ourde ~S)uperin ten dents ^y^ddociation
OF

N E W

E N G L A N D ,

I N C .

June 1978
Sponsors a n d administrators of the L a w r e n c e 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.

Winterkill...It Did And It Didn't
A veteran superintendent has come up with a very interesting,
although hardly viable suggestion. "If I could arrange it," he
cracked, "I would put in a rule for my members. It would be
very simple. . . 'Florida is off limits to any person wishing to
play this course.' For my money, the worst thing that ever
happened was Florida in the winter. Every April it drives me up
a wall."
What happens to said super and virtually every other
colleague who must ply his knowledge and ability under the
most dreadful of weather conditions in New England is the mass
exodus of golfers from sunny Florida to the unpredictable spring
of Massachusetts and other points northeast.
"My members go to Florida and play their clubs off on lush
grass and smooth greens," the superintendent continued.
"Then, when they return to our course, they expect to pick up
whe'-e they left off. It's ridiculous, especially when we're
co -ang out of a winter like the one we had to put up with this
year."
This brings us to the unrelenting problem of spring on New
England golf courses - the persistent presence of winterkill.
That malady does just what it implies. It kills the grass and
turns it into a brownish, sickening color. Acute cases can turn a
course into a depressed area.
The winterkill of 1978 was further distressing to the
superintendent because of the no-growth spring experienced in
New England. As late as the second week of May the ground
temperature remained in the low 40's and delayed the germination period of plants almost endlessly. An added deterrent
was the presence of strong northwest winds. So, if winterkill had
invaded your course, its recuperation was a long, drawn-out
process.
There was an inexplicable aside to the occurrence of winterkill this year. For the most part, when it overtook a course, it
was devastating. There were reports telling of certain areas
where a full 18 greens were wiped out. Yet, there also were
strange absences of winterkill... in areas where the disease was
almost expected to visit.
One popular Eastern Massachusetts course was browned out
by winterkill. The damage there was virtually irreparable and
the uncooperative spring brought shivers to its superintendent.
The feeling was that he might have to rebuild 16 of 18 greens and
replace more than half of his tees.
That was the sharp, piercing edge of winterkill's invasion. But
at an adjacent course, only a few miles away, there was no incidence of winterkill. The superintendent there was almost at a
loss for words. "I kept looking for it, almost wishing I'd get a few
spots," he told. "But there was nothing. The unusual aspect of it
was the fact that I had done nothing to combat the possibility of
winterkill. I just let the weather run its course and hoped for the
best. I got it."
Most people assume that the Blizzard of '78 was the prime
reason for the high occurrence of winterkill. "That's false
assumption," one super advised. "In my case, I think it might
have helped. I didn't plow my greens at all. It gave me complete
snow cover all winter and the blizzard in February just added to
the protection. But that was my good fortune. In places where

ice had already formed, the added snow just compounded the
problem. It kept the ice there longer and gave winterkill all the
time it needed to do its dirty work."
Another superintendent reported that winterkill played
hopscotch with his course. "It was a crazy pattern," he
revealed. "I had a tee completely ruined by winterkill. And right
next to it my practice putting green was as lush as August when
the snow disappeared. I think it's just a part of the unpredictable
properties of weather elements. I can't explain it. Weather is
one thing that no one can explain."
Winterkill, then, was a killer to some and a welcome absentee
to others. When it did hit, it was devastating, cruel and persistent. Those, who escaped it. were lucky. Those, caught in its
path, are still fighting the effects of its attack. New England... a
true test for the golf course superintendent.
Gerry Finn

Next
Meeting
July 11, 1978
D e d h a m Polo & C o u n t r y C l u b
Host S u p e r i n t e n d e n t - Robert M u c c i a r o n e
D I R E C T O R ' S M E E T I N G 9:30
M E M B E R S H I P M E E T I N G 11:00
B U F F E T LUNCH 12:00
G O L F : (Championship Tournament) 1:00
DIRECTIONS:
F r o m Rte. 128, take Rte. 109 toward Westwood. Take f i r s t r i g h t and go 1 mile. Club is on
the left.
Please Make Reservations by calling or
w r i t i n g : Robert Mucciarone
Summer St., Westwood, M A 02090
Tele. 329-9682

( j o f f (Gourde Superintendents

ddociation

Look Homeward For Supers
You are a committee of one, twelve or whatever. And you're
looking for a golf course superintendent. So, you place an ad in
the national golf and trade magazines and await the arrival of
the most important ingredient in your country club operation.
Right? Wrong!
"One of the worse things any group seeking a superintendent
can do is go out of the area for that person," a veteran member
of the profession said during the University of Massachusetts
Turf Conference. "It has been proven a thousand times over that
the best superintendent is the homegrown superintendent. He
knows the lay of the land, so to speak, and more important - he
knows the behavioral pattern of that land."
The midwest section of the country has underway a very
successful apprentice program for would-be superintendents.
Young students of the turf are placed on local courses where
they learn the rudiments of the job and concentrate on the
properties of the turf, the climate and other factors affecting life
-of-the plant.
'From this warehouse of potential leaders, we get most of our
new supers," Bob Williams of Highland Park, Illinois told. "It's
just a matter of being practical. You wouldn't hire an Eskimo to
be a lifeguard at a beach, would you? It's the same in golf course
maintenance. You want the person who is familiar with the
grounds to be groomed."
Of course, the analogy is not all that drastic. Certainly, there
have been successful transfer superintendents who made the
switch from one section of the country to another without incident. But, it stands to reason that a country club is taking
some measure of risk with a job candidate whose experience has
been concentrated in an area foreign to it in soil makeup,
rainfall, temperature and general topography.
Williams tells of one midwestern superintendent - highly
skilled and highly regarded by everyone in the region - who
suddenly decided that he would try his hand on the West Coast.
"The job out there was for more money and a good opportunity
for the right man," he disclosed. "But the weather trends,
growing conditions and types of plant diseases were altogether
different from what this fellow had encountered back where he
knew the land. It took him only two years or rather it took the
new club that long to realize a mistake had been made. Just
think of all the grief, frustration, disappointment and money
which would have been saved and avoided had those people
hired someone from their immediate area."
The country club employment committee would do well to

Left to right - Ed Wiacek,
and Ron Kirkman.
PRESIDENT
DEAN ROBERTSON
24 Riverview Drive
Newbury, Mass. 01950
H o m e Phone 462-4540
O f f i c e Phone 745-7289
Club A f f i l i a t i o n
Kernwood Country Club

Wayne Zoppo,

FIRST VICE PRESIDENT
RONALD KIRKMAN
25 Green St.
Needham, Mass. 02192
H o m e Phone 444-8412
O f f i c e Phone 444-5548
Club Affiliation
N e e d h a m Golf C l u b

Bert

S E C O N D VICE PRESIDENT
BRIAN C O W A N CGCS
Robins Way
H a r w i c h , Mass. 02645
H o m e Phone 432-9041
O f f i c e Phone 945-9230
Club Affiliation
Eastward Ho!

Frederick,

SECRETARY
DAVE BARBER CGCS
P.O. Box 221
Wayland, Mass. 01778
H o m e Phone 358-7678
O f f i c e Phone 358-4882
Club A f f i l i a t i o n
W a y l a n d C o u n t r y Club

TREASURER

heed this advice, but Williams also adds that the aspiring
superintendent stands to gain from the same situation. There is
a tendency for young students of the profession, assistants and
others to reach for the moon when they're only equipped with a
step ladder. They flock to the national magazines and become
addicted to the want ads there. Sooner or later they make their
move and the precarious state takes hold.
"Not only do the young ones look for greener pastures, some of
the established supers think along the same lines," Williams
remarked. "We all have our moments of anger with our present
employers, times when we're ready to pitch it all and strike out
for new courses and trails to conquer. But hasty decisions influenced by emotional upheaval - can be killing to a
superintendent's future. You know, we are the most secure of
the three executive branches of the country club. There is less
turnover among supers than either the club professional or
clubhouse manager. That proves, then, that not too many of us
go off on a tantrum and escape to supposedly better jobs. The
few, who do, often live to regret it."
The key to both job security and efficient course grooming has
to be that familiarity with turf, weather, and the rest according
to local conditions. And the man who knows the land, is going to
be the best man to exploit that land into a well-groomed golf
course. This is why super-seeks should look homeward for the
best qualified candidate.
Gerry Finn

Newsletter Notes

Want to thank the people at Wellesley Country Club for having
us as their guests. Everyone had an enjoyable day and a special
thanks to host superintendent Tom Schofield and golf pro Les
Bond. It was very unfortunate and uncontrollable the winter kill
damage this course has absorbed. I am sure with good weather,
patience, and hard work by Tom and his staff the course will
return to the fine condition it is known for.
Dr. Joe Troll attended along with his new assistant Kirk
Hurto. Mr. Hurto started in January working with Dr. Troll at
Stockbridge. He is a native of Illinois and says he and his wife
love New England. On behalf of the association we are glad to
welcome Mr. Hurto and hope to see more of him in the near
future. Dr. Troll also gave the date of July 26 as the day of the U.
Mass. Field Day. Viewing of the turf plots will be from 9 a.m. to
12 noon. Lunch and discussion will follow.
The date for the August meeting at Mt. Pleasant C.C., Lowell
is August 16. Please mark it on your calendar.
Weicome Paul Mmer, Superintendent at Tedesco C.C. as an
Associate Member. Paul is in his second year at Tedesco after
serving under Charlie Gardner at Oyster Harbors for 6 years.
Many thanks to the Magovern Company in Windsor Locks,
Conn, for their contribution to the Lawrence S. Dickinson
Scholarship Fund. Would like to encourage other Friends of the
Association and fellow superintendents to give to this worthy
cause.
Sorry to hear that Elmer Fuller passed away. He was a
retired member of our association. Mr. Fuller was a member
for 52 years. Our sincere sympathy goes out to his family.
Had a pretty good turn out at Wellesley C.C. but I know there
is more of you out there. So help your association and participate. See you at Woodland C.C. for the Superintendent/Greens Chairman Golf Tournament.
LARRY BUNN
Newsletter Chairman
TRUSTEE

D O N A L D HEARN CGCS
4 T o p e k a Road
C h e l m s f o r d , Mass. 01824
H o m e Phone 256-8709
O f f i c e Phone 894-5906
Club Affiliaton
W e s t o n Golf C l u b

PAUL J O H N S O N
4 J u d i t h Dr.
No. Reading, Mass. 01864
H o m e Phone 664-6664
O f f i c e P h o n e 777-1134
Club A f f i l i a t o n
Ferncroft C o u n t r y Club

TRUSTEE
MAX MIERZWA
106 C r e s t w o o d St.
Chicopee, Mass. 01020
H o m e Phone 594-4996
O f f i c e Phone 592-9540
Club Affiliation
C h i c o p e e C o u n t r y Club

FIANCE C H A I R M A N

BERT FREDERICK
45 Stoney B r o o k Rd.
Nabnaset, Mass. 01861
H o m e Phone 692-6445
O f f i c e Phone 453-1231
Club Affiliation
Vesper C o u n t r y C l u b

ROBERT J O H N S T O N
128 W i l b r a h a m Rd.
H a m p d e n , Mass. 01036
H o m e P h o n e 566-3075
O f f i c e Phone 566-3096
Club Affiliation
Hampden Country Club

Kernwood C.C. Links Is Allen's 'Baby'
by BILL BROTHERTON Times Sports Staff
SALEM — When Lester Allen was a strong 11 year old lad in
1920 he used to walk two miles daily from his Western Avenue
home in Beverly just to caddie at Kernwood Country Club. The
kids used to earn a healthy 15 cents per hour in those days and
they had to punch a time clock to prove they weren't cheating
the members.
Well today, 58 years after he first toted a bag at the Salem
course, Allen is retiring as Kernwood's greens' superintendent,
a position he's held since 1945. And the course is his "baby. It's
just like a member of the family."
No longer will the 69 year old agronomist have to worry about
diseased greens, outdated watering systems, and mowing
fairways.
Instead, retirement will allow Allen to work on his vegetable
garden, catch up on his reading, tinker with electronical gadgets
and watch game shows on the television set he built by hand.
Lester and Eleanor Allen have lived in that big yellow house
which borders the course's eighth hole since 1961. Their five
children have long since departed but nine cats and a "friendly
but deaf" dog named Pammie keep the couple company.
"We've had a lot of pets through the years. . . so many old
dogs," recalls Allen. "At one time we had 21 cats running
through the house. People threw them on the course and they'd
automatically come to our door."
The Allen's children - Albert, Ronald, Beverly, Murial and
Donald - used to play in the bunkers and roll on the greens
during their younger days and all five worked on the Kernwood
links at one time. In fact the three boys put themselves through
college with their earnings.
Lester and Eleanor lost their two eldest boys in the armed
forces. Albert died shortly after 20 years in the service and
Ronald was a victim of an accidental shooting in Washington,
D.C. Strangely, Albert survived being shot at by the Russians
and the Lexington explosion.
Their photographs still rest among pictures of their three
other "prides and joys" on book-filled shelves.
Lester Allen was born in Gloucester and moved to Beverly at
an early age. He caddied at Kernwood for eight years and made
enough money to put himself through Wentworth Institute.
After a short stint as an auto mechanic, Lester returned to the
Salem club as assistant to greenskeeper Robert Mitchell. That
was in 1931 and 14 years later, Allen assumed control himself.
Now, he's stepping down, relinquishing his job to Dean
Robertson, a "hand-picked" replacement from Newbury who
worked at Chestnut Hill for 12 years.
Allen is, and probably always will be, considered one of the
area's top superintendents. He is former president of the Golf
Course Superintendents of America and the New England Turf
Council. He taught courses in agronomy at U.Mass (Amherst)
from 1950 to 1967. He's also consulted at Tedesco, Salem, Happy
Valley and Thomson clubs during his long stint.
"I've been thinking about retirement for three years now,"
confides Allen. "I'm not getting any younger. . . I don't consider
myself senile by any means but Eleanor and I have been in and
out of the hopsital lately. I've had arthritis for years and ulcers
developed a while ago. They're all by-products of the occupation
I guess."
"It's a job that never gets done," confides Allen, "it's a 25
hour job, eight days a week. And with today's advanced
equipment it's even worse. When I started I had seven men on
my maintenance crew. Today there are still seven. You figure 60
GOLF C H A I R M A N
KEN M O O R A D I A N
134 Green St
Hopedale. Mass 01747
Home Phone 473-2352
O f f i c e Phone 473-3508
Club A f f i l i a t i o n
Hopedale C o u n t r y C l u b

EDUCATIONAL C H A I R M A N
PETE COSTE
121 G r a n i t e St.
Medfield, Mass 02052
H o m e Phone 359-7247
O f f i c e Phone 566-0240
Club A f f i l i a t i o n
- The C o u n t r y C l u b

NEWSLETTER C H A I R M A N
LARRY BUNN
145 Dedham St.
Canton, Mass. 02021
H o m e Phone 828-7266
O f f i c e Phone 828-6540
Club A f f i l i a t i o n
Blue Htll C o u n t r y C l u b

Dean Robertson,
President
of GCSA of New England,
presents
a placque
to Lester Allen from the association
for his years of
service to the GCSA of New England. Mr. Allen and his family
were
honored
by members,
friends,
and fellow superintendents
at a
retirement
party at Kernwood
Country
Club.

carts going 18 holes twice a day will do a number of the course. It
certainly makes it more difficult to maintain."
Still, Lester wouldn't change a minute of his life. "I've loved
it. It's been a good living and every day presented a new
challenge. I'd hate to be in a factory every day doing the same
thing. Here I was outside and I determined a program for
maintenance.
"The course is like another child. You say you'll retire and
forget about it but it's tough. It's a little baby . . . when you're
away from it you worry about it constantly.''
Last night the Kernwood members gathered to thank Allen for
his many years of service. Lester was aware of his "surprise"
tribute ahead of time. "It's a secret," laughs Allen, "I'm not
supposed to know about it.
"It's been a good life," he concludes, "I met a lot of nice
people and have a devoted, loving family."
T O U R N A M E N T RESULTS
a t W E L L E S L E Y COUNTRY CLUB
Biind Draw Net
First Place
Ron K i r k m a n
Bert Frederick
E d Wiacek

WayneZoppo

57

Second P l a c e
L a r r y Bunn
Don H e a r n
Julie Aksten
Allen Cumps

Third Place
Pete Coste
Dave Loker
Dick Zepp
Bob M c l n t y r e

48

59

PAST PRESIDENT
WAYNEZOPPO
9A Village Green North
E. Providence. R.I. 02915
Home Phone 434-1759
O f f i c e Phone 434-8512
Club Affiliation
A g a w a m Hunt Golf C l u b

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 context is maintained. We w o u l d appreciate a
credit line.

P l e t u e p z t m * u $ e FRIENgS OF THE A S S O C I A T I O N

Baker Tractor Corp., Ford Tractors
Harley Davidson Golf Cars
Swansea, Massachusetts

Holliston Sand Company, Inc.
Lowland Street, Holliston, Mass. 01746
Sand for Golf Bunkers and Traps

Chanderlin Seed Co., Inc., Division of
Lofts Pedigreed Seed, Inc.,
20 Beck Road, Arlington, Mass. 02174
Joe Moran — Rep.

P & L Equipment Corp.
Golf Cars & Commercial Turf Equipment
80 Lynde Street, Melrose, Mass. 02176
Phone 617-665-5990

I & E Supply, Inc.
66 Erna Ave.
P.O. Box 9
Milford, Conn. 06460
Tele (203) 878-0658

Sil Paulini, Inc.
6 Manor Avenue
Natick, Mass. 01760

The Charles C. Hart Seed Co.
Wethersfield, Conn.
Bob Kennedy, Rep.
Steve Hart, Rep.
203-529-2537

Kenneth Barrie Corp.
249 Milton St., Dedham, Mass. 02026
Tel. (617) 364-3333

The Clapper Co.
1121 Washington St.
West Newton, Mass.

Tom Irwin, Inc.
11B A Street
Burlington, Mass.

Richey & Clapper, Inc.
28 Rutledge Road
Natick, Mass. 01760
Trencher & Equipment Leasing, Inc.
Ditch Witch Trenchers
38 Fairview St., Agawam, Mass. 01001
Phone 413-786-8600

Geoffrey S. Cornish & William G. Robinson Karandrew Turf Farms, Inc.
Golf Course Architects
Sam Mitchell, Sales Representative
Fiddlers Green, Amherst, Mass. 01002
15 Longmeadow Drive, Canton, Mass.

Sawtelle Brothers
565 Humphrey Street
Swamp scott-, Mass.—
Tel. 617-599-4856

C. S. Curran
T. R. C. Products, Oils and Greases
7 Linden St., Framingham, Mass.

Larchmont Irrigation Co.
Larchmont Ln., Lexington, Mass.

E-Z-Go Golf Car
Sales - Service - Rentals
Polaris/E-Z-Go Northeast
Box 817
North Falmouth, Mass. 02556

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

TuckahoeTurf Farms, Inc.
Slocum, R.I.
Litchfield, N.H.
Bluegrass Blends/Penncross Bent Grass
Tel. 1-800-556-6985
Alan Anderson
Chris Beasley

Scotts Pro-Turf Div.
Rep Ed. Wiacek 1-401-253-4284
Rep Allen Cumps 1-413-253-2995.
Gold Star Sod Farms, Inc.
Sod & Pine Bark Mulch
Canterbury, New Hampshire
1-800-528-5205
Grounds Equipment Co., Inc.
383 Boylston St., Newton Cen., Mass.

Magovern Company, Inc.
Lawn Acre Road
Windsor Lock, Conn.
D. L. Maher
Box 127, Concord St.
N. Reading, Mass. 01864
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

* Contributors to the Lawrence S. Dickinson Scholarship Fund

(bourse Superintendent5

-Association

Tuco Products Co.
Division of the Upjohn Company
Kalamazoo, Michigan
David Sylvester 203-828-3790
Turf Products Corp.
1496 John Fitch Blvd.
S. Windsor, Conn. 06074
Tel. 1-203-289-3471
Gary Braynt, Sales Rep.
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
First Class
U . S. Postage

LARRYBUNN
Newsletter Committee Chairman
145 Dedham St,
Canton, Mass. 02021
Home Phone 828-7266
Office Phone 828-6540
Club Affiliation
Blue Hill CountryCiub
DONALDHEARN
Business Manager
LEON ST. PIERRE
Co-ordinator
GERRY FINN
Contributing Editor

PAID

Mowntt-j-l

MIA