Published by the Metropolitan Golf Course Superintendents Association Board of Llirertors
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May/I line 2011 VOLUME II MMItEII 3 Published by the Metropolitan Golf Course Superintendents Association Board of llirertors President ROBERT NIELSEN JR., CGCS Bedford Golf & Tennis Club Vice President BLAKE HALDERMAN, CGCS Brae Burn Country Club Secretary GLEN DUBE, CGCS Mosholu Golf Course Centennial Golf Club Treasurer DAVID DUDONES North Jersey Country Club Past President ANTHONY M. GIRARDI, CGCS Rockrimmon Country Club Directors ROBERT B. A L O N Z IJR . Fenway Golf Club KENNETH BENOIT JR., CGCS GlenArbor Club SEAN CAIN, CGCS Sunningdale Country Club BRETT CHAPIN Redding Country Club PAUL GONZALEZ, CGCS The Whippoorwill Club VINCENT PAVONETTI, CGCS Fairview Country Club Class AF Rep MICHAEL COOK The Care of Trees Class C Rep DOUG VANDERLEE Westchester Country Club Executive Director w ED BROCKNER Taking the Guesswork Out of Regrassing Your Greens Executive Secretary Sage Advice for Future Regrassers...................................... INEKE PIERPOINT Editor JIM PAVONETTI Departments 203-531-8910 Managing Editor PANDORA C.WOJICK Scorecard .....................................................................................................................8 Editorial Committee MATT CEPLO SCOTT NIVEN Spotlights .....................................................................................................................9 DAVE DUDONES ERIC O’NEILL KEVIN COLLINS LARRY PAKKALA ; PAULGRABBE BILLPERLEE Upcoming Events..................................................................................................... 11 CHIP LAFFERTY MIKE REEB DAVE MOFFETT GREG WOJICK Member News............................................................................................................12 Designer TERRIE DUNKELBERGER Advertising Managers BRETT CHAPIN, 203-938-9240 PAUL GONZALEZ,914-273-3755 TEE TO GREEN is published bimonthly by the Metropolitan Golf Course Superintendents Association 49 Knollwood Road, Elmsford, NY 10523-2819 914-347-4653, FAX: 914-347-3437, METGCSA.ORG Copyright ©2011 JUL 1 2011 .iipu'QAM STATE UN!VE;cdqitv ", IDPi^.SS urrent Periodical DO NOT CIRCULAT ummer is fast approaching, and now the real fun begins. For those of us with winter damage, the upcoming months should prove to be interesting, to say the least. I hap pened to be perusing the Tee to Green archives, and I came across a past president’s message with advice I felt was worth repeating—partic ularly in view of the season we endured last year. Here are a few words to the wise culled Bob Nielsen, CGCS from one of the late Dave Mahoney’s 2004 MetGCSA President President’s Messages. #1: Don’t shoot yourself in the foot! #4: Don’t become an island. The stress of Summer 2010 certainly should serve to re the job is bad enough without isolating yourself mind us that getting too aggressive at the from peers and friends. If you are having trou wrong time of year can be a recipe for disaster. ble, chances are there is someone else in the The last thing you want to do is risk pushing area having the same problems. Take advantage your turf over the edge trying to impress of our meetings and social events to compare golfers! Dead greens—no matter how fast they notes and commiserate with friends and col are—are not impressive. leagues. That’s what our association is all about ... supporting one another in any way we can. #2: Don’t experiment! The heat of the summer is probably not the best time put new #5: Don’t hate your job. The heat of sum products to the test on your course. Better to mer can wear on anyone, but it can be espe do it in the early spring or fall, when environ cially harsh on golf course superintendents mental stresses are a bit lower—and your turf and assistants, who are toiling away 24/7 to might have time to recover, should disaster keep every blade of grass picture-perfect. In strike. our bat tie-worn state, we sometimes lose sight The Net: if you’re not sure how your turf is of the fact that many of the problems we stress going to react to a product, July and August are about are barely noticed by the membership. not the time of year to find out. With the proper communication, most mem bers will understand that Mother Nature plays #3: Don’t let yourself get worn down. a big part in what we do, and they’ll cut us some The stresses of the job can really start to weigh slack through those inevitable blips in course you down in the middle of the season. A day off conditioning. with the family, a night out with friends, an Hang on. The “season” does end, eventually! afternoon of golf on that one cloudy day can all help to relieve the daily stresses. And you’re in luck . coming up are two Final Note Met events that will take you away from it all It’s important to be on top of your game when it for an afternoon or evening. Don’t miss our comes to managing turf in July and August, but Family Picnic at Bedford Village Memorial it is just as important to take time to relax and Park on Tuesday, July 19 and our ever-popular enjoy the important things in life: our family Summer Social on Tuesday, July 26 at Fenway and friends. Golf Club. Both promise to be the kind of for- Here’s hoping the weather’s with us for the get-everything-and-enjoy events that will give next eight weeks ... so we can devote time away you the charge you need to manage those from work—without guilt or worry—to the peo everyday battles on the course. ple and things that really matter. Bob Nielsen, CGCS President Tee to Green May/June 2011 would like to begin by expressing my gratitude to the MetGCSA board for not only hiring me as the association’s executive director, but also for providing me with the guidance and support I’ve needed to become acclimated in my new role. I’d like to extend a special thank you to Whippoorwill Superintendent Paul Gonzalez. As chairman of our Sponsorship and Website committees, Paul has worked with the board MetGCSA Executive Director to increase support from our major sponsors (see back cover), while finding new ways to relying more on our online capabilities and recognize their integral role in the MetGCSA. improved website to share information with Earlier this year, Paul also launched our one another. This will also allow us to not only new Internet platform. He and his committee communicate news in a more timely manner, will continue to pursue ways to improve the but also save on printing and mailing costs, information that this critical communication allowing us to devote our resources to other vehicle provides. areas. This is just one of the ways that, as execu tive director, I will work with our board and membership to provide fresh, new information Fill« Time that will be useful to all of us. We hope you Of course, while online and electronic com will visit the site often and contribute any munications are the wave of future (as well as ideas on how to make it better! what the next generations of club members and green committees will come to rely on), there is no replacement for the face-to-face Shifting Gears interactions that our member events provide. As golf course superintendents, you are all While there is no doubt that it is often diffi very much aware of how technology continues cult to get away from your club or business for to transform your profession. With technologi the day, our golf and education events provide cal advances have come increasingly better priceless opportunities to learn from each course conditions and the ability to communi other, while also promoting the camaraderie cate more effectively with club and commu that will serve us well in our professional and nity members and with other professionals personal lives. throughout the golf industry. As we work to make these events as inform It is important that we embrace all that new ative and fun as they can possibly be, we hope technology has to offer—particularly in the that you will join us by participating in these way of communication. One of the primary important functions. We appreciate all of functions of the MetGCSA, after all, is to those who put so much into making these share information with one another on best events successful and hope that we get even practices, new maintenance techniQues, and more of our members taking part in the future! educational events that are taking place Once again, I want to thank all of you for the throughout our region. And with the science of confidence that you have shown in me, and I golf course management constantly changing look forward to a long and successful tenure as as new research uncovers more effective, often executive director of the MetGCSA. At the turf-saving, maintenance practices, we need end of the day, it’s the vision of our member to be able to disseminate this information as ship that will determine the course that we quickly and efficiently as possible. will follow, and I greatly appreciate any input Just as none of you would consider using you have that will allow our organization to be gang mowers to cut fairways or horse-drawn the best that it can be. scrapers to do earthwork, “snail mail” will soon become a thing of the past. We need to Ed Brockner adjust our thinking accordingly and begin Executive Director rying to decide whether to regrass your Poa putting surfaces? Anyone who’s braved this process will tell you, it’s not for the faint of heart. It takes courage and a lot of time and dedication to pull it off. But when well done, it’s well worth the effort. At least that seems to be the consensus of the golf course superintendents I surveyed who, like me, have recently completed—or are in the midst of completing—the process right now.