Inside the ropes: 2014 Golfdom Summit recap

From french fries with Phil Mickelson to the vision of golf as a melting iceberg, the 2014 Golfdom Summit is a tale to be told.

“I always like to open with a story, but I was told I don’t have time for an opening story,” Karl Danneberger, Ph.D. at Ohio State University, deadpanned to the audience at the Golfdom Summit. “So I’d like to open with a story…”

The schedule may have been packed, but despite the pace of the 2014 Summit, attendees told more than a few stories. Some were insightful, some were ominous and some were downright hilarious.

Fun with Ph.D.s

Danneberger took the podium to present what he called “the most interesting research of the past year.” Brushing greens with mower-mounted brushes was in the Turf Doc’s crosshairs in 2014, and the results he found were the opposite of what he expected.

It turned out that when his graduate students didn’t give the greens a break from brushing… they did just fine. In fact, the greens maintained their desired green speeds.

Jim Rattigan, formerly of Schuylkill CC, now with the Plant Food Co., challenged Summit attendees to open their minds to new variations of golf.

“This really struck us. We didn’t measure any injury to the greens,” Danneberger said. “A lot of guys will stop brushing because they’re worried it’ll be too much and slow down the greens. That was not the case.”

Danneberger said if he would have given this talk before performing the tests, he’d be telling a totally different story. “That’s why we can’t assume things,” he said. This research will continue into 2015, Danneberger reported.

Next up was Clark Throssell, Ph.D., Golfdom’s research editor.

Throssell presented on recent results found on timing nitrogen applications for fall fertilization of cool-season turf. Citing research being conducted by Doug Soldat, Ph.D., he said Nitrogen application schedules may need to be adjusted. “This research has many rethinking their fall nitrogen application… it might be better to apply it earlier as opposed to later,” Throssell said. (Editor’s note: Detailed research on this topic will be presented in a future issue of Golfdom.)

Getting up close

Doug Ferguson of the Associated Press spoke candidly on a variety of topics, including the U.S. Ryder Cup team.

When the keynote speaker took the stage, odds are most in attendance didn’t recognize his face. But odds are most in attendance recognized his name, having read his golf stories dozens of times in a number of news outlets.

Doug Ferguson, head golf reporter for the Associated Press, has traveled the world covering golf for the AP since 1998. In that time, he has been seen walking stride-for-stride with most final groups at golf’s majors, silently observing.

Ferguson dazzled the crowd with his candor, telling a few stories that were probably meant to be kept off the record.

“I never figured out why people would stay in the press room,” Ferguson told the group. “(The PGA Tour) gives us these stickers for a reason: to get up close.”

It was emergency gall bladder surgery that Ferguson partially credited with helping him land his dream job. Working for the Associated Press in Tulsa, he was given the opportunity to work the 1994 PGA Championship at Southern Hills. The next year, when a colleague’s emergency gall bladder surgery forced him to sit out, Ferguson’s phone rang.

“I’m in Tulsa in December, sitting at my desk working on a fourth-quarter earnings report, and the bureau chief calls and says, ‘Want to go to Jamaica and cover a tournament?’ I looked at the calendar to make sure it wasn’t April 1st,” Ferguson said. “Here I am in Montego Bay with Ernie Els, Paul Azinger, Fred Couples… it was unbelievable.”

Ferguson took time to acknowledge the hard work of his audience, which consisted mostly of golf course superintendents.

“I think about the offensive line (in football) when I think of superintendents: you can’t play without them, but you don’t hear about them until someone screws up,” he said. He recalled a few tournaments needing a Herculean effort for golf to go on — 1997 at Heron Bay, 2012 at Congressional, 2014 at Valhalla. “People show up and the course is ready to play. They have no idea how much work it took just to continue play.”

After wrapping up, he took several questions from the audience, then even took a few more at Reunion Resort’s rooftop bar.

Why does the U.S. struggle at the Ryder Cup? It’s cyclical, and the good news is America has more up-and-comers.

Is Jordan Spieth the real deal? Best chipper on Tour.

Is Phil Mickelson a good dude or a bad egg? A good egg, but if you’re having lunch with him at Five Guys, it might be a good idea to get your own order of french fries.

Photos: Joelle Harms