Turf Tech News 2014 Tu r f E q u i p m e n t T e c h n i c i a n s A s s o c i a t i o n o f t h e C a r o l i n a s w w w . TE T A C . o r g 800-476-4272 BOARD OF DIRECTORS President Preston Burl вЂ“ MacGregor Downs Country Club Vice President Bryan Dishmon вЂ“ Greensboro National Golf Club Secretary/Treasurer Clayton Ennis вЂ“ Devils Ridge Golf Club Past President Gene Westbrook Sedgefield Country Club Executive Director David PrekopSecession Golf Club Directors Eric Duncanson Allen Reece Greg Womble Bill Ledford Burke Anders Michael Hileman Greg Barnes Donald Gunther Mac Canon Wes Oliver в—Џ P.O. Box 210 в—Џ Li b e r t y, S C 2 9 6 5 7 Presidents Message by Preston Burl Greetings, Well, itвЂ™s that time of year again! I hope you all had a great summer and things are starting to cool down a bit. We are looking forward to a great conference in November and hope you all are planning on coming to the beach for 3 days of golf, education and networking. We will start things off on Monday with the golf tournament at Arcadian Shores which is sure to be a great time of fun and fellowship provided by Revels Turf & Tractor. Come on out for a good time! Tuesday will begin our conference with an all day of education and lunch graciously provided by Smith Turf & Irrigation. Following lunch we will have our Annual Business Meeting and presentation of our Turf Tech of the Year Award sponsored by TriState Pumps. We will also present our first TETAC Scholarship Award during this time. You will not want to miss it! On Wednesday will continue with our educational seminars and offer the EETC Hydraulics test that afternoon. Please make an effort to attend what is sure to be a great conference. DonвЂ™t forget to stop by the TETAC booth #2013 at the Carolinas GCSA Tradeshow at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center. Should you need assistance in attending, please contact any director and they will be able to assist you. Make it a great fall! Blessings, Preston Burl TETAC TETAC Storing BedknivesвЂ¦.DoвЂ™s and DonвЂ™ts Michael Hileman, JRM, Inc. Senior Field Specialist Bedknives and reels can be a huge expenditure during the growing season for many golf courses. With the influx of Bermuda putting surfaces in our region, we are seeing more and more topdressing than ever before. We all know what sand does to bedknives and reels, so the ability to stretch the life of a bedknife is paramount to stay within budget constraints. With that being said, the most commonly overlooked practice to overall bedknife consistency and longevity is how we store them. I have been asked about storage more than ever before and wanted to give you a few key tips that you can incorporate into the day to day operation. The most common mistake we at JRM see is taking the bedknives out of the box and setting them directly on a shelf or table. If you are not using them immediately and donвЂ™t need to break into that box, then I suggest leaving them in their packaging. With our HOCвЂ™s becoming lower and lower, the bedknives are becoming thinner. Thin metal will conform to the surface it is sitting on over time. Particularly in an environment that is not temperature controlled. Most of our shelving units and work benches are not parallel so the likelihood that your bedknife will take that shape is heightened. The more a bedknife is out of parallel the longer you have to spend grinding to get it back to true form. The more grinding you do in initial set-up equates to less metal to work with over that bedknifeвЂ™s lifespan. When bedknives are packaged by most manufacturers, you will notice oil on those parts similar to a WD40. This is necessary to ward off rust. Our environments in the Carolinas can get very hot and humid in the summer thus leading to extensive corrosion in some cases. With the oiled bedknives in the box, it will stay in an environment that is conducive to warding off corrosion. If you do plan to unbox your bedknives, I recommend applying a rust inhibitor--such as WD-40 or similar--periodically to the bedknifeвЂ™s top and bottom surfaces. Just remember to make sure the bedknives are washed free of oil and dried prior to use. If you do plan on taking your knives out of the packaging, besides oiling them periodically, we recommend hanging them. You have less change of distortion or warping by hanging them and letting gravity take over. I recommend doing this through the screw holes or the construction holes. Some manufacturers do have construction holes on the bedknives which enable them to lock the blanks into place when machining your critical angels (Drag, Top Face, and Front Face). I was curious to see if I could find any other good examples of storage racks and a quick Google search of bedknife storage returned a multitude of great ideas and designs. Below you will find a couple great examples of storage from my good friend Robert Smith of Merion Golf Club, sight of the 2013 US OPEN. Perhaps a winter project is in store! Remember three keys to proper bedknife storage: 1- Leave in packaging as long as possible. 2- Keep them well-oiled to avoid rust. 3- Hang them from screw holes or construction holes after opening box. TETAC SUPERIOR QUALITY-OF-CUT. SURPRISINGLY AFFORDABLE. LF510 в„ў TSP AD The new Jacobsen LF510 fairway mower offers affordability from the start, simplified maintenance and a reliable Kubota diesel Tier 4 final engine вЂ“ making it easy to afford, use and maintain through its entire life. The LF510вЂ™s clean and consistent quality-of-cut is provided by the new TrueSetв„ў cutting units with Classic XPв„ў reels that boast an industry-leading 425-lbs. of holding power. Mow your fairways without scalping your budget with the new Jacobsen LF510. See your local Jacobsen dealer for more information. в„ў Tripp Cobb, Sales Manager 800.868.4631 Tri-State Pump & Control Liberty, SC www.tsppumps.com В©2013 Jacobsen, A Textron Company/Textron Innovations Inc. All rights reserved. 1.888.922.TURF | www.jacobsen.com TETAC Turf Tech of the Year Is your tech the best of the best? Will your technician be added to the growing list of legendary professionals? 2003 Clayton Ennis, Devils Ridge GC, Holly Spring, NC 2008 Jerry Blackwelder, Quail Hollow CC, Charlotte, NC 2004 Melvin Cheatham, Forest Creek, Pinehurst, NC 2009 Gene Westbrook, Red Tail Mountain Club, Mountain City, TN 2005 Butch Trogdon, Starmount Forest CC, Greensboro, NC 2010 David Johnson, Arcadian Shores GC, Myrtle Beach, SC 2006 John Axtell, Charleston Municipal GC, Charleston, SC 2011 Mike Neely, Country Club of Salisbury, Salisbury, NC 2007 Gerry Rickard, St. James Plantation, Southport, NC 2012 Paul Dalton, Highlands Country Club, Highlands, NC 2013 Danny Epps, Furman University Golf Course, Greenville, SC Superintendents and businesses with technicians are invited to nominate candidates for the award by completing this nomination form (additional pages can be attached). Please detail why you think your technician should receive this prestigious award. This person must be a TETAC member. We are looking for people who have demonstrated leadership in: *Work Ethic *Equipment Maintenance *Cost Control-Budgeting *Professionalism The TETAC Board of Directors will review the entries and determine the final vote. Annual award is presented at the Carolinas GCSA Conference in Myrtle Beach. Nomination Fact Sheet SuperintendentвЂ™s Name Phone Company Title Email Address_________________________City Name of Technician being Nominated ______ State Title Zip The reason why my technician should be considered for this award is: ____________ SuperintendentвЂ™s Signature: Date: _______ Must be received by November 1st! Mail to: TETAC, PO Box 210, Liberty, SC 29657 or Fax to 864-843-1149. TETAC WES OLIVER TETAC Technician Spotlight By Greg Barnes This session of the Tech Spotlight will focus on the equipment technician at Primland Resort in The Meadows of Dan, VA. He is also on the board of directors of TETAC, and his name is Wes Oliver. Wes was born in Leaksville, NC (which is now Eden, NC) and was raised in Ridgeway, VA. While growing up there and attending school he began working on his own vehicles, and of course like the rest of us, he started playing around with them and has admitted to having a couple of hot rods, mostly ChevyвЂ™s he added. After graduating high school, he attended Rockingham Community College and received his AssociateвЂ™s degree in Textile Technology Management. Once he completed college he went to work with a local textile company and worked with them for 20 years. This is the part of the story that lets us know how he got into this line of work and is still working in it now as we speak. In 1990, he and his wife purchased a company that bought and refurbished golf course equipment for resale and also included working on homeownerвЂ™s mowers and lawn equipment. During this time he also worked with G.L. Cornell, a Jacobsen dealer in Maryland, while his wife helped him manage the operation of a driving range and 9-hole par 3 course. This was all part of his life until the year 2000 when his wife became sick and lost both kidneys. They knew they had too much going on and had to focus on more important things that were at hand. Wes and his wife sold the business in 2004, but he still grinds reels and helps out other golf courses that donвЂ™t have grinders. He also helps the local high schools with their equipment. Wes then took the job at Primland Resort in 2004 till present. I had the opportunity to go visit Wes at Primland this year and let me tell you this golf course and club is the first place I have been that doesnвЂ™t have a signature hole. Every hole at the golf course should be a postcard, absolutely gorgeous, every hole in every direction. I know, and we all know that without a knowledgeable superintendent like Brian Kearns, and a dedicated equipment manager like Wes Oliver that this would not be possible. The entire staff there does a wonderful job and it is truly a gem hidden in the mountains of Virginia. Wes now helps his wife at home with the dialysis that has to be done 5 days a week and takes approximately 4 to 5 hrs each time. He still works on equipment for other golf courses and high schools when they need him to do so. Wes has been at Primland for 10 years now and said that he has enjoyed it. Wes has two sons and three grandchildren. He enjoys playing golf when he can, and now that one of his grandchildren has started playing golf he hopes to start playing more often. Wes Oliver is a great man that we are privileged to have on the TETAC Board of Directors and wish him the best in all of his ventures. TETAC TETAC NOW & Then Now and then you come across companies that are built to stand the test of time. They have what it takes to not only survive but thrive. So what separates those companies from the ones that donвЂ™t? Studies have shown it takes a laser sharp focus, a willingness to chart new territory, a passion for the industry, a continuous investment in R & D and most importantly a culture committed to developing innovative products that are well-suited to how humans work, engage, and collaborate on the tasks at hand. The Toro Company celebrates their 100th anniversary this year and we couldnвЂ™t be more proud to have been one of their earliest and now longest operating distributors, beginning back in 1925. Our alliance is built on the foundation of those attributes and brings the strength of two of the oldest and most respected names in golf maintenance and irrigation equipment together to help you achieve your own long term success. STI AD HERE Toro Greensmower, circa 1920 Together, we look forward to the next century of our great partnership with our mutual customers! Office 1.800.932.8676 вЂў Orders 1.800.232.8676 www.smithturf.com TETAC 2014 TETAC Conference Horry Georgetown Grand Strand Campus 950 Crabtree Lane, Myrtle Beach, SC NOVEMBER 17-19th MONDAY: NOVEMBER 17, 2014 Golf Tournament Arcadian Shores Golf Club Cost: $25 includes golf and lunch 9:00 AM Registration 10:00 AM Shotgun Start Revels Turf and Tractor TUESDAY: NOVEMBER 18, 2014 Conference вЂ“ Horry Georgetown Grand Strand Campus 7:30-8:00 AM вЂ“ Registration вЂ“ Coffee and Danishes 8-9:30AM - Shop Safety and Loss Prevention: Mickey McCord, McCord Golf Services 9:30-10:00 AM вЂ“ Break 10:00-11:30 AM вЂ“ Preparing for a PGA Tournament: Communication is the Key Keith Wood, Superintendent, Sedgefield Country Club Gene Westbrook, Equipment Manager, Sedgefield Country Club 11:30-12:00 PM вЂ“ Vendor Appreciation 12:00-1:00 PM вЂ“ Lunch sponsored by STI 12:30 PM - Annual Business Meeting 1:30-4:00 PM вЂ“ Tier 4 Engines вЂ“ Greg Womble, Bill Ledford, Burke Anders 4:00-7:00 PM вЂ“ Carolinas GCSA Trade Show 7:00-10:00 PM вЂ“ Carolinas Night at the Beach WEDNESDAY: NOVEMBER 19, 2014 7:30-8:00 AM вЂ“ Registration вЂ“ Coffee and Danishes 8:00-12:00 PM вЂ“ Hydraulics вЂ“ Eric Duncanson, Equipment Manager, Mid Pines CC 8:00-10:00 PM вЂ“ Fuel Hygiene вЂ“ Michael J. Goad, Director of Education, B3 Fuel Solutions 10:00-10:15 AM вЂ“ Break 10:15-12:00 PM вЂ“ Panel Discussion 1:00-4:00 PM вЂ“ EETC Hydraulics Certification Test вЂ“ Bill Ledford, Proctor 12:00-2:30 PM вЂ“ Carolinas GCSA Trade Show and Luncheon Buffet TETAC Have you hugged your greens today? Get closer with the best mowers for undulating greens ever. The new 180 and 220 E-Cutв„ў Hybrid Walk Greens Mowers. Give your greens a good hug with John Deere E-Cut Hybrid Walk Greens Mowers. Available in both 18- and 22-inch width-of-cut, these walkers offer an unparalleled ability to follow contours and undulations as well as steer around the clean-up pass. Call your John Deere Golf Distributor for a demo today. JOHN DEERE AD The NEW 180 E-Cut Hybrid with an 18" cutting width. Our narrowest yet. Exclusive ball-joint mounting system allows the cutting unit to rotate in any direction. REVELS TURF & TRACTOR, LLC FUQUAY-VARINA, NC MYRTLE BEACH, SC 800-849-5469 www.RevelsTractor.com B0R020OCU1C51771-GTT8X110301CG-4C-00400270 Limit chains on cutting unit adjust range of motion to fit the contours of any green. GREENVILLE TURF & TRACTOR PIEDMONT, SC 866-485-8873 www.GreenvilleTurf.com SHOWTURF HILTON HEAD, SC 888-746-8873 www.ShowTurf.com TETAC TETAC Presents TIER 4 to Palmetto GCSA The TETAC Board of Directors were invited to speak at the Palmetto GCSA After Action Summer Review in Myrtle Beach, SC at Pine Lakes Country Club earlier this month. Bill Ledford, TSP, Greg Womble, Revels Turf and Tractor, and Burke Anders, STI presented a seminar on Tier 4 to the superintendents in the Myrtle Beach area. We were able to inform them on the value of TETAC membership and what TETAC is all about. We appreciate the Palmetto GCSA for their hospitality and the invitation present a seminar. Be sure to attend the Tier 4 seminar at the TETAC Conference in Myrtle Beach where they will go more in depth on the subject and what we are required to do as equipment technicians. We want to thank our speakers and their employers who allow them to come speak on behalf of TETAC. We appreciate your continued support! TETAC TETAC NOW OFFERING EDUCATIONAL SCHOLARSHIPS The TETAC Board of Directors has announced that they will be offering two $500 scholarships to children of TETAC members or anyone in an equipment technician program. The deadline to submit your application is November 1st. The winners will be announced at the TETAC Conference in Myrtle Beach on November 18th. Should you have any questions, please contact Kim Clark at 800-476-4272. TETAC PO Box 210 Liberty, SC 29657