?
r
g
T

I

N
g

JOURNAL

AND

TURF MANAGEMENT

ON CAMERA' FOR NEW USGA FILM

Johnny Farrell, golf professional at the Baltusrol Golf Club, Springfield, N. J., indulges in a 
practice swing prior to the filming of a scene for the USGA's latest motion picture "Play 
Them As They Lie," premiered at the Association's annual meeting last month. Filmed in 
color over the Baltusrol course, the picture gives an authentic interpretation of the Rules of 
Golf—Fairway and Rough. The film is now available to dubs and interested groups.
(Further comments on page 18.)

FEBRUARY, 1957

USGA
JOURNAL

AND

TURF MANAGEMENT
Published by the United States Golf Association
Permission to reprint articles herein is freely granted (unless specifically noted otherwise') 
provided credit is given to the USGA Journal

VOL. IX, No. 7

FEBRUARY, 1957

Through the Green ................................................................................................................................
Honoring a Brave Lady Honors the Annual Meeting ......................................... John  P. English
Par and Bogey ...........................................................................................................Harry  L. Staley
‘Play Them As They Lie’ New USGA Film Release .......................................................................
Golf In Theory and Practice .................................................................... .................. Lester Rice
Hill of Fame ................................................ Dr. John R. Williams
Opening the Door for Leaders of Tomorrow 
......James H. Potts
Let’s Have More Scratch Tournaments ... 
Charles P. Stevenson
Open Championship Decision Reversed ....  
................................
The Referee .................................................... ......... .. ................................
Turf Management: USGA Green Section

USGA Turf Service Now In All Areas ........................................................ Joseph  C. Dey, Jr.
Selective Control of Dallisgrass in Bermudagrass Turf.......................... Eugene  B.Bockholt
Diseases of Southern Turfgrass and Their Control ..................................... Homer  D. Wells,
B. P. Robinson, Jim Latham

1
5
8
9
10
13
15
17
18
19

22
23

26
31
33

Annual Index ..........................................................................................................................................

It’s Your Honor: Letters .......................................................................................................................

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. Additional entry at Post office in Sea Cliff, L. I., N. Y.

Edited by Joseph C. Dey, Jr., and John P. English. All articles voluntarily contributed.

USGA COMPETITIONS FOR 1957

Championships

Sectional 
Qualifying 
Rounds

Date of
Event

June 3

None

July 2

None

None

—

June 13-14-15

June 27-28-29

July 17-20

July 29- 
Aug. 3

Aug. 12-16

Aug. 19-24

Aug. 30-31

♦June 20

tJuly 7-13

Championship 
or Team Match

Open

Women's Open

Junior Amateur

Amateur Public 

Links

Girls' Junior

Women's Amateur

(1) Walker Cup Match

Amateur

Entries 
Close

May 16

June 14

June 14

July 26

Aug. 2

—

Aug 8

Location

Inverness Club
Toledo, Ohio

Winged Foot G. C.

Mamaroneck, N. Y.

Manor C. C.

Washington, D. C.
Hershey Park C. C. 

Hershey, Pa.

Lakewood C. C. 
Denver, Colo.
Del Paso C. C.

Sacramento, Cal.

Minikahda Club

Minneapolis, Minn.

The Country Club 
Brookline, Mass.

Ridgewood C. C.

Ridgewood, N. J.

Senior Amateur

Aug. 30

Sept. 17

Sept. 30-Oct. 5

Aug. 27

Sept. 9-14

Dates entries close mean last dates for applications to reach USGA office, except in the case of 
the Amateur Public Links Championship. For possible exceptions in dates of Sectional Qualifying 
Rounds, see entry forms.

♦Entries close with Sectional Qualifying Chairmen.
tExact date in each section to be fixed by Sectional Chairmen.
(1) Walker Cup Match—<Men’s Amateur Teams: Great Britain vs. United States.

Don’t Be Rattled

So you think you have troubles! Golfers 
at the Bisbee Golf Course, Bisbee, Arizona, 
take their troubles, including rattlesnakes, 
in stride. A Local Rule permits the golfer 
who finds his ball within a club length 
of a tattlesnake to move the ball two club 
lengths without penalty. The unanswered 
question: Do you keep your eye on the 
ball or the snake when playing the next 
shot?

From Tee To Wrong Green
Is it possible to hit a ball from the sec­
ond tee straight down the middle of the 
second fairway for a distance of 230 yards 
and, on the same stroke, end up on the 
third green? John M. MacKenzie, of the 
Seawane Harbor Club, Hewlett, N. Y., says 
it is and offers the corroborating testimony 
of his golfing partner, William J. Hanley, 
to back up his contention.

Mr. MacKenzie hit such a drive. He 
knew where it landed because it sent a 
flock of seagulls fluttering noisily into the 
air when the ball landed among them. 
However, when he reached the area there 
was no golf ball.

Mr. MacKenzie dropped a new ball and 
played on. As he and Mr. Hanley ap­
proached the third green they saw three 
balls on the green where two should have 
been. A closer inspection revealed the third 
ball to be the one Mr. MacKenzie lost on 
the second hole. A dent on the ball in the 
shape of a gull’s beak revealed the culpit.

Golf Writers Honor Russell
Clinton F. Russell, of Duluth, Minn., re­
ceived the Ben Hogan trophy at the Metro­
politan Golf Writers Dinner in New York 
last month. Mr. Russell, who lost his sight 
in an accident in 1924, was honored for 
overcoming his physical handicap to con­
tinue playing golf and for the inspiration 
his struggle against blindness has been to 
others. He is a former world blind golf 
champion and an organizer of the United 
States Blind Golfers Association.

John Jay Hopkins, founder of the Inter­
national Golf Association, was awarded the 
Gold Tee award in recognition of his con­
tributions to golf. Due to Mr. Hopkins’ 
illness, the award was accepted on his be­
half by Frank Pace, International Golf As­
sociation vice-president.

The ceremony was recorded by the 
Armed Forces Radio for rebroadcast to the 
armed forces overseas on the following 
Sunday.

WG1 Elects Officers
Carleton Blunt, of Chicago, Ill., has suc­
ceeded James L. O’Keefe, of Chicago, as 
President of the Western Golf Associa­
tion. Mr. Blunt, Chairman of the Evans 
Scholar Foundation for the past six years, 
has been associated with the W.G.A. since 
1936.

Elected with Mr. Blunt as officers of the 
Association for 1956 were: Vice-Presi­
dents — Norman G. Copland, Chicago; 
Cameron Eddy, Chicago; Frank H. Hoy, 

USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: FEBRUARY, 1957

I

PREPARING FOR THE AMATEUR

Officials of the Massachusetts Golf Association presented a novel pre-Christmas package in connection 
with the 1957 USGA Amateur Championship to be held at The Country Club, Brookline, Mass., Sep­
tember 9 to 14. The plan offered ticket purchasers an opportunity to buy season tickets providing 
grounds and clubhouse privileges for the six days of the tournament and the three practice days for 
$15. Regular season tickets, for grounds only, will cost $12. From left to right are: Joseph A. Galvin, 
Jr., President; John W. Goodrich, B. F. Jaques and William O. Blaney, former M.G.A. Presidents.

Milwaukee; Harold A. Moore, Chicago; 
James M. Royer, Chicago; George K. 
Whyte, St. Louis; Secretary—A. R. Car­
man, Jr., Chicago; Treasurer—Walter W. 
Cruttenden, Chicago; General Counsel— 
Lynford Lardner, Jr., Milwaukee.

PGA Choices

Jack Burke, Jr., winner of the 1956 PGA 
and Master’s Championships, has been 
named "Professional Golfer of the Year” 
for 1956 by the Professional Golfers’ As­
sociation of America.

The Houston, Texas, professional re­
ceived a total of 118 votes in winning the 
award. Dr. Cary Middlecoff, of Memphis, 
Tenn., the 1956 USGA Open Champion, 
was runnerup in the balloting with 82 

votes. Burke is the ninth recipient of the 
award.

Harry C. Shepard, of the Mark Twain 
Golf Course in Elmira, N. Y., was also 
honored as "Golf Professional of the Year” 
for 1956 by the PGA.

In receiving the award, Mr. Shepard was 
cited for contributions to the game over a 
period of 40 years. An active advocate of 
junior golf, Mr. Shepard has served as a 
member of many youth organization com­
mittees in his community. He has pro­
moted many golf tournaments and has en­
couraged industrial golf leagues as well as 
service club leagues in his community.

Beharrell Honored

John Beharrell, 18 year old winner of 
the 1956 British Amateur Golf Champion­

2

USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: FEBRUARY, 1957

ship, was recently named Golfer of the 
Year by the British Association of Golf 
Writers. He received the honor as the 
player who did most for British golf in 
1956.

Wedding Bells

Marriage is foremost in the future plans 
of Misses Patricia Ann Lesser, of Seattle, 
Wash., and Barbara Romack, of Sacra­
mento, Cal., both of whom recently became 
engaged. Miss Lesser and Miss Romack are 
both former USGA Women’s Amateur 
Champions and were members of the 1954 
and 1956 Curtis Cup Teams.

Miss Lesser, the 1955 USGA Women’s 
Amateur Champion, is the fiancee of John 
Harbottle, Jr., of Tacoma, Wash. Both are 
graduates of Seattle University where they 
were members of the golf team. Mr. Har­
bottle is currently studying at the Univer­
sity of Washington Dental School.

Miss Romack, the 1954 USGA Wom­
en’s Amateur Champion, is engaged to Ed­
ward Wayne (Bud) Porter, a native of 
Alturas, Cal. The couple will be married 
on May n. In addition to her competitive 
accomplishments, Miss Romack is a mem­
ber of the USGA Girls’ Junior Committee. 
Mr. Porter is currently the associate golf 
professional at Haggin Oaks Golf Course 
in Sacramento, Cal.

Time of Decision

The last months of 1956 were a time of 
decision for five of the country’s promi­
nent amateur golfers. In quick succession 
came the news that Ken Venturi, Miss 
Margaret (Wiffi) Smith, Tommy Jacobs, 
Doug Sanders and Joe Conrad were leav­
ing amateur ranks to pursue professional 
golf careers. They leave amateur golf with 
records of distinction and best wishes for 
future success as professional golfers.

Equalled His Age

The Royal Canadian Golf Association 
has added another name to the roster of 
golfers who have matched their age and 
golf score. The late George S. Lyon, of To­
ronto, Ontario, President of the R.C.G.A. 
in 1923, equalled his age from his 69th 

birthday until he was just short of 80. On 
a number of occasions he accomplished the 
feat on his birthday.

Mr. Lyon was one of the colorful fig­
ures in Canadian sport. He played his 
first round of golf at the age of 38 after 
distinctive success as a tennis player, crick­
eter, swimmer and baseball player. He was 
eight times Canadian Amateur Champion, 
winner of the Canadian Seniors title on 
ten occasions and runner-up in the USGA 
Amateur Championship in 1906.

Miss Hoyt’s Age

It now develops that Miss Beatrix Hoyt 
was 16 years old, not 17, when she won 
her first USGA Women’s Amateur Cham­
pionship in 1896 at the Morris County 
Golf Club, in Morristown, N. J. Her cor­
rect birth date is July 5, 1880.

Newspapers at the time of her victory 
uniformly carried her age as 17, but Miss 
Hoyt, who is living in Thomasville, Ga., 
informs us that they were in error. She is, 
of course, the youngest to win the event.

Education Through Golf

Golfers of the Westchester County (N. 
Y.) Golf Association have contributed a 
total of $37,785 to the Reinach-Turnesa 
Caddie Scholarship Fund since its begin­
ning a year ago. As a result, six caddies 
from Westchester County are now pursu­
ing a course of study at either New York 
University or Fordham University.

Tournament Sites Changed

Gasoline rationing resulting from the 
Suez crisis is responsible for a change in 
the sites of the British Amateur and Open 
Championships for 1957.

The amateur, scheduled to be played 
from May 27 to June 1 at the Royal St. 
George’s Golf Club, Sandwich, has been 
changed to the Formby Golf Club, Lan­
cashire, England. The Open Championship 
will be played over The Old Course at St. 
Andrews, Scotland, from July 1 through 5, 
instead of at Muirfield, Scotland.

The new sites are nearer population 
centers and have much better railway trans­
portation than St. George’s and Muirfield.

USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: FEBRUARY, 1957

a

Good News in Books

An addition to many golfing libraries 
during the Christmas season was the new 
$4.95 edition of Herbert Warren Wind’s 
epic The Story of American Golf, which 
was originally published by Simon and 
Schuster in a boxed, $15 edition in 1948. 
In the interim, the text has been com­
pletely up-dated to take into account all 
developments since 1948, and the up-dat­
ing includes an entire new chapter en­
titled, appropriately, "The Age of Hogan.” 
Anyone who could only gaze wistfully at 
the first, expensive edition can now take 
the same material into his home and spend 
many happy winter hours getting acquaint­
ed with the golfing greats—because Mr. 
Wind has tremendous zest for golf history 
and a great talent for characterization.

A second pre-Christmas edition, The 
Golfers Own Book, is a potpourri of golf 
history, a guide to golfing facilities 
throughout the country, golf instruction 
and prose in one volume. Edited by Dave 
Stanley and George G. Ross, the volume 
contains a variety of information calcu­
lated to supply specific facts and a back­
ground of many golf subjects. Articles by 
Bobby Jones, Johnny Farrell, Johnny Re- 
volta, Cary Middlecoff, P. G. Wodehouse, 
Paul Gallico, and many others, are delight­
fully interspersed with a choice selection 
of golf cartoons.

Prince Fumitaka Konoye

The death of Prince Fumitaka Konoye 
in a Soviet prison camp was recently an­
nounced by the Japanese Foreign Office 
in Tokyo. Prince Fumitaka, son of Prince 
Fumimaro, former Premier of Japan, was 
a well-known amateur golfer and captain 
of the Princeton University golf team in 
1937-

Educated in the United States, he was 
a graduate of the Lawrenceville School, 
Lawrenceville, N. J., in 1934. He captained 
the Lawrenceville golf team and reached 
the semi-final round in the championship 
division of the Eastern interscholastic golf 
tournament in Greenwich, Conn. Shortly 

before returning to Japan he reached the 
quarter-finals of the Metropolitan Amateur 
Golf Championship.

Fraser M. Horn

We record with great sorrow the passing 
of Fraser M. Horn, General Counsel for 
the USGA, on November 13, 1956. Mr. 
Horn, a partner in the New York firm 
of Curtis, Mallet-Prevost, Colt & Mosle, 
had been General Counsel for the Asso­
ciation since 1950.

A graduate of Yale University and the 
Harvard Law School, Mr. Horn was a mem­
ber of the American Bar Association, New 
York State Bar Association and the Bar 
Association of the City of New York.

Mr. Horn had entries for many years in 
field trial circuits. His retriever, Major VI, 
was the 1954 national champion of his 
class.

Necrology
It is with deep regret that we record the 

death of:

Al Espinosa, prominent golf profes­
sional. Mr. Espinosa tied Bobby Jones for 
the 1929 USGA Open Championship at 
Winged Foot Golf Club, Mamaroneck, N. 
Y., but was defeated in the playoff. He was 
a member of the Ryder Cup team on three 
occasions and won the Mexican Open 
Championship five times.

Clive T. Jaffray, a member of the 
Executive Committee of the USGA in 
1909 and 1910. A well-known banker and 
industrial leader in Minneapolis, Minn., 
Mr. Jaffray was a member of the Minikahda 
Club in Minneapolis.

Willie Klein, golf professional for the 
past thirty years at the Wheatley Hills Golf 
Club, East Williston, N. Y. Mr. Klein was 
the 1938 New York State Open Champion 
and won the Florida Open in 1925.

Reginald A. Whitcombe, 1938 Brit­
ish Open Champion. Mr. Whitcombe was 
the Irish Open Champion in 1936 and 
played in Ryder Cup competition against 
the United States.

4

USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: FEBRUARY, 1957

HONORING A BRAVE 

LADY HONORS THE 
ANNUAL MEETING

by

JOHN P. ENGLISH

USGA Assistant Executive Director

^INHERE was a time when the Annual
Meeting of the United States Golf 
Association was conducted with great 
swiftness but made little news.

Such meetings often consisted almost 
exclusively of the swift election of officers. 
The election remains, of course, an import­
ant feature, and Richard S. Tufts, of Pine­
hurst, N. C., was reelected at the 63rd An­
nual Meeting in New York last month.

However, in the last decade the chair­
men of the USGA committees have been 
presenting their reports in person. This 
inaugurated a trend in which the meet­
ings became more newsworthy.

Two years ago the Association further 
enlivened the proceedings by making it 
the occasion for the presentation of its Bob 
Jones Award for distinguished sportsman­
ship in golf.

The third winner is the late Mrs. Mil­
dred Didrikson Zaharias, and the an­
nouncement of her selection and the touch­
ing acceptance by her husband George Za­
harias moved this 63rd Annual Meeting as 
no other has ever been moved.

Mrs. Zaharias’ courageous fight against 
cancer had stirred the emotions of all golf­
ers. As Totton P. Heffelfinger, chairman 
of the Bob Jones Award Committee and 
a former president of the Association, said, 
the Babe had seemed to be using in her 
fight for life the qualities she had learned 
in golf. The fight seemed to have been 
made in the name of golf.

When George Zaharias came forward to 
accept for her, the 150 delegates and 
committeemen rose with him and re­
mained standing in tribute throughout his 
remarks.

Robert T. Jones, Jr., in whose name the 

9

award had been offered, was present and 
took the occasion to remark publicly on 
his affection and respect for the Babe. He 
said that her selection honored him.

The Annual Meeting opened with the 
preview of the latest USGA color motion 
picture "Play Them As They Lie.” The 
showing of a new USGA film is becoming 
a fixture and further brightens the pro­
ceedings. This edition, third in the series, 
dramatizes the Rules of play in fairway 
and rough and features Johnny Farrell, the 
1928 Open Champion. It is described 
more fully on page 9 and is available 
from National Educational Films, Inc., for 
showing at clubs throughout the country.

The meat and potatoes of the meeting 
is, however, provided through the reports 
of the committee chairmen. Here is re­
vealed the work of the Association through 
the year.

Green Section

Prior to introducing the committee 
chairmen, Mr. Tufts drew particular at­
tention to the service the Green Section 
was offering to Member Clubs, exempli­
fied by the fact that the Regional Direc­
tors had visited 1,010 Member Clubs dur­
ing 1956. He described the service as a 
means of obtaining full value for the in­
creasing costs involved in golf-course 
maintenance today.

Mr. Tufts also reported that a number 
of inquiries had been received from Mem­
ber Clubs protesting the application of the 
20 per cent Federal dues tax to charges 
that many individuals did not customarily 
regard as dues. He said the Association 
would investigate and was hopeful of be­
ing able to present a case that might influ­
ence the present views of the Internal 
Revenue Service on this matter.

USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: FEBRUARY,

1957 

5

had been highlighted by the attendance of 
some 120 club green Committee members 
and golf-course superintendents at an Edu­
cational Program on the afternoon pre­
ceding the Annual Meeting. Allan Brown, 
chairman of the Green Committee at the 
Montclair Golf Club, Montclair, N. J., pre­
sented an analysis and procedure for green 
committee work and two panels discussed 
successively the relationships between the 
green committee and the club and be­
tween the green committee and the golf- 
course superintendent. The first panel was 
moderated by Dr. Marvin H. Ferguson, 
Southwestern Regional Director, and in­
cluded Charles G. Chapman, Chairman, 
Green Committee, Country Club of Detroit, 
Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich.; William G. 
Harding, Chairman, Green Committee, 
Dedham Country & Polo Club, Dedham, 
Mass.; Dr. Andrew P. Virtuoso, Chairman, 
Green Committee, Whippoorwill Club, 
Armonk, N. Y.; Elmer J. Michael, Super­
intendent, Oak Hill Country Club, Roches­
ter, N. Y., and Charles K. Hallowell, Mid­
Atlantic Regional Director. The second 
panel was moderated by A. M. Radko, 
Northeastern Regional Director, and in­
cluded Rear Adm. John S. Phillips, Chair­
man, Green Committee, Army Navy Coun­
try Club, Arlington, Va.; Malcolm E. Stone, 
Chairman, Green Committee, Rhode Is­
land Country Club, W. Barrington, R. L; 
Edward J. Casey, Superintendent, Baltusrol 
Golf Club, Springfield, N. J.; Eberhard R. 
Steineger, Superintendent, Pine Valley 
Golf Club, Clementon, N. J., and William 
H. Bengeyfield, Western Regional Direc­
tor.

William O. Blaney, of Boston, Mass., 
chairman of the Handicap Committee, in­
dicated that the Association is nearing the 
goal of a single handicap system, the de­
sire for which had been revealed in a na­
tionwide poll of member clubs and other 
golf associations.

Charles L. Peirson, also of Boston, Mass., 
chairman of the Implements and Ball Com­
mittee, announced that Arthur D. Little, 
Inc., a research firm, had been engaged 
to make a comprehensive study of the golf 
ball with the possible objects of develop­
ing an improved standard or rule to con­
trol the distance the ball may be struck 
and a simpler and more practical control 
test of the flight of the ball than the pres­
ent velocity test.

Membership Gain

Gordon E. Kummer, of Milwaukee, Wis., 
chairman of the Membership Committee, 
reported that the Association had had a 
net gain in membership for the eleventh 
consecutive year and that the enrollment 
of Member Clubs and courses had been 
2,076, another new record, at the close of 
the fiscal year.

William C. Chapin, of Rochester, N. Y., 
chairman-designate of the Green Section 
Committee, pointed out that 539 golf 
courses are now subscribing to the Re­
gional Turf Service of the USGA Green 
Section, an increase of 126 during the 
year, and that they had been serviced by 
five regional offices. The service entailed 
a Green Section deficit of approximately 
$34,000, and therefore the 
increased by $10. Each subscriber will  re­
ceive one scheduled 
visit and a second if 
necessary. The five 
Green Section offices 
served 35 states and the 
District of Columbia. It 
is hoped to give com­
plete coverage through­
out the country this 
year.

fee has been

Interest in the 
Green Section program

WM. WARD FOSHAY WILLIAM McWANE STUART A. HEATLEY

6

USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: FEBRUARY, 1957

Continuing the reports of the committee 
chairmen, John D. Ames, of Chicago, 
chairman of the Championship Committee, 
pointed out that the USGA competitive 
program in 1956 had attracted 6,952 en­
trants, the largest number in history.

F. Warren Munro, of Portland, Ore., 
chairman of the Sectional Affairs Com­
mittee, drew attention to the importance 
of his committee in conducting Associa­
tion affairs on the local level and an­
nounced that, as the result of sentiments 
expressed during the year, a meeting of 
the Sectional Affairs Committee had been 
scheduled during the Amateur Champion­
ship at The Country Club, Brookline, 
Mass., next September.

Mr. Peirson, acting chairman of the Fi­
nance Committee, presented a statement 
of income and expenses which revealed that 
the Association had enjoyed an excess of 
income for the fiscal year amounting to 
$40,405.

In addition to the reelection of Mr. 
Tufts for the customary second term as 
president, the other four officers also were 
reelected. They are: John D. Ames, of 
Chicago, Ill., vice-president; John G. 
Clock, of Long Beach, Cal., vice-president; 
Charles L. Peirson, of Boston, Mass., secre­
tary, and J. Frederic Byers, Jr., of Pitts­
burgh, Pa., treasurer.

New Members

Stuart A. Heatley, of San Francisco, Cal., 
and William McWane, of Birmingham, 
Ala., were elected to the Executive Com­
mittee, filling vacancies left by T. R. Gar- 
lington of Atlanta, Ga., and Edward E. 
Lowery, of San Francisco.

The remaining eight members of the 
Executive Committee were reelected. They 
are: C. W. Benedict, of White Plains, N. 
Y.; Emerson Carey, Jr., of Denver, Colo.; 
William C. Chapin, of Rochester, N. Y.; 
John W. Fischer, of Cincinnati, Ohio; 
Richmond Gray, of Richmond, Va.; Gor­
don E. Kummer, of Milwaukee, Wis.; F. 
Warren Munro, of Portland, Ore,, and 
John M. Winters, Jr., of Tulsa, Okla.

The report of the Nominating Commit­
tee had proposed the name of Fraser M. 

Horn, of New York, N. Y., for an eighth 
term as General Counsel. After the report 
was filed, Mr. Horn passed away, on No­
vember 13, and Wm. Ward Foshay, also 
of New York, had been elected by the Ex­
ecutive Committee to fill the unexpired 
term. Mr. Foshay was therefore proposed 
for election as General Counsel and the 
proposal carried.

Two amendments to the USGA consti­
tution also were approved by the delegates.
The first amendment confirmed the prac­
tice of denying members of Regular Mem­
ber Clubs delinquent in their dues entry 
in the recently established Senior Amateur 
Championship. Members of such clubs 
have long been denied representation in 
the meetings of the Association and entry 
in the Amateur and Women’s Amateur 
Championships.

The second amendment indemnified 
members of the Executive Committee 
against expenses which they might incur 
in the defence of any legal action to which 
they might be made a party by reason of 
being members of the Executive Commit­
tee. The Association has no knowledge of 
any such legal action presently contem­
plated.

For three days prior to the Annual 
Meeting the Executive Committee met pri­
vately in New York and resolved a larger- 
than-usual volume of Association business. 
One of its actions was to enlarge the num­
ber of exemptions from sectional qualify­
ing by the following:

Amateur Championship: Semi-final­
ists in the last Amateur Championship, 
and all past winners of the Open Cham­
pionship who are amateurs.

Amateur Public Links Championship: 
Runner-up in the last Amateur Public 
Links Championship.

Junior Amateur Championship: Run­
ner-up in the last Junior Amateur Cham­
pionship.

Senior Amateur Championship: Run­
ner-up in the last Senior Amateur 
Championship.
The Association’s next annual meeting 
will be held on Saturday, January 25, 1958, 
in New York.

USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: FEBRUARY, 1957

7

PAR AND BOGEY

by

HARRY I. STALEY

TTAS golf gone on a double standard?
With respect to "par” and "bogey,” 
the 1957 Rules of Golf booklet indicates 
that it has.

What is “bogey?” One of the most wide­
ly misapplied and misunderstood terms in 
golf, "bogey” has been often erroneously 
thought of as a score of one over par. But 
now, for the first time, the USGA has of­
ficially defined "bogey.” Here are the new 
definitions of "bogey” and "par” in the 
1957 Rules of Golf booklet:

"Par” is the score that an expert golf­
er would be expected to make for a 
given hole.

"Bogey” is the score that a moderately 
good golfer would be expected to make 
for a given hole. Bogey is the same as 
par except when the committee declares 
it to be one over par because of the diffi­
culty of a particular hole.

Par and bogey mean errorless play 
without flukes and under ordinary wea­
ther conditions, allowing two strokes on 
the putting green.

Yardages for guidance in computing 
par and bogey are given below. They are 
not arbitrary, because allowance should 
be made for the configuration of the 
ground, any difficult or unusual condi­
tions, and the severity of the hazards.
YARDAGES FOR GUIDANCE

Score Men’s 
Par 
up to 250 
251 
471 and over 

to 470 

3 
4 
5 
6 

Men’s 
Bogey 
up to 190 
191 to 370 
371 to 540 
541 and over 576 and over

Women’s
Par
up to 210
211 to 400
401 to 575

Each hole should be measured hori­
zontally from the middle of the tee area 
to be used to the center of the green, 
following the line of play planned by 
the architect in laying out the hole. 
Thus, in a hole with a bend, the line at

©

the elbow point should be centered in 
the fairway in accordance with the archi­
tect’s intention.
Adoption of bogey is designed to give 
the great body of golfers a more realistic 
target than par toward which to direct their 
golfing efforts. Par is beyond the reach of 
most players; bogey now is more nearly 
within range.

The 1957 Rules remain unchanged from 
those in 1956. In the USGA Appendix, 
however, there are revisions in the state­
ments of USGA policy dealing with "pre­
ferred lies” and "winter rules”. Although 
the USGA does not endorse "preferred 
lies” and "winter rules,” it is recognized 
that extreme conditions may necessitate 
their use. An appropriate local rule is sug­
gested, although the USGA will not endorse 
or interpret it.

Henceforth, scores made under a local 
rule for "preferred lies” or "winter rules” 
may be accepted for handicapping if the 
committee considers that conditions war­
rant.

When such a local rule is adopted, the 
committee should insure that the course’s 
normal scoring difficulty is maintained as 
nearly as possible through adjustment of tee 
markers and related methods. However, if 
extreme conditions cause extended use of 
"preferred lies” or "winter rules” and the 
course management cannot adjust scoring 
difficulty properly, the club should obtain 
a Temporary Course Rating from its dis­
trict golf association.

Copies of the 1957 Rules of Golf Book 
are now available and may be ordered 
through the United States Golf Association, 
40 East 38th Street, New York 16, N. Y. 
The standard edition, in handy pocket size, 
is 25 cents per copy. Bulk orders of more 
than 500 copies are available at reduced 
prices.

8

USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: FEBRUARY, 1957

'PLAY THEM AS THEY LIE’ 

NEW USGA FILM RELEASE 

Annual Meeting

THE premiere of the latest USGA mo­

tion picture "Play Them As They 
Lie” was enthusiastically received by dele­
gates and guests at the Association’s An­
nual Meeting. Produced for the USGA by 
National Educational Films, Inc., the new 
addition to the USGA’s film library is a 
Kodachrome production on 16 mm. film 
with sound. It runs for ibMj minutes.

The film was made at the Baltusrol Golf 
Club, Springfield, N. J., and features the 
ciub’s professional, Johnny Farrell, 1928 
Open Champion. Mr. Farrell acts as inter­
mediary between Wilbur Mulligan and 
Joshua P. Slye, golfers who approach the 
game from widely divergent standpoints. 
Mulligan and Slye are played by John M. 
Dillon and Joseph H. Olhausen, of Far 
Hills, N. J., respectively. Off-screen narra­
tion is by Lindsey Nelson, Assistant Sports 
Director of the National Broadcasting 
Company.

Educational Problem

Throughout the film, Farrell works at a 
problem in educating two golfers to play 
according to the Rules "through the 
green”, that is, in the fairway and rough. 
Mulligan, a beginner of unimpeachable in­
tegrity, finds himself in trouble at every 
turn due to his lack of knowledge of the 
Rules. Slye, an accomplished golfer—at 
breaking the Rules—has his own devious 
idea of how the game can be played.

The result is an entertaining and educa­
tional story, throughout which Farrell 
demonstrates the way to play according to 
the Rules. The film stresses the point that 
golf is the only game where the individual 
is his own referee—and no game at all 
unless everyone abides by the same Rules.
"Play Them As They Lie” is the third 
film presentation sponsored by the Asso­
ciation.

The first was "The Rules of Golf—Eti­
quette,” which was awarded a Recognition 
of Merit by the Film Council of America 
and was selected for permanent retention 
in the film archives of the Library of Con­
gress. It has been viewed by more than 600 
golf groups.

The second USGA film was "Inside 
Golf House,” which has had a good re­
ception wherever shown.

Film Note Available

"Play Them As They Lie” is now avail­
able to golf clubs and other groups upon 
request to National Educational Films, Inc., 
165 West 46th Street, New York 36, N. Y. 
The rental fee is $15. Groups desiring any 
two of the USGA films for showing on 
the same day may take advantage of the 
combination rate of $25. All three films 
may be obtained at the combination rate 
of $35. Requests for "Play Them As They 
Lie” should be forwarded to National Edu­
cational Films, Inc., at least four weeks in 
advance of the desired date of showing.

"The Rules of Golf-Etiquette” is a por­
trayal of various violations of the code of 
etiquette in the course of a family four- 
ball. The introductory statement is by Rob­
ert T. Jones, Jr., and Ben Hogan appears 
in several scenes. It is in 16 mm. color, 
with a running time of 17 ¥2 minutes.

"Inside Golf House” takes the viewer on 
a guided tour through "Golf House” for a 
glimpse of the many historical exhibits on 
display. The cast includes a distinguished 
array of past and present golfing stars in­
cluding: Miss Margaret Curtis, Findlay S. 
Douglas, Francis Ouimet, Chick Evans, Bob 
Jones, Mrs. Glenna Collet Vare, Gene Sara- 
zen and Ben Hogan. The film is in 16 mm. 
black and white, with a running time of 27 
minutes.

USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: FEBRUARY, 1957

9

GOLF IN THEORY

AND PRACTICE

by

LESTER RICE

Wl'HAT which hath been is now; and 
that which is to be hath already 
been . . . there is no new thing under the 
sun" saith Solomon.

And so it would seem of golf.
Ever since the venerated days of Vardon, 
and long before, golf has proceeded 
through an inevitable evolutionary phase. 
The ball—from leather stuffed with feath­
ers to the revolutionary gutta percha to the 
modern electronically rubber-wound mis­
sile—has become progressively "rounder” 
and more volatile; the transition from 
comparatively clumsy hickory shafts to 
those composed of rapier-like steel knows 
no end.

Courses Improved

Fairways now are meticulously cul­
tivated and even the rough or tiger coun­
try, as it once was called, is periodically 
mowed and no longer conceals anything 
bigger than a baby rabbit. Where once 
bad lies predominated, the fairway farer 
now loudly proclaims his discontent if by 
some extraordinary mischance his ball oc­
cupies a cuppy depression. Cuppy lie! 
Hasn’t that plaintive phrase become obso­
lete? Greens that once were hard and skid- 
dish now are soft. They are extravagantly 
barbered under scientific supervision pro­
vided by the United States Golf Associa­
tion’s Green Section.

We present this preamble as an intro­
duction to excerpts from a book written 
sixty years ago which seems to substantiate 
suspicions of long standing that funda­
mentally the technique of golf ball propul­
sion has undergone very little change and 
that the breaches of rules and etiquette 
then prevalent were peculiarly similar to 
those in unhappy practice today.

The book, entitled Golf in Theory and 
Practice, was written in 1897 by H.S.C. 
Everard and published in London. A copy 
was presented to the USGA’s Golf Museum 
and Library in 1956 by the late Willie 
Klein, Long Island professional. Even in 
the matter of the written word pertaining 
to golf there has been no change. In prefac­
ing his tome Everard apologetically said, 
"The writer feels serious misgivings as to 
the propriety of inflicting another book on 
golfers already satiated with the literature 
of the subject.”

Then, in extenuation, he said, "Golfers 
are now a power in the land and more are 
learning every day. Learn golf during boy­
hood is the best advice of all; but they also 
have to be considered who are no longer 
at that merry time of youth. With the 
adult, things are different. First principles 
may be explained to him and he will rea­
son upon them and, to some extent, a book 
may actually convey some useful hints— 
though it remains and ever will remain 
true, most especially at golf, that an ounce 
of practice is worth a ton of theory.”

Be Yourself!

To do what comes naturally has always 
been sound advice, and to those who 
through the years have got very little com­
fort from striving to imitate Bob Jones, 
Walter Hagen, Ben Hogan, Sam Snead and 
other stalwarts, it is interesting to note 
that Everard said when the game was in its 
cradle days in this country that, "to strive 
after effect is a delusion and a snare. To 
stand up and hit the ball most easy and 
natural to him must be the object of the 
learner.” Driving well "is not to be done 
by any fancied imitation of other players. 
Be yourself!”

10

USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: FEBRUARY, 1957

SIMILARITY IN SWING

Doin' what comes naturally is still the best advice a golfer may receive. In the case of Bob Jones, 
left, and Sam Snead, the similarity in swing is so close as to be almost identical. However, fancied 

imitation is not the way to master the game.

Later the author said, "It is not advis­
able for a beginner to cumber himself with 
many clubs; rather let him copy the aver­
age schoolboy, or caddie, whose stock-in- 
trade often consists of nothing but a driver 
and a cleek; it is surprising what can be 
done by one who is thoroughly master of 
even these two alone.”

A sore subject pondered by the USGA 
today concerns the flight of the ball and 
the steady improvement of steel shafts and 
the resultant recession of scores. The words 
that follow are not those of Richard S. 
Tufts, current USGA President, but were 
written half a century ago by Everard:

"It is universally admitted that the pres­
ent standard of play is very much higher 

than that of say thirty or forty years ago, 
but how much of this advance is due to 
the greater skill of the modern player and 
how much to improvements in balls and 
clubs, is a question not easy to decide.”

Most popular of the various methods of 
gripping a club is the overlap or more 
widely known as the Vardon grip because 
it was Vardon who set the fashion for it. 
Though he several times makes mention of 
Vardon who had won the first of six Brit­
ish Opens in 1896, Everard does not con­
nect him in any way with the overlapping 
grip but does make remarkable mention of 
two players who did overlap, not just one 
but two fingers’

"J. H. Taylor and Mr. J. E. Laidlay,” 

USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: FEBRUARY,

1957 

n

wrote Everard, "so grasp the club that the 
third and fourth fingers of the right hand 
overlap the first and second fingers of the 
left, thus bringing the wrists into still 
closer juxtaposition.”

How hard should the club be gripped in 
the address was a moot question then as 
it is today. "As many authorities could be 
quoted on the one side as the other,” said 
Everard. Some then gripped tightly and 
some loosely and you will find advocates 
of both ways among both amateurs and 
professionals presently parading the fair­
ways.

Hogan Comments

When he addressed his fellow profes­
sionals at a clinic in Chicago, Ben Hogan 
said of the stance, "I play the ball approxi­
mately an inch or two back of the left heel 
and it remains constant. I never alter the 
alignment regardless of what shot I want 
to play. You may move the right foot in 
or out a little but the relationship between 
the ball and the left foot never changes.”
Now let us read what Everard said three 
score and ten years ago: "The matter of 
the stance is important but it is a favorice 
theory of Mr. Cunningham’s and other 
eminent players that it is so only in respect 
to the lejt foot; arrange that in proper po­
sition and it matters little, within reason­
able limits, what happens to the right.”

There has been much controversy anent 
the left arm and what, if any, stiffness is 
to be employed in the backswing. There 
are many advocates of the stiff left, al­
though Bob Jones once said, "Sometimes I 
wonder if our concern over the 'straight 
left arm’ is not a useless bother. Many play­
ers, I am sure, interpret straight to mean 
rigid, the result being a stiff-armed poke 
at the ball which has none of the elements 
of timing or power.”

There was controversy too in Everard’s 
day. He, manifestly, was committed to the 
stiff left. He wrote, “The left arm plays a 
very important part in driving, contribut­
ing, as it does, much of the hitting power; 
therefore its muscles should be braced up 
and the whole kept taut as the shaft of the 
club, of which practically it forms a part, 
with one hinge, viz, the wrist.”

In the chapter, "Playing the Game,” 
Everard wrote, "As a first step towards tak­
ing our place on the links, apart from the 
merely mechanical aspects of the game, it 
is our bounden duty thoroughly to ac­
quaint ourselves with the laws and eti­
quette of golf. Now it is a singular fact that 
there is no game known into which a tyro 
will more confidently plunge without the 
most elementary acquaintance with either 
the one or the other than this game of 
golf. Having bought a few clubs and a 
ball or two, gaily he rushes into the middle 
cf things, outrages law and order in nearly 
everything he does, but says of himself and 
his friends say it of him that, save the 
mark, he is a golfer.”

How true! He could have written that 

yesterday or tomorrow.

Etiquette Important

On the subject of etiquette our author 
deplored "a disregard of the most ordinary 
courtesies, which can only be described as 
scandalous . . . Consideration for others, 
courtesy, gentlemanly feeling; this is the 
basis of all golf etiquette. For those not 
thus happily endowed there is the letter 
of the law to be studied, and one hopes, 
observed.”

On the thesis of gambling Everard said, 
'The virtues of the 'statutory half-crown’ 
must in no wise be overlooked, at least, in 
cur everyday matches amongst friends— 
for just as sixpenny, nay, even penny points 
make all the difference at whist, where few 
would think it worth while to sit down and 
play for nothing, so does the consciousness 
of this silver medal, depending upon the 
result, act as a sort of fillip, when atten­
tion perchance, begins to flag ... So the 
half-crown may be just the spice of condi­
ment, perfectly harmless, necessary to sea­
son the game—it is a fine for bad play and 
at the year’s end nobody will be a penny 
the worse. Needless to say, no form of 
gambling should be associated with golf; 
the word, of course, is purely relative; but 
any sum, the loss of which would be of 
the least importance, is best left unplayed 
for: there should be the most perfect in­
difference to wins or losses from the finan­
cial point of view.”

12

USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: FEBRUARY, 1957

HILL OF FAME

by

JOHN R. WILLIAMS, M.D.
Oak Hill Country Club 
Rochester, N. Y.

HDHE desire to memorialize his heroes 
is a worthy trait that had its begin­
ning with primitive man. In its earliest 
manifestations, heroes became gods or 
guiding spirits, their influence and import­
ance increasing with the passing of time.
As human culture advanced, this longing 
was expressed in various types of architec­
tural memorials, as statues of stone and 
bronze, and as temples and cathedrals. The 
tree, singly or in groves, was highly es­
teemed as an appropriate memorial.

Development of Heroes
With the passing of time, man’s varied 
interests in life led to the development of 
heroes in the particular field which most 
interested him. One of the first and most 
dominating of human instincts was self 
preservation, self defense, or its corollary, 
the making of war.

Thus it was that among his first heroes 
was the athlete-soldier. Some of the most 
thrilling pages in history are those which 
record the battles in the 5 th century B.C. 
between the greatly outnumbered Greeks 
defending their homeland from the invad­
ing hordes of Persians. In these, Greek ath­
letes performed almost incredible feats of 
heroism and skill.

When the vast Persian army landed on 
Greek soil the defending Athenian Gen­
eral, Miltiades, ordered an obscure peasant, 
a long distance runner, to hasten to Sparta 
to plead for help. His name, now almost 
forgotten, was Pheidippides. The messenger 
reached Sparta, a distance of more than 
one hundred fifty miles over rough coun­
try, in less than 48 hours—a marvelous 
feat.

Eight days later when the historic battle 
at Marathon had been won, the tired Phei­
dippides was again dispatched to Athens 

to announce the astounding victory. Over 
difficult roads he ran, never faltering until 
he reached the market place in Athens 
where he gasped out the eventful words 
"Rejoice; the victory is ours,” then sank to 
the ground dead. Athens had been saved 
from Persian bondage.

Pheidippides covered the distance, 26 
miles 385 yards, in less than 3 hours. To­
day, after more than 2500 years, this re­
markable feat is memorialized in the great 
marathon race of the same distance which 
features the Olympic games. Thus, track 
and field athletics have their hero in Phei­
dippides.

With its more than 5,000 courses in the 
United States, golf has its uncounted 
thousands of devotees. American golfers 
with uncanny skill and fortitude have 
thrilled the whole world. Their feats are 
fast becoming legendary. In this spirit, it 
was decided at the Oak Hill Country Club, 
Rochester, N. Y. to honor the more out­
standing of these heroes. Not only is the 
skillful player to be acclaimed, but also 
rhe notable citizen who contributes to hu­
man welfare in his chosen profession and 
finds time to espouse the recreational and 
character building worth of golf.

The long 13th hole of Oak Hill’s East 
Course terminates near the clubhouse in a 
large natural amphitheater. It is bordered 
on the right or north side by a knoll about 
150 yards long and by a similar but shorter 
knoll on the left or south side.

In the landscaping of the grounds they 
were planted with saplings, grown in Oak 
Hill’s nursery from the acorns of oaks of 
world wide origin. These are now trees 
ft cm 20 to 30 years of age and from 15 to 
30 feet in height. From the right or north 
knoll, a view of much of the East Course 
may be had and the entire play on 4 holes

USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: FEBRUARY, 1957

13

A LIVING MEMORIAL

Ben Hogan, right center, looks at the oak tree dedicated to him at Oak Hill Country Club, Rochester, 
N. Y., during the 1956 Open Championship. Dr. John R. Williams, with microphone, presided at dedi­
cation ceremonies honoring golfing heroes whose names will be enshrined on the Hill of Fame. At the 
left is Congressman Jack Westland, of Everett, Wash., 1952 Amateur Champion, who acknowledged 
dedication of an oak to President Eisenhower who was unable to attend.

may be watched from tee to green.

The USGA Open Championship, which 
was held at Oak Hill in June, 1956, was 
the occasion for its dedication and formal 
naming as the Hill of Fame.

The first tree to be dedicated was a red 
oak deservedly honoring President Eisen­
hower. For obvious reasons the President 
could not be present, but was represented 
by his golfing friend, Congressman Jack 
Westland, of Everett, Wash., USGA Ama­
teur Champion in 1952, who creditably and 
gracefully accepted for Mr. Eisenhower.
A bench with a bronze plaque bearing 
the President’s name was placed beneath 
the tree. The identical honor was accorded 
Robert T. Jones, Jr., in whose honor the 
second tree was dedicated.

Three other notable golfers, Ben Hogan, 
Walter Hagen and Cary Middlecoff, were 

likewise honored. The Board of Governors, 
on a later occasion, added the name of 
William C. Chapin, President of Oak Hill, 
for his outstanding services in the conduct 
of the 1956 Open Championship.

Each tree bears a bronze plaque appro­
priately inscribed. That of President Eisen­
hower reads:

Red Oak
DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER 
Soldier - Statesman - Golfer 
1956

A permanent committee, headed by 
President Chapin, has been appointed for 
the care and perpetuation of this memorial 
oak grove. In future years, as time and 
the occasion warrant, other golfing heroes 
will be elected to join the immortals on 
the Hill of Fame.

14

USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: FEBRUARY, 1957

OPENING THE DOOR FOR

by

LEADERS OF TOMORROW

JAMES H. POTTS
Secretary,
Western Pennsylvania
Golf Association

TN spite of a dirty face, an unruly 
mass of uncombed hair, worn and 
shabby clothing, and a somewhat hesitant 
manner of speech, the young man possessed 
a pair of sparkling blue eyes and a strong 
desire to tell his story.

He was a caddie; then a senior in high 
school. He was due to graduate soon and 
his father was insisting that he go to work 
in a steel mill. His mother wanted him 
to go on to college, but his father was high­
ly opposed. Once started, the words began 
to come easier and the sordid details of an 
unwholesome family life came to light. 
The countless beatings; the endless argu­
ments had made the dream of a college 
education only the remotest possibility.

Still, he thought it worth investigating. 
An hour later it was apparent that the boy’s 
ambition to go to college was a driving, 
compelling desire. What he needed most 
was sound advice, a helping hand, and a 
large dose of encouragement.

Arrangements were made for the boy to 
make application to the college of his 
choice. His high school grades were good 
and he passed the college entrance exami­
nations with flying colors. He was readily 
accepted in college and subsequent discus­
sions with his parents resulted in their 
consent. The following September he was 
a college freshman, eager to make the most 
of an opportunity he had scarcely dreamed 
would be his a few months before.

The same young man is now well past 
his first year in college. He is no longer 
the dirty, uncombed, shabbily dressed 
young man who first came to tell his story. 
Neatly dressed and keenly alert, his con­
versation now shows a confidence that has 
been produced by his new environment.

His parents are a part of this revelation. 
They visited their son at college once dur­

ing his freshman year and found a new 
world, a pride never before experienced 
and a joy they never knew existed.

A Typical Case

The young man described in the above 
case is a typical example of the boys who 
are attending various colleges and univer­
sities through the Caddie Scholarship 
Foundation of the Western Pennsylvania 
Golf Association. They have been intro­
duced to college education by the generos­
ity of clubs and individual golfers with a 
sincere interest in the benefits of the Cad­
die Scholarship Program.

The present caddie welfare movement 
was initiated by William H. Duff, II, in 
1939, when he was President of the West­
ern Pennsylvania Golf Association. At that 
time, the Caddie Welfare Committee was 
enlarged to handle the program and Charles 
K. Robinson was appointed Chairman of 
the Committee. Mr. Robinson continues to 
serve in that position.

The program had a modest beginning, 
with one or two caddies being selected to 
enter the University of Pittsburgh under a 
plan developed with the assistance of 
Registrar J. G. Quick. Under the plan the 
University awarded one-half of the tuition 
and the Association supplied the re­
mainder. Final selection of recipients was 
made by the University.

Contacts were made with caddie mast­
ers and professionals at member clubs to 
gain their assistance in locating caddies of 
outstanding scholastic ability in the prep­
aratory schools; ambitious caddies who 
came from homes unable to meet the fi­
nancial requirements of a college education. 
The program became better known 
through newspaper announcements and 
bulletins placed in the caddie master’s of­

USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: FEBRUARY, 1957

15

fice and on the bulletin boards of the 59 
country clubs belonging to the Associa­
tion.

Later, the movement steadily expanded 
and arrangements similar to those at the 
University of Pittsburgh were made with 
Carnegie Institute of Technology, Du­
quesne University, Washington and Jeffer­
son College and Pennsylvania State Uni­
versity. World War II brought the 
movement to a virtual halt, but it returned 
with renewed vitality upon the return of 
peace. The program has grown steadily 
since that time until there are now twenty­
seven young men studying at five colleges.

Distinguished Record

Generally speaking, the scholarship re­
cipients have distinguished themselves by 
exceptional scholastic ability and accomp­
lishment. Chancellor Fitzgerald, speaking 
of the University of Pittsburgh’s experience 
with the plan, said:

"The University of Pittsburgh has 
been a co-sponsor of the Caddie Schol­
arship Plan for the past fourteen years, 
during which time twenty-eight of 
our students have been holders of 
these awards ... it is most gratifying 
to know that, as a group, these young 
men have maintained a most com­
mendable scholastic average. In the 
majority of instances this average has 
extended from just below a B grade 
to A. Such performance entitles them 
to a place among the best students on 
the campus.”
President J. C. Warner, of Carnegie, In­
stitute of Technology, said of the program:

"The Caddie Welfare Committee of 
the Western Pennsylvania Golf Asso­
ciation has rendered a valuable service 
and has made it possible for many 
young men to obtain a college educa­
tion, who otherwise might have been 
denied this privilege. The students 
who have been selected have been suc­
cessful in their college work, and I 
know that they will be a credit not 
only to your Association, but also to 
Carnegie Tech.

We have been most happy to par­

ticipate in this co-operative arrange­
ment.”
The plan received a further boost on 
May 29, 1951, when the "Caddie Welfare 
Foundation of the Western Pennsylvania 
Golf Association became a reality. It was 
subsequently approved by the government 
as a tax exempt foundation.

In 1951, when Hudson G. Sampson be­
came President of the Association, the 
scholarship program was largely financed 
by the individual contributions of mem­
bers of the golf clubs in the Association, 
with some contributions from the member 
clubs. President Samson led the movement 
for, and inaugurated, a plan whereby all 
member clubs made contributions for all 
golf activities of the Association. This in­
cluded the Caddie Welfare Program, the 
operation of tournaments and the obtain­
ing and circulation of important informa­
tion pertaining to all phases of golf 
calculated to be of interest to member 
clubs. The program, in addition to assuring 
the necessary financial support for Associa­
tion activities, enabled the Caddie Welfare 
Committee to increase steadily the number 
of scholarships awarded to deserving can­
didates.

Selection Difficult

The movement has now reached such 
proportions in Western Pennsylvania that 
the main problem has been to select and 
deal justly with the large number of ap­
plicants. The applications for scholarships 
far outnumber those presently available. 
Last year there were 60 applications for 
five scholarships. The hope and expectation 
of the Association is that the number of 
scholarships will continue to increase, 
thereby offering greater opportunity to as­
sist deserving caddies who desire a college 
education.

The golfers of Western Pennsylvania 
are certain that the opportunity they have 
made possible has opened the door to a 
new and stronger life—the molding of a 
better citizen for the community of to­
morrow. There could be no better testi­
mony to the game of golf and those who 
play it.

16

USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: FEBRUARY, 1957

LET’S HAVE MORE

by

SCRATCH TOURNAMENTS

CHARLES P. STEVENSON
Member, USGA Junior
Championship Committee

HpHE average golfer rarely has an op- 
-*■ portunity to play in a match play 
scratch event unless he has a "hot round” 
and qualifies for his own club champion­
ship, because practically all other club tour­
naments are played on a handicap basis. 
For the most part, match play scratch 
tournaments are limited to national, state, 
sectional and local title events, so that 
only the top players are able to enjoy this 
oldest and most exciting form of competi­
tive golf.

The pressure for handicap tournaments 
comes naturally from the huge proportion 
of average players searching for some 
equalizer that will enable them to com­
pete with better players on an equal level. 
It comes, too, from the fact that golf is 
peculiarly adapted to handicap competition. 
Calcutta pools were also responsible for the 
tremendous popularity of handicap tourna­
ments.

Handicap Preoccupation

With the lack of scratch events to enter, 
some golfers naturally become quite pre­
occupied with their handicaps. They size 
up every event well in advance by evaluat­
ing their current ability and handicap. If 
they are off their game or playing above 
their handicap, they may decide to skip the 
event entirely or take great pains to justify 
an immediate increase in their handicaps 
through the Handicap Committee. On the 
other hand, if they are playing well below 
their handicaps, they eagerly anticipate the 
event and go out of their way to avoid any 
member of the Handicap Committee.

Handicap events by their very nature 
create a pressure on every player to main­
tain his handicap at a level where he can 
take on all comers. It is no coincidence that 
the following story was making the rounds 

of the locker rooms this year. "It seems,” 
the story went, "that there is a type of 
match called 'Denver’ which consists of 
playing the first 15 holes in Nassau fashion, 
5 holes at a time for the money, and the 
last 3 holes for handicap purposes!”

Match play scratch tournaments can be 
enjoyed by all golfers, the poor as well as 
the expert. Why not let the qualifying 
round do the job it was originally intended 
to do, that is, to sort golfers into flights 
of players with similar current ability? 
Bearing this conception in mind, the quali­
fying round serves the same purpose as a 
handicap. Therefore, why add another vari­
able by imposing handicaps based on past 
performances of sometimes indefinite 
origin?

Average players qualified at scratch will 
get just as much if not more enjoyment 
and satisfaction from winning at their own 
ability level as they will from beating a 
better golfer with the aid of a handicap. At 
the same time, the better players will enjoy 
competing among themselves at scratch 
without having to give away shots as they 
are invariably called upon to do. Finally, 
your spectator membership will get more 
enjoyment from your events because they 
will have the opportunity of watching the 
best golf your club can produce in the 
finals at all levels of competition.

Consider Scratch Events

Consider scratch match play events for 
your club program this year. Popularize 
them with your members by offering prizes 
of equal value for all flights. All your play­
ers will enjoy head-to-head competition and 
ycur Handicap Committee will be extreme­
ly grateful for lessening the pressure on 
them to "Do something about my ridicu­
lous handicap!”

USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: FEBRUARY, 1957

17

OPEN CHAMPIONSHIP

DECISION REVERSED Is Reviewed

Decision

^FTER completing his first round in 
the 1956 Open Championship, Jack 
Burke, of Kiamesha Lake, N. Y., neglected 
to check his score for each hole and in­
advertently turned in a scorecard showing 
a 4 on the eighteenth hole where he had 
taken five strokes. When he discovered the 
error, Burke promptly reported it to the 
USGA Committee.

While Rule 38-3 provides a penalty of 
disqualification in such a case, a Commit­
tee is authorized by Rule 36-5 to waive or 
modify any penalty of disqualification. In 
Burke’s case, the Committee decided to in­
voke this authority and to modify the pen­
alty to two strokes.

Subsequent Cases

Subsequently, Gil Cavanaugh, of Cedar­
hurst, N. Y., and Miss Betsy Rawls, of 
Spartanburg, S. C., committed similar in­
advertencies in the Open and Women’s 
Open Championships, respectively. Each 
player received similar treatment.

At the time each decision was made, the 
USGA announced its intention to review 
tiiem.

As a result of a review and reappraisal 
of the effect of the foregoing cases on fu­
ture interpretations of the Rules of Golf, 
rhe USGA has approved and issued De­
cision 57-1, reversing the interpretations 
made during the 1956 Championships. The 
Decision follows:

USGA 57-1
R. 38-2, 3; 36-5
Q: In stroke play, a marker inadvertent­
ly wrote in a 4 for a competitor on a hole 
where his score actually was 5. The com­
petitor failed to check his score for each 
hole before signing it at the conclusion of 
the round, as required by Rule 38-2. The

Another Year

"Another year's rolled by," said he.

A tear dripped from his saddened eye.

"Another year of 95's, of missed short putts and 

crooked drives,

Another year of 'smiling' balls and thrice-curs't 
traps where strokes were left behind and only 
misery crawled without."

"But this year will be changed."

"Tee shots will soar aright 

and lengthened, too.

"Irons will be crisp and sure.
"The little trouble that is found will 

simply find a remedy.

"And putts will drop, and golfing foes 

will fall, agog.

"With this new year's prowess."

Then happy birthday, golfer, friend . . .

and may you find it so.

Copyright 

J. R. Adams

Committee thus posted the total as 75 when 
the competitor actually scored 76. Sub­
sequently, the competitor saw the score­
board, realized an error had been made and 
promptly reported the fact to the Commit­
tee. The Committee would not otherwise 
have known of the error.

Would it be appropriate, in this in­
stance, to invoke Rule 36-5 and modify or 
waive the penalty of disqualification stipu­
lated in Rule 38-3?

A:No. The penalty of disqualification 
may be waived or modified only under most 
extraordinary circumstances. Rule 38-2 
makes the competitor solely responsible for 
the correctness of the score recorded for 
each hole. It is a simple matter to discharge 
this responsibility, and the penalty, al­
though severe, can easily be avoided.

18

USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: FEBRUARY, 1957

THE 
REFEREE

Decisions by the 

Rules of Golf Committees

Example of symbols: "USGA" indicates decision by the United States Golf Association. "R & A" indicates 
decision by the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, Scotland. "57-1" means the first decision, 
issued in 1957. "D" means definition. "R. 37-7" refers to Section 7 of Rule 37 in the 1957 Rules of Golf.

Application of Rules 
To Course Under Construction

USGA 56-42
R. 32-ia, 32-ib, 36-7
Q.: Our course is undergoing major re­
vision, such as elimination of some traps, 
deepening and enlarging others, re-aligning 
water hazards, etc. The Committee has de­
clared all this work as "under repair”. 
(Definition 13).

1.—Sand traps from which sand has 
been removed and the trap dug up 
is marked "under repair”.
Does a player now use Rule 32-ra 
or 32-ib? In other words, does the 
"under repair” rule now eliminate 
the hazard and follow the "through 
the green” Rule, or must the hazard 
part of the Rule still be in effect? 
The entire former hazard is under 
repair. There is no place in the 
former trap to place a ball that is 
not under repair. If a penalty is 
assessed as in Rule 32-ib, a player 
loses his right to a free lift to which 
he is entitled in the under repair 
Rule.

2.—Water hazards are being re-aligned; 

i.e., some curves straightened out. 
Does not the "free lift” apply until 
we again designate it fit for play?

3.—Cannot our Committee declare an 
entire area unfit for play, regardless 
of whether a hazard or not, and use 
the "under repair” Rule 32-la to 
cover lifting of ball?
Questions by: C. T. Rothweiler 

San Anselmo, Cal.

A. 1: The local Committee has the right 
to determine the matter—see Rule 36-7. If 
the condition of the bunkers is so extreme 
that it would be unfair and would inter­
fere with proper playing of the game to 
continue to class them as hazards, the Com­
mittee would be justified in authorizing re­
lief under Rule 32-ia. If the Committee 
does not do this, Rule 32-ib applies.

The Committee should bear in mind that 
Rule 32 applies not only to ground under 
repair but also to casual water.

Mere removal of sand does not neces­
sarily change the classification of a bunker 
from being a hazard to being through the 
green; by Definition 14, a bunker is an 
area of bare ground, often a depression, 
which is usually covered with sand.

USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: FEBRUARY, 1957

19

2: It is normal for a ball in a water 
hazard to be unplayable but unusual for 
a ball in a bunker to be unplayable. The 
Committee should therefore not permit 
application of Rule 32-ia to a ball in 
ground under repair in a water hazard un­
less conditions are extremely unfair.

3: Yes, under the principles outlined 

above. See Rule 36-7.

When Flagstick 
Is Attended

USGA 56-43 
R. 34-1, 34-2

Q.: The R & A decision 56-79 page 23 
of the USGA Journal of September 1956 
and USGA decision 56-17 raises an im­
portant question as to when the flagstick 
is attended.

These decisions permit a player to in­
struct his caddie or partner or partner’s 
caddie to be in a relatively close position 
to the flagstick with instructions not to at­
tend the flagstick, but (a) Pull the flag­
stick if it appears the ball will drop in 
the cup, or that the flagstick will prevent 
it from dropping, or (b) Leave the flag- 
stick alone to gain the obvious advantage 
of hitting the flagstick.

What is the definition of attending the 

flagstick?

Question by:
Captain T. R. Kurtz, Jr., USN 
Washington, D. C.

A.: The second paragraph of Rule 34-1 

provides as follows:

"If a player or a caddie attend or re­
move the flagstick when a stroke is 
being played or stand near the hole 
for that purpose, he shall be deemed 
to attend the flagstick until the ball 
comes to rest.”
If a player’s ball strikes the flagstick 
when his caddie, his partner or his part­
ner’s caddie is standing near the hole for 
the purpose of attending the flagstick, the 
player would incur a penalty under Rule 
34-2. The penalty would apply even though 
no attempt is made to remove the flag­
stick.

Triple Penalty

USGA 56-45
R. 21-3, 23-3, 29-1, 30-1 and 2
Q.: During the Sectional Qualifying 
Round for the USGA Amateur Champion­
ship, at Cincinnati, the following ruling 
was made:

A competitor, playing to an elevated and 
tightly trapped par-3 hole, pulled his tee 
shot on a hillside to the left of the green 
in high, matted rough. Realizing that he 
might lose the ball, he declared his inten­
tion to play a provisional ball, which he 
hit to the green.

In searching for the original ball, one 
was found suspended halfway in heavy 
rough, with enough ball showing to indi­
cate the brand, but the number did not 
show. Without identifying further, he 
played an excellent shot to the green.

Upon reaching the green, he inquired 
of his caddie which was the ball he had 
just played. Upon being informed, he re­
quested the caddie to pick up his pro­
visional ball. Subsequently he discovered 
that the ball he had played from the rough 
was not his own. Concluding that his or­
iginal ball was lost, he replaced his pro­
visional ball as near to the spot as possible 
from which it was picked up (easily done 
because of ball mark on the green) and 
then holed in two putts.

The Tournament Committee of the Cin­
cinnati Golfers’ League, conducting the 
play, ruled that the player had scored a 
9 on the basis of a stroke-and-distance pen­
alty for a lost ball, two strokes for playing 
a wrong ball, two strokes for picking up 
the provisional ball and three strokes played 
with the provisional ball.

Was the decision correct?

Question by: John W. Fischer 

Cincinnati, Ohio

A.: Yes. See Rules 30-1 and -2, 21-3, 

29-1 and 23-3.

20

USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: FEBRUARY, 1957

Wrong Ball 
In Chapman Play

USGA 57-2
R. 11-3; LR

Q.: A situation arose during a mixed 
foursome tournament played on the so- 
called "Pinehurst” or "Chapman” basis.

Mrs. A. and Mr. B. were partners, and 
both hit tee shots. In accordance with the 
system, Mrs. A. hit the second shot with 
Mr. B’s ball to the green. Mr. B. then hit 
the second shot with a ball he thought to 
be Mrs. A’s drive but which later proved 
to be a ball from another foursome. Re­
gardless, since Mr. B’s second shot was 
poor, he picked up the ball and he and 
Mrs. A. proceeded to play out the hole 
with the other ball; in other words, Mr. 
B’s original tee shot. After the hole had 
been completed Mr. B. reached in his 
pocket for his partner’s ball and discovered 
it to be the wrong one.

Do Mrs. A. and Mr. B. incur any penalty 
because Mr. B. played the wrong bail, 
keeping in mind that the hole was com­
pleted with the other ball which was still 
in play?

Question by: Howard R. Chase, Jr. 

Providence, R. I.

A.: The Rules of Golf do not cover this 
form of play, and we regret that we can­
not give a decision (see Rule 11-3). The 
committee in charge should establish local 
rules to cover.

It would seem to us that a penalty in 
this style of play should be incurred only 
if related to the ball ultimately holed out 
by the side. Thus, as the ball played by 
Mrs. A from the tee was ultimately holed 
out, we would think the side should not 
have incurred a penalty against that ball 
because Mr. B played a stroke with a wrong 
ball before the choice of balls was made.

STATEMENT REQUIRED BY THE ACT OF AUGUST 
24, 1912, AS AMENDED BY THE ACTS OF MARCH 
3, 1933, AND JULY 2, 1946 (TITLE 39, UNITED 
STATES CODE, SECTION 233) SHOWING THE 
OWNERSHIP, MANAGEMENT, AND CIRCULATION 
OF USGA Journal and Turf Management, pub­
lished seven times a year at New York, N. Y., for 
October 1, 1956.

1. The names and addresses of the publisher, 
editor, managing editor, and business managers 
are: Publisher, United States Golf Association, 40 
East 38th Street, New York 16, N. Y. Editors, 
Joseph C. Dey, Jr., and John P. English, 40 East 
38th Street, New York 16, N. Y. Managing Editor, 
Harry L. Staley, 40 East 38th Street, New York 
16, N. Y. Business Manager, none.

2. The owner is: (If owned by a corporation, 
its name and address must be stated and also 
immediately thereunder the names and addresses 
of stockholders owning or holding 1 percent or 
more of total amount of stock. If not owned by a 
corporation, the names and addresses of the indi­
vidual owners must be given. If owned by a part­
nership or other unincorporated firm, its name 
and address, as well as that of each individual 
member, must be given.) United States Golf As­
sociation, 40 East 38th Street, New York 16, 
N. Y. President, Richard S. Tufts, 40 East 38th 
Street, New York 16, N. Y. Vice-President, John 
D. Ames, 40 East 38th Street, New York 16, N. Y. 
Vice-President, John G. Clock, 40 East 38th 
Street, New York 16, N. Y. Secretary, Charles L. 
Peirson, 40 East 38th Street, New York 16, N. Y.

Treasurer, J. Frederic Byers, Jr., 40 East 38th 
Street, New York 16, N. Y.

3. The known bondholders, mortgagees, and 
other security holders owning or holding 1 per­
cent or more of total amount of bonds, mort­
gages, or other securities are: (If there are none, 
so state) None.

4. Paragraphs 2 and 3 include, in cases where 
the stockholder or security holder appears upon 
the books of the company as trustees or in any 
other fiduciary relation, the name of the person 
or corporation for whom such trustee is acting; 
also the statements in the two paragraphs show 
the affiant's full knowledge and belief as to the 
circumstances and conditions under which stock­
holders and security holders who do not appear 
upon the books of the company as trustees, hold 
stock and securities in a capacity other than that 
of a bona fide owner.

5. The average number of copies of each issue 
of this publication sold or distributed, through 
the mails or otherwise, to paid subscribers dur­
ing the 12 months preceding the date shown 
above was: (This information is required from 
daily, weekly, semiweekly, and triweekly news­
papers only.)

John P. English, Editor 

Sworn to and subscribed before me this 4th day 
of September, 1956.

(signed) Martha Detjen, Notary Public, 

State of New York.
(My commission expires March 31, 
1957).

USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: FEBRUARY, 1957

21

USGA TURF SERVICE NOW AVAILABLE IN ALL AREAS
By JOSEPH C. DEY, Jr.
UFGA. Executive Director

THE Regional Turf Service of the 

USGA Green Section is now avail­
able to all member clubs of the Association. 
This is made possible by increase in our 
staff of expert agronomists and the open­
ing next month of a new office in Chicago.
The Service can now be provided to 
clubs in 13 states not heretofore reached, 
almost all of them in the Middle West. 
They include Ohio, Kentucky, Michigan, 
Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, 
Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota and South 
Dakota. The Service will be provided also 
in Montana and Wyoming if there is 
enough interest.

Eight agronomists will comprise the 
Green Section’s technical staff as of March
1.

The Mid-Western States are now part 
of a new Mid-Continent Region, of which 
Dr. Marvin H. Ferguson is Regional Di­
rector. Assisting him will be James L. 
Holmes in the Mid-West, based in Chi­
cago, and James B. Moncrief in the South­
west, based at College Station, Texas. 
Holmes majored in agricultural chemistry 
in obtaining his B.S. degree from the Uni­
versity of Rhode Island. Moncrief is a 
graduate of Texas A & M College, has done 
turf research with the U. S. Department of 
Agriculture, and has been Agronomist and

Supervisor with the City of Dallas Park 
Department.

Dr. Ferguson and Holmes will intro­
duce the Regional Turf Service to green 
committee chairmen and golf course su­
perintendents at a series of meetings in the 
Mid-West next month.

The Chicago District Golf Association 
has very kindly agreed to provide quarters 
for the new Green Section office.

James M. Latham, Jr., has rejoined the 
Green Section staff and will serve in the 
Southeast. He replaces B. P. Robinson, who 
resigned at the end of last year to enter 
private business. Latham served for two 
years as Assistant Turf Specialist of the 
Georgia Coastal Plain Experiment Station, 
Tifton, Ga. He was a member of the Green 
Section staff for a considerable part of 
1956.

Latham will work out of the Green Sec­
tion office at Beltsville, Md. Shifting the 
Southeastern office from Tifton to Belts­
ville is just an administrative move which 
will have no practical effect on the Re­
gional Turf Service. The Service will con­
tinue as before. The office location was 
changed because the USGA regards it as 
generally preferable to have a staff of sev­
eral agronomists based at one office (as at 
Beltsville) rather than individuals in one- 

22

USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: FEBRUARY, 1957

man offices. The new arrangement should 
enable the Green Section to cope better 
with emergencies and illness or resignation 
of an individual. This should assure the 
subscribing clubs of a strong program of 
service.

The USGA is continuing to support 
turfgrass research at Tifton and to co­
sponsor the turfgrass conference there in 
the spring.

Another new member of the staff is T. 
T. (Tate) Taylor, who will assist Alex­
ander M. Radko in the Northeast. He has 
had long and broad experience in golf 
course research and management. He is a 
graduate of the University of Maryland.

Other members of the staff are 
Charles K. Hallowell, Mid-Atlantic Direc­
tor, based at Beltsville, and William Ben- 
geyfield, Western Director, based at Los 
Angeles.

Through the Regional Turf Service, the 
USGA Green Section provides information 

about scientific golf course management, 
mainly through periodic visits of agrono­
mists to individual courses and in meetings 
with golf course superintendents. Each in­
dividual visit is supplemented by a written 
report from the scientist to the dub.

Regional Turfletters are issued six times 
a year to the subscribing clubs. This year 
there will be four Regional Turfletters— 
Eastern, Southern, Mid-Continent and 
Western.

The Regional Turf Service is subscribed 
to by USGA member clubs and courses at 
annual fees, which cover all work and ex­
penses and are actually below cost. The 
annual fee for an 18-hole course is $110; 
for nine holes, $85. There are no extra 
charges for travel.

Last year the number of subscribers to 
the Service increased by 126 to a new high 
total of 539 golf courses. The Green Sec­
tion agronomists made more than 1,000 
visits to courses during the year.

SELECTIVE CONTROL OF DALLISGRASS IN BERMUDAGRASS TURF*

By EUGENE B. BOCKHOLT
Graduate Assistant, Agronomy Department, Texas Agricultural Experiment Station

TAALLISGRASS is a major problem in 
Bermudagrass turf areas throughout 
the Southeast. Spot treating with oil is the 
most widely used chemical method of com­
bating Dallisgrass in these turf areas at 
present. The use of oil, however, results in 
killing back of the Bermudagrass in the 
treated areas. Also, several applications may 
be necessary to kill the Dallisgrass. The 
following is a report of one year’s study of 
materials for selective control of Dallis­
grass.

Materials and Methods

The tests were conducted on fairways of 
the Texas A. & M. College golf course, on 
which there were mixed stands of Dallis­
grass and Bermudagrass. A preliminary 
test included the following chemicals: dis­
odium methyl arsonate, borax, cyanamid, 
ammonium nitrate, Varsol, "Karmex W” 
(80% "CMU” or 3 -(parachlorophenyl)

* Presented for publication in the Proceedings of 
the Southern JPeed Conference, January 23, 24, 
25, 1957.

-1, 1 dimethyl urea), "Crabgrass and 
Chickweed Preventer” (1 -n -butyl -3 -(3,4 
■dichlorophenyl) - 1-methyl urea). AU 
chemicals except cyanamid were applied in 
spray form. Cyanamid was spread uniform­
ly on a plot and watered until it was dis­
solved. Observation on the preliminary test 
indicated that the two species were show­
ing differential responses to disodium 
methyl arsonate. There was no indication 
of selective action by any of the other 
chemicals. Further tests to determine the 
value of disodium methyl arsonate as a se­
lective herbicide were then conducted.

The test reported in Table 1 was laid out 
in a randomized block with three replica­
tions. Individual plots were 4 feet by 5 
feet. An area 3 feet by 4 feet (to exclude 
border effects) was used in making Dallis­
grass coverage readings. A 3 x 4 foot 
frame with crosshatched wires at 6 inch 
intervals provided a quick method for di­
viding the plot into 48 squares of equal 
size. Readings were based upon the Dallis­
grass coverage in each of these individual

USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: FEBRUARY, 1957

23

The above plots were sprayed with disodium methyl arsonate on June 27, 1956. The photo was taken 
on July 19, 1956. The plot at the upper left is untreated check.

six inch squares. This method permitted an 
accurate and fairly rapid calculation of the 
percentage of control. Readings prior to 
treatment and subsequent recovery readings 
were made two days after regular fairway 
mowing.

All chemicals were applied as a spray 
June 27, 1956, with liquid Trend added as 
a wetting agent. Recovery readings were 
taken September 6, 1956, at which time all 
plots had a dense turf of Bermudagrass.

Second Test

The second test (results reported in 
Table 2), was established in a factorial de­
sign to determine the best rate and dilu­
tion of disodium methyl arsonate. The 
test was conducted and the results read in 
the same manner as the test reported in 
Table 1. The test was initiated August 8, 
1956, and recovery readings were taken 
September 9, 1956.

Because of the type of sprayer used for 
Test 1 (Table 1), excessive amounts of 
water had to be used, resulting in consider­
able runoff. Test 2 (Table 2) was applied 
with a smaller type sprayer which permit­
ted more accurately controlled application. 
This probably accounts for the noticeable 
difference in percent control received at 
equivalent amounts of chemical in Tables 
1 and 2.

At the higher concentrations of disodium 
methyl arsonate, some slight discoloration 
of Bermudagrass occurred, however, this 
was only a temporary condition. Less than 
a week after treatment at concentrations 
high enough to give 100% Dallisgrass 
control, Bermudagrass was observed to be 
spreading over the dead Dallisgrass. Plots 
originally containing 90% Dallisgrass con­
tained 100% Bermudagrass turf in 6 weeks 
after treatment. No permanent injury to 
Bermudagrass occurred in any of the plots.

24

USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: FEBRUARY, 1957

Conclusions

i. Disodium methyl arsonate will give 
selective control of Dallisgrass in Ber­
mudagrass turf. Apparently under some 
soil moisture and plant development con­
ditions, a complete kill may not be ob­
tained with a single application.

2. The addition of 2,4-D or ammonium 
nitrate to disodium methyl arsonate may 
increase its effectiveness.

3. Disodium methyl arsonate, when used 

at rates necessary to control Dallisgrass, will 
severely harm and possibly kill St. Augus­
tine.

4. Present data indicate 10 pounds of 
disodium methyl arsonate per acre in 87 to 
174 gallons of water per acre in one ap­
plication will give good control of Dallis­
grass. Research is needed on the use of 
lower rates in several applications.

5. A wetting agent will increase the ef­

fectiveness of disodium methyl arsonate.

TABLE 1.
Percentage Control of Dallisgrass with Various Treatments

Chemical

Rate
lbs./acre

% Dallisgrass Control 
(Avg. 3 Reps.)

DSMA

DSMA

DSMA

DSMA plus Va lb./acre 2,4-D

DSMA plus Va lb./acre 2,4-D

DSMA plus Va lb./acre 2,4-D

DSMA plus 4 lbs./1000 sq. ft. NH4NO3

DSMA plus 4 lbs./1000 sq. ft. NH4NO3

DSMA plus 4 lbs./1000 sq. ft. NH4NO3

DSMA plus V2 lb./acre 2,4-D

Varsoi 200 gal./acre

17

25.5

34

17

25.5

34

8.5

17

25.5

17

84

89

99

95

97

95

97

93

92

89

19

TABLE 2.
Percentage Control of Dallisgrass with Various Rates of Disodium Methyl Arsonate and 
Volumes of Water

Volume
gal./\MQ sq. ft.

1

2

4

6

8

Disodium Methyl Arsonate, lbs./acre

5

76

87

88

87

93

10

85

98

99

91

95

15

92

97

100

94

100

20

95

99

96

97

95

Avg.
% Control

89

96

96

94

96

25

99

99

95

93

94

96

30

-

98

96

99

98

98

Avg. % Control

86

94

97

96

USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: FEBRUARY, 1957

25

DISEASES OF SOUTHERN TURGRASS AND THEIR CONTROL*

HOMER D. WELLS, B. P. ROBINSON, and J. M. LATHAM**

A DECADE ago there were only two 
commonly recognized diseases of 
turf grasses in the South. These diseases 
were fairly clear-cut and distinct and could 
readily be recognized. The first of these 
diseases was called "DOLLAR SPOT”, and 
was characterized by causing a spot in the 
turf about the size of a silver dollar (plus 
or minus fifty cents). The second disease 
was "Brown Patch”, which caused a spot in 
the turf larger than that produced by 
"DOLLAR SPOT”. These diseases did not 
always respond to treatments known to be 
specific for control of their casual agents. 
This was especially true for troubles diag­
nosed as "DOLLAR SPOT”.

In recent years, the general knowledge 
about turfgrass diseases in the South has 
increased appreciably. This information has 
come from various sources, including dis­
ease-survey and fungicidal evaluation 
studies. The disease-survey work has in­
cluded studies of numerous diseased turf­
grass samples received from golf courses, 
grass nurseries, and professional gardeners 
as well as home owners from Florida, Ala­
bama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, 
North Carolina, South Carolina, and 
Georgia. The fungicidal evaluation studies 
have included tests of a wide variety of 
fungicides on some of the most destructive 
turf diseases. Effectiveness of recommenda­
tions for the control of known diseases 
throughout the Southeast have been 
studied. Generous use has been made of re­
search conducted in other sections of the 
country for the control of certain diseases.

Disease Survey

Table i presents the ten most common 
turfgrasses used in the South, along with 
the number of diseases known to damage 
each grass in the United States and the 

number of diseases which cause serious 
damage to the turf. Even though a number 
of factors enter into the use of different 
grasses for turf, susceptibility to diseases 
is frequently a limiting factor in the use 
of an otherwise valuable grass.

i. Centipede grass'. There has been no 
serious fungus disease reported on this 
grass. However, plant parasitic nematodes 
have frequently been associated with Cen­
tipedegrass failures and may be a major 
problem.

2. Carpetgrass'. A number of organisms 
that are damaging to other turfgrasses 
have been reported as occurring on Carpet­
grass; however, they do not cause notice­
able damage to the turf.

3. Bahiagrass'. Many strains and varieties 
of Bahiagrass are susceptible to Helmintho- 
sporium "eyespot” and "culmrot”, which 
may result in a very unsightly turf.

4. St. Augustine gras s'. The most preva­
lent disease of St. Augustinegrass is “grey 
leafspot”, which is caused by Piricularia 
grisea, and is omnipresent throughout the 
South. This disease may be of only passing 
interest, in some instances. However, it is 
frequently responsible for unsightliness and 
loss of turf over large areas. St. Augustine 
is very susceptible to Rhizoctonia solani, 
causal fungus of “Rhizoc” or "brown 
patch”, and cannot be successfully grown on 
soil infested with this organism without 
following a rigid spray schedule.

5. Tall fescue-. The most common dis­
ease of tall fescue is "net blotch” caused 
by Helminthosporium dictyoides. This dis­
ease has been observed killing out large 
areas of seedlings during the fall. Another 
Helminthosporium, H. sativum, has been 
observed as causing "culmrot” on tall fes­
cue turf, and may completely kill out nu­
merous areas. Tall fescue is extremely sus­

♦ Cooperative investigations at Tifton, Georgia, of the Field Crops Research Branch, A. R. S., U. S. D. A.: 
the University of Georgia Coastal Plain Experiment Station; and the U. S. Golf Association.
♦♦ Agent Pathologist, Field Crops Research, A. R. S., U. S. D. A.; formerly Turf Specialist, University 
of Georgia Coastal Plain Experiment Station and former Southeastern Director, U, S. G. A. Green 
Section; and former Assistant Turf Specialist, University of Georgia Coastal Plain Experiment Station, 
Tifton, Georgia, now Agronomist, U.S.G.A. Green Section, respectively. The authors wish to acknowl­
edge the Upjohn Company and the W. A. Cleary Corporation for grants-in-aid which made possible the 
studies on disease control.

26 

USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: FEBRUARY, 1957

ceptible to “Rhizoc” or "brown patch”, and 
this disease is a major factor limiting the 
desirability of tall fescue for turf in the 
South.

6. Bermudagrass'. Three Helminthospori­
um diseases, caused by H. rostratum, H. 
cynodontis, and H. sp., have been observed 
causing considerable damage as "leaf spots” 
and "turfspots” on different strains or va­
rieties of Bermudagrass grown for turf. 
Nematodes may be serious pests of Ber­
mudagrass turf and represent a number of 
distinct diseases but are (for convenience 
only) treated as one disease at this time. 
Four diseases have been listed as serious on 
Bermudagrass. The recent release, however, 
of a new variety of Bermudagrass called 
"Sunturf”, which is extremely susceptible 
to "rust”, makes it necessary to mention 
"rust”, caused by Puccinia cynodontis, as 
being a potentially destructive disease of 
Bermudagrass turf.

7. Zoysia-. It may be noted in Table 1 
that 8 diseases are reported as occurring on 
Zoysia, and that a question mark is placed 
for number of serious diseases. The eight 
diseases represent different organisms 
which have been associated with localized 
dying of Zoysia turf and may or may not 
become major pests as the acreage of Zoysia 
is increased throughout the South. These 
organisms include: (1 and 2) two species 
of Helminthosporium, (3) Curvularia lu- 
nata, (4) Fusarium moniliforme, (5) 
Rhizoctonia solani, (6) Papulospora sp., 
(7) Sclerotinia homoeocarpa, and (8) a 
number of distinct species of nematodes.
8. Rye grass'. The following five diseases 
are considered serious on ryegrass turf: (1) 

"cottony blight”, which is a seedling dis­
ease during the warm humid fall season, 
(2) "brown patch” or "Rhizoc” which may 
attack ryegrass at any stage of growth 
when temperatures are 700 F. or higher, 
(3) "crown rust”, which is especially de­
structive to ryegrass, cut at lawn height 
during the entire winter in the southern­
most areas and in the late spring in the 
northern areas, and (4 and 5) the two 
"Helminthosporium leaf spots and turf­
spots” which usually are prevalent from 
January on throughout the ryegrass season.
9. Kentucky Bluegrass’. More diseases (a 
total of 47) have been reported on Ken­
tucky bluegrass than on any other turf 
species. Since blue grass is not usually sub­
jected to the intensive management com­
parable to grasses used for golf greens, cer­
tain diseases that are serious on other spe­
cies are not considered as serious diseases 
on bluegrass turf. The six serious diseases 
ate: (1) "brown patch”, (2) "dollar 
spot”, (3) "Fusarium rootrot and culm­
rot”, (4) "Helminthosporium leaf spot 
and fading-out” and (5 and 6) two “rust” 
diseases. The three most damaging of these 
diseases in the South are: (1) "brown 
patch”, (2) "Helminthosporium leaf spot 
and fading-out”, and (3) one of the 
"rusts” on Merion Bluegrass.

10. Bent grass-. Bentgrass has 36 diseases 
(eleven less than Kentucky bluegrass) 
which include the following ten that are 
considered to be serious: (1) "Curvularia 
melting-out”, (2) "Helminthosporium leaf 
spot and fading-out”, (3) "Fusarium culm­
rot and snow mold”, (4) "rust”, (5) 
"copper spot”, (6) Pythium "spot blight”

Significance of Diseases on Different Southern Turfgrasses

TABLE 1

Turf Grass

No. of diseases

No. of serious diseases

1. Centipedegrass
2. Carpetgrass
3. Bahiagrass
4. St. Augustine
5. Tall Fescue
6. Bermudagrass
7. Zoysia
8. Ryegrass
9. Kentucky Bluegrass

10. Bentgrass

4
14
8
10
23
28
8
20
47
36

0
0
1
2
3
4
?
5
6
10

USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: FEBRUARY, 1957

27

and "cottony blight”, (7) "brown patch”, 
(8) "dollar spot”, (9) "snowmold”, and 
(10) "fairy rings”. The diseases that have 
been sent to this laboratory for diagnosis 
include: (1) "brown patch”, (2) "Cur- 
vularia melting-out”, and (3) "Fusarium 
snowmold”, (4) Helminthosporium, and 
(5) one outbreak of "cottony blight” in 
experimental plots at Tifton.

Evaluation of Fungicides for the Control 
of Cottony Blight and Helminthosporium 
Turf Spots of Ryegrass

Limited fungicidal evaluation studies on 
both "cottony blight” and "Helmintho­
sporium turf spots” of ryegrass were con­
ducted during the 1953-54 and 1954-55 

ryegrass seasons. The comprehensive dis­
ease control study outlined in table 2 was 
conducted during the 1955-56 ryegrass sea­
son. The "cottony blight” epidemic in 
1955 was initiated by uniformly distribut­
ing over the test area a culture of Pythium 
aphanidermatum which had been grown on 
steamed ryegrass seed. "Helminthosporium 
turf spot” epidemics developed from nat­
ural sources. Helminthosporium siccans was 
the major cause of damage during January 
and February. Helminthosporium sativum 
increased in importance in March and ap­
peared to be far more serious than H. 
siccans in April.

Disease ratings made eighteen days aft­
er establishment of the ryegrass and fungi­

Effectiveness of different fungicides for the control of "cottony blight" of ryegrass caused by Pythium 
aphanidermatum and "Helminthosporium turf spots" of ryegrass caused by H. sativum and H. siccans 
on experimental plots at Tifton, Georgia, during 1955 and 1956. ("Cottony blight" from artificial epi­
demic. "Helminthosporium turf spots" from natural infection).

TABLE 2.

Rate per 1,000 sq. feet*

First 
application 
sprayed on seed

_

8 oz.

4 oz.

3 oz.

16 oz.

24 oz.

12 oz.

12 oz.

16 oz.

1,2 g.

2.4 g.

Subsequent 
application 
sprayed on turf
_

4 oz.

2 oz.
1Yi oz.
8 oz.

12 oz.

6 oz.

6 oz.

8 oz.

0.6 g.

1.2 g.

16 oz. + 1.2 g.

8 oz. + 0.6 g.

120 g.

80 g.

160 g.

12 oz.

60 g.

40 g.

80 g.

6 oz.

Avg. No. of 
disease spots April 2, 1956**

Per plot 18 
days after 
seeding

Average 
disease 
rating

Average 
turf 
rating

14.0

9.2

6.4

7.2

16.2

6.2

7.8

3.2

2.0

9.6

5.2

0.4

16.9

7.8

9.0

30.4

8.8

5.2

6.2

6.6

6.0

2.8

4.4

3.8

Discontinued

3.0

4.6

4.8

4.8

9.2

9.0

6.0

8.8

9.8

9.8

10.0

1.6

2.6

2.4

3.2

7.4

5.8

4.6

6.0

7.0

7.8

9.4

Fungicide

1. Control

2. Kromad

3. Caloclor

4. PMAS

5. Cleary's (Exp.)

6. Vancide 51

7. Tersan 75

8. Zineb (Z-78)

9. Captan 50-W

10. Actidione A***

11. Actidione B

12. Captan 50-W +
Actidione

13. Actidione dust (1%)

14. Upjohn Exp. 2468
WK34 A

15. Upjohn Exp. 2463
WK34 B

16. PCNB

*First application on date of seeding. Subsequent rate of application at 10-day intervals. Applied 
with ten gallons of water per 1,000 sq. ft.

**0ne represents desirable rating and. ten represents most undesirable rating.

*** Actidione A and B are tablet form and differ only in rates. Indicated rates of Actidione A and 
B are rates of active materials. Rates of all other compounds are rates of formulations.

28

USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: FEBRUARY, 1957

cide treatments reflect the effectiveness of 
the different compounds for control of 
"cottony blight”. A number of fungicides 
reduced the damage caused by "cottony 
blight”, but only Captain 50-W + Acti- 
dione, Captan alone, and Zineb gave suf­
ficient control to be considered worth 
recommending.

The test area was not reseeded after the 

"cottony blight” epidemic.

Thus, the disease and turf quality ratings 
made on April 12, 1956, reflect the com­
bined effectiveness of these compounds 
against the "cottony blight” outbreak in the 
fall and the "Helminthosporium turf 
spots” infestation during January, Febru­
ary, and March. Since the fall rating took 
into account only the number of spots per 
plot and not the size of the spots, along 

with the fact that some "cottony blight” ac­
tivity continued after the fall rating, the 
differences between fall and spring ratings 
for effectiveness of compounds do not 
necessarily reflect effectiveness for the con­
trol of "Helminthosporium turf spots.” 
However, it is to be assumed that com­
pounds receiving a good rating in the 
spring did give a high degree of protection 
against both diseases.

It is interesting to note that Tersan was 
a very poor fungicide in the 1953-54 sea­
son but appeared to do much better during 
the 1955-56 season. The difference is per­
haps due to the fact that Tersan was ap­
plied at four and two times the rate used 
in 1953-54. On the basis of the first year’s 
results (1953-54), the mercury-containing 
fungicides were superior, but the results 

Suggested practices for the control of the more troublesome Southern Turfgrass diseases.

TABLE 3.

Disease

1. "Brown Patch" or "Rhizoc"

Recommended Control

Mercury-containing fungicides every ten to fourteen days 
while temperature is above 70° F.

2. "Gray leaf spot" of St. 

Mercury-containing fungicides as needed.

Augustine

3. "Helminthosporium leaf spot 

and turfspot"

4. "Curvularia leaf spot and 

melting-out"

5. "Cottony-blight"—Pythium

Mercury-containing fungicides, heavy rates of Tersan, Vancide 
51, Zineb and Kromad also look good and may prove desir­
able. Use the latter compounds at 2 x recommended rate.

On bentgrass Actidione and Mercury-containing fungicides; 
on the strictly Southern grass we prefer to recommend only 
mercury—containing fungicides.

Captan 50-W + Actidione (one pound and 1.2 grams, respec­
tively) per 1,000 sq. ft. at time of seeding and additional 
applications at !4 these rates as required by disease activ­
ity. Captan, Phygon XL, and Zineb are to be considered at 
rates recommended for Captan (one pound at time of seeding 
and subsequent application of pound).

6. "Nematodes"

The new low phytotoxic nematocides look like the answer.

Microorganisms which are troublesome but aren’t strictly disease producers.

7.

"Slime Mold"

8.

"Algae"

Remove with a heavy stream of 
will aid in control.

Good turf is best preventative, 
per 1,000 sq. ft. will kill Algae, 
should be of value.

water, any good fungicide

2-5 lbs. of hydrated lime 
any good copper fungicide

Minor element deficiencies

9.

"Chlorosis" or "yellowing" 

(primarily Centipede)

Foliage spray with ferrous sulphate or chelated iron for tem­
porary relief, for permanent relief have soil tested, adjust pH, 
add iron, etc. as recommended.

USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: FEBRUARY, 1957

29

obtained from the heavy rates of applica­
tion of Tersan, Vancide, Zineb, and Kro- 
mad suggest that further experimentation 
along this line is desirable.

Suggestions for Control of the More 
Troublesome Southern Diseases

Suggestions for the control of the more 
common turf diseases in the South are 
based on: (i) the identity of the disease- 
producing organism, (2) results of experi­
mental fungicidal evaluation trials at Tif­
ton and Sea Island, Georgia, (3) informa­
tion obtained from other workers on the 
control of specific diseases. Some of the 
more common diseases and recommended 
control practices are presented in Table 3.
As a general rule, pathogens causing dis­
eases of Southern turf grasses cannot be 
identified with certainty in the field. An 
accurate diagnosis is dependent on micro­
scopic examination of the diseased speci­
mens. It is suggested that Southern golf 
course superintendents and greenkeepers 
send fresh specimens of diseased grass to 
the laboratory at the University of Georgia 
Coastal Plain Experiment Station, Tifton, 
Georgia, for diagnosis. In addition to being 
of direct benefit to the golf clubs con­
cerned, this practice will give research 
workers much needed information on the 
distribution and damage caused by the dif­
ferent turf pathogens.

It can be seen from the number of dif­
ferent diseases and the selectivity and lack 
of selectivity of the different fungicides for 
the control of various diseases that none of 
the fungicides on the market at present 
warrant an across-the-board recommenda­
tion. On the other hand, an individual 
should find out what disease is causing 
trouble and apply protective measures 
which are most effective in correcting his 
specific problem.

Summary and Conclusion

1. Southern turf grasses are subject to 
many diseases, a few of which are frequent­
ly very serious.

2. No satisfactory control has been 
found for cottony blight. At present, the 
most effective compounds appear to be

COMING EVENTS

FEBRUARY 18-21

Penn State Turfgrass Conference
The Pennsylvania State University
University Park, Pa. 

Prof. H. B. Musser

FEBRUARY 25-26

Southern Turfgrass Conference
Colonial Country Club
Memphis, Tenn. 

Reg Perry

FEBRUARY 27-28 and
MARCH 1

Minnesota Turf Conference
Curtis Hotel
Minneapolis, Minn. 

MARCH 4-6

Midwest Turf Conference
Purdue University
Lafayette, Indiana 

MARCH 11-12-13

Roy W. Nelson

Dr. Wm. H. Daniel

23rd Annual Iowa Turfgrass Short Course
Memorial Union
Iowa State College
Ames, Iowa 

Dr. Harvey L. Lantz

MARCH 14-15

27th Annual Michigan Turfgrass Conference
Kellogg Center for Continuing Education
Michigan State University
East Lansing, Michigan Prof. James Tyson

MARCH 18-19

School of Soils, Fertilization and Turf 

Maintenance

Ontario Agricultural College
Guelph, Ontario 

APRIL 12

C. E. Robinson

Truro Turfgrass Conference
Nova Scotia Agricultural College
Truro, Nova Scotia 

Dr. George Smith

Captan 50-W, Captan 50-W plus Acti- 
dione, Phygon XL, and Zineb. Some new 
experimental compounds show promise 
and may prove satisfactory. Treating top- 
dressing soil with methyl bromide will 
prevent the introduction of the pathogen 
in the topdressing material.

3. Information suggests that Helmintho­
sporium turfspot can be controlled by mer- 
cury-containing fungicides. Vancide, Zineb 
and Kromad also looked good during the 
past year.

4. Experiments and effectiveness of 
recommendations show a need for knowing 
the cause of disease before treatment and 
using the treatment which is most effective 
against the specific disease.

30

USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: FEBRUARY, 1957

ANNUAL INDEX TO USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT

VOLUME IX — APRIL, 1956, THROUGH FEBRUARY, 1957

Issue Page

Issue Page

AMATEUR STATUS AND CONDUCT

Amateurs Combat Gambling ......................... June 
Beware the Contest .........................................Aug. 
Fine Example ....................................................Sept. 
For Amateurism ............................................. June 
Inquiring Eye on Scholarships ................ Aug. 
Sense of Values in Amateur Sport ........June 
Time of Decision ................................ Feb. 3

18
3
2
3
15
5

AUTOMOTIVE TRANSPORTATION
Legless Race .......................................................July 

BOOKS

Good News in Books ..................................... Feb. 
New Golf Book ....................................................June 
New Golfing Literature ................................July 
Recent Golf Literature .................................. Nov. 

CADDIES 

Caddie Scholarships ........ Aug. 
Caddie Sunday School ...................................... Apr. 
Opening the Door for Leaders 

of Tomorrow ................. Feb. 
Status of Caddies Varies ..............................June 
Twice Told Tale About A Caddie ............ Sept. 

15

2

4
4
2
2

2
14

15
13

CHAMPIONSHIPS 

Cast of Characters in the Open ..................... July 
21
Combat Pay? ........................................................Nov. 
1
Entering the Open, and Opening Entries June 4
Hogan to Try Again? ............ Sept. 
3
Honors to Memphis in Public Links.............. Aug. 
12
5
Middlecoff to Fore ......................................... July 
Open Highlighted ............................................. June 
2
Open Televised ....................................................June 
1
Setting Up A Course .......................................June 
10
Sites for the Open ...........................................July 
4
What a Championship Means to a Club....Nov. 18
You’ve Got to be Lucky to Win—Once ... Nov. 
8

CLUB OPERATIONS 

Club Management School ..............................Apr. 
Country Club Operations in 1955 ............ Aug. 
Federal Tax Rulings .......................  Apr. 7

2
17

COURSES

Hurricane Damage in the Northeast ........July 

13

‘<GOLF HOUSE” AND GOLF COLLECTING

Clubs of Champions .........................................Apr. 
History of the Game in Golf House Art Nov. 

HANDICAPPING 

Handicapping the Novice ..............................Apr. 
Let’s Have More Scratch

Tournaments ............................................... Feb. 

New Handicap System for Chapman

Foursomes ......................................................June 

HISTORICAL

Can You Score Your Age? ......................... Sept. 
Champions Made at Harding Park ............ July 
Equalled His Age ............................................... Feb. 
Evans’ Close Call ............................................. Nov. 
Evans’ Record ................................................... Sept. 
Hill of Fame .....................  Feb. 
Hole-in-One Expert .........................................Aug. 
Host of Birdies ................................................. Aug. 
How Many Courses Have You Played? ....Sept. 
“Links” ........  Sept. 
Miss Hoyt’s Age ................................................. Feb. 
More Low Scores by Women ....................... June 
New Total for Ryerson ..............................Nov. 
Origin of “Nassau” ........  June 
They Scored Their Age .................................. Nov. 
This Is Your Life—Col. Bogey ..................... Nov. 
Women’s Low Score ...........................................Apr. 

IMPLEMENTS AND BALL 

Driving Tests at the Open ......................... Aug. 

1
17

3

17

21

14
20
3
8
1
13
4
3
19
5
3
2
4
2
3
20
3

8

New Club—Yes and No .................................. Apr. 

INTERNATIONAL

Beharrell Brightens British Golf Hopes....July 
Beharrell Honored ............................................. Feb. 
Curtis Cup in a British Home ................ July 
Curtis Cup Teams ............................................... Apr. 
Golf Behind the Iron Curtain .................July 
Good Feeling Fills the Americas Cup .... Nov. 
Norman Wins Canadian ..............................Sept. 
Tournament Sites Changed ... ......................Feb. 
Tribulations of Iron Curtain Golf ............ Aug. 
Trouble on the Old Course ..........................Sept. 
Wiffl Smith Enlivens International Golf July 

JUNIOR

Age Limit Lowered .................................. Apr. 
Foote Wins Western .......................................Sept. 
Golf Looks Easy—Or How Juniors Do It Sept. 
Interested in Junior Golf?

Kenwood’s Answer .................................. Apr. 
Junior Golf League ............ Sept. 
Miss Gunderson Proves Truth of

2

18
2
10
16
3
5
3
3
11
4
17

1
3
10

20
3

an Epigram ..........................................  Nov.  14

MISCELLANEOUS 

Babe’s Appeal ....................................................June 
Chapin Elected to USGA Exec.

Committee ......................................  Apr. 
Distinguished Member .................................... July 
Extra ..................................................................... Sept. 
Golden Anniversary of Teaching ............ Nov. 
Golf Box Score ....................................................June 
Golf Writers Honor Russell 
.......................Feb. 
Matter of Age ......................................................juiy 
Need A Pro? ........................................................ June 
‘Play Them As They Lie’—Film ............Feb. 
PGA Official Resigns ................. Sept. 
PGA Golfer of the Year ................. Feb. 
Read and Heed ..................................................June 
USGA Nominees for 1957 ...... Nov. 
Vardon Award Winner .....................................Feb. 
Wanted:

Candidates for Bob Jones Award ....Sept. 
WGA Elects Officers ..................... Feb. 
Wedding Bells ......................................................Feb. 
Writing Achievement .......................................June 

1

3
j
x
16
4
1
4
2
10
3
2
1
11
3

9
1
3
3

NECROLOGY 

4
4
4
4

Robert L. M. Axt ................................ Nov. 4
Stacey Bender, Sr............................................... Apr. 
3
George A. Dixon ................................ Aug. 4
James A. Donaldson .................................... Nov. 
Al Espinosa .......................................................... Feb. 
A. Linde Fowler ............................................... Nov. 
Robert A. Gardner ............................................. July 
Marion Hiskey ................................. Apr. 2
Fraser M. Horn ................................................. Feb. 
Clive T. Jaff ray ............................................... Feb. 
Robert P. Jones ................................... Aug. 4
John J. Kinder ................................................. Aug. 
William T. Klein ......................................... Feb. 
Prince Fumitaka Konoye .............................. Feb. 
Fred Miley ..................................  Nov. 4
Harry A. Rowbotham .................................... Aug. 
4
Albert E. Sharp ............................................ Sept. 
5
Thomas S. Serio ................................... Nov.  4
William B. Torrance .......................................Aug. 
4
John Weitzel ........................................................Nov. 
4
Reginald R. Whitcombe ........................ Feb. 4
Mrs. Mildred D. Zaharias ............................Nov. 
1

4
4
4

4
4

PLAY OF THE GAME

Don’t Be Rattled ............................................. Feb. 
Family Project ............................................. Nov. 
From Tee to Wrong Green ....................... Feb. 
Golf in Theory and Practice ......................... Feb. 
Golfer’s Pledge ................................................. Sept. 
Good, But .............................................................. June 

1
1
1
10
4
1

31

USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: FEBRUARY, 1957

Issue Page
1

Insured for Aces ................................................. July 
Lightning Protection On the 

Golf Course .........................................Sept. 
Live and Learn .................  Sept. 
My Most Memorable Golf Experience 

(Littler) ...............................................Apr. 
No Gambling—Only Golf ..............................June 
Out of the Cellar ........................................... Aug. 

18

9

RULES OF GOLF (not the Referee)
Par and Bogey ..................... Feb. 
Knowing Your Rights Under the RuIes....Aug. 
Open Championship Decision Reversed....Feb. 
Pitch-and-Putt Rules ...................................... Apr. 
Robert Harris’ Opinion .........................  Aug. 
What Game Do You Play? ..........................Apr. 
“Winter Rules” From All Sides ........ June 

RULES OF GOLF DECISIONS 

After Putt is Conceded, Score For

Hole is Complete  ....................................Apr.

All of Tree Being Sawed is Ground

Under Repair .............................................. Apr.

Application of Rules to Course Under

Construction ..................................................Feb.
Ball Accidentally Moved ..............................Aug.
Ball Adhering to Club after Stroke............July 
Ball at Rest on Green? ...........................  Apr.
Ball at Rest on Limed Line............................June
Ball Holed After Carom .................................. Apr.
Ball in Drain Pipe ...........................................June
Ball Lifted by Opponent with

Owner’s Consent ..................................... Apr.

Ball Marks in Line of Putt May 

Not be Repaired ..............................Sept.
Ball Moving Before Address ....................... Apr.
Burning Paper  .............................................. Sept.
Caddie May Place Ball .................................. June
Caddie May Precede Player ..................... Aug.
“Chapman” or “Pinehurst” Play Not

Interpreted ....................................................Feb.

Concurrent Matches Not Covered 

by Rules ......................   Sept.

Course Must be Same for All 

in Stroke Play .................................. Apr.
Definition of “Hazard” ................................ Sept.
Disposition of Prize when

Finalist Defaults .................................. Nov.
Entering Clubhouse During Competition Sept. 
Extra Club ........ ....................................  Aug.
Fanning Leaves in Hazard ......  Sept.
First and Provisional Balls

...............................   Sept.
Out of Bounds 
............ Aug.
Flagstick Attended 
Flagstick Attended  by Partner ..................Aug.
Flagstick Attended  by Player’s Side ....... July
Flagstick May be Attended While

Ball in Motion ............................  Sept.
Handicap for 86 Holes .......    Aug.
Hitting Opponent’s Ball from Hazard ....July 
Holes Played Out of Order Must

be Replayed ............................................... Sept.
Identification of Ball .................................... Nov.
Identification of Ball .......................... Sept.
“Identifying” Provisional Ball ................ June
Intentional “Whiff” is Not a Stroke....Apr. 
Interference Must be Physical ..................... Apr.
Interference Must Be Physical

and Reasonable ...........................................Nov.

Lifting or Playing First Without 

Request on Green .... June

Original Ball “Lost” when Second 

Put in Play ..................................  July

Partners in Foursome Shall Strike Off 

Alternately  ......................................June

Penalty Applies to Both Partners with 

Double Caddie .................................June

Penalty is Disqualification for 

Quitting Course  .............................Aug.

Penalty is Loss of Hole for 

Violating Club Limit .................Sept.

Penalty is Stroke for Lifting 

without Consent ....................   June
Play Completed When Ball is  Holed .......Nov.

Playing First or Lifting ............................Aug. 
Player May Require Persons at Hole 

to Stand Clear ................................. Sept. 

Players Must Await Decision 

re Discontinuance ......................... Nov. 

Player Must Drop Outside Ground 

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24

Under Repair .................................... July 
Player Must Drop Ball .................................. June 
Player Not Allowed to Clean 

22

Lime From Ball ................................June 

Player’s Responsibility While 

Attending Flagstick ..................... Sept. 
Positioning Flagstick .......................................June 
Provisional Ball’s Status Under 

Hazard Clause ..................... July 
Putting from Wrong Location .....................Apr. 
Relief from Casual Water Granted 

Only on Green .................................. Sept. 

Referee Cannot Authorize Violation 

of Rules .    Nov. 
Smoothing Sand Ball Returns to Spot ....June 
Teeing When Replaying from 

Teeing Ground .................................. July 
Treatment of Logs too Heavy to Move....Nov. 
Triple Penalty ......................................................Feb. 
Wall Across Fairway ...................................... Aug. 
Wall is Immovable Obstruction ................ Sept. 
When Flagstick is Attended ......................... Feb. 
"Where the Ball Entered” Casual Water Nov. 

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SENIORS

Age Retreats Before the Young in Heart Sept. 
Pen Portraits of a Senior ......................... June 

SPORTSMAN’S CORNER 

Foster Bradley ........... ...................................... Aug. 
Lee Marttila ......  Sept. 
Sam Scales ............................................................ Nov. 
Sam Urzetta .......................................................... July 

TOURNAMENTS

Amputee Tournament ................................... ...July 
Annual Tri-City Match  ..................... ...July 
Golf for Charity ...........  ........Apr. 
Like Father, Like Son .................................... July 
WGA Changes Amateur .................................. Apr. 

WOMEN

Girls’ Reunion at Women’s Open ............Aug. 
Miss Stewart Adds to 

International Honors .....................Nov. 
Women’s Collegiate Champion ..................... July 

12

TURF MANAGEMENT

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Diseases of Southern Turfgrass and 

Their Control .................................... Feb. 

Further Comments Concerning 

Poa Annua .......................................Sept. 

How Records Help Your 

Green Superintendent ...................June 
Joins Green Section Staff ......................... July 
Maintenance Manuals are 

Meant to be Read ..............................July 
Man Behind the Beauty of Oak Hill ........June 
Minimizing Compaction in 

Putting Greens ..............................Sept. 
Mowing and the Thatch Problem ............ Aug. 
Nematode Outlook in Turf ......................... Aug. 
Observations on Poa Annua ..................... Sept. 
Power Mower Safety Code ......................... July 
Questions and Answers .................................. June 
Questions and Answers .................................. July 
Research—A Tool for Better Turf ........Apr. 
Selective Control of Dallisgrass ................ Feb. 
Summary of Turfgrass Weed 

Control Tests .................................... Nov. 
Tenth Southeastern Turf Conference  ....June 
Tifgreen—An Improved Turf 

Bermuda Grass ..................................Apr. 
Trends in Golf Course Maintenance ........July 
USGA Turf Service Now Available 

26

26

In All Areas ...................................... Feb. 

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Water Storage in a Cubic Foot of Soil....Aug. 32
What is a Golf Course Superintendent?....Nov. 29
Written Agreements for Superintendents Apr. 29

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USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: FEBRUARY, 1957

IT’S YOUR HONOR

Leaving Amateur Ranks

To the USGA:

You have probably read in the pa­
pers that I have turned professional. 
It was a decision that was not easy to 
make. I have thought about it many 
times, but tried to keep my mind on 
the automobile business. I found it 
impossible to keep my thoughts from 
returning to golf.

When I was discharged from the 
Army I decided to give the automo­
bile business a one year try, but my 
real love continued to be golf. I would 
like to find out just how well I can do 
at golf, and the only proper way is to 
turn professional and play regularly.

I have always felt that the United 
States Golf Association has been a 
close friend of mine and I would like 
to feel that this friendship will con­
tinue into my professional career.

I will always try to do my best to 
be a credit to the great game of golf.

Kenneth P. Venturi 
San Francisco, Cal.

After a great deal of thought and 
consideration, I have decided to be­
come a professional golfer.

It is my desire to go as far as pos­
sible in this game of golf and to ac­
complish this one has to play con­
stantly with the finest players. The 
only way I can play against profes­
sionals on the circuit is to join their 
ranks. The cost of travelling around the 

country would be prohibitive for me 
as an amateur.

Please understand I fully appreciate 
the many wonderful things you have 
done for me in the past. The USGA 
staff and officials have given me fair 
and honest treatment during my ama­
teur career and I shall do my utmost 
to follow the USGA standards of 
sportsmanship and ideals during my 
tenure as a professional.

Margaret "Wiffi” Smith 
Orange, Texas

“Adverse Conditions”

To the USGA:

We here in Alaska are happy to see 
the authorization of handicaps on pre­
ferred lies inasmuch as the conditions 
here, I am quite sure, are worse than 
the conditions the original Scots had 
to face.

In passing, it might interest you to 
know that at spots on the course the 
perma-frost is but four feet below the 
turf (moss in most cases).

We also have a geological phenom­
ena called thermocarsts, or "ice lenses,’’ 
huge blocks of ice 100 or 200 feet 
down that melt for some unknown rea­
son causing the overburden to sink 
and leave a hole the size of a masto­
don in the center of the fairway.

Grass greens are a luxury I hope to 
see in two years, inasmuch as the wint­
ers here will not allow grass to sur­
vive. Temperatures go to minus 60 
degrees.

T/Sgt. F. L. Dannis 
Ladd Air Force Base 
Alaska

USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: FEBRUARY, 1957

33

USGA OFFICERS, EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE 
AND COMMITTEE CHAIRMEN
PRESIDENT 
Richard S. Tufts, Pinehurst, N. C. 
VICE-PRESIDENTS 
John D. Ames, Chicago, III.
John G. Clock, Long Beach, Cal.
SECRETARY
Charles L. Peirson, Boston, Mass.
TREASURER
J. Frederic Byers, Jr., Pittsburgh, Pa.
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
The above officers and:
C. W. Benedict, White Plains, N. Y. 
Emerson Carey, Jr., Denver, Colo.
William C. Chapin, Rochester, N. Y. 
John W. Fischer, Cincinnati, Ohio 
Richmond Gray, Richmond, Va.
Stuart A. Heatley, San Francisco, Cal.
Gordon E. Kummer, Milwaukee, Wis.
William McWane, Birmingham, Ala. 
F. Warren Munro, Portland, Ore.
John M. Winters, Jr., Tulsa, Okla.
GENERAL COUNSEL
Wm. Ward Foshay, New York, N. Y.
COMMITTEE CHAIRMEN
RULES OF GOLF: John M. Winters, Jr., Tulsa, Okla.
CHAMPIONSHIP: John D. Ames, Chicago, III.
AMATEUR STATUS AND CONDUCT: John W. Fischer, Cincinnati, Ohio 
IMPLEMENTS AND BALL: Charles L. Peirson, Boston, Mass.
MEMBERSHIP: Gordon E. Kummer, Milwaukee, Wis.
GREEN SECTION: William C. Chapin, Rochester, N. Y.
WOMEN'S: Mrs. Charles Dennehy, Lake Forest, III.
SECTIONAL AFFAIRS: F. Warren Munro, Portland, Ore.
PUBLIC LINKS: Emerson Carey, Jr., Denver, Colo.
HANDICAP: Richmond Gray, Richmond, Va. Handicapping Procedure: William O. Blaney, Boston, Mass.
JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP: J. Frederic Byers, Jr., Pittsburgh, Pa.
SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIP: John G. Clock, Long Beach, Cal.
GIRLS' JUNIOR: Mrs. John Pennington, Buffalo, N. Y.
MUSEUM: C. W. Benedict, White Plains, N. Y.
BOB JONES AWARD: Totton P. Heffelfinger, Minneapolis, Minn. 
FINANCE: J. Frederic Byers, Jr., Pittsburgh, Pa.
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
EASTERN REGION

Northeastern Office: Rutgers University, New Brunswick, N. J.
Alexander M. Radko, Director, Eastern Region
T. T. Taylor, Northeastern Agronomist

Mid-Atlantic Office: South Building, Plant Industry Station, Beltsville, Md.

Charles K. Hallowell, Mid-Atlantic Director

Southeastern Office: South Building, Plant Industry Station, Beltsville, Md.

James M. Latham, Jr., Southeastern Agronomist

MID-CONTINENT REGION

Southwestern Office: Texas A. and M. College, College Station, Texas

Dr. Marvin H. Ferguson, Director, Mid-Continent Region and National

Research Coordinator

James B. Moncrief, Southwestern Agronomist (as of February 16) 

Mid-Western Office: Room 241, LaSalle Hotel, Chicago 2, III. (as of March 1)
James L. Holmes, Mid-Western Agronomist (as of March 1) 
WESTERN REGION

Western Office: 1709 West Eighth Street, Los Angeles 17, Cal.

William H. Bengeyfield, Director, Western Region