Mar/Apr 2019 Issue

Business Name March/April 2019

Al Glaze Memorial Scholarship & Research Tournament June 17, 2019 Bakersfield Country Club

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President’s Message Andy Cordova Spring is here, the rain has stopped, the sun is out, We have finally seen business pick up. As much as we needed the good soaking of rain this winter, it made Andy Cordova things tough on the business end of the golf course. I know that we, as a public course, go through a seasonal decline in business each winter, but this year was exceptionally rough. Now that the weather has warmed up, play has increased and we are getting back on track.

I hope you all had a chance to watch the Masters, it is my favorite PGA tournament and this year did not disappoint. I admit that I doubted Tiger would ever comeback enough to win another major, but he proved me and many others wrong. It was good to see him pull it off and see all of the excitement surrounding him. The last 9 holes were unbelievable and fun to

watch. My wife even willingly and we hope to see everyone there. watched the last half hour of the broad- Look for information on this coming cast. Let's hope this has a trickledown out soon. effect that will boost interest in golf again. We need it!

Our association's Equipment Demonstration Day at Tulare Golf Course in April was an excellent one.

Host Superintendent/General Manager Bret Miller had the golf course in exceptional shape and also had the opportunity to show off the newly remodeled clubhouse. It was beautiful.

Gary Hoover Thank you Bret for graciously hosting this event. Also, a big thank you to Solitude our vendors who made the trip out to Lake Management show us their equipment and/or prodAffiliate ucts. Representatives from Turfstar, Smithco, Belkorp, All Pro Turf, Brad Rook, CGCS Wilbur-Ellis, STS, Maganation Water, Eagle Springs C.C. West Coast Turf, and TurfCo were all there to display their equipment. We Class A appreciate them and their continued support of our chapter.

Mike Scheel Our next event is the Al Glaze Harco Fittings Scholarship and Research Tournament Affiliate on June 17th at Bakersfield Country Club with Superintendent Javier Sanchez. The club is excited to host us

New Members

2019 GCSACC BOARD OF DIRECTORS PRESIDENT ANDY CORDOVA CYPRESS RIDGE GOLD COURSE

VICE PRESIDENT GLENN MATTHEWS, CGCS VISALIA COUNTRY CLUB ALBERT NUNES MORRO BAY GOLF COURSE MIKE CLINE WILBUR ELLIS CO.

PAST PRESIDENT STEVEN SHOWERS BROOKSIDE GOLF & C.C.

MARK WEITZ ALISAL GUEST RANCH

SECRETARY/TREASURER PAUL BARR SAN LUIS OBISPO C.C.

ROB LOMELI RIDGECREEK G.C.

JOSE ALVAREZ FORT WASHINGTON CC

MATT GRAVES BELKORP

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, 3273 Richert, Clovis, CA 93619 Phone (559) 298-6262 Fax (559) 298-6957 Email gcsacc@aol.com Newsletter Chairman & Newsletter Editor Michael Scott, CGCS Executive Directors Irene Cline & Kimberly Milne

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Save The Dates June 17, 2019

December 7, 2019

Al Glaze Memorial Scholarship & Research Tournament Bakersfield Country Club

Annual Holiday Event Windows on the Water

August 5, 2019 Tri Chapter Meeting Hosted by the Central California Chapter Brookside Country Club Steve Showers Host Superintendent

2020 January 2020 Annual Election Meeting Location to be confirmed

June 2010 October 21, 2019 Annual Lowell Stone Charity Event Belmont Country Club Hosted by Derek Stone

Al Glaze Memorial Scholarship & Research Tournament Eagle Spring Golf & C.C. Hosted by Brad Root

Turf Pro 2019 San Luis Obispo Seminars Morro Bay Golf Course 201 State Park Rd. Morro Bay, CA 93442 · June 12, 2019 September 11, 2019 · November 13, 2019 Seminar Schedule 7:00–7:30 am Registration 7:30–12:30 pm Lecture 12:30–1:30 pm Luncheon Served 1:30 pm Adjourn

Fresno Seminars Copper River Country Club 2140 E. Clubhouse Dr. Fresno, CA 93730 · June 13, 2019 · September 12, 2019 · November 14, 2019 Seminar Schedule 7:00–7:30 am Registration 7:30–12:30 pm Lecture 1 2:30–1:30 pm Luncheon Served 1:30 pm Adjourn

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Bill Griffith, CGCS MS Charity Race was the society’s closest charity ride to Fresno. ―Alicia was just my best friend, the love of my life, my wife, my partner, and everything,‖ Bill says. ―To lose her was devastating, but I have people that are still at my side today that help the best they can.‖ Bill with the single rider tandem bike Alicia was a nurse practitioner Photo by Eric Zamora esamora@fresnobee.com at Valley Children’s Hospital and knew what was to come when she was In honor of his wife, Alicia, diagnosed over 15 years ago with MS. Bill Griffith, CGCS once again cycled This disease damages nerves, affecting 100 miles through Los Angeles in how information is transmitted with honor of her courage, beauty and the brain and from the brain to the strength as she battled MS. The tanbody, resulting in issues with mobility dem bicycle was ridden by a single and body functions. Bill was always in rider, Bill, the empty seat was Alicia’s. awe of what Alicia was able to do in The event was the ―Bike MS: spite of the disease and the pain she Los Angeles‖ and with his cycling was experiencing. team ―Friends of Alicia‖ Bill rode to Alicia was an avid cyclist until raise money and awareness of the Na- the MS progressed to where she was tional Multiple Sclerosis Society. It unable to continue the long difficult

By Irene Cline

rides. The couple started tandem cycling with Bill in the front seat. Bill says she taught him to think of others more and help people. Bill hopes to do just that with his MS charity rides.

March was Multiple Sclerosis Awareness Month. Donations to ―Friends of Alicia‖, raised over $8000 this year.

To donate you can go to nationalmssociety.org.

Bill wants Alicia’s story to inspire people to take care of themselves, pursue their interest and new things, and to ―keep going.‖

Golf Course Materials Topdressing Sand - Bunker Sand Decomposed Granite - Drain Rock 1/8” Minus Turf & Tee Bulk Humus Brush Removal Call for competitive rates

David Knott, Inc. (559) 449-8935 or (559) 760-5387

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From the Field Jeff Jensen, GCSAA Field Staff, Southwest Region I hope this finds your spring golf season off to a busy start after a long and wet winter. While it continues to provide challenges Jeff Jensen to courses throughout Central and Northern California, the rain and snowpack was much needed.

On the advocacy front, the arrival of spring signals the approach of National Golf Day. This year’s event is scheduled for April 29May 1 in Washington, D.C. We Are Golf, a coalition of the game’s leading associations and industry partners including GCSAA, hosts the annual event.

National Golf Day celebrates the game’s $84 billion economy, nearly $4 billion annual charitable impact

and many environmental and fitness benefits. Industry leaders meet with Members of Congress, the Executive Branch and federal agencies to discuss golf’s 15,000-plus diverse businesses, 2 million jobs impacted, tax revenue creation and tourism value.

In addition to the lobbying day on May 1, National Golf Day features a community service project on April 30 that will focus on turf and irrigation restoration projects between the Lincoln Memorial and Washington Monument.

Key issues for this year’s National Golf Day include Waters of the United States (WOTUS), H-2B Visa legislation, the ongoing legal battle over glyphosate and promotion of the country’s municipal golf sector.

At the time of this column, GCSAA already has over 100 members who will be representing the industry on

Capitol Hill. For more information and a complete schedule of events, visit the website at https:// www.gcsaa.org/advocacy/getinvolved/national-golf-day/.

Over the past year, one of my areas of focus has been moving superintendents from Class B to Class A. Class A status is obtained through a combination of formal education, experience as a golf course superintendent, continuing education and providing proof of a valid pesticide license. The sliding scale for Class A eligibility can be viewed at https://www.gcsaa.org/docs/default -source/membershipdocuments/class-a-sliding-scalefor-eligibilityorg.pdf?sfvrsn=5bb5173e_0.

Once you obtain Class A status you are required to maintain it by earning 5 points (minimum 3 education) over a five-year cycle. In addition to enhancing your resume, all Class A members receive admittance to The Masters each year. If you have interest in obtaining your Class A, please contact me and I will go through your transcripts to determine what you are missing.

Thank you for your support of GCSAA and if you have any questions or I can assist you, please email me at jjensen@gcsaa.org and follow me on Twitter @GCSAA_SW for daily industry updates.

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Newsletter Title

The Future Is Here: A Technological BreakThrough in Sustainable Lake & Pond Management Written by Industry Expert Bo Burns, Biologist & Market Development Manager at SOLitude Lake Management Algae: it comes in many forms and colors. It’s slimy, stinky and can ruin the beauty and function of your golf course lakes and irrigation systems. It’s also one of the oldest known organisms on this planet, which might explain its knack for survival, even under the toughest conditions. Over time, golf courses and property management companies have learned to pick sides when it comes to the safe eradication of stubborn and harmful algal blooms— some in favor of natural management techniques; others in support of applying EPA-registered algaecides to ensure the job gets done. But this year, a new game changing technology will make the management of

stubborn algae blooms a no-brainer with more long-lasting results that are beneficial for the environment.

Nanobubble aeration is a premium innovative technology designed to exceed the capabilities of traditional lake and pond aeration systems by providing up to 79,000x more oxygen! Put simply, nanobubbles are like traditional aeration systems on steroids. Produced by compact on-shore generators, these ultra-fine bubbles are completely invisible to the eye and about 1 million times smaller than ordinary bubbles. As a result of their tiny size, nanobubbles have no natural buoyancy and do not rise to the surface of the water and burst like you might expect. Amazingly, they

remain within the water column for up to 2-3 months, providing unparalleled oxygenation to struggling lakes and ponds at your property.

The benefits of a continuously oxygenated lake or pond are enormous. First, oxygen is a key player in the Lake before Nanobubble battle against undesirable nutrients by facilitating the conversion of phosphorus to forms that do not sustain algae development. Excess nutrients can easily enter golf

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Sustainable Lake & Pond Management

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course lakes and ponds in the form of grass clippings, lawn fertilizers, trash, and droppings from geese and other wildlife. The presence of oxygen also helps to balance pH and other related water quality parameters that encourage the growth of fish, native organisms and beneficial phytoplankton – rather than detrimental bacteria like E. Coli, and cyanobacteria species that can be toxic to humans and wildlife and are believed to contribute to degenerative diseases like ALS, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

Another amazing benefit of nanobubbles? In addition to engulfing an entire aquatic ecosystem in concentrated oxygen, nanobubbles are negatively charged and, therefore, attracted to positively charged organic matter in the water column. When they connect with positively charged metals and pollutants, including dangerous cyanobacteria toxins, nanobubbles cause them to Lake after Nanobubble aeration implode(!), holistically cleansing the waterbody from the inside out.

This innovative water quality solution did not just appear overnight. Nanobubbles have been used in the medical field, the oil and gas business, food preparation areas, and even the beauty industry for purification purposes. However, SOLitude Lake Management is the first environmental firm to advance this technology for large-scale freshwater management applications through continuous research and development with select manufacturers and regulatory agencies.

Through many promising tests and trials, we’ve learned some exciting things: Golf course superintendents and property managers who utilize nanobubbles can expect to significantly reduce and even eliminate reliance on traditional algaecides. Nanobubbles have no negative impacts on turfgrass or ornamental vegetation when monitoring and managing dissolved oxygen levels. Nanobubbles help strengthen the health and longevity of the entire food chain, providing unparalleled aesthetic and ecological balance.

Nanobubble aeration isn’t just a quick fix or band-aid; it’s a custom, data-driven solution rooted in years of scientific study and first-hand monitoring experience. The technology doesn’t necessarily replace regular proactive management strategies, but it is truly one of the missing pieces to the puzzle of sustainable freshwater management. Used in conjunction with traditional tools like floating fountains, buffer management, mechanical hydro-raking and regular lake and pond inspections, nanobubbles can help keep your water resources healthier and prettier for much longer periods of time, while eliminating nuisance algae and dangerous cyanotoxins before they begin causing problems.

Nanobubble aeration is poised to transform the entire way we approach the management of lakes and ponds and will be an invaluable tool as urban development and undesirable nutrient loading continue to increase. We’re excited to shepherd this new technology in to the freshwater management realm and look forward to further enhancing water quality on your property and throughout the world.

Bo Burns is a Market Development Manager at SOLitude Lake Management, an industryleading environmental firm. He specializes in the research and development of new technologies using more than 30 years of industry experience along with a Master of Environmental Management degree in Resource and Wetland Ecology from Duke University. This article is the first in a series featuring new break-through technologies that will revolutionize the management of lakes, stormwater ponds, wetlands and fisheries in 2019. Learn more at

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A Visit Around our Chapter by Irene Cline In April I had an opportunity to visit the western portion of our association. Mainly Paso Robles, Santa Maria, and San Luis Obispo. While in Paso we stopped at the The Links in Paso Robles. We had the opportunity to talk to the superintendent, Tommy Erskine. I was asking about the new facility, pictured above, and found out that it was actually built 11 years ago and has been tied up at the county because it had not been permitted properly. Tommy told me that they just got the OK from the county to proceed with the opening of the new club house and maintenance shop. The ErDoug & Tanner skine’s bought the property 4 years ago and have been working on the permit issues since. Their plans are to complete the event park and other improvements which will come to fruition hopefully this year.

Jeff Shelby

We visited with Jason Pautsch at Hunter Ranch, he was busy spraying for all the spring weeds. At Paso Robles Golf Club we visited with Doug Westbrook and his assistant.

Tanner Westbrook . Tanner is looking at a position in Texas and may be headed south very soon. Good luck to you Tanner!

While in Santa Maria we met with Mike Scott and found out he was

Tommy Erskine

now handling Avila Beach as well as Blacklake. So much for retirement! Over at Monarch Dunes I ran into Jeff Shelby, of NorCal Turf Tech and Reels doing a job for Herminio. Jeff is actually a member of Sierra Nevada GCSA which I also manage.

Watch out I may be stopping by your course for a visit soon.

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Tulare G.C. Turf Equipment Demo Day Highlights THANK YOU to BelKorp, SmithCo, TurfCo, Turf Star, and All Pro Turf for providing equipment, displays, and demonstrations for the attendees. Also THANK YOU Wilbur Ellis, West Coast Turf, STS and Magnation Rainlike Water for their table top displays.

A apecial THANK YOU to SmithCo for providing the attendees with lunch Scott Furtak with STS and Mike Cohn with Magnation Water

Lonnie Stevens with Wilbur Ellis demos his equipment

At left Will Barragan with West Coast Turf mans his booth, Botton right, Assoc. Mgr Irene Cline gets to demo a John Deere Mower. You know who to call when you need an extra hand.

Above are Greg Broad, Turfco, Matt Graves, BelKorp and Steve Johnson, Smithco.