Fall 2008 Green is Beautiful . The Official Publication of Ontario Golf Superintendents' Association New Touches On An Old Gem Also inside this issue...... A Rising Tide Raises All Boats Are You Ready For Gen-Connect? Turf Management's Great Unknown Commodity CANADA POST PUBLICATIONS MAIL PUBLICATIONS AGREEMENT No. 40027105 Postmaster: Please return undeliverable copies to The OGSA, 328 Victoria Rd. S., Guelph, ON N1H 6H8 The Quintozene You Trust... ...In a Formulation You’ll Love Time-tested quintozene in an easy to use flowable formulation. Terraclor Flowable Fungicide provides a hassle free application with reliable and cost effective snow mould control. For more information, call Engage Agro at 1-866-613-3336 or visit www.engageagro.com ENGAGE Agro ©Terraclor is a registered trademark of Amvac Chemical Corporation. President's message elcome to the first new issue of Green is Beautiful! As W announced earlier this year, the board of directors decided to move forward with a revised release schedule for Green is Beautiful that will allow for improved content, increased size ONTARIO GOLF SUPERINTENDENTS’ by Jeff Stauffer ASSOCIATION and will continue to provide our membership with a leading Credit Valley Golf & CC Guelph Turfgrass Institute magazine on a seasonal basis. The editorial team is always 328 Victoria Road South Guelph, ON N1H6H8 looking for articles written by people, just like you, from within the industry. Ph: 519-767-3341 Toll Free: 877-824-6472 It does not have to be a big project, it can be a simple practice put in place at Fax: 519-766-1704 your facility that works for you, and we always welcome articles. Email: ogsa@gti.uoguelph.ca Website: www.golfsupers.on.ca Plans are well underway for the 2009 Ontario Golf Course Management Conference and Trade Show to be held this January 21st through 23rd at BOARD OF DIRECTORS President: Jeff Stauffer the Westin Harbour Castle, in Toronto. By now, you will have received the Past President: Sean DeSilva registration brochure and I am confident the lineup of presentations put Vice-President: Randy Booker together by Jeff Alexander and his organizing committee will catch your Treasurer: Jeff Alexander Secretary: Chris Andrejicka attention, including Joe Vargas, Eric Lyons, and our keynote speaker, Brian Directors: Jarrod Barakett Burke. Mark your calendars now and I look forward to seeing you at the Westin. Doug Breen Don’t forget about the early bird registration deadline to take advantage of the Phil Brown Rob Gatto lower rates. Scott Heron Recently, your board of directors participated in a strategic planning Stu Leachman Jennifer Pendrith session to discuss the many challenges facing our association and formulate an updated plan of action to ensure we are continuing to move in the right Executive Mgr Dorothy Hills Office Staff Pat Thomas direction as an association. I believe following the meeting, all in attendance Deborah Badger felt a renewed sense of learning and direction as they lead towards the future. The future continues to look bright as the OGSA moves forward with initiatives that look out for the long term health of our great association! A special thank you to Dorothy Hills and her team for their relentless efforts in handling our daily operations and specifically for all of their guidance and help they provide to the directors. It truly is a team effort and they are an important part of the OGSA team. GREEN IS BEAUTIFUL EDITORIAL As we near the end of another golf season, allow me to wish you a successful COMMITTEE Dorothy Hills finish to the year with the turf ready for a ‘long winter’s nap’! More importantly, Greig Barker please have a safe and happy holiday season with your families and loved ones. Tom Brain Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Paul Grotier Jason Hanna Rafik Lang-Bismillah Brett Murray Direct Line 416-659-1020 Scott Horsburgh Manager Fax Line 519-941-0931 Justin Parsons “Green is Beautiful” Andy Sandilands P.O. Box 218 is Printed on Recycled Orangeville, ON Paper Green is Beautiful 2008 L9W 2Z6 Although every effort is made to check material for publication, the association is not responsible for material published on behalf of its-contributors. All rights are reserved by the publisher and any reproduction in whole or part without the written permission of the publisher is prohibited. Although some trade names may be mentioned brett.murray@sympatico.ca in articles contained in this publication, no endorsement is intended or implied by the Ontario Golf Superintendents' Association. Contents Green is NEW TOUCHES ON AN OLD GEM....................................................... 20 63rd Alex McClumpha Memorial Tournament .............................. 18 Beautiful The Official Publication of Ontario Golf Superintendents’ Association A rising tide raises all boats................................................................. 10 Are you ready for Gen-Connect? ....................................................... 26 Above the hole.......................................................................................... 32 Editorial message ..................................................................................... 5 From roots to shoots................................................................................ 8 Golf course highlight - Craigowan G&CC........................................ 19 GTI/OTRF 2008 Research Field Day ..................................................... 14 Health & safety ......................................................................................... 9 Looking back .............................................................................................. 37 Member profile - Bill Fach..................................................................... 12 Off the fairway ......................................................................................... 35 OGSA Shoot Out and Bar-B-Q Social .................................................. 15 On the REEL side of things.................................................................... 31 President's message ................................................................................ 3 Second to one ............................................................................................ 28 COVER PICTURE Turf management's Great Unknown Commodity........................ 29 Öviinbyrd Golf Club Turf or consequences............................................................................... 38 Photo by Rob Witherspoon What's new................................................................................................... 6 Advertisers Agrium Advanced Technology - For the Love of Turf.............. 39 Agrium Advanced Technology - Sales............................................ 5 Almack Agronomic Services Inc.......................................................... 24 Aquatrols..................................................................................................... 34 Bartlett Tree Experts - Canada........................................................... 7 Bayer Envrionmental Science - Backed by Bayer...................... 30 Bayer Environmental Science - Roval Green GT......................... 13 Braemar Building Systems.................................................................. 25 Burnside Golf Services .......................................................................... 7 OGSA is committed to DCS Agronomic Services ...................................................................... 5 serving its members, Engage Agro Corporation - Terrador.............................................. 2 Fast Forest.................................................................................................. 24 advancing their profession, GC Duke Equipment ............................................................................... 27 and Green Horizons Group of Farms ....................................................... 32 enriching the quality H & M Turf Ltd............................................................................................. 3 Manderley Turf Products Inc................................................................ 9 of golf Maple Turf Supply ................................................................................ 5 , 9 and its environment. Master's Turf Supply Ltd........................................................................ 5 Nutrite - Deep Roots............................................................................... 33 Nutrite - Enviro*Sol ................................................................................ 24 DSC Turf ....................................................................................................... 33 Plant Products - Basf Corporate Ad ................................................ 36 Layout, Design & Printing provided by Turf Care Products Canada - Irrigation Div.................................... 15 G-R-A-P-H-I-C SERVICES PRINTERS & LITHOGRAPHERS Turf Care Products Canada................................................................... 40 Tel: 519.763.5745 • Fax: 519.763.9532 United Agri Products Inc........................................................................ 24 32-34 Essex Street • Guelph, Ontario • N1H 3K8 Vanden Bussche Irrigation .................................................................. 11 e-mail: info@graphicservices.ca www. • Zander Sod Co. Limited......................................................................... 33 graphicservices.ca Editorial message by Dorothy Hills an overwhelming abundance of technology at our With of 21st century skills and why the next generation will be fingertips, we are able to get information at a click of a key. particularly challenging. On the other side of the coin, It seems that “Google it” has become the popular substitute Sean Jordan talks about “Turfgrass Management’s Greatest for the trip to the library to rummage through reference Unknown Commodity” and the benefits of internship, from books and manuals. With this profusion of information it both intern and supervisor perspectives. has become increasingly more challenging to eke out what Our feature for this issue is on Islington’s irrigation is pertinent, but more importantly what is tried and true. initiative, “New Touches On An Old Gem ”. Justin Parsons The Green is Beautiful Editorial Committee strives to meet visited Robin Stafford, Superintendent at Islington Golf Club your needs by providing you with accurate, up-to-date and to get the lowdown on the construction they are undertaking informative articles about the industry you work in. But we to remedy their water dilemma. would like your input on what you would like to read about This issue also introduces a new regular piece in upcoming publications. Our next editorial meeting will called, “Second to one”, provided by member assistant be the first week in December, so feel free to send your ideas superintendents. Topics will range from the morning to me ogsa@gti.uoguelph.ca or call 1-877-824-6472. All meeting, to staffing issues, coordinating routine jobs and suggestions will be given careful consideration. dealing with the unexpected. We not only welcome but In this, the first of four seasonal publications, we have packed encourage input from all of our assistants. in a lot of good reads. Paul Grotier’s article, “A Rising Tide From the staff at OGSA, we take this opportunity to Raises All Boats” provides an overview on how the economy extend our best wishes to you. May the quiet joys of the has and will continue to influence the maintenance budget holiday season surround you and yours with the promise of through 2009. There is a summary on the events held peace. We look forward to seeing you at the conference in this fall. Be sure to read the Member Profile on Bill Fach, January. Make sure you stop by the OGSA booth to say hello Superintendent at Black Bear Ridge Golf Club, and recipient and chat with our directors and staff. of this year’s Superintendent of the Year Award. Noted futurist, Jim Carroll poses the question, “Are you ready for Gen-connect” and elaborates on the unique characteristics Doug Hubble Sales and Marketing Manager 519.770.3157 dhubble@agriumat.com John Bladon David C. Smith, A.Ag.., C.G.C.S. 185 Oriole Crescent IPM Coordinator / Technical Sales Soil & Turfgrass Consultant Gravenhorst, Ontario P1P1C6 519.574.2013 jbladon@agriumat.com Office (705) 687-SOIL (7645) Fax (705) 687-3518 Toll Free 1 -888-607-TURF (8873) www.turfpro.ca Cell (905) 512-6004 Email dave@dcshjrf.com Mark Schneider Professional Products Technical Sales Maple Turf Supply Business: (905) 857-2000 8112 King Rd. W. Fax: (905) 857-8215 P.O. Box 370 Mobile: (519) 372-5181 P.O. Box 277, 890 Fairground Road, Langton, On , NOE IGO Bolton, Ontario 1-800-268-4425 Phone (519) 875-4094 Fax (519) 875-4095 L7E 5T3 Email: m___ schneider@sympatico.ca Website: mastersturfsupply.com email: mastersturf@hughes.net What's new Mark Your Calendars 2009 OGSA Tournament Schedule Can/Am April Essex Goff & CC Host Supt. Chris Andrejicka Pro/Super May 21st Kawartha Golf & CC Host Supt. Jennifer Pendrith Presidents’ Day TBA TBA TBA AssistantsTournament September TBA TBA Alex McClumpha October 5th Summit Golf & CC Host Supt. Phil Brown Dates and details of the above events will appear on our receiving this email, please contact the office to verify that website under both “Events” and “Calendar of Events,” as your email address is correct. they are confirmed and further details are available. All Membership dues invoices are now past due. If you have events will be announced in our e-bulletin Clippings when not already received your dues invoice would you please registration is open. contact the office to ensure that your invoice was sent to For your convenience, on line registration will be your current address. available again this year. For Membership Services including database information and “Clippings” Education contact Pat Thomas at ogsa2@gti.uoguelph.ca The University of Guelph Turf Managers’ Short Course continues to attract participants from every Canadian For Accounts Receivable/Payable (incl. member dues) province and from all turf industry segments including contact Deb Badger at ogsa3@gti.uoguelph.ca golf courses, lawn maintenance and landscaping, sports turf and sod production. The Turf Managers’ Short 2009 Golf Course Management Conference and Trade Course has built a reputation as the most successful and Show highly valued turf managers’ course in Canada. Member superintendents may have received two conference brochures; one with the August issue of Green For online courses and certificates in horticulture and is Beautiful and one with this issue. Please pass it along turf: www.HorticultureCertificates.com to someone who might be interested in attending, but did not receive the information, such as your general For the on-campus Associate Diploma in Turf: manager, assistant, technician or mechanic. If they are www.oac.uoguelph.ca/prospective/diplomas/turfgrass- not members, they probably would not have received this. management.cfm Did you also know that the member rate is considerably cheaper than the non-member rate? If you do the For online continuing education and degree-credit calculations you may find that you can sign a member courses: www.open.uoguelph.ca of your staff up for membership and also send them to the conference for less money than sending them to the Membership News conference at the non-member rate. OGSA Member Services tries its best to give our Make sure you get your registration in to the office by membership prompt service and current information on December 1st and take advantage of the Early Bird rate. their fellow members and their profession. In order to do this we need your help. Please make sure that all of your Complimentary Conference Registration for Special contact information is current and up to date, including Circumstances your email address. ‘Clippings’ is an email bulletin that Class A and Superintendent members of the Association, goes out every Wednesday afternoon. We send this out who are normally employed but not currently working, as a bulk email to all members at once, and some servers or have come upon unexpected difficult financial assume that it is ‘spam’ and delete it. If you are not circumstances, have the opportunity to attend the OGSA Conference. Communicate, in writing, to the OGSA office your circumstances and interest to attend the conference. Any member indicating interest to attend the conference will be kept confidential. This is available for members as a benefit of the association. Complimentary registration to the conference only (not including the pre-conference seminar) will be provided at the discretion of the OGSA board of directors. Take advantage of this opportunity and you will Welcome! be keeping yourself connected to your profession. OGSA Welcomes our newest members Ontario Golf Superintendents' Association 2007-2008 End of Year Jeff Aylsworth Class F Reports Sunningdale Golf & CC The following is a list of the OGSA reports, required for the Annual General Meeting to be held January 22nd, 2009 at 5:30 p.m., at the Westin Harbour Castle. Andrew Chartrand Class C These reports will be available on our website December 1, 2008. Sarnia Golf & CC • Director Election Notice. Jamie Corbett Class C • End of Year Audited Financial Statements for period October 1, 2007 Marlwood Golf & CC through September 30, 2008. • End of Year Director Portfolio Reports. Alan Dolick Class F • Minutes from Annual General Meeting held January 17, 2008. Royal Ottawa Golf Club According to our bi-law these reports can be accessed, as soon as they are Jason Fairfield Class C available, on our web site www.golfsupers.on.ca. Braeben Golf Course Log into the Members Only section and go to “Member News”. They should be posted by December 1st. If you have a problem accessing them, please call the Warwick Fynn Class F office. The package can also be viewed at our offices at: 328 Victoria Road South, Credit Valley Golf & CC RR 2 Guelph, Ontario N1H 6H8 Jeffry Lauzon Class C If you require a hard copy of these reports please notify the office and a package Islington Golf Club will be mailed to you. Toll Free (877) 824-6472 or (519) 767-3341. Jeremy Marshall Class C Lindsay Golf & CC Luke Paddle Class F Burnside The Lake Joseph Club Gary Terris Class A Serving the Needs of the Golf Industry Crimson Ridge Golf Club We can help with: Rob Vogt Class S • Approvals for Golf Course Development Elmira Golf Club and Operations • Irrigation Water Supply Venessa White Class C Your Trees Deserve • Sewage Treatment and Disposal Watson's Glen GC The Best Of Care • Environmental Management Plans Trees are valuable assests. Don't • Building and Clubhouse Design Services Victor Woodley Class F • Irrigation Design and Consulting entrust their future to less than • Environmental Impact Assessment Castlemore Golf Club caring professionals. Bartlett • Drinking Water Assessment leads the way in tree care with Nevin Yachuk Class C trained arborists, research facilities, Toll Free: (877) 799-8499 The Country Club nationwide experience and E-mail: vcirone@rjburnside.com specialized equipment. For a Website: www.rjburnside.com Arbourturf Solutions Class E professional evaluation of your Darryl James tree care needs, call today. There is no obligation. Burtch Power Centre Class E Dan Haupt Toronto • (416) 631-8111 Bracebridge • (705) 646-8733 Shawn P Waters & Assoc. Gravenhurst • (705) 687-0696 Huntsville • (705) 789-0929 Shawn Waters Class E www.bartlett.com BACKED BY THE BARTLETT TREE RESEARCH Uxbridge Nurseries Class E LABORATORIES AND EXPERIMENTAL Offices located throughout Ontario Harry Worsley GROUNDS, CHARLOTTE, NC Members of OGSA, CGSA and Golfmax Suppliers to the NGCOA From roots to shoots At the recent Crop Science Society topdressed turf in July 2007. Sub-angular and round sands of America there were roughly 100 reduced anthracnose 8 to 29% and 7 to 29%, respectively, scientific papers delivered on the topic compared to non-topdressed turf during August and of turf. Below are some highlights from September of 2006 and 2007. Anthracnose was less severe the conference that might be of interest in plots topdressed with sub-angular sand than round to Ontario golf superintendents. sand in July 2006 and July through September 2007. The Influence of Irrigation Management method of incorporating topdressing sands did not affect on Anthracnose Severity of Annual anthracnose severity. Sand topdressing reduced disease by Pam Charbonneau OMAF Turfgrass Specialist Bluegrass. Joseph A. Roberts , John severity particularly with sub-angular shaped sand. C. Inguagiat , Bruce B. Clarke , James A. Murphy , Dept, of Plant Biology & Pathology, Rutgers Again, relating to the incidence of anthracnose basal rot in the University, New Brunswick, NJ. summer of 2008, during rainy years it is vitally important to This study was initiated in 2006 on a 5-yr old annual keep up with cultural practices such as sand topdressing to help bluegrass turf. Irrigation treatments of 100, 80, 60 and suppress diseases such as anthracnose basal rot. 40% of reference evapotranspiration (ETO) were applied daily to the plots. Individual plots were syringed (< 2.5-mm Direct Measurement of Foliar-Applied Nitrogen Uptake by water) when wilt stress was visible. Anthracnose severity a Cool-Season and Warm-Season Putting Green Turfgrass was assessed every 7 to 10 days from midJune through mid­ Species. J. Chris Stiegler , Michael Richardson , Douglas E. August. Drought stress (40% ETo) increased anthracnose Karcher , Richard J. Norman , Trent L. Roberts , University in both 2006 and 2007; anthracnose was less severe under of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 60% ETo irrigation and irrigating at 80% ETO reduced The supplemental practice of foliar fertilization often severity compared to 60% ETO. Irrigating at 100% ETO comprises a significant portion of the total annual nitrogen initially reduced anthracnose severity compared to 40% (N) applied to putting greens. Despite its increasingly ETO; however, 100% ETo resulted in similar disease severity common use among golf course superintendents, there by the end of the 2006 season. While irrigating at 100% have been relatively few research studies investigating foliar ETo did not increase disease severity in 2007, 100% ETo uptake by turfgrasses and no studies which document plots had poor turf quality in both years similar to 40% foliar uptake of nutrients in a field setting. A 15N isotopic ETo irrigation. Both over-irrigating or under-irrigating tracer field study was conducted to compare the seasonal increase anthracnose severity on annual bluegrass, which is uptake of foliar-applied nitrogen by a cool-season (Agrostis contrary to the belief that only over-irrigating will stimulate stolonifera var. palustris cv. ‘Penn Al’) and warm-season this disease. (Cynodon dactylon cv. ‘Tifeagle’) turfgrass species managed under golf course putting green conditions. 15N-labeled The above study might explain why the incidence of anthracnose urea was applied monthly from May to September at rates basal rot was high in Ontario during the summer of2008, which of 1.25 g N/m2 and 0.5 g N/m2. Turf plugs were removed was one of the wettest summers on record. at different intervals after application (1 hr, 4 hr, 8 hr, and 24 hr) and immediately rinsed to remove unabsorbed Topdressing Incorporation and Sand Shape Effects fertilizer N. Separated, dried and ground leaf tissue was on Anthracnose Severity of Annual Bluegrass. John C. analyzed by mass spectrometry for N isotopes. In order Inguagiato , James A. Murphy , Bruce B. Clarke , Joseph to determine factors influencing foliar uptake, 15N plant A. Roberts , Dept, of Plant Biology & Pathology, Rutgers recoveries were compared to leaf cuticle wax loads, gas University, New Brunswick, NJ. chromatographic separation of cuticle wax constituents, Sand topdressing is suspected to enhance anthracnose as well as environmental and climatic data (wind speed, (Colletotrichum cereale). This study evaluated topdressing air temperature, leaf wetness, PAR, and relative humidity) incorporation method (none, vibratory rolling, soft bristled known to affect the foliar absorption process. Data suggest brush and stiff bristled brush) and sand shape (none, that the putting green turfgrass canopy is highly receptive to round and sub-angular) for effects on anthracnose severity foliar urea-N uptake, as a maximum of 77% of the N applied in 2006 and 2007. This experiment was conducted on a 5- was absorbed at 1 hr after application at one sampling date. yr-old annual bluegrass (Poa annua) turf mowed at 3.2 mm. However, 15N fertilizer recoveries at selected time intervals Topdressing was applied at 0.3 L nr2 every 14-d from 27 were highly variable among monthly application dates for June and 14 May to 13 and 27 September 2006 and 2007, both species. Leaf cuticle characteristics and weather data respectively. Disease severity was measured as the percent parameters helped explain this seasonal uptake variability area with symptomatic turf. The sand shape main effect to differing degrees. was the only significant source of variation in both years. Both sand shapes initially increased disease severity 4 to There seems to be a large variation on the uptake of foliar 14% compared to non-topdressed turf in July 2006; whereas nitrogen depending on the time ofyear and weather that might be neither sand shape increased severity compared to non­ related back to leaf cuticle characteristic at these different times. Health & safety Violence in the Workplace may seem an odd piece for This of work) increases a worker’s risk of being exposed to a golf course publication. We do not workplace violence, the inspector may order the employer often think of our golf courses as violent to perform a risk assessment, implement a workplace workplaces. The reason for this subject violence prevention program and provide training to is that the Ontario Ministry of Labour workers. (the Ministry) is considering an update Violence or threats of violence in the workplace often to the Occupational Health and Safety fall within the scope of the Criminal Code, and these Act (the Act) that specifically targets situations are dealt with by the police. In such situations, by DougJohnson the Ministry may determine whether follow-up action violence in the workplace. SAFETAID - Health and The Ministry is developing an under the Act is warranted”. Safety Consulting operational policy that defines workplace There are a number of legal protections available for violence as: “...the attempted or actual exercise, by a workers who are the target of objectionable workplace person, of any intentional physical force that causes or may behaviours. The Ontario Human Rights Code prohibits cause injury to a worker, and includes any threats which sexual harassment and harassment on a range of grounds. give a worker reasonable cause to believe he or she is at risk There are also certain behaviours that may be covered of physical injury.” This definition of workplace violence is by the Criminal Code, such as stalking and intimidation. focused on the outcome to the worker, irrespective of the Workplace bullying, teasing, and other abusive or aggressive assailant. It is consistent with the definition used by most behaviour that gives a worker reasonable cause to believe Canadian jurisdictions. The Ministry is in the process of there is a risk of physical violence may also fall within the reviewing how this aspect of safety might be included in scope of the Act. the Act. Workers may also have other legal remedies available The following is a modified excerpt from the discussion to address offending behaviours such as pursuing a civil paper concerning Workplace Violence. In Ontario, there action. Another possible recourse is the implementation are currently no explicit requirements in the Act or its of a work refusal. regulations concerning workplace violence. However, Concerns about violent behaviour, or the threat of employers have a general duty under the OHSA to take violent behaviour, do not usually meet the criteria for every precaution reasonable in the circumstances to protect refusing work, as violence is not equipment, a machine, a the health and safety of their workers, which may include device, a thing, or a physical condition of the workplace. workplace violence. Reasonable precautions may include However, even when workplace violence concerns do not identifying the risk to workers from workplace violence, qualify as work refusals, Ministry inspectors respond to and taking the measures to protect them. Employers must these concerns on a priority basis. provide instruction, information and supervision to protect All things considered it just might be appropriate for workers from workplace hazards, including workplace you to ensure that your club has a comprehensive and violence. equitably enforced “Violence in the Workplace” policy Workplace violence is the attempted or actual exercise to ensure that you are at least meeting the intent of this of any intentional physical force that causes or may cause Ministry Proposal. Winter is a great time to review your injury, and includes threats which give a worker cause to policies and procedures. Why not include a “Violence in believe he or she is at risk of physical injury. the Workplace” policy update in this review? Ministry inspectors will handle complaints of workplace violence, irrespective of whether the assailant is a client, SAFETAID the public, or a co-worker. They also address workplace Making safety your 1st priority! violence during proactive inspections, if an inspector finds T. 519-837-0997 • F. 519-837-1996 that the nature of the workplace, type of work performed Consulting, Safety and First Aid Supplies (i.e. exchange of money with the public) and/or the work dougffsafetaid.ca conditions (i.e. physical location of the work or hours Simon George Ask us Professional Products Technical Sales about our Maple Turf Supply Business: (905) 857-2000 installation 8112 King Rd. W. Fax: (905) 857-8215 P.O. Box 370 Mobile: (519) 841-3378 services. MANDERLEY Bolton, Ontario 1-800-268-4425 TURFGRASS L7E 5T3 sg142@hotmail.com 1.800.461.5501 www.manderley.com A RISING TIDE RAISES ALL BOATS by Paul Grotier, Assistant Superintendent Donalda Club First it was the price of oil. Then commodity prices help curb energy dependence on the Middle East. The catapulted into a different stratosphere. Who would net result is more land being converted to grow corn, have ever guessed that copper would become the “new thus necessitating more fertilizer. Urea production is also gold”? Fast forward to 2008 and the price of fertilizer, closely tied to a myriad of other industries that produce gas, fungicides, and all other maintenance staples are lifestyle products sold all over the globe and will continue making a mockery of our budgeting skills. And if that to be in demand at home and in the aforementioned wasn’t enough, the economy and the value of our dollar emerging markets. Textiles, adhesives, foams and resins is deteriorating. are all urea based and the brewing, pharmaceutical and cattle industries all rely heavily on urea supply. Also, 95% Oil of the world melamine production is urea based. As you Ten years ago, a barrel of oil sold for 10 dollars US. On can see, urea demand goes well beyond fertilizer. June 30th, 2008, the price of oil peaked at 143 dollars a But that’s just half of the equation. There are the barrel! While there is some debate as to the specific mix supply issues as well. This year China implemented a of factors responsible for this recent price surge, global 175% tariff on its fertilizer exports. Overnight, the cost oil consumption is undoubtedly a primary contributor. to access these resources radically increased. At home, From 1997 to 2007, world oil consumption rose from access to low cost macronutrients and natural gas have 3433.3 million tones to 3952.8. Most of this increase has become scarce, costs of inputs have increased and there come from China. More specifically, as China’s economy are more political and environmental barriers to enter the progresses, car sales, which are a symbol of aspiration, will supply market. In the short term, the news is not good. exceed 10 million units this year alone. It is estimated that Until new production facilities are built and production by 2035, China car ownership quantities could outstrip in mining facilities is ramped up, demand for fertilizers all other countries. The price of gas is now making some will continue to outpace supply. Consider the following: superintendents rethink mowing schedules or consider demand for urea and potash outpace supply until 2010 the use of plant growth regulators in areas otherwise not and 2013 respectively. As we wait for the dust to settle, we deemed necessary. are left with this staggering fact: From January to August 2008 the increases in the North American market of urea, Fertilizers phosphorus and potash was 88.24%, 75.12% and 110.23% Natural gas and petroleum provide the building blocks respectively! of nitrogen fertilizer. Rising oil prices have affected the price of natural gas, which in turn has affected the supply conditions for production of nitrogen based fertilizers. Pest control products The Economic Research Service for the U.S Department The cost of manufacturing pest control products of Agriculture, claims that “links between the oil and has also been affected by the rising cost of fuel and raw natural gas market have weakened due to growth in the materials. Many pest control products available in Canada demand for natural gas and deregulation throughout are manufactured in the U.S. These products are typically the natural gas supply system.” The end result will shipped to Canada, stored in a warehouse, and then be unpredictable prices for natural gas and fertilizers. delivered to local distributors. With the increase in energy Additionally, high natural gas prices have forced some costs it can be expected that the price for some of these North American nitrogen fertilizer production facilities to pest control products will be adjusted in the near future. shut down, further constricting supply. In addition to the rising cost of energy to produce and According to Agrium Advanced Technologies, increased transport pest control products, an increase in agricultural fertilizer pricing is more a reflection of supply and and pest control in emerging countries around the world demand issues. Demand is at an all time high. Emerging is now starting to have a greater effect on manufacturers. markets such as China, Pakistan and India are using more As the global demand for active ingredients used to fertilizer, farmland in North America is being converted manufacture pest control products increases the availability to corn production for ethanol and overall there are more of these active ingredients become more limited. This acres of land under production. As for the emerging recent increase in demand and costs for chemicals has markets, increased fertilizer usage can be attributed to the been seen across many different industries strength of their economies which has distributed wealth Advances in manufacturing and packaging will result to a broader section of the population. 1.3 billion Chinese in new chemistries that are concentrated and require people want to eat better and another 800 million in India less material and packaging. New formulations, such are in line behind them anxious for work, a better life and as wettable granules and emulsifiable concentrates will diet. The result is increased pressure on agricultural land require less fuel to transport and energy to store compared to deliver higher crop yields. to older formulations because of their smaller package Closer to home, more ethanol is being produced to size and reduced weight. Sod According to Chris Hope at Manderley Turfgrass, the price of sod is impacted by oil prices and most significantly, fertilizer. On the supply side, transport costs in the form of a fuel surcharge, have had to be passed on to the end user. “It’s a heavy product to transport and a fuel DECODER SYSTEMS surcharge is implemented as a cost recovery only” says Chris. “The price of fuel is volatile; there could be some relief in the near future.” PROVEN 20 YEARS PLUS, On the production side, increased fertilizer costs have not yet run their OVER 4,000 WORLDWIDE course on sod pricing. Sod has a two year production cycle explained Chris, meaning that the price of sod is principally dictated by the cost of the inputs during the time of its production. Therefore, the significant increase in fertilizer costs we are witnessing in 2008 will largely be reflected in the price of sod in 2009 and beyond. Impacts Despite the increase in cost of maintenance inputs, when it comes to putting green quality there is no disagreement among superintendents. “I won’t sacrifice the quality of my greens” stated James White, Superintendent at Quarry Golf Club. That being said, he always shops around for the best price. “I have always been aware of the bottom line and try to mitigate price increases by taking advantage of booking programs.” As for fuel prices, it has not yet affected any of his cultural management programs but it is impacting the pro shops golf cart revenue. “We are discussing possible solutions to help defray the rising cost of having the fleet out. Do we pass the cost of fuel to the players?” For Peter Stos, Superintendent at Huron Pines, price increases are forcing him into some unfamiliar territory. “For years I have resisted pressure from my board to buy cheaper snow mould fungicides, to me it was just not worth the risk” says Peter. “I have had good results with my winter program for 20 years. This year, not only could I not justify the price increase to my board, but our member/green fee revenue would just not cover it.” In addition, he is growing-in some fescue in out of play roughs to off-set gas costs and is considering the merits of plant growth regulators to which he claims to have never contemplated before. For both Greg McFarlane, Superintendent at Thornhill Golf and RETROFIT FROM Country Club and Blair Rennie, Superintendent at Whitevale Golf Club, fertilizer prices has led them to make some minor adjustments. MANUAL, “Soil reports indicated that we could cut back on phosphorus on our SATELLITE AND tees, so we skipped an application” says Greg. At Whitevale, fertilizer COMPETITION applications have been cut back in some rough areas. To this, Rennie says “As a superintendent, it can turn your stomach to see weak areas on your course. Fortunately, the members haven’t noticed a difference.” Heading into the winter months, there is an air of uncertainty as we look to next season. It appears as though more superintendents will be scrutinizing existing budgets and crunching more numbers than previous years. “I will be looking into cost analysis for various products this winter” says Greg. To date, input prices have increased, however, most fear that the full brunt of it will not be felt until next year. As Jay Contact Weiss, Superintendent at Maple Downs Golf and Country Club says, Milton 1-800-263-4112 “Superintendents will be expected to maintain course conditions in David Mossip (905) 242-5676 2009 with less than they had in 2008.” Misery likes company; at least we Kory Kopko (519) 871-4545 are all in the same boat. Member profile Interview with Bill Fach, CGCS, MS Score Superintendent of the Year Recipient Black Bear Ridge Golf Club by Dorothy Hills Executive Manager, OGSA Born in Galt (Cambridge) Ontario in October 1950 Bill began his career as a caddy at the age of 13 and started working in the back shop washing clubs at 14. Bill’s childhood ambition was to be as good a golfer as Jack Nicklaus. At age 17 he moved to the grounds department as a labourer for Superintendent Pelino Scenna. Ironically, Pelino was the Superintendent of the Year Award recipient in 2002. Bill worked at Galt for many summers while he attended University of Waterloo, where he received a Bachelor of Mathematics degree. It was at that time he decided to make a change in his career choice. “I was in my 3rd year at Waterloo University and I said to myself that being stuck in an office all day was not for me. The golf industry was the answer because I liked playing golf, so I enrolled in the horticulture program at University of Guelph.” While attending UofG Bill worked as an assistant under Bill Hynd at St. George’s G&CC. Bill Hynd was also a Superintendent of the Year award recipient in 1984. Bill credits his parents, Wilbur and Irene as being the biggest influence in his personal life, instilling in him the necessary work ethics, at a very young age, to become successful, whereas Pelino Scenna and Bill Hynd greatly influenced his career as a golf course superintendent. “One specific thing that stands out in my mind that helped me get where I am today was trying to do the best I could all the time and learn as much as I could from my peers, books and seminars”. After graduating Bill was hired as head superintendent at the Essex G&CC in Windsor, and worked there for ten years. It was during his tenure at Essex he had the opportunity to be involved in a PGA event, the Tournament Player Series, where Jim Nelford was the winner. Bill spent the next ten years at Rosedale, where he was involved in completely renovating the entire course, under Bob Cupp’s architectural plan. The following 5 years were spent at York Downs G&CC, during which time he built a 20-acre practice facility and hosted the Ontario Amateur. In 2003 he was offered an opportunity he couldn’t turn down; building a new course just north of Belleville. Construction of Black Bear Ridge Golf Course for owner and architect Brian Magee began and with the help of John Porter, retired pro from Rosedale, they worked with Magee’s plan to develop a gem of a course. The course opened in June 2005 with great reviews from the golfing public and in 2006 it received many awards for the design, with both Score and Golf Digest rating it in the top 3 best new courses in Canada. Bill has been an OGSA member for 31 years and is an advocate of belonging to a professional association and reaping all the benefits they offer. A well kept secret is that Bill is also an accomplished soap stone carver and has created some works for special awards. The OGSA Pro/ Super Challenge trophy was created by Bill. In addition to being a golf course superintendent, leader, volunteer and mentor to many, Bill is a dedicated family man and has been married to wife Linda for 32 years, and states, “My proudest moment was when my son was born”. His son, Greg is also working in the golf industry as one of the assistant superintendents at Devil’s Pulpit. When asked about his greatest accomplishment Bill responded, “When you look back at your 30+ years, as a superintendent there are a number of events that you thought were important for the development as a superintendent. But I think my most rewarding accomplishment would be that I always tried my best to provide the best playing conditions that were possible under my control. And I feel that I can say I achieved this. As a manager I try to treat my staff as I would want to be treated. Always be the best you can be”. "In the Hot Seat" • Favourite major: Masters • Best piece of turf equipment ever: 5 gang rotary mowers • Favourite golf designer: Donald Ross • Ultimate foursome: Ken Wright my partner with Paul Scenna and Rob Ackermann • Biggest Moment: Ken Wright and I beat Scenna and Ackermann in golf • Lowest round ever and where: 67 ( 5 under)at Eagle’s Nest in Arizona • Favourite movie: Rudy (an account of the life of Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger) • Favourite meal: 16 oz. T bone steak • Favourite course outside Canada: Royal Dornoch in Scotland • Rate yourlawn on a scale of 1-10: 7 if my rough at the course is rated as a10 • Perfect Day: Light rain on the golf course • What would you be if not a golf course superintendent: Retired, playing golf, fishing or doing nothing New Snow Mould Tank Mix: Rovral Green GT + Compass 50 WG Don't let the stunning fall colours distract you. We all know what is coming... As fall rolls around make Rovral Green GT your partner Rovral Green GT FUNGICIDE when getting ready for winter. Rovral Green GT from Bayer Environmental Science works on dollar spot and Fusarium patch through the fall but when used in combination with Compass 50WG or Daconil is excellent in preventing When the only colour you want to see is green. pink and grey snow mould. (fall colours exempt) Rovral Green GT, the proven fungicide that has become the cornerstone in disease management programs. For more information contact Bayer Environmental Science www.bayeres.ca 1-888-283-6847 BACKED Quebec: 514-949-2467 Ontario/Western Canada: 905-319-8981 Ontario/Atlantic Canada: 519-239-3983 ALWAYS READ AND FOLLOW LABEL INSTRUCTIONS. Rovral Green GT is a registered trademark of Bayer. by BAYER. GTI/OTRF 2008 RESEARCH FIELD DAY by Rob Witherspoon, Director Guelph Turfgrass Institute & Environmental Research Centre University of Guelph 519-824-4120 ext. 56886 • robwith@uoguelph.ca Participants attending the 2008 GTI/OTRF Research the marketplace. There was a chance to score a goal on Field Day on August 21st were treated to a beautiful the GTI soccer field to win a GTI 20th anniversary hat. sunny summer day. After welcoming remarks from the Results from current research projects will appear in Honourable Leona Dombrowsky, Minister of Agriculture, future GTI Annual Research Reports. Our thanks go to Food & Rural Affairs, Kevin Falls, President, Ontario all the faculty and staff who helped with the field day as Turfgrass Research Foundation and Dr. Rob Gordon, well as the industry professionals who took time from their Dean, Ontario Agricultural College, approximately 100 busy schedules to join us for the morning. participants headed out for a ten stop tour covering a wide The research community has been disappointed in range of research from aquatic toxicology to the very latest the level of participation in the field day from the golf pesticide alternatives. course segment of the industry over the past few years. We Popular tour stops included the NTEP Kentucky are unsure if it is the timing or structure of the day that bluegrass trials that include some of the new Texas makes it less appealing to golf course superintendents bluegrass hybrids that have the potential to introduce a and their staff. We would welcome your comments as to new level of drought tolerance into bluegrass plantings. how we can make the summer research field day more OMAFRA Turf Specialist Pam Charbonneau showed some appealing to the golf segment of the industry. Conference of the work she has been doing with alternative weed seminars can convey much of the basic results of research control compounds including Sarritor, the new biocontrol but viewing the actual plots and discussing the work for dandelions. A new mowing trial shows the performance with the individual researchers can greatly enhance your of a number of the newer dwarf bluegrass varieties cut at understanding of the application of the research results fairway height and above. Dr. Tom Hsiang provided an within your operation. If you have any suggestions or excellent overview of his disease research and discussed comments, please direct them to OMAFRA Turf Specialist some of the newer products that are making their way to Pam Charbonneau, any of the researchers or myself. Photos by Pat Thomas OGSA SHOOT OUT AND BAR-B-Q SOCIAL by Dorothy Hills The Ontario Golf Superintendents’ Association was and colleagues from various courses across Canada. delighted to host an informal “Closest to the Pin” Contest Our thanks go to The Georgian Bay Club for the use of and Bar-B-Q, to help celebrate the CGSA’s 42nd Annual their course. Desipite the mist and fog settling in at dusk, Fall Field Day, on Saturday, September Despite the it was obvious how truly beautiful the course is. A special gray, overcast skies approximately 65 people came out to thanks to Bert McFadden and his crew, who provided the compete in a “Closest to the Hole” contest, returning to maintenance facility and made all the arrangements to Bert McFadden’s maintenance shop at The Georgian Bay have it fully equipped for the social and dinner, including Club, for a social time and a sumptuous steak dinner. arranging for Chef Mark Capka to tend the grill. OGSA Everyone had a great time and many wanted to linger Director Scott Heron, initiated the plan, provided the on, even as the busses were pulling out of the parking food and saw it through to fruition. Scott and Bert were lot to head back to the Blue Mountain Resort. It was a truly the masterminds behind this successful event. wonderful opportunity to spend some time with friends TURF CARE The Toro GDC System •Design without complicated calculations. One cable can have up to 800 stations and be up to 2.7miles long. •Lower installation costs. The Toro GDC System minimizes wire usage and reduces overall system costs. •Reduce maintenance and downtime. Reduce troubleshooting time; activate 50 stations simultaneously. •Count on the Toro NSN Support Network. The first dedicated support network in the irrigation industry. For more information, contact your local Turf Care sales representative. The Toro GDC System Imagination has never been so affordable. Introducing the Toro GDC System, the easiest and most powerful decoder system available for golf course irrigation. The Toro GDC System uses proven technology from the aerospace and aviation industries to provide a reliable and affordable irrigation solution for the complex designs of today's golf courses. Turf Care Products Canada www.turffcare.ca 200 PONY DRIVE, NEWMARKET. ONTARIO L3Y 7B6 • PHONE (905) 836-0988 • FAX (905) 836-6442 London Mississauga Scarborough Gloucester Ph: (519) 668-7664 Ph: (905) 890-6290 Ph: (416) 298-2101 Ph: (613) 822-1881 Fax: (519) 668-3722 Fax: (905) 890-5598 Fax: (416) 298-8758 Fax: (613) 822-2099 SUPERINTENDENT RECOGNITION PROGRAM 2008 This program has been very well received by both competitors and the Golf Association of Ontario, and is crucial to promoting the profession of the golf course superintendent and their professionalism within the golf industry. If any member has any input they would like to contribute toward the continued success of this program please speak to any OGSA director. Blair Rennie and Jennifer Pendrith Gregory McFarlane and Jeff Stauffer Jason Boyce and Christopher Anderson Dave Cours and Chris Andrejicka Allan MacKay and Leroy Bedour Chris Andrejicka and Paul Brown Jason Boyce and Jim Burlington Tournament Host Supt. Golf Course Presenter Ontario Men’s Mid-Amateur Championship Gregory McFarlane Thornhill Golf & CC Jeff Stauffer Ontario Women's Amateur Championship Christopher Anderson Bay of Quinte CC Jason Boyce Ontario Junior Girls' Championship Leroy Bedour Goderich Sunset GC Allan MacKay Ontario Amateur Championship Robin Stafford Islington Golf Club (Robin not available) Ontario Junior Boys' Championship Blair Rennie Whitevale Golf Club Jennifer Pendrith Ontario Senior Women's Amateur Championship Jim Burlington Loyalist Country Club Jason Boyce Ontario Senior Men's Amateur Championship Paul Brown Sarnia Golf 8c CC Chris Andrejicka Ontario Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship Dave Cours Ambassador Golf Club Chris Andrejicka ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT GOLF TOURNAMENT by Colin Young, Assistant Superintendent Beacon Hall Golf Club Photos by Dorothy Hills On Tuesday September 23rd, Forest City National Golf invitation only, in which you are given an unmatched Club, located in London Ontario, was host to the 7th Annual opportunity to gain first hand insight into the latest and Assistant Superintendent Golf Tournament. From start greatest methods and materials available in the industry. to finish the day was fantastic! Mother Nature was on our When the time came to make this draw there was a definite side with clear skies and temperatures reaching 23 degrees air of excitement in the room and some fingers crossed, Celsius, making it a beautiful September day for golf and as were mine. John Bladen, from Agrium Advanced camaraderie. With the support of the industry the event was Technologies, presented the prize to the lucky winner, Craig very successful and was enjoyed by everyone involved. Our Robinson from Ingersoll Golf 8c Country Club. industry is incredible and I am very proud to be associated Again this year the prize table was exceptional thanks with the great people who work within this industry. to our sponsors, suppliers and people in the industry who We thank the Forest City National Golf Club for doing generously donated. Each of the 103 participants received a an excellent job hosting the event. The dining room staff memento. Without sponsorship this event would never take did a superb job preparing a box lunch for everyone and place. We wish to recognize our sponsors and give them the buffet dinner was outstanding. The pro shop staff did our sincerest gratitude. Agrium Advanced Technologies is an exceptional job from beginning to end, and stayed open our platinum sponsor. Turf Care Products and Engage Agro to ensure the winners could cash in their gift certificates at Corporation were our gold sponsors. Bayer Environmental the end of the day. We all enjoyed tracking our progress on Science, Cliffs Tree Care, G.C. Duke Equipment Ltd, the golf cart’s leader board, which was a new experience for Nutrite 8c OSC were our silver sponsors. Special thanks go many and added to the fun. to Vanden Bussche irrigation for donating botded water Irrefutably, the stars of the day were the greens for each participant. The support just keeps getting bigger department of Forest City National Golf Club led by and as a result the event is growing each year. We thank all Superintendent Tim Baxter and Assistant Superintendent participants for being a part of such a great day. Dwayne McRae. We give thanks to them for providing us Agrium Advanced Technologies represented by John with a great conditioned golf course, which was a treat to Bladen presented the winning team, who had an impressive play. score of 60 - 11 under, with the Champion’s trophy. L-R Tim Baxter and Dwayne McRae L-R John Bladen, Darren Nichol, For a second Charles Ihrig, year in a row the Peter Sojak, and format was the 4- Jason D ’Andrea person scramble using each player’s It is always a tee shot at least 3 pleasure helping times. With our to organize this busy schedules great event with sometimes our golfing skills can be neglected and with a Graeme Calder, format like this it relieves us from some of the pressures the assistant involved in competition. superintendent at the Cutten Club, who does a huge amount This year there was an impressive draw prize for all of work towards this event and of course Dorothy Hills from OGSA Class C Assistant Superintendents. Agrium Advanced the OGSA who always does a great job. We are already Technologies, our platinum sponsor, donated an all expense looking forward to next year’s Assistant Superintendents trip to Farmlinks in Alabama. A visit to Farmlinks is by Tournament. 63rd ALEX MCCLUMPHA MEMORIAL TOURNAMENT by Dorothy Hills The day started out on the chilly side but evolved into a officially present him with the 4th OGSA Distinguished glorious autumn day for the last OGSA tournament of the Service Award. This award was announced at the 2008 season, at the Oxford Golf & Country Club, also known as conference, at which time a slide presentation was given, Craigowan. We would like to thank all of the staff at the outlining Dennis’ many achievements however, Dennis course for their assistance and warm hospitality in making was unable to join us at that time. Fortunately, many of his this a memorable occasion for all who attended. friends were at the McClumpha to help him celebrate The Oxford Golf and Country Club was founded in George Darou Trophy Winner - Rod Trainor 1909 as a nine hole course in Woodstock, Ontario. In 1959 the Club expanded to eighteen holes and moved to Flight A its present location at the Dunlop Estate which was known Low Gross Jerry Richard (75) as Craigowan, just north of Woodstock. The course was Low Net Robert Wright (65) designed by Canadian Golf Hall of Fame member Robbie Longest Drive Jerry Richard Robinson and the original layout has remained remarkably Closest to the Pin Erik Vaughan intact over the 45 years of its existence. While there has been expansion with irrigation system and pond, bunker renovation, added tees, and tree replacement, Craigowan Flight B may stand out as the one course that still maintains its Low Gross Jeff Cunningham (74) original Robinson design. It was one of Mr. Robinson’s Low Net Mike Kehoe (63) favorites and one which he visited every year. Longest Drive Steve Connors It seems that the facility has a busy year ahead of them. Closest to the Pin Dick Kirkpatrick Craigowan, will be celebrating their 50th anniversary whereas Oxford Golf and Country Club will be celebrating Closest to the pin for any player was won by Brian their 100th anniversary, and will also be hosting an Ontario Rosenberg Amateur. We were truly privileged to have Craigowan host our Syngenta Ultimate Long Driver winner - Gary Stadneck final golf tournament of the year. What a way to wrap up 304 yds. That’s two years in a row for Gary. the season! We were honoured to have Dennis Pellrene join Most honest golfer - Werner Rost us so that we could personally congratulate him and Skins winners were Jerry Richard and Jason Hanna Nutrite AG Turf NGF Golf Dennis Pellrene accepts the Distinguished Service Rhod Trainor wins the GeorgeDarou Trophy,presented Award from OGSA Past President Sean DeSilva by Ian Chapman from Turf Care. Superintendent Envirosol over 50 with low gross Rhod had an 83 Ontario Seed Co. Mater's Turf Supply Vanden Busschhe Irrigation Jerry Richard receives Host Superintendent L-R Mike Kehoe, Robert Wright, Plaque from OGSA DirectorJennifer Pendrith Jeff Cunningham and Jerry Richard Golf course highlight Craigowan (Oxford) Golf & Country Club P.O. Box 22008 Woodstock ON N4S 8Y1 Website: www.craigowan.com Phone: (519) 462-2910 • Fax: (519) 462-2772 Golf Course Superintendent: Jerry Richard Email: jerry@craigowan.com Photo by Dorothy Hills COURSE PROFILE What region is your club located in? How many ponds, and/or how many times 1 Toro 1000 walk-behind greens mowers Oxford does water come into play? 1 Thomas skid steer loader What is the classification of your club? 2 ponds and 4 creek crossings 1 Toro Sand Pro Private Who was the original architect? + other ancillary equipment Size of membership and number of rounds? Clint “Robbie” Robinson COURSE PROJECTS & PLANS 600 playing members (700 total) with What was the year of original construction? 34,000 rounds per year 1958 What projects have you recently completed? July 2008, opened new renovated bunkers Typical opening and closing date? By whom and when was the course remodeled? #1. April 10 - Nov 30 Ongoing by Ian Andrew May 2008, opened new driving range and Name of Superintendent What major tournaments held? renovated 6th hole. Jerry Richard 2005 Canadian Junior Ongoing tee, bunker and cartpath How long have you been a superintendent? 2009 Ontario Amateur renovations. 20 years What type of irrigation system? Opened new clubhouse in May 2005. List other accomplishments Rain Bird Nimbus What long range plans for renovation do you have OGSA Director 1994 - 1996 What is the size of your maintenance shop? in the next five years? IPM Certified 3,200 ft2 Continuing with bunker and tee Chair, Woodstock IPM Committee What is the size of the greens, tees & fairways? restoration. How long have you been an OGSA member? Greens: 3.7 acres Construction of new maintenance facility 23 years Tees: 2.2 acres in 2010. How many year round staff? Fairways: 22 acres Are there any particular challenges you face with 4 (Superintendent, 2 Assistants, 1 What is your predominant grass? your property? Mechanic) Dwarf Bluegrass fairways Mature 200 acre property with too many How many seasonal staff? Poa/Bent greens, Bent tees trees. 12 How many USGA greens and loam greens? Lush soil produces extremely heavy 18 push-up style greens growth at times. How many mechanics and assistants? Poor drainage after heavy rains and in the Assistants: Jon Atkinson (1st), early spring. What is the predominant soil type? Jay McMillan (2nd) Good habitat for grubs, worms, rodents Heavy Loam Mechanic: Mark Ryder and feeding animals. What equipment do you have in inventory? How many gardening staff? 2 5410-D Toro fairway mowers Do you have any success stories? 1 2 3150 Toro greens mowers Completing ongoing in-house capital 1 3500-D Toro Sidewinder Groundsmaster work with very limited operating COURSE STATISTICS 2 Land Pride 3-deck rotary rough mowers dollars. 2 Kubota 50 hp tractors Producing affordable golf in a private How many holes? 2 Cushman trucksters club atmosphere. 18 5 Yamaha and EZ-GO carts (utility) What is the yardage from back & forward tees? 2 3150 Toro greens mowers What type of innovative cultural practices have you 6,723 yards from back (black) tees (tees & collars) performed? 5,454 yards from forward (silver) tees 1 Broyhill 225 gal. Cushman sprayer Overseeding fairways with dwarf What is the size of driving range and range tee? 1 Toro 1100 Multi-Pro 150 gal. sprayer bluegrass to reduce dependency on 300 yards at approx. 7 acres 1 Turfco Widespin topdresser fungicide use. 1 Toro 223-D outfront rotary mower How many bunkers? 1 Ryan GA 60 aerator 50 1 John Deere greens aerator New Touches On An Old Gem... by Justin Parsons, Assistant Superintendent Trafalgar Golf & Country Club It’s a damp, blustery day in late October at the Islington Golf Club and the only thing more prominent than the large silver maples swaying back and forth in the wind are the leaves that dart across fairways and greens, ultimately collecting in bunkers. This frenzied weather is perhaps not only a sign of the changing season, but of the many changes that await the 85 year old golf club. In Superintendent Robin Stafford’s office however, things are remarkably calm. In fact, were it not for the blue prints detailing the construction of a new reservoir sprawled out on his desk, one would have no indication whatsoever of the 4.5 million dollars in capital expenses that are just now getting underway at the golf course. Indeed, behind the desk, sits a man who is relaxed and poised for what lies ahead. After spending some time with Stafford, one begins to understand why he is so composed, despite the major renovations that await the club. Simply put, he’s been through this before. The major capital projects really haven’t stopped since Stafford first became Islington’s superintendent back in 2004. “I was thrust into strategic planning right from Now, in the wake of two of the most extreme growing the start”. seasons we have seen in recent years, the club is just In 2005, the club started a major bunker renovation starting the first of three major construction projects along with some tee construction on holes two through slated between now and the spring of 2010. The first five. The following year, they completed the bunker is the construction of a brand new, 5.8 million gallon work on the rest of the course. In the spring of 2007, reservoir which will complement a complete overhaul the club erected a large netting structure along the of the clubs irrigation system. Finally, the club plans third hole. In the fall of last year, they began installing to continue the existing greens drainage work on the existing greens drainage on six of the course greens. remaining 12 course greens. This is certainly a daunting task, but Stafford seems to take it all in stride saying, “In many ways, it’s all in a day’s work and oversight is provided by our general manager, Dave Fox”. As you stand at the clubs maintenance building and look out across the 13th fairway, you will now notice two acres worth of land that has been clear-cut and partially excavated in preparation for their new reservoir. Currently, the construction crew is sorting through the organic material on site and Stafford hopes they can begin actual construction of the reservoir on the first of November. and his staff apply frequent, light applications or gypsum. To remedy the high bicarbonate levels, the club uses an acid injection system along with heavy night waters, as needed, to help flush the soils. This, of j course, can help, but improving water quality before it enters the soil is a major step in the right direction. The nearly 6 million gallon reservoir will no doubt help the club address their water quality issues. Especially since it should allow Stafford to refrain from using creek water during the spring when salt levels are particularly high due to run-off that contains high levels of road salt. But the other major issue facing Stafford’s department that he mentions, is the ability to distribute the water. Currently, Islington uses a hydraulically controlled irrigation system that is only capable of delivering 500 gallons of water per minute. During hot and dry periods when the evapotranspiration rates are Plans for this reservoir were in the works when high, it takes Stafford 2 and a half nights to water his Stafford arrived at the club over four years ago. However, course sufficiently. “When you are losing 3 to 5 mils since Islington is an equity golf club, any major capital (millimeters) a day like we were last summer (2007), we projects need to be approved by the membership. fall behind in a hurry”. Convincing them of the necessity of this project was That is why the club is about to undergo a complete somewhat difficult at first. irrigation system upgrade. This project represents a For Stafford however, the construction of this large portion of the nearly 5 million dollars in capital reservoir is a must. With much stricter water-taking spending between now and the fall of 2009. practices expected in 2010 due to Regulation 387-04 The system improvements include new pumps, j of the Ontario Water Resources Act, certain provisions satellites, and central, as well as an increase in piping must be taken. Having a back-up water supply will be and doubling the current amount of sprinkler heads, extremely beneficial during times of low water levels in Stafford calls it a “full coverage system” which will allow the Mimico Creek, the clubs irrigation source. for perimeter irrigation, a luxury the club currently Also, as the club prepares to install a municipal water lacks. This will help Stafford maintain the large hook-up to their irrigation system, the reservoir will investment of capital the club poured into bunkers over allow the club to store a more viable source of water for the past couple seasons. irrigation. According to Stafford, this will help address one of the major agronomic needs of the golf course. “Right now, the biggest issues we face are poor water quality and the distribution of that water.” By blending both municipal water and creek water in the reservoir, the overall quality of that water should be greatly improved. Poor water quality has been a major concern for a number of golf clubs in the GTA who draw water from neighbouring creeks. Stafford says the Mimico Creek, which runs through Islington’s property, is particularly bad due to the many city storm drains that flow into it. “It’s one of the most degraded creeks in the area”. The end result for Stafford is that he is forced to irrigate his turf with water that is potentially toxic to the plant. High bicarbonate, chloride, and sodium levels in the creek water, can potentially raise soil pH and soil salinity to harmful levels, degrade soil permeability and cause nutrient binding. In short, poor water quality compromises plant health. continued on page 22... To combat high levels of sodium chloride, Stafford continued from page 21... upgrades. As Stafford says, “The members here take a lot of pride in this property and I think that our conditions last year helped convince them”. He also believes that infrastructure changes at neighbouring golf clubs influences the membership as well. “I think members are very conscious of what other clubs are doing”. As a result, the reservoir plan was met with an 85 per cent approval rate, which is unprecedented support in the clubs history. The extreme weather last summer also played a major role in the club initiating the greens drainage work on six of the club’s putting surfaces last fall. Essentially, existing greens drainage allows for the installation of subsurface drainage with minimal disruption to the playing surface. Stafford is pleased with how those greens have performed so far, in spite of the unusually wet summer. “They’ve held up well despite the 20 plus inches of rain we’ve had this year”. Construction of the new irrigation system is slated Due to the success of the project, six more greens to begin late next summer and should finish by the are slated for existing greens drainage this fall and six spring of 2010. This, coupled with the completion of more in 2009. the reservoir next spring, should go along way toward In order to further alleviate environmental conditions alleviating some of the agronomic stresses placed upon that have compromised turf health, the club had two Stafford and his department. sunlight assessments performed on green sites. The However, when one drives the property of this classic first was done on their sixth green, which, as one parkland style, Stanley Thompson layout, it becomes member says, has never performed well in the 40 years apparent that other environmental factors must afflict he has been with the club. Stafford recalls seeing the this golf course. Especially when trying to maintain it green in full shade in February despite a complete lack with the pressures of modern expectations. The course, of foliage on the surrounding trees. which opened in 1923, offers push-up soil greens, with several large, menacing trees, draped over many of the green sites. To say that shade issues and drainage have been a concern for Stafford, would be an understatement. This, to be sure, is only aggravated by the outdated irrigation system and poor water quality that exist on site. Everything seemed to come to a head last summer, when Southern Ontario experienced prolonged droughts for virtually the entire growing season. Despite Stafford and his crew’s best efforts, some turf was lost on greens. “It was very challenging to keep it alive last year.” This is especially true with no subsurface drainage because the potentially lethal salts tend to wick back up into the rootzone despite attempts to flush them out. Stafford simply says, “I just couldn’t win last year.” But the severe weather conditions of 2007 may just have proved to be a blessing in disguise as it helped to provide the impetus to initiate some much needed He admits it took some doing to convince the Improving seems to be the name of the game in membership of what was necessary. This is largely the intense Toronto market. Stafford, who was the because trees have become a very political issue. Once superintendent at Camelot Golf Club near downtown they were on side, “it took a great deal of effort and Ottawa for 14 years, says that there is a real difference resources from the club to convince the city”, Stafford between the two regions, in terms of standards, values and says. expectations. “I’ve had to learn the culture, not just of the In the end, 7 trees were removed around the sixth city, but of the club”. green and three trees were taken out around the third On the surface, the club has simple demands. “They green last winter. Despite not being able to implement like a green golf course”, Stafford says. the full recommendations of the sunlight assessments, But with the millions of dollars being spent, the Stafford has noticed a dramatic improvement. countless hours of labour, the hoards of equipment, and the multitude of permits, plans and meetings, it’s never really all that simple. Photos taken by Justin Parsons except where otherwise noted LARGE TREE SALES AND RELOCATION Phil Dickie- ISA Certified Arborist Manufacturer of liquid, pdickie@fastforest.ca Weput granular and organic 270 Shoemaker Street, Kitchener, ON N2E 3E1 Phone (519) 748-6610-Fax (519) 748-6626 fertilizers. personal care Providing over 20 years of agronomic excellence and technical support in everything Representativesand Distributors ONTARIO we produce Gord Somerville: 519-778-0781 ALLTURF Ltd: 800-263-1293 Almack Agronomic Services Inc. Box 256, Carlisle, On Corrie Almack P.Ag. Tel: (905) 689-6174 Fax: (905) 689-8522 Nigel Rennie: 416-520-4845 LOR 1HO Email: c.almack@sympatico.ca QUEBEC Claude Nantel: 514-809-1570 Bruno Morissette: 418-998-3388 Service Charme: 450-432-4653 MARITIMES: Nova Turf: 902-434-9977 Apply this fall for long-lasting wood control next season Casorom G Superior broad spectrum weed control that delivers many benefits to your operation: • Casoron G4 can be applied annually for long-lasting residual weed control • A granular herbicide which provides ideal weed control in nurseries, shelterbelts, fruit trees, cane fruit, hedgerows, and around trees and shrubs on golf courses • Casoron G4 eliminates costly hand weeding Enviro • Sol • Easily applied with a variety of granular applicators • Controls several annual and perennial weeds 560, chemin Rheaume, St-Michel (Quebec) JOL 2J0 For more information contact your local retailer. 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Always read and follow label directions. 8015 07.08 2009 ONTARIO GOLF COURSE MANAGEMENTCONFERENCE & TRADE SHOW JANUARY 21-23, 2009 • THE WESTIN HARBOUR CASTLE • TORONTO REMINDER DEADLINE DATE FOR THE EARLY BIRD SPECIAL RATE IS DECEMBER 1ST BOOK YOUR ROOM AT THE WESTIN BEFORE DECEMBER 31st TO GET THE SPECIAL CONFERENCE RATE Braemar Building Systems Custom Design Quality Buildings Competitive Prices • Maintenance Buildings • Storage Facilities • New Buildings • Wood & Steel Structures For your FREE ESTIMATES call us at 1-800-2I5-1996 www.braemarbuildings.com ARE YOU READY FOR GEN-CONNECT? by Jim Carroll One of the more challenging issues that organizations fits in with contemporary thinking about where we are will have to deal in the next few years is how to successfully headed in terms of the future of careers: a recent article integrate “Gen-Connect” into the workforce. in The Daily Telegraph noted that “workers of the future Born between the years 1977 to 1999, Gen-Connect will change jobs 19 times during their lives.” makes up almost one-quarter of the entire population. Policies that provide for multiple jobs and career paths And while there has been a lot of news coverage about will be critical if an organization wants to have any hope them, most of it has focused on marketing and consumer of retaining these folks for a longer term. And even that issues, with no shortage in the availability of statistics might not mean that they will stay for very long - during on how much they spend, and how they influence the a seminar on change for a scientific crowd last week, I spending of their parents. pulled out a statistic that indicated that newly graduated Yet there hasn’t been a lot of thought given as consulting engineers thought of a period of time ranging to how to successfully integrate this new and diverse from 2 to 5 years when asked about a long term job! age demographic into the workforce, an issue that is The unique experience that Gen-connect has with the becoming more important with every passing day. The world of chat also means that this is a generation that is fact is, these kids are unique in more ways than one, and fiercely collaborative and extremely team oriented, with hence, forward thinking executives should take the time the result that they’ll be able to take on the most complex to learn how to take advantage of their uniqueness, and of projects, and work in a manner which draws together how to best manage and motivate them. the talents of many, many people. I believe that we will They are certainly technologically adept - they are see a real change in the manner by which organizations the first generation to grow up with microcomputers, the can take on new and complex issues, because of the Internet and other online systems. They are of a mindset unique collaborative culture which will be embedded in that if you don’t have knowledge about something, you the workplace. simply enter a few keystrokes to get it. In that sense, Their background also suggests that they will reject they are uniquely prepared for a world of work that is most of the current norms of what we believe to be becoming more and more complex, given the rapid rate a “workplace.” They have never known a world that of change that now swirls around every organization. You doesn’t have e-mail or cell phones. They’ve long been should be prepared to harness their ability to generate accustomed to the idea that you can do anything from just-in-time knowledge, and use that to take on some of anywhere at any time. And despite being so team- the more challenging and pressing issues that you face. oriented, they are also fiercely independent at the same But with their technological prowess comes a potential time, perhaps because 75% of them are the children of challenge. They’ve been weaned on Internet chat services dual-working parents. such as ICQ and MSN, have mastered Nintendo and This means that they work well on their own, regardless Xbox from an early age, live and die by their cell phones, of where they might happen to be located. How can we and have never known a world that has less than a few possibly expect them to subscribe to a corporate work hundred TV channels. This brings to them a certain philosophy that says you have to come to a certain scatter-shot approach to things and an attention span location every day to do things? I think they will find the that can be easily challenged. It’s not unusual to see concept to be completely laughable, with the result that them surfing a few Web sites while flipping back and those organizations which have yet to adopt a workplace forth between various TV channels, all while they carry culture that supports teleworking, timeshifting, work-at- out an Internet chat and talk on the phone at the same home and other methods of location-insensitive working time! arrangements will be forced into dealing with the issue From this perspective, they are certainly capable of pretty soon. multi-tasking. And that brings a unique challenge that Another important fact is that we will likely see the the corporate sector hasn’t really had to deal with before issue of “change-resistance” take on far less importance - a generation of workers who can become extremely in the future. Boomers today are best characterized as bored, extremely quickly! Because they are used to a the generation that has been most resistant to change, world in which they can be doing multiple things at once, perhaps because they are the only generation that has and which their minds are always very active, they’ll come witnessed first-hand the gut-wrenching twists and turns to expect the same degree of heightened stimulation in that has come with the introduction of technology in the workplace. the workplace. The result has been a world in which This means they’ll have to be provided with a regular gazillions of dollars are spent on workshops, seminars stream of new projects and varied assignments and and courses on how to “deal with change.” responsibilities. Not only that, but they will have to be I expect that type of thinking will soon come to an provided a career path that allows for multiple different end. Gen-Connect has grown up in a world which is far jobs and careers throughout their lifetime. Certainly that more complex than that of previous generations, and one in which change has been constant and relentless. The 78% per cent said flexible work schedules were a must, result that they’ve developed a mindset that is creative, and 59% said that the establishment of “parenting hours” curious, and quite used to dealing with the complexity (i.e. a workday that goes from 9am to 3pm) would also of change. This means that we will likely witness with the be a requirement. That’s but one aspect of their work/ Gen-Connect crowd a mindset that thrives on innovation, life philosophy. They will come to expect a career in and one that embraces change in all of its various forms. which work is but a means to an end - rather than a life Related to the issue of change is that they will find in which the career defines who they are, they will live (and do find) many of our current business processes with an understanding that their career or job is but one to be truly laughable. I remember being stunned when component of an overall, rich, complex and busy life. my 9 year old son asked me what a cheque was a few Put it all together, and they are unique in more ways years ago. Think about that - he’s already growing up than one. in a paradigm of electronic business transactions. That’s You’ll need to give a great deal of thought as to the mentality coming into the workforce, with the result how your members can prepare for the challenges and that companies will find a constant pressure to bring opportunity this generation brings into the workplace. more efficiency to the workplace through the absolute Start taking the time now to study who they are, how elimination of the many paper-based business processes they think, how they interact - and what it might mean to which surround us still. you in the future. Because the future is now. And last but not least, they definitely have strong perceptions on the issue of work/life balance. According to a survey by Manchester, MA based Silver Stork Research Jim Carroll, FCA, is a noted futurist, trends and innovation expert of woman aged 17 to 28, most think the most important who provides highly customized keynotes and workshops on a wide thing they could give to their children compared to what variety of topic areas. His two sons, aged 13 and 13, regularly beat their parents gave them is “time.” That’s why 90% of him at any game he tries to play on an XBox, but he found his them said they would even take a pay cut to spend more revenge once thefamily got Guitar Hero on a Wii. His web site is at time with their children. The survey went on to examine www.jimcarroll.com, and he welcomes your comments at jcarroll® how the workforce should change to support their ideals. jimcarroll.com Adapts to its Surroundings JACOBSEN ECLIPSE™ 122 & 122 F Like a chameleon, the new Eclipse 122 & 122 F walking greens mowers from Jacobsen® can adapt to any turf, condition, operator or environment. Independently adjustable ground speed, reel speed and FOC give you the unprecedented power to dial in to the exact cut you want. 50% more float eliminates scalping - even on the most undulated turf. An advanced control system takes variability out of the operator equation for a more consistent cut every time. And a variable-configuration platform allows for hybrid or battery power to provide stealth-like quietness, fuel savings and reduced emissions. Field tested and superintendent approved, the Jacobsen Eclipse gives you the power to mow with confidence, precision and superior results - every single day. 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Second to one by Justin Parsons, Assistant Superintendent Trafalgar Golf & Country Club The Morning Meeting For many assistants, and by many, I mean me, the worst like these mornings. It’s much easier to speak to them after part of the day is the morning meeting. We’re all familiar they’ve been broken in a little. It’s hard to go in there cold. with this necessary, yet painful ritual. Every morning, some Let’s face it, you want to see a morose human being, wake an time around 6 am, the staff begin to drag their rear ends into already disgrunded teen up at 5 am, sit them in a room that the lunch room for their daily marching orders. Of course, smells like hot garbage and watch as they await to be told that the word ‘drag’ really doesn’t fully explain just how tortured they will be picking up blocks and placing them mere inches and laboured they appear as they make their way onto the from where they currently lie for the next three hours. premises, knuckles scraping on the ground all the while. It’s The morning meetings seem to get increasingly difficult like a scene from Night of the Living Dead, except it’s morning as the season wears on too. This is probably because they and there’s no ‘stop’ button. have figured out just what exactly every job entails by about Nevertheless, as the staff file into the lunch room, the mid May. You see, at first everything is sort of new and assistant (or superintendent or some combination of the exciting. They hear the word ‘fly mow’ and they think it two) arduously pours over the morning tasks that must be may be a cool job. It’s not, and it takes them about 3 nano completed. Now, anyone who has attempted to fill out the seconds to realize it. morning schedule sheet knows just how difficult this process I try to come up with clever ways to distract them from the is. To the casual observer (i.e. every staff member, that awaits repetition of the work. Try telling the bunker crew that they a task in the morning) however, this duty is as easy as picking only have to rake the ones with sand in them. Or, bet your out a pair of socks in the morning. But they simply don’t hole changer 100$ that you can find a low plug somewhere realize that the main objective of this process is maximizing on the property. He will no doubt take the bet since he has productivity, not catering to the needs of each and every complete control over the situation. As he diligently fixes employee. plugs while moving the pins, wait until he is almost done, It’s a thankless job really, much like being a referee. slip over to a green on the front nine with another auger and When you do it well, nobody says anything, when you do it lower a plug. poorly they’re all over you. Some may call this unethical, but they would be wrong. Regardless, the task of filling out the sheet begins. You need Come midsummer, you tend to get a little desperate when to take into consideration the weather, the day of the week, trying to motivate the staff. the playing schedule, the mowing schedule, who is trained It’s funny how you have the exact opposite problem with the on what job, who works well with who, who needs to be retired members on the crew. They not only like repetition, punished for not wearing their bump cap, who needs to be they need it. If anything at all takes them out of their routine, rewarded for staying late the previous day, and so on and all hell breaks loose. Try telling a rough cutter that he will so forth. Really, it just ends up becoming like an internal need to help out the bunker crew while the mechanic fixes a Shakespearean monologue: blade on his mower. My guess is he will start convulsing. “I promised Tony he could walkmow greens, but he isn’t Perhaps the hardest part of the morning meeting though, exactly fleet of foot and we have a Shotgun at 8 am. Alright, is trying to end it. It’s like when you’re in the car at the end he can change holes. But he’s changed holes for 8 straight of a bad date and you know full well you have no intentions days and he’s starting to get sloppier than Paris Hilton of seeing the girl again. What do you say? “So, umm, alright exiting a limo. Okay, Okay, he can join the bunker crew. No, well good stuff...” It’s the same with the greens staff. They that’s no good. He doesn’t work well with Othello. Fine, by are all looking up at you with the enthusiasm of a cashier at process of elimination he can do markers. Crap! Cindy has to Wal-Mart, just praying that it isn’t time to go out there. do markers because she was just trained on them yesterday”. It’s for times such as this that I think the hands-in football This can go on for several minutes. Ultimately, you end type chant was invented. It really provides a rather natural up rewriting it about four times anyway, because Tony was conclusion to any type of occasion. I mean there is really sick, Othello hurt his back, and Cindy needs to be home by nothing left to say after a bunch of individuals stand painfully 10 am to pick courses online for next semester. close together and loudly chant the same word in unison, all Eventually, you are able to sort it all out and you enter the while touching hands the lunch room. Half of them look bewildered. The other You should try it next year, when the morning meetings start half are asleep. Or, at least, you hope they are asleep. The to become unbearable. alternative would not be good. “Alright everybody, gather round, hands in, Othello on 3!” Some times the superintendent will address them first. I TURF MANAGEMENT'S GREAT UNKNOWN COMMODITY by Sean Jordan, University of Guelph An often overlooked and undervalued aspect of Having a student on staff for the better part of the turfgrass management is the student intern. For any of season benefits the supervisor in many ways. This person you who have not had the opportunity to employ an intern, is another set of wide open eyes on the course that has not it is essentially hiring a student in turfgrass management had a chance to develop “tunnel vision” and it very well for the purpose of teaching them the tricks of the trade may be that they save you time and money by bringing while getting a hard-working student, eager to learn in problems to your attention. Taking the time to really return. This makes internships a win-win situation with teach someone your way of doing tasks can also help you both parties benefiting from the experience. The student to evaluate how you do them and possibly find ways to is able to fill in the gaps in education and experience as make them more efficient. If the internship is being spent the supervisor gains a keen, interested employee. on a different property, then both gain mutually from What do you think of when you hear “intern"? If you each other’s experiences. answered skilled, slave labour for which you get a few An intern doesn’t have to be the ‘tween semesters student bucks back an hour because they’re students, then you trying to gain experience and earn a grade. Graduates really need to read the rest of this article. If you said an unsure of exactly where they want to go or feeling like advanced student or graduate usually in a professional their resumes could use a boost can also spend a season field gaining supervised practical experience, then pat honing their skills with an eager supervisor. yourself on the back, you’re right, and you spend too much time reading dictionaries. Even though you may What is expected from both of you? have a good grasp of what the internship position is about, Now that we’ve discussed how to choose an internship, hopefully there will be some good information in this it is important to know the role of the intern. The student article for you as well. I am writing this piece with the goal should come into the job with a clear, reasonable list of of imparting some of my experience, both as an intern objectives and discuss a timeline for fulfilling them with and as a supervisor, so that you can make the most of an the supervisor. Keeping up with this list will help both internship, whether you are the student or the employer. parties remember that this is a learning opportunity, not just another job. A couple of tools that will make the Making the right choice: experience lasting are a journal and a camera. That not In talking with the students that I have had over the only helps when it comes time to write the internship years one bit of advice that I stress is to find internships at paper, but will also solidify the experience for future different places than they have already worked. The few reference. The supervisor on the other hand needs to exceptions to this would be a renovation/construction set aside time to meet with the intern to keep track of project or a new supervisor at the old job. Interns should the learning objectives and really involve that person in seriously sit down and evaluate where they have been and discussions of planning and problem solving. After all, in what areas they have little or no experience. Those that intern is shortly going to be a colleague in the same “thin spots” combined with a realistic look at what the business. intern wants to do in this field should create a list of There is no doubt that internships take commitment limitations to be addressed during an internship. Prior from all involved, in order to work, so they should not to going to university for turfgrass management, I had be entered into lightly. With supervisors getting a keen, spent three years on a high-end private golf course that somewhat experienced individual right from the start underwent a huge renovation project and then I worked and students gaining the knowledge that will help them on the construction of a new course. This left me with no succeed in this field, they are definitely worth the time public golf course experience and little knowledge of how and effort. to set-up and handle tournaments. Through pure luck I was able to find a very popular public course holding a large televised tournament looking for a few interns and was able to fill in a few more of my own gaps. A problem with this scenario of self evaluation would be that the interns don’t know what they don’t know! If a student comes to you as a supervisor and asks you what they should learn, sit back and think of all the now routine tasks that once had you struggling for answers. Examples of this would be fertilizer and chemical selection, calibration, budgets, and the big one of managing your crew. The average student hasn’t experienced much more than a mower, rake and the occasional shovel, so they wouldn’t Sean Jordan raking the Road Hole Bunker at St. Andrews think of what all makes the turf operation tick, or clunk. BACKED Rovral Green GT FONGICIDE by BAYER. Backed by Bayer™ is a primary focus of Bayer Environmental Science and a way Aliette Signature to ensure success for our customers. Backed By Bayer means you purchase more than products when you do business with Bayer — you get the confidence that you’ll succeed. You receive the assurance that comes from value-added programs, services and our ongoing commitment to the industry. 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On the REEL side of things by Warren Wybenga, Equipment Manager Donalda Club WWybenga@donaldaclub.ca (416) 44 7-5575 x263 Autumn's Sweet Release Ihave found that autumn usually provides a little just about everything I’ll need to complete my winter’s breathing room for those of us in the turf industry. With servicing and repairs. Instead of scribbling out my order the onset of shorter days, cooler nights, rejuvenating on a cocktail napkin, I have made up a simple Excel rains and the end of club tournament season, you can spread sheet on which to complete my order. Now I’m no almost hear a collective sigh of relief emanating from turf computer wiz, I’ll never win any typing competitions and it care facilities across the province. While the focus shifts initially took me three full days to get it all sorted out but, towards preparing our courses for a long winter’s nap, it now that I have it saved on my computer, all I have to do doesn’t mean that the equipment gets a rest...at least not is copy the template and add or remove any machines that yet. Though the turf’s growth has slowed, it still requires are new to or have been traded from the fleet. From this periodic mowing, perhaps there are course renovation point, it is simply a matter of verifying quantities, updating projects underway and there’s still the issue of all those part numbers and pricing, then emailing it to my friendly leaves that need to be blown and disposed of. customer service representative, all in a mater of a couple From an equipment maintenance standpoint, this of hours. Once my order is received and processed, before is an excellent opportunity to inventory your fleet in I know it a courier is at the shop, loaded down with as I preparation for winter servicing. Throughout the season said, just about everything I need to get me through my you should have been keeping notes on each piece of winter servicing and in some cases, most of the following equipment of things that need to be addressed so that season too! It’s one order, and with the exception of the your machines will be ready to go when you are next odd back ordered item, one shipment. Having all this on spring. Refer to those notes while looking over each piece hand allows me the freedom to alter my scheduling to suit to verify your previous observations but don’t forget to my needs, while saving my club (and my budget) a bundle. look for new issues or defects. And let me tell you that the CSR’s really appreciate This is a time of preparation. You should already receiving such a large order electronically. It saves them have it recorded but if you don’t, make note of hour time and allows them to process your order quickly. meter readings, model and serial numbers, as you’ll Another benefit to charting all of this on a spread need to refer to these numbers when ordering parts. sheet is that it has allowed me to break down the cost Manufacturers often make minor changes to a model line of maintenance and some repair parts on a per-unit mid-production so quoting serial numbers will ensure that basis which has proven useful in determining when a you get the right parts for your machine. Don’t overlook particular unit is becoming too costly to retain and is also any attachments or implements as many machines have beneficial when it comes time to justify such a large parts several different items that can be run off the same order. Which brings me to my final point...be sure to get traction unit. Take your typical triplex greens mower permission from your supervisor or even the company’s for example. It’s not just the greens heads that you have controller or accountant before placing a large order to be concerned about. Many courses have spare sets of like this. While you may have adequate funds remaining greens heads, possibly separate sets of heads for mowing in your repair budget, most bean counters will forecast tees, approaches or even fairways. There’s verti-cut expenditures based on previous years spending trends and heads, rollers and even heads for brushing in topdressing will not likely have sufficient funding available to cover material and each of these have their own model and such a large order all at once. As always, communication serial numbers and will require your attention as well. is the key and by explaining the fiscal advantages of Most manufacturers are now offering incentive laden participating in these booking programs, you’ll come off parts booking programs that offer reduced pricing, looking really good for finding another way to save the volume discounts, deferred billing, discounted or even company money. free shipping and free swag to get you to buy. I have been So take advantage of the cooler weather and do some taking advantage of these programs for several years now prep work so you’re ready to go when winter finally puts and I have found that it is a great opportunity to purchase your course to bed for another season. Above the hole by Tyler Webb, Student and Intern I write this, there are approximately 4 and a half As and second year? These are the questions that intrigue months left in the school career of Turf 09A (Turf) here me the most. Other than the indifference we develop at Guelph. That could sound very ominous, but it doesn’t towards the inefficiencies of our program, what stops feel like it. It feels more like every other fall going back us as students from forming a collective voice from the to school after the summer break. It’s a relaxing time, get go? Why does ownership of the program have to a fun time, but now more than ever a time to make the be passed on from year to year instead of cultivated in most of. Coming to Guelph for first year there is no every new class? One might believe these are questions metre to align your expectations; no idea of what Turf that must be answered in the context of each class, that at Guelph is or could be to set the bar and keep it there. the individuals who make up each new year in Turf will As students, we are all united by our common and very decide for themselves the level of apathy or involvement select career choice, yet come together as complete they have as students and peers. I have a hard time strangers. This unavoidable set of circumstances creates believing this. Involvement must come from the top a certain apathy towards the weaker links of the program. down. The energy, passion and dedication needed to As we grow together it is almost a point of good fortune take ownership of our program must be an example set, that we can use these instances to bond, sharing the same rather than a lesson learned. opinion over a certain class’s inefficient scheduling or Our program in its current state is very young; we will overlapping curriculum; something we can all relate to be its 5th graduating class. At 5 years, Turf at Guelph as default conversation starters. What is missing is the has gone through many changes. From the efforts expectation of something better; the realization that of students, professors and the industry itself, it has this program is only set in stone if you let it cure. By improved exponentially. But to regard it as a finished bonding over the weaknesses of the program we become product would be a mistake. Likewise, to think of our accustomed to them, regarding them as some necessary program as a two year stop along the way to becoming a evil - a benefit as peers but not as students. That is first superintendent would be another mistake, a mistake I feel year. too many of us make. By passing on that invisible baton We are in our second, and last year now; we know the we renounce all ownership of our program, cutting our ropes, understand the system and have a somewhat new ties of responsibility and passion for Turf at Guelph. If found responsibility of being stewards of the program. we instead aim to cultivate that same ownership in every It is this change that I have become most aware of. new year we can create a family of turf students, peers There is some invisible baton that has been passed and professionals who remain responsible and dedicated from one year to the next relaying some subtle power to our program, now and well into the future. to mould the experience of Turf at Guelph and better it, including everything from the efficiency of class structure and the exposure to Turf Club, to enhancing www.JustSodIt.com the personal connections we make while at school. It seems now that we have the power to do something HAMILTON SOD MOUNT H O P E about it all! We can work together as a collective voice 905-389-1315 ONTARIO SODOakville for efficient scheduling, an integrated curriculum and 905*849-1764 enhanced professional involvement and exposure. It NIAGARA SOD ST. 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Season Re-Cap 2008 You have to be careful what you wish for. I looked over my notes from this time last year and was met with, woe is us! It is so dry the world will by Daisy Moore end and how are we going to manage? It hasn’t stopped snowing, raining or hailing since and woe is us we are drowning. The past two years have been extremes at either end and I refuse to speculate or even listen to dire or hopeful predictions for the future climate. The weather network can’t get today’s conditions right let alone next spring. We will just take it as it comes and dress accordingly. I haven’t minded the wet summer. I thought it was almost as much for its breadth. The same applies for a rather tropical in fact, not that I have ever been to the 3 or 5 foot shrub. In the meantime surround the shrub tropics, but I have heard that it always rains at night but with herbaceous plants that can be moved when they get clears up in the morning. Believe me I know because we crowded. Bulbs and annuals or short lived perennials camped a lot in it and thankfully had plenty of tarps. I such as Lupin or Verbascum are great for this temporary am not a fan of the heat and I am particularly not fond or movable flower garden. of crazzled up turf and dried out plants as was the case Mother Nature watered and encouraged an additional in the summer of 2007. I’d take weeding and trimming generation or two of weeds this summer, during a over water restrictions and hauling buckets to save special time that is usually bone dry and not ideal for seed plants any day. Having said that, I have had my fill of germination, other than crabgrass. Mulching to prevent weeds this year and will be glad to see the blighters seed germination was a good idea! Weed seeds germinated become frozen stiff in their tracks. more than usual and beyond their regular season so with 2008 will be marked as a year in the garden where any luck this should reduce the populations next year. you could virtually do no wrong. Roses were practically Surely it can! There is a patch of goutweed I know that weeds. Plants overflowed with growth, achieving 30% I hope is growing itself out of steam too. Another plus more biomass (my estimate) than they usually do. This is that extreme conditions, such as we had in 2008, give extra growth became overwhelming in some cases and native species an advantage over alien plants. The seeds to the point of hysteria in others. What do you do with a and parent plants of indigenous species have adapted to variegated Japanese Willow that has lost its mind? Dennis accommodate the extremes of the region so they stand a the Menace and Calvin share the same hairstyle and you better chance of out-competing undesirable weeds. This can’t help but want to get out the sheers. They looked bodes well for the colour and beauty of the plants on our so dainty and, well, small, in the pictures. What also do roadsides. you do about the deciduous shrubs that have grown well As is the case with people who work in the horticultural beyond the space that was allotted to them? The need industry I was able to spend only a little time fussing with to be ruthless and make some tough culling choices has my own garden. Despite that, it showed better than ever been necessary in the management of gardens this year. and as long as you kept people at a distance it appeared The question remains whether we will be mourning for to be worthy of a garden tour. I’ll chalk it up to good this excess next year. planning. It is now time to stop again for a bit, to re-group, No matter what the size of the garden, proper plant re-focus and re-energize because who knows what will be spacing in the first place will eliminate the need to scale in store for us next season. plants back and will result in a garden that looks well on its own. If planned well the garden can accommodate the Daisy is a professional horticulturist. She operates a garden 30% extra growth or cope with 30% less. We need to pay design and consulting business from her home in Elora. attention to the “size at maturity” part of the plant label She is the host of the radio program “Ask the Gardener” and start believing it. Give shrubs room to grow. If you Saturdays 1-2:00 on am570 www.daisymoore.com, has samples want a 12 or 15 foot screen or specimen, then it will need of her work. There’sa NEW game intown! As you know, BASF has been in the chemical business for 140 years. Now they are aiming their considerable experience squarely at turf. With 2 innovative new products for the Turf industry it is no wonder Golf Supers are anxious for this new player to come to town. Imagine, solutions from a company with 140 years of solving problems for their customers. Can you afford NOT to play with these guys? Looking back 20 Years Ago Today by Barry Endicott Board of Directors in 1988 were Thom Charters The Young, Muskoka Lakes G&CC (F), Dan Mayzik, Essex GC (president) Weston, Neil Acton (vice) Brooklea, Robert (F), John Kinch, Muskoka Lakes G&CC (F), Richard Ziegel, Kennedy (past) City of St. Catharines, Gord Nimmo (tres.) Burlington Springs GC (B), TH. Roest, Lely Ltd. (E), Phillip Sarnia, Ron Heesen, Beachgrove, Rhod Trainor (editor) St. Dickie, Fast Forest Inc. (E), Josh Brown, Glendale G C (F), Thomas, Greg O’Heron, Peterborough, John Taylor, Twenty Robert Cresswell, Pleasant Valley G&CC (B), Mark McClure, Valley, Scott Dodson, Summit, Ed Farnsworth, Deerhurst, Burford Golf Links (B), James Monkman, Uplands GC (F), Mark Hagen, Wyldewood and David Gourlay, Beacon Hall. Art Van Veld, Simoro Golf Links (D), Gil Edwards, Sault Ste. Cindi Charters was the office secretary. Marie GC (B), Art Maw , Evergreen GC (B), Brian Haus, On the move: Barry Endicott left Millcroft GC and went Glenway CC (F), Michael Creed, Oshawa GC (F), John to Nobleton Lakes GC and Walt Dudnick left Dalewood Cockerill , Summit G&CC (F), Andrew Gaydon, Shemin G&CC and went to Millcroft GC. Scott Dodson started his Nurseries (E). newjob at the Summit G&CC and Barry Briton left Glendale The CGSA Conference and Trade Show was held in G&CC to start a new golf course called Lionhead G&CC in Toronto from March 6th-10th at the Westin Harbour Castle. Brampton. Greg O’Heron started his new position at the Attendance records were shattered with almost 1,600 Peterborough G&CC this spring and taking over for him at delegates attending. The OGSA sponsored a Past Presidents Markland Wood GC is Vince Dermott. Ray Richards goes luncheon. Those in attendance were Hugh Kirkpatrick from Base Borden GC to Midland GC while Bruce Clark (1985), Pelino Scenna (1978), Barry Endicott (1986), Bill leaves Midland to assume the superintendent’s responsibilities Hynde (1972), Al Beeney (1977), Dave Gourlay Sr. (1968), at the Newmarket GC. Steve Verral is setting up shop at the John Arends (1971), Bob Moote (1967), Jim Wyllie (1973), Royal Ottawa GC after some good years at Cataraqui G&CC Paul Dermott (1975, 1976), Dr. Lee Burpee, University of in Kingston. Rick Serrao leaves the Thunderbird Club to Guelph, Barry Briton, CGSA President, John Sequi, GCSAA become superintendent at Ingersol G&CC. Bill Bowen is President, and Randy Scott, Canadian Superintendent of the beginning a new job at Dalewood G&CC and Ron Heesen year. John Steel was recently inducted into the Canadian leaves Beachgrove G&CC to become the superintendent Golf Hall of Fame. at the new Monterra GC in Collingwood. Filling his shoes Barry Endicott chaired the 2-day OGSA Symposium held at Beachgrove is Mark Schneider, previously the assistant at the University of Guelph. The speakers included Dean at Westmount G&CC. Another assistant, Wayne Rath from McEwen, Annette Anderson, Dr. Lee Burpee, Dr. Jack Eggens, Credit Valley G&CC is the new superintendent at Islington Norm McCollum, Jim Molenhuis, Glenway G&CC, Dave GC. Simon George, of Indian Wells GC, takes over Oakville Gourlay Jr., Beacon Hall GC, and John Arends, Centennial G&CC while George Gamer moves over to Glendale G&CC. Park GC. Dr. Jim Watson was the closing speaker. Paul Romahn goes from Dundee CC to Elmira G&CC and The GCSAA Conference and Trade Show was held in from the Indian Creek GC goes Jim Burlington to assume Houston with Dan Uzelac who just recently retired, Dennis his new responsibilities at Erie Shores Golf &CC. Mike Post Pellrene, Scarboro G&CC, and Barry Endicott, Nobleton moves from Strathroy to Huron Oakes GC in Sarnia. Doug Lakes G&CC, giving talks. Mac Frost was the Chairman of Colley went from G.C. Duke Equipment Ltd. and joined the RCGA Green Section and it was announced that an Jim Tanner and Dave Park at Marmac Hydraulics to sell the RCGA Green Consultant programme was being offered for new 5-plex Lesco fairway mower. Butch Middleton, former a fee of $400.00 per visit. Thomas Unsworth passed away in superintendent at Ottawa Hunt GC has joined G.C. Duke the summer. Equipment Ltd. Mike Smith, from Glen Abbey GC, joined The final meeting of the GBGA was held at Muskoka G.C. Duke Equipment Ltd. in the Toronto area and Rick Lakes G&CC on September 13th. Dave Smith was host for Appel is covering the western part of the province. the day and Marlon Giesler, assistant at Brooklea G&CC, had New Members: Randy Higgins, Toronto Hunt C (F), Joey the low round with a 75 including a hole in one. Previous St. Pierre, Essex G&CC (F), Hugh Shields, Talbot Park GC, golf days were held at Brooklea G&CC, Neil Acton, Bonair (F), Blair Rennie, Unionville GC (B), Leo Daigle, Carrying GC, Randy Fielder, Blue Mountain G&CC, Kim Hanley and Place G&CC (F), Hughie Smith, Thornhill GC (F), Mark Barrie CC, Ed Doda. Ray Richards was the president. Turf or consequences by Doug Breen, Superintendent Golf North Properties Unnatural Turf I'm helping to coach my son’s football team. I’m sure injury on them. In 2007, you were 10,000% more likely to that many of you too, have stumbled down the perilous tear your ACL if you were engaged in a sport played on road of coaching your own kid in hockey, football, or even artificial turf, than if you were engaged in a sport played on some of the quasi-sports like chess or soccer. I’m not here a natural putting green. People love statistics, and never, to discuss coaching, although any advice on how to get my ever think about them. They’ll be too worried about buying wife to stop booing me from the bleachers would be greatly a knee brace to notice that those numbers are completely appreciated. I want to discuss artificial turf. The condition pointless. No one has ever gotten a concussion while of playing fields around the province is deplorable. Some putting on bentgrass. are as hard as concrete, others as boggy as a fetid swamp. If we can’t scare the public into blocking the construction Some have both conditions on the same field. Now, several of unnatural greens, to protect our livelihood we’ll need to things have conspired to make this happen. Most fields are invent some artificial turf diseases that attack artificial turf. poorly constructed, there is intense political pressure to We’ll have IPM programs, disease ID booklets, and over use less (or no) pesticides, fertilizer, or irrigation, and lastly, priced artificial turf pesticides. They can just be soap and they have about twice as many people using them as what water too, because the diseases don’t really exist, so they they can reasonably be expected to handle. Meanwhile, don’t have to be effective. Sure, the Green Party crowd maintenance budgets get tighter every year. Does this will still swear that these products are poisoning the planet sound familiar at all? Sounds like a few putting greens I and try to have them banned - but who cares - they won’t know of. be doing anything anyway! The diseases will need some The solution that’s been thrown around the football impressive sounding Latin names though, like astrophobious world lately is artificial playing surfaces. As anyone who patch, or plasticus grassicus mould. What will they do when has run on one of the more recent generations of field the unnatural greens are infested with poly-vinyl-chloride turf will tell you, it’s come a long way from the green weevil or agrostis syntheticus bill bug? The course owners will carpet stretched over asphalt that used to be artificial turf. sure be glad that they retained the services of a qualified I’m told that over a 25-year life cycle, an artificial field is superintendent that day, I can tell you! actually cheaper to build and maintain. This has got me I’m not sure that we’ll ever see the use of synthetic worried. What if someone actually finds a way to produce playing surfaces on golf courses, but no one ever dreamed an artificial putting surface that’s better than living, stressed that we’d be using them in as many sports as we are. There out bentgrass? Think it will never happen? That’s what are already courses using artificial tees in places where they football, baseball, and soccer thought! can’t keep grass alive. My prediction is that somebody’s Ladies and gentlemen, we could be replaced by carpet going to try it for either cost or environmental reasons. layers. Fear not though my brethren, I have a four-point- After a generation of resistance, improvements to the plan to undermine this impending travesty. product, and widespread adoption, could they eventually First of all, the word game. Stop calling it artificial turf. be the norm? Will there come a day when the living From now on we’ll only refer to it as unnatural turf. Folks green will be a display in the golf museum next to hickory are so terrified of anything ‘unnatural’, that they’ll draw shafts? Not if we start telling everyone that artificial turf is the conclusion that cutting grass under a tenth of an inch a suspected carcinogen. is ‘natural’. We can also spread a rumour that the fibres of unnatural turf are actually genetically modified organisms. People are so petrified of GMO’s that you can tell them that they’re genetically modified from anything, but I’d pick something cute or nearly extinct. Baby kitten ears or white rhino horns are excellent examples. Another possibility, is to tell the general public that the unnatural greens contain traces of arachis hypogaea, sodium bicarbonate, di-hydrogen oxide, or anything else technical sounding. Nothing scares people more than traces of something. Especially if they don’t know what it is. We could also play the statistics game. Like these, for example; 100% of artificial football fields have had a serious For the Love of Turf. Exceptional turf is the love of our life! We are passionate about helping you grow great turf. Nu-Gro Golf uses proprietary nitrogen technologies such as Nutralene®, Nitroform®, and SCU® to give you the best greens, tees, and fairways. Turn to Nu-Gro Golf for maximum results on your high quality turf. The trusted technology behind Nutralene® and Nitroform® are registered trademarks of Nu-Gro America Corp. SCU® is a registered trademark of Zeneca Corp. www.turfpro.ca every bag of Nu-Gro Golf. TURF CARE Redefining Productivity. What will your next 16' (4.9m) rotary mower do for you? Will it reduce your fuel and maintenance costs? Automatically clear chaff from the intake screens? Tell the operator when there’s a potential problem... and then point the technician directly to the trouble spot? If your next mower is the com­ pletely new Toro® Groundsmaster® 5900 or 5910, the answer is “Yes” and much more. Welcome to the next generation of wide area rotary mowers. The Toro Groundsmaster 5900 Series sets the new standards for productivity, uptime and low daily operating costs. We look forward to seeing you at the OGCM.Show " in January.. For more information, call your Turf Care Sales Rep. or visit www.turfcare.ca Turf Care Products Canada 200 PONY DRIVE, NEWMARKET, ONTARIO L3Y 7B6 • PHONE (905) 836-0988 • FAX (905) 836-6442 London Mississauga Scarborough Gloucester Ph: (519) 668-7664 Ph: (905) 890-6290 Ph: (416) 298-2101 Ph: (613) 822-1881 Fax: (519) 668-3722 Fax: (905) 890-5598 Fax: (416) 298-8758 Fax: (613) 822-2099