GCSAA's Grassroots Ambassador program is striving to match a GCSAA member with all 535 members of Congress (435 in the House, 100 in the Senate), and in this episode of the GCSAA Podcast, we talk about the program and the association's overall government affairs efforts with Michael Lee, GCSAA's manager, government affairs, and Kyle Barton, the GCSAA Class A superintendent at Tam O'Shanter Country Club in West Bloomfield, Mich., who serves as a Grassroots Ambassador.

Curtis Tyrrell, CGCS, MG, the longtime head of golf course maintenance at Medinah Country Club, leads off this episode of the GCSAA Podcast. Tyrrell discusses his career, his time at Medinah — which included hosting the 2012 Ryder Cup — and his newest foray into online video and podcasting. Also in this episode is a Partner Profile conversation with Bayer's Mark Clodfelter and Sean McNerney about the company's new FlexSolutions program.

This episode of the GCSAA Podcast features an interview with the winner of this year's Most Valuable Technician Award — Greg Neill from Four Seasons Golf and Sports Club Dallas at Las Colinas. It also features a Partner Profile conversation with Bayer's Paul Giordano, Ph.D., and Mike Hirvela about the company's Signature XTRA Stressgard line of fungicide products and a quick look into the crystal ball to see what superintendents might be facing for the rest of 2019.

In this episode of the GCSAA Podcast, we dive into the agronomic side of golf course management and talk Poa annua and control options available for superintendents in the Southeast and the transition zone with Jim Brosnan, Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee. Brosnan provides a primer on issues facing superintendents at this time of year and advice on the best control options for Poa. He also provides observations on other challenges facing superintendents in 2019 and what might be ahead as we move into the fall and winter months.

This month's podcast is the first that offers GCSAA Education Points for association members who listen to the podcast. The approval code to receive the 0.05 education points is 999-22726-29999. You can record that code using the online Education Point Affidavit in the Submit Points area of the GCSAA website at www.gcsaa.org. By using the online affidavit, your education points will automatically populate your educational history. You can also call GCSAA at 800-472-7878 and submit the code by phone. 

In this episode of the GCSAA Podcast, we revisit a conversation with Matt Shaffer, the longtime superintendent at Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pa., that was originally recorded last fall. We talk about his storied career in golf course management, how the business has changed over the years and the things that are holding his attention after retirement (hint: it involves fishing).

In this episode of the GCSAA Podcast, we go into the shop and talk with two of the industry's leading equipment managers — Patrick Drinkard from the Clubs of Cordillera Ranch in Boerne, Texas, and Kayla Kipp from Wisp Resort in McHenry, Md. We discuss the journey they took to their current positions, the challenges and opportunities facing golf course equipment managers and their roles on GCSAA's Equipment Managers Task Group.

In this episode of the GCSAA Podcast, we dive into the world of assistant superintendents and talk with Carol Turner and Phillip Fisher, two members of GCSAA's Assistant Superintendent Task Group. Carol is the second assistant superintendent at Ladies Golf Club of Toronto, while Phillip is the assistant superintendent at Brickyard Crossing Golf Course in Indianapolis, Ind. We also feature another of our Partner Profile conversations and talk to Bayer's Patrick Burgess, Ph.D., field development scientist.

On this episode of the GCSAA Podcast, we talk with Chava McKeel, GCSAA's director, government affairs, about the 2019 National Golf Day in Washington, D.C., and the role golf course superintendents and GCSAA will play in the big event. We also have a conversation with John Miller, LPGA Tour agronomist, about his role with the LPGA, how he interacts with host superintendents, and his path to a career in turfgrass management.