March/April 2017

FORE YOUR INFORMATION March/April 2017

May Meeting & Tournament Timber Creek Golf Course May 15, 2017 Host Superintendent Jim Ferrin, CGCS

Sierra Nevada GCSA An Affiliate Chapter of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America

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P R E S I D E N T ’ S M E S S AG E

Scott Dickson

Procrastination My middle name. I always say I’ll do better. But then I procrastinate….

That’s why this article, which is for the March/April newsletter, is getting written on April 10th.

Even now as I write this, part of me is pulling towards the outside; towards the golf course, or towards the shop, towards the snack bar, anywhere but finishing this article.

Why? It’s something in my DNA? Did my parent’s divorce create this monster pile of papers on my desk that needs to be filed or thrown away? Is the abuse I suffered on the playground in middle school to blame for the mess inside my truck?

Can I blame anyone else but myself?

BY

SCOTT DICKSON

I work great in a crisis. The flooding of the Tuolumne river that closed Dryden Park Golf Course brought out the best in me. Weekly reports, monthly newsletter articles, taking out the trash, not so much.

I should have been a mechanic.

Every mechanic I have ever employed was great at fixing stuff but those pesky services and record keeping details always needed a not so gentle reminder before they were completed.

In February’s article I wrote that I was swamped. Some of that was out of my control, the flood, but some of it had to do with my poor time management skills; like having to rush to get my credit card reconciled; which, unless I change my tact, is trending in the same direction.

Why am I baring this demon to you? The only reason I can think of is that if I write about I’m exposing it and it will help get it in control.

Maybe! Oh no, it’s April 19th!

I’m hoping Irene forgives me for taking so long to get this article to her.

See you at Timber Creek!

Scott

May 15, 2017 Timber Creek Golf Course Host Superintendent Jim Ferrin, CGCS Educational Program Darryl Mitani , Placer County Weights and Measures Update on Current Laws & Regulations And Andrew Lyssand, Placer County Sheriff How to prevent theft from your Maintenance Facilities CEU’s ( 1 hr Laws & Regs ) applied for and PDI Education Point Applied For REGISTER NOW

2017 SNGCSA BOARD OF DIRECTORS PRESIDENT Scott Dickson Brightview 209-369-7037 VICE PRESIDENT William Hamilton CGCS Lake Wildwood Association 530-432-2187 SECRETARY/TREASURER John Jorgensen The Reserve at Spanos Park 925-584-4592 PAST PRESIDENT Kurtis Wolford Cherry Island Golf Course 916-991-7659 DIRECTORS Dave Bermudez Del Rio Golf & Country Club 209-341-2413 Wes Hull Nakoma Golf Resort 775-781-4494 Rob Williams Schaffer’s Mill 209-462-6734 John Farley Teal Bend G.C. 916-646-0910 Affiliate Representatives Matt Graves Belkorp 209-484-5096 Tim McCoy, Turf Star 916-861-7924

M E E T I N G DA T E S

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May 15, 2017

September 2017

Timber Creek G.C. Hosted by Jim Ferrin, CGCS

Presidents' Cup Tournament Coyote Moon Golf Course Date to be confirmed

Hosted by Ram Sena

July 24, 2017 Annual Scholarship & Research Tournament Woodbridge Golf & C.C. Hosted by Jim Husting, CGCS

August 21, 2017 Annual Tri Chapter Event Hosted by the Sierra Nevada GCSA Del Paso Country Club Hosted by Mark McKinney, CGCS

November 6, 2017 Annual Election Meeting The Ridge Golf Course Hosted by Scott McCullough

2018 January 9, 2018 Mechanic/Irrigation Seminar The Ridge Golf Course Hosted by Scott McCullough Interested in holding a meeting at your course.

Please give us a call 559-298-6262

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F ROM T HE F IELD BY

JEFF JENSEN GCSAA FIELD STAFF

As expected, President Donald Trump issued an executive order on Feb. 28 directing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers Jeff Jensen (Corps) to review the Clean Water Rule (WOTUS) and publish for notice and comment a rule that either revises the pending Clean Water Rule or replaces it entirely.

Placed on hold since October of 2016 by the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, the Clean Water Rule expanded the Clean Water Act’s federal jurisdiction to include waters previously under state or

local control, such as isolated ponds, wetlands, ditches and ephemeral drainages (i.e. those with only an intermittent flow).

The EPA, Corps – as well as any other agency’s or executive department involved - must follow the statement of policy laid out to keep navigable waters pollution free while promoting economic growth, avoiding regulatory uncertainty and respecting states’ rights. Further, it narrows the scope of navigable waters in any future rulemaking to those waters Justice Antonin Scalia referenced in his 2006 opinion in the Supreme Court case of Rapanos v.

United States. Scalia had argued that the Clean Water Act should only cover those waters 1) with a permanent flow; or 2) with a surface water connection to waters with a permanent flow.

While the interpretation of the Clean Water rule was murky at best, golf courses could have been required to obtain costly federal permits for any land management activities or land use decisions in, over or near these waters, such as

pesticide and fertilizer applications and stream bank restorations and the moving of dirt.

While the executive order doesn’t set a timeline, it does outline a path forward for the Clean Water Rule’s eventual repeal and replacement. GCSAA will continue to follow the situation and keep members updated on its progress.

Speaking of progress, GCSAA launched its revamped website on March 7. The redesign has been over a year in the making and offers a modern look and user friendly format that can be optimized for smartphones and tablets. The site contains content exclusively for members as well as an improved Resources and Government Affairs page.

If you are having any problems with logging into or navigating the new site, call the member services department at 800-472-7878 and they will be happy to assist you.

Thank you again for your support of GCSAA and I hope that your spring season is off to a great start. Please contact me at jjensen@gcsaa.org with any question and make sure to follow me on Twitter @GCSAA_SW for daily industry updates.

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2 0 1 7 S CHOLARSHIP & RESEARCH TOURNAMENT

BY DAVE BERMUDEZ

The Research and Scholarship Tournament is just a couple of months away. This year’s tournament is July 24th at Woodbridge Golf and Country Club. We thank Jim Husting, CGCS, our host superintendent for offering us his fine facility for this special event.

Syngenta and Joe Ballmer once again have purchased the tee prizes for this tournament. A big thank you goes out to Joe and Syngenta. Many of the golf industry suppliers have already donated items for both the live and silent auction.

For the auctions we have received commitments for fertilizers, fungicides, sand, sod, a GCSAA conference package, sprinklers, course amenities, equipment parts, contractors’ services, POGO, small turf sprayers and wine. There will be

equipment displays by John Deere and Toro who are proudly showing off their latest equipment. Commercial Pump Services will have their display and of course the “beer tap”.

On the course we have closest to the pins on all par 3’s, most accurate drive, and food stations. Dean Kinney and Sierra Pacific Turf Supply will have their Casino Golf Hole. For the raffle many of the Golf Course Superintendents have donated foursome letters for golf at their facility. We also have baseball tickets for the raffle.

To make this tournament successful we need everyone to come out to the event and bring guests. The day will be full of enjoyment.

The money raised from this tournament goes to Scholarships, Turfgrass Research, Personal and Professional Development Program, and our Benevolent Fund. Over the last five years the money raised from this event exceeds $150,000.

We could not have done this without everyone’s participation.

If you are interested in donating to the Research and Scholarship Tournament please contact any SNGCSA Board Member or the association office at 559-298-6262

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2017 M E C H A N I C & I R R I G A T I O N S E M I N A R S BY

The 2017 Mechanic and Irrigation Tech seminars were a success again this year. Each seminar had between 50-60 attendees. All the speakers did an excellent job, Dave Wilber our key note speaker and Ryan Nichols spoke about plant health and everyone really got into the information they talked about.

Each year I work on how to make the seminars better so this year we did a survey to get the input from the attendees. Both groups wanted to learn more about turf diseases and plant agronomics in addition to mechanic or irrigation related topics. The information from these surveys gave me some great ideas for next year.

Next year’s seminar will be Tuesday January 9th and we will be combining both seminars into one day. For the seminar next year we plan to have more vendors involved

SCOTT MCCULLOUGH and to create a mini trade show. My goal for the mini trade show is that attendees will be able to see all kinds of things that pertain to golf and landscaping. The month after this seminar the GCSAA has their annual trade show in San Antonio and not all of the Assistant Superintendents, Mechanics, Irrigation Techs, and even Superintendents will be able to attend, so I hope they will be able to get something from this seminar. I hope to create the best mini trade show that everyone can attend as well as get some great education.

To get a lot of education into one day we will be utilizing more event space and have a second room where attendees can sign up for the presentations they would like to attend. We are planning on including topics such as, irrigation and mechanic related classes, fungicides, calibration,

laws & regulations, and agronomy. We are planning on having 4+ hours of CEU’s available as well.

We are still in the planning stages and have reached out to a few vendors and they seem to share the same excitement as I do about the event. If anyone has input on anything they would like to see or if you are a vendor and want to be part of this event please let me know.

I look forward to this event and the involvement of the chapter members. We have gained national attention for our chapter with the quality of this event and we want to continue to improve and grow.

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E X E C U T I V E D I R E C TO R ’ S R E P O R T BY

IR E N E C L I N E & K I M B E R LY MI L NE

We want to congratulate Steven Fackler, CGCS and Jim Ferrin, CGCS for accomplishing the recertification process through the GCSAA. In addition we learned that Keith Hill, Superintendent at Hidden Valley C.C. in Reno completed the certification process and is now a Certified Superintendent. Great job Keith and we are sorry we didn’t get this in our newsletter sooner. This is what Keith had to say about the program “The certification process was challenging and made me look at all aspects of my maintenance operations. I’m extremely grateful for the mentors I’ve had that started me on this Keith Hill Jr., CGCS road, particularly Steve Cook, CGCS, MG, Paul Mayes, CGCS, and Doug Heinrichs, CGCS. It’s because of their examples and dedication to the golf course maintenance industry that I knew I wanted to achieve my certification.

I’m proud to have received this designation and look forward to oppor-

tunities for advancing our profession.” Well said Keith and congratulations on a great job.

We have had some moves around the area as well. We welcome Greg Wahl back to the association. Greg was with BeckerUnderwood and then BASF when the buyout occurred. He is now the Territory Manager for Harsco Metals and Minerals. Welcome back Greg!

Also on the move is Mark Stutsman. Mark recently joined the Simplot Partner Group as the representative for the Reno/Tahoe area.

He joins Akoni Ganir in the venture covering our territory for Simplot Partners. Congratulations Mark and we look forward to seeing you at our events again.

We just received information from Brookside Golf Course that superintendent Dan Holmes was diagnosed with Stage 4 esophageal cancer and has recently found out that the cancer has spread to his liver.

Dan has been undergoing treatment in Stockton and in Mexico. Dan and his family would greatly appreciate any love, support, prayers and help

during this difficult time. A “Go Fund Me” Account has been set up and Brookside Country Club is acDan Holmes cepting donations on his behalf for his family. If you generously wish to make a donation for Dan you may do so by: Go Fund Me https://www.gofundme.com/prayersand-support-for-dan-holmes

The SNGCSA board will be making a donation on behalf of the association. The association has a Benevolent Fund just for these types of situations and the board is happy to be able to support the family in some way.

We are happy to report any news that involves our members and if you have information that you wish to share we will be happy to include this. Please contact our office at 559-298-6262.

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UCR T U R F G R A S S S A L I N I T Y R E S E A RC H 2017

BY DR. JAMES BAIRD

For the past 5 years UCR has been testing products for salinity alleviation on hybrid bermudagrass turf maintained under simulated fairway conditions. While we have identified products that are effective (i.e., DeSal + Stress Rx + XP Micro) and many more that aren’t, the facts are that bermudagrass turf is very tolerant to salinity, and most golf courses are not applying products for salinity alleviation on large areas like fairways due to budget constraints. On the other hand, managing salinity stress on Poa annua putting greens is a significant issue throughout most of the State.

This year we will begin a new phase of salinity management

research at the UCR turfgrass facility that will focus on Poa annua putting greens. The area pictured below (photo taken 4 March 2017) is in preparation to receive 6-8 inches of “dirtier� (sand/peat/soil) rootzone mix to simulate an older, established putting green with greater likelihood of salinity challenges. Turf will be established using aeration plugs from a golf course in California with predominantly perennial Poa annua putting greens. The 5,400-ft2 green will have the capability of being irrigated with potable or saline water from two storage tanks (pictured below). Dr. Marco Schiavon and Dr. Jim Baird will seek the advice of California superintendents and initiate research projects that may include but are not limited to: 1) irrigation (leaching) management; 2) product testing; and

3) rapid blight disease management.

P.W. Gillibrand Co, Inc. has graciously agreed to donate the rootzone mix for this project. Support from the California Golf Course Superintendents Chapters via the CTLF will help to offset the costs of: transportation of the rootzone mix and aeration plugs; construction and maintenance of the putting green; salts used for saline irrigation water; suction lysimeters placed into experimental plots to capture and analyze leachate; experimental equipment (e.g., portable EC/TDR instruments); student labor for plot maintenance and data collection; and travel to professional meetings (e.g., American Society of Agronomy) and state chapter meetings to present results.

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California GCSA BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES UPDATE

The California GCSA has recently applied for and received a Grant to proceed with the Development of a Best Management Practices Document for the State of California Golf Course Superintendents and their facilities. The (BMPs), for facilities, promote golf course sustainability and with this document, that the California GCSA hopes to have in place within the next two years, will help get you there.

The California GCSA will be utilizing the GCSAA’s BMP Planning Guide and Template that provides for the development of golf course best management practices (BMP) programs at the state level. The document will be written so that individual golf facilities will be able to take the template and develop individual BMP that allow for regional variables due to climate, environment and regulatory policies that vary significantly throughout California.

The Committee established for this project consists of representatives from each of the California Golf Course Superintendents Association’s six (6) chapters and has partnered with several allied golf associations, universities and their representatives to develop the state level BMPs. 15 total committee members. The BMP planning guide will initially contain 12 key categories:

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Planning, Design and Construction Irrigation Surface Water Management Water Quality Management and Monitoring Nutrient Management Cultural Practices Integrated Pest Management Pesticide Management Pollinator Protection Maintenance Operations Landscape Energy

The first job for the committee was to develop a “ Scope of Work” to hire a third party service provider that will provide overall project management (including project timelines and budgets) communication and administrative duties under the guidance of the committee. The “Scope of Work” was written and sent to the committee for final approval and will be sent to the list of providers that the committee identified.

We will keep our membership informed as to the progress we are making on this project going forward.

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS Tom Slevin Diamond Oaks G.C. Assistant Superintendent Greg Wahl Harsco Metals & Minerals Affiliate Member Salvador Urteaga Brightview Assistant Superintendent

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I N D U S T RY S C H O L A R S H I P & L E G A C Y A W A R D O P P O RT U N I T I E S & D E A D L I N E S Sierra Nevada GCSA Scholarship Application—The Sierra Nevada Golf Course Superintendents Association (SNGCSA) raises donations from various sources to fund ongoing scholarship and research program. The S&R program annually funds scholarships to deserving turfgrass and ornamental horticulture students throughout Northern California and the Reno/Carson City, NV areas. Scholarships are awarded annually to assist students whom we feel will stay within the industry and be our leaders of the future. The deadline for applications to be submitted to the SNGCSA office is June 30, 2017. Scholarships will be handed out at the SNGCSA Scholarship & Research Tournament at Woodbridge Golf & C.C. on July 24, 2017. You can call the association office at 559-298-6262 or go on line to SierraNevadaGCSA.com to download the application.

Sierra Nevada GCSA Legacy Awards - One or more of the applicant’s parents must be an SNGCSA member for five or more consecutive years and must be a currently active SNGCSA member in good standing. The competition is open to natural or adoptive offspring of SNGCSA members. Children of deceased members are also eligible if the member was currently active at the time of his or her death. The student must be enrolled full-time at an accredited institution of higher learning, or in the case of high school seniors, must be accepted at such an institution for the next academic year. Graduating high school seniors must attach a letter of acceptance to their application. Past winners are ineligible to apply the following year. They may reapply after a one-year hiatus. Although any number of students from the same family may apply, only one student per family will be eligible to receive an award. For full details of this application you can contact our association office or go to our website at SierraNevadagcsa.com and download the application. The deadline for applications to be submitted to the SNGCSA office is June 30, 2017.

GCSA Central California Turf Student Applications — The Golf Course Superintendents Association of Central California (GCSACC) annually funds scholarships to deserving turfgrass and ornamental horticulture students throughout Central California and the Central Coast areas. Scholarships are awarded annually to assist students that plan to stay within the industry and be our leaders of the future. You can call the association office at 559-298-4853 or go on line to CentralCaliforniaGCSA.com to download the application. The deadline for applications to be submitted to the GCSACC office is June 1, 2017.

GCSAA SCHOLARS COMPETITION These scholarships range from $500 to $6,000. Applicants must be enrolled in a recognized undergraduate program in a major field related to turf management, have completed at least 24 credit hours or the equivalent of one year of full-time study in the appropriate major, and be a member of GCSAA. Selection criteria for this program includes academic excellence, work experience, extracurricular activities and potential to become a leading professional in the golf course management industry. The deadline for the 2017 GCSAA Scholars Competition is June 1. Application form

The SNGCSA is now on Facebook and Twitter.

Check it out!

Check out the website: Sierranevadagcsa.com

FORE YOUR INFORMATION Published by the Sierra Nevada Golf Course Superintendents Association EDITOR Bill Hamilton, CGCS OFFICE SNGCSA 5322 N. Leonard, Clovis, CA 93619 559-298-6262 Fax# 559-298-6957 sngcsaa@aol.com

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A N N UA L A WA R D S With the cancellation of the GrassRoots in March due to weather we have delayed the selection of our Annual Awards winners. We are providing one last opportunity for our members to make their selections. Below is the list of awards that will be handed out this year and we want your input.

The Sierra Nevada GCSA Board of Directors is seeking nominations for the Association’s annual awards. There are many deserving members in our Association so please do your part in nominating someone that fits the criteria stated below:

Distinguished Member of the Year This award is presented annually to a superintendent whom has made contributions for the betterment of the SNGCSA, its members, and the golf course superintendent’s profession. Evaluation criteria for this award should include local or national committee participation, community service that represents the industry in a positive light, or local association participation.

Turfgrass Manager of the Year This award is presented to a superintendent member who maintains his/her facility to a standard that reflects consistent, high quality playing conditions, while displaying exceptional agronomic and management skills. The resourcefulness of this individual is an important consideration in the selection criteria and may include factors such as budget, site restrictions, rounds of golf, staff size, etc.

Affiliate Merit Award This award is presented annually to the affiliate representative who has made contributions resulting in the betterment of the SNGCSA and its members.

We are asking for nominations to be submitted from the general membership by May 10, 2017. Each nominee will be evaluated within the guidelines established by the committee and award winners will be decided by a vote exercised by the Board of Directors.

Last Years Award Winners: Dave Bermudez, Distinguished Member of the Year, Scott McCullough, President’s Grass Roots Award, Joe Ballmer, Affiliate Member of the Year.

Below is Mark McKinney, CGCS Turfgrass Manager of the Year.

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