Jul/Aug 2012 Fore Your Information

Ju l y / A u gu s t 2 0 1 2

FORE YOUR INFORMATION INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

President’s Message

2

Meeting Schedule

3

Tech Tips

5

Rounds 4 Research

6

SNGCSA PDP Program

7

From the Field

9

Meeting Highlights

12

Meeting Highlights

14

Dates to Remember September 17, 2012 Grizzly Ranch The President’s Cup Hosted by Mike Baty

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

2012 P R E S I D E N T ’ S C U P G R I Z Z LY R A N C H W I T H

HOST SUPERINTENDENT MIKE BATY

BY IRENE CLINE

Mike Baty, superintendent at Grizzly Ranch Golf Club is proud to host the 2012 President’s Cup tournament for our Chapter.

Mike was part of the “Grow In” at Grizzly and lists that experience as one of his career highlights. He moved to California from Texas in 1998 and immediately took a job for his father-in-law at Beale A.F.B.. He made one pass on the greens and knew “this is

it”. He obtained a Turf Certificate from the University of Georgia and completed the NCGA Intern Program. He went on the work at Peach Tree C.C., Serrano C.C. and then El Dorado Hills G.C. Before heading up to Grizzly Ranch.

Mike loves the sun coming up in the morning and enjoys being able to see the results of his hard work. The position isn’t without some draw back however, one

being that he would love to be able to travel with his wife, Shannon, and their two daughters, Sarah and Stella, in the summer months. They do have fun enjoying all the water sports they can and other hobbies such as horseshoes, bowling and of coarse, golf. Sporting a 9.3 index shows he is pretty darn good at the sport.

Grizzly Ranch (Continued on page 4)

RESEARCH AND SCHOLARSHIP TOURNAMENT BY JESSIE SEQUIN This year’s Research and Scholarship Tournament at Northridge Country Club was a huge success. We would not be able to achieve this without the help of so many people. We would like to start off by thanking Northridge Country Club for allowing us to use their fine facility. We would

also like to thank Larry Johnson, CGCS, for having the course in such great condition.

There are so many people to thank that we’re going to only mention a few names of the larger donations. Joe Ballmer of Syngenta sponsored the tee prizes, Sal Sorbello of Mid Cal

Tractor sponsored the breakfast, Jim Duhig of Arrow Golf Construction sponsored the beverages on the course, Reggie Pomicpic of Brown Sand sponsored the hors d’ oeuvres buffet and Dean Kinney of Sierra Pacific Turf Supply sponsored (Continued on page 4)

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Fore Your Information EDITOR Jim Alwine Stockton Golf & Country Club

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

209-462-6734

OFFICE SNGCSA 5322 N. Leonard Clovis, CA 93619 559-298-6262 Fax# 559-298-6957 sngcsaa@aol.com Jeff Couwenhoven PRESIDENT Jeff Couwenhoven Resort at Squaw Creek 916-771-7370

VICE PRESIDENT Jeremy Payne Winchester C.C. 916-817-8106

SECRETARY/TREASURER Jesse Seguin Lincoln Hills Golf Course 916-434-7200

PAST PRESIDENT Jim Alwine Stockton Golf & Country Club 209-462-6734

DIRECTORS Dave Bermudez Del Rio Golf & Country Club 209-341-2413 Scott McCullough The Ridge Golf Course

Wow, has the summer flew by this year.

Maybe that is a good thing, but still, nonetheless, the summer season is beginning to show the signs of transition to autumn. With this transition comes the end of great things. The PGA tour is in the playoffs, Baseball talk is about the upcoming playoffs, and yes it is almost time to put away the boats for the year. But football has started, hockey is on the horizon and for those NBA lovers, basketball.

The Autumn season is a great time for the SNGCSA. The President’s Cup at Grizzly Ranch is right around the corner followed by our October meet-

530-888-7122 ext 2 Bob Franco Van Buskirk Golf Course 209-598-0564 Kurtis Wolford Cherry Island Golf Course 916-991-7659

Affiliate Representatives Dave Wilber Sierra Pacific Turf Supply

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Your Exclusive Northern California Dealers Mike Farmen

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FORE YOUR INFORMATION

Thor Larson

Published by the Sierra Nevada Golf Course Superintendents Association

831-277-4356

Guy Auxer 303-601-2361

916-396-9394

JEFF

ing at Plumas Lake. The Assistant Boot Camp is also down the road in the near future. We are pleased to offer assistance to those who wish apply for the professional development program. It is also a time to plan for next year. Up here at the resort we are indeed budget planning for the next golf season.

I want to take the time to thank all of our sponsors from the past year.

Your help has dramatically improved our ability to put on great events, afford to offer our professional development program, and continue to contribute to research and scholarships. I would also like to thank all the superintendents who have hosted events this year. We have been lucky to play at some of the finest courses. If you would like to host an event please notify anyone on the board, as well as Kim and Irene at the office and we will be more than willing to follow up.

Some other upcoming opportunities for willing parties are the elections. I

916-630-7600 Pete Bowman Target Specialty Products

BY

COUWENHOVEN

have been very proud to be a member of the SNGCSA board for four years. It has been a rewarding experience to serve our association in all different aspects of the association.

Member participation does not have to be attending meetings, serving on the board or committees.

It can come in the form of having your Blog posted on the SNGCSA website. This is an example of a easy way to stay in touch, share ideas, and have fun with something.

Enjoy what is left of summer, have a great day.

Jeff

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MEETING SCHEDULE September 17, 2012

November 12, 2012

Grizzly Ranch Golf Course Host Superintendent Mike Baty

Cameron Park C.C. Host Superintendent Jessie Creencia, CGCS Annual Association Meeting & Election

October 22, 2012

December 14, 2012

Plumas Lakes Golf Course Host Superintendent Mike Kavaney

River Boat Cruise on the Delta King

January 2013 Pending Confirmation of Date & Location

October 15 & 16, 2012 NCGA Assistant Boot Camp Monterey, CA http://www.ncga.org/bootcamp or call 1-831-622-8205

February 4-8. 2013 Annual Conference & Show San Diego, CA California Room USS Midway Wednesday Feb. 6, 2012

If you are interested in hosting a meeting email Jeremy Payne at jspturf@hotmail.com or Dave Wilber at davewilber@yahoo.com

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Mike Baty/Grizzly Ranch

Scholarship Tournament Results

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Golf Club opened in 2005. Bob Cupp was the Designer for the 18 hole course located in western Feather River Country. It is surrounded by more that a million acres of pristine national and state forestlands.

One of the major challenges for Mike is the drainage on the course; and watering in the mountains with all the weather changes is always a challenge. He has recently done some drainage projects to help with this problem.

Be sure to sign up for this event early. You won’t want to miss this opportunity to see and play this beautiful course.

Mike Baty

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the “hole in one game”.

On the course there were displays

by Golf Ventures West, Turf Star, and Commercial Pump who proudly displayed their equipment. There were so many companies and individuals who donated auction prizes, raffles prizes, and tee signs.

Also the 131 players who came out to play golf and spend money. We thank you very much.

At this year’s event we were able Jesse Sequin to give out two turf grass student scholarships and five legacy scholarships. Bruce Williams was there to acknowledge the $10,000 that the Sierra Nevada Chapter has donated for the California Turfgrass Institute.

At this year’s tournament we were able to raise $23,281.62.

This is such a great amount of money to be raised and it couldn’t have been possible without your help.

The following is a breakdown on how this money will be spent: a.

Turfgrass Research – the Board will determine the best donation or utilization of 50% of the net proceeds to be used for research and scientific endeavors, the results of which should directly benefit the members of the Sierra Nevada association b.

Scholarship – 30% of the net proceeds will go toward academic scholarships to one or more students pursuing a higher education beyond the high school level, including both turfgrass education and member legacy awards, the recipients of which will be determined by the Board and its appropriate committee, to be awarded at the following year’s Scholarship & Research event c.

Personal & Professional Development Program – 15% of the net proceeds will be available to members of the association, in good standing, who wish to advance their personal or professional interests, and can demonstrate a need through application to the Board, by which they may be awarded a grant of appropriate value to accomplish their goals d. Benevolent Fund –5% of the net proceeds will be allocated toward the association’s Benevolent Fund, which was established in order for the Board to provide crucial financial assistance to our members in times of great need, such as catastrophic loss of personal property, costs associated with the untimely passing of a valued member of the association or local golf community, or other needs as deemed appropriate by the Board.

Once again the SNGCSA Board of Directors wants to thank you for your generosity.

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TECH TIPS APPS YOU CAN’T LIVE

Jeremy Payne

This second app I want to highlight is actually one of the newest apps on my phone, only because I just recently found it. But it’s quickly becoming one of the best and most useful apps for me as an always-busy superintendent.

The app is called GPS Log and is perfect for those of us that always make lists and can’t ever stop noticing small little things as we cruise around the course that we don’t have time to fix in that moment, but don’t want to forget. I also find that a big challenge is trying to delegate that small chore and properly relay the exact location, what it is exactly I want done and sometime even what I’m talking about. This app solves all of that.

JEREMY PAYNE WITHOUT: 2 - GPS LOG

Let’s say you’re doing your daily course check, and you come across a small gopher mound in a greens surround. But you don’t have a trap and you want to make sure it doesn’t go unchecked later. With this app, you can tag your location (with exact GPS coordinates), have the option to take a picture to show the location, surrounding features and the problem itself, type in a few notes, tag somebody or something to help categorize the log later and save it to your phone.

Now, when you pull the location tag up later, it will show you a GPS map of where you were exactly, your photo and your notes that you can share in a multitude of ways, via e-mail, Twitter, etc. so you can delegate it to your assistant or other crew members if desired.

Also, if you finish your whole course tour and have multiple location tags, you can view them all in a GPS map at once, clicking on each tag to show more details. Whats more, if you have Google Earth on a computer at the shop, you can generate a .KMZ file, e-mail it to yourself, load it into Google Earth and view all your tags, pictures and information on a big screen. Go a step farther and

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hook your computer up a TV and use it as a tool to share with your entire crew! It can be a great way to pinpoint some minor mistakes that have been made or as a training tool on just about anything.

The full version does cost a couple bucks, but the Lite version allows you to still do everything, it just limits the number of tags you can make. So if you’re a super with endless lists and notes and little todos of random things across the course, this app can help you get organized and more clearly share and teach those observations to others.

If you have any comments, suggestions or need additional info or help with these Tech Tips, please contact Jeremy at jpayne@valleycrest.com.

The SNGCSA is now on Facebook and Twitter. Check it out!

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R O U N D S 4 R E S E A RC H We are pleased to announce that the Sierra Nevada GCSA Chapter is joining with Nor Cal GCSA and Central California GCSA and will be participating in the Rounds 4 Research program. Earlier this summer the Environmental Institute for Golf (GCSAA’s philanthropic organization) announced that it would be conducting Rounds 4 Research after the Carolinas GCSA administered it on a smaller scale for three years.

Working with a handful of chapters, the Carolinas GCSA generated nearly $350,000 in three years to support local research and advocacy efforts. Noting that the program had grown beyond its administrative capacity, the Carolinas approached GCSAA with the challenge to take it national and share this wonderful opportunity with others.

Rounds 4 Research is based on the practice of securing donated rounds of golf and putting them up for public auction. The EIFG will work with the Bidding for Good website to auction the rounds and administer the various notification and revenue collection activities. At least 80 percent of the proceeds will be distributed to participating chapters or turfgrass organizations for use on research-based programs such as education, scholarships, advocacy and agronomic research. With more than 650,000 registrants, the site supports non-profit organizations with the most highly sought item, golf rounds.

It will take a committed effort from all of us to make this program a success. You will be asked to solicit rounds of golf from your facilities (and perhaps others) to be

placed for auction. We expect the auction to begin in late September.

The more rounds we secure the greater the revenue we can generate in support of our members and chapters.

We have sent an E-blast providing more information about the program and support documentation that can be shared with others at your facility in soliciting rounds.

From that perspective, it is important to remember that this program is for the benefit of all aspects of golf.

This is not a program that will only benefit golf course superintendents.

Again, we are excited about the opportunity presented to us and the potential to invest in activities that will strengthen the profession and the game. Please contact Irene should you have questions.

Don’t miss out on an issue, an announcement, or important information.

Call the Association office today to verify your email address is correct.

559-298-6262

or email us at sngcsaa@aol.com Paul K. Smith Sales Representative Pest Control Advisor Western Specialty Division

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S N G C S A P E R S O NA L & P ROF E S S I ONA L D E V E L OP M E N T P RO G R A M ( P D P ) B Y J E R E M Y

The purpose of the Sierra Nevada Golf Course Superintendents Association’s Personal & Professional Development Program (PDP) is to assist in furthering the careers and improving the mental and physical health and life satisfaction of our association members.

The PDP is a benefit available to all members in good standing with the association, who find and can demonstrate a financial need for assistance in reaching a goal that would improve their life or career.

As an association of busy, hardworking professionals, we understand that finding either the time or money to put toward life-improving activities outside of work can be extremely challenging. This program aims to assist in lessening the financial burden of taking part in activities such that our members can find their way toward leading a happier and more productive work and home life.

Personal & professional development activities that may apply to this grant program may include, but not be limited to: Personal Learning a new hobby, or taking lessons pertaining to one (i.e. playing guitar, rock climbing, scuba diving, etc.)

Attending an event or activity related to an area of personal interest Purchasing books/tapes/CDs/ classes to learn a new language Professional Attending a seminar or class

related to any facet of being a turfgrass employee Continuing higher education through universities or online.

Taking golf lessons Taking a test aimed at achieving licensing or certification (i.e.

QAC/QAL, PCA, Irrigation Auditor, etc.)

An activity or outing designed to boost crew morale Attending an association golf or educational event The PDP functions as follows: Members may apply for a PDPgrant at any point during the year Applications for PDP grants will be reviewed and/or approved monthly at SNGCSA BOD meetings When necessary, PDP applicants may be asked to attend the BOD meeting for further questioning during review of their application PDP grants may be awarded for the full cost, a matched portion, or any partial portion, of the activity applied for, up to $500; applicants should be clear in their application if they are seeking full, matched or partial reimbursement

PAYNE

PDP applicants who are awarded grants will be required to utilize their own funds initially, then provide the Board with both receipt of payment and some form of official completion of activity applied for, at which time the association will reimburse them for the funds granted to them by approval of their application Once PDP funds (15% of net Scholarship & Research proceeds) are exhausted, no further grants will be considered until after the next Scholarship & Research fundraising event The SNGCSA Board reserves Continued on Page 8

(Continued on page 8)

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SGCSA PDP P RO G R A M CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7

the right to deny any application deemed inappropriate, incomplete or not in the character of the objectives of the program, as well as for any current or historical issues with the good standing of the applicant in the association (professionally and/or financially) In order to apply for a PDP grant, applicants must provide the following: Full Name, Course/ Organization, Position Description of activity interested in participating in, including any associated dates,

timelines, multiple occurrences, location, etc. (<250 words) Description of need (i.e. what financially prohibits you, personally or professionally, from paying for this on your own) (<250 words Description of how the activity will improve your personal or professional life (<250 words) Total cost of activity applying for, amount of grant requesting (if different) and indication of request for full, partial or matched grant funding for the activity

All applications should be submitted via mail, e-mail or fax to the association office and/or Irene Cline to be passed on to the Board for review. Call to receive an email copy of the application.

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FROM THE FIELD

JEFF JENSEN, GCSAA FIELD STAFF, SOUTHWEST REGION I hope everyone had a great summer and had the opportunity to spend some quality time with family and friends.

As most of you Jeff Jensen are all too familiar with, we live in a frantic and fast-paced world that puts a lot of demands on our time. With that being said, GCSAA webcasts provide an efficient way to supplement the terrific educational opportunities that are offered monthly by our affiliate chapters.

Brought to you in partnership with Syngenta, these web-

casts allow you to learn from turfgrass and golf course industry leaders in the comfort of your own home or office. Best of all, the webcasts are free to GCSAA members!

Each webcast is 90 minutes in length and uses Microsoft’s Live Meeting Software which can be downloaded at no cost before your session. Members can also actively participate in the webcast through a microphone or text chat feature. Webcasts are available live and On Demand and focus on a variety of topics including agronomy, business, communication, environment and leadership.

Additionally, you can

earn .2 education points for each 90 minute session by completing the evaluation survey following the webcast.

Our members are finding these webcasts to be a great educational tool and member benefit.

A matter of fact, as of YTD May 31, we have had 1,337 members participate in live webcasts and 2,655 participate in On Demand programming.

Upcoming live events include “Why Care about Organic Matter?” on Sept. 13 and “Managing for Winter Injury of Cool-Season Turfgrasses” on Sept. 20. To register for a web(Continued on page 11)

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T H A N K Y O U TO O U R S P O N SO R S

Russ Mitchell

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F RO M

THE

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cast or to view the live and On Demand offerings, visit www.gcsaa.org/education/ webcasts.aspx.

In other news, I have officially setup my GCSAA Twitter account. I can be followed @GCSAA_SW and will provide weekly updates on meetings, events and other news relating to the world of golf. Also make sure to check the GCSAA Facebook page (https://www.facebook.co m/GCSAAFB) as I often post photos and updates from the various meetings

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FIELD PAGE 8

Welcome New Members

throughout the Southwest.

I look forward to seeing many of you at the upcoming events. Until then, if I can be of any assistance, please donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t hesitate to email me at jjensen@gcsaa.org.

Jason Wolf Lincoln Hill Golf Club Class SM

William F. Hamilton, CGCS Lake Wildwood Association Class A

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HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE SCHOLARSHIP & RESEARCH TOURNAMENT Providing Scholarships and Research dollars was the highlight of the after golf awards at the 2012 Event. Acknowledging the commitment of the Sierra Nevada Chapter to Research was Bruce Williams from the California Turf & Landscape Foundation pictured at left with Jeff Couwenhoven. At right Erica Husting receives her Legacy Award along with her Parents. Below is host superintendent Larry Johnson with association president Jeff Couwenhoven.

At left are Jonathan Rybicki and Brandon Russell and pictured at right are Sarah Schell and Michael Kropp Jr.

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HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE SCHOLARSHIP & RESEARCH TOURNAMENT

The Board was ready for check in

John Duhig and Scott Dickson

A day to spend with good friends

2012 Tournament Winners Stephen McVey, Kurtis Wolford, Jay Colvin, & Rod Metzler

Dave Bermudez, 2012 Tournament Chairman

Always fun to share a laugh

The Turf Star Group shows off their matching shirts they shared with our association managers.

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TRI CHAPTER MEETING HIGHLIGHTS ADA Compliance was the educational focus at TPC Stonebrae. Demonstrations were provided by Anthony Netto the founder of Stand Up and Play Foundation. Netto, a veteran who also uses a wheelchair, enjoys the game of golf and understand the importance of accessibility. Netto demonstrated the use of the ParaMobile, a solo vehicle specially designed for individuals with disabilities, allowing them the ability to stand up and comfortably participate in the game of golf.

Fred Brattain , founder of The Disabled Golfers Learning Foundation provided the ADA Compliance which specifically pertained to golf facilities. At right Anthony Netto demonstrates the use of the ParaMobile. At far right he fields questions with some of the TPC Stonebrae staff and with meeting attendees.

Jim Ferrin and Jeff Couwenhoven

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HIGHLIGHTS FROM TPC STONEBRAE

Dave Bermudez

Above from right is host superintendent Dave Davies, CGCS with Rafael Barajas, CGCS and TPC Staff Member.

Pictured above are the three (Tri) Chapter Presidentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, from left Rodney Muller, Nor Cal, Jeff Couwenhoven, Sierra Nevada, and Michael Swing, CGCS, Central Cal. At left are Scott Dickson, Kevin Breen, CGCS, and Jeff Couwenhoven.

5322 N. Leonard Ave. Clovis, CA 93619