Come on Frost Delays!

       I spoke with a Superintendent this morning and with a laugh he said "It's been a long year....!".
The weather this year has been as always interesting. For some odd reason the humidity has been up and down pretty drastically and has really dried things out more quickly than a usual Philly summer after a rain storm. I also have heard more talk of goose grass, bermuda and crab grass on steroids.

       With Labor Day weekend upon us and most people's aeration complete, I believe everybody is looking forward to some cooling temperatures and shorter days. For the most part it sounds like it has been a good year for the region. Rounds are up and no unsettling stories of turf loss. Now the next thing on the horizon is the Tier 4 emission standards that will have a big impact on the Turf Industry. I would urge you to educate yourself as much as you can. It is going to change things drastically.

This link would be a good place to start:

http://www.toro.com/en-us/customer-support/Pages/tier-4/Tier-4.aspx

       On the topic of aeration, the PAGCS Aeration Days at Walnut Lane Golf Club-Home of the First Tee of Greater Philadelphia was a big success! The course is healing up quickly and looks great.

If you would like to see a video about the day take a look at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVYticBMxyI

Thanks again to all the volunteers!!!!

WJC

A Job Well Done!

       The PAGCS Aeration Days at Walnut Lane GC, home to the First Tee of Greater Philadelphia, has come to a close. For all those involved, It seemed that everybody was please with the outcome.
Greens/Tees/Fairways were all aerated. Even with the thunderstorms that rolled through on the first day....it all got done!
       It was a very exciting thing to be a part of. Superintendent, Gary Hite , had a full house of volunteers. We even had enough bodies to go spread plugs in some of the low spots on the course.
All the volunteers were AWESOME! Some guys who really gave their time and also donated product were Jason Criss of Genesis, Mike Janzer of Plantfood, Brian Robinson of Turf Trade & Jeff Lacour of Davission Golf. Then you had guys like Steve Cataldo of ITM and Allen Jensen-Sellers of Davey Tree, who are not directly involved in the golf industry but were a big help to the project.
       Really it was incredible to see the time and effort and support (all the vendors donations!)that people provided. The golf business is different from other industries. Even though clubs are in competition with each other, when someone needs a hand people step up! When I was younger and working for Mr. Valentine at Merion GC during the 1989 US Amateur, we needed to sod some areas. It was an awful summer to have to grow grass and even worse to host a USGA Championship in August in Philadelphia. I will never forget going over to McCall GC (PECO) and a group of us cutting rolls and rolls of bent grass sod from their nursery. Lou Amadio (one of the true good guys in the business) said take what you need.

I want to thank the management & ownership of Turf Equipment and Supply for believing in the importance of this event and their support to make it a success!

Here are some spots to see some photos:
http://www.facebook.com/TFTGreaterPhiladelphiaWL
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Turf-Equipment-and-Supply-Company/312039156193


Thank you to all the volunteers!!!!
Jay Parisien CGCS-Bala CC
Dave Stockmal-Paxon Hollow CC
Nick Lubold-Overbrook CC
Jason Criss-Genesis
Andy Dumas-Andre & Sons
Steve Cataldo-Intergrated Turf Managment
Allen Jensen-Sellers-Davey Tree
Jeff Lacour-Davisson Golf
Brian Robinson-Turf Trade
Selvin DeLeon-Bala CC
Dan Kellen-Bala CC
Jim Nedin-Jim Nedin Consulting
Tina Du Monceau-Turf Equipment
Andy Donelson-Turf Equipment
Brian Pardoe-Turf Equipment
Scott Keener-Turf Equipment
Matt Brown-Turf Equipment
Lou Bosco-Turf Equipment
George Glock-Turf Equipment
Brian Dallas-Turf Equipment
Dave Bookhiemer-Turf Equipment
Charles-First Tee Alumni
& The good Doctor!


WJC

Is That A Light At The End Of The Tunnel?

       The down side of the season is officially here in parts of the NE of the USA! Some courses have started fall aerification this week with more on the docket for next week. So where are we? The majority of courses are having major up swings in rounds. I am hearing stories of public golf killing it. Over 240 rounds on both Saturday & Sunday and 140+ rounds during the week. These are numbers I have gotten from multiple public courses. On the private side, the talk is of how beat up my tees are....which is from the big increase of rounds too. The lack of rain & heat has made it a brutal year for the Turf Manager but the club's bottom lines are looking better. The other big positive is not one horror story of turf loss in the area. Which is a big plus in a ridiculously tough year like this one.

       Will there be a restart to the golf construction boom? NO but are things much brighter than where we were 4 years ago, YES! Some of the clubs that were on life support have come out of intensive care but are still in guarded condition. It will be interesting to see the level of reinvestment this fall. That will be a good indicator of the condition of the golf industry's true health.


PAGCS First Tee Aeration Event Update:
    We are almost set for next weeks 2 day aeration event at Walnut Lane GC. One of the coolest things was all the vendors who stepped up and supplied all the seed/topdressing/fertilizer etc...

Many thanks to:

Mike Janzer-Plantfood
Jason Criss-Genesis
Chris Friel-Pocono Turf
Mike Susshine-Helena
Mike Warner-Fertl Soil
Tim Davisson-Davisson Golf
Bob Burd-Agrium

Volunteers for lending a hand are slowly coming in and hopefully by this time next week we will be full!

WJC