Make sure you register for the 2nd Annual STA Summer Field Day. Wednesday June 27th, 2012 is the day at the Willows Golf and Country Club in Saskatoon. Registration is at 8:00 am. The tradeshow on the driving range will start at 8:30 am and continue to 11:00 am. We’ll have lunch at 11:00 am and golf at noon. It will be a shot gun start.

They say spring is here but with the cool winds and in some cases snow you’d have a good argument with “whoever said that is nuts”. Most courses have opened with very little play so far. Some wintered well and others not so well. Poa annua especially on some older courses took a big hit. It will come back but we need some warmer weather to get things going. Your fairways can take a hit and also your tees but golfers get antsy when greens aren’t very good. One thing is certain, greens will improve a lot faster than the golfers playing ability.

After returning home from a wonderful holiday in Palm Springs I got kicked in the butt big time. After not being able to see and losing 20 lbs in a little over two weeks and feeling like I’d been hit by a truck, I had a visit with my doctor. After tests I found I had diabetes. It is controlled by medication and I feel better now. One thing for sure is this disease sure changes your life style, particularly your eating habits.

Just returned from Palm Springs after a wonderful visit with Peter and Sherril Semko. They are wonderful hosts, the weather was excellent. The Semkos were the proud owners of the Greenbryre Country Club in Saskatoon and Peter Semko is an Honourary Life Member of the STA.

After a nice Christmas with my daughter in North Carolina, and beautiful warm weather, it was on to Florida for nicer weather and some real rest and relaxation. The US economy isn’t that good, so there was a distinct lack of tourists at least where we were. It has been this way for the past three years and shows no sign of letting up.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas season, with lots of presents, good food, and lots of family around. Most of your homes were probably a beehive of activity over the Christmas season. At this time of year there isn’t much happening in the turfgrass business. With no news to this point, there isn’t any complaints about the condition of golf courses.

The 2011 Fall Wind-up and AGM are now history. We would have to say this was a successful event despite the low attendance. Our seminar speakers were excellent. Chris Marchiori (maintenance practices at The Wascana), Mike Bullard (My experience working at 2 US Opens) and Jim Crockett from Jaybee Holdings Ltd., who had numerous subjects such as the advantages of Gypsum. All were first rate speakers with interesting presentations.

The STA Fall Windup and Annual General Meeting is approaching quickly. It’s at the Royal Regina Golf Club in Regina, December 6th, 2011. The seminar portion will feature two of our own. Chris Marchiori, assistant superintendent at The Wascana will talk to us about maintenance practices at The Wascana. Mike Bullard will present his experiences at the last two United States Open golf tournaments. Mike is an assistant at Riverside here in Saskatoon. The cost to STA members will be $50 which covers the seminar, continental breakfast and banquet.

The end of the season is fast approaching. Some of the busier clubs are aerating greens, tees and topdressing. The fungicide program is speeding up with the added frequency of applications. Shortly, irrigation line will be blown. Take your time with this important function to make sure all water is removed. If you have experienced any problems with your pump or motor, remove it this fall and have it repaired. Don’t wait until the spring. The same hold true for sprinkler heads. After removing them, make sure the openings leading to the water lines are capped for the winter.

The weather was perfect for our annual Research Tournament in Swift Current August 22nd. There was a good turnout and some good golf. The Skins game at Doug Leavin’s Chinook Golf Course was well attended on a golf course that was in beautiful condition. We thank Chinook for their kind hospitality in accommodating us.