A Visit to Chambers Bay.....

Recently, while on a trip to Seattle for some speaking engagements, I had the pleasure to tour Chambers Bay. Chambers was the site of the 2015 US Open and is a stunning layout designed by Robert Trent Jones II. Eric Johnson is the Director of Agronomy at Chambers and gave Doug Soldat, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin and I the complete tour of this wonderful facility. I have visited many golf courses through the years and Chambers has to be one of the coolest properties I have ever stepped foot on. A special thanks to Eric for his time and the great "agronomy talk" along the way. Take a look at these photos and I think you will agree, this place is special!

"The Lone Fir" is definitely special.

Another "Lone Fir" shot.

An example of the dramatic bunkering at Chambers.

We beat the rain by a few minutes, but it did make for some great views.

How about that pot bunker?

There was some great "agronomic talk" between Eric Johnson, left, Dr. Doug Soldat, right and myself.

Big thanks to Eric Johnson, Director of Agronomy, Chambers Bay.

TurfNet "Tips and Tricks" Video...

Recently, while in the Seattle/Tacoma area, I had the opportunity to visit with Joel Kachmarek, Golf Course Superintendent at Tacoma Country and Golf Club in Lakewood, Washington. Joel is a very smart and progressive superintendent full of great ideas. One of those ideas, is the use of ski racks to attach watering hoses for easy dragging behind a vehicle. So good in fact, and despite some Seattle weather, I produced a TurfNet.com video for their "Tips and Tricks". Take a look...

TO VIEW CLICK here 

Snowpack.....You Just Never Know?

The latest snow-water equivalency graphs show that you just never know in Colorado. Vail Mountain SWE is down to just 15% of normal, while just on the other side of the hill, Copper Mountain is sitting at 116% of normal. This is vey unusual considering the proximity of these two areas. Hopefully the recent snowfall will help everyone add to these figures, before more runoff resumes.

TOCA Awards

Recently I received an award from the Turf and Ornamental Communications Association (TOCA) at their annual conference in Tampa Bay, Florida. The award recognized my video work at the 2016 Ryder Cup at Hazeltine National Golf Club as part of the TurfNet.com team. I must say, I'm certainly honored to win this award and to be part of the TurfNet team. I would like to thank our Toro distributor, L.L. Johnson in Denver, Colorado, Club Car Corporation, and TurfNet.com for their sponsorship. Also, a special thanks to Hazeltine NGC superintendent, Chris Tritabaugh and his entire staff for be such gracious hosts! You can read the entire article here

Milorganite and Spring Green-up...

Each spring I'm always amazed at the spring green up results from using Milorganite as a late-fall fertilization application. I used Milorganite for over 30+ years during my superintendent career and its always was one of the top fertilizers in my arsenal. Although a natural organic, research has shown that approximately 15-20% of the nitrogen applied in the fall is mineralized and available to the plant at the onset of growth in the spring. That nitrogen availability along with the iron content just makes for great results in the spring. Below are some photos highlighting the spring "green up" and some research clips on the nitrogen mineralization.

Research dating back to the early 1970's by Dr. Richard Skogley,
at the University of Rhode Island.

Research by Dr. Wayne Kussow, University of Wisconsin.

TurfNetTV - Latest Video is Live

My latest video for TurfNetTV is live on TurfNet.com. In this latest video, "Ross and Rossi" I chat with Frank Rossi. He and I do a little ranting together on spring conditions and what to expect going forward in 2017. I alway enjoy a little ranting with Frank and this video is no different. Enjoy!

To view click here