August/SeptiîmbtM* 2012
VOLUME 42 NUMBER

Published by thi* Metropolitan Roll Course Superintendents Association

Board of Directors

President
RO B ERT NIELSEN JR ., CGCS
Bedford G olf & Tennis Club

Vice President
BLAKE HALDERM AN, CGCS
Brae Burn Country Club

Secretary
G olf Club of
Purchase.

GLEN DUBE, CGCS
Centennial G olf Club

Treasurer
DAVID D U D O N ES
North Jersey Country Club

Past President
A N T H O N Y M. GIRARDI, CGCS
Rockrimmon Country Club

Directors
R O BERT B. ALO NZI, JR .
Fenway G olf Club

K E N N E T H B EN O IT JR ., CGCS
GlenArbor Club

SEAN CAIN, CGCS
Sunningdale Country Club

B RETT CH A PIN
Redding Country Club

PAUL G ON ZA LEZ, CGCS
The Whippoorwill Club

V IN C E N T PAVONETTI, CGCS
Fairview Country Club

Class AF Rep
M ICH AEL C O O K
The Care o f Trees

Class C Rep
D O U G VANDERLEE

ii this Issue
Feature

Westchester Country Club

Executive Director
ED B R O C K N E R

Executive Secretary
IN EKE P IE R P O IN T

Tee to Green Staff
Editor
JIM PAVONETTI
203-531-8910
Managing Editor
PANDORA C.WOJICK
Editorial Committee
' MATT CEPLO
SCOTT NIVEN
ERIC O ’NEILL
KEVIN COLLINS
BILLCYGAN
LARRY PAKKALA
CHIPLAFFERTY
MIKE REEB
RYAN SEGRUE
E V E N MCGLONE
GREG WOJICK

L ove T hy N e ig h b o r ............................................. .
Area Superintendents Go Above-and-Beyond to
Handle Neighbor Nuisances

Departments
U p c o m in g E v e n t s ............................................................................................... 5
M em ber N ew s ..................................................................................................... 6
Scorecards ..............................................................................................................8
S p o tlig h ts..............................................................................................................10

Designer
TERRIE YOUNG
Advertising Managers
BRETT CHAPIN, 203-938-9240
TEE TO GREEN

is published bimonthly by the Metropolitan Golf
Course Superintendents Association

4 9 Knollwood Road, Elmsford, NY 1 052 3-2819
914-347-465 3, FAX: 914-347-343 7, METGCSA.ORG
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Current Periodicals
DO NOT CIRCULATE

MAR 1 1 2013
MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY
LIBRARIES

pening the first week in March sure
does make it seem like'our season has been
dragging on forever. But now that we actu­
ally have a 10-day forecast without any 80s
or 90s in it, it seems safe to say that the sea­
son we thought would never end, might
actually be coming to a close! Frankly, I
don’t know how our Southern counterparts
do it!
I just can’t believe I still have some Hyperodes weevil out there making their mark. I
think they appeared the second week in
March and have been a pain in the @#! ever
since. Perhaps the inch-and-a-half of rain
and these cool temperatures will allow the
grass to get ahead of them.

Speaking of the End of the Season...
What a finale to our golf season. The Super­
intendent/Green Chair event held at the
Golf Club of Purchase and the Assistants
Championship at Old Oaks brings a close to
a great season of events for the Met. Thanks
to Bob Miller and Mark Millett and his
assistants Jason Anderson and Todd Stites, as
well as all of the superintendents for hosting
events this season.
If the weather holds out in November, you
may actually have another shot at nine holes
of golf at our Annual Meeting here at
Bedford Golf & Tennis. O f course, last year
showed us what late October and early
November can bring!

Environmental IIMP Manual in the
Works
Also in November is the NYSTA T urf &
Grounds Exposition in Rochester. (See Up­
coming Events, page 5.) Not only can you
hear some great talks on the latest and great­
est in tu rf management, but there are 21.5
DEC 3A credits available and 1.8 GCSAA
credits.
This year’s T urf & Grounds Expo is also
going to allow the New York State affiliated
chapter presidents to get together and meet
the authors who are developing the environ­
mental best management practices for New
York State. This manual, which was dis­
cussed last year at the GIS in Las Vegas and
at Lobby Day in March, is being developed
along the same lines as the Virginia and
Florida BMP manuals for golf courses. It will

.

Bob Nielsen, C G C S
M etGCSA President

cover all aspects of golf course management
and how each of our practices influences the
environment. The manual will be written
so that it can be used not only by golf course
superintendents, but by regulators and legis­
lators as well.
Ken Benoit and our Environmental Com­
mittee have been hard at work getting a
technical editor (Stacy Kingsbury, editor of
the Virginia BMP manual) to sit down with
the authors from Cornell to develop this
manual. That meeting will take place in
early October and should outline the chap­
ters and appendices of the manual. All of the
authors discussed the manual in a confer­
ence call and are eager to begin working on
their respective sections. NYSTA has been
extremely helpful in coordinating funds,
meeting sites, and venues to get the NYS
chapters together. Thank you Beth Seme,
Mike Maffei, and the NYSTA board!
Meetings were held with the NYSDEC
and the Department of Agriculture and
Markets to get them on board with the
manual. These meetings have been very pos­
itive, and both departments are eager to
review and offer their feedback on the man­
ual. It would be nice if this effort opened the
door to future discussions regarding golf.
Watch for an upcoming article detailing the
goals and timeline for this manual.
With the cooler temperatures and, hope­
fully, adequate rainfall, perhaps we can take
a little time to reacquaint ourselves with
family and friends. We might even be able
to enjoy a day off for golf—at someone else’s
golf course, of course!
Bob Nielsen, CGCS
President

Tee to Green August/Septem ber 2012

The remedy? Sadly, there’s no easy
answer. But there a few steps you can take to
smooth the way for a more harmonious
coexistence with your neighbors. Read on,
not just for pat rules and regulations, but for
real-life stories from your counterparts
who have found resolutions to a number of
not-so-simple situations.

1

I
by Steven McGlone

he MetGCSA and it^
golf courses lie within one o1
tion’s most populated areas. The New
York Metropolitan area encompasses 11,850
square miles and has a population of more
than 22 million. It’s no surprise, then, that
many area golf courses and private resi­
dences are, perhaps, a little too close for
comfort.
O f course, it wasn’t always that way. A
large majority of the golf courses within
our association were built in the early to
mid-1900s, prior to the baby boom and sub­
sequent explosion of home construction. As
time passed, forests, fields, and farms around
golf courses were replaced with homes, con-

Tee to Green August/September 2012

V\ \
dominiums,, apartments, schools^ nursing
homes, and ev&n strip malls. This encroach­
ment created the spark that, for some
courses, has led to an inferno of disputes be­
tween golf courses and neighboring prop­
erty owners.
Yup. When golf course neighbors call, you
can be sure it’s not to discuss what a stellar
job the course maintenance crew is doing.
Chances are it has something to do with a
perceived violation of a noise ordinance,
sight line visibility, errant golf balls, un­
sightly construction equipment, or property
line vegetative growth. Whatever the gripe,
few area superintendents get through a sea­
son without interactions with neighboring
property owners.

The cities, towns, and villages in and around
the Met all have different ordinances that
golf courses must adhere to. Be sure to con­
sult your town website or local Town Hall
for details on how they affect the courses in
your area. They are, after all, law, which
means they can result in a fine, if a neighbor
decides to blow the whistle.
Noise ordinances are among the most
meddlesome for golf courses. They limit
audible noise over a certain number of deci­
bels at certain times of day. In many towns,
Monday through Friday you’re not free to
rev up the blowers or mowers until 6, 7, or
even 8 a.m. and then shut down as early as 6
p.m. in some towns. On Saturday and
Sunday, most towns expect you to keep the
noise down until 9 or 10 a.m.
These laws are in effect for good reason.
Would you want your neighbor blowing
leaves before 6 a.m. on a Sunday? Heck no.
Unfortunately, though, many golf course
superintendents having to prep the course
for an early tee time are put between a rock
and a hard place.
Greenwich Country Club was one of
countless Met area clubs that faced whistle­
blowing neighbors... well, at least one who,
apparently, was so disgruntled by early
morning leaf blowing she went one dra­
matic step beyond regularly calling the club
and then police on the workers: She strung
up a banner that was at least 20 feet long
between two trees on her property line that
was boldly printed with the words: “BAN
THE BLOWERS!”
“Then one day,” says Greenwich Super­
intendent Paul Boyd, “the complaining
stopped—after we found her underage
grandson’s wallet among the rubble of a
party—complete with alcoholic bever­
ages— that had clearly taken place on our
ninth tee the night before. The president of
the club returned the wallet to the neighbor
without pressing charges but not before
making arrangements for her to take down
the sign and stop the complaining.”
On one hand is the need to present a
clean golf course for weekend play, and on
the other hand is the need to respect the law
and nearby homeowners. Here at Siwanoy
Country Club, where we have private resi­
dences along the first three holes, we find it
particularly challenging to prepare the

course for early morning play. To pour salt in
a wound, Siwanoy also has a gravel service
road along the second hole that we have to
use for our utility vehicles. From the loud
metal spring rake in the aluminum cargo
bed to the rickety trailer hitch hauling the
greens mower, early morning property line
noise is inevitable. Most of the complaints
from our neighbors occur in the spring and
fall when people are more apt to sleep with
their windows open.
None of our workers have been hauled off
the course by law enforcement officers yet,
but it s not that this hasn’t happened. At least
one course on Long Island that I know of did
have this experience a number of years ago,
when an employee caught “violating” a noise
ordinance was taken off his mower and the
course. It seemed an unhappy neighbor
called the city every other day to complain
about a variety of noises that had been oc­
curring on the course— everything from the
shutting of a tailgate on a truck to the crew
leaving the maintenance area.
In addition to purchasing an electric
greens mower and moving equipment to
another building that allows equipment to
come on the course at an entry point farther
from neighboring homes, this club actually
sought a variance on the townships noise
ordinance. Interestingly, they discovered—
and were able to prove— that car traffic
going down the road often makes more
noise than their golf course work. They can
now cut their greens on Saturday and Sun­
day before 6 a.m.

Beyond Mowers and Blowers
Brae Burn’s Blake Halderman had noise con­
cerns that went beyond his course grooming
activities. In Purchase, he claims the allowed
decibel levels are so low that even a car
door shutting would probably be over them.
That’s why when he felt the need to install
fans on two greens that bordered neighbor­
ing homes, he avoided going to the Town
boards for permission. “They would have
pulled out the decibel level minimums, and

there’s no way we would have gotten a per­
mit for them,” says Blake.
Though portable fans are allowed with­
out permits, they’re noisier and less desirable
than the of standard electric ones. So to get
what he wanted, Blake bought the fans and
then, rather than bolt them to the ground
by the greens, he put them on very small
greens mower trailers.
“If the fans can be moved, they’re not
considered ‘permanent’ and then don’t re­
quire a permit,” explains Blake. Now, even if
a neighbor does complain, there’s not much
anyone can do. And so far so good. “Sur­
prisingly,” says Blake, “no one has com­
plained, and the great news is those greens
with the fans were the best ones on the
course this summer. I wish I had 16 more!”
Paul Boyd also found himself embroiled
in a noise issue of another kind: Heated de­
bates over the shots heard from miles
around Greenwich Country Club’s skeet
and trap facility. “We’ve had many com­
plaints over the years about the operation of
this facility,” says Paul, “and though the
decibel rating at the property lines do com­
ply with local ordinances, residents have
succeeded in having the facility’s hours of
operation reduced.
“One family who bought a house along
the property several summers ago, pro­
ceeded to sue their real estate agent for
nondisclosure once they heard the shots. I’m
not sure of the outcome of that suit, but this
neighbor has been lobbying to shut down
the gun club ever since. This past winter we
removed a 10-foot berm in front of the
skeet fields and leveled the area for parking.
This neighbor, of course, wasted no time
in calling the town, insisting this change
would increase the noise level at his prop­
erty; he even claimed to have the audio test­
ing to prove it. It turned out we were still in
compliance,” says Paul, adding that to show
goodwill to the neighbor and town, the club
did construct a fence where the berm had
stood. “It remains to be seen what the new
skeet and trap season will bring!”

Bo Good Fences Really Make Good
Neighbors?
Superintendents are also plagued by a vari­
ety of property line issues. Whether it has to
do with fencing, trees, shrubs and vines, or
leaf debris ... there’s always an opportunity
for a dispute.
Like any good neighbor, golf courses are
responsible for keeping what’s on their prop­
erty under control. But it should go both
ways—unless you’re Brae Burn’s Blake
Halderman who will do whatever he can to
ensure neighbors look kindly on their early
morning mowing and blowing activities.
“When trees fall from the course to my
neighbors’ property, we clean it up, and when
a tree falls from their property to ours, we
clean it up—even when it’s clearly the
responsibility of the property owner based
on where the tree lies,” says Blake, adding,
“We’ll fix fences, clean backyards when they
flood; the list goes on. Whatever we can do
to keep them happy.”
O f course, there was one instance where
Brae Burn and a neighbor had to strike an
agreement: “One neighbor on our 15th hole
purchased an older house and completely
renovated it,” says Blake. “In the process, the
people decided to cut our trees down 90 feet
into our property. (Funny. It’s usually the
other way around!).” Again, the club tried to
be as nice as possible, and instead of pressing
charges, worked out an agreement: The
neighbor would replant 15 trees. “The
neighbor paid us $12K to purchase and plant
the trees,” says Blake. “And we’ve had no
issues since—unless you count the fact that a
portion of the waterfall the neighbor put in
his backyard is on our property!”
Fairview’sJim Pavonetti has a slightly dif­
ferent tale to tell. When he worked at The
Edison Club in upstate New York, he was
doing what he thought was a good thing by
pruning dead trees and limbs that lined both
a neighbor’s property and the club parking
lot and that posed a threat to members’ cars.
Rather than getting a thank you for
maintaining the property line area,Jim got a
tongue-lashing. “The neighbor came out
yelling that he was sick and tired of the club
trying to steal his land,” Jim remembers.
“We were able to show him that the trees
were on club property, but he still wasn’t
happy. He lined the perimeter of his prop­
erty—and the club’s—with this horrible­
looking orange construction fencing with
‘No Trespassing’ signs on it. The most amaz­
ing part of that story,” adds Jim, “is that that
fencing remains—seven years later!” What
some neighbors will do to get their point
across.
Jim couldn’t be more pleased, now, at
Fairview, where the club’s only neighbors
aren't homeowners.
Tee to Green August/September 2 0 1 2

Stanwich Club’s Scott Niven isn’t so
Youmight think that homeowners should know what
lucky. The club is surrounded not by just
they’re getting into when they move into a house that
homes, but large estates, on just about every
side of the course, so property line disputes
borders a golf course. But things aren’t always so simple
are more the rule than the exception. “I
when the law is involved.
can’t go a season without some sort of con­
frontation,” says Scott.
To remedy the issue, the club considered a
owner’s large, second-floor window, and the
“One of the craziest,” says Scott, “was a glass shatters onto the patio.
large net, but because they’d have to meet
neighbor who did a survey of his property
the town’s Planning Board and Zoning
Mr. Golfer can do one of two things: He
and found that we were mowing about can fess up to the neighbor and make ar­
Board requirements, they realized it was too
4,000 square feet of his land (quite a long rangements to pay for the repairs, or he can
complicated and costly a process ($40K in
way from his house, by the way). He came hope no one is home, tee up another ball
engineering and lawyers’ fees, when all was
to us and said that we could ‘own’ that (with a different club of course), and ignore
said and done!). A simpler, more aesthetic
slice of property if we gave his family a the fact he caused damage to someone’s solution, they decided, was to go with 40free membership. As you can imagine,” says property. Sadly, the latter is often the case
to 60-foot woodland trees. But because the
Scott, “that offer fell on deaf ears, and even­ and results in the club being put into a tough
trees were tall and skinny, they also had to
tually the neighbors forgot all about that lit­ position.
put up a temporary net to protect the
tle slice of land.”
When homeowners discover this type of neighbor’s property until the trees filled in.
Yet another neighbor wanted the club to damage, they will usually call the course and That entire project ran $10K.
stop dumping clippings on “her” land in the demand payment for the window repair, and
But nothing is simple. “We needed to
woods near her house. “When I had the area in some cases further damage. Some courses
extend the net onto the other neighbor’s
surveyed,” says Scott, “we found out that will gladly oblige to cover the damages with
property too,” says Blake. “So as a friendly
about 50 feet of the land she thought was their insurance carrier to keep their neigh­
gesture, we agreed to cut a couple large
hers was actually the club’s. When I told her bor content. Other clubs, however, will sim­
trees for them and then planted a number
this, she looked at me sadly and said, ‘I feel ply site the law and offer assistance in
of nice flowering trees on the golf course
like I just lost my right arm.’ Well, I guess finding the guilty party.
right outside their property line. They were
she’s off licking her wounds because we
pleased with the soft screening, which also
In most towns within the Met, the person
never heard from her again.”
allowed for views of the course. Phew!
who hit the ball is liable for the entire flight
Perhaps one of the most challenging, and of the ball and the damages it may cause. We Problem averted.”
recent battles at Stanwich, had to do with all know this situation well and, for the most
Two of the most dramatic— if not infa­
drainage. “Three homes on one side of our part, see both sides of the issue.
mous—battles over golf balls in West­
property complained individually that our
chester County were at Quaker Ridge and
Whether or not the golf course compen­
drainage pipes, most of which were day sates homeowners for damages incurred by Winged Foot. Both clubs received court
lighted in the woods on our property well its players or members’ errant golf balls, one
mandates to close the holes where golf balls
before the houses were constructed, were thing is important: Make sure you stay con­
were entering their neighbor’s property
flooding their basements, driveways, etc.,” sistent with your responses. Precedent can
until the issues were resolved. At Winged
says Scott. “Trying to be a good neighbor, be made with only one move and once a Foot, the neighbor was so enraged by the
we accommodated all of them by rerouting move has been made, it can’t be taken back.
number of golf balls—and people searching
the pipes to locations on our property.
(This holds true for concessions made in any for them—crossing into his “territory,” he
On another side of Stanwich’s golf course, situation.)
actually hired a person to sit every day for
it was the property owner who had to make
several weeks and record the number of
Brae Burn’s errant golf balls weren’t caus­
amends. “This neighbor decided to trim up ing damage, just distress. “One of our neigh­
balls that entered the property. In the end,
about a dozen large trees so that he would bors was new to their house, and of course,
the club settled the dispute by purchasing
have ‘a nice view of the golf course,”’ says had been told by their realtor that they’d get
the neighbor’s house and property and put­
Scott. When we discovered his handy work, only a few balls from time to time,” says ting in a sizable number of screening plant­
many members at the club were quite angry Blake. “The reality: They couldn’t use their
ings in preparation for resale of the
about being able to see his house. That con­ pool without fear of getting hit, and worse,
property.
frontation ended in the neighbor paying they had two little kids. Fortunately, these
At Quaker Ridge, the end result was the
$12K to plant new trees that would eventu­ neighbors were willing to work with us on
club being responsible for the purchase and
ally cover up the view he had created.”
installation of a 40-foot-high barrier net
correcting the problem, so it never got ugly
and tree plantings along the second hole.
or out of hand.”
The situation was costly and is still a sore
When the Ball’s in YOUR Court
subject between the two parties.
Each year, the distance and height that a golf
ball travels off the face of our drivers
Keep Everyone In the Know’
increase (at least for most of us). Picture this,
a long dogleg right par 4 along a property
It’s always wise to keep the lines of com­
line. Mr. Golfer tees the ball high, brings the
munication open with neighbors, and then
club back, makes a beautiful pause at the
with crew and club officials to be sure
top, swings his arms through and WHAMeveryone is on board with any agreements
MO, he didn’t quite get all of it. The ball
made or discussed.
starts straight, quietly rises, then takes an
Greenwich Country Club’s Paul Boyd
about-face on a hard-right vector toward
has had to keep his crew and club officials
the neighbor’s property. The silence ends as
apprised of what they thought was a dead
the golf ball passes through the home­
Tee to Green August/Septem ber 2 0 1 2

issue: the noise dispute on number nine.
After a number of years’ hiatus, the meddle­
some, noise-averse neighbor fired back at the
crews activities again with regular calls to
the “authorities.”
“W ithout another grandson to hold over
this neighbor,” says Paul, “we had to get a lit­
tle more creative. We brought in an acoustic
sound engineer to take noise readings at her
property line and tested every machine used
in the mornings. We determined the arc that
each machine must stay out of in the morn­
ings and gave her a drawing detailing the
areas that we agreed to be ‘out of bounds’ for
morning work. O f course, it showed that
most of her claims were unjustified, and de­
spite the fact that my crew diligently adheres
to the new plan, we still get random com­
plaints here or there.”
When there’s a particularly sensitive situa­
tion with a neighbor at Siwanoy, I try to
teach my crew that if a tee only has a few
leaves on it, don’t start up the backpack
blower to blast the tee. Simply use a rake or
pick them up by hand. This may take a bit
more time and effort, but in the end, it will
keep the peace—literally!
Similarly, it pays to keep neighbors in­
formed of an upcoming construction project
that may present an inconvenience to them.
Let them know your plans and assure them
that every effort will be made to minimize
noise or other disturbances.
As we’ve seen, tree management projects
along or near property lines can also create
hard feelings. Even though your neighbors
have no right to dictate which trees you can
prune or remove, if you know that’s a sore
subject with certain adjoining property
owners, I’ve found it often helps to speak
with them— before the arborist arrives. I try
to show them that our tree removal isn’t
arbitrary but rather has an important pur­
pose for the health and welfare of the golf
course and— depending on exactly where
the trees are— their property. When they’re
given a solid rationale, they’re less likely to
become agitated when their vista changes.

In the End, the Law’s the Law
You might think that homeowners should
know what they’re getting into when they
move into a house that borders a golf course.
But things aren’t always so simple when the
law is involved. Be sure to know your local
ordinances on all those pesky issues that can
arise when you’re just doing your job. In the
end, ensuring all parties understand the need
to manage our local courses can go a long
way toward keeping the peace, and avoiding
legal hassles and headaches.
Steven McGlone, a member of the Tee to Green
Editorial Committee, is superintendent at Siwanoy
Country Club in Bronxville, NY

A Few Oddball
Occurrences

jpcoming Events

Year-End
Happenings
Met Area Team Championship
Thursday, October 18
The Stanwich Club
Greenwich, CT
Host: Scott Niven, CGCS
“A neighboring resident every Tuesday
decides to put his trash into the recepta­
cle on our 14th tee! We are a city-owned
course, but I didn’t realize we had a trash
route as well!” laughs Rye Golf Club’s
Chip Lafferty.
“Due to noise complaints from several
neighbors, we purchased electric greens
mowers,” says Millbrook Club’s Doug
Snyder. “After using the new mowers, we
asked the neighbors if they were content
on the reduction in noise. We were not
prepared for what came next: They told
us it was the leaf blower causing the
noise, not the mower! We do like the
mowers though.”
“At Siwanoy, our seventh hole borders an
equestrian center. One day, an errant
shot hit a horse, which then bucked its
rider to the ground. Fortunately, nobody
was hurt— except the horse . . . and no
one pressed charges!”
“Our easy access from many streets
makes us a prime destination for joggers,
walkers, dog walkers, and bicyclists,” says
Pelham Country Club Jeff Wentworth.
“I nicely informed one chap that he
could not jog on the course and to exit
on to Mt. Tom Road. His reply: ‘I can’t
run on pavement. I am going to sue you
when I can’t walk from my injuries.
Fortunately, that was just an idle threat!”
“When we started having fireworks on
July 4 at the club, a neighbor became so
concerned— and vocal— about cinders
from the fireworks display landing on
his home and setting it on fire, that we
had to appease him by hiring workers
from the town Fire Department every
year to watch his house,” says Stanwich’s
Scott Niven. “The kicker: The Fire Chief
claimed that, with the type of roof tiles
this neighbor has, you couldn’t start that
roof on fire with a blow torch!”

Annual Meeting
Wednesday, November 7
Bedford Golf & Tennis Club
Bedford, NY
Host: Bob Nielsen, CGCS
MetGCSA/CAGCS Fall Seminar
Wednesday, November 28
The Patterson Club
Fairfield, CT
Host: Jason Meersman
MetGCSA Christmas Party
Friday, November 30
Brae Burn Country Club
Purchase NY
Host: Blake Halderman, CGCS
Educational Events
Turf & Grounds Exposition
Tuesday-Thursday, November 13—15
Rochester Riverside Convention Center,
Rochester, NY
The Turf & Grounds Exposition offers an
excellent opportunity to network, obtain
research updates, and visit the trade show,
featuring more than 100 exhibitors. As
always, key speakers representing all seg­
ments of the green industry will be
featured.
For further information, call the show
office at 800-873-8873 or 518-783-1229, or
visit the website at www.nysta.org.
37th Annual New Jersey Green Expo
Turf and Landscape Conference
Tuesday - Thursday, December 4 - 6
Taj Mahal Hotel Casino Resort
Atlantic City, NY
The New Jersey Green Expo offers a com­
prehensive educational program and one of
the largest trade shows in the tri-state area,
providing attendees the opportunity to view
the latest and greatest products and services
on the market.
Tee to Green August /September 2012

Congratulations to Our 2012 Scholarship Recipients!
by Blake Halderman, CGCS
MetGCSA Scholarship Chairman

2012 Scholarship Awards Ceremony was held on August 8 as part
*—
of the second Annual Member/Child
Golf Event at Mosholu Golf Course. One of
Americas premier First Tee golf courses, this
was the perfect spot for all of our members’
children (young and old) to get out and enjoy
playing the game that is such a large part of
their parents’ livelihood.
The 35 participants (parent/child teams)
played in a nine-hole, two-person scramble,
which they all seemed to enjoy. The tourna­
ment was free to members and ended up
being a great success thanks to Ed Brockner,
the MetGCSA’s executive director, who once
again spearheaded the event at Mosholu,
where he also works with the First Tee
Program. Also key to the day’s great out­
come, was new course superintendent and
MetGCSA member Dave Moffett, who along
with his crew, had the course in superb shape.
This year, the Scholarship Committee had
the pleasure of awarding scholarships to 15
members’ sons and daughters. Our Scholar­
ship Committee members work long and
hard to process and evaluate the applications,
which were all outstanding. As always, the
winning candidates were selected based on
maturity, academic history, ambition, extra­
curricular activities, and effort exhibited in
completing their application.
Please join me in congratulating this year’s
scholarship recipients—and their proud
parents:
Katherine Amodio, daughter ofjean and
Frank Amodio of Valley View Greenhouses,
is a junior at Boston College working toward
a Ph.D. in psychology.
Courtney Cook, daughter of Lisa and
Mike Cook of The Care of Trees, is a fresh­
man at the University of Delaware studying
communications.
Meghan DeGraw, daughter of Beth and
Bryan Bolehala, of Cleary Chemical, is en­
rolled in the master’s adult-gerontological
nurse practitioner program at Penn State
University.
Laura Donovan, daughter of Julie and
Shawn Donovan of TPC in Enfield, CT, is
enrolled in the doctorate program in clinical
health psychology at Spalding University in
Louisville, KY
Tee to Green August /September 2 0 1 2

A t the Mosholu M em ber/Child G olf Event, M etGCSA scholarship winners receive their welldeserved awards. Pictured left to right: Dave and Betsy Kerr with their son, Samuel; Scott and Dana
Niven with their daughter, Heather; Amanda Gross with her parents, Doug and Elizabeth George;
Mike and Lisa Cook with their daughter, Courtney; Samantha Jennings with her father, Jon; Teddy
Norman, M etGCSA member; Frank Amodio with his daughter, Katherine; and parents of scholar­
ship winners Dave Sylvester accepting for his daughters, Jane and M ary Frances, and Greg Wojick
accepting for his daughter, Kara.

Corinne A. Finamore, daughter ofjanet
and Steve Finamore, superintendent of Al­
pine Country Club, is a senior at the Uni­
versity of North Carolina in Greensboro
majoring in mathematics education.
Amanda Gross, daughter of Elizabeth
and Doug George, superintendent of Waccabuc Country Club, is a sophomore at
Northeastern University studying civil and
environmental engineering.
Samantha Jennings, daughter of Susan
and Jon Jennings is a freshman at Syracuse
University pursuing a degree in music
through the Setnor School of Music.
Samuel Kerr, son of Betsy and Dave
Kerr, superintendent of Ridgewood Coun­
try Club, will be a junior at Liberty Uni­
versity majoring in business marketing.
Heather Niven, daughter of Dana and
Scott Niven, superintendent of The Stanwich Club, is in her senior year at the
University of Delaware studying finance.
Teddy Norman, is a member of the
MetGCSA working for superintendent
Peter J. Rappoccio at Concord Country
Club in Concord, MA. He is a sophomore at
the University of Massachusetts-Amherst
Stockbridge School of Agriculture.

Kristin J. O ’N eill, daughter of Jennifer
and Tim O ’Neill, superintendent of Coun­
try Club of Darien, is in her senior year at
Connecticut College majoring in American
studies.
Jane Sylvester, daughter of Julie and
Dave Sylvester, sales representative for Bayer
Environmental Science, is in her junior year
at Michigan State University studying
music education and performance.
Mary Frances Sylvester, daughter of
Julie and Dave Sylvester, sales representative
for Bayer Environmental Science, is in her
senior year at Central Connecticut State
University studying elementary education.
Sharyce W illand, daughter of Synda
and Scott Willand of Steven Willand, Inc., is
in her junior year studying global commu­
nications at Ramapo College of New Jersey.
Kara Wojick, daughter of Pandora W o­
jick, our talented editor, and Greg Wojick,
principal, Playbooks™ for Golf, is a junior at
the University of Connecticut pursuing a
bachelor’s in English and a master’s in sec­
ondary education.
In addition to congratulating our recipi­
ents, I’d like to recognize those past boards
who had the foresight to initiate our

cA nd
Scholarship Fund, which has enabled us to
assist in the ever-increasing college costs
thanks to our Annual Bill Caputi Scholar­
ship Raffle, the 50/50s at our monthly
meetings, and a portion of our dues. Finally,
a special thank you needs to go out to the
entire Scholarship Committee for their
hard work in reviewing and awarding each
scholarship.
Please remember to support our scholar­
ship raffle. It is the major income-generator
for our Scholarship Fund. I hope to see you
here at Brae Burn on November 30th for
our Annual Christmas Party where we will
announce the raffle winners.

R u m m e r S o c ia l 2012

Blake Halderman, CGCS, chairman of the
Scholarship Committee, is superintendent at
Brae Burn Country Club in Purchase, NY.

New Members
Please join us in welcoming the fol­
lowing new MetGCSA members:
Justin Bradbury, Class C, Scarsdale
Golf Club, Hartsdale, NY
David Morrow, Class C, Metropolis
Country Club, White Plains, NY

Bob & Canny
Nielsen

The Summer Social at Old O aks...
another wonderfully extravagant
social event at one of the most
beautiful club locations in the Met
area. A warm summers eve with
cocktails, dinner, and dancing un­
der the stars ... and a DJ who plays
that wonderful funk and classic
rock and, yes, a few contemporary
tunes that, as time marches on, I’m
less familiar with. No matter how
many years I’m part of this longlived tradition, it never gets old—
enjoying a dressed-up night out
with my handsome date and our
Met family of friends! If you could
not make this one, don’t let another
of these events—and the opportu­
nity to meet new friends and
strengthen bonds with old—pass
you by.
— Carolyn Nielsen, the First Lady

* Jim Pavonetti, Ken
Gentile, Kevin Collins

Member on the Move
Steve Rabideau is the new superin­
tendent at Winged Foot Golf Club in
Mamaroneck, NY. Previous position:
Superintendent at Wheatley Hills Golf
Club in East Williston, NY
Recertified
Congratulations to Glen Dube, super­
intendent at Centennial Golf Club,
for completing the renewal process
for maintaining CGCS status with
GCSAA.

the J g m id

Amber Gikis, Elizabeth
Cunningham, Colleen Walsh
Tony & Bea Campanella

Erica & Glen Dube

Alicia & Jesse Shannon, B ill & Bridget
Bartels, Ann Marie & Rob A lonzi , Rob
Milar, Chad Lemere, Blake Halderman

Well Wishes
We would like to wish AF Life mem­
ber A1 Tretera a speedy recovery.
He was badly injured in a motorcycle
accident.
In Sympathy
It is with deep sadness that we inform
you that Stanley Zontek, director
of the USGA Green Sections MidAtlantic Region, passed away August
28 after suffering a heart attack. He
was 63. Stan was the longest tenured
employee at the USGA and served in
the Northeast Region for many years
before becoming director of the MidAtlantic Region. Stan was known as
much for his passion for golf course su­
perintendents as he was for his knowl­
edge of turf. He will be missed by all.

Bill &Lorah Perlee

Tee to Green August /September 2012 f 1

faye

Brae Burn Takes Home Invitational
Trophy at Tamarack
by Ed Brockner, MetGCSA Executive Director
espite a brief rain delay, Invita­
tional contestants managed to get
in all 18 holes on the immaculately
conditioned course at Tamarack prepared
by Superintendent Jeff Scott and his crew.
Blake Halderman’s team placed first in
the Net Division with a 58, claiming the
Invitational Trophy. While Matt Ceplo and
his team from Rockland followed close
behind, finishing with a 60.
Tamarack, with its huge greens and deep
bunkers, provided great challenge but did
not prevent Marina Alex, the professional
representing North Jersey Country Club,
from shooting an impressive 69 for the day.
With Alex’s great play, the North Jersey
team, led by David Dudones, took the
Gross Division with a 66 through a match
of cards to edge out Brian Chapin and the
foursome from Paramount.
Special thanks go out to Jeff Scott for all
of the hard work that he and his crew put

into giving us a great day, as well as GM
Brian Gillespie and Bobby Farrell and
Andrew Lask from the pro shop.
Here are the full results:
Net Team Winners
58
Brae Burn Country Club
Blake Halderman, Nick Yaun, Michael
Barasch,Jon Rachlin
60
Rockland Country Club
Matt Ceplo, Bobby Everett,John
McFadden, Ed Carpezzi
Gross Team Winners
66
North Jersey Country Club
David Dudones, Marina Alex, Anthony
Masherelli, Ervin Allaghi
(match of cards)
66
Paramount Country Club
Brian Chapin, Steve Scott,Jeff
Mandelbaum, Steve Lapper

The winning team from Brae Burn (left to
right): G olf Professional Nick Yaun, G olf Course
Superintendent Blake Halderman, G olf
Committee Chair Jon Rachlin, and not pictured,
Green Committee Chair Michael Barasch.

Closest to the Pin
#3 Doug Drugo, Superintendent,
Wee Burn Country Club
#7 Nick Algiero, Club Official,Redding
Country Club
#12 Mike Rapisarda, Club Official,
Tamarack Country Club
#15 Anthony Masherelli, Club Official,
North Jersey Country Club
Longest Drive
j#4 Sean Cain, Superintendent,
Sunningdale Country Club
#14 Stephen Kerr, Club Official,
Tamarack Country Club
Low Professional
69
Marina Alex

Century Produces Winning Results
by Ed Brockner, MetGCSA Executive Director
ur tournament season has in­
cluded events at many of our Chap­
ter’s best venues, and this year’s Met
Championship, Met Area Team Champion­
ship Qualifier, and Poa Annual Tourna­
ment was no exception. Kevin Seibel had
the course at Century Country Club in top
condition for the day with the greens run­
ning fast and true.
Tournament Chair Sean Cain took home
the Met Championship title with an im­
pressive 75, fighting off Tony Hook’s 78 at
the end with some key ups and downs.
That winning score also qualified Sean
for the fast-approaching Met Area Team
Championship at Stanwich, along with
Tony Hooks, Les Kennedy Jr., Matt Ceplo,
and Steve Rabideau as an alternate.
In the Individual Net Division were Scott
Niven with a 70, followed by Mark Millett,
George Corgan, and Glen Dube.
Special thanks to everyone at Century

Tee to Green August September 2 012

for such a great day, hosting both our asso­
ciation members and our friends at the
LIGCSA!
Here’s how the contestants fared:

Poa Annual Tourney Results
Gross Winners
75 Geoff DeMarco, son of Powelton Club's
Bob DeMarco
75 Sean Cain, Sunningdale CC
75 Steve Whipple, West Point GC
Net Winners
m
68 Brian Benedict, Seawane Club
69 Alan Bean, The Ridge at Black Brook
70 Dave Pijnenburg, Greenacres Company
Longest Drive
Andrew Hannah, Shuttle Meadow CC
Closest to the Pin
#4 Glen Dube, Centennial GC
#13 Steve Whipple, West Point GC

The proceeds from the Poa Annual Tour­
nament are donated to NYSTA in support
of turfgrass research. This makes the dona­
tions from our tournament and Tee
Sponsors all the more meaningful. We
thank you all for your support.

Net Area Team Championship
Qualifiers
In the Gross Division
75 Sean Cain, Sunningdale CC
78 Tony Hooks, Pelham/Split Rock GC
81 |Les Kennedy Jr., Blind Brook Club
78 Matt Ceplo, Rockland CC
83 Steve Rabideau, Winged Foot GC
(Alternate)
In the Net Division
70 Scott Niven, The Stanwich Club
71 Mark Millett, Old Oaks CC
George Corgan, Steven Willand, Inc.
Glen Dube, Centennial GC

B

'

David Mahoney TwoBall Contestants
Proceed to Semi s
by Larry Pakkala, CGCS

J M / M / eather seems to get in the
W / M / way of everything, and our
Two-Ball matches so far this
season are no exception. The first two
rounds— the “Sweet 16” and “Elite 8”— of
our David Mahoney Two-Ball Champion­
ship were extended due to weather and
schedules, but contestants did complete
their rounds with a few tales to tell. Read
on for their “w inning” stories. The next
rounds definitely promise to be interesting!

Round One: The Sweet 1 6 ...
Itt the First Flighty Matt Topazio and Dave
Lippman defeated Scott Niven and Larry
Pakkala 3 & 2 at the beautifully condi­
tioned Rockrimmon Country Club. Pak­
kala thought the match had ended on the
15th and congratulations were shared, but
as the players left the 16th tee to complete
their round, Pakkala noticed that the 15th
was halved as he thought Topazio got a
stroke when he really hadn’t, so the match
continued. Niven and Pakkala were now
dormie, and on the 16th green, Niven
lipped out a 50-foot put that would have
continued the match.
At Rye Golf Club, Bert Dickinson and
Chip Lafferty prevailed over David Dudones and Grover Alexander 4 & 3. The
turning point in the match occurred early
when Lafferty aced the 3rd hole in dra­
matic Tiger Woods fashion. The shot was a
9-iron over the top of the flag, and thanks
to a little spin and a lot of gravity, the ball
meandered down the slope, Titleist, Titleist,
Titleist, then briefly stopped on the edge
while the players held their breath and it
dropped. Totally awesome! It was a great
shot, enjoyed by even better company.

Rappoccio, who had to single-handedly
take on the younger generation as Dennis
Flynn was out with injuries. Scott was on
fire parring the first 4 holes. The match
ended on the 13th hole. Fortunately, Coach
Rappoccio was not taken off the course on
a stretcher.
The team of“Woody” (Bobby) DeMarco
and “Eighthead” (Fred) Montgomery de­
feated Bob Lippman and Steven McGlone
2 up at Quaker Ridge. It was a wet, rainy
day, and Tommy Ashfield was nice enough
to get the players out just in front of an
outing and then, when all was said and
done, treated them to lunch. How good
was that!
After their byes, Matt Ceplo and Jim
Swiatlowski of the First Flight and Ken
Benoit and Greg Gutter of the Second
Flight will begin to see if they can pull off
a repeat.

Round Two: The Elite 8 ...
In the First Flight, two seasoned winners
made it to the Semi’s, along with two
newcomers.
Last year’s champs, Matt Ceplo and Jim
Swaitlowski won 2 & 1 in a tight match
against Matt Tapazio and Dave Lippman at
the Knickerbocker Country Club, to ad­
vance to the Semi’s. Former champions
Glen Dube and Blake Halderman also
defeated Chip Lafferty and Bert Dicken­
son in a close match 2 & 1 at Fairview
Country Club. The Semi’s will be a great
match between these former champions.
In the remaining First Flight matches,
the team of Tom Ashfield and Andy
Drohen clobbered Fred Montgomery and
‘Woody” DeMarco at Yale 5 & 4 to pro­
ceed to the Semi’s. They will play against
Tony Hooks and Tom Weinert, who de­
feated Tony Grasso and Scott Tretera 2 up
at Pelham Country Club.
The Semi’s in the first flight are going to
be very exciting with two past champions
competing in one match and two lowhandicap teams competing in the other.
The winners of these groups will advance
to the Finals in what could be one of the
greatest championship finales ever!
In the Second Flight, there’s a chance for a
“Three-peat” in the Finals if Ken Benoit
and Greg Gutter can advance. These twotime defending champs were pitted

against the team of Mike Scott and Doug
Snyder at the beautiful Country Club of
Darien. Scott showed up at the practice tee
with his usual bravado, and just like that, it
was “game on.” The champs, who were giv­
en a first-round bye, shook off the rust on
the practice tee and came out swinging
early in the match as they jumped out to a 2
up lead after the first two holes. The match
steadied as they halved the next two holes,
thanks in part to the monster 30-foot birdie
putt made by Snyder on the par 4 third. Be­
noit and Gutter would go on to win four out
of the last five holes on the front nine, inflat­
ing their lead to 6 up at the turn and de­
moralizing the competitors. It was at the
short par 4 tenth that Scott and Snyder won
their first and only hole of the match. Their
celebration was short-lived, however, as Be­
noit and Gutter won two out of the next
three holes and closed out the match 7 & 5.
Apparently, a defeated Scott and Snyder had
been beaten to the point of mercy as they
both left the course after the 13th hole. It
was rumored that the match finished so
quickly that Benoit and Gutter had plenty of
time to enjoy their victory cigars.
The veteran brothers Bob and Joe Alonzi
were at the top of their game, defeating Bill
Perlee and Chuck Denny 5 & 4 at Sunningdale. Bob, being retired, has had plenty of
time lately to work on his game. Joe, how­
ever, helped carry them over the humbled
competitors.
Kevin Collins and Nick Lerner edged out
Tim Garceau and Ernie Steinhoffer 2 up at
Anglebrook Golf Club. Steinhoffer, just back
from hip surgery, and Garceau, back in the
saddle at a new job, could not quite hang in
to stop their competition.
The team of Glenn Perry and Dave Fleury
also blew into the Semi’s by defeating Greg
Wojick and Brett Chapin 4 & 2 at the beau­
tiful seaside course of Country Club of
Fairfield.

The End Is M r !
As you read this, I’m gathering stories from
the Semi’s. Weather and schedules permit­
ting, we should have our First and Second
Flight champions decided by the Novem­
ber Annual Meeting.
Larry Pakkala, a member of the Tee to Green
Editorial Committee, is territory manager with
Plant Food Company in Cranbury, NJ.

1
«■SÍ

Spotlight

Superintendent/Green Chair Tourney
Takes Flight to Purchase
by Kevin Collins
/
etGCSA members cel/ W / m / J ebrated the close of
another season at our
annual Superintendent/Green Chairman
Tournament on October 9 at the Golf Club
of Purchase, a new venue for Met members.
Our meeting host, Bob Miller, has been
the club’s superintendent for the past 18
years, starting in August of ’94 with the
initial course construction and grow-in.
Choosing to locate a course in the upscale
community of Purchase, which already
boasted four outstanding clubs—Blind
Brook, Brae Burn, Century, and Old Oaks—
made the task of creating a new club of equal
distinction a huge undertaking.
Japanese businessman Tokio Kasuga and
his son, Masahiko, made it happen. In 1988,
the Kasuga’s purchased 400 acres of Pur­
chase’s old Pforzheimer Farm—property
that was located less than five minutes from
Westchester County Airport. The developers
hired Jack Nicklaus to design the course,
setting out to create a high-quality golf ex­
perience, international in both scope and
reputation.
Golf Club of Purchase opened for play in
the fall of 1996. Most holes are narrow and
tree lined, bordered by water or wetlands.
“Purchase is a tight, unforgiving tract that
demands precision and accuracy,” says Bob,
wondering just how many golf balls were
lost during the tourney!

More Than a Turf Doctor
Born in Albert Lea, MN, Bob has a lot of
those Midwestern values ingrained in him
to this day. Hard work, honesty, and loyalty
are just a few of the keys to Bob’s success—
personally and professionally. His close
friends love Bob for his outlook on life, his
sense of humor, and his total lack of ego—
pretty rare in this day and age. Whippoor­
will’s Paul Gonzalez gave Bob a nickname
that’s stuck: “The Doctor,” because of his
ability to make everyone around him feel
good.
Bob attended Albert Lea High School
where he played football, baseball, and was
captain of the hockey team. At 15, he got his
first taste of golf course maintenance work­

?

Tee to Green August /September 2 0 Í 2

ing on the crew at Albert Lea Country Club.
“I was making $2.25 an hour as a high
school sophomore and worked my way up to
$3 an hour by the time I was a senior.” (Oh,
those were the days.)
After high school, Bob enrolled at Roch­
ester Community College where he played
hockey with some of his old teammates
from high school. “Rochester Community
was a great school. There were about 2000
girls and 200 guys. I don’t remember what I
majored in,” Bob laughs.
From there, he went on to the University
of Minnesota, but after one semester, he quit
and moved to Phoenix, AZ, to work at the
Biltmore, which had two 18-hole golf
courses.

On the Move
Bob had wanderlust. In 1982, after six
months at the Biltmore, he headed out to
Colorado where he took a job on the crew at
The Pinery, a 27-hole facility south of Den­
ver. That lasted about four months. He fin­
ished out the year at the renowned Cherry
Hills Country Club and then shifted gears,
taking a job on the commercial side of the
business with an irrigation contractor.
Weary of gluing pipes, Bob returned to
Cherry Hills, this time as the assistant
mechanic. He stuck this one out through the
1984 PGA Championship before Castle
Pines beckoned and offered Bob the position
of head mechanic.
Landing at Castle Pines was a turning
point in Bob’s career. Armand Suny, who had
been the superintendent at Cherry Hills,
had moved to Castle Pines to get it ready
for “The International”—a new PGA tour
event that utilized the controversial Stableford scoring system.
Armand recognized Bob’s potential and
coaxed him to enroll in Penn State’s Turfgrass Program. Bob received his diploma in
1987. His first internship was at Siwanoy
Country Club, where he spent the summer
working for Dave Mahoney (another protégé
of Armand’s). “I met my good friend, Paul
Mulholland (Morris County Golf Club), at
Siwanoy and just loved working for Dave,”
says Bob with a smile.

Bob M iller

Bob’s first job as an assistant was a grow-in at
Shore Oaks Country Club, a Jack Nicklaus/Johnny Miller design. Construction and
grassing was completed in 1989 at this
southern New Jersey resort course. Just about
the time the course was ready for play,
“Doctor” Miller became the superintendent.
Letting no grass grow under his feet, after
five years, it was time to move on— to his
current and longest-tenured position, the
Golf Club of Purchase.

Family and Fun
Shore Oaks, by the way, presented another
important opportunity for Bob. It’s there, in
1989, that he met the love of his life, Mari­
lyn. “Her dad had sold about half of the golf
course property to the developers,” says Bob.
“It was formally a campground. Sooooo ... I
showed Marilyn the golf course.”
Bob and Marilyn married in 1996 and
currently reside in Brewster, NY Marilyn is
a great lady who keeps Bob on the straight
and narrow. (Well, she tries.) Their family
includes daughter, Amber, and three grandkids, plus plenty of pets. At one time, the
Brewster residence had six cats, one border
collie, a ferret, and Poppy, a 275-lb. pig. They
are now down to one cat, one border collie,
and a worm farm. Wait . . . a worm farm?
Really? Leave it to a tu rf manager!
When he’s not on pet duty, Bob enjoys
spending time with his grandchildren and
traveling. But Bob was more than happy to
stay put on the 9th to join fellow members
for a great round on the links!
Kevin Collins, a member of the Tee to Green
Editorial Committee, is Mid-Atlantic and
Northeast territory managerfor Aquatrols Corp.
of America and the owner /president of Dryject
Northeast/TurfPounders.

Assistants Flock to Old Oaks for
Annual Championship
by Bill Cygan

etGCS A Assistants joined
/ f / W r j Assistant Superintendent
S
C/
Hosts Jason Anderson and
Todd Stites at Old Oaks Country Club on
October 10 for this year’s Annual Assistants
Championship. Jason has been Superintend­
ent Mark Millet’s right-hand man—i.e., first
assistant— since 2005. Todd came on-board
as second assistant at the beginning of the
season.
Mark was pleased to support his assistants
in hosting this annual end-of-season event
and in welcoming area assistants for a day of
fun and relaxation at the 114-year-old golf
course and country club.
“I have two dedicated and hardworking
assistants who put a lot of time and effort
into our overall operation here at the club,”
says Mark. “Having the event here was just a
small show of my appreciation for all their
efforts.”

About J ason ...
Jason grew up in Brewster, NY, and got his
first taste of the business during high school
working under Superintendent Mike Maffei
at Morefar Golf Course. Inspired by his ex­
perience there, Jason pursued a bachelor’s
in business administration and golf course
operations at SUNY Delhi. He interned at
Winged Foot, and after completing his de­
gree in 2002, he assumed the role of appren­
tice superintendent, and then, in 2003 be­
came an irrigation tech. Jason’s tenure at the
club spanned five years. “One of the high­
lights of my time there was working during
the U.S. Amateur,” says Jason. “I enjoyed it so
much, I came back in 2006 as a volunteer for
the U.S. Open.”
His next stop: Old Oaks. “I heard through
the grapevine that Mark was looking for a
second assistant and I went for it,” says Jason.
That was seven years ago.
Now, as Mark’s first assistant, Jason’s work­
day is jam-packed with crew supervision
spraying, watering, irrigation system main­
tenance, and managing myriad other proj­
ects. This fall, in addition to his usual duties,
Jason will be keeping a watchful eye on the
installation of an all-new irrigation system.

m

The Team at Old Oaks (left to right): First Assistant Jason Anderson,
Superintendent Mark M illett, and Second Assistant Todd Stites.

“Sure the job is demanding,” says Jason,
“but Mark’s been great to work for. Our per­
sonalities are so similar we tend to think
alike,” he says with a smile. Like any redblooded assistant, Jason aspires to manage his
own course one day, and he’s quick to credit
Mark with helping him acquire the skill set
needed to do just that. “Mark’s definitely
opened my eyes to the budget process and,
just as important, member relations,” says
Jason.
Though Jason plays golf now and then, in
his downtime, his favorite in-season getaway
is to hop on his boat, a Boston Whaler, which
he docks in Rye, NY During the off-season,
Jason retreats to a house he owns in upstate
New York and enjoys snowmobiling with
friends and family.

About Todil...
Todd’s tu rf schooling began with an associ­
ate’s degree from Sandhills Community
College in Pinehurst, NC, and continued
with an internship at Redding Country
Club in Redding, CT, during the 2010 sea­
son. Promoted to assistant-in-training, Todd
stayed on at Redding through October 2011.
“With my girlfriend working in Manhat­
tan, I wanted a job closer to the city,” says
Todd, who was fortunate enough to find just
what he’d hoped for at Old Oaks. “I con­
tacted Mark and went for an interview in
early March for the opening for second assis­
tant,” says Todd. “The course was impressive,
and I felt extremely comfortable around
both Mark and Jay. Needless to say, I was
sold.” And apparently, they were too. A week
later, the job was his!

As second assistant, Todd’s days start be­
fore the crack of dawn. “I can be doing any­
thing from spraying fairways or tees, cutting
cups, rolling, hand-watering, or fixing irri­
gation. When I have a minute, I make lists of
things I notice and jobs to be done on the
course,” says Todd, who’s often on-duty
beyond quitting time during the heat of the
season to babysit greens.
“I may not have worked here long, but it’s
been long enough to have a tremendous
amount of respect for Mark and what he has
achieved in his 31 years at Old Oaks. If
there’s one thing I want to be sure to emu­
late, it’s Mark’s commitment to making the
course at Old Oaks the absolute best it can
be. He’s not only here every day; he’s usually
the last to leave. That’s probably why he’s
always one step ahead of everything that
needs to get done on the course.”
Todd hopes to take the lessons learned at
Old Oaks and add to that experience work­
ing at a course hosting a USGA tournament.
“Ultimately, I’d like to land a job one day at
a golf course close to the ocean,” says Todd.
“But no matter where I end up, I want to
make sure I continue to have fun at what
I do.”
Todd uses his downtime to hit the Coney
Island or Rockaway beaches and do a little
swimming, see a few hockey games, and en­
joy an evening at the movies or out with
friends.
Bill Cygan, a member of the Tee to Green
Editorial Committee, is an assistant superintend­
ent at Innis Arden Golf Club in Old Greenwich,
CT.

Tee to Green August /September 2 012

Spotlight

StaHwich Hosts the Met Area Team Championship
by Ed Brockner, MetGCSA Executive Director

his year, The Stanwich Club is
celebrating its 50th anniversary,
—
having been designed in 1962 by
William Gordon and his son, David. For
more than half of this time, Scott Niven has
served as property manager at this venerable
Greenwich, CT, club, working there for the
past 29 years.
In his lengthy tenure, Scott has overseen
numerous improvements to the course, the
lion’s share completed in the past decade.
Recognized by Golf Digest in 2006 as the
course with “The Best New Renovation,”
Stanwich had spent the prior year complet­
ing a full-scale renovation that left little of
the course untouched. Then, just four years
later, the courses 18 greens were resodded
with bentgrass, making this a superb venue
for the upcoming 2012 Met Area Team
Championship.
This marks the championship’s 32nd
year—and the second time Stanwich has
hosted this fine event. The first time was in
1985, when the event drew less than half its
current number of participating associa­
tions. Today, there are 13 superintendent
association golf teams competing for the
honor of “Best of the East.”

An Industry Contributor
A graduate of the University of Rhode
Island, Scott’s accomplishments are well
known to most every golf course superin­
tendent in our area. The 2010 winner the
Met’s prestigious Sherwood A. Moore
Award, Scott has served as president of both
the MetGCSA and Tri-State Turf Research
Foundation and chaired the GCSAA Re­
search Committee, to name just several of
the countless other contributions he’s made
to the tu rf industry over the years.
Besides being an avid golfer since age 7,
Scott enjoys mountain biking, running (he’s
a four-time New York Marathon runner),
and lifting weights at the gym. Skiing and
travel—from Japan and Australia to parts of
Central America and Europe—are other
passions Scott shares with his wife, Dana,
and his son, Nick, and daughter, Heather.

Tee to Green August /September 2 0 1 2

What the Stanwich Course Has in
Store
As host to the 2011 Palmer Cup, the 2002
U.S. Mid-Amateur Open, and the 1996
Met Open, Scott knows what it takes to
create challenging and competitive condi­
tions, though he promises to give competi­
tors a bit of break by not going all the way
back to the tips that now measure almost
7,500 yards.
On the front nine . . . The course starts out
with three of the shorter par fours on the
layout—the first, a dogleg to the left with a
slightly downhill approach, while the sec­
ond plays slightly back up the hill. Number
three is a beautiful hole that plays to a wellguarded green, which can offer chances at
birdie but also spell trouble if you’re not
careful.
After a long par three at the fourth, next
up is one of the most challenging holes at
Stanwich: the par four fifth that plays sig­
nificantly uphill to a sloping green with
both fairway and greenside bunkers com­
plicating matters. The sixth and seventh are
a pair of challenging par fours that play
in opposite directions, and the eighth is
another tough par three where you’re simply
hoping to escape with a par. Closing out the
front nine is the longest hole on the course
with the OB all the way down the left side
and another difficult green.
On the back nine . . . Those looking for a bit
of breather heading into the back nine get a
slight one with the tenth, that much like the
opening hole, is a shortish par four that
doglegs to the left and downhill. This res­
pite does not last long, however, as the
eleventh and twelfth are a pair of stout par
fours—the first playing uphill around a
large fairway bunker on the right and the
second bending left around trees on the
inside of the dogleg. After crossing an inter­
nal road and playing the medium length par
three thirteenth, golfers are faced with ano­
ther par five where water comes into play on
both the first, second, and third shots.

Scott Niven , C G C S

For the final four, the well-balanced and
demanding course at Stanwich certainly
does not disappoint. Water again comes into
play on the fifteenth on both sides of the
drive, as does a creek that plays along the
right side of the short par three sixteenth.
The seventeenth is another fine par five hole
that has the potential to be reached in two
from the forward tees and a friendly wind
with the eighteenth playing as a long par
four that ends in front of Stanwich’s stately
clubhouse.

Success tan Be Yours
In order to score well at Stanwich, those in
the Met Area Team Championship will
need to have their entire game intact from
good driving, accurate approach with their
irons, and a short game to help tame the
deep bunkers and fast, perfectly rolling
greens. It is sure to be a great day at one of
the Met area’s most celebrated courses, and
the competitors will certainly enjoy all of
the incredible work that Scott and his team
will have performed to get the course in its
typically incredible condition.

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