January 2023
VOLUME 54 NUMBER 1

Published by the Metropolitan Golf Course Superintendents Association



Board of Directors

President
BRETT CHAPIN

Redding Country Club
Vice President
MICHAEL BRUNELLE, CGCS

Upper Montclair Country Club
Treasurer
STEPHEN WICKSTROM

Cover: Fenway Golf
Club.

Burning Tree Country Club
Secretary
JESSE SHANNON, CGCS

Manhattan Woods Golf Club
Past President
ROBERT ALONZI

Fenway Golf Club
Directors
AARON CROUSE

The Golf Club of Purchase
WILLIAM CYGAN

Silver Spring Country Club
CHARLES LAFFERTY

Rye Golf Club
DAVE PETERSON

Silvermine Golf Club
STEPHEN RABIDEAU, CGCS

Winged Foot Golf Club
KEVIN SEIBEL, CGCS

Century Country Club
Class “C” Rep
JAMES WHITE

Wykagyl Country Club
Class “AF” Rep
DAVE CONRAD

In this Issue
Feature

Plant Food Company
Executive Director
MIKE McCALL, CGCS
Executive Secretary
SUSAN O’DOWD

Tee to Green Staff

Superfast Greens: Friend or Foe? ............................................2

Departments

Editor
CHIP LAFFERTY
914-760-3331

Scorecard..............................................................................6

Managing Editor
PANDORA C. WOJICK

Chapter News........................................................................8

Editorial Committee
WORTH ANDREWS ANTHONY MINNITI
TODD APGAR
BOB NIELSEN
MATT CEPLO
SCOTT NIVEN
KEVIN COLLINS
JIM PAVONETTI
ANDY DROHEN
JAMES WHITE
STEVEN McGLONE
GREG WOJICK

Member News......................................................................12

Designer
TERRIE YOUNG
TEE TO GREEN is published bimonthly by the Metropolitan Golf
Course Superintendents Association
49 Knollwood Road, Elmsford, NY 10523-2819
914-347-4653, FAX: 914-347-3437, METGCSA.ORG
Copyright © 2023

Upcoming Events ................................................................12



President’s
Message

W

Education Is the
Name of the
Winter Game

inter months in the Met
area typically offer superintendents the
downtime they need to ref lect on the previous season—what worked well and what
could be improved—and to adjust maintenance plans accordingly for the upcoming
season. It’s also the time we are afforded
numerous educational opportunities to
support the growth of our maintenance
operations.
Our Fall Seminar (see p. 8), held this year
at Fenway Golf Club, offered a great roster
of speakers hitting on topics that ranged
from winter damage to disease and water
source management. Our Winter Seminar
brought us together yet again for another
superb day of vendor visits and topics pertinent to the management of our courses.
My all-time favorite educational opportunity is fast-approaching: The GCSAA
Conference and Show, which is running
from February 6 – 9. I am looking forward
to learning about trends in our industry that
I might be able to bring back and apply to
our maintenance operation in 2023. These
ideas might involve making only minor
adjustments to my plan for the upcoming
season, but this practice is part of my ongoing commitment to improving the experience at Redding.
Though not technically educational,
please be sure to join fellow MetGCSA conference-goers at our Nor’easter event on
February 8 at the Blue Martini Lounge in
Orlando. See the Upcoming Events (page
12) for details. It’s a great way to kick back
and enjoy the company of your colleagues.
Another must-attend educational event
geared, this time, specifically for assistant
superintendents is the Class C Professional
Development Seminar. Watch for details.
This career-enhancing event will have a
new look as we partner with the USGA to
provide educational and networking opportunities for our assistants. The USGA is
focused on aiding turfgrass management
professionals in maintaining their club’s top
asset, their golf facility. This is a great event,
and I hope to see many of you there.

Brett Chapin
MetGCSA President

New Perspective on Green Speed
Speaking of educational opportunities, be
sure to check out this issue’s feature. It offers
new insight into how ever-increasing green
speeds have encouraged both architects and
golf course superintendents to rethink how
new greens are constructed and old ones are
altered to ensure more pinnable areas and a
good round of golf.
At Redding, pin locations have been a hot
topic. As a result, my club went through a
greens analysis process to accurately determine usable pin locations. We were then
able to share reliable data with our membership, which showed that several of our
greens have less than 20 percent usable pin
locations.
This information will be the topic of my
January Green Committee meeting to
determine what our club’s goal for 2023
will be regarding our green speeds. Does
the club want to continue to focus on variety when it comes to course setup, or do
they want to be more data-based in regard
to setting locations on our greens? A maintenance issue on the table for the new year!

Carve Out Some ‘Me’ Time
As we plan for the upcoming season, be sure
to carve out time to simply enjoy the offseason. Whether it’s a home project, a getaway, or an event with your family, like the
Frozen Four Hockey games I saw at Fenway
Park with my wife and kids, enjoy the rest of
the winter, ’cause let’s face it, spring will be
here before you know it!
Brett Chapin
President

Tee to Green January 2023

1



Feature

Superfast Greens: Friend or Foe?
Todd Quitno offers an architect’s perspective on the
pros–and mostly cons–of ultrafast greens

The practice green at Rye Golf Club has ample
f lat space with dramatic transitions between,
allowing for fun and engaging pin positions that
are accessible no matter the speed of the green.

2

Tee to Green January 2023



H

ello. My name
is Todd Quitno. I am a golf course architect…. And I am a HYPOCRITE.
I am writing today to shed light on this
personal f law, beginning with the following
declaration: I LOVE fast greens. As a middling amateur golfer (8 hdcp), I’m admittedly
not always the best at playing them. Heck,
I’m even prone to a 3- or even 4 -putt multiple times a round when the greens are blazing. But when I’m rolling it well, which
happens enough to just barely qualif y as
“most” of the time, I find nothing more
rewarding than judging a screaming-fast lag
putt or pounding the back of the cup with an
aggressive 5-footer that I barely tap. There’s
just something about it that feels really good
when I can pull it off!
But here’s where the hypocrisy thing hits
me and hits me hard. As an architect, I
DESPISE fast greens and think excessive
speed spoils the game.
Turns out, I am not alone in this mental
ping pong, something I learned recently
while in Rhode Island with a hundred or so
fellow members of the American Society of
Golf Course Architects (and a few architect
guests from Europe). We were gathered to
play some local gems—Newport, Wannamoisett, Shelter ‘Hah-bah’—but more
importantly, to banter about the game. This
year’s topic: Anything and everything greens.
Our three days of play and discussion were
kicked off with this quote by revered Golden
Age architect Harry Colt, who quipped:
“In no case should a green be contoured so that a ball runs away from
the putter like a swine possessed by
the devil.”
Of course, this does not exactly refer to
green speed, but the quote is just too good
not to share! Nonetheless, what Colt was
indicating is that excessiveness in a green,
whether slope or speed, can directly impact
the quality of a hole or the entire course and,
more importantly, the experience one has
playing it. This became one of the fundamental tenets of our group discussion,
reinforced by some very unscientific
f lash polling of the attendees who were
asked questions about greens and what they
prioritize when designing their putting sur-

faces. The results presented were varied and
interesting (see above).
Besides functionality, “pinnable area” was
a top priority for more than 80 percent of
the architects polled. More probing revealed
that most strive for at least two-thirds of a
green surface to be pinnable, but less than
half of those polled indicated “likely green
speed” as a top design priority, this despite
unanimous (verbal) agreement that slope
and pace have a direct impact on pin-ability.
Not exactly a cry for help when it comes to
speed, right?
At face value, I would agree, but some
additional live polling and small-group
discussion on the topic revealed a bit more
concern:

As you can see, more than 86 percent of
those polled above believe that the ideal
green speed is 11 feet or less, and that speed
has the most significant impact by far on
ball runout. When asked whether they
always design to this ideal, most of the
architects indicated they would like to, but
the decision on speed is typically out of their
hands, indicating that green committees and
superintendents tend to drive the bus, with
the latter often directed by the former.
The architects also agreed that educating
clubs on the problem of excessive speed is
difficult given the annual turnover of committees and constant concern about keeping
up with the competition.
Tee to Green January 2023

3



Ultrafast Can Be Ultrabad
All of this brings us to a natural question:
What exactly is the problem with ultrafast
greens?
Knowing most of you reading this are
superintendents, there’s not much need to
dwell on the agronomic issues that arise
from maintaining bentgrass (or Poa) within
.01" of its effective life. It is well known that
more manicured always means more inputs.
Less leaf head means more potential exposure to tissue damage, more energy needed
to create substantial rooting, and more susceptibility to stresses (water, drought, heat,
disease, etc.). Sure, bentgrass can handle
being short, but cutting heights less than
.100" is borderline grass suicide.
That’s just one side of the issue. Let’s look
at how speed has impacted architecture,
especially when it comes to pinning interest, diversity, and strategic setup. The diagrams top right tell a fascinating story of
how Stimpmeter readings have increased
over past decades.
I think the data here seems a bit conservative, particularly for the current decade.
Many superintendents report that they’re
asked to maintain 13'+ daily, employing
mowing heights under 0.100" and incorporating rolling to further speeds. The golf
courses we played while in Rhode Island
were running every bit of 12', and more like
13' at two of the venues (just my guess; no
actual data provided). Our group reported
numerous putts running off the front of the
greens, 4 -jacks, and other crazy putting
woes. We did play in a 25-mph wind, which
certainly added to the challenge, but the fast
surfaces undeniably impacted pace of play
and shot values.
Here’s another interesting tidbit shared at
the meeting. The diagrams to the right
show a snippet from a green at a top club
4

Tee to Green January 2023

where the surface contours have reportedly
remained intact since their inception. The
ezLocator® software program was used to
illustrate how the viable pinning locations
have changed as speeds have increased over
time, rendering some dynamic pin locations
unusable. Many architecture “aficionados”
revere these old clubs for having preserved

and/or restored their strategic value
through time, but can we honestly say that
strategy here hasn’t changed when speed
has so obviously altered the way these
greens are set up and played?
continued on page 11



Accommodating Ever-Increasing Green Speeds
Superintendents Join Former USGA Agronomist David Oatis in Sharing Their
Thoughts and Solutions to Elevated Green Speeds

Green Industry Professional’s
Perspective
Dave Oatis, now of David Oatis Consulting LLC, 908-347-9436
While fast greens can be fun to play, excessive speed is detrimental to pace of play and
can adversely impact golfer enjoyment and
turfgrass health (frequently from wear due
to loss of usable cupping area). Furthermore,
maintaining excessive speeds (based on a
given design) prevents golfers from playing
to hole locations designed by the original
architect. Depending on the design, this can
actually reduce the challenge and eliminate
variety and playability options for a golf
hole. It can convert a very special design into
a boring, one-dimensional design.
The challenge is to identif y the green
speed range that provides adequate golfer
challenge without excessively limiting the
amount of usable cupping area. Often a
green or two out of eighteen have lower
“speed limits,” and this complicates the
situation.
Some courses choose to maintain all the
greens at the same speed but maintain them
at a slightly lower speed. Others choose to
maintain most of the greens at higher speeds
but maintain the more severely contoured
greens at a slower speed. This complicates
management but can be accomplished at
many facilities.
Still other courses opt for rebuilding or
adjusting grades on more severely contoured greens so they are able to support
faster green speeds. This can produce surfaces that are consistent but results in more
expense and may significantly alter the
original design. Rebuilding a green or two
on an old course increases the complexity of
the maintenance program as new greens
usually react differently to stress and extreme weather events. With modern technology and a skillful manager, this can be
managed, but rebuilt greens are always
referred to as “the new Number X” forever,
and the old green, regardless of how poorly
it may have played, magically gets better in
the minds of many!
The most appropriate option varies from
course to course, depending on myriad factors including available resources, level of
play, the perceived value of the original
design, golfer desires, etc. It is worth preserving “good old architecture” yet perfectly acceptable to adjust contours a bit to
account for how the game has changed.

Realistically, some old designs simply must
be changed to remain relevant. Frequent
three- and four-putts frustrate golfers and
slow play, and that can turn people away
from the game. At the end of the day, it’s
important to maintain sensible values and
put golfer enjoyment, healthy, reliable turf,
and reasonable management ahead of
extreme green speeds that the vast majority
of golfers don’t enjoy on a regular basis.

Superintendents’ Solutions
Jim Pavonetti, CGCS, Golf and Grounds
Superintendent, Fairview Country Club,
203-223-5403
Fairview’s greens have considerable undulations, and many hole locations have been
lost due to the modern green speeds. In
some of the areas that still can be used, the
square footage of usable space has shrunk.
Since rolling back the green speeds, at this
point, is not an option, my club is currently
looking at recontouring several greens to
accommodate current speeds, which will be
at a considerable cost!
After touring the course with Rees Jones,
we are planning to alter greens that require
less than 20 percent surface modification,
which means stripping the sod and layers of
material, adjusting the subsurface, adding
back the top layer, replacing the Poa sod, and
installing XGD drainage. Greens that
require more than 20 percent surface modification will be fully rebuilt to USGA
specifications.
Steve Finamore, CGCS, retired Alpine
Country Club Superintendent, 201-3768235
We had eight greens at Alpine Country
Club that did not have sufficient pin locations. We had modified two greens in the
early ’90s and were never satisfied with the
results. Between 2001 and 2012, we rebuilt
those two greens and six additional ones,
this time, according to USGA specifications.
Results were excellent, and the new greens
blended with the older greens, playing very
similarly.
Tony Girardi, CGCS, MG, Golf Course
Superintendent, Rockrimmon Country
Club, 203-904 -8715
To date, Rockrimmon has rebuilt three
greens due to severe undulations that green
speeds of 9.5-10.5 couldn’t handle. That was
15 years ago. Fast-forward to current conditions where green speeds are regularly in
the 10s and mid-11s during tournament

times. This has forced us to schedule two to
three more greens for full reconstruction.
We’ve simply lost all but a handful of hole
locations. Members have commented on
how the hole location “is always in the same
spot.” Even with using modern hole location software like ezLocator®, we still
struggle to find usable locations. If all goes
as planned, we will be rebuilding our 13th
green in the fall of 2023 and our 9th green
in the fall of 2024, using the same method
we implemented 15 years ago that included
full USGA rebuilds and using our existing
Poa annua sod. In my opinion, this will be a
continuing trend.
Scott E. Niven, CGCS, Property Manager,
The Stanwich Club, 203-962-3732
I have seen the greens at Stanwich go from
a stimpmeter reading of 8' when I arrived
up to 14' and have since softened all greens
except for one which still has plenty of
slope. It was the most benign when compared to the others. As speeds have continued to escalate, with today’s average ball roll
at 13'ish day-to-day, some greens that we
rebuilt back in 2005 again have little cupping area. With a cutting height of .100" on
our bentgrass greens, we can grow healthy
turf without excessive inputs, and the
resulting 13' +/- speeds are reasonable and,
in my mind, fast enough for any event that
the club might want to host. If we were to
lower the height of cut, which would further increase green speed, I think that both
the turf and members would begin to cry
uncle.
Sean Cain, CGCS, Golf Course Superintendent, Sunningdale Country Club,
914 -826-4296
Since we have rebuilt all of our greens with
architect Mike DeVries and added more
contour and movement to all of them, we
are not under pressure anymore to lower
heights, double-cut, or over roll the greens
to get the desired speeds we want on a
weekly basis.
Sean Foley, Golf Course Superintendent,
Round Hill Club, 203-869-6477
At Round Hill Club, we softened just a few
super severe contours during the complete
rebuild and installation of USGA greens.
Our small greens are very limited in pin
locations at the desired green speeds. This
situation creates predictability and a
reduced opportunity for variance to the
golfing experience.
Tee to Green January 2023

5



Scorecard

MetGCSA Assistants Take Home 2022
Battle of the Bridges Trophy
by James White

A

t the November 1 Battle of
the Bridges Assistants
Championship, the MetGCSA
emerged victorious for the fourth consecutive year and fifth time since the tournament’s inception in 2016. This annual
low-net team event, contested this year at
Metuchen Golf and Country Club in
Edison, NJ, gives assistants from both the
MetGCSA and GCSA of New Jersey an
opportunity to put down their cup-cutters
and blowers, pick up their drivers and
putters, and engage in a little friendly
competition.
This year’s championship winner was
based on the top 10 overall team scores. Out
of those 10, the Met had 7 teams. Chad
Lamere and Carlos Montero from Bonnie
Briar Country Club led the pack with a Net The winning MetGCSA team proudly displays their trophy.
score of -11!

The Site of the Competition
Metuchen Golf and Country Club was
founded in 1915. Originally 9 holes, the
club became its current 18 in 1931. From
the championship tees, the course plays
6,766 yards. Fairways are narrow and lined
with trees, along with small greens protected by bunkers and stingy rough.
Metuchen’s signature hole — the 14th —
has their famous Metuchen tree 160 yards
out from the green. Our tournament players
were challenged to decide which side of the
tree they wanted to play their approach shot
from. But that’s not all: This green is protected by a greenside pond that also challenged tourney participants to a difficult
putt.
History is also a part of the 15th hole at
Metuchen. It was dedicated as “The Edison
Hole” in October 2014. Over 130 years ago,
this hole served as the end of the line for
Edison’s railroad, which ran 2.5 miles across
town and was used to show electricity’s
many uses.
Many thanks to Metuchen Superintendent Jason Osterhoudt and to Assistant
Superintendent Elizabeth Holmes for all
their hard work in providing our group
with great course conditions.
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Tee to Green January 2023

A Bit About Assistant
Elizabeth Holmes

Elizabeth Holmes has been at Metuchen
since 2019. She received her bachelors in
Plant Science from Rutgers University.
Before Metuchen, she interned at Baltursol
Golf Club for two summers while in school
and then became an assistant in training at
TPC Jasna Polana.
Elizabeth was more than pleased to host
the event: “I love any event where I get to
interact with my course in a different way
and use it to play golf and see the results of
all our staff ’s work during the season,” she
said.
One of her favorite parts of the job is
mowing rough. She also enjoys creating the
landscape design for their annual plantings.
In her free time, she likes to hike, bake, and
relax at home.

How the Contestants Fared
In the seventh year of the Battle of the
Bridges Assistants Championship, the
GCSANJ and the MetGCSA battled it out
for the title. For the fourth consecutive year,
the Met team blew out the competition and
took home the trophy. Here is a look at the
winning results:
Battle of the Bridges Final
MetGCSA ~ -7
GCSANJ ~ -3

Contest Winners

Team 1st Low Net ~ MetGCSA
-11 Chad Lamere/Carlos Montero
Bonnie Briar Country Club
Team 2nd Low Net ~ GCSANJ
-10 James Surcio/Nick Alley
North Jersey Country Club
Team 3rd Low Net ~ MetGCSA
-7
Ben Messanger/Dan Murphy
The Stanwich Club
Closest to the Pin
# 2 Tim Pleskach
23' 2"
Wild Turkey at Crystal Springs Resort
# 18 Brian Rykaczewski
11"
Knickerbocker Country Club
Longest Drive
Men
Travis Wilder, Bedford Golf & Tennis Club
Women
Elizabeth Holmes, Metuchen Golf and
Country Club
James White, a member of the Tee to Green
Editorial Committee and Class C rep, is an
assistant superintendent at Wykagyl Country
Club in New Rochelle, NY.



The MetGCSA Slips to 10th Place in the
2022 Met Area Team Championship
by Andy Drohen

T

his year’s Met Area Team
Championship was hosted by
John Chassard at the famed
William Flynn Lehigh Country Club in
Allentown, PA. Little did John know when
he agreed to host the event that he would
not only have to manage a record field of
136 players from all 15 chapters, but also an
untimely, drenching rain that stopped play
during the middle of the round. Unfortunately, by the time the course became
playable again, there was not enough daylight to finish the 18-hole championship, so
the event was cut to a 9-hole shootout!
No matter! John had Lehigh in tremendous condition with greens smooth and fast
and fairways pure and tight. Perennial competitors are familiar with the Met Team
Championship’s challenging, yet fair setups,
and Lehigh was no different. William
Flynn created a gem in the rolling hills of
Lehigh Valley with dramatic topography
and changes in elevation, with great green
complexes that demand good shots.
Taking home this year’s trophy was the
team from Long Island. This was the only
association that had all four teams shoot
even par or better! Led by one of the low
net scores of the day, Ken Lochridge and
Daniel Wolf shot -2, followed by the second
lowest gross team of the day at -1, Shamus
O’Connor and Tom Weinert. Rounding
out the team, both with even par scores,
were Shawn O’Sullivan and Luke Knutson
on the gross side and Jon Semmig and Graig
Patti on the net side.
After finishing fifth in the last Met Area
Team Championship, the MetGCSA team
unfortunately slipped to 10th place. The
team was led by the pairing of Steve
McGlone and Brian Gjelsvik, who shot 2
under Net, followed by Steve Wickstrom
and Mike McCormick at plus 3 Net. On the
Gross side, David McCaffrey and Matt
Lapinkski shot plus 4, and Josh Haugh
paired with Zak Brooks to shoot plus 6.
“The Met always has high expectations
going into this event,” says team member
and MetGCSA Executive Director Mike
McCall. “But obviously it just wasn’t our
day. John Chassard definitely had the
course primed for the event. It’s a shame
everyone did not get to experience the full
18. Hats off to Long Island for playing con-

event. We look forward to seeing everyone
next year, so stay tuned for announcements
over the winter!

The Complete Results
What follows is a list of both the team and
proximity winners. Congratulations to one
and all!
MetGCSA team members strike a pose at the
site of the Met Area Team Championship. From
left to right: Mike McCall, MetGCSA executive
director; Steve Wickstrom of Burning Tree
Country Club, Steven McGlone of Siwanoy
Country Club, Matt Lapinski and Brian
Gjelsvik of Noble Turf.

sistently well across all of their teams. The
good news is it is a lot easier to be the
underdog. We’ll be back!”
With the rain-shortened event, we
decided to raff le off the skill prizes, because
half the field had not played all the holes.
After hearing the tragic news of the
untimely passing of Chris Strehl’s son Jack,
it was unanimously decided to pass along all
Skins money and 50/50 money to Chris’s
family to support them in this time of need.
Please keep Chris and his family in your
thoughts and prayers during this difficult
time.

Special Thanks
Once again, the Met Area Team Championship was generously supported by our
seven major sponsors who continue to step
up to make this one of the best events across
the country! Please join me in thanking
Allied Nutrients, BASF, Bayer, Ocean
Organics, Plant Food, Syngenta, and Toro as
they continue to support this fantastic
event.
Many thanks, as well, to our host John
Chassard and his entire staff, and all the
folks at Lehigh Country Club, for another
successful championship. We’d also like to
extend a special thank you to our local
GCSAA representative, Kevin Doyle, and
the Philly association’s Kristen Liebsch for
their help with registration. We also can’t
forget to recognize our resident photographer, Shaun Barry, for photographing the

Team Scores / Rain-shortened event
(9-hole scores: Ties broken by lowest
gross scores, then net)
1st
Long Island GCSA
-3
2nd Pocono Turfgrass Association
E
3rd
Hudson Valley GCSA
+1
4th
GCSA of New York
+3
5th
Philadelphia AGCS
+4
(+1 low gross)
6th
Connecticut AGCS
+4
(+2 low gross)
7th
GCSA of Cape Cod
+7
(+3 low gross)
8th
GCSA of New Jersey
+7
(+4 low gross)
9th
Eastern Shore AGCS
+9
10th MetGCSA
+11
11th Mid-Atlantic AGCS
+16
(+2 low gross)
12th Central Penn GCSA
+16
(+3 low gross)
13th Rhode Island GCSA
+16
(+5 low gross)
14th Northeastern GCSA
+19
15th GCSA of New England
+27
Skill Events
Due to rain, all skill prizes were raff led off
and Skins monies were donated to Chris
Strehl’s family.
Sponsorship Team Winner
Matt Rogers & Kevin Monaco
(Score of Even Par)
Toro Group
Andy Drohen, Met Area Team Championship
Co-Chair and a member of the Tee to Green
Editorial Committee, is a regional manager with
Allied Nutrients in Granville, MA.

Tee to Green January 2023

7



Chapter News

Fall Education Seminar Another
Success!
by Dave Peterson

O

n Thursday, November 10,
MetGCSA members were treated to the great hospitality of
Fenway Golf Club in Scarsdale, NY, for their
Fall Education Seminar. The Education
Committee put together another great roster of speakers that drew superintendents
and assistants from throughout Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey.
We would like to send out a sincere thank
you to Fenway Golf Club Superintendent
Rob Alonzi for his team’s hospitality
throughout the day.
What follows are the highlights of each
presentation. If you find you’d like to delve
deeper into any one of these subjects, you’ll
find the speaker’s contact information at the
end of each summary.

Best Practices for Soil-borne and
Root Disease Management
Dr. Paul Giordano, director of agronomy at
Harrell’s LLC, kicked off the day with a talk
on soil-borne diseases, focusing on the control of fairy ring, summer patch, take-all
patch, and Pythium root rot. Dr. Giordano
emphasized the importance of application
timing and rotation and, most important,
getting fungicides to the target zone within
the soil by utilizing wetting agents and
proper timing along with an appropriate
amount of irrigation after a soil application.
He pointed out that most soil applications
are not watered in aggressively enough, and
research shows that most of the active ingredient becomes bound to the thatch and
never reaches the infected soil below.
Dr. Giordano pulled double-duty, assuming the spot Dave Oatis would have taken
next at the podium had he not had Covid!
This time, Dr. Giordano focused on how to
set up a balanced spray program to control
our most challenging turf diseases, including anthracnose, dollar spot, and Pythium.
Dr. Giordano emphasized sound product
rotation and brought up the idea of utilizing
manufacturer-guaranteed programs when
possible so that any disease breakthrough
would be rectified with replacement products. He also emphasized the importance of
6
8

Tee to Green January 2023

utilizing different chemistries when they
are most effective. For instance, some active
ingredients work better in spring or fall than
in the summer.
For further information, Dr. Giordano can
be reached at pgiordano@harrells.com or
734 -292-5022.

For further information, Steve McDonald
can be reached at turfgrassdiseasesolutions@yahoo.com or 610-633-1878.

Winter Damage of 2022: What Did We
Observe and Learn?

After a wonderful lunch buffet, Greg
Moore of the Plant Food Company, provided insight into how to properly interpret
an irrigation water test. He discussed the
most important numbers to pay attention to
which include SAR, EC, Bicarbonates, and
Potassium to Sodium Ratio. Greg then
went through a few real-world examples
demonstrating the relationship between
your water test, soil test, and saturated paste
test, as well as ways to identif y and remedy
imbalances. In the Northeast, the more
common imbalances revolve around sodium
and potassium. Making sure that you have
more potassium than sodium will help prevent premature wilt. If your water tests
show more sodium, it may be necessary to
apply potassium, calcium, and/or magnesium in order to balance these key nutrients
in the soil.
For further information, Greg Moore can
be reached at gmoore@plantfoodco.com or
315-491-5859.

Next up at the podium was Steve
McDonald, owner of Turfgrass Disease
Solutions. Steve spoke about the winter
injury he observed during his many visits to
Met-area clubs this past spring. He also
noted how isolated the damage was and
that, in his opinion, most of it was caused by
crown hydration. Steve also mentioned how
difficult it is to predict the type of winter
injury that will occur each season, however
lack of surface drainage and excessive southern shade are two factors that not only
increase the incidence of winter injury, but
also hinder recovery. Tree pruning and
removal after careful assessment, surface
grading to improve water f low from problem areas, and temporary surface drains
were a few of the methods discussed for
improving these conditions.

Understanding Your Irrigation
Water’s Impact on the Soil and
Nutrient Content of Your Turf



West Point Tailgate Event Proves
Good Time for All!
by Blake Halderman, CGCS

Irrigation Water Supply: Source
Development and Management

I

f you didn’t make it to the
MetGCSA/HVGCSA
Army
Football Tailgate event this year,
Finally, Michael Kapareiko, a hydrogeologist you should definitely be on the lookout for
with Weston & Sampson, provided a very this special outing next year. It’s a wonderinteresting talk on water source develop- ful opportunity to spend the day with your
ment, permitting, and well maintenance. His family and friends on West Point’s amazing
introduction of the water cycle and different campus.
types of underground water sources gave
The day is not only about football,
everyone some valuable knowledge on the although the game was great with Army
general movement of underground water scoring 21 points in the second half to
and the differences between a well drilled defeat UConn 34 -17. It is also about seeing
into bedrock versus an overburden well, the cadets enter the stadium in perfect forwhich resides in a layer of gravel or sand.
mation; it’s about seeing the West Point
He went on to explain the pros and cons of parachute team jump from high above your
both types of wells. Bedrock wells tend to be head and land with the American Flag percleaner and need less maintenance, but they fectly on the 50-yard line; it’s about the heltypically don’t produce nearly as much water icopters doing a f lyby at the conclusion of
in gallons per minute as an overburden well. the anthem and cannons blasting conOverburden wells need more frequent stantly in the background. There is somecleaning, but they are generally more reliable. Finding the proper location to drill a
bedrock well also proves more difficult as it
is hard to know exactly where a fracture in
the bedrock will produce viable water.
Kapareiko showed some interesting
videos of the well-drilling process and a few
scopes of both good wells and wells in need
of maintenance and remediation. He stressed
the importance of regular well maintenance.
Every well has different maintenance
guidelines based on the amount of particulates, iron, and other minerals in the well
shaft and around the pump and screen.
Having a well scoped by a knowledgeable
well professional is a great first step in coming up with a maintenance plan for your
wells.
Finally, Kapareiko talked about the permitting process, cautioning attendees that
permitting can take as long as one year
depending on circumstances. It’s best to plan
ahead for any well projects.
For further information, Kapareiko can be
reached at Kapareiko.michael@wseinc.com
or 959-777-5821
Dave Peterson, a member of the MetGCSA
Board of Directors, is superintendent at
Silvermine Golf Club in Norwalk, CT.

thing for all ages to see and enjoy, and it’s
impossible to leave there without feeling a
sense of patriotism and respect for our current and future servicemen and women.
I would like to thank Steve Whipple, golf
course superintendent at West Point Golf
Course, for hosting us at the Buffalo Soldier
Pavilion and the rest of the HVGCSA Board
and MetGCSA Board for organizing all of
the food and libations for the day’s event.
This is an indoor tailgate, so even if it’s cold,
there is a place to stay warm, with couches,
TVs and many games for the kids (and
adults) like pool, ping pong, skeeball, and
others. For the 40-plus tailgaters, it was a
fabulous day, and we hope to see many more
of you at next year’s event.
Blake Halderman is superintendent at Brae Burn
Country Club in Purchase, NY.

Jonathan, UConn’s Husky mascot, joins Rye Golf Club Super Chip Lafferty and his son
Travis at the Army-UConn game.

Tee to Green January 2023

9



MetGCSA Holiday Party!

6
10

Tee to Green January 2023



Feature continued from page 4

The Push for a Reasonable Pace
So . . . what to do about this pace phenomenon? Quite honestly, no one is exactly sure,
though there were a few things agreed on
by the architects who pondered the question recently. Unlike the equipment and ball
debate, which is a matter mostly of regulating technology, green speed does have a
finite limit because it involves a living
organism. At some point, if not already,
we will reach the limits of the plant to be
cut any shorter without grave damage
occurring.
It was also agreed that the conversation
needs to continue and be led by the architects and the superintendents who design
and manage the game, but just as important,
by properly educated club officials, especially from the upper echelon of clubs who
have so much inf luence on the way golf is
perceived and consumed.
I, however, will continue to be a certified
hypocrite. Having spent the better part of
the last decade mapping greens and rebuilding numerous putting surfaces, I can say
that excessive green speed has helped pay
the bills. And I do still love the thrill of navigating short, tight bentgrass surfaces whenever I get the chance. But . . . I also realize
that speed can kill, especially when it comes
to architectural creativity. This means I will
continue encouraging clients to consider
more reasonable mowing heights, opening
more opportunities to create fun, dynamic
surfaces that explore a great variety of
slopes.
And if they want to mow them down
every once in a while to let the ball really glide,
then have at it. I mean, who am I to judge?
Todd Quitno, ASGCA, is a golf course architect
based out of the greater Chicago area with 25+
years of design experience and clients from New
York to Nebraska. The opinions shared here are
his own, and he promises no architects or superintendents were hurt in the writing of this story.

Tee to Green January 2023

11



Member News
Retiring
We wish the following members the best
of luck in their retirement:
Mike Maffei has retired after 51 years as
superintendent of Back O’Beyond (originally Morefar) in Brewster, NY. A past
MetGCSA president and Sherwood A.
Moore Award winner, Mike has always
been a leader and fierce advocate for our
industry. In addition to serving the
MetGCSA, Mike devoted 50 years to the
Hudson Valley GCSA, 30 years as a
NYSTA board member and two-time
president, and also served as a SUNY Delhi
Plant Science board member and a board
member and treasurer of the New York
Green Industry Council, GreenPac, and
the Empire State Council of Agricultural
Organizations.
David Pijnenburg of Green Acres Co.
recently retired and sold his business. Dave
joined the MetGCSA in 1984 and became
Siwanoy’s superintendent in ’86 and ’87, a
Greenwich Country Club assistant super
in 1988, and then the superintendent at
Redding Country Club in ’89 and ’90
before starting Green Acres.
Robert Welch, a MetGCSA member
since 1985, retired the end of December
after 20 years as superintendent of Connecticut Golf Club.
Member on the Move
James Simonian is the new superintendent at Back O’Beyond in Brewster, NY.
Previous position: Assistant superintendent
at Back O’Beyond.
New Baby
Jarard Luknicki of Metropolis Country
Club and his wife, Kali, welcomed their
daughter, Laila, on December 2, 2022, 7 lbs.
5oz and 19.5 inches.
New Members
Please join us in welcoming the following
new MetGCSA members:
• Pat Callahan, Class C, Silvermine Golf
Club, Norwalk, CT
• Sam Hess, Class C, The Mill River
Club, Oyster Bay, NY
• Tyler Kwalek, Class C, The Golf Club
of Purchase, Purchase, NY
• Nigel Quinlivan, Class C, Knickerbocker Country Club, Tenaf ly, NJ
• Herb Stevens, Class AF, Grass Roots
Weather, Wakefield, RI
6 Tee to Green January 2023
12

Upcoming Events

Upcoming Industry Events
2023 GCSAA Golf Championships
Saturday – Monday, February 4 – 6
Championsgate Golf Resort & Orange
County National
Orlando, FL
The GCSAA Golf Championships offer
four different events over three days.
Whether you’re a casual golfer looking for a
good time or an intense competitor hoping
to be crowned National Champion, the
GCSAA Golf Championships offer something for everyone. Play one day or all
three. The choice is yours.
MetGCSA Nor’easter Event
Wednesday, February 8
Blue Martini Lounge
Pointe, Orlando
Join fellow MetGCSA members from 7:30
to 10 at the Nor’easter gathering, where
you will be treated to an open bar, appetizers, food station, and live band, as well as
the company of your Met colleagues.
2023 GCSAA Conference and Show
Monday – Thursday, February 6 –9
Orange County Convention Center
Orlando, FL
Don’t miss this year’s GCSAA Golf
Industry Show and Education Conference
with an incomparable lineup of seminars
and educational sessions, as well as one
the industry’s most comprehensive trade
shows.
For details on the conference’s educational offerings and trade show, log onto
www.golfindustryshow.com.

Nor’easter Ski Day
Thursday, March 2
Killington Ski Resort
Killington, VT
26th Annual New England Regional
Turfgrass Conference and Show
Tuesday – Thursday, March 7 – 9
Rhode Island Convention Center
Providence, RI
For the 26th consecutive year, the conference
and show provides turfgrass professionals
from all areas of the industry the opportunity to see the newest products, supplies,
services, and equipment available while
offering a host of informative educational
sessions, pesticide recertification credits, and
endless networking opportunities.
2023 MGA Green Chairman Seminar &
Arthur P. Weber Environmental Leader
Award Luncheon
Thursday, March 16
Harrison Meadows Country Club
Harrison, NY
The MGA Foundation, in conjunction with
the USGA Green Section, has organized this
educational series for golf course superintendents, green chairmen, and club officials
throughout the Met Area. The seminar will
focus on educating attendees on the best
practices and philosophies of golf course
maintenance while strengthening the relationship between golf course superintendents and club membership.
A highlight of the meeting is the presentation of the Arthur P. Weber MGA Club
Environmental Leaders in Golf Award,
which recognizes an MGA member club
that demonstrates environmental leadership
through their efforts in golf course maintenance, construction, education, and research.
Watch for details on the upcoming
NYSTA Turfgrass Advocacy Day.



P atron Directory
Patrons listed on this page are supporting our association. You are encouraged to support them.
✪ A.G. Enterprises

Rick Gordon ~ Staff Uniforms
201-741-4500 / Fax: 201-575-4140
merrick160@gmail.com
www.AGEnterprisesonline.com
Aquatrols Corp. of America
“The World Leader in Soil Surfactants
& Wetting Agents”
1273 Imperial Way
Paulsboro, NJ 08066
Augie Young: 518-369-0368
ayoung@aquatrols.com
✪ Atlantic Golf & Turf
“Our Roots Run Deep”
John Garcia: 203-996-6267
john@atlanticgolfturf.com
Twitter: @AtlanticGandT
✪ BASF Corporation
“We Create Chemistry”
Paul Ramina: 908-413-2944
paul.ramina@basf.com
Twitter: @pjramina
✪ Blue Ridge Peat Farms
133 Peat Moss Road
White Haven, PA 18661
Gene Evans / Chuck Evans
570-443-9596 / 570-947-5888
✪ Carriere Materials, LLC
U.S. Silica Topdressing & Bunker Sand
VFB Bunker Sand & Partac
Pro Angle Bunker Sand
Bill Carriere: 914-939-4884
bc1000@verizon.net
Central Turf Irrigation &
Supply
8 Williams Street
Elmsford, NY 10523
Gino Sorvillo / Thomas Watroba
Ofc: 914-347-5656
Fax: 914-347-9174
gsorvillo@centraltis.com
✪ Club Car CT / Metropolitan NY
72 Grays Bridge Road
Brookfield, CT 06804
Paul Schwab: 203-943-6898
Ofc: 203-740-1458
Paul_Schwab@clubcar.com
✪ Cushman ~ E-Z-GO
Nick Roberto: 845-637-7641 (NJ)
Mike Marvin: 516-662-3554
(Westchester & LI)
Tom Lopez: 203-605-0554 (CT)
nroberto@textron.com
Twitter: @ezgo-nj
✪ Davey Tree Expert Company
Greg Elliffe: 914-668-5628 (Mt.
Vernon)
Greg Gutter: 914-241-8110 (Mt.
Kisco)
Jeremiah Green: 203-967-6900
(Norwalk)
John Wickes: 914-906-3264
(Rockland)
DeLea Sod Farms
Turf, Topdressing, & Root Zone
Scott Geiser: 631-484-1211
sgeiser@deleasod.com
Dylan Wyatt: 631-796-6757
dwatt@deleasod.com

✪ Double ‘D’ Turf, LLC

✪ LaBar Golf Renovations
Drill & Fill Specialists
170 Mount Airy Road, Suite A1
P. O. Box 1090
Basking Ridge, NJ 07920
Hightstown, NJ 08520
Rich LaBar: 908-502-5253
Dennis DeSanctis Jr. / Dennis DeSanctis Sr.
rich@labargolf.com
Ofc: 732-580-5516
✪
Metro Turf Specialists
Dennisjr@doubledturf.com
“Customers, Our TOP Priority”
✪ Emerald Tree and Shrub Care
Scott / Matt / Rich / Todd
“Master Arborists & Golf Course
203-748-4653 (GOLF)
Specialists”
Twitter: @metroturfinc
Steve Farrelly / Bill Demarest / Kevin
✪ MTE Equipment Solutions, Inc.
Wyatt
33 Thruway Park Drive
Ofc: 914-725-0441
West Henrietta, NY 14586
info@emeraldtreecare.com
Ofc: 888-708-5296
✪ ENVU
sales@mte.us.com
“Backed by Bayer”
mteequipmentsolutions.com
Dave Sylvester: 860-841-3173
✪ Noble Turf
✪ Ewing Irrigation
“Helping You Grow”
Brian Bontemps: 845-239-7959
Fred Rapp: 848-225-4618
Ofc: 914-591-9530
Brian Gjelsvik: 973-670-7139
frapp@ewingirrigation.com
Zach Brooks: 914-309-2373
Trapper Van Dunk: 914-471-7012
Matt Lapinski: 978-551-0093
tvandunk@ewingirrigation.com
Bill Cimochowski: 609-923-4045
✪ Executive Turf & Synergy Turf Supply ✪ NuFarm Americas, Inc.
“Nualgi’s Nano Technology & HumaGro’s
“Helping the World to Grow a Better
Micro Carbon Technologies”
Tomorrow”
Ken Gentile: 203-496-0891
Jim Santoro: 508-207-2094
Tim Joyce: 631-601-5294
jim.santoro@nufarm.com
executiveturfproducts@gmail.com
✪ Ocean Organics
✪ Finch Turf
Biostimulants ~ Fertility ~ Surfactants
9 Venture Way
“All Made With Love in Maine”
Eldersburg, MD 21784
Kevin P. Collins: 914-621-1151
Ofc: 800-560-3373
kevin@oceanorganics.com
George Corgan: 914-893-0868
Twitter: @kcseweed
gcorgan@finchturf.com
✪
Pinnacle Turf, Inc.
www.finchturf.com
40 Skyview Lane
✪ Fisher and Son Company
New Rochelle, NY 10804
“Servicing the Green Industry Professionals
Steven Renzetti, CGCS
Since 1928”
914-384-9227
Mike Weber: 347-486-0480
srenzetti@verizon.net /
mweber@fisherandson.com
www.Pinnacleturf.net
✪ Grass Roots Turf Products, Inc.
✪ Plant Food Company, Inc.
“Serving Turfgrass Professionals Since
“The Liquid Fertilizer Experts”
1978”
Tom Weinert: 914-262-0111
Dick Neufeld: 973-945-6318
Ryan Avery / Keith Kubik / Nick Alley
Ofc: 973-252-6634
Tom Pepe: 609-751-1372
www.GRIturf.com / sales@GRIturf.com
David Conrad: 914-263-3244
Twitter: @GrassRootsTurf
Twitter & Instagram: @PlantFoodCo
✪ Harrell’s LLC
✪ Playbooks for Golf
“Growing a Better World. Partners for
Mobile Coverage System, Conditions
Success”
App, Golf Course Field Guides, ezPins,
Scott Tretera: 914-262-8638
Consulting, Career Development,
Mark Chant: 631-987-2522
Professional Search Services
stretera@harrells.com |
Greg Wojick: 203-219-0254
mchant@harrells.com
Matt Leverich: 913-221-8052
www.goplaybooks.com
✪ Helena Agri Enterprises, LLC
“People . . . Products . . . Knowledge”
✪ SiteOne Landscape Supply
Tim Gerzabek: 609-221-9240
The Golf Team at SiteOne delivers unTwitter: @TimG_Helena
paralleled, value-adding services and
products from over 20 top golf brands to
✪ K & J Tree Service
improve your course’s playability
Removal, Pruning, Planting, Stump
Chad Mathieu: 914-539-5675
Removal, & Plant Healthcare
cmathieu@siteone.com
Edward Grant: 203-298-8074
Ofc: 203-722-7316 / Fax: 203-909-6506
edward@kjtreeservice.com

Small World Wealth Management
Northwestern Mutual
2515 South Road
Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
Joshua Weinerman: 845-224-0027
Soil Solutions, LLC
Drill & Fill / Aerification
Professionals
Anthony Decicco / John Decicco
7 Whittemore Place
Ryebrook, NY 10573
914-393-0659 / Fax: 914-939-5010
soilsolutionsllc369@gmail.com
✪ Sygenta
“Manufacturer of Plant Protection
Products”
John Bresnahan: 413-333-9914
john.bresnahan@syngenta.com
✪ Tanto Irrigation, LLC
“Golf Course Irrigation Specialists”
Tim Clarke / Chase Cameron / Bill
Bartels
info@tantoirrigation.com
Twitter: @Tantoirrigation
✪ Tom Irwin Inc.
“With Tom Irwin, You’re Not Alone”
13 A Street, Burlington, MA 01803
Jeff Houde: 203-731-1776
Ofc: 800-582-5959
jeff@tomirwin.com
✪ Turf Products LLC
TORO Irrigation & Equipment
“Servicing Our Customers Since
1970”
Keith Kolasch: 860-214-0245
Mark Osborn: 203-910-9114
Erick Holm: 860-490-2787
Bill Conley: 860-360-0503
Peter Hull: 860-305-2525
Chris Francis: 413-770-1585
✪ Valley Green, Inc.
“Serving the Industry since 1990”
205 Wilson Avenue
Norwalk, CT 06854
Greg Moran: 845-901-1358
Ofc: 203-831-9748
g.moran@valleygreenusa.com
✪ Westchester Tractor, Inc.
60 International Boulevard
Brewster, NY 10509
John Apple: 845-278-7766
sales@wtractor.com
www.wtractor.com
✪ Westchester Turf Supply, Inc.
“Proudly Serving the MetGCSA
Since 1976”
Bob Lippman: 914-447-6257
Dave Lippman: 914-447-5192
info@westchesterturf.com
✪ Winfield United
“We Help You Win”
Rob Saunders: 203-249-5059
Jim Masone: 516-818-9852
Pat Cash: 516-639-7784
rssaunders@landolakes.com

✪ Denotes MetGCSA member
✪ Denotes MetGCSA member