Bayer to send 5 superintendents to 2016 GIS

Through the Bayer Superintendent Grant Program, Environmental Science, the GCSAA and the Environmental Institute for Golf (EIFG) are sending five golf course superintendents to the 2016 Golf Industry Show, which is being held Feb. 6–11 in San Diego. The purpose of the grant is to assist superintendents with professional development through participation in the annual event.

“I have applied (for the Bayer grant) every year,” says Jonathan Gruber, superintendent at Hampton Cove Golf Course in Owens Cross Roads, Ala. “I have always wanted to go to the show, I just didn’t have the opportunity. When I found out I was chosen, I was ecstatic. It was a huge surprise. I am really looking forward to spending time with my peers and discussing ways I can make our golf course even better. After 18 years of trying to attend, I am fired up.”

“We are pleased to support superintendents in their desire for continued learning,” says David Wells, Bayer golf business manager. “The Bayer Superintendent Grant Program aims to empower superintendents with the latest tools and education techniques available.”

Five winners are chosen annually through a random drawing. Each receives airfare, hotel accommodations for five nights, conference full-pack registration, two education seminars and $200 spending money. The four other winners for 2016 are:

• John Ekstrom,  superintendent, Indian Boundary Golf Course, Chicago, Ill.
• Daryl “Cody” Moldenhauer, superintendent, American Falls Golf Course, American Falls, Idaho.
• Ethan Shamet, superintendent, Deer Trace Golf Course, LaCygne, Kan.
• Jerry Webb, CGCS, Stillwater Oaks, Stillwater, Minn.

“Bayer has been a strong supporter of GCSAA and the EIFG by contributing to the betterment of our members and the golf course management profession,” GCSAA CEO Rhett Evans says. “Bayer is providing this valuable opportunity, and I am excited for each of the winners to have the chance to expand their knowledge base and join us at the Golf Industry Show.”