FORE YOUR INFORMATION March/April 2021
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P R E S I D E N T ’ S M E S S AG E Every year it seems that summer returns sooner. Despite what the natural causes or weather patterns may be it brings back the golf season. Golf continues to remain strong and as much as I hate referring to things as “Covid” but at times it really has been a blessing for the golf industry. I often say it has been the best thing since Tiger Woods. I recently attended Jim Ferrin’s retirement party. It’s Scott McCullough always good to see a fellow Superintendent have a successful career. Jim has been a important part of our association as well as the state board over the years. I’m very thankful for Jim’s service to the golf industry. Jim will remain around the course part time as a consultant as they transition into Steve Kimbrough leading course management. I look forward to seeing him at future events. The Association has many events lined up for this year. There are a couple of very affordable events such as the Grass Roots this month and the Vendor Demo Day in May. Following those two events Larry Johnson CGCS will be hosting the Scholarship & Research Tournament at North Ridge Country Club which is our only fundraising event of the year and we need the support of all our members to make this successful. Be on the look out for requests for
BY
SCOTT MCCULLOUGH
donations to help make this the success we need it to be. Also plan on putting a team together to attend the event. We always have a good time and this year will be no exception. It was great seeing so many of you at the Grass Roots event . We hope you can make the Vendor Demo Day at Woodbridge Golf & C.C. on May 17th. We already have numerous vendors signed up to be there and hope that you will bring you crews for a hands on opportunity to try out the equipment and products being demonstrated that day. This is the first of this type of event for us and we really appreciate Kurtis Wolford stepping up to host the event for us.
I look forward to seeing everyone at the upcoming events and wish you all the best.
Visit us online at SierraNevadaGCSA.com Follow us on Facebook and Twitter (@SNGCSA)
2021 SNGCSA BOARD OF DIRECTORS PRESIDENT Scott McCullough The Ridge Golf Course VICE PRESIDENT John Farley Teal Bend Golf Course
Dave Bermudez Del Rio G. & C.C.
SECRETARY/TREASURER Tracy Shanahan Peach Tree Country Club
PAST PRESIDENT Bill Hamilton, CGCS Lake Wildwood Association
DIRECTORS Jeremy Payne Muhammad Ali Keith Hill, CGCS Michael Cunniff Cameron Park C.C. Bing Maloney G.C. Hidden Valley C.C. Clear Creek GC Affiliate Representatives Ryan Nichols, Nufarm Mark Stutsman Simplot Partners
Sam Samuelson, CGCS Wildhawk G.C.
Association Managers Irene Cline and Kimberly Milne 3273 Richert Ave. Clovis, CA 559-298-6262
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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2021
M E E T I N G DA T E S
May 17, 2021 Vendor Demo Day Woodbridge Golf & C.C. Hosted by Kurtis Wolford
July 26, 2021 Scholarship & Research Tournament North Ridge Country Club Hosted by Larry Johnson, CGCS
August 9, 2021 Tri Chapter Meeting Del Rio Golf & Country Club Hosted by David Bermudez
November 2021 Annual Election Meeting & Tournament Location being confirmed
December 2, 2021 Annual Holiday Event Teal Bend Golf Course Hosted by John Farley
2022 January 4, 2022 Turf Tech Workshop The Ridge G.C. Hosted by Scott McCullough
Feb. 5-10 , 2022 September 20, 2021 President’s Cup Tournament Bailey Creek G.C. Hosted by Craig McDonald
GIS Conference San Diego February 9, 2022 California Room USS Midway
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A N N UA L M E M B E R A W A R D S G R A S S R O O T S T O U R NA M E N T 2021 During our annual Grass Roots event it is always the time we get to honor a few of our outstanding members. It is always a hard decision as we have so many. This year was no exception. We had many nominations for all our categories. Starting from the left is Michael Kavaney, Superintendent Turkey Creek G.C.. Mike was selected as the President’s Grass Roots Award Winner. His outstanding individual career efforts and his contributions to the association and the industry were key factors for this selection. Congratulations to Mike for this selection. Next is Muhammad Ali. Ali was selected as the Turf Grass Manager of the Year in the public facility category. His efforts in maintaining both Bing Maloney G. C. and Bartley Cavanaugh G.C. in a standard that reflects consistent, high quality playing conditions while displaying exceptional agronomic and management skills is the key to his selection for this award. Next category was our Distinguished Member of the Year award. Sam Samuelson, CGCS was the recipient of this award and was well deserving to say the least. Sam has continuously contributed time and
energy to the betterment of the association, its members, and the golf course superintendent’s profession. He has served on the board is some capacity for more than twenty years. He has been acknowledged for his achievements on a local level as well as a national level. We are proud that he is one of our own. Receiving the Turf Grass Manager of the Year in the Private Facility category is Dave Bermudez. Dave has been working on a complete course renovation project that has taken him almost two years. He has consistently demonstrated his exceptional agronomic and management skills. Dave will be hosting the Tri Chapter meeting on August 9th where he will share the experience with all attendees so be sure to put this on your calendar. Our final category is always a special one where we acknowledge one of our outstanding affiliate members. This year Tim Texeira was selected. Tim was an industry partner for over 30 ears and upon retiring in 2020 he was with Sierra Pacific Turf. Thank you Tim for the many years of service to our members.
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M ONOCOT M ADNESS A B I M ONTH L Y T U R F C H ALLE NG E
What are you seeing here? Turfgrass Area: Newly seeded native area Turfgrass Variety: Fine Fescue Time of Year: May See page 9 for answers
FOR OUR
M EMBERS
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F RO M
THE
Southwest Region
FIELD
Applications for the 2021 GCSAA/Golf Digest Environmental Leaders in Golf Award are open through April 30. The awards recognize golf course superintendents and Jeff Jensen golf courses around the world for their commitment to environmental stewardship. The ELGAs help the golf industry advocate for the superintendent profession while communicating the value of professionally managed landscapes. Presented in partnership with Syngenta, the awards are set up to recognize people in four specific areas of conservation: Natural Resource Conservation Award - This award will recognize individuals who employ effective strategies for water conservation, energy conservation, and sound wildlife management. Healthy Land Stewardship Award - This award will recognize individuals who employ effective strategies for efficient use of pesticides and nutrients as well as pollution prevention.
Jeff Jensen,
GCSAA Field Staff,
Communications and Outreach Award - This award will recognize individuals who effectively communicate conservation strategies with facility employees and others as well as share their efforts with golfers and other members of their community. Innovative Conservation Award - This award will recognize individuals who utilize or invent unique and innovative strategies for conservation at their facility. The application process has also been streamlined to make the process quicker. Applications will consist of yes or no questions, short answers and optional media upload. All applicants are encouraged to submit photo’s, videos or digital links that further demonstrate their environmental efforts. California superintendents took home four of the twelve awards in 2020 and we look forward to greater participation from our six state affiliated chapters this year. The online application is available at www.gcsaa.org/elga. Again, the due date for applications is April 30. In other news, there has been a lot of job movement this Spring in the
Southwest Region. As a reminder, GCSAA offers a full range of career services for those in need. Free resume critique, reduced cost resume writing services, reference letters, cover letters, digital profiles, interview training and career consultations are all available through our partner at Career Advantage. Whether you are in the market for a new position, seeking a promotion or just looking to freshen up your resume for future opportunities, Career Advantage offers an array of helpful services. For more information or to have your resume critiqued free of charge, contact Erin Wolfram at Erin@careeradvantageresumes.com. Thank you for your support and if you have any questions, please email me at jjensen@gcsaa.org and make sure to visit my regional webpage at https://www.gcsaa.org/resources/regi onal-resources/southwest for updates from around the region as well as a calendar of events.
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MEETING HIGHLIGHT BING MALONEY GOLF COURSE At left are GM Mike McGraff and Muhammad Ali hosts for our event. At right Ali receives his award as Turf Grass Manager of the year. Above right Tim Texeira receives his award. On the left is Mike Kavaney is receiving his award from Scott McCullough. At right Sam Samuelson, CGCS receives his award.
Above Jeff Jensen updates the group on the pending legislation that we need to address. Above Scott presents Dave Bermudez with his award. At left a picture of the group all keeping a safe distance.
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2 0 2 1 V E N D O R D E M O D AY We are excited to host a Vendor Demo Day on May 17, 2021 at Woodbridge Golf & Country Club. Our host Kurtis Wolford has arranged for us to hold the event and provide the room for all the equipment and tables for our vendors. We want to thank Delta Blue Grass who will be participating with a display and helping with the lunch that will be provided to all attendees. Be sure to get your registrations in.
Here is a list of a few of our participating vendors.
Wilbur Ellis Co.
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Monocot madness Answers Answer: What we are seeing here is yellow nutsedge popping out in a newly seeded fine fescue native area. Although native areas can have multiple plant species, if you are trying to establish a turf type like fine fescue as a base, nut sedges can rob turf of water, nutrients, and sunlight which can dramatically increase the length of time for establishment. As with any chemical weed control program, newly emerging seed can be sensitive and should be allowed to mature before chemical applications. There are a few products labeled for sedge control in cool season turf, such as Nufarm Prosedge ®, Sedge Hammer ®, and Dismiss®CA. However, a newer chemistry found in Celero ® has proven to be very effective and show more systemic activity than other products on the market. Celero ® is safe on both cool and warm season turf, and can be applied at 8-14oz/A with a non-ionic surfactant at 0.25%v/v. In newly seeded areas allow 4 weeks between application and seeding. Consult the label for details. For more Nufarm agronomic solutions please contact Ryan Nichols at ryan.nichols@nufarm.com.
Welcome New Members . Peter Reece Jr. Reese Spray Services, Inc. Affiliate Member Todd Eden HCT, LLC / WaterSOLV Affiliate Member Tom Atterberry III Trinity Alps G.C. Class B If you know of an individual that sells to your golf course or if you know of another course employee that may be interested in joining our chapter let us know. We will be happy to contact them. Just call the association office at 559-298-6262
Top Dressing • Fertilizer • Gypsum
Peter Reece Jr. (209) 602-8475
preecejr@gmail.com
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REMEMBER WHEN
Sierra Nevada Board of Directors 2002. From left Larry Johnson, CGCS, Steve Fackler, CGCS, Manny Pina, Dan Waldor, Dan Giammoa,CGCS, Sam Samuelson, CGCS, Kevin Breen, CGCS, Mike Kavaney Here are some additional photos taken 20 years ago of some of our members and their wife’s .
Mr. & Mrs Mike Kavaney
Mr. & Mrs Jim Duhig
Mr. & Mrs Sam Samuelson
Mr. & Mrs Tim Texeira
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N O R T H R I D G E C O U N T RY C L U B 2021 SCHOLARSHIP & RESEARCH TOURNAMENT We are excited to report that we have been able to schedule the S & R Tournament for 2021 at the beautiful North Ridge Country Club North Ridge Country Club, is one of Sacramento’s Premier Championship Golf Courses. The Club is well maintained by our long time member and past President, Larry Johnson, CGCS. The last time we were at North Ridge C.C. was 2012. We plan to proceed with the event with all the amenities that our attendees have come to expect. We will, of course, adhere to all safety precautions that the County and State mandate for events of this nature. We will be soliciting items for our annual auction and hope to be able to once again hold a live auction as well as a silent auction. We are also happy to report that Joe Ballmer of Syngenta has already stepped up to host the wonderful Tee Prizes
again this year. Be sure to put this event on your calender. A “Save The Date” has gone out. . If you have questions or are interested in a sponsorship opportunity please contact Irene Cline or Kimberly Milne at 559-298-6262.
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