JanFeb 2017

FORE YOUR INFORMATION Ja nu a r y / Feb r u a r y 2 0 1 7

2017 Grass Roots Tournament William Land Park March 21, 2017 Host Superintendent Bob Cline

Sierra Nevada GCSA An Affiliate Chapter of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America

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P R E S I D E N T ’ S M E S S AG E

I am swamped. Literally and figuratively. Irene had to threaten me with bodily harm to get this article written. I have about ten minutes to get on the road and get home so I can help my ten year old with last minute science project details while my eight year old goes to art class with my wife.

Tomorrow I’ll have to spend all day in the office reconciling my credit card and month end reports.

It’s not the end of the month, but I’ll be gone next week to our national BrightView meeting in Industry Hills.

Wait. cancel that. #*#! My boss is coming up tomorrow. I guess Friday will be busy. It’s my birthday weekend and I have plans with family. Like I could get out of that considering the following week I’m out of town? NO WAY. Not without invoking the WRATH! And it’s spring. Everything’s growing and

BY

SCOTT DICKSON

we’re planning and where did the winter go?

I guess it rained a lot. Did I get everything done that I wanted to when I had the chance. Nope. Next winter I’ll paint this shop for sure….

Ok. Sorry Irene. This is all I have time for. Got to go. Kids today.

Boss tomorrow.

I forgot to tell you why my boss is coming up. #*#! Ok, there’s this dam, Don Pedro, and it’s releasing a boatload of H2O, which is making its way down the Tuolumne River. Did I spell that right? No time for spell check. Presently Dryden Park G.C., which I manage, sits adjacent to the river, which by the way is swamped. Flooded! Every hole has at least some water. Many fairways are completely under water. I have two greens that are under and many more that are islands and are threatened since the water is still rising.

They plan to keep the spillway open 8-10 more days. #*##!!.

So yeah, I’m swamped. I’m going to try and make the GrassRoots meeting at William Land G.C. because I love that place and their mission and I love Bob Cline. He is one of THE best people in our business.

If I don’t make it, I hope Bob will understand. I know you might not make it either because you’re busy and I’ll understand too. But let’s all try. It’s important for our beloved association. As well as our sanity.

See you at William Land! (maybe)

Scott

2017 SNGCSA BOARD OF DIRECTORS PRESIDENT Scott Dickson Brightview 209-369-7037 VICE PRESIDENT William Hamilton CGCS Lake Wildwood Association 530-432-2187 SECRETARY/TREASURER John Jorgensen The Reserve at Spanos Park 925-584-4592 PAST PRESIDENT Kurtis Wolford Cherry Island Golf Course 916-991-7659 DIRECTORS Dave Bermudez Del Rio Golf & Country Club 209-341-2413 Wes Hull Nakoma Golf Resort 775-781-4494 Rob Williams Schaeffer’s Mill 209-462-6734 John Farley, Teal Bend G.C. 916-646-0910

Affiliate Representatives Matt Graves BelKorp 209-484-5096 Tim McCoy, Turf Star 916-861-7924

M E E T I N G DA T E S

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March 21, 2017

August 21, 2017

Annual Grass Roots Tournament William Land Park G.C. Hosted by Bob Cline

Annual Tri Chapter Event Hosted by the Sierra Nevada GCSA Del Paso Country Club Host by Mark McKinney, CGCS

May 15, 2017 Timber Creek G.C. Hosted by Jim Ferrin, CGCS

September 2017 Presidents' Cup Tournament Date & Location to be confirmed

November 2017 July 24, 2017 Annual Scholarship & Research Tournament Woodbridge Golf & C.C. Hosted by Jim Husting, CGCS

Annual Election Meeting Date & Location to be determined Interested in holding a meeting at your course.

Please give us a call 559-298-6262

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F ROM T HE F IELD BY

JEFF JENSEN GCSAA FIELD STAFF

Thank you to all of our members who made the long trip to Orlando for the Golf Industry Show. We appreciate your support at our showcase event. The Golf Industry Show Jeff Jensen represents 46 percent of GCSAA revenue and allows us to offer education and many additional services to our members throughout the rest of the year. Without the support of our sponsors, vendors and your participation, we couldn’t make it all happen.

Speaking of support, as we move into the busy spring season, please consider making it a point to get to your chap-

ter’s next meeting or golf tournament.

Your elected board of directors and chapter executives Irene Cline and Kim Milne do an amazing job of putting together events that offer quality education, great golf and networking opportunities. Additionally, your board members spend countless hours of volunteer time to assure that the chapter runs smoothly while representing the industries best interests both locally and at the state level. Pay it back by going to the next chapter function, it’s a great chance to learn and have some fun with your fellow members and peers.

As a reminder, GCSAA’s Legacy Scholarship applications are due on April 15. The Environmental Institute for Golf developed this program (funded by Syngenta) to provide scholarship assistance to the children and grandchildren of GCSAA members who have been active Class A, Class B, Class C, Class ARetired, or Class AA members for five or more consecutive years.

Honorees receive a $1,500 award.

For more information, complete eligibility requirements and the application, visit http://www.gcsaa.org/education/ scholarships/gcsaa-legacy-awards.

And last, but not least, National Golf Day has been set for April 26. The 10th anniversary of the event will be once again held on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. National Golf Day celebrates the game’s nearly $70 billion economy, $4 billion annual charitable impact and many environmental and fitness benefits. Industry leaders will meet with Members of Congress, the Executive Branch and federal agencies to discuss golf’s 15,200-plus diverse businesses, two million jobs impacted, tax revenue creation and tourism value.

GCSAA members represent the golf industries largest contingent of National Golf Day representatives. Follow the event on Twitter @wearegolf and support the event through #NGD17.

Thank you again for your support and if I can be of any assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact me at jjensen@gcsaa.org and make sure to follow me on Twitter @GCSAA_SW for daily industry updates.

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2 0 1 7 S CHOLARSHIP & RESEARCH TOURNAMENT WOODBRIDGE GOLF & C.C. Before you know it, it will be time for our chapter’s Research and Scholarship Tournament. This year’s tournament is scheduled on July 24th at Woodbridge Golf and Country Club. We want to thank Jim Husting CGCS, our host superintendent, for offering us his fine facility for this very special event.

Once again Syngenta and Joe Ballmer will help provide the tee prizes. We would like to thank all the golf industry suppliers who in the past have brought equipment displays, donated items for the live auction, sponsored meals, and sponsored tee signs and games on the course. Superintendents, we also

want to thank you for attending, bringing guests, and bringing some great prizes for the raffle. Soon the SNGCSA Board of Directors will be asking again for donations for this year’s event.

The money raised from this tournament goes to Scholarships, Turfgrass Research, the Personal and Professional Development Program, and our Benevolence Fund.

Over the last five

years the money raised from this event exceeds $165,000. We have provided We could not have done this without everyone’s participation.

Scholarship Applications and Legacy Award Applications will be available soon. We will have them posted on line and available by contacting the association office at 559-298-6262.

Thank you, David Bermudez and Kurtis Wolford, Committee Chairmen

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M I K E S T I EL E R W I N S H I S S E C ON D G C S A A NA T I O NA L C H A M P I O N S H I P

Congratulation to Michael Stieler, CGCS at Spring Creek G&CC in Ripon, and Sierra Nevada GCSA member on winning his second GCSAA National Championship with a second-round 1-over-par 73, which wrapped up a two-day total of 2-over-par 146 in Orlando. Mike’s previous title win was in 2012.

Another member that was a winner in the tournament was Dave Bermudez who won his flight low net and took second in low gross. Congratulations to both our Sierra Nevada members for their great performances.

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E X E C U T I V E D I R E C TO R ’ S R E P O R T 2017 GIS B Y I R E N E C L I N E & K I M B E R L Y M I L N E Our GIS experience began on Tuesday February 7th. We were excited to be part of the more than 50 chapter executives, board members and editors gathered at the Chapter Management Session held during the 2017 Golf Industry Show. The session combined two events, the Chapter Executive, and Newsletter Editor Sessions, into a one-day educational program. We received updates on key GCSAA programs and services.

We also heard about some management practices as well as having the opportunity to network with other chapter execs and senior key people from GCSAA. We first heard from GCSAA CEO Rhett Evans, who talked about the GCSAA Member Needs Survey.

Rhett reported that the GCSAA and chapter approval ratings continue to increase. These results reinforced Evans' overall message that GCSAA and chapter success are connected to each other. He stated that GCSAA’s priority areas are field staff, advocacy and outreach, research and environmental programs. These areas continue to receive the bulk of GCSAA spending and directly tie back to the mission and vision of

GCSAA. Rhett also reported on GCSAA’s membership growth initiative of 20,000 members by the year 2020.

This has two key areas:  Strong Brand Consistency – A brand needs to be consistent to gain traction in the marketplace.

This consistency will lead to brand identity, brand recognition and finally connection.  Member Experience – Create experiences for members to engage with and participate in GCSAA. When people feel wanted and needed they renew their memberships and promote the experience to their friends.

There is no doubt that it will require hard work getting to 20,000 members by 2020, and that it will take hard work on everyone’s part.

GCSAA board, staff and chapters.

On Wednesday we helped with the California Room. There were over 220 attendees. The location was well received and everyone looked like they were having a great time. We enjoyed meeting new people and seeing friends that we only have the opportunity to see once a

year. This is a great networking opportunity and the location seemed to work perfectly for that.

On Thursday morning we were invited to attend GCSAA’s BMP meeting. This event was set up to introduce the Planning Guide and Template for State BMP’s. GCSAA unveiled the goal for all 50 states to have a golf course best management program (BMP) in place by the year 2020. To help states, and the chapters within them, GCSAA created an online BMP Planning Guide and Template. We heard about the initiative and we were encouraged to check out the new tool and get started creating our own BMP’s for California. This is something that we at the Sierra Nevada GCSA office are privileged to be a part of and you will hear more as we progress through the process.

We spent the remaining part of Thursday on the trade show floor visiting booths, meeting new people and taking photos of members that we ran into. We gained a great deal of information from our experience and are looking forward to next year in San Antonio.

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W H A T TO D O W H E N T H E R A I N C O M E S C A L L I N G

BY JOHN FARLEY, TEAL BEND GOLF COURSE What to do when the rain comes calling?

When the storm systems out over the pacific stack up like men in line for a beer at a John Farley River Cats game it’s time to take a break. I know it’s important to clear drains, clean up fallen trees, work on irrigation at the club house and to clean and organize the shop after a long hot, hectic summer. But wait, remember that doing nothing is sometimes the right thing to do.

What? That’s right, one of my old bosses from Bidwell Golf Course used to call doing nothing “the third option” , and the third option is always available and you’d be surprised at how often it’s the right thing to do. Just relax, chill, and hear me out.

Now this third option thing might seem at first a bit counter intuitive. Most superintendents have a long list of tasks and jobs they want to get done during the wet months.

Things that they have been wanting to do all summer but just can’t justify doing as so many other things take precedent. Things like mowing and irrigating and spraying and on and

on. But all that stops when the rainy you are by summer’s end. Send them and frosty mornings kick in. It’s time home after set up and pay them for the full day. Mind you, one can’t do to shift gears and slow down. this on a regular basis because budgMost fruit trees such as cherets simply won’t allow. But an occaries and peaches need a certain numsional half day at full pay is symbolic ber of chill hours. These are hours and goes a long way with your peobelow 45 degrees and before a fruit ple. tree can produce fruit it needs these “ chill hours”. Well guess what? SuSo after making sure the course perintendents need chill hours too. is OK and that the golfers have playWe need our time on the couch napable conditions out there, go home. ping as the rain pounds on the winGo enjoy the famous third option. Do dow. Having that down time in Denothing and recharge your batteries. cember and January allows us to You’re preparing for next year and survive the 110 degree heat waves all the surprises and trials that will that we encounter every July and come. In fact most of us have vacaAugust. Now I understand that if you tion and sick time afforded to us that have oak trees laying on top of green we never even use. Use it, you have complexes you better NOT be on the my permission. Now if you don’t couch logging chill hours. Obviously mind, I’m going home to chill and you need to be out there slogging. do nothing.

But it’s equally important to do the opposite. Trust me, I know. I’ve done the heroic thing where you grind all summer, all fall and then keep going in Teal Bend Golf Course, Sacramento winter by doing what you can without biting off more than you can chew. You also run the risk of burning out your crew.

Let’s face it, they’re just as tired and burned out as

FORE YOUR INFORMATION Published by the Sierra Nevada Golf Course Superintendents Association EDITOR Bill Hamilton, CGCS OFFICE SNGCSA 5322 N. Leonard, Clovis, CA 93619 559-298-6262 Fax# 559-298-6957 sngcsaa@aol.com

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2017 I R R I G A T I O N S E M I N A R & MECHANICS SEMINAR We had over 100 attendees over the two day event.

Based on the survey taken we have been able to lock in on what the attendees want to hear which will help our program next year

Above Belkorp sponsored a Neary Grinder Representative to speak. At left Jim Ferrin provided Budget Development and Capital Replacement programs.

Above Ben Showard displayed as one of the vendors

Above Brian Ries Toro, and at right Ryan Nichols from Sierra Pacific Turf

Jeff Jenson provided information on GCSAA’s Eqmt Manager opportunities .

Below Dave Wilbur provided an entertaining and informative talk at the lunch break.

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS Anthony Powers Jacobsen Textron Class Affiliate

Daniel Cruse Winchester C.C. Class B

Jerry Fleming DryJect Class Affiliate

Pine Mountain Lake

Rob Abbott

Jarod Russo Serrano C.C. Class C

Class B Andrew Dillon The Ridge Class C

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2017 C A L I F O R N I A R O O M TOMMY BAHAMAS

Pictured above Pat Smythe with guest and past member Jeff Frontz.

Above Ryan Nichols and Jay Colvin get to visit with some friends which is what this night is all about.

At left Dr. Jim Baird and Joe Ballmer pose for the camera.

Above Mike Stieler, CGCS shares a laugh with his friends and Rafael Barajas, CGCS GCSAA Director spends time with his California friends.

At right Gregg Dunn shares a laugh with Gary Ingram, California GCSA President.

Bottom left Dave Bermudez with his wife Cindy.

Below Matt Graves and Matthew Haas are having a great time.

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2017 GIS & T R A D E S H OW

Ryan Nichols with Dr. Jim Baird with colleagues visiting the trade show

Michael Kropp from Wilbur Ellis

The SNGCSA is now on Facebook and Twitter.

Check it out!

Check out the website: Sierranevadagcsa.com

Sal Sorbello, BelKorp pictured at right.

Pete Bowman and Phil Brown below

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