VOLUME IX, PART 2, MARCH/APRIL, 1993 NEWSLETTER OF THE FLORIDA GOLF COURSE SUPERINTENDENTS ASSOCIATION The FGCSA-hosted reception in Anaheim drew rave reviews from the more than 150 attendees. Not only did all of the candidates for the GCSAA board attend, but many people from other states also participated. The hot topics of the evening were the proposed By-Law changes and the McLoughlin letter. Incoming President Randy Nichols and Vice President Joe Baidy are shown sharing itheir views on these issues with Bill Koonz, president of the National Irrigation Association. The FGCSA appreciates the support of their friends who helped defray our expenses at the reception. UPCOMING EVENTS Mar. 2 USGA Green Section Conference, Palm Beach Gardens Marriott Hotel Mar. 4 USGA Green Section Conference, Orlando Marriott Apr. 1 IFAS Field Day and SFGCSA Exposition, Ft. Lauderdale Research Center Apr. 5 GCSAA Spray Technician Seminar, Grand Cypress GC, Orlando. Call the GCS AA at Mar. 9 North Florida chapter meeting, 913-832-4444 for details. Orange Park CC, Pesticide Spill Seminar with 2 CEU's Apr. 6 North Florida chapter meeting, Marsh Landing CC Mar. 11 South Florida chapter meeting, The Clubs of Inverrary Apr. 7 GCSAA Spray Technician Seminar, Ft. Lauderdale CC Mar. 13 First Annual Mike Richard Tournament, NFGCSA, Apr 12 47th Annual Southeastern TurfJacksonville Beach GC -13 grass Conference, Tifton, GA Apr. 20 Suncoast Scramble Tournament, Venice G&CC Apr. 26 2nd Annual Ridge Invitational, Grasslands G&CC May 15 FGCSA Spring Board Meeting, Naples Beach Hotel May 15 G. C. Horn Tournament, Naples Beach Hotel May 16 FGCSA Seminar, Golf Course Renovation, Naples Beach Hotel May 17 Poa Golf Tournament, Flamingo Lakes GC President's Message President's Message by Mark Jarrell, CGCS Since my last President's Message, the GCSAA convention has come and gone and the By Law controversy decisively settled. As you will note from Tom Benefield's article on page 3, every By Law change proposal was soundly defeated except for ballot A, which was no more than a change in the wording of one of our statements of purpose in the Articles of Incorporation. The word "greenskeeping" was changed to "turfgrass management" and "environmentally sound management" was added to more accurately describe our methods. It also dropped the reference to financial support for disabled superintendents or the families of those who die. So what happened? Why did this highly anticipated "mother of all battles" turn into a rout like the Super Bowl that followed it? If you had read the September issue of Golf Course Management. you would have believed the By Law changes were supported by everyone but us renegades from Florida and were a lead pipe cinch to pass. It seems to me that it would be fair to characterize the results as a severe backlash to some of the things that have been going on with GCSAA. The By Law proposals themselves were not the problem; the officers, directors and committee members who formulated these proposals and brought them before the membership were proposing what they thought best for our association. They worked hard on our behalf and should be highly commended for their efforts. Some of the defeated proposals had merit and modified versions will hopefully be seen in the future. What actually caused this backlash and anti-GCSAA sentiment? Several things, starting with the above referenced article from the September GCM. I had no problem with Bill Roberts' words — he was simply presenting his point of view and did it honestly and effectively. But the accompanying one-sided testimonials were an insult to my intelligence. Obviously, there were dissenting views, and I am extremely disappointed that our own magazine cannot be depended upon to be objective and serve the entire membership. Media bias and hidden agendas have been the superintendent's nightmare for many years. We don't need it in our own publications. Coupled with other recently overheard rumors and allegations, it GREEN SHEE Editor: Tom Benefield, CGCS Ballen Isles CC of JDM 100 Ballen Isles Circle Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33418 (407) 625-5737. News Coordinator: Mrs. Marie Roberts 1760 N.W. Pine Lake Drive Stuart, FL 34994 (407) 692-9349 (407) 692-9654 (Fax) TheGreen Sheet is a bimonthly FGCS A newsletter printed as follows: Jan./Feb., March/April, May/June, July/Aug., Sept./Oct., Nov ./Dec. Financial Support: This issue of the Green Sheet is being supported by: Golf Ventures 2101 EastEdgewood Dr. Lakeland, FL 33803 (813) 665-5800. All material submitted for printing will be edited at the discretion of the editor. Material must be typed or clearly printed. All photos must be black and white. Items must be for the good of the association. Deadline next issue, April 15. implies a deeper, more serious fundamental flaw in our power structure and checks and balances system. I am not a "GCSAA insider", so I am not in any position to judge the truth to these allegations. However, silence breeds mistrust, not trust and confidence. I would hope the new GCSAA Board recognizes the need to address these issues and not just sweep them under the rug. What is the truth in the Jim McLoughlin case and is action now warranted for staff indiscretions? Why do we need a full time attorney on staff and how is his performance reviewed? Are we creating a rift withtheUSGA and,ifso,isthis in the best interests of our membership? How about GqII Course Mark Jarrell, CGCS News ? Is it true that there has never been a meeting of the Board without the presence of one of the "Big Three" (Schilling, Green, Ochs)? If so, why? These are some of the major questions making the rounds. I have no idea of the validity of any of them, other than my personal opinions expressed about the GCM articles. These issues need to be cleared up so we can move forward with the many positive advances and new directions GCSAA has initiated. I think this was the real message mandated to the Board by the defeat of the By Law proposals. The membership is crying out for responsiveness and accountability, and it would be a serious miscalculation to think otherwise. President Randy Nichols and the Board have a formidable task before them. They need our help and not just our criticism. I, for one, appreciate the magnitude of their responsibilities and applaud their willingness to try to tackle them. Maybe some new committees are in order to share the burden of clearing the air of the controversies and restoring the confidence of the membership. GCS AA Convention Report From Where I Sit by Tom Benefield, CGCS A t the 64th Annual GCSAA Conference and Show in Anaheim, the proposed ByLaw amendments were soundly defeated with the exception of one amendment. As one of the Voting Delegates said, "we are sending the board a message on these proposals and the direction we want our association to go." Well send a message they did! Not only was the voting overwhelming against all but the one proposal, two of the board members running for reelection got caught up in the sour mood of the electorate. It was by all measures a victory for the status quo, a stance our state had taken since day one. It seems that Florida was not the only delegation to have serious misgivings about the proposals. The one proposal to pass was Amendment A. This amendment changes the language in our preamble from "an association to promote the art of greenskeeping" to "an association for the promotion of turfgrass management...in an environmentally sound manner". This amendment passed with a margin of five to one. As you will recall from our position statement, we had also decided to support two other amendment proposals, items D and F. These two amendments almost passed with each of them losing by less than 300 votes. Everything else, however, was not even close. All of the others had more than a two thirds majority against them. Throughout the week leading up to the annual meeting, you could sense the mood of the members. As one member put it, "something smells fishy to me...It is as if the board wants no further input from the members". These sentiments were echoed from members across all sections of the country. The day of the annual meeting I was astounded at the number of members to attend. It was surely the largest I have witnessed with standing room only. One thing you can credit the standards committee and board for was to get member turnout, although I don't believe it was the type they were looking for. After the ByLaw proposals were taken care of, the election of officers was conducted. It is too bad for two former board members up for reelection they had to run this year. I think some people held them personally responsible for the proposed changes. At any rate, they did not get reelected. The newly elected officers and board are as follows: 1993 GCSAA Board of Directors: President Vice President See/Treasurer Past President Directors: Randy Nichols, CGCS Joseph Baidy, CGCS Gary Griggs, CGCS Bill Roberts, CGCS Bruce Williams, CGCS Paul McGinnis, CGCS Dave Fearis, CGCS George Renault, CGCS GA OH FL MI IL AZ KS MD There is still one position open on the board and President Nichols will make that appointment sometime in the near future. There were many in attendance that suggested he not reappoint one of the two directors who were voted off the board. Unfortunately I think the delegates were getting the qualifications of the previous board members mixed up with their stance on the By Law proposals. I know both of these two members and I believe they are good men who were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Well, enough about this subject. Suffice it to say that we were right on line with the rest of the country without even considering any viewpoint other than that which came from our own Florida members. This is how it should be. We seek out our member comments, form a consensus, and vote our convictions for the good of all. By the way, we were again this year the largest voting block at the annual meeting — a major force in anyone's book. Past President Ray Hansen queries incoming Vice President Joe Baidy on proposed By-Law changes. PROPOSED FGCSÀ BY LAW AMENDMENT The following proposed ameadmem to the PCtsii. By-Laws I will be voted on during the Spring Board MeeSiig lobe held on May 15th. ARTICLE U, MEMBERSHIP. Add a Section 1Atoread: "Those superintendents wishing to be members of the State Associattoii ¿nd residing m sMd state shall have the right «3 petition through a special member category (ie., At Large Membership), of the PGCSA to the Executive Crira fOCSA for membership id ^ in order to qualify, applicants must demonstrate hardships thai pre veat them from joining their local chapter Of the PGCSA. Allrightsprivilegesai«lrule& of the FGCSA will applytothe» special memberships, except ¿¿t qtf holding office." ~ i T h e Winter 1993 meeting of tthe FGCSA Board of Directors was called to order by President Mark Jarrell at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 9th, at the Marriott Courtyard Hotel in Orlando. All officers were present. Chapters not represented were Big Bend. Everglades. North FlQridfli Riflge an