In this episode, Frank speaks with Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist of Turfgrass Stress Physiology at Texas A&M, Dr. Manuel Chavarria. Manuel and Frank discuss his progression from Forest Systems in Mexico through his years of study at Texas and brief stint at the former Prairie Turfgrass Research Center in Canada, to his current position at Texas A&M.  Manuel and Frank discuss research on salinity stress, pigments and paints and his pioneering effort to provide turfgrass education in Spanish!

In this episode of Rockbottum Radio, we pay tribute to Matt Jones, longtime member of Rockbottum, former Golf Course Superintendent, GM, US Army vet and more. In the second half of the show, we experience a rather severe outbreak of gossip, back-biting, name-calling and false witness bearing, which leads to Momma finding a solution to this current social media plague.

The latest TurfNet All Star of Turf is Jim Pavonetti, CGCS, of Fairview Country Club in Greenwich, Connecticut. A graduate of the Rutgers University turfgrass program, Pavonetti has developed a reputation for providing exceptional playing conditions while also being recognized for his efforts at producing an environmentally friendly landscape. In his 17th season at Fairview, Pavonetti previously was superintendent at the Edison Club and the West Point Golf Course at the U.S. Military Academy. In this episode of All Stars of Turf, Pavonetti discusses the importance of his work in government relations and how it benefits the turf industry, his penchant for great golf course photography and the importance of superintendents promoting their efforts while also meeting the exacting standards of a largely New York City membership.

Brad Klein talks with Bob Farren, CGCS, of Pinehurst Resort about his 40-plus-year career at the 10-course property in the North Carolina Sandhills.  Their discussion traces the progression of the property in general and specifically the storied history of Pinehurst's famed No. 2 course that was built by Donald Ross a century ago. Pinehurst No. 2 transformed throughout its history as a favorite course of the USGA from its original design to a tree-lined course with narrow fairways to the rustic gem it is today after the restoration by the architectural team of Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw. Finally, the discussion includes Pinehurst's role with the USGA, what is next for the property and its role with Sandhills Community College in helping groom the next generation of golf course superintendents.

Brad Klein talks with Bob Farren, CGCS, of Pinehurst Resort about his 40-plus-year career at the 10-course property in the North Carolina Sandhills.  Their discussion traces the progression of the property in general and specifically the storied history of Pinehurst's famed No. 2 course that was built by Donald Ross a century ago. Pinehurst No. 2 transformed throughout its history as a favorite course of the USGA from its original design to a tree-lined course with narrow fairways to the rustic gem it is today after the restoration by the architectural team of Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw. Finally, the discussion includes Pinehurst's role with the USGA, what is next for the property and its role with Sandhills Community College in helping groom the next generation of golf course superintendents.

Paul Jamrog has returned "home" to oversee the transformation of the former Metacomet Country Club in East Providence, RI, into Met Links, an innovative 9-hole public golf course on a portion of the 90 acre Metacomet property. Jamrog was the golf course superintendent at Metacomet Country Club from 1994 to 2013, when he transitioned into sales. In financial difficulty for some time, Metacomet was purchased for development by Marshall Properties in 2020, with a desire to retain and redesign a portion of the golf course. Robert McNeil ASGCA and the Northeast Golf Company were brought in to spearhead the renovation, and Jamrog was called back to manage the transition. More on that here. In this conversation with Anthony Pioppi, Jamrog reflects on coming back to a very different property from when he left and was away for eight years. He also credits his time in sales with creating within him a greater awareness of the universe of turf care products available to the superitendent today.

Our 11th season of Frankly Speaking begins with a conversation with Professor Ross Braun, one of the great young minds in turfgrass science from Kansas State University. Director of the Rocky Ford Turfgrass Research Center, Ross received his MS and Ph.D. in Turfgrass Science with previous guest Professor Dale Bremer. After Kansas State Ross spent four years as a Research Scholar at Purdue University where he studied the family of fine fescues. Ross does a lot of teaching and is also the author of Decode 6, a blog of the Crop Science Society of America on the role of carbon in agriculture.

Andy Mallick's trajectory as a Rising Star of Turf has been a long one, entailing stops at four golf courses over 14 years before landing his first head superintendent position. Now in his fifth season as superintendent (and 11th overall) at Metedeconk National Golf Club (Jackson, NJ), Mallick had interim stops at Pine Valley Golf Club, Country Club of Darien and Southward Ho Golf Club on Long Island, picking up valuable experience at each one. Mallick credits his girlfriend, Rachel, with grounding his peripatetic instincts and helping him settle down and find a home at Metedeconk. He looks forward to hosting another Korn Ferry Tour event this year and welcoming another Springer Spaniel puppy to their family this week.

In this sensitive and revealing episode of Rockbottum Radio, the entire crew tells it all, aided by literary inspiration from Matt Jones and Peter McCormick... and Momma's Mushroom Truth Serum. Learn what really happened on Ludell's honeymoon and how Rockbottum plans to handle the ball rollback and Golf A.I.  Buddy returns from working on Science Interfusional National, an A.I. course, and then RW screws everything up by telling why he's been deliberately provoking the Imperials for 50 years.

Frank sits down with Pamela Sherratt, Turfgrass Specialist in the Department of Horticulture and Crop Science at THE Ohio State Unniversity. She has a BSc (Honors) in Horticulture from The University of Central Lancashire in England and her MS in Turfgrass Science from The Ohio State University.  In April Pam received the 2022-2023 CFAES Distinguished Teaching by a Lecturer Award that recognizes her expertise as an educator. Frank and Pam cover a wide range of topics related to training the next generations of turfgrass managers.

TurfNet’s latest All Star of Turf is Steve Ehrbar, CGCS at Panther National Golf Club, a private, single-owner facility in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. A graduate of the two-year program at Ohio State, Ehrbar has been a legendary fixture in South Florida for years. His career includes stops at Jupiter Hills Golf Club in Tequesta, Old Marsh Golf Club in Palm Beach Gardens and Lost Tree in North Palm Beach, the home course of Jack Nicklaus. Ehrbar has been involved in multiple construction projects and his career has been heavily influenced by names like Nicklaus and Pete Dye.  In this episode of All Stars of Turf, Steve talks about who and what helped form his career, the importance of leadership and mentoring assistants and team members, the challenges associated with managing a golf course on the edge of Florida’s wetlands as well as labor issues, including how they affect the operation and steps toward solving them.