In this EarthWorks podcast, we talk to Sean Reehoorn, golf course superintendent at Aldarra GC in Sammamish, Washington. The discussion ranges from agronomic challenges in his area, to his philosophy on building a team, to separating his work life from his family life.

Sean is one of the younger superintendents that has struck a balance between delivering high quality results without sacrificing time with his young family. We also brought back the lightning round at the end.

A shot-by-shot perspective is important while making golf course improvements. Josh Saunders, Director of Grounds at Lancaster Country Club in Lancaster, PA, elaborates on that focus and discusses the construction that has been realized at LCC while preparing for the 2024 U.S. Women’s Open.

Check out Josh’s videos and drone content on Twitter @LCCgrounds1900.

The industry has fallen in love with carbon! We’ve been talking about it since 1988, long before it was cool, and finally the industry is embracing the carbon conversation. But what is carbon and why do we want it in our program? What kinds of carbon should we be looking for?

Lawrence Mayhew helps us understand the use, and real value, of carbon in our fertility programs. This is the quintessential carbon discussion and one that will help any grass grower navigate the new “carbon” marketplace.

Kyle Hillegass gets right into the specifics of executing the rapid changes taking place at Knickerbocker CC.

He describes the work being completed with GCA Jaeger Kovich and discusses the specifics of his thatch management program. You can also catch Kyle talking about the noticeable reduction in fairway worm casts from his consistent Sea3 applications!

Joel Simmons chats with Sheree Scarbrough and Dr. Wendy Zellner about silicon: what it's is all about, how misunderstood it is in the industry, and its many benefits to turf and ornamental plant material.

One of silicon’s great benefits is its ability to manage and hold water in the plant. This may prove to be one of the most significant benefits of mobilizing silicon from the soil into our plant material. Enjoy this fun and very informative conversation.

The EarthWorks Podcast has reached a milestone – 100 episodes! The 100th version of the EW Podcast features two of our most popular guests over the past two years Armen Suny and Dave Wilber. We talk to them about the state of the industry and as always end up with some very funny stories and a great conversation. We want to take this time to say thank you to all who have joined us as guests and to all who have listened making the EarthWorks Podcast one of the most successful in the turf industry.

Spring sports are great, but in the northeast the risk every year is very cold weather. CJ Buck, Head Sportsturf Manager for the Philadelphia Union discusses a memorable early spring match from the 2022 season. The field was frosty but ready, and as it turns out, the preparation and strong agronomic program that CJ and the team had in place helped recover the frost damage they endured.

On this week’s podcast, we invited Hector Velazquez to discuss his time in the golf industry as an ambassador for the equipment technicians. Kevin and Hector discuss his establishment of a homeschool program devoted to providing hands-on learning for kids and parents, technology trends in the turf industry, GPS and 3D printing, and how and where to recruit good technicians.

We also talked about what the Superintendent and Asst. Superintendent’s role is in the relationship with the equipment technician. Hector’s view of the industry is from a different angle, but no less passionate. We hope you enjoy the conversation and pick up a few new ideas.

A fun and informative conversation with Logan Freeman, Golf Course Superintendent at Mountain Branch Golf Club, north of Baltimore, Maryland. He is in the heart of the Mid Atlantic - one of the toughest places to grow turfgrass. Logan is working with a very limited budget for a course that runs over 30,000 rounds of golf in an area known for tough summer conditions. After years of struggling, he discovered what Biological Soil Management and carbon-based fertility can do for him. He talks about how his program has allowed him to reduce inputs and spend more time with his family.

On this week’s EarthWorks podcast, Kevin Hicks talks with Marcus Harness, Golf Course Superintendent at Sand Point CC in Seattle, WA.

Kevin asks Marcus about how he mapped out his career path, for tips on interviewing for a job you really want to land, about his experience arriving at a new job and starting a major course renovation a month later, and for his thoughts on building a winning team.

Kurtis Wolford, Golf Course Superintendent at Woodbridge CC in Woodbridge, CA joins us to discuss the path he took that brought him to the golf industry. Kurtis shares his feelings on industry service and how his experience as three-time interim General Manager has made him a better time manager and superintendent. We discuss the importance, and value, of BMPs and how Kurtis was able to use that at his club. We touch on renovation and tree work at Woodbridge and of course his woodworking hobby - a passion that we both share.

Ross Miller, CGCS is the golf course superintendent at Country Club of Detroit in Grosse Pointe Farms, MI. He joins Chad Kuzawa to discuss his career, the importance of a positive work culture, and the value in having and being a mentor. Ross embodies professionalism and you won’t want to miss his insight into making things work during a time of labor difficulties, and the generational differences between club leaders and new hourly staff.

If you don’t know him, meet John Reilly of Longboat Key Club in Sarasota, Florida. John shares how he successfully battled the sodium war at his club on light sandy soils. John is a student of matrices and looks at many different data points to help him make agronomic decisions on a daily basis. He talks about a complete transition to paspalum grasses on his course. A great conversation!

Listen to the a recap of the 2021 NFL season from the perspective of Sean Kauffman, Director of Stadium Field Management for the Baltimore Ravens.

This talk gets into all of it: the use of technology, transitioning from warm season to cool season, and even pre-germinated seed. When you host a full year of high pressure events you have to get creative. Sean didn’t hold back in this conversation with Jack Higgins.

Kevin Hicks chats with Ron Read, former official of the USGA, who spent 24 years announcing players on the first tee of many USGA championships, including the US Open.

Ron and Kevin first met when Kevin was the superintendent at Desert Forest GC in AZ almost 30 years ago. They discuss golf history, championship golf, conditioning and environmental issues facing golf. Ron has always been a fan of the contributions golf course superintendents give to the game. 

They start with a short intro about the history of Ron’s time as a starter for USGA Championships. Then they discuss his book, Starting the US Open, that is bound to bring back memories for many of you who have been around the game for a long time. We hope you enjoy the conversation.

Bob Ranum, superintendent (retired) of Atlantic Golf Club in Bridgehampton, NY, talks with Joel Simmons about the best place in the world for golf: the east end of Long Island, New York.

Bob shared many of the tricks he used to be a successful superintendent and survive in the business for over 40 years.

Now in retirement he stays busy working for Golf Magazine rating the top 100 courses. Lots of laughs, as always, with Bob.

Randy Booker joins us again for a recap on a recent intensive program on Regenerative Agriculture. Listen to how he plans to apply what he’s learned at Otter Creek Golf Club in Ontario.

Our first podcast with Randy has remained one of our most popular because he’s been willing to look at how we grow turf in a completely different light. We cover the definition of good compost, how to reduce inputs through fostering healthy biology in the soils, and many other topics.

Tony Leonard, the Director of Grounds for the Philadelphia Eagles, has one of the best stories in the NFL. His twenty plus years as a grounds manager started by managing dirt fields on the stadium parking lot, maybe the WORST practice facility in the NFL. In the 2000 he moved to what is one the very BEST practice facilities in all of football.

Today he manages grass fields in both his practice facility and at the Linc, the stadium field. A great conversation with a friend of many years (and a long-time TurfNet member to boot) about football, sports turf management and of course there are always a few funny stories.