In This Issue Editor s Message Calendar of Events What s Your PR Program John Clark Rounds 4 Research Results Members on the Move UMASS Winter School Retirement So Far, So Good Vince Matics Returning to My Granite Roots Ross Forbes Why Do Only Half of NH Courses Belong to the NHGCSA? Jim Hillier Embrace the Change in the Wind Evan Kelly From Bob Flanagan Inaugural Hall of Fame Class Announced GCSAA Update Kevin Doyle The Time Has Come Sid Chase Dog days of summer As we reach the midpoint of the golf season many of us have seen an entire summers worth of triple H s already. Hazy, Hot, and Humid has been the norm now for several weeks. Trying to turn a negative into a positive this is a great opportunity to show your true value you bring to your facility. Keeping bentgrass and Poa healthy and in top playing condition has been no easy task. We rely on all the skills and knowledge we have attained to survive periods like this. Trying to put a price tag on this experience we have is impossible. The golf course is the biggest asset at any of our facilities and managing it through the tough times is as critical as any other time. Yes I m sure we all would like to see our courses in pristine shape but be proud of what you have produced during this extreme weather pattern. I d like to acknowledge 2 of our long standing members who have recently retired. Both of these men have been a staple at chapter meetings and association events for years. Both have extensive resumes, working at some of the best courses locally and nationally. The NHGCSA board has awarded Class AA life member status to Tony debettencourt and Vincent Matics. Congratulations and thank you for your years of service and support. EJ EJ Chea NHGCSA President TurfTalk Summer A publication of the New Hampshire Golf Course Superintendents Association President s Message FRIENDLY REMINDER: Your Dues are Due! 2018 Edition If you haven t renewed yet, please submit your payment by September 1. If you have any questions, please contact any board member or the NHGCSA directly at nhgcsa@comcast.net NERTF: 2019 Show Changes Joint Meeting Recap Thanks... to those who have renewed their membership for the 2018-19 season. We appreciate your prompt payment and continued membership and support of the NHGCSA.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS From the Editors It s Only Grass We discussed several topics during our monthly NHGCSA board of directors meeting. Last night we talked many things, including the upcoming Scholarship and Research Golf Ball Tournament at Concord Country Club. That discussion brought back a memory of last year s event at Lake Winnipesauke Golf Club. The event and the course were spectacular, but one thing specifically stood out in my mind. That one thing was the love and comradery shown by many to help a friend. Our friend, Tom Difonzo is in a battle for his life. With the help of many folks in our tight-knit professional community, I would like to think this past year has been a little more enjoyable for Tom and his family. October 16 Scholarship Tournament Concord Country Club October 30 Annual Meeting Pease Golf Course December 5 Annual Turf Education Conference Concord NH ~~ Most NHGCSA communications are sent using Constant Contact. If you are not receiving notices of meetings, events and other topics, please contact us. EMAIL US ~~ If you have an idea for an education topic or event, please let us know! I know Tom is a humble person and may be upset to see his name in print, but I would like to thank Tom for all he does and congratulate him for his continued fight. Please join me in extending our positive vibes in his direction. Thanks, John John Gabbeitt NHGCSA Board Member Superintendent, Owl s Nest Golf Resort Where it All Began...Remembering I found this article recently in my old Turf Talk Files, a most interesting article about the original forming of the NHGCSA, over 50 years ago! I think the most important paragraph in this article is the next to the last one. I ASK...what happened to that bond?? I would like to say a few words and congratulate Tony debettencourt and Vince Matics for receiving AA Life Membership awarded by the NHGCSA board of directors. Also good luck on your retirement Vince! We will miss you! A big congratulations goes out to Bill Barrett for being voted into the new New Hampshire Golf Hall of Fame. Barrie Barrie Robertson NHGCSA Board Member Foster Materials Retired AA Golf Superintentdent PAGE 2
What is Your PR Program? Course conditions might not say enough John Clark, Rochester Country Club Members On the Move arly in June, Bob Flanagan stopped by the course to discuss ideas he has for the industry. Even E though Bob is retired from a storied career as an NHGCSA co-founder, superintendent, and business owner, he still thinks about how best to continue raising the status of the superintendent within the golf industry. During our conversation about communicating to golfers, club officials and the like, a light went on in my head for an article that Barrie Robertson had requested for Turf Talk. ob pointed out to me that much of our interaction with golfers, for the most part, can be viewed B as having a negative tone. Course disturbances such as closures, aerating, topdressing and spraying along with a constant bombardment of instructional information like rake bunkers, stay on paths and fill divots are seen as an interruption or nagging at times. I think we ve all heard golfers say that all they want to do is head to the club and play some golf. You mean I have to pay attention to all of that stuff too? That is part of the game so, yes, you must pay attention! So how do we say what we need to in a better way? I think we first have to look at ourselves and understand who we are as superintendents. We supers aren t natural communicators. We are hard working and know what we have to do get the job done. We have a vision in our minds of how the course should look and play and strive to achieve it. We take pride in our work and expect that others will take pride in the fine conditions we provide. We are highly educated and work in an increasingly technical field. There are already so many things on our plate that club newsletters and website updates seem to move to the side quickly and easily. Hey, don t the quality course conditions speak for themselves? What else do you need me to tell you? Of course, we all know that isn t the attitude to have for success. n the other side of the equation are the golfers at our facilities. Most do not have the scientific O backgrounds we have acquired with formal education and annual seminar attendance so when we start talking turf it falls on deaf ears and sounds/reads like the teacher in the Peanuts comics. They really don t understand the interconnectedness of everything we do day to day, month to month, and year to year that lends itself to top conditions. Continued on next page... From the EIFG Thank you to Associate Director of the Environmental Institute of Golf, Mischia M. Wright. The 2018 Rounds 4 Research auction was a huge success, raising more than $312,000 to fund important projects and programs that support the future of the game. The NHGCSA s portion of the proceeds from rounds designated to the New Hampshire Chapter was over $3,500. This is a great first year! We would also like to give credit for the hard work of the NHGCSA Board of Directors and GCSAA Field Staff, Kevin Doyle. And a HUGE thank you to the clubs that donated rounds! [see list at right] Newly Achieved AA-Life Status Tony debettencourt Vince Matics Congratulations! Rick Bedell is now the superintendent at the Mountain View Grand in Whitefield NH Jeremy Ham is now the superintendent at Kingswood Golf Club in Wolfeboro NH ~ Thanks to the Following Clubs for Donating Rounds to This Year s Rounds 4 Research Program ~ Abenaqui Country Club Baker Hill Golf Club Bald Peak Colony Club Beaver Meadow Golf Course Concord Country Club Eastman Golf Links Green Meadow Golf Club Hoodkroft Country Club Lake Sunapee Country Club Lake Winnipesaukee Golf Club Omni Mt. Washington Resort Owl's Nest Resort and Golf Club Pease Golf Course Stonebridge Country Club The Oaks Golf Links Wentworth-by-the-Sea PAGE 3
PR continued from page 3 I realized I ve been in this business quite a long time and have seen many things, when, I picked up the latest GCI magazine and came across the article Get to the Point by Tim Moraghan, principal, ASPIRE Golf and saw most of my scribbled notes in print! Hmm, will I be adding industry scribe to my resume in the future? Anyway, let s get back to the topic at hand. ow that you know who N you re dealing with how do we get on the same page? First of all, communication must be a consistent effort. Think of it as marketing from the grounds department. It s easy to be- Communication Tip: come complacent as I previously mentioned but with A quick picture of a completed project, full rain today s technology course gauge or talented crew updates don t have to be all consuming. It would be interesting to know if younger member with a brief description can speak supers who have grown up with so many mobile devices volumes. available to them have an easier time staying connected to their clientele because of the habits they developed with friends and family. A quick picture of a completed project, full rain gauge or talented crew member with a brief description can speak volumes. Brief is the key word here. I find myself wanting to give too much detail when answering a question. I ve learned to take a second or two, before answering, to dumb down my answers and include the very basics. Sometimes I feel like I m cheating them out of the complete story but if they don t understand what I m saying anyway then I guess it saves me a few breaths! n important piece of this marketing puzzle is a face to face A presence. We ve all heard it time and again. There is nothing like personal interaction with golfers to put a face and personality, no matter how brief, to the person in charge of their golfing experience. This is true especially when conditions have been negatively impacted in some way. Golfers can see that you have the situation under control and have an action plan for recovery. We often make the mistake of making our presence known only during this type of situation when in reality we should be doing it all year. Let them know that the crew is continuing to provide great conditions in unfavorable weather conditions. Perhaps you ve made some program change that has saved money. Whatever it is, let everyone know. How do we fit all of this into our already full schedules? I guess it works the same as any other change you may have tried to make. Take small steps first. Set aside 15 minutes at the end of the week to send out a message of a highlight of the week. Make notes of course changes you observe throughout the season to use for a more in depth off season blog. I would like to expand on Moraghan s keep it simple, short, sweet (KISSS) idea. I ve tried to embrace this philosophy in my own plans for the golf course as well as my writing. Don t let yourself get worked up about having to produce a master piece every time. This will only lead to developing a negative feeling about any communication effort and that won t take you anywhere. Maintain a positive attitude about your marketing efforts. n the end, we hope that golfers want to understand, at some I level, what we do each day and how it affects their game. Yes, there are many who just don t get it, but for those who do, and I believe it is the majority, by far, providing consistent, short messages with a positive tone is a great way to tell your story and promote your industry professionalism. John Communication Tip: Keep it positive There is nothing like personal interaction with golfers to put a face and personality, no matter how brief, to the person in charge of their golfing experience....take small steps first. Set aside 15 minutes at the end of the week to send out a message of a highlight of the week. John Clark, Rochester Country Club NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS - THE UMASS WINTER SCHOOL FOR TURF MANAGERS Winter School is a comprehensive certificate program designed to furnish turf managers with the fundamental concepts essential to maintaining high quality turf, while instilling a sense of environmental stewardship and fiscal responsibility. Winter School 2019 runs January 7 - February 15, 2019, at the UMass campus in Amherst, in a recently revised, time-efficient six week format. Application review for US students will begin in early September, with a deadline of October 31, 2018 (late applications may be accepted pending availability of seats). Space is limited. Pesticide recertification contact hours will be offered for all New England states, and Continuing Education Units (CEUs) are offered. For more information, including application instructions, click here. Questions on Winter School? Call (413) 545-5202, or email Karen White at kwhite@oe.umass.edu. PAGE 4
Retirement So Far, So Good NHGCSA TurfTalk ~ Summer 2018 Retirement So Far, So Good Vince Matics, CGCS, Retired! t has been six weeks since I entered the transition we all eventually will face that of retirement. I always thought after being a I superintendent for forty years with an additional fourteen years being around golf courses as a player, caddy, golf shop and caddy shop assistant, and finally a maintenance staff member and in between attending college and earning a degree in Electronics and Turf Management, that they would have to carry me kicking and screaming when it was my time to retire. That was simply not the case. My wife and I came to the realization that it was time to do something different and begin a new adventure. We will all have different reasons when we enter this phase of life and where we would like to spend that time. Some of us will stay close to our hometown area, some of us will migrate to our dream spot, some will want to be close to family, and some will find comfort and life in familiar surroundings. The point is retirement is not something to fear but to embrace as a thank you for a job well done and a life well lived! Life isn t over, it is simply the beginning of a new adventure. My wife and I decided a while ago that we wanted to spend our time in a warm climate and be close to family. We achieved both as we relocated to Florida and live five minutes down the road from my brother. The challenge was how to do this and be able to afford a relatively comfortable life in our new location because those paychecks do end. Timing is everything in a situation like this and is not something that can be done on the spur of the moment. Goal setting, planning, and patience is involved in a venture of this magnitude and everything fell into place when events began to move forward. It was hectic, and challenging with many sleepless nights but it was well worth it. ow I am not so naïve to think that after a lifetime of responsibility for intensively managed playing surfaces that today s N golf demands along with my love for the game, with being responsible for managing maintenance staffs who look to you for guidance and leadership, and being responsible for the surrounding environment, equipment, facilities and infrastructure, and attention to detail that one could just walk away easily and pull the plug without some effect on one s sense of, for lack of a better word, fulfillment. I miss the interaction with staff members, colleagues, friends I have made, and the problem-solving situations and sense of satisfaction when those issues are resolved. When a golfer s round has been enjoyable because of your and your staff s efforts, or when a compliment came our way from a golfer, that was the ultimate reward. I also enjoyed prepping a course for tournaments. But I also found that after doing this for such a long time I needed a break from the worries of weather, turf issues, management issues, and essentially round the clock worries through the playing season and even during the non-playing winter season. It is a part of life that stress gets the adrenalin flowing and gives us a sense of urgency, but it also ages and the older you get, the worse it gets. Some of us handle stress better than others and I have always tried to keep things in perspective, especially after having raised children and the stresses of responsibility to keep them safe and help them achieve their goals. But I will admit it does get harder as you get older because your body begins to betray you and it gets frustrating when you find yourself challenged doing physical tasks that in prior years you wouldn t have given a second thought about, (and I always enjoyed getting out there and doing physical work because it kept me in shape.) Coupled with increasing stress, preparing for work daily at 4:30 am, it became time to take a break and we wanted to be able to do this while we were still in reasonably good health so we could enjoy everything our new surroundings had to offer. And I can honestly say at this point, which I realize is quite early in my retirement, we are enjoying our new home and area. It is nice not having all of those worries, sleeping a bit longer in the morning, if it rains or is hot and humid, so what! Now I am sure, after a lifetime spent at a high level of work intensity that after some time, I will get antsy, but for now, I have a house to turn into a home, a whole new area to explore, and time to make up and enjoy with my wife after years of long hours spent working in the summer and on holidays. I also will reconnect with my brother after so many years apart, so we are quite busy. We also can t wait to visit our children and grandchildren who live in other parts of the country, for we can now take the time to visit because, heck, we are retired and aren t subject to any schedules. And we can t wait until the winter, because as they say down here, you don t have to shovel sunshine! But I will always keep my options open. o we feel we made the right choice especially with the way S things fell into place for us. We moved to an area I am familiar with having visited my brother here over the years. We have been to a few Tampa Bay Rays games (I will never give up my loyalty to the Red Sox and am looking forward to seeing them at the end of August when they come here), have been to the beach several times, (the Gulf is a lot warmer than the North Atlantic), and have played a few rounds of golf with more to come. Retirement so far has been really good for us physically and mentally. I gained a little weight from a little less physical activity but have a goal to change that also. My wife and I both can t wait for what comes next in our new adventure, and after all, that s what it s all about. ~ Vince Retirement only means it s time for a new adventure PAGE 5
Returning to My Granite Roots Ross Forbes, Forbes Golf Design Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never work a day in your life. How true that is. For those of us fortunate enough to make our living in the golf industry, this famous quote from Mark Twain hopefully rings true. As someone who gets to design golf courses for a living, it certainly has for me. I actually discovered golf course design quite by accident. I was in the sixth grade and I was sketching my dream resort. The focal point was a large hotel, similar to the grand old resorts in the White Mountains. The recreational amenities included a swimming pool and tennis courts. But something was missing. The resort needed a golf course. So, I routed an 18-hole course around the other facilities. I quickly discovered that routing the golf course was the most enjoyable part of the exercise. I continued routing imaginary courses, filling several notebooks in the process. I also began reading articles by Herbert Warren Wind about the great golf courses of the world. It wasn t long before I determined that I wanted to be a golf course designer. y father had introduced me to golf when I was five years old. He would occasionally let me tag along as he enjoyed the classic M courses of northern New Hampshire. It wasn t until I was 11 or 12, about the time I designed my first fictional course, that I started to get more serious about the game. My first course design was in our backyard in Whitefield. The layout consisted of four greens and nine tees. The holes varied in length from 30 to 90 yards. I maintained the small greens with an old reel mower and created a bunker adjacent to one green. I spent many hours playing, maintaining and tweaking that little course. or three summers during my high school years I caddied at the Mountain View Hotel Golf F Course. I d ride my bike up the hill to the course and spend my days either looping, practicing or playing. I was fortunate to meet many wonderful people during my years at the Hotel. keepers and stewards of the That brings me to you the When I wasn t at the Mountain View, I was usually playing Maplewood with my mom or dad. region s golf courses. Over We would also visit other courses around the state, which was always a treat. I enjoyed seeing the handiwork of different architects. the past couple decades, I ve had the privilege of meeting hen I began looking at colleges, I wrote a letter to Geoffrey Cornish (the dean of New England golf course architects) expressing my interest in becoming a designer. I included most of you. But, unfortunately, I don t get to thank W some examples of my work and I was hopeful that he would write a recommendation for me. What he gave me instead was an assignment. He wanted me to find a 1 = 100 scale topographic map for a large parcel of land between 150 and 200 acres and then route an 18-hole golf do for the game of golf. You you enough for all that you course on it. Thanks in part to a local surveyor in Littleton, I completed the assignment and sent dedicate your professional it to Mr. Cornish. In return, he wrote a wonderful recommendation stating that he d given that assignment to many young people over the decades, but I was the first to ever complete it. lives to providing exceptional and sustainable playing conditions for the golfers in the decided to attend the University of Arizona to study Landscape Architecture (at the urging of I Mr. Cornish). I soon fell in love with the Sonoran Desert, and the fact that I could play golf year-round! My first week on campus, I tried to walk-on to the golf team. An afternoon qualifying round in mid-august left me on the verge of heat stroke, and off the team. Though I had won honor that I get to work 603, and beyond. It is an two club championships at Maplewood, I quickly realized that I didn t have the game to play toptier Division 1 golf. Those guys were good! PGA Tour quality good. alongside you, learn from you and call you my friends. uring my freshman year, I met the love of my life. Kathy and I married four years later and, D last month, we celebrated our 30 th anniversary. Following college, I realized my professional dream and became a golf course designer for a firm in California. Before long, I was overseeing new golf developments around the world. Traveling to foreign countries was exciting and I was finally able to put my design ideas into practice. I worked for three companies in the Golden State before we took the plunge and ventured out on our own. Our work slowly transitioned from international projects to domestic work and we began our eastward trek back to New England with stops in Las Vegas, Pennsylvania and North Carolina. After fifteen years away, we returned to New Hampshire in 2000 to design Canterbury Woods. Finally, my family and friends were able to play one of my designs without having to travel across the country or overseas! Since then, we ve stayed in the Granite State and the bulk of our work has been focused on renovations and restorations in the Northeast. Why am I sharing all this with you? Because Barrie asked!! Continued on next page... PAGE 6
...Granite Roots continued from page 10 ut for those of you old enough to B remember Paul Harvey, let me share the rest of the story. I feel extremely blessed that I get to design, redesign and restore golf courses. It s been my lifelong passion and it is extremely rewarding. But this is a journey that I didn t make alone. I ve had many people that encouraged me and mentored me along the way. y parents were always supportive in my love of the game M and my pursuit of a career as a golf course designer. They did everything in their power to foster these passions and help me reach my goals. n addition, men like Wayne Natti and I Ron Lavoie mentored me through my teen years. They taught me how to be a better golfer and, more importantly, how to be a better person. I m forever indebted to them. ince then, I have had the pleasure S of meeting many wonderful people through my involvement with golf. People from all walks of life folks that I would have otherwise never crossed paths with. And many of them were willing to assist me with my career development. T hat brings me to you the keepers and stewards of the region s golf courses. Over the past couple decades, I ve had the privilege of meeting most of you. But, unfortunately, I don t get to thank you enough for all that you do for the game of golf. You dedicate your professional lives to providing exceptional and sustainable playing conditions for the golfers in the 603, and beyond. It is an honor that I get to work alongside you, learn from you and call you my friends. Thank you again for all you do! Ross Keep up the great work! Why Do Only Half of NH Golf Courses Belong to NHGCSA? Jim Hillier, NHGCSA member There are about 105 golf courses in this state, but only 57 belong to NHGCSA. I thought I could track down the nonmember courses and either get them to join or at least find out why they didn t want to join. With the support of the NHGCSA board of directors, so far I ve met with 27 individual superintendents. Here are some of the things I encountered in those meetings: Applications were given to 3 individuals. 5 supers were on the course when I called 6 were not at the course that day, including 2 on vacation 1 guy was out playing golf 1 said he didn t have enough time to join the Association 5 said they might join in the Fall or later. 4 courses had closed recently. 1 guy just doesn t like us. 3 were not interested - retiring soon 3 courses said they had no superintendent Only 1 or 2 asked about the cost of joining, but I realized that most of these courses were what GCSAA used to call Limited Budget. To join both NHGCSA and GCSAA costs about $420 now. That s a pretty big expense when the club is short on money. And for a super to pay it out of his own pocket is expecting too much. If GCSAA cares about the Mom and Pop courses in this country they should find a way to reduce the cost of joining. I phoned several courses to get information on current superintendent names and phone numbers. Several pro shop people didn't know the super s name. Some people only knew his first name: Jimmy or Fred. Some apparently didn t know what a superintendent was: Superintendent of What?, I ll have to get back to you on that, Hardly anybody had a phone number for the super. What if they had to reach him for a water break on the course or something? On one call I reached a phone tree: press 1 for dining room, press 2 for the pool guy, but no number for golf course superintendent! GCSAA has long claimed to be working to increase respect for golf course superintendents. I think they ve had some success for supers at high end courses, but it doesn t appear to have trickled down to the lower budget courses. There was more respect for superintendents in the past as historian Horace Hutchinson wrote in 1900: The professional, as we are now chiefly acquainted with him, is a feckless,reckless, creature. In the golfing season in Scotland he makes his money all the day, and spends it all the night. His sole loves are golf and whiskey. The respected and responsible job was that of greenkeeper. ** Travelling to golf courses around the state I now know a little about trying to find golf courses and superintendents. I got lost a few times even with GPS and then had to find supers who even the pro shop didn t know where they were. When I finally found a super out on the course in a hole fixing an irrigation leak the usual greeting was an icy What do you want? Fortunately, after I explained that I was a retired superintendent they suddenly got a lot more friendly. We usually then had 15 or 20 minutes of good old superintendent talk : talk of hot weather, golfer ignorance, greens committees, etc. I got a little sense of what sales people have to go through. Then I realized I was just another salesman and I m trying to sell a product that will cost the customer $420 a year. And this to courses that don t have money to burn. When I began this project my goal was to get one or two new members. I have about 25 superintendent visits to go and would appreciate any help from you current superintendents in locating and talking to these non-member courses. ** from Replace the Turf From Whence It Was Hacked by Kathi L. McGraw PAGE 7
Embrace the Change in the Wind Evan Kelly, Casella Organics Evan Kelly is an NHGCSA member and operations assistant with Casella Organics NHGCSA TurfTalk ~ Summer 2018 rowing up on the coast of Maine, one thing was always G true: the winds can change quick. Sometimes these winds can be in your favor and other times you may find your keel stuck in the mud on Cousins River in Yarmouth, ME. This recently happened to a good friend and coworker of mine, Chris Bales. Even in his mid-60 s, Chris is a true outdoor cat; he s always on the hunt for something interesting, always curious, and occasionally doesn t make it back home until the next day. I ve spent a few road days with Chris and during this time, he spoke a lot about his philosophy on motivation and positive energy. He recited a saying that went something to the effect of you can gather all the best scientists and engineers, the best craftsmen, and buy the best materials to build your sail boat, but if you don t have any wind you re not going anywhere. Chris brings this ideology with him in every interaction and experience-each moment is an opportunity to put some wind in his sails and get some energy from life. Two years ago, after finishing my university degree in Maine I felt I needed some wind in my sails too, however I caught a gust that brought me half way across the world. I signed up to be an Au Pair, a live-in sitter of sorts. I got the chance to live with a native family in any country and look after their children for about 20 hours a week; the rest of the time is was mine to explore. As a new graduate who didn t have a lot of money, this seemed like the perfect way to travel. I ended up living in the Netherlands for roughly a year and cycled everywhere I could. I cycled along the canals, took lessons in Dutch, walked the tulip fields, bar tended, and ate a fair amount of stroopwafels (two thin waffles with caramel syrup in the middle). Living there for such a long time and with a native family really brought their culture into a framework that I wouldn t have had with a shorter stay. I celebrated a similar version of Christmas called Sinterklaas on the 5 th of December. Instead of elves, Sinterklaas helpers are called Zwarte Piet and they can be crafty, hiding presents all over the house and even in your shoes. It was great to be a part of their culture and I also gave them a taste of some of mine; we went trick-or-treating during Halloween, and while this isn t a celebrated day in the Netherlands, the people there were nice enough to give us some treats. During my stay in the Netherlands, the winds changed again and brought me to Lithuania for some time during the fall season. I flew into the capital and walked around the cobblestoned streets of Vilnius, was in awe of the baroque architecture in the Gothic cathedrals, ate the local cuisines at cafes overlooking the Neris River, and stayed in a Soviet Union style apartment. At this time of the year, it was a very quiet place as there were no tourist and the colder weather was starting to settle in; this allowed me to appreciate how life is in the city for the locals once the crowds leave. I returned to the Netherlands and the United States for a brief period and then continued to let the winds take me to Ukraine. I lived in Zaporizhzhia, a factory city in the Central-Eastern region of Ukraine that hugs the Dnieper River. Ukraine gained their independence in 1991 when the Soviet Union dissolved, however the echoes of that time still resonate throughout the country. Everything from the buildings to the cars, the mentality of the people and their hard, stoic expressions. Being a factory city, the citizens must work labor intensive jobs in terrible conditions and for long shifts. There s a reason you don t see many older men in these parts- they ve sacrificed their health and their lives to provide. I was reflecting on this while riding with Chris Bales on our road day. As he was playing music by Vermont folksinger and senator, Dick McCormack, the lyrics rang out to spend some time with those older than you and that they have valuable insight on history and life. I m fortunate enough to have been born in an era and location that I can appreciate, cherish, and learn from my elders. I think Chris taps into these small appreciations for life and in return he gets energy to find the next curiosity. My personal adventures were large gusts of wind. They were enjoyable to ride occasionally, and lately I ve been in a steady and consistent wind that people like my parents, Chris Bales, Barrie Robertson, and the NHGCSA are providing. Thank you for sending some positive energy my way and allowing me to be part of a great organization. I look forward to seeing what the future brings and how I can be part of it. -Evan PAGE 8
To: My superintendent friends From: Bob Flanagan, Class AA-Life Superintendent Before I get to this article I would like to congratulate my friend Bill Barrett and his family for his prestigious award for being inducted into the New Hampshire Golf Hall of Fame. Well deserved. This may be the last time I write something to put in the TurfTalk newsletter, but I think it s important for us to reflect how we arrived at this point. After fifty-three years there are many of you who don t know me or my friend Bill Barrett who was superintendent at Portsmouth Country Club. Bill and I used to attend the monthly New England Golf Course Superintendents Association meetings. At the time if you lived ten miles apart in 1963, you may not have any personal contact with other superintendents to share you concerns about salaries, education, research and working conditions. One day when Bill and I were driving home from a New England Meeting we started thinking about all the New Hampshire superintendents that never had communication with other superintendents. We had a meeting at my house with our wives to discuss the formulation of a New Hampshire Golf Course Superintendents Association. We did decide and put our idea into motion. That night it was decided that Bill would be the first president and get the ball rolling. We called eight superintendents from different areas the west, east, and north to help with our idea. We had a lot of help from Dr. Leroy Higgins head of the Co-Operative Extension Department at the University of New Hampshire. Today taking care of a golf course and how we communicate is a lot different. Today we have the Internet that can research any subject we re interested in making it easier to communicate with email and texting. Because of this many do not feel the need to attend monthly meetings to get information. Some of the old methods still linger some that are not needed, but some are needed such as scholarship research and regulated environmental issues. So what does that mean? It means there needs to be a shake up on how we do things. Today sharing information is what makes the world go around. Don t pass up this great opportunity. It would make the founders of the Association proud that you re taking the Association to another level. (Oh what I would give to be twenty five years old with such a great future ahead) Respectfully, Bob New Hampshire Golf Hall of Fame Set to Induct Inaugural Class in October NH Golf Association Concord, NH The New Hampshire Golf Association (NHGA), New Hampshire Women s Golf Association (NHWGA), New Hampshire Chapter of the New England PGA (NHPGA), and the New Hampshire Golf Course Superintendents Association (NHGCSA) are excited to announce the creation of the New Hampshire Golf Hall of Fame. In conjunction with the 115 th playing of the New Hampshire Amateur Championship, the committee is announcing the amateur golfers and contributors that will be inducted into the inaugural class of the Hall of Fame. Those inductees include: Bob Mielcarz, Jesse Guilford, Dana Harrity, Robert Doc Elliot, and Bill Barrett. About Co-Founder of the NHGCSA, Bill Barrett: Bill Barrett is highly recognized for his work at a golf course superintendent. He served eight years at superintendent at Portsmouth Country Club and was involved in the building of the 12 th hole there. Barrett was a co-founder of the New Hampshire Golf Course Superintendent s Association (NHGCSA) and was instrumental in the establishment of the by-laws that are still in use today. The New Hampshire Golf Hall of Fame was established in 2018 to recognize individuals for their contributions to the game of golf in the Granite State. The Hall of Fame seeks to identify those who have had a profound effect on the game through accomplishments in playing, volunteerism, teaching, or any activity that has made a positive impact on the game within New Hampshire. New Hampshire is a state rich in golf history and tradition. It only seemed fitting that those individuals that have made such a profound impact on the game should be honored through the creation of the New Hampshire Golf Hall of Fame. The establishment of the HOF has been a process that has taken more than a year and we re thrilled with the individuals that will be formally inducted this fall. I want to thank the Hall of Fame Committee, and in particular Chair Dave Larrivee, for all of the hard work that has gone in to the selection of the first class, says NHGA Executive Director, Matt Schmidt. The Hall of Fame ceremony will be held on Thursday, October 18 th at Manchester Country Club. The event will be open to the public with tickets available for purchase at a later date. PAGE 9
Many Thanks to our 2018 Sponsors PAGE 10
GCSAA Update Kevin Doyle, Northeast Field Representative olf courses are often misunderstood, tagged as hazards to the G environment. Much effort is put into setting the record straight. One way to differentiate higher standards is through specifically designed environmental programs. Before GCSAA s 50 by 2020 best management practices initiative, some state and local programs were already in place. One such comprehensive program developed in conjunction with Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) is the Rhode Island Golf Course Green Certification, a collaboration with the Rhode Island Golf Course Superintendents Association (RIGCSA). n 2010 the RIGCSA, led by The intrinsic or perceived I then president John LeClair, CGCS, worked hard to develop value of environmental the voluntary point-based programs and their recognition is real. When program and have touted the benefits ever since. With a voluntary efforts large or score of 300 points need to achieve certification, and a small can result in further 350 points required to differences as noted above, recertify, these totals are indeed lofty goals. More than it continues to prove the stewardship of our simply turf, this program looks to touch all aspects of the golf industry. facility and you are rewarded with points for practices or changes that are positive for the environment. As always, the benefits of environmental programs come from the resulting data, and I recently learned that the data does indeed impress! FUN FACT: How Much? Charging $500 for an 18- hole round, Las Vegas Shadow Creek Golf Course is the United States most expensive public course. Known for its celebrity sightings, the Tom Faziodesign is regularly ranked as one of America s 100 Greatest Public Courses by Golf Digest. CSAA class AFC member Pat Hogan, government relations G director for the RIGCSA, updated the group at a recent chapter meeting on RI DEM data. Ann Battersby, Senior Environmental Scientist at the DEM, compiled information from seven golf courses recently recertifying through the Golf Course Green Certification program. Here are some highlights: Pesticide reduction: 32 pounds Fertilizer reduction: 98,690 pounds Water reduction: 243.8 million gallons ogan s employer, Sodco, is also a noted environmental business earning Sustainable Turf Farm Certification designation. H Sodco s recertification numbers are stunning as well: Pesticide reduction: 61 gallons Fertilizer reduction: 103,455 pounds Water reduction: 129.2 million gallons As of February 2018, 13 courses in Rhode Island are Golf Course Green Certified: Point Judith CC Potowomut GC Weekapaug GC Button Hole GC Sakonnet GC Rhode Island CC Wannamoisett CC hether by using your current or future BMPs, state sponsored programs (as RI has done), or utilizing lake/river W friendly opportunities, the intrinsic or perceived value of environmental programs and their recognition is real. When voluntary efforts large or small can result in differences as noted above, it continues to prove the stewardship of our industry. Kudos to the seven recertified Rhode Island Golf Course Green Certification on their accomplishments and I look forward to the data 13 courses can develop in the future! Want to learn more about the program? Check out the Rhode Island Golf Course Green Certification workbook link here Agawam Hunt Club Pawtucket CC Newport CC Shelter Harbor GC Alpine CC Goddard Memorial Park GC PAGE 11
The Time has Come Sid Chase, Beaver Meadow Golf Course It s official... time to choke the kids on the crew. Those are the words I texted to some industry friends. One counselled, Stay centered, I asked if that meant, aiming for the center of the throat. e ve all been there, different crews, different years. The W fine young man for whom I wrote a scholarship recommendation to the McDonough Foundation was at the top of my list. He burst into tears when I corrected him on his failure to meet the fairway when doing aprons. This was after he gave me a dirty look and I asked if he really wanted to work here. He responded that every time he got in trouble someone told his stepfather and he would get yelled at. I assured him I had not spoken to his stepfather in months and would make sure it wouldn t happen again. I spoke with senior staff. I had a former employee great kid, son of a retired Concord Police officer call out of the blue, saying he was waiting to go to infantry training for the US Marine Corps, as a Second Lieutenant, wondering if I needed any help. I m thinking, bad help is hard to find, this kid is good, and trained, Come on Down! Almost every time he went out on a triplex he hit something aprons, tees, anything he mowed. He asked the mechanic if he should be any more paranoid than he already was out mowing and both agreed that was impossible. When I gave him his last check along with a copy of Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates, The War that Changed American History, by Brian Kilmeade, I told him if he did to ISIS what he did to triplexes, America was fine. Truth be told, the crew is probably sick of me too. Too stupid to sweep the barn, they swept the barn without moving the equipment out, and swept debris and garbage to the mouth of the overhead door and left it. Too stupid to weedwhack the yard, they weedwhacked around the maintenance barn at a HOC of 6 weedwhacking around the litter. T Bang Head Here Repeat as Necessary hey complain about small paychecks after being sent home for outings and weather but can t leave fast enough when offered work if they stayed. NHGCSA TurfTalk ~ Summer 2018 ichael Dukakis once famously said during his 1988 campaign M for the presidency against Ronald Reagan, The fish rots from the head first. I suspect it is a lack of leadership that fuels my frustration. I have a young crew, none with strong personalities. My assistant is the spray tech, the irrigation tech, the foreman. The mechanic, who used to be our lead worker, was promoted and is now knee deep in wrenches, building maintenance, cup changing and greens mowing. His old position was eliminated. Our seasonal staff with experience is gone. I am knee deep in bookkeeping duties, budgets, capital projects, kissing babies and shaking hands. I am a little ashamed of myself. One of my greatest pleasures from season to season is to meet and hopefully mentor young people from the Concord area. Many of the kids who have worked for me are sons and daughters of friends, high school teammates of my son from cross country, basketball and track. I have run out of those. It occurs to me that I know very little about the interests and futures of the kids that work for us. Sid Time for me to stop being Too Stupid to Lead ~~~~~~~~~~~~ 2018 Scholarship and Research Gold Ball Tournament Mark your calendars for the 2018 Scholarship and Research Gold Ball Tournament. This year s tournament will take place on Tuesday, October 16th at the Concord Country Club with host Dave Ousterhout. More information in the coming weeks. If you are interest in sponsorship opportunities, please contact the NHGCSA. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ The NHGCSA offers scholarships to traditional and non-traditional students ranging from $500 $2,000 each year. If you or someone you know could benefit from an NHGCSA scholarship, we encourage you apply. The application deadline for this year s scholarships are May 31st for traditional college programs and December 31st for winter school programs. For more information, click here. PAGE 12
2019 NERTF Show: Moving Forward Since 1998, the New England Regional Turfgrass Conference and Show events have opened on Monday s and have concluded on Thursday s. When things first began, we thought a 4-day program was just what the industry was excited for. 15 years later, communications suggested we could service the industry better by shortening our show schedule. So, we did. In 2016, we decided to compress the schedule by starting at 1pm on Monday, and then end a little earlier on Thursday, which we hoped would make it easier for individuals to come on Monday afternoon and stay till Thursday. This was met favorably but it wasn t long before we heard some of the same concerns and that we should have gone further. Education has always been our highest priority and what we believe that separates us from other shows. To balance in-depth education, enough trade show hours and enjoyable social activities is a challenge. As we listened to comments and concerns, just three years later, we are informing everyone that it is time to go a little further and do a little more refining of our conference and show. Below are the highlights of changes to our 2019 show schedule (March 5-7, 2019): First, there will be no show activities on Monday, March 4. In 2019, all 2 & 4 hr. seminars will be held on Tuesday, March 5 starting at 8am and ending at 5pm. There is no other planned education scheduled on Tuesday. Exhibitor Move-In will begin early Tuesday Morning. The 2019 trade show will open at 10am on Wednesday, March 6 and close at 5pm. Staggered Education Sessions will begin at 8am and 9am on Wednesday, and again at 1pm & 2pm in the afternoon. The show auction will begin at 3pm and end at 4pm on Wednesday. Thursday s Education Sessions will begin at 8am The Thursday Trade Show will open at 9am and will close at 2pm There will be a 2 nd education session on Thursday at 2pm in the afternoon. Education hours, trade show hours, credits and social opportunities should still remain the same even with a shortened schedule. Our goal continues to insure the same quality filled event for the future to attract any and all turfgrass professionals. Today s reality is that with the incorporation of computers, cell phones and texting we are never inaccessible. Fastpaced lives include many responsibilities that are important to your success. Having more than a three-day and two-night event doesn t fit the schedule for many as easily as it may have in the past. We are confident that through this compacted schedule attendees will receive all the value they have in the past. As has been stated, this show is your show. Your comments and feelings are important in deciding the show s future. Bottomline: We are making these changes because we heard your concerns. We appreciate all your support over the last 22 years. Please stay tuned as we work at processing these changes and add in the variables to make the best Show on Turf even better! 2018-2019 NERTF Executive Board (l to r): Peter J. Rappoccio, CGCS (Vice-Pres.), Jeffrey M. Urquhart (Pres.), Randy S. Weeks (Immediate Past-President). Robert Searle (Secretary) and Mark Mansur (Treasurer) were not at the meeting. PAGE 13
A Great Time Was Had by All at the Joint Meeting With Maine! May 2018 2018 NHGCSA Officers & Directors Officers EJ Chea, president Pease Golf Course Ryan Green, vice president Crystal Lake Golf Club Rob Horn, treasurer Stonebridge Country Club Bernard Sid Chase, secretary Beaver Meadow Golf Course Directors Tom DiFonzo, Laconia Country Club Bob Doran, New England Specialty Soils John Gabbeitt, Owl s Nest Golf Club Barrie Robertson, Foster Materials Steve Wilson, Amherst Country Club Past President Dave Ousterhout, Concord Country Club Assistant Director Jeremy Ham, Lake Winnipesaukee Golf Club Office Contact Joy Jaworski administrative secretary nhgcsa@comcast.net 603-674-1163 PAGE 14