May/I line 2011
VOLUME II MMItEII 3

Published by the Metropolitan Golf Course Superintendents Association

Board of llirertors

P resident
R O B E R T N IE L SE N JR ., C G CS

Bedford Golf & Tennis Club

V ice President
BLAKE H A LD ER M A N , CG CS

Brae Burn Country Club
Secretary
G LEN D U BE, CG CS

Mosholu Golf Course

Centennial Golf Club

Treasurer
DAVID D U D O N E S

North Jersey Country Club
Past P resident
A N T H O N Y M. G IR A R D I, C G C S

Rockrimmon Country Club

D irectors
R O B E R T B. A L O N Z IJR .

Fenway Golf Club

K E N N E T H B E N O IT JR ., C G C S

GlenArbor Club

SEAN C A IN , C G C S

Sunningdale Country Club
B R E T T C H A PIN

Redding Country Club
PAUL G O N Z A L E Z , CG CS

The Whippoorwill Club

V IN C E N T PAVONETTI, C G C S

Fairview Country Club
Class AF R ep
M IC H A E L C O O K

The Care of Trees

Class C R ep
D O U G V A N DERLEE
E xecu tive D irector
ED B R O C K N E R
E xecu tive Secretary
IN E K E P IE R P O IN T

E ditor
JIM PAVONETTI
203-531-8910
Managing Editor
PANDORA C.WOJICK
Editorial Committee
MATT CEPLO
SCOTT NIVEN
ERIC O ’NEILL
DAVE DUDONES
LARRY PAKKALA
KEVIN COLLINS
; PAULGRABBE
BILLPERLEE
CHIP LAFFERTY
MIKE REEB
DAVE MOFFETT
GREG WOJICK
Designer
TERRIE DUNKELBERGER
Advertising Managers
BRETT CHAPIN, 203-938-9240
PAUL GONZALEZ,914-273-3755
TEETOGREENis published bimonthly by the Metropolitan Golf
Course Superintendents Association
49 Knollwood Road, Elmsford, NY 10523-2819
914-347-4653, FAX: 914-347-3437, METGCSA.ORG
Copyright ©2011

Taking the Guesswork Out o f Regrassing Your G reens
Sage Advice for Future R egrassers......................................

w

Westchester Country Club

Departments
Scorecard ..................................................................................................................... 8
Spotlights ..................................................................................................................... 9
U pcom ing E vents..................................................................................................... 11
M em ber N ew s............................................................................................................12

JUL 1

2011

cdqitv
.iipu'QAM STATE UN!VE;
", IDPi^.SS

urrent Periodical
D O N O T C IR C U LA T
ummer is fast approaching, and
now the real fun begins. For those of us with
winter damage, the upcoming months should
prove to be interesting, to say the least. I hap­
pened to be perusing the Tee to Green archives,
and I came across a past president’s message
with advice I felt was worth repeating—partic­
ularly in view of the season we endured last
Bob Nielsen , CGCS
year. Here are a few words to the wise culled MetGCSA
President
from one of the late Dave Mahoney’s 2004
President’s Messages.
#1: Don’t shoot yourself in the foot!
Summer 2010 certainly should serve to re­
mind us that getting too aggressive at the
wrong time of year can be a recipe for disaster.
The last thing you want to do is risk pushing
your turf over the edge trying to impress
golfers! Dead greens—no matter how fast they
are—are not impressive.
#2: Don’t experiment! The heat of the
summer is probably not the best time put new
products to the test on your course. Better to
do it in the early spring or fall, when environ­
mental stresses are a bit lower—and your turf
might have time to recover, should disaster
strike.
The Net: if you’re not sure how your turf is
going to react to a product, July and August are
not the time of year to find out.
#3: Don’t let yourself get worn down.
The stresses of the job can really start to weigh
you down in the middle of the season. A day off
with the family, a night out with friends, an
afternoon of golf on that one cloudy day can all
help to relieve the daily stresses.
And you’re in luck . . . coming up are two
Met events that will take you away from it all
for an afternoon or evening. Don’t miss our
Family Picnic at Bedford Village Memorial
Park on Tuesday, July 19 and our ever-popular
Summer Social on Tuesday, July 26 at Fenway
Golf Club. Both promise to be the kind of forget-everything-and-enjoy events that will give
you the charge you need to manage those
everyday battles on the course.

#4: Don’t become an island. The stress of
the job is bad enough without isolating yourself
from peers and friends. If you are having trou­
ble, chances are there is someone else in the
area having the same problems. Take advantage
of our meetings and social events to compare
notes and commiserate with friends and col­
leagues. That’s what our association is all about
... supporting one another in any way we can.
#5: Don’t hate your job. The heat of sum­
mer can wear on anyone, but it can be espe­
cially harsh on golf course superintendents
and assistants, who are toiling away 24/7 to
keep every blade of grass picture-perfect. In
our bat tie-worn state, we sometimes lose sight
of the fact that many of the problems we stress
about are barely noticed by the membership.
With the proper communication, most mem­
bers will understand that Mother Nature plays
a big part in what we do, and they’ll cut us some
slack through those inevitable blips in course
conditioning.
Hang on. The “season” does end, eventually!
Final Note

It’s important to be on top of your game when it
comes to managing turf in July and August, but
it is just as important to take time to relax and
enjoy the important things in life: our family
and friends.
Here’s hoping the weather’s with us for the
next eight weeks ... so we can devote time away
from work—without guilt or worry—to the peo­
ple and things that really matter.
Bob Nielsen, CGCS
President
Tee to Green May/June 2011

would like to begin by expressing
my gratitude to the MetGCSA board for not
only hiring me as the association’s executive
director, but also for providing me with the
guidance and support I’ve needed to become
acclimated in my new role.
I’d like to extend a special thank you to
Whippoorwill Superintendent Paul Gonzalez.
As chairman of our Sponsorship and Website
committees, Paul has worked with the board
to increase support from our major sponsors
(see back cover), while finding new ways to
recognize their integral role in the MetGCSA.
Earlier this year, Paul also launched our
new Internet platform. He and his committee
will continue to pursue ways to improve the
information that this critical communication
vehicle provides.
This is just one of the ways that, as execu­
tive director, I will work with our board and
membership to provide fresh, new information
that will be useful to all of us. We hope you
will visit the site often and contribute any
ideas on how to make it better!
Shifting Gears

MetGCSA Executive Director

relying more on our online capabilities and
improved website to share information with
one another. This will also allow us to not only
communicate news in a more timely manner,
but also save on printing and mailing costs,
allowing us to devote our resources to other
areas.
Fill« Time

Of course, while online and electronic com­
munications are the wave of future (as well as
what the next generations of club members
and green committees will come to rely on),
there is no replacement for the face-to-face
interactions that our member events provide.
While there is no doubt that it is often diffi­
cult to get away from your club or business for
the day, our golf and education events provide
priceless opportunities to learn from each
other, while also promoting the camaraderie
that will serve us well in our professional and
personal lives.
As we work to make these events as inform­
ative and fun as they can possibly be, we hope
that you will join us by participating in these
important functions. We appreciate all of
those who put so much into making these
events successful and hope that we get even
more of our members taking part in the future!
Once again, I want to thank all of you for the
confidence that you have shown in me, and I
look forward to a long and successful tenure as
executive director of the MetGCSA. At the
end of the day, it’s the vision of our member­
ship that will determine the course that we
will follow, and I greatly appreciate any input
you have that will allow our organization to be
the best that it can be.

As golf course superintendents, you are all
very much aware of how technology continues
to transform your profession. With technologi­
cal advances have come increasingly better
course conditions and the ability to communi­
cate more effectively with club and commu­
nity members and with other professionals
throughout the golf industry.
It is important that we embrace all that new
technology has to offer—particularly in the
way of communication. One of the primary
functions of the MetGCSA, after all, is to
share information with one another on best
practices, new maintenance techniques, and
educational events that are taking place
throughout our region. And with the science of
golf course management constantly changing
as new research uncovers more effective, often
turf-saving, maintenance practices, we need
to be able to disseminate this information as
quickly and efficiently as possible.
Just as none of you would consider using
gang mowers to cut fairways or horse-drawn
scrapers to do earthwork, “snail mail” will
soon become a thing of the past. We need to Ed Brockner
adjust our thinking accordingly and begin Executive Director

,

Eight Supers Share
Precisely What It
Anua

'K iA P u ttin g -G reen so ^ P p

irJnveandfor-All

rying to decide whether to regrass
your Poa putting surfaces? Anyone who’s
braved this process will tell you, it’s not for the
faint of heart. It takes courage and a lot of time
and dedication to pull it off. But when well
done, it’s well worth the effort. At least that
seems to be the consensus of the golf course
superintendents I surveyed who, like me, have
recently completed—or are in the midst of
completing—the process right now.
We all seem to agree that with today’s
demand for higher green speeds and, as a
result, more rigorous maintenance regimes—
lower heights of cut, drier putting surfaces,
double cutting, rolling, etc.— Poa annua isn’t
up for the job. Because it’s notorious for suc­
cumbing to a variety of maladies—summer
patch, anthracnose, hyperodes, seed head
production, excessive wilting, and ice damage
among them—we’ve all looked to reduce our
risk of losing turf by converting to bentgrass, a
more durable perennial grass that will provide
golfers with high-quality putting greens for
many years to come.
The USGA has supported golf clubs’ deci­
sion to switch to the new, more superior bentgrasses, because aside from offering greater
peace of mind, they’re easier on golf course
budgets and the environment by requiring
fewer pesticides and less water and fertilizer
than Poa annua to keep them alive and well.
Thanks to the superintendents who agreed
to participate in the survey (see page 7), we’ve
put together a must-read script for success in
converting your greens from Poa to bent.
For those willing and able to take the
plunge, our time—and turf-saving—insights
follow.
Planning

Step # 1: Create the Proper Growing
Environment
Before embarking on a regrassing project, you
have to be prepared to do what’s necessary to
ensure your greens get at least eight hours of
sunlight each day to promote healthy bentgrass growth. If your course is heavily wooded,
that could mean removing as many as a couple
hundred trees.
If you have any doubt about which trees to
remove, a company called ArborCom TechTee to Green May/June 2011

nologies can help you make an informed deci­
sion. The company uses computer modeling to
predict sun angles and visually depict which
trees are obstructing light to the greens.
Despite the added expense of tree removal,
all the superintendents surveyed echoed the
importance of this step.
Step #2: Select Your Sod
Oddly enough, all the clubs surveyed used a
blend of Penn A-l/A-4 or just Penn A-4 bentgrass sod on their greens. Clearly a good
choice. Penn A-l and Penn A-4 were devel­
oped at Penn State University and have
become the industry standard for putting
greens in recent years.
When combined, these cultivars give a
broader genetic base in a turfgrass stand,
which results in the best qualities of both
grasses. Their dark green color is nearly iden­
tical, so they blend together perfectly on the
greens, providing a fine leaf texture and
smooth, grainless putting surface, as well as
exceptional heat and cold tolerance, high den­
sity, disease resistance, and an aggressive
growth habit. Furthermore, this combination
of cultivars tolerates low mowing very well and,
in fact, was developed for private golf clubs
with a desire for fast green speeds.
Right now, there are at least a dozen or so
of this style of bentgrass on the market to
choose from, and many more are in develop­
ment. Due to their excellent performance dur­
ing the past 15 years, Penn A-l and Penn A-4
have become the most popular and, conse­
quently, are the ones most often grown by sod
companies.
Step #3: Address Root Zone Mix/Sod
Soil Incompatibility
The most common factor in sodding failures
on bentgrass greens has been the incompati­
bility of the existing root zone mix with the soil
attached to the purchased sod. Therefore, un­
less you can have your sod grown on the exact
same root zone mixture as your greens, it’s
imperative that you buy washed sod to help
guarantee that the new turf will root properly
in your particular root zone.
Keep in mind: When purchasing washed
sod, one of the most important considerations
is thatch thickness: The thinner the better.
While sod that’s a half-inch or thicker is eas­
ier to handle during installation, it will take
longer to eliminate the thicker-than-optimum
thatch layer and establish desirable heights
of cut.
All but one of the courses surveyed used
washed sod, with Round Hill the only excep­
tion. Superintendent Sean Foley compensated
for any soil incompatibility, however, by core
aerifying six to eight times during the first
three years, and ended up with very good
results.
Tee to Green May/June 2011

Initial rooting o f washed bentgrass sod
(10 days).

Step #4: Order Well in Advance
Most everyone we surveyed bought their sod
from either Stormy Acres (no longer in busi­
ness) or East Coast Sod Farm, both in south­
ern New Jersey. Unfortunately, due to a lack of
putting green sod to fill his order at East
Coast during the fall of 2010, Ken Uallier at
The Quechee Club ended up having to buy
his sod from the Manderlay Sod Farm in
Toronto, Canada.
Word to the wise: Don’t wait until the last
minute to put in your order. Do it at least one
year in advance if at all possible, and put
down a deposit to help assure that your sod
will be ready when you need it.
Of course, sometimes, even the best-laid
plans fail. At Stanwich, on the day we were
scheduled to receive our first delivery of sod,
we got a phone call from a lawyer instead, say­
ing that Stormy Acres had just gone out of
business. At that point, we had already torn
up seven greens. I must admit that I had a few
moments of serious trepidation after receiving
that news. Fortunately for us, we had also bid
the job with East Coast Sod Farm. Within a
couple of hours, we signed an agreement with
them and received a sod delivery the next day.
What service and what a relief!
Step #5: Time It Right
A crucial step in the success of this project is
to time it right. Most golf clubs in the
Northeast can’t afford the loss in revenue or
member discontent that results from closing
the course for an extended period of time.
Sodding, therefore, is generally the method of
choice for greens conversion.
When choosing a contractor for the instal­
lation, of which there are many, it’s critical
that your signed agreement specify your time
frame. If the contractor isn’t confident that the
project can be completed under your terms,
consider hiring two companies to split the
work and guarantee finishing on time.
Among the clubs surveyed, the earliest
start date was August 15, where at Eagle
Oaks, superintendent Marty Sommerfeld
opened all his greens for play during that
same fall. He did his project in three phases

and actually opened each group of greens two
weeks after starting the job.
The latest start date was October 12 at
Stanwich, where due to favorable weather con­
ditions, we completed the sodding by October
31 and were able to open the greens on April
10. The other survey respondents opened for
play between mid-April and May 15. De­
pending on whether the club was shelling out
the greens and installing USGA root zones or
simply resodding, the job took between three
weeks and three months. In the New York
area, if you can install the sod by November 1,
it will, in most cases, establish roots before
winter settles in.
I’n‘|niringtlw Root /one

Step # 1: Remove Old Turf
Assuming all’s well with your root zone, the
first step in preparing greens for their new
washed sod is to remove the old turf with a sod
cutter. Key to your success in this part of the
process is to be sure to excavate a thick
enough layer of the Poa sod to ensure enough
of the seed bank has been removed and the
Poa doesn’t come back.
Fortunately, some excellent research has
been done on this subject. Layers of Poa sod
were cut from a green in quarter-inch incre­
ments and then grown in a greenhouse to see
how much of the Poa seed was still viable. As
you might have guessed, with just a quarterinch removed, you can still grow a beautiful
stand of Poa annua. But when one inch of soil
was removed, very little Poa seed germinated,
indicating that more than 90 percent of the
seed bank had been removed.
With access to this information, the five
clubs—Eagle Oaks, New Haven, Patterson,
Stanwich, and Westchester—were able to
retain their existing root zones and remove at
least one inch of the old sod from their greens.
No one reported that this minor disturbance
significantly altered existing putting green
contours.
To further guarantee that little viable Poa
seed remained in the existing root zones, Joe
Alonzi at Westchester Country Club hired a
firm to apply Methyl Bromide to sterilize the
root zone prior to sodding. Keep in mind: This
option is not available in every state due to
licensing requirements, but is an excellent
method for killing viable Poa seed if you’re
able to have it done.
Step #2: Remedy Poor Root Zones
There are times when existing root zones can’t
support new sod. At this point, shelling out
each green and starting over with a high-sand
root zone mixture may be the only way to go.
Three of the clubs surveyed—the Round
Hill Club, Vesper Country Club, and The
Quechee Country Club—opted to go this
route before sodding. Round Hill and Vesper
installed a USGA root zone mixture, while

Quechee opted for a California-style mix.
To help guarantee that all putting green
contours remained the same, those clubs who
did a complete rebuild also paid to have all the
green contours mapped before the regrassing
took place. In some cases, however, they took
this opportunity to make a few modifications,
softening excessive slopes.
This process does not come cheap, often
approaching the $1 million mark. The five
other clubs that simply resodded, spent a
more reasonable $200,000 to $300,000, de­
pending on green size and how much sod was
installed out in the approaches.
Step #3: Make Improvements
With the turf removed, this is the ideal time to
take care of any shortcomings in your greens.
Needless to say, if your greens already have a
USGA high-sand root zone, they’ll require lit­
tle preparation beyond removing the sod and
smoothing the surface.
At New Haven Country Club, Jason Booth
seized this opportunity to install internal
drainage (XGD) in all of his greens.
At Stanwich when the sod was removed, we
added some USGA root zone mix to two of our
recently rebuilt greens to increase the con­
tours in a couple of areas. We did this within
the tolerances of the USGA specifications,
which calls for a 12"-deep root zone ±2".
At Westchester, Patterson, Vesper, and Stan­
wich, we decided to recapture or add some
new pin placements by adding some expan­
sions at the edges of various greens before the
new sod was installed.
Step #4: Get the Soil Ready
If you have push-up style greens, you’ll want to
aerify and topdress as a final step before sod­
ding. In fact, all the clubs surveyed did quite a
bit of aerifying and topdressing to improve
drainage before sodding.
Methods vary. Experience has shown that
you can pull some cores from your greens on
top of the old sod and fill the holes prior to sod
removal. Core aerification can also be done on
the bare soil after the sod is removed, but if
you’re not careful, the soil will pull out in
chunks. You can prevent this from happening
by using solid tines in the bare root zone and
then filling the holes with sand topdressing.
This can be done multiple times.
At Stanwich, we aerified on top of the sod
twice with 3/4"-deep tines (10M) and once
with 5/8" solid tines and then filled those
holes with sand. Then once the sod was re­
moved, we aerified again three times with the
5/8" solid tines and filled those holes. When
all was said and done, we’d used 200 tons of
topdressing on 14 greens (70K sq. ft.), which
has resulted in the best drainage we’ve ever
had.
Next, prior to laying the sod, we double verticut and then raked and rolled the soil surface
multiple times to achieve pool-table smooth -

ness. Most clubs then applied an organic fer­ of a half-inch piece of plywood before rolling.
tilizer amendment, such as Gro-Win, and He then used the club’s greens mowers in the
raked that into the top inch or so.
raised position with heavy rollers strapped to
the top of the cutting unit. Other equipment
used for this purpose: a Ryan tennis court
roller, Salsco and Tru-Turf rollers, and a
Step # 1 : Lay the Sod
Hydroject aerifier. All types did an adequate
When installing the washed sod, it’s best to job.
work off of plywood to protect the smooth root
zone surface. Because it lacks soil, the sod Step #4: Prepare for Winter
should be irrigated immediately after it’s The most important factor at this point in the
laid down. Survey respondents used different process is to get the turf well rooted and
methods for sodding their collars, borders, healthy going into winter. So resist pushing for
and approaches.
a lower height of cut that may put your turf in
When it came to collars, some stuck with jeopardy.
their old collars while others sodded with a
The first cuts at the clubs surveyed varied
different type of bent, such as Penn Trio from .150” to .250", depending on the amount
(Penncross/ Pennlinks/Penneagle). Still others of thatch in the sod and the weight of the mow­
used the A-l/A-4 throughout the green and ers. Then depending on the date of installation
collar.
and the weather, some superintendents ap­
The Kentucky bluegrass border was also plied topdressing and lowered the height of cut
handled in different ways, from just adding a carefully to avoid any scalping before the
new strip or two around the edge to resodding ground froze. The various heights of cut going
the entire green surround.
into the winter ranged from .150" to .200".
If the approaches were highly populated
Some clubs topdressed all sod seams, while
with Poa annua, everyone agreed it was best to others just added sand to the seams that
sod with something like Penn Trio to varying needed it, but all clubs applied a heavy top­
distances out in front of each green. Obviously, dressing after the last mowing and a dormant
the idea here was to eliminate the potential for fertilizer at .5 to 1 lb. N /1000.
future Poa contamination by removing as
The use of winter covers varied as well, with
much Poa in close proximity to the new bent The Quechee Club and Round Hill covering
surface as possible.
all greens because they were hit with freezing
weather before adequate rooting could take
Step #2: Keep It Damp
place. A couple of courses didn’t use any cov­
Keeping the sod damp until it freezes is criti­ ers, and some covered a handful of greens
cal during the first fall. You want to avoid any depending on rooting and winter exposure.
desiccation and promote root growth and the
closing of the sod seams. At Stanwich, when it Step #5: Get Ready to Open
got cold in November, we scheduled the irriga­ When spring arrives, there’s always great pres­
tion to come on for three minutes at 10 p.m., 2 sure to open the greens as soon as possible,
a.m., and 6 a.m. to help reduce frost during especially if the weather is nice. But it’s best to
the nighttime hours.
resist giving players the “green light” until you
have 3" to 4" of root growth. The last thing you
Step #3: Roll It
want to do is put your newly sodded greens in
Before the first cutting, it’s important to roll jeopardy.
the sod—multiple times—to encourage a
All survey respondents worked to ready the
smooth surface that won’t scalp too much greens by gradually lowering the height of cut
when mowing begins. Just be sure to wait until to a sustainable level, given the thickness of
the roots have penetrated into the soil so the the thatch. The average heights for the first
sod won’t shift during rolling.
summer ranged from .110" to .155". These
There were many different approaches to bench settings were used on a variety of mow­
getting this job done. At The Patterson Club, ers with varying front roller types (grooved,
John Garcia first used a vibratory tamp on top smooth) as well. The green speeds attained
Inst alla tion o f washed sod
working on plywood.

Tee to Green May/June 2011

with these heights of cut ranged from 8'6" all
the way up to the 13', with the average esti­
mated to be between 10' and 11'.
Looking forward, when superintendents
were asked to predict future heights of cut and
green speed goals, the heights of cut ranged
from .100" to .125", with the desired green
speed for regular membership play averaging
between 10.5' and 11.5'. These numbers were
highly correlated with the severity of the slopes
on each club’s greens and the average handi­
cap of the membership.
( ¡mi ami Feeding in t he First Year

None of the superintendents had any problems
with their greens during the first year, with the
exception of some minor bacterial wilt at
Vesper Country Club that disappeared as soon
as the weather cooled down.
As would be expected with bentgrass, all
clubs had excellent root depths for the first
season, exhibiting root lengths from 5" to 12",
with the deepest ones being in the USGA
greens.
Here’s what’s recommended to keep your
greens alive and well in the first year:
Step # 1: Aerify and Topdress
When greens are sodded, two of the most
important cultural practices in the develop­
ment of a high-quality putting surface are aer­
ification and topdressing. These practices are
particularly useful in reducing the negative
effects of the thatch layer.
When asked his opinion on this subject,
Norm Hummel of Hummel Associates soil
testing labs noted that most sodding failures
seemed to occur from too much cultivation
during the first year of establishment. Conse­
quently, he recommended taking a conserva­
tive approach to cultivation until the fall of the
first year.
At Stanwich, we took his advice seriously.
Using small solid tines (5/16") to keep the
thatch open for adequate infiltration, we lim­
ited our aerification to every three weeks
throughout the season. We coupled that with
light topdressing each week all year long. And
at the end of the season (10/19), we doubleaerified with 3/8" solid tines on close spacing,
along with a 3/4" x 8" deep tine; then we filled
all the holes with sand. We began with that
same process again this spring.
About half of the clubs in the survey took a
different tack the first year, following an ag­
gressive cultivation plan with multiple aerifi­
cations and heavy topdressings (filled holes)
during the entire growing season.
At The Patterson Club, John Garcia in­
jected sand with a Graden verticut machine
in April, followed by coring with 3/8" to 1/2"
tines every four to six weeks throughout the
season. At New Haven Country Club, Jason
Tee to Green May/June 2011

Today's New-and’lmproved
Bentgrasses
H ere's a list of som e of the best, fine-textured bentgrasses available today:
Penn A-l
Alpha
Penn A-2
T-l
Penn A-4
Kingpin
Penn G-2
Villa
007
Crystal Blue Links
Tyee
M ackenzie
Benchm ark
Shark
Century
Authority
Declaration
Pinn up
V8
Bengal
M em orial
Independence

Booth cored with 5/8" solid tines in spring
and then topdressed. Then he used 1/4" solid
quad tines every three weeks through the
summer and 3/8" hollow tines in September,
filling the holes each time. Then in early
October, he used 5/8" solid tines, following up
with topdressing.
With the goal of reducing the amount of
thatch, all of the superintendents aerified to a
shallow depth of 1" to 2", and all were suc­
cessful in bringing their new bent greens
through the first season in a healthy condition.
Step #2: Watch the Water
As expected, A-l/A-4 bentgrass requires
somewhat less water than Poa annua to thrive.
During the spring and fall, it’s common to go a
number of days between irrigating, but during
the hot months of July and August, fairly regu­
lar irrigation with some syringing is still nec­
essary. Be on the lookout for wilt to avoid turf
damage.
Step #3: Fertilize
You can expect that fertility requirements will
be higher than normal due to the accelerated
nutrient requirements needed for healthy
turfgrass establishment. Though fertilizer use
varied significantly from course to course, all
clubs used a combination of full-analysis
granular fertilizers along with a regular spray
program. Total nitrogen for the year ranged
from 3.5 to 6.5 lbs. per 1000 sq. ft. with the
higher amounts used on the USGA greens.
keeping the Poa Away

commitment to keeping the new bentgrass
clean, it’s highly likely that all of the clubs will
be successful in maintaining a beautiful
stand of pure bentgrass for quite some time.
But moreover, the A-l/A-4 cultivars, with
their dense, upright growth habit (see NTEP
data), have been shown to crowd out Poa
annua on their own.
Still, superintendents surveyed are using a
variety of Poa control methods to guarantee
success. Among them:
• Plant Growth Regulators: All superin­
tendents planned to use the PGRs Cutless,
Trimmit, and Legacy, with some adding in
Primo at times. Ken Lallier at Quechee plans
to use Cutless and Tenacity to minimize Poa
in the surrounds and therefore limit intrusion
into the greens.
One word of caution about Primo: Some
studies show that Primo actually promotes
Poa annua.
• A Pre-emergent Herbicide: A couple of
clubs are using two or three applications of
the pre-emergent herbicide, Bensulide, at
6 ozs./lOOO sq. ft. in the spring and/or fall.
• Handpicking and Plugging: These are
also common on the list of Poa control meth­
ods. At the Round Hill Club, Sean Foley
reported that his crew spends at least 120
hours in early April and 120 hours again in
early November handpicking and plugging.
• Hand-dabbing With a Wick Applicator: John Garcia at The Patterson Club has
been controlling his Poa with a nonselective
herbicide or growth regulator.
• Indirect Control Method: At Stanwich
and Eagle Oaks, we use only solid tines when
aerifying to avoid pulling up any potentially
viable Poa seed. So far, so good.
• Acidification of the Root Zone: By
using acidifying fertilizers, like ammonium
sulfate, if the pH can be maintained between
5.0 and 5.5, the pressure from Poa annua will
be greatly diminished.
• Future Poa Control Herbicides: Uni­
versity scientists have confirmed that there
are some excellent herbicides in the pipeline
that will revolutionize Poa control in bent­
grass putting greens. Let’s hope they’re right!
When All Has Said and Dime

The final question of the survey was whether
the memberships and the superintendents
were happy with the results of their regrassing
project. As you’ve probably guessed, the yeses
were unanimous!

When undertaking a regrassing project of this Scott Niven, a member of the Tee to Green
scope, the most common question asked by Editorial Committee, is property manager at
decision makers is, “How are you going to The Stanwich Club in Greenwich, CT
keep the Poa annua from coming back?” The
short answer: With today’s tools and a strong

T

Sage Advice for Future Regrassers
hen the superintendents in
the survey were asked to note
the most important pieces of ad­
vice they have to offer future regrassers, they
responded with a host of valuable tips and
techniques. Here’s what they had to say:
Jason Booth, CGCS, New Haven
Country Club, Hamden, CT
• Prepare for the unexpected.
• Make a new nursery beforehand.
• Always use washed sod, and order extra sod
per green, using any overflow to beef up your
nursery.
• Be sure to have adequate sunlight and
air movement; major tree removal may be
required.
• If the diminishing fall sun patterns are
going to be a problem, start sodding on the
north-facing greens and finish on the south­
facing greens. The greens facing the south will
be the first to warm up come spring.
Sean Foley, Round Hill Club
Greenwich, CT
• A tree removal program geared toward maxi­
mizing sunlight to all putting surfaces is es­
sential to the success of this project. If you
can’t get the capital funds approved to execute
the necessary tree removal, you may want to
reconsider regrassing.
• A regrassing project at your club is success­
ful only if your membership perceives it to be,
and it is your responsibility to make that per­
ception a positive one through open communi­
cation. That means maintaining a sound line
of communication at all levels within the club
and during all phases of the project.
I found it important, for instance, to com­
municate why we were aerifying six to eight
times for the first three years versus the two
times we did in the past or how bentgrass is
managed differently than Poa and requires
weekly topdressing, verticutting, and brush
mowing.
It takes time—years—to establish a mature
Shaded green before
tree removal.

....

stand of bentgrass capable of withstanding all
of the mechanical stresses we put on our turf
during our never-ending quest for green
speed. Communication is key to the long-term
success of the project.

cates and a good deal of support for the work
being done.
Scott Niven, CGCS, The Stanwich Club
Greenwich, CT
• Prepare each green site as well as possible,
eliminating as much shade as you can by
removing trees.
• Do everything necessary to establish an ex­
cellent root zone for the new sod with the best
drainage (add XGD) and soil characteristics.
• Be sure to use washed sod, and buy the
thinnest sod obtainable.
• During the first season, don’t become too
attached to a low height of cut you may be try­
ing to achieve. Instead of worrying about the
actual bench setting, use a prism tool to
check turf height, and with your good judg­
ment, find the height of cut that can be sus­
tained throughout the first summer without
any scalping damage. Then lower the height of
cut as the thatch layer is reduced.
• Finally, do a comprehensive job communi­
cating the entire process to the membership,
step-by-step.

Jobn Garcia, The Patterson Club
Fairfield, CT
• Communicate, communicate, communicate
project details to your membership.
• Be sure that each green location has been
properly addressed for shade, drainage, irriga­
tion, root zone modification, traffic flow, etc.
You have one opportunity to establish the new
grass and build a strong root system. Regrass­
ing should be the last step in a comprehensive
improvement plan.
• Do not underestimate the need for constant,
aggressive mechanical thatch removal and
reduction.
• Sod selection is extremely important, so
start the process early. If possible, contractgrow the sod to your exact specifications. I
personally don’t care what the sod looks like
on the surface when delivered, as long as there
is little to no thatch.
• Be sure your sod has been aggressively Joe Alonzi, CGCS, Westchester Country
washed. Even the thinnest “ribbon” of native Club, Rye, NY
• Do plenty of research and ask a lot of ques­
soil can cause issues going forward.
tions. A lot happens in a very short period of
Ken Lalber, CGCS, The Queeliee Club
time.
• Communicate the project to the member­
Quechee, VT
• Figure out how to deal with the Poa pop­ ship before and during the project.
ulations in the surrounds, or renovate the • A tree removal program with membership
surrounds as well as the putting surfaces to involvement will save a lot of aggravation.
keep the new greens Poa-free for as long as • Secure the sod with a deposit as early as
possible.
possible.
• Keep lines of communication to the mem­
bership open. I ran weekly tours during the Marty Sommerfeld, Eagle Oaks Golf &
renovations for any member who signed up. I Country Club, Farmingdale, NJ
took at least 100 members around the nine • Do your due diligence.
holes we were renovating and answered their • Know your club’s expectations.
questions while educating them about the • Reserve sod in advance, and most impor­
steps involved in the process and why we were tant, use only washed sod.
doing some of the things we did. It was not only
informative, but also a great way to gain advo­ Thank you, also, to Chris Morris of Vesper
Country Club in Tyngsboro, MA, for particiin the survey.

Qualifiers in the Dave Mahoney Two-Ball
Championship
by Sean Cain, CGCS

(V ^/ —
y kies cleared April 26 for the 8) Bert Dickinson/Chip Lafferty

Willow Ridge CC/Rye GC
nearly 30 teams competing in the
vs.
third annual Dave Mahoney Two-Ball
Championship Qualifier held at Centennial 9) Scott Niven/Larry Pakkala
The Stanwich Club/Plant Food Company
Golf Club in Carmel, NY.
Golf Course Superintendent Glen Dube
and his staff did an outstanding job getting 5) Tom Ashfield/Andy Drohen
Quaker Ridge GC/Agrium Advanced
the course in shape, despite the inclement
Technologies
weather we had leading up to the event. Many
vs.
thanks to the entire staff at Centennial for
12) Grover Alexander/David Dudones
making this a special day.
Hudson Hills GC/North Jersey CC
Here’s a look at the day’s golf results, start­
ing with the Two-Ball Event.
4) Matt Ceplo/Jim Swiatlowski
Rockland CC/Montammy GC
vs.
Low Gross Winners
13) Bob DeMarco/Fred Montgomery
70 Tom Ashfield/Andy Drohen
Powelton Club/Syngenta
Quaker Ridge GC/Agrium Advanced
Technologies
6) Tony Hooks/Jeff Wentworth
Pelham/Split Rock GC/Pelham CC
72 Matt Ceplo/Jim Swiatlowski
vs.
Rockland CC/Montammy GC
11) Mark Chant/Mike Benz
Colonial Springs GC/Middle Bay CC
Low Net Winners
61 Dave Lippman/Matt Topazio
3) Tony Grasso/Scott Tretera
Westchester Turf Supply/New York CC
Metropolis CC/Metro Turf Specialist
vs.
65 Charlie Siemers/John Wickes
14) Guy Gurney/Ernie Steinhofer
Ira Wickes/Arborists
Orange CC/Metro Turf Specialists
f

Two-llnll Event Results

Closest to the Pin

Ernie Steinhofer, Metro Turf Specialists

Longest Drive

Dave Lippman, Westchester Turf Supply

7) Glen Dube/Blake Halderman
Centennial GC/Brae Burn CC
vs.
10) Ryan Batz/Scott Blough
John Deere Golf/Trump National GC/NY

2) Dave Lippman/Matt Topazio
Two-Hall Qimlifier Results
Westchester Turf Supply/New York CC
Here’s the lineup of Two-Ball Qualifiers,
vs.
along with their first-round match assign­ 15) Bob Lippman/Steve
McGlone
ments, which are underway:
Westchester Turf Supply/Siwanoy CC
First Flight

1) Sean Cain/Stephen Rabideau
Sunningdale CC/Wheatley Hills GC
vs.
16) Bye

Tee to Green May/June 2011

Second Flight

1) Ken Benoit/Greg Gutter
GlenArbor GC/Mount Kisco CC
vs.
16) Bye

8) Bob Nielsen/Bill Perlee
Bedford Golf & Tennis/Apawamis Club
vs.
9) Eddie Binsse/Dan Cancelled
Life A/Life AF

5) Paul Boyd/Matt Leverich
Greenwich CC/Playbooksfor Golf
vs.
12) Rob Alonzi/Bill Bartels
Fenway CC/Tanto Irrigation
4) Kevin Collins/Nick Lerner
Aquatrols, Inc./Bonnie Briar CC
vs.
13) Dennis Flynn/Peter Rappoccio
Class LA/Silver Spring CC
6) Brett Chapin/Greg Wojick
Redding CC/Playbooksfor Golf
vs.
11) George Corgan/Trapper Van Dunk
Steven Willand/Leewood GC
3) Tony Girardi/Glenn Perry
Rockrimmon CC/Rolling Hills CC
vs.
14) Mike Cook/Chris Alonzi
The Care of Trees/Elmwood CC
vs.
7) Joe Alonzi/Frank Amodio
Westchester CC/Valley View Greenhouses
vs.
10) Jake Green/Mike Reeb
CC of New Canaan
2) Jim Calladio/Mark Fuller
LaCorte Equipment/Connecticut GC
vs.
15) Kevin Seibel/Bob Wolverton
Century CC/Edgewood CC
For those who qualified to play in the TwoBall, please remember to complete your
matches by the following deadlines:
Round 1 ~ June 24
Quarter-Finals ~ July 29
Semi-Finals ~ September 2
Finals ~ October 7
Also note that the winning team from each
match is required to report its score to Sean
Cain, Tournament Committee Co-Chair.
Check the website for deadline reminders,
updated match results, and Sean’s contact
information.

Spotlight

Fenway Promises a Mighty-Fine Time
at Summer Social
by Ed Brockner, MetGCSA Executive Director

f ( J J n Tuesday, July 26, Superinten/ dent Rob Alonzi will host the
— MetGCSA’s 2011 Summer Social—
one of the association’s most popular events
of the year. What better setting for this spe­
cial event than Fenway’s picturesque English
Country Manor-style clubhouse. Built in
the 1920s, the manor was once part of a
40-acre Scarsdale estate called “The Or­
chards,” after the numerous apple trees on
the grounds. With its high ceilings and an­
tique charm, the mansion-turned-clubhouse
is the perfect spot for an evening of fine din­
ing and dancing with colleagues and friends.
This will be Rob’s second event since
assuming the superintendent’s position in
2008. He co-hosted the Met’s Invitational in
June that year with his father, Bob, who was
transitioning from Fenway’s superintendent
into retirement.
A Family Tradition

For Rob, turfgrass management has always
been a family affair, with his father Bob Alonzi
(LA member), his uncle Joe Alonzi (West­
chester CC), and his cousin Chris Alonzi
(Elmwood GC), working in the business.
Spending time with his father at work from
the time, as Rob puts it, he was “knee-high to
a grasshopper,” he learned early on what goes
into maintaining some of the finest courses in
the area, seeing first-hand, his father’s handi­
work in prepping for two major championships
at Winged Foot: the U.S. Open in 1984 and the
PGA Championship 1997.
Like his father and uncle, who are past
presidents of the MetGCSA, Rob is an active
member of the association. He was elected to
the Board of Directors in 2004, accepting,
first, the position of co-editor of the Tee to
Green and then advertising manager. Rob con­
tinues to serve on the board as chair of the
Education Committee.
Making a formidable family foursome, Rob,

Bob, Joe, and Chris were recognized in 2005
by the Met Golf Writers Association. Awarded
the organization’s Family of the Year Award, the
Alonzis were the first superintendents be­
stowed with this prestigious honor.
Ilramhing Out

After starting out as a business major at Iona,
Rob later transferred to UMass where he
earned a B.S. in plant and soil science. He
spent two summers interning with Bruce
Cadenelli at Caves Valley in Maryland.
“Working as an intern at Caves Valley was
a great experience,” says Rob. “It let me see
what went into maintaining courses in a dif­
ferent part of the country and branch out into
a new area.”
Eventually returning to the Met section,
Rob gained valuable experience working as
an assistant, first at Wykagyl (1995-1998)
with then Superintendent Steve Renzetti
and, then, at Tamarack under Superin­ “Starting in September,” says Rob, “we’ll be­
tendent Jeff Scott (1998-2000).
gin the installation of an all-new Toro irriga­
In January 2001, Rob landed his first tion system.”
superintendent’s position at St. Andrews Golf
Club, which enjoys the distinction of being
the oldest club in the U.S., dating back to At Homo With a New iienerat ioii
1888. Charged with raising the level of play­ Rob and his wife, Ann Marie, have been
ing conditions at the club, Rob led a number married for the past 11 years and live in
of projects in his seven-year tenure to en­ Greenwich with their two children: Nicholas,
hance both the course’s conditioning and 9, and Sarah, 6.
architecture.
Rob is very involved with his children’s
In 2008, Rob assumed his current position burgeoning interest in sports, both soccer
as superintendent at Fenway Golf Club.
and baseball (still T-ball for his daughter). A
Opened in 1924, Fenway is known as one bit of a sports enthusiast himself, Rob enjoys
of architect A.W. Tillinghast’s finest efforts. both watching and, when time permits,
Not a particularly long course, it provides all coaching Nicholas and Sarah’s practices and
that you can handle with deep bunkers that games.
Will we be adding another Alonzi to the
protect the severely undulated—and su­
perbly conditioned—greens.
growing line of superintendents? Only time
Shortly after signing on at Fenway, Rob will tell.
undertook several projects with architect Gil
See you all at the big event on the 26th.
Hanse to enhance the course and restore Be there or be square!
many of its classic Tillinghast features.

Tee to Green May/June 2011

d

Erik Feldman Hosts All-Neiv Scholarship
Awards Event at Mosholu
by Ed Brockner, MetGCSA Executive Director

W / W / hen MetGCSA members
Wyw
convened at Mosholu Golf
Course nearly four years ago, it
wasn’t to play golf, but rather to conduct asso­
ciation business at our November 2007
Annual Meeting. This summer, on August 4,
members will return to Mosholu for an all-new
event honoring this year’s MetGCSA scholar­
ship recipients.
Designed with family fun in mind, partici­
pants—a member and son or daughter—will
be invited to play in a nine-hole shot­
gun event (see page 11 for event details) on the
2,400-yard, par 32 public course that has
been virtually reborn, with nearly $5 million
devoted to renovating everything from the golf
course to maintenance facility and clubhouse.
About the Course

Interestingly, Mosholu was originally an 18hole course, thought to be designed by golf
course architect John Van Kleek, who had his
hand in designing more than half of the 13
public courses in New York City. Mosholu is
located in the Bronx’s sprawling 1,146-acre
Van Cortlandt Park, which is also home to
another golfing facility: the Van Cortlandt Golf
Course, built some 20 years earlier as the first
public course in the country.
In the 1980s, the course was reduced to
nine holes to allow for the construction of a
driving range, while additional holes along
busy Gun Hill Road were converted into open
parkland.
More recently, the course has undergone
another transformation: In 2001, it became
home to The First Tee of Metropolitan New
York, a nonprofit youth development initiative
intended to help inner city children build
character and life-enhancing values through
exposure to the game of golf.
From the very beginning, the MetGCSA,
along with The First Tee’s founding partners
at the MGA and MetPGA, supported the
new organization at Mosholu. Under then

Tee to Green May/June 2011

MetGCSA President John Carlone, Met mem­
bers offered agronomic counsel and pitched in
with their crews to help spruce up the course.
“It wasn’t a matter of if we would get involved,”
says John Carlone, “but rather how we would
get involved in this special effort.”
Soon after The First Tee assumed manage­
ment of the course, Erik Feldman was hired as
superintendent. Before he could get his feet
wet on the job, he learned another change was
in the works: The City’s Department of En­
vironmental Protection approved the construc­
tion of a 13-story, underground water filtration
plant where Mosholu’s maintenance facility,
driving range, and clubhouse were located.
Mosholu was forced to go back to the drawing
board and, with golf course architect Stephen
Kay’s guidance, rebuilt the course on a smaller
footprint.
“The course was reconfigured,” explains
Erik, “with a focus on making it more fun and
strategic, not just for the kids, but also for the
general public who have really enjoyed our
improvements. We also addressed a few safe­
ty issues,” adds Erik, “by eliminating some
blind shots, and we added a number of new
bunkers, tees, and greens with more interest­
ing contours.”
The work that’s been completed on the
course has matured beautifully, with Erik and
his small crew dutifully maintaining this hid­
den urban gem. In the next few years, the com­
plex will boast an all-new driving range, built
on top of the underground water treatment
facility due to be completed in 2013.
“Mosholu may be in the Bronx,” says Erik,
“but despite a few tall buildings you see
around the course, it has a beautiful natural
setting where people feel like they are escap­
ing from the City.”

thing from his mind. After attending Roger
Williams College, he worked a number of dif­
ferent jobs from stockbroker to restaurant
manager before finding himself at Bethpage
Black working alongside Craig Currier. “After
about a day there, I was hooked. I wanted to
become a golf course superintendent,” Erik
says.
He got himself up-to-speed in the industry
quickly. While continuing to work at Bethpage
Black, he pursued a degree in horticulture at
SUNY-Farmingdale and assisted Cornell’s Dr.
Frank Rossi with his field research on Evalu­
ation of Turf Management Systems with
Reduced Chemical Pesticide inputs. After
just two years with Craig Currier, Erik was
offered his first—and current—superintend­
ent’s job at Mosholu, where in his eight-year
tenure, he’s received nothing but high marks.
(In a Personal Nolo

Though Erik’s work is never done, he carves
out time for fun. “I like being outside,” he
says, “golfing, mountain biking, fishing. But
these days,” he adds, “I spend most of my free
time with my family and working on the house
we bought recently.” Erik currently lives in
Oyster Bay, NY, with his wife, Shelley, and
their three sons: Ryan, 7, and Devin and
Andrew, 4-year-old twins.
We thank Erik for hosting our new Schol­
Training l.immil
arship Event on August 4, allowing other
When Erik graduated from high school in his members of the MetGCSA to see first-hand
Huntington, NY, hometown, a career in turf- how all of his work at Mosholu has really
grass management was probably the farthest paid off!

FREE Family Fun at
New Awards Event

by Ed Brockner, MetGCSA Executive Director
or years, the MetGCSA has
awarded scholarships to members’ children through a rigorous
selection process by our committee, and 2011
will be no exception. This year, however, we
are having an extra-special event devoted to
recognizing our scholarship recipients: an
afternoon of golf at the Mosholu Golf Course’s
newly renovated nine-hole course, followed by
an informal reception and awards ceremony.
The event, scheduled for August 4, will be
FREE to all participants, and registration
won’t begin until 3 p.m. That means there’s no
need to miss a full day of work.
Hosting the event will be Erik Feldman,
Mosholu’s superintendent for the past eight
years. Home to The First Tee of Metropolitan
New York, Mosholu is centrally located in the
Bronx, just a driver and five-iron from the
Deegan Expressway.
The Way II Works

A MetGCSA member and one of their chil­
dren, will compete in a nine-hole shotgun
scramble so that all levels of golfers can enjoy
the day. Mom or Dad can be there to bail them
out in the scramble format if they get into
trouble out on the course!
Once our Scholarship Committee deter­
mines this year’s recipients, priority will be
given to MetGCSA members whose children
have received scholarships. The remainder of
the field—there’s space for 40 golfers—will
be filled with other association members and
their children.
Any scholarship recipients unable to at­
tend the nine-hole shotgun are still welcome
to join us later for food and drinks at the
reception and scholarship presentation.
Please send Ed Brockner an email at
edbrockner@hotmail.com to reserve your
place in the field. You will receive a notice to
remind you to sign up for this family-fun
event.
Below is the schedule for the day:
3:00
4:00
6:30

Registration
Nine-Hole Shotgun
Reception and Scholarship
Presentation

We look forward to this being the start of a
great tradition each summer, helping our
members’ children in their pursuit of higher
education, while providing the opportunity to
spend time away from work with family and
friends!

Upcoming Events

Don’t Miss These Upcoming Events!
Family Picnic

Tuesday, July 19
Bedford Village Memorial Park
Bedford, NY
Summer Social

Tuesday, July 26
Fenway Golf Club, Scarsdale, NY
Host: Rob Alonzi
Scholarship Awards Event

Thursday, August 4
Mosholu Golf Course
Bronx, NY
Host: Erik Feldman

Met Championship and Met Area
Team Championship Qualifier PLUS
The Poa Annual Tournament

Tuesday, September 6
Fresh Meadow Country Club
Scarsdale, NY
Host: Joe Gardner

Superintendent/Green Chairperson
Tournament

Monday, October 3
Mt. Kisco Country Club, Mt. Kisco, NY
Host: Greg Gutter

Industry Events
Rutgers Turfgrass Research Field Day
(Golf & Fine Turf)

Tuesday, July 26
Horticultural Farm II
New Brunswick, NJ
Save the date, and watch for details. Call
973-812-6467 or visit www.njturfgrass.org
for further information.
The 8th Annual Dr. Joseph Troll Turf
Classic

Tuesday, October 11
The Country Club
Brookline, MA
Superintendent Bill Spence will host this
year’s UMass Alumni Turf Group fundraiser
in support of turf education and research at
the University of Massachusetts.
The event, $450 per person, will include
golf, a cocktail reception, dinner, and awards
ceremony, which, this year, will honor our
meeting host, Bill Spence.
Please plan to attend this worthy fund­
raiser, and join us in honoring a deserving
fellow superintendent. Entry forms and addi­
tional information will be available online at
www.alu mn iturfgroup.com.

Annual Assistants Championship

Thursday, October 6
Redding Country Club, Redding, CT
Assistant Host: Steve Kubicki
Superintendent Host: Brett Chapin
Met Area Team Championship

Tuesday, October 25
Galloway National Golf Club
Galloway, NJ / Absecon, NJ
Host: Scott McBane

36th Annual New Jersey Green Expo
Turf and Landscape Conference

Tuesday-Thursday, December 6-8
Trump Taj Mahal Resort & Casino
Atlantic City, NJ
Watch for details!

MetGCSA Christmas Party

Friday, December 9
Sunningdale Golf Club
Scarsdale, NY
Host: Sean Cain, CGCS

Tee to Green May/June 2011

Member News

Round Hill Club Honored With Arthur R
Weber MGA
Environmental
Award
,
by M att C eplo CGCS

n Tuesday, March 22, the MGA
/ Foundation honored the Round Hill
Club in Greenwich, CT, with the annual
Arthur P Weber MGA Club Environmental
Award.
Presenting the award at the 2011 MGA/
USGA Green Chairman Education Series and
Awards Luncheon were Gene Westmoreland of
the MGA and MetGCSA Environmental
Chair and GlenArbor Super Ken Benoit, who
also holds the distinction of being last year’s
award recipient.
Designed to recognize an MGA member
club that has demonstrated environmental stew­
ardship through golf course maintenance, con­
struction, education, and research, the award
was accepted by Round Hill Clubs superin­
tendent, Sean Foley, and assistant superintend­
ent, Zach Brooks. Also there to enjoy the honor
was Round Hill Club Manager Dennis Meermans, who Sean was quick to credit with initiat­
ing a variety of conservation measures inside the
clubhouse.
The club’s multi-tiered approach to revamp­
ing its environmental policies began with a Rillfacility audit and resulted in fundamental

changes to clubwide policies, ranging from new
recycling methods to power conservation.
“It’s been a total team effort,” says Sean,
adding, “The whole club has embraced becom­
ing more aware of environmentally responsible
practices.”
Sean provided his maintenance staff with
training that has not only heightened their envi­
ronmental awareness and responsibility, but also
reaped financial rewards for the operation.
“By increasing the club’s native areas and
adjusting our watering practices, we’ve reduced
water use and electrical costs by 15 to 17 per­
cent,” says Sean, noting he’s also reduced chem­
ical applications by working to control weeds
with spot-spraying. “I also try to steer clear of
old chemistries like Dursban that kill every­
thing,” says Sean. “From the members’ perspec­
tive, the less toxic the chemicals we use, the
better.”
The award, now in its fifth year, is named in
honor of past MGA President Arthur R Web­
er, who died in 2008. Weber wrote an Environ­
mental Code of Conduct for golf course
maintenance at his home club nearly two de­
cades ago that many Met area clubs still use as a

Certified Supers Recognized by GCSAA
( J

our MetGCSA superintendents
/ were recognized, along with 45
other GCSAA members, for reaching
their 25th year of certified status and com­
pleting their fifth set of renewal requirements.
“Twenty-five percent of GCSAA’s Class A
members have achieved the highest level of
recognition through the CGCS professional
designation,” said GCSAA President Robert
Randquist, one of the 45 superintendents
honored for 25 years of CGCS designation.
“This program requires the demonstration of
a higher set of competencies in golf course
management through testing and pmctical

application. Employers can feel confident
they’ve hired a career professional who has
made a strong commitment to professional
development.”
Congratulations to:
• Joseph Alonzi of Westchester Country
Club in Rye, NY
• Steve Finamore of Alpine Country Club
in Demarest, NJ
• Scott Niven of The Stanwich Club in
Greenwich, CT
• Michael C. Reeh of Country Club of New
Canaan in New Canaan, CT

Round Hill Club Manager Dennis Meermans
(left), Assistant Super Zac It Brooks and
GlenArbor Super Ken Benoit (right) join
MGA Environmental Award winner Sean
Foley (with plaque) at the Awards Luncheon.

,

model. Weber was a longtime member of the
USGA Green Section and helped found the
MGA Green Committee and the Tri-State Turf
Research Foundation.
Congratulations to Sean Foley and the entire
Round Hill Club staff for their hard work and
dedication to our all-important environment.
Kudos, also, to two clubs that received honor­
able mention at this year’s awards ceremony:
Manhattan Woods in West Nyack, NY, where
Jesse Shannon is superintendent, and Newton
Country Club in Newton, NJ, where Les Car­
penter is superintendent.
Matt Ceplo, a member of the Tee to Green
Editorial Committee, is superintendent of
Rockland Country Club in Sparkill, NY, and a
past president of the MetGCSA.
New Member

Please join us in welcoming new Met
member Fred Montgomery, CGCS,
Class AF, of Syngenta Crop Travel in
Ballston Lake, NY.
Member on the Move

Josh Rciger is the new superintendent
at Spring Lake Golf Course in Spring
Lake Heights, NJ. Previous position:
Assistant Superintendent at Wee Burn
Country Club in Darien, CT.
Well Wishes

Wishing retired Waccabuc Superintend­
ent Eddie Binsse a speedy recovery. He
is home recuperating after suffering a
stroke on June 6.
In Sympathy

We would like to offer our sincere condo­
lences to Greg Wojick of Playbooks for
Golf. His mother, Amelia Wojick, passed
away on June 15 after a long illness.
Tee to Green May/June 2011

i d

/

atron Directory
ì i

O 3 6 0 GOLF
O LaCorte Equipment ~ John D eere
Golf
Chad Lemere
“Fastest Growing Golf & Turf Distributor
Golf Course Construction
in the Northeast”
914-625-0676
Gale Stenquist / Jim Calladio /
914-630-4230
Scott Ferguson
contact@360golfonline.com
800-560-3373 ext 4
© A.G. Enterprises
Fax: 631-591-3447
Staff Uniforms
golf@lacorteequipment.com
Rick Gordon
Lebanon Turf
201-488-1276
“Best of All Worlds”
Fax:201-48 93830
merrick 160@aol .com
1600 E. Cumberland Street
Lebanon, PA 17042
www.AGEnterprisesonline.com
800-233-0628
Argento & Sons, Inc.
© Leggette, Brashears & Graham,
Louis Argento
Inc.
1 Prospect Avenue
Hydrogeologic Consulting &
White Plains, NY 10607
914-949-1152
Environmental Engineering Services
Rob Good
Fax: 914-948-0255
860-678-0404
louis@argentoandsons.com
rgood@lbgct.com
© BASF
© Matrix Turf Solutions, LLC
John Bresnahan
Gregory R. Moran
www.BetterTurf.com
259 Lucas Avenue
John.Bresnahan@basf.com
Kingston, NY 12401
© Bayer Environmental Science
845-338-3650
“Backed by Bayer”
Cell: 845-849-8640
Dave Sylvester
gmoran@matrixturf.com
860-841-3173
© Metro Turf Specialists
DeLea Sod Farms
“Customers, Our Top Priority”
Bentgrass, Fescue, & Bluegrass Sod
Scott / Ernie / Rob / Tim J. / Dave /
& U.S. Silica Topdressing
Tim G.
Mike Hollander / Scott Geiser
203-748-4653
800-344-7637
www.metroturfspecialists.com
www.deleasodfarms.com
Morris Golf
© D ryjct N .E. / TurfPounders
Ed Doin / Rich LaBar / Mike Morris
“Your Aerification Solution”
48 Red Gate Road
Kevin Collins / Steve Jordan /
Morristown, NJ 07960
Bob Lippman
973-600-9249
914-672-6029
Fax: 908-766-7747
Fax: 845-228-1728
richl@morrisgolf.com
mccl0512@yahoo.com
National Lawn Sprinklers, Ine.
DuPont Professional Protiucts
John Luciano
Acelpryn & Provaunt Insecticides
645 N. Broadway
Jason Mulcahy
White Plains, NY 10603
603-340-4970
914-946-6666
www.proproducts.dupont.com
Fax: 914-949-6453
john@natlawn.com
© Growth Products, LTD
www.natlawn.com
Howie Gold
80 Lafayette Avenue
Nutrite
White Plains, NY 10603
Supplier of Turf & Specialty
800-648-7626
Fertilizers
Fax: 914-428-2780
Bob Griffin
hgold@growthproducts.com
Cell: 401-862-5873
Fax: 401-849-0888
© Harrell’s
bgriffin@nutrite.com
“Growing a Better World. Partners
for Success”
Joe Stahl: 203-209-6951

© Ocean Organics Corp.
Science-based, Sustainable, HighPerformance Turf Products
Doug Middleton / Bill Middleton
800-628-GROW (4769)
Cell: 734-846-4167
doug@oceanorganics.com
© Pinnacle Turf, Inc.
Steven Renzetti, CGCS
914-384-9227
www.Pinnacleturf.com
srenzetti@verizon.net
© Plant Food Company, Inc.
“The Liquid Fertilizer Experts”
Larry Pakkala, CGCS: 203-505-3750
Tom Weinert: 914-262-0111
Dick Neufeld: 973-945-6318
© Play books for Golf
Golf Course Field Guides, Aerials,
Consulting, Career Development
Greg Wojick, CGCS: 201-219-0254
Matt Leverich: 913-221-8052
www.goplaybooks.com
203-210-5623
© Quali-Pro
Quality Turf and Ornamental Products
Phil O’Brien
856-252-4725
PhilO@quali-pro.com
Soil Solutions, LLC
Aerification Professionals
Anthony Decicco / John Decicco
7 Whittemore Place
Ryebrook, NY 10573
914393-0659 / Fax: 914-9393010
© Steven Willand, Inc.
George Coigan
4 Production Drive
Brookfield, CT 06804
203-775-5757
www.StevenWillandInc.com
© Syngenta
Fred Montgomery, CGCS
23 Roslyn Drive
Ballston Lake, NY 12019
518-424-0760 / Fax: 518399-6588
Fred.Montgomery @syngenta. com
O Tanto Irrigation? LLC
William Bartels
914-347-5151 / Fax: 914-347-6323
wbartels@tantoirrigation.com
© The Cardinals, Inc.
Complete Distributor of Golf Course
Accessories
& Turf Maintenance Supplies
John Callahan
800-861-6256

O The Care of Trees
Mike Cook, NY: 914-345-8733
Ken Clear, CT: 203-847-1855
www.thecareoftrees.com
© The Terre Company of New
Jersey, Inc.
Seed, Pesticides, Nursery Stock, &
Fertilizer
Byron Johnson
973-473-3393
Fax: 973-473-4402
bfleury@terrecompany.com
© Tom Irwin Inc.
“With Tom Irwin, You Are Not
Alone”
Rob Larson / Jeff Houde
800-582-5959
Fax: 781-273-4804
© Turf Products LLC / TORO
Toro Irrigation & Equipment
Pat Cragin: 860-874-2812
Main Office: 800-243-4355
U.S. Silica
All Sands Meet USGA
Requirements
Mike Barnet
P0. Box 254
Mauricetown, NJ 08329
856-785-0720
© Valley View Greenhouses
“The Biggest, The Freshest,
The Best in Plants”
Frank Amodio
914-533-2526
vvgh@aol.com
© Westchester Tractor, Inc.
John Apple
60 International Boulevard
Brewster, NY 10509
845-278-7766
www.wtractor.com
© Westchester Turf Supply, Inc.
“Serving the MetGCSA for 35
Years”
Bob Lippman: 914-447-6257
Dave Lippman: 914-447-5192
© Wilfred M acDonald, Inc.
Glenn Gallion
19 Central Boulevard
S. Hackensack, NJ 07606
888-831-0891
Cell: 201-954-5878

__________

Patrons listed on this page are supporting our association.
You are encouraged to support them.

■

!*

1

M etro

C ^ ality T u r f E q u ip m e n t

PLANT '
FOOD
COMPANY INC.

Eagle Sponsors

thecareoftrees

' ^

g r o w t h

'

Jy PRODUCTS