Tee To Green
January/February 2019
Tee To Green The Official Publication of the South Texas Golf Course Superintendents Association
2019 South Texas Ryder Cup
2019 Meeting Schedule March 26, 2019 Meeting & Education Sand Hill Farm April 23, 2019 Scholarship Tournament High Meadow Ranch May 21, 2019 Meeting & Education Golf Club of Houston June 18, 2019
South Texas Ryder Cup Meeting & Education March 26, 2019 Sand Hill Farm (more info on page 8)
Chapter Championship Raven Nest July 22, 2019 Member/Guest/Guest/Guest TAMU
2018 Sonny DuBose Memorial Distinguished Service Award
August 2019 - Date TBD Scholarship Banquet Elkins Lake September 9, 2019
Supt./Pro - Member/Member Houston Oaks October 15, 2019
Congratulations Cody Spivey! Thank you for the many years of dedication and support to our association! Well deserved!
Meeting & Education Clear Creek November 4, 2019 Annual Meeting & Past Presidents Meeting Panorama GC
December 2019 - Date TBD STGCSA Christmas Party Location TBD 1
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PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Jerry Huntsman - President STGCSA
We have a great line up for the next few months as we begin to get busy with our courses. Dr. Gerald Henry from Georgia will discuss weed control at the meeting on the 26th of March at Sand Hills Farm. Looks like a fun venue as we take on our affiliates in a Ryder Cup type competition. Where are the uniforms?
Just a reminder, the Scholarship Tournament is due April. It is time to ask the vendors to supply donations to bid on. They have always come through in the past and we can’t wait to see what they have in store this year.
The deadline for our college going students to apply for a funding to help support their further education is closing in. May the 1st is the deadline, so remind them that it is time to start thinking about this wonderful opportunity provided by our associate team. See you on the course.
Jerry Huntsman
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Welcome New Members!!!! Brady Forshey - Superintendent @ Champions Golf Club Charles Crandal - Assistant Superintendent @ Champions Golf Club Donny Latham - Director of Agronomy @ Bentwater Yacht & Country Club Corey Tarver - Superintendent @ Bentwater Yacht & Country Club (Miller Course) Brandon Fuchs - Assistant Superintendent @ Grand Pines at Bentwater Miles Carlson - Superintendent @ Grand Pines Golf Club Chris Foust - Assistant Superintendent @ Walden on Lake Conroe Richard Flores - Superintendent @ Jersey Meadows Golf Club Tyler Spencer - Superintendent @ Fay Ranch Zach Boleware - Assistant Superintendent @ Fay Ranch Ben Hutchins - Head Superintendent @ South Shore Harbour Country Club Chandler Masters - Superintendent @ Briggs Ranch Golf Club Kevin Francis - Superintendent @ City Course at Phillips Event Center Joshua Garrison - Assistant Superintendent @ Meadowbrook Farms Golf Club Joseph Mendoza - Head Mechanic @ Meadowbrook Farms Golf Club Craig Springman - Assistant Superintendent @ Lake Windcrest Brian Daniel - Western US Manager @ Aqua Aid Solutions Clint Evans - Territory Sales Representative @ Brookside Equipment Sales Seth Logan - Business Development Specialist Golf/Sports Turf @ Horizon Distributors
We welcome you to the Association!!!! South Texas GCSA 2019 New Member Welcome Packet 3
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Paid for 1/2 page ad, email sent 2/20
2019 South Texas GCSA, Inc. Membership Renewals Please pay your 2019 Membership Dues by March 31, 2019. If you’d like to put your credit card information on file going forward, please submit the credit card authorization form below. We are always welcoming new members into the association, so if you know of anyone who may be interested in joining, please see the application link below and let them know! Attention: Superintendents!! Did you know that Lone Star GCSA Membership is included in your South Texas GCSA Membership?! Please Note: (this applies to Superintendents only) South Texas GCSA, Inc. 2019 New Membership Application
Credit Card Authorization Form
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Member Spotlight Congratulations Cody Spivey 2018 Sonny DuBose Memorial Distinguished Service Award After graduating from Texas A&M University in 1997, Mr. Spivey began his career as assistant superintendent at Greatwood Golf Club in Sugar Land. In 1999, he became the assistant superintendent at High Meadow Ranch Golf Club where he assisted in the construction, grow-in, and opening of the new course. In 2002, he became Superintendent at High Meadow and in 2005 took on the role of General Manager as well. Joining GCSAA and STGCSA in 1997, Mr. Spivey has been active in the STGCSA throughout his career, serving as President in 2016 after serving on the board of directors since 2012. Spivey has served on the board of the Lone Star GCSA and is the current President of the LSGCSA. I am truly honored to be the recipient of the 2018 Sonny Dubose Memorial Distinguished Service Award. I want to thank all the members of STGCSA for the support and opportunity to serve one of the strongest regional associations in the country. The Sonny Dubose Award is the highlight of my career and one I will always cherish. Congratulations to Steve Gilley at Panorama Golf Club for winning the 2019 GCSAA National Championship!
Congratulations to the Lone Star Team # 1for winning 1st Place Gross at the 2019 GCSAA National Championship!
Originally from Martinsville, VA, Steve played collegiate golf at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond. After college, he worked as an Assistant Golf Professional in Myrtle Beach, SC, where he met his wife Kelly, also a golf professional. Steve and Kelly have two daughters (Cameron, 17 and Liza, 15) and have lived in The Woodlands, TX since 2010. After playing professional golf for thirteen years, Steve made a decision in 2011 to take a position as a Second Assistant Superintendent/Spray Tech at The Woodlands Country Club Palmer Course. After a couple of years in that role, he moved to First Assistant. In November of 2016, he accepted the Head Superintendent position at Panorama Golf Club in Conroe, TX. Late last year, Steve won the South Texas Chapter Championship at BraeBurn Country Club in Houston. Following that, he also won the Lone Star Texas Trophy at Corpus Christi Country Club. He recently won the GCSAA National Championship at Omni La Costa's Champions Course. His rounds of 71-75 during difficult conditions was good enough for a four shot victory.
Steve Gilley - GCSAA National Champion 2019
Lone Star Team # 1 – Gross Winner National Team Championship (Steve Gilley, Tanner Chrastecky, Shawn Westacott, Kyle Embry, Jason Barrington) Senior Flight – GCSAA Gross Winner (Alan Hess)
Click here for the GCSAA Championship Results 6
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2019 South Texas Ryder Cup Superintendents vs Affiliates Meeting & Education Sand Hill Farm March 26, 2019 Format: 2 Person Team (2 Superintendents vs 2 Affiliates) 9-Hole Scramble Format: Golf Course 9-Hole Best Ball Format: Golf Course 18-Hole Alternate Shot Format: Putting Course
Click Here to Register Education Sponsored by:
Education Speaker: Dr. Gerald Henry from the University of Georgia Topic: Weed Control GCSAA credits will be available
Gerald Henry, Ph.D., is an associate professor at the University of Georgia, and he is an Athletic Association Endowed Professor. He earned his Ph.D. from North Carolina State University (crop science) in 2007; a master's degree from Rutgers University (plant biology) in 2003; and a bachelor's degree from Rutgers University (plant science) in 2000. His research program focuses on the area of environmental turfgrass science with an emphasis on plant/pest/environment interactions. Within that discipline, he conducts research in a wide range of subjects, including physiology, ecology, weed science, fertility and management. Prior to the University of Georgia, he was the head of the turf department at Texas Tech University from 2007 to 2013. 8
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Roger Goettsch, CGCS Career by: Hal Phillips
Click here to read the full article 10
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Fun Fact: 125K Golf balls are hit into the water at the 17th hole of the Stadium Course at Sawgrass each year. GCSAA Field Staff Representative John Walker - South Central Region Before joining the GCSAA staff, John Walker was a superintendent, 30-year GCSAA member and past GCSAA board director. JWalker@gcsaa.org 713-557-0279 12
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The South Texas GCSA is once again offering the:
2019 STGCSA Marian Takushi Memorial GIS Scholarship The STGCSA is sending two deserving Superintendent Members to the January 2020 Golf Industry Show in Orlando, Florida. The scholarship will cover the cost of registration, round trip airfare between Houston and Orlando, 4 nights hotel stay, a $50/day stipend and registration for one ½-day seminar. The scholarship is intended to assist STGCSA Superintendent Members whose club does not normally pay for them to attend the conference, though all are welcome to apply. The applicants selected will be asked to write a short article for the March/April 2020 Tee to Green issue recapping your experience and how you benefitted from attending the conference. If you are interested in applying, please fill out the application and return to stgcsa@stgcsa.org by October 1, 2019.
Click Here to Apply
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The Woodlands Country Club Superintendent Strengthens Business Skills with Colleagues Across U.S. The Woodlands Country Club superintendent participates in ninth annual Syngenta Business Institute Competitive three-day educational program provides superintendents with key tools for business management
GREENSBORO, N.C., Jan. 4, 2019- William Scott McVey, golf course superintendent at The Woodlands Country Club in The Woodlands, Texas was one of 24 superintendents across the country to graduate from the Syngenta Business InstituteSM (SBI). SBI is an exclusive professional development program for golf course superintendents hosted by Syngenta and the Wake Forest University School of Business in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. While agronomic expertise is critical to superintendent success, Syngenta also recognizes the need to provide superintendents with business management skills. “We offer this program to 24 superintendents as a commitment to our customers and their development in the industry,” says Stephanie Schwenke, turf market manager, Syngenta. “At the Syngenta Business Institute, we focus on the business aspect of superintendents’ responsibilities, and really aim to build on their skills of leadership and employee management, which is just as important as managing turf quality.” During the three-day educational program, participants gained knowledge in financial and employee management, negotiation skills, effective communications techniques, managing generational differences and more. Classes were led by professors from the School of Business at Wake Forest University, who provided ideas and tools to assist superintendents in their daily management and long-term planning. McVey was selected from a talented pool of superintendents across the country based on an application process that reviewed their educational background, professional achievements and an essay that demonstrates why they should be selected for the program.
Stephanie Schwenke, Turf Market Manager for Syngenta, presenting Scott McVey with his Certificate of Completion
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The Future Is Here: A Technological Break-Through in Sustainable Lake & Pond Management Written by Industry Expert Bo Burns, Biologist & Market Development Manager at SOLitude Lake Management Algae: it comes in many forms and colors. It’s slimy, stinky and can ruin the beauty and function of your golf course lakes and irrigation systems. It’s also one of the oldest known organisms on this planet, which might explain its knack for survival, even under the toughest conditions. Over time, golf courses and property management companies have learned to pick sides when it comes to the safe eradication of stubborn and harmful algal blooms—some in favor of natural management techniques; others in support of applying EPA-registered algaecides to ensure the job gets done. But this year, a new game changing technology will make the management of stubborn algae blooms a no-brainer with more long-lasting results that are beneficial for the environment. Nanobubble aeration is a premium innovative technology designed to exceed the capabilities of traditional lake and pond aeration systems by providing up to 79,000x more oxygen! Put simply, nanobubbles are like traditional aeration systems on steroids. Produced by compact on-shore generators, these ultra-fine bubbles are completely invisible to the eye and about 1 million times smaller than ordinary bubbles. As a result of their tiny size, nanobubbles have no natural buoyancy and do not rise to the surface of the water and burst like you might expect. Amazingly, they remain within the water column for up to 2-3 months, providing unparalleled oxygenation to struggling lakes and ponds at your property. The benefits of a continuously oxygenated lake or pond are enormous. First, oxygen is a key player in the battle against undesirable nutrients by facilitating the conversion of phosphorus to forms that do not sustain algae development. Excess nutrients can easily enter golf course lakes and ponds in the form of grass clippings, lawn fertilizers, trash, and droppings from geese and other wildlife. The presence of oxygen also helps to balance pH and other related water quality parameters that encourage the growth of fish, native organisms and beneficial phytoplankton – rather than detrimental bacteria like E. Coli, and cyanobacteria species that can be toxic to humans and wildlife and are believed to contribute to degenerative diseases like ALS, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Another amazing benefit of nanobubbles? In addition to engulfing an entire aquatic ecosystem in concentrated oxygen, nanobubbles are negatively charged and, therefore, attracted to positively charged organic matter in the water column. When they connect with positively charged metals and pollutants, including dangerous cyanobacteria toxins, nanobubbles cause them to implode(!), holistically cleansing the waterbody from the inside out.
Before Nanobubble Aeration
This innovative water quality solution did not just appear overnight. Nanobubbles have been used in the medical field, the oil and gas business, food preparation areas, and even the beauty industry for purification purposes. However, SOLitude Lake Management is the first environmental firm to advance this technology for large-scale freshwater management applications through continuous research and development with select manufacturers and regulatory agencies. Through many promising tests and trials, we’ve learned some exciting things: Golf course superintendents and property managers who utilize nanobubbles can expect to significantly reduce and even eliminate reliance on traditional algaecides. Nanobubbles have no negative impacts on turfgrass or ornamental vegetation when monitoring and managing dissolved oxygen levels. Nanobubbles help strengthen the health and longevity of the entire food chain, providing unparalleled aesthetic and ecological balance. Nanobubble aeration isn’t just a quick fix or band-aid; it’s a custom, data-driven solution rooted in years of scientific study and first-hand monitoring experience. The technology doesn’t necessarily replace regular proactive management strategies, but it is truly one of the missing pieces to the puzzle of sustainable freshwater management. Used in conjunction with traditional tools like floating fountains, buffer management, mechanical hydro-raking and regular lake and pond inspections, nanobubbles can help keep your water resources healthier and prettier for much longer periods of time, while eliminating nuisance algae and dangerous cyanotoxins before they begin causing problems.
After Nanobubble Aeration
Nanobubble aeration is poised to transform the entire way we approach the management of lakes and ponds and will be an invaluable tool as urban development and undesirable nutrient loading continue to increase. We’re excited to shepherd this new technology in to the freshwater management realm and look forward to further enhancing water quality on your property and throughout the world. Bo Burns is a Market Development Manager at SOLitude Lake Management, an industry-leading environmental firm. He specializes in the research and development of new technologies using more than 30 years of industry experience along with a Master of Environmental Management degree in Resource and Wetland Ecology from Duke University. This article is the first in a series featuring new break-through technologies that will revolutionize the management of lakes, stormwater ponds, wetlands and fisheries in 2019. Learn more at www.solitudelakemanagement.com/knowledge
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Equipment
Looking to Buy or Sell used equipment?
2019 SPONSORSHIPS ARE STILL AVAILABLE!
Please note the new STGCSA Contact Information:
Email Carrie Cole at stgcsa@stgcsa.org and include a picture, short description, asking price, & your contact information. Please let us know once it is sold!
PO Box 2443 Cypress, TX 77410-2443 Phone: 832-329-8155 Email: stgcsa@stgcsa.org
CLICK HERE FOR 2019 SPONSORSHIP PACKAGES
Click Here to see What’s for Sale 19
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2019 South Texas GCSA, Inc. Scholarship Application The 2019 Scholarship Awards Ceremony will be at Elkins Lake this August. The application deadline is May 1, 2019 with transcripts due July 1, 2019. Send all documents by email or mail. Transcripts need to be mailed directly to: South Texas, GCSA, Inc. PO Box 2443 Cypress, TX 77410-2443 stgcsa@stgcsa.org
Click Here for the 2019 STGCSA Scholarship Application
Annual Scholarship Tournament High Meadow Ranch Golf Club April 23, 2019 Host: Cody Spivey
Registration coming soon!
We are now accepting Auction items & Sponsorships! Please email stgcsa@stgcsa.org with your auction donations & sponsorships!
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Click Here for All Job Postings
Did you move jobs in 2018? If so, please contact Carrie Cole @ stgcsa@stgcsa.org so we can update your new contact information! Our 2019 Member Directory will be mailed out in April, so please make sure your contact information is up to date!
Get the latest information about upcoming events here!
Click Here for GCSAA Job Postings (Superintendent Positions, Asst. Positions, Technician Positions, Affiliate/Sales Positions, Special Supt Positions, like ranches and sports fields are also listed on the website!) Please email stgcsa@stgcsa.org when positions have been filled
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THANK YOU TO OUR 2019 PLATINUM SPONSORS!!
THANK YOU TO OUR 2019 GOLD SPONSORS!!
THANK YOU TO OUR 2019 BRONZE SPONSORS!!
THANK YOU TO OUR 2019 DRINK SPONSOR!!
THANK YOU TO OUR 2019 HOLE SPONSORS!! JACK HARGROVE CONSTRUCTION
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