From the Turf M.D.: Frost delays

We never know what will get a reaction and what won't. Karl and I were chatting about this just the other day.


For example, frost. I'm pretty sure the dinosaurs had to wait to tee it up on frosty mornings. Nothing new here. And yet, we've gotten a lot of positive feedback to the below "Puttin' Down Roots" email newsletter that went out earlier this week, about frost.


If you didn't see this hit your email inbox, you can always subscribe here. Karl Danneberger, Ph.D., and Clark Throssell, Ph.D., send out good info twice a month in their respective email newsletters, "Puttin' Down Roots" for Karl and "On the Green" for Clark.


Here is this month's Roots:

Frost is a common reason for morning tee time delay. The reason for the delays is the damage that can occur from foot or equipment traffic to the turf when frost is present. Generally speaking, nice fall golfing days and frost go hand-in-hand. With more frost days expected, this is a good time to look at the conditions favorable for frost.

Frost occurs on clear cold nights when turfgrass plants re-radiate heat (exothermic reaction). As the plant loses heat to the atmosphere the plant leaf cools. If the plant temperature is cooler than the air temperature then moisture from the atmosphere will condense on the leaf. If the leaf temperature drops below freezing then the water freezes and frost forms. This will occur even if the air temperatures are slightly above freezing. At this time of the year it is not uncommon to have frost form even if the air temperature is in the mid to high 30s.

Hendren's Hyperbole! Episode 44 -- Maintenance blogs

This past week, over the Thanksgiving holiday, I was just wasting some time surfing the internet -- you know, checking out the Golfdom Daily as I am sure you do quite often -- and I started thinking about the pros and cons of maintenance departments keeping a maintenance blog to help keep members and the public aware of what is happening on the course.

I’ll just start off by saying personally I think the pros by far outweigh the cons. It makes sense to me that by keeping an updated blog about what is happening from a maintenance perspective members and especially greens committees would be less likely to constantly hound you about what is going on and what projects are in the works. Another positive aspect is that superintendents from other courses in your community could check out your blog and possibly use the information you are posting as inspiration for projects at their course. To build on that idea, if a super is having problems convincing the powers that be about a certain project your success story posted on your blog might just be enough to tip the scale in their favor.

As far as cons go I think the biggest issue would be time. Keeping up a blog doesn’t have to take a lot of time but it does take time nonetheless and as a fellow super I know how valuable time is. Even though you have complete control over what is posted on the blog I could see how posting projects and information about your club for the world to view might also be considered negative by some.

Overall, I think the positives by far outweigh the negative regarding a maintenance blog. Shoot me a quick comment and let me know what you think and let me know if you currently have a maintenance blog or are planning on starting one.

-- Matt Hendren

Twin Gifts for Michigan State University’s Turfgrass Information Center

Good news from our friends at Michigan State --

The Turfgrass Information Center, a unit of the Michigan State University Libraries, has received two generous donations to support digitization work.

The first gift was a challenge grant from the O.J. Noer Research Foundation, promising to match gifts before December 31, 2011, up to a total of $5000. And, when the matching gift was announced to supporters, the Wisconsin Golf Course Superintendents Association immediately pledged $5000 to meet the challenge.

“Both organizations have our sincere thanks,” said Pete Cookingham, head of the Turfgrass Information Center. “We’re also grateful to other supporters who are still responding. We now hope to exceed the original challenge by several thousand dollars!”

PCNB press release

This press release came out last Wednesday, just as I was escaping the office for my Thanksgiving holiday...

American Vanguard Corporation today announced that the United States Environmental Protection Agency has approved certain registrations for the company’s pentachloronitrobenzene (PCNB) product line for all major commercial uses. As a result, with today’s action the company’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Amvac Chemical Corporation is once again permitted to sell PCNB into the golf course turf, potato, cotton, ornamental bulb and cole crop markets domestically. Amvac continues to work with the EPA on labeling for other uses.

Hendren's Hyperbole! Episode 43 -- My Summit experience

Every now and then you get the opportunity to be a part of something great whether it is by design or it just so happens you are just in the right place at the right time. This past week I had one of those opportunities present itself. Last week I had the pleasure to be a part of the first ever Golfdom Summit.

I realize that to some of you it may sound like I am blowing up the skirt of Golfdom, and to some extent I am, but for those of you who know me, know that any form of praise from me has to be deserved and the Golfdom Summit was one of the highest marks of my golf course maintenance career.

The first ever Golfdom Summit was held at Pinehurst Resort in Pinehurst, N.C., and featured a unique educational experience that combined boardroom/case studies with one-on-one meetings. There were also plenty of networking opportunities including playing historic Pinehurst No.2. Pinehurst No. 2 is one of many courses on my bucket list so I was able to kill two birds with one stone. (Next on my list, Whistling Straits!)

Golfdom Summit photo parade part two

Clark Throssell, Ph.D., gives a presentation

A one-on-one meeting in action with Redexim

Having a bad round? Not when you see this on the ground.

Payne Stewart statue outside Pinehurst clubhouse

Summit supers and sponsors applaud Clark's talk

Kevin Stoltman (VP, Questex Media), Rees Jones, Ken Mangum, CGCS (Atlanta Athletic Club) and Chris Vernon (Jacobsen) prepare for golf

Blasting out of a bunker

The greens were fierce!

Golfdom Summit photo parade part one

Warming up for Pinehurst No. 2

Bob Farren, CGCS, greets Ken Mangum, CGCS

Handshakes all around after an amazing round on No. 2

Rees Jones delivers his keynote at the Golfdom Summit

Boardroom meeting with eager listeners

Golfdom EIC Seth Jones at the podium

Matt Hendren and Bill Irving at the evening reception

Tyler Otero, Brian Nettz and Steve Sarro at the evening reception

Emil Miller discusses the features on a Smithco sprayer to a superintendent

A room full of superintendents listens as Rees Jones makes his keynote address at the Golfdom Summit

Clark talking turf at the Golfdom Summit

Hopefully the photo shows up this time!


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Pat Roberts and Hendren

Last interview of the day...

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Day two of Goldom Summit winding down

Meetings, meetings, meetings... interviews, interviews, interviews... it's almost time to kick back, turn on the Jayhawks game, and celebrate an awesome start.

Pictured here, Tyler Otero of Trump National GC, Colts Neck, does a Golfdom TV interview.

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We are getting a ton of positive feedback

On the first ever Golfdom Summit...

"I don't need to see a pile of equipment sitting in the middle of a room, I can see it online. I like this better because you can actually sit down with everyone one-on-one. You know what I wish? I wish there were more vendors here to meet with."

-- Walter Pritchett, Hurstbourne Country Club, Louisville, Ky.

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Intelligent Use of Water Awards

Sitting less than a mile from one of the Great Lakes (Erie) it's sometimes hard to remember there are places in the world — places in this country — where water is much more scarce. There's no question our industry plays a huge role in the protecting this most precious resource.

The folks at Rain Bird understand that, too. That's why Golfdom and our sister publication Landscape Management supported Rain Bird's Intelligent Use of Water film competition earlier this year, and we plan to do the same with a new program, the Intelligent Use of Water Awards.

Rain Bird will award a total of more than $50,000 to projects that "use water efficiently, promote green spaces and are examples of sustainability." Individual projects can earn $1,500, $5,000 or $10,000. Simply put the contest is open to "anyone with a water conservation project in need of funding."

Entrants submit their projects to the contest website where the public votes on the projects it thinks are most important. As of this writing their are only six projects available to vote on, but since the contest just started, we don't think there will be so few projects to consider in the near future. You can vote on projects or submit your own here. Voting ends March 15, 2012.

According to the contest website: "Once a project is submitted it is made available for public voting, meaning anyone can anonymously cast their vote for their favorite project. All projects can be anonymously voted on by visitors (one vote a day per project, per individual user), and the projects with the most votes in each funding category will be awarded a combined $51,000 in grants to be used towards the completion of their winning project. Winners will be announced on World Water Day – March 22, 2011."

We'll do our best to check in on the contest during the next several months. So check back here periodically for updates. Let us know if you've entered the competition. We'd love to hear about the water project you think is worthy of some prize money.

Getting some serious business done

One of our sponsors just told me this is the best golf event he'd ever done... I said, "great, I need that comment on video!" And he smiled and said, "no way, I want this to be a secret!

I think the secret is about to get out!

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Rees Jones speaking at Golfdom Summit

Look for details in next month's issue of Golfdom!

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# 16

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Yep, this place is awesome

Having a blast, my caddie is awesome!

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At Pineurst # 2

Putting shame in the game... with my game.

Awesome course, crazy tough!

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Time is running out!

To nominate someone for the Herb Graffis Business Person of the Year award!

Get your last-minute submissions in here.

Hendren's Hyperbole! Episode 42 -- Buried, literally, in a bunker

I don’t know about you but for me golf is a sacred time reserved for me, my buddies and occasionally my dad when he can fit me in. It is a four to five hour vacation from normal life. No honey-do lists, no diapers to change, just a time to recharge my batteries. Golf is a time to hang out with good friends, enjoy a few cocktails and swear like a sailor.

At least that is what I thought until I discovered Sunset Hills Memorial Golf Park in Bellevue, Wash. Sunset Hills Memorial Golf Park is a cemetery that features a complete golf hole which allows committed fans of the game to be buried or placed in a permanent golf setting, the nation’s first golf-themed memorial park.

If you've been pondering nominationg someone for the Graffis award...

NOW IS THE TIME!!!

Only two days left to get your nominations in!

If you know someone who has been creative, insightful, daring, bold or just downright brilliant when it comes to getting the most out of the golf course, nominate them for the Graffis Business Person of the Year award! It's a short form to fill out. We're only accepting nominations until this Friday. Winner gets an all-expenses paid trip to the Golf Industry Show in Las Vegas as well as a feature story about them in an upcoming issue of GOLFDOM.

Nominate your candidate here: http://www.golfdom.com/awards/business-award

The benefits of turfgrass video

Great video from the folks at BASF about the benefits of turfgrass. Cool graphics, too!

Rocking the Irrigation Association show

Well, I'm not sure that I'm rocking the show, exactly, but I am here in San Diego checking out my first IA show. So far, so good.

If you're here and you want to talk golf with me, shoot me a note and we'll meet up! Text me at 785.550.2560 or direct message me (@golfdom) on Twitter. No kidnappers, please.

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See you at the Irrigation Show!

Golfdom will be on the ground in San Diego next week reporting from the Irrigation Show. Stop by and see us, we'll be at booth 1355 with our sister publication, Landscape Management.

Deadlines and Nitrozymes

Wow, I'm glad that's over. We just finished up a big Golfdom deadline. You guys are going to love our new issue, it's got a good variety. Very different than last month, when the whole issue stuck to one theme (Turf on Trial). This month, we're all over the place with Golfdom goodness.

I just got off the phone with Dick Duggan, superintendent at The Meadow at Peabody in Peabody, Mass. We were talking turf products. Dick likes using Turf Vigor from Lebanon Turf. And if you say it in Dick's Boston accent, you say it, "Turf Vig-ahhh."

He also dropped a new one on me: Nitrozyme from Growth Technology. "It's a good product, check it out," he told me. "If you don't try new things, how will you know?"

Well said, Dick, well said.

Hendren's Hyperbole! Episode 41 -- I'm on Golfdom TV!

Hey everybody, here's the video I did while in Orlando checking out the RG3 Robotic Greens mower. I'm pretty pumped with the way it turned out! Seth tells me this video will be sent out in next week's Golfdom Insider, but he was cool with me posting it here first.

And no, that's not an illusion... my shirt always does that cool 3-D wavy effect, like you're stuck in the Matrix, when you look directly at me. That's just how I roll! (Seth has asked me to stick to the solid-colored shirts in the future. Jerk.)  

Golfdom contributing editor Matt Hendren, a superintendent with the city of Kansas City, Kan., flew to Orlando to take a look at an autonomous robotic greensmower and to talk with Sean O'Brien, the superintendent utilizing them on his greens.