The 30th Annual Al

Glaze Scholarship and Re-

search Tournament was

held on June 12th at the San

Joaquin Country Club.

Kevin Wiles, Golf Course

Superintendent, had been

cracking the whip and

working his crew many,

many long days and nights

to prep the beautiful venue

for us.

The group this year

was smaller than usual but

those that attended showed

great spirit and appreciated

the hard work that Kevin

put into hosting this very

special event.

With temperatures

in the high 90’s, everyone

was warmed up early. The

teams from the valley had a

distinct advantage over our

coastal groups when it came

to the weather.

Coming in strong

this year was the team from

Riverbend G.C.. Led by

Mike Stieler, CGCS, they

took First Place (GROSS)

for the tournament. The

team included Bill Galli,

Danny Panicia, and Ron

Toomijian. Mike was just

off his wins at the National

GCSA Golf Championship

and evidently was still on a

roll.

Taking First Place

(NET) was the team from

Riverside Golf Course.

They were lead by their new

superintendent Matt Conrad.

Other team members in-

cluded Carlos Grier, Adam

Pohll, and Lance Rohrmann.

Taking 2nd Place (NET) was

the Belmont Country Club

Team lead by Superintendent

Craig Johnson and included

Raenne Scheidt, Sal Gonza-

les, and Todd Hansen.

The closest to the

Pin sponsored by Mike Far-

(Continued on page 4)

San Joaquin Country Club Hosted the 30th Annual

Al Glaze Memorial Scholarship & Research Tournament By Brian Daum

TEE-OFF News March/April 2012

President’s Message 2

From the Field 3

Meeting Schedules 5

What does GCSAA Mean to You?

6

Highlights from River-Lakes

9

Highlights from The 2012 Al Glaze

11

Inside this issue:

Official Publication of the Golf Course Superinten-

dents Association of Central California. The purpose of this publication is informa-tion and education for the membership. Published

bi-monthly by

GCSACC

5322 N. Leonard

Clovis, CA 93619

Phone (559) 298-4853

Fax (559) 298-6957

Email gcsacc@aol.com

Bob Schneiderhan,

Newsletter Chairman

Mike Scott, CGCS, Editor

2012 Scholarship Recipients We had the high-

est number of scholarship

applications submitted this

year than we have ever

had. As always it is a tre-

mendous job to make the

decision as to who will

receive the funds. This

year the GCSA of Central

California was able to

provide four turf students

with scholarships and one

legacy scholarship.

The 2012 winners

in the turf field of study

were Cody Stewart; Cody

is a Student at Cal Poly

SLO majoring in Environ-

mental Hort Science with a

concentration in Turf grass

Mgmt. He is a 3.4 GPA

and is expected to graduate

in June 2013. Second win-

ner is Tyler Clark: Tyler is a

Agricultural & Environ-

mental Plant Science Major

with a concentration in Turf

grass Mgmt. He is a 3.0

GPA and is expected to

graduate in December 2012.

Third recipient is Michael

Magnani. Mike is a Agricul-

(Continued on page 8)

Page 2

President’s Message by Michael Swing, CGCS

TEE-OFF News

For starters

the BOD

and I

would like

to welcome

Scott Wal-

wyn, Golf

Course Su-

perintendent at the Village Golf

Course in Lompoc for accepting a

vacant position on the Board. Scott

comes with great enthusiasm to the

BOD and he is a welcome addition.

The May meeting was held at

River Lakes Golf Course. If you

know Harry Dawson, he goes the ex-

tra mile in making his course shine

for us and he didn’t disappoint any-

one that attended.

The “Al Glaze Scholarship

and Research Tournament” AKA

“The Glaze” was held at San Joaquin

Country Club on June 12th. Kevin

Wiles was very busy preparing for

this event. I would like to point out

that since Kevin’s arrival at San Joa-

quin CC he has accomplished a lot, so

we all had a wonderful experience.

We are very appreciative that Bayer,

Turf Star, and Syngenta supported us

as major sponsors for this event and

because of this sponsorship we were

able to hand out a great tee prize for

each entrant. This tournament is all

about our goal to provide scholarships

for our legacy program and for the

turf students as well as support Cali-

fornia research, so we greatly appreci-

ated all those commercial members

who sponsored our tees and other spe-

cial events.

July is a time we normally do

not schedule any event due to weather

and staying close to home. However,

this year we have scheduled a retreat

to discuss our Chapter’s Strategic

Planning. During this brainstorming

and self discovery session we hope to

improve our roll in serving the mem-

bership better. To assist us we have

(Continued on page 4)

Michael Swing, CGCS

Page 3 TEE-OFF News

Three locations to serve you

Lancaster Bakersfield Fresno

From the Field Jeff Jensen, GCSAA Field Staff, Southwest Region

How time flies! Summer is

here. I hope all of our members are

enjoying the good weather, spend-

ing time with friends and family

and even getting out to play the

occasional round of golf.

I’d like to give a shout out

to CGCS Pat Finlen and his entire

staff at The Olympic Club in San

Francisco. Pat just hosted the

highly successful 2012 U.S. Open

Championship. If you missed one

of his “Behind the Scenes” presen-

tations earlier this year, you missed

out on a fabulous look at the infra-

structure and preparation required

to host a major championship.

Congratulations on a job well done

and thank you for showing the

world a glimpse of the quality of

golf on the West Coast.

I recently had the opportu-

nity to attend a Southern California

GCSA Assistants Meeting at Whit-

tier Narrows Golf Course in Rose-

mead. I came away impressed with

the knowledge and dedication to the

golf business that these young as-

sistants possess. They are the fu-

ture of our business.

With that in mind, I urge all

of our superintendents to make sure

that your assistants are involved

with your local GCSAA Chapter.

If they are not current members,

take them to an education/golf

event and get them signed up. It’s a

great reward for all of their hard

work and it will provide them with

additional leadership, communica-

tion and networking skills. I realize

that it is often difficult to do this

with shrinking crew sizes, but find-

ing a way to make it a priority will

pay dividends for you and your fa-

cility in the future.

Lastly, I have been fielding

some questions on why GCSAA

changed the dates of the National

Championship and Golf Classic so

that they coincide with the GCSAA

Education Conference and Golf

Industry Show in San Diego Feb. 4-

8, 2013. The move comes as a re-

sult of surveys and feedback from

members, chapters and industry

participants. Respondents indicated

that the length of the tournament

and conference was a deterrent in

attending all or parts of the activi-

ties.

(Continued on page 8)

Page 4

TEE-OFF News

invited Jeff Jensen and Steve Randall of

GCSAA to share what other chapters are do-

ing in these difficult times and help in defin-

ing what works best for us. This is where you

come into play. We need your impute as to

what you want in making your participation a

meaningful and

rewarding experi-

ence. Please

share your ideas

with any of the

Board Members

or pass them

along to Irene

Cline, our Execu-

tive Secretary.

President’s Message Continued from page 2

Welcome

New Member

Mathew Conrad

Class A

Riverside G.C.

Pete Bowman

Class E,

Target Specialty

Products

men and Farmload Distributers, was won by Marvin Burns of

Visalia.

In addition to the tournament winners we were able to intro-

duce several guests that attended the 30th Anniversary event. Rafael

Barajas, CGCS, GCSAA Board of Director and Jeff Jensen, GCSAA

Field Staff joined in. It was an honor to have representatives from

our National organization realize the importance of our efforts. In

addition a plaque was given to Kevin Friesen, CGCS to acknowl-

edge his dedication and hard work for our chapter. Kevin served as

a board member for many years and worked very hard to bring the

Central California to the forefront. We congratulate Kevin on his

hard work.

We want to thank Kevin Wiles and his crew for providing

such an excellent venue. The food was excellent and plentiful. The

service was superb.

With the funds raised this year we hope to provide several

scholarships for deserving students next year, as well as provide

funds for our legacy scholarship fund. In addition. this year we hope

to provide very needed research dollars for research in California.

Scholarship Tournament Continued from page 1

Page 5

TEE-OFF News

July 17, 2012 Strategic Planning Session

GCSACC Board of Directors

No Monthly Association Meeting

August 13, 2012

Tri Chapter Meeting Stone Brae C.C.

Hosted by Northern California GCSA

September 17, 2012 Annual Election Meeting

Village Country Club

Host Superintendent

Scott Walwyn

October 2012 Annual Charities Event

Madera Country Club

Date to be confirmed

November 2012 Date and Location to

Be determined

December 8, 2012 Annual Holiday Event

Window On The Water

Morro Bay

Meeting Schedule

TURF PRO 2012

Dairy Creek Golf Course

2990 Dairy Creek Road

San Luis Obispo, CA 93405

September 12, 2012

November 14, 2012

Copper River Country Club

11500 N. Friant Road

Fresno, CA 93730

September 13, 2012

November 15, 2012

What does GCSAA mean to you? by Josh Heptig

Page 6 TEE-OFF News

This is the question, and I

am curious to hear the answer from

all of our members. Perhaps more

specifically, the question is “What

benefit do you derive as a member

of the GCSAA?” I am hopeful that

everyone could rattle off 2-3 items

rather quickly. Items like career

resources, continued education,

governmental compliance, peer

contacts, member discounts, the

Golf Industry and Show, etc. My

list of benefits is quite long, as are

the lists of our other board mem-

bers.

In March, I had the oppor-

tunity to attend a GCSAA leader-

ship conference in Lawrence, Kan-

sas. I am originally from the state

of Kansas and have been to head-

quarters a number of times through

class field trips during my studies

in Golf Course Management at

Kansas State University just west of

Lawrence on I-70. I have always

been a proud supporter of the

GCSAA, that being said, I was a bit

skeptical about what I was going to

see and hear when I was asked to

attend this training session (and not

just because it was being held in the

town of my alma mater’s rival just

after Final Four weekend), but be-

cause I was afraid it would be a

sales pitch about the greatness of

GCSAA.

The training was kicked off

by Rhett Evans, the CEO of

GCSAA. Rhett spoke about what

we were to expect over the next

couple of days as well as issues

affecting our industry and how

GCSAA is acting and partnering to

lead the golf industry forward. He

talked about the Golf Industry and

Show and asked for each of the at-

tendees input. I assure you the room

did not give him a pass on that one.

He received some tough questions

and comments regarding the educa-

tion, golf tournament, and overall

conference. At that time, GCSAA

was considering some changes

based upon feedback that had been

received and many of those changes

have been announced over that past

few weeks. Some of the changes

include: condensing the GIS, hold-

ing the golf event near the show

location, and having some overlap

between the events so that costs can

be controlled by the GCSAA and

its members. Just another way the

GCSAA is adding value to our

members.

Representatives from all

over the US were in attendance and

I was able to make some great con-

tacts that have already

proven useful. Daily

activities involved

Financial Health, Pro-

fessional Develop-

ment, Certification,

the Environmental

Institute for Golf

(EIFG), Field Staff,

Government Rela-

tions, and of course

Leadership. Many of

these topics are self-

explanatory, but much

of the discussion re-

volved around chapter

participation and how

can we continue to be

viable.

A lot of great

ideas were tossed

around in the different

sessions that allowed

for more small group

discussion. There was

one session that fo-

cused strictly on chap-

ter attendance and

participation to assist all of us in

our own fight to increase meeting

attendance and add value to our

individual chapters. A multitude of

ideas and knowledge existed within

the room and there were great ideas

that our Board will be considering

for implementation within our Cen-

tral California Chapter.

Our Board will be meeting

in July for a strategic planning ses-

sion that will involve our Field Rep,

Jeff Jensen, and GCSAA Chapter

Outreach Manager, Steve Randall.

We will be meeting to plan for our

future and how we can best serve

each of you GCSAA members.

We strive to add value to

your membership and value your

input greatly.

(Continued on page 7)

Continued on page 7

Page 7 TEE-OFF News

Golf Course Materials

Topdressing Sand - Bunker Sand

Decomposed Granite - Drain Rock

1/8” Minus Turf & Tee Bulk Humus

Brush Removal Call for competitive rates

David Knott, Inc.

(559) 449-8935 or (559) 760-5387

What does GCSAA mean to you? Continued from Page 6

Chapter events give us all the

ability to come together and share

our successes and trials with one

another as a group of individuals

with similar lives.

This is our association

and without providing our direct

input, we are not sure how best to

serve you. All of the board mem-

bers desire to provide the services

and value that our members seek,

so that we can build a strong

Chapter that includes meetings

and other offerings that our mem-

bers cannot wait to take advan-

tage of.

I would love to hear from

you and I can be reached at

jheptig@co.slo.ca.us or (805) 781

-1318 to field any of your ques-

tions or comments.

Many great events are on

the horizon and summer is here.

If we all work together we can

strengthen our Chapter to make it

successful for many more years

just as we do our root systems to

make it through the summer heat

and stress. Best wishes for the

summer season!

Calling all dogs!

Nominations for Lebanon Turf's 2013 Dog

Days of Golf Calendar are now open.

Enter your dog for a chance to appear in

the calendar, which will be mailed with the

November issue of Golf Course Manage-

ment magazine. If selected for the calen-

dar, your pup will have a chance to be

crowned 2013 Dog of the Year, earning

$3,000 for your affiliated chapter, $500 for

your local humane society, and $500 for

you. Entries are being accepted through

Aug. 1, 2012.

From the Field Continued From Page 3

Page 8 TEE-OFF News

The move will help condense

the events and those who choose to

play in the National Championship and

Golf Classic will still have numerous

educational opportunities available

Wednesday, Thursday and Friday in-

cluding sessions that will be held on

the tradeshow floor.

Have a great summer and I

look forward to seeing you at upcom-

ing events. If you have any questions,

don’t hesitate to contact me at

jjensen@gcsaa.org.

tural Environmental Plant Science Major with a concentration in Turf grass

Mgmt also. He, too. is a 3.0 GPA with graduation in December in 2012.

We are proud to honor these young gentlemen and hope that they will con-

tinue in their field of study and work towards positions as Golf Course Su-

perintendents.

In addition to our strong commitment to the

greens industry and the turf students in our area.

We also want to provide opportunities to the chil-

dren of our members. That is why we established

the Legacy program. This year’s recipient of the

2012 Legacy Award was Zach Elliott. Zach is the

son of Tom Elliott, CGCS. Zach is entering college

at Arizona State University studying biological sci-

ences. His ultimate goal is medical school.

None of this would be possible if not for the

support of our members and, especially, our affiliate

members who continue year after year to provide

funding for our programs and events. Thank you to

all.

2012 Scholarship Recipients

Continued From Page 3

Tom Elliott, CGCS ac-

cepts the check for his

son Zech

Page 9 TEE-OFF News

Highlights from River Lakes

Pictured at left are Association President Mike Swing, CGCS

with host superintendent Harry Dawson. Congratulations

Harry on such a beautiful course.

Below from left are Jeff Jensen, GCSAA Field

Staff, Mike Swing, Troy Thompson, and Scott Furtak

From the left are Jeff Jensen, Kevin

Eppich and Mike Farman

At left Toro Trophy Winners

for Best Net Score are the team

from Riverside G.C. Matt Con-

rad, Carlos Grier, Adam Pohll,

and Lance Rohrmann

At Right is the team

from Riverbend G.C. and the

First Place Gross Score Win-

ners, Mike Stieler, Bill Galli,

Danny Panicia, and Ron

Toomajian. Bottom left is Host Superintendent

Kevin Wiles and Mike Swing, Below is the 2nd Place

Net Team from Belmont, Craig Johnson, Raenne

Scheidt, Sal Gonzales, and Todd Hansen.

At right is Kevin

Friesen, CGCS,

and Mike Swing,

CGCS

Page 10

TEE-OFF News

For over 80 years the

specialty seed source for:

-Native Grasses and

Wildflowers

-Kikuyu, Paspalum,

Hybrid Bermuda

-Bentgrasses, Fine

Fescues, Ryegrasses

Golf Course Representa-

tives:

Al Glaze Scholarship & Research Tournament Highlights

Page 11

TEE-OFF News

Thank You to our Sponsors

PRESIDENT

MICHAEL SWING, CGCS

VISALIA COUNTRY CLUB

SECRETARY/TREASURER VICE PRESIDENT

JOSH HEPTIG BRIAN DAUM

SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY VALLEY CREST/PALO ALTO G.C.

2011/2012 GCSACC BOARD OF DIRECTORS

TROY THOMPSON

RIVERSIDE G. C.

TRINI HERNANDEZ

BOB SCHNEIDERHAN

CAL POLY SLO

KEVIN EPPICH

TURF STAR

ANDY FERNANDEZ

AB TURF/HUSTLER TURF EQUIP.

BOARD MEMBERS

EXECUTIVE SECRETARY

IRENE CLINE

PHONE (559) 298-4853 FAX (559) 298-6957

EMAIL gcsacc@aol.com

5322. N. Leonard Ave.

Clovis, CA 93619

SCOTT WALWYN

THE VILLAGE C.C.