N ove m b e r/ De c e m b e r 2 0 10
FORE YOUR INFORMATION B OA R D O F D I R E C T O R S Strategic Planning 2011
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
President’s Message
2
Meeting Schedule
3
Wilber’s News
4
Conference & Golf Championship
5
Code of Ethics
6
GCSAA Delegates Meeting
8
Government Relations
10
Introducing Green Golf USA
12
Dates to Remember February 7 — 11, 2011 GCSAA Annual Conference and Show Orlando, Florida
Sierra Nevada GCSA An Affiliate Chapter of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America
By Jim Alwine On December 16th, the Sierra Nevada GCSA Board of Directors met with Steve Randall of GCSAA to examine the current condition of the Association and to set goals for the coming year. This day-long meeting is conducted each year to map a direction for the future. Using a SCOR analysis, with Mr. Randall leading the way, we explore our strong points and also identify the chinks in our armor. From that point we can review the mis-
sion statement and visions of the Sierra Nevada and finally, pick out a few goals for the coming year. Our new Board of Directors includes Scott Dickson as Past President, Jim Alwine as President, Jeff Couwenhoven as Vice President, Jeremy Payne as Secretary Treasurer, Phil Brown, David Bermudez, Jesse Sequin, Frank Putnam, Dave Wilber, and Pete Bowman as Directors. This is an energetic and upbeat group that is
committed to achieving the goals outlined during the Strategic Planning session. Last year, our main goal was to develop a concentrated education series based on the most important topic in our region: “WATER.” Jeff, Jeremy, and Dave Wilber did a wonderful job lining up innovative and engaging speakers throughout the year. This year will include a new theme put (Continued on page 7)
Governmental Relations By Jim Ferrin, CGCS The Governmental Relations Committee for the California Golf Course Superintendents Association continues to monitor legislation that will impact the golf course industry. There are three large challenges going forward that golf operations will face in the near future and golf course superintendents really need to be mindful of each one.
The first is the impact that the Golby 11 lawsuit of pesticide restrictions in Northern California will have on other areas within California where there might be documented endangered species and habitat. Pesticide manufacturers are very wary of this movement currently being monitored by the EPA and how easily it might spread to
other counties in California by advocacy groups such as the Center for Biological Diversity. The second concern is the future regulatory and restrictive effect that the NPDES (National Pollution Discharge Elimination System) will have on pesticide applications on golf courses near water (Continued on page 11)
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Fore Your Information EDITOR Jim Alwine Stockton Golf & Country Club 209-462-6734
OFFICE SNGCSA 5322 N. Leonard Clovis, CA 93619 559-298-6262 Fax# 559-298-6957 sngcsaa@aol.com PRESIDENT Jim Alwine Stockton Golf & Country Club 209-462-6734
VICE PRESIDENT Jeff Couwenhoven Woodcreek Golf Course 916-771-7370
SECRETARY/TREASURER Jeremy Payne Winchester C.C. 916-817-8106
PAST PRESIDENT Scott Dickson Saddle Creek Resort 209-785-3701
DIRECTORS Dave Bermudez Del Rio Golf & Country Club 209-341-2413 Frank Putnam Mace Meadows Golf & C.C. 209-295-7773 Jesse Seguin Lincoln Hills Golf Course 916-434-7200 Phil Brown Spring Creek C.C. 209-599-3747
Affiliate Representatives Dave Wilber Sierra Pacific Turf Supply 916-630-7600 Pete Bowman Target Specialty Products 916-396-9394
FORE YOUR INFORMATION Published by the Sierra Nevada Golf Course Superintendents Association
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE I am very happy and honored to be writing to you in my first President‟s Message. The Sierra Nevada GCSA has impacted my life well before I made the move to California, nearly eight years ago. It was the relationships I built with superintendents and salespeople that got me where I am today. I know many other people who share the same story of moving through the ranks of student, to assistant, to head Superintendent, all with the support of their peers in the Association. As President, I hope to continue the trend of advancement for our members by making our relationships with one another as strong as possible. We are the support network for the new guy up the road, the first year superintendent, and the eager student that just wants a foot in the door. It‟s a chance to give back to people who would do the same for the rest of us. Of all the California State Chapters, I firmly believe we are part of the best one around. Our membership numbers are strong, golf courses are unique and excellent, and frankly, we have more fun. Each meeting is another opportunity to spend some time with people whose company is very easy to enjoy. The wealth of knowledge in a room full of Sierra Nevada superintendents is impressive and so is the fact that each one would be happy to offer some advice or insight to his neighbor. To me, that is the number one reason to be a part of this Association. Our members are a living library of turf know-how that is open very early in the morning. This past year was successful in many ways. Our past President, Scott Dickson, and the Board of Directors led multiple initiatives to fine tune the Sierra Nevada GCSA. The annual awards (look for the nomination forms coming your way in the mail) were redesigned and well received at the Grass Roots Tournament. The “Water Education Series” was very informative and timely for superintendents expanding their environmental awareness. The wide range of meetings was well attended and enjoyed by
JIM ALWINE
all who made the trip. Finally, the SNGCSA continued to support local research and to provide scholarships to future leaders in our industry. We have a lot to be proud of and this coming year will continue to build on our past success. The meeting schedule is coming together very nicely with visits to courses that have not been on the calendar for a number of years. Educational opportunities will be of the „can‟t miss‟ variety concentrating on the major topics of today‟s GC maintenance. Encourage your peers to attend and I know they will not be disappointed. If there are any comments, complaints, or suggestions you would like to express, please do not hesitate to contact me directly. This is your association and while it may be impossible to make everyone happy, it is still worth a try. May you all have a very merry Christmas and a safe and happy New Year!!
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MEETING SCHEDULE January 2011 Happy New Year!
May 2011 Confirmation Pending
No Meeting Scheduled
February 7 — 11, 2011 GCSAA Annual Conference and
June 2011 Date Pending Confirmation
Darkhorse Golf Club Host Superintendent Tracy Shanahan
March 2011 Annual Grass Roots Tournament
July 2011 2011 Scholarship & Research Tournament Confirmation Pending
Location to be confirmed
April 18, 2011 Peach Tree Golf & C.C. Host Superintendent Stacy Baker
August 22, 2011 2011 Tri Chapter Meeting Stockton Golf & C.C. Hosted by Jim Alwine
If you are interested in hosting a meeting email Jeremy Payne at jspturf@hotmail.com Or Dave Wilber at davewilber@yahoo.com
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W I L B E R ' S S I E R R A N E VA DA N E W S By Dave Wilber
Special thanks go to Scott Dickson as outgoing president of the SNGCSA. Saddle Creek is fortunate to have Scott and so were we. Dave Wilber
Tim Sedgley is the new superintendent at Poplar Creek GC in San Mateo. Dustin Strickland has left El Macero CC in Davis, CA to take the helm at Silverado CC in Napa. Both properties are managed by Troon Golf. Craig Heitman, formerly Assistant Superintendent at Wood-
bridge GCC is now the Superintendent of The Reserve at Spanos in Stockton, CA. Rodney Muller takes over at Empire Ranch in Folsom as the new Superintendent. Pete Bowman of Target Specialty Products joins the SNGCSA board as one of the two affiliate reps. Justin Fowler of CPS has done a fine job for his two year term and will be missed. We are seeking meeting sites for 2011 and 2012. If you are interested in hosting, contact Pete Bowman or Jeremy Payne.
Colby Gunsch receives his plaque in appreciation of his service to the board of directors.
Association President Jim Alwine presents Justin Fowler with his plaque in appreciation for his service to the board of directors.
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2010 Conference and Golf Championship By Phil Brown Recently, the Golf Course Superintendents Association of California hosted their Annual State Conference and Golf Championship. It was held at the beautiful Pacific Palms Hotel and Conference Center of Industry Hills located in Southern California. With a well supported turnout of over 120 attendees for meetings, professional networking, and golf, it was apparent that everyone had a great time. Besides the power house agenda of educational speakers, our own members of the state Board of Directors delivered some very pertinent information that will have a direct affect on how all of us will or should be conducting our own place of businesses in the not too distant future. From Government Relations to Environmental Stewardship programs, soil sustainability and salt leaching fractions for turf irrigation, as well as irrigation system design, there was an incredible amount of take-home subject matter that many of us would benefit from. However, the highlight of the education portion of the conference was definitely the presentation from our keynote speaker, John Semckem, Developer and Owner of The Pacific Palms Resort. He had the most incredible fun spirited way of taking all of us down his journey through his successes of
being a Naval Top Gun Pilot to his current endeavor as the Developer of an ultra futuristic NFL Stadium in the City of Industry. If the education portion of the this conference wasn‟t enough to fill your palette for knowledge, then it could definitely be said that the Welcome Reception, Monday Night Football/Casino Night and all of the sumptuous food and beverage provided throughout the conference was top shelf catering, to say the least. The entertainment portion of the event, while watching football in a very upscale, but relaxing lounge of big screen monitors and posh leather chairs made the evening quite enjoyable for all those in attendance. Needless to say, the Casino Night brought about a gambler‟s excitement of high stakes betting, with the help of some association sponsored “funny money” in an effort to win back raffle tickets that were drawn at the end of the night for some great prizes, like digital cameras, camcorders and even an Ipad. Congratulations to all those winners that were able to make it through the night and have their lucky numbers drawn! The real winners of the night, as well as the entire three day conference were really everyone that got to stay at The Pacific Palms Hotel deluxe accommodations. Everything about
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this facility was exceptional. From the conference rooms, the dining experience, to the luxury guestrooms, everything was done in good taste. As for those individuals that helped make this year‟s Annual Conference and Golf Championship a huge success, our hats go off to the Annual Conference Committee for selecting such a wonderful venue, securing a line up of terrific educational speakers, and providing a host of social activities that allowed everyone to interact with one another and have a great time. Besides the extraordinary efforts of our Conference Committee, the good folks at Hustler Turf Equipment should be recognized, once again, for their generous sponsorship of this year‟s conference. Along with our major sponsor, is a long list of other affiliated companies that helped to make this Conference and Golf Championship such a great event to be a part of. Lastly, a great deal of appreciation needs to go out to our host Superintendent Adam Kloster, CGCS and all the members of his staff at Industry Hills Golf Club, in providing all the participants with a wonderful golf course and a terrific day to play. Phil Brown
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CODE OF ETHICS By Jeff Couwenhoven As the year comes to an end and the earth continues to rotate, (Believe it or not!) it offers a time for reflection and analysis. We here at Jeff Couwenhoven the Sierra Nevada Superintendents Association Board of Directors have also done this. As we analyzed our past year we felt it important to recognize that we are a collection of superintendents who like to get together, have meetings, education and play golf. These social and educational activities are a key ingredient to who we are. We do have a standard of behavior and felt it was necessary to put our code of ethics in this monthâ€&#x;s newsletter. Remember, this is a fabulous time of the year in which family and friends get together and celebrate the season. Please, do it safely, we all would like to see everyone at our next function.
Sierra Nevada Golf Course Superintendents Association
CODE OF ETHICS 1. Recognize
and discharge all my responsibilities and duties in such a fashion as to be a credit to this Association and profession. 2. Practice and insist upon sound business and turf management principles in exercising the responsibilities of my position. 3. Utilize every practicable opportunity to expand my professional knowledge, thereby improving myself and my profession. 4. Maintain the highest standards of personal conduct to reflect credit and add to the stature of the profession of the golf course superintendent. 5. Base endorsements, either written or verbal by means of any medium, strictly upon satisfactory personal experience within the item identified. 6. Refrain from encouraging or accepting considerations of any value without the express understanding of all parties that said consideration is available to all in similar circumstances, and that no action shall be
forthcoming as a result of acceptance. 7. Recognize and observe the highest standards of integrity in my relationships with fellow golf course superintendents and others associated with this profession and industry. 8. Assist my fellow superintendents in all ways consistent with my abilities, but only when called upon to do so and with the incumbent superintendentâ€&#x;s knowledge, participation and acceptance. 9. Abstain from the debasement of or encroachment upon, the professional reputation, practice or employment of another superintendent. 10. Lend my support to, and actively participate in, the efforts of my local chapter and National Association to improve public understanding and recognition of the profession of the golf course superintendent. 11. Abstain from any exploitation of my Association, industry or profession. 12. Present information and participate as a witness in all proceedings to which there exists evidence of a violation of this code of ethics.
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Strategic Planning 2011 Continued from page 1 together by this same cast of Board members. As we analyzed our Strengths, Challenges, Opportunities, and Risks, we came across a problem of identity. The Sierra Nevada GCSA is not as recognized by our allied organizations as we would like. Our General Managers, Owners, PGA and LPGA Professionals, and the golfing public would more than likely look for a Northern California GCSA rather than the Sierra Nevada due to the other organizations with NC in their acronym. To improve our name recognition, we will need to advertise ourselves. We all are working to improve our environment and community, but very few of us promote those actions to the outside world. Over the next few months, the Board of Directors will compile examples of environmental stewardship, community involvement, and efforts to enhance the game of golf. Please do your part by sharing your story so we can write articles to be distributed to regional, state, and national publications. The members of the Sierra Nevada GCSA deserve to be recognized for being the leaders that theyâ€&#x;ve become. We have a long history of environmental
awareness, dedication to government relations, and representation on national committees and boards. Now we need to promote and advertise those Strengths to everyone outside of the membership to make the Association stronger. Another major goal is increased participation from the Assistant Superintendents. Currently, we have 34 Assistants as part of the SNGCSA. Why so few? Perhaps the employer or even the Assistant Superintendent does not see value in the $50 fee for membership. This year we will seek events focused directly at the assistants and future of our Association. We will promote the positives of including your assistant at monthly meetings and increasing each oneâ€&#x;s network of Superintendents and consultants. Take a good look at your budget and decide if $50 is worth getting your Assistant involved in an Association that pays back with a support network of peers. By the end of the year, $50 will look like a major bargain. At the end of a long day of brainstorming and reflection on the SNGCSA, our Strengths and Opportunities far out numbered our Challenges and Risks. We are still moving in the right direction and continue to follow our Mission Statement: The Sierra Nevada GCSA is established to enhance
the profession and promote the growth of golf through quality education and networking opportunities for all members.
2011 SNGCSA Officers President Jim Alwine Stockton Golf and Country Club
Vice President Jeff Couwenhoven Woodcreek G.C./ Diamond Oaks G.C.
Secretary/ Treasurer Jeremy Payne Winchester Country Club
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GCSAA Delegates Meeting Synopsis California GCSAA delegate Kevin Breen The GCSAA Delegates meeting held October 23rd and 24th in Kansas City was attended by 6 delegates representing the regional chapters of the state, and by Kevin Breen representing the California GCSAA. The state meeting is the membersâ€&#x; opportunity to influence the leadership of GCSAA through their delegate, and it is an important meeting for setting the future policies, and procedures of the association. Before going to the delegates meeting I solicited member input to take to the delegates meeting, and I will share the conversations that took place concerning those topics in this article. A complete review of the meeting has been published in accurate and detailed form on the California GCSAA website, so please reference that article if you desire a full review of the meeting. The dues increase was the most requested topic by members
that I spoke to prior to attending the meeting. In any budgeting process there are operating costs, and revenue considerations. Before revenue in the form of a dues increase was acceptable to the majority of delegates in attendance (including myself), GCSAA needed to demonstrate that costs were being cut. GCSAA has cut staff significantly, and reduced costs to levels that meet revenue to the point that additional cuts will significantly affect the day to day ability for GCSAA to meet objectives set by the members of the association. The increase that is requested is part of the standard operating procedures of the association, and is not a special request. In fact, the increase was eligible to be requested last year, but was delayed to this year in the hopes that the economy would be better. At the end of the conversation between the delegates and the GCSAA Board of Directors, the majority of the delegates felt that asking the membership for an increase was appropriate based on keeping a balanced budget, maintaining a strong association, and continuing to operate under the dues increase procedures agreed to at the 2008 delegates meeting.
(Continued on page 9)
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Fax (775-267-9382 Email: becgolf@earthlink.net
Verti Drain Service
The GIS accounts for 48% of GCSAA revenue, and is always a topic at the delegates meetings. The percentage of revenue from annual dues would need to increase significantly (compare to PGA of America and other similar organizations), if the Conference and Show revenue were to fall significantly. Over the past couple of years GCSAA staff has initiated a daily schedule change, a site rotation based on member surveys, offered new classes every year, and brought in industry partners in the hopes of better serving the membership and keeping attendance numbers up. Attendance numbers have been tough to meet over the last few years, and there may not be a remedy that GCSAA can implement to increase attendance, and until the economy returns all trade shows will probably see reduced attendance. After a presentation by GCSAA and discussion with the delegates, the majority of delegates felt that GCSAA was making significant efforts to improve the GIS, and that until the economy returns reduced attendance will be normal, and that costs will need to be controlled. Field staffing has been a regular topic of discussion at the
Chr istens en T ur f Pr oducts
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GCSAA Delegates Meeting Synopsis Continued from page 8 Delegates Meeting for at least 7 years. The field staff program is now one of GCSAA‟s biggest initiatives, with plans to have a field staff representative in place over the entire country in the next 2 years. California will have a field office representative in 2011. Where it is in place it has been well received, and has increased both local association membership, and member satisfaction. The field staff program is a high priority for GCSAA and based on the delegate feed back it is an initiative that the majority of delegates strongly support. GCSAA has been part of a number of efforts to bring the golf course maintenance industry in alliance with other industry related organizations, and communities at large. Partnerships include the Golf 20/20 (GCSAA, CMAA, NGCOA,PGA TOUR, USGA, PGA, LPGA, NIKE, GCBAA), whose initiatives include Get Golf Ready Play Golf America, The First Tee, and the World Golf Hall of Fame. Other partnerships and initiatives include We Are Golf (PGA, GCOA, CMAA), Golf‟s Drive Toward Sustainability, and the EIFG. The discussions were positive regarding the
efforts to align GCSAA with other organizations, and unfortunately Golf‟s Drive Toward Sustainability was not well recognized or understood by most delegates. GCSAA will need to do more education on this one initiative to bring its benefits to the members of the association, It is an important business model that includes making decisions based on the success of “people, environment, and profit,” and I believe it will make the game and business of golf relevant to those who don‟t play the game. I appreciate those of you who contacted me with your concerns prior to the delegates meeting, and your view point was brought forward at the meeting. If you are reading this and have something that you would like to bring to the attention of GCSAA please let me know, and I assure you your voice will be heard. My job as the California GCSAA delegate is to keep a two way conversation going that strengthens and empowers you as a member and that in turn benefits the association, and our industry.
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WELCOME NEW MEMBERS Alezander Escalero Emerald Lakes Golf Course Class C
Jeff Bassett Emerald Lakes Golf Course Class C
Jacob Miller Lahontan Golf Club Class C
Jared Cureton Brookside Country Club Class C
Joe Ballmer Syngenta Class Affiliate The Membership Rate for Assistant Superintendent is only $50.00 Have your assistant join the SNGCSA TODAY!
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T H E M OV E T O D I G I TA L BY Yes, we are joining the bandwagon and taking „Fore Your Information‟ to a digital format. The periodical will move from your mailbox to your inbox and also be available on the website @ californiagcsa.org/sierranevada. Some of you would prefer holding the newsletter in your hands or taking it on the go. That is still possible, except you‟ll be printing yourself. The benefits far outweigh the negative aspects. ►Over the course of a year, this change in distribution will save the SNGCSA nearly $5000. ►An internet-based newsletter will improve communica-
J I M ALWIN E
tion with direct links to meeting signups, affiliate homepages, turf blogs, and educational resources. ►Sharing the newsletter with a friend is as simple as forwarding the email. ►Allied agencies will receive the newsletter at no cost to the SNGCSA spreading the word on what we do and how we do it. ►Steve Pajak will get a copy and read something positive about our golf courses.
If you do not currently have email, call anyone on the SNGCSA BOD and we will be happy to help you set it up. We do not want to take a benefit away from any member, but the plus side of this move is too significant to ignore. As always, we welcome any feedback from members on this decision or any other matter that is important to you. Contact information can be found on Page 2, on the left side. Don’t miss out on an issue, an announcement, or important information. Call the Association office today to verify your email address is correct. 559-298-6262 or email us at sngcsaa@aol.com
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Governmental Relations Continued from page 1 bodies. The GCSAA is very involved in the current lobbying efforts to get the Federal legislative bodies to modify this law. Defining a spray nozzle now as a point of pollutant discharge may make this a very difficult obstacle to overcome. The third regulatory standard that golf courses must comply with over the next 13 months is the American with Disabilities Act (ADA). This federal law passed in 1992 was recently amended and signed by President Obama in August. It now predicates that existing (prior to 1992) and recently constructed (post 1992 and 2002amended ADAAG guidelines) golf courses accessed by the public (meaning that if your golf course holds public tee times, weddings, or outside golf events) you must re-
move any barriers on golf course so that a golfer with a disability can play your course in a nondiscriminatory manner. The ADA is a complaint driven law and as you may have read from time to time how disabled groups and lawyers target businesses with law suits that might not abide by the current law. We are currently looking at how the Governmental Relations (GR) Committee can better serve our interests. We will be in the coming months establishing other alliances beyond our lobbying efforts to get support and additional expertise to deal with current and coming issues in a proactive manner. Jim Alwine has brought Tom Calabrese the Principal of EnviroLogic Resources onto the GR
Government Relations Committee
Committee. Tom brings a strong environmental background dealing with governmental and environmental issues that have impacted golf courses in Oregon. I will be team building with some of our manufacturer partners and their experts in pesticide regulations to assist in our efforts with issues such as Golby 11 and the NPDES. A final note is to be aware of changes coming January 1, 2011 in the requirements for personal protective equipment especially gloves and respirators. There are also new EPA bans in place for rodentcides. Check with your vendor. Jim Ferrin, CGCS
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Introducing GreenGolf USA by Tom Calabrase GreenGolfUSA, presented by EnviroLogic Resources, Inc., is an environmental stewardship website that provides a FREE, easy-to-use tool for creating Integrated Pest Management Plans and documenting Best Management Practices at golf courses. The IPM Plan development tool works with drop-down menus, radio buttons, and fill-inthe blanks to allow you to create an integrated pest management plan that accurately reflects the golf course conditions and standard of care. Action thresholds, a primary basis for the IPM approach, are customizable to the way you operate. The result is an IPM Plan that makes sense for your golf course. The BMP Generator allows you to select from a menu of best management practices to document how you manage the golf course. GreenGolfUSA recently updated the weed database to include the major turfgrass weeds found all over the US. Updates to the fungus and insect databases are coming soon. The tools are customizable so that you are able to add any pests, weeds, diseases, or pesticides that are not currently
in our database to your IPM Plan. The data you enter is saved at the GreenGolfUSA server, so when we complete updates you can update your documents with only a few keystrokes. A case history has been uploaded to the Environmental Institute for Golf website that describes the experiences of some of the golf course superintendents that have used GreenGolfUSA. And, you can see a short discussion about the Oregon GCSA Environmental Stewardship Guidelines and GreenGolfUSA on GCSAA TV. These tools were initially developed to support implementation of the Oregon GCSA Environmental Stewardship Guidelines, prepared in partnership with Northwest Turfgrass Association and Western Washington GCSA. Check out GreenGolfUSAâ€&#x;s newsletter, The Green Piece, for timely news and links. Other stewardship resources are also being made available so register to use the tools and surf the website! GreenGolfUSA is the first of a family of websites designed to use a cloud computing
REMINDER Dues renewal are delinquent after December 31, 2010 If not paid by that date at $25 late fee will be applied
approach to develop environmental stewardship documentation. GreenParksUSA, for use by parks and recreation departments, was released in Summer 2010. GreenCampusUSA and GreenFieldsUSA are planned for release in 2011. You can see all the websites we have planned at GreenCloudUSA. For more information you can contact Tom Calabrese at: tom@greengolfusa.com.
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Past President’s Attend Rancho Murieta Event
We had the privilege of having seven past presidents at the December meeting at Rancho Murieta. Pictured above are from left are Rich Scholes, Rich served as president from in 1989 and 1990. Phil Brown 2006, Mike Jones 1992, Pete Bowman 1995, Jessie Creencia, CGCS 2000, Frank Putnam 2008 & 2009, and our newly elected president Jim Alwine. Not pictured but present at the event was Scott Dickson. 2010
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Holiday Event Rancho Murieta
Special guest Jim ―Speedy‖ Lipari, pictured above with Jim Alwine provided lost of entertainment for everyone. He had us laughing at jokes, he awed us with his card tricks, and simply amazed us with everyone he knew. Thanks Speedy for everything.
Winners in the two man scramble tournament were Pete Bowman and Rob Williams. Congratulations to both.
Our hosts for the evening and looking very festive are Sheena and Rich Scholes. Thank you both for hosting this wonderful
After a very wet ending to our golf everyone came in to enjoy a wonderful dinner. Pictured above are Joe Kurung and Jessie Seguin.
Pictured above are Jeff and Marlene Weigum.
Pictured above are Jasmine Schell, Scott Canfield, and Bob Miller.
At Left are Karen and Jeff Couwenhoven and at right Scott Dickson and Jasmine share a laugh
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Holiday Event Rancho Murieta White Elephant Gift Exchange
Everyone had fun with the white elephant gift exchange . Some more than others. Jeff Couwenhoven received a handmade marshmallow shooter. Surprisingly no one stole it.
At left Jim couldn’t quite figure out what he won and at right Chris Strutz demonstrated he was quite happy with the set of juggling balls he won. His one handed attempt was pretty bad though.
Who would have thought that fruit could look so strange. Rodney Mueller was quite impressed with his Buddha Hand.
Frank is warning everyone to stay away from his and he hasn’t even opened it. It didn’t matter someone took it anyway.
Above are Jim Alwine with Kevin Eppich.
I am not sure what Mike Jones got but it doesn’t look like he was too excited about it.
This was not the St Pauli Girl that Phil Brown was hoping for .
MISSION STATEMENT The Sierra Nevada GCSA is established to enhance the profession and promote the growth of golf through quality education and networking opportunities for all members