TurfNet RADIO

A long-awaited conversation with Frank and his old friend and mentor Brad Klein. Brad and Frank talk about their relationship dating back to GolfWeek's Superintendent News, caddying for Bernhard Langer, translating complicated science to golfers and a variety of opinions on golf course architecture and what it has been like to speak truth to power.

Brad takes on living and dead golf architects, challenges our conventional wisdom about the golf industry , best ways to help superintendents work with PGA pros and shares his thoughts on golf’s biggest challenges. No opinions here.

In this episode of Frankly Speaking, Frank chats with Josh Smith, the golf course superintendent of Orinda CC in Northern CA. As usual, Frank and Josh cover a lot of ground from his early days in golf course construction and having his paintings commissioned by the likes of Weiskopf and Doak, to his current role as GC Superintendent and the founding and operation of Flag Bag Inc., specializing in custom golf bags made from used golf flags.

Josh might be one of the most interesting people in golf course management. This is a good listen!

In this episode, the Rockbottum CC gang gets tangled up in AI golf, but Momma figures out how to neutralize the situation.

Frank has a conversation with Tyler Bloom about the current and future labor issues facing the golf industry. Tyler outlines the value of investing in recruiting and retaining talent at every level of your organization. As usual Frank and Tyler cover a lot of ground in a short period of time, but still have time to talk about the impact of automation and technology on the workforce of tomorrow. Always an interesting conversation.

In this episode, Willy and the gang struggle to complete the radio show while running the golf course and finally just give up and go straight to Storytime for a tale about an Alphabetic Turf Consultationist . . . who hated Rockbottum CC.

Frank had a chance to catch up with an old friend and renowned turfgrass scientist Dr. Roch Gaussoin on the eve of his recent USGA Green Section Award. Roch and Frank catch up about his storied career that led to him receiving the USGA award.

The conversation eventually leads to some fascinating information about organic matter testing and development, precision agriculture and the field of turfgrass science at the national and international level.

Frank reconnects with Paul MacCormack, The Mindful Superintendent, to reflect on 10 years of mindfulness practice and living life in a more intentional way. Frank and Paul discuss unlearning, and letting things go as means for offering yourself permission to be present and be human. This wonderful conversation ranges from vulnerability and failure, to how to navigate the path out of the pandemic using mindfulness skills with practice. Paul ends the program guiding us through some box breathing. Take a minute and give this one a listen!

In this episode, Ludell is accused of embarrassing behavior at BIGGA, Boof tries to win a women's golf tournament and RW discusses modern tournament cup-changing methods.

Presented by DryJect

In this episode of the TurfNet Renovation Report, host Anthony Pioppi chats with Matthew Staffieri of MAS Golf Construction (Hopkinton, MA) about building a successful golf course construction business from scratch. Staffieri graduated from UCONN with a degree in agronomy and then worked at The Country Club for the 1999 Ryder Cup, where he became intrigued with the idea of shifting careers from golf course maintenance to construction. Teaming up with golf course architects is part of the process.

So who graduates from UMass in 1971 with a BS in Plant and Soil Science, takes an assistant job at a very private/secretive 500 acre facility on the NY/CT border, gets promoted to superintendent three months later, grows in a new back nine... and then stays for 51 years? We'll tell you who: Mike Maffei, CGCS, recently retired golf course superintendent at Morefar in Brewster, NY.

Google "Morefar" and you won't come up with much. "A lot of newcomers to Brewster don't even know it's there," quipped Maffei. "We keep a low profile." Only two months into retirement, Maffei still says "we" rather than "them". 51-year habits are hard to break.

This is a fascinating story of managing a corporation-owned property that intentionally flew under the radar, and existed solely for the entertainment of corporate guests. "I think we had 350 rounds on 9 holes the first year I was here," Mike recalled. "That grew to maybe 7,000 in our heyday in the late '80s/early '90s, but settled down to the 2500 or so we do today."

Mike Maffei is also known for his association activities, serving in virtually all offices and on most committees of the MetGCSA, Hudson Valley GCSA and the New York State Turfgrass Association (NYSTA). He was instrumental in organizing a Turfgrass Advocacy Lobby Day for state legislators in Albany, which continues today.  He is continuing with his committee activities while in retirement. Watch or listen.