FORE YOUR INFORMATION N ove m b e r / D e c e m b e r 2 0 2 1
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Fore Your Information
P R E S I D E N T ’ S M E S S AG E A Call to Arms! Instead of waxing poetically about what an honor it is to have been elected President of the Chapter, I’m going to use this opportunity to sound the alarm bells. While it is an honor, I feel an urgent need to call to arms our members regarding a terrible threat to our industry and ultimately our careers. The threat I speak of is the drought we currently find ourselves in and the effect it will ultimately have on our industry. California is faced with an historic drought the likes of which we have never seen. With the extreme conditions will come extreme measures to mitigate the lack of water. While golf courses in California use less than one percent of the state’s potable water and 40 percent of the courses use reclaimed water, our industry will still have a big red target on our back. We need to band together to stave off the actions by uneducated public officials and water boards to close courses and threaten our industry. It’s been decades since our state has constructed a new reservoir which means that supply has stayed the same while the population and demand for that water grows every year. Our industry is facing increased scrutiny and could easily become a scape goat for a state that has not planned well for the future and its water needs. So, what do we do? Well according to long time local superintendent and President of the California Alliance of Golf Jim Ferrin, CGCS, we need to “band together”. We
BY
JOHN FARLEY need to re-establish the drought task force for the SNGCSA and make it permanent. We need to inform and enlist the help of the golfers who play our courses. In short, we need to “band together” and make our voices heard. Many voices equal many voters and voters in large numbers get listened to. So, for my part, I will be reaching out to several fellow superintendents and board members to join me on the California Drought Task Force. I will also be informing the golfers here at Teal Bend about any upcoming legislation that might negatively effect golf and our industry. So please join me in rising up against this looming threat to our beloved industry and way of life by staying proactive and informed. We need to counteract ignorance with facts and solid information backed up by accurate data and studies. But above all, we need to be heard and the way to do that is to use our collective voice which is the entire golf industry. So please join me in my call to arms to fight this issue we all face. Thank you, and from me and the entire board of the SNGCSA I wish you all a joyous and safe holiday season.
John Farley
Visit us online at SierraNevadaGCSA.com or Follow us on Facebook and Twitter
2022 SNGCSA BOARD OF DIRECTORS PRESIDENT John Farley Teal Bend Golf Course VICE PRESIDENT Tracy Shanahan Peach Tree Country Club
Dave Bermudez Del Rio G. & C.C.
SECRETARY/TREASURER Jeremy Payne Cameron Park C.C
PAST PRESIDENT Scott McCullough The Ridge Golf Course
DIRECTOR Sam Samuelson, CGCS Muhammad Ali Doug Heinrichs, CGCS Juan Gonzales Scott Hall Wildhawk G.C. Bing Maloney G.C. Montreux G. C. Empire Ranch G.C. Lincoln Hills G.C. Affiliate Representatives Ryan Nichols, Nufarm Tim McCoy, Turf Star Association Manager 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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2022
M E E T I N G DATE S
January 4, 2022 Turf Tech Workshop The Ridge G.C. Hosted by Scott McCullough
Feb. 5-10 , 2022 GIS Conference San Diego February 9, 2022 California Room USS Midway
April 14, 2022 William Land Park GrassRoots Tournament Hosted by Muhammad Ali
May 4, 2022 Wildhorse Golf Course Education Mtg & Tournament Hosted by Lonnie Dunn
July 18, 2022 Scholarship & Research Tournament Cameron Park C.C. Hosted by Jeremy Payne
August 2, 2022 Tri Chapter Meeting Hosted by Nor Cal Chapter Location To Be Confirmed
September 2022 President’s Cup Tournament Location and date to be confirmed
November 2022 Annual Association Meeting & Tournament Location and date to be confirmed
December 1, 2022 Annual Holiday Event & Tournament Teal Bend G.C. Hosted by John Farley
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W I N C H E S T E R C O U N T RY C L U B PRESIDENT’S CUP The 2022 President’s Cup had been scheduled for Bailey Creek G.C. but the Dixie Fire forced the course to close for about two weeks. We had to relocate our venue and we were lucky enough to have Pat Finlen, CGCS & Superintendent Jason Conrad help us out by offering Winchester C.C. for our annual event.
It was a beautiful day and the attendees were not disappointed. As always it was a great day to catch up with old friends. Pictured at left, Tim McCoy catches up with a couple of his fellow members. Above, Pete Bowman, Candy Ortega, Jim Duhig, Tim McCoy, and Joe Kurung share in some laughs. Pictured above on the left are the tournament winners, Ram Sena as Superintendent flight winner, and Steve Byrne, Affiliate Flight Winner. Pictured below with Ram Sena is the runner up in the superintendent flight is Billy Witt. Congratulations to all the winners and THANK YOU to all that attended. We are hoping to get Bailey Creek back on the schedule for 2022.
Top Dressing • Fertilizer • Gypsum
Peter Reece Jr. (209) 602-8475
preecejr@gmail.com
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EMPIRE RANCH GOLF COURSE A N N UA L M E E T I N G
John Farley is pictured with Mike Kavaney, Juan Gonzales, Steve Showers, Lonnie Dunn.
The Annual Meeting at Empire Ranch started off with the annual election of our board of directors. Elected to the President’s position is John Farley, Teal Bend G.C. John has been a member of our board since 2017. We are so grateful for his service to the association and with the plans he has for our association. Elected to the VP spot is Tracy Shanahan, Peach Tree C.C. Tracy has been a board member since 2019 and we welcome his dedication and support in his positions as director and Secretary Treasurer for the Above is Steve Byrne with host superintendent Juan Gonzales last couple of years.
We welcome back Jeremy Payne to the position of Secretary Treasurer and appreciate his hard work as our voting delegate to GCSAA. New to the board is Juan Gonzales, Empire Ranch Golf Course, Scott Hall, Lincoln Hills, G.C., and Doug Heinrichs, CGCS, Montreux C.C. We also have our remaining board members Dave Bermudez, Del Rio C.C., Sam Samuelson,CGCS, Wildhawk G.C., and Muhammad Ali, Bing Maloney G.C. Scott McCullough will finally get to step back a little after serving 3 years as our President. We are grateful for his service to Scott McCullough with the membership over this time as he helped Chad Morris our association navigate through the difficulties of the pandemic which hit our organization very hard. Scott will continue to host the Turf Tech workshop every January, which by the way, is scheduled for January 4, 2022. You should have received notice of this but if not please reach our to Kim at the association office. Thank you to all that participated in the election process. Pictured at left is Jim Ferrin, CGCS with Scott McCullough, at right Mike Kavaney and Brad Bonino
Mike Baty with Pete Bowman
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F RO M T H E F I E L D
Jeff Jensen,
GCSAA Field Staff,
Southwest Region
Happy Holidays to our Sierra Nevada GCSA members! I hope you all get a little time away from the course to spend with family and friends while enjoying some holiday festivities. As we approach the New Year, the golf industry is facing some serious anti-golf legislation. California Assembly Bill 672, now referred to as the “Public Golf Endangerment Act” by the California golf community, was introduced by Assembly Member Christina Garcia (D-Bell Gardens) on Feb. 21, 2021. While the original bill was defeated in committee thanks to efforts of the California Alliance for Golf (CAG), it was recently revised and re-introduced.
Jeff Jensen
AB 672, upon appropriation by the Legislature, would require the Department of Housing and Community Development to administer a program to provide incentives ($50 million) in the form of grants to local governments that make publicly owned golf courses vulnerable to development into high density housing and commercial properties.
The bill is a direct attack on the municipal golf industry that makes up 22 percent of all golf facilities in California. As California has grown from 20 million residents in the late 1970’s to nearly 40 million today, the hunt for “higher and better” uses of open space is now front and center with a specific focus on golf courses. While the golf industry recognizes the benefits of the game and particularly the benefits of preserving open space for future generations, 90 percent of the state’s population doesn’t engage in the game or recognize the many community benefits that it provides. Albeit a gross misperception, to them, the game represents a large use of land and natural resources that benefits only the privileged. It is a game that is seen largely as white, old, rich and elitist. As CAG works in opposition to this bill, it will be critical to communicate with that population, as well as numerous environmental groups who may normally oppose golf, but have a common interest in preserving these green spaces often located in densely populated and park poor urban areas. Defeating AB 672 is going to take the combined efforts of the California golf industry. Work is already underway, and you can access the GCSAA Action Alert at to send a letter to your respective member of the California Legislature here: Public golf in California is under attack and we need your help! As always, thank you for your support of GCSAA and Best Wishes for a Happy New Year. If I can be of assistance, please don’t hesitate to email me at jjensen@gcsaa.org and follow me on Twitter @GCSAA_SW for industry updates.
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S P E C I A L THANK YOU SPONSORS
Wilbur Ellis Co.
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The Crew Barbecue By John Farley
Ah, the quintessential crew BBQ. A long-time tradition of golf course maintenance. There’s nothing better than cranking up the “ol” weber and grilling up some burgers for the crew. But the crew BBQ can and must be so much more than just a few burgers and a couple of sodas. Why not pull out a few stops and go the extra mile? With a little planning and preparation you can easily turn an ordinary meal into a memorable and meaningful event that will build up moral and demonstrate your gratitude for all the hard work your team puts forth. Let me share why, when, how, and what I BBQ for my crew. Why have crew a BBQ; I use BBQs to acknowledge a great effort made by the crew in a difficult situation such as storm clean-up, tournament preparation, or just making it through another summer in the Sacramento Valley. But, I mostly have BBQs to acknowledge an individual crew member’s birthday, hire date anniversary, first week on the job, or welcome to the team. You can BBQ whenever an employee is moving on. We always have a going away BBQ for that crew member. The reasons “why” to have a crew BBQ can be many. The main reason though, is to show your crew you appreciate them and to be sure they know you appreciate all the hard work they do. Acknowledgment goes a long way in this business. When to have a crew BBQ; Fridays are always best. It’s a great way to wrap up the week and send the crew off for the weekend in style. I usually bring the crew in early to wash their machines and do a little extra detailing like waxing, polishing, and blowing out filters. While they are doing that, I’m busy getting the food finished and out on the buffet line. Then we all gather and eat, relax and go home. Fridays were made for the crew BBQ. How to have a crew BBQ; The old stainless steel propane BBQ’s work fine and are convenient. I prefer to grill over coals because it’s a dry heat and imparts more smokey flavor into the meat. The Weber kettle style is acceptable and quite affordable. If you’re handy with a torch and a welder, a 55gallon drum makes a nice BBQ when laid on its side and split in half. Throw on a set of legs and a grill and you’re good to go. What to BBQ; Burgers and hot dogs are the old standby but with a small amount of extra effort you can really throw down the good stuff. Baby backs and St. Louis ribs are easy and a crew favorite. On the night before the BBQ just throw together a nice sweet dry rub that consists of; 1 C brown sugar, 1 Tbsp each smoked paprika, chili powder, onion powder and garlic powder, 1 tsp
salt and pepper. Massage the rub onto both sides of the rib rack, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. To cook the ribs, remove the plastic and wrap in foil and cook over indirect heat for a couple hours. Then remove the ribs from the foil and grill over direct heat to get some nice color and char. Another route I take is to go to the Mexican supermarkets for my supplies. The butcher shops in these stores always have pre-marinated meat ready to grill. I’ll get 10 pounds of the boneless skinless chicken thighs and the guys love it! These markets generally have homemade salsas and guacamole too. Throw in a large can of whole pinto beans, a packet of flour tortillas, a big bag of chips and a can of sliced pineapple and you’ve got something special. Right before the meat comes off, throw the pineapple slices on the grill for a few minutes to get some grill marks on them and bingo! Instant BBQ success. For an easy fresh salsa, simply combine equal amounts of diced tomatoes, diced yellow onion, diced celery and chopped cilantro, toss in a minced jalapeno pepper and a couple crushed cloves of garlic then salt and pepper to taste. And there you go, it’s awesome. I have even made Mexican Pozole soup for the guys. This is a rich pepper-based pork soup that is delicious. Mind you this is a more involved recipe but on a cold rainy day there is nothing better than a big hot bowl of Pozole with all the fixins. The crew BBQ in an essential part of golf course maintenance. It’s a way for you to show your team your appreciation for them and that you don’t take them for granted. So, make one of your New Years resolutions to have more BBQs for your team. Get your grill on!
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H O L I DAY E V E N T T E A L B E N D G. C. It was all about great food and fun. The golf was good too! As promised John Farley out did himself again with preparations for the Holiday Event. We had a great crowd who enjoyed a beautiful day on the golf course and then got to spend a fun evening with everyone and a wonderful meal. Even Michelle the course dog had fun. Everyone brought toys to be donated to Toys for Tots and John was able to deliver these to the local fire station in time for delivery to the kids. Thanks to everyone who attended and to the sponsors for the event.
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MARK CALLAHAN, PLUMAS PINES GOLF RESORT 2021 NCPGA SUPERINTENDENT OF THE YEAR Mark Callahan of The Plumas Pines Golf Resort in Graeagle, Calif. was named the 2021 NCPGA Golf Course Superintendent of the Year for his service and expertise in maintaining, operating, and managing golf courses, and for his leadership contributions within the NCPGA Section. Mark has been the Golf Course Superintendent at Plumas Pines Golf Resort for the past 28 years. He is a class A member of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America and the Sierra Nevada GCSA. Mark and his wife Michelle moved to Graeagle from the Chicago area. Mark holds a B.S. Degree in Agriculture Science with a specialty in Turf Grass Management from Western Illinois University. Mark was honored at the NCPGA event this past November. His wife and son were there to support him. In addition to the presentation at the formal event Mark was interviewed on the PGA Golf Channel which aired Dec. 8th on Sirius XM radio. It’s a pleasure to congratulate Mark on all his accomplishments.
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Welcome New Members Jose Mendez Equipment Manager Edgewood C.C. Ryan Player Asst. Superintendent The Golf Course @ Incline Village
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