our initial visit was to introducethe group to the politicians, to hold areception and to let them know who we are and to make a presentation tothe natural resources committee aboutthe positive benefits of golf in the stateof Nevada and golfs positive use ofNevadas natural resources. At thatpoint, the bill hadnt been introduced.

We made a second trip once the billhad been introduced and made its wayto the taxation committee.

Q. What kind of tax-relatedlegislation that would affect golf courses

is expected to resurface this year?A. The exact same bill is coming

back. Theyve changed the wording alittle bit to exclude certain golf coursesin the state, but the same bill that gotsquashed in 2009 has reared its uglyhead again. And realistically, we expectit to come up every year.

Q. What is your game plan tochallenge the bill?

A. In 2009 we immediately contactedgolfers and people who are passionateabout the game to start a letter-writingcampaign to committee members. Onthe day of the hearing, we went toCarson City and filled the committeeroom with golf folks to argue our side

of the bill. With our strong showing, itnever made it out of the committee andnever went to a vote.

This year we also have a lobbyist thatthe NGIA has hired and who worksbehind the scenes for us. Were workingfrom the inside to make sure that thebill doesnt make it to a vote.

Q. What are the other key issuesfacing golf in Nevada?

A. This year it looks like the biggestissue will be water usage in the southernpart of the state. In 2003 there was amandate about the amount of waterthat golf courses could use in Nevada.But there was no scientific backing. Itwas just an accounting number.

Golf courses use less than 8 percentof the water in southern Nevada.Almost 50 percent of the water is usedby single-family homes. But because we have green grass, golf is a prettyeasy target. Were not green becausewe waste; were green because we do itright.

Raising prices isnt going to change

anything. If homeowners have a $10increase to their bills, its not going tomake any difference to them. But a rateincrease to a golf course operator couldbe as much as $100,000 to $150,000a year.

We need to put some science behindthe numbers for water usage. We dont want to adversely affect our tourismindustry and our ability to bring peopleinto the state.

People need to know how well we use water. Because its our highest singleexpense, we absolutely watch what wedo with our water. But people dontknow that. Almost 800 acres of turfhave been removed from golf coursesin the Las Vegas area to save water. Wedont want to do anything that willchange the economy and close downgolf courses.

Q. What are other misconceptionsthat lawmakers have about the golfindustry?

A. There are misconceptions that golis making plenty of money and that ionly affects wealthy white folks. Thoseare misconceptions that both lawmakersand the public have about golf.

We did an economic study and found

that real estate agents, servers, busboysand hotel maids have jobs because golis drawing tourists to the state. Weneed to support the business becauseeverybody is affected by it. There is nowarm-weather destination in the worldthat doesnt have golf as an amenity.

Q. What does it mean to you to winthe 2011 Excellence in GovernmenRelations award?

A. It was nice for me personally. It wanice to be recognized by my peers. Buits more important to draw attentionto our organization. It is a benefit to alof us in the golf industry on a nationalevel to see that our work in Nevadais getting recognized. All it can do istrengthen our position when we gotalk to our legislators.

Q. How have your efforts contributedto the industry as a whole?

A. We saved every golf course in thestate between $5,000 and $100,000 in2009.

Q. What is the future role for thalliance statewide and nationwide?

A. The golf industry is going to beunder attack for something every yearwhether its water usage or tax issues orland use. But now that we have joinedtogether as a group, we can react quicklyto any challenges that face golf.

Q.What have you learned from yourexperience?

A. Going to Carson City in 2009truly opened my eyes to how ourpolitical process works. Its just regulareveryday folks in the legislature whovote and make decisions on issues. And

sometimes they might not have all othe facts.

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Welcome to Emily Merewitzwho will join our teaching team for Fall 2011.Having received two Bachelor of Science

Degrees in Plant Biotechnology andPlant Science at Rutgers University shewill continue her research studies whileteaching our first year students StressPhysiology. The second session of StressPhysiology will continue to be taughtby Dr. Bingru Huang, world renownedturfgrass scientist, and Emilys thesisadvisor as she pursues her doctorate inPhilosophy in Plant Biology.

Emily may proudly add the 2011Gerald Mott Meritorious GraduateStudent Award from the Crop ScienceSociety of America to her list of

achievements. This national award isprovided each year to one of the topgraduate students in turfgrass science

and is based on academic excellence,research and teaching accomplishments,demonstrated leadership, and serviceactivities for graduate students pursuingadvanced degrees in crop science. Shewas also named as a recipient of the 2011GCSAAs Watson Fellowship, fundedby the Toro Co. and the GCSAAsEnvironmental Institute for Golf.

We are eager for her to join the ranks ofour talented instructors and pass on herknowledge to our incoming classes. Wewish her much success!

Noteworthy News

TRIPLETS!

Congratulationsto 2009 Graduate,

Alex Matos!

Analiesse

Tyler Alexander

Kylie Naleah

Gol Development expands to RussiaGolf Developments Dmitry Butyrin, class of 1999, presented his companys plans to expand in Russia

early this year. The company is involved in nine projects in various regions of Russia. A 38 hectare all-seasonproject in Troparyovo-Nikulino near Moscow is now under construction. A golf course is to be integratedwith commercial real estate. There will be a 9-hole golf course, a swimming pool, gym, off ice space, open-air sport grounds and 20 cottages for visitors. The project is being built in a natural area which has passedthe necessary state ecological expertise.

But that was not the only sensation from Dmitry Butyrin. He introduced an intelligent golf ball, by WorldGolf Systems. This is a golf ball installed with a micro-chip. The ball is programmed for a certain playerand information about how far the ball went and where it hit is shown on display near the player. TheTroparyovo-Nikulino complex will include 44 hi-tech golf stations for five people each, where visitors cantake advantage of such modern technologies.

In MemoriamRobert Adamec, Class of 1999

- Conklin Players Club, Conklin, NY- Glenmaura National Golf Course (previous)

Gregory Closs, Class of 1983- Lehman Power Equipment, Ashley, PA- Wyoming Valley Golf Course (previous)- Mill Race Golf Course (previous)

Samuel Leon, Class of 1972- Leons Sod Farm, Pittstown, NJ (Owner)- NJ Turfgrass Association (Past President)- NJ Turfgrass Association (Hall of Fame)

Dennis C. Wilson, Class of 1971- Sunset Ridge Country Club, Northfield, IL- Superintendent for over 43 years

Billy Casper Gol 2010 AwardsAssistant Superintendent of the Year

Brian Kessler, Class of 1997Glenview Golf Course, Cincinnati, OH

Agronomic Rookie of the YearMike Tardogno, Class of 2007

Cranbury Golf Club, Cranbury, NJ

2010 Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA)/Golf Digest Environmental Leaders inGolf Awards (ELGA) named Todd Bunte (Class of 1999)and TPC Jasna Polana, Princeton, NJ a nationalwinner under the private club category.


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Rutgers Proessor Receives Early Career AwardReprinted by permission - Landscape Management, Athletic Tur News

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ StacyBonos, assistant professor at Rutgers,The State University of New Jersey, hasbeen selected by the multi-state Plant

Breeding Coordinating Committee(PBCC) to receive its inaugural EarlyCareer Excellence in Plant Breeding Award. The award was announced atthe annual scientific meeting of thePBCC on Aug. 4, 2009. As the awardrecipient, Bonos has been invited topresent her research and anchor aroundtable discussion for graduatestudents at the 2010 meeting.

The PBCC is a broad-based groupincluding plant breeders from land-grant universities in more than 38states, plus plant breeders working inthe federal government and privatecompanies. All types of crops arerepresented, including grains, legumes,fruits and vegetables, ornamentals,turf, and trees. This Early Careeraward is the first of its kind for plantbreeding. The PBCC hopes that theaward will help attract young people toconsider a career in plant breeding, bydemonstrating peer recognition of theaccomplishments of outstanding youngplant breeders.

Stacy has developed a 21st century

breeding program in which she is doingit all, said Brad Hillman, Directorof Cooperative Research at RutgersNew Jersey Agricultural Experiment

Station (NJAES). Teaching, gainingsubstantial extramural funding foran exceptional research program, andreleasing a wide range of different plantvarieties.

In her breeding research for turfand biofuels, Bonos uses diverse plantgenetic resources to develop new planttypes that are more tolerant of pestsand poor or dry soils. Her varietiesare robust without excessive use ofpesticides, and require less fertilizerand water compared to earlier varieties.These are important advantages thatgive lawns and golf courses smallerenvironmental footprints. They alsohelp make biofuel production moresustainable.

It is very rewarding to know that thenew varieties help to improve the qualityof our environment, says Bonos who isa faculty member with the Departmentof Plant Biology and Pathology atRutgers. I truly love my job. I amgrateful and proud to receive the EarlyCareer Award in Plant Breeding fromthe PBCC. It is good to be recognized

for my plant breeding efforts and itencourages me to continue my researchand inspire students to pursue careersin plant breeding.

For a young scientist, Bonos has aremarkable record. She has developed14 new plant varieties, mentoredmany graduate and undergraduatestudents, written numerous extensionand popular publications about how touse the new varieties, and published 36scientific articles. Bonos has receivedseveral awards, including the 2005 Young Crop Scientist Award from thCrop Science Society of America andthe 2001 Musser International TurfgrasFoundation Award of Excellence.

Plant breeding is a key science for

agriculture, and early career planbreeders will shape its future, observePhil Simon, PBCCs Chairman and a vegetable crop breeder with USDA Agricultural Research Service. Thachievements of Stacy Bonos are anoutstanding example. We applaudher success, and congratulate her onbeing the first recipient of the PBCCEarly Career Excellence Award in PlantBreeding.

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Lola Joy Stimson cameinto the world on March31, 2011 weighing 7lbs 14ounces. Her proud daddy,Zachary Stimson, was a2011 winter student andwas please that she waiteduntil he finished his turfsession. May she always beso cooperative!

Ryan Davis paints what he lovesAnticipated Graduate, Winter 2012

Hole #17

PlayersStadiumCourse

TPCSawgrass

Hole #13

PlayersStadiumCourse

TPCSawgrass

Forsgate Country Club

The Forsgate Country Club has built family tees on thefront nine of its Palmer Course and developed a specialscorecard for families who use them. The creation of familytees, along with its many programs for children, adults andfamilies has earned Forsgate the designation of New JerseysNo. 1 Family Club byGolfStyles Magazine.

Key management of Forsgate Country Club includes: ThomasSaunders, Director (1984 graduate), David Morrow,Superintendent (1994 graduate) and Harold Pyett, AssistantSuperintendent (2009 graduate).


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Perection by the LakeBy Seth Jones

Reprinted with permission o the GCSAA and Gol Course Management Magazine

With a combination of art andscience, the crew at WhistlingStraits looks to make the 92nd PGAChampionship perfect.

They say that bad men wearblack.

Dressed in head-to-toe black,Chris Zugel, superintendent ofthe Straits Course at WhistlingStraits, has been driving around tosupervise his crew scattered aboutthe course. Hes popped out ofhis Club Car a few times, giving

lectures on proper bunker rakingand a cup that was cut too closeto a break. He brought the coursedog, a border collie named Babe,along on each coaching trip.

Do bad men wear black? Ifso, then this one also pampers adog named Babe and ends eachcoaching moment with a joke anda smile.

You see how that ball rolled abit backwards right when it got tothe cup? Zugel asks an intern.

That was a nice putt at anunfair pin. In fact ... you shouldprobably go down there right nowand apologize to Mr. Collins forcosting him that putt.

The interns jaw drops. Zugellets him hang in the balance for abeat before he starts cracking up.The intern sighs in relief.

It turns out that this man inblack is in fact in disguise - hesone of the good guys. Zugel, a 12-year member of GCSAA, gives the

intern some encouraging words,puts Babe back on her leash andhops in his Cart and heads backto the shop.

I used to think when I was anassistant that the day I became ahead superintendent, Id wear allblack on the golf course everyday, like Gary Player, Zugel says.That lasted about a week andthen I realized that black is hot.

He laughs as he parks hiscar. Hes still tickled about thepanicked look the intern gave him.They like to joke out here, Zugelsays, the most common formbeing quoting movies back andforth. The popular movie recentlyhas been the slapstick film SuperTroopers. The quotes wouldntmake sense to an outsider, but tothe crew, the film is canon and themore obscure the line, the biggerthe laugh.

We have to laugh some out

here, Zugel says. Everyonesworking so hard, we need to havea few laughs along the way oreveryones going to get overloaded.I want everyone to take their workseriously, to strive for perfection,but theyll be better at their job iftheyre also having fun.

Enjoy the limelight

It is hard work, but the topbrass at Whistling Straits is havingfun preparing for the 2010 PGA

Championship, which arrives theweek of Aug. 9th in Kohler, Wis.

Its fun when youve done all theplanning ahead of time, MichaelLee, CGCS, manager of golfcourse maintenance for KohlerCo., says. Theres little anxietyabout who is doing what whenyouve trained everyone so much,and everyones been through somuch planning. By the time youget to championship week, you just enjoy the limelight and keepworking the plans.

The Straits Course is the prideof Destination Kohlers fourgolf courses. The Irish Coursecompletes the 36-hole WhistlingStraits resort, while the RiverCourse and the Meadow ValleysCourse make up the 36 holes atnearby Blackwolf Run. All fourcourses were designed by legendaryarchitect and 2003 Old TomMorris Award winner Pete Dye.

Destination Kohler also offers visitors a five-star resort, a four-star spa, shopping, fine dining andhunting, all a little over an hournorth of Milwaukee.

All four courses are relativelynew - the original 18 holes atBlackwolf Run opened in 1988and was named that years BestNew Course by Golf Digest buttheyve already made their mark onthe golfing map. Blackwolf RunsRiver Course hosted the 1998U.S. Womens Open (and will

host the 2012 edition as well); theStraits Course has hosted the 2004PGA Championship as well as the2007 U.S. Senior Open. The PGAChampionship will return to theStraits Course in 2015.

What is left to be said aboutthe Straits Course? The layout,a links course built along LakeMichigan on what used to be aflat, unassuming military base,now features Dyes signature potbunkers, myriad sand dunes andrailroad ties throughout its 7,362memorable yards. The fairways arechewings fine fescue while the teesare Penncross bentgrass and thegreens are Providence bentgrass.Scottish Blackface sheep roam thecourse. And as the sun goes down,its even prettier than the high-def50-inch flat screens portray it.

Not a lot has changed on thecourse since the Senior Open in07. Some fairways have beenadjusted, but only by a few pacesin either direction. The layout ofthe fairway on No. 18 has beenadjusted to allow players to hit

driver to carry a large patch ofrough, if the prevailing wind fromLake Michigan allows. It could bea fun risk/reward hole on Sunday.

The biggest change to the coursehas been in the reinventing of afew greens. Dye believes that thegreens were too similar in size and



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shape from hole to hole, so he went inwith an excavator on two holes, the par-3 No. 3 and the par-4 No. 6. When hewas finished, both greens were smaller,with added hazards for wayward shots.

(Dye) walked up to the green andsaid, I want a pin placement here, Leesays of No. 3 green, pointing to an areain the back of the green. Behind him,the green drops off 30 feet to deep potbunker hell. He then simply took anexcavator and peeled back earth aroundthe green to reduce the shape and size.Dave (Swift, then-superintendent ofthe Straits Course) couldnt stand towatch - he had to look away!

Maintenance and Metrics

Its understandable that the coursesuperintendent would have a hard timewatching a green that he had spent somany hours maintaining get scoopedaway in a few quick bucket loads of anexcavator. Greens are like children tomany superintendents.

The crew at Whistling Straits hasan interesting relationship with theproperty. Its left-brain, right-brain;half heart, half science. The heart partcomes from the hard work of Lee andZugel as well as the two assistants, Joe Sell and Emily Shircel, both PennStaters, as well as the 43 members ofthe crew, which include nine interns.This die-hard, movie-quoting, bunker-obsessed crew truly believes that theperson working next to them is thehardest-working person in the business.None seem to realize that the otherperson thinks the exact same thingabout them.

The science part comes from theamount of research and calculationsthe course does. For every job at theStraits Course there is a correspondingmetric. Want to know how many hours

the course raked bunkers in 2008?They have the figures. Want to knowhow many hours were dedicated tomowing greens the third week of July,2008? They have the figures.

Heidi Georgeff, office manager forWhistling Straits, keeps these figures.Thats a huge part of my job, enteringthese numbers into the system, shesays. Our employees code everything

they do. We run a lot of extensivereports.

Itd be hard for Lee to find someonemore qualified for the office managerjob than Georgeff. She spent seven yearsworking on the crew, so she knows herstring trimmer from her Stimpmeter.Shes also bilingual in English andSpanish. And she understands themetrics of maintenance. I know bothout there and in here, she says. If Isee an unusual number for labor hours,I know if its because the crew has beenout working at night.

Her boss, Lee, a Class A, 25-yearmember of GCSAA, revels in thenumber crunching. He says that comesfrom the top at Kohler Co.

To be a part of an industrial company(like Kohler), were well exposed tometrics, Lee says. We measure thingsto get to the heart of the matter. Leebrings up the Womens U.S. Open in1998. The green speeds got away fromhim that year, a mistake for whichhe takes full responsibility. Its also amistake hes sure he wont repeat. Howis he so sure? Metrics.

Lee created a program for futuretournaments that would focus solelyon getting green speeds right. He callsthe program the Pro Greens Group.We had to call it something, he says.

The system works like this: The week of the tournament, he formsteams of expert volunteers that willsolely monitor green speeds. The teamsgo out with the greens mowers armedwith Stimpmeters and radios. Before agreen is mowed, its Stimped. After itsmowed, its Stimped. After its moweda second time, its Stimped. After itsrolled, its Stimped. And so on, untilperfection is achieved.

That group is totally responsiblefor conditioning that green, Lee says.

Nobody leaves until its the way wewant it.

It might be one of the easiest butmost involved processes that we do,and we take a huge amount of pridein it and its results, Zugel says. Wedont want to let a green get away fromus. We will not just schedule mowsand rolls blindly. Some greens gainspeed quicker than others so we want

to be in a place where we can adjustaccordingly.

Sound impressive? Then considerthis theyve already hosted the 2010PGA Championship once during a testrun last August.

The crew conducted what theycalled mock-up week and theyheld it the same week as the 2009PGA Championship at Hazeltine inChaska, Minn. They mostly focusedon the greens, but also kept a keen eyeon chemical applications and roughdensity. You can bet they recordedeverything, too.

I thought that putting not only thecourse through mock-up, it was justas important for me and the staff to

be put under just a bit more pressurethan normal, Zugel says. At the endof the week the interns suddenly gotto the end of the tunnel and finallyunderstood some of the concepts that we would only talk about. I thinkthey got stronger and I gained a littleconfidence on where both the staff andthe course would be.

Theres even a plan on how to keepthe crew excited on rain days.

Any downtime, we have our interns watch some of the 04 PGA that wehave on tape, assistant superintendentShircel says. Just to get them goingand fired up.

Major golf tournaments, they believe,favor the prepared.

For the complete article, visit:

http://digitalgcm.gcsaa.org/DigitalAnywhere/viewer.

aspx?id=14&pageId=46

Seth Jones ([email protected]) is senioreditor of GCM.

EDITORS NOTE: Chris Goeben,2010 graduate and Nick Jensen, 2010graduate are currently employed byWhistling Straits.

James Leigham, 2001 graduate andKale Zimmerman, 2009 graduate arecurrently employed by Blackwolf Run.


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Ned Lipman, Director, greeting our alumni and amily

Yes, were paying attention!

2010 Golf Turf Banquet

Anne (let) and Chase Brackley (right),Winter 2010 Class President

Jim Morris, Associate Director and gited emcee

Alumni Award or Proessional Excellencerecipient, Thomas Ritchie

Registration opens, at the 2010 Gol Tur Banquet


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9

Dr. Rich Hurley (let), with 2010 scholarship winnersJessee Schwartz (center) and Greg Bohus (right)Keynote speaker, Chris Carson,

has everyones ull attention

Dr. Bill Meyer, Associate Director o CTS, program instructor,Acceptance Committee member and turgrass industry leader

Jerey Barr, 2010 Graduate

Joe Bianco (let) and Thomas Ritchie (right) present the 2010Turgrass Association Award to 1980 Graduate Fran Owsik (center)


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Paul DesChampsMemorial ScholarshipsMatthew Bain

Brian Powell

Christian Scheller

Daniel Zaro

Duke PolidorMemorial ScholarshipCody Aaron

Brian Berberet

Ryan Coburn

Michael Lemke

Travis Martin

Denssy Saldana Ruiz

New Jersey Turgrass FoundationGregory Bohus (Hall o Fame)

Je Antoniewicz (Challenge)

Justin Sadowski (Lou Vasvary)

Eric O Toole (NJTF)

New Jersey LandscapeContractors Association ScholarshipsJe Antoniewicz

Gregory Bohus

Eric Koch

Pine Valley ScholarshipNicholas Grandi

Eric OToole

Kevin Rundstrom

2010 Scholarship Recipients

2010 Gol Tur Banquet SponsorsGold Sponsor Silver SponsorStorr Tractor Company, Somervi lle, NJ Grass Roots Inc., New Fairfield , CT

Graduate SponsorsFairbanks Ranch Country Club, CA (Graduate Aaron Gagnon)Pine Valley Golf Club, NJ (Graduate Michael Deal)

Syngenta Turgrass ScholarshipCharles Schmid

Sports Field Managers Associationo New Jersey ScholarshipJe Antoniewicz

Gol Course SuperintendentsAssociation o New JerseyScholarshipsBrian Hall

James Hempling

David Jesperson

Kevin Shipley

New Jersey StateGol Associationand Ralph EngelCaddie ScholarshipsGregory Bohus

Jessee Schwartz

Gol Course Builders

Association ScholarshipGregory BohusJustin Sadowski

Henry Indyk GraduateFellowshipMatthew Koch

Allen and Scott OMemorial Scholarship

Gregory Bohus

Eric OToole


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11

Peter S. Lot Memorial ScholarshipsMemorial ScholarshipsKaren AmbroseRobert AmourLisa BeirnRyan BergerJustin BiceckPatrick BurgessLaura CorteseJames CrossRobert DreesenWesley EastonThomas Kennedy

Robert LaRoqueDaniel LindholmEmily MerewitzAndrew MorrisPriti SaxenaCharles SchmidSergio SosaDaniel ThompsonKatelyn Venner

Ralph Engel ScholarshipsRyan BergerBrian Clair

David HeldEric Schmitt

Cleary Chemical ScholarshipBrian Hall

Ralph Geiger ScholarshipsJef AntoniewiczLisa BeirnPatrick BurgessLaura CorteseJames CrossJay EwanJames HempingDavid JespersenEric Koch

Matthew KochEmily MerewitzKevin RundstromJustin SadowskiPriti SaxenaCharles SchmidKatelynn Venner

Dr. Paul Sar toretto MemorialScholarshipKevin Shipley

Rutgers Turgrass AlumniAssociation ScholarshipJustin Bieck

Proessional Gol Tur Management School Alumni Award or Proessional ExcellenceThomas Ritchie

New Jersey Turgrass Association Achievement AwardFran Owsik

Proud Center or Turgrass Science Award recipients


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2010 GraduatesJOSEPH C. ADKINSON, MissouriBlus Gol Club, St. Charles, MO1st Assistant Superintendent

ROBERT ARMOUR, Crab OrchardGol Club, Carterville, ILMaintenance

MATHEW BAIN, Wol RunGol Course, Reno, NV2nd Assistant Superintendent

JEFFREY BARR, Galloping HillGol Course, Kenilworth, NJ

Assistant Superintendent

HARRISON, BEAL, Oconomowoc GolCourse, Oconomowoc, WI2nd Assistant Superintendent

BRIAN BERBERET, Hurr Sprinkler &Landscape, Loveland, COForeman

RYAN T. BERGER, Fernwood Resort& Country Club, Bushkill, PASpray Technician

JUSTIN BICEK, North OaksGol Club, North Oaks, MN2nd Assistant Superintendent

CHASE BRACKLEY, Berry HillsCountry Club, Charleston, WVAssistant Superintendent

SHON BRIGGS, Scotch Hills CountryClub, Scotch Plains, NJ

ROBERT V. BROMBERG, NoyacGol Club, Sag Harbor, NYAssistant Superintendent

ANDREW P. BROWN, BrattleboroCountry Club, Brattleboro, VTIntern

BRIAN BUTCHER, PequenakonckCountry Club, North Salem, NYGreenskeeper

ANDREW L. C AREY, Chevy ChaseClub, Chevy Chase, MDGrounds Crew

JUSTIN K. CARROLL, RichlandCountry Club, Nashville, TNGrounds Crew

STEPHEN CHRISTIANCE, LaurelCreek CC, Moorestown, NJGrounds Crew

CHRISTOPHER DESALVIA, ForestHill Field Club, Bloomield, NJ

Assistant Superintendent

JASON DEVOE, Meadow Brook GolCourse, Jericho, NYAssistant Superintendent

THOMAS ADAM, Hyde Park Gol& Country Club, Cincinnati, OHIPM Tech

PATRICK K. DORAN, MartindaleCountry Club, Auburn, MEGreenskeeper

ROBERT DREESEN, Chenal CountryClub, Little Rock , ARGreenskeeper

JAMES DUARTE, Cherry CreekCountry Club, Denver, CO2nd Assistant Superintendent

JOHN R. FASANELLA, MercerCounty Sheris O ice, Trenton, NJSergeant

DENNIS R. GEHRKE,

Columbia Falls AluminumCompany, Columbia Falls, MTLine 3 Unit Member

CHRISTOPHER R. GOEBEN, WhistlingStraits Gol Course, Sheboygan, WIGrounds Crew

IAIN K. HARDAKER, BurhillGol Club, United KingdomGreenskeeper

KYLE HARRIS, Huntingdon ValleyCountry Club, Huntingdon Valley, PASpray Technician

DAVID HELD, Fort CollinsCountry Club, Fort Collins, COCrew Member

NICHOLAS JENSEN, WhistlingStraits Gol Course, Sheboygan, WI

Crew Leader

JOHN C. KAFADER, Cherry ValleyCountry Club, Garden City, NY2nd Assistant Superintendent

THOMAS KENNEDY, TrentonCountry Club, West Trenton, NJ2nd Assistant Superintendent

BRADY KLEIN, Minnesota ValleyCountry Club, Bloomington, MN2nd Assistant Superintendent

SETH A. KNAPER, CountryClub O York, York, PAAssistant Superintendent

PHILIP KNUDSEN, GallowayNational Gol Club, Galloway, NJIntern

GEORGE LAKE,Golsmith, Davenport, FLSales

AARON LIT TLEFIELD, Mission ViejoCountry Club, Mission Viejo, CA

Intern

ANDREW J. LUBY, RegentsGlen Country Club, York, PAGreenskeeper

ALBERTO RODRIGUEZ MANA,Castiglion Del Bosco, ItalyIrrigation Tech


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13

Rutgers Proessional Gol Tur Management SchoolTwo-Year Certiicate Program

Fall Session - October 4 to December 16, 2011

Winter Session - January 4 to March 16, 2012

As an alumnus of The Rutgers Professional Golf Turf Management School, we look to you to recommend qualifiedapplicants who can help build the reputation of our Rutgers program. If you have an employee, a co-worker or an associatewho may be interested in and qualified for our program, please have them contact Fran Koppell via e-mail a t [email protected]. Visit our website atwww.golfturf.rutgers.edu for an online application!

TIMOTHY MARS, National GolLinks O America, S outhampton, NYAssistant Superintendent

ROBERT P. MERRICK, Useless BayGol And Country Club, Langely, WA1st Assistant Superintendent

ANDREW MORRIS, Valle Vista Gol ClubAnd Conerence Center, Greenwood, IN

2nd Assistant Superintendent

JEFFREY NIEMCZYK, NoyacGol Club, Sag Harbor, NY2nd Assistant Superintendent

NICHOLAS PUSKARICH, MountaintopGol And Lake Club, Cashiers, NCIrrigation Manager

WILLIAM J. ROCCO, Pine ValleyGol Club, Pine Valley, NJ2nd Assistant Superintendent

DENSSY SALDANA, RepublicGol, Panama City, PanamaAssistant Superintendent

ERIC SCHMITT, The LinksAt Northork, Ramsey, MNGreenskeeper

JOSHUA CHARLES FREDERICKSMITH, Caliornia Gol Club,South San Francisco, CAAssistant Superintendent

NATE SORENSEN, Fox HollowGol Club, American Fork, UTAssistant Superintendent

BENJAMIN STARKEL, Quarry

Oaks, Ashland, NEAssistant Superintendent

TANNER J. STOVER, Elks Country ClubGrounds Crew

PETER STRAHAN, Ash BrookGol Course, Scotch Plains, NJAssistant Superintendent

DENNIS E. SUPE JR., HeritageShores, Bridgeville, DEAssistant Superintendent

KYLE T. SWART, WhiteLandscaping, Ruston, LALawn Maintenance

DANIEL P. THOMPSON, Rock CreekCattle Company, Deer Lodge, MTHorticulturalist

CHRIS R. TOPORSKI, Saucon ValleyCountry Club, Bethlehem, PAGrounds Crew

PAUL TOWLER, Willow RunGol Club, Pewaukee, WISuperintendent

SHAYNE TREMBLAY, Hamilton GolAnd Country Club, Ancaster, ON

Grounds CrewCODY A. TREXLER, CenterValley Club, Center Valley, PA2nd Assistant Superintendent

CHRISTOPHER VARGAS, PipingRock Club, Locust Valley, NYMaintenance

MICHAEL VARRONE, CherryCreek Country Club, Denver, COIrrigation Tech

ROBERT WALDROP, RockawayRiver Country Club, Denville, NJIntern

GERRIT WOODS, NicklausNorth, Whistler, BCSuperintendent

BUBBA WRIGHT, Riverbend GolClub, Madera, CAAssistant Superintendent

INSTRUCTOR SPOTLIGHTLearn more about some of our Golf Turf Management School instructors by visiting their websites!

Richard Hurley, PhD, CPAg http://www.bentgrassdoctor.com

Stephen Kay http://kayandsmithdesign.com

Bruce Neary http://bcnhorticulture.comGene Westmoreland http://www.westmorelandgolf.org


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Blue Heron Pines Golf Clubhas retained its designation as aCertified Audubon CooperativeSanctuary Program Golf Course(ASCP), an Audubon InternationalProgram.

To reach certification, coursepersonnel must demonstrate thatthey are maintaining a high degreeof environmental quality in thefollowing areas: environmentalplanning, wildlife and habitatmanagement, outreach andeducation, chemical use reductionand safety, water conservation, andwater quality management.

We are very proud to haveearned this distinction fromAudubon International, said BlueHeron Pines general manager WillArabea. As one of only 816 golf

courses in the world to achievethis designation, we believethat an essential part of being agood neighbor and a responsiblebusiness leader in the communityis environmental stewardship.

Our superintendent, ShawnReynolds, takes that responsibilityseriously, and it is because of hisdedication and commitment,and that of his staff, that we havebeen recognized by AudubonInternational.

Ranked 34th among the top 50public golf courses in the nationaccording to GolfWorlds 2010Readers Choice Awards, BlueHeron Pines is an award-winning,18-hole championship golf club.Designed by Stephen Kay andopened in 1993, Blue Heron Pines

was rated four stars in GolfDigestsmost recent Places to Play, and was voted Best 18-hole GolfCourse by the readers of ThePress of Atlantic City and CasinoConnection magazine. Blue HeronPines is also one of southern New Jerseys most popular venues for weddings, banquets, and othersocial and business gatherings.

For more information,call 609.965.1800, or visitblueheronpines.com.

EDITORS NOTE:Superintendent Shawn Reynoldsis a 1993 graduate of the RutgersProfessional Golf Turf ManagementSchool. Designer Stephen Kay isan instructor of the program.

Helping the EnvironmentReprinted with permission rom Golstyles New Jersey MagazineGolfology: Places, Events - April 2011


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15

Were on Facebook, R U?

One can only avoid social media for so long. This year, the Rutgers Professional Golf Turf Management Schoolhas becomea player. We started our own turf alumni page and, much to the chagrin of salesman and network hounds, only alumnimay friend us. And friend us you have! From Gary Orlando, 1980 graduate, and owner of Azul Verde Design Group(a landscape and Architecture firm in Cave Creek, AZ) to Andrew Grau, 2007 graduate, and Assistant Superintendent atHeritage Club in Mason, OH - welcome back! With 450 alumni friends, our numbers grow each day. According to SocialMedia Today, as of April 2010 an estimated 41.6% of the US population had a Facebook account. Out of approximately2,200 Rutgers Professional Golf School alumni, there are still several of you to join us. Over the years we have lostcontact with too many of you, so this has been a wonderful way to reconnect. Weve enjoyed reading and seeing picturesof everything from your construction projects to your beautiful families. So we imagine it must be fun for youto see thepostings from classmates with whom you had bonded in the Holly House and Geiger Center for 20 weeks.

But this is just the tip of the iceberg. We will use our network as a resource to support each others success. We can drawon our community to improve our program, communicate about events, post open positions, and be readily available asa resource for all of you. We are thrilled to open communication through Facebook and other social media as an easy wayto stay connected. Your feedback and updates are always welcome, so drop us a line, send a message and stay in touch. If

youre on Facebook, friend us! https://www.facebook.com/golf.course.turf.management.school

NEWTON, NJ The NewtonCountry Club was selected amongstmultiple entries as a finalist to receivethe Metropolitan Golf Association

(MGA) Arthur P. Weber EnvironmentalLeaders in Golf Award.

The award is named in honor ofthe late Arthur Webers outstandingcommitment to golf and theenvironment. Weber wrote the Codefor Environmental Conduct for golfcourse maintenance that was adoptedby the USGA and recognized by theAudubon Society.

The award has been established toannually honor MGA member clubsthat have demonstrated environmentalstewardship through golf course

maintenance, construction, education,and research.

We are proud and honored tobe recognized by the MGA for ourclubs efforts and commitment to theenvironment, said Les Carpenter Jr.,superintendent of the Newton CountryClub. Not only can our membersenjoy playing golf on a beautiful, well-maintained course, they can be

proud that their club is supporting theenvironment and the community inwhich they live, work and play.

EDITORS NOTE: The NewtonCountry is a also a certified AudubonSanctuary - the 8th in the state toreceive this designation, and re-certified four times. In his 33rd seasonas Superintendent (25 of which havebeen at NCC), Les Carpenter (Class of1978) is proud of the accomplishment

Country club is inalist or environmental awardReprinted with permission rom The Township Journal

As I write this the temperatureoutside is 64 degrees and the stresslevels on our staff, turf, and myselfhave been lowered by the drop in themercury. It is at this time that I want toacknowledge two of the hardest workingguys in the business, Mike Weberand Chris De Salvia. This month has

literally been one for the record books.Record heat has put enormous stresson turfgrass throughout the region andreports of dead and dying greens arewidespread. Mike and Chris have donean amazing job of keeping the greensat FHFC in great shape under somevery tough conditions. They have bothspent many afternoons on the end ofa hose cooling down turf that was onits way to the afterlife. Mike Weber,a graduate of Virginia Tech, has been

with FHFC for the past four seasonsand is a big reason FHFC has made theadvances in conditioning that it has.Chris De Salvia is a new addition tothe staff this year and will be returningto Rutgers University for his secondyear of the Golf Turf ManagementProgram this fall. Chris has exceeded

all of the expectations I had for himand has gained a great amount ofknowledge along the way. These twoguys have never complained when toldto go and syringe greens when it wasquitting time and their dedication tothe course is unquestionable. While weare not out of the woods yet as far asthe summer goes I have to give creditwhere credit is due so a big THANKYOU to Mike and Chris is appropriate.Thanks again guys!

2010 Graduate, Chris DeSalvia (let)

Forest Hill Field Club Tur Management: Two Hard Working GuysFrank Tichenor, 1995 Graduate and FHFC Golf Course Superintendent thanks his employees

Reprinted with permission rom the FHFC Green Department


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Rutgers Turf AlumniLook What They Are Doing Now!

SCOTT J. BAILEY, 2008 - Assistant Superintendent, Makalei, HISEAN C. BROWN, 1994 - Assistant Supervisor, Greensboro Coliseum, NC

BRIAN J. CAMPBELL, 2006 - Assistant Superintendent, Legion Memorial Gol Course, WA

JOSEPH L. CASE, 1997 - Grounds Superintendent, Washington College, MD

LAWRENCE J. CORR, 1996 - Superintendent, Manuacturers Gol & Country Club, PA

EVAN CURTIS, 2006 - Assistant Superintendent, Eagle Creek Country Club, FL

RICHARD DiFERDINANDO, 2006 - 2nd Assistant Superintendent, Merion Gol Club, PA

PAUL E. DOTTI, 1994 - Superintendent, Arcola Country Club, NJ

JEFFREY DUMONT, 2004 - Superintendent, Sherwood Country Club, CA

BRETT J. FLECK, 2001 - Superintendent, French Lick Springs Resort, IN

GERALD B. FOUNTAIN, 1978 - Sales Representative, Agrium Advanced Technologies, PA

TIM GATHERS, 1998 - Superintendent, Alpharetta Athletic Club, GAROBERT W. GLUCK, JR., 2004 - Superintendent, Verde Country Club, CA

BRIAN HAMPSON, 1998 - Director o Agronomy, Indian Wells Gol Resort, Dubai

JEREMY HREBEN, 2003 - Superintendent, Indian Springs Country Club, NJ

CHRISTOPHER KESKITALO, 2005 - Superintendent, Wildlower Gol Club, MN

ANDREW R. KEYEK, 2005 - Superintendent, Steamboat Gol Club, CO

JAMES C. KNIGHT, 1994 - Sales, Lawn Care Doctor, CO

KEITH KRAUS, 1999 - Superintendent, Tulsa Country Club, OK

BILLY MALCOLM, 2008 - Mechanic, Nansmond River Gol Club, VA

NOAH McCAHILL, 2006 - Assistant Superintendent, Creek Club, NY

PATRICK J. McMAHON, 2005 - Superintendent, Trump National (ormerly Pine Hill), NJ

BART MILLER, 1992 - Superintendent, Virginia National Gol, VAGREG M. MUNSON, 1998 - Superintendent , Durango Hills Gol Course, NV

ERIC NEVILLE, 1993 - Project Manager, Dominica, Caribbean

BROOKS M. PICKERING, 2007 - Assistant Superintendent, The Kittansett Club, MA

NICK PIENTKA, 2007 - Assistant Superintendent, Firekeeper Gol Course, KS

JEFFREY M. PLATTIS, 1997 - Cactus & Pine GCSAA (AZ chapter), AZ

RAYMOND RIPPERT, 1995 - Superintendent, Indian Valley Country Club, PA

RONALD RUPPERT, 1980 - Superintendent/O wner, Sunridge Canyon Gol Course, AZ

ARAGORN SCHAFER, 2006 - Owner, K&A Landscape & Orchard Management, CO

ROBERT W. SEITER, 1999 - Superintendent, Glade Springs Village, WV

NIGEL F. SLADE, 2000 - Superintendent, Freeway Gol Course, Australia

KIRK W. SPIETH, 2004 - North Course Superintendent, Olympia Fields Country Club, IL

MATTHEW R. STOUT, 2008 - Landscape Designer/Builder, Back to Nature, CO

KEVIN M. TAGGART, 2000 - Superintendent, Riverview Gol Course, PA

CHAD THOMSON, 2007 - Superintendent, Beaver Creek, CO

CHRISTOPHER S. VAN PELT, 2003 - Grounds/Facilities, Seton Hall University, NJ

DEAN M. WHITE, 1996 - Superintendent, Old York Country Club, PA

JONATHAN WHITE, 2009 - Superintendent, Gol de Domont Montmorency, Paris France

JACOB M. WOOD, 2006 - Superintendent, Las Vegas Gol Club, NV


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17Have You Seen These Alumni?

RICHARD (RICK) ADAMS 2004GERALD K. AHMAI 1994LISA ANCUTA 1997BRYCE ANDERSON 1997

DREW C. ANFINSEN 1999KYLE L. AURAN 2003MICHAEL BABAK 1998SCOT BAER 1995CHAD BAKER 1999CHRISTIAN H. BAUER 1994JOHN G. BAUMAN 1983ANTHONY T. BENFIELD 1999THOMAS A. BERK SR. 1995BRIAN BESS 1999DAVID W. BIELAK 2000DANIEL R. BLACKLOCK 2001LEE BLANCHARD 1991VINCENT BOCCUMINI 1990GEORGE P. BOGAN 2003

CORY BOWEN 1994JASON T. BURKWEMPER 2003BRIAN J. BURTON 1994THOMAS A. BUSH 1994MATTHEW BUTLER 2001EARL R. CADOGAN 2002JAMES CARNEY 1995MATTHEW J. CARRASCO 1997TODD CASZATT 1995DAVID P. CINALLI 1998CHRISTOPHER CLARK 1995ROBERT CLOUSER 1987JEFFREY D. COFFMAN 1997STEVE C. COFFMAN 2003PETER H. COLLERAN 1993

JAMES R . CONDER 1996BRANDON CONLOW 2000THOMAS COONEY 1980GREGORY F. COX 2000THOMAS E. CURRIE JR. 1997BRIAN DAMATO 1998PETER DANCER 1987GREGORY DAVIDSON 1985JAMES W. DAVIS III 1999NICHOLAS A. DE BELLIS 2005STEPHEN DIEHL 2004ROBERT DIMPERIO 1986ROBERT L. DODDS 1996THOMAS H. DOOLEY 1994COLE T DREW 1999JASON P. DYPSKY 1999

BRANDON R. ELLSWORTH 2001DAVID EMMA 1989THOMAS V. FARRELLY 1998WILLIAM T. FILMORE 2001MATTHEW FIRMAN 1995PATRICK L. FOGEL 2000PAUL E. FOLLET 1997MARK C. FOULKS 1995JOHN G. FOWLER 1982RANDY FREDERICK 1994

DANIEL R. GALLAGHER 2006LAFOREST GARDINER III 1995MARTIN A. GIANNINI 1994WARREN GILDER 1998

JOSEPH J. GLOVIAK 1999JAMES A. GOERLICH 1979JEFFREY GREEN 1995LEONARD J. GRIPPO 1996STEVEN E. GROVES 1994JOSEPH N. GULOTTI 2001QUENTIN HADLOCK 1998HAIG HANDSHAW 1995ROBERT C. HANDWERG 1978EARL D. HARGIS 1994DAVID L. HEFFERNAN 2000ALEX HENDRY 1998THOMAS E. HENNIGAN 1987JON M. HENRY 2002RUDY HOBBS III 1995

JAMES W. HOCKO 1979GREGG S. HOKIT 1997BRENDAN A. HOWARD 1994PHIL JANGL 1998JASON JOHNSON 1998STEVEN A. JONES 1995DAN JULOW 1994JOHN C. KAFADER 2010JOHN KANNENBERG 1995CORY A. KAUFFMAN 2004BRADLEY G. KENDALL 1993KARL KINDBERG 1997STEVEN B. KIRK 2001MICHAEL KLEIN 1986MICHAEL KLOTZ 2003

DAVID R. KNOBLOCH 1993STEVE KOPACH 1989BRIAN KOWALENKO 1995JOHN J. LABB 1994BRYAN LARSON 2003LARRY F. LAU JR. 2001JEFFREY LAUER 1997CRAIG P. LAWRENCE 2000RICHARD C. LEAHY 2000DENNIS D. LEIFSON 2004GARY LEWIS JR. 2007CHARLIE LORUSSO 1999BRIAN LUBECK 1997SYLVESTER LUCAS, JR. 1996BRETT LYNCH 1998CHAD LYND 1998

THOMAS J. MARKS 1985JAY E. MARQUESEN 1999RONALD S. MARTIN 1998MICHAEL MC BRITLE 1984DANIEL M. MC CALL 1996CHRIS MCCORMACK 1997KENNETH MC CORMICK 1992DANIEL MC CULLEY 1998WILLIAM P. MC DERMOTT 1999JAMES T. MC LANE 1998

THOMAS MC LEAREN 1987DANIEL MELE 1997CHRISTOPHER METZGER 2000CHRISTOPHER A. MEYER 1998

BRUCE MICKELSON 1986CASEY MIFFLIN 2002RICHARD MILLER 1995BRIAN C. MILLER 1999GREGORY G. MILLER 2000DAVID M. MILLS 1994BRENT J. MOISA 1991EDWARD L. MORAN 1983STEVEN J. MORGAN 1996JAMES B. MORRILL 1996JOSEPH B. MORTILLARO 1994JOSEPH D. MOUNT 1983RICHARD A. MULLIKIN 2000SCOTT C. MUMMA 1997DANIEL W. NULL 1989

KEVIN J. OLEARY 2002GARY OLSON JR. 1994HOWARD B. OLT 1987ANDREW ORENCZAK 1985TERRY L. PAIGE 1991RICHARD PALCKO 1997BUCK W. PALMER 2006WILLIAM PAPAY 1985WILLIAM PEDRAZZI 1997BRADLEY PETERSON 2001DANIEL PINKHAM 1987DEIDRA PISAURO 1991ROBERT J. POLITANO 1996FRANK POUNDS 1997WESLEY R. PRICE 2004

GARY L. RAMSEY 1995MATHEW RAUH 1997CHRISTOPHER RENNA 1994FRANK J. RICHARDS 1982CRAIG R. ROBINSON 1997JUAN RODRIGUEZ 1998CHRISTOPHER ROTH 1994PAUL V. ROWAN 1984WILLIAM J. RYAN 1991RICHARD M. SAFFORD 1996JOEL SAINT-ELIEN 1995CURTIS M. SAKAMOTO 1996JOHN SALISBURY 1994MICHAEL L. SAMUEL 1986WILLIAM F. SANDERS 2000PAUL S. SANSON 1985

DAVID SCHAILILI 1983JOHN K. SCHIKAL 1994JOHN SEDAM 2007BRUCE J. SHARP 1997PETER M. SHERONAS 1996DANIEL SHUTT JR. 1998DAVID E. SICKLER 1978JEREMIAH L. SIMMONS 2004CHRIS P. SIMONET TA 1999JOHN G. SIMPSON 2002

RONALD SIMPSON, JR. 2DANIEL P. SINEK JASON W. SMITH JOHN SMURTHWAITE 2

KEVIN SPRAGUE KYLE D. STACHE 2PATRICK L. STACHOWSKI THOMAS J. STEFFANN MICHAEL STELMAK 2ALFRED (AJ) STUART III STEVEN STUPIENSKI NOLAN SULLIVAN 2RICHARD J. SUTER ALBERT SWANSON III LUCAS SYLVESTER JR. JANIS L. TETTEMER STEVEN TIMMONS 2SHANE M. TRESSLAR MICHAEL J. TREZZA

ROBERT TUBMAN DAVID J. ULRICH ALBERTO VASQUEZ TROY VROMAN ROBERT T. WACHTER JOSHUA P. WALDSCHMIDT 2WADE S. WEAVER PAUL T. WILLIAMS JR. KENNETH WNEK 2STEPHEN WOJDULA JOHN R. WOLFF DONALD WOOLDRIDGE KENNETH YACCA THOMAS D. YODER


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The Rutgers Turgrass Alumni AssociationThanks to your generous support we continue to offer scholarships to turfgrass students who have worked

hard and excelled in their studies, helping them on the road to success. When you have a moment, please

visit the Alumni section of our website www.golfturf.rutgers.edu to view the featured links. The ability tocomplete a membership application and pay dues online means alumni are now able to enroll year roundinstead of just once with the annual mailing. We also have items for sale online this year - our RutgersProfessional Golf Turf Management hat, with $5 of the proceeds benefiting the scholarship fund, and twostyles of our turf shirts. Please contact Rosemary when ordering the shirts to ensure your size is available.While you are visiting our website, click on our new Share Your Story link and let your fellow alums knowhow the Rutgers Professional Golf Turf Management School benefitted your life. And join our Facebookpage!

Also on the website are photos from this years banquet where our very own Thom Ritchie (76), RTAAExecutive Director, was the recipient of the 2010 Award for Professional Excellence. This honor is bestowedupon a program graduate who has long served the turf industry with distinction and character. Thom hasconsistently demonstrated the highest principals of respected leaders including fellowship to all and highideals based upon a fervent desire to improve the turf and landscape professions. Mr. Ritchie is unarguablyone of New Jerseys most recognized green-industry leaders and has been an active and ardent supporter

of green professionals and Rutgers since his graduation from turf school over 30 years ago. With lifetimeally and fellow alum, Joe Bianco (62 and RTAA Treasurer), Thom led the development of two three-weekOCPE courses (Utility Turf Management and Professional Landscape and Turf Management) in 1989. Thoseclasses and their successors have served well over 2,000 professionals who care for the lawns, public athleticfields and public grounds of the Northeast. These programs would not have been developed without thevision and persistence driven by Thoms desire to serve his colleagues in landscape and grounds management.Congratulations and many thanks to Thom for his unending drive and dedication to our industry andprogram.

We are proud that our alumni feel this special lifelong dedication to our program, and hope that yourdedication to our future alumni continues each year. Thank you sincerely for your support, and best wishesfor a successful season.

The Rutgers Turfgrass Alumni Association is an affiliate of the New Jersey Turfgrass Association andsupporter of Turfgrass Research at Rutgers. Help us touch base with someone from the Have You Seen list

and receive a Rutgers Turf hat. For more information or questions, please contact Rosemary Mahony at 732-932-9271 or email [email protected].

RTAA Board Members

Thomas Ritchie (76) Executive Director Donald Heyniger (75) PresidentRobert Dickison (62) Vice-President Joseph Bianco (62) Treasurer

Oh, by the way, for those of you who are interested, Fran tells methat we have close to 450 friendson our Facebook page now andthat number is growing every day,which takes me back to my originalstatement about the importanceof building and maintainingrelationships. As fast as the worldcontinues to move, it will alwaysgrow upon trusted relationships,

and we hope that you had a chanceduring your years here at Rutgersto test that theory out and put it towork in your life every day.

In closing, know that it was then,continues to be now and will,hopefully, always be the mission ofour program to bring the highestlearning value to our students andto best position them for successful

careers in the golf and sports turfindustries. This was Ralph Engels vision over 50 years ago, and wecontinue to serve it in 2011. Onbehalf of all of your instructors,heres hoping you have yet anotherrewarding and successful season.

Sincerely, Ned Lipman

Directors MessageContinued rom page 1


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19

Realizing His Full PotentialHow hard work, determination and three weeks at Rutgers helped one student turn a un summejob into a successul and satisying lielong career

By Corin Huff, Freelance writer

What started out as a fun summer job on the golf course turned into anexciting and successful career for PaulSutter, a 1997 graduate of the three- week Golf Turf Management programat Rutgers.

During high school and college, Pauland his friends worked as laborers on alocal golf course. With plans of goingon to law school someday, Sutter wassimply enjoying the world of golf andthe great outdoors. He learned the jobquickly and rose through the ranks, firstas foreman and then as second assistant.But it wasnt until his Superintendent

recommended that he attend the three-week program at the Rutgers ProfessionalGolf Turf Management School that Paulrealized the full potential for a career ingolf turf management.

During the three-week program, Istarted to learn the science behind whyI was doing what I was doing on thegolf course, Sutter said. It gave me ahuge base of knowledge that I hadnthad before.

The three-week class gives studentshands-on experience and knowledgein the science behind the culturalpractices used on golf courses as well as the opportunity to learn themanagement and communication skillsthat sets workers apart from leaders.Students learn from a dozen Rutgersresearchers, Rutgers professors, GolfCourse Superintendents, and otherhighly trained professionals in the fieldsof irrigation, landscape science and soilfertility, some of whom are among thetop professionals in their fields. As one

2010 student put it, The presenters arestars in their own rights.

Armed with the knowledge of whathe calls real life on the golf course,Sutter landed a position as AssistantSuperintendent at Bay Shore MunicipalGolf Course in Miami, Florida. Hecontinued on to two more successful Assistant Superintendent jobs at American Golf, the managementcompany for the New York ParksDepartment, and Leewood Golf Club inEast Chester, New York. Gleaning evenmore knowledge from these experiencesand a very influential mentor, Sutter

landed his first Superintendent positionat Emerson Golf Club in Emerson, NJin 2003.

Now Superintendent of OronoqueCountry Club in Stratford, Connecticut,Sutter can look back on his career so farand recognize the value of having theRutgers name on his resume. Rutgersis definitely recognized as one of thetop golf turf management schools inthe Northeast, he said. I have runinto so many graduates who now havesuccessful careers in my field.

In fact, the benefits of the three- week program are still playing a rolein Sutters career progression, over 13years later. Already a Class A memberof the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA),Sutter is taking the next step to earn theprofessional designation of CertifiedGolf Course Superintendent (CGCS),the most widely recognized certificationin the industry. Only 25 percentof Class A members hold the title.

Superintendents must meet stringerequirements, including professionexperience and continuing educatioSutters classroom hours at Rutgers havput him well on his way to complete thcertification process by July 2011.

Paul Sutter is not the only stude whose life and career were forechanged by the three-week programOthers have given the class similpraise and thanks:

The instructors here at Rutgers trucare about helping each student fulfhis dream in the golf industry. I hav

been able to go further than I had evdreamed. They have all been as dedicateto helping me get there as I havesaid Jesse Shannon, Superintendent Manhattan Woods Country Club West Nyack, New York.

I cannot think of one thing [frothe course] that would not help me my job, echoed Mark Jones, a 200attendee who works at Bear CreeGolf Club in Westminster, MarylanEverything just ties into itself.

Paul Sutter is so convinced of thadvantages of the three-week courof study, he is creating an AssistanDevelopment program that will enabhim to send his employees to Rutgefor the same invaluable training hreceived. Theres no doubt that if thare as dedicated and ambitious, Suttcan expect to see these employees do wein the three-week class and earn theplace among top-ranked professionain the field.

Rutgers Proessional Gol Tur Management SchoolThree-Week Gol Tur Preparatory Short CourseJanuary 9 through January 27, 2012

Perfect for aspiring or current turf professionals looking to increase their professional value at an affordable price. Ourcompact course curriculum delivers essential academic turf knowledge and the practical applied training needed for successin the golf turf industry. The Three-Week Short Course provides high quality instruction by utilizing some of the bestinstructors found in our Two-Year Professional Golf Turf Management Program. The programs pace and varied subjectmatter is most valued by applicants with at least one year of golf turf experience, or an equivalent. For additional information,please contact the Office of Continuing Professional Education via email at [email protected].


20/20

New Jersey AgriculturalExperiment Station

Office of ContinuingProfessional Education102 Ryders LaneNew Brunswick,NJ 08901

732.932.9271732.932.1187

[email protected]://golfturf.rutgers.edu

DIRECTORNed Lipman

STUDENT /CURRICULA ADVISORDr. Richard Hurley

SENIOR PROGRAMCOORDINATORFran Koppell

DIRECTOR, NJAESCENTER FORTURFGRASS SCIENCEDr. Bruce Clarke

PROFESSOR,

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR,NJAES CENTER FORTURFGRASS SCIENCEDr. William A. Meyer

RUTGERS TURFGRASSALUMNI ASSOCIATIONEXECUTIVE BOARD

Executive DirectorThomas Ritchie (76)

PresidentDonald Heynigher (75)

Vice-PresidentRobert Dickison (62)

TreasurerJoseph Bianco (62)

Past PresidentDr. Karen Plumley


Nonprofit Organization

US Postage

PAIDNew Brunswick, NJ

Permit No. 153

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

A publication of the Rutgers Turfgrass Alumni Association

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Rutgers Golf Turf Management School Summer 2011 Newsletter

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