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WINDSONG FARM GOLF CLUB REORGANIZES AND CONTINUES TRADITIONAL GOLF OPERATIONS WITH CURRENT PRIVATE MEMBERSHIP GROUP
Windsong Farm Golf Club announced today a recapitalization and
continuation of the current membership group. Windsong Farm Golf Club,
as with a number of other private golf clubs across the country, have
suffered financially due to the weak economy and overbuilt golf course
situation. The Windsong Farm Golf Club members voted last Saturday to
sell the assets of Windsong Farm Golf Club to Fargo, ND businessman
David Meyer. In addition to renewing current memberships, Windsong Farm
Golf Club is taking applications for a limited number of available golf
memberships.
General Manager and PGA golf professional Jim Kidd says: “The
overwhelming support and enthusiasm from the members for this
reorganization is exciting. The bottom line is that the members and
their families want to continue to play golf at Windsong. With this
newly added financial stability, we can continue to preserve and build
on the Windsong golf experience this season and for generations into
the future.”
New owner David Meyer states: “This is an outstanding championship golf
course. I am a golf traditionalist with roots in the area. There has
been a lot of thought and hard work put into Windsong resulting in a
tremendous amount of respect and praise from the golf community. I am
proud to be associated with the excellent staff and great group of
members to continue the vision and legacy of Windsong Farm Golf Club.”
“The members are elated. Windsong is a special place and now we have a
solid future. Can’t wait for spring to get here,” says Steve Erickson,
a current and original Windsong member.
 Located
just outside the Western Minneapolis suburbs, Windsong Farm Golf Club
opened in 2003. This 7380 Yard Par 71 Championship Course was designed
by John Fought and Minnesota native Tom Lehman. Windsong Farm Golf Club
hosted the 2008 MGA State Amateur Championship, 2010 Big Ten Men’s Golf
Championship, and the 2011
USGA Women’s Mid-Amateur Championship Sectional Qualifying. Windsong
Farm Golf Club was rated in the Top 100 Modern Golf Courses in 2010 by
Golf Week Magazine.
Windsong Farm Golf Club
18 Golf Walk
Independence, MN 55359
763-479-3535
Pint, Morter,
Kelly, Schmidt and Hines
Repeat as MGCSA Fall Shoot Champions
The MGCSA held
its 3rd Annual Fall Shoot Mixer at the Minnesota
Horse and Hunt Club on October 17th. We had a record
turnout for this event.
 The
education was supplied by Erin McManus, Superintendent at Medina
Golf & Country Club on the proper ways to train your dog for the
golf course. Erin taught us the basic dog training commands and
went in to more elaborate training methods for the older
dog. Erin showed a video of some dog retrieving maneuvers.
We had 56
shooters and the consensus was, once again, very positive. The
team of Scottie Hines, CGCS, and Nick Morter both from Windsong
Farm Golf Club, Mike Kelly, Bayer Environmental Science, Tom
Schmidt, Hillcrest Golf Club of St Paul and Jeff Pint, New
Prague Golf Club won the event for the 2nd year in a
row. They had a score of 177 out of 200. Second place went to
the team of Erin McManus, Troy Tschida and Jason Swift of Medina
Golf & Country Club along with Tim Wicklund, Cedar Creek Golf
Course and Dennis Berning, Rush Creek Golf Club. They had a
score of 157. These were the same results as last year.
We had a tie
for the Individual lead shooter of the day. Jeff Pint and Erin
McManus tied with scores of 43 out of 50 for medalist honors.
Paul Eckholm,
CGCS, Heritage Links Golf Club won the Gun Raffle. This was the
first time we tried a gun raffle. The raffle raised over $600
for research. Thank you to all that bought some raffle tickets.
Next year’s
Fall Shoot Mixer will be held on October 15th. The
MGCSA Awards and Recognition Banquet will be held on December 7th
at Brackett’s Crossing Country Club.
Murphy, Milbrandt, Tollefson, Windett
Win Harold Stodola Research Scramble
Pictured above: (from left) Ty Tollefson, Marlin Murphy, Ryan Windett
and Kevin Milbrandt of Stillwater Country Club shot
14-under to win the 2011 Stodola.
The site of the 2011 Harold
Stodola Research Scramble was held at Forest Hills Golf Club in
Forest Lake. The MGCSA members had a spectacular day to play.
Host Superintendent Marlow Hansen and his assistant Jeff
Meredith and staff had the course in excellent shape. Players
found the layout fun and the greens fast and smooth. There were
many good comments about the greens.
The team of Marlin Murphy, Kevin Milbrandt, Ty Tollefson and
Ryan Windett from Stillwater Country Club shot a 14-under par
round of 58 to win the 2011 Harold Stodola Research Scramble.
Winning a scorecard playoff for second place was the team from
White Bear Yacht Club, consisting of John Steiner, CGCS, Mike
Sullivan, Jamie Olsen and Don Olsen. Third place went to the
team from Windsong Farm Golf Club, their members were Scottie
Hines, CGCS, Phil Ebner, Nick Morter and Dave Reedy. Both teams
shot a 13-under par 59.
Kevin Anderson, White Bear Yacht Club and Ty Tollefson,
Stillwater Country Club hit the longest drives of the day. Brad
Marty, White Bear Yacht Club and Dave Kazmierczak, Prestwick
Golf Club sank the longest putts. The four closest to the pins
were won by Andy Keyes, The Meadows of Mystic Lake, Kevin
Anderson, White Bear Yacht Club, Dave Reedy and Nick Morter both
from Windsong Farm Golf Club.
Thank you to the following Affiliate member companies for
Sponsoring the 2011 Harold Stodola Research Scramble, Agrotain
International, BASF, Bayer Environmental Science, Cycle Works
Golf Supply, Duininck Golf, Excel Turf & Ornamental, Frontier Ag
& Turf, Hartman Companies, MTI Distributing, Inc., Par Aide
Products Company, Plaisted Companies, Precision Turf & Chemical,
Specialty Ag & Turf, Superior Turf Services, Syngenta
Professional Products, Turfwerks and Versatile Vehicles. These
companies have sponsored our 2011 events.
Our next meeting will be the Second Annual Wee-One event on
October 3 at North Oaks Golf Club. The Fall Mixer at the Horse
and Hunt Club will be on October 17. Our Annual Awards Banquet
will take place on December 7 at Brackett’s Crossing CC.
MTGF / MNLA Now Accepting Proposals
for the
Northern Green Expo 2013
January 9-11, 2013
Minneapolis Convention Center
If you are an educator or industry professional with a passion
for presenting - then prepare your pitch! The Northern Green
Expo is the premier green industry event in the north central
region.
Format:
+ 50-60 minute sessions - Our educational sessions
are ideal for short bites of specific information in a high
impact style. These take place in a classroom setting at the
convention center.
+
15-20 minute sessions - These short
education-on-the-go
seminars take place on the stage located on the trade show floor
and are best for showcasing an idea or demonstrating a
technique/process.
Make the Most of Your Education Program Proposal:
+ Make
it compelling
+ Challenge yourself
+
Make it
interactive
Things Potential Presenters Should Know:
+ Do not trot your usual shtick (if it's canned it's SPAM, not
the gourmet experience we are looking for...
+ Challenge the green industry community.
+
Do not flaunt
your ego; be vulnerable, speak of failure as well as success.
+
Do NOT sell from the stage.
(Not your
company, goods, writings, or consulting services - you risk
annoying your audience and undermining your credibility
and we will never invite you back.)
+
Do not depend
on handouts. (We post handouts online for participants to
download but if you depend on and refer to handouts
you will be disappointed and
so will your audience...update your presentation style
accordingly.)
Rules:
+ All proposals must be submitted online (no exceptions)
+ All proposals must be complete
+ You may submit a maximum of 5 proposals per speaker
Fast Facts:
+
We have a list of industry segments (by percentage) who attend
the Northern Green Expo...read
more here.
+ Learning levels are diverse and range from entry-level to
mid-level/practical to high-level/theoretical.
+
Audience size can range from 30 - 300 attendees
per session.
+ Handouts will be posted online but will NOT be distributed
onsite. Please adjust accordingly.
+
Sessions MAY NOT include sales, commercialism, or
production promotion of any kind!!!
Deadline to submit your proposal:
November 1, 2011
Proposals will be reviewed in November/December/January.
Call for Presentations – Online Submission Form:
http://www.northerngreenexpo.org/content.asp?pl=4&sl=89&contentid=89
Dan Dickinson
Wins MGCSA Championship at Ruttger's
On August 15, Superintendent Dan Dickinson,
Sauk Centre Country Club, (pictured with the trophy below) was able
to handle the tight fairways on The Lakes course at Ruttger's Bay
Lake Lodge, enroute to a score of 73 to win the 2011 MGCSA
Championship. Drew Ekstrom, Superior Golf Cars, finished second at
76. Ben Walker, Somerset Country Club, finished third with an
81. Dan had nine hole scores of 36-37 and Drew fired an opening 41
but followed up with a back nine 35. Ben shot nines of 39-42.
 On
behalf of the Minnesota Golf Course Superintendents’ Association we
would like to extend our thanks and appreciation to Ruttger’s Bay
Lake Lodge for hosting our Championship. The support from the club
and the prime condition of the course made for a spectacular day to
celebrate golf.
Host Superintendent, Joe
Wollner won the First Flight with a net score of 74. Tom Jandl,
Ruttger’s Bay Lake Lodge used his home course knowledge to shoot a
net 75 and finish second. Tom won a scorecard playoff with Charlie
Miller, Goodrich GC and Brian Horgan, University of Minnesota.
This years Senior Champion is
John Monson, Long Prairie GC John shot a net 68. Jim O’Neill,
Cycle Works Golf Supply came in second with a net 79.
Winning the Callaway Flight was
Greg Bondy, Turfwerks, edging out Turfwerks Zach Davis, Greg shot a
net 72 and Zach had a 73. Larry Thornton, Superior Turf Services
finished third with a net 74.
Our two 2011 Long Drive
Champions are David Thalberg, Prestwick GC and Zach Wignall, The
Meadows at Mystic Lake. Isaac Kasper, Columbia CC and Ben Wallin,
Victory Links GC sank the longest putts of the day. The five
winners of the closest to the pin competition were Jeff Pint, New
Prague GC, Charlie Miller, Goodrich GC, David Johnson, Territory GC,
Zach Wignall, The Meadows at Mystic Lake and Gary Deters, St
Cloud CC.
 Superintendent
Joe Wollner, pictured on the right, along with his staff had the
course in great condition. Golf Professional Jamie Alderman and his
staff were very helpful in pre-tournament preparations.
Special thanks go out to Dan
O’Brien and Superior Golf Cars. Superior Golf Cars teamed up
with the Minnesota PGA, Minnesota Golf Course Superintendents
Association, the Upper Midwest Chapter of the Club Managers
Association of America and the Midwest Golf Course Owners
Association for the inaugural Superior Golf Cars/Club Car Charity
Classic which benefitted the allied associations. Superior Golf Cars
donated a portion of the proceeds to the MGCSA.
Thank you to the following
Affiliate member companies for sponsoring the 2011 Championship:
Agrotain International, BASF, Bayer Environmental Science, Cycle
Works Golf Supply, Duininck Golf, Excel Turf & Ornamental, Frontier
Ag & Turf, Hartman Companies Inc., MTI Distributing Inc., Par Aide
Products Company, Plaisted Companies Inc., Precision Turf & Chemical
Inc., Specialty Ag & Turf, Superior Turf Services Inc., Syngenta
Professional Products, Turfwerks, and Versatile Vehicles, Inc.
The next MGCSA event will be the
MTGF/University of Minnesota Turf and Grounds Field Day on September
15. The Stodola Research Scramble will be on September 19 at the
Forest Hills Golf Club and the second Annual Wee-One event will take
place on October 3 at North Oaks Golf Club. The Fall Mixer at the
Horse and Hunt Club will be on October 17. Our Annual Awards Banquet
will take place on December 7 at Brackett’s Crossing CC.
2011 CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS
Johnson, Pint, Schindele
and Kelly Capture
MGCSA
Scholarship Scramble at Victory Links
The 2011 MGCSA Scholarship
Scramble Champions are, from the left, Tim Johnson, Spring Hill Golf
Club; Jeff Pint, New Prague Golf Club; Brandon Schindele, Edina
Country Club, and Mike Kelly, Bayer Environmental Science.
The 2011 MGCSA Scholarship
Scramble was held at the Victory Links Golf Course. Victory
Links had a long winter, like a lot of courses and suffered damage
to a majority of their greens. Host Superintendent Curtiss Conkright
and Assistant Superintendent Ben Wallin, along with the rest of the
staff, now have the course on the road to recovery. “The
course had 13 temporary greens this spring” said Conkright. The
recent warm weather has fueled the recovery. Head Golf Professional
Scott Roth and his staff took good care of the attendees throughout
the day.
The winning team of Tim Johnson, Spring Hill Golf Club, Mike
Kelly, Bayer Environmental Science, Jeff Pint, New Prague Golf Club
and Brandon Schindele, Edina Country Club won this years Scholarship
Scramble with a 13-under par score of 58. They shot a back nine
score of 28 to beat Defending Champions from Stillwater Country Club
by one shot. The Stillwater team of Marlin Murphy, Ty Tollefson,
Kevin Milbrandt and Ryan Windett shot 59 to finish second.
Thanks to the support from our MGCSA Affiliate members, we had
eight field events. The closest-to-the-pin winners were: Jon
Almquist, MTI Distributing Inc.; Scottie Hines, CGCS, Windsong
Farm GC; Joe Churchill, Reinders; Kevin Milbrandt, Stillwater CC,
and Ben Wallin, Victory Links. The two longest drive awards went to
Ty Tollefson, Stillwater CC, and Brandon Schindele, Edina CC. Gregg
Paulus, The Ponds at Battle Creek won longest putt.
Winners of Par Aide Product
Company's putting contest were: From the left is contest host
Scott Melling, Par Aide Products Co.; Jeff Johnson, The Minikahda
Club; Scottie Hines, CGCS, Windsong Farm Golf Club; Jim Wahl,
Versatile Vehicles, Inc., and Curtiss Conkright, Victory Links Golf
Course.
Par Aide Products Company representative Scott Melling ran a putting
contest as players made the turn. Scott designed a 45-foot putt with
six feet of break on the Victory Links Putting course. Jeff Johnson,
The Minikahda Club, was the only player to sink the putt. Scottie
Hines, CGCS finished second and Curtiss Conkright finished third. In
the Vendor Division, Jim Wall, Versatile Vehicles, Inc., finished
first..
Please support our MGCSA vendors, they give a lot to this
association. Our 2011 sponsors are; Agrotain International, BASF,
Bayer Environmental Science, Cycle Works Golf Supply, Duininck Golf,
Excel Turf & Ornamental, Frontier Ag & Turf, Hartman Companies, MTI
Distributing, Inc., Par Aide Products, Plaisted Companies, Precision
Turf & Chemical, Inc., Specialty Turf & Ag, Superior Turf Services,
Syngenta Professional Products, Turfwerks and Versatile Vehicles.
Legends Club
Hosts 97 for March Mega-Seminar
The MGCSA held its 2011 Mega-Seminar at the Legends Club in Prior
Lake on March 9-10. Scott Thayer, host Superintendent and the staff
at Legends Club provided a great venue for the 97 members who
attended the two-day Seminar.
DAY ONE
Day One focused on agronomics; soil and water testing, foliar
nutrient feeding and Poa annua control and management. Nick
Christians, Ph.D., Professor at Iowa State University opened the day
by talking about plant-soil interactions. Elise Doucette, Minnesota
Pollution Control Agency spoke on the new aquatic permit
requirements and NPDES permitting. Mike Richardson, Ph.D.,
University of Arkansas, discussed the basic biological concepts
about foliar uptake of nutrients in plants. The day concluded with
Dr. Christians speaking about Poa annua control and
management.
DAY TWO
Day Two tackled the new technologies that are being utilized in our
industry all the time, covering new data collection tools to social
networking to useful smart phone applications. Mike Richardson,
Ph.D. examined several soils, plant diagnosis capabilities,
underlying technology, shortcomings and cost.
Clayton Fixens, GCSAA web architect, showed us how to use social
media to promote yourself and your facility. Marcus Jones, Iowa
State University, spoke about blog use in the turfgrass industry.
Bob Porter, Superintendent Hiawatha Golf Course gave a talk on smart
phone applications for the golf course superintendent.
Speakers:
Dr.
Nick Christians,
Iowa State University
Dr.
Mike Richardson,
University of Arkansas
Marcus Jones,
Iowa State University
Bob Porter,
Hiawatha Golf Course
Clayton Fixens,
GCSAA
Elise Doucette,
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency
There was something for all levels of experience to improve their
skills as a golf course Superintendent.
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