UNITED  STATES  GOLF  ASSOCIATION 
GREEN  SECTION  EASTERN  REGION 
MID-ATLANTIC DISTRICT 
NORTHEASTERN DISTRICT 

R U T G E RS 

U N I V E R S I TY 

P L A NT 

I N D U S T RY  

S T A T I ON 

N EW  B R U N S W I C K.  N EW 

J E R S EY 

B E L T S V I L L E,  M A R Y L A ND 

EASTERN 

TURFLETTER 

R A D KO 

A L E X A N D ER  M. 
E A S T E RN 

D I R E C T OR 

C H A R L ES  K. 
M I D - A T L A N T IC 

H A L L O W E LL 

D I R E C T OR 

No. 1 

February, 1961 

T. 

T. 
T A Y L OR 
N O R T H E A S T E RN 

A G R O N O M I ST 

It Is with great regret that we announce the death 
of Tate Taylor, valued member of the Green Section 
Staff, who died on January 24,  1 9 6 1.  This Issue of 
our Turfletter is dedicated to the memory of Tate 
and all his fine work accomplished for turf for golf. 

GOLF COURSE LANDSCAPE 

It takes a person with unusual ability to examine and expanse of 
acreage and carve in the mind's eye an image of a golf course. 
Sometimes the site is one that is heavily wooded...sometimes it is 
devoid of trees...but in any case the primary goal of golf land 
utilization is BEAUTY...beauty of turf, land, landscape, and the 
golf course...and so it is so important to preserve natural 
vegetation where possible and to blend this vegetation with the 
sought after esthetic quality of the golf course and the property 
over which it is laid out.  If the site is heavily wooded to be-
gin with, there is the dividend of immediate and priceless 
beauty...large trees, that only time can produce, available and 
placed for all to admire.  If the site is sparsely settled then 
we may have to "borrow" on time by sacrificing to some degree on 
beauty of larger vegetation until time can compensate this loss. 
In either case, however, certain principles of landscape hold 
true if the course is to take esthetic shape whether new or old, 
wooded or barren, improved or in need of improvement. 

A  p l an  Is Essential 
It is important then to have a Master Plan, direction charted 
on paper, as one would require in any major undertaking... it 
is important to know where you are going, and what is going to be 
planted or removed when you get there.  Once determined, it is a 

relatively simple matter to cope with the landscape future, 
and a continuity of program is effected. 

Bnploy the VTSTA Principle of Architecture 
Vistas can be used to great advantage to focus attention on some 
special feature of beauty...it could be a green or a tee or a 
beautiful group of colorful trees way off in the distance...or 
the clubhouse...always an imposing figure and something which 
members are proud of...not only do they wish to show it off to 
guest8, but it is important that they themselves see it to best 
advantage...and this Is done very effectively through the use 
of vistas.  If the drive from entrance to clubhouse is a long 
one, you have unusual opportunity to employ the vista principle 
of landscape design by carving through at two or three points 
of vantage along the way. 

Club Grounds Must Be Handsome 
As you approach the clubhouse after a pleasant drive, it is im-
portant to keep the picture of beauty alive.,.the clubhouse 
grounds must be beautifully planted and well cared for to show 
to best advantage.  Do not allow the picture to be shattered 
abruptly by exposure to unsightly service areas, an untidy caddie 
pen, or insect ridden trash cans.  Such undesirable views can 
be effectively screened with inexpensive flowering shrubs of 
minimum maintenance requirements. 

Around the clubhouse, the foundation planting is given first 
consideration...it must be neat and colorful, and must serve 
the purpose of tieing the house into the ground landscape. 
If possible to do so, another extremely effective purpose of the 
foundation planting is to use .it as a background for the 9th or 
18th green.  Another important consideration is the  "framing" 
of the clubhouse with large trees...and the lack of good framing 
is often compared with the importance of a good frame for any 
art masterpiece...without it the best artwork shows to poor 
advantage. 

Funnel Attention to the Entrance 
Is another good rule of landscape effect...this may be done by 
placing plants of such sizes at maturity that will allow the smaller 
ones at the door entrance and the taller ones out at the clubhouse 
corners...if done properly and extended several  (10 to 20) feet 
from the corners, then the illusion effected is a much LARGER 
clubhouse. 

The Golf Course Beautiful 
From the clubhouse to the first tee a first and lasting impression 
of what lies ahead is consciously or otherwise obtained at the 

first tee.•.and here some good judgment must be used to make 
the tee serve the purpose of excessive utility  (practice swings 
and milling around and traffic, etc.) and beauty.  Some showy 
annual flowers arranged along the borders and paths or at some 
vantage point usually help give a good first impression.  This 
area too is prone to be littered with paper...and  considerable 
"policing up  is required if members are careless.  However it 
is accomplished, a neat and trim first tee is an important 
psychological factor to golfers. 

Looking down toward the green, the impact of tall trees lining 
each side of the fairway is awesome, majestic, and challenging. 
Though nature does an incomparable Job of establishment, most 
agree that tree or shrub plantings in odd-numbered groups make 
for a better pattern than otherwise...planting in such a way 
so as to avoid straight lines also is desirable...pin oaks in 
an Irregular triangle, spaced 20 or so feet apart make a nice 
pattern...and this applies to most other trees so long as the 
requirement for easy maintenance is fulfilled...at the Rutgers 
Conference the point was made that tree plantings on hilly 
fairway areas should appear into view "like marching  soldiers" 
as one progresses along one fairway to higher elevations. 

As we approach the green, there are few more striking landscapes 
than a good planting of evergreens to the rear of a putting 
green.  However there are several factors that must strongly be 
considered...tree root problems, air drainage, shade, disease, 
insects, and general maintenance problems to name a few.  This 
means that trees should be 70 to 100 feet behind the green if 
possible—if  closer to the green, problems of putting green 
health and sanitation become more and more acute. 

Pertinent Random Notes 
Many trees can be planted in Spring—check with your County 
Agent and Agricultural College set up in your area for approved 
lists.  Do the Job right...plant a -50^ tree in a $5.00 hole... 
this axiom still applies...properly planted trees require less 
maintenance...if cost is a factor, look to the use or selection 
of smaller plants.  If flower beds are not attended frequently, 
they become forlorn looking...if you want color mainly, select 
dwarf annuals such as petunia and ageratum rather than zinnias 
and marigolds...for then if neglected, diseased or insect ridden 
foliage will not be as conspicuous.  If a cut flower nursery is 
desired, they best be grown in an inconspicuous place unless 
ample labor is available...with attractive plants such as dogwoods, 
flowering crabapples, etc...try to place them so that they can be 
seen from several viewpoints from within or from the outside of 
the clubhouse. 
Pleasant surroundings add to pleasurable golf...also donft lose 
sight of the fact that attractive plants sometimes can be used 
to tighten up a golf course in place of a sandtrap,and more 
economically so. 

Eastern  Turfletter 

USGA  GREEN  SECTION 

B U LK 
S. 

U. 

R A TE 

P O S T A GE 

P A ID 

P E R M IT  N O.  3 66 

NEW  B R U N S W I C K.  N. 

J. 

Dr. James Watson 
Research Division 
loro Manufacturing Company 
82nd <£ Lindale 
Minneapolis, Minn*