Offers Sport of Princes Time and Place and the Hindi Word, Collide Upon Command, They Also Make Chakar

Offers Sport of Princes time and place and the Hindi word, collide upon command, they also make chakar. quick stops and sudden turns that regu- The ten playing fields in the polo com- larly dislodge large divots of turf. As in plex at the Palm Beach club were built in football, it's as though the turf is carefully 1978 to house a fast-riding, hard-driving built up and pampered during most of the sport that excitingly combines the most week so that it can then be destroyed in daring tactics of horse racing, hockey and a few hours of heart-stopping violence. soccer. In a nutshell, two teams of four There are two types of polo: high-goal mounted men with mallets try their best to and low-goal. High-goal or fast polo is drive the ball through their opponents' used for major tournament play during the goal posts, which are made of light wood winter season. For these matches the turf (or even paper-mache) so that they will is maintained at low height of cut, increas- ing its susceptibility to damage. The fields are either boarded or unboarded on the sides. Both types are 300 yards long, but boarded fields are only 160 yards wide, while unboarded fields are 200 yards wide. However, the sideboards don't offer spectators all that much protection: They are only 11 inches high. That's all the more reason to be sure the turf is not likely to trip up the horses: At the Palm Beach club, the fast-growing runners help the bermudagrass provide the flat, dense turf needed to support their high-speed gallop. The turf, of course, is only as good as the irrigation system that feeds and invigorates it. At the Palm Beach facility the two main stadium fields have the most extensive irrigation system. Field One has Prince Charles and Princess Diana stay in a 44 Rain Bird quick-coupler heads, divided villa like this when they visit the exclusive into six zones. They are covered during club. games with turf plugs, which somehow do their job despite the hard action pounding While the resort also has tennis, cro- break easily if a horse runs into them. down on them during each polo match. quet and golf facilities, it is polo for which The matches are divided into six seven- Each sprinkler head delivers 75 gallons it is famed. The game is one of the oldest and-a-half-minute periods- the chuk- of water per minute. Every zone runs a in recorded history, and is believed to kers. Total playing time is 45 minutes. 30-minute cycle that applies 15,750 gal- have originated in Persia-the present- Since the object of the game is for two lons per zone. day Iran-some 4,000 years ago. The offensive players to move the ball down- The outer polo fields, known as the modern game had its start in 1862 in Pun- field with their bamboo mallets and get it Southfields, are irrigated by 22 quick- jab, India, when a group of British officers through the opponent's goal posts, much coupler heads per field. These are sup- copied it from some tribal horsemen. The of the turf damage occurs during the rush plemented with water winches when the word, chukker, dates from that imperial downfield to score. Not only do horses rain falls short. In his six years as head superintendent at the Polo Club, Newman has given several automatic sprinkler systems a try. One test was conducted on a four-acre stick-and-ball practice field, where the players practice without benefit of horses. The superintendent discovered that the rounded- head, automatic sprinklers were potentially dangerous to the horses. They could suffer serious or fatal leg injuries without turf plugs over the heads. Wisely he switched back to a manual system of Buckner kicker-type heads. Drainage is helped by a 30-foot center crown in each field. Excess water is collected into drainage swales that run down the sides of the field. In the center of each swale are 18-inch tile drains. They lead to canals that girdle the playing fields. The canals are supplemented by a 40-acre All fields are topdressed with sand and smoothed with a box scraper prior to fertilizing and irrigating. continued on page 30 November/December 1985 11 Meeting Coaches' Needs Is the Game at Penn State

Beaver Stadium is packed for the annual Homecoming Game. The top-ranked Nittany Lions play on one of the few natural fields in their conference. to pioneer Henry Ford once expertise, began with a job on the allows, "but the challenges are fairly decreed that his customers could campus grounds staff. A real grass-roots predictable. The resources and time are /4.have their cars in any color they beginning, if you will. When the head of adequate. Golfers pay a greens fee and wanted - as long as it was black. campus maintenance retired, Hudzik was expect groomed fairways, tees and That may have kept prices down, but hired to replace him. greens. Ford would have flopped if he'd been in Campus and athletic field maintenance "However," he says firmly, "it's about charge of turf maintenance at Pennsylva- were separate at the time. Then the head time we reacted to the needs of players nia State University - better known, of of athletic field maintenance also retired, and coaches of other sports played on course, as Penn State-in University and the departments were combined turf." Park, Pa. Every coach there wants the under Hudzlik. The next thing he knew, Athletic field maintenance involves grass on his or her playing field to be a the golf course superintendent had also challenges that push both man and different length from all the others, it left and that job was added to his double nature to their outer limits, says Hudzik, seems, and Bob Hudzik accommodates duties. Of course, it wasn't just a case of who seems to thrive on renovating 65 every last one of them. To him it's all in filling various vacuums. Talent and per- acres of intramural fields in less than one the game. formance were the determining factors short month each spring. At a surprisingly young 30 years of age, that made him Penn State's grounds In order to accommodate his campus he looks as though he could still be hurry- maintenance superintendent. clients, this busy young man has different ing across that same campus from one Now a triple threat, Hudzik has to hus- maintenance specifications for each area agronomy class to another, as he did a tle to keep up with all his duties. "My day of responsibility. Just keeping them all scant decade ago. usually starts with a bang and ends in a straight is a job in itself. In those days, however, he hardly flash," he confides. "There's never a dull For instance, the ladies' field hockey noticed the turf. Certainly he had no idea moment when you're constantly pitches are mowed at one inch. The soc- that one day he would be responsible for challenged. " cer fields are mowed at 1-1/2 inches. The every blade of grass around him-plus Of all his responsibilities, Hudzik intramural fields have to be 1-5/8 inches. the field at Beaver Stadium-plus the admits that the athletic fields are the most Each height is based upon the request of University's two golf courses. challenging and enjoyable. Willingly he the coach in charge of that particular Hudzik's rapid rise in turfdom at Penn ticks off the reasons. "Maintaining a golf sport. State, a school justly famous for its turf course to high standards is an art," he continued on page 14 12 sportsTURF Finding the best Turf Type Tall Fescue doesn't have to be difficult. The HardWay The Easy Way

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(1) A seed buyer sorts through a confusing multitude of appealing ads on Turf Type Tall Fescues and makes a selection. (2-13) Meanwhile, by the time the phone call gets to the seed company, a bizarre turn of events in the seed company's warehouse causes the limited supply of Turf Type Tall Fescue to be sold out. So the seed buyer can now proceed the hard way and start back at square one; Circle 124 on Postage Free Card or simply order Turf Gem ... it's available and a blend of the best.' November/December 1985 13 Penn State a sod from Sporting Valley Turf. It con- time. Spring is when his crews renovate continued from page 12 tained Touchdown, Adelphi and Majestic. virtually every sports field on campus- It's no wonder that Hudzik's mowing Kentucky bluegrasses and Manhattan more than 65 acres of playing surface. crews have to stop frequently to change and Pennfine perennial ryegrasses. The action begins when all the fields the mowing height on their Toro Park- are aerified eight to ten times with an master and their Jacobsen F-10. Arien Renovator with 3/4-inch hollow "Each sport has its own special charac- tines. "The tines penetrate an average of teristics that can be helped by the height two to 2-1/2 inches into the surface," Hud- and density of the turf," he points out. zik says. The fields are dragged with "What is right for rugby may not be right chain-link fence to distribute the cores. for field hockey. The only way to find out Five Ibs. per 1,000 sq. ft. of triple super- is to ask the coach." phosphate (0-46-0) is applied. To provide turf feedback on Beaver Springtime also finds the perennial Stadium, one member of Penn State's ryegrass fields being overseeded with Nittany Lions coaching staff collects com- more Pennfine and Manhattan from a ments about the field from players and Jacobsen 548 Aeroseeder. This is fol- other coaches and presents them to Hud- lowed by an application of 1-1/2 Ibs. per zik. Conflicting comments are discussed 1,000 sq. ft. of nitrogen from sulfur-coated by the coaching staff before being passed urea (SCU). on to him. "Our experience proves that perennial Hudzik's year begins when the calen- ryegrass is tough to beat in this area for dar year is about to end-at the conclu- intramural and practice fields," Hudzik sion of the football season. Whether or Hudzik bases his maintenance of the Beaver explains. Stadium field on comments collected by not the ground is frozen, his crew cuts the Next he gives the grass a good drink: one coach instead of conflicting remarks Over two miles of portable aluminum irri- sod out of theendzones. By that time, from various players and coaches. weeks of painting and one-yard stands gation pipe are moved from one field to have taken their toll on the mixture of Why that particular mixture? "Even another until all the fields have been Kentucky bluegrass and perennial though some people say that Touchdown soaked to a depth of five inches. The ryegrass, so he resods the areas even if is a heavy thatch producer, I find that its result is a nearly miraculous recovery of it has to be done in the snow. aggressiveness aids in quick recovery," 65 acres of sports turf in less than four Sometimes the endzones are not Hudzik explains. "The last sod we pur- weeks. enough. Beaver Stadium was totally chased for the endzones contained As Hudzik's crew removes the irrigation resodded in 1978. After he had consulted Touchdown, Baron and Fylking." pipe from the fields, intramural soccer, with fellow Penn State turf specialists Joe He resods in the fall instead of the football and field hockey teams take over. Duich and Tom Watsche, Hudzik selected spring because that's when he has the continued on page 16

14 sporfsTURF Circle 158 on Postage Free Card Two Reasons Why Today's Golf Courses are Going Rain Bird:

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For more information on Rain Bird golf course irrigation systems, write: Rain Bird Sales, Inc. Turf Division, 145 N. Grand Ave., Glendora, CA 91740

Circle 250 on Postage Free Card November/December 1985 15 PRO Due T S, INC.

The stadium field is mowed at 7/8-inch three times per week using a Ransomes 2300 with Hydrodyne Products, Inc. is vacuum for clippings. proud to announce its product Penn State A 1-1/2-lbs.-per-sq.-ft. application of line in the first issue of SPORTS continued from page 14 straight sulfur-coated urea is made in late TURF. When the spring semester is winding to a May. Hudzik doesn't want to risk close, soccer and football camps begin. problems with diseases -especially The Hydrodyne products line is Although a big believer in aerification, pythium-so he uses preventive applica- the state-of-the-art in moisture Hudzik doesn't like to aerify during the tions of fungicides throughout the sum- playing season. Aerification during the mer. He alternates between Boyleton, sensors and controllers. Not season appears to encourage surface Chipco 26019, Daconil 2787 and Subdue. only can you set the moisture damage, he has discovered: "The cleats The work goes on. In mid-June Hudzik level, you can "see" it at any seem to rip up recently aerified areas applies a tank mix of MCP, 2,4-D, and more easily." dicamba to the field to control any broad- sensor location. In September the fields receive another leaf weeds. The field is watered as Once you have determined the 1-1/4 Ibs. of nitrogen per 1,000 sq. ft. of needed and mowed three times a week at sulfur-coated urea before intramurals' 7/8 of an inch, using a Ransomes 230D amount of saturation you want begin again. with grass catcher. at any location, you can set both If the intramural fields are pampered, In August, having done all he can, Hud- the upper (off) and lower (on) the field at Beaver Stadium receives an zik surrenders the field to the Nittany points. This can be accom- even higher level of care. The crew does Lions football team for scrimmages. everything humanly possible for Penn Divots made during these practices are plished without power from the State except win the football games. topdressed with a mix of 70 percent sand, clock. The model 301 hand After the spring scrimmages the field is 20 percent peat moss and 10 percent meter has a built-in power aerified eight to ten times. Next it is over- topsoil. seeded in two directions with a Jacobsen Since most of Penn State's rivals have supply for setting and reading Aeroseeder. Three Kentucky bluegrasses artificial turf fields, Hudzik must also the unit. (Touchdown, Baron and Fylking) and two maintain an 80-yard field of Astroturf at perennial ryegrasses (Manhattan and the team's practice facility. The squad will Hydrodyne can also provide Pennfine) are cut into the topsoil. practice on plastic for two or three hours you with a complete custom The groove seeder removes nearly all a week before the game. However, the hardware/software package to thatch built up during the previous sea- majority of their workouts are still on son. Three dump trucks full of thatch were natural turf. control any size installation. swept up by a Rogers Sweeper last With so many balls in the air at one The Hydroturf' can be installed spring. time, it's impossible for Hudzik to special- At that point the field looks like a dis- ize in anyone area. "I call on extension to control every individual valve aster area to the casual observer-brown very often for advice and counsel," he in your system or several valves and very thin. explains. "A turf education certainly has at once and can be installed Hudzik's crew finishes the spring work come in handy. To avoid surprises I keep in close touch with the coaches and with with existing as well as new sys- with two Ibs. of phosphorus per 1,000 sq. ft.; 3/4 lb. of nitrogen in the form of an Herb Schmidt, the assistant to the dean. tems. The Hydrodyne system 18:5:9 fertilizer containing urea and This allows me to get the most out of my can be used with drip valves, sulfur-coated urea; and 12 Ibs. of active budget and crew in scheduling my work." gate valves or standard ingredient per acre of Tupersan (siduron) Having one person in charge of both to keep crabgrass seed brought up during campus and athletic turf eliminates dupli- sprinkler valves. cultivation from germinating. cation of machinery and effort, he points Two four-inch Wade Rain aluminum irri- out: "The set-up at Penn State wasn't Hydrodyne Products, Inc. gation lines are laid parallel from endzone originally planned to be this way, but it 1943- F Friendship Dr. to endzone. Three-inch 'laterals branch off seems to work out best." the main lines and Rain Bird impact sprin- It does when the Numero Uno of turf is EI Cajon, CA 92020 kler heads are attached to these. The field named Hudzik, because the man has a (619) 258 -8853 is soaked to a depth of five inches. Fer- class act. When it comes to maintaining Telex 5101003195 tilizer and preemergence herbicide are Penn State's sod in mint condition, he has also watered into the rootzone. shown that he is a Cadillac,not a Ford.s- 16 Circle 282 on Postage Free Card FEBRUARY WEEKEND PACKED WITH SPORTS TURF Circle February 1-2, 1986, on your with the Golf Course Superintendents sions start at Moscone Convention Center calendar, call your travel agent and make Association of America. at 8:15 a.m. More than 30 different sports plans to be in San Francisco for the You don't even have to miss a day of turf specialists from around the world will Annual Sports Turf Managers Association work; fly in Friday night. You'll be up early speak before the clock strikes 5 p.m. Conference, held this year in conjunction on Saturday because educational ses- continued on page 18 STMA Educational Program Moscone ConventiC!nCenter Eebruary 1, 1986 10:30 Sports Turf in San 1:45 Quality Construction-John 8:15 a.m. Welcome-David Francisco-Barney Barron, Parks Souter, Turf Consultant, Scotland Frey, STMA President, Manager, Dept. 2:00 Baseball Field Cleveland Stadium 10:45 School and Park Construction-Karen Ollerton, A-G 8:30 Sports Turf Management in Problems-Michael Schiller, STMA Sod Farms, Phoenix, AZ. the 80's-8r. James Beard, Texas Vice President, Arthur Cleason Co. 2:15 Care in Construction-Tim A&M 11:00 Multi-Use Stadia-David Bowyer,' President, Southern Turf 8:45 Sports Turf in the U.K-Dr. Frey, Steve Wightman, Mile High Nurseries, Tifton, GA. Peter Hayes, Director of Sports Turf Stadium 2:30 Event Coordination- Research Institute, Bingley, 11:30 Problem Solution Panel- Constance Borg, The Rose Bowl Ehgland Dr. Jack Butler, Colorado State 2:45 Innovations-Tom Mas- 9:00 Grasses on the Horizon- University; Dr. Robert Carrow, caro, Turf Consultant, Miami, FL. Dr. Vic Gibeault, University of University of Georgia; Dr. William 3:00 Equipment Selection California Knoop, Texas A&M; Dr. Richard Panel-Roger Thomas, Jacobsen; 9:15 Aerification-Dr. Paul Skogley, University of Rhode Richard Dillon, Toro; Eric Ramsey, Reike, Mictqigan State University Island; Dr. John Madison (retired), Ransomes; Clarke Staples, Ryan 9:30 Sand Topdressing-Dr. University of California. 3:40 Baseball Infields - Mark William Davis, University of 12:00 Luncheon Speaker-John Razum, Oakland Athletics California Macik, Sports Medicine Coordina- 3:55 College Fields-Jim Long, wi 9:45 Nero'Ideas in Sports Turf!:'""" tor, National Football League. "Are College of Holy Cross Dr. William Daniel, Turf Services Injuries Avoidable?" 4:10 Pac-10 Sports-Chuck Inc. 1:30 The Sports Turf Raetzman, University of Arizona 10:00 Questions and Answers for Manager-Harry Gill, Milwaukee 4:40 The Future-Fred Grau, Previous Speakers Stadium President, Musser Foundation

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Lely has manufactured Specifications the most accepted Turf 2-Models Broadcaster for many 20' Thatcher years. Lely now offers the 10' Thatcher most ideal Fairway 7' Transport-20' Thatching Implement on 10' Transport-10' the market. 5 Position Tine Adj. Up to 12 MPH Working speed 3 pt. Hitch Hydraulic Lift-20' Model 450 & 600 Features • Thatching grass • Stands Grass up for better mowing • Knocks down mounds of dirt • Improves Fertilizer Penetration • Ideal over seed after thatching • 7' Transport on 20' Model (hydraulic) LEL'Y PACIFIC, INC. • Removes Weeds P.O. BOX 961 • Working speed up to 12 mph

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Circle 279 on Postage Free Card November/December 1985 17 February Weekend GA, site of the Astroturf manufacturing tion Athletic Turf (PAT) System similar to continued from page 17 plant. Functions currently handled in St. the one in Miami's Orange Bowl. Con- Saturday night relax and talk over your Louis and St. Charles, MO, will be relo- struction will begin November 15 on the sports turf challenges with your compatri- cated to Dalton, says business group 73,000 seat, $90 million complex. ates. You may even find time to have din- Director David Orrick. This will enable Like many municipal stadia, the ner at Fisherman's Wharf. Monsanto to compete more effectively in Orange Bowl markets the field for a multi- Sunday will find you boarding a bus for the marketplace and to control all aspects tude of events to generate revenue. In the a close-up of Candlestick Park and Kesar of production, marketing and service for past three years during football season, Stadium. In addition, you can visit Astroturf. the Orange Bowl hosted Michael Jack- Moscone Center, where the largest col- The Sport Install subsidiary and busi- son, Prince, and Bruce Springsteen. It lection of turf products in the United ness operations in St. Louis will be also serves as home field for the Univer- States will be on display for the Golf located in Georgia by the year end. "At sity of Miami and a number of area high Course Superintendents of American that time, employees of the restructured schools, as well as the site of the Orange Trade Show. When you catch your plane organization will be in place," says Orrick. Bowl Classic. Sunday night you probably will have Monsanto President Richard Mahoney The Dolphins organization, by owning experienced the two most worthwhile recently announced the layoff of approxi- its stadium, can control the type of events days of your sports turf career. mately 1,500 employees in St. Louis, MO, using its field. Joe Robbie, majority owner If you can arrange a few days off, then in an effort to withdraw from marginal of the Dolphins, will lease the land for the the GCSAA has seminars the week businesses and production facilities that facility from the county for a nominal fee, before and two days after the STMA Con- "no longer have strategic importance" to conceivably avoiding a large property tax ference. The GCSAA Show floor is open the company. burden. Sunday through Tuesday for hands-on Dale Sandin, field manager for the evaluation of products from more than Orange Bowl, told sportsTURF that Dade 230 companies supplying the turf County voters turned down three different industry. NEW MIAMI STADIUM GETS bond issues to modernize the Orange For more information on the GCSAA GREEN LIGHT Bowl. Robbie's primary interest in a new STMA Conference call1-800-GSA-SUPT. Developers of a new Miami Dolphins stadium is that it would be more modern stadium complex were allowed a zoning than the Orange Bowl. "I think Mr. Robbie variance in September paving the way for would have stayed with the Orange Bowl a new home for Don Shula's football had voters passed the last $55 million MONSANTO CONSOLIDATES dynasty by the start of the 1987 season. improvement bond issue," Sandin said. ASTROTURF OPERATIONS Residents contested the zoning change "The stadium is 50 years old and the last Monsanto Company is consolidating all but failed to change the minds of Dade modernization was in 1965. We are budg- Astroturf operations and locating the County Commissioners. eting for new seats this year. The PAT Recreational Product Division in Dalton, The Dolphins are exploring a Prescrip- System was installed in 1975."

We've been keeping Your profession should be Sports Turf Green for 78 Years worth $1..15 a week .. $1.15 won't buy much these days. That's why membership in the Professional Grounds TIMPIIN Management Society is such a bargain. Individual membership costs $60.00 a year - IRRIGATION EQUIPMENT SINCE 1907 $1.15 a week. And PGMS membership brings Seven (7) Good Reasons with it many benefits. • Annual Conference & Trade Show - The I to use THOMPSON for yearly forum bringing together grounds Your Turf Irrigation: managers, top speakers and suppliers for • SEVEN (7) YEAR the sharing of knowledge and ideas. UNCONDITIONAL GUARANTEE. • A monthly newsletter and publications such • LESS MAINTENANCE. as our Estimating Guidelines and our • LOWER COSTS. Management Guidelines. • VANDAL RESISTANCE. • Certification, Employment Services, Information Central, Awards & Workshops. • SAVES WATER. • SAVES ENERGY. To find out more, call (301) 653-2742 or ~."\ • HEAVY DUTY (Brass & Cast Iron) fill in the coupon and mail it today! g Are you tired of spending your maintenance dollars Send me more information on what PGMScan and labor on DISPOSABLE plastic sprinklers? do for me. ~ Thompson offers you a REPAIRABLE brass sprinkler NAIv1E with low maintenance and usable life of minimum COMPANY _ twenty-five (25) years. Think about it! ADDRESS _ CllY STATE _ THOMPSON MANUFACTURING COMPANY ZIP PHONE _ DIVISION OF JENNISON ENTERPRISES, INC. Clip and mail to: 4832 Chino Avenue· Post Office 1500 Professional Grounds Management Society Chino, California 91708 • (714) 591-4851 3701 Old Court Road. Suite 15. Pikesville. MD 21208

18 sportsTURF Circle 262 on Postage Free Card ~--~~------~ -----_._------

0 )tates 360 ----- Get it right the first time. Every time.

The new Lasco 3600 Swing Joint Assembly provides all the adjustments needed to make sure risers end up in exactly the right place at just the right height. There are three planes of 3600 adjustment for sprinkler heads. So it can't miss. It's designed for constant water pressure exerted on valve-in-head sprinkler systems. Special threads avoid split fittings from over-torquing and make sure there's freedom of movement. And elastomer seals allow making adjustments without making leaks. Site-supplied pipe-lengths and nipples customize the sizing. For descriptive bulletin and prices. see your distributor or write to: Lasco. Anaheim, CA 92806.

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Circle 109 on Postage Free Card November/December 1985 19 Baseball and Ryegrass Fit the Need in North Texas By William Knoop

pring comes early in the South and don't fit together well in many parts of the so does baseball. In fact, baseball South. The fact is that it may be toward Scomes so early that there may not the middle or end of the baseball season be grass to play on, at least no green grass. Most of the baseball fields in Texas are bermudagrasses. While a few may be one Baseball's of the hybrids, the old standby common bermudagrass has been the standard season of play and choice. Common bermuda is a great turfgrass the bermudagrass for southern athletic fields. It can take a plant's growth pattern beating and come right back for the next game. The only real problem with ber- just don't fit together mudagrass, as far as baseball is con- cerned, is its winter dormancy. It is well in many parts of designed by nature to avoid damage from the South the winter cold by going dormant just like Baseball fields are fertilized four times; prior the' northern grasses do to escape to seeding, in late fall, early spring and late damage from the summer heat by turning spring. brown. before bermudagrass begins growing well Baseball's season of play and the ber- enough to provide a thick green playing mudagrass plant's growth pattern just field.

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