r s i; i joi in il AND TURF MANAGEMENT SOME POINTERS FOR THE JUNIORS A clinic conducted by Ben Hogan before the Junior Amateur Championship at Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind., was greeted with an enthusiastic interest which richly rewarded Ben for the donation of his time and services. SEPTEMBER 1955 I'SfiA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT Published by the United States Coif Association Permission to reprint articles herein is freely granted {unless specifically noted otherwise) provided credit is given to the USGA Journal VOL. VIII, No. 5 SEPTEMBER, 1955 Through the Green________________________________________________________ Miss Lesser’s Reactions Under Adversity_____________________ Joseph C. Dey, Jr. The Country Club’s Restaurant Problem ______________ ______________________ The Would-Be Pro In Every Game__________________________ Martin C. Higgins When Is A Senior Really Old?______ _________________________ Frank C. True Will Calcuttas Eventually Let Scandal Infest Golf?__________________ Bob Russell Westerners Again Dominate Junior ___________________________ John P. English Do You Know Your Golf? ________________________________________________ My Most Memorable Experience _________________________ Richard D. Chapman “Golf House” Fund __________________ ___________________________________ The Girls’ Junior Goes To the Northwest, Too _______________________________ The Referee: Decision By the Rules of Golf Committees ________________________ Turf Management: USGA Green Section Mister Chairman ______________________________ .....Marvin H. Ferguson Factors Limiting Growth Of Turf Grasses________________ Glenn W. Burton It’s Your Honor: Letters __________________________________________________ 1 5 8 10 12 13 14 16 17 18 19 21 25 29 33 Published seven times a year in February, April, June, July, August, September and November by the UNITED STATES GOLF ASSOCIATION 40 EAST 38th ST., NEW YORK 16, N. Y. Subscription: $2 a year. Single copies: 30c. Subscriptions, articles, photographs, and correspondence should be sent to the above address. Entered as Second-class Matter March 3, 1950, at the Post Office at New York, N. Y., under the Act of March 8, 1879. Edited by Joseph C. Dey, Jr., and John P. English. Managing Editor: Frank C. True. AU articles voluntarily contributed. USGA COMPETITIONS FOR 1956 International Matches CURTIS CUP—June 8 and 9 at Prince’s Golf Club, Sandwich, England. Women’s amateur teams: British Isles vs. United States. AMERICAS CUP—in Mexico, dates and place to be fixed. Men’s amateur teams: Canada vs. Mexico vs. United States. Championship Open Amateur Public Links Women's Open Championships Entries Close May 18 Sectional Qualifying Rounds June 4 *June 1 fjune 17-23 July 13 None C hampionship Dates_______ June 14-15-16 Team: July 7 Indiv: July 9-14 July 26-27-28 Junior Amateur July 6 July 24 Aug. 8-11 Senior Amateur July 20 Aug. 7 Aug. 20-25 Venue Oak Hill C. C„ Rochester, N. Y. Harding Park G. C., San Francisco, Cal. Northland C. C., Duluth, Minn. Taconic G. C., Williams College, Williamstown, Mass. Somerset C. C., St. Paul, Minn. Aug. 10 None Aug. 27-31 Heather Downs C. C., Girls' Junior Amateur Aug. 10 Aug. 28 Sept. 10-15 Women's Amateur Aug. 31 None Sept. 17-22 * Entries close with Sectional Qualifying Chairmen, f Exact date in each Section to be fixed by Sectional Chairmen. (Dates entries close mean last dates Amateur Public Links Championship.) Toledo, Ohio Knolllwood C. Lake Forest, Ill. Meridian Hills C. C., Indianapolis, Ind. for applications to reach USGA office., except in the case of the The Latest Entry, The Newest Reason Many are the reasons which accompany late entries for USGA Championships. The latest for the Amateur Championship this year was supported by this bit of testi­ mony: 'As I was just married and came back from our honeymoon yesterday, I did not know till then that the entries were to be in by the 12th.” We’re all in favor of romance, so we simply declined the entry and let the bride­ groom go on with his dreams. Record Qualifying Score The 66-66—132 which Hillman Rob­ bins, Jr., scored at the Colonial Country Club, Memphis, Tenn., in sectional quali­ fying for this year’s Amateur Champion­ ship is an all-time record. The 1954 col­ legiate champion, playing his home course, led his field by nine strokes. The previous low for sectional qualifying for the Ama­ teur was 134, and the honor was shared by three players: In 1938, Roger Kelly did 66-68—134 at the North Course of the Los Angeles Coun­ try Club, in California, and Ven Savage of Magna, Utah, made 69-65—134 at The Country Club, in Salt Lake City. Their feats were not equalled until 1951, when Capt. Frederick G. Moseley made 67-67— 134 at Brae-Burn Country Club, in Hous­ ton, Texas. Clubs of Champions The USGA Museum’s collection of Clubs of Champions in "Golf House” con­ tinues to increase. Four more clubs have been received recently. Among the new arrivals is a putter used by Mrs. H. Lindley Johnson (the former Miss Pauline Mackay), of Nantucket, Mass., in winning the Women’s Amateur Championship of 1905. The club, a blade putter with a brass head, has an unusually thick grip. In winning the title that year, Mrs. Johnson defeated Miss Margaret Cur­ tis, of Manchester, Mass., 1 up in the final. In recalling the match, Miss Curtis writes: "I had her 3 down at the turn, then she came on a little, I slipped a little and she beat me on the 18 th. Pauline was an ex­ tremely effective putter. I think she used the croquet stroke.” The putter was presented to the Museum by Mrs. Johnson. The putter which Gene Andrews, of Pacific Palisades, Cal., used in defeating Jack E. Zimmerman, of Dayton, Ohio, 1 up in the final of the 1954 Amateur Public Links Championship at the Cedar Crest Golf Course, Dallas, Tex., was presented by Andrews. Another former Amateur Public Links Champion, Andrew Szwedko, of Sharps­ burg, Pa., also presented a putter. This was the club which was instrumental in gain­ ing a 1 up victory for him over Phillip Gordon, of Oakland, Cal., in the 1939 USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: SEPTEMBER, 1955 1 NEW MEMBERS OF THE USGA REGULAR A. C. Read Golf Club, Fla. Anderson Country Club, Ind. Aurora Country Club, Ill. Austin Country Club, Minn. Brooke Manor Farms Country Club, Md. Brownwood Country Club, Texas Curtis Creek Country Club, Ind. Fairview Golf Course, Mo. Gadsden Country Club, Ala. Hampton Country Club, S. C. Hill Crest Country Club, Texas Indian Hills Country Club,, La. Inverness Golf Club, Ill. Lake Shore Golf Club, Pa. Lexington Golf and Country Club, N. C. Lincoln Country Club, N. C. Locust Valley Country Club, Pa. Longwood Golf Club, Va. Park Hills Golf Club, Pa. Pocatello Golf and Country Club, Idaho Raleigh Country Club, N. C. Ridglea Country Club, Texas Roanoke Rapids Country Club, N. C. Springbrook Golf and Country Club, Tenn. Signal Mountain Golf and Country Club, Tenn. Sunset Golf Club, Colo. Waynesboro Country Club, Va. ASSOCIATE Brooklands Golf and Country Club, Mich. Gatlinburg Country Club, Tenn. Championship at the Mount Pleasant Park Golf Course, Baltimore, Md. Miss Barbara Romack, of Sacramento, Cal., presented the putter used by her in winning the 1954 Women’s Amateur Championship at the Allegheny Country Club, Sewickley, Pa. Because of a rain­ storm, there was an elapsed time of 29 hours and 1 5 minutes between the first tee shot and the last putt of the final, in which Miss Romack defeated Miss Mickey Wright, of La Jolla, Cal., 4 and 2. The above clubs, of course, are in addi­ tion to Jack Fleck’s putter, which was in­ strumental in defeating Ben Hogan in the Open Championship play-off at San Fran­ cisco this year. As previously mentioned, a replica of the putter temporarily will re­ pose in "Golf House,” as Fleck intends to use the original club a while longer. Two More USGA. Competitions Only two more Championships remain on the USGA calendar for 195 5. They are the Amateur Championship at the Country Club of Virginia, Richmond, Va., Septem­ ber 12 through 17, and the Senior Amateur Championship, to be played over the Belle Meade Country Club course at Nashville, Tenn., September 26 through October 1. The sectional qualifying for the Amateur Championship was completed by August 30, and the sectional qualifying for the Senior Amateur Championship was sched­ uled for completion by September 8. Youngest Qualifier The youngest qualifier in the Amateur Championship? He appears to have been a fellow who should be well known to you as Robert T. Jones Jr., Bob was among the thirty-two who qualified for mtach play in 1916 when he was 14 years 5/2 months old. He was born on March 17, 1902, and the Cham­ pionship started September 4, 1916. There was no sectional qualifying that year. The Championship was held at the Merion Cricket Club, near Philadelphia, and the young Jones won two matches and lost in the quarter-finals to Robert A. Gardner. However, Billy Dettweiler, of Washing­ ton, D. C., also has distinguished himself in this connection. Billy qualified section- ally in Washington in 1932 when he was 14 years 6 months old, and he is the young­ est to pass this particular test, which was inaugurated in 1931. Billy was not, how­ ever, one of the thirty-two who qualified for match play in the Championship proper that year. Amputee Tournament Jack Harrison, 43 year old leg amputee, of Grand Rapids, Mich., became the first three-time winner of the national amputee golf championship over the Revisloe Coun­ try Club course, at Homewood, Ill. National Golf Day funds are going a long way toward the rehabilitation of am­ putees, according to Dale Bourisseau, Chair­ man of the National Amputee Golf Pro­ gram. 2 USCA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: SEPTEMBER, 1955 SPORTSMAN’S CORNER The Kansas wind was whipping across the Wichita Country Club course at about 3 5 miles an hour. Even such an experienced player as Miss Patty Berg was having difficulty maintaining perfect balance in the second round of the USGA Women’s Open Championship this summer. As a matter of fact, at the precise moment her club started a backswing in a bunker at the ninth hole, a gust of wind pushed her forward slightly. A big question immediately popped into Patty Berg’s sensitive mind—Had the clubhead touched the sand in the hazard? Before turning in her score at the 1 8th, Miss Berg asked for a ruling. The question hinged on whether the clubhead had touched the sand before her downswing. It was a question of fact, and only those who saw it could determine the fact. Miss Berg’s marker and caddie both did not think the club had touched the sand. Patty herself was doubtful. The official told her that if there was honest doubt about it, she could take the benefit of the doubt and her word would be accepted. "But,” said Patty, "there are forty-some other players out there on the course. What about their rights?” She was reminded that the only ques­ tion was one of fact—did the clubhead touch the sand, or did it not? Patty Berg, her keen blue eyes shining, didn’t take long to answer. "It touched the sand.” That was her word. Instead of having a 6 she had an 8—and instead of a 78 for the round it was 80. And there was a small tear in Patty’s eye as she signed her card. Patty Berg’s last round was a 71, the lowest of the tournament, but not low enough to make up the ground she lost earlier. MISS PATTY BERC the USGA’s first Women’s Open two years ago at the Country Club of Rochester, N. Y. In an early round her approach shot to the home green stopped some five feet from the hole. Her fellow-competitor, Miss Patricia Devany, played a stroke from perhaps 5 0 yards off the green which struck Miss Berg’s ball and moved it an appreciable distance. Under the Rules of Golf, Miss Berg was obliged to replace her ball as near as possible to the spot from which the ball was moved. She was not certain of the precise place where her ball had lain. She first placed the ball several feet farther away than its original lie. When told that was not the proper spot, she did inch it up a bit, but an official had a difficult time trying to persuade her that the ball had been much nearer the hole than she wanted to place it. She did everything possible to avoid taking unfair advantage. This was not an unusual incident in Patty Berg’s life. There was another in When you think of these things, your memory wanders back to the first time USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: SEPTEMBER, 1955 3 RETALIATION The St. Andrews, Scotland, Citizen, in commenting the other day on the passing of A. M. C. Brown, well-known St. An­ drews golfer, stated: “Mr. Brown was particularly remembered for one incident. This was his spectacular protest against the slow play of West of Scotland golfer Erl Watson in the Eden Tournament. Mr. Brown took a deck chair on the course and sat there while his op­ ponent was deliberating over his strokes.” you saw Patty Berg. It was her first USGA Championship, the Women’s Amateur, in 195 5 at her home club, Inter­ lachen, in Minneapolis. Patty was a freckle-faced girl of 17. All week long she had played like a veteran, and she went all the way to the final. There she opposed Mrs. Edwin H. Vare, Jr., the great Glenna Collett, who had already won the Championship five times. Going down the first fairway in the morning round, Patty asked her escort: "Do you think I play too slowly? Some people said I was pretty slow during the week.” That was on the true side. The escort glanced down at the little teen-ager, play­ ing in a national final on her first attempt. It would have been cruel to dampen her spirit at the outset of this great day in her life. So the escort merely said that Patty ought to play the game just as it seemed best to her. Mrs. Vare won the 36-hole final, 3 and 2. No one has ever come close to touching her record of six Championships. The prize-giving was handled by the USGA President, Prescott S. Bush, who is now a United States Senator from Con­ necticut. When he came to Patty, he took one look at the little redhead with the eager eyes and the freckles, and he confessed to being stymied. "Patty,” he said, "I don’t know whether to call you a great kid or a noble woman.” The years that have since passed have proved that Patty Berg is both a great kid and a noble woman. As a volunteer in the U. S. Marines Women’s Reserve; as a champion golfer, first as an amateur and now as a professional; as a—well, any way you look at her, Patty Berg is a thoroughbred. The world of golf is finer because she has been among us. Shirley M. Liscomb Shirley M. Liscomb, of the Kebo Valley Club, Bar Harbor, Me., passed away last month as members were planning to cele­ brate the fiftieth year of his association with the club, and his twenty-third year as manager-professional. He succeeded his SHIRLEY M. LISCOMB father there in 1932, after several years as assistant, and in turn is being succeeded by his son, Waldron, who had been his assis­ tant. The picture shows him on the third, or Bunker Hill, hole of the Kebo course, which was endowed in his honor by Mr. and Mrs. R. H. Stevenson. You can’t help a little child up the hill without getting nearer the top your­ self. T USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: SEPTEMBER, 1955 MISS LESSER’S REACTIONS by UNDER ADVERSITY JOSEPH C. DEY, Jr. USGA Executive Director If you want to see what makes a Cham­ pion tick, watch him under adversity. And her, too. Among the many reasons why Miss Patricia Lesser is the new USGA Women’s Amateur Champion, one of the most re­ vealing came during her worst fit of "hack­ ing.” It gave quite an insight into the temperament and the character which car­ ried her through the week-long tournament at the Myers Park Country Club in Char­ lotte, N. C., last month. The incident occurred in the morning round of Miss Lesser’s final match against Miss Jane Nelson. Miss Lesser was 1 up playing the eighth, a par 5 hole of 494 yards with a wide, rugged creek imme­ diately protecting the green. Miss Nelson was over the green in 3. Miss Lesser faced a reasonably simple pitch to be home in 3. She plopped the ball into the water hazard, on the sheer far bank of the creek, in a very bad lie. She decided it would be unwise to play the ball as it lay, so she accepted a one-stroke penalty and dropped a ball behind the water hazard. Again she plopped it into an unplavable lie in the creek bank—her fifth stroke. Would you have given up at that point? How about Pat Lesser? "How many are you, Jane?” she called out to Miss Nelson, whose ball now lay on the green, some distance from the hole. "Four,” replied Miss Nelson. "Do you think you can three-putt?” Miss Lesser asked. "I’m going to play an­ other ball, and maybe I can hole it.” "If you do,” warned Miss Nelson with mock seriousness, "I’ll wring your neck.” Back across a long bridge Miss Lesser ran to the other side of the creek, dropped a ball, and played 7 to the green. She didn’t come close to holing it, but the gallery ap­ plauded. Only then did she concede the hole to Miss Nelson. Good Judgment Displayed It was interesting to observe Miss Lesser through all this tedious and embarrassing procedure—and in the final of the national championship! She showed courage, per­ sistence and good judgment, as well as remarkable mental balance in her light­ hearted and friendly exchange with her opponent. It hardly seems fair to dwell upon Miss Lesser’s worst incident, yet it revealed im­ portant facets of the personality who has become Champion. The young lady from Seattle is a hard-working golfer and a great concentrater, but, withal, she is a most wholesome, happy golfer. There were other occasions which were more crucial for Miss Lesser. She had two extra-hole matches, and very hard ones they were. In the second round she was 2 down with 2 to play against Mrs. Marge Mason, of Ridgewood, N. J. She squared with a par and a birdie, then won the 19th with a second straight bird. Two rounds later Miss Lesser confronted Miss Mary Ann Downey, of Baltimore, second alternate for the 1954 Curtis Cup Team. They went 21 holes. The five other matches which Miss Lesser won were by decisive margins. Her semi­ final with Miss Polly Riley, four-time Curtis Cupper, promised to be close until Miss Lesser raced out in 34, three under par, and ended it on the 13 th hole. The 3 6-hole final with Miss Nelson was de­ cided by 7 and 6. Although stroke play scores in match play are inconclusive, Miss Lesser’s week­ long record approximated only two over USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: SEPTEMBER, 1955 5 The New Champion, Finalists and Semi-finalists Left to right are Miss Pat Lesser, of Seattle, Wash., the new Women's Amateur Champion; Miss Jane Nelson, of Indianapolis, Ind., the runner-up; Miss Polly Riley, of Fort Worth, Tex., and Mrs. Scott Probasco, Jr., of Chattanooga, Tenn., the other semi-finalists. par for 119 holes. The Myers Park course provided a rigorous test, stretching 6,413 yards with a par of 74. From the long view, the story of Pat Lesser as a golfer is a simple and natural and nice story. As she has grown from girlhood to young womanhood, she has developed an increasingly consistent golf game. She started tournament golf nine years ago as a girl of 13. She first appeared on the national scene in 1950 when, at Buf­ falo, she won the USGA Girls’ Junior Championship. The long hair which Pat Lesser wore then has given way to a young lady’s bob. In the interim she has made a very fine record. She has played in the USGA Women’s Amateur Championship six times and, in addition to winning this year, was a semi-finalist in 1952 and a quarter­ finalist in 1951 and 1953. In the three years of the USGA Women’s Open Championship, Miss Lesser has never finished worse than eighth; she was low amateur once. Before the USGA sponsored the tournament she was twice low amateur in the predecessor Women’s Open. She was National Collegiate Champion in 195 3, won the Western Amateur earlier this year and has played on the men’s golf team of Seattle University. In her one Curtis Cup appearance, she won in four­ somes last year. Above and beyond all records, golf never had a nicer young lady as Champion than Miss Patricia Lesser. Teacher and Summer Golfer In playing through the final, Miss Nelson did quite a remarkable job for she is al­ most exclusively a summer golfer. Miss Nelson is a history teacher of seventh and eighth graders in Indianapolis. Her victims at Myers Park included a former Cham­ pion, Mrs. Mark A. Porter, of Philadelphia, and the Southern Champion, Mrs. Scott Probasco, Jr., of Chattanooga, the former Betty Rowland, whom she defeated by 2 up in the semi-finals. 5 USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: SEPTEMBER, 1955 Women’s amateur golf is subject to a fairly rapid change of cast. At Myers Park, for example, only two members of the 1954 Curtis Cup Team were in contention after the second round—Misses Lesser and Riley. Three had been eliminated—Miss Barbara Romack, the defending Champion, who lost in the second round to Miss Downey; Miss Dorothy Kirby and Mrs. Grace DeMoss Smith. Of the other three mem­ bers of the 1954 Curtis Cup Team, Miss Claire Doran recently became a bride, and Miss Mary Lena Faulk and Miss Joyce Ziske are professionals. The other side of the coin is that there are some really remarkable youngsters com­ ing along. Miss Anne Quast, of Everett, Wash., aged 17, went to the quarter-finals at Myers Park. So did Miss Margaret (Wiffin) Smith, now 18, of St. Clair, Mich. A little young lady weighing 104 pounds and aged 16, Miss Clifford Ann Creed, of Opelousas, La., was in the last sixteen and lost 1 down to Miss Nelson. There are many other fine young girl players, so many, in fact, that some young ladies over 25 now refer to themselves as the "middle seniors.” The Championship was enriched by the presence of three English visitors — Miss Elizabeth Price, Miss Jacqueline Gordon and Mrs. Charles Abrahams—and by Misses Marlene Stewart and Rae Milligan of Canada. Miss Gordon was runner-up to Mrs. George Zaharias in the 1947 British Championship, and while at Charlotte she phoned a cheery message to Mrs. Zaharias’ hospital bed in Galveston. This was the first USGA Championship in North Carolina, and Myers Park was a splendid host. The club’s committees were under the direction of John Owens, as­ sisted by Bentley Madden. It was the first USGA Women’s Ama­ teur Championship to be won by a player attired in shorts. The USGA Women’s Committee not only did its usual fine job but its Chair­ man, Mrs. Harrison Flippin, vanquished an illustrious opponent in the first round, Miss Marlene Stewart, who was British Champion two years ago. USGA PUBLICATIONS OF GENERAL INTEREST THE RULES OF GOLF, as approved by the United States Golf Association and the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, Scotland. Booklet, 25 cents (spe­ cial rates for quantity orders). Poster, 25 cents. ARE YOUR LOCAL RULES NECESSARY? a re­ print of a USGA Journal article containing recommendations regarding local rules. No charge. THE RULE ABOUT OBSTRUCTIONS, a reprint of a USGA Journal article. No charge. USGA GOLF HANDICAP SYSTEM FOR MEN, containing recommendations for comput­ ing Basic and Current Handicaps and for rating courses. Booklet, 25 cents. Poster, 10 cents. THE CONDUCT OF WOMEN'S GOLF, con­ taining suggestions for guidance in the conduct of women's golf in clubs and associations, including tournament pro­ cedures, handicapping and course rating. 25 cents. HANDICAPPING THE UNHANDICAPPED, a reprint of a USGA Journal article explain­ ing the Callaway System of automatic handicapping for occasional players in a single tournament. No charge. TOURNAMENTS FOR YOUR CLUB, a reprint of a USGA Journal article detailing vari­ ous types of competitions. No charge. PROTECTION OF PERSONS AGAINST LIGHTNING ON GOLF COURSES, a poster. No charge. MOTION PICTURE, "The Rules of Golf-Eti­ quette," an official USGA film. Descriptive folder. No charge. (Film rental $15.) MOTION PICTURES ON GOLF (list). No charge. MOTION PICTURES RELATING TO GOLF COURSE MAINTENANCE (list). No charge. HOLE-IN-ONE AWARDS. No charge. AMATEURISM IS IN THE HEART, a reprint of a USGA Journal article by E. G. Grace. No charge. BETTER LAWNS TO COME, a reprint of a USGA Journal article. No charge. TURF MANAGEMENT, by H. B. Musser (Mc­ Graw-Hill Book Co., Inc.), the authorita­ tive book on greenkeeping. $7. USGA CHAMPIONSHIP RECORD BOOK. De­ tailed results of all USGA competitions since their start in 1895. $2. USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT, a 33-page magazine published seven times a year. $2. a year. These publications are available on request to the United States Golf Association, 40 East 38th Street, New York 16, N. Y. Please send Payment with your order. USCA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: SEPTEMBER, 1955 7 THE COUNTRY CLUB’S RESTAURANT PROBLEM OF the various problems golf clubs have confronted through the years, one of the most consistently annoying, from a financial viewpoint, has been th? operation of the club restaurant. Despite the fact that most clubs expect a financial deficit in the restaurant, there are some club managers who have been able to show a slight profit. One of these is Edward Sandrow, Manager of the Lu Lu Temple Country Club, North Hills, Pa. Sandrow, who is a director of the Club Managers Association of America, believes the financial status of the restaurant is largely dependent upon the policy of the House Committee. "I think the club officers should estab­ lish a policy, then allow the manager to be the executive,” he writes. "No com­ mittee should be allowed to interfere with the smooth operation of a club. The largest problem a country club manager has to face is the waste and spoilage of food. In trying to estimate the number of meals to be served, there is no set pattern. The weather predominates in upsetting plans. Over the years I have found there is only one way to operate a club restaurant suc­ cessfully. All meals must be served a la carte. At my club we have roasts on Thurs­ days, Saturdays and Sundays only. We are busy on those days and there is no gamble on food. No member is allowed to ask for personal favors that are not available to the entire membership. "Labor, of course, is a stand-by expense. We have to be prepared to serve at least one-third of our membership at all times. On some days we have more help than diners, but this can’t be avoided in un­ favorable weather. "In trying to compare restaurant opera­ tions at different clubs, much has to be taken into account, such as the type of club, the eating habits of members, service, EDWARD SANDROW linen and the section of the country in which the club is located. Much Depends on Officers "We have been fortunate in the last four or five years in making a small profit on our restaurant, but I cannot emphasize too strongly that much depends upon the policy of the House Committee and the Directors of the club in allowing the man­ ager a free hand in executing his plans.” There is a variance of opinion among club managers concerning the desirability of luncheons and dinners sponsored by groups outside the club. On this subject John G. Outland, General Manager of the Dallas (Texas) Country Club, has the fol­ lowing to say: "During a period of several years in which we were allowed to book sponsored luncheons and dinners we were able to level out dining room service so that we had a reasonably even volume of business dur­ ing the week. However, the Board of 8 USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: SEPTEMBER, 1955 Governors found it wise to discontinue these 'sponsored’ parties and since then we have not been able to reach a break-even point financially. "I think eventually we can operate with­ out a loss, but we face a readjustment problem. To avoid a deficit, a restaurant must have an evenly distributed volume of business. This, along with the necessary controls over quantities of supplies pur­ chased, can make it possible to at least break even.” Paul H. Brown, manager of the Race Brook Country Club, Orange, Conn., says: "I do not know of any well-managed private membership club that has a finan­ cially successful restaurant operation. Pri­ marily the reason lies in the fact that in a private club the manager is confined to doing business with 300 or 400 members and their guests. He cannot advertise or solicit additional business. "From my observation I would say that one-third of the club’s membership is ac­ tive. The balance is sporadic. The club which accepts too much outside party busi­ ness will find this practice is resented by the members. The restaurant personnel will be over-worked and a labor turnover will result. The profit which this type of opera­ tion might produce is not worth the effort. 'Among the principal causes of deficit club restaurant operations are: "1—Difficulty in interesting American boys in the cooking and kitchen vocations of our business, which has resulted in a scarcity of labor and increased wages to those now in the business. "2—The demand at most private clubs for top quality foods at low menu prices. ”3—Club parties and events, the old idea of giving away food at cost and making it up on the bar. Most of these functions fail to pay for restaurant labor, fuel and laundry, as shown on monthly statements. ''4—Off-season lags which prohibit the chance of the restaurant breaking even. This is particularly true of spring and bad weather seasons when working crews must be procured and be ready to start when the weather finally changes.” At the Druid Hills Golf Club, Atlanta, Ga., where Armand C. Chapeau is General Manager, a survey of food operations was made in 1951, resulting in the adoption of a system of controls. Three Divisions of System "This system changed our restaurant operation into a profitable one and we are still using it,” writes Mr. Chapeau, who is a Regional Director of the Club Managers Association of America. "The system con­ sists of three divisions. First we established a control on the storeroom operations, in­ cluding the receiving, storing and issuance of merchandise. Next a control was set up on the kitchen preparation of food. Third, we established a control on the sales of food through a food checker. "Under the storeroom operations, all food purchased is charged to the storeroom man, who is credited with the cost of items issued. At the end of the day he prepares a report of the items he received and those he issued, which, when considered with the difference in inventories, gives the neces­ sary information for preparation of a daily food cost. The report on the last day of the month shows the inventory in the storeroom. This amount, when compared with the value determined by a physical count, shows whether there is a shortage or overage in the storeroom. "Control of the kitchen operations is accomplished by having the chef determine the number of portions to be prepared for each item appearing on the daily menu. Requisitions are then prepared for the re­ quirements and issued from the storeroom. The amount prepared is then compared with the amount sold, as per record of unit sales prepared by the food checker. This record consists of the checker mark­ ing the units sold on the menu of the day. "The food checker registers on a machine the price of each item or meal served, and the total sales as per register readings are compared in the accounting depart­ ment with the total as per the checks turned in. "Look to your food cost potential, set your own margin of profit and you will find a great difference in your profit sheet.” USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: SEPTEMBER, 1955 9 THE WOULD-BE PRO IN EVERY GAME by MARTIN C. HIGGINS Professional Fall River Country Club Fall River, Mass. The code of etiquette in golf has done much toward making the game pleas­ urable, but there is one point of manners which should be covered in the code but isn’t. You might phrase it like this: "No player should give advice to an­ other player on the proper execution of a stroke (even though his analysis would be correct) unless the player asks for his ad­ vice.” I realize that giving advice is regulated by Rule 9 of the Rules of Golf. What I have in mind is unsolicited counsel such as often occurs in informal rounds. I have been teaching golf a number of years. In the early days of my teaching I had the impression that the pupil would get more for his money if I told him every­ thing that was wrong with his swing. And so, if there were ten things wrong with his swing, I would remind him of all ten errors. As a result, the pupil might look very good with his new swing, but he might not be able to hit the broad side of a barn door. The feeling I experienced in such cases was like that of a doctor who thought his operations were a success but his patients were all dying. Capacity for Thought MARTIN C. HIGGINS Since those early days I have learned that the minute you have to do too much thinking to execute the proper swing, the pupil can’t hit the ball as well as with his old swing with a lot of errors. The reason is that too much thinking causes the player to lose sight of the ball, and he just sees what he is thinking. A player who listens to too much free advice is in- viting himself to become blindfolded and should only expect the results that one should expect if he played blindfolded. I have found that the average golfer’s capacity is about three thoughts, if he is still to see the ball. If his swing requires only two deliberate thoughts, he can play better. If only one thought is necessary, he is likely to play his best golf. 10 USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: SEPTEMBER, 1955 If a golfer’s swing requires more than three conscious thoughts, he should not play. He should practice swinging until the excess thoughts become mechanical and not more than three deliberate ideas are neces­ sary to make his swing fundamentally correct. I have learned not to jump at conclu­ sions too quickly in analyzing a swing. I do not give half-hour lessons today for the reason that one-hour lessons allow me time to be more positive of my conclusions. The reason for citing these experiences is the hope that the would-be professional in every game will curb giving advice to other members of his group. It is surprising how quickly the would-be professional can analyze a swing. An in­ ferior player has only to miss one shot and the would-be professional tells him what’s wrong. This goes on for 18 holes and by the time they end the game this inferior player has received enough advice to fill a book. He is so disgusted and con­ fused that his usual comment coming off the 18th green is: "Do you know anyone who wants to buy a good set of clubs?” The would-be professional is usually a grand guy and he means well, but he doesn’t realize the harm he may be causing those people who used to enjoy golf when advice was not so free. The would-be professional, upon reading this, might say: "The professional is just jealous because I am stealing his thunder, and he won’t get so many lessons.” For this would-be professional’s infor­ mation, 5 0 per cent of my lessons are what I call confusion lessons. They are made necessary by too much advice given to a player by his friends. My lesson clientele has actually increased because of the would-be professional. I hope this humble effort will help make more golfers aware of the danger if they do not remember a very necessary point of golf manners. No player should give advice to any other player on the proper execution of a shot (even though his an- AUDIENCE REACTION TO USCA FILM There have been more than 395 book­ ings thus far of the USGA motion picture entitled “The Rules of Golf—Etiquette.” Some of the comments from audiences are: Ormond Beach, Fla., — “Picture was well liked and we had many compliments.” Shenandoah, Iowa, — “Clever enough to make the audience remem­ ber more easily.” Los Angeles, Cal., — General re­ action — excellent.” The film, which recently was awarded a Recognition of Merit by the Film Coun­ cil of America, is a 16 mm. Kodachrome with a running time of 17% minutes. The importance of etiquette is em­ phasized visually through portrayal of various violations of the code in the course of a family four-ball match. Robert T. Jones, Jr., makes the intro­ ductory statement. Ben Hogan appears in several scenes. The shipping of prints is handled by National Educational Films, Inc., 165 West 46th Street, New York 16, N. Y., which produced the film in cooperation with the USGA. The rental fee is $15, which includes the cost of shipping the print to the renter. alysis would be correct) unless the player asks his advice. It is, of course, best to see your golf professional and work with him to build a fundamentally sound swing. All-Consuming Thought One thought only can enter every head: The thought of golf, to wit—and that engages Men of all size, tempers, rank and ages. The root—the primum mobile—of all, The epidemic of the club and ball; The work by day, the source of dreams by night, The never-failing fountain of delight. From "A Chat About Golf" Chamber's Journal March 28, 1903. USCA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: SEPTEMBER, 1955 11 WHEN IS A SENIOR by REALLY OLD? FRANK C. TRUE USGA Executive Assistant WHEN a man reaches his 5 5 th birthday he becomes a senior as far as many golf competitions are concerned. What does this mean literally, insofar as his physical status and playing ability are con­ cerned? Frankly, nothing. It is simple enough to handicap golfers on a basis of strokes, but it can’t be done by years. Some men actually should be seniors at 45, while others are "masquerad­ ing” as seniors at the age of 65. Age is the only yardstick available for classifying seniors. Could the job be done more adequately, for instance, if each en­ trant in a tournament were rated accord­ ing to his physical condition, as attested by his doctor? No doctor in a routine ex­ amination can detect the youthful spirit of a golfer, his eagerness for competition and his adherence to the rules of sports­ manship. What, then, is the barometer? Suppose we have a look at a 4 5-year-old "senior” leaving the first tee. He prefers to play alone. After making his drive, he looks around cautiously to be sure there’s no one in sight who might ask to play with him. As far as he is concerned, the Rules of Golf are for youngsters who aspire to win cups and such things. He long since has abandoned the practice of playing the ball as it lies, even with the course in excellent condition. He counts his strokes carelessly. If he misses a short putt for a 5 he tells himself he could have sunk it if he had bothered to line it up. So he concedes himself a 5. He recalls, with sad­ ness, the distant day he once had a 3 on the same hole. His gait is slower than that of most men at 60. He stubbornly refuses to let players behind him go through. Finally, at the conclusion of the round, he slips quietly into the locker room, hoping that "noisy crowd” in his row won’t be there. Golf, he long ago concluded, should serve only as a necessary physical exercise. The so­ ciable phases of the game and its com­ petitive zest to him are just "juvenile fool­ ishness.” He’s well past all that "nonsense.” A Look at the "Junior" Now let’s have a look at a 6 5 -year-old "junior.” In his four-ball group may be a man of 25 and another of 75. Each has much in common with the others. None is satisfied with his game as it is. All are looking forward to that day of the "per­ fect round.” If the 65-year-old "junior” were playing alone on a desert he wouldn’t improve his lie. He observes the Rules of Golf to the letter and yearns for the date of the next club tournament. At the conclusion of the round, the locker room echoes with healthy laughter as some of the incidents of the day are recalled. Next day our figurative "junior” prob­ ably can be found on the practice tee, still striving for perfection. It would seem the basic factor in de­ termining whether or not a senior is really old depends upon the direction in which he is looking—forward or backward. Treat your caddie as you would your son. 12 USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: SEPTEMBER, 1955 WILL CALCUTTAS EVENTUALLY BOB RUSSELL LET SCANDAL INFEST GOLF? Go^riter Chicago Daily News fested with big-time gamblers. Any day now, golf may find itself in­ News that the Calcutta pool ran to $202,500 in the 195 5 Tournament of Champions at Las Vagas, Nev., must have read like an engraved invitation to fast­ buck boys from Los Angeles to New York and from Chicago to Miami. That, to "the boys in the white hats,” puts golf in the same financial bracket with the sport of kings, the manly art of self defense and some other alleged sports. When amateur wagerers lay $205,000 on the line in one golf tournament, no one can be so naive as to expect the professional gamblers to lay off. And when the hood­ lums move in, can the "fix” be far behind? The history of horse racing or boxing or baseball or basketball says, "No!” Nobody knows the total "take” for the season-long series of Calcuttas. Such sta­ tistics aren’t available, since the pools are illegal in almost all states and municipali­ ties. However, some figures — interesting to most people, but embarrassing to some — may be divulged soon. The Bureau of Internal Revenue is reported to be in­ vestigating the Calcuttas for suspected in­ come tax violations. That could scare off the hoodlums who have their eyes on the game and their hearts set on all that loose cash. It would be mighty unwise, however, for the people in golf to wait for any out­ side agency to clean up what is getting to be quite a mess. Both the United States Golf Association and the Ladies’ Professional Golf Associa­ tion have taken strong stands against golf’s version of the floating crap game. So has the Metropolitan Golf Association of New York. Its energetic past president, Earl A. Ross, is high on the list of Calcutta- fighters. In most cases, the suckers those organi­ zations have tried to protect have rendered the same sort of thanks you’d get from a narcotics addict if you took away his needle. The Professional Golfers’ Association has voiced no formal opposition to Calcuttas, probably because its tournament-playing members have been neatly mouse-trapped by amateur gamblers in pro-amateur events. That could be all the opening wedge the hoodlums need. Of course, there’s always a possibility that golf is above the "fix.” However, that’s what everyone used to think about college athletics. Then the gamblers got to some eager, but unwise, youths at Ken­ tucky, Bradley, City College of New York and other basketball citadels. The result was the worst sports scandal since the in­ famous "Black Sox.” It took the basket­ ball "fixers” to force a clean-up of some conditions in basketball. There may still be time for golf to fumigate without a scandal. But the time is growing short. When the vermin move in, it’s better to call the exterminators than to wait for the house to fall down. It’s still better to keep them out in the first place. But maybe the hoods aren’t interested in golf. If that’s the case, they’ve changed in the last four years. Remember the anony­ mous phone call that ordered no less a name than Lloyd Mangrum to lose the 1951 St. Paul Open "or else?” Of course, Lloyd won just the same, but he played the All-American and the World Cham­ pionship the next two weeks with as many policemen as spectators in the gallery. That could be a preview of things to come in tournament golf. Reprinted with permission from Golf Digest, August, 1955. USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: SEPTEMBER, 1955 13 WESTERNERS AGAIN DOMINATE THE JUNIOR by JOHN P. ENGLISH USGA Assistant Executive Director The New Champion There were three Californians and one Oklahoman in the semi-finals of the Sth Junior Amateur Championship at Pur­ due University’s South Course, but the law of averages did not prevail. Billy John Dunn, of Duncan, Okla., defeated Dick Foote, of Santa Ana, Cal., 3 and 1 in the semi-finals, and Billy Seanor, of Bakersfield, Cal., 3 and 2 in the final. Seanor had de­ feated Phil Rodgers, of La Jolla, Cal., 2 and 1 in the other semi-final. The Championship was thus another ex­ pression of the high degree to which golfing skill has been developed in the western states, for 41 of our 48 states were repre­ sented among the 128 sectional qualifiers and, among the record entry of 805, sub­ stantially all the states in the Union must have been represented. Billy John Dunn, who is called "Cot­ ton,” is built like an Oklahoman should be built. He stands 6 feet 5 inches and is a strong, raw-boned youth. However, his manner is humble and respectful, and he showed conclusively that he was wearing the same size hat at the end of the tourna­ ment which he wore at the beginning. This is a becoming trait which golf seems to breed into the great majority of the juniors. The hat bore the crest of the Elks Golf and Country Club, in Duncan, Okla. The new Champion gives that club a large share of credit for his victory, and the number of telephone calls he received from the club as he progressed through the Championship was an indication of the high regard in which he is held there. Billy is exceptionally loyal. When he Billy John Dunn, of Duncan, Okla., holds both the permanent USGA Junior Amateur Championship Trophy and the replica which he may retain. filed his entry for the Championship, he protested the fact that he was assigned to the sectional qualifying round in Dallas, the round nearest his home, because, "I want to represent my own state in the national tournament.” Upon assurance that he would actually be representing his home club and home town, Billy willingly ac­ cepted the assignment to Dallas for sec­ tional qualifying. Prior to this Championship he had won the Oklahoma High School and Junior Championships. 14 USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: SEPTEMBER, 1955 Dunn played excellent golf in the final. When the scheduled 18-hole match ended on the sixteenth green, he was even par and needed a 3-5 finish for a 71. Purdue’s course measures only 6,3 37 yards, and Dunn hits a tremendously long tee shot, often more than 300 yards. Therefore, he was able to drop pitches three feet or less from the hole four times on the first nine, and on all four occasions he made birdies. He made another birdie coming in, by hol­ ing a fifteen-foot putt for a 2 at the short thirteenth. Incidentally, his valiant oppo­ nent, Billy Seanor, holed a ten footer right on top of it to keep from going 4 down with six holes to play. High Quality Of Play The final was as exciting and the quality of play as high as in any final the Junior Amateur Championship has produced to date. It is probable that the quality of play throughout the Championship was also the highest we have had thus far. The quality of the boys themselves, apart from their shot-making ability, remained as high as ever. Seanor subsequently won the Hearst Junior Tournament at Los Angeles, de­ feating Don Bies of Seattle in a play-off after a tie at 296; and Rodgers won the Junior Chamber of Commerce Junior Tournament at Columbus, Ga., with 287. Dunn tied for twenty-second in the latter at 305. All four semi-finalists were 17 years old, and three of them expect to enter college in the fall. Dunn will attend Oklahoma A. and M. College. Seanor and Foote both will attend Stanford University. Rodgers has another year at La Jolla High School. None of the four will be eligible next year when the Championship moves east to Williams College, in Williamstown, Mass. There was, of course, no defending Champion this year. Foster Bradley, Jr., of Los Angeles, was too old to defend, and the runner-up, Allen L. Geiberger, of Santa Barbara, Cal., bowed, 2 and 1, in the quar­ ter-final round to Foote. The Championship was distinctly hon­ ored by the presence of Ben Hogan, who flew up from Ft. Worth, Texas, at his own expense to conduct a shot-making clinic and to appear at the players’ dinner on the evening before the Championship. The heat was overwhelming, but Hogan gave the boys more than an hour of face- to-face instruction, including a long ques- tion-and-answer session. The boys let him go only reluctantly and were thrilled again by his inspiring remarks to them during the dinner at the Purdue Memorial Union. Victory For Onstad Purdue University is fortunate in hav­ ing two fine golf courses, and there was a consolation tournament for first-round losers over the North Course. This was won by Gordon D. Onstad, of Miami Springs, Fla., who had a 72. David Vaughn, of Louisville, Ky., had a 74, and Maurice E. Teter, of Dallas, had a 75. There were 44 entrants. The memorable things about a Junior Amateur Championship, however, are not always the major developments. There was one rather touching sidelight when Richard D. Weyand, 16, of Detroit, was struck on the back of his skull by a ball while standing in the ninth fairway during a practice round the day before the Championship. Fortunately, he suffered only lacerations and contusions, but it was deemed best to withdraw him from the Championship. When this news was broken to him, he came close to tears. But not for long. Shortly thereafter he had the thrill of a personal visit in his infirmary room with Ben Hogan, and there were no tears after that. Then there was the case of Mike Con- liffe, of Louisville, Ky., who carried his own clubs successfully through a couple of rounds. At that point a friendly spec­ tator offered to provide a caddie for him. Mike declined in this way: "Thank you, sir, but I already have the best caddie in the tournament.” USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: SEPTEMBER, 1955 15 DO YOU KNOW YOUR GOLF? Answers to questions below will be found on page 18. Scoring-. All questions right-, par 3 5. For each answer wrong-, add 5 to 35. 1. A bogey is: Score ---------------- (a) One over par on a hole. --------------- (b) Par. ----------------(c) An obsolete British term comparable to par and the score a good player might make under average con­ ditions. — 2. Do a referee’s duties include: --------------- (a) Lifting a ball or marking its position? --------------- (b) Attending the flagstick? ------------ 3. The diameter of the golf ball stipulted in the USGA Rules of Golf is: ---------------- (a) Not less than 1.640 inches. ----------------(b) Not less than 1.670 inches. ---------------- (c) Not less than 1.680 inches. ----------- 4. If a player breaks a club during play, may he borrow a club from some other person playing on the course with­ out penalty? ---------------- (a ) Yes. --------------- (b) No. 5. Does a penalty stroke incurred by a player in a foursome affect the order of play? --------------- (a) No. --------------- (b) Yes. ----------- ----------- 6. If the ball of anyone not engaged in a match interfere with play, may it be lifted while a player in the match plays his stroke? ---------------- (a) No. --------------- (b) Yes. 7. Is a forecaddie employed by the Committee an "outside agency”? --------------- (a) Yes. --------------- (b) No. ----------- 16 USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: SEPTEMBER, 1955 MY MOST MEMORABLE GOLF EXPERIENCE by RICHARD D. CHAPMAN USGA Amateur Champion, 1940; British Amateur Champion, 1951 IT HAPPENED on the day of my 36-hole final with Charlie Coe in the 1951 British Amateur Championship at Porth- cawl, Wales, where there happened to be a miners’ rest home. Near the course was a large expanse of rolling land bordering on the ocean, used for sheep grazing and a public park, where the miners could stroll. Prior to the final I practiced in this area and noticed that some of these miners would stop to talk to my caddie, Cecil Timms, while he was shagging. Finally one of them yelled, "Hey Gover­ nor, hit one this way.” I told him to stand still, but aimed to his right and started a wide hook. The miner ran to his left to chase it, but the ball curved back and ended at my caddie’s feet. "Hit another, Governor!” I started this one in a wide slice, causing the miner to run to his right, only to have the ball escape him again. This not only served as excellent practice for me, but as a challenge to the miners, who had increased in numbers from day to day. When the day of the final arrived there were fifteen miners waiting in the park. "Today,” I told them, "you get all my practice balls. Timms will not shag.” You should have been there to see the mad scramble! These same miners did not bid adieu to me at the park. Throughout the final they were beside me every inch of the way, slapping me on the back and speak­ ing words of encouragement. I can still hear them saying, "Remember, lad, third time always lucky in Wales.” R. D. CHAPMAN Their touching support helped me to victory after two previous defeats in the finals at Carnoustie and St. Andrews, in Scotland. WANTED: CANDIDATES The USGA again will present, at its annual meeting in New York next Janu­ ary, its annual award to an individual for distinguished sportsmanship in golf. This award is known as the Bob Jones Award. It was offered for the first time last year to commemorate the vast contributions to the cause of fair play made by Robert Tyre Jones, Jr., and was won by Francis Ouimet. The Committee charged with nominat­ ing an individual to receive the second award invites suggestions for consideration. If you wish to nominate an individual, please send us a full recital of the facts. The award need not be based on sports­ manshin for only the current year; rather it might well be presented for sportsman­ ship over a period of years or for a significant act some time ago. USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: SEPTEMBER, 1955 17 “GOLF HOUSE” FUND Within a period of three weeks the ' Golf House” Fund has been increased by $1,008, bringing the total to $104,979. Seventy-three Founders during that period brings the total number to 5,698. We still need $5,021. The Fund is for the purchase, equipment and maintenance of 'Golf House.” Those who have enrolled as Founders recently are: Mrs. Walter Acuff, Jr. Gib S. Arthur Hyman Bader Erwin S. Barrie Phil Berthiaume Kingsbury Browne Franklin A. Burke Benjamin A. Buzzell Mrs. Evan F. Cary James A. Cathcart Richard D. Chapman Miss Carolyn Clock Mr. and Mrs. John G. Clock Harry McCommas Joseph R. Coffey John L. Connolly Mrs. Lince C. Cook Lou Craig Mrs. E. Julian Davis Mrs. E. Julian Davis, Jr. Charles Evans, Jr. Tim Gallagher Harold W. Glissmann INDIVIDUALS Robert Goldwater Isaac B. Grainger John B. Halbert Bill Hall Harold B. Hamilton Sara Crane Harrington Alfred Harrison May Hausman John J. Helm Tom P. Henderson, Jr. Eugene B. Hibbs Mrs. Sam Israel, Jr. Mr. SC Mrs. Jay S. Jones, Jr. Nat Kogan H. Alfred Langben Shepard Latter Mrs. James B. Law Mrs. Jacques F. Levy W. P. Mann Joseph H. McCabe Harry McConachie John F. McGeehan George L. Messall ASSOCIATIONS Ray W. Moore Douglas W. Morgan Ian Murray Walter D. Peek Theodore O. Rudd Francis W. Scott G. A. Shoemaker John G. Severtson Philip W. Simons John J. Somerville E. R. Steiniger William Y. Stembier George E. Thomas Mr. 8C Mrs. Herbert S. Towne George Treadwell George Treadwell, Jr. Peter Vail Tufts George J. Waldvogel Jack H. Wallace Mr. SC Mrs. Ralph Waycott Lincoln A. Werden Mrs. Bernard Wohl Frank Wuliger W. Gordon Young Dallas Public Links Golf Association Detroit District Golf Association Eastern New York Golf Association Kansas City Seniors Golf Association Missouri State Seniors Golf Association The Rocky Mountain Golf Course Superintendents Association An Unusual Victory In Cleveland they say Fred T. Baran, of the Sleepy Hollow Golf Club, Brecksville, Ohio, is the only winner of the Cleveland District Golf Association championship who ever started in the qualifying round with a two-stroke penalty. It happened this way: Early on Monday Mr. and Mrs. Baran left Chicago to drive to Cleveland, where he was scheduled to start in the qualifying round at 1:20 P.M. They were delayed by car trouble, and it was almost 3 P.M. when Baran ar­ rived at the Lakewood Country Club, Westlake, Ohio, site of the tournament. He not only was penalized two strokes for being late, but, worse, the last players of the field already were on the second hole. But Baran was determined, He obtained permission to start with two observers. On the third hole he caught up with the last three players, then went on to score a 76, including the penalty strokes. The climax came on the following Friday when he de­ feated Russell Spang, of Lakewood, 6 and 4, in the final. DO YOU KNOW YOUR GOLF? (Answers to question on page 16) I- (c). 2. No—on both (a) and (b). Defini­ 3. 4. 5. tion 26. (c) Rule 2-3. (b) No. Rule 3. (a) No. Definition 24 and Rule 15-1. (b) Yes. Rule 24-lb. 6. 7. (a) Yes. Definitions 7 and 22. 18 USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: SEPTEMBER, 1955 THE GIRLS’ JUNIOR GOES TO THE NORTHWEST, TOO Two young ladies from the Pacific Northwest, where so many girls seem to be following in Pat Lesser’s footsteps, came together in the final of the 7th USGA Girls’ Junior Championship at the Florence Country Club, in Florence, S. C. The older was Carole Jo Kabler, a 17 year old from Sutherlin, in southwestern Oregon. The younger was JoAnne Gunder­ son, a 16 year old from Kirkland, Wash., which is just north of Seattle. The older girl won, 4 and 3, in her last try for the Championship, and the younger girl presumably will come to the Heather Downs Country Club, in Toledo, Ohio, next August, to try again. Miss Kabler, the new Champion, holds both the women’s and junior champion­ ships in Oregon and was runner-up to Ruth Jessen, only one year out of Girls’ Junior Championship ranks herself, in this year’s Pacific Northwest Championship. Miss Gunderson had recently won the Western Girls’ Championship. Last year she had the misfortune to meet Wiffi Smith, who was head and shoul­ ders over that field, in the first round. This year it looked from the beginning as if Jo might be head and shoulders over this field. In an invitation stroke play event, held in the week before the Championship for the benefit of early arrivals, she scored a stunning 73 on the 6,05 3-yards, par-74 course to win. Accumulates Four Birdies In the 15 -hole final against Miss Gun­ derson, she holed all footer for a birdie 4 on the second hole and went on to win three more holes in succession and eventu­ ally to accumulate a total of four birdies. This emergence of the Pacific Northwest was not confined to the final. It extended back into the semi-finals, where Miss Gun­ derson had to defeat Anne Quast, 17, of Everett, Wash., 2 and 1, while one lone girl from Tulsa, Okla., Betsy Cullen, 16, slipped in before being eliminated by Miss Kabler, also by 2 and 1. Incidentally, Miss Quast beat Miss Kab­ ler in the second round of the Women’s Amateur Championship at Charlotte, N. C., the following week, and went all the way to the quarter-finals, being the last Junior to survive. The original entry in this Girls’ Junior Championship reached 72 and broke all records. The largest previous entry was 64 a year ago. However, there was an un­ usually large number of withdrawals, and only 57 started, as against 59 a year ago. No 57 ever showed better sportsmanship or had more fun on and off the course, however. They represented 24 states, the District of Columbia and Mexico. The youngest was Sharon Klump, of Toledo, who turned 11 last March. The smallest, however, was Sandra Haynie, 12, of Midland, Texas, who stands 4 feet 6 inches tall and weighs 66 pounds. The con­ fident and talented Miss Haynie, looking more like a watch charm than a real live golfer, had Mary Mills, of Gulfport, Miss., one of the strong players in the tourna­ ment, all even at the turn in their first round match, although she finally suc­ cumbed. For these younger players, particularly, the shot-making clinic given by Miss Bar­ bara Romack, then the Women’s Amateur Champion, on the Sunday afternoon before play started, was a treat. Miss Romack, who was a semi-finalist in the Girls’ Junior Championship in 1949 and a quarter-final­ ist only five years ago, quickly established a common bond with her audience and revealed her real understanding of the prin­ ciples of the golf swing. Many One-Sided Matches The Championship was conducted en­ tirely at match play, in the pattern of the Women’s Amateur Championship, for the first time. It became obvious that this USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: SEPTEMBER, 1955 19 THE WINNER AND RUNNER-UP Carole Jo Kabler, of Sutherlin, Ore., (left), who defeated Jo Anne Gunderson, of Kirkland, Wash., in the final of the Girls' Junior Championship at the Florence Country Club, Florence, S. C. form, which works so well when the players are adults subject to a handicap limitation, does not work well when the players’ ages vary from 11 to 17 and there is no handi­ cap limitations. There were many one-sided matches in the early rounds, and while these were friendly, they were not par­ ticularly enjoyable for either party. There was a consolation match play event, in which Janice Lee Butler, of Read­ ing, Pa., defeated Karen Anderson, of Lansdowne, Pa., 1 up. Hurricane Diane hit the South Carolina coast on the Wednesday of the Championship week and forced can­ cellation of a stroke play consolation for losers on the first two days at the Dunes Golf and Beach Club in Myrtle Beach, S. C. The Florence Country Club proved a most efficient and hospitable host. Its forces were marshalled by Grant Bennett, the club professional, who conducts a strong junior golf program there, and by the Florence Women’s Golf Association, and as always the girls had a week of clean fun and happiness in a surrounding of southern hospitality. 20 USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: SEPTEMBER, 1955 THE REFEREE Decisions by the Rules of Golf Committees Guy Wires on Boundary Fence USGA 5 5-26 D. 20; R. 31-2 Q. A fence marks the south boundary of the course. To protect apartment buildings, a net extends upwards from the fence and is fastened by guy wires which are anchored to the ground two to three feet inside of boundary fence. 1. May these guy wires be classed as immovable obstructions? 2. A ball close to the boundary fence is dropped away from the guy wire and comes to rest within two club-lengths of the point of the obstruction nearest which the ball originally lay. It is not closer to the hole, but it is farther from the boundary fence than it was originally and in a better position. What is the ruling? Question by: Mrs. L. K. O’Toole Chicago, Ill. A. 1 : Yes. While a fence marking the boundary of a course is not an obstruc­ tion, by Definition 20, guy wires extend­ ing into the course to support such a fence or a screen or net above a fence would be immovable obstructions. The guy wires do not define the boundary. 2. The ball appears to have been dropped as required by Rule 31-2. A player is entitled to relief from an immovable obstruction, within the limits of that Rule, without regard to how the position of the ball or the line of flight may be affected by other factors. “Obstructions” Outside Limits of Course USGA 5 5 27 D. 20; R. 18-1 Q. USGA Decision 51-62 held that a player was not entitled to relief from a building located out of bounds which interfered with his backswing The de­ cision stated that conditions beyond a boundary line do not entitle a player to relief in playing a ball lying within bounds. Rule 7-4 (superseded by Rule 31 in the present code) refers only to artificial obstructions within the limits of the course. I assume the same decision would be given under the present Rule 31, par­ ticularly since Definition 20 defines an obstruction as "anything artificial ... on the course.” I also assume that a player could not remove an artificial object which lay out of bounds when the object interefered with his stance or swing and was movable. Definition 17, defining loose impediments as "natural objects”, does not limit such USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: SEPTEMBER, 1955 21 objects to the course, and Rule 18-1 en­ titles a player to remove loose impediments but does not restrict such removal to only loose impediments lying on the course. The Rules thus appear to make a dis­ tinction in the rights of a player as to a movable obstruction and a loose impedi­ ment. To set me straight in the matter I ask the following questions: A, B and C are playing in the same group. On one hole each of their tee shots comes to rest a few yards apart, and each ball just barely inside the staked boundary. The backswing of each player is inter­ fered with by an object which is out of bounds: A by a building, B by a discarded wood bench and C by a fallen tree branch. 1. Is A entitled to relief from the building under Rule 31-27 2. May B move the bench under Rule 31-1? 3. May C move the branch under Rule 18-1? Question by: Ralph W. Miller Los Angeles, Cal. A. 1: No. A building is not an ob­ struction under Definition 20 when it is off the course. 2. Yes. A may move the bench, so far as the Rules of Golf are concerned, if it is movable without delaying play, but he does not move it under any authority con tained in Rule 31-1. A bench is not an obstruction under Definition 20 when it is off the course. However, the Rules do not prohibit the movement of anything loose and movable off the course. 3. Yes. See Rule 18-1. The distinction between the situations you cite is that, when the player seeks relief from the building, he must move the ball. When he seeks relief from the loose objects, he moves only the loose objects. Ball Strikes Bag Carried By Common Caddie ing the qualifying round of the Club Championship when A blasted from a sand trap bordering a green. A’s ball struck the bag of B, which was suspended from the shoulder of their common caddie, as was also the bag of A. A and B figured that no penalty was involved and posted and attested their respective scores accordingly. A short while later B mentioned the incident to the Golf Chairman, who im­ mediately disqualified A, citing Rules 26- 3a and 3 8-3. B was also disqualified, sub­ sequently, for having attested the score posted by A. B later protested the disqualifications, maintaing that A and B were fellow­ competitors and that Rule 26-3b should apply rather than Rule 2 6-3 a. After con­ sidering the matter, the Chairman advised that the disqualifications would stand, holding there should have been a two- stroke penalty pursuant to Rule 34-3a. If Rule 3 4-3 a is to be considered ap­ plicable to this case, the question is whether the bag of B (the fellow-com­ petitor) is considered part of the person (the common caddie) attending the flag­ stick. The rule is not clear on this point, whereas Rule 26-3 b specifically refers to "a fellow-competitor, his caddie, clubs, ball or other equipment------.” A. Assuming that the caddie was at­ tending the flagstick when A’s ball struck B’s bag, A sustained a two-stroke penalty under 34-3a or 34-3b. The Rule applies to striking not only the person attending the flagstick but also to equipment carried by him. As A breached Rule 3 8-3, he was sub­ ject to disqualification. (For possible modi­ fication of penalty, see Rule 36-5). B was not subject to disqualification un­ less the Committee considered that he and A had agreed to waive a penalty they knew about—see Rule 4. USGA 5 5-23 R. 4, 34-3a, 34-3b, 36-5, 38-3 Q. Player A. and Player B. were play­ The fact that the caddie was employed by both competitors is immaterial, as Rule 34-3 pertains to any person attending a 22 USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: SEPTEMBER, 1955 flagstick. USGA recommendations for local rules to cover double caddying pro­ vide that in stroke play "The caddie is always deemed to be employed by the player affected.” Ball In Lateral Water Hazard USGA 5 5-2 8 R. 33-3b Q. A ball lies in the rough, immediately behind the starting point of a lateral water hazard. The ball is struck straight ahead; it crosses the starting point of the lateral water hazard and follows the course of the hazard before dropping into the water. In its flight it does not cross any margin of the hazard except the margin at the staring point. The opponent claims that the player, in proceeding under Rule 3 3-3b, must drop a ball within two club-lengths of the point where the ball crossed the start­ ing point of the hazard margin. The player claims that he may drop a ball opposite the place where the ball entered the water. He contends that the place where the ball actually dropped into the water is the point where the ball last crossed the hazard margin. Who is right? Question by: Ray Lawren son Washington, D. C. A. The opponent is right. As the ball in flight followed the course of the hazard, the last point of crossing the hazard margin was the identical point where it first crossed. The place where it actually entered the water is not a margin of the hazard for purposes of the Rules. Consideration might be given to classify­ ing the end margin as a water hazard rather than as a lateral water hazard. Lifting Ball in Match and Stroke Competition USGA 5 5-34 D. 13, 17, 28; R. 11-5, 18, 24-la, 24-2, 32-1, 35-2a Q. 1 : In medal play one competitor is three feet off the green, directly in line to the pin of a second competitor thirty yards out. May the second competitor ask the first competitor to mark his ball? What is the situation in match play? A. 1 : (a) Stroke play—Rule 24-2 al­ lows a competitor to have any other player’s ball lifted if it interfere with his play. Relative positions are not a factor. (b) Match play—Assuming that the players are opponents, Rule 24-la allows lifting only when the balls are within a club-length, and Rule 3 5-2a allows lifting when the ball nearer the hole lies on the putting green. Fallen Tree On Course Q.2: In a medal play tournament there is a severe rain and windstorm at the end of the first day of play. On the second day the first threesome out finds a large tree has been blown on to a fairway, and is still attached to the stump. One competitor’s ball is found among the branches of this tree. What is his procedure? What in match play. A. 2: In stroke play and match play, the player may discontinue play and re­ quest a ruling from the committee. The committee would be justified in declaring the area covered by the fallen tree to be ground under repair—see Definition 13 and Rule 32-1. In the absence of such a ruling by the committee, if the tree were fallen beyond redemption, it could be regarded as a loose impediment—see Definition 17 and Rule 18. In stroke play, if a ruling has not been obtained, the competitor may play out the ball in play and a second ball as provided in Rule 11-5. For definition of threesome, see Defini­ tion 28. Questions by: S. W. Creekmore Fort, Smith, Ark. Testing Surface Behind Ball Q.: To what extent may a player test the hitting surface behind a ball, either with his hand or with his club head, other USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: SEPTEMBER, 1955 23 than what might be learned when nor­ mally addressing the ball? Question by: Norman Haine Camden, N. J. A.: Through the green (Definition 34), the matter is covered by Rule 17. Although there is no specific prohibition against test­ ing the surface behind a ball, the player must be careful not to improve the lie of the ball or otherwise to violate the sev­ eral provisions of Rule 17, including the following: Rule 17-1—Improving the suf ace so as to affect a lie. Rule 17-2—Touching long grass more than is necessary to find and to identify the ball. Rule 17-3—Improving the lie by moving, bending or break­ ing anything fixed or growing. "The club may be grounded only lightly and must not be pressed on the ground.” On the putting green (Definition 25), testing the surface is prohibited by Rule 35-ld. Four-Man Teams USGA 5 5-41 R. 5, 17-1, 17-3, 41-4 Q. 1 : In a four-man team best-ball competition, where all four competitors are playing together, is there a penalty if one of the competitors putts and his ball knocks a teammate’s ball into the cup? A. 1 : The Rules of Golf do not specifi­ cally cover play by four-man teams but the principle of Rule 41-4 would apply. This provides in part that "When the balls con­ cerned lie within 20 yards of the hole and neither ball is in a hazard, if a competitor’s ball strike any other ball the competitor shall incur a penalty of two strokes and shall play his ball as it lies. The other ball shall be at once replaced.” Improving Surface In Bunker Q.2: A player in a sand bunker in sur­ veying his shot moves through the sand toward the hole two or more times and each time tramps in the line of his shot until he levels the sand considerably. Then he uses a putter to roll the ball along the beaten path onto the green. What is the penalty, if any, and under what Rule is the penalty called? A. 2: The player you cite has violated Rule 17-1 and has incurred a penalty of loss of hole in match play or two strokes in stroke play under Rule 5. See also Rule 17-3. Questions by: W. F. Bebout Uniontown, Ohio Ant Hills Are Loose Impediments USGA 5 5-39 D 17; R. 18 Q.: Does the ruling regarding burrow­ ing animals apply to ant hills and ant holes? Questions by: A. M. Loeb Chicago, Ill. A.: No. Ants are considered insects, rather than burrowing animals; see Defini­ tion 17. Therefore, ant hills, as casts made by insects, are loose impediments. A player is entitled to relief from a loose impediment as prescribed under Rule 18. Ball Holed Is Not Lost R & A 54-63 R, 29 Q: One of our members, after playing his second shot at the 14th hole, which is 479 yards, with a standard scratch score of five, could not find his ball and, after looking for the statutory time, concluded his ball was lost. He returned to where he had played his second shot and dropped another ball, and it was not until he was holing out with his second ball that he discovered his first ball was in the cup. Does the score of two with the original ball stand or, by concluding the ball was lost and dropping a second ball, does the score with the latter count? A: The score with the first ball should count. 24 USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: SEPTEMBER, 1955 MISTER CHAIRMAN By MARVIN H. FERGUSON USGA Green Section Southwestern Director and National Research Coordinator Chairman? What is the job of a Green Committee The answer to this question has been sought through the circulation of a ques­ tionnaire to representative Green Commit­ tee Chairmen throughout the country. The questionnaire was designed to gain infor­ mation relating to these subjects: (1) the average length of service of Green Com­ mittee Chairmen; (2) the degree of au­ thority vested in the Green Committee Chairman for making decisions affecting the membership’s use of a golf course in relation to the welfare of the course; (3) his relationship to the golf course super­ intendent and the division of responsibility between these two persons; (4) whether or not the Green Committee Chairman and his superintendent attend educational con­ ferences. Green Committee Chairmen in seventeen geographically well-distributed states re­ sponded to the questionnaire. It is hoped that their answers may help others to gain an insight into the responsibilities of this extremely important job. Previous Experience How much experience in Green Com­ mittee activities has the chairman had? Approximately three-fourths of the chair­ men answering the questionnaire had served on the Green Committee prior to becoming chairman. Length of such service on the committee ranged from one to four years. One of the questions was: "How long have you served as chairman of the Green Committee?” Answers ranged from two months to 17 years. Fifty per cent of the chairmen had held their positions three years or longer and another 30 per cent had been chairman for two years. A little more than half the responses, however, in­ dicated that the job was rotated frequently. Authority Seventy-five per cent of the chairmen indicated they had the responsibility for closing the course in the event of in­ clement weather during which play would result in damage to the golf course. In response to a question concerning control of golf buggies (motorized carts), 37 per cent said they made the decision as to whether or not buggies should be used during unfavorable weather; 37 per cent said that buggies were not used on their courses, and the other 26 per cent in­ dicated the decision was made by someone other than the Green Committee Chair­ man. Two persons said the Board of Gov­ ernors or Directors made this decision and USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: SEPTEMBER. 1955 25 one indicated the professional had the au­ thority to do so. One chairman who said he made the de­ cision concerning the use of buggies during inclement weather indicated that the pro­ fessional was given authority to act in his absence. One chairman said he made the decision in cooperation with the golf course superintendent. Degree of Authority More than 75 per cent of those queried answered that the golf course superintend­ ent was directly responsible to the Green Committee Chairman. The others indicated that the superintendent was responsible to the green committee primarily. One person said the superintendent was responsible to the chairman and the club manager and another said the superintendent was re­ sponsible to the "green chairman who works in conjunction with pro.” "Do you have to advise your superin­ tendent concerning technical aspects of golf course maintenance or does he keep abreast of new developments on his own?” In answer to this question, 73 per cent said the superintendent did not need technical advice from the chairman, 16 per cent said the chairman and superintendent worked together, and 11 per cent found it neces­ sary to advise the superintendent. None of the chairmen indicated they in­ terviewed men to be hired or discharged from the golf course maintenance crew, but one person indicated he and his super­ intendent worked together in this matter. With regard to the preparation of a golf course maintenance budget, 21 per cent of the chairmen said they prepared it; 27 per cent said it was done by the superin­ tendent. Most of the other answers indi­ cated that this was a joint project between the two men, sometimes involving the Board of Directors, the club manager, the professional and various other individuals. One person said "Board of Directors gov­ ern budget” and one said, "No prepared budget — committee manages expenditures and details kept by superintendent.” Educational Conferences The questions asked about conferences were: "Have you attended turf confer­ ences? Does your superintendent attend? Do you encourage him to do so by support­ ing a budget item to pay his expenses to such conferences?” Sixty-three per cent indicated that both the superintendent and the Green Com­ mittee Chairman had attended at least one educational conference. Sample com­ ment, "We certainly have attended turf conferences and from information obtained our course is in improved condition.” Every chairman responding, with two exceptions, said that his golf course super­ intendent attended turf conferences with expenses paid by the club. One person failed to answer this part of the question and one person answered "No” to all three parts of the question. The last question asked was: "What, in your opinion, are the proper functions of a green committee chairman? What are the proper functions of a superintendent? And which are the most important of each? This was a rather difficult question be­ cause answering it required a considerable amount of writing. Such questions are not well suited to a questionnaire of this sort and it was to be expected that not all those queried would answer it. There were nu­ merous interesting comments, however, and some of them were: "The relation of a Green Committee Chairman and the superintendent must vary with the knowledge that the Green Committee Chairman possesses. In our sit­ uation none of us thinks he has the 'know­ how’ of our superintendent. Consequently, he is given pretty much a free hand. He seeks advice and likes to discuss certain problems with the committee and his re­ lation with the club manager is always perfect.” (Kansas) "Cooperation and understanding, coupled with good working relations with pro are most important.” (Washington, D.C.) "Green chairman should assist the super­ intendent at all times in keeping the course in proper playing condition, and give him whatever assistance he needs in advice and complaints from members of club. Green 26 USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: SEPTEMBER, 1955 chairman and superintendent should be close together at all times.” (Texas) "There has to be somebody to direct the yearly program for maintenance of the golf course. In a small club with limited resources this can be done very well by a member interested enough to take courses in turf management and attend turf meet­ ings, and then work with the superintend­ ent in carrying out the program. However, unless this member has the interest to learn the proper methods he will cause more harm than good. With sufficient funds the club should hire a superintendent to initiate and direct the yearly program, and then the green chairman is simply the link between the superintendent and the Board of Directors.” (Indiana). "Chairman should only be in an advisory capacity and consult with superintendent in regard to budget, etc.” (Nebraska). "Coordination with intimate knowledge of players’ wants and course needs.” (New York). "To plan with superintendent all course work and to act as liaison between mem­ bers, board and course operation.” (North Carolina) "Obtain an adequate budget. Get and keep a competent superintendent. Estab­ lish policy and approve long range main­ tenance program.” (Virginia) "To serve as liaison between superintend­ ent and members. To recommend any changes in course. Control number of tournaments and time of holding. Confer on policies of turf maintenance, etc.” (Missouri) "Policy.” (Minnesota) "Speaking only for . . . club, there the chairman of the green committee has the ultimate responsibility for seeing that the two courses are in proper shape and the green superintendent reports to him direct­ ly. Of course, he is saddled with extra-cur­ ricular activities from time to time as they arise.” (New Jersey) "Should be well acquainted with the operation and maintenance of the whole course and should know just when to plant winter greens. Also, he should prepare for his summer greens and should know about golf course diseases of the soil and what to do if they should occur, as well as know when the soil needs fertilizer and water.” (Alabama) "The Green Committee Chairman should first of all be a golfer and an active one who knows the condition of the course and the wants of the membership. He should also learn some of the technical data re­ garding golf course maintenance so that he can intelligently discuss same with the superintendent. Most green committee chairmen are not well acquainted with the problems of golf course maintenance.” (Illinois) "Thorough knowledge of course in its best playing condition.” (California) Functions of Superintendent Comments on the functions of a super­ intendent were: "Obtain and train a competent mainte­ nance crew. Schedule work. Maintain course. Supervise. Keep chairman advised of unusual problems.” (Virginia) "Course needs and players’ wants.” (New York) "To employ course labor, buy supplies and carry out the planning of the Green Committee.” (North Carolina) "Superintendent has full charge of main­ tenance, hiring and firing crew, fix com­ pensation, subject to approval of green committee. Purchases, subject to green committee as to major items.” (Missouri) "Administrtaion.” (Minnesota) "He must be an expert on turf and in a club like ... be able to handle a rela­ tively considerable number of men effici­ ently. But, of course, the main thing is to see that the golf course is kept in good condition.” (New Jersey) "Should take care of regular cutting of greens and complete course maintenance, except extra construction work, to improve the course. Also he should make regular in­ spection of the greens for disease and report it to the chairman of the green commit­ tee.” (Alabama) "The proper function of a golf course superintendent is to know his golf course thoroughly. Keep a chart of the operations USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: SEPTEMBER, 1955 27 and constantly keep a check on the condi­ tion of the soil and know when to make changes in types of fertilizer and other types of treatment to greens, tees and fairways. He also should work in complete harmony with the chairman of the green committee. He should keep abreast of the latest developments in the treatment of turf. Frankly speaking, it is difficult to employ a superintendent today that will measure up to these specifications.” (Illin­ ois) "Proper handling of help.” (California) "Green superintendent should have full responsibility of the golf course.” (Ne­ braska) As to the most important joint functions of the green chairman and the superin­ tendent, some of the comments were: "For chairman—get and keep a com­ petent superintendent. For superintendent —schedule work, maintain course.” (Vir­ ginia) "Cooperation between chairman and green superintendent.” (California) "Both should have a knowledge of the other’s function. We encourage our crews to play golf.” (New York) In Summary If we consider that the chairmen who answered this questionnaire are typical, it appears that we might draw the following conclusions: (1) A large percentage of Green Com­ mittee Chairmen do not hold this position long enough to warrant their attempting to learn all the technical phases of turf­ grass maintenance. Perhaps it suffices for the chairman to know enough concerning turf maintenance to be able to determine whether his superintendent is capable and progressive. (2) Most Green Committee Chairmen are charged with the major responsibility of protecting the golf course from damage which might be inflicted by play or the use of golf buggies during unfavorable weather. (3) In his relationships with the golf course superintendent, the Green Commit­ tee Chairman should serve as a "buffer” or liaison between the superintendent and the TURF MANAGEMENT The book “Turf Management,” sponsored by the United States Golf Association and edited by Prof. H. B. Musser, is a complete and authoritative guide in the practical development of golf-course turfs. This 354-page volume is available through the USGA, 40 East 38th Street, New York 16, N. Y., the USGA Green Section Re­ gional Offices, the McGraw-Hill Book Co., 350 West 42nd Street, New York 36, N. Y., or local bookstores. The cost is $7. membership. He should relay the desires of the Board of Directors to the superin­ tendent and he should present the needs of the superintendent (equipment, supplies, and labor) to the Board of Directors. (4) In most cases the superintendent is directly responsible only to the Green Committee Chairman, who in turn repre­ sents both the superintendent and the club membership. (5) Most Green Committee Chairmen work with their superintendent in matters concerning major objectives, long range plans, and budget preparation. Few of them concern themselves with such matters as hiring and discharging members of the maintenance crew. (6) Almost all Chairmen recognize the value of educational conferences and see to it that the club pays the expenses of the superintendent while he attends such conferences. (7) Most important functions of a chairman: Make policies and plans; urge the club to provide the necessary men and materials for good golf course maintenance. (8) Most important functions of a superintendent: Provide a high standard of golf maintenance as efficiently and eco­ nomically as possible. Keep abreast of new developments that would improve the golf course or the efficiency of operations. (9) Most important attributes of both men: Cooperation and understanding. The USGA Green Section wishes to thank those men who took the time to answer the questionnaire upon which this article is based. 28 USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT; SEPTEMBER, 1955 FACTORS LIMITING GROWTH OF TURF GRASSES By GLENN W. BURTON Principal Geneticist, Field Crops Research Branch, A.R.S., U. S. Dept, of Agriculture and Georgia Costal Plain Experiment Station, Tifton, Georgia. IF someone were to ask you to talk on this subject, what would you say? If they asked you to list, in order of their importance, the five most important fac­ tors that limit the growth of grass, what would you write? I’m wondering how many of us would agree. Most of us prob­ ably would include dry weather, lack of fertilizer, diseases and insects in our list. Someone, remembering that Bermudagrass stops growing in the fall and grows little, if any, all winter, might include cold weather. Others might list light or air, or something else. I have an idea, however, that we would come nearer agreeing on our list than on the relative importance of the factors listed. Actually, the order of importance probably would be changed a dozen times as you walked over any one of the golf courses you represent. In order to discover the factors that limit the growth of grass in any one loca­ tion, one must know what makes grass grow. He also must understand the Law of the Minimum and how it works. Sup­ pose we consider the Law of the Minimum first. More than 100 years ago a German scientist by the name of Justin Von Liebig made a very significant observation. Said he, "The amount of plant growth is regu­ lated by the factor present in the mini­ mum amount and rises or falls accord­ ingly as this is increased or decreased in amount.” This statement soon became known as the Law of the Minimum. Let me illustrate it like this. I’m sure everyone has seen grass stop growing dur­ ing an extended drought. Water, obviously, was the minimum factor limiting the growth. The Law of the Minimum says to get more growth, water must be added, and the amount of growth will be pro­ portional to the amount of water added until something else becomes the limiting USGA GREEN SECTION REGIONAL OFFICES Correspondence pertaining to Green Section matters should be addressed to the nearest office below: USGA Green Section Northeastern Office. Lipman Hall, College of Agriculture, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, N. J. USGA Green Section Mid-Atlantic Office, Room 206, South Building, Plant Industry Station, Beltsville, Md. USGA Green Section Southeastern Office, Georgia Coastal Plain Experiment Station, Tifton, Ga. USGA Green Section Southwestern Office, Texas A. and M. College College Station, Texas. USGA Green Section Western Office, 1709 West Eighth Street, Los Angeles 17, Cal. factor. As long as water is the limiting factor, increasing the fertilizer, light, air, will increase the growth of the grass very little, if any. Most of us have had enough experience with grass to understand and agree with this statement. It may be more difficult, however, to see how light, air, temperature or any one of the other growth factors can also be limiting factors. The Needs of Grass Now, let’s try to answer the question, "What makes grass grow?” Grass is very much like you and me. In order to live and grow, it must have water, a favorable temperature, and food. Anyone who has undertaken to grow grass knows how im­ portant water and favorable temperatures are. Very few people who grow grass real­ ize that it requires the same kind of food that we require in order to live and grow. USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: SEPTEMBER, 1955 29 Most of this food would be classed as sugars and starches which furnishes the energy to keep the plant alive and to make it grow. The process of converting these sugars and starches to energy is called "respiration.” The following chemi­ cal formula indicates how it works: 6O2 in the presence C6H12O6 + Sugar Oxygen of enzymes This process actually takes place in tiny little green bodies called "chloroplasts” that can be found in the leaves of green plants. In other words, green leaves are the factory that manufactures the food required to keep the green plant alive. gives 6CO2 + Carbon dioxide 6H2O + energy for life Water and growth This process must go on in every plant cell if those cells are to remain alive. You will notice that oxygen, which is in the air, is necessary for this process to go on. You have heard a great deal in the past few years of the importance of getting air into the soil in order to develop good roots. Without the air, this process called "respiration” could not take place and the cells in the grass roots would die for lack of energy. Perhaps the greatest difference between green plants and you and me is that we have to buy our food at the store, where­ as they can manufacture their own, pro­ vided they have the following things: 1. Water 2. Favorable Temperature 3. Air (Carbon dioxide and oxygen) 4. Fertilizer elements a. Nitrogen b. Phosphorus c. Potash d. Calcium e. Magnesium f. Sulphur g. Minor elements or trace elements 5. Light This food manufacturing process is sometimes chemical s and is following called pnotosynthes described with the formula: The Limiting Factors Many probably are beginning to wonder "What does this have to do with growing grass on golf courses? What are those limiting factors and how do they work?” Many people fail to realize that the size and condition of the factory (the leaves that manufacture the food) may often be the principal factor limiting grass growth on a golf course. It is quite obvious that the amount of food that will be manufactured will de­ pend upon the size of the factory, as well as the supply of the things listed above. The closer the grass is mowed, the smaller becomes the factory and the less food that can be manufactured. As we have indi­ cated before, some of the food manufac­ tured by the plant must be used every moment of the day and night to keep plant cells alive. If there is any left over, it either will be used to make the plant grow or will be stored in storage organs, such as seed or rhizomes. Close and fre­ quent mowing, such as we practice on golf greens, reduces the size of the factory to the extent that very little food is manu­ factured for growth. If the grass is scalped, as it may be on the edge of the greens when the mowers are careless, the factory becomes so small that it is unable to make enough food to keep the plant alive and eventually it dies, leaving bare spots in these scalped areas. 6H2O + Water CO2 Carbon dioxide in chloroplasts in CrTT1.,Or T' 60., ----------- ------> the light Sugar Oxygen Two South Africans, Weinmann and 30 USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: SEPTEMBER, 1955 COMING EVENTS 1955 Sept. 7-8: Penn State Field Days, Pennsylvania State Univer­ sity, State College, Pa. Prof. H. B. Musser. Sept. 15: Lawn and Turfgrass Field Day, Ohio Agricultural Experiment Station, Wooster, Ohio. Dr. R. R. Davis. Sept. 19-20: Fall Field Day, Purdue University, Lafayette, Ind. Dr. William H. Daniel. Sept. 23-24: Edmonton Turfgrass Conference, University of Al­ berta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Prof. R. H. Knowles. Sept. 27-28: Northwest Turfgrass Conference, Pullman, Wash. Prof. A. G. Law. Sept. 30-Oct. 1: Utah Turfgrass Conference, Utah Copper Golf Course, Magna, Utah. J. W. Richardson. Oct. 3-4: Rocky Mountain Turfgrass Conference, Colorado A. & M. College, Fort Collins, Colo. Prof. George A. Beach. Oct. 6-7: New Mexico Turfgrass Conference, New Mexico College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts, State College, N. M. Clarence E. Watson. Oct. 19-21: Central Plains Turfgrass Conference, Kansas State College, Manhattan, Kan. Chester Mendenhall. Dec. 7-9: Oklahoma Turfgrass Conference, Oklahoma A. & M. College, Stillwater, Okla. Dr. Wayne W. Huffine. Dec. 12-14: Texas Turfgrass Conference, Texas A. & M. Col­ lege, College Station, Tex. Dr. Ethan C. Holt. 1956 Feb. 5-10: Golf Course Superintendents 27th National Turf­ grass Conference and Show, Long Beach, Cal. Agar M. Brown. Feb. 20-23: Penn State Turf Conference, Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pa. Prof. H. B. Musser. Goldsmith, ran a very interesting experi­ ment demonstrating this point. They cut all the tops of the Bermudagrass once a week for 25 weeks. When they began their experiment they had a ton of starch and sugar per acre stored in the roots and rhizomes of their Bermuda. After scalping the grass once a week for 25 weeks they found only 57 pounds of sugar and starch per acre. By that time, most of the grass was dead. It would not have lived that long had it not been able to use the starch and sugar that had been stored in the roots and rhizomes when the experiment began. Many plant diseases destroy a part, or all, of the grass food factory. No food can be manufactured in those portions of a leaf that have been killed by disease. The leafspots that kill some of our grasses actually kill them by first destroying the food factory and the grasses starve to death after that. Worms Destroy Factory Insects, such as the army worm, limit the growth of grass by consuming the leaves and destroying the factory. The sucking insects, like the chinch bug and the scale insects, injure the grass by suck­ ing the freshly manufactured food out of the plant sap. As a result, many of the cells in the plant, particularly those in the roots, are undernourished and under severe attack and may die. Cutworms, webworms and their kind limit growth and often kill the plant by separating the nutrient-gathering roots from the food­ manufacturing tops. Without water and nutrients, the tops die and without the energy-supplying food manufactured in the leaves, the roots die. Fortunately, there are good insecticides that will control most of these insects. The wide-awake superin­ tendent who knows his insects and insecti­ cides, who spots them early, and properly applies the right insecticide can grow ex­ cellent turf in spite of the insects. Most golf courses have some shaded places on greens or tees where the grass is very thin or has died out completely. Usually, these areas are shaded only a part of the day. Why does Bermuda and other grasses die out in those areas? The answer is simple enough. The factory is not large enough to make enough food with the limited amount of light to keep the grass alive and growing. The same grass in the same amount of shade, cut at a height of 1% to 2 inches, lives and makes some growth because the factory is large enough to manufacture the food requirements, even though the amount of light is not sufficient to permit the factory to work to full capacity. USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: SEPTEMBER, 1955 31 Judging from the questions we have received during the past few years, the greatest problem facing greenkeepers in the South is the problem of the transition from ryegrass to Bermudagrass greens in the spring. Most greenkeepers give little thought to this problem until the ryegrass begins to die out. Then if the Bermuda­ grass fails to start off fast (as it very often does) they begin to put on fertilizer and do everything possible to try to bring it along. Very few of them realize that they should have prepared for the transition the previous summer and fall. The amount of protein, sugar, and starch stored in the rhizomes of Bermudagrass determines how fast Bermuda will start off and grow, once temperatures become warm enough to make it grow. These proteins, starches and sugars must be manufactured and stored in the late summer and fall if they are to be available to push the grass off in a hurry during the transition in the spring. Per­ haps you are wondering what you can do to increase the amount of food stored in these rhizomes in late summer and fall. The first thing that you should do is to make the factory as large as possible. That means raising the height of cut as much as you can. A satisfactory playing surface must, of course, be maintained, but raising the height of cut from 3/16 to 4/16 inch need not interfere too much with play and it certainly will help the Bermudagrass to manufacture more food to store for spring growth. The next thing that you can do is to keep the factory working by making sure that it has all the things it needs. This means supplying it with all the fertilizer that is needed for good growth, enough water to keep it growing and plenty of light, if possible. The South Africans re­ ferred to above demonstrated the impor­ tance of this principle in the following experiment: They applied five pounds of actual nitrogen per 1,000 square feet on Bermudagrass and found at the end of the year that there were 1,600 pounds per acre of sugar and starch in the roots and rhizomes. When they applied no nitrogen, they found only 700 pounds per acre of SUBSCRIBERS TO USGA GREEN SECTION RESEARCH FUND American Cyanamid Company, N. Y. Eberhsrd Anheuser, Mo. William F. Bell, Cal. The Clapper Co., Mass. Cooperative Seed & Farm Supply Service, Va. C. L. Cornell Company, Md. Davison Chemical Company, Md. Elmwood Country Club, N. Y. Ferti-Soil Company, N. J. Robert Bruce Harris, III. William F. and David W. Gordon, Pa. Robert Trent Jones, N. Y. Kellogg Seed Co., Wis. T. C. King, Ala. P. H. Kylander, Conn. Lafkins Golf & Lawn Supply Corp., N. Y. Geroge E. Lineer, Cal. A. M. Mohler, Pa. New York-Connecticut Turf Improvement Association, N. Y. Northrup King & Co., Minn. J. C. Oliger Seed Company, Ohio Philco Corporation, Ohio Bernard H. Ridder, Jr., Minn. W. H. C. Ruthven, Canada Wm. G. Scarlett & Co., Md. Sewerage Commission of the City of Mil­ waukee, Wis. D. G. Scott Farm, Ohio Standard Manufacturing Company, Iowa The Upjohn Co., Mich. Vaughan’s Seed Company, Ill. Western Pennsylvania Golf Association, Pa. F. H. Woodruff & Sons, Conn. Worthington Ball Co., Ohio sugar and starch in the roots and rhi­ zomes. Controlling diseases will also help to keep the factory working. The easiest way to do this is to plant disease-resistant grasses. Only a few of the fundamental processes that "make grass grow” have been men­ tioned. I believe if you know "how” grass grows and “why” it grows you will be able to do a better job planning and carry­ ing out a good turf management program. There is no substitute for the judgment that a superintendent must use as he nurses the grass on a golf course. 32 USCA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: SEPTEMBER, 1955 IT’S YOUR HONOR Thrilled By Nelson To the USGA: To the USGA: One of the greatest thrills I have had since I became a journalist was watch­ ing Byron Nelson at St. Andrews and at La Boulie in Paris. Although I quali­ fied with him in the Open Champion­ ship at Carnoustie in 1937 and had subsequently seen him play a number of times, I had no idea that he was quite so good as he is. In his third round of 67 in Paris he hit the flag with his second shot on four occasions. Unfortunately his putting during this round was quite lamentable or other­ wise it must have been a 60. It was his putting at St. Andrews that left him so far down the list. I also found him a most delightful companion and it was really pleasant to see, like other of my American friends, including Ben Hogan, he is a deeply religious man. Leonard Crawley London, England The Mayor Responds To the USGA: Personally, and on behalf of the citi­ zens of Indianapolis, I should like to thank the Public Links Committee of the United States Golf Association for the resolution expressing gratitude to the city of Indianapolis for its facili­ ties and hospitality during the wonder­ ful 195 5 Amateur Public Links Cham­ pionship. I want you to know all of us en­ joyed very much having the tourna­ ment here in Indianapolis and we feel that it will do a great deal to help promote golf in our city. Also, I want you to know how much I enjoyed the dinner and the final round of the tour­ nament. Mayor Alex M. Clark Indianapolis, Ind. “Time-Table” Golf I believe the frequent assertion by low handicap golfers that no four-ball match should require more than three hours is not based on reality. Let’s suppose that four players who score in the mid-70s can complete a round in three hours. As an illustra­ tion, we’ll say the four take a total of 300 shots, including putts. Another four-ball group, composed of players whose average score is 90, will take 360 strokes. The extra 60 strokes rep­ resent 20 per cent of 300. Three hours constitute 180 minutes and 20 per cent of 180 minutes is 3 6 minutes. Now let’s suppose that, shot for shot, both groups take exactly the same time in playing a stroke. The slower four-ball match is bound to re­ quire at least three and a half hours. There are far more players who score in the 90’s than in the mid-70’s. Therefore, three hours is a pace which cannot be maintained except by the very few. Another point is that the best players usually play their matches on a better-ball basis, so that players who no longer figure in the result on any given hole frequently pick up to save time. Most 90 shooters in four-ball groups have private matches among themselves, and all putts are holed. Charles A. Wyer Plainfield, N. J. The Rules Of Golf To the USGA: The more I play golf and the older I get, the more convinced I am that the vast majority of modern golfers not only need to read information per­ taining to the Rules of Golf but to memorize them as well. Francis Ouimet Boston, Mass. USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: SEPTEMBER. 1955 33 USGA OFFICERS, EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AND COMMITTEE CHAIRMEN PRESIDENT Isaac B. Grainger, New York, N. Y. VICE-PRESIDENTS John D. Ames, Chicago, III. Richard S. Tufts, Pinehurst, N. C. SECRETARY Charles B. Grace, Philadelphia, Pa. TREASURER Charles L. Peirson, Boston, Mass. EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE The above officers and: J. Frederic Byers, Jr., Pittsburgh, Pa. Emerson Carey, Jr., Denver, Colo. Thomas H. Choate, New York, N. Y. John G. Clock, Long Beach, Cal. John W. Fischer, Cincinnati, Ohio T. R. Garlington, Atlanta, Ga. Gordon E. Kummer, Milwaukee, Wis. Edward E. Ldwery, San Francisco, Cal. F. Warren Munro, Portland, Ore. John M. Winters, Jr., Tulsa, Okla. GENERAL COUNSEL Fraser M. Horn, New York, N. Y. COMMITTEE CHAIRMEN RULES OF GOLF: Richard S. Tufts, Pinehurst, N. C. CHAMPIONSHIP: John D. Ames, Chicago, III. AMATEUR STATUS AND CONDUCT: John W. Fischer, Cincinnati, Ohio IMPLEMENTS AND BALL: Charles B. Grace, Philadelphia, Pa. MEMBERSHIP: John G. Clock, Long Beach, Cal. GREEN SECTION: T. R. Garlington, Atlanta, Ga. WOMEN'S: Mrs. Harrison F. Flippin, Ardmore, Pa. SECTIONAL AFFAIRS: Charles L. Peirson, Boston, Mass. PUBLIC LINKS: Edward E. Lowery, San Francisco, Cal. HANDICAP: William O. Blaney, Boston, Mass. JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP: J. Frederic Byers, Jr., Pittsburgh, Pa. SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIP: Richard S. Tufts, Pinehurst, N. C. GIRLS' JUNIOR: Mrs. John Pennington, Buffalo, N. Y. MUSEUM: Gordon E. Kummer, Milwaukee, Wis. BOB JONES AWARD: Totton P. Heffelfinger, Minneapolis, Minn. "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 MID-ATLANTIC OFFICE South Building, Plant Industry Station, Beltsville, Md. Charles K. Hallowell, Mid-Atlantic Director USGA GREEN SECTION NORTHEASTERN OFFICE Rutgers University, New Brunswick, N. J. Alexander M. Radko, Northeastern Director USGA GREEN SECTION SOUTHEASTERN OFFICE Georgia Coastal Plain Experiment Station, Tifton, Ga. B. P. Robinson, Southeastern Director USGA GREEN SECTION SOUTHWESTERN OFFICE Texas A. and M. College, College Station, Texas Dr. Marvin H. Ferguson, Southwestern Director and National Research Coordinator USGA GREEN SECTION WESTERN OFFICE 1709 West Eighth Street, Los Angeles 17, Cal. William H. Bengeyfield, Western Director