Playing surface pro | Frankly Speaking with Nick Pappas

Frank Rossi catches up with former Ph.D. student Bill Kreuser, president and co-founder of Greenkeeper, about turning a decade of turf data into practical decisions for superintendents. Bill explains how his move from the University of Nebraska faculty to running a tech company led to Greenkeeper Version 3, which uses AI and years of data to act more like a consultant than a page of graphs. They dig into what the models reveal about managing organic matter, why growth rate should be the target instead of a set level of PGR suppression, and how temperature drives wetting agent longevity. Bill also shares why bentgrass fairways need wetting agents and how a handful of moisture readings could help guide irrigation across an entire course. The conversation closes with Greenkeeper Q, a robotic ball that measures friction, green speed, and slope, and the case for keeping science at the center of turf technology.

In this episode of the TurfNet Renovation Report, host Brad Klein speaks with Bill Bergin, the newly elected president of the American Society of Golf Course Architects. Bergin discusses his transition from a PGA Tour player to a prolific golf course architect, reflecting on significant career moments like his performance at the Open Championship at St. Andrews. He shares insights into modern golf course design trends, specifically arguing that the current trend of larger, more undulating putting surfaces benefits elite players while creating disproportionate challenges for average golfers. The conversation also covers specific design projects, as well as the technical importance of the relationship between architects, contractors and superintendents.

John "Trey" Rogers, Ph.D., of Michigan State University joins Frank to talk about a career spent shaping both playing surfaces and the people who manage them. Rogers traces his path from civil engineering student to turf researcher at Penn State, where a lucky mistake in the machine shop gave the industry the 2.25-kilogram Clegg hammer still used today. He shares what nearly four decades of teaching at MSU have taught him about students, and why their passion for the work hasn't changed, even as the technology in their hands has. Rogers also looks back on growing grass inside the Pontiac Silverdome for the 1994 World Cup and reuniting with former student John Sorochan, Ph.D., of the University of Tennessee to deliver sod-on-plastic fields across 16 stadiums for this year's World Cup. With more than 1,100 graduates now running golf courses and sports fields around the world, Rogers' legacy is as much about people as it is about grass.

In this episode of the TurfNet Renovation Report, host Anthony Pioppi interviews golf course architect Jim Nagle of Nagle Design Works. The discussion focuses on Nagle's work developing a master plan for Warwick Hills Golf and Country Club. Nagle explores how the evolution of modern player athleticism and driving distance affects course design, specifically regarding the balance between maintaining historic character—such as the club's iconic tree-lined fairways—and the need for strategic challenges like bunker repositioning and green modifications. They also discuss the impact of tree varieties on turf health and Nagle's professional transition from working under Ron Forse to launching his own design firm.