CIGCSA Chapter News

Bunker Sand Replacement at CCP

Bryan Brucker — Tue, 17 Mar 2026 02:10:55 GMT

From Jeff Kerr

2020 PRP Released

TRAVIS WILLIAMS — Fri, 20 Dec 2019 16:36:28 GMT

2020 PRP Released

A few housekeeping items before the holidays.

Bryan emailed the 2020 PRP to members this morning. Links can also be found on www.cigcsa.com, with a direct link to all forms by clicking here: PRP forms .

Sometimes we get asked: what is PRP? PRP stands for Partner Recognition Program. What it does is provide an opportunity for our affiliate members, or vendors, to support CIGCSA and receive recognition for that support. I think it is beneficial for all to look at our PRP, not just the vendors. If you didn't click on the above links to the website? Here is a direct link: 2020 PRP Program

By viewing the PRP, members can sense the support provided by these vendors. For example, our highest level of support is Platinum. These vendors, through memberships, event(s) sponsorship, tee sign advertising, etc., provide at least $2500 of support to CIGCSA!!!! Gold level supports at $1500-$2499, and Silver at $750-$1499! It provides a significant amount of revenue for CIGCSA. We use these funds to provide education at our Annual Meeting, Spring Workshop, and the other events that provide education content. Most speakers we host, require travel expense reimbursement and some ask for a speaking fee. Sponsorship of events also offsets food and beverage costs, facility costs, golf and prize expenses, and products for our scholarship fundraiser. Bottom line is that we are able to provide better experiences for our members, because of the PRP.

PLEASE SUPPORT PRP VENDORS IN 2020!!!

Lastly, we have our 2020 calendar roughly set. We are waiting to confirm a few exact dates, working with courses and clubs to fit into their calendars. But here is the calendar:

Dates subject to change

Friday, January 10, 2020	Winter Social Event
Wednesday, January 29, 2020	GIS Happy Hour- Orlando
Monday, March 02, 2020	Spring education/Shop meeting
Monday, April 06, 2020	April Golf & Education Event with SIGCSA
May 2020	Scholarship Fundraiser
June 1 or 8, 2020	Vendor Day/Business
Monday, July 13, 2020	Chapter Championship/ Business
August 10 or 17, 2020	9 Holer/ Business
October 2020	October Volunteering Event
Monday, December 07, 2020	Winter Education/Annual Meeting
Friday, January 8, 2021	Winter Social Event
Wednesday, February 3, 2021	GIS Happy Hour- Las Vegas

For full details, please click on this google sheets link: 2020 Schedule

Thanks for reading and Happy Holidays!!!!

CIGCSA BOD

P.S. Winter social is Jan 10, 2020 at Uncle Buck's in Bass Pro Shop Peoria, IL. free registration here

Dec 2019 BOD business recap

TRAVIS WILLIAMS — Mon, 16 Dec 2019 20:04:05 GMT

Business and Committee Assignment recap:

The board met yesterday to recap our 2019 year and roll into 2020 with committee assignments and goals. Committee assignments are as follows:

Vendor Relations- Erik Parker/Travis Williams
Communications- Travis Williams
Events and Education- Nate Jordan/Corey Wisher
Membership and By-laws- Dan Crumrine
Allied Associations/Gov’t Advocacy- Perry Green/Scott White
Scholarship- Tyler Bain/Josh Dreyer

A few highlights of the day:

New ideas for 2020 events

We are very excited about the new format for our Spring Shop meeting that will include three unique education tracks for our members. We consider it a career development day with topics including Professional Growth, Equipment Maintenance, and Agronomic. The day will begin with Pat Finlen and then members will choose 3 separate education topics each lasting about 90 mins. More details to follow.

We also have plans for a joint meeting with Southern IL GCSA in April. We will be at Oak Terrace in Pana, IL with plans to provide education prior to the event and social gathering following.

We hope to implement a community service project in October. We will pick a charity and have our members volunteer our time, resources and agronomic skills to enhance a property for the chosen charity.

Other events include our Vendor's Day in June, Scholarship Outing in May, Chapter Championship in July, and the Annual Meeting and Education in December.

Up next is the Winter Social at Uncle Buck’s at the Bass Pro Shop in Peoria on January 10, 2020 from 6-9 PM, and the GIS Happy Hour in Orlando on January 29, 2020 from 4-6 PM at Twin Peaks Restaurant.

A full calendar of events will be posted on the website and emailed to members once all dates and times are confirmed.

For our Affiliate members, the PRP will be available earlier this year. We want to get this into your hands before the holidays, with the form and format very similar to past years. To our Class A, B, C, EM and AS members, these vendors are very important to our operations and we hope you will support them when making purchasing decisions in 2020.

Another initiative discussed is a Photo Contest for 2020. We want our members to help us provide social media content and show others what we do as superintendents. We hope to have a grand prize winner for best photo of the year and a prize at each event for a picture post to twitter.

Use the hashtag #CIGCSA2020Pics on any post to twitter to enter the contest.

The board also completed the Chapter Assessment Survey for GCSAA and generated several ideas from the process. One is to set up a Pop-Up Shop for merchandise at the end of 2020 to allow members access to CIGCSA logo apparel and swag

A final note from the meeting is that Erik Parker was appointed as the Vendor Liaison and Corey Wisher as the Assistant Liaison. Erik and Corey will be provide feedback from Vendors and Assistants to help the board better serve these important groups.

Thanks for reading,

CIGCSA BOD

Former CIGCSA Member Bill Bonnet passes away

Mon, 12 Jan 2015 18:31:46 GMT

It is with regret that we announce the passing of Bill Bonnett, former CIGCSA Member and a long time fixture in the Central Florida region with Lesco.

Bill Bonnett, 66, passed away unexpectedly while on a Caribbean cruise on Tuesday, December 9, 2014. Bill and his wife Lin had lived in The Villages for over four years, moving here from Lake Mary, Florida. Bill was a member of the Dragon Boat Club and had competed in the World Championships in Hong Kong in 2012 and Italy in 2014. He had coached all his life including Little League and later Special Olympics; he was honored to have been named Coach of the Year 1996 and the Head Coach for the Special Olympics Florida Golf Team for the World Games in 1999. In 2009 he was inducted into the Special Olympics Florida Hall of Fame. He was a table captain for Operation Shoebox and loved to volunteer at the public events at the Town Squares. Bill was the strong, silent type. He was a gentle soul, even tempered, a wonderful role model and a hero to his children and grandchildren. He will be missed.

Bill attended the University of Illinois and graduated with degree in Ornamental Horticulture and served as the Head Golf Course Superintendent at Sunset Hills Country Club in Pekin, Illinois and the Kankakee Elks Country Club in St. Anne, Illinois before joining Lesco in 1984 as a regional agronomist in golf course sales covering the Gulf Coast region and later relocating in 1986 to Central Florida. Bill retired from the golf industry in 2010 to move to The Villages to continue his love of golf and volunteering his time to worthy causes.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Raymond and Vivian Bonnett and a brother, Dan Bonnett. He is survived by his loving wife of 47 years, Lin Bonnett; three sons, Todd (Rhonda), Trent (Brooke), Travis (Wendy); eight grandchildren, Emily, Keller, William, Katie, Mary, Easton, Carlisle, Abby; siblings, Evelyn, David, Joan, Keith, Sarah, John, Tom; numerous nieces and nephews and his faithful companion, Magic.

Memorial contributions may be made to Operation Shoebox.

A memorial service was held Saturday, January 3, 2015 at Hiers-Baxley Funeral Services, 1511 Buenos Aires Blvd, The Villages.

Raffle Fundraiser

Thu, 25 Sep 2014 12:34:31 GMT

Here is a letter from Tyler Bain discussing ideas to raise money for the Polillo Research and Education Fund. Please read:

Research fund letter.docx

Polillo Research and Education Fund

Wed, 16 Oct 2013 14:03:00 GMT

CIGCSA Officially links Charter Member
George "Tony" Polillo to research and education

With many of the Polillo family members and friends in attendance on Monday, August 19th at Stone Creek Golf Club, CIGCSA Dedicated in the name of George "Tony" Polillo it's Research and Education Fund that will support local research of turf management that is common to CIGCSA Members!!

____________________________________________________________________________

George "Tony" Polillo Research and Education Fund

Investing in research.....investing in our future

The following members have donated individually to the George "Tony" Polillo Research and Education Fund and CICGSA would like to thank you and recognize your commitment to local research:

Sean Doggett, Turtle Run
Douglas Hayes, Southside CC
John Tonsor, Southside CC
Tim Neaveill, Coyote Creek GC
    Danny Rieger, Bloomington CC
Ron Dohman, CGCS, Pontiac Elks CC
David Drach, Pontiac Elks CC

Scott Werner, CGCS, Lincolnshire Fields CC
Lane Vance, El Paso CC
Jeffrey Hoyt, Macomb CC
Bill Lowery,CGCS, Urbana CC
Duane Luehrsen, Shagbark GC
Bart Schaaf, Oak Springs GC
Mike Rayman, CGCS, Weibring GC

Marvin Laird, CGCS, Retired

Pete Clarno, CGCS, Retired

Jay Wiedman, Retired
Wayne Orrell, Retired
Michael Vogt, CGCS, Retired
Tom Guttschow, Retired
Wayne Brown, CGCS, Retired

Changes in OSHA Hazzard Communications

Wed, 27 Mar 2013 16:30:25 GMT

Hazard Communication Standard Final Rule

New changes to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) Hazard Communication Standard are bringing the United States into alignment with the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS). The Hazard Communication Standard in 1983 gave the workers the ‘right to know,' but the new Globally Harmonized System gives workers the ‘right to understand.'

The new hazard communication standard requires chemical manufacturers and importers to evaluate the chemicals they produce or import and provide hazard information to employers and workers by putting labels on containers and preparing safety data sheets. The modified standard provides a single set of harmonized criteria for classifying chemicals according to their health and physical hazards and specifies hazard communication elements for labeling and safety data sheets.

Major changes to the Hazard Communication Standard:

Hazard classification: Chemical manufacturers and importers are required to determine the hazards of the chemicals. Hazard classification under the new, updated standard provides specific criteria to address health and physical hazards as well as classification of chemical mixtures.
Labels: Chemical manufacturers and importers must provide labels that include signal words, pictograms, hazard statements, and precautionary statements for each hazard class and category.
Safety Data Sheets: The new format requires 16 specific sections.
Information and training: To facilitate understanding of the new system, the new standard requires that workers be trained by December 1, 2013 on the new label elements and safety data sheet format, in addition to the current training requirements.

Changes from the Proposed to the Final Rule: OSHA reviewed the record and revised the Final Rule in response to the comments submitted. The changes include:

Maintaining the disclosure of exposure limits (Threshold Limit Values [TLVs]) established by the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) and carcinogen status from nationally and internationally recognized lists of carcinogens on the safety data sheets;
Clarification that the borders of pictograms must be red on the label;
Flexibility regarding the required precautionary and hazard statements to allow label preparers to consolidate and/or eliminate inappropriate or redundant statements.

Effective Completion Date	Requirement(s)	Who
December 1, 2013	Train employees on the new label elements and SDS format.	Employers
June 1, 2015	Comply with all modified provisions of this final rule, except distributor extension	Chemical manufacturers, importers, distributors and employers
December 1, 2015	Distributors may ship products labeled by manufacturers under the old system until December 1, 2015.
June 1, 2016	Update alternative workplace labeling and hazard communication program as necessary, and provide additional employee training for newly identified physical or health hazards.	Employers
Transition Period	Comply with either 29 CFR 1910.1200 (this final standard), or the current standard, or both.	All chemical manufacturers, importers, distributors and employers

Global implementation: The new system is being implemented throughout the world by countries including Canada, the European Union, China, Australia, and Japan.

Hazard Communication Safety Data Sheets

The Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) requires chemical manufacturers, distributors, or importers to provide Safety Data Sheets (SDSs) (formerly known as Material Safety Data Sheets or MSDSs) to communicate the hazards of hazardous chemical products. As of June 1, 2015, the HCS will require new SDSs to be in a uniform format, and include the section numbers, the headings, and associated information under the headings below:

Section 1, Identification includes product identifier; manufacturer or distributor name, address, phone number; emergency phone number; recommended use; restrictions on use.

Section 2, Hazard(s) identification includes all hazards regarding the chemical; required label elements.

Section 3, Composition/information on ingredients includes information on chemical ingredients; trade secret claims.

Section 4, First-aid measures includes important symptoms/ effects, acute, delayed; required treatment.

Section 5, Fire-fighting measures lists suitable extinguishing techniques, equipment; chemical hazards from fire.

Section 6, Accidental release measures lists emergency procedures; protective equipment; proper methods of containment and cleanup.

Section 7, Handling and storage lists precautions for safe handling and storage, including incompatibilities.

Section 8, Exposure controls/personal protection lists OSHA's Permissible Exposure Limits (PELs); Threshold Limit Values (TLVs); appropriate engineering controls; personal protective equipment (PPE).

Section 9, Physical and chemical properties lists the chemical's characteristics.

Section 10, Stability and reactivity lists chemical stability and possibility of hazardous reactions.

Section 11, Toxicological information includes routes of exposure; related symptoms, acute and chronic effects; numerical measures of toxicity.

Section 12, Ecological information*

Section 13, Disposal considerations*

Section 14, Transport information*

Section 15, Regulatory information*

Section 16, Other information, includes the date of preparation or last revision.

*Note: Since other Agencies regulate this information, OSHA will not be enforcing Sections 12 through 15(29 CFR 1910.1200(g)(2)).

Employers must ensure that SDSs are readily accessible to employees.
See Appendix D of 1910.1200 for a detailed description of SDS contents.

Hazard Communication Standard Labels & Pictograms

OSHA has updated the requirements for labeling of hazardous chemicals under its Hazard Communication Standard (HCS). As of June 1, 2015, all labels will be required to have pictograms, a signal word, hazard and precautionary statements, the product identifier, and supplier identification. A sample revised HCS label, identifying the required label elements, is shown on the right. Supplemental information can also be provided on the label as needed. Each pictogram consists of a symbol on a white background framed within a red border and represents a distinct hazard(s). The pictogram on the label is determined by the chemical hazard classification.

Health Hazard

Carcinogen
Mutagenicity
Reproductive Toxicity
Respiratory Sensitizer
Target Organ Toxicity
Aspiration Toxicity

Flame

Flammables
Pyrophorics
Self-Heating
Emits Flammable Gas
Self-Reactives
Organic Peroxides

Exclamation Mark

Irritant (skin and eye)
Skin Sensitizer
Acute Toxicity
Narcotic Effects
Respiratory Tract Irritant
Hazardous to Ozone Layer (Non-Mandatory)

Gas Cylinder

Gases Under Pressure

Corrosion

Skin Corrosion/Burns
Eye Damage
Corrosive to Metals

Exploding Bomb

Explosives
Self-Reactives
Organic Peroxides

Flame Over Circle

Oxidizers

Environment

(Non-Mandatory)

Aquatic Toxicity

Skull and Crossbones

Acute Toxicity (fatal or toxic)

Architect of many CICGSA Courses is Honored....

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 14:37:26 GMT

Larry Packard, who was the designer of many of our courses in central IL turned 100 years old in November 2012......

_1370 - Packard 100th.docx

ROUNDS FOR RESEARCH INFORMATION

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 17:18:44 GMT

CIGCSA has committed to two years of participation in the EIFG's R4R Fundraising program. To learn more about the program click the link below......R4RFAQ.pdf

Chapter Presidents Meet at GIS and asked for this......

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 18:43:49 GMT

From information at the 2012 Chapter Delegates Meeting:

The Membership Standards Advisory Group was formed to evaluate GCSAA's membership standards program and determine recommendations for the future of standards.........

Executive Summary - 2012 MSAG.pdf

The Masters

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 21:20:13 GMT

How to take advantage of your Masters admission benefit

The governing body at Augusta National has extended complimentary daily admission to the Masters to all Class A, A-Retired, and AA Life members who have a valid gold membership card.

Getting into the tournament

To gain admission to the tournament, present your current GCSAA membership card along with your driver's license at the Gate C/PGA booth each day. The Gate C/PGA booth is located just inside Gate 6, which is a walk-in gate located off Berckmans Road.

Please remember:

You must be a GCSAA Class A, ART or AA member in good standing in order to take advantage of this unique member benefit. Please verify your classification and status before making any travel arrangements.

You must have a valid form of picture ID along with your GCSAA membership card.

If you should exit the grounds at anytime during the day, you will be required to re-enter through Gate 6 and check back in at the Gate C/PGA booth, where once again, you will be required to present your GCSAA membership card and driver’s license to gain admittance.

Policies

Hold onto to your pass. Upon leaving the grounds, maintain possession of your daily pass and under no circumstances should you sell it, throw it away or give it away as a souvenir to anyone you do not know.

No cell phones allowed. No cell phones or other electronic devices are permitted on the grounds at any time.

Cameras only during practice rounds. Cameras are permitted during the practice rounds (Monday – Wednesday), but are not permitted on the grounds starting Thursday.

Violations

Any violation of Augusta National's ticket, cell phone or camera policies will result in a lifetime ban from Masters tournaments – no questions asked and no excuses accepted. To date, 18 GCSAA members have been banned for life from future tournaments.

President's Message

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 21:35:41 GMT

President's Message:

Wow! The winter seems to be flying by again this year. I don’t know about all of you, but it just doesn’t seem to me that we get any real down time in our jobs anymore. From last years twelve-month golf season, to trying to catch up with work that has been deferred due to several years of budget constraints, it seems we are always on a pretty fast pace. I for one would like to see a real winter again sometime, when the courses get a complete rest, and we all get to slow down a little. Oh well, at least we are employed and the golf economy seems to be improving!

On the subject of being busy, the chapter manager, officers, directors, and committee members of the CIGCSA have been hard at work this winter as we prepare for another season of chapter events. We recently held our third board meeting since the annual meeting in November, and are well on our way to completing the planning for all chapter activities in 2013.

I am happy to report that Dave Likes, our Events/Education chairman for this year, with help from his committee, is putting together an excellent calendar of events. There are still a few details being worked out, but I am confident that when the calendar is released in the next few weeks, it will be very well received by our membership. I can go ahead and report that our Annual Shop Meeting will be held on March 18th, at the Ironwood Golf Course Maintenance Shop in Normal. Go ahead and mark your calendars, as Dave is putting together an excellent program of education for the day.

I can also report that Mike Rayman and our Communications Committee have been reviewing all of our methods of chapter communication, and the Board of Directors has approved several changes for 2013. First, after difficulty with actually publishing issues during the past two years, we have decided to suspend our Balllmark Newsletter for 2013. It was the Board’s feeling that our newsletter had been in decline for several years and if we were going to proceed with it in the future, we would need to commit more resources, probably hire an editor, and try to make serious improvements. After much discussion, we decided to move forward in 2013 without the Ballmark and review this decision at the end of the year.
This decision was impacted by our desire to commit more time and resources to other areas of communication. Mike and his committee have set up a chapter Facebook account, and a chapter Twitter account, and we are moving forward with new software to manage our chapter databases, electronic mailings, and our website. All of these changes should improve our communication and continuity moving forward.

We will also be undertaking a member recruitment campaign. Under the guidance of our membership committee, co-chaired by Eric Parker and Brian Barnes, we will be aggressively reaching out to those in our region, who for whatever reason are not currently members of the CIGCSA. We will also be putting methods in place to do a better job of welcoming new hires to our area and making sure they have every opportunity to get involved with our chapter.

Last on the subject of our activities during the past few months, I can report that the Vendor Relations Committee, chaired by myself, recently began the third year of the Partner Recognition Program for our Affiliate members. After reviewing the program, with help from our most recent PRP members, the slightly modified 2013 version of the PRP was sent out to all Affiliate members. Our initial response has been very good, and we look forward to continuing the excellent relationship with our Partners.

In reporting all of the above chapter management activity, I just realized that I haven’t yet mentioned Dave Shulman, your Chapter Manager. Dave has been an integral part of all of the “offseason” work that we have undertaken. When hired two years ago, it was the Board’s intent to gradually transition Dave into a position of responsibility for most of our chapters operations. The Board of Directors and Committees could then fill the advisory and major policy making roles that would make best use of their time. I can report that while we have not yet completely realized this goal, we are well on our way to making it a reality for our chapter, and Dave deserves much of the credit for this progress.

In closing, let me say thanks to all that came out and joined in our Winter Social Event earlier this month in Decatur. We had a reasonably good turnout and it seemed that the evening was enjoyed by all.

Also, as the Golf Industry Show in San Diego quickly approaches, for those that are planning to attend, I wish you all a great week in California! The GIS is a great opportunity for education, networking, and hopefully some much needed R & R! For those that don’t plan to attend this year, I also wish you a great week and try to get in some of the above at home so that your batteries also get re-charged!

Finally, I would like to again encourage everyone to share your ideas, comments, complaints, suggestions, and input of any kind with myself or anyone on your Board of Directors. We are sincerely trying to manage your chapter in the best interests of the entire membership, but your feedback makes that much easier.

Have a great rest of the “off season”, and I look forward to seeing everyone at our upcoming events!

Sincerely,

Scott Werner, CGCS
Lincolnshire Fields C.C.
President, CICGSA

Allied Associations News - Sean Doggett

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 21:33:58 GMT

CIGCSA Members,

I am proud to announce that the CIGCSA is participating in the Rounds 4 Research program.

In case you were not aware or do not know much about this program, let me explain. You might remember in mid 2012 the Environmental Institute for Golf (GCSAA’s philanthropic organization) announced that it would be conducting Rounds 4 Research after the Carolinas GCSA administered it on a smaller scale for three years.

Working with a handful of chapters, the Carolinas GCSA generated nearly $350,000 in three years to support local research and advocacy efforts. Noting that the program had grown beyond its administrative capacity, the Carolinas approached GCSAA with the challenge to take it national and share this wonderful opportunity with others.

So why is CIGCSA involved in Rounds 4 Research? Quite frankly, we are operating in an unsustainable manner in addressing many of our needs. We know research dollars are getting tougher to generate. We know that we need to engage with local and state lawmakers to advocate on behalf of our game and business. We know that we need to attract the best and the brightest to continue our profession through scholarship. In short, we have needs that we cannot sustain with the resources we generate by ourselves and industry partners.

Rounds 4 Research is based on the practice of securing donated rounds of golf and putting them up for public auction. This mechanism provides for the end user – the golfer – to contribute directly to activities that ultimately benefit them, their facilities and the game.

While the funds come from golfers, the onus is on us as a chapter to build an inventory of rounds. I am asking each of you to work with your facility leadership to secure one tee-time (defined as a foursome) in each of the next two years (2013 and 2014). You can do this by completing the online donation form at www.rounds4research.com or by contacting Noel Riley, GCSAA’s Coordinator, Environmental Programs at 1.800.472.7878 or by email at nriley@gcsaa.org and the information will be entered for you.

I am excited about the opportunity presented to us. But this will take a commitment by each and every one of us to secure donated rounds and promote the program to our golfers / patrons / members. I ask that you donate a round today so that we have a healthy profession, industry and game for years to come.

Sincerely,

Sean Doggett
Allied Association - Chairman