LS - Lone Star Links Summer 2021

Summer Edition 2021

Thank You! Thanks to all who supported the 2021 Texas Cup!​​​​​​​​​​​ We had a great day at Traditions Golf Club. ​Congratulations to all of our Champions!

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Click here for photos!

Host Superintendent Tanner Chrastecky

Net Champions Justin Hickman and Zac Seith

Gross Champions Justin Lonon and Steve Gilley

President’s Message

Craig Felton LSGCSA President

I would like to thank all the people that worked so hard on making the Texas BMP guide a reality. We are in the process of having books and brochures printed. Our hope is to have education sessions around the state to help individual courses adopt the BMP’s into their facilities. A big shout out to Ken Gorzycki for his efforts in securing funding from our allied industry partners.

So far, Ken has secured donations from TARO, the Northern and Southern sections of the PGA, Texas Golf Association, and the Texas Lone Star Chapter of CMAA. These donations will help with printing, distribution, and facility adoption.

The 36th Annual Texas Trophy is right around the corner. This year it is being hosted by the West Texas chapter. Abilene Country Club will be our host course. Once again, this year we will have a Texas Shootout as well as two chances to win $10,000 for a hole-in-one being sponsored by Carl Tolbert with The Hurt Company / Reladyne. We hope you can join us September 26 – 28. You can follow this link to find out the details and to get registered.. CLICK HERE As of now, Lone Star will be hosting a reception at the GCSAA Conference and Trade Show being held in San Diego, CA on February 5-10, 2022. The reception will be on Wednesday, February 9th at Bootleggers Plates and Pours. This event is always a highlight and a great way to start off a new year. Please make plans to attend.

The Texas Turfgrass Association Winter Conference will be coming your way December 14-15. It is being held at the Hyatt Hill Country in San Antonio. Lone Star is planning a BMP training session there this year. Please mark your calendars and help support TTA. Please stay safe and healthy and we look forward to seeing you soon.

Travel with Johnny Walker - GCSAA Field Staff Representative Several weeks ago I helped Jeremy Lewis, director of golf course maintenance at the Clubs of Kingwood, get signed up to become a Grassroots Ambassador. After speaking with Michael Lee and myself and learning the talking points, Jeremy had set an appointment to meet with Congressman Dan Crenshaw. Jeremy advised me of the meeting and I let him know that I would be happy to attend the meeting with him.

I informed Jeremy that these meetings usually involve one of the staffers from the congressman’s office and we might not even meet the congressman. To both of our surprise, the congressman was there to greet us and meet with us when we arrived for the appointment.

MEETING WITH CONGRESSMAN

DAN CRENSHAW

Originally published 6/14/2021

We met with him in his conference room and one of his staffers that was an avid golfer. Mr. Crenshaw told us that he did play but his skills were lacking some for this sport. He said he liked being on the golf course when he had time for it but his time is very limited now that he is in office.

Jeremy and I discussed the Best Management Practice document that was developed by Lone Star GCSA, the H-2 Visa program and the PHIT Act. Congressman Crenshaw was very attentive and eager to learn more about these issues and he asked us many questions on how these issues would benefit the golf course industry. Mr. Crenshaw was very candid during our meeting and he gave us some insight as to how things worked in Washington D.C. At the conclusion of the meeting, Jeremy and I thanked the congressman for his time and he thanked us for representing the golf course industry and for our time as well. Mr. Crenshaw said he would be communicating with us in the coming months to give us and updates on our discussion.

I encourage all Grassroots Ambassadors, especially in my region, to schedule meetings with their congress people to get discussions started. A phone call to the office scheduler will get the ball rolling and Michael Lee and myself are always there to help. The experience is very rewarding and this is how we can tell our story and build a relationship with our elected officials.

We Love Our Sponsors!

Thank You!

ROUNDS 4 RESEARCH MAY AUCTION RAISES $336,500 FOR TURFGRASS STUDIES May 11, 2021 | by Mike Strauss National program has raised more than $2 million since 2012.

The 2021 Rounds 4 Research fundraising program to support turfgrass studies, administered by the Environmental Institute for Golf (EIFG), sold more than 1,100 rounds and yielded nearly $336,500 in its May online auction. The EIFG is the philanthropic organization of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA).

More than 70 GCSAA affiliated chapters and turfgrass organizations assisted with the effort and will receive proceeds from the auction to support turfgrass research at the local level.

The top bid was $10,000 for a family membership to six private clubs donated by the Dormie Network. The highest bid for a round was donated by Ohoopee Match Club in Cobbtown, Ga., which sold for $7,150.

"Golf has seen a resurgence this last year, and we’ve also seen that Rounds 4 Research remains an important avenue that lets golfers give back to their favorite game." said Rhett Evans, GCSAA chief executive officer. "Thank you to all of donors and bidders for supporting the future of golf."

The national campaign is supported by a $50,000 donation from The Toro Co. Several management companies also joined the effort to support research by donating rounds, including American Golf, ClubCorp, Dormie Network, Founders Group International, Indigo Golf, Marriott Golf, the PGA Tour TPC network of courses and Troon Golf. The program has raised more than $2 million since launching in 2012.

Congratulations and Thank You to all of our participants!

Thank you Simplot!

We appreciate your continued support of the Lone Star GCSA and the Texas Cup! We couldn’t have great events and participation without you!

Pictured: Link Windham and Rick Partain of Simplot

We had a great day in the Brazos Valley! Tanner Chrastecky and his staff at The Traditions Club laid out the red carpet with a great venue and terrific golf course for the tournament.

We especially appreciate their willingness and flexibility to host the event after a necessary schedule change.

The leaderboard had some new and some familiar names on it. Congratulations to Steve Gilley and his partner Justin Lonan who defended their 2019 title with an outstanding gross score of 65. No doubt the smart money in 2022 will be on these guys to three-peat! Net Champions were Justin Hickman and Zac Seith. They carved our a smooth 58!

Another big winner and very popular guy at the bar after the round was Tyler “Ace” Spencer who made a Hole in One on #7! Great shootin! Thanks again to our great host, sponsor and everyone who took time out of a busy spring to make it another fun Texas Cup. We hope to see you all in 2022! Check out the following pages for photos from our great day in Bryan.

Corby White and Paul Lane (left) Carter Stine and Jay Stine (right)

Aaron Fox and Grady Randle (left) Steven Chernosky and Carl Tolbert (right)

Link Windham and Rey Gomez (left) Ben Kovolsky and Nick Hollis (right)

Scott Hamilton and Dale Miller (left) Kody Key and Ben Dickerson (right)

Ed Martinez, AJ Pursley, Tanner Chrastecky, and Jeff Smelser

Hunter Elwood and Tyler Spencer (left) Aaron Hayes and Pat Neuendorff (right)

2021 NTGCSA Legacy Scholarship Winners: Sydney Freshwater (top) daughter of Jeff Freshwater, Carter Stine (top right) son of Jay Stine and Grace McClanahan (right) granddaughter of Garry Bearden.Congratulations and good luck in your educational careers!

The 2021 Annual Awards Banquet was a very special night to remember in Grapevine that included recognition for well deserving North Texas GCSA members. Two longtime NTGCSA members were bestowed the Association’s highest honor, the Distinguished Service Award. These two members were Ken Small and Gary Brooks who celebrated with their families on this special night.

Kirt Phillips of Dallas Country Club was honored by his peers with the AC and Garry Bearden Superintendent of the Year Award. He also celebrated the night with his family and joined a very prestigious list of Superintendents in North Texas who have been bestowed this honor. Jacob Boelsche from Four Seasons Resort was recognized as the Assistant Superintendent of the Year and celebrated with his wife Laura.

Texas Cup Results 2nd Place Teams Matt Cowan and Daniel McCann, 2nd Place Gross (left) Jake Snyman and Jeff Visser, 2nd Place Net (right) 3rd Place Teams AJ Pursley, Tanner Chrastecky, 3rd Place Gross (left) Cody Spivey and Eric Glover (not pictured), 3rd Place Net (right)

Proximity Winners Top Row, L to R: Phillip Littlefield CTP #10 Matt Cowan CTP #11, and Tyler Spencer CTP #7 Hole in One! L to R: Nick Hollis LD <10, Jay Stine LD >10, Frank Darnell 50/50 Pot Winner!

New Lifetime Honorary Member Mary Haun Dear WTGCSA Board and Members, Thank you so much for the Lifetime Honorary Member award I received at the April meeting. I have always enjoyed my work with the golf course maintenance industry. The members of this association have made me feel very welcome. You allowed me to be on your board, come visit your courses and play with your groups.

Congratulations!

You are a special group of turf professionals. I will cherish this honor and will continue to support the association. Thank you, Mary Haun **Mary was a WTGCSA member 1990-1997and served on the board 1995-1997. Mary, we appreciate your support!

Sponsorships are still available for this event! Join us in the Fall in West Texas. ​ Click here for sponsorship information or contact the LSGCSA office at lsgcsa18@gmail.com

Byron Nelson Experience Chrissie Segars, Ph.D. Thank you to Dr. Segars for providing a very interesting account of her volunteer experience at the inagural Byron Nelson at The TPC at Craig Ranch. The tournament was certainly challenged by weather but the fantastic staff and volunteers had the course in spectacular condition all week.

We asked Dr. Segars to talk about her experience and specifically her “best” and “not so fun” experiences. Great work!

Dr. Segars is the Assistant Professor and Extension Specialist with the Department of Soil and Crop Sciences at the Dallas Center, Texas A&M AgriLife.

My relationship with TPC Craig Ranch developed through conducting herbicide research trials in collaboration with Bayer Environmental Sciences.

When I heard the Byron Nelson was coming to Craig Ranch, I was very excited about the possibility of being involved and being on the volunteer crew! I told the superintendent, Jim, to count me in when the tournament came around. I figured I would be filling divots because I didn’t trust myself to volunteer for greens mowing; Jim had something else in mind. I was given the opportunity to perform the data collection for putting green measurements on holes 1-9 and two of the practice greens. It involved ball roll measurements with the stimpmeter, green firmness, and moisture readings. I was very excited to be involved with a tournament of this magnitude!

Best Experiences My favorite experience was being involved in my first PGA tournament and getting to interact with so many new folks! I couldn’t believe this was considered work and I had a ton of fun taking the measurements and getting to know some. I eventually turned it into a little game where I could guess the measurements before taking them and got pretty good at estimating the measurements, especially the firmness.

I loved being asked by tournament staff or spectators about what measurements we were taking on the green. I live to talk about turfgrass and love teaching bystanders about the benefits and beauty of turfgrass.

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The food served by the Craig Ranch agronomy staff was incredible! We even had a waffle and a lobster truck!

Not So Fun Experiences The worst part of the tournament was the uncontrollable rain that was experienced a few days before the true tournament began. It made driving around the course less fun and made taking the greens data a little more tough on the very wet days. I thought that my least favorite part of the tournament would be getting up every morning at 4am but I found myself being very excited to go every morning and afternoon!

I would highly recommend everyone volunteer for a tournament to experience the camaraderie of the crew and the high of being around some superstars in the golf course management world. I could not have asked for a better experience and really appreciate the personalities and work ethic of everyone involved in the tournament!

Follow Dr. Segars on Twitter! @hairyligule21

Congratulations Blue Shirts!

McClure Matches Champions headed by Captain Reagan Olson and Co-Captain Matt Cowan. Great playing!

2021 Event Schedule

Happenings around the State!

A great event at Horseshoe Bay! Thanks to all who participated.

Our goal is to leave ​​ the land better than we found it!

We’re humbled & proud to share our ​Texas Golf Industry BMP Guide supporting environmental stewardship & high-quality golf facilities.

We are pleased with the great feedback that has been recieved on the Texas Golf Industry Best Management Practices Guide that was published on Tuesday, February 9, 2021. The guide has been loaded to the GCSAA website, in addition to our LSGCSA site. We have a social media campaign running in conjunction with the launch, so please support the effort by sharing/liking on Twitter and Facebook.

The guide provides an overview of thirteen best management practices (BMPs) in golf course maintenance to support environmental stewardship and optimal course conditions in the state of Texas. Our goal is to create and maintain courses that are ecologically functional and healthy green spaces, demonstrating commitment to environmental stewardship, the community, and a quality golfing experience.

Thank you, LSGCSA members.

We appreciate your partnership with us in developing the Texas BMP Guide.

Chat with Green Aggies webinars about all things ‘green’ Weekly series tailored for green industry pros JUNE 1, 2020

A weekly webinar series “Chat with Green Aggies” delivers a wide range of information from Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service experts specifically for landscape, nursery and greenhouse professionals.

Chat with Green Aggies was created exclusively for the green industry professionals and employees from related federal/state agency and education institutions.

The online panel focuses on timely topics and in-depth discussion about landscape, nursery and greenhouse issues affecting turfgrass and landscape plants every Thursday from 12:12-1 p.m.

The panel includes AgriLife Extension experts Mengmeng Gu, Ph.D., ornamental horticulturist, Young-Ki Jo, Ph.D., turf pathologist, Kevin Ong, Ph.D., plant pathologist and director of the Texas Plant Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, all in College Station; Becky Bowling, Ph.D., turfgrass specialist, Dallas; and Erfan Vafaie, program specialist in integrated pest management, Overton.

AgriLife Extension horticulture agents Laura Miller, Tarrant County, and Paul Winski, Harris County, also have recurring roles in the program. The program also invites guest speakers, such as Carlos Bogran, Ph.D., former AgriLife Extension specialist, Bryan, and Brent Pemberton, Ph.D., Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Overton, who will highlight his bedding plant trials.

Participants can submit questions and issues through the Chat with Green Aggies Facebook page or via email at mgu@tamu.edu, and they will be answered by panelists.

A complete playlist of past Chat with Green Aggies episodes can be found on YouTube. Topics so far have covered a wide range of plant diseases, pests and pollinators and how to troubleshoot irrigation problems among many others. Registration and links to the recorded webinars can also be found on the Chat with Green Aggies Facebook page.

Gu said Chat with Green Aggies offers a great opportunity to provide up-to-date information to, and collect issues from, green industry professionals.

“We cover a diverse range of timely topics that landscape and green industry professionals face on a daily basis,” she said. “It’s a great interactive way for us to discuss what we are observing and to have industry professionals let us know how we can help them because a question from one attendee will be relevant to so many others across the state.”

Texas Golf Hall of Fame Expands Board Two Lone Star GCSA Members Included!

The Texas Golf Hall of Fame announces the expansion of their Board of Directors.

The expansion adds a total of Four board seats, and greatly expands the depth of industry knowledge at the Board level for the Hall.

Newly appointed Board Members are: • Sam Brewster - Managing Director of the Texas Lone Star Chapter of the Club Management Association of America, and owner of Brewster Association Services.

• Curtis Kelley, CCM - General Manager Preston Trail Golf Club located in Dallas, Texas. Mr. Kelley is also the past President of the Texas Lone Star Chapter of the Club Management Association of America Lone Star GCSA Members Joining the Texas Hall of Fame Board:

• Mike Epps - Past President, Lone Star Chapter of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, and the current Golf Course Superintendent of the Mira Vista Country Club in Ft. Worth, Texas • Johnny Walker - South Central Regional Representative, Golf Course Superintendents Association of America, and former past President of the South Texas Chapter of the GCSAA. “We are delighted to have representatives from the CMAA and GCSAA join our Board. Their members and organizations will provide us with reach and bandwidth to enhance our future plans. The size, strength and professionalism of both organizations are great additions to our Board.” Board Chairman, Reid Meyers.

In addition to the newly added Board members, one board member, Marc DeWall, PGA – General Manager of Cordillera Ranch, reached the end of his term and has been replaced by Doug DeSive, PGA, a past President of the Southern Texas PGA. In August 2020, the Hall announced the postponement of the festivities to honor the 2020 class of Inductees due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As restrictions ease, the Hall will soon be announcing the events planned for 2021 in future press releases.

2020 Texas Hall of Fame Inductees: • Professional Player: Angela Stanford • Amateur Player: Hank Kuehne • Lifetime Achievement: Verne Lundquist

• Golf Professional / Teacher: Mike Wright

• Golf Professional / Teacher: Dow Finsterwald, Jr.

• Texas Registry of Historic Golf Courses: Oak Hills Country Club

To directly support the Hall please visit www.texasgolfhof.org/donate.

The TGHOF is a 501(c) (3) organization.

More information is available at www.texasgolfhof.org

Win $3,000 for your chapter and $500 for you!

Enter your golf course canine companion in LebanonTurf's 2022 Dog Days of Golf Calendar and Dog of the Year contest. If selected for the calendar, your dog will also have a chance to be crowned 2022 Dog of the Year, garnering a $3,000 price for your affiliated chapter and a $500 prize for you. Additionally, LebanonTurf and GCSAA will also make a $2,000 charitable donation in honor of the winner to K9's for Warriors.

Be creative, have some fun, and by all means show off your dog! For more information, please watch the video below or visit gcsaa.org/dog-calendar.

Reintroducing the GCSAA Foundation GCSAA’s philanthropic organization will again go by the name GCSAA Foundation to better represent its range of programs and broader focus.

With an expansion of programming in recent years to include STEM education, grassroots advocacy and professional development opportunities, the philanthropic organization of GCSAA has returned to the name GCSAA Foundation to better reflect its wider scope.

Known as the Environmental Institute for Golf (EIFG) since 2003, the organization was founded in 1955 as the GCSAA Scholarship & Research Fund and previously used the GCSAA Foundation name from 1995 to 2003.

As the EIFG, the organization furthered environmental sustainability in golf by funding initiatives such as the Golf Course Environmental Profile, the Rounds4Research auction and the establishment of environmental best management practices (BMPs) for golf courses in all 50 states.

“The return to the GCSAA Foundation name will continue the success of the EIFG in fostering golf course sustainability and supporting programs,” says GCSAA CEO Rhett Evans. “We have made huge strides in the last 20 years, and the GCSAA Foundation name better defines support of all current programs and potential future programs while making the tie to GCSAA and our members clear. As the GCSAA Foundation, we can build on our strong tradition and solid future.”

The GCSAA Foundation remains committed to environmental stewardship and will continue to further the successes of the EIFG on the environmental front. Environmental programs will be one of the five pillars of the GCSAA Foundation, the others being advocacy, research, education and scholarships.

The many programs the GCSAA Foundation supports include The First Green, the GCSAA Grassroots Ambassador program, professional development opportunities, the Rounds4Research auction and the GCSAA Disaster Relief Fund.

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