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In this episode Franks speaks with Amy Fouty, CSFM with The Motz Group as a Natural Grass Field Consultant. She was formerly at the University of Michigan and Michigan State University, but before that in the golf industry. Amy speaks with great candor and professionalism about her career path, working in very high profile situations, and dealing w…

Fred Taylor, CGCS, retired in early October, 2023, after a 43-year stint working exclusively at Mankato Golf Club in his hometown of Mankato, Minnesota. Fred followed in the "bootsteps" of Boots Fuller in 1992, becoming who would wind up as only the third superintendent at MGC in almost 100 years. Fred takes credit for all that goes wrong and give …

In this episode Vice President of Hanse Design Jim Wagner has a chat with Frank about the creative process in designing golf courses. Jim and Frank discuss how the renewed excitement for golf, climate change and a good owner are all impacting golf course architecture.โดย TurfNet RADIO

Sam Moynihan took over the reins at Detroit Golf Club this spring just 90 days prior to hosting the Rocket Mortgage Classic. Soon thereafter vandals painted two greens with Roundup as a "welcome" present. The challenge for Sam was on. A graduate of West Virginia Univiersity with a degree in agriculture, Sam kicked off his turf career with a stint a…

In this episode, RW hands out the coveted Rockbottum Major Award for the best TurfNet Forum Topic ever. Momma has a lively discussion with a government official who mistakenly believes Social Security is an "Entitlement" while helping him realize the folks north of Richmond need to improve their listening skills. Also, RW explains how to achieve po…

James Morgan was fresh out of Lake City Community College (now Florida Gateway College) and a summer/part-time stint at the Country Club of Orlando when he followed CCO superintendent Kasey Kauff to build Trinity Forest in Dallas. Morgan started as an assistant and was promoted to superintendent during his 5+ year stay at the Coore/Crenshaw layout.…

Rob Munro is finishing up his third season at Cabot Cliffs in Inverness, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, the #1 rated golf course in Canada. Rob landed there with a turf degree from Olds College in Alberta and Poa-and-bentgrass experience at Capilano Golf & Country Club on Vancouver Island, BC. This winter he will travel to New Zealand to satisfy …

Bradley S. Klein, Ph.D., talks with golf course architect Dan Hixson on his career in the Pacific Northwest. Hixson's career started as a golf pro, from competing on mini tours to attempting to qualify for the PGA Tour. With a nose for good golf course design, he studied golf course design and eventually shifted his career to that of a golf course …

Our latest All Star of Turf is Jason Haines, whom many in the industry will remember for his high profile social media presence (as @PenderSuper) that suddenly went dark several years ago. As the golf course superintendent at Pender Harbour Golf Club and later Sunshine Coast Golf Club in British Columbia, Jason developed (by necessity) a low-input,…

Lara Arias, golf course superintendent at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Rome, speaks with Frank about her career and what led to her current position. She explains in one of the five languages she speaks how she grew as a professional both in the US and then returning to Europe. Lara has worked on crews at RTJ in VA, TPC Scottsdale, Congres…

Frank is joined by his old friend, mentor, colleague and gourmet eating buddy Professor Bruce Branham from the University of Illinois- Champaign-Urbana. Bruce is a chemist by his original academic training and has conducted, been involved, and reviewed many important studies focused on understanding Nitrogen and its use in turfgrass systems. Frank …

In this episode of Rockbottum Radio, a serious discussion breaks out amidst the usual goofiness, pointing out how golf is about to enter The Fourth Turning. The Rockbottum gang attempts to prepare for the onset of anti-logic perpetrated upon golf by the Rad-Greens and other irrational, oxygen-starved attention seekers. Join us for the brilliance of…

The founder of the First Green Program, Jeff Gullickson, CGCS, golf course superintendent at Kalispel Golf and Country Club (Spokane, WA) joins Frankly Speaking to discuss how a simple idea and a love of the game of golf led to the ground breaking program, now being practiced around the world! Jeff provides some excellent insight from the formation…

Dr. Brian Schwartz joins Frankly Speaking to discuss the challenges and opportunities of Bermudagrass and Zoysiagrass breeding at the Tifton, GA Experiment Station. Frank and Brian discuss the history of the station and the giants (Drs. Burton and Hanna) he has replaced. This is an excellent primer to understanding the modern Bermudagrasses and Zoy…

Josh Lewis joins this episode of Frankly Speaking to discuss his career and the challenges and opportunities he has had from his early days at Bandon Dunes to Chambers Bay and now in Project Management as a partner in Gradoville and Hertzing Management Group. Josh reflects on his journey to becoming a golf course superintendent and the many relatio…

Anthony Pioppi chats with Jeff Sexton, CGCS, about the recently opened 10-1/2 month campus-wide renovation of Evansville (IN) Country Club. ECC brought in Beau Welling Design for the architecture and Heritage Links as the construction contractor. Sexton said the membership at ECC was patient and understanding throughout the project, and is ecstatic…

Dr. Stan Kostka joins Frank on this episode of Frankly Speaking to explore the important and timely topic of water repellent soils, the use of surfactants and the potential role of surfactants on critical soil water and rooting relationships. Stan and Frank discuss different surfactant chemistries and their potential use to mitigate localized dry s…

A long-awaited conversation with Frank and his old friend and mentor Brad Klein. Brad and Frank talk about their relationship dating back to GolfWeek's Superintendent News, caddying for Bernhard Langer, translating complicated science to golfers and a variety of opinions on golf course architecture and what it has been like to speak truth to power.…

In this episode of Frankly Speaking, Frank chats with Josh Smith, the golf course superintendent of Orinda CC in Northern CA. As usual, Frank and Josh cover a lot of ground from his early days in golf course construction and having his paintings commissioned by the likes of Weiskopf and Doak, to his current role as GC Superintendent and the foundin…

In this episode, the Rockbottum CC gang gets tangled up in AI golf, but Momma figures out how to neutralize the situation.โดย TurfNet RADIO

Frank has a conversation with Tyler Bloom about the current and future labor issues facing the golf industry. Tyler outlines the value of investing in recruiting and retaining talent at every level of your organization. As usual Frank and Tyler cover a lot of ground in a short period of time, but still have time to talk about the impact of automati…

In this episode, Willy and the gang struggle to complete the radio show while running the golf course and finally just give up and go straight to Storytime for a tale about an Alphabetic Turf Consultationist . . . who hated Rockbottum CC.โดย TurfNet RADIO

Frank had a chance to catch up with an old friend and renowned turfgrass scientist Dr. Roch Gaussoin on the eve of his recent USGA Green Section Award. Roch and Frank catch up about his storied career that led to him receiving the USGA award. The conversation eventually leads to some fascinating information about organic matter testing and developm…

Frank reconnects with Paul MacCormack, The Mindful Superintendent, to reflect on 10 years of mindfulness practice and living life in a more intentional way. Frank and Paul discuss unlearning, and letting things go as means for offering yourself permission to be present and be human. This wonderful conversation ranges from vulnerability and failure,…

In this episode, Ludell is accused of embarrassing behavior at BIGGA, Boof tries to win a women's golf tournament and RW discusses modern tournament cup-changing methods. Presented by DryJectโดย TurfNet RADIO

In this episode of the TurfNet Renovation Report, host Anthony Pioppi chats with Matthew Staffieri of MAS Golf Construction (Hopkinton, MA) about building a successful golf course construction business from scratch. Staffieri graduated from UCONN with a degree in agronomy and then worked at The Country Club for the 1999 Ryder Cup, where he became i…

So who graduates from UMass in 1971 with a BS in Plant and Soil Science, takes an assistant job at a very private/secretive 500 acre facility on the NY/CT border, gets promoted to superintendent three months later, grows in a new back nine... and then stays for 51 years? We'll tell you who: Mike Maffei, CGCS, recently retired golf course superinten…

In this episode, Frank has an in-depth conversation with Dr. Adam Thoms at Iowa State University about his research on soil management for putting surfaces, use of waste products like amino acids, and other potential biostimulants effects on golf turfgrass performance. Expect some deep dives on how amino acids and glycerin from bio-diesel can impro…

Our latest All Star of Turf is Michael Morris, CGCS, 36-year Director of Buildings and Grounds at Crystal Downs Country Club in Frankfort, Michigan. A native of Frankfort, Mike is one of the few golf course property managers who has spent his entire career at one course, in his hometown. He is also a rarity in obtaining a BA and MS in English and f…

In this episode, RW gets tangled up in AI when he tries to use Chat-GBB to write the radio show and that failure results in a spirited rant aimed at those we entrusted with getting out the water conservation message. Just as the way forward is revealed, Count Noomskool of the World Globalar Golf Forum arrives and waves huge sums of money at Momma, …

Frank has an in-depth chat with GCSAA’s Director of Government Affairs, and the smartest person in Lawrence, KS, Chava McKeel. Frank and Chava explore the new Memoradum of Understanding between the GCSAA and the EPA, what it means for members, the industry and how it could unlock opportunities for increasing recognition of the value of golf courses…

In this episode of Renovation Report, Bradley S. Klein, Ph.D., talks with former superintendent Tom Feller, general manager at Cedar Rapids Country Club in Iowa. A superintendent at Cedar Rapids for nearly 20 years, Feller discusses overseeing a Ron Prichard-led restoration of the 1915 Donald Ross classic, outlasting a half-dozen general managers b…

In this first "It's not just about growing grass" segment of TurfNet All Stars of Turf, we recognize Scott Dodson, CGCS, and John Taylor. Both career superintendents but perhaps better known as the founders of the Golf Course Hockey Challenge, an annual 2-day/4-game tournament that attracted as many as 16 teams of hockey playing superintendents, as…

Jordon Bowling found his calling into turfgrass management a little later than most, at 22 with a six-month old son to boot. His brother-in-law, Chad Kuzawa, was an NC State turf grad making the rounds of some clubs in the southeast and convinced Jordon to visit from his home in Michigan and shadow him for a couple of days. That set things in motio…

Chad Allen, finishing up his first year as golf course superintendent at the Club at Chatham Hills near Indianapolis, IN, has a unique background and training as a substance abuse and addiction counselor prior to shifting to turf management. A recent attendee of both Green Start and the Syngenta Business Institute, Chad employs a "bottom up" manage…

Dr. John Dempsey speaks with Frank in this episode of Frankly Speaking focusing on how plant defenses can be activated using certain products and what that defense activation means. Enjoy some lively Irish banter from Dr. Dempsey about his career and our usual deep-dive segment where we endeavor to understand how plants defend themselves against st…

Frank chats with regular guest Brian Whitlark, Senior Consulting Agronomist for the USGA’s West Region about getting ready for Desert Golf Season. How did the overseeding go and with more folks staying around in the summer months, how is transition been the last few years? Of course, no conversation would be complete with discussion of water use in…

Jared Viarengo of Applebrook Golf Club in Malvern, Pennsylvania, bucked a trend early in his career by also becoming general manager at the club in eastern Pennsylvania. Since then, Viarengo's role has expanded as the club's director of grounds and director of club operations. In this broadcast, Viarengo discusses how his career started in the fiel…

Frank catches up with longtime colleague Professor Jim Baird of UC-Riverside. Frank and Jim discuss a career path that led from a youthful interest in golf and course care to his current role as the lone turfgrass scientist in the UC system. Jim speaks frankly about water, overseeding, product evaluations and the Bermudagrass breeding program that …

Frank sat down recently with the Montgomery County Revenue Authorities Director of Agronomy, Jon Lobenstine to discuss his career development, experiences overseeing 9 golf courses, creating an inclusive culture, as well as robots, GPS sprayers, organic matter and even vineyard management! In typical, “Frankly Speaking-style”, these two cover a lot…

In this episode of Renovation Report, Bradley S. Klein, Ph.D., talks with superintendent-turned-consultant Josh Lewis of Gradoville-Hertzing Management Group about the state of the industry in California. Lewis, who worked as a superintendent in Washington and California, also discusses the scope and escalating cost of restoration projects in Calif…

In this episode of the TurfNet Renovation Report, former USGA Green Section agronomist and now independent consultant Dave Oatis chats with Anthony Pioppi about things clubs should consider prior to embarking on a restoration or major renovation project.โดย TurfNet RADIO

Our latest Rising Star of Turf is J. Richard Brown, newly minted golf course superintendent at Florence (SC) Country Club. Richard got the nod for the Florence job after ten years "apprenticeship" in the South Carolina golf market, starting with five years at various courses in Myrtle Beach before becoming the senior assistant at Orangeburg Country…

Signals of a changing climate are everywhere, from more intense storms to more frequent droughts. The basis of this change lies in carbon emissions and the solution potentially lies in sequestering the carbon into our soils. Grasses are perfect vehicles for this process. In this episode of Frankly Speaking, Frank Rossi speaks with Drs. Claire Phill…

Some career superintendents make their marks by hosting major tournaments or pushing the agronomic envelope, while others quietly go about their business of growing great grass while also navigating the potholes and pitfalls that invariably spring up over time. John Carlone, CGCS, has done that over 37 years as a golf course superintendent at two c…

Rockbottum Radio presents our annual Halloween broadcast, with not one, but three spooky golf stories. These stories are full of scary messages and at least one real good golf course management tip, so send out the crew, close the office door and settle in for some golf trauma as only Rockbottum CC can share.…

Frank has another in-depth conversation with a turfgrass breeder, this time Dr. Melodee Fraser, Director of Research Eastern Division for Pure Seed Testing. During the conversation In the TZ, grasses are challenged by heat, drought, excess rainfall and by default lots of foliar and root pathogens. Dr. Fraser outlines the process and lets all us ins…

In this episode of the TurfNet Renovation Report, Anthony Pioppi chats with Michael Osley, CGCS, about his relocation from a 20-year stint in Colorado to take over the resurrection of St. Joseph Bay Golf Club in the crook of the Florida Panhandle. Challenges abounded, including significant course damage and losing his family's home to Hurricane Mic…

Sean Tully of the Meadow Club in Fairfax, California, has made a name for himself as a fan and ultimately an expert on classic-era golf course architecture, particularly Alister MacKenzie designs. The Meadow Club, where Tully is director of grounds maintenance, is in fact the first course in North America designed by MacKenzie and one of several in…

In this episode of Me Maintenance, Peter McCormick chats with Zach Bauer, golf course superintendent at the Valley Country Club in Centennial, Colorado, just southeast of Denver. Zach had gone into this year on the heels of myriad construction/renovation projects (both golf course and clubhouse) with depleted groundwater, very dry soils and dessica…