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March April Issue of the TeeOff Newsletter
Citation preview
I was recently
asked, “What is a golf su-
perintendent?” Images
started flashing through my
brain much like the Chevy
Silverado television com-
mercial when a man asks
his neighbor, “What do you
do?” In short I told my en-
quirer that a golf superin-
tendent is the person that
provides people the ability
to play golf.
Over the years this
profession has evolved into
a position of management
that includes financial, per-
sonnel, Human Resources,
natural resources, safety,
and public relations to name
a few. These areas are a far
cry from agronomy and
plant health, in which most
of us are educated. At
times I feel the position of
golf course superintendent
is more of a calling than an
actual profession because
we all share a passion for
what we do and not many
individuals would be will-
ing to do what we do with
so little recognition. But
those of us who have an-
swered “the call” do not
require recognition, al-
though it is appreciated
when it is offered. Many of
us would prefer to stay out
of the spotlight and remain
behind the scenes like “The
Wizard of Oz” (pay no at-
tention to the man behind the
screen).
The sheer fact is that
we are problem solvers, pe-
riod. Seriously, think of
your typical day…irrigation
systems malfunctioning,
crew members not showing
up on time, mechanical fail-
ure on the 4th green during
aerification, or its 107 de-
grees, your greens have not
been watered for 3 days,
your pumps just stopped, and
your Club’s member-guest
tournament is tomorrow
morning (Don’t ask). Our
days are filled with figuring
out how to get things done,
how to do things better, or
(Continued on page 2)
Presidents Message By Josh Heptig
TEE-OFF News March/April 2013
Attention Assistant Superintendents
3
Permits, Inspections & More Meeting Schedules
4 5
Around the Green 6
From the Field 9
Highlights from GIS 10
Association Activities 11
Inside this issue:
Official Publication of the Golf Course Superinten-
dents Association of Central California. The purpose of this publication is informa-tion and education for the membership. Published
bi-monthly by
GCSACC
5322 N. Leonard
Clovis, CA 93619
Phone (559) 298-4853
Fax (559) 298-6957
Email [email protected]
Bob Schneiderhan,
Newsletter Chairman
Mike Scott, CGCS, Editor
Attention Assistant Superintendents by Troy Thompson
In this article I am
going to discuss three im-
portant items any Assistant
Golf Course Superinten-
dent needs to know and
understand. Of course I
will preface this by saying
that these are my top three.
In upcoming articles this
list will grow. If anyone
would like to comment
about the subjects that I
discuss below please feel
free to call me, Troy
Thompson, at 559-312-
6270.
1) After talking to my
General Managers, Fore-
men, and Mechanics, the
one skill they wish Assis-
tants would have a better
understanding about is how
to efficiently manage a crew.
Efficiently means making
sure jobs get done correctly
in an allotted amount of
time, that jobs are performed
during a part of the day that
(Continued on page 3)
Page 2
President’s Message-Continued from page 1
TEE-OFF News
asking ourselves if there is a better
way.
Many innovative solutions
have been developed by superinten-
dents out of necessity that help many
related industries today. Take a look
through any golf maintenance cata-
log and you see hundreds, if not
thousands, of examples of the inno-
vative ideas that superintendents
have had coupled with the desire to
create a solution, but no foresight to
patent. Instead he or she shared the
solution with colleagues so they too
would have a solution.
We are a hardy bunch filled
with big hearts, self-determination,
and a willingness to give whatever it
takes to get the job done. I am very
proud to call myself a golf superin-
tendent and to be connected to such
a great group of persons throughout
the world. The golf industry is pull-
ing itself out of a difficult time and
we all need to band together to find
the solutions to the challenges of our
industry. These challenges are to
grow the game of golf, make the
game more fun and enjoyable, and
make the game more affordable so
the first two items are more likely to
happen. Many would say, “Well
that’s not my job,” but not us, we are
superintendents and finding solu-
tions is what we do! Water woes,
government regulations, and finan-
cial security (personally or profes-
sionally) are all problems concerning
us, but solutions become easier if we
can achieve these three items.
It is not that these issues are
brand new as many people have
been seeking the solutions to these
challenges for quite some time. I
implore you to increase your in-
volvement at your facility, within
your community, with our chapter,
and with our national golf organiza-
tions to spread the game of golf in an
effort to help the golf industry thrive
once more. Our profession relies
upon each of us. I would like to
thank each of you for answering “the
call” to become part of this fraternal
group. Keep the creative juices
flowing by joining me and the rest of
our chapter members at a meeting or
two this year. I look forward to
shaking your hand and thanking you
in person. Best wishes!
Josh Heptig
Page 3 TEE-OFF News
can be done with high productivity,
and the most important part is that
the day is planned out before it hap-
pens. In today’s golfing world labor
is money. Of course that comment
should not be anything new. Most
budgets have labor lines that make
up over 55 percent of the mainte-
nance budget. It is truly amazing
how many of us Superintendents
could do better. Just by networking
and talking to other Superintendents
I have found better, easier, and more
efficient ways of doing daily tasks.
We also need to allow our Assistants
to make efficiency mistakes so they
can learn before they get held to the
fire. Most of the time the Superin-
tendent does the daily schedule and
the Assistant implements it. Unfor-
tunately this does not help an aspir-
ing Assistant learn how to schedule.
It is very hard for us to give up this
responsibility because it is the num-
ber one thing we do every day that
makes us look good or makes us
look like we have no idea what is
going on in our department when our
members get onto the golf course.
2) Spend some time with the me-
chanic. At some point in your career
your mechanic will either go on va-
cation, quit, get fired, or need help.
If you do not have a good basic
knowledge of how to work on the
turf equipment you will make a
quick hire that will probably not be
the best candidate. Plus if you have
a good knowledge of the equipment
you can ask educated questions to
see if the candidate truly knows what
they are talking about. Learn the
cutting unit. What is the attitude of
cut? When should you use solid vs.
whillie rollers? How do you grind,
set heights, and adjust cutting units?
How do you perform the weekly
checks on the tees and green mow-
ers? How do you trouble shoot
equipment that does not want to
start? Why is tire pressure so impor-
tant to cutting heights? How do you
use the troubleshooting lights on
most equipment to find out what is
wrong? How do you mount a tire on
a rim? How do you read wiring dia-
grams and part break down books?
Remember if a mower is not cutting
properly you are the one everyone
will blame. If you get an under-
standing of the above questions your
conversation with your mechanic
will also be much more productive.
3) Here is a statistic you need to
know in depth. There is a 99 percent
chance you will NOT retire as a Golf
Course Superintendent. Start talking
to the people that have been in this
industry for over ten years. Ask
them how many people they know
that have retired as a Golf Course
Superintendent. Now ask them how
many people they know that are no
longer in the industry. Understand
you are an employee. Your signa-
ture is not on the lower right hand of
the checks. Pay attention to your
life; your wife and family. There is
a balance. Yes, your job makes it
possible to have the house, car and
life style. What good are these ma-
terial items when you have no one to
share them with? Most people move
onto different careers. Plan for this.
Continue your education in fields
you enjoy. Make contacts in other
business types that interest you.
Most people outside the golf indus-
try have no idea how good of a per-
sonnel manager, money manager,
time manager and sales person we as
Golf Course Superintendents are. If
you stay in this profession long
enough you will be fired. Be pre-
pared.
I have been a Golf Course Superin-
tendent for 16 years, in the business
for 26 years. I would not change a
thing. The successes have been
worth the hard work.
Attention Assistant Superintendents Continued from page 1
WELCOME NEW MEMBER
Jon Paul Brinkman
Turf Star, Inc.
Class Affiliate
Troy Thompson
Senior Agronomist
CourseCo/Valley Oaks Golf
Page 4
TEE-OFF News
Working as a golf course
superintendent over the past several
years I have noticed that the num-
ber of permits we are required to
maintain seems to increase each
year. Many of these permits addi-
tionally require inspections by vari-
ous individuals. Over the past sev-
eral months Airways Golf Course
has received a number of visits by
different regulatory or compliance
officers. Just last week I was lucky
enough to participate in the courses
three year visit from the Depart-
ment of Public Health – Environ-
mental Health Division inspector.
This is a routine inspection
of any property that stores certain
levels of, or generates, any hazard-
ous waste/materials. Effective last
year the county of Fresno initiated
mandatory online submission of all
Hazardous Materials Business
Plans (HMBP), so I was sure that
the paperwork was up to date and
the inspection went well, with only
some minor posting and training
issues that I needed to correct. I
installed new labeling on the waste
oil and oil filter drums and posted
the required emergency contact
form near the telephone at the shop,
including the map of the facility
from the HMBP. I was also lacking
a documented attendance log from
the safety training of the golf
course staff in the event of a haz-
ardous material/waste spill requir-
ing evacuation of the facility.
When I reviewed the plan
with staff I also had the opportunity
to explain what is classed as a haz-
ardous material and safe ways to
store and work around these chemi-
cals.
In early February it was the
San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution
Control District’s (SJVUAPCD)
turn to perform their annual inspec-
tion. At Airways, our fuel tank is a
ConVault duel 500 aboveground
tank with standard pumps similar to
what you would find at your local
gas station. This year no issues
were found with our fuel tank, that
has typically not been the case.
Last year the hose retractor needed
adjustment, it was out of compli-
ance with executive order 6-70-116.
The adjustment was made and the
follow-up inspection went fine.
Two years ago we had a (Continued on page 7)
Permits, Inspections and More By Steven Showers
Page 5
TEE-OFF News
April 3, 2013
Spring Educational Symposium
Ridge Creek
Dinuba Golf Club Host Superintendent
Rob Lomeli
Educational Topics
Experience at Ridge Creek
Continued Education—DPR—PDI
PCA/PCO
July 15, 2013
Al Glaze Memorial Scholarship &
Research Tournament
San Luis Obispo Country Club Host Superintendent
Joe Tompkins
August 5, 2013
Tri Chapter Meeting
Hosted by Central California
Spring Creek Country Club
Host Superintendent
Phil Brown
Meeting Schedule
TURF PRO 2013
Dairy Creek Golf Course
2990 Dairy Creek Rd.
San Luis Obispo, CA
April 10, 2013 June 12, 2013
September 11, 2013 November 13, 2013
Copper River Country Club
11500 N. Friant Rd.
Fresno, CA
April 11, 2013 June 13, 2013
September 12, 2013 November 14, 2013
For Additional Information Contact
Mike Cline (559) 269-7342
Around the Green by Mike Cline
Page 6 TEE-OFF News
It’s been a couple of months
since my last Around the Green but
for the most part, it’s been pretty
quiet. The early rains of December
turned into the cold, dry months of
January and February and now eve-
ryone is worried about water, and
the costs associated with keeping
turf alive. Here’s a little bit of
what’s going on around the chapter;
Chuck Duren has taken
over the reins at Riverside Golf
Course in Fresno as the new Super-
intendent. Chuck was formerly at
Elkhorn Golf Course in Stockton
and before that, at Merced Country
Club. Give Chuck a call and wel-
come him to the area.
Sierra Golf Management
has taken over the management of
Tracy Country Club, reports Jon
Christensen. In addition to Tracy,
Jon also indicated that they would
be managing Mace Meadows Golf
Course in Pioneer California on a
10 month contract year.
Normally we talk about
people and events in our Around the
Green articles, but I thought this
might catch some of your interests.
WILCO Distributors Inc, the mak-
ers of Wilco Gopher and Ground
Squirrel Baits has decided to exit the
Strychnine market effective immedi-
ately. The reasons for the move
were the ever growing difficulties of
buying and transporting the active
ingredient strychnine. Between
supply issues with India, dealing
with Home Land Security with re-
gards to importing product, techni-
cal supplies were just too unpredict-
able and so they decided to exit the
market. To replace the single feed
gopher baits formally done with
strychnine, WILCO will now offer a
Restricted Use Zinc AG bait to take
its place. Stay tune to this ever
changing story line.
I know there was much high
praise for our January Meeting at
Sand Piper Golf Course during our
last GCSACC newsletter, but I
would like to add my thanks and
congratulations to Tennessee
McBroom and his entire staff.
Wonderful meeting and I believe a
first ever GCSACC meeting in
Santa Barbara. If you’d like to see
more meetings in the Santa Barbara
area, let your board of directors
know as they plan for next year.
I would like to plug for our
April 3, 2013 GCSACC Educational
Symposium at Ridge Creek Golf
Course in Dinuba. You’ll get 2
hours of continuing education from
DPR, in addition to PDI points. The
meeting will lay out the vision for
the 2013 “Experience at Ridge
Creek” field day to be held this Oc-
tober 2nd. We should have a great
day of golf, and some great food.
Hope to see you there.
Every issue I try to feature a
superintendent that many of you
may not know. Normally it’s a
younger superintendent, or someone
at a small club who isn’t able to
make a lot of meetings. This time
might be the exception as our fea-
tured Superintendent is Lowell
Stone. Lowell has been a Superin-
tendent since 1963 so he will be
coming up on 50 years in the busi-
ness very soon. It might also be
noted that Lowell was a part of the
original group that started the Cen-
tral Chapter of the GCSAA. Not
quite as active in chapter politics as
he once was,
Lowell still
has an opinion
and isn’t
afraid to let
you know
when it comes
to the chap-
ter’s health and
well being. Here is a listing of
Lowell’s jobs over the last 50 years;
Sunnyside C. C. – Fresno – 1963
Stockdale C. C. – Bakersfield – 1979
Madera G. C. – Madera – 1992
Madera C. C. – Madera – 2000
Lowell has actually had
three tour of duties at Madera Coun-
try Club between 2000 and today.
Each time he leaves, he gets called
back to help out.
Here’s 10 Things You Did-
n’t Know About Superintendent
Lowell Stone
First job in golf?
My first job in golf was as a caddie
at Stockdale Country Club. I think
I was 8 or 9 years old at the time.
My father worked at the club and
we lived in housing furnished by
the club for employees. Not sure
you could do that now!
What was your first manage-
ment job in golf?
My first management job in golf
was right after I got out of the
Navy, I went to work for my
brother Owen at Belmont Country
Club. I’d been there a while when I
asked Owen what my job was and
he told me I was the assistant su-
perintendent. First I’d heard of it,
but I didn’t turn the job down.
What do you like to do when
you’re not at work?
(Continued on page 8)
Lowell Stone
Page 7 TEE-OFF News
Permits, Inspections, & More Continued from page 4
cracked phase II vapor recovery
hose, this is a violation of the
SJVUAPCD rules and regulations.
In addition to replacing the hose, the
course was assessed a fine of
$150.00. Since this was our first
violation I was able to attend a Com-
pliance Training Course and the fine
was waived. There are some new
requirements for above ground tanks
this year, including the installation
of a new pressure/vacuum vent valve
and painting the tank with a reflec-
tive coating. There are exemptions
for some existing tanks and I am in
the process of confirming whether or
not the new requirements apply to
the tank in use at the course.
Last November an inspec-
tion of the facility was performed by
the State of California Department of
Pesticide Regulation inspector, each
individual county conducts these
inspections, so my inspector was
from the Fresno County office. No
issues were found during the inspec-
tion and the course didn’t receive
any violation notices. One of the
ways to limit areas of concern for the
inspector is to maintain training re-
cords for any employee who comes
in contact with chemicals as they are
being applied to the golf course.
Although I only have one employee
who actually handles pesticides and
is required to undergo training for
each chemical that he applies. I am
sure to hold at least one safety meet-
ing a year regarding the use of pesti-
cides with all employees and keep a
copy of the training log with my per-
mit as well as a copy in the safety
folder file.
These are just three exam-
ples of the regulatory districts/
government bureaus that effect the
way we operate our golf courses. In
the City of Fresno we are also re-
quired to annually apply for, and
receive approval of, a watering ex-
emption permit, that allows us to
water seven days per week. I am
sure we have all tailored our training
programs and documentation of the
various permits and inspections in a
way that eases the impact of these
chores on what should be our first
priority of providing the best possi-
ble course conditions to our clien-
tele.
For over 80 years the
specialty seed source for:
-Native Grasses and
Wildflowers
-Kikuyu, Paspalum,
Hybrid Bermuda
-Bentgrasses, Fine
Fescues, Ryegrasses
Golf Course Representatives:
Jim Culley 213-268-3193
Don Lewis 213-247-3266
Home Office: 800-621-0315
www.stoverseed.com
Page 8 TEE-OFF News
Golf Course Materials
Topdressing Sand - Bunker Sand
Decomposed Granite - Drain Rock
1/8” Minus Turf & Tee Bulk Humus
Brush Removal Call for competitive rates
David Knott, Inc. (559) 449-8935 or (559) 760-5387
Around the Green Continued from page 6
When I’m not at work I love to
read. I have a Kindle and I must
have 50 books on it. Sure is easy,
just order up a book and give them
your credit card and away you go.
Who is your favorite sports
team and why?
My favorite sports team is the Gi-
ants. I can’t say the San Francisco
Giants because I fell in love with
them when they where the New
York Giants and they had Willie
Mays playing for them. They won
the World Series then they moved
to San Francisco, how perfect was
that.
If you could pick one meal,
what would it be?
My favorite meal is Carne Asada
Taco’s made by my crew at Madera
CC. Don’t know how they do it but
I just love those things.
What’s your favorite part of
being a golf course superinten-
dent?
My favorite part of the job is being
outside, but even more, being at
Madera Country Club and watching
the back side greens that were built
by my dad in 1962. I got to help
with the construction, but seeing
them brings back great memories.
What’s your least favorite part
of being a golf course superin-
tendent?
My least favorite part of the job is
members. Not all, some are won-
derful, but you always have a bunch
of them who are ruthless.
What’s your favorite band?
My favorite band is Bob Wills; do
you know who that is? How about
Merle Haggard and the Strangers?
On a personal note, I know that
Lowell should have named his favor-
ite band as the one he played with
Buck Owens in the days of the
Cousin Herb Show in Bakersfield on
channel 10. Now that was some his-
tory.
What’s your favorite song?
My favorite song is “Welcome to
My World” by Jim Reeves.
What’s your favorite movie?
My favorite movie is Shawshank
Redemption. Not a really warm and
fuzzy film but I just love to watch
it.
Well that’s all for this issue but if
you know of anything that you think
members might like to hear about,
let me know, and we’ll see you
“Around the Green”.
The GCSA of Central California
is now on Facebook and Twitter.
Check it out!
Page 9 TEE-OFF News
First and fore-
most, I would
like to take a
moment to thank
all of our GCSA
of Central Cali-
fornia members
for their partici-
pation in the
2013 GCSAA
Education Conference and Golf In-
dustry Show and the National
Championship and Golf Classic.
Without the support of our affiliated
chapters, we would not be able to
stage these successful events.
The GCSAA Education
Conference and Golf Industry Show
featured 13,192 attendees spread
over nearly 173,000 square feet of
exhibit space. 517 exhibitors par-
ticipated and 4,560 seminar seats
were filled. Additionally, the annual
California Room event aboard the
U.S.S. Midway was a complete sell-
out with 650 California GCSA
members and guests in attendance.
The National Championship
and Golf Classic featured nearly
450 participants. Charlie Costello,
Class A superintendent at Phoenix
Country Club claimed the GCSAA
National Championship firing a two
-day total of 3-over-par 147. Cen-
tral California was well represented
with defending champion Mike
Stieler tying for second at 148.
If you want to relive both
events, visit the "Hub," at http://
social.gcsaa.org/. The “Hub” is a
dynamic compilation of feeds from
the GCM blog, GCSAA TV, Twit-
ter, Facebook and Flick, plus overall
highlights from both events.
In other news and notes, I wanted to
make you aware of some facts and
figures from the recently released
2011 Golf Economy Report. This
report was researched by SRI Inter-
national and commissioned by the
World Golf Foundation and Golf
20/20. As an industry, it’s impor-
tant that we cite the economic activ-
ity supported by golf to the media,
public and various government
agencies. A few highlights that I
feel are important in relaying our
message:
The U.S. golf
economy gener-
ated $68.8 bil-
lion of goods
and services in
2011
Golf generated a
total economic
impact of $176.8
billion in 2011
Golf supported
1.98 million jobs
with a wage in-
come of $55.6
billion in 2011
Golf attracted
25.7 million par-
ticipants in 2011
Revenues gener-
ated by golf’s
core industries
exceeds that of
spectator sports,
performing arts,
and other amuse-
ment and recrea-
tion industries
While the industry has certainly had
its share of struggles over the past 5
years, these numbers prove that golf
continues to offer lifelong recrea-
tional opportunities and enjoyment
for millions. Keep these figures in
mind when you are promoting your
profession and the game.
Thank you again for all of your sup-
port and if I can be of assistance,
don’t hesitate to contact me at jjen-
[email protected] or follow me on
Twitter @GCSAA_SW.
From the Field Jeff Jensen GCSAA Field Staff
Jeff Jensen
Page 10
TEE-OFF News
Event Highlights GIS San Diego & USS Midway
The California GCSA held the
annual “California Room” on the
USS Midway in San Diego. Pic-
tured on the deck of the carrier at
left are Joel Clay and Brian Daum.
At right Bruce Williams and Irene
Cline. Pictured below are Gordon
Vosti, George Raymond, and
Mike Hollarman.
Pictured above are Michael and
Sandra Barber with Chuck Talley.
At right is
Dave Rosen-
straugh,
CGCS.
Below is
Gordon
Vosti Above Josh Heptig, Joel Clay with
his son Jeremy
Pictured at the
right and left are
two of our newest
members. At left
Ryan Bentley and
at right is Jay Ing-
ham. At right is Steve Scar-
brough, CGCS
Below are Ken Mauser and Mike Cline
Page 11
TEE-OFF News
Association Board Activities
Pictured above is Troy Thompson, VP for the Central California
GCSA presenting a $2500 check to Mike Firpo of the First Tee
of Fresno. The Central California GCSA remains committed to
the programs that are dedicated to providing children and teens
an opportunity to develop, through golf and character education,
life enhancing values such as honesty, integrity, and sportsman-
ship. These programs help promote the game of golf in a positive
manner.
March 19—20, Troy Thompson represented the Central Cali-
fornia Chapter while attending the GCSAA Chapter Leadership
Symposium. During this networking opportunity Troy had the
opportunity to meet with 54 chapter leaders and executives rep-
resenting 25 different chapters across the nation.
During this symposium participants learned practical skills and
knowledge to help successfully lead the golf facility and their
chapter. They addressed current issues and future trends im-
pacting the golf course superintendents profession
Picture at left is
Troy Thompson in
front of the
GCSAA Headquar-
ters in Lawrence
Kansas.
At left is Troy
discussing
further infor-
mation with
Dick Stuntz-
National Golf
Course Own-
ers Associa-
tion Board of
Director for-
PRESIDENT
JOSH HEPTIG
SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY
SECRETARY/TREASURER VICE PRESIDENT
BRIAN DAUM TROY THOMPSON
VALLEY CREST/PALO ALTO G.C. VALLEY OAKS GOLF COURSE
2013 GCSACC BOARD OF DIRECTORS
STEVEN SHOWERS
AIRWAYS G. C.
TENNESSEE MCBROOM
SANDPIPER GOLF COURSE
BOB SCHNEIDERHAN
CAL POLY SLO
KEVIN EPPICH
TURF STAR
MICHAEL CLINE
WILBUR ELLIS COMPANY
BOARD MEMBERS
EXECUTIVE STAFF
IRENE CLINE/KIMBERLY MILNE
PHONE (559) 298-4853 FAX (559) 298-6957
EMAIL [email protected]
SCOTT WALWYN
THE VILLAGE C.C.