"Green is Beautiful" Ontario Golf Superintendents Association 54 HEARNSHAW CRESCENT - ETOBICOKE, ONTARIO M9C 3M4 - TELEPHONE 622-9929 SEPTEMBER 1978 PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE We all like to believe at this time, that we made the right choices and the right decisions. Each year we are faced with new problems; and this makes it more of a challenge. Communicating with our fellow super­ intendent helps us all grow and we all benefit. Paul Scenna, President. - O.G.S.A. EXECUTIVE FOR 1978 - President, Paul Scenna......................(519) 623-3292 Roster, Bob Brewster...................... (416) 676-9777 Vice-President, Stuart Mills........... (416) 270-0716 Symposium 1979, Al Beeney Secretary, Paul White......................(416) 561-1216 Nominating Chairman, Al Beeney Treasurer, Ken Nelson......................(519) 433-5136 Executive Newsletter Editor, W. Hynd 239-9630 Past President, Al Beeney............. (416) 877-2642 Social Committee, Stuart Mills Golf, Bill Bowen.............................. (705) 743-5010 Turf Research Chairman, Paul Dermott..................... (416) 247-9281 Membership, Crests, Plaques, Blake McMaster................... (416) 451-1573 Welfare — East, Rusty Waskman Meetings & Speakers, John Smith . (416) 878-7923 West, Ken Nelson Bylaws, Rusty Waskman................. (416) 623-4977 Central, W. Hynd Host Paul Scenna, Pro Albert Southgate and Len Jack Eggers addressing some of the large group Goldsen, Greens Section Director, R.C.G.A. at Turf Plots. Patrick Harold receiving O.G.A. Award from Dr. Jack Eggers, University of Guelph, accept­ Keith Nesbit. Patrick has accepted the appoint­ ing $1,000 cheque from P. Dermott, to be used ment of Assistant Superintendent at Brampton in Turf Research. Golf Club. PRESIDENT - GREENSCHAIRMAN - 2nd Mississauga G.C. Ken Howie, Pres. SUPERINTENDENT TOURNAMENT Bob Mason, G.C. Paul Dodson, S. On July 28th the Hamilton Golf Club hosted the O.G.S.A. premier event of the season. This is by far one of our most 3rd Thornhill G.C. Jerry De Gras, Pres. popular events and over fifty entries were received. The fourty J. Waddis, G.C. teams in attendance enjoyed a fine golf course prepared for us D. Gourley, S. and great hospitality from the Hamilton Club staff. Our sincere 4th Oakville G.C. A. W. Baillie, Pres. thanks go out to Mr. S. Mills and the Club Executive for a Ross Hutchinson, G.C. fine day. George Garner, S. WINNERS: 5th Galt G.C. Bill Lewis, Pres. 1st Markland Woods G.C. Harry Ritson, Pres. Paul Domainzcuk, G.C. Frank Pope, G.C. Paul Scenna, S. Bob Heron, S. There was a three-way tie for 1st place. REFLECTIONS ON PREPARING FOR THE From a scenic point of view the greens are reminiscent of LADIES' PETER JACKSON CLASSIC Jack Nicklaus' play on the famous courses throughout the golf­ ing world. Certainly the No. 13 green is similar to the famous Host - Superintendent Bill Hynd No. 17 road hole at St. Andrews (although turned the other Spring and early summer in the golf course business is full of way around). The mounding surrounding the greens, besides optimism and hope of an early start. In reality though, golf offering vantage points to spectators also has the effect of the courses don't shape up much earlier than 15th June in the spacious barren look of linksland golf courses. Toronto area, what with Poa seeding on fairways, dandelions Dennis says that a meeting is scheduled for Golf Superinten­ in profusion and maple trees casting their seeds and flower on dents some time in October, don't miss this one, you will love the grass, the reluctant healing of winter injury, you can only do your best. it. I was asked to rake traps by hand during the event and also THE WESTON GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB LTD. volunteered to mow greens and tees by walking behind single­ unit greensmowers, sounds routine. Host Superintendent: Robert Brewster We have come a long way in recent years with triplex It was a great pleasure to host the Ontario Amateur. I was greensmowers and motorized sand rakes, in which 2 men can amazed at my staff. They all seemed to get really enthusiastic now mow 18 greens and rake all traps in a four hour period. about the tournament. One day during the morning, every staff Now then, leave this beautiful equipment in the maintenance member was sitting ready to start work 20 minutes before 6 building and set your 50% inexperienced crew loose with rakes a.m. Previous to the tournament we had spent six weeks on and single-unit greensmowers on a training session. This exer­ new construction laying 7,000 yards of sod, rebuilding creek­ cise proves two things - the regular experienced staff are very lines, building a new tee and laying 5,000 feet of french drains. good indeed and secondly it takes a great deal of patience and time to train a new man and your efforts may be fruitless. We also are having an automatic irrigation system being in­ stalled. It has been a very busy year. Mechanically, single-unit greensmowers require much more attention and adjustment than triplex mowers. The vision of At tournament time we were invaded by chinchbugs. We had minor breakdowns in the far corners of the golf course is a to spray the whole course and 54 gallons later we had solved frustrating one and proves beyond doubt the labour-saving our problems. and mechanical soundness of the triplex mower. MONTHLY MEETING AUGUST 16th, 1978 AT The vast army of C.B.C., Bell Canada, Hydro and scaffold­ ing crews who converge on the golf course prior to the event is BOARD OF TRADE COUNTRY CLUB likely to be a test in labour relations. You try to train a man The August Meeting of the O.G.S.A. was held at the Board of to work independantly and show initiative while (what would Trade Country Club in Woodbridge with Gordon Wittieveen appear) much loafing around is going on, its's another world. hosting. As might be expected the course was in excellent It was a pleasure hosting this tournament for the 2nd time condition. in three years. For by being good golfers the ladies are pleasing The first group off the tee was greeted by rain as they ap­ to watch. JoAnne Carner, the winner, gave everyone a treat proached the first green. They proceeded to the halfway house the final day with a record 64 - we followed her all the way, for a coffee which lasted close to an hour (as did the rain). her long irons and putting were astounding. There upon the skies cleared and a great day of golfing and fellowship followed. THE CANADIAN OPEN GLEN ABBEY GOLF CLUB - June 21-24, 1978 On the golfing side of things, Mr. Bill Bowen, as is his custom, was low gross with a 74. Using the "casual handicap" Host Superintendent: Dennis Pellrene system, Mr. Hugh Loomas grabbed low net honours. Visited Glen Abbey for the final day's play, Bruce Lietzke Other low gross winners were: held the lead and didn't fold as the established stars, Nicklaus Bill Glashen - 77 and Trevino, failed to mount a sustained charge on a golf Barry Endicott - 78 course which had some of the toughest pin placements you Low net winners were: could ever wish to see. Hugh Kirkpatrick - 69 Host Superintendent, Dennis Pellrene, was ready for a few Tom Kiddey - 69 days fishing after the event and we arranged a golf game July 18th and discussed a few details of the course maintenance After golf the sixty-four competitors and an additional schedule. Dennis relates that the greens were mowed to 1/8 twenty other guests gathered at the Board of Trade Turf Care twice daily and were lightly watered at night as required. The Centre for barbequed steak, corn on the cob, and some liquid greens were on the hungry side, no excess growth, allowing a refreshment. uniform, steady pace throughout the day. Bed knives on his The theme of the day was "America Day" and a number of greenmowers incidentally were ground down to allow the 1/8 guests from U.S.A, were in attendance, including: Dr. Jim inch close cut and only lasted one week. Watson, Toro; Ted Smith, Smithco; Ned Brinkman, Jacobsen; As players teed off from both nines, Dennis recruited an Bob Moore, Aquagrow; Jim Latham, Milorganite; Andy Berton, army of 18 school boys to rake all the traps ahead of play, his Cleary Co.; a foursome from Western New York State headed regular crew consists of 20 men. * by Norman Leising and Mel Lucas, a Director of the G.C.S.A.A. The golf outing was a pleasant jaunt and Dennis and I are who gave a demonstration of the new speed stick, developed pleased to report that we broke one hundred. You have to be by U.S.G.A. to measure the putting speed of greens. impressed with this golf course. The greens, although small, This event was a pleasant break from a hectic golf season with severe swales offer excellent flat pin placement for the and provided those Superintendents in attendance with a good bold shot. The well sculptured sand traps, however, are cut opportunity to discuss, in a "relaxed atmosphere", the close to the green surface and gobble up the wayward shot - challenges of this year. pictures on Page 6 very demanding. - 1978 NEWSLETTERS­ HOW TO COMMUNICATE understands this and who has trained his staff to take care of Communicating with the people around you is important, but the day-to-day mechanics of running a golf course is the one getting your message across and understanding what others are who has time and energy to devote to trouble shooting and saying probably happens less often than you'd like. long-range planning. What's the key to good communication? It's nothing more The key to effective delegation of routine decisions is to —or less— than saying what you mean and then letting the make it clear to your employees just how well informed you other guy have an opportunity to do the same. Honesty and want to be about the actions they take on responsibilities you directness, while sometimes ruffling a few feathers, have the have given them. virtue of leading to real contact between people, and that's How much independence you give a particular person should the way to tackle a problem head-on. depend on the skill and experience he has. The ultimate in Think about these points the next time you have to com­ delegation is to allow him to make decisions and act on them municate with a co-worker. without informing you. When you're talking: Another form of delegation is to ask a staff member who *Don't speak in the abstract. Instead of saying, "I wish a has brought a problem to your attention to explore various little more work was getting done around here," try, "I don't ways of solving the problem, evaluate the alternatives, make a think you're getting enough work done". decision, and tell you what he has decided. You will then have a chance to discuss the situation in more detail if necessary. *Avoid talking about what ought to be. Don't say, "We This is an excellent way to assess an employee's ability to really should have finished that maintenance by now". Instead, make good decisions. "I am concerned that we are behind on our maintenance schedule", is more honest — and a lot easier for someone else Effective delegation lets you win in two ways. You save to understand. your valuable time by not getting involved in minor decisions others can handle, and you also take an important step in *Don't say something that contradicts the way you really training your staff. This on-the-job training increases an em­ feel. Keeping a smile on your face when you're mad only ployee's value to your organization and contributes to good makes it harder for you to communicate and for others to morale and teamwork. understand you. Be aware, though, that no matter how good your system is, *Don't use words like "you", "we" or "one" when you mistakes will occur from time to time. The test of a good mean I. "I think", "I need", "I want", is a lot more likely to delegation system is how the situation is handled. On one hand, get your message across. don't ignore the problem and hope it won't reoccur. But don't The other side of the coin is giving the person you're com­ make such a fuss over it that a potentially valuable employee municating with his chance to tell you what he really means. losses all confidence in his ability to make good judgements. Here are a few ways to help him communicate with you: Use this opportunity to initiate a discussion about what the *Stop talking! It seems obvious, but you can't find out proper actions would have been and why. what he has to say if you don't listen—and you can't do that when you're talking. TRAINING ASSISTANTS DEMANDS SKILL *Empathize with him. Try to put yourself in his place— Developing an assistant is one of the challenging jobs an ad­ imagine what he must feel like and what his perspective on ministrator can have. When the trainee takes over a top-level the situation must be. position he probably will adhere to the good business practices learned on the job. *lf you don't understand, ask questions. If you want more information or an example, ask! It shows the person that you've Developing an assistant is hard work, requiring careful been listening and that you're interested in what he has to say. attention to details and explanations while yielding an enor­ But don't ask embarrassing questions or ones designed to make mous amount of confidence in and responsibility to the trainee. him look bad. Here are a few items that may help in attempting to develop an assistant: *Look at the other person and concentrate on what he is Give him the facts: Only by being informed about his respon­ saying. Focus your mind on what he is trying to say to you. sibilities and authorities can an assistant get a clear picture of Look at him. His face, eyes and hands are clues to what his what he is to do and how he should do it. A job description message really is. should be developed to give a trainee some guidelines. Person­ *Don't rush him. Give him time to say what he wants to ally introduce the assistant to those with whom he will be say. Don't interrupt. working. Communication doesn't need to be a problem. Honesty, Smooth his path: Request employees who work with your directness and a real desire to listen are the most important assistant to cooperate with him. Inform everyone of the parts. duties he will be performing—then impress upon him the importance of earning the respect and confidence of these BUDGET YOUR TIME - DELEGATE employees. Most people are familiar with the concepts of budgeting their Share knowledge: You must keep the assistant informed of money and spending it in ways that give them maximum your plans, your progress and your reasons for making each benefit. But too many "money-smart" people are spendthrifts move. If you expect him to do a good job, you must share with their time. your knowledge with your assistant. Warn him of problem One of the prime offenders is the manager who believes he areas and see that he learns the ins and outs of working with must be personally involved in every aspect of his operation. the people working for you. This person has forgotten that a good manager is one who has Neglecting to provide background information keeps the trained his staff so well that he could walk out of his office at assistant in the dark and prevents him from performing to the any time and be assured that routine decisions will be taken best of his ability as well as makes him look bad in the eyes of care of as well as if he were present. The superintendent who those with whom he must work. GALT FIELD DAY - June 8th, 1978 control of disease at all dosages tested. RP 26019 in the gran­ ular form gave excellent control at 1 oz. but unsatisfactory at Hosts: Paul Scenna and University of Guelph 0.5 oz. dosage. Due to the popularity of this day it was arranged to have an 2. Cad and Mersil at 1 oz. did not give satisfactory control. 8:30 a.m. shotgun start for the 86 golf participants. Good Mersil at 2 oz. gave excellent control in 1976. Presumably the weather prevailed as usual, and when the trees and water took 1 oz. dosage is too low. their toll on this interesting golf course, the following players 3. Fungicides containing benomyl or thiophanate methyl ap­ came out on top: peared to enhance rather than control disease. empty table cell Low Gross Low Net Superintendents: Wm. Bowen 76 Shorty Jenkins 63 TRAINING ASSISTANTS DEMANDS SKILL (Cont'd) Wm. Glashan 77 Weston Kaster 68 Jack Fairhurst 78 Bernie McDonald 68 Add responsibility gradually: Let the assistant get a feel for Graham Shouldice 78 Gord Putney 68 his job. Then gradually give him additional small doses of re­ Assoc. : sponsibility. By working in this fashion he will gradually ab­ Doug Heron 77 Ron Craig 68 sorb additional knowledge and pick up those qualities that Rod Hermitage 71 make a manager competent. Assistants: Hold a loose rein: An assistant who is constantly being Dave Gourlay, Jr. 75 Doug Rothwell 64 checked on gets the feeling he is not trusted and this retards Guests: his growth as a manager. Let loose and give your assistant a Bob Labett 74 Angelo Longo 66 free rein—let him make decisions and learn by his mistakes. Rick Fiflied 75 Ray Wellman 69 You don't want a trainee to lose his initiative; but keeping him The golf course as usual was in good shape, thanks to Paul under your finger can snuff out any spark or flame of initiative. and also a thank you to Bill Bowen for making the draw. Give him authority: Give your assistant a task and tell him The afternoon was spent visiting the Turf Plots at the Cam­ to get the job done and to come to you only if he sees problems bridge Research Station, Research Faculty - J. L. Eggens, B. A. or something is out of line. Encourage him to bring one or Reiger; Research Technician - N. E. McCollum, R. F. Glover. more suggested solutions to any problems he may bring to you. Papers were presented on the following: Instead of giving him answers to problems, guide him to making 1. Thatch control on Penncross Putting Greens. the correct decision. 2. Overseeding in an Annual Bluegrass Sward. Remember that you are in control: Delegate responsibility 3. Dollar Spot Control Trials 1977-78. and authority but remember that you are in control. Check 4. Snow Mold Trials 1977-78. regularly on assignments given to your assistant. Avoid check­ 5. Helminthosporium Trial 1978. ing details; emphasize the overall job. Everyone does a job dif­ 6. Pre-emergent Crabgrass Control 1978. ferently. If your assistant produces results but does it in a dif­ ferent manner than you, don't nag him about his methods. DOLLAR SPOT CONTROL TRIALS, Reprinted in part from A Patch of Green, July 1976. CAMBRIDGE RESEARCH 1977-78 A chemical control trial was again conducted on bentgrass turf PLAYING GOLF IS GOOD PUBLIC RELATIONS infested with a benomyl-resistant strain of the Dollar Spot Fungus, Sclerotinia homeocarpa. Treatments were applied on Should a golf course superintendent play golf himself? Many August 3 when symptoms of disease were beginning to appear golf course owners and directors believe that having a superin­ and disease readings weretaken at two-week intervals. Table 1 tendent who doesn't understand the game is something like gives a summary of results from readings made August 19. having a mechanic who doesn't drive, work on your car. Table 1. Percent Dollar Spot 2 weeks after treatment with Seeing the course as the golfers do and good public relations fungicides. are the biggest advantages to playing golf for a golf superin­ Dosage Percent Percent tendent. When it's time to explain to an unhappy member why Fungicide oz/1000 ft2 Disease Control his favorite nine is closed or why an aerified green looks the RP 26019 WP 2.0 0 100 way it does, your credibility is much better if you can explain Tersan 1991 + DPX 4424 1 + 1 0 100 what you're doing and why in golfer's terms. Don't give a play­ DPX 4424 WP 2.0 0 100 er a reason to walk away muttering, "But he doesn't even play DPX 4424 WP 1.0 0 100 the game!" Baymeb 6447 WP 2.0 0 100 Playing golf with members also offers you a way to let them F8272 (RP 26019 granular) 1.0 0.8 85 get to know you. While playing, you can discuss the course's RP 26019 WP 0.5 0.8 85 condition, answer questions and tell them about your plans in RP 26019 WP 1.0 0.8 85 a friendly , low-key manner. Tersan 1991 + RP 26019 1 + 1 1.6 71 Proturf BSF _ 3.9 29 You may even want to suggest to your employees that they Cad WP 1.0 3.9 29 learn to play golf, if they don't know how already. When em­ Mersil WP 1.0 4.7 15 ployees understand the importance of the fine points of golf F8272 (RP 26019 granular) 0.5 4.7 15 course housekeeping, good bunker maintenance, for example, Check (no treatment) — 5.5 — the quality of their work is likely to improve. Tersan 1991 + Mersil 1 + 1 10.1 empty table cell It isn't important that they play well. Your club's pro may PMAS 2.0 10.1 — be willing to give a few group lessons and a friendly handicap Tersan 1991 WP 1.0 10.9 — competition now and then among your employees, will en­ Proturf Systemic 1.0 15.6 — courage them to learn. Easeout WP 1.0 18.8 — Finally, playing golf yourself is a most enjoyable way to Conclusions: conduct an inspection of your course from a golfer's perspect­ 1. Wettable powders containing experimental fungicides RP ive and note small changes that could be made to improve 26019, DPX 4424 and Baymeb 6447 gave adequate to excellent your facility. 1978 EQUIPMENT DEMONSTRATION sat eating in the cleared out shed, kindly provided by Norm AND SHOW - August 30, 1978 McCollum and The University of Guelph. Submitted by Stuart G. Mills, C.G.C.S. The elimination draw proved to be excellent - very suspense­ ful as each ticket was drawn and torn up until each 14th draw The 1978 version of the O.G.S.A. Equipment Show was better a $25.00 winner emerged. The final grand prize narrowed down in some respects and downright discouraging in other ways. to two (2) people who opted to go for "One take all or nothing" The suppliers turned up with the "greatest show on turf" The winner emerged a very surprised Dennis McCracken, who that we have seen in an outdoor display. More pieces of equip­ in fact won back in spades his voluntary donation to the ment to be seen than ever before, more exhibitors than last Ontario Turfgrass Research Foundation. year and a bigger program was provided. The day was a total letdown to the organizers and the par­ Steaks began coming off the grill at 1200 hours sharp and ticipants by the lack of attendance. You GUYS ought to be just as the last two were cooking a shower settled in while we ashamed of yourselves. THE CANADIAN GOLF SUPERINTENDENTS ASSOCIATION'S 30th ANNUAL CANADIAN TURGRASS SHOW MARCH 4th TO 7th, 1979 CHATEAU HALIFAX, HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA, CANADA Any Further Information Required on this Conference can be Obtained by Contacting The CGSA Office at the Address Below. Canadian Golf Superintendents Association Association Canadienne des Surintendants de Golf 698 Weston Road, Suite 32, Toronto, Ontario M6N 3R3 Telephone (416) 767-2550 Left to Right: Mel Lucas (G.C.S.A.A. Director) Gord Vitteveen (Host) Paul Scenna Left to Right: Mel Lucas, Andy Bertoni, Testing the New Stimpmeter. Dr. Jim Watson. Continued from Page 3 HONORARY MEMBER We are pleased to announce that Clay Switzer, Dean of O.A.C., has been made an Honorary Member of the Ontario Golf Superintendent's Association. Clay was in attendance at the recent President, Greens Chair­ man, Superintendent's Day at Ancaster Golf Club, July 28th, and it was evident that he was thrilled at this recognition. GCSAA SEMINARS If you are interested in attending these seminars, please fill in the coupon below and return it to: GCSAA, 1617 St. Andrews Drive, Lawrence, Kan. 66044. Management II: Leadership, Motivation Landscape I: Principles of Landscape and Employee Relations Instructors: Dr. Charles M. Sacamano, pro­ Instructor: Ron Frame, management training fessor and extension specialist in landscape horticulture, University of Arizona, Tucson Members: $80 Nonmembers: $115 William R. Nelson Jr., professor and exten­ sion landscape architect, University of Improve your abilities as a leader and man­ Illinois, Urbana ager by exploring the philosophy of man­ Members: $90 Nonmembers: $125 agement; how to train, motivate and eval­ uate employees; and how to delegate Achieve the landscape effects you want on authority and responsibility. your course by understanding landscape techniques, design principles and the Oct. 18-19, 1978 - Baltimore, Md. specialized needs of surrounding terrain. Oct. 25-26, 1978 — Minneapolis, Minn. Nov. 8-9, 1978 —Last Lansing, Mich, Nov. 1-2, 1978 — Indianapolis, Ind. Nov. Nov. 9-10, 1978 — Tucson, Ariz. Dec. 6-7, 1978 — Biloxi, Miss. 1979 Preconference Seminars Feb. 3-4, Atlanta, Ga. (Registration forms will be available in October.) Landscape I Management II Nutrition I Pesticide III (Insects) Pesticide IV (Weeds) Irrigation I Turf Disease Identification FALL PROJECT - DRAINAGE President By John Smith, Superintendent As we began the actual installation of the drains we de­ PAUL SCENNA Wyldewood Golf Club rived a system whereby time could be saved and the job made easier. The more pipe we laid the more proficient Cambridge, Ontario Wyldewood like many of your courses, suffered from a we became and the rate of progress increased. (519) 623-3292 heavy clay soil and very poor drainage. This problem was compounded by the fact that our When laying out the path of drains we didn't use a trans­ terrain is generally flat thereby reducing the effect of sur­ it as many of you might have. Vice-President By using contours of the land to our advantage we face runoff. STUART MILLS were able to maintain a good fall through all parts of the It seemed numerous wet areas were the order of the Ancaster, Ontario day more times than not. golf course. Most trenchers can be made to reach a depth of (416) 270-0716 It was this condition which made it virtually impossible 3 ft. thereby enabling one to cut through any high spots. to cut some fairways not only in early spring and the rainy When cutting a trench 16” deep you can get sufficient Secretary season but also occasionally following a heavy rain in mid­ drainage even if there is a 14” rise in elevation somewhere PAUL WHITE summer. These low spots increased the incidence of low along the line. temperature winter kill. Also during the summer, grass in A French drain can work in two ways, not only does it Hamilton, Ontario allow water to quickly course through its trench but also (416) 561-1216 these areas would be wiped out due to the suffocating qualities of a water cover. dissipates water through its walls to the surrounding soil. With all these hindrances its not hard to see why proper Prior to trenching we plotted the path of the drains and Treasurer drainage plays such a vital role in proper turf management. marked them with marking paint as well as marking the KEN NELSON Good drainage at Wyldewood came to be of the utmost location of irrigation lines to avoid any unnecessary break­ London, Ontario importance. In the spring of 1976 we embarked on an ex­ age. Heaven knows I have enough of those already. (519) 433-5136 tensive drainage program which would see us install some Where possible we utilized existing tile lines and cut into 4 miles of new French drains. 31/2 miles are now completed them wherever feasible. with only a 16 mile to go. In no time at all results were To speed the clean up process we placed as many as Directors seven 5/8” thick sheets of plywood alongside the course BILL BOWEN readily visible and most gratifying. At this present time all low, and or, formerly wet areas we were to follow. A Davis trencher throws the majority Peterborough, Ontario are completely drained within one hour of a torrential of the dirt out to one side of the trench. The dirt on this (705) 743-5010 down pour - providing the deluge doesn't last for 2 weeks. side fell on the plywood and manpower permitting the ply­ We are able to move tractors, sprayers, etc. out on the wood was lifted and tipped into the box of a hydraulic blake McMaster course at a much earlier date in the spring. trailer. Next year all killed out areas will be completely re­ This sheet of plywood was then advanced to the head Brampton, Ontario covered, hopefully never to return. of the line. (416) 451-1573 This process was paralleled by one man cleaning out This fall while a number of courses suffered the effects of the heavy and frequent rains, we continued on with our the trench with a shovel cut down to a width of 4” and JOHN SMITH another man cleaning up the other side of the trench with cutting and other projects as before. Milton, Ontario For Wyldewood the treatment completely killed the an aluminum scoop shovel. (416) 878-7923 disease of improper drainage. The actual trenching was followed closely by the laying Unlike an irrigation system, one of drainage is not of the pipe. Whenever there was a 15 ft. or shorter lateral RUSTY WASKMAN financially prohibitive and can be done sectionally as time, from the main drain it was left void of pipe and filled with labour and money permits. straight gravel. Oshawa, Ontario When planning our course of action, I went the route The next step and the most tedious was the backfilling. (416) 623-4977 Using % round, washed gravel the trenches were filled and of perforated flexdrain as opposed to the age old clay tile. There were a number of reasons for my choice, the 2 packed to ground level. Gravel any smaller, plugs too BOB BREWSTER easily thereby impeding the flow of water. main ones of which were the cost and the ease of handling. Mississauga, Ontario Flexdrain when purchased from Daymond in Mississ­ Backfilling was not always, but usually completed be­ (416) 676-9777 auga can be obtained at 17 cents per foot in quantities of fore leaving for the day. There is nothing worse than hand 5,000 ft. or better - 20 cents per foot from 2,500 to 5,000 digging trenches that have caved in overnight!! PAUL DERMOTT ft. and 23 cents per foot when less than 2,500 ft. are pur­ With a few minor modifications our push button hy­ chased. draulic trailer was our biggest asset when it came to back­ Etobicoke, Ontario On the other hand, clay tiles purchased in our area run filling the drains. (416) 247-9281 One man walked behind the trailer and controlled the at a flat price of 27 cents per foot. Flexdrain comes in 250 foot rolls weighing 70 lbs. You flow of gravel through a chute by raising or lowering the BILL HYND trailer box and by the use of a control gate in the chute. can imagine the difference between rolling out 250 feet of Islington, Ontario pipe in one fell swoop as compared to laying a foot at a We found the easiest method for our application was (416) 239-9630 time and covering the joint with tar paper or some other to back the tractor and trailer along the trench. The tractor material. The pipe can quickly be cut to length by means driver would look over his shoulder and maintain a speed Past President of a pocket knife. which would fill the trench the proper level. AL BEENEY Tees, caps and couplings for flexdrain now come in a Within one growing season the grass from both sides style that quickly and easily snap onto the pipe. of the trench will grow across the gravel thereby obscuring Georgetown, Ontario Based on a 4" trench having a mean depth of 16” I was it from the most perceiving eye. However, before this (416) 877-2642 happens the trench will probably need topping up at least able to work out a per foot price of 22 cents which cover­ ed the cost of pipe, and gravel, at $4.30 per yard. once to compensate for the settling of the gravel. ONTARIO GOLF SUPERINTENDENTS ASSOCIATION Box 63, Islington, Ontario M9A 4X1