Bulletin of the Green Section of the U. S. Golf Association Vol. II Washington, D. C., May 17, 1922 No. 5 A MONTHLY PERIODICAL TO PROMOTE THE BETTERMENT OF GOLF COURSES CONTENTS Statement of Ownership, etc..................... 138 Work of the Green Section Appreciated........... ...... 138 Maintenance Costs. E. J. Marshall................. 138 The Club Members and the Green Committee____ __ _ ____ 139 Straining at the Gnat. R. A. Oakley............... . .. _ ..... 139 What Constitutes Standard Maintenance. E. J. Marshall...... ............. 141 The Story of the Portsmouth Country Club. R. D. McDonough....................... 142 A New Method of Making Putting-Greens. Hugh I. Wilson............................ 144 A Modified Putting-Green (2 Illustrations)_ ___ ____ 145 Inexpensive Golf. E. J. Marshall...................................................................... 145 The Effect of Trampling and Rolling on Turf. Dr. Walter S. Harban.......... 148 Bermuda Putting-Greens ..................................................................... 151 The Golf Ball and the Law of Trespass. E. J. Marshall.................... 153 A Mechanical Sifter for Humus and Top Soil. Frank B. Barrett......... . ..... 155 Information on Tractors........_....................... _... ........._....... 156 Are Moles Held in Check by Blacksnakes? Remington Kellogg..................... 157 Question and Answers_____.. 160 Meditations ........ ............. ........... ......................„.......... 168 MEMBERS OF THE GREEN COMMITTEE OF THE UNITED STATES GOLF ASSOCIATION: *C. V. Piper, Chairman Dr. R. A. Oakley, Vice-Chairman *E. J. Marshall, Vice-Chairman W. A. Alexander Frank B. Barrett A. C. U. Behry Wm. F. Brooks C. B. Buxton A. H. Campbell N. Stuart Campbell W. C. Ferguson Wm. C. Fowner, Jr. *Dr. Walter S. Harban Dr. Thos. P. Hinman A. J. Hood Frederic C. Hood Norman Macbeth A. E. McCordic L. C. Menager Sherrill Sherman James L. Taylor *Wynant D. Vanderpool W. R. Willett *Alan D. Wilson Frank L. Woodward Inverness Club Old Elm Club Hollywood Golf Club Waverly Country Club Minikahda Club Dallas Country Club Toronto Golf Club Agawam Hunt Club Glen Echo Country Club Oakmont Country Club Columbia Country Club Druid Hills Golf Club Detroit Golf Club The Country Club Wilshire Country Club Indian Hill Club Florida Country Club Yahnundasis Golf Club Ekwanok Country Club Morris County Golf Club Louisville Country Club Pine Valley Golf Club Denver Country Club Washington, D. C. Washington, D. C. Toledo, Ohio Fort Sheridan, Ill. Deal, N. J. Portland. Ore. Minneapolis, Minn. Dallas, Tex. Toronto, Ont. Providence, R. I. Normandy, Mo. Pittsburgh, Pa. Washington, D. C. Atlanta, Ga. Detroit, Mich. Brookline, Mass. Los Angeles. Calif. Winnetka, Ill. Ortega, Fla. Utica, N. Y. Manchester, Vt. Convent Station, N. J. Louisville, Ky. Clementon, N. J. Denver, Colo. * Executive Committee member. PERMANENT MEMBERS Hugh I, Wilson, Merlon Cricket duh. Haverford, Pa. F. H. Hillman, Washington, D. C. W. H. Walton, Washington, D. C. Lyman Carrier, Washington, D. C. Published by the Green Committee of the United States Golf Association, 45S Louisiana Ave­ nue, Washington, D. C. Subscription price: To golf clubs that are members of the Green Section ot the U. S. Golf Association, $4.00 per year (included in membership fee). Entered as second-class matter December 10, 1921, at the post office at Washington, D, C., under the Act of March S. 1879. Copyright, 1922, by the Green Committee of the U. S. Golf Association. Permission Is granted to republish in any golf periodical any article appearing in this journal provided credit is acknowledged in the following words after the caption of the article, “Reprinted from the Bulletin of the Green Section of the United States Golf Association.” 138 BULLETIN OF GREEN SECTION OF THE [Vol. n. No. 5 STATEMENT OF THE OWNERSHIP, MANAGEMENT, CIRCULATION, ETC., REQUIRED BY THE ACT OF CONGRESS OF AUGUST 24, 1912, OF THE BULLETIN OF THE GREEN SECTION OF THE U. S. GOLF ASSOCIATION, PUBLISHED MONTHLY, AT WASHING­ TON, D. C., FOR APRIL 1, 1922. District of Columbia, ss.: Before me, a notary public in and for the District of Columbia, personally appeared R. A. Oakley, who, having been duly sworn according to law, deposes and says that he is the business manager of the Bulletin of the Green Section of the U. S. Golf Association, and that the following is, to the best of his knowledge and belief, a true statement of the ownership, man­ agement, etc., of the aforesaid publication for the date shown in the above caption, required by the Act of August 24, 1912, embodied in section 448, Postal Laws and Regulations, to wit: 1. That the names and addresses of the publisher, editor, managing editor, and business manager are: ington, D. C. ington, D. C. Publisher, Green Committee of the U. S. Golf Association, 456 Louisiana Avenue, Wash­ Editors, C. V. Piper and R. A. Oakley, P. O. Box 313, Pennsylvania Avenue Station, Wash­ Managing editor: none. Business manager, R. A. Oakley, 456 Louisiana Avenue, Washington, D. C. 2. That the owners are the United States Golf Association, a mutual organization of golf > clubs. President, J. Frederic Byers, Pittsburgh, Pa.; vice-presidents, Robert A. Gardner, Chi­ cago, Ill., and Wynant D. Vanderpool, Newark, N. J.; secretary, Cornelius S. Lee, Tuxedo Park, N. Y.; treasurer, Edward S; Moore, 14 Wall Street, New York, N. Y. 8. That the Association has issued no bonds, stock, mortgages, or other securities. (Signed) R. A. OAKLEY, Business Manager. Sworn to and subscribed before me this 3d day of April, 1922. (Signed) VICTOR H. SEHORN. My commission expires October 7, 1926. Work of the Green Section Appreciated Fort Leavenworth Officers’ Club Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, April 5, 1922. The following resolution adopted by the Board of Governors of the Club at its meeting on March 14, 1922, is published for the information of all Club members: “Resolved, That a vote of thanks and appreciation be extended to Major J. L. Topham, Jr., Quartermaster Corps, for the time, study and energy he has spent upon construction and maintenance of the club’s golf course, which in itself is a monument to his efforts while Golf Director of the club, from October 1, 1920, to March 14, 1922.” By Direction of the Board of Governors. (Signed) J. A. Stevens, Major, Infantry (D. O. L.), Secretary-Treasurer. Memorandum for the Secretary, Green Section, U. S. G. A. The Green Section of the U. S. Golf Association is almost entirely respon­ sible for my success. I would have been seriously handicapped without the Green Section Bulletins, and desire to share the achievement with the U. S. G. A. Green Committee, which has so materially aided me. (Signed) J. L. Topham, Major, Q. M. Corps, U. S. A. Maintenance Costs E. J. Marshall Greenkeepers as well as green committees should be keenly inter­ ested in this subject, the discussion of which was started in Mr. Seubert’s article in the April Bulletin. The only figures now available for comparison are total annual ex- pendituies, and eien these are not reliable, because the figures of one elub may include all manner of work on club-house grounds while the figures of another may include little or nothing for such work but a great deal for new construction. It always happens that the watch-dog of the treasury visits some course in another city at a time when it is looking its best and on a day when his putts are dropping in the cups to May 17, 1022] UNITED STATES GOLF ASSOCIATION 139 his profit and satisfaction. He is sure to come home full of praise for the other course and loaded with figures. He is sure to say, “Why, our course looks like a cow pasture alongside that one, and they only spend two-thirds as much as we do.” The Lord only knows what the true ex­ planation of the difference is, but it is certain that the thing would prac­ tically explain itself if the costs were kept on the same basis. We are aiming at a cost system so simple and practical that it will be applicable to every club and be workable by anyone who is fit to be a greenkeeper. Suggestions and questions are solicited. We shall be pleased to receive letters from greenkeepers giving their views and experiences. The Club Members and the Green Committee The chairman of the green committee of any club has a very dif­ ficult position to fill. He is the natural recipient of every complaint re­ garding the condition of the course, and it is rare, indeed, that he is accorded any appreciation or thanks. The other members of the com­ mittee escape, perhaps because the chairman is the logical target. It is probably true that ninety per cent of the complaints are made by players who have little knowledge of golf course problems and perhaps none in regard to the limitations under which the green committee is working. Most commonly complaints are endured by the chairman; but occasionally he is taunted to irascible retorts. We have often won­ dered whether it is not possible to guide the faculty of players to find faults so that it will be an asset to the green committee and to the club. Why not extend an earnest invitation to every member who plays to point out faults and deficiencies, but with the proviso that every such criticism must be accompanied by a constructive suggestion? Wisdom may come out of the mouths even of babes. The effect on the members should be to divert their attentions to the problems themselves and thus soothe their irritated feelings. From the chairman they will learn of dif­ ficulties they had not known, which, in turn, should lead them to devise ways and means to help his committee. In short, it should help build up a morale among the players and make them a source of strength to the green committee instead of a lot of carping critics. Incidentally it will greatly broaden the knowledge of the players on a lot of things about a golf course of which they had not dreamed. The plan suggested will require more time than the much-heralded one of telling the players to go to a decidedly warmer climate; but we believe in the end results will more than justify the effort. Here’s the sign to put up: Every member of this club who uses the course is invited and urged by the Chairman of the Green Committee to make complaints to him whenever he finds anything unsatisfactory on the course. The complaint may be verbal or in writing. This condition is, however, attached: the complainant must prepare a constructive suggestion that will make for correction of the fault or for provision of the need. Straining at the Gnat R. A. Oakley There is an unmistakable tendency nowadays to look upon the prices asked for seed of the fine turf grasses as being excessively high. Especially is this true in the case of the fine bents. The seeds of these grasses are 140 BULLETIN OF GREEN SECTION OF THE [Vol. n. No. 5 selling today at $1.50 a pound and upward—a high price, to be sure. Truly it is enough to frighten the inexperienced purchaser. In fact, some of our readers refuse to become reconciled to the present price situation, and it is evident that many of them have purchased seeds of less desirable species for their greens either because they have regarded it as a matter of necessary economy or because they did not want to be held up. This attitude eomes about mostly from lack of information on several phases of the subject. Few, indeed, appreciate what it costs to harvest and pre­ pare seed of the bents and fescues for market. They are continually com­ paring the bents with redtop, a seed cheaply grown and easily harvested and cleaned. Furthermore, they are lacking in their appreciation of what modern methods of sowing have done to reduce the quantity of seed necessary for a satisfactory stand, and what poor economy it is to sow less desirable seeds on putting-greens when, after all, if intelligence is used, the seed item is only a very small one compared with the other items of cost incident to the making of a golf course. Whatever our individual opinions may be on the price of seed of the bents and fescues, we might just as well make up our minds that until something agronomic or economic develops greatly to increase the supply of these seeds or materially to lessen the cost of putting them on the mar­ ket, the prices will not appreciably be revised downward. The situation is a natural one; there is nothing artificial about it. If anyone thinks he can get acceptable mixed bent seed from Germany, or Colonial bent or Chewings fescue from New Zealand or Australia, and sell it in this coun­ try at prices appreciably lower than those obtaining today, let him try it; or if he has even a vague idea that he can harvest pure Rhode Island bent seed and market it at anything like redtop prices, let him play his hunch. A real jolt is surely due him. Naturally there is a feeling of sympathy for those who accept the present seed prices with reservations. These prices admittedly are high. But the grim humor of the whole situation is that some of the individuals who are making the loudest protests now, bought seed in the good old days of the special putting-green mixtures without batting an eye. For curiosity’s sake, let us compare the present with the past. As late as 1919, special putting-green mixtures were the rule rather than the exception. Here is the make-up by actual analysis of a- fair average of the best of them: Red fescue ....................................... 36% by weight Kentucky bluegrass ......................... 24% by weight Redtop ............................................... 20% by weight Crested dog’s-tail ....... 6% by weight Weed seed and inert matter........... 14% by weight The average price at which a mixture of this kind sold was 40 cents per pound, which was in excess of the price of each of the constituents taken separately. Green committees seemed to worry little about the price or what the mixtures contained; and as further evidence of their liberality, they bought these special mixtures in quantity sufficient to sow them at the rate of 20 pounds for each 1,000 square feet of green. This meant an outlay of $42 for seed for a green of 6,000 square feet. It was certainly an excessive outlay for the kind of turf that resulted. May 17, 1922] UNITED STATES GOLF ASSOCIATION 141 Today we know that if intelligent methods are used an excellent stand of grass can be obtained by the use of 5 to 7 pounds of the fescues, or 3 to 5 pounds of the bents, for each 1,000 square feet. In brief, the seed bill today for a 6,000-foot green is approximately $27 if the fescues are used, and approximately $36 if the green is sown with the bents. Furthermore, when the seeding is accomplished, if it is done properly and at the right time of the year, the club has something to show for its money. Economy is commendable; but it should not be practiced at the ex­ pense of the greens. Good greens are priceless. Economize by using seed intelligently. Do not waste it in reseeding old turf or sowing it at the wrong season of the year. ’Real economy is possible, by passing up the “fool’s gold” that is offered in bags, cans, bottles, and crates. Too com­ monly it is bought with almost unbelievable credulity. Better be thankful that genuine bent and fescue seed is available. The price may seem high and hard to accept philosophically; but everything considered, the situa­ tion now as compared with that of a few years ago is as the gnat to the camel. What Constitutes Standard Maintenance? E. J. Marshall The green committee of the U. S. Golf Association is besieged with questions in one form or another as to what is a fair and reasonable amount of money to spend in a year on the maintenance of a golf course. At this time it is quite as impossible intelligently to answer these in­ quiries as it would be to say what a man should spend a year properly to support his family. So much depends on the unknown or variable factors ■—soil or climatic conditions to be met, the money available, the treatment required to get on a proper basis, and, lastly but most important, the tastes and desires of the players. The players on nine-hole, courses such as Hillsdale, Michigan, and Lebanon, Ohio, are pleased and satisfied, though they might prefer some­ thing better, with maintenance that costs from fifteen hundred to eighteen hundred dollars a year. On the other hand the players on some of the courses near the big cities demand a perfect course every day of the season and do not complain when the cost mounts to from twenty to twenty-five thousand dollars a year. Obviously it will always cost more, and perhaps an unreasonable amount, to keep a course in tournament condition every day than to keep it up to a practical playable standard. The problem is to determine when a course is maintained up to a practical playable standard and what that sort of maintenance should cost. Neither the green committee of the U. S. Golf Association nor anyone else can answer the questions as to proper eost of maintenance until by common consent of players a standard of maintenance is agreed upon as good enough for practical purposes, nor until a comparison of maintenance costs on many golf courses can be compiled. The committee is convinced that a great deal of waste and extrava­ gance can be eliminated when there is more information available on these points. How is this to be brought about! The obvious answer is by get­ ting the clubs throughout the country, or those interested in sensible 142 BULLETIN OF GREEN SECTION OF THE [Vol. n, No. s economy, to adopt the same system of keeping accounts, so that costs can be fairly compared. This applies more to costs of labor than of materials, for labor is the most important item of expense; but all costs should be classified properly, and there should be a careful distribution of expenses to the various items. When golf-course accounts can be put side by side and compared item by item exactly as railroad statements may be compared, a start will have been made towards establishing a common sense or practical standard of maintenance, and not before. Then if one course spends so many hours of labor or dollars cutting and caring for greens, or mowing fairways or the rough, or taking care of bunkers or the like, and another course spends more or less, it will not be difficult for those who know the two courses and have observed their condition to determine with fair accuracy which was on the right basis of maintenance and which cost was too high or too low. The uncontrollable factors, such as character of construction, soil, climate, and the like will always have to be considered in comparison of cost, but it is certain that only by this means will we ever be able to fix or agree upon a fair practical standard of maintenance or a fair average cost. If the courses around Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, De­ troit, and other cities were distributing their labor and other costs on exactly the same system, economical as well as extravagant maintenance would be apparent from the figures. Those who knew the courses could then see why one was not so well kept as another and why more or less money was spent on one than on the other. The course or courses that were always in good, practical condition at reasonable expense would be­ come what we might call standard maintenance courses. The Story of the Portsmouth Country Club, Portsmouth, N. H. R. D. McDonough The idea that golf is a rich man’s game, and that a golf club is an ex­ pensive luxury, has been thoroughly exploded by the success of many golf clubs in cities of from 10,000 to 20,000 inhabitants. The Portsmouth Country Club, in the twenty years of its existence, has lived down the theory that a man has to have a large income to belong to a club to play the game. At this club during the first fifteen years of its existence the head. of the family has paid the large sum of $10 a year for a mem­ bership, which enabled him to play over an excellently planned and well kept nine-hole course, granted him and his family the use of the four tennis courts, allowed him (if he so desired) to have a cottage on the grounds, permitted him to shoot over the elay pigeon traps, and invited him to enjoy the. social life which centers around the club. War and the high prices of labor and materials have had their effects on this club as in all other matters of life, and reluctantly the dues were raised to $15 and then to $20, where they will probably remain; but this is a sum that does not wreck the accuracy of the opening paragraph. Some will saj they must have a whale of a membership”; but this is not so, May IT, 1922] UNITED STATES GOLF ASSOCIATION 143 as we have never had 200 members, and these include a good many naval officers who are in a special membership class. What has been done in this club can be duplicated in any city or town in the country, and at no greater cost, provided there are men (and it needs only a few) who have the interest of the club enough at heart to sacrifice some of their time and thought to working out the problems of the club instead of wasting a lot of money securing and following the advice of the so-called experts. Neither ean the small club “ape” the schedule of the large clubs, with overpriced professionals, cafes, etc., but they can have just as good a time and develop just as good golf as the high priced clubs. I have always maintained that any ordinary golfer, who is willing to spend a little time and study on the problems of his club, treatment of its soil, the efficiency of its labor, etc., can in a few years develop as good if not better putting greens and fairways as the so-called expert, and far more cheaply. Every golf course has its special problems, and the man on the job will soon find, if he experiments intelligently, what is best for the course. The whole matter has been greatly simplified by The Bulle­ tin of the Green Section, with its excellent advice and friendly help from men who have given their time and thought to the building up of golf courses, for the love, they have of the game alone. Construction and upkeep of golf courses have been very costly to many clubs in this coun­ try, and any member of a small club who does not take advantage of the mistakes made by others is unworthy to be called a golf fan or have a place on a green committee. The method used in establishing our club is one that is adaptable to any small town. We started by forming within the club a land company, which took up the shares, which were set at $10 each. These shares paid 4 per cent. Every owner of a share was a member of the club, this having been made one of the provisions. With the money thus raised we pur­ chased a more or less abandoned farm of 165 acres, a good part of which is woodland. A nine-hole course was laid out, two tennis courts built, and a small club-house constructed, to which was added later a separate loeker room for the men. The club-house is large enough to hold all of the social affairs of the club, and the upkeep is small; in fact, the success of any small club will depend on its ability to keep down the overhead. The first year a pipe line was laid to all of the greens, and this has been of small expense ever since. After the club gets under way, a certain number of shares may be re­ tired each year until in time the lands company goes out of existence and the property is in the name of the club. We have two men employed from April until November, and hire a horse to draw our triplex mowers for cutting the fairway. As a rule the horse is tbe property of one of the men employed. During certain busy parts of the season one or two ad­ ditional men are taken on for a week or two, but the two men do about all of the work. Our labor bill for the past four years has averaged $2,000 a year, including horse hire. We pay our men $25 a week, whereas in the first years of the club $12 a week was sufficient. The writer, who is a charter member of the club, has in the past eight years been more or less active in the management of the club as a presi­ dent and member of the green committee. We soon learned that we eoul l 144 BULLETIN OF GREEN SECTION OF THE [Vol. n. No. 5 buy a similar grade of seed from our local dealers for from 22 cents to 28 cents a pound that the seed houses sold us for 50 cents and 75 cents; and when we bought redtop we got redtop, and this applied also to creeping bent and Rhode Island bent. In this state we have a pure seed law, and every state dealer must attach to every bushel of seed an analysis giving the name of the seed, its purity and germination. If we doubted the deal­ er’s honesty, we sent some of the seed to the State College and soon learned the real facts. The same is true of fertilizers—we found what was needed for our light, sandy soil and stuck to that, and as a result our greens, we are told, are as good as one can find in the state, and our fairways show improvements yearly. We have had our problems and upsets; but there are no problems of any small club that a good committee of golfers can’t solve if they give it the time. An innovation tried at the Country Club which worked out well in keeping up the club interest and at the same time making the club the social center of the town, was the erection of small cottages on the grounds. A dozen or more of the members have erected small cottages on the grounds on land set aside by the club. No extra rental or fee was demanded for this, and for a long time no water rent was charged. Some of the cottages were the small portable type—plenty big enough for a small family for the week-ends or even longer; others were larger; and some were used for summer homes the entire summer. This always brought a colony to the club for the week-ends and over holidays. These families made the club their headquarters and gave the members facilities which could not have been enjoyed unless the club-house was much larger and had a greater overhead. We have seen the club grow until now we are beginning to realize that we need eighteen holes. This winter we added a toboggan chute and winter sports to our club program, and it has been a move in the right direction. A New Method of Making Putting Greens Hugh I. Wilson, Philadelphia The problem of making a green in a dry country, such as New Mexico, which will putt well and hold a ball if pitched on it, is a pretty difficult problem. One great difficulty with sand greens in that section is the high winds, which, unless the greens are kept heavily oiled, will take off all the surface and make the up-keep a large item. Some experiments recently tried near Silver City, New Mexico, would seem at least partly to solve the problem. They involve the use of magnetic iron dust from a concen­ trator located at Hurley, New Mexico. This dust is so heavy that it does not blow and holds the ball much better than ordinary sand, when the shot is pitched. It is slower than sand; but as all the particles are prac- ticallj the same size, it makes a good putting surface, if it is dragged with a piece of eaipet, as is done on ordinary sand greens. The experiments ate pieliminaij, and further information will be sought on the subject. 1 he gieen committee, 1 am sure, would be pleased to receive any experi­ ence that anyone has had in using sueh material. May 17, 19221 UNITED STATES GOLF ASSOCIATION 145 Two views of the same putting-green before (upper) and after (lower) modification. The shelter-house and trees in the background prove it is the same hole MODIFIED PUTTING-GREEN 146 BULLETIN OF GREEN SECTION OF THE [Vol. n. No. 5 Inexpensive Golf E. J. Marshall My friend Judge Francis M. Hamilton, of the Court of Appeals of the Cincinnati Circuit, who is a good judge (at times) but a sad golfer, in response to my inquiry about the cost of maintenance of the course at his home in Lebanon, Ohio, said, “Expensive maintenance of a golf course we find to be largely a matter of taste and management. We find we could spend larger sums of money, but the net result would add nothing to our pleasure in the use of the course.” This read so much like one of his decisions that it seemed desirable to find out if there was any truth in it. A similar inquiry addressed to friends at Hillsdale, Michigan, brought a comparable response. So I am able to exhibit the maintenance figures on two nine-hole courses that are kept up at low cost on a basis that satisfies the members. The satisfaction of the members is the real test and it is pleasing to find two clubs where the members are not disturbed because the cost is low or some one else is spending more money. It gets back to the old proverb, “Better a dinner of herbs than a lot of bull.” In 1920 it cost $1,384 to maintain the Hillsdale course. In 1921 the cost was a little less than $1,800. The Lebanon course was kept up for $1,375 in 1921, and the average cost is reported to be between $i,20o and $1,400 a year, depending on rainfall and other conditions. At Hillsdale one man, who furnishes a horse also, is employed the year through for $100 a month. One hundred eighty-four dollars covers extra labor. At Lebanon the cost is summarized thus: Mowing fairways ................................ $ 525 Mowing greens and weeding.................... 300 See