Guy Cipriano spends two days in suburban Philadelphia to observe how the country’s fastest-growing private golf operation is taking employee development and growth to another level.

Scott Bordner received direct messages before the event ended: His colleagues, peers, friends and former co-workers are already seeking to participate in the second edition of a career development and training program his massive club debuted earlier this month.

Bordner is the director of agronomy for The Union League of Philadelphia, a 160-year-old club that included zero golf courses less than a decade ago. A three-course operation today, the Union League is the country’s fastest-growing private golf operation.

Supporting the rapid growth — the club purchased its third golf course last March and will unveil all 27 holes at much-ballyhooed Union League National Golf Club in southern New Jersey this summer — requires talented and committed employees. Finding and retaining those employees in 2022 requires investing in people. Investing in people requires providing continuing education and career advancement opportunities. 

The two-day event brought more than 70 industry professionals to Union League Liberty Hill, a suburban Philadelphia lodge and conference center with an 18-hole golf course. Nearly half of the attendees were employees on the three turf teams Bordner oversees.

Bordner handpicked outside attendees, purposely trying to avoid overcrowding the room with industry professionals from similar clubs or backgrounds. Bordner urged attendees to sit next to different people during meals and educational sessions. Union League University represented a rare event where a horticulturist, assistant superintendent, equipment technician, vendor and established superintendent exchanged stories at same table.

And to think, Bordner didn’t start the process of organizing the event until mid-December. Hectic might be a mild way of describing the Union League’s current golf pace, thus the accelerated planning process.

“I knew what I wanted,” Bordner says. “I knew the speakers that I wanted, I knew the differences in personalities I wanted, and I wanted all levels of clubs represented. I handpicked Year 1 and I had to text some of my friends to tell them, ‘Don’t be offended. You’re on the invite list, just not for this year.’ I want different perspectives each year and I want different bloodlines here. I didn’t want all the superintendents I worked with at Merion here hanging out together because they hadn’t seen each other. Go do that somewhere else.

“This was my social experiment to see who I can invite and how I can make sure there are enough vocal and loud people combined with those ‘silent assassins,’ the real quiet people who when they ask a question, it’s a really good question. How can you mix that with the people who are more outgoing and make it all work?”

Because the event wasn’t affiliated with an association or a presenting sponsor, discussions were candid, with attendees receiving inside info and guidance from respected internal and external voices, including Union League CEO Jeff McFadden and director of golf Sean Palmer, Club Thinking Partners president Dan Denehy, Manufacturers’ Golf & Country Club green chairman Jeff Jones, former superintendent-turned-sales professional Jamie Kapes, and industry consultants Steve McDonald and Tyler Bloom. McFadden’s and Palmer’s macro-level presentations about the Union League and its golf operation combined with breakout sessions led by the club’s three course superintendents — Pat Haughey, John Canavan and Andrew Dooley — localized the program for club employees.

Union League National irrigation technician Herb Phillips led one of the most engaging presentations, using practical concepts, hands-on visuals and a zest for his craft to describe the transition from PVC to HDPE pipe and satellite to 2-wire. Phillips, a former superintendent who temporarily worked as a carnival game operator before returning to the industry in 2019, interjected dry wit into descriptions, inciting laughter from all generations in attendance. “I tell everybody with irrigation that you have to use your 95 senses which you were born with,” he deadpanned at one point.

Union League University resembled a turf retreat. Every educational session, meal and networking event was held at The Lodge at Liberty. Bordner quickly found companies to sponsor meals and an evening networking event. “I looked across our financials and said, ‘Who do we spend the most money with?’” Bordner says. “I went to the top five and they all said yes right away.”

Massive scale and tremendous facilities make it difficult for most clubs to emulate Union League University. But as education needs evolve and the emphasis on employee well-being expands, it might be time to consider bringing structured programming and different personalities to your facility for a day or two. 

It doesn’t take 95 senses to understand the need for employee growth.  

Guy Cipriano is Golf Course Industry’s editor-in-chief.  

Nicklaus Design will guide large 2022 renovation at BallenIsles Country Club’s East Course.

BallenIsles Country Club members recently approved a multimillion-dollar renovation project involving the club’s East Course and golf practice facility. Additionally, the members approved the construction of a new state-of-the-art Learning Center. Nicklaus Design, also headquartered in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, was selected by the club last year for a strategic design partnership to lead the East Course and practice facility reimagination.

Construction is expected to begin on the East Course and practice facility in April 2022 and be completed by December 2022. Renovations will include modernization of the design, bunkering, greens complexes and strategy, a complete re-grassing of the course and improvements of playing options for members and tournament tests alike. The project will also add length and strategy to the current 7,189-yard, par 72 layout. The Nicklaus Design team, led by senior designers Chris Cochran and Chad Goetz, worked with project manager Ron Despain from Troon in creating a master plan for the project.

“As the club continues to evaluate each area of our offering, we felt there was an immediate need and wonderful opportunity to enhance our historic course and truly provide a best-in-class practice experience and facilities for our members,” BallenIsles Country Club general manager and COO Ryan Walls said. “To bring in the Nicklaus team and ultimately tie that name to the course where Mr. Nicklaus had such success was important to us. The link to our past tying smartly to the modern future is a key element to our strategic plan. We are excited to work with Chris Cochran, Chad Goetz and the Nicklaus Design team to bring the design to life.”

The BallenIsles practice facilities will see a total reimagination of the teeing grounds, target areas and practice greens. The new design will incorporate modern-day practice areas and targets to enable members to practice the wide variety of golf shots demanded on BallenIsles’ three championship courses. Short game practice areas, a pitch-and-putt course and a putting course will also be added to the practice facility. The new 3,500-square-foot Learning Center will include state-of-the-art technology and will serve as an entry into golf, welcoming first-time players and professionals alike.

“To have an opportunity to be involved in such a well-respected golf club steeped in tradition in the Palm Beach market, where the namesake of our company has such great history, it is truly exciting and an honor,” Nicklaus Design President Paul Stringer said. “We not only want to truly enhance the golf course playing characteristics for the club’s members to enjoy day to day, but to make sure the world’s top players would be challenged as Mr. Nicklaus was in his ’71 PGA victory.  Our goal is to work in concert with the club to ensure the end product is best-in-class and a reflection of the high standards established at BallenIsles.”

Originally built in 1964 and designed by Joe Lee and Dick Wilson, the East Course was last enhanced in 2008 under the direction of Keith Foster and Kevin Hargrave and included the planting of 2,600 additional trees as well as 20,000 new plants and shrubs. Greens were renovated to meet USGA standards and bunkers were reshaped to be more visible from the tee box areas.

The renovation of the East Course follows the construction of a $1.3 million pickleball complex in 2021; the 2020 redesign of BallenIsles’ South Course by Rees Jones; and a 2018 $35 million clubhouse renovation and expansion project.

Z Master 7500-D features wings that can flex up to 20 degrees and down to 15 degrees.

$8 million grant funded by NIFA Specialty Crop Research Initiative supporting multi-institutional project led by University of Minnesota.

Three Michigan State University scientists are part of a multi-institutional team studying winter stresses on turfgrass in northern climates. The group received an $8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, with $740,000 coming to Michigan State. The grant is funded by NIFA’s Specialty Crop Research Initiative.

All three MSU researchers involved in the project are in the Department of Plant, Soil and Microbial Sciences. Kevin Frank is a professor and turf extension specialist, Joe Vargas is a professor of plant pathology and Emily Merewitz-Holm is an assistant professor and expert in plant physiology. The project is led by Eric Watkins, a professor at the University of Minnesota.

When temperatures plunge, several turfgrass species deal with a multitude of threats that can lead to injury or death, known as winterkill. These include freeze and thaw events caused by fluctuating temperatures in late fall and early spring, prolonged exposure to cold air with no snow insulation, diseases, and ice encasement.

Despite these annual challenges facing turfgrass managers, winter stresses are not well-understood.

For this project, researchers are seeking to define the mechanisms that cause winter injury and develop best practices to mitigate them using a variety of techniques.

“This project includes some of the world’s foremost experts on turfgrass management, and it’s collaborative efforts like this that lead to innovation,” said Frank, whose work is also supported by MSU AgBioResearch.

In collaboration with more than 200 stakeholders, the first objective is to monitor golf courses in cold climates to learn more about the conditions that lead to winter injury. Using this information, a new web-based application will be created to predict stresses more accurately.

Researchers are also looking to improve their understanding of how various turfgrass species cope with winter stresses, knowledge that can inform breeding strategies.

“We really do not yet have a clear picture of what several winterkill stresses are changing inside of the plant and why,” Merewitz-Holm said. “For example, one turf species is resilient under months of ice encasement while another can die after just a few weeks.”

Turfgrass pathogens such as snow molds will be a focus of research as well, to learn more about how they occur and test non-fungicidal treatments. Vargas said that this information could lead to the development of disease-resistant cultivars to prevent snow molds and reduce pesticide applications. Advancements in breeding can also make turfgrass more resilient to current and changing climates.

In addition to new prevention and recovery strategies, researchers are exploring the economic impact of winter injury.

“We know this is a significant problem in colder climates, and it’s important to understand the true scope of the problem,” Frank said. “We’ll engage with turf stakeholders through surveys that capture the toll it has taken on their operations.”

The surveys will collect data on the last five years of economic impact, such as the characteristics of the affected areas, cost of recovering damaged turf, the length of time it took to recover, and the backgrounds of the turf managers.

Finally, the group will pursue several outreach initiatives, targeting turf managers, homeowners, seed producers, golf course superintendents, departments of transportation and more.

“Each of the partner institutions is deeply invested in providing solutions that are implementable at all scales,” Frank said. “Ultimately, our job is to advance knowledge on this topic through research, and the outreach component thereafter will be essential.”

Drive2 PowerTech Li features Independent Rear Suspension system.

Yamaha Golf-Car Company has debuted its lithium-ion-powered golf car with Independent Rear Suspension. The Drive2 PowerTech Li with IRS model offers customers the same comfort, reliability and performance with a lithium battery solution. Yamaha is the only golf car manufacturer in the industry to offer a lithium battery with an IRS option.

Manufactured by RoyPow, the lithium-ion battery has been further optimized by Yamaha and made specifically for its products to optimal efficiency and comfort. RoyPow is known for being a leading lithium supplier to brands such as Chrysler, Hyundai, Kia Motors and Mercedes-Benz.

Yamaha officially debuted the Drive2 PowerTech Li with IRS at the 2022 PGA Show in Orlando. Yamaha also plans to attend next month’s GCSAA Conference and Trade Show and CMAA Business Expo. Both events are in San Diego.