THE CONM o C L H F P D N G DECEMBER 1972 CONNECTICUT ASSOCIATION OF GOLF COURSE SUPERINTENDENTS. s. VOL. 5 No. 5 WHAT IS WRONG SOCIALLY? First I want to thank the twelve couples who braved the weather to come to the Conn, superintendent’s pic­ nic, and to the other five couples who had said yes on the cards but couldn’t make it due to illness. I received 17 cards saying that they would be able to make the picnic. What is wrong with the other 93 members in the association? For the people who complain that our socials are too expensive, by the ime they pay for a babysitter and buy a new dress for the wife they just can’t afford to go out. What was your ex­ cuse for the picnic? You can not say $2.00 was too expensive. Even if you had 10 children it would still have cost you only $2.00 (now that is cheaper than MacDonalds, and the food was better). You didn’t have to pay for a baby­ sitter, since this was a family picnic and we wanted the whole family. There was not one sad child on Saturday, they all had a terrific time. The style Saturday was very casual, it consisted mostly of slacks, sweaters and umbrellas. If you don’t have that type of clothes in your closet I feel sorry for you. You can not use the excuse that the picnic was too far away. The Dick Bators came from Pittsfield, and the Bob Chalifours came from Groton. You can not use the excuse that my wife is very shy and doesn’t know any­ body. How is she going to meet any­ body unless she goes to the socials? Some of the wives did not know every­ body hut we all knew each other by the first half hour. You can not use the excuse that there wasn’t any sport that you like to do. Saturday the men had a good football game going between the rain drops, (Continued on Page 4) THE GRASS CATCHER by Bob Osterman “BOB VIERA DAY” at the Watertown Golf Club. I would like to extend my personal congratulations to the Watertown Golf Club for the recognition they gave to their Superintendent, Bob Viera, on Oct. 22. The golf club and the tourna­ ment committee sponsored a “BOB VIERA DAY” to show their apprecia­ tion for the fine job Bob is doing at the club. They had a shotgun tournament with about 84 participants. All proceeds were turned over to Bob. He was ex­ tremely surprised and gratified to know that all his efforts were not going unnoticed. This is one of the few times I have heard of this kind of attention given to a superintendent. If one club can do it why can’t other clubs and members show their appreciation and respect to their superintendent. The respect and recognition he should have, but gets so little of. Congratulations to Dick Hoskings and his wife on the arrival of a new daughter, Carrie, on August 17th. Car­ rie weighed in at 8 1/2 lbs. As most of you know by now the National Tournament will be held at Port Royal Inn, Hilton Head Island, S.C., on Monday and Tuesday following the Conference in Boston. As of the present time, the Conn. Assoc, still does not have a team represented in the tournament. Anyone who is playing, in the tournament should contact Frank Lamphier at his club, phone 226-3391 or at his home after 6 P.M. phone 744- 0486 bfeore Dec. 15th. Let’s see if we can’t bring the trophy back to Conn, this year. (Continued on Page 2) PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE First, I would like to thank everyone for their confidence in re-electing me President for another year of the Con­ necticut Association of Golf Course Su­ perintendents. I am proud and happy to be representing the association again. The membership has elected a Board of Directors to run the business affairs of the association and as president, I feel confident that we have picked the right men. They represent many years of professional experience and each has contributed much already. The committee chairmen have been selected. Many of you will be called upon to serve on these committees. Please put your best foot forward to help each function efficiently. We look forward to having some new meeting sights this year along with an infor­ mative education program among other things. Ideas to meet the challenge of chang­ ing times are needed. The ideas must come from the membership; the thoughts of the superintendent who works with the problems are the thoughts which develop into solutions to those problems. Our monthly meet­ ings are the best clearing house for ideas and exchange of ideas. If you are not attending these meetings then you are not progressing to your fullest potential. Let us all resolve in the coming year to help ourselves by con­ tinuing the friendly and professional attitude at our monthly educational meetings. With your help, I am sure we will have a most successful and productive year. At this time on behalf of the Offi­ cers, Board of Directors and myself, I would like to wish you all a very healthy, happy and prosperous New Year. Robert Viera, President CONNECTICUT ASSOCIATION OF GOLF COURSE SUPERINTENDENTS The Hartford Golf Club was the site of our 1972 CAGCS annual meeting on Monday, November 13th. About forty members (which is a very poor show­ ing for arf annual meeting) showed up. After business matters were taken care of, Bill Dest, Nominating Committee Chairman, then presented the slate of candidates and he conducted the elec­ tion. The results are as follows: President ................... Robert Viera Vice-President ....... Frank Lamphier Secretary ................. David Stimson Treasurer ........... James MacDonald Board of Directors Education ............. Alfred Bachand Golf ........................... Roger Barrett Public Relations ....... Bob Osterman Past President ........ Charles Baskin Directors Roobert Tosh John Lynch Karnig Ovian The objeot of this association is to promote research, education and an ex­ change of practical experiences in the field of turf grass culture so that the increased knowledge will lead to more economic and efficient management of golf courses and related turf areas. The CONN. CLIPPINGS is an offi­ cial publication of the Connecticut As­ sociation of Golf Course Superinten­ dents. Robert W. Osterman, Editor 937 Black Rock Turnpike Easton, Conn. 06612 Mr. Superintendent: Your Club is losing money when they don’t send you to the National Turf Conference. Many times it’s stated by a Super­ intendent; “The Club can’t afford to send me this year”. “It’s too far away and will be a very expensive trip”. It’s false economy for a Club to try and save money by eliminating the Su­ perintendents’ travel expenses. Say it costs the Club $400.00 to send you to a National Convention and you come back with an idea that saves the Club $400.00 then the trip pays for itself. Now if you return with some idea that can save the Club $1000.00, they made money sending you. So the next time the Club wants to cut your budget, show them how they are losing money by not sending you to the National Con­ ference. See you in Boston. — 2 — TO SAVE A RIVER The Conn. River Valley is one of the most beautiful creations of nature in the Northeast. The river sweeps grandly past unspoiled woodlands, hill­ sides, quiet villages and rich wetlands that nourish the sea. All of this beauty, the wildlife that flourishes here and the way of life that residents cherish, is threatened. The river lies right in the path of the expanding northeast megalopolis. In twenty or thirty years the scenic wood­ lands and hillsides could be swamped by a deluge of houses, highways and hot dog stands. Senator Abe Ribicoff envisioned this possibility early, and in 1966 he initia­ ted steps that could result in the crea­ tion of a national park that would pro­ tect the river valley. The original plan called for a park complex extending into four New Eng­ land states. The Connecticut portion would be the Gateway Unit. A bill to create a Connecticut His­ toric Riverway has passed the Senate twice. Both times the house failed to take action. The bill proposed by Senator Ribi­ coff in 1970 called for an 11-mile, 23,500-acre corridor extending from Haddam to Old Saybrook. Since 1970, the plan has been modi­ fied several times. The latest action being the completion of a study by a sub-committee of the Gateway Advisory Committee headed by former State Senator William Moore of Lyme. The committee, made up largely of citizens from the towns involved, recom­ mends extending the park from the mouth of the river to the Haddam- Middletown line bringing 46,300 acres into the plan. The Gateway Committee stresses two basic elements in their plan: 1) the maximum preservation of the resources of the area through limiting recrea­ tional uses and 2) a strong vouce for the permanent committee to be created by the proposed legislation in deter­ mining the standards and policies for the park. Senator Ribicoff has stated that he does not wish to sponsor legislation that does not have the support of local citizens. He and the Gateway Advisory Committee have focused attention on the preservation of this priceless Con­ necticut resource. How this might be accomplished has yet to be determined. Do you have an opinion? Let your representatives in Washington and Hartford know or write to the Gateway Advisory Committee, Middlesex Coun­ try Extension Center, Route 9A, Had- I dam, Conn. THE GRASS CATCHER (Continued from Page 1} Many liquid pesticide formulations, are damaged by cold temperatures some will separate at temperatures be­ low 40 degrees. To be safe, store liquid materials in a heated area. All left-over pesticides should be stored in a dry area. This area should be specifically for storing pesticides and nothing else, and should be loca­ ted so that normal work will not in­ volve using it. Be sure to keep it locked so access to these materials can be con­ trolled. This winter might be a good time to consider building a pesticde storage room or cabinet for year-round use. This should be easily accessible to the user, but clearly marked on all sides so its contents are easily known. It does not have to be a separate struc­ ture, a portion of an existing building can be walled-off to serve the purpose. But be sure to provide a means of lock­ ing it. And keep it locked at all times. Our president, Bob Viera, is at it again. He is building three more new holes. They will be numbers 5, 6, one half of 7 and one half of 8. (You will have to ask Bob to explain that to you.; He expects to have the new holes com­ pleted by spring of 1973. This will com­ plete 9 new holes as Bob built six new holes two years ago. We will be look­ ing forward to playing these new holes sometime in the near future. Anyone with any news or information concerning themselves or their courses and would like to share it with fellow superintendent’s are reminded to jot it down on their monthly meeting return cards under Conn. Clippings News. Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year to all our members and readers. CAGCS CHRISTAAAS DANCE Our annual Christmas dance was held Friday, December 1, at the Am­ bassador Restaurant, Hamden. It was good to see so many members turn out for this event. Many brought along one or two couples as guests, and a good time was had by all. Some beautifu’ door prizes were won by nine of those lucky people attending. For those of you who did not attend, well there’s always next year. STEERING COMMITTEE REPORT The following has been compiled by the Steering Committee to be presented ) the Board of Directors on Thurs­ day, October 26, 1972. 1. Suggestion is made to the Board of Directors and members to read and adhere to the By-Laws. 2. The Educational Chairman should carry out the objectives of the As­ sociation in promoting research and education. He should Chair the new Research Fund. He should promote speakers from within our organization. Speakers for the July and August months should be eli­ minated. 3. The Public Relations Chairman should appoint a committee of su­ perintendents in key newspaper areas in the State. 4. A Employment Chairman should be appointed other than the Secre­ tary of our Association. 5. A Budget Chairman should be ap­ pointed by the President with a member of the Board as Chairman. Duties of this chairman are to set up an annual budget and issue a financial statement at the end of each fiscal year. The chairman will be the Treasurer. 5. A committee be formed to look into the General Manager Concept and how this affects the Superintendent. 7. A committee be formed to prepare a survey on all aspects of golf course management. 8. It is recommended that all classes of membership should serve on committees. 9. New Membership Plaques be incor­ porated similar to the National and more presentable wallet cards be made up. 10. A letter of appreciation should be sent to the host club President after each meeting. MONTHLY MEETINGS Golf Tournaments: Tee-off times should be between 10:30 and 12:00 Noon. Fee for golf should not be more than $3.00, $2.00 towards prizes and $1.00 for kickers. Meetings: The business meeting should begin A mandatory attendance is recom­ no later than 5:00 P.M. mended. If a member plays golf, he is re­ quired to attend dinner or pay. Return postcards or a phone call are a must. — 3 — The President should control the meeting at all times and stay with the adjenda to save more time. The Officers should face the mem­ bers. Dinner: The dinner should begin promptly at 6:30 P.M. $7.50. Prices of meals should not exceed Meals and prices should be ironed out in advance by the host super­ intendent. The superintendent and manager must work closely to­ gether on this phase of the meet­ ing- Luncheon meetings are recommended as much as possible. Speakers : Members must stay and listen to speakers after dinner. Cortesy is requested at all times during a speech. Miscellaneous: Customs of gratuity be applied. The Steering Committee wishes to say that from these suggestions and others that may come about, our or­ ganization will function better and our ideals will come about sooner. It is recommended that this committee con­ tinues in future years. Steering Committee Karnig Ovian, Chairman Robert Osterman William Dest Everett Pyle WARNING As stated in the by-laws of the Con­ necticut Association of Golf Course Su­ perintendents, sixty (60) days warning of any change in by-laws must be given, in writing, to each and every member before coming to a vote. Here in, is such warning! Art. 3 Sec. 2 Para. 2 CLASS A MEMBER Any man of good character, who has served as a Golf Course Su­ perintendent for three full years, will be eligible to become a regular Class A member of this association. Change to: for three full years, and is actively engaged as a Supt. at time of application, will be Art. 4 Sec. 3 Para. 3 3. Any person suspended because of nonpayment of dues and assess­ ments may apply for reinstatement upon again making application for membership on an approved form by payment of current dues and assessments. Change to: by payment of ini­ tiation fee, current dues, and assessments. Art. 7 Sec. 1 A nominating committee will be selected in September by the President. Change to: A nominating com­ mittee will be selected in July by the President. Respectfully submitted, Frank E. Lamphier Chairman, By-Laws Committee THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT THE NATIONAL Yes, there’s something about the Na­ tional! Haven’t you heard someone ask you “Are you going to the National?” This, of course, refers to the annual GCSAA International Turfgrass Con­ ference and Show. (This year in Bos­ ton on January 7-12). There’s a certain air of excitement about this great educational and equip­ ment exposition held annually each year through the joint efforts of some very active members of this over 3,000 strong organization of golf course su­ perintendents devoted to setting the pace in the production and maintenance of the world’s finest golf turf. It’s an exciting time, this wonderful opportunity to learn from a vast array of knowledge, the annual meeting of friends from far ends of the country, the taking on of new friends and the relaxation far from the often tiring cares of the golf course — yet when it’s all over there is an incentive and a desire to get back home and tackle the course with a vitality and a way that will be bigger and better than any season yet. Yes, this thrill is known only to those who have attended and awaits those who have an opportunity to go. SUPERINTENDENTS' CHAMPIONSHIP The annual Superintendents’ Tourna­ ment was held at the Cliffside Country Club on October 10. There were ap­ proximately 40 players who enjoyed a beautiful day on a beautiful course. Following are a list of the winners: Gross Class “A” - Frank Lamphier 36 Gross Class “B” - Bob Osterman 46 Associate - Bob Kennedy 77 “ODD HOLES” Grass Class “A” - Frank Lamphier 36 Grass Class “B” - Bob Octerman 46 (Continued on Page 4) CHECK LIST FOR HOST SUPERINTENDENTS (CLIP OUT AND SAVE) With Golf Professional Date of meeting. Time of golfers arrival. How many players expected? Will caddys be available? How many golf cars will be needed? Blackboard to post days tourney (best-ball, low gross, Supt. Champs, etc.) Expected help from shop, Asst. Pro to register players, collect money, figure results with chairman, ne­ gotiate prizes. With Clubhouse Manager Date of Meeting. Will lunch be available? Will signing privileges be allowed? If not, cash, script, or whatever. Price of dinner not to exceed $7.50. Number expected for dinner ? Find out in advance what the menu will be. Anyone playing golf will be expected to stay for dinner. Head table for 12 facing membership. If membership is to hold meeting other than at dinner, make ar­ rangements for separate room, with head table for the 4 officers facing membership. Small table next to head table for use by the tournament chairman. Projector and screen for speaker if needed. Public address system if needed. With Locker Room Attendent Date of meeting. Will lockers be available? Towels, showers, etc. CONN. CLIPPINGS Robert Osterman, editor 937 Black Rock Turnpike Easton Conn. 06612 «^^>30 — 4 — WHAT IS WRONG SOCIALLY? (Continued from Page J) and after the picnic they played a few holes of golf. If the weather was good we could have played horse shoes, bad­ minton, kite flying, hiking, and lots of other activities. If your excuse is that you didn’t have enough notice, I hope you put on your calendar the last Saturday of Sep­ tember for our picnic for next year. What will be your excuse for next year ? ? ? Janice Macdonald SUPERINTENDENTS' CHAMPIONSHIPS (Continued from Page 3) Gross Associate - Bob Kennedy 40 Net Class “A” - Bob Viera 32 Net Class “B” - Al Hawkins 36 Net Associate - H. Sherman 34 LOW NET Mike Ovian 67 All trophies were donated by the Fer-mel Corp. THE FOLLOWING COMPANIES ARE CONTRIBUTING TO THE SUPPORT OF THE CONN. CLIPPINGS: ALFCO ROKEBY CO., INC. Marietta, Ohio Frank Downey, CAGCS member (413) 596-3009 OLD FOX CHEMICAL COMPANY Hazardville, Conn. John Grant, CAGCS member 749-8339 WILLIAM DEST William Dest, CAGCS member Stolens - C-l, Arlington C-19, Congressional 246-6279 0 M SCOTT & SONS Marysville. Ohio Al Arison, CAGCS member 336-9890 TOM IRWIN CO. Rowley, Mass. John P. Callahan, CAGCS member 677-7054 SOMERS TURF SUPPLIES Orange, Conn. Bill Somers, CAGCS member 1 795-4320 THE MAGOVERN COMPANY Windsor Locks, Conn. Curtis Stimson, CAGCS member 623-2508 CLORO-SPRAY CORP. 475 Beaver Street Bristol, Pa. 19007 Frank Paladino, LIGCSA member Edward J. Sanson, CAGCS member (215) 426-7723 collect THE CHAS. C. HART COMPANY Wethersfield, Conn. Robert Kennedy, CAGCS member Robert Kennedy, CAGCS member 529-2537 IRRIGATION AND EQUIPMENT SUPPLY CO. Milford, Conn. Richard Hosking, CAGCS member 874-1096 TURF PRODUCTS CORP. East Windsor, Conn. Ed Swanson, CAGCS member Alfred Purdy, CAGCS member 800 - 842-7333 FIRST CLASS Mri. W.H. SOMERS 208 HAN DR. ORANGE, CONN. 06477