*    2007 Hospitality Suite

*    GCSAA Committee Volunteers

*    California GCSA Government Relations

*    Job Opportunities

*    GCSAA News

*    Member's Profile

*    December UCRTRAC Meeting
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

California GCSA Board of Directors Meeting: December 2, 2006, Ontario, CA

2007 California Hospitality Suite Plan:
The California Hospitality Suite planning is complete and is featured at; 

"The House of Blues"
1530 S. Disneyland Dr. Anaheim, CA, 
Thursday, February 22, 2007, from 6:30 - 9:30 PM.

2007 California Hospitality Suite Sponsorship / : Online Registration Form

Robert Green PhD, is beginning to make arrangements for the December 12th UCRTRAC meeting which will be held at the UCR Botanic Gardens, starting at 9:00 AM and concluding at 1:00 PM following lunch.

Should you have a suggestion for an agenda topic please feel free to let us know by November 8th. During the week of November 13th, we will mail the meeting agenda and a RSVP request.

“I commend and appreciate the Delegates for the energy they displayed during the meeting,” said Ricky Heine, CGCS meeting chairman and GCSAA vice-president. “They were focused and well-prepared in giving the board of directors and staff their perspectives on how we achieve our long-term vision. They took ownership of their association and in their responsibility as delegates. It is obvious they engaged their members in talks before the meeting.”

The exchange of ideas and comments focused primarily on three items: a.) the development of long-term revenue streams to fund programs and services; b.) growing the GCSAA membership; c.) and positioning GCSAA and its membership classes in the marketplace (primarily to employers and influential golfers). 

The financial conversations centered on the establishment of a long-term dues pricing strategy. At the request of the Delegates, the board and staff presented a proposal that would tie the establishment of membership dues to an index (such as the Consumer Price Index). Historically, the association has enacted a dues increase in larger increments on average every five to seven years. The result has been a loss of members. There was widespread agreement at the meeting that smaller dues increases would be more easily absorbed at the facility level and less likely to result in membership declines. Directors further discussed the issue at their fall meeting, October 20-21 in New Orleans.

Tied to the discussion of revenues was an examination of GCSAA membership numbers. From a high of more than 22,000 in 2001, the association’s membership has declined approximately 10 percent to just over 20,000 today. There was agreement that the situation has been created in large part by a struggling golf economy and the implementation of member standards. Staff presented a seven-phased membership growth and recruitment campaign enacted late last year. Delegates supported the efforts, realizing such an initiative will take time to yield results and must be long-term in nature. They were especially supportive of the GCSAA field staff pilot program and encouraged strong consideration for expanding it in the near future.
 

Noting that chapters will be integral to the success of revenue generation, membership growth and retention, and marketing efforts, discussion also included an examination of chapter effectiveness. Specifically, the delegates were charged with providing the board and staff direction as to how the association could best invest resources to enhance chapter operations. The top three items were: a.) membership recruitment and retention; b.) chapter executive development and support; c.) chapter meeting effectiveness (attendance, timing, satisfaction, value, etc.). It was the consensus that many of the issues were interrelated and thus could be addressed if programs and services are developed and coordinated appropriately. Once again, support for expanding the field staff pilot program was communicated, and suggested as a means to implement effectiveness programs.

Delegates also expressed interest in providing support to GCSAA’s advocacy efforts. They were briefed on the process the association follows for commenting to the EPA on product re-registration. The process includes an element for member input to GCSAA actions, plus the opportunity for chapters and members to become directly engaged as well.
 
 
 

2006 Chapter Delegates Meeting Slides
 
 
 
 
 
 

Terry's credentials are as impressive as his employment history. He obtained his bachelor of science in Agronomy from the University of Georgia in 1980. He then obtained a Master of Science in Agronomy from Iowa State University in 1983, Ph.D. in Agronomy from the University of Missouri in 1986, and two Post Doctoral Research Associates from the University of Illinois in 1987 and University of Wisconsin in 1989. He graduated in 1999 from the two year National Institute of Golf Management program.
Terry has a long list of public service, university service and consulting activities. In 2003 he was appointed as the Western Tennessee representative to the Audubon Steward network of the Audubon Internationals' certification program.
Terry is looking forward to working with our association to develop and build the program at Cal Poly as well as the Student Chapter of the GCSA . He has already become a member of our association and attended the Rio Bravo meeting this month to introduce himself to our members. We look forward to working with Terry. If you have any questions or need to con-tact him he can be reached at 805-756-2858 or email tvassey@calpoly.edu.

By
Irene Cline
 
 
 

For more attendee & online registration information: Information & Registration

11/01/06          Anger: Emotion or Behavior?                                 12:00:00 PM 
11/07/06         Environmental Risk Assessment                             12:00:00 PM 
11/09/06         Taking the Mystery Out of Water Repellant Soils: 12:00:00 PM 
11/15/06         Tech Talk: Common Technology Questions Answered: 10:00:00 AM 
11/30/06         Plan for Replacement: How Long Does this Stuff Last?  12:00:00 PM 
12/07/06         Why Doesn't Everyone Use Envionmentally Preferred Products? 10:00:00 AM 

For Details; visit the GCSAA Web Address: http://www.gcsaa.org/education/webcast/webcast.aspx
Or call Kyle Kreighbaum 800-472-7878 x5167
 

Pennsylvania State University 
Department of Crop and Soil Sciences - Cooperative Extension

GCSAA’s Golf Course Environmental Profile project moved to its second phase with the water use and conservation survey distributed Oct. 9. Responses are due Nov. 20.
Both GCSAA member and non-member superintendents received electronic and/or hard copy surveys in a process that mirror the first phase conducted earlier this year. This second phase will measure water use and conservation on the golf course. Superintendents are invited to submit the water use and conservation survey whether or not they submitted the first survey. Respondents will receive .25 service points for taking the survey.

When to irrigate. If you irrigate in the evening, you increase the duration of leaf wetness and your turfgrass' susceptibility to disease. A moist environment promotes fungal spore germination and growth, and increases the occurrence and severity of disease. When you irrigate in the early morning or in the afternoon, you reduce the duration of leaf wetness. This limits environmental conditions favorable for the development of turfgrass disease. Early morning irrigation has the added benefit of removing guttational fluids from the leaf surface, thus limiting the availability of the added nutrients to turfgrass pathogens. Afternoon irrigation also cools the turf and thereby reduces heat stress.

How much water to apply. The amount of water you apply during each irrigation cycle and the frequency of your irritations can also have a significant impact on turfgrass diseases. Overwatering is as much of a problem, if not more so, than underwatering. Schedule your irrigation run time and frequency to replace soil moisture that is lost to evaporation and transpiration. If you irrigate excessively, you will promote waterlogging. This results in poorly developed root systems and a greater likelihood of necrotic ring spot, summer patch, anthracnose and black layer.

Alter the irrigation schedule to promote the recovery of turfgrasses with reduced root systems caused by patch diseases. Lightly irrigate these turfs daily and implement a midday syringe cycle to help reduce heat stress.

Article by: Dr. Jon F. Powell is an assistant professor of plant pathology at the University of Minnesota (St. Paul, Minn.).