OCTOBER 1973

ourSe Stperinten clen/j s$55ociation
O F

N E W

E N G L A N D ,

I N C .

S p o n s o r s 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.

THE SEVEN-DAY WEEK
Through no fault
malady of devotion
in our neck of ihe
the seven-day work

of their own (except for that uncommon
to d u t y ) , most golf course superintendents
woods enacted and virtually championed
week this year.

Have you ever heard of someone working 1 0 0 straight days?
You say not since pre-Emancipation Proclamation times?
Well, such a plunge of mind and matter was the rule rather
than the exception during this summer to beat all summers.
In fact, you can go back to the very beginnings of this waning
golf season when Mother Nature rejected the courtship of the
superintendent. Even in April it was evident that this was to
be a long, hot summer.

who made a big joke out of the situation", another superintendent reported. " H e wanted to bet me that with all the
overtime I was making I probably was making more money
per week than he was. W e never got to comparing paychecks,
though. Obviously, he would have lost the b e t . "
Another round-the-clock super was wondering how his
chances stood in the divorce courts. " I haven't seen my wife
since Memorial D a y " , he told. " T h a t ' s when we were supposed
to go away for our only free weekend of the summer. I said
we were supposed to go. Actually, I'm not sure if m y wife's still
at home. She must be, though. I haven't heard from any
lawyers and received any papers.

Y o u name it and the superintendent encountered it. I n Vermont, for example, there was an extremist at work in the
attempt to turn the tide of hot, oppressive weather. She dumped
a flood on the area to add to the woes of the super. In that
span of cleanup operations, certain superintendents added the
24-hour day onto the seven-day week.

The free weekend, then, was a pipedream. And the holiday
was something that happened in the long ago. " I ' m not kidding," Super 1 came up for air again. " T h e Fourth of July
fell in the middle of the week and I figured I could escape
for a day. But it was another one of those weather-plagued
days. I wanted the wife and kids to come over to the barn
area for a cookout but they went to the beach instead."

Nothing was normal in the days from J u l y to September.
There were periods of high humidity, high temperatures and
excessive moisture . . . not necessarily in that order. One
day the super was fighting the throes of a dry spell trying to
keep his plants wet. The next would find him taking on wet
wilt as the rains came in buckets, bottles and boatloads.

Still another superintendent likened his work load this summer to that of a farmer. " I figure a herd of Holsteins would
have been easier to take care of than a golf course", he
quipped. " A n d I mean I would have been around f o r both
the morning and evening m i l k i n g s ! "

" I have to admit that this has been a supreme test f o r m e " ,
one superintendent explained. "Certainly, I had no other solution except to keep on the j o b as long as I was needed. But
at one point it got to the ridiculous stage. I was even afraid
to skip home for lunch . . . for fear we wouldn't have a golf
course when I r e t u r n e d ! "

One of the ironies to come out of this extended tour of
duty is that through all the undying effort there were reports
that some superintendents had been given their notices. " T h a t
caps everything", one noted member of the profession wrote
us. " T h i s is the toughest weather year we've had since I can
remember and they're sacking people. I don't know what they
expect a man to do under these weather conditions."

T h e average club member or the one, who still thinks that
the club winds up the super with a 40-hour spring and then
lets him unwind on overtime thereafter, will be surprised
(maybe relieved) to learn that in 9 9 out of 100 cases the
super works gratis on those extra days. " I had a member

Meeting October 29, 1973
Louis

Ingalls,

Bedford will host the meeting
on October 2 9 , 1 9 7 3 . Louis is
married and has 3 children. He
a

State

graduate
College

—

Gerry F i n n

also trained under his father at the Marion Golf Course. A
Superintend-

ent at the Country Club of New

is

W h a t was expected apparently was rendered. T h e super
experienced a genuine seven-day work week. And what's all
that talk going on about a four-day week in other professions ?

of
and

Fitchburg
a

buffet will be served at noon.
Directions: F r o m Boston area, use Rt. 2 4 to Rt. 140. Leave
1 4 0 at exit 3, Hathaway Rd., turn right about i y 2 miles. Club
will be on left. Cross Slocum Rd. to driveway, about 1 0 0 feet
on left.

former

Navy pilot. P r i o r to coming to

October 12, 1 9 7 3 is the date of the Pro-Super meeting at

Country Club of New Bedford

Brae Burn. Tee times are open after 9 A. M. so see you there.

he was at Furmose Brook and

B o b Grant promises very few oak leaves.

ourde

Superintendents

S I N G I N G THE BUDGET BLUES
The golf course superintendent was in direct competition
with Mrs. Average American Housewife this summer as each
engaged in the battle of the budget. Who won? It was a tossup.
Each, however, had to cut corners. And we all know how
that is. You cut here and hear a scream there. While the
housewife served the family a diet full of meatless wonders,
the superintendent was out on the course virtually appealing
for some help from above to keep his budget from skyrocketing out of sight.
"It's a good thing we aren't in the Metropolitan area", a
super with a labor outlay far exceeding his expectations
offered. " T h e average cost of labor there is $ 4 . 4 0 an hour.
You have to pay time and a half for Saturdays and double
time on Sundays. With the kind of conditions we've had this
year, I could go through my labor provisions in two months."
Naturally, labor made the biggest dent in the budget because of the high humidity-excessive moisture pattern of the
weather. The only way to combat this was with manpower and
the labor bank was hit hard.
The seven-day week for the super is covered in another
piece in the Newsletter. But that unusual circumstance was
compounded by the seven-day week for crew members. One
superintendent revealed that he averaged four or five men
working Saturdays and Sundays throughout the summer. This
is why the Metropolitan New York scale would have killed
the New England Association members.
The average hourly rate here is $2.30. But this could change
in the future. There is some strong talk about the Teamsters
Union moving in to cover golf course workers. If this should
occur, future budgets will take a walloping rise. Right now
the average outlay of an 18-hole course for labor is $ 7 5 , 0 0 0
per year. Toss in the increase in hourly rate and those overtime riders and it really riddles a budget.
While labor ate considerably of its share of adding to the
budget blues, other factors also appeared to make shrinking
violets of once healthy financial figures.

SAociation•
However, future budgets must contain contingency clauses
to allow for unusual conditions such as were experienced this
summer. Without such a clause, the superintendent could be
placed in a position where he loses his golf course over the
outlay of a few thousand dollars. The club member again
must choose between having a course hanging by the thread
of uncertainty (mostly the weather) and one that has the
foresight to meet the demands of extreme conditions.
No one can predict a repeat of the summer of '73, but
everyone can be ready for such a horrendous thought. It's
all done at budget time.
— Gerry Finn

Deciduous Garden Trees and Shrubs
Evergreen Garden Trees and Shrubs.

is intended to serve as
a companion to
Edited
"By Anthony T l u x l e y , this volume iIhisTrates~200" deciduous"
species and subspecies — in full color, accompanied by horticultural notes and shown in scale drawings. P r i c e : $4.95.
/. 08075.

MacMillan Publishing Co., Inc., Riverside, N.
OSHA Safety & Health

is a magazine published by the U. S.
Department of Labor to provide the information an employer
needs to carry out his responsibilities under the Occupational
Safety and Health Act of 1970. The publication may be of
interest to the golf course superintendent even though the contents are not specifically oriented toward golf course operations. Articles discuss standards and compliance, employer and
employee safety activities, j o b health research, and careers
in safety and health. Regular departments provide ( 1 ) the
latest news from OSHA's national office, including regulations,
policy statements and appointments; ( 2 ) summaries of research on which OSHA bases workplace standards; ( 3 ) highlights of successful safety activities and programs; ( 4 ) lists of
current OSHA publications; and ( 5 ) answers to readers'
questions. Subscription price: $4.50 per year.

of Documents, U. S. Government Printing Office,

D . C.

— Golf Superintendent/September/October

The trend was to go way over prescribed cost on fungicides,
ain, this was precipitated by the weather. Whereas an
ordinary summer might call for $ 3 , 0 0 0 in fungicides, This year
that figure was at least tripled and even went beyond that
on some hardly-hit courses.
Repairs of equipment and even unavailability of certain
parts also had their hand in the battle of the budget. A conservative estimate throws the cost of repairs up 15 percent
from last year. This does not include certain items which
couldn't be obtained to repair equipment, a setback which
caused a switch to manpower again to provide a solution.
The whole idea of the budget being firmed in December
and then being desecrated in July has to be the result of poor
planning by the country club. Naturally, the super never gets
as much as he wants in the line of budget money. This is a
natural setting for a natural rivalry between those chosen to
allow the spending and those chosen to actually do the spending.. There is always a gap in each's thinking.
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 —
Second Vice President —
THOMAS CURRAN
W A Y N E ZOPPO
Fox Chase Road
48 Barberry Drive
South Sutton, N. H . 03273
Seekonk. Mass. 02771
Club Affiliation
Phone 399-7141
Eastman Golf Course
Club Affiliation
A g a w a m Hunt

20402.

Superintendent
Washington,
1973

Superintendent-Celebrity
Results of tournament at Blue Hills: About 4 0 teams of
golfers braved the wind and rain on Monday, September 24,
1973 at Blue Hills to play in the Super-Celebrity tournament.
It ended in a tie to be played off at Brae Burn at a date in
October. Tied for first net were Lanny Gregory and Tony
Conigliaro of Tedesco and Ken Morradian and Bob Philips
of Hopedale. Both had a net of 65. First gross went to Charles
Borden and Ron Hobsen with a 76.

The Nominating Committee will meet at Brae Burn on
October 12, 1973 at 4 : 3 0 P . M .

Secretary —
Treasurer —
RONALD KIRKMAN, C G C S
LUCIEN DUVAL
25 Green Street
R.F. No. 5 Gault Road
Needham. Mass. 02192
Bedford, N. H . 03105
Phone 444-8412
Phone 472-3454
Club Affiliation
Club Affiliation
Needham Golf Club
Manchester Country C l u b

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

Trustee; —
BERT F R E D E R I C K
45 Stoney Brook Road
Nabnaset, Mass. 01861
Phone 453-1231
Club Affiliation
Vesper Country Club

Trustee —
Finance Chairman —
MAX MIERZWA
NARY SPERANDIO
106 Crestwcod Street
Concord, Mass. 01742
Chicopee, Mass. 01020
Phone 369-4723
Phone 594-4996
Club Affiliation
club Affiliation
C o n c o r d Country Club
Chicopee Country Club

OF
SOUND OFF !!!!

(Here we go again. The pens are ready to strike which can
only mean that it's time jor another session of Sound O f f ,
that feature of this publication which puts the power of the
press into the hands of the man and woman on "the street.
Contributors are asked to include their name and address with
each offering, although one or both will be wtihheld upon
request. Send all your likes, dislikes or what have you concerning golf to Newsletter Mail Bag, 24 Riverside Drive, Newbury, Mass. 01950. The Newsletter reserves the right to comment on each published letter.)
*

*

*

*

"It's remarkable how many times I see comments and news
first appearing in your journal suddenly popping up in other
periodicals and the like.
"Although not a superintendent, I am exposed to the New
England Newsletter and I find it most enjoyable . . . and
darn right informative. It is that part of the Dublication to
which I refer here.
"Only recently I read a long article in the
commenting on the horrible weather conditions the golf
course superintendents of the Northeast encountered this
summer. In fact, if I'm correct, it said that these conditions
were the worst in 2 0 years.
"All of a sudden it dawned on me that I had read virtually
the same thing in the August issue of your Newsletter. I was
amazed at some of the words and terminology used . . . the
result being that it was almost a word for word account taken
from your publication.
" O f course, I see nothing wrong in the
leaning on the New England Newsletter for the source of its
articles. I just thought I'd let you know about it with the hope
that it encourages other bits of subject matter worth repeating in such a well-known newspaper as the
L. M. R E Y N O L D S
Blandford, Mass.
W e don't care where you read our copy, L. M., just as long
as you can say, " I read it here first."

New York Times,

New York

Times

Times."

*

1

*

*

*

" I know that youth must have its fling, but I'm wondering
if other supers have experienced the same thing I did just
before the start of the long Labor Day weekend.
"Seeing that conditions haven't been what you'd call ideal
for grooming the golf course, I had counted on my staff to
work right up until they returned to school (college). It was
much to my surprise and disappointment, though, when most
of the younger men deserted me a full week before Labor Day.
" T h i s did me in as far as my schedule went. The remaining members of the crew had to put in double and triple overtime in order to keep the course under control. It was one
of the most frightening weeks I have ever experienced.
" A r e other supers confronted with this same problem, or is
this a pitfall of the profession that happens only to unlucky
people like m e ? "
CRAIG S E A V E R
Stevens, Vt.
Just as long as the workers are without a union and protection, the super will have to live with this problem. Part-time
help is just that . . . you can lose all or part of it at any time!
*

Golf Chairman

—

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

*

.

Educational Chairman —
LARRY BUNN
145 Dedham Street
Canton, Mass. 02021
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 C l u b

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

NEW

ENGLAND,

IMC.

" I am a college student and have just completed my first
season working on a golf course. It never entered my mind
that I might think about making this my life's work . . .
and it very well might end up that way. However, I have
some observations that should interest you.
" T h e first and foremost is the lack of golf course etiquette
by many country club members. They seem to think that
etiquette only is required in matters of putting lines and what
not. They fail to include the safety of golf course workers.
" T i m e and time again I saw golfers hit into work crews,
arrive on the scene with their only concern . . . "where in
blank-blank is my golf b a l l ? " It seems to me they could at
least inquire as to whether or not that blank-blank ball hit
anyone.
" T h i s type of abnormal behavior makes me think twice
about my future. Not only am I talking about turning to the
superintendent's field as a profession but whether I should
even return to the course next year."
B O B CLOUGHLIN
City Withheld
Through your career (whether as a super or not), you'll find
that the world is full of inconsiderate people — some of whom
seem to find their way to the golf course.
*

*

*

*

"Just a few lines to let you know that the 'national' appears
to have come up with another outstanding program for its
45th International Turfgrass Conference and Show at Anaheim.
" I have looked over the program and it is an excellent one.
The social and cultural offerings — along with the entertainment efforts
— are something that all GCSAA members
should be proud of. It certainly looks as though there will be
a record turnout.
"After having spent one of the roughest conditioning programs in my years as a golf superintendent, it will be a welcome relief for me to board an airplane for Anaheim. After
reading the lineup of events and the like, I'm sure my fellow
supers will agree with me. I have to hand it to the 'national'
for following the same order of outstanding shows that we
most recently experienced in Boston."
T E D JOHNSON
Fellowship, Md.
it looks like the next conference will earn a triple-A rating,
Ted. It certainly has our endorsement. W h a t time does that
plane leave?
*

(That brings us to the end of another interesting session.
Keep those cards and letters coming. Everyone's invited to
express his views and complaints. We print 'em all).
M E E T I N G S COMING UP
October 29, 1973 — New Bedford
November — Bass River
December 3, 1973 —. Holiday Inn, Newton
January 7, 1974 — Holiday Inn, Newton
February 10-15, 1974 — National Convention, Anaheim, Calif.
March, 1974 — Massachusetts Turf Conference
April 1, 1974 — Holiday Inn, Newton

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.

Piea&e

frcUruMiye

FRIENDS OF THE ASSOCIATION

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

Ron Gagne - Scotts Golf Course Div.
5 Kendall Park, Norton, Mass.
617-285-7446

Alfco Rokeby Co., Inc.
Fertilizers and Chemical Specialties
P. O. B o x 267, Marietta, Ohio

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

B a k e r Tractor Corp., Ford Tractors
Harley Davidson Golf Cars
Swansea, Massachusetts
T h e Charles C. Hart Seed Co.
Richard McGahan, Rep.
Wethersfield, Conn.
Corenco Corporation
525 Woburn Street
Tewksbury, Mass. 01876
G. D. Kimmey
1-800-222-7976 — 1-800-225-7955
* T h e Clapper Co.
1121 Washington St.
* Geoffrey S. Cornish & William G. Robinson
Golf Course Architects
Fiddlers Green, Amherst, Mass. 01002
George E. Cull
Terra-Green Soil Conditioner
112 Green St., Abington, Mass.
C. S. Curran
T . R. C. Products, Oils and Greases
7 Linden St., Framingham, Mass.
E-Z-Go Golf Car, Division Textron, Inc.
Sales - Service - Rentals
Route 28, Pocasset, Massachusetts 02559
Call E d McGuire 'collect 617/563-2234
Fairway Equipment, Inc.
Sales —• Service —• Rentals
35 Walnut St., Reading, Mass.
F a r m Bureau Association
158 Lexington St., Waltham, Mass. 02154
Fred Heyliger, Representative
Thomas F . Grummell, Representative

EW

E N G L A N D ,

DEAN ROBERTSON
Newsletter Committee Chairr.'.an
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

R. F . Morse & Son, Inc.
Cranberry Highway
West Wareham, Mass. 02576
Tel. 617-295-1553

Gull Agricultural Service Co.
New England Sealcoating Co., Inc.
Allen P. Bonnell
55 Freeman Rd., Yarmouthport, Mass. 02675 Tennis Court Const, and Maintenance
Sealcoating — Hingham Industrial Center
617/362-2181 — Ohio 614/263-6572
Hingham, Mass. Tel. 749-3236
Holliston Sand Company, Inc.
Lowland Street, Holliston, Mass. 01746
Sand for Golf Bunkers and Traps
Irrigation & Equipment Supply Co.
P. O. B o x 147 Route 1
Walpole, Mass. 02081
T e l . 617-668-7814
* T o m Irwin, Inc.
1 1 B A Street
Burlington, Mass.
Karandrew Turf Farms, Inc.
Sam Mitchell, Sales Represer
15 Longmeadow Drive, CantonTTraa®=^
T h e Kenneth Barrie Company
Irrigation
375 Centre St., J a m a i c a Plain, Mass.
Larchmont Irrigation Co.
Larchmont Ln., Lexington, Mass.
Mallinckrodt Chemical Works
Second and Mallinckrodt Streets
St. Louis, Mo. 63160
Magovern Company, Inc.
Lawn Acre Road
Windsor Lock, Conn.
D. L. Maher Company
Concord Street
P.O. B o x 127, North Reading Ma. 01864

* Contributors to the Lawrence S. Dickinson Scholarship Fund

Course Superintendent* -^AAociation

Malter International
Mr. Howard A. Vincent, Representative
Longmeadow, Massachusetts 01106

Old F o x Chemical Inc.
Fertilizers — Seeds —• T u r f Chemicals
66 Valley Street
East Providence, Rhode Island 02914
Sil P&ulini, Inc.
6 Manor Avenue
Natick, Mass. 01760
Richey & Clapper, Inc.
28 Rutledge Road
Natick. Mass. 01760 .,
Trencher & Equipment Leasing, Inc.
Ditch Witch Trenchers
38 Fairview St., Agawam, Mass. 01001
Phone 413-781-4600
*Sawtelle Brothers
565 Humphrey Street
Swampscott, Mass.
T e l 617/599-4856
Shepard Sod Campany
Merion Blue Grass and Pencross B e n t
200 Sullivan Ave., So. Windsor, Conn.
Tuco Products Co.
Division of the Upjohn Company
Kalamazoo, Michigan
White Turf Engineering
5 Sumner Drive, Winchendon, Mass. 01475
617-297-0941
Philip A. Wogan
Golf Course Architect
' 21 Budleigh AfW.-Beverly,

/

Mass.