MARCH 1985 M IC H IC 3 A f\J A PATCH » Official Publication of the Michigan & Border Cities Golf Course Superintendents Association MICHIGAN & BORDER CITIES GOLF COURSE SUPERINTENDENTS ASSOCIATION DUSHANE,CGCS P R E S ID E N T M IC H A E L ED G E R T O N Meadowbrook Country Club 3066 Sesame Howell, Michigan 48843 Off. 349-3608 - Res. (517) 546-5927 V IC E P R E S ID E N T K E V IN Bloomfield H ills Country Club 159 Willards Way Union Lake, Michigan 48085 Off. 642-0707 - Res. 698-2924 S E C R E T A R Y -T R E A S U R E R THOMAS MASON, JR. Birmingham Country Club 3640 Oriole Rd. Troy, Michigan 48084 Off. 644-6320 - Res. 362-3201 BO A R D OF D IR E C T O R S C H A R L E S Lakelands Golf & Country Club 7390 Rickett Brighton, Michigan 48116 Off. 231-3003 - Res. 227-4617 G AIG E C R A IG R O G G EM A N St. Clair Shores Country Club 22185 Masonic Blvd. St. Clair Shores, Michigan 48082 Off. 294-6170 - Res. 774-1394 JON M A D D E R N City of Farmington H ills 22918 Talford Novi, Michigan 48050 Off. 476-5910 - Res. 349-0429 D A N IE L U Z E L A C Dominion Golf Club R R No. 1 Oldcastle, Ontario, Canada N O R 1LO Off. (519) 969-4350 - Res. (519) 969-4350 K E N D E B U S S C H E R Wabeek Country Club 33128 Richard 0. Drive Sterling Heights, Michigan 48077 Off. 851-1689 - Res. 268-4423 E D H E IN EM AN, C.G.C.S. Waters Edqe Country Club 34955 Sibley New Boston, Michigan 48164 Off. 675-0927 - Res. 753-4188 P R E S ID E N T E M E R IT U S B R U C E N O L F R O M , C G C S Barton H ills Country Club 435 Stein Road Ann Arbor, Michigan 48103 Off. 662-8359 - Res. 663-9213 "A PATCH OF GREEN" Pub l¡sh ed monthly by the MICHIGAN AND BORDER CITIES GOLF COURSE SUPERINTENDENTS ASSOCIATION Circulation: 1,250 Ted Woehrle, CGCS, Oakland Hills C.C. EDITOR P rin te d A t BLAKEMAN PRINTING COMPANY 31823 Utica Road Fraser, Michigan 48026 Phone: (313) 293-3540 M O N TH LY A D V E R T IS IN G R A T E S D o uble Page S p r e a d ............................................. $ 1 5 0 .0 0 B a ck O u ts id e P a g e ..................................................... 7 5 . 0 0 Fu l I P a g e .......................................................................... 6 5 . 0 0 H a l f P a g e ........................................................................ 4 0 . 0 0 Q u arte r P a g e .................................................................. 3 0 .0 0 E ighth P a g e .................................................................. 1 5 . 0 0 S ixteen th P a g e ................................................................ 1 0 .0 0 C l a s s i f i e d Ad (per colum n i n c h ) .................... 7 . 5 0 D I S C O U N T R A T E : One Y e a r 10% N o te : A d v e r t i s i n g fees may not be ded ucted from the a b o ve r a t e s . r td v e n tc d e n t' • • Century Rain-Aid Great Lakes Minerals Co. Hi Teck Landscaping Ideal Mower Sales Industrial Vehicle Sales International Industries Lawn Equipment Corporation Lesco W. F. Miller Garden & Equipment Oxford Peat Company Rhone-Poulenc Wm. F. Sell & Sons Shemin Nurseries Sting Ray Tree Service Tire Wholesalers Turfgrass Wilkie Turf Equipment Division UNIVERSITY SCORECARDS PROVE IT. Vortan1 Rut>k&an' OaConU untreated ^ ^ R A C W O S E CONT»Ol S S * tnteo-a* ®ay~ Fw»goSO^ ~~~ Actitìrone TGF + Actidtone RZ« ~ ~~~~ Vorlan ^treated TERSArf 1991 _________ controls brown patch and anthracnose better than the fungidde you are now using. **?? t»ctian *Wm& j4 day* 14 day* alday* Test results, like these from Michi­ gan State University on anthracnose and the University of Maryland on brown patch, prove nothing works better than Du Pont TERSAN1991® fungicide against these two turf diseases. TERSAN 1991 handles the heavi­ est disease pressure. Its unique sys­ temic activity withstands heavy rainfall and frequent watering for longer-lasting disease control. And TERSAN 1991 may be applied for anthracnose control either preven­ tively or after the disease is already present. Schedule TERSAN 1991 in your summer spray program. Apply it in tank mixtures or as supplemental applications from June through August, when brown patch and anthracnose threaten. And get tee-to-green control. The following products are registered trademarks: 1 Vorlan, Duosan, and Fungo 50— Mallinkrodt, Inc. 2 Bayleton— Mobay Chemical Co. 3Rubigan— Elanco Products Co. 4Daconil— SDS Biotech Corp. 5Clearys 3336— W.A. Cleary Chemical Corp. 6Actidione TGF and Actidione RZ— TUCO Div. of Upjohn Co. With any chemical, follow label instructions and warnings carefully. i l i ) reg u s pat off PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE and the organizers, John Maddern and Ken De Busscher, deserve congratula­ tions for a job well done. Closer to home we want to congratulate Jerry Faubel who was appointed incoming national president, Gene Baston to one of four spots on the national board of directors. Once again our state is keeping prominent representation on the national level. This year for the first time we have formed a committee made up of the presidents and vice presidents of the Michigan and Border Cities, Mid Michigan, Western Michig­ an, and Northern Michiagn Superinte­ ndents associations. This committee will meet three times a year to discuss local events, dates and sights for chap­ ter meetings and other topics importa- tant to golf course management. As a final note I’m happy to report that this publication, A Patch of Green, is going to be expanded later this year. The magazine will be larger the paper grade will be better and there will be more articles. Ted Worhle and Kevin Dush- ane will remain in charge and they are hoping the changes will take place by May or June. Mike Edgerton "The world has narrowed into a neighborhood before it has broadened into a brotherhood." - Lyndon B. Johnson From February 5th through the 13th the Golf Course Superintendents Ass­ ociation of America had its annual national conference in Washington D.- C. Seventy superintendents groups were represented, including the four from Michigan. Attending has always been a lot of fun, but this year there was an additional sense of pride that came with being part of the Michgan delegat- ation. I was proud because I realized that the superintendents from Michig­ an are some of the foremost professio­ nals in the country. As a matter of fact our state seemed to be two steps ahead of all the others in turf grass managem­ ent practices and proffessional image. To illustrate the esteem of Michigan’s superintendents seven men from our state were featured as speakers at the convention. Ted Worhle, Kevin Dush- ane, Jeff Rivard, Dr. Joe Vargas, Dr.P- aul Rieke, Roger Barton and Kevin Patterson were each called upon to speak. These gentlemen gave the rest of the convention a small sample of the professionalism and knowledge of the Michigan group. One of the best featu­ res of the convention was the Michigan Hospitality Room. We have offered the hospitality room for many years now, it gives our people a place to go and talk with other conventioneers in relaxed surroundings. The Hospitality Room was better than ever this year HI TECK Landscaping LANDSCAPE CONTRACTOR Mechanical Tree Transplanters Moving Trees up to 14” Trunk Diameter CALL FOR ESTIMATE (313) 229-4657 WHEN GOLF BALLS TALK, WE L IS T E N ! Free Flowing, Sterilized CUSTOM BLENDED TOPDRESSING TO YOUR SPECIFICATION j Great LaK.es Minerals Co. Trap& Topdressing Sands CONTROLLED TO USGA SPECIFICATIONS Great Lakes' TopDressing sand is available in truckload quantities. Also available - Trap and Specialty Sands. 2855 COOLIDGE HWY. • TROY. Ml 48084 Telephone: 313/649-3700 “New Name - New Location” INDUSTRIAL VEHICLE SALES, INC. 361 S. SAGINAW (313} 338-1590 PONTIAC, MICHIGAN 48053 (FORMERLY GOLF CAR DISTRIBUTORS) CUSHMAN is our Business, Our only Business. SALES SERVICE LEASING AVOID THE RUSH!! SPECIAL DISCOUNTS AVAILABLE ON ALL REPAIRS GET TUNED UP FOR SPRING NOW! Call our Service Department and ask for Marv- (313) 338-1590 Offer Expires 3/15/85 PICK-UP AND DELIVERY AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST L. INDIVIDUALIZE YOUR MANAGEMENT A pastor friend remarked to me after a particularly difficult marria­ ge counsellingsession, “Loving people is really pretty easy; the difficulty aris­ es in loving them one at a time.” Much the same can be said about managing people; the challenge, or to be a bit negative, the problem, lies in the one- on-one aspects of the relationship. Likemanagers in many professions,su­ perintendents tend to speak in terms of groups — usually crews. Reference to groups is certainly conversationally co­ nvenient, but such “group-speak”of- fers even more; it keeps us safe through anonymity, it neutralizes the power and dilutes the impact of individual personalities, it establishes a “King’s X” protection from responsibily (eve­ ryone knows that there are “individual exceptions”). The fact is, “group- think” is damaging to management effectiveness. Superintendents do ma­ nage crews, but to do so properly requires that they manage the individ­ uals comprising the crew. Managment uals comprising the crew. Manage­ ment is inescapable a one-on-one relat­ ionship between themanager and the managed. The entire fabric of the human resource management process is predicatedupon the idea that one individual (the manager) acts and ano­ ther (the managed) responds. The management action may be directed at a group of subordinates (a crew), but each member responds to it as an individual, whether properly or impr­ operly. Policies are writtenfor the followed or violated by individuals; plans are prepared on the valid assum­ ption that individuals will implement them; responsibility and authority are delegated to individuals; problems are both created and solved by individua­ ls; people are hired as individuals and firedthe same way. But still, the conce­ pt of people management is almost always considered a group process. Remember those clinches’ common to advice on managing people? “You must treat everyone alike,” “individual favoritism is the father of unionizat­ ion,” “you must not discriminate; if they work as a group,” “keep the staff at arm’s length, it doesn’t pay to get to know individuals too well.” Vince Lo­ mbardi was reported to have said, “Teamwork never won a football game; individual effort to achieve understood team goals makes for winning teams. C O N TIN U ED PAGE 13 TREE & STUMP REMOVAL W E PLANT INSTANT 6 TO 20 FT SHADE LARGE VARIETY TREES CALL FOR PROMPT ESTIMATES SNOW REMOVAL INSURED FOR YOUR PROTECTION • LAND CLEARING • TRIMMING • FIRE WOOD • SAWDUST & WOOD CHIPS WINTER WORK WELCOMED 538-8630 IF BUSY (or EVE) CALL SOUTH LYON 437-5541 TREE SERVICE 12075 BERWYN REDFORD TWP TREE TRANSPLANTING LARGE TREES UP TO 11” DIAMETER ARMSTRONG L A W N A N D T R E E , I N C . "Your Evergreens should be moved now.” 44275 Whithorn Sterling Heights, Michigan 48078 731-5550 264-8803 Home:731-2148 An efficient pump for every Golf Course need . . . ■ TROUBLE SHOOTING /PUMP SIZING ■ COMPLETE LINE OF PUMPS ■ PUMP REPAIR ■ REPAIR PARTS ItniinsrminaiDl CEN TU RY Rain Aid 31691 Dequindre Madison Hts., Ml 48071 313/588-2992 22159 Telegraph Southfield, Ml 48034 313/358-2994 3400 Jefferson S.E. Grand Rapids, Ml 49508 616/452-3373 Sisco Turf 1312 N. Campbell Royal Oak, Ml 48067 313/398-9552 It’s hard to tell the difference between goosegrass and late-germ­ inating 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 problem, no root pruning, and no problems with ornamental plantings. So for the best control of grassy weeds, use RONSTAR. Rhone- Poulenc Inc., Agrochemical Division, SPREAD THE WORD» Monmouth Junction, NJ 08852. Please read lalx*l carefully, and use o n ly as directed _ _ _ _ ____ RHÔNE POULENC Seven year extended coverage on large turf rotary sprinklers WILKIE IW } Equipment Division, Inc. 1050 O PDYKE ROAD P.0. BOX (313) PONTIAC. M ICHIGAN 37 3 J RAKEOVAC RENOVATES TURF AND VACUUM S IT CLEAN SHOCK-ABSORBING blades, pivoted to red u ce dam age, IT'S QUICK AND CLEAN: special renovator reel has 30 swing into action as reel rotates. Renovator reel is an blades that slice a 58%" swath. Renovates large areas in accessory to the basic m achine, and is interchangeable a short tim e, an d the vacuum picks u p the p ieces. G reater capacity m akes m ore frequent treatm ent prac- with rake (see below) or sw eeper reel (next page). Reels tical leading to healthier, m ore beautiful turf. raise for high-speed transport. RAKES TURF A N D VACUUM S IT CLEAN ROTARY RAKE has 564 nylon fingers that gently lift litter off the turf, whip it into the vacuum stream that c arries it into the hopper. Heavy ru b b er skirt, forw ard of reel, hugs ground to m ake vacuum even m ore powerful. Teeth will not m ar bronze or stone m arkers. RPM OF REEL is constantly coordinated to forw ard speed of unit -w hich is easily draw n by utility vehicle, tractor or light truck. Two 6-ply hi-flotation 11x15 tires m ake Rake-O-Vac light on its feet: only 6 lbs. psi empty, 14.5 lbs. psi carrying a ton of litter. WILKIE Ito f Equipment Division, Inc. O PDYKE ROAD P.0. BOX 749 PONTIAC, MICHIGAN 48056 (313) 373-8800 1050 MOWER SALES, INC FOR A DEMONSTRATION ON YOUR TURF. CALL ED STESNEY, TURF MANAGER. 811 WOODWARD HTS., FERNDALE, Ml 48220 (313) 541-4200 (313) 541-4660 '<1 r # 0- /js -C■ \A> --7 \ T V ; v-v ' • Serving you better •*hÀ ^ - C W it h Q U A L I T Y ------ M a l l i n c k r o d t LEWIS FORE PAR CLEARY COUNTRY CLUBl CHICOPEE Upjohn FOX VALLEY Chipco d i a m o n d s h a m r o c k Yankee c y c l o n e PBI Gordon Aquatrols Turfgrass Products PanaSeaB ^South Lyon, Michigan 481781 Phone: (313) 437-1427 GENE JOHANNINGSMEIER I One-On-One, cont. In truth, a manager manages one pers­ on at a time. Each person is an identifiable, individual resource for the accomplishment of organizational goa­ ls. As such, each person must be selected carefully, trained unendingly, maintained in both preventative and emergent ways and provided with me­ ans of motivation leading to profitable levels of productivy. These are manag- ment responsiblilities that simply can­ not be discharged throughother than an individualized orientation. A mana­ ger’s personal career rests heavily peo­ ple he manages. The reverse is also largely true - their successes depend heavily upon him. It is a mutual thing, boss and subordinate, each contribu­ ting to each other’s success. It’s a function of morale - the enjoyment of success - and morale is best available through a process of recognition; ind­ ividualized recognition through indiv­ idualized management. Does all this sound a little exaggerated? Perhaps that dependsupon your personal van­ tage point; that of the manager. But keep something securely in mind; while you may be a manager of a group, you are also managed within a group! From that perspective, how does the impor­ tance of individualized managemnet look to you? In my introductory colum- n I dicussed the individualized nature of the management relationship betw­ een the manager and the managed. This relationship does not emerge fro- m the simple signing of new-employm-t ee tax forms, but is grown and develo­ ped over a period of time within a particular setting; the period of time is the span of employment and the settin- g is the environment of employment. Both are controlled by the manager and represent a process important to productivity. We call it “The Employ­ ment Process”. The Employment Pr­ ocess can be seen as a continuum, beginning with the canidate’s job app­ lication and ending with the employe­ e’s final check. The Process may have a life of 30 minutes or 30 years, will exist separately for each employee and has four definable stages: SELEC­ TION, INDUCTION, RETENTION, C O N TIN U ED NEXT PAGE TERMINATION. To understand the process as a whole, lets look at its parts. Selection: this is where candidates search, eemployee acquisition and co­ mmitment occur. In the business of growing plants, reasonable questions leading to selection might include: Wh­ at is the expected role of the plant? Ground cover, ornamental, playing su­ rface, shade? Can it do what it’s expected to do? Within a reasonable time frame? At what cost of support and maintenance? At what purchase cost? These kinds of investigative inq­ uiries fir the employee selection effort too, and should, in painful detail, be examined as part of the manager’s responsibilities to the goals of the org­ anization. What one does at the time of selection has a great deal of influence over what happens at times of product­ ion. INDUCTION: I garden a bit and worry a lot about plants, soil preparati­ on, fertilizer, trimming foilage back, watering, depth of planting, drainage, other plant proximity and other things that may affect health and productivity of the plant. Such an induction process has been parallels to the induction of employees to the job, to the produstive enviroment. Both in the garden and on the job, we have harvest in mind... pro­ ductive results. The manner in which the new employee is prepared and inducted - introduced — to the job with the potental productivity of that expe­ nsive, newly acquired asset... and a lir to do with the manager’s personal career development. RETENTION: You have acquired and you must retain an asset (an employee). Whether plant or employee, you want whatever it is you selected to do what it is supposed to do over its expected life; it is a resource for the achievement of goals, thus you expect it to make contributio­ ns to those goals. Should you assume that its mere presence is enough (plant ’n’ forget it) then you are doomed to disappointment. If you don’t maintain it, care for it, nourish and nature it over ots productive life, it will fall short of expectations and become a liability W ith 27 field-proven form ulas we m ay have more solutions than you have problems. Distributed by: i t QB A * ' LAWN EQUIPMENT CORPORATION 46845 W. 12 M ILE ROAD NOVI, MICH. 48050 P.0. BOX 500 SERVING ALL OF MICHIGAN! (313) 348-8110 the professional’s partner T h e ^ E E S * Andersons Lawn Fertilizer Division P.O. Box 119 Maumee, Ohio 43537 Ohio: 800-472-3220 Outside Ohio: 800 537-3870 rather than an asset. This is all very appliacable to the retention and devel­ opment of employees. With plants, one operates at three levels of mainen- ance; preventative, routine and emerg­ ency - just as with mechanical equipm­ ent. Guess what? Effective employee retention requires the same approach; one works to avoid problems, satisfies routine maintenance needs and deals with unanticipated, emergent proble­ ms. The point of active retention programs is important; to justify payr­ oll expense, the value of productivity must exceed the cost of utility. Emplo­ yee maintenance for retention purpos­ es makes dollars and cents sense, as well as personal career sense. TERM­ INATION: I am always bothered by the need to terminate a plant whose productivity has irretrievably waned. I could easily gets two crops of lettuce and radishes if I didn’t like those seed spires so much. My raspberries could produce so much better if I could bring myself t tear out the old canes and let the eager new growth mature to produ­ ctivity. With employees, we often del­ ay termination decisions beyond the point dictated by wisdom and let prod­ uctivity value sink below a cost break­ even point. Termination actions play a very important role in crew productivi­ ty and can be positive acts rather than dreaded, negative ones. Managers oft­ en practice their finest avoidance skills here, to the great benefit of no one and great cost to the organization and pers­ onal effectiveness. These four sub­ processes make up The Employment Process. While briefly described here, in the next few columns we will deal with each sub-process in sufficient det­ ail to demonstrate the importance of the employment process to succesful and cost effective human resource ma­ nagement. Old Satan sat with face so grim And muttered, “What’ll I do with him? He’s sure to find this place a bore With the life on earth he’s had before!” And then while shaking his homy head, He opened his ledger and this he read: “John Doe — Keeper of Greens, A man behind the golfing scenes Had 60 years of toil and strife Pleasing golfer, managers, pro and wife! His job included keeping the greens, Planting new turf, repairing machines, Fighting diseases, insects, defeat, Battling rain, humidity, heat. Fixing the water pipes that break thru Changing all markers and mowing the ground, weeds down. He worked all day — studied all night. Trained all new men In the ways that were right. Knew the diseases; chemicals, too. Fertilized, aerified, ‘till his face would turn blue. Not only a scholar and teacher was he, But an ambassador of good will and publicity. Records he kept; watched budget allocation — On him depended the course reputation. And ‘tho heading a project whose value was high Credit and praise went to some other Griping and moaning he got every day, But seldom a raise in the old take-home guy. Now here he lies, his days they are thru - “Tell me,” said Satan, What hell can I put him to?” After sitting and thinking for quite a pay!” His face broke out in a great big smile; The best known hardship he could deen Was to sent him where all was calm and green! Credit Greensword while, THE MICHIGAN CONNECTION S f a n U t t The 56th Annual International Golf Course Conference and Show spon­ sored by the Golf Course Superinten­ dents Association of America (GCSAA) had a “Michigan Connection” as part of its 1985 Annual Conference Feb. 5-13 in Washington, D.C. The Michigan Connection begins with GCSAA President James M. Timmer­ man, CGCS, who is the professional golf course superintendent at the Orchard Lake Country Club, Bloom­ field. Nine of the session speakers are from Michigan. And former U.S. Presi­ dent Gerald R. Ford, also from Mich­ igan, will be an honored guest. Timmerman was elected President of GCSAA, a 6,000-plus member asso­ ciation representing the golf course superintendents’ profession, in Jan­ uary 1984. He wil complete his term at the conclusion of the Washington Con­ ference. Under his leadership, new programs have been established and many improvements have been made in GCSAA’s education, certification and membership growth programs. Former President Ford will be honored by GCSAA at the closing banquet Feb. 12 when he will be presented the Old Tom Morris Award. This prestigious award is one of the most exclusive major honors in the world of golf and signifies an unselfish and dedicated effort in continuous support of the game of golf. Ford is the third recipient of the award, following Arnold Palmer and Bob Hope. The remainder of The Michigan Con­ nection includes nine others from Michigan who will be participating in the educational sessions of the Con­ ference. They are: Roger G. Barton, superintendent of Blythefield Country Club, Belmont; Dr. R.C. Bowers, The Upjohn Company, Kalamazoo; Kevin M. Dushane, CGCS, superintendent of C O N TIN U ED NEXT COLUMN 'H u n A & U e A . c * k FORMERLY TURF SUPPLIES, INC. . Let’s Talk Fungicides! We stock the Proven Best. Tersan 1991. 2#-PToven systemic action. Tersan LSR, 3#-Leaf spot & rust control. Tersan S.P.. 3#-Snow mold & Pythium. Daconil 2787. 2#-Very broad spectrum. Daconil 2787 2 Gal.Flowable, liquid. Benomyl Gran, 24#-Dry, spreadable. Chipco .26019, 2#- Broad spec, systemic. Fore (Dithane), 50#-Leaf spot & Rust cntl. Acti-Dione Thiram, 10#-Brown & Dollar Acti-Dione R.Z., 10#-Anti-biotic Fungicide Acti-Dione TFG. 1#-Water-Sol, Anti-biotic Bayleton 25W, 2#-Fusarium prevent & cure Dyrene Gran., 10#-Snow mold cntl. & cure KEN, DAVE, & GEOFF WOULD LIKE TO TAKE YOUR ORDER 6900 Pardee Rd. Taylor, Ml 48180 (313) 291-1200 wm.F.sell & Son.Inc. SINCE 1923 RENTAL SALES - SERVICE Tractorç Equipment Complete line of Material Handling & Farm Equipment * LOADERS A SWEEPERS * TRENCHERS* MOWERS * ROTARY CUTTERS * BACK HOE DIGGERS * BACK FILL BLADES * POST HOLE DIGGERS JOB TAILORED EQUIPMENT 282-5100 16555 TELEGRAPH RD. - TAYLOR 1 MILE SOUTH OF EUREKA L E S C O . . . for all your tu rfgrass needs. As a major manufacturer, form ulator and distributor for the green industry, LESCO sells a complete line of fertilizers, control products, grass seed, equipment, replacement parts and a wide assortment of tee markers, flags, sandtrap rakes and other golf course accessories. Whatever you need for turf maintenance, call LESCO first — toll free. (800) 321-5325 NATIONWIDE (800) 362-7413 IN OHIO LESCO, Inc., 20005 Lake Road, Rocky River, Ohio 44116 (216) 333-9250 Bloomfield Hills Country Club, Bloomfield Hills; Keith E. Paterson, CGCS, superintendent of Spring Lake Country Club, Spring Lake; Dr. Paul E. Rieke, Michigan State University, East Lansing; Jeffery L. Rivard, Executive Director,Golf Association of Michigan, Farmington Hills; Carl H. Schwartzkopf, McKay Golf and Country Club Prop­ erties, Lansing; Dr. Joseph M. Vargas, Jr., Michigan State University, East Lansing; and Theodore “Ted” Woehrle, CGCS, superintendent of Oakland Hills Country Club, Birmingham. The titles of their presentations are: Barton - Protecting Turf During Aerifi­ cation; Bowers - Fungicide Manage­ ment; Dushane - Conversion of Rough: Bentgrass to Bluegrass; Paterson - Chairperson of the Industry Update session; Rieke - instructor of the Plant Nutrition Seminar and a speaker on the USGA Green Section Educational Program; Rivard - Green Chair Re­ lations; Schwartzkopf - Business Aspects of Operating a Public Course; Vargas - Patch Diseases of Turf; and Woehrle - Preparation for the 1985 U.S. Open. It seems somewhat fitting that the final story in this format of " A Patch of Green" should be about one of the worst pests that inflict golf courses - the MOLE, which is only slightly as bad as a non-re- spectful golfer. Moles belong to the family Tal- pidae, characterized by an extreme degree of specialization for under­ ground life. Moles are like shrews in their soft, velvety fur, their appar­ ent lack of eyes, ears and neck, tneir scantily haired tails, and the general appearance of their teeth; but they differ in being much larger, and in having the front feet enormously de­ in veloped for digging. We have Michigan two species of moles, the common garden or ground mole and C O N T IN U ED NEXT PAGE the star-nosed mole. Although the star-nosed mole is common in swam­ py lands, it is probably the least known animal in tne state. Very often we receive a description or a speciman of a strange animal captured by some­ one in swamp or stream, and which the finder says is entirely unknown in his neighborhood. Occasionally the animal proves to be one of the shrews, but generally it is a star-nosed mole. The star-nosed mole has the family characteristics typical to the moles, but also possess a remarkable fringe of 22 fleshy feelers surrounding its nose, and its tail is longer than in other moles, being twice the length of the body. The tail is also curious in that it becomes very thick and red during the breeding season, with a sharp constriction next to the body. Probably the feelers serve as a delicate organ of touch in discovering worms and insects in the soil. The star­ nosed mole prefers swimming to dig­ ging, and prefers a mossy bog or a wet marsh to a dry upland. It is also sociable in its habits, unlike the other moles and shrews, and is often found living in colonies. More Beneficial Than Detrimental The common or garden mole is familiar to most people. Indeed, many persons think that they know the garden mole altogether too well, since they believe that moles do great damage to garden vegetables. As a matter of fact, the moles caught in gardens are there because they are in pursuit of worms and insects, and not to damage plants. M oles live almost exclusively on animal food, and in­ deed are not fitted to eat coarse veg­ etable material. The numbers of mice and insects eaten should surely entitle them to respectful consideration by farmers and gardeners. The real dam­ age done by moles is to lawns and golf courses, where their mounds and runways are decidedly a nuisance. It The strength of the mole is simply prodigious for an animal of its size, and the speed with which it moves through the ground is equally a- mazing. Its strength has been care­ fully estimated by tests in which the mole pushed aside weighted boxes on the floor, and the results showed that if a man were relatively as strong in proportion to his weight as a mole he would have to exert a pressure of 12,000 pounds pushing against a weight. Estimates have also been made of the ability of the mole to excavate tunnels and computation here shows that to perform a work equal to that of a mole, a man would have to excavate, in a single night, a tunnel 37 miles long, and wide e- nough to easily permit the passage of his body. How lucky it is for prison wardens that inmates are not able to dig tunnels at any such rate. Michigan Wildlife Sketches Tire Wholesalers Company, Inc. TRUCK-CAR » TRAILER ||l|| J MOTORCYCLE A TIRES INDUSTRIAL UNIROYM. LAWN & GARDEN EQUIPMENT TIRES LUBRICANT/PENETRANT FIGHTS THRU CORROSION & KEEPS IT AWAY! T®9* goes on — and stays on — thin and clear. INTERNATIONAL INDUSTRIES, INC. ^ *0. Box 8086 Make T#9* Your R o u t L M a in W . Bloomfield, Ml 48304 tenance Aid. *Tradem ark & Technology — the Boeing Co. (313) 661-0077 'For Land's Sake-'Use Peat" OXTOJ© TEAT CO. 1430 E. Drahner Rd. Oxford, Michigan 48051 PROCESSED PEAT Top Dressing Blends Custom Blending FREDLATTA 313/628-5991 HAHN SPRAY-PRO 44, IT WORKS. ANDWORKS... AND WORKS... Greens or fairways... the Spray-Pro 44 with its big high flotation tires to protect your turf, converts in minutes to a Sprayer, Spreader, Aerifier or Utility Bed. Designed for easy on, easy off switching and year ’round service. This “crew” should be working for you the sprayer... the aerifier... 160 gal. poly tank, 3-section Hydraulically controlled from boom for 18-1/2 ft cover- c erator’s position. Cultivates a full 42 Inch width. Cleanly age. Spray with 1,2, or all 3 penetrates to 3 inches, depend- booms. Fingertip control of ing on soil conditions. Optional all spray system functions. Slicing Blades to open the soil with a minimum of turf disturbance. the spreader... Precise rate settings for a uniform pattern. Top dress sand in 12 to 20 ft swath, apply seed, fertilizer and lime 20 to 40 ft Up to 500 lbs. per minute. the utility truck bed... Reinforced steel, 1500 lbs. capacity. Converts to dump bed with addition of Hydraulic Package. LAWN EQUIPMENT CORPORATION 46845 W. 12 MILE ROAD NOVI, MICH. 48050 P.0. BOX 995 (313) 348-8110 r Elite Turfgrass Seed Mixture TRIPLE PLAY IS THE UNIQUE BLEND OF RYEGRASSES THAT HAS BEEN CAREFULLY SELECTED TO MEET SPECIFIC NEEDS FOR SEEDING ATHLETIC FIELDS, LAWN AREAS AND GOLF COURSES. TRIPLE PLAY WILL PRODUCE A BEAUTIFUL DARK GREEN COLOR WITH EXCELLENT HEAT AND DROUGHT TOLERANCE. ATHLETIC FIELDS & FAIRWAYS- New Seeding: 5/7 lbs. per 1,000 sq. ft. Reseeding: 3/5 lbs. per 1,000 sq. ft. NOW AVAILABLE FROM- W . F . M i l l e r E q u i p m f n f c o m p a n y BIRM INGHAM, M ICH IG AN 48011 1593 S. WOODWARD A VE. T E L E P H O N E : (313) 647-7700 L . ....- .................... - ■ ................ - ■ ■ 4 " A Patch of Green” 31823 U T IC A R O A D F R A S E R , M IC H IG A N 48026 DEPT, SOIL & CROP SCIENCES TEXAS A & M UNIVERSITY COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS ATTN; W „ LAMPS BEARD 77840