Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/319149
WESTERN CANADA TURFGRASS ASSOCIATION 17 WCTA Board of Directors or awards committee selecting students for this very award. I am going into my sixth season at Sandpiper Golf Course and I look forward to another great year. I do not know exactly what my future career path looks like, but if I am surrounded with the knowledgeable and supportive indus- try professionals of the WCTA I will feel very confident where ever I decide to go. Sincerely, Brendan Rutley LANDEN HUCULAK Dear WCTA Board of Directors, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the entire Western Canadian Turfgrass Asso- ciation for selecting myself as one of the 2014 Scholarship award recipients. It is a tremen- dous honor to be recognized by such an excep- tional organization while I complete my final semester of the two-year Turf Management Program at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. This scholarship award will greatly contribute financially to my studies and also the develop- ment of my career in the turfgrass industry. Over the past two years as being a part of the Kwantlen Turf Club I have really got to know several different turf managers, and what has been clear right from the get-go was how helpful and open each of them have been towards myself as a student. This is what makes this industry so unique is how everyone wants to see others succeed and they would also go that extra mile to help anyone that needs it. I would also like to thank both Mr. Stan- ley Kazymerchyk and Mr. Jason Hooper for your mentoring and guidance over the years. Your continued support and confidence in me will help me to push myself into reaching my ultimate goal of becoming a Golf Course Superintendent. Sincerely, Landen Huculak Kwantlen Polytechnic University In a letter to each of the students, Soro- kovsky stated, "I'm sure the value of such an award will stay with you for years to come and perhaps at some point, it will be you making selections for a new generation of turf students. Once again, congratulations and keep up the good work! We trust that the education and experience provided by your Turfgrass Program will serve you well in the years to come and know that the WCTA will be there at your service. We hope you will continue taking an active role in all associa- tion functions." WCTA During a conversation with a good friend of mine recently, he confirmed that the new Bermuda grass fairways sprigged last fall were coming along now that the weather had warmed up. Then the conversation turned to how the chemical side of the equation in conjunction with an aerifying and sand topdressing program was being achieved. During this entire 32-minute conversa- tion on my new Smartphone, not once were the club's greens or bunkers mentioned, and probably for good reason. Eight years earlier when I started working with this club, the only conversation was about how to bring the greens up to the level that the members expected and how long it would take to get them there. Now they were meeting mem- bers' expectations. Then the conversation turned to the bun- kers, a project that also had been completed. The fairways, the club's third project, had come in very successfully during their first growing season. We learned a tremendous amount during this eight-year period about getting the greens and bunkers where they were expected to be, but most importantly we learned how to keep them there. A combination of physical properties science and soil chemistry science combined with common sense and hard work has resulted in this course being one of the finest in northern California, which by the way has a waiting list for members. It's a drive for perfection … "It never ends." Over the last 20-plus years I have worked with thousands of golf course superinten- dents, grounds managers, owners, green com- mittees, boards of directors, general manag- ers and only God knows who else, and in all of this time I've come to realize that there will always be another project and that's what is so exciting about the turf industry. The last three months I've had the privi- lege of sitting in on and being a part of seven board and green committee meetings. Six meetings were most enjoyable and it was a pleasure to participate. The club mem- bers of these six golf courses realize that their responsibilities are ongoing and that "it never ends." The soil and plant chemistry industry has made tremendous strides during the time ISTRC has been involved in researching and monitoring the physical properties of sports turf soils. The two provide a vast assortment of solutions to us as an industry in providing a consistent high quality turf that was not thought of just a few short years ago. The equipment manufacturers have done an outstanding job of listening to the needs of the industry by helping us maintain this high quality of turf that is demanded. Most of all aerifying equipment manufactured over the last five years has variable spacing with variable-size tines as standard, allowing us to be more effective in meeting the agronomic needs while at the same time causing mini- mum disruption to the surface area. Technical advancement, "it never ends." Advancement in understanding the physi- cal properties of soil has become extremely important in allowing us to get a grip on keeping moisture levels in our soil mixes at levels – not too wet and not too dry. The equipment industry has provided us with soil moisture meter probes that, when inserted into the turf to a depth of between two and four inches, provide us with the moisture content. This reading allows us to irrigate in the proper amounts into the proper area of a green or turf. That means no more guessing about the amount of water needed to get the job done. These above ground moisture meters are a tremendous tool for healthy turf and water conservation … this research, "It never ends." But what happened at the meeting with members at the seventh club? The mem- bers did not embrace the challenge to allow themselves to move forward. Rather than embracing and enjoying the challenge, they chose to spend over two hours bitching and pointing fingers. What a waste, and like I said, "It never ends." Dave Doherty is CEO and founder of the International Sports Turf Research Center, Inc. (ISTRC) and holds three patents regard- ing the testing of sand and soil-based greens. He can be reached at 913-706-6635 or via email: daveistrc@hotmail.com WCTA BOARDROOM YARN BY DAVID L. DOHERTY IT NEVER ENDS