STATE REPORTS
NZGCSA
A
s I pen this article summer is well and truly upon us. It has been a wonderfully fine season so far, with great spells of clear weather before Christmas and the same replicated throughout January for most places. It reminds of the summers of when you were a kid and could enjoy those seemingly endless days of summer. Or perhaps we just had less to worry about as a kid and every day was a holiday. With summer comes a return of our sporting passion with cricket. After a successful series against Sri Lanka we have been well and truly humbled in the first two ODI games against the Indians who were fresh off their record-setting series win against the Australians. Thankfully we are playing only the shorter version of the game against India or else there may well have been some big one-sided results! With the World Cup later in the piece India look very strong to take it out and hopefully before then the Black Caps can sort out their current blues.
FTMI March will see a return of the Future Turf Managers Initiative (FTMI) to Melbourne with a combination of both up and coming New Zealand and Australian greenkeepers extending their knowledge base. This threeday FTMI has proven to be very successful over recent years and provides an invaluable opportunity for both learning and networking.
NZGCSA GRADUATE OF THE YEAR After a hard fought finals day in December, Stefano Godinich from Whitford Park Golf Club was awarded this year’s NZGCSA Graduate of the Year Award. Congratulations to Stefano who received a trip to the Golf Industry Show in San Diego compliments of Power Turf NZ. Our thanks go to John and his team for this opportunity and support.
FINE TURF SEMINAR
The crew at Remuera Golf Club is in mourning following the death of greenkeeper Jarryd Davidson on 12 January in a car accident The following were successful in their applications and will be representing the NZGCSA in Melbourne; l Ben Simons (Cape Kidnappers) l Callum Cameron (Remuera Golf Club) l Harry Middleton (Tauranga Golf Club) l Phil Marra (Shandon Golf Club) Congratulations to the four of you and we know you will all make the most of this fantastic opportunity which is once again sponsored by generous partner Jacobsen. We are extremely grateful for this continued support.
GCSAQ
T
he GCSAQ committee held its 2019 planning session in Brisbane in early January. The committee enjoyed a bite to eat while discussing activities and initiatives for 2019. The first major event on the calendar is the GCSAQ Golf Industry Awards which will be held on Thursday 21 March at RACV Royal Pines Resort on the Gold Coast. This is a fantastic opportunity to reward our industry leaders as well as our assistants and apprentices. These awards recognise an individual’s achievements in our industry that deserve acknowledgement within the wider golf community and are a valuable experience for career development. We invite everyone to submit a nomination via the GCSAQ website www.gcsaq.com.au/gcsaq-golfindustry-awards/ 76
Nominations close Friday 22 February and it is important to follow the criteria as per the nomination forms carefully. In previous years the independent judging panels have found nominations difficult to judge due to some submissions not aligning with the criteria. The GCSAQ is very grateful for the continued support of award sponsors Living Turf, Greenway Turf Solutions, Ogilvy Clayton Cocking Mead, Toro and epar. Another date to put in the diary is the GCSAQ Turf Industry Day which will be hosted at Lakelands Golf Club (superintendent Phil Soegaard) on Friday 12 April. This event is always popular and we will be releasing further information and registration in the coming weeks.
AUSTRALIAN TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT 21.1
PAUL MCLEAN PRESIDENT, GCSAQ
It’s time to ensure that you have made arrangements to attend this year’s Fine Turf Seminar (FTS) hosted by the Central North Island Turf Managers Association (CNITMA). The seminar will be held in Taupo on 16-18 June 2019 and as with previous seminars is a must-attend event for both the programme and the fellowship that is always on offer.
INDUSTRY FATALITY In a sickening start to the year, two of our own were involved in a tragic motor vehicle accident in Auckland. Following a crash between a bus and a car on 12 January, in which the two greenkeepers were travelling, the life of 24-year-old Jarryd Davidson was lost and his passenger Josh Presland critically injured. At the time of writing Josh is out of hospital and we wish him a speedy and successful recovery. Both men were integral members of the team at Remuera Golf Club whose superintendent Spencer Cooper is the latest addition to the NZGCSA Board. Our thoughts and those of the entire industry go out to the families of Jarryd and Josh, and also to the tight-knit team at Remuera Golf Club who have felt this loss very closely.
LOOKING AHEAD By now we should have all reset our goals for the year so that we get a balance between our work and home lives. And I’m not talking about the usual New Year goals of losing mountains of weight, getting fitter and drinking less. I’m talking serious goals so we don’t over extend ourselves at work and burn out through the year. Goals that give you balance so that you can enjoy both your time at work and your time outside of work with family and friends. It is most important but often overlooked, so I encourage you all to make a little time to ensure that it happens.
STEVE HODSON PRESIDENT, NZGCSA