m

JULY 1974
o u r i e
OF

^ u p e r i n t e n d e n t d
N E W

E N G L A N D ,

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

T O SWEAT OR NOT TO SWEAT
layout down the street doesn't come close to such responsibility...nor is he affected as much.
One superintendent claims that a man in the profession must
find his own niche. "Often this isn't easy", he tells. "For
example, what once was a job with little pressure can change
over the years. That little nine-hole layout could become ambitious and transform itself into an 18-hole championship
course. And all of a sudden, pressures appear that weren't
supposed to."
It's only natural that every once in a while a superintendent
take himself into a little room and have a heart to heart talk with
himself. In that session he has to ask himself... "is it worth it?"
Then, he puts the reassessment measuring stick to work and
decides which road he'll travel ..easy, medium, difficult.
The demands of the recreational and sports participation field
are on a tremendous upswing. The family has come to realize
that the best vacation buy is the country club. It can gather
there and find all of its recreational needs for the asking. There
is golf, tennis, swimming, skating, bowling, bridge...even
curling if you require it. And in the center of it all stands the
superintendent whose job it is to provide the playing grounds for
all of these activities.
It boils down to one question as to how far a super goes: "To
sweat or not to sweat." Only he can answer it.
„
Gerry Finn

There appears to be a growing feeling among veteran golf
course superintendents that they are caught in a spiraling
upheaval of sorts which threatens their very own physical
being.
Frankly, the burdens of the profession have reached the point
where certain superintendents are beginning to ask themselves
... "are the returns worth the investment?"
This has nothing to do with the stock market or the race track.
It concerns the job outlook of dignified men who must reevaluate their present positions because of a slow but sure
tipping of the scales in regard to the "compensation vs.
responsibility" syndrome.
It has reached the point where superintendents are leaving the
responsibility-choked atmosphere of the big country club for
less of same...and less money. Examples of pay cuts in the
thousands have come to this desk's attention. And with them,
complementing comments that the reductions are worth it.
Fortunately, the job structure of the superintendent is
arranged so that he often is able to pick his spot on the success
ladder. He has the option to shoot for a position bathed in
responsibility which will reward him accordingly or he can level
off at an assignment where he has the luxury of choosing how
much of himself he will pour into the job.
The gradual recognition of the superintendent as a most integral part of the country club operation has brought his job into
focus as far as the membership goes. It has come to realize that
conditioning of the course is something more than running amok
with a lawn mower and tossing grass seed in the air like so much
confetti. The superintendent's job is a science. Therefore, he is
expected to turn miracles with the turf where once it was •
thought to be a hit-or-miss operation.
Whether you like it or not...whether you choose to recognize it
or not, the job of the superintendent has become one of increasing pressures. And it follows a realistic pattern. The man
in charge of a 36-hole course where national championships are
contested is like the executive vice-president of a large corporation, the make or break aspects of businss resting on his
shoulders. The man putting the green touch to the little nine-hole

Next Meeting...
July 9, 1974

SUPER CHAIRMAN
GOLF RESULTS

COHASSET GOLF CLUB
Directors Meeting
Regular Meeting
Golf after 1:00
Buffet after golf

1st Gross - Mr. Luccini and Mr. Hewitt 7 0
2nd Gross -Mr. Grimsley and Mr. Carter 71
1st Net. - Mr. Anderson and Mr. Kirkman 6 1
2nd Net - Mr. Clapp and Mr. Mucciarone 6 3
3rd Net. - Tie- Mr. Geldnacki and Mr. Petrelli 64
Mr. Cleary and Mr. Johnson 64
Mr. Damian and Mr. Gagnon 64
Mr. Barnes and Mr. Schofield 64
Mr. Kusser and Mr. Morton 6 4

i

11:00
11:30

Directions - Route 128 to Route 3 to Route 228.
Cross Route 3 A and take fifth right.
Club is at end of Lambert Streer.

:

iiil!

our&e

Superintendents

„

^SSociation-

TENNIS EVERYONE?

Sure, this is a golf-oriented periodical...all about the golf
course superintendent and his workstyle. But, wait a minute.
- Haven't your heard of the tennis explosion? Are you not aware
of the cries of "let", "out" and "take; two" around your club?
And aren't you stuck right in the middle of this national rush to
the net?
If you aren't, stick around. Just in case you haven't been
reading the surveys and the projections, tennis is running up
golf's back in the sports popularity race. Country club members
are looking beyond the golf course to get full value out of their
recreational dollar. They have seen the many advantages of the
racket rage.
Country clubs in general are joining the tennis court construction outburst. Within a 20-mile radius of Western
Massachusetts and Northern Connecticut, three clubs are in the
process of adding to the tennis needs of members. One will have
completed two new courts by the middle of this month and begin
the spade work on two more for fall delivery.

"This is a job in itself", comments the typical super. "One
man could be kept busy all day if we're talking about four or
more courts. And his time would have to be split. The watering
task is such that it has to be done at odd hours. Arranging for
a split shift is not all that easy."
There might even be the possibility that tennis courts will fall
into the automatic irrigation ways of the golf course. However,
this appears to be very expensive since the amount of water
needed is not worth the cost of installing and maintaining
automatic watering devices.
Most tennis courts or the new ones at the clubs are being built
away from the main recreational area of the club. This means
that new parking lots must be built and serviced. In addition,
fencing often is required to retain the "private" atmosphere
and a beautification program adds another drain on the super's
manpower.
Thus, the superintendent finds himself smack dab in the
middle of a tennis boom which adds to his responsibilities. It
used to be
"tennis, anyone?". But don't tell that to the super.
From this side of the court it sounds like... "tennis, everyone?"
Gerry Finn

Another club is moving even faster. Six new courts are being
built and if they are not enough to service the growing needs of
members, there are plans to put more on the grounds. The third
club is in the process of resurrecting two courts that had gone to
seed over the years. They will be rebuilt and two more added
should an expected demand for them develop.
So, what does this have to do with the superintendent? The
answer... in one word, "plenty"! The superintendent now finds
himself the keeper of two playgrounds...the one where members
chase a little white ball and the other where members smash a
larger one back and forth.
Maintenance of tennis courts is not all that easy or automatic.
For the most part, country club members prefer clay courts or a
surface comparable to that cover. For this reason, keeping the
courts in top playing condition requires know-how and labor.
Most of all, it taps the superintendent's priority list for
allocation of his work force because in most instances he is
being asked to get along on the same budget.
There is only one sensible reaction from the superintendent,
that being "impossible". The maintenance of a typical clay
court goes like this: Each court must be watered at least once a
day, preferably early in the morning or when the last lobs have
been hit well into the night (most of the new courts are lighted).
Service and outside lines must be cleaned, the net kept from
assuming a sag stance and the courts swept periodically to
erase footprints.

First Vice President
THOMASCURRAN
F o x Chase Road
South Sutton, N.H. 0 3 2 7 3
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
Agawam Hunt

MEETING
SCHEDULE
JULY 9
A U G U S T 12
SEPTEMBER 9
O C T O B E R 11
NOVEMBER

Cohasset
Ferncroft
Spring Valley
Brae Burn
Cape Meeting

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

lance Chairman
R O N A L D K I R K M A N , CGCS
2 5 Green Street
Needham, Mass. 0 2 1 9 2
Phone 4 4 4 - 8 4 1 2
Club Affiliation
Needham Golf Club

LUCIEN DUVAL
R . F. No. 5 Gault Road
Bedford, N.H. 03105
Phone 4 7 2 - 3 5 4 5
Club Affiliation
Manchester Country Club

BERT FREDERICK
4 5 Stoney Brook R o a d
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 5 9 4 4 9 9 6
Club Affiliation
Chicopee Country Club

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

ROBERT MUCCIARONE
4 6 5 Summer Street
Westwood, Mass. 0 2 0 9 0
Phone 329-9682
Club Affiliation
Dedham Country and Polo Club

SOUND OFF
(Here we are again, all gathered to put the envelope opener to
work and see what spills onto the Sound Off space. This feature
belongs to the reader and offers an opportunity to air
complaints
or extend compliments.
Everyone is welcome to contribute his
or her thoughts and all we ask is that each letter be signed and
identified with an address. The names and addresses
will be
withheld upon request. All views are accepted at
Newsletter
Mail Bag, 290 North Road, Sudbury,
Mass.
01776. The
Newsletter
reserves
the right to comment
on all
letters
published.)

chores...sometimes without me knowing he's even here.
"So, for what it's worth, I suggest that superintendents inqure
about retired men's clubs and other such community services
when they are looking for part-time help. It's worked here and I
can't say enough for it.','
AL HAWKINS
West Hartford, Conn.
We hope this relieves some of the superintendent's labor
pains, Al.
* * * * * * * * *

"At the present time the superintendent is locked into one of
the most critical months of the golf course conditioning period.
These are the high humidity days when the grasses are subject
to Mother Nature's greatest assult of summer.
"I'm writing only to suggest that we, the superintendents,
take a proper perspective in the attempt to temper the effects of
high humidity. Much too often we reach for the panic button at
the first sign of a high humidity-no clouds day. The panic button,
of course, is the one we use to put our irrigation systems into
use.
"What can happen, in the case where we over-correct a
situation with an uncontrollable outage of water, is disaster.
Instead of cooling the plants, we drown them and invite wilt. And
we find that high humidity has beaten us without a fight.
"I can only add one more thing in relation, to this problem.
Proceed with caution in applying your irrigation system as a
counter attack against high humidity. Don't have a hasty
trigger finger."
LEON ST. PIERRE
Longmeadow, Mass.
After that bit of advice, all trigger fingers should be in good
working order for the rest of the summer.

"I'm writing to my fellow superintendents with the hope that
they can benefit from my experience with the labor force
problem.
"Everyone admits that the labor issue is a burning one for all
of the superintendents, especially at those times when temporary help is needed. I have found this to be one large pain
when I'm looking for a man to work three or four hours a day.
"There is a solution. The retired men of our community serve
just that purpose of providing part-time help. The City of West
Hartford has a service available to their own city and
surrounding cities in which they act as an employment agent to
line up part-time jobs.
"Presently, I have three men working those short-hours jobs
and each one has proven to be just what the situation called for.
In fact, there is one retired worker who has been here for seven
years. He does such a good job that I don't even have to give him
any direction. When he arrives at the club, he's off to his
Educational Chairman
BR I A N C O W A N
Robbins Wav
Harwich, Mass.
Phone 432-9041
Club Affiliation
Eastward Ho Country Club

LARRY BUNN
145 Dedham Street
Canton, Mass. 0 2 0 2 1
Phone 828-0467
Club Affili
Blue Hill Country Club

Newsletter Chairman
THOMAS SCHOFIELD
290 North Road
Sudbury, Mass. 0 1 7 7 6
Phone 443-3712
Club Affili
Maynard Country Club

Past President
R O B E R T G R A N T CGCS
22 Patricia Road
Sudbury, Mass. 0 1 7 7 6
Phone 443-2671
Club Affiliation
Brae Burn Country Club

"Once again I'm offering the same old complaint to you
people, not about you but about the thoughtless golfers who think
of the golf course as one giant dump!
"It has been happening for years, this continuous disregard
for the beauty of the golf course. What is it? The on-schedule
appearance of that cad-the litter bug.
"I really don't know what we're going to do about them. My
golf course is like so many. Our superintendent puts out those
litter cages on every tee and even his reminder signs tacked
onto trees at conspicuous places throughout the course. I must
say that the amount of debris has decreased but there's still
plenty of room for improvement.
"Isn't there anything else we can do to lick this problem,
fellows. I'm an old lady and perhaps don't carry too much
weight in trying to correct things like this. But I have to have my
say. I say stamp out the golf course litter bug. He (and she) is a
disgrace to the game and themselves."
LINDA GOODNOW
Bernardston, Mass.
We'd like to spray those "bugs" .with DDT, Linda. That's the
only treatment they deserve.
* * * * * * * * *

"May I say that I am very pleased to read about the idea of
your periodical allowing people like myself to give their views
on golf.
"I really don't have any gripes at this time, other than the
usual screams about golf becoming an all-day game because of
the way people take too much time with their shots and putts.
However, this is not a problem the superintendents can solve.
We, the golfers, have to do it ourselves.
"Anyway, keep up the good work. You'll be hearing from
me."
DOUGLAS WARNER
Southwick, Mass.
No complaints about the super, Doug? You're one in a million!

(This brings us to the end of this month's offerings. But more
will be coming, perhaps from you. Remember,
all letters are
welcome. Keep them headed our way.)

Information contained in this publication may be used
freely, in w h o l e or in part, without special permission as long
as the true context is maintained. We w o u l d appreciate a
credit line.

PCccuc fiabuMife FRIENDS OF THE ASSOCIATION
A l f c o R o k e b y Co., Inc.
Fertilizers a n d Chemical Specialties
P. O . B o x 2 6 7 , M a r i e t t a , O h i o

G r o u n d s E q u i p m e n t Co., Inc.
3 8 3 B o y l s t o n St., N e w t o n C e n . , Mass.
Gull Agricultural Service Co.
Allen B o n n e l l 6 1 7 - 3 6 2 - 2 1 8 1
J o e Silk 6 1 7 - 7 8 4 - 3 9 6 6
55 F r e e m a n R o a d
Y a r m o u t h p o r t , Mass. 0 2 6 7 5

Baker T r a c t o r C o r p . , F o r d T r a c t o r s
Harley D a v i d s o n Golf Cars
Swansea, M a s s a c h u s e t t s
T h e Charles C . H a r t Seed C o .
Richard McGahan, Rep.
Wethersfield, C o n n .

Holliston Sand C o m p a n y , Inc.
L o w l a n d S t r e e t , H o l l i s t o n , Mass. 0 1 7 4 6
Sand for G o l f B u n k e r s a n d T r a p s

Corenco Corporation
5 2 5 W o b u r n Street
T e w k s b u r y , Mass. 0 1 8 7 6
G. D. Kimmey
1-800-222-7976 - 1-800-225-7955

Irrigation & E q u i p m e n t S u p p l y C o .
P. O . B o x 147 R o u t e 1
Walpole, Mass. 0 2 0 8 1
Tel. 6 1 7 - 6 6 8 - 7 8 1 4

* T h e Clapper C o .
1 1 2 1 Washington St.
West N e w t o n , Mass.
• G e o f f r e y S. Cornish & William G . R o b i n s o n
Golf Course A r c h i t e c t s
Fiddlers G r e e n , A m h e r s t , Mass. 0 1 0 0 2

* T o m Irwin, Inc.
11B A Street
B u r l i n g t o n , Mass.

C. S. Curran
T . R . C. P r o d u c t s , Oils a n d Greases
7 L i n d e n St., F r a m i n g h a m , Mass.

T h e K e n n e t h Barrie C o m p a n y
Irrigation
3 7 5 C e n t r e St., J a m a i c a Plain, Mass.

E-Z-Go Golf Car, Division T e x t r o n , Inc.
Sales - Service - R e n t a l s
R o u t e 2 8 , Pocasset, Massachusetts 0 2 5 5 9
Call E d M c G u i r e collect 6 1 7 / 5 6 3 - 2 2 3 4

L a r c h m o n t Irrigation C o .
L a r c h m o n t L n . , L e x i n g t o n , Mass.

Fairway E q u i p m e n t , I n c .
Sales — Service — R e n t a l s
3 5 Walnut-St., R e a d i n g , Mass.

Mallinckrodt, Inc.
S e c o n d a n d M a l l i n c k r o d t Streets
St. Louis, Missouri 6 3 1 4 7

F a r m B u r e a u Association
1 5 8 L e x i n g t o n St., W a l t h a m , Mass. 0 2 1 5 4
F r e d Heyliger, R e p r e s e n t a t i v e
Thomas F. Grummell, Representative

Magovern C o m p a n y , I n c .
L a w n Acre R o a d
Windsor L o c k , C o n n .

R o n Gagne - S c o t t s Golf C o u r s e Div.
5 Kendall P a r k , N o r t o n , Mass.
617-285-7466

D . L . Maher C o m p a n y
C o n c o r d Street
P. O . B o x 1 2 7 , N o r t h R e a d i n g , Ma. 0 1 8 6 4

* Contributors

to the Lawrence

S. Dickinson

Scholarship

R . F . Morse & Son, Inc.
C r a n b e r r y Highway
West W a r e h a m , Mass. 0 2 5 7 6
Tel. 6 1 7 - 2 9 5 - 1 5 5 3
N e w E n g l a n d Sealcoating Co., Inc.
Tennis Court Const, and Maintenance
Sealcoating — H i n g h a m Industrial C e n t e r
H i n g h a m , Mass. T e l . 7 4 9 - 3 2 3 6
Old F o x C h e m i c a l I n c .
Fertilizers — Seeds — T u r f Chemicals
66 Valley Street
East P r o v i d e n c e , R h o d e Island 0 2 9 1 4
Sil Paulini, I n c .
6 Manor Avenue
N a t i c k , Mass. 0 1 7 6 0

K a r a n d r e w T u r f F a r m s , Inc.
Sam Mitchell, Sales R e p r e s e n t a t i v e
15 L o n g m e a d o w Drive, C a n t o n , Mass.

George E . Cull
Terra-Green Soil C o n d i t i o n e r
1 1 2 Green St., A b i n g t o n , Mass.

Maker International
Mr. H o w a r d A . V i n c e n t , R e p r e s e n t a t i v e
L o n g m e a d o w , Massachusetts 0 1 1 0 6

Richey & Clapper, Inc.
28 Rutledge Road
N a t i c k , Mass. 0 1 7 6 0
T r e n c h e r & E q u i p m e n t Leasing, I n c .
D i t c h Witch T r e n c h e r s
3 8 Fairview St., A g a w a m , Mass. 0 1 0 0 1
Phone 413-7814600
*Sawtelle B r o t h e r s
5 6 5 H u m p h r e y Street
S w a m p s c o t t , Mass.
Tel. 6 1 7 / 5 9 9 4 8 5 6
S h e p a r d Sod C o m p a n y
M e r i o n Blue Grass a n d Pencross B e n t
2 0 0 Sullivan Ave., S o . Windsor, C o n n .
Tuco Products Co.
Division of t h e U p j o h n C o m p a n y
K a l a m a z o o , Michigan
W h i t e T u r f Engineering
5 S u m n e r Drive, W i n c h e n d o n , Mass. 0 1 4 7 5
617-297-0941
Philip A . Wogan
Golf Course A r c h i t e c t
2 1 Budleigh Ave., Beverly, Mass.

Fund

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S N C L A f c O .

i H C .

TOM SCHOFIELD
290 North R o a d
S u d b u r y , Mass. 0 1 7 7 6
Phone 4 4 3 - 3 7 1 2
Ciub Affiliation
A . R O Y MacKintosft
Business .Manager
GERRY FINN
Contributing Editor

FIRST CLASS

Maynard, M A
Permit # 1 7