Somewhere on teh intarwebs "Janet Conroy" typed:
There is a massive difference between golf course, etc, maintenance
and what one should do in a garden. I was once offered some spare
topsoil from a golf club, but advised not to take it as it was full of
chemicals. Worms are an indication of a garden's health - it is
madness to try to kill them.

Hi Janet. That's what I've always believed too. I'm in New Zealand and we've
only just banned whatever chemical it is that's used to kill earthworms in
sportsfields. There's a big difference between sportsfields and garden lawns
that "pied piper" doesn't seem to get. A garden lawn is more than a
'feature', it's part of a living ecosystem.

I use a mulching lawnmower. Here's a shot of a part of my lawn on a damp
spring night a couple of days after it's been mowed:

http://test.internet-webmaster.de/upload/1230334651.jpg

The worms love my mulcher and do an excellent job of cleaning up all the
very fine grass clippings. I guess if I was in the business of maintaining
"sports turf" I'd be horrified at a pic like that. Then again, I'd not be
giving advice on lawncare in a gardening group either. shrug

Cheers,
--
Shaun.