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974

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 d e s e r v i n g Turf M a n a g e m e n t Students.

I N C .

/

THIS ANNIVERSARY WASN'T A WALTZ

Guy C. West remembers the occasion of the first meeting as a
luncheon "somewhere in Boston."
Howard Farrant recalls that most people thought greenskeepers got their knowhow from The Farmer's Almanac.
Elmer B. Fuller believes golfers were fussy then and not about
to change their ways 50 years later.
Joseph Oldfield tells that he picked his labor force by offering a
man a shovel and hiring him if he picked it up by the right end.
The colorful quartet above, ranging in age from 74 to 77, were
among the more than 200 who said happy 50th birthday to the Golf
Course Superintendents Association of New England during a
super-gala affair November 1 at the Lantana Restaurant in
Randolph. And to emphasize their enjoyment, more than one
stayed on the dance floor when the orchestra whipped into a
snappy "boog-a-loo".
The Wests, Farrants, Fullers and Oldfields represented the
pioneers of the organization. Each was aboard the discussion
train that pulled into Boston at Cotrelle's Restaurant on the afternoon of February 25, 1924. "We thought it was about time we
got together and make people realize we weren't just a pick and
shovel gang", Oldfield laughs. "We didn't expect the large turnout we got. There were 41 interested and we were a group of 41
official members of the Greenkeepers Club of New England when
we left."
The organization eventually was changed from the
greenkeepers tag to that of the superintendent. "We never made
much of it", West reveals. "You know how job titles have changed
over the years. The superintendent name maybe put a little polish
on things. Besides, people always seemed to say "greenskeepers"
instead of greenkeepers. There's no "s" after the "n". But it
really doesn't matter, anyway."
Problems in the 20's and 30's were just about the same as they
are today, according to the charter members. "I remember once
that I put a strip of fresh cut rough through the middle of the area
between the tee and the rough", Fuller laughed. "In those days
there always was a piece of rough in front of the tee to make the
drive more demanding. Anyway, some of my members used to
line up their drives with that strip, just in case they topped the
ball. They wanted a good lie. But that's the whole of it. Golfers
always expect the best of conditions and the best positions for
their next shot."
Each of the veteran supers agreed that the rewards of the
profession have improved with everything else. "Our salaries
ranged from $1800 to $4000, Farrant disclosed. "But, remember.
Those were hard times, most of them, what with the depression
and all. I know that's a drop in the bucket compared to what some
of the boys get today. But we used to do a little moonlighting on
the side to make ends meet."
THERE
WILL
BE A M E E T I N G OF THE
SCHOLARSHIP
LAWRENCE S. DICKERSOW
FUND DEC. 2, 1974 PRIOR TO THE A N N U A L
MEETING.

Remembering
old
Fuller, and Joseph

times from
Oldfield,

left, Guy

West, Howard

Farrant,

Elmer

Budgets were in tune with the times, too. "A good budget for an
18-hole course in our time was in the neighborhood of $20,000",
West recalled. "Our equipment wasn't as fancy as that of today.
But we had our gang mowers and such. It wasn't exactly the dark
ages!"
While all of the charter members agreed the game of golf and
the accompanying march of the superintendent have improved,
there is one thing they think the sport could do without. "I'm
talking about the golf cart", West snapped. "I never was for it as
far as being a superintendent goes and neither am I as far as
playing golf goes. It takes something out of the sport and adds
nothing but headaches to the job of keeping the course in grade-A
shape."
The charters, the present-day superintendents, friends and
others continued on into the night in the dazzling party environs.
NEGCSA president Tom Curran welcomed one and all and asked
for ... and received a standing ovation for anniversary coordinators Wayne Zoppo and Don Hearn. They put it all together
and it was good show. Even the "boog-a-loo" fell into place.
Gerry Finn

Next Meeting

000

ANNUAL MEETING
DEC, 2,1974
Holiday Inn, Newton
Directors Meeting 11:00 A.M.
Regular Meeting 1:00 P.M.
Lunch On Your Own

ourse

S u p e r i n t e n d e n t s ^ d i s s o c i a t i on-

IT NEVER ENDS, DOES IT?

Now that the golf season is over, you think that you're going to
sit back, relax and while away the days until spring. You know
you're kidding. It never ends, does it?
Originally, the superintendent was hired to maintain the golf
course. That was his job, not that he could pack it in at the end of
November and whisk his weary body off to Florida. But, for the
most part, the winter months were lean ones. A superintendent
could take it easy, space out his time to refurbish equipment and
maybe even get to spend a holiday or two with his family.
So, every now and then, the Newsletter - both as a service to the
super and an educational service to the club member who is not
aware of such things - brings everyone up to date on the "wintering of the golf course superintendent". This is not meant as a
complaint, grievance or whatever. It's simply a re-stating of little
known facts.
Most superintendents have under their all encompassing wings
the task of keeping the clubhouse and grounds from resembling
an Alaskan outpost once the snows of winter fall. Alas, the
clubhouse doesn't close as does the course when the flakes accumulate. And members must have access to it.
This means snowplowing chores are a consistent reminder to
the super that his job never ends. As often as not, it does snow on
Christmas and New Year's. These two holidays are the social
home runs of the country club baseball team. And, if it requires,
the super and his crew might have to clear the driveways and
parking lots of the clubhouse in order that the social life continue
without a snag.
A new assignment has popped into the post golf season agenda
of the superintendent. In keeping with the increasing recreational
needs of the member, most clubs have turned to an enthusiastic
platform tennis program. This, as we all know, is another outdoor
game. And, this as we all should know, requires a conditioning
program which comes under the hand of the super.
Again, the super's contribution is based on availability. When
the snows come, so must the plows. . . for both the parking lot and
the courts. Man hours pile up in this category, too. It is not
unusual to see a platform tennis budget go as high as five and six
thousand dollars, depending on number of courts.
Even with the added responsibility of the platform tennis
chores, the superintendent has the regular off-season task of
getting equipment ready for the big push into spring. Now, more
than ever, he is making an effort to keep new machinery at a
minimum. In turn, this adds to the repair program.. . both in man
hours and manpower availability.
"I suppose we'll be busier than any winter I ever have known,"
one super advises. "The increase in budget will follow a familiar
line. It will emphasize that the hikes are absorbed in higher costs
of material and labor. Thus, we're going to have to get along with
certain of our equipment that would have been replaced in the
past. This year we'll be repairing it, so I'm going to have to be
very careful in my schedules. It's going to be very interesting."

First Vice President
THOMASCURRAN
Fox Chase Road
South Sutton, N.H. 03273
Phone 938-5436
Club Affiliation
Eastham Golf Course

W A Y N E ZOPPO
48 Barberry Drive
Seekonk, Mass. 0 2 7 7 1
Phone 399-7141
Club Affiliation
Aga warn Hunt

So, the superintendent has his work cut out for him this winter
and in a fashion he's never experienced before. The addition of the
platform tennis court conditioning, the regular manpower output
on the clearing of club roads, parking lots. . . and skating ponds
and the expected emphasis on reconditioning of equipment rather
than replacing it. These all add up to a heavy load.
Now you know why it doesn't end for the superintendent.. . just
in case you were expecting a post card from Florida!
Gerry Finn

President's Message.

The next meeting of our association will be the annual meeting.
This includes reports of officers and committee chairmen and
also our annual election. I would appreciate it if all committee
chairmen be prepared to make a brief annual report on their
committee's actions this past year. This is the first indoor
meeting and I hope it will be well attended.
Thank you,
Thomas G. Curran
President of the GCSA
of New England

N O M I N A T I O N S FOR
1975 OFFICERS OF N E G C S A
President —
First Vice-President —

Thomas Curran
Wayne Zoppo
Leon St. Pierre
Dean
Robertson
Second Vice-President —
Richard Blake
Ronald Kirkman
Secretary —
Treasurer —
Lucian Duval
Arthur
Washburn
Trustee - 3 Years —
Donald
Hearn
Finance Chairman —
Bryan
Cowan
Golf Chairman —
Educational Chairman — Larry Bunn
Newsletter Chairman — Tom Schofield

Second Vice President
DEAN ROBERTSON
24 Riverview Drive
Newbury, Mass. 0 1 9 5 0
Phone 462-4540
Club Affiliation
Chestnut Hill Country Club

R O N A L D K I R K M A N , CGCS
25 Green Street
Needham, Mass. 02192
Phone 444-8412
Club Affiliation
Needham Golf Club

LUCIEN D U V A L
R . F. No. 5 Gault Road
Bedford, N.H. 0 3 1 0 5
Phone 4 7 2 - 3 5 4 5
Club Affiliation
Manchester Country Club

BERT FREDERICK
4 5 Stoney Brook Road
Nabnasset, Mass. 01861
Phone 453-1231
Club Affiliation
Vesper Country Club

MAX MIERZWA
1 0 6 Crestwood Street
Chicopee, Mass. 0 1 0 2 0
Phone 594-4996
Club Affiliation
Chicopee Country Club

DAVID BARBER
1 Muriel Road
Chelmsford, Mass. 01824
Phone 256-4417
Club Affiliation
Way land Country Club

ROBERT MUCCIARONE
465 Summer Street
Westwood, Mass. 0 2 0 9 0
Phone 329-9682
Club Affiliation
Dedham Country and Polo Club

Or 50th year

— — —

-

SOUND OFF

-OF

NEW

ENGLAND,

INC.

(Some familiar names dot the Sound Off ranks today. This is
that part of the Newsletter which is as unpredictable as the
amount of rainfall we can expect next August. But it also is interesting. The ground rules are simple. Contributors can write on
any golf subject. The only request from the mail room is that each
sender complete his letter with name and home address. Those
names and numbers will be withheld if noted by the writer. All
contributions should go to Newsletter Mail Bag, 290 North Road,
Sudbury, Mass. 01776. The Newsletter reserves the right to
comment on all published letters.)
"It has been my unhappy and disturbing experience to notice
that your Sound Off column is lacking in one very important
ingredient more comment from our own NEGSCA members.
"Since this is my first year out of the "business" after serving
as the Newsletter chairman for many years, I have given stories
all the more attention. Because I'm interested in the publication
and view it as one of our strongest means of promoting our
profession, I think it's high time some of us started becoming
involved in the Sound Off space.
"The editor has assured me that the Newsletter takes an impartial stand on the opinions of individual members. Whenever he
is asked to withhold a name, he will do so. And he also repeats that
any controversial sounds will be treated in strictest confidence
once the letter becomes published without name and address.
"So, I think it's in the best interest of the superintendent and his
organization that he take part in this important feature of our
publication and that part is easily there for the taking through a
Sound Off letter. Why can't we all get involved in a good thing for
the good of ourselves and the sport of golf?''
DEAN ROBERTSON
Newbury, Mass.
Y o u hit the club on the s w e e t spot. D e a n . S o m e o n e out there
must h a v e s o m e t h i n g to s a y . . . and w e bet it's d a r n interesting.

"I just wanted to add my congratulations to Messrs. Zoppo and
Hearn for their part in the most enjoyable 50th anniversary
celebration a couple of weeks ago.
"The pace of the party couldn't have been better. Wayne and
Don put something out there for every person who attended. I
mean that all the different generations in attendance. . . and I
figured it to be at least three. . . were treated to a special kind of
entertainment. The old, middle and younger aged party-goers
seemed to revel during the entire evening in the pleasure accorded them.
"Once again, it was a grand affair. And, by the way, why wait
until the 75th birthday to do it again? After all, people celebrate
their own 51st birthdays!"
GERRY FINN
Suffield, Conn.
Everyone's still talking about the 50th. For that reason, you
might have something in suggesting a 51st bash!
¡fjfcif::!;:!:*:}:**:}:*;):

"Your senior readers might get some bang out of this list of old
time names that we used when golf was played 'way back when.'
"There are still some around who played golf in the twenties
and who remember when clubs were made of hickory, when clubs
were often carried in a little white canvas 'Sunday bag' and when
the oddly fashioned implements used to play the game had
names-not numbers as we have today. Here are the old Scottish
names which more than likely will bring a touch of nostalgia to
the senior citizens in your audience:
"One Iron
Driving Iron
"Two Iron
Mid Iron
"Three Iron
Mid Mashie
"Four Iron
Mashie Iron
Golf Chairman

Educational Chairman

BRiANCOWAN
Robbins Way
Harwich, Mass.
Phone 4 3 2 - 9 0 4 1
Club Affiliation
Eastward H o C o u n t r y Club

LARRY BUNN
1 4 5 D e d h a m Street
Canton, Mass. 0 2 0 2 1
Phone 8 2 8 - 0 4 6 7
Club Afflliation
Blue Hill Country Club

Newsletter Chairman
THOMAS SCHOF1ELD
290 North Road
S u d b u r y , Mass. 0 1 7 7 6
Phone 4 4 3 - 3 7 1 2
Club Affiliation
Maynard C o u n t r y Club

Winners of the Pro-Supt.
Ron Kirkman.

Tourney at Brae-Burn

C/C - Mike Smith and

"Five Iron
Mashie
"Six Iron
Spade Mashie
"Seven Iron
Mashie Niblick
"Eight Iron
Pitching Niblick
"Nine Iron
Niblick
"Ten Iron
Putter
"Eleven Iron
Jigger
"One Wood
Driver
"Two Wood
Brassie
"Three Wood
Spoon
"Four Wood
Cleek (or Baffie)
"The sand wedge and pitching wedge were not developed until
later. Those delicate approach shots were made by opening the
face of the Niblick."
ANGUS MACDONALD
Palmer, Mass.
T h o s e certainly w e r e the d a y s , A n g u s . A n d there w e r e s o m e
pretty g o o d m e n s w i n g i n g those b r a s s i e s and j i g g e r s . G o d bless
'em.

"Maybe it's a little too soon for this, what with the golf season
just about over. But why can't our association revive the husbandwife (friend) golf socials that we enjoyed a few years ago?
"I think there is so much interest in golf today that the girls
would like to join with us on one of our golfing days during the
summer. I think it might pick up our summer program considerably."
MANNY FRANCIS
Marshfield, Mass.

•Just seek out the t o u r n a m e n t c h a i r m a n a n d let h i m k n o w w h a t
you think, M a n n y . Sounds g r e a t f r o m this end. . . just a s long a s I
get to p l a y with L a u r a B a u g h !

Past President
R O B E R T G R A N T CGCS
2 2 Patricia R o a d
S u d b u r y , Mass. 0 1 7 7 6
Phone 4 4 3 - 2 6 7 1
Club Affiliation
Brae B u m C o u n t r y 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 m a y b e used
f r e e l y , in w h o l e or in part, w i t h o u t special p e r m i s s i o n as l o n g
as the true c o n t e x t is m a i n t a i n e d . W e w o u l d a p p r e c i a t e a
credit line.

PCetue frcUwHtfe FRIENDS OF THE ASSOCIATION
Alfco Rokeby Co., Inc.
Fertilizers and Chemical Specialties
P . O . Box 267, Marietta, Ohio

Ron Gagne - Scotts Golf Course Div.
5 Kendall Park, Norton, Mass.
617-285-7466
Grounds Equipment Co., Inc.
383 Boylston St., Newton Cen., Mass.

Baker Tractor Corp., Ford Tractors
Harley Davidson Golf Cars
Swansea, Massachusetts
Chanderlin Seed Co., Inc., Division of
Lofts Pedigreed Seed, Inc.,
20 Beck Road Arlington, Mass. 02174
Joe Moran — Rep.
The Charles C. Hart Seed Co.
Wethersfield, Conn.
James R. Fitzroy, Rep.
Bus. (203) - 529-2537

Gull Agricultural Service Co.
Allen Bonnell 617-362-2181
Joe Silk 617-784-3966
55 Freeman Road
Yarmouthport, Mass. 02675
Holliston Sand Company, Inc.
Lowland Street, Holliston, Mass. 01746
Sand for Golf Bunkers and Traps
Irrigation & Equipment Supply Co.
P . O . Box 147 Route 1
Walpole, Mass. 02081
Tel. 617-668-7814
*Tom Irwin, Inc.
I I B A Street
Burlington, Mass.

Corenco Corporation
525 Woburn Street
Tewksbury, Mass. 01876
S.W. Anthony
1-800-222-7976 - 1-800-225-7955
*The Clapper Co.
1121 Washington St.
West Newton, Mass.
^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.

Karandrew Turf Farms, Inc.
Sam Mitchell, Sales Representative
15 Longmeadow Drive, Canton, Mass.
The Kenneth Barrie Company
Irrigation
375 Centre St., Jamaica Plain, Mass.
Larchmont Irrigation Co.
Larchmont Ln., Lexington, 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 Ed McGuire collect 617/563-2234
Fairway Equipment, Inc.
Sales — Service — Rentals
35 Walnut St., Reading, Mass.
Farm Bureau Association
158 Lexington St., Waltham, Mass. 02154
Fred Heyliger, Representative
Thomas F. Grummell, Representative

Lee Lime Corp.
Lee, Mass. (413) 243-0053
2 Special Spreaders designed
for Golf Courses

Malter International
Mr. Howard A. Vincent, Representative
Longmeadow, Massachusetts 01106
R. F. Morse & Son, Inc.
Cranberry Highway
West Wareham, Mass. 02576
Tel. 617-295-1553
New England Sealcoating Co., Inc.
Tennis Court Const, and Maintenance
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. 01.760
Richey & Clapper, Inc.
28 Rutledge Road
Natick, Mass. 01760
Trencher & Equipment Leasing, Inc.
Ditch Witch Trenchers
38 Fairview St., Agawam, Mass. 01001
Phone 413-7814600
*Sawtelle Brothers
565 Humphrey Street
Swampscott, Mass.
Tel. 6 1 7 / 5 9 9 4 8 5 6

Mallinckrodt, Inc.
Second and Mallinckrodt Streets
St. Louis, Missouri 63147

Shepard Sod Company
Merion Blue Grass and Pencross Bent
200 Sullivan Ave., So. Windsor, Conn.
Tuco Products Co.
Division of the Upjohn Company
Kalamazoo, Michigan
Purdy A. Outhouse (914) 462-7117

Magovern Company, Inc.
Lawn Acre Road
Windsor Lock, Conn.

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

D. L. Maher Company
Concord Street
P. O. Box 127, North Reading, Ma. 01864

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

* Contributors to the Lawrence S. Dickinson Scholarship Fund

F i r s t Class
U . S. Postage

PAID

Maynard,

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FIRST CLASS

•

... ...

TOM SCHOFIELD

290"North Road
S u d b u r y , M a s s . 01776
Phone 443-3712
Club Ail illation
Maynärö: Country Club
A. ;ROy MaeKihtoSh
Business-Mansger;
GERRY FINN
Contributing Editor
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#17