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Sunday October 18th, 2009 - Veenker Memorial Golf Course
Host Superintendent: John Newton, CGCS
Registration 10 – 10:45
Shotgun Start 11:00
Format of Play: 4 Player Best shot
Awards and Social Immediately Following Golf
Entry Fee: $30 / player, lunch included at the turn
Additionally, In-Kind Donations will be accepted.
ALL proceeds from this event will go to establish a scholarship through the ISU Horticulture Dept.

Registration Form

Fresh off their big victory I was able to catch up with the 1st place team members and get their take on the entire experience.

Q: Tell me a little about each of you. Where are you from? What’s your background in turf?

A: Nick Dunlap – I’m from North Liberty, Iowa. I worked at Quail Creek Golf Course throughout high school and worked at Ames Golf and Country Club before starting as an undergraduate research assistant for Dr. Christians. Last summer I interned at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club in Gainesville, Virginia and plan to return to Virginia to work at Kinloch Golf Club before starting graduate school in the fall.

A: Quincy Law – I’m from Clear Lake, Iowa and my first golf course experience was at All Vets Golf Club. I’ve also worked at Saratoga Country Club near San Jose, California and Coldwater Golf Links in Ames. Last summer I worked at the ISU Horticulture Research Station assisting with research and helping to maintain the grounds.

A: Zach Simons – I’m from Quincy, Illinois. I started in turf in August 2007 when I got a job at Westview Golf Course in Quincy and I worked there for a year and a half. The summer of 2009 I completed an internship at Arcadia Bluffs Golf Club in Arcadia, Michigan and last summer I interned with the Iowa Clubs ground crew.

A: Jason Van Engen – I grew up in Primghar, Iowa. I started mowing lawns at the age of 11 and worked at Primghar Golf and Country Club throughout high school. I worked at Emerald Hills Golf and Country Club in Okoboji, Iowa my first summer in college. Last summer I interned at Spring Hill Golf Club in Wayzata, Minnesota and this summer I am headed to Chicago Golf Club in Wheaton, Illinois.

Q: What made you want to compete in the contest?

A: Jason Van Engen – The history and tradition that Iowa State has in the Turf Bowl made me want to compete. Another source of inspiration came from watching the awards ceremony the previous year in San Diego. To see and hear the excitement of the winners as they were announced really inspired me. It was this inspiration that motivated me for a victory this year.

Q: What did you do to help prepare for the contest?

A: Zach Simons – I wrote and rewrote the scientific names of the grasses and worked quite a few math problems until I felt comfortable going into the test. I was also responsible for the weed section so I made a powerpoint presentation of weed pictures. I even studied weeds that I had never heard of but wanted to account for every weed listed on the study guide.

Q: The winning team receives a traveling trophy and is presented with an oversized check for $4,000. The trophy is mailed back to campus but how is it traveling home with the big check?

A: Nick Dunlap - I asked a representative from the GCSAA if they had any large envelopes so we could mail the oversized $4,000 check back home, but she informed me that they cost $4,000, so that was pretty much out of the question. Unable to mail the check home, we had to bring the check on the plane as a carry-on item. The reaction we got was not really surprising. What would you do if you saw someone walking through an airport with an oversized check? We experienced everything from odd looks and double takes to strangers clapping and flight attendants gloating saying that they wanted a big check too. Actually, I think I’m going to miss traveling with a large check.

Jason trying to navigate the big check through the isle.

Q: What does ISU's success in the Turf Bowl say about our Horticulture Department and the type of instruction you have received during your schooling?

A: Quincy Law – The Turf Bowl Competition is a national event and Iowa State’s success demonstrates the high quality education we receive. The test covers such a broad range of topics it’s very difficult to prepare for. Dr. Christians and Marcus Jones do a great job preparing us, along with the classes we take in agronomy, business, entomology, plant pathology, and other disciplines.

Q: Who was the first person you contacted after you found out you won the Turf Bowl?

A: Zach Simons – My mom actually texted me right after the awards ceremony asking me how I did in the Turf Bowl. She was the first person I told and from there the news spread and I kept on receiving texts congratulating me the rest of the night.

Thanks guys for your time and congratulations again on the Big W!

After a hectic spring semester, I graduated from Iowa State University with my Ph.D last weekend. Being able to contribute to the industry and assist turf professionals in my home state of Iowa has been a very rewarding experience. This milestone in my professional career was not solely an individual endeavor and many people assisted me along the way. At the risk of omitting someone, I wanted to highlight a few professionals who took a special interest in me.

The Professors – Thanks to all the turf professors at Iowa State. I have taken all of your classes and I continue learning from each one of you. Special thanks to Dr. Nick Christians, my major professor for my graduate studies. Thank you for providing me the opportunity to attend graduate school and giving me the freedom to pursue my passions. Also, special thanks to Dr. Aaron Patton for your advice and friendship.

The Iowa Turfgrass Institute and Iowa GCSA – Thanks to all the individuals who make up our state organization. You have assisted me along the way with scholarships, grants, and land for me to conduct my research projects. Special thanks to Jeff Wendel, CGCS, for allowing me to contribute to the organization and speak at so many conferences and state meetings.

The Superintendents – Thank you for your conversations over the years. You have helped shape my vision of golf course maintenance. Special thanks to John Newton, CGCS, for giving me my first job on a golf course and allowing me to cut my teeth as an assistant Superintendent; Matt McKinnon, for providing me with my first internship; Jim Nicol, CGCS, for giving me the opportunity to work my first major golf tournament; and Brad Owen, for allowing me to realize one of my dreams of working at Augusta National.

So what are my plans for the future? I have accepted a position and will start my professional career at ISU as an Assistant Scientist. My main responsibilities involve conducting research, teaching undergraduates, and assisting with extension related activities.

I will be presenting my newest research project at the June 2 State Meeting at Bos Landen Golf Course in Pella, Iowa. I look forward to seeing you at the meeting.

From left to right: Stephen Vincent, John Deere Golf; Nick Christians, Iowa State University; Nick Dunlap, Turf Bowl Coach; Dan Strey; Shane Lohman; Casey Sheehy; Isaac Mertz; and Robert Randquist, CGCS.

The 2012 GCSAA Education Conference and Golf Industry Show was held last week in Las Vegas, Nevada. A group of students from Iowa State University went “all in” and brought home the 2012 Collegiate Turf Bowl Championship. Shane Lohman, Senior from New Haven, Missouri; Isaac Mertz, Senior from Perry, Iowa; Casey Sheehy, Junior from Perry Iowa; and Dan Strey, Senior from Cherry Valley, Illinois formed the winning team from Iowa State. Graduate research assistant, Nick Dunlap, coached the teams from Iowa State.

The Turf Bowl consists of a 3 ½ hour test which includes a case study question and sections covering plant identification, growth and development, soil and soil fertility, weed identification and control, entomology, pathology, mathematics, irrigation, water, and business management. The test is facilitated by Leah Brilman, Ph.D., of the Turfgrass Breeders Association and Gwen Stahnke, Ph.D., who update and modify the exam each year.

The Turf Bowl Competition was again sponsored by John Deere Golf which awards a total of $10,000 in cash and prizes. The first place team receives $4,000 along with the traveling Turf Bowl trophy. This year’s competition had 87 teams participating from 44 colleges and universities across the country.

The victory for Iowa State marked the third consecutive year a team from ISU has won the competition. The students also helped carry on the tradition of Iowa State’s success in the Turf Bowl as they have placed first in 12 of the last 14 Turf Bowl competitions.

Here’s a rundown of the top 10 placing schools from the 2012 contest and a video from the awards ceremony.

1. Iowa State University
2. University of Massachusetts-Amherst
3. University of Maryland
4. University of Wisconsin-Madison
5. University of Arkansas
6. Purdue University
7. University of Maryland
8. University of Connecticut
9. Purdue University
10. Penn State University

Two of our turf graduate students are traveling to England this month to work with the NFL to prepare the field for the International Exhibition Games.
ISU turf management students will tend Wembley field for NFL International series 

See the full story on the ISU web site at:  http://www.news.iastate.edu/news/2014/10/13/turf-london
 

AMES, Iowa -- Sometimes, when what-you-know intersects with who-you-know, something extraordinary can occur. At least that's how it happened for two Iowa State University graduate students.

Kevin Hansen and Joshua Lenz study sports turf management in the horticulture department. Turf managers are the folks who keep the putting greens green and the yard lines aligned.
As undergraduates at Iowa State, Hansen and Lenz were chosen to intern on the turf crews at Super Bowl XLVII and XLVIII respectively. Besides preparing the fields and practice fields, painting logos on the fields and (in Lenz's case) removing snow, they networked and generally hung out with the top turf field managers from around the country.
Spending a week at ground zero of, arguably, the biggest sporting event of any given year was the most awesome experience a couple of sports nuts/turf majors could have. And yet, the awesomeness continues.

Turf guys for hire

A couple of months ago, Lenz was talking to one of the aforementioned turf managers who told him about another exceptional opportunity: spend a couple of weeks in London preparing the Wembley Stadium field for NFL exhibition games. All expenses plus pay.

Since 2007, the NFL has hosted regular season games outside of the United States in the International Series at Wembley Stadium in London."Basically, he said, 'We have openings in London.' So we said we'd be interested," Lenz said.
"This is the first year the NFL has done three exhibition games there instead of two, so they needed more help," Hansen said. "We were in line for the job because we have experience working on the crew and know what's going on."

"It was a networking thing that worked out for us. They contacted us and asked," Hansen said. "And who wouldn't want to go to London?"And they've both stayed in contact with the turf management gurus they met during their Super Bowl internships.
Lenz leaves on Oct. 16 and will crew for the second game (Atlanta Falcons and Detroit Lions, Oct. 26). Hansen leaves on Oct. 29 and will crew for the third matchup (Dallas Cowboys and Jacksonville Jaguars, Nov. 9). They will each be in London for 12 days.

Greener grass?

While they are thrilled to go to London, they are, after all, really into turf. And Wembley is, after all, natural grass. That's a whole different ball game.
"It will be exciting for us because both of our Super Bowls were on artificial turf," Lenz said.
Hansen especially looks forward to experiencing the rapid "changeover" between games that requires a quick switching out of the team logos on the field.
"I don't think there's time for maintenance like aerating and top dressing between the games, so painting logos will be a big part of what we do," Hansen said
And watching the sold-out games from the sidelines at the world famous 90,000-seat stadium across the pond might even beat — or at least tie — their Super Bowl experiences.
Lenz and Hansen credit much of their success in garnering world-class turf gigs to Iowa State turf manager Tim Van Loo. They have worked under him on the turf crew at Jack Trice Stadium as undergraduates and now for 30 hours per week as graduate assistants.
"He has prepared us and other ISU students for careers after college," Lenz said.