Published by the Metropolitan Golf Course Superintendents Association Secretary SHANNON, CGCS attan Woods Golf Club Past President OBERT ALONZI enway Golf Club Directors ARON CROUSE Golf Club of Purchase ILLIAM CYGAN Spring Country Club ARLES LAFFERTY Rye Golf Club HAEL McCORMICK he Apawamis Club In this Issue AVE PETERSON vermine Golf Club ANIEL ROGERS kagyl Country Club Class “C” Rep JAMES WHITE kagyl Country Club Class “AF” Rep AVE CONRAD Feature ant Food Company xecutive Director That Bag Costs How Much?!? ................................................2 KE McCALL, CGCS ecutive Secretary USAN O’DOWD to Green Staff Departments Co-Editors TY DAN ROGERS Regional News ......................................................................6 1 914-400-5918 Managing Editor Member News ......................................................................8 NDORA C. WOJICK ditorial Committee Upcoming Events ................................................................10 REWS ANTHONY MINNITI AR BOB NIELSEN LO SCOTT NIVEN Spotlight ............................................................................11 LINS JIM PAVONETTI HEN JAMES WHITE LONE GREG WOJICK Scorecard ............................................................................12 Designer ERRIE YOUNG dvertising Manager ROGERS, 914-400-5918 blished bimonthly by the Metropolitan Golf e Superintendents Association od Road, Elmsford, NY 10523-2819 3, FAX: 914-347-3437, METGCSA.ORG Copyright © 2022 akes for year, I couldn’t respond the way I’d hoped to. What I wanted to say was, “Winter condi- nging Start tions were ideal. Should be smooth sailing into spring.” The reality, as many in the Northeast f Season for know, is that variable temperatures and mixed precipitation wreaked havoc on many area courses. The location and extent Many of the injury has varied with one common denominator: The turf appeared healthy right after the snow melted, but then as the turf and soil thawed, the damage appeared. We were all forced to make tough deci- sions throughout the winter and early spring: Do we remove snow or ice cover? Do we push water off of the greens or let it drain naturally? And should we or shouldn’t we have covers on our greens? What I Brett Chapin MetGCSA President learned this spring was that there is no right answer. What I chose to do at my club, may not have worked at a neighboring club. No shared and ideas exchanged about how the two properties are the same. greens in the Met area will come out of To help guide all of you through the spring and then survive the summer. There recovery process and in your communica- is a lot to be learned from this past winter, tions with your clubs, we reached out to the and plans are underway to discuss winter USGA and area consultants who have pro- damage and the recovery process during vided sensible steps to course recovery. our Fall Education event. USGA Agronomists Adam Moeller and John Many thanks to Superintendent Scott Daniels recommend using covers and dark- Olsen and Knollwood Country Club for ening agents to increase soil temperatures, being such great hosts. The green complexes maintaining adequate soil moisture, and have tremendous character, which resulted aggressive seeding. With 18 consecutive days in many tricky shots. in April below average temperatures, we did Special thanks, also, to Anthony Garzia not see the push in growth most of us and Woodway Country Club for hosting wanted to recover greens from the harsh our annual Superintendent/Guest Event on winter. With that in mind, be sure to resist May 23. Anthony and his team had the the pressure to open severely damaged course is super shape for the event and were greens to play too prematurely. Traffic from pleased to share the renovation work that play will delay recovery further. has taken place since his arrival at the club. This year’s Invitational brings us back to The Stanwich Club in Greenwich, CT, for MetGCSA Meeting Notes what promises to be a great test of golf and a Fortunately spared severe winter injury, fun day. I look forward to seeing you June Knollwood was ready and able to host this 16 at this must-attend tournament. year’s Dave Mahoney Two-Ball Qualifier on April 25. (See page 12 for the golf Brett Chapin results.) Throughout the day, stories were MetGCSA President Tee to Green April/May 2022 1 by Andy Drohen April/May 2021 nts, and the Russian invasion of ing the number of rounds dramatically. factants to turf chemicals to the polymers e turned input markets upside More rounds meant more revenue which, in used in coating fertilizer. It disrupted the fertilizer to grass seed and turn, meant more spending and more prod- entire supply chain for most of 2021. When cals to specialty products. I’ve ucts purchased to maintain properties — Texas and that region started to get back on ertilizer business for more than products such as fertilizer. This trend their feet, Ida, a Category 4 hurricane, made and this is the most volatility I continued in 2021 and looks likely to con- landfall in Louisiana. More than a million n. tinue into this summer as well. It all comes residents were without power, including all rticle, I’d like to share some down to supply and demand. Higher of New Orleans, which is the shipping the world of fertilizers, share demand as manufacturing plants struggle entryway to the Mississippi River and home ts on what the future holds, and to keep up during supply-chain shortages to many fertilizer plants. eas on how to save money with translates into higher prices and rising The law of supply-and-demand kicked in program. inf lation. again and prices rose; in some cases, they e do some table-setting. I sell more than doubled. For example, urea went d truckloads of slow- and con- Bad Weather Whammies from $230/ton in September of 2020 to se nitrogen, so when I quote $550/ton in September of 2021. A month ices here, I’ll be talking about The weather didn’t help. There were 20 sep- later, it was $700/ton. n. For scale, a bulk truck of fer- arate billion-dollar weather and climate ons, a train car is 100 tons, and a disasters in 2021, just two shy of the record set in 2020! A cold-air outbreak across the Natural Gas and Crop Price Surge Add s 1,500 tons of fertilizer. Ocean arry as many as 44,000 tons. central U.S. brought frigid temperatures, Fuel to Fertilizer Prices r benchmark we use in the snow, and ice from the Plains to southern Along with weather-related disasters, geo- OLA pricing. NOLA stands for Texas—the coldest event across that region political events played a major part in rising s, LA, which is where a lot of in more than 30 years, causing power out- prices. Perhaps the most prominent example tilizer comes into the country. ages for nearly 10 million people. Pipes is Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. When Russia also fertilizer manufacturing t area, situated on or near the lity to Volatility id, the fertilizer market was able. We may have seen fertil- ove $10-$20 per ton monthly; n a while, you’d see an up-or- in the $40/ton range. The past rs, however, have seen moves of e per ton, which went even Russia invaded Ukraine. Table rates how much the costs of the ts that go into your bag of fertil- reased since early last year. he crazy f luctuations? As with dity, Wall Street exerts major er prices. But one of the major undoubtedly been the COVID hen Covid started at the end of came to an abrupt halt. In 2020, home and spent their travel Chart 1. Natural Gas price year over year. Adapted from “Business Insider,” 2022, Natural Gas Price Today. Retrieved April 14, 2022, from https://markets.businessinsider.com/commodities/natural-gas-price. Copyright 2022 by Insider Inc. and finanzen.net GmbH (Imprint). Tee to Green April/May 2022 3 trend seems to be coming in line with the crop planting season. Typically, the cycle is higher prices in early winter while demand for fertilizer increases into the planting sea- Cornbelt Urea comparisons. son, then prices wane once crops are in the een Markets,” 2022, Fertilizer Dealer Report. Copyright 2022 by Bloomberg L.P. ground. Remember, we in the turfgrass industry are just small players in the global lding up troops along the freight costs. With higher diesel prices, the fertility market—roughly 1% of the global order, global supplies of natural cost to deliver products to your door has fertilizer use. We are riding the coattails of l to the manufacture of fertil- risen drastically. You’ve no doubt experi- the big agricultural producers. hreatened. Demand for natural enced this impact when you’ve bought fuel Container freight will remain high for response not only to this event, for your equipment and vehicles. Recently, the near term, as will trucking and gas climate change. Colder-than- prices rose to over $5 per gallon in the U.S. prices, until the Russian war ends. Sanctions peratures worldwide forced Fuel and other surcharges will be intro- will most likely stay in place, so lower prices ek alternative energy sources, duced and these costs will be passed along to for fuel will most likely not see pre-Covid tural gas. This supply-and- you, the consumer. prices for quite some time. nario caused natural gas prices The pain is being felt globally. Cars, TVs, Some industry experts feel that by the nd continue to rise—as illus- clothes, and myriad other items we rely on middle of the third quarter we will start to art 1 on page 3. all cost more. The Black Sea hosts major see urea in the $600/ton range, with other her natural gas prices came ports for Ukraine. These ports are currently nutrients hopefully following these izer prices, as shown in Chart 2, at a standstill because of the war. And decreases. That’s still high and supplies will er drivers of price increases because much of the urea used to manufac- remain tight for several months. China, typ- g prices for crops, such as corn ture fertilizer is shipped from Ukraine via ically an exporter of nutrients, has not which are two heavy users of the Black Sea, another global source of fer- exported this year due to plant closures tilizer. When prices are as high tilizer has been shut down. leading up to the Olympics in an effort to now, farmers tend to fertilize When Covid hit, ships became stuck in present itself to the world as environmen- rease yields and earn more on certain parts of the world. Ports in China tally friendly. Restarting fertilizing exports and elsewhere would not allow workers on would be a positive development and help e’s the Ukraine factor. Ukraine or off ships, fearful of spreading the virus. lower prices. known as the breadbasket of Ships sat in harbors and in the ocean. Events en the current situation, the like the accidental blocking of the Suez l not be able to supply the same Canal by a ship only added to supply-chain And Now for Some Good News: There’s food as it has in past years. woes—and shipping costs. And here again, a Way to Save at rely on Ukraine will look to bad weather didn’t help. With heavy rains Despite all the price pressures I’ve outlined States and other parts of the come higher waters on U.S. rivers like the in this article, you can still save money on lace those missing acres, driving Mississippi, so transportation up and down fertilizer. In 2016, my colleagues and I higher. More than ever, this will those rivers slows. When things are really developed a presentation “What’s in the tant growing year for U.S. farm- bad, rivers stop nighttime traffic for fear of Bag?” The strategies outlined in that talk ports from the Department of crashing into bridges, so trips can take more are still relevant today. show corn plantings are way than twice as long. Hurricane Ida damaged When you buy a bag of fertilizer, you’re use of wet weather and yields barges here in the U.S, so barge availability typically asking for a certain analysis that be lower, which will keep corn has been tight since last August. Building you’ve come to know and love or that is replacements is an expensive and time-con- readily available from your friendly distrib- suming process. utor. The analysis tells you the amount of ighs In nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in the in the late-night TV commer- What’s Next? bag along with other ingredients like iron There’s more!” Is there any end in sight for high fertilizer (Fe) and other micronutrients. There’s also the costs already covered are prices? Hopefully so, but many think we something else in the bag that a lot of folks are not aware of: filler. Filler can be a lot of April/May 2021 just described. Bottom line: Filler only adds costs. Removing filler reduces costs. Replacing filler with nutrients is more economical. With prices so high right now, I encour- age you to talk to your distributor reps about what’s actually in the bag. Build for- mulations with the most nutritional value. Now is also a good time to think about how much slow-release nitrogen you’re putting out. The more slow-release you can put out, the bag break down of 3 different fertilizer blends. From Allied Nutrients the longer that application will last. This means fewer applications and more savings. ually, it is ground-up limestone the bag and build a 32-0-16 blend. Again, For example, going from a 30% slow-release virtually no nutritional value. running through the math to apply 1 lb. of product to a 70% slow-release will increase ds, you’re paying for ingredients nitrogen per thousand square feet, you’ll your feeding from 21 days to 65 days or ght, not value, to the bag. So if need to use only 271 bags at a total cost of longer. o cut costs, the question is not, $8,425, even though the bag of fertilizer is I hope this article provided some useful cheapest bag you’ve got?” but the most expensive at $31.09. Why is that? insights into the effects of political and cli- e bag?” If we break apart the bags of fertilizer, mate-related events on the global fertilizer te the cost-cutting power of illustrated in Chart 4, below, you’ll see the market—and on all of us. And I hope that , let’s look at three blends illus- reason the 16-0-8 is the least expensive is my “What’s in the bag?” strategy will help art 3, above, all with the same that almost half the bag is filler. The down- you save money and succeed in the face of atio. They will all be built with side to the low cost is that you’re forced to these enormous challenges. n slow-release nitrogen product spread almost twice as much material to If you want to keep current with com- and all three blends will have a feed your turf sufficiently. That means twice modity prices—such as gas, oil, and corn— on. For the math, we will apply as much labor carrying and cutting open check out the “Oil Price Live” App. s at the same rate of 1 lb. of bags, more fuel to deliver the product to 1,000 square feet, a common your business, more fuel to spread the prod- Andy Drohen, a member of the Tee to Green wn care world. uct, more plastic bags to dispose of, and Editorial Committee, is Regional Business ag is a 16-0-8 and was recently more wear and tear on your equipment. Manager-Northeast U.S. and Canada with per bag. Doing the math (1 lb. By way of comparison, as you put more Allied Nutrients in Granville, MA. ls that you’ll get a rate of 6.3 lbs. per 1,000 sq. ft. Follow the you’ll see that to spread the 16- acres, you’ll need 549 bags at a 10,980. comparison, let’s increase the 24 -0-12. Since we’re adding ts to the bag, the price will be a at $25.57 per bag. However, lysis now has 24% nitrogen, you 2 lbs. per 1,000 sq. ft. to get that of nitrogen per 1,000 sq. ft. ough the math again, you’ll see d 366 bags of product at a lower f $9,359. ’s add a little more fertilizer to Chart 4. Filler comparisons. From Allied Nutrients Tee to Green April/May 2022 5 remaining closed to visitors, leisure activities, replenishes air, provides for the Metropolitan Golf Association, spoke ce again, could not hold its tra- carbon sequestration, a reduction of runoff about the importance of golf courses. He person Advocacy Day and com- and erosion, and temperature regulation. pointed to the many positive contributions onducting another webinar to golf brings to the metropolitan area by gen- te industry issues and concerns erating charitable contributions, tax rev- Landscape Industry in New York enue, and employment opportunities and by s. State preserving open space. t Work Larry Wilson of the New York Green the success of 2021, NYSTA Industry Council and Patrick Parker of The New York Apprenticeship SavATree demonstrated the importance of Program Development ent an open invitation to legis- the New York landscape industry. reen industry professionals to a Larry stressed how the industry trained Tyler Bloom reviewed his partnership with riefing session webinar. Held on and educated its association members in the NYSTA to create a statewide apprentice- 7, the briefing session attracted use of IPM and BMPs to allow the responsi- ship program for the turfgrass industry. 100 industry professionals, ble use of chemical tools required to do This workforce initiative will offer 9 legislators and legislative staff. their jobs. Larry pointed out the importance Registered Apprenticeships for golf courses, s year was not to oppose or sup- of neonicotinoids and the use of BMPs to sports turf, and other turf businesses in New ual legislative bills, but to edu- protect the environment and pollinators in York State. The program will help NYSTA tors on the importance of particular. employer partners find and secure talent for d how we use IPM and BMPs to Patrick showed the economic impact of specialized positions. (See article, page 7.) ality product to society. the landscape industry. He pointed to the g covered: 7,000 landscape companies in New York, Neonicotinoids & Best Management employing 53,300 people and generating omic impact of the turf and $4.1 billion in revenue. Maintained land- Practices dustries in New York State scapes are also beneficial, providing every- Tom Kaplun made the last presentation of onmental benefits of turfgrass thing from pollution control (water, air, the morning on the role of BMPs in the use rtance of the Turfgrass Envi- noise, light) to tick control and pollinator of neonicotinoids. In Tom’s view, BMPs are tewardship Fund (TESF) protection. an extension of IPM. Tom gave an overview TESF provides support for the of the principles of an IPM program, such as he New York Golf Course scouting, risk assessment, and decision mak- The Turfgrass Environmental ing. Tom stressed the importance of pollina- omic impact of golf and its envi- Stewardship Fund tor protection in turfgrass management enefits West Point Golf Course Superintendent with our goal being to protect and increase York Apprenticeship Program Steve Whipple, president of NYSTA, pro- pollinator populations. t inoids & Best Management MPs) and Environmental Benefits Special Thanks to Our Sponsors ss Management We would like to acknowledge the following sponsors who supported this year’s tage for the program was North Advocacy Day webinar: Bayer Crop Science, Capital Region Golf Course Owners Superintendent Tom Kaplun, Association, Harrell’s, Hudson Valley Golf Course Superintendents Association, NYSTA’s government relations Long Island Golf Course Superintendents Association, Metropolitan Golf who offered a well-crafted Association, Metropolitan Golf Course Superintendents Association, National of the economic and environ- Association of Landscape Professionals, New York Green Industry Council, fits of turfgrass. Northeastern Golf Course Superintendents Association, RISE, SavATree, The ented facts and figures showing Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, Syngenta, Target Specialty Products, TruGreen. ic impact the turfgrass—and April/May 2021 to secure the Turfgrass Envi- tewardship Fund appropriation. with few trained and educated professionals time and money, but remember, investing in blywoman was thrilled to by providing a career pathway for job seek- your employees’ development is investing in STA’s workforce development ers throughout New York State interested in your own success.” The program is waiting working in a green industry business. for approval from the Department of Labor Senator Hinchey stressed the According to Dom Morales, a SUNY- but should be approved within the next of the workforce development Delhi professor emeritus and NYSTA board month. applauded NYSTA for its work member who helped spearhead the project, According to Morales, there is also a The senator is very supportive of the program will assist employers by provid- renewed interest in Ag Ed. “A growing iation for the Turfgrass Envi- ing state-approved training objectives and number of high school students across the ewardship Fund and is working related instruction for an existing employee state are showing interest in agricultural d possibly increase, that fund- or a newly recruited worker. careers,” he says. “More than 200 high yes, the pandemic has showed Three registered apprenticeship programs schools in New York State have Agriculture ce of open space. have been developed and submitted to the Education and have a Future Farmers of New York State Department of Labor for America chapter (FFA). We are exploring approval and certification. These include the development of a Pre-Apprentice pro- formation at Your Groundskeeper-Golf Course, Grounds- gram at the High School level that will keeper-Sports Turf, and Turf Equipment enable students to seamlessly transition to a provided a wrap-up and thank Technician. Once approved, the programs certified apprentice program upon gradua- ho attended. Once again, the will offer 4,000 hours of structured, on-the- tion.” But Morales also notes that the med to do its part to foster an job training, as well as an additional 144 Apprenticeship Program is suitable not just ng and appreciation of our hours of related instruction and certificates for high school grads, but also anyone look- New York State legislators. from related instruction cooperators over a ing for a career change. e unable to attend this webinar, two-year period. Included in the related For more information, visit the NYSTA the entire session by accessing instruction are courses offered online from website at www.nysta.org. w.youtube.com/watch?v=YVh onal information, the briefing red for Advocacy Day on the vironmental Stewardship Fund und on NYSTA’s website, A.org. This briefing paper can ur local State legislator or used conversation with one of them. see all of you at our Turfgrass y in 2023. Laws and regulations one, and we all need to be ei, CGCS, golf course superintend- ’Beyond in Brewster, NY, is a past YSTA and a member of the ernment Relations Committee Tee to Green April/May 2022 7 r P. Weber Environmental Emmet design, it paved the way for a variety involved, Luke points out that his accom- Golf Award. This prestigious of environmental enhancements. A tree plishments were an accumulation of baby esented annually to an MGA removal plan took away many non-native steps that over time led to some significant b that has demonstrated excep- and invasive trees while keeping native outcomes. Congratulations to Luke and nmental stewardship by meet- species for squirrels and nesting red-tailed Rockville Links for their distinguished us set of criteria in five areas: hawks. It also opened an impressive 44 acres environmental efforts! ity and Conservation, Wildlife that have been transformed into low-water, Outreach and Education, IPM, low-input fescue areas with four more acres About the Green Chairman ce Conservation. This year’s being seeded to wildf lower areas. High-rent pient was Rockville Links Golf bird boxes are now available for bluebirds, Education Series perintendent Luke Knutson. tree swallows, and wrens, while others Designed to educate club leaders and the attract screech owls and bats that keep mos- golfing public about issues affecting the golf inks Award-Worthy quito populations in check. course industry, the Green Chairman Edu- ments • Implementing IPM. IPM has become a cation Series offers highly informative talks way of daily management. To name just a from industry experts, in addition to recog- ockville Links and Luke have few examples, Luke is committed to using nizing a member club for its environmental impressive number of award- slow-release fertilizers, as well as pitfall efforts. ronmental efforts, not the least traps to monitor ABW adults and degree Held this year at Garden City Country s been educating others on the days to predict disease outbreaks. Club in Garden City, NY, the event wel- of creating and promoting pol- Rockville Links uses wells for its irriga- comed USGA Northeast Agronomist John tats. You may have first seen tion water and has them tested regularly, Daniels, who talked about the issues dealing ion when he did a video and sending the results to the Suffolk County with increased traffic, specifically golf carts udy with Dr. Frank Rossi about Water Commission. Luke avoids using pesti- and their impact on turf. or New York State. Or perhaps cides with a high EIQ, and pesticide Adam Moeller, USGA director of the a seminar at the Golf Industry amounts have tested well below the thresh- green section education and outreach, pre- “Bee the Change” where Luke old limits. sented a lightning round of topics, including demonstrate his knowledge of • Committed to Recycling. Rockville Links labor shortages, increased play, supply chain promoting pollinator habitats. has a comprehensive recycling program. All issues, increasing costs, and rising member read the article “Pollinator paper and plastic is recycled, and the club expectations. in a superintendent spotlight has switched to bamboo plates and silver- Tom Kaplun, superintendent at North y the Tri-State Turf Research ware during outings. Wooden pallets are Hempstead Country Club, did a great job Did you happen to catch Luke either given back to distributors for reuse or updating us on what the Tri-State Turf speaking about the environ- taken to a pallet recycling facility. Research Foundation has been doing and ct of golf? But outreach is only During the restoration, all sod and soil provided information on pending bills in s efforts. that was disturbed was used to create Albany that may dramatically impact the a Bee Haven. On the course at mounds to screen out the course’s leaf and way golf courses are managed. uke has used honey bee hives to clippings compost area. Some of the com- Continuing the green theme was Dr. benefits of maintaining native post areas have broken down enough to Brian Horgan, who has been doing research gh dedicated observation, he allow the maintenance staff to plant pump- on the environmental impact golf courses that as more native plants kins in them. The pumpkins are then used have on their communities. blished, the number and diver- in the fall as decorations around the club- Watch for next year’s education series, and as increased. It is safe to say that house. be sure to encourage the “powers that be” at come somewhat of an amateur Fallen trees and large branches are your club to attend this highly informative t, being able to identif y several stacked and used as habitat for pollinators, event. milies of bees as well as other while any wood chips are used as mulch llinators. around several f lowerbeds. The chef even Matt Ceplo, a member of the Tee to Green uses some prime oak and hickory chips for Editorial Member, is a Class A MetGCSA member. April/May 2021 t Knollwood Country Club, dmirable sum for the Met’s Fund and awarded $4,000 in o six lucky ticket holders. e is the prime source of the wards we distribute to deserv- ember dependents each year. s to all who contributed and who sold tickets for this worth- aiser. lations to our $2,000-grand- r, Bill Salinetti of National f America. Bill purchased this winning ticket from Fenway perintendent Rob Alonzi. lucky ticketholders were: d Prize Winner , Burning Tree Country Club. the winning ticket from ee Country Club Superinten- $250 Prize Winners • Bill Salinetti, National Golf Links of ickstrom. • Andy Drohen, Allied Nutrients. His America. John purchased the winning ticket ticket was bought on the website. from Fenway Golf Club Superintendent Prize Winner • John Wickes, Davey Tree Co. John Rob Alonzi. K&J Trees. Ed bought the win- bought the winning ticket from Mike rom the website. Cook, an LAF member. n the Move Birth In Sympathy Coughlin is the new superin- Congratulations to Leewood Golf Club Our sincere condolences to Tim Gerzabek Hollow Brook Golf Club in Superintendent Tim Walker and his and his family on the passing of his father, anor, NY. Previous position: fiancé, Patty Thornton, on the birth of their Frank M. Gerzabek, 90, on May 10. erintendent at Hudson Nation- baby girl, Reagan, on March 6. Memorial contributions may be made to in Croton-on-Hudson, NY. Notre Dame High School, 1 Notre Dame her Steffen Jr. is the new Way, West Haven, CT 06516 or Sacred ent at Candlewood Lake Club Heart Academy, 265 Benham Street, eld, CT. Previous position: erintendent at Leewood Golf chester, NY. Tee to Green April/May 2022 9 CT The Apawamis Club White Plains, NY iven, CGCS Rye, NY Host: Mike McCormick MetGCSA Winter Seminar cial/Clambake Wednesday, January 11, 2023 11 Army Black Knights vs. UConn Westchester Country Club ch Club Saturday, November 19 Rye, NY k, NY Michie Stadium, West Point Join fellow MetGCSA and HVGCSA mem- nic bers, friends, and family for the West Point gust 18 Family Football Day and Tailgate party. morial Park Food & beverages will be compliments of our two associations. To register or for further information, contact Susan O’Dowd at 914 -909-4843 or sodowd@mgagolf.org. Events rfgrass Research Field Day: The 16th Annual Dr. Joseph Troll 2022 GREEN EXPO Turf & Landscape Turf Turf Classic Conference 26 Monday, September 12 Tuesday – Thursday, December 6 – 8 ticultural Farm II Pelham Country Club Borgata Hotel & Casino ick, NJ Pelham, NY Atlantic City, NJ te, and watch for details. Call Host: Jeff Wentworth, CGCS The New Jersey Green Expo offers a com- 67 or visit www.njturfgrass.org This year’s UMass Alumni Turf Group prehensive educational program providing formation. fundraiser will be hosted by Pelham cutting-edge applications and tactics to Country Club in support of turf education guarantee green industry professionals’ suc- Field Day and research at the University of Massa- cess on the job. 28 chusetts. MetGCSA member and Pelham For further information, call 973-812- t Science Research and Edu- Country Club Superintendent Jeff Went- 6467 or visit www.njturfgrass.org. ty worth is this year’s honoree, recognized for y Road his achievements in the turfgrass manage- ment industry. starts at 7:30 a.m.. The pro- Please plan to attend this worthy om 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. fundraiser. Entry forms and additional information are available online at www.alumniturfgroup.com. April/May 2021 t. Foursomes are composed of holes. It’s a true test of golf. endent, head professional, and icials from Met member clubs. Scott Yesterday and Today l be no walk in the park on this llenging course. From the back Scott’s dad, Russ, had everything to do with yards-par 72) the course has a Scott becoming a golf course superintend- 2 and a slope of 145. So be sure ent. “I was born on the Marine base in r “A” game! Quantico, VA,” says Scott. “My dad spent eight years as a Marine. He worked as an Air Traffic Controller, but he was also in charge tanwich Club Came to Be of recreation on the base. He played all sports 950s and early 1960s, the popu- very well, but he most enjoyed playing the Greenwich and Stamford ex- 18-hole golf course and was a scratch ight along with it, the desire for golfer.” he two private golf clubs in the When Russ left the Marine Corps, he wich Country Club and Round began working at Claremont Country Club ad long waiting lists to get in. in Claremont, NH.“Claremont was a 9-hole ted a group of members from track. It had great bones. It was the social Scott Niven, CGCS o start investigating the possi- center of the town,” Scott remembers. “My ding a new course. dad was the general manager, became a PGA when they were just starting to rebuild it. I e of property interested both Class-A Pro, and also was the superintend- worked there for two seasons and, before as a 270-acre estate known as ent. I started working there in the summer construction started, took the super’s job at m, bordered by North Street and when I was 7 years old. I was driving a trac- Siwanoy in Bronxville,” says Scott. He Road, north of the Merritt tor by the time I was 10.” stayed at Siwanoy for two seasons, and when he property featured several It wasn’t too long before Scott’s dad Stanwich opened up, he seized the opportu- nhouse, and 15 fountains in the decided the purchase his own golf course. nity to move there. That was 39 years ago. ardens. Today’s fairways were He bought the Angus Lea Golf Course in Though other opportunities presented ing cattle. Hillsboro, NH. “It was a family business,” themselves over the years, Scott has no nd Hill and Greenwich groups Scott laughs. “My dad, brother, and I took regrets that he’s stayed put.“Staying here has s to form the Norwich Devel- care of the course, and my mom and sister been the best decision of my life,” says Scott. mpany, and they hired golf operated the clubhouse. I’d get up every day “The membership has been fantastic.” tect William Gordon to inspect before school to mow greens before going to In the 39 years since Scott’s been at make recommendations. He class. Stanwich, there have been numerous proj- k to the group, “If you let this After high school and a brief stint at the ects completed to improve the course. away from you, you’re crazy.” University of New Hampshire, Scott trans- About 13 years ago, all the greens were is to heart, in the fall of 1962, ferred to the University of Rhode Island to regrassed to A1/A4 bentgrass and subse- velopment purchased 186 acres pursue a degree in Turfgrass Management. quently converted to USGA specifications. Farm and sold 84 acres as This was before golf course internships, so The bunkers have been redone a couple of ouse lots. Included in the sale every summer during college, Scott times. There’s been plenty of new tee con- n house and four other build- returned to Angus Lea to work on the fam- struction, a couple of new irrigation sys- Stanwich Club, which had been ily course. He graduated in 1976. tems, over 4,000 trees have been cut down hat summer. William Gordon Scott’s first job as an assistant was at on the property, a new maintenance facility David designed the course. The Greenwich Country Club, where he stayed was constructed, and all the ponds were or house became the clubhouse for three seasons before accepting the super- dredged. in June of 1964. The course intendent’s position at St. Andrew’s Golf A legacy that Scott is extremely proud of lay one month later. Club in Hastings-on-Hudson, NY. “I met are the 29 alumni he mentored at Stanwich e is long and challenging. The and spent some time with Jack Nicklaus who moved on to become golf course super- Tee to Green April/May 2022 11 en very involved giving back try Club kicked off the MetGCSA Closest to the Pin ustry having served on the tournament season with the Annual Dave #3 Tom Weinert, Plant Food 3’1’’ board for 11 years (MetGCSA Mahoney Two-Ball Qualifier on April 25. #8 Jeff Wentworth, Pelham CC 4’8’’ 88/89), the GCSAA Research A full field of more than 80 participants #11 Scott Tretera, Harrell’s 13’9’’ GCSAA Golf Committee, and meant that 10 teams would be eliminated #16 Scott Niven 31’10’’ te Turf Research Foundation for the season-long match play. Host The Stanwich Club , serving a term as the group’s Superintendent Scott Olson had the course in great shape and was able to put recent #19 Dave McCaffrey 4’5’’ restoration work by Golf Course Architect Metropolis CC anwich Ian Andrew on full display. The historic course played fun and fair and provided the is better half, Dana, at Gambit’s necessary challenge to narrow the field. An Qualifier Brackets and Match he Westchester Marriott back added bonus was the newly constructed Par Deadlines had to work at it in those days 3 nineteenth hole, which gave contestants a sites hadn’t been invented yet. Check out metgcsa.org/events for the lat- just-for-fun extra shot on their return to est First and Second Flight brackets and n love and married in 1984. the clubhouse. produced two children, Nick wins. And be sure to complete your Special thanks to the entire staff at matches by the following dates: er. About two months ago Knollwood Country Club for providing e birth to a son, Tripp. Now a wonderful event to kick off the 2022 ndson in the mix. First Round ~ June 30 golf calendar, and especially to Scott and Quarter Finals ~ August 11 s golf and skiing, and it’s been a his staff for having the course in prime ir. The Nivens have skied all Semi-Finals ~ September 15 condition. Finals ~ October 20 orld, including Italy, Austria, zerland, Canada, and the U.S. even skied at an indoor facility Friendly Reminder! Bill Cygan, a member of the Tournament ott’s other passion is the New Committee, is superintendent at Silver Spring As a friendly reminder, please be diligent mething that Scott and I have Country Club in Ridgefield, CT. recording scores and maintaining your f abuse over. But better days are GHIN handicap. Keeping an active -T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets!! Handicap Index helps to maintain the nderful day is assured on June competitive spirit of the Dave Mahoney MetGCSA’s Invitational at Two-Ball and makes the event both fun ee you all there! and fair. s, a member of the Tee to Green Event of the Day Results mmittee, is NE/Mid-Atlantic nager for Ocean Organics. Gross Team Winners 71 Tom Ashfield, Quaker Ridge GC Andy Drohen, Allied Nutrients 72 Steve Whipple, West Point GC Dave Lippman, Westchester Turf Net Team Winners 63 Jesse Shannon, Manhattan GC John Wickes, Davey Tree Company 67 Mike Cook, Class LAF Dave Peterson, Silvermine GC April/May 2021 8066 Hightstown, NJ 08520 Twitter: @metroturfinc 7 Whittemore Place 18-369-0368 Dennis DeSanctis Jr. / Dennis DeSanctis Sr. Ryebrook, NY 10573 Ofc: 732-580-5516 ✪ MTE Equipment Solutions, Inc. 914-393-0659 / Fax: 914-939-5010 rols.com 33 Thruway Park Drive Dennisjr@doubledturf.com soilsolutionsllc369@gmail.com & Turf West Henrietta, NY 14586 n Deep” ✪ Emerald Tree and Shrub Care Ofc: 888-708-5296 ✪ Sygenta 3-996-6267 “Master Arborists & Golf Course sales@mte.us.com “Manufacturer of Plant Protection olfturf.com Specialists” mteequipmentsolutions.com Products” nticGandT Steve Farrelly / Bill Demarest / Kevin John Bresnahan: 413-333-9914 Wyatt ✪ Noble Turf john.bresnahan@syngenta.com ation Ofc: 914-725-0441 “Helping You Grow” emistry” Brian Bontemps: 845-239-7959 ✪ Tanto Irrigation, LLC info@emeraldtreecare.com “Golf Course Irrigation Specialists” 08-413-2944 Brian Gjelsvik: 973-670-7139 asf.com ✪ Ewing Irrigation Zach Brooks: 914-309-2373 Tim Clarke / Chase Cameron / Bill mina Fred Rapp: 848-225-4618 Matt Lapinski: 978-551-0093 Bartels Ofc: 914-591-9530 Bill Cimochowski: 609-923-4045 info@tantoirrigation.com frapp@ewingirrigation.com Twitter: @Tantoirrigation er” Trapper Van Dunk: 914-471-7012 ✪ NuFarm Americas, Inc. 860-841-3173 “Helping the World to Grow a Better ✪ Tom Irwin Inc. tvandunk@ewingirrigation.com “With Tom Irwin, You’re Not Alone” eat Farms Tomorrow” ✪ Executive Turf & Synergy Turf Supply Jim Santoro: 508-207-2094 13 A Street, Burlington, MA 01803 Road “Nualgi’s Nano Technology & HumaGro’s Jeff Houde: 203-731-1776 A 18661 jim.santoro@nufarm.com Micro Carbon Technologies” Ofc: 800-582-5959 huck Evans Ken Gentile: 203-496-0891 ✪ Ocean Organics jeff@tomirwin.com / 570-947-5888 Tim Joyce: 631-601-5294 Biostimulants ~ Fertility ~ Surfactants “All Made With Love in Maine” ✪ Turf Products LLC erials, LLC executiveturfproducts@gmail.com TORO Irrigation & Equipment ressing & Bunker Sand Kevin P. 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