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Tour of Duty JOHN FLEMING GARY MYERS The Olympic Club out of bed every morning to pound NEIL THRAILKILL a parade of PGA Tour stops for the TPC at Summerlin San Francisco, Calif. stakes, "John explains. "I was trying Oak Hills Country Club North Carolina State grad. Las Vegas, Nev. Nabisco Tour Champ'ship like hell to stay out of the business." San Antonio, Texas Thrailkill, the product of Robbins, The Las Vegas Invitational Oct. 26-31, NBC He went so far as to take his HEB Texas Open N.C.,just outside ofPinehurst, has Oct. 20-24, ESPN John Fleming, 51, could be the undergraduate degree in philosophy Oct. 14-17, ESPN presided over nine Texas Opens, Gary Myers went off to Purdue Nature vs. Nurture"poster child. (University of San Francisco) and Neil Thrailkill, 33, followed the one Vantage Cup and the very first University with ideas about On the genetic side, father Jack his graduate degree in public esteemed George Frye to Oak Hill Nabisco Tour Championship in pursuing a career in engineering, Fleming came to this country as a administration/urban planning in 1984 and never left. Frye was 1987, which he calls "the highlight but an experience working on a golf member ofDr.Alistair Mackenzie's (Golden Gate University). But in superintendent in charge of the Jay of my career." course in construction crew. In addition to the end, the lure of the golf course Morrish redesign at Oak Hill — an THINGS TO LOOK FOR: "I Tucson becoming Mackenzie's construction proved too much for him. He arrived old A.W. Tillinghast design that really think we have a reputation changed all foreman on the West Coast, the at Olympic as an assistant in 1971. had fallen into disrepair— and for our Bermuda greens," said that. He elder Fleming designed several of After being named head Thrailkill traveled to south Texas Thrailkill, who had just finished a quickly rea- his own courses in Northern superintendent in 1973, Fleming as an assistant. When Frye left for day-long meeting with a PGATour lized golf California. Clearly, son John has played host to a slew of Kiawah Island a year later, agronomist. "One of our guys was course main- Fleming has golf in his blood. prestigious events, including the Thrailkill was named head up at Castle Rock [site of The tenance was "Unfortunately, I was dragged Continued on page 15 superintendent. Since then it's been Continued on page 15 the proper path, and he enrolled in the Winter School for Turfgrass at the University of Mow more in less time. The 300 has a 116" cutting Achieve a superior cut. Massachusetts in Stockbridge. After width and mows in four-wheel drive up to 7.5 mph. Steerable floating heads graduating in 1978, he returned to With a transport speed of 15 mph in two-wheel with variable weight Arizona as an assistant at Tucson drive, no other mower moves as fast. transfer hug ground National. contours, while 6.5" He accepted his first head diameter, variable speed superintendent's job at nearby reels deliver the highest clip frequency. Green Valley Country Club before moving on to the Desert Inn, where he played host to 17 PGA, LPGA and Senior tour events in eight years. He's been at Summerlin since construction of the Bobby Weed/ Fuzzy Zoeller design began four years ago. While it was being built, Myers spent nine months atAvenal and three more at Dearborn, studying the operation of TPC courses. THINGS TO LOOKFOR: "I'm afraid there isn't anything too unique," said the 39-year-old Myers. "It's a stadium course. We just throw up some signs and ropes and have at it. We try to operation witn single lever any season, cutting neignt lift, outfront wing units, and adjustment ranges from .25" maintain it year 'round so we can cross-cut capability. Grass to 1.5". Quick change front do that. catchers available. or rear clipping dispersement. "The mounding here isn't so severe, so it's easier to maintain than some other TPC designs. But because we're a TPC, we have extremely high, uniform standards — and that's where the The best drive from tee to green. degree of maintenance becomes difficult. "We take a lot of pride within The Ransomes 300. The ultimate fairway mower. the TPC organization in competing with each other. In No other fairway mower can match the combined quality of cut and production doing so, we've created a great capabilities of the new Ransomes 300. In fact, the 300 is the industry's situation for the player." All TPC courses are run by PGA only "right" weight, fine-cut, four-wheel drive fairway mower. It's a Tour Golf Properties, which master class machine that out cuts, out powers, outperforms bestows the TPC Golf Course Maintenance Operation of the and outlasts the competition. Year Award. Myers said one of his very top For the fairway mower that's in a class by itself, priorities is winning this award, drive the Ransomes 300. You'll find it's the earned by the TPC of Michigan last year. best drive from tee to green. MADE-FOR-TV PREPARATIONS: "We stripe Call 1-800-228-4444 for the dealer our fairways throughout the year," nearest you to arrange a free Myers continued. "For the tournament, we create an X- on-site demonstration. pattern so the players get a uniform roll from all their shots. We don't do anything special because we try to maintain the peripheral areas as well as the playing areas. "We just had the PGA Tour agronomist here last week. He pointed out that we could tee it up this week. And we try to keep it Driven to be the best that way on a daily basis, all year 4268 Ransomes America Corporation, 7900 West 78th Street, Suite 105, Minneapolis, MN 55439 long." © Ransomes America Corporation 1993. All rights reserved. CIRCLE #112 GOLF COURSE NEWS Tour I save an hour or more a day on of Duty maintenance time." Bio^barrier "Before, it was almost Continued from impossible to see page 14 what I was doing, let alone repair it. Now ROOT CONTROL everything is right Fleming « where I can see it. sitting down!" SYSTEM 1981 U.S. Amateur, the 1987 U.S. Open and "I never want to work five Pacific Coast Amateurs. without a TRION™ Allow nature to take its THINGS TO LOOK FOR: "The shade LIFT again!" conditions here are unique, and they make Ed Ward course without taking it sort of difficult at times," said Fleming. Golf Course Mechanic "In terms of disease problems, we've had over yours! rains in October three of the last five years. THE ONLY LIFT SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED FOR So that could be a problem for us. GOLF COURSE EQUIPMENT "We'll just try to firm things up so these The TRION™ LIFT will pick up all 3- and 4-wheel golf CONTROLS ROOT DIRECTION guys can't fire at the flags all day. Of course, equipment up to 2,600 lbs. BIOBARRIER ROOT CONTROL SYSTEM stops roots and controls you receive a format from the PGA that's NO ADAPTERS ... NO ADJUSTMENTS ... NO HASSLE their direction. This geotextile fabric with controlled - release nodules containing the active ingredient trifluralin, which has been proven effective slightly different from that of the USGA. in stopping tree root encroahment under concrete pathways, and places The rough will be three inches [for the Cut Costs and Increase Productivity with Trion! where roots are a problem. Tour Championship], whereas it's four inches at USGA events." CALL TODAY MADE-FOR-TV PREPARATIONS: As /JSESH] 800-426-3634 15 YEAR ROOT CONTROL GUARANTEE you might expect from the superintendent Trion Lifts, Inc. • P.O. Box 697 • Greeley, CO 80631 BIOBARRIER ROOT CONTROL SYSTEM is guaranteed to keep at one of America's premier golfing venues, roots under control for more than 15 years at a time. Fleming does little to prepare for the TV cameras: CIRCLE #113 "No, it's just prep work for TV crews that EASY INSTALLATION come in. We're not looking at a different BIOBARRIER ROOT CONTROL SYSTEM installs quickly and mowing format, or anything like that. If easily. Simply place it as a vertical barrier to deflect root growth. Unlike plastic barriers or other forms of root control, it is installed completely you're into diagonal cutting on the fairways underground so your root control system is out of sight and the roots are — as opposed to up and down—we do that out of mind. anyway." Flymo Thrailkill. GCT 20 GOLF COURSE TRIMN^R * 20 INCH CUTTING WIDTH International] and a bunch of pros commented that we had some of the best * WEIGHT 34 LBS greens on tour. * NEW REINFORCED DECK DESIGN "But I taped the Nabisco a few years * PATENTED & PROVEN SAFETY back, and what I noticed was that we had CUTTING SYSTEM the most gorgeous bunkers I've ever seen * 98cc/2 STROKE/4200 RPM on TV." POWERFUL JLO ENGINE Fill out the attached coupon and receive Does he enjoy working with the PGA? 'This is my ninth one, and I know all the * COMPLETELY REBUILDABLE guys by know. We know what to expect * 1 YEAR COMMERCIAL WARRANTY J1!"©© BIOBARRIER LITERATURE from each other. It's real comfortable. (ENGINE ONLY) Besides, they're traveling all over the world Send coupon to: preparing tournament sites. I can learn BIOBARRIER LITERATURE something from these guys every time they 299 Strong Road come in." So.

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