June 1979 .GOLF COURSE SUPT. A I / a s s o c i a t i o n I M I C H I G A N E R I A L Jut 12 ¡873 university BRARIES A PATCH GREEN Official Publication of the Michigan & Border Cities Golf Course Superintendents Association MICHIGAN & BORDER CITIES GOLF COURSE SUPERINTENDENTS ASSOCIATION P R E S I D E N T CLEM WOLFROM DETROIT G OLF CLUB 530 Kendry Bloomfield Hills, Michigan 48018 Off. 345-4589, Res. 334-0140 V I C E P R E S I D E N T JAMES TIMMERMAN, CGCS ORCHARD L AKE COUNTRY CLUB 7183 Buckthorn Orchard Lake, Michigan 48033 Off. 682-2150, Res. 682-7234 S E C R E T A R Y - T R E A S U R E R BRUCE WOLFROM, CGCS BARTON HILLS COUNTRY CLUB 639 Barber Street Ann Arbor, Michigan 48103 Off. 662-8359, Res. 663-9213 B O A R D OF D I R E C T O R S JAY DELCAMP GOWANIE GOLF CLUB 19957 Great Oaks Circle South Mt. Clemens, Michigan 48043 Off. 468-1432, Res. 791-8481 WATERS EDGE COUNTRY C L U B ED HE INMAN 10531 Bellevue Grosse He, Michigan 48138 Off. 675-0927, Res. 676-3095 ROGER O’CONNELL, CGCS RED RUN GOLF C LUB P.O. Box 38 Royal Oak, Michigan 48068 Off. 541-3184, Res. 399-6916 WALTER TROMBLEY, CGCS ARROWHEAD GOLF CLUB 3130 Orion Road Lake Orion, Michigan 48035 Off. 373-5240, Res. 693-2924 MICHAEL EDGERTON MEADOWBROOK COUNTRY C L U B 3066 Sesame Howell, Michigan 48843 Off. 349-3608, Res. 517-546-5927 FRITZ MC MULLEN, CGCS FOREST LAKE C OUNTR Y C L U B 3912 Fieldview Orchard Lake, Michigan 48033 Off. 335-1410, Res. 363-8030 P R E S I D E N T E M ER I T U S GEORGE W. PRIESKORN BURROUGHS FARM GOLF CLUB 5341 Brighton Road Brighton, Michigan 48116 Off. 227-1381, Res. 229-9437 "A PATCH OF GREEN” P u b lis h e d m o n th ly 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 r i n t e d A t BLAKEMAN PRINTING COMPANY 31823 Utica Road Fraser, Michigan 48026 Phone: (313) 293-3540 MONTHLY ADVERTISING RATES Double Page Spread....................................$150.00 Back Outside Page..........................................75.00 Ful I Page.......................................................... 65.00 Half Page........................................................ 40.00 Quarter Page.................................................... 30.00 E i ghth Page.................................................... 1 5.00 Sixteenth Page.................................................. 10.00 Classified Ad (per column inch)............... 7.50 DISCOUNT RATE: One Year 10% Note: Advertising fees may not be deducted from the above rates. *7 (¿6 Century Supply Company 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. Travis Maintenance Company Turfgrass, Inc. Turf Supplies, Inc. USS Agri-Chemicals Wilkie Turf Equipment Company 2 : ft 3 Solve pond & lake algae problems... with a touch o f class. Otterbine floating aerator fountains combine the solution of water algae (and odor) control - with the added elegance of a fountain. Chemicals and plumbing are not needed ... all you add is electricity. The season for algae build-up is coming. Be ready with the algae problem solver - Otterbine. 31691 Dequindre Madison Hgts., Ml 48071 313/ 5 8 8 -2 9 9 0 Late winter ice storm — much of the turf damage was done about this time. Jim Standish Executive Secretary, Golf Association of Michigan 29563 Northwestern Hwy., Suite 10 Southfield, Michigan 48034 Dear Jim: this There have been many questions raised spring concerning the damage that occurred on golf courses during the past winter. This letter will hopefully explain the cause and what should be done now to promote recovery. Most of the damage this spring was due to ice cover. It is often called ice damage or more correctly called crown hydration. Most of the damage appeared low areas or depressions in in the greens and fairways. The freezing rain fell on frozen ground and drained into the low areas and depressions. Little probably occurred during the winter period when the ice was still snow covered. Once the snow cover disappeared and the turf was subjected to the bright, sunny days of late winter the ice acted as a mag­ nifying glass and heated up the soil below and causing the grass plants to prematurely take up moisture. When the temperatures dropped at night the damage Most winter damage result of ice cover formed ice crystals water which was taken up by the grass plants in the crowns of the grass plants and rup­ turing the plant cells causing many plants to die. Most golf course super­ intendents tried to remove the ice as soon as possible, but the ice layer was so thick that most attempts at removing it were futile. Most golf courses had some form of crown hydration this spring in the eastern half of lower Michigan. It is impossible to predict when such condi­ tions will occur and unfortunately there is very little that can be done after the ice forms to prevent damage. Most c u l t u r a l practices, such as aerification, in the fall of the year which would help alleviate this prob­ lem would be disastrous during open winters. We can only hope it will be many years before we have such a winter again. The other problem which was not as widespread was dehydration which 5 Winter damage cont. occurred on some high spots on greens and fairways. This was caused by the drying winds which occurred in late March and early April after the snow cover had disappeared. The turfgrass which was most severely injured was annual bluegrass. In places where annual bluegrass occurs there is usually an abundance of seed in the thatch and soil which will replace the dead grass. To en­ the regrowth of the annual courage bluegrass the dead turf should be scratched up. Vertical mowing, hand- raking, spiking or coring will all aid in a quicker recovery of the turf area. Some superintendents may wish to overseed with creeping bentgrass in areas that have been severely thinned. However, creeping bentgrass does not compete very well with annual blue­ grass when mowing operations are continued. For successful overseeding with creeping bentgrass it is suggested that the green be taken out of play and temporary greens played upon until such time as the creeping bent­ grass has a chance to establish it­ self. We hope this letter will answer some of the questions which have arisen this spring even if it does not provide any permanent solutions to the problems. Sincerely yours, J. M. Vargas Jr. Associate Professor Dept, of Botany and Plant Pathology and K. T. Payne Professor Dept, of Crop and Soil Sciences A salute to National Golf Day to The USGA Green Section salutes the PGA of America for its annual contributions turfgrass research. Through its National Golf Day Fund, the PGA has contributed over $275,000 to the USGA Green Section Research and Education Fund since 1952. This generous support has made it possible to conduct vital research on important turfgrass projects and to train many of the present day leaders in the field of turfgrass management. through Projects that have resulted from funds channeled the USGA Green Section Research and Education include studies on Poa annua; Fund thatch control; the control of regular and c r a b g r a s s silver crabgrass (goosegrass); effects of 2,4-D on weeds and grasses; physical pro­ perties of putting green construction; bermudagrass selection and breeding; and breeding; bentgrass Kentucky selection and improvement; selection and breeding of the fine and tall fescues; the effects selection bluegrass of management practices on the speed of putting greens; disease, insect and weed studies, to name a few. These are the important reasons [ why we encourage all USGA Member Clubs to make a special effort to sponsor a National Golf Day competi­ tion during May, June or July, in . which golfers have an opportunity to match cards against the 1978 U.S. I Open, Women’ s Open, PGA and LPGA * Champions. See your club professional about details. j Some of the other beneficiaries have been caddie scholarship funds; programs for amputee golfers; junior golf; the Education and Benevolent Funds o f the PGA of A me r i c a ; V e t e r a n ’ s Rehabilitation through United V o l u n t e e r Services; the Women’ s Western Golf Foundation; and the Golf Superintendents Associa- I lion of America Scholarship Fund. I While the sums raised have been ' substantial, the entry fee per player j is only $2. 6 GCSAA and the golf course architect Presented at the Golf Course Architects* Annual Meeting Pinehurst, North Carolina, March 12, 1979 by Charles Tadge for GCSAA is primarily devoted to improved education its members and much of our efforts are concen­ trated on our educational programs, but we also have other objectives including improved p r o f e s s i o n a l status and better public relations. One recent development is GCSAA activities was the revision of our monthly magazine and the changing of its name to GOLF COURSE MANAGE- to be ready GCSAA budget manual available is GCSAA’ s B u d g e t Ma n u a l scheduled for mailing around the middle of June. The manual will be mailed, free of charge, to all Class A, AA, B, Associate, Affiliate and Retired me mb e r s of GCSAA. Additional copies will be available to members for an amount as yet undetermined. and non-members The manual is full of information designed to aid golf course superin­ tendents with their budgets and in­ cludes sample forms that are used in the budgeting process. These forms will also be available separately from Headquarters for a nominal fee. MENT to better reflect the role of the s u p e r i n t e n d e n t . Many of you are GCSAA members. I would encourage more to join. We hope you read our magazine which should provide some useful for you. We are always looking for good articles. information fighting One of to accept the biggest p r o b l e m s superintendents, as with everyone, are facing is inflation and increased expenses. We seem to be caught in the middle with equipment, supplies labor costs rising sharply and and the golfer also inflation seemingly unwilling in­ creases in his dues or green fees. The current and projected oil shortages are not going to help the situation. Fuel rise significantly which will also bring increased prices for all sources of energy and subse­ quently most products we use. Re­ sultant inflation will no doubt push wages even higher. Superintendents will have to continue to seek more efficient equipment, products and methods to help reduce course main­ tenance costs. costs will Golf Course Architects can help Continued on page 15 No synthetically produced fertilizer can compare with MILORGANITE TERMINAL SALES CORR 12871 EATON AVE. DETROIT, MICH. 48227 (313) 491 -0606 7 Over watering American golf courses Melvin B. Lucas, Jr., CGCS Credit - L.I.G.C.S.A. Supernews How often is it heard, from players returning from a golf sabbatical, how clubs such as Shinnecock Hills, Winged Foot, Baltusrol, and Pine Valley played so well with fast, firm greens and tightly cut fairways. It has been my pleasure to have in charge of chatted with the men maintaining these courses, all of whom echo the same water-management theme: “ Keep the golf course as dry as possible.” in Through many turf organizations, associations, and university research people, findings show that grass will grow in the spring when it is ready. If man tries to push the grass in the spring this will usually result in poor late July and golfing conditions August. During the late spring and early summer it is sound to allow a golf course, with majorities of bent- grass and bluegrass varities, to go on the dry side. This enables the roots to go deep, thus making a plant indepen­ dent. An applicable adage is that it is easy to put water on, but is almost impossible to take it away. I know in the case of the Garden City Golf Club’ the course, in 1965, used 55- plus million gallons of water. Last year’ s water use was 12-plus million gallons. was isn’ t the the course being watered more - it’ s dying; and, Why do they (greens crew) have to renovate during the prime time of late August and early September? “ burned out;” Why In answering these comments, I begin by noting that giving the greens “ a good soaking” can sometimes lead to weed encroachment, disease, and difficult-to-repair ball marks. Also when talking about the holding qualities of a green, one must consider the condition of the fairways. deep, Simply put, you can not “ pinch” the ball from a soft, lush fairway, and to pinch the ball means to give it the needed spin to hold the breen. Water may be free for some golf courses, but the cost of electricity to pump that water is not. The self pro­ claimed agronomist who sees, on TV, a golf course at its peak, does not view that same golf course two weeks later after the trials of big-time tour­ nament play. Additional costs from the overuse of water come in the form of extra fertilizer, chemicals to control disease, and, naturally, mowing more often. Of course, when overuser of Continued on page 17 GREENS CHAIRMAN Mayfield Country Club As a me mbe r of the B o a r d of I thought it to define a “ Board Directors of the club, a p p r o p r i a t e Member” : A Board Member is said to be a person who knows a great deal about very little and who goes along knowing more and more about less and less until finally he knows practically everything about nothing; Then you become chairman of the Greens and Grounds Committee. This is a person who knows very little about a great deal and keeps knowing less and less about more and more until he knows practically nothing about everything; And then the Greens Superintendent starts out knowing practically every­ thing about everything, but ends up knowing nothing about anything, due to his association with Board Members and the Chairman of the Greens and Grounds! 8 Seven ways to increase your personal productivity From FORE FRONT, May 1979 Increasing your personal produc­ tivity does not mean working harder or longer. It means working smarter. Here are 7 ways to accomplish more of what’ s most important to you with less time and effort. 1. Manage your time the way you manage your business. A successful controls, and b u s i n e s s budgets, regularly evaluates its use of its assets. To increase your productivity, you must manage your most important asset - your time - in a similar way. The first step is deciding what your most important goals are. Ask yourself: What do I most want to accomplish for my employer - and myself - in the next several months? Concentrate on the most important goals. Next, you should o u t l i n e , in writing, the steps you must take to accomplish these goals. Again, focus on the most critical steps. Also try to set out a timetable for completing each of these steps. Reevaluate your goals frequently. Get in the habit of asking yourself: Is this still the best use of my time? 2. Focus each day1 s activity on your important goals. Each day, you face a collection of things you have to do, would like to do, want to avoid, can’ t forget, and so forth. How do you sort these out? An effective way is to list these activities and rank them according to how much they help you accomplish your important goals. You can cate­ gorize it: A, if it is urgent or a signi­ ficant toward achieving your goals; B, if it is of lesser value; and C, if it can be postponed. step Use your list to ma n a g e your discretionary time. Try not to work on any B’ s or C’ s until you have finished all your A’ s. At the end of the day, you can use the list to evaluate how effectively you spent your time. for several days. Like many busy executives, you may be unsure of where the time goes each day. The first step in the audit is to make a simple chart and record how you spend your time throughout the day. Try to account for all your time - “ missing time” is often wasted time. At the end of each day, review your chart and see how much time you spent on your important goals and tasks. Ask yourself questions like these: Continued on next page 3. Audit your personal activities ROWN LUBRICANT & SPECIALTIES LTD. Lubricants • • • Designed to make the Superintendent s job easier. WE ARE GEARED TO SERVE YOU BETTER CHAS. W. KING 313/525-3902 BOX 2065 LIVONIA, MICH. 48151 CHAS. W. KING, JR. 313 398-5964 9 Increase your productivity cont. What kept me from spending more time on my A and B activities? What was my most frequent dis­ interruption? How can I traction or avoid it in the future? What steps can I take tomorrow to s p e n d more time on my A and B activities? What activities could I have dele­ gated, postponed, or dropped com­ pletely? 4. L earn from mistakes. You can turn mistakes to your advantage by trying to learn from them. Take what­ ever think was your biggest mistake in the last week or month and ask yourself: you What should I have done differently? What can I do now to prevent the mistake from recurring? A less painful way to learn from mistakes is to learn from the mistakes of others. When you do this, ask: Could the same thing happen to me? What can I do now to avoid having the same problem? 5. Be careful about taking work home. Sometimes you have no choice but to take work home with you. But don’ t forget that the possibility of working at home can be a crutch that keeps you limping through the day. It’ s easier to fritter an afternoon away if you think, “ I’ ll do my important work Tonight.” Try to work for a week on a no-homework rule. If you can’ t do that, set a limit on the work you do at home. 6. Don91 over commit yourself. There is a limit to what you can ac­ complish in a day or week. Don’t commit yourself to doing more than you can successfully handle. 7. Overcome mental blocks. Many people are occasionally hampered by mental blocks that keep them from starting some important work. You can often o v e r c o m e these blocks by a n a l y z i n g them. Here are some examples: Do you lack facts? Then start with some research. Is the task overwhelming? Then divide it into smaller tasks and begin with just one of these tasks. Are you tired? Take a break. Are you afraid of something? Figure out what you fear. You’ ll often find that it doesn’ t merit your concern. Do you lack conviction. Think about what you’ re trying to accomplish and be sure it’ s really worthwhile. Make a habit of productivity. increasing your These 7 ways of productivity will work if you use some of them every day. Making them part of your work habits will improve your production, which will benefit both you and your employer. The average person these days is a guy who was born in the country, worked hard so he could live in the city, then worked even harder to get back to the country. “PREMIUM PRODUCTS-Economically Priced” Wie Distribute: Fertilizers Chemicals Lime & Gypsum Trees & Shrubs FDS FERTILIZERS, INC. Seeds Accessories Paving Blocks Equipment 5324 W BLOOMFIELD LAKE • W BLOOMFIELD, Ml. 48033 PHONE: (313)851-7766 10 TORO* T U R F P R O 84 worth more The hydraulic Turf Pro 84" needs less maintenance — that, alone, makes it worth more. Toro presents the first all-hydraulic tri-plex, for the same good reasons you find hydraulic power in heavy construction equipment - low maintenance, less shop time, high reliability and outstanding performance. All of which adds up to a tri-plex worth more to you than any other make you can buy! WILKIE TURF Equipment Company P.O. BOX 749 • PONTIAC, MICHIGAN 48056 1050 OPDYKE ROAD • PHONE (313) 373 8800 11 Vertagreen A product forali reasons Vertagreen Tournament Turf Food Formula For Fairways 18-0-9 • Uniform particles spread evenly. • One-fourth the nitrogen is Urea-Formaldehyde. • Uniform balance of secondary and micro-nutrients. • All potash derived from sulfate of potash. PO Box 1685 Atlanta, Georgia 30301 ARE YOU INTERESTED IN JOINING THE MICHIGAN AND BORDER CITIES GOLF COURSE SUPERINTENDENTS ASSOCIATION? FILL IN THE QUESTIONAIRE BELOW AND MAIL TO: BRUCE WOLFROM BARTON HILLS COUNTRY CLUB 639 Barber Street Ann Arbor, Michigan 48103 Office 662-8359, Residence 663-9213 N A M E _________________________________________________________ A D D R E S S ____________________________________________________ D A T E _____ C I T Y ____________________________ S T A T E ________________ Z IP ___________ O P 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 W H O C A L L O N Y O U A N D G I V E H I 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 - MBCGCSA ROSTER - Changes and Additions Tire Wholesalers Company, Inc. DAVIS, WILLIAM JR. (Patricia) 3111 Dorr Rd. Brighton, Michigan 227-6378 Orchard Lake Country Club 682-2150 MONK, FRANCIS (Leona) 21745 W. Warren Dearborn Hgts., Michigan 48127 278-3698 Parklane Farms 277-5777 KLEIN, HERBERT (Esther) 52 9 80 Zacharias Ct. New Baltimore, Michigan 48047 Gowanie Golf Club KUHN, DANIEL J. 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When that time comes for you, prepare as carefully as you did when you interviewed that employee for the first time. the unpleasant face Before the meeting, think carefully about the specific nature of your com­ plaints and whether you have given the employee ample warning and an opportunity to improve. Don’ t throw away a potentially valuable employee just because you have not adequately communicated your desires to him. If no improvement takes place, make the termination interview clean and quick. Now is not the time to dwell on past failures, especially if there is nothing that can be done about them. Get to the point and end the meeting quickly. Be sure that the employee understands your de­ is final and you will not be cision s w a y e d by pleas for “ one more chance.” Finally, give some serious thought to why your employee failed. Firing unsatisfactory employees should never become easy and, if your termination it probably reflects a rate flaw training system and management of employees. Reprinted from Fore Front is high, in your LIN CO LN’S ROAD TO THE W HITE HOUSE Failed in business in 1831 Defeated for legislature in 1832 2nd failure in business in 1833 Suffers nervous breakdown in 1836 Defeated for Speaker in 1838 Defeated for Elector in 1840 Defeated for Congress in 1843 Defeated for Congress in 1848 Defeated for Senate in 1855 Defeated for Vice President in 1856 Defeated for Senate in 1858 Elected President in 1860 IF WE LEARN FROM OUR MISTAKES, EVERY FAILURE CAN BE TURNED INTO A SUCCESS Golf course architect cont. to maintain Contours i in this cost crunch by designing golf '. courses which are not any more ex­ than logically pensive and bunkers necessary. should be designed to facilitate the use of the most efficient mechanized ? equipment, eliminating as much hand maintenance as possible. Some areas J might be set aside to retain a natural if any, main­ 1 look with very little, tenance required. Bunkers might be designed which would look better left shaggy and untrimmed in contrast to f the costly trimming and edging now 1 characteristic the well-groomed courses found throughout the country. Certainly, should not be streamlined so much that they become ' uninteresting and unchallenging to the . golfer. courses ENGINEERED RAIN Turf Topics- Precision Controllers With Unmatched Flexibility. J-M Buckner is first in the industry to offer you solid-state microelectronics in an irrigation controller. Our KCS line of controllers are as easy to operate as pocket calculators. KCS offers unmatched flexibility with 12 or 24 individual circuits and four 14-day schedules ... all with timing accuracy down to a fraction of a second. The KCS totals daily watering time, allows skipping up to nine days, has both automatic and manual syringe cycles for services such as dew removal and many more unique features. Operation is simple, fast and accurate. of The future of the game of golf as we know it today may depend upon maintenance cost reductions without loss of appeal to the golfer. A formi­ dable task indeed. One aspect which may become very critical in some areas is the need for , water conservation. The recent semi­ nar on the use of effluent water in i which both of our associations were participants, along with N.G.F. and U.S.G.A., is a good example of con­ structive thinking which could help | solve some future problems. Automatic irrigation systems should no longer be looked upon as luxurious toys, but as necessary tools for the conservation of water and energy. Continued on next page -nuMc o)ko tvutos tkomm wiu/siaJk&s, t o iic H¿ddr ywk&¡ to bccjcjesi ruxitto jf ail do(AUj aj, S e u jd h w K f t ( t o t o 15 NOW is the time to consider converting existing quick coupling valves or manual systems to automatic - - with J-M/Buckner, solid state KCS automatic equipment and new automatic valves and sprinkler heads. You may do i t yourself - - or check with Jim Vince on design and in s talla tio n . Write or call direct C *< ¿ ENGINEERED RAIN Sprinkler Irrigation Supply Co. A division of A J. Miller Inc. 1316 No. Campbell Rd. Royal Oak, Mi. 48067 Phone (313) 398 2233 Chicago Sales Office/Warehouse 1738 Armitage Court, Addison, III. 60101 (313)629-7730 SOUTH LYON, MICHIGAN 48178 Phone: Area 313 437-1427 GENE JOHANNINGSMEIER P R O X O L 8 0 S P INSECTICIDE TUCO ANOTHER TURF PRODUCT FROM THE MAKE RS OF ACTI-DIONE® F UNGI CI DE S Golf course architect cont. GCSAA has been concerned about some of the misunderstanding created by some articles written on watering of golf courses which has given some golfers the impression that all golf are overwatered and that courses brown is better than green. I would readily agree that golf is not played on color, but golf is played on grass and the natural color of healthy grass is not necessarily conducive to per­ manently healthy turf or good golf. I will have to admit that agonomically speaking, many courses are over­ watered, but in most cases the condi­ tion in direct proportion to the golfer’ s desire for lush green condi­ tions. The superintendent is sometimes caught in the middle. He is capable of maintaining the course in any condi­ tion that his golfing employers desire, but the directives must come from them. is Many times, the architect is in a 16 position of hiring or helping the new course owners find a superintendent. We h o p e t h a t you are a w a r e of GCSAA’ s employment referral service. GCSAA members seeking a change of employment receive notices of job openings as soon as they become known to us. Any prospective em- 1 ployer can have their job listed by 1 contacting GCSAA Headquarters. We have for some time encouraged I the hiring of the superintendent very | early in the construction process for new golf courses. There are obviously | many advantages when this procedure is followed. for all concerned It is my personal feeling that it is to the architect’ s personal advantage to encourage the course owners to hire | the best man they can and to pay him adequately. Over the years after the course is the superintendent’ s ability which is going to make the course look good or bad Continued on next page , is built, usually it DITCH! Kubota trenchers installed on B-Series Kubota tractors can dig k ditches up to 4 feet deep, from 3 to 12 inches wide, economically. $2500 A FULL U N I OF MID-RANGE DIESEL TRACTORS AND IMPLEMENTS KUBOTA T E S T DRIVE a KUBOTA D IE S E L TRACTOR NOW AT: WM. F. SELL & SON, INC. 1 6 5 5 5 T E L E G R A P H R O A D T A Y L O R , M I C H I G A N 4 8 1 8 0 3 1 3 / 2 8 2 - 5 1 0 0 Golf course architect cont. in the eyes of the golfing public. A good superintendent could be a good public relations tool for the architect. What I’ m trying to say is that we need each other. We need the archi­ to provide tects interesting playing for the game of golf, while fields keeping in mind the ultimate main­ tenance costs which will be borne by the players. We need superintendents to maintain these courses efficiently so that they are appealing and the game is not priced out of existence. We must all work together and GCSAA is willing to cooperate and do anything it can to help keep golf the greatest game ever. Charles H. Tadge, CGCS GCSAA President Over watering cont. As a Golf Superintendent and one who has had a peripatetic golf-history heart, I have observed how membership requests can sometimes detrimentally influence the nature of a golf course, and its Golf Superintendent. Many of these wants/desires are: The greens don’ t hold a shot - give them a good soaking; We want everything green and lush to impress guests; We have our own well and water is free and unlimited - let’ s use it; Our course doesn’ t compare to the one seen during the televised tournament; Our foursome was out this morning and we noticed an area on the seventh fairway which finally drowned all turf water has out, then out comes the aerifiers, thatchers, slicers, spikes and assorted other machinery to try to bring the golf course back. By adding this additional work on a greens crew which may already be overextended, much of the normal, everyday work is left to wane, thus, making a course look even worse. The water-management program for Continued on next page wWe plan it, design it, guide it, gun it, pump it,apivot it, trickle it, mist it, spray it, travel it,tsprinkle it, meter it, igation systems, supplies,rdesign counsel, drawings, conserve it. Complete irr­ filter it, control it, specs . . . for turf, nursery, greenhouse, agriculture. Biggest stock and selection in the midwest. Master Distributor Xm /M S m o ' 31691 Dequindre Madison Hts., Ml 48071 (313) 588-2990 341 Lively Blvd. Elk Grove Village, IL 60007 (312) 640-6660 Over watering cont. any golf course must take stock of the | different types of soil varieties which I are present on the course. These vary from sandy soil, which r e q u i r e s j heavier amounts of water; clay soil which needs little water, but which needs to be constantly kept moist; j heavy, rich loam soil, which needs I water but never too much at one time; and a mix of sand and rich loam that is found in many parts of this Met area, especially on the older links, and which requires only moderate watering. On most of this area’ s golf courses practically all types of soil varieties can be found. This means that no set program can be made for everything getting exactly the same amount of water. Probably the major concern that | must be had at most Met-area courses j is not to go into August with overly I wet soil. As we all know, August | days are generally hot and humid, and just bloody uncomfortable for man and, yes, grass. So as to give our courses the best chance for survival, we should gear out watering efforts for these dreaded Augusts. Should your golf course be cutting back on the amount of water being | used? Let me answer this following gashion. in the The alarming problems of conser­ just tapped us on the ving water shoulder last year. We saw Monterey I Peninsula and Marin County of Cali­ fornia brought to its knees for lack of water. the Midwest, many golf courses were cut off from water use. On Long Island, a municipality whose j own water supply was polluted took . over a golf club’ s well for city use. In With the improper management and , wasteful consumption by everyone, it clearly documents the severe shortage in all areas of our nation. We all must share the burdens of water conserva- I tion for if not, we only have ourselves j to blame if the water runs out. I Melvin B. Lucas Jr., CGCS J Credit - L.I.G.C.S.A. Supernews ■> I ; I Don’t be TRAPPED... Use the EASY RIDER ’76 TRAP MAINTENANCE SYSTEM Why does Easy Rider '76 do the BEST job maintaining your sand traps? Because Easy Rider 7 6 is not just another trap rake. The Easy Rider is a complete TRAP MAINTENANCE SYSTEM specially designed to maintain sand traps. The simplified finishing rake provides ultra-fine top layer raking, superior to a hand raked finish. In addition to the rear mounted finishing rake, there are THREE INTERCHANGEABLE ATTACHMENTS: The Weed Cultivator, a Super Scooper and, for 1976. a Pre-Rake, all of which can be operated independently or simultaneously with the rear mounted finishing rake. The entire body of Easy Rider is molded fiberglass, mounted on a steel chassis. The rear engine hood and fender section is hinged for easy maintenance. The Pre-Rake*— Uniformly scarifies tightly packed sand where a softer, deeper raked surface is desired. The Weed Cultivator*— Knocks out weeds and loosens deep, hard packed sand. The operator controls the cultivating depth. The Super Scooper*— Picks up eroded sand in low spots and transports it back to the desired high locations. The operator controlled hand lever spreads and feathers the sand to a level finish in one easy operation. 19 Jacobsen lurfcat. Call Now For A Demonstration And Price Quotation W.F. Miller Equipment Company 1593 S. WOODWARD AVE. BIRMINGHAM, MICHIGAN 48011 TELEPHONE: (313) 647-7700 "A Patch of Green” 31823 U T I C A R O A D F R A S E R , MICH IGA N 48026 PAID! PtRMIT NO 37 MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY LIDRARY - SERIALS EAST U N SIN G , MICH. 48823