Ja nu a r y / Feb r u a r y 2 0 10
FORE YOUR INFORMATION SUPE OF THE DAY
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
KYLE JONES, YOCHA DEHE GOLF CLUB
President’s Message
2
Meeting Schedule
3
The Sandpaper Washcloth
4
Sustainability & Efficiency
7
Robert D “Bo” Links
9
Turf Tips
10
Wilber’s News
12
Membership Benefits
13
Frank Putnam Honored
14
Dates to Remember March 1, 2010 Annual Grass Roots Haggin Oaks Golf Complex Bring your crew, honor our award recipients, and get back to the roots of our association
Sierra Nevada GCSA An Affiliate Chapter of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America
BY SEAN O’BRIEN Well it is time to get to know another one of our brethren a little better than we may have before. I know it is all new to me having never heard of Yocha Dehe Golf Club. Kyle Jones comes to us from the great state of Illinois where growing up on a farm he learned to appreciate working the land and to say “Go Illini” (is that a word?) whenever you get the chance. As he got a little older and had to think of how he may support himself, it became apparent that farming was a break even proposition at best. It was then he took a second job at a local golf
course. A couple of summers tending to the daily course chores we are all familiar with he decided that he found the work interesting enough to look a little deeper and a superintendent was born. Well not quite, there was still a little work to do. First on the to-do list was a Bachelor‟s Degree in Agricultural Science from Western Illinois University. Once that was secured it was off to Arizona and the Quintero Golf and Country Club where he picked up the tricks of the trade as the Asst. Supt. for two years. It was then that the opportunities began to show
themselves and Kyle jumped at the chance to serve as the Director of Agronomy at a pair of courses. He spent the next three and a half years at the helm of Eagle Glen Golf Course and The Retreat Golf and Country Club. “The smell of fresh cut grass has to be, hands down, the best.” Spoken like a true turfgrass professional as he describes what he likes best about his job. That and watching a new course as it matures over time and then looking back at how it all came about, once (Continued on page 6)
AFFILIATE SPOTLIGHT
ARROW GOLF CONSTRUCTION INC. BY JIM ALWINE
As we approach the 7th Annual Grassroots Tournament, we can take this opportunity to acknowledge a real grassroots company: Arrow Golf Construction Inc and the father-son tandem of Jim and John Duhig.
The Duhig family has California roots that date back to 1853 when they first came to Napa Valley and the tree continues to grow, now in the sixth generation (in the valley) with John‟s children Hana and Isaac. John‟s wife Harvest is a
winemaker for Caymus in Napa which explains why these two know their wine so well, frequently donating bottles at monthly meetings. Jim and his wife Ida are the proud parents of seven children. Strong family tra(Continued on page 8)