VOLUME XII, PART L JANUARY/FEBRUARY 1996
NEWSLETTER OF THE FLORIDA GOLF COURSE SUPERINTENDENTS ASSOCIATION

II«!

FLORIDA SUPERINTENDENTS
TO HOST
GCSAA 67TH INTERNATIONAL
CONFERENCE & SHOW
FEBRUARY 5 -11
ORLANDO

BEARD

COI LECTION

UPCOMING EVENTS
Jan. 9

IFAS seminar, EGCSA,
Sheraton Harbor, Ft. Myers

Jan. 25 PBGCSA Assistants Day,
PB Community College

Apr. 15 USGA Regional Conference
Orlando

Jan. 9

TCGCS A chapter meeting,
Orchid Island, Vero Beach

Jan. 26 Jacksonville Horticultural
-27
Trade Show, Jacksonville
Agricultural Fairgrounds

Apr. 18 USGA Regional Conference
Palm Beach Gardens

Jan. 10 SFGCSA chapter meeting,
Pembroke Lakes G&RC

Apr. 22 Envirotron Tournament,
World Woods GC

Feb. 5
- 11

GCSAA Conference and
Show, Orlando

Feb. 9

Jan. 17 FTGA Turf seminar,
Lake Worth

FGCSA Reception, Omni
Rosen Hotel, Orlando

Mar. 4

EGCSA chapter meeting

June 14 EGCSA/GCSAA Regional
Seminar, Colliers Reserve

Jan.18

FTGA Turf seminar,
Fort Myers

Mar. 4

5th Annual Ridge
Invitational Tournament

Aug. 3 Crowfoot Open, Walt
-5
Disney World

Jan.19

FTGA Turf seminar,
Sanford

Mar. 11 U of F 1996 Turf Field
Days, Gainesville campus

Aug. 27 FGCSA/GCSAA Regional
Seminar, Palm Beach

Apr. 12 Everglades spring seminar,
Vanderbilt Beach, Naples

Sept 14 FTGA Conference & Show,
-18
Tampa Convention Center

Jan. 13 FGCSA Board Meeting,
Bay Hill Club

Jan. 22 CFGCSA Envirotron
Tournament, Interlachen

May 18 Poa Tournament, Naples
-20 Beach Hotel

President's Message

President's Message
by Greg Plotner, CGCS
Hello and Happy New Year!
I would hope that everyone can reflect
back on 1995 and reminisce on some
positive things that occurred during the
year. If one finds it difficult to come up
with anything good, don't feel like you
are along, my list is pretty darn short and
I would imagine that goes for a lot of
other turf managers in the state. Take
the time to think about those positive
occurrences though, one learns a lot
from past experiences.
With weather conditions being so brutal
in most parts of Florida during the past
year, Mother Nature placed an unnecessary burden of problems upon most of
us. With the skies now clear and the
growth conditions much improved, golf
courses are being "whipped back into
shape" for the onslaught of winter play.
Given a little good weather, isn't it
amazing what superintendents can do
— and given a little bad weather, isn't it
a shame that superintendents are the
ones who get the blame. For all of you,
my friends, I hope that those extra hours

you have spent repairing what Mother
Nature destroyed, did not go unnoticed.
On a different note my good friend Tom
Benefield, External Affairs Chairman
for the FTGA, has brought to my attention that 1996 will be a major year for
Florida legislative activity on water issues (imagine that, after all the rainfall
in 1995!). Seriously though, some bullet items that need watching this year are
as follows:
•

Revisions of the Water Shortage
Rules by the Water Management
Districts

•

Restricting Water Use Permits, in
particular length of duration and
allocations

•

Potential changes in the responsibilities of the Water Management
Districts.

•

Additional responsibilities and
authorities on water use could be
shifted to the counties and/or
municipalities. Politicians in the
Florida legislature are pushing for
greater local control..

GREEN SHEE

Editor:
Greg A. Plotner, CGCS
The Medalist Golf Club
Hobe Sound, FL 33475
(407) 546-0647
(407) 546-1795 (fax)
News Coordinator:
Mrs. Marie Roberts
1760 N.W. Pine Lake Drive
Stuart, FL 34994
(407) 692-9349
(407) 692-9654 (Fax)
(800) 732-6053 (Florida Wats)

The Green Sheet is a bimonthly FGCSA
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 sponsored by:
Golf Ventures
2101 EastEdgewood Dr.
Lakeland, FL 33803
(800) 330-8874
Ft. Myers: 800-481-8911
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: February 15.

Greg A. Plotner, CGCS
•

The resurrection of the 10 cent
water use tax is likely to occur this
calendar year.

•

Water rights of property owners is
expected to be a major concern this
year.

•

A potential creation of "areas" of
special concern by municipalities
is possible. In these "areas",
municipalities could force designated users to use reclaimed water.

•

Discussions on who determines the
cost of reclaimed water and what
that cost might be are likely to
occur this year.

As one can see, many of the afore mentioned items, if not all, impact the golfing industry in Florida. Benefield and I
both agree that it is time for someone to
monitor these types of activities on a full
time basis. Mike Goldie, our lobbyist in
Tallahassee, has his hands full up there
and can't be asked to monitor the activities of the Water Management Districts
and the Dept. of Environmental Protection as well as the Florida Legislature. A
"water rights watchdog" is needed.

Member Activities
The FGCSA and the FTGA are looking
for assistance in this matter and there are
firms available to give us the type of
monitoring services that we need. The
FTGA has already gone ahead and approved a proposal from MacVicar,
Federico & Lamb, contingent on cofunding by the FGCSA for the proposal.
This proposal is available for anyone
who desires to review it. All one has to
do is contact Marie at the FGCSA office
and she will forward a copy of the proposal to you. Upon its review, if anyone
should have any comments or concerns,
please contact me. This proposal will be
discussed and voted on at the next
FGCSA board meeting. The meeting
date is January 13th in Orlando. Call
Marie for details.
I cannot stress the importance of someone monitoring and advising on the
technical and the political issues that
arise in the various planning and regulatory agencies throughout the state. The
FGCSA needs to endorse such a proposal just as the FTGA has already done.
I do not need to tell anyone about the
importance of water use on golf courses.
Let's protect our rights to water use by
hiring a "watchdog". I would hope
everyone agrees that it is time to do so!

In Memory
Paul Nevers, 1994 recipient of the
FGCSA Presidents Award for Lifetime
Service, passed away on December 17th.
Paul began his golf career as a caddy in
the 1930's. After a distinguished stint in
the Merchant Marines during World War
II, Paul returned to Sylvania Country
Club in Ohio where he took over the golf
course until he was 28 years old. Paul
came to Florida and was active in golf
course construction until he became superintendent at The Country Club of
Naples in the early 60's. He remained
the superintendent there until his retirement in 1987.
Our condolences go to his wife, Evala,
and their three daughters.

Important FGCSA Meeting Set for January 13th
The FGCSA will hold an important Board Meeting at noon on Saturday, January
13th, at the Bay Hill Club in Orlando. Many critical issues will be discussed and
voted on at this meeting which will have future repercussions for all Florida
superintendents and our local superintendent chapters. We are looking for a large
turnout and hope that all chapters will be represented by concerned members.
One of the items on the agenda will be the FTGA "water rights watchdog" proposal
as reported by Greg Plotner in the Presidents Message. This item will warrant
significant discussion. Another important discussion will concern our proposed
negotiations with the Internal Revenue Service in regard to taxation on advertising
income in our three publications.
Another discussion will be needed to review the FGCSA stand on the GCSAA ByLaws that will be voted on at the GCS AA Convention in Orlando. These changes are
listed on page six of this Green Sheet. The FGCSA voting delegate carries the votes
of all the local Florida chapters so if anyone has a concern on any of these proposed
ByLaw changes this is the time to voice those concerns. Please mail or fax your
concerns to the FGCS A office so that we may include them in the agenda package for
the meeting.
And, of course, the most important and far reaching discussion will be on the GCS AA
affiliation agreement. Each local chapter must decide if they wish to continue to be
an affiliated chapter of the GCS A A or use the umbrella affiliation under the FGCSA.
This will not be an easy decision for our local chapters to make as is evidenced by the
amount of discussion that has already taken place on the subject. The new GCS AA
Affiliation Agreement carries with it certain financial obligations that each affiliated
chapter must adhere to. Some of these yearly fees include Corporation tax (Florida's
yearly incorporation fee is $ 130.00) and, since all chapters must be tax exempt, each
chapter will probably need a tax firm to file the yearly IRS reports.
The re-affiliation process would begin January 1, 1996, with chapters having until
January 1,1997, to complete the process before affiliated chapter benefits would be
suspended. All Florida superintendents are urged to contact their local chapter
officers to keep current on how your chapter stands on this decision. We will have
a GCS AA officer at this meeting to answer questions that are pertinent to Florida.
These are but a few of the items that will be voted on at this board meeting. Please
contact your local External Vice President to arrange transportation to this meeting.
We look forward to a large turnout for this meeting. Help your local chapter by being
an informed member!

m
Florida's DNA Project Receives First GCSAA Chapter
Cooperative Research Grant

The GCS A A Foundation' s board of trustees approved $ 10,000 per year for two years
for the FGCS A's DNA fingerprinting of bermudagrass cultivars. This project has
already begun at the University of Florida Gainesville and Fort Lauderdale campuses.
The project has been co-funded by the FGCSA and the FTGA. This grant by the
GCSAA is the first under the new Chapter Cooperative Research Program. Thanks
go to Kevin Downing, FGCSA Research Committee Chairman, and Roy Bates for
proposing that the FGCSA submit the request for funding to the GCSAA.

Educational Opportunities

January Brings Excellent Educational Opportunities for Florida Superintendents
Southeast Florida Turf
Conferences
The FTG A is sponsoring the First Annual
Southeast Florida Turf Conference at
three locations in southeast Florida on
three consecutive days. Dates are
Wednesday, January 17th at The
American/Polish Club in Lake Worth;
Thursday, January 18th at the Knights
of Columbus Hall in Fort Myers; and
Friday, January 19th at the Seminole
Community College in Sanford.
The conference is intended for everyone
in the turfgrassbusiness with an expected
attendance of more than 400 turf professionals. The conference is approved
for CEU's towards the renewal of Pest
Control Operators, Restricted Use Pesticide Applicator Licenses, as well as
Commercial Lawn & Ornamental licenses.
Speaking at all three locations will be
Dr. A1 Dudeck on "Turf to Know and
Grow", Dr. Monica Elliott on "Turf Diseases - Fact or Fiction", Joe Dipaola on
plant growth regulators and Ronald
Schwalb who will speak on D.O.T.
regulations.
The 1:00 p.m. slot will be filled by
Robert Haehle on General Maintenance
Practices for Ornamentals at the Lake
Worth seminar while Geri Cashion will
speak on Least Toxic Approaches to
Landscape Challenges in Fort Myers
and the Sanford audience will hear
Catherine Neal on Fertilizing Lawns
and Landscape. A discussion on Environmentally Sound Landscape Management will be presented by the responsible County Extension agent at
each of the three locations.
Registration fee for the seminar is $20.00
per person which includes lunch.
Deadline date is January 8th and is limited to the first 400. Contact the Florida
Turfgrass Association at 407-856-5767
for further information.

The Everglades GCSA is sponsoring their annual IFAS seminar on Tuesday,
January 9th at Sheraton Harbor, Fort Myers. The program begins with an 8:15
registration and will conclude at 3:20 p.m. Speakers include Burt McCarty who
will discuss Best Management Practices for Florida Golf Courses followed by an
update on the Audubon Sanctuary Program given by Darren Davis. Dr. Monica
Elliott will do an update on Burmudagrass Disease to finish the morning program.
The afternoon discussion gets off to a thought provoking presentation by Phil
Brantley on Burmudagrass Varieties, is DNA Testing the Answer? followed by
two University of Florida professors, Dr. Robin Giblin-Davis on nematodes and
Dr. Jerry Sartain on nutrient management, N-K ratio.For more information on
this seminar, contact Darren Davis at 941-353-4441.
The Everglades chapter is also sponsoring a Spring seminar planned for April
12th at La Play a on Vanderbilt Beach in Naples. This will be a heavy duty
seminar with an impressive list of participants including Dr. Charles Peacock of
North Carolina State, Dr. Pat Cobb of Auburn University and Paul Latshaw, who
has hosted all three U. S. majors. Darren Davis asks everyone to mark their
calendars now for this important educational opportunity.

North Florida GCSA Presents $3,000 Scholarship
The North Florida GCSA awarded the 1995 Mike Richards Memorial Scholarship to Martin (Woody) Woodward during the November 14th chapter
meeting at Windsor Parke Golf Club. The $3,000 scholarship is awarded
annually to a student pursuing an agronomic course of study.
Woody is a second year student at Lake City Community College. Mr.
Woodward was selected based on his excellent academic record and his service
with the student chapter of the Florida Turfgrass Association. Woody,
originally from Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, is currently living in Lake City with
wife Kelly and their two daughters. Woody will graduate in May 1997 and
plans to pursue a career in golf course turf managemen.. The NFGCS A is proud
to have made this presentation and wishes Woody and his family much success.

Greg Tharp, right, Chairman NFGCSA Scholarship Selection Committee,
presents check to Woody Woodward while President Kim Shine looks on.

Local Chapter Activities

Florida Golf Courses Continue to Lead the Way in Audubon Society Certifications
Olde Florida Golf Club Achieves Certified Sanctuary Status
The Olde Florida Golf Club has
achieved designation as a "Certified
Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary" by
the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary
System, a program of the Audubon
Society of New York State. Olde
Florida is the fifth in Florida and
among the first fifty golf courses in
the nation to receive the honor.
Olde Florida Golf Club joined the
program in 1993 which provides information and guidance to golf
courses to help them preserve and
enhance wildlife habitat and protect
natural resource. To reach certification, a course must demonstrate that
they are maintaining a high degree of
environmental quality in a number of
areas.
Darren Davis, golf course superintendent at Olde Florida, noted that
golf courses have countless benefits
that the general public are not aware
of. For example, golf courses serve
as homes for all types of wildlife.
Through the Audubon Cooperative
Sanctuary Program, superintendents
can step forward and show others
their environmental commitment.
i

Certified Audubon
Cooperative Sanctuary
Golf Courses
in Florida
Tampa Palms GC
Loblolly Pines GC
Hole-in-the Wall
Olde Florida GC
Bonita Bay -Bay Island
Bonita Bay - Creekside
Bonita Bay - Mars

Public involvement is one of the six categories to becoming a Certified Audubon
Sanctuary. One method of involving the public is to educate school children on
the benefits of golf courses. Superintendent Darren Davis leads a recent school
tour at Olde Florida Golf Club in Naples

Central Florida GCSA Sponsors Annual
FTGA Research Tournament
The CFGCSA will sponsor their annual FTGA Research Golf Tournament on
January 22, 1996 at Interlachen Country Club with Stuart Leventhal once again
serving as host superintendent. The days activities will begin with a 9:45
registration followed by a strong educational program headed by John Foy, USG A,
and Dr. Grady Miller who will give an informative Envirotron update. The
proceeds from the Tournament go to support the programs at the Envirotron on the
University of Florida Gainesville campus.
The Golf Tournament will take place immediately after lunch with a two man
scramble, using full handicaps. Registration fee is $150.00 for each two man team.
For those who do not have time to stay for golf, the educational program and lunch
fee is $30.00 per person. Registration deadline is January 15th. If you need a
registration form, please call the FTGA office at 1-800-882-6721 or contact one of
the committee members — Joe Ondo, Brian Jenkins or Kevin Rotti.

1996 Florida Reception in Orlando
The 1996 Florida reception at the 67th International GCS AA Convention will be held on Friday night, February 9th, at the Omni Rosen
Hotel beginning at 8:00 p.m. All Florida superintendents are invited
to attend this reception. You do not have to be registered for the
Conference in order to attend the reception though we certainly hope
that all members will make a special effort to participate in all of the
educational activities available during the Convention.
This year the reception will be our biggest yet thanks to the generosity
of the following sponsors. If you are a Florida turfgrass supplier and
your name is not on the list, it is not too late to contact the FGCSA
office to be involved in this spectacular event. Everyone will be there!

For the second consecutive year. Vigoro Industries is at
the top of the list of sponsors for this great event.
P O U B I E DIAMOND SPONSORS - This new level of
sponsorship was added this year to allow extra special recognition.

Ag Resources/Pickseed
Andy's Plant Aids
Boynton Botanical
Central Florida GCSA
Conrad Yelvington
DowElanco
GoldKist
Hendrix and Dail
Hi-Tech Chemicals
E. R.Jahna
Lake City Community College

LESCO
North Florida GCSA
Palm Beach GCSA
Pifer
Sullivan Electric
Sunniland
The Scotts Company
TMI
Tom Burrows Turfgrass
W. W. Googe Trucking

ARTICLE 1 MEMBERSHIP
Section 1. Application for Membership
This proposed amendment states that effective July 1,
1997, all Class A and B superintendents applying for
membership living in the United States, must also be
a member of an Affiliated Chapter. This is for new
members only; all current Class A and B members
would be grandfathered by only requiring new Class A
and B applicants to meet this requirement.

Class C members would not be allowed the right to
vote. If this amendment is passed, a ballot will be
placed before the membership that would call for the
reduction of Class C membership dues to one-half the
rate of Class A and B membership dues.
ARTICLE IV CHAPTERS
Section 3. Affiliation
Section 4. Procedures for Probation, Suspension and
Revocation

DIAMOND SPONSORS
NutriTurf
Pursell
Quality Turf
Rohm & Haas
South Florida Grassing
Terra Asgrow
Valent, USA

The Standards/Bylaws Committee has recommended
twelve proposed amendments to the bylaws and one
proposed amendment to the Articles of Incorporation.
Of these, there are four that will have a substantive
effect on the association and are, therefore, likely to
spark a lot of discussion.

ARTICLE 1 MEMBERSHIP
Section 2. Membership Classes

• Golf Agronomics Supply and Handling
• Golf Ventures
HarrelFs Fertilizer/Bayer Corp.
Kilpatrick Turf Equipment/Jacobsen
Boynton Pump & Irrigation/Rain Bird
Southern Golf Products
• Toro Distributors of Florida
Hector Turf, Wesco, Zaun, and Gulf Shore Turf Supply
• United Horticultural Supplies/Barricade
AgrEvo
American Cyanamid
Ciba
Club Car
DuCor/Aimcor
Florida Coast Equipment
Florida Superior Sand
NuCrane Machinery

Proposed Amendments to GCSAA
Bylaws/Articles of Incorporation

Section 3 mandates that all current chapters must sign
the newly approved chapter affiliation agreement no
later than January 1, 1997. Section 4 allows for
disciplinary actions to be taken against chapters in
accordance with the proposed affiliation agreement.
ARTICLE XII AMENDMENTS
Section 1. Procedure

GOLD SPONSORS

This proposed amendment changes the procedure by
which amendments can be made to the bylaws. This
proposal would allow the Standards/Bylaws Committee to reject any proposed amendment to the bylaws
that they do not believe should be placed on the ballot
at the annual meeting.
^

A full text of these and all other proposed Amendments is printed in the December issue of GCSAA
Newsline. They will be voted on at the Conference.

at the

GCSAA 67th
Golf Course
Conference &

February 5-11, 1996
Orange County Convention Center
Orlando, Florida
ideas from knowledgeable experts at numerous
educational seminars and programs.
new trends and products from more than 650 exhibits
at the trade show.
new colleagues for networking and sharing challenges
and solutions.
Disco** 0
1/
the fun of competing in the best golf championship
of your lifetime. (GCSAA members only)

mm

Register Today!
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800/472-7878 • Fax: 913/832-4420

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Florida Superintendents Prepare for the GCSAA Convention
FGCSA Secretary
Mrs. M a r i e Roberts
1 7 6 0 N . W . Pine Lake Drive
Stuart, FL 3 4 9 9 4
ADDRESS CORRECTION REQUESTED

FIRST CLASS
U.S. Postage
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Stuart, FL

BEARD

COLLECTION

Beard, Dr. James B.
International Sports Turf Institute
P O Box 10065

College Station, TX
£RlN

SOp

TEWO^t

77842-0065