TurfNet Podcasts

Frank catches up with the fellow Cornellian Tom Doak, golf course architect, author, critic, etc. to explore and reflect upon a life and career in golf.

Early motivations and interests combined with exposure to golf, inspired Tom to get his first byline in Golf Digest at 18 and eventually his seminal work “The Anatomy of a Golf Course”, selling better than ever as you will learn and strongly influencing golf course design and maintenance around the world, such as “wider” courses, more land, ergo, Tom laughingly says "Ok, “It’s my fault”.

If you are a golf architecture enthusiast, this ones for you.

This episode of Beyond the Green features Mitch Rupert, communications manager for Bloom Golf Partners, discussing his career transition from sports journalism to the golf industry recruitment business.

Rupert explains how his interviewing and people skills from journalism translated well to recruiting for golf course positions, particularly at the superintendent and management levels. He shares insights about the hiring process, common interview mistakes candidates make, and offers advice for job seekers in the turf industry. The conversation covers Bloom Golf Partners' growth from placing entry-level positions to focusing on executive searches, the challenges facing the golf industry including course closures and talent pipeline issues, and the emergence of non-traditional candidates entering the field.

Rupert emphasizes the importance of preparation, mentorship and finding candidates with the right attitude and eagerness to learn, even if they lack traditional turf management backgrounds.

Frank has a wide-ranging conversation with Alan Fitzgerald, CGCS, MG, superintendent at Rehoboth Beach Country Club along the coast of Delaware.

They cover his origin story and like Richard Hayden got his start with Aiden O'Hara at Mt Juliet. Working at Pine Valley, Building LedgeRock Country Club in Mohnton, Pennsylvania, and now stewarding a 100-year-old golf course impacted by saltwater.

They wrap up discussing building a team that delivers the high-quality conditions through mentoring the next generation of turf professionals.

Frank catches up with the Eric Aston, vice president of technology at Firefly Automatix based in Salt Lake City. Frank explores Eric's long interest in automation since his days at University of Utah Engineering. Development of the automated sod harvester and the early concepts and thinking behind the AMP 100” automated fairway mower.

Eric and Frank cover a lot of ground concerning sensing, productivity, and adoption of this transformative technology. How the mower was initially thought to be a better fit for sports fields and sod farms, until golf got their hands on it. Now it's all golf all the time, just keeping up with demand. This is a great success story of a company driven by innovation.

John Sorochan, Ph.D., distinguished professor of plant sciences at the University of Tennessee, discusses his eight-year collaboration with FIFA to prepare playing surfaces for the 2026 World Cup across North America.

The conversation covers how Sorochan established his relationship with FIFA through Alan Ferguson, the challenges of managing 16 different stadiums across varied climates from Mexico City to Seattle to New York and Boston, and the innovative research being conducted. Key topics include converting synthetic turf stadiums to natural grass using hybrid reinforcement technology, growing sod on plastic for better transplant success, and ensuring uniform playing conditions across venues using different grass types - Kentucky bluegrass and perennial ryegrass for cooler climates, and hybrid Bermudagrass for warmer regions.

Sorochan also describes the FIFA-funded research facility at the University of Tennessee that simulates dome stadium conditions and the development of the flex testing device to measure field uniformity. The interview highlights the scientific approach FIFA is taking to field management and the growth of the turfgrass research program at the University of Tennessee from humble beginnings to a world-class operation.

As we continue to de-evolve into a race of computer-assisted meat bags, cheating our minds by not reading and writing,

Cheating, the result of a lazy mind, is rampant, and it has been going on for decades. What's different now is the ease of which

But, it's not too late to turn this around. We can take a hard look at the cheating, especially in our everyday activities, sports and

Frank chats with Adam Moeller, President of Moeller Consulting and Director of North America Turfgrass. Adam traces a practical path through golf course management, starting with his Wisconsin roots—where short seasons and demanding conditions shape a no-nonsense, performance-driven mindset. That foundation carries into his time with the USGA, where exposure to broader datasets and standardized evaluation methods sharpened his ability to connect research with real-world decision-making and ask better, more relevant questions.

Now working in agronomic consulting, product testing, safety, and new construction specifications, Adam operates at the intersection of science and application. A central theme is the value of independent, evidence-based evaluation in an industry often influenced by marketing claims. The conversation highlights how aligning products and practices with site-specific conditions—not trends—drives better outcomes, as expectations around playability, sustainability, and operational efficiency continue to converge.

This TurfNet Renovation Report episode features host Anthony Pioppi interviewing Dennis Hurley about his career and the evolution of golf course drainage. Hurley recounts his journey from a Kentucky upbringing and golf scholarship at Louisiana State University into insurance, chemical distribution, and ultimately founding his drainage company in 1985.

A key turning point was his adaptation of a construction material into what became the “waffle drain” (marketed as Turf Drain), which he helped popularize nationwide despite early business setbacks and industry skepticism.

Hurley also discusses broader trends shaping modern golf course management. There is increasing pressure from owners, players and revenue demands to keep courses open and playable even after heavy rain, unlike in past decades when closures were more accepted. This has driven demand for more advanced and intensive drainage systems, though tensions sometimes arise with architects who prioritize aesthetics over functionality. Hurley concludes that while perfect drainage is impossible, the goal today is to minimize downtime and maintain consistent playing conditions in an industry with far less tolerance for weather-related interruptions.