Divot Mix

"The player who is going to win the most often is not the one with superior in strength of distance, but the one who can make the fewest mistakes and keep out of as much trouble as possible, but when once in trouble can cope with any situation." --Alexa Stirling, U.S. Women's amateur Champion, 1916, '19 and '20 and Georgia contemporary of Bobby Jones.

Deere Gear goes Hollywood

It's only appropriate that on the 200th anniversary of John Deere's birth, caps bearing the logo of the company he started have gone Hollywood.

According to reports on the growing phenomenon of the classic John Deere cap showing up on famous heads like Ashton Kutcher's during his MTV show Punk'd , or Kid Rock for his appearance on the cover of Men's Journal , the venerable John Deere cap is turning into a major trend.

One John Deere dealer has even promoted Deere Gear as "The Best in Urban Streetwear" on its Web site.

Now the company better known for its agricultural, landscape and turf equipment has signed a marketing agreement with designer Paul Frank.

Starting this fall Frank will "interpret" John Deere apparel, with the results of the collaboration making a debut at the MAGIC Marketplace tradeshow in February 2005 at the Las Vegas convention center. The introduction will be highlighted by Frank himself signing autographs from atop a John Deere utility tractor, parked on a neatly manicured lawn and surrounded by a white picket fence.

The one-year agreement with Deere & Co., calls for Paul Frank Industries to produce clothing and accessories bearing the official John Deere logo. The collaboration includes product offerings such as pajamas, swimwear, outerwear, vinyl accessories, eyewear, and even sportswear for men and women. Prices will range from $30 up to $110.00 for a limited edition women's vinyl handbag.

"Don't look for traditional licensed products to come from Paul's head, it's not gonna happen. Instead expect to find things you wouldn't normally associate with John Deere," says Ryan Heuser, president and co-founder of Paul Frank Industries.

Frank is apparently disenchanted with products on the market today that are slick and lacking in detail. Which, the company says makes for a perfect collaboration between two companies that may seem mismatched on the surface – an industrial and farming institution firmly entrenched in its market, and a young upstart design house still bucking the system.

For insight into the future of John Deere apparel visit http://www.paulfrank.com.

It's April, and Brood X is coming!

No, not Generation X, they've been around for some time. This is Brood X of the 17-year periodical cicada, and according to experts on the matter, it's going to be one of the biggest emergences of insects ever seen. In fact, among the 17-year broods numbered I through XVII, it's called the "great eastern brood."

The millions of cicadas, having spent the last 17 years underground sucking nourishment from tree roots, is already beginning to head for the surface. Whether or not this will have any effect on golf courses remains to be seen.

In an article by David Sands in the current edition of Washington Golf Monthly Stanton Gill, a Maryland extension specialist and professor in the landscape technology program at Montgomery University, says there isn't much that can be done, nor is there any real reason to worry.

Gill said several Maryland golf course superintendents had contacted him in March about the cicadas, who were already burrowing up toward the surface. Skunks and raccoons, hungry after the winter, dig for the cicadas which offer an abundant source of protein.

"I tell the course superintendents that there is really not much they can do about it unless they want to try trapping the skunks. And that gives you a bigger headache than the cicadas are likely to cause," Gill said.

He also suggested they might be attracted to power equipment. Apparently the females can mistake the engine for a singing male.

According to the University of Indiana Brood X represents a great opportunity to study the periodic cicada, but probably isn't much of a threat to trees or turf.

IU Bloomington biologist Keith Clay who recently received a three-year, $300,000 National Science Foundation grant to study Brood X said, "The cicadas don't harm evergreen trees or leafy, non-woody plants. But isolated shrubs, broad-leafed trees, and trees with soft, woody branches are vulnerable. People who have just spent thousands of dollars on landscaping may want to consider throwing netting over the trees during the two-to-three-week period when the adult cicadas are out."

For more on the periodic cicada, visit Penn State's Entomological Notes.

New NOAA computers improve access to environmental data

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has a new computer system that it says is a critical first step in giving users faster, easier access to America's environmental data.

Last month, two NOAA sites began using the Comprehensive Large Array-data Stewardship System (CLASS), which provides researchers and policy-makers access to NOAA environmental data and products, obtained either from spacecraft or ground-based observations.

CLASS requires a minimum of two sites, physically separated from each other, with full data processing capabilities, to meet security requirements for disaster backup and restoring data. The two sites – the National Climatic Data Center in Asheville, N.C., and the Office of Satellite Data Processing and Distribution in Suitland, Md.--are using CLASS simultaneously. Officials pointed to the benefits of a two-site configuration:

• The sites are active continuously and share the processing load.
• The sites can search the same data catalog, since they are both synchronized.
• If there is a system failure, either site is able to run 100 percent of the processing load.

“This is an initial – but significant – step in developing CLASS, which represents NOAA's commitment to providing a system where researchers and policy-makers can easily access this data for the benefit of the nation,” said Gregory W. Withee, assistant administrator of the Satellites and Information Service.

“As NOAA advances the CLASS system,” he added, “it will provide greater access to much of our environmental data, which is essential to minimizing environmental risk and maximizing environmental opportunities through effective planning and operations.” Contact http://www.noaa.gov/ .

History of Walton Heath GC wins USGA Book Award

The USGA has given its 2003 International Book Award to "Heather and Heaven," a centennial history of Walton Heath Golf Club in England.

The book was written by Phil Pilley, a former Fleet Street journalist and TV producer, who previously won the award in 1989 for "Golfing Art."  Through numerous essays and sidebars, "Heather and Heaven" documents the club's colorful history, which is supplemented with photographs, engravings, cartoons, drawings and charts. 

Established in 1987, the award is the top literary prize awarded by the USGA museum and archives and recognizes outstanding contributions to golf literature and attempts to broaden public interest in the sport.

"We are delighted that Phil Pilley has, for the second time, won the USGA's prestigious International Book Award," said Philip Truett, the Walton Heath's archivist.  "In recording the history of Walton Heath's first 100 years, we aimed to set a new standard for club histories."