CHIPS & PUTTS OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE POCONO TURFGRASS ASSOCIATION www.ptga.org Founded in 1936 VOL. 19 NO. 2 April 2013 April Meeting Southmoore Golf Club Host: Kelly Kressler, GCS Speaker: Steve McDonald, TDS Our first meeting of the year takes us on a return trip to the Lehigh Valley and Southmoore Golf Club. Southmoore, which opened in 1994, is another beautiful design by prolific area architect Jim Blaukovitch. Known for its large undulating greens, the course stretches across the rolling hills and landscape of the area for 6,200 yards from the tips with 4 sets of tees. The perennial ryegrass tees and fairways of Southmoore have hosted a Nike Open Qualifier and numerous other events from the region. Southmoore is overseen by the only superintendent that it has ever known, long time PTGA member Kelly Kressler. Kelly has been at the club since day one, supervising the con- struction and shaping (done by Shapemasters out of South Carolina), grow in, and now maintenance. Continued on page 5….. Page 2 President's Message..... Officers & Directors 2013 PRESIDENT John Downer, Marjon GC 570-840-0078 VICE PRESIDENT Patrick Knelly, Sugarloaf Golf Club 570-384-4724 TREASURER Greg Boring, Country Club of Scranton 570-587-4046 SECRETARY Ray Wadell, Elmhurst CC 570-842-4705 DIRECTORS Steven Chirip, Grass Roots, Inc. 973-418-3468 John Downer Patrick Healey, Scranton Canoe Club 570-378-2249 Thomas Height, Country Club of Scranton 570-237-0878 Gino Marchetti, Glen Oak CC. 570-586-5791 James Gurzler, Green Valley Landscaping 570-592-2473 Editor’s Notes….. Corey Pries, Pocono Manor GC 570-994-8270 Chris Moran, Honesdale CC 570-253-9094 __________________________ CHIPS & PUTTS STAFF EDITOR Brian Bachman, Genesis Turfgrass, Inc. What a difference a year makes. I guess we all got a little spoiled last 484-661-6105 bbachman@genesisturfgrassinc.com year with the warmth and early spring, but it’s back to reality this year. Managing Editor Melinda Wisnosky Hopefully everyone has had a chance to check out the new website 570-388-2167 at ptga.org and can appreciate the improvements that have been mmel500@aol.com made. PAST PRESIDENT Rick Anglemyer, Water Gap CC 570-424-6391 Thanks again to all who have contributed articles, photos, etc to the newsletter. I appreciate it. I hope to see everyone at Southmoore for our first meeting of the year. Brian Bachman PTGA Office 309 Terrace Avenue 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 maintained. We would appreciate a credit line. PagePage 3 3 Pocono Turfgrass Association 2013 Scholarships The Patterson Scholarship for Turfgrass Related Studies The Pocono Turfgrass Association is now accepting scholarship applications for the Patterson Scholarship. The deadline for application is June 30, 2012. The following is a list of guidelines for all individuals interest- ed in applying for the scholarship: 1. Applicant must be in his or her final year of study or a recent graduate of a two- or four-year turf relat- ed program. 2. The applicant must be a member of the Pocono Turfgrass Association, employed by a member of PTGA, or an immediate family member of a member of PTGA. 3. The applicant must submit, in writing, why he or she would like to be considered for the scholarship. The essay should include what he or she feels their contribution to the turfgrass field will be. 4. Applicants must include a letter of endorsement from their PTGA relation with their application. The Pocono Turfgrass Association Scholarship for Non-Turf Related Studies The Pocono Turfgrass Association is now accepting applications for a non-turfgrass related field of study scholarship. The deadline for application is June 30, 2012. The following is a list of guidelines for all individ- uals interested in applying for the scholarship: 1. Applicant must be in his or her final year of study or a recent graduate of a two- or four-year non-turf related program. 2. The applicant must be a member of the Pocono Turfgrass Association, employed by a member of PTGA, or an immediate family member of a member of PTGA. 3. The applicant must submit, in writing, why he or she would like to be considered for the scholarship. The essay should include information pertaining to field of study, educational achievement, and future goals with respect to utilization of his or her education. 4. Applicants must include a letter of endorsement from their PTGA relation with their application. Applications should be submitted to: John Downer 461 Swartz Valley Road Springbrook, PA 18444 Page 4 PTGA Membership Drive Calling all Assistants Thinking of becoming a Do you have an Assistant PTGA Member?? who could benefit from membership? Anyone who joins the Association (with their paid dues and approved application of course) will be able to attend any monthly meeting immediately following their membership for 1/2 price!!! (Half-price meeting excludes the Clambake ) Talk to any Board Member for additional details. Page 5 …..Continued from page 1 Kelly, who is a Rutgers grad, has been in the golf industry since 1982, and previously served stints at the Center Valley Club, and two TPC courses in Connecticut and Memphis. Married to wife Renee for 22 years, Kelly has two boys who grew up with him on the golf course. Assisted by an in-season staff of 6 along with 9 full time seasonal employees, Southmoore has recently redone the landscaping and tee complex on #3 (their signature par 3 that features a beautiful waterfall) and will also be installing irrigation at the entrance to the Club this year. I hope you’ll all come out to enjoy the camaraderie and golf of the new season with us at Southmoore. Page 6 Research to Reality: The Acre Furrow Slice Dr. Mike Fidanza, PSU Soil testing laboratories use the “acre furrow slice” (AFS) as a way to estimate the volume and weight of an acre of land to a depth of 6.7 inches. Why 6.7 inches? In farming, a typical moldboard plow penetrates the soil to a depth of 6.7 inches. The typical soil volume of an AFS is 24,394 cubic feet (calculated from multiplying 43,560 sq. ft. [the surface area of one acre] X 6.7 inch [or 0.56 ft] depth). Incidently, a football field (including the endzones) covers a 1.3 acre surface area. The typical soil weight of an AFS is approximately 2 million pounds (calculated from multiplying 24,394 cubic feet X 83 pounds of dry soil in one cubic foot [based on a standard bulk density of a silt loam soil of 1.33 g/cm3 which equals 83 lbs/ft3]. So, an acre of soil at the 6.7 inch depth weighs 2 million pounds, but an acre of soil that is 3.35 inches thick weighs 1 million pounds. How can golf course turf professionals in use this infor- mation? Well, are you interested in the nutrients levels in the upper 3 inches of rootzone or upper 6 inches? Typically, soil labs use AFS to express nutrient content for an acre of soil - - keep in mind, that’s for a 6.7 inch rootzone depth. Some soil labs report nutrients as ppm (parts per million). So, multiplying the ppm value X 2 gives you the nutrient amount for 2 million pounds of soil or an AFS. If you use only the ppm value, you will already have the nutrient amount for 1 million pounds of soil (or an acre of soil at the 3.35 inch depth). If you’re not sure, ask your soil testing laboratory; and check-out Dr. McNitt’s article, too. Source: McNitt, A.S. 2010. What is an “acre furrow slice of soil?” Center for Turfgrass Science. Pennsylvania State University. http:// plantscience. psu.edu/research/centers/turf/extension/factsheets/ acre-furrow-slice Mike Fidanza, Ph.D., Professor of Plant and Soil Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, Berks Campus, Reading, PA; (email: fidanza@psu.edu; twitter: @MikeFidanza). Joh Do w n ner As a service to our members and a way to say thank you…..all PTG A PTGA members will receive their own bag tag to proudly display. Me mb er Please pick up your tag at the meetings throughout the season. Page 7 GCSAA Weighs in on MSMA with the EPA Representatives discuss the importance of MSMA use, support its continued use At an EPA meeting to review the registration of the herbicide MSMA, GCSAA members Mark Esoda, CGCS at Atlanta Country Club, and Greg Pheneger, CGCS at John's Island Club in Vero Beach, Fla., as well as Chava McKeel, GCSAA associate director of government relations, helped represent the interest of the golf course management industry and the role MSMA plays in integrated weed management programs on golf courses. MSMA, an important turf management tool for the $68 billion U.S. golf industry, is used especially in the southeast- ern United States as a spot treatment control for goosegrass, dallisgrass and tropical signalgrass to provide high- quality golf course playing surfaces. In August 2006, the EPA issued a decision to make MSMA ineligible for re-registration on golf courses. MSMA use is currently banned in Florida, and a ban in other states was set to go into effect at the end of 2012. However, in October, MSMA applications labeled for use on golf courses (except in Florida) were extended for at least 3 to 4 more years until a new National Academy of Sciences review on inorganic arsenic is completed. The Feb. 13 focus meeting held in Washington, D.C., is part of a new registration review program mandated by the Food Quality Protection Act. As part of the program, the EPA must re-evaluate each registered pesticide at least every 15 years to determine whether it continues to meet the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenti- cide Act (FIFRA) standard for registration. The meetings are intended to address areas of uncertainty such as un- clear labels or missing studies that could affect the EPA’s pesticide risk assessments and risk management deci- sions. By obtaining better information early in the process, the EPA can narrow the scope of pesticide re- evaluations to areas that pose real concerns, based on current data and use patterns. Photo of the Month We all see interesting things every day….wildlife (like bald eagles and bears), strange turf problems (like a light- ning strike), an employee who stayed out to late the night before, etc. So if you have a great photo, send it to me (bbachman@genesisturfgrassinc.com) and share it for everyone to enjoy (or laugh at). April Photo of the Month This month’s photo is from John Chassard and the crew at Lehigh CC. When dropping a tree this winter it just so happened that this branch pierced the ground at precisely the right (or wrong if you’re the guy who has to fix it) spot. It went in the ground deep enough to break this irrigation line and make a little more work to get the year start- ed. Chips & Putts PATRON SPONSORS AERIFICATION AND OVERSEEDING IRRIGATION AND DRAINAGE Aer-Core Stephen Thompson 610-972-5933 John Deere Brent Wood 570.499.1441 Andre & Son, Inc. John Vojick 607.768.0575 Turf Equip. & Supply George Skawski 610.554.9366 Rich Gdovin 570.278.1131 Michael Longyhore 610.390.8827 Lawn & Golf Chris Butler 710.933.5801 EQUIPMENT PLANT PROTECTANTS Aer-Core Stephen Thompson 610-972-5933 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 Lawn & Golf Chris Butler 610.933.5801 Genesis Turfgrass Brian Bachman 484.661.6105 Turf Equip. & Supply Michael Longyhore 610.390.8827 Grass Roots, Inc. Steve Chirip 973.418.3468 George Skawski 610.554.9366 John Deere Brent Wood 570.499.1441 Finch Services Ted Zabrenski 484.614.6436 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 SEED & SOD 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 Finch Services Ted Zabrenski 484.614.6436 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 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 Grass Roots, Inc. Steve Chirip 973.418.3468 Genesis Turfgrass Brian Bachman 484.661.6105 John Deere Brent Wood 570.499.1441 Grass Roots, Inc. Steve Chirip 973.418.3468 Lawn & Golf Chris Butler 610.933.5801 Lawn & Golf Chris Butler 610.933.5801 Profile Products LLC Dan Fick 610.562.0547 Support our Sponsors - They support us! PTGA SCHEDULE POCONO ROUNDUP April 9th PTGA meeting @ Southmoore GC Have any news? Speaker: Steve McDonald Please let us know. May 31st PTGA meeting @ Fox Hill CC Contact Brian Bachman at Speaker Topic: H2B workers bbachman@genesisturfgrassinc.com June 11th PTGA meeting @ Pocono Manor GC Speaker: TBD POCONO TURFGRASS ASSOCIATION R.R. 1, BOX 219 POSTAGE HARDING, PA 18643 POCONO TURFGRASS ASSOCIATION 309 TERRACE AVENUE HARDING, PA 18643 NAME & ADDRESS PHONE/FAX 570-388-2167 WEBSITE: ptga.org ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED.