FEBRUARY 1971

ourSe S u p e r i n t e n d e n t s
OF

NEW

ENGLAND,

. ^ M o c i a t i o n
INC.

SPECIAL DELIN
They'll be winging in from all sections of the country in
just a few short days when the Golf Course Superintendents
Association of America covers the mile-high city of Denver
with its 42nd International T u r f g r a s s Conference and Show.
And just as much a part of the conclave as the national,
itself, will be the usual contingent from New Englnd in their
usual show of strength for the cause of the profession and
the betterment of each individual course.
The sponsors are calling this the "Greatest Show on T u r f "
and indeed it is just that. G C S A A president N o r m a n W.
K r a m e r says it is expected that the record turnout of 128
exhibitors and 330 exhibition booths will be exceeded.
The national has made a special effort to get the importance of the show across to the many country clubs and private courses who have deemed it a luxury to send their
superintendents to the conference. The theme of the call for
superintendents is that more than 3000 of the finest golf
courses in the United States and Canada can't be wrong. At
last count that number was seen sending supers to the Denver
event.
There is always something new and interesting at the conference site, but this year the G C S A A promises a veritable
outpouring of the very latest in products designed to help
the super do his job faster and more economically. Among the
displays a r e :
A nine-unit hydraulic mowing tractor.
A triplex riding green mower that cuts a 62-inch path at
one pass or the space equivalent of nearly three hand mowers.

Sponsors and administrators of the Lawrence S.
Dickinson Scholarship Fund — Awarded yearly
to deserving Turf Management Students.

Y TO DENVER
A mower featuring ,up-front placement of all cutting units.
A combination fertilizer spreader-seeder coated with the
same type of rust-proof material used on the heat shield of
the Apollo space capsule.
A new, fine-textured perennial rye grass variety.
An aerator attachment that shreds cores while aerating.
A lightweight utility truck that weighs only 160 pounds
and costs less than $400.00.
A new systematic fungicide and seed-head inhibitor chemicals.
Also included will be displays from universities, trade press
and industry associations . . . including the United States
Golf Association, National Golf Foundation and Americn
Society of Golf Course Architects.
Naturally, an educational program of special interest has
been arranged to complement the exhibits and displays. This
will last for four days with 40 speakers highlighted with information and ideas spawned from scientists, agronomists,
golf course superintendents and officials of other golf agencies.
Then, too, as an aftermath or wrap-up lure . . . there will
be special ski packages available at nationally known Vail
which is only a three-hour bus ride from Denver.
This, then, is certainly the greatest show on turf. A s the
national urges clubs, owners and other officials with the capacity to do the job — " s l a p a stamp on your super and
send him special delivery to Denver."
— Gerry Finn

THE BIRTH OF A GOLF BALL
Rtr
Tnliin Rorlmr>rirl
J
J v i m
i v v u i i i U j i u
JLJ

Robert Grant, super at the Brae Burn Country Club adjusts
sprayer prior to spraying fairways in mid December.

NEXT MEETING

The next meeting will be Feb. 22, 1971 at the Holiday Inn,
Newton, Mass.
Directors
1 0 : 4 5 a.m.
Regular Meeting
1 1 : 1 5 a.m.
Dinner
1 2 : 1 5 p.m.
Educational P r o g r a m
1 : 1 5 p.m.

Between topping, hooking, slicing and generally trying to
get the damn tiling into the hole, you have probably never
considered just what goes into making that little round thing
— a golf ball.
It is part of the business of Irish Dunlop to make those
balls, and in their factory in Cork they produce almost 150
thousand dozen each year for your enjoyment ( ? ) with probably more art, science and skill than goes into the making,
of any other type of ball for sport.
Golf, in one form or another, is in existence since ancient
times. The Romans called it Peganica and played it with a
bent stick and a leather ball stuffed with feathers.
Later the gutta percha came into being, and was improved
upon when it was recognised that a rough surface would
improve the flight of the ball. Various methods were devised
to bring about this with the modern-day-dimple pattern being
devised in the early 1920s.
These dimples, which you and I so quickly disfigure, influence the flight and performance of the ball, and I learned
on a visit to the Dunlop factory that every ball they make has
no less than 332 dimples, each of which is .012 inches in
depth. Makes you think!
(Continued on next p a g e )

Course

Superintendents

Sdociation•

A S E C O N D L O O K AT S N O W M O B I L E S
It is that dubious time of a golf course
life to take a second look at snowmobiles.

superintendent's

J u s t in case you haven't heard (how could you miss that
shattering shriek of whining over frozen w a t e r ? ) , snowmobiles still whirl among us. And they do it in increasing numbers.
Recently in a national periodical a group of superintendents
was shackled to the inquiring reporter's pen and asked to
speak out on the pros and cons of the mechanized monsters.
True, there was a scattering of pros (mostly from people
who hadn't experienced the ill effects of the roaring devil)
and many, m a n y loud cons.
This was followed up by an impromptu exchange of ideas
and exasperations during a meeting of NEGG'SA. Living proof
of the snowmobile's dirty work was smuggled into the session by one s u p e r - ^ - a slide showing a drunken patlr of
destruction on what was once considered a lush fairway.
It has been suggested by some of the compromising set
among the superintendents that we must learn to live with
the snowmobile, just as we were forced to learn to live with
the machine's distant cousin — the electric or gas golf car.
This is all well and good, if the snowmobile contributed
something to the game of golf which the golf car does in
some strange way. However, the snowmobile has no connection with the game of golf other than to invade its grounds
under the pretense of providing off-season recreation.
As one super stated, "the winter months are a time of
rest for the golf course. It is a time when the golf course
becomes one of the few remaining bastions of nature in its
purest form of b e a u t y . "
Maybe that sounds too poetic, but the idea is evident.
There are times in the life of a golf course when it should
be unattended and unaffected by man. Winter is that time.
The roar of a snowmobile, plus its eventual rape of the turf,
is an example of illegal intrusion.
Y o u may think this to be a harsh reassessment of the status of the super and the snowmobile. But, until proven otherwise, the intruder stands as another opponent in the attempt
to grow and maintain the finest turf possible through the
urging of the superintendent.
The attempt to look upon the snowmobile in the same respect as the golf car seems to be rather impractical. A s was
stated earlier, the snowmobile in no way can be linked to the
game of golf. Positively, it cannot be likened to the golf car
unless certain addicts of the sport have taken to playing a
fast 18 over frozen turf.
T h e hard facts of the situation dictate that the snowmobile is a manufactured hazard confronting the super. It is
difficult enough that he must combat the forces of nature,
disease and other forms of turf nuisance without having to
square off against the effects of a man-made foe whose only
contribution to the course is one of unneeded and uninvited
off-season traffic.
Yes, this is a
second look. If
you must have
effects on your

second look at snowmobiles . . . and a hard
you think it should be any other way, then
some secret formula preventing its harmful
course. S h a r e it with us, if you will.
— Gerry Finn

President —
First Vice President —
Second Vice President —
R I C H A R D C. BLAKE
'ROBERT G R A N T
THOMAS CURRAN
211 Sewall Street
22 Patricia Road
153 Fisher Street
Boylston, Mass. 01505
Sudbury, Mass. 01776
Walpole, Mass. 02081
Phone 869-2737
Phone 443-2671
Phone 668-7221
Club Affiliation
.Club Affilic
Club Affiliatioi
M t . Pleasant Country Club
Brae Burn Country Club
The Country Club

Snowmobile damage in the spring of 1970 at a golf course
in centra! Mass.

Golf Ball Continued
Golf balls were the first sports product to be manufactured
by Dunlop. Apart from Ireland, they make them in seven
other countries and, in fact, a Dunlop golf ball comes off the
production line every second of every hour, the equivalent of
some 7,000 dozen every day.
T h e manufacture of golf balls started in Dunlop's extensive
Cork plant in 1938. Over 60 per cent of their total production
is exported and in the first nine months of this year their
exports reached a record £77,000.
The major breakthrough in the evolution of the golf ball
came in 1901 when a rubber centered ball was invented by
an American named Haskell, who wound the centre with
vulcanised rubber thread and then covered it with gutta percha.
The Dunlop ball now consists of a rubber balloon filled with
a homogeneous paste in the centre. These are frozen and
afterwards wound in almost 30 yards of 'polypower" thread.
This is done on a machine which automatically controls both
the tension and length of the thread and with electronic controls to ensure precision and greater uniformity in winding.
The next stage is moulding. The balls are covered with two
half shells of synthetic gutta percha, and then moulded in
steel or bronze moulds. They are transferred into refrigerators at a temperature ranging from minus 40 to 50 degrees
centigrade. Once hardened the superfluous matter at the joint
of the mould is removed before the balls are placed in cabinets
for vulcanisation by gas.
They are then given a chemical pre-paint treatment. This
consists of a tumbling in chlorine and alcohol to cleanse,
whiten and prepare the surface of the ball for paint adhesion.
This is the final stage of the making. The balls are painted
with two coats of polyurethane and then tested to verify
weight, volume and compression.
The identification mark is added and followed by a coating
of transparent polyurethane varnish. Further visual inspections are m a d e of the finished product before they are wrapped
and packed for despatch.
— The Irish
Press

Secretary —
Treasurer —
W A Y N E ZOPPO
LUCIEN DUVAL
48 Barberry Drive
R.F. No. 5 Gault Road
Seekonk, Mass.
Bedford, N . H . 03105
Phone 399-7141
Phone -472-3454
Club Affili,
Club Affilii
Agav
) Hunt Club
Manchester Country Club

RONALD KIRKMAN
25 Green Street
Needham, Mass. 02192
Phone 444-84 Y2
Club Affi
Needham Golf. Club

ROBERT M U C C I A R O N E
465 Summer Street
Westwood, Mass. 02090
Phone 329-9682
.Club. Affiliation
Dedham Country and Polo Club

Trustee —
NORMAN MUCCIARONE
101 Alban Road
,
Waban, Mass. 02168
Phone 332-3056
Club Affiliation
W o o d l a n d Country Club-. .

-inance Chairman —
NARY SPERANDIO
Coricord, Mass. 01742
Phene 369-4723
J d u b Affiliation
Concord Country C ub

O F

N E W

E N

G L A N 0 ,

I N C .

SOUND OFF
(Here we go again . . . time for the reader to make us
sit up and take notice, tell us like it is via Sound O f f . This
is the thinking mans (or woman's)
feature of the
Newsletter.
We like to hear from all of you, if you have a gripe,
comment
or suggestion
concerning
any phase of golf. Just collect your
thoughts, spill them out on a letter and send them to Newsletter Mail Box, 24 Riverview
Drive, Newbury,
Mass.
01950
reserves the right to counter-comment
on all
The Newsletter
letters
published.)

" I have to respond to your article, 'Our Image . . . In
Review' in the December, 1970 issue of the 'Newsletter'.
"While I am human enough to associate myself with some
of the comments in your editorial, more importantly, I agree
that it is time thai our membership and superintendents
everywhere recognize the fact that the time is past to be
self -conscious aboul a profession that is becoming increasingly recognized. It is time now, as you point out, for the
superintendent to stand up and take the credit that is coming
to him. There is every indication that recognition of the
profession in general and of the individual superintendent
will continue to grow and each individual member must be
prepared to accept recognition.
" 'Accept
recognition?'
"Exactly. Now that it's coming our way we must know how
to accept it gracefully but firmly as our due and proceed to
generate more by our professional conduct, etc.
" T h a n k s again for another 'first'."
BEN J. CHLEVIN
Executive Director, G C S A A
Thank you, Ben for the G C S A A ' s recognition of our continuing effort to upgrade the superintendent . . . from within and without.
#

"You'll probably tear up this letter just as soon as you get
wind of its contents, but here goes . . . anyway.
" I am a practicing golf course superintendent but am
unable to benefit from the fact because of my unique status.
" S o u n d c r a z y ? Read on. First of all, I have all the qualifications of a first-class superintendent . . . and then some.
I have a land grant college degree and have been in the turf
business for the past six years or ever since my graduation.
In addition, I own up to the vital statistics of 36-26-37.
" I n case you haven't caught on yet, I must let out the news
that I am not one of you, as such. Alas, I am a girl. Perhaps
it could be that I am the only girl superintendent in the
profession.
"Whatever, I was just wondering why I am not invited to
take part in the professional and social activities of my local
G C S A A chapter? Certainly, since I am qualified to grow
grass and keep said grass green, I should be eligible t o ' j o i n
my colleagues in their monthly meetings and s e m i n a r s ?
" A m I off base or s o m e t h i n g ? "
SEMANTHA STEWART
Greensap, S. C.
Anytime you want to move to New England it's all right
with us, Semantha. Shame on you supers down there in
Greensap.
Golf Chairman —
JULIUS AKSTEN
6 Main Street
Southboro, Mass. 01772
Phone 485-8885
Cljb Affiliation
St. Mark's Golf Club

Educational Chairman —
ALBERT A U G E R
6 A Fort Hill Street
Hingham, Mass. 021 13
Phone 749-2272
Club Affiliation
South Shore Country Club

Newsletter Chairman —
DEAN ROBERTSON
24 Riverview Drive
Newbury, Mass. 01950
Club Affiliation
Chestnut Hill Country Club

" T h i s probably is a touchy subject. However, we supers in
this area have been pondering the idea of forming a professional union and are interested in sounding out some of
the other sections of the country.
" O u r reasons are elementary . . . for the purpose of establishing job security. Recently several of our members have
been getting the axe without bona fide explanation on the
part of their employers.
" T h i s is difficult for a dedicated superintendent to swallow
and it also poses problems in matter of relocation and the
cold, hard fact of finding another job.
" S o far, we haven'f noticed whether or not the New England group has taken a stand on the idea of a union. What
goes with you people on this p o s s i b i l i t y ? "
JACK DREW
Fairchild, Neb.
Union talk hasn't gone beyond the scuttlebutt stage here,
Jack. However, we are firm believers in advocating multi-year
contracts for the superintendent.

" A s an interested and informed citizen, I thought your
Newsletter might help in a little anti-pollution promotion.
"What I would like to see printed is this personal plea for
all of your superintendents to take a strong look at the situation and make an effort to replace the present gas being
used in and around their courses with the new non-leaded
products.
"Certainly, this is one way for New England to continue
in the lead as f a r as pacing the profession in topical awareness
and positive response to current problems concerning the
world in which we live.
" P e r h a p s it might make a difference in budget. Whatever
the hike in cost, though, it would certainly be a wonderful
thing if the New England supers got behind the non-leaded
gas move 100 percent."
VINCENT DELGADO
Newark, N. J .
All we can do is second your motion and hope enough of
our members do the same thing.
*

«

«

*

Just a short note to let all of the members of the G.C.S.A.
of N. E. that the Clapper Co. has a 1971 " T u r f g r a s s Meeting
and Planning C a l e n d a r " available upon request. Just ask your
Sales representative for it. This calendar lists all of the dates
and places of conferences and conventions for the year and
for the entire country.
0. 0. CLAPPER
West Newton, Mass.
Thanks for the information O . O .

(That puts the latest edition of Sound Off to sleep for this
time. Most interesting session, if ive do say so. Remember,
this
space is reserved for you. Let's keep those cards and letters
coming.)

Past President —
A N T H O N Y C A R A N C I , JR.
22 Hillview Drive
No. Providence. R. I. 02900
Phone 723-1688
Club Affiliation
Ledgemont Country Club

I n f o r m a t i o n c o n t a i n e d in this p u b l i c a t i o n
freely, in whole or in part, without s p e c i a l
l o n g as the true context is m a i n t a i n e d . W e
ciate a credit line.

m a y be u s e d
permission as
would appre-

P i e t u e
Agrico Chemical Company
R. D. Sibley, Jr., Representative
375 Power Rd.
Pawtucket, Rhode Island 02860
Agway Commercial Sales
Richard Williams
66 James St., W. Newton, Mass.
Phone 244-5309
Alfco Rokeby Co., Inc.
Fertilizers and Chemical Specialties
P. 0 . Box 267, Marietta, Ohio
Baker Tractor Corp., Ford Tractors
Harley Davidson Golf Cars
Swansea, Massachusetts

FRIENDS

OF

THE

A S S O C I A T I O N

Fairway Equipment, Inc.
Sales — Service — Rentals
35 Walnut St., Reading, Mass.

Kerr-McGee Chemical Corp.
380 Union St.
West Springfield, Mass. 01089

Farm Bureau Association
158 Lexington St., Waltham, Mass. 02154
Fred Heyliger, Representative
Thomas F. Grummell, Representative

Larchmont Irrigation Co.
Larchmont Ln., Lexington, Mass.

Fisk, Alden Ford Tractor Sales
Rear 900 Providence Highway
Dedham, Mass. 02026
Manuel Francis and Son, Inc.
Turf Nurseries
624 Webster St., Marshfield, Mass.

The Charles C. Hart Seed Co.
Wethersfield, Conn.

Ron Gagne — Scotts Golf Course Div.
45 Mechanic St., Apt. 1A
Foxboro, Mass. 02035

Corenco Corporation
Tewksbury, Mass. 01876
J. E. Nordholm Turf Specialist

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

*The Clapper Co.
1121 Washington St.
West Newton, Mass.
* Geoffrey S. Cornish
Golf Course Architect
Fiddler's Green, Amherst, Mass.
George E. Cull
Terra-Green Soil Conditioner
112 Green St., Abington, Mass.
Arthur Curran
Rock Driller Supply Equipment, Inc.
20 E. Glenwood Ave.
Hyde Park, Mass. 02136
C. S. Curran
T. R. C. Products, Oils and Greases
7 Linden St., Framingham, Mass.

Grounds Equipx*" 1 "*
383 Boylston St;

c

<-

Inc.
Cen., Mass.

Holliston Sand
Inc.
Lowland Street, Tiuiiiston; Mass. 01746
Sand for Golf Bunkers and Traps

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.
Old Fox Chemical Inc.
Fertilizers — Seeds — Turf Chemicals
66 Valley Street
East Providence, Rhode Island 02914
Sil Paulini, Inc.
6 Manor Avenue
Natick, Mass. 01760
Richey & Clapper, Inc.
28 Rutledge Road
Natick, Mass, 01760

*Tom Irwin Co.
Bennett Hill Road
Rowley, Mass.

*Sawtelle Brothers
Jet. Routes 128 and 62
Danvers, Mass.

Johns-Manville Sales Corp.
150 Causeway St., Boston, Mass.

Shepard Sod Company
Merion Blue Grass and Pencross Bent
200 Sullivan Ave., So. Windsor, Conn.

Karandrew Turf Farms, Inc.
Sam Mitchell, Sales Representative
15 Longmeadow Drive, Canton, Mass.
The Kenneth Barrie Company
Irrigation
375 Centre St., Jamaica Plain, Mass.

Philip A. Wogan
Golf Course Architect
21 Budleigh Ave., Beverly, Mass.
Wyandotte Chemical Co.
709 Salada Bldg., Boston, Mass.

* Contributors to the Lawrence S. Dickinson Scholarship Fund

'

DEAN ROBERTSON
Newsletter Committee Chairman
24 Riverview Drive
Newbury, Massachusetts 0 ) 9 5 0
Phone 462-4540
C l u b Affiliation
Chestnut Hill C o u n t r y C l u b
L E O N V. ST. P I E R R E
Business M a n a g e r
GERRY FINN
Contributing Editor

1

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