November December 2015

FORE YOUR INFORMATION N ove m b e r / D e c e m b e r 2 0 1 5

2016 Mechanic & Irrigation Tech Seminar The Ridge Golf Course Hosted by Scott McCullough

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

Kurtis Wolford

I have the honor and privilege of serving as the president of the SNGCSA. The Board of Directors has a lot planned for this year. I would like to thank outgoing association officers; President Rob Williams, Secretary/ Treasurer Mike Scully and Affiliate BOD Jim Barbuto for time that they spent serving on the BOD. I would also like to

BY

KURTIS WOLFORD

thank the New BOD Members for standing up and volunteering their time to the association. John Jorgensen at THE RESERVE AT SPANOS PARK, Kyle Jones at YOCHA-DE-HE-GOLF CLUB, Wes Hull at NAKOMA GOLF RESORT, and Tim McCoy at TURF STAR. I would also like to thank Scott Dickson, Joe Kurung, David Bermudez, and Hulisis Avila for their continued service to the association.

Now that it has started to rain a little, I have a chance to reflect on the past year. A lot of superintendents have claimed that 2015 was the most difficult year of their careers. Not that growing turf was abnormally challenging, but the associated pressures involved in getting there was. Superintendents had to develop relations with their water purveyors, comply with mandatory water reductions, and create emergency drought plans for their facilities. Educating golfers and the media on how golf

courses utilize water, the tools/ technology that we use has been a challenge. The one challenge we all must take on is educating the non golfer. Those are the people that have a negative perception of golf courses and these people have been very vocal. I personally have learned a lot this year with working with Matt Dillon on the Sacramento Golf Industry Water Task Force. Golf’s representatives (GCSAA, PGA, NCGOA, CAG) from state, regional local associations have been actively engaging California water agencies in an effort to educate them on how golf utilizes water. Through this labor intensive process we have had some success where these agencies are now asking for our input thus giving us a ―seat at the table‖. The new laws that will be going into effect in the next few years will have an impact on golf courses. We will all need to be familiar with them as it will be the new‖ normal‖ in California. Let’s hope, pray, or do your best rain dance that we get some rain and snow to help replenish our snow pack and reservoirs so it will not be as bad as last year. If you would like to become involved please contact any BOD or the association office.

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M E E T I N G DA T E S

January 26, 2016

May 2016

The Ridge Golf Course Annual Mechanic Seminar Hosted by Scott McCullough

Date to be confirmed Greenhorn Creek Resort Hosted by Hulises Avila

January 27, 2016

July 2016

The Ridge Golf Course Irrigation Seminar Hosted by Scott McCullough

Annual Scholarship & Research Tournament Date & Location to Be Confirmed

August 15, 2016 Tri Chapter Meeting Central California Hosting Corral De Tierra hosted by Doug Ayres 2016 California Room USS MIDWAY February 10, 2016

March 2016

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

Check out the website: Sierranevadagcsa.com

Annual GrassRoots Tournament Location and Date to be confirmed (Continued from page 2)

It’s fantastic that our little association is having its members recognized nationally the past few years. Last year Jim Ferrin and Sam Samuelson won the Leo Feser award, I was awarded the Melrose Scholarship, Mike Scully was awarded the Bayer Scholarship.

Just this last month as we wrapped up the election meeting we were informed that John Farley, at Teal Bend, was awarded the Melrose Leadership Academy Scholarship.

This is a great program put on by the EIFG to send individuals to the GIS at no cost. I was lucky enough to get it last year and it is a great networking and educational experience. Congratulations John.

As a board we hope to offer some great meetings with education and at great venues. It’s always a great time to network and to enjoy seeing someone else’s course. I would like to see some more participation at our meetings so call the course down the street and invite them to come and play golf at the next meeting. Its your association. If you have an idea or concern with what’s going on contact a BOD and lets hear it.

Scott McCullough at the Ridge Golf Course in Auburn will be hosting a mechanics seminar on January 26th. New this year will also be a Irrigation seminar on January 27th. The meeting cost will be $25 each day. It will be a great day of education for yourself and

your crew. At a cost of $25 dollar per person it is a bargain. GCSAA points are available for both of these events.

The Golf Industry Show is in San Diego February 6th-11th. The California Room will be on the USS Midway February 10th.. If you are attending sign up early to get the best price possible.

We are looking to fill our calendar with venues for 2016 and 2017. If you would like to host a meeting we would love to hear from you. It is a very rewarding experience and a great time to show your course off to the association members.

I hope everyone has a safe and wonderful New Year!

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F ROM T HE F IELD

BY

JEFF JENSEN GCSAA FIELD STAFF

ship standards and 89 GCSAA chapter delegates representing 90 affiliated chapters met in Lawrence, KS. Oct. 27-28 to Jeff Jensen discuss GCSAA initiatives and meet with candidates running for the GCSAA National Board of Directors.

The main topic of the meeting was the proposed changes to Class A member-

membership classifications.

The new Class A standard will be based on a sliding scale of education and experience. Formal education value + years superintendent experience + education points = 20. Additionally, a state pesticide license or the successful completion of the GCSAA IPM Exam is required. The IPM exam will now be free of charge to members wishing to take it.

The renewal process will continue to necessitate a total of 5 points over a 5-year period. However, education points have been enhanced to a minimum of 3 from the current 2. Service points have been proposed to be golf-centric only with community service points being eliminated.

It was also proposed that the current ―Superintendent Member‖ (SM) classification becomes ―Class B.‖ The purpose of this change is to eliminate any confusion amongst employers, some who assume that ―SM‖ is a higher designation than ―A‖.

The Nominating Committee placed the following candidates on the slate for the

2016 GCSAA Board of Directors (election to be held Feb. 11, 2016): For President: Pete Grass, CGCS For Vice President: Bill Maynard, CGCS For Secretary/Treasurer: Rafael Barajas, CGCS Darren Davis, CGCS For Director: Kevin Breen, CGCS Jeff Millies, CGCS Rory Van Poucke John Walker There are two open positions for director, with Rafael Barajas, CGCS being at the end of his two-year director term and Kevin P. Breen, CGCS, completing a one-year appointment. The two director candidates receiving the most votes will be elected to two year terms. For the secretary/ treasurer candidates, if Rafael Barajas, CGCS, is elected secretary/treasurer, Darren J. Davis, CGCS, will automatically remain on the board as a Director for another year. If Darren J. Davis, CGCS, is elected secretary/treasurer, Rafael Barajas, CGCS, will have to be nominated from the floor for the position of director, since he is at the end of his two-year term, at which point the two candidates with the most votes will be elected to two-year terms and the remaining year of the director term of Darren J. Davis, CGCS, would be filled by an appointment.

If you have any questions concerning the delegates meeting, please speak with your appointed chapter delegate or contact me at jjensen@gcsaa.org and I would be glad to point you in the right direction.

Happy Holidays to all of you and I look forward to working with you in 2016.

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A ROUND

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THE

A new year is just around the corner and new happenings are taking place around our association.

Danny Fielder, CGCS has returned to the area, joining Lone Tree Golf & Event Center as their new superintendent. Welcome back to our association Danny.

We reported that Bob Franco returned to the area as the assistant at Stockton Golf & C.C. Well he has taken the Superintendent position at Micke Grove again after Scott Dickson accepted a position with Valley Crest in Modesto. Congratulations to you both on these positions.

We welcome new members Jeff Orr at Del Paso, Keith Hill at Hidden Valley C.C. and Ryan Nichols at Sierra Pacific Turf.

We just heard that Sunol Valley Golf Course in the Bay area will be closing as of December 31st.

This is a course that has been family owned for over 50 years. Such a sad

GREEN

BY

IRENE CLINE

sign of our difficult times.

Our board will be holding a Strategic Planning session in mid January. This is a session that we do annually to map out our events and goals for the next year and look at what our successes have been and what we can do to improve our association for the members. If you would like to share ideas you may have we are open to hearing from you. You can email Irene or Kim at the office sngcsaa@aol.com or call them at 559-298-6262.

We hope you all have a very HAPPY and SAFE NEW YEAR.

Welcome New Members Ryan Nichols Sierra Pacific Turf Class Affiliate

H. Keith Hill Hidden Valley C.C. Class A

Jeffrey Orr Del Paso C.C. Class C

Danny Fielder, CGCS Lone Tree Golf & Event Center Class A

2015 BOARD OF DIRECTORS PRESIDENT Kurtis Wolford Cherry Island Golf Course 916-991-7659

DIRECTORS Dave Bermudez Del Rio Golf & Country Club 209-341-2413

VICE PRESIDENT Scott Dickson Valley Crest 209-369-7037

Hulises Avila, Greenhorn Creek Resort 209-736-8164

SECRETARY/TREASURER William Hamilton Lake Wildwood Association 530-432-2187 PAST PRESIDENT Rob Williams Stockton Golf & C.C. 209-462-6734

Affiliate Representatives Joe Kurung West Coast Sand & Gravel 916-386-8177 Tim McCoy, Turf Star 916-861-7924 FORE YOUR INFORMATION

Wes Hull, Nakoma Golf Resort 775-781-4494 John Jorgensen, The Reserve at Spanos Park 925-584-4592 Kyle Jones, Yocha De He Golf Club 530-796-5816

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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JOHN FARLEY TEAL BEND SUPERITENDENT S E L E C T E D T O P A R T I C I PA T E I N M E L R O S E A C A D E M Y John Farley

John Farley, Teal Bend Superintendent was one of 20 individuals selected to participate in the Melrose Leadership Academy, which includes numerous activities at conference and show, Feb. 4-8 in San Diego. Covered in the grant will be a full package registration, education seminars and leadership sessions, four nights lodging, airfare, a $200 stipend for incidental expenses, and regular communications including tools and resources.

Those eligible for the grant are GCSAA Class A and SM members who have been unable to attend the education conference in the past five years or more, have a desire to advance their careers, and seek to develop their leadership skills.

The GCSAA Scholarship Committee selected these individuals to participate in the academy based on the criteria that takes into account qualifications, interest and financial need, and superintendents who will benefit most from the educational opportunity. Each group is selected so that it represents a cross-section of the golf course management profession.

The event will also allow opportunities to network with GCSAA

leadership, industry leaders and certified peers at various roundtables, receptions and events. The academy offers education in the areas of: risk management (health, safety and environmental compliance); efficient operations (agronomic, equipment maintenance, etc.); key business elements, including communication; and environmental stewardship. Following the conference and show, grant recipients will continue to receive communications recommending education, tools and resources offered by GCSAA to keep class participants engaged.

Congratulations to John. If you are interested in this program for future events be sure to give our office a call and we will put you in touch with the right people.

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S C O T T M C C U L L O U G H H O S T S 2 0 16 S E M I N A R S F O R M E C H A N I C S & I R R I G AT I O N T E C H S Scott McCullough, Superintendent at the Ridge Golf Course in Auburn has hosted two highly successful Mechanics Seminars over the past two years.

He has received national attention for his efforts and other chapters across the nation have used his example to do the same.

This year Scott will be adding an Irrigation Seminar for our Irrigation Techs. He has lined up an excellent list of speakers for both events and we are looking forward to seeing how our members support his efforts.

We will begin on Tues-

day January 26 with the Mechanic Seminar. The schedule starts our day at 7:00 – 7:30 am with check in and breakfast.

Our first speaker is Tim Conner with Diagnostic Tools speaking on ―Preventative Maintenance‖ Our second speaker is our very own Jim Ferrin, CGCS returning with phase II of his talk on ―Empowering Yourself ‖ after a short break we return with our third speaker, Mark Hodkin Commercial Pump. Mark will talk on the mechanics of pump repairs.

Lunch with be included

and then we return for Speaker 4 & 5 who will be splitting the group in half for hands on Tier 4 Diagnostics and reel grinding training. Tom CorralezBelkorp/Ben Showard Turf Equipment Services will handle these sessions.

The Irrigation Seminar is Scheduled for Wednesday January 28, 2016. Once again the day starts off with check in & breakfast and our first speaker will be Greg Parker from Underhill speaking on ―Nozzles‖ Speaker two is Ryan Wilson, from Toro who will speak on ―Diagnostic Trouble Shooting Techniques & Product information‖ After a short break we have our third speaker, Tony Kerr, from Normac discussing ―Pipe Repairs‖ Once again a nice lunch and then back at it with Ewing Irrigation doing a talk. This will be followed by our final speaker of the day Kelly Kerr, Sierra Pacific Turf discussing ―Basic Electric Trouble Shooting on time clocks, line breaks, & shorts & solonoids Price for Meeting & Lunch for only $25.00 each day. You can attend one or both. Registration is available on line at http://sierranevadagcsa.com/

Or you can call the association office at 559-298-6262

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G C S A A W AT E R S T U D Y Y I E L D S K E Y R E S U LT S The results from the latest national study of golf course water use and conservation are encouraging and demonstrate our industry’s thoughtful environmental stewardship.

The report which is now available on line at is also the latest step in a landmark project that speaks for the golf course management profession and represents the golf industry in a positive manner.

Part of the multiyear Golf Course Environmental Profile project funded by the USGA through the Environmental Institute for Golf, this study helps us measure our industry’s progress since the first study was conducted in 2006. It is vital that we communicate these results and our continuing efforts in the areas of water conservation and sustainable business practices. The latest results provide us

with key information about management practices in light of regulations pertaining to water use, drought restrictions and water quality protection.

Water is a valuable resource to everyone, and it is keenly important that we continue our efforts to reduce water usage and specifically, potable water use. We have a responsibility — not only for the golf industry, but also for the planet we share and for future generations.

Our members care for the biggest asset of any golf facility — the golf course. We must continue our science-based training, utilize best management practices to lead and educate in this vital area, and convey the overall benefits of the game and the golf industry.

BY

JOHN O’KEEFE

On behalf of your board of directors, I thank all the superintendents who took the time to take part in this study.

Measured against the John O’Keefe baseline data 2015 GCSAA President collected in 2006, these results provide valuable information to allow us to be stronger advocates for our profession and the golf industry as a whole.

Access On Line at http://www.gcsaa.org/environ ment/environmental-profile/golfcourse-environmental-profile-overview

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2016 CALIFORNIA ROOM Member Entry $35 for early registration from Oct. 1st to Dec. 31st.

If registering after Dec 31st. The cost will be $50 per person.

After Feb. 1st it will be full price of the event of $100.

Member Guest Entry $35 for early registration from Oct. 1st to Dec. 31st.

If registering after Dec 31st the cost will be $50 per person.

After Feb. 1st it will be full price of the event of $100. (Limit One Guest per member) Registration is Mandatory, no walk-ins will be allowed. On Line Registration: Californiagcsa.org For questions or additional information please contact the association office at 559-298-4853 or email californiagcsa@aol.com

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2015 ELECTION MEETING HIGHLIGHTS

The 2016 Board of Directors at the Election Meeting which was held at Teal Bend in November. Pictured above are from the left Sec/Treasurer Bill Hamilton, CGCS, Hulises Avila, VP Scott Dickson, Dave Bermudez, John Jorgensen, Past President Rob Williams, Kyle Jones, and in the back Affiliate Representative Tim McCoy.

The Board of Directors presented the annual association report to the attendees outlining details of meeting attendance totals, financial reports, and activities.

Jeff Jensen presented a report on GCSAA activities, and state information. He discussed the GIS and the activities that will be hosted by GCSAA at the event. These types of reports are what is so important to our members and the key reason you shouldn’t miss a meeting.

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H O L I DAY P A R T Y H I G H L I G H T S

Tim McCoy with his daughter Mallory

John Farley and his son John Jr.

Kurtis and Kari Wolford pictured above and below is Dave and Cindy Bermudez

The group enjoys the White Elephant Gift Exchange

Kurtis and Corey Eastwood . Pictured at left are Bill Hamilton and his wife Robin .

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