Registration for this event will start at 2:30 pm on Monday.  We will then get right into it with the seminars then the social.  Next day starts with seminars, then the banquet followed by the AGM.

As many of you know, I’ve had some serious health issues this summer.  This was why I couldn’t attend the Research Tournament in Moose Jaw.  In mid-October I was admitted to hospital for tests to see how they could treat me.  I received an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD).  The main function of an ICD is to detect dangerously fast heart beats, and deliver a potentially life-saving shock to correct that rhythm.

Because I have a dangerously low heart beat when sleeping, my ICD will act as a pacemaker and will prevent this slow heart beat.  The procedure doesn’t cure my heart disease.  It does, however, treat the symptoms so I can resume living normally with much less worry about life threatening rhythm disorders.  This will take time, but I’m feeling better with each day.

For the reasons above, I will not be at the Fall Wind Up.  Doug Campbell will be running the event.  He will have help of his choosing.  It will be a good event so plan on attending.  Discuss your year with your peers – the good, the bad and the ugly. (Ed. Not sure if he means your peers or your year!)

While I was away from the STA I received a $1500 cheque from Golf Saskatchewan.  This is a donation to the STA for turfgrass research.  This is on behalf of the Golf Saskatchewan Board of Directors and their members.  Accompanying the cheque was a letter from Brian Lee, their Executive Director which asks to find new and innovative ways to keep turf conditions in top shape in our province.

The following Board Members will serve one more year:  Zone 2 Doug Campbell, Zone 4 Kyle Kellgren, Zone 6 Dean Hildebrandt, Zone 8 Lach Reeve, Commercial North Kevin Bloski.  The following Director’s term is up and are up for election at this year’s meeting:  Zone 1 Mike Kupchanko, Zone 3 Pierre Vezeau, Zone 5 Richard Berg, Zone 7 Leo Skaluba, and Commercial South Kirt Blatz.

The cost to attend the 2015 Fall Wind Up is $75 per person.  This includes room rental, all food, coffee, etc.  Also included is the seminars.  I ask that people pre-register by e-mailing me at soupyd@sasktel.net.  I have told the Saskatoon Golf and Country Club we’ll have 65 attending.  This is for food preparation.

Don’t forget that a toonie purchases drinks at the bar on the Monday night social.  The STA buys the finger food.  This is a good evening to talk shop, exchange ideas, and above all, ask questions.

Recently Riverside Country Club’s Superintendent Doug Campbell returned form the CGSA Fall Field Day where he attended a seminar where the main topic of discussion was Championship Greens.  His report appeared in the Club’s newsletter.  Key points from this seminar indicate that practices should include:

• Providing light and frequent fertilization using mostly foliar (applied to the leaf) products
• Aeration must be done a minimum of once per season, ideally two times, using hollow core tines or solid tines.
• Venting during the season every 2-4 weeks using planetaire hydroject mini tines, which do little if anything to affect the ball roll
• Regular, light topdressing every 2-4 weeks to dilute the thatch layer and help keep the surface smooth
• Regular rolling to enhance the smoothness of the surface
• Light verticutting brushing to promote upright growth and control grain
• Use of plant growth regulators to control leaf growth throughout the day
• Very important to ensure the green is going into our harsh winter as healthy as possible.

Doug goes on to say his turf care team tries to achieve optimal green health in the fall by gradually raising cutting height, sometimes even substituting rolling instead of mowing.  They also do 3-4 applications of fungicide to prevent disease, and topdress the greens.  Lastly, they are covered for the winter.

Before my hospital stay, I heard about a couple of courses going into a tree planting program.  A word of advice:  avoid the temptation to plant a fast-growing tree that will have an instant effect.  This type of tree usually is soft wooded, messy, has surface roots and a shorter life span.  I’ve been there, done that.  A better course of action is to choose an appropriate variety for your area that has the proper growth characteristics and few pest problems.

It’s always nice for me to observe superintendents discussing problems they have run into during this past golf season.  These discussions are valuable.  Usually these exchanges of ideas will come forward as superintendents come together to help each other.

Researchers placed a tracking device on a little bird called a whimbrel in Newfoundland.  It flew three straight days nonstop when it hit the northeast quadrant of a storm and powered through the hurricane and on to South America.  Scientists say this is simply amazing because this little guy encountered 75 km/h winds.

I’m going to end this guys.  I hope many of you attend the Fall Wind Up.  We need your attendance.