APRIL 1 9 7 6
ourde
O F

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Super
N E W

in ten Jen
E N G L A N D ,

s^idociation
I N C .

Sponsors a n d a d m i n i s t r a t o r s of the Lawrence S.
Dickinson Scholarship Fund — A w a r d e d y e a r l y
to deserving Turf M a n a g e m e n t Students.

T w o Things W e Can K e e p ! "

John Campbell is a much-traveled as well as a multi-talented
ambassador of good will for the golf course superintendent's
profession.
The course manager of Foxhills in Surrey, England has hit most
of the European countries and the United States while catching
the rounds of turf conferences and golfing seminars. He is wellrespected, too. He was held in near reverence as head
greenkeeper at St. Andrews for 14 years. So, credentials . . . he
doesn't need to flash.
Campbell is much for blending the old and new in golf into the
one ultimate result-the perfect golfing condition. And he's all for
modernizing the product, if it doesn't take away from the original
intent of the game.
"I like new ideas and like to see them get started in Britain and
Scotland," he declared while preparing for a delivery at the
UMass Fine Turf Conference in March. "But there are two things
you Americans can keep. One is the golf car. The other is slow
play."
No golf cars at Foxhills? Membersmust be poor, eh John?
"Quite the contrary," Campbell laughed. "Foxhills is located in
a London suburb. Surrey is known as the stockbroker's belt. I
would say it is a most affluent area. Certainly, the Foxhill
members could afford the luxury of mechanized cars. But, apparently, they don't wish to get themselves into the bad habit of
riding around the golf course."
Even with the absence of golf cars at Foxhills, one would
assume the members keep the caddy business in full force. "Oh,
we have caddies there but not like the old veterans at St. Andrews," Campbell advised. "However, many of our members
seem content to w a l k . . . and carry their own bags."
Campbell revealed that it's not uncommon to see the president
of the local bank walking the course with a golf bag slung over his
shoulder. "We have the old fashioned idea that golf is a form of
exercise," Campbell remarked. "And to exercise, you have to put
something in before you can take something out. That's why our
players turn their back on golf cars. They still believe golf is a
form of exercise."
Campbell tells the story about the introduction of the golf car to
St. Andrews. "There were two or three people who thought we
should experiment with the use of a golf car," he told. "Well,
when I left St. Andrews, that thing was still in the same place . . .
abandoned!"
As for slow play, Campbell claims the Americans invented it.
"I know that television has done more to promote slow play
than any other recent intrusion on our free time," Campbell offered. "You people see those pros every weekend and before you
know it, you're trying to emulate them. Even the high scorers
take too much time to miss a shot."
John says that the average round at Foxhills requires three
hours. That's average, not fast. "Of course, if you have good
players, you can make it in two and a-half," he added. "But there
is no need for any golf round to take more than three hours."
How does five grab you, John?
"Ridiculous," he replied. "In Scotland and England we're -not
score conscious like the Americans. We play matches and the
loser picks up his ball as soon as he's out of the hole. But I still

maintain that the biggest offender is the pro . . . and the golfer
who learns from him."
Campbell does lay it onto the pros. "This surveying and lining
up a putt for minutes upon end are things the pros started and
your amateurs picked up," he insisted. "I can't imagine anyone
pacing off a 150-yard shot to the green. But I've seen Jack
Nicklaus do it. Of course, he also plays a decent game. However,
that is not the issue. We simply do not have the problem of combatting slow play in England because it doesn't exist."
So, the folks who turn the British and Scottish fairways into
freeways can do without the golf cars and the slow play. As a
matter of fact, we could do without them, too. Or should we not get
into that- argument?
Gerry Finn

NEXT MEETING
NEXT MEETING Oyster Harbor Country Club, April 5,1976
HOST SUPERINTENDENT Charles Gardner
DIRECTOR'S MEETING 9:30 a.m.
MEMBERSHIP MEETING 11:00 a.m.
LUNCH (Reservations please!) 12 noon
GOLF After lunch
Evening on your own

Charles Gardner will be our
host for the April meeting at the
very fine Oyster Harbor
Country Club on Cape Cod. He
worked at Oyster Harbor during
the years of 1954 to 1961. In 1961
he was construction superintendent at Blue Rock Golf
Course on Cape Cod. In 1965 he
went back to Oyster Harbor as
superintendent and has been
there ever since. Noted as one of
the finest golf courses on Cape
Cod, we are sure everyone will
enjoy the course.
Directions: Rte. 128 south to
Rte. 3 south, take Rte. 6 (Mid
Cape Highway). Take exit #5 off
Rte. 6 and follow signs to Oyster
Harbor.

Course

Superintendents

British A r e C o m i n g

To O u r W a y s

To John Campbell, it always has been this way.
"You people (the United States) take the lead, come through
with something new and eventually it gets to us (Great BritainScotland). The latest, for us-anyway, is the multi-facility golf
club."
Campbell, as most of us know, is the former greenkeeper at
tradition-laced St. Andrews. He spent 14 years there and, as he
labels himself, "I was part of the furniture." Now, he has taken
upon himself a new and exciting challenge . . . even moving up in
titles . . . with the task of grooming Foxhills~a 36-hole complex 30
miles outside of London in the stockbroker's belt at Surrey.
The venture is a striking departure from the time-honored
grasses and groce he cultivated at St. Andrews. There John was
the "head greenkeeper." At Foxhills, he is the "course
manager."
"Sounds very fancy," Campbell quipped between educational
sessions at last month's University of Massachusetts Fine Turf
Conference. "But what's in a name, anyway? I know you people
have changed the nomenclature somewhat in that you are now
superintendents-not greenkeepers. And I go along with that
change if it has benefitted you. From what I hear, it has. So,
maybe "course manager" is a step in the right direction."
That direction has taken John from the straight lines of golfing
by tradition at St. Andrews to golfing for profit at Foxhills.
"This is a commercial venture for the people who had the idea
to build such a complex," Campbell told. "It is one of the first of
its kind in England and probably is the face of things to come. And
it is a close replica of the type of golfing operations popularized
recently in the United States."
Foxhills is a rather unique-for Britain-arrangement.
Presently, it offers 36 holes of challenging golf on two courses.
There is one tennis court and one squash court on the grounds. In
addition, a swimming pool will soon open and there are plans for
the immediate construction of additional tennis and squash
facilities.
"We're just doing what the United States has seen fit to try and
succeed at in recent years," Campbell offered. "That's providing
recreation for the needs of the entire family. We're simply
following an American trend. And, I daresay, I expect this is the
beginning of a wave of multi-facility operations here and in
Scotland."
Campbell reports that a similar setup has been started in
Scotland's Glasgow area. "I'm not too familiar with it," John
remarked. "However, I'm sure it will give the family a selection
of sports to play. One trip will do it all-for golf, tennis, squash or
swimming. It's a good idea."
At Foxhills, there is no thought of expanding to the condominium type of operation . . . another break from golfing
tradition which had its roots planted in the United States. And
there never can be.
"We are a green belt area," Campbell revealed. "And, it means
that no homes, apartments or what not can be built on the
grounds. We have all we need without that. But, I suppose one day
we'll be having them here. It's just a matter of time and someone
deciding to venture it."
The two courses of Foxhills were designed by one of the world's
outstanding architects-Fred Hawtree. And even they are an
example of the changing ways in British Isles golf. "I've gone

First Vice President
W A Y N E ZOPPO
9A Village Green North
E.Providence, R.I. 02915
Home Phone 434-1759
Office Phone 434-8512
Glub Affiliation
Agawam Hunt

Second Vice President

DEAN ROBERTSON
24 Riverview Drive
Newbury, Mass. 01950
Home Phone 462-4540
Office Phone 254-3678
Club Affiliation
Chestnut Hill Country Club

RONALD K I R K M A N , CGCS
25 Green St.
Needham, Mass. 02192
Home Phone 444-8412
Office Phone 444-5548
Club Affiliation
Needham Golf Club

^Association

from the oldest golf course in the world to one of the newest,"
Campbell disclosed. "At St. Andrews it was a links-type course . .
. no trees. Here, it's just the opposite . . . tree-lined fairways with
elevated tees and greens."
Even the maintenance methods between the two are different.
"We let nature do most of the work at St. Andrews," Campbell
said. "The rough never was cut and some of the gorce grew as
high as eight feet. You could lose yourself in there, let alone your
golf ball. Foxhills has rough but we keep it at semi-rough lengthfour inches. And we also have all automatic irrigation . . .
everything. I guess it's just a matter of making progress.
However, St. Andrews remains the epitome of golf architecture.
After all, God designed it."
Thus, the transition continues for Campbell. . . from the old to
the new. It's a gap, all right. But the newness is rubbing in.
"Squash," he piped, "that's a darn good game, too."
Gerry Finn

NEWSLETTER NOTES
In the last 50 years our profession has gone through many
changes from old mowers that were powered by the human being,
to the highly mechanized hydraulic mower we now use. From golf
courses where a lot of terrain was left in its natural habitat to golf
courses that are now highly manicured. From the old days when
the golf season ran about 4 to 5 months to the present days when
some courses open as early as mid-March and don't close until
sometime in December. In the old days the superintendent was
primarily involved in growing good turf on his golf course. Certainly he had other job related problems but not to the degree the
superintendent faces today. Today the superintendent must be
versed in agronomy, horticulture, entomology, plant pathology,
landscape a r c h i t e c t u r e , construction, accounting, civil
engineering, mechanics, public relations, and labor relations. He
must make reports of planning and progress to the greens
chairman as well as work with other committees and department
heads at his club. His decisions and leadership directly relate to
the success and future of the club.
Each year while attending the national and local conferences I
am impressed with the progress through research and education
that help the superintendent perform his duties. New equipment
that does our work more efficiently is made available to us each
year. Knowledge from educational speakers keeps us well informed and up to date with the results of research. Of course we
certainly learn from fellow superintendents in our area and
throughout the country.
There are 3 groups we must recognize for all the knowledge
provided to us. Manufacturers who provide us with products of
high quality to do our work. Universities throughout the country
who continually supply us with knowledge through research. The
last group is our own Golf Course Superintendent Association of
American. GCSAA is an educational oriented professional
organization. It provides us with many avenues for knowledge
that help us in performing our jobs. Shortly GCSAA will provide a
new service that will make available specialized turfgrass books
and related reference material at or below suggested retail

>
Finance Chairman

J
DAVE BARBER
1 Muriel Road
Chelmsford, Mass. 01824
Home Phone 256-4417
Office Phone 358-4882

DONALDHEARN
4 Topeka Road
Chelmsford, Mass. 01824
Home Phone 256-8709
Office Phone 894-5906.
Club Affiliation
Weston Golf Club

PAUL JOHNSON
RFD 1 Locust St.
Middleton, Mass. 01949
Home Phone 777-0902
Office Phone 777-1134
Club Affiliation
Ferncroft Country Club

ARTHUR WASHBURN, CGCS
520 No. Main St.
Cohasset, Mass. 02025
Home Phone 383-9532
Office Phone 383-1870
Club Affiliation
Cohasset Golf Club

MAX MIERZWA
106 Crest wood St.
Chicopee, Mass. 01020
Home Phone 594-4996
Office Phone 592-9540
Club Affiliation
Chicopee Country Club

ALAUGER
3 Andover Rd.
Beverly, Mass. 01915
Home Phone 927-0060
Office Phone 922-8511
Club Affiliation
Folly Hill Country Club

OF

Sorry to hear that Jim Fitzroy was involved in a car accident.
Jim is in the Quincy Hospital and we sincerely wish him a speedy
recovery. If you're in the area, stop by and say hello or drop Jim a
card, I'm sure he'll appreciate it.

L e t t e r t o t h e Editor
Dear Editor,
How many superintendents are getting heat to open early? I
know I am.
It should be explained to these "early birds" the problems that
can arise from this foolish venture. Freezing and thawing is
nature's way of airating and loosing the soil and it does it far
better than we can mechanically. Golfers who insist on playing
early negate this process by compacting the soil wherever they
walk. Also, because of the turf grass being dormant it is brittle
and will be damaged very easily. The problems do not show up
right away, but will cause all sorts of problems when the turf is
under stress during the hot summer months.
By playing early the soil is compacted, the grass plant can be
injured and this results in a shallow root system. As we all know
we strive to have good root systems in the spring because as the
year rolls along, the roots shrink due to the very nature of turf
grass management. By starting with a shallow root system, what
will we have by July or August? This will force you into bad
cultural practices by overwatering to keep the turf alive. It will
also increase the chemical budget in order to hold down disease.
Maybe by educating our members, telling them their actions will
hit them in their wallets, it may sink in.
Tom Schofield Wellesley Country Club
Agronomically you only lose by opening early, there is nothing
to gain. Patience is virtue.
Any change of address of superintendent or club official
please notify the editor of Newsletter and also contact the
national headquarters office at 1617 St. Andrews Drive,
Lawrence, Kansas 66044.

Newsletter Notes (Cont'd)
prices. This is one of the many services provided to the members
of GCSAA.
Our association was organized Sept. 13, 1926 at the Sylvania
Country Club in Toledo, Ohio by Colonel John Morly. The goal was
to be that of the improvement of the man for the job, for better
distribution of knowledge and closer association of all superintendents. GCSAA certainly has done that and more. The GCSAA
has become the organization whose members have influenced the
enjoyment and increasing interest in the game of golf more than
any factor by their ability to produce and maintain superior turf
on which to play.
This past year, GCSAA had the largest enrollment of members
in the history of the association. As members of GCSAA we all
should acknowledge the benefits of the association and try to
interest fellow superintendents in joining. Members who attest to
5 or new members to GCSAA during the year are given a special
citation during annual meeting by the membership committee. In
this our 50th year, I think every member of GCSAA should make
an effort to promote the GCSAA and make this year even bigger
than last year.
Larry Bunn Newsletter Editor

Educational Chairman
BRIAN C O W A N
Robins Way
Harwich, Mass. 02645
Home Phone 432-9041
Office Phone 945-9230
Club Affiliation
Eastward Ho Country Club

PETE COSTE, CGCS
89 Pleasant St.
Medfield, Mass. 02052
Home Phone 359-7247
Office Phone 566-0240
Club Affiliation
The Country Club

Newsletter Chairman
LARRYBUNN
145 Dedham St.
Canton, Mass. 02021
Home Phone 828-7266
Office Phone 828-6540
Club Affiliation
Blue Hill Country Club

N E W

E N G L A N D ,

I N C .

A note from Ron Kirkman of Needham Country Club on
painting ball washers and flag poles that you might want
to remember for next season. After paint has built up to a
number of layers over the years, your local strip removal
shop will remove the paint for approximately $1.50 per
flag pole and $2.25 per ball washer. It is most important to
apply an aluminum primer coat first and then paint. Flag
poles and ball washers look like new. You also can have
the paint removed by sand blasting for approximately the
same cost.

Superintendents Merit

Respect

As Turfgrass Doctors
Golf Course Superintendents are professionals, not magicians.
An analogy between superintendents and medical doctors can be
drawn to illustrate the point.
After years of training and experience, both superintendents
and doctors are prepared to examine ailments and prescribe
treatment. Both are dealing with living objects. Both are concerned that the life continue. A great deal of mystery and
misconception surrounds both occupations and their practices.
Often the cost of their services is considered too high, in some
instances exorbitant. Appreciation is expressed only when the
"patient" approaches some near tragedy and is "saved," to be
useful and complete again.
One major difference between superintendents and doctors
(other than income) is that superintendents must work to keep
their "patients" at the verge of death, through extremely close
cutting, followed by an armada of golfers and carts. The "intravenous bottles" of fertilizer and other soil conditioners can
never be turned off, and should some virulent "infection" invade
the course in the form of fungus, insects, drought, etc., the
superintendent cannot let the "patient" recover through bed rest.
He is lucky if he can keep carts on paths, let along golfers off the
course to let it recover naturally.
Each year stories circulate of how a superintendent has been
fired because the "Course didn't measure up." Seldom do we hear
of those who overcame tremendous odds and did keep the course
in great condition, and almost never do we hear of course officials
recognizing what may have caused the course not to measure up
without pointing a finger at the superintendent. The common cold
can remain uncured, but superintendents can have nothing short
of perfection.
There are those who contend that all of this is what the
superintendent gets paid for, and few superintendents would
argue that particular point. What they might like to add, given the
opportunity, is that should the "patient" suffer a setback or lose
some vitality, conditions other than the superintendent's abilities
and actions should also be given consideration. Superintendents
are professionals not magicians and they can only perform minor
miracles, regardless of budget golfers' desires and demands or
other factors.
Although there may be a few charlatans in the business,
superintendents over-all are more interested and aware of the
conditions of their couse than any golfer, professional or amateur,
could ever pretend to be. If you wouldn't tell a doctor how to
remove an unsightly wart, why should golfers assume so much
knowledge and tell the superintendent how to perform his
responsibilities?

Past President
T H O M A S CURRAN
Fox Chase Rd.
South Sutton, N . H . 03273
Home Phone 938-5436
Office Phone 863-4500

I n f o r m a t i o n contained in this p u b l i c a t i o n may be used
freely, in w h o l e or in part, w i t h o u t special perm ission as long
as the true c o n t e x t is maintained. We w o u l d appreciate a
credit line.

PCecue fratnontfc FRIENDS OF THE ASSOCIATION

Alfco, Inc.
F e r t i l i z e r s a n d C h e m i c a l Specialties
P. O. Box 267, Marietta, Ohio
Baker Tractor Corp., Ford Tractors
Harley Davidson Golf Cars
Swansea, Massachusetts
C h a n d e r l i n S e e d C o . , I n c . , Division of
L o f t s Pedigreed Seed, Inc.,
2 0 B e c k R o a d A r l i n g t o n , Mass. 0 2 1 7 4
Joe Moran — Rep.
T h e C h a r l e s C. H a r t S e e d C o .
Wethersfield, Conn.
Bob Kennedy, Rep.
Steve Hart, R e p .
203-529-2537
*The Clapper Co.
TT2T"Washington St.
West N e w t o n , Mass.
• G e o f f r e y S. C o r n i s h & William G . R o b i n s o n
Golf Course Architects
F i d d l e r s G r e e n , A m h e r s t , Mass. 0 1 0 0 2

G e o r g e E . Cull
T e r r a - G r e e n Soil C o n d i t i o n e r
112 Green St., A b i n g t o n , Mass.
C . S. C u r r a n
T . R . C . P r o d u c t s , Oils a n d G r e a s e s
7 L i n d e n S t . , F r a m i n g h a m , Mass.

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 S t . , N e w t o n C e n . , Mass.

N e w E n g l a n d S e a l c o a t i n g C o . , Inc.
Tennis Court Const, and Maintenance
Sealcoating — Hingham Industrial Center
H j n g h a m , Mass. T e l . 7 4 9 - 3 2 3 6

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 Golf Bunkers and Traps

Old F o x C h e m i c a l I n c .
F e r t i l i z e r s — Seeds — T u r f C h e m i c a l s
66 V a l l e y S t r e e t
E a s t P r o v i d e n c e , R h o d e Island 0 2 9 1 4

Irrigation & E q u i p m e n t Supply Co.
P. O . B o x 1 4 7 R o u t e 1
W a l p o l e , Mass. 0 2 0 8 1
Tel. 617-668-7814

P & L Equipment Corp.
Golf Cars & C o m m e r c i a l Turf E q u i p m e n t
8 0 L y n d e S t r e e t , M e l r o s e , Mass. 0 2 1 7 6
Phone 617-665-5990

K e n n e t h Barrie C o r p .
2 4 9 Milton St. D e d h a m , Mass
Tel. (617) 3 6 4 - 3 3 3 3

02026

Home 772-3605

Scotts Pro-Turf Div.

Karandrew Turf F a r m s , Inc.
S a m M i t c h e l l , Sales R e p r e s e n t a t i v e
1 5 L o n g m e a d o w D r i v e , C a n t o n , Mass.

Trencher & E q u i p m e n t Leasing, Inc.
Ditch Witch Trenchers
3 8 F a i r v i e w St., A g a w a m , Mass. 0 1 0 0 1
Phone 413-786-8600
*Sawtelle Brothers
565 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
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
David Sylvester
203-828-3790

Mallinckrodt, Inc.
Second and Mallinckrodt Streets
St. L o u i s , Missouri 6 3 1 4 7

White Turf Engineering
5 S u m m e r D r i v e , W i n c h e n d o n , Mass. 0 1 4 7 5
617-297-0941

L a T n Acie R^ad

Philip A. Wogan
Golf C o u r s e A r c h i t e c t
2 1 B u d l e i g h A v e . , B e v e r l y , Mass.

'

Rep. AUe^Cumps^413-253-2995

^T^oninbiitors

Sil P a u l i n i , I n c .
6 Manor Avenue
N a t i c k , Mass. 0 1 7 6 0
Richey & Clapper, Inc.
28 R u t l e d g e R o a d
N a t i c k , Mass. 0 1 7 6 0

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

Lee Lime Corp.
L e e , Mass. ( 4 1 3 ) 2 4 3 - 0 0 5 3
2 Special S p r e a d e r s d e s i g n e d
for Golf Courses
R e p . Bill Kershlis 4 1 3 - 2 5 3 - 7 4 8 5

Farm Bureau Association
1 5 8 L e x i n g t o n S t . , W a l t h a m , Mass. 0 2 1 5 4
Fred Heyliger, Representative

New England Power Sweeping Co. Inc.
Parking Lots and Roadways
187 South Street
N e e d h a m , Mass. 0 2 1 9 2
Jack Kidd Phone 332-1451

G u l l A g r i c u l t u r a l Service C o .
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 Freeman R o a d
Y a r m o u t h p o r t , Mass. 0 2 6 7 5

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

E - Z - G o G o l f Car
Sales - Service - R e n t a l s
Polaris / E - Z - G o N o r t h e a s t
Box 817
N o r t h F a l m o u t h , Mass. 0 2 5 5 6

Bus. 8 9 3 - 3 5 7 0

D. L. Maher
Box 127, Concord St.
N . R e a d i n g , Mass. 0 1 8 6 4

Gold Star Sod F a r m s , Inc.
Sod & Pine Bark Mulch
Canterbury, New Hampshire
1-800-528-5205

to the Lawrence S. Dickinson

Scholarship

Fund

First Class
U . S. Postage

PAID
Maynard, M A

FIRST CLASS
ottrie
OF

^uperintendenti
NEW

ENGLAND,

—socialion
INC.

L A R R Y BUNN
Newsletter Committee Chairman
145 Dedham St.
Canton, Mass. 02021
Home Phone 828-7266
Office Phone 828-6540
Club Affiliation
Blue Hill Country Club
D O N A L D HEARN
Business Manager
LEON ST. PIERRE
Coordinator
GERRY FINN
Contributing Editor

Permit

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