JUNE 1972

our&eSuperintendents S^liSocicition
OF

NEW

E N G L A N D ,

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.

INC.

THE A S S O C I A T I O N . . . G O D BLESS IT
You're a member of a golf club and you're suspicious.
Every first Monday of the month you look around your course
for the superintendent and he's nowhere to be seen. He's a
phantom. He's either out fishing or moonlighting at the local
nursery.
Right? . . . Wrong! If your superintendent is one of the
conscientious faith and in good standing with his senses, he
is off to the monthly meeting of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of New England. And . . . believe me,
he couldn't be in better hands.
So . . . you say to yourself . . . what's this gig all about?
Is this some type of sanctuary for superintendents? Once a
month do they get together in a moment of self-pity, put a
keg of beer on tap and drink themselves into a state of accepting the country club for the next 30 days?
The answer is forthcoming and to wit: No! For your comfort and peace of mind, the superintendents of New England
get together for the betterment of your own good. That's right.
They do it for you members. In a word, they go back to
school, back to the books and seminars . . . the gab sessions
and the bull-throwing parlors. But their purpose is honorable.
They gather to seek the answer to the eternal question: "How
can I condition my course to threaten the boundaries of a
golfing Utopia?"
That's what these monthly meetings are all about. In most
cases what comes out of them is that ounce of prevention everyone talks about but never finds. "We exchange problems and
solutions of those problems", New England super prexy Bob
Grant will tell you. "So many times I have been at meetings
when I've become aware of a turf disease or something similar
which I never suspected could happen at my course. And because I hear about it, we don't get it. I'm steered onto a chemical which prevents it, so I'm ahead of the thing before it
starts."

There are some clubs in New England . . . and they must
be listed among the staggering minority . . . that prefer to
turn their back on the pleas of their super joining the Association. They are of the opinion that the group is a social-oriented
flock of goldbrickers who steal away from their clubs for the
sole purpose of making merry. And, this turns to be the farthest from the truth.
Association meetings in the summer do include the option
of a member playing golf. But, actually, the golf is secondary.
Usually, the golfing sector of the meeting is an educational
endeavor in itself. The group stages tournaments as the superpress, super-golf chairman and super-pro competitions. Tell
me if relationships spawned out of this sort of get together
doesn't further the cause of golf and the golf course.
Then, too, each meeting often has an educational segment
attached. This is especially true during the indoor winter
meetings when the group's educational committee lines up a
speaker who presents his specialty in a forum makeup which
has been known to last as many as four hours. In the end,
the course is the winner . . . and all through the superintendent's active participation in the association.
On the subject of playing golf, the association also serves
as an outlet for tensions a super might live with as the result of his position. In this day and age of pressures from
within and without country club members might liken their
own plight to that of the super and, here again, a round of
golf might be his best tonic to relax those tensions.
So, the first Monday of every month is not escape day from
Stalag 17. It is the regular meeting of men dedicated to their
profession and a time when perhaps the condition of their
own course is made or broken at a chance jawing with a
colleague. The association is a necessary part of a superintendent's life. If your super isn't making the scene, it's high
time he did and high time you saw to it that he does.
— Gerry Finn

NEXT MEETING
The next GCSA of NE meeting will be June 6, 1972, a
Monday, at the Crestview Country Club, Agawam, Massachusetts. This is the annual Superintendent Green Chairman
meeting so we hope to see everyone there. Remember to fill
out the post card and return it to Dave Clement for your
reservation. There will be a buffet lunch at noon and golf will
start at 1:15.
Guest speaker for the day will be Wallace M. Burnett,
former Green Chairman and club official at the Longmeadow
Country Club, Longmeadow, Mass. He has been a member
of the M.G.A. for five years and is currently chairman of
activities for state tournaments. His topic will be "Superintendent-Chairman Relationships."
Directions: Mass. pike to route 91 south. Follow Agawam
exit over the South End bridge. Go right at circle to route 57
and follow to Bradley Field exit (rt. 75). Follow route 75
and go right opposite BP Station which is Shoemaker Road.
Club is up the road.

.

Dave Clement is the super in charge of
the Crestview Country Club and has held
that position for a year and a half. The
ambitious lad started his career under the
leadership of his father and then worked
for two years at the Vesper Country Club
with Manny Francis, Sr. In 1961 he accepted the call to Crystal Springs Golf Club where he added a second nine and installed a water system with only his regular
crew. After completing this task he took over at the Woodstock
Country Club in Vermont, staying there for four years and
admits he still likes the country living of Vermont. Dave said
that "I can't think of any profession that presents such a
challenge in so many different ways as that of a Golf Course
Superintendent and I accept the challenge and find it most
rewarding."

(Gourde Superintendents

-^IdAociation-

WE ARE NOT YOUR ENEMY
There seems to be a fallacy among golfers, and an unwarranted one at that, concerning the relationship between
golf course superintendent and country club member. The air
should be cleared, the green swept and all that sort of thing.
First of all, there is this way-out theory that the superintendent is something apart from the game, that he comes to
the course every morning with curses on his lips for golfers
who have stomped and tramped over the holy ground he has
nurtured as a sort of memorial to himself. In other words,
some golfers believe the superintendent looks upon the golf
course as a veritable Garden of Eden, a place to be admired
only.
Such belief is for the birds . . . or is it the birdies? As
a matter of fact, the superintendent . . . in most cases . . .
is, himself, a golfer and in that position appreciates the
original purpose of his job. He has in mind, when he applies
-his—trade,—the results of his efforts from—the-standpoint -1 of~
the golfer — not the garden club member.
Did you know, for instance, that the superintendent is one
of the genuine students of the game? The test for certification
of a super has in it a special section for the rules of golf. In
other words, a super often times knows more about the whys
and wherefores of the sport than do the members who toil
among the fruits of his contributions to the soil.
"I can think of nothing better than to give my member the
same type of course conditions I would expect when I play",
one super expresses the thoughts of his colleagues. "I think
By the same token, the super hopes that the member looks
upon the course as something other than a piece of land which
is staked out and conditioned for the sole purpose of him beating it to death. "I only hope that my members realize that
my prime function is to cope with the problems posed by

UNITED STATES D E P A R T M E N T OF A G R I C U L T U R E
AGRICULTURAL STABILIZATION AND CONSERVATION
SERVICE COUNTY O F F I C E S IN MASSACHUSETTS
offer the current up to date aerial photos to golf course superintendents: 24" x 24" size photos, scale 660 f t / i n c h , accurate; at cost of
$5.00 per copy.
Southern Mass. County ASCS Office
Barnstable, Bristol, Dukes & Nantucket
Bristol City Agrl School,
Center St., Segreganset, Ma. 02773
James Hines, CED
Maud H. Barrow

- N o r f o l k County ASCS OffiM
(Suboffice of Middlesex County)
Norfolk City Agrl. High
School, 460 Main St.,
Walpole, Ma. 02081
C. William Benson, CED
Evelyn Joyce Nieva

Berkshire County ASCS Office
20 Elm St. Pittsfield, Ma. 01201
Emil R. Scholz, CED
Irene S. Crossley
Essex County ASCS Office
(Suboffice of Plymouth County)
Essex Agrl. & Technical Institute
P. 0 . Box 168, Maple St.
Hathorne, Ma. 01937
Robert A. Leland, CED
Barbara E. Corning
Franklin County ASCS Office
62 Federal St. Greenfield, Ma. 01301
Paul D. Looney, CED
Blanche M. Macurnis
Hampden County ASCS Office
Hampden City Improve. League Bldg.
1499 Memorial Ave.
West Springfield, Ma. 01089
Hollis F. Kane, CED
Barbara E. Farrell
Hampshire County ASCS Office
4 Whalley St.
Hadley, Ma. 01035
John W. Hardaker, CED
Marguerite R. Cicia

President —
ROBERT G R A N T
22 Patricia Road
Sudbury, Mass. 01776
Phone 443-2671
Club Affiliation
Brae Burn Country Club

First Vice President —
THOMAS CURRAN
153 Fisher Street
Walpole, Mass. 02081
Phone 668-7221
Club Affiliation
The Country C l u b

Middlesex County ASCS Office
409 Massachusetts Ave.
Acton, Ma. 01720
C. William Benson, CED
Gertrude M. Sproul

Plymouth County ASCS Office
9 North Main St.
W. Bridgewater, Ma. 02379
Robert A. Leland, CED
Edith M. Ek
Ethel J. Nordeen
Worcester County ASCS Office
Colonial Office Bldg.
672 Main St.
Holden Ma. 01520
Ralph C. Reynolds
Shirley E. Johnson
Patricia J. VanWert

Mother Nature", another super notes. "I don't think we're
engaged to repair the damage done by the golfer. It should
be a two-way street. The golfer must cooperate with us in
upkeep of the course. We really have enough trouble trying
to offset the complexities the elements present us. All in all,
though, I think the average golfer agrees with this theory."
Therefore, a member might think it strange that the super
place the flag sticks in the middle of the greens and push the
tee markers up front in the beginning of the season. He
should realize, that there is purpose behind such an operation.
"The member looks at the course as it is now", a super advises.
"But we must look at it as it will be two, three months from
now. That's why we' jockey pins and tee markers at this time
of the season. We are only thinking of the future and in that
respect we are looking at the course conditions for the member the season-round."
The task of conditioning a golf course is something above
that of producing a striking color to the greens and a certain
texture to the fairway grasses. If the superintendent wanted
to, he could peak his efforts for a certain time of season so
as to bring gasps from his membership. But this is only a
minute portion of what his obligation to the job is. Long
after the lush days of the layout, there are to be played there
round after round and the overall condition of the course
outweighs the immediate or showcase version of same.
'I don't want to build any monument to a green thumb",
another super volunteered along these lines. "I play golf and
I service golfers. In the first person I like to play on a wellconditioned course. In the second I am aware of the considerations necessary to provide top-rate conditions the entire
season. I only hope my members realize I am not their enemy.
In effect, we all seek the same thing."
— Gerry Finn

SOUND OFF!!!!
(It's time once again for the reader to take over the editorial
chores of the Newsletter and let his or her hair down. This
is Sound O f f , a special outlet jor our good golfing friends to
tell us like it is and also how it should be. Everyone is invited to take part. The route is simple. Just jot doivn your
thoughts on any golfing subject and jet them off to Newsletter Mail Box, 24 Riverview Drive, Newbury, Mass. 01950.
~Tire Newsletter Terserves~the Tight tar comment on all -pwbtishect~
letters.)
*

«

*

"I am a young student in a state college and have been
toying with the idea of setting my sights on a golf course
superintendent's career. But there are a lot of ifs involved.
"Around the campus and my town I'm told that the golf
business is dying and that more courses are being closed than
new one being opened. This has caused me to think twice
about pursuing my original vocation and I'm appealing to
you to steer me straight.
"Actually, I am really interested in golf courses, their makeup and the challenge a superintendent's job will offer me.
But there's still this hesitant bug biting me. What should I d o ? "
PAUL STARRETT
Wampum, Pa.

CED County Executive Director

O n l y you know your capabilities, Paul. But, just to relieve
your mind some, golf still is growing and new courses outnumber dying ones. So, stick in there a n d think super.
Second Vice President —
W A Y N E ZOPPO
48 Barberry Drive
Seekonk, Mass.
Phone 399-7141
Club Affiliation
A g a w a m Hunt

Secretary —
RONALD KIRKMAN
25 Green Street
Needham, Mass. 02192
Phone 444-8412
Club Affiliation
Needham Golf C l u b

Treasurer —
LUCIEN DUVAL
R.F. No. 5 Gault Road
Bedford, N. H. 03105
Phone 472-3454
Club Affiliation
Manchester Country Club

Trustee —
MAX MIERZWA
106 Crestwood Street
Chicopee, Mass. 01020
Phone 594-4996
Club Affiliation
Chicopee Country Club

Trustee —
NORMAN MUCCIARONE
101 Alban Road
W a b a n , Mass. 02168
Phone 332-3056
Club Affiliation
W o o d l a n d Golf C l u b

Trustee —
BERT F R E D E R I C K
45 Stoney Brook Road
Nabnaset, Mass.
Phone 453-1231
Club Affiliation
Vesper Country C l u b

Finance Chairman —
NARY SPERANDIO
Concord, Mass. 01742
Phone 369-4723
Club Affiliation
C o n c o r d Country Club

OF

NEW

E N G L A N D ,

INC.

Sound Off (continued)
"

*

011 him as to the amount of budget he requires to keep up
the condition of his course. He has sought to sound off myself
and other supers in the immediate area so that he can present a budget that is comparable to mine and the rest of
the boys.

^fr

"I am an irate country club member and I don't mind
telling you supers so. It all has to do with golf carts or whatever you people choose to call the things which carry us to
our appointed rounds.
"My course has been under a deluge of water in the early
part of the season. But, I say that as long as the golf course
is declared playable I should be able to run a golf cart on
it. Our super says otherwise and our pro doesn't want to
express an opinion. He doesn't want to get himself in the
middle of the argument, either.
'"Anyway, I'm expressing my opinion here and say that
you people are unreasonable in trying to deter the use of electric carts when you say the course is playable. It's one way
or the other. There is no in between here. I say that if electric
carts aren't allowed on the course, the course should not be
open. What do you have to say to that?"

""I don't go along with this. And I'm wondering if you feel
the same? I realize that golf chairmen get together and talk
about budgets of their respective clubs and this makes me a
little leery of the whole idea. I don't want to look like a stiff
neck or something but I think the super in question has one
heck of a nerve trying to get me to set up a budget figure
so that he won't look bad in the eyes of his chairman.
"Is this the proper thing to do or should I say nix on his
suggestion of a meeting and let him sink or swim in his own
figures?"
TOM THUMB
Seedling, Va.

CALVIN CRUZE
Bethany, Conn.

Y o u are caught in a bind but y o u must be your own man
here. If your friend (?) is a bona fide super, he shouldn't need
advice on his b u d g e t . Nuff said.

Calvin, y o u sound like the g u y who says on a c r o w d e d
flight that if he can't fiy first class, he w o n ' t fly at all . . . in
which case y o u are a person who will never g e t off the g r o u n d .

"I am a superintendent who just learned that I flunked my
test to become certified. Believe me, this is quite a blow to my
ego since I have been employed at a reputable club for many
years and its course is considered to be one of the best conditioned in the state.
"At the moment I am at odds with myself and the certification movement. I really don't know whether or not I should
bother to take the exam over again or throw in the sponge.
As a matter of fact, I don't think any of my members care if
I'm certified or not.
"What I'm saying is this certification bit is a humbling
thing. I have been brought to my knees and I don't know
whether I should lay down or come back fighting. What's the
going thing among us flunkies?"
(Name, Club Withheld)
Y o u are not the first to flunk a n d y o u are not the last. For
one thing, passing the certification test — whether on the
first or I Oth try — gives one a feeling of self-satisfaction.
If y o u d o n ' t take it over again, you'll have a t o u g h time looking at yourself in the mirror when y o u shave every morning.
*
*
*
*

"Naturally, I can't sign this letter with my right name so
you'll get the idea when you see the signature at the bottom.
"Anyway, I live and work in an area which is saturated
with golf courses and I have to admit that most of them can
he classified in the above average class.
"When I say work, I mean that I am a ^olf course superintendent at one of the aforementioned courses. Mine is
perhaps one of the top five in the state which makes it close
to tops in my particular area.
"The problem I have is one of my fellow supers. He works
at a club similar to mine but he has had some pressure placed

Golf Chairman —
JULIUS AKSTEN
6 Main Street
Southboro, Mass. 01772
Phone 485-8885
Club Affiliation
St. Mark's Golf Club

Educational Chairman —
LARRY BUNN
145 Dedham Street
Canton, Mass.
Phone 828-0467
Club Affiliation
Blue Hill Country Club

Newsletter Chairman —
DEAN ROBERTSON
24 Riverview Drive
Newbury, Mass. 01950
Phone 462-4540
Club Affiliation
Chestnut Hill Country Club

"Thank you for the precise and expert handling of the
query by Mr. Charles Curtis from Charleston, S. C. Mr. Curtis' question was most timely . . . we have been concerned
about updating our putting green specifications for some time
now but only recently has the necessary research been completed and the specs are now in process of being rewritten.
We will publish the updated article in our USGA Green Section
Record and will be happy to make reprints of the article
available to anyone desiring same as soon as reprints become available.
"Mr. Grant stated that to him it seemed a 'tight security
was placed on information regarding technical attempts to
improve construction of greens, tees and other aids to preparing a golf course.' We certainly do not agree with that statement for never before has there been so free an exchange of
worthwhile information in all turfgrass publications (and they
number more than ever available before), in turfgrass conferences 011 a local, state and national level, and in local golf
course superintendents association meetings. I'd have to say
to the contrary that there is more good information being
disseminated than ever before through numerous agencies, and
this is reflected in the general upgrading of golf courses
throughout the nation.
"Best regards and keep up the fine work."
Alexander M. Radco, Eastern Director
U. S. Golf Asso, Green Section
Highland Park, N. J.
Thanks for setting the record straight, AS. There are
secrets a m o n g professional p e o p l e .
*

*

*

no

*

(That does it for this time. Some interesting thoughts have
been put jorlh and more-will be coming. Let's have yours.)

Past President —
R I C H A R D C. BLAKE
2 I I Sewall Street
Boylston, Mass. 01505
Phone 869-2737
Mt. Pleasant Country Club

Information contained in this publication may be used
freely, in whole or in part, without special permission as
long as the true context is maintained. W e would appreciate a credit line.

PCecue, ^ M & m f e

FRIENDS O F THE

ASSOCIATION

Agrico Chemical Company
R. D. Sibley, Jr.. Representative
375 Power Rd.
Pawtucket, Rhode Island 02860

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

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

Fisk, Alden Ford Tractor Sales
Rear 900 Providence Highway
Dedham, Mass. 02026

Allen's Seed Store, Inc.
South County Trail Rt. No. 2
Slocum, Rhode Island
Charles Allen, Jr., Rep.

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

Bacher Corp., Lawn and Snow Equipment
876 Boston Rd. (Rt. 3A)
Billerica, Mass. 01866

Ron Gagne — Scotts Golf Course Div.
Kendall Park, Phone 617/285-7466
Norton, Mass. 02766

Baker Tractor Corp., Ford Tractors
Harley Davidson Golf Cars
Swansea, Massachusetts

Gold Star Sod Farms, Inc.
(Canterbury, New Hampshire)
(Sales Office) 1265 Mass. Ave.
Lexington, Mass. 02173 Tel. 861-1111

The Charles C. Hart Seed Co.
Richard McGahan, Rep.
Wethersl'ield, Conn.

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

Corenco Corporation
525 Woburn Street
Tewksbury, Mass. 01876
William Ferris
*The Clapper Co.
1121 Washington St.
West Newton, Mass.
» Geoffrey S. Cornish & William G. Robinson
Golf Course Architects
Fiddlers Green, Amherst, Mass. 01002

M

ass.

Holliston Sand Compan
Lowland Street, Hollistoii
746
Sand for Golf Bunkers ai.^^rfraps
Irrigation and Equipment Supply Co.
P. O. Box 9, 66 Erna Avenue
Milford, Conn. 06460
Telephone (203) 874-1096
*Tom Irwin, Inc.
11B A Street
Burlington, Mass.

Magovern Company, Inc.
Lawn Acre Road
Windsor Lock, Conn.
D. L. Maher Co.
Water Supply Contractors
P. O. Box 274, Woburn, Mass.
New England Sealcoating Co., Inc.
Astroturf, Tennis Courts, Pavement
Sealcoating — Hingham Industrial Center
Hingham, Mass. Tel. 749-3236
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
••Vatir-.k; Mass. 01760
Trencher & Equipment Leasing, Inc.
Ditch Witch Trenchers
38 Fairview St., Agawam, Ma. 01001
Phone 413-781-4600
*Sawtelle Brothers
Jet. Routes 128 and 62
Danvers, Mass.
Shepard Sod Company
Merion Blue Grass and Pencross Bent
200 Sullivan Ave., So. Windsor, Conn.

George E. Cull
Terra-Green Soil Conditioner
112 Green St., Abington, Mass.

Karandrew Turf Farms, Inc.
Sam Mitchell, Sales Representative
15 Longmeadow Drive, Canton, Mass.

C. S. Curran
T. R. C. Products, Oils and Greases
7 Linden St., Framingham, Mass.

The Kenneth Barrie Company
Irrigation
375 Centre St., Jamaica Plain, Mass.

White Turf Engineering
5 Sumner Drive, Winchendon, Ma. 01475
617-297-0941

Eastern Industrial Handling Co., Inc.
Norwood, Massachusetts
Westcoaster Turf and Golf Carts

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

Philip A. Wogan
Golf Course Architect
21 Budleigh Ave., Beverly, Mass.

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

Mallinckrodt Chemical Works
Second and Mallinckrodt Streets
St. Louis, Mo. 63160
* C o n t r i b u t o r s to the Lai

Tuco Products Co.
Division of the Upjohn Company
Kalamazoo, Michigan

Wvandotte Chemical Co.
709 Salada Bldg., Boston, Mass.
S. Dickinson Scholarship

y '

Fund

t / y<
/MSPOSTAGI

m-ZTL
J
~ UO
hQ.3T3T273 L

DEAN ROBERTSON
^
Newsletter Committee Chairman
24 Riverview Drive
Newbury, Massachusetts 01950
Phone 462-4540
C l u b Affiliation
Chestnut Hill Country 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