A PATCH GREEN Official Publication of the Michigan & Border Cities Golf Course Superintendents Association MICHIGAN & BORDER CITIES GOLF COURSE SUPERINTENDENTS ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT CLEM WOLFROM D ETROIT GOLF C LUB 530 Kendry Bloomfield Hills, Michigan 48018 Off. 345-4589, Res. 334-0140 VICE PRESIDENT JAMES TIMMERMAN, CGCS ORCHARD LAKE COUNTR Y CLUB 7183 Buckthorn Orchard Lake, Michigan 48033 Off. 682-2150, Res. 682-7234 SECRETARY-TREASURER BRUCE WOLFROM, CGCS BARTON HILLS COUNTRY C LUB 639 Barber Street Ann Arbor, Michigan 48103 Off. 662-8359, Res. 663-9213 BOARD OF DIRECTORS JAY DELCAMP GOWANIE GOLF C LUB 19957 Great Oaks Circle South Mt. Clemens, Michigan 48043 Off. 468-1432, Res. 791-8481 WATERS EDGE COUNTRY C L U B ED HEINEMAN 10531 Bellevue Grosse lie, Michigan 48138 Off. 675-0927, Res. 676-3095 LA K E LA N D S GOLF & COUNTRY -CLUB CHARLES GAIGE 7390 Rickett Brighton, Michigan Off. 231-3003, Res. 227-4617 WALTER TROMBLEY, CGCS ARROWHEAD GOLF C LUB 3130 Orion Road Lake Orion, Michigan 48035 Off. 373-5240, Res. 693-2924 MICHAEL EDGERTON MEADOWBROOK C OUNTR Y C L U B 3066 Sesame Howell, Michigan 48843 Off. 349-3608, Res. 517-546-5927 FRITZ MC MULLEN, CGCS FOREST LAK E C O UNTR Y C L U B 3912 Fieldview Orchard Lake, Michigan 48033 Off. 335-1410, Res. 363-8030 PRESIDENT EMERITUS GEORGE W. PRIESKORN BURROUGHS FARM G OLF C LU B 5341 Brighton Road Brighton, Michigan 48116 Off. 227-1381, Res. 229-9437 "A PATCH OF GREEN” P ub l¡sh ed monthly by the MICHIGAN AND BORDER CITIES GOLF COURSE SUPERINTENDENTS ASSOCIATION Circulation: 1,250 Ted Woehrle, CGCS, Oakland Hills C.C. James Timmerman, Orchard Lakes C.C. CO-EDITORS P rin ted A t BLAKEMAN PRINTING COMPANY 31823 Utica Road Fraser, Michigan 48026 Phone: (313) 293-3540 MONTHLY ADVERTISING RATES Double Page S p re a d .................... . . . . . $ 1 5 0 . 0 0 Back Outside P a g e ..................................75.00 Ful I P a g e ............................................... 65.00 Half P a g e ............................................. 40.00 Quarter P a g e .......................................... 30.00 Eighth P a g e .......................................... 1 5.00 Sixteenth P a g e ........................................ 10.00 C la ssifie d Ad (per column i n c h ) ............ 7.50 D I S C O U N T R A T E : One Year 10% Note: A dvertising fees may not be deducted from the above rates. • • • Benham Chemicals Crown Lubricant & Specialties Ltd . FDS Fertilizers, Inc. Golf Car Distributors Lakeshore Equipment Corporation Lawn Equipment Corporation Lebanon/Agrico W. F. Miller Garden & Equipment Oxford Peat Company O. M. Scott & Son, Inc. Wm. F. Sell & Son, Inc. Sprinkler Irrigation Supply Terminal Sales Corporation Tire Wholesalers, Inc. Turfgrass, Inc. Turf Supplies, Inc. USS Agri-Chemicals Wilkie Turf Equipment Company 2 OUR ENTIRE ORGANIZATION JOINS IN SENDING WITH EVERY GOOD WISH FOR THE NEW YEAR! 3 seasons greetings >TN ■URFCRASS TURFGRASS, INC. SOUTH LYON, MICHIGAN 48178 Phone: Area 313 437-1427 4 MICHIGAN & BORDER CITIES GOLF COURSE SUPERINTENDENTS ASSOCIATION Board of Directors. Left to right: Back row — Mike Edgerton, Charlie Gaige, Ed Heineman, Kevin Dushane, Frtiz McMullen, Chris Myers, and Walter Trombley. Front row — Bruce Wolfrom (Sec.-Treas.), Past President Clem Wolfrom, newly elected President Jim Timmerman, and newly elected Vice President Bob Hope. 1980 Officers and Directors James Timmermann, CGCS, Superin­ tendent of Orchard Lake Country Club, Orchard Lake, Michigan was elected | President of the Michigan and Border I Cities Golf Course Superintendents Association at the annual meeting on Tuesday, October 16, 1979, at the | Maple Lane Golf Club. Dushane, Superintendent, Wabeek Country Club and Charles Gaige, Superintendent, Lakelands Golf and Country Club, Brighton, Michigan. Chris Myers, Superintendent, Bloom­ field Hills Country Club, was elected to a one year term filling the unexpired term of Roger O’ Connell of Red Run Country Club. Walter Trombley, CGCS, Superin­ tendent, Arrowhead Golf Club and Jay Dele amp are the two members retiring as Directors. George Prieskorn, CGCS, immediate Past President is replaced by Clem Wolfrom as President Emeritus. The change of leadership took place at the annual Christmas Party on December 7, 1979 at the Forest Lake Country Club with the “ Passing of the Gavel.” Robert Hope, CGCS, Superintendent, The Lochmoor Club was elected Vice President. Bob returns to the Execu- I tive Committee after an absence of , one year. He had previously served as the Secretary-Treasurer for a number of , years. Bruce Wolfrom, CGCS, was elected as Secretary-Treasurer for a second year. Bruce is the Superintendent of Barton Hills Country Club, Ann Arbor, I Michigan. The two newly elected Directors, serving three year terms, are Kevin g®lf day Bay Pointe Golf Club October 1, 1979 Some of the smiles at the Auction. All proceeds were donated to the Michigan Turfgrass Foundation. Bob Olson at the mike. W eSuppcit D O N A T E D B V ^iodhrup King R S E E D C O TURF QUESTIONS tAnág^í't H ER E/ .. dAOTH SPONSORED D U and )RDER C IT IE S — . SOD M IC H IG A N BY HOME OWN, GOLF TURFGRA HCHJUQil Hmm TKAval age no WHO BENEFf C O U R S # ^ ¿ cho » D O f — f ' ^ P A R Our display at the Annual Golf Day, Bay Pointe Golf Club, October 1, 1979. How to have fun . . . . X ' Season’s Greetings MICHIGAN AND BORDER CITIES GOLF COURSE SUPERINTENDENTS from the ASSOCIATION and the Patch Of Green editors. How environment affects plant diseases Diseases don’t just happen! Before turf diseases can develop, a series of events must take place. You need a disease-causing organism, a suscep­ tible, right environment (temperature, moisture and soil condi­ tions) must be present and in balance. plus the Even when a Pathogen (a disease causing organism) is present and the air-soil environment is favorable, little or no disease develops if the host plant is resistant. Diseases probably will not occur even if you have an active organism and a susceptible plant if the environment is unfavorable. This is why the severity of a disease varies widely from year to year and from one end of town to the other. We must have a basic Understanding of a disease and all of its ingredients if we expect to have effective control over it. It is important to know where the organism lives, how it spreads, how infection occurs and what pro­ tection the plant may have against infection. If we don’ t know these than we will have difficulty things controlling diseases. resistant (healthy), We can only expect good control over a disease by (1) making the host plant more (2) by making the environment less favor­ able for diseases and more favorable for the plant, (3) by preventing the disease organism from reaching the plant, penetrating it and producing the disease. We must break these requirements. "PREMIUM PRODUCTS-Economically ” WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND EXTEND OUR VERY BEST WISHES THROUGHOUT THE NEW YEAR. FDS FERTILIZERS, INC. 5324 W. BLOOMFIELD LAKE • W. BLOOMFIELD. Ml. 48033 PHONE: (313)851-7766 Turf grass Industry prepares for St. Louis Show The world’ s largest display of turf- grass maintenance equipment will be exhibited in the Cervantes Convention and Exhibition Center, St. Louis, Feb. 19-21, 1980. This trade show, sponsored by the Golf Course Superintendents Associa­ tion of America, will bring turf industry representatives from all parts of the world to St. Louis to display their equipment and supplies. The exhibition will feature millions of dollars worth of maintenance equip­ ment and supplies for the entire turf- grass management industry. These exhibits, in conjunction with the GCSAA conference educational pro­ gram, are designed to familiarize turf- grass specialists with new methods, products and equipment that can con­ tribute to more efficient maintenance practices. Many manufacturers also introduce their new products to the industry at this show. This year the exhibits will occupy nearly 70,000 net square feet of space in the new Cervantes Convention and Exhibition Center in St. Louis. As a result of a recent downtown construc­ tion and renovation effort, St. Louis has become one of the most attractive convention cities in the nation. The 51st International Turfgrass Conference and Show is expected to draw more than 6,500 visitors, in­ cluding golf course superintendents, architects and builders; city park and recreation personnel, cemetery and lawn care industry personnel; school facility turfgrass managers from all over the world. supervisors and 50TH ANNUAL MICHIGAN TURFGRASS CONFERENCE January 15 & 16, 1980 Kellog Center Michigan State University East Lansing, Michigan 25 Years or more Last month we recognized Bob Pontius for his 25 years as a Golf Course Superintendent. We would like to continue this practice of high- lighting in our profession. If you know of someone or 1 perhaps you are one - please share the information with our readers. Send your stories to the Editor and we will be happy to print them. these special men i HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR % RO W N LUBRICANT & SPECIALTIES LTD. Lubricants ••• Designed to make the Superintendent s job easier. WE ARE GEARED TO SERVE YOU BETTER 10 CHAS. W. KING 313/525-3902 BOX 2065 LIVONIA, MICH. 48151 CHAS. W. KING, JR. 313/398-5964 and Hist Wishss for the Canina Year WILKIE TURF Equipment Company 1050 O P D Y K E RO AD PO N TIAC, M ICH IG AN 48056 (313) 373-8800 TORO11 fw s n -r 4 $ x 3e u jtr u x 4 £ c o . o u n ce . . . P t o u d 3 i B E N H A U C H E M I C A L S Ta,;, a/£W_ p ± ± jt*IB DO ¿h “P i a t i am (Z k e m ica li M fèdi. 3 / 9 0 6 2 4 - 3 2 0 0 Walled ¿a WAREHOUSE PHONE: 834-3010 ARE YOU INTERESTED IN JOINING THE MICHIGAN AND BORDER CITIES GOLF COURSE SUPERINTENDENTS ASSOCIATION? FILL IN THE QUEST IONA IRE BELOW AND MAIL TO: BRUCE WOLFROM BARTON HILLS COUNTRY CLUB 639 Barber Street Ann Arbor, Michigan 48103 Office 662-8359, Residence 663-9213 NAME _______________________________________________________________ ADDRESS ____________________________________________________________ D A T E ____ CITY _________________________ STATE _____________ ZIP __________ OR Y O U M A Y C O N T A C T T H E N E X T G O L F C O U R S E S U P P L I E R WHO C A L L O N Y O U A N D G I V E HI M T H E I N F O R M A T I O N N E E D E D F O R A P P L I C A T I O N . 12 USGA Annual Meeting On Friday, January 25, 1980, the United States Golf Association Green Section Educational Conference will be held at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel In Chicago, Illinois. All golf Course superintendents and club officials are cordially invited to attend this educa­ tional session. This year’ s program will include: Introductory Remarks by William C. Campbell, Chairman of the U.S.G.A. Green Section Committee. showing of the Green Section’ s new film, “ THE GOLFER AND THE COURSE” . Premiere A PLAYING COMPARISON OF BRITISH AND AMERICAN COURSES by Jay Sigel, 1979 British Amateur Champion; Walker Cup Team 1977 & 1979; World Amateur Team 1979; Aronomink Golf Club, New Square, PA. SOIL TEMPERATURE AND RE­ FAIRWAY MANAGEMENT LATED by Oscar L. Miles, PRACTICES Certified Golf Course Superintendent at Broadmoor Country Club, Indianapolis, IN. C O N S T R U C T I N G GREENS TO U.S.G.A. GREEN SECTION SPECIFI­ CATIONS by Louis E. Miller, Golf Course Superintendent at Louisville Country Club, Louisville, KY. THE GOLF COURSE AND THE ENVIRONMENT by Philip A. Wogan, Golf Course Architect, Beverly, MA. PRESENTATION OF THE U.S.G.A. GREEN SECTION AWARD by Frank D. Tatum, Jr., President of the United States Golf Association and by William C. Campbell, Chairman of the U.S.G.A. Green Section Committee. IS DRAINAGE IMPORTANT TO TURFGRASS MANAGEMENT by Char­ les H. Tadge, President of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of Continued on next page SEASONS GREETINGS! 1980 Sprinkler Irrigation Supply Co. A division of A J Miller Inc 1316 N. Campbell Rd. Royal Oak, Ml 48067 Phone (313) 398-2233 ENGINEERED RAIN 13 USGA Annual Meeting cont. America; Member of the U.S.G.A. Green Section Committee; Certified Golf Course Superintendent at Mayfield Country Club in South Euclid, Ohio. G.C.S.A.A. CITATION AWARDED TO GOLF COURSE SUPERINTEN­ DENTS - William L. Burdick, Canterbury Club - Site of 1979 U.S.G.A, Amateur Championship. Frank Nichols, Brooklawn Country Club - Site of 1979 Women’ s Open Championship. Wilbert C. Waters, Inverness Club - Site of 1979 U.S. Open Championship. DIAGNOSING TURFGRASS PROB­ LEMS WITH INFRARED PHOTO­ GRAPHY by Gerald L. Faubel, Golf Course Superintendent at Saginaw Country Club, Saginaw, Michigan. A NEW TECHNIQUE FOR BUNKER MANAGEMENT by Robert A. Strait, Certified Golf Course Superintendent at Boca West Golf Club, Boca Raton, FL. TOPDRESSING PUTTING GREENS PANEL - John Berarducci, Golf Course Superintendent at Skokie Country Club, Glencoe, IL; Raymond P. Knapp, Golf Course Superintendent at Tuck- away Country Club, Franklin, WI; James T. Snow, Northeastern Agrono­ mist, U.S.G.A. Green Section, Charles B. White, Southeastern Agronomist, U.S.G.A. Green Section, Dr. Douglas T. Hawes, Mid-Continent D i r e c t o r , U.S.G.A. Green Section; Donald D. Hoos, Western Director, U.S.G.A. Green Section. fee the registration luncheon. The couraged due to necessary reservations for for this conference is $15.00 per person. Com­ plete information and forms will be forthcoming through your from U.S.G.A. Head­ club directly in Far Hills, New Jersey. quarters However, should you have specific questions regarding this conference, do not hesitate to contact Mr. Alex­ ander M. Radko at (201) 766-7770 or your local U.S.G.A. office at 815- 459-3731. How much cancer risk is there in Agri-Chemicals? Dr. Richard Wilson, Harvard scien­ tist, has calculated that if a person worked at applying 2,4,5-T with a backpack sprayer for five days a week, four months a year, for thirty years, the chances of developing a tumor from the compound would be 0.4 out of a million. Dr. Wilson compared this to other common risks: smoking ciga­ rettes is 1,200 chances per million; being in a room with a smoker is 10 chances per million; eating a quarter pound of charcoal broiled steak per week is 0.4 chances per million, drinking milk containing FDA approved levels of alfa-toxin is 10 chances per million; ditto peanut butter is 40 chances per million; drinking one can of beer per day is 20 chances per million; sun bathing or mo u n t a i n climbing is 5,000 chances per million! Pre-registration is definitely en­ ProTurf Helping the superintendent ( Scotrs ) through turf research... ■ ■ Controlled Release Fertilizers Fertilizer/Pesticide Combinations ■ ■ Fungicides—Herbicides—Insecticides Soil Testing—Weed & Disease Identification s c o t t s • l e l y • g a n d y s p r e a d e r s Finest quality turfgrass seed-Fairways • Greens • Tees • Roughs Scotts Windsor and Victa blends 14 Jim Brocklehurst Technical Representative 1964 Cataipa Berkley, Michigan 48072 Telephone: 313-547-9632 (UsS) Vertagreen ' ^ A product for all reasons • Uniform particles flow smoothly and spread evenly. • Half the nitrogen in Tee Green is Urea-Formaldehyde. • A minimum of one-fourth the nitrogen in fairway grades is UF. • Uniform balance of secondary and micro-nutrients. • All potash derived from sulfate of potash. Agri-Chemicals Division of United States Steel P.0. Box 1685 Atlanta, Georgia 30301 15 LAKESHORE EQUIPMENT & SUPPLY CO. HOME OF LESCQ PRODUCTS And SULFUR COATED FERTILIZERS Distributor & Formulator GRASS SEED, FERTILIZERS Call Us Today TOLL FREE 1- 800- 321-5951 INSECTICIDES FUNGICIDES, HERBICIDES 300 S. Abbe Rd. Elyria, Ohio 44035 (216) 323-7544 Price Quotation On Request Itili Tire Wholesalers _____________________(Vj Mil« »Mt M lwtMI»M hH) Company, Inc. Southfiaid, Mich. 48075 19240 Wait Eight Mila Phone: (313) 354 5644 TRUCK-CAR MOTORCYCLE INDUSTRIAL TRAILER J UNIROYAL § TIRES WHOLESALE PRICES TO COMMERCIAL ACCOUNTS "For Land's Sake-'Use Peat" 0X F0J® FEAT CO. 1430 E. Drahner Rd. Oxford, Michigan 48051 PROCESSED PEAT Bulk or Bag Custom Blending FRED LATTA 313/628-5991 Dealing effectively with salesmen Salesmen are a necessary part of your business operation. They keep you informed o f new products and serve as a personal contact between you and your suppliers. When a product you need is in short supply, a good relationship with your salesman can make the difference between getting your order and going without. Unfortunately, many superintendent/ salesman contacts result in a lot of time and coffee being consumed with very little to show for it. Here are some ways you can organize your meetings with salesmen to save you both time and energy. PREPARE FOR SALES CALLS by idea of what you will having some order. Study that firm’ s promotional literature and trade magazine adver­ tisements to develop a list of ques­ tions about products which interest you. Your MAKE YOUR SALESMEN UNDER­ STAND that your time is valuable and that you have no intention of wasting it. salesmen should understand that you will have nothing to do with a salesman who wastes your time and his. After all, he is there for your convenience. regular TRAIN YOUR STAFF to separate the unimportant and unneeded items which salesmen are seeking to sell you from those products which could be of some value. Give someone on Continued on next page No synthetically produced fertilizer can compare with MILORGANITE Golf Courses Use M ore MILORGANITE T h u n A ny O t h e r Fertilizer m Ê L I TERMINAL SALES CORR 12871 E A T O N A V E . D E T R O I T , M IC H . 48227 (313) 491 -0606 16 Dealing with salesmen cont. your staff the authority to turn down those which obviously have little \ value. Keep a list of your needs handy so that your staff can refer to it when a salesman calls. to be MEET WITH SALESMEN in an area of your building where you are least likely interrupted. The few minutes each day you save by making > your meetings more efficient will add up to a sizeable total by the end of the year. DON’ T BOTHER YOUR SALESMEN I with matters over which they have no control. If you have a problem which | they cannot solve, go directly to the f company and use the time saved for more pressing matters. It doesn’ t hurt to cement valuable relationships over an informal cup of coffee when you both have time to spare, but a hard look at the way you deal with salesmen can result in a 7 considerable amount of time on every­ one’ s part. Forefront Nov. 1979 PENNSYLVANIA TURFGRASS CONFERENCE February 26-29, 1979 Hershey Motor Lodge & Convention Ctr. Hershey, PA 17033 Contact: Arthur D. Wick. P.O. Box 362, Sew ickley, Pa. 15143, or Christine E. King, Secretary-Treasurer, Pennsylvania Turfgrass Council, 412 Blanchard Street, Bellefonte, Pa. 16823. Shifty Shuffle Burton H illis of California A new practice is sweeping the I call it the Shifty Shuffle, country. but it’ s neither game nor dance. it You see it when a company makes a mistake and attributes to their computer, brushing off your complaint and ignoring the fact that computers only work from human instruction. You see it when you take your new car back and the dealer fails to repair PUSH! Kubota front dozer blades are available for B-Series and L-Series Kubota diesel tractors, and are ideal for a wide variety of dozins type functions. AS LOW AS $ 5 2 3 TRACTORS AND IMMJMKNTS ^ K U B O T H - J Test drive a Kubota Diesel Tractor now at: WM. F. SELL & SON, IN C . 16555 TELEGRAPH ROAD TAYLOR. M IC H IG A N 48180 Telephone: 3 1 3 /2 8 2 -5 1 0 0 17 TURF SUPPLIES INC. 6 9 0 0 Pardee Rd.,Taylor, M ic h ig a n (313) 2 9 1 -1 2 0 0 one of the minor problems covered by warranty. You see it when you ask a waitress for a glass of water and you never get it because she feels that’ s the bus- boy’ s job. The Hillises have just endured a classic example of the Shifty Shuffle. We ordered a fence installed and it was promised for the next week. We didn’ t get it until five weeks later, despite countless calls. The salesman blamed the installa­ tion department and said he would get the job done p r o mp t l y . Nothing happened. Same story at the installation de­ partment, which blamed the installer and promised action the next day. Nothing. The installer said he would be right out, explaining that a clerk had copied the wrong address. “ Right away’ ’ meant two weeks later despite almost daily promises of “ tomorrow.” At last the fence was installed. The bill was presented on the spot. Then I played Shifty Shuffle, too. No payment, I said, for five weeks - the same period of time I had been waiting. The installer consulted supervisor, who then consulted the salesman, who consulted his supervisor, who then consulted the credit department man, who in turn consulted his supervisor. The Shifty Shuffle operated up and down the line. The upshot of it was that, after many losses at Shifty Shuffle, I finally won one. At least, I think I did. DON’T EVEN THINK OF B U Y IN G ................. GRASS SEED FERTILIZERS FUNGICIDES WITHOUT CALLING 291-1200 TURF SUPPLIES INC. 6 9 0 0 Pardee Rd.,Taylor, M ic h ig a n (313) 2 9 1 -1 2 0 0 If you have changed your address, please let us know so we can keep our addressing plates up to date. Present Address: N A M E A D D R E S S C I T Y S T A T E Z I P Fill In New Address: N A M E A D D R E S S Z I P S T A T E C I T Y Mail this form to: A PATCH OF GREEN 31823 Utica Road Fraser, Michigan 48026 18 Season’s Greetings AND ALL GOOD WISHES FOR THE NEW YEAR Bob, Burt, Don, Gordie, John Mac, John K., Dave, Roy, Jim, Ed, Ron & Paula 19 Best Wishes for the Coming Season a from Hal Vogler and the W F. Miller Staff " A Patch of Green” 31823 UTICA ROAD FRASER, MICHIGAN 48026 i ~~ MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY - SERIALS EAST LANSING, MICH, 48023 U S POSTAGE PAID} PERMIT NO 37