Green is Beautiful” Ontario Golf Superintendents Association NSHAW CRESCENT - ETOBICOKE, ONTARIO M9C 3M4 - TELEPHONE 622-9929 KEITH NESBIT, President of Ontario Turfgrass Research Foundation BOARD OF DIRECTORS AND COMMITTEES OF THE O.G.S.A FOR THE YEAR 1979 President - Stuart Mills Meetings & Speakers - Paul Dermott Vice-President - Paul White Newsletter Editor - Bob Brewster Secretary - Blake McMaster Roster - John Smith Treasurer - Ken Nelson By-Laws - Doug Hoskins Past President - Paul Scenna Membership & Plaques - George Garner Golf Chairman - Bill Bowen Welfare - Rusty Warkman Chairman Ontario Turf Research Foundation - Paul Dermott - CONTENTS - July - August Meetings................................................................................. 3, 5 Mext Meeting................................................................................................ 4 From the Editor................................... 5 Editorials................................................................................................. 6, 8, 9, 10 Pictures........................................................................................................... 6,7 Questionnaire................................................................................................ 11 EDITOR - CO-EDITOR - BOB BREWSTER PAULWHITE Weston Golf & Country Club Glendale Golf & Country Club 50 St. Phillips Road 401 Mount Albion Road Weston, Ontario, Canada M9P 2N6 Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8K 5T4 Phone: Bus. (416) 241-5551 Phone: (416) 561-1216 Published by the O.G.S.A. Furtherance of Knowledge and Recording Progressive Ideas of Turf Management. O.G.S.A. MEETINGS - 1979 Date Course Host Friday, October 19 Weston Golf Club Bob Brewster 10:00 a.m. Lunch, Golf Wed. & Thurs. G.C.S.A.A. Pesticide Symposium empty table cell October 24 - 25 Constellation Hotel Tuesday, December 4 Aurora Highlands Golf Club Whitey Jones Friday, December 7 Christmas Party Paul Dermott Oakdale Golf & Country Club PRESIDENT, GREENSCHAIRMAN, SUPERINTENDENT DAY Forty teams met on Friday, July 20th at Mississauga Golf & Country Club for the Annual President, Greenschairman, Superintendent Day. Under ideal weather conditions and a fine golf course the teams from Credit Valley Golf Club picked up the win with 104 points on a Stableford Method of scoring. The O.G.S.A. would like to thank Paul Dodson for a great golf course and the staff for their fine service. Fol­ lowing dinner the guest speaker for the day was Dr. Joe Vargas from Michigan State University. He made the Presidents and Greenschairmans well aware that there is more to a golf course than just mowing the grass. He also stressed the use of fungicides on fairways for turf diseases. The Ontario Turfgrass Research Foundation held a draw with some distributors donating prizes. The Foundation raised $485.00 for turfgrass research. Thanks to all that participated. MISSISSAUGA RESULTS - Winning Teams 1st — Credit Valley Golf Club 2nd — Dalewood Golf Club Jack McGregor Bob Bohler Jim Clelland Ron Acor Doug Suter 104 points Dan Ardley 104 points 3rd — Richmond Hill Golf Club 4th — Mississauga Golf & Country Club S. Spears Gord Coyle J. A. Griffin Stewart Munroe Peter Barnett 101.75 points Paul Dodson 95 points Individual Superintendent Scores — Dan Ardley 79 Graham Shouldice 84 Peter Barnett 80 Dave Jackson 84 Steve Miller 81 Blake McMaster 85 Bob Heron 81 PRO - SUPERINTENDENT DAY On Monday, August 13, Victoria Park Golf Club hosted the Pro-Superintendent Day. A Rene Muy- laert designed golf course provided a great challenge as only one Professional broke par. The wind played trouble with golfers on most holes as the club selection was very critical. Thanks to the Decorso brothers for a fine golf course and a fine meal. PRO-SUPERINTENDENT RESULTS - Low Gross Teams Victoria Park Golf Club 149 Richmond Hill Golf Club 152 Other Scores - Greenwood Golf Club 152 Peter Barnett 76 Islington Golf Club 153 Ted Decorso 78 Low Net Teams - Thom Charters 78 Brampton Golf Club 141 Ted Ellis 79 Uplands Golf Club 141 Ken Wright 82 Markland Woods Golf Club 145 Bob Heron 82 Kawartha Golf Club 146 Bill Fach 83 Lou Formosa 83 SUPERINTENDENT - Low Gross Doug Hoskins 84 Hugh Kirkpatrick 76 Steve Miller 84 Dan Ardley 78 Low Professionals - Bill Bowen 80 Graham Shouldice 80 Gary Maue 70 Jim Steep 71 Low Net - Bruce Atkins 71 Lou Formosa 69 Whitey Jones 70 Joe Reid 71 Paul Dodson 71 Tom Lewis 71 Paul Dermott 71 O.G.S.A. NEWS "Next Meeting" PLACE: WESTON GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB DATE: FRIDAY, OCTOBER 19, 1979. MEETING: 10:00 A.M. LUNCH: 11:00 A.M. GOLF: 11:30 - 1:00 P.M. - Cost $12.00. Presentation of prizes in Pine Lounge after golf. Directions: Take Weston Read south off Highway 401 to St. Phillips Road south. Golf course across bridge on right hand side. WESTERN MEETING Tuesday, September 25th, 1979. Brantford Golf & Country Club for Taylor Barnes Trophy. McCLUMPHA TOURNAMENT MONDAY, OCTOBER 1, 1979 GLEN EAGLES GOLF CLUB TEE-OFF - 9:00 A.M. PUTTING CONTEST DINNER - 6:30 P.M. Make Your Own Foursomes. CONVENTIONS Canadian Golf Superintendents Association, March 9 to 12, 1980, Skyline Hotel, Toronto, Ontario. G.C.S.A.A. Conference and Show, February 19 to 21, 1980, St. Louis, Missouri. THE O.G.S.A WELCOMES THE FOLLOWING NEW MEMBERS JOHN TRELOAR - Trehaven Golf Club Class D R.R. #2, Hawkestone, Ontario CARL BENNETT - Richview Golf Club Class A P.O. Box 4150, Oakville, Ontario THORNHILL GOLF CLUB Thirty-six Superintendents, Distributors and guests toured the Thornhill Golf Club on Tuesday, August 14th, 1979. On a windy and cold August day, Bill Bowen was the only Superintendent to break 80. A meeting took place after golf and two very good points were discussed: (1) The systemic fungicides at a 1 oz. rate per 1000 sq. ft. will automatically remove all existing earthworms on your course. (2) It was felt due to the cool spring, Superintendents may have sprayed for weeds too late, there­ fore, weakening the turf and causing more wilt in warmer weather. A fine dinner followed the meeting and the O.G.S.A. would like to thank Dave Gourlay for a fine golf course and the Thornhill Club for their facilities for the day. THORNHILL RESULTS - Low Gross Low Net - Bill Bowen 77 John Stoughton 70 L. Coward 80 Don Nisbet 70 Bob Cherry 82 Jack Harris 71 Jack Harris 83 Thom Charters 83 Bob Heron 83 FROM THE EDITOR For the people that attended the President, Greenschairman, Superintendent Day, we all admit it was a great day. A few problems have been brought to my attention: (1) We average approximately 20 to 25 superintendents to a meeting. Forty superintendents attend this event and we turned down another 20 superintendents. If the format of the Tournament was changed to two-somes we could allow as many as 75-80 teams. Should we be refusing our members a chance to play golf?? The Association and meetings are for our members. (2) The mailing system is unreliable and some superintendents have been refused 2 years in a row because of the mail. If you would like to see some changes made for this tournament the Board of Directors would like to receive your comments before the Annual Meeting. Congratulations to Jim Wylie, who has accepted the position at Bayview Golf & Country Club, starting November 1, 1979. ONTARIO TURFGRASS RESEARCH FOUNDATION Keith Nesbit, Westview Golf Club, has been chosen as the first President of the Ontario Turfgrass Research Foundation. The Vice-President is Alan Beeney, North Halton Golf Club and Secretary-Treas­ urer is Paul Dermott from Oakdale Golf Club. The final papers are in the lawyers hand and hopefully by the end of September the Foundation will be set up. The prime objectives is to raise money for Turfgrass Research in Ontario with the research projects to take place in Ontario. There will be a selection of seven Directors to stand on the Foundation made up of distributors and superintendents. The Board would like to see sod growers, nurserymen, landscapers or anyone related in turfgrass eventually become associated with the Foundation. A letter will be forth-coming to Golf Clubs in Ontario for donations to the fund. Let's hope the Research Foundation can get its feet on the ground so that we can benefit from some research. NEXT ISSUE TURFGRASS RESEARCH REPORT - FUNDED BY O.G.S.A. By Dr. Harry Niemczyk and Gerald Wagner REPORTS FROM DAN ARDLEY AND HUGH KIRKPATRICK (First Years at a New Course) WASTED MINUTES COST MONEY Those long coffee breaks can cost you money. If you have an employee earning $16,000 for example, every hour of goofing off on the job costs you $8.58. Every minute is worth 14.4 cents. If 15 minutes is wasted every day, it costs you $500 for the year. Unfortunately, those figures are only direct payroll costs. Your total costs in taxes and other benefits can be much larger. Here's a table, reprinted from the Maine GCSA Newsletter, which shows just how serious this problem can be. If you earn Each hour is worth Each minute is worth In a year 15 min. daily $ 8,000 $ 4.29 7.2c $250.00 10,000 5.36 8.9c 312.50 12,000 6.42 10.7c 375.00 14,000 7.51 12.5c 437.50 16,000 8.58 14.4c 500.00 20,000 10.72 17.8c 625.00 25,000 13.41 22.4c 781.25 30,000 16.09 26.8c 937.50 — From Forefront THE LARGEST ONTARIO TREES The largest known tree in Ontario at the moment is an American sycamore (Platanus occidentalis). Location Sydenham River, over a mile south of Highway #80, Alvinston. Ht. 98' (29.87m), Girth 27'1'' (825.5 cm), DBH 103.4" (262.6 cm), Average Crown Spread 71' (21.64 m). The tallest is a white pine (Pinus strobus) located close to Algonquin Park. Height 148' (45.11 m), Girth 17'7" (1361.1 cm), DBH 67" (107.2 cm), Average Crown Spread 47' (14.32 m). The tree with the largest crown spread is a white elm (Ulmus americana) with 112' (east-west meas­ urement is 128') Height 97' (37.49 cm), Girth 15'616" (473.7 cm), DBH 59.4' (150.9 cm). The Ontario Forestry Association have compiled a list called "The Honour Roll of Ontario Trees". The tree list is made up of native, introduced, rare, unusual and historic trees in the Province. Launched as a centennial project in 1967, the first honour roll was published in 1974. Since then it is updated an­ nually. For each tree on the honour roll there is a permanent file containing a photograph and details regarding the precise location, measurements and related data. Many ask how it is possible to locate so many giant or unusual trees. This all comes about by word of mouth, inquiries by telephone, correspondence, searching leads, hundreds of hours travelling unlimited miles. The Ontario Forest is published quarterly by the Ontario Forestry Association, 150 Consumers Rd., Willowdale, Ontario, M2J 1P9 (1-416-493-4565). The O.F.A. exists to promote sound forest land use and the full development, utilization and protection of Ontario's forest resources for maximum public advantage. Subscription is by membership which is open to all at $12 per calendar year (students $5.). Aerifying, it's that time of the year. Proper spraying gear essential. Left to Right — Bill Harding, Keith Nesbit, Bob Brewster. Flower beds at Weston Golf Club - Site of our next meeting. Curling Winner - Bob Moote, at March meeting. JACOBSEN - 1979-80 TURF PRODUCT TRAINING PROGRAM Racine, Wisconsin Turf Training Courses Course# Date Course Title 9 December 17-20, 1979 Golf and Park I 10 January 14-17, 1980 Golf and Park I 11 January 21-24, 1980 Golf and Park I 12 January 28-31, 1980 Golf and Park I NOCLAS E Februay17-2,1980G.CSA. GOLFSHOW NO CLASSES February 17-22, 19N80 OCLAS ESFebruary 17-2 ,1980 G.CS.A .GOLFSHOW G.C.S.A.A. GOLF SHOW 13 February 4-7, 1980 Golf and Park I 14 February 11-14, 1980 Golf and Park I 15 February 25-29, 1980 Golf and Park 11 16 March 3-7, 1980 Golf and Park 11 17 March 10-14, 1980 Golf and Park II Tuition Will include double occupancy lodging. Noon lunch, and all student hand outs. Single rooms may be arranged for at the motel with the student paying the additional fee. Lodging begins on Sunday after­ noon. Bus transportation is available courtesy of the motel. Motel name and departure time will be shown on your confirmation. The Product Training Registration Card, and check for tuition should be mailed together in the provided self-addressed envelope (please remember . . . payment of tuition is required prior to attendance). If you have any questions, or need further information, please call: 414/637-6711 — Turf Service Dept. Product Training. Course Length All classes begin promptly at 8:00 a.m. at the Jacobsen Product Training Center. Bus transportation is provided by the motel to the Product Training Center leaving approximately 7:45 a.m. each morning of school. All schools will conclude at 12:30 p.m. on the last scheduled day. All return flights should be scheduled after 2:00 p.m. from Milwaukee, Wl. Golf And Park I Sessions to provide basic information needed to maintain turf equipment. Covers basic adjustment, hydraulic system operation, maintenance, and testing. The course will also cover proper reel mower repair, grinding and lapping. Tuition $95.00 Length 3-1/2 days Golf And Park II Prerequisite: Golf and Park I In depth information on hydraulic systems, tear down and reassembly of hydrostatic transmission, flow charts, schematics, plus re-enforcing material from previous school. Tuition $95.00 Length 4-1/2 days THOSE DOG-DAYS IN AUGUST Denny Lyon, Editor-Rocky Mountain Reporter There are times I wonder why I ever got into this business, and the last two weeks in August (those dog-days) are one of the times when I wonder most. I don't have to look at a calendar to know when the August dog-days are here, all I have to do is go to work. I know it's dog-days when there has been 40 to 50 90° plus days (mostly in a row), and there has been at least an inch of rain in the past 45 to 60 days, unfortunately it all came in five minutes. Also during dog-days greens tend to get a little firm on the mounds (it takes dynamite to set a cup) and a little soft (the greens mower needs pontoons) in the swails. continued on Page 9 THOSE DOG-DAYS IN AUGUST (Continued from Page 8) The low areas in the fairways also tend to get a little on the damp side. They team with water fowl, and possibly reptiles, plus there is speculation that a drag line should be employed to look for last year's men's club champion and his cart, believed somewhere on the back nine. Fortunately there are just as many dry areas in the fairways as wet. I figure that about the time these dry areas are too hard to drive in a-16 penny nail it's time to try and talk one of my employees into dragging a hose over and running a little extra water. That is assuming (1)1 have water; (2) I have an employee. Speaking of employees, they often highlight dog-days with items like — all the night watermen quit­ ting the same week, all the intellectuals deciding they need to leave for school two weeks before it starts,- and all the unintellectuals caring less whether they work or get fired, as welfare and unemployment pay about the same; and don't try to hire anybody during dog-days, there isn't anybody. The golfers are also happy to add their two cents to dog-days by pointing out little items that are out of line. You know those items, like greens which have been chewed up by thousands of golfers leav­ ing their ball marks and dragging their feet; fairways which have been beaten into prairie roads by thousands of golf carts and tees that look like the Lowry Bombing Range thanks to these observant and helpful golfers. Last but not least, are the dog-days equipment dulldrums. Dog-days are here the day the stunt driver you've been threatening to fire all summer wraps one cushman around a tree (he lives, the cushman and the tree are both killed) and the wiring harness burns up in another. Persons unknown let the tee mower run out of oil and the engine freezes up, and a greensmower breaks a hydraulic line. But that's not all, it takes longer to get the rotaries started than it takes to mow, there are no new aerating tines in town, in fact there are no new parts for anything in town, the belts are broken on the top dresser, the roller bearings are shot in the fairway unit and the mechanic is gone to Iowa for his annual family reunion. Yes, these August dog-days make me wonder if I might not be better off sorting mail at the bulk mail center, but then again with what the federal government pays, I wouldn't know what to do with the extra money. CHOOSING THE RIGHT TREE FOR YOUR GOLF COURSE From Fore-Front Trees can greatly enhance the value and appearance of your golf course, but only if they are chosen wisely, with an eye to both function and aesthetics. Trees can serve as windbreaks, camouflage unattract­ ive views, alter the difficulty of a hole, provide shade to a weary golfer or perhaps enhance an undistin­ guished clubhouse entrance. In the best of situations, one tree can answer several of these needs. The considerations you should make when choosing a tree fall into three categories; the intended site, whether the tree is appropriate for your area and the tree's growth characteristics. The tree's growing requirements must be compatible with conditions at its intended site. Soil drain­ age and pH are critical in determining whether a tree thrives and grows rapidly or just struggles along. Other conditions, such as whether the tree will be subjected to deicing salts in the winter and how the projected planting will affect and be affected by its surroundings should also be carefully considered. Find out whether the tree you want to plant is adapted to your area. Some trees simply will not survive hard winters and the number of pests and diseases which attack trees is enormous. The best way to determine which trees are likely to thrive is to observe what types are doing well in your area. Your local extension agent or a reputable nurseryman can give you further guidance. Growth characteristics which influence whether a tree is satisfactory include its shape and size, which determine whether a tree will answer the purpose you have purchased it for. For example, you should decide whether you want a tall column, a wide, spreading tree or a small accent plant. Large leaves and some fruits will require time-consuming cleanup operations. Roots can interfere with turf, drains and paths, but don't overlook tree roots as a means of controlling erosion. Be sure not to choose a tree that will eventually grow so large it will tangle in powerlines or droop over sidewalks or driveways. The tree you select will be on your course for decades. Be sure the tree you choose will be a sound investment, not a liability. EQUIPMENT MAINTENANCE By: Al Shantz, Golf Superintendent, Dundas Valley Golf & Country Club Equipment maintenance to me is a daily operation of everyone on my crew. Oil is checked everyday on the machines before a key is ever turned on. This may sound like a little much but with different operators of Greensmowers, cushmans and tee machines it is one way of ensuring a constant check on machines. Grease guns are readily available for daily use on a machine if required. Equipment maintenance starts with the operator. When there is a new operator of a machine the first thing he does is spend some time with my mechanic going over the machine, oil, grease, type of gas, how to properly wash the machine, having briefly its mechanical operation explained also do's and don'ts about the machine. The new operator is then taken out and shown how and where to operate the machine. They are trained to be on the lookout at all times, if the machine does not sound or operate proper­ ly, they bring it in and have it checked. This saves a lot of frustration in the mornings if you are sending someone out on a machine and they say, "Oh I forgot to tell you something is wrong with the machine". It allows me to plan around these problems with less time lost. This has also proven to reduce my repair budget. Some things that we have done to reduce the wear and tear on equipment is set the throttles down so that they cannot be reved as high and also have taken 3rd gear out of the cushmans. I found 1st and 2nd gear is all you need to get around our course. During the course of the winter all of the equipment is checked over. We do all our own repairs in the shop. Along with the mechanical equipment all the golf course hardware is cleaned, stripped, rebuilt and painted. This includes making new benches, garbage containers and rebuilding ball washers. This process takes place in the junior locker room which during the winter months is converted to a painting area. All of the hardware is stored and repaired here. This leaves the shop area just for equipment repairs. I have an automatic irrigation system on the big course and a manual system on the short course. One man looks after the irrigation system, servicing it, repairing, checking times, cleaning heads and servicing the pumphouse. While doing this he is able to water the short course during the day. Winter prep­ aration is started by using a small aircompressor I have and about 2 days are spent with this machine blow­ ing water out from low lying areas. Then I rent a "750" aircompressor for a day to make sure all the lines are clear. The small machine is also used to blow out the drinking fountain lines and the supply lines to the satelites. I have had problems with swing arm breakage so in the fall I buy a couple of truck loads of manure and having saved the fertilizer bags during the season put a couple of forkfuIls on each head. This takes about a good day to put out and about the same to clean up. I am not sure whether it really works but last spring I had only half the breaks I had the previous season. However, we were talking about two diff­ erent winters, one with very little snow and the other a great amount of snow. The fareplates are checked over during the winter for worn parts and irrigation heads are also repaired. At this time I can also order my parts I want to have on hand for the coming season, irrigation parts, the 0 rings, filters, 0 rings, pilot valves, machine parts, steering cable, throttles, belts, hydraulic fittings, spare bed knives and a couple of replacement tires for the Greensmowers, cushmans and tee machines. With winter overhauls and daily maintenance to the equipment, breakdowns and time down to machinery during the season is minimal. PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE Written by: Mr. Jean Jeffrey Preventive maintenance will not solve all production problems but a properly designed programme will prevent most unexpected breakdowns and save a lot of unnecessary expense. Maintenance takes place whether it is planned or not. It can take the form of expensive repairs or unnecessary replacement of parts; or maintaining machines and equipment in good operating condition. There is a choice - roll the dice or bet on a sure thing. WHY WEREN'T YOU GOING? By Paul White, Co-Editor As many members of the O.G.S.A. know the June 23rd Dinner Dance at Hawthorn Valley was can­ celled due to lack of interest. Only seven couples registered, all members of the Board of Directors. There was a good potential to lose a lot of money on such a venture. I would like at this time to thank Mr. John Arends, who invested much time in arranging the day for us, then being very gracious when we were forced by lack of interest to cancel. There are many questions that arise from a disappointment like this and I would request that every member take a few minutes to answer the following questionnaire and mail it directly back to me as soon as possible so that a report may be prepared for the next edition of "Green Is Beautiful". MAIL TO - PAUL WHITE, c/o Glendale Golf Club, 401 Mt. Albion Road, Hamilton, Ontario, L8K 5Z1