MayJune2017

FORE YOUR INFORMATION M a y / Ju n e 2 0 1 7

2017 Scholarship & Research Tournament July 24 2017 Host Jim Husting, CGCS

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P R E S I D E N T ’ S M E S S AG E

Scott Dickson

The date was Friday, June 16, 2017. June? The high temperature forecasted in Modesto for the next 10 days was as follows: 100, 105, 108, 111, 111, 110, 108, 103, 100, 100. Did I mention it’s June?

By the time this article and newsletter is published and you’ve read this, I hope we will be in a cooling trend and this week will be a distant memory.

I don’t know where I was going with this thought; except that’s about all I can think about at this mo-

BY

SCOTT DICKSON

ment.

TEAM—We, the members of the Sierra Nevada Golf Course Superintendents, are a team. We pay an annual dues that goes directly to financing the operation of this team. For this team to be successful, it needs team work.

The upcoming Scholarship & Research Tournament at Woodbridge Golf and Country Club is a prime example of where we need all our team members to participate. We are raising monies to help future superintendents attend school. We are raising monies to help fellow team members put their kids through school. We are raising monies to help fund research into issues that directly affect our abilities to do our jobs: turf research.

We can’t do any of this without you: our fellow team members.

We need you to donate a round of golf at your golf course, a box of sprinklers, a bag of fertilizer, a shiny

new car. Anything! Everything will be appreciated and either bid on or raffled off. All proceeds go towards helping other team members and/or their families and golf courses.

Most importantly, we need all team members to attend. We need you to come out to Woodbridge Golf and Country Club and say “Hi” to your fellow team members that you may not have seen in a while. Come play an always wonderfully maintained golf course by Past President and two-time Member of the Year Mr. Jimmy Husting, CGCS. We need you to come out and bid $1,000 on $1,200 worth of fungicide and save your course $200.

Most importantly, we need to see you. We care greatly about our chapter and we want to see it flourish. And we need you, our fellow team members, to make it happen.

Thanks and I’ll see you next month if I don’t melt first!

2017 SNGCSA BOARD OF DIRECTORS PRESIDENT Scott Dickson Brightview VICE PRESIDENT William Hamilton CGCS Lake Wildwood Association

SECRETARY/TREASURER John Jorgensen The Reserve at Spanos Park

PAST PRESIDENT Kurtis Wolford Cherry Island Golf Course

DIRECTORS Dave Bermudez Del Rio Golf & Country Club

Wes Hull Nakoma Golf Resort

Rob Williams Schaffer’s Mill

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

John Farley Teal Bend G.C.

M E E T I N G DA T E S

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July 24, 2017

November 6, 2017

Annual Scholarship & Research Tournament Woodbridge Golf & C.C. Hosted by Jim Husting, CGCS

Annual Election Meeting The Ridge Golf Course Hosted by Scott McCullough

August 21, 2017 Annual Tri Chapter Event Hosted by the Sierra Nevada GCSA Del Paso Country Club Hosted by Mark McKinney, CGCS

September 18, 2017 Presidents' Cup Tournament Coyote Moon Golf Course Hosted by Ram Sena

2018 January 9, 2018 Mechanic/Irrigation Seminar The Ridge Golf Course Hosted by Scott McCullough

San Antonio, Texas California Room February 7, 2018 The Buckhorn Texas Ranger Museum & Bar

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F ROM T HE F IELD BY

JEFF JENSEN GCSAA FIELD STAFF

The need for state level BMP programs and, ultimately, golf facility written BMP plans is greater than ever.

Considering the increase in nutrient regulations, scrutiny of golf courses, tarJeff Jensen geted areas and the impacts of regional droughts all driving change, it is critical that the industry actively promote best management practices.

With this in mind, the California BMP planning guide/digital template is now underway and the planning committee has been working diligently on what is a complex and large project.

The goal is to take the existing national BMP planning guide/digital template and further develop it into a state level document that can be used by individual golf facilities and allows for regional variables due to climate, environment and regulatory policies that vary significantly throughout California.

The committee is chaired by California GCSA president Gary Ingram, CGCS at Metropolitan Golf Links in Oakland and features a representative from each of the state’s GCSAA chapters as well as the California Alliance for Golf, California Golf Course Owners Association, Northern California PGA, Southern California Golf Association, Southern California PGA, University of California Cooperative Extension and the United States Golf Association.

The committee recently completed a scope of services document for the hiring of a third-party consultant that will assist in completing the project.

The consultant’s primary objective will be to serve as the overall project manager while working with state regulators (SWRCB, DWR, DPR, etc.) to ensure that the BMP document includes regulations that are pertinent to the state golf industry. Additionally, the consultant will assist the committee in reviewing agronomic information and finding additional funding for completion of the project.

Currently, eight consultants (including five from California) have

expressed interest in working on the project and proposals will be due in July.

The estimated completion date of the California BMP template and guide is March of 2018. Upon completion, superintendents will be able to access the template online and edit it to fit the BMP goals of their facility.

To view the national BMP guide in a PDF format or to learn more, visit https://www.gcsaa.org/environment/bm p-planning-guide.

I will keep you updated on the progress of the project throughout the summer and as always, thank you for your support of GCSAA initiatives.

Please contact me at jjensen@gcsaa.org with any questions 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

BY DAVE BERMUDEZ

The Research and Scholarship Tournament is just a month away. This year’s tournament is July 24th at Woodbridge Golf and Country Club. We thank Jim Husting CGCS, our host superintendent for offering us his fine facility for this special event.

Syngenta and Joe Ballmer once again have helped purchase the tee prizes for this tournament. A big thank you goes out to Joe and Syngenta. Many of the golf industry suppliers have already donated items for both the live and silent auction.

For the auctions we have received fertilizers, fungicides, sand, sod, GCSAA conference package, sprinklers, course amenities, equipment parts, contractor’s services, POGO, small turf sprayers and wine. There will be equipment displays by John Deere, Toro, Pogo and Ewing who are proudly showing off their latest equipment. Commercial Pump Services will have their display and of course the “beer tap”. On the course we have closet to the pins on par 3’s sponsored by West Coast Netting, most accurate drive, and food stations. Dean Kinney and Sierra Pacific Turf Supply will have their Casino Golf Hole. Yamaha Golf

Carts will have a new golf cart for to the Research and Scholarship the first person who gets a hole on Tournament please contact any one on their sponsored golf hole.

SNGCSA Board Member.

For the raffle many of the Golf Scholarship applications Course Superintendents have dodead line is July 10th. Scholarships nated foursome certificates for golf are available to turf grass students at their facility. We also have baseand legacy (non- turf grass students) ball tickets and other items for the who are children or grandchildren of raffle. Turf Time will sponsor lunch members. and BelKorp will sponsor breakfast.

To make this tournament Thank you, successful we need everybody to David Bermudez and Kurtis come out to the event and bring Wolford guests. The day will be full of enjoyment.

The money raised from this tournament goes to Scholarships, Turfgrass Research, Personal and Professional Development Program, and our Benevolence Fund. Over the last five years the money raised from this event exceeds $150,000. We could not have done this without everyones participation.

800 MOSSDALE RD, LATHROP, CA. If your in209 234-1500 www.brownsandinc.com terested in donating PRODUCTSSERVICES AVAILABLEUSGA Top Dressing Sand Deliveries by MAGNUM TRUCKING INC. Greens Top Dressing Sand Blend Materials to Customers Specifications Bunker Sand Profile / Sand Blends 0-0-50 / Kiln Dried Sand blends Kiln Dried USGA Sand - 3000lbs Super Sacks Dakota Peat Sand Blends Peat Inc Sand Blends Pea Gravel Top Soil

FOR ALL YOUR MATERIAL NEEDS PLEASE CALL OUR OFFICE OR

REGGIE POMICPIC – Director of Sales and Market Cell# 209 993-5211 E-mail: reggie@brownsandinc.com

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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 BY

IR E N E C L I N E & K I M B E R LY MI L NE

Weather has been the key factor throughout the chapter this year. First the rain that just didn’t stop, then the flooding, and the flooding that continues. Now we have the heat in the valley to contend with.

Just like normal a superintendents life is never a bowl of cherries. (So to speak).

That being said, there are good things happening On June 14, it was announced that Rick Menard, was hired as the new superintendent at Greenhorn Creek Resort. Menard was previously the director of agronomy at Indian Wells Resort in the Coachella Valley. Prior to working at Indian Wells Resort, Menard worked

in the same capacity for eight years at ing. Be sure to get your items in if Westin Mission Hills. We look foryou want to support the programs that ward to seeing Rick at future meetwe offer to our members. ings and welcome him as a 2017 Scholarship & new member of the Sierra Nevada Research Tournament Chapter We are July 24, 2017 preparing for the Woodbridge Golf & Country Club 2017 Scholarship and Research Host Superintendent Jim Husting, CGCS Tournament and 8:30 Registration have already had 10:30 Shotgun Tournament (18 holes) a great response.

You should be 11:00 Barbecue Lunch on the Course Hosted by Turf receiving weekly Time updates on the Immediately following golf will be Awards Ceremony, auction. The reScholarship distribution, Live Auction, Silent Auction, sponse from our Hors ‘d Ouerves, and No Host Bar generous vendors REGISTER NOW is always amaz-

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AFFILIATE MEMBER PROFIL J O E K U RU N G , W E S T C OA S T S A N D & G R AV E L

BY JOHN FARLEY

I first met Joe Kurung at Bidwell Golf Course 30 years ago. I was filling cart path pot holes and mowing greens and he had just hired on with Zamora Sod. As Joe Kurung you can see, Joe has been in turf business for a long time. He actually worked at Bidwell as a section man in 84’ and 85’ so you can safely say Joe has come from the ground up and has deep roots in the industry. After a short stint at Bidwell, Joe hired on as farm manager at Zamora Sod out in Butte City south west of Chico.

Zamora was a small and upcoming sod farm started by Jon Engen, a local turf legend and guru. Joe quickly gained the confidence of his new employer and was promoted to the sales department. While he still spent most of his time at the farm planting, growing, and harvesting the sod he was also out on the road pushing the product. Who better to sell the product than Joe. He was well versed in the language of turf and had the outgoing personality to sell it.

As Zamora Sod grew so did Joe’s territory. They began to grow more varieties of turf such as Tall Fescue and Bermuda. The housing boom of the 90’s proved to be a good thing for the sod industry and Zamora grew up to be one of the largest sod producers in the area and Joe was right there helping it along.

He worked for Zamora from 1987 to 2003. After 16 years Joe decided it was time for a change. So he went from growing and selling real grass to selling and installing

artificial grass. He broke out on his own and started a company called “Specialized Turf”. Between 2004 and 2006 he sold and installed artificial lawns and private putting greens.

He stayed busy enough to have an installation crew working fulltime.

His dream was to eventually have enough work to keep two crews working and he would focus on sales. Well he couldn’t quite make that happen and ended up doing much of the install work himself. So after a couple of years on his own he decided he wanted out of the install end of the industry. Joe hung up the carpet knife and applied for a sales position at West Coast Sand and Gravel. That was back in 2006 and he’s been there ever since. Of course that’s where we all know Joe from is West Coast. He’s been with that company for 11 years and according to him will not be changing career paths anytime soon. It was during his time with West Coast that he decided to join the SNGCSA as an affiliate member. He also joined the Northern California Superintendents Association and was quickly elected as a board member and he served for 3 years. Upon completing his term as board member he turned his attention to the Sierra Nevada chapter where he was elected as an affiliate board member. Joe served there for two years. Not only does he work in the industry but he does his civic duty.

Joe felt it was important to give back to an industry that has given him so much.

As you can see Joe has a long a storied path that has lead him to where he is now. I asked Joe what he enjoys about the business. He told me, “ It’s the people and the relationships you can develop over the

years.” He went on to say how rewarding it is to be part of such a solid industry. Let’s face it, we all love turf and wouldn’t be doing what we do if we didn’t. Joe is no exception. He truly loves his job.

Next I asked Joe about retirement and he just laughed. You see Joe and his wife Carin have a 19 year old son named Joe junior who just started college at Santa Barbara City College and a 17 year old boy named Christopher who goes to Pleasant Valley High School in Chico and will soon be heading to college as well. Joe and his wife have also recently taken custody of his nephew Carter who is 10. So suffice it to say Joe will be needing a steady check for some time to come. That suits me just fine because not only is Joe a dear friend but he’s a strong affiliate member of the association and die hard supporter of the industry. We need guys like Joe to keep us superintendents flush with sand, gravel, and all the other fine products he sells.

We hope to feature other affiliate members of our association in upcoming issues of the Fore Your Information. If you would like to recommend and help out featuring a member don’t hesitate to call the association office at 559-298-6262.

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Jim Husting, CGCS Woodbridge Golf & Country Club

by Irene Cline Being tasked with writing an article on a person who can be considered an icon in our industry is no easy job. I have had the privilege of knowing Jim since the mid 90’s. Jim was serving on the California GCSA Board of Directors and I would have the opportunity to meet him at State and National events.

Jim served on the California GCSA Board from 1995 to 1998 at which time he became the president of the State Association. Jim was also serving on the Sierra Nevada GCSA Board during that time and became President of the SNGCSA in 1997.

In addition to his State and Local Chapter Board duties he pretty much single handedly became the voice of advocacy for the California GCSA members. This was a position he took on without being asked and became the industry's government relations liaison in California for 13 years. Jim served on the GCSAA’s government relations committee from 1997-98 and again from 2008-09. He played an instrumental part in keeping all the California chapters informed of government issues that affected California's golf industry. Jim established a government relations network of more than 300 industry professionals throughout the state who received his action alerts. His government relations updates were also posted on the California GCSA's Web site and his efforts in Sacramento include helping obtain funding in support of research on pine pitch canker, fire ants, and sudden oak death syndrome; as well as a successful grassroots campaign to expand the triploid grass carp permit statewide as a non-chemical method of aquatic pest control in golf course waterways. Jim initiated the first eco-

nomic impact study to research the financial impact of golf in California - findings from which continue to serve as a tool for the golf industry to educate lawmakers on the value and substantial economic impact of golf to the state. Jim’s efforts did not go unrecognized.

In 1998 and again in 2009 Jim was honored as the Member of the Year by the Sierra Nevada GCSA. In 2006 the Northern California GCSA awarded Jim the George Santana Distinguished Service Award and in 2010 Jim was awarded the GCSAA Colonel John Morley Distinguished Service Award and was honored at the 2011 GCSAA Golf Industry Show.

Jim attended school at California Polytechnic State UniversitySan Luis Obispo and at Kent State University. He also served as an Adjunct Professor of Ornamental Horticulture at San Joaquin Delta College.

His experience in all golf course operations including long-range planning, business management, turfgrass science as well as pest management has made him a valuable asset of the team at Woodbridge Golf & Country Club.

He has been with the club since 1987 and plans on staying there until he retires.

Which we hope isn’t too soon.

This marks the eighth time Jim has hosted the Scholarship & Research Tournament for the Sierra Nevada GCSA. Now that has to be some sort of record! Don’t be surprised if I come up with some old photos that we can share.

We can all take lessons from this man and his time management skills. He is quick to point to his wife of 32 years, Caroline, and their children, Erica and Harrison, for helping to keep him focused and mindful that there is more to life than golf courses such as fly fishing, biking, and swimming and an occasional Giants game.

Thank you Jim for hosting the 2017 Sierra Nevada GCSA Scholarship & Research Tournament.

Pictured below is Jim Husting, CGCS along with his wife Caroline, Son Harrison, and daughter Erica. Celebrating Harrison’s graduation

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California GCSA BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES UPDATE

We reported last issue that the California GCSA applied for and received a Grant to proceed with the Development of a Best Management Practices Document for the State of California Golf Course Superintendents and their facilities.

The first job for the BMP committee was to develop a “ Scope of Work” to hire a third party ser-

vice provider that will provide overall project management (including project timelines and budgets) communication and administrative duties under the guidance of the committee. The “Scope of Work” was approved and sent out to seven different companies that had been identified or had shown interest in this project. We received an NOI from all of the providers that were

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS Tom Moore Bing Maloney Golf Course Assistant Superintendent

Rick Menard Greenhorn Creek Resort Superintendent

Mario Madrigal Rancho Solano Golf Course Assistant Superintendent

contacted and all responded positively and will be submitting proposals for the project. They have until July 7th to submit their proposal.

We will report on all the future progress as time goes on.

If you have questions please contact Irene Cline or Kimberly Milne at 559-298-6262

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HIGHLIGHTS OF TIMBER CREEK The Timber Creek meeting was hosted

by Superintendent Jim Ferrin, CGCS. Attendees had the opportunity to play the beautiful course and then have lunch. After lunch the education meeting was held which included PDI and CEU’s (Laws & Regs). Thank you to Scott McCullough for setting up a great education opportunity for the attendees

Darryl Mitani of the Placer Country Department of Agriculture, Wrights & Measures presented information about performing agricultural and pesticide inspections and the changes in the laws and regulations

A Deputy Sheriff with the Placer County Sheriff Department shared information with the group on how to prevent theft from your maintenance facilities.

Above is Education Chairman for the board Scott McCullough along with Josh Martin, BelKorp

Above is Tracy Shanahan sharing a laugh with a good friend

Pictured above is Mike Kavaney, at left are Chuck Talley and Kurtis Wolford

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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T I M BE R C R E E K T O U R NA ME N T

It was a beautiful day at Timber Creek. The format for golf was an individual ball tournament. Taking 1st place Gross was Steve Byrne, TMT Enterprises .(Pictured at right) 2nd Place Gross was Mike Basile. (Middle) Taking 1st in the Net was Mark Stutsman, Simplot Partners. (Pictured at Left) Congratulations to Jim Ferrin, CGCS and his crew at Timber Creek for having the course in fantastic shape and for supporting the chapter.

The SNGCSA is now on Facebook and Twitter.

Check it out!

Check out the website: Sierranevadagcsa.com

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