chips %puns OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE Founded in POCONO TURFGRASS ASSOCIATION 1936 TURFGRASS VOL 7, NO. 1 FEBRUARY/MARCH 2001 ASSOCIATION Communication Skills for Effective Interaction By: Robert A. Milligan Cornell University Turfgrass Team “You aren’t listening.” “You make me mad communications. Second, the feeling of anger when you____ !” “You don’t give me any results from an action of the person, not the feedback.” person himself or herself. An “I” statement, however, is a much superior method for giving How many times have you heard these criticism, explaining a problem, making a statements from family, co-workers and suggestion, or expressing an opinion. employees? Usually when we hear and use these or similar statements there are strong An “ I” statement has two parts: feelings and high levels of stress. Can we learn anything to more effectively handle such First part: Describe your feelings without blaming difficult questions? The answer is “Yes” . Each of others. these statements is addressed below. Second part: Describe how you would like things to change. Effective Listening For example, when you are disappointed and When I discuss listening in my workshops, I ask frustrated that an employee cannot remember the participants what they are doing when simple instructions, you would state, “When what I someone else is talking. The first answer is usually think are simple instructions are not followed, I “thinking about something else.” This we can feel disappointed and frustrated. I want you to avoid by focusing on what is being said. More listen more carefully, write things down if challenging is the next response of "thinking necessary, and ask questions if anything is not about how we are going to respond.” We all do clear.” this, but it is not effective listening. We need to Note that the first part of this statement used an have the patience and focus to only listen until "I" message where you state how you feel using whomever we are talking to has finished, and the word “I” so that the other person does not only then think about how to respond. feel offended by what you say. It doesn’t A very powerful tool in listening is to practice blame “YOU”- the other person. Table one active or empathetic listening. In active compares “YOU” and “I” messages. listening the listener listens for both content and emotional aspects and provides feedback on • (Continued on page 3) both. This means listening for the content and also the underlying feelings that may or may not be stated explicitly. This listening tool has additional attributes that it can be used to focus on joint problem solving and it fosters open t i* x/MA/ communication and personal development. • Why Do I Need a Secretary “I Statements” • Tank Mix Alert The problem with “You make me mad...I” is twofold. First, the recipient of the statement will • Superintendent Profile often be offended and become defensive. This is certainly not conducive to good President's . I recently got back from the Conference and Trade show in Dallas. I must TURFGRASS A SSO CIA TIO N say, Dallas was not what it is cracked up to be. First the weather was cold and raining for the first 4 days; second it was so spread out it made it difficult to get around, and lastly the traffic was horrible. I guess my opinion of Dallas isn’t very high, but the GCSAA employees worked hard at making it as enjoyable as PRESIDENT Gene Huelster, Pocono Farms C.C. possible. 570-894-8055 turfman@ezaccess.net Some Board news.... We are looking for two replacements for the Board of VICE PRESIDENT Directors. Gary Phillips resigned and Tony Grieco got a job as a sales Darrin M. Batisky, Glen Oak C.C. representative. Our by-laws state that we are only able to have one sales 570-586-5791 person on the BOD. I talked to the GCSAA about developing another position Dmbatisky@hotmail.com on the executive committee for Tony. He has been such an asset I do not want SECRETARY/TREASURER to see him off the Board. I will continue to investigate other options. In the Mark Eisele, CGCS, C. C. at Woodloch Springs meantime, anyone who may be interested in any of these positions, please 570-685-2980 feel free to contact me at 570/894/8055. Eiselemk@ltis.net DIRECTORS Let’s hope for some warm weather, and I hope to see you at the first Jason J. Barndt, Berwick Golf Club meeting in April! 570-759-6480 G ene Huelsfer Grassman72@hotmail.com Steven Chirip, Egypt Farms, Inc. 570-894-3131 John Downer, Elkview C.C. 570-222-9247 From the Editor ys Desk. Eric Reed, Valley C.C. 570-788-4277 Barley5@aol.com Well the new season of Chips & Putts is here. As spoken about in previous Past President editions, 2001 will prove to be more insightful, informative, timely and Ron Garrison, CGCS, Fox Hill C.C. interesting. Our lead was chosen for several reasons. Foremost was the fact 570-655-2383 Rgarrison@golfsat.net that COMMUNICATION should be something that we all keep on our mind. Every aspect of our daily lives relies on good communication to all the people CHIPS & PUnS STAFF around us. EDITOR Darrin Batisky With the new season of Chips & Putts upon us, the golf season is right around the corner. Within the next month, golf courses throughout our region will Managing Editor open. That’s why I included the article about hiring a secretary for some much Melinda Wisnosky needed administrative help. During this off-season, I hired an administrative Editorial Committee assistant, and it has proved to be invaluable to the department. If you have Ron Garrison, CGCS any questions about it, give me a call. Jeff Koch Jim MacLaren Eric Reed Also in this edition is a profile of Vince Matics, CGCS; the new superintendent at the CC of Scranton. I would like to be the first to officially welcome Vince back to the area. Hope to see you at the meetings, and look forward to your PTGA Office input in the years to come. Being Vince’s neighbor I have met with him a RR 1, Box 219 couple of times. I can assure you that he is/will be a great asset to the PTGA. Harding, PA 19643 Phone/Fax: (570) 388-2167 In closing I’d like to borrow Vince Matics’ philosophy of serving the membership, while having fun" as the motto for the Chips & Putts staff in 2001. See you all at the meetings! Any opinions expressed in this publication are those of the Darrin B author a n d /o r 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. W e would appreciate a credit line. (Continued from page 1) Innovation, Integrity, UATROLS Product Research, and “You” Messages “1” Messages A Money Bach Guarantee1 (blames others| (first part] You really make me mad. I’m feeling upset about this. (800) 257-7797 / Fax: (856) 751-3859 / www.aquatrols.com You sure are disorganized. 1feel ineffective when things are not organized. You’re always interrupting. 1feel frustrated when 1am TurfSates & Consultation interrupted. ANDRE & SON. INC. Table 1, Comparisons of “YOU” and “I" statements TURF KING PRODUCTS Serving fIhe Area Since 1914 Feedback JOHN VOJICK 2 M ill S treet In studies where employees have been asked about their 717-278-1131 Work M o n tr o se , PA 18801 717-222-9712 Res. 717-278-3835 FAX performance, the most common response Is, “I must be doing well because I haven’t heard that I’m doing anything wrong.” This response implicitly suggests that feedback is very limited and that the expectation is that feedback will be negative. Both are mostly true and neither is conducive to good communication and high productivity. First, feedback should be common and should be based on A E R -C O R E , Inc. CONTRACT SERVICES USING: Southern Green Soil Reliever performance. Remember, in his book, Everyone’s a COACH, Don Shula states, “ Good performance should be treated differently than • poor performance.” When we give feedback, it should respond to: • 7OR O Fairway A erator • BLEC Ground Prep & Seeding ■ ■ Positive consequence A need for redirection; performance stopped and redirected • Dakota Peat Topdresser using training ■ A negative consequence; requires a reprimand, a EQUIPMENT SALES FEATURING punishment, a demotion, a removal from activity • Southern Green Soil Reliever • BLEC Blecavator & Cultipack Seeder The following are ideas for improving our feedback-giving activities: • Greensgroomer Topdressing Brush ■ Ken Blanchard says, “Catch your employees doing something • Dakota Peat Topdressers right.” ■ Give four compliments for every constructive criticism. ELEVEN YEARS IN THE ■ From Jane Magruder Watkins of Transformational AERIFICATION BUSINESS Management, “ Practice Appreciative Inquiry: the process of asking questions about what is going well, rather than what is • PRO VEN TRA CK RECORD going poorly.” • COMPETITIVE PRICES ■ Use the PIN technique to find positive aspects of performance even when you must say “no”: . THOROUGHLY TRAINED ° focus on Positive OPERATORS ° focus on what is Interesting and innovative a focus on what is Negative. For Service or Demo Please Call: 610-327-3390 — Adapted for Cornell University Turfgrass Times; Volume Nine, Number One Bob Eichert Bill Rahling (The author is the co-author of: Human Resource Management for the Golf Course Superintendent. And a GCSAA seminar instructor of: Managing People for Peak Performance and Job Satisfaction.) f Why Do I Need a Secretary? By: Tony Goodley, CGCS (Taken from: The Green Sheet, Central PA GCSA Newsletter, Volume 8 Issue 8) This was a question asked by not only the Director of Golf but the General Manager as well. My answerwas, “ Because I need one!” I explained: The demands of the golf course superintendent from a clerical standpoint, as well as every- day course maintenance, have become astronomical. The golf course condition requirements (thanks to TV and greens com­ mittee chairman) are enough to keep the Rolaids people in business from golf course superintendents alone. We get so bogged down with paperwork that sometimes our duties on the course suffer, or we end up taking the paperwork home and then our domestic duties become neglected. If the above reasons weren’t enough to justify the position, I was willing to eliminate one of the course part time positions to make room in my budget for a secretary. All of this was to be done on a trial basis with upper management to make the final decision. As it turned out, my secretary became invaluable, allowing the mechanic to do his job without having to answer the phone, take messages, and track people down, She also helped out in accounting during a time when they were busy and short staffed. Her hours are 8:00 A.M. to 2:30 P.M., Monday through Friday, during the busy months of April through October/ November, and three days a week during our slower months of November through March. As Heritage Hills is also an ISO 9000 certified resort, she serves as the auditor/representative from our department and han­ dles the additional paperwork that ISO generates. If I were in a position to have to do all the paperwork and my golf course duties as well, I think I would either seek employ­ ment elsewhere or just get out of the business. As long as I am in the business and no matter where I work, this is a position I would fight to keep. In addition to answering the phones and delivering messages, here are some of the other things that my secretary does: orders products and parts, calls for estimates to compare prices, fills out the purchase orders, tracks these through the com­ puter, checks incoming material to be sure it is what we ordered, distributes P0 copies to the proper departments, tracks our expenses for budgetary purposes, manages and prints weekly budget status reports, prints and files the logs and forms that we use and designs new ones as needed, checks and prints our e-mail and gets a daily weather update, checks golf and related websites for pertinent information, makes sure that the training records are up to date, prints up training manuals for new hires, maintains our ISO manuals, serves as an ISO 9002 Resort Auditor and maintains all our computer records. She also greets applicants in my absence and handles the application process (not the interview). So much of what we do is comput­ erized these days that any superintendent and/or assistant superintendent who is not computer literate really must have a secretary or office assistant, at least part time. As for upper management’s decision, let me just say that my secretary has been here for a year and a half! Editor's Note: Tony is the CGCS of Heritage Hills Golf Resort in York, PA A EGYPT Dean Snyder President Looking iAK)King F r oo r Ti nhee/ \Ai i nsw & w eer r Toîu * • \ FARMS EGYPT FARMS, INC. Spoon-Feeding Your Golf Course? P.O. Box 223 White Marsh, Maryland 21162 PlantStar Fertigation Has The Solution... ▼ Phone: Local: 800-899-7645 410-335-3700 With over 15 years experience, we know we can help. Give us a call for fax: 410-335-0164 more details on how fertigation can change the way you grow your turf! To learn more about PlantStar and our services, call us at: 800 * 277 ®STAR www.plantstar.com s ! AA â 4 Â 4 Â Â à 4 A A4 4 £ A &A A i i i à I i ■* r r T ▼» T ' r f f f f f f f f f f f i T f f f f f f f ^ f f f f f f ^ The Allied Golf Course Superintendents Association of Pennsylvania wishes to thank the following donors for their generosity and support. We could not operate without their help. P l a t in u m D o n o r Frontier Construction, Nicholas Scigliano G o ld d o n o r s George B. Ley Co. Shearon Environmental Syngenta Turf Environmental, Greg Shaner Silver D o n o r s Aer-Cor, Inc. Bayer Corp. Eastern Irrigation Finch Turf Equipment P.A. Blakely Construction The Andersons, Barry Grote Simplot Partners Stull Equipment and Allegheny Lawn & Golf Syngenta Turf Environmental, John Fowler B ro nze D o n o rs Andre & Sons, Inc. Fisher & Son, Co Montco/Surfside A T Sales Associates Forse Design Inc Pennink Arrimour Inc. Aventis Environmental Science Golf Cars, Inc. Philadelphia Turf Co. Blaukovitch Golf Course Design Golf Car Supply Pocono Turf Supply Blue Ridge Peat Firms Hodges Supply Co. Sarver Irrigation Brun’s Specialty Tires Koonz Sprinkler Tanto Construction & Supply D. M. Boyd Company Krigger & Co. Tournament Turf Laboratories Ed Beidel, ASGCA Laspina Equipment Valentine & Sons E. H. Griffith Lawn & Golf Supply VicNor Farms, Inc. Farm & Golf Course Supply Lesco Walker Supply Tank Mix Alert |S eeqW a y | Seed, Fertilizer & Soil Erosion Control Material for Golf, Athletic, Landscape, Construction and Maintenance Remember the WhALE Method... DENNIS L.WAGNER Territory Sales Representative Seedway 980 Loucks Mill Rd. York, PA 17402 HOME: York Ph: (800) 836-3720 Phone: (610) 921-8779 York Fax: (717) 848-2261 Fax: (610) 921-8779 Emmaus Ph: (800) 225-4131 email: greenthum2@aol.corr W= Wettables (WP, WSP, WSB, DF, WDG, EG,...) /C flv n /ffrfto w A /p / A= Agitate Featuring L= Liquids (L, F,...) Rotors • Valves • Central Control Systems E= Emulsifyable Concentrates (EC) 9 800-347-4272 Special Notes: V Sprayable fertilizers with boron may affect the solubility of WSB’s. Make sur that the WSP’s have completely dissolved before any liquid fertilizers are added to the tank. E arth w o rks N a t u r a l O rg a n ic P r o d u c t s V Wetting agents enhance the uptake of foliar products by the leaf blade. As a Joel Simmons result, rates of foliar products that might have otherwise been safe, could P.O. Box 278K www.soilfirst.com cause problems when tank mixed with wetting agents (e.g., liquid fertilizer 6574 S. Delaware Drive Fax: 610-250-7840 Martins Creek, PA 18063 Phone: 610-250-9560 burns, herbicide burns, growth regulator injuries,...) 8 0 0 -7 3 2 -T U R F JO HN M BODOCK Shaun M. Barry - X Aven Sales Representative CHIPC0* Professional Products fish e r so n • Lawn and Golf Supply Co., Inc. r company, me. S p e c i a l i s t s in e q u i p m e n t a n d S u p p l i e s F o r M a in t e n a n c e O f t u r f Aventis Environm ental Science Superior Products for the 1133 Rt. # 2 7 Turf and Horticultural Professional Mark Reed (610)282-2381 fax (610)282-2392 Somerset, NJ 08873 PHON E: ( 6 1 0 ) 9 3 3 -5 8 0 1 (8 0 0 ) 3 6 2 -5 6 5 0 6 4 7 NUTT RD. P .O . BOX 4 4 7 Tel. (732) 846-8173 Fax (6 1 0 ) 9 3 3 -8 8 9 0 PHOENIXVILLE. PA. 19460 Fax (732) 846-8113 237 East King St Malvern PA 19355 e-mail: Shaun.Barry@aventis.com PH. 1-800-262-2127 FAX (610) 644-7791 www.fisherandson.com • Layout and Design • Typesetting 9 Mac/IBM desktop publishing It’s every player s responsibility... interface • Laser color separations ■ Repair ball marks • Scitex® electronic photo retouching ■ Replace or fill divots 31 Hill Street, P.O. Box 507 • Full electronic prepress services Wilkes-Barre, PA 18703-0507 • Foil stamping, embossing ■ Rake bunkers 570-822-8181 A message from your golf course superintendent and GCSAA • Complete bindery including FAX: 570-823-3579 saddlestitch and perfect binding Superintendent Profile John Fow ler Syngen ta Professional Products Sy n gen ta C rop P ro tection , Inc. syngenta 3 2 5 M ill Pond Lane O xford, PA 19 3 6 3 Vince Matics, CGCS; CC of Scranton Tel. 6 1 0 -9 9 8 -2 8 % Fax 6 1 0 -9 9 8 -2 9 8 7 w w w .syn genta.com The Country Club of Scranton has recently continued its legacy of excellence by hiring a true professional associated with the golf course industry. Their selec­ tion as golf course superintendent and predecessor to the late Bill Lansdowne, ironically began his career as a caddy, at the tender age of thirteen, with the Country Club of Scranton. His name is Vince Matics, CCCS. 71 TORO. . This Penn State Turf Program graduate has held superintendent positions in Pennsylvania and New York. His first superintendent position landed him in the Poconos at the Tamiment Golf & Resort. Two years later, he was hired in James­ town, NY, with a club known for its rich golfing tradition, the Moon Brook Country Club. After eight years of commitment, Vince relocated to Rochester, NY, and the Brook-Lea Country Club where he spent the last twelve rewarding years. TURF EQUIPMENT Mr. Matics admitted he is very excited about his return to the Country Club of MATT BROWN Scranton. His basic and easily understandable philosophy of "serving the mem­ bership while having fun" is sure to provide a positive working environment. He TELEPHONE: 215-340-5401 credits his work ethic to the seven years he spent working with Bill Lansdowne. PAGER: 888-896-5094 "Bill was a mentor, friend, and brother", and he will pride himself on keeping the playing conditions at the highest level - the level to which the membership has IRRIGATION grown accustomed. GEORGE SKAWSKI The original 18-holes of the Country Club of Scranton were built in 1926 and TELEPHONE: 215-340-5450 designed by Walter Travis. The course boasts a length of nearly 6,800 yards and PAGER: 888-376-2074 is enjoyed by its 600 members. In the early 1990's, Dr. Michael Hurdzan had EMAIL: g.skawski@philyturf.com added a 9-hole track to further complement this property, which totals 385 acres. Assisting Vince with the golf course is 'a more than capable assistant, named Charlie Saxe. Charlie has remained dedicated to the Country Club of Scranton for 13 years and will be a definite asset to the new superintendent. When Vince is not fulfilling his professional responsibilities on the golf course, he is a full-time father of two and devoted husband to his wife, Ann. His son, Steve, 19, is currently enrolled at the University of Rochester and is majoring in Medicine, while his daughter Juliann, 17, is a junior in high school and a member of the National Honor Society. For leisure, Vince enjoys playing golf and carries a 4-handicap, but admits his game has slipped. In conclusion, the real reason why he is attracted to golf is because of "the great people associated with this game." -by Jeff Koch POCONO ROUNDUP NEWS AND VIEWS FROM THE POCONO More things learned in Dallas, Texas at the TURFGRASS ASSOCIATION GCSAA Convention: When you hear:__________ It really means: It’s so dry, the trees are Drought bribing the dogs. Just ‘cause the chicken has Appearances can be wings doesn’t mean it can deceiving. fly. This ain’t my first rodeo. I’ve been round awhile. He looks like the dogs been He’s ugly!! keeping him under the porch. For the best original article submitted to Chips & Putts for The ate supper before saying They are living in sin. the 2001 Season! grace. Must be a PTGA member. Please submit articles or Time to paint your butt white Stop bitching and DO questions to Darrin Batisky (570-586-5791) or and run with the deer. IT! Melinda Wisnosky (570-388-2167). As full of wind as a corn- Prone to boasting, eating horse. POCONO TURFGRASS ASSOCIATION c/o MELINDA WISNOSKY POSTAGE RR. 1, BOX 219 HARDING, PA 18643 TURFGRASS ASSOCIATION NAME & ADDRESS ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED.