The Fantastic 5 at the 2016 Golf Industry Show
It doesn’t take super-strength to get the most out of the annual Golf Industry Show, just proper planning. We did some of that planning for you already, with…
Quali-Pro’s Jeremy Moore (center) takes in the action on a busy day at the 2015 GIS.
The 2016 Golf Industry Show (GIS) is set to take place Feb. 6–11 in San Diego. It will be the third time since 2010 that “America’s Finest City” will be teaming with golf industry professionals ready to learn, network and tee it up.
With more than 82 seminars to learn from and more than 500 exhibitors on the trade show floor, the whole GIS experience can get overwhelming (not to mention distractions like 70 miles of beaches, a world-class zoo and plenty of food and drink in the nearby Gaslamp Quarter). Here are five events we believe qualify under the “can’t miss” category:
5. Gadgets and Gizmos — How to Best Use Measurement Technology (8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday, Feb. 9)
If you are a techie or superintendent interested in learning more about soil, plant and environmental measurement devices, this one-day seminar is for you.
Golfdom contributor and University of Arkansas Professor Michael D. Richardson, Ph.D., will be joined by his colleague Douglas Karcher, Ph.D., to lead the seminar. Join this geek squad as they travel to a local golf course to demonstrate and discuss drawbacks, cost and diagnostic capabilities of more than 20 devices. Buses will leave the convention center at 8:10 a.m.
| // Just Saying | |
| California day tripping | |
|---|---|
| By Steven Wright, CGCS | |
| GIS 2016 is almost here. “San Diego” is written on several calendars around my home and office. I can’t wait. Anytime the “show” goes west it opens up opportunities to travel and explore California.
I highly recommend a couple of extra days to make some memories. Exploring in and around San Diego allows you to find some pretty unique beach towns, great parks and fantastic views, all on a day trip. I have to admit that the thrill of no plan and a rental car to make it happen might be the best part. Go all the way south to Point Loma on the Pacific for some spectacular views of cliffs and the ocean. If you can’t do the trip up to Pebble Beach, for sure drive around Sunset Cliffs Boulevard and enjoy the views. Some quirky beach towns can be found just a little north of San Diego. Another great day trip is up the coast from Pacific Beach, where you can stop and watch some locals surfing. In Pacific Palisades you can find many beachfront parks and spots to park and enjoy the coast, especially as you drive up that part of the coastline that leads to La Jolla. The La Jolla area alone is worth the day trip. Find an ATM and enjoy yourself. Further north along the coast is Torrey Pines State Park. You can find a golf course with the same name nearby, but I would recommend going out to the cliffs of Blacks Beach to watch the hang gliders perform. Blacks Beach is also known for something else, but I won’t spoil the surprise. If you want to do some serious cruising, go for the drive up the Pacific Coast Highway north of Los Angeles. My wife and I made this journey the last time GIS was in San Diego. We went from San Diego up the coast through San Francisco to Napa. Our extra days were spectacular. A trip through Big Sur, with its breathtaking coastline and cliffs, will leave you speechless and probably white-knuckled. But back to the GIS… I really am looking forward to seeing all the new gear this year! |
4. Syngenta defining success, Yeti and GoPro giveaway (booth #2641)
GIS attendees entering the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center last year were greeted by 50-foot banners featuring close-ups of superintendents from around the country.
That caught us off guard, so this year we asked our friends at Syngenta what they will be doing to follow the “Many Faces of a Superintendent” campaign. They told us they’ll be celebrating the different ways that superintendents define success. Syngenta is inviting superintendents during the GIS to share their definition of success on Twitter or in the Syngenta booth using the hashtags #SuccessOfASuper and #GISContest for a chance to win a Yeti cooler or GoPro camera.
So now you’re tipped off. Start thinking of something clever and take one of those prizes home.
3. Managing Cool- and Warm-Season Native Grasses (1 to 3:30 p.m., Monday, Feb. 8)
The 2015 majors included two U.S. links-style golf courses that incorporate native grasses like those found across the pond in the U.K. Superintendents interested in learning more about the maintenance of these native grasses need to attend this Monday afternoon session.
Speakers include an all-star lineup of Chris Haspell, superintendent at Castle Stuart Golf Links, Inverness, U.K.; Josh Lewis, superintendent at Almaden G&CC, San Jose, Calif.; Eric Johnson, director of agronomy at Chambers Bay, University Place, Wash.; Chris Zugel, CGCS at Whistling Straits, Kohler, Wis., and Bob Farren, CGCS, director of golf course management at Pinehurst (N.C.) Resort.
| //Turf’s Up! | |
| Turf Life to launch at 2016 GIS | |
|---|---|
| Meant for people who make a lifestyle out of spending time on the rolling fairways — either maintaining them or playing them — Turf Life wants you.
Started in 1999 in the pages of Florida Golf Central magazine, Turf Life started out as “Live Golf,” a monthly column penned by Golfdom senior contributing editor Joel Jackson, CGCS-Ret. Now it’s grown into stickers, T-shirts and other merchandise that turf professionals can proudly wear to show they are living the Turf Life. “I felt there was a profound need for a symbol of pride in our profession,” says Terrie Purdum, publisher of Southern Golf Central magazine. “It’s all about growing pride, respect, and awareness… that is what Turf Life is all about.” Stop by the Golfdom booth to learn more about Turf Life. |
2. Practical Turfgrass Microbiology (8 a.m. to noon, Tuesday, Feb. 9)
More and more products using microbes are being released, so it’s important that superintendents know what these microorganisms can do for them and their turf. Golfdom research contributors James Kerns, Ph.D., assistant professor and Extension specialist at North Carolina State University, and Doug Soldat, Ph.D., associate professor at the University of Wisconsin, are scheduled to lead this Tuesday half-day seminar.
Get ready to learn. After this seminar, attendees will know the main types of soil microorganisms and their functions in a turfgrass ecosystem and will be able to understand the probable result of using soil microbiology enhancing products. They will also be able to evaluate their current management practices to better wield soil microorganisms.
1. 2016 Graffis Award unveiling (2 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 10, booth #2941)
Golfdom’s 2015 Herb Graffis Award winner William Larson, CGCS, accepts the award in front of a crowd.
Last year when Rees Jones introduced William Larson, CGCS, as the 2015 Herb Graffis Businessperson of the Year Award winner, the crowd was too large for the humble Golfdom booth to handle.
So this year, at 2 p.m. on Feb. 9, we’ll make the announcement at the spacious booth of the award’s sponsor, Jacobsen. Stop by to hear Rees Jones, “The Open Doctor,” say a few words about Graffis and meet the 2016 Graffis Award winner in person. Then stick around to learn about Jacobsen’s expansions of its offering of fairway mowers, rough mowers and aerators.
(Company representatives tell us that one of the most exciting new products the company is launching at the show is the LF557/LF577 fairway mower. The all-new mower will serve as the only Tier 4 Final 7-reel fairway mower on the market, and offers a massive 139-inch cutting width. The mower will be offered with either 5-inch or 7-inch reels.)
Photos: Seth Jones
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