RGGCSA March SuperNews 2016

The SuperNews OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE RIO GRANDE GCSA

March 2016

President’s Message Hello everyone,

President Caleb Buckley Vice President Matt Urban Secretary / Treasurer Jimmy Rodriguez Board of Directors: Mark Hanson CGCS Matt Alcala Matt Hughes Paul Kerr Joe Dosstter (Past Pres.)

Vendor Representative Clay Guck Chapter Executive Carol Cloud GCSAA Field Rep Brian Cloud

I hope everyone is having a great season so far in this warm year. It is crazy how warm it has been these past couple of months. I’m sure we are all wondering what the summer is going to bring with it like this in February and March.

I would like to thank Matt Hughes and his team at Rockwind Community Links for hosting our meeting in January. I would also like to thank Bo Cichuniec from Red Hawk Golf Club and his team for hosting our March Meeting. The weather was perfect for a meeting and we had a great turn out. Our next meeting will be at Santa Ana Golf Club on May 23rd. I would like to thank Joe Dosstter for hosting this meeting we hope to have another great turn out for this event.

I would like to thank Dr. Leinauer for his education at the Red Hawk meeting and allowing those members of the association to get some CEU’s for their pesticide license.

We would like to keep the Pinon Hills community in our thoughts and prayers as they have lost two of their employees in a car accident. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Powell family as well as the Schmidt family.

I hope everyone is doing well and we hope to see you at Santa Ana Golf Club on May 23rd.

Thank you to Carol Cloud for keeping this association going and could not do it without you, Caleb Buckley

Featured Articles:

Isleta Golf Club

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RGGCSA President

Matt Urban - Sand Greens  Wrap Ups January at Rockwind March at Red Hawk 

John Daniels USGA

Superintendent Article SAND GREENS

by Matt Urban - Artesia Country Club The transition zone in the turf industry is labeled by some as, “the most difficult place to grow grass.” In areas such as these the weather is too cold in the winter to grow warm season grasses and too hot in the summer to properly maintain cool season grasses. Nevertheless, the need for golf courses still exists in these climates because there are still folks with the desire to get together with their buddies, drink some brews, and whack their ball around the golf course. Add to that the increasing expectations due to High Definition TV viewership and that dreaded Masters week. Superintendents are expected to produce TV like conditions on a daily basis regardless of weather, crew size, equipment condition, water restrictions, and the like. As the golf product becomes more and more expensive to produce, and less affordable for the end user, the thoughts of my past came creeping back.

Where I grew up in central Kansas (located smack in the center of the Transition Zone) we put our ball and tee in a raised bed of clay, not grass, held together by four railroad ties. Approach shots were played from buffalo grass, mowed by a pull-behind 7 gang, at one inch whenever it received enough rainfall to grow. The “greens” were a semi-circular 2”-3” deep bed of sand, with a hole cut right in the middle. That’s right, not a blade of grass on them, just the occasional weed that would pop up.

Inside the centrally located hole was a second cup with a raised spout that the ferrule fit into. This second cup served two purposes: The raise spout was to hold the flagstick, and the cup itself would catch the sand when dragging the line for your putt with a piece of carpet or steel pipe. A spoon was also provided in case the sand fell into the hole without the secondary cup in place. All tools were hanging or leaning at the back of the green on a post with the hole number at the top in case you had too many beers and forgot where you were.

Putting as it is on grass surfaces was an art as was the dragging technique. Always drag toward the hole and slow down around the hole to leave more sand. This act created a larger hole and became known as “fluffing the cup.”

Fluffing later became illegal if it was known that you were illegally doing it to gain an advantage. Speeds on sand greens ran anywhere from 3 to 5 on the Stimpmeter so it took a pretty good strike to get it to the hole. Distance was measured in paces, putter lengths, or in some cases by using string to move your ball from its location to the dragged surface. This was done by the opponent to prevent the occasional measuring mishap. The putter was used to remove sand directly behind the ball to prevent the putterhead from digging into the sand. Because the greens were relatively flat, putts didn’t break much either. A typical putt wouldn’t break more than three or four inches. You didn’t get too many downhill sliders for par.

When a group was finished, the cup was emptied of sand and returned. A rake was located at the edge of each green because it was proper etiquette to rake the green smooth in a circular motion from inside to out when exiting the green. At some events, there were volunteer rakers, which made the golfers feel as though they were playing in a major tournament. They were usually local high school kids who wanted to get out of school for the day.

With the golfers doing most of the work on the greens, maintenance costs are relatively low. Most sand green courses are 9 holes. (There is one in Bird City, Nebraska with 15 holes, you play 3 of them twice.) This area to mow is drastically reduced. Most of the mowing is done by a volunteer or a retired gentleman who works for membership dues. Mowing is done on an as needed basis.

Greens fees where I played were $4 for all day play and $110 for a yearly membership. No starters or pro shop employees, a self service pay station was placed at the #1 tee area and utilized the honor system. All project work was done on two workdays when tree trimming and greens maintenance was done. The greens were sprayed with used motor oil and diesel fuel to help stabilize the sand to keep it from blowing.

Many well known courses started out with sand as a putting surface. The most famous and well documented being Pinehurst. Unfortunately for the history of sand greens as a whole, documentation is hard to find. A 1998 article in Sports Illustrated titled Drawn in the Sand, says: “If there is a written history of sand-greens golf, we couldn't find it. Librarians shrugged helplessly. Search engines reported: Nothing found. The records are in farmhouse attics and the basements of town halls. "We have almost nothing," said a librarian at USGA headquarters in Far Hills, N.J.” It goes on to say, “Finding existing sand-greens courses is almost as difficult. There is no national registry, and outside Kansas the courses are so scattered that interclub matches are a faint memory.

Most tips ("Iowa still has a few") led us to agriculture professors at state universities, and the professors invariably dashed our hopes. Most cited environmental concerns for the death of sand greens, although none had heard of harm or damage caused by the courses.” Two small farming communities tried to gain the same financial advantage as sand greens with little impact to the environment by putting in artificial greens. These are not the synthetic turf greens we see today. They were poured concrete with green outdoor carpet glued to the top. Three holes were molded into the concrete and rotated. If you want a similar experience, try hitting a sand wedge into I-25 and get it to stop.

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A Great Day at Red Hawk Thank you to Bo Cichuniec and his

We met early at the Red Hawk Maintenance Facility

Dr. Bernd Leinauer of New Mexico State

Host Bo Cichuniec (L) and VP Matt Urban

Calm before the storm

John King and his new best buddy - Carmen Ghia (youll have to ask him about that name.

amazing staff for rolling out the red carpet for our March meeting at Red Hawk in Las Cruces. We had very good attendance for networking opportunities, an educational session featuring Dr. Bernd Leinauer, and a fun golf tournament on a fantastic course.

RGGCSA VicePresident Matt Urban pinch hit for President Caleb Buckley as host for the day.

Dr. Leinauer’s presentation titled Adjuvants and Surfactants provided very useful information for New Mexico superintendents who are always dealing with localized dry spots and are faced with water availability issues. Attendees received NMDA and GCSAA credits.

When the golf tournament started, our competitors were lulled by the relatively calm conditions.

By the time they marched through 18 holes, the typical southern New Mexico winds made their anticipated appearance and made even standing upright a challenge. But all of our brave competitors made it out alive and enjoyed a course that was in superb condition.

As always, our meeting was made possible by our very generous Annual Sponsors. Please take a minute to recognize these sponsors and give them a big Thank You next time you see them - or better yet, do business with them.

Attentive Audience

“Home Cooking Team” L to R - Daniel Turnham, Joe Villela, Bryan Klock, Jack Lewis

Ruben Gurule (L) and Jace Rivera ready to roll

Double Trouble Glenn Denny and Paul Cassidy

Thanks again Red Hawk, we look forward to coming back soon!

Thank You Sponsors!

Wind Picking up in the PM

More Photos from Red Hawk

Champions (L to R) Marland Singleton, Paul Cassidy and Glenn Denney

Runner Ups (L to R) Ruben Gurule, Josh Ogden, Jace Rivera, Robb Stuart

3rd Place (L to R) Bryan Klock, Joe Villela, Daniel Turnham, and Jack Lewis John Mondragon (L) and Matt Urban (R) networking before the meeting

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Jimmy Rodriguez (L) and Gary Davis (R)

Happy Jimmy R

Thanks to all of you that have renewed your membership. If you haven't had a chance to renew please take a few minutes to become a part of this great association.

We hope your 2016 is off to a great start and look forward to your continued support and participation. Your association made great strides in 2015 to improve the programs and services that serve our members. In order to continue this success and momentum in 2016, we need our most important asset - YOU! We value your membership and hope you will renew today!

We have tried to make it as painless as possible and all can be done online. Click the button below and you will be directed to an online form. We know you are very busy but it is important that you fill out this form completely so that we have accurate contact information for the online directory, accounting system, and emails.

Click Ticket to Renew Payment Options Upon renewal, you will be emailed an invoice. You have the option of paying it online with a credit card or send it along with a check to: RGGCSA - 5552 Plata Lane, Benbrook, TX. 76126 *Special Note* If you have already paid your 2016 Membership Invoice THANK YOU! Please take the time to fill out the renewal form so we can confirm your contact

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Does Your Chemical Storage Facility Make The Grade?

John Daniels, Agronomist South Central Region

The combination of snow cover and cold temperatures throughout much of the Midwest has limited many golf course maintenance activities – with the exception of an occasional plowing and shoveling – to indoor tasks within the confines of the turf care facility. Farther south, many golf courses are trying to wrap up any remaining courseUse shelving to keep areas free of improvement projects like tree maintenance. With the clutter, reduce the potential for con- 2016 golf season on the horizon, now is a good time to tamination and protect investments. review your facility's pesticide storage building and ensure all products are well-organized and in appropriate condition.

Proper pesticide storage not only reduces the likelihood of accidental spills but also improves operational efficiency during the mixing and loading process. A pesticide storage area should create a suitable environment for pesticides to retain their performance abilities while also protecting the environment.

Here are some things to keep in mind:

Always consult with local and state regulatory agencies regarding specific storage requirements. Remember to follow manufacturer directions listed

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Inspect all containers for leaks or other damage

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Keep products off the floor

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Place dry formulations above liquid formulations

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Properly discard empty containers

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Utilize secondary containment bins for greater security

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Group similar pesticides together for easier identification

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Make sure all containers are properly labeled

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Ensure your spill-containment kit is up-to-date

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Create a current inventory of all products and respective quantities

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Confirm Material Safety Data Sheets are easily accessible and current

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Test ventilation, heating and lighting systems For more information on proper chemical storage please review the articles below. Links can be found at: http://ow.ly/Z5AIB

Chemical Storage Upgrades / What Makes a Good Maintenance Facility?

I Know We Don’t Have the Money, but Can We Afford NOT to Invest in a New Maintenance Facility?

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 Despite the lack of information, it is evident that these courses existed throughout the country. I would bet in a number of small towns all over the country, if you look closely, there are remains of what used to be a golf course that probably had sand as its putting surface. Here in Artesia, the old fairway yardage markers still outline the fairway areas. Three hundred miles west of Artesia, sunken circular areas mark where miners used to line up their putts outside of Hurley, NM just off of US 180.

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There are also many golf professionals who grew up playing “poor man’s golf,” or “pasture pool,” in reference to playing on sand. Major winners, Tom Lehman and Steve Jones grew up on sand greens. US open champion Hale Irwin, who played sand greens as a youngster was quoted saying he would like sand greens to make a comeback and be an affordable option. Brothers Byrum, Tom and Curt, splashed in the sand in South Dakota and had notable PGA tour careers. Before he won the PGA Championship, Vijay Singh was a club pro in Malaysia which dragged its greens after putting. Open Championship winner Louis Oosthuizen still hosts an event annually on his home course in South Africa which sports sand greens as well. The list goes on.

Grass putting surfaces have become a part of my everyday life. Being a golf course superintendent, I do appreciate the fact that I have grass to maintain as long as I can keep it alive. It is a blessing to reflect back on the past and see where this wonderful game of golf has taken me and to dream where it may take me in the future. I still love to travel home and join my family on the local 9 hole sand green course if I can come up with the $4 green fee! No doubt sand greens have become sort of a relic in the games history, but there are a few courses which still survive and some even thrive in remote areas where the nearest grass course is a hundred or more miles away. The game has a unique history with sand putting surfaces being a big part of it. Anyone who is a fan of golf would enjoy playing one of these courses. Just make sure you fix your ball marks!

Thank you Matt Urban for a great article!

For more information and articles about Sand Greens check out these links: Golf Digest Slideshow of Sand Greens Wall Street Journal Article Pasturegolf.com

Attendance was good in Hobbs

January Kick Off a Hit at Rockwind Matt Hughes (L) and Assistant Troy Allen

Good lunch and great conversation

Hold Your Finish for the Camera

January in Hobbs turned out to be a great call on a brisk blue sky day at Rockwind Community Links. Superintendent Matt Hughes and PGA Professional Linda Howell welcomed attendees to the unique community based course aimed at integrating the course in the Hobbs community.

Matt Hughes networking before golf

Matt gave a very good presentation covering every step of the renovation project that transformed Rockwind to one of the most talked about courses in the Southwest.

Hobbs spared no expense to make the course a first class golf and community experience. RGGCSA members enjoyed a fun day on the course thanks to Matt Hughes’ staff who had the course in outstanding condition.

Jimmy Rodriguez and Brian Cloud provided a review of the 2015 Chapter Delegates meeting and provided insight in to the proposed Membership Standard and Bylaw Solid form Changes that were voted on at the San Diego GCSAA Annual Meeting. Jimmy represented the chapter at the delegates meeting and voted for the chapter in San Diego. For a complete review of the Golf Industry Show and election results, view page 14 of this newsletter.

Thanks again to Matt Hughes and the Rockwind staff for a great meeting venue. Golf was terrific and breakfast and lunch equally as great. And no event would be possible without our 2016 Annual Sponsors! Thanks to all of our generous sponsors for their continued support.

(L to R) Paul Kerr, Anthony Garcia and Bryan Klock ready for action

President Caleb Buckley (R) presents Matt Hughes with Host Plaque

Steve Henley gameplanning before the round Great Shot of First Hole at Rockwind

Beautiful Day in Hobbs

Ready...Aim‌Fire

Laurie Meredith bundled up before golf

Fearsome Foursome - (L to R) Robert Gonzales, Anthony Garcia, Bryan Klock, and Robb Clark

Tee it high and let it fly Paul Kerr

Title Sponsor

RGGCSA Next Event May 23, 2016

Santa Ana Golf Club Bernalillo, NM More details and registration coming soon.

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CLICK The résumé is arguably the most important tool when applying for jobs. Potential employers “meet” you via your résumé, and they may inadvertently form their first impression of who you are based on this one sheet of paper.

It’s most important to set yourself apart form other applicants.

You both will most likely have similar backgrounds, so use the tips below to make yourself stand out.

RÉSUMÉ COMPONENTS Name and contact information (phone number and address) Make sure your contact information is large enough to notice at the top of your résumé. Enlarging the size of your name may help your name be remembered.

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Writing style and appearance play a large role in an employer picking your résumé out of a pool of applicants. For jobs you currently hold, use active words Résumé objective like “analyze” and “train” as opposed to “analyzed” and This should be different for each job you apply to. It’s obvious your ob“trained” for jobs you have previously held. jective is to get a job at ABC golf course, so tell the employer what

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Tailor the description of your job for each job you apply for. Chances are, the employer is looking for someone with specific experience and quality. Look at the details in the job description, and think of ways your past employment applies to those details. List out the important ones.

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Your maintenance jobs, yes. Your dishwashing job in high school, no.

Format your résumé as you would any other professional List applicable jobs you have held, or ones you have held for longer written document. Keep the paper size as 8 inches wide periods of time after your education. Don’t leave out periods of time by by 11.5 inches tall. Keep the margins at 1 inch on all skipping a few years, just take a look at your past jobs and see if any of sides, and the font size should be no smaller than 11 your duties will directly apply to the job you seeking.

point.

about you will help you succeed in this specific position, at this specific course. “To obtain a head superintendent position at a golf course” is not a good objective. A better example might be: “To use my three years of experience decreasing maintenance expenses by 12 percent as an assistant superintendent to succeed as a head superintendent at ABC golf course.”

Work history

Education

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A basic serif or sans font is recommended for legibility and professional appearance. The most common standard fonts for résumés are Times New Roman, Garamond, Helvetica and Arial.

College or high school, if it applies. Any other certifications or continuing education can be listed here (or in its own section if there is more than one being listed.) If you have a college degree, there’s usually no need to list your high school.

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Color is acceptable if the job will require some creative work. It’s best to avoid color to play it safe.

List at least three references on a separate page. It is OK to note “references available upon request.”

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One page is usually enough for a résumé, although if you’ve been in the industry for 15 or more years and have held jobs at many golf courses, it’s OK to go over one page in length. But, keep in mind that if you are summarizing your job duties that apply well enough, you should have no problem keeping it to one page.

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Cover letters should be included along with your résumé. It’s a good idea to present who you are and why you want the job in your own writing.

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If you’ve left off a couple jobs due to space or inapplicability, make sure to keep a list of all of your previous jobs for the interview.

References

Make sure there are no mistakes. I mean none. Take each sentence or phrase, copy it into a text editor and run a spell check on it. It pays to double (or triple!) check. Send it out to a few friends or colleagues that are willing to look it over to see if you missed any mistakes. Many of you are industry friends. Use your network to ask for help.

If you have any problems creating your resume, or you just want to perfect it, find professional help. There are some online tools that will help you, such as Monster and About.com, but a simple web search will help you find professionals in your area.

We hope you were able to join us for ‘everything under the sun’ in San Diego! In addition to the beautiful weather, our 12,751 total attendees enjoyed playing some of the best golf courses San Diego has to offer, attending countless educational sessions, seminars and events, and experiencing a fantastic trade show. Check out some of our notable highlights from the week.

GCSAA EDUCATION CONFERENCE

Grass elected 2016 president of Golf Course Superintendents Association of America Peter J. Grass (left), golf course superintendent at Hilands Golf Club in Billings, Mont., has been elected to a oneyear term as president of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) at the association's annual meeting Feb. 11, held in conjunction with the Golf Industry Show in San Diego.

Grass, a certified golf course superintendent (CGCS), served as vice president of the association in 2015 and has been a member of the association’s board of directors since 2009. A native of Mankato, Minn., the 56-year-old Grass earned a bachelor’s degree from Eastern Montana College in Billings.

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Our newest category of membership, equipment managers, enjoyed targeted education and a networking reception on Wednesday evening.

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A total of 5,240 participants attended GCSAA educational seminars and hundreds attended complimentary forums, sessions and panel discussions throughout the week with some participating in interactive polling which targeted conversations and content.

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Over 200 conference attendees stepped out of the convention center into the California sun, experiencing unique field trips at local golf courses and Hunter Irrigation headquarters.

GCSAA GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS Presented in Partnership with the Toro Co. This year, we welcomed over 450 total players for our four-ball, shamble, golf classic and national championship events.

Other elected officers were Bill H. Maynard, CGCS (right) and director of golf course maintenance operations at Country Club of St. Albans near St. Louis, as vice president, and Darren J. Davis, CGCS and superintendent at Olde Florida Golf Club in Naples, Fla., as secretary/treasurer.

Kevin P. Breen, CGCS and golf course superintendent at La Rinconada Country Club in Los Gatos, Calif., was elected to the board after serving in 2015 as an appointee. He was elected to a two-year position along with Rafael Barajas, CGCS and director of golf course operations at Boca Grove Plantation in Boca Raton, Fla. John Walker (center), director of golf course maintenance at Bentwater Yacht and Country Club in Montgomery, Texas, was appointed to complete the one-year remaining on Davis’ two-year term.

In addition, delegates voted to approve revisions to the Class A member standards and passed 11 changes to the bylaws, which included a new definition of Class A and renaming the Superintendent Member class to Class B.

TRADE SHOW 

The GIS attendees enjoyed 250,000 square feet of experience on the trade show floor.

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Over 200 individuals had their professional portraits taken in the Career Photo Booth….don’t miss out next year on this incredible benefit!

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The Dr. Is In – a new benefit for attendees was offered this year for attendees to get one-on-one advice from sought-after turf experts.

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Taste of the Town – with its first debut, this event was a major success and one we plan to continue for Orlando 2017. Bayer sponsored the event and offered attendees a relaxing and fun way to end their trade show experience on Thursday afternoon. Cash prizes of $1,000, $1,500 and $2,500 were given out to three lucky winners.

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Electric Avenue –new this year as well, Electric Avenue proved it was a great experience for attendees to test drive turf utility vehicles on live grass. Additionally, several people enjoyed testing out the Golf Skate Caddies and Golf Boards on our test track.

CLOSING CEREMONY

Presented in Partnership with John Deere Golf

At the conclusion of the long week, attendees gathered to hear the results of the 2016 Collegiate Turf Bowl – which was won by reigning champs, Penn State University – were introduced to their 2016 Board of Directors and enjoyed some comic relief from the talented impressionist and comedian, Frank Caliendo. He entertained everyone with his accurate portrayals of Donald Trump, Charles Barkley, John Madden and so many others. It was a great way to end the productive and busy week!

MAKE PLANS NOW TO JOIN US IN ORLANDO We’ll be helping you ‘Make the Turn’ in Orlando when we host the 2017 Golf Industry Show at the Orange County Convention Center, February 4-9.

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CHIP IN TO MAKE AN IMPACT Helping the RGGCSA is as simple as donating a round of golf for the Rounds 4 Research auction.

Visit Rounds4Research .com to donate today.

Hurry!

Auction Starts April 1!

Click here to donate

Westacott wins GCSAA National Championship Shawn Westacott, superintendent at Maridoe GC in Carrollton, Texas, withstood a full field of competitors and the rigors of both Aviara GC and the South Course at Torrey Pines to win the GCSAA title after numerous runner-up finishes in previous events.

Westacott's two-day total of 5-over-par 149 was four shots better than another Texan, defending champion Matt Cowan from the Fazio Canyons Course at Barton Creek in Austin. More than 450 players competed in some aspect of the event, which was sponsored for the 22nd-consecutive year by The Toro Co.

Fun in the Sun - Jimmy Rodriguez and Laurie Meredith hitting the slopes this winter. Got some good ski photos? Send them our way, we would love to share!

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