In episode #303 of the EarthWorks Podcast, John Reilly, director of agronomy at The Resort at Longboat Key Club in Florida, shares how he blends data and intuition to manage firm, true greens. From GS3 insights to sand injection and soil-first thinking, this one is packed with real-world takeaways.

In this month's Rockbottum Radio, Momma, Ludell and the others come up with a plan to demonstrate how important robots will be to golf in the future.

Also, in Storytime, we include an excerpt from "The Greens of Wrath", an out-of-print book about the golf industry that has been banned, prohibited and censored.

Life as an EarthWorks Agronomist means living on the road. The early season is packed with trade shows and Soil First Academies across the country, connecting with turf managers from golf, sports turf, lawn care, and hydro-seeding.

So far, we've delivered over 30 Soil First Academies this season alone.

In this episode, Jack Higgins and Joel Simmons hit the road to Buffalo for a talk with our distributor partner, Weaver Turf. The podcast unfolds in real time, starting in the car on the way to Newark Airport, continuing through the terminal, and wrapping up late at night after a well-earned stop for Buffalo wings and a couple of Guinness.

Along the way, it's pure EarthWorks: conversations on turf, weather, microbiology, construction, and getting ready for spring. There's plenty of industry insight, a lot of laughs, and the kind of honest, unscripted energy that only comes from a long day on the road.

If you're gearing up for the season, this one's worth the ride.

The Lehigh Country Club grounds crew is a vibe. 

We always say great turf starts with the soil, but great teams start with the right attitude. A positive, friendly, and welcoming culture goes a long way, and that’s something the new golf course superintendent at Lehigh, Jim Lanza, clearly understands.

In this episode, two Lehigh guys talk shop, covering the club’s new irrigation system, aerification strategies, and early spring course setup. The setting is stunning, and if you watch on YouTube you might even catch a few flyovers from some iconic birds, including a bald eagle.

Episode 300 is here. 

Joined by John Reilly, Tom Walker, and John Chassard, our three hosts celebrate this milestone with stories that span the game, from the legacy of Old Tom Morris, to the renovation of Coeur d’Alene’s floating green, to a preview of the Jefferson Lehigh Valley Classic. 

This special episode honors the past, highlights innovation, and looks ahead to what’s next.

In this special episode of Frankly Speaking, the tables are turned as Paul MacCormack, the Mindful Superintendent and general manager of Fox Meadow Golf Club on Prince Edward Island, interviews longtime host Frank Rossi. 

The conversation explores Frank's journey in the turfgrass industry, from his early curiosity-driven nature to his career in academia and research. 

They discuss the evolution of science in turfgrass management, the importance of unlearning harmful work habits like the grind mentality, and Frank's personal experiences with vulnerability and life challenges.

This week we welcome Dr. Mike Fidanza from Penn State University, a globally recognized authority on fairy ring in turf. Our conversation digs into how this fungus establishes itself in the soil and why the traditional explanations only tell part of the story.

For years, fairy ring was blamed solely on decomposing organic matter. While that plays a role, Dr. Fidanza explains why the issue runs deeper. He challenges the idea that carbon-based fertility causes fairy ring and instead points to the complexity of the soil biome and microbial interactions.

Much of his current research focuses on how soil biology, moisture management, and drought stress influence the development and severity of the disease. He recently explored these themes in Golf Course Industry in his article, The Interactions of Plant Soil Microbes Under Drought Stress.

A key takeaway from our discussion is that fairy ring often thrives where biological processes are not fully supported. When nitrification slows and ammonium lingers, fungi can take advantage of that imbalance. Healthy biological activity helps keep nutrient cycling moving and reduces the conditions that favor disease.

This conversation reinforces what we’ve long discussed: managing turf challenges starts below the surface. Soil biology, carbon availability, and balanced nutrient cycling all play a critical role in creating resilient turf systems.

In this TurfNet Renovation Report, Anthony Pioppi interviews Donnie Beck, superintendent at Fishers Island Club, about their major irrigation system renovation. Beck, the fifth superintendent in the course's 100-year history, discusses the unique challenges of maintaining a links-style golf course located in New York — seven miles off the Connecticut coast.

This time of year never fails to inspire. The sun starts climbing higher, soil temperatures begin to wake up, and the first hints of green remind us why we love this work.

This week we’re joined by our friend Olee Poole, known by many as the Fescue Freak, to walk through the fertilizer program behind his exceptional three-acre fescue lawn outside of Charlotte. Olee relies exclusively on EarthWorks products and keeps his approach refreshingly simple. With just four core products, he feeds everything on his property, from fescue to thuja, tomatoes to blueberries.

In this episode, Olee shares his exact fertilizer schedule, why he trusts carbon-based fertility, and how a soil-first program delivers consistent performance across turf and landscape plants.

EarthWorks has been leading the conversation on Biological Soil Management for nearly 40 years, and this discussion highlights how simple, biology-driven programs can produce outstanding results.

Frank speaks with Marco Schiavon, assistant professor at UF's Fort Lauderdale Research Center, discusses water conservation in turfgrass. 

Trained in Italy, New Mexico, and California, Schiavon now researches recycled wastewater irrigation in South Florida, finding that turf intercepts most nutrients but over-irrigation causes leaching — making water management more important than fertilizer blackout periods. He's also exploring turfgrass soil microbiome, where the field lags decades behind agriculture. 

On grasses, Schiavon calls Tiftuf Bermuda a gold standard for water conservation and says St. Augustine water needs are overestimated. His top advice: Fix irrigation system efficiency first, then layer on wetting agents and PGRs.

EarthWorks has returned from a fantastic week in Orlando at the GCSAA Trade Show and Conference, and by every measure, it was a tremendous success. On Wednesday afternoon, we welcomed friends from across the industry to our booth for cocktails. The space was packed from start to finish, and venue staff told us the EarthWorks gathering was the largest event on the show floor.

Throughout the week, we spent valuable time with our distributor partners aligning goals for the year ahead while also connecting with countless turfgrass managers to answer questions, exchange ideas, and simply catch up. Those conversations remain the highlight of the show for our team. Reconnecting with longtime colleagues, some relationships spanning decades, and hearing both professional successes and personal updates is always deeply rewarding.

One noticeable trend this year was the number of new companies entering the “organic” space. To us, this signals that EarthWorks’ nearly 40-year commitment to biological soil management continues to influence the industry in meaningful ways. We repeatedly heard from clients that EarthWorks has risen to the forefront of the carbon-based fertility movement, with more companies embracing a soil-first philosophy.

As we shared stories from the week, the team also discussed opportunities to refine our approach for next year. And while there may be one notable exception, most of us are already looking forward to gathering again in New Orleans.

In this episode of the EarthWorks Podcast, Joel Simmons talks with EarthWorks chemist Lawrence Mayhew about how to use amino acids to produce better turf and Lawrence's history racing motorcycles.

Lawrence breaks down the real science behind amino acids, carbon, and microbial fertility. 

Learn how to reduce nitrogen inputs, improve nutrient availability, and build stronger turf through biology.

In this episode, Joel Simmons talks with Florida golf course superintendents Rob Uzar and Ty Robb, founders of the Turf Talk podcast.

Their show is broadcast live, which brings a unique set of challenges, from managing technology to handling unexpected guests or off-the-cuff moments. Rob and Ty embrace those challenges with quick thinking and humor, creating a loose, engaging format that makes the show as entertaining as it is informative.

Both talk about their beginnings in turf maintenance, the growth of their podcast and their efforts to give back to the golf industry.

In this episode of the TurfNet Renovation Report, host Bradley Klein sits down with veteran golf course architect Andy Staples. Their discussion focuses on the changes of contemporary golf course design to focus on playability, ease of maintenance and long-term sustainability in the face of shifts in pesticide and fertilizer use and the rising costs of and access to water.

The discussion also includes a look into the relationship between architects and superintendents, escalating renovation budgets, advances in drainage and bunker technology, and the influence of social media and modern golf media on member awareness. 

Finally, Staples discusses his involvement with the American Society of Golf Course Architects and his passion for education, collaboration and sharing real-world problem-solving with peers.

In this episode, Kevin Hicks sits down with Jared Doerfler, founder of Hanna Golf Company, to explore his path from college golfer to launching a boutique, U.S.-based CNC-milled putter brand in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Jared shares how a background in manufacturing and a turning point in his personal life pushed him to leave a corporate VP role and bet on building something of his own within the game of golf.

Jared walks through the hands-on realities of putter manufacturing, from teaching himself CNC machining to producing just six putters a day with a small team and two Haas mills. He explains why sound and feel are central to Hanna Golf’s design philosophy, how customization plays a key role in their process, and why staying focused on putters allows the company to maintain quality and intention over rapid scale.

Frank catches up with Professor Scott McElroy from Auburn University about his path to turf through the theatre, NC State, and Tennessee. Scott speaks frankly about technology from a child’s toy, Sphero, to measure smoothness and trueness of putting surfaces to now leading the turf industry considering autonomous mowing. Discussions about the big iron companies, terminology and barriers to adoption will provide insight for the average superintendent considering this technology.

We’re back at Lancaster Country Club on a sunny winter day with Josh Saunders. In this conversation, we dive deeper into agronomic planning than ever before, covering practical insights and thoughtful strategies drawn from real-world experience. There’s a lot of strong, actionable advice here from Josh.

Frank had a chance to sit down with David Pierce, president of Stellar Golf Advisors and former USGA research director, about his groundbreaking research on golf course playability and golfer experience. Pierce shares his unique journey from chemical engineering at Dow Chemical to golf research, explaining how his engineering background translated perfectly to systematic golf research methodologies. The conversation centers on Pierce's development of a playability index system that categorizes golf courses from introductory to formidable based on obstacles rather than just distance, stripping out length considerations to focus on hazards, bunkers, and course forgiveness factors.

Pierce reveals concerning data showing that roughly half of male golfers and three-quarters of female golfers regularly play courses too long for their skill level, despite knowing they're doing so. He discusses the psychology behind tee selection, the importance of appropriate challenge versus frustration, and how forced carries particularly impact golfer retention. The discussion covers practical applications for superintendents and PGA professionals, including hole location strategies, the benefits of firm playing conditions, and the critical relationship between course setup and golfer satisfaction.

Pierce emphasizes that while golf gained a million net golfers during COVID, five million still left the game, highlighting the ongoing need to improve the golf experience to retain players long-term.