2000 Superintendent of the Year
John Motycka
By Skip Deubel
The 2000 Superintendent of the
Year is John Motycka of Skungamaug River Golf Club. John did not
take a typical path into the golf busi­
ness. In 1961, John received an under­
graduate degree in mechanical engi­
neering from Cornell
University. From
there, he moved on to
Rutgers University
and earned a MBA.
With education com­
pleted, John worked as
an engineer in New
York.
Meanwhile, back
home in Connecticut,
his father, a member
at Ellington Ridge
Country Club, had
been working on a
small golf facility in
Coventry. In 1965,
nine holes were
opened to the public.
When John’s father realized he
needed help running the course, he
convinced John to leave New York
and come home to work on this
“country nine-holer” in 1970. During
the 1970s, John was responsible for
expanding the layout to 18 holes.

Working with a modest $10,000 labor
budget and some “very used” equip­
ment, the second nine opened in 1979.
To this day, the “hands on”
approach is still taken. A new green
complex was just completed last year.
The club is a little
gem just off the beaten
path on a quiet country
lane.
This year’s winner
has been a member of
CAGCS for 27 years,
serving on the board
for the past 12 years
filling the role of treas­
urer and most recently
golf chairperson. I just
can’t imagine anyone
else making the golf
announcements. Even
as a golf course owner,
he has shown great
dedication to CAGCS.
John and his wife,
Susan, spend the winter months at
their home in Mississippi just before
the Louisiana border. Also along the
way, John found time to raise two
children and presently four grandchil­
dren. Congratulations, John, for a
well-deserved award!

Rackliffe joins
Turfgrass Science
Program at UCONN
By Karl Guillard, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Agronomy
University of Connecticut
A turfgrass science program leading
to a baccalaureate of science degree
(B.S.) is now available at the Univer­
sity of Connecticut. The program is
offered through the College of Agri­
culture and Natural Resources, Depart­
ment of Plant Science and is a concen­
tration in the Agronomy major.
The curriculum for the turfgrass
science program meets all departmen­
tal, college, and university general
education requirements. Although the
program is new, there are approxi­
mately 20 students currently enrolled
in the program.
To assist in the turfgrass teaching
and extension activities, Steven Rack­
liffe, CGCS, former golf course
superintendent at the Willimantic
Country Club, joined the program
with 80% teaching and 20% extension
responsibilities.
(continued on page 3)

March, 2001

Connecticut Clippings

Page 2

President's message
Brian Skelly, President

Brian Skelly
CAGCS President
Winter in New England — Mother
Nature is starting this year off by try­
ing to balance off her books. This year
is starting off with cold, snowy, blus­
tery weather. This, following a pretty
wet cool fall, and it looks like we will
be getting payback for those mild win­
ters past.
Snow on the ground definitely slows
down the outside work, but everything
inside gets painted and cleaned. Keep an
eye out for Snow Mold this spring and

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
Committee Chairpersons
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

check that ice covering everything.
It seems like we were just thinking
of 2000 and the millennium bug, and
here it is —2001.1 cannot believe how
fast this last year went by. The annual
meeting was held at the Highfield CC
and even with the rain, those of us who
played, got in nine holes without
drowning. Chris had the course in great
shape. Thanks to Chris Mauro and
Highfield CC for hosting the meeting,
maybe we can go back to play on a

now Education, and Dan Rackliffe has
moved to Membership. I am certain

nicer day.
The December GCSAA seminars and
our CAGCS January Seminar were all

the time comes.
I would like to congratulate John
Motycka on his receiving the Superin­
tendent of the Year Award. It is a welldeserved honor, as John has served this
association in many capacities, as
treasurer, golf chairperson, and on

very well attended, informative and
interesting. Thanks to Dan Rackliffe,
CGCS, for all his hard work in setting
up and selecting a diversified set of

that everyone will continue to do an
excellent job.
The rest of the board members have
retained their positions and will carry
out their assignments with their usual
dedication, enthusiasm and profession­
alism. But this board will not serve
forever, so get involved and volunteer
your time and energy. Offer to serve on
a committee and run for the board when

speakers — great job!
As I start my second term as Presi­
dent, I realize how fortunate I am to
have the same board again. There have
been some chair changes. Wayne Urban

many committees.
Also, I would like to congratulate
Steve Rackliffe, CGCS, on taking a
teaching position at UCONN. Just im­

has switched to S & R, Kim Heyl is

worrying about disease unless he wants
to do a trial study. Good luck, Steve,

Connecticut

Clippings is an

official publication of the
Connecticut Association of Golf
Course Superintendents
Newsletter Editor
Bob Chalifour, CGCS (Ret.)
Newsletter Committee
David Basconi, Heather Garvin,
Edward Goodhouse, Ron Holcomb
and Jud W. Smith

The Clippings is open to all
commentary. Please send your
comments to Bob Chalifour,
Newsletter Editor, 39 First Street,
Groton, CT, 06340.

agine, no weekends, sleeping late, not

and I know everyone will give you a
helping hand whenever you need one.
Finally, the monthly meeting sched­
ule is just about set for this year, and
will be sent out when all the details are
ironed out. Once again, it is time for
my plea, “donate your clubs for our
meetings, help out the association” fill
that schedule for next year and the year
after.
It is never to early to book a date for
your club. It has been our experience
over the past few years, that clubs fill
their available dates one or more years
in advance.

March, 2001

Page 3

Connecticut Clippings

Steve Rackliffe, CGCS

After a national search, Steve was
selected as the new Extension Instruc­
tor of Turfgrass Science at UConn. He
assumed teaching and extension
responsibilities in the Department of
Plant Science on December 31,2000.
Steve will teach Golf Course Manage­
ment, which he has for the past two
years at UConn as an adjunct lecturer,
and is in the process of developing
several additional new courses for the
departmental initiative in Turfgrass
Science.
In addition to formal course offer­
ings, Steve will assist in student
advising, student recruitment, and the
development of a Turfgrass Manage­
ment major in the Ratcliffe-Hicks
School of Agriculture leading to an
Associates of Applied Science degree.

He will work with the commercial turf­
grass industries in the state and provide
technical and educational support.
Steve earned his M.S. degree in Plant
and Soil Sciences with an emphasis on
Turfgrass Science from UMass, and
comes to UConn with over 20 years of
professional industry experience. He
was the golf course superintendent at
the Willimantic Country Club for 18
years, was past president and served on
the Board of Directors of the Connecti­
cut Association of Golf Course Super­
intendents for eight years, represented
the golf industry on the Board of Direc­
tors for the Environmental Industry
Council, and was recognized as the
Connecticut Superintendent of the Year
in 1994.
During his professional career, Steve
has made and maintained many contacts
within the turf industry that will be
beneficial for the new Turfgrass
Science program.
In addition to the courses listed
below, internships and independent
studies involving turfgrass problems
are instituted for students in their jun­
ior and senior years. The program is
flexible, allowing students the opportu­
nity to pursue related areas of interest
such as horticulture, landscape design,
wildlife management, water resources,
economics, business, finance, or other
subjects depending on interest.
The Department of Plant Science
(continued on page 8)

Courses that constitute the Turfgrass Science
program core at UConn
Turfgrass Management
Turfgrass Physiology and Ecology
Golf Course Management
Golf Course Design
Soils
Soil Fertility
Soils, Land Use, and
Environmental Quality
Soil Genesis and Taxonomy

Athletic Field Construction and
Drainage
Ecology and Control of Weeds
Plant Diseases
Management of Insect Pests
Integrated Pest Management
Landscape Design
Landscape Plant Maintenance
Principles of Agribusiness

Wc o ffe r Dcsign/Build s e rv ic e s o r
ju st design, what ever s e rv e s ou r
clients best.
• Golf course design.
• Golf course assessment
and enhancement programs.

•
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Grading & drainage.
Ponds & w ater features.
Planting design.
Deck and patiodesign.
MEMBER SINCE 1997
C O N N E C T IC U T A SSOCIATIO N O F
G O LF C O U R S E S U P E R INTEND EN TS

2 0 0 Depot s t. • Chicopee, MA • 01013
Phone 413.592.1300 Fx413.592.9 5 9 0
E-Mail: Rob\anddes@ao\.com

F r e s h S o l u t i o n s for

B etter T urf Management
Use FreshPackand
microbial programs for improved
plant health. Environmentally safe
and university tested, these pro­
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rigors of heavy play, temperature stress, and
disease pressure. Featured programs include:
What a beautiful set o f roots!

Let Recharge help you build
your root system.. See the dif­
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Apply Reopen to oxygenate your soil.
Oxygen will disrupt anaerobic conditions
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microbes will improve soil structure for
increased percolation and root penetration.
Contact Joe Stahl or your local
Turf Partners representative at

800-228-6656
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Page 4

March, 2001

Connecticut Clippings

Available Golf Course Water in Connecticut
by Peter Pierson
Director of Government Relations

Does the golf course that you manage have a registered
water diversion or a permit for the water you consume?

Let us start with two definitions
regarding diversion registration and per­
mitting. These definitions are taken
from CT Public Act 82-402, An Act
Concerning Water Diversions.

1. Diversion — any activity
which causes, allows or results in the
withdrawal from the alteration, modifi­
cation or diminution of the instantane­
ous flow of the waters of the state.
2. Registration — Any person or
municipality maintaining a diversion
prior to or on the effective date of this
act (July 1, 1982) shall register on or
before July 1, 1983, with the commis­
sioner on a form prescribed by him the
location, capacity, frequency and rate of
withdrawals or discharges of said diver­
sion and a description of the water use
and water system. Any such diversion,
which is not so registered, may be the
subject to the permit requirements of
this act.

If the golf course you manage was in
operation prior to July 1, 1982 and

your diversion was not registered by
July 1, 1983, your golf course may be
operating their irrigation system in
violation of Public Act 82-402.
In a recent survey, about two-thirds
of Connecticut golf courses do not
have registered diversions or permits
for the water they are consuming.

What can we do
about this problem
concerning
water diversions?
Golf course superintendents, on
behalf of the clubs they represent,
have:
V complied with the registration and
maintenance of the storage of hazardous
materials—gasoline;
V complied with the CT DEP Pesti­
cide Management Unit with super­
visory and operator licensing;
V complied with continuing educa­

Owen Regan

A T Sales Associates, Ltd.

1787 Olde Louisquisset Pike
Lincoln, Rl 02865
Tel
401-465-8066
Fax
401-729-8163
Pager 800-592-0675

tion credits for recertification of the
licenses, and submission of the annual
Commercial Use Summary of pesti­
cides applied to our golf courses; and
V golf clubs in Connecticut have
been required to pay an annual golf
course registration fee of $100 to the
CT DEP since 1986.
And yet today, we in the golf course
industry in Connecticut face an uncer­
tain future and an uphill battle at the
highest state level concerning water
rights.
Plan on attending our general mem­
bership meeting on March 20th where
there will be a presentation by the CT
DEP Inland Water Resources regarding
diversion registrations and permitting
of diversions. This meeting will be
held at the Hawthorne Inn in Berlin,
CT, with registration at 9:00 a.m.
There will be a meeting notice sent
to all CAGCS members and Met
GCS A members who are at golf
courses in Connecticut.
Please plan on attending this meeting
of CAGCS and find out where your
golf course stands on this critical issue.

March, 2001

Connecticut Clippings

CAGCS

21st

W inter

Sem inar

By Bob Chalifour, CGCS, Ret.
Newsletter Editor
• Another successful winter seminar
was held on Tuesday, January 9th.
Inspite of some inclement weather,
Dan Rackliffe, CGCS, outgoing Edu­
cation Chairperson, put together a di­
versified program of speakers that cov­
ered a wide range of related topics.
Cooperation between golf course
superintendents and outside agencies
was a theme often heard.
Dr. Gail Schumann, Associate Pro­
fessor from UMass, asked that superin­

tendents contact her for sites and infor­
mation to aid researchers. She can be
contacted at 413/545-3413, fax 413/
545-1578.
Ron Dodson, President & Chairman
of the Board of Audubon International,
noted that a high percent of golf
courses are involved with their local
communities implementing environ­
mental programs.
Dave Oatis, USGA agronomist,
stressed the importance of a tree invent­

Page 5

ory and seeking the help of the USGA
and arborists for proper tree selection
and location. An interesting aid to help
do this is with computer graphics.
Herb Waterous of ArborCom Tech­
nologies, Inc. has a program for show­
ing the past, present and future of tree
locations.
The high cost and tribulations of
bringing a pesticide product to market
was presented by Lee Kozsey,
Syngenta Co., and Dr. Karl Guillard
gave a synopsis of improvements and
expansion to be made in the turf pro­
gram at UConn. See related article on
page 1 of this issue.

Page 6

March, 2001

Connecticut Clippings

a

s

In the last issue of the Clippings,
Brian Pope’s name was

JU S

G

r

s

tM

k u ,
C
a
t
u W fi 1I r r l u l i W k

inadvertently omitted from the list of
members receiving 20-year member­
ship pins.
* * * * *

w

m

m

b

U

Welcome new members

c
1

h
e
r
â Ê à f.A

Generous S & R donation

Vr

CAGCS would like to thank Mrs.
Sarah Lynch for a $1,500 donation to
our S & R Fund in the name of her
late husband, John Lynch.
John was a member of CAGCS for
33 years, superintendent at Woodbridge
Country Club for 20+ years; and then
on to Beaverdale Memorial Park prior
to retiring.

Good luck and best wishes to
Tom Fletcher on his retirement. He
was the superintendent at H. Smith
Richardson GC. Tom has been a
member of CAGCS for over 30 years.

Brian M. Johnson - Class B

Blue Fox Run Golf Club
Joseph D. Meadows - Class C

The Connecticut Golf Club

F ran k Savakis is now with the
EZ-Go Corporation.

Glenn M. Perry - Class A

*

Rolling Hills Country Club
* * * * *

*

*

*

Congratulations
new parents!

Congratulations
new superintendents!
Kevin Balocca, formerly assistant
at the Black Hall Club, is now the
superintendent at Willimantic CC;

M ike and M onique M ooney
on the birth of their son, Evan
Michael.

Eric Morrison, formerly assistant
at Burning Tree CC and Pilgrim’s Har­
bor (Harbor Ridge), is now the superin­
tendent at Shennecossett GC.

cJ-foCCii,tori czSa n d d o .f {Jn a .

*

Any member who has not paid his/
her dues on or before April 1st will be
deleted from the membership roster in
accordance with Article III of the
CAGCS Bylaws.
* * * * *

Deadline for the May issue of the

Tom and Bonnie W atroba on
the birth of their first grandchild, Mya
Fay Watroba.

G

*

Have you paid
your CAGCS dues?

P eter and Sheri P ierson, on
the birth of their first grandchild,
Anders Ingham Pierson.

Root-Zone Mixes
Bunker Sand & Pea Stone

*

* * * * *

Congratulations
new grandparents!

Peter Grace, formerly assistant at
Brooklawn CC, is now the superinten­
dent at H. Smith Richardson GC;

*

The CT State Golf Association has
announced Bruce Wilson as their new
Executive Director.

A rik and B arb a ra C arlson on
the birth of their daughter, Violet
Reed.

Paul Bonini, formerly assistant at
the CC of Farmington, is now the
superintendent at the Watertown GC;

USGA Recommended Sands
Topdressing ~ Divot Mix

* *

Clippings is April 6th.

onnecticut

Mulch

Tifft Road - Slatersville, R I 02876
Covering ground since 1978

A llG ro Compost
Al l Gr o Mixes

(401) 766-5010
Fax (401) 762-4976

Business Address
1300 East St.
Suffield, CT. 06078

Mailing Address
1515 North Stone St.
W. Suffield, C T 06093

Telephone
(860) 623-2987
Fax 292-1047

March, 2001

Connecticut Clippings

Page 7

Dogs of Summer

Upcoming Events

John Garcia, Golf Course Superintendent
Crumpin-Fox Club

March 20

Bjorn is a six-year old border collie.
He graduated from the Geese Police
Academy in North Carolina before he
joined John at Fairview Country Club
in 1997. He is a rare brown and white
purebred.
Bjorn now spends his time guarding
the fairways and making new friends at
Crumpin-Fox where he is known as
“The Wonder Dog”. Sometimes I worry
that all this attention will go to his
head, so occasionally, I remind him that
he’s nothing until he has a restaurant
named after him. (Crumpin-Fox restau­
rant, Zeke’s Bar and Grille, is named
after the owner’s dog.)

CAGCS Monthly Meeting
Hawthorne Inn
Berlin, CT

April 10
CAGCS Monthly Meeting
New Haven Country Club
James L. MacDonald, Host Supt.

May 15
CAGCS Monthly Meeting
Black Hall Club
Philip Neaton, Host Supt.

June 18
CAGCS Monthly Meeting
The Connecticut Golf Club
Mark G. Fuller, CGCS

July 10
CAGCS Annual Invitational
Hop Meadow Country Club
Michael Wallace, CGCS

Twenty years ago
Steve Cadenelli, CGCS, president of
CAGCS, warned that 1981 could be a
year of shortages, most notably a
shortage of water. This subject is on
everyone’s mind and undoubtedly will
affect us all.
Is the present drought a short or long
term situation? Many feel that the
present dry spell is but the beginning
of a long term water shortage brought
on by increased demands from industry,
an ever enlarging population, increas­
ingly polluted water supplies, less rain­
fall, and the lack of long-range plan­

TEE

ning in developing our country’s water
holding capabilities. Is it possible that
the recent history of oil is repeating
itself?
It is my opinion that those of us in
golf course management should not
wait until we are forced into curtailing
our use of water.
It is time to re-educate ourselves to
just how much water our turfgrass
needs to exist and survive.
Our goal should be to provide a
healthy, playable turf and not a turf
that looks picture perfect. The golfing

& GREEN
SOD

public must be made aware that
changes are going to happen regarding
the look of golf course turf in the
future.
Steve went on to express a very
hearty thank you to Dr. Joseph Troll as
the Mass. Turf Conference was cele­
brating its Golden Anniversary. Joe
began the spark behind the everimproving conference and deserved the
many accolades.

Athletic Field Renovators, llc
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Telephone: 401/789-8177

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Verti-Drain
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Verti-Drain deep tine Aeration

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Page 8

March, 2001

Connecticut Clippings

PARTAC
GOLF COURSE

UConn Turf grass Program
(continued from page 3)

ous grass species and two small put­
ting greens are located at the farm and
available for student use.
The UConn 2000 Project, in which
the university receives $100 million a
year for 10 years from the state, has
transformed the Storrs campus with
new buildings and renovations to exist­
A M E R IC A 'S P R E M IU M
ing ones. When completed, the univer­
HEAT TREATED
sity’s campus will be one of the most
TO P-DRESSING S
modem of any in the country.
GEOTEXTILES & TURF BLANKETS
All these activities benefit the Turf­
grass Science program, not only
U.S. GOLF HOLE
because of the changes within the
College of Agriculture and Natural
1
AND M UCH MORE!
Resources, but also because students
800-247-2326
take courses in other disciplines to ful­
D IS T R IB U T E D I N C T BY:
fill general educational requirements or
JAMES CARRIERE & SONS
pursue related areas of interest.
914-937-2136
The College of Agriculture and Natu­
VALLEY FARMS SUPPLY
ral Resource has many endowments
8 6 0 -6 5 1 -8 5 5 5
which provides about $150,000 in
also offers a minor in Landscape
scholarships annually to students.
Design, which can provide turfgrass
Many
of these scholarships are directly
science students complimentary design
applicable to students pursuing the
skills which they can apply to numer­
Turfgrass Science program.
ous situations where turf is utilized.
The UConn Turf Club was formed
Facilities available for the Turfgrass
last semester and received official club
Science program include state-of-thestatus by the University.
art, multimediated classrooms, which
For spring activities, the Club is
utilize computer, video, CD, and
planning
to attend the New England
digital technologies in addition to
Regional Turfgrass Conference. The
traditional teaching approaches. A 150Club is also developing a display board
acre teaching and research farm is loca­
for the Turfgrass Science program and a
ted one mile from campus and includes
web site that will be linked through the
field and greenhouse space for turf
departmental web site.
classes and projects. Turf plots of vari­
Other proposed activities include par­
ticipation in the Col­
lege’s annual Horticul­
ture Show and Cornu­
copia, and trips to golf
courses and athletic
facilities.
GOLF IRRIGATION SERVICES, inc.
Short and long-term
P.O. Box 505, 103 McCracken Road, Millbury, MA 01527
goals of the Turfgrass
508-756-5903
Art de Atienza
Science program in­
Fax 508-757 -8626
clude the development
IRRIGATION SYSTEM SPECIALISTS
of a 2-year, Associate

TOP-DRESSING

«

TARGETS"

of Applied Science degree for the Turf­
grass Management major in the
Ratcliffe-Hicks School of Agriculture.
The school offers a Horticulture major,
which currently accommodates students
interested in turf-related careers.
As the BS and AAS programs grow
in student numbers at UConn, the
emphasis will be on adding more
faculty to meet the growing demands of
the students. Student chapters of vari­
ous professional societies are planned
as part of the UConn Turf Club activi­
ties.
The Department of Plant Science is
planning on developing the former 28acre Spring Hill Orchard into a site
where students will be able to obtain
hands-on experience in designing,
installing, and maintaining turf and
landscape plants.
Because the Turfgrass Science pro­
gram at UConn is relatively new,
equipment needs for teaching are a high
priority. Several pieces have been pur­
chased through endowments or realloca­
tion of departmental funds, but the pro­
gram is still under-equipped in many
items needed for turf establishment and
maintenance.
The College provides a mechanism
through the Office of Development and
Alumni Affairs, by which donated
equipment in good working condition
can receive tax writeoffs to the donor.
The UConn turfgrass Science pro­
gram would be appreciative if efforts
by CAGCS members result in the
donation of the following items: Mow­
ers, topdressers, aerators, seeders,
spreaders, sprayers, power rakes, or
other items that are necessary for turf
management.
Contacts for the UConn Turfgrass
Science Program are: Dr. Karl Guillard,
860/486-6309, karlguilard@uconn.edu
and Steven Rackliffe 860/486-1944,
stevenrackliffe@uconn.edu.

March, 2001

Page 9

Connecticut Clippings

Walter E. 'Bud' Smith awarded
Hall of Fame Distinguished Service Award by CSGA
Bud Smith, owner of Orange Hills CC, was honored on
December 13,2000 at the Connecticut Golf Hall of Fame
dinner and was given a distinguished service award by the
Connecticut State Golf Association.
Smith has been a member of CAGCS for 52 years being
accepted into membership in 1949. He took over manage­
ment of the club which his father owned that same year. He
was 24 at the time and had just graduated from the University
of Connecticut.
Before that, he had fought as an infantryman in World War
II and spent five months as a prisoner of war. He attended
Stockbridge at the University of Massachusetts in 1950.
"It was frustrating with just nine holes,” Bud said. "I had
people finish nine holes who wanted to go out again but I
couldn’t fit them in. I didn’t know what the future of golf
was going to be, but I knew that in my little world, I
couldn't accommodate the people."
So in the early fifties, he began buying land to make room
for expansion. He engaged course architect Geoffrey Cornish

to design nine new holes, and in 1955 set out with a single
chainsaw and lots of determination to clear the woods. "Geoff
told me he had built only one course that had worse land than
ours. It was all swamp and stone. We got it done, but it took
six long years. If I knew what I was getting into, I might
never have started."
This determination to succeed characterizes Bud Smith's
half century of running the Orange Hills CC and is, in part,
the reason the CSGA has chosen him to receive a Connecti­
cut Golf Hall of Fame Distinguished Service Award.
Bud has continued to improve the facilities to the point
where the club is regarded as one of the most successful and
attractive privately owned public courses in the state.
Bob Esposito, president of the Orange Hills CC Men's
Association, which Bud helped establish in 1955, says,
"Bud's goal has always been to give the people a great
product".
Excerpts from the "Connecticut Golfer",
newsletter of the CSGA, December, 2000.

Upgrade Your Existing Sprinklers V
With Low-Cost Hunter Retro-Risers

isit g o lfs best known courses and you
will often find worn, inefficient
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expense to replace them. Until now.
Hunter Golf introduces the new RT Retro
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Toro® models 630,730,760 and the
discontinued 660. Your staff can pop out
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within minutes. The Toro® body with
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change-out and no d iggin g is required.
See your local Hunter Golf distributor for a
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Page 10

March, 2001

Connecticut Clippings

Shhh! Don’t tell anyone,
but the control fo r earth­
worms has been found —
and it’s legal!
By Larry Gilhuly, Director
USGA Northwest Region
A conversation recently and
repeatedly heard at golf courses across
America:
“So, what can we do to eliminate our
earthworms?”
"There are no products available that
are registered for earthworm control.”
"But XYZ Golf Course has really had
good results with XYZ insecticide/
fungicide!”
"Yes, but there are no legal methods
of control for earthworms.”
Well, guess what? For the past 15
years, golf course superintendents in
the Pacific Northwest have been report­
ing significantly reduced earthworm
populations when they conducted regu­

lar sand topdressing programs on their
fairways. Complete removal? No, but
populations are reduced enough to
eliminate this topic as an issue.
The problem has been that there was
no data to back up these visual obser­
vations, but work conducted by Paul
Backman and Eric Miltner at WSU,
along with Tom Cook at OSU, is
beginning to show what happens when
sand is applied to earthworm infested
soils.
Observations reveal the differences in
earthworm populations where no sand
has been applied on a typical western
Washington silty loam soil and a plot
that has received 1 1/2” of sand during
the past two years.
Similar results have been reviewed
this summer at numerous golf courses
where topdressing has reached a total of
2” to 3” over several years. In some
cases, it has taken several years to vis­
ually observe the reduction since the
sand applications were not extensive.
However, those golf courses where

1/2” to 1” of sand has been applied
annually show noticeable reductions in
earthworm populations.
There will still be debate regarding
the positives of earthworms (thatch
reduction and aeration) and the nega­
tives of their castings. Based on condi­
tions in the Pacific Northwest, the neg­
atives of playing in mud sway the
debate. Personally, I’ll take dry and
firm with thatch over “lift, clean and
place” any time!
Editor’s note: Crumpin-Fox Club
superintendent John Garcia has reported
no earthworm problem on his fairways
that were built with sand over 30 years
ago. To view pictures that would not re­
produce well in our publication, go to the
USGA.org/green/tas/regionalnews/
archive/northwest/september.

Thanks to Michael Cornicelli,
A-OK Turf Equipment, for sharing this
article.

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Coventry, RI 02816
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Sterilized Topdressing, Greensmix
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Joe Stahl (203) 209-6951
Mike Nagel (508) 829-8895
Danbury Warehouse (800) 889-8215
A Division of Simplot

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Glenmore Landscape Service

Sisis Turf Equipment

Premium Sod for Golf Courses
Lincoln, RI 02865
Owen Regan
(401) 465-8066

Glenn S. Moore
98 Hack Green Road
Pound Ridge, NY 10576
(914) 764-4348

Golf Course Maintenance Machinery
Championship Turf Services
N. E. Manufacturers Representative
Michael Flowers (800) 562-5860

Allen's Seed, Inc.

Greenacres Company

SODCO, INC.

693 South County Trail
Exeter, RI 02822
A1 La Prise
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75 Codfish Hill Rd.,Bethel, CT
(203) 748-0558

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James Carriere & Sons, Inc.

Steven Willand, Inc.

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Plainville, CT 06062
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7 Cottage St., Port Chester, N Y 10573
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311 Carriage Drive
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Mike Donahue (860) 668-0821
Mike Dukette (860) 684-6242

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P.O.Box 484, Old Greenwhich, CT 06870
James E. Morris, Jr. (203) 869-8808

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Winfield Nursery, Inc.
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Precision Laser Leveling
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368 W. Liberty St., Suite 2
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65 Glenn Street
Lawrence, MA 01843
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Shawnmark Industries, Inc.

Custom Deep Aerification Service
West Wareham, MA 02576
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Specialty Products & Service
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25 years serving the fine turf profession
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Office (845) 621-5067
FAX (845) 621-7180

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240 Griswold Road
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William Seccareccia
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