I would first like to thank the Membership and the Board of Directors of the Oregon Chapter of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA) for selecting me as this year’s president. I would further like to thank Russell Vandehey, CGCS and Mike Turner, CGCS for their service to the association. Additionally, I would like to welcome Gabe Hughes and William Barnes to the Board.

I just had 16 of my life long friends, from around the country, in town to play golf and conduct our annual fantasy football draft. Though our fantasy football league has been active for 38 years, it is the golf that gets them all to come.  Why do people travel great miles to play this game?  Is it to visit the great course or is it the people that they will be traveling and playing with? I personally think it is the latter.  Like many sports, I think the sense of community is as important as the game itself.

I beleive the sense of community not only applies to the game we are care takers of, but to the association(s) of which we are members. For myself, I attended a liberal arts college and got my degree in an unrelated field.  When I found myself returning to a career in golf I connected with Dick Malpass to join the Oregon Golf Course Superintendents Association and later the GCSAA.  Besides the education our associations provided me I was able to meet other superintendents to share ideas.  As President and Chapter Delegate of the Oregon Chapter of the GCSAA, I look forward to networking with old friends at the Chapter Delegates meeting and the Golf Industry Show.

At the end of this month we will be holding the Annual OGCSA Crew Tournament. This has become one our best attended events and currently has a waiting list.  Arrowhead has been gracious to hold this event for us and is a challenging and well conditioned course.  I think it is the team format and the comradery which brings them all out.  To spend a day with ones friends and co-workers at a beautiful location playing the game that has brought us together.

We have a number of programs this fall that should be of educational interest as well as opportunity to network with old and new friends. I would like to encourage our members to take these opportunities to reconnect with the Association.

The first event will be the Oregon State University Turf Field Day being held at the Lewis-Brown Farm in Corvallis.  It is September 8 from 8:00 am to 7:00 pm.  Alec Kowalewski, Ph.D. has a wide range of topics but I know that you will all have interest in the management of Anthracnose with wetting agents and fungicides; also alternate management techniques for Microdochium Patch.

The OGCSA Fall Meeting will be at Bend Golf & County Club September 14. This half day educational meeting will feature: Patrick Cougill – Bend area employment law attorney and OSHA representative, Marc Cahalan – Business Development Manager. The day will wrap up with lunch and an optional 9 holes of golf.

Join us at Illahe Hills Country Club on Monday, October 10th for our annual Oregon Turfgrass Foundation (OTF) Golf Tournament & Auction. The OTF is the philanthropic arm of the OGCSA.  The funds raised from the tournament will help support the Oregon State Turfgrass program through research and scholarships.

Please join us at these events, renew old friendships and meet new colleagues. These events besides education and exchanging ideas, will provide GCSAA points to maintain or achieve Class A Superintendent.  I hope the summer is treating you well and see you this fall. Cheers to the spirit of golf.

Respectfully,

Chuck Wolsborn
President Oregon Chapter GCSA (OGCSA)