Official Publication of the Michigan & Border Cities Golf Course Superintendents Association L E T T H E E X P E R T S A T 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 for complete Dill lines of: • Fungicides • Herbicides • Algaecides • Insecticides • Fog- gers • Sprayers. PROMPT DELIVERY 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 T IP OF TH E M O N T H IT ’S FALL AGAIN: Now is the best time of the year to control clover and broad leaf weeds. Spray D ill’ s Kleen Turf on the fairways and the safest chemical for clover control on greens. roughs. MCPP is V A L U A B L E CA TALO G 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. KALAMAZOO, Ml 49005 J. J. DILL COMPANY Box 788 Gentlemen: Please send your latest Turf Care Catalog. Dept. PG-4 NAME -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ADDRESS --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- C ITY-------------------------------------------------------STATE---------------------------------- ZIP " A Patch of Green” 31823 U tica Road, Fraser, Michigan 48026 (313) 293-3540 Published monthly by the Michigan and Border C itie s G o lf Course Superintendents A sso ciation Circulation 1,050 Ted Woehrle, Oakland Hills C.C. Clem Wolfrom, Detroit Golf Club C o-Editors Blakeman Publications Graphic A rts/ C irculation A D V E R T I S I N G R A T E S Double Page Spread.........................................9100.00 Back Outside Page.................................................65.00 Full Page....................................................................65.00 Half Page....................................................................85.00 Quarter Page..............................................................25.00 Eighth Page.............................. 12.50 Sixteenth Page............................................................ 7.50 Classified Ad (per inch).........................................5.00 DISCOUNT RATES One Year 10% T H I S M O N T H ’S A D V E R T IS E R S American Research Corporation Century Supply Corp. Cowbell Seeds, Inc. J. J. Dill Company R. P. Klein & Sons, Inc. Lakeshore Equipment Lawn Equipment Corporation W. F. Miller Garden Miller Sprinkling Systems (Sisco' Rhodia Chipco Products Sprinkler System Services Terminal Sales Corporation Turfgrass, Inc. Turf Supplies, Inc. Wilkie Turf Equipment Company MICHIGAN AND BORDER CITIES GOLF COURSE SUPERINTENDENTS ASSOCIATION OAKLAND HILLS COUNTRY CLUB P R E S I D E N T TED WOEHRLE Birmingham. Michigan Off. 644-3352, Rea. 646-6512 TAM-O-SHANTER COUNTRY CLUB V I C E P R E S I D E N T GERALD GILL 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 KNOLLWOOD COUNTRY CLUB BOB HOPE 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.) ALBERT KALTZ MAPLE LANE QOLF CLUB Sterling Hgts., Michigan Off. 268-2180. Res. 468-2892 ROYAL OAK GOLF CLUB Off. 649-7125. Res. 678-6869 GEORGE W. PRIESKORN 6841 Brighton Road (Res.) Brighton. Michigan 48116 WILLIAM W. MILNE Royal Oak, Michigan ROGER GILL Res. 227-1381 220 C.C. Drive COUNTRY CLUB OF DETROIT Orosse Pointe Farms, Michigan Off. 881-8000. Res. 886-9319 BAY POINTE GOLF CLUB DONALD LA FOND 3635 Union Lake Road Union Lake, Michigan Res. 363-1142 BURROUGHS FARMS GOLF CLUB P R E S I D E N T E M E R I T U S PLUM HOLLOW GOLF CLUB Off. 352-2436. Res. 421-8049 WARD SWANSON - 29642 Westfield (Res.) Livonia, Michigan 3 The President’s Message We As the season nears its end, we must look back and reflect on our responsibilities and how we handled them. Did we attack our problems in a business like manner? Did we panic when the going got tough? Did we keep the members informed about our problems? This past summer was a difficult one to grow good turf. Many small but important decisions had to be made on a moments notice. A cool wet spring after a cloudy wet fall gave us a weak shallow-rooted grass plant. Along came leafspot to weaken the plant even more. AUGUST MEETING AT EDGEW00D received unusually really didn’t get much of a chance to use our irrigation systems until the 20th of June. The last week of June and again the third week of July, we large amounts of rain. A real test of our drainage systems. Late in August and early September, we found ourselves in an extended hot spell - 10 days over 90 degrees - with high humidity! Now we are in an extended drought. What next? Hang on! The Christmas party is coming up sooner than you can imagine. Your President, Ted Woehrle Cecil Kerr, August speaker at Edgewood Golf Club, flanked by Andy Bertoni on left and Dave Montgomery, Supt. Holly Greens, and Walt Lorange on right. P L A S T IC IR R IG A T IO N P IP E E L E C T R IC W IR E IN S T A L L E D W IT H N O T U R F D A M A G E ! F O R IN F O R M A T IO N C A L L 6 5 1 -7 3 4 1 SPRINKLER SYSTEM SERVICES from The Georgia Turfgrass News Frosting for Your Future figure, Unless your club has provided a pension plan among your fringe bene­ fits or you have undertaken such protection on your own, you are among the 31 million Americans who do not belong to any pension plan. This figure is shocking in itself. Another suggested by such critics of the U.S. pension system as Senator Jacob Javits of New York and Ralph Nader, that perhaps claims millions of Americans - enrolled in pension plans - will never see a pension check. The key to pensions is the concept of vesting, a protective device which the employer now totally controls. This occurs after a certain number of years on the job when an employee gets an irrevocable right to a pension. The only catch here is the time requirement. In many cases vesting only begins after a minimum length of service, usually 10 to 15 years, and it is this rider to the pension plan that seriously affects people indulged in professions like that of the Golf Course Superin­ tendent. Position Open Jim Vaughan - Superintendent, Dearborn Country Club, has resigned his post effective October 1, 1973. Larry Peterson, the General Mana­ ger, has asked us to notify the member­ ship of this fact and suggest that all interested parties wishing to apply for the position of Golf Course Superintendent, submit their resumes to him: Mr. Larry Peterson General Manager Dearborn Country Club Dearborn, Michigan 48124 5 Charles Baskin Unfortunately, concrete the possibility of this part of With this in mind, the Golf Course Superintendents A sso ciatio n of America has been attempting to set up a program for its members whereby vested interest would be transferable. Since the superintendent is exposed to frequent job change, the national proposal is especially important. the national has nothing report to to the membership at this time and offers in explanation that it has been having problems with the Internal Revenue Service in effecting a program. of Waterbury, Conn, has been doubling in his duties as secretary-treasurer and vice welfare chairman. He has been right on top of the situation and in fact became the first member of the national association ever to appear before the House Ways and Means Committee in Washington for the purpose of establishing a fair pension program for the superintendent. “We’ve been waiting for a year and a half to hear from the IRS on our plan,” Baskin reports. “It all hinges on the substantial forfeiture aspect. What we’re trying to do is get approval on a program similar to the golf club managers. I might add that we also are investigating other programs if we don’t get an answer from the IRS soon.” Baskin points out that superinten­ dents must approach the method of pensions with the transferable vested rights attachment in mind. “I’ve heard of many cases where a man left a job with six months to go on his vested rights service requirement” , Baskin tells. “And he wound up losing it all. We have to avoid this, since we are apt to move out of a job three or four times in a career.” A n n u a l P ic n ic Entrance to Burroughs Farms — site of our Annual Picnic. A place to enjoy one of summer’s hottest days. B a / r & B /r q IRRIGATION SYSTEMS. SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED TO MEET THE MOST DEMANDING WATERING REQUIREMENTS OF ANY GOLF COURSE. WHOLESALE DISTRIBUTORS ( 3 1 3 ) 5 4 3 - 7 7 3 0 3890 WEST ELEVEN MILE ROAD BERKLEY, M I C H I G A N 4 8 0 7 2 6 A cool spot out of the hot sun. --------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------ T U R F G R A S S S P E C I A L I S T S y * / / ) / ) GOLD TAG SEED QUALITY Special Mixes for your TWO COMPLETE SEED INVENTORIES Merion Baron W inter Green Nugget Norlea C O W B E L L TELEPHONE WAYLAND 616-792-2241 WAYLAND M IC H IG A N BRIGHTON M IC H IG A N 49348 t ★ 48116 particular need E E D S , I n c o r p o r a t e d _____ f BRIGHTON 313-229-6169 GRAND RAPIDS 616-877-4614 7 Expansive New Shade Shelters in Use in Michigan “ space frames” Zelenka’s “ pioneering A new degree of automation has been achieved by John Zelenka Ever­ green Nursery, Inc., with use of the largest for shade shelter. Designed and built by Space Age Industries, Inc. also of Grand Haven, Michigan, the two buildings cover 10 acres of seedlings and rooted cuttings. spirit” encouraged the concept of the immense 1911 foot long corridors that accomo­ date full-scale tractors and planting equipment. Built of 500,000 feet of two-inch steel tubing bolted together in rugged trusses and support towers, each building’s twin arches span a total of 110 feet. Covered with 40 miles of snow fencing and experimental shade cloth, they house 16 tractor-wide rows each. transplants more two million young pine, than spruce, and fir under the covers and speeds their growth over a one to three year period. The site, 120 acres of Zelenka’s total of 2000, is designed to Zelenka mechanically from The Georgia Turfgrass News r trucking, irrigation Michigan’s “ shelved” in This was also provide wind shelter for plants in a vast area between the two buildings. Total is maintained from excavated surface water. largest evergreen pro- ducer, Zelenka has pioneered field the potting, “Hardy Tag” , the first use of poly the north, and other houses concepts. literally the biggest single construction to challenge Space Age Industries according to president R. J. Hemmelsbach. The firm is con­ tinually exploring new uses for its bolted-tube designs and is presently developing other agricultural structures along with uses in the field of industry and recreation. For more information contact: R. J. Hemmelsbach Space Age Industries (616) 842-1650 Richard Brolick Zelenka Evergreen Nursery (616) 842-1367 or Point of View A lawyer over in Mississippi named Donald Sweat, otherwise known as “Soggy” , was running for office in that last citadel of prohibition. He was put on the spot by the local newspaper as to his position on the whiskey question and the following was his reply. “Dear Editor, I had not intended to discuss this controversial subject at this particular time. However, I want you to know that I do not shun con­ troversy. On the contrary, I’ll take a stand on any issue at any time, re­ of how fraught with gard less controversy it may be. You have asked me how I felt about whiskey; well, brother, here’s how I stand on this question. If when you say whiskey, you mean the poison the devil’s brew, the bloody monster which scourge, innocence, dethrones reason, defiles creates misery poverty, yea literally takes the bread out of the mouths of babes; if you mean the evil drink that topples the Christian man and woman from pinnacles of righteous, Continued on Page 10 and 8 T fe d d y T e m p e r We can’t do anything about Teddy Temper. But when weed, insects and disease show up on your turf, we have something for almost everyone of them. ChipcoTurf Kleen. ChipcoTurf Herbicide MCPP. SUP’R FLO Maneb Flowable. Chipco Microgrecn Liquid. Chip-Cal Granular. And Chipco Spot Kleen. Everything to help keep your greens (and fairways) in the pink. From Rhodia Chipco Products. “He s not just another duffer He s chairman of the greens committee. ” 9 N a t io n a l G o lf F o u n d a t io n L a u n c h e s O peration... Golf Update into living “Operation - GOLF UPDATE” will be the most comprehensive effort ever made to compile all available signifi­ cant information about golf and golfers in the United States, according to Don A. Rossi, Executive Director of the National Golf Foundation, which will spearhead the survey of more than 11,000 golf courses. Rossi explained that golf course records maintained by the Foundation, Point of View Cont. the bottomless gracious pit of despair and degradation, shame and helplessness and hopelessness, then certainly I am against it with all my power. “But, if when you say whiskey, you the oil of conversation, the mean that philosophic wine and ale is consumed when good fellows get together, that puts a song in their hearts and laughter on their lips and the warm glow of contentment in their eyes; that stimulating drink that puts the spring in an old man’s step on a frosty morning; if you mean the drink that enables a man to magnify his joy and happiness and to forget, if only for a moment, life’s great tragedies and heartbreaks and sorrows; if you mean that drink the sales of which pour into our treasury untold millions of dollars, which are used to provide tender care for our little children, our blind, our deaf and our pitfully aged and infirm, and to build highways, hospitals, and schools, then brother I am for it.” And then he added, “This is my stand, Mr. Editor. I will not retreat from it. I will not compromise. This is my stand.” if you mean Anonymous 10 in size, survey planning, in trends said many new and dating back to its origin in 1936, are no longer valid since many golf courses have changed in the interim - in ownership, type of operation and in the facilities offered. He in golf course construction and operation have emerged in recent years which cannot be statistically measured by the Foundation’s present records. He added: “To function effectively in meeting the growing demand for help in the type of golf development of every facility we must bring our unique storehouse of golf information up to date.” Rossi said the “GOLF UPDATE” questionnaire has been especially designed for quick and easy fill-out, and features humorous cartoons to make it fun to complete. It is arranged for computer analysis, for quick ‘readout’ of information. He said: is one “This that will respondents directly the reward it will produce a useful because yardstick for every private, daily fee and municipal golf operation. However, for this yardstick to be truly useful, we need much more than a ‘token’ response. “We receive enquiries daily on how many installed automatic or semi-automatic irrigation, where located, are they successful, what are the problems, etc. involve the use and operation of golf car fleets at the different types of golf courses, mech­ anized golf course maintenance - even golf course lighting for night play or night maintenance. “ One very important area of informa- Continued on Page 13 golf courses have they are “ Other questions TURF EQUIPMENT CO. THE ANDERSON DIVISION USE 23455 TELEGRAPH ROAD SOUTHFIELD, MICHIGAN 48075 (313) 353-5300 11 SISCO SALESMEN at your SERVICE MIKE BYRNES has been on the Sisco sales team for seven years and has had specialized training in field installation of irrigation systems. Any questions you may have regarding piping products, sprinklers and valves in your irrigation system, dial for Mike at 548-7272. Sprinkler Irrigation Supply Company, Division of A. J. Miller, Inc., 1316 N. Campbell Rd., Royal Oak, Mich. 48067, (313) 548-7272 Chicago (312) 629-7730, Kalamazoo (616) 381-0506, Columbus, Ohio (614) 888-1782 E N G I N E E R E D R A I N A R E YOU IN T E R E S T E D IN JOINING THE MICHIGAN AN D BORDER CITIES GOLF COURSE SUPERINTENDENTS ASSOCIATION? Fill in the questionaire below and mail to: NAM E OF IN T E R E S T E D PERSON D A T E a l b e r t k a l t z Maple Lane Golf Club Starting Heights, Michigan 48077 Phone: Off. 268-2130, Res. 463-2892 M A IL IN G A D D R E S S _______________________________________________ _ _ C I T Y --------------------------------------------------------- S T A T E ______________ Z IP _____ Or you may contact the next golf course supplier who calls on you and give him the information needed for application. 12 Golf Course Etiquette by WILLIAM MADIGAN, Supt. The Country Club Communications with the general it golf course etiquette membership ai from a “maim nance of the playing surface” viewpoint can be a problem. Our purpose at the Country Club was is whether Golf UpDate Cont. tion requested the golf operation employs a golf professional, a course superintendent or a manager - any one of these, or all, or a combina­ tion of any two of these. The answers to these questions could indicate a need for additional trained specialists for these departments.” Rossi added that the final ‘readout’ of the survey will not only furnish much additional important information for the Foundation in helping existing golf operations with problems as well as assisting in the development of new golf courses; it will also indicate future directions for Foundation litera­ ture and consultant services. The National Golf Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to the development of more golfing opportunity for Americans through its facility and activity is headquartered in Chicago’s Merchan­ dise Mart. ATTN: Make certain your Club’s questionnaire is filled our properly. development programs, to approach our members on a personal basis about care and maintenance of the playing surface. In discussing this problem with the Greens Committee and Club Profes­ sional we decided on having cards printed that could be handed to each player. Our purpose was to promote pride and ask our members for their assis­ tance in keeping the playing surface in top shape. We were also interested in promoting course etiquette for players who are not members; primarily non-member golf functions. The following are two cards we had printed, which we can personally hand to the players. Our Club Professional handles these cards through the starters booth. We feel that using these cards will help us maintain the course in top condition and make the players more aware of course etiquette from a playing surface viewpoint. G E N T L E M E N Remember We Are Guests of The Please 1. Keep Carts 30 Ft. 2. Replace Divots 3. Repair Ball Marks 4. Rake Sand Traps M E M B E R S Lets Keep Our Course Beautiful Please 1. Keep Carts 30 Ft. from Greens 2. Replace Divots 3. Repair Ball Marks 4. Rake Sand Traps Thonk You Board of Directors No synthetically produced fertilizer can compare with MILORGANITE Golf Courses Use More M I L O R G A N I T E l Than Any Other Fertilizer rC Co, TERMINAL SALES GORR 12871 EATON AVE. DETROIT, MICH. 48227 (313) 491 -0606 13 T h e “ L io n s S h a r e ” o f t h e B u g e t . . . L a b o r by TED WOEHRLE, Supt. Oakland Hills Country Club There Golf Course labor has been drasti­ cally changing during the past 25 years. Shortly after WW II, when labor was plentiful, we had very little trouble finding men ready and willing to work. The war was over and men were looking for work. Wages were low but adequate for the economy at that time in history, plus many of the wives still had jobs from the war days. Young men were planning for the future and an attitude of gpod relationship be­ tween labor and management. These men produced a good days work for their pay. Most golf courses that survived the war years were staffed with skeleton crews made up of loyal hard working men. There was a certain amount of glamour connected with working on a golf course. There was a little pres­ in tige that was involved when you worked on a golf course. Small farms were being absorbed by larger farms and many of the farmers looking for and work similar occupations. Golf course maintenance was quite similar and attractive. There were no big their families were in the Community R e s u l t s o f P i c n i c G o l f T o u r n a m e n t Results of Picnic Golf Tournament - Couples Low Gross: Bob Fauteck and Mrs. Jerry Prieskorn Calaway System winners: Jerry Prieskorn and Mrs. Bob Fauteck High Grass winners: Roger and Gloria Gill connected with really weren’t many responsibilities the job and as long as you worked, you got paid. It was outdoor work and it was doing something that they knew how to do. Most courses were located in the suburbs near their farms and transpor­ tation was not a problem getting to and It from work. really was quite a pleasant change. job c l a s s i f i c a t i o n s for this type of individual with his limited education and training. In those days you were either a carpenter, plumber, electrician, auto mechanic, equipment operator or factory worker. (Most of these people were not attracted to the factories.) Not so today. As time moved on into the 50’s and 60’s a premium was being placed on “education” . Technology was beginning to show in industry. New jobs with fancy titles began to appear. Farmers were still moving off the farm but now they were attaining more education and these new jobs began them and golf courses began looking elsewhere for employees. As an example of new job classification; The LLS. Department of Labor now some 35,000 job classifications in their “Dictionary of Occupational T itles’ ’. Consequently there are many more jobs with more glamorous titles today than was the case 25 years ago. Titles are impor­ tant as indicated by the fact that the Greenkeeper to “Golf Course Superintendent” . What are some of the present day sources for golf course maintenance? Because most of our labor used on Northern golf courses is seasonal, we can only appeal to certain Continued on Next Page 14 changed his name of Labor to appeal to lists for qualified school years. This Lions Share Cont. It really isn’t a problem of people. it is a labor shortage as much as that are problem of finding people interested in our type of work. Where do we find these people? We cannot advertise trained per­ sonnel. Unless a person has trained himself for the profession of main­ taining golf courses at some turf school or under the direct supervision of a qualified Superintendent, there are no other sources of golf course labor. Occasionally we can find jobs or someone is between someone that has moved from another area with golf course training but these people are rare. One good source is from the ranks of the college trained students. Many of these boys are in turf schools and they are being placed on courses between is a limited group of boys and unfortunately there are not enough to go around. They are studying to become Superintendents and appreciate the additional training they might pick up under the that guidance of a good Superintendent. You have to place your request for these boys early in the fall. Of course, regular college there looking for summer employ­ students ment. These are usually available between the middle of June until the middle of September. These people usually want to quit a few weeks early (just before Labor Day) to take a short vacation before re­ turning to school. You must have some type of incentive to keep them until after Labor Day. A small bonus can do the trick in most cases. We in Michigan have a very good set up with our summer colleges. The University of Michigan is on a Tri­ mester system and the Michigan State University is on another system. We have students looking and asking for employment as early as the last week in March continuing through late June. We are able to stagger these people all the students are also that help from this sometimes summer. Of course, means training two summer crews. Many Clubs can find enough good boys from the ranks of the local High Schools. If you contact the Vocational Ag teacher of the Athletic Director you can normally find a few boys that would like to work with nature and in the case of the athlete he would love an opportunity to work outside all summer and stay in shape. Of course, these people are limited to the times they can work. Many times they can come in after school for a few hours and on weekends. During the summer months they can work for three solid months. If these boys enjoy their work they will often come back all through college. Another good source of Labor from the students group would be the re­ tarded children. Most school systems have classes for these boys and they looking for employment. are always One receives a great deal of personal satisfaction from working with and helping students. There are jobs that they are capable of many doing. Such as raking traps, mowing around trees, trimming around fence lines, gardening. With a little encour­ agement, loyal hard working men that are very proud of their work. We occasionally hire from the ranks of the handicapped. Most cities have a list of these people. The Veterans Administration is a good source for more information and a list of their patients. I have hired a mechanic and tractor driver with one leg, one armed men for mowing greens and even shoveling sand and raking traps. Loss of sight in one eye - poor hearing and even deaf people can make good men on your crew. One nice thing about hiring they are very thankful and repay you with good hard work. Lven though most of our work is seasonal, we can look forward to the Continued on Next Page these people, they become these Lions Share Cont. return of many of these people from year to year if the job is made inter­ esting and challenging enough. A good college student will continue to return each summer until he graduates and enters his own chosen field. There are several sources of ex- prison inmates who have successfully completed rehabilitation programs and are now able to work. With proper management they become good citizens again and fulfill a need. School teachers are always looking for summer work. They usually become available about the time you need a good night waterman. They are intelli­ gent enough that they can easily be trained the complicated watering schedules that are necessary to do a good job of watering. The night waterman is usually the most important man on the staff and he must be able to think and understand. Quite often they want to work nights so they have follow to daylight for family playing. Many courses in the larger Metro­ politan areas have gone to hiring the laborers. They usually are migrant Mexican Americans. They arrive in the early spring and stay until late fall. Very often the Clubs will furnish housing which must meet government specs. Family ties are quite strong. Often the entire Mexican crew may be related in some way to one another. If one quits or gets fired you may lose the entire crew. They are very hard workers and they enjoy their work. On occasion I have used married couples for certain work. They can make a good team for night watering. During the installation of our watering system, the wires for the Automatic controls were installed and coded by a young married couple. It worked out very well. She even washed our tee towels and uniforms from time to time. If you have a job that must be done Continued on Next Page The good old summertime is not vacation time for fungi Acti-dione turf fungicides simplify 4-season disease control start summer disease control now with EZZ3 Acti-dione® Thiram TURFGRASS, INC. SOUTH LYON, MICHIGAN 48178 Phone: Area 313 437-1427 V 16 Lions Share Cont. in a hurry you can usually hire men for one day or for one week from several of the different companies that supply men for these jobs. These men are usually drifters and vagrants but it is a good way ) get a job done in a hurry. Getting i aps ready in the spring time is a good example of an excellent time to use these people. When looking for a man to work as a I steady crew member for the entire season we must use a different ap­ proach. You could use the want-ads and spell out exactly what you are looking for and what you can offer and \ you may get just the man you are looking for. looking for steady that are employment on a golf course are personnal, semi- retired military retired businessmen, firemen, retired farmers, drifters that may stay around for one or more years, they are usually bachelors with little education. Men LABOR USE Now that we have found the men how do we keep them and how do we use them? We would like to do the job with i fewer men because of the higher wages , being paid and the difficulty in finding people interested in working on golf courses. We must become superior managers. Properly trained people with incen­ tive to do a good job can save labor - one good man is worth two or more poorly trained men. We must instill pride and here are a few ways to do this: 1. We must offer fair wages, hours and working conditions. Wages must fit in with in. It varies quite a bit from place to place. 2. Let the men participate in decision making. 3. Give them economic security. 4. There must be opportunity for advancement and self improvement. 5. We have to make the men feel that their individual accomplishments are significant and worthwhile. 17 the area that you live 6. We have to create a positive group feeling. Because of the acute shortage of interested labor and the rising costs of maintaining a golf course, we have been looking for more efficient ways of doing our job. Industry has been very helpful in supplying us with tools to accomplish this. Some of the new tools available are: Larger gang mowers and tractors Scooters and trucks New systemic fungicides Better and longer lasting chemi­ cals - pesticides Better fertilizers and applicators Automatic irrigation Power sand trap rakes Growth regulators to growth in the non-use areas Dwarf grass - need less mowing Disease resistant strains of grass resistant grasses and Drought many other new products and Next Page slow up YOU’RE ENTITLED TO THE BEST Call Us For Your Needs GOLF COURSE CHEMICALS ^(You’ll get it - and more!)| H e r b C a r s o n M a r v in R o t h m a n AM ERICAN R ESEA R CH CORP. 11840 MAYFIELD AVE. LIVONIA, MICH 48150 (313) 522-2400 Ext. 2401/2402 NO! N O ! NO! DON'T EVEN THINK OF B U Y IN G .......................... GRASS SEED FERTILIZERS FUNGICIDES WITHOUT CALLING 291-1200 T u r f S u p p lie s , In c . 6900 PARDEE ROAD TAYLOR, MICHIGAN 48180 R.P. KLEIN & SONS, INC. SERVING EASTERN MICHIGAN TURF EQUIPMENT AGRICO BEAN BERRIEN BRILLION DU PONT LELY ROYER YORK Please Call Us for Prices & Literature 54 Brown Street Croswell, Michigan 48422 (313) 679-2700/679-2701 CALL LAKESHORE COLLECT (216) 651-1600 FOR ALL YOUR TURFGRASS SUPPLIES - QUOTATIONS ON REQUEST - - CHECK OUR PRICES ■ LAKESHORE E Q U I P M E N T & S U P P L Y C O . 1 0237 B E R E A R O A D C L E V E L A N D , O H I O 4 4 1 0 2 j Lions Share Cont. materials. These are all fine and appreciated, but is our quality slipping? I think not. But, I think our efficiency is. Many of the tools were instituted to save labor. The only thing I can see that was accomplished was getting the job done quicker and in most cases, instead of cutting down on the number of men, we have continued to use these men in other areas to do other jobs which may not have been done before. We may be over-maintaining our courses. We are cutting turf closer and more often. We are spraying, fertili­ zing, watering and mowing more areas at different heights of cut, etc. We have produced a thoroughbred which we all know isn’t worth a damn when the going gets rough, during the summer months when the grass us going through a period of stress. We have pampered and babied the grass to the point where it just can’t make it on its own. Budgets are going up and up and up. Can we continue to justify it by blaming it on higher costs - hard to get labor - etc.? Maybe we should take another look at management. The more demands put on us by the golfer to do a better job the better managers we must become or our budgets will skyrocket out of reach the average golf course. Any neglect of supervisory educa­ tion in management is to be condemned. is greatly needed Such because few, if any, Superintendents learn anything about the management phases of their jobs before they become Superintendents. We into our managerial with practically no knowledge of what is expected of us or how our obligations are to be performed. Let’s take another look at our new tools and use them to our advantage for more efficiency. Perhaps we can utilize fewer men and do the same job better for less money if we improve in the area of management. responsibilities education step for 18 WEED EATER The Revolutionary NEW Grounds Maintenance Machine That Cuts, Trims, Edges, And Manicures... Without The Use Of Blades! Constructed of high-impact nylon. The "W EEDY" head houses 45 feet of super-strength, specially-treated monofilament "fishing in 4 supply spools. The entire head revolves at 6200 rpm to make quick work of the most stubborn maintenance problems. A conventional bush blade and saw blade are available for heavy clearing operations. line" • 3 HP TECUMSEH GASOLINE ENGINE LAWN EQ UIPM ENT CORPORATION 520 W. 11 MILE ROAD TELEPHONE: 313/398-3636 ROYAL OAK, MICH. 48068 JACOBSEN iM L I L iP t im : : ¿P MODEL SPECIFICATIONS: PULL BEHIND SWEEPER Pick-Up Rubber Fingers Frame Hopper Capacity Dumping Mechanical. 2 reels counter-rotating interlocking rubber fingers. Abrasion resistant, high modulus rubber. Rugged angular steel, all welded joints and seams. Attached to lift arms, galvanized steel skin riveted to frame. 5 cu. yds. Self dumping, hydraulically operated and is hooked up to tractor pump—activated from tractor seat. Stabilizer Shoes Skid type are lowered hydraulically when hopper is raised for dumping. Runs from tractor pump Sweeper controls mounted on panel of Hydraulic System sweeper or run to hydraulic controls on tractor Consists of (4) cylinders or rams. (1) lowers stabilizer shoes: (2) raises hopper to desired height up to 8’/4 ft. and (1) dumps the hopper. Sealed, self aligning. Heavy duty 45 hp. PTO drive to heavy duty gear box. jack shaft and chain (60) runs in lubricant. Chain (60) connects reels for counter rotating interlocking feature. ...............................(6) total: front (2) 16 x 6.50-8 4 ply: rear (4) 16 x 6 50-8 4 ply. Front wheels to universal hitch, leaf spring suspension. Universal type, adjustable. Pre-set at factory. Reel Timing Tires Steering Hitch Height Adjustment Bearings Gear Box Drive to Reels DIMENSIONS: Overall Wkllh Length Height Shipping Weight OPTIONAL EQUIPMENT: 72 in Tires 128 in. 00 jn Thatcher Thinner "No-tat" (no tube air trouble) tires and wheels. segmented fibre belting type 2910 lbs Va,ve sy*tem Includes quick couplers W. F MillerGARDEN AND LAV/N EQUIPMENT COMPANY Curb Broom 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 , M IC H IG A N 48026 MICHIGAN STATS UKIVERS LI3RAKY - SHaiALS S. JAILING. MI. 48023 U S P06TAOC RAID! PcmeiT n o 17