WMGCSA 1996 Meeting Schedule 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 - Be­ ginning in 1996, all meeting ex­ penses will be on a CASH ONLY B A SIS. T here w ill be NO CHARGES ALLOWED. This will give us more control of all transac­ tions and will eliminate having the host club having to handle all the billings. Meeting Cancellation Policy - This is a rem inder 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 pay­ ment. C F W tiP tfW l* €&ase write me if you ^m 7 rm ffc m T ? n io n s or if you are intçixstfd^n doing an article for us at: Western Views m & R d . , S.E. 'ïïrand RapMI 49546 President’s Message It is hard to believe the year is half over and fortunately we have not suffered like last season. I would like to take a minute and reflect upon our monthly meetings. I am very pleased with the attendance and participation of the host clubs. Hosting a meeting of your peers is never easy, and mother nature can add to the pressure. All of the facilities we have visited have done an outstanding job. I really hope the membership appreciates the opportunity to visit these clubs. One item that should be mentioned is regarding the number of members that do not have established handicaps. All members that play in association events should have an accurately established Meetings and Golf a Success in '96__ In spite of a rough start, all meet­ ings have drawn a large crowd. The weather was a bit rough in Kalamazoo, but some brave souls took advantage of the day anyway. The next three meetings were planned well because the weather was great for all of them. I guess we were due, with Spring as slow and wet as it was. All the golf courses that have held a meeting this year have been in great shape and we appreciate the hospitality. Again, if you are interested in hold­ ing an event in 1997, please contact a board member. handicap. To establish a handicap is very simple, and available to anyone. All members that are employed at golf clubs can have a handicap done by their course, this should be a benefit to all employees of golf clubs. The members who are not employed by clubs, or do not belong to any course can have a handicap kept by any area course. A small fee may be required, it is usually $10.00. Once a player has signed up Continued on page 2 W. Bruce Matthews Legacy Award Given! At the Grand Haven meet­ ing, May 21st, Kara Thuemmel received the Legacy Award for 1996. She won the m onetary award for an essay composed by her that competed against other essays turned in by other children and step ch ild ren o f fellow W .M .G.C.S.A. m em bers. The Legacy Award will be given each year to help financially with a college education for an entrant who wins the award. If you have any questions about the 1997 award please contact a board member. Good luck with school in the future, Kara Thuemmel! President’s Message, continued for a handicap, only two more items are required. Posting your scores and doing it correctly, any PGA professional or member of his staff can assist you in this endeavor. Having an accurate handicap is just another step in the upgrading of our profession. to Kara Thuemmel on winning the Matthews Scholarship for 1996. This award was C ongratulations GCSAA Members and Ethics presented at the May meeting at Grand Haven Golf Club on May 21st. Paul Schippers President and add to the stature of the profes­ sion of golf course management. Abstain from the untruthful de­ basement of, or encroachment upon, the professional reputation or prac­ tice of another superintendent. Lend my support to, and actively participate in, the efforts of my lo­ cal chapter and National Association to improve public understanding and recognition of the profession of golf course management. Abstain from any unfair exploi­ tation of my Association, industry or profession. Present information and partici­ pate as a witness voluntarily in all proceedings to which there exists evi­ dence of a violation of this Code of Ethics. Source: GCSAA Code o f Ethics; Joseph Hubbard, CGCS, Jonathan’s Landing at Old Trail, Jupiter; Fla. Sources Going Online____________________ may be interested in if you are a Internet subscriber: Many familiar organizations have 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 • New MDNR Forest Health Website ..........................................................http://www.dnr.state.mi.us/www/frnd/pest/forheal.html 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/ Base endorsements, either w rit­ ten or verbal by means of any m e­ dium, strictly upon satisfactory per­ sonal experiences within the item identified. Refrain from encouraging or ac­ cepting considerations of any value without the express understanding of all parties that said consideration is available to all in sim ilar circum ­ stances, and that no actions shall be forthcom ing as a result of accep­ tance. Recognize and observe the high­ est standards of integrity in my rela­ tionships with fellow golf course su­ perintendents and others associated with this profession and industry. Assist my fellow superintendents in all ways consistent with my abili­ ties. GCSAA m em bers abide by a Code of Ethics to promote and main­ tain the highest professional stan­ dards of service an conduct. In addi­ tion to the code, professional cour­ tesy and respect for fellow members guide a GCSAA superintendent in situations that fall outside the code. Golf at Another Course: When in­ vited to play or visit another golf course, GCSAA m embers make a courtesy telephone call to the super­ intendent of the course to let him/her know about the visit. Employment: GCSAA members are committed to high ethical standards when pursu­ ing employment. When conducting a job search, members do not send their resume, unsolicited, to a course with­ out an open position. If employers seek to hire a member superintendent before their current superintendent has resigned or has been discharged, a superintendent will not discuss the employment opportunity until the current superintendent has been no­ tified. 12 Principles in the Code: Recognize and discharge all my responsibilities and duties in such a fashion as to be a credit to this A s­ sociation and profession. Practice and insist upon sound business and turf management prin­ ciples in exercising the responsibili­ ties of my position. Utilize every practicable oppor­ tunity to expand my professional knowledge, thereby improving my­ self and my profession. Maintain the highest standards of personal conduct to reflect credit Human Resource Management Superintendents need to be pro­ fessional people managers as well as turf managers. While there is exten­ sive written material on the subject of personnel m anagem ent and many classes available, the class offered by the GCSAA addresses the problems unique to superintendents. On February 21, Bree Hayes, Ph.D., led a day long seminar on hu­ man resource management at the Syl­ van Resort in Gaylord, Michigan. The topics included: Personnel Selection; Perform ance A ppraisals; D ealing with Problem Employees; Dismissals; and Problem Solving. I was surprised with her recom­ mendation that the interviewer of a prospective employee should speak only 30% of the time. The interviewer must make a real effort to get the can­ didate to open up and speak freely. She recom m ends that a structured written format be used to improve consistency between interviews and warns against the common problems of stereotyping applicants, making evaluations too soon, or asking ques­ tions unrelated to job performance. We discovered that while most su­ perintendents use some form of per­ formance appraisal, few like them or put much faith in them. We tend to use them to spotlight performance problems of a few employees and find them next to meaningless for the rest. Bree recommends using a system that has only three possible scores: ex­ ceeds expectations; meets expecta­ tions; does not meet expectations. Those of us who have been using 5, 7, or ten point system s have seen "grade inflation" eat away at any meaning to these numbers. We ago­ nize at trying to decide which num­ ber should be given for each area rated and end up giving too many high num­ bers to avoid disappointing our aver­ age employees. With a three point scale, only exceptional performance or poor performance need attention. Most employees, most of the time, simply meet expectations. Bree rec­ ommends doing evaluations four times per year. It is desirable to have the employee participate in setting objec­ tives and in evaluating their perfor­ mance. Appraisals should focus on the development of the employee and not be viewed as a disciplinary tool. Confrontation of an employee sound like a very negative thing. Bree pointed out that this is a necessary and positive tool for management, and if done properly, relieves stress and im­ proves communication. It is important to get problems out in the open where they can be dealt with. To use con­ frontation effectively, it is critical that we pick the appropriate tim e and place, use a reasonable tone of voice, be specific, and be focused on resolv­ ing the problem . Scream ing at an Continued on page 4 Please patronize our advertisers as they have made this newsletter possible. Advertisers A m turf.................................................... (616) 792-2241 Benham Chemical................................. (313) 474-7474 Boylan Sales......................................... (616) 685-6828 Commercial Turf Equipment................ 1-800-231-5296 Custom Aerification Services............... 1-800-269-6181 Ellis Sales.............................................. 1-800-962-4128 Green & Grow....................................... (616) 964-9989 Kleins Fertilizer..................................... 1-800-642-3172 Kubota of Grand Rapids...................... (616) 364-7031 Lebanon Fertilizers...............................(313) 673-7146 Lesco..................................................... (616) 975-9946 Mechanical Soil Technology................ 1-800-743-2419 Michigan Sand Co................................. (517) 773-2030 Michigan Turf Equipment..................... (616) 554-3310 J. Mollema & Sons................................(616) 940-1441 O.M. Scott.............................................. (616) 361-2106 Parmenter & Andre................................(616) 458-1546 Professional Greens & Turf Aerification 1 -800-639-7731 Professional Lake Management...........616-891-1294 Rhône-Poulenc..................................... 1-800-334-9745 Spartan Distributors...............................(616) 887-7301 Standard Sand....................................... (616) 842-5180 T.C.I......................................................... (517) 725-7145 Tire Wholesalers Company, Inc............ (616) 775-6666 Turf Drain Inc..........................................(810) 471-6750 Turfgrass, Inc..........................................(616) 866-9389 Turf Services.......................................... (616) 842-4975 United Horticultural Supply................... (616) 887-9877 Valley Turf.............................................. (616) 532-2885 W.F. Miller Co..........................................(313) 349-4100 Human Resource Management, continued--------------- employee in the lunch room, in front of other employees, that they are idi­ ots and never do anything right is a good example of what not to do. I have taken several management classes dealing with some of these same topics. But these classes focused more on the personnel of large corpo­ rations. By being able to focus on su­ perintendents specifically, Bree is able to cover an impressive amount of material in a single day. I have spent considerably more time and money for classes that provided less help for a superintendent trying to manage a crew. Tom McGuinness In Memoriam__ JENNINGS, Mr. Dale Lavon of Augusta Died June 5, 1996. Dale was born in Franklin Township; DeKalb County, Indiana, on July 30, 1931, the son of Charles L. and Bertha Mildred (Ball) Jennings. He was a Superintendent for Gull Lake View Stonehedge Golf Course since 1973. He was a veteran of the U.S. Army, having served during the Korean C o n flic t, and a m em ber of the American Legion Hickory Corners Post. He was preceded in death by his brother, Marvin. Surviving are his wife, Janice, whom he married Novem ber 20, 1955 in H am ilton, Indiana; 3 daughters, Lana Jennings of B attle C reek, Amy and R ick VerKow of M attawan, and Dawn Jennings of Kalamazoo; a brother, D eW aine and B etty Jen n in g s of Hicksville, Ohio; a sister, Lois and D ayton L ockw ood o f W aterloo, Indiana; several nieces and nephews. Cremation has taken place. Services w ere held S atu rd ay , June 8 at Parchment-Redmond Funeral Home, Rev. Ed H om m es o ffic ia tin g . Interment of crem ains in Yorkville Cemetery. M emorials may be made to Hospice of Greater Kalamazoo or the American Cancer Society. Classified Ads____ For Sale - Lely Spreader, pull-behind. Call Brian Geerlings 616-642-9421. 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