Editor: Al Bathum President's Message As another year comes to a close it's hard to imagine that the next century is only two years away. The year 2000, wow!! What will the next century bring? Are we ready to improve and protect the world around us? As Golf Course Superintendents, it's our job to be leaders in the area of environmental stewardship. To be conscious of golfers' expectations, but also to be concerned about the needs of Mother Nature. Winter is a perfect time to improve our knowledge in this area with the vast array of workshops and seminars. A good example is the Western Michigan Fall Party Turfgrass Ecology Seminar jointly sponsored by the W.M.G.C.S.A. and the G.C.S.A.A. to be held at the M.T.F. Conference in January. I encourage all to take advantage of these opportunities to help them prepare for the year 2000. Once again, I'd like to express my thanks the membership during the past two years. Happy Holidays to all and prosperity in the New Year. support from and Best wishes, Paul Schippers President is Roger The Western Michigan Fall Party was held at the Holiday Inn in Mt. Pleasant on November 1st. Hosts for the party were Roger Barton and his wife, Virginia. the Superintendent at the PohlCat. Roger's boss, the General M anager of Operations, John Brehm, and his wife, Jody, were in attendance. Also, in attendance were Rick Hakken and his wife. Rick is the Superintendent of the Holiday Greens Course. The sixty- three people in attendance all had a great time and the accommodations were excellent. We would like to thank the staff at the Holiday Inn for the great service. We would also like to thank the vendors that contributed to the evening. If you have any suggestions for improvements or changes to the Fall Party, please bring them up with a member of the board. We are considering changes to make this an event that more of the membership would be able to take advantage of in the future. 1997 Fall Party Donations: Amturf Seeds, Inc. Benham Chemical Century Supply Corp. D and C Distributors Design 3 Green Growth Supply Co. J. Mollema and Sons, Inc. Jerry Matthews Parmeter and Andre Peerless Midwest, Inc. Spartan Distributors Terra Turfgrass, Inc. Valley Turf W.F. Miller Company 1998 ROSTER BOOK will be going to print in late January. Contact Us! If you have any corrections or comments, 1998 Meeting Schedule Western Michigan GCSA January 13 The Highlands February 2-8 GCSAA National Conference March * Roundtable GAM April 27 Duck Lake CC May * June 29 Travis Point CC (Joint with Detroit) July * (Joint with Northern) August * September * (Golf Day) October * (Annual Meeting) November * Kent CC (Fall Party) * Dates and/or sites tentative. Editor’s Note: Please wjvte me if you have if you are interested in doing an article for us at: 0 fyiews Michigan Hospitality Room ________ This year the Michigan Hospitality Room will be the place to meet. With the help of our vendors, the room is going to be bigger and better than ever before. Our goal is to raise the necessary funds before the show in Anaheim. This room will be a showcase for Michigan superintendents and vendors. The room will be open February 4, 5, and 6 at the Anaheim Marriott, which is the exhibitors’ headquarters. We arc expecting approximately 300 guests per night. The room will be much larger for comfort, at a size of 2,500 square feet. We will be recognizing a superintendent from each of Associations each night. Food, cocktails and friendship a plenty. Join us in Anaheim. Please contribute to the room. Send your donation to: GDGCSA Michigan Room P.O. Box 173 Troy, MI 48099 c/o Kate Mason * * * * Michigan superintendent receives environmental certification_____ an earned Kathy M. Antaya, CGCS, of The Meadows Golf Club, Allendale, Mich., has environmental management specialist certificate from the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) for completing a specialization program for Golf Course Development. is GCSAA addressing the environmental impact of golf course maintenance and the increasingly complex training needs of golf course superintendents by offering specialized training through its Environmental Management Program (EMP). GCSAA's EMP consists of six specialized certification programs: Programs in the Golf Course Development specialization address issues ranging from environmentally aware design to wetland and wildlife management on golf courses. Design, preconstruction, construction and • Integrated Plant Management • Underground Storage Tanks • Employee Safety and Right-To-Know • Water Quality and Application • Golf Course Development •Storage, Disposal and Recycling renovation are a few of the important topics reviewed in these seminars. Golf course superintendents may choose to complete one or more of the EMP specializations, each of which is composed of a series of relevant continuing education seminars. The program is open to all golf course management professionals further environmental training and expertise. seeking The superintendent who successfully completes the required courscwork in a specialization receives a certificate and special recognition from GCSAA. In addition, the superintendent who earns this valuable credential demonstrates a personal commitment to preserve and protect the environment. Since 1926, GCSAA has been the leading professional association for the men and women who manage and maintain golf facilities in the United States and w orldwide. From its headquarters in Lawrence, Kan., the association provides education, information and representation to more than 17,000 individual members from more than 50 countries. GCSAA’s mission is to serve its m em bers, advance their profession, and enrich the quality of golf and its environment. 1998 COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS Education Scholarship Monthly Meeting Fall Party Golf Day Member Search Hospitality Room GAM GCSAA MTF Newsletter Bylaw Finance Membership Notification Hopkins, Fulling, O'Connor Barton, Thuemmel, Antaya Fulling, O'Connor, Paterson Antaya, Barton, Paterson Thuemmel, Barton, Paterson Bathum Thuemmel, Antaya, Paterson, Bathum Fulling, Bathum Hopkins, Fulling, Bathum Bathum, Antaya, Schippers Antaya, Thuemmel Bathum, Antaya Boyle, Schippers Paterson Paterson Paterson Welcome New Members We would like to welcome the following our organization! people to Kirk Carls, Student, M.S.U. Jason Dionne, Railside Golf Club Roger Griffith, Century Rain Aid The Western Michigan GCSA and GCSAA are sponsoring Turfgrass Ecology Held in conjunction with The Michigan Turfgrass Conference Friday January 23,1998 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Lansing, Michigan In this one-day seminar participants will study the major concepts of a sound Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program. The seminar will focus on the relation of these concepts to management practices such as mowing, fertilization and irrigation as well as the management of turfgrass under environmental stress. Participants will also discuss pest management and pesticide resistance. The textbook, Turfgrass Ecology and Management, is strongly recommended for this seminar. Continuing Education Units: 0.7 Member Fee: $110; Nonmember Fee: $165 Member Fee Textbook: $31: Nonmember Fee Textbook: $48 For more information or to register, contact 1/800-472-7878 EDUCATIONAL SEMINARS in partnership with RANSOMES CUSHMAN RYAN 1998 BOARD OF DIRECTORS WESTERN MICHIGAN GCSA PRESIDENT Douglas W. Boyle CGCS 3060 Rogue River Rd Belmont, 49306 Work: 616-363-5945 Home: 616-364-1164 Fax: 616-361-1673 SECRETARY/TREASURER Keith E. Paterson CGCS 8585 Winterforest Dr. Rockford, 49341 Work: 616-363-6728 Home: 616-874-8937 Fax: 616-363-5441 DIRECTORS Kathy Antaya CGCS 10848 60Th Ave. Allendale, 49401 Work: 616-895-1005 Home: 616-895-4409 Fax: 616-895-1002 John R. Fulling CGCS 1609 Whites Rd. Kalamazoo, 49008 Work: 616-343-2895 Home: 616-327-0439 Fax: 616-345-9290 Jon J. O'Connor 1121 W. Baseline Rd. Plainwell, 49080 Work: 616-629-9714 Home: 616-685-2454 Fax: 616-629-5045 VICE-PRESIDENT Alan C. Bathum 8121 Cowan Lake Dr. Rockford, 49341 Work: 616-949-1420 Home: 616-691-7450 Fax: 616-949-0835 PAST PRESIDENT Paul Schippers CGCS 7950 Moorsbridge Rd. Portage, 49002 Work: 616-323-2680 Home: 616-323-2753 Fax: 616-323-8705 Roger Barton 605 Fairway Dr. Weidman, 48893 Work: 517-773-4331 Home: 517-644-3238 Fax: 517-772-4952 Jeffrey S. Hopkins CGCS 7719 Bass Creek Ct. Hudsonville, 49426 Work: 616-878-9191 Home: 616-669-7574 Fax: 616-878-3882 Kurt Thuemmel CGCS 6489 Park Lake Rd. East Lansing, 48823 Work: 517-332-6060 Home: 517-339-8633 Fax: 517-332-0437 She Was Playing Lift, Clean and Taste GOLF JOURNAL, Nov./Dec. 1997 Scott and Loretta Sullivan of Cherry Hill, N.J., realize there are some new tricks you don’t want to teach a dog. Swallowing golf balls is first among them. When Hannah, the family's 3-ycar- old yellow Labrador, got sick earlier this summer, it wasn't until the veterinarian took x-rays and howled over what he saw that anyone realized the pooch wasn't hoarding golf balls from the yard, but swallowing them. Hannah required surgery, and when her shag bag was emptied, no fewer than nine golf balls were removed from her stomach. Scott Sullivan liked to take a bag of balls out into the yard to practice his chipping, and Hannah stood watch, waiting for the balls like a lion stalks its prey. Members of the family knew Hannah would gather up the balls in her mouth — they claim she had the ability to hold five at a time — but no one ever guessed even one slipped and went the wrong way. "She just became obsessed with chasing golf balls," Scott told a television reporter. "She wouldn't go after a tennis ball or any other ball, just golf balls." The Sullivans like to joke that they've gone to extremes - switched to bowling - in order to prevent a recurrence. Actually, they're done using real golf balls and have started using a larger, vibrating plastic lookalike. So far, Hannah hasn't been able to get that up and down. Court Is Now In Session GOLF JOURNAL, Nov./Dec. 1997 You figured it was only a matter of time before the lawsuits over the mandatory use of alternative spikes began to pile up. That time, it would appear is now. The latest litigation comes from Pittsburgh, Pa., where a lawsuit filed by amateur J. Mark Jennings tells an increasingly familiar tale. When Jennings went out for a round at suburban Pittsburgh's Club at Nevillcwood in 1995, course officials fitted his shoes with Softspikes' original swirl-designed plastic cleats in accordance with the facility's ban on metal spikes. While playing at a nearby course two weeks later - still using the spikes installed at Nevillewood - Jennings slipped and broke his ankle. Doctors installed a plate and nine screws in Jenning's ankle to repair the injury. Now, Jennings has filed a $75,000 lawsuit against the company and the club that inserted the plastic spikes. Continued, back page Please patronize our advertisers as they have made this newsletter possible. Advertisers A m turf.................................................... (616) 792-2241 Benham Chemical................................(810) 474-7474 Boylan Sales......................................... (616) 685-6828 Century Rain/Legacy G o lf................... 1 -800-347-4272 Commercial Turf Equipment................ 1-800-231-5296 Ellis S ales.............................................. 1-800-962-4128 Environmental Turf Services, Inc......... 1-800-231-5296 Green & Grow....................................... (616) 964-9989 Green Spike........................................... 1-800-757-8711 Kleins Fertilizer..................................... 1-800-315-5777 Kubota of Grand Rapids...................... (616) 364-7031 Lebanon Fertilizers...............................(810) 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 Peerless-Midwest...................... (219) 272-9050 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 Turf Drain Inc. (810) 471-6750 Turfgrass, Inc. (616) 866-9389 Turf Services (616) 842-4975 Valley T u rf............................................. (616) 532-2885 Van Manen O il...................................... 1 -800-654-4244 W.F. Miller Co......................................... 1-800-555-8189 Court Is Now In Session, continued its Jennings also contends Jennings claims that Softspikes alleged negligently placed "defectively designed and unsafe" product on the market without adequate testing, and that both Softspikes and Nevillewood negligently failed to properly warn Jennings of the potential for injury while using the plastic cleats. the company and the club should be held strictly liable for his injuries - that is, automatically found liable due to the allegedly hazardous nature of the product itself rather than due to any individual's negligent acts. Finally, Jennings seeks a finding that Softspikes and the club breached both express and implied warranties that the plastic spikes were actually fit for use. The suit joins some half-dozen similar claims throughout the country stemming from alleged spikeless injuries. In Los Angeles, a recreational golfer injured while wearing Softspikes is getting ready to go to trial against the company to seek damages for his injuries. In Albany, N.Y., attorneys for an injured local golfer anticipate that their spikeless trial will begin in December or early January. A Michigan golfer has settled an injury lawsuit for an undisclosed amount, and attorneys representing injured golfers in Rhode Island and New York are considering bringing new lawsuits of their own. However, even amidst heightened legal examination of their product, Softspikes' attorneys claim that no direct connection linking such injuries to the plastic cleats. "We have not been presented with evidence in any case that an injury was caused by our product," says Softspikes attorney Robert Rosenbaum. "A comprehensive warning is located on each package of Softspikes cleats that is sold to golf shops and golf retail stores," says Rosenbaum. "We supply the same warning to bulk purchasers, such as clubs, in sufficient quantity to provide one [printed warning card] to each member provided with our cleats. We feel it is important to alert consumers as to the areas on which they should exercise particular caution when wearing our cleats." But even as m anufacturers emphasize that tens of thousands of golfers heed those warnings - playing millions of rounds in plastic cleats without incident at the over 2,500 clubs now banning metal spikes - the handful of injury lawsuits has left spikeless company officials scram bling to maintain that their technology is not to blame for a few unfortunate accidents. Ted Curtis BULK RATE U.S. POSTAGE PAID GRAND RAPIDS, Ml PERMIT NO. 582 ESTERN MlEWS 3725 Cascade Rd., S.E. • Grand Rapids, Ml 49546 Pet e Cooklngham MSU Main Library W - 212 East Lansing Ml 488L ‘4