) m w 1972 q PROPERTY OF JAMES B. BEARD CHOPS DEPT. N STATE UNIV. Official Publication of the Michigan & Border Cities Golf Course Superintendents Association LET THE EXPERTS AT J. J. DILL HELP YOU MAKE IT BUY DIRECT • SAVE MONEY GET FAST DELIVERIES Your budget will buy more — in chemicals and equipment to apply them — when you deal direct with Dill. As manufacturer, formulator and/or distributor, Dill can save you money. Consistently. Dill offers the most com­ plete line of quality turf chemicals in the midwest . . complete with appli­ cation instructions. is headquarters Dill for complete lines of: • Fungicides • Herbicides • Algaecides • Insecticides • Fog- gers • Sprayers. P R O M P T D E L IV E R Y throughout southern Michigan and northwestern Ohio, including weekly shipment via our trucks covering the Detroit, Flint, Lansing and Toledo areas. Call Dill collect for information, prices, and to place orders. (616) 349-7755 TIP OF THE MONTH M A Y /J U N E . Now is the tim e to apply MCPP for clover and chick weed control on greens. On fairways and roughs, add " 2 , 4-D Am ine” to MCPP for most effective clover and broad leaf control. VALUABLE CATALOG Latest edition, up-dated in all respects. Contains a wealth of in* formation. Lists and describes hundreds of chemicals, pesticides and equipment for maintenance of grounds and waters of golf courses, parks, recreation areas and resorts. J. J. DILL COMPANY KALAMAZOO, M l 49005 Gentlemen: Please send your latest Turf Care Catalog. Box 788 Dept. PG-4 NAME ------ ADDRESS C IT Y _____ . STATE . .Z IP . "A Patch of Green” 3 1 8 2 3 U t i c a R o a d , F r a s e r , M i c h i g a n 4 8 0 2 6 ( 3 1 3 ) 2 9 3 - 3 5 4 0 P u b l i s h e d m o n t h ly b y th e M i c h i g a n a n d B o r d e r C i t i e s G o l f C o u r s e S u p e r i n t e n d e n t s A s s o c i a t i o n C i r c u l a t i o n : 6 0 0 Ted Woehrle, Oakland Hills CC E d i t o r Blakeman Publications G r a p h i c A r t s / C i r c u l a t i o n A D V E R T I S I N G R A T E S Double Page Spread...................................... $100.00 Back Outside Page............................................ 65.00 Full Page............................................................. 55.00 Half Page............................................................. 35.00 Quarter Page...................................... 25.00 Eighth Page.......................... .............................12.50 Sixteenth Page...................................................... 7.50 Classified Ad (per inch).....................................5.00 DISCOUNT RATES One Y ear 10 % THIS MONTH’S ADVERTISERS Inc. A g ric o C h e m ic a l D iv is io n A m e ric a n R e s e a rc h C orp. C . E . A n d erso n C o . C en tu ry Supply C o rp. C e r tifie d L a b o ra to rie s , Inc. J. J. D ill C om p an y G unter C o ., In c. R. P. K le in & Sons, L a k e s h o re E q u ip m en t L a w n E q u ip m e n t C o rp . W. F . M ille r G arden M ille r S p rin k lin g S ystem s (Sisco) M ilw a u k e e S ew erag e C o m m issio n N a tio n a l C h e m s e a rc h C orp. Wm. F . S ell & Son T u rfg ra s s , Inc. T u rf S u p p lie s , Inc. T e rm in a l S ales C o rp . 3 MICHIGAN AND BORDER CITIES GOLF COURSE SUPERINTENDENTS ASSOCIATION ^ M IC H tG A k ^ P R E S I D E N T TED WOEHRLE OAKLAND HILLS COUNTRY CLUB Birmingham, Michigan Off. 644-3352, Res. 646-8512 V I C E P R E S I D E N T GERALD GILL TAM-O-SHANTER COUNTRY CLUB 3466 Walnut Lake Road Orchard Lake, Michigan Off. and Res. 626-8325 S E C R E T A R Y - T R E A S U R E R BOB HOPE KNOLLWOOD COUNTRY CLUB 6330 Inkster Road Birmingham, Michigan Off. and Res. 626-6062 B O A R D O F D I R E C T O R S C. H. WOLFROM, JR. DETROIT GOLF CLUB Detroit, Michigan 530 Kendry (Res.) WESTERN GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB ROBERT PRIESKORN 721 Venoy Road (Res.) Detroit, Michigan Off. KE 1-1549, Res. 721-6648 ALBERT KALTZ MAPLE LANE GOLF CLUB Sterling Heights, Michigan Off. 268-2130, Res. 463-2892 DAVID S. MOOTE ESSEX GOLF CLUB Sandwich, Ontario P.O. Box 130 Off. 734-7815, Res. 966-1617 GARY BARTSCH PINE LAKE COUNTRY CLUB P.O. Box 216 Orchard Lake, Michigan Off. 681-1322, Res. 476-5852 ROGER GILL Royal Oak, Michigan ROYAL OAK GOLF CLUB Off. 549-7125, Res. 573-6859 P R E S I D E N T E M E R I T U S WARD SWANSON PLUM HOLLOW GOLF CLUB 29642 Westfield (Res.) Livonia, Michigan Off. 352-2436, Res. 421-8049 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Our National Association has given us the tools to become professionals. These are the tools that we have re­ quested for the past twenty years. Let’s take advantage of these opportunities. Certification is and has been a reality since early this year, also a work shop or siminar was offered a few weeks ago. Michigan Superintendents are not taking LOCAL NEWS Roger Gill, Superintendent of the Royal Oak Golf Club, was recently featured in an article in the Royal Oak Tribune entitled Course Upkeep Tricky, by Frank Sopata. They wrote of the opening of the new nine holes they hope to open on July 4th. The new nine will be called Elks Park Golf Club. Roger is quoted, “ The key to keep­ ing a golf course in shape is to keep it neat.” Amen! Word from Leo Bishop is that they had the Grand Opening of the new Golf Course and Pro Shop at the “ Lake in the Woods” on May 25th. Leo, the Superintendent of the course, says that it is really one of the fine ones. Good Luck Leo on your new endeavor. advantage of these opportunities to upgrade themselves. leaders tendents We only have four Certified Superin­ in the State and only two Superintendents partici­ pated in the Management Seminar. We are leaders in all aspects of our field, why shouldn’t we be in pursuing professionalism? A re­ cent l e t t e r f rom our National Headquarters makes the an­ nouncement that the area of Columbus, Ohio has been approved as a site for the GCSAA Management Seminar which deals with budget preparation, cost analysis, record keeping and control­ ling costs. This seminar will be held within the next 12 months, probably sometime in February of 1973. Plan now to attend. Enough said. I will be needing the assistance of my fellow Superintendents during the PGA Championship, August 3 - 6 . We could use some volunteers for the repairing of ball bruises on the greens and a few fellows will be needed to man the hospitality van to welcome Superintendents attending the tourna­ ment from out of state. Please call me and offer your services. My office number is (313) 644-3352. Your President, Ted Woehrle CGCS GUNTER CO., INC. D-12495 DIXIE HWY. HOLLY, MICHIGAN 313-634-4812 GOLF COURSE CONSTRUCTION C O M P L E T E G O L F C O U R S E C O N S T . R E M O D E L I N G E X I S T I N G C O U R S E S I R R I G A T I O N S Y S T E M I N S T A L L A T I O N C O N V E R S I O N O F E X I S T I N G S Y S T E M S 4 CARL’S COMMENTS by C A R L S C H W A R T Z K O P F, M id-C ontinent Agronom ist, USGA - Green Section Have you been stuck by lightning lately? I surely hope that you never will be and that your escape will re­ sult from proper precautions and not from chance. What are some of the proper pre­ o f greatest cautions? The period danger occurs before the rainstorm breaks, when the air “ feels” charged. People in the open, especially golfers and those who work on a golf course who so often find themselves in hazar­ dous areas, the isolated, unprotected building or open course, should not wait fa* rain and thunder before seek­ ing shelter. The Rules of Golf allow for the danger of lightning. Rule 37-6, Discontinuence of Play, states in part, “ Players shall not discontinue play on account of bad weather or for any other reason unless: A. They consider that there be a dan­ ger from lightning ......” The following guides for personal safety have been suggested by the National Bureau of standards: A. Do not go out of doors or remain thinderstorms, unless out during it is necessary. Stay inside of a building where it is dry, preferably away fireplaces, stoves and other metal objects. B. If there is a choice of s h e l t e r , from choose in the following order: 1. Large metal or metal frame build­ ing. 2. Buildings which are protected against lightning. 3. Large unprotected buildings. 4. Small unprotected buildings. C. If remaining out of doors avoidable, keep away from: 1. Small sheds and shelters if in an in un­ location. trees. exposed 2. Isolated 3. Wire fences. 4. Hilltops and wide open spaces. from Statistics in rural areas, particularly indicate that about nine lightning out of ten casulties occur in isolated buildings, vacant and open land, such as golf courses. Although isolated lightning usually strikes an object on high ground, it does not always strike the highest object in the area. When building rain shelters, they should be located in low areas, not hilltops. Lightning arrestors and ground ing cables should be installed; if not, these shelters may become death traps in a storm. D e s c rip tio n of L ig h tn in g Lightning may be described as a high potential of electricity stored in storm clouds as they gother before a storm. The electrical charge is made up of electrified particles, either all positive or all negative. On the ground, a like number of positive and negative charge particles swarm over each other, climb struct­ ures, and gather on the highest points of those structures, in an effort to reach opposite charges in an approaching storm. Whenever the pressure becomes too great, the charges jump the gap and cause a lightning flash or flasher be­ tween the earth and the cloud. CLASSIFIED ADS F O R S A L E - 7 6 ” T o ro P ro fe s s io n a l s ix blad e re e ls , good en g in e and running gear g o o d - $ 4 5 0 . 0 0 - C o n t a c t Don O slund W arw ick H ills C .C . (3 1 3 )6 9 4 -4 9 5 2 . Sign on the back of a garbage truck: “ Vacancy Inquire within.” two hippies. for 5 HOW ABOUT TOP DRESSING ? stated Ever since our earlier meeting at Bay Pointe Golf Club I have been thinking about the presentation made by our friend John Campbell, of St. Andrews, Scotland. He that top-dressing is the main part of turf management. As I look back at my young days working for my father on a golf course, he too believed in top- dressing. I took time out recently to look up a few written articles on top- dressing and I am presenting them here for your reading pleasure. What do you think about top-dressing? — Ted Woehrle TOP-DRESSING IS NOT TOP SECRET by P A U L W. N E F F , Member, USGA Green Section Com m ittee, G C S A A (From USGA Green Section Record, Ju ly 1969) “ He had a 20-foot putt, mostly against the grain.” How often have we heard such a remark on television or in the locker room? Though I realize that grain is harder to control in some varieties of grasses than in others, one of the most neglec­ ted tools for combating it is sufficient top-dressing. Years ago many superin­ tendents top-dressed every month of the g r o w i n g s e a s o n . Later it became fashionable to quit this practice be­ cause too expensive and really not necessary.” “ too much work, it was In another few years there was the cry of thatch, mat, grain and too much traffic. Expensive machines were de­ signed and used to beat the grass into submission. Some superintendents who have managed to get some top-dressing on a few times a year did not know all the answers, but neither did they have all the problems. The bentgrass plant is put into an unnatural environment and A usage on a putting green. To offset these brutalities it needs some tender loving care. small amount of top-dressing properly applied and dragged into the turf will cover some joints and initiate new growth. The putting surface will reach a new plateau a fraction of an inch above the old surface. Decom­ position of dead matter will be has­ tened and the green will be more resilient and will hold more shots. The new elements in the new material seem to invigorate the grass and bring more disease resistance and less winter-kill. I like to aerify the greens before top-dressing because this is the near­ est to cultivation that it is possible to do. Weather and play permitting, I try to top-dress in early May. Late June, late August and in October. By breaking up the aerifier cores there is enough material available for a light dressing, but additional material is usually add- Continued on Page 8 HOWARDFoursome One, two, three, four necessary operations are accomplished in a one pass With the all new Howard Turf-Quaker. . . (one) it provides complete relief of compaction; (two) opens the turf to water and nutrients; (three) permits easier movement of oxygen and carbon dioxide; (four) removes excess thatch. The result. . . total turf aerification for healthier turf in all seasons. This total aerification is accomplished by the unique auger­ like blade pattern exclusive with the Howard Turf-Quaker. Unlike conventional slicing equipment its blades not only slice the tu rf. . . they also shake it vigorously from side to side right down to its roots, aerating it and leaving it open to receive all the water and nutrients it needs. Turf-Quakers are available in 60' tractor mounted models for fairways and large acreage work and 23' self-powered hand controlled models for greens or lawns. ÎI h ô w â r d ] I I ' I W . 1’ .! Write or call us today. . . ask about the Howard “Foursome” . . . no other machine can do as efficient a job. ... a brawny, hard working Turf Quaker Model “E designed for heavy duty applications. For 35 60 H P tractors. Model "P" Turf-Quakers (not shown) available for normal soil conditions . . . for tractors up to 40 H P. Model “350 Turf Quaker. Designed for greens and lawn maintenance . . . 23* wide, 6.2 H P. . . . hand controlled, self-powered Wm. F. Sell & Son, Inc. 16555 TELEG RAPH ROAD TELEPH O N E TAYLOR, MICHIGAN 48180 : 282-5100 Top-Dressing No Secref Cont. ed. If the soil under the green is very dense, an application of calcined clay may help. It may be added before aeri­ fication, or during any step of the process before dragging. Flexible mats pulled behind a truckster are used for dragging. The old-timers had one fault that should not be repeated today. Each superintendent had his own favorite soil mix. He would use it on the greens wherever he went. As superintendents changed jobs, so did the mix. By looking at a soil profile on a green, you could tell just when superintendents changed jobs. Some layers became so bad that water movement and root de­ velopment were impeded. I feel you should use a mixture just like the one in the green, or mix calcine clay or sand with a similar mixture if the soil under the green needs modifying. Top-dressing is not the hard work it used to be. We now have power shred­ ders to condition and mix the soil; a tractor loader to feed the material into the shredder; a power spreader to apply the material to the green; and a drag mat pulled by cart power. You will also find that the price is really not too high; members and guests will soon be telling you, “ they putt the same from any direction.” TOP-DRESS GREENS AND SEE THE DIFFERENCE by W IL L IA M H. B E N G E Y F I E L D , Western D irector, U SG A Green Section (From USGA Green Section Record, January 1969) In this age of science and tech­ nology, where man’ s knowledge is increasing at a great rate, it is still difficult to improve upon some things. Top-dressing greens is one of them. Last October, at the Northwest Turfgrass Conference Dr. John Escritt, Director of the Sports Turf Research Institute, Yorkshire, England, was telling his audience of his observa­ tions of turf management practices in the United States: “ Americans,” he mused, “ seem to want to overdo everything! For example I feel you are overdoing putting green fertilization. You apply far too much water. You are constantly spraying fungicides and insecticides. You seem forever to be veri-cutting and aerifying greens. But there is one important practice you should be doing and are not doing at all: top-dressing greens!” Many agronomists in this country will heartily agree. His point is valid. Top-dressing is not easy. It may seem expensive, but properly done it is worth every effort and the money if your goal championship putting turf. It is one management tool your is golf course should use even though your neighbors have been overlooking it for the past three decades. In the early days of greenkeeping, the ritual of top-dressing was carried out every few weeks. The old-timers may not have known all the reasons why, but they knew that it worked. Next Page Old way of rubbing the soil into the green. of practically eliminated World War II put an end to that. labor, equipment, and Shortages material the practice, and it has never regained popularity. The advent of the mechan­ ical aerifier in the late 1940s further discouraged a return to top-dressing. The soil cores, it was believed, would do the job for us. Only in recent years have the better managed golf clubs returned to sound top-dressing prac­ tices. top-dressing important? is it work? What are proper How does there top-dressing procedures? Are really major advantages for today’ s golfer and course superintendent in a top-dressing program? There is much to be said on the subject. Why Why T o p -D r e s s A t A ll? Golf has expanded so rapidly in Modern method of Top-Dressing greens. One and one-half yards of soil per 5,000 square feet. of the past 20 years that the technical top-dressing have advantages forgotten by the old, perhaps been and never fully appreciated by the new. Ask ten turf managers, “ why top-dress?” today and at least nine will reply, “ to smooth the surface.” But the story has far greater dimen­ sions than this. in for the real says “ T h e p rin c ip le s behind to p -d ressin g o rig in a te deep th e b asic te n e ts o f an yo n e who and a g ric u ltu re , fin e tu rf w ould do w e ll to m anages reasons learn the the p r a c tic e ,” tu rfg rass agrono­ m ist Bob W iley. More than merely “ to smooth the surface,” the following amazing ad­ vantages also await the top-dressed green: T ig h te r, F i n e r - T e x t u r e d T u rf: By following proper top-dressing tech­ niques, soil material encourages new growth of grass shoots and stems. A dense, fine- bladed turf results. fresh G ra in is C h e c k e d : Whether your greens are bentgrass, bermudagrass, or Poa annua, certain strains of any grass type are going to be more vigorous, more inclined to lay down than others. Top-dressing encour­ ages upright growth and checks grain development in any type of turf. T h a tc h C o n tro l: With heavy fertiliza­ tion, high or infrequent mowing, etc., aggressive grasses soon form a spongy layer known as thatch. Top-dressing checks dense thatch Continued on Page 10 No synthetically produced fertilizer can compare with MILORGANITE Golf Courses Use More M ILORGANITE^ Than Any Other Fertilizer TERMINAL SALES CORR 12871 EATON AVE. DETROIT, MICH. 48227 (313) 491 -0606 9 Top-Dress Greens Conf. accumulation by intermixing soil materials with plant materials. It encourages new microbiological activity, which in turn breaks down thatch, and converts it into valuable soil humus. L e ss D i s e a s e : Thatch is an ideal Medium for disease organisms and insect activity. With thatch under control, this problem is reduced. B e tte r W ater and F e r t iliz e r In filtra tio n : Because top-dressing checks heavy thatch accumulation by actually separating the plant residues, tight turf matting is prevented. The pas­ sages for air, water, fertilizers, etc., are preserved in the turf soil profile. Localized dry spot problems are reduced, and better overall irrigation infiltration is achieved. A lle v ia te s C om p actio n : Top-dressed greens have better “ holding quali­ ties” for the golfer. The material physically supports the grass plant and thereby helps it absorb com­ pacting forces. It develops resili­ ency. On heavily played greens, this point is of particular impor­ tance P ro te c ts A g a in s t W inter K ill: Years of experience and research have shown that greens top-dressed just prior to the winter have fewer problems from desiccation and winter injury. The crown of the plant is protected from the winter’ s drying winds and wide temperature swings. P ro te c ts A g a in s t W inter K ill: Years of experience and research have shown that greens top-dressed just prior to the winter have fewer problems from desiccation and winter injury. The crown of the plant is protected from the winter’ s drying winds and wide temperature swings. T h e r e ’ s A T e c h n iq u e to T o p -D re s s in g The success of any top-dressing program depends on how well it is carried out. Poor top-dressing pro­ cedures are worse than no top-dressing at all. At the very beginning, the soil material to be applied must be “ stan­ dardized,” that is, made of uniform quality from one year to the next. Turfgrass agronomist Charles G. Wil­ son put it best when he said, “ Each club should require an act of Congress before anyone is permitted to tamper with or alter the soil mixture decided upon, no matter how well-meaning he may be.” If the present soil in greens has a (good drainage, history of success deep rooting, minimum compaction, etc.), the top-