Regenerative Turf: Exploring the Frontier of Soil Biology

About Randy Booker, Regenerative Turf Coach

Randy Booker is a Regenerative Turf Coach, Director of Operations at Otter Creek Golf Club in Ontario, CA, and the founder of Turfevolution, Inc.

Randy emphasizes that he’s a turf “coach” and not a “turf consultant”, because his fundamental philosophy and processes encourage clients to achieve their goals within a context of understanding the Soil Food Web.

His story tells about why curiosity is the cure to turf disease and other turf quality issues. By asking “WHY”, Randy got to the bottom of his golf course’s biology, discovering solutions that were both natural and better for turf health.

“I’ve started to realize: how can people not get this? It’s stress-free, less costly, and far more effective. My nitrogen applications now are down 75% from what they used to be because of changes I’ve made.” -- Randy Booker, Agroecologist and Regenerative Turf Coach



Turf is a living, breathing being, as Randy demonstrates throughout his practices in Regenerative Turf. The keys of turf health bear resemblance to the keys of human health. Mainly, it’s the health of one’s relationships that determine overall health (especially relationships with microbes, whether in our gut or in the soil)!

I asked Randy about his paradigm shifts, lessons, trials, errors, and successes on his personal roadmap toward regeneration. Enjoy the streamlined transcript of our conversation below:

Tell me about your career background in golf. When did your paradigm shift happen regarding regenerative turf practices?

I grew up playing golf and playing hockey. I loved the game, so from an early age, I thought about ways to make money in the game. The way I stayed in the game of golf was by studying landscape management in college, and then I went into turf.

I was a “grunt” at a golf course in Toronto and then moved up the chain of command until I landed myself as a superintendent in 1993.

My “paradigm shift” came along with my present situation at Otter Creek Golf Club. I’ve always wanted to be involved in construction, and the opportunity for in-house renovation came along. In my experience, academia stays entrenched in a chemical mindset. I was following the traditional applications and protocol, but the overfertilization led to building up thatch and localized dry spots.

We opened in 2008, and issues started to surface around 2013 with surfaces being slower and softer… I started asking: “Why?”

So, I started researching soil biology experts to learn about the depth of soil-plant interactions. I went down the rabbit hole, and began to find solutions that were both natural and better (including humic acids and kelp).


What I’m hearing is that you come from the traditional academic paradigms, but your practical experience led you into a more systems-oriented mindset. How does one go about that practically? That is, growing a golf course through an ecosystemic approach?

For one, I went to Australia and learned more about soil microbes in 2019. Taking a course showed me how screwed we are from a golf sense… we think we control things, but soil interactions are complex.

A bit before that, I started to learn about the mineral “multi-vitamin” benefits of kelp, for example. Plus, I was reckoning with having some of the worst allergies you could have as a super-intendent…


Woah, say more about that… I’ve been curious about the connection even between soil microbes and the ones we find in our gut. Science shows that they’re running the show in our own biology too.

I’ve started to realize: how can people not get this? It’s stress-free, less costly, and far more effective. My nitrogen applications now are down 75% from what they used to be because of changes I’ve made.

I also came across the work of a woman named Nicole Masters, who ran a 17-week deep dive program called “C.R.E.A.T.E.” …

“Consciously Regenerating Eco-Agricultural systems through Transformative Experiences”

We learned at White Oak Pastures – the amazing ranch of Will Harris.

I realized that turfgrass Is essentially a plant growing in soil – no different to a tomato or vegetable with respect to applying the principles.


I commend the curiosity and courage it took you to get there – were those the main personal principles you needed to make these paradigm shifts?

Knowing my “why” --  I started questioning everything. Why am I verticutting and topdressing? Yes, some courage was required, but I would say curiosity more so was required. I asked the right questions, experimented, and learned from trial and error. Yes, there were some errors! But the positives and upside began to be undeniable.

 

And then ultimately, what do you feel like was “the” paradigm shift that you made – specifically in agronomy – and what does it take for the golf industry to adopt that?

Nicole Masters taught me about the “Five M’s”:

Microbes – understanding the soil food web and the NEED for microbial diversity, including bacteria, fungi, and even viruses

Minerals – not applying synthetic salts like it’s junk food for plants, but creating soil systems that generate their own food self-sustainably

O(M) Organic Matter – creating the right balance of organic matter in soil is what matters

Management –additional work required to sustain soil-plant systems depends on the other factors

Mindset – the most important factor! Are we on the hamster wheel of chemical applications? Or, are we actually healing and regenerating the system?

 

This sounds eerily reminiscent of the American medical system with pharmaceuticals…

Oh, it’s identical! With respect to turf and golf specifically, there’s also too much money tied to traditional paradigms. If a private country club has the money and its members demand quality, then they simply pay more to the agronomy side that’s run by the paradigms of the superintendent. 

Being at a public course, I had a bit more pressure to be creative within budget and make it work, though that was part of my incentive to pursue different paradigms and turf management practices. More traditionally though, we see that it’s too easy to spend somebody else’s money.


If we’re adding “Money” as one of the M’s for golf specifically, maybe we could consider “Membership” as well. Where do golfers fit into this picture?

Imagine a world in which these chemicals can only be applied in one of two areas: food production or turf. The masses have to eat, but they don’t have to bang a ball around finely manicured turf. This may seem to be an extreme point, but it’s the track we’re on…


Threats to humanity and its basic needs are also happening on multiple fronts: plastic pollution, mass poisoning (through agrochemicals), the threat of nuclear war in the geo-political sphere, climate change, and multiple “thousand year” storms hitting Florida in the span of a few weeks… through Driving the Green, we speak of these issues from love and positivity though, and that’s why I feel inspired to talk with people like you! So that we can generate a compelling vision that will shift paradigms and practices.

It’s a necessity! We need to do it before we’re forced into doing it. Going back to the topic of human health – the number one cause of death in Ag is suicide (because of economic hardship). Stress also happens for superintendents, but since I’ve made these changes I have experienced far less stress!



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