TurfNet Podcasts

Frank speaks with Murray Cook, Head of Sports Turf Division at Brightview Sports and a 2025 Inductee into the Virgina Sports Hall of Fame. Murray and Frank discuss three decades of experience, in field construction and renovation for multiple MLB stadiums, Olympic venues, and World Baseball Classic facilities. His expertise spans from the major leagues to emerging baseball markets across Asia and Latin America, where he's helped develop both professional and grassroots facilities. Frank and Murray chat about prep for Field of Dreams, Rickwood Field and Next year at NASCARS Bristol Raceway!

Listen in as Carson Letot, Ph.D., joins TurfNet's John Reitman to discuss his less-than-traditional route from an intern on a golf course to becoming a school teacher to finally being named program coordinator of the USGA Greenkeeper Apprenticeship Program.

A former TurfNet intern in Ireland, Letot fills us in on how the one-year GAP program works as it helps prepare non-traditional students in the North Carolina Sandhills area for careers in golf turf maintenance. He also addresses how he personalizes it to meet the needs of each participant based on their schedule, needs and previous experience.

Finally, Letot talks about how he envisions the program changing in the future to meet the changing needs of those who are enrolled in the program.

Glimmers galore in this somewhat music-themed show. Peter kicks it off with a glimmer about a hand truck and his mother-in-law, while Dave follows up with a nice reach out from Emily Casey about dear, departed Bruce. Stuck in a loneliness funk after being home alone (with two geriatric dogs) for a couple weeks, Peter's day is brightened by a package from an old friend.

Taylor Swift, Bruce Springsteen and the unifying joy of live music round out this show.

Presented by turfRad. 

Frank speaks with Dr. Chas Schmid from Oregon State University on the evolution of his thinking on organic matter and nutrient management from early days meeting in Nebraska, a stint for Chas Ph.D. at Rutgers University and now as part of the thriving OSU Turfgrass Program. An in-depth discussion of modern-day organic matter management with particular reference to the new 5 yr project underway at OSU investigating cultivation and topdressing on Poa annua greens in the PNW is followed by the same throughline from Rutgers to OSU on nutrient management.

If you are looking for a deeper understanding of organic and nutrient management, this is the listen for you.

In this episode of Renovation Report Emily Casey, assistant superintendent at Seven Canyons Golf Club in Sedona, Arizona, talks with Brad Klein about her non-traditional route into the turf business from the corporate world.

Casey, who has been chosen to attend next year's BTME conference as part of the Links to Success program, never played golf before moving from the Midwest to Arizona, and discusses learning through on-the-job training and getting valuable renovation experience under superintendent Andy Huber. 

Casey also discusses how her dog Barley has become the darling of the golf course, the presence of javelinas on the property and the resulting and sudden rise of her social media presence and how it has helped build a new audience of what takes place at Seven Canyons.

In this post-election -- nah -- episode, Dave and Peter share some glimmers, chat about methods for dealing with unwelcome news and limiting the inroads allowed to stressors, talk about sore winners, and dump out the mailbag for comments and feedback. There's a bit of election rehash, the first Lesson from the Bus, and a reaffirmation of why we're doing this.

This episode is a hybridized Podcast/Radio Show starring Mark Hoban, the Jedi Master of golf turf.  He forced his way into our studio and demanded we tell the truth about his USGA Metrics Ball methods and results.  We managed to trick him into going to lunch early so we could complete the show and slip in a bonus Story Time.

Frank visits with Kayla Kipp, Certified Turfgrass Equipment Manager at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort in western Pennsylvania. Kayla takes us through her journey as the daughter of a handyman-Dad to her current leadership role at Nemacolin as well her support of Equipment Managers and Technicians benefiting from her involvement in the GCSAA’s education program. The conversation included a good ole’ deep dive into Reel Theory, her approach to mower set-up and how data informs her decisions. If you are involved in producing golf playing surfaces with reel mowers, you don’t want to miss this episode.

Dave and Peter ponder the passing of Dave's dog Bruce, touch on the US election, debate the value of social media participation, and answer the question of whether Turf Twitter is dead.

Scott Lambert's career in golf began like that of many superintendents — working on a golf course as a summer job.

His career shifted onto the fast track after nearly 10 years prepping under William Shirley at Peachtree Golf Club in Brookhaven, Georgia, Lambert ventured 10 miles up the road to Atlanta Country Club, a 1965 William C. Byrd design, where he has been head superintendent since 2019.

Although he has been a head superintendent for a short period, Lambert's leadership and professional skills have been recognized by his colleagues, who voted to make him a member of the Georgia GCSA board of directors.

In this episode of Rising Stars of Turf, Lambert discusses his start in the business, how he changed majors — and colleges — to pursue his passion and how a decade at Peachtree helped form his outlook on personnel management.