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SEPTEAABER1974
ourSe
OF

S l uu pp et r i n t e n d e n t s
NEW

ENGLAND,

~^$Aiociation
8N C .

S p o n s o r s a n d administrators of the Lawrence S.
Dickinson Scholarship F u n d — A w a r d e d yearly
to deserving Turf M a n a g e m e n t Students.

THE WEEK WHEN THE RAIN GAME

It was the second round of the PGA Championship...time early
August, place Tanglewood Golf Club in Clemmons, North
Carolina. Eventual winner Lee Trevino and playing partner John
Schlee had just beat another torrential downpour to the 18th hole.
"Looks like the scores will be wiped out, won't they?", Trevino
asked with a pained expression. He had just whipped the course
for a par-busting count and vaulted into contention. "The way it's
been raining here all week there's no way the course can take any
more of this stuff."
One hour later the rains had slowed down to steady but not
overpowering falling speed. And the course was declared
playable. Trevino's round stood, the tournament continued
through the third and fourth days...even after a couple of additional nightly cloudbursts...and play was completed in the
prescribed playing period of time.
Much of the credit for the Tanglewood recovery goes to Vance
Price, a dedicated golf course superintendent who faced one of the
toughest jobs ever during the week when the rains came to the
picturesque public layout located on the outskirts of Winston
Salem.
The circumstances of the sudden turn of the weather caught
Price by surprise but not with his guard down. The Winston Salem
area had been hit by near drought conditions for the better part of
a month before the start of the PGA Championship. During that
period Vance was fighting to keep the course from being gulped
down by the clutching heat and humidity. In that time an

irrigation program had to be set up in hopes it could prevent
pending disaster. And then the dry spell broke.
Beginning with the Saturday before the first round of the PGA
event, it rained in and around Tanglewood for seven straight
days. And the form of precipitation was born in the tropics. At one
stage of the wetting down span Tanglewood was hit with nine
inches of rain in four days.
Price admits that the terrain was one of his weapons against the
excessive rain. Good drainage had to be available or else all the
mop-up work around the greens and teeing areas wouldn't have
mattered a bit. But the architect rates a hand for the drainage
setup, too.
Very often Price had declared that the design of Tanglewood
was the work of genius, both in matter of retaining the natural
beauty of the 1,300 acres of land which once had been the farm of
William and Kate Reynolds, one of the principals in the R.J.
Reynolds Tobacco Company.
"Robert Trent Jones didn't abuse the privilege of being able to
alter the original topography of the land," Price tells. "He fit the
course to the terrain. In the process, he made my job of avoiding
wet spots that much easier. The combination of drains and the
design probably kept the PGA Championship from becoming a
six-day tournament here."
It should be noted that Price had his 35-man crew (that number
needed since the superintendent was responsible for all phases of
clean-up on a daily basis during the tournament) ready for all
emergencies. This meant they had to cut fairways at odd hours
during the week because of the rains making a mockery of the
regular cutting schedule. They were, indeed, on a 24-hour alert
basis and Price handled the deployment of them in a masterly
manner.
Price has been the superintendent at Tanglewood since the first
18 holes were cut out of the beautiful blend of trees and turf in
1962. Tanglewood since has added another 18 holes for which
Vance is responsible. And, then, there's a lighted nine-hole par
three layout. Thus, the super has his hands full. The results of his
hand work during the PGA Championship prove that Tanglewood
has a superintendent with talent.
Certainly, this Price is right.
Gerry Finn

Supt. - Celebrity
Tournament Results
1st Net — Brian Cowan & Joe Bellino
2nd Net - Ken Mooradian & Bob Phillips
Arthur Anderson trophy winners Brian Cowan and
Gino Cappaletti ready to tee off at Spring Valley
Superintendent Celebrity Tournament.

3rd Net — G u y Tedesco 81 Gino Cappaletti
Low Gross — Gary Luccini & Bob St. John

ourSe *Superintendents

^y^ddociation-

( R E S E A R C H I N G PARTY
It was a lovely day for a picnic...or so Dr. Joseph Troll
described July 31 of this year. It also was an ideal day for an
experiment...Joe's first annual Turf Field Day.
Surely, the day was ideal. "There were about 150 aboard," Joe
tells. "It was an experiment because we didn't know how the
superintendents and landscape people would react. Now we know.
With such a response and all kinds of impressive comments on the
day, we think we're on the threshold of something big."
The field day is held in conjunction with the research program
of the University of Massachusetts. Rather, the program is
conducted there. The state (in the form of educational grants)
does not contribute to the project. All financial aid comes from
two sources. Individual golf courses -supply the lion's share.
Commercial companies add to that.
Or. Troll did make a day of it, too. "We chose Sugarloaf
Mountain as the site of a mid-day picnic," he reveals. "We
worked this around morning sessions on the research program
and an afternoon question and answer period. We worked at the
bottom of the mountain and played on top."
The research program is in full swing and those on hand saw the
benefits of such an undertaking. "We have nine or 10 experiments
going," Dr. Troll continued. "All together, we have six acres of
land to work with. And three of those are devoted exclusively to
turf."
One of the projects confines itself to fairway grasses. "We have
quite a study going on new rye grasses," Joe disclosed. "There
are some new rye grasses on the market that are interesting.
They are the usual quick-growth type but something different has
been added. That difference is what we've been testing--the wear
resistance. What we're trying to find out is the endurance quality
of a quick-germinating grass like the rye species."

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE
On Nov. 1, 1974 the N E G C S A will celebrate its
50th anniversary. It is the hope of the directors
and myself, that you will be there to help make
this 50th anniversary a success. It will be an opportunity for superintendents past and present,
friends and associates to get together to renew
acquaintances and for all to enjoy themselves. The
anniversary celebration will be held at L A N T A N A
!!MIM in Randolph, Mass. on Friday, Nov. 1, 1974
at 7:00 P.M. Tickets have been sent out to all
members and more are available if needed. Let's
make our 50th a success.
Sincerely.
T o m Curran
President

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

Another interesting part of the research program deals with the
projected worth of dormant fertilization. "We've been giving this
study a lot of time and work," Joe said. "The results of dormant
fertilization are apparent. We're talking about fertilizing turf
between November and April. Other aspects have come to light
here, too."
Pesticide trials are another integral part of the Troll agenda.
"We have made an extended attempt to test chemicals for the
control of certain turf diseases," Joe went on. "We have had some
vital findings in dollar spot and the crab grass problem. All the
chemicals we work with are new on the market."
Other facets of the field day presentation dealt with low
management blue grass, hard and tall fescues, granulation of soil
by chemicals, standard variety trials of grasses, fertilizer costs
and the supply of chemicals and a special question and answer
period on the implementation of irrigation systems.
"I think the people who attended the session came away with a
new and stronger appreciation of a turf research program,'; Dr.
Troll offered. "There is only one way for a person to see the
benefits of such a program. This is the way we're selling it."
Dr. Troll also takes the opportunity to re-emphasize his concern
in the occasional apathy displayed by golf courses in failing to
support a research program. "This is a non-profit undertaking,"
he stresses. "All the contributions are put to use. They are
solicited for the betterment of turf. And certainly, the results are
encouraging and worth the effort. I only hope every superintendent can take time out to see what we are doing. That's why I
want to make the field day an annual affair."
Obviously, July 31 was a fruitful day, rewarding all the way
around.
Gerry Finn

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Don't forget — Our 50th Anniversary Party at the
Lantana Inn, Randolph, Mass., Nov. 1, 1974!

Second Vice President
DEAN ROBERTSON
24 River view Drive
Newbury, Mass. 0 1 9 5 0
Phone 462-4540
Club Affilia
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 444-8412
Club Affilia
Needham Golf Club

LUCIEN DUVAL
R. F. No. 5 Gault Road
Bedford, N.H. 0 3 1 0 5
Phone 4 7 2 - 3 5 4 5
Club Affili
Manchester Country Club

BERT FREDERICK
4 5 Stoney B r o o k Road
Nabnasset, Mass. 01861
Phone 453-1231
Club Affiliation
Vesper Country Club

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

DAVID BARBER
1 Muriel Road
Chelmsford, Mass. 0 1 8 2 4
Phone 256-4417
Club Affiliation
Wayland Country Club

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

OF

SOUND OFF
(The moment has arrived when the reader takes pen in hand
and makes his views known to the world. Sound Off is our monthly
feature dedicated to the expression form of our members,
friends...and, alas, even our enemies. It is provided for the
freedom of that expression and tosses out the challenge to one and
all. If you have a beef or a compliment on any golf subject, this is
where you can get it into print. Letters are always welcome to
Newsletter Mail Bag, 290 North Road, Sudbury, Mass. 01776. In
return, the Newsletter reserves the right to comment on all letters
published.)

"We always enjoy your Newsletters...including the articles in
the issue on the U.S. Open Championship at Winged Foot.
"In answer to Mr. Simpson's comment on the Open, you stated
the USGA decided 'the Open was too holy to be shot full of holes.'
This simply is not so. The Open has always been set up so that the
player who is most accurate and can hit every club in the bag
should be the eventual winner.
"Winged Foot happens to be that sort of a super test of golf, as is
every course which entertains the Open. So when you place the
criteria stated--on a super golf course-nobody's going to tear it
apart if everything develops as planned.
"Sometimes, however, the rough doesn't develop well for
reasons of weather (dryness), sometimes because of heavy rains
greens become too wet etc; and some sensational scores are
posted.. .i.e. Miller's 63 at Oakmont, Jacobs' 64 at Congressional
and I'm sure you could recall others. But no one consistently
shoots in the low 60's.
"You must remember that these are the world's best golfers
playing for one of the most prestigious golf titles in the world and
the course must be a fitting testfor such a championship. I'm sure
you'll agree that holding the USGA Open Championship on a
'drive and a wedge' course would not consistently produce a
champion of the calibre of a course that demands accuracy and
skill with every club in the bag. The latter is what the USGA
believes makes a champion, and I'm sure you'll agree that the list
of Open champions speaks for itself.
"I trust this will serve to correct some of the 'way out impressions' that some have about preparations for the USGA Open
Championship."
ALEXANDER M. RADKO
USGA Green Section
Al, you'll recall the playing conditions for all four days of this
year's USGA Championship were ideal. Yet, no one broke par.
There had to be some trickery involved in setting up the course.
And we don't consider same "a way out impression".
* * if<

"The late summer and early fall weather often brings with
them some violent rainstorms. It also is that time of year when
country club members want to get in as much golf as they can
because they know that a long winter is on the horizon and this
means, for most, no golf at all.
"I am a public links player and have seen some abuses of the
course you often write about in your Newsletter. Some of this
abuse is the result of greedy thinking on the part of the town
Golf Chairman

Educational Chairman

BRIAN COWAN
Robbins Way
Harwich, Mass.
Phone 4 3 2 - 9 0 4 1
Club Affiliation
Eastward H o Country 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 Affiliation
Blue Hill C o u n t r y C l u b

Newsletter Chairman
THOMAS SCHOFIELD
2 9 0 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
Club Affil
M a y n a r d C o u n t r y Club

Past President
ROBERT 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 r n C o u n t r y Club

NEW

ENGLAND,

INC.

fathers. There have been days when the weather conditions were
so severe the course should have been closed. But no one was
willing to make that decision because the feeling was only park
commission members could close the course.
"It is alarming to me that such a situation could result in a
public course contracting damage to the extent that it might
change the whole condition reputation of that course. Is it really
true that heavy turf conditions and hairy green types can be
ruined if golfers are allowed to use the course at these times?
"If so, I'm planning to make a pitch to our town to see if the
superintendent can be given the authority to close the course
when weather conditions pose a threat to future grooming
properties. I'm proud of our course and many people have come
to look upon it as a product of sincere foresight and dedication."
JAMES MCCARTHY
Berlin, Conn.
The question of course closings always has been a testy one,
Jim. At the risk of stepping on a few toes, you should suggest
giving the super the authority to close the course when he feels its
future condition is in danger. Maybe the sparks will fly...but so
what!
* * *

"This is not a complaint but an observation.
"Recently, I bought a season ticket to the Greater Hartford
Open in Wethersfield, Conn. I took in all four days of play, in
addition to the celebrity tournament (pro-am) on the day before
the start of the professional competition. So, I really was able to
get a good and long look at the Wethersfield Country Club.
"Actually, I was impressed so much with the condition of the
course that I wanted to see the superintendent so that I could tell
him what a good job he had done. This started on Friday. The
tournament ended on Sunday. So, for three days I was on the hunt
for the superintendent.
"Everytime I inquired at his office or in the pro shop I got a
stock answer. 'He's out on the course somewhere and we can't get
in touch with him except for emergencies.'
"That's the way it went. Here a guy does a great job and he
doesn't get the opportunity to be praised for it. It's a funny world,
isn't it?"
WILLIAM CALKIN
Westfield, Mass.

You'll find that the hardest person to find on a golf course
during a tournament is the superintendent, Bill. That's because
he's working all the time. The GHO is no different from any other
event. It happens all the time. Send him a letter instead.
* * *
That puts the wrapper on anouther Sound Off session. An interesting one it was, too. So, keep those cards and letters coming.
We're here to help you get your message to the people.)

Next M$etin§
PRO-SUPT. T O U R N A M E N T
O C T O B E R 11, 1974
B R A E - B U R N C/C

Information contained in this publication may be used
freely, in whole or in part, w i t h o u t special permission as long
as the true context is maintained. We w o u l d appreciate a
credit line.

PCetue pzhoHi^e

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

FRIENDS OF THE

Ron Gagne - Scotts Golf Course Div.
5 Kendall Park, Norton, Mass.
617-285-7466
Grounds Equipment Co., Inc.
383 Boylston St., Newton Cen., Mass.
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.
11B A Street
Burlington, 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.
Lee Lime Corp.
Lee, Mass. (413) 243-0053
2 Special Spreaders designed
for Golf Courses

Business Manager
GERRY FINN
Contributing Editor

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. 01760
Richey &Xlapper, 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.
Tel. 617/599-4856

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

S u d b u r y , Mass. 0 1 7 7 6
Phone 443-3712
C l u b Affiliation
M a y n a r d C o u n t r y Club;
A. R O Y MacKintosh

ASSOCIATION