CHIPS & PUTTS OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE POCONO TURFGRASS ASSOCIATION www.ptga.org Founded in 1936 VOL. 16 NO. 9 November/December 2010 October Meeting Valley Country Club Host Eric Reed CGCS Sponsors: Brian Bachman, Genesis Turfgrass Bob Seltzer, Fischer & Sons Ryan Davidheiser, Aer-Core Speaker: Darin Bevard, USGA Valley Country Club will once again host the PTGA for a sure- to-be fabulous round of golf and great food. The meeting is our Annual Championship, but we will have a tournament of blind draw 4 man teams, as well. Note: This year the Golf Committee had strived to make the formats fun and available to all. We hope to continue this going forward and look to the membership to tell us how the new formats were received. Valley Country Club is an A. W. Tillinghast course that was founded in 1909. The Clubhouse was originally built on the current site of Top of the 80’s, which consisted of a one room building with a porch. Members had the privilege of golfing in the course's current location. Access to and from the course was via dirt path and mule. Previously known as the Hazleton Country Club, it was handed over to its membership and renamed The Valley Country Club in 1909 . The Clubhouse was subsequently moved to its present location and served the members until 1959 when a fire ravaged the property and burned it to the ground. A new clubhouse was built in 1960 and the Club has continued to prosper. Eric has been at Valley Country Club since 1998 and strives to give members the best possible conditions on a day to day basis. Come on out and enjoy a great day of golf with your friends from the Pocono Turfgrass Assoc. Page 2 President's Message..... Officers & Directors 2010 It’s that time of year when the PTGA is laying the foundation for the upcoming season, planning golf sites and scheduling speakers. If you would like to do either, please contact a Board member ASAP, for we already have been getting some requests. As always, any comments or ideas are welcome at any time. PRESIDENT So if the cold is any indication of the winter that lies ahead, you Rick Anglemyer, Water Gap CC 570-424-6391 had better bundle up and stay close to the fire. VICE PRESIDENT John Downer, Elkview C.C. Happy Holidays to you and your family. See you after the thaw. 570-840-0078 TREASURER Rick Anglemyer Ray Wadell, Elmhurst CC 570-842-4705 SECRETARY Patrick Knelly Sugarloaf Golf Club 570-384-4724 DIRECTORS Steven Chirip, Grass Roots, Inc. 973-418-3468 Matthew Brown, Philadelphia Turf 215-340-5401 Greg Boring, Country Club of Scranton 570-587-4046 Editor’s Notes….. Thomas Height, Frosty Valley C.C. 570-275-4266 Gino Marchetti, Glen Oak CC. 570-586-5791 Wow, the last issue of 2010! Damn, 9 more next year!!!!!! __________________________ We are always looking for materials relevant to the Association, CHIPS & PUTTS STAFF written by members preferred, stolen from the internet works, as well. EDITOR Jim Gurzler, George Schofield Co. Do you have a topic that should be made available to the 732-433-5474 Association? Pass along the link if it strikes your fancy. jim@gurzler.com Managing Editor In today’s “now society,” it seems we get information faster Melinda Wisnosky than we can process it sometimes. There are many forms of media 570-388-2167 out there making information available almost as it happens — not Editorial Committee Darrin Larkin just news, but research and product updates as well. Do you have Matt Brown ideas on how the Publicity Committee can get you information in a Past President manner that suits you? Pass it along. Maybe we can help Darrin Larkin, Panorama Golf Course disseminate materials to you in a format that is beneficial to all. 570-222-9260 The Board is working on a golf schedule for next year and the Education Committee is committed to bringing in speakers for each event so that there is even greater value than just the sharing of information with your peers. Do you have an idea on a topic or speaker? Please pass it along to a board member so we can make it happen. PTGA Office R.R. 1, Box 219 Jim Gurzler Harding, PA 18643 Phone/Fax: 570-388-2167 Any opinions expressed in this publication are those of the author and/or person quoted, and may not represent the position of PTGA. Information contained in this publication may be used freely, in whole or in part, without special permission, as long as the true context is Association. PagePage 3 3 The End is near, but other issues are around the corner. Darin Bevard, USGA Agronomist, Mid-Atlantic Region Temperatures have fallen rapidly in the last week, and frost has occurred throughout much of the region. Leaves are off most of the trees and leaf cleanup continues on an almost daily basis when the weather permits. The 2010 growing season is coming to a close, and for many, not a minute too soon. Although turfgrass growth has slowed dramatically, there are still many things to think about before winter fully arrives. As I write this update, it is a cold, rainy day outside. Pink snow mold development will not be far behind, and control options need to be considered in the near future. As most superintendents are aware, the sale of technical-grade PCNB was stopped by the EPA in late summer. Essentially, this means that PCNB is not available to most superintendents going forward. PCNB was the most popular product used in the Mid-Atlantic Region for snow mold control. Really, there is no other single product that offered the efficacy of PCNB at such a reasonable cost. For sure, future applications for snow mold diseases will be more expensive! Application timing also is more important. Many of the alternative control options are systemic fungicides, which need to be taken up by the plant and not by contact products. Thus, applications may need to be earlier than previous years. Earthworm activity on cool-season fairways is a topic of conversation again. Dry, hot weather in late summer and early fall suppressed earthworm activity. With rainfall and cooler temperatures, earthworm casting activity increased dramatically in late September and early October, and the damage caused by these casts is slow to heal with cool temperatures. These casts also affect fairway maintenance under moist conditions. This cycle repeats itself in the spring and fall on virtually an annual basis at many facilities. Earthworms negatively impact playability, but they are an indicator that soils are healthy. Note: The 2011 fee schedule for the Turf Advisory Service has been set. Half-Day visits will be $2,400.00, and Full- Day visits will be $3,200.00. However, a $600.00 discount is available, if payment is received prior to May 15th, 2011; the fee for a Half-Day visit remains at $1,800.00 and $2,600.00 for a Full-Day visit. Thus, the cost of a prepaid visit did not increase for 2011! Don’t delay; don’t miss this $600.00 discount!!! Can your golf course benefit from a Turf Advisory Service visit? With all that’s going on in our industry, a Green Section Visit may be money very well spent. Our goal is to be part of your agronomic team in 2011. The Mid-Atlantic Region agronomists are part of your agronomic support team. If you have a question or concern, give us a call or send an e-mail. You can reach Stan Zontek (szontek@usga.org) and Darin Bevard (dbevard@usga.org) at 610/ 558-9066 or Keith Happ (khapp@usga.org) at 412/ 341-5922. On a recent visit, the casting of earthworms was a major source of damage in some fairways. Conversations with golf course superintendents have indicated that the problem is fairly widespread The 2010 Pocono Turfgrass Directories have been mailed out. If you didn’t receive one please give Melinda a call and check your address with her. Thanks to Eric Reed CGCS for working on getting that out to the printer for us! Page 4 Results for October Meeting and Annual Meeting at Valley Country Club Thanks to Eric Reed and the Staff at Valley Country Club for another great event. Thanks also to Genesis Turfgrass, Aer-Core, and Fischer & Sons for sponsoring our meetings. Meeting sponsors help to keep costs of events down for our members. We hope to see you all next year. The Superintendent Champion for this year was Duane Schell who beat Patrick Knelly on a match of cards, both shot 80. The Affiliate Champion was Lee Koszey with an 86, Steve Chirip was runner up with an 88. In the team format, the winning team was Steve Chirip, Greg Boring, Darin Bevard, Ray Waddell and Joe Sellers. They shot a 154 in 15 24 33 format. Skins were awarded to Don Stanton on the 2nd Hole and Jason Barndt on the 6th hole; both were won with birdies. Skill prizes were awarded as well with John Downer on 2nd hole, Fred Krispin on the 5th hole, John Downer again on the 9th hole, Brian Bachman on the 12th hole and on the 16th hole Duane Schell was the closest to the pin. A Very Big Thank You to all our Tee Sign Sponsors at the Clambake!!!!!! Thanks for supporting the PTGA Scholarship program. Page 5 Candidate presentations, chapter success stories, dues discussion featured GCSAA conducts its 2010 chapter delegates meeting, Oct. 22-23-24 A total of 91 GCSAA chapters, represented by 87 delegates participated in a highly-engaging GCSAA Chapter Delegates meeting, Oct. 22-23-24. The meeting began with an orientation session for first-time delegates at GCSAA headquarters in Lawrence, Kan., followed by a networking reception and dinner. The meeting continued with solid discussion on a variety of subjects for two days at the Airport Hilton in Kansas City, Mo. A Positive Experience “Awesome is all I can say,” said Larry Balko, CGCS at Park Ridge Golf Course in West Palm Beach, Fla. We had great discussion and learned about the outstanding work that is being done on behalf of the members. If a delegate did not leave with a greater appreciation for the association and its members, then they just weren’t listening.” The meeting included an update on GCSAA including financial metrics, new association initiatives, GCSAA candidate presentations, a town hall Q & A session, and chapter case study presentations. The responsibility of a delegate at this meeting is to represent their members and to take back information to share with them. “I received several comments from delegates indicating the meeting went well,” meeting chair GCSAA Vice President Bob Randquist, CGCS at Boca Rio Golf Club in Boca Raton, Fla., said.” They came prepared to ask good questions and offer constructive feedback. The meeting is a key element of our governance system and the board and staff got a clear picture of what the members want from their association. At the same time, it allowed us as a board to share information that we need them to take back to their members. The meeting may have ended, but the process continues in pushing the information to all levels of membership.” Member Dues Increase Discussion Certainly the most often discussed item was a proposed GCSAA member dues increase which would take effect with May 2011 renewals and new member applications. Class A and SM dues would increase $20 annually and Class C dues $10 annually. Proposed GCSAA member dues are established though a process that was created by the delegates that uses the Consumer Price Index as a guide. The members then vote upon the proposal at the association’s annual meeting in February. The process calls for the association to consider a dues adjustment every two years as a means of ensuring a sustainable organization. The process is not automatic, and the GCSAA Board of Directors may elect not to bring forward dues adjustments according to schedule. Such was the case last year when the board opted to forgo consideration of an increase. Randquist said the board supports a dues increase for 2011 because it represents an opportunity for members to help ensure the success of their career and their facility. Dues account for 27 percent of the GCSAA budget, which is below the average of 38 to 40 percent for associations of similar size. “The board fully realizes raising dues in this current economic climate is difficult,” Randquist said. “But we see this as a necessary investment by members. The increases allow us to make up the ground lost to inflation, which has been at 5.8 percent since our last dues increase three years ago. It allows us to continue to offer programs the members have deemed valuable to them and their facilities. We also believe the process developed by the members to implement dues increases does not create the hardship of larger increases in the past. Ultimately, the members determine whether the dues will increase or not by voting on the proposal in February.” Randquist noted that GCSAA has seen a decrease in revenues of $5 million over the last three years due to a struggling economy, but proactive expense management by the board and staff has resulted in a reduction of expenses by $5.4 million during that same period. GCSAA will have projected revenues of $15.6 million by the end of 2010. Continued on page 6 Page 6 Field Staff Gains Traction Popular with the delegates was the presentation of an expanded Field Staff Program first announced earlier this year. The Board has made public its desire to have all nine GCSAA regions staffed by a regional field staff representative as soon as possible. It is expected GCSAA will have five field staff employees by the end of 2010 (one at headquarters and four in the field), and seven by the end of 2011 (one at headquarters and six in the field). No timetable for staffing all of the regions has been created, but Randquist noted the success of the program has been duly recognized by the Board. The objective of the field staff program is to create a tie between chapters and GCSAA so that programs are utilized at a higher rate, communication is enhanced, and membership is grown. The feedback from chapters who have utilized the program has been overwhelmingly positive. Additional Discussion Items: • The search for a new GCSAA CEO was outlined. The position description has been posted on the GCSAA website and interviews are targeted for January 2011. • Six chapters made presentation on programs they have instituted with the assistance of GCSAA resources in the areas of government relations, corporate partnerships, consolidation/sharing of resources and communications. • New program initiatives in the area of web services, environmental programs, marketing communications, Surveys, and data & media public relations were shared. • Considerable advancements were noted in the area of professional development resources with the new job board, self assessment tool and webcasting software. • Outlined were new features for Conference and Show including education programs, networking opportunities and cost-saving options available to attendees. • Candidate presentations for the offices of president, vice president, and secretary/treasurer plus a minimum of two and potentially three directors. The meeting’s presentations are available online at http://www.gcsaa.org/chapters/delegatemeeting.aspx. Chips & Putts PATRON SPONSORS AERIFICATION AND OVERSEEDING Aer-Core Ryan Davidheiser 610-310-3925 IRRIGATION AND DRAINAGE Andre & Son, Inc. John Vojick 607.768.0575 John Deere Brent Wood 570.499.1441 Rich Gdovin 570.278.1131 Turf Equip. & Supply George Skawski 610.554.9366 Lawn & Golf Chris Butler 710.933.5801 Matt Brown 484-357-6312 PLANT PROTECTANTS EQUIPMENT Andre & Son, Inc. John Vojick 607.768.0575 Aer-Core Ryan Davidheiser 610-310-3925 Rich Gdovin 570-278-1131 Andre & Son, Inc. John Vojick 607.768.0575 Fisher & Son Bob Seltzer 610.704.4756 Rich Gdovin 570.278.1131 Genesis Turfgrass Brian Bachman 484.661.6105 Lawn & Golf Chris Butler 610.933.5801 Jim MacLaren 570-443-7154 Reel Sharp Brian Grebeldinger 845-597-7738 Grass Roots, Inc. Steve Chirip 973.418.3468 Turf Equip. & Supply Matt Brown 484.357.6312 John Deere Brent Wood 570.499.1441 George Skawski 610.554.9366 Growth Products Craig Lambert 973-601-3303 Lawn & Golf Chris Butler 610.933.5801 Syngenta Lee A. Kozsey 610.861.8174 FERTILIZER Andre & Son, Inc. John Vojick 607.768.0575 Rich Gdovin 570.278.1131 SEED & SOD Fisher & Son Bob Seltzer 610.704.4756 Andre & Son, Inc. John Vojick 607.768.0575 Genesis Turfgrass Jim MacLaren 570-443-7154 Rich Gdovin 570.278.1131 Brian Bachman 484.661.6105 East Coast Sod & Seed Kevin Driscoll 609.760.4099 Grass Roots, Inc. Steve Chirip 973.418.3468 Fisher & Son Bob Seltzer 610.704.4756 Growth Products Craig Lambert 973-601-3303 Genesis Turfgrass Brian Bachman 484.661.6105 Lawn & Golf Chris Butler 610.933.5801 Jim MacLaren 570-443-7154 Grass Roots, Inc. Steve Chirip 973.418.3468 Lawn & Golf Chris Butler 610.933.5801 GREEN AND TEE SUPPLIES TOPDRESSING / SOIL AMENDMENTS Andre & Son, Inc. John Vojick 607.768.0575 Andre & Son, Inc. John Vojick 607.768.0575 Rich Gdovin 570-278-1131 Rich Gdovin 570.278.1131 Fisher & Son Bob Seltzer 610.704.4756 Blue Ridge Peat Farms Gene Evans 570.443.9596 Genesis Turfgrass Brian Bachman 484.661.6105 Fisher & Son Bob Seltzer 610.704.4756 Jim MacLaren 570-443-7154 Genesis Turfgrass Brian Bachman 484.661.6105 Grass Roots, Inc. Steve Chirip 973.418.3468 Jim MacLaren 570-443-7154 John Deere Brent Wood 570.499.1441 Geo. Schofield Jim Gurzler 732-433-5474 Lawn & Golf Chris Butler 610.933.5801 Grass Roots, Inc. Steve Chirip 973.418.3468 Lawn & Golf Chris Butler 610.933.5801 Support our Sponsors - They support us! PTGA SCHEDULE POCONO ROUNDUP A belated Best Wishes to Past President Darrin PTC New Venue for Valley Forge Show Larkin, who has taken a position with Greenfield January 11-13th, 2011 Power Equipment. Good Luck Darrin! Crowne Plaza Valley Forge Honesdale CC is getting a new irrigation system this Northeast PA Turf Conference fall. Good luck to Chris Moran, who I am sure will miss January 27, 2011 his old system! The Woodlands Inn and Resort Send your announcements to the PTGA; help others GIS Show stay abreast of the things going on in our area. February 7-11 Orlando FL Get well wishes to Kelly Kressler who recently had back surgery. Hope you are feeling better, Kelly. PTGA Holiday Party February? Stay tuned for details Season’s Greetings! From the PTGA Board of Directors POCONO TURFGRASS ASSOCIATION R.R. 1, BOX 219 POSTAGE HARDING, PA 18643 NAME & ADDRESS ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED.