TurfNet Podcasts

Frank chats with Chris Haspell, founder and president of Chris Haspell and Associates. Based in the UK, Chris specializes in golf course and sports turf consulting focused on end-to-end project management, construction and shaping services, grassing and grow-in expertise working with some of the biggest names in golf course architecture. Chris was involved in the 1990s with the Danish Golf Union a...

In this episode of the Renovation Report presented by Capillary Flow and Golf Preservations, Justin Mandon, superintendent at Pasatiempo Golf Club in Santa Cruz, California, discusses a 2023-24 restoration of greens and bunkers focused on recapturing as closely as possible Alister Mackenzie's original intent when he designed the course on the north side of Monterey Bay in 1929. Mandon talks about...

Scott Bordner, director of agronomy at the Union League of Philadelphia, discusses the organization's roots as a patriotic entity founded to support President Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War, and its transformation to a three-course club. He also talks about the trajectory of his career that includes working as an assistant under Matt Shaffer at Merion Golf Club and a long tenure as superinte...

In Round 14 of Wilber & McCormick, Tag Team Unscripted, Dave relates his progress (and challenges) with getting used to a new knee. Peter finally had occasion to get on an airplane for a family wedding, and enjoyed the niceties of sitting up front in the "fat seats". After comparing notes on (in Peter’s case, not watching) The Masters, the guys dig into some new turf technology in the form of...

In this episode of Rockbottum Radio, Willy is forced to wear a Mindfulness Monitoring Device if he wants to retain his life insurance. After exposure to several thousand watts of Mindfulness, Willy delivers a solution to the Resort Workforce Dilemma, a problem that continues to agitate Golf Course Superintendents. In Storytime, Willy tells the tale that reveals why he became so goofy.

Frank got a chance to catch up with Andy Magnasco, Director of Golf Course Maintenance and Grounds at Carmel Valley Ranch in Carmel Valley, CA about his career development and how he arrived in his current role - a second stint at the Ranch. We discussed the many and varied projects from Bentgrass putting surfaces on the golf course to fire prevention for land management and yoga platforms that en...

Josh Smith took an unconventional route to Orinda Country Club in Orinda, California, where he has been superintendent for the past decade. A competitive golfer at St. Mary's College in Moraga, California, the Oregon native worked as an aspiring golf course architect before finally getting into golf course maintenance. It was while working at the California Golf Club of San Francisco when he atten...

In Round #13 of Wilber and McCormick Unscripted, the conversation delves into personal growth and health challenges, including an upcoming knee replacement surgery for Dave and "third time's the charm" for Peter's journey into ketamine-assisted psychotherapy. The conversation segues into synchronicities of connection with friends, and music as a source of joy, community and hope. Peter's surprise...

Carlton Henry was well prepared when he earned his first head superintendent position three years ago at Dedham Country and Polo Club just outside Boston. A native of New York, Henry first prepped at golf courses in his home state, home to the nation’s strictest pesticide regulations. A graduate of the Rutgers turf program, he eventually spent several years working for another Rutgers product, Joh...

In this episode of the Renovation Report, golf course architect Tyler Rae of Tyler Rae Design talks about his route into architecture that began with years of experience working on a golf course maintenance crew. The discussion proceeds to include starting a design firm in the midst of a recession with no work on the horizon, and how he built a career on a well-rounded architect who knows his way...

Justin Sims, CGCS, has been director of grounds and facilities at The Alotian Club in Roland, Arkansas for 13 years. He prepped for a position as a head superintendent at some of the country's premier facilities, including The Olympic Club in San Francisco under Pat Finlen and Augusta National Golf Club under Marsh Benson and Brad Owen. While he climbed the career ladder, he learned the value of w...

Our guest this episode is Chris Hyman, the Equipment Manager at Cobblestone Creek Country Club in Victor, NY about 15 miles southeast of Rochester. Chris is a longtime member of the turfgrass industry working in agronomics, sales, service/support, and now equipment manager - wrenching! He’s worked with many of the colors of iron we find in golf and sports turf and is currently a EMCP Level 2 in th...

Anthony Pioppi chats with Tom Mcavoy, CGCS, about the upcoming 27-hole Brian Silva renovation of Old Westbury Golf & Country Club in Old Westbury, NY.

TurfGeeks and TechnoNerds gather round as Dave and Peter chat with Derek Houtz, co-founder and CEO of TerraRad Tech, mother ship of turfRad, the turf soil moisture sensing and mapping application and sponsor of this podcast. Derek walks us through his education at Colorado State/Boulder in aerospace engineering to how he wound up in Zurich, Switzerland working on remote sensing applications on gla...

In this episode of Rockbottum Radio, we offer our top two secrets for protecting time off. Also, a brilliant Chuck Barber quote supporting our position is ripped from the TurfNet Forum and tossed about with little concern for any digital collateral damage.

Frank gets a chance to catch up with Dr. Michael Bekken, a research scientist at Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research (NIBIO) conducting research on sustainable resource management with particular emphasis on turfgrass management. Michael and Frank discuss third party environmental review programs such as Audubon, GEO, E-Par and gathering data from the golf industry on detailed energy, ferti...

Frank wraps up the 11th season of Frankly Speaking with Finger Lakes native Russ Myers, Director of Agronomics for Hanse Golf Course Design. Russ’s illustrious career has humble beginnings as a coach’s son attending SUNY Cobleskill before moving onto Augusta National, Card Sound, LA CC and two stints at Southern Hills. This is one of the most candid conversations ever on Frankly Speaking, describi...

In this 11th round of Wilber and McCormick Unscripted, Dave and Peter reflect on their last podcast with the folks from Firefly Automatix. Dave recounts his overall positive experience at the recent GCSAA CTS in San Diego, commenting that it was a generally happy crowd of attendees. They also touch on the rapid advancements in the industry displayed at the show, including new autonomous mowers, re...

In this episode of Rockbottum Radio, Willy and the gang attend mandatory Anger Management training. Then, in a special Storytime segment, Willy tells the rarely told tale of the time a golf course crew was forcibly recruited into fighting a wildfire threatening the course.

In this special Tag Team event, Peter and Dave check in with the brain trust at FireFly Automatix, manufacturers of the AMP L-100 autonomous fairway mower first seen at the Black Desert Championship PGA event in October. Steve Aposhian, co-founder and CTO, and Mark LeBlanc, lead designer of the AMP mower, provide some fascinating insight into the company history and design and development of the A...

It's been a few weeks since the last episode, but life has a habit of intervening and sometimes throwing a monkey wrench into the works. Peter and Dave offer some health updates and an introduction to Kobe, Peter's new dog recently rehomed from Georgia. Topics include Paul MacCormack's current Mindful Superintendent Leadership series and a new turfRad Advisory Guild that Dave has formed to help gu...

Frank speaks with Dr. Susana Milla-Lewis, Professor of Turfgrass Breeding & Genetics at North Carolina State University about her career progression from Peanuts and Tobacco to Turfgrass breeding. Dr. Milla-Lewis discusses how her study of these other crops has informed her process to produce improved turfgrass varieties through the “breeding pipeline”. She elaborates on the challenges that th...

In this episode of the Renovation Report, sponsored by Golf Preservations, Chad Goetz, senior design associate with Nicklaus Design, talks with John Reitman about a recent restoration of the Cochise Course at Desert Mountain in Scottsdale, Arizona. Goetz talks about the history of this Nicklaus Signature Course that was the original site of The Tradition on the PGA Champions Tour, and the thought...