DECEMBER, 1969

ourSe
OF

• S u p e r i n ten
N E W

den

E N G L A N D ,

id

^ ^ A d o c i u t ion
I N C .

Sponsors a n d administrators of the Lawrence S.
Dickinson Scholarship Fund — A w a r d e d yearly
to deserving Turf M a n a g e m e n t Students.

It Doesn't Make Sense
This may qualify as grounds for precipitating the end
of a beautiful friendship but there exists a recognition
gap between the golf course superintendent and the
country club manager.
What it all boils down to is a kicking around of the
old saw: "Which came first . . . the chicken or the
egg?"
And without further suspense adding to the confusion,
let us be the first to remind everyone that first came
the golf course . . . then came the clubhouse.
This is another way of saying that without a golf
course there would be no clubhouse and, in turn, no
need for a manager. But somewhere along the line the
order of importance seems to have become misunderstood — both by the club manager and, unfortunately,
many of the people who serve as employers of both
professions.
According to a survey, conducted by the managers
and somehow spirited into the hands of the superintendents, that recognition gap has expanded into a salary
gap. Club managers have a glaring edge on the supers.
And that's not all. Some of the managers' underlings go
heavier when it comes time to collect the weekly paycheck.
The average total value (salary plus fringes) for a
club manager has climbed from $16,100 in 1963 to
$21,500 in 1969. When placed aside the average income of the superintendent (a figure so embarrassing
it fights to stay above the $10,000 mark), there is evidence that an inequity runs amuck among established

NEXT
The Annual Meeting will be held at the Holiday Inn,
Newton, Mass., on December 1, 1969
Directors
10:30 A . M .
Survey
11:00 A.M.
Business
11:15 A . M .
12:30 P M
Educat'o
* "
rp,
, ,
r a.
,
.
.
l L ' ,T"
t h e slate ot officers as proposed by the Nominating
Committee is as follows:
S
President
Richard Blake
1st Vice President
Robert Grant
,
X J
Lnflrlps iTarnner
2nd Vice President
Thomas Curran
Daniel Collins
Secretary
Wayne Zoppo
Treasurer
Lucien Duval
Trustee
Ronald Kirkman
Finance Chairman
Nary Sperandio
Golf Chairman
Julius Aksten
Educational Chairman
Albert Auger
Newsletter Chairman
Dean Robertson
The above will be voted on at the December 1, 1969
meeting.

country clubs.
It really is a foolish, not to mention endless, task to
make sound judgment on the relative importance of the
two jobs. However, the superintendent dares any and
everyone to refute the claim that without the golf course
there would be no need to hire a manager. If one wants
to go a shaky point beyond this, there is no doubt that
a clubhouse is nothing more than a glorified restaurant.
Now, this brings the discussion to another disgusting
development. In that same survey it was revealed country club chefs were zooming past superintendents in the
salary race. A typical weekly check for the head cook
was clocked at $300 per week.
This was cause for alarm in itself. Then came the
clincher. In an isolated example of peculiar monetary
returns, it was noted that one clubhouse attendant pulled
annual salary-fringe totals of more than $20,000. In this
particular example the executive-priced hero was referred to as "a lockerroom hustler."
What's more, added fuel was poured over the burning coals when one manager was heard to remark . . .
"that the chef at his club was more important than the
superintendent."
If this makes the blood boil and causes your sense of
values to engage in a tailspin, you have every right to
lay claim to the experience. It just doesn't seem realistic
for such inequities to travel the circuit of country clubs.
It just doesn't make sense. Don't you agree, Mr.
Country Club President?
— Gerry Finn

MEETING
New associate member to be voted on at the next
meeting: Noel F. Fongeallaz, 818 Pleasant St., Rochdale,
Mass., Pleasant Valley Country Club.
Welcome to two new associate members:
Paul Barrott, Ludlow Country Club;
D

° n B l a k e l y ' H a r w i c h P o r t Country Club.
Chairman Richard Blake announced that there would
r ,1, «
.
,,
-,
. ^
be a meeting of the survey committee at 11 a. m just
P
a
"°r
™ ! m e e t £ S a t R t h ? Holiday Inn. Those
who should attend are: Dean Robertson, Manny FranCIS, Jr., John Callahan and Wayne Ripley.
V)G9 G

£ S A o f N E champion results as played at the
Needham C. C. on a cloudy and rainy day:
Seniors Champion, Philip Cassidy
1st low gross
Bill Carter, 75
2nd low gross
John Sperandio, 76
3rd low gross
Bob St. Thomas, 78
1st low net
John Dolan, 68
2nd low net
Guy Tedesco, 70
3rd low net
Philip Cassidy, 71
The champs will receive their trophies at the next
meeting.

AT

ourSe
THE

Superintendents

LONGEST

DAY

Thirty-seven holes later it's all over and emerging
from one of the longest tugs of sniping in Shanahan
Memorial Tournament is that durable Weston duo of
Phil Cassidy and Jim Browning.

Phil Cassidy and Jim Browning

It took just that . . . 19 holes beyond regulation . . .
to determine the champion in this annual test of superintendent-pro golfing blends at Brae Burn.
Actually the longest day . . . according to Leon St.
Pierre of Longmeadow and the "regusted" losing tandem
of St. Pierre and Tony Clecak . . . came about on the
return to Brae Burn after the two teams had locked
in a title tie with net 66's.
"'Twas all my fault," Leon divulges. "Definitely, it
was a case of tournament jitters. If only I wasn't made
aware at the top of every backswing that this was for
the championship of our world."
"Well, that isn't exactly the way it went", injects Phil
who has all the earmarks of becoming a perennial threat
in all NEGCSA competition from here on in. "After all,
we did have to come from behind to win. It isn't as
though we were handed the title."
Naturally, all this banter between solid association
friends was done on a good natured recount of the battle
after Cassidy turned hero in what Weston members will
refer to as an historic playoff.
Here was the situation with two holes to go in the
extra-inning skirmish: St. Pierre and Clecak held a
two-stroke margin on the 17th tee. But each had drives
which couldn't find the green on the par-three hole.

Tony Clecak and Leon V. St. Pierre

-AssociationPRESIDENT'S

MESSAGE

In the November-December issue of the 1965 Golf
Course Reporter, Dr. Richard Skogley compiled and
wrote an excellent article on "Winter Play on Golf
Greens." This article should be posted on every club
bulletin board, regardless if play is allowed or nQt.
Dr. Skogley referred to J. R. Watson, Jr., who indicated that winter injury, occurring in northern climates,
falls into two categories — Mechanical and Physiological damage.
Mechanical damage was caused by man and damages
turf directly arid indirectly. "Direct injury is produced
by traffic when grass is covered by frost or when it is
dormant or semi-dormant and the soil is partially or
completely frozen." " ( a ) Bruising (cellular rupture)
resulting from traffic or frosted grass." " ( b ) Attrition
from traffic on partially or completely frozen soil especially when grass is near or at dormancy."
Indirect injury — produced by traffic on partially
frozen or wet soils, the visible evidence is foot prints,
ruts, or similar surface disfigurement. Indirect injury
may also be of an invisible kind — soil compaction.
Physiological damage is most frequently referred to as
"winter kill", resulting from disease, scald, suffocation,
desiccation and related causes.
When winter traffic on greens causes cellular rupture
and turf cannot renew itself, conditions are created
which make turf very susceptible to winter diseases.
Considerable damage is done annually on our golf
greens from "winter play." Winter play satisfies a very
small percentage of a club's membership, yet the entire
membership may be affected by poor greens the following season. Country clubs spend a tremendous amount
of money on golf green maintenance and purchase expensive machinery to help to provide the finest in green
turf. Why greens committees continue to allow "winter
play on golf greens" when factual knowledge of detrimental results occur, is not understandable. It doesn't
make good business sense not to continue good maintenance practices when winter comes. Winter traffic
should remain off the greens.
ANTHONY B. CARANCI, JR. President
In the meantime, Cassidy decided to putt his partner's
hit which was stationed on the apron — some 65 feet
from the pin.
As skill would have it, Phil put eyes on the putt and
scored a deuce. Apparently shaken by the turn of events
. . . not to mention the turn of the golf ball, the Longmeadow team made four or bogey to send the foursome to the 18th all even.
There was no blood there, so it was still a stalemate
at the end of 36 holes.
"It was dark and dreary by the time we holed out",
St. Pierre recalls.
"It was bright and cheery", Cassidy rebounds.
Anyway, rather than risk the discomfort of perhaps
playing another 18 on another day when snow might
make it a fivesome, the boys groped their way down the
37th hole.
"They won it with a par four", St. Pierre says. "But
it was only because I couldn't putt. Missed a 20-footer
for our par."
"That's correct", Cassidy bears witness to the windup.
"But he forgot to mention that they three-putted the
darned thing."
Ah yes, this was a Shanahan to remember.
— Gerry Finn

" " O F

"Sound O f f "
{Here ive go again . . . with the third go-round of
the NEGCSA Newsletters invitation to its readers to
tell everyone like it is. We offer this space to all our
friends, members, dealers and anyone not covered in
those categories to express your views on golf. Letters
should he brief and presented in neat form. They should
be sent to Newsletter Mail Box 24, Riverside
Drive,
Newbury, Mass. 01950. Naturally, the Newsletter reserves the right to comment on letters published.
"I enjoy your Sound Off column. How about this one:
A golfer came to me recently and complained about a
small, thorny tree 011 the course. He said it was unfair
to have a tree that is hazardous to a golfer trying to
take a swing. What do you think? Should I take out
the tree?"
STAN METSKER
Boulder, Colorado
A n y o n e who complains about a tree should be strung
from it.
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"Please accept my congratulations on a worthwhile
addition to your always-interesting publication. I am
writing from far-off Scotland just as a reminder to all
Yanks in our business that we are anxious to be the site
of a future turf convention. Truly, this would be another
step in the right direction in terms of creating a more
healthy international relationship among greenkeepers."
JOHN MACGREGOR
Troon, Scotland
W e of the N e w England g r o u p are p o p p i n g our buttons over the possibility of a future convention at golf's
shrine area. A s far as we're concerned . . . it's g o i n g
to be St. A n d r e w s or bust when it comes time to select
our next meeting place.
*

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"I'm afraid by the time you read this the Sawtelle
contingent of Chet W., Frank Marean and Joel McKoan
will have broken the bank at Las Vegas after winning
three trips there as a result of top salesmanship in the
Cushman field. If you don't think we have faith in something other than lady luck, we took off for the trip
on the suspicious date of October 13th."
CHET SAWTELLE
Danvers, Mass.

^ N O M I N A T I N G COMMITTEE
The G.C.S.A. of A. Nominating Committee for 1970
had their meeting October 11 and 12 at the Marriott
Hotel, Des Plaines, Illinois. This is the first that an
actual physical meeting of a nominating committee
took place. Those attending were left to right:
Oscar L. Miles, Olympia Fields C. C., Illinois
Leon V. St. Pierre, Longmeadow C. C., Massachusetts
Walter R. Boysen, Sequoyah C. C., California
David S. Gourlay, Thornhill C. C. Ontario, Canada
George E Goodwin, Birmingham C. C., Alabama

N E W

Five will
12th.

the

E N G L A N D ,

get you ten you probably wish

I N C .
you left on

-Si*
*
"Let me be among the many, I'm sure, who are forever grateful for the strong stand the New England
greens superintendents have taken in support and promotion of conservation. In this fast, buzzsaw day and
age when no one seems to care one sprig about nature,
it is always heartening to find a group who think otherwise."
JAMES THURLOW
Sudbury, Mass.
O n l y one more thing to a d d to that endorsement, M r .
Thurlow. W e hope our actions speak louder than our
words.
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«

"This may sound a little on the picayune side, but I
have to take this opportunity to comment on the night
riders among the dealers who gallop into a fertile selling
area, make a quick pitch and money pickup and aren't
seen for the next seven years . . . like the locusts. Superintendents, beware of such a gouger.
CLARENCE FOSTER
Deerfoot, Maine
D o n ' t blame you for taking opposites with these critters, Clarence. W e of the N e w England Association
urge all our members to put the lights out on these
one-nighters.

"While I must say that you people appear to put a lot
of work into the production of your Newsletter, the thing
leaves me with the impression that only New England
suggestions are worthy of consideration as far as the
National is concerned. We notice of late that you are
not in second place when it comes to tooting your own
horn. How about giving someone else a chance?"
DREW DIXON
Mobile, Alabama
Y o u are absolutely right, Drew. N e w England is not in
second place in tooting its own horn; nor is it in second
place in reasons for such action.
*

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(That should do it for now. You must agree the flak
is very interesting. So, sit down today and join in the
exchange. Let us know your views on the golf picture).

Dickinson Scholarship

Fund

The Professor Lawrence S. Dickinson Scholarship
Fund has received a fine contribution from the Northeastern Golf Course Superintendents Association.
At the October 21st meeting of the Association at the
Country Club of Pittsfield, Paul O'Leary, president,
presented Dr. Joseph Troll the guest speaker a check
for $300.00 from the Association for the Prof. Lawrence
S. Dickinson Fund.
Pres. Paul said the gift was in appreciation of the
fine turf program at the University of Massachusetts and
in tribute to Prof. Dickinson.
Joe Troll is, of course, a valued member of the Scholarship Committee.
The Committee hopes this will inspire those who have
not contributed to do so in the near future.
Send all contributions to Lucien Duval, R.F.D. No. 5,
Gault Rd., Bedford, New Hampshire 03105,

PCecU€

Alfco Rokeby Co., Inc.
Fertilizers and Chemical Specialties
P. 0 . Box 267, Marietta, Ohio

President —
A n t h o n y Caranci, Jr.
22 H i l M e w Drive
N o . P r o v i d e n c e , R. i. 0 2 9 0 (
Phone 723-1688
Club Affiliation
ledgemont Country Club

first

Vice-President

—

Secretary

R I C H A R D C. BLAKE
211 Sewali Street
Boylston, M a s s . 0 1 5 0 5
Phone 869-2737
Cfub Affiliation
M t . Pleasant C o u n t r y C l u b

S e c o n d Vice-President

Astroturf Recreational Surfaces
Monsanto Co., R. Spencer Thompson
P. O. Box 2130, Springfield, Mass.
Baker Tractor Corp., Ford Tractors
Harley Davidson Golf Cars
Swansea, Mass.

—

THOMAS
CURRAN
I 5 J Fisher S t r e e t
Waipole, Mass. 02081
Phone 668-7221
Club Affiliation
The C o u n t r y C l u b

Philip C. Beal, Consulting Engineers
Irrigation and Recreation Facilities
P. 0 . Box 102, Hanover, Mass. 02339

—
LUC1EN D U V A L
R . f . D . N o , 5, G a u l f R d .
Bedford, N. H . 0 3 1 0 5
Phone 4 7 2 - 3 4 5 4
Ciub Affiliation
Manchester Country C i u b

ROBERT G R A N T
2 2 Patricia R o a d
Sudbury, Mass. 01776
Phone 4 4 3 - 2 6 7 1
Club Affiliation
B r a e Burn C o u n t r y C l u b

Educational C o m m i t t e e
NORMAN
MUCCIARONE
101 A l b a n K c a d
Waban, Mass. 02168
Phone 332-3056
Ciub Affiliation
Woodland Country Club

—

E D W A R D J. M U R P H Y
194 O x b o w R o o d
W a y l a n d , Mass.. 0.1778
Phone 3 5 8 - 7 4 1 0
Club Affiliation
Lexington C o u n t r y C l u b

Trustee —-

Golf

ROBERT M U C C I A R O N E
4 6 5 Summer Street
W e s t w o o d , Massachusetts 02090.
Phone 3 2 9 - 9 6 8 2
Club Affiliation
D e d h a m C o u n t r y a n d Polo C i u b

Committee

Chairman

WAYNE
RIPLEY
216 South Street
V/rentham, M a s s .
Phone 384-3142
Club A f f i l i a t e
Waipoie Country Ciub

Newsletter C o m m i t t e e C h a i r m a n -

Trustee —
PHILIP C A S S I D Y
45 Grosvenor Road
Needham, Mass. 0 2 ) 9 2
Phone 444-4127
Club Affiliation
Weston Solf Club

DEAN ROBERTSON
2 4 Riverview Drive
Newbury, Mass. 01950
Phone 4 6 2 - 4 5 4 0
Club Affiliation
C h e s t n u t Hili C o u n t r y C l u b

Past President

Finance C o m m i t t e e C h a i r m a n -

—

L E O N V. S T . P I E R R E
51 Fenwood Road
L o n g m e a d o w , .Mass. 0 H G 6
Phone 5 6 7 - 5 5 6 2
Ciub Affiliation ;
Lonqmeadow Country Ciub

JULIUS AKSTEN
6 M a i n Street
Southboro, Mass. OI772
Phone 4 8 5 - 8 8 8 5
Club Affiliation
St. M a r l ' s G o l f C l u b

Qotf (bourse Stuperintendenti -y^lisociatiot
Of

NEW

ENGLAND.

GERRY FINN
Contributing

INC.

Editor

L E O N V. ST. P I E R R E
Business

FRIENDS OF THE ASSOCIATION

Manager

DEAN ROBERTSON
Newsletter C o m m i t t e e C h a i r m a n
24 Riverview Drive
Newbury, Massachusetts 01950
Phone 462-4540
C f u b Affiliation
Chestnut Hill C o u n t r y C l u b

The Charles C. Hart Seed Co. .
Wethersfield, Conn.
The Clapper Co.
1121 Washington St.
West Newton, Mass.
Geoffrey S. Cornish
Golf Course Architect
Fiddler's Green, Amherst,
George E.
Terra-Greey
112 Green
C. S. Currs
T. R. C. P
7 Linden a

Mass.

Conditioner
bington, Mass.
3, Oils and Greases
^amingham, Mass.

Fairway Equipment, Inc.
Sales — Service — Rentals
35 Walnut St., Reading, Mass.
Farm Bureau Association
158 Lexington St., Waltham, Mass. 02154
Fred Heyliger, Representative
Fisk, Alden Ford, Tractor Sales, Inc.
Rear 900 Providence Highway
Dedham, Mass. 02026

Johns-Manville Sales Corp.
150 Causeway St., Boston, Mass.
Karandrew Turf Farms, Inc.
Sam Mitchell, Sales Representative
18 Old Randolph St., Canton, Mass.
The Kenneth Barrie Company
Irrigation
375 Centre St., Jamaica Plain, Mass.
Kerr-McGee Chemical Corp.
380 Union St.
West Springfield, Mass. 01089
Larchmont Irrigation Co.
Larchmont Ln., Lexington, Mass.
Bob Lippman, Tuco Products Co.
Division of the Upjohn Company
Kalamazoo, Michigan
Magovern Company, Inc.
Lawn Acre Road
Windsor Lock, Conn.
D. L. Maher Co.
Water Supply Contractors
P. O. Box 274, Woburn, Mass.
Ken Minasian — Scotts
Golf Course Division
312 Marlborough St., Boston, Mass. 02116
Sil Paulini, Inc.
6 Manor Avenue
Natick, Mass. 01760
Sawtelle Brothers
Jet. Routes 128 and 62
Danvers, Mass.
Shepard Sod Company
Merion Blue Grass and Pencross Bent
200 Sullivan Ave., So. Windsor, Conn.
Stur-Dee Rake Co.
P. 0 . Box 1087, Woonsocket, R. I. 02895

Gold Star Sod Farms, Inc.
181 South Ave., Weston, Mass. 02197

USS Agri-Chemicals, Inc., A. P. Bonnell
Seaboard Distributing Co., Inc.
Yarmouth Port, Mass. 02675
Philip A. Wogan
Golf Course Architect
21 Budleigh Ave., Beverly, Mass.

Grounds Equipment Co., Inc.
383 Boylston St., Newton Cen., Mass.

Wyandotte Chemical Co.
709 Salada Bldg., Boston, Mass.

Tom Irwin Co.
Bennett Hill Road
Rowley, Mass.

Yerxa's. Inc,
Golf Course Equipment
740 Broadway, S. Portland, Me.

Manuel Francis and Son, Inc.
Turf Nurseries
624 Webster St., Marshfield, Mass.