Larry Gilhuly is Northwest Director, USGA Green Section

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The word support is one that forms the foundation of the USGA Green Section. Through our Turf Advisory Service we support golf course facilities to be the best they can be while keeping budgets in mind. Through our Green Section web page and Record we support the entire golf industry with up-to-date information on virtually every facet of golf course maintenance. Through our research program we have supported the funding to create most of the grasses found on golf courses in Hawaii. However, one of our personal favorite supports to the golf industry is when we are allowed to travel to portions of our region to provide regional educational conferences.

Golf in Hawaii and on the Mainland has changed rather dramatically in the past 5-7 years with economic factors being the driving force. At the same time, the USGA has also felt the pinch of reduced funding to conduct various programs that have been a staple of the USGA Green Section. One of those programs that have been significantly impacted was the regional conferences that were held on an annual basis. Historically, these programs have been primarily targeted at golf course superintendents with most of the program focused on golf course maintenance topics. However, with a need to outreach more into the entire golf industry and discuss the major topics of water use, economic sustainability, pace of play, and rules the USGA focused all of our regional programs in 2013 on these topics. That is why the regional conferences held on the four major islands during the first week of April were so critical. It was not only the content of the meeting to support the golf industry in Hawaii that was important. It was also the return support from those in the entire golf industry on each island that was of equal importance. The USGA needed to see if their outreach efforts were being felt in Hawaii by producing surveys of those in attendance to determine if their message was getting out to the PGA, club managers, golf association officials and volunteers to the game. As you will see, the support through attendance at these meetings came through loud and clear!

The Hawaii regional conferences were not in any way a singular effort by the USGA Green Section. While we put together the program, these conferences were a combination effort of all of the golf associations in the state. The Hawaii Chapter of the GCSAA, HSGA, Aloha Section of the PGA, HSWGA, HSJGA and the local chapter of the CMAA were all instrumental in getting the word out to their constituents. The following shows the total amount in attendance for each island and how each group added to a very successful show of support from the entire golf industry.

On March 28, 2013, Ness Turf Equipment officially launched as a branded division of Hawthorne Pacific.

Located at 91-220 Kalaeloa Bld. in Kapolei’s Campbell Industrial Park, Ness Turf’s new name and location allows us to build upon our proud 50-year heritage of providing ag and turf solutions for Hawaii and the neighbor- islands. Ness Turf Equipment also services Guam, American Samoa and Saipan.

Ness Turf Equipment has a dedicated staff supporting nearly a dozen major brands, including Toro, Toro RLC, eXmark, Club Car, Morbark, Land Pride, Garia, Harper, Berhard Grinders offering sales, parts and service for golf courses, sports fields, and state and federal municipalities.

Additionally, Ness Turf Equipment supplies a dealer network with the Toro RLC (residential and landscaper equipment) and eXmark lines.

Every year since 2005, the company has been named one of Hawaii’s top 250 businesses by Hawaii Business magazine.

You are invited to a seminar/field day to see the results of 3-herbicide tests involving Dismiss, Roundup and salt on goosegrass, crabgrass, postrate spurge, creeping indigo, dollarweed, horseweed, nutsedge, and purslane in a seashore paspalum lawn. Although the results were inconsistent, you may still find the information useful and interesting.

Date: March 28, 2013 (Thursday)
Time: 10:45 to 12:00 pm
Place: UH-Maui College (UH-MC) Agricultural Greenhouse & Lawn. Across the Maui Arts & Cultural Center near the recycling center on Wahine Pi’o Avenue. Park in the lot next to the new science building with the vertical windmills on its roof top.

Hawaii Dept. of Agriculture Pesticide categories will be offered for categories 1a, 3, 6 & 10.

Deadline to register is March 27 (Wednesday) to reserve your handouts for this event. You can register by email ([email protected]) or by calling the Cooperative
Extension Service at 244-3242 x230. Please provide your name, company & telephone number should we need to contact you of any changes to this event.

Mahalo to: Ann Emmsley and William Jacintho of UH-MC for making this test and field day possible.

Aloha To All Members:

As the president of the Hawaii State Golf Course Superintendent Association it is with great pleasure to welcome everyone to another great year of Golf Course Management in the State of Hawaii. Already it has been an eventful year with three successful televised tournaments and a well deserved congratulations to the entire tournament team and their staff.

On January 11th the Ho’olau’lea Awards Ceremony took place at the Japanese Cultural Center on Oahu. We presented two awards for the Superintendent of the Year, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the membership’s nominations and votes. I have included the bios for both award winners, Robert Itamoto and Scott Nair and let’s give them congratulations for doing a great job of representing the turf industry with Aloha, Dignity and Respect. Great Job!

The board is currently working on a few projects including updating the website, teleconference meetings, yearly calendar, budget, donations and the yearly seminar and golf outing. All of these will be sent out to the membership when completed.

Also, I am attaching some other important information on Legislative Senate Bills that are currently being sent for voting. These bills oppose use of different chemicals and could increase reporting usage within the State of Hawaii. The two of greatest concern is the ban on Glyphosate (Round UP) use on non-agricultural crops.

“Glyphosate is important to all types of industry not only the golf course industry. We need to get the Hotel industry, Department of Transportation, Department of Water, and rest of the Green Industry involved. Glyphosate is one of the safest herbicides that we have available to us as far as environmentally safe. It is also economical to the end user for pricing and effectiveness.” Clint Tolbert

“If you have made use of glyphosate for so called cosmetic weed control purposes in your work or business then you should consider submitting testimony to oppose these bills. If they can ban a product like glyphosate for cosmetic uses then all pesticides used in a similar setting will be targeted next, you can count on it.”
Dr. Joe DeFrank

This is the time where our membership needs to get together and submit testimony like this opposing these bills. Neither has been scheduled for a hearing to date, but once it is scheduled, testimony needs to be submitted on line, mailed or e-mailed. On line is the easiest and takes about 5 minutes to do. A testimony will be submitted on behalf of the HGCSA, but more individual petitions are needed to prove that this bill will impact all of the plant science industry negatively throughout the entire State of Hawaii.

Let all of us continue to enhance and improve all of our association events this year by having more participation by all of our Hawaii State Golf Course Superintendent Association members and the Ohana that surrounds them.

Derrick R. Watts
President 2012-2013
Hawaii Golf Course Superintendent Association

Scott is the Director of Agronomy at the Kukio Golf and Beach Club and President of the Big Island Golf Course Superintendents Association (BIGCSA). Scott manages and operates both the golf and landscape departments at the impeccably manicured Kukio facility. He is instrumental in organizing the BIGCSA meetings, including a much desired education format and a Holiday party which includes a drive to gather donated toys for “Toys for Tots”. Scott’s work ethic and professionalism make him a leader within the industry and a source of information and guidance for many colleagues.

Robert Itamoto graduated from Colorado State University with a degree in Agronomy in 1959. His career as a golf course superintendent began at Barber’s Point in 1960. He moved to Oahu Country Club in 1962 as their Supt. In 1964, Robert Trent Jones Sr. hired Bob to oversee the construction on the Mauna Kea Beach Hotel Golf Course in 1964 and stayed on as the Supt. In 1991, Mauna Kea Properties constructed the Hapuna Golf Course, and Bob helped with the construction of this course as well. In 2002, Bob retired from his position as Supt. but was asked to consult for Seibu, who owned the Hawaii Prince Golf Club, Makena Golf Courses, Hapuna Golf Course and the Mauna Kea Golf Course, totaling 100 holes of golf. He did consulting with Seibu until 2008. Mauna kea Properties decided to renovate the Mauna Kea Golf Course in 2008 using Rees Jones and again asked Bob to oversee this renovation project. After the completion of the renovation in 2009, Mauna Kea Resort Services asked Bob to consult on the maintenance of a 3 hole private course at the Kaunaoa development at the Mauna Kea Resort and he is still consulting to this day. This totals 53 years in the the career of golf maintenance! This is a lifetime achievement!

Links to download the 2013 Hawaii USGA Regional Conferences Registration Forms for Maui, Kauai, Oahu and the Big Island can be found below. Please print and mail in your registration form and payment not later than March 22, 2103 direct to the USGA address.

The United States Golf Association is the national governing body of golf for the U.S. and Mexico. The USGA’s most visible role is played out each season in conducting 13 national championships, including the U.S. Open. The USGA also writes the Rules of Golf, conducts equipment testing, funds research for better turf and a better environment, maintains a Handicap System, celebrates the history of the game and administers an ongoing grants program.