President's Message
Dear CTGCSA Members,

As I sit in my office on this very hot June afternoon, happy to be in the air conditioned, I think back on all we have gone through this year.  We had an excellent education opportunity back in January, a great turnout for our March Legacy Scholarship tournament, McClure Match Play championship, and we just hosted our Superintendent Championship.  The year is going by fast.  I think we have tried to tweak a few of our events this year, some successful and some still could use some tweaking.  I have been honored to be your President over the past months and really appreciate all the support.  Looking ahead through my sweaty sunglasses we do not have anything planned until October.  I have been asked why we "got rid of summer events" and I can only tell you that we made this decision simply on prior year's numbers.  The attendance and difficulty of being able to get away for a day during these months is really tough for many of us.  Between aerification, bunker projects, meetings, hopefully summer vacations (sorry bentgrass guys, that's what you call a few days off during the summer) and all the work piled on makes it hard for us to justify a meeting.  But some things to look forward to as we grind out the dog days.  October we will again host our Crew Appreciation event.  That will be held in Austin.  In November we will host our annual meeting which will have a great line up of speakers.  Follow that by our Toy Drive, also to be held in Austin will conclude our year.  I know that is a long time off, but I hope to give you all ample time to plan.
 
I was privileged to host many of you at Sonterra in June for our Superintendent Championship.  As with most events, I was nervous to be hosting 40+ professionals to see all the things I could do better as a superintendent.  However, I want to say Thank you for all the support and kind words.  Which leads me to a bit of a soapbox.  As with many of you, there are always things that WE could do better.  Perhaps it's getting more things string trimmed or changing fertility management or application of fungicides but at the end of the day I think most of us know that we are always striving for better.  When I am fortunate enough to play on another golf course, I always make the effort to call that Superintendent just to give him the courtesy call to let him know I will be out there.  Not to make him feel uncomfortable or not to let him know that I will evaluating his product, but just as a courtesy.  I feel this has been lost over the years.  Additionally, I have been asked in the past by someone I was playing with.  "What do you think is going on here?  Would you be worried?"  I make it a point to always tell whomever I am playing with, listen, I don't have a clue what the superintendent is struggling with.  His pump station could have been down, he may be facing severe budget cuts, he hasn't been able to do things culturally that some take for granted.  I don't know, hence I will not and cannot form an opinion.  I just want to shank as few balls as possible.  I feel this small bit of courtesy has been lost.  Sorry, but I am sure many of you stopped reading quite a while back, but those of you still with me, I know you know what I am talking about.  I really have enjoyed being your President the past 8 months and look forward to seeing where we go from here.  Until next time!
   
Best Regards,
Donny C. Latham
CTGCSA President 2016

Upcoming Events

TEXAS TURFGRASS ASSOCIATION
SUMMER CONFERENCE & 
EQUIPMENT RODEO 
 
HYATT LOST PINES RESORT (BASTROP)
JULY17-19, 2016


Lone Star GCSA
presents the
31st Annual Texas Trophy

Amarillo Country Club/Ross Rogers Golf Complex
September 25, 26 and 27th, 2016


 
Top Stories
11th ANNUAL GREEN START ACADEMY
World-class training for assistant superintendents
October 19 - 21, 2016



We're looking for the top 50 assistant superintendents.
Are you one of them?
 

Applications are now being accepted for the 2016 Green Start Academy, a leadership and development program at the Bayer and John Deere facilities in North Carolina,  October 19 - 21, 2016.
 
Attendees have the unique opportunity to network with peers and receive valuable insights from industry leaders. With topics from career development to budgeting to labor management, the Green Start Academy provides attendees with the education, networking and career insights they need to excel as superintendents and lead our industry into the next decade and beyond.
 
To apply, assistant superintendents must submit an online application, résumé, cover letter and an essay on the future of the golf industry. The 2016 advisory panel will evaluate and select the 50 highest-ranked applicants to attend the October event.
Deadline for application is Sunday, July 10, 2016.
 
Event Wrap Ups

Cowan's Tin Cup Champs! Congratulations to Matt Cowan and his team of Merrymen. Burger's Bushwood Boys put up a good fight but in the end the Tin Cuppers prevailed 17-1/2 to 12-1/2. And congratulations on a near perfect "all blue" shirt turnout. Next year we will have to work on the 50 shades of blue.

David Shackelford and the team from Austin Turf and Tractor provided tasty halfway snacks. Thanks for supporting the Central Texas GCSA.

Chad Mobley, Ted McClure and Clark Wheatley enjoying a friendly moment prior to teeing off. Mr. McClure was one of the founding members of the CTGCSA. If you would like to learn more about him click here.
Captains Bruce Burger and Matt Cowan present host superintendent Paul Lane an appreciation plaque prior to the golf festivities. The course was in outstanding condition. Thank you Paul Lane and staff for making it a great day.
Brody Dillard is all smiles after winning the 50/50 pot. Your contributions to the 50/50
pot help fund scholarships for students of our members.


The Rest of the Photos
The day started with a great educational session provided by Chuck Watson with PTP and Corby White with Helena. Helena was the title sponsor of the day and thanks to them the event was a success. We love our sponsors!

Cash Lane won the Superintendent championship flight (left). Trevor Ogden and Corby White offered moral support on a great day at Sonterra.

The Shootout peanut gallery provided support to the finalists. The shootout included the winner and runner-ups from each flight. The six players battled three extra holes before a champion was crowned.
 
Our two shootout finalists were TJ Arispe and Robby Jan. They provided an exciting 18th hole finish with TJ gentlemanly conceding a birdie putt to give Robby the victory.

Click the picture above for a video of our two champions on the final hole.

Thanks to everyone that participated and to Donny Latham and Sonterra for hosting the Central Texas GCSA. Everyone had a great time and look forward to visiting again. Thank you for your hospitality.
 
The Rest of the Photos
GCSAA News and Updates



Submit a photo by Aug. 1, 2016 to share your best friend with the world!. From the submissions, 14 dogs will be selected. The winner's owner will receive a $500 prize and $3,000 for his or her GCSAA-affiliated chapter. A $1,000 charitable donation will also be made by GCSAA and LebanonTurf in honor of the winner.

Be sure to stop by LebanonTurf's booth at the Golf Industry Show next February in Orlando to place your vote for 2017 Dog of the Year.

LebanonTurf has been supporting golf course superintendents and their chapters through the Dog Days of Golf Calendar for more than a decade.

GCSAA symposium builds chapter strength, effectiveness
Leaders from 27 chapters participate in event

Forty-seven leaders from 27 affiliated chapters strengthened their leadership
skills at the 2016  Chapter  Leader/Executive Symposium, March 29-30 at GCSAA headquarters in Lawrence, Kan.
 
The symposium is funded, in part, by the Williams Leadership Endowment Fund through the Environmental Institute for Golf (EIFG).
 
This annual event allows chapters to send a volunteer leader and association staff. The program is intended to strengthen each chapter's leadership team, build on successes and learn new concepts and ideas to support chapter effectiveness.
 
The attendees participate in sessions focused on a broad segment of volunteer and association management topics with plenty of time to network with their peers from around the country. GCSAA staff also highlighted the various ways the association can assist in chapter operations. In addition, the attendees broke off into separate groups focused on issues related to region and role.
 
GCSAA CEO J. Rhett Evans opened the session focusing how chapters can host successful events. Evans discussed a variety of needs in getting strong attendance and participation. Events must add value for attendees. Understanding people's needs and then exceeding expectations are what drive success. Chapters also had the opportunity to learn from one another.
 
Irene Cline and Bill Hamilton, CGCS, of the Sierra Nevada GCSA presented on adding outreach events to drive participation, membership and exposure. While Brian Laurent of the Miami Valley GCSA discussed the process for enhancing chapter websites and integrating association management systems to aid in chapter effectiveness.
 
Following updates on the Environmental Institute for Golf, marketing, communications and chapter outreach grants, J.D. Dockstader, chief operating officer, discussed GCSAA key initiatives, including strong satisfaction statistics from the recent Golf Industry Show in San Diego.
 
Tuesday concluded with round-table discussions focusing on:
  • Board recruitment/orientation
  • Member engagement/retention
  • Tournament structure/attendance
  • Sponsorship opportunities
  • Unique meeting formats
This session was the first of its kind during the history of the event and allowed for sharing of best management practices.
 
On Wednesday, Steve Randall, director of chapter Outreach discussed "Our Outreach Journey" with attendees. The session focused on communication and leadership strategies to aide both chapters and individual members. The presentation combined what is being done in the field with ideas to improve and enhance communication and leadership skills. The session concluded with discussions on social media and regional round-tables.
 
A Note from Carol

This was a great event and I hope a Central Texas leader will be able to attend with me next year.


2016 Annual Sponsors


2016 Event Calendar
October 3, 2016 - Crew Appreciation Championship
Jimmy Clay Golf Course
Sponsored by PMTS - TShirts
Sponsored by AVAILABLE - Lunch

November 7, 2016 - Annual Meeting
Plum Creek
Sponsored by WinField Solutions

December 5, 2016 - Toy Drive
UT Golf Club
Sponsored by Harrell's - Lunch & Awards
Sponsored by Turf Care of Texas - Prizes

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