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Grass ClippingsThe Idaho Golf Course Superintendents Association

An Educational Opportunity toAddress the Many Hats You Wear

We offer you the perfect opportunity to enjoy time with yourfriends and peers while enjoying great education before the harriedspring starts! Join us February 28 - March 1 in the newly renovatedBoise Red Lion Downtowner Hotel.

Our large variety of speakers and varied topics will keep yourinterest and will definitely be worth your time. Included in thelineup will be a case study of Hillcrest Country Club offered by EdSquires, Hydro Logic, Boise, Idaho. Terry Buchen, CGCS, MG,will be returning with more tales from Travels With Terry. This ishis column offered in Golf Course Industry Magazine and we arefortunate Buchen is a local member of our own association. Ourfeatured speakers are Edward Nangle, PhD, The Ohio StateUniversity, and returning by popular demand, Bill Brown, TurfRepublic.

Brown last joined us in McCall. Asa previous superintendent, Brown under-stands not only the technology needs oftoday’s superintendent, but he is wayahead of the curve on what is availableand what is coming down the line. Theeducation committee asked Brown tocenter one of his presentations arounddrones – the basics, the options availableand the practical applications and bene-fits of using a drone at your facility.Brown co-teaches a GCSAA seminarwith Carol Rau titled, “Take Control of Your Career” and we askedhim to also share strategies from the seminar.

It wasn’t easy to narrow the presen-tation options Ed Nangle PhD, assistantprofessor at Ohio State / ATI, offereddown to just two. The education com-mittee selected “Winter Kill: 2013/2014Winter Kill to Poa Taught us a Lot” and“Wetting Agents and Surface FirmnessIssues.” Nangle is currently serving asconsulting director of research for theIrish sportsturf institute and is collaborat-ing with pro golfer Adam Scott on his

app Mi Golf Club. The app allows users to access the best coachesin the business, browse golf clubs from around the world, store statsfrom any course that they play, and view live golf news and the lat-est tour results. continued page 3

Flaherty is 2016 GCSALeo Feser Receipient

Congratulations to Gerald Flaherty, CGCS, The Valley Clubwho authored, "Smarter, Smoother Labor Tracking." This articleappeared in GCM, October 2015. Flaherty will be recognizedduring the Opening Night Celebration, Tuesday, February 7.

Chapters of NorthwestHospitality Room

Join us for the Chapters of the Northwest Hospitality Room,Wednesday, February 8, 2017, 6:30 – 9:30 p.m., Rosen Plaza Hotel,Orlando. The Rosen Plaza Hotel is conveniently located near theconvention center.

The northwest chapters will once again come together to enjoythe evening of networking, thanks to the support of our generouspartners. This evening is a great way to renew old relationships andmake new connections.

We are seeking sponsors for the event. Our sponsoringpartners make all the difference and the evening would not be thesame without their support. Please contact Lori with your pledgebefore January 13.

Auction Rounds Needed!Our silent auction for rounds for four plus carts will take place

at The Boise Golf Show. We are asking for high course participa-tion– and every submission helps. Proceeds from this auction helpfund our continuing education and research programs, and keepsour user fees from increasing at a rapid rate, as association expens-es continue to rise.

Take time, now, to make arrangements for a donation. Pleasepick up the phone to contact one of these committee members tocommit your support and make arrangements to submit the rounds,or, just mail your rounds plus scorecards directly. Why wait?! Aletter to support your request can be downloaded from the eventcalendar on the website and given to your facility. Mail your certifi-cates to: Travis Rose, Simplot Partners, 4107 Challenger Way,Caldwell, ID 83605Travis Rose (208) 761-4194 Ryan Coburn (208) 559-5576

December 2016

idahogcsa.org

2 Idaho GCSA www.idahogcsa.org

Idaho GCSA Board of Directors

OfficersPresident - Gerald Flaherty, CGCS

The Valley ClubOffice: (208) 788-5910

E-Mail: [email protected]

Vice President - Brian Roth, CGCS

Oquirrh Hills Golf CourseOffice: (435) 882-1445


Secretary/Treasurer - Lucas Sprague

Canyon Springs Golf CourseOffice: (208) 220-5750


DirectorsChristopher Gray

Sun Valley Resort - Elkhorn Golf ClubOffice: (208) 6224111

E-Mail: [email protected] Mickels, CGCSRetired SuperintendentCell: (775) 934-4911

E-Mail: [email protected] Benson

Idaho Falls Country ClubOffice: (208) 522-1658

E-Mail: [email protected] President - Mark Spraktes

Pinecrest Golf ClubOffice: (208) 612-8486


Allied Liaisons: Greg Baer, Baer Design Group

Cell: (208) 859-1980 E-Mail: [email protected]

Travis Rose,Simplot Partners

Cell: (208) 761-4194E-Mail: [email protected]

Assistant Liaison - Ryan CoburnThe Club at SpurWing Office:

(208) 559-5576E-Mail: [email protected]

EditorLori Russell, Executive Director

Grass Clippings is published three times a year. Our newsletter is

not copyrighted, but we would appreciate credit for original material.

Idaho GCSA Lori Russell, Executive Director

P.O. Box 807, Lolo, MT, 59847Office: (406) 273-0845 Fax: (406) 273-0791


“The Idaho Golf Course Superintendents Association is dedicated to helping its members provide the best playing

conditions in an environmentally friendly manner.”

Doug RobertsDryJect Turf Services

2031 S ElkhoundMeridian, ID 83642

[email protected](208) 890-9535

Michael PearceSePRO Corporation93409 E. Holly Rd.

Kennewick, WA [email protected]

509-385-3549

Info about Idaho GCSA website!* Do you have an address change, for exam-ple? Changing the information on Your Profilein the Member’s Area will automatically updatethe association’s database! Use of proper capi-talization and spelling is appreciated. * Do you have any classified items? Please besure to complete the classified section in the

Member’s Area.* Your username is always your password. Ifyou do not have your password click on forgotpassword and follow the prompts.* Please remember to keep an eye on the jobannouncements and pass the information alongto your fellow employees at your facility.

www.idahogcsa.org

Did you know the events shown on our website homepage are only a portion of events listed?

Click on the News/Events tab to see a larger list.

Welcome New Idaho GCSA Members!

It is easy to post your jobannouncements! Sign intothe website, click on jobannouncements under themember area, and scroll downthe listing page till you seethis.

t

Grass Clippings December 2016 3

Well. I’ve made it throughanother round of serving on theboard and now it’s time to write apresident’s article. I’m not going totell you how I will make this asso-ciation great again. I will say it’s

been tremendous serving on theboard and working with Lori Russell the past four years.

For those of you who do not know me, I have been in Idahosince 2000. I worked at Crane Creek Country Club until 2006and went on to build Teton Reserve in Driggs, Idaho, for what Ithought would be my last course. But, as the economy corrected,I moved on to The Valley Club in 2007 and that is where I amtoday. I was raised in New Jersey and worked on courses fromNew Jersey to Hawaii. I stumbled on to Idaho 17 years ago andproudly call it my home.

This is my second time around on the board because I enjoyknowing first-hand what is happening in the association. I joinedthe board earlier in 2001, when the association was much smallerand I can remember at the end of a couple of those years, we had

either lost money or were just a few dollars in the black. I amproud to say now, not only do we have a healthy bottom line, butwe donate more money for research, have a good scholarshipfund, and our education and speakers are second to none.

As acting president, I feel the golf industry is beginning togrow stronger after a few years of struggles. Regardless of howstrong the game of golf is, those who do not understand the golfindustry constantly challenge us. There are many lobbyists onCapitol Hill who don’t understand the industry and they are lob-bying hard to remove some of the basic tools we need in this pro-fession. This year I would like to select a committee to beginworking on the Best Management Practices (BMP) for Idaho. Asyou may have read in the Chapter’s Delegate article, the BMPcan really help the superintendents of Idaho in the future byallowing us the opportunity to continue using the tools we needto maintain golf courses. I am hoping that I will have many vol-unteers to choose from, as this is important to all of our futures.

I am looking forward to a good year and seeing everyonethroughout the year.

President’s MessageGerald Flaherty, CGCS, The Valley Club, Hailey, Idaho

Spring Meeting continued from page 1

Also joining us will be AndreaRasmussen, Wage and Hour SeniorInvestigator, Boise Department of Labor.Rasmussen will offer, "Fair LaborStandards Act - Is your golf facility incompliance?” Rasmussen has worked ona variety of investigations and initiatives,including residential construction,Agriculture/Migrant Seasonal ProtectionAct, Davis Bacon Act (DBA), ServiceContract Act (SCA), H2A, Child Labor,Family Medical Leave (FMLA), and theFair Labor Standards Act (FLSA.

Our allied members support you andyour profession year around. This spring,once again our allied partners will be therein force to support you at the Trade Show.Their support helps to keep your dues andmeeting registration low and helps theassociation’s general budget so we cankeep a strong association. Our allied part-ners are deserving of our attention – andwe will see you at the trade show!

Registration material for the SpringMeeting & Trade Show, February 28 –March 1, 2017 will be available earlyJanuary. Please remember – our tradeshow sells out every year and space isavailable on first come basis. Don’t waittill the deadline to reserve your space!

Terry Buchen, CGCS, MG

Congratulations to Newly Elected Director

Josh Bensen, Idaho Falls Country Club,Idaho Falls, Idaho, was recently elected by hispeers to the Idaho GCSA Board of Directors!

Benson joins Chris Gray, Sun ValleyResort, Sun Valley, Idaho, who was re-electedto the board. Benson and Gray serve as direc-tors along with Brian Mickels, CGCS.

Our officers elected at the business meet-ing are President - Gerald Flaherty, CGCS,The Valley Club, Hailey, Idaho;Vice President - Brian Roth, CGCS;Secretary/Treasurer - Lucas Sprague Canyon Springs Golf Course, Twin Falls, Idaho

Northwest GCSA Turfgrass Expo 2017 October 16, 2017 - October 17, 2017

An historical event will take place in 2017! For the first time,three GCSA chapters in the Northwest – Idaho GCSA, InlandEmpire GCSA, and Peaks & Prairies GCSA – will join together for a specialevent and camaraderie of turf professionals. The Northwest GCSA TurfgrassExpo 2017 will be held at the Coeur d’Alene Resort in Coeur d’Alene,Idaho.

At the time of this printing - the website main banner is available for

sponsorship! $300 for 12 months. The banner is seen on online

registration forms, as well.


I know this is a common question we are asked in the turfbusiness. Usually, it comes from golfers, friends, family and any-one who does not fully understand what we do. Lately, I havehad more golf superintendents asking me this question and I real-ize I need to be prepared to explain what I do during the wintermonths, in my unique position as a superintendent at a ski resort -that also happens to own golf courses. In short, I make snow.This will be the fifth winter that I am employed as a snowmakerduring the busy ski season.

Before I get into the details, let me explain the first questionI hear after I say that I make snow during the winter. Who takescare of the equipment maintenance, monitoring the golf course,etc.? The golf course is closed during the months of November-March. We have been fortunate to have a great mechanic working

for us, and he remains at the shopduring the winter going throughthe equipment and making surethings are ready to roll in thespring. I check the greens through-out the winter when the tempera-tures aren't cold enough to makesnow. I look for ice formation,depth/type of snow, and anythingelse that may be out of place. Werope off our greens in an effort tokeep the elk from bedding downon them at the appropriatelynamed Elkhorn Golf Club. I oftenhear comments the elk will just ripthe ropes down and go where they want, but I find that if youmonitor and replace ropes as needed, they do help keep the elk

off the greens. Anyway, back to snowmaking.Sun Valley ski resort on Bald Mountain is known for having

North America's largest automated snowmaking system. Thereare 554 automated snow guns and 38 miles of steel pipe. Whilemost skiers prefer natural snow, what snowmaking does is give ahead start to the skiing season by laying down a thick base ofhard packed snow. This gives the ski runs something to build onwhen we are fortunate enough to get "free" snow. We average160 inches of natural snow per season, but as you can imagine,that packs down to much less once it gets compacted by the snowgroomers and skiers. Of the approximately 80 trails on BaldMountain, we have snowmaking on 42. The bowls and the lesstraveled slopes do not have snowmaking and rely on MotherNature to cover these areas.

The best way I find to describe the snowmaking system to a continued page 6

What do you do inthe winter?

Chris GraySun Valley Resort - Elkhorn Golf Club

Sun Valley, Idaho

Snow Giant triple-head manual snow gun



Winter continued from page 4golf superintendent is an irrigation system on steroids.Essentially, it is two systems (water and air) running in the sametrench that come together at the snow gun and blasts out thewater. There are water-cooling towers at the source helping thewater to freeze in less than optimal temperatures. There are twowater-pumping stations - one for each side of the mountain - witha booster pump station for each side, halfway up the hill.

I am also commonly asked, “What are the water and airpressures?” So, here you go: water pressure at the source is 850psi, and is increased to 1050 psi after the booster station. Thereare a total of 18 pumps ranging from 75 to 300 HP. The threemain air compressors are 1100 HP each, along with six smallercompressors producing 25,000 CFM total. The compressed airsystem is one continuous pipe throughout the mountain providing130 psi of pressure for both sides of the hill. The water pipe issteel oil field pipeline that Sinclair Oil Company brought in toconstruct the snowmaking system back in the 70s. When a leakoccurs we dig it up with an excavator, clear around the pipe withshovels, and call in our welder 'Ace' from Boise. He comes outseveral times a year to weld pinholes and splits in the pipe andsometimes we have to cut out a section and he welds in a newpiece.

A typical shift includes monitoring the pump stations, aircompressors, snow guns, and central computer. When a gun mal-functions we go out, dig up the shelter which houses the hydrant(essentially a huge electric valve), and try to figure out what theproblem is. Usually, it is a frozen water line or frozen gun, andwe'll take it down and thaw out the frozen section. If it is moreinvolved, we will dismantle the hydrant and eliminate whatworks until we find the problem. We have 3 shifts that workaround the clock from November through February. The centralcomputer controls which snow guns run based on temperature,wind speed/direction, and which slope needs the most snow.Each shift has a controller, who monitors the pump house wet

well levels andsystem pressuresfrom the centralcomputer, andtells the systemwhat to run next.The slopes arebased on priori-ties, with theareas needing themost snow at thehighest priority.Most of the snowguns are activatedfrom the comput-er, but there arealso several man-ual guns that needto be set up andadjusted based ontemperatures. Wehave injector pumps similar to

fertigation, and we inject a product called Snowmax. It is a natu-ral occurring bacteria that gives the water molecules a surface tofreeze on and produces larger snowflakes.

In the summer months, we perform the maintenance to thecontinued page 8

Two pumps - 300 HP and 75 HP



Winter continued from page 6snow guns, pumps, motors, and compressors. They have a setrotation and the pumps and motors are sent off to be recondi-tioned every three-four years. Recently, the snow guns are beingretrofitted with newer, more efficient models. The technology hasevolved over the years and the latest guns use less air pressure tobreak up the water molecules, saving a considerable amount ofenergy. The newer guns have nozzles similar to irrigation sprin-klers that can be changed, based on the consistency ofsnow you want. Instead of using air pressure to breakup the water, it uses the water pressure through asmaller nozzle to break up the water molecules.

Overall, I have learned a lot from my supervisorsthat relates directly to golf course irrigation. It is niceto have the snowmakers help pull golf coursepumps/motors when we send them off to be refur-bished. It is funny when they walk into the golf pumphouse and refer to our pumps as "cute, little pumps."Our lead snowmaker is a Harley-riding, retired farmerfrom Raft River, Idaho. He has many years of farmingexperience dealing with pumps and motors, and Ihave learned a lot from him. Second in command isan Aussie who was a snowmaker in Australia beforemoving to Sun Valley 15 years ago. I find that what Ilearn from these guys relates to golf course irrigationand keeps me interested. It makes the summer a biteasier when we have issues and I can rely on whatwas learned when snowmaking to solve some of my

irrigation problems. The importance of a daily inspection of thepump station, exercising valves, and troubleshooting electricalissues are important take-aways from the snowmaking job.

I hope this was an interesting read, and next time you go ski-ing and see the snow guns lining the slope, ask yourself, "Whatdoes a Snowmaker do in the summer?”Check out this video on YouTube posted by the snowmakingdepartment https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fh6xkC_3B_U

Three main 1,100 HP Centac air compressors

After spending two days at the Chapter’s Delegate meeting, Iam heading back to Idaho. Two days of meetings that began at6:00 a.m. and finished into the evening. I’m not complaining: I’mjust always so impressed how much they can cram into the agenda.

One of the topics discussed was the membership classifica-tions for local chapters. If you remember last winter, the dele-gates voted on simplifying the classifications. In doing so, theSuperintendent Member (SM) classification was eliminated andreplaced with class B. In summary, the classifications are ClassA, B, C and EM. We were reminded to have all chapters be suretheir classifications were similar to the GCSAA, and if not, theyneeded to change their bylaws. You may also remember that wevoted on that at the last business meeting in October 2016,because Lori is awesome.

At the spring meeting, I will discuss Best ManagementPractices (BMP) and what it means to our chapter. In short, theBMP could help protect us from any future restrictions on chemi-cals and fertilizers as it has helped the superintendents in theFlorida Chapters. Florida has over 90 fertilizer restrictions and,due to the BMP superintendents, are able to avoid these restric-tions, unlike landscapers and homeowners. The GCSAA willreveal a template at the GIS this February which will help chap-

ters get started. Although we don’t have any restrictions at thistime, it would be best to begin our BMP before any restrictionsare enforced. At this time, it would be a help if you went on theGCSAA web site and studied up on the program. This spring wewill talk about forming a committee as it will be time consumingcreating Idaho’s BMP.

The last thing I thought worth mentioning is the GCSAAforming a PAC (Political Action Committee). This is a topic thatis only in the talking stage and I am still trying to understand itmyself. In short, what I can understand of a PAC is that we willdonate money to politicians on behalf of their policies. Themoney donated does not come from the GCSAA’s funds at all; sodon’t get too worked up at this point. Where the money will comefrom is individual donations from the membership, from us.

Let me explain why they think a PAC is a good idea for ourassociation. As you may know, many people don’t think highlyof the golf industry and have an tremendous amount of peoplelobbying against the industry trying to eliminate the tools weneed like fertilizers, pesticides, water the overtime rule, and theH2-B program, to name a few. What a PAC would do is get us aseat at the table as we support the politicians who support thegame of golf. This is not a bribe or a kick back to the politicians,it’s simply the way the system works to get our voice heard. ThePAC can also be researched on the GCSAA website.

Naturally, our voice is being heard on Capitol Hill with ChavaMcKeel and Bob Helland, but they feel the PAC is the next step.So, I hope you can find the time to read up on the few things Imentioned. I look forward to seeing everyone at the spring meet-ing and hope you have a great winter and holiday season.

GCSAA Chapter Delegates Meetingof October 2015 and 2016 GIS Business MeetingGerald Flaherty, CGCS, GCSAA Chapter Delegate


10 Idaho GCSA

Full Break Sponsor: CPS Professional Products

Lunch Sponsors:CPS Professional Products

WinFieldBreak Co-Sponsors: C & B Operations

Floratine NorthwestSimplot Partners

Amvac Environmental ProductsRMT Equipment

Rain BirdHole sponsors:

Grigg Bro. Sponsor plus Pin PrizeBaer Golf Design

Bayer Environmental ScienceAmvac Environmental Products

AquatrolsCPS Professional Products

Magic Valley Bentgrass/Magic Valley TurfgrassNufarm Americas

Rain BirdSchaefer Oil

Simplot PartnersTurf Equipment & Irrigation

We Appreciate our Idaho GCSA Fall Meeting Sponsors!Event Sponsor:

Silver Creek Supply



Ruby View Golf course in Elko, Nevada recently completed amajor irrigation project. The success of this project, as is withother major construction projects, is a direct reflection of the timespent in the planning process that took place over the past severalyears.

Prior to 2014, the golf department staff had very limited suc-cess in “selling” city management and finance departments onvarious irrigation options. In 2014, the discussions gained trac-tion as the mayor (golf nut) became involved with the project.The mayor, city staff and I met and determined that the best wayto proceed was to hire an independent certified golf irrigationconsultant to complete a golf irrigation audit. We contractedwith BDG, LLC to start a golf irrigation audit of all componentsof our irrigation system. BDG performed a comprehensiveanalysis and testing of our system in the fall 2014, and completed

a “hard copy” report of the findings. The report looked at/or test-ed irrigation components such as:

• Water source and storage capacities• Water quality and available quantities• Pump station• Hydraulic design limits• Main line piping and shut-off valves• Lateral piping and fittings• Rotors (heads) age, condition, matched precipitation• Rotor spacing• Central control system• Satellite controller• Power and Field wire condition

We scheduled a workshop in January 2015, with the citycouncil, for Greg Baer and golf staff to present the report, andanswer questions of the Board. The report as presented was areal “eye-opener” as to the true condition of our irrigation sys-tem. The city council accepted the findings of the report, andrequested that a “project team” of BDG, golf course superintend-ent, and parks and rec. director determine the scope of the projectand associated cost estimates. We determined the project wouldinclude replacement of all irrigation components downstream ofthe pump station and BDG would calculate a “preliminary” proj-ect estimate. At this time we retained BDG as our project

Ruby View GC IrrigationRenovation 2016

Brian Mickels, CGCS, Lifetime AA

Rotor install and testing #15


management firm through the completion of the project.Next step: Winter/Spring 2015“Discovery”

Get staff educated on available irrigation products, centralcontrol systems, field systems and communication options. Weutilized various opportunities to sit in on manufacturer productseminars, trade shows, and distributor demonstrations. We alsoused the firm’s contact info to personally speak with superintend-ents and managers of facilities who had gone through recent ren-ovations. We gained some great insight talking to end users. Ourpeers are great resources.

We started work on the “Pre-Bid” Phase in spring ’15 with agoal to have the project out to formal bid in July. This is thetime to finalize material specs, including: pipe type, central con-trol system, field controllers/hubs, rotors, and communicationsystems (decoder/satellite).

BDG would incorporate this information with construction,installation, and other City of Elko bid requirements to completethe “Formal Bid Document” for review by City staff (May ’15).City staff approved bid documents in June ’15. The city request-ed a delay in the bid schedule to potentially add some bid alter-nates (separate construction items not in formal bid) to the pack-age for possible acceptance if within overall bid budget. It tookseveral months for the city staff to spec these bid alts. It becameapparent that the entire bid package (w/ bid alts) could not be“put-out” to bid until early January 2016.

Formal bids were mailed out in early January, to be returnedand reviewed in February for a possible award. The returnedbids were reviewed by staff, and forwarded to City Council forpossible award of the contract. The Elko City Council awardedthe contract to Landscapes Unlimited, LLC in mid February, witha contract start date set in early April.

We held an open-house at the clubhouse in early April for allinterested golfers and homeowners who live adjacent to thecourse. This open-house included a presentation by Greg Baersummarizing the project objectives, timetable, and effect on playfrom construction related closures. Landscapes representativeswere also there to answer questions, as were golf staff and thecity project coordinator. This meeting was well attended andappreciated by the public.

It was early April and great to see the Landscape crew mobi-lizing! Finally, out of the planning stage and into the “meat-n-

potatoes” of the project. Golf staffand Landscapes crew had severalpre-construction meetings andquickly established good workingrelationships. Landscapes providedthe City with their constructionschedule with estimated timelineswhen and where the hole closureswould occur. They were going tokeep hole closures to one or twoholes, max.

Construction would startabout April 15 and would begin onthe easterly boundary of the course(#3), and systematically work west

and finish on #14 in September. The bid alternates #1, 2 & 3would be completed as the irrigation installation crew was work-ing in those adjacent areas. All other standards of installationwould follow all bid construction specs as follows:• Existing irrigation system (Site Pro) during construction is toremain in operation as long as practical. New system (Lynx)shall be operational before installation moves to next area.• New mainlines are temporarily tied into existing mains. Allnew mainlines will be trenched to spec depth, lateral valvesinstalled, decoder wire, and grounding systems installed, mainpressure-tested for leaks, trench backfilled, compacted, valveboxes installed, sod replaced and leveled, and main remains“charged.” • Lateral piping “pulled,” swing joints installed, decoder wireinstalled, piping flushed, rotors installed and wired, rotors back-filled and tested, “puller” mounding rolled to level.• As each area is complete and Lynx operational; remove,backfill, and sod OLD rotors, quick couplers, valve boxes, andfield satellite pedestals.

Landscapes worked areas of usually two-three holes basedon our existing main “shut-off” capabilities. They did keep holeclosures to one hole at a time, with just a few days where twoholes were closed at one time. We had very few complaintsregarding the construction crew or hole closures the entireUpon completion of this project, we’ve upgraded our

continued page 14

Day two of rotor installation and testing # 2


Renovation 2016 continued from page 14irrigation system capabilities as follows:

• Lynx operating system from Site Pro• Decoder field system from OSMAC• 65’ rotor spacing from 80’-120’ rotor spacing• 1900 rotors from 640 rotors• Precip. matched rotors from 12 different models 1985-2014• 1900 stations from 235 stations (1, 2, 3, 4, & 5 head/sta.)• Dual heads (Greens) from NOPE!• Added 12 Acres irrigated• Reduced “water window” from existing system <1-2hrs• DU 0.90 from DU 0.75• Average daily gallons July0.750M from Average daily gallons July 0.875M

In summary, this project, with its complexity of maintaining operation of the Site Pro system during installation of the Lynx sys-tem, went quite smoothly. We weren’t void of “bumps in the road,” which led to some stressful periods. These “bumps” were limitedin numbers and were managed effectively between Landscapes and our staff. Landscapes completed the five-month project on timeand with excellent results.

I’m proud of the finished project and feel comfortable that I left an outstanding irrigation system for Pete and his staff that, hope-fully, makes their job easier and less stressful. P.S. – I am now retired and livin’ the lifeNext day #2 Four days after installation #15

What I’mpresentingare myobservationsand experi-ences aftergoing to der-matologistsfor over 40years. I’m not a doctor, butinformation contained in this arti-cle can be confirmed with infofrom medical sites on the inter-

net. Also, I have stayed at Holiday Inn Express before! I’ll be discussing four types of skin lesions, common to golf

course maintenance employees, related to long term sun exposureand UV radiation. For the sake of this article, you can think ofthe four types of skin lesions using the three signal words forpesticides – caution, warning and danger. First is ActinicKeratosis (Caution), second and third is Basal Cell Carcinomaand Squamous Cell Carcinoma (Warning), and fourth isMelanoma (Danger). Those of us in the golf course maintenanceindustry are at risk of all four types of skin lesions, as two of thecauses are long term sun exposure and UV radiation. These twocontributing factors could be written into our job descriptions:have fun in the sun all day long! Two other factors involved are

skin color and genetics, of which we don’t have control. Being afair skinned man of Irish decent, I have had three of the fourtypes of skin lesions: Actinic Keratosis (AK), Basal CellCarcinoma (BCC), and Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC).Thankfully, I have not had any Melanomas. I’m not braggingabout it and not happy with the fact that I’m susceptible to them.Also, I have undergone three of the most common treatments forskin lesions/cancer.CAUTION

Actinic Keratosis (AK) is a pre-cancerous patch of thick,scaly, or crusty skin. These growths are more common on fairskinned people and those frequently in the sun. They usuallyform when the skin is damaged by UV radiation from the sun ortanning beds. As tanning beds have no relevance to the day-to-day golf maintenance operation, they will be left out of thedescription and/or discussion of skin cancer. AKs are considered

continued page 16

SHEDDING SOME LIGHT ONSKIN CANCER

Sean Sullivan, CGCSBriarwood Golf Club, Billings, Mont.



Skin Cancer continued from page 14to be pre-cancerous, but left untreated,they may turn into Squamous CellCarcinoma (SCC). With the possibility ofAKs turning into SCC, a dermatologistwill usually recommend treatment for it.AKs are often felt before being seen, astheir texture is rough. So, take a momentand run your fingertips over the tips ofyour ears, your ear lobes, temples, creasesof your nose, tip of your nose, gapbetween your eyes, around your lips,around your neck, that “v” on your chest,forearms, back of your hands, and thatbald spot on your head illuminated by thehole in your ball cap. If you wear shortsto work, check your legs as well. If youfeel any rough patches, run your fingernailover those spots to see if they are scaly orflaky. Chances are those patches are AKand because they are related to sun dam-age, most people who have AK have morethan one.

WARNINGBasal Cell Carcinoma (BCC) is the

most common skin cancer and one of themost common cancers in the US. BCChas a very low metastatic risk. MetastaticCancer is a cancer that has spread fromthe part of the body where it started toother parts of the body, either through thebloodstream or the lymph system. Inother words, BCC is not considered to belife threatening, but can cause disfigure-ment by invading the surrounding tissue.BCC will typically show up as a shiny,pearly skin nodule. Also, BCC can looklike a red patch similar to eczema andother forms can look like scar tissue,which is why it is important to have regu-lar dermatological exams. Go to the mir-ror, look for small red patches or bumpsaround your eyes, eyelids, creases of your

nose, and around your lips. About twothirds of BCC occur on sun exposed areasof the body. Don’t forget about that baldspot on your head that the ball cap doesn’tcover! One third of BCC occurs on areasof the body that are not exposed to sun-light (typically), which suggests geneticdisposition to BCC. If you see somethingthat you don’t think you had last year, besure to point it out to a dermatologist. Todetermine if a suspected area is BCC, thedermatologist will do a biopsy. (A nearlypainless procedure of slicing off a portionof the bump/node, which gets sent the labfor testing.) Generally, you get a nice col-ored bandaid and a nice bill to go with it.I had one of these under my eye next tomy nose. Never thought much of the spotuntil the doctor started cutting! Take myword for it, it is not one of those thingsyou want to get bigger with age!

Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC) is acancer of the squamous cell. These cellsare the main part of the epidermis. SCCis one of the major forms of skin cancer,however, because it occurs in the squa-mous cells, you can get SCC in other partsof the body, both inside and out. But forthis article, I’ll be describing the SCCrelated to sun exposure and UV radiation.As you might have guessed, frequentexposure to direct strong sunlight andlong- term exposure both without ade-quate topical protection (sunscreen 30 SPFor higher), increases your risk. Thosewith fair skin, light hair, blue/green/greyeyes are at the highest risk of gettingSCC. SCC starts to show up in people intheir 50s and is common in people in their70s. This observation adds to the point oflong-term exposure and corroborates howmine started showing up. Take a moment to run your fingers over your face, head,and ears, back of neck, chest, lips, nose,

and that bald spot under your hat. If yousee or feel a skin lesion that is bleeding (alittle) for no apparent reason or oozingsomething, you will want to get thatchecked. My SCC happened to be on theback of my neck, above the collar line.As with BCC, the dermatologist will cutout or do a punch biopsy, send it out to thelab for verification, put a bandaid on you,and give you a big bill. Maybe a lollipopif you ask! Plug biopsy is where the doc-tor takes a core sample, to use the green-keeper vernacular. Again, with regards toyour body, bigger is not better.DANGER

Melanoma is a type of cancer thatdevelops from the pigment-containingcells known as melanocytes. In women,they most commonly occur on the legswhile in men they occur on the back, aswas the case with Steve Hackman, PryorCreek Golf Club, who had a melanoma

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Rain Bird InternationalCorporation –Services Division

Pacific NorthwestID, MT, WYPete Morris

541-604-5848 [email protected]

Oregon Mark Willcut503-798-7203

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Skin Cancer continued from page 20removedfrom theback of hisshoulder.As with

the otherforms ofskinlesions/cancers,long- termsun expo-sure andUV radia-tion are theprimary

cause of melanoma. Also, fair skinnedpeople are at a greater risk than others.Make note that 25% of melanomas devel-op from moles. The early signs ofmelanoma are changes to the shape andcolor of existing moles. Another sign of amelanoma is a new lump that just showsup. If you are between dermatologist vis-its and suspect a problem, you definitelywant to have the spot checked quickly.Visual inspection is the most commondiagnostic technique. If the doctor sus-pects a problem, he/she will biopsy thesuspicious lump or mole immediately. Ifthe results are positive, you won’t be leav-ing the doctor’s office or hospital. You’llbe subjected to further tests, in order tocheck whether the melanoma/cancer hasspread to other areas of your body. That’swhy melanoma is so dangerous, it has theability to metastasize quickly. As with theother forms of skin cancer, the use of sun-screen, protective clothing, broad brimhats, and anything else that reduces UVradiation damage and sun exposure is rec-ommended. It is also recommended toavoid the sun between the hours of 9:00am and 3:00 pm, which doesn’t work outfor the majority of golf course mainte-nance employees. So… sunscreen, pro-tective clothing, and shade are the bestoptions for the employees.

Over the last 40 years, I have under-gone three of the most common treatmentsfor AKs, BCC, and SCC. The three typesof treatment are cryogenic treatment (liq-uid nitrogen), topical chemotherapy(Fluorouracil), and Mohs surgery. Theliquid nitrogen works well on the AKs,BCCs, and SCCs, as long as they are nottoo close to the eyes or eyelids. It pro-

duces a slight sting and kills the surfacecells, good and bad. Using a scale of 1 to10, with 10 being very easy to see and 1being difficult to see with a magnifyingglass: lesions rated 1, 2, and 3 are hard tosee and often overlooked, and left to getworse. A correlation between my doctor’sbill and my treatment suggests that eachblast of liquid nitrogen is about $100. Thetopical chemotherapy is a fancy way ofsaying ointment. In my experiences, themain ingredient was/is Fluorouracil and itgoes by several brand names, Carac beingone of them. The short of it is that thechemical affects DNA replication, so rap-idly dividing cancerous cells undergo celldeath. Application of the ointment twice aday for 4-6 weeks will kill all of the pre-cancerous and cancerous cells. Dependingon the extent of the sun damage, treatmentcan leave you pretty raw for a short time.Prescription for the ointment can run any-where from $7- $200 depending on yourinsurance. The last form of treatment issurgery. Using the Mohs procedure, theBCCs, SCCs, and melanomas are cut out alittle at a time. With each cut the slicesare biopsied in the lab while you wait. Ifthere are any cancerous cells in the sam-ple, the doctor will go back andtake another slice. This proce-dure is repeated until no cancercells are found in the samples.In my case and with Steve’scase, stiches were required toclose the wounds. The ideabehind this procedure is to takea minimal amount of tissue,while still removing the cancer.In my case, it took two cuts toremove the squamous cell can-cer on my neck and one cut toremove the basal cell cancerunder my eye. It’s a painlessprocedure and done as outpa-tient surgery. For me, the painpart was the $1500 per slicebill! It is my understanding thatfor melanomas, you will bespending time in the hospitalwhile all the lab work is beingdone, just in case the cancer hasspread into other parts of thebody. Considering all the formsof treatment, I believe the besttime for exams and any of thethree forms of treatment is dur-ing the winter months. UV

radiation indexes are lower in the wintermonths, so healing is better for the newcells. Also, during the winter months, weas greenkeepers have fewer interactionwith other people/golfers/members, just incase you care about how you look to otherpeople.

Some of the problems associated withskin cancer start when you get sunburnedas a kid and accumulate throughout yourlifetime. Sometimes the problems aregenetic or are related to your environment.Regardless, long time sun exposure andUV radiation are the common factors inthe damage to your skin, both of whichare normal in the golf course maintenanceindustry. If you are the boss, it’s yourduty to protect your employees by supply-ing the proper PPE. Any local dermatolo-gist will tell you what you should provide.Ultimately, it is up to the individual toprotect themselves from an occupationalhazard and for the employer to provide thenecessary protection. Listen to me, yourmother, and the dermatologist: Make sureyou use sunscreen 30 SPF or higher(often), wear a broad brim hat, and protec-tive clothing (usually long sleeve shirt andpants).

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