Cover: Century Country Club n this Issue Energy Renewal:The Surprising Key ......................................................2 to Greater Productivity Are You Headed for an Energy Crisis? 5 Departments! Member News .....................................................................................................6 Upcoming E vents...............................................................................................7 National News .....................................................................................................8 Scorecard................................................................................................................ 9 Spotlights............................................................................................................. 10 ings ago, the thermometer said 48 degrees. Now were pushing 100! The only things that we seem able to count on are those darn weevils. They just keep coming and coming and coming. In the past, didn’t they all lay eggs around the same time, then pupate to­ gether, and finally turn into adults at about the same time? Now pupa, adults, and all five instars of larvae can be found on any—or every—given day. And I’m supposed to time Bob Nielsen, CGCS these applications for maximum control? MetGCSA President Right! One thing’s for sure: Pitfall traps are going to be a necessity for everyone hoping lowing day on August 1. These are great to get proper timing with these cycles! opportunities to see the newest products in use under real conditions. The NTEP plots, fungicide trials, as well as the cultural stud­ Off to a Strong Start ies are all done on turf maintained at golf Last year, every tournament we had was course cut heights, not in a greenhouse in 4 - rained out, and the weather kept everyone inch pots at 4-inch heights. from being able to attend our events. This year, we’ve been treated to a great day at Apawamis, an immensely popular and well- And the Boll Season Goes On attended Nine and Dine at the Country Golf returns with a bang at the end of Club of Darien, and we were even able to August with a triple header at Century: The dodge the raindrops at the Invitational at Met Championship, Met Area Team Tamarack. We owe special thanks to Bill Championship Qualifier, and Poa Annual Perlee,Tim O’Neill, and Jeff Scott. Hosting a combined. Thanks to Kevin Seibel for host­ meeting for your peers can be nerve-rack­ ing these events. The assistants in our associ­ ing, but ultimately rewarding. You’re doing a ation are in for a treat at Old Oaks, and Bob great service to the association by opening Miller is sure to make the Superintendent/ your course to our members. Green Chair event at Purchase a hit. This is truly a great lineup for 2012, and we owe that, in large part, to our Tour­ This Is Only the Beginning nament Chair Sean Cain. Thank you, Sean! Three events down, more great ones to Please be sure to contact him if you would come. We have the Summer Social returning like to host an event next year. to Old Oaks on July 17; the Family Picnic is The board is always looking for new ideas on August 2 at Bedford Village Memorial to encourage greater participation in our Park; and the Parent/Child Scholarship meetings. A perfect example of this was the Tournament, a huge success last year, will Nine and Dine. Originally intended to use return to Mosholu Golf Course on August 8. only nine holes at an event that, in the past, These are great opportunities to get together was not well attended, we ended up filling with our families. Thanks to Glen Dube, our the entire course at one of our best-attended social chairman, as well as Mark Millett and events ever. Please contact me, Ed Brockner, Dave Moffett for hosting these events. or any MetGCSA board member if you have Before you head to Old Oaks, you may an idea for an all-new event or event for­ want to take a ride to upstate Connecticut mat that would draw a larger crowd to our for the biannual UConn Turfgrass Field meetings. Day. John Inguagiato always has some great In the meantime, see you all at our July 17 trials for you to review. If you cannot make Summer Social! that one, there’s always the Turfgrass Re­ search Field Day at Rutgers on July 31 and Bob Nielsen, CGCS the UMass Turf Research Field Day the fol- President Tee to Green May/June/July 2012 eature e all know how it works: To meet the ever-increasing demands of our clubs and facilities—not to mention the expectations of our golfers for perfection— superintendents must pretty much resign themselves to 12- to 14-hour days, seven days a week. Nose to the grindstone and all that. Right? Not according to New York Times best­ selling author and high-performance guru Tony Schwartz. Schwartz, who counts among his clients such world-class athletes as tennis champ Monica Seles and Olympic speed-skating gold medalist Dan Jansen, says that more hours and longer days simply don’t work. On the contrary, the outcomes can be Renewa devastating: less energy, less restful sleep, less exercise, less time with friends and family and, ultimately, less efficiency and effective­ The Surprising Key to ness. (You’ll see this lament thoughout this article in comments from your fellow superintendents.) Greater Productivity In his book, The Power of Full Engagement: Managing Energy, Not Time, Is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal, Schwartz outlines how to change the less to more. The heart of his theory: While time is a limited, unrenewable re­ source; personal energy is renewable. Our capacity to work is influenced by four dimensions of personal energy: body, emo­ tions, mind, and spirit. Fostering simple ritu­ als that help you regularly replenish your energy will increase your ability to get more done in less time and at a higher level of engagement—and personal satisfaction. Note: To help explore ways to increase your physical energy, Schwartz devised an energy audit with the rather foreboding title of“Are You Headed for an Energy Crisis?” (See page 5.) The survey includes four questions designed to identify your greatest deficits in each energy dimension. So before reading on—and for the sake of your per­ sonal effectiveness,please read on!—take a few minutes to complete this simple audit. It’s an important first step in building and renew­ ing your physical energy. Dimension 1: Body According to Schwartz, our physical energy levels are guided by “ultradian rhythms,” 90- to 120-minute cycles during which our bodies slowly move from a high-energy state into a physiological trough. Toward the end of each cycle, the body begins to crave a period of recovery. The signals include phys­ ical restlessness, yawning, hunger, and diffi- culty concentrating. We all experience these another method of renewing physical off when his greens are slow. New Haven symptoms, but many of us ignore them and energy: “I play in a competitive basketball Country Club’s Jay Booth gets edgy when he keep working. The consequence: Our league with plenty of pushing, shoving, and sees Poa on the course, and both he and Silver energy reservoir—our remaining capac­ cursing,” he says. “I also enjoy racing my Spring’s Peter Rappoccio find it particularly ity—burns down as the day wears on and dirt bike, practicing two to three times a difficult dealing with critical members and we become increasingly less effective. week; it’s nearly impossible to worry about their sometimes unrealistic expectations. Rituals that get you back on the high- work or other issues while doing this!” Finding capable staff and getting them up energy part of the cycle: to speed on the job was cited as another sig­ nificant energy drain. Round Hill’s Sean Dimension 2: Emotions Foley finds his stress triggered by having to It’s a given that we perform best when were motivate staff to work at peak performance feeling positive. But without intermittent through a long, hot season.“Also tough,” says recovery, were just not capable of sustaining Sean, “is being tied to my computer writ­ highly positive emotions for long periods. ing member correspondence when I know I Negative thoughts and emotions creep in, should be on the course.” draining our energy and making it difficult North Jersey s David Dudones finds his to perform well or lead effectively. stressors ganging up on him when simple So what are the causes, or “triggers,” of club rules aren’t followed, disrupting the negative emotions? Number One on just maintenance schedule. “If a group decides about every superintendent’s list is—no sur­ to start on hole #4 instead of #1 at 7:30 in prise—Mother Nature. In my case, few the morning on a cut-and-roll day,” he ex­ • Disengage. Intermittent breaks for re­ things get the negative emotions building plains, “it puts a major hiccup in the morning newal result in higher and more sustainable than weather that threatens (or actually operation.” performance. Schwartz emphasizes that the delivers on) turf loss. Combine that with For some, the emotional rollercoaster is length of the break is less important than its irrigation or pump issues, and I really feel brought on not just by one event, but rather quality. You can renew a lot of energy in a the stress. Meadow Brooks’ John Carlone the cumulative effect of many. “It’s a series of short amount of time—as little as several agrees. “All it takes to set me off,” he says, “is small issues that take place in succession that minutes—if your break involves a ritual that a period of hot, dry weather that makes it a make me feel uncomfortable,” says The allows you to truly disengage from work. struggle to keep the grass alive.” West­ Bridge’s Gregg Stanley.