Myrtle Beach Momentum

Let’s begin with the numbers. And they were impressive. More than 1,300 industry professionals attended educational seminars. All 400 trade show booths were sold. The golf championships attracted 346 participants to the Fazio, Love and Norman courses at Barefoot Resort.

The golf title stayed on The Grand Strand, as Tradition Golf Club assistant superintendent Tom Taylor fired a 73 on the Norman Course. The Turf Bowl title also stayed in the Myrtle Beach area, as the Horry Georgetown Technical College quartet of Mike Haviland, Mark Blackwelder, Zach Davis and Tim Moore outwitted their competitors. Linville Ridge Country Club’s Steve Sheets received the Distinguished Service Award while Hope Valley Country Club’s David Lee succeeded Chechessee Creek Club’s Bill Kennedy as president.

A NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver, former Clemson and NFL defensive back, and somebody who lasted 12 rounds with Mike Tyson mingled with superintendents on the opening night of the trade show.

Justin Allgaier, who finished 30th in the 2015 Sprint Cup Series points standings, brought the No. 51 Brandt car to the Grigg Brothers booth. Brandt, a manufacturer of agriculture specialty products, acquired Grigg Brothers in 2014, and the affable Allgaier has made appearances at multiple golf industry events.

Clemson football fever reached the show floor, with past great Donnell Woolford visiting Myrtle Beach to promote PremierPRO, a hybrid Bermudagrass used on golf courses, athletic fields and home lawns. Woolford now serves as an advocate for natural grass playing surfaces. His memories of playing on artificial turf are painful. “I played 10 years in the NFL,” he says. “I think I would have played 20 had all the fields been grass. It’s safer than what we played on, with the technology and stuff they have now it’s so advanced. It makes it better.”

Woolford brought along a friend who competed on canvas: former heavyweight boxing champ James “Bonecrusher” Smith. The Myrtle Beach resident held the title for seven months before running into Tyson on July 3, 1987.

The education portion of the show had a congenial conclusion as eight superintendents relayed lessons from their own experiences to help colleagues. Presenters included Wade Hampton Golf Club’s Thomas Bailey, Carolina Country Club’s Robert Young, Kiawah Island-Turtle Point’s Steven Agazzi, Grandfather Golf & Country Club’s Pete Gerdon, Country Club of Landfall’s Jeff Mack, Pine Like Country Club’s Richard McDaniel, Dataw Island Club’s Brian Hollingsworth and Bryan Park Golf Club’s Kevin Smith. In the final presentation, Smith described how Bryan Park recover from major winterkill damage suffered earlier this year. His story is a remarkable example of how an unexpected ordeal can ultimately improve a golf course. “The silver lining is beginning to shine brightly,” Smith says. “The golf course is dramatically improved.”