* chips %puns OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE POCONO TURFGRASS ASSOCIATION M eeting: Wyoming Valley CC (Annual Election Meeting) Hosts: J e ff K och a n d Chris Snopkow ski Our November meeting was held at Wyoming Valley CC. It was a beautiful day to play a fantastic golf course. As many members will attest, Jeff and Chris did a fantastic job grooming the golf course and planning the weather and leaf color to cooperate. Course Stats: Par 71,6300 yards. Designed in 1896 by A.W. Tillinghast(yes, that was 1896). The course is the 45th oldest course in the US and 5th oldest in Pennsylvania. It is a private club with 400 members. There are 14 push up style poa/bent greens and 4 sand based Pennlinks greens. Fairways are being converted to Pennlinks, and Penncross, but also consist of various rye, blue and poa plants. The course receives approximately 23,000 rounds/year. Please note, meeting costs were only $25.00 because of Wyoming Valley's donation of carts and golf. We appreciate the generosity shown to us by the club for graciously hosting our event. Our Host Jeff Koch started working on a golf course at age 12. He started at Rolling Meadows Golf Course in Ashland, Pennsylvania. (Executive length GC, 4500 yards, Par 68) His first assigned job was actually emptying the trash. He has come a long way since then. He spent 10 years at RMGC and then graduated from Penn State's 2 year Turfgrass Technical Program in 1997 under George Hamilton. After PSU he was hired as the second assistant at Talbot Country Club in Easton, Maryland, under course superintendent Guy Ostrander. He was promoted to first assistant after a few months but became homesick for the mountains of NEPA. He was hired in February of 1998 as 1st Assistant under Andy Jubinski at Glenmaura National Golf Club. In July 2002 he was hired as the Superintendent at Wyoming Valley CC. (continued on page 5) P re sid e n t’s Message /^ O C Q % y Greetings to all. Oddly enough, I am at a loss for words since I do O FFICERS not know where to pick up from our last conversation. Therefore, I will AND hit you with a barrage of independent thoughts which should offer TU RFG RA SS you plenty of material for your daily meditations. ASSOCIATION DIRECTORS First and foremost.... Thank you to our meeting hosts this past 2005 season. The courses were wonderful, as were the staff at each facility. It was also great to have the opportunity to play some different courses in our chapter. PRESIDENT Second, thank you to all our meeting sponsors and other affiliate Eric Reed, Valley C.C. supporters for their assistance in making our meetings more 570-788-4277 Barley5@ptd.net affordable for everyone. V IC E PRESIDENT We are currently working on securing sites for the 2005 season. A Duane Schell, Blue Ridge Trail G.C. number of superintendents had inquired last year about hosting a 570-868-8113 meeting. We will be in contact with you shortly. If anyone else would djschell@epix.net be interested in hosting a meeting next year, please let us know ASAP TREASURER John Downer, Elkview C.C. so that we will be able to schedule speakers for each meeting, also. 570-840-0078 We had approached a few of you about serving on the PTGA j_s_downer@juno.com Board for this upcoming year. As of now, the present board appears SECRETARY to still be intact and the presumed vacancies are not going to be Andrew Jubinski developing. I did not want you to think you were forgotten. As for the 570-378-3043 glenturf@epix.net PTGA Board, we have obvious issues to address, and we are already DIRECTORS working on those. We will be announcing a number of changes Steven Chirip, Grass Roots, Inc. shortly which will continue to make some of our responsibilities 973-418-3468 somewhat simpler and more efficient. I do feel we have righted a Jeff Koch, Wyoming Valley C.C. couple ships, but it appears the fleet is bigger than we had assumed, 570-823-0740 and our ship righting is not yet complete. Darrin Larkin, Panorama Golf Course 570-222-9260 Eric R eed CHIPS & PUHS STAFF EDITOR Charles Koennecker fertseedchem@ aol.com M a n a g in g Editor Melinda Wisnosky From the Editor's Desk...... E ditorial C o m m itte e Jeff Koch Eric Reed What a year for the PTGA. It certainly has been a learning year for me. Let me first apologize to everyone for my lack of production on Chips andPutts. I have seen how much work this really takes, and I vow to do a much better job next year as your editor. With that said, there should be a few changes you will nofice. We have shortened the coming editions of Chips and Putts in an effort to get more issues to the membership on a more timely basis. Please PTGA Office note, even with smaller issues, we still need copy for the coming RR 1, Box 2 1 9 issues. You can email, fax, or send in story ideas or even stories at any Harding, PA Phone/Fax: (570) 3 8 8 -2 1 6 7 time! For 2005,1will have Eric Reed and Jeff Koch helping me to produce the issues on a more timely basis. We are currently in the process of planning for next year. Rumor has it, we might even be seeing a PTGA website. Rumors were still unconfirmed at press time (more details next issue). Stay tuned for an exciting year! See you on the trade show circuit. Have a happy and healthy holiday season! C harlie K o e n n e c k e r The Pocono Turfgrass Association would like to give a great big “Thank You” to all our vendors who help” support and strengthen our Association. ” Your help each year is greatly appreciated. A T Sales Associates, Inc. Grass Roots, Inc. Andre & Son, Inc. Koonz Sprinkler Supply Blue Ridge Peat Farms Lawn and Golf Supply Co., Inc. E & M Golf Northern Nurseries Earthworks Partac Peat Corporation Egypt Farms, Inc. Philadelphia Turf Company Finch Services Shearon Golf Fisher & Son Company, Simplot Partners Inc. Stull Equipment Company Golf Cars, Inc. Syngenta Professional Products W inding Down for 2004 Darin S. B evard LISCA A g ro n o m ist It's just about time to park the mowers and hook up the snow plow. There is still a little bit of golf left to be played; but with the leaves all but fallen, the days getting shorter and temperatures a little colder, preparing for winter is on everyone’s mind. What preparations are you making? There are many things to think of. Sure, there are the agronomic issues. Applying snow mold control, potentially using covers and worrying about the winter impacts on turfgrass are thoughts. However, much of the winter is spent on projects and non­ grass growing issues. This is an important time to determine what worked, what didn’t and what new strategies should be considered for 2005. With regard to covers, we have more options available for synthetic covers than ever before. Covers can help with winter survival in some instances and have no impacts in others. High greens that receive frequent wind and have dam age in the spring may be considered for covers. Covers can prevent desiccation injury. Winter dam age that occurs due to ice accumulation, poor drainage and shade will not be helped significantly by covering. Another question that you should ask yourself is “ Do we have a defined maintenance plan?” In my travels, it is amazing how often the golf course superintendent is not quite sure what his members (owners/customers) really de­ sire in the golf course. There is an assumption that the goal is always faster greens, lush green conditions, etc. Often times, there is a middle ground that prevents turfgrass being pushed to extremes. Without some maintenance standards, how do you evaluate your performance? How fast is fast on the greens? We often do not like to get into numbers, but unfortunately, if you do not know the speed of the greens, conditions become arbitrary. There is no way to tell when you have achieved a goal with regard to putting green conditions. Maintenance guidelines are becoming more common throughout our industry and provide a way to set priorities and evaluate progress. Finally, the winter is a time to recharge our minds and bodies before the next growing season. There is no off season anymore. There are conferences, projects, equipment maintenance and many other tasks for a superintendent to direct during the winter months. However, the winter does provide a chance to relax compared to the golf season. The Green Section Agronomists of the Mid-Atlantic Region wish everyone a good upcoming winter season. We hope to see most of you during our conference travels. Reminder! If you have recently moved or changed employment, please call Melinda at 570-388-2889 or e-mail her at mmel500@aol.com so she can update her records. Thank you! ' ^ (continued from page 11 Earthworks His assistant was Chris Snopkowski. Natural Organic Products In addition to being a superintendent, Jeff enjoys hunting, fishing and Joel Simmons watching college football. He is currently enjoying the single life. PO. Box 278K www.soilfirst.com Shortly after our meeting Jeff was hired to be the Superintendent at 6574 S. Delaware Drive Martins Creek, PA 18063 Fax: 610-250-7840 Phone: 610-250-9560 Glenmaura National G.C. Congratulations Jeff! 800-732-TURF Chris Snopkowski replaced Jeff as Superintendent at Wyoming Valley G.C. Congrats to Chris also! Office & Home Phone Top Dressing White Haven 570-443-9596 Bunker Sand Fax 570-443-9590 Infield Mix Blue Ridge Peat Farms, Inc. White Haven, PA 18661-9674 Potting Soil Gene Evans, Owner Soil Mixes Professional Engineer Lee Kozsey Territory Sales Representative Syngenta Professional Products A EGYPT Dean Snyder President Syngenta Crop Protection, Inc. FARMS EGYPT FARMS, INC. J Jr 1 1 1W 3710 Amherst Court Bethlehem, PA 18020-1356 P.O. BOX 223 Tel. 610-861-8174 White Marsh, Maryland 21162 Fax 610-882-9358 Mobile 215-796-0409 Phone: 800-899-7645 TORO. www.syngenta.com Local: 410-335-3700 lee.kozsey @ syngenta.com Fax: 410-335-0164 TURF EQUIPMENT Grass Roots, Inc. MATT BROWN grass roots Mount Freedom, NJ 07970 MOBILE: 484-357-6312 1248 Sussex Turnpike S uperior Products for th e T u rf and H o rticu ltu ral Professional Steve Chirip c/o Mt. Ridge Business Park Units A-1&2 IRRIGATION Technical Sales Rep. Randolph, NJ 07869 GEORGE SKAWSKI MOBILE: 610-554-9366 Bob Seltzer (973) 418-3468, Mobile (570) 839-3399, PA Office EMAIL: g.skawski@philyturf.com 165 N. Center Street * Fredricksburg, Pa 17026 (973) 361-5943, NJ Office 610-704-4756 * Fax 717-865-4712 (973) 895-1388, NJ Fax www.fisherandson.com Service ♦ Technical Support ♦ Quality Products Premium sod for golf courses CHUCK DeANGELO Chip Presendofer A T Sales Associates, Ltd. 1011 Church Road Oreland, PA 19705 I PTC I --------------------- S A L E S ----------------------- GOLF CARS, INC. 570-457-7420 OFFICE MAIN OFFICE 215-340-0880 Tel 215-886-6011 570-499-2216 CELL MAIN FAX 215-340-1634 Fax 215-886-1203 570-457-3279 FAX 4180 SKYRON DRIVE DeAngelo46@aol.com B U C K IN G H A M , PA 1 8 912-0247 Pager 800-983-3430 The (Board o f (Directors 'W ishes tfie M em bers o f the (Pocono T u fg ra ss A ssociation And theirfam A V ery M erry Christm as e£ Irrigation supplier to the Golf Course Superintendent ¡Happy ¡Holiday Season! No one knows irrigation like Koonz \V - , - 8 0 0 -7 7 2 -8 4 8 6 39 Waverly Avenue, P.O. Box 55 Springfield, NJ 07081 Ra in ^ B ir d A M arc Shotzberger VERTI-DRAIN & 5 7 0 -6 0 2 -3 0 5 4 T e rrito ry M an ag er Stull Equipm ent Com pany P rofessional Turf Products R 0TA D A IR 0N DEALERS & CONTRACTORS 8 0 0 -5 5 4 -4 8 6 3 FAX 5 7 0 - 6 0 2 - 3 0 5 3 PARTAC GOLF COURSE 201 Windsor Road E & M Golf S upply Co . TOP-DRESSING Pottstown, PA 19464 A DIVISION OF H.V. INC. America's Premium 610/495-7441 9 5 0 SATHERS DRIVE, PITTSTON TO W N S H IP PA 1 8 6 4 0 800/724-1024 (ext. 153) HEAT TREATED Top-Dressings Fax: 610/495-7510 SPECIALIST IN DEEP TINE AERATION Mobile: 215/880-1716 1 800 247-2326 - - STEPHEN MICHAEL www.stullequip.com mshotzberger@stullequip.com 908-637-4191 • Fax 908-637-8421 Layout and Design Typesetting I t’s every player’s responsibility... Mac/IBM desktop publishing interface Laser color separations ■ Repair ball marks I Scitex® electronic photo retouching 31 New Hill Street, P.0 Box 507 Wilkes-Barre, PA 18703-0507 570-822-8181 F u ll electronic prepress services Foil stamping, embossing Complete bindery including * Replace or fill divots ■ Rake bunkers Wm FAX: 570-823-3579 saddlestitch and perfect binding A message from your g o lf course superintendent a n d GCSAA P*$e') Pocono Turfg ra ss W inter Plan (OrWords to Live By) ^ 9 Shearon Golf A division of shearon ShearonEnvironmental Desi M ayo n n aise Jar an d C o ffe e When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, Specializing In: when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the coffee. Construction / Maintenance A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked Restorations / Renovations up a very large and empty Mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was. Arboriculture So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into Design the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. Drainage Experts They agreed it was. The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. Custom Spray Applicators He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous “ yes!” Certified Irrigation Installers The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. 337 Route 31 ■ Hop The students laughed. 5160 Militia Hill Road ■ Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462 Contact Charlie McGill at (609) 466-0666 or “ Now, said the professor, as the laughter subsided, I want you (610) 828-5488 • www.shearongolf.com to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things — your family, your children, your health, your friends, and your favorite passions — things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter, like your job, your house, N orthern N urseries, inc. your car. The sand is everything else — the small stuff. P rofessional T u r f P roducts Division “ If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, à i m â n à ..— RT 115, Sullivan Trail “ there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes Wind Gap, PA 18091 for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small Phone: (610) 863 6006 Fax: (610) 863-6384 stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Home Phone/Fax: DAN FICK (610) 562-6812 "Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. SALES REPRESENTATIVE Pager: (610) 791-8336 Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner. Lay on the grass and look at the clouds. Go fishing or take that much needed walk in the park. Play another 18 holes. There will always be time to clean the 4 v ‘Tu rf Safes & Consuftation house, and fix the disposal, wash the clothes. Take care of the golf ANDRE 8cSON. INC. balls first, the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is TURF KING PRODUCTS 8 c just sand.” CONTRACTED SERVICES One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled. JOHN V0JICK "I’m glad you asked,” he said. "It just goes to show you V0ICE/FAX 1.888.887.3770 EXTN 671 CELLULAR 1.607.768.0575 n . ... . f MJLL S TR E E T that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for RESIDENCE, VOICE/FAX 570.222.TURF MONTROSE, PA 18801 a cup of coffee with a friend." - POCONO ROUNDUP October Golf Results NEWS AND VIEWS FROM THE POCONO AFFILIATES TURFGRASS ASSOCIATION Gross: 1st- Jim Carville 87 Septem ber G olf Results 2nd - Joe Sellers 87 Winners - Net Stableford Net: First Place: Paul Brandon 67 1st Rodger Smith 47 Second Place:Steve Chirip 65 2nd John Vojick 49 Third Place: Ron Garrison 61 3rd Matt Brown 51 Fourth Place: Chris Snopkowski 61 4th Jim MacLaren 53 Fifth Place: Charlie Koennecker 59 Sixth Place: Jim Carville 58 SUPERINTENDENTS Longest Drive: Marty Myers Gross: 1st Dave Wisnosky 76 Closest to the Pin: Ron Garrison 2nd John Weinperl 79 Net 1st Ron Garrison 66 2nd Walt Whitney 70 Closest to the Pin, Hole # 13: Chris Butler, 11 ’7” Longest Drive, Hole #11: John Downer POCONO TURFGRASS ASSOCIATION d o MELINDA WISNOSKY POSTAGE R.R. 1, BOX 219 HARDING, PA 18643 TURFGRASS ASSOCIATION NAME & ADDRESS ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED