VOLUME IX, PART 2, MAY/JUNE, 1993
NEWSLETTER OF THE FLORIDA GOLF COURSE SUPERINTENDENTS ASSOCIATION

South

UPCOMING EVENTS
May 11 North Florida chapter meeting,
The Ravines G&CC

May 25 Suncoast chapter Annual
Meeting/Election, Sara Bay CC

June 25 PBGCS A chapter meeting,
Wycliffe G&CC

May 12 Joint chapter meeting, Palm
Beach and Treasure Coast,
Loblolly Pines GC

May 26 South Florida GCSA chapter
meeting, The Oaks CC at
Palm Aire Spa & Resort

May 15 FGCSA Spring Board Meeting
Naples Beach Hotel, 8:00 a.m.

June 12 PBGCS A Future of Golf
Tournament, Emerald Dunes

June 28 Seven Rivers chapter fundraiser,
The Envirotron Classic Golf
Tournament, World Woods Golf
Club, Brooksville. For further
information, please contact
Glenn Oberlander. 904-795-7017

May 15 G. C. Horn Tournament,
Naples Beach Hotel. 12:30
May 16 FGCSA Seminar, Golf Course
Renovation, Naples Beach
Hotel (.5 CEU's), 7:30 a.m.
May 17 Poa Golf Tournament,
Flamingo Lakes GC

Aug. 2
June 16 GCSAA Executive Development Seminar, "Developing and
Maintaining Effective Management/Employees Relationships" Sept.
25Fort Myers (1.6 CEU's)
30
June 24 West Coast chapter meeting,
Seminole Lakes

Crowfoot Open, Bonnet Creek
Golf Club, Osprey Ridge course
FTGA Conference & Show,
Tampa. Exhibitors should call
FTGA at 407-898-6721 for
Booth registration information.

President's Message

President's Message
by Mark Jarrell, CGCS
I am pleased to report so many
positive things going on with the
FGCSA.
First and foremost, our Florida
Green magazine is rapidly becoming
everything we hoped it could be, both in
content and income potential. The "flavor" and relevance we all desire is being
achieved by superintendents or their
assistants who take the time to write an
article. Thanks to all who have contributed thus far. Maintenance and improvement of content and style will
continue only so long as writers from
our ranks continue to step forward and
submit articles.
As for the financial picture,
since taking back control of the
magazine's advertising, early returns
indicate substantial profit Three people
can be credited with this turnaround Paul Crawford, Tom Benefield, and
Marie Roberts. Trying to single out one
or the other for praise is useless - each
one points fingers at the other two as the
main reason for this success.

Without funding, few of our
many accomplishments would be possible. Nearly all our individual chapters
now have tournaments or other
fundraisers to help finance such important projects as the Envirotron, the turf
survey, the lobbyist, and the research
green in Ft. Lauderdale. We also have
developed fundraising programs with
manufacturers such as Ciba-Geigy and
DowElanco with Rhone Poulenc to be
announcing theirs soon. We hope to
build upon and improve the results from
last year to this year. All these efforts are
to be applauded and, hopefully, serve as
inspiration to those who haven't yet
helped contribute to the betterment of
the profession that sustains them.
Looking forward and planning
now to meet tomorrow's challenges is
critical for our association. When the
envirotron is opened next fall, will
funding be available for the research to
be conducted there? Will we be able to
build a USGA spec green near the
Envirotron for research by the University of Florida staff in Gainesville as we
did in Ft. Lauderdale? Can we collect,
repair, and maintain used turf equipment for each of the research stations?

Mark Jarrell, CGCS
These are just a few of the projects we
will likely be involved in and which will
require new funding.
It sometimes seems we are
called upon to do much, much more than
our share to help preserve, protect, and
enhance our golf courses and the industry behind it, but it also seems we continue to discover talented and dedicated
superintendents who are willing to put
their shoulders behind the wheel. I am
very proud of our association and the
people who continue to get things done.

•A

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 isabimonthly FGCSA
newsletterprintedas 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 East Edgewood 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, June 15.

You Can Help...
Dollars for Research
Together we can make a big
contribution towards turfgrass research.
All you have to do is save your invoices
from all our DowElanco purchases from
November 1,1992 through October 31,
1993 and submit them to DowElanco
along with the redemption form found in
the DowElanco, "Responsibility comes
First" brochure. Contribution will be
based on points earned on DowElanco
products: 1800points=$50; 3600points
= $100. Details in brochure.
Superintendents can obtain this
brochure from either your DowElanco
supplierrepresentation,your DowElanco
sales representative, or by calling
DowElanco direct at 1-800-352-6776.

Activities and Events

INTERNATIONAL TURFGRASS

Poa Weekend Activities

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This year's Poa weekend gets
off to another early start with theFGCS A
Board Meeting set for 8:00 a.m. Saturday morning, May 15th, at the Naples
Beach Hotel. Featured speaker will be
Mike Goldie, FTGA lobbyist, who will
give us an update on the environmental
regulations passed by the Legislature
this past session. All interested parties
are invited to attend.
Immediately following the
Board Meeting, the G. C. Horn Tournament will be played on the Naples Beach
hotel course at 12:30 p.m.
Sunday morning, May 16th,
the FGCS A will sponsor a 5 hour seminar given by the Mark McCumber Golf
Course Design Division entitled, "Golf
Course Design Remodeling and Construction Techniques". This seminar
has been approved by the GCS AA for .5
CEU's. Topics covered will include
Design Considerations, Golf Design
Primer,Construction Administration and
Supervision,Golf Construction Primer
and will conclude with a written test for
CEU credit.

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Two fimeîy symposia on fate of pesticides and on characteristics of sports tori
DACS and ÔCSAA CEU^s are being requested
Special daily raies fot qualified Florida turf manager
Offseason resort rates at t t e &reafce*s
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For further information or Hie iTRC contât Dr^Oeorge Snyder, University of
Florida IFAS Belle Glade ¿talion, 407-996-3062 or
John Cisar.tTnîversity
of Florida IFAS F t Lâuderdafe satfôn 305-475-8996. I ^ i ^ ^ ^ M l B
Due to the tremendous success of last year's program, the Everglades
chapter is again presenting a Vegas Night program. Thisyear, the fun-packed evening
will be held on Sunday beginning with cocktails at 6:00 p.m.
Then on Monday morning, you will tee off at the Flamingolsland Club for
the 19th Annual Poa Annua Golf Classic Tournament.
Registration forms can be obtained by calling Roy Bates or one of the other
officers of the Everglades chapter. Don't miss this fun filled weekend!

Dr. George Snyder is
shown explaining to
an attentive audience
results ofthe pesticide
leaching study being
conducted at the Ft.
Lauderdale IF AS site
on the FGCSA-built
and
supported
research green.

Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary

Tampa Palms Earns
Certified Status as
Audubon Sanctuary
The Tampa Palms G&CC has
been dedicated as a "Certified Audubon
Cooperative Sanctuary" by the Audubon
Society of New York State, and endorsed
by the United States Golf Association.
Tampa Palms joined the program in
February 1992, and is the first golf
course in Florida to achieve the
"Certified" designation.
"Tampa Palms G&CC is to be
commended for its efforts to conserve
natural resources and provide a sanctuary for wildlife on the golf course
property," said Jean Mackay, Staff
Ecologist for the Audubon Society of
New York State
"To reach certification, a course
must demonstrate that they are maintaining a high degree of environmental
quality in a number of area," explained
Mackay. These categories include: Environmental Planning, Public Involvement, Integrated Pest Management,
Wildlife Food Enhancement, Wildlife
Cover Enhancement, Water Conservation, and Water Enhancement.
Tampa Palms' accomplishments include substantial water reduction through minimum irrigation and
xeriscaping, naturalization of non-play
areas on the course to enhance wildlife
habitat, and landscaping lakes and ponds
with native aquatic plants.
According to Superintendent,
Greg Plotner, CGCS: "The guiding
principle from the time the course was
laid out to the present has been to protect
and preserve the delicate beauty of the
natural environment. Our plan for the
future is to learn more about techniques
and practices that will allow us to
maximize our potential to serve as a
sanctuary for the increasingly stressed
populations of Florida wildlife."
Tampa Palms has enlisted the
help of golfers and community groups to
ensure the success of their program. A
local scout troup donated bluebird nest
boxes which they will monitor this spring

and summer. An on-going golfer
education program is now in
place to highlight the importance
of wildlife habitat and environmental quality on the golf course.
"A game of golf at
Tampa Palms is a walk through
nature," said Plotner. "Golfers
are most astounded by the encounters they have with wildlife
on the course. Deer, wild turkeys, hawks, alligators and a vast
array of wading birds often stop
a game in mid-action.
For more information
on the Cooperative Sanctuary
System, contact the Audubon
Society of New York State, 131
Rarick Rd., Selkirk, NY 12158,
(518)767-9051.

In Memory
Carl Jacobs, one of the
most respected and well known
Florida superintendents, died at
the age of 61 on April 17th.
Carl was a state trooper in
New Jersey before entering the
turf profession. He was also a
survivor of a concentration camp
during his early childhood.
Carl moved to Florida
in
1967 after leaving

Yes, the big LESCO truck did arrive in time for
the SF Exposition equipment demonstration
Tanglewood GC in North Carolina. He
began his 25 year Florida career at
Westview CC in Miami and then moved
northward, serving as superintendent at
the Hamlet GC in Delray Beach and
Martin Downs CC in Stuart. In 1991, he
accepted the position of superintendent
at the prestigious Black Diamond Ranch
G&CC.
Donations may be made in his
name to the American Heart Association.

Rich Dillon and Garry Callahan of RSI Holdings of Florida at the Exposition

SFGCSA Exposition/IFAS Field Day

Rain, rain go Away, Come back another day
by Dr. Monica Elliott, University of Florida Research Center, Ft. Lauderdale
This was the chant heard by
early morning arrivals for the 1993
University of Florida Turfgrass Field
Day and the SFGCSA Turfgrass Exposition. Despite the weather forecast for April 1, it never rained on the
500 plus participants at the Fort Lauderdale Research and Education
Center where the two events were
held together this year. By all accounts, this was a successful day!
The morning educational
program included a mini-conference
by the University of Florida turfgrass
faculty from Gainesville followed by
field demonstrations of research being conducted by the Fort Lauderdale
staff. The morning program then
shifted to the Exposition portion of
the program with demonstrations by
RSI (DeBra Turf), Hector Turf, Pifer,
and LESCO of their fairway equipment. The display s of the 34 turfgrass
suppliers were then open for inspection to the group. Although not as
elegant as the Rolling Hills Golf
Resort ballroom, everyone was a good
sport and packed themselves into the

Scott Jones and Rick Pifer wait their turn on the FGCSA Research Green

Ralph Baxter, Michael Leising, and John Schmalhausen are eager for the
opportunity to show off the new line ofToro equipment from Hector Turf

new classrooms or under the wide eaves
of the tropical courtyard next to the
classrooms.
After a BBQ-style lunch under
the big top tent, the afternoon program
began with field demonstrations of research currently being conducted on the
Otto Schmeisser Research Green. This
is the putting green that was built and is
currently maintained by monies raised
by the Exposition. Thus, it was fitting
that the final portion of the program was
demonstration of greens equipment by
the four long-time participants of the
Exposition.
Refreshments, CEU forms and
door prizes were distributed as the sun
finally came out of the clouds at the end
of the day. A special thanks to SFGCSA
members, Billy Entwistle, Jr., Mark
Richards, and Bob Klitz who helped
transform classrooms into exhibition
space and did a whole lot of running
around to make this a special event

FGCSA Membership Announcements

Recently Certified Superintendents
This issue we have three members who have recently earned their
certification.
TIM HIERS has received his certification during a very busy time in his career.
He has just accepted a position at Colliers
Reserve in Naples where he will be
overseeing the development of a new
golf course.
Tim is a Lake City Community
College graduate who has worked in the
golf course industry on the east coast of
Florida since 1976 when he was Assistant Superintendent at Suntree GC in
Melbourne. In 1981 he moved south to
Quail Ridge CC and then in 1985 he
accepted the position of Superintendent
at Johns Island Club in Vero Beach.
Tim has been very active in the
Florida Golf Course Superintendents
Association. In 1978 a group of superintendents led by Bill Wagner attempted
to reorganize and strengthen the seven
year old association. Their first decision
was to elect Tim as President with the
job of convincing the local chapters
around the state to combine their efforts
under the FGCSA umbrella. Tim stated
that the hardest part of his job was to
convince the local chapters that they
would not loose their individuality if
they became part of the state. He remembers how nervous he was while
giving his pitch to 110 superintendents
in the West Coast chapter area. He knew
that if he was successful there, the rest of
the chapters would fall in line. With the
help of Harvey Phillips, the members
finally agreed to join and the association,
as we know it today, was off and running.
Tim served as President from 1978 1980 adn remains active today, serving
as Government Relations Chairman.
Tim was awarded the FGCSA's Distinguished Service Award in 1986.
Tim, his wife Angie, daughter
Ashley and son Joshua, will be packing
up and moving to Naples soon where he
will, no doubt, become an active member
of the Everglades chapter.

DWIGHT PICKETT, superintendent
at Pipers Landing GC in Stuart and
member of the Treasure Coast GCS A,
earned his certification this winter.
Dwight is a Florida-born 1973
graduate of Lake City Community
College who has spent the last 20 years
working in the golf industry in the state
of Florida. After working in Dunellon,
Venice and the Ponte Vedra Inn, Dwight
moved to the production end of the
business while managing six sod farms
at Southern Turf Nurseries. He gained
extensive knowledge of zoyzia and St.
Augustine grasses during the seven
years he worked for the company. Then,
in 1986, he accepted a position as superintendent at Martin Downs in Palm
City . He was responsible for the courses
at Martin Downs and Monarch CC
until his recent move around the corner
to Pipers Landing GC.
Dwight is proud to become
Certified and stated that, even though it
was difficult to make the time to study
for the test, he would do it again. He
also noted the varied roles that superintendents must now play in order to keep
their golf courses running smoothly.
Besides a knowledge of the turf, budgets, and employee relationships,
today's superintendent must be able to
deal with his Greens Committee. He
must be able to say, "This isn't the right
thing to do on the course" without offending anyone and still get the job
done correctly. If something is not
done right, it is your fault and, many
times, your job that is on the line.
Dwight is married and lives in
Jensen Beach with his wife and two
children, a son in his senior year in high
school and an eighth grade daughter.

spent ten years at Crestwood Village GC
and was then given the job of developing
Concordia CC in Princeton . After five
years at Concordia, Walter left Union
Valley for the Florida area. His first
Florida job was as Assistant Superintendent at Vineyards GC in Naples. In 1989,
he accepted a position at the Audubon
CC in Naples and was promoted to superintendent in January of 1990.
Walter stated that he should have
taken the GCSAA Certification Test 15
years ago! But it was not until he moved
to Florida that he realized how important
this step was to his career. He believes
that the time spent studying for the test is
well worth it and urges all superintendents to make this a career goal.

WALTER OWSIANY, our newest
Certified Superintendent, is a member
of the Everglades GCS A.
Upon graduation from Penn
State University, Walter began his career in the turfgrass industry with Union
Valley Corporation in New Jersey. He

John Snyder, formerly at PGA National
is now superintendent at Kendall Lakes.

Jofr Changes
Robert Shaffer has moved from Sabal
Trace GC to Eagle Point GC.
Jonathan Roxburgh is the new superintendent at Cypress Creek C C
Tim Hiers has moved from Johns Island
Club to Colliers Reserve in Naples.
Brooke Tymeson, formerly at BocaPointe
CC» is now superintendent at Crystal Lake
Tony Disano has moved from Big Cypress GC to Carroll wood Village GC
Steve McGinnis, formerly at Sun City
Center, is now at Big Cypress, Lakeland.
Tom McCord has moved from Kendall
Lakes to Heritage Ridge GC, Hobe Sound

Steve Ciardullo, formerly at The Forest,
is now at MountainLake GCJLake Wales
Rick Tatum, assistant at Bonita Bay, is
now superintendent at The Forest CC.

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Driven to be the best

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INTERNATIONAL TURF CONFERENCE COMES
TO PALM BEACH
FGCSA Secretary
Mrs. Marie Roberts
1760 N.W. Pine Lake Drive
Stuart, FL 34994

FIRST CLASS
U.S. Postage
PAID
Permit #137
Stuart, FL

ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED

Mascaro, Tom
Turf Tec International
4740 NE 12th Ave.
Oakland Park, FL

33334

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