July 2007

Thrown into the fire,
DeAvila finds his passion still burns
By Dick Trust
Matt DeAvila has had to deal with
problems at Weston Golf Club. No golf
course superintendent is immune to
facing dilemmas. For DeAvila, the first
was the worst.
DeAvila was new to Weston – it
was his first job as a head superintendent – in November of 2003. By the
time March 2004 rolled around, he was
in for the shock of his career.
“I was in the position four months
and we came out of winter and found
we had 11 dead greens,” DeAvila recalled. “That really threw me into the
fire quick, which was good. The saying
is ‘you earn your wings quick,’ if you
will. Learning how to fly.”
Fly he did. Relying on six full-time
crew members, plus a mechanic and
himself, DeAvila was quick to respond.
The membership was counting on it.
“I had worked down in New Jersey
as an assistant for five years, and in
the Philadelphia area, which really prepared me for a lot of stuff,” he said.
“But when it comes to this area, the
winter months are typically the most
damaging months. And coming out of
that spring was quite interesting, with
11 dead greens. That was definitely
my trying time; it was good to get over
it quickly.”
Repair of the greens was swift.
The membership cooperated.
“I had the membership on my
side.” DeAvila, 30, said. “It was a matter of informing them of what had happened. They allowed me to shut those
greens down until mid-May to recover
them, which made all the difference in

the world to get grass to grow on them.
“We had good recovery, fairly quick
recovery, but it sure was painstaking A
lot of manual labor went into it. Guys
were out hand seeding and literally
brushing sand into these small holes to
get seeds to germinate. We ended up
overseeding, fertilizing and hand
brooming.”
“We’d also cover them with breathable covers, which allow water to

Matt DeAvila
penetrate and allow air exchange
through them. We would pull them on
at night, pull them off during the day.
When we left for the night, we’d put
them back. In the spring, it’s like a
greenhouse effect. We had tiny little
greenhouses on these 11 greens to try
to recapture the turf. It was really labor
intensive, and it all paid off in the end.”
“That was the game plan I went
with and stood by for the entire recov-

ery process, probably a month and a
half. There has been nothing that bad
since, knock on wood, thank God.”
DeAvila has avoided similar trouble since by taking the care of the 18hole private course in new directions.
“A lot of people lost a lot of greens that
year just because of the ice and freezing, the hard winter that it was,” he
said. “But after that initial year, I was
able to really develop my own things
and put them to bed, if you will, in
the fall the appropriate way, in my
mind, with top dressing and covering and since then it’s developing
my own techniques and putting
them in place. I haven’t looked
back since then.”
DeAvila never imagined
that more than half of the greens
would be damaged to some extent
when spring unfolded.
“In the winter, you’re rebuilding
equipment and that type of thing,
so you really don’t know what
you’re going to get till you come
out of wintertime,” he said. “Those
11 greens had sustained anywhere
between 30 and 80 percent turf loss.
Some were bad and some were really
bad. When I took the job, it was like,
‘Hey, here it is. Deal with it or you’re
going to find yourself somewhere
else.’ ”
DeAvila doesn’t want to be somewhere else. He enjoys the par-72 Donald Ross-designed course, built in
1923, and which plays 6,537 yards
Continued on page 2

PRESIDENT
Russell E. Heller, CGCS
41 Clifford Street, Melrose, MA. 02176-0140
617-983-2786 Fax: 617-983-2786
E-mail: Rheller@gcsane.org
Franklin Park Golf Club

VICE PRESIDENT
Patrick J. Daly, CGCS
P.O. Box 2284, Framingham, MA 01703-2284
508-872-9790 Fax: 508-872-5393
E-mail: Pat@framinghamcc.com
Framingham Country Club

SECRETARY
Jason S. Adams
27 Cherry Street, Wrentham, MA 02093
781-326-3801 Fax: 781-326-3801
E-mail: Norfolksuper@hotmail.com
Norfolk Golf Club
TREASURER
Michael W. Stachowicz
68 Westfield Road, Westwood, MA 02090
781-326-7860 Fax: 781-326-0664
E-mail: Mstach@dedhamclub.org
Dedham Country & Polo Club
TRUSTEE
Scott Lagana, CGCS
22 Sherborne Circle, Ashland, MA 01721
978-342-6451 Fax: 978-342-0421
E-mail: Grounds@oakhillcc.org
Oak Hill Country Club
TRUSTEE
Peter Hasak
154 Tedesco Street, Marblehead, MA 01945
781-592-5764 Fax: 781-631-6530
E-mail: PHasak@tedescocc.org
Tedesco Country Club
TRUSTEE
Ronald P. Dobosz
P.O. Box 541, Ludlow, MA 01056
413-589-9487 Fax: 413-583-4686
E-Mail: Rdobosz111@aol.com
Ludlow Country Club
FINANCE CHAIRMAN
Michael Luccini, CGCS
10 Griffin Road, Franklin, MA 02038
508-520-3615 Fax: 508-528-1885
E-mail: Mluccini@verizon.net
Franklin Country Club
GOLF CHAIRMAN
James A. Small, III, CGCS
690 Pine Street, Bridgewater, MA 02324-2116
508-697-4816 Fax: 508-279-3355
E-mail: jasiii188@yahoo.com
Olde Scotland Links Golf Club
EDUCATION CHAIRMAN
David Stowe, CGCS
30 Western Avenue, Natick, MA 01760
617-789-4631 Fax 617-789-4631
E-mail:Newtonmaint@aol.com
Newton Commonwealth Golf Club
NEWSLETTER CHAIRMAN
Mark Gagne
233 Baker Street, Walpole, MA 02081
508-668-3859 Fax: 508-668-9969
E-mail:Mgagne@walpolecc.org
Walpole Country Club
PAST PRESIDENT
Michael J. Hermanson
140 Ryan Street, Gardner, MA 01440-0145
978-632-2713 Fax: 978-632-2713
E-mail: herm068@hotmail.com
Gardner Municipal Golf Course
EXECUTIVE SECRETARY
Sharon K. Brownell
P.O. Box 566, Mattapoisett, MA 02739-0566
508-758-6474 Fax: 508-758-3688
E-mail: Sbrownell@verizon.net
GCSANE Headquarters
300 Arnold Palmer Blvd., Norton, MA 02766
Tel: (800) 833-4451 Fax: (508) 758-6474
Web Site: www.gcsane.org
Newsletter Committee
Julie Heston, Business Manager
Phone: (401) 934-3677 Email: jheston@verizon.net
John Eggleston, Kernwood Country Club
Andrew Eick, The Kittansett Club
Rich Gagnon, Segregansett Country Club
Ethan Tease, Woodland Golf Club
Mark Gagne, Editor, Walpole Country Club
Any opinions expressed in this publication are those of the
author and/or person quoted, and may not represent the
position of GCSANE. Information contained in this publication may be used freely, in whole or in part, without special
permission as long as the true context is maintained. We
would appreciate a credit line.

Matt DeAvila - Continued from page 1

from the championship tees. The original Weston course, which
existed on the other side of
town, was established in
1894.
DeAvila said the “most
challenging part about our
job is that you have to cater
to the membership, and
there’s such a wide variety
of talent between low handicappers and high handicappers, and people who just
come out on weekends and
people who play every day
of the week.”
“We have roughly a
thousand members here and
not everybody’s going to be happy.
And I know that. But you try to cater to
the majority.
When you talk about recovering
the greens, that wasn’t necessarily
catering to the membership. That was
keeping a job and being thrown into
the fire, and you better survive.”
DeAvila’s day-to-day endeavors
include concern over speed of the
greens and height of the fairway grass
and rough. That’s an important part of
the job.
“Some members like the rough
three inches and some like it an inch
and three-quarters,” he said. “There’s
a medium in there that you have to find
as manager of the property that’s going to keep everybody happy.
I try to keep everything middle-of-theroad, like keeping the rough around 2
or 2¼ inches.”
“I don’t hear a terrible amount of
complaints. I’m always going to hear
some complaints or concerns or suggestions, but I think they’re happy
overall. My ultimate goal is to have this
golf course in as good a shape as any
in the area. Each property has its own
thing. And each membership has a
different perspective on the game and
what it would like to see.”
Born and raised in Abington,
Mass., DeAvila was assistant superintendent for 2½ years under Patrick
Lucas at Woodcrest Country Club in
Cherry Hill, N.J., just before coming to
Weston. Prior to that, he was an intern
for six months and assistant superintendent for two years at Pine Valley
Golf Club in Clementon, N.J., just before coming to Weston. Pine Valley is
Continued on page 4

2

Weston’s Par 5 2nd

CALENDAR
Aug. 21

GCSANE Monthly Meeting
Marlborough C.C.
Individual Championship
Host: Kenneth Crimmings,
CGCS

Aug. 22

URI Turfgrass Field Day
C.R. Skogley Turfgrass
Research Facility
Kingston, RI

Aug. 25

GCSANE Family Night
Brockton Rox Baseball
Campanelli Stadium
Brockton, MA

Sep. 10

GCSANE Monthly Meeting
Ludlow C.C.
Team of Two Tournament
Host: Ronald Dobosz

Oct. 1

Dr. Joseph Troll Turf
Classic
The International
Honoring Geoffrey Cornish
Host: Brett Johnson, CGCS

Oct. 22

GCSANE Monthly Meeting
Pleasant Valley C.C.
Member/ Guest Tournament
Host: Donald D’Errico

Nov.
(TBA)

GCSANE Monthly Meeting
Brockton C.C.
9-Hole Tournament
Host: Justin Bousquet

Nov.
14&15

GCSAA Seminars
“Annuals and Perennials”
“Cutting Costs Not Corners”
Cyprian Keyes GC
Host: Richard Zepp, CGCS

Woodland Creatures

By: Ethan Tease
With the golf season in full tilt I
thought it would be nice to highlight
some of the wilder aspects of the golf
course. We have all been so busy running around preparing for tournaments,
battling insects, stamping out diseases, and handling golfers, that we
may have lost site of the things that
are scurrying and flying around us
while we work. Recently, we welcomed two old friends back to Woodland Golf Club; Mr. Fox and Mr. Coyote. After a brief hiatus they are back
roaming our property and controlling
our pesky rodent population. Just the
other morning I watched as the fox
snuck up on an unsuspecting chipmunk. As the he approached, his
senses heightened and from six feet
away he slowly crouched and
pounced. He jumped into the air and
did a swan dive, face first into the tall
grass; he was successful. The coyote
is not as often seen as the fox, however remains of his nightly hunts are
proof of his presence. Watching them
trot across our fairways, I realized how
much wildlife there is within our fences

at Woodland.
This past winter while trimming
trees and cleaning debris we were often accompanied by several deer.
Though we do have some pockets of
heavily wooded, protected areas on
our property, it is no wildlife refuge.
We are closely bordered by Rt. 16, Rt.
128, Grove St, and Lasell College,
which does not provide abundant
sanctuary for animals as timid as deer.
The deer that I have happened upon in
Western Mass. were skittish and usually sped off at the slightest snap of a
twig. Yet, here were 6 deer within earshot of chainsaws and a chip shot
away from Route 95. Perhaps we
have Urban White Tailed Deer.
Water is not a major feature at
Woodland, however our three ponds
provide homes to many and serve as a
rest stop for others. The ponds are
teaming with frogs, catfish and turtles.
Quite often this spring a Great Blue
Heron stopped by for an early morning
fishing trip at our 11th pond. Whether
he was gliding overhead with his wide
wing span, or wading through the water on his long legs, I usually paused
and watched for a bit. More recently
another interesting bird made use of
the 11th pond as a fishing hole. A crew
member pointed him out to me as I
drove by. In no way was this bird
frightened of us as we were able to get
within 25 feet from him and watch as
he gobbled up a small catfish. A long

single feather plume on the back of its
head, bright red eyes, and long yellow
legs were distinctive features of this
unusual bird. I looked him up in a bird
book and found him to be a Black
Crowned Night Heron. The Black
Crowned Night Heron is a wetland bird
like the Great Blue Heron, but is not as
prevalent in New England.
While our ponds are fished frequently by Herons, the skies above
Woodland are patrolled daily by Red
Tailed Hawks. There are not too many
days that go by without seeing hawks
circling and screeching over head.
Recently we have heard the peeping
and screaming of young hawks and we
are certain that they have nested
amongst the pine trees between or 8th
and 9th fairways. It is fascinating to
see the adults perched in a tree scanning for their next dinner, especially
when its next dinner results in the decreased population of the local squirrels and chipmunks.
Though it may seem I have my
head in the clouds most of the time
looking at the furry animals, I think it is
important to enjoy all the sights and
appreciate the beauty that surrounds
us. While people may boast about
having great corner offices with amazing views, their views are our offices.
With the dog-days of summer upon us,
take a break from the syringing and
spraying, and appreciate all the amazing wildlife around your course.

“The coyote is not as often
seen as the fox, however remains of his nightly hunts are
proof of his presence. Watching them trot across our fairways, I realized how much
wildlife there is within our
fences at Woodland.”
Ethan Tease
Assistant Superintendent
Woodland Golf Club

3

Matt DeAvila - Continued from page 2

consistently ranked the No. 1 course in
the country by various publications.
“A lot of my experience comes
from the greater Philadelphia area as
an assistant and intern working up
through the ranks,” said, DeAvila, who
graduated from Archbishop Williams
High School in Braintree, Mass., in
1996, received his Associate’s degree
in turfgrass management from University of Massachusetts’ Stockbridge
School in 1998 and got his Bachelor’s
degree from Penn State in 2000.
While at UMass, he interned at
The Country Club in Brookline. Something special was happening at TCC in
1999 – the Ryder Cup was being
played there – and DeAvila took a semester off from college to work the
Cup. It was a great decision.
“I figured I could really get the
whole experience of being there and
take it in for what it was worth because
I may never get to see that again in my
life,” DeAvila said.
“I met Sergio Garcia, Ben
Crenshaw and a couple of
other guys. It was amazing just
to see those guys there, just to
be in the area of those guys.”
“It was a great sporting
event. It actually ended up being one of the most prominent
Ryder Cups in history. It was
great to be a part of it and to
think it was right in our own
backyard, a stone’s throw from
Boston. It was just a great experience all around.”
The ’99 Ryder Cup was a
phenomenon. People who
never cared one iota about golf
watched it, read about it, cared about
it. At least for that week, golf made
new friends.
“It really showed the kind of sporting town Boston is. It doesn’t matter
what sport it is,” DeAvila said. “There
have been some huge events here in
this city, but that was a heck of an experience I wouldn’t give up for anything. It was an amazing time.”
DeAvila got involved in golf when
he played for the high school team at
Archbishop Williams. He also played
football and hockey and dabbled a bit
in track, but golf was his passion.
“I played golf six times a week, and
in the summer I would landscape,” he
said. “I loved both of them, so I said to
myself, ‘How can I work the two to-

gether?’ I found out that they had
turfgrass management in college and
that’s what I did. All I cared about at
that time of my life was sports and
working and having some money. I put
the two together and was fortunate
enough to have a career path before I
entered college.”
A turning point for DeAvila was his
meeting Brian Linehan, who at the
time, 1996, was superintendent at Furnace Brook Golf Club in Quincy,
Mass., and now is in his sixth season
in the same position at Brookmeadow
Country Club in nearby Canton.
“I decided to go into this business
because of Brian,” DeAvila said.
A 1988 graduate of Archbishop
Williams, Linehan stopped in at the
office of then-Williams athletic director
Al Gallotta on that fateful day 11 years
ago. He was looking for summer help
at Furnace Brook and Gallotta introduced him to a teenager named Matt

Weston’s Par 3 17th
DeAvila. Linehan and the kid hit it off
and DeAvila worked at Furnace Brook
that summer.
“I just kind of went with it and have
been very, very, very fortunate,”
DeAvila said. “Timing is everything in
life. I’ve been lucky with The Country
Club, with UMass, Penn State, Pine
Valley . . . I really couldn’t have written
it down on paper any better the way it’s
unfolded for me.”
“And then ultimately here at Weston Golf Club to be 26 and acquire this
job as superintendent was the icing on
the cake.”
“He’s a hard working, intelligent
guy who knows golf well,” Linehan
said, “and for him to have the experi4

ence he has had at such a young age,
he’s going to do quite well in this business. He’s a good guy, a very determined guy, and I’m not surprised that
he’s taken the path he has. I saw that
early on. He definitely had a mission.”
DeAvila said he appreciates the input
of all those who have had an impact on
his career.
“I’m fortunate to have come across
some good people in the industry and
that certainly has gotten me to where I
am today,” said DeAvila, who lives in
Medway, Mass., with his wife, Christina, a marketing specialist for Computer World in Framingham. Dick
Bator, Director of Agronomy at The
International in Bolton, Mass., is
among those who have contributed
greatly to what DeAvila has become.
“Dick has advised me on a lot of
the programs and turf maintenance
practices,” DeAvila said of Bator, the
two meeting at Pine Valley and Woodcrest at a time when Bator was a
consultant for those venues, as well
as for Weston Golf Club.
“Since I’ve come to Weston, Dick
has been very instrumental in my
success. He annually helps me refine and improve my golf course
conditions and expectations of the
golf course. I have fine tuned my
eye for detail since he has been in
my corner.”
“He has not only become a “tool of
the trade,” a mentor, he has also
become a good friend over the
years.”
DeAvila also gave credit to Lucas of
Woodcrest, “The Country Club and
(its Superintendent) Bill Spence . . .
that was a learning experience in
itself. Brian Linehan to this day remains a good friend. He was very inspirational and he kind of mentored me
early on. I owe him a lot. Working with
(Superintendent) Rick Christian at Pine
Valley also was a good experience.”
“And I’ve been very fortunate to
have had my parents (Bob and Cynthia) provide me an opportunity to go
to college and to have established in
me the morals and work ethic to get
me where I am.”
“My career really started when I
got out of high school, and I haven’t
done anything different. I don’t think I’d
change any decision or opportunity
that I’ve been provided in all of my
career.”

Postings from the GCSANE Forum:
Superintendents Discuss Slow Greens and
Golfdom Magazine
From time to time The Newsletter
reprints selected postings from
GCSANE’s web site forum in order to
reach a wider audience.

Topic: Slow Greens
(Posted by Pat Daly, CGCS,
7/22/07)
Anyone else hearing that their
greens are slow?
Responses:
(Scott Lagana, CGCS)
Don't even get me started! Yes, but
up in Wet-Fitchburg we have had
almost 4" of rain since July 9th and
the bent is out of control. Primo does
nothing, we have double cut with
flex's w/solid rollers at .100 and
rolled with a salsco, the best we
have had is 10.5, they are averaging
about 10'.
(Ken Crimmings, CGCS)
Same here, it seems that any moisture or humidity slows us right down.
Verti-cut and/or top dressed with 46oz/A Primo every week this summer. Too much grass and/or maybe
too much N and micros? Cutting
at .110 with Jac triplexes and rolling

4 days a week. I often wonder when
members say the greens are slow
what their basis is. At this point if
they are not putting off 2 or 3 greens
then they are not fast enough. Crazy
business. Overall our turf has never
been better (knock on wood), hope
everyone is having a good season.
(Rich Caughey)
We have been missing the rain in
Scituate this summer! However too
slow beats DEAD. In a business of
too`s its always too something!
(Pat Kriksceonaitis)
My apple trees are doing just fine. As
far as the green speed issue is concerned: have you been at Framingham 7 years Pat? That's about the
time they forget how things were
when you started and how hard you
work to provide what they take for
granted every day. It's not the green
speed they are complaining about.
It's the what's new on the menu today syndrome.
(Pat Daly, CGCS)
Pat, as always, you are right. It's
been a frustrating last few weeks at
the club. Right now it is a small minority that play every other golf
course around our area and they are
all faster. We all know however how

Quotes from the Masters:
“No course can be ideal which is laid
out through trees. Trees foreshorten
the perspective and the wind has not
full play. To get the full exaltation playing the game of golf one should when
passing from green to green as he
gazes over the horizon have an unlimited sense of eternity, suggesting contemplation and imagination.”
-Charles Blair Macdonald (1855-1939)

“Most of the best inland courses owe
their popularity to the grouping of
trees. Groups of trees are the most
effective way of preventing players
from reaching the green with their second shots after playing their drives in
the wrong direction. No bunkers
guarding the green seem to be able to
prevent them from doing so.”
-Alistair MacKenzie (1870-1934)

5

fast the small minority becomes a
large majority, no matter what you
have done or how good the place
looks.
I hope you and your family are well
and I'm glad to hear the apple trees
are doing well. Just make sure they
are red, but not too red, hard, but not
too hard, and sweet just like the kind
Mom used to put in her pie when I
was a kid.
Topic: Golfdom Magazine
(Posted by Ron Kirkman - 7/26/07)
Nice article in Golfdom on the 9 hole
golf courses. Jason Adams’ picture is
on the front cover. Looks like a
Hollywood picture.
Nice job Jason.
Responses:
(Mark Casey)
Jason: Nice article indeed ! You are
well deserving of the recognition.

GCSANE Monthly Meeting - August 21, 2007
Marlborough Country Club
Host: Kenneth Crimmings, CGCS
Marlborough Country Club is a
semi-private 18 hole club, founded in
1922. The original nine (now played
as the back nine) was laid out by
Stiles and Van Cleek. What is now
played as the front nine was designed by Geoffrey Cornish in 1969.
Our host, Ken Crimmings, suggests
that you keep the ball below the hole
on the fast and back to front sloped
greens. Several holes feature dramatic elevation changes and Ken
advises that it is not uncommon to
need an extra club or two more to
reach these elevated greens.
Ken is in his 14th season at Marlborough and is ably assisted by Tim
Crane and Larry Cuoco. Ken began
his career working for his uncle at
Harwich Port Golf Club for 2 years
before moving on to Juniper Hill Golf
Course where he worked on the
crew for Tom Ackley. Ken moved on
to Marlborough Country Club when
Tom Ackley’s father, Glenn was

looking for an assistant and Ken was
a natural to take over as superintendent when Glenn retired 3 years
later. Ken attend UMass Stockbridge for his turf education.
Over the past few years, Ken
and his crew have been busy building new forward tees and drainage
throughout the course. Ken said his
biggest challenge this year has been
to keep the greens on the dry and
firm side and to keep the speeds up.
If the past GCSANE Individual
Championships are any indicator, the
greens will be treacherous and fast
for us on August 21st.
When he is away from the
course, Ken enjoys fishing, kayaking
and spending time with his wife Kim
and daughters Jessica, Emily and
Kate.
Written By: Mark Gagne

6

Meeting Details
Individual Championship
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Host: Kenneth Crimmings, CGCS
Reservations Required by
Friday, August 17, 2007
Register By Email:
Sbrownell@verizon.net or
1-800-833-4451
9:00 am: Board Meeting
9:45 am: Registration
10:45 pm: Shotgun-Box Lunch
Regular Meeting, prizes and
Bar-B-Que to follow golf
Cost: $85 per person
Lunch and Dinner - $35
Checks payable to GCSANE
We accept Visa, Mastercard and
American Express

Vendor News
As in the past, The Newsletter continues to invite affiliate members to submit a press release about new personnel, new products, or a company bio.
We will print such releases on a space
available basis.
DHT Golf Services of Plymouth,
Mass. has recently completed a large
golf course renovation project at Cranberry Valley Golf Course, Harwich,Ma.
The project involved the restoration of
all golf bunkers, the addition of several
bunkers, and the expansion of the
practice range and teaching facility.
The project architect is Mark Mungeam
of Mungeam Cornish Golf Design of
Uxbridge,Mass.
Cranberry Valley Golf Course is
owned by the town of Harwich, Mass.
The golf course is a full-length 18-hole
layout, long considered to be one of
the finest layouts on Cape Cod. The
course was built in the early 1970’s

and was originally designed by Geoffrey Cornish, a partner of Mungeam
Cornish Golf Design. The project was
proposed to the Town of Harwich by
George Boule, a member of the golf
course committee and PGA professional Dennis Hoye, the Director of
Golf at Cranberry Valley and was approved in 2005.
The DHT Golf Services team was
headed by Dave McGonigle, Dahn Tibbett, and Jamie Tibbett of Marshfield,Mass. Dahn Tibbett is the owner
of DHT Golf Services and a 25 year
member of GCSANE. He has over 30
years experience in golf course construction on many golf courses including Green Harbor Golf Course in
Marshfield,Mass. and a co-design of
Southers Marsh Golf Course in
Plymouth,Ma.
Source: DHT Golf Services Press
Release

7

DGM Systems Fills Pump System
Gap in New England Turf Market
DALLAS, TX – Responding to a strong
demand for packaged pump systems,
and limited presence in the New England market, ITT Flowtronex
announces the addition of DGM Systems, LLC to their team of Manufacturer’s Representatives. DGM will provide Turf and Irrigation pump products
to the New England area.
For more information about ITT
Flowtronex products and FlowNet, visit
www.flowtronex.com. For more information about DGM Systems, visit
www.dgmsystems.com.
Source: ITT Flowtronex Press Release

8

DIVOT DRIFT... announcements ... educational seminars ... job opportunities
...tournament results...and miscellaneous items of interest to the membership.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Our condolences to friends and family
of Chester M. (Chet) Sawtelle who
passed away recently at the age of
97. Chet was the founder of Sawtelle
Brothers and a friend to many in the
business.
Our condolences are extended to John
Carlone, CGCS and family on the unexpected passing of his brother Peter
Carlone in Jacksonville, Florida on July
27, 2007. Peter Carlone was a mechanic at St. John Golf and Country
Club in Jacksonville and also a member of the Mechanics Association in
Florida.
Congratulations to Dr. Eric J.
Matthews, and proud parents Bob and
Robin Matthews, on his graduation
from medical school. He begins his
Residency at UMass Memorial Hospital in Worcester, MA on July 1st.

DGM Systems of Foster, RI has a new
dedicated fax number. The fax
number is (401) 647-3046
Congratulations to Andrew and Susan
Langlois on the recent birth of their
son, Preston Andrew.
Congratulations to Michael and Lisa
Luccini on the recent birth of their son,
Mathew Ryan.
All members are encouraged to contact Julie Heston to announce new
arrivals so that we may purchase a
savings bond in recognition of their
birth. Phone: (401) 934-3677 or
jheston@verizon.net
Congratulations to Lindsey Hoffman, a
University of Massachusetts student
member of GCSANE who was selected as one of the three winners of
the Student Essay Contest sponsored
by GCSAA. Lindsey’s essay was titled
“Diagnoses and Management of SaltAffected Turfgrass Sites.”

GOLF RESULTS
GCSANE Meeting Results
Belmont Country Club, July 16, 2007
Superintendents
Low Gross: Chris Tufts and Kurt
Calderwood, 72
Low Net: Lennie Blodgett and Joe
Rybka, 60
2nd Net: Arthur Silva and Dennie Friel,
64
Affiliates
Low Gross: Dave Wallace and Gary
Sykes, 74
Low Net: Mike Turner and Tim Berge,
64
2nd Net: Ron Smith and Jeff Stouffer,
66
Closest to the Pin #5: Ron Kirkman
Closest to the Pin #15: Darin Eddy
Longest Drive #18: Ron Dobosz

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Send all Newsletter ads to: Julie Heston, 36 Elisha Mathewson Road, N. Scituate, RI 02857
Phone: 401-934-3677 Email: jheston@verizon.net
9

Please Patronize these FRIENDS of the ASSOCIATION
A.A. Will Materials Corp.

DAF Services, Inc.

Ken Jones Tire, Inc.

Sports Club Management, Inc.

198 Washington St., Stoughton, MA 02072-1748

20 Lawnacre Rd., Windsor Locks, CT 06096
Irrigation pumps - sales & service; northeast
warehouse/distributor for ISCO HDPE pipe &
fittings.
Richard Young - (860) 623-5207

71-73 Chandler St., Worcester, MA 01613
Distributor of tires for lawn & garden, trucks,
cars, industrial equipment, and golf cars.
Gerry Jones - (508) 755-5255

104 Wyman Rd., Braintree, MA 02184
OSHA and EPA compliance services & training.
Ron Smith - (781) 848-5978

Root zone mixes, divot mixes, topdressing blends,
bunker sands, cart path mixes, bridging stone, &
hardscape supplies.
Charlie Downing, Ed Downing (800) 4-AA-WILL

A.D. Makepeace Co.
158 Tihonet Road, Wareham, MA 02571
(508) 322-4092

Agresource, Inc.
100 Main St., Amesbury, MA 01913
Tim Gould, Guy Travers
(800) 313-3320, (978) 388-5110

Stumps Are Us
Larchmont Engineering & Irrigation

DGM Systems

11 Larchmont Lane, Lexington, MA 02420-4483
Kevin Rudat - (781) 862-2550

1 Snagwood Rd., Foster, RI 02825
Your New England specialty products distributor: Reelcraft, POK, Allen, Kenyon, Echo,
Carhartt
Office - (401) 647-0550
Manny Mihailides - (401) 524-8999
David Mihailides - (401) 742-1177

Lazaro’s Golf Course Supplies &
Accessories
dba Hammond Paint and Chemical Co., Inc.
738 Main St., Suite 223, Waltham, MA 02154
Complete line of golf course accessories;
Standard, Par Aide, Eagle One.
Joe Lazaro - (781) 647-3361

DHT Golf Services
Allen’s Seed Store, Inc.
693 S. County Trail, Exeter, Rl 02822
Specializing in quality seed and related golf
course maintenance supplies.
Gregg Allen - (800) 527-3898
Michelle Maltais - (401) 835-0287

dba Weed & Feed, Inc.
8 Meadow Park Road, Plymouth, MA 02360
Golf course renovation & construction in all
areas: bunkers, tees, greens, drainage, irrigation, & cart paths.
Dahn Tibbett, Chip Brearley - (508) 746-3222

The Andersons Technologies, Inc.

D.L. Maher Co.

26 Waite Ave., S. Hadley, MA 01075
Manufacturer of fertilizer & control products.
Rick Forni - (413) 534-8896

71 Concord St., P. O. Box 127, N. Reading, MA
01864

Atlantic Silica, Inc.
P.O. Box 10, Enfield N.S. B2T 1C6 Canada
(902) 883-3020

A-OK Turf Equipment Inc.
1357 Main St., Coventry, RI 02816-8435
Articulator, Terra Topper, Greens Groomer brush,
& used equipment.
Mike Cornicelli - (401) 826-2584

Barenbrug USA
Great in Grass
166 Juniper Drive, North Kingstown, RI 02852
Bruce Chapman, Territory Manager
(401) 578-2300

BASF Turf & Ornamental
47 Falmouth Rd., Longmeadow, MA 01106
Emerald, Insignia, Pendulum AquaCap, Curalan,
Drive, Basagran, Iprodione Pro, Propiconazole
Pro, Bifenthrin Pro, Plateau, Sahara.
John Bresnahan - (413) 374-4102

The Borden Company
114 Summer St., Maynard, MA 01754
Bulk limestone dealer.
Jack Borden - (978) 897-2571

Boston Irrigation Supply Co. (BISCO)
60 Stergis Way, Dedham, MA 02026
Distributor, irrigation supplies & accessories,
featuring Rain Bird.
Andrew Langlois, Jay Anderson III, Dan Fuller,
Jeff Brown, Greg Hennessy, Chris Russo
(800) 225-8006

Country Club Enterprises
PO Box 670, 29 Tobey Rd.,W.Wareham, MA 02676

Club Car golf cars, Carryall utility vehicles.
Dave Farina, Darin Eddy, Keith Tortorella (800) 662-2585

NMP Golf Construction Corp.
25 Bishop Ave., Ste. A-2, Williston, VT 05495
Golf course construction.
Mario Poirier - (888) 707-0787

G. Fialkosky Lawn Sprinklers

Norfolk Power Equipment, Inc.
5 Cushing Dr., Wrentham, MA 02093
Sales, service, rentals, leasing, Kubota tractors
(508) 384-0011

91 Freeman St., Newton, MA 02466
Irrigation services to golf courses throughout
New England. Gary Fialkosky - (617) 293-8632

Northeast Golf Company

Gold Star Tree & Turf Farm, LLC
250 West Rd., Canterbury, NH 03224-2127
Growers of turfgrass and ornamentals.
Malcolm McPhail - (800) 648-8873;
Canterbury Office - (603) 783-4717

Golf Course Architectural/Consultation Services
118 Beauchamp Drive, Saunderstown, RI 02874
Robert McNeil (401) 667-4994

Golf Cart Services, Inc.

20 Wenham St., Danvers, MA 01923
Hydroseeding, erosion control, & tree services.
Brian King - (978) 762-8737

North Shore Hydroseeding

275 Wells St., Greenfield, MA 01301
Club Car golf, turf, transportation, & utility cars.
James Bernier - (800) 287-0955

On-Course Golf Inc., Design/Build
16 Maple Street, Acton, MA 01720
We serve all your remodeling and renovation needs.
You can trust your project with us!
We make you look good!
Sean Hanley (978) 337-6661

GPS New England Mapping
39 Cedar St., Cohasset, MA 02025
Precise irrigation & drainage as-builts; wire
tracking & electrical repairs.
Greg Albanese - (781) 789-1166

Partac Peat Corporation

Gustavo Preston Service Company

15 Londonderry Rd., Londonderry, NH 03053
Turf & ornamental supplies.
Chuck Bramhall, Mike Kroian, Mike Nagle,
Jim Wierzbicki - (800) 228-6656

207 N. Main St., Uxbridge, MA 01569
Golf course architects.
(508) 278-3407

P.O. Box 1008, Essex, MA 01929
Golf course construction & renovation.
Jonathon Miller - (978) 768-6600

EZGO golf and utility vehicles.
Doug Hopper - (800) 234-0474

Cavicchio Landscape Supply, Inc.

Cornish, Silva, & Mungeum, Inc.

Miller Golf Construction

E-Z-GO/Textron

Harrell’s Turf Specialty LLC

304 Main St., Wethersfield, CT 06109
Authorized distributor for Bayer, Syngenta, Grigg
Bros., Foliar Fertilizer, & Aquatrols.
Roy Sibley, Dick Gurski, Robin Hayes (800) 326-HART

P. O. Box 3218, Framingham, MA 01705
Asphalt paving of cart paths, walkways, parking
areas; imprinted asphalt.
John McNulty - (508) 879-8875

240 Walnut St., Framingham, MA 01702
Golf course reconstruction; professional shaper.
Michael Drake - (508) 875-8247

Golf course and landscape supplies.
John Callahan, Dennis Friel - (800) 861-6256

Charles C. Hart Seed Co., Inc.

McNulty Construction Corp.

Michael Drake Construction, Inc.

166 River Rd., PO Box 520, Unionville, CT 06085

110 Codjer Lane, Sudbury, MA 01776
Annuals, perennials, garden mums, ground
covers, loam, & mulch.
Darren Young - (978) 443-7177

1301 E. 9th St., Ste. 1300, Cleveland, OH 44114
Ron Tumiski - (800) 321-5325

Water supply specialists; wells & pumping
equipment. (781) 933-3210

10 Kidder Road, Unit 8, Chelmsford, MA 01824
Flowtronex irrigation pumps - sales and service.
Spring start ups, winterization and 24 hour
emergency service for all irrigation pumps.
Ed Ceaser (978) 250-3333 or

The Cardinals, Inc.

Lesco, Inc.

Kelsey Park, Great Meadows, NJ 07838
Heat treated topdressing, golf hole targets, turf
blankets, other specialty golf supplies.
Jim Kelsey - (800) 247-2326

Putnam Pipe Corp.
90 Elm St., Hopkinton, MA 01748
Underground water, sewer, & drain pipe and
fittings-Erosion and sediment control material.
24-hour service.
David Putnam, Eli Potty - (508) 435-3090

Read Custom Soils

Hartney Greymont

125 Turnpike St., Canton, MA 02021
Custom soil blending, top dressing sands, root
zone blends, divot & cart path mixes.
Terry Driscoll, Garrett Whitney - (888) 475-5526

433 Chestnut St., Needham, MA 02492
Tree care, landscape construction, consulting.
Mark Tobin - (781) 444-1227

Holliston Sand Co., Inc.

R.F. Morse & Son, Inc.

P. O. Box 1168, Tifft Rd., Slatersville, RI 02876
USGA-recommended sands, root-zone mixes,
bunker & topdressing, agresoil compost, stonedust, & pea-stone
Bob Chalifour, CGCS (ret.) - (401) 766-5010

22 Cranberry Hwy., Wareham, MA 02576
Professional goods, services, & John Deere
equipment for the golf course industry.
Larry Anshewitz, Mike Hannigan, Tom Rowell,
Ren Wilkes, John Winskowicz - (508) 295-1553

International Golf Construction Co.

Sodco Inc.

5 Purcell Rd., Arlington, MA 02474
Golf course construction.
Antonios Paganis - (781) 648-2351;
(508) 428-3022

P. O. Box 2, Slocum, Rl 02877
Bluegrass/Fescue, Bluegrass/Rye, Bluegrass/
Fescue/Rye, Bentgrass.
Sean Moran, Pat Hogan - (800) 341-6900

Irrigation Management & Services

Southwest Putting Greens of Boston

21 Lakeview Ave., Natick, MA 01760
Irrigation consultation, design, and system
evaluation. Bob Healey, ASIC, CID (508) 653-0625

P.O. Box 827, Westford, MA 01886
Synthetic turf, tee lines, practice greens, outdoor
and indoor practice facilities.
Douglas Preston - (978) 250-5996

10

5 Timberwood Rd., #108, Goffstown, NH 03045
Professional stump chipping service.
Brendan McQuade - (603) 625-4165

S.V. Moffett Co., Inc.
87 Concord Street, North Reading, MA 01864
Rain Bird Golf irrigation distributor.
Mark Casey (617) 990-2427 (Eastern MA & Boston);
Bob Hobbs (603) 833-0309 (NH & ME);
Chris Francis (413) 519-8585 (Western MA and VT)

Syngenta Professional Products
1131-0 Tolland Turnpike, Suite 261,
Manchester, CT 06040
Bob Goglia (860) 716-0315

Tee & Green Sod
A Division of New England Turf
P. O. Box 777, West Kingston, RI 02892
Bentgrass, Blue/Fescue mixes, Bluegrass, Low
Cut Bluegrass and complete installation services
Dave Wallace, Scott McLeod, Ernie Ketchum (888) 638-4657

Tom Irwin Inc.
11 A St., Burlington, MA 01803
Turf management products.
Jack Petersen, Paul Skafas, Rob Larson, Chris
Petersen, Greg Misodoulakis, Mike DeForge
(800) 582-5959

Tree Tech, Inc.
6 Springbrook Rd., Foxbvoro, MA 02035
Foxboro, Wellesley, Fall River
Andy Felix - (508) 543-5644

Tuckahoe Turf Farms, Inc.
P. O. Box 167, Wood River Junction, Rl 02894
Chris Beasley - (800) 556-6985

Turf Enhancement Enterprises
6 Jessica J Dr., Millbury, MA 01527
Floratine products, Precision Small Engine Co.,
Douglas Rollers, Trion Lifts.
Tom Fox - (508) 865-9150

TurfLinks, Inc.
16 Kane Industrial Dr., Hudson, MA 01749
Distributor of quality fertilzer, grass seed, &
control products for the golf course industry.
Kevin Lyons, Scott Mackintosh, Jim Favreau (866) 567-9221

TurfNet Associates, lnc.
21 Brandywine Rd., Skillman, NJ 08558
Cutting edge communication for the golf course
industry.
Peter McCormick - (800) 314-7929

Turf Products Corp.
157 Moody Rd., Enfield, CT 06082
Distributors of Toro irrigation & maintenance
equipment and other golf-related products. Tim
Berge, Rick Moulton, Jeff Stouffer, Mike Turner (800) 243-4355

Valley Green
14 Copper Beech Drive, Kingston, MA 02364
Phone: 413-533-0726 Fax: 413-533-0792
"Wholesale distributor of turf products"

Varney Bros. Sand & Gravel
79 Hartford Ave., Bellingham, MA 02019
Concrete golf cart paths.
Kenneth Mooradian - (800) 441-7373

Winding Brook Turf Farm
Wethersfield, CT 06109
Scott Wheeler, Mike Krudwig, Sam Morgan (800) 243-0232

Philip Wogan & George F. Sargent, Jr.
17 Walker Rd., Topsfield, MA 01983
Golf course architects.
(978) 887-3672