THE

Public Relations and the Superintendent
Webster’s Dictionary defines “pub­
lic relations” as quote, “relations of
an organization with the general pub­
lic through publicity,” unquote. You
could also define it as the art of win­
ning public favour by doing the right
thing and receiving credit for it.
Let us see how public relations af­
fect us and in what manner tthey can
be beneficial to us superintendents. Let
us first answer the “why?” of public
relations for us. Simply to become bet­
ter known and recognized by the gen­
eral public and by golfers in particu­
lar.
How do we go about mounting a
public relations campaign? There are
several strategies we can use. Let us
enumerate the principal ones.
Take a leadership stand by suggest­
ing that the members refer all golf
course maintenance inquiries to you.
Arrange for constructive discussions
with your crew and schedule a daily
critique with your assistant to discuss
the calendar for the coming weeks.
This should be done so that in the
event of your absence, the maintenace
programme need not be disrupted.
Develop contacts with newspaper
men and send them as many communi­
ques as possible on our activities.
Attend in a constructive spirit the
meetings of the golf and greens com­
mittees. Using technical terminology
and phrases during your discussion
meetings on course maintenance will
also improve your professional image.
Dress at work like the head of a de­
partment, and not just as another la­
borer. Let us attach a great deal of

Miqniftif

importance to our appearance, in
clothes and other, when we meet the
public at the club or elsewhere.
Discipline is essential at all times.
We must not forget that we are ob­
served and judged when we take part
in seminars and other activities at our
club.
Every golf course superintendent
should be a golfer. Is there a better
way to look over the course? We
should play golf with the members,
pro, members of the greens committee,
for it is while playing golf that we see
imperfections noticeable only to the
golfer, and we can correct these be­
fore other players have to tolerate
them, thus affecting our image.
Be an “A CTIVE” member of dif­
ferent golf associations. An excellent
opportunity for showing pride in your
professional organization is to invite
your greens chairman to the chapter
meetings, and include lunch and a
game of golf. You could also arrange
with a fellow superintendent for a
golf game with each other’s greens
chairman.
The aim of public relations there­
fore is to establish communication, to
fortify those bridges which are formed
by letters, publications of all kinds, ex­
hibitions,
conferences,
newsletters,
etc.
When our opponents have learned to
respect us, and when the golfing pub­
lic recognizes and appreciates our pro­
fession, only then can we take time
off. But let us be very careful not to
give up, because a well planned public
relations program will remain the pri­
mary condition to the evolution and
the continuity of our association of
professional superintendents.

JoW|mp on ¿ralscussion held at
T
our
TO^Sng, Karnig Ovian con­
tacted T.W.A. and received the follow­
ing information on T.W.A. flights from
New York to L.A. T.W.A. has no
flights from Bradley.
Effective October 1st, 1973, reser­
vations made three (3) months in ad­
vance, traveling on Tuesday’s, Wed­
nesday’s or Thursday’s only, going to
L.A. and returning from L.A. a $20
deposit each way for each person is
required. You will receive your time
and flight number two (2) months be­
fore your flight.
The cost one way per person is
$89.50. T.W.A. is sold out thru and
including the month of October, so if
you are thinking of going to the con­
ference by this means of transporta­
tion, I would suggest not waiting much
longer than September to make reser­
vations.
Preparations for our first annual
Turf Field day to be held at Lyman
Meadow Golf Club, September 19th
(rain date September 20th) are well
under way.
Dick Hoskings, the general chair­
man of this field day, reports that
there are many commercial people who
have acknowledged our invitation to
participate in this event.
Invitations are being sent out to
more than 700 persons, including cemetary and nurserymens associations,
fellow superintendents from neighbor­
ing associations etc.
Many of you have been contacted to
serve on a committee for this field day,
and I can only say, give it all you
have. If you have not been contacted
and wish to serve on a committee, or
wish to offer your help, please feel
free to contact Dick or Bob Viera.
Let’s all team together to make this
a successful day for the CAGCS.

-

CONNECTICUT ASSOCIATION
OF GOLF COURSE
SUPERINTENDENTS
President ........................
Robert Viera
V ice P resident ............. Frank Lamphier
S ecretary ...................... David Stimson
T reasurer .................. James MacDonald
B oard of Directors
Roger Barrett
John Lynch
Fred Bachand
Bob Osterman
Karnig Ovian
Robert Tosh
Charles Baskin
The object 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. CLIPPIN GS 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

NO M INATING COMMITTEE
FORMED FOR NOVEMBER
CAGCS ELECTIONS
Mr. John Perry,
Superintendent,
Country Club of Farmington, has been
appointed chairman of the nominating
committee by Bob Viera, President of
the CAGCS. I don’t think Bob could
have appointed a better qualified per­
son than John. He has held many
positions in the association as well as
its president.
The
nominating
committee
is
charged with the selection of a prospec­
tive slate of officers made up of men
that can uphold the dignity, encourage
the support and stimulate progress of
the association. The slate that is pre­
sented, will be voted on ot the annual
meeting to be held in November.
Officers and directors positions to
be filled at this election are as follows:
President, Vice-president,
Secretary,
Treasurer, also education, golf, and
public relations directors. All these
positions are for a one year period.
Also to be elected is one director for
a term of three years.
Anyone who would wish to serve or
submit someone’s name for a possible
consideration for a position on this
slate, please contact John Perry, 69
Ivy Road, Plainville, Conn. Telephone
number, club 677-0831, home 747-1321.
All names should be submitted no later
than September 1, 1973.

2

—

IMPORTANCE OF WATER
Few plants are as responsive to
proper care of the turfgrasses. Many
turf problems can be avoided by follow­
ing the essential basics of, watering,
feeding and mowing. As you know, it
is far easier to avoid turf problems
than to cure them. The first step in
preventing trouble is to follow the ba­
sics and know the requirements of the
turf and the environment in which it
is growing.
Watering can be considered the most
important basic, since it is needed by
turfgrass plants in practically every
stage of growth.
Pertinent to a discussion of
practices is a short review of
water plays in plant growth
various factors affecting the
which turfgrasses use water.

watering
the role
and the
rate at

Water plays an important role in
germination, tissue growth, the manu­
facture of food (photo synthesis), tem­
perature control and the transportation
of nutrients to all parts of the plant. It
is also important in maintaining turgidity, since grass plants full of water
have the ability to resist foot and ve­
hicular traffic and spring back after
being traveled upon. For all of these
functions, large quantities of water are
required. Each function must be kept
in mind when developing a watering
program that will produce quality turf
demanded by today’s competitive golf­
ers.
There are several factors which af­
fect the rate at which turfgrasses use
water. These factors may help you
understand why one watering program
will not fit all turf situations:
1. Type of grass/Varities of grass,
as well as individual types within
a variety differ in their need for
moisture. Coarse-bladed fescues
do not require as much water for
optimum growth as the bluegrasses or bents.
2. Rate of plant growth. The fast­
er the rate of growth the more
water is required. Turf fer­
tilized with fast release forms of
nitrogen require more water than
the turf fed with fertilizers con­
taining slow release nitrogen.
3. Type of soil/Soil is a reservoir
for moisture. Light, sandy soils
require more water than heavier
clay or loam soils because of ra­
pid penetration and drainage.
Since heavy soil holds moisture
longer, water is available for
grass plants for a longer period
of time. Therefore, watering is

not required as often as on light
soils.
4. Transportation rate/Approximate­
ly 95 % of the daily uptake of
water, mostly from the soil, is
lost from the plant in the form of
water-vapor. This loss is called
transpiration.
Transpiration
is
largely influenced by the weather
conditions, such as wind, humi­
dity, temperature and sunlight.
The type of soil and the amount
of soil moisture also affects the
loss of water.
Transpiration rates may be of
such a magnitude that under fa­
vorable conditions, the entire vol­
ume of water in a grass plant may
be replaced in a single day.
5. Mowing/Evaporation and trans­
piration are greater on dense
closely mowed turf, such as a
putting green, than will be the
case on open turf cut at a higher
height. The closer the height of
cut, the more water required.
There are several ways the Golf
Course Superintendent can check to de­
termine if the turf is under stress and
in need of water:
1. Footprinting/
If footprints remain in the turf or disappear
slowly, the turf plant needs wa­
ter. When sufficient water is
available, the turf will have good
resilience to traffic.
2. High temperature and wind/The
combination of high temperatures
and strong winds will cause wa­
ter to be lost faster than the plant
can absorb it. Frequent, light
syringing will lower the tempera­
ture to reduce water loss.
3. Use of soil probe/The water needs
in the rootzone area become evi­
dent when a soil sample is taken
with a soil probe. Dry, crumbly
soil in the probe indicates addi­
tional water should be added.

I

(
I

j

)

.

4. Indicator spots/These are spots |
which dry out faster than the }
rest of the turf. The spots first >
turn a dark bluish-green, then
turn to an orange or straw-yellow ft
color
indicating
insufficient |
moisture.
5. Use of a Tensiometer/This is a
very accurate method of determining the amount of moisture in
the soil. It involves a pressuremaking device. Changes in pressure are indicated on a measurContinued on Page 4

\
I
f
1
!

—

POLLUTION WITHIN
THE GOLF COURSE
It is very difficult to understand
why the people who receive the most
benefit from a beautiful golf course are
sometimes responsible for the contami­
nation of that course. We have all seen,
both on private and public courses,
golfers dispose of such things as bot­
tles, cans, cigarette and cigar boxes,
paper tissues and many other pieces
of garbage under the nearest shrub or
even right out on the fairway. Some­
times, the excuse will be offered that
there are not enough garbage contain­
ers made available. This is true some­
times. If it is, the superintendent
should rectify the situation. More often,
however the garbage that is indiscrimi­
nately — distributed by golfers could
have been put in containers but for the
thoughtlessness or laziness of the per­
son involved. The availability of “no­
return” bottles and cans with alumi­
num tops is making this problem in­
creasingly worse.
Such pollution on a golf course is
not only unsightly but may very well
be quite costly in terms of damaged
equipment or even injured personnel.
Most of us have had the experience of
hitting a hidden bottle with a power
mower. It is quite possible that pieces
of flying glass from such an encoun­
ter could hit workmen or even nearby
golfers.
On the whole, the beauty of a golf
course is dependent on plants, shrubs,
flowers and trees. However, plants
themselves may be pollutants: for in­
stance, weeds found on the fairways,
greens, flower beds or in ponds and
streams. This type of pollution is ra­
ther easy to control with our existing
herbicides. Obviously, some care must
be exercised in the use of these chemi­
cals so that the superintendent cannot
be accused of causing one kind of pol­
lution in his attempts to clean up an­
other kind.
The use of pesticides has been the
subject of much criticism in the popu­
lar press in the last few years. Unfor­
tunately, most of the articles that have
been written about pesticides have
played up the possible dangers of these
materials and either have ignored or
played down the benefits to be derived
from proper use of chemicals. Obvious­
ly, it is impossible to produce the kind
of golf courses we want without the use
of herbicides, fungicides and insecti­
cides.
The use of pesticides on golf courses
has been blamed for reducing the bird
population of the area. In actuality,
birds would be vastly reduced in an

3

—

"inm^ inmnnroTroTnroTrroTroTnnroinrroTnr^^

Connecticut Association
of Golf Course Superintendents

FIRST ANNUAL TURF FIELD DAY
W

e d n e s d a y ,September 1973
10:30 A.M.

area without a golf course. Cities of­
fer few concentrations of trees other
than golf courses that provide birds
with nesting places, shelter and food.
The combination of streams flowing
through golf courses has been partly
blamed on the courses themselves. It is
possible that when a sprayer is filled,
some pesticide might enter a stream.
However this is unlikely if the person
doing the spraying is aware of the pos­
sibility and uses care and common
sense. Also, the high salt levels in
some of these streams has been attribu­
ted to the leaching of fertilizers from
the golf course. This too seems highly
unlikely as the soil is a tremendous
storehouse for fertilizer elements, and,
in addition, golf courses mainly use
fertilizers containing slow-release ni­
trogen, which is not readily leached.
The image of the superintendent as a
good “housekeeper” is particularly im­
portant to maintain in these pollutionconscious times. Corners filled with old
equipment should be cleaned up, fer­
tilizer bags and pesticide containers
should be burried, dead trees should
be removed as quickly as possible, and
tall weeds and brush should be cut.
Through good housekeeping and by
using chemicals correctly, the superin­
tendent will be helping to control pol­
lution on his course; more important,
he will help to convince others to join
him in the battle against environmental
contamination.

EQUIPMENT DEMONSTRATIONS
1:00 P.M.

LYMAN MEADOW GOLF CLUB
MIDDLEFIELD, CONN.

♦

FREE BEER • FREE ADMISSION
DOOR PRIZES

♦

RAIN DATE:

THURSDAY, SEPT. 20, 1973

ISJLJULSUULOJLSLSLSLSLJUULSIJL^^

—

WHAT'S IN A NAM E?
W hat’s in a nam e? Webster defines
the word chemical as “relating to, used
in, or produced by chemistry.” At no
point does he attempt to distinguish
between “natural” or other methods of
bringing about reactions between atoms
or groups. If you get panicky about
some of the things you have read re­
cently you’d better pour a cup of cof­
fee to settle your nerves before you
read further.
There is a product on the market
which contains an absolute chemical
soup!
Ingredients include acetone,
methyl acetate, furan, diacetyl, butanol,
Methyl-furan, methylbutanol, isoprene,
caffeine, oils, methanol, aretaldehyde,
methyl formate, ethanol, dimethyl sul­
fide and propionaldehyde. Instructions
call for soaking the suff in hot water,
throwing the remains away, and then
drinking the water. If you get nervous
palpitations at the prospect, don’t drink
the coffee. This long list of chemicals
is in that cup!
A worse-sounding label lists actomyosin, myogen, nucleoproteins, peptids, amino acids, myoglobin, lipids,
linoleic acid, oleic acid, lecithin, su­
crose, cholesterol, adenosine, tripho­
sphate (A T P ), elastin, collagen, glu­
cose, creatine, pyroligineous acid, so­
dium chloride, sodium nitrate, sodium
nitrite, and sodium phosphate. Some
names are familiar as essential nu­
trients or as chemicals your own body
makes, but isn’t it scary? Until you
find out that this chemical parade is
that old favorite sugar-cured ham!
And not a man-made chemical added.

4

—

WATER

T m T T O T m T m r m T m im i

Continued from Page 2
ing device, which translates the
data by means of a pre-determined moisture content chart.
A specific watering program might
be considered for each turf area on
your golf course by examining the
varying conditions of exposure to sun
wind and the degree and direction of
slope. Good watering practices demand
a knowledge of how weather and cli­
mate influence the rate at which water
is used by grasses and how the Golf
Course Superintendent can work with
Mother Nature to produce high quality
turf.

SEPTEMBER

C A G CS

M E E T I N G
SEPTEMBER 11, 1973

Aspatuck Valley Country Club
Old Renick Road
Weston, Connecticut
FRANK LAMPHIER, Host
Q J Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q . Q

Q_0_0_0_Q_P_0, 0 .0.0_Q j.

THE FOLLOWING COMPANIES ARE CONTRIBUTING TO THE
SUPPORT OF THE CONN. CLIPPINGS:
ALFCO RO K EBY CO., INC.
1211 Stony Hill Road
Wilbraham, Mass.
F ran k Downey, CAGCS m em ber
(413) 596-3009
OLD FO X CHEMICAL COMPANY
P. 0 . Box 62
Pleasant Valley, Conn.
Joh n Grant, CAGCS m em ber
749-8339
W ILLIAM D EST
W illiam B est, CAGCS m em ber
Stolens - C -l, Arlington
C-19, Congressional
246-6279
0 . M. SCOTT & SONS
Proturf. Div.
Marysville. Ohio
Al A rison, CAGCS m em ber
336-9890
V ALLEY FARMS T U R F N U RSERY
Box 81
Avon, Conn.
J o e B idw ell, CAGCS m em ber
658-6886

TOM IRW IN CO.
113 A Street
Burlington, Mass.
Jo h n P. Callahan, CAGCS m em ber
677-7054
THE CHAS. C. HART COMPANY
304 Main Street
Wethersfield, Conn.
R obert K ennedy, CAGCS m em ber
529-2537
IRRIGATION AND EQU IPM EN T
SU PPLY CO.
Milford, Conn.
R ich ard H osking, CAGCS m em ber
874-1096
SOM ERS TU R F SU P P L IE S
Orange, Conn.
Bill Som ers, CAGCS m em ber
795-,4320
CLORO-SPRAY CORPORATION
475 Beaver Street
Bristol, Penn. 19007
E dw ard J. Sanson, CAGCS m em ber
F ran k P aladino, LIA G C S m em b er
215-426-7723

^

'

FIRST CLASS

CONN. CLIPPINGS
Robert Osterman, editor
937 B lack R ock T urnpike
E aston Conn. 06612

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