Green is Beautiful The Official Publication of Ontario Golf Superintendents Association IMPORTANT DATES: • President, Greens Chairman Tournament St. Georges Golf & Country Club July 27th, 1998. • OTRF Fundraising Tournament Bayview Golf & Country Club August 10,1998. • Submit Your Important Dates to OGSA's Industry Calendar. See Inside for Details. 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DUKE EQUIPMENT LTD. ISO 9002 Certified 1184 Plains Road East, Burlington, Ontario L7S 1W6 Burlington Area: (905)637-5216 Other Ontario: 1-800-883-0761 Toronto Area: (905) 338-2404 Fax: (905) 637-2009 Green is contents Beautiful The Official Publication of Ontario Golf Superintendents Association JUNE EDITION 1998 what's inside advertisers 2 EDITOR'S COMMENTS 3 BRAEMAR by Mark Piccolo 3 PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE 5 SKYWAY by Ian Bowen 6 VIGORO CANADA INC. 3 AVOID AGE BIAS 4 SNIPPETS 9 CENTURY RAIN AID by Gordon Witteveen 13 ISK BIOSCIENCE 4 BASEBALL TOURNAMENT 6 WORKING HARD COMMUNICATING 15 NU-GRO CORPORATION by Bill Womac 15 ALMACK 7 TWENTY YEARS AGO TODAY by Barry Endicott 15 PLANT PRODUCTS 8 BORDER CITIES TOURNAMENT by Keith Bartlett 15 THE SCOTTS COMPANY 8 5 WAYS EXPERIENCE ADDS VALUE Source 1997 Leader Board 15 TERRA 10 WHAT ARE YOU PLANNING 15 RAY GORDON By OGSA 10 ASSOCIATION DATES 15 ALBION GOLF CARTS 11 ASSOCIATION DATES 15 ZANDER SOD CO. LTD. 12 OTRF/OTEC FUNDRAISING 16 GLASS CRAFT 14 TURF OR CONSEQUENCES by Doug Breen 16 NU-GRO CORPORATION 16 TURF MANAGERS SHORT COURSE 17 NUTRITE 17 OGSA PRO/SUPER GOLF DAY 18 PRESS RELEASE 18 GREENHORIZONS 19 TURFGRASS FUNGICIDE NEWS 19 TURFCARE By Pam Charbonneau 20 TILEBED INSTALLATION By Peter Kinch editor's comments 1998 O.G.S.A. Board of Directors President Ian Bowen Oshawa Golf Club 905-725-9511 It's the June issue and it feels like August. Green is beautiful is fortunate Past President Simon George Oakville Golf Club to have Gord Witteveen from the Board 905-844-5796 of Trade Golf Club, Peter Kinch from Emerald Hills, Barry Endicott from Vice President Paul Dodson CGCS Nobleton Lakes and Doug Breene from Lionhead Golf Club Caledon Golf Club on as regular 905-455-8400 contributors to our newsletter. Treasurer & GCSAA Liaison Bob Heron CGCS The O.G.S.A. has started a schedule of Beacon Hall Golf Club events in the newsletter for all industry affiliated events 905-841-0252 seminars and meetings. Please call Dorthy at the O.G.S.A. or Dean Baker at Glen Abbey Golf Club to have Secretary Keith Bartlett your material included. Please contribute! A picture and Thornhill Country Club 905-889-2735 a written paragraph of anything happening on your golf course may be a solution for someone else. Director & Bylaws Lamont Anderson The O.T.R.F. fundraising tournament is at the Bayview Pointe West Golf Club Golf and Country Club this year hosted by Tom Charters 519-736-5050 on August 10, 1998. Please mark this date on your Directors & Public Relations John Gravett calendar and plan to attend. Credit Valley Golf Club The O.G.S.A. conducted two very successful events in 905-275-2505 Ext. 225 April & May. The Border Cities event and Pro/Super event were well attended, look for details inside. Rob Ackerman Markland Wood Golf Club 905-625-2062 Mark Piccolo Newsletter Editor Director & Golf & Meetings Dean Baker Glen Abbey Golf Club 905-844-1800 Ext. 240 Membership Director Jim Flett Green is Beautiful 1998 & Newsletter Co-Editor Muskoka La kes Golf Course 705-765-3165 Although every effort is made to check material for publication, the association is not responsible for material published on behalf of its contributors. All rights are reserved by the publisher and any reproduction in whole Director & Newsletter Editor Mark Piccolo or part without the written permission of the publisher is prohibited. Galt Country Club 519-650-1503 Director & Scholarship Jeff Burgess Weston Golf Club 416-241-5551 DOROTHY HILL : OFFICE MANAGER ONTARIO GOLF SUPERINTENDENTS'ASSOCIATION GUELPH TURFGRASS INSTITUTE 328 VICTORIA ROAD, SOUTH Combines Promotional Products with Graphic Telephone: (519) 824OGSA Design & Print adding a new dimension of Fax: (519) 766-1704 Quality and Reliability to our Customers' Image. OFFICE HOURS Monday, Wednesday,& Friday 8A.M. - 12 P.M. Tuesday & Thursday 12 P.M. - 4 P.M. Designed & Printed by CityCo. Inc. Tel: (519) 650-5515 Fax: (519) 650-1202 1-800-605-7793 president's message avoid age bias Making a Contribution Prevention: To avoid being involved in age bias litigation, golf course owners should steer clear of these Green is Beautiful, our practices: Association magazine • Assuming that older superintendents lack continues to be our voice certain skills and knowledge of modern within our industry. Our technology. magazines success depends • Replacing older superintendents with younger upon membership ones based on age alone. involvement, through the • Engaging in age-related humor or banter in the submission of articles and workplace. pictures. Articles within Green is Beautiful, deal with problems faced by Policy: The Federal Age Discrimination in Employment superintendents and golf Act (ADEA) bans discrimination based on age against facilities on a daily basis. any employee or job applicant who is 40 years of age Members enjoy reading about real life experiences of and older. Employers must also keep in mind that the fellow superintendents. Has your Club undergone law in their particular state may set a lower age limit at course renovations, built a new Clubhouse or which the age bias laws apply. Maintenance facility? Have you put your own twist on an age old maintenance practice? All of these issues and others too make for interesting reading and the Caution: Disciplining older employees more severely sharing of thoughts and ideas. than their younger counterparts who were guilty of comparable infractions is also considered age bias. Making a contribution to Green is Beautiful ensures our voice within the industry is valid and strong. The sharing of thoughts and ideas improves our value and Opportunity: Experience does not count. Consider the professional image. five ways employers benefit from a superintendent’s experience. O.G.S.A. President Ian Bowen Continued on page 8 our building project represents many things: a Y tangible asset, an aid to productivity, and an expression of your goals and values. They can all be summed up with two words: pride and confidence. We build large quantities of both into every Braemar project. Isn’t that reason enough to call Braemar first? For your FREE ESTIMATES ADDITIONS • RENOVATIONS call RICK or JACK BRENZIL NEW BUILDINGS • WOOD and STEEL STRUCTURES RRI YORK, ONT NOA I RO TELEPHONE: (905) 772-3551 • FAX: (905) 772-3422 That's the Braemar frame of mind. snippets Here are some snippets by Gordon Witteveen, Board of Trade Golf Club USGA agronomist David Oatis paid a visit to the of the same quality as the other greens. Oatis stated Board of Trade golf course this past spring. His that new greens take from 5-7 years before they are subsequent report contained much valuable comparable in quality to the greens on the rest of the information some of which I will share with my course. He urged to be on guard for stressfull colleagues in the OGSA. conditions: A combination of warm, overnight temperatures, a sudden downpour and heavy play, SNOWMOLD: We rarely apply preventative snow almost always result in the problem green taking a mold treatments to our greens and tees and again in beating. When such conditions occur, Oatis suggested the fall of 1997 we followed our usual practice of that the green in qeustion be taken out of play for a relying solely on organic fertilizer application to period of 24-48 hours to save the turf. He also assure good greens in the spring. It worked for most recommends the use of the new silent fans. We have greens but two greens got hit hard by snowmold, both gone one step further and built a small alternate green were in shady locations. Oatis recommended that we of good quality nearby, just in case we want to give the do extensivetree pruning to reduce shade and improve 11th a rest for a day or two. air circulation. He also suggestedthat we treat these potential problem green with a preventative fungicide. BUNKER FACES: We have been cutting our steep We plan to follow his advice. bunkers faces quite short to accomodate golfers who prefer to play from sand rather then be lodged in long PROBLEM GREENS: The 11th green on the Board of grass. Oatis suggest that we raise the height of cut and Trade West course has been a thorn in my side since I that we try to establish fescue grasses on the steep arrived at the Board 26 years ago. I have suffered slopes. Removing the sand that piles onto grass is best through summers of anemic grass and have rebuilt the done with power brooms or water pressure. green several times. Just four years ago American Architect Arthur Hills came up with a new design and The yearly visit of an USGA agronomist is well worth Evans built yet another version of the infamous 11th. It the expense. It's like being tutored privately for a certainly was an improvement but the turf is still not whole day and no one is ever too old to learn. ONTARIO GOLF NEWS: My monthly column on the back page of Ontario Golf News is now into its 15th year. I have never missed an issue nor a deadline. BASEBALL Publisher Ken MacKenzie likes it that way and fondly refers to me as his Allan Fotheringham, praise that I do not deserve. Many of you have called me with BASEBALL TOURNAMENT FOR GOLF newsworthy items. Some have even asked me to play COURSE STAFF AND GOLF SUPPLIERS golf, an invitation that I find difficult to refuse. Please SPONSORED BY McCRACKEN GOLF keep the information coming. I know from the positive SUPPLIES feed back that I receive that the readers of Golf News like to hear about Superintendents and golf course WHEN: July 4,1998 maintenance. You may not always agree with what I WHERE: Turner Park, write and advocate, but rather then criticizing me Hamilton, Ontario silently, why not send me some useful information that COST: $115.00 Per Entry will be of benefit to everyone. The most efficient way (guaranteed 2 games) to reach me is via E-mail: greens@bot.com . I am TO REGISTER: looking forward to hear from everyone, not just from Phone: (905) 846-7178 my former assistants. 1067 Beach Boulevard Hamilton, Ontario L8H 6Z9 Telephone 905-545-5363 Fax 905-545-2647 CAN-USA 1-800-263-8606 Express Dual & AngleMaster Reel Mower Sharpeners A survey conducted by Kenneth A. Kovach, Ph.D., of George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., compared what employees desired in a job versus what managers believed their employees wanted. The survey rated the following desires on a scale of 1 (most important) to 101 empty table cell Managers think Employee want employees want Interesting Work 1 5 Appreciated for work done 2 8 Feeling of being "in on things" 3 10 Job security 4 2 Good wages 5 1 Promotions/growth opportunities 6 3 Good working conditions 7 4 Personal loyalty to workers 8 6 Tactful disciplining 9 7 Sympathetic help with personal problems 10 9 Working Hard Don’t play against at Communicating Mother Nature. Successful working relationships between golf superintendents and their empolyers, facility Ever. committees, other managers and golfers are the result of quality communications and hard work. When it comes to keeping your golf Quality communication should be: course in top shape year-round, you • Consistent can’t afford to play against Mother • Professional Nature. • Timely And that’s particularly true Important: A proactive tole by the when it comes to fertilizer superintendent is key to taking selection. advantage of such obvious communication opportunities as You need a fertilizer that delivers board meetings and management precise feeding, whether Mother Nature serves up heat or cold, rain meetings. During such or drought. opportunities, superintendents should: You need ParEx fertilizers with • Be prepared IBDU®. Because you know Mother • Anticipate what issues may Nature will be out to beat you arise again this year. Don’t get mad... • Offer solutions just get even, with ParEx. • Listen and understand all requests made of them • Be sure they can deliver on all commitments that they made IMC Vigoro Canada Inc. Note: Less obvious communication 22 Clarke Street East Tillsonburg, Ontario N4G 1C8 opportunities are just as important. L800-268-2076 These mat occur when www.vigoro.on.ca superintendents are playing periodic rounds of golf, working on ParEx is a registered trademark of Vigoro Industries Inc. the golf course or receiving a request from a golfer. Remember: Identifying, cultivating and expanding communication opportunities will result in good relationship. For the best results, superior communication should be a vital, daily objective for the golf course owner, golf course superintendent and the entire facility's staff. Combines Promotional Products with Graphic Design & Print Source: Bill Womac, CGCS, adding a new dimension of Quality and Reliability to our Dunwoody Country Club, Customers' Image. For more information please call: Dunwoody, Ga. (519) 650-5515 Fax: (519) 6501202 1-800-605-7795 twenty years ago today by Barry Endicott in Edmonton on March 13th-16th. Before the Nobleton Lakes Golf Club conference some superintendents, Ron Heesen, Bob Heron, Gord Witteveen, Ken Olsvik, Dave Keith and The Board of Directors for 1983 of the OGSA was Barry Endicott met on the ski hills in Banff before Rusty Warkman (pres.), Oshawa, Al Draper (vice.), attending the seminars. The hospitality was super Greenhills, Bob Brewster (past), Weston, Robert with the Edmonton Eskimo cheerleaders leading the Kennedy, Garden City, Barry Endicott (newsletter way at the Monday night hospitality party. The east editor) Chinguacousy, Bill Fach, Essex, Gordon hockey team beat the west team 7 to 5 at the Nimmo, Sarnia, John Hutchinson, Warkworth, Thom Edmonton Coliseum, which was donated by the city of Charters, Islington, Hugh Kirkpatrick, Westmount, Edmonton and Wayne Gretsky and few other Oilers Paul Scenna, Galt and Tom Simpson, Newcastle. paid a visit to the dressing room after the game to On the move: Rhod Trainer moved to St. Thomas from learn a few tips. Dave Gourlay won the Score Chippewa G. C., Ron Heesen (assistant) from the Magazine Award as the 1983 Top Canadian Golf Board of Trade to Beach Grove, Mark Hagen, Course Superintendent. (assistant) Greenhills to Wyldewood G. C. and John The GCSAA Conference was held from February 19-25 Smith from Wyldewood to Kawartha. Kim Hanley in Atlanta Georgia. Jim Wyllie, Bayview, and Gord moved from Brooklea Golf Club (assistant) to Blue Witteveen were on the speaker's programme. Mountain Golf Club, Dave Chapman moved from There was an OGSA/OTRF meeting at Thornhill Victoria Park to Glendale. Country Club on March 13 hosted by Dave Gourlay. New members: Donald Gefucia, Barrie, Rhod Trainer, After the speakers, curlers took to the ice with the St. Thomas, Doug Meyer, Cedarbrook, Gord winning team of Bob Cherry, Tom Murphy and Jack Walkinshaw, Toronto Ladies, Paul Weidmark, IBM, Austin defeating Paul Scenna, Paul Dermott and Paul Tom Kenyon, Southern Pines, Robbie Robinson, White. Hidden Lakes, Manny Figueredo, Richview, Arthur There were meetings held at Kawartha Golf Club, John Trumble, Katchiwano, John Lockie, Lockwood, David Smith, St. Catherines Golf and Country Club, John Gurd, Maple Ridge, Howard Anyan, Bowmanville, Piccolo, Roseland, Randy Hooper, St. Claire Parkway, Peter Creighton, Castlemore, Joseph Hahn, Delhi, John O'Rae. The Galt Field Day was held at the Galt Lloyd Thatcher, Victoria Park, Gary Gavett, Saugeen, Country and a set of Golf Clubs was presented to Clay Robert Dioxin, Pine Crest, Bruce Jones, Belleville, John Switzer by the OGSA. Stew Picken and Blake McCallum, Strathroy, William Kivi, Glenview, Dave McMaster won the Clayton Switzer Trophy and low Suter, Richview, Ken Green, North Bay. individual scores were Bruce Burger (73), Dalewood, The 13th Annual Management Symposium was held Bruce Vollet (75), Conestoga, Warren Vout (77), on January 11th at the University of Guelph. This Whitevale and Bill Bowen (78) Peterborough. The symposium has really grown with 260 golf course Superintendent Pro Tournament was held at Islington personnel registering. Jim Wyllie, Bayview, Rusty Golf Club hosted by Thom Charters. The winning Warkman, Oshawa, Prof. Sheard, Univ, of Guelph, team was Ken Wright and Ben Kern, National, and low David Gourlay, Thornhill, and Prof. Lee Burpee, Univ, superintendent was Robbie Robinson (78) , Hidden of Guelph were on the speakers programme. Lake. The 10th Annual President Superintendent On November 25th, Gord Witteveen hosted many Greens Chairman Tournament was held at Essex, host superintendents to a day of fellowship called the Bill Fach, and the winning teams were Blake McMaster William Samson Day. William Samson, was the (105) Brampton, Rhod Trainor (104), St. Thomas and founding father and first president of the OGSA. Bob Heron (103) Mississagua. The OTRF held it's 4th Together with his fellow greens keepers, Bert Hawkins annual golf tournament at the National, Ken Wright, of Lakeview and "Smiling Dad" Howard Lloyd of with a barbecue at The Board of Trade, Gordon Rosedale, they laid the cornerstones for our present Witteveen. Bruce Calhoun was low gross with a 75. organization at a meeting in October 1924 at the A tornado hit Doon Valley Golf Club on May 2 where Weston Golf Club. Others present were: Joe Stanfield, 183 trees were torn out of the ground. Gord Witteveen Mississaugua, Chris Freeman, Toronto Hunt, Jack had a hole in one in August, Ron Heesen and Bob Abbot, Islington, Frank Hamm, Royal York, Bill Brewster got married and Ken Nelson was recovering Austin, Humber Valley, Jim McCullough, Scarboro, from a serious cancer operation. Fred Haines, Summit and Bill Chinery, York Downs. The CGSA Turfgrass Conference and Show was held border cities tournament Keith Bartlett, Thornhill Golf & Country Club OGSA Golf and Meetings Director The Border Cities Tournament was held on score total. Ray Mannion, Bob Heron, Robbie Monday, April 27,1998 at the Country Club of Detroit Robinson and Thom Charters represented our in Detroit, Michigan. The host superintendent Mr. association well with a total score of 328 but were Mark Jackson had the golf course in great shape and it edged out by a few shots by the American team of was a treat to play on the greens that were recently Aaron McMaster, Lowell Weaver, Mike Fagan, and renovated and over seeded to A4 bentgrass. The Trey Rogers. recent renovations were designed by Rees Jones but After golf, a presentation by a local the presence of the original architect H.S. Colt was still dermatologist educated us on the dangers of evident. overexposure to the sun and the need to use the proper Though the golf swing was not in mid season sunscreen and other protective techniques. Our form, the sunny skies and great golf course made for occupation makes it impossible not to be exposed to an enjoyable day. From the 112 participants some took the sun, hence it is very important to protect oneself. home prizes for their efforts. Kelly Barnet of Pointe The O.G.S.A. would like to thank the Greater West Golf Club and Chris Andrejicka of Essex Golf Detroit Chapter, particularly Rick Murphy and Mike Club were closest to the pin on holes #8 and #13. Bob Jones who found a golf course to play and arranged for Heron of Beacon Hall Golf Club was low net Canadian the speaker. Also, thank you to everyone who and Paul Dermott of Oakdale Golf Club was part of participated in this event and we look forward to the winning low net foursome. The Can-Am trophy is another full field at the 1999 Border Cities Tournament presented to the Association with the lowest four gross to be held in Ontario. 5 Ways Experience Adds Value 1. Crisis Management. An experienced superintendent is familiar with the uncontrollables and can prepare for them. Problems may be identified earlier and responses implemented earlier, which can lessen their impact. 2. Attention to Detail. Less experienced superintendents may not be as familiar with golf with golf course maintenance practices and may need to concentrate their efforts there. Thus, they may possibly overlook the importance of consistent attention to course details. 3. Management Ability. Supervising even a small crew tests the management ability of superintendents. Generally, more experienced superintendents have developed effective strategies to help manage their time and their crew. Understanding the complexities of financial and risk management may also come with experience. 4. Business Decisions. More experience helps to make the right decision the first time, limiting the cost of rework and recovering from failure. Experience generally helps to focus on the long view, rather than constantly putting out fires. 5. Trust. As manager of the most important asset of the golf facility, trust is critical. A trusting relationship comes with a proven track record of meeting expectations. An experienced superintendent has that track record. Source: Does Experience Count, Jan.?Feb. 1997 Leader Board. Keep Your Course In Top Condition.. Legacy Golf Control water, labor and energy costs with a Legacy irrigation system. Century is your local distributor with a complete line of With Irrigation rotors, valves and controllers. Supplies from Sprinklers • Valves • Controllers • Fountains • Pump Stations • Controller Service Repair olf course superintendents like yourself are making help solve any irrigation or drainage problems. They can also G plans to get their courses in top shape for the new season. show you what's new in clubhouse landscape lighting, And irrigation is at the top of their lists. Century golf professionalswater features and more. Call today for a FREE catalog and on-site can show you how to maintain a highly-playable course, and can consultation: 800-347-4272. Controller Board Repairs SyncroFlo Pumps Aqua Master Fountains Call Century when you need controller An efficient pump station can solve many Improve water quality with an aerating board repairs for Rain Bird and Toro golf irrigation problems. Century now offers the fountain. Century can also show you how controllers. SyncroFlo Eagle to create water Replacement Series, the premier features from boards can be system for golf existing streams shipped within courses. or ponds. 24 hours. Call 888-855-9132. Now Serving These Major Markets: Alabama, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, www.rainaid.com Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, 800-347-4272 Wisconsin and Ontario, Canada. CENTURY GOLF PROFESSIONAL - ONTARIO • GILLIAN GLAZER 905-881-4794 what planning are you ONTARIO GOLF Access to the Master Calendar is free to all SUPERINTENDENTS' ASSOCIATION OGSA members. All we require is your input. Please let us know about any event you have planned for this TELL US WHAT YOU'RE PLANNING! coming season. We want to get the word out. You can contact the OGSA office with all dates and details. As you know, the golf industry in Ontario is Call, fax or email, at any time during the year, and very active. There are an increasing number of your event will be printed in the next issue of Green is organizations holding seminars, golf days and other Beautiful. OGSA Office Phone: (519) 824-6472, Fax: functions. Often there are event conflicts. Two events (519) 766-1704, Email (ogsa@gti.uoguelph.ca) on the same day or even in the same week usually We hope you take advantage of this service so result in poor attendance. Why waste all that hard that we can all make the most of what our industry has work and planning? to offer. The OGSA would like to offer a Master Calendar as a new service to our members. The OGSA Board of Directors calendar will be published in Green is Beautiful and will contain a listing of all events scheduled for the P.S. You can also fax the information directly to: upcoming months. The OGSA will be contacting all Dean Baker (Course Superintendent) the organizations that regularly host events during the Glen Abbey Golf Club year so that we can provide an accurate picture of Fax: (905) 844-1163 activities. The Master Calendar will be invaluable for users and organizers. ASSOCIATION...DATE...EVENT & PLACE AS OF MAY 13TH, 1998 MAY O.G.A. May 14th Better Ball..Oakdale G & CC O.G.A. May 16 - 18th Peterborough Jr. Tour..Peterborough CC O.G.A. May 20 - 22nd Mid-Amateur..Bridgewater GC O.G.A. May 27 - 30th Match Play.Devil's Paintbrush Golf Assoc G.B.S.A. May 28th Circled Pine..Austin Peddle G.L.A.G.S. May 28th Talbot Park Golf JUNE SENECA June 4th Preparing Your Course for Summer Stesses..Seneca W.O.G.S.A. June 8th 98 Season Meeting...Chippewa Creek R.C.G.A. June 15 - 21st. AT&T Seniors..Glencoe G.C. Alberta G.L.A.G.S. June 18th Cast Park Golf O.G.A. June 22nd Senior Champion..Thornhill CC G.B.S.A. June 23rd Shelburne Golf Club. John Bontic O.G.A. June 29th Champion of Champions..Westmount G&CC ASSOCIATION...DATE...EVENT & PLACE AS OF MAY 13TH, 1998 JULY SENECA July 2nd G.C.T. Tournament..Diamond Back G.C. McCRAKEN July 4th Baseball for GC Staff & Suppliers..Turner Park, Hamilton O.G.A. July 6 - 10th Amateur Champtionship..Beacon Hall G.L.A.G.S. July 9th River Road Golf OMAFRA/UofG July 14th Microscopic Disease Diagnosis for Turf W.C.T.A. July 14th Research/Supplier Field Day.Westwood Plateau GC O.G.A. July 14 - 17th Junior/Juvenile..Hawk Ridge G.C. O.G.A. July 15 - 16th Bantam Championship-Circles Pine GC W.O.G.S.A. July 20th 98 Season Meeting..Craigowan CC G.B.S.A. July 21st Orillia Lake St. George..Greg Louth O.G.A. July 23rd Junior/Juvenile..Saugeen Golf Club O.G.S.A. July 27th President/Chairman/Director..St. Georges GC O.G.A. July 27-28th Family Classic..Cardinal GC N. S.G.A. July 29th Sod Rodeo..Smilsky Sod Farms, Cookstown R.C.G.A. July 30th - 2nd L.P.G.A. duMaurier Classic..Essex GC O. G.A. July 31st Glen Abbey Day.Glen Abbey GC AUGUST O.G.A. August 4 - 6th Junior Match Play.Kedron Dells GC O.T.R.F. August 10th Bayview GC W.O.G.S.A. August 10th 98 Season Meeting..Rolling Meadow GC O.G.A. August 10 - 12th Seniors Championship..Oshawa GC G.L.A.G.S. August 20th Mt. Elgin Golf O.G.A. August 24th Junior Champion..Cutten Club G.B.S.A. August 25th Brookles Golf & CC..Marlon Gieseler O.T.R.F./G.T.L. August 25th Research Field Day & Turf Mgmt Clinics O.G.A. August 27th Associate Members' - St. Andrews' Valley G.T.L UofG August 29th Lawn & Garden Festival (Public Open House) SEPT. G.L.A.G.S. Sept. 10th Scyence Hill Golf R.C.G.A. Sept. 7 - 13th Bell Canadian Open..Glen Abbey GC O.G.A. Sept. 14th George. Lyon Club Team..Weston G & CC, Markland Wood GC, Islington GC, Lambton G C.G.S.A. Sept. 21st Fall Field Day.The Willows, Saskatoon O.G.A. Sept. 22nd Senior Better Ball..Brampton GC W.O.G.S.A. Sept 28th 98 Season Meeting..Whirlpool GC G.B.S.A. Sept. 29th Horseshoe Resort.John Hughes OCT. A.McClumpha Oct. 5th To Be Announced G.B.S.A. Oct. 13th Lake Joseph Shotgun..Keith Walton G.L.A.G.S. Oct. 22nd Forest City National NOV. Uof G Nov. 16 -Dec. 11th Turf Manager Short Course ANNOUNCING THE 1998 OTRF/OTEC FUNDRASING GOLF TOURNAMENT Monday August 10th - Bayview Country Club Thornhill, Ontario 7:30 a.m. Check in and Breakfast 9:00 a.m. Shotgun Start 1:30 p.m. Social Hour 2:30 p.m. Dinner served in the clubhouse - casual dress 3:30 p.m. Prize presentations Entry Fee - $175 for OTRF & OGSA members - $190 for all others All inclusive - golf (with cart), breakfast, dinner check in gifts, prizes and fun Join our Platinum Sponsor - Ontario Turf Equipment Co. in supporting important turfgrass research in our province. The new format and expanded sponsorship formula make this year's event even bigger and better than ever. Our sponsors hope that all turf professionals will step forward and be counted, as they have, in supporting this event. All proceeds go to funding turfgrass research at the GTI. Look for registration packages in the mail or photocopy this page as often as necessary and fax your entries to (519) 766-1704 to reserve your spot. You will be invoiced later. Daconil 2787 is the all-season fungicide of choice to use on greens, tees, fairways and ornamentals. Daconil’s unique WeatherStik™ formulation ensures that it Sticks and Stays between sprays to protect your turf in any season. ZENECA Grower Hotline 1-800-980-6980 Disease Management Solutions Turf or Consequences turf or consequences Cleaning the Shop By Doug Breen, Superintendent I just finished the attachments for a piece of equipment which either you annual maintenance no longer have, or is elsewhere in the pile. And of shop spring course, no pile would be complete without dozens of cleaning. I know it’s sections of irrigation pipe of various lengths under June already, but two feet (usually broken) with a glue joint every 3 shop cleaning is inches. You tell yourself that you're saving these PVC traditionally a rainy bagpipes to make a fountain for the pond, but you day job and here in know that in the unlikely event that you actually ever the diametric centre build that fountain, you'll do it with entirely new of the Caledon parts. Typically, all of the equipment in the junkpile desert where El Nino has made rain as scarce as hen's has been pirated for parts - if it didn't have three teeth; there really haven't been too many rain days. wheels when it got there, it does now. Have you noticed how poor El Nino is being blamed Many people think that a good indicator of the for everything from floods to draughts and chinch bug size of the budget of a golf course is its clubhouse or to unrest in the middle east. I'm not sure what El Nino shop. While this may be true, I believe that a more means but I'm pretty sure it's loosely translated from accurate measurement of the affluence of a golf course Spanish as "When the heck is it going to rain?" or "Lets is its junkpile. You can tell the size of the budget by make the Gringos start irrigating in April." how far from the shop the junkpile is. On a big budge I am by native a packrat which doesn't really course, the pile is right off the property. These people aid in the cleanup process since I would rather keep 99 actually dispose of equipment while it is still running completely useless broken springs, worn-out belts, old instead of waiting for it to explode! A medium budget bed knives and broken rake heads than need one 3" course will have the pile on the opposite side of the block of 4"x4" that I had burned in a spasm of common property and a low budget course will have the pile sense. So each spring, last years treasures, okay, lets right behind or beside or even in front of the shop. Of face it junk, which over the winter have miraculously course a really low budget course will store the junk exposed themselves as the trash they always were, equipment in the shop, because you'll still be using it. migrate either to the dumpster or the course junkpile. In any event the shop is ordered and tidy for You all know the junkpile I mean. Somewhere on another year. I parted with my collection of empty oil every golf course, usually in the woods, well away cans and cracked garden hose, and made a few from the clubhouse and out of sight right next to the donations to our own scrap yard. Speaking of which, brush pile there is a sad tangle of no longer required if any of you are planning to build a fountain or are in golf course equipment which was once state-of-the-art need of a part from a 1923 Kutzall, give me a call, I'll and someone's pride and joy. make you one heck of a deal. An unusual item which graces most properly appointed scrap piles is one or more 3 wheeled golf carts. What were they thinking when they designed this death trap? Any 5 year old tricycle rider can point to skinned knees or elbows and explain the basic design flaw of a 3 wheeled vehicle, but the same group of engineers who tried to shove the 3 wheeled ATC down our throats and were apparently too busy playing with their slide rules at 5 to know the basics of arse over tea kettle physics, brought us this nightmare and called it safe. Speaking as a person who has personally rolled a sand trap rake onto himself, I just can't imagine that the three wheeled cart was ever considered to be anything less than a liability hazard in the hands of the average weekend warrior golfer. The junkpile will also have at least 3 • Turf Pride™ Granular Fertilizers • Plant-Prod® Soluble Fertilizers • Pest Control Products Corrie Almack, P.Ag. Box 256, Carlisle, Ontario LOR 1HO Plant Products Co. Ltd., 314 Orenda Rd., Brampton, ON L6T 1G1 Phone 905-689-6174 Fax 905-689-8522 905-793-7000,800-387-2449, Fox 905-793-9157 c.almack@sympatico.ca Rob Field The Scotts Company PTP Sales Manager Car: (905) 541-8872 Fax: (905) 632-2158 Dave Dick Jeff McMaster Nu-Gro Corporation Turfgrass Specialist Turfgrass Specialist Highway 59 South, P.O. Box 1148 39 Monte Vista Trail 1864 Bowler Drive Woodstock, Ontario N4S 8P6 Brampton, Ont. L6Z 2J7 Pickering, Ont. LIV3E4 Tel: (519) 456-2021 Fax & Phone 905-846-3319 Fax & Phone 905-839-6526 Product Info Line: 1-800-268-2806 Scotts Head Office 1-800-543-0006 RayGordon ♦ RENTAL ♦ SALES Brett Murray ♦ SERVICE Technical Sales - Professional Products Joe D'Ovidio Branch Manager Maple Farm Supply Bus: (905) 857-2000 8112 King Road West Mobile: (416) 616-8112 Ray-Gordon Equipment Limited P.O. Box 370 Fax: (905) 857-8215 21 Milvan Drive Bolton, Ontario L7E 5T3 1-800-268-4425 Western, Ontario Office (416) 742-3190 brett.murray@sympatico.ca M9L1Y8 Fax (416) 742-4355 29 ADVANCE ROAD TORONTO, ONTARIO M8Z2S6 PHONE: (416)236-1001 FAX: (416)236-4654 www.albiongolfcars.com BRUCE MCDONALD SUPPLIERS OF TOP QUALITY BENT AND BLUE GRASSES (416) 364-5700 turf managers short course We’re by University of Guelph growing... The well respected University of Guelph Turf Managers Short Course held every February has just become a bit more accessible. To meet the heavy demand for the concentrated course, University of Guelph has added a second session in the fall of 1998 from November 16th to December 11th. Registration is now open for both the fall and the winter offerings. The course, offered for thirty years now, has been quite a challenge to get into for the last two decades. On Nov, 10th, registration opened at 12 noon for the February 1998 offering and the fifty spots in the course were filled within four minutes. The line up was like waiting for concert tickets, said manager Peggy Nagle. "Students started lining up at the door at 2 a.m. By 11 a.m., there were 60 people in line waiting to register. At the stroke of to serve noon, our phone lines and fax lines went crazy with calls from across Canada." you better! The intensive four-week program is in such high demand because of the quality of teaching and the marketability of its NU-GRO is Canada's Professional Turf Specialist graduates, Nagle said. offering: For more information on the Turf Mangers Short Course or to register, contact the University of Guelph, Office of Open • A choice of C-I-L and NU-GRO Learning at 519-767-5000, FAX at 519-767-1114 or email to brands info@open.uoguelph.ca • Consistent blends utilizing quality raw materials • Experienced Technical Hover Mowers Support Representatives • A wide range of Specialty 16 INCH MOWER Turf Fertilizers formulated with S.C.U.® NITROFORM® • Metal Edge • 2 HP Robin or Tecumseh Engine and NUTRALENE® Cutting Blades • 20 lbs. • Full One Year . Warranty 19 INCH MOWER • Polyethylene Deck • 5 HP Tecumseh Engine (won’t crack or break) • 4 cycle w/positive pressure pump • 32 lbs. Video Available Woodstock, Ontario N4S HP6 Laval, Quebec H7S 1G3 Calgary, Alberta T2H 2S1 WOODSTOCK, ONTARIO Telephone : (519) 456-2021, 87 BELL ST., Fax: (519) 456-5002 Toll Free 1-800-760-1680 PORTLAND, ME 04103 Fax: 207-878-9109 O.G.S.A pro/super golf day WE'VE GOT by Dean Baker, Glen Abbey Golf Club Director of Golf & Meetings THE SOLUTION On May 12th the O.G.S.A. hosted the annual FOR YOU! Pro/Super golf day at Glen Abbey Golf Club. What has started as a wet rainy day...ended up to be sunny, warm and most enjoyable. The tournament has certainly gained popularity through the years with this year being no exception. A record 106 participants turn out to concur the Abbey. Glen Abbey was once again a terrific host for the third straight year. As a public golf course that hosts hundreds of corporate tournaments, they have certainly mastered the fine art of customer service. Our congratulations go out to Dean Baker and Greg MacMillan for being great hosts for the day. Conditions due to DELTASPRAY soluble fertilizers are formulated to spoon heavy rains the night before had the course feed your turf or supplement your granular program. playing wet and long. Even still there were some excellent rounds played. David Miller from DELTASPRAY Beverly Golf Club was low pro, Keith Rasmus from Scarborough Golf Club finished low gross SOLUTIONS Superintendent with Colin Nisbet from Westview •free-flowing, non-hardening formulae • responsive, ideal before tournaments finishing low Net Superintendent. In the best •formulated with micronutrients teams scores, the crew from Scarborough took top • easy to apply prize, congratulations go out to Arthur Ewing • no mower pick-up and Keith Rasmus. In second place was Mike •full spectrum of formulae: 29-7-15 17-10-13 28-14-14 26-0-26 Moon and Jerry Richard from Craigowen Golf 10-52-10 15-15-30 15-30-15 20-20-20 Club and the team from Mad River, Brian French and Ray Richards came in third. NUTRITE Division of The O.G.S.A. would like to thank the winners Hydro Agri Canada L.P. along with all the participants for making this Elmira, Ontario Telephone: (519) 669-5401 Brossard, Quebec Telephone: (514) 462-2555 Toll Free: (800) 265-8865 Toll Free: (800) 561-7449 tournament so successful. The tournament has Fax: (519) 669-8971 Fax: (514) 462-3634 always been a great opportunity to bring both professions together for a day of golf. Looking forward to seeing everyone next year. press release PURSELL INDUSTRIES TO BUY IMC GLOBAL the West, Pursell has completed it objective of a LAWN AND GARDEN AND PROFESSIONAL national sales and distribution structure to service PRODUCTS BUSINESSES regional and national retailer needs in all lawn and garden catagories," Pursell said. "I like to think of Pursell as aplace where things grow - people, plants Sylacauga, Alabama and Northbrook, Illinois - Pursell and lawns," Pursell added. "And i look forward to the Industries, Inc. and IMC Global Inc. (NYSE: IGL) continued expansion of Pursell as a company." announced today they have reached a definitive Pursell Industries, Inc., founded in 1904, is agreement for the sale of IMC Global's consumer lawn headquartered in Sylacauga, Alabama. It is a world and arden and professional products business to leader in the technology of timed-released fertilizers Pursell Industries. The all-cash sale, which is subject to and manufactures a wide variety of lawn and garden regulatory approval, is expected to be finalized in fertilizers and plant foods for the consumer. Sta-Green early April. Terms of the sale are not being disclosed. is the company's flagship national brand. Pursell's Included in the sale are four production facilities patented POLYON technology allows for the located in Winter Haven, FL; Los Angeles, CA; manufacturing of lawn and garden products with the Orrville, OH; and Tilsonburg, Ontario. Pursell ability to feed lawns/ gardens/flowers for up to a year. Industries also is acquiring the Vigoro trade name and Pursell Industries markets consumer brands under all of the business unit's lawn and garden trademark Sta-Green, Parker, Rapid-Gro, TruGreen ChemLawn, brand products. In addition, phosphate and potash Best and Vigoro labels, pursell brands can be found in supply agreements for Pursell Industries are included all major national and regional retail outlets. in the transaction. IMC Vigoro had 1997 sales of $100.6 million. "This acquisition gives us a great advantage in serving the needs of our customers," said Taylor pursell, CEO of Pursell Industries Inc. "With the addition of Vigoro, we now have manufacturing and distribution capabilities across the United States and Canada. With this network in place we can fill virtually any customer's order with the products they need and the • Bentgrass • Premium Bluegrass great service they've come to expect from both Pursell • Establisher™: Seed Enhancing Mulch and Vigoro." "We will continue to produce and market Vigoro products under the Vigoro name," Pursell said. "We see this as amajor step in the continuing growth of our company, but we remain committed to the quality and service that have been the hallmarks of both Pursell and Vigoro for over 90 years," he added. "We will also continue to be the leader in innovation and technology in our industry, and with our greatly expanded production capacity, now our customers can make one HAMILTON SOD COMPACT SOD HAMILTON CAMBRIDGE call to fill their lawn and garden product needs. We (905) 389-1315 (519) 653-7494 also expect to invest heavily in all three markets Fax: (905) 679-4444 Fax: (519) 653-0833 Vigoro currently serves: consumer, professional, and SOD OUTLET ONTARIO SOD NIAGARA REGION MISSISSAUGA the Canadian market." (905) 984-8448 (905) 257-8795 "With the acquisition of IMC Vigoro and the licensing Our reputation is growing! of the marketing and sales rights of the Best Brands in turfgrass fungicide news Pam Charbonneau, OMAFRA Turfgrass Specialist There are two new fungicide products that that had previously been in bentgrass. have been registered for us on turf in Canada over the The second new fungicide product which has last year. Apron FL, a systemic liquid seed treatment also recently been registered is Turban for the control of Pythium crown and root rot on turf. It is a wettable for control of seed rots and seedling blights caused by powder product containing the active ingredient Pythium has now been registered for use on turfgrass etridiazole and its PCP number is 11460. It is seed in Canada. It contains the active ingredient registered for use on golf course greens and metalaxyl and its PCP number is 24262. Apron FL is commercial turfgrass production. The rate of manufactured by Gustafson Inc. And will only be sold application is 190g/ 100m2 applied in 20L of water. It to commercial seed treaters. Research conducted by can be used for a maximum of two applications per Leslie MacDonald at the British Columbia Ministry of year. It should be applied when symptoms first appear and again after 7-10 days. Truban is Agriculture, Fisheries and Food showed improved manufactured by Scotts-Sierra Crop Protection germination of seed treated with metalaxy lover Company. untreated seed, when both were grown in a root-zone SitePro Picture-perfect irrigation control. TURF CARE Contact the Irrigation Division at (905) 836-0988 for more information tilebed installation Late Fall Tilebed Installation by Peter Kinch, Emerald Hills Golf Club A larger Tilebed area as we did not have an as built to work from. More rounds of golf not only mean turf stress it Hydraulic tubing, satellite power wires and piping of also puts demands on the facilities. As Emerald Hills all sizes had to be re routed around the weeping bed. became busier, the clubhouse sewage treatment Sprinklers were also removed from the affected area. system became inadequate. To remedy this situation, a larger more efficient tilebed was proposed to deal with Grading the higher greywater volumes. New balancing tanks The late November construction posed some had been installed in 1996, however, it was the effluent unique challenges, including having to grade the volume that had become a concern. Timing on the topsoil in sub-zero conditions. The latter was project was crucial as construction began on facilitated by box scraping the frozen furrows with the November 10th, the day after closing the golf course. lightest equipment available to avoid crushing the tile. Final grading was completed using sand to fill the Location, Location, Location lows throughout the area. Test digs established the best site to be in front of 15 green (a par 3 with elevated tees). Fortunately, Winter Sod the site was sandy subsoil that encompassed very few Our goal of obtaining use permits by the trees. In addition, disruption to the naturalized areas Spring required that the site have complete turf cover. was minimal. We were fortunate to have moderate weather conditions, however, the stripped sod skids were Preparation blocks of ice. We began a program of bringing 16 skids Five Austrian Pines and Three Crabapples that of frozen sod into the warm mechanics bay to thaw were within the proposed tilebed were spaded to other overnight. The survival rate of these rolls was in locations on the course. A large greenside bunker was question as 16 skids were laid per day until the tilebed trenched through and filled to accommodate the was covered. weeping tiles. The existing sod was stripped and skidded to minimize the new sod that was purchased. Spring Cleanup The stripping was done by a local sod supplier and All fine edging and final irrigation repairs were their skidding equipment. The cost of using the sod left until the spring. The challenge of the previous contractor would have been equal to the turf staff bunker was obvious as the Captain's Committee was labour for lifting the sod, but the specialized not fully supportive of building the new bunker. To equipment saved time. Fifty skids with sixty rolls per preserve the rating and aesthetics of the hole, a smaller skid were stripped from the site. The same sod bunker was constructed. The weeping bed limited the company supplied thirty-five skids of bluegrass sod size and depth of the bunker. The drainage for the new on their last day of cutting. Tarping the skids of new bunker could not be equal with or deeper than the sod along a protective tree line was an adequate weeping tiles so that their function was not disturbed. method to prevent the skids from freezing right Finally, the restorations at 12 fairway and the through. range tee were completed allowing the course to be played with very little "ground under repair". Construction A contractor excavated the trenches and Approvals installed the tiles in a conventional manner. The bed Full use approvals for the tilebed were granted was almost an acre in total. A forcemain ran 150 metres over the Winter and it is now fully functional. The from the balance tanks to the bed going through the survival of the sod was very good at approximately range tee and 12 fairway. The forcemain is a 95%. pressurized line which has a slight incline towards the Preparation, preplanning, on-site adjustments and a tilebed to prevent air pockets which disrupt flow. great crew overcame the unique challenges of building Much was learnt about the irrigation system in this Emerald Hills' tilebed as Winter set in. EMERALD HILLS GOLF CLUB LATE FALL TILEBED INSTALLATION Photos by Blair Rennie TURF CARE The last thing you want to do when it's 90⁰ with HIGH HUMIDITY IS SUIT UP AND SPRAY. UNTIL NOW. INTRODUCING THE TORO MULTI PRO® 5500 WITH OPTIONAL AIR CONDITIONED CAR. • Now Ontario's best sprayer just became the • Multi Pro 5500 accessories include: coolest. Pro Control ™- automatically • Toro's Multi Pro 5500 is a dedicated sprayer calibrates an even rate of spray regardless offering unprecedented application precision of vehicle speed or terrain. and consistency. Go Boom ™- allows electronic • Optional air conditioned cab features a charcoal raising and lowering of a boom filtering system that allows cleaner, cooler air to without leaving the seat. circulate throughout and removes most pesticides. Sonic Boom ™- employs sonar to adjust spray height automatically as • Ergonomically designed cockpit offers it passes over ground contours. operators ultimate control, comfort, and safety. Turf Care Products Canada 200 PONY DRIVE, NEWMARKET, ONTARIO L3Y 7B6 PHONE (905) 836-0988 FAX: (905) 836-6442 190 Britannia Rd. E., Unit 22 140 Milner Ave., Unit 24 2575 Delzotto Avenue, Units D & E Mississauga, Ont. L4Z 1W6 Scarborough, Ont. MIS 3R3 Gloucester, Ontario K1T 3V6 Ph: (905) 890-6290 Fax: (905) 890-5598 Ph: (416) 298-2101 Fax: (416) 298-8758 Ph: (613) 822-1881 Fax: (613) 822-2099