News and announcements: Nov. 3, 2009

Efforts to slow down methyl bromide cancellation successful

At a meeting Oct. 29, senior officials of the U.S. EPA assured GCSAA and manufacturers of methyl bromide (MeBr) that the agency would not cancel golf course MeBr use immediately and will work with the product registrants over the next several weeks to determine a phase-out schedule.

Manufacturers had asked for MeBr to be available until the end of 2014 to allow for suitable alternatives to be developed, but the EPA denied that request. It is hoped the agency will now agree to at least a 3-4 year phase-out schedule. But even in a worst-case scenario, it is likely the phase out would be no sooner than the end of 2011. It is also likely that under any phase-out plan, end users would be able to use any packaged material until the supply is exhausted.

GCSAA members wrote letters and made calls to Congress urging their representatives to press the EPA to agree to a reasonable timetable for an orderly methyl bromide cancellation process. Thanks to these grassroots efforts by members, golf facilities will continue to have access to this important soil fumigant tool for the next couple of years.

DHS issues final rule rescinding “no-match” regulation

Plagued by controversy and legal battles, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has rescinded the proposed 2007 "no-match" rule, which was intended to establish safe harbor procedures for employers to follow if they received Social Security Administration (SSA) no-match letters or DHS notices that questioned the work eligibility information provided by employees. SSA no-match notices are sent to employers when an employee’s name and Social Security number provided on a W-2 earnings report do not match SS records.

Originally scheduled to take effect in September 2007, the rule detailed new steps employers would have had to take when they received a letter from the SSA alerting them that an employee’s name and social security number provided on a W-2 form did not match – including terminating employment if the discrepancy could not be resolved in a short timeframe. The rule also provided for DHS letters to be sent, outlining new, stiffer penalties for hiring undocumented workers.
 
Before the rule went into effect, lawsuits were filed by the AFL-CIO, ACLU and several California labor groups arguing that errors in the SSA database could lead to employer discrimination or firing of native-born U.S. workers and legal immigrant workers.
 
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, American Nursery and Landscape Association and other business organizations had filed a lawsuit against DHS based on the department's failure to comply with the requirements of the Regulatory Flexibility Act, which required government agencies to assess impacts of new regulations on small businesses.
 
SSA had expected to send out 140,000 no-match letters covering 8 million workers. The letters are only issued to employers who have more than 10 no-match workers.
 
Small businesses across the country, including those in the golf and green industries, argued that meeting the requirements of the no-match regulations would have put a real burden on resources, as employers attempted to meet their seasonal hiring needs. Concerns were raised that no-matches are often due to typographical errors or unreported name changes. Business and other groups expressed concern about turning the SSA into an immigration enforcement agency and away from its core mission.
 
Moving forward, DHS has decided to focus its enforcement attention on the use of the voluntary E-verify database system as the tool to prevent the employment of aliens not authorized to work in the U.S. E-verify is an Internet-based system that allows an employer, using information reported on an employee's Form I-9, to determine the eligibility of that employee to work in the U.S. The SSA will also continue to issue no-match letters in the future. Employers should continue to consider implementing internal compliance policies and immigration-related standard operating procedures that include specific guidelines on how to address receipt of no-match letters.

Next week's issue of GCSAA This Week will include more information about the current status of the E-verify program.

Members in China, New Zealand and Nevada prepare for tournament events

This week the PGA Tour travels to Shanghai, China, for the World Golf Championships-HSBC Champions at Sheshan International GC. Class A member Steve Bruton, agronomic consultant, has helped the superintendent prepare a fair challenge for the event. On Nov. 10, Jared Bumpus, Superintendent Member at Rio Secco GC in Henderson, Nev., hosts the Wendy’s 3-Tour Challenge benefiting adoption. Steve Marsden, Class A superintendent at Cape Kidnappers in Hawkes Bay, New Zealand, will host the Kiwi Challenge Nov. 11-12.

Sheshan International GC is set in the rolling hills of a forest, and Bruton credits the favorable weather during the two weeks leading up the event for the optimal course conditions. The bentgrass greens are rolling 12 ½ feet on the Stimpmeter, while the Salam paspalum rough overseeded with ryegrass is 4-6 inches high. Trees were added on holes No. 10 and 16 this year to tighten the landing areas. No. 16, a drivable risk/reward par 4 against a stone quarry, is the signature hole.

At Rio Secco, the hottest September on record was not kind to the perennial ryegrass on the fairways, but Bumpus and his staff kept re-seeding and have the course in great shape. The bentgrass greens are rolling 10-11 feet on the Stimpmeter, and the bermudagrass rough is 1.75 inches high. The course lies at the foothills of the Black Mountain Range and features six holes winding through steep desert canyons, six holes atop plateaus overlooking the Las Vegas skyline, and six holes in a broad desert wash.

The Wendy’s 3-Tour Challenge pits the top three players from the PGA, LPGA and Champions Tours against each other for bragging rights and a share of the $1 million dollar purse. British Open Champion Stewart Cink, Fred Couples and Bubba Watson will represent the PGA Tour; Natalie Gulbis, Cristie Kerr and Suzann Pettersen will play for the LPGA; and U.S. Senior Open Champion Fred Funk, Jay Haas and Nick Price will return from the Champions Tour to defend their title.

ABC will air the event over two days, Dec. 19-20. World Golf Hall of Fame member and golf commentator Judy Rankin will help call the action for ABC. She has been chosen to receive the 2010 Old Tom Morris Award, GCSAA’s highest honor, at the GCSAA Education Conference, held in conjunction with the Golf Industry Show, Feb. 8-12 in San Diego.

Marsden at Cape Kidnappers has been challenged by sleet and rain the last few weeks; but heading into the tournament, the forecast calls for warmer temperatures, which should firm up the course. He aims to have the bentgrass greens rolling 11 feet on the Stimpmeter and the bentgrass/fescue rough 70mm (2.75 inches) high. Ranked No. 4 in Golf Magazine’s 2009 list of the “50 Greatest Golf Courses of the Last 50 Years,” and No. 13 in Golf Digest’s 2009-10 list of the “World’s Greatest Golf Courses,” Cape Kidnappers is also a certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary. NBC will air the Kiwi Challenge Nov. 14-15.

Five members win trips to 2010 conference and show

Congratulations to the winners of the Bayer Superintendent Grant Program: Arin K. Hawkins, Class A member at Raymond Memorial GC in Columbus, Ohio; Stephen G. Hendley, Class A member at Lake Carlsbad GC in Carlsbad, N.M.; Christopher P. Young, Superintendent Member at Port Jervis CC in Port Jervis, N.Y.; Michael D. Painter, Class A member at Meadowbrook GC in Lubbock, Texas; and Donald B. Firestone, Superintendent Member at Capitol City GC in Olympia, Wash. Each grant includes airfare, hotel for five nights, full-pack registration, two seminars and $200 for expenses.

GCSAA to provide limited services the week of Thanksgiving, last week of December

GCSAA has instituted a staff furlough for Nov. 23-25 and will observe the Thanksgiving holiday Nov. 26-27. In addition, GCSAA will be closed Dec. 24-Jan. 1 for the Christmas holiday, for an additional staff furlough Dec. 28-31, and for the New Year's Day holiday Jan. 1.

The association headquarters will provide minimal services through its call center on the days of the furlough.

Rocky Mountain GCSA honors McCleary with Distinguished Service Award

Joe McCleary, CGCS at Saddle Rock GC in Aurora, Colo., was awarded the first Distinguished Service Award from the Rocky Mountain GCSA on Oct. 13 at the chapter’s annual meeting and elections.

McCleary, employed by the City of Aurora, has been at Saddle Rock for the last 13 years and received the award for his outstanding contributions to the field of golf course management in Colorado.
His participation and volunteerism range from the direction and publication of the 2003 Colorado Golf Economic Impact Study, the collection of water usage data from golf courses in Colorado for the 2005 USGS Water Survey, the establishment of the Golf Foundation of Colorado, and the start of the nationally recognized Colorado Golf Carbon Project (with research based in Colorado).

“Joe continues to amaze us with his love for the game of golf, the environment and our profession," said Dave Cahalane, Rocky Mountain GCSA president.

McCleary, who has served on the GCSAA Environmental Committee, created a recycling program at Saddle Rock for Aurora residents and has hosted school groups and the media to successfully illustrate and educate these groups about the benefits of golf courses.
.
“Joe McCleary is a very special golf course superintendent with an unbelievable commitment to the environment,” said Dennis Lyon, Aurora manager of golf. “His ability to merge golf course management with sound environmental and ecological practices has resulted in a synergy at Saddle Rock that has benefitted the entire community. In my opinion, Joe sets the standard for environmental stewardship. The City of Aurora is very proud to have Joe McCleary as one of its employees and congratulates him on the Rocky Mountain Golf Course Superintendents Association Distinguish Service Award.”

California golf associations team with water district for Golf and Water Symposium

Recognizing that all stakeholders need to be involved to effectively manage the Coachella Valley's domestic and irrigation water supplies, the Coachella Valley Water District (CVWD) has again joined with the California State Club Association (CSCA) and the California Alliance for Golf (CAG) for the second annual Golf and Water Symposium, Nov. 12 at the University of California, Riverside's Palm Desert Graduate Center.

The event will bring together leaders from the golf and water industries to address state and local water issues. GCSAA past president Bruce Williams, CGCS, golf industry consultant and a CAG board member, will provide insight on how the golf industry and water districts can work together successfully. In addition, members of the Hi-Lo Desert GCSA Board of Directors, along with community leaders and representatives from the golf industry, will discuss topics such as new water-conserving technology, how to redesign a golf course to use less water, how the economy has had an impact on the golf industry and the importance of cooperative partnerships between the water and golf industries.

Keynote speakers are state Sen. John Benoit, who serves on the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee, and Tim Quinn, executive director of the Association of California Water Agencies. The event is designed to be a valuable source of information not only to club managers and superintendents, but also to developers, golf course designers, landscape architects water agencies and others interested in the future of water and golf in Southern California.

Learn more and register online at the California State Club Association.