V O LU M E 19, N U M B ER 2 • M ARC H/APR IL 1989 Tee toGreen P U B L IS H E D B Y T H E M E T R O P O L IT A N G O L F C O U R S E S U P E R IN T E N D E N T A S S O C IA T IO N President's Message Special Feature THE START OF A NEW SEASON LITTLE-KNOWN FACTS ABOUT IRRIGATION SYSTEMS A look at what's in store for area superintendents Dennis Petruzzelli, a former irrigation specialist, offers insight into how to make the most of your irrigation system A s w e return fro m our w in te r tu rf co n feren ce and v a c a tio n s , w e ’re all entering into the spring seaso n w ith the high est levels o f m o tivatio n and anticip atio n for a new g o lf seaso n. U n fortunately, one thin g m an y o f us m ay not have antic ip a te d th is spring is w h at has begun to look like a severe d ro u g h t situ a tio n for N ew Y o rk C ity, W e s tc h e s te r C o u n try, and som e o f th e o th e r s u rro u n d in g areas. M ayor K och has a lre a d y im posed Phase 2 o f the d ro u g h t em e rg e n c y w ater res tric tio n s , and it d o e s n ’t appear th a t the situ a tio n w ill im prove sig n ifican tly in the near fu tu re. But w e ’re fo rtu n a te — as w e w ere in 1985— to have Ted H orton , d ire c to r o f sp o rts and g ro u n d s at W e s tc h e s te r C ountry C lub, re p re s e n tin g us on the N ew Y ork D ro u g h t E m erg en cy Ta s k Force. W e w ill also rec eive c o rre ­ spon dence from Joe A lo n zi, s u p e rin ­ ten d en t at Fenw ay G olf C lub. He has vo lu n teered to help Ted on our behalf by actin g as liaison to th e M etG C S A Board o f D irectors. W e w ill do all w e can to keep you inform ed o f any w a te r re s tric tio n s on golf tu rf. R ight now , Ted an tic ip a te s that individual g o lf c lu b s w ill soon be able to ap p ly for a v a ria n c e to the current w a te r re s trictio n s. In th e m eantim e, h ow ever, if you h a v e n ’t already done so, you m ig h t w a n t to look into a ltern ate w a te r so u rces, m ake c h an g e s to your (continued on page 4) Let's face it, irrigation systems are probably one of the most important tools a golf course superintendent could have. Yet many take them for granted. They push a button or thread in a quick coupler sprinkler—and boom, instant water. But particularly now, when we're all faced with a potentially severe drought, it's important to really know your system so that you'll be able to apply water efficiently and without waste. For instance, how many of you know the gallon-per-minute output of your sprinklers? It's an important question. When water's in short supply, every minute counts. And 20 minutes on a particular area may be twice as long as necessary. But you won't know until you take the time to figure it out. This article will give you a simple formula for calculating your system's output, but it will also offer a whole host of tips that’ll be helpful if you’re installing a new system—or just trying to make the most of your old one. Knowing the Elevation of Your Water Source Before anything else, you should check the elevation of your water source— whether it's a pump station or city water. This information will help you calculate the gains or losses in water pressure throughout your course—a calculation crucial to effective water management. If, for instance, you know one of your fairways is 10 feet higher than your water source, you can count on losing 4.33 pounds per square inch (PSI) in operating pressure in that area. Conversely, if a fairway is 10 feet lower, you'll increase your operating pressure by 4.33 PSI. Adequate pressure throughout your course is essential in operating sprinklers at their optimum. To per­ form at their best, sprinklers require a range of 80 to 100 PSI at the base of the head. But where you know your water pressure is low, you can install a relatively new sprinkler on the market that operates at (continued on page 7) A lso in T h is Issue 2 All about the new-andimproved Teeto Green 3 Patch diseases: Is prevention the best medicine? 4 Meet your March meeting host 5 The scoop on Met members 7 1989 meeting schedule Editor's Note CHECK IT OUT The new-and-improved Tee to Green Welcome to the new Tee to Green— redesigned to better serve the MetGCSA membership. Our primary objectives for 1989 are a more concise, attractive, and timely newsletter. But keep in mind, good things take time—and we'll be tinkering with content, and proba­ bly format, for the next few issues. As I mentioned last time, starting with this issue, Pandora Wojick will be serving as Tee to Green's manag­ ing editor and advisor. She'll not only be offering the committee pro­ fessional advice and direction, she'll also be editing and laying out the newsletter. I look forward to work­ ing with Pandora on future issues. The underlying philosophy of Tee to Green is, and always has been, communication and support. But to turn that philosophy into reality, it will take more than just the efforts of the newsletter committee: We need your participation and feedback. That brings me to another of our objectives for 1989: to encourage the entire membership to become involved. As a beginning, we are enclosing a suggestion card in this issue. We'd like you to use it to jot down your thoughts on what you'd like to see in future issues of Tee to Green, and then return it to us. If you'd like to put your pen to paper and actually write up one of your suggestions, please let us know. Your help is always appreciated. We've worked with Pandora on coming up with a list of subjects and sections we'd like to cover in future issues. Many of them, you'll see, are dependent on your input. It may help to keep these sections in mind when filling out the suggestion card—and offering any ideas in the future. ■ Special Feature: A lengthier article covering a golf course management topic of special interest. ■ Work Smarts: A "how-to" section, featuring tips and techniques you can apply on the job. 2 / Tee to Green ■ Clippings: News briefs on studies, survey findings, and trends in golf course management. ■ Spotlight: Superintendent profiles. ■ N otable N otes:News about Met members—everything from births and deaths to any special awards or recogni­ tion members have received. ■ Upcoming Events: An update on events worth attending. ■ Pro Tips: Helpful hints from area golf pros. ■ Understanding the Rules o f G olf: Golf rules defined. ■ Tools o f the Trade: Book reviews and information about new products, seminars, or job-related tools that will keep you informed and up to date in areas critical to your job performance. ■ Bull's-eyes and Blunders: Stories about the good and bad, funny and notso-funny experiences you've have had on the job. Each experience should provide a basic lesson that would be of value to other superintendents. Examples of topics for this section: A management technique that's worked well—or failed miserably (and why); how you've handled a sticky situation with a club member or someone on your Green Committee; a maintenance technique—or piece of equipment— that's saved you time and money. We'd also like to run the contribu­ tor's name, club, and phone number after his or her submission so other superintendents would know who to contact for more information or to discuss similar problems and successes. As you can see, this is one section where your input is essential. So c'mon—give it some thought. ■ Letters to the Editor: A section devoted to readers' comments on newsletter articles and any information or insights that would be of special interest—and benefit—to others. Again, we'd publish the contributor's name and club with each submission. ■ President's M essage: Notes from the Met president. ■ Editor's Note: The editor's comments. We hope you enjoy the new Tee to Green. But most of all, we hope you become a part of it. TIM MOORE Editor B oard of D irectors P resident S C O T T N IVEN , C G C S Stanwich Club V ice P resident LA W R E N C E PA K K A LA , C G C S Woodway Country Club S e cretary T IM O T H Y O ’N E ILL Country Club of Darien T reasu rer JO S E P H A LO N ZI, C G C S Fenway Golf Club Past P resident P A T R IC K LU C A S, C G C S Innis Arden Goff Club JO H N C A R L O N E Middle Bay Country Club B E R T D IC K IN S O N Westchester Country Club ANTHO NY GRASSO Willow Ridge Country Club BY R O N JO H N S O N Terre Company T IM O T H Y M O O R E Knollwood Country Club JO H N O ’K E EFE , C G C S Preakness Hills Country Club JE F F S C O T T Apawamis Country Club E xecutive S ecretary JA N R U S S O T ee to G reen S taff E d itors EARL MILLETT TIM MOORE 914-592-7829 914-948-5606 M an ag in g Editor PANDORA C. WOJICK E d itorial C om m ittee JOE ALONZI JEFF MCDOWELL TONY BAVIELLO MARY MEDONIS BOB LIPPMAN DENNIS PAT LUCAS PETRUZZELLI A d vertisin g M anager JOHN O’KEEFE 201-694-0260 P h o to g rap h er DOMINIC RICHICHI TEE TO GREEN is published eight times a year. Copyright © 1989 the Metropolitan Golf Course Superintendent Association. March/April 1989 Work Smarts PATCH DISEASES Three experts offer advice on how to keep them at hay Patch diseases can be devastating. They're microscopic fungi that infect the roots and crowns of turfgrass and frequently go undetected—until it's too late. The first signs of patch disease: root discoloration, invis­ ible to the naked eye. Patch diseases common to the Met area are summer patch (Magnaporthe poae), take-all patch (Gaeumannomyces graminis), and to a lesser extent, necrotic ring spot (Leptosphaeria korrae). Although the environmental conditions under which these diseases occur vary, the effect is the same: The fungi invades the turfgrass's root system, which results in reduced water and nutrient uptake and even­ tual death of the plant. But the worst part is that large areas of turf are often damaged before there's even a hint of disease activity. For instance, bentgrass roots affected by take-all patch are often damaged under the cool, wet condi­ tions of spring. Yet patches of dead turf may not show up until June or July. The reason for the lag time? Al­ though up to one-third of the root system may be destroyed in spring, the remaining healthy roots are able to support shoot growth—until sum­ mer, when the demand for water increases. During heat stress, the di­ minished root system is no longer able to support shoot growth, and the telltale patches appear. Although there's no conclusive research on how to control patch diseases, experts have been experi­ menting with fungicides and appli­ cation techniques that seem to be working. What follows are recom­ mendations from three patch disease experts: Drs. Peter Landschoot and Bruce B. Clarke of the Cooperative Extension Service at Cook College, Rutgers University, and Dr. Joseph Vargas of Michigan State University. Landschoot and Clarke: Prevention is the Best Medicine In the January/February issue of The Greenerside, Landschoot and Clarke recommend a two-step approach to patch control: One, apply a fungicide at least one month before patch symptoms appear. And two, be sure the fungicides you apply reach the plant's root system. To do this, they recommend using systemic, as op­ posed to contact, fungicides and applying them with large volumes of March/April 1989 water—or even a wetting agent. Their field studies have shown a 20 percent increase in control of summer patch on turf treated with benzimi­ dazole fungicides (Tersan 1991, Cleary's 3336, and Fungo 50) applied in 10 gal. of water/1000 ft2 as opposed to the same fungicide rates in 2 gal. of water/1000 ft2. Theoretically, you can get similar results by irrigating immediately after you've applied fungicides, but Lanschoot and Clarke offer one caveat: If the fungicide dries on the leaf surface before watering, there's a good chance subsequent irrigation won't wash it into the root zone. To prevent this problem, they propose several options: using granular fungicides; spraying during a light rain or when plants are dew-covered; and keeping tank pressure low so that spray droplets are larger and less apt to adhere to leaf tissue. But whichever approach you chose, Landschoot and Clarke warn that none will be effective if you have excessive thatch and compacted soil. Both conditions can block fungicides from reaching plant roots, they say. The solution? Simple. A regular program of spiking and aerification. In the end, however, what's most important in controlling patch diseases is preventive applications of systemic fungicides. Landschoot and Clarke have found that once disease dam­ age starts, it generally won't stop with curative fungicide applications. The problem, they suspect, is that partially diseased turf roots can't take up enough fungicide to protect them from further infection. Vargas: The Nitrogen Connection Vargas, in a recent talk at the Massa­ chusetts Turf Conference suggested that patch diseases be managed by keeping nitrogen levels up in the four-pound range for greens and in the two-to-three-pound range for fairways. Another recommendation: applying fungicides once in April and then again in May. The prod­ ucts he feels offer the best results are Bayleton, 2 oz./lOOO ft2; Rubigan, 3 3/4 oz./lOOO ft2; and Banner, 4 oz./ 1000 ft2. Tee to Green Published By MET GCSA Vol. 19, No. 2, March/April 1989 Spotlight President's Message Meet Your March Meeting Host THE START OF A NEW SEASON Jeff Scott, ApawamisCountry Club (continued from page 1) he Apawamis Country Club was the site of the MetGCSA's March meeting, which included a talk from Joseph McGrath, salesperson with National Concrete Structures, Ltd. Though like most March meetings, this one didn't include a golf schedule, we'd still like to introduce you to Apawamis' new golf course superintendent, Jeff Scott. Jeff came to Apawamis about a year ago from Knickerbocker Country Club in New Jersey, where he worked three years as superintendent. No stranger to the New York area, Jeff got his start in the business at Fairview Country Club where he worked under Bob Alonzi, now superin­ tendent at Winged Foot, for five seasons. He then spent the next year as as­ sistant superintendent at Fenway under the tutelage of Joe Alonzi. Add to his credentials an associate's degree from the University of Massachusetts at Stockbridge and a placement period at the famed Baltimore Country Club. Jeff and his wife Kathy and 3-year-old daughter, Anne, currently live on club grounds. But word has it, they won't be there long. They've just bought a house in Carmel, NY—not far from Patterson, where Jeff grew up—and they're planning to move in sometime in July. But that's not the only change in store for the Scotts: They're expecting a new addition to the family this fall. Boy or girl? Watch the Notable Notes section of this news­ letter for an update. TIM MOORE Knollzvood Country Club T grass 0 roots t u r f p r o d u c t s , inc. You can 't grow GRASS w ithout ROOTS PONDS! PONDS! PONDS! • Fairway Ponds • Wetland Reclamation • Drainage • Shoreline Reconstruction • New Ponds Built • Dredging • Rocksetting Call the Specialists at: BERT JONES ( Q u o te U nq uote 201 ) 686-8709 "It's a funny thing about life: If you refuse to accept anything but the best, you very often get it. " KEN KUBIK ( 201 ) 361-5943 (914) 271-9549 4 / Tee to Green cultu ral p ro g ram s to red uce th e effe c ts o f low w ater use, and notify yo u r clu b m em b ersh ip o f th e p oten­ tia l c o n s eq u en ces o f th ese w ater res trictio n s to y o u r g o lf co u rse. P lease feel free to call m e, T ed , or Jo e for an upd ate on th is p otentially serio u s situ a tio n . O n a m ore p o sitive note, th is year for th e first tim e, th e M etG C S A w ill be sp o n so rin g a h o le-in -o n e co n test in co n ju n ctio n w ith th e G C S A A at the W e stch ester C lassic. T h is televised even t w ill ta k e place on th e 210-yard 16th hole du rin g S a tu rd ay and S u n d a y o f th e to u rn a m e n t. S hould an yo n e hit a ho le-in -o n e, th e $25,000 p rize w ill be d ivid ed b y giving $12,500 to th e w in n in g PG A p articip an t, $7,500 to th e U nited H ospital C harity F un d, and $5,000 to th e G C S A A S c h o larsh ip and R esearch Fund. If all g o es w ell, th is p u b lic rela­ tio n s cam p aig n w ill p ro vid e th e m ost far-reach in g exp o su re to d ate fo r our local asso c iatio n and shou ld help to en h a n ce the statu re and im age of all g o lf co u rse su p e rin ten d en ts. Special th a n k s to o u r p u b lic relations ch airm an , John O ’K eefe (su p erin ten ­ dent, P reakn ess H ills C C ), fo r his extra e ffo rts in sin g le-h an d ed ly arran g in g all th e d e ta ils fo r th is excitin g event. H ope you can tu n e in on Ju n e 10 and 11 o r v is it th e C lassic in person to o b se rve th is pro m o tio n al activity, w h ich w ill c ertain ly ben e fit everyone involved. S C O T T E. N IV E N , C G C S President MetGCSA W. SO M ERSET MAUGHAM E nglish N ovelist March/April 1989 Notable Notes BIRTHS Congratulations to: ■ Glen and Denise Moore, Glenmore Landscape Service, Pound Ridge, NY ■ Tony and Laura Baviello, Pelham Country Club, Pelham, NY ■ Tim and Jennifer O'Neill, Country Club of Darien, Darien, CT All had baby boys born this past winter. ■ Patty Knaggs took over as superin­ tendent at Westchester Country Club, Rye, NY. Previous position: assistant superintendent, The Country Club, Brookline, MA. ■ Charlie Smith took over as superin­ tendent at Mahopac Golf Club, Mahopac, NY. Previous position: assistant superintendent, Mahopac. ■ David Frey took over as superinten­ dent at Leewood Country Club, MEMBERS ON THE MOVE Eastchester, NY. Previous position: Here's an update on area job changes: assistant superintendent, Stanwich ■ Mike Minor took over as superin­ Club, Greenwich, CT. tendent at the Connecticut Golf ■ Dennis Petruzzelli took over as Club, Easton, CT. Previous posi­ superintendent at Lakeover Country tion: superintendent, Mahopac Golf Club, Bedford Hills, NY. Previous Club, Mahopac, NY. position: irrigation specialist, Turf ■ Greg Stanley took over as superin­ Products Corp., Windsor, CT. tendent at Rockrimmon Country ■ Bob Tosh, long-time superintendent Club, Stamford, CT. Previous posi­ at Rockrimmon Country Club, has tion: assist, superintendent, Wood­ moved out of the area to Manchester way Country Club, Darien, CT. Country Club, Manchester, NH. ■ Rick Schock took over as superin­ tendent, Wee Burn Country Club, NEW MEMBERS Darien, CT. Previous position: as­ ■ Gina Gatto, Class B, Patterson Club, sistant superintendent, Wee Burn. Fairfield, CT Nothing controls turf diseases like Chipar 26019. C D 7\ ÍZ p mzma ¡e b MILORGANITE supplies nutrients th e w ay plants w ant them . -U cÜS5-= ■ Rick Schock, Gass Bl, Wee Bum Country Club, Darien, CT ■ David Wallace, Class C, Tee & Green Sod, Exeter, RI ■ Joe Kennedy, Class C, Irra-Tech, Rye, NY ■ Robert DeMarco, Class AS, Powelton Club, Newburgh, NY IN MEMORIAM The MetGCSA regrets to announce the recent death of Class A member Eugene Grady. Gene started his golf course career at Fairview Country Club in Elmsford, NY. He moved to the new Fairview Country Club when it was relocated to Greenwich, CT, in the early '60s. In 1966, Gene was ap­ pointed greens superintendent of Tamarack Country Club in Green­ wich, where he worked for 22 years, until his retirement in June 1988. Gene's death was a shock to col­ leagues and friends. He'll be missed by all. Gene is survived by his wife, Tina Grady, of Safety Harbor, FL. A EGYPT F a r m ’s WHITE MARSH, MD Sterilized Top Dressing (301) 335-3700 EGYPT FARMS EXCLUSIVE! All top dressing ingredients are thoroughly mixed and sterilized by indirect heat in our special process. The sand particles are actu­ ally coated with a mixture of top soil and peat hum us for a com pletely hom ogenous mixture that will not separate during handling and spreading. Egypt Farms top dressing is form ulated e sp e­ cially for the transition zo ne to specifications recom m en ded by leading universities and testing laboratories. M any years of research and testing by these leading universities have produced a soil mixture for superior growth; to m aintain the best b a la n c e of percolation; to resist c o m p a c ­ tion; for good aeration; and for the retention of usable water and nutrients in the growing m edium . Green and tee construction m aterials and mixes conform ing to the above specifications are also available. RHONE POULENC AG COMPANY PO. Box 12014,2 T W Alexander Drive Research Triangle Park, NC 27709 919/549-2000 March/April 1989 D istrib uted by: John Wistrand Anthony L. Grasso Hawthorne, NY 914-347-4222 M etro-M ilorganite, Inc. (914) 769-7600 The Terre Co. W agner S eed Co., Inc. (201) 473-3393 (516) 293-6312 Tee to Green / 5 Is Your Turf As Healthy As It Looks? Now You Can Find Out Before Making Morning Assignments• 3336wp In Water Soluble Bag» • Turf & Grounds Equipment JSW-Hydraulic Excavators 70 Minute Turf Disease Detettion SAFE • CONVENIENT • ECONOMICAL With RevealiM Turf Disease Detection Kits, you'll have a quick way to identify diseases with certainty even before symptoms appear. So you can choose the right fungicide accurately and time preventive sprays for maximum performance. Now you can detect the presence and levels of Pythium Blight, Brown Patch or Dollar Spot in just 10 minutes. FORD New Holland-Equipment FI AT ALLIS Construction Equipment For Moro Information Contaitt Grass Roots Turf Products Bert Jones or Ken Kubik P.O. Box 336, Mount Freedom, NJ 07970 Phone 1-201-361-5943 Westchester Ford Tractor, Inc. Meadow Street Goldens Bridge, NY 10526 914-232-7746 >1g r i - D ia g n o stics 3®» ASSOCIATES i/uKKIJBWVOBTICfiL CORPORATION 1049 Somerset Street, P.O. Box 10 Somerset, NJ 08873 (201) 247-8000 Toll Free Numbers: 1-800-524-1662 (East of Mississippi) 1-800-524-1663 (West of Mississippi) 2611 Branch Pike, Cinnaminson, NJ 08077 1-800-322-KITS in NJ 1-609-829-6935 Wm m Wm 7 Cottage Street Port Chester, NY 10573 • • • • TRAP SAND PARTAC TOPDRESSING SCREENED TOP SOIL SCREENED CLAY FOR TENNIS COURTS & BASEBALL DIAMONDS • SAND FOR BUILDING & CONSTRUCTION • TRAP ROCK • GRAVEL Glenmore Penncross Bentgrass Kentucky Bluegrass Landscape Service Irrigation Installers Fescue Blends RR #3 - Box 199, Hackgreen Rd. (914) 937-5479 (914) 937-2136 6 / Tee to Green Prompt and Friendly Service Pound Ridge, NY 10576 CALL TOLL FREE 1-800-243-7582 (914) 764-4348 M arch/ April 1989 Special Feature Upcoming Events IRRIGATION SYSTEMS (continued from page 1) 40 to 70 PSI. If you can't find elevation infor­ mation in your records, the place to look next is your local Town Assessor's Office. They generally have that information on hand and are often willing to make you a copy at no charge. Keeping Your Nozzles in Check Nothing is forever—and sprinkler nozzles are no exception. Their useful lifetime is generally about 10 to 15 years. Beyond that, they'll begin applying more water than they're designed to—often without your knowing it. Aside from the obvious inefficient use of water, there's another hazard to operating with worn nozzles: You can overtax your pumps. Think about it: A system designed to oper­ ate nine new fairway sprinklers at one time, may not be able to accom­ modate nine fairways sprinklers with worn nozzles that are outputting above-normal amounts of water. The advice here: Check your nozzles. If they're old, change them to get optimum performance from each sprinkler. Verifying Sprinkler Head Spacing Surprising to many, a good number of those dry spots superintendents battle every season are caused by improper sprinkler head spacing. So before you tamper with the original design of your irrigation system, keep in mind that only 75 percent of total sprinkler throw is considered effective coverage. In other words, if you want to change sprinklers in an area, and you know the ones you plan to install have a throw rate of 100 feet, then you've got to figure on placing them 75 feet apart—not 100 feet—for effective coverage. Common sense? Maybe. But not necessarily common practice. March/April 1989 1989 Met Meeting Schedule calculating an efficient daily watering schedule. Let's say you know one of your fairway sprinklers has a precipitation rate of a half-inch per hour and you want to apply one inch of water a week (which, by the way, is probably more than necessary). Using those figures, here's a formula that'll help you establish the length of your daily watering cycles: April 27 Rolling Hills Country Club Scott Schukraft May 25 Silver Spring Country Club Peter Rappoccio June 20 Burning Tree Country Club Harry Nichol Invitational Tournament July 11 Bonnie Briar Country Club Michael Medonis 1.0”/week 0.5H/hour August Picnic 2 hours 7 days September DATE AND SITE OPEN October 16 Patterson Club Ray Beaudry November Annual Meeting ATTENTION!! The 1989 September meeting slot Is still up for grabs. Please contact Tony Grasso, the tournament committee chairman, if you’re interested in hosting this meeting. The committee is also putting together the meeting schedule for 1990. Again, please give Tony a call if you’re interested in hosting the meeting at your club. Calculating Your GPM Output: The Key to an Efficient Watering Schedule As we mentioned earlier, one of the keys to using your irrigation system— and water—efficiently is knowing the gallons-per-minute (GPM) output of your sprinklers. For those of you who don't have this information on file, here's a formula to help you calculate it: For Triangular Sprinkler Spacing GPM x 96.3 Spacing2 x .866 = inches/hour For Square and Single-Row Spacing GPM x 96.3 Spacing2 = inches/hour Precipitation rates and water schedul­ ing go hand-in-hand. Once you've determined your sprinklers' precipita­ tion rate, you can use that figure in = 2 hours of watering/week = .28 hours x 60 minutes/ hour = 17 minutes/cycle Though these formulas are designed to help you determine how long to operate your sprinklers, you can't go solely on these calculations. Remem­ ber, you also have to factor in such variables as wind, shade, rock, thatch depth, évapotranspiration (ET) rate, soil type, and slope and then adjust your run times accordingly. It will take some experimenting, but look at it this way, you can't go too far wrong using these calcula­ tions as your starting point. One note about évapotranspira­ tion rate: If you'd like to calculate the ET rate on your course at different times of the year, and you don't have one of the newer irrigation systems that automatically adjusts run times for ET loss, you might want to contact your irrigation distributor. Thanks to years of weather-data record keeping, estimated ET rates for your region are available through your distributor. Final Note As you can see, it takes a lot of time and effort to fully understand your irrigation system and develop sound water management strategies. If you experience severe con­ straints from your current irrigation system and have attempted some improvements unsuccessfully, it may pay to contact your local irrigation distributor or hire a consultant for an in-depth evaluation. DENNIS PETRUZZELLI Lakeover Country Club Tee to Green / 7 i Patrons of TEE TO GREEN Patrons listed on this page are supporting our association. You are encouraged to support them. Alpine Tree Care, Inc. * Main office: White Plains 914-948-0101 Branch Office: Brewster 914-279-8800 Norwalk 203-655-8008 Specializing in Golf Courses Irrigation Systems Incorporated * P.O. Box66, Windsor, CT06095 Installation, Service, Winterization and Designing of Golf Course Irr. Systems 203-727-9227 Pro Lawn Products, Inc * Stephen M. Kotowicz 30 Nashville Road Bethal, CT 06801 203-792-3032 A1 Preston Garage Massey Ferguson Sales-Parts-Service Shelton, CT 06484 203-735-3627 James Barrett and Associates, Inc. Jim Barrett P.O. Box853, Montclair, NJ 07042 Golf Course Irrigation-Design & Consulting 201-744-8237 Stephan Kay, Golf Course Architect * P.O. Box81, Purchase, NY 10577 Long Range Planning, Remodeling, & New Development 914-738-3399 Bentgrass Sod Stormy Acres Kevin Gunn West Haven, Vt 05743 802-265-3046 Lesco, Inc. * Greg Moran & Mike Oleykowski Door to Door Service /Fertilizer Seed /Equipment /Control Products 1-800-321-5325 Steven Willand, Inc. * Dave Marmelstein Rt 206 Augusta, NJ 07822 201-579-5656 James Carriere & Sons, Inc. * Bill Carriere 7 Cottage Street Port Chester, NY 10573 914-937-2136 Loft's Seed, Inc. John Morrissey, Vice Pres. Box 146 Bound Brook, NJ 08805 201-356-8700 Tee and Green Sod, Inc. Bentgrass Sod Dave Wallace P.O. Box418, Exeter, R I02822 401-295-1870 Egypt Farms, Inc. John Strickland Green Topdressing, Sand, Constr. Mixes White Marsh, MD 21162 301-335-3700 The Magovern Company * Joseph Schnieder & Jerry Kane 911 Hope Street Stamford, CT 06907 1-800-243-9094 Terre Company of N.J., Inc. * Byron Johnson, Jr. 206 Delawanna Avenue Clifton, NJ 07014 201-473-3393 or (home) 203-748-5069 Emerald Isle, Ltd. Bill Middleton 2153 Newport Road Ann Arbor, MI 48103 313-662-2727 Metro Milorganite, Inc. * Anthony L Grasso & John Wistrand P.O. Box267 Hawthorne, NY 10532 914-347-4222 Turf Products Corporation * South Windsor, CT 06074 Dennis Petruzzelli-Irrigation A1 Tretara-Equipment 203-528-9508 Glenmore Landscape Service * Glenn S. Moore RR3 Box 199 Hackgreen Road Pound Ridge, NY 10576 914-764-4348 Montco Surf-Side/Zap! Surfactants - Defoamers Box 404, Ambler, PA 19002 Robert Oeschle Home: 215-836-4992/Whs.: 215-628-3144 Valley View Greenhouse * Frank Amodio RR # 2 Box 27, R tl23 So. Salem, New York 10590 914-533-2504 or 914-533-2526 Grass Roots Turf Products, Inc. * Bert Jones P.O. Box 336 Mr. Freedom, NJ 07970 201-686-8709 O. M. Scotts & Sons Company Randy Van Yahres 16 Diane Lane E. Northport, NY 11731 516-266-2272 W. A. Cleary Chemical Corporation Russ Ward P.O. Box 10,1049 Somerset Street Somerset, NJ 08873 201-247-8000 Harford Industrial Minerals, Inc. Topdressing and Construciton Mix P.O. Box210 Joppa, MD 21085 301-679-9191 Partac Golf Course Top-Dressing Kelsey Park, Great Meadows, NJ 07838 1-800-247-2326/201-637-4191 James Carriere & Sons/J & B Trucking 914-937-2136 Bill and Joe Carriere Westchester Ford Tractor, Inc * JohnM. Apple Meadow Street Golden Bridge, NY 10526 914-232-7746 Hawthorne Bros. Tree Service, Inc. John R. Hawthorne 5 Center Street Bedford Hills, NY 10507 914-666-7035 P. I.E. Supply, Co. Paul Roche P.O. Box3049 Milford, CT 06460 203-878-0658 Westchester Turf Supply, Inc. * Bob Lippman P.O. Box 198, Lincolndale, NY 10540 Office (914) 248-7476 Moble (914) 282-6861 $ * Denotes MetGCSA member 8 / Tee to Green March/April 1989