TurfNet Podcasts

Jan 30

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 the Transition Zone will be facing as the climate continues to change and how breeders will collaborate nationally to address our most pressing challenges.

Jan 30

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 guide future development of the turfRad soil moisture management system. Dave talks about using ChatGPT with some of his music gear, and that leads to a broader conversation about AI and the future of resumes and job applications in the era of AI.

Jan 31

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 AMP mower.

Feb 5

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.

Mar 10

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.

May 14

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 superintendent at historic Chicago Golf Club. Finally, Bordner talks about his efforts to help solve golf turf's labor challenges by helping raise funds to offset the cost of college for potential turfgrass majors and organizing educational training events for those already working in golf.

Jul 17

In this episode of the Renovation Report presented by Capillary Flow and Golf Preservations, Richard Mandell of Richard Mandell Golf Architecture, speaks with Brad Klein about his approach to golf course design as well as the specifics about some of his most recent restoration and original design projects. Mandell, whose experience has a linear connection to Donald Ross, talks about the elements (such as color, form, scale, shape, space and texture) and principles (balance, contrast, proportion, unity and variety) of golf course design and how each is applied to specific parts of the golf course. In this discussion, Mandell goes in depth about his restoration work at drainage-plagued courses in Minnesota and Florida and how his design helps each naturally move water off the property. Finally, he discusses his plans for a new heathland-style golf course in North Carolina that will include removing and replacing all bunkers on the course with grass hollows.

Jul 17

Frank dives deep into warm and cool season turfgrass disease management with Dr. Jim Kerns Professor and Extension Specialist of Turfgrass Pathology and Department Extension Leader in Entomology and Plant Pathology at NC State University, where he also co-directs the Turfgrass Center for Environmental Research and Education. Frank and Jim discuss origins of Smith-Kerns model and then go underground for an intense discussion of Pythium root rot and the “patch” disease Take-All and Summer Patch. Jim addresses the new findings and discusses insights from molecular techniques that is enhancing control programs.