November 1978

ourde Super in ten denti
OF

NEW

E N G L A N D ,

s^iiociation
I N C .

Sponsors and administrators of the Lawrence S.
Dickinson Scholarship Fund — Awarded yearly
to deserving Turf Management Students.

Scrutinize That Small Print

Whether you're a budget-booster or a budget-slasher, the
condition of your golf course depends much more on that small
print above the most overrated item on any list of expenditures the bottom line.
Talk to your nearest superintendent (yourself, if the situation
applies) and you'll find that too much emphasis is placed on the
final figure in the formation of the golf course's annual budget.
That super is often hoodwinked into the assumption that the
bottom line dictates the performance of his duties. And, more
often than not, the attempt to meet the limitations mandated by
the overall outlay figure results in cutting corners enroute to
unsatisfactory and unwanted conditions.
The trouble with most country club financial officers is that
they work from the bottom up in blueprinting the costs for
course upkeep and improvement. That is, they come into the
budget meeting with a set total figure and work out the details of
conditioning expenses with the thought of holding it to come hell
or high fairways and greens.
Examples of such stubborn insistence on restricting the
superintendent to a set overall figure abound. Conversely, there
are instances when the club shows its strength in adjusting to
circumstances beyond the control of the super. Whenever a
conditioning crisis appears, you can be sure that the bottom line
proponents will wind up with a course far inferior to its
grooming potential.
Case in point: Course A provides for an emergency fund to
handle unusual weather developments. That fund provides
additional money for goods and services - perhaps an extra shot
of fertilizer and increased manpower to control an expected new
growth of grasses. Course B ignores the drastic weather change
and refuses to implement the measures so necessary to keep the
normal course conditioning cycle in operation. The result is
elementary. Course A's golfers enjoy an uninterrupted season of
perfect playing conditions. Course B's members run to the
superintendent and wonder why they've been shortchanged.
Another deterrent to the efforts of the superintendent - and
tied into the over-dependence on grooming by the bottom line - is
a hairy subject. It is the practice of price-fixing, a practice
which makes the super's job a study in frustration.
The fixing usually is centered on the rate of pay superintendents are forced to live with on the labor market. A quick
survey - a spot check to be sure and not without challenging
asides - reveals that many supers must depend on help willing to
work for the minimum wage or thereabouts. It is not uncommon
for people - mowing greens and setting cups to come away with
$2.75 an hour. Under such uninviting terms, the turnover in
manpower is immeasurable.
Obviously, a rotating or revolving work force constitutes a
severe threat to the normal flow of duties and responsibilities
trusted to it. Like most jobs, there is a break-in period - a
learning process involved in completing the most trivial task on
a golf course. This not only increases the time required to
complete the particular job, it is a drain on the availability of the
superintendent. Unless he has the luxury of hiring a capable and
responsible assistant - another starred item in that small print to oversee the implementation of new help, the course is
deprived of his attention and expertise in what could be more

pressing matters.
The small print. It involves a myriad of seemingly simply
aspects of the budget. But does it provide for safeguard
measures against a sudden outbreak of turf disease? Is there
something included in it which gives the super a fighting chance
to overcome the damage wrought by an overnight change in
weather conditions? Does it allow him to offer a wage conducive
to luring responsible workers to his course? Is there a provision
to replace a piece of equipment that breaks down without any
warning? In other words, can he survive an emergency?
If the budget has been arranged with only one goal in mind that to hold firm to a bottom line which is often an estimate
made with nothing more than blind foresight, your golf course
lies in the danger zone and is susceptible to conditioning failure.
And such approach places an unjust burden on the superintendent who needs all the feasible support he can get in his
greening and grooming endeavors.
Gerry Finn
Tournament Results from Foxboro Country Club
First Place
Mel O'Kelly
BobConnally
Joe Rybka
EdWiacik
Second Place

GaryLuccinni Ron Kirkman
John Dolan
Norm Mucciaroni

Third Place

Juli Aksten
Tony Caranci

Wayne Zoppo
Steve Murphy

NEXT MEETING
Annual Meeting
Dec. 4,1978
Franklin Country Club
Director's Meeting 10:00 a.m.
Lunch 12:00 (Available at club)
Membership Meeting i :00 p.m.
Elections to beheld.

DIRECTIONS:

From Rte. 495 take King St. Exit to Rte. 140.
Take right and club is about 1 mile on Rte. 140.
From Rte. 95 take Rte. 1 South exit. Off Rte. 1
take Rte. 140 to Franklin. Club is on Rte. 140.
NOTE: Special thanks to our host superintendent Gary Luccini and the members of
Franklin Country Club for allowing us the use
of their facilities for our meeting. It is most
appreciated.

OF

NEW

E N G L A N D ,

INC.

Farmer's Almanac Predicts Cold Winter
DUBLIN, N.H. — Don't be fooled by a mild November and
The almanac also predicts a late spring, with rain and a
forget to get out your long woolies: it's going to be a long, cold danger of flooding for much of the country, then warns of sparse
winter, warns Abe Weatherwise, the crusty meterological rain from June until August, coupled with high temperatures,
soothsayer at the Old Farmer's Almanac.
which could cause a severe drought in the Great Plains.
In today's 187th edition of the nation's oldest continuing
The Almanac, first distributed in 1792 by Robert B. Thomas is
publication, Abe cautions that despite a mild beginning, the published every fall in an 18th Century house and two connecting
coming winter offers no reprieve from its bone-chilling barns in the small New Hampshire town of Dublin, not far from
predecessors.
the Massachusetts border.
The almanac may have a folksy exterior, but it was only six
Originally printed to help the farmer prepare for snowstorms,
days off in predicting the "Blizzard of 1978," and was considered drought,
other natural disasters, the almanac - packed full
accurate enough in 1944 to be banned by the U.S. government for of trivia, and
planting
tables, animal gestation period charts, zodiac
fear the enemy would gather weather information from it.
secrets and 16 regional weather forecasts - now reaches an
The team of forecasters, who write under Abe's pseudonymn, estimated 3.2 million persons.
predict Thanksgiving week of 1978 will introduce a string of cold
Its technique of predicting weather based on a series of cycles
waves East of the Mississippi, which will segue into another - observing
spots, phases of the moon, and the currents of
major snowstorm at the end of January 1979 "to remind us of the Atlantic sun
Ocean
off Labrador - has yet to be taken seriously
last winter."
by professional meteorologists.
The central part of the country is in for an even worse fate
But the professionals could take heed from some of the
with "exceptional cold waves" for the Central and Great Plains almanac's
recent successes. The slim yellow volume was dead
states with "near-blizzard conditions" through February.
accurate in its predictions of abnormally cold winters for the
The venerable 192-page publication predicts the weather with past two years and correctly forecasted a major snowstorm that
a claimed accuracy of 80 percent. It was first published in became the blizzard of 1978. Hale explained that the blizzard
George Washington's time.
should have hit the Northeast at the end of January but was
"People want us to be accurate," says Judson Hale, 12th delayed.
almanac editor. "Everybody pulls for the almanac. We're in the
The publishers of the almanac stress the word old in its title to
enviable position that if we're right, everybody's happy. And if distinguish it from another almanac in Maine, which has only
we are wrong, they just ignore us."
been publishing for 163 years.
The almanac says the South will experience cold waves "as
Credit: Greenwich Times, October 16,1978
far south as central Florida" beginning in December and have
an above-normal snowfall this winter. It also warns that heavy
T O BE V O T E D at the next meeting Stephen
rains in January in southern Appalachia could mean extensive
C
h
i a v a r o l i , superintendent
at
Tatnuck
flooding.
Country Club. To be voted an Associate
For skiers, the almanac predicts an ample snowfall in the
Rocky Mountains, with late April snowfalls for the entire West.
Member.
The central part of the country will get a lot of snow in
February. The East, in spite of cold weather, will not experience
TO BE V O T E D at the next meeting Ed
the abundance of snow which has fallen the last two winters.
E a r d l e y , superintendent
at
Wampatuk
SLATE of OFFICERS for 1979
President
Dean Robertson
1st Vice President
Ron Kirkman
Nary Sperandio
2nd Vice President
Brian Cowan CGCS
Bruce Carlson
Secretary
Dave Barber CGCS
Treasurer
Don Hearn CGCS
Trustee (for 3 years)
Meindert Shultz
Robert Johnston
Finance Chairman
Golf Chairman
Ken Mooradian
Educational Chairman Pete Coste CGCS
Newsletter Chairman Tom Schofieid CGCS
Past President
Wayne Zoppo
Respectfully submitted by
Wayne Zoppo, Chairman
Larry Bunn Robert Grant CGCS Ron Kirkman

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 Club

EDUCATIONAL C H A I R M A N
PETE COSTE
121 Granite St.
Medfield. Mass 02052
Home 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 B U N N
145DedhamSt
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
BlueHillCountryClub

Country Ciub. To be voted a Junior Associate
Member.

JOB OPENINGS
Hartford Golf Club, West Hartford, Conn.
Grounds Superintendent for 230 acre, 27 hole
golf course, two swimming pools, nine tennis
courts, and seven platform tennis courts.
Five to ten years experience and a degree in
agronomy.
Send resume to:
Richard L. Mahoney
10 North Main St.
West Hartford, Conn. 06107
Fall River Country club, Fall River, Mass.
Golf Course Superintendent 18 holes
Send Resume to:
Ed Keyes
74 Woodland Dr.
Somerset, Mass. 02726

PAST PRESIDENT
W A Y N E ZOPPO
9A Village Green N o r t h
E Providence. R I. 02915
Home Phone 434-1759
O f f i c e Phone 434-8512
Club A f f i l i a t i o n
AgawamHuntGolfClub

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.

( j o i f (Gourde

>uperintenJ,ent5

ociation

Golf for Golfers, Only

An eye-catching piece appeared in a recent issue of the USGA
Golf Journal. And after a digestive reading of same, it becomes
eye-awakening to those of us immersed in what has become a
seemingly great American institution - the country club.
James Finegan - a dandy with the descriptive - wrote the
lyrics. The music was provided by the Royal Ashdown Forest
Golf Club, a unique playground located on the outskirts of
London, England.
What makes Royal Ashdown an interesting study in contrast
to the typical country club in the United States is its physical
makeup and practical approach to operational costs. Obviously,
it would never make it on this side of the Atlantic. For one thing,
the members wouldn't stand for it.
Royal Ashdown, according to Finegan, is a truly superb layout
and a challenging test for those who jprefer their hazards built-in
naturally rather than being manafuctured. It has no bunkers, its
fairways are mowed twice a month or so and its rough is allowed
to grow as high and thick as nature intends^
It is, indeed, a golf course for golfers, only. And there is hardly
a day when members fail to take advantage of its adventurous
appeal. A check of club records reveals that Royal Ashdown was
closed one day in 1925 because of the death of Edward VII. And
in 1936 play was suspended to observe the funeral of King
George V. As Finegan paints such example of exaggerated
addiction to a sport, "you have to applaud a club that permits
only a day of national mourning to interfere with the game."
Since there are no sand traps, the task of maintaining the
course is eased considerably and results in a tremendous saving
of man-hours. When a player strays from the fairway, he finds
himself in heather-gorse-bracken or sandy roadways. Mr. R. L.
Griffith, Ashdown's secretary, pours more fodder into the
course's less-demanding conditioning process by noting of the
above perilous strips:' 'We never tend to any of that.''
In reality, the only regular grooming at Ashdown occurs in
the cutting of greens and tees. The trimming of the fairways is
treated as a virtual incidental on the maintenance schedule and
as Mr. Griffith further observes: "The fairways are not the lush
carpets you Americans are used to."
Turning to the real shocker, Mr. Griffith reveals the
astonishing fees Ashdown requires from its select membership
of 167 (it is not unusual for an applicant to wait seven years for
approval). The dues (for a husband and wife) were just raised to
ninety-two pounds. On the basis of the most recent rate of exchange, that is but one hundred and eighty dollars a year. In the
U.S. and other spots around the world, there are some golf
resorts who charge that much for a day's stay.
Thus, the operating budget at Ashdown accounts for the
ridiculous cost to a member. . . that and the elimination of the
amenities (trappings was Mr. Griffith's first thought) in the
clubhouse.
There is only dinner at Ashdown - the annual dinner at Easter
time. That is the only occasion when members can sit down to an
evening meal. A hot lunch is usually provided and tea - as late as
6 o'clock - can be arranged if members insist. The club steward
and his wife constitute the entire clubhouse staff and according
to Mr. Griffith: "They actually don't have all that much to do."
Compare Ashdown, then, with the typical country club setting
in the United States. In Finegan's words, the golf course is every
bit as picturesque and demanding as the layouts he frequents at
home. But there the similarity comes to an abrupt halt.
Although Ashdown is a cultivator for social life and occasional
business association, its principal function is to provide an inPRESIDENT
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 Affiliation
Kernwood Country Club

FIRST VICE PRESIDENT
RONALD K I R K M A N
25 Green St.
Needham, Mass. 02192
H o m e Phone 444-8412
O f f i c e Phone 444-5548
Club Affiliation
Needham'Golf C l u b

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 A f f i l i a t i o n
Eastward Ho!

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

Superintendent John Forest on the right and Pro Curt
ski of Meadow Brook, winners of the John Shanahan
Tournament.

SokoiowMemorial

teresting and enjoyable golfing grounds for members who
prefer sport and recreation without the frills.
Is it possible for such an operation to succeed here? Probably
not. The country club (American style) has grown far beyond
the boundaries of its original purpose and has evolved into an
expensive substitute for home, place of business and focal point
of socializing. Then, too, its golf course has taken on a showcase
appearance and adherence to impeccable condition. Its offering
of goods and services have risen to such a luxurious plane that
they now are considered the rule where once they were the
exception.
Yet, golf at Royal Ashdown stands as an uncomplicated
alternative - available only to those whose practicality perseveres through an otherwise tinsel and plastic world.
Gerry Finn

Letters to the Editor

2nd October 1978
Agronomics Arabia, Ltd.
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Dear Larry,
Thanks for forwarding the newsletters to me. Although I know
of the problems of poa and bentgrass fairways, I thought you
would like to know of the problems occurring on the other side of
the world.
Average daiLy temperatures run between 115 and 126°F and
humidity between 50-65% (As you may anticipate I do not have
any problems with bluegrass infestation) but now it is a difficult
ball game, PH here runs between 8.0 - 8.5 and salt levels run
from 2000 and 2500 ppm. We are using purrwick extensively as
we are recycling effluent for irrigation purposes. Needless to
say there is never a dull moment, but I am continuously amazed
at how well Burmuda grass does here.
Hope everything is well with you and please give my best to all
in the New England Association.
Best Regards,
Gregg Deegan CGCS
CONGRATULATIONS to JOHN PLUTA,
superintendent at Westover Golf Club who
was voted an Associate Member.

TREASURER

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

TRUSTEE

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 Phone 777-1134
Club A f f i l i a t o n
Ferncroft C o u n t r y C l u b

TRI

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 Brook 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
1 2 8 W i l b r a h a m RC.
H a m p d e n , Mass. 01036
H o m e Phone 566-3075
O f f i c e Phone 566-3096
Club A f f i l i a t i o n
H a m p d e n C o u n t r y Club

Pieade ^kmuje

FRIENDS OF THE ASSOCIATION

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

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

Borden's Spreader Service
Maynard, Mass.
Tel. 617-897-2571
Sales Rep. - Jack Borden
Bulk Limestone Dealer
over 250 satisfied golf courses.

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

Richey & Clapper, Inc.
28 Rutledge Road
Natick, Mass. 01760

The Charles C. Hart Seed Co.
Wethersfield, Conn.
Bob Kennedy, Rep.
Steve Hart, Rep.
203-529-2537
The Clapper Co.
1121 Washington St.
West Newton, Mass.

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

Sawtelle Brothers
565 Humphrey Street
Swampscott, Mass.
Tel. 617-599-4856

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

Trencher & Equipment Leasing, Inc.
Ditch Witch Trenchers
38 Fairview St., Agawam, Mass. 01001
Phone 413-786-7314

Karandrew Turf Farms, Inc.
Sam Mitchell, Sales Representative
Geoffrey S. Cornish & William G. Robinson 15 Longmeadow Drive, Canton, Mass.
Golf Course Architects
Larchmont irrig;UioriGo.
Fiddlers (deen, Amherst, Mass. 01002
Larchmont Ln., Lexington, Mass.
C. S. Curran
T. R. C. Products, Oils and Greases
7 Linden St., Framingham, Mass.

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

E-Z-Go Golf Car
Sales - Service - Rentals
Polaris/E-Z-Go Northeast
2237 Route 28
West Wareham, Mass. 02576

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

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

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

Tuco Products Co.
Division of the Upjohn Company
KaJamazoo, 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.

Nev/ England Sealcoating Co., Inc.
Tennis Court Const, and Maintenance
Sealcoating — Hingham Industrial Center White Turf Engineering
5 Summer Drive, Winchendon, Mass. 01475
Hingham, Mass. Tel. 749-3236
617-297-0941
Old Fox Chemical Inc.
Fertilizers - Seeds - Turf Chemicals
Philip A. Wogan
66 Valley Street
Golf Course Architect
East Providence, Rhode Island 02914
21 Budleigh Ave., Beverly, Mass.

* Contributors to the Lawrence S. Dickinson Scholarship Fund

Canton, Mass. 02021
Home Phone 828-7206
Office Phone 828-6540
Club Affiliation
Blue Hill Country Club
DONALD HEARN
Business Manager
LEON ST. PIERRE
Co-ordinator
GERRY FINN
Contributing Editor

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