October 1983

Meeting Notice
Date Change:
Thursday, November 17,1983
Location:
Fairview Country Club
Host
Superintendent:
Robert Alonzi
Club Manager:
Drew Campbell
Telephones:
Supt.
203-531-8910
Clubhouse
203-531-6200
Golf:
none
Lunch:
12:00noon. $12.00
Program:
Elections
Reservations are a must for lunch.

TO: The M G C S A Membership
From: Mike Maffei, MGCSA Nominating Chairman
As Nominating Chairman, I propose the following slate
of officers to be voted upon at the 1983 Annual Meeting.
President:
Chuck Martineau
Vice-President:
Peter Rappoccio
Secretary:
Scott Niven
Treasurer:
Sherwood Moore
Directors (2 to be elected for 2 year terms):
Pat Lucas
Harry Nichol
Tim O ’Neil
Larry Pakkala

Coming Events
November 1-3
November 17
December 10
February 2 8 ,2 9 March 1,1984

Vol. XIII, No. 9

Published monthly by the Metropolitan Golf Course Superintendents Association

New York State Turfgrass Association
Conference & Trade Show, Rochester
MGCSA Annual Meeting
MGCSA Christmas Party,
Ridgeway C.C.
53rd Mass Turfgrass Conf. &
Industrial Show
Springfield Civic Center,
W. Springfield, MA

f

*r r

B -Met Area Team Championship Results
..«aiYtKSlW Grossingers Golf Club
1st NEW JERSEY - GCSANJ
Angelo Petraglia
Matt Ceplo
Terry Stanley
Harry Harsin
Vic Gerard
Shaun Barry

76
82
82
83
84
94

2nd PHILADELPHIA - PAGCS
Bob Bishop
Joe Felus
Dave Kroll
Dave Linde
Mark Monahan
Harry Scott

82
83
83
83
88
97

3rd CONNECTICUT - CAGCS
Peter Pierson
Peter Bly
Frank Lamphier
Dave Roule
Barry Petrasko
Armand LeSage

80
81
84
87
88
91

4th METROPOLITAN - MGCSA
Chuck Fatum
Mark Millet
Scott Niven
Paul Veshi
Larry Pakkala
John Carlone
5th HUDSON VALLEY - HVGCSA
Jerry Kane
Bruce Jensen
Sam D ’Auria
Ed Walsh
Jim Farrell
Fran Berdine

80
82
84
90
95
100

84
85
86
86
88
90

323

332

336

September 15, 1983
Dear Chuck,
Just a note to express our appreciation of the thoughtfulness
and genuine concern of the MGCSA during our period of sor­
row.
Clare and I were always proud to be members of the organiza­
tion and felt we had many friends in it, but never realized we
would receive such affection.
Little Roger is doing fine. We baptized him the Sunday be­
fore Labor Day in Bethel. All his aunts, uncles, and cousins
were there. They all came up to us to express their appreciation
of the organization’s generous gift.
Many thanks,
Roger F. Morhardt

EDITORIAL STAFF
Pat Lucas, Co-Editor ............................Office 203-637-3210
Home 203-637-3939
Ted Horton, C o -E d ito r.........................Office 914-967-6000
Home 914-937-3613
Dennis P. Petruzzelli, Staff Writer . . . Office 914-946-1074
Home 914-835-2836
OFFICERS
President .................Charles Martineau, Whippoorwill Club
Office 914-273-3755; Home 914-273-9112
Vice-President . Peter Rappoccio, Silver Spring Country Club
Office 203-438-6720; Home 203-431-3990
Secretary............................ Scott Niven, The Stanwich Club
Office 203-869-1812; Home 203-629-2594
T re a su re r........... Sherwood Moore, Winged Foot Golf Club
Office 914-698-2827; Home 914-234-9469

For Sale
1971 International 3400 Backhoe Loader. Good condition, new
tires. $8,000 firm. Call 203-374-7976 after 7p.m.

For Sale
1977 Toro 9-gang Park-Master with Perkins Diesel engine. Ex­
cellent condition. $18,500.
also
Toro Verticutting Reel for Toro Vacuum - used only once.
$750.
Contact:
Steve Cadenelli
C.C. of New Canaan
966-2145 (office) 966-0223 (home)

Reprint permission is hereby authorized providing credit is
given to Tee to Green . . . unless author states otherwise.
Publication deadline for Tee to Green is 21 days before the
regular meeting.
V 6th POCONO - PTGA
Parker Bierry
*
Ed Cimock
Tom Triffelletti
Dick Grant
Les Mickens
Steve Malikowski

Guest Editorial

82
86

Well, now that most of the smoke has cleared and Jim
McLoughlin’s tenure as our National Executive Director is
over, where do we, as association members, stand? I personally
feel Jim was an asset to us. He made us take a more positive look
at ourselves and made others, within the golf industry, take the
golf course superintendent’s position seriously. We needed
what Jim was able to provide.
If Jim had a flaw, it was the pace he expected us to follow his
lead. He was an over-achiever in a position that had been, for as
long as I can remember, held by under-achievers. He is a pro­
gressive, conscientious, hard working individual who, given
the right set of circumstances, can provide the leadership and di­
rection necessary for a high standard goal-oriented organiza­
tion.
I am not suggesting the GCSAA is not geared toward im­
provement, but that the pace must be slower, more thought out
and possibly, better explained. We have, without a doubt, the
best staff we ever had. Zahid, Jim, Chip, John, Mark, Chris,
Diana, Ron, and all the other staff members are top quality
people who, with proper direction, can provide our membership
with the best in services. We must look at our present situation
and location, evaluate it and develop goals that will meet our
professional and possibly personal needs. I am hopeful our Ex­
ecutive Committee is thinking along these lines right now.
Jim McLoughlin brought a dignity to our profession that was
missing. We should feel more professionally accepted because
of his efforts and for that we all owe him a debt of thanks.
— Ed Walsh, The Greener Side

353

91
94
99
107

7th LONG ISLAND - LIGCSA
Kay Ovian
Rich Struss
Rick McGuinnes
Bob Kamp
Steve Matuza
Angelo Scola

82
83
92
98
NC
NC

8th NORTH EASTERN - NEGCSA
Dick Osborn
Gino Turchi
Dick Bussert
Mark Graves
Pete Salinetti
Pete Lund

89
92
95
100
108
110

355

Individual Winner - Angelo Petraglia 76

WELFARE: Please contact Craig Wistrand, 203-869-6477
(office) or 203-625-0319 (home) regarding any hospitaliza­
tions, etc. of members of the MGCSA.
2

Superintendent Biography Mark Millett - Old Oaks Country Club
by Dennis Petruzzelli
Assistant Superintentent of Brae Bum C.C.
The September meeting of the Metropolitan Golf Course
Superintendents Association was held at Old Oaks Country
Club in Purchase, New York. Presiding as Host Superintendent
was Mark Millet.
Mark was bom and raised in a small Massachusetts town
named Turners Falls. As a youngster, he learned the game of
golf and soon after grew fascinated with the ingredients required
for the game including the care for the golf course. While in
high school, Mark worked part-time locally at North Hampton
Country Club (where he incidentally worked along side Chuck
Martineau). At North Hampton, he received his first taste of
golf course maintenance and decided on a career in turfgrass
managment. Upon graduation from Stockbridge College, Mark
moved to Westchester County and was employed by Fenway
Golf Club in Scarsdale. He remained for five years, three of
which as an assistant superintendent. Mark’s next move was to
Westchester Hills Country Club in White Plains as the superin­
tendent and he remained there for six years. Old Oaks Country
Club is his latest journey and he is currently in his second year.
Working outdoors in nature’s backyard is what Mark finds
most pleasurable about his job. Also worthwhile are the daily
challenges that face him which makes each day interesting and
diverse.

The golf course superintendent is a person who wears numer­
ous, different “hats.” Of those “hats,” one or two turn out to be
the ones that fit best or tend to be “strong” points of interest.
Mark believes that his forte is personnel management/communications with crew members as well as club officials. Re­
laying plans to crew members, for example, must be simply
explained and clear to achieve desired results. As for Club offi­
cials, communicating in most understandable terms as possible
is imperative when changes on the golf course are to be made or
to explain a necessary need for additional funds for future pro­
jects. The “hows” and “whys” supporting one’s needs must be
explained to help educate the club officials. These people are
professionals of their field as well as we are and by explaining
basics of turfgrass management, chances are good that you’ll
both produce favorable results.
Mark’s maintenance programs are somewhat normal and
similar to other superintendents. He has found great success by
“sticking” to basics, which includes these cultural practices aerification, verticutting greens, collars and approaches, top­
dressing greens lightly with a Lely spreader (which he origi­
nated), light feedings of nitrogen to favor bentgrass population
and triplex mowing with baskets on fairway areas, to name a
few.
An avid golfer and hunter describes Mark’s interests when he
can spare time from his busy job and family of wife Mary Pat
and son Jeffrey. Congratulations are in order for the newest Mil­
let member with arrival due in March. The Millets reside at Old
Oaks Country Club in Purchase.

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Now is an Excellent
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Golf Shoe Study II
The Swilcan Bridge (of St. Andrews fame) is over 800 years
old. For centuries it has withstood the trodding of townspeople
and traders alike from harbor to town. Well before and after
Columbus sailed for America, it has endured the crossings of St.
Andrews’ golfers. And, if your mind follows a logical bent, the
Bridge must be one of golf’s greatest contradictions, mysteries
and miracles! How has this graceful granite arch held its ground
against the onslaught of man, shoe and club all these years? It is
a miracle.
One of the reasons for its endurance, at least for the first 750
years, may be that the Bridge never had to contend with the con­
ventional spiked golf shoe! Allan Robertson, the world’s first
professional (1858) or even Old Tom Morris probably did not
tread Swilcan in them. In fact, the earliest evidence so far of golf
shoes with protrudences from the sole comes from an 1893
photograph of players in New Zealand’s First Interprovincial
Contest between Otago Golf Club, Dunedin, and a Christchurch
team. Hobnail shoes are plainly seen on two of the golfers.
In this country, at the turn of the century, red rubber sole
shoes were vogue, In his book, “The Walter Hagen Story”, The
Haig recalls his attire for the 1913 U.S. Open, including his
wearing “red rubber sole shoes” at The Country Club. The fol­
lowing year he wore the same general getup except for the
shoes. “I slid all over the course at Brookline in wet weather (in
1913)”, he said and bought a pair of hobnail shoes for the 1914
Open. He won!
We know the Englishmen Harold H. Hilton won the U.S.
Amateur Championship in 1911 in sneakers and that Gerome D.
Travers also appears to be wearing sneakers in his 1907 victory.
But there is no doubt, the hobnail shoe was coming into its own.
Bob Jones wore them at Merion in the 1916 Open and Jess W.
Sweetser (1922 Amateur Champion) remembers “golf shoes
with spikes” as standard foot gear by 1919. The trend was on
and the boding not good for the growers of grass.
In the modem era, the spiked golf shoe has long been of inter­
est to the Green Section. The first scientific studies were under­
taken in 1958-59 by Dr. M. H. Ferguson to determine the effect
on wear and putting qualities of different shoes on putting green
turf. The conventional metal spike shoe, ‘ripple sole’ shoe and a
modified golf shoe spike (with recessed or flattened spike shoul­
der) were tested.
The conventional golf shoe spike not only caused severe
damage to the grass plant, but the rounded shoulder of the spike
also caused significant soil compaction and delayed grass re­
covery for weeks beyond that of the other shoes. The ripple sole
shoe soon dropped from the golfer’s favor (and was banned by
some clubs) because of the distortion it caused to the putting sur­
face. The modified golf shoe spike, a by-product of the experi­
ment, proved to be an important innovation. It was less damag­
ing to soils and turf and is still manufactured today for golfers
requiring spike shoes but still concerned with preserving putting
green quality.
Course superintendents and green chairmen were also con­
cerned. Charles Cogan, Green Chairman at Irvine Coast Coun­
try Club, California, undertook his own study of spike shoe
damage to greens in 1960:
“The average golf shoe has 12 spikes; i.e. 24 spikes per
golfer. I have found golfers take an average of 26 full steps (52

paces) per green. Therefore, each golfer leaves (26 x 24) 124
spike marks on each green. On 18 greens, he leaves 11,232
spike marks. If there are 200 rounds of golf played a day, there
are 2,246,400 spike marks left behind. If this goes on for 30
days, you have 67,392,000 spike marks per month. And now,
you wonder why you can’t sink a putt?”
Both players and grass grower have a right to be concerned
over golf shoes and what they are doing to the playing quality of
our turf. But there is another, albeit less visible, factor that also
deserves attention. There is increasing concern over the added
costs in labor, aerifying, topdressing, mowing, weed control,
cup changes, etc. brought about by spiked shoes. Some conser­
vative estimates suggest a minimum of $10 million a year; and
that is in course conditioning alone. What of the additional costs
in replacing pro shop and locker room carpeting, asphalt and
concrete paths, door sills, wooden steps, benches, electric cart
flooring and dashboards, tee markers, etc? Does the spike cost
golf $ 15 million or $20 million a year? Whatever it is, there is no
doubt of its destructiveness.
But who among us is crusader enough with courage to ask and
optimism to expect today’s golfer to readily give up wearing
shoes with spikes? The golfer has been conditioned. He believes
he needs the spike shoe and, no doubt, some golfers probably
do. The power behind the ‘big drive’ in golf (250 or more
yards), it is said, comes from the legs. Powerful legs need a se­
cure grip. But not everyone who plays this game for the fun of it
drives 250 or more yards! Not every golfer has that kind of leg
power. Futhermore, not every round of golf is played under
wet, slippery conditions. Fortunately there are increasing num­
bers of golfers today, including many club professionals, who
enjoy the game and play it very well in shoes without spike or
stud. Indeed, most golfers could easily play and enjoy the game,
especially on dry days, in spikeless shoes. Hooray for them, for
they shall lead the way to better putting turf at a lower cost.
The New Shoes
In 1982, a dramatic change in the design of golf shoes took
place. New, multi-stud sole shoes were introduced into the
United States. The studs are made of either rubber or a composi­
tion material. Advertising claims of “better traction” and “no
damage to greens” were widely circulated. In one case, it was
proclaimed the new shoes were “USGA approved;” a statement
with no basis in fact.
As more and more of the “new shoes” came on the market, re­
ports from golf course superintendents began to grow and that
the new shoes were, contrary to the advertising claims, signific­
antly damaging greens and adversely affecting putting surfaces,
especially wet ones! Claims and counterclaims multiplied. The
time was right for Green Section Golf Shoe Study II.
The New Study
Early in 1983, an experimental plan was developed at the
University of California, Riverside, to evaluate the effect of
four different type golf shoes on turfgrass quality and injury to
putting green turf. The experiment and lessons from earlier shoe
studies were incorporated in this plan. The new study got under­
way in May, 1983.
At Industry Hills, California, General Manager Bill Bryant
offered the use of one of the Penncross bentgrass nursery greens

for the experiment. The turf was nearly a year old and had de­
veloped approximately a 16-inch depth of thatch. It was mowed
daily at 3/16-inch. The nursery green itself was built three years
earlier to USGA Green Section Specifications. It received no
other traffic than that imposed by the1Experiment plus normal
maintenance procedures. Four types of shoes were used in the
study:
1. The conventional metal spike golf shoe.
2. One of the popular, new multi-stud sole golf shoes.
3. A new “spikeless” golf shoe with very small suction-type
cleats.
4. Another one of the new multi-stud sole shoes but with a
different sole design than Number 2.
The overall experiment was designed for Three Phases:
Phase I was to evaluate the shoes under normal weather con­
ditions. This phase would require six weeks of testing.
Phase II would immediately follow Phase I and be a subjec­
tive test of the putting qualities of each plot. Two golf profes­
sionals and one amateur golfer would, in a prescribed manner,
individually putt and rate the plots.
Phase III was to evaluate, under extremely wet conditions,
the four shoes as to wear injury effect over a period of three
weeks.
Phase I
After a brief preliminary investigation, the study commenced
on May 2 and continued through June 13, 1983. Each plot mea­
sured 4' x 14' and was separated from adjacent plots by a 2'
path. There were five randomized plots (one for each shoe type
plus one check plot) in each replication and four replications
used in this experiment.
Four people, wearing a different type golf shoe each day (in a
predetermined order), walked and putted the plots designated
for that particular shoe. They followed a prescribed walking and
putting traffic pattern. Each completed pattern was considered
to be one “treatment” and each plot received four treatments
daily. The subjects, wearing a different shoe type each day (in
the predetermined order), carried out the treatments for four
days, took the fifth day off, and so continued throughout the six-

week span. Ratings were taken every two weeks using a scale of
1 equaling no visible damage to 10 equaling bare ground.
The Walkway Rating
Turf damage to the walkway areas was rated on May 26 and
June 13. Since there was no visible damage to the walkways on
May 10, no ratings were made.
On May 26, 24 days after beginning the experiment, Shoe #1
showed the most damage to the walkway area, Shoes # 2 and
# 4 showed slight damage. Shoe #3 and the check plot had no
visible damage.
On June 13, the turf damage on walkways was more severe.
Again, damage from Shoe #1 was clearly more severe than the
other shoes, followed by # 2 . Number 4 and # 3 shoes were
about alike in damage. All shoes gave statistically greater dam­
age than the untreated check plot.
The Putting Area Ratings
Apparent damage to the putting plots increased throughout
the duration of the study. Shoes # 1 , # 2 and # 4 , in that order,
gave the most damage. Shoe #3 caused some wear but consid­
erably less than the other shoes. On the final day of these rat­
ings, all shoe plots showed significantly more damage than the
check plot.
The Penncross creeping bentgrass had poorer color, de­
creased density and a scruffy, ragged appearance showing
mechanical damage. These plots also had a noticeable surface
depression and overall unevenness.
Phase II
Immediately at the conclusion of Phase I, the subjective de­
termination of the putting qualities of each plot was made. Paul
McGuire (PGA), Julie Lynd (LPGA) and Ross O ’Fee (Amateur
Golfer) cooperated in this experiment. They followed a putting
pattern. Ratings were made from 1 (excellent putting qualities) „
to 10 (totally unsatisfactory putting qualities).
Putting ratings were made on the walkways as well as the put­
ting areas of each plot. The only noticeable shoe influence how­
ever, was observed on the concentrated ‘putting areas.’
These results show that, when putting across plots where
Shoe #1 was worn, a decided poorer quality putting rating was

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given by the golfer. On the plots of the other shoes, there was no
noted statistical difference between them under the conditions
of this experiment; i.e., normal weather.
Phase III
This study was to evaluate the effects of the four shoes on put­
ting green turf under very wet conditions. Earlier reports, indi­
cated that the multi-stud shoes caused considerable damage to
wet putting surfaces. In some cases they have actually been ban­
ned from use on some golf courses in this country.
In Phase III, the individual plots measured 2' x 10' and con­
sisted of straight walkways over which 25 round trips were com­
pleted each day for three weeks. There were no putting areas in
this test. All plots were replicated four times and again, the four
people changed to a different type of shoe (in a predetermined
order) each day and walked only those plots designated for that
particular shoe.
Every day, just before walking began, the test area was heav­
ily and thoroughly hand watered. The surface area was saturated
until water was standing on it. It was allowed to drain and then
the plot was again irrigated to saturation and standing water. Im­
mediately following the second drainage, walking began. At the
end of three weeks, the plots were rated on the same scale as be­
fore: i.e., 1 equals no damage and 10 equals bare ground.
The ratings showed that damage from Shoe #1 ► Shoe # 2
^ Shoe # 4 ► Shoe #3 with all showing more damage than the
untreated check plots.
Discussion and Conclusion
From an overall view, the results obtained on turf damage and
putting quality were due to the physical damage to the turfgrass
Hplant and/or the surface disruption caused by the shoe soles.
These results reconfirmed those of the Golf Shoe Study 25 years
ago!
Shoe # 1
This was the most damaging shoe tested. It also caused the
longest lasting damage. In fact, four weeks after concluding the
Phase I experiment, turfgrass damage was still apparent on all
Shoe#l plots. The length, shape and metallic nature of the
spike as well as the limited number of metal spikes on each shoe

are factors that account for most of the observation of this study.
The effect of compaction, caused in large part by the weight­
bearing shoulder of the metal spike as well as limited number of
‘bearing surfaces’ (i.e., 11 or 12 spikes per shoe) was pointed
out in the 1958-59 studies. The contention that the metal spike
helps (aerate) the upper soil surface is without actual basis.
Shoe # 2 and # 4
Shoes # 2 and # 4 were the second and third most damaging
shoes in this study. The slightly less grass damage caused by
these shoes seems attributable to their greater total surface con­
tact area (i.e., more, wider studs or nubbins) on the shoe soles.
The studs are shorter than metal spikes, more blunt and tend not
to pierce the plant tissue.
Conversely however, these shoes under wet plus certain other
conditions, have a marked tendency to ruffle or disrupt other­
wise smooth putting surfaces and cause a ‘waffle-like’ imprint.
Because the studs are blunt (and there are approximately 108 of
them per shoe), they each cause a larger area of depression than
the metal spike (11 or 12 per shoe) which slices through the sur­
face and into the ground. How long the multi-stud imprint re­
mains on the grass may depend on many factors including; the
type of grass, how wet the surface, general drainage characteris­
tics of the green, thatch density and depth, height of cut, rooting
depth and soil types heavier than those encountered in this ex­
periment.
Shoe # 3
Shoe # 3 was the least damaging of all to the turf and putting
surface. Again, this seems attributable to the very high surface
contact area, no great protruding spikes or studs and a nonmetallic sole composition. The sole is comprised of approxi­
mately 750 small rubber cleats.
In summary:
High Turf Damage
Shoe # 1
Metal spikes
Long, pointed spikes
Merchanical tearing, piercing
Low surface contact area
11 or 12 spikes per shoe
Spikes with shoulders

TOP
Destructive Turf Insects

X f llN G S

By DR. HARRY D. NIEMCZYK

!!» !

A field guide and reference
Over 130 color photos
Easy-to-read language
Life cycles, identification and diagnosis for north­
ern and southern insects and mites

O

Color photo guide for easy identification

III

»-

Principles of controlling pests in soil, thatch,
leaves and stems

o

Equipment and methods for detecting turf insects

(DC

ft.

8 x 1 1 , cerlox bound with heavy duty plastic cover

Send to: HDN BOOK SALES
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Medium Turf Damage
Shoe # 2 & # 4

Lofts Presents Rutgers with $27M Royalty

Composition sole
Shorter, blunt spikes
Medium surface contact area
Approximately 108 spikes per shoe
Low Turf Damage
Composition sole
No spikes
High surface contact area
750 small rubber cleats

Shoe # 3

Some Concluding Thoughts
The standard golf shoe spike, or any other shoe with nobs,
studs, or protrudences of any kind, unquestionably cause great­
er damage to the grass and adversely affects putting qualities
more than flat-type shoes. Golf is one of the few, and perhaps
the only sport where the player’s own equipment (spike shoes)
directly, undeniably and significantly adversely affect the most
critical playing surface of the game - the putting green. Even
baseball and hockey smooth over their playing surfaces half­
way through the contest! Golfers can’t do that and, day after
day, step after step, the spike golf shoes take their toll. Only bal­
let slippers might do more damage.
Is there a compromise? Is there some way out of this dilemma
of self-destruction? In this technical age, lurking somewhere,
there may be a new idea for golf shoes. Perhaps it is here or very
near. Surely it is possible to develop a sole that will give good
ground purchase and security without tearing the grass plant
asunder.
Perhaps, instead of one pair of shoes for all seasons, golfers
should have two pairs of shoes for two seasons; a spikeless shoe
for normal weather conditions and a spike shoe for wet days.
Oh! What a relief THAT would be! It would save our putting
greens, our clubhouses and our maintenance budgets millions of
dollars a year. And yes, it could well mean at least another 800
years for the Swilcan Bridge. That alone would make it worth­
while!
—William H. Bengeyfield, Nat. Dir., USGA Green Section
Dr. Victor B. Youngner, Agron., Univ. of CA, Riverside
Dr. Victor A. Gibeault, Ext. Horti., Univ of CA, Riverside
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Lofts recently presented Rutgers University with one of the
largest royalty checks New Jersey’s state university has ever re­
ceived. John Loft, Lofts President and Chairman of the Board,
presented a check for $26,764.02 to Dr. Lowell A. Douglas,
Chairman of the Department of Soils and Crops.
The check represented a total of the royalties due on all seed
from the 1982 harvest of: Mystic and Ram I Kentucky bluegrasses; Palmer, Diplomat, Yorktown, Yorktown II and Prelude pe­
rennial ryegrasses; as well as Rebel Tall Fescue. All these var­
ieties were developed at Rutgers University.
Mr. Loft described the occasion as “another link in the con­
tinuing chain of turf developmental programs between Lofts
and Rutgers.” The royalties play a role in the developemnt o f .
new varieties, because the money is used to sponsor further re­
search and education.
At the ceremony, which took place on September 8, Dr.
Douglas expressed his appreciation for Lofts’ cooperation.
“The development of new varieities becomes more meaning­
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7

them. Because Lofts’ involvement increases public awareness
that new varieties are available.”
Also present at the ceremony were Rutgers researchers Dr. C.
Reed Funk, Dr. Ralph Engel, Dr. Henry Indyk and Dr. Robert
Duell. In addition, Lofts was represented by Dr. Rich Hurley,
Vice President and Director of Research and Agronomy.
The presentation was held at Rutgers Horticultural Farm II on
Ryders Lane in New Brunswick.
A similar ceremony occurred in August at the University of
Rhode Island. At the University’s Field Day, Dr. Richard Skogley was presented with a Lofts check for $14,000. This repre­
sented royalties for one year’s crop of Jamestown Chewings
Fescue.
For additional information, please contact Lofts, Inc., Bound
Brook, NJ 08805. (201) 356-8700.

192-year-old Farmer’s Almanac Predicts
Normal Winter in the East, Mild in West
The Old Farmer’s Almanac hits the newsstands this week for
the 192nd year with predictions of a normal winter in the East, a
mild winter in the West and a touch of nostalgia.
“It’s tradition,” says editor Judson Hale. “It always appears,
it doesn’t change and people realize that their grandfathers and
great grandfathers and mothers read this.
“That yellow cover with the hole in the lefthand comer (to
hang in the outhouse or pantry) is as good a sign of autumn as the
changing of the leaves.”
The 1984 almanac includes such tidbits as a recipe for Jack
Dudley’s woodpecker pudding — made for, not of, the birds —
advice on how to attract butterflies to a garden and 21 folk re­
medies for headache, one of which suggests leaning your head
against a tree while someone drives a nail into the tree’s oppo­
site side.
It also has tide charts, “secrets of the zodiac,” and tables that
can tell you the best times to go fishing during each of the com­
ing leap year’s 366 days.
But what really sells the $1.75 paperback’s 4 million copies
says Hale, are the legendary, if not 100 percent accurate, wea­
ther forecasts, written up to 15 months in advance.
This winter, the almanac predicts, weather east of the Roc­
kies will be cold and wet or snowy at first, with a good chance of
a white Christmas in the north. Then it will turn relatively mild
and dry until late winter when colder weather will prevail. Total
precipitation will be lighter than normal, but heavy snow in
November, January and March will give the country’s northern
half a above-average snowfall.
Hale says Yankee Publishing Inc., of Dublin, spends about
$100,000 a year and uses “the latest scientific technology” to
make the weather forecasts, based on cycles of solar activity,
positions of the planets, and the moon’s phases.
The predictions are checked against a 192-year-old secret for­
mula.
Though Hale says the old formula is less specific than the
modem almanac’s 16 region forecasts, “it has never been in
conflict with what we’ve come up with.”
He maintains that the predictions are 80 percent accurate, but
concedes that accuracy is a matter of opinion.
— Advocate, September 27, 1983

Warming Climate Will Alter Life On Earth
The federal government warned yesterday that a dramatic
warming of the earth’s climate because of the so-called
“greenhouse effect” could begin in the 1990s, with potentially
serious consequences for global food production, changes in
rainfall and water availability and a probable rise in coastal wat­
ers.
An Environmental Protection Agency report said that levels
of carbon dioxide in the air created by the burning if fossil fuels
could result in an increase of 3.6-degrees Fahrenheit by the mid­
dle of the next century and a 9-degree rise by 2100, representing
“an unprecedented rate of atmospheric warming.”
“It’s going to have a very profound impact on the way we
live,” said John Topping, staff director for the agency’s office
of air, noise and radiation. “Some of the effects will be benefi­
cial; some will be detrimental. But our ability to accommodate
them will depend much on our planning beforehand.”
The agency called for a “sense of urgency” in dealing with the
coming changes.
The condition is known as the “greenhouse effect” because
carbon dioxide behaves like the glass in a greenhouse, permit­
ting the sun’s warming rays to reach the earth but not allowing
the heat to escape. The effect, the report said, is like that of a
“thermal blanket” around the globe.
“Temperature increases are likely to be accompanied by
dramatic changes in precipitation and storm patterns and a rise
in global average sea level,” the study said. “As a result, ag­
ricultural conditions will be significantly altered, environmen­
tal and economic systems potentially disrupted, and political in­
stitutions stressed.”
Stephen Seidel, one of the authors of the report, said that mil­
der winters and much warmer summers by the 1990s may no
longer be unusual.
“There are a great deal of natural fluctuations in the weather
now,” he said, “But most scientists think that by 1990 we will
move outside the natural fluctuations of the weather and that
these kinds of summers and winters will no longer be atypical,
but will be, in fact, a new trend.”

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The report said that the warming trend will occur regardless
of what steps are taken to reduce the burning of fossil fuels.
Even a total ban on coal burning beginning in the year 2000 which the report called “economically and politically infeasi­
ble” - would delay by only 15 years a 3.6-degree increase in av­
erage worldwide temperatures, the study said.
“Many parts of the world are likely to suffer from these
changes, yet others are likely to benefit, “the report said.
The study said a warmer climate would raise the sea level by
expanding the oceans and by melting ice and snow on land. An
increase of only two feet, the report said, “could flood or cause
storm damage to many of the major ports of the world, disrupt
transportation networks, alter aquatic ecosystems, and cause
major shifts in land development patterns.”
“If you’re building property beside the sea, for example, you
might want to build it on slightly higher ground or be sure there
is adequate seawall protection,” Topping said, “It doesn’t mean
you can’t live beside the sea. It just means you will have to make
certain adjustments in living.”
Changes in climate will also require shifts in agricultural
practices, the study said. For example, it suggested that new
strains of seeds be developed that can accommodate changes in
the climate, such as decreased rainfall.
On the other hand, increases in carbon dioxide are likely to
“enhance” photosynthesis and decrease moisture requirements
for plant growth, “which should increase agricultural productiv­
ity,” the report said.
A global warming, the report said, could also improve cli­
mate in upper latitudes, increase rainfall for some regions and
reduce heating costs worldwide.
— Marlene Cimons, Los Angeles Times

Thanks to Our Advertisers
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Standard
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for making this issue of Tee to Green possible

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Is there anything else you would like to read in Tee to Green?
We look forward to hearing from you and would welcome your
thoughts, problems, solutions, etc.
— Pat Lucas

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A Wife’s Loving Hand
We're reminiscing under a waning sky,
The hastening years that passed us by,
Recalling our footprints in the sand,
As we walked hand-in-hand,
With your smile lighting mine,
And your bantering humor, so incline(d);
Those whispered words that told no lie,
For lofty memories never die,
Despite the years, swept by time;
I'll hold your hand in mine;
Until the last footprint vanishes with the tide.
— Frank Paladino

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