USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT AFTER THE AMATEUR FINAL Al Mengert, of Spokane, Wash., and Jack Westland, of Everett, Wash., both could smile after the final round of the Amateur Championship at the Seattle Golf Club, but it is apparent that Mengert is smiling through his disappointment and Westland is smiling in exultation after twenty- six years of disappointments. USGA JOURNAL 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. V, No. 5 SEPTEMBER, 1952 Through the Green ••• 1 Sportsman’s Corner .— ........ —............ . 3 An Old Friend and Many New Ones___________ John P. English 5 Finishing the Job on “Golf House”............. ..................................... «... 10 Women’s Golf Is Changing................................. - 12 Britain’s Greatest Amateur ______ ____________ _____ ______ .... 15 The PGA and Its Tournament Program ...Melvin (Chick) Harbert 16 The Junior with the Luck Piece .................................................................. 18 Displaying the Flag ............. — 19 The Referee: Decisions by the Rules of Golf Committees------- -— 21 Turf Management: USGA Green Section The Nine-Hole Course ..................................... Fred V. Grau 25 Aeration and Other Practices ........................................................................... 27 The Management of Grass Around Trees with Fuel Oil R. Williams and E. Staten 30 Sources of Merion Seed ................................... 30 Notes on Soil Compaction ..................................................................................... 31 Better Lawns to Come ................................................................Fred V. Grau 33 It’s Your Honor: Letters ............................................................................... 37 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: $2 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 331, Administration Building, Plant Industry Station, Beltsville, Md„ or to USGA Green Section West Coast Office, Box 241, Davis, Cal. 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 John P. English. Advisory Committee—John D. Ames, Chairman; Isaac B. Grainger, Curtis W. McGraw and Bernard II. Ridder, Jr. All articles voluntarily contributed. Printed in U. S. A. USGA COMPETITIONS FOR 1953 Walker Cup Match—September 4 and 5 at the Kittansett Club. Marion, Mass. Men’s amateur teams. Great Britain vs. United States. (Dates entries close mean last dates for applications to rcac/i USGA office, except in the case of the Amateur Public Links Championship, For possible exceptions in dates of Sectional Qualifying Rounds, see entry forms.) Championship Open Amateur Public Links Junior Amateur Girls' Junior Women's Amateur Entries Close May 18 Uune 8 July 6 August 7 August 10 Sectional Qualifying llovnds Championship Dates Venue June 1 -June 11-12-13 Hune 21-27 Team: July 11 July 21 none none Indiv.: Julv 13-18 July 29-Aug. 1 August 17-21 August 24-29 Oakmont C. C., Oakmont, Pa. W. Seattle G. C., Seattle, Wash. Southern Hills C. C., Tulsa, Okla. The Country Club, Brookline, Mass. Rhode Island C. C.. Amateur W. Barrington, R. I. Oklahoma City G.&C.C., Oklahoma City, Okla. * Championship Qualifying Rounds at Oakmont Country Club and Pittsburgh Field Club, June 9 and 10. T Entries close with Sectional Qualifying Chairmen. 4 Exact date in each Section to be fixed by Sectional Chairmen. Sept. 14-19 August 17 Sept. 1 USGA Journal and Turf Management: Septemrer, 1952 I THROUGH THE GREEN Fifty Years A Golfer In the last decade, a good many golf clubs discovered they had been in exist­ ence for fifty years and made appropriate celebration of their golden anniversaries. If a celebration can be arranged for a club, why not for an individual? The Northampton (Mass.) Country Club decided it would be equally fitting to arrange a little party for Fred D. Cary, who is this summer enjoying his fiftieth year as a golfer, and the party turned Fred D. Cary into a whole Day. The members turned out to compete for the Fred D. Cary Plaque, to attend a congratulatory din­ ner and to present the honored guest with a suitably inscribed wrist watch. Mr. Cary responded with some enlightening reminiscence, in the course of which he made a rough estimate of the number of times he had “given up the game for good.” It was a rewarding day for every­ one there. Atoms and Golf Balls The Merion Golf Club’s atomic con­ sciousness was jolted recently. It found out, down in Philadelphia, that, when you strike a stone with a golf club, it goes practically nowhere because the stone’s atoms are locked in a closed pat­ tern. But a golf ball really goes places because its atoms are strung out in chains. A Captain in Each Match One of the many Clubs which have de­ cided to do something about slow play, breaches of etiquette and disregard of the Rules of Golf is the Aldecress Coun­ try Club, in Alpine, N. J. What it is do­ ing is novel and, to our mind, worthy of emulation. The starter at the first tee is appoint­ ing a Captain for each group of players, normally the lowest-handicapped player since he is presumed to know more about the Rules and customs of the game. The Captain is not actually a police­ man, but he has certain police functions. In the words of Irving S. Raskin, “he will see that the other three men in his group move quickly, pay attention to such details as smoothing sand in traps and replacing divots, leave the green be­ fore they compute their scores, abide by the Rules and turn in their scorecards for handicap purposes. “The general attitude of late has been something to worry about,” Mr. Raskin continues. “The lack of attention to eti­ quette and conduct on the course has made maintenance a much more expen­ sive item than it should be. Slowness of play is an even more distressing factor. “Personally, I think it is about time that a back-to-golf campaign was started. More time is spent by these ‘winter-rules’ golfers in moving their balls from side­ bill lies, from rough and from branches of trees than in actually hitting a shot. By eliminating ‘winter rules’, we can cut 2 USGA Journal and Turf Management: September, 1952 a minimum of thirty minutes from each round. “We also plan for a month to note the time when each group leaves the first tee and check it in at the eighteenth hole. In that time, we will have a good idea of who the slow ones really are, and we can start them later in the day.” Man's World? The No. 1 players of several college golf teams in the Pacific Northwest had anomalous experiences last spring. When they teed off against the Seattle Uni­ versity team, they found themselves bracketed with an opponent who was not only a freshman but a girl. The girl’s name was Miss Patricia Ann Lesser, of the Sand Point Country Club, in Seattle. Miss Lesser, who won the USGA Girls’ Junior Championship in 1950, won her place on the Seattle University team by scoring a 72 in the first try-out and she maintained it by going to the turn in 31 in a match against Portland, and by defeating the No. 1 men on the Oregon State and Gonzaga teams. For these opponents, and others to come in the next three years, there seems Miss Pat Lesser to be little relief in sight. Pat turned 19 just before the Women’s Amateur Cham­ pionship, holds the Pacific Northwest, Washington and Oregon Championships, gained the semi-final of the Women’s Amateur and seems to be moving into her prime, under the tutelage of Charley Congdon. She confesses, however! that, while she enjoyed playing on the Seattle University team, she prefers playing with girls against girls. Two More Calcuttas Die We have never believed that Calcutta pools had any place in golf champion­ ships, because large-scale gambling has contributed to the disintegration of too many other sports. Therefore we hail any word of the abandonment of these pools. The latest word comes from New Orleans, where both city and state championships were played without Calcuttas this year. The folks in New Orleans clearly have been thinking of the best long-term in­ terest of the game, and we congratulate them. Junior Internationalists Ten juniors from Washington, D. C., have returned from Canada sadder but vastly richer in the happy experiences which go with international golf. The boys, supervised by Mr. and Mrs. Frank Emmet, visited the Mississaugua Golf and Country Club, near Toronto, to represent the District of Columbia against the Prov­ ince of Ontario, where a strong junior program is developing, in the second match for the Simpson Cup. The District of Columbia won last year at the Colum­ bia Country Club, near Washington, 8 to 3, but Ontario turned the tables this year, 7 to 5. It was a close thing, however, and the wounds of defeat were quickly healed by Canadian hospitality. The boys were met at Buffalo by Royal Canadian Golf Asso­ ciation officials, were guests of the Club at a dinner on the night of their arrival, were guests of Acting Mayor Leslie H. Saunders at luncheon on the day of the match and received mementoes at the USGA Journal and Turf Management: September, 1952 3 conclusion of play from Prime Minister Frost, of Ontario. C. Ross Somerville refereed the top match in which Jerry Knechtel, of Kitchener, defeated Perky Cullinane, of Washington. On the way home, the Washington boys visited “Golf House” and made a complete tour of the Museum and Library. Buffalo Golfers Endure Two years ago, we asked if there was anything to beat W. Hamilton Gardner’s feat of winning the championship of the Country Club of Buffalo over a span of thirty-five years. No one answered. We still know of nothing to beat it, but we know of something to tie it. Last sea­ son Paul Hyde defeated Gardner in the final of the same championship to win exactly thirty-five years after his first victory. The Fessenden Fund The Western Golf Association has taken another, and inevitable, step in its caddie welfare program. Through its Evans Scholars Foundation, it has been help­ ing to provide college educations for needy and deserving former caddies. Now it is establishing the Fessenden Memorial Fund to help some of these former cad­ dies carry out post-graduate work in prep­ aration for specialized professions. The new Fund honors the late Maynard G. Fessenden, a former President of the WGA. It is expected that half a dozen boys may benefit from it this academic year. When James Won The Amateur Championship of fifty years ago was marked by three distinc­ tive features. Louis N. James, of Chicago, the win­ ner, was one of the youngest Champions we have had. He was only 19 and had been playing golf only three years. (Robert A. Gardner later also won at 19.) His victory wrested the Championship from the East, in the person of Eben M. SPORTSMAN'S CORNER The following is a Decision issued re­ cently by the Rules of Golf Committee of the Royal and. Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, Scotland: R & A 52-60 R. 31-2 Q: In a recent county championship in which I was playing, 36 holes stroke play, my ball came io rest in the heather touch­ ing a skylark's nest containing four young birds. To have played my stroke would have meant smashing the nest and de­ stroying the young birds, as the nest was in front of my ball in the line of play. Human nature does not permit of such a thing, and fortunately my golf that day had bearing on ultimate results. I picked up and dropped two club-lengths behind in the heather but did not count any penalty strokes. I pointed out the cir­ cumstances to my fellow-competitor, who saw the lie. I am fully aware of the unplayable-ball Rule but considered the circumstances as not coming within this rule. My ball was very much playable, in fact in a good lie, far better than I got from the drop. What is the correct action in these circumstances? Question by: The Secretary Portsmouth Golf Club England A: The Rules of Golf do not legislate specifically for the circumstances you de­ scribe. The Rules of Golf Committee are of opinion that the nest should be re­ garded as an immovable obstruction and the ball dropped under Rule 31-2. Byers, in culmination of a strong inter­ sectional rivalry. The final, at the Glen View Club, was about as wet as any final has ever been. Despite the elements, James played his morning round in 84 and was 2 up. He went to the turn in 44 after lunch to pick up another hole and won, 4 and 2, with a ten-yard putt for a 2 on the thirty­ fourth green. 4 USGA Journal and Turf Management: September, 1952 Successive Birdies We’d be happy to have authentic evi­ dence regarding the record for consecu­ tive birdies. In the meantime, we submit the most spectacular exhibit we recall in that line. Jack Hesler, of Crawfordsville, Ind., a member of the golf team at Purdue Uni­ versity, made eight successive birdies starting at the tenth hole while scoring a nine-under-par 61 in a four-ball at the nine hole course of the Crawfordsville Country Club on August 29, 1949. His card read: Out Par Hesler 44345443 4—35 44344443 4—34 In Par Hesler 44345443 4—35—70 33234332 4—27—61 Why Golf? Many eloquent arguments have been made in behalf of golf, perhaps the most famous of which is the renowned defini­ tion of the game by David R. Forgan, native of St. Andrews who later settled in Chicago. A powerful new argument for playing golf appeared in the program of the Fifth Annual Gulf Coast Invitational and was forwarded to us by Dr. Kermit Chadwick, of Edgewater Park, Miss. This brief rec­ ommendation of the game concerns its healthful aspect, and was written by Dr. Henry Boswell, superintendent of the Mississippi State Sanatorium for more than 30 years. Although he is past 70, Dr. Boswell plays golf every day, rain or shine. Here is his attitude toward the game, called “Why Golf”: “Golf is one major sport that can be participated in by all age groups, from the very young to the very old. To the young and middle age group it is a fine, competitive sport, competitive against your opponent and always against the golf course itself. To the older group it is a recreational sport that involves the lowest expenditure of energy of any major sport. It is a wonderful recrea­ tion and relaxing sport for the tired professional man and business execu­ tive. There is no question that many mens’ lives are prolonged by consistently exercising on the golf course, including a relaxation from their daily troubles, and it protects them in a great measure from certain types of heart disease and the ‘so-called’ nervous breakdowns. “The golf course is a wonderful test for a man. It brings out his innate honesty and his ability to control him­ self under competitive circumstances. I know of no place anywhere that will equal a golf course in determining the character and fitness of a man. Many executives, who are hiring people for responsible positions, take advantage of this by having them out on the golf course for a game, thus giving a splen­ did indication of how they will stand up in the competitive business world and how honest they will be, whatever work is assigned to them. “In this turbulent world of ours, where selfishness seems to prevail to a large measure and where friendships are for­ gotten, the golf course is a wonderful antidote, a place where close friendships are made and better understanding of neighborly living and of brotherly love among those who participate, and nat­ urally this extends to others with whom they associate.” USGA Journal and Turf Management: September, 1952 5 An Old Friend and Many New Ones By JOHN P. ENGLISH USGA Assistant Executive Secretary When contenders for the USGA Ama­ teur Championship arrived in Seattle last month, they were greeted by billboards and placards which proclaimed: “You Can Trust Jack Westland.” After a week of competition, the USGA concurred in the sentiment thus expressed in behalf of the winner of the Repub­ lican nomination for Congress in the Second Washington District and entrusted him with the gold Amateur Champion­ ship Cup. There was no alternative, and party lines played no part in the decision. Al­ though he is, at 47, by five years the old­ est man ever to win the Championship (Harold Hilton was 42 in 1911), Jack Westland demonstrated his golfing super­ iority over 1,028 other entrants, almost all of whom were his juniors. He tied for fourth at 149 among twenty-one quali­ fiers in the sectional round at Tacoma and defeated seven opponents at match play in the Championship proper at the Seattle Golf Club. In the latter process, he played nine rounds of golf in five days, including two rounds a day for the last four days. His closest call came in the fourth round when he had to go twenty-three holes to defeat Raleigh Selby. The story of Jack Westland’s victory is one of superb native skill and great human interest. There are many ways in which an individual can accomplish the physical technicalities necessary to propel a golf ball a considerable distance with control. Some are beautiful to behold, and some are not. Jack Westland’s way is beautiful. He can truthfully be termed a “picture swinger,” and the flowing, effortless grace with which he achieves club-head speed and club-face control is something that was more common in the past than it is today. It is so obviously sound that to see it even briefly is to understand how his victory was accomplished, twenty-six years after his first Championship effort, twenty-one years after he had been de­ feated by Francis Ouimet in an earlier final and five years after his last previous challenge. Even Westland’s caddie, Kenny Guernsey, profited by watching that swing; he won the Seattle Golf Club’s caddie championship the next week. Westland's Era Jack Westland’s era was the immediate post-Jones era of the early Thirties, and the contemporaries whom he defeated in reaching the final of the 1931 Amateur were Sam Parks, George Dunlap, Ducky Yates and Maurice McCarthy. He was a member of the 1932 and 1934 Walker Cup Teams with Francis Ouimet, Jess Sweetser, Max Marston, George Voigt, Johnny Goodman, Lawson Little, Chand­ ler Egan, Don Moe, Charley Seaver, Gus Moreland and Billy Howell. He defeated Rodney Bliss in the final of the 1933 Western Amateur. In recent years, Jack Westland has played only local golf. Although he won the Pacific Northwest Amateur four times, he entered the USGA Amateur only when the site was convenient to his home in Everett, Wash., not far north of Seattle. The demands of his political campaign made it possible for him to play very little in the weeks immediately preceding the Championship, and he had scheduled political speeches on evenings during the week of the Championship. Most of these he made, although he postponed one on the evening prior to the final. When the five-foot putt which defeated young and strong Al Mengert, 3 and 2, in the final went into the hole, Westland cocked his head at the cup momentarily, 6 USGA Journal and Turf Management: September, 1952 as if in expectation that the ball might come out again, then threw his head back, whooped and hurled his cap into the gallery in unrepressed exultation. The dream he had first dreamed at the age of 12 had come true long after he had ceased to dream. Older men, however, have won the British Amateur; John Ball won his eighth title in 1912 at the age of 51, and the Hon. Michael Scott won in 1933 at the age of 55. The reaction in the Pacific Northwest, as well as throughout the golfing world, was almost equally exultant. Jack West­ land long ago proved himself an ex­ tremely popular personality and a thor­ ough sportsman on both sides of the Atlantic. The delayed fruition of his dream increased the joy which was so widely shared. It was, however, an anachronistic vic­ tory not only because Jack Westland had been written off by many as a part of a bygone era but also because, apart from his victory, the Championship appeared to mark the ascendancy of a new genera­ tion of top-flight amateurs. It also may have marked a shift of the axis of ama­ teur golf to the West, if not, in fact, to the hospitable Pacific Northwest. Of the eight players who took part in the quarter-final round, five represented the Pacific Northwest (two of whom were Canadians), one was a Southern Cali­ fornian and the two who represented the East came originally from California and Texas. When it boiled down to the semi-final round, three (including one Canadian) were natives of the Pacific Northwest, and This stunning action photograph caught Jack Westland's ball in mid-air as he ex* ploded from a bunker by the fifth green in the morning round of the final of the Amateur Championship at the Seattle Golf Club. He got a half in 3s to maintain a 1-up lead. The photograph was taken by Capt. L. D. da Ponte. USGA Journal and Turf Management: September, 1952 7 the other was a Texan playing out of New York. The final was played between two United States representatives of the Pacific Northwest. Rarely since the early days of eastern dominance has one geographic section so monopolized the concluding rounds. The playing of the Amateur in the Pacific Northwest for the second time ob­ viously tapped a new lode of talent. Jim­ my McHale was the last member of the 1951 Walker Cup Team to survive, and he was defeated in the quarter-final round. Not a member of 1952 Americas Cup Team reached the quarter-final round, Charley Coe having lost to McHale in the previous round. In the places of the established veterans came, as semi-finalists, Westland, once again; Mengert, an extremely promising young player of 23 from Spokane, Wash.; Bill Mawhinney, of Vancouver, a recent Canadian Amateur Champion and the first to represent his country in the semi­ finals of our Championship since Ross Somerville in 1932; and Don Cherry, a young Texan now recording popular songs in New York. Westland beat Maw­ hinney, 5 and 4, and Mengert silenced Cherry, 3 and 2. The four players defeated in the quar­ ter-final round were McHale; Walter Mc­ Elroy, of Vancouver, the Canadian Ama­ teur Champion at the time; Gene Littler, of La Jolla, Cal., another promising young player; and Dick Yost, of Port­ land, Ore., a graduate last June of Ore­ gon State College. The double-headed Canadian challenge, which constituted a real threat, not only was turned back but was reversed the following week at the Capilano Golf and Country Club, in Vancouver, when Larry Bouchey, of Los Angeles, defeated Billy Campbell in a 37-hole final of the Canadian Amateur. This emergence of new talent and a new geographical section of the country, speaking in competitive golf terms, can­ not but be a good thing. It is further testimony of the breadth and depth of golfing skill over this continent, and it is becoming more than ever true that a man who wins this Championship just once is man of supreme skill and good fortune. It is pleasant to be able to record that with this spread of golfing skill there has been a parallel spread of sportsman­ ship and good golfing manners in ama­ teur golf. The contestants in this 52nd Amateur Championship were equal to their setting at the Seattle Golf Club. Charles W. Adams, the General Chairman, and his fellow-workers had driven unsparingly for two years to provide facilities which would be not only complete to the last detail for the Championship but also graceful and hospitable. Their efforts showed through every phase, and their reward was measured in innumerable compliments and smiles bestowed on the Club and its 6,632-yard, fir-lined course by Puget Sound. THE AMERICAS CUP The first match for The Americas Cup, held also at the Seattle Golf Club in the week preceding the Amateur Champion­ ship, set a gratifying example in the field of international relations. The golfers of Canada, Mexico and the United States proved that there is another way for na­ tions to get along by joining the competi­ tion in complete good faith and adhering to the highest standards of good sports­ manship. Those who envisioned the match and brought it into being had, of course, every reason to believe this would be the case. Colin Rankin, President of the Royal Canadian Golf Association; Pedro Suinaga, President of the Asociacion Mexicana de Golf; Totton P. Heffelfinger, President of the USGA, and Jerome P. Bowes, Jr., donor of the Cup, drew their gratification from that fact. Surely future matches will serve a useful purpose in a field broader than golf. The pleasure of seeing the match move 8 USGA Journal and Turf Management: September, 1952 The USGA Team which defeated Canada and Mexico in the first Match for The Americas Cup at the Seattle Golf Club. Standing, left to right: Kenneth Venturi, of San Francisco, Cal.; Frank R. Stranahan, of Toledo, Ohio; Sam Urzetta, of Rochester, N. Y.; Joseph F. Gagliardi, of Mamaroneck, N. Y.; William C. Campbell, of Huntington, W. Va.; and E. Harvie Ward, Jr., of Tarboro, N. C. Front: Charles R. Coe, the Captain, of Oklahoma City, Okla. smoothly and naturally toward its ob­ jective was heightened, for many, by the intensity of the competition. All three countries, perhaps, shared in advance the sentiment that the skills which have been developed by United States golfers might make the match one-sided. Yet such was by no means the case. Mexico won 5 points, Canada 10 and the United States won with 12. The Canadians were forced to play without Bill Mawhinney, the new Pacific Northwest Amateur Champion and one of their strongest players, who had to retire because of a faulty sacro­ iliac. Mawhinney is a most accomplished golfer, and his presence in the Canadian line-up quite possibly could have affected the outcome since Canada needed to win only one additional point from the United States to gain a tie. In team-against-team summary, the United States was able to defeat both Canada and Mexico, but its margin was only 5 to 4 against Canada and 7 to 2 against Mexico. Canada, in turn, de­ feated Mexico, 6 to 3. The first three players in the Canadian line-up defeated simultaneously both their Mexican and USGA Journal and Turf Management: September, 19^ 9 United States opponents, and it appeared to be United States depth, rather than first-line strength, which turned the tide. In his respect, it was unlike the first professional team match for the Hopkins Trophy in which the United States had defeated Canada, 20^2 to 6^2 at Montreal earlier last month. The sentimental hero of the amateur match was 18-year-old Roberto Morris, of Mexico, who combined with the veteran Percy Clifford to match par for thirty-five holes and defeat both Captain Charley Coe and Frank Stranahan of the United States and Captain Phil Farley and Nick Weslock of Canada in the foursomes with a stunning exhibition of putting. Roberto, who attends school in St. Louis, is a most appealing young sportsman and a most promising young golfer. The toss of a coin determined that the next match will be played in Canada im­ mediately preceding the 1954 Canadian Amateur Championship and the subse­ quent match will be played in Mexico im­ mediately preceding the 1956 Mexican Amateur Championship. CANADA MEXICO Foursomes Pts. Walter McElroy and Jerry Kesselring (39 holes) Nick K. Weslock and Phil Farley Percy Clogg and Peter C. Kelly (1 up) Totals Walter McElroy (10 and 9) Jerry Kesselring (11 and 9) Nick K. Weslock (12 and 10) Phil Farley (9 and 8) Percy Cfogg Peter C. Kelly Totals Grand Totals Captain: Phil Farley Reserve: William C. Mawhinney 1 Reynaldo Avila and Fernando Gonzalez 0 Percy Clifford and Roberto Morris (1 up) 1 Carlos Belmont and Alejandro Cumming 2 Singles 1 1 1 1 0 0 4 6 Roberto Morris Fernando Gonzalez Reynaldo Avila Alejandro Cumming Carlos Belmont (3 and 2) Percy Clifford (10 and 8) Captain: Pedro Suinaga Reserve: Carlos Porraz CANADA UNITED STATES Walter McElroy and Jerry Kesselring Nick K. Weslock and Phil Farley (1 up) Percy Clogg and Peter C. Kelly Totals Walter McElroy (4 and 3) Jerry Kesselring (38 holes) Nick K. Weslock (3 and 2) Phil Farley Percy Clogg Peter C. Kelly Totals Grand Totals Foursomes Pts. 0 1 0 E. Harvie Ward, Jr., and Kenneth Venturi (Hand 10) 1 Frank R. Stranahan and Charles R. Coe 0 Sam Urzetta and Joseph F. Gagliardi (6 and 4) 1 2 Frank R. Stranahan E. Harvie Ward, Jr. Charles R. Coe William C. Campbell (6 and 5) Kenneth Venturi (10 and 9) Sam Urzetta (11 and 10) Singles 1 1 1 0 0 0 Z 4 Captain: Charles R. Coe MEXICO UNITED STATES Foursomes Pts. Reynaldo Avila and Fernando Gonzalez Percy Clifford and Roberto Morris (1 up) Carlos Belmont and Alejandro Cumming Totals Roberto Morris Fernando Gonzalez Reynaldo Avila Alejandro Cumming Carlos Belmont Percy Clifford (2 and 1) Totals Grand Totals 0 E. Harvie Ward, Jr., and Kenneth Venturi (10 and 8) Frank R. Stranahan and Charles R. Coe Sam Urzetta and Joseph F. Gagliardi (5 and 4) 1 0 T Singles 0 0 0 0 William C. Campbell (10 and 8) Kenneth Venturi (12 and 11) 0 1 Sam Urzetta 1 2 Frank R. Stranahan (9 and 8) E. Harvie Ward, Jr. (13 and 11) Charles R. Coe (9 and 8) PtS. 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 3 Pts. 0 0 0 1 1 1 — 5 Pts. 1 0 1 2 J 1 J 1 1 A 7 10 USGA Journal and Turf Management: September, 1952 Finishing the Job on “Golf House” A renewed effort to complete the financ­ ing of “Golf House” has been under way for about a month, and the first reaction provides convincing evidence that the ad­ ditional $25,000 which was needed will be forthcofning. One of the first of our friends to put his shoulder to the task was W. Albert Heizmann, Jr., of Shillington, Pa. Mr. Heizmann believed that “Golf House” was a worth-while thing, and he undertook to see what could be done about it at the Berkshire Country Club. When he had explained the need to only his fellow-members, he had enlisted more than 100 additional Founders of “Golf House” and was able to forward checks totaling more than $1,000. Needless to say, we are deeply in­ debted to Mr. Heizmann, as much for the example he set as for the money which was contributed. His expression of faith in the work of the Association and his appreciation of the role of “Golf House” as a symbol for all the Member Clubs is inspiring. The Member Clubs, as a group, are re­ sponding generously. In the last month, more than thirty have enrolled their names as Founders. If all Member Clubs gave, even modestly, the financing would be substantially completed. The majority of the contributions continue to come from individual golfers, however. As this issue of the USGA Journal went to press, 5,011 clubs, associations and individuals had contributed $89,- 090.44 of the approximately $110,000 needed. Of this amount, 254 contributors gave $3,420.50 during the last month. In addition to those listed in previous issues, the following had contributed at press time: Bald Peak Colony Club, N. H. Berkshire Country Club, Pa. Bonnie Briar Country Club, N. Y. Briar Hall Golf and Country Club, N. Y. Broadmoor Golf Club, Colo. Casper Country Club, Wyo. Chevy Chase Club, Md. Country Club of Mobile, Ala. Country Club of Virginia, Va. Dunes Golf and Beach Club, 5. C. Encanto Golf Club, Ariz. Fox Hill Country Club, Pa. Golf Club of Broadacres, N. J. Griffith Park Women's Golf Club, Cal. Hurley Golf Club, N. M. Jackson Park Golf Club, Wash. Juniper Hill Golf Course, Mass. The Kittansett Club, Mass. Logan Country Club, W. Va. Clubs Mahoning Valley Country Club, Pa. Milburn Golf and Country Club, Kans. Minneapolis Golf Club, Minn. Minnesota Valley Country Club, Inc., N Minot Country Club, N. D. Montebello Golf Players' Club, Cal. Mount Dora Golf Club, Fla. The Oaks Country Club, Okla Sto-Rox Golfers' Association, Pa. Sunset Country Club, Mo. Tulsa Country Club, Okla. Twin Brooks Country Club, N. J. D. Fairchild Wheeler Golf Club, Conn. Wilshire Country Club, Cal. Yale Athletic Association, Conn. Atlanta Public Links Golf Association, Association B. H. Ackles Floyd D. Akers S. C. Anderson Edward F. Anewalt Edward F. Anewalt, Jr. Philip R. Anewalt Samuel B. Anewalt Individuals Anonymous Ray Ayers Dr. William S. Bair Dr. Claude W. Bankes Edwin McIntire Barnes Horace W. Barr John L. Bertolet Franklin Berwin G. Ellsworth Beard J. E. Blackburn, Jr. John Blood Alan Bolts Walter G. Bowers Charles P. Boylan USGA Journal and Turf Management: September, 1952 11 J. Porter Brinton, Jr. Arlington A. Britton, Jr. Eugene Brown E. B. Bryan Irwin F. Burkey William A. Burkey William D. Burkey Alexander Cameron IV A. Bruce Campbell T. C. Christ Robert H. Clymer Charles A. Corbit Henry D. Coulton Henry Counts Allan M. Cullum James B. Davies Francis P. Day B. H. DeLong Charles L. Dexter Charles L. Dexter, Jr. John B. Diener A. A. Dinsmore, Jr. Robert W. Dinsmore A. A. Dinsmore, Jr. Robert R. Dunkelberger Roderick F. Eaken John R. Edelman Theodore C. Englehardt George D. Ermentrout Emerson Evans Harold G. Evans M. A. Ferst Barrett F. Finn Jules L. Foreman Herbert Walter Fovargue Alexander W. Fraser, Sr. Albert Freidmann Herbert H. .Fritz Robert E. Fulton Dr. E. D. Funk John P. Garrow Joseph A. Gerarde Frank Gigli E. M. Gilbert Albert W. Golden Edward F. Golden Harvey Golden Harry Graul Gordon R. Graves C. A. Gross Dr. Frank B. Gryczka John H. Guenther, Jr. Mason J. Gwinnup J. Elmer Hahn Robert F. Hahn Capt. and Mrs. Al K. Hall, Jr. L. H. Hamley Merwin R. Haskel Christopher B. Heffelfinger John H. Heffelfinger Frank T. Heffelfinger II Miss Lila K. Heffelfinger Marcus W. K. Heffelfinger Mrs. Angela D. Heizmann J. Lawrence Heizmann William A. Heizmann, III Dr. Reuben Johnson Held S. C. Herbine Mrs. Charles Herty, Jr. Joseph Hogue T. Marshall Holt Harold T. Horst James P. Horton Henry R. Johnston George A. Jenckes H. Ellis Jones Walter L. Jones Miss Gertrude C. Kalter Henry Keller, Jr. Mrs. Walter Kellogg Dr. E. J. Kempf Miss Janet Kern Elwyn F. Kissinger William Klopman Dr. John S. Knight Paul B. Koller Lee S. Krieger William A. Laub Wilson C. Laucks, Jr. James P. Lawson Robert G. Leary Benton A. Leinbach Harold M. Leinbach Dr. Roy K. Leinbach O. W. Lindgren, Jr. Dr. John E. Livingood W. H. Lycan Mark C. McQuillen Arthur T. McGonigle Malcolm E. McLaren Peter McLaughlin Leonard Macomber Harry E. Market John E. Market T. Robert Matten D. C. Melvan A. P. Mills William H. Mohn E. R. Morrison Dr. E. James Morrissey Carl F. Moyer John C. Mumma Robert W. Munson D. C. Murchison Jack Nelson Frederick W. Nicholls, Jr. John A. O'Brien Paul L. Peabody Walter A. Peek Kenneth W. Perkins Kenneth Perry Ellis H. Pierson J. Donald Plunkett W. E. Porter Dr. Samuel F. Rager Parkman Rankin Lee Russell Read Edward A. Reider, Jr. Dr. Edwin R. Rentschler Frank S. Richardson William J. Rohn Danny Ross Stanley L. Ross Burns S. Ryan Harold J. Ryan Tom Ryan Herman A. Sancken Frank Sandola Gordon B. Sawyer Ralph E. Seasholtz William L. Seidel Mrs. Walter Seidman Henry B. Sellers A. G. Sewell Harry M. Shaaber John F. Shaw Dr. Hugh P. Sheilabear Amos Z. Sherk John S. Shounder Harvey L. Slaughter George F. Smith Paul R. Snyder George W. Snyder John J. Soeffing George K. Stauffer George H. Sullivan Richard E. Sumner Allyn C. Taylor George E. Thomas DeWitt C. Thompson, Jr. John P. Thorpe Gail T. Todd William P. Viles Henry L. Vogt, Jr. Edward A. Wagner Dr. Leland F. Way Harry Weaver Laurence E. Weber Walter Harvey Weed, Jr. Charles Wentzel Mrs. Howard Wicklund Gordon Williams Thomas A. Willson, Jr. In Memory of Wallace C. Winter Dr. John J. Panta J. Heber Parker Mr. and Mrs. Joe T. Parkinson Raymond S. Patton by Daniel R. Winter Raymond M. Wolfe Dr. Walter W. Werley Kermit Zarley 12 USGA Journal and Turf Management: September, 1952 Women’s Golf Is Changing There was a time when Women’s Ama­ teur Championships tended to run along lines roughly approximating form, and such accomplished players as Miss Bea Hoyt, Miss Margaret Curtis, Mrs. Doro­ thy Campbell Hurd, Miss Alexa Stirling, Mrs. Edwin H. Vare, Jr. and Miss Vir­ ginia Van Wie were able to dominate over a period of years. In the 52nd Championship at the beau­ tiful Waverley Country Club, in Portland, Ore., the pendulum swung to the othei' extreme. A skilled analyst might have been able to predict the success of one or two of the semi-finalists, but it is most doubtful that a final between Mrs. Jac­ queline Pung, of Honolulu, and Miss Shirley McFedters, of Los Angeles, was anticipated in any quarter. This final did take place, however, and it was a final between two eminently qualified alumnae of public links who had earned their passage and deserved their honors, even though suddenly achieved. Mrs. Pung won, by 2 and 1, and those who had watched her through­ out the week appreciated that they were seeing one of the fine women players of our time. The moral of this outcome is clear. There are many more excellent women players in this country than meet the eye of a casual observer in any one locality, and they do not all compete in tourna­ ments around the calendar, or even in the USGA Championship every year. It might even be possible to make a strong case against the necessity of regular tournament play as a preparation for championships. Mrs. Pung, for instance, has played in only two previous USGA Championships, at Tulsa, Okla., in 1946 and at Pebble Beach, Cal., in 1948. She lost in the first round in 1946 and defeated Mrs. Vare before losing in the third round in 1948. Until she won, she expected this would Wide World Photo Mrs. Jacqueline Pung be her last. She is the mother of two children and a saleswoman in a Honolulu department store. She only resumed play in preparation for this Championship three months ago. Her equipment, how­ ever, does include great power, an un­ derstanding of a wide variety of shots and the calm temperament of a native kama- aina. This happy temperament which enabled her to extend a true aloha to her opponent before each match and which stood her in good stead when the outlook seemed bleak (she was 5 down at one point dur­ ing the morning round of the final) also thoroughly endeared her to the gallery, so that it was hardly a surprise when she produced beautiful Hawaiian leis for her one-time rivals during the presentation exercises. What the gallery and the rivals did not realize at the time was that the leis had been ordered far in advance and flown to Portland with little expectation that Mrs. Pung, herself, would be one of the recipients. USGA Journal and Turf Management: September, 1952 13 While Mrs. Pung has been only an oc­ casional contender for the Championship, Miss McFedters, a coed at the University of California at Los Angeles, was com­ peting for the first time and, in fact, almost failed to get into match play. She tied with nine others at 88 for the last eight of the sixty-four places in match play, and she got in only by holing a goodly putt on the second and last green of the play-off. The qualifying deadline, however, was the lowest on record. Miss McFedters then compounded the anxiety by once going 19 holes and twice going 20 holes in match play. While Mrs. Pung was making 6-and-4 work of the brilliant young Miss Pat Lesser, of Seattle, in one semi-final, Miss McFedters required 20 holes to defeat Miss Pat Garner, of Midland, Texas, in the other. Miss Lesser and Miss Garner The achievements of Mrs. Pung and Miss McFedters were, of course, the out­ standing results of the Championship, the first to be played in the Pacific North­ west, but there were other interesting developments. One certainly was the highly promising performances of Miss Lesser, who, at 19, has now been suc­ cessively a quarter-finalist and a semi­ finalist in this Championship, and of Miss Garner, who contributed a full share of giant-killing. Miss Lesser, who wore pig­ tails, went to the turn in 33 and started back 4, 3 in the third round against Miss Bee McWane. Giant-killing seemed to be the order of the week. Seven members of the 1952 Curtis Cup Team competed, but only Miss Claire Doran, of Cleveland, got as far as the quarter-finals. Miss Dorothy Kirby, of Atlanta, who was defending, won the medal with a 76 but bowed, 4 and 3, in the third round to Miss Edean Anderson, of Helena, Mont., who had recently won the Canadian Championship. The other survivors in the round-of- eight were Miss Barbara Snook, of Port­ land, who was 17 and playing in her first Championship; Miss Barbara Ro- mack, of Sacramento, a 19 year old; and Miss Anderson. Portland gave its first Women’s Ama­ teur Championship the heartiest of wel­ comes. Douglas Nicoll and Warren Mun­ ro, of the Waverley Country Club, gave their lady guests a beautifully condi­ tioned, tight golf course and every other facility. The ladies responded enthusi­ astically by providing an excellent sport­ ing competition. And the galleries ap­ peared to be as large, and certainly were as golf-minded and well-mannered, as any which have attended this event. GIRLS' JUNIOR The first playing of the Girls’ Junior Championship on the West Coast also developed a large field and a new Cham­ pion, as well as good fun and excellent golf. Miss Mickey Wright, of La Jolla, Cal., won at the Monterey Peninsula Country Club, Pebble Beach, Cal., from a field of forty-three starters of 17 years or less. She took the last hole with a par to de­ feat Miss Barbara McIntire, of Heather Downs, Ohio, 1 up in the final. Miss Wright had been runner-up to Miss Pat Lesser at the Wanakah Country Club, near Buffalo, in 1950. It was Miss McIntire’s second defeat in the final. She was also runner-up a year ago to Miss Arlene Brooks, of Pasa­ dena, Cal. Miss Brooks entered a defense of her Championship but lost in the second round to Miss Anne Quast, a 14 year old from Everett, Wash. Miss Mc­ Intire defeated Miss Quast, 2 and 1, in one semi-final, and Miss Wright defeated Miss Judy Bell of Wichita, the Kansas Women’s Champion, 2 and 1, in the other. The calibre of play was high, and Miss Quast and Miss Wright tied for the quali­ fying medal with scores of 76. Miss Mc­ Intire and Miss Janet McIntosh, of Cin­ cinnati, Ohio, also shaded 80 by a stroke in the qualifying play; and there was a play-off among three girls tied at 90 for 14 USGA Journal and Turf Management: September, 1952 the last two of the sixteen places in Cham­ pionship match play. Among those who lost in early rounds were Miss Margaret Smith, 15, of Guada­ lajara, Mexico, the Mexican Women’s Champion; Miss Judy Frank, of Alpine, N. J., the Metropolitan New York Junior Girls’ Champion; Miss Ruth Jessen, the Seattle, Wash., Junior Girls’ Champion; NEW MEMBERS OF THE USGA Regular Amherst Golf Club, Mass. Anderson Country Club, S. C. Bakersfield Country Club, Cal. Bellwood Country Club, Texas Benton County Country Club, Ind. Brookside Golf Club, Cal. Butte Des Morts Golf Club, Wis. Colonie Country Club, N. Y. Como Park Golf Club, Minn. Conewango Forks Golf Club, N. Y. Country Club of Levelland, Texas Delaware Country Club, Ind. Dunwoodie Golf Club, N. Y. E'mira Country Club, N. Y. Foxburg Country Club, Pa. Greenacres Country Club, N. J. Green Valley Country Club, Cal. Hatherly Country Club, Mass. Huron Shores Golf Club, Mich. Kitsap Golf and Country Club, Wash. Laurelwood Golf Club, Ore. Mattoon Golf and Country Club, ill. McConnellsville Golf Club, N. Y. Meadow Park Golf Club, Wash. Meceola Country Club, Mich. Modesto Men's Golf Club, Cal. Moundsville Country Club, W. Va. Mount Kisco Country Club, N. Y. North Texas State College Country Club, Texas Peninsula Golf Club, Wash. Riverside Golf Club, Wash. Sarasota Bay Country Club, Fla. Seymour Country Club, Ind. Skagit Golf Club, Wash. Thief River Golf Club, Minn. Tomball Country Club, Texas. Triggs Memorial Golf Club, R. I. Victoria Country Club, Texas Walla Walla Country Club, Wash. Weeks Park Golf Association, Texas Wickenburg Country Club, Ariz. Woodbridge Country Club, Conn. Julian P. Graham Photo Winner and co-medalisi in the Girls' Junior Championship at the Monterey Peninsula Country Club, Pebble Beach, Cal., were Miss Mickey Wright, of La Jolla, Cal., who is 17, and Miss Anne Quasi, of Everett, Wash., who is 14. and Miss Berridge Long, of Huntington, the West Virginia Champion. It was a most representative field, from the as­ pects of both quality and geography. Two flights were conducted in addition to the Championship. Miss Sue De Voe, of Medford, Ore., was the first and Miss Jean O’Harra, of Reno, Nev., won the second. Associate Big Oaks Golf Club, III. Brae Burn Golf Club, N. Y. Bunker Hill Golf Club, III. Coosa River Golf Club, Ala. Decatur Golf Club, Ind. Fayrway Knolls Golf Club, Pa. Freeport Golf Club, Texas Highland Park Municipal Golf Course, III. Hotel Charlotte Harbor Golf Club, Fla. Moreland Hills Country Club, Ohio Mountain Lake Club, Fla. Navajo Fields Golf Club, III. Orange Hill Country Club, Conn. Orono Orchards Golf Course, Minn. Pontiac Country Club, Mich. Sportsman Golf Course, 111. Staunton Country Club, III. Vine Cliff Golf Course, Ohio Westfield Country Club, Ohio USGA Journal and Turf Management: September, 1952 15 Britain’s Greatest Amateur Shuttling placidly between his solici­ tor’s office, the Wigan Magistrates’ Court and the golf course, Ronnie White, of Birkdale, England, has established beyond doubt his reputation as the greatest British amateur golfer of the day, even though he has not played in the last two British Amateur Championships. There are many who unhesitatingly describe him as the outstanding British amateur of golfing history, and some Americans call him the best unpaid striker of the golf ball since the incomparable Bob Jones. The way in which this remarkable young man takes his golf is best illus­ trated by the story of his first two rounds in the Brabazon Trophy tournament which he won at the Formby golf course. After a hard day’s work in his role as a rising young solicitor, White arrived at Formby late in the afternoon, clad in the neat black coat and striped trousers of tradition. Ten minutes later he was wrapped up in golf waterproofs and facing a howling gale on the first tee. In the worst of the day’s weather he was around in 77 shots, which would have been pretty good going even for anyone who had not spent the day wrestling with torts and malfeasances, or whatever they are. Next morning White was an early starter and clicked around in a record- equalling 69. A few minutes after the last putt had gone down, Mr. R. J. White, Solicitor, once again clothed in sombre respectability, was driving off to court to practice his legal arts. This sums up the whole story of Ron­ nie White. When he returned to civilian life after the war, he reflected that he had missed some valuable years and it was high time he got down to earning his living. Since then he has worked hard, first as a student and then as newly ar­ rived professional man. Supreme though his talents are, golf has always been regarded as a side-line, Ronnie White something to be enjoyed in time off. In other words, Ronnie White is a genuine week-end golfer who intends to stay that way and considers it a pleasant accident that nature endowed him with the golfing ability of a world champion. He plays little competitive golf, except when it is staged conveniently. Of course, when he is committed to something big (like the three Walker Cup events which he has played without losing a game) he practices seriously. To the Americans, White is an enigma. We remember how puzzled was Charles Coe, that grand American amateur swinger, during last year’s Walker Cup contest, when he was told that White would not be playing in the Amateur Championship because he had to work for a living. Reprinted jrom New Zealand Golf Illustrated of January 5, 1952. 16 USGA Journal and Turf Management: September, 1952 The PGA and Its Tournament Program By MELVIN (CHICK) HARBERT Vice-President, Professional Golfers’ Association of America Co-Chairman, PGA Tournament Committee Nowhere in professional athletics can so unique a set of circumstances be found as those which govern the tournament program of the Professional Golfers’ As­ sociation of America. Consider, if you will, these conflicting facts: With increasing public interest and ever-growing purses, the tournament pro­ gram appears to have stepped into the class of big business. Yet there has never been a question but that the principal, in fact, the only, purposes of the PGA tourn­ ament program are to promote golf and to provide a training ground where younger professionals can acquire com­ petitive experience and the opportunities for the future that go with it. This is further stressed by the fact that the PGA is a trade or professional associa­ tion of some 3,000 golf professionals and 30 local organizations. It is not a com­ mercial venture organized for profit. Its tournament program involves only a small segment of its members and its activities. It is the show window of the PGA and of professional golf, creating inestimable interest in the game generally. This year prize money in PGA tourna­ ments will top $700,000, a figure that would seemingly provide a substantial living for a great many players. Yet the players who compete spend more than $1,000,000 of their own funds in an effort to corner a share of the purses, and many of them win very little, if anything. In no city do we take away more money in prizes than we leave in hotels and res­ taurants. Where else in professional sport do you find 50 full-time contestants and many others who enjoy no employment contracts, have no guarantee of salary or prizes and no assurance even of living Chick Harbert and traveling expenses, no minor league in which to learn their trade, who are asked to schedule and operate their own program and to contribute from their own pockets to the actual function of the promotion? And where else do you find a trade association that is operating such a program in a major sport on a non­ profit basis? In spite of frequent references to a “mountain millionaire” and a “Texas tycoon,” the average playing professional suffers from a moderate to severe case of thin wallet. Virtually without excep­ tion, they struggle through at least a dozen lean years before hitting the top pay bracket, if they ever do. Moreover, their schedule is such that they must spend up to two days a week practicing, in addition to four days playing and one day or more traveling. We would be hard put to find a profession or trade that pays USGA Journal and Turf Management: September, 1952 17 so little for so much, or one where con­ ditions are so conducive to the keenest of competition. services of Bob Gibson, who combines our publicity program with the editorship of Professional Golfer magazine. The program operates on an unbeliev­ ably low budget. Yet if it were not for the assistance from the major equipment manufacturers, it would be virtually im­ possible to maintain our staff of five full- time employees and to provide services to sponsors and press. And we can’t forget the sponsors. They take the risk, some­ times making little or nothing, although in most cases their interest, like the PGA’s, is in promotion, rather than profit. They also pay a small service fee to the PGA, which covers about one-half of the Tournament Bureau’s cost of operation. The need for additional funds was em­ phasized last winter when, in order to initiate a publicity and promotional pro­ gram, it was necessary to turn to the players themselves and ask for a weekly- assessment, thus adding to their contri­ bution. The entire tournament structure re­ volves around a seven-man Tournament Committee, Tournament Supervisor Har­ vey Raynor, PGA Executive Secretary Tom Crane and Promotional Director Fred Corcoran. . The Committee, made up of the Presi­ dent and Secretary of the PGA. four tournament players and one PGA mem­ ber at large, has complete charge of the program, including player conduct and discipline and routine operation. Members of the Tournament Committee include President Horton Smith, who is Chair­ man; Secretary Harry Moffitt; the writer, who is Co-Chairman, Dave Douglas, Jack Burke, Clayton Heafner and one PGA member at large, now being elected. Raynor acts as Tournament Supervisor in the field. Crane handles matters at the Chicago office. They are in constant con­ tact and coordinate all matters with the players, committee and sponsors. Raynor is assisted in the field by a secretary, an assistant and an official scorer. The PGA headquarters, meanwhile, has one Tourn­ ament Bureau secretary and the part-time Services to Sponsors The present system of Tournament Bureau operation was inaugurated in 1947. The authority to operate the tourn­ ament program was conferred upon the Tournament Committee at the Annual Meeting of the PGA in the fall of 1950, at which time the Constitution of the PGA was amended. Under this system the Committee has adopted regulations governing the entire program, operating under a huge body of rules which have grown up over the years. These rules govern player eligibility, relations with sponsors, player conduct and discipline and tournament routine. In addition to the services provided by the field staff, sponsors are given the PGA Tournament Sponsors’ Guide, which contains complete and detailed instruc­ tions regarding every phase of tourna­ ment operation. Sponsors are also as­ sisted in the preparation of their pro­ gram and publicity by photographs and feature stories, record books, player his­ tories, current standings and so forth. The same type of material is provided di­ rectly to press, radio and television per­ sonnel in tournament cities. Unbelievable as it may seem, tourna­ ment golf is still growing tremendously. In the last five years purses have in­ creased from the 1947 total of $402,000 to an estimated 1952 figure of $700,000. It wmuld today be higher, far higher, if there were sufficient weeks in the year to accommodate the many requests that are received. ATTIRE We don't mean to preach, But this isn't the beach; Will you kindly wear golfing attire: Shorts to your knees, And full tops, please, For a costume we all may admire. From “Fore”, an occasional publication of the Menon Golf Club. 18 USGA Journal and Turf Management: September, 1952 The Junior with the Luck Piece Two favorites in the 5th Junior Ama­ teur Championship at the Yale Golf Course were Tommy Jacobs, of Monte­ bello, Cal., the defending Champion, and Don Bisplinghoff, of Orlando, Fla. When Tommy came to the 18th green in the quarter-final round, 1 down to Fred Oman, of Hastings, N. Y., Don was in Tommy’s gallery. Tommy’s ball was slightly away and it appeared that his Don Bisplinghoff only chance of survival rested on his holing the 15-foot putt. As Tommy stepped through the gallery, Don passed him a shiny silver dollar: “Put this in your pocket for luck, Tommy.” The luck piece must have been effec­ tive. Tommy eventually won, by holing a 10-foot putt for a birdie 3 on the 19th green. As he walked back to the club­ house, Don tapped him on the shoulder: “Now give it back,” he said. “We meet tomorrow morning, and I’ll need it.” With the luck piece in his own pocket again, Don dethroned Tommy, 3 and 2, in the semi-final round and won the Championship by scoring a 76 to best Eddie Meyerson, of Los Angeles, Cal., 2 up, in the final. Don, 17, will be a senior at Orlando High School this fall and plans to enter Louisiana State Uni­ versity next year. The loan of the luck piece to a poten­ tial winner in distress was just one of the many nice things which happen in the Junior, and they reveal why the USGA considers this event one of its most im­ portant. The younger generation, shown the way, adheres to the very highest standards of sportsmanship and friendly competition under the Rules of Golf, and Yale provided facilities to match the ex­ cellence of the competition. Since the entry reached a new high of 712, the good influence must be spreading. Quality of play on the extremely rig­ orous Yale course was of a high order, too. Bisplinghoff, somewhat more ma­ ture than his rivals, went to the turn one day in 31. Jacobs and Meyerson also played beautifully in stretches. All three now graduate to the adult ranks, but Pete Geyer, of Monterey, Cal., the other semi-finalist, will be eligible next year. The institution of a dinner for con­ testants and Junior Championship Com­ mitteemen was one of the highlights of a gratifying week at Yale. The New Haven Lawn Club set a handsome pre­ cedent in arrangements, and Herman Hickman, then Yale football coach, and Gene Sarazen were most informative and entertaining as speakers. Another was the consolation tournament for first-round losers at the nearby Woodbridge Country Club. Woodbridge turned over a beauti­ ful course for the play and then sent the boys staggering home under the impost of so many extra helpings of shortcake and ice cream that they wondered by what standard they were “losers.” USGA Journal and Turf Management: September, 1952 19 Displaying the Flag Many golf clubs display the flag of the United States, and it is entirely appropri­ ate that they do so, either alone or in combination with other flags. When a club does display the flag of the United States, however, it assumes a responsibility for insuring that it is dis­ played reverently and in accordance with protocol. The flag is emblematic of the sover­ eignty of the nation. It represents the ideals, aspirations and history of the people and engenders patriotism and respect. There are certain fundamental rules of heraldry which indicate the proper meth­ od of displaying the flag: The flag rep­ resents the living country and is itself considered a living thing. The union of the flag is the honor point. The right arm is the sword arm and therefore the point of danger and hence the place of honor. In implementing these rules of herald­ ry, Public Law 829 of the 77th Congress sets forth the following points which might apply to display of the United States flag at golf clubs: It is the universal custom to display the flag only from sunrise to sunset on build­ ings and on stationary flagstaffs in the open. However, the flag may be dis­ played at night upon special occasions when it is desired to produce a patriotic effect. The flag should be hoisted briskly and lowered ceremoniously. The flag should not be displayed on days when the weather is inclement. With Other Flags No other flag or pennant should be placed above or, if on the same level, to the right of the flag of the United States of America. The flag of the United States of Amer­ ica, when it is displayed with another flag against a wall from crossed staffs, should be on the right, the flag’s own right, and its staff should be in front of the staff of the other flag. The flag of the United States of Amer­ ica should be at the center and at the highest point of the group when a num­ ber of flags of States or localities or pen­ nants of societies are grouped and dis­ played from staffs. When flags of States, cities, or local­ ities, or pennants of societies are flown on the same halyard with the flag of the United States, the latter should always be at the peak. When the flags are flown from adjacent staffs, the flag of the United States should be hoisted first and lowered last. No such flag or pennant may be placed above the flag of the LInited States or to the right of the flag of the United States. When the flags of two or more nations are displayed, they are to be flown from separate staffs of the same height. The flags should be of approximately equal size. International usage forbids the dis­ play of the flag of one nation above that of another nation in time of peace. When the flag of the United States is displayed from a staff projecting hori­ zontally or at an angle from the window sill, balcony, or front of a building, the union of the flag should be placed at the peak of the staff unless the flag is at half 20 USGA Journal and Turf Management: September, 1952 staff. When the flag is suspended over a sidewalk from a rope extending from a house to a pole at the edge of the side­ walk, the flag should be hoisted out, union first, from the building. When the flag is displayed otherwise than being flown from a staff, it should be displayed flat, whether indoors or out, or so suspended that its folds fall free as though the flag were staffed. When the flag is displayed over the middle of a street, it should be suspended vertically with the union to the north in an east and west street or to the east in a north and south street. In Auditorium When used on a speaker’s platform, the flag, if displayed flat, should be displayed above and behind the speaker. When dis­ played from a staff in a public auditorium, if it is displayed on the speaker’s plat­ form, the flag should occupy the position of honor and be placed at the speaker’s right as he faces the audience. Any other flag so displayed on the platform should be placed at the speaker’s left as he faces the audience. But when the flag is dis­ played from a staff in a public auditorium elsewhere than on the platform, it shall be placed in the position of honor at the right of the audience as they face the platform. Any other flag so displayed should be placed on the left of the audience as they face the platform. The flag should form a distinctive fea­ ture of the ceremony of unveiling a statue or monument, but it should never be used as the covering for the statue or monu­ ment. The flag, when flown at half staff, should be first hoisted to the peak for an instant and then lowered to the half-staff position. The flag should be again raised to the peak before it is lowered for the day. By “half staff” is meant lowering the flag to one-half the distance between the top and bottom of the staff. The flag should never touch anything beneath it, such as the ground, the floor, water, or merchandise. The flag should never be used as dra­ pery of any sort whatsoever, never fes­ tooned, drawn back, nor up, in folds, but always allowed to fall free. Bunting of blue, white, and red, always arranged with the blue above, the white in the mid­ dle, and the red below, should be used for covering a speaker’s desk, draping the front of a platform and for decoration in general. The flag should never be fastened, dis­ played, used, or stored in such a manner as will permit it to be easily torn, soiled, or damaged in any way. The flag should never be used as a covering for a ceiling. The flag should never have placed upon it, nor on any part of it, nor attached to it any mark, insignia, letter, word, figure, design, picture, or drawing of any nature. The flag should never be used as a re- ceptable for receiving, holding, carrying, or delivering anything. It should not be used as a marker in flag tournaments or driving contests. The flag should never be used for ad­ vertising purposes in any manner what­ soever. The flag, when it is in such condition that it is no longer a fitting emblem for display, should be destroyed in a dignified way, preferably by burning. MULLIGANS! As wo were on the starting tee The Reverend Bishop said to me: "A Mulligan?" And I replied: "Never until the day I've died." A Mulligan in golf is this— A drive allowed for one you miss, A bit of cheating for the score By taking five and claiming four. A Mulligan? to one and all I say: get up and hit the ball; No Bishop of a Holy See Can get a Mulligan from me. If you should wear a Cardinal's Hat, You'd get no Mulligan for that. Until the final putt is made, Play golf the way it should be played. James F. Blair Minikahda Club Minneapolis, Minn. USGA Journal and Turf Management: September, 1952 21 THE REFEREE Decisions by the USGA and the R. and A. Rules of Golf Committees Example of symbols: “USGA” indicates decision by the United States Golf Association. “R & A” indicates decision by the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, Scotland. “52-1” means the first decision issued in 1952. “R. 37-7” refers to Section 7 of Rule 37 in the 1952 Rules of Golf. Claim in Foursome Match R & A 52-18 R. 11-1, 15-2 Q: In a foursome competition A and B were partners against C and D. The short four­ teenth hole was halved in 4. The sides said “a half” and went to the fifteenth tee. A drove off and C of the opposing side re­ membered that it was not A’s turn to drive off. It then transpired that B had driven off out of turn at the 14th tee. What is the penalty for the infringement? A: A and B lost both the fourteenth and fifteenth holes as Rule 15-2 was violated in each case, and the claim in respect of the fourteenth hole was made before the players (plural), i.e., both sides, drove off at the fifteenth hole. See Rule 11-1. Ball "Lost" in Hole R & A 52-19 R. 6-1, 11-1 Q: A and B were playing a match. At a certain hole both played their second shots. A’s ball lay on the green, but B, being un­ able to find his ball, gave up the hole. The couple following them found B’s ball in the hole, so B had holed out in two strokes. Who won the hole, A or B? A: Under the basic principle enunciated in Rule 6-1: “Except as provided for in the Rules, a hole is won by the side which holes its ball in the fewer strokes,” B’s claim to have won the hole is established, provided this claim was made before the players played from the next teeing ground or, in the case of the last hole, before they left the putting green; see Rule 11-1. Any ex­ tension of the period during which B’s claim might be considered valid, beyond that permitted by Rule 11-1, would neglect the effect which a two-hole difference in the score might have or have had on A’s play and would be unfair to A. Ball Striking Flagstick in Entering Hole USGA 52-54 D.4; R.34-3a Q: In stroke play, if a ball lying within twenty yards of the hole is struck and goes into the hole, with the pin in place, does the two-stroke penalty apply, even though evidence may tend to indicate that contact with the pin did not come until the ball had actually entered the hole? Question by Thomas G. McMahon Los Angeles, Cal. A: It is a question of fact as to whether the ball strikes the flagstick before it is holed. However, tests have shown that it is practically impossible for a ball to be holed without striking the flagstick when the flagstick is in the hole, and so there would ordinarily be a penalty of two strokes under Rule 34-3a. Under Definition 4, “A ball is ‘holed’ when it lies within the circumference of the hole and all of it is below the level of the lip of the hole.” Ball Rolling More than Two Club-Lengths Away when Dropped USGA 52-57 Def. 5, 14c, 29; R.l, 7-2, 27-lc, 21-3, 22-lb, 29-1, 30-3, 31-2, 33-1,2,3; LR QI: In the case of the option of dropping ball within two club-lengths, either under the obstruction Rule or the lateral water hazard Rule, if the ball is dropped within the two club-lengths limita­ tion and does not come to rest nearer the hole, but does come to rest within five or six club-lengths from the obstruction or the lateral water hazard, is the ball properly in play? Al: Yes. See Rule 22-lb. Measuring through Obstruction Not Permitted Q2: A decision was made by you in 1950 to the effect that measurement may not be 22 USGA Journal and Turf Management: September, 1952 made through an obstruction. Then in the 1951 issue of Rules of Golf the phrase “but in no case shall relief be obtained by mea­ suring through the obstruction” was a part of the Rule. The incorporation of the quoted phrase limitation was quite clear, but the 1952 issue does not carry it. Does this mean that the obstruction Rule is to be literally applied, that is, two club-lengths in any desired direction, but not nearer the hole? A2: In proceeding under Rule 31-2, the player may not measure through an im­ movable obstruction in determining where to drop within two club-lengths of that point of the obstruction nearest which the ball originally lay. "Interference" Must Be Actual Q3: The obstruction Rule provides re­ lief if the obstruction be within two club­ lengths of the ball and if obstruction inter­ feres with stance or backward or forward swing. If ball came to rest against an ob­ struction, the player may drop within two club-lengths of the obstruction. There is thus implied that interference is recog­ nized if the obstruction be within two club­ lengths and be in line of backward or for­ ward swing. Is this correct? A3: Interference must be actual in order for Rule 31-2 to operate. Ball in Tree "Moved" by Player Q4: If player starts to climb a tree to knock his ball down and while the player is in the tree the ball drops to the ground, is he deemed to have caused the ball to move or is it a question of fact as to whether the player’s activities caused the ball to move? It seems to me that there should be a pen­ alty stroke, for, had the ball not dropped to the ground, the player could have done little more than tap the ball to the ground. A4: The player sustains a penalty of one stroke under Rule 27-lc, as the ball must be deemed to have been moved accidentally. Relief from Obstruction When Provisional Ball Has Been Played Q5: Rule 30-3 provides that, if the origi­ nal ball be in a water hazard or lateral water hazard, the original ball may be played as it lies: otherwise further play must be with the provisional. Does as it lies mean that the player is not allowed the relief from an interfering obstruction as is covered under Rule 33-lc in connection with further play of original ball? A5: No; it means he may not drop a ball outside the hazard under a one-stroke pen­ alty as provided for in Rule 33-2 and -3. To permit that would be to give him a third alternative method of procedure. Lateral Water Hazard Rule Q6: (a) The lateral water hazard Rule provides the option of dropping a ball with­ in two club-lengths of the margin of either side of the lateral water hazard opposite the point where the ball last crossed the mar­ gin of the hazard. However, in Def. 14c there appears “*** and so placed that when a ball is dropped within two club­ lengths of where the ball entered the water hazard***”. There is implied here that the distance allowed is where the ball entered the hazard, whereas the Rule itself allows such distance as where the ball last crossed the margin of the hazard. Does the Rule govern (disregarding the Definition) ? (b) We have one hole in San Antonio where the tee is only a foot or so from a canal (lateral water hazard). A ball that is slightly “pushed” actually crosses the margin of the hazard less than ten yards off the tee and remains skyward over the hazard for 175 to 225 yards, when it ac­ tually enters the hazard. My thought as to Rules is to follow them to the letter. Accordingly, would you say that the local committee would be deviating from the prescribed Rules of Golf by adopt­ ing a local rule to the effect that a ball in the lateral water hazard referred to above may be dropped on either side of the hazard opposite the point where the ball entered the hazard? Such would be more workable. A6: (a) The Rule governs; however, these two ways of describing the place where the ball last crossed the hazard mar­ gin are intended to mean the same thing. The Definition is a guide for the committee in defining a lateral water hazard; a water hazard is not a lateral water hazard un­ less the committee so designates it. (b) The local rule would be wrong if it meant that the control point for dropping was the point where the ball physically made contact with the hazard. Such a point would be almost impossible to determine in many cases, especially where the point of contact is in water. It is considered that the most practical control point for dropping is the point where the ball last crosses the hazard mar­ gin, as specified in Rule 33-3b. USGA Journal and Turf Management: September, 1952 23 Playing Ball which Lies Out of Bounds Q7: Until 1952 the play of an out-of- bounds bail was loss of hole in match and disqualification in stroke. The 1952 issue, as to stroke play, merely imposes the gen­ eral penalty: two strokes. The “changes since 1951” in the back of the book make no reference to the change in penalty from disqualification to two strokes. Was it in­ tended that playing an out-of-bounds ball in stroke play incurred only a two-stroke penalty ? If so, if in stroke play a player’s ball is out of bounds and the player lifts and drops his ball due to interference from an ob­ struction or casual water and then plays the ball from out of bounds, would he incur a two-stroke penalty under the out-of-bounds Rule and an additional two-stroke penalty for lifting his ball? The obstruction Rule definitely treats with objects that are with­ in the course, and my thought is that all Rules governing play are for situations that are within the course. Accordingly, what Rule would cover the case of an out of bounds ball that is lifted and dropped and then played from out of bounds in stroke play? Rule 1, stroking the ball the entire dis­ tance, is similar to the out-of-bounds situa­ tion, in that penalty is only two strokes in stroke play now, whereas the Preamble here­ tofore provided disqualification. Is this the way that it was intended? A7: A ball which lies out of bounds is not in play; see Definition 5. In stroke play, if a stroke he played with such a ball, the player is penalized two strokes under Rule 21-3 dealing with play­ ing a wrong ball. If the player then completely fails to put another ball into play as required by Rule 29-1, he has not played the hole (Rule 1) or the stipulated round (Definition 29 and Rule 7-2), and he therefore has no score which can be accepted. See also Rule 21-3. The underlying principles were the same in 1951, when USGA Rule 21(5) provided that the competitor must hole out with his own ball (in play) at every hole under penalty of disqualification. However, the disqualification penalty for violation of USGA Rule 9(1) of 1951 was also appli­ cable to any failure to proceed properly when a ball lay out of bounds; fox* exam­ ple, if another ball were dropped at a place not as near as possible to the spot from which the first ball was played, the penalty was disqualification. Under Rule 29-1 of 1952, the penalty is two strokes; but if the ball be deliberately dropped nearer the hole the player has failed to play the hole and the stipulated round and has no score which can be accepted. Questions by: F. A. Burttschell San Antonio, Tex. Ball on Bridge in Hazard USGA 52-58 D.14-a. 20; R.31, 33-1, 33-2 Q: Player’s ball has come to rest on top of a foot bridge and over a water hazard. QI: If the player is able to take his nor­ mal stance and strike the ball in the direc­ tion of his choice without interference from the bridge, (a) May he play the ball from the bridge without penalty? (b) If so, may he ground his club on the bridge? Al: (a) : Yes. (b) : Yes. Q2: If the player is unable to take his normal stance in order to strike the ball in the direction of his choice, and if the bridge is movable, Rule 31-1 seems to apply and he may first remove the bridge and then, the ball having been moved in so doing, he must drop his ball as near as possible to the spot from which it was moved but not nearer the hole (which in this instance must be in the water hazard immediately below its original resting place on the bridge be­ fore said bridge was removed.) (a) Is this correct? (b) May he take the alternative of con­ sidering his ball in the hazard and proceeding under Rule 33-2a or b? A2: (a) : Yes. (b) : Yes. Q3: If the player is unable to take his normal stance in order to strike the ball in the direction of his choice, and if the bridge is immovable. Rule 31-2 seems to apply, and he may lift his ball and drop it not more than two club-lengths from the spot on the bridge where it originally lay and not nearer the hole. (a) Is this correct? (b) If the bridge is so wide that drop­ ping the ball within two club-lengths from the spot on the bridge where it originally lay will not get the ball off the bridge, may he drop it with­ in two club-lengths from that edge of the bridge nearest to where the ball lay? 24 USGA Journal and Turf Management: September, 1952 (c) If the ball lies so near the end of the bridge that the two club-lengths distance from its original position extends outside the confines of the hazard, is the player permitted to drop his ball within the two club­ lengths area outside the hazard with­ out penalty? (In 1951, Rule 7-4b(ii) stated that such a ball should be placed “in the hazard”. Do the 1952 Rules give the player a “break " in this respect?) A3: (a) : He may drop the ball within two club-lengths of the point of the edge of the bridge nearest which the ball originally lay; the ball must be dropped in the hazard and must come to rest in the hazard. (b) : Yes—see answer 3 (a) above. (c) : No. The ball must be dropped in the hazard and must come to rest in the hazard. See USGA Decision 52-24. "Wall" of Bunker Q4: Please also clarify Rule 33-lb (this has nothing to do with the bridge ques­ tions above). Player’s ball comes to rest in the sand-covered portion of a bunker near the side or back of the bunker. If the sand-covered portion extends up the side or banking of the bunker so steeply that the player cannot take a normal swing without hitting the sand with his club son e distance in back of his ball, does the term “wall” in this Rule include the above-men­ tioned side of the bunker and exempt the player from any penalty under Rule 33? If so, about how far back of the ball does this “wall” have to be in order to avoid having the player accused of grounding his club? A4: Sand in a bunker is part of the hazard and is not a “wall” in the sense contemplated by Rule 33-lb. See Definition 14-a. Touching sand might improve the lie of the ball in the sense that the stroke would be facilitated, and this would violate Rule 33-1. Questions by: William 0. Blaney Boston, Mass. Ball Rolling out of Hazard When Dropped in Hazard USGA 52-59. R. 11-4, 22-1, 27-la, 29-1. QI: A and B playing qualifying round. On the eighth hole, A sliced into sand trap at right of green. The trap had very little sand in it due to recent rains. A played his next stroke out of bounds. In dropping ball in correct manner in sand, A’s ball rolled out of bare sand and away from hole onto edge of fairway. Does this ball have to be redropped or replaced so that it will come to rest in the hazard? Al: Yes. As the ball originally lay with­ in the confines of the hazard, a ball dropped under Rule 29-1 must come to rest within the confines of the same hazard. Otherwise, the player would not be playing his next stroke “as nearly as possible at the spot from which the original ball was played.” The principle of equity (Rule 11-41 would require a player to re-drop without penalty if his ball, when first dropped, rolled out of a hazard and to place his ball if it were impossible to drop it so that it would not roll out of the hazard. Rule 22-1 is based upon the same principle. Stroke Conceded Cannot Be Recalled Q2: A and B are playing a match. A had a putt of about 12 inches for a half, which B gave to him. A accepted putt and then putted ball, missing the hole. B claimed that A putted the ball and missed, thereby losing the hole. A claimed that B gave him the putt and what he did after that did not matter. A2: A was correct. When a stroke has been conceded and the Rules have not been infringed, the concession may not be re­ called. "Dropping" Ball in Tree Q3: A and B are playing C and D in a match-play foursome. On No. 15, A drove a ball which lodged in a tree about eight feet off the ground. A spectator knocked the ball down from the tree. In complying with Rule 27-1, it is impossible to drop in the prescribed manner and have the ball stay in the tree. What is your ruling? A3: The principle of equity (Rule 11-4) would require that the ball be replaced in the tree as near as possible to the spot from which it was moved, without penalty, in order to comply with Rule 27-la in the situation you describe. Rule 22-1 is based upon the same principle. Questions by: Miss Erma A. Johnson- San Gabriel, Cal. USGA Journal and Turf Management: September, 1952 25 Correspondence pertaining to Green Section matters should be addressed to: USGA Green Section, Room 331, Administration Building, Plant Industry Station, Beltsville, Md. West Coast Office: Box 241, Davis, Cal. THE NINE-HOLE GOLF COURSE By FRED V. GRAU Director, USGA Green Section This article is dedicated to the nine- hole golf courses. We shall try to tell what the USGA Green Section and co­ operating agencies have been doing to help these folks who sometimes may feel that we talk entirely too much about “championship courses.” Many of the labor-saving devices, learned the hard way on an 18-hole course by a capable superintendent, are entirely applicable to the nine-hole course. . From 1935 to 1945 I was Extension Agronomist in Pennsylvania. I visited and inspected virtually every golf course in that state during that time, including all of the nine-hole golf courses we could locate. I want to point out some of the procedures which were generally prac­ ticed on nine-hole courses which cost those clubs good money that could have been, and should have been, spent in another direction. In many cases the practices had been ordered by the green committee chairman. Annual Reseeding with Bluegrass The wheelbarrow seeder being pushed over the thin, weedy fairways in the spring when the soil was honey-combed with frost was a common sight on many nine-hole golf courses. The rate of seed­ ing usually was about 50 to 75 pounds of seed to the acre. This was considered not enough, but just so some seed was being used. On 20 acres of fairways this would amount to at least 1,000 pounds of seed. The price of 50 cents a pound at that time brought this up to about $500 worth of seed. I’m quite sure that, if we could examine the records of these nine-hole golf clubs back in 1935 to 1940, we would find that just such expenditures had been made. This money would have bought a lot of fertilizer at that time, at least 12 tons, which would have done far more good than the seed of a grass which wasn’t designed to produce a good fair­ way in the first place. The USGA Green Section has pointed out repeatedly that fertilization of unsat­ isfactory turf is far more effective in developing good turf than more seed. The fertility of the soil in most cases is not able to support the turf plants that are there. To start more plants simply is a drain on the fertilizer supply. 26 USGA Journal and Turf Management: September, 1952 Fertilizer Purchases and Storage I shall never forget my astonishment time after time when I would recommend an adequate fertilizer program for the fairways and the Chairman would say, “Oh, we don’t have enough money for that!” Later on we would go down to the barn and I would see a ton or so of a brand-name fertilizer which at that time was selling at two to three times the price of farm fertilizer of the same chem­ ical analysis. In effect, they could have been using three times the amount of fer­ tilizer at the same cost if they had bought right. This information always has been available from the USGA Green Section. In too many cases the nine-hole courses have not asked for information and gui­ dance from the Green Section. Another thing I often noticed was that fertilizer was stored on or near the ground. The bags had become water- soaked and much of the fertilizer had be­ come caked and virtually useless. It doesn’t take a big budget to store fer­ tilizer properly. Topdressing Many nine-hole golf courses used to topdress their greens once a month with one and one-half to two cubic yards to a green of 3,500 to 4,000 square feet. The topdressing usually was loaded with weed seeds, which necessitated hiring extra help to hand-weed the greens several times a year. The USGA Green Section steadily has advocated less topdressing and repeatedly has directed attention to excellent putting greens that have not had a topdressing in 12 to 15 years. The introduction of superior grasses and the development of better fungicides have been as applicable to nine-hole courses as to 18-hole courses because in both cases the better grasses and the better fungicides have resulted in better turf and at lower cost. Water Watering the greens every night costs nine-hole courses a great deal of money and frequently results in costly loss of turf through shallow roots which could not withstand the severe summer weather. The USGA Green Section has spent thousands of dollars to learn how to water turf properly. This information is avail­ able and applicable to nine-hole courses. Now we are working on combinations of grasses together with aerifying and ade­ quate feeding so that water may be needed only once or twice a month. This is not a fanciful prediction. It is an actual occurrence. Grasses The USGA Green Section and cooperat­ ing agencies have developed a number of superior turf grasses which will help the nine-hole courses produce better turf and at lower cost. Here are just a few of them: U-3 bermudagrass Merion bluegrass Tifton 57 bermudagrass Meyer (Z-52) zoysia Centipedegrass seed Polycross creeping bent seed Polycross creeping red fescues Virtually every important turf grass in the United States is being investigated from the standpoint of improvement for lower-cost turf. For nearly 30 years the USGA Green Section has been working on ways and means to minimize the loss of turf from disease. Better fungicides, better use of water, other management practices, all are designed to help the nine-hole course as well as the other courses. It has been our pleasure to have started a significant trend in the direction of chemical control of weeds in turf through selective means. This trend has reached a point today where no golf course need have any weeds. The fact that weeds can be controlled means that fewer mowings are needed during the year, especially through the fairways and in the roughs. This has meant a significant saving. Better insecticides have been developed, and today no golf course need have its turf eaten up with grubs. How well I re­ call many nine-hole courses throughout Pennsylvania with most of the turf gone at the end of the summer from white grub and Japanese beetle grub attacks! USGA Journal and Turf Management: September, 1952 27 The cost of Chlordane today is insignifi­ cant compared to the cost of re-establish­ ing that turf. Controlling the grubs means also that fewer weeds need to be controlled, because weeds come in only when turf is not solid. Fairway Renovation Occasionally unsatisfactory fairways need to be renovated so that a new and superior turf grass can be established. The work of the USGA Green Section consistently has shown that sodium arse­ nite is one of the most effective and yet one of the cheapest chemicals ever pro­ duced for this purpose. This information is directly applicable to the nine-hole course, where costs mean so much. The USGA Green Section has been working with sodium arsenite for more than 20 years. Golf-course superintendents from 18-hole courses who regularly have at­ tended the conferences and field days are the ones who have learned the most about how to use this very useful chemical. It has been difficult to reach the nine- hole golf course. Too often the superin­ tendent and the green committee chair­ man feel that the conferences don’t meet their problems; therefore, the personnel of the nine-hole course fail to obtain the basic information which would help them to do a better job at lower cost. The per­ sonnel of the USGA Green Section staff never has been, and perhaps never will be, adequate to visit all of the nine-hole courses which are members of the USGA. We should like very much to make such visits, because we realize how much we could help the nine-hole golf courses. Yet we depend largely upon our USGA Journal and upon correspondence. The information which the USGA Green Sec­ tion has is available to all. Everyone who can write a letter or dial the telephone can get the information he wants. AERATION AND OTHER PRACTICES The Mid-Atlantic Association of Golf- Course Superintendents heard, at a sum­ mer meeting, discussions of various topics which we believe will be of interest to all golf-course superintendents. Aeration Charles K. Hallowell, Philadelphia’s representative of the Pennsylvania State College, Division of Agricultural Exten­ sion, emphasized that we should not throw our present fundamental knowledge in soils out the window now that we are being bombarded with advertisements describing miracles accomplished with the new soil conditioners. The need for lime, organic matter, nutrients and good maintenance and management practices is important today and will always be important in growing good turf. Our present knowledge in soils is the amassed thought and experience of innumerable minds. This knowledge is not passed off lightly by wise turf men. Mr. Hallowell spoke of Dr. Alderfer’s work at Penn State. Dr. Alderfer regards a good soil as one made up of approxi­ mately 25 per cent air, 25 per cent water and 50 per cent solids (sand, soil, organic matter). A good soil takes in approxi­ mately one inch of rainfall or more per hour while a poor soil will take in approx­ imately .5 inches per hour or less. It is important not only to get water into soils but also important, in many instances, to get water out of soils. This is also true of air. When air circulation is poor, grass roots, like any other living organrama, are in danger of suffocation. Movement of water and air are the im­ portant factors. If water or air become static, then you have a poor or trouble­ some condition. Aerification aids in water and air movement. Mr. Hallowell stated that this past spring was unlike any he had previously experienced. As we all know it was one of the wettest seasons on record, and many of the poorly drained golf courses encountered difficulties. The usual heavy 28 USGA Journal and Turf Management: September, 1952 week-end play intensified soil compaction of many putting-green surfaces. Too, grass root systems were shallow as a re­ sult of the continuous rains. Usually we encounter moderately dry weather in May which is beneficial to turf as root systems go down. This was not true this year, and when we experienced a few consecu­ tive dry, hot days in June, the shallow- rooted grasses weren’t able to take it. Turf areas which were predominantly Poa Trivialis and Poa annua looked beautiful in May but sad in June. Aerated turfs, where air and water movement were good, came through these adverse condi­ tions in far better shape than unaerated turf. Mr. Hallowell cited Alex Strachan’s re­ cent experience with regard to water utilization. Alex was informed that the water on his course was to be shut off at certain hours each day; therefore, he aerified his greens prior to watering and concluded that the amount of water he formerly applied under normal circum­ stances was excessive. Aerification allows for more uniform placement of water, decreases run-off, cuts down on water bills and makes possible more judicious use of water. Mr. Hallowell spoke of a recent Phil­ adelphia meeting of golf course superin­ tendents at which the members discussed at length the subject of getting greens into shape for the hot summer months. The discussion revolved about aeration which points up the fact that when things get tough, regardless of season, the super­ intendent includes aeration in conjunction with other management practices to help him through. Aeration is as good a prac­ tice as any we have when we are in trouble. Aeration is here to stay. Mr. Hallowell showed several interest­ ing slides of aeration results and prac­ tices, with emphasis on the ever-important fundamentals in soils and turf culture. These included slides showing thin root growth resulting from aerating with the hollow-tine fork as compared with the dense root growth resulting from sub- COMING EVENTS September 24: Field Day. Greater Cincinnati Golfers League and Cincinnati Golf Course Superintendents. Taylor Boyd. October 6-7: Turf Conference, University of Cali­ fornia, Los Angeles, Cal. Sam Houston. October 9-10: Turf Conference, University of Cali­ fornia, Berkeley, Cal. John J. McElroy. October 13-14: Turf Conference, Washington State College, Pullman, Wash. Alvin G. Law. October 20-21: Turf Conference, Oklahoma A. & M. College, Stillwater, Okla. Jack R. Harlan. October 22-24: Third Turf Conference, Central Plains Turf Foundation and Kansas State College, Manhattan, Kan. William F. Pickett and L. E. Lambert. November 17-21: American Society of Agronomy Meetings, Netherland Plaza Hotel, Cincinnati, Ohio. L. G. Monthy. December 1-3: Texas Turf Conference, Texas A. & M. College, College Station, Texas. James R. Watson. surface cultivation with the half-tine spoons and several slides showing severe matting conditions on bentgrass turf. Many superintendents report less dis­ ease incidence when the matted condition is relieved. Whether this is due entirely to aeration, they cannot say, but certainly it is a factor. Aerification also makes for more resilient greens, thereby enabling the golfer to pitch to the green with more accuracy and assurance. Shale soils also will compact if layered, and in such cases aeration is needed even on such light soils. A matted condition is dangerous, whether it be on tee, fairway or green. A bad break in weather may cause matted turf to go out. This happened at Wilshire Country Club, Los Angeles. Several golf courses open late in the season, and turf (creeping bents and fescues, especially) mowed infrequently in early season tend to mat excessively. The numerous clip­ pings decompose slowly and result in thatch build-up. Slides of compacted areas on aprons and fairways showed machinery tracks plainly visible. These worn-out areas were in need of more aerification. Another slide compared the healing ability of dif­ USGA Journal and Turf Management: September, 1952 29 ferent strains of bentgrass after aerifica­ tion. If the grass is a type which doesn’t heal rapidly, timing of aerification is very important from the playability and es­ thetic viewpoints. Other slides emphasized that aeration fits into the home-lawn pic­ ture, too. Aeration equipment which cul­ tivates beneath the surface is especially valuable for seedbed preparation in estab­ lished turf. Several aerifications, followed by dragging, result in innumerable cavi­ ties with loose, friable soil, and this is an ideal seedbed. Some manufacturers make small models to fit the home owner’s pocket-book. In some cities also, land­ scape men are doing custom aerifying for home owners. Mr. Hallowell presented slides showing some of the results of work done at Penn State by Prof. Musser, Jim Watson and Jack Harper. Penn State statistics show less water run off and 56.9 per cent more phosphorous penetration in aerified areas, compared with non-aerified plots. Also, with regard to root penetration, the weight of roots in the four-inch layer of 5,000 square feet of turf increased 7.7 per cent in aerated plots over non-aerated plots. In closing, Mr. Hallowell stressed the benefits of aerification: Movement of water and air are extremely important results of aerification; without air move­ ment, there is little or no water movement. Efficient placement of moisture and nutri­ ents, deeper root systems, more resilient turf, reduction in the amount of water necessary and excellent seedbed prep­ aration in fallow or established turf areas are other benefits. Greens Sub-surface and surface drainage for every putting green area was recom­ mended. Use improved strains of bent­ grass such as the C-l and C-19 if stoloniz- ing, the polycross creeping bentgrass if seeding. If greens must be built up, slope them gently so that fairway power equip­ ment can be used to the maximum. For the approach aprons, the Dahlgren C-l 15 strain of creeping bentgrass might well be given serious consideration. Tees In the reconstruction of tees, a good point to keep in mind is that large tees maintained with fairway mowing units are preferable to small, abruptly sloping tees requiring hand maintenance. For the open, sunny tees U-3 Bermudagrass is recommended, while for the shady tees a combination turf of Merion (B-27) blue­ grass and Meyer (Z-52) zoysia would be preferable. Dahlgren bent should be given a thorough trial on shady tees. Fairways In renovating fairways, it is advisable to spray with herbicides prior to over­ seeding. The one-pound rate of sodium arsenite can be used to good advantage if applied at weekly intervals two to three weeks prior to reseeding. Thorough aeri­ fication and dragging prior to seeding would insure uniformity of stand. Give serious consideration to the improved strains of turf grasses in this renovating program. The seed mixture recommended was 35 per cent Merion (B-27) bluegrass; 30 per cent creeping red fescue, such as Illahee, Trinity, or Oregon creeper; 30 per cent Chewing’s Penn State Blend and 5 per cent Highland bentgrass. Meyer (Z-52) zoysia plugs or plugs of any of the other zoysias should then be inserted into all fairways as time and the labor situation allow. Turf Nursery A good turf nursery is one of the most valuable assets on any golf course. The time and expense involved in setting up a sizable nursery area is negligible when compared with the benefits derived in good turf. Large plots of combination Merion (B-27) bluegrass and Meyer (Z-52) zoysia, U-3 bermudagrass, Dahl­ gren (C-l 15) creeping bentgrass, Arling­ ton C-l and Congressional C-19 creeping bentgrass, and Meyer or any of the other 30 USGA Journal and Turf Management: September, 1952 zoysias would pay handsome turf-insur­ ance dividends. The initial plantings need not be large, but steady increase of each of these selections could be made on a long-range program basis. The Management of Grass Around Trees With Fuel Oil By R. WILLIAMS and E. STATEN Beverly Country Club, Chicago, III. A method of managing grass around trees was devised to eliminate laborious hand or power cutting. An area ap­ proximately 18 inches wide around each tree was sprayed with fuel oil. This left a mat of dead turf. The fuel oil was applied with a three- gallon sprayer mounted on a caddie cart for ease of movement. Approximately 20 seconds were required to spray around each tree. It took approximately 32 hours of labor and 50 gallons of fuel oil to complete the job for the entire course. It is estimated that we have 3,000 to 4,000 trees. Two applications were made, the first in May and the second in August. The second application was necessary because of the re-growth of some of the grass and the germination of some annual weeds. The trees and the rough looked well groomed practically all season, and the area around the trees was very suitable for hitting a controlled golf shot. This method saved many hours of labor and the results were considered superior. TURF MANAGEMENT Worth-while discussions of the problems con­ fronting Green Committee Chairmen are con­ tained in TURF MANAGEMENT, a book sponsored by the United States Golf Association. This volume was edited by H. Burton Musser and published by the McGraw-Hill Book Co., Inc. It is available through the USGA, 40 East 38th Street, New SOURCES OF MERION SEED The USGA Green Section cannot furn­ ish a list of all suppliers of Merion blue­ grass seed (and other turf seeds), but we wish to invite the attention of USGA Journal readers to our list of Green Sec­ tion Service Subscribers. This list will be made available to all readers who send a stamped, addressed envelope with their request to the USGA Green Section, Plant Industry Station, Beltsville, Md. Somewhere in the list of Green Section Service Subscribers there will be a dealer near you who will be in a more favorable position to furnish seeds of improved turf grasses than firms not affiliated with the Green Section. We suggest that our sub­ scribers be given a chance to supply you. Through their subscriptions ($35 a year) they help to build our Education Fund which enables us to develop and support cooperative turf research over the United States. Results of the Merion bluegrass sur­ vey have been tabulated. Mimeographed .copies will be sent upon receipt of re­ quests accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Requests should be directed to the USGA Green Section, Plant Industry Station, Beltsville, Md. QUESTION AND ANSWER Q. Our putting greens are gone, not a blade of grass left but goosegrass and crabgrass. Our Poa annua fairways that were beautiful last spring are now brown and bare. We have no nursery. We have fired the greenkeeper. What should we do now? (New York) A. Rehire your greenkeeper at a higher salary (if he will come back). Start planting a nursery of improved grasses. Don’t let the golfers tell the green­ keeper to pour on more water. That is probably what ruined the turf. Have the pro teach the golfers how York 16, N. Y.; the USGA Green Section, Room to play shots to firm greens. 331, Administration Building, Plant Industry Sta­ tion, Beltsville, Md., and bookstores generally. The price is $6. Visit other clubs to see how they handle their problem. Yours is not an isolated case. USGA Journal and Turf Management: September, 1952 31 NOTES ON SOIL COMPACTION In the spring of 1952, Charles Danner, of the Richland Country Club, Nashville, Tenn., submitted several cup-cutter plugs of soil and turf from one of his bent putting greens. This green had been built according to carefully drawn specifi­ cations, using sand and soil which had been approved by several individuals. In the process of construction a Rototiller was used to mix the material. A year or two after the green was in play it was noticed that the surface became very hard and compact, and water penetrated with difficulty. The samples were analyzed by Dr. V. J. Kilmer, Soil Management and Irrigation, Bureau of Plant Industry, De­ partment of Agriculture. Here are the results as submitted through the USGA Green Section to Mr. Danner. Mechanical Analysis Surface Subsurface Very coarse sand Coarse sand Medium sand Fine sand Very fine sand Silt Cliay 10.9 32.8 23.3 11.0 1.8 12.2 8.0 12.1 21.9 37.7 13.5 0.9 8.7 5.2 International Classification Fraction Diameter 2.0 - 0.2 0.2 - 0.02 0.2 - 0.002 Less than 0.002 I II 111 IV Surface Subsurface 74.7 10.0 7.3 8.0 82.3 6.8 5.7 5.2 Our interpretation :is that the higher content of very fine sand, silt and clay in the surface layer is enough to give you the compaction effect. This evidence further condemns the Rototiller as an implement for preparing a seedbed for putting greens. It is apparent that the particles of different sizes were redistrib­ uted by the effects of the Rototiller action, action. The composition of the soil mixture in the subsurface is nearly ideal from every standpoint. The mass of bent roots in the subsurface soil was one of the heaviest I have ever seen. It would appear that, in order to cor­ rect this condition, frequent aerifying must be resorted to. This will be es­ sential to encourage the roots to grow through the compacted layer so that they can work in the uncompacted subsurface zone. In time we would expect that the compacted layer may disappear with con­ stant aerifying but this will take several years. QUESTION AND ANSWER Q: My home is in a suburb. I’m going to plant a new lawn and I’m very much interested in the new grasses you have developed. I would like to have a perfect lawn with a minimum of care, capable of taking the punishment of four young children. Should I gamble on these new grasses or should I stay with a seed known to be successful in this area? If so what is it? The local landscapers say Kentucky bluegrass. I won’t have it. When I most want a lawn for croquet, badminton, etc. during the vacation per­ iod, the bluegrass is brown, dormant and thin. A: We would urge you to give the new improved grasses a thorough trial. We are all too aware of the failure of blue­ grass to produce the kind of turf that most people want during the season when they want to use their lawns for various purposes. We have been urging people to use more of the warm-season grasses, such as bermuda and zoysia, because these grasses are at their best when people want to use their lawns. The U-3 bermuda may not be as successful in your area as the Meyer zoysia. Enclosed you will find a list of suppliers of the improved warm­ season grasses. We have named no sup­ pliers of Merion bluegrass because you will get this seed from your local seed dealer. 32 USGA Journal and Turf Management: September, 1952 BETTER LAWNS TO COME By FRED V. GRAU Director, USGA Green Section -........... . ft Are you proud of your lawn or has crabgrass taken over in spite of all you have done? Are you about ready to give up, or do you have enough faith to give it another try? Don’t give up just because your lawn is a failure this year. There is hope ahead for the millions of home gardeners who desperately want a good lawn that is easy to keep, requires minimum care, will stand the maximum of wear and tear, will still look good the year around and will battle crabgrass to a standstill. Yes, it sounds like Utopia. We are confident that you can have this kind of a lawn which we have just described. It will not come quickly and it will not be easy. It will require patience and labor on your part, but we are confident that the results will justify the means. For more than 30 years the USGA Green Section has been studying the causes of poor turf on its golf courses all over the United States. We have been experimenting on ways of developing better turf for better golf. Great progress has been made. The summer of 1952 has brought out most of the weaknesses of all kinds of turf. The year of 1952 long will be remembered in many areas as the worst crabgrass year in history. Now the USGA Green Section, through the USGA Journal, brings to you a blow-by-blow account of the battle with crabgrass and some of its findings in the direction of better lawns for the millions of golfers who play upon the courses of USGA Member Clubs. Also, we intend to reveal some of the reasons why we have crabgrass and some of the things that we can do about it. Lawns are Universal In all articles on lawns there is a tendency to dwell more heavily upon cer­ tain regions. This largely is the result of the experience of the various writers. We shall try sincerely to discuss lawn problems on the broadest possible basis, discussing principles more than specific individual problems. It is a big job to try to cover all lawn problems over the United States, but it becomes easier if we realize that certain basic principles govern all lawns and certainly all turf failures. A good lawn can do several things. It raises property values. It helps the house­ wife to keep the home clean. It provides a safe, clean playground for the children. It protects the soil and helps to control erosion. Certainly a good lawn increases pride of ownership, and when it is at­ tractive, it will rate many admiring glances. Why Are So Many Lawns Failures? The principal reason why so many lawns turn out to be failures and end up in nothing much but weed growth is because the grasses that have been planted are not adapted to the conditions under which they are expected to grow. Now, let’s analyze that statement and see what is behind it. In the first place not all homeowners manage the grasses that they plant in the way those particular grasses should be managed. Let’s say that you planted common bluegrass. Let’s go a step further and say that you want your lawn cut rather short so that it will be attractive. Im­ mediately you see that the grass you planted is not adapted to the conditions under which it is supposed to grow. Common bluegrass will not tolerate close cutting. Also, it is extremely susceptible USGA Journal and Turf Management: September, 1952 33 to leafspot, which opens it to crabgrass invasion. Therefore, some other grass should have been selected in order to permit you to have a lawn that can be mowed closely. Bentgrass can be mowed closely. How­ ever. during the heat of the season when diseases are rampant, as they have been this year, bentgrasses practically pass out of the picture unless they are very ex­ pertly handled. Even some of the most expert golf-course superintendents lost a lot of bentgrass this year because it was impossible to protect it from the diseases that attacked. Therefore, bentgrasses are rather difficult for the home gardener to grow successfully. Those who recommend bentgrasses in lawn mixtures must be prepared to tell the homeowner how to hold them through the bad spells of weather or be prepared to replace them wifh something better. In the northeastern part of the nation, and particularly in the northern half of the country, mixtures of bluegrass, fes­ cues and bents have been popular for many years. This year a great many lawns seeded to this kind of a mixture have given way to crabgrass. This is pri­ marily because all of those grasses were susceptible to diseases that hit this sum­ mer. and they were not able to take it. If one takes a look at the southern part of the United States, where bermudagrass, zoysia, centipedegrass, St. Augustinegrass and other warm-season grasses hold sway, we see a somewhat different picture. True, crabgrass and other weeds also plague this kind of turf, but by and large, the reasons for turf failure in the southern states is largely one of fertilization. Starved turf cannot compete with weeds. This, in a measure, is true among the cool-season grasses also but not quite to the same extent because diseases are much more of a factor among the cool-season grasses such as bluegrass, fescues and bentgrasses. Without adequate fertilization grasses are not able to maintain vigor and sturdy growth and become thick enough to choke out the weeds. Actually, weeds can be driven out of turf simply through com­ petition if the grasses forming the turf are properly adapted to their environ­ ment and are able to utilize fertilizer and develop high turf density. There is no point in attempting to out­ line fertilization practices for every area of the United States because that would be utterly impossible in an article such as this. There is one source of information to whom every home gardener can turn, and that is the County Agent. Nearly every county in the United States has a County Agent whose business it is to have or to develop information for the tax­ payers in his county, regardless of their problem, so long as it is in the agricul­ tural field. True, your County Agent may not have the answers to your particular problems, but he is the representative of the experiment station and can either get the answers for you or can refer you to one of the specialists at the col­ lege who does have the answers. The USGA Green Section cooperates with over half of the state experiment stations in the United States in the matter of developing sound turf information. We can help the home gardeners most by working on a technical basis through the state experiment stations, which serve all of the taxpayers in the state. It has been our pleasure to distribute our improved turf grasses to all of the state experiment stations that have set up turf research programs. That is our contribution to the lawn problems of the United States, in addition to developing answers to the golf-course turf problems. Watering the Lawn The USGA Green Section has spent many thousands of dollars to learn how to water turf properly. The way in which we can sum up many years of work on this problem is to say, “Water only suf­ ficiently to keep the grass alive.” We know, of course, that a great deal of turf is overwatered. In fact, we have made 34 USGA Journal and Turf Management: September, 1952 this statement many times, and we shall use it again many times in the future: “The greatest enemy of good turf is water.” By that we mean that good turf needs a limited amount of water, and more than that only invites weeds and failure. Now, if more water is used than the present grasses can utilize, it is only natural that the weeds and crabgrass will take advantage of the water. Therefore, watering during the heat of the summer when the grasses, such as bluegrass and fescue and bent, tend to be dormant only invites trouble. It would be far better to limit the use of water during that period. Certainly, water tends to help diseases to develop. Diseases can develop only in the presence of adequate mois­ ture. Therefore, to limit the amount of water applied to the lawn also helps to reduce diseases. Watering to encourage crabgrass is favored by some because they say, “At least the crabgrass is green.” They say that while it is green but they forget momentarily that it is going to be brown and dead after the first frost and nothing but mud will result until the crabgrass grows again the following spring. What we are really looking for is a type of perennial crabgrass that will not die out each year when the frost comes but will stay as a perfectly solid, dense turf year in and year out. Crabgrass Killers There are a number of good crabgrass killers on the market. Before you decide to go into large-scale use of crabgrass killers, ask yourself, “What am I going to plant in order to keep the crabgrass out in the years to come?” Certainly, you can eradicate the crabgrass with al­ most any of the materials now on the market, but this will not prevent crab­ grass from coming back in another year. We are looking for the kind of turf that we can establish after using a crabgrass killer, which then will give us protection against crabgrass in the future. Here is just a word or two about some of the crabgrass killers. The preparations containing potassium cyanate are given a very high rating from the standpoint of effectiveness and safety. They are less likely to damage the turf grasses and the operators than some of the other products. Materials containing mercury are most effective in the early part of the season before the crabgrass has germinated or while it is germinating. We have had a number of reports that it is advisable, according to our present knowledge, to limit the application of crabgrass killers containing mercury where Merion blue­ grass has been used or is intended to be used. We do not know all of the answers behind this warning, but they have come to us from so many sources that we can no longer ignore the warning. Sodium arsenite is an effective crabgrass killer but not in the hands of the amateur home gardener. It is material to be used only by the professional superintendent. In our work we have found that as the sea­ son progresses and crabgrass approaches maturity and starts to throw seedheads, then potassium cyanate is most effective. It is effective in not only killing the plant but also in preventing seed production, and this is a vital point in preventing crabgrass in future years. Seed Mixtures Before you go to buy a seed mixture to replant in your lawn where you have removed crabgrass by one means or another, ask your dealer, “How effective is this mixture going to be in preventing crabgrass next year?” This question must be asked of every dealer in the country because there is little use in planting the same kind of grass that has resulted in failure in the past. Here, again, we must draw heavily upon the experience and results of each individual experiment station, especially those that have well-established turf research pro­ grams. As the improved turf grasses are developed further, more and more the home gardener will come to use only the improved turf grasses because they have USGA Journal and Turf Management: September, 1952 35 Plugs of Meyer (Z-52) zoysia being prepared for planting in bluegrass lawn at the Plant Industry Station, Beltsville, Md. Sod was cut into two-inch squares with an edger. Plugs were molded and spot-sodded into aerator holes at 24-inch intervals. a greater ability to fight crabgrass than the common types of grasses that have been used for turf in the past. Improved Turf Grasses Let’s take a look at some of the im­ proved turf grasses and see where we stand. There is not going to be enough of any of the improved turf grasses to satisfy every home gardener in the United States. Those who read the USGA Journal and other magazines carrying the accounts of improved turf grasses naturally will be the first to use these im­ proved turf grasses. Research sponsored and encouraged by the USGA Green Section at the South­ eastern Turf Research Center at Tifton, Ga., under the direction of Dr. G. W. Burton, brings out the fact that there are a number of improved turf grasses for the south and southeast. One of them is Tifton 57 bermuda. This disease-resistant and drought-resistant improved bermuda is excellent for lawns, golf-course tees and fairways and similar turf areas. It is not recommended today for putting greens. Zoysia matrella and improved strains of Zoysia japonica are extremely popular in the southeast by virtue of the fact that they are able to develop good looking lawns at a low level of maintenance and with very little irrigation. A number of nurseries in the southeast sell sod of Zoy­ sia matrella and improved strains of Zoy­ sia japonica for home-gardener consump­ tion. Sources of supply of these grasses always are available at the USGA Green Section, Plant Industry Station, Beltsville, Md., upon receipt of a request for such a list accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Another turf grass for the southeast that is gaining in popularity, especially for city lawns, is centipedegrass. Centi­ 36 USGA Journal and Turf Management: September, 1952 pedegrass can be planted either as sprigs or as seed. Bitter blue St. Augustine is one of the better turf grasses, especially for the shade, along the Gulf Coast states, by virtue of its resistance to chinch bug. This by no means exhausts the list of improved turf grasses for the south and southeast, but at least it will give home­ owners in that area something to start on. For the northeast there are several im­ proved turf grasses. Among the cool­ season group we have Merion bluegrass, still in extremely short supply and bring­ ing an exorbitantly high price. We shall not encourage home gardeners to seed down entire lawns to Merion bluegrass, because the high price at the present time seems to be unjustified. But we do en­ courage homeowners to get a small quan­ tity to plant on a small area to test it for adaptation under their conditions. Meyer (Z-52) zoysia is an improved type of Zoysia japonica which has been reported in the USGA Journal and other magazines and is available on the market to turf lovers all over the United States. It is widely adapted from New England to Miami and from Southern California practically to the Canadian border, ex­ cept in the Pacific Northwest. It does not seem to do well there. Sources of supply of this grass and others will be available at this office upon receipt of a self-addressed, stamped envelope. U-3 bermudagrass is another improved turf grass which is finding favor on many lawns especially in the South Central Plains and in Southern California, in Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri and sur­ rounding territories, U-3 bermudagrass is outstanding in its performance. Properly maintained and fertilized U-3 bermuda­ grass lawns are free of crabgrass. The same thing is true of Meyer zoysia. Properly fertilized and with no irrigation some turf nurseries have guaranteed Meyer zoysia lawns to develop free of crabgrass. I doubt if this has ever been done before with any other turf grass. The creeping red fescues and Chewings red fescues now on the market are con­ sidered to be standard forms of fescues. They are not sufficiently improved to say that they will be highly successful in fighting crabgrass. Some of them are better than common types of fescues, but through research new fescues are being developed and soon will be on the market. By the same token, there are no improved bentgrasses on the market that are par­ ticularly suitable for home lawns. Topsoil The term “topsoil” is a sort of myth in which a great many homeowners be­ lieve. In the USGA Green Section we have been able to develop turf on raw subsoil which is superior to most of the turf developed on so-called “topsoil.” What we are trying to say is that with the proper turf grasses adapted to the conditions, properly fertilized and watered, only the minimum topsoil, as such, is required. The best grasses will grow on practically any type of soil that is handy, even the kinds of soil that come from sub-basements. This is rather a drastic statement in face of all of the recommendations for six inches or more of rich topsoil, which, if you will examine the record, has not in any way helped to keep a lawn free of crabgrass. The basis of good turf is an adapted grass properly managed. The manage­ ment of most lawns has not been too bad. However, there is a tremendous need for a more foolproof turf grass that will give the homeowner the kind of a lawn he wants without constant care such as the golf-course superintendent must give his golf course. We believe that that day is not too far distant. Already, through our research, we have developed fertilizers that are nearly foolproof. When the bet­ ter grasses and the better fertilizers are brought together in an intelligent manner and given the minimum quantity of water necessary to keep the grass alive, then and only then will we begin to achieve success in the face of the constantly grow­ ing threat of crabgrass. USGA Journal and Turf Management: September, 1952 37 IT’S YOUR HONOR Re the Public Links To the USGA: The Miami Country Club was host at your 27th Amateur Public Links Cham­ pionship. I am writing you this letter in behalf of our club to express our pleasure in entertaining this tournament. It is my understanding that this was the first time that it has been held at a private club. As you know, Miami Country Club is a private club and is one of the old­ est private clubs in the United States. The selection of our club for this tournament was a departure from your custom of having the tournament on a public links. It was a departure upon our part to accept such a tournament, and I am happy to report that not only do we not have any regrets in enter­ taining this tournament but that the tournament was an inspiration to the Board of Governors and to the member­ ship as a whole, as we have never en­ tertained a more appreciative group of gentlemen and sportsmen. At this time our club would like to go on record as expressing our appre­ ciation for the honor of entertaining this representative group of golfers and to recommend to any private course in the United States the Amateur Public Links Championship. Edward P. White, President Miami Country Club Miami, Fla. A Caddie Strike To the Nassau Daily Review Star Rockville Centre, N. Y. You had a story about the golf cad­ dies at Woodmere going on strike for more money. In the first place the labor laws govern the age and the rate of pay of a caddie. “Someone” is striving to organize caddies. On the surface this seems a trifling matter, but here we have healthy boys coming under the influence of “someone” who is going to try and teach them that they can strike for more money than some of them deserve. These boys are too young to learn uneconomic tactics. Let’s get down to cases. I play golf, about 125 rounds a year, and at $3 per-round caddie fees, I pay $375. A caddie earns double for carry­ ing two bags, and he gets $6 in the morning and $6 in the afternoon, or $12 per day on Saturday and Sunday. Counting holidays and weekday caddy­ ing he earns about $2,500 a year. At our club, Seawane Harbor, 16,000 rounds of golf are played each year. At $3 per round this is a $48,000 in­ come to the boys of the neighborhood. In addition, caddies are allowed to play golf free on Mondays the year ’round. Also, the golf teams of the nearby high schools are allowed to play on Mondays, and they are not caddies. This is done as a courtesy to high school boys. Here is another aspect of the caddie situation. The members (and their wives) are usually successful in busi­ ness. or as owners of their own busi­ nesses are in positions where new help can be hired. Members observe atten­ tive boys and help them. Some smart and polite boys are given employment in members’ firms. Caddies therefore get a start in business that could not be otherwise obtained. So, you see, there is more than just news to a caddie strike. I think your paper should view it as a bad influence and as an important community dis­ aster. Gilbert C. Tompkins New York, N. Y. Editor's Note: The USGA Journal invites comments on matters relating to the welfare of the game and will publish them as space permits. USGA OFFICERS, EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AND COMMITTEE CHAIRMEN PRESIDENT Totten P. Heffetfinger, Minneapolis, Minn. VICE-PRESIDENTS Isaac B. Grainger, New York, N. Y. Richard S. Tufts, Pinehurst, N. C. SECRETARY John D. Ames, Chicago, III. TREASURER James W. Walker, New York, N. Y. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE The above officers and: J. Frederic Byers, Jr., Pittsburgh, Pa. William P. Castleman, Jr., Dallas, Texas John G. Clock, Long Beach, Cal. Frederick L. Dold, Wichita, Kansas John W. Fischer, Cincinnati, Ohio T. R. Garlington, Atlanta, Ga. Charles B. Grace, Philadelphia, Pa. Lewis A. Lapham, New York, N. Y. Charles L. Peirson, Boston, Mass. Corydon Wagner, Tacoma, Wash. GENERAL COUNSEL Fraser M. Horn, New York, N. Y. COMMITTEE CHAIRMEN RULES OF GOLF: Isaac B. Grainger, New York, N. Y. CHAMPIONSHIP: John D. Ames, Chicago, III. AMATEUR STATUS AND CONDUCT: James W. Walker, New York, N. Y. IMPLEMENTS AND BALL: Charles B. Grace, Philadelphia, Pa. MEMBERSHIP: Lewis A. Lapham, New York, N. Y. GREEN SECTION: Richard S. Tufts, Pinehurst, N. C. WOMEN'S: Mrs. Frank Goldthwaite, Fort Worth, Texas SECTIONAL AFFAIRS: Charles L. Peirson, Boston, Mass. PUBLIC LINKS: Frederick L. Dold, Wichita, Kansas HANDICAP: William O. Blaney, Boston, Mass. JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP: Richard S. Tufts, Pinehurst, N. C. GIRLS' JUNIOR: Mrs. William R. Millar, Los Angeles, Cal. MUSEUM: James W. Walker, New York, N. Y. INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS: Charles W. Littlefield, New York, N. Y. PUBLIC RELATIONS: John D. Ames, Chicago, III. "GOLF HOUSE" FUND: Daniel A. Freeman, Jr., New York, N. Y. USGA HEADQUARTERS "Golf House" 40 East 38th Street New York 16, N. Y. Joseph C. Dey, Jr., Executive Director John P. English, Assistant Executive Director USGA GREEN SECTION USGA GREEN SECTION Room 331 Administration Building Plant Industry Station Beltsville, Md. Dr. Fred V. Grau, Director USGA GREEN SECTION WEST COAST OFFICE Box 241 Davis, Cal. Charles G. Wilson, Regional Director