The EarthWorks Podcast

If you don’t know him, please meet Mr. John Reilly of Longboat Key Club in Sarasota Florida. John shares how he successfully battled the sodium war at his club on light sandy soils. John is a student of matrices and looks at many different data points to help him make agronomic decisions on a daily basis. He talks about a complete transition to paspalum grasses on his course. A great conversation!

Listen to the a recap of the 2021NFL season from the perspective of Sean Kauffman, Director of Stadium Field Management,The Baltimore Ravens. This talk gets into all of it: the use of technology, transitioning from warm season to cool season, and even pre-germinated seed. When you host a full year of high pressure events you have to get creative. Sean didn’t hold back and we have a great conversat...

I had the honor to interview Mr. Ron Read, former official of the USGA. His final 24 years were spent announcing players on the first tee of many USGA championships, including the US Open. Ron and I first met when I was the superintendent at Desert Forest GC in AZ almost 30 years ago. We discuss golf history, championship golf, conditioning and environmental issues facing golf. Ron has always been...

Bob Ranum, Superintendent (retired) of Atlantic Golf Club talks about the best place in the world for golf, the east end of Long Island New York. Bob shared many of the tricks he used to be a successful superintendent and last in the business for over 40 years. Now in retirement he stays busy working for Golf Magazine rating the top 100 courses. Lots of laughs, as always, with Bob.

Randy Booker joins us again for a recap on a recent intensive program on Regenerative Agriculture. Listen to how he plans to apply what he’s learned at Otter Creek GC. Our first podcast with Randy has remained one of our most popular because he’s been willing to look at how we grow turf in a completely different light. We cover the definition of good compost, how to reduce inputs through fostering...

Carl Samuelson is one of the most innovative parks directors in the country. Managing the city parks of Newtown, Connecticut is not without its challenges. Carl talks about those challenges and how he started by focusing on one of the most visible sites in town. He proved that with a little effort all fields could be in championship conditions. He also shares a story of how he took a pile of road...

This podcast dives headfirst into the Energy and Infrastructure Sector. Solar farms are a growing source of electricity on the USA power grid, and we, the Turf and Ornamental Industry, are playing a big part! Our guest Joe Belmonte reveals how the T&O Industry is rewriting the standard protocol for vegetation establishment on very large scale construction projects. https://www.earthworksturf.com/h...

Tony Leonard, the Director of Grounds for the Philadelphia Eagles, has one of the best stories in the NFL. His twenty plus years as a grounds manager started by managing dirt fields on the stadium parking lot, maybe the WORST practice facility in the NFL. In the 2000 he moved to what is one the very BEST practice facilities in all of football. Today he manages grass fields in both his practice fac...

Mistakes made, lessons learned, and a chance at a golf course start up…for the second time. Join us this week as we talk with Ben Wilmarth, Superintendent at the Osprey Meadows GC At Tamarack Resort. He had the opportunity to re-start the venerable Robert Trent Jones II course built in the early 2000’s and then shuttered in 2016 due to bankruptcy. We also discuss many of the common mistakes turf m...

Since the beginning of the pandemic, Monday mornings at EarthWorks have been a geek session for our agronomy team. After discussing business issues, we spend another hour learning. Lawrence Mayhew, our chemist and internationally recognized humic substance expert, joins us and we talk “dirt”. After 30 plus years in the business if learning wasn’t still our first priority and passion, we would have...

Welcome Pete Bachman! On this edition of the EarthWorks podcast Pete chats with Jack about the importance of perseverance, networking, and everyday hard work. Join them as they reminisce about their time together in college and what it was like to be part of Penn State’s Spanish for Agriculture minor during its inaugural year.

This week Dave Wilbur joins us to talk about construction and renovation. What are the pitfalls to avoid? What are non-negotiable steps during the planning and execution stages that will yield the best results? Tune in for this and much more. There’s a nugget or two in this podcast, whether you’re planning a project or not. Thanks for tuning in and subscribing on YouTube and wherever you get your...

The second go around with Armen is as good as the first. Armen shares his thoughts on sand greens mixes. We talk about what is good and what could be better with a sand construction mix. Once again the conversation with Armen is lively, funny and worth listening to.

Fertilizer prices have been on the rise for a year and are showing no signs of slowing down. We interview Mark Nuzum, a long-time business partner and expert in the fertilizer market, to discuss where the prices are today and where they might be for the next couple of years. Carbon based fertilizers are not rising at the same rate and this may be a great opportunity to discover the long term cost...

Join us for a visit with Patrick “Irish” Coakley live from the Myrtle Beach STMA Conference and Trade Show. Patrick tells the funny story of where the name “Irish” came from and we go through his career managing sports turf. Irish has been involved in Minor League Baseball for his entire career, and we have a healthy discussion about the state of where Minor League Baseball is today.

Keith Wood, Director of Greens & Grounds at Quail Hollow Club is no stranger to hosting tournaments. This year their tradition tournament, the Wells Fargo, will move north and instead Quail Hollow will be getting ready for a new venue for the fall 2022 Presidents Cup. Keith also talks to us about his career, lessons learned, and the construction work done at Quail Hollow to prepare for the 2017 PG...

Greenkeeping runs deep for Jason Pierce, and it better because he’s got a lot to manage! Forty-five golf holes at Golden Horseshoe Golf Club in Williamsburg, VA plus a role as Mid-Atlantic Regional Agronomist for Kemper Sports. Jason puts a lot of effort into staying organized and efficient probably because he learned how to green keep during a time when you were forced to make more with less. Thi...

Chuck Barber, Superintendent at St. Charles (no relation) CC in St. Charles, Illinois is our guest on the EarthWorks podcast this week. Of course we "talk turf", and also included some personal interest topics: Chuck’s recent health campaign, taking risks, raising kids and the work/life balance. Chuck discusses positivity and how leaders in the industry, like Dave Wilber, have influenced all of us...

This is a great talk about working for a municipal golf course. These golf courses have some unique challenges in providing excellent golfing conditions at an accessible price. It’s also a nice chat between friends that have supported each other’s career - and that’s what it’s really all about! Enjoy!

Allen Reed has an awesome perspective of the full evolution of the sprawling FC Dallas complex. He started as Field Manager 16 years ago, just weeks after construction of the stadium field began. Allen keenly recalls great details from his time at FC Dallas and shares entertaining stories of his introduction into the world of turf. Enjoy this interesting talk from a renowned Major League Soccer Fi...

This week we highlight the three most popular EarthWorks Podcasts to date featuring: Recruiting Consultant Armen Suny, Superintendent at Winged Foot Golf Club Steve Rabideau, and our friend and independent consultant Dave Wilber.

Zach Bauer of Valley Country Club in Colorado is one of the up and coming superintendents in the west. Zach and Kevin discuss a wide range of topics including: construction projects he’s overseeing, staffing and retention ideas that have worked in a very tight job market, and of course hobbies he enjoys to get his mind off of work. Zach’s passion for the industry is very apparent and he offers man...

Pat Jones is one of the most recognized names in the golf course industry and has been a passionate advocate for superintendents for over 30 years. He spent most of his career as a writer, editor and public speaker working for many major turf publications. He started his career in public relations and fund raising with the GCSAA. He may be best known for his research and tracking of the state of t...

Greg D’Antonio has 25 years of golf course experience,10 years as a head superintendent at a classic Pennsylvania country club, and he’s not even 40! After reminiscing about his early days on the golf course he quickly gets into the meat of the talk! Greg is near the conclusion of his 10 year master plan that has rebuilt Concord Country Club. Learn how he has accomplished this with limited outside...

Kevin Hauschel is a former golf course superintendent who got interested in drone technology while at the Meadow Club in Marin Country California. He has taken that interest to his position as West Coast Sales for Greensight a company that provides drone technology to turf managers. This technology is providing a tremendous return on investment by allowing the turf manager to see from above areas...