TurfNet Podcasts

From floppy disks to smart phones | Renovation Report - Anthony Pioppi with Ken Mangum

This episode of TurfNet Renovation Report features an in-depth conversation with Ken Mangum, former director of golf courses at Atlanta Athletic Club and current vice president of strategic growth for Bladerunner Farms. The discussion covers major trends in golf course renovations driven by increased golf ball distance, forcing courses to relocate bunkers. Mangum shares his experience managing major championships and dealing with a catastrophic fungicide contamination that killed greens at multiple courses. The conversation explores innovative approaches like single-height-of-cut courses using zoysia grass, which reduces water usage and maintenance costs. Mangum discusses advanced grass breeding developments including new bentgrasses, ultradwarf Bermudas, and zoysia varieties for greens, emphasizing the importance of selecting grasses that provide year-round playability while reducing inputs. He also touches on his transition from superintendent to consultant and the evolution of golf course technology from early irrigation computers with floppy disks to modern smartphone-controlled systems.

“OK, it’s my fault” | Frankly Speaking with Tom Doak

Frank catches up with the fellow Cornellian Tom Doak, golf course architect, author, critic, etc. to explore and reflect upon a life and career in golf. Early motivations and interests combined with exposure to golf, inspired Tom to get his first byline in Golf Digest at 18 and eventually his seminal work “The Anatomy of a Golf Course”, selling better than ever as you will learn and strongly influencing golf course design and maintenance around the world, such as “wider” courses, more land, ergo, Tom laughingly says "Ok, “It’s my fault”. If you are a golf architecture enthusiast, this ones for you.

Beyond the Green | Mitch Rupert, Bloom Golf Partners

This episode of Beyond the Green features Mitch Rupert, communications manager for Bloom Golf Partners, discussing his career transition from sports journalism to the golf industry recruitment business. Rupert explains how his interviewing and people skills from journalism translated well to recruiting for golf course positions, particularly at the superintendent and management levels. He shares insights about the hiring process, common interview mistakes candidates make, and offers advice for job seekers in the turf industry. The conversation covers Bloom Golf Partners' growth from placing entry-level positions to focusing on executive searches, the challenges facing the golf industry including course closures and talent pipeline issues, and the emergence of non-traditional candidates entering the field. Rupert emphasizes the importance of preparation, mentorship and finding candidates with the right attitude and eagerness to learn, even if they lack traditional turf management backgrounds.

According to Alan . . . | Frankly Speaking with Alan Fitzgerald, CGCS, MG

Frank has a wide-ranging conversation with Alan Fitzgerald, CGCS, MG, superintendent at Rehoboth Beach Country Club along the coast of Delaware. They cover his origin story and like Richard Hayden got his start with Aiden O'Hara at Mt Juliet. Working at Pine Valley, Building LedgeRock Country Club in Mohnton, Pennsylvania, and now stewarding a 100-year-old golf course impacted by saltwater. They wrap up discussing building a team that delivers the high-quality conditions through mentoring the next generation of turf professionals.

Transforming Golf Gourse Mowing | Frankly Speaking with Eric Aston

Frank catches up with the Eric Aston, vice president of technology at Firefly Automatix based in Salt Lake City. Frank explores Eric's long interest in automation since his days at University of Utah Engineering. Development of the automated sod harvester and the early concepts and thinking behind the AMP 100” automated fairway mower. Eric and Frank cover a lot of ground concerning sensing, productivity, and adoption of this transformative technology. How the mower was initially thought to be a better fit for sports fields and sod farms, until golf got their hands on it. Now it's all golf all the time, just keeping up with demand. This is a great success story of a company driven by innovation.