In this episode of the TurfNet Renovation Report, host Anthony Pioppi chats with Dane Wilson, golf course superintendent at Wakonda Club in Des Moines, IA, about the ongoing restoration of the 1922 Langford & Moreau design.

Tyler Rae is the golf course architect spearheading the restoration project. Construction by Wadsworth Golf Course Construction, irrigation by Midwest Irrigation.

Bradley S. Klein talks with Nick Mazzella about consulting on golf course projects, including renovation projects as well as new construction jobs spurred by the resurgent golf economy.

The discussion includes the increased need for a project manager as projects increase in complexity due to the many facets of each job.

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 architect.

After 23 years in the business, he has built a reputation for restoring and designing courses throughout the Oregon and Washington on time and on budget.

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 with the results. The golf course reopened on Memorial Day 2023, with a new driving range and short-game area opening July 1.

Jeff touts the contributions of his assistant and equipment manager in helping keep him and the project in line and on task. He also talks about the value of his Twitter account in documenting and communicating the progress of the project, while also serving as an outreach and marketing tool to the general public in the greater Evansville area. 

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 (Brookline, MA) for the 1999 Ryder Cup, where he became intrigued with the idea of shifting careers from golf course maintenance to construction. Teaming up with golf course architects is part of the process.

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 before finally filling the role himself and the importance of having the right people in place in every phase of the operation.

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 California and other hot-button issues there, including the cost of and access to adequate water resources in California.

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.

Dave and Anthony also discuss the role of the USGA Green Section agronomists and tournament staff in preparing for a USGA event.

In this episode of the TurfNet Renovation Report, host Anthony Pioppi chats with Michael Osley, CGCS, about Osley's late-career relocation from a 20-year stint in Colorado to take over the hands-on 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 Michael within months of relocating. Transitioning from a Director of Agronomy position overseeing five courses in Colorado to one person on a five-member crew in a completely different climate and economic environment, Osley loves it.

How does he manage it? "Just like eating an elephant... one bite at a time."

In this episode of Renovation Report, Brad Klein talks with Canadian golf writer Lorne Rubenstein about the positive attributes of links golf and why links golf is, in Rubenstein's view, the best golf. They also discuss their mutual affection for Royal Dornoch and how European golf's acceptance of brown conditions is much more conducive to long-term sustainability and even can result in improved playing conditions.

They also discuss how the golf course in Europe often has a central role in the town and can be a resource for families who do not necessarily play golf, but still use it for recreational purposes.

Presented by Golf Preservations, The Andersons, and Capillary Bunkers.
 

In this episode of Renovation Report, Brad Klein talks with golf course superintendent Nick Peinovich of Eau Claire Golf and Country Club in Wisconsin, about a recent renovation of the course near Minnesota's Twin Cities that was designed by Tom Vardon, the lesser-known brother of British golf great Harry Vardon.

Peinovich discusses how a member audit of the golf course just a few months after he was promoted from assistant to head superintendent progressed from a discussion to a bunker renovation to a full-blown restoration by architect Kevin Norby without closing Eau Claire for play.

Presented by Golf Preservations, The Andersons, and Capillary Bunkers.
 

Anthony Pioppi chats dream career moves and all things Seth Raynor with Alex Beson-Crone, the superintendent at Blue Mound G&CC in Wauwatosa, WI. 

Alex grew up in the Milwaukee area and worked up to the assistant position at Erin Hills, but his lifelong dream job was Blue Mound. When the superintendent position opened up there four years ago, he made the jump to the Seth Raynor-designed course. His team has been making improvements over the last few years including rebuilding bunkers and massive tree removal while focusing on firm and fast agronomics.

The USGA Mid-Am is at Erin Hills next year and Blue Mound is the site for stroke play, so the layout will be on display on TV.

In this episode of Renovation Report, Brad Klein talks with golf course architect Nathan Crace of Watermark Golf in Magee, Mississippi, about how his diverse experience in the golf business has helped shape his career.

A native of Indiana and a graduate of Mississippi State University, Crace talks about his background that includes working construction for his father, club management and working with college golf teams across Mississippi have influenced his work as an architect and how he considers economics and sustainability when designing and renovating some of the top layouts around the Southeast.

Presented by Golf Preservations, The Andersons, and Capillary Bunkers.
 

In this episode of Renovation Report, Brad Klein talks with Larry Hirsh of Golf Property Analysts of Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, about the current economics of the golf business.

Hirsh, who entered the business of golf course real estate to fill a void, discusses the golf course as a real estate investment, club politics and how every club can benefit from analyzing its current position from facility, cultural, economic and market perspectives.

Presented by Golf Preservations, The Andersons, and Capillary Bunkers.
 

In this episode of Renovation Report, Brad Klein talks with Stephen Miles of The Preserve Golf Club, which is part of the Palace Casino Resort complex in Vancleave, Mississippi.

Miles discusses the current state of the resort golf business on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and the success of a recent bunker renovation project.

Presented by Golf Preservations, The Andersons, and Capillary Bunkers.

Anthony Pioppi chats with John McDonald II, vice president of McDonald & Sons Golf Course Builders of Jessup, MD, and newly elected president of the Golf Course Builders Association of America.

The conversation runs the gamut between current health of the build/renovation side of the golf course business, the bid or handshake process of procuring renovation work, and the new tools and technology that have impacted golf course builders... some of which might surprise you!

Presented by Capillary Bunkers, The Andersons and Golf Preservations.

Anthony Pioppi chats with Doug Larson, golf course superintendent at The Shore Club in Cape May Court House, New Jersey, about his 35+ year career from superintendent to sales and back to superintendent, and the ongoing renovation work spearheaded by Tyler Rae, golf course architect.

Larson describes the bunker work as "economical but with a big impact". Listen in to find out how they're doing it.

Presented by Golf Preservations, The Andersons and Capillary Bunkers.

In this episode of Renovation Report sponsored by Capillary Bunkers, The Andersons and Golf Preservations, Bradley S. Klein, Ph.D., talks with Matt Pringle, Ph.D., managing director of the USGA Green Section, about the history and role of the Green Section.

In his second year heading the century-old Green Section, Pringle discusses the changing role of the Section in the face of changing technology and economic challenges, including new options that Pringle described as "data-driven decision-support tools". Klein and Pringle also discuss the Green Section's plans and subsequent pullback on the USGA's job-search initiative.  

Presented by Golf Preservations, The Andersons, and Capillary Bunkers.