01 11-12 nov/dec 2010 sierra nevada gcsa newsletter

On December

16th, the Sierra Nevada

GCSA Board of Directors

met with Steve Randall of

GCSAA to examine the

current condition of the

Association and to set

goals for the coming

year. This day-long

meeting is conducted

each year to map a direc-

tion for the future. Using

a SCOR analysis, with

Mr. Randall leading the

way, we explore our

strong points and also

identify the chinks in our

armor. From that point

we can review the mis-

sion statement and vi-

sions of the Sierra Ne-

vada and finally, pick out

a few goals for the com-

ing year.

Our new Board

of Directors includes

Scott Dickson as Past

President, Jim Alwine as

President, Jeff Couwen-

hoven as Vice President,

Jeremy Payne as Secre-

tary Treasurer, Phil

Brown, David Bermudez,

Jesse Sequin, Frank Put-

nam, Dave Wilber, and

Pete Bowman as Direc-

tors. This is an energetic

and upbeat group that is

committed to achieving

the goals outlined during

the Strategic Planning

session.

Last year, our

main goal was to develop

a concentrated education

series based on the most

important topic in our

region: “WATER.” Jeff,

Jeremy, and Dave Wilber

did a wonderful job lining

up innovative and engag-

ing speakers throughout

the year. This year will

include a new theme put

(Continued on page 7)

BOA R D O F D I R EC TORS Strategic Planning 2011

By Jim Alwine

November/December 2010

Dates to Remember

February 7 — 11, 2011

GCSAA Annual

Conference and Show

Orlando, Florida

I N S I D E T H I S I S S U E :

President’s Message 2

Meeting Schedule 3

Wilber’s News 4

Conference & Golf Championship

5

Code of Ethics

6

GCSAA Delegates Meeting Government Relations

8

10

Introducing Green Golf USA

12

FORE YOUR INFORMATION

Sierra Nevada GCSA

An Affiliate Chapter of

the Golf Course

Superintendents

Association of America

The Governmental Re-

lations Committee for the

California Golf Course

Superintendents Associa-

tion continues to monitor

legislation that will impact

the golf course industry.

There are three large chal-

lenges going forward that

golf operations will face in

the near future and golf

course superintendents

really need to be mindful

of each one.

The first is the im-

pact that the Golby 11 law-

suit of pesticide restric-

tions in Northern Califor-

nia will have on other ar-

eas within California

where there might be

documented endangered

species and habitat. Pesti-

cide manufacturers are

very wary of this move-

ment currently being moni-

tored by the EPA and how

easily it might spread to

other counties in California

by advocacy groups such

as the Center for Biologi-

cal Diversity.

The second con-

cern is the future regula-

tory and restrictive effect

that the NPDES (National

Pollution Discharge Elimi-

nation System) will have

on pesticide applications

on golf courses near water

(Continued on page 11)

Governmental Relations By Jim Ferrin, CGCS

I am very happy

and honored to be writ-

ing to you in my first

President‟s Message.

The Sierra Nevada

GCSA has impacted my

life well before I made

the move to California,

nearly eight years ago. It was the relation-

ships I built with superintendents and sales-

people that got me where I am today. I know

many other people who share the same story

of moving through the ranks of student, to

assistant, to head Superintendent, all with the

support of their peers in the Association. As

President, I hope to continue the trend of ad-

vancement for our members by making our

relationships with one another as strong as

possible. We are the support network for the

new guy up the road, the first year superin-

tendent, and the eager student that just wants

a foot in the door. It‟s a chance to give back

to people who would do the same for the rest

of us.

Of all the California State Chapters, I

firmly believe we are part of the best one

around. Our membership numbers are

strong, golf courses are unique and excellent,

and frankly, we have more fun. Each meet-

ing is another opportunity to spend some time

with people whose company is very easy to

enjoy. The wealth of knowledge in a room

full of Sierra Nevada superintendents is im-

pressive and so is the fact that each one

would be happy to offer some advice or in-

sight to his neighbor. To me, that is the num-

ber one reason to be a part of this Associa-

tion. Our members are a living library of turf

know-how that is open very early in the

morning.

This past year was successful in

many ways. Our past President, Scott Dick-

son, and the Board of Directors led multiple

initiatives to fine tune the Sierra Nevada

GCSA. The annual awards (look for the

nomination forms coming your way in the

mail) were redesigned and well received at

the Grass Roots Tournament. The “Water

Education Series” was very informative and

timely for superintendents expanding their

environmental awareness. The wide range of

meetings was well attended and enjoyed by

all who made the trip. Finally, the SNGCSA

continued to support local research and to pro-

vide scholarships to future leaders in our in-

dustry.

We have a lot to be proud of and this

coming year will continue to build on our past

success. The meeting schedule is coming to-

gether very nicely with visits to courses that

have not been on the calendar for a number of

years. Educational opportunities will be of the

„can‟t miss‟ variety concentrating on the major

topics of today‟s GC maintenance. Encourage

your peers to attend and I know they will not

be disappointed.

If there are any comments, com-

plaints, or suggestions you would like to ex-

press, please do not hesitate to contact me di-

rectly. This is your association and while it

may be impossible to make everyone happy, it

is still worth a try.

May you all have a very merry Christ-

mas and a safe and happy New Year!!

PR E S I D E N T ’S ME S S A G E J I M A L W I N E

Fore Your Information


EDITOR

Jim Alwine

Stockton Golf & Country Club

209-462-6734

OFFICE

SNGCSA

5322 N. Leonard

Clovis, CA 93619

559-298-6262

Fax# 559-298-6957

[email protected]

PRESIDENT

Jim Alwine

Stockton Golf & Country Club

209-462-6734

VICE PRESIDENT

Jeff Couwenhoven

Woodcreek Golf Course

916-771-7370

SECRETARY/TREASURER

Jeremy Payne

Winchester C.C.

916-817-8106

PAST PRESIDENT

Scott Dickson

Saddle Creek Resort

209-785-3701

DIRECTORS

Dave Bermudez

Del Rio Golf & Country Club

209-341-2413

Frank Putnam

Mace Meadows Golf & C.C.

209-295-7773

Jesse Seguin

Lincoln Hills Golf Course

916-434-7200

Phil Brown

Spring Creek C.C.

209-599-3747

Affiliate Representatives

Dave Wilber

Sierra Pacific Turf Supply

916-630-7600

Pete Bowman

Target Specialty Products

916-396-9394

FORE YOUR INFORMATION

Published by the Sierra Nevada Golf

Course Superintendents Association

800 MOSSDALE RD, LATHROP, CA.

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mailto:[email protected]


ME E T I N G SC H ED U L E January 2011

Happy New Year! No Meeting Scheduled

February 7 — 11, 2011 GCSAA Annual Conference and

March 2011

Annual Grass Roots Tournament Location to be confirmed

April 18, 2011

Peach Tree Golf & C.C. Host Superintendent

Stacy Baker

May 2011

Confirmation Pending

June 2011 Date Pending Confirmation

Darkhorse Golf Club Host Superintendent

Tracy Shanahan

July 2011

2011 Scholarship & Research Tournament

Confirmation Pending

August 22, 2011

2011 Tri Chapter Meeting

Stockton Golf & C.C. Hosted by Jim Alwine

If you are interested in hosting a meeting email Jeremy Payne at [email protected] Or

Dave Wilber at [email protected]

Special

thanks go to

Scott Dickson as outgoing

president of the

SNGCSA. Sad-

dle Creek is

fortunate to

have Scott and

so were we.

Tim Sedgley is the new

superintendent at Poplar Creek GC

in San Mateo.

Dustin Strickland has left

El Macero CC in Davis, CA to take

the helm at Silverado CC in Napa.

Both properties are managed by

Troon Golf.

Craig Heitman, formerly

Assistant Superintendent at Wood-

bridge GCC is now the Superinten-

dent of The Reserve at Spanos in

Stockton, CA.

Rodney Muller takes over

at Empire Ranch in Folsom as the

new Superintendent.

Pete Bowman of Target

Specialty Products joins the

SNGCSA board as one of the two

affiliate reps. Justin Fowler of

CPS has done a fine job for his two

year term and will be missed.

We are seeking meeting

sites for 2011 and 2012. If you are

interested in hosting, contact Pete

Bowman or Jeremy Payne.


W I L B E R 'S S I E R R A NE VA DA NE W S By Dave Wilber

Colby Gunsch

receives his

plaque in appre-

ciation of his

service to the

board of direc-

tors.

Association

President Jim

Alwine pre-

sents Justin

Fowler with his

plaque in ap-

preciation for

his service to

the board of

directors.

Dave Wilber

2010 Conference and Golf Championship By Phil Brown


Recently, the Golf Course

Superintendents Association of Cali-

fornia hosted their Annual State Con-

ference and Golf Championship. It

was held at the beautiful Pacific

Palms Hotel and Conference Center

of Industry Hills located in Southern

California. With a well supported

turnout of over 120 attendees for

meetings, professional networking,

and golf, it was apparent that every-

one had a great time. Besides the

power house agenda of educational

speakers, our own members of the

state Board of Directors delivered

some very pertinent information that

will have a direct affect on how all of

us will or should be conducting our

own place of businesses in the not too

distant future. From Government Re-

lations to Environmental Stewardship

programs, soil sustainability and salt

leaching fractions for turf irrigation,

as well as irrigation system design,

there was an incredible amount of

take-home subject matter that many of

us would benefit from. However, the

highlight of the education portion of

the conference was definitely the

presentation from our keynote

speaker, John Semckem, Developer

and Owner of The Pacific Palms Re-

sort. He had the most incredible fun

spirited way of taking all of us down

his journey through his successes of

being a Naval Top Gun Pilot to his

current endeavor as the Developer of

an ultra futuristic NFL Stadium in the

City of Industry.

If the education portion of the

this conference wasn‟t enough to fill

your palette for knowledge, then it

could definitely be said that the Wel-

come Reception, Monday Night Foot-

ball/Casino Night and all of the sump-

tuous food and beverage provided

throughout the conference was top

shelf catering, to say the least. The

entertainment portion of the event,

while watching football in a very up-

scale, but relaxing lounge of big screen

monitors and posh leather chairs made

the evening quite enjoyable for all

those in attendance. Needless to say,

the Casino Night brought about a gam-

bler‟s excitement of high stakes bet-

ting, with the help of some association

sponsored “funny money” in an effort

to win back raffle tickets that were

drawn at the end of the night for some

great prizes, like digital cameras, cam-

corders and even an Ipad. Congratula-

tions to all those winners that were

able to make it through the night and

have their lucky numbers drawn!

The real winners of the night,

as well as the entire three day confer-

ence were really everyone that got to

stay at The Pacific Palms Hotel deluxe

accommodations. Everything about

this facility was exceptional. From the

conference rooms, the dining experi-

ence, to the luxury guestrooms, every-

thing was done in good taste.

As for those individuals that

helped make this year‟s Annual Confer-

ence and Golf Championship a huge

success, our hats go off to the Annual

Conference Committee for selecting

such a wonderful venue, securing a line

up of terrific educational speakers, and

providing a host of social activities that

allowed everyone to interact with one

another and have a great time. Besides

the extraordinary efforts of our Confer-

ence Committee, the good folks at Hus-

tler Turf Equipment should be recog-

nized, once again, for their generous

sponsorship of this year‟s conference.

Along with our major sponsor, is a long

list of other affiliated companies that

helped to make this Conference and

Golf Championship such a great event

to be a part of. Lastly, a great deal of

appreciation needs to

go out to our host

Superintendent Adam

Kloster, CGCS and

all the members of his

staff at Industry Hills

Golf Club, in provid-

ing all the partici-

pants with a wonder-

ful golf course and a

terrific day to play.

Phone: 209-772-9698

Cell: 209-482-5021 Woody Thorpe

Agriox

Penterra

Hydrahawk

Realize the economy of

basic soil inputs

SOYAPLEX™

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Phil Brown

As the

year comes

to an end

and the earth

continues to

rotate,

(Believe it

or not!) it

offers a time

for reflec-

tion and

analysis.

We here at

the Sierra

Nevada Superintendents Associa-

tion Board of Directors have also

done this. As we analyzed our past

year we felt it important to recog-

nize that we are a collection of su-

perintendents who like to get to-

gether, have meetings, education

and play golf. These social and edu-

cational activities are a key ingredi-

ent to who we are. We do have a

standard of behavior and felt it was

necessary to put our code of ethics

in this month‟s newsletter. Remem-

ber, this is a fabulous time of the

year in which family and friends get

together and celebrate the season.

Please, do it safely, we all would

like to see everyone at our next

function.

Sierra Nevada Golf Course

Superintendents Association

CODE OF ETHICS

1. Recognize and discharge all my

responsibilities and duties in such a

fashion as to be a credit to this As-

sociation and profession.

2. Practice and insist upon sound

business and turf management prin-

ciples in exercising the responsibili-

ties of my position.

3. Utilize every practicable opportu-

nity to expand my professional

knowledge, thereby improving my-

self and my profession.

4. Maintain the highest standards of

personal conduct to reflect credit

and add to the stature of the profes-

sion of the golf course superinten-

dent.

5. Base endorsements, either written

or verbal by means of any medium,

strictly upon satisfactory personal

experience within the item identi-

fied.

6. Refrain from encouraging or ac-

cepting considerations of any value

without the express understanding

of all parties that said consideration

is available to all in similar circum-

stances, and that no action shall be

forthcoming as a result of accep-

tance.

7. Recognize and observe the high-

est standards of integrity in my rela-

tionships with fellow golf course

superintendents and others associ-

ated with this profession and indus-

try.

8. Assist my fellow superintendents

in all ways consistent with my abili-

ties, but only when called upon to

do so and with the incumbent super-

intendent‟s knowledge, participation

and acceptance.

9. Abstain from the debasement of

or encroachment upon, the profes-

sional reputation, practice or em-

ployment of another superintendent.

10. Lend my support to, and ac-

tively participate in, the efforts of

my local chapter and National Asso-

ciation to improve public under-

standing and recognition of the pro-

fession of the golf course superin-

tendent.

11. Abstain from any exploitation of

my Association, industry or profes-

sion.

12. Present information and partici-

pate as a witness in all proceedings

to which there exists evidence of a

violation of this code of ethics.


CODE OF ETHICS By Jeff Couwenhoven

Jeff Couwenhoven


together by this same cast of Board

members.

As we analyzed our

Strengths, Challenges, Opportuni-

ties, and Risks, we came across a

problem of identity. The Sierra Ne-

vada GCSA is not as recognized by

our allied organizations as we

would like. Our General Managers,

Owners, PGA and LPGA Profes-

sionals, and the golfing public

would more than likely look for a

Northern California GCSA rather

than the Sierra Nevada due to the

other organizations with NC in their

acronym. To improve our name

recognition, we will need to adver-

tise ourselves. We all are working

to improve our environment and

community, but very few of us pro-

mote those actions to the outside

world.

Over the next few months,

the Board of Directors will compile

examples of environmental steward-

ship, community involvement, and

efforts to enhance the game of golf.

Please do your part by sharing your

story so we can write articles to be

distributed to regional, state, and

national publications. The members

of the Sierra Nevada GCSA deserve

to be recognized for being the lead-

ers that they‟ve become. We have a

long history of environmental

awareness, dedication to government

relations, and representation on na-

tional committees and boards. Now

we need to promote and advertise those

Strengths to everyone outside of the

membership to make the Association

stronger.

Another major goal is in-

creased participation from the Assis-

tant Superintendents. Currently, we

have 34 Assistants as part of the

SNGCSA. Why so few? Perhaps the

employer or even the Assistant Super-

intendent does not see value in the $50

fee for membership. This year we will

seek events focused directly at the as-

sistants and future of our Association.

We will promote the positives of in-

cluding your assistant at monthly meet-

ings and increasing each one‟s network

of Superintendents and consultants.

Take a good look at your budget and

decide if $50 is worth getting your As-

sistant involved in an Association that

pays back with a support network of

peers. By the end of the year, $50 will

look like a major bargain.

At the end of a long day of

brainstorming and reflection on the

SNGCSA, our Strengths and Opportu-

nities far out numbered our Challenges

and Risks. We are still moving in the

right direction and continue to follow

our Mission Statement: The Sierra Ne-

vada GCSA is established to enhance

the profession and promote the growth

of golf through quality education and

networking opportunities for all mem-

bers.

2011

SNGCSA Officers

Strategic Planning 2011 Continued from page 1

President

Jim Alwine

Stockton Golf

and Country Club

Vice President

Jeff Couwenhoven

Woodcreek G.C./

Diamond Oaks G.C.

Secretary/ Treasurer

Jeremy Payne

Winchester

Country Club

The

GCSAA Dele-

gates meeting

held October

23rd and 24th in

Kansas City

was attended by

6 delegates rep-

resenting the

regional chap-

ters of the state,

and by Kevin

Breen representing the California

GCSAA. The state meeting is the

members‟ opportunity to influence

the leadership of GCSAA through

their delegate, and it is an important

meeting for setting the future poli-

cies, and procedures of the associa-

tion.

Before going to the dele-

gates meeting I solicited member

input to take to the delegates meet-

ing, and I will share the conversa-

tions that took place concerning

those topics in this article. A com-

plete review of the meeting has been

published in accurate and detailed

form on the California GCSAA web-

site, so please reference that article if

you desire a full review of the meet-

ing.

The dues increase was the

most requested topic by members

that I spoke to prior to attending the

meeting. In any budgeting process

there are operating costs, and reve-

nue considerations. Before revenue

in the form of a dues increase was

acceptable to the majority of dele-

gates in attendance (including my-

self), GCSAA needed to demonstrate

that costs were being cut. GCSAA

has cut staff significantly, and re-

duced costs to levels that meet reve-

nue to the point that additional cuts

will significantly affect the day to

day ability for GCSAA to meet ob-

jectives set by the members of the

association. The increase that is re-

quested is part of the standard oper-

ating procedures of the association,

and is not a special request. In fact,

the increase was eligible to be re-

quested last year, but was delayed to

this year in the hopes that the econ-

omy would be better. At the end of

the conversation between the dele-

gates and the GCSAA Board of Di-

rectors, the majority of the delegates

felt that asking the membership for

an increase was appropriate based on

keeping a balanced budget, main-

taining a strong association, and con-

tinuing to operate under the dues

increase procedures agreed to at the

2008 delegates meeting.

The GIS accounts for 48%

of GCSAA revenue, and is always a

topic at the delegates meetings. The

percentage of revenue from annual

dues would need to increase signifi-

cantly (compare to PGA of America

and other similar organizations), if

the Conference and Show revenue

were to fall significantly. Over the

past couple of years GCSAA staff

has initiated a daily schedule change,

a site rotation based on member sur-

veys, offered new classes every year,

and brought in industry partners in

the hopes of better serving the mem-

bership and keeping attendance

numbers up. Attendance numbers

have been tough to meet over the last

few years, and there may not be a

remedy that GCSAA can implement

to increase attendance, and until the

economy returns all trade shows will

probably see reduced attendance.

After a presentation by GCSAA and

discussion with the delegates, the

majority of delegates felt that

GCSAA was making significant ef-

forts to improve the GIS, and that

until the economy returns reduced

attendance will be normal, and that

costs will need to be controlled.

Field staffing has been a

regular topic of discussion at the (Continued on page 9)


GCSAA Delegates Meeting Synopsis California GCSAA delegate Kevin Breen

Verti Drain

Service

Bruce Christensen

Minden NV 89423

2754 Kayne Ave. Christensen

Turf Products

Christensen Turf Products

Tel: (775) 4502761

Fax (775-267-9382

Email: [email protected]


E-mail: [email protected]

V.M.: (800) 543-0630

Box#2417

Mob: (530) 864-6443

Paul K. Smith Sales Representative

Pest Control Advisor Western Specialty Division

HELENA CHEMICAL COMPANY

3155 Southgate Lane

Chico, Ca 95928

Bus: (530) 342-4786

(800) 554-5703

Fax: (530) 343-9047

Delegates Meeting for at least 7

years. The field staff program is

now one of GCSAA‟s biggest initia-

tives, with plans to have a field staff

representative in place over the entire

country in the next 2 years. Califor-

nia will have a field office represen-

tative in 2011. Where it is in place it

has been well received, and has in-

creased both local association mem-

bership, and member satisfaction.

The field staff program is a high pri-

ority for GCSAA and based on the

delegate feed back it is an initiative

that the majority of delegates

strongly support.

GCSAA has been part of a

number of efforts to bring the golf

course maintenance industry in alli-

ance with other industry related or-

ganizations, and communities at

large. Partnerships include the Golf

20/20 (GCSAA, CMAA,

NGCOA,PGA TOUR, USGA, PGA,

LPGA, NIKE, GCBAA), whose ini-

tiatives include Get Golf Ready Play

Golf America, The First Tee, and the

World Golf Hall of Fame. Other

partnerships and initiatives include

We Are Golf (PGA, GCOA,

CMAA), Golf‟s Drive Toward Sus-

tainability, and the EIFG. The dis-

cussions were positive regarding the

GCSAA Delegates Meeting Synopsis

Continued from page 8

efforts to align GCSAA with other

organizations, and unfortunately

Golf‟s Drive Toward Sustainability

was not well recognized or under-

stood by most delegates. GCSAA

will need to do more education on

this one initiative to bring its benefits

to the members of the association, It

is an important business model that

includes making decisions based on

the success of “people, environment,

and profit,” and I believe it will

make the game and business of golf

relevant to those who don‟t play the

game.

I appreciate those of you

who contacted me with your con-

cerns prior to the delegates meeting,

and your view point was brought

forward at the meeting. If you are

reading this and have something that

you would like to bring to the atten-

tion of GCSAA please let me know,

and I assure you your voice will be

heard. My job as the California

GCSAA delegate is to keep a two

way conversation going that

strengthens and empowers you as a

member and that in turn benefits the

association, and our industry.

Alezander Escalero

Emerald Lakes Golf Course

Class C

Jeff Bassett

Emerald Lakes Golf Course

Class C

Jacob Miller

Lahontan Golf Club

Class C

Jared Cureton

Brookside Country Club

Class C

Joe Ballmer

Syngenta

Class Affiliate

WELCOME

NEW MEMBERS

The Membership Rate for

Assistant Superintendent

is only $50.00

Have your assistant join the

SNGCSA TODAY!


Yes, we are joining the

bandwagon and taking „Fore Your

Information‟ to a digital format.

The periodical will move from

your mailbox to your inbox and

also be available on the website @

californiagcsa.org/sierranevada.

Some of you would prefer holding

the newsletter in your hands or

taking it on the go. That is still

possible, except you‟ll be printing

yourself. The benefits far out-

weigh the negative aspects.

►Over the course of a year,

this change in distribution

will save the SNGCSA

nearly $5000.

►An internet-based newsletter

will improve communica-

tion with direct links to

meeting signups, affiliate

homepages, turf blogs, and

educational resources.

►Sharing the newsletter with a

friend is as simple as for-

warding the email.

►Allied agencies will receive

the newsletter at no cost to

the SNGCSA spreading the

word on what we do and

how we do it.

►Steve Pajak will get a copy

and read something positive

about our golf courses.

If you do not currently

have email, call anyone on the

SNGCSA BOD and we will be

happy to help you set it up. We

do not want to take a benefit

away from any member, but the

plus side of this move is too sig-

nificant to ignore. As always,

we welcome any feedback from

members on this decision or any

other matter that is important to

you. Contact information can be

found on Page 2, on the left side.

TH E MOV E T O D I G I TA L B Y J I M A L W I N E

Don’t miss out on an issue, an

announcement, or important

information. Call the Association

office today to verify your email

address is correct.

559-298-6262 or

email us at [email protected]


bodies. The GCSAA is very in-

volved in the current lobbying ef-

forts to get the Federal legislative

bodies to modify this law. Defining

a spray nozzle now as a point of

pollutant discharge may make this a

very difficult obstacle to overcome.

The third regulatory stan-

dard that golf courses must comply

with over the next 13 months is the

American with Disabilities Act

(ADA). This federal law passed in

1992 was recently amended and

signed by President Obama in Au-

gust. It now predicates that existing

(prior to 1992) and recently con-

structed (post 1992 and 2002-

amended ADAAG guidelines) golf

courses accessed by the public

(meaning that if your golf course

holds public tee times, weddings, or

outside golf events) you must re-

move any barriers on golf course so

that a golfer with a disability can

play your course in a non-

discriminatory manner. The ADA

is a complaint driven law and as

you may have read from time to

time how disabled groups and law-

yers target businesses with law suits

that might not abide by the current

law.

We are currently looking at

how the Governmental Relations

(GR) Committee can better serve

our interests. We will be in the

coming months establishing other

alliances beyond our lobbying ef-

forts to get support and additional

expertise to deal with current and

coming issues in a proactive man-

ner. Jim Alwine has brought Tom

Calabrese the Principal of Envi-

roLogic Resources onto the GR

Committee. Tom brings a strong

environmental background dealing

with governmental and environ-

mental issues that have impacted

golf courses in Oregon. I will be

team building with some of our

manufacturer partners and their ex-

perts in pesticide regulations to as-

sist in our efforts with issues such

as Golby 11 and the NPDES.

A final note is to be aware

of changes coming

January 1, 2011 in

the requirements

for personal protec-

tive equipment es-

pecially gloves and

respirators. There

are also new EPA

bans in place for

rodentcides. Check

with your vendor.

Governmental Relations Continued from page 1

Government Relations Committee

Jim Ferrin, CGCS


GreenGolfUSA, pre-

sented by EnviroLogic Re-

sources, Inc., is an environmental

stewardship website that provides

a FREE, easy-to-use tool for cre-

ating Integrated Pest Manage-

ment Plans and documenting Best

Management Practices at golf

courses. The IPM Plan develop-

ment tool works with drop-down

menus, radio buttons, and fill-in-

the blanks to allow you to create

an integrated pest management

plan that accurately reflects the

golf course conditions and stan-

dard of care. Action thresholds, a

primary basis for the IPM ap-

proach, are customizable to the

way you operate. The result is an

IPM Plan that makes sense for

your golf course. The BMP Gen-

erator allows you to select from a

menu of best management prac-

tices to document how you man-

age the golf course.

GreenGolfUSA recently

updated the weed database to in-

clude the major turfgrass weeds

found all over the US. Updates to

the fungus and insect databases

are coming soon. The tools are

customizable so that you are able

to add any pests, weeds, diseases,

or pesticides that are not currently

in our database to your IPM Plan.

The data you enter is saved at the

GreenGolfUSA server, so when

we complete updates you can up-

date your documents with only a

few keystrokes.

A case history has been

uploaded to the Environmental

Institute for Golf website that

describes the experiences of some

of the golf course superintendents

that have used GreenGolfUSA.

And, you can see a short discus-

sion about the Oregon GCSA En-

vironmental Stewardship Guide-

lines and GreenGolfUSA on

GCSAA TV. These tools were

initially developed to support im-

plementation of the Oregon

GCSA Environmental Steward-

ship Guidelines, prepared in part-

nership with Northwest Turfgrass

Association and Western Wash-

ington GCSA. Check out Green-

GolfUSA‟s newsletter, The Green

Piece, for timely news and links.

Other stewardship resources are

also being made available so reg-

ister to use the tools and surf the

website!

GreenGolfUSA is the

first of a family of websites de-

signed to use a cloud computing

approach to develop environ-

mental stewardship documenta-

tion. GreenParksUSA, for use by

parks and recreation departments,

was released in Summer 2010.

GreenCampusUSA and

GreenFieldsUSA are planned for

release in 2011. You can see all

the websites we have planned at

GreenCloudUSA. For more in-

formation you can contact Tom

Calabrese at:

[email protected].

Introducing GreenGolf USA

by Tom Calabrase

REMINDER

Dues renewal are delinquent after

December 31, 2010

If not paid by that date at $25

late fee will be applied


Past President’s Attend Rancho Murieta Event

We had the privilege of having seven past presidents at the December meeting at Rancho Murieta. Pictured above are from left are

Rich Scholes, Rich served as president from in 1989 and 1990. Phil Brown 2006, Mike Jones 1992, Pete Bowman 1995, Jessie

Creencia, CGCS 2000, Frank Putnam 2008 & 2009, and our newly elected president Jim Alwine. Not pictured but present at the

event was Scott Dickson. 2010


Holiday Event Rancho Murieta

Winners in the two man scramble tournament were Pete

Bowman and Rob Williams. Congratulations to both.

Special guest Jim ―Speedy‖ Lipari, pictured above with Jim Alwine

provided lost of entertainment for everyone. He had us laughing

at jokes, he awed us with his card tricks, and simply amazed us

with everyone he knew. Thanks Speedy for everything.

After a very wet ending to our golf everyone came

in to enjoy a wonderful dinner. Pictured above are

Joe Kurung and Jessie Seguin.

Pictured above are Jasmine Schell,

Scott Canfield, and Bob Miller.

Our hosts for the evening and

looking very festive are Sheena

and Rich Scholes. Thank you

both for hosting this wonderful

Pictured above are Jeff

and Marlene Weigum.

At Left are Karen and Jeff

Couwenhoven and at

right Scott Dickson and

Jasmine share a laugh

Who would have thought that fruit could look

so strange. Rodney Mueller was quite im-

pressed with his Buddha Hand.

Frank is warning

everyone to stay

away from his

and he hasn’t

even opened it.

It didn’t matter

someone took it

anyway.


Holiday Event Rancho Murieta

At left Jim

couldn’t quite

figure out what

he won and at

right Chris

Strutz demon-

strated he was

quite happy with the set of juggling

balls he won. His one handed attempt

was pretty bad though.

Everyone had fun with the white elephant gift ex-

change . Some more than others. Jeff Couwenhoven

received a handmade marshmallow shooter. Surpris-

ingly no one stole it.

I am not sure what Mike Jones

got but it doesn’t look like he was

too excited about it.

This was not the St Pauli Girl that Phil

Brown was hoping for .

White Elephant

Gift Exchange

Above are Jim Alwine with Kevin

Eppich.

The Sierra Nevada GCSA is

established to enhance the

profession and promote the growth of

golf through quality

education and networking

opportunities for

all members

MISSION STATEMENT

01 11-12 nov/dec 2010 sierra nevada gcsa newsletter

Documents

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