In this episode of the TurfNet Renovation Report -- presented by The Andersons and Golf Preservations -- host Anthony Pioppi chats with golf course architect Brian Silva.

The conversation kicks off with Silva's career path from Stockbridge School of Agriculture at UMass (AS in turf management, BS in landscape architecture plus graduate work) to instructor at Lake City Community College, to doing site visits with the USGA Green Section and on to working with noted New England golf course architect Geoffrey Cornish, and ultimately his own firm, Brian Silva Design of Dover, NH.

According to the humorous and self-deprecating Silva, "I should be somebody by now with my background." He also notes that some people may need a New England accent interpreter to decipher his half of the conversation.

Spend an hour or so with Tony and Brian as they discuss some common sense but often overlooked aspects of golf course architecture and how it affects maintenance, playability and enjoyment of the game.

In this episode of the TurfNet Renovation Report, host Anthony Pioppi chats with Canadian golf course architect Jeff Mingay. Topics include other Canadian architects (famous or not, modern or classic), hoops to jump through to work in the US, favorite golf course designs of some little-known architects.

Presented by Golf Preservations and The Andersons.

In this episode of the Renovation Report, host Anthony Pioppi chats with golf course architect and hands-on shaper Kye Goalby. How he got started in the business, his travels (or not), working around the world, and of course his famous father/golfer, Bob.

Presented by Golf Preservations, and new for 2019, The Andersons.

In this episode of the TurfNet Renovation Report, host Anthony Pioppi chats with Kelly Shumate, director of agronomy at The Greenbrier Resort in White Sulfur Springs, WV. 

Only two weeks before the 2016 PGA Greenbrier Classic was scheduled to be played, the entire state of West Virginia was ravaged by 11" of rain in five hours, and resultant flash flooding. 

The golf courses at The Greenbrier were covered with mud and silt, and there was standing water everywhere. Greens were destroyed, and the sand in the bunkers washed away by the rushing waters.

Beyond that, several maintenance team members lost their homes, and nearly all were affected.

Listen to Anthony and Kelly chat about the recovery and restoration process.

Recorded in September, 2018

In this episode of the TurfNet Renovation Report, presented by Golf Preservations, host Anthony Pioppi chats with Len Curtin, superintendent at the city-owned George Wright Golf Course, a 1932 Donald Ross course in Boston.

The task of bringing the busy course up to current standards within the fiscal and labor constraints of a city-owned facility has been a rewarding challenge for Curtin, superintendent there since 2004.

Curtin and his staff hosted the Massachusetts Men's and Women's Amateur Championships within a span of two weeks this summer, the first time a Mass Men's Amateur had been held at a municipal golf course.

George Wright Golf Course was built as one of FDR's Works Progress Administration (WPA) projects in the 1930s. The course is named in honor of George Wright, a Hall of Fame baseball player with the Cincinnati Reds but who is credited as a leader in introducing golf to the Boston area around the turn of the century.

In this first of fifteen planned segments this year, host Jon Kiger chats with Kevin Hicks about the recent bunker renovation and "emergency" regrassing of seven greens (just last week, due to winter damage) at the Coeur d'Alene Resort in Idaho, home of the famous floating green.

In this episode of the TurfNet Renovation Report -- presented by Golf Preservations and Jacobsen -- host Jon Kiger talks with David Dore-Smith about the ongoing renovation started in April of this year at Copperleaf Golf Club, Bonita Springs, FL.

Copperleaf was scheduled to be renovated in 2020, but due to an overwhelming response to a membership vote in 2014 regarding the Master Plan, the renovation was accelerated to 2015.  Agronomic issues being addressed include drainage, the overall elevation of the greens, inconsistencies within the bunkers, and degrading cart path surfaces. Fairways are being regrassed to Celebration Bermudagrass.

Architect: Kip Shulties

Contractor: Landirr, Inc.

For further information on David's project, visit his blog at http://www.copperleafgcm.com/.

Jon Kiger talks with Jeff Urquhart, golf course superintendent, and Robert McNeil, architect with The Northeast Golf Company (Saunderstown, Rhode Island), about the ongoing Master Plan restoration project at the 1891 Willie Park-designed Milton-Hoosic Club in Canton, Massachusetts.  Two fairway bunkers on hole #9 were renovated this year. Milton-Hoosic is a 9-hole private club located south of Boston.

The TurfNet Renovation Report is presented by Golf Preservations and Jacobsen.

In this episode of the Renovation Report, host Dave Wilber talks with Josh Reiger, gc superintendent at Spring Lake Golf Club and Tripp Davis of Tripp Davis & Associates (golf course architect) about the recently completed second phase of the renovation at SLGC, located one mile from the Atlantic Ocean in Spring Lake Heights, NJ.

Spring Lake is a 1911 George Thomas design that was updated by A. W. Tillinghast in 1917. Spring Lake was the last course that George Thomas designed on the East Coast and his only course in New Jersey. 

For a complete history of the club, visit here.

Watch a month of construction of the 14th green complex at Spring Lake in this time-lapse video.

If you think you understand golf facility Master Planning, think again. In this episode of the TurfNet Renovation Report, we have one of the greatest minds in the planning process to talk about what really matters.

Andy Staples is an Architect, Master Planner and Innovator. Dave Wilber spends time with one of the brightest lights in the future of Golf. We'll get to understand what's working and what's not working in the world of design and implementation.

The TurfNet Renovation Report is sponsored by Golf Preservations and Jacobsen.

Don Mahaffey came up in the golf business from the ground up.

He is now a consultant and project manager. Don's ideas and methods are unique and at times controversial. There's no shortage of passion or opinion on Don's part, which will make him an excellent guest.

Join Don Mahaffey and Dave Wilber as they dig deep into renovation and restoration in today's challenging golf climate.

Chris Tritabaugh may well be one of the best thinking golf course superintendents in the industry today. 

Join Dave Wilber as he and Chris talk all about his renovation work in preparation for the 2016 Ryder Cup. Of keen interest will be Chris's take on how agronomic decisions play out on the timeline for a large event. 

You won't want to miss one of golf's more interesting people talking about one of golf's most interesting properties preparing for one of golf's most interesting events.

Join Dave Wilber and Golf Course Architect Jeff Mingay for a discussion centered around distance.

Canada's Jeff Mingay has studied golf course architecture from every angle. This time we look at the concept of distance and the effect it has on renovations and restorations. Jeff isn't short of opinions and this will be a lively discussion.

Brought to you by Jacobsen and Golf Preservations.

TurfNet's Renovation Report is brought to you by Jacobsen and Golf Preservations. This episode's guest is golf architecture expert, golf historian and digital artist/Photoshop wunderkind, Tommy Naccarato.

Tommy's life changed forever after a visit to St. Andrews in the early 1990s.  Since that time, he has been an outspoken critic of the deficiencies in the design of many golf courses in the United States, in particular the works of noted architects such as the late Ted Robinson, Jr. and Tom Fazio while providing passionate support of the classic designs of Alister MacKenzie and George Thomas.

Tommy's passion for the game is unending. One of the leading voices on Internet golf discussion forums for years talks about how he turned his passion for art, architecture, golf and the digital world into his dream job. You'll hear Tommy's story as it led up to his work wth Gil Hanse on the Rio 2016 Golf Project. 

Tommy also has a passion for golf course superintendents. Which comes out in every part of this interview.

One tidbit: "Superintendents are our stars, the real heroes of the business…  they lay themselves out on the line every day."

And another: "I truly believe in 'death to clueless green committee members'..."

Learn more about Tommy by visiting his website, www.tommynacc.com

Join Dave Wilber as he talks with Pat Sisk, CGCS, about the history and caretaking of Milwaukee Country Club.

Milwaukee Counry Club is one of those places. It has history and character. Patrick Sisk commands the helm and does it well. 

Learn about the selection process, bringing in Tom Doak's Renaissance Golf Design. And Pat talks about the support that the club gives in the way of a long term green chairman.

If you ever wondered how "they" do it, here is a chance to hear how.

Join Dave Wilber as he interviews one of the most capable people in the world of Golf Course Architecture, Jim Urbina.

Jim Urbina is one of those people that has been making it happen for 25 years in the industry. Jim's no nonsense style and dedicated study of the classics of golf course architecture make him one of the most interesting people in the world of gof design.

Jim talks about his growing understanding of the relationship between Golf Course Designer and Golf Course Superintendent. His care for restoration of classic design is spiced with his care for the maintenance of the playing surface. Jim's perspective is unique.

To find out more about Jim Urbina, check out his website, here.

The TurfNet Renovation Report is brought to you by Jacobsen and by Golf Preservations and is only found on TurfNet Radio.

Join Dave Wilber as he talks with Samson Bailey of Golf Preservations and learns about the amazing things that this company is doing for Golf!

Samson Bailey is Owner, CEO and Visonary of Golf Preservations. For a decade, his company has been installing drainage and working with renovation and restoration at some of America's finest golf facilities. Samson talks about how he got started, how he looks at often challenging work and how he believes in doing it right. 

In addition to all he is doing, Samson has leased the 9-hole Mddlesboro Country Club in Middlesboro, KY. One of America's oldest golf facilities, Middlesboro was approaching being yet another failed golf facility. Samson has stepped up to the tee to restore this facility to playable condition. Creating recreation and jobs for his community, this story shows that great people can make a real difference for struggling golf courses.

The TurfNet Renovation Report is brought to you by Jacobsen and by Golf Preservations.

Irrigation can be a lot of things. But in a renovation and restoration situation, it can often be the most expensive and most complicated part of a project. But with the right focus and some good decision making, irrigation work doesn't have to be a nightmare.

Irrigation designer Larry Rodgers has had a great career. Working with over 680 facilities, he's seen it all. From the very top end to places no one has ever heard of, Larry has combined his love for irrigation, golf, travel and superintendents. The result has been a recipe for making a real impact on the turfgrass professional stage.

In this interview, Larry chats with host Dave Wilber about how to look at a system redesign. Where are the big cost factors? What are the pitfalls of technology? How can you better sell irrigation updates?

For more info on Larry Rodgers and the Larry Rodgers Design Group, go here.

For more info on Samson Bailey's recent difficult story (mentioned in the intro), go here.

The Renovation Report is only on TurfNet Radio and is sponsored by Jacobsen and by Golf Preservations.