OCTOBER 1984 ourde OF Superin NEW ten den ti E N G L A N D , on INC Sponsors and administrators of the Lawrence S. Dickinson Scholarship Fund — Awarded yearly to deserving Turf Management Students. Super Shape Equals Super Scores What's behind those super scores golfs touring pros pile up week after week in their non-stop search for gold and glory? It didn't come as much of a surpise when veteran tour player Grier Jones put his finger on the continuous improvement golf course conditions as the main reason why pros are shooting the lights out of supposedly "tough" layouts with surprising regularity. Jones offered the explanation last month while competing in the Bank of Boston Classic at Sutton's Pleasant Valley Country Club. Of course, the 38-year-old swinger was in a co-operative mood at the time - just having shot a three-under-par 69 and for a spot among the first-round leaders. "This is a long course (in excess of 7,000 yards) and you'd figure scores would run high," he said. "Pleasant Valley has the reputation of being very demanding, especially on players who don't hit it out of sight. But you're going to see some low numbers here. "Why? Because whoever's supposed to get this course in shape has done his job. The place is in excellent condition. The greens are putting true and you get what you put into every shot. It's only because of the physical conditions out there. But that's the way it goes most every place we play. The scores go down because the courses are in such good shape." Obviously, the man behind the low scores on the tour is the golf course superintendent. That post at Pleasnat Valley is filled by Noel Fongeallaz who's been feeding and seeding the Sutton spread for most of its big tournament life. The trend for lower scores on the tour has coincided with the gradual upgrading of grooming methods and the high technology emphasis the superintendent's profession has followed. As the know-how of the superintendent goes up, the scores go down. Jones wasn't the only Bank of Boston Classic contender to bring up the importance of the superintendent and the connection his fruits of labor have with tour event results. Winner George Archer, who came flaming down the stretch waith a seven-under-par 65 in the final round, echoed Jones' views which served as a deserving compliment to Fongeallaz and other superintendents who ready courses around the country for the world's greatest golfers. "Believe me, there's no way I could have shot the scores I did here (PV) if the course hadn't been in the shpae it is," Archer told. "Never mind that I couldn't find a flaw in the greens, I don't remember having a bad lie all week." Naturally, a superintendent sets his prime-condition schedule to fall on target on the week the tournament is played. Then, too, he usually is accorded the luxury of bending his maintenance budget to take him through the rough conditioning areas of preparing for the big event. "Sure, I know those guys (superintendents) are given a little more money and more help to work with," Jones added. "But they still have to know what they're doing and they're always at the mercy of the weather. The guy here just did wonders with the greens. "Putting really separates everybody on the course, anyway. You can go out to the practice tee and not tell a player making the top, ten every week from the one who never collects a paycheck, unless you recognize their faces. But put them on the greens and you soon know who the winners and losers are." The Pleasant Valley putting surfaces bring to mind the year-in, year-out condition of the greens at the Wethersfield Country Club where the PGA Tour lived for over 30 years before moving the Greater Hartford Open to the 'monstrous' TPC of Connecticut course atEdgewood. Wethersfield under the golden superintendent's touch of Fred Bachand, had given the pros perfect putting conditions - so much so that the course was lauded as having the best greens on the tour. That arrangement produced fantastic winning scores of 20 and more under par. Supposedly, Wethersfield was too easy, so the tournament was transferred to the Peter Dye re-designed layout four miles away. Scores would balloon there, so they said. But, not so. The winning total in the first GHO at the TPC layout was 15 under par - and could have been better had it not been for a violent, second-day rainstorm. Condition, then, backbones most of the flossy figures touring pros flaunt before galleries and TV viewers. As it is now, superintendents set up courses in such a way as to bring out the best in golfers of all abilities. Truly, super shape equals super scores. And the man to thank for it is a special kinds of "super" in himself. Gerry Finn OCTOBER 1984 GCSANE Meeting October 2, 1984 (Tuesday) THE COUNTRY CLUB OF BROOKLINE Clyde St., Brookline, MA Directions - From 128 take Rt. 9 east. Go past Longwood Cricket Club. Take right at Texaco to Clyde St. to club. Host: Pierre Coste Directors meeting -10 am Membership meeting -11 am Lunch - noon Golf - 1 pm TEAM OF TWO CHAMPIONSHIP (make own Group) - Q J f (Gourde S u p e r i n t e n d e n t s Oftanol*and Triumph* Field Trials NOTICE TO GCSANE MEMBERS All members who will be competing in the Pro-Supt Tournament at Brae Burn must have a GCSANE Handicap. Any member who plays without an established handicap will play at scratch. GCSANE GOLF COMMITTEE TO BE VOTED ON A T OCTOBER MEETING Application for membership Mark L. Flagg Assistant - Myopia Hunt Phillip A. Schultz Assistant - Oak Hill CC Position Openings Woods Hole CC - Superintendent Send Resume to: Mr. Frank Brown, Green Chrmn. Box 663 Falmouth, MA 02541 Marshfield CC - Superintendent Send Resume to: Mr. Steve Atwater P.O. Box 635 Marshfield, MA 02050 Kirkbrae CC - Superintendent Send Resume to: Kirkbrae CC Box 436 Slatersville, R.I. 02895 All inquiries strictly confidential SEPTEMBER MEETING RESULTS Charles River CC. We had another fine turnout for golf. The format was a blind draw team of four. The winners - Dick Duggan, Joe Rybka, Bob Mucciarone, Bob Chalifour. Our thanks to Steve Kristof and the staff at Charles River. Superintendent - Club Offflcial Tournament, WeUesley CC A wonderful day with a full field. The golf course was in excellent condition. Our thanks to Tom Schofield and WeUesley CC. The winners - Low Net - Pine Brook Country Club Doug Johnson Rick Benditson Peter Blum Chuck Roazen Low Gross - Worcester CC Mike Nagle John Owen Flip Davis Bob Kervick Upcoming Events Mark Your Calendar Oct. 12, 1984 - Pro-Supt. Championship Brae Bum CC Hosts - Bob Grant, Jim O'KeUey Nov. 5, 1984 GCSANE Meeting Segreggansett CC Host - Chip Brearley Directors Meeting -10 am Membership Meeting - 10:45 ana Lunch - 11:30 am Golf 12 noon Nov. 6-7, 1984 - GCSAA Seminar Golf Course Design Principles Natick Hilton Natick, MA PRESIDENT D o n a l d E. H e a r n . C G C S 4 Topeka Rd. Chelmsford, M A 01824 Home Phone 256-8709 O f f i c e Phone 8 9 4 - 5 9 0 6 Club Affiliation Weston Golf Club FIRST VICE PRESIDENT David Barber. CGCS 1 4 5 D e d h a m St. Canton. M A 02021 H o m e Phone 8 2 8 - 7 2 6 6 Office Phone 8 2 8 - 6 5 4 0 Club Affiliation B l u e H i l l C.C. SECOND VICE PRESIDENT Pierre C o s t e . C G C S 121 G r a n i t e St. Medf.eld, M A 02052 H o m e Phone 3 5 9 - 7 2 4 7 Office Phone 566-0240 Club Affiliation The Country Club ^ A s s o c i a t i o n SECRETARY R i c h a r d C. Z e p p . C G C S 27 Fowler Rd. Northbridge, M A 01534 H o m e Phone 234-8490 Office Phone 234-2533 Club Affiliation Whitinsville Golf Club Pat Vittum, University of Massachusetts Those of you who have been reading this newsletter regularly have seen occasional reports on field trials of Oftanol* and Triumph* on Japanese beetle grubs. During 1983 we conducted a large test to determine how quickly both materials work and what is the optimum date to apply the insecticide. The results of that study are summarized in this report. We applied insecticides on five dates in the Spring (1 April, 21 April, 5 May, 20 May, or 2 June) and on six dates in the Summer (14 July, 29 July, 10 August, 24 August, 8 September, and 21 September). Each plot received an application only once. The insecticides tested were diazinon 5G (6 lb ai/A) (used as a standard for comparison), Oftanol* 5G (2 lb ai/A), Oftanol* 2F (21b ai/A), Triumph* 1G (2 lb ai/A), and Triumph IE (21b ai/A). Triumph* is a new organophosphate insecticide produced by Ciba Geigy, still in the experimental stage, which looks good as a soil insecticide. All applications were made to 10 feet by 7.5 feet plots by shaking granular formulations from glass jars with perforated lids or by watering cans (3 gallons water per plot) for liquid formulations. Applications were made to five randomly selected plots so that statistical analysis could be conducted later. Applications normally were made in early afternoon, and Vi inch of water was applied through an automatic irrigation system 12 hours after application. Plots were sampled 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, and 10 weeks after application by cutting one square foot of sod and counting all the grubs from that square foot sample. Once a treatment reached 95% control, that treatment was no longer sampled, simply because, logistically, it would have been impossible to sample all plots all summer. All tests were conducted at The International Golf Course, Bolton, with the co-operation of Superintendent Ron Milenski. Table 1 summarizes the results for two of the spring applications, 28 April and 5 May. As it happens, these seemed to be the most effective spring application dates, but the trends seen here were repeated in other application dates. The numbers in the table give the PER CENT CONTROL for each insecticide. The numbers in parentheses after "Untreated Check" give the average number of grubs per square foot for that week of sampling in an untreated plot. The letters after each number are derived from a statistical test called Duncan's Multiple Range Test. Any numbers which are followed by the same letter are not significantly different from each other. NS indicates no significant difference in any of the tests on that date. As you can see, there was no significant control one week after application for any of the materials applied in the spring except Oftanol* 2F applied 5 May, but from then on, every chemical reduced grub counts significantly compared to the check. According to this test, none of the treatments was significantly better than any other on the same date. Table 2 summarizes the results for the first three summer applications. In each case Oftanol* 5G took at least four weeks to produce a significant reduction of grubs, while the liquid formulation acted more quickly. This was consistent with the reports we had been getting that Oftanol* has a three week lag period between application and taking effect. Generally, Triumph* IE acted very quickly in controlling grubs, and Triumph* 1G was almost equally effective. Again, this was consistent with reports we had been given concerning Triumph* - it has the potential to be an excellent soil insecticide, but does not have the residual activity of Oftanol*. While there often was no statistically significant differTREASURER Thomas Schofield, CGCS 290 N o r t h Rd. Sudbury, M A 01 776 H o m e Phone 4 4 3 - 3 7 1 2 Office Phone 2 3 5 - 7 3 3 3 Club Affiliation WeUesley C . C . TRUSTEE Paul M i l l e r 173 S a l e m St. Swampscott, M A 01907 H o m e Phone 581 2808 Office Phone 791 5 3 7 3 Club Affiliation T e d e s c o C.C. TRUSTEE Stephen A Chiavaroli. CGCS 1 0 0 A i r p o r t Dr Worcester, M A 0 1 6 0 2 Home Phone 752-0031 Office Phone 791-5373 Club A f f i l i a t i o n T a t n u c k C.C. TRUSTEE M a r k J. K l i m m P.O. B o k 4 8 0 Mashpee, M A 0 2 6 4 9 Home Phone 4 7 7 - 3 5 1 6 Office Phone 4 7 7 - 0 9 1 9 Club A f f i l i a t i o n C.C- o f N e w S e a b u r y OF ence in per cent control of the various insecticides compared to each other in the summer, some trends remained constant throughout the year. Generally, Triumph* IE performed quickest, while Oftanol* 2F was not far behind. Triumph* IG was slightly slower and/or less effective (although not necessarily significantly) followed at a distance by Oftanol* 5G. The latter performed less effectively than we had expected, based on past experience. Apparently, the weather conditions in the summer of 1983 were perfect for maximizing difficulties, and the granular formulation was adversely affected by the drought conditions. Also, because of the very dry conditions, the irrigation system was used to apply five to ten minutes of water every night from mid July through August. This practice protected the turf, but it may have negated the effect of the granular insecticide. Light water applications soon after application drive the material into the soil, where the grabs are. The last three summer applications (24 August, 8 September, and 21 September) were very straightforward. Every application reduced grab populations significantly compared to the check one week after application. However, the grub counts in the untreated checks of the late summer test were much higher than those in the test described in the table and, while control was "significant," it usually was in the 50 to 70% range. The residual activity of soil insecticides - how long will it last? - is of major concern to users. We sampled each of the spring plots once on 31 August or 1 September 1983 to see if there was any carry over activity. Since the spring applications had been directed toward recently overwintered large grabs, and they had subsequently pupated and emerged as adults, a fall sample would determine the effect on the new generation. Table 3 summarizes the results, which include a few surprises. For example, the diazinon application made on 1 April reduced the fall grub population significantly! However, you can see that either formulation of Oftanol* reduced the grab population significantly, regardless of the date of application. The same was not always true for Triumph* or diazinon. Finally, we sampled all plots (all insecticides, all eleven application dates) in June 1984 to see whether there was a full season carry over. For all five spring application dates, the untreated check was never significantly different from any of the treated plots. This was consistent with previous reports that Oftanol* has a residual activity up to several months, depending on the season it is applied, but does not have a full year of residual activity. Table 4 summarizes the results of the Spring 1984 sampling of the Summer 1983 applications. As you can see, every material treated in late summer reduced the subsequent spring grab populations significantly. However, Oftanol* 5G or diazinon applied in early summer did not reduce subsequent spring grub populations significantly, while liquid Oftanol* and either formulation of Triumph* did. This test confirmed many suspicions we had had concerning soil insecticides. Oftanol* 5G has at least a three week lag period betwen the time it is applied and it starts to work. Oftanol* 2F does not seem to experience the same sort of delay. Triumph* is a very good looking soil insecticide with a quick knock down, reducing grub populations very effectively even when applied late in the season. The biggest surpirse in this study was that Triumph* seemed to demonstrate a residual activity, so that its effectiveness continued longer than expected. However, this may have been an artifact of the test design. More field trials, conducted slightly differently, will have to be ran to determine whether Triumph* in fact is active for several months. Field conditions during 1983 maximized difficulties for \FINANCE CHAIRMAN John Streeter, CGCS 86 F a s h i o n D r . Warwick. Rl 0 2 8 8 6 H o m e Phone (4011 738-8386 Office Phone (401 f 9 4 3 - 0 0 5 9 Club A f f i l i a t i o n T h e A l p i n e C.C. GOLF CHAIRMAN Stephen M. M u r p h y 4 Juniper R d . Lvnnfield. M A 01940 H o m e Phone 334-4836 Office Phone 592-1433 Club Affiliation Larry Gannon Municipal G.C. EDUCATIONAL CHAIRMAN E d w a r d L. B r e a r l e y 2 7 9 T o r r e y St. Brockton, MA 02401 H o m e Phone 5 8 4 - 6 5 6 8 Office Phone 8 2 3 - 0 4 6 6 Club Affilialion Segreggansett C . C . NEW E N G L A N D , I N C . effective control of soil insects. Other trials, conducted in different settings, indicate that a thorough application of water right after an insecticide application will improve the effectiveness of any insecticide directed toward grab control. Finally, the optimum date for applying an insecticide for grub control appears to be between 1 and 15 August. This makes sense, since the grubs are still very small and most susceptible to chemical control at that time. Applications made in late August or September are less satisfactory, because the grabs are getting larger and the weather is turning cooler, so the insecticides work more slowly. Spring applications, if necessary, should he made between 15 April and 10 May, but keep in mind that spring applications often are less successful than corresponding fall applications because the spring grubs are larger. In any case, if an application can be made just before a heavy rain, grub control should be maximized. Table 1. Japanese beetle grubs per cent mortality - two spring applications. Sampling Date Date of application 21 April Diazinon 5 G Oftanol* 5G Oftanol* 2F Triumph* IG Triumph* IE 28 April 5 May 36 NS 43 5 29 50 78 b 72 b 94 b 85 b 83 b 5 May Diazinon 5G Oftanol* 5G Oftanol* 2F Triumph* 2F Triumph* IE Untreated Check (14.0) (13.0) a 13 May 20 May 26 May 2 June 85 b 95 b 98 b 97 b 100 b 91b 96 b X X X X X X X X 3a 49 ab 78 ab 54 ab 54 ab 78 b 76 b 90 b 87 b 92 b 81 b 84 b 97 b 90 b 94 b 94 b 86 b (7.4) a (21.2) a (18.2) a (16.0)a X 99 b 92 b Table 2. Japanese beeUe grubs: per cent mortality in three summer applications (1983) Sampling Date Date of application 10 Aug 17 Aug 24 Aug 31 Aug 8 Sept 22 Sept 4 Oct 14 July Diazinon 5G Oftanol* 5G Oftanol*2F Triumph* IG Triumph* IE 31 ab 83 b 97 b 69 b 83 b 29 July Oftanol* 5G Oftanol* 2F Triumph* IG Triumph* IE 33 ab 72 b 92 b 89 b 95 c 54 abc 10 August Diazinon 5G Oftanol* 5G Oftanol* 2F Triumph* I G Triumph* IE Untreated Check (7.2) a X X X 52 b 42 b 11 ab X X 100 be 82 be X X 70 ab 80 cd 55 ab 58 bed X X X 74 bed 56 be 31 ab 76 b 83 b 72 b 49 abc 95 c 87 be 97 c 86 b 55 ab 59 ab 93 b 79 b 51 abc 49 abc 72 be 92 c 97 c 0 NS 23 91 74 47 ab 15 ab 89 b 82 b 44 abc 44 abc 99 d 92 cd 45 b 67 bed X X X X (5.8) a (7.8) a (7.0) (14.6)a (19.2) a (17.6) a X X X 92 b 86 cd 69 bed X X X X 92 cd Table 3. Japanese beetle grubs residual activity of spring applications. Sampled 31 Aug or Date of Applications - Percent mortality 1 Sept., 1983 Insecticide 1 April 21 April 5 May 20 May 2 June Check Diazinon 5G Oftanol* 5G Oftanol* 2F Triumph* IG Triumph* IE (20.6) a 80 c 79 c 83 c 68 c (20.6) a 7 ab 95 c 83 c 60 be 79 c (20.6) a 9 ab 70 c 77 c 48 abc 52 abc (39.8) a 48 b 54c 75 b 57 b 48b (39.8) a 67 b 95 b 81b 60 b 57 b - Table 4. Residual insectlcidal activity on Japanese beetle grubs of 1983 applications. Application Date Sampled 12 or 14 June 1984. Insecticide 14 July 29 July 10 Aug 24 Aug 8 Sept 21 Sept Untreated Check Diazinon 5G Oftanol* 5G Oftanol* 2F Triumph* I G Triumph* IE (8.4) a 50 abed 26 abc 71 bed 69 bed 67 bed (8.4) a (8.4) a 45 abed 79 bed 91 cd 81 cd 81 cd (13.0) a 85 b 83 b 92 b 98 b 95 b (13.0) a (13.0) a 89 b 69 b 92 b 92 b 86 b NEWSLETTER CHAIRMAN Douglas W. Johnson. CGCS 5 0 N e w t o n St Weston, M A 0 2 1 9 3 Home Phone 8 9 4 - 7 3 7 7 Office Phone 8 9 3 - 8 2 6 4 Club Affiliation Pine B r o o k C . C . PAST PRESIDENT Brian Cowan, CGCS Robins Way Harwich, M A 02645 H o m e Phone 4 3 2 - 9 0 4 1 Office Phone 9 4 5 - 9 2 3 0 Club Affiliation Eastward Ho - 12 ab 98 d 81 bed 67 bed - 83 b 95 b 97 b 86 b Information contained in this publication may be used treely, in whole or in part, without special permission as long as the true context is maintained. We would appreciate a credit line. FRIENDS OF THE ASSOCIATION Baker Tractor Corp., Ford Tractors Harley Davidson Golf Cars Swansea, Mass. Yamaha Golf Cars I & E Supply, Inc. 66 Erna Ave. Box 9, Milford, Conn. 06460 203-878-0658 Pro-Lawn Products Inc. 18 Legate Hill Road Leominster, Mass 01453 Sales Rep. Jerry Kolomick Bordens Spreader Service Maynard, Mass. Tel. 617-897-2571 Sales Rep. Jack Borden Bulk Limestone Dealer T o m Irwin, Inc. 11B A St., Burlington, Mass. Jack Peterson Dennis Friel Wayne Ripley Richey & Clapper, Inc. 28 Rutledge Rd., Natick, Mass. 01760 C & J Lawnmower Service, Inc. 474 Main Street, Wilmington, Mass. 01887 Eric Oman - Sales Representative Tel. 617-658-2022 Scott C. Wolfrom 99V4 Day St. Norwood, Mass. 02062 The Clapper Co. 1121 Washington St. Newton, Mass. 617-244-7929 * Geoffrey S. Cornish & Brian Silva Golf Course Architects Fiddlers Green, Amherst, Mass. 01002 * Country Club Enterprises Club Car Golf Cars Tennis & Leisure Equipment P.O. Box 400, W. Falmouih, Mass. 02574 617-563-2284 C.S. Curran T.R.C. Products Oils and Greases 7 Linden St., Framingham, Mass. Chester Drake & Sons, Inc. 222 Walnut St. Framingham, Mass. 01701 Golf Course Construction 61 7-875-7929 Gold Star Sod Farms, Inc. Sod & Pine Bark Mulch Canterbury, N.H. 603-783-4717 Lexington, Mass. 617-861-1111 The Charles C. Hart Seed Co. Weathersfield, Conn. Bob Kennedy, Rep. Roy Sibley, Rep. Holliston Sand Co., Inc. Lowland St., Holliston, Mass. 01746 Sand for topdressing and bunkers L a r c h m o n t Engineering and Irrig. Co. Larchmont Lane, Lexington, Mass. 671-862-2550 Loft's Seed 20 Beck Rd. Arlington, Mass. Jim Sullivan, Rep. David Loker 9 Crestview Drive Millis, Mass. 02054 The Magovern Co. Inc. 27 Lawnacre Road Windsor Locks, Conn. 06096 Tel. 1-800-243-7718 or 1-203-623-2508 Louis C. Rogers, Vice Pres. D.L. Maher Box 127, Concord St. N. Reading, Mass. 01864 R.F. Morse & Son, Inc. W. Wareham, Mass. 02576 Tel. 617-295-1553 J. Willen Roell, Rep. Nardone Sand and Gravel Co. Inc. 37 Powder Rd. Westford, Mass. 01886 (617) 692-8221 Specializing in Topdressing Sand New England Sealcoating Co., Inc. Tennis Court Const, and Maintenance Sealcoating Hingham Inc. Center Hingham, Mass. 749-6800 Old Fox Chemical Inc. Fertilizers-Seeds-Turf-Chemicals 66 Valley St. E. Providence, R.I. 02914 R e t u r n to: DOUGLAS JOHNSON 5 0 N e w t o n St. Weston, MA 02193 * Sawtelle Bros. 565 Humphrey St., Swampscott, Mass. 617-599-4856 Scott Associates, Inc. 60 Water Street, Clinton, Mass. 617-365-6341 Pumps-Sales, service Installation-Vertical Turbine pumps specialists Scotts Pro-Turf Div. Rep. Ed Wiacek 1-401-253-4284 Rep. Kevin Lyons 1-617-366-4825 T u c k a h o e Turf Farms, inc. Siocum, Rl/Litchfield, N.H./Suffield, Conn. 1 -800-556-6985 Largest Producer of Penncross in New England Alan Anderson, Sam Mitchell T u c o Products Corp. Div. of the Upjohn Co. Kalamazoo, Mich. David Sylvester, 203-828-3790 Turf Products Corp. 36 Sword St. Auburn, Mass. 01501 617-791-2091 * Turf Specialty, Inc. 84 Merrimac St., Hooksett, N.H. 03106 Turf & Ornamental Supplies Ken Turner 617-263-7526 White Turf Engineering 5 Summer Dr., Winchendon, Mass. 01475 617-297-0941 Philip W o g a n Golf Course Architect 31 Budleigh Ave., Beverly, Mass. * Contributors to the Lawrence S. Dickinson Scholarship Fund First Class ., „ D U. S. Postage PAID Framingham, MA FIRST C L A S S 50 Newton St Weston, MA 02193 Home Phone 884-7377 Office: Phone 893-8264 Club Affiliation Prte Brook C.C PETE COSTE' Business-Manager GERRY FINN Contributing Editor Permit 209