Editor: Al Bathum their membership with the G.A.M., is that a significant amount of money from the membership that went to support that organization also went to help sup­ port research at M.S.U. The M.T.F. will be looking for alternative ways to raise funds to help subsidize this loss. We are sponsoring a seminar this fall in conjunction with the G.C.S.A.A. in Grand Rapids at the Crown Plaza. The date is October 17 and the topic is Bentgrass Management and Rootzone Maintenance. The class is being taught by Milt Engelke, PhD. There are 0.7 CEUs available for this class. The last event to be held this fall will be the annual meeting at Muskegon Country Club. The host superintendent is Kevin Welp. The annual elections will be held at this meeting, and it will be held on October 9. A mailer should be sent out shortly, if you haven't received it yet. That's it for now. Have a great fall and happy hunting! Sincerely, A1 Bathum, President President's Message It's on the coat tails of September and I would like to think we are on the downhill slide towards fall. It has been a good year for most of us in the turf business, and hopefully you fared well. Many are aerifying and fertilizing and getting ready for some fall weed con­ trol along with fall projects that will ready the course for next year. There are a few important dates left on the calendar for this season that you should try not to miss. The annual Golf Day was held at Egypt Valley to help support turf re­ search at Michigan State. We annually raise a significant amount of money and this year, with the number of groups signed up, it should be a banner year. Something you may want to take note of this year, if your golf course dropped Update on WMGCSA/Valley Türf Whitecaps Game with Big Brothers/Big Sisters_______ the kids had a great time anyway. Everybody ate some hot dogs and hamburgers, and we enjoyed getting to know new people. The organizers and participants of Big Brothers/Big Sisters were thrilled with the offer and the new association we have. Very special thanks to Ron Brink and Brian Vanderbaan of Valley Turf for their generous donation of game tickets and food and beverage. The WMGCSA and Valley Turf sponsored a game day at Old Kent Park for the Big Brothers/Big Sisters orga­ nization of West Michigan on August 5. There was a great turnout of kids and their sponsors to watch the game. Unfortunately, the weather didn't coop­ erate, and the game was canceled. But 2000 M onthly M eetings and Locations Sept. 18 Egypt Valley Country Club Golf Day October 9 Muskegon Country Club Annual Meeting and AERIACQ______ E^ifpr's Note: Pfease write me if you have any corrections or if you are for us at: M l LIBRAfUl^te/Tj Views 8121 Cowan Lake Drive Rockford, M ichigan 49341 GCSAA Seminar Coming in October WMGCSA is sponsoring a GCSAA seminar again this year on October 17 at the Grand Rapids Crowne Plaza. The title is Bentgrass M anagement and Rootzone Maintenance, and is taught by Milt Engelke, PhD. This will be a great opportunity to pick up some education points and freshen up on this very timely turf topic. Please plan on attending the seminar. There is an advertisement in this newsletter, and we will send you a flyer in a couple weeks. If you have any questions, you can call GCSAA at headquarters, or John Fulling at Kalamazoo CC at (616) 345-5013. Hope to see you there! Keep On Sweepin' - Clean Sweep System Is Ready For You in the scope of the business operation, label changes and new products emerging on the market are a few ways that pesticide products can become unwanted, fall out of favor and get pushed to the back of the storage room. Another com­ mon situation is where a su­ perintendent takes a new job, and during the first few weeks discovers a gaggle of materi­ als that just don't fit with their maintenance scheme. Regard­ less of how the products ac­ cumulate, we have a system to dispose of these products... at no cost. Clean Sweep Program— First, let's tip our hat to the Michigan Groundwater Stew­ ardship Program at the Michi­ gan Department of Agriculture (MDA). The MDA has been aggressively building a mecha­ nism to move old, unusable or unwanted pesticides off your storage shelves and into the hands of disposal profession­ als. They continue to establish and maintain permanent Clean Sweep disposal sites. The cur­ rent sites and contacts are listed below. In general, green industry operations don't have large quantities of unusable or un­ wanted pesticide products hanging around in storage sheds. More commonly, small amounts of a few products accumulate over time. If you do have a drum or a pallet of stuff, you can make arrange­ ments with your local site for the best approach. The System— Let's cover the ground rules. Again, there is no cost for those operations that are considered end users of the products. These include ground m aintenance, golf courses, athletic fields, munici- palities, and homeowners. Those who are in the business of selling pesticide application services will be charged a nominal cost; around one dol­ lar per pound, which is a frac­ tion of the cost if you tried to arrange this yourself. This in­ cludes unknown pesticide products—those packages that have no label. If you have con­ tainers that are old and oozing, put them in clear plastic bags until dropoff day. To take ad­ vantage of this system, simply contact the site that is closest Continued on page 3 by Gregory T. Lyman Turfgrass Environmental Education Specialist Michigan State University Clean Sweep— a safe, easy...and cheap way to dis­ pose of unwanted pesticides. Have you got that jug of "stuff' in the back corner of the pes­ ticide storage vault that was left there some years ago or some goodies that mistakenly froze and you don't want to gamble that it will perform its job when the pressure is on? Well, if you ask those questions in a crowded room, rarely do you get anyone to jump out of their seat to declare that they have a whopper of a pesticide mess at their shop. Yet having a few oddball pesticide products hanging around a golf course, or any grounds maintenance operation, is not uncommon. There seems to be a variety of ways in which pesticide prod­ ucts can accumulate. Changes D.A. Bledgett services for Quldren arnTFarniÎies August 25,2000 Attn: AlBathum WMGCSA Cascade Hills Country Club 3725 Cascade Road SE Grand Rapids, Ml 49546 Dear Al: Whitecaps outing on August 5, 2000. One hundred and fit,, I d . ^ r i s i b - i » * — ,imes “ by aM Thank you and your organization, opportunity. Hopefully, we can try again next yea . ^ ° n Br'n't ^i0m ^ Ur* D.A. Blodgett Services is a 501C non-prof,t organization and our federal ID number ,s 38-1358163. Sincerely, Robert W.Tiesma Social Worker Big Brothers/Big Sisters PDI—But Not This PDI by Tom Mason, Assistant Delegate I am amazed at the num­ ber of people who simply as­ sumed that I am an advocate of GCSAA's current Profes­ sional Development Initiative. While I am for higher stan­ dards and making the profes­ sion better, this proposal for changing member classifica­ tion and for what is expected of a class A member is sim­ ply wrong. What is PDI? To me, PDI is three different things. First, there is to be a stan­ dard for becoming and main­ taining Class A status. Sec­ ondly, there has to be some by-law change to accommo­ date those who comply and those who don’t comply. Thirdly, an enhancement of our education programs to accommodate what is ex­ pected. The Education—The ef­ fort to improve our education program is really an effort for the staff to understand exactly what a golf course superintendent does now and needs to be able to do in the future to remain an asset to his/her employer. The HR Web seems to be a very ef­ fective tool in quantifying the skills needed by a golf course superintendent. Thus, all money spent for instruction, career planning, reference materials, guidance counsel­ ing should be on target. To me, this is not a PDI issue. It is an ongoing education im­ provement and should not even be an issue for consid­ eration. The Standards—To me, members of GCSAA who are Class A should be working as professional golf course su­ perintendents. They should be actively trying to enhance the image of our profession. They should be working to contribute to the future of our profession. They should be w orking to enhance their value to their employer. They should not be penalized be­ cause of the amount of edu­ cation they have or don’t have. They should not be told by GCSAA that they need to take a seminar or a class. The survival and efficacy of their job should be up to them. The Committee—I have known many or most of the MSRG for many years. There is no reason for anyone to accuse this group of anything other than trying to advance the profession for all of GCSAA's members. They are truly dedicated and very ca­ pable of keeping their per­ sonal motivations out of the way of the finished product. I believe that the product is, as Stephen Covey puts it, ’’They climbed the ladder of success only to find that the ladder was leaning against the wrong wall." of W hat's W rong #1— One of the fundamental cor­ nerstones Stephen Covey's "Seven Habits for Highly Effective People" is w hat he describes as an "Abundance Mentality." Sim­ ply put, "Abundance Mental­ ity" means that one believes that there is enough credit, reward, success out there for everyone. If one works hard and smart, and works to make everyone else better, then they will be successful. PDI is an example of the antithesis of "Abundance Mentality." One that believes that there is only so much credit, reward, suc­ cess out there and one should try to get as much of it as possible. Or, one believes that in order to be successful, then it has to come at some­ one else's expense. I believe that golf course superintendents are in the service business. Superinten­ dents need other people to be successful, so they have to be team players. Superinten­ dents need other superinten­ dents to be successful, so our profession is elevated. So the very nature of our business is to be rooting for others to be successful. W hat's Wrong #2— I have been going to Chapter meetings, Conventions and GCSAA Committee meetings for many years. A prevalent topic for discussion among other people is the lack of success associated with GCSAA's Certification Pro­ gram. There is a general con­ sensus that there are many certified superintendents who are not even very good, let alone are our best and bright­ est. There is a general con­ sensus that employers are not recognizing certification and thus not rewarding certified superintendents. I agree, but since I am not certified one would think that I'm biased, so I don't respond unless asked. GCSAA continues to pretend that this is not a problem and therefore is not addressed in PDI. W hat's W rong #3— GCSAA has done a very good job in many areas of support­ ing the career of the golf course superintendent. They have done a fair job of mar­ keting to the outside world as to the plight of the golf course superintendent. Un­ fortunately, they have done a dismal job of marketing to their own m em bership. GCSAA has not taken its message to the membership. They are seemingly waiting for their message to dawn upon the members. Good luck! Members are too busy to read magazines and newslet- Continued on page 6 Keep On Sweepin', continued------------------- to your operation, let them know what you have, follow their packing and transport di­ rections, make arrangements to drop them off at the site, and then drive away with a smile, knowing that you have helped your company, the en­ vironment and the industry. I realize that this is a busy part of the season, making it difficult to find time to com­ plete these types of tasks. Yet this is an incredible tool that can make a difference in the health of your operation. Don't let it pass... Clean Sweep Pesticide Disposal Site: Darwin Baas, County of Ottawa Health De­ partment, Environmental Health Division, 12251 James Street, Suite 200, Holland, MI 49424- 9675. Phone: (work) 616-393- 5638. Fax: 616-393-5643. Email: dbaaseco.ottawa.mi.us. GCSAA E d u cation Bentgrass Management and Rootzone Maintenance TUESDAY, OCTOBER 17 , 2 0 0 0 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM Grand Rapids Crowne Plaza Grand Rapids, Ml The course focuses on environmental conditions and cultural practices which optimize the longevity of stand and turf performance of primarily bentgrass greens. TOPICS INCLUDE: • Cultural practices from establishment to renovation • Seeding, interseeding, thatch control, and disease incidence and control • Maintenance of an active and effective rootzone to support bentgrass growth and development throughout the year • Watering practices, fertilization, aerification and top dressing techniques INSTRUCTOR: Milt Engelke, Ph.D. is a professor of turfgrass breed­ ing, genetics and management at Texas A&M Uni­ versity Research and Extension Center. He has a great deal of consulting experience in bentgrass management and has traveled extensively in the Pacific Rim area. His experience has led to the de­ velopment and release of six bentgrass cultivars and four zoysiagrasses. Continuing Education Units: 0.7 Member Fee: $110 Non-member Fee: $165 Code: 01RS138-01 Managing On-the-Job Behavior TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2 0 0 0 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM DoubleTree Hotel Novi, Ml Learn the true challenge of management—getting things done through the people you manage. TOPICS INCLUDE: • Responsibilities and accountabilities of people in management positions • What makes managers effective • Truths and pitfalls of management • Distinguishing between good and poor management practices • Adapting new concepts and systems to ensure that quality, quantity, efficiency and costs are indeed managed • Raising your own performance level as managers and the levels of your employees— the people you rely and depend on for your success INSTRUCTOR: Gerald Sweda, a former golf course superintendent and corporate training manager for O.M. Scott & Sons, has taught GCSAA training and management seminars for more than 10 years. Continuing Education Units: 0.7 Member Fee: $120 Non-member Fee: $180 Code: 01RS194-03 Brought to you by the Western Michigan GCSA Brought to you by the Greater Detroit GCSA Phone:(800)472-7878 • Fax:(785)832-3643 • Website: www.gcsaa.org THREE EASY WAYS TO REGISTER: Equipment Purchase Options by Mark Snyder, CGCS Berkeley Hills Country Club There are several options to con­ sider when purchasing golf course equipment: purchasing the equipment with available funds, purchasing with a capital lease (lease-purchase) program or leasing the equipment with an oper­ ating (true) lease. I will briefly explain in simple terms the advantages and dis­ advantages of each option below so you can decide which option best suits your needs. First you must decide which pieces of equipment need to be replaced. Re­ viewing maintenance repair records and knowing the age of your equipment will help you in this decision. Long-term use equipment should be purchased and in­ cludes tractors, backhoes, topdressers and other equipment that works prop­ erly for many years with little repair ex­ pense. The items that could be consid­ ered for a true lease are everyday trans­ portation as well as mowing equipment for greens, tees, fairways and roughs. Once you decide on the equipment that needs to be replaced or purchased it is time to look closely at your avail­ able funds. A capital budget is normally set up each year and the equipment is bought from the vendor for the price of the respective piece. This option for equipment replacement is usually good for operations with a large amount of available funds as long as the operation managers understand that equipment has to be replaced on a regular basis. If available funds are not obtainable, a second option is spreading out the pur­ chase over a period of time agreed upon at purchase. It can be set up as a capital lease or a loan whereby you make monthly payments toward the purchase of the equipment. A capital lease is nor­ mally set up with a $1 buy-out option at the end of the lease term to purchase the leased equipment. The monthly pay­ ment is not reflected in the operations budget of the golf course maintenance department. A third option is an operating or true lease situation. With an operating lease, the equipment is leased for a set num­ ber of years with a monthly payment. There are various scenarios as to the future of the equipment after the lease term has expired: (1) return the equip­ ment to the vendor and obtain new equipment with a new monthly lease payment, (2) purchase the equipment at fair market value after the terms of the lease are met, (3) extend the lease plan for another 12 months, or (4) return the equipment. The monthly payment on this type of lease is reflected in the opera­ tions budget and is considered an ex­ pense. Some of the advantages of an oper­ ating lease are: (1) it conserves work­ ing capital for golf course improvement projects, (2) a portion of the payment is tax deductible, (3) you obtain new equipment on a regular basis, which improves morale of the employees and reduces repair expenses and equipment down time, (4) no property taxes or in­ surance are involved, and (5) flexibility, meaning that equipment can be added or subtracted to the lease plan as the need arises. Some of the advantages of purchas­ ing equipment with a capital lease ver­ sus a true lease are: (1) the equipment is shown as an asset on the balance sheet, (2) you are able to purchase the equipment at the end of the lease term for a nominal amount, and (3) it has no effect on net operating income (NOI). NOI is revenues minus expenses; there­ fore, capital funding does not effect the Continued on page 6 Please patronize our advertisers as they have made this newsletter possible. 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Miller Co.......................................... .. 1-800-555-8189 Weingartz............................................... ...(616)696-2913 Professional Lake Management............ Rhino Seed & Landscape Supply........ .. 1-800-382-4434 .. 1-800-790-1898 Equipment Purchase Options, continued_________ PDI— But Not This PDI, continued___________________ expense side unlike the true operating lease situation. A golf course that needs to show a profit might lean to­ ward a capital funding situation, while a golf course that does not have to show a profit might lean toward a capi­ tal funding situation, while a golf course that does not have to show a profit might lean toward the operating or true lease situation. If your golf course has available funds, set up an equip­ ment replacement program and purchase the needed equip­ ment each year according to the program. The lease-pur­ chase program is good for golf courses without the avail­ able funds that prefer to purchase the equipment. The true lease program is for golf courses that would like to have good equipment but do not have the capital funds each year to purchase a large amount of equipment. ters in a timely manner. So many or most opinions are made through the negative or sensational aspects of com­ munication. As the voting delegate for the Greater Detroit chapter for many years, I have tried to remain silent about my perceptions of this PDI. Hopefully, most members will make up their own mind about either supporting PDI or not supporting PDI. In the fall of 2000 you will be asked to give guidance to your voting delegate, as to your vote (I will remain as Assistant Delegate). Your vote will be cast exactly as you wish. GCSAA is made up of members who come from a very diverse variety of golf course situations. Every year that goes by creates more different situations. We can never legislate our way to our mission. We have to explain our mission. Members have to buy into our mission. We have to create incentives for working toward our mission. We need members to appreciate that there is a mission. BULK RATE U.S. POSTAGE PAID GRAND RAPIDS, Ml PERMIT NO. 582 8121 Cowan Lake Drive • Rockford, Ml 49341 Pete Cookingham MSU Main Library W212 E. Lansing, Ml 48824