FORE YOUR I N F O R MA T I O N S ep t em b er / O ct o b er 2020 2020 Scholarship & Research Tournament Spring Creek Country Club Hoted by Michael Stieler, CGCS
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P R E S I D E N T ’ S M E S S AG E It was great to see everyone at the President’s Cup at Grizzly Ranch on September 21st. The day started off pretty smoky from all the wildfires, but as the day continued the smoke blew out and it turned into a nice day. Mike Baty does an excellent job keeping the course in great shape even with the hot summer we just had. Mike had some challenges this year that he shared with us during the morning announcements. Scott McCullough I often think about our men’s club at my home course that play the same course several times a week. I wonder what course could I play weekly that I wouldn’t get tired of. Grizzly Ranch would be that course. On November 2nd we had the opportunity to visit Spring Creek hosted by Michael Stieler, CGCS. This event was our Annual Election meeting as well as the 2020 Scholarship and Research Tournament. Every year David Bermudez spends a lot of time working on the event making it the success that it is. With the presence of Covid-19 and the restrictions that were in place this year, the board chose to push back the meeting for the safety of the membership . This event raises money every year for Scholarships that are awarded to turf students and Legacy Awards for the families of our members. We were fortunate that we were able to pull this event off with great success and we THANK Spring Creek and Michael Stieler, CGCS for stepping up
BY
SCOTT MCCULLOUGH
and helping us out this year. Speaking of elections, we were fortunate to have a full slate of candidates by election time. I ran for a 3 rd term as President as this was a tough year for the association and as I continue to strive to do what’s best for the association I didn’t want to leave the office during a pandemic. I wanted the opportunity to serve as president and finish strong. Lastly we are working on our calendar of events for 2021. If you have interest is hosting a future meeting or have an idea on a course that you think would be a good event please share it with one of the board members. Unfortunately we had to cancel the tournament at Teal Bend in December, which is usually the kickoff to the holiday season. Due to some new restrictions we will not be able to hold the event, but we do hope to do live events later in the year. As far as the January 2021 Turf Tech it appears that we will have to postpone this to a later date. Placer County has restrictions on event size and we just wouldn’t be able to conduct the meeting safely. We do plan on this event for a later date and will offer lots of continuing education. The 2021 Scholarship and Research will be in July if all goes well and the Tri Chapter event which was cancelled last August has been rescheduled to August 2021 at Del Rio. It’s been a crazy year to say the least but we plan on looking at new ways to get our members the education they need. Keep an eye out for news coming your way.
2021 SNGCSA BOARD OF DIRECTORS PRESIDENT Scott McCullough The Ridge Golf Course
VICE PRESIDENT John Farley Teal Bend Golf Course
Dave Bermudez Del Rio Golf & Country Club
SECRETARY/TREASURER Tracy Shanahan Peach Tree Country Club
Jeremy Payne Cameron Park C.C.
Ryan Nichols, NuFarm
PAST PRESIDENT Bill Hamilton, CGCS Lake Wildwood Association
DIRECTORS Muhammad Ali Keith Hill, CGCS Michael Cunniff Bing Maloney G.C. Hidden Valley C.C. Clear Creek GC Affiliate Representatives Mark Stutsman Simplot Partners
Association Managers Irene Cline and Kimberly Milne
FORE YOUR INFORMATION Published by the Sierra Nevada Golf Course Superintendents Association EDITOR Bill Hamilton, CGCS OFFICE SNGCSA 3273 Richert Ave., Clovis, CA 93619 559-298-6262 Fax# 559-298-6957 sngcsaa@aol.com
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2020
M E E T I N G DATES
December 3, 2020 Annual Holiday Tournament Teal Bend Golf Course CANCELLED
2021 January 5, 2021 Turf Tech Workshop POSTPONED
March/April 2021 Need Location Call if interested in hosting an event
May 2021 Grass Roots Tournament & Annual Awards Need Location
July 2021 Scholarship & Research Tournament North Ridge Country Hosted by Larry Johnson, CGCS
August 2021 Tri Chapter Meeting Del Rio Country Club Hosted by David Bermudez
September 2021 President’s Cup Tournament Need Location
November 2021 Annual Election Meeting & Tournament Volunteer to Host
2022 January 2022 Turf Tech Workshop
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FEATURED MEMBER MICHAEL STIELER, CGCS HOST OF THE 2020 S & R TOURNAMENT Mike Stieler, CGCS, left college with golf course architecture ambitions working one year for the firm of Bradford/Benz Golf Course Architects before they closed shop in Fresno (due to the lack of new projects in the early 1990’s). After that, Mike worked in the landscape construction field, learning how his designs would work in the ground before he put them on paper as an architect.. After three years of that, and traveling the country playing competitive fast pitch and softball, the knees finally gave out. However, this is how he fell in love with golf course management and why he decided to become a superintendent. Mike started his superintendent career at Riverside Golf Course in Fresno. He was mowing fairways and playing golf daily as a form of rehabilitation after numerous surgeries required to repair some softball and high school sports injuries. CourseCo, who manages the course, recognized his skills and he was soon promoted to Assistant Superintendent and had the opportunity to put his degree in Landscape Architecture from Cal Poly, SLO to good use. A few years later Mike took a position with Ahwahnee Golf and Country Club in Oakhurst, CA . He remained at Ahwahnee for three years. During this time, he restored and regrew a rundown, depleted facility. Mike was then hired as the GM/Superintendent at Riverbend Golf Club in Madera. A position which he held for over 14 years. During that time he hosted numerous events, such as the Save Mart Shootout. Born and raised in Sonora, CA, Mike wanted to move closer to
his parents. The Spring Creek Golf and Country Club position became available and Mike was able to do just that. That was a little over six years ago. The move allowed Mike and his wife (of nearly 30 years) Heather, to be closer to Mike’s parents…Mikie and Darlene. Mike is now able to help his mom with the care of her dad (Grampie) who has been diagnosed with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP). Mike is presently in the process of a three-year in-house rebuilding project which includes the front 9 greens. Mike became a Certified Golf Course Superintendent nearly 20 years ago and highly advocates its worth to his peers. Not only for career growth, but to support our great association. Mike is also a superior golfer. He has won the GCSAA National Championship a couple of times, as well as countless top 5 finishes. His hobbies are work, golf, and having a few brews with friends and family. Mike and Heather have raised three amazing kids… Craig James, Kelsi Mae, and Michael III. Craig resides in Redding after graduating from Simpson University with a Business degree. Craig is married to his beautiful wife Molly who has recently been promoted to the position of Director of Admissions at the University. Kelsi Mae, resides in Fresno after graduating from Fresno State where she competed on the golf team and did quite well. Kelsi graduated with a Liberal Studies degree and is now in her second year of teaching, while working on her master’s degree. Michael III, is in limbo during these strange times (taking classes
online after taking a semester off from Sonoma State where he is studying Earth Science). Mike and Heather feel incredibly blessed with their beautiful family! We want to THANK Mike and the board of directors at Spring Creek Golf & Country Club for allowing us to hold the 2020 S & R Tournament at their beautiful facility.
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2020 E L E C T I O N R E S U L T S This year our annual election meeting had to be held in conjunction with our Scholarship and Research Tournament. You were offered an opportunity to vote on line or vote at the event. It was an unusual way to hold an election and one we have never experienced but that seems to be the norm for things in 2020. That being said, we did have a full slate of candidates by final election date. Scott McCullough volunteered to do a 3rd term as our President which the board was grateful for. Stability is what we are seeking these days. Fortunately John Farley, Teal Bend G.C., stepped up to the VP slot and Tracy Shanahan, Peach Tree Golf & C.C. stepped up to the Secretary/Treasurer position. Newly elected to our board this year is Muhammad Ali from Bing Maloney G.C. We welcome “Ali� and look forward to working with him in the upcoming year. Also newly elected but by no means new to the Sierra Nevada Board of Directors is Jeremy Payne, Cameron Park Country Club. Jeremy brings great experience to our board and we look forward to working with him once again. Members remaining on the board are David
Bermudez, Del Rio C.C., Sam Samuelson, CGCS, Wildhawk G. C., Michael Cunniff, Clear Creek Tahoe, and Keith Hill, CGCS from Hidden Valley C.C. in Reno. Also new to the board as an affiliate representative is Ryan Nichols, NuFarm. We greatly appreciate all of these individuals who have graciously stepped up to represent the members of our association. They are available for questions if needed and would love to hear from you. Since the annual report was not available for review at the meeting we are making it available to all members who would like a copy. As always the association office is available to answer questions regarding this report.
Visit us on line at SierraNevadaGCSA.com The SNGCSA is now on Facebook and Twitter.
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F RO M T HE F IE LD
Jeff Jensen,
GCSAA Field Staff,
Southwest Region
GCSAA recently opened registration for the 2021 Virtual Golf Industry Show which was originally scheduled for Las Vegas the first week of February. With the ongoing health concerns caused by the coroJeff Jensen navirus, travel restrictions, global economy, monitoring of other national tradeshows and bans on large gatherings, it was decided by GCSAA and its presenting partners, The American Society of Golf Course Architects and Golf Course Builders Association of Ameri-
ca that it was in the best interest and safety of all parties involved to move to a virtual format. GIS 2021, “Your space. Your pace. All in one place.”, will take place February 2-4 and will allow show participants the opportunity to attend from the safety of their homes or workplaces while still consuming all of the great content that GIS is known for. Education, trade show and special events will take place live via the virtual platform and attendees will also have the opportunity to view or review the events/education/materials for an extended period after the conclusion of the live event. A preview of the show is available at https:// player.vimeo.com/
video/467377939. Registration for GIS 2021 is available at https:// www.golfindustryshow.com/ registration. Costs for the event is as follows:
Base Package: $350 individual, $500 facility. Access to 46 educational sessions, 7day On Demand availability, 1.5 GCSAA education points All-Access Package: $600 individual, $850 facility. Access to 88 educational sessions, 30day On Demand availability, 3.0 GCSAA education points. While moving to a virtual format was a difficult decision, it will allow those who have attended GIS in the past to save on travel costs this year and will allow many others who have never had the opportunity to attend, a chance too see what great opportunities and education that GIS has to offer. The safety of our members, vendors, sponsors and other attendees always comes first. I hope that you and your families are safe during these unusual times and we appreciate your continued support of GCSAA and our affiliated chapters. If I can be of any assistance to you, please don’t hesitate to contact me at jjensen@gcsaa.org and follow me on Twitter @GCSAA_SW for daily industry updates.
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2020 A N N UA L M E M B E R S H I P A WA R D S
The team from Commercial Pump was awarded the Affiliate Member of the Year Award Jeff Jensen presents Scott McCullough with the Distinguished Member Award
Mike Baty was presented with the Turf Grass Manager of the Year Award Muhammad Ali was presented with the Grass Roots Award
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President’s Cup Highlights Grizzly Ranch Golf Club
At right, Doug Blesse, White Hawk Ranch won the Superintendent Trophy for the lowest gross score in the Superintendent bracket
Matt Melarkey, Nutrien, won the Affiliate Trophy for the lowest gross score in the affiliate bracket
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President’s Cup Highlights Grizzly Ranch Golf Club This was the first golf event we were able to hold in 2020. It was handled in a safe and professional way for the safety of all that attended. The smoke cleared for us and we had beautiful weather and a wonderful event. Thank you to Michael Baty and the employees of Grizzly Ranch for hosting us. We greatly appreciated being able to get out and have a great day together.
Team Nutrien: Matt Melarkey, Christina Volska, and Luke Boge
At left Doug Blesse, Ken Stott, Scott Kotrc, and Chris Silva. Above the team of Mark Stutzman, Mike Cornett, Phil Hoban, and Mike Baty practice their social distancing
Matt Graves and Branden Russell
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SNGCSA has something to offer golf
facilities of every size the year. With the new Facility Membership, smaller operations will have access to resources for their whole team at a price point in line with their operation. With the Multi-Member Promotion, larger facilities will also have the opportunity to save when they add a staff member. Facility Membership provides access to SNGCSA resources and services, particularly those that can help with training staff members, expanding their staffs knowledge, and creating opportunities all while creating a savings for the golf facility. To be eligible for Facility Membership, a facility must have a SNGCSA Superintendent member, The dues will then be $300 per year for the facility which includes up to 3 additional employees. Through the Multi-Member Promotion, everyone on a maintenance staff can benefit from the information and professional development opportunities that come with SNGCSA membership, allowing them to improve the efficiency and profitability of the facility. For more information on this and to receive the Facility Membership application please contact the association office at 559-298-6262 or email us at sngcsaa@aol.com.
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