TeeOff News May/June 2014
Del Rio Country Club 2014 Tri Chapter Meeting Dave Bermudez Host Superintendent
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Save The Dates August 11, 2014
December 6, 2014
Tri Chapter Meeting Del Rio Country Club Hosted by David Bermudez
Holiday Event “Windows on the Water” Morro Bay January 26, 2015 Winter Symposium Rancho San Marcus Golf Club Host Superintendent Tennessee McBroom
September 16, 2014 “Tuesday Meeting”
Annual Election Meeting Monarch Dunes Golf Course Host Superintendent Tom Elliott, CGCS
March 23, 2015 Spring Symposium Rio Bravo Country Club Host Superintendent Trini Hernandez
October 2, 2014 Annual Charity Event Sierra Meadows Country Club Host Superintendent Mike Best
Inside this issue:
2013/2014 GCSACC BOARD OF DIRECTORS PRESIDENT
Presidents Message
4
Michael Hollarman
6
CTLF Update
7
From the Field
8
2014 Scholarship Recipients
11
Tri Chapter Meeting
12
Tournament Winners
14
Meeting Recaps
15
JOSH HEPTIG SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY
SECRETARY/TREASURER BRIAN DAUM VALLEY CREST/PALO ALTO G.C
VICE PRESIDENT TENNESSEE MCBROOM SANDPIPER GOLF CLUB
BOARD MEMBERS STEVEN SHOWERS AIRWAYS G. C.
TRINI HERNANDEZ RIO BRAVO C. C. ANDY CORDOVA CYPRESS RIDGE G.C..
JEFF KOLLENKARK WEEDMAN
MICHAEL CLINE WILBUR ELLIS COMPANY
PAST PRESIDENT MICHAEL SWING, CGCS VALLEY OAKS GOLF COURSE
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President’s Message What a display of fine skill and precision we witnessed during the US Opens for the past couple of weeks ago. Martin Kaymer and Michelle Wie played well too! I am of course speaking of the great conditions that Bob Farren and his staff provided for two grueling Josh Heptig weeks. The US Open will always have a soft spot in my heart, as I was lucky enough to experience the US Open as an intern in 2001 at Southern Hills in Tulsa, OK under the tutelage of John Szklinski. It was an amazing feat to see the preparation, planning, and execution needed to provide the most challenging conditions for the world’s best golfers. One tournament week was bad enough, but to see the culmination of tournament only to start the next is a daunting feat to say the least. The 2001 Open was before the Shinnecock Hills massacre a few years later, but the recipe for success by
the USGA was still similar…firm narrow fairways, penal roughs, and “bikini-waxed” putting greens. The catalyst of course was water. Now, this event was in the Midwest where we could get as much rain overnight (well maybe two nights) as my golf courses now receive in an entire year, but for a month we starved the course of water other than what Mother Nature provided. It so happened that she decided provide 3.5 inches on Wednesday afternoon that washed out all 96 bunkers across the course. It was nothing six hours of throwing and packing sand, two hours of networking at a bar across the street, and no sleep couldn’t fix. By 3:30am the 96 staff members (45 regular and 51 volunteers) were ready to prepare the course for the first round. Pinehurst’s staff (maintenance and guest services) is surely ready to finalize all of the aerification, turf repair, and over-seeding required and return to business as usual after the media and vendor circus leaves town! This past October I played this historic course and met with the Pinehurst Director of Agronomy, Bob Farren to learn about what they had done during the renovations. The
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President’s Continued from page 1 simplicity of the design and new improvements, two heights of cut (fairway and greens), single row irrigation, and unmaintained native areas go against much of what our industry is in the United States. It was different to see a US Open course with 3545 yard wide landing areas and no rough to protect it from the professional marauders that attempted to steal birdies from the undulating greens, but it still proved to be a significant test for the world’s best golf competitors. This was a good example for the golf world to view how to maintain a course with limited amounts of our most precious resource. Everyone must understand that Pinehurst receives a fair amount of rain each year and that the course does not al-
ways look quite as brown as it did a week ago, but it is also rarely a lush green canopy of turf either. I felt the USGA and GCSAA took advantage of this teaching moment and talked about the use of water and how golf courses do not need to be the lush green locations that we have all become accustomed to maintaining. But as Mike Davis, USGA Executive Director stated, “It has to start with the golfer and not the superintendent, as supers only provide the conditions that their owner, Boards or greens chairmen tell them to present.” However the water situation plays out for the game of golf, we as superintendents, should have a front row seat for the action.
The GCSA of Central California is now on Facebook and Twitter. Check it out! You will find all the association information on our website CentralCaliforniaGCSA.com
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Michael Hollarman 1948—2014
Michael Hollarman died peacefully at home surrounded by his family on Sunday, May 25, 2014, after a brave battle with a very rare cancer. Michael was born to the late Jim and Irene Hollarman in Van Nuys, Calif. in July of 1948. He lived in L.A. for four years before his family relocated to Santa Barbara in 1952. In Santa Barbara he enjoyed surfing and working on cars, skateboarding and water skiing. Mike graduated from San Marcos High School in 1966. He joined the U.S. Navy at 17 years old, and served on the USS Bon Homme Richard Air Craft Carrier in South East Asia for three years. He returned to California and attended Cal Poly to study Ornamental Horticulture and Crop Sciences in the School of Agriculture. Mike graduated in 1974, and began working as superintendent of a golf course in Goleta, followed by work as a foreman in a greenhouse growing beautiful house plants in Nipomo after relocating back to SLO. He subsequently went to work for the SLO County Ag Department as an Agricultural
Inspector for three years. In late 1981, Michael found his true passion working as a Certified Pest Control Advisor with Crop Production Services (formerly known as Western Farm Service). He loved working with growers of wine grapes, grains and some vegetables. He found such satisfaction in helping growers keep their crops healthy and strong. He also enjoyed working with Golf Course Superintendents to keep their grounds green and lush. He was a member of CAPCA for many years, the treasurer for the last 10 years in the county chapter. Mike was a member of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of the Central California. He valued mentoring Agricultural students from Cal Poly in the field whenever possible. Michael married Lynelle Newitt in 1977. They were childhood friends in Santa Barbara and reconnected in SLO in 1973. They were blessed with two wonderful children: Ben and Amber. Michael and Lynelle enjoyed traveling, going for walks and creating new recipes together during their 40 years together. They also had three precious grandchildren: Nathan, Abigail, and Madelyn. Michael treasured his time with his close family nearby. His family was always the center of his life. He was crazy about reading a good book to them or playing on a bike up and down the driveway. In his free time he enjoyed golfing with some great friends, fishing in Mexico and
the Columbia River, gardening, photography, and reading. For nearly 30 years, Michael enjoyed growing many plants at home. He especially loved Japanese Maple Trees of all different colors, sizes and varieties that continue to add beauty to the family's backyard. A typical Sunday afternoon for Michael involved barbecuing at home with his family with great music playing. Michael was always the story-teller, often breaking out in laughter prior to telling the ending of the story or joke. For this reason, he was called "Laughing Boy" by some. A Celebration of Life will be held at Hunter Ranch Golf Course in Paso Robles at 5 p.m., Saturday, June 28, 2014. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting that donations be made to Central Coast Hospice or Hearst Cancer Resource Center of SLO. Published in San Luis Obispo Tribune on June 15, 2014 Central Coast Hospice 253 Granada Dr., Suite D San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 Hearst Cancer Resource Center of SLO 1941 Johnson Ave, Suite 201A San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 Ph. 805.542.6234
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News Update
By Bruce Williams, CGCS The California Turfgrass and Landscape Foundation saw a very active year in 2013. We now have 2.5 years under our belt and most would consider where we have come from to our current status as a success but we are a work in progress and we have lots of room to grown. The basics have been set as a foundation and we are growing on those cornerstones while needing to adjust to some programs that are not working well and others that are taking time to develop. Revenues raised for 2013 were $268,119.35 Expenses for 2013 were $47,182.63 Research grants in the amount of $132,448.29 were distributed to UCR for research. Our revenues come from several basic sources: GCSAA Chapters PGA Sections Golf Associations Water agencies STMA Chapters Dues Rounds 4 Research Corporate donations
expect that to continue. STMA does nicely for their size of the organizations. I attend several of their meetings and have helped them with education. Most importantly they understand what we are doing and want to support us the best they can. SCGA is a superstar organization and always there for us. Kevin Heaney and Craig Kessler are a delight to work with. Landscape is not listed above as we have never received anything from that sector. Each year I attend and have a gratis booth at Long Beach and also LA Convention Center. Lots of interest but no checks coming our way. I need to develop a new strategy with that group of potential supporters. Water agencies really stepped up this last year with significant grants for a large and now a smaller project. So we are currently under 2 grants and those surely help to support graduate assistants and some labor and equipment to keep the UCR program going.
COMMUNICATIONS and PRESENTATIONS In 2013 I attended as many meetings of groups as is possible. That will continue in 2014. My suggestion is that we take a 2 step approach to gaining In addition to 5 of our GCSAA chap- momentum in Nor Cal. I will make a concentrated effort to visit: ters we continue to have support of NCGA many other organizations. We will Nor Cal PGA work hard to get the message out to all Nor Cal GCSA regarding our efforts throughout the Sierra Nevada GCSA state. Nor Cal STMA UCR PGA of Southern California has been one of our strongest supporters and we
The field day in September was evidence of a strong program at UCR. Dr. Baird and team have 5 graduate assistants and a couple of other postdoctoral people working on breeding programs and such. Over the next few months it is important for Dr. Baird to work on his tenure so we have him around for many years in the future! I have written a letter of support. WEBSITE & FACEBOOK PAGE I had a good year utilizing Facebook as that is the format I am most familiar with. I also utilized Twitter for some feeds on the UCR field day and such. ROUNDS 4 RESEARCH This program is still in its infancy. As I commented last year I do not see this being a main fundraising program but just as a support mechanism that could grow over time. The best news here is that the various GCSAA chapters are getting some revenues from this program that they are sharing with CTLF. GOLFPRESERVES This program provided no income but it had no expense. Signup is slow and we had only 2 golf courses signed up with a couple of others expressing interest NC STATE PLANT DIAGNOSTICS PATHOLOGY (Continued on page 10)
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From the Field Jeff Jensen, GCSAA Field Staff, Southwest Region The Environmental Protection Agency and Army Corps of Engineers have proposed a new WaJeff Jensen ters of the United States (WOTUS) rule that would bring nearly every river, stream, creek, wetland, pond, ditch and ephemeral (land that looks like a small stream during heavy rain but isn’t wet most of the time) in the United States under the jurisdiction of the Clean Water Act. For more than 40 years, the issue of what waters fell under federal scrutiny turned on whether they were “navigable” or near an adjacent wet-
land. This new rule goes much further. For every new body of water to be included under the CWA there has to be a significant nexus between it and the bodies of waters traditionally regulated under the CWA. The connection must be so that the water impacts the “chemical, physical or biological integrity” of the traditionally regulated water. If allowed to stand, this would include almost every water body in the U.S., except those that are geographically isolated. If finalized without significant change, the rule will subject more activities on golf courses to additional permitting requirements, environmental impact analyses, costly mitigation and citizen lawsuits.
A couple of areas that could have a significant impact on golf courses include Section 402 and 404 of the Clean Water Act. Section 402 establishes the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination (NPDES) permitting program, in which EPA or states (with EPA oversight) can issue permits for discharges of pollutants into WOTUS. If almost all water bodies on a golf course are deemed WOTUS, many routine golf course management activities (such as fertilizer and pesticide applications) will be deemed to result in a discharge to those so-called WOTUS. Activities that result in a discharge cannot legally go forward without a required permit.
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From the Field Continued from page 8 Section 404 allows the Corps to issue permits for discharges of dredge and fill material into WOTUS. This includes discharges that would result from moving soil, such as planting trees, installing drainage, dredging ponds/wetlands, and fixing stream alignments or banks below the ordinary high water mark including rip rap for erosion protection. Under federal authority, proposed golf course construction or renovation projects within jurisdictional areas may require an individual, regional or nationwide permit. GCSAA does not support the EPA or the Army Corps of Engineers expanding the jurisdictional reach of the federal Clean Water Act. This would be an unprecedented expansion of the regulatory authority of the federal government. Expanded federal jurisdiction would pre-empt traditional state and local government authority over land and water use decisions and alter the balance of federal and state authority. GCSAA is currently seeking an extension on the 90day comment period (to 180 days) regarding this issue and support from GCSAA members is needed. An extension request letter is available at http://cqrcengage.com/gcsaa/take-action as well as additional information on the proposed rule. The extension will give us the needed time to fight the implementation of this rule. We appreciate your support and if you have any questions, please contact me at jjensen@gcsaa.org.
Tips to maximize your donation To Rounds 4 Research Donation description To make your donation as complete and appealing as possible, please include the following in your description: Type of golf facility & number of holes. The use of caddies or golf carts. Inclusion of any food & beverage. Overnight hotel accommodations. Access to club amenities, such as the pool, spa or tennis courts. For multi-course facilities, not which course the round will be played on Blackout or restriction dates for redemption of the round. Redemption certificates Please provide us an official redemption certificate for the winning bidder to present at the course. If you do not have one, the EIFG would be happy to provide our official Rounds 4 Research redemption certificate, complete with the specific information you have provided. Facility logo and images Send electronic photos and logo of your facility to rounds4research@gcsaa.org. These images must be in JPG, GIF or PNG format and in any size as long as they are 72 pixels per inch in resolution. Multiple donations Multiple donations that have the same value may be submitted on a single form. You can indicate the number of donations per year, and the years in which you wish to donate. If you are submitting multiple donations of varying value, please use a separate form for the each package.
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CTLF Continued from page 7
Work on aligning with the SCTC
Continue communication and face time with various groups
Make greater inroads into the water agency and landscape communities through members like Pam, Doug and Chuck who are already networked in those areas
FIELD DAY
Improve content on the website
Numbers were up for the 2013 Field Day. Jim and the UCR team did a great job and CTLF helped to market the event to have our biggest turnout ever! We had a great table top with room for more sponsors next year and it all helps the program at UCR.
Grow the UCR Fall Field Day
Work on alliances and support from our group in Northern California
We got a slow start to this program in 2013 since so many golf courses have their own sources for this service. We will continue to market this through the various GCSAA chapters and STMA. The team at NC State can turn around your samples quickly and at a reasonable price. Give them a try!
MEMBERSHIP Membership saw slight increases in 2013. This is the way it is with all organizations. You start with a core group and then build from there. While a 10 or 15% increase doesn’t mean a lot in terms of money it does mean a lot in terms of growth, support and recognition of the organization.
GOALS FOR 2014
Increase revenues through membership, sponsors, collaborative programs and donations
For over 80 years the specialty seed source for: -Native Grasses and Wildflowers -Kikuyu, Paspalum, Hybrid Bermuda -Bentgrasses, Fine Fescues, Ryegrasses Golf Course Representatives: Jim Culley 213-268-3193 Don Lewis 213-247-3266 Home Office: 800-621-0315 www.stoverseed.com
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2014 Scholarship Recipients By Irene Cline The 2014 Turf Student Scholarship recipient was Matthew Nisbett. Matt is presently working for Craig Johnson as the assistant at Belmont Country Club in Fresno. Since taking the position he has attended online courses in golf course management from Ohio State University. He is presently attending Reedley College in the Plant and Soil Science program. We look forward to having Matt around for a while and hope that he continues his education and his membership with the GCSACC.
Matthew Nisbett
As always we offer the Legacy Scholarship Program which offers educational aid to immediate family members of the GCSACC members. This year we are pleased to announce three winners of these scholarships.
Madison Elliott, Daughter of Tom Elliott, CGCS. Madison will be attending San Diego State University majoring in Business. Madison has been an honor roll student throughout high school, played varsity volleyball, and was first place two consecutive years in the school poetry competition. She is an active volunteer and plans to continue along these lines while attending college. She is leaning toward a law degree but is leaving this decision open until she has more time to decide on this field. Congratulations to Madison and to Mr. & Mrs. Tom Elliott for raising such a wonder person. Our next Legacy Scholarship Winner was Richard Mauser, son of Ken Mauser of Aquatrols. Richard will be attending Arizona State University to obtain a degree in Chemical Engineering. Richard is a US Army veteran who is returning to school to complete his education. He plans to earn his Fundamentals of Engineering License so that he can begin working as an intern under a professional engineer. Best of Luck to Richard in these goals and Thank You for your service to our country. The third Legacy Scholarship recipient is Alexander Kropp , son of Michael Kropp of BASF. Michael will be attending UCLA Business School. He is majoring in business economics. During high school Michael was on the Principals Honor Roll all four years. He received many awards for his athletic and academic accomplishments. We congratulate Michael and wish him luck in his future endeavors. We also congratulate Mr. & Mrs. Kropp on raising such a fine young man.
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Tri Chapter Meeting Del Rio Country Club Host Superintendent Dave Bermudez, CGCS By Irene Cline Northern California since 1951. He served on that board in all capacities, including three terms as President. He was elected to the Executive Committee of the GCSAA in 1968 and was then elected as President in 1973. We hope to have GCSAA Magazine there to help in the festivities. Dave Bermudez
It is always a very fun event when the three California Chapters have an opportunity to get together for a little friendly competition and have the opportunity to catch up with good friends and colleagues. This year is no exception. On August 11, 2014 Dave Bermudez will host the Tri Chapter Event at the beautiful Del Rio Country Club in Modesto, CA. Dave has some really special surprises planned and some fun tournament challenges. This year our guest speaker will be our own Central California Member, Rafael Barajas, CGCS. Rafael is presently a director for the GCSAA and will bring information from the National level to all the members. In addition during this tournament we will be honoring Cliff Wagoner. Cliff was the Asst. Superintendent, and was part of the original crew that built Del Rio Country Club in 1946. He left to pursue his career elsewhere for a short period and returned to Del Rio in 1954 and worked there until 1974 when he retired. Cliff has been a member of the GCSA of
Be sure to put this event on your calendars as you won’t want to miss it. Come out to the club and help Dave and the members of Del Rio and of the Three Northern California Chapters honor this man. In addition the challenge will be for Central California to win the trophy once again and defend our honor.
Chapter Team Competition Winners 2013 Sierra Nevada Chapter 2012 Northern California Chapter 2011 Central California Chapter
See you in August! This year the tournament winners will compete for entry into the state competition. The winner of the state competition will hold the honor of state golf champion and a chance to have their entry paid to the National Golf Championship
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Thank You to Our Sponsors of the 2014 Al Glaze Memorial Scholarship & Research Tournament Bayer Environmental Jacobsen West Best Fertilizers Stover Seed Company Crop Production Services Ewing Farmload Distributors Dow Agri Science Wilbur Ellis Co. Pete Bowman, CGCS Water Quality Consulting Group Fig Garden Golf Course Dave Knott Inc. Kern Turf Supply
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Highlights
2014 Al Glaze Memorial Scholarship & Research Tournament The Team from Belmont Country Club won the “TORO” trophy . The First Place Net team consisted of, from left, Danny Paniccia, Matthew Nisbett, Craig Johnson, and Richard Tompkins. The 2nd Place Net Team was Gary Peters, Darryl Menu, Dwayne Menu, and Brandon Zambrano. The 3rd Place Net Team was Glenn Matthews, Chuck Talley, Joe Tompkins, and Mike Robinson
The team from Madera Golf & C.C. was determined to defend their honor as the #1 Team and wanted to keep the trophy in Madera. They accomplished that honor and pictured at right with host Lowell Stone are the team winners. From left, are Ismael Gonzales, Clayton Bennett, Tom Shepherd, and Sandra Adams. The 2nd Place Gross team from Visalia C.C. is pictured below. Jeff Buelow, Kane Sommers, Ralph Heaney, and AJ Shiffert. The 3rd Place Gross Team from Cypress Ridge G.C. included Andy Cordova, Gary Silva, Brian Wunsch, and Steve Delgado
At right Glenn Mathews, GCCS from Visalia Country Club shows off his prize for winning the Long Drive Contest on Hole #18 The Accuracy Drive “Closest to the Line” on Hole #6 was won by Sandra Adams, Closest to the Pin on Hole #8 was won by Brandon Zambrani, And Closest to the Pin on Hole #16 was won by Richard Tompkins Congratulations to all the tournament winners and THANK YOU to Madera Golf & Country Club for hosting the 2014 Al Glaze Memorial Scholarship & Research Tournament. At left the 2nd Place Net Team Gary Peters, Darryl Menu, Dwayne Menu, and Brandon Zambrano.
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Highlights
2014 Al Glaze Memorial Scholarship & Research Tournament
Lowell Stone is pictured above visiting with Rick Fansler
It was with great pleasure that the association had the opportunity to honor host superintendent Lowell Stone . Lowell was celebrating 50 years in the Golf Industry and was presented a plaque along with a little slide show of some history with the association. Congratulations Lowell and we appreciate all you have done for our association. For a preview of those pictures click here to see the show ODE TO LOWELL
Pete Bowman and Jose Alvarez are enjoying a beautiful day on the course
Retirement seems to agree with Joe Tompkins, pictured at right. Glad you could make it Joe, it is always good to see good friends. Rafael Barajas along with Hector Barajas, right, and Rafael Martinez came from Southern California to enjoy the tournament with us.
Pictured below, the team from Turf Star showing off their newest ClubCar units that everyone got to test drive.
Below the Ewing team of Trini Hernandez, Scott Furtak, Phil Chan, and Bob Champagne
Jon Paul Brinkman, Russ Hendricks, Genero Guiterrez, and Jack Roth. Irene enjoyed driving the units all day so she could take pictures.
2014 Annual Sponsor
2014 Annual Sponsor
2014 Annual Sponsor
Official Publication of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of Central California. The purpose of this publication is information and education for the membership. Published bi-monthly by GCSACC, 5322 N. Leonard Clovis, CA 93619 Phone (559) 298-4853 Fax (559) 298-6957 Email gcsacc@aol.com Newsletter Chairman & Newsletter Editor Tennessee McBroom Executive Directors Irene Cline & Kimberly Milne