News and Information
03/11/2010
Western Spring Management Meeting Recap
Wow, What a day!
The Spring Management Meeting at Egypt Valley Country Club was too good of a deal to pass up. For those of you unable to attend, I am sorry that you had to miss this one. The education, the chance to talk with your peers, the sharing of ideas at the discussion in the afternoon, the Lasagna and those Macadamia Nut & White Chocolate cookies.....all made for a great MiGCSA day. Jeff Holmes and the entire staff at EVCC did their usual above and beyond job of taking care of all of the participants, thank you. All of this and for only $50, it doesn’t get any better than this!
Events Czar/MiGCSA Bouncer, John Fulling works the door
We started the day with an update from John Fulling on the renewed focus that has swept the Michigan Turfgrass Foundation. The return of Gordy Lafontaine and his emphasis on fund raising is no joke as the focus is all about the “Jack”. It is nice to have Mr. Lafontaine’s smiling face and calm confidence back. Yes, he will get you to donate to your profession and you will do it willingly and with a smile on your face. Welcome back Gordie!
Chris Wilczynski of Arthur Hills/Steve Forrest & Associates gave a very timely talk on “The Evolution of Course Design & Master Planning into the Future”. He offered up some great information on where course design came from and, more importantly, where it is today. He tied it all in to the new equipment designs, the new inclusion of family in golf, which set of tees the normal golfer is playing despite the expanded distances we are seeing, what it means for maintenance and how this all tied into the ever present Sustainability of Golf. Chris is a wealth of information well beyond his years, if time allows you should spend some time with him and tap into that resource. His non-assuming style and grace will put you at ease as you talk and he makes you feel ok even if you are asking those tough questions.
Chris Wilczynski of Arthur Hills/Steve Forrest & Associates
Dr. Kurt Steinke had the opportunity to share with the group some of the research that he has tackled in the past and how this has lead to his wealth of knowledge. It is nice to have him on the staff at MSU and on our team now. I know that we will continue to see more great, industry leading, research come out of our team in East Lansing with him as part of the group. I hope that every member gets the chance to learn from the research that he has already completed on buffer strips, drought tolerance, aerification, nutrients in run off water from a strong stand of turf vs. an open stand of grass and all the new projects that he already has planned for us to share in. What a strong addition for us.
MiGCSA President Ron Dahlin introduces Dr. Steinke
Now those of us that had a hand in setting up the day got a little concerned when Dr. Thom Nikoli wanted to talk about “Turfgrass Potpourri”. Not presenting an outlined plan on his talk made a little bead of sweat form on our foreheads as he boldly approached the podium. Well, we were summarily lead down the garden path has he presented some ideas on a research project designed to start this spring titled “Turfgrass’s Role in Changing the Urban Landscape”. In his usual Paul McCartney rock star style he continued on to tell us about his ideas on how having a maintained swath of grass in blighted areas may lead to safer, better adjusted neighbor hoods filled with saner better adjusted neighbors. It will be interesting to see how this unfolds and what we learn from it over the next 3 years. Thom held little back as he passionately talked about the fact that he is paid to teach but finds time to do some research as well. After attentively listening to him for an hour, I still don’t know what an Urban Landscape has to do with ball roll?
Dr. Thom Nikoli and Turfgrass Potpourri
We had the pleasure to have Mr. Joe Hancock of Hancock Golf LLC/ Devries Design step up to the microphone on a very short notice. He gave a nice first time talk about the decision on “Doing a project in house or with an outside company”. Joe has had a hand in projects large and small and his shaping ability is becoming well known throughout the nation. I found it amazing that he was able to do his entire talk with out the aid of his ever present souped up and amplified iPod plugged in to his ears. Great job Joe, thanks for helping us by saying Yes to your first foray into speaking.
Mr. Joe Hancock of Hancock Golf LLC/ Devries Design
Next, Mr. Tom Mead carried the Sustainability theme to a new level. With a lifetime of working on this and just now starting to see this become a new mantra, Tom was able to offer ideas both large and small on how to move toward a more “Sustainable Golf Course Business Model”. It is the steps that we take everyday that help us to continue our national leadership in this and Tom reminded us that not every step needs to be a giant leap. Even things as simple as turning off the light when it is not needed can start your journey toward sustainability. It was good information to get exposed to as we can expect to hear a lot more about this in the very near future from all levels in our industry.
Mr. Tom Mead
We finished the day by gathering into smaller groups and shared ways that we are cutting costs and even some on generating revenue. It continues to amaze me how resourceful golf course superintendents are and how level headed they approach what they have been entrusted to do. I will compile all of the comments from the Spring Management Meetings and post them on the MiGCSA web-site after we finish at Tree Tops.
One year from now may seem like a lifetime to you right now, but if you missed the meeting, you missed a lot for a very economical cost. So, mark your calendars in March of 2011 to reserve yourself a spot at the table where you can learn great new ideas on how to be a better turf manager and maybe even take to opportunity to pass some of your wisdom on to others.
