Download - Tee Off News March/April
Mike Stieler,
CGCS, Superintendent at
Riverbend Golf Club in
Madera battled through a
tense back nine stretch to
capture his first GCSAA
National Championship on
Feb. 26 at the Nicklaus
Tournament Course at PGA
West in La Quinta, Calif.
Mike finished with a two-
day total of 1-under-par
143.
Mike had come
close in several previous
editions of the GCSAA
tournament without taking
home the top prize. He fin-
ished third in 2011 in Palm
Beach Gardens, Fla., fin-
ished fourth in 2010 in
Palm Springs after leading
the tournament on the back
nine in the final round, and
was a runner-up finisher in
the 2008 tournament played
in Orlando, Fla. There
would be no second place
this time around for Mike.
Entering the back nine with
a one-shot lead over three-
time champion Seth Strick-
land, from Miami (Fla.)
Shores Country Club, Mike
kept up his momentum to
take home the trophy. Well
deserved and well done,
Mike.
With the strength of
Stieler, the team champion-
ship was looking good. The
Central California Team
placed 2nd and included
Mike Stieler, CGCS, Rafael
Barajas, CGCS, Tom Elliott,
CGCS, Craig Johnson, and
Cordie Morgan. This was the
first ever win for our chapter
and brought us a nice check
of $1,395.00 for our chapter.
(See Page 7 for a picture)
This event was sponsored by
Toro.
Be sure to call and
congratulate the winners of
this years competition. We
are looking forward to 2013!
Stieler wins GCSAA National Championship
Central Cal Wins 2nd in Chapter Team Competition
TEE-OFF News March/April 2012
President’s Message 2
From the Field 4
Meeting Schedules 6
Mis A Meeting Miss A Lot
6
Around The Green 8
Equipment Demo Day Highlights
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
30th Anniversary of the Al Glaze Memorial
Scholarship Tournament
Be sure to mark
your calendars for the up-
coming Al Glaze Memo-
rial Scholarship Tourna-
ment. This year we mark
our 30th Anniversary of
this tournament and there
will be many special
events to honor this tradi-
tion. Kevin Wiles, Super-
intendent at San Joaquin
Country Club in Fresno
will host the event on
Tuesday June 12, 2012.
Be sure to look for the in-
vitations that are coming
out soon. This is the only
fund raising event held by
our chapter and this year we
are hoping to include not
only Funds for Scholarships
but for Research as well.
For more informa-
tion you can go to our web
site at CaliforniaGCSA.org/
Central California Chapter.
Page 2
President’s Message by Michael Swing, CGCS
TEE-OFF News
Winter is
almost
over and
spring is
just ahead.
I guess it’s
too early
to call it a
drought
year, but in
the valley
we haven’t seen a whole lot of rain. I
always give thought to what kind of
summer we are going have based on
what we experience in the winter and
spring. I guess it really doesn’t mat-
ter, though, because it never turns out
the way I envision it. So trying to
guess what the weather will bring is
just that – guessing! But, there is one
thing you count on and that is our
meeting schedule and educational
programs. We have lined up great
golf courses and educational topics
that will benefit everyone. On March
27th we met at Hunter Ranch and host
Superintendent Jason Pautsch pro-
vided a great venue for us. My favor-
ite holes are #11, 12 and 13. With
that thought, I’m glad I packed extra
balls. Jason has always provided us
with excellent playing conditions and
the education was certainly a winner.
Josh Heptig and Brian Daum have
been working hard on putting the edu-
cational programs together and this
was one of the best.
April 9th, at my course Visalia
Country Club, we hosted the Equip-
ment Demo Day. All of the vendors
brought out the newest equipment on
the market. At the Golf Industry
Show you can only look. Here, we
got real hands-on experience and
were able to judge for ourselves the
merits of each piece of equipment.
This was a great time and several su-
perintendents took this opportunity to
bring their assistants, mechanics,
foremen, green chairmen, owners, and
special guests to the event (did I miss
anyone?). And, because of the gener-
osity of our sponsors the registration
fee for this incredible event was only
be $25, including food, beverages and
golf.
Thank You to our sponsors. Tom
Corralez of Mid Cal Tractor supplied
Continued on Page 3
Michael Swing, CGCS
Page 3 TEE-OFF News
Three locations to serve you
Lancaster Bakersfield Fresno
the continental breakfast. Scott Fur-
tak and Phil Chan of Ewing Irriga-
tion, Golf and Industrial, provided
their famous BBQ lunch. During
golf Graeme Parris of Parris Turf
Equipment quenched our thirst on
the course with plenty of beverages
So that is what has happened
in the last couple months. Mark
your calendars now and plan to join
us for the May meeting in Bakers-
field at River Lakes Golf Course.
Harry Dawson is planning some ex-
citing education and is looking for-
ward to seeing everyone at his
course.
Don’t forget to look for the 2012
Scholarship Applications that are
posted on line. We have opportuni-
ties for Turf Students and for Legacy
Awards for our Membership and
their children. This is our 30th An-
niversary of the Al Glaze Scholar-
ship Tournament and will be held at
San Joaquin C.C. on June 12, 2012.
This year we are raising funds not
only for Scholarships but for Re-
search as well. We are supporting
the California Turf and Landscape
Foundation in its efforts to raise
funds for research in California. So
be sure to come out and help.
President’s Message Continued from page 2 Welcome
New Member
Scott Walwyn, Class A
The Village C.C.
Matt Pearse Class E
Crop Production Service
Paul Barr Class C
San Luis Obispo CC
Kirk Christensen, Class C
Diablo Grande G.C.
Page 4
TEE-OFF News
From the Field Jeff Jensen, GCSAA Field Staff, Southwest Region
I hope this finds all of our
GCSA of Central California mem-
bers doing well and getting ready
for a great summer.
As a GCSAA Field Staff
Representative, one of my primary
objectives is to assist with the con-
tinued development of the Environ-
mental Institute for Golf (EIFG).
For those of you that don’t know,
EIFG is the philanthropic branch of
GCSAA and its mission is to foster
sustainability through research,
awareness, education, programs and
scholarships for the benefit of golf
course management professionals,
golf facilities and the game.
Recently, the EIFG received a
$1million donation from The Ken-
drick B. Melrose Family Foundation
to support the professional develop-
ment of golf course superintendents
through participation in the annual
GCSAA Education Conference and
Golf Industry Show. The Melrose
Family Foundation is supported by
Ken Melrose, the former CEO and
chairman of the Toro Co. The gift is
the largest in EIFG history.
As a donating member, I am
asking all GCSAA members to con-
sider contributing to EIFG to fuel
innovation through research, expand
knowledge of golf course manage-
ment professionals through educa-
tion, tell golf’s story through advo-
cacy and research and help bright
minds pursue their dreams through
scholarships. All donations, small
or large, will help preserve the
game, the profession and your way
of life.
Additionally, EIFG has a
completely new look and website
that provides up-to-date news, envi-
ronmental and sustainable education
and the ability to donate online.
Visit the new site at EIFG.org.
On a lighter note, I would
like to remind all superintendents
and fellow dog lovers that photos
for the always popular Dog Days of
Golf calendar are due by Aug. 1.
Sponsored by Lebanon Turf, the
winning dog will be chosen at the
Golf Industry Show next February
in San Diego. If your dog is the
winner, $3,000 will be donated to
your home chapter along with a
$500 donation to your local humane
society. To submit your dog, email
a high resolution photo to Lebturf-
As always, I appreciate the
opportunity to serve your chapters
and if I can be of any assistance,
please don’t hesitate to contact me
at [email protected]. I look for-
ward to seeing you at upcoming
events.
Page 5
TEE-OFF News
May 23, 2012
Riverlakes Golf Course
Host Superintendent
Harry Dawson
June 12, 2012
Al Glaze Scholarship Tournament
San Joaquin Country Club
Host Superintendent
Kevin Wiles
July 2012 No Monthly Meeting
August 13, 2012
Tri Chapter Meeting Stone Brae C.C.
Hosted by Northern California GCSA
September 2012 Annual Election Meeting
Location to be determined
October 2012 Annual Charities Event
Madera Country Club
Date to be confirmed
Meeting Schedule
TURF PRO 2012
Dairy Creek Golf Course
2990 Dairy Creek Road
San Luis Obispo, CA 93405
June 13, 2012
September 12, 2012
November 14, 2012
Copper River Country Club
11500 N. Friant Road
Fresno, CA 93730
June 14 , 2012
September 13, 2012
November 15, 2012
Miss A Meeting—Miss A Lot by Josh Heptig
Page 6 TEE-OFF News
Our January meeting was
hosted by Dave Rosenstraugh at
The Alisal Ranch in Solvang.
Stepping out of my car onto this
property was an experience in it-
self. The grounds and facilities are
very well maintained and provided
a sense of “Old West” charm. The
guest rooms still do not have tele-
phones to this day and I think that
is a great thing in our fast paced
world in which we live in. The
Ranch includes a lake for fishing
and recreation, horses and stables,
a pool, tennis facilities, and of
course two golf courses.
We were welcomed with a
nice array of breakfast items by a
warm fire where everyone had a
chance to mingle and catch up with
friends before the meeting got un-
derway. Mike Swing welcomed
everyone to the event and intro-
duced Dave, our gracious host, and
our educational presenter for the
day, Pat Gross. Pat is the South-
west Regional Director for the
USGA and a great resource for
many of your turf problems or
questions. Pat’s topic was Golf
Course Maintenance Trends in
California. The presentation
started by discussing putting green
management and some helpful tips
regarding aeration and topdressing
practices in an effort to maintain
true surfaces with minimal disrup-
tion to golfers or your reels and
bed-knives. Pat provided insight
and solutions for brown ring patch
(waitea patch) and thatch collapse,
which are two relatively new dis-
eases that have plagued our region.
The turf issues continued with
chemical control ideas for Poa an-
nua reduction and seed head sup-
pression, as well as, the removal of
Swine cress from putting surfaces.
The hot topic of the day
was Coot control strategies that
other superintendents have tried/
are trying to control these winged
turf pests. Strategies included
green lasers, dogs, model boats,
monofilament fishing line, and
pink construction string. Atten-
dees discussed these ideas and
more in a great open forum where
many thoughts and ideas were
shared from locations in Fresno to
Santa Barbara and everywhere in
between. The presentation fin-
ished with new innovative tools
that add technological assistance to
the methods of our madness with
moisture sensors, custom fertilizer
mix tanks for your own mixture of
N, P, and K, and GPS guided spray
equipment that helps
monitor applications
and increase applica-
tion accuracy. The
presentation was fol-
lowed by a round table
discussion and updates
of GCSAA happenings
within our region and
nationally. The morn-
ing session was capped
off with a beautiful
spread for lunch
“Southwest Style”.
The food was great and
the time allowed for
more discussions and
visiting before we
broke for a gorgeous
day on the golf course.
Overall this
event was a great ex-
perience for the atten-
dees and was a perfect
example of the value
of our chapter meet-
ings. Our board strives
to add value to our
meetings by providing quality edu-
cational speakers, networking op-
portunities, and a little stress relief
by getting away from your facility
to see what another superintendent
is doing at their course. These op-
portunities are invaluable and can
help to rekindle the excitement and
enthusiasm that we all possess, but
often wanes as we get caught up in
our day to day routines. Each
meeting is an opportunity to im-
prove your bottom line by finding
that idea that will save you time
and money. I look forward to see-
ing you at our upcoming meetings
and if you have any thoughts or
ideas for meeting topics please do
not hesitate to contact me at (805)
781-1318 or [email protected].
Page 7 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.
National Conference Awards For Central California Members
Central California receives their check
for the Team Championship. Receiving
the check were team member Rafael
Barajas, CGCS and Association President
Mike Swing, CGCS
Mike Swing, CGCS is hon-
ored for achieving 25 years as
a GCSAA Class A Certified
Superintendent Mike Stieler, CGCS wins the 2012 GCSAA
National Golf Championship
Around the Green by Michael Cline
Page 8 TEE-OFF News
A wild and wet early April
saw record rain fall in many locations
around the Central Chapter with one 2
day period seeing almost 2” of rain
and hail, and even a funnel cloud
sighting to go along with the thunder
storms. Luckily, no reports of exten-
sive damage from anyone so we’ll
take the rain and say thank you.
Superintendent Doug West-
brook continues the remodel of Paso
Robles Golf Course with new irriga-
tion, cart paths, and much more. Can’t
wait to see the final product and see if
we could hold a chapter meeting at
this great old course. I believe Ben
Swinney was the Central Chapter
President when I first join the
GCSACC in the early 80’s.
The Al Glaze Scholarship
Tournament is coming up fast and
San Joaquin Country Club Superin-
tendent Kevin Wiles is getting the
course in great shape. I don’t remem-
ber having a chapter meeting at San
Joaquin CC in like forever so make
sure you don’t miss this one, it will be
great.
I was recently reading the
GCS Magazine and I saw where Tony
Rudge was the Superintendent-
Member at Hunter Ranch, so I
thought I’d check in with Tony about
his new role at Hunter Ranch.
When I met with Tony, I
found out he was elevated to the role
of Golf Course Superintendent for
Hunter Ranch in September. Tony
reports to Jason Pautch who is the
Director of Golf Maintenance for both
Hunter and La Purisma Golf Courses.
Here are, 10 Things You Didn’t
Know About Superintendent Tony
Rudge.
First job in golf?
My first job in golf was at the Cal
Club in South San Francisco
working for Roger Robarge.
They called me the Spray Tech
(Continued on page 9)
Page 9 TEE-OFF News
Around the Green Continued from page 8 but you do anything and every-
thing required to get the job
done.
What was your first manage-
ment job in golf?
My first management job in
golf was also at the Cal Club
when I was named second as-
sistant. So at the time the Cal
Club had Roger as the superin-
tendent, Craig Johnson
(Belmont Country Club Super-
intendent) was first assistant
and I was second assistant.
What do you like to do when
you’re not at work?
When I’m not at work I love to
hike the Central Coast. I’ll
hike anywhere but I really love
right here where I am.
Who is your favorite sports
team and why?
My favorite sports team is the
Los Angeles Dodgers, I
love Dodger Blue but I
can’t really tell you why or
when I became a fan.
If you could pick one meal,
what would it be?
My favorite meal is a juicy
cheeseburger off my grill at
home.
What’s your favorite part of
being a golf course superin-
tendent?
My favorite part of the job is
getting to see a project move
from concept to completion.
Getting to see the job done is
really rewarding.
What’s your least favorite
part of being a golf course
superintendent?
My least favorite part of the job
is that lousy alarm clock every
morning!
(Continued on page 10)
Page 10
TEE-OFF News
For over 80 years the
specialty seed source for:
-Native Grasses and
Wildflowers
-Kikuyu, Paspalum,
Hybrid Bermuda
-Bentgrasses, Fine
Fescues, Ryegrasses
Golf Course Representa-
tives:
Around the Green Continued from page 9
What’s your favorite band?
My favorite band is someone
you’ve probably never heard of,
they’re called Ween. Just in
case, I’ll say the Beatles for those
who need someone a bit better
known.
What’s your favorite song?
I don’t really have a favorite
song, I like all kinds of music
just depends on how I’m feeling.
What’s your favorite movie?
My favorite movie is Blazing
Saddles, a classic comedy for all
ages.
As always, if you know of something
that you thing might interest our
members and want to get it in our
Around the Green article, just let me
know and we’ll get it in.
Have a great spring and we’ll see you
real soon Around the Green.
Tony Rudge
Scott Walwyn Appointed to
GCSACC Board of Directors
Scott Walwyn, Superintendent at
The Village Country Club, has
graciously accepted the appoint-
ment as the 2012 Board of Direc-
tor for the GCSACC Board of
Directors. Welcome to Scott and
we look forward to working with
him once again.
With a price of only $25 for the day it was the
perfect opportunity to share what our associa-
tion is all about. We have a special Thank You
to our equipment vendors. Hustler Equipment,
Andy Fernandez, Mid Cal Tractor, John
Deere, Pete Fre-
deen and Tom
Corralez, Turf
Star, Chuck
Talley and Bob
Dalton, Turf Star
Irrigation, Kevin
Eppich, Golf Ven-
tures West, Jaime
Ovalle, Parris
Equipment,
Graeme Parris, and Kern Turf Supply.
The 2012 Equipment Demo
Day was attended by over 50
people. This number is up from
our previous year and we are
hoping that it will continue to
grow. Some of the attending
Superintendents brought their
crews, including mechanics and
assistants. In addition we had
Club members and owners.
Page 11
TEE-OFF News
Equipment Demo Day Highlights
PRESIDENT
MICHAEL SWING, CGCS
VISALIA COUNTRY CLUB
SECRETARY/TREASURER VICE PRESIDENT
JOSH HEPTIG BRIAN DAUM
SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY VALLEY CREST/PALO ALTO G.C.
2011/2012 GCSACC BOARD OF DIRECTORS
TROY THOMPSON
RIVERSIDE G. C.
TRINI HERNANDEZ
BOB SCHNEIDERHAN
CAL POLY SLO
KEVIN EPPICH
TURF STAR
ANDY FERNANDEZ
AB TURF/HUSTLER TURF EQUIP.
BOARD MEMBERS
EXECUTIVE SECRETARY
IRENE CLINE
PHONE (559) 298-4853 FAX (559) 298-6957
EMAIL [email protected]
SCOTT WALWYN
THE VILLAGE C.C.