First Green initiatives highlighted during U.S. Open week

As soon as I heard the U.S. Open was coming to the Northwest, I knew I would soon be able to check off the top item on my bucket list.  I could not be happier for Eric Johnson, Josh Lewis and their crew for how the week is shaping up as they prepare the course to championship specifications. It is early in the week and I have already met so many wonderful people from around the world who have made the trip to be part of this historic event.

While golf is in the national spotlight, the USGA and First Green Foundation decided to use the opportunity to promote a new campaign, highlighting the First Green Foundation. As a part of the campaign, a 30-second tv spot will air on Fox during the U.S. Open.




The First Green was also invited to participate in the U.S. Open community celebration event. Over 500 children participated in the five learning lab booths, learning about bugs, water, soils and mathematics.

The entire First Green board also participated, including Steve Kealy, Jeff Gullikson, CGCS, Karen Armstead, Cathy Relyea, Lynn McKay, Jeff and Annie Shelley and myself. I also invited some superintendent volunteers who were in town to help the agronomy team, including Scot Dey of Mission Viejo Country Club, Andrew McDaniel of Keya Golf Club in Japan and Masaru Shimizu of Kasumigaseki Country Club in Japan, as well. Steve Kealy's assistants, Kyle Young and Nick Magnuson, also joined and did an outstanding job teaching the soils lab.  Dey, McDaniel and Masaru manned the hitting cage. We could not have pulled off the entire day without their help. The entire day was a success.

McDaniel, Dey and Shimizu helping a young player hit balls into the net

Jeff Gullikson uses balls of tape to demonstrate how attraction between molecules of water happens

Steve Kealy covers mathematical calculations

I've got just a short window to write this post as the 3 a.m. wake-up call comes early. I will provide the day two and three recap tomorrow as my time allows.

Chapter all-stars

In my travels, so much of the conversation revolves around how to get members engaged at the chapter level and attending local meetings. If you are reading this, you are probably more engaged than most, simply because you are taking an interest in what is happening in your region. Many times, members ask me what GCSAA or their local chapter has done for them lately. The answers are pretty obvious, but I like to respond with a question that asks, what have you done for GCSAA or your local chapter lately? In my personal experience, I seemed to get the most from my associations by serving as board members or committee members. But, you don’t have to serve as a board or committee members to give back to your association. Two members in the Northwest region that have found a way to continue to give in their own way come to my mind.

Tom Baty

Tom Baty, a 29-year member and superintendent at the Bend Golf and Country Club in Central Oregon has always stayed connected to the industry outside of his own job. This winter, he traveled to China with Thom Nickolai, PhD, and taught Chinese students how to operate turf equipment. Aside from being a great experience, it was a different way that he could contribute to the turf industry. Tom also served on the OGCSA board of directors back in the early 2000s, but has always managed to stay connected to members outside of his club. Bend Country Club is located in central Oregon and four hours from most of the OGCSA meetings. Tom understands the value of staying connected with local superintendents and likes to organize small social gatherings as well as a winter roundtable meeting each year. This provides a way for the central Oregon superintendents to get together and talk over issues. 

Tom got tired of the local rental yards price gouging for air compressor rentals each fall – those of you that blow out your irrigation system understand. To remedy the problem, he now drives over to Eugene and rents a machine for a month each year. Once he's finished, he takes it to each course in the area and rents it out for a fair price. It’s a win-win for everyone. I can tell that Tom does all of these things for the good of the membership. Nothing has ever been self-serving.

Andy Nikkary

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Andy Nikkari, a 19-year member and superintendent at The Golf Club at Redlands Mesa in Grand Junction, Colorado, served on the RMGCSA board about eight years ago. Prior to Andy’s service, the RMGCSA had not held a chapter meeting on the Western Slope. Once he started on the board, the meetings began to happen. Today, Andy continues to organize the event. He does everything from setting up the education to overseeing the proshop collection fees for the event to distributes funds. RMGCSA President Zach Bauer says, “if we didn’t have Andy over [at Western Slope], who knows where we’d be. He’s a wonderful asset to the state of Colorado superintendents.” I can vouch for his drive to serve. Earlier this year, he took the time to detail a handwritten note thanking me for taking the time to attend his meeting.

These are just two individuals amongst the many across the country. I can name at least one individual in each chapter in the Northwest region that continues to serve. I hope to highlight their service in later blog posts. If you know of anyone who fits the bill, please feel free to let me know. I always enjoy highlighting great ways to serve the industry.

I can be reached at dphipps@gcsaa.org.