Tee Off News July/Aug 2012

July/August 2012

TEE-OFF News

Annual Meeting Village Country Club

Host Superintendent Scott Walwyn

Inside this issue:

President’s Message

2

Meeting Schedules

5

Maximizing Irrigation

6

Rounds 4 Research

9

Highlights from Tri Chapter Meeting

10

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 Bob Schneiderhan, Newsletter Chairman Mike Scott, CGCS, Editor

The Annual Meeting of the GCSA of Central California will be held on September 17, 2012 at the Village Country Club in Lompoc and hosted by Superintendent Scott Walwyn.

Village Country Club is located 5 miles north of Lompoc and 7 miles east of Vandenberg Air Force Base. The Club is a full service private facility with a 150 acre 18 hole golf course built in 1962.

Scott Walwyn came to the Village in December 2011. His career in the golf industry began after he re-

tired from the military. He had a degree in Administration and was working as a sales manager for a company when one of the secretaries mentioned that her son worked at Los Altos Hills Country club as the assistant superintendent.

She knew how much Scott loved golf as she had caught him sneaking out of the office early to go play .

Scott had no idea what a superintendent was and began asking questions. He remarked that the job sounded really cool and since she already knew he

didn’t really like his job at the company she suggested he go visit her son. She coordinated the visit and Scott spent several hours with him driving his course, meeting the superintendent and generally being in awe of this new world behind the scenes of the game he loved so much.

Within six months, after a lot of investigation, he convinced his then girlfriend, now wife, that they should move to San Luis Obispo so that he could attend Cal Poly.

(Continued on page 3)

Tri Chapter Meeting by Emmy Moore Minister Nearly 100 golf course superintendents and affiliate members from the Central, Northern California and Sierra Chapters of the GCSAA attended the 2012 Tri-Chapter Meeting at TPC Stonebrae in Hayward, CA, hosted by Director of Golf Course Maintenance Operations

Dave Davies, CGCS. The educational seminar and golf tournament sponsored by John Deere, commenced with Fred Brattain, founder of The Disabled Golfers’ Learning Foundation providing insight on ADA Compliance as it specifically relates to golf facili-

ties. Brattain’s presentation spanned from legal aspects to the economic benefits derived from improved course accessibility.

Part two of the presentation shifted to the driving range at TPC Stonebrae where Brattain was joined by international ambassador for (Continued on page 8)

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President’s Message— A New Direction

by Michael Swing, CGCS As President of Central California GCSA I am pleased to say that our Chapter is heading into a new beginning. Times have changed and how our Chapter serves its members must change in order to have Michael Swing, CGCS value for our membership. In July of this year the board of directors held a strate-

gic planning session to evaluate our position and address multiple issues facing us. As our board members fine tune our new business plan it will be incorporated into our budget. Once this is completed we will announce our program and work diligently towards it. I would like to point out that the board members that participated in this session included myself along with Brian Daum, Josh Heptig, Troy Thompson, Scott Walwyn, Kevin Eppich, and we were assisted by Irene Cline, Steve Randell, GCSAA, and Jeff Jensen, GCSAA.

As Steve and Jeff of GCSAA lead us through the steps, we defined our purpose and future.

I was amazed with the outpouring of great ideas from each board member and their ability to improve on each idea.

This September I’ll move into the position of Past President and I am pleased to report that with the new officers and board of directors, we will do very well. Special thanks to the current board members and Irene for working so hard (Continued on page 4)

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Annual Meeting Continued from page 1 She agreed to this and Scott was on his way. He got accepted into school, Scott Walwyn secured an internship at Morro Bay G.C., transferred into a new unit with the Army National Guard at Camp Roberts, found an apartment, and got engaged. All within a very short, life altering, period.

Now fourteen years later he still loves what he does. While on

Three locations to serve you Lancaster

Bakersfield

Fresno

the Central Coast Scott worked at Morro Bay G.C., Blacklake G.C., He then moved north for a period of time and worked at Geneo Lakes, G.C., The Ridge G.C., Cardevalle C.C. and then he moved back to the coast to Blacklake G.C. and Avila Beach G.C. and now the Village C.C. He still loves getting up early, sunrises, cruising his course with his dog at his side, the animals, getting off early, bringing his girls to the course, and generally getting the satisfaction of setting goals and getting stuff done. The Course is an Audubon Sanctuary Course and because of the location near Vandenberg he has the opportunity to meet so many interesting people, mostly retired

military and those that have been involved in the space industry.

Scott loves the beach, swimming, golf and is an avid photographer. He shares all his interests with his wife and and two daughters.

Scott finds his job to have a lot of similarities to his military career being, “accomplishing the mission at hand”. After trying a variety of things, and being a firm believer in the adage, like what you do because you have to do it everyday, Scott feels his mission is accomplished.

Don’t miss the opportunity to play this beautiful course and remember to VOTE.

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President’s Message Continued from page 2 in making our Chapter a value in these difficult economic times. I would like to point out that serving on the Board of Directors is something everyone should experience. Each board member works very hard to make our Chapter better and this experience will serve you well in the future. Try it, you’ll like it!

Thanks Everyone!

TURF PRO 2012 Dairy Creek Golf Course 2990 Dairy Creek Road San Luis Obispo, CA 93405 September 12, 2012 November 14, 2012

Michael Swing, CGCS Copper River Country Club 11500 N. Friant Road Fresno, CA 93730 September 13, 2012 November 15, 2012

TEE-OFF News Meeting Schedule September 17, 2012

December 8, 2012

Annual Election Meeting Village Country Club Host Superintendent Scott Walwyn

Annual Holiday Event Window On The Water Morro Bay

October 2012 Annual Charities Event Date to be confirmed

January 2013 Winter Educational Meeting Location to be determined

February 2013 November 2012 Date and Location to Be determined

Annual GCSAA Conference & Show San Diego CA

February 6, 2013 California Room - USS Midway

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TEE-OFF News

Maximizing Irrigation Efficiency

By Kevin Eppich, Turf Star

It is August in the Central Valley and irrigation is in full swing with the triple digit temperatures we have been seeing in midto-late July. The guys on the central coast are experiencing the challenges of their own with the lack of rainfall this winter. This time of year the irrigation delivery system is of utmost importance to maintaining healthy turf grass. This is also the time of year irrigation issues are most evident. A customer of mine asked me to share some observations and adjustments we’ve made to his golf course that have made life easier for him in the peak of the summer heat.

I have been working with Mike Swing, CGCS at Visalia CC this spring in an effort to increase the irrigation efficiency of his system. Visalia CC did an irrigation renovation in 1988-89, it went in with Toro 655 and 670 series 1.5’’ inlet sprinklers on 75 to 80 foot spacing, Network 8000 satellites and all new pipe, wire and fittings.

We began to look into the hydraulic tree he inherited from the previous superintendent and noticed a lack of definition in the hydraulic tree. It was only defined down to the 4’’ sub main line, not down to the 2,5’’ lateral lines. Mike, Mauro Flores the Assistant Superintendent and I spent about 12 hours inputting every 2.5’’ lateral as indicated on his original irrigation As-Built plan.

We also identified each station by flow zone to identify the many instances where they have three sprinklers per station on three separate laterals. The acute definition of the hydraulic tree insures only one station on all three laterals will come on at any one time while at the same time limiting one head per lateral at a time to come on. This

maximizes the sprinkler head pressure which in turn raises sprinkler Distribution Uniformity and reduces sprinkler runtime because of the improved DU. Other improvements Visalia CC has been making over the last five years is to replace the twenty-three year old sprinklers with the newer 855s and DT54 series conversion assemblies and sprinklers as the older sprinklers have worn out.

Mike has since reported to me significant improvements in many areas of irrigation. The most significant is a three to four hour reduction in the water window and much less daytime hand watering.

This has resulted in significant power and labor savings. The playing conditions have improved for his membership because the irrigation has had time to infiltrate into the soil profile and isn’t running late into the morning as in years past. Traditionally they have run the system from 80%100% of EvapoTranspiration and now they don’t exceed 75% of ET or the golf course is too wet.

They have also experienced less disease pressure which leads to reduced seed, chemical and fertilizer inputs. This change has positively impacted his bottom line by reducing power, labor and material inputs. Mike has much greater control of his golf course be-

cause he is better able to manage his irrigation system.

All golf course irrigation systems have their own unique challenges based on personnel, installation, topography, power, pumping capacity, pipe size, control systems and sprinklers. No matter the brand there are some basic principles to keep in mind when evaluating an irrigation issue.

It is essential to audit your system every couple of years by checking every station on every controller and verifying the number of sprinklers per station, the sprinkler’s nozzle configuration, arc, pressure then reconciling it with data in the computer. This will insure the electrical and hyContinued on page 7

(Continued on page 7)

TEE-OFF News Maximizing Irrigation Efficiency draulic flow management of the system is maximized within the limits you program into the software.

Speed of rotation of each sprinkler is a big part of the equation to achieving higher DUs. Measure the speed of rotation and be sure the sprinklers are rotating within the manufacturer’s spec, if not, change the stators to achieve the desired rotation speed.

Acquire a 100 ft. tape measure and verify that the spacing in the field is what you think it is. Make nozzle adjustments where needed and make a priority list of the sprinklers that need to be moved and create a long term plan to move sprinklers into the proper spacing.

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Continued from page 6

The use of a digital pressure recorder can be a very revealing tool. Install the pressure recorder on a quick coupler and it will record the pressure in a specific area throughout the evening’s irrigation cycle. Simply bring the pressure recorder back into the office and download the information into the software.

This will help identify pressure dips and spikes that you can then address by rescheduling what can run simultaneously in any one area. Golf courses without a central computer have the least flow management and actually have the most to gain through the use this tool to help identify pressure issues.

Last but not least if you have questions about your system consult with your irrigation representative or an irrigation consultant to inspect the system’s efficiency so you can maximize your irrigation system’s efficiency.

Chances are one of your peers or local professionals in the area have seen the same issue and would be glad to lend a hand and solve what can be a puzzle at times. If you have questions about the efficiency of your irrigation system ask your local irrigation representative or irrigation consultant to assist you and help yourself beat the summer heat.

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Tri Chapter Event Continued From Page 1

adaptive sports, Anthony Netto, founder of the Stand Up and Play Foundation. Netto, who enjoys the game of golf, understands the importance of accessibility, as a veteran who is also a wheelchair user himself.

Surrounded by scores of GCSAA members, Netto demonstrated the use of the ParaMobile; a solo vehicle specially designed for individuals with disabilities, allowing them the ability to stand up and comfortably participate in the game of golf. Seminar attendees were pleased to learn the ParaMobile can travel throughout the course in a safe, efficient manner for golfers and without damage to the turf or

green complex.

Throughout the presentation Brattain and Netto fielded questions from GCSAA chapter members and provided solutions on how golf facilities can enhance the recreational experience for golfers with disabilities. Brattain felt the time spent with GCSAA members was highly beneficial. “What was gratifying was the ability to allay some of the more prevalent fears that are associated with disability and wheelchair access,” said Brattain. “Educating others on how to work with individuals with disabilities in tandem with ADA Compliance is highly rewarding for me,

For over 80 years the specialty seed source for: -Native Grasses and Wildflowers -Kikuyu, Paspalum, Hybrid Bermuda -Bentgrasses, Fine Fescues, Ryegrasses Golf Course Representatives:

and for my colleague Anthony, too.

We are committed to improving accessibility for golfers and pleased that GCSAA chapters are open to learning more about our initiatives.”

To learn more about The Disabled Golfer’s Learning Foundation please visit www.DisabilityGolfer.org.

For more information about the Stand Up and Play Foundation visit: www.standupandplay.org.

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Rounds 4 Research We are pleased to announce that the Central California Chapter is joining with the California Chapter and will be participating in the Rounds 4 Research program.

Earlier this summer the Environmental Institute for Golf (GCSAA’s philanthropic organization) announced that it would be conducting Rounds 4 Research after the Carolinas GCSA administered it on a smaller scale for three years.

Working with a handful of chapters, the Carolinas GCSA generated nearly $350,000 in three years to support local research and advocacy efforts. Noting that the program had grown beyond its administrative capacity, the Carolinas approached GCSAA with the challenge to take it national and share this wonderful opportunity with others.

Rounds 4 Research is based on the practice of securing donated rounds of golf and putting them up for public auction. The EIFG will work with the Bidding for Good website to auction the rounds and administer the various notification and revenue collection activities. At least 80 percent of the proceeds will be distributed to participating chapters or turfgrass organizations for use on research-based programs such as education, scholarships, advocacy and agronomic research. With more than 650,000 registrants, the site supports non-profit organizations with the most highly sought item, golf rounds.

It will take a committed effort from all of us to make this program a success. You will be asked to solicit rounds of golf from your facilities (and perhaps others) to be

placed for auction. We expect the auction to begin in late September.

The more rounds we secure the greater the revenue we can generate in support of our members and chapters.

We have sent an Eblast providing more information about the program and support documentation that can be shared with others at your facility in soliciting rounds.

From that perspective, it is important to remember that this program is for the benefit of all aspects of golf.

This is not a program that will only benefit golf course superintendents.

Again, we are excited about the opportunity presented to us and the potential to invest in activities that will strengthen the profession and the game. Please contact me should you have questions.

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TEE-OFF News Tri-Chapter Tournament Highlights

Demonstrations by Anthony Netto of Stand up and Play.

Jim Cully prepare to take a shot

Above are the three association presidents, from left Rodney Muller, Northern California GCSA, Jeff Couwenhoven, Sierra Nevada GCSA, and Mike Swing, Central California GCSA. At left the host superintendent Dave Davies talks to Rafael Barajas and others about the course.

At left Jon & Kirk Christensen

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Thank You to our Sponsors

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5322. N. Leonard Ave. Clovis, CA 93619

2011/2012 GCSACC BOARD OF DIRECTORS PRESIDENT MICHAEL SWING, CGCS VISALIA COUNTRY CLUB SECRETARY/TREASURER JOSH HEPTIG SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY

VICE PRESIDENT BRIAN DAUM VALLEY CREST/PALO ALTO G.C.

BOARD MEMBERS

TROY THOMPSON RIVERSIDE G. C.

TRINI HERNANDEZ

KEVIN EPPICH TURF STAR

BOB SCHNEIDERHAN CAL POLY SLO

SCOTT WALWYN THE VILLAGE C.C.

ANDY FERNANDEZ AB TURF/HUSTLER TURF EQUIP.

EXECUTIVE SECRETARY IRENE CLINE PHONE (559) 298-4853 FAX (559) 298-6957 EMAIL gcsacc@aol.com