w CONNECTICUT CLIPPINGS Volume 35 No. 3 Turf Industry Rallies Support By Anthony Grosso On March 24th Tom Pelletier, golf course superintendent at Richter Park Golf Course, succumbed to Mela­ noma after a long battle. He was a great friend and will be dearly missed by all who knew him. Tom was a dedicated superin­ tendent and a devoted family man. The three most important things in his life were his wife, Amy, and his two sons, Sam (age 12) and Peter (age 10). It was once said that a man’s wealth is judged not by the money in his pocket, but rather by the number of friends he has. If that’s true, then Tom was a very wealthy person. This article is not intended to be a eulogy, but instead a tribute and a thank you to everyone who came for­ ward and contributed in one way or another to help put together a Memorial Tournament and make it such a success. On May 10th, CAGCS, along with Richter Park Golf Course, helda Memorial Tournament to benefit Tom’s wife, Amy, and their two boys. The tourna­ ment was held just six weeks after Tom’s passing and everyone who has ever put together a tournament knows the diffi­ culties and time constraints we faced in putting this tournament together with so little time. The tournament committee made up of Jud Smith, Orange Hills CC, Paul Sabino, The Farms CC, Bob Silva, Shuttle Meadow, Bruce Morse, July, 2001 Norwich GC, Peter Pierson, Pequabuck GC, Mike Dukette, Lesco, and myself, plus our CAGCS staff, Pauline Streeter and Mary Jo Kennedy (without these two, we would not have been able to pull this off) worked extremely hard and did an outstanding job of getting everything done in such a short time period. We began by sending out three letters. The first was the tournament announcement which went out to every CAGCS and METGCSA mem­ ber along with a form for making a personal donation to the Tom Pelletier Children’s Fund (for those not able to play in the tournament). The second letter went out to all our commercial members asking for their support as a tee sponsor for $200. The third letter was sent to the attention of every golf club president, manager and owner in our association along with anyone who has advertised in our newsletter also asking for sup­ port as a tee sponsor. Our committee also contacted four of our larger com­ mercial members, Lesco, R. F. Morse, Turf Products Corp., and Sawtelle Bros., asking them if they would be willing to sponsor a closestto-the-pin contest for $500 each which they all readily agreed to do. (continued on page 4) Page 2 July, 2001 Connecticut Clippings President's message Brian Skelly, President Brian Skelly CAGCS President How was that for a quick season? First, we have a month of record warmth, no moisture, then tons of rain and cold at the end of May to the beginning of June. When did Old Lyme become Seattle? With the wind coming in off the cold water most of the spring, it feels more like early November than early June. At times like this, the shoreline is not necessarily the nicest place to be, let alone play golf, as those who played at Black Hall found out. When the weather does return to normal (that word again), we will be in the Hundred Days o f Hell. So, look at the bright side—for every cool day we have, it is one less day of hot CAGCS Board of Directors President - Brian Skelly Vice President - Jud W. Smith Secretary - Dennis J. Houle Treasurer - Les Kennedy, Jr., CGCS Past President - Anthony Grosso Csmmlttre Chairperreng Education - Kim Heyl Golf - John Motycka Membership - Dan Rackliffe, CGCS Scholarship & Research - Christian P. Mauro Social & Welfare - Wayne C. Urban Government Relations - Peter R. Pierson Com. Rep. to Board - Skip Deubel and humid that we will see. During this time of year when we are all running around like crazy, dealing with all the problems that pop up, remember to step back and take a break. Take some time and do some­ thing different. Spend some time with your family, go to the beach, go fish­ ing, take in a ball game, lay back and do nothing. Take some time off. You will be amazed at how many jobs or problems that are not emergen­ cies can be let go for a day or two and not become any worse. If you run yourself ragged and bum out, then you have not helped yourself or your club. A good day to plan on taking off is our annual CAGCS family day sched­ uled for August 15th at the Madison Surf Club. There, you can relax, catch some rays, swim, play with your kids, eat, drink and be merry — and if you can’t help it, talk shop! The Social & Welfare Committee chaired by Wayne Urban has a great day planned, and the caterer hired for the day is second to none—from experi­ ence, as it is the same one we used last year. Great food is served all day long. May had us going back to the Black Connecticut Clippings is an official publication of the Connecticut Association of Golf Course Superintendents Newsletter Editor Bob Chalifour, CGCS (Ret.) Newsletter Committee David Basconi, John Garcia, Heather Garvin, Edward Goodhouse, Mike Mooney, Ron Holcomb and Jud W. Smith The Clippings is open to all commentary. Send your comments to Bob Chalifour, Newsletter Editor, 39 First Street , Groton, CT, 06340. CAGCS Office, P. O. Box 3678, 27 Lucy Street, Woodbridge, CT 06525 Tel: 203/387-0810 - Toll Free: 888/561-7778 - Fax: 203/387-7866 E-Mail: cagcs@noreaster.net Hall Club. Phil Neaton again had the course in great shape for a spectacular sunny day, if only he could have stopped the wind. June saw us playing the Connecticut Golf Club. Mark Fuller had the course in great shape considering that 4+ inch­ es of rain fell the night before. There were some changes from when I worked there, but they have only im­ proved the course. On July 10, we are going to Hop Meadow Country Club for the annual CAGCS Invitational Tournament, be­ ing hosted by Michael Wallace, CGCS. On July 23, we head out to The Farms Country Club, Paul Sabino, our host superintendent, for our regular July meeting. I would like to take this time to thank Anthony Grosso and his com­ mittee for a great job setting up and running the Memorial Tournament for Tom Pelletier’s family. Thanks to Richter Park for all their help also. It was nice to see everyone band together and try to help our a fellow member and his family. Great job! I can’t believe that it is already time to think of the National GCSAA Con­ ference & Show again. However, the forms for the room block at the head­ quarters hotel in Orlando have been requested from GCSAA. We will get the information out when it becomes available. With the celebration of the 75th anniversary and our own Michael Wallace being elected GCSAA’s 76th President, plan on attending the 2002 Conference & Show in Orlando, FL. Finally, it is time to start thinking —> July, 2001 Connecticut Clippings Page 3 Step back and take a break! PARTAC Annual CAGCS family day August 15th ~ G O LF COURSE TOP-DRESSING Madison Surf Club . about filling board positions for next year. Anthony Grosso, immediate past president, and chair of the nominating committee, is searching for active A & B CAGCS members to run for election at our annual meeting in November. If you are thinking of serving, call Anthony (860/822-8597) and he will be more than happy to walk you through the procedure for running and serving on the CAGCS Board. Serving on the board is a great way to see how the association operates, and see exactly what it takes and the detail required to continue to promote our profession. If you are not sure, call Anthony and offer to serve on a committee. Have a great summer, and I hope everyone has enough water. The rain has been a little inconsis­ tent, but I’m sure that will change now that the summer is finally here. Remember my regular plea and offer your club to host a meeting. We are looking for sites for next year and beyond. At this moment, we only have our 2002 annual meeting booked at the Birchwood Country Club, with no other prospects. Remember, your club schedules events approximately a year in advance. It is not too early to come forward. AMERICA'S PREMIUM HEAT TREATED TOP-DRESSINGS TYRAR* GEOTEXTILES & TURF BLANKETS III U.S. GOLF HOLE ((( TARGETS" \\\ AND MUCH MORE! 800 247-2326 - D IS T R IB U T E D I N C T BY: JAMES CARRIERE & SONS 914 937-2136 - VALLEY FARMS SUPPLY 860 651-8555 - Q U A L IT Y P R O D U C T S A N D S E R V IC E S FO R T H E P R O F E S S IO N A L T U R F 6 R A S S M A N A G E R Nature c & a fe r Natural & Organic Fertilizer» 'SOIL SURFACTANTS* ‘SEED* ‘MICROBIAL PROGRAMS* *PROVIDING PROFESSIONAL CUSTOM BULK FERTILIZER APPLICATION * JOE STAHL: 203-209-6951 JIM WIERZBICKI: 860-424-7250 Page 4 Connecticut Clippings July, 2001 Pelletier Tournament (continued from page 1) We would like to take Next, the committee contacted 20 superintendents asking for donations for rounds of golf at their clubs to use as prizes. Again, everyone was very eager to help in any way they could. The response and outpouring from the commercial sector, membership and the state’s golf facilities was phenomenal. We had over 50 tee signs donated from businesses and golf facilities, 130 players for the tournament, and an incredible number of personal donations from every sector of our golf industry, including other area associations—the Metropolitan GCS A, the CGSA of New England, Rhode Island GCS A, the GCS A of New Jersey, and the New England Regional Turfgrass Foundation. I would like to thank everyone for their generosity. This tournament has proven just how special and close knit our profession is. The outpouring of concern and financial commitment was absolutely overwhelming. It speaks volumes for our industry and for the man we were honoring. The tournament was extremely successful thanks to the many people who worked so hard to pull it off. I’m not going to thank everyone individually for it would take too long and I would be afraid of forgetting someone. Instead, I would like to thank everyone as a whole for his or her help and support. Because of that sup­ port, we were able to raise in excess of $40,000 for the Pelletier Children’s Fund. I’m proud to have been part of the tournament and of our association that genu­ inely cares about one another and one that is willing to help one of its members in time of need. this opportunity to thank everyone who participated in the golf tournament held at Richter Park in memory o f our husband and father, Thomas Pelletier. The response to this fund raising effort was over­ whelming and though the words "thank you" seem inadequate, we are so very grateful to each o f you. Your sincere concern fo r us would have meant so much to Tom. The kindness and generosity you have shown us has touched us deeply and we thank you from the bottom o f our hearts. Sincerely, Amy , Sam & Peter Pelletier Editor's note—If you wish to make a contribution to the Pelletier Children s Fund, make your check payable to "CAGCS" and mail it to the CAGCS Office, P.O. Box 3678, Woodbridge, CT, 06525 . TEE & G R E E N S O D —INCORPORATED— P. O. Box 418 E xeter, R hode Islan d 02822 D avid W allace T elephone: 401/789-8177 Fax: 401/789-3895 Page 5 Connecticut Clippings July, 2001 Regulatory Update — Water Diversion Permit by Robert F. Good, Jr., CPG,LEP A new Public Act, recently passed by the Connecticut General Assembly, will directly involve any golf course in Connecticut that uses a private water supply for irrigation. The Act requires that any party who withdraws more than 50,000 gallons of ground water or surface water, during any 24-hour period (a water diversion), must submit operating data for each water source to the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) by July 1, 2002. It also establishes July 1,2003 as the deadline for filing a Water Diversion Permit application. Public Act 01-202, which was passed this June, is designed to update the state’s water diversion records and to require the previously unregistered or unpermitted diversions to obtain a Water Diversion Permit. By July 1, 2002, each party that maintains a diversion, as defined above, must submit monthly data on the frequency and withdrawal rate for each individual discharge point (i.e., wells, ponds, streams, etc.) for the calendar years of 1997 to 2001. The DEP will allow estimates of the withdrawals in the absence of a meter. If you are one of the fortunate few that registered their diver­ sion back in 1982, the data you submit must correspond to your already registered withdrawal points. If, on the other hand, you are in the majority, and your course maintains (as of July 1, 2001) an unregistered or unper­ mitted diversion that was eligible for registration in July, 1982, you must provide additional information on: (1) the location, capacity, frequency and rate of the withdrawals of each eligible discharge point that was in place as of July 1, 1982; and (2) a description of the water use and water system that was in place on or before July 1, 1982, including infor­ mation to verify its operation at that time. If your course maintains (as of July 1, 2001) an unpermitted diversion that was not eligible for registration in July, 1982 (i.e., withdrawing less than 50,000 gallons per day in 1982 or a new withdrawal since 1982), you must provide additional information on: (1) when the diversion was actually initiated; (2) a description of the current water use and water system operation; and (3) the location and capacity of each discharge point. The DEP, in consultation with the Department of Health and the Department of Public Utility Controls, will be devel­ oping a form for the required data submission. We will keep Æ S Innovation, Wm fo U A T R O L S . 1 flTCCJ YXTVjy Adding Science to Surfactants Product Research, a n d A M oney Bach Soitsurfactantsjrom Aquatrofs a comjwny you can count on. SOIL SURFACTANT ^OMXMXS fBfe fnfiflhif * 9 ♦ ♦ SOIL P E NE TRA N T (800) 257-7797 / (856) 751-0309 / Fax: (856) 751-3859 www.aquatrols.com you posted on the availability of this form. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the Act includes some language about possible enforcement actions. The Act clearly states that the information provided to the DEP will not be used to order payment of civil penalties, provided the party has filed a permit application for the diversion on or before July 1, 2003. This exclusion, however, does not apply to any informa­ tion that the DEP documents independently of the data sub­ missions, and failure to report information pursuant to his Act may result in civil penalties. Editor s note — Golf courses supplied by a municipality or a local water authority do not need to apply. Total num­ bers not in compliance may be skewed because of this. A t h l e t ic F ield R eno va to r s , llc Sports Field Renovations and Maintenance Verti-Drain Rotodairon Aeravator Drill Seeding • • • • Top Dressing Fertilizing Liming Seeding Verti-Drain deep tine Aeration 203-484-4555 • PO Box 664 Northford, CT 06472 Page 6 Connecticut Clippings July, 2001 A hot tip... Try the fire department by Bob Vavrek, Agronomist UMASS Turf Program website has a new address www.umassturf.org You can subscribe for free email announcements every time something new is posted on the website, such as disease or insect messages. Instructions are on the home page of the website. It just takes one quick email to get on the list Note also that Dr. Gail Schumann’s fungicide chart, updated as needed, can now be downloaded from the website. Room Block Orlando, FL CAGCS will again be working with GCSAA and GCSAA Travel on a block of 25 rooms at the Rosen Centre (headquarters hotel) for the 2002 Conference & Show in Orlando, FL. As soon as all of the information has been received, a memo will be sent out to the entire membership. * * * * * 2001 * * * * * Congratulations to Dennis and Cindy Houle on the birth of a son, John; and Christiaan and Christine Kipp on the birth of a son, Joseph; and Lindsey and Leslie Munger on the birth of a son, Tyler Christopher. * * * * * Membership Directory All CAGCS members should have received their 2001 membership directory. Please make a date correction on page 21. Tower Ridge CC will host our annual superintendent/assistant tourna­ ment on October 16. If you have any changes during the year (address, telephone, employment) please call the office 203/387-0810. Condolences to Harry Meusel on the passing of his wife, Gladys. April found many superintendents in the process of interviewing, hiring and training part-time employees for the maintenance crew. The pool of availa­ ble labor has dwindled over the past several years, partly due to the low rate of unemployment across the region. College and high school students were once a dependable source of labor, but shorter summer vacations have limited their usefulness. Retired seniors are the foundation of the part-time labor force at many golf courses, and as a rule make excellent employees. However, they are usually utilized almost exclusively for basic mowing operations, and may not always be the best option for some of the more physically demanding tasks, such as digging up and repairing underground irrigation leaks, hand raking bunkers, or hand mowing. Immigrant part-time employees are becoming a common sight at an increasing number of golf courses, but many superintendents find that issues such as supplying housing and pro­ curing the proper visa/work permits too troublesome and time consuming. (continued on page 11) USGA Recommended Sands Topdressing ~ Divot Mix Root-Zone Mixes Bunker Sand & Pea Stone cJ-fo C C isto n c S a tu i Tiffi Road ~ Slatersville, R I02876 onnecticut GMulch Covering ground since 1978 A llG ro Compost A llG ro Mixes (401)766-5010 Fax (401) 762-4976 Business Address 1300 East St. Suffield, CT. 06078 Mailing Address 1515 North Stone St. W. Suffield, CT 06093 Telephone (860) 623-2987 Fax 292-1047 £i g? -c w § ■ § £ s s ' c' ® i n B ill! 0 I f CAGCS thanks the following tee sponsors, individual contributors and tournament players 8* Q S o 00 vr e ^ -2 2 S3 to to 1 .§ 8 2 *= p '$ S ^ 03 CL N " 2 -^c: CD .03 ^ o S Lu 1115 C Q) p, (D § q q q x> 3 u 12 o g o g > I -O M e 3 § I S? J g 1 1 ° s§ 1 Q s. 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