woods such as holly, oak, maple, and pine.The course opened in 1980."I was lucky, because I had the oppor-

tunity for input into its construction," hesays. "Most of the changes I suggestedwere minor, like not uprooting certaintrees. Iwatched them put in the irriga-tion system, so I know where everythingis."

Money MattersThe land for Gator Hole, Tilghman con-

cedes, was in his family-a family thatis well-known in North Myrtle Beach.However, the course itself is the productof the brothers' hard work.Their finances, especially during con-

struction and the first few years of oper-ation, were tight. To help keep down costs,Chris bought as much used equipmentas he could."We almost never bought brand new

equipment, but we always bought goodequipment," he explains. "We cut ourroughs today with a vintage, 1970 ToroPark Master.''The last two greensmowers we bought

cost about $200 a piece, and we completelyrebuilt both of them for about $2,000,"he adds.

Working within the budget, Tilghmannotes, has been tricky, but dividingmanagement responsibilities was neveran issue. Phil is the general manager ofthe course. (He's also the Mayor ofNorthMyrtle Beach.) Chris, of course, filled thesuperintendent position."Since Phil and Iare owners, we put

a lot of money back into the golf course,"Tilghman says. We're not Hilton Head-blue collar people from the North comedown here to play. Wejust try to makethe course the best it can be, and itworks. We hear about it from the golfers."Adds Tilghman, "We're a relatively

short course, so we need an edge. Oursis quality."

Keeping The EdgeThe golf course maintenance team

at Gator Hole includes Tilghman, hisassistant, four full-time equipment oper-ators, a full-time mechanic, and twopart-time mechanics. In the summers,two to three interns from nearby HorryTechnical College's golf/turf manage-ment program work on the course, as wellas other college students.His philosophy of course mainte-

nance is simple: If it works, consistent-

ly he'll do it. Tilghman is not one to dosomething simply because that's thew"ayother courses in the area do it. Heexperiments, blending his hands-onexperience and formal education, untilhe finds what is best for his course,such as oversee ding earlier than othercourses in the area.While most courses in Myrtle Beach

overseed in October, Tilghman over-seeds in mid-September. "My reasoningis that October is a pretty big month forus," he explains. "By overseeding inSeptember, the greens are already ger-minated and pretty hard by October,so we get a jump. People told me I wascrazy to time it this way because of dis-ease pressure, but after four years of doingit I notice some of them are followingsuit."He overseeds the Tifgreen bermuda

greens with a single ryegrass variety,blended with a single fescue variety, at30 pounds per 1,000 square feet. Thirtydays later, he overseeds again "to fill inthe greens" with poa trivialis at threepounds per 1,000 square feet.The Tifway fairways are overseeded

with either a single or multiple vari-continued on page 32

Circle 118 on Postage Free Card February, 1992 31

TilghDlancontinued from page 31

ety ryegrass at 400 pounds per acre.He uses the same seed on the Tifway teesat 20 pounds per 1,000 square feet."The fairway rate is a little heavy

for around here, but that's the way I likeit," he says. "Historically, February,March, April, and May are our heaviestgolf season-this way, we have themplaying on ryegrass predominantly, andI think that gives us an edge in appear-ance and playability." .Aeration, using a Toro machine, is

another area where Tilghman goesagainst the local grain. He aerates thegreens in February using 1/2-inch tines."Most people are afraid to aerate

then because of the cold," he notes. "Butone year, I had to do it early for some rea-son I can't remember, and the results werefantastic. We probably have 10,000 to15,000 rounds of golf played here bythe end offall, so it's tough to get throughspring without localized dry spots if youdon't aerify. We always seem to get a mildwinter break in February, and the weekbefore we aerate, we fertilize. Then Ipunch holes and drag the plugs back in.

Chris Tilghman.

We do it again in early June, July, andAugust, but with 5/8 inch tines."Although he used to aerify the fairways

with the same unit, he's switched to aPTO-driven Howard Turf Quaker, whichhe says vibrates while cutting grooves inthe sandy soil. The results he says, havebeen "tremendous" and the cleanup isminimal. The downside, says Tilghmanis time: It takes him a week to 10 daysto use the machine on all the course's fair-ways. The fairways are also verticuttwo to three times in the summer witha Jacobsen Fairway Verticutter.

If Tilghman seems particular abouthow his course is maintained, he is evenmore so about its irrigation. He uses aToro Vari-Time 4000 hydraulic con-troller, and all the course's heads are fullyautomatic."During the summer, 1 usually water

everything twice a week, but "I don't haveanything set as far as an irrigationschedule goes-it's always done as need-ed," he asserts. "It's a matter of 'feel byeye.'

Rewards Of Staying The CourseAn easy-going individual by na-

ture, he still has high expectations forGator Hole's playing conditions.However, he has relaxed somewhat inthe 12 years since it opened."When 1 first got out of Clemson, 1

wanted to do everything on a golf course,"he laughs. "But then comes the realityof 'Hey, this is a business and I've got tomake it work.' So you cut your expec-tations a little, and that's okay becauseyou don't have to do everything youever dreamed of to have a quality course.I'll still have high expectations of how 1want the course to look and play. I stillwant to have an edge." 0

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32 sports TURF Circle 119 on Postage Free Card

Water-Reel Irrigationfor

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The machines are simple to set upand operate unattended. They shut-offautomatically when the sprinkler cartarrives backat the machine.

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Circle 124 on Postage Free Card

ROOKIES~

PRODUCT UPDATE

CHEMICAL DRAINAGE SYSTEMSTORAGE UNITThe Model 6 Chemical Storage Locker

is designed to safely house chemicals andother materials. The all-weather, move-able turnkey structure can accommodatefive 55-gallon drums or 8,000 lbs. ofbulk material.The locker is constructed ofwelded 10-

and 12-gauge ASTM-A569 steel withsupporting structural steel sections forextended service life. Standard floorare corrosion-resistant fiberglass grat-ing with a safety grit top surface. All inte-rior surfaces are covered with two coatsof chemical-resistant paint. Exteriorsurfaces are finished with reflectivewhite polyurethane.SAFETY STORAGE, INC.Circle 126 on Postage Free Card

Pictured on the left is a cutaway viewof Cambridge Sportsturf Drainage sandslit at the University of CaliforniaBerkeley's Evans baseball field. It isnine inches deep, 3/4 of an inch wide, andinstalled on 13-inch centers, along withperpendicular running sand slits on 40-inch centers that include 3/4-inch per-forated pipe at the bottom of the slit. Thesepipes eventually tie into a four-inchdrainline off of the playing surface.

Sand topdressing ties this sand siltmatrix together and ensures immediatedrainage after heavy rain. The systemalso saves on irrigation by reducing sur-face evaporation.

CAMBRIDGE SPORTSURFSYSTEMS WEST, INC.Circle 127 on Postage Free Card

SPORTS TURFINSTITUTE ANDGROUNDSOPERATIONSCONFERENCEMarch 24, 1992

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CALL (714)869-2219DEPARTMENT OF HORTICULTURE, CALIFORNIA STATE

POLYTECHNIC UNIVERSITY3801 West Temple A~nue, Pomona, CA 91768

Prevent RainoutsKuranda machines pick up 120 to 5,000 gallonsof water per hour from any playing surface.

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~o. Box 6651 KURAND~Annapolis, MD 21401 lliJ~~

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DIAMOND PUMPPerfect for park depts,with multiple fields.Will not clog.

Circle 121 on Postage Free Card February, 1992 33

ROOKIES....PRODUCT UPDATE

EDGE DRAINS

PDS drains can be used in turfgrassand athletic fields. They are designed toreplace costly, time consuming, andlabor intensive traditional subsurfacedrainage systems.The drains are lightweight and easy

to install. They require a two- to three-inch-wide trench to install. No aggregatebackfill is necessary.PRO DRAIN SYSTEMSCircle 128 on Postage Free Card

Erosion ControlBlanket

Tensar Erosion Blanket TBIOOO is asynthetic erosion and revegetation blan-ket that controls bare soil erosion, pro-vides long-term ground cover, and extendsmulching until vegetation is established.Ithas a lofty web of polyolefin fibers stitch-bonded between two high-strength biax-ial nets.Every component of the blanket has

been stabilized against UV degrada-tion. The product is ideal for sites suchas slopes and low-gradient ditches thathave severe erosive forces and requirelong-term mulching because of slow ger-mination.TENSAR EARTH TECHNOLOGIESCircle 129 on Postage Free Card

34 sports TURF

Creeping BentgrassCobra creeping bentgrass has a semi-

erect growth habit, uniform dark-greencolor, and excellent heat and humidityresistance. It is ideal for greens, tees, andfairways. The variety was developed byRutgers University in cooperation withInternational Seeds.INTERNATIONAL SEEDS, INC.Circle 130 on Postage Free Card

Poa VarietyFinelawn's Supra Poa supina forms

a dense, aggressive turf, which can over-come weeds and invasive grasses includ-ing annual bluegrass. The variety isideal for shade situations. When subjectedto diseases, such as snow mold, it bouncesback quickly.FINELAWNCircle 131 on Postage Free Card

Pumping Station

SyncroFlo's Eagle VFD (variable fre-quency drive) series of pumping sta-tions are designed specifically for the irri-gation system. Pump station operationis automatically optimized for peak loadrequirements with a built-in PC logic con-troller, which saves energy and opera-tor training.The Eagle models feature soft-start

operation and require no routine main-tenance. A data access panel gives acontinuous status update on systempressures, flow rates, and set points.SYNCROFLOCircle 132 on Postage Free Card

CLASSIFIEDSClassified Advertising Rates: $55.00 per inchpayable inadvance.One inchminimum(about50words).Send copywithcheck for$55.00 at leastfourweekspriorto issuedateto:Golf& sportsTURF,P.O.Box8420, VanNuys,CA91409 orfaxto (818)781-8517. Blind box numbers are available.Special borders and ruleswillbe billedat displayadvertising rates. Classified ads are not com-missionable.

STOLON PLANTING SERVICEWe plant LARGEturfareas mechanically.FromSod to planted stolons inseconds.

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Help WantedPOSITION OPEN:

Executive Director, The Lawn InstituteJOB DESCRIPTION:

To oversee and manage the educational andtechnical assistance activities of The LawnInstitute.Moredetailed informationwillbe pro-vided upon receipt of your resume. Sendresumes to: Dr. Eliot C. Roberts, ExecutiveDirector, The Lawn Institute, P.O. Box 108,Pleasant Hill,TN 38578. Resumes must bereceived no later than March 31, 1992.

ADVERTISERINDEX

Aquatrols 13BarebolOtterbine 17Belton 31Cal Poly 33Cambridge 19Golf Car & Equipment Co 32Gordon Bannerman Ltd 22Industrial Services Int., Inc 23International Seeds 35Iowa Export/Import Trading Co 18John Deere 2,3Kifco · 32Kubota 5Kuranda 33Missouri Paint Co 23National Diversified Sales, Inc 29PartaclBeam Clay 24Regal Chemical Co 36Rhone Poulenc 7Ryerson Plastics 21Sanders Hydroseeding Co 18Sparsholt College ;; 26STMA 15Turfco Mfg., Inc 25

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Circle 122 on Postage Free Card