(Gourde ^Superintendents
OF

NEW

E N G L A N D ,

INC.

ocia tion

September,! 976
S p o n s o r s a n d a d m i n i s t r a t o r s o f t h e L a w r e n c e S.
Dickinson Scholarship

Fund — A w a r d e d

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

E . D . M . - I n i t i a l s To N o t e

Around about the time of the PGA National Championship, a
story surfaced from the goings on at the Congressional Country
Club. It focused on a feat, eligible for insertion in the Guinness
Book of Records. It seemed there was a man who had driven a
golf ball in competition-not 390, not 450 but 515 yards. And,
believe it or not, his name wasn't Gargantua!
Is it possible?
"Anything's possible," quipped Bob Mustard, "but something
like that I'd have to see. Don't get me wrong. I'm not questioning
or challenging it. But 515 yards?"
Mustard probably could bring such a poke up to the level of
authenticity because of the rig he totes around in a worthwhile
project of the Massachusetts Golf Association. Bob, as chairman
of the MGA's course rating committee, is busy in his hours away
from his insurance business measuring courses in conjunction
with the rating service provided by the MGA. And into the MGA
enters E.D.M.
E.D.M. stands for Electronic Distance Measuring. It is a device
which measures distance with the touch of a button. In fact,
Mustard says sometimes he doesn't even have to move his pinkie
to get a reading. "E.D.M. is so sensitive, sometimes the heat of
my body triggers it and I get the measurement just by staring at
the screen."
The machine works on a beam theory between its eye and a
prism located on a target. The E.D.M. is so accurate, it can
measure distances up to one mile. At that lengthy zero-in, three
prisms are used to pick up a response.
The course measuring process, available to all MGA member
clubs and at an astonishingly low price which includes the cost of
Mt. Pleasant Country Club
and Bob McGuire will be our
host for the SuperintendentPress/Celebrity Tournament.
Bob is a 1965 graduate of
Stockbridge School of
Agriculture. He did his
placement training under
Arthur Anderson at Brae Burn
Country Club. He also worked
1 year at Brae Burn under Bob
Grant before spending 4 years
at Mt. Pleasant Country Club
as assistant superintendent
under Dick Blake. Bob spent 1
year as a salesman for
Irrigation & Equipment
Supply Company and in 1974
he became superintendent at
Mt. Pleasant Country Club.
This is a well conditioned golf
course that everyone will
enjoy playing.

markers, serves as a prelude to the rating program. Mustard
finds that the over-all distances of each hole makes the rating
more accurate and easier for the person doing such rating.
Mustard, who has been measuring courses all summer, reports
that most of the yardage on the cards is "true". He emphasizes
that he is not on a witch hunt to flush out "phony" or "inflated"
yardages. And his results prove it.
"I find that the E.D.M. reading may be off the reading of the
card five yards or so," he tells. "But there are a number of factors
responsible for the difference. When I measure, I start from the
middle of the tee and go to the middle of the green. So, you can see
that there could be discrepancies because of different starting
positions or varying angles from target to measuring device."
In his travels Bob has found only one outlandish ballooning of
yardage on a hole. The course happened to be one familiar to him
and he had often wondered about the yardage on the card before
even getting into E.D.M. "When I put the machine on it, I got a
364-yard reading," he revealed. "The yardage on the card read
415. So, they were something like 50 yards off. This could have an
effect on the rating."
One of the biggest and most important aspects of Mustard's
project is establishing creditable 150-yard markers. Here is
where he finds that E.D.M. overwhelms the powers of the human
eye. "I have set 150-yard markers on holes where I'd bet my life I
could reach the green with an eight-iron," he noted. "But the
E.D.M. doesn't lie. It conquers the contours of the land where the
eye has trouble."
Mustard and the MGA think accurate and reliable 150-yard
markers will speed up play-one of the pet goals of the MGA this
season. "More time is lost when a player paces off the distance
from his shot to the green," Bob remarked. "I figure that up to 20
minutes a round can be saved with accurate markers. But we still
have to convince the golfer they are accurate. This will take time
in itself."
Anyway, E.D.M. are initials every golfer and super should be
aware of. They are a helping hand to both parties but mostly to the
golfer who wants to know where and how far away he is on the golf
course at all times. The MGA-service deserves a four-bell
response from all.
Gerry Finn
r

NEXT MEETING
DIRECTIONS: From Boston
either Rts. 9, 20, or Mass. Pike
to 495 North. Take 290 East to
Church St. exit NorthboroBoylston. Take a right
towards Boylston and club will
be about 2 miles up on the
right.

yearly

Students.

Oct. 1, 1976
Mt. Pleasant Country Club
Host Superintendent Bob McGuire
Golf T o u r n a m e n t : Superintendent &
Press/Celebrity
Buffet Lunch at 11:30
Shot Gun Start at 1:00
Cocktail Hour after golf. Dinner on your
own.

ourSe Superintendents

^dissociation

f

Where d That Trap Go?
A recent incident at a well-known country club, one blessed with
all the basics of a course above average in both difficulty and
beauty, makes one wonder what the typical golfing member sees
when he takes a turn around his favorite birdie sanctuary.
During a clean-up, shake-down project-designed to cut back on
the soaring costs of maintenance-an obscure sand trap was
eliminated. The grounds crew came in, covered it over and
planted grasses and small evergreens so that the area blended in
with the rest of what was a rough portion of the hole.
Actually, one looking at the area wouldn't have known, one way
or the other, whether there had been a sand trap there or the
remains of a dinosaur, so perfect was the reconstruction job. So,
there the fun began and fun it was.
Two veteran members, touring the hole one afternoon, just
happened to get into a conversation over the topography of the
layout and the overall beauty of the course. And, just by accident,
one mentioned that the hole they were playing didn't suffer by the
elimination of "that old trap up on the right side of the fairway."
His golfing partner, who has been a member of the club for 50
years, had a puzzled look on his face. "What trap you talking
about?" he asked. "I've played this hole a million times and I
don't remember there ever being a trap there. You're crazy."
In turn, the closer observer of the scene offered to bet his man
five dollars that such a trap had existed up until two or three
months previous. Well, needless to say, the 50-year member had
to cough up the five and take a second look at his powers of observation.
The incident is brought up here because of the crunch on golf
course maintenance funds (or rather a reluctance to provide
more money in an ever-increasing inflationary market) and the
various means of cutting back on course conditioning without
changing the over-all character of the original layout.
The elimination of traps, that seldom enter play, is one way of
tightening the maintenance belt. Because of the changes in the
game of golf, many courses now find themselves with "useless"
hazards-including a number of bunkers or sand traps that lend
neither beauty nor practicality to the scheme of the playing track.
The particular trap, over which a five-dollar bet emerged, was
an example of a "trap going to waste." This doesn't mean it
wasn't maintained. But the time spent, correcting washouts and
performing the ordinary smooth-out chores, was a drain on the
general schedule of course conditioning.
With its elimination, it became a part of a patch of rough which
requires only occasional mowing.
, „
Phase two of the same crackdown on the unnecessary outlay
going into the maintenance and definition of sand traps is a facelifting of sorts on those bunkers which contribute to the character
of the course. Right now, there seems to be a return to the old in
this situation.
Most of the older courses relied on bunkers with fairly flat
surfaces and mounds that were grass-covered. However, on the
scene appeared the deep-faced traps (more difficult to negotiate,
to be sure) but equipped with a continuous problem-ugly
washouts that took away from the aesthetic atmosphere and
resulted in costly repairs.
These sand-extending faces are slowly succumbing to the grasscovered, gradual approaches into and exits out of the bunker.
Although several courses have refused to bend in this direction
(because it takes away from the difficulty factor), it would seem
that the more practical avenue is being traveled here. If, as we all
have at one time or another, you saw the results of Hurricane
'resident
WAYNE ZOPPO
9A Village Green North
E. Providence, R.I. 02915
Home Phone 434-1759
Office Phone 434-8512
Club Affiliation
Agawam Hunt

First Vice President

Second Vice President

RONALD KIRKMAN, CGCS
25 Green St.
Needham, Mass. 02192
Newbury, Mass. 01950
Home Phone 444-8412
Home Phone 462-4540
Office Phone 444-5548
" "
"
Club Affiliation
Chestnut Hill Country Club Needham Golf Club

Belle on certain of these traps, you would rush out for a box of
grass seed and leveling equipment.
Thus, the sand trap syndrome is slowly but surely solving itself
with the aid, comfort and hard work of the superintendent. It is
one part of a changing golf world but not that streamlined to take
away from the original concept of natural course design.
Gerry Finn
RESULTS OF GCSA OF NEW ENGLAND
CHAMPIONSHIP
GOLF T O U R N A M E N T OF 1976
Bill Carter
First Gross
Ken Moor id an
Second Gross
Doug Johnson
First Net
Ron Kirkman
Second Net
Lenny Blodgett
Third Net
Nick Bruno
Seniors Champ
Guy Tedesco
Seniors Runner up
Joe Rybka
Longest Drive
Nick Bruno
Closest to Hole
(Hole in One on the 137 yd. 17)

76
79
71
71
72
77
81

Bill Carter, GCSA of
New England
Champion

Nick Bruno, GCSA of
New England Senior
Champion. Had hole in
one on 17th 137 yd. par
3 at Weston Golf Club.
FRIENDS OF THE ASSOCIATION
T O U R N A M E N T RESULTS
George Wise, THE CLAPPER CO. First Net 73
Herb Farrer, E/W IRRIGATION Second Net 73

5

Finance Chairman
DAVE BARBER
1 Muriel Road
Chelmsford, Mass. 01824
Home Phone 256-4417
Office Phone 358-4882
Club Affiliation
Wayland Country Club

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
Fernr—«t 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 Crestwood St.
Chicopee, Mass. 01020 Home Phone 594-4996
Office Phone 592-9540
Club Affiliation
Chicopee Country Club

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

NEW

Newsletter Notes This Newsletter again will be reaching you a little late because
of the late date of our last meeting and the date of our next
meeting had to be changed at the last minute. Sorry for the delay
and we hope to get on schedule for our next issue.
Last month's meeting at Weston Golf Club was another great
meeting. Don Hearn had the course in great shape and the lunch
was indeed excellent!! The people of Weston Golf Club were
extremely hospitable. An enjoyable day for everyone. The golf
course presented a great challenge for our championship tournament. The course is not extremely long, I think around 6000
yards if my memory is correct. But the course demands that you
be very accurate with your shots. The greens are nicely trapped
and putted very true. Weston Golf Club is a perfect example that a
course doesn't have to be long in order to prove to be a real
challenge. It was a pleasure to play a course that didn't always
require that you be a long hitter. If only I wouldn't have hit 2 balls
out of bounds on the first tee! Don, couldn't you move the parking
lot a little more to the left? Nick Bruno, who won the* Senior
Championship, also had a hole in one on the 17th, a 137 yard par 3.
Nick used a 7 iron for the perfect shot. I couldn't think of a better
birthday present than a hole in one. Nick's birthday was the
following day.
Jim McCormack attended the meeting at Weston Golf Club and
was presented his 50 year plaque by President Wayne Zoppo. Mr.
McCormack is a charter member and has held almost every office
in our association. He had an enjoyable day talking to a lot of old
friends and meeting new ones, as well. Mr. McCormack said he
missed being around fellow superintendents and working for the
association. It was great to have him at our meeting and we hope
he'll be able to come back in the near future.
Had a conversation with several superintendents about the
thoughts and comments that have come out of the last two
meetings with our honorary guests Howard Farrant, Elmer
Fuller, and Jim McCormack. All three men stated how much they
missed being involved in the association. All three men pointed
out that the association is as good as its members want it to be.
And all three men felt it was the best way to keep abreast with the
changes in their profession. As this group of superintendents
looked around the room and saw the familiar faces that make
most all the meetings, we wondered where are all the other
superintendents? A fellow superintendent made the statement
that a member should be able to make at least 6 or 7 meetings a
year. If this were the case, with a membership of 150, we would
average 75 superintendents per meeting. We now have about 30 to
40 superintendents per meeting. Here are three men who were all
successful superintendents, who felt that the association was a
very important factor during their careers. I don't mean to say we
have an association of unsuccessful superintendents, but it seems
like there is a lot available to the members of our association if
they want to make the effort. These three fellows are perfect
examples.
The weather again was a topic of conversation at the last
meeting. If you recall, it was reported in last month's Newsletter
that a number of areas had only 2 inches of rain from the first of
May through the latter part of July. I guess we all should of known
that we would get drenched in August! The total amount of
rainfall for the month was 17 inches! Most of that came along with
hurricane Belle, but actually, the damage from Belle was minor
compared to what it could have been.
Would like to welcome three new members to our association.
Frank Santos from Cranberry Valley Golf Club, Roger Niccoli
from Norfolk Golf Club, and Edward Wieloch from Nichols
Golf Chairman
BRIAN COWAN
Robins Way
Harwich, Mass. 02645
Home Phone 432-9041
Off ice Phone 945-9230
Club Affiliation
Eastward Ho Country Club

Educational Chairman
PETE COSTE, CGCS
89 Pleasant St.
Medfield, Mass. 02052
Home Phone 359-7247
Office Phone 566-0240
Club Affiliation
Th6 Country Club

Newsletter Chairman
LARRY BUNN
145DedhamSt.
Canton, Mass. 02021
Home Phone 828-7266
Office Phone 828-6540
Club Affiliation
Blue Hill Country Club

Past President
THOMAS CURRAN
Fox Chase Rd.
South Sutton, N.H. 03273
Home Phone 938-5436
Office Phone 863-4500
Club Affiliation
Eastman Golf Club

E N G L A N D ,

BNC.

College Golf Course. We hope to see all three at future meetings.
Next month's meeting, at Mt. Pleasant Country Club, will be a
shot gun start a 1 o'clock. This is the superintendent/press/celebrity tournament. There will be a separate
tournament for the friends of the association. Following golf,
there will be a cocktail hour while the results of the tournament
are being computed.
October 15 is the date for the Pro-Superintendent tournament to
be held at Brae Burn Country Club. Make a note to call George
Wemyss at 245-5441 for a starting time. If the superintendent does
not have an established handicap, he will have to play from
scratch.
Each year prior to the Annual Conference and Show, Chapters
designate a representative to attend the Advisory Committee
meeting to discuss matters related to the Association. Even
though our chapter has not designated a representative, you are
encouraged to begin thinking of agenda items that you would like
our representative to submit. All items discussed at the advisory
meeting will be brought before the Executive Committee for
consideration and action.
I don't know about you, but I'm a little perturbed about the
increasing complaints from professional golfers on golf course
conditions. As stated in The Golf Course Superintendent August
issue, three American stars - Jack Nicklaus, Tom Weiskopf, and
eventual winner Johnny Miller, complained about course conditions while playing in the British Open. They felt that the greens
at Birkdale were not in as good a shape as they should be for the
caliber of the tournament. Everybody has read about the terrific
heat wave and drought that the country has experienced this
year. How they expect a superintendent to have his course in top
playing condition under these circumstances is beyond my
wildest imagination! lso, Don January, Hale Irwin and J. C.
Snead complained about the height of cut on the fairways at
Atlanta Athletic Club while playing in U. S. Open. They labeled
the tournament as the "Fly Lie Open." They felt the fairways
should have been cut one quarter of an inch lower, so the ball
would sit up better. Similar complaints must have come during
the PGA Championship, when play was stopped to syringe greens
several times during play. A number of the top pros pass up the
tournament at Pleasant Valley Country Club because they feel the
greens and fairways are not cut short, the way they like. Pleasant
Valley is now considering changing their fairways to bent grass,
so they can cut the fairways lower to suit the pros. All the complaining the Pros do will be picked up by the club members at the
local level and the superintendent will be put under unnecessary
pressure. Can't the Pros be a little more understanding about the
fact that the superintendent can't change the weather and when it
is against him, there isn't a whole lot he can do to change the
situation. It's the same as when the Pro has to play in 40 mph
winds, he isn't going to perform as well and will be less likely to
shoot 68 rather than a 70 or 71. The complaint about cutting the
grass shorter isn't justifiable either in my opinion. Every tour-,
nament is won by someone who goes out and shoots 8, 10, or 12
under par for the tournament, and sometimes more. Everybody
plays the same course and if one person can play that well under
those conditions, why can't the rest? If everybody shot lousy
scores, then maybe I would listen to some of the complaints!!
Doesn't it always seem to be the top golfers who do the complaining? Do conditions always have to be perfect? Most
superintendents do the best job they can with what they have to
work with. There are a lot of factors to be considered when
evaluating the condition of a golf course. You just don't look at the
surface and say this is the way it should be. Personally, I go along
with Arnold Palmer, who labeled his contemporaries as "stupid"
and "cry babies."
Larry Bunn, Newsletter Editor
I n f o r m a t i o n contained in this publication may be used
freely, in w h o l e or in part, w i t h o u t special permission as long
as the true c o n t e x t is maintained. We w o u l d appreciate a
credit line.

P i e o u e f i t d f u x K c j e FRIENDS OF THE A S S O C I A T I O N

Alfco. 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.
Bob Kennedy, Rep.
Steve Hart, Rep.
203-529-2537

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 and Equipment Supply Co.
66 Erna Ave.
P.O. Box 9
Milford, Conn. 06460
Tele (203) 878-0658

*The Clapper Co.
1121 Washington St.
West \cuic-i:, M„.-.».

Kenneth Barrie Corp.
249 Milton St., Dedham, Mass. 02026
Tel.f 6 1 7 ^ 6 4 - 3 3 3 1 .

Geo ffrey S. Cornish & Will iam G. Robinson *Tom Irwin, Inc.
Golf Course Architects
1 IB A Street
Fiddlers Green, Amherst, Mass. 01002
Burlington, Mass.
George E. Cull.
Karandrcw Turf Farms, Inc.
Terra-Green Soil Conditioner
Sam Mitchell, Sales Representative
112 Green St., Abington, Mass.
15 Longmeadow Drive, Canton, Mass.
C. S. Curran
T. R. C. Products, Oils and Greases
Larchmont Irrigation Co.
7 Linden St., Framingham, Mass.
Larchmont Ln., Lexington, Mass.
E-Z-Go Golf Car
Lee Lime Corp.
Sales - Service - Rentals
Lee, Mass. (413) 243-0053
Polaris/E-Z-Go Northeast
2 Special Spreaders designed
Box 817
for Golf Courses
North Falmouth, Mass. 02556
Rep. Bill Kershlis 413-253-7485
Farm Bureau Association
158 Lexington St., Waltham, Mass. 02154 Mallinckrodt. Inc.
Fred Heyliger, Representative
Second and Mallinckrodt Streets
Bus. 893-3570 Home 772-3605
St. Louis, Missouri 63147
Scotts Pro-Turf Div.
Rep. Ron Gagne 746-7000
Rep. Allen Cumps 413-253-2995

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

Gold Star Sod Farms, Inc.
Sod & Pine Bark Mulch
Canterbury, New Hampshire
1-800-528-5205

D. L. Maher
Box 127, Concord St.
N. Reading, Mass. 01864

New England Power Sweeping Co., Inc.
Parking Lots and Roadways
1 87 South Street
Needham, Mass. 02192
Jack Kidd Phone 332-1451
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
P & L Equipment Corp.
Golf Cars & Commercial Turf Equipment
80 Lynde Street, Melrose, Mass. 02176
Phone 617-665-5990
Sil Paulini, Inc.
6 Manor Avenue
Natick, Mass. 01760
Richcy & Clapper, Inc.
28 Rutledge Road
Natick, Mass. 01760
Trencher & Equipment Leasing, Inc.
Ditch Witch Tre nchers
38 Fairvicw St., Agawam, Mass. 01001
Phone 413-786-8600
*Sawtelle Brothers
565 Humphrey Street
Swampscott, Mass.
Tel. 617-599-4856
Tuco Products Co.
Division of the Upjohn Company
Kalamazoo, Michigan
David Sylvester 203-828-3790
White Turf Engineering
5 Summer Drive, Winchendon, Mass. 01475
617-297-0941
Philip A. Wogan
Golf Course Architect
21 Budleigh Ave., Beverly, Mass.

First Class
U. S. Postage

PAID

Coif dour&e ^uperintendenti
or

NEW

ENGLAND,

s^SAociation
INC.

LARRY BUNN
Newsletter C o m m i t t e e Chairman
1 4 5 D e d h a m St.
C a n t o n , Mass. 0 2 0 2 1
H o m e Phone 8 2 8 - 7 2 6 6
O f f i c e Phone 8 2 8 - 6 5 4 0
Club A f f i l i a t i o n
Blue Hill C o u n t r y C l u b
DONALD HEARN
Business Manager
L E O N ST. P I E R R E
Coordinator
GERRY FINN
Contributing Editor

FIRST CLASS

Maynard, M A
Permit # 1 7