Current standings are now available online HERE.

Registration is open for the next two qualifiers at Cypress Lake Golf Club and Loblolly Golf Club. Secure your spot today.

Florida Golf Course Superintendants eNews

Matt Taylor, CGCS, has been honored with the Florida GCSA’s President’s Award for Lifetime Service. Taylor is director of golf course operations and facilities at 36-hole Royal Poinciana Golf Club in Naples where he has been since 2000.

In a break from tradition, Taylor was nominated for the award by the Florida GCSA executive committee. Historically, candidates are nominated by local chapters.

“I think it speaks to Matt’s impact that the leadership of the state association felt it was time for him to be honored, rather than wait for his name to be put forward,” Florida GCSA executive director Jennifer Bryan said.

Taylor has been a major figure in golf course maintenance circles for decades, and not just in Southwest Florida but across the state. He is a past president of the Everglades GCSA and served as Florida GCSA President in 2007-2008. He received the state association’s Distinguished Service Award in 2010. Before that, he was president of the Florida Turfgrass Association (2005-2006) and was honored with that association’s highest recognition, the Wreath of Grass, in 2010.

A 1993 graduate of the famed Lake City school of golf course operation and grounds management, he cut his teeth spending three years under another Florida legend, Tim Hiers, CGCS at Collier’s Reserve Country Club. He then spent four years as director golf course operations over the east courses at Bonita Bay Club before moving to Royal Poinciana.

Taylor was presented with the Lifetime Service Award during the Everglades GCSA annual Poa Annua Golf Classic.

“Matt has devoted as much heart and soul to the well-being of our profession and the industry as anyone,” Florida GCSA President Jason Zimmerman and CGCS from The Nest Golf Club in Bonita Springs said. “He is so deserving of this honor.”

UF’s Unruh Honored by

Florida Superintendents

Jensen Beach, FL - The Florida Golf Course Superintendents Association has honored researcher and educator, Dr. J. Bryan Unruh, with the Marie Roberts Lifetime Service Award. Dr. Unruh is a professor at the University of Florida and associate director of the West Florida Research and Education Center. The award recognizes individuals other than superintendents whose participation, support and achievements have made significant contributions to the Florida GCSA and Florida golf industry.

The award is the latest in an impressive line of honors Dr. Unruh has earned during his career.

“I’ve been fortunate to be recognized by my peers in the past but to be recognized by my stakeholders, the people I serve day in and day out, is just special,” he says. “I wake up every day to try and make their professional lives better and I take an award like this as affirmation that my work is making an impact.”

The award nomination for Dr. Unruh emphasized his pivotal role in establishing the landmark Best Management Practices (BMP’s) program in Florida, which enhances environmental sustainability on Florida golf courses. That program is now recognized in Florida Statute. He has played a similarly important role helping create BMP’s for the 20,000-member Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA).

Dr. Unruh was also praised for his day-to-day service to golf course superintendents at an individual and local level, as both a researcher and educator. He has also appeared in numerous settings providing a scientific perspective as governments and regulatory bodies consider environmental issues.

In addition to numerous peer-sourced awards, Dr. Unruh received GCSAA’s President’s Award for Environmental Stewardship in 2023. Later in the year he was honored with the inaugural President’s Award for his service to the green industry from the Florida Turfgrass Association. That association presented him with its highest honor, the Wreath of Grass, in 2009.

Notably, the Marie Roberts Award was presented to Dr. Unruh by one of his former graduate students, Jason Frank, now vice-president of business development, marketing, and research and development with Harrell’s.

“Dr. Unruh’s record of service to golf course superintendents and the green industry in Florida is truly remarkable,” Florida GCSA president, Parker Ferren, CGCS from Copperleaf Golf Club in Estero, says. “Golf course superintendents, the game at large and the communities it serves are all better off as a result of his work over many years.”

For more information:          Florida GCSA Executive Director, Jennifer Bryan (772) 214-5335

Trent Bouts

Tee Media Consulting

(864) 414-3123

Widespread showers and thunderstorms overnight produced significant rainfall totals as a nearly stationary front over southwest Florida caused significant flooding. While Broward County has not requested assistance from the state, the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) has deployed the following:

• FDEM has deployed staff to support local efforts including collecting damage assessment data in Broward County.
• FDEM Director has been in contact with the Broward County Emergency Management Director and the Ft. Lauderdale City Manager to offer further support and coordinate future damage assessments.

Rainfall totals of 4-8 inches have fallen over southeastern Broward County and northeastern Miami-Dade County, with the heaviest rainfall amounts of 15-25 inches estimated through the Fort Lauderdale metro area. The Florida Division of Emergency Management and Ft. Lauderdale International Airport’s Florida Severe Weather MesoSTEM Network, which provides hyper-accurate local data, has registered 25.87 inches of rain. A Flood Watch remains in effect for coastal and metro Broward and Miami-Dade Counties until 8:00 PM EDT this evening.

Other state efforts include:

Department of Transportation

• FDOT is pumping flood waters at multiple locations including the New River Tunnel (US 1).
• FDOT is providing maintenance of traffic for roadway closures and working with Broward County on traffic signal outages.
• FDOT has posted messaging to digital signage advising of the airport closure and road closures caused by flooding in downtown Fort Lauderdale.
• FDOT is activating damage assessment survey applications in FDOT District 4.
• Hollywood International Airport remains closed due to weather conditions. Lauderdale International Airport is expected to remain closed.

Florida Highway Patrol

• FHP is increasing staffing to coordinate coverage in response to the flooding and in anticipation of additional storms forecasted in the area.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission

• FWC has deployed three swamp buggies, two high lift UTVs, and 15 4x4 trucks to aid response.
• FWC is currently supporting Broward County Fire Rescue and the Broward County EOC to respond to high water levels in Ft. Lauderdale.
• FWC has deployed a 15-officer team in high water vehicles to assist with welfare checks, neighborhood patrols, non-emergency evacuations and calls for service.

Department of Education

• All Broward County Public Schools and District offices are closed on Thursday, April 13, 2023. All afterschool activities, events, and extracurricular activities have also been cancelled.

Ambassadors,

The Golf Course Environmental Profile, Phase III began in the fall of 2021 with the Water Use and Management Practices Survey, was followed by the Nutrient and Pest Management Survey and continues with the Property Profile and Environmental Stewardship Practices survey.

The data from the survey will provide much-needed facts that enable GCSAA to advocate on behalf of the profession and industry to maintain the resources needed to ensure success. Without the data, we can’t provide the facts behind what we say about superintendents' professionalism and environmental stewardship.

It’s critical that Grassroots Ambassadors participate in this survey to ensure that the profession and industry are well represented by all course types, budget levels and locations. Note: individual survey responses are not disclosed nor does GCSAA sell email addresses.

Here’s how to participate. Check your email inbox or spam filters for an email sent on GCSAA’s behalf by the National Golf Foundation (NGF) for your individual access to the survey. If you did not receive the email, you can still access the survey from Sept. 1 through Oct. 17 by going here:

https://ngf.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_55NsqlvP4BtE1Ia?src=G1

For additional background information and key points about this survey, visit GCSAA’s Golf Course Environmental Profile page.

LATEST NEWS RELEASES

GCSAA APPLAUDS PASSAGE OF FLORIDA LAW RECOGNIZING GOLF COURSE BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES

by Jun 28, 2022 | Angela Hartmann

 

Florida H.B. 967 was signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis on June 20

Lawrence, Kan. (June 28, 2022) -- The Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) is commending the signing of Florida H.B. 967 into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis, which recognizes Florida’s Golf Course Best Management Practices Certification program.

The bill was signed on June 20 and will go into effect on July 1.

“With Governor DeSantis’ signature, the new law recognizes the significant role that the golf industry has in Florida, and it also acknowledges the long record of environmental stewardship that Florida golf superintendents have embraced,” said J. Bryan Unruh, Ph.D., professor at the University of Florida and associate director of the West Florida Research and Education Center.

The Florida BMPs are one of the earliest success stories of GCSAA’s BMP initiative, which spearheaded the development of golf course BMP guidelines in all 50 states. The Florida Golf Course BMP Certification Program was launched in 2012 and has been administered by the University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences’ Turfgrass Science Program since 2020. This voluntary program, now memorialized in state statute, affords BMP-certified golf course superintendents exemption from certain local training and ordinances relating to water and fertilizer use. However, the certification program does not exempt superintendents from complying with the rules and requirements for golf courses located in an area within a basin management action plan, a scientifically based program designed to fairly and equitably allocate pollution loads to both non-point and point sources. 

In addition to University of Florida and Unruh, other key players in the passing of the law include members of the Florida Golf Course Superintendents Association; Florida GCSA President Andy Jorgensen, CGCS; the Southern Group; Florida State Sen. Joe Gruters (R-FL 23) and Florida State Rep. Keith Truenow (R-31), who originally introduced the bill.

“The passing of Bill 967 is a testament to the dedication superintendents and others in the turf industry have to maintaining golf courses through environmental best practices,” GCSAA Chief Executive Officer Rhett Evans said. “Florida was one of the earliest adopters of state golf course BMPs, so it is not surprising that industry leaders in the state were committed to seeing them recognized by law. We congratulate everyone in Florida for their hard work and success.”  

For more information about GCSAA’s golf course BMP initiative, visit gcsaa.org/bmp.

To renew online, log onto the Florida GCSA website, www.floridagcsa.com.

Once you have logged onto the website, renew your membership by choosing "***Renew Your Membership Now***" or choose "Manage Profile" located on the home page in the "My Profile" box.  You will then choose the Membership icon under the heading "Invoicing, Payment & History."  

Please take a moment to review your membership information and make any necessary changes to make sure what we have is up to date. It is important that the information we have on file is accurate to ensure you receive every benefit of your membership. You can also complete a Membership Update form.  That form can be found HERE.

Affiliate members, if you are a member of more than one chapter and/or have multiple sales representatives from the same company and need custom invoices, please reach out to me.

Please note, Everglades members will need to renew their membership at www.evergladesgcsa.org.

https://youtu.be/gMbwG6azTqQ

Armed with a steely determination and a drive for success, Nancy worked her way through the ranks to become Superintendent of Maple Leaf Country Club in Florida. A position she held for more than 17 years.

• From realtors to course owners
• Female leaders call for diversity ramp up

Now retired, Nancy reflects on her career, issues action points to the industry on how to encourage greater diversity and shares some wisdom and guidance for aspiring young female turf professionals.