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bmbbegg ir rrgflrawbbflg c eto6btffltfifiivnemvwi9to golf guide 87 course care the key to better golf by bruce etheridge rarely noticed often un appreciated and mostly over looked are those mystery men and women who tend local golf courses to keep them in perfect playing shape even before the days first golfers take to the course maintenance people are out there trimming clipping mow ing and growing watering and fertilizing the grounds of each hole the golfer of today eventhe average duffer is more de manding says gordon witte- veen course superintendent for the board of trade course in woodbridge they want perfection he said kimmo salonen superinten dent of the york downs golf and country club agrees heavy tractor operation is a thing of the past he says both men have taken to mowing fairways and rough with the same equip ment used to produce the sur face on greens we keep our roughs better than most peoples front lawns witteveen says obviously the most impor tant aspect of course care is the turf thats why most course su perintendents have a bachelor of science degree in agronomy says witteveen to keep courses lush and green these specialists are trying to overhaul their courses completely with bent grasses its a northern clime species de veloped at penn state universi ty in the us the arch enemy of golf course superintendents is the glowing balls make night golf possible approaching the 17th green youre down a stroke on the line is the tab for clubhouse drinks but twilight is beginning to settle in its really too dark to continue time to pack it in not anymore a revolutionary invention glow in the dark golf balls can come into play perfectly in twi light situations its a big breakthrough says george meikle president of high tech life styles inc canadas only distributor of faitelite balls instead of having to quit at dusk players take out the nitelitc and finish the course six million nitelitc balls have been sold in the us and more than 400 evening tournaments were held last year mr meikle said 10000 of the balls have been sold in canada since being introduced last fall according to mr meikle the nitelitc hits up to 85 per cent of the distance of a regular ball the translucent cutproof balls are illuminated by small light- sticks about the size of a match that arc inserted into balls they can be seen up to halfmile away nitelitc balls arc the official size and weight of regular balls mr meikle says he claims they fly as true as any golf ball have good loft backspin and putt true a ball and lightstick set costs 698 additional lightsticks are 150 each currently they are only sold at golf pro shops light- sticks come in four colors green blue yellow and pink annual blue grass witteveen says it dies in the winter from ice and cold and dies in summer from sun and heat another advantage of the bent grasses variety is that it only requires moderate water ing and fertilizing an impor tant consideration for a golf course salonen says the reduced care needed to maintain the bent grasses not only cuts down on interfering with play but keeps mainte nance costs lower as well witteveen estimates approx imately 100000 rounds of golf are played each year at his course the board of trade course the second largest in the area to spring lakes also has about 150 people out for winter golf each year fairways are plowed and greens are swept clear its a yearround affair for witteveen and the course thats why maintenance su pervisors are challenged each year to keep healthy fairways and greens despite trampling witteveen uses an aerator to punch holes in ground to aerate the roots of grass making it grow more luxuriously salonen also uses an aerator to help absorb foot compress ion and prevent the soil from being compacted course care is more than just cutting the grass salonen emphasises the aerators drive thousands of halfinch holes into the soil over a twofoot surface and while both men concede the business is becoming more mechanized it still takes a great deal of hand labor in man icuring hilly parts of a course according to witteveen the equipment at the board of trade course runs about half- amillion dollars and includes six tractors 12 riding greens mowers sprayers sand trap rakes and fertilizer spreaders it also takes a lot of time and manpower to maintain a course according to salonen who says 400000 is spent year ly on maintenance for the york downs links duties of course superinten dents include tree planting and landscaping i make suggestions and do changes such as the shaping of sandtraps in an artistic fashion within the concept of the course architect says salonen the superintendent of york downs is also constantly plant ing new trees and replacing dead ones i look at the strategy of a hole and place trees to make the golf course play as it should be played he says an interesting fact about tree planting is the reluctance of su perintendents to place trees on the west side of greens and tee off sites salonen explains trees on the west side of greens and tees prevent morning dew from being burned off in winter the shade keeps those places that much colder letting ice settle they also prevent good wind circulation which helps prevent disease and makes for a heal thier turf next time a chunk of turf goes farther than the ball remember the maintenance people and re place the divot sleepy hollow golf country club call about our all new blue card membership for 200 see our ad in todays sports section len cedars weekday special before 8 am after 3 pm green fees power carts 000 regular green fees weekdays s 600 weekends after 3 pm s power carts s 800 phone for starting time 2944457 all new 87s are here canadas biggest canadas best centre for the red tag specials professional club fitting at no extra cost see the dynamic pros canadas largest selection of pro line merchandise at low low prices all new 87s are here where the pros 84 doncaster ave where the pros