Serving our members

Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to travel to Westfield Group Country Club to meet with GCSAA CEO Rhett Evans, as well as many other members of the Northern Ohio GCSA and Central Ohio GCSA chapters. Rhett was responsible for addressing the members of the NOGCSA during their June monthly meeting. Rhett's presentation detailed ways that GCSAA is advocating for superintendents and the golf industry as a whole. Here are some highlights that he covered:

• The Clean Water Rule (formerly WOTUS – Waters of the United States) was put forth by the EPA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The rule was jointly released in April 2014 and was finalized in May of this year; the rule has not been submitted into the Federal Register yet, so it has not gone into effect as of now. Under the rule, many golf course body of waters may come under federal jurisdiction. If this is the case, it may be mandatory for golf courses to acquire federal permits for any land management activities in or around the body of water, including pesticide or fertilizer applications. The GCSAA is asking for your help in getting this rule blocked in the Senate. Send a message to your senator through this form urging him/her to vote "yes" on Senate Bill S. 1140. Everything is pre-populated, you only need to enter your name and address. Please go to the website today!
• The association is committed to advancing the superintendent profession and the 'Thank a Golf Course Superintendent' campaign is helping to do just that. Phase one of the campaign aired on The Golf Channel around the time of the Masters and Phase two and three will come out later this year. The campaign was very successful and we had over 1,000 notes of appreciation submitted. GCSAA has selected a winner of the contest correlated with the campaign, who won a trip to this year's PGA Championship taking place at Whistling Straits.
• We all know golf is facing challenges like many other industries, but there are many positives to take away, as well. Even with over 100 courses closing a year, the industry remains in a healthy position. Participants enjoying the game and the amount of rounds played remained steady last year, even with the poor weather much of the U.S. experienced in 2014.
• National Golf Day in Washington D.C. had a strong superintendent showing. Many members of GCSAA made the April trip to D.C. to meet with lawmakers and legislators to make sure golf's voice is heard. Chava McKeel and her government relations team is doing a great job for the association, and with her continued efforts, golf facilities and your interests as a turfgrass manager are well-represented. Advocacy on issues like the Clean Water Rule and the H-2B visa program are just a couple examples of the quality work being done to serve members and the industry as a whole.
• The Grassroots Ambassador program has seen good participation thus far. The goal of the program is to pair a member of GCSAA to a member of Congress. Once paired, the ambassador spends only a couple of hours a month educating the representative on the impact golf facilities have on the economy, the positive environmental contributions golf courses have on local wildlife and the positive effect golf courses have on local communities. Ambassadors are still needed to team up with a member of Congress. If you are interested, find more information on the program and sign up here.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions, comments or concerns; I look forward to seeing you at an upcoming chapter meeting.

Michigan Golf Day and the MTESP

Yesterday, Steve Randall and I had the opportunity to travel to Lansing, Michigan to attend the Michigan Golf Day at the capitol. This great event is attended by The Michigan Golf Course Owners Association, the Michigan GCSA, the Michigan Section PGA, the Michigan Turfgrass Foundation, the Golf Association of Michigan and the Greater Michigan Club Managers Associations. Together, these associations make up the Michigan Golf Alliance. The alliance puts on the event to showcase and promote, not only the game of golf, but also the positive impact golf has on the Michigan economy.

The day began with David West, vice president of Travel Michigan, updating those in attendance on the Pure Michigan travel campaign. David mentioned how the campaign has been very successful thus far and will begin running ads in new geographic areas this summer and fall. David explained that golf will be a heavy focus of the ads and he looks forward to continuing to showcase Michigan as one of the premier golf destinations in the world. David wrapped up his discussion by reading a proclamation signed by Michigan Governor Rick Snyder declaring June as Michigan Golf Month.

Throughout the day, we were introduced to many of the legislators on hand, including Gordon Wenk, chief deputy director of the Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development (MDARD) and James Johnson, division director of the MDARD. James and Gordon discussed the Michigan Agriculture Environmental Assurance Program (MAEAP) and the positive impact it has had on Michigan agriculture. Together, with Adam Ikamas and John Fulling of the MiGCSA, we were also able to discuss the Michigan Turfgrass Environmental Stewardship Program (MTESP). The MTESP is a great program helping to advance the environmental stewardship of the turfgrass industry. If you haven't checked out the MTESP, I highly encourage you do so. It is a great way to recognize environmental achievements on the golf course. Even if you aren't from Michigan, it is definitely worth your time. Find more information here: https://www.mtesp.org/

A big thank you goes out to all members in attendance from the various associations, and to Eagle Eye Golf Club in Bath, Michigan for catering the lunch to all those who participated including the legislators and their staff.

Welcome Back!

After a brief hiatus, I would like to welcome everyone back to the Great Lakes regional blog. Here you will continue to find information relevant to the Great Lakes region, as well as its 20 affiliated chapters. I am very excited to use this platform to provide you, the members, with information in a timely manner.

I will be using this blog to share experiences from across the region and update members on the latest happenings in their area. I am looking forward to sharing information on a number of topics and all things golf course management related, so we should have some fun along the way.

Please feel free to comment on any and all future posts and I encourage you to check back frequently as I update the blog throughout the year. I also encourage you to check out the other GCSAA regional pages as they contain a great deal of valuable information.

I also wanted to bring to everyone's attention the numerous tournament volunteer opportunities in the Chicagoland and Wisconsin areas this summer. Please check out the MAGCS home page for more information on volunteering your time to help out at one of these great events. I had the opportunity to volunteer at the BMW Championship the last time it was at Conway Farms, and it truly was a great experience and felt great to be part of the team. All of these events are world class and are a lot of fun.

Thank you to everyone for their support, and for checking out the Great Lakes regional page. I will also be sharing information on my Twitter feed. Follow along!: @GCSAA_GL

I look forward to seeing you at various events throughout the year.

Update and Farewell

As we start a new year there is a lot going on with GCSAA. Probably the most pressing issue is the member standards survey. You should have received an email from President Keith Ihms, CGCS, that included a link to the survey. It is very important that you fill this out and let GCSAA know your thoughts on any potential changes to your membership. Right now, the board of directors is looking for feedback from the members so they know how to proceed. Once the surveys are tabulated and the comments read, the board will make a decision as to the proposal to bring forward at the chapter delegates meeting in the fall. The changes could then be voted on at the 2016 annual meeting.

On the government relations front, Chava McKeel and her team continue to work for you to make sure your voice is heard in Washington D.C. In the Great Lakes region, the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative is in full swing with numerous projects going on around the Great Lakes. If you would like to see what is going on around you, google Great Lakes Restoration Initiative and click on the link to the home page. There you will find an interactive map with all of the projects that are taking place.

The pollinator issue is also looming large, especially on the east and west coasts. It seems to be gaining some traction and we as an industry need to make sure the facts are correct. Please let GCSAA know if you hear of any government relations issues that come up on a local level; the earlier the experts can get involved, the easier it is to make sure the right people get the information they need to make the proper decisions.

I wanted to let everyone know that I have resigned my position at GCSAA to become the agronomist for the LPGA Tour. I have enjoyed my time with GCSAA very much. GCSAA is a great organization that is doing a lot of positive things for the game of golf, and in particular for the golf course superintendent. Encourage everyone you know to become a member, it is very rewarding, especially if you put a little time into it. I would like to thank all of the chapter leaders that I have had the opportunity to work with and all the members for making the field staff position so rewarding. I would also like to thank GCSAA staff and the Board of Directors for giving me the opportunity to work for such a great organization. I look forward to seeing everyone in my travels!

A new season

Here in the Great Lakes region another season has come to an end and a new season is upon us with the onset of winter. Irrigation systems have been blown out, winter disease control products have been applied and equipment repair and restoration has begun. For chapters, monthly meetings have also come to a close and the education season has begun. I have attended numerous conferences already this fall, such as the Wisconsin Turfgrass Symposium and the Ohio Turfgrass Foundation Conference and Show and many more are right around the corner after the new year begins.

I hope that all superintendents will take advantage of these educational opportunities and encourage staff members, such as assistant superintendents, spray technicians, equipment technicians and irrigation technicians, to attend education offerings, as this will help to solidify the knowledge at the facility. Having a well educated team that is capable of taking the golf course to the next level reflects well on the golf course superintendent. As the role of the superintendent is changing it is vital that the team has the knowledge and skills to operate efficiently while the superintendent is attending meetings in the clubhouse or is off site talking with community leaders.

Staff members are very good at their jobs but many times lack training in areas that are outside their normal duties, such as managing people, budgets or leading meetings. Many of today's educational meetings for superintendents include training in these areas as superintendents are excellent in the agronomic arena but lacking in other areas they need knowledge in to be successful. I would challenge you and your staff to get out of your comfort zone and look at areas of leadership where you may be weak and attended educational opportunities in these areas.

Come to the GCSAA Education Conference and Golf Industry Show, as there are many learning opportunities in the agronomic area but just as many in the other areas that superintendents and assistants need to be successful. There will be many opportunities to brush up on interviewing skills and learn what employers are looking for in today's market, as well as keeping up to date on new advances in technology to help the golf course superintendent on the golf course and beyond. I hope to see all of you at local educational events and I hope you all are planning on attending the conference and show in San Antonio. Have a great and learning winter season!

Field days of summer

It seems as though the summer has flown by and fall is rapidly approaching. In the Great Lakes region, that means aerification. Most of the chapters in the region have limited, if any, chapter meetings during the month of September due to the amount of aeration that is going on and how busy the superintendents are during this time of the year. One other thing that late summer and fall brings are field days from our nearby universities. I try to attend as many field days as possible, due to the fact that I see superintendents that are unable to attend monthly meetings due to their schedule, so field days are a great way to make contact with members that I don't get to see very often. This year, I attended the Wisconsin Turfgrass Association and Ohio Turfgrass Foundation field days. There is a lot of great research being done by these two associations on turfgrass, but a couple of things stood out this year. At the WTA, Bruce Schweiger hosted a stop on "Calibrating Your Walking Speed" and at OTF they introduced us to the new Bermudagrass trials they will be conducting to see if any of four chosen varieties will do well enough in northern climates to be used in such places as football fields, soccer fields or driving range tees.

Schweiger's stop included comments about who calibrates their spreaders and sprayers. Did you know that being off by 1/2 mile per hour will make a 16.7 percent change in the rate, and being off by 1 mile per hour will make a 33.3 percent change in the rate? In lawn care this can be substantial to the bottom line but in golf it can be the difference between control of an insect population or damage to the turf, properly fertilized healthy turf or lean, hungry and unhealthy turf. It is easy to calibrate knowing that three miles per hour is equivalent to 4.4 feet per second or 44 feet in 10 seconds. Just set up an area where you have 44 feet, put weight in the spreader to equal the weight of the product, and have your applicator walk the 44 feet while being timed. It should take them 10 seconds if they are walking three miles per hour.

At field days you can also learn about new products coming to the market and how they are preforming. There are also updates on niches in the industry such as pigments, the effects of brushing and rolling and new ways of controlling pests. Also this year, at the OTF field day, there was a presentation on "Pesticide Safety Near Pollinators" that touched on one of this year's hot topics and was very well covered. It is information like this that makes the field days so valuable to superintendents.

Hopefully you saw the last post on my blog about the First Green. I am happy to report that the First Green will be coming to the Chicago area with Medinah Country Club and Superintendent Curtis Tyrell hosting this fall. Since a presentation at the August meeting of the MAGCS, others have also committed to hosting a First Green event at their golf courses. Once the events have taken place I will report back through the blog and give everyone highlights. If you and your golf course would like to host a First Green event please contact me and I will help you get it arranged. I hope that aeration goes well for everyone and that you have a great fall!

The First Green

The post below was written for the Midwest Association of Golf Course Superintendents by Cathy Relyea of the First Green. This program is great at getting kids on the golf course and teaching them how to use practical knowledge they learn in the classroom by applying it in the real world. If you would like to have the First Green come to your golf course let me know and we will make it happen.

First Green coming to Chicago
Cathy Relyea from the First Green Foundation will introduce First Green, an innovative environmental education outreach program using golf courses as environmental learning labs, at the August 26 MAGCS monthly meeting at Harborside International. She’ll be joined by representatives from the Illinois and Indiana Sea Grant Program (IISG). First Green and IISG are seeking to bring First Green to the Chicago area, with help from Luke Cella, MAGCS executive director, and John Miller, Midwest Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) representative. IISG will be applying for a second round of funding this fall to provide superintendent resources kits, training for superintendents and identify classroom teachers.

What is First Green?
First Green is an innovative environmental education outreach program using golf courses as environmental learning labs.  First Green coordinates outdoor STEM “learning labs” at golf courses that allow students to perform hands-on experiments and tests, all within the focus of their schools’ environmental science and/or environmental horticulture curricula. In these outdoor “labs” students test water quality, collect soil samples, identify plants, do math activities and work with local issues, such as stream-bed or owl-nest restoration. Many of the field trips involve community organizations. In Bellevue, Wash., the city’s Stream Team often has a learning station at Glendale Country Club’s field trips and engages students in identifying macro-invertebrates (bugs) from the Glendale pond.

Hosting a Field Trip
Golf course superintendents are key players in a First Green field trip, working with the teacher to select a lesson or lessons from the First Green website (www.thefirstgreen.org) that fits what the students are learning in the classroom. Superintendents are the subject matter experts and have plenty of knowledge to share. With the help of the planning checklists and lesson plans on the First Green website, superintendents can host their own field trips. While sometimes a little apprehensive at hosting their first field trips, superintendents love the interaction with inquisitive students and are quickly sold on the benefits of reaching out to the community. Frank Tichenor, golf course superintendent at Forest Hill Field Club in Bloomfield, New Jersey said after his first field trip, “I have to say … yesterday was one of the best days I have ever spent on a golf course!”

Growing the Game

Over 15,000 students have been on First Green field trips. Each field trip reaches an estimated 230 people with environmental and golf messages (due to students sharing with friends and families and teachers sharing with colleagues). For many students, a First Green field trip is their first foray onto a golf course. 

The United States Golf Association (USGA) awarded First Green STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) grants in 2013 and 2014 to help expand from Washington into Oregon, California, Utah, Colorado, New Jersey and British Columbia.

Larry Gilhuly, director of northwest region, USGA Green Section, is surrounded by students during a field trip.