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Highlights from the Golf Industry Show in New Orleans

Pete Grass Elected to GCSAA
Board in New Orleans: 
Peter J. Grass, Certified Golf Course Superintendent at Hilands Golf Club in Billings, Montana, was elected to a two-year term on the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America’s (GCSAA) Board of Directors at the GCSAA’s Annual Meeting on Feb. 6, 2009.

Grass has been at Hilands Golf Club since 1982.  He holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Eastern Montana College in Billings.  A 24-year member of GCSAA, Grass currently serves on the Competency Task Group, and has served on seven different committees since 1994:  Membership, Election, Education, Career Development, Nominating, Certification and Chapter Relations.  Grass is a member and past president of the Peaks & Prairies GCSA.

NW Room Made Possible by Tremendous Industry Support: The Inland Empire GCSA, Peaks & Prairies, Idaho GCSA, Western WA GCSA, Oregon GCSA and NTA members had a chance to gather and socialize with fellow golf course superintendents and industry professional at the NW Room in New Orleans. The event would not have been possible without the sponsorships of many of our affiliate member companies!  Please click on this link to view a list of the companies that sponsored the event!

Dave Phipps Received National Honors: Dave Phipps was presented the National GCSAA/Golf Digest Environmental Leader AwardNational for Public Courses at the Opening Session. Phipps, a nine-year GCSAA member, is a GCSAA Class A superintendent at Stone Creek Golf Course in Oregon City, Oregon. He is a three-time ELGA chapter winner and has been a merit winner as well. Stone Creek is a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary, and signage around the course is an important part of Phipps' communication process. He works with the local Audubon Society to provide annual birding and golf course tours for sixth graders. Phipps also teaches a class called "Golf Course-Quality Lawns" to inform local residents how to properly care and cultivate their lawns using environmentally sustainable practices. The National Association of Conservative Districts is developing the program into a nationwide public outreach initiative.

Dave and the OGCSA are pleased to announce the revision of their current environmental web page on www.ogcsa.org . You will now find a more comprehensive page with current and useful information. They have listed past environmental award winners and provided links to download the revised edition of our Environmental Stewardship Guidelines.

Don & Helen Hogan: A Great Example of
Generosity & Service

By Julie Backman, Northwest Turfgrass Association

Don Hogan is a well-known and respected figure in the Pacific Northwest turfgrass industry.  In addition to his career in irrigation engineering, he’s been an integral part of the Northwest Turfgrass Association.  Don and his wife, Helen, continue to give back to our industry.  Their establishment of the Hogan Fund through the NTA has generated (and continues to generate) significant funding for turfgrass research at Washington State University.

Don’s impressive career includes serving in the United States Navy and earning a degree in civil engineering from the University of Washington in 1950.  He worked for H.D. Fowler, and then in 1957 joined a Seattle firm, National Irrigation Consultants.  His major projects included the installation of the pump and filter system for Broadmoor Golf Club in Madison Park, as well as irrigation systems for Fort Lewis Golf Course, Rainier Golf & Country Club, and Seattle Golf Club.

In 1960, Don decided to go into business on his own.  Because of his extensive knowledge of irrigation systems, he was recommended to the superintendent at Pinehurt Golf Resort in North Carolina, where he designed the water supply systems for all five golf courses (and he was able to reduce the amount of ryegrass seed needed by almost half).

Don was on the NTA Board of Directors from 1954 until elected President in 1957.  He served three consecutive terms, and he worked diligently to lobby the state legislature for the appointment of Dr. Roy Goss as a WSU researcher and extension agent.

Don and his wife, Helen, exemplify the spirit of giving.  Their generous donation of $63,000 to create the Hogan Fund through the NTA’s Turfgrass Universities Research Fund (T.U.R.F.) continues to generate funds for turfgrass research at Washington State University.  Thank you, Don and Helen, for all of your contributions to our industry!

Click here to learn more about T.U.R.F. 

ACSP:  What’s Your Story?

By Joellen Lampman, Audubon International

In this political climate it has never been so important for you to show that you are environmentally responsible to your course, your employers, and your community.  And the least expensive, most comprehensive, most trusted way to tell your story is through the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses.

The golf industry has a story to tell about how it relates to the environment.  When the story is not told, or not told well, then long held beliefs that golf and the environment are incompatible will continue to haunt the industry.  Complaints about how golf courses use too much water and too many pesticides and fertilizers merely for an aesthetic appearance, that they contaminate ground and surface water, and that employees and guests are at risk will persist.  There will continue to be pressure on municipalities to ban pesticides and restrict water use on golf courses.

The article, What’s Your Story goes through how the program can help you tell your story and provides an update on the progress of Northwest Golf Courses. 

In late March, Joellen Lampman will be in Portland, OR for the International IPM Symposium.  There she will be facilitating a tour entitled “Beyond the Links: Golf Courses as a Model for Residential IPM”.  For information about the Symposium, visit http://www.ipmcenters.org/ipmsymposium09/. 

For help getting started, you can contact fellow superintendents in OR, WA, and ID that are also members of the Audubon Steward Network.  They are committed to helping you succeed!

Documentation:  A Critical Component of
Any Environmental Management Plan

By Paul Backman, Northwest Turfgrass Association

Documentation is a key component in the success of any environmentally related program you implement on your golf course.  Being able to prove and promote the steps you’re taking will not only enhance your career, but improve your facilities stature in the community.

In 2008, I began working with Meadow Park GC in Tacoma to help them achieve Audubon Certification (3 sections complete!).  My intent is to better understand the process and use what we’ve done at Meadow Park to help other courses simplify the process.

One of our first steps was to develop several record keeping/observation forms to help improve the maintenance program, educate the staff, and showcase the environmental efforts.  The forms listed below are available to you in MS Word format by clicking on the link.  Feel free to change them in any way to better fit your facilities needs.  They include:

• Fertilizer & Chemical Application Record Sheet
• IPM Scouting Form
• Wildlife Observation Form
• Bird Observation Form
• Staff Training Documentation Form
• Environmental Accomplishments Documentation Form 

Walla Walla’s Outdoor Power and Turf Equipment
Program Now Online!

By George Klein, Walla Walla Community College

WWCC's new web-based curriculum utilizes an online interface, discussion, and content, in combination with onsite lab work. This unique format allows students to expand and further their education without sacrificing their jobs or the need to leave homes and families. The program combines the aspects of distance learning and a local mentor, both facilitated by WWCC's George Klein. Attending class on their own schedule expands the possibilities for students, currently including two in Hong Kong.

Read more . . .