Vol. V I, No. 8

Published monthly by the Metropolitan Golf Course Superintendents Association

MEETING NOTICE:
Date: November 23,1976 (Note Change in date)
Place: Out Post Inn
Boston Post Road
Port Chester, N.Y.
Luncheon Meeting: 12:30 P.M.
Annual Meeting following Luncheon
MGCSA
Every committee Chairman will submit a written annual
report at the annual meeting
COMING EVENTS:
October 27-28 Wisconsin Golf Turf Symposium: Topic
“Living with Poa Annua Species”
November 16-18 New York State Turfgrass Association
Conference, Turf Inn, 205 Wolf Road,
Albany, New York
November 22: MGCSA Annual meeting
December 6-9 N.J. Turfgrass Expo., Cherry Hill Hyatt
House, Route 70, Cherry Hill, N.J.
December 18
MGCSA Christmas Party and Raffle
January 4-7
The Garden Living Industries of the Eastern
United States, Concord Hotel, Kamiesha
Lake, N.Y.
February 3-4
GCSAA Golf Tournament, Spyglass Hill and
Monterey Peninsula Country Club’s Dunes
Course
February 6-11 GCSAA 48th International Turgrass Con­
ference and Show Portland, Oregon.
MGCSA News: Our annual Invitational had another fine
turnout. The weather wasn’t too cooperative. All 34 teams did
manage to finish even though we had light rain most of the
afternoon. Innis Arden Country Club took first place in a
match of cards with Westchester Country Club and Apawamis.
It was an enjoyable day and one in which the club officials look
forward to each year. Mark Mulvoy, senior editor for Sports
Illustrated, amused the gathering with some thoughts about
the high priced salaries of todays professional athletes. We also
had our first woman team member play in our invitational,
Edna Stern from Sunningdale. Dick Allen said she took every­
thing in stride including a few “men only” after dinner jokes. I
believe it’s the first time we don’t have a club on the waiting list
for next years Invitational so it’s a first come, first serve basis.
We will be asking for clubs at our annual meeting not only for
the Invitational but also for our regular monthly meetings.
Sherwood Moore picked out October 13th for his meeting

October, 1976

date and as it turned out, it wasn’t unlucky at all. In fact, it
was a perfect fall day, with sunshine and temperatures about
70°. The course was just beautiful—not only turf wise but
scenery too. The lakes are just one picture after another as they
are perfectly carved into the landscape. I understand they will
be making #8 hole into a part water hole too. Sherwood had
many areas marked off showing various chemicals he is trying
in poa annua control. I think this coming Spring, many of
these test areas wil be more visible, especially at seed head
time. Pat Vittum, our graduate student who is doing our
research studies on the hyperodes weevil, gave us an update on
what she’s done over the past few months. It appears the soil
type has a lot to do with the great variation in development.
This will be studied in greater detail next year. Dr. Charles
Murdock from the University of Hawaii, gave a interesting talk
about weather and turf conditions in Hawaii. Some golf
courses have as much as 150” of rainfall at one end of the golf
course and 30” on another part—this depending upon how
near and on what side of the mountain range they are. Their
fairway maintenance is not nearly what ours is but they sure
like to keep their greens “green,” some courses putting on as
much as 50 lbs of Nitrogen a year . . . yes I said 50. I am sure
they could use 1/5 that amount and be happy. The greensmen
must get tired of emptying the buckets. It was nice to have A1
Radko stop by. I was told he is now working and playing golf
' when he can. If you haven’t taken your 2nd level examination
in regard to the Pesticide Applicators, please call Tom Nally,
Cooperative Extension Agent at 914-682-3370.

President of Woodway C.C., Robert Leverich, right, with host
superintendent Sherwood Moore (note the gleam in his eye).

Editorial Staff
Co-Editor
Co-Editor

Garry Crothers
Ted Horton
OFFICERS
President:
First Vice
President:
Second Vice
President:
Secretary:
Treasurer:

Garry N. Crothers, Apawamis Club
Office 914-967-2100, Home 914-234-3770
Robert DePencier, Westchester C.C.
Office 914-967-6000, Home 203-531-9780
Charles Martineau, Whippoorwill C.C.
Office 914-273-3755, Home 914-428-3826
Richard Gonyea, Rye Golf Club
Office 914-835-3205, Home 914-835-3204
Robert Alonzi, Burning Tree C.C.
Office 203-869-5779, Home 914-937-1527

Not copyrighted. I f there is good here, we want to share it with
all chapters - unless author states otherwise.

MGCSA Christmas Party Raffle: This is a first time effort for
MGCSA to have a raffle with some nice prizes. Many of you
have sold tickets already. Let’s all try to sell a few tickets. If
you have not received any tickets, please contact Bill Carriere
for them at 914-937-5479. It’s only 6 weeks away so let’s give it
some support.
MGCSA Christmas Party: Bob DePencier may be in Pinehurst
but he still is very involved with the Christmas Party as its
chairman. It will be limited to 120 people and certainly it will
have everything.
Correction from September Tee to Green: According to the
D.E.C. of N.Y. State, Mercury use is still on the restricted list
in N.Y.S., even though the ban on mercury was lifted at the'
Federal level for winter disease control. We will try to give you
further update in our next issue.

Sherwood Moore, host superintendent at Woodway C.C.

GCSAA’S 48th TURF CONFERENCE
READIED FOR PORTLAND
The Golf Course Superintendents Association of America
will sponsor its 48th International Turfgrass Conference and
Show February 6-11 in Portland, Oregon.
With over 150 companies filling exhibit space of 100,800
square feet in the $8-million Portland Memorial Coliseum and
Exhibit Hall, a record-breaking attendance of over 5,000
persons is expected.
“Turfgrass Management: A Synergistic Approach” is the
theme of the conference, and its education program will focus
on the interdependence and interrelationship among the many
parts of golf course management. A total of 70 speakers from
universities, industry, government and the ranks of the
Association itself will present the most up-to-date information
in the world of turfgrass management.
Heywood Hale Broun, famed sports writer and CBS
television sports essayist and commentator, will be the keynote
speaker of the conference. He will speak on “The Role of Big
Games in Society.”
Prior to the official opening of the conference, the
Association will once again hold Certification and Recertifi­
cation examinations and a series of seminars on landscaping,
management, pesticides and turfgrass nutrition.
Other features of the week-long event are the association’s
annual meeting and election, tours of Portland-area golf
courses, tours of the Oregon grass seed industry, a ladies’
program and social events during the week.
Also, the 1977 GCSAA Golf Tournament will be February 3
and 4 at three courses on the Monterey Peninsula in
California, including the prestigious Spyglass Hill layout.
For further information, contact GCSAA Headquarters,
1617 St. Andrews Drive, Lawrence, Kansas 66044, (913)
842-2240.
COURSE PREPARATION INCLUDES
SUPERINTENDENT’S PEACE OF MIND
Preparing a golf course for a show event like a club officials’
tour or a golf tournament isn’t easy for the person in charge.
The overall mental approach of the golf course manager can
make the difference between a nervous breakdown and a
successful showing of his course.
To build a positive overall mental approach, try the
following steps:
1. Insure yourself peace of mind by doing everything you
possibly can to solve major problems in advance. This includes
attending to your regular turf management. Give yourself
credit for doing the best job you can.
2. Insure your emotional peace of mind by keeping major
family commitments even when things are hectic at the course.
You won’t be calm if you feel guilty about missing your
daughter’s graduation in order to watch a crew member water
the greens.
3. Mentally trace in advance everything you will do while
your guests are on your course. Imagine what you will say and
what they will see. The more detail your imagination can
create, the better your chances of avoiding unforseen problems
are.
4. Maintain as normal a lifestyle as you can. Eat normal
foods at about normal times for you, and keep your same sleep

and rest schedules. Change is an enemy when stress strikes,
and routine is a great tranquilizer.
5. Understand and accept internally that the sky won’t fall if
something goes wrong. No amount of preparation can insure a
perfect performance for anyone.
6. Switch your concentration quickly so you can concentrate
completely on whichever problem you are handling at the time.
Trying to solve one problem while worrying peripherally about
another confuses the picture, clouds your judgment and
creates stress. Deal with them in rapid succession if necessary,
but only one at a time.
7. If your event lasts more than one day, check your
performance each evening. What was successful? What went
wrong? Correct the problems you can and restore your mental
calm before moving on to the next day.
No one can guarantee harmony and peace for himself or for
anyone else, but attention to these seven points will help ease
your path and organize your inner self to handle whatever
comes your way.
Credit: Fore Front, September, 1976

EPA regulates our external conditions.
Whatever we do requires its permission.
Its staff is composed of lawyers organic,
Whose method of work is creation of panic.
The ice caps are melting!
The Oceans will flood!
Monoxide is increasing and ruining our blood!
The air will be toxic and smother our breath,
Which everyone knows is a horrible death!
We’re destroying the ozone with aerosol cans.
Which greatly distresses deodorant fans.
Through a gullible press they create alarm,
Over chemical hazards from factory and farm.
Pesticides are a threat more fearful indeed,
Than nematode, fungus, insect, and weed.
They worry we’ll eat astronomical doses,
If you eat fifty tons! It will give you cirrhosis!
They doubt all research, but believe every rumor,
Apprehensive do-gooders with no sense of humor,
When it comes to decisions, they do as they please,
All inscrutably written in governmentese.
B.E. Day, Prof. Plant Physiology
University of California, Berkeley
National Agricultural Chemicals
Association Newsletter, June, 1976
NOTES: We publish here the second report from Dr. Harry
Niemczyk on the Aetaenius Spretulus beetle.

Mike Maffei, program chairman; Al Radko, USGA Green Section,
National Director, Dr. Charles Murdock, University of Hawaii,
guest speaker.

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“LIFE HISTORY STUDIES”
Jerry Wegner, Ph.D. graduate student, continues to follow
the biological activities of Ataenius. Eggs of the first
generation were found from May 5 to June 11, larvae from May
18 to August 3, pupae from June 23 to August 11, and new
adults from July 11 to the present (August 20). The first egg
clusters laid by the new adults were seen July 28, and now
limited numbers of larvae in various stages of development
can be found. The new adults are now appearing on greens
indicating that the adults are once again flying actively. One
golf course in Cincinnati reported numerous flying adults just

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after dark on August 11. My interpretation of this flight
activity is that it indicates egg laying to produce a second
generation of larvae will soon follow. Watch those fairways
carefully.
“There is much variation in the behavior pattern, times of
adult flight, life stages present, etc., from one golf course to
another. This fact makes our life history studies that much
more difficult. There are simply too many biological events
occuring at the same time on different golf courses for one
person to follow. Based on this, I have already concluded that
Jerry will need a person to assist him in these studies from
April-November. More about that later.
“CONTROL STUDIES”
“The experiment, evaluating some 20 different insecticides,
was read June 28, by a very interesting and cooperative group
of golf course superintendents. Two experimental insecticides,
one from CIBA-GEIGY and the other, Fisons Corporation,
gave good-excellent control of the grubs. We have been
working with these two promising experimentals for some time
now, but the road to getting them labeled is a long one. More
data are needed on other insect pests such as chinchbug,
billbug, and sod webworm from various regions of the country

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before labeling can proceed. The problem is there are simply
not enough research entomologists in the country working on
insect problems in turf. Our control studies are making
significant input toward getting these materials labeled. Hope­
fully, by Spring 1978 one of these will be labeled for use against
Ataenius larvae and other turf pests.
“The method of controlling Ataenius by spraying to kill
adults before significant egg laying takes place was tested in
Cincinnati and on a golf course in New Jersey. The New Jersey
tests showed that both diazinon and Dursban prevented
significant injury to the bent-bluegrass fairways under test.
These results, along with those we have obtained in Ohio,
indicate this method of control has considerable promise. Now,
we must attempt to get this method of control on the label of
control on the label of these two products.
“GENERAL INFORMATION”
“Damage to golf course fairways has been reported from
Delaware and six counties in New Hampshire. At least two
courses in the Cleveland area had some damage from
Ataenius. Larvae were found in limited numbers on one golf
course in Marietta, Ohio.,,
Credit: Divots, September, 1976

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Metropolitan Golf Superintendents’

Christmas Party
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 18,1976
ELKS LODGE
880 King Street
Portchester, New York
Hot and Cold Hors D’Oeuvres
7:30 to 8:30

Dinner
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One Pound Steak
Eight Ounce Lobster
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B A R - 7 : 3 0 to 1:00

Special Music During Hors D’Oeuvres
Dance Music by the

“ Second Generation’’
Corsages for the Ladies — Door Prizes
$43.50 Per Couple
Money and Reservations by December 10th
(Limit 120 People)
For Reservations Contact Mr. William Caputi
Home Phone 914-698-2634
Office Phone 914-698-6131

m mi

Miss Pat Vittum , Research Graduate student giving an
update on Hyperodes Research she's conducted to date.

Tom Nally, Cooperative Extension Agent, Agriculture,
telling about the Pesticide Applicators Exam.

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ExITalt 800 is the new way to stop pesticide wash-off.
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GOLF COURSE SPECIALISTS
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948-0101

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238-4400

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323-7245

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