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We have purchased two 12-volt pumpsfor the fuel tanks in case of power loss.We have a generator big enough to runmiscellaneous shop items.We do our major tree-trim projects earlyin the summer — June or July — insteadof waiting until September.During the summer we minimize golf-course items on the course — hazardstakes, ball washers, trash cans, etc.There are many more things you coulddo if you had unlimited funds, such aspurchase a large generator for the pumpstation.Secure a tree-trimming company’s servicebut they are going to go where the bigmoney is. When they finish with high-

income projects, they come and takecare of Hobe Sound Golf Club.

Roy MacDonald, GCSHobe Sound Golf Club, Vero Beach

I have considered this question sinceyour original e-mail. As a cracker andresident of Southwest Florida since 1964,I was shocked when we were hit by ahurricane in 2004. I really had convincedmyself that it would never happen. Someof these items may sound ridiculous, butsince you asked:Mentally prepare that we may/will have ahurricane.This winter prepare the materials neces-sary to secure my house and course.When/if we have a potential hurricane,try to keep the staff well informed, butdo not allow the potential storm to be

I would continue to make sure that I hadlocal contractors set up prior to hurricaneseason, ones that you can rely on to bethere and hopefully you have doneenough business with over the year oryears to get their best prices. There are alot of people that come into town orraise their rates through the roof afterthe hurricane. (Editor’s Note: There is a law againstprice gouging. Contact CommissionerBronson’s Office in Tallahassee is yoususpect this is happening).After the hurricane we contracted acompany that installs our palms trees tocome out and stand and stake as manytrees as possible, which took a lot ofwork off my staff and got thetrees up quickly.At the beginning of the seasonwe will buy a pallet or so ofwater and numerous non-per-ishable items to feed the guyswho are working after thestorm — lunch, breakfast etc,— until power is restored. One thing that was very helpfuland that my administrativeassistant, Jean Mears, came upwith was to go to the Board and havethem approve all expenses that had todo with the storm be put into the capitalbudget, which saved my operationalexpenses.

Matthew R. Taylor, CGCSRoyal Poinciana Club, Naples

We go into hurricane preparation 48hours prior to storm hitting. I am pro-active in making an early decision.Park large equipment in front andbehind all overhead doors.Our chain saw inventory has tripled andchain inventory is 10 times what it wasbefore 2004.We stockpile fuel. We usually only keep500 gallons each of unleaded and dieselon hand for insurance reasons and wehave a 1000-gallon capacity for each.

an obsession.Have a safety plan for family if thepotential becomes great, so you can alsogo to work knowing they are safe andsecure.Encourage the staff to have a safetyplan, but also communicate the need forthem at work after the storm passes.Stay calm and organized during theclean-up. Try to communicate realisticexpectations up the chain of command.Remain positive in all things.

Mike Mongoven, CGCSShell Point Golf Club, Ft. Myers

There are a few things I would do differ-ently from what I have done in the past.

I normally rent a medium-sizeloader with tree boom or back-hoe before the storm. Instead Iwould get a very big loader withtree boom next time. I alsowould rent another dump truckto help with removal of material.I have done this once before butdidn’t for Wilma, unfortunately.I would get a tree company linedup to come in the day after thestorm. It seems that other cours-

es have established relationships with alot of the local tree companies. I haveconnections, too, but if a local company isnot available, then I would contact a treecompany in another part of the state thatwould not be affected by the hurricane.It is even possible to contact others inanother state. They like coming down ifthe price is right.Get your generators ready, especially torun your fuel tanks. Everyone, I’m sure,gets their tanks fueled up. If money isn’ta problem, then get a generator largeenough to run at least the irrigationjockey pump at the pumphouse. Ialways get one or two more chain sawswith oil and gas mix to handle theincreased tree work and breakdowns.

Craig Weyandt, CGCSThe Moorings Golf Club, Vero Beach

The Quarterly QuestionGiven the very active hurricane seasons of 2004 and 2005, with numerous Florida landfalls, what if anything

are you planning or doing differently to prepare for the next hurricane season?

S U P E R I N T E N D E N T S J O U R N A L

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Photo Contest Results

2006 PHOTO CONTEST RULES

Category 1 – Wildlife on the course: anycritter on the course that walks flies, swims,slithers or crawls.

Category 2 – Formal Landscaping: annualsand ornamental shrubs and trees planted informal beds on the course or club entrance.Category 3 – Native Areas: beds of native

plants including trees, shrubs and grassesused in naturalized areas to reduce turfinputs and aquatic vegetation plantings usedto create habitat and protect water quality.Category 4 – Scenic Hole: includes any viewof a golf hole (panoramic or close up) thatdemonstrates the scenic beauty of a golfcourse.

EASY RULES

1. Color prints or slides. Prefer prints. Onlyone entry per category. Digital images:Digital-image entries must be taken at a res-olution setting of 300 dpi or higher andsaved as jpeg or tif format images. Imagestaken, saved and sent at lower resolutionswill not qualify for the contest. If you’re notsure. Send a print instead.

2. Photo must be taken on an FGCSA mem-ber’s course. Photo must be taken by anFGCSA member or a member of his or herstaff.

3. Attach a label on the back of the print orslide which identifies the category, courseand photographer. DO NOT WRITEDIRECTLY ON THE BACK OF THE PRINT.Each print shall be attached to an 8.5” x 11”sheet of paper using a loop of masking tapeon the back of the print. Slides should be inplastic sleeves for easy access for viewing.Digital images must be accompanied by thesame information in an email or document,or on a CD.

4. A caption identifying the category, courseand photographer should be typed or print-ed on the sheet of paper below the mountedprint.

5. Judging will be done by a panel of FGCSAmembers not participating in the contest.

6. Mail entries in a bend-proof packagemarked PHOTOS DO NOT BEND to JoelJackson, 6780 Tamarind Circle, Orlando,32819. Entries postmarked after Aug. 1, 2006automatically will be entered in the 2007Photo Contest.

First Place – Snapdragons give some snap to this native area on the second hole atthe Lansbrook G.C. Photo by Teri Hoisington.

Second Place – Bright red bromeliad bed under the oaks at No. 18 tee. Photo by TomBiggy.

Category 3 – Native Areas and Plants

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So, my point is?Out with the old and inwith the new on the footballfields of America. Let’s getguys in those Zebra outfitswho can run, see, and have abrain in their heads.

It’s MastersSunday, 16th green;DiMarco leads Woods by 2shots. Tiger hits it in a hor-rible spot to try to salvagepar with the traditionalSunday placement. The chipplops on the green, tricklesacross the slope feedingdown the hill and then, inslow motion with the Nikelogo on display to the entiregolfing world, the ball dropsinto the hole for birdie,paving the way for Tiger tosnatch victory from the jawsof defeat and win his fourthMasters title.

Bad call of the yearaward goes to the officialswho ruled that Michele Wiedropped her ball improper-ly, paving the way for her tobe disqualified. Rememberthe re-enactment took placethe next day and was guidedby TV footage from a badangle. And yes, the infrac-tion was pointed out by anarmchair knucklehead.Reminds me of the time theWalrus was disqualified forbuilding a stance by placinga towel on the ground tokeep his pants from gettingruined by the muddy areawhere his ball had come torest.

While we’re at it,let’s get the USGA to re-evaluate some of the goofyrules we have in our won-derful game and let com-mon sense rewrite the book.Think it doesn’t need tohappen? Remember thetime 20 people who moveda boulder the size of RhodeIsland out of Tiger’s line of

luster performance in thatgame brought former CaneWarren Sapp to call it an“embarrassment and dis-grace to the program.” Iguess it’s not all bad sincethe Gators handed the ’Nolestheir fourth loss of the sea-son, which kind of madeUrban (sprawl) (Oscar)Meyer’s year.

Can anyone stopthe Colts? Remember, theseason will be over beforethis is read, so I’ll go out ona limb and say, “maybe.” Ican say that if anyone dupli-cates the Dolphins perfectseason, then PeytonManning and Tony Dungyare the type of good guyswho should do it.

Wasn’t it great tosee George’s $175 millionAll-Star team not make it tothe World Series again?

Tiger won $10 mil-lion again this year. Annikawon 10 times this year. Sheonly played in 20.

I almost forgot tobash the Dolphins. No, Iwon’t kick a sick dog whenit’s down. I did notice JerryGlanville is still alive andcoaching in Hawaii. SouthFlorida has the same bighotels and white sand beach-es. The weather is about thesame, although it’s hotter inMiami in the summertime.Maybe there’s still a chanceand maybe there’s hope forthe Fins.

Seems our belovedMarlins are threatening toleave our fair city again. Thetaxpayers are still being stub-born about building that$350 million stadium withthe retractable roof. And thecity, county and state gov-ernments won’t pony upeither.

Happy 2006 to allof you and your families.

Not-so-Instant Replays

RewindingYear 2005

As I sit at my com-puter on the Sunday afterThanksgiving, it distressesme to realize there weremore turkeys on the footballfield with whistles and zebrastripes than there were onAmerica’s dining roomtables.

Granted there was alot of football on TV the lastfew days, but the number ofbad calls seems to increasewith each passing week. Eveninstant replay doesn’t helpmuch with the bad callsturning games around morethan the teams on the field.

I think the game istoo fast now for all the gray-beards they have calling thegames. A former NFL officialwhom I know — and whoworked five Super Bowls —told me that you have towork in a major conferencefor 10 years before you evenget a sniff of working in thebig show.

sight under the loose imped-iment rule? No penalty? Irest my case.

How fantastic was itto see Michael Campbell winthe US Open and breakdown in tears of happinessand relief that his career wasreborn by that gusty per-formance?

How marvelousand funny was it to see FredFunk slip into a skirt afterbeing out-driven by Annikaat the Skins Game? Then,knock it on the par-fiveninth in two and roll in aneagle putt for $225,000…and a new Explorer for somelucky duck who picked hisname out of the hat andthought to himself, “Great,I’ve got the guy who wasout-hit by the girl a fewholes ago.” This is the sameDoctor of Funk who wonthe Players Championshipin March, and will turn 50in a few months. GoFreddie. Go Terps. P.S. OnSunday Fred won every holeon the back nine and fin-ished with $925,000 for theevent. Not bad for a guywho averaged only 275 offthe tee.

Back to the grid-iron: Another bad year forHurricane fans who thoughtthat since all their playerswere out on bail or parole,they would have a greatchance to win the NationalChampionship. They went toTallahassee for their seasonopener, played a dreadfulgame and lost to “Aw shucks,it wern’t nuthin” Bowden.Then they win eight straight,culminating with a butt-whipping of Virginia Tech atBlacksburg, only to return tothe Orange Bowl the nextweek and get out-played andout-coached by theRambling Wreck. Their lack-Jim Walker

AS IT LIES

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ly to be hoping for allocations from current stockpilesof material manufactured before the phase-out. It maylast my lifetime, but will it be available for you 20- or30-something supers? Who knows? The point is, wehave no viable alternative product that is as safe asMeBr. Construction and renovation of golf coursesmay require much more time, effort and money forgrowing in. Better start letting owners, developers andmembers know about this potential setback.

ARSENIC AND OLD MSMAAnd last is the latest hot potato, concern

over arsenic levels and the use of the herbicide,MSMA. You can put a soil or water sample in boilingacid and reduce it to calculate the total arsenic in thesample. The trouble is, you can’t tell what the source ofthe arsenic is. Arsenic is a naturally occurring elementlike carbon, calcium, magnesium,iron, silicon, lead,gold, silver, etc. Besides being found in a monosodiummethanearsonate molecule, arsenic can be found inrock formations, mineral deposits, sea shells, mulch,treated lumber, soil (native and exotic hauled in forconstruction), reclaimed water and fertilizer.

I mention fertilizer last because if there’sone thing we apply more than MSMA, it is fertilizer.Food for thought as EPA and Florida regulators take ahard look at the possible link between the herbicideand the high levels of arsenic associated with golfcourse samples. MSMA is the only currently availableherbicide that offers some control of tropical signal-grass and it’s the primary crabgrass control for many.

Are you ready for possible limits on the useof MSMA? EPA is currently doing a re-registrationstudy on MSMA and, given the emotional baggage thatthe word “arsenic” generates, the pressure is on regula-tors to come up some plan of action and it likelytranslates to label changes at the least and banishmentat the worst. If you depend on MSMA to control someof the more persistent grassy weeds, you need to bepreparing your chain of command that this tool maysoon be removed from the toolbox.

The reality is that we will continue to loseproducts — especially old generic chemistry — asnew specific products are developed. And in manycases that loss is not a bad thing environmentally. Butthe reality is that your programs will change and costswill go up. The threshold levels of infestations mayhave to change and providing flawless, pristine condi-tions may be a thing of the past.

As the steward of nature’s resources and theclub’s financial resources, it falls on you to provide thebest playing conditions possible. Meanwhile keep yourchain of command informed and diplomatically givethem a bite of reality so they aren’t in denial whenthese products go away and some pest effects aremore noticeable.

The New Year is upon us and life goes on.There will be good days and there will be bad days.That’s life.

We’ve all heard the cliche,“It’s not what hap-pens to us, but how we handle what happens to us.” So,how are you going to handle these chunks of realitythat surely will happen to us in the very near future?

I mention these coming bites of realitybecause you need to be communicating their possible

effects on your turf managementprograms so you can say,“I told youso.” And you need to be checking outpossible alternative solutions, sup-porting turf research and gettingyour owner and members to speakto regulators and politicians. Doesn’tsound like much fun does it?Sometimes reality does bite. Hereare three items that may have vary-

ing effects on your course conditioning and ultimatelymaybe your job retention.

NO MORE NEMACUR

One thing we know for sure: Nemacur willbe gone as of May 31, 2007. As far as I know, the onlyother available product that offers fairly effective con-trol is Curfew, and its slit-injection method can beproblematic depending on your root system. Greenapplications continue to be tested and modified toreduce and/or eliminate possible damage from theprocess. The product isn’t cheap, but cost becomes rel-ative when you need a solution to your “tode” problem.

There are some anecdotal reports of variousorganic/biological products offering some control ofnematodes. Research by Dr. Billy Crow at UF hasuncovered a mustard-seed product, but it isn’t in com-mercial production. Are you prepared to modify cul-tural practices to ease the problem if you can’t affordthe chemical solution? Are you preparing your mem-bers for the possibility of raising heights of cut andusing more water and fertilizers to outgrow the dam-age? Might be a good time to talk about the futurebefore it becomes reality.

METHYL BROMIDE WARS

Second is the geopolitical football, methylbromide. They say it’s an ozone depleter and even ifplanet earth releases more MeBr into the atmospherethan man’s use, the USA and other developed nationsmust cut back on their use of the product. Meanwhile,Third World, or developing, countries may use more;so it’s bad for the environment but OK to use if you’rehaving trouble competing with the U.S. and others.

So my take is that this is a political gameabout redistribution of wealth and not really aboutscientific fact, but the reality is that we in turf are like-

RealityBites

GREEN SIDE UP

Joel Jackson, CGCS