WMGCSA 1996 Meeting Schedule April 29 Kalamazoo C.C. May 21 Grand Haven G.C. June 11 Thoroughbred G.C. July 8 The Polo Fields, Ann Arbor Joint with MBCGCS A August * Coffees at different sights Sept. 30 Golf Day, Gull Lake C.C. *Sept. or Oct. Annual Meeting Nov. 1 Fall Party, Walnut Hills C.C. * Dates to be determined. MEMBER NOTICE... Meeting Payment Policy - Begin­ ning in 1996, all meeting expenses will be on a CASH ONLY BASIS. There will be NO CHARGES ALLOWED. This will give us more control of all transactions and will eliminate having the host club having to handle all the billings. Meeting Cancellation Policy - This is a reminder of a current policy. If you make reservations for a meeting and are unable to attend, and you do not cancel, you will be billed and expected to make a payment. Editor^ Npte-fXeqoe write me if you h a Q f e i H l A i l i&m or if you are interested in doing an article fo r us at: 'em Views OCT ViW i GraM tW ffkds, M l , S.E. 49546 President's Message Well, Spring is here (officially on March 20th) and the weather is anything but Spring-like. For those of you A, B, C members that missed the round table meeting at Kent Country Club, to bad. We had a great day, super talks, excellent food and generous hospitality. Thanks go out to Keith Paterson and all the Kent Country Club staff. Also, a special thanks to Chris Fochtman for guest recruitment. The WMGCSA Board is working hard to host interesting meeting locations, that will allow all members to attend. Not all members can make every meeting, but with some thoughtful planning, our attendance at meetings will increase. While on the subject of meetings, a few problems have arisen. Reservations are required for all meetings, this is not only professional courtesy, but is required by our association. It is embarrassing to host clubs when the number of patrons exceeds the reservation list. Remember we are guests of the host club and professionalism and courtesy are required. Reservations are as simple as a phone call, we want to avoid having to prepay for meetings ala Border Cities. Any association only works as well as its membership, so lets all put forth a little extra effort. While on the subject of monthly meetings, the question has been asked how sites are selected. Sites for meetings are strictly volunteer. Any member club can host a meeting. In the past few years we have had fewer courses offer to host meetings. There are no restrictions from the association, and with proper planning all details can be worked out. The 1996 calendar is set, but what about 1997? Contact the Board of Directors if you are interested in holding a meeting. I hope we have a great Spring, and we see everyone at Kalamazoo Country Club on April 29th. Paul Schippers President First Meeting Coming Up!___ The first golf meeting of the year will take place this month at Kalamazoo Country Club. John Fulling will be our host April 29th. We look forward to the first meeting and appreciate the fine members at Kalamazoo Country Club having us. Hope to see you there! Bylaws Amendments Approved The members of the Golf Course Su­ perintendents Association of America (GCS AA) approved one Article of Incor­ poration change and all 12 bylaws changes on the ballot at their annual meeting held February 10 in Orlando, Florida. Each ballot issue was passed by a sub­ stantial margin. A two-thirds majority vote is required for adoption of bylaws changes. The ballot issues voted in are: • Ballot Issue No. 1, modified the ar- Continued on page 2 PLEASE NOTE: Enclosed with the newsletter is an updated 1996 meeting schedule. This page replaces pages 3-4 of the Roster Book. Bylaws Ammendments, continued tides of incorporation allowing chapter delegates and proxy voting for modifica­ tion in annual dues for Classes AA, A, B and C members; • Ballot Issue No. 2, beginning July 1, 1997, that each new Class A and B member residing in the United States, ex­ cept Alaska, must also be a member of an Affiliated Chapter; • Ballot Issue No. 3, removing vot­ ing rights from Class C members and add­ ing a section to the bylaws delineating the rights of membership; • Ballot Issue No. 4, that all chap­ ters must have an Affiliation Agreement with GCSAA and establishing disciplin­ ary action for violation of the agreement and Code of Ethics; • Ballot Issue No. 5, allowing the Standards/Bylaws Committee to reject proposed amendments and providing a means for an individual to submit a pro­ posed amendment to membership vote; • Ballot Issue No. 6, allowing chap­ ter delegates and proxy holders to vote on modification of annual dues, allowing the Board of Directors to remove or discipline a board member, allowing for the board to hold special meetings by phone, allow­ ing a Director to waive the right to meet­ ing notice, indemnifying Directors for simple negligence in accordance with state laws and providing for dissolution of the Association and distribution of the assets in accordance with state and federal laws. A ballot for reduction of Class C member dues to $105, one-half of Class A and B dues, was also approved. Specific details on the vote count will be published in the M arch issue of Newsline and the April issue of Golf Course Management magazine. Since 1926, GCSAA has been the leading professional association for the men and women who manage and main­ tain golf facilities in the United States and worldwide. From its headquarters in Lawrence, Kansas, the association pro­ vides education, information and represen­ tation to more than 15,000 individual members from more than 50 countries. GCSAA's mission is to serve its members, advance their profession, and enrich the quality of golf and its environment. Study Shows Improvement in Golfer Environmental Attitudes_________ The majority of America’s golfers be­ lieve that golf course superintendents use pesticides and fertilizers responsibly, and their general concerns about the environ­ mental impact of golf have decreased, ac­ cording to a new independent study com­ missioned by the Golf Course Superinten­ dents Association of America (GCSAA). The study, which was conducted by the National Golf Foundation (NGF) at GCSAA's request, looked at the attitudes of a demographically representative group of more than 1,000 golfers in three key ar­ eas: environment, course conditioning and the image of the superintendent. One sec­ tion of the study replicated the NGFs 1994 survey of environmental issues among golf­ ers. More than 80 percent of golfers sur­ veyed believe that superintendents are en­ vironmentally responsible and that they use chemicals and water wisely. Nearly two- thirds of golfers now believe that golf courses are good for the environment — a figure up from just 55 percent less than two years ago. ’’Golfers believe in the need to protect our environment. They are very confident about superintendents’ abilities to manage courses in an environmentally responsible manner," said GCSAA President Bruce R. Williams, CGCS. "This study indicates at­ titudes are improving, and, although it's im­ possible to say for sure, we'd like to think that educational efforts by GCSAA, USGA and other golf associations have helped to Course' which airs on ESPN," said Will­ iams. "We want to be able to track the ef­ fectiveness of our efforts to ensure we're do­ ing the right things to raise the visibility of our members and to enhance their image within golf." change misperceptions among players." Golfers cited unrepaired ball marks as the most "bothersome" and "frequent" course conditioning problem. "It was in­ teresting that the thing that bothered golf­ ers most - unrepaired ball marks - is a prob­ lem they can and should fix themselves," Williams said. "The study confirms that there still aren't enough golfers who rou­ tinely repair ball marks, rake bunkers and replace or fill divots." Since 1926, GCSAA has been the lead­ ing professional association for the men and women who manage and maintain golf fa­ cilities in the United States and worldwide. From its headquarters in Lawrence, Kan­ sas, the association provides education, in­ formation and representation to more than 15,000 individual members from more than 50 countries. GCSAA’s mission is to serve its members, advance their profession, and enrich the quality of golf and its environ­ ment. The results of the image section of the study will be sued by GCSAA to guide its public relations programs and to create a baseline to measure the success of future golfer education efforts. "We’re making a substantial investment in educational pro­ grams, including our TV show, 'Par for the Sources Going Online____________________ Many familiar organizations have may be interested in if you are a Internet subscriber: begun to go online. Here are a few you • Department of Environmental Quality Quality............................................................................................ http://www.deq.state.ml.us •GCSAA Education....................................................................................................damont@gcsaa.org Government Relations.....................ckelly@gcsaa.org............ and........... cnicks@gcsaa.org Membership..............................................................................................cborman@gcsaa.org Publications.................................................................................................murban@gcsaa.org Technical Information Services.........dbishop@gcsaa.org....... and.......sclement@gcsaa.org INTERNET SITES FOR WATER RELATED INFORMATION: http://pubweb.ucdavis.edu/document/coopext/water.htm http://ag.arizona.edu/AZWATER/main.html http://wwwdwr.water.ca.gov/ http://www.arsuda.gov/ http://h2o.usgs.gov/ http://www.epa.gov/docs/ From Railside In the spring of 1994, some of the members of Railside approached me say­ ing that they would like to see the golf course before our opening day. During their walk around the golf course, they noted some sticks and other debris — and to my surprise they offered to help clean it up! Well, after conferring with our general manager (and being short handed), I accepted the offer of help. We decided to turn this into a real positive, fun opportunity. We had the members show up on a Saturday morn­ ing. They were greeted with complimen­ tary coffee and rolls. After a brief expla­ nation of our objectives, they were sent out in groups with a cart and large trash bags to their assigned areas. They picked up sticks, trash, broken tees, cigarette butts, etc. They also filled divots on tees and some fairways with the divot mix provided in 5 gallon pails. Two hours later everyone was back in the clubhouse for complimentary lunch and drinks. The positive feedback I received was fantastic. So in the spring of 1995, we advertised in our March club newsletter about our annual cleanup day. We had 65 people! This is a great opportunity for your members to get an early look at the golf course, visit with friends they might not have seen since last golf season, and it saved me paying for -130 man-hours of labor. Now our members look forward to this annual event. This type of event may or may not work at your club, but it has been a great addition to ours. Jeff Hopkins Railside Golf Club Correct Identification Vital to Mole Damage Control Correct identification is vital to mole damage control. Both species of Michigan moles have large shovel-like front feet with long claws. The eastern mole has a naked red nose and a short tail; the star-nosed mole has a large red nose with 22 fingerlike projections and a long tail. The eastern mole usually makes many shallow tunnels that raise the soil into long winding 2 inch high ridges. The few mounds it makes are low, rounded and often have bits of turf on them. It prefers well drained soils. The star-nosed mole usually makes deep tunnels not evident on the surface, but it pushes up soil from these tunnels into many conical mounds of raw earth. Some mounds may be more than 6 inches high and 12 inches wide. It pre­ fers moist soils. The pattern of tunnels and hills made by both moles varies with soil conditions. Of the three types of traps, the choker type seems to be the easiest for most people to use successfully on the eastern mole. In heavy clay soils, the frame of the harpoon trap will some­ times rise up out of the ground rather than impale the moles. If this happens, use pieces of wood or metal to stake the trap to the ground. With all types of traps, work the harpoons or jaws of the Continued on page 4 Please patronize our advertisers as they have made this newsletter possible. Advertisers A m turf.....................................................(616) 792-2241 Benham Chemical................................. 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(313) 349-4100 Mole Damage Control, continued trap back and forth or up and down through the soil to ensure smooth pen­ etration of the soil. If any trap is sprung prem aturely so that the mole is not caught, remove a small piece of sod from under the trigger pan so as to de­ lay the action of the trap. If moles bur­ row around a trap, then either the soil has been flattened too tightly, or part of the trap is projecting into the tunnel and alarming the mole. To trap star-nosed moles, locate ac­ tive tunnels of star-nosed moles by scat­ tering the soil of each mound until it is flat. Mounds that are pushed back up in 24-48 hours are over active tunnels. To set the trap it is necessary to dig a hole beneath one of the mounds of earth. The hole should extend to the bottom of the m ole’s tunnel, usually 4 to 6 inches below the surface of the ground. Refill the hole with enough earth to cover the top of the mole's tunnel with approximately 2 inches of earth. Set the harpoon type trap in the hole. Glen R. Dudderar, Fisheries and Wildlife Field Day Presenter: Dale Elshoff USDA Animal Damage Control Division Classified Ads____ For Sale - 50 hp C entrifugal Irrigation Pump & Motor. Call Jamie 616-527-1180, Ionia Golf Club. In Search Of - Three Gang Turf Roller Unit, large diameter, pull behind. Call Ron or Dave 616-738- 6001. For Sale or Trade - Toro Seven Gang Rough Unit, center point adj., needs some repair, best offer or trade for walking gms. mower. Call Brian 616-673-8261 or 616-521-6108, Eagle Creek. Is It Really a ’Crisis’?_______ "In the final analysis, combating and eliminating stress must begin with the individual gaining perspective. So many people take themselves so seriously. They think everything is life- threatening, so they create a crisis environment in which to work - maybe because it makes them feel important, or it makes them feel alive. After having practiced medicine and dealt with life and death situations for many years, I know what a crisis is, and I know what a crisis is not. And 99.9% of the stuff that goes on in our lives is not a crisis. At the end o f the day, put everything back into your desk, lock it up, go home, and forget about it. Believe it or not, it will still be there the next day." Hazel Shorter, MD BULK RATE U.S. POSTAGE PAID GRAND RAPIDS, Ml PERMIT NO. 582 3725 Cascade Rd., S.E. • Grand Rapids, Ml 49546 F' etc? C o o k i n g h a m MSU M a in L i b r a r y W - 212 E a s t L a n s i n g MI 48824