Tartan Talks No. 44

A powerful story about Pete Dye’s impact on a determined and talented architect is the subject of a second straight Tartan Talks episode.

Bobby Weed joined the podcast between educational sessions at the Golf Industry Show, where Dye’s life and career were honored as part of the ASGCA Winter Meeting. Weed first met Dye at Amelia Island (Florida) Plantation in the mid-1970s and the duo’s relationship spanned more than 40 years.

“I think what drew me to Pete was his unending work ethic and his desire and enthusiasm for building golf courses,” says Weed, a longtime GCSAA and ASGCA member. “He liked anybody and everybody who worked hard and had an interest and passion for the game. Being around him was very infectious. It drove you to new levels.”

Weed established his own design firm in 1994 and parlayed his experiences with Dye into numerous solo assignments throughout the Southeast, including the new GROVE XXIII, a South Florida private club whose majority partner is basketball great Michael Jordan. Lessons absorbed from Dye still influence nearly every design and personnel management decision Weed makes. “There was never a golf hole that he didn’t think could be improved upon,” Weed says.

The podcast with Weed follows last month’s conversation with Brian Curley, who worked with Dye on multiple West Coast projects. Enter bit.ly/BobbyWeed into your web browser to hear Weed speak about Dye.

Seeking an outstanding student scholar

Golf Course Industry and our parent company, GIE Media, are again supporting a scholarship for an outstanding student focused on leading the golf industry.

GIE Media is awarding the $2,500 Stanley Zontek Memorial Scholarship, an unrestricted grant that supports a turf student with a passion for the game. Selection criteria include academic performance, advisor/superintendent recommendations and an essay about why the student is passionate about a career as a superintendent.

The award honors Stanley J. Zontek, the former director of the USGA Green Section’s Mid-Atlantic Region. Zontek died after suffering a heart attack at age 63 in 2012.

Enter http://bit.ly/Zontek2020 into your web browser for an application form. The deadline to apply is Monday, April 13.

Industry buzz

The USGA announced it will fund 73 research grants totaling nearly $2 million in 2020 to help courses improve the golfer experience while reducing the consumption of key resources. The USGA Turfgrass and Environmental Research Program, one of several continuous efforts led by the Green Section, which was founded in 1920, has invested more than $41 million into programs to enhance course conditions and help superintendents.

Princeville Makai Golf Club, located on the North Shore of Kauai in Hawai’i, ended the distribution of single-use plastic water bottles at the grill and on beverage carts. Officials estimate that the club and guests were using approximately 100,000 plastic bottles each year.

The Musser International Turfgrass Foundation selected Garett C. Heineck as its 2020 Award of Excellence recipient. Heineck earned his doctorate from the University of Minnesota and wrote his dissertation about methods for perennial ryegrass breeding. The award is given to outstanding doctorate candidates in the final phase of their graduate studies who demonstrate overall excellence throughout their doctoral program in turfgrass research.