F ORE Y OUR INFORMATION 4th Quar ter 2023
Cameron Park Country Club 2022 Scholarship & Research Tournament
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P R E S I D E N T ’ S M E S S AG E B Y M U H A M M A D A L I Dear Sierra Nevada GCSA Members, I trust this newsletter finds you all in good health and high spirits. As we step into a new quarter, I am humbled by the opportunity to serve as your Chapter President. Leading a group of dedicated individuals who share a profound passion for our profession and the mission of our association is an honor that I deeply appreciate.
Firstly, I extend my heartfelt gratitude to our past president, Jeremy Payne, and the entire board of directors for their unwavering service. A special acknowledgment is due to our association manager, Kimberly Milne, for her exceptional work and commitment. With 15 years of experience in the golf industry, including seven years as a superintendent overseeing Bartley Cavanaugh Golf Course, Bing Maloney Golf Complex, and William Land Park Golf Course in Sacramento, I am excited about the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead. I have had the privilege of working under the guidance of two past presidents of Sierra Nevada GCSA, Sam Samuelson and Jim Ferrin, both esteemed leaders in the turf industry. A heartfelt thank you goes out to our vendors and affiliate members. Your significant contributions not only help sustain our association but also enhance our collective experience. I encourage each of you to take a moment to express your appreciation for their continued support, as it plays a pivotal role in the success of our chapter and the game of golf. I strongly encourage each of you to actively participate in our association events, supporting and promoting the essential role we play as golf course superintendents. Explore exciting programs such as First Green and Rounds for Research from GCSAA. Should you have any questions or require assistance, please do not hesitate to reach out to me or any other board member. As we enter the winter season, I hope you find precious moments to spend with your families and loved ones, recharging for a successful 2024. Keep an eye out for the fantastic educational meetings planned for next year at some of our region's premier golf facilities. I eagerly look forward to seeing every one of you in our upcoming meetings. Muhammad Ali
Let's make 2024 a year of growth, camaraderie, and shared success.
Muhammad Ali
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Visit us online at SierraNevadaGCSA.com or Follow us on Facebook and Twitter
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E V E N T C A L E N DA R July 15, 2024 Del Rio CC Scholarship & Research Tournament
2024
M E E T I N G DA T E S
January 9 Turf Tech The Ridge
August Tri-Chapter Tournament
Jan 29—Feb 1 Phoenix, AZ. California Room 1/31/24
September TBD
March 13, 2024 Grass Roots Tournament Wild Horse
October TBD
April 8, 2024 Oakdale Golf & CC
November El Macero CC
June 4, 2024 Yocha DeHe
December Holiday Event
2024 SNGCSA BOARD OF DIRECTORS PRESIDENT Muhammad Ali Bing Maloney G.C. SECRETARY/TREASURER Billy Witt Hidden Valley Lake G.C.
VICE PRESIDENT Juan Gonzalez Empire Ranch G.C.
PAST PRESIDENT Jeremy Payne Cameron Park CC
DIRECTORS
Dave Bermudez Del Rio G. & C.C.
Logan Bloom Mather G.C.
Dean Kinney, Sierra Pacific Turf
Scott McCullough The Ridge
Lonnie Dunn Wild Horse GC
Affiliate Representatives Ryan Thornberry, California Landscape Supply
FORE YOUR INFORMATION Published by the Sierra Nevada Golf Course Superintendents Association EDITOR Jeremy Payne OFFICE SNGCSA 3273 Richert Ave., Clovis, CA 93619 559-298-6262 Fax# 559-298-6957 sngcsaa@aol.com
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SPEAK MICHELLE, SPEAK Hello everyone, it’s me Michelle, the Teal Bend dog. This month found me at Turkey Creek golf course where I spoke with “Harper”, a beautiful 2 year old miniature Australian Sheppard. She showed me around the course and told me all about the work she does there. She also told me the “tail” of how she and her owner Mike found each other. This is Harper’s story: Harper is a beautiful miniature Sheppard with one brown eye and one light blue eye. Not untypical for dogs of that breed. She was a rescue so to speak. She lived in Clear Lake and was surrounded by several other large breed dogs. Being smaller in stature, Harper was the subject of some abuse and bullying from the other dogs. She wanted out and Mike wanted a dog. Put those two things together and you get a perfect match. Harper loves Mike and sticks to him like glue. At home she shares her owner with a cat. They get alone beautifully and are in fact great pals. A far cry from what Harper had to deal with at her last home. Every morning Harper and Mike get up at 4:00 am and head to the course. Upon arriving she immediately greets the other two shop dogs, Stella and Luna then it’s off to the Pro shop to greet the staff. Mike says when she gets there she likes to do a few hot laps of zoomies around the shoe rack “like a 125 two stroke on airplane fuel”. Then it’s on to the course to do what she does best, chase geese. And chase she does! Not only on land but in the water. Harper will eagerly swim out and chase the geese off the island on lake #10. Once the geese have been thoroughly harassed off property, it’s onto the squirrels. Ground squirrels are chased back into their burrows and the grey squirrels are chased up their trees. Deer are fair game too. They are not immune to Harper’s pursuit. She will chase them back into the oak woodland that surrounds her beautiful golf course. The only critter she is banned from chasing is a skunk. She did that once, and let’s just say, Mike was not too happy. She had to go to the vet for “detox”, and it cost 90 bucks! She does know her limits though, when it comes to tree work, Harper wants no part of it. One day Mike and the crew were dropping a large tree. When it hit the ground it scared poor Harper so badly that she ran all the way back to the shop and took refuge under Mike’s desk. Other than the skunk and the tree incident, Harper has lived a peaceful and happy life at Turkey Creek. She looks forward to many more years with Mike and the crew. Good luck Harper! From one golf course dog to another.
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Annual Election Meeting Timber Creek/ SunCity Roseville
Steve Kimbrough hosted us for a fantastic day of golf on November 13, 2023. Our 2024 Election meeting was attended by a large group and if you didn't make it out, we strongly recommend you try to make the next one. Our election to the Board was the finale to our day and we want to take a moment to “Thank” all of the Board members who have served the association over the years. Jeremy Payne passed the Presidential torch onto Muhammad Ali. Tim McCoy finished up his 2 year term as our Affiliate Member, and was replaced by Ryan Thornberry, from California Landscape Supply, and two new Directors joined the group. Logan Bloom, Mather GC and Lonnie Dunn, Wild Horse GC.
Above: Ryan Thornberry, Andy Lopez, and Matt Graves
Above Center: Jeremy Payne, Rodney Muller, Jim Culley, Pete Bowman
Above: Muhammad Ali, Thanking Jeremy for his years of service.
Left: Board of Directors Dean Kinney, Juan Gonzalez, Lonnie Dunn, Billy Witt, Muhammad Ali, Ryan Thornberry
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VENDOR PROFILE
H E I D I B U RG E S S – C O RT E VA We recently had a new face run for the Board of Directors, Heidi Burgess is a new Affiliate member of our association. She was kind enough to take the time to sit down with us and give us some Q & A, in order for us to get to know her a little better.
Q: Where did you go to school? A: Cal Poly SLO Q: Do you have any mentors professionally? A: My older siblings, they are PCAs in the agricultural and T&O sector that inspired my career. Q: Do you like traveling?/ Favorite Place? A: Love to travel! I studied abroad in Torino, Italy in college. My favorite place I have been is Innsbruck, Austria. Q: Where did you work before this position? A: With Corteva, on the Crop Protection Team based out of Fresno, CA. Q: What is your most used productivity hack? A: Writing things down in a list. Q: What is your favorite food? A: Vodka Pasta Q: Any hidden talents or hobbies? A: No hidden talents, trying to get crafty and make candles. Q: Who is your favorite sports team? A: SF Giants Q: What is the most challenging part of your job? A: Working a large territory, a lot of ground to cover. Q: Whats your favorite thing to do on the weekends? A: Hang out with friends and hit the beach. Q: What’s your favorite holiday? A: St. Patrick’s Day Q: What three items would you take with you to a deserted island? A: Chapstick, multitool, Liquid IV Thank you Heidi for playing along and letting us get to know you better. We look forward to seeing you at some events in the near future!
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2024 California Room January 31, 2024 6-9PM Don’t miss out on this years 2024 California Room. Hosted by the California GCSA , at the Blanco Cantina in Phoenix, AZ. Premier Sponsor for the second year in a row is none other than our local member, CJ Boone with Brown Sand.
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2024 Presidents Cup Winchester CC We had a beautiful day at Winchester CC in September for our 2023 Presidents Cup. Thank you to all who attended, and to Jason Conrad for having the course in fantastic shape. Our LOW Gross Superintendent Member was none other than our new board member, Billy Witt, from Hidden Valley Lake. Our LOW Gross Affiliate member was Andrew Richiger from TORO.
The GIS has already hit record numbers for attendance in all areas, Golf Tournament, Convention, and Education. The California chapter is expecting up to 400 people to attend the Wednesday night event, so do not delay in getting signed up today! Juan Gonzalez and Billy Witt
Juan Gonzalez and Andrew Richiger
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F RO M T H E F I E L D J e f f J e n s e n , GCSAA Field Staff,
Southwest Region
I hope this finds everyone doing well and getting a little downtime as we near the holidays. As we approach the end of 2023, there is some important information from the EPA that I want to share with you. Through EPA’s Vulnerable Species Pilot, the Agency has identified an initial set of “pilot” listed species and is proposing pesticide mitigation measures designed to reduce the pilot species’ exposures to conventional pesticides from non-residential outdoor uses of those pesticides. According to the EPA, these twenty-seven pilot species are particularly vulnerable to the potential effects of pesticides due to a combination of factors including a limited geographic range, small population size, and general susceptibility to environmental stressors where effects to even a small number of individuals may be Jeff Jensen highly impactful to populations or the entire species. To proactively address this situation, the Vulnerable Species Pilot focuses on implementing early protections for multiple types of registered pesticides (e.g., insecticides, herbicides) to protect the pilot species. It will establish Pesticide Use Limitations Areas (PULAs). PULAs are spatial files that allow users to determine if their intended pesticide or herbicide application falls within a location where additional restrictions or mitigations are necessary to protect listed species or their designated critical habitat.
In some cases, these restrictions will completely ban the use of all pesticides or herbicides and with others it will enforce strict mitigations (potentially based off the use of state BMP guides). GCSAA is working with the EPA to make sure these potential mitigations are workable for golf facilities (as opposed to using agricultural BMPs). Pesticide users will be able to identify species and restrictions/mitigations through directions on the pesticide label that will direct users to the online portal Bulletins Live. The EPA has indicated the pilot project could be implemented as early as Spring of 2024, but lawsuits are likely to be filed to block the implementation. GCSAA will continue to work closely with the EPA on the pilot project as well as determining next steps for the golf industry. A comprehensive webinar on the EPA/ESA is available at https://www.gcsaa.org/education/mylearning-hub under the Compliance Category. Education points are available for members viewing the webinar. More information will be forthcoming from GCSAA as well as your local chapter. Thank you for your continued support of GCSAA and I hope you all have a great holiday season. I look forward to seeing you at the chapter events scheduled for early 2024.
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2023 Delegates Meeting Attended By Muhammad Ali The GCSAA Chapter Delegate Meeting was held October 24th and 25th at GCSAA headquarters in Lawrence, Kansas. Each chapter was able to send a representative to meet all GCSAA board members, staff, other chapter delegates, and the individuals running for the 2024 GCSAA Board of Directors. CEO Rhett Evans spoke about GCSAA’s “Relentless Focus” on serving its members and meeting the challenges they face. A financial update was also covered as the GCSAA has a solid financial standing but did address concerns that they have dipped into reserves to continue to offer all the current programs, while offering new programs to help each of us superintendents. Other topics included membership growth (GCSAA has now surpassed 20,000 members), GCSAA show in Phoenix, Labor and workforce development, Rounds 4 Research, Endangered Species Act, and OSHA Heat Stress Standard. Rounds 4 Research was spoken of highly and has substantially grown in the past couple of years. A couple exciting notes about Rounds 4 Research 2023 $424,659 given to chapters. 2,032 Registered Bidders up 211 from 2022 1,547 Rounds donated. Up 92 from 2022 1,471 Rounds Purchased. Up 75 from 2022 Average Round Sold $381 Rounds 4 Research benefits our Chapters/Research, allowing us to generate resources to fund research and help ensure golf’s future. Interesting fact to me, was not all chapters participate in this event, and even most golf courses are not participating as well. We all should seriously think about donating to this great event. Delegates met at GCSAA Headquarters in Lawrence. One main topic that was really stressed for members is Best Management Practices. BMPs for your facility will likely be mandatory in the near future as the GCSAA is working with the EPA in sustaining a great relationship. The BMPs show your facilities professional commitment and knowledge. There is a lot of talk about validation on the BMP’s. Are you using them like we say we are? Another Main topic was Dues adjustment. GCSAA has always used CPI as their model to raise dues, but in reality, that only covers the cost of inflation. Discussions were held in small breakout groups and doing a dues adjustment along with CPI. The adjustment was generally supported if there was a media campaign explaining what new programs were being offered and the benefits, we were getting for the GCSAA. Some of these new programs spoken of were the First Green Program and Workforce Developments. The afternoon session provided us to hear from and interact with candidates for the 2024 GCSAA Board of Directors. The delegates were provided with ample time to interact and ask questions of the candidates. Those running for the GCSAA Board in 2024 are: For president – Jeff L. White, CGCS For vice president – T.A. Barker, CGCS For secretary/treasurer – Paul L. Carter, CGCS, and Douglas D. Dykstra, CGCS For director Gregory Jones, CGCS, MG, Marc E. Weston, CGCS, and Douglas D. Dykstra, CGCA The Annual Meeting and Election will take place 8-10 a.m. on Feb.1 in Phoenix as part of the 2024 GCSAA Conference and Trade Show. It was a great honor and privilege for me to be able to attend and represent SNGCSA.
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2023 Holiday Party Teal Bend GC John Farley was back in action for this years Holiday Event, and everyone was happy to be back at Teal Bend. Delicious meals were provided for lunch and dinner, thanks to Johns incredible talent for Smoked Meats. The weather did get a little rainy, as it tends to do in December, but that didn't stop anyone from enjoying the day. Thank you to John, and Teal for hosting.
Lonnie Dunn getting ready to make a rainy putt.
A wonderful collection of the Sierra Nevada Members , both current and retired, who were able to attend.
Delta Blue Grass celebrating a successful hole.
Lonnie Dunn, Host John Farley, and Juan Gonzalez.
Top Dressing • Fertilizer • Gypsum
Peter Reece Jr. (209) 602-8475
preecejr@gmail.com
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Welcome New Members Jack Marino EZ GO/ Textron Lyle Gibbs Nutrien Ag Solutions Logan Bloom Mather Golf Course
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Superintendent Profile Logan Bloom Mather Golf COurse
We would like to welcome Logan Bloom, not only to the Sierra Nevada Association, but also as the newest member of our Board of Directors. Logan joined the association this past quarter excited to be a part of our association as he took on his new role as the Superintendent at Mather GC. He has taken the time to answer some quick questions so that we can all get to know him a little better. Q: Education (Where did you go to school) A: .UC Riverside Certificate Program Q: Do you have any mentors in your professional life? A: Brett Thornsbury, Superintendent at Cordevalle Golf Club Q: What was your first paying job? A: Working maintenance on a raspberry farm and picking raspberries at JE Farms in Watsonville, CA at 16 years old Q: What kind of music do you like? A: 90's rock Q: Whats your Favorite Place you’ve traveled? A: Eastern Sierra mountains Q: Whats your favorite book? A: Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink Q: What’s the most exciting part of your job? A: Being able to be surrounded by the wildlife on course is my favorite part of the job. Q: Where did you work before this position? A: El Macero CC, Cordevalle Golf Club, San Jose CC Q: What’s your most-used productivity hack? A: TaskTracker and GDD models Q: What is your favorite animal? A: Mallard duck
Q: What’s your favorite food?
A: Smoked pork ribs Q: What’s your favorite movie? A: Saving Private Ryan Q: Are you a sports fan? A: Favorite sport is MMA and boxing Q: Do you have any hidden talents or hobbies? A: Favorite hobby is upland and waterfowl hunting Q: What’s something you find challenging about your work? A: I enjoy the challenge of improving course conditions and helping with wildlife/ecosystem management of the property. Q: What’s your favorite thing to do on the weekends? A: Outside of work I enjoy hanging out with my wife and dog and duck hunting. Thank you again for speaking with us. We look forward to seeing you around the chapter at our future events.
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ID EN TIFYING AND T REATIN G SPRAIN S/ S TRAINS SPRAINS AND STRAINS ARE AMONG THE MOST COMMON WORKPLACE INJURIES. A R E PAINF U L AND DE B I LI TATING F OR EM P L OY EE S AND CO S TLY F OR EMP L OYE R S .
THEY
Sprain is an injury involving the stretching or tearing of a ligament (a tissue that connects bone to bone) or a joint capsule, which helps provide joint stability. Symptoms can include pain, inflammation, and, sometimes, the inability to move an affected limb. Sprains occur when a joint is forced beyond its normal range of motion, such as when one turns too quickly or rolls the ankle. Strain is an injury that involves the stretching or tearing of a muscle or tendon. This happens when a muscle is stretched and suddenly contracts, as with running or jumping. Symptoms of an acute muscle strain can include pain, muscle spasm, loss of strength, and limited range of motion. Chronic strains are injuries that gradually build up from overuse or repetitive stress, resulting in tendinitis (inflammation of a tendon).
THE CAUSES OF SPRAINS AND STRAINS Sprains and strains can happen suddenly or develop over the course of days, weeks or months. When a worker is exposed to causative risk factors, they are more likely to develop a sprain or strain. Excessive force. Many work tasks require high force loads on the human body. Muscle effort increases in response to high force requirements, increasing associated fatigue which can lead to injury. Excessive repetition. Many work tasks and cycles are repetitive in nature and are frequently controlled by hourly or daily production targets and work processes. High task repetition, when combined with other risk factors such as high force and/or awkward postures, can contribute to the formation of injuries. A job is considered highly repetitive if the cycle time is 30 seconds or less. Awkward posture. Awkward postures place excessive force on joints and overload the muscles and tendons around the effected joint. Joints of the body are most efficient when they operate closest to the mid-range motion of the joint. Risk of injury is increased when joints are
worked outside of this mid-range repetitively or for sustained periods of time without adequate recovery time. Other environmental factors. Slip, trip and fall hazards increase the risk of a sudden, acute soft tissue injury.
TREATING SPRAIN AND STRAIN INJURIES There are two methods for treating strains and sprains: RICE and Active Rehabilitation. RICE For the first couple of days, follow the 4 steps known as RICE therapy to help bring down swelling and support the injury:
1. Rest – stop any exercise or activities and try not to put any weight on the injury. 2. Ice – apply an ice pack (or a bag of frozen vegetables wrapped in a tea towel) to the injury for up to 20 minutes every 2 to 3 hours. 3. Compression – wrap a bandage around the injury to support it. Elevate – keep it raised on a pillow as much as possible. When you can move the injured area without pain stopping you, try to keep moving it so the joint or muscle does not become stiff. Active Rehabilitation This protocol is centered around active care and implementing movement as soon as possible. The goal is to increase blood flow to the injured area to enhance the healing process. Movement – Immediate but gentle restoration of active range of motion with gradual introduction of functional activities. Movement directly stimulates healing. Adapt your usual movement in that area so that it is lighter and less stressful than it normally would be. But you should strive to do a double volume of load, range of motion, and stress to the area. Start loading up the area, progressing to tolerate weight, as your body allows. Exercise – This is implemented once the pain level has decreased, and movement of the injured area increases. Respect your pain level and boundaries. Exercise will further increase circulation, adding fresh blood and removing debris from the damaged tissue. Treatment – This can include physical therapy, massage therapy, and any number of other rehab techniques used to address specific injuries. Generally speaking, RICE may be best reserved for acute muscle injuries (within the first few hours), and Active Rehabilitation may be best for acute ligament and cartilage injuries and aid long-term recovery.
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GAVIN DICKSON
BILLY HAUSCH GRASS VALLEY, CA 831-333-6412 Billy@grassrootsturfsupply.com SERVING: SACRAMENTO, RENO, LAKE TAHOE, CARSON CITY, MONO COUNTY AND GOLD COUNTRY
MARINA, CA 831-333-6839 Gavin@grassrootsturfsupply.com SERVING: SAN FRANCISCO, STOCKTON, CENTRAL VALLEY, BAKERSFIELD, SANTA BARBARA AND SLO
THOR LARSON SALINAS, CA 831-277-4356 Thor@grassrootsturfsupply.com SERVING: MONTEREY PENINSULA, SANTA CRUZ, SAN JOSE AND SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO
PETER J GALEA CGCS FAIRFIELD, CA 831-234-3218 Peterjg@pacbell.net SERVING: EAST BAY, WINE COUNTRY, NORTH COAST AND NORTHERN SIERRA
2045 Franciscan Way, Salinas CA 93908 Grassrootsturfsupply.com