On Tuesday April 21st, John Deere Golf hosted a celebration dinner for Penn State Turf Bowl Competitors, faculty, and Alumni at the Nittany Lion Inn. Alumni from Augusta National, Merion, Shelter Harbor, and Mountaintop were present. The evening kicked off with a small mixer where students and alumni met and talked turf. Before dinner, Tom Hannigan and Dave Plaster of John Deere recognized the alumni present and the success of the PSU turf teams. Three teams placed in the top ten capturing 1st, 3rd, and 9th place. After dinner, stories and memories generated laughs by all in attendance. The students presented Dr. Ben McGraw their advisor with a framed picture of the group and a card thanking him for his dedication. Many stories about the late Dr. Joe Duich were also told, demonstrating the incredible impact he had on his students. We want to extend a big thank you to John Deere for assembling a great group and evening, celebrating Penn State’s Turf Bowl success!
On Tuesday March 31, the Penn State Turf Club invited Beaver Stadium Groundskeeper Paul Curtis to come and speak at our meeting. Paul's task was to inform us on the many aspects of maintaining Beaver Stadiums football field and staff. Upholding the center piece of a football history this rich requires vigorous work, time, and dedication. After hearing what Paul had to say, it's easy to see that this is no easy task. Everywhere from mowing to making sure his staff is satisfied, there are no shortcuts to making our field safe and aesthetically pleasing. Paul also hinted that Beaver Stadium might soon be hosting events other than college football games (such as the NHL Winter Classic). Even if this is just speculation, it would be a historic task for our staff, one that Paul thinks we are ready for. As requested by Joe Paterno, Beaver Stadium has ONLY played host to college football. It could be the end of an era and a movement into a new market and the ticket to a free re-sodding! On behalf of the Turf Club, I would like to thank Paul for taking the time out of his busy schedule to come and meet with us. Thanks Paul!
Happy in Happy Valley
Scott Hebert, Brian Hogan, Jimmy Halley, Ryan Higgins, Advisor: Dr. Kevin Mathias
Kirk Bender, Sean Kelly, Morgan Robins, Thomas Goyne, Advisor: Dr. Ben McGraw
Carlota Sánchez de Ocaña, Gerry Navarre, Shawn Haverdink, Andrés González- Onieva, Advisor: Dr. Thom Nikolai
Eric Langford, Matthew Porter, Eric Sellers, Zack Olinger, Advisor: Dr. Nick Christians
Desmond Decker, Conrad Pannkuk, Ryan May, Brandon Bousema, Advisor: Dr. Nick Christians
Oscar del Real, Raul Martinez, Tyler Harvey, Luellen Swayzer, Advisor: Dr. Kelly Parkins
Cameron Rice, Jada Powlen, Matthew Dudley, Keegan Gray, Advisor: Dr. Cale Bigelow
Cody Woods, Mason Kreider, Austin Marsteller, Matthew Herrmann, Advisor: Dr. Ben McGraw
Warren Aubrey Gullette, Travis Russell, Chase Fuerst, Tyler Carr, Advisor: Dr. Doug Karcher
The Penn State Turf Club would like to thank all who donated to the club this past year. The club has received donations from the following individuals; Turf Equipment and Supply Company, Baltusrol Golf Club, Mark and Janet Kuhns, Wendell and Linda Boyd, and David Guerin of G.H Griffith Inc. The Turf Club appreciates your donation and commitment to continuing education in the turfgrass management field.
With a growing concern in the Turfgrass industry over water management and usage the Penn State Turf Club has Chosen Dr. Phillip Watson and Dawn Thilmany's article titled "Water-use efficiency in golf" for the 2011 Article of the Year. The article appeared in the June 2011 issue of GCM magazine and was chosen because of its relevance to the industry today. Turf Club members felt that it accurately presented the facts about water consumption on golf courses and gave facts to the reader rather than myths. The Penn State Turf Club would like to congratulate Dr. Phillip Watson and Dawn Thilmany on their outstanding work and look forward to more publishings in the future.
Mr. Kuhns, has been the director of grounds at Baltusrol Golf Club in Springfield , N.J., since 1999. Previously, he was golf course superintendent at Oakmont (Pa.) Country Club; Laurel Valley Golf Club in Ligonier, Pa.; and Ligonier Country Club.
He is a member of the Mountain & Valley GCSA, the Greater Pittsburgh GCSA, the GCSA of New Jersey, and is a past president of the Mountain & Valley GCSA. He is a director of the O.J. Noer Turfgrass Research Foundation and a past director of the Pennsylvania Turfgrass Council. He serves as secretary/treasurer for Pennsylvania Turfgrass Research Inc., and is a past member of the Penn State University Agronomy Advisory Council.
Mr. Kuhns’ resume includes extensive major championship experience. He has hosted the 1989 U.S. Senior Open at Laurel Valley Golf Club; the 1992 U.S. Women’s Open and the 1994 U.S. Open at Oakmont Country Club; the 2000 U.S. Men’s Amateur; the 2005 PGA Championship at Baltusrol Golf Club and will host the 2016 PGA Championship at Baltusrol.
A native of Ligonier, Pa., Mr. Kuhns graduated from Pennsylvania State University in 1977 with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural science. Please join me in welcoming Mr. Mark Kuhns.
On January 25, 2011 the Penn State Turf Club was happy to start off the New Year by bringing in guest speaker Ian Hoffmann. Ian is the superintendent from the Rolling Rock Club located in Ligonier, PA about 50 miles away from the city of Pittsburgh. The Rolling Rock Club sits on 12,000 acres of land and has many activities to choose from other than golf, such as trap shooting and game lands for the outdoorsman member. The golf course was established in 1917 and is a Donald Ross design on the front nine holes and the back nine holes were designed by Brian Silva. The course plays 6,176 yards from the championship tees with a par of 70.Ian was a 2004 graduate from the Penn State four-year Turfgrass Management program. He started his career off by being hired as the Assistant Superintendent and rose quickly to become the head Superintendent in 2008. Ian talked to the turf club about recent projects and renovations the course completed. Some of the recent projects happened in the fall of 2006 with the renovation of the front nine bunkers, and expansion of the practice area. Rolling Rock Club also put in XGD drainage in 2010. Ian also incorporated a question and answer section into his talk, which was a great success.
The first Turf Club meeting of the semester will be held on Tuesday January 25th. The meeting will take place in 101 ASI Building at 7PM. On schedule for the meeting is an introduction to the new officers, plans for future trips and fund raising efforts, election of a new Turf Club Secretary, and a guest speaker.
Speaking at the Turf Club will be Penn State Alumnus Ian Hoffman of Rolling Rock Club. Mr. Hoffman will be speaking about what it takes to be successful in this competitive job market and also hopes to generate a lot of discussion among the students.
We hope to see you there!
