Sean A. Hoolehan, CGCS at Wildhorse Resort & Casino in Pendleton, Ore., and past president of GCSAA, is the recipient of the Richard W. Malpass Distinguished Service Award, given by the Oregon GCSA. Presented at the group’s annual meeting in May, the award honors Richard W. Malpass, Oregon’s first sitting president of GCSAA in 1976 and executive director of OGCSA from 1985 to 1995 before passing away in 1996. Hoolehan, a 23-year GCSAA member, was recognized for his service to GCSAA and being the second superintendent from Oregon to serve as its president.

Three GCSAA members have been selected to participate in a hands-on training program to help prepare courses for prestigious golf tournaments as part of the Toro Championship Tournament Training Program. Kevin Breuker, assistant superintendent at Traverse City (Mich.) G&CC, and Shane Griffith, student at the University of Wisconsin, joined Candice Combs, CGCS, and her crew at Torrey Pines Golf Course and assisted them in preparations for last month’s U.S. Open. Ryan DeMay, assistant superintendent at Kinsale Golf and Fitness Club, Powell, Ohio, will visit superintendent Steven Cook, CGCS, MG, and his staff at Oakland Hills CC, Bloomfield Township, Mich., to help prep the course for the PGA Championship next month. The three were selected from assistant superintendent and student entries based on past work experience and an essay about future career goals. The program is designed to expose superintendents at the beginning of their careers to a variety of cultural practices and management techniques required at courses hosting major tournaments.

Golf course architecture and management professionals gathered last month to raise funds for writer Bob Labbance, an architecture and maintenance historian with more than a dozen books to his credit who is suffering from ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s Disease. The event included golf, an auction and a buffet. Co-sponsors of the event included GCSAA, the American Society of Golf Course Architects, Golf Digest course raters, Golf Magazine course raters and the Donald Ross Society. Contributions may be sent to: Labbance Family Fund, P.O. Box 53, Bloomfield, CT 06002.

This year’s PGA Championship and Ryder Cup will require players to adhere to the performance enhancement substance policy and the prohibited substance list developed last year with members of the World Golf Foundation, the PGA of America recently announced. The PGA also announced its support of the PGA Tour’s anti-doping program and that it will adopt the prohibited substance list as a condition of competition for the PGA Championship and incorporate it into the Captain’s Agreement for the Ryder Cup. Testing facilities will be made available at each PGA Championship beginning with this year’s event at Oakland Hills Country Club and at each Ryder Cup in the U.S., beginning with matches at Valhalla Golf Club, it says.

Bayer CropScience LP, Etigra LLC, Nufarm Americas Inc. and Control Solutions Inc. have settled lawsuits regarding infringement of Bayer’s patent for the pesticide imidacloprid on fertilizer. The parties have acknowledged that Bayer’s patent is valid and enforceable. Additionally, Frick Services Inc., a party in the Control Solutions litigation, acknowledges Bayer’s patent rights. Etigra, Control Solutions and Frick Services are attempting to recall infringing imidacloprid product. Under the terms of a previous settlement agreement, Nufarm and its business partners have been granted freedom to operate under the patent for imidacloprid on fertilizer, including the ability to commercialize products incorporating the patented technology. “Research efforts from companies like Bayer CropScience are based on a foundation of respect for intellectual property rights,” said Joshua H. Weeks, head of Bayer’s professional products business. “This respect enables the significant investments needed to generate future technical innovations.”

Golf course architect Pete Dye, GCSAA’s Old Tom Morris Award winner in 2003, has been named as an inductee to the World Golf Hall of Fame in the Lifetime Achievement Category. Also a member of the Advisory Council of The Environmental Institute for Golf, Dye will be inducted into the hall on Nov. 10. Only three other members of the World Golf Hall of Fame list golf course architect as their primary occupation — Donald Ross, Alister Mackenzie and Robert Trent Jones Sr. Dye has designed more than 120 courses, several of which have hosted major championships, a Ryder Cup and PGA and LPGA Tour events.

GCSAA and its philanthropic arm, The Environmental Institute for Golf, joined seven other national organizations to support the National Recreation and Park Association’s first-ever National Summit on Environmental Stewardship for People, Parks and Public Lands held in May. The summit brought together leaders and advocates of parks, recreation, conservation and sustainable practices to address issues of environmental stewardship and advancing local leadership in sustainability. To learn more, visit www.nrpa.org/esummit.

The National Golf Foundation has been awarded a grant from the NCA Foundation of the National Club Association, which NGF says will go toward distributing its upcoming publication, “The Future of Private Golf Clubs in the U.S.,” to private club presidents, owners and managers nationwide. The report, scheduled for release this summer, provides a look at the state of private golf in the U.S. and a future outlook for the nation’s 4,400 golf clubs based on interviews with club operators, financial data provided and a survey of golfers.

Husqvarna has entered an agreement with Jenn Feng Co. to acquire its operation in outdoor products, which will give Husqvarna access to the McCulloch brand in the North American market. Husqvarna owns rights to the brand in the rest of the world. Jenn Fung makes chainsaws, trimmers, lawn mowers, high-pressure washers and generators. Bengt Andersson, president and CEO of Husqvarna, said access to the McCulloch brand will help increase sales and complement its other brands in North America.

The Industry Advisory Council, which comprises representatives of the golf course, facility and club management industries, met in April to discuss the 2009 Golf Industry Show, which will be held Feb. 5-7 in New Orleans. The group advises Golf Industry Show management on strategies for products, programs and services to members and industry partners. Discussions included the 2008 exhibitor and attendee survey, 2009 trade show floor, marketing efforts and technology.

Redexim Charterhouse recently announced its Distributor and Salesman of the Year Awards plus its Distributor Parts Department of the Year Award. G.C. Duke Equipment Ltd., Burlington, Ontario, won the Distributor of the Year, and Rocky Mountain Turf, Salt Lake City, was named the Distributor Parts Department of the Year. The company’s Distributor Salesman of the Year, recently expanded to include the top five salesmen, went to Rick Danielson, Golf Ventures West; Jason Brooker, G.C. Duke Equipment; Rick Carbonatto, Western Equipment; Jim Favreau, Turf-Links Inc.; and Dan Paar, Midwest Turf.

The Weather Channel Interactive Inc. has extended its data licensing agreement with the National Golf Foundation for three years, through 2011. NGF has supplied the golf course information featured on www.weather.com since 2003. The site provides daily golf forecasts and directory listings for golf courses in the U.S. The golf directory section will feature a “Powered by NGF” icon as part of the agreement.

As part of its celebrations for its 100th year in business, Briggs & Stratton launches its “Tell Us Your Story” contest, asking customers to share stories about using outdoor power equipment fueled by its air-cooled gasoline engines. The winning entry will receive the “Ultimate Garage Package,” which includes a lawn mower, trimmer, generator, leaf blower, lawn tractor, rear tine tiller and other Briggs & Stratton products — valued at $7,500. Entries will be judged on originality, creativity and storytelling quality; how well the entrant shows passion for the company’s products; and a specific, relevant and compelling example of how Briggs & Stratton products enriched lives. To participate, submit a written entry under 200 words and/or a photo online at www.briggsandstratton100years.com by July 31. The winner will be announced in August.

Lanie Griffin, GCSAA’s manager of career services, recently attended the 23rd Annual Career Fair and Training Conference held by Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences. As part of an effort to expand GCSAA membership and promote diversity in the golf course management field, the association exhibited at the conference, and Griffin explained degree options and student memberships and distributed career and scholarship information.

People news

Blake Garrett is the new Experience manager of The Experience at FarmLinks, a golf course site used for evaluating, testing and exhibiting products and services in the golf course industry. Garrett will connect with more than 1,200 superintendents and golf professionals who visit Pursell Farms and the FarmLinks Golf Club each year. An 11-year veteran in the golf course profession, Garrett previously worked as the superintendent at Oconee Course, one of five courses at Reynolds Plantation in Greensboro, Ga.

Adrian Mezenberg is the new manager of customer service for Agrium Advanced Technologies’ office in Brantford, Ontario, Canada. He will manage customer service, logistics and transportation. He previously worked in customer and operations support for biotech company Axela Inc.

Dow AgroSciences announces several changes to its turf and ornamental division. Raymond Miller is the new specialist for nursery and greenhouse markets. Ryan Messner and Brian Dockery have been added as sales representatives for the lawn care, nursery and golf industries. Kerry Avirett has been named national account manager, and Mark Neterer is the district sales manager for the Midwest pest management and turf and ornamental sales region. 

Watertronics Inc. announces five staff changes and additions. John Swindle, promoted to national sales and marketing manager, will oversee branding initiatives and sales for golf and landscape markets. Rick Heidvogel returns to the company as national sales manager for the landscape market. Ken Stone is the new Mid-South regional sales manager. John Van Der Cruyssen is the Atlantic regional sales manager, and Greg Salisbury has been hired for technical sales.

Golf briefs

Frontier Golf is set to finish the second of three Jack Nicklaus Signature courses this year at Cap Cana, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. The Las Iguanas Course at Cap Cana, part of a $1.5 billion residential golf project, is scheduled for opening in early 2009, and Frontier Golf says its $40 million course construction portion should be finished by this November. The course will be highlighted by four holes with features along the ocean, and the back nine will offer views of the Caribbean Sea.

Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.-based Eastpointe Country Club recently unveiled a renovated 18-hole championship private golf course. The restoration project, directed by GCSAA Class A member John Spiwak, called for all tees to be stripped, resized and laser-leveled using Tifway 419 bermudagrass, while all greens were stripped and resized with TifEagle bermudagrass. The par-72 layout’s yardage was extended so the black tees measure 7,011 yards, a 121-yard increase. New forward tees were added measuring 5,045 yards, for a total of six sets of tees on the course. The six-month project included the restoration of 52 bunkers, installation of new drainage systems and the addition of G-Angle sand. Additional changes include a new wooden bulkhead wall on the eighth green, a new wooden bridge installed to the club’s island 18th green and a newly renovated men’s locker room. Sanford Golf Design was the architect of the project.

Golf design firm Design Workshop, in conjunction with Hale Irwin, is building The Lodestone Golf Club in McHenry, Md., expected to open as early as this fall. Located on a mountain ridge and next to Wisp Ski Resort, the 18-hole course will be the signature piece of the club developed by Wisp Resort and the highest elevated course in the state. Built on more than 400 acres of land on Marsh Mountain, the course includes features such as forest, mountain streams, mossy rock outcroppings, natural water features and views of Deep Creek Lake. Designed by architect Todd Schoeder, the property also will include a residential community.

The newly constructed Venetian Bay Golf Club in New Smyrna Beach, Fla., reopened for play earlier this year. The cornerstone of a 1,800-home master-planned community developed by The Johnson Group, the par-72 course features woodlands, hollows and strategically placed bunkers and water features. Designed by George Clifton, a member of Clifton, Ezell & Clifton Golf Design Group, the golf course is complemented by a new 7,500-square-foot clubhouse, private dining areas, golf shop, locker rooms and outdoor seating with a panoramic view of the course and scenic backdrop. KemperSports is the operator of the course, beach and swim club and a forthcoming tennis complex. The GCSAA superintendent member at Venetian Bay is Scott Eberly.

Architect Brian Silva recently completed his first West Coast project, a $7.9 million refurbishment of Annandale Golf Club in Pasadena, Calif. Silva directed a massive overhaul of the private club, including the redesigning and rebuilding of all 18 greens, restoring 75 bunkers, adding 12 more bunkers, regrassing the fairways with bermudagrass, sodding 70 acres of rough with a new strain of bluegrass, adding tee complexes, building a short game practice area, installing a new irrigation system and regrading every fairway with drainage capabilities. Silva planned the restorations by consulting period photography in order to maintain certain features that were implemented by designer Billy Bell in the 1920s. Edward Kutt, CGCS, is the superintendent at Annandale GC.

Pacific Palms Resort in City of Industry, Calif., has announced an agreement with ValleyCrest Golf Course Maintenance under which ValleyCrest will provide comprehensive maintenance of the property’s golf courses, The Ike and The Babe, plus maintenance of the resort. Pacific Palms Resort recently completed a $60 million makeover that included renovating both championship courses.

Golf course architect Tom Doak has been selected to design a course in Costa Rica by Steve Case, co-owner of America Online. Doak’s Renaissance Golf Design firm will create an $800 million, 650-acre luxury resort community called Cacique, which is scheduled to open in 2010. The course will sit entirely within a steep jungle bowl of ridges and deep valleys, with the resort perched above it on one side. Doak is expected to use his minimalist golf architecture philosophy, preserving the natural landscape and features of the area. 

Business partners David Southworth and Joseph Deitch recently purchased Renaissance Golf Club on Boston’s North Shore for $9 million. Opened in 2006, the course was ranked the second best new golf development in America by Golf Inc. The purchase of the private club from Fairway Renaissance LLC was finalized earlier this year, and the Southworth team says it plans to construct a new clubhouse facility and implement other amenities and upgrades. Jerome O’Donnell is a superintendent member at Renaissance GC.

Submit “Industry news” to Darcy DeVictor, GCM associate editor.