LETTERS

Hits the nail
Jeff Brauer’s article in your March issue, “In Praise of Contractors” (page 8), hits the nail right on the head. During these difficult business conditions it is more important than ever to make sure your selection of a builder for your golf construction work whether a new course or renovation work be dedicated to the profession of golf course construction, provide the highest ethical practices and standards, have the experience and knowledge of golf course construction as well as the skills based upon work history and references. There are lots of builders chasing less projects today. Too many of those chasing golf projects lack some or all of the above requirements and if selected could cause serious problems once the project is started or after completion with subpar quality. Use those builders dedicated to the industry. Golf Course Builders Association of America has a list of excellent builder members and can be viewed on the GCBAA Web site (www.gcbaa.org). Thanks Jeff for a very timely article supporting the golf industry.
Paul Foley, executive director
Golf Course Builders Association
of America (GCBAA)
Lincoln, Neb.

Tinnitus info
Pat Jones’ column (“Huh?” page 58, April issue) is one of the most candid accounts of tinnitus and how annoying it can be for those who have it. I enjoyed it alone for that reason. Do you know about the American Tinnitus Association (www.ata.org)? You can find helpful information and advice about sound enrichment that you can use to “soften” the noise in your ears/head. I also have tinnitus and attended a few loud rock concerts in my day, but nothing like the noise exposure to Peter Townsend’s amps! I use a sound machine to help me sleep. The sound of rain is particularly helpful. Also, there is research that looks promising, but as your doctor told you there is no cure for tinnitus. However, there is hope. Please visit ata.org and read some of the things you can do for yourself to get some relief.
Cecy Escarcega
San Diego, Calif.

The ring
Hearing loss (“Huh?” April, page 58) is a one-way street. I think mine is from being around golf course equipment all my life. I loved engines and equipment so I worked on them and was around engines a lot growing up on a golf course. Good news, I can hear some things pretty well still. Bad news, I can’t hear voices well when there is background noise. One gets tired of saying “What?” and I have a hard time with new words/language because I can’t hear detail too well. It can be worse – hang in there.

By the way, as past president of Chicagoland Association of Golf Course Superintendents, we talk frequently about how to get people to attend meetings. It’s probably a lot like your business, how to get and keep readers. Lifestyles have changed as well as the resources available to get information. But, like you, the bottom line is to be proactive and have good information to share, and at times flirting with the edge in new things that interest people and are helpful in work. Most times the innovative information comes from peers as we openly share our thoughts and experiences.
Dan Dinelli, CGCS
North Shore Country Club
Glenview, Ill.

An open letter
If read, this letter will have little impact on the GCSAA organization and philosophy, but I have decided to send it anyways.
 
I have been a member for 17-plus years and for some reason the GSCAA has become an elite club. As an organization we have locked out future enrollment. The reason for this was because times were good and we were selective, but somehow we lost our focus on our future goals.

I have owned my own course for 30 years and I took the rounds played from 12,000 rounds per year to over 40,000 rounds per year. I’m very proud of this accomplishment. I have put my middle son through four years of turf school at Purdue. He graduated in 1996 and has taken over all outside operations at the facility. He shares my feelings. What we do for our members and customers is still No. 1 and somehow this organization has lost that philosophy.

You are losing the members that moved from golf course turf to landscape, lawn care and many other industries related to turf management. You have decided to make it an elite club, not an organization we can all be proud of. The results of your poor planning and decisions have caused losses to the organization and the cutting of jobs.

As a 17-plus-year member of the GCSAA I was told to take the “owners program” by your staff if I wanted to complete my GCSAA requirements within the time restrictions.
 
My recommendation to the GCSAA is to change its policy and look at where the future of this organization is going. It’s not the dollars that hold me back, it is the organization’s policies, rules and regulations that have become obsolete in tough times.                                      
Jerry Reynolds, GCSAA#096495
Owner
Edwood Glen County Club
West Lafayette, Ind.

Assistant thoughts
I read your article on the do’s and don’ts for assistant superintendents (“Assistant success guide,” November 2009). I agree with most of the comments concerning what makes an assistant valuable to the overall structure of each facility. I do believe the job is quite different at private or public facilities because their demand is different.

Here are a few issues I discuss with our assistants to educate them to become superintendents:

• Set goals for each season with your superintendant both personal and work related for review at the end of each year.
• Manage your staff to your best potential.
• Maintain pesticide license and points.
• Become involved in local and national organizations to further education.
• Attend educational seminars pertaining to all aspects of golf management – irrigation, pesticides and equipment operations.

Don’t be afraid to make decisions.
Jim Howell
Superintendent
The Ledges C.C.
Huntsville, Ala.