MICHIGAN & BORDER CITIES GOLF COURSE SUPERINTENDENTS ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT BRUCE WOLFROM, CCC5 Barton H ills Country Club 435 Stein Road Ann Arbor, Michigan 48103 Off. 662-8359 - Res. 663-9213 VICE PRESIDENT MICHAEL EDGERTON Meadowbrook Country Club 3066 Sesame Howell, Michigan 48843 Off. 349-3608 - Res. (517) 546-5927 SECRETARY-TREASURER KEVIN DUSHANE,CGCS B loomfield H ills Country Club 159 Willards Way Union Lake, Michigan 48085 Off. 642-0707 - Res. 698-2924 BOARD OF DIRECTORS CLEMWOLFROM Detroit Golf Club 530 Kendry Bloomfield H ills, Michigan 48013 Off. 345-4589 - Res. 334-0140 THOMAS MASON Jr. Birmingham Country Club 3640 Oriole Rd. Troy, Michigan 48084 Off. 644-6320 - Res. 362-3201 CHARLES GAIGE Lakelands Golf & Country Club 7390 Rickett Brighton, Michigan 48116 Off. 231-3003 - Res. 227-4617 CRAIG ROGGEMAN St. Clair Shores Country Club 22185 Masonic Blvd. St. Clair Shores, Michigan 48082 Off. 294-6170 - Res. 774-1394 DANIEL UZELAC Dominion Golf Club RR No. 1 Oldcastle, Ontario, Canada NOR 1LO Off. (519) 969-4350 - Res. (519) 969-4350 THEODORE WOEHRLE, CGCS Oakland H ills Country Club 3390 Witherbee Troy, Michigan 48084 Off. 644-3352 - Res. 649-6849 PRESIDENT EMERITUS JAMES TIMMERMAN, CGCS Orchard Lake Country Club 7183 Buckhom Orchard Lake, Michigan 48033 Off.682-2150 - Res. 360-0238 "A PATCH OF GREEN” P u b l ¡ s h e d m ont hl y by the MICHIGAN AND BORDER CITIES GOLF COURSE SUPERINTENDENTS ASSOCIATION Circulation: 1,250 Ted Woehrle, CGCS, Oakland Hills C.C. EDITOR 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 P a g e ......... .................................. 75.00 Full P age.............................................................. 65.00 Half P age........................................... 40.00 Quarter P a g e ....................................................... 30.00 E ighth P a g e ....................................................... 1 5.00 Sixteenth P a g e .................................................. 10.00 Classified Ad (per column in c h ) ................ 7.50 DISCOUNT R ATE: One Year 10% Note: Advertising fees may not be deducted from the above rates. 'M ia n tA d .—»/ / P O ^ ^ C e n tu ry R a in - A i d D & C Sales.— —'------ Jan so n S o il S e rv ic e L a k e s h o r e E q u ip m e n t C o rp o ra tio n L a w n E q u ip m e n t C o rp o ra tio n L e b a n o n C h e m ic a l C o rp o ra tio n W .F . M i l l e r G arden & E q u ip m e n t O xfo rd P e a t C o m p any R h o n e - P o u le n c Wm. F . Se ll & Son, Inc. T e i m ln u l S u lfe ^ C o i puiu t i un T i r e W h o le s a le r s , Inc. T u r f g r a s s , Inc. T u r f S u p p lie s , Inc. W i l k i e T u r f E q u ip m e n t D i v i s i o n , Inc. 2 SAVE ON GUARANTEED REPLACEMENT PARTS LOW PRICES TORO RYAN MOTT EXCEL JACOBSEN ROSEMAN ROGERS OLATHE TO FIT HAHN-WESTPOINT PAR AIDE JOHN DEERE NATIONAL CUSHMAN RANSOMES FORD YAZOO NEW PARTS GOODfYEAR * BELTS * TIRES * GREENSAIRE PARTS * REELS * BEARINGS * STEERING CABLES AND MORE IN MICHIGAN CALL TOLL FREE - 1-800 824-8769 Wixom M i 4 8 0 9 6 PHONE 3 I 3 684-0680 3 A COMPARISON BETWEEN AMERICAN & BRITISH GREENKEEPING by Ray Richard LAST YEAR, my father attended the Open at Royal St. George’s. There, he bought severla copies of Greenkeeper. After reading them through, I realized that here was a different view of green­ keeping — one of more common sense and forthright comment. The American economy is in recession. Most courses have had to trim expenses and, at the same time, deliver equal conditions or acceptable excuses. We are going to need new and innovative ways to combine with our management perspective, which should link the methods of the two biggest golfing areas — American and the United Kingdom. Golf in America has progressed to the point in lush grass played on by de­ manding golfers. We have had to spend great amounts of money to obtain better playing conditions but, in the process, we have produced inferior growing conditions. Demands on American courses have been intensified by television exposure of the bright green appearance of tournament courses. The average golfers can’t accept the fact that his course is not similar in condition. It appears that this color-based pressure doesn’t exist in the UK. A few years ago a prominent American tour professional complained loudly about flyers he was hitting from the beautiful bluegrass fairways he was playing. Suddenly, American green- keepers were inundated with complaints about flyers. Was this caused by the inability of the player to adapt to the conditions, or should we adapt the conditions to the player? It appeared to me that the Open course at Royal St. George’s was essentially the same course the members play and any modifications from the norm were subtle and not radical. Is there a fine line where we can adapt to the pro­ fessionals and still provide healthy conditions for our favored species? The answer is a firm ‘yes’! The source of our new management assertiveness should be the greenkeepers of the United Kingdom. The American greenkeeper has to present to his players a course that is neatly mowed, aesthetically pleasing and managed within a budget. He must adapt to many trends that continualy arise in American golf and culture. When the Masters is televised, the average golfer is faced with two obser­ vations — one good, the other bad. he sees on his color TV the epitome of botanical beauty with every shrub and CONTINUED PAGE 12 No synthetically produced fertilizer can compare with MIIORGANITE Golf Courses Use More M I L O R G A N I T E : Thun Any Other Fertilizer TERMINAL SALES CORR 12871 EATON AVE. DETROIT, MICH. 48227 (313) 491 -0606 4 It’s hard to tell the difference be­ tween goosegrass and late-germinating crabgrass. But if you treat your turf with Chipco* RONSTAR* G herbicide, it makes no difference. RONSTAR gives excellent control of both, season-long... and it’s convenient to use, because there’s no leaching prob­ lem, no root pruning, and no problems with ornamental plantings. So, for the best control of grassy weeds, use RONSTAR. Rhône- Poulenc Inc., Agrochemical Division, Monmouth Junction, NJ 08852. Please read label carefully, and use only as directed 5 Proper Pruning Many pruning chores easily can be accomplished by the homeowner, but when work is required in the upper­ most branches of tall shade trees or other difficult ro reach places, it is wiser—and safer—to get tree care pro­ fessionals to do the work. Those who plan to do their own prun­ ing, should make sure they have on hand appropriate, sharp tools beyond the conventional pruning shears used for twiggy growth. These may include, depending on the work to be done, loppers for small branches and stems, an extension pole pruner for light prun­ ing in tree tops, a pruning saw and perhaps a gas- or electric-powered chain saw for heavier growth. Here are some suggestions that may be helpful: • When pruning shade or fruit trees, make all cuts close to the branch or trunk so that no stub remains. • Where loppers are used, such as on small limbs, cuts will be more easily made by placing the blade below or beside the crotch rather than inside it. • When severing large branches with a pruning or chain saw; guard against the bark tearing away from the branch as it falls by making a deep undercut about 3 inches out from the trunk, then sever the branch with a full cut from above. Remove the remaining stub by cutting flush with the trunk. • On fruit trees, the basic goals are to encourage strong crotch development by reducing superflous growth on branches so the latter can support heavy yields of fruit. Open spaces in the trees allow sunlight and pest sprays to penetrate all parts evenly. • With ornamental shrubs, prune to eliminate excessive sucker growth, promoting better vigor and keeping them trim and attractive. Cut oldest, woody stems of multistem shrubs down to the ground. This will open the plants to light and air and stimulate new basal growth. Remember, however, that spring flow­ ering shrubs, such as forsythia, lilac and magnolia, should not be pruned at this time. Wait until they have com­ pleted their bloom cycle. These plants produced their flower buds last sum­ mer, and any pruning now will diminish their spring displays. Such shrubs as privet, grown only for their foliage or screening effects, may be pruned at any time. Because of their more concentrated formulas, the dormant sprays generally are most effective against scale insects that attack ornamental trees, shrubs and roses, as well as mealy bugs, mites, hibernating caterpillars and other pests.Materials commonly found in dormant spray lime- include oil, FERTILIZER LIME GYPSUM PHONES: (216) 474-6000 (216) 466-3835 formulas JANSON SOIL SERVICE C om plete LIME Service 4 f c i i i r C ~ J U ^ S “O ur business is The Midwests Leading Lime Service bulk spreading” 1 4 9 2 MECHANICSVILLE RD. ROCK CREEK, O H IO 4 4 0 8 4 6 sulphur and a combination of the two. Some also are a combination of insect­ icides and fungicides that will control both disease and plant pests. Both are available at most garden centers under various trade names. Label directions should be followed precisely, as certain kinds can be used only on certain trees and shrubs. Art Kozelka cover subjects such as, how to renovate a home lawn, fertilizing and general maintenance of home lawns, general imaintenance of athletic fields, ren­ ovation for the professional lawn care industry, and cultivation and top dressing techniques for golf courses. The video tapes will be various time lenghts from 10 minutes to over 30 minutes. They will be used by the extension service, television stations, small groups, etc. Dr. Reike feels the tapes will certinly fulfil a real need in comunicating with the homeowner as well as the turf professional. The cost of the tapes is being shared by the extension service and Michigan Turf- grass Foundation grants. M erry C hristm as TURF VIDEO TAPES Dr. Paul Reike, Shawn McBurney, and Christianne McMillan have been very busy this summer preparing programs for video taping. The video tapes will from the Editor and Publisher ❖ •> •> •> <• •> <• •> v •> ❖ •> •> •> •> •> *> •> •> •> • » •> •> •> •> *> •> •> •> •> •> •> •> «g» * * • . * • > . > * .> ARE YOU INTERESTED IN JOINING THE MICHIGAN AND BORDER CITIES GOLF COURSE SUPERINTENDENTS ASSOCIATION? FILL IN THE QUESTIONAIRE BELOW AND MAIL TO: CLEM WOLFROM DETROIT GOLF CLUB 530 Kendry Bloom field H ills , Ml 48013 O ff. 345-4589, Res. 334-0140 D A T E _________________ NAME ___ ___________________________________________________ ADDRESS _________________________________________________ ______ 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 ON 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 . 7 54th Annual Michigan Turfgrass Conference JANUARY 17 AND 18, 1984 LONG'S CONVENTION CENTER, LANSING With 27 field-proven formulas we may have more solutions than you have problems. Distributed by: LAWN EQUIPMENT CORPORATION 46845 W. 12 MILE ROAD NOVI, MICH. 48050 P.O. BOX 500 (313) 348-8110 SERVING ALL OF MICHIGAN! the professional’s partner TheÆ EES* Andersons Lawn Fertilizer Division P.O. Box 119 Maumee, Ohio 43537 Ohio: 800-472-3220 Outside Ohio: 800-537-3870 8 WE AT WILKIE TURF EQUIPMENT DIVISION, INC. WOULD LIKE TO TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY DURING THIS SPECIAL TIME OF THE YEAR, TO EXTEND OUR HEARTFELT GRATITUDE TO THOSE OF YOU WHO HELPED TO MAKE THIS OUR BESI YEAR EVER. WITHOUT YOUR SUPPORT AND CONFIDENCE, WE WOULD NOT HAVE ENJOYED THE SUCCESS WE DID THIS YEAR. WE PLEDGE TO YOU, OUR VALUED CUSTOMERS, OUR CONTINUED EFFORT TO MAKE 1984 AN EVEN BETTER YEAR FOR ALL OF US. 9 seasons greetings TURFGRASS, INC. SOUTH LYON, MICHIGAN 48178 Phone: Area 313 437-1427 10 FOUR TRAITS OF A SUPER SUPERVISOR Technical expertise alone does not make a good supervisor. According to effectiveness expert Robert Patchin, supervisors must have four personal traits in order to get the most from their workers: 1) CANDOR - If people don’t view the boss as trustworthy, they will clam up and become uncooperative. A super­ visor who is percieved as less than honest might seem to be working in his own the company’s. 2) CONSISTENCY - Any sign of favor­ itism quickly destroys the boss’ credi­ bility and influence. Particularly where discipline is concerned, fairness is all important. 3) ACCESSIBILITY - “It is comfort­ ing to know that your boss is available if you have a question or get into interests rather than trouble,” Patchin advises. But an open-door policy is not enough, nor is mere physical presence. Bosses who are always around may still have a problem with what Patchin calls “mental inaccessibility” . . . they are unsympathetic or only pretend to lis­ ten. Workers who receive a curt or uninterested response tend to stop coming back. 4) PERSONAL COMPETENCE - although today’s boss would be hard put to learn all the subordinates’jobs, he must know enough about their work to recognize good performance when he sees it. He should also be able to provide information, choose materials and secure additional help for special problems. “Today,” argues Patchin, “it’s more productive to see yourself as the expeditor, not as the boss.” Your Course and the Weather Ju st knowing what’s ahead weatherwise can make a world of difference in everything from Fertilizing to Watering your G olf Course. Help your course look its best with . . . MAXIMUM' Weather and Wind Instruments • 5 year warranty • Mt. Washington tested • 6V2" Brass casing • Accuracy + /- .01% Call for FREE Color Catalog 588-2990 Ben Taliaferro Century Rain Aid • 31691 Dequindre • Madison Hts. Mi. 48071 11 Comparison, cont. blade of grass in perfect symmetry. He expects his course to imitate Augusta National, but he is unaware of the time,money and hard work that went into the preparation of this. He is unaware of the pesticides and dyes that are used to create this effect. Wouldn’ he be a better golfer if he realized that grass grows best when these things are not applied to it, in a more natural environment? Instead of the boundary to boundary fairway, we should be promoting a more sensible design — one that punished the golfer more and returns golf to a finesse sport where it belongs. Let us analyze the American golfer, for it is he who keeps the greenkeeper employed. He is usually outfitted with the best clothing and equipment, but poorly outfitted with etequette and respect for the golf course. American golfers have the preconveived notion that repair of ball marks, traffic routing and divot replacement should be the job of the greens staff. These golfers add to our work by driving golf cars in any direction they want without regard for signs or pathways. The abuse seen on typical American courses would raise a few eyebrows if seen on one of your hallowed courses. In America, we spend too much time doing chores that the golfer should do — time that could be spent doing the special jobs we are trained for. You might say: “Why don’t we educate our golfers?” The problem is that most golf publications are geard to showing the pastoral beauty of courses and professionals, and rarely lecture or scold the reader for fear that he will stop reading that particular magazine. In these magazines, lavish advertise­ ments show golf cars parked inches from the putting green and perched on tees. Any pictured course shows fan­ tastic condition with that omnipresent intense green color, but never any greens staff or equipment. They glorify the pro golfers who favor scalped greens and fairways. Therefore, it is logical that the average player will try to imitate the pro in game and habit. It appears to me that golfing publications in the UK are more on the side of the CONTINUED NEXT COLUMN uim.F.seii & Son,inc. SINCE 1923 RENTAL SALES - SERVICE A SWEEPERS * LOADERS * TRENCHERS A MOWERS * ROTARY CUTTERS * BACK HOE DIGGERS * BACK FILL BLADES * POST HOLE DIGGERS JOB TAILORED EQUIPMENT 282-5100 Complete line of Motef»al Handling & Farm Equipment 16555 TELEGRAPH RD. - TAYLOR 1 MILE SOUTH OF EUREKA COUNTRY CLUB :d u i TURF P R O D U C T S — H o m o g en o u s G ra n u la tio n — H ig h U F (W.I.N.) — Balanced Feed ing — Fits Y o u r B udget Distributedn Lebanon Chemical Corporation P O Box 847, Danville, Illinois 61832 12 superintendent. The American greenkeeper has access to an incredible assortment of specialized turf equipment, which has made the selection of this equipment an art in itself. Our native mowers are well designed and machined and are in use throughout the world. On the other hand, we see inferior porducts surface every year, but they usually disappear once the word gets out among fellow greenkeepers. I am particularly impressed with the amound and design of equipment in the UK. We have several machines that mow vertically and some that remove plugs. However, we don’t have access to any machine that goes as deep as you recommend. All equipment man­ ufacturers agree that topdressing, vertical mowing and plug removal is essential to maintaining healthy turf. We are blessed with an efficient system of parts supply, knowledgeable, but justifiably biased, salesmen and a negotiable aspect to pricing. The golf- course machinery business realizes that its service has to be excellent or it won’t stay in business for long. A distinct difference exists between the age of greenkeepers in America and those in the UK. Greenkeepers in America are much younger and better educated in the classroom. It is rare to find a greenkeeper over 40. The reason is that in the States a greenkeeper usually has a family and other respon­ sibilities that necessitate less deman­ ding occupations. These jobs usually provide some retirement and health insurance along with a more secure environment. I am amazed at the amount of ‘seasoned’ greenkeepers I have read about in your country. Perhaps they are better treated and respected in UK. All too often we hear about greenkeepers being fired over here, for personal and not performance reasons. The educational system available to the young greenskeeper appears to better organized and more extensive in America. We have over a dozen spec­ ialized university programs dealing with turf management, which graduate several hundred students every year. These graduates are generally well in­ formed in the technical aspect of CONTINUED NEXT PAGE 13 HappuHoHdaus T h e best in T u r f Su pplies — L E S C O 100% S u lfu r-C o a te d F e r t i l i z e r s , G o lf C o u rse A c c e s s o ri e s , C h e m ic a ls in c lu d in g LESCOSAN' A H ig h ly E f f e c t i v e P re - E m e r g e n c e C ra b g ra s s and P o a A n nua Control * L e s c o s a n ( B etasan-Reg. TM o f Stauffer C he m ic al, Co.) (800) 362-7413 IN OHIO (800) 321-5325 Available NATIONWIDE From: Lakeshore Equipment & Supply Co. 20005 Lake Rd. P.O. Box 16915 “ Home Of LESCO Products” Rocky River, OH 44116 Tire Wholesalers Company, Inc. 19240 Mfast Eight Mila Southfiald. Mich. 41075 Phone: (313) 354 5644 TRUCK CAR Itili J MOTORCYCLE mnST INDUSTRIAL UNIR0YM. TRAILER TIRES WHOLESALE PRICES TO COMMERCIAL ACCOUNTS 'For Land's Sake-'Use Peat" Oxford rm co. 1430 E. Drahner Rd. Oxford, Michigan 48051 PROCESSED PEAT Top Dressing Blends Custom Blending FRED LATTA 313/628-5991 Comparison, cont. agronomy, but often lack common sense. They are usually unable to negotiate a price, supervise staff or maintain good public relations at their course. When they fail, there are usualy plenty of eager applicants to fill the position. The American greenkeeper has many magazines at his disposal that deal with golf course management. The problem with these publications is their non-committal perspective on equip­ ment performance, pesticide effectiv­ eness and other issues. The influence on these magazines is biased in favor of advertisers and those in the business of golf.A factor that impressed me about Greenkeeper is the forthright opinion and comment expressed by your writers and readers. In America, the green­ keeper is afraid to express himself in a critical manner. I certainly enjoyed reading John Campbell and Jim Arthur and perhaps some of the dry technical articles seen in American greenkeeper magazines should be replaced by some writers of the like. The only way we can learn as professionals is to interchange thoughts and react to constructive comment, not defend or ignore it. The differences I have noted between the countries prove we should attempt to establish greater communications, so we may exchange ideas, produce better conditions and become better greenkeepers. We Americans can learn much from the greenkeepers in the United Kingdom. This article was reprinted from the October 1982 issue of Greenkeeper, a British Golf Course Management Magazine. comments the to Shaw's Turf Food Shaw's Greens Food Here. Powder Blue Here. Blue Chip Sulfate of Potash C. I. L. Urea Iron Sulfate Sulfur Coated Urea U.S.S. Vertagreen U.S.S. Vertagreen U.S.S. Vertagreen U.S.S. Vertagreen U.S.S. Vertagreen 28-5-8 With S.C.U. 30-0-10 60% Org. 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