ANDJOURNAL TURF MANAGEMENT Ben Hogan, Open Champion, teeing off for his fi n a 1 round at Oakland Hills, Detroit. This was the start of a magnificent 6 7 which won the Champ ionship with a 72 - hole score of 287. It was Hogan's 3rd victory in the tournament in his last three starts. Photo by Alex Bremner ISGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT PUBLISHED BY THE UNITED STATES GOLF ASSOCIATION Permission to reprint articles herein is freely granted (unless specifically noted otherwise) provided credit is given to the USGA JOURNAL. Vol. IV, No. 3 July, 1951 Through the Green....................... 1 Sportsman’s Corner_________________________ Francis Ouimet 3 A Lesson from Hogan in the Open.......................Joseph C. Dey, Jr. 5 The Road to an Open Title .............................................. (Pictorial) 6 The Tent of Broken Dreams....................................... Harry Robert 10 The Kid’s a Noble Woman Now................................. 11 A Model Junior Program..................................... Harold A. Dawson 12 Miss Hanson Turns Professional ------------------------------------------ 13 Cause and Effect ........................................ -...............Stuart Murray 14 The Long Hole—36% Miles--------------------- ..------- Frank Weirich 16 When the Guttie Gave its Last Gasp .......... Walter E. Egan 17 Letter from Britain......................................... Miss Elizabeth Price 18 A PGA View of the Caddie Problem ......................... Tom Mahan 19 “Golf House” Hums with Stories .................................. 20 The Referee: Decisions by the Rules of Golf Committee ......... 22 Turf Management: USGA Green Section Better Bluegrass with Zoysia? ......................... ................................................. 25 Open Letter to Green Chairmen About Poa Annua .. Dr. Fred V. Grau 27 From the Golf Course Superintendents ....................................................... 30 Turf Experiments in South Africa ................................................................ 32 It’s Your Honor: Letters ................................................................... 33 Published seven times a year in February, April, June, July, August, September and November by the UNITED STATES GOLF ASSOCIATION 40 East 38th St., New York 16, N. Y. Subscriptions; S2 a year. Single copies: 30c. Subscriptions, articles, photographs, and correspondence, except pertaining to Green Section matters, should be sent to the above address. Correspondence pertaining to Green Section matters should be addressed to USGA Green Section, Room 337, South Building, Plant Industry Station, Beltsville, Md. Entered as second-class matter March 3, 1950, at the Post Office at New York, N. Y., under the Act of March 3, 1879. Edited by Joseph C. Dey, Jr. and Harry Robert. Advisory Committee—John D. Ames, Chairman; Isaac B. Grainger, Totton P. Heffelfinger, Curtis W. McGraw. All articles voluntarily contributed. Printed in U. S. A. USGA COMPETITIONS FOR 1951 (Dates entries close mean last dates for applications to reach USGA office. For forms.) dates of Sectional Qualifying Rounds, see entry possible exceptions in Sectional Championship Amat. Public Links Entries Qualifying Championship Close Rounds Dates Team: July 7 Indiv.: July 9-14 July 25-28 Junior Amateur — July 17 Girls' Junior July 30 none August 13-17 Women's Amateur August 6 none August 20-25 Amateur August 13 August 28 Sept. 10-15 Venue Brown Deer Park G.C., Milwaukee, Wis. Univ, of Illinois, Champaign. Ill. Onwentsia Club, Lake Forest, Ill. Town and Country C., St. Paul, Minn. Saucon Valley C. C., Bethlehem, Pa. USGA Journal and Tukf Management: July. 1951 1 THROUGH THE GREEN Little Man, Big Course On a big course like Oakland Hills, you might have thought that a short hitter like Paul Runyan would have been lost in the Open Championship. Quite to the contrary, after three rounds his score was 219 and he was just one stroke behind the leaders. He finished with 294 and a tie for sixth, but he proved all over again, that accuracy, not length, is the essence of the game. Runyan had no 6 on his card for the 72 holes. Probably no other player in the field was as consistent. Illustrative of his comparative lack of length, he hit 30 wood shots in his first round. Chuck Kocsis, Detroit amateur, played a splendid 297 for the low amateur medal. On the eve of the Championship, prize money for professionals was increased by $3,000 to approximately $15,000. The winner received $4,000 instead of $2,000, as had been scheduled. Every player who i eturned a 72-hole score received a prize. Hen and Chickens “Assignment of handicaps top se­ cret. Even the Committee does NOT understand the formula used.” So read a recent notice at the charm­ ing Kittansett Club, on Buzzard’s Bay at Marion, Mass. Occasion was the annual Hen and Chickens tournament, a mixed foursome event with 44 couples, involving a qualifying round and three match play rounds. No other competition could be more strictly for fun. Even the name. Hen and Chickens, has no relation to the tournament but, rather, was filched from a nearby lightship. Raynor Gardiner and Richard Wake­ man started the event in 1934. Only Mr. and Mrs. Ned Connor, now of New York, have played in every annual contest. Chief arrangers this year were Mr. and Mrs. Henry Cushing. Kittansett is a little known but out­ standingly fine golf course, a real sea­ side links with all manner of testing shots. President of the Club is Charles L. Peir- son, who is a member of the USGA Exec­ utive Committee. The spirit of the thing infected him so deeply that he sent out the following S 0 S to Isaac B. Grainger, USGA Rules Chairman: “Dog picks up ball on 19th hole and drops it in third hole of practice green stop Holes on practice green were cut not by greenkeeper but his wife, so Rule 7(4) does not apply stop At this juncture Mrs. A emerges from clubhouse for match with Mrs. B stop Why? stop Chairman tournament committee just drowned in hurricane stop Would you deem this an unplayable tournament? stop If not, please cite Rule, clause and precedents and whether USGA or R. and A. stop Wire immediate reply paid.” That message was sent collect. Mr. Peirson is still awaiting an answer. He rather imagines that none will be re­ ceived. "When I say quiet, I mean QUIET!" By DON SMITH 2 USGA Journal and Turf Management: July, 1951 Three off the First Tee Bob Toski, promising young Massachu­ setts professional, was late for his third round in the Open Championship at Oak­ land Hills. The Committee was obliged to take action and elected to penalize him two strokes for delay in play, under Rule 2(3). rather than disqualification under Rule 20(1). It was bitter for Bob to have to play three off the first tee, but it was better than not playing at all. He took it like a man and wrote us an appreciative letter after it was all over. In recent years there has been a no­ ticeable improvement in players’ observ­ ance of starting times in Championships. With large fields competing, it is neces­ sary for play to move right along if fair­ ness is to be worked. Prudent use of Rule 2(3) is a good reminder. Back to Oakmont The 1953 Open Championship will be played at the Oakmont Country Club, near Pittsburgh. The Open was last there in 1935, when Sam Parks won. Oakmont entertained the Amateur in 1938, and Willie Tur- nesa came through. More Help Needed Our “Call for Help” in the June issue of the Journal brought a helpful re­ sponse. Through the kind co-operation of readers, we were able to complete and to bind files of golf magazines for the USGA Library. We again ask readers who have old golf magazines lying around the house to see if they have some of the issues we need and would care to donate them to “Golf House.” Accordingly, a list of missing numbers appears below. We regret that part of the list printed in June was erroneous. Listed among the missing were the years 1933-34-35-36 of The American Golfer. We have those already in the Library. The issues we particularly need are: The American Golfer: 1908—All issues: 1909—February; 1910—April. December; 1911 —April, May. October, November, December; 1912—December: 191.3—December; 1914— August; 1916—November; 1918—May, July, September; 1920—May 1, June 26, July 3, August 21, December 11, 18, 25; 1923—Sep­ tember 8. Golf Illustrated (U. S.) : 1914—January through April. July, September; 1915—Feb­ ruary through August; 1916—March, April, August through December; 1917—March, June, July, October, December; 1918—March, April, May, June, August, September, December; 1919—January through December; 1920— January through July, December; 1921—January through May, July through September; 1922— January through July, October, November; 1925—February, March, May through August; 1935—September through December. PGA Magazine: 1947—October. Hasn’t some good professional got that October, 1947, PGA Magazine? It’s all we need to complete the set. Golf is a Vacation Item A survey on vacation travel by the Curtis Publishing Co. indicates that va­ cationers are good prospects for golf clubs and balls. The report shows that during the period reviewed, 3.9 per cent of all vacation families in this country bought golf balls and 1.5 per cent bought golf clubs for their trips. The study was based on monthly reports from a cross-section of U. S. families and a vacation trip was defined as any pleasure journey of three days or more by any member or group of the family. The average amount spent on golf clubs by each buying family was $37.16. The purchases of golf bplls for vacations averaged $6.59 for each buying family. Projected on a national basis, the results indicate vacation families spent $12,000,- 000 last year on golf clubs and $5,500,- 000 on golf balls. Caddie Care The boy who carries golf bags gets healthy exercise amid pleasant surround­ ings and the added satisfaction of making quite a bit of money. Besides all this, an increasing number of sectional associa­ tions are devoting more and more atten­ tion to his welfare. The Evans Scholarship program of the Western Golf Association is well known. The Cleveland District Golf Association has a similar program which was begun in 1940 and now has provided scholarship (Continued on Page 3) USGA Journal and Turf Management: July, 1951 3 SPORTSMAN'S CORNER By FRANCIS OUIMET Former Open and Amateur Champion I have been extremely fortunate in having had good opponents to play against or good partners to play with in Championships. Nevertheless, I can quickly think of several acts of sports­ manship. At Myopia, in the 1908 Open Cham­ pionship, Gil Nicholls wras disqualified through no fault of his own. Elis marker turned in a score that was one stroke low’er than it should have been. Those were the days when the marker was a supreme being and little attention was given to re-checking the card at the con­ clusion of the round. The check was made at the end of each hole. Scanning the board, prior to starting his final round, Gil noted the score posted for him was 75 and he knew himself it should have been 76. He knew' also that to bring the matter to the notice of the USGA officials meant disqualification. He had made the 15th hole in 5, whereas the marker had given him a 4, which ac­ counted for the discrepancy. With proper fortitude and respect for the Rules and the game, and with full knowledge of the consequences, he ad­ vised the committee of the error and was promptly disqualified, the committee hav­ ing no other alternative under the Rules. However, they were so impressed with this fine display of sportsmanship that they allowed him to play his final round. His total of 331 tied that of John Jones for fifth place, but because of the disqualifica­ tion his score could not pass into the record book. This, I think, is interesting. Fifth and sixth money prizes in 1908 were $70 and $60. The USGA officials on hand reached into their pockets and presented him with the money he would have won. I am of the opinion Gil would have much preferred seeing his name placed in the records. Mrs. Jackson's Penalty Mrs. H. Arnold Jackson was not only a fine golfer but an outstanding sports­ woman. As Miss Katherine Harley, she won the Women’s Championship in 1908. Later, as Mrs. H. Arnold Jackson, she won the Championship in 1914. Playing in the Women’s Championship at Westchester-Biltmore in 1923, she reached the turn in the qualifying round in 43, remarkably good golf for a woman on this long course. Playing the tenth hole, she drove her ball and it rolled down an embankment to the left, where her caddie located it, or thought he had. It was more or less buried in the long grass, and she played it onto the fairway. From here she continued, and after holing out she discovered initials on the ball that were not her own. She promptly ruled herself out of the tournament, be­ cause she had played more than one stroke with the wrong ball, w’hich, under the Rules, was the proper thing to do. Mrs. Jackson knew’ the Rule, knew’ the consequences, made her own decision and deserves a pat on the back for her sports­ manship. CADDIE CARE (Continued from Page 2) assistance to 29 boys. Half of the Cleve­ land Association assessment on members of member clubs is allocated for caddie scholarship aid. The Ulin ois Women’s Golf Association has raised more than $23,000 in the last nine years'.through Victory Tournaments at many clubs, and part of this has gone to the Evans Scholars Foundation. Co­ operating with the American Women’s Voluntary Services, the IWGA has con­ tributed to many other worth-while pro­ grams. One of the Evans Scholars. Aelred Geis, was honored this spring as the out­ standing Chicago area senior at Michigan State College. Geis, studying Wildlife Management, had registered the remark­ 4 USGA Journal and Turf Management: July, 1951 able record of 3.68 out of a possible 4 for his four years of college. He obtained his scholarship as a caddie at the Tam O’Shanter Country Club. The Western Association, which has done notable work in the caddie field, put out this year another of its little booklets on the subject. This one is “Recruiting and Retaining Your Caddies.’’ thorough and sensible as usual. Walker Cup By-Play The column “Scott’s Corner" in the British magazine Golf Illustrated re­ ports that the funniest sight during the Walker Cup matches at Birkdale, England, came when a referee was called upon to measure a putt in a foursome. Apparently he was prepared for just that contingency; he put his hand into his pocket and pulled forth some string. He pulled and pulled, and as more and more string came into view', the ladies began to shriek, fear­ ful that the referee might be unraveling his underwear. The end finally came in sight and the putt was duly measured. “Scott’s Corner" further reported that a man standing just inside the rope dur­ ing one point of the play was pushed back by an officious steward who stood “about the height of a 9 iron." When the man objected, the steward demanded: “Who do you think you are?” "Well." replied the man, “I’m a player, really.” The steward replied with a loud laugh, then snapped: “Don't give me any of that. Get to blazes out of here.” Dr. Frank W. G. Deighton, a modest, quiet gentlemen, obeyed orders; although he was not playing, he really was a mem­ ber of the British Walker Cup Team. Robert W. Knowles, Jr. Knowles in the final defeated Henri de la Maze, 3 and 2. De la Maze had won the title four times running and had become regarded as invincible in French play. No Man's Land? What is the position of a golfer who does not wish to be a professional and yet has not conformed with the Rules of Amateur Status? Where does he stand? In the eyes of the USGA, a player is either an amateur or he is not an amateur; there is no middle ground. To allow a non-ainateur to compete with amateurs can be a source of embarrassment to everyone concerned and a source of un­ fairness to the amateurs. The USGA does not consider that in­ tention to apply for reinstatement is mitigating. Suppose a player did not apply, or suppose that his application could not be granted — he still would be a non-amateur. There are times when it seems that the line is finely drawn, but however fine it may appear, it is clear-cut. Knowles Wins French Amateur Little that was available to the USGA Walker Cup Team had escaped the squad after Robert W. Knowles. Jr., of Brook­ line, Mass., won the French Amateur last month. The Team had defeated the British and Dick Chapman had followed with a personal victory in the British Amateur. ST. ANDREWS Oh, the Auld Course, the could course— Although the greens are big. If wander ye tae ilka side Ye winna score sae trig. Then should your tee shot gang astray And land where ye must dig 'er. Before ye hack your pathway back Ye'll wish the greens were bigger. —BILL BEVERIDGE Milwaukee, Wis. USGA Journal and Ti rf Management: July, 1951 5 A Lesson from Hogan in the Open By JOSEPH C. DEY, JR. USGA Executive Secretary A victory such as Ben Hogan scored in the Open Championship last month doesn’t bear much resemblance to the golf which most of us play. Have you ever done the last six holes of any course in 20 strokes? Did you ever do 138 for 36 holes on a giant like Oakland Hills, near Detroit, with about 13,000 persons breathing down your neck? — with the Open Championship depending upon it? Those are experiences which come only to the great players. They are the mountain-top episodes wrhich set the champions apart from the rest. They are so far removed from the game at which we mere mortals dally down here on earth that there seems no affiniiy what­ ever between Ben Hogan and Felix Mc- Cackletackle. But even if Felix can’t play strokes such as Ben’s he still can learn from the Champion. Hogan’s victory in this 51st Open was a great lesson in concentration and intelligent determination. Those are qualities which all of us can develop through practice, even if we can’t fade a midiron to within five feet of a flag 200 yards away. Few games require mental concentra­ tion to the degree which golf does. Few golfers concentrate on the shot at hand to the degree of which they are capable. Thus, most of us don’t get as much out of our games as we might. Wiping Out Bad Memories Io show you how Ben Hogan focused his attention on his work at Oakland Hills, note these examples: Item 1: The seventh hole is a drive- and-pitch par-4, with an arm of a brook on the right. In the third round Hogan’s tee shot went into the brook. The penalty stroke he incurred in dropping out caused him to take 5 for the hole. When he came to that hole in the fourth round, about four and a half hours later. Little Ben hugged the left side with his tee shot, planted his approach two feet from the hole, smiled when the gallery applauded but said “Wait ’til I make it,” and then proceeded to hole a birdie 3. He had wiped out the memory of the morning 5. Item 2: On the 15th hole, 392 yards, near the middle of the fairway in the drive zone there is a bunker which forces you to place your tee shot with great accuracy. Hogan in the third round went too far to the left, became entangled with the rough, and took 6, losing two precious strokes to par. Later in the day he came to the 15th in the final round knowing that it was touch-and-go as to whether he would retain his Championship. Off the tee he placed a beautiful spoon shot to the left side of the fairway, approached to within six feet, and downed the putt for a birdie 3. He had wiped out the memory of the morning 6. Item 3: The Champion has just fin­ ished. He is checking his score card of his final round. He is plainly excited, be­ cause he has just holed out in 67, yet he takes his time as he checks the score hole by hole. Three times he goes over it, and each time he stumbles mentally as he comes to the fifth hole. He asks the kind lady, Mrs. Mras. who scored for him: “Are you sure I had a 4 there? Did I make that putt?” She replies that, yes, he had a 4. He checks the card once more. Again he stumbles at the fifth hole. Then he calls for the referee who accompanied him. He verifies Hogan’s score on the fifth as 4. Hogan, playing his second from a close lie, had been short of the green, played a pitch-and-run, and then holed the putt. The simple fact is that he then con- (Continued on Page 8) 6 USGA Journal and Turf Management: July, 1951 THE ROAD TO AN OPEN TITLE THE TITLE TOTTERS. Ben Hogan playing from a trap on the 15th hole, where he scored a 6, in his third round at Oakland Hills. A BIRDIE FAILS TO FALL. Little Ben putts for a 3 on the 16th in the final round but fails to get it. Photos by Alex Bremner USGA Journal and Turf Management: July, 1951 7 IS PAVED WITH HEART-THROBS OVATION AT THE 18ih. Hogan arriving at the last green with thousands banked around. He may be seen, cap in hand, in exact center. TO THE VICTOR, THE SPOILS. The presentation ceremony. Front row, from left: Clayton Heafner, who finished second; Champion Ben Hogan, James D. Standish, Jr., USGA President; Bobby Locke, who was third, and John P. O'Hara, Oakland Hills' General Chairman. 8 USGA JOURNAL ANO Tt’KF MANAGEMENT: Jl I.Y. 1951 A LESSON FROM HOGAN (Continued from Page 5) centrated so intensely on the next hole that he tviped out of the memory of a hole played in a fashion which, for him, was unorthodox and not particularly grat­ ifying. An Uphill Struggle As for Hogan’s determination, note these facts: After the first round he was far down the list with a 76, six over par. He followed with a second round of 73, which tied him with ten others for 16th place, five strokes from the leader. The final day was clear, warm and delightful. “Texas day,” Hogan smiled as he warmed up on the first tee. Then he went out in 32 on his third round. It put him right up among the leaders. But he was 39 coming home, due in part to that 6 on the 15th. His 71 was a grand round, but it left him tied at 220 for fifth place; Bobby Locke and Jimmy Demaret were leading with 218. All told, there were seven players with 220 or better for 54 holes. His 39 on the second nine had aroused Hogan. “I’m going to burn it up this afternoon,” he said to Isaac B. Grainger, USGA Bules Committee Chairman, who had refereed his third round. He said it with no show of swagger — just with the great, invincible deter­ mination which has marked the whole life of this man — the same unshakeable faith which kept him alive just two short years ago when he was near death after a motor accident. He had a fighting par 35 going out on his last round. And then he came home in 32. In his last nine holes he had four 3s and one 2, four birdies during the stretch. He had played the first nine in 32 in the morning: now' he had 32 coming home. When you’re considering Hogan’s great determination, his remarkable concen­ tration, you should know' that he also knows how to relax at the right moment. During a round he sometimes will give himself a short mental break by chatting briefly on some subject not connected with his own play. Often, nowadays. it’s about the welfare of somebody else. At Oakland Hills during his round of 67 he philosophized a bit on the sacrifices which golf spectators make in order to watch a tournament like the Open. But then, when he stepped up to his shot, he was back in his trance of seeing only that one shot at hand. Nothing else in the world existed for him at that moment. Three Starts — Three Wins And now' Ben Hogan has won the Open the last three times he has played in it — 1948 at Riviera in Los Angeles, where he set the all-time record of 276; 1950 at Merion near Philadelphia, where he tied at 287 with Lloyd Mangrum and George Fazio and won the playoff with a 69, one below par; and now' 287 again at Oakland Hills. His accident kept him out of the 1949 Open, though his faith prompted him to file a secret entry, in the hope of a miracle. In case you’ve forgotten, he also won the 1942 “Hale America National Open Golf Tournament,” a war-time substitute for the Championship, which the USGA co-sponsored with the Chicago District Golf Association and the Professional Golfers’ Association of America, for benefit of Navy Relief Society and United Service Organizations. Hogan had 72- 62-69-68-271 at Ridgemoor. Chicago, to win that one. Yes, it was 62 in the second round. Ben will tell you, though, that his closing 6/ at Oakland Hills was his great­ est round, under all the circumstances. Certainly it was one of the greatest finishes in the long history of the Open. Il takes rank with such epics as Gene Sarazen’s feat of playing the last 28 holes in 100 strokes in 1932 at Fresh Meadow, New York. But the most memorable thing about Ben Hogan is not his stroke-making ability, marvelous though it is. The example which this great Champion gives us is the more nearly human one of pouring all one s energies into the job at hand, of great courage in the face of adversity, of great faith. Genuine consideration of others is a marked trait in the inspiring character of LSGA Journal and Turf Management: July, 1951 9 Hogan's Four Rounds Hole 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Out In Total Yard* ____ 440 510 200 448 437 350 381 458 216 ___ 3,440 __ __ 448 407 566 169 447 392 405 194 459 ■ 3,487 — 6,927 Par __ 4 5 3 4 4 4 4 4 3 35 __ 4 4 5 3 4 4 4 3 4 __ 35 __ 70 i*t 5 4 4 5 4 5 4 5 3 _ 39 — 4 4 5 2 5 4 4 3 6 —_ 37 __ 76 2nd — 3 4 3 5 5 4 4 5 4 — 37 — 4 5 5 3 4 5 3 3 4 36 - - 73 3rd — ■■■ 3 4 3 4 3 4 5 3 3 — 1— 32 —— 4 4 5 3 5 6 4 4 4 — ~ 39 —— 71 4th 4 5 4 4 4 4 3 4 3 —— 35 — 3 4 5 2 5 3 4 3 3 — — 32 —— 67 Ben Hogan. During the presentation of prizes at Oakland Hills, Hogan said his victory would not have been possible if it had not been for help which other people had given him, and he devoted most of his remarks to thanking those other people. His first thanks went to his caddie, a young teen-ager, whose face beamed when his hero mentioned him to the assembled crowd. Ben Hogan, you see, used to be a caddie. These lessons which the Champion teaches can be useful to us in whatever we ma\ do, for they have a depth and a breadth which come not just from the little game of golf hut the greater game of life. Thev are the real message which speaks out from the life of Ben Hogan. The Course Clavton Heafner might be the Open Champion today if it were not for Hogan. Heafner was the runner-up with 289. He had a great closing round of 69 which almost overtook Ben. It was the only other sub-par round of about 430 full rounds played by the entire field. Heafner two vears ago tied for second, just a stroke behind Cary Middleeoff. Bobbv Locke made a valiant effort to add the USGA Open title to the British Championship which he had won the last two vears. He was third, with 291. Going into the last day’s play, Locke was the leader with 144 for 36 holes, and Hogan was five strokes behind him. Locke has been quite close to the USGA Cham­ pionship several times, and says he intends to be back next year. He is always a most welcome visitor. No course over which the Open has been played ever provoked more discus­ sion than did Oakland Hills. It had been tightened under a program mapped by Robert Trent Jones, golf course archi­ tect, and John Oswald. Chairman of the Club’s Green Committee. Many new bunkers had been created, both in drive zones and to guard putting greens. The drive zones were particularly tight. Besides the new’ bunkers, the rough be­ fore the tournament encroached deep into the normal fairway and was quite thick on some holes. The USGA Champion­ ship Committee, headed by John D. Ames, tempered these conditions somewdiat by having the rough trimmed in spots, both as to height and to reduce the narrow­ ness of some fairways. It was not pos­ sible at that hour, however, to produce the uniform USGA Championship condi­ tions prescribed in part as follows in the USGA Golf Championship Manual, which guides clubs in preparing for USGA events: “It is desired to require greater ac­ curacy from the lees by making all rough deeper and by narrowing the fairways between 240 and 300 yards. The nar­ rowing should be gradual, commencing perhaps at 230 and reaching the narrow­ est part of from 35 to 40 yards at about 280 yards from the tee.” The fact that a number of fairways were not that wide in the drive zone, due to the ingrown rough as well as new bunkers, was a cause for dismav to many placers. Hogan, both before and after the event, said the course was the hardest he ever played, as did Locke. Ben referred to ii as "the monster.’ But he characterized his 67 as his greatest round. Gene Sarazen, on the other hand,-took the trouble after the tournament to write us as follows: "The golf course was a (Continued on Page 15) 10 USGA Journal and Turf Management: July. .1951 The Tent of Broken Dreams By HARRY ROBERT USGA Assistant Executive Secretary Just off the 18th green at Oakland Hills was the Scorer’s Tent, where the contestants in the Open returned their signed official score cards. From its site could be seen few of the spectacular shots that brought roars from the galleries re­ verberating across the hills. The tent was not without its drama, however. Within it were played some of the most poignant scenes of the Championship. Once within its shelter, the players relaxed the grim demeanor which most of them had presented to the spectators on the course. The strain melted from their tired bodies. Their true feelings about the rounds they had just played were revealed. It was, in essence, a tent of broken dreams. Into it came some happy men but many more disillusioned ones. Some contestants were frankly dis­ gusted with their efforts, so much so that they forgot, or nearly forgot, that they must return a score card to continue in the tournament. A few went plunging through the gallery lines, eager to forget, until they were recalled. A Man of Many Moods The performance of one top player was perfectly mirrored in his attitude at the end of each of his four rounds. He was annoyed after the first; he could hardly contain his fury after the second; he was rather pleased after the third. At the finish, he sat there in the wreckage of his hopes, and inquired humbly: “Do you think that will qualify for next year’s Open?” He was told that it would definitely be among the leading scores. Another well-known contender, for­ merly Open Champion, chatted quite pleasantly about the tournament and his disappointing part in it, after one of his rounds. “It’s not the course, its myself.” he said frankly. ”I’m just playing poorly.” Occasionally a player was angry be- case of some grievance, fancied or real. One did not care for his playing com­ panion, who evidently sensed this feeling. However, at the finish he extended his hand to his taciturn partner and said: “Well, I enjoyed playing with you.” The other took his hand but had no answering smile. “Yes,” he said heavily, “I enjoyed it.” One who played with pronounced bril­ liance throughout was starkly despondent at the finish. It was plain that he had believed he could pull off victory, and now that the tournament was ending and he had fallen short, he could not conceal his heartache. For a long time he sat checking his score and looking at it. Then he signed swiftly, stood up and, as he departed, rasped: “Well, thanks for the use of the hall.” His eyes and his voice said, as plainly as if he had used the words: “I thought I had this Championship, and now my disappointment is bitter.” Each group was accompanied by a scorer, a woman golfer from the Detroit district. With hardly an exception, each contestant personally thanked his scorer after every round. Somehow’, Bobby Locke had a manner of doing this that seemed to convey that he was forever in her debt for the service she had per­ formed. The Champion Golf is not a wrestle with Bogey; it is not a struggle with your mortal foe; it is a physiologi­ cal, psychological and moral fight with your­ self; it is a test of mastery over self; and the ultimate and irreducible element of the game is to determine which of the players is the more worthy combatant. ARNOLD HAULTAIN (In Praise of Golf) USGA Journal and Turf Management: July, 1951 The Kid’s a Noble Woman Now With the Women’s Amateur Champion­ ship at the Town and Country Club in St. Paul, Minn., next month, memory goes back 16 years to the other Twin City, Minneapolis, and Interlachen Country Club. There, in 1935, in another Women’s Championship, Mrs. Glenna Collett Vare marched to her sixth title, no longer the girl who had captured the imagination of American golf in the Twenties but a matron, mother of two children. Two 17-year-old girls from Minneapolis created a tremendous stir. One was Beat­ rice Barrett, who reached the semi-finals and later set the tournament qualifying record with a 74 at the Wee Burn Club in Connecticut in 1939. The other was Patty Berg. Scarcely a golfer swings a club today who does not know of Patty Berg. Only a few knew of the freckle-faced, red-headed, stocky youngster before she played the final match with Mrs. Vare in 1935. It was quite a scrap little Patty put up be­ fore she was halted, 3 and 2. At the presentation ceremony after­ ward, Prescott S. Bush, then President of the USGA, looked at the girl quizzically and remarked: ’’Patty, I don’t know whether to call you a great kid or a noble woman." Whatever conclusion Mr. Bush reached, he could not have been wrong. Patty had certainly proved that she was a great kid. She has demonstrated many times since that she is a noble woman. She was not to be denied a Women's Amateur Championship; three years later she attained it at the Westmoreland Country Club, Wilmette, Ill. She has since turned professional and scored many notable victories in that division. During the war she served as a member of the Women Marines. Her golf career had another serious setback when she sus­ tained a leg injury in a motor accident and was hospitalized for months. It is doubtful if Patty ever proved a more noble woman golfwise than last month. Miss Patty Berg When the long cross-country Weather­ vane open tournament reached its sched­ uled conclusion, Miss Berg and Mrs. Babe Didrickson Zaharias were tied with 1501 strokes each for 144 holes. A play-off at 36 holes was set. At the Scarsdale, N. Y., Country Club, each scored 71, one under men’s par. The long contest ended at last at the Deepdale Golf Club, where Patty defeated Mrs. Zaharias. 75 to a 76, for a total play-off score of 146 to 147. Before a week had elapsed, the two came to grips again in the Women’s In­ vitation Western Open at the Whitemarsh Valley Country Club. Chestnut Hill, Pa. In the second round. Patty again was the victor, 1 up. Miss Berg went on to win the tournament, defeating Miss Pat O'Sul­ livan, of Orange, Conn., in the 36-hole final. 2 up. Playing from a bunker on the 24th, Patty scraped the sand on her backswing. No one else saw it. Patty, of course, called the hole on herself. 12 USGA Journal and Turf Management: July. 1951 A Model Junior Program By HAROLD A. DAWSON Executive Secretary, Southern California Golf Association A dream is being fulfilled anew this month when 128 boys, ail under 18 years of age, gather at the University of Illinois Golf Course, at Champaign, for the fourth annual USGA Junior Amateur Champion­ ship. It has been a dream of many men in various parts of the country—men who had the vision to see what golf can mean to these boys, and these boys to golf, both nationally and locally. In Southern California there are im­ portant developments. A Southern Cali­ fornia Junior Association has been formed through merged efforts of three adult associations, the Southern California Golf Association, the Southern California Public Links Association, and the South­ ern California Section of the Professional Golfers’ Association of America. Junior activity has been fostered in the area before. The important feature of this new program is that its tourna­ ments hereafter will be conducted by the juniors themselves. Membership will be open* to any boy or girl who has not yet become 18 years old. Three delegates from each adult group, Dudley Shumway, Los Angeles Recrea­ tion Director, and I will act as a govern­ ing board. Ralph Miller, active in junior development at Palos Verdes Country Club, is the first President. Keith Jacobs, manager of Montebello links, is Vice-Pres­ ident; Joe Robinson. Virginia Country Club professional, is Secretary, and I will act as Treasurer. Others on the board are: Harry Winters, Rancho; Bud Oak­ ley, Palos Verdes pro: George Lake. Rec­ reation Park pro at Long Beach; General Stanley Ritterhof. Santa Ana; E. Case­ bier. Bel-Air, and Bill Bryan. Fox Hills owner-manager. The purposes of the new Association will be: 1. To promote junior golf activity. 2. To teach the Rules and Etiquette of Golf. JUNIOR STAR Mason Rudolph, of Clarksville, Tenn, is an example of the value of junior golf programs. The first USGA Junior Cham­ pion eligible to defend his title, he also has qualified for the Open twice. 3. To obtain instruction, practice and playing privileges for members. 4. To establish handicap ratings. Those are the principal aims. We have others. This will be no hit-or-miss project; we have given it careful thought for years. Our plans include: Club Programs: We hope to induce each club and course to have a program for its own juniors. We want each to have its own junior organization under an adult committee, to elect its own of­ ficers, establish its own handicaps, con­ duct its own club tournaments, and en­ gage in matches with juniors of other clubs. This entire program is to be dovetailed with activities of the Junior As­ sociation. Tournaments: For the past several years the three adult associations ha\e jointly sponsored the Southern California Junior Championship. The Junior As­ sociation hereafter will conduct this event. (Continued on Poge 21) USGA Journal and Turf Management: July, 1951 13 Miss Hanson Turns Professional A new Women’s Amateur Champion will be determined next month at the Town and Country Club, St. Paul, Minn. Miss Beverly Hanson, who won impres­ sively at Atlanta last year, has forfeited her title by turning professional. Of those who have been Champion since 1938, all except two have forsaken amateur status. Miss Hanson competed unsuccessfully in the British Ladies’ Amateur Champion­ ship this year, and just before returning home was reported by a British journ­ alist to have made disparaging and in­ temperate remarks about the course where the Championship was played. While the USGA Journal does not intend to set itself up in judgment of the case, it should be noted that some British golf writers in the past have written untruthful and distorted articles about visiting Americans. It sometimes has been a case of “Never let a good story be spoiled by the facts,” as the late Hugh Fullerton, Sr., put it. Miss Hanson has refuted many of the remarks attributed to her, and wrote the USGA in part as follows, prior to turn­ ing pro: “First off, I’d like to thank you for your kind and helpful attitude and, secondly, for the opportunity of explaining the remarks at­ tributed to me on my departure from England. “The story starts in the passenger area of the London Airport on June 7. I had cleared through customs and immigration and was standing by a magazine stand when a man walked over, called my name and began talking to me about having played in the Championship at Broad­ stone. I presumed him to be a fellow passenger since at no time did he introduce himself or make known his position and it was not until ‘the interview’ was completed and he asked me to pose on the plane steps for a photog­ rapher that I realized he was a reporter, though I hasten to add with emphasis had this infor­ mation been known at the time I would not have altered my statements. Also, to mv knowl­ edge he took no notes. "His opening question asked if I had en- joved my stay, to which 1 replied very enthu­ siastically in the affirmative. Then he inquired as to what my reaction was to the Dorset Golf Club, scene of the Championship, and my reply was that ‘it played terribly short for a Cham­ pionship Course.’ 1 also enlarged on that by stating. ‘I base my game on distance, and I wouldn’t play my mother on a course that short and she doesn’t even play golf.’ I ex­ plained that the yardage for the competition was well under 6,000 yards and that fact coupled with eight days of sun and wind and no water had made the actual playing yardage about 5.100 yards. “Earlier in the day I had lunched with Viscomtesse de Saint-Sauveur, Mme. P. Eloy, Mlle. .A. Jaquet. all foreign entrants, and Mr. Tom Scott, Editor of Golf Illustrated, and in anticipation of press queries had sought their advice as to the diplomatic answer to the tried and true question. ‘How did you like the course?’ “Their advice was to respond as follows: ‘It was the consensus of opinion of the competitors that it was not a championship course; and accordingly I remarked that ‘it was a shame after having invested so much money to come over for the Championship that I couldn’t play on one of the many great British courses where my length would have been an asset.’ “He then asked me how much I figured it had cost, and I replied "something between SI,000 and §1,200.’ He gasped and then asked if I would be back next year. I said: ‘I cer­ tainly hope to. I understand the Matches (Curtis Cup) will be at Muirfield and the Championship at Troon, and I also understand that both courses are superb tests of golf.’ “Next he pointed to a photographer standing nearby and asked about a picture, to which I, of course, agreed. 1 then read a magazine for 10 minutes until called to the bus which drove us right to the plane, i mention the magazine reading and bus ride to point out how impos­ sible it was to have ended the interview and stomped out to the plant*, as I was reported to have done. “My first knowledge of the results of this talk came when I called my parents in Cali­ fornia after arriving in Washington June 8. and. needless to say. 1 was greatly upset. Upset not only for the light in which it placet! me and the USGA, hut also upset for the members and friends at Dorset Golf Club who, while they haven't a true championship course by British standards, do have as beautiful a course in as beautiful a countryside as I ever hope to “It was with deep regret that I saw this incident ‘built up. and it now is my most sincere hope and wish that through this letter the misunderstanding is clarified and damage reet ified." 14 USGA Journal and Turf Management: July, 1951 Cause and Effect By STUART MURRAY Professional Golfer, Auburndale, Mass. I arose at dawn this morning, just when the sun was coming over the hills, then motored out to my golf club. On my way I passed over a railway bridge, noticing the lines meet in the distance, and wondered how the train kept on the rails. Possibly, I thought, the axles have some means of adjustment as they pro­ ceeded from that bridge, for the lines were wide under the bridge, but met in the distance. Then it occurred to me that my eyes might be fooling me, but being a golfer I doubted it. As a golfer, I was used to accepting everything I saw as truth. For instance, I had witnessed champion after champion with straight left arm, full pivot, cocked wrist, right elbow to side, and many other similar happenings, and I had accepted them as Cause. True, many of my members possessed all these wonderful actions and played most hor­ rible golf; some had never even broken 100. These I had. come to dismiss as exceptions. If the player failed to straighten the left arm, then he was bound to hit the shot wrongly. Or if he failed to negotiate any of the other hurdles of golf theory, he .was doomed to failure. Search‘for a Law Then I began to reason it this way: If so many wonderful golfers hit the ball straight so often, then a law was involved somewhere. What was that law? To hit the ball straight, the face of the club had to meet the ball square to line of flight and stay in that line for duration of impact. How could I obtain a motion for my clubhead that time and time again would bring about that result? Then Ernest Jones, the great teacher, swung a penknife on a handkerchief to and fro as he would a golf club, but though my eyes could not see it, yet we found the knife passed the hands in the center of the sw inger each time. Yet this could not be true because the Stuart Murray left arm was bent, there was no full pivot, the wrists had not fully cocked, and, horror of horrors, the right elbow was far from the side. This was rank heresy, to promote such an idea: had not Galileo been jailed for just such heresy? Besides, even if true, howr about that snap of the wrists in order to speed up the head'at impact? Timing was perfect in the swings ing motion of the pen-knife, and force of gravity takes care of the so-called “snap.” My sense of sight testimony must be right, surely? Could I not see the snap of the wrists? Even if Ernest Jones was right, yet lacked he one thing, I reasoned—that was the force in the motion of the pen-knife. I needed much more than that to send 1.62 ounces of ball over 200 yards. What was this idea doing to my theories based on Sight? Where would it stop? Practically 5.000 years ago another young man had proved that the pen-knife possessed terrific force, though he did not use a pen-knife. The Bible says David took five small stones and a sling, and Goliath of Gath was no more. Let us look at the actual words, “the stone sunk USGA Journal and Turf Management: July, 1951 15 into the middle o£ his forehead.” Both Accuracy and Force are here. What kind of force? Why, centrifugal force, the greatest force for the least amount of power expended. This force—What was its nature? What did it do? If true, then all my theories of arm, pivot, cocking, and so on must take a radical reversal. Did the sun go round the earth? Did those lines meet in the distance? Did the sun really rise and set? According to my science books —no. Then what was I seeing? Only an op­ tical illusion? Yes. Then maybe what I had taken for granted for Cause was in reality nothing but Effect. The workman with his can of hot tea swung it in a circle, but none of the tea fell out of the can. That was centrifugal force. The longer the arc of his swing, the faster the can moved. Oh, no, this could not be, for how about that short controlled swing to hit it straighter and farther? Yet, here was irrefutable proof that the pendulum took the same length of time to cover a short swing as a long swing: hence the longer the swing, the faster it must move. Summing up, the properties of the Swing motion are Accuracy, Timing, and Force. The motion was the Cause of the straight arm, the free pivot, the cocked wrists, and so on. All players, being slightly different physically, respond a little differently. In other words, the Effect upon each one of us might vary somewhat though not greatly. Thus a law' was seen to exist in the swinging clubhead and the swinging pen­ knife, in that each time it passed the hands’ dead center at its highest speed and possessed force. Need more be said? Yes. How' was this motion created? Then I was reminded that the sun did not rise and the rail lines did not meet, though it looked that way. In other words, not through sense of sight, hut through sense of Feel at the point of contact with my instrument, my Hands and Fingers. So we have arrived. Cause lay in our sense of feel in oui' hands to create a (Continued on Page 17) A LESSON FROM HOGAN (Continued from Page 9) masterpiece. It was a challenge to the player. The best players finished on top.” John O’Hara, who did a superb job as Oakland Hills’ General Chairman, wrote us: “Much controversy has been raised by the treatment of the course, and it looks as if it is a subject that will be continued far into the future. The reception given Robert Trent Jones at the presentation ceremony showed that the public regards him as a hero. I am wondering whether the general rank and file of golfers, as well as spectators, feel that golf is difficult for them and they would like to see some of their obstacles placed in the paths of the stars. Jones, who designed the course revi­ sions. saw it in retrospect as follows: “The quality of the players who led the field gave conclusive proof to the belief that Oakland Hills was a great test. “So did the manner of scoring. There was no one hole—no trick hole—where all players did badly. "If I had the alterations to make all over again, 1 would do exactly what has been done, with the exceptions of two places, on the fourth and the eighteenth holes.” Oakland Hills was a very severe test. But it produced a field of unusual ability for the final 36 holes. It required Ben Hogan to use practically every club in his bag during his two great rounds of the last day. And in that respect it re­ called a remark which the late William C. Fownes. Jr., the spirit behind Oak­ mont near Pittsburgh, made to Walter Hagen. '‘Walter." he said, '‘surely it isn't ask­ ing too much of the Champion to require him to play every shot." 16 USGA Journal and Turf Management: July, 1951 The Long Hole -- 36 % Miles By FRANK WEIRICH Golf Writer, Knoxville; News-Sentinel, Knoxville, Tenn. An East Tennessean is laying claim to the record for the longest single hole of golf ever played—36% miles. He’s Clyde Star McWhirter, 41-year old native of Union, S. C., who now manages an automobile agency in Harriman, Tenn., about 40 miles west of Knoxville. McWhirter says the reported record of T. H. Oyler at Maidstone, England, of 3.5 miles in 1913 was broken by him and his brother, Harold, June 5, 1929. He claims the record in distance, strokes, balls and time. The McWhirter brothers’ remarkable feat took place between Spartanburg and Union. S. C. The actual distance between the tee-off spot and the final putt was 36% miles. Clyde has proof that he consumed only 780 strokes while Harold took 825, both breaking the previous record of 913 shots taken by Oyler in England. Their time was 13 hours, 4 minutes. 22 Lost Balls Oyler had worse luck with balls, too. The Britisher lost 17, while Clyde and Harold lost only 22 between them. In a scrapbook of clippings, Clyde has published accounts of the journey across the plains of South Carolina from the No. 1 tee at Shoresbrook Country Club, Spartanburg, to the No. 2 hole at Wood­ lawn Country Club, Union. To this day Clyde doesn’t know why he and his brother ever attempted such a stunt except that they wanted a world record. His wife says: “Only a crazv man would have tried such a thing but Clyde was a showman, even in those days.’’ Mrs. McWhirter had reference to Clyde’s long career as a vaudeville enter­ tainer, musician and master of ceremonies with Guy and Eloda Beach Co., Bisbee’s Comedians and Mack’s Orchestra, which hasn’t missed a Saturday night at Oak Ridge, Tenn., for six years. The golf feat started at 5:18 a.m.. C. S. McWhirter June 5, 1929. Clyde and Harold hit their drives from the No. 1 tee at Shoresbrook, played the No. 1 hole and then took off across country toward the highway to Union. During the journey they used eight caddies, four of whom rode in the of­ ficials’ car to rest while alternating with four others out front watching balls. “We improved all lies." Clyde said, “and played from the road. We stepped off the longest shot of the day, made by Harold, and it measured 410 yards with­ out the benefit of wind. It was a perfect drive, it took off straight down the center of the highway, bounced straight and rolled like a scared rabbit. Putted on Bridges “For the most part we used woods and long irons, except on bridges, where (Continued on Page 24) USGA Journal and Turf Management: July, 1951 17 When the Guttie Gave its Last Gasp By WALTER E. EGAN Runner-up in 1901 USGA Amateur Championship Readers of the USGA Journal may be interested in an account of the exit of the gutta percha ball in USGA Amateur com­ petition. About 1898 a rubber-cored golf ball v. as invented by a man named Coburn Haskell, of Cleveland. At that time, we were all using the solid gutta percha ball. The new Haskell ball carried considerably farther but had a tendency to drift at the lop of its flight and was gradually given up for that reason.1 In the summer of 1901, Jim Foulis, professional from the Chicago District, found out that some old cut-up Haskell balls flew well, without the objectionable drifting. In those days, all the pros had remolding machines and he remolded these cut-up Haskell balls, with deeper indentations. That was the answer. I was going to play in the USGA Ama­ teur at the Country Club of Atlantic City in September. 1901, and went down there some ten days ahead of the tournament with a very good friend of mine, an excellent young golfer, Manny Holabird by name. Foulis gave each of us two boxes of the remolded Haskell balls. On arrival in Atlantic City, we had a four-ball match with Walter Travis and Fred Herreshoff, who was later runner- up in the 190-1 zXmateur. Herreshoff was a very long driver. Fred was much dis­ turbed to find that Manny and I wen* outdriving him and finally asked what kind of ball we were using. We laughing­ ly confessed, and within the next week practically all the expectant contenders had telegraphed or telephoned their home clubs, so that when the tournament started Findlay S. Douglas was the only prominent plaver who stuck to the gutta ball. The semi-finals were at 36 holes and as I had finished my match early, I fol­ lowed Walter Travis, the ultimate winner, and Douglas as thev played the 37th and 38th holes. When Travis finally won and Douglas picked up his ball on the 38th green, I think I can rightly say that was the last time a gutta percha ball was used in a USGA Amateur Championship. When Mr. Egan’s story was referred to Air. Douglas, he recalled it as if it.were yesterday. “That ball gave Travis a tremendous advantage,” he said. “It bounded along and ran through traps in a way that left my ball behind. I think I might have beaten him that day but for that.” That may truly have been the last appearance of the guttie in the Amateur, although Mr. Douglas did not relinquish it quickly nor very soon embrace the Haskell ball. He did not play in the Amateur in 1902. When he won the Metropolitan Amateur in 1903, two years after the incidents in Mr. Egan’s story, he won it playing a pneumatic ball — a ball made of a shell filled with compressed air. 1 It is interesting to note that the manu­ facturers of the new hall had omitted exactly the same important factor as the first makers of the old guttie. which dipped and swerved in fight until middies discovered by accident that it flew straight when nicked up. — • — CAUSE AND EFFECT (Continued from Page 15) Swing, and all other movements would be Effects. What should we think about then? Why. the clubhead Swinging. How did Ernest Jones put it? “Use the hands to wield the clubhead and to sense control of what is being done with it from first to last. Actions by other body members are responsive to this conscious purpose of maintaining control of the clubhead throughout the stroke.” Notice that last sentence carefullv. I think the sun has risen, and I hope we never let it set again. 18 USGA Journal and Tlrf Management: July, 1951 Letter from Britain By MISS ELIZABETH PRICE Member of 1950 British Curtis Cup Team Mrs. Kitty MacCann’s victory for the British Ladies’ Championship was a sur­ prise. True, we in Great Britain had heard of her before. In 1949 she won the Irish Championship and was runner- up for the same title in 1947 when she was Miss Kitty Smye. She has played only once before in the British Champion­ ship, but for some years now she has played for Ireland in the Home Inter­ national Matches. The new Champion came through a comparatively easy part of the draw, but she always seemed to go a long way Io win her matches. Two of them she won on the last green, one at the 19th, and the semi-final against Miss Jeanne Bisgood at the 22nd. Jeanne, you will remember, was in our Curtis Cup Team when we were with you in America last year, and it was she who had the satis­ faction of beating Bev Hanson in the quarter-finals this year. Grace Lenczyk Missed We were very pleased to have Bev with us, but feel her remarks at the airport were, if true as reported, a little unfortun­ ate. to put it mildly. Dot Kielty, an old friend, was not at her best and it was a pity for her that she should meet Mme. Abbeloos, the Belgian Champion, and a very good golfer, at an early stage of the Championship. We were sorry that Grace Lenczyk couldn’t make it. We hear that she is hoping to finish with college soon and then perhaps we shall hear more of her again. It is a little difficult when writing this to know which names you will have heard of. Lady Katherine Cairns is no new name to us and it was not a very great surprise to us to find her in the last eight, although on her way she had to beat Mrs. Holm, the Scottish Champion, and Philomena Garvey, another member of the 1950 Curtis Cup Team and the reign­ ing Irish Champion, before being beaten by Miss Frances (Bunty) Stephens. Bunty had been playing her usual steady golf while at Broadstone and had been winning her matches by such mar­ gins as 3 and 2, but the course demanded stronger physique than Bunty has, and by the time she reached the final she was dead tired. Her golf was not up to the standard we now expect of her and Kitty McCann went ahead from the begin­ ning. She was 3 up at lunch and after that, although Bunty put in a good burst, Kitty was always on top. International Matches As soon as the Championship was over, the British team to play France at St. George’s Hill and to play Belgium at Wentworth was announced. The winner and the runner-up were asked but both, i efused. To play International matches before a Championship and then to be expected to play more immediately after­ wards is too much. The matches resulted in a win for British Isles by 8-1 each time. There are a lot of competitions still to be played before we have a short break, for the summer. The most interesting; is the South Eastern Championship, which is the only competition we have in Great Britain to be decided on 54 holes stroke play. We are looking forward to seeing your women pros over here, and quite a few matches have been arranged for them, the first being a match against a team selected by Diana Critchley, to be played over two days at Sunningdale. We are looking forward to comparing ourselves with these girls. — o — No Sin Golf may be played on Sunday, not being a game within the view of the law, but being a form or moral effort. STEPHEN LEACOCK (In Praise of Golf) USGA Journal and Turf Management: July, 1951 19 A PGA View of the Caddie Problem By TOM MAHAN, Vice-President of the Professional Golfers’ Association of America The caddie situation today is present­ ing many problems. Some of these are being met by the amateur associations, the PGA and the clubs by providing in­ creased fees for caddie services, better facilities for the boys, and creating scholarships for the furtherance of a boy’s education. In Chicago, the Charles Evans Scholar­ ship Fund was created to assist the most deserving caddies through college. This has since developed into the National Caddie Scholarship Fund. The Massachu­ setts Golf Association has in operation a similar one known as the Ouimet Scholar­ ship Fund. These and other educational funds have been very successful, the only drawback being that too few of the caddies are benefitting by them. A few resorts have established caddie camps that are run very efficiently, and have counselors such as those in summer camps. These caddie camps, however, are usually run in conjunction with the Community Fund, and the boys of fam­ ilies who are being assisted financially are the only ones eligible. Shortage Still Persists The golf associations, both amateur and professional, have compiled caddie instruction manuals, charts^ and similar helps to teach the boys the various phases of caddying and to be courteous at all times. This work and all other factors for the welfare of caddies have been very well thought out and have done a great deal of good, but still there are not enough boys to satisfy the play. The fees paid caddies have kept pace with the uptrend of prices. The partici­ pants in the so-called winter circuit were paying boys at the rate of $5.00 a round, and the minimum in local tournaments usually is $2.00. Minimum wage laws which are in effect in some states have increased caddie fees. Some of the reasons why caddies are Tom Mahan becoming scarce are as follows: First, the attitude of the boy himself. Before the last war many boys had to earn money to clothe themselves and help out at home financially. Today, most of the boys need to caddie only to acquire enough money for their entertainment needs, movies, etc. The Boy Scouts of America, boys’ clubs, and the increased activities of the playgrounds are attracting more and more of the boy’s time. The advent of the caddie cart was brought about by the shortage of caddies and is being used more all the time. Some clubs have made regulations forbidding the use of caddie carts, to assure the boys more work and to encourage them. Lastly, the large golf bag, with 14 clubs, umbrella and other accessories, is not always inviting. Perhaps a closer cooperation among the golf associations, golf clubs, and the several boys’ clubs might get more cad­ dies to work at golf courses. 20 USGA JOURNAL AND Tl’RF MANAGEMENT: JtLY, 1951 “Golf House” Hums with Stories “Golf House” is filled with so many legends and anecdotes that it sometimes seems not big enough to hold them. Every old club, old ball, badge, and other curio whispers its own personal tale in I he new headquarters of the USGA and its Golf Museum and Library, in New’ York. Sometimes there is a story within a story, such as the one told us at the recent Open Championship by J. Victor East, club designer, former professional, and now an executive of a sporting goods company. Mr. East assisted in the con­ tribution of a “wind-jammer” club, in our “Clubs of Champions” exhibit, that represents Olin Dutra and was used by him in winning the 1934 Open at Merion. “When I finally got that club,” Mr. East related, “I took it to the Long­ meadow’ Country Club in Longmeadow’, Mass., and stood it beside a locker until I could get a chance to send it to the LSGA. The next day, when I went to get it, I couldn’t find it. “I asked the attendants and others about it, but nobody knew what had be­ come of it. There was nothing for me lo do but report that somebody apparent­ ly had picked it up and taken it away. “That was the last of it—until spring cleaning months later. Then, when they moved the lockers out from the wall, there lay the club; it had fallen behind them. And now’ you have it.” “Golf House” is being purchased and equipped by lovers of the game, and thus far 884,178.77 has been contributed toward the goal of $100,000, donated by 4,599 individuals, clubs and associations. Contributions of any amount are welcome. Following are Founders not previously recorded in the Journal: B Clyde Ballou George H. Baumann, Jr. Michael Baziluk Stanley Bielat Fred J. Bowman Buzzy Bray David F. Brophy Eddie and Betty Bush c Keith Campbell Billy P. Carrell Jimmy Clark, Jr. Stephen Clarke John M. Colby, Sr. Mrs. James M. Conklin, Jr. James _F. Curtis D Dick Davenport In memory of Harry G. Davy, Jr. by Thomas G. Parker Robert J. Dawson Clarence C. Decker Donald O. Dosen Miss Mary Ann Downey John F. Durniak E Ed Ervasti Charles Evans, Jr. F Selden Fant John P. Farry, Jr. Oliver "Kay" Fletcher, Jr. G Robert Gajda Dan Galgano Miss Ellen H. Gery Ken Gibson Mrs. Georgia Tainter Goff R. E. Gosa H Glenn R. Hagen Charles W. Harrison Richard Davis Harrison Eric L. Hedstrom Mrs. Eric L. Hedstrom Mrs. Thomas R. Hulme I In memory of Lawrence Blaine Icely by Mrs. L. B. Icely J Robert J. Jacobson C. T. Jaffray John J. Jessup Rick Jones K Mr. and Mrs. Robert Kampmann Mr. and Mrs. Leonard M. Keating Tom Kerrigan William F. King Edward Kringle L Paul C. Lacy Joseph A. LaFortune, Jr. George Langworthy Jack Ledwon Miss Patricia Ann Lesser Mrs. Richard Percy Limburg Billy Winn Littlefield M Earl Lee Marcey Arthur Marks David Martin Don Matheson Edmund M. Mauro and Edmund M. Mauro, Jr. Walter McAlpine Paul F. McMahon Frederick A. Micklow David A. Mitchell Wilson R. Mobley Frank E. Mork, Jr. Miss Mae Murray Sam Musico N Richard S. Norton o Don Olsen Luis B. Orrell Lou Palladino J. D. Patterson P R Miss Polly Riley Walter J. van Rossem. Jr. E. J. Rychel, Jr. s Hudson G. Samson, Jr. USGA JOLKNAL AND TlRF MANAGEMENT: Jl'LY, 1951 21 William J. Schaller Jerry Dean Schrepf Tommy Shannon James Lynah Sherrill Oliver C. Sleppy Miss Josephine S. Smith Edgar C. Staren Benjamin J. Sullivan w Mr. and Mrs. Leon J. Weil Bill Welch J. C. Moresby White Mr. and Mrs. James Williams, Jr. Kenneth G. Wilson Arthur Hillard Wolfe Herman Wyman CLUBS Balboa Park Men's Golf Club, Cal. Bayside Golf Corp., N. Y. Belmont Country Club, Mass. Country Club of Buffalo, N. Y. Country Club of Troy, N. Y. Country Club of Waterbury, Conn. Denver Country Club, Colo. East Liverpool Country Club, Ohio Ekwanok Country Club, Vt. Fenway Golf Club, N. Y. Glen Head Country Club, N. Y. James River Country Club, N. Y. Lake Placid Club, N. Y. Lancaster Country Club, N. Y. McGregor Links, Inc., N. Y. Nassau Country Club, N. Y. Oakland Golf Club, N. Y. Shaker Ridge Country Club, N. Y. Springdale Golf Club, N. J. Tatnuck Country Club, Mass. The Tuxedo Club, N. Y. University Senior Golf Club, Minn. ASSOCIATIONS Indiana Women's Golf Association Long Island Professional Golfers' Association Pennsylvania State Women's Golf Association Western Pennsylvania Golf Association Wisconsin Section of the Profes­ sional Golfers' Association of America A MODEL JUNIOR PROGRAM (Continued from Page 12) as well as the Father-Junior Son Tourna­ ment. One of the projects is the first Cali­ fornia State Junior Championship. This is being worked out with Joey Rey, pro­ fessional of the Pasatiempo Club in Santa Cruz. A week-long series of tournaments is being planned in Northern California to culminate in both individual champion­ ship play and a team contest between Northern and Southern California, pat­ terned on the Walker Cup Match. Membership'. Members in the Junior Association will be required to enter the aforementioned tournaments and. we hope, will also be required to enter junior events sponsored by others. We expect to maintain a high level membership and require each applicant to be approved by the Southern California Section of the PGA, which will certify that the applicant has sufficient skill to play and sufficient knowledge of the Rules and Etiquette to know how to conduct himself or herself properly. Membership may be suspended or canceled for dishonesty, wilful dis­ regard of the Rules or Etiquette, or un­ sportsmanlike conduct. Dues will be $2 a calendar year, and memberships will expire December 31 unless terminated previously by the holder reaching the age of 18. We expect about 300 this year but in the future should reach many times that number. Privileges and Concessions: We hope to obtain practice privileges for members at driving ranges and playing privileges or concessions where possible. We hope a membership card will immediately ident­ ify the holder as a gentleman who can be depended upon to play courteously and not injure the course. This should make privileges easy to obtain. Playgrounds and Golf: Most cities have playgrounds which provide facilities, equipment and instruction in such sports as football, baseball, basketball and tennis. 1 see no practical reason why playgrounds cannot provide golf driving nets and employ professionals to give lessons to beginners. Professionals and the Juniors: The local PGA has been keenly interested in the new Association, and George Lake. Joe Robinson and Bud Oakley. PGA rep­ resentatives to the Board, have contrib­ uted greatly in time and effort. The new organization will bring the juniors into < loser contact with the pros, which will be good for both. I realize the pro must budget his time, but time given the juniors is well spent and sure to he followed bv sales of equipment and advanced lessons. Aside from profits, the pro has a great opportunity to make a big contribution I<> youth. The pro will be respected bv the juniors and can be a great help in teaching them the valuable lessons to be learned from the game. It will cost him nothing to show an interest in the bovs. even to play an occasional round with them. This has a tremendous effect upon I he bo\s. and gains for the pro something money cannot buy—the esteem and good will of the juniors and their parent-. 22 USGA Journal and Turf Management: July, 1951 THE REFEREE Decisions by the USGA Rules of Golf Committee Example of symbols: "No. 51-1" means the first decision issued in 1951. "R 7(3)" means Section 3 of Rule 7 in the 1951 Rules of Golf. Player Responsible for Own Ball No. 51-9. Def. 1; R. 2 (1, 5), 3(2), 10(5a) Q.: During a mixed foursome event, all balls were on the putting green. The player away was about to putt, then asked that one of the balls in his approximate line be marked. The caddie laid a coin behind the ball and picked it up. The player then asked that the coin be moved away, also. This the caddie also did, moving the coin two spans sideways. Eventually it came time for the player to putt whose ball had been marked. Unknowingly, this player placed his ball in front of the coin where it lay and putted out, requiring two putts to get the ball in the hole. Then one of his opponents claimed the player who had just holed out had incurred a penalty for not replacing the ball in its proper position before putting. Should the player be penalized when his ball had been marked by a caddie at the other player’s request? Should not the claiming player have been responsible for seeing that the ball which he had asked to be marked be accura­ tely returned to its original lie? Finally, if the ball was not replaced at its original lie, was it not out of play until so restored? Even though the player had holed out through no error of his, could he not then have restored his ball to its proper lie and putted it in the hole without penalty? Question by: Harry Winters Inglewood, California A.: It apparently was a four-ball match, not a foursome. For distinction between foursome and four-ball match, see Definition 1. It is a custom of the game for a ball to be lifted and marked only by the player or his side, including the side’s caddies. If a caddie for the player’s side marked the ball, even without the player’s knowledge, the player is not excused; it is up to the player to insure that his ball is replaced properly. The opponent has no responsibility in that connection. Rule 10(5a) provides: “When a ball is lifted and dropped or placed under the Rules, unless otherwise provided, it must be dropped or placed as near as possible to the place where it lay and must come to rest not nearer the hole.” Duty to Report Violations No. 51-15, R. 2(2), 11(1), 13(3a), 17(1), 21 (4) Q. 1: I would like a ruling on the following: fa) A and B were playing ahead of C and D in a 54-hole medal tournament announced as being run under USGA rules. C saw A lift his ball twice from a buried lie in the sand trap and then sweep the sand away from behind it with his club before hitting the ball. C con­ tends A had no right to touch the ball even for identification, and was only entitled to re­ move enough sand so the top of the ball could be seen. Is this correct? (b) The chairman claimed that C had no right to report this violation as G was not play­ ing with A. The chairman said that only B had the right and as B had not seen it, nothing could be done about it. Did C have the right to report this? (c) The following day C noticed that A had posted a wrong score on two different holes. B, who was playing with A, verified this but thought he would be disqualified for attesting a wrong score. Would B be disqualified for this? (d) The chairman claimed C could not re­ port this or make a protest as C was not play­ ing with A and that a score posted and attested had to stand. Did C have a right to protest and should A have been disqualified? A. 1: (a) A had the right to identify his ball. Rule 11(1) provides: “On notice to the opponent in match play and to the fellow com­ petitor in stroke play, a ball in play may be lifted for identification, but it must be replaced on the spot from which it was lifted.” This means that the player, as a matter of honor, must replace his ball in the same lie and posi­ tion in which it was originally buried. How­ ever, it is rarely necessary to lift a ball out of sand to identify it. In order that a player may find his ball, Rule 7(3a) provides in part: “The player is always entitled to find his ball and to identify it. He may move fixed or growing objects (including sand) to the extent neces­ sary to enable him t© find or to identify the ball, provided that before addressing the ball he restores the objects (including sand) to their original position; he is not of necessity entitled to see the ball when playing the stroke.” Exercise of this right often will make it un­ necessary to lift the ball for identification. In stroke play only, a further incentive to avoid lifting a ball for identification in a hazard is contained in Rule 13(3a), which excuses, without penalty, the play of a wrong ball in a hazard. However, A’s action of sweeping sand from behind his ball before making a stroke was a violation of Rule 17(1). USGA Journal and Turf Management: July, 1951 23 (b) C not only had a right to report a viola­ tion of the Rules which he witnessed but was obliged to do so. Competitors who witness a clear violation of the Rules and fail to protest or report it thereby agree to waive a Rule. They have a responsibility to all other competitors as well as to themselves, and should be disqualified under Rule 2(2) if they fail to report violations which they witness. (c) A should be disqualified if he returned a score for any hole lower than actually played —see Rule 21 (4c). B is exempt from disqualifi­ cation under Rule 21(4) Definition. (d) See answer (b) above. Q. 2: Is there a ruling that a contestant keep his fellow competitor’s score and vice versa? A. 2: There is no Rule that a fellow com­ petitor keep a player’s score unless designated by the Committee as a marker. Q. 3: What is the ruling on a ball lying in a sand trap outside the sixty feet limit striking the pin attended by a double caddie? A. 3: When one caddie is employed by two players the USGA recommends the following local rule (page 54, Rules of Golf) for match play singles: The caddie is an agency outside the match except when he acts upon specific directions of a player, in which case he is considered to be that player’s caddie. If he attends the flag­ stick without instruction, he is an agency out­ side the match. If he receives conflicting in­ structions from the two opponents, the wishes of the player who is about to play the stroke shall control. If the player instructed the caddie to attend the flagstick the penalty for striking the pin or caddie would be loss of hole. Questions by: Mrs. E. H. Foulk Miami, Florida Casual Water Defined No. 51-16. R. 8, 16 Qt 1 should like to have the casual water rule clarified. When the ground is saturated with water so a ball may be completely im­ bedded in or lost in soft mud, though there may not actually be a puddle of water, is this to be treated as a lost or unplayable ball or may the player obtain relief under Rule 16 (1) ? Mrs. G. J. Berchet Wilmington. Delaware A. Casual water is defined in Rule 16. The presence or absence of a temporary accumula­ tion of water, constituting casual water, is a question of fact. Soft, mushy earth does not in itself constitute casual water. When a player takes his normal stance, if a temporary ac­ cumulation of water appears which interferes with his stance or the lie of the ball, the player is entitled to relief as provided in Rule 16. In the absence of a local rule providing relief for an imbedded ball, the player must play the ball as it lies or declare it unplayable and proceed as provided in Rule 8. Unnecessary Provisional Ball No. 51-14. R. 1(3), 2(1, 3), 7(1, 2, 3), 13(5), 17(Def.), 19 Q. 1: In the qualifying round of a major tournament, a scratch handicap golfer was hav­ ing trouble with his drives, consistently pulling them. After a few holes of this he hit a beauti­ ful drive about 250 yards down the fairway. It was also a pull, but still visible, on the left of the fairway, from the tee. At this time he an­ nounced that he wanted to hit a provisional ball. As the Rules say, he doesn’t have to an­ nounce his reasons for it. There was no ques­ tion in anybody’s mini! that the player wanted to hit a practice shot, but calling it that would, of course, disqualify him. The matter was brought before the rules committee of this tournament, an.d the provisional ball was allowed. I maintain that if this decision is allowed to stand, a player may hit a practice shot at any­ time, of any distance, and merely by calling it a provisional ball dodge the penalty which should be imposed. I am sure that was not the intent of the Rules. If so. any provision re­ garding the practice shot can be taken out of the Rules. A. 1: The Rules of Golf are framed on the assumption that golfers play honestly. If a player conformed with the spirit of the first paragraph of Rule 19. he would never play a practice stroke disguised as a provisional ball. Permicsion to play a provisional ball is granted by Rule 19 only on the following con­ ditions: (a) when a ball may be lost, un­ playable, out of bounds, or in a water hazard, and (b) for the sole purpose of saving time. From the statement of facts, it is obvious that no reasonable possibility existed that the ball were lost, unplayable, out of bounds, or in a water hazard. Thus, it appeared that the player took unfair advantage of the permission to play a provisional ball. The committee in stroke play (or the op­ ponent or the referee in match play) would have been justified in holding that the purpose of Rule 19 had not been observed and that a practice stroke had been taken in violation of Rule 13(5). It also might justifiably be claimed that the player breached Rule 2(3) prohibiting delay in play-. Attention is called to Rule 1(3). which pro­ rides: “If a point in question be not covered by the Rules of Golf or local rules, it shall be decided by equity." Improving Position in Loose Dirt Q. 2: Another question arises where a ball lies in dust. sand, or loose earth, not part of a iiazard. According to the Rules, anything loose, not fixed or growing, may be moved. To what extent may this loose material be brushed away fioin the hall to give the ball a good lie where otherwise it would be a very bad one? I can find nothing in the Rules that would prevent a player from taking extreme measures in thi- ease. 2-1 USGA Journal and Turf Management: July. 1951 A. 2: Sand is a hazard except as noted in Rule 17 (Definition). Loose, pulverized dirt is not a loose impediment under Rule 7 (2) but is a thing fixed under Rule 7(3) — (unless it is piled for removal or is a worm cast or animal cast or runway. Improving the ball’s position by brushing away such loose dirt violates not only Rule 7(3) but could also breach Rule 7(1) prohibiting removal of irregularities of surface under certain conditions; the penalty is two strokes in stroke play or loss of hole in match plav—see Rule 2(1). Questions by: Stanley E. Ridderhof Laguna Beach, California Changing Balls for Puff No. 50-160. R. 2(1), 10(2) Q: A is on the green in 3. He marks the place where his ball lies by the toe of his putter, puts the original ball in his pocket and puts down a new ball to putt with. While he is addressing the ball to putt, B claims the hole on Rule 10(3) because A did not hole out with his original ball. Since A had not as yet putted, he replaced his original ball and claimed he still bad the opportunity to hole it out, which he did for a half on the hole. B claims that once he had picked up his original ball and did not do so under any of the Rules allowing the substitution of another ball. i.e.. lost, unplayable, out of bounds or become - unfit for play, he could not replace it and proceed playing. A does not claim to have picked up his ball and replaced it with another bail under any of the Rules allowing him to do so, but does claim that since his opponent had called him on it before he had struck the replaced ball he THE LONG HOLE (Continued from Page 16) we used our putters in order not to drop a ball in the drink. “Instead of taking the main highway to I nion. we went by way of Roebuck and Pauline to avoid the heavy Spartan­ burg-bound traffic. “When we arrived in Union there was quite a celebration. We finished at 6:22 P.M. on the second hole at Woodlawn. 13 hours. 4 minutes from the time we started. It took Oyler two days to make his journey across the English country­ side. “A newsreel company had cameras there and took pictures of us as we made our final putts. Reporters were present, too. The rotogravure section of the New' York Times used one picture. Just above it was one of Charles Lindbergh, who had just flown the Atlantic, and a picture should be allowed to put back the original and play out. A. V. ‘‘Bud'’ Fouts Savannah, Ga. A: A lost the hole under Rules 10(2) and 2(1). Practice on Day of Competition No. 51-20. R. 13(5), 21(3). Q.: Will you please give me the Rules con­ cerning practicing to or putting on any of the greens, except the practice greens, the day of competition of either match or medal play tournaments? Question by: Fred E. Gulick Joplin, Missouri A.: (1) Stroke Play-. Rule 21(3) provides: “On a day of competition, a competitor shall not practice by playing on or onto any putting surface yet to be played in the stipulated round.” The penalty is disqualification. Match Play. The Rules of Golf do not prohi­ bit practice before a round. (2) During a round, a practice stroke from any teeing ground or during the play of any hole is prohibited by Rule 13(5). Assist by Automobile No. 51-8. Q. 1: While playing a golf hole along a road one of the players hit his tee shot out of bounds and it hit an oncoming car and landed back in bounds. Is there any penalty? Question by: Alan Artach Denver, Colo. A. 1: No penalty. (Just a good break.) of President Herbert Hoover graced the other side. We were in fast company.” McWhirter doesn’t advise anyone to try long-hole golf unless he’s in perfect physical condition. Mayor L. C. Wharton of Union gave a welcoming address when the pair ended the long hole. Officials for the event were Ered Parr, who kept score, and T. W. Wood, owner and manager of Union’s Woodlawn Country Club, who saw' that each shot was taken properly. R. C. Shores, of Shoresbrook Country Club at Spartanburg, was observer. "We lost four balls in one field because the farmer had just plowed it and would not allow us in to get them,” McWhirter i ecalled. “They were in plain sight, too.” McWhirter still plays a lot of golf at Harriman Golf and Country Club, where be has made a hole-in-one. USGA Journal and Turf Management: July, 1951 25 Better Turf for Better Golf TURF MANAGEMENT from the USGA Green Section Correspondence pertaining to Green Section matters shou’d be addressed to: USGA Green Section, Room 307, South Building, Plant Industry Station, Beltsville, Md. BETTER BLUEGRASS WITH ZOYSIA? Common Kentucky bluegrass turf suf­ fered severely from Helminthosporium leafspot all over the country this spring. The cold, wet weather seemed to favor the growth of the fungus, and many areas of bluegrass turf are going into the summer in a thoroughly weakened con­ dition so we can expect a great deal of crabgrass this summer. It has become quite clear to us we have crabgrass be­ cause the turf grasses which we have been using are not sufficiently disease­ resistant or heat-resistant to produce a turf strong enough to choke the crab­ grass before it gets started. Ihe bluegrass lawns at the Plant In­ dustry Station, Beltsville, Md., are no exception. Leafspot has reduced them to some extremely bad-looking pieces of turf in which crabgrass already is be­ ginning to make its appearance in great abundance. Three years ago, in one of the bluegrass lawn areas back of the South Building, we decided to make a trial planting of Z-52 zoysia. We had increased this promising strain of zoysia over the winter in the greenhouse in Hats. Early in May, 1949, we planted small sprigs of vegetative material on 2-foot centers. First we ran the Aerifier with 1-ineh spoons over the area and TURF MANAGEMENT No Green Chairman or Course Superintendent should be without a copy of TURF MANAGEMENT. This is a comprehensive, authoritative book on course care and maintenance written by Prof. H. B. Musser, of Penn State, under sponsorship o.: the USGA. It is the most complete and up- to-date work on that subject. TURF MANAGEMENT may be ordered through your local bookstore, from McGraw-Hill Book Co., or from the United States Golf Association, 40 East 38th St., New York 16, N. Y. The price is $6 a copy. planted the sprigs in the Aerifier holes. Then the tractor was run over the sprigs to press them into the soil, and after that the lawn got just ordinary main­ tenance, which meant fertilizing once or occasionally twice a year with about 400 pounds of a 10-6-4 fertilizer at each ap­ plication—no irrigation. The first year (1949), the sprigs prac­ tically disappeared. In 1950 small is­ lands of zoysia began to appear towards the end of the season, so that the areas were easy to find. This spring 11951) toward the end of May, it was extremely noticeable that wherever a sprig of Z-52 zoysia developed into turf, the bluegrass was much better in these areas. We say the bluegrass is better because it looks healthier. The zoysia has tended to com­ pletely mask the damage done to the 26 USGA Journal and Turf Management: July, 1951 bluegrass by the leafspot. This observa­ tion has been made by members of the Green Section staff and has been checked on a number of occasions by the vari­ ous members of the Department of Agri­ culture staff, and all came to the same conclusion. The presence of Z-52 zoysia in the common bluegrass turf definitely improves the turf. Crabgrass is begin­ ning to appear where there is no zoysia. Where the areas of Z-52 have become strong, crabgrass is non-existent and there will be none in these areas from now on. Another Example Across the service drive, at the same time, 414-inch cupcutter plugs of com­ mon Zoysia japonica were planted on 2- foot centers into the same type of turf. By now these plugs have spread and have nearly covered solid, and the re­ duction in the amount of Poa annua and weeds in this planted area is remark­ able. Here again the zoysia is covering up the defects of the common bluegrass and the resulting turf is sturdier, health­ ier, and much more attractive. Whenever the subject of planting zoysia vegetatively into established turf is brought up, the invariable reaction is that it is too expensive, it requires too much labor and it takes too long. We would like to suggest that the perfor­ mance of zoysia in many areas across the United States where crabgrass is a severe problem during the summer may possibly be one of the real answers to better turf at lower cost. We would like to suggest further that even though planting of plugs or seedlings or sprigs into established turf may be slow and labor-consuming and expensive, it is justified because the first cost is the last. Once the job has been completed, it does not have to be repeated if it has been done right. Chances for failure are very small if simple precautions are ob­ served at planting time. The Green Section is attempting to overcome this labor-and-cost-objection by developing seed supplies of zoysia and by learning how to introduce zoysia TURF SPEAKERS Four who addressed the Northern Cali­ fornia Turf Conference this spring. From left. Prof. H. B. Musser, Penn­ sylvania State College, author of Turf Management; Ellis W. Van Gorder, of Stanford University; Dr. Fred V. Grau, USGA Green Section Director, and O. J. Noer, of the Milwaukee Sewerage Commission. into established turf by the use of seed. The problem is complicated by a num­ ber of factors, and it may be years be­ fore the procedure can become practical. In the meantime, the planting of sprigs, or seedlings or plugs, can continue at almost any time during the growing season with a high degree of success. In the northern part of the region where Poa annua and crabgrass tend to alter­ nate during the year, it may be necessary, if zoysia is recommended by state and local authorities, to plant it by the seed­ ling or plug method, because the season may be too short to get seed established. Plans are being made now to issue in­ structions or suggestions on how to raise your own seedlings, which seems to be a very effective and efficient way of using a small amount of seed and making it go a long way. By planting individual seed­ ling plants on 2-foot centers, one ounce of zoysia seed, properly handled, will plant approximately six acres. USGA Journal and Turf Management: July, 1951 27 OPEN LETTER TO GREEN CHAIRMEN ABOUT POA ANNUA Dear Mr. Green Chairman: This letter has been inspired by the many complaints which have reached us concerning the “bumpy” condition of the putting greens this spring and the large amount of Poa annua in the greens. We are writing to you because you are in the position of having to an­ swer to the gripes of the golfers, whether you know the answers or not. You al­ ways have your superintendent who can tell you what is happening but, if you are a new chairman and don’t know your superintendent well, you might have by-passed him unintentionally in the hopes of getting the answers from an outside source. We are taking the liberty of saying to you now: “Please, don’t try to get a commit­ ment from the Green Section until you’ve gone over the problem in detail with your superintendent. Then, if there is still dis­ agreement or if there is a need for cer­ tain points to be clarified, let the ques­ tion or the request come as a joint effort of the chairman-superintendent team.” Please understand, we want to be of every possible assistance to our member clubs but we become terribly distressed when we are caught “in the middle” or when we are asked to inspect a golf course w ithout a previous understanding between the chairman and the superintendent. If your superintendent has been encouraged (expenses paid) to attend turf confer­ ences and turf field days, the chances are good that he can answer most questions on turf management every bit as well as we can and, so far as local conditions are concerned, a lot better. Please don’t take this as a “scolding.” Now, let’s talk about poa (we’ll just call this pest Poa annua by the popular term “poa” to simplify things) for a lit­ tle wdiile so you will have a better back­ ground for answering the irate golfers who get a few bad breaks on their putts on account of bumpiness caused by poa. It doesn’t do much good to heckle and chide your superintendent by saying: “Such and such a golf club doesn’t have any poa; why are we so full of it?” Chances are the other clubs in the area have just as much of it as you do and you can bank on it that your superin­ tendent is doing the very best he can to provide conditions as nearly perfect as possible for your members. Remember, too, your superintendent is working wTith Nature, a fickle and unpredictable dame. The subject of turf management is partly science and partly art—never can it be reduced to cold, scientific, engineering­ like terms. Result of "Open Winter" Do you remember the “open” winter of 1949-1950, when poa grew' all winter and filled the soil with untold numbers of seed? Do you remember that the sum­ mer of 1949, and to a less extent 1950, was one of the worst for turf diseases and that the weakening of the turf by disease was just like a “come-on” sign for poa? Well, we are reaping the harvest now and practically every golf course is affected in greater or lesser degree. Those that are affected in a lesser degree have something for which to be thankful. Perhaps it can be laid to a basic program developed oxer a good many years which, in a large measure, has reduced the Poa annua in the fairways and approaches. It is in­ evitable that if fairways and approaches were practically solid Poa annua, the seed will be tracked onto the greens in large numbers by the feet of the players, and bv machinery, wind, water and other means. If the turf is at all susceptible to the invasion of poa, there w ill be poa in the greens with the usual consequences. The presence of poa in fairways is the result of a number of factors which are still being studied. One of the reasons why the Green Section has spent some ten thousand dollars in graduate research work at Penn State is to discover what are the factors responsible for poa com­ ing into fairway turf and how can it be reduced or eliminated. At the present 28 USGA Journal and Turf Management: July. 1951 time we make these statements but if we find that they are not correct we shall < ertainly change as soon as we are shown differently. Close mowing of fairways which is de­ manded by the golfers today eliminates practically all of the turf grasses which are used commonly in fairway seed mix­ tures except the bents. Therefore, those fairways w hich have not been seeded reg­ ularly to the bents and managed for bents become pretty largely poa. The watering of fairways has increased the content of poa in most cases because we have not had the grasses that were strong enough to withstand the invasion of poa. Con­ stant traffic on fairways has created a compacted condition of the soil which seems to favor poa and which seems to discourage the turf grasses which we plant. Fortunately, mechanical aerating and cultivating devices have been per­ fected which are correcting this basic sit­ uation. It is not true that the use of these aerating and cultivating machines has been the basic reason why we have so much Poa annua today. Courses that have not used these machines have as much Poa annua as those that have. Con­ versely, some of the courses that have been using the cultivating machines reg­ ularly have far less Poa annua than those that have not. Obstacles to "Perfect Conditions” Your superintendent certainly is not to blame because he has not been able to buy disease-resistant grasses that are tolerant of close mowing and able to crowd out poa. These “perfect” grasses simply have not been available. We are beginning to see the light, and find that some of the improved and superior grass­ es now being developed are able to hold their own against poa and will eventually replace it. There is a long row ahead of us before we achieve success. Now let's get back to the putting green and discuss that angle for a moment in the relation to invasion of poa. There are a number of things your superintendent does to discourage poa, whether you know it or not. For one thing, he had been using arsenate of lead regularly when it was available at reasonable prices. Today the cost is so high that with his limited budget he probably has stopped using it. We cannot justify a flat recommendation that arsenate of lead be used in sufficient quantities to control poa because there is not enough to go around. Your superintendent has been paying very close attention to watering schedules so that only sufficient w’ater is used to keep the greens in such condition that the minimum number of gripes are registered about “hard greens.” In a way, it is ex­ tremely unfortunate that we have allowed the golfers to learn to like soft, mushy, spongy putting greens: It has, in a meas­ ure, ruined the moral fiber of the rank and file of golfers, because they have not learned how to play to a firm green. The softer a green is kept (and usually this has to be done with water) the more poa one can expect in the green. Excessive water tends to encourage disease, limits root systems, weakens the grass, and en­ courages poa, which loves lots of water, especially cold water. Put all these things together and it’s no wonder we have a lot of poa in our greens today. A few superintendents have used sodi­ um arsenite regularly on their putting greens, which has almost entirely elimi­ nated poa. The Green Section never has made and never shall make broad sweep­ ing recommendations for the use of sodi­ um arsenite on putting greens for the control of poa, simply because there are a few’ individuals who would misuse this good material and burn up a green or two, and we would be held responsible. It must be reported (as it has been re­ ported before in the Journal, June, 1948) that regular use of sodium arsenite on putting greens has resulted in the complete control of poa, clover, chick- weed and almost all other weeds, includ­ ing pearlwort, that normally infest bent putting greens. One of the big reasons why this material cannot be recommended generally is that every putting green is different, and a schedule of treatment would have to be worked out by the superintendent on his own course for each individual putting green. Many USGA Journal and Turf Management: July. 1951 29 Comb and Brush for Bent Greens Ellis W. Van Gorder, Superintendent of Stanford University golf facilities, with his home-made device for keeping "grain" and "mat" out of bent putting greens. It has brushes fore and aft with a Del Monte rake section in the center. greens are made up of South German mixed bent in which there is still a large percentage of velvet bent, which heals very, very slowly. There is a large per­ centage still of certain colonial types and many weak creeping types. Such a green must be treated for the weakest member in the green, otherwise there would be severe discoloration in those weaker patches and the membership immediately would want to know the reason for it and would not understand even if told. There­ fore, we must learn to tolerate a certain amount of poa in such greens, and with skillful management it need not be too serious. If your putting greens tend to be bumpy when the poa is growing at its greatest rate and before the bents have started to grow well, it is because there are scattered plants of poa. When the green is solid poa there is no bumpy put­ ting because it presents one of the finest putting surfaces it is possible to produce. In the case of a solid poa green, the diffi­ culty is that if we get high humidity and high temperatures, before the poa has reached its peak, we may suddenly lose all of it through disease and so-called “melting” which, of course, calls for raised eyebrows. Fortunately, very little of this happens any more because of our im­ proved knowledge of conditions and of turf management in general. You can report to your membership that, in general, the poa situation is well understood, is well in hand, and bids fair to come under control within the fore­ seeable future. Sincerely, FRED V. GRAU Director, USGA Green Section P.S. If the greens on your course are free of poa. won't you write and tell us how your superintendent has done it? We'd like to print it, and I know that lots of folk- would like to read it. 30 USGA Journal and Turf Management: July, 1951 FROM THE GOLF COURSE SUPERINTENDENTS The Golf Course Superintendents As­ sociation of America is indeed proud to have the opportunity to make an official expression via an exchange plan with the USGA Green Section and the Journal. We feel that this is only the beginning of further cooperative efforts of the Super­ intendents and the Green Section. Many golf clubs will this year be faced with some of the problems of manage­ ment and care of their courses that oc­ curred during the days of World War II and which will require sound judgment for their consideration, as did those of yesteryear. A sound plan for proper main­ tenance under restrictions will be less costly than one premised on the thought of “cut down everywhere.” A golf course is an immense investment and should be cared for with an eye to the future. Open discussions in turf meetings this past winter on the labor and equipment shortages that will be felt in 1951 brought out one fact that should be uppermost in the minds of all club members. Time and again Golf Course Superintendents pointed out that, with full cooperation and un­ derstanding of the membership, handi­ caps due to shortages (particularly of labor) would be met with the best of their ability and, in most cases, to the satisfaction of the membership. True, this will mean longer hours by the superin­ tendent and his crew, less frequent main­ tenance on some parts of the course; and perhaps some of that reconstruction planned for this year will have to wait. A sound sensible plan for practical maintenance under today’s conditions should be worked out between the super­ intendent and his chairman. The plan should be flexible but always with the thought of providing the best possible for the present as well as for the future. Many golf course superintendents do not enjoy the full confidence and trust they should with their membership and, as a result, when difficulties are encoun­ tered (either God-made or man-made) the superintendent is literallv made the goat of the situation. Fortunately, these cases are in the minority. Since its founding in 1926, the Golf Course Superintendents Association has COMING EVENTS August 20: Golf Association of Philadel­ phia and Philadelphia Association of Golf Course Superintendents at Ply­ mouth Country Club. Mrs. Ralph I. Raynor, 629 Chestnut Street, Room 303, Philadelphia 6, Pa. August 22-23: Twentieth Annual Green­ keepers' Field Days, University of Rhode Island at Kingston, R. I. J. A. De France. August 27-31: American Society of Agron­ omy Annual Meetings, Pennsylva­ nia State College, State College, Pa. L. G. Monihey, Madison, Wisconsin. September 5-7: Turf Field Days. The Pennsylvania State College and Turf Advisory Committee, State College, Pa. H. B. Musser. September 17-18: Turf Field Days. Pur­ due University and Midwest Regional Turf Foundation, West Lafayette, Indiana. W. H. Daniel. October 7-9: National Turf Field Days. Beltsville Turf Gardens, Plant Indus­ try Station, Beltsville, Md. USGA Green Section, U. S. Department of Agriculture, and Mid-Ailantic As­ sociation of Golf Course Superintend­ ents co-operating. Fred V. Grau. October 24-26: Turf Conference. Cen­ tral Plains Turf Foundation and Kan­ sas State College at Manhattan, Kan­ sas. L. E. Lambert and Ray A. Keen. November 14: Fall Turf Meeting of the Southern California Turf Confer­ ence, University of California, Los Angeles, Calif. V. T. Stouiemyer. 1952 January 8-9: Turf Conference. Mid- Ailantic Association of Golf Course Superintendents. Lord Baltimore Hotel, Baltimore, Md. E. N. Cory, University of Maryland. February 18-21: Turf Conference. The Pennsylvania State College, State Col­ lege, Pa. H. B. Musser. March 3-6: Turf Conference. Midwest Regional Turf Foundation and Pur­ due University, West Lafayette, Ind. W. H. Daniel. USGA Journal and Turf Management: July, 1951 31 been guided by the thought that advance­ ment of the profession of turf manage­ ment must be based upon sound princi­ ples. By uniting the men in the profes­ sion into district and national organiza­ tions, collecting and distributing scien­ tific and practical information, which makes for more efficient golf course main­ tenance, the Association has helped to improve the individual superintendent and the profession as a whole. There is still much to be done. In Scientific Era Gone are the days of “mumbo-jumbo” grass care and the attitude of “find out yourself” and other short-sighted charac­ teristics. In their stead you will today find an exchange of information among men of the profession by word of mouth, the printed page, and many types of con­ ferences, schools, and courses. The pro­ fession has entered into the scientific era and, as such, requires individuals who keep abreast of the changing scene. Much of today’s turf research is being carried on under the supervision of the USGA Green Section. However, much is being done by various superintendents who are now taking advantage of re­ search facilities available in their sections of the country, whether under the Green Section or not. Practical applications sometimes have to be worked out the hard way. There should be a closer bond between all interested in better turf. ; The complexity of the job of today’s golf course superintendent demands that he seek the best source of information with a minimum of “beating around the bush.” Information published in the As­ sociation’s Golf Course Reporter as well as in the USGA Journal indicates only in a small way the various jobs com­ ing under his direction to give you—the player—better golf. In future columns, we would like to present some details of the job of the golf course superintendent to help you more fully understand his position. Interesting Reading “Winged Foot Fairway,” May, 1951, official publication of The Winged Foot Golf Club, Mamaroneck, New York. This 4-page, printed leaflet is recommended reading for associations of golf course superintendents and greenkeepers, and other turf interests. Pages 2 and 3 embody a spread of 10 photographs illustrating various types of maintenance equipment used on the course, with a few paragraphs describing what is happening in modern turf management today. The Green Sec­ tion salutes this type of recognition for the golf course superintendent and the work which he does to try to make golf­ ers happy. If other golf clubs recognize their superintendents in this or a similar fashion, the Green Section would like to know about it. Harold LeFurgy is the Superintendent at the Winged Foot Golf Club. Requests for copies should be addressed to him or to John Rowland, Chairman of the Green Committee. For the more technically-minded readers of the USGA Journal we com­ mend to their attention Circular 862, March, 1951, of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The author is Arthur C. Foster, Senior Pathologist, Division of Fruit and Vegetable Crops and Diseases, Bureau of Plant Industry, Soils, and Agricultural Engineering, Agricultural Research Administration. The title of Circular 862 is: “Some Plant Responses to Certain Insecticides in the Soil.” Cir­ cular 862 is for sale by the Superinten­ dent of Documents, United States Gov­ ernment Printing Office, Washington 25, D.C. The price tag is 15C. This bulletin discusses the problem of chemical residues in soils covering arsen­ icals. DDT, BHC, and other substances, in the field, in the greenhouse, and other places. As we said before, this is for the more technicallv-minded. 32 USGA Journal and Turf Management: July, 1951 TURF EXPERIMENTS IN SOUTH AFRICA We are pleased to present here two pictures of the turf experimental plots at Johannesburg, South Africa, at Franken- wald. This work is under the super­ vision of Dudley Meredith. Agronomist for the South African Explosives. The experiments include tests on put­ ting greens using different grasses and different fertilizers. There are tests on terrace plots where steep slopes are being maintained. The fairway experiments include different grasses and different fertilizers, particularly a comparison of soluble nitrogen fertilizers, including sulphate of ammonia, nitrate of ammonia, nitrate of soda and urea. An interesting experiment has to do with rates of application of compost and sulphate of ammonia on a particular se­ lection of Bermudagrass. On the bowling greens they are using different types of Bermudagrass selections and otherwise handling them in the best way possible for the particular use. Other experiments include the use of finely divided vermiculite in comparison with a compost-soil dressing. There have been some attempts to grow bentgrasses and at various times the Green Section has furnished seeds of zoysia and the improved turf grasses as they come avail­ able. One of the most popular grasses which is distributed to the public in re­ turn for donations to the turf research fund is Dipitaria swazilandensis. Royal Cape Bermudagrass is the next most pop­ ular lawn grass. The Green Section is to be favored by a visit from Mr. Meredith this year. He is spending six months in this country visiting experiment stations all over the Lnited States. He will be at the Agron­ omy Meetings at Penn State during the week of August 27-31. NEW GREEN SECTION SERVICE SUBSCRIBERS Gro-Crop Sales Co., Columbus, Miss. Leoffler, S. G„ Co., Washington, D. C. Seagram, Joseph E. & Sons, Inc., Louis­ ville, Ky. A variety of fertilizer plots The Skaapplaas fine green. Turf Research Review The Lnited States Golf Association Green Section announces the second edi­ tion of Turf Research Review. This is a compilation of all turf work in the Lnited States covering projects, work­ ers, publications, conferences, field days, and other features of the National Co­ ordinated Turf Program. Turf Research Review belongs in the library of every progressive golf course superintendent. Since only a limited number of copies will be printed, you are urged to place your order now with the I SGA Green Section. Plant Industry Sta­ tion. Beltsville. Md.. and enclose $1.25 for your copy. It will be mailed to you. postage free, within a short time. USGA Journal and Turf Management: July, 1951 33 IT’S YOUR HONOR A Share in the Glory TO THE USGA: I'm writing to thank you for naming me an alternate on your Walker Cup Team. My lifetime ambition has been to play on the United States Walker Cup Team, and you will never know what a thrill it was for me to be named first alternate. As you know, I didn't go with the Team but my prayers and good wishes were with them and no one was happier than I when they won. Although I didn't deserve it, I couldn't help but take a little of the credit for their wonderful victory. As alternate, I still wanted to share in their glory. I'm in the Air Force now, stationed in Great Falls, Montana, and I'm waiting for the day when I can play competitive golf again and earn the chance to play on the Walker Cup Team as a regular. CORPORAL AL MENGERT United States Air Force Memorial to a Friend TO THE USGA: Enclosed is my contribution for "Golf House" in memory of Harry G. Davy, Jr. Harry was my good friend and fellow­ goffer from Winchester, Mass., who captained the 1939 Governor Dummer Academy golf team and later played on the Colgate University team. Harry Davy was a keen sportsman, and if he were alive today would be greatly interested in the leading role your organization plays in golf. Harry Davy was killed in Italy in World War II. THOMAS G. PARKER, Havana, Cuba Plays Rules, Like Them or Not TO THE USGA: J was interested in the recommendation for abolishing stymies. They were always interesting as well as intriguing and, perhaps I should add, exasperating, depending upon whose ball was stymied. Dr. Oscar F. Willing used to say that the apparent unfairness of the game was what made it so interesting. I agree. Now it is made easier. Many traps and water hazards are elim­ inated from golf courses — even the trees are cut down; fairways are made smoother and wider; the rough, if any, is cut shorter. No wonder there are so many scores in the 60s, and strangely enough, the costs of up­ keep and maintenance of golf courses have been increasing, and not due entirely to increased wages of workmen, either. Whether I like these changes, both in Rule: and otherwise, I want a copy of the new Rules when printed so that I will be able to abide by them as well as correctly inter­ pret them when called upon to do so. OSCAR FURUSET Presiden! Emeritus Oregon Golf Association Portland, Ore. — • — World Code Endorsed TO THE USGA: I note in the press that discussions are being held about standardizing the Rules for all countries. I am much in favor of the new Rules recently suggested, particularly in legalizing the smaller ball for the U. S. A. and in providing penalty of stroke and dis­ tance for out of bounds, unplayable lies, etc.; also elimination of the stymie. The ease of travel by plane will result in much more inter­ national play than in former years, and a universal code will lessen differences all around. ROBERT M. NELSON New York, N. Y. — O — More Scores for Age TO THE USGA: In a recent issue I read with interest about W. F. Staley, of Portland, Ore., his age and his golf scores, and for his age I consider them remarkable. I have been playing once a week for several years with Henry Abels at our lllini Country Club; he was 84 years old last Feb­ ruary. When he was 71, he played an op­ ponent of about 23 in the Club Champion­ ship flight, shooting a 71 and winning the match, 2 and 1. Since then he has shot his age every year including last year. Our course is not easy and we have some rugged hills, but he will sometimes play three days in a row. W. R. CURTIS Springfield, III. Editor's Note: The USGA Journal invites comments on matters relating to the welfare of the game and will publish them as space permits.