Architect Phil Smith worked with Supervisor Tom Metzger and General Manager/COO Robbie Ames to complete the enhancements.

Haisong Country Club will launch its reimagined golf experience on November 1. These improvements include expanding practice facilities and rearranging the tees, greens and fairways.

Golf course architect Phil Smith drew up a master plan for the layout designed by SPCC's Arnold Palmer and Clyde Johnston, and worked with General Manager/COO Robbie Ames and Supervisor Tom Metzger to complete the improvements. MacCurrach Golf in Jacksonville oversaw the shaping and construction of practice facilities and updated several bunkers throughout the course.

The tee area of ​​the new driving range is now four times larger, can accommodate twice as many golfers, and has 18 hitting areas. For longer batsmen, the range floor has been extended by 25 yards, allowing 260 yards of dribble. Eight new target pins are placed at different batting angles at 70 to 250 yard intervals for fine-tuning distance control. Members can use the new TurfHound artificial teeing station during the days when the grass in the area is partially closed.

"I will put it in the best practice facility in the area," said golf director James Swift. "We have always been in a landlocked country, and what we can provide is limited. Now we can host golf schools, clinics and other teaching programs. With all our characteristics, we are now a golf purist club."

The short game area has a multi-layered green three times larger than the previous one, and there are also two practice bunkers for various sandball shots. SPCC is unique in that the golden tee and occasional blue tee on hole 1 are located on the east side of the 5,000-square-foot practice green, close to the putting surface and having the same mowing height.

In the 6,429-yard Lowcountry layout of the club, members will experience the turf used in Celebration Bermudagrass fairways, Harbour Town Golf Links and Heron Point in Pete Dye adjacent to Sea Pines Resort.

"Tom and his team will be able to create visually stunning mowing patterns, just like you see in Harbour City," Swift said. "Celebration Bermuda is the gold standard for lawns in lowland areas. It also stays green for longer in the fall and recovers faster in the spring, even as early as March."

On the green, members will push the latest species of TifEagle Bermuda grass. The new stock is very cold-resistant and can withstand the long-term cold and even frost in winter. In addition, the putter surface has been restored to its original size, allowing more clubs to be placed and improving the ability to receive shots.

With more than 15 years of industry experience, Benelli will provide technical support in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.

Bayer's lawn and ornamental plant business has selected senior lawn expert Dr. Jesse Benelli as the newest member of the US Green Solutions team. He is responsible for providing scientific support and technical expertise to managers and lawn care operators in the southern region. Benelli brings more than 15 years of turf industry experience to this position.

“As a long-term turf expert, Dr. Benelli is an excellent addition to our green solutions team,” said Dr. Mike Ruizzo, Southern Region Manager of American Turf and Ornamental Plants. "He has a lifelong passion for this industry and will bring first-class technical expertise to golf course supervisors and lawn care operators in the South."

Benelli will provide technical support to supervisors and lawn care operators in Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. Todd Lowe remains a member of the Green Solutions team designated by the State of Florida.

Most recently, Benelli served as a technical expert for the T&O organization of Bayer in Canada. Before joining Bayer, he was the director of the turf project of the Chicago Regional Golf Association. In addition, he has worked on several golf courses in Tennessee and Pennsylvania. Dr. Benelli received his master's and doctorate degrees. PhD in Lawn and Plant Pathology, University of Tennessee. He will move back to the southeast with his wife and two sons.

"I admire the Bayer Green Solutions team and the expertise they bring to customers," Benelli said. "I am very happy to join this industry-leading team and look forward to helping managers and lawn care operators succeed."

The plan now guarantees control of the turf of the golf course by December 31, 2022.

Syngenta has expanded its GreenTrust 365 Mole Cricket Guarantee Program and can now guarantee control from the time of application to December 31, 2022. Based on the trusted control provided by Provaunt WDG insecticide, managers can expect to provide additional protection to more areas of their courses during application. If at least 80% of mole crickets are not under control, Syngenta will provide the necessary reprocessing Appropriate product.

"We firmly support the performance of our products. The Mole Cricket Guarantee is one of Syngenta's many GreenTrust 365 guarantee programs. It supports this promise and ensures the highest level of customer satisfaction," Syngenta Turf Marketing Manager Stephanie Schwenke said. "By extending the Mole Cricket Guarantee to the end of the year, after the second application, managers can have confidence in the performance of Provaunt WDG."

Mole crickets mainly exist in the southeast. They dig holes under the turf and feed on the roots, which affects the appearance and playability of the golf course. The best way to prevent damage is to treat fairways, tees, and grass areas with Provaunt WDG in the early stages of incubation in May or June, and then apply a second time two to four weeks later.

"After two applications of Provaunt WDG to tees, fairways and grass areas, we are now able to ensure that mole crickets are controlled by the end of the year," said Dr. Lane Tredway, Syngenta Turf Technical Services Manager. "Treatment for all people on the entire golf course will help prevent mole crickets from infesting high-value areas such as tees and fairways again later this year. The best result is to use it in the early morning when the surface of the leaves is wet, and use ⅛ inches of water. Water to achieve thorough, even coverage."

Provaunt WDG works quickly and can be easily sprayed on the court without the need for invasive slit application like other products. To obtain the Mole Cricket Guarantee, all tees, fairways and long grass must be processed and Provaunt WDG must be purchased from Syngenta authorized distributors/retailers.

Industry veteran Nicholas Strain resigned from Primera to follow George Furrer.

United Turf Alliance ushered in a new CEO: Nicholas Strain, who has more than 15 years of industry experience, succeeding George Furrer, who is currently the general manager of Valley Green, Inc..

"As we continue to develop the ArmorTech and Optimizer product portfolio, I am eager to lead UTA," Strain said. "With a clear commitment to lawn and decoration professionals, UTA is well-positioned to meet the changing needs of the industry."

Strain has held sales positions for distributors and manufacturers, and led the Turf and Decoration Division of Control Solutions, Inc. Most recently, he served as Vice President of Business Development at Primera. He holds a bachelor's degree in agricultural business from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

"Nicholas brings a wealth of connections and knowledge to UTA," said Bob Mele, Chairman of the Board of Directors. "As we continue to serve the industry through our exclusive dealer network, we look forward to where he will lead the consortium."

United Turf Alliance (UTA) is a consortium of US distribution companies that have developed a portfolio of pesticides and plant health products under the ArmorTech and Optimizer brands. UTA only sells lawn protection products through its members and distributor partners.

Olde Cypress's club reappeared on the green with TifEagle Bermuda grass.

After owner STOCK Development invested millions of dollars in the club, the Olde Cypress Club in Naples, Florida will reopen its remade PB Dye-designed golf course and 34,000 square feet of updated clubhouse in November.

This huge project requires the use of TifEagle Bermudagrass to re-pave all 18 greens, practice greens and chipping areas; use of Bimini Bermuda to expand, level and reposition the tees; install a new underground drainage system to quickly drain excess water, And install a new high-performance artificial turf station in the driving range for use when the grass tee is closed. To complete the project, the 98 bunkers of the course will be updated with new edges, contours and sand.

"The popularity of golf has soared in the past 18 months, and now our course has been completely renewed and is ready to accommodate our golf members, who are one of the most avid players in the Naples market," Alder Cypra Said Qiao Conforti, director of golf. "The golf course maintenance director Brad Haynes and his team played an important role in restoring our excellent PB Dye design to its original grandeur."

"Our employees and supplier partners have performed well in this transformative project, and we believe that members and potential members will really like it," said Ken Lanigan, General Manager of Olde Cypress. "We are very happy to announce these changes this fall and feel that we are ready for future growth and prosperity."