Episodes

Welcome to The Turf Zone podcast. The Alabama Turfgrass Association is excited to join the Georgia Sports Field Management Association for a special Sports Turf Field Day on Tuesday, October 6, at Birmingham Barons Stadium at Regions Field in Birmingham. This event will serve as ATA’s biannual Sports Turf Field Day, bringing sports turf professionals together for a day of education, networking and sharing ideas with fellow field managers. If you manage a sports field—whether at a minor league ...

Welcome to The Turf Zone podcast. This episode features the article “Dig into Ground Pearls: Investigating Thresholds and Distributions of a Spreading Pest Complex” written by Lily Deeter, Peter Hertl, and Terri Billeisen. Ground pearls (Hemiptera: Margarodidae) are severe insect pests of warm season turfgrass in North Carolina and much of the southern United States, spanning from Florida to California. These scale insects feed on grass roots fluids, causing distinctive circular dead patches tu...

Welcome to The Turf Zone podcast. This episode features the article “Managing Poa annua on Ultradwarf Bermudagrass Greens” written by Chris Neff, Senior Agronomist, East Region and Jim Brosnan, Ph.D., Professor, University of Tennessee. Poa annua is one of the most persistent and disruptive weeds in ultradwarf bermudagrass greens. In this article, we explain why Poa annua thrives, how it impacts putting green playability and performance, and the cultural, chemical and routine maintenance practi...

Welcome to The Turf Zone Podcast. This episode previews the Southeast’s Premier Turfgrass Event – the Deep South Turf Expo. Every year, the Deep South Turf Expo brings together the best and brightest in the turfgrass industry for three days of education, networking, and discovering the latest products and technologies shaping our profession. This year’s event promises to be one of the best yet. Mark your calendars for October 27–29, 2026, as the Deep South Turf Expo returns to the beautiful Be...

Welcome to The Turf Zone podcast. This episode features the article “My FIFA World Cup Experience” written by Dante Filadoro and read from New England Blade magazine. Getting the opportunity to work on the field crew for the World Cup at Boston Stadium was an experience I will never forget. Being part of an event of that size was incredible, but what made it even better was getting to work alongside so many great people from throughout the turf industry. The crew brought together local turf ma...

Welcome to The Turf Zone podcast. This episode spotlights the Alabama Turfgrass Association incoming president Lee Fillingim – Golf Course Superintendent at Cherokee Pines Golf Course in Centre, Alabama. With 30 years in the golf course and turfgrass industry and 11 years as a member of the Alabama Turfgrass Association, Lee Fillingim has built a career defined by dedication, leadership, relationships, and a genuine passion for the people who make up the turfgrass industry. Lee earned his B.S....

Welcome to The Turf Zone Podcast. This episode features the article “Landscape and Groundskeeping Safety – Managing the Industry’s Most Common Hazards” written by Michael E. Clem, Environmental, Health & Safety Consultant. Landscape and groundskeeping professionals face a unique combination of hazards every day. From operating powerful cutting equipment and handling chemicals to working outdoors in extreme temperatures, the job requires a constant focus on safety. While these risks are often vi...

Welcome to The Turf Zone Podcast. VTC’s 2026 Lawn and Landscape Short Course will be held at Belmont Recreation Center (1600 Hilliard Road, Henrico, Virginia) December 1–3, with space limited this year due to demand. Attendees can expect to gain valuable knowledge from expert instructors and, in the words of Aristotle (probably), “those who attend the Belmont Short Course will make excellence a habit.” He totally, definitely said that. But seriously, members and guest attendees applaud the hig...

Welcome to The Turf Zone podcast. Please join us in welcoming Christy Rose as the new Membership & Events Coordinator for the Tennessee Golf Course Superintendents Association (TGCSA) and Tennessee Turfgrass Association (TTA). Christy recently relocated to Franklin, Tennessee, from Overland Park, Kansas, where she taught English and History in the Special Education Department. She holds a Master’s degree in Education and brings a passion for building relationships, serving others, and creating...

Welcome to The Turf Zone podcast. This episode covers the Tennessee Turfgrass Association’s Stars of the Industry Awards nominations due on October 1st 2026. The Stars of the Industry Awards recognizes outstanding individuals in the turf industry. Please try to keep in mind any operations or individuals that make a statement to you or the industry and nominate them for a Stars Award. You do not have to be a member to nominate someone for an award. Nomination Categories Tom Samples Profession...

Welcome to The Turf Zone podcast. This episode features the article “Plant Growth Regulators and Biostimulants For Fine Turf — What’s the Difference?” written by Richard E. Schmidt, Professor Emeritus, Virginia Tech. Read from the July / August 2026 issue of Virginia Turfgrass Journal. Introduction, written by Mike Goatley, Jr., Professor and Extension Turfgrass Specialist, Virginia Tech Virginia Tech Professor Emeritus Richard E. Schmidt passed on December 31, 2025 at the age of 94. Upon the ...

Welcome to The Turf Zone Podcast. This episode features the article “How a near-death experience led to a career in turfgrass” by Matt Duncan, CSFM. Read from the Summer 2026 issue of Pennsylvania Turfgrass. How can the worst thing that has ever happened to you also be the best thing that has ever happened to you? This is a question I ask myself when reflecting on more than three decades in the turfgrass industry. The year was 1995. I was a sophomore majoring in Sociology and Criminal Justice ...

Welcome to The Turf Zone podcast. This episode features research from North Carolina State University student Brooke Heikkila on machine vision-guided targeted herbicide applications for weed management in turfgrass. In recent years, a variety of new spot spraying technologies have been introduced into agriculture that uses machine vision and artificial intelligence to selectively treat weeds. Targeted spraying opens the door to use nonselective herbicides or novel herbicide admixtures that wer...

Welcome to The Turf Zone podcast. This episode features the article “Preparing for the Next Poa Control Season” by Scott McElroy, PhD – Professor, Department of Crop, Soil, and Environmental Sciences, Auburn University and and Travis Gannon, PhD – Professor, Department of Crop and Soil Science, North Carolina State University. Quote – “When did Noah build the Ark? Before the Rain.” – Robert Redford in “Spy Game” It is the end of Poa annua’s life span here in the southeast. As this article is b...

Mark your calendar for the 2026 Blacksburg Field Day on August 24 – 25, 2026 at Virginia Tech and the Turfgrass Research Center in Blacksburg. This year’s event begins with an elevated kickoff at Blacksburg Country Club, where we are partnering to bring together the fun of Goatley Rules mixed with tradition golf fun for 9 holes of pure entertainment and camaraderie. The Monday program features a 3:00 PM shotgun start followed by a welcome happy hour and dinner at 6:00 PM. On Tuesday, attendees...

Welcome to The Turf Zone podcast. This episode features the article “George & Giles Leading Major Renovation at Lexington” written by Beck Stanley, Executive Director of the Virginia Turfgrass Council. It’s been more than two decades since Lexington, Virginia woke up to the good fortune of golf holes being crafted into its rolling mountain landscape. That drought is ending with the highly anticipated Lester George/Vinny Giles renovation of Lexington Golf & Country Club, one of Virginia’s oldest...

Welcome to The Turf Zone podcast. This episode covers the 7th Annual Virginia Tech School of Turfgrass Ecology and Management (VT-STEM). Are you looking for a refresher course in the principles of turfgrass management? Is there someone on your turf maintenance staff that you would like to provide an opportunity for professional development in turf management? The Virginia Tech Turfgrass Team offers an affordable virtual 13-week training program called VT-STEM that covers all areas of turfgrass ...

Welcome to The Turf Zone podcast. This episode features the article “Keeping the Game Green: Fall Overseeding Sports Fields” written by David Lawrence with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System. For many turf managers, fall marks a welcome transition time when cooler temperatures slow turf growth and the frantic pace of summer maintenance finally eases. The start of the fall season often brings a sense of relief and satisfaction as turf maintains its green color without the surge of growth t...

Welcome to The Turf Zone podcast. This episode bids farewell to Funchess Hall, where Auburn turfgrass grew its roots. For many members of the Alabama Turfgrass Association, just hearing the name Funchess Hall brings back a flood of memories. Maybe it was hustling to class with a cup of coffee in hand, late-night study sessions before a soils exam, or learning turfgrass management from professors whose lessons still shape your career today. Funchess may never have won awards for beauty, but for ...

Welcome to The Turf Zone podcast. This episode spotlights Alabama Turfgrass Association member Brian Aaron, CGCS and his lifetime of leadership, service and turfgrass excellence. For more than three decades, Brian Aaron, CGCS, has been a familiar and respected figure in Alabama’s turfgrass industry. After 32 years in the profession and 30 years as a member of the Alabama Turfgrass Association, Brian recently retired from his role as Golf Course Superintendent at Azalea City Golf Course in Mobil...

Welcome to The Turf Zone podcast. This episode previews the University of Connecticut Turfgrass Field Day. On July 22 hundreds of industry professionals will join researchers and Extension educators for UConn’s biennial Turfgrass Field Day. At this unique event, faculty from the Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture and UConn Extension share their latest projects with members of the sports field management community who directly benefit from this work. The research conducted b...

Welcome to The Turf Zone podcast. This episode features a Q & A spotlighting NE-SFMA Sports Field Manager of the Year Chris McGinty – Superintendent of Parks Maintenance Division for the City of Framingham, Massachusetts. Read from the Summer 2026 issue of New England Blade magazine. Where did your turf management education begin? I received a B.S. in Outdoor Recreation and Environmental Studies at Springfield College, followed by Forestry at University of New Hampshire, and I have a Certifica...

Welcome to The Turf Zone Podcast. This episode previews the MSU Turfgrass Research Field Day. The 2026 Mississippi State University Turfgrass Research Field Day and Pesticide Applicator Training will be held on September 17 in Starkville. After lunch, pesticide applicator/CEU training will be held in the newly renovated A.B. McKay building (the old Enology Lab) up the hill from the turf facility. Attendees wishing to complete CEUs for the following states/entities must remain present until adj...

Welcome to The Turf Zone podcast. This episode features the article “Anyone for Tennis – Research?” written by Dr. Scott Ebdon – Emeritus Professor, University of Massachusetts – Amherst and Mike Buras – former Director of Grounds, Longwood Cricket Club, Chestnut Hill, MA For accompanying tables, graphs, photos and references see the Summer 2026 issue of New England Blade magazine available on www.theturfzone.com Tennis on Grass – USA There are 26 million tennis players in the USA, and these n...