President’s Message Holiday greetings to everyone! I hope this time of year finds all of you refreshed and ready to enjoy the holiday season with family and friends. With the close of the golf season the NMTMA board of directors begins its work in earnest. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the members leaving the board for their hard work and dedication, they are: Dave Faucher, Mike Ver Hage and Gabe Ross. Jon Maddem, who’s term expired, was appointed for one year to facilitate the transfer of the treasurer’s position to new board member Dan Hunt. I would like to welcome Dan, and the rest of the new board members, Kevin Henley, Jim Olli and Mike Allison. Thanks for volunteering your time and talents. Also, Pete Hohn has agreed to be our new editor of the newsletter and Chairperson of the Public Relations committee, this is a huge job and I want to thank you also Pete. The board has begun working on educational seminars and the golf meeting schedule for 1998. One of the biggest questions facing the board is how to improve attendance at our meetings. If you have any information you feel will help us, please contact a board member. Also, if you would be willing to host a meeting or have an educational topic you would like to see pursued, we want to hear from you. Here are some educational opportunities you shouldn’t miss: Michigan Turfgrass Conference Jan 19-22 GCSAA Conference and Trade Show Feb 2-8 GCSAA Seminars, Gaylord, Mar 3 & 4 COLLECTION I wish all of you a joyous holiday season and a great 1998 Brian Holmes NOTE Robb Birdsall, Superintendent at Cadillac Country Club, has been designated a Certified Golf Course Superin­ tendent (CGCS) by the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America. Robb has been Superintendent at Cadillac Country Club since 1996. As a part of the certification process, an on-site inspection of Robb’s golf course operation was conducted by two certified golf course superintendents: Mike Morris, CGCS, at Crystal Downs Country Club and Dave Faucher from the Weiskopf course at Shanty Creek Resort. Congratulations Robb! Bias versus Reality Just over a year ago, as my oldest son was finish­ There was “no way” water could run through a chemical ing his junior year in high school, a biology teacher of waste dump (golf course) and be cleansed. his stated to the class the evils of golf courses. Golf The next day I went to the school to meet “Mr. Expert.” courses were to blame for all sorts of cancers, environ­ I offered to go with him to collect samples, test and boil mental pollution, and groundwater and surface water water, and get results again. I showed him a test taken contamination. two years earlier with nearly the same results. I at­ Fortunately, my son spoke up and told the teacher tempted to explain to him that I am trying my best to be his father was a golf course Superintendent and felt the a good steward and take care of God’s land. I was comments made were not accurate and unfounded. amazed at his reply. He refused to repeat the test, as he Armed with a water phosphate kit, my son was assigned was convinced his bias were correct. the task of collecting surface water samples at two Incredible as it may sound, this actually happened. locations on the course. Then by following the teacher’s What am I to do? Should I give up, and say all teachers instructions, he would gather the results. are ignorant and closed-minded because of this one? Of Our course has a small stream that meanders course not! We all come in contact with those people through the property and comes in contact with seven of whose opinions we can influence and those whose biases our holes - a great potential source of contamination by we cannot change. Life is too short to waste time on either equipment, fertilizer, or chemicals. We felt the trying to convince those whose bias blinds them from best locations to test our water would be at the point seeing reality. As the old saying goes. “ A man con­ where the stream enters the property (exiting from a vinced against his will is unconvinced still.” cherry farmer’s orchard) and at a second point just It is our privilege and our responsibility to get the before it emptied into Torch Lake. Samples were col­ truth out in regard to the benefits that golf courses and lected, instructions followed, and results gained. Interest­ green belts offer to the environment. Offer to speak at ingly, the results were exactly the same as when the your local school, or write letters to your newspaper. If stream was tested two years earlier. The water entering you need additional information, GCSAA or NMTMA the course contained just over .2 ppm of phosphate. can provide it. Upon leaving the course the rate of phosphates was only Just last week, I was at our high school for PTA .1 ppm! Imagine, the golf course was actually cleansing conferences. Again I was able to speak to my son’s the water as it was running through the property. biology teacher, and again he reminded me that I must My son felt quite proud as he took those results have done something wrong to get the results I did. And back to his classmates and especially to his teacher. As I reminded him of his bias that prevented him from he related to the class the results, he was quite surprised seeing reality, in the essence the truth. to hear his teacher telling the class he and his dad “must have manipulated the results.” Jim Tollefson, CGCS Your 1998 Board of Directors President.............................................................................................................................................................Brian Holmes Vice President.............................................................................................................................................Doug Kendziorski Secretary/Treasurer................................................................................................................................................... Dan Hunt Executive Secretary...........................................................................................................................................Tom Reed Sr. Recording Secretary..............................................................................................................................Jon Maddem, CGCS Directors: Jim Olli CGCS, Jim Tollefson CGCS, Paul Holmes CGCS, Dan Bissonette, Kevin Henley, Eric Denoyer and Mike Allison NMTMA Commitees Program and Golf........................................................................................................... Eric Denoyer and Jim Olli, CGCS Scholarship........................................................................................................................................... Jim Tollefson, CGCS Education....................................................................................................................Doug Kendziorski and Kevin Henley Membership....................................................................................................................................................... Tom Reed Sr. By-Laws.................................................................................................................................................Jon Maddern, CGCS Finance................................................................................................Jon Maddern, CGCS, Dan Hunt and Tom Reed Sr. MTF Fundraiser......................................................................................................................................Paul Holmes, CGCS MTF Liasion..................................................................................................................................... Mark Wildeman, CGCS GCSAA Liason.......................................................................................................................................Jon Maddern, CGCS NMTMA Fundraiser........................................................................................................ Dan Bissonette and Mike Allison Mechanics Group............................................................................................................................................Mike Ver Hage Public Relations/Publications................................................................................................................................. Pete Hohn SafetyMessage Your PR Responsibility As you’ve probably noticed, golf courses are Driving in Northern Michigan favorite targets of alarmist, doomsayers, and news I am amazed at how often I have near-miss people who specialize in sensationalism. It is our respon­ accidents while driving in sparsely populated areas. sibility to inform the public of the facts whenever Usually these incidents involve people crossing the possible. At the base level, this means keeping up on center line (particularly in winter), ignoring stop your education so you can discuss the facts professionally. signs, or just pulling out onto the road without look­ Frequently when someone finds out what I do for a ing. Drivers seem to assume there can’t be anyone living, they will ask a question regarding environmental else around. I am not completely without guilt. issues. Most of the time these questions are about A few years ago I was leaving the accountants frequency of pesticide use and fertilizer applications. I office for Wilderness Valley, a log cabin structure on find that people think we use more fertilizer and pesti­ C-38 in southwest Otsego County. I must have been cides than we do, and don’t understand the difference thinking about the amount of wilt sweeping over the between applying chemicals to turfgrass and row crops. golf course instead of my driving. I was preparing to This is a good time to explain about the ability of the thatch layer and fibrous root system to use or allow the pull out onto C-38 and go right. 1 looked left - no cars breakdown of chemicals before they reach the water for as far as the eye could see. I began to pull out - table. I mention my IPM strategies and inform them that and fortunately looked right at the last second - when chemical applications are made, they are done by a slammed on my brakes! At that second a tractor trained professional. Where as millions of home owners trailer was passing someone at about 70 m.p.h. in the put down most of these same chemicals with no training lane I was about to occupy. I sat there with my mouth at all! hanging open as my car rocked back and forth from During the off season, keep up on your education. the vacuum created from the truck. When the opportunity comes to open someone’s eyes, The lesson is: keep your mind on your driving and you’ll be ready. watch out for the other guy, even if its 5:00 am in the western edge of Presque Isle County! Pete Hohn Pete Hohn Midwest Turf Expo January 20-22, 1998 Hey , you computer junkie’s call Kay Patrick Indiana Convention Center or E-mail her with your E-mail address and we will include Indianapolis, IN your address in the 1998 N.M.T.M.A. ROSTER. You can 0 In-depth workshops on pond man­ reach Kay at (517) 327-5474 or E-mail at agement, introductory turf man­ mtfturf@msn.com. Look forward to seeing you on the web. agement, maintaining trees, turf insect biology and control, land­ scape irrigation, sports turf, and landscaping for the golf course 0 28 hours of concurrent educational Important sessions featuring nationally recog­ Remember to let Kay know of any changes nized specialists in all areas of turf and landscape management to your membership information. These changes will be 0 Two days of tradeshow featuring needed in order to update the membership directory. Kay equipment and products for the has been receiving dues payments without updated turf and landscape information. Any questions/concerns call Kay Patrick at Contact Bev Bratton MIDWEST 517- 327-5474 REGIONAL at (765) 494-8039 TURF FOUNDATION The NMTMA appreciates the support from the following businesses... • IRRIGATION • • FERTILIZERS, CHEMICALS & SEED • • EQUIPMENT, SERVICE & SUPPLIES • Thielen Turf Irrigation, Inc. Benham Chemical Corporation Spartan Distributors, Inc. Golf Course Installation Serving Michigan and Ohio Your Full Line Toro Distributor (517) 773-3409 800-482-6520 800-822-2216 Century Rain Aid Tri-Turf D & C Distributors, Inc. Now There’s A Third Option - Legacy Golf A Warehouse on Wheels Your One Stop Shop 800-347-4272 (616) 943-8343 800-888-7779 • 248-349-7779 C.J. Colein & Associates, Inc. Chipco Tire Wholesalers Company Irrigation Design and Consulting Bob Dugan Dan Cress - Tires & Tubes (810) 656-6805 (313) 782-0323 (616) 775-6666 • SOD, SOIL & CONSTRUCTION • Turfgrass Inc. Turf Services, Inc. We Serve You Better Matt Heiss Beck Sod Farm (800) 521-8873 (616) 842-4975 George or Lois Beck (517) 864-3549 • Fax (517) 864-3055 The Scotts Company W. F. Miller Company Ed Carmody Your Cushman, Ransomes, Ryan Connection Huggett Sod Farm (616) 946-6594 (800) 555-8189 Bent & Bluegrass Sod, Bulk Peat & ShadeTrees 800-432-2763 • 517-635-7482 Lebanon-Seaboard Fertilizer & Seed The Best Agronomics/Value Available • GOLF CART SALES & SERVICE • • CONTRACT SERVICES • Randy-810- 673-7146 Boylan Sales Inc. Mechanical Soil Technology Sweeney Seed Company Yamaha USA Contract Verti-Drain Aerification Service It Pays to Plant The Best (616) 685-6828 800-743-2419 • 309-342-2419 (800) 344-2482 (517) 773-5391 Commercial/Environmental Turf Services Turf Chemicals, Inc. John Kirtland Fertilizers For Better Turf 800-231-5296 • 810-858-7700 517-725-7145 Fax 517-723-7410 ...and we encourage you to support them. "a lw a Northern Michigan Turf Managers Association USE P.O. Box 80086 Lansing, Michigan 48908 ZIP C( COLLECTION Dr. James H. Beard International Sports Turf Box 10065 NMTMA Executive Committee College Station, TX 77842 Brian Holmes - President Doug Kendziorski - Vice President Dan Hunt - Secretary/Treasurer Tom Reed - Executive Secretary Jon Maddern - Recording Secretary îiuiilllilllllltlttiltilitsllll -í-?a^zoo4í.