THE BULLETIN

of the

UNITED STATES GOLF ASSOCIATION GREEN SECTION

Vol. 7 

Washington, D. C., August, 1927 

No. 8

Contents

Page

Velvet Bent (Agrostis canina). By Major R. Avery Jones..............................  146

Metropolitan Bent at Marble Hall. By H. C. Toomey........................................ 147

The Putting Surface. By George Cunningham.................................................... 149

The A B C of Turf Culture. Lime in Sand, Soil or Water Often Overcomes

Acidic Properties of Sulfate of Ammonia. By O. J. Noer.......................... 151

Some U. S. Golf Association Decisions on the Rules of Golf.................    152

The Old Flatbush Golf Club. By Maurice J. McCarthy...................................... 153

Golf Course Architecture and Construction. Designing the Course. Part I.

By William S. Flynn...............................................................................................  156

The Greenkeepers’ Club of New England. By John Shanahan..........................  160

Sulfate of Ammonia and Earthworms...................................................................... 160

Questions and Answers................................................................................................  161

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Wynant D. Vanderpool, Chairman, 766 Broad H. Kendall Read, Philadelphia, Pa.

Street, Newark, N. J. 

Russell A. Oakley, Washington, D. C. 
Harvey L. Westover, Washington, D. C.

Walter S. Harran, Washington, D. C.
H. Y. Barrow, New York, N. Y.

RESEARCH COMMITTEE

Russell A. Oakley, Chairman, Washington, O. B. Fitts, Associate, Washington, D. C. 

G. T. Cunningham, Executive Secretary, Wash-

Harvey L. Westover, Acting Chairman, Wash- ington, D. C.

D. C. 

ington, D. C.

The Bulletin is published monthly by the United States Golf Association Green Section, 

Washington, D. C., at Room 7207, Building F, 7th and B Streets N. W.

Address all MAIL to P. O. Box 313, Pennsylvania Avenue Station, Washington, D. C.

Send TELEGRAMS to Room 7207, Building F, 7th and B Streets N. W., Washington, D. C.

Subscription Price: In United States of America, Canada, Mexico, and West Indies, $4.00 per 

year; in all other countries, $5.00 per year.

Entered as second-class matter, April 21, 1926, at the postoffice at Washington, D. C.. under 
the Act of March 3. 1879. Copyrighted, 1927, by the United States Golf Association Green Section.

146

August, 1927

ADVISORY COMMITTEE

W. A. Alexander, Chicago, Ill. 
Eberhard Anheuser, St. Louis, Mo. 
A. C. U. Berry, Portland, Oreg.' 
William F. Brooks, Minneapolis, Minn. 
N. S. Campbell, Providence, R. I. 
WM. C. Fownes, Jr., Pittsburgh, Pa. 
F. H. Hillman, Washington, D. C. 
Thos. P. Hinman, Atlanta, Ga. 
Frederic C. Hood, Watertown, Mass. 
K. F. Kellerman, Washington, D. C. 
Norman Macbeth, Los Angeles, Calif.

E. J. Marshall, Toledo, Ohio. 
W. L. Pfeffer, St. Louis, Mo. 
George V. Rotan, Houston, Tex. 
Sherrill Sherman, Utica, N. Y. 
Frederick Snare, Havana, Cuba. 
James D. Standish, Jr., Detroit, Mich. 
W. R. Walton, Washington, D. C. 
Alan D. Wilson, Philadelphia, Pa. 
M. H. Wilson, Jr., Cleveland, Ohio. 
Frank L. Woodward, Denver, Colo.

Velvet Bent (Agrostis canina)
By Major R. Avery Jones, Baltusrol Golf Club

Velvet bent makes the finest and the most beautiful turf of any of 

the northern grasses.

On nearly all old seeded greens, circular patches of this fine turf, 
varying in diameter from one to four feet can be found. It is strange 
that the fact that velvet bent produces such fine turf has been over­
looked so generally. While some attempts have been made to pro­
duce pure velvet bent seed, and seedsmen have advertised their mixed 
bent as having a large percentage of velvet bent seed, there appears to 
have been no real effort made to produce pure velvet bent greens.

Three years ago a turf garden was established at Baltusrol Golf 
Club. The garden contained, in addition to creeping bent planted in 
beds and rows, twelve beds of velvet bent planted by the stolon 
method, and three beds consisting of velvet bent patches of divot 
size—a total area of 5,000 square feet.

The velvet bent stolons were obtained on the golf course early in 
November. They were hand-picked from edges of greens and the 
rough. No doubt there were dozens of different strains varying in 
color from a light green to dark-blue green.

There being no data as to the quantity of velvet bent stolons 
required for a given area, each bed was planted with a different quan­
tity, varying from a light covering to three times the quantity of 
creeping bent stolons recommended by the Greens Section.

The divot planted was as follows: The divots were small cir­
cular patches about four inches in diameter. They were placed on 
prepared ground about four inches apart. Screened soil was then 
applied in sufficient quantity to fill in between the patches.

The nursery planting was finished about November 15, and with 
the exception of topdressing and watering, received no further atten­
tion that fall.

Due to the very late planting there was very little growth, but 
sufficient to indicate that both the stolons and divots were estab­
lished. In the following spring, the creeping bent grew much more 
rapidly than the velvet bent. The creeping bent beds were well cov­
ered in May, and were mown every day, but the velvet bent grew 
much more slowly. However, during the summer the velvet bent 
began to grow rapidly, and by July every bed was a solid mat. The 
velvet bent had produced in the same period, far better putting turf 
and a much more beautiful turf, than had the creeping bent stolons. 
Despite the radical difference in planting and quantity of stolons 
used, there was very little variation in the quantity of turf.

August, 1927

147

During the month of September, 1925, five thousand square feet 
of the velvet bent turf, and three thousand square feet of creeping 
bent sod—the entire nursery—was cut, and used to sod the new 
ninth green of Baltusrol’s Upper Course. The approach and back of 
the green received the creeping bent.

The turf was a little too young for moving, but it soon became 
established, and is now in fine condition, although, not yet as dense 
as the mats to be found in the older seeded greens. It would seem 
that it takes three to four years for the dense mats of turf to form.
In the treatment of velvet bent in the nursery, it was found that 
it did not require, and in fact would not stand, nearly as much top­
dressing as creeping bent, and the quantity of ammonium sulfate 
that can be applied to it with safety is also less.

Little brown-patch has attacked the velvet bent green, but not to 

any greater extent than other greens. There was no loss of turf.

As a putting green grass, velvet bent has the following ad­

vantages :

Excellent color, fine texture, and a dense turf. Weeds made little 
headway in well established velvet bent. Less topdressing is needed. 
The growth of the grass is less rapid than creeping bent, and mow­
ing is much easier. Velvet bent appears to require less water than 
does creeping bent. There are several greens at Baltusrol in which 
velvet bent amounts to as high as 80 percent of the turf; yet in those 
greens little brown-patch gives the least trouble.

Whilst one can not draw conclusions after so short an experi­

ment the writer has proved to his own satisfaction the following:

1. Velvet bent turf can be produced from stolons in the state of 

New Jersey.

2. Topdressing must be very light. Application of sulfate of am­
monium and similar fertilizers must not exceed two-thirds the quan­
tity normally applied to creeping bent. 

■

3. Surface drainage is imperative. Velvet bent winter kills much 

more easily than does creeping bent.

4. When once established, velvet bent does not send out runners 

on the surface as does creeping bent.

Metropolitan Bent at Marble Hall
By H. C. Toomey

Marble Hall, Philadelphia’s only “Pay-as-you-play” course, was 
designed and laid out during the summer of 1924, but the planting 
did not begin until the last week in September, was held up by 
heavy rains, and was not finished until the first week of November.
All the tees, fairways, and greens, with the exception of three 
holes, were sown with the Metropolitan strain of creeping bent by 
the vegetative process. The soil on the greater part of the course 
was heavy clay, more suitable for making bricks than for growing 
grass.

No manure or humus was used on the fairways, but 400 pounds 
of tankage to the acre was applied. Very little growth was noticed 
during that fall.

The following spring was dry and hot with very high winds. A 
water system had been installed when the course was built, and 300 

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August, 1927

gallons of water per minute was sprayed on the fairways during 
several torrid spells in April and May. As a natural result, because 
of the intensity of the sun’s rays and high winds, the ground was 
baked hard, and cracks as wide as an inch appeared in many places.
In building the Marble Hall links it was decided to give the 
Metropolitan strain of bent as severe a test as possible to see if it 
would produce the results claimed for it without being coddled, so 
to speak. That was why no manure was applied on the fairways 
and why the planting was carried on the previous fall even during 
bad weather, only being interrupted for a part of October when 
conditions were impossible because of continuous rain.

The peculiar weather of the spring of 1925 capped the climax 
of this test, and yet the bent made headway in the summer of 1925 
without the use of fertilizers and with only cutting to help it along.
In the middle of June, 1925, the course was opened and has been 
in use steadily ever since, save for several months each winter. 
Many of the players were novices at the game of golf and would 
have utterly ruined fairways of ordinary grass.

In spite of all these handicaps, the bent continued to thicken and 
reach out to cover bare spots during the remainder of 1925, and 
during the cold and unseasonable spring and summer of 1926. In 
fact, by the fall of 1926 the bent had healed practically all the bare 
spots on fairways and tees, while the greens were in remarkably 
fine condition.

This spring the fairways were among the best in Philadelphia 
district, while the greens were in perfect shape. There is hardly a 
place on any of the fairways where a player can complain of the lie.
These Marble Hall fairways have been cut regularly, and in 
consequence the turf is firm and springy and there is no trace of 
the fluffy condition that has often cropped up at courses where the 
grass has been permitted to grow long and not been mowed con­
sistently.

Three of the fairways were laid out over old pasture land with 
thick turf of good bluegrass. These fairways were not plowed up 
and sown with bent, but were left as they were except that they 
were treated with topdressing and fertilizer. There is a striking 
difference today between the bluegrass turf and the new bent turf 
on the other fairways, very much in favor of the latter.

It will not be necessary again to put this strain of bent to such 
a severe test. Further experiments have demonstrated that if 10 
cubic yards of manure per acre had been disced in the fairways 
before the bent was planted the grass would have come through in 
much shorter time and the heavy clay soil would not have baked 
and cracked.

If the soil had been light and fairly good it would not have been 

necessary to use any humus or manure.

The cost would have been prohibitive to plant these fairways 
by hand, and so a special set of machinery was devised by the 
engineers who built the course, and with its aid three men did the 
work of 50.

Because it is a semipublic course, Marble Hall is crowded during 
the summer months, especially on Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays, 
and, naturally enough, a great many divots are taken up in the 

August, 1927

149

fairways and on the tees. But during the growing season the bent 
heals itself with truly amazing swiftness.

The tiny runners reach out from every side of the hole in the 
turf until they meet each other, and in no time it seems the gap has 
disappeared. This ability to swiftly hide its own wounds is one of 
the most valuable qualities of the creeping bent grass.

The Putting Surface
By George Cunningham

All good greens have one quality in common, a true “putting sur­
face.” Fine greens may be composed of mixed bent, creeping bent, 
velvet bent, fescue, redtop, Bermuda grass, bluegrass, or various com­
binations of grasses and other plants such as clover and yarrow and 
still be excellent if the ball runs true. That the ball shall run truly 
is always the most important requirement.

A turf of perfectly uniform texture often seems to the inexperi­
enced greenkeeper to have a true “putting surface” when it may in 
reality have nothing of the kind. This error has led directly to much 
criticism of creeping bent greens.

Good putting is impossible on an insufficiently topdressed creep­
ing bent green, but as such greens generally present an attractive 
appearance because of their uniform texture and color, many players 
have condemned the turf whereas the real cause of trouble was be­
cause improper maintenance methods were used.

Cross section of properly topdressed creeping bent turf. Note that the surfaces of the soil and 
turf combine to form the real “putting surface.”

A putting green may be compared to a billiard table, the ball de­
pending on the trueness of the slate for its accuracy and on the tex­
ture of the cloth for its speed. The slate, or soil surface, must bt 
true or good putting becomes a matter of luck instead of skill, the 
fact that the cloth, or turf, may be thin is of less importance, but if 
the turf is so long and matted that the underlying slate, or soil sur­
face, can no longer directly guide the rolling ball the game becomes a 
farce. On many creeping bent greens the latter condition exists 
simply because the importance of the true “putting surface” is either 
not recognized or is thought to depend on the surface of the turf it­

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August, 1927

self. Both the underlying soil surface and the surface of the turf 
combine to form the “putting surface.”

Greens of Bermuda grass or creeping bent require frequent top­
dressing. Greens of mixed bent require somewhat less, and to top- 
dress velvet bent greens as heavily as creeping bent must be top- 
dressed would seriously injure if not entirely smother the turf.

The question of relatively fast or slow greens need not be consid­
ered except to the extent of saying that if the turf becomes so long 
as to check the ball abruptly good putting is impossible.

Cross section of creeping bent turf which has not been topdressed during the season. It is obvious 
that contact with the soil has been lost and that no real “putting surface” exists.

Newly planted greens require more frequent and heavier top­
dressings than greens in their second or third year, not because of the 
need of fertilization but to true up the soil surface. Old greens are 
generally good ones because of their true soil surface rather than be­
cause of the excellence of their turf. Small spots in an otherwise 
true green can sometimes be brought into proper condition with not 
more than a pail of topdressing. If a well hit ball bounces along its 
path there is still work to be done on the soil surface.

On sandy soils the problem is simpler for an occasional rolling 
will do much to keep the soil surface true but rolling can never be 
entirely substituted for topdressing.

On nearly every other question of greens maintenance there is a 
chance for honest difference of opinion, but everywhere the “putting 
surface” can be made a true one and unless it is true there is just 
cause for criticism.

Do not forget that the soil surface and turf surface combine to 
form the “putting surface,” and that the soil surface is the more im­
portant of the two factors,

Assuming that proper ground has been selected, the man who can 
build a golf course and get his results with the least number of artifi­
cial hazards and with a minimum of interference with the natural 
topography and atmosphere of the land, is on safe ground and his 
work will stand the test of time.”

August, 1927

151

The A B C of Turf Culture
Lime in Sand, Soil or Water Often Overcomes Acidic Properties of Sulfate of 
Ammonia—By O. J. Noer

Clovers are lime-loving plants and do not grow well on acid soils. 
This fact makes it possible to rid greens of clover, because the bent 
grasses appear to thrive on soils sufficiently acid to discourage clover. 
Acid producing fertilizers, such as sulfate of ammonia, are com­
monly used on greens to create conditions unfavorable to clover and 
weeds. Yet in many instances this treatment has not been effective.

Soils Become Acid Slowly

Soil acidity develops slowly. Soils have a remarkable power of 
resisting change and hence acidity is slow in asserting itself. Loam 
and clay soils possess this power of resistance to a marked degree 
and develop acidity more slowly than sandy soils. One application 
of sulfate of ammonia is not sufficient to create the conditions de­
sired, and it is only when repeated applications are made that a 
neutral alkaline soil develops the desired acidity.

Lime Often Added to Greens in Sand, Soil or Water

In many instances, particularly in limestone regions, the sand 
and soil used in topdressing mixtures contain sufficient lime car­
bonate to entirely overcome the acid producing power of the small 
amount of sulfate of ammonia used. The local water supply in such 
regions may contain sufficient lime to produce the same result. Since 
it is not possible to increase the rate of application of sulfate of 
ammonia without danger of injuring the turf, care must be used in 
selecting sand and soil for topdressing use if acid soils are desired.
Last fall, casual inspection of a sand used in topdressing mix­
tures, showed the presence of lime rock particles. This sand came 
from a pit which supplies large quantities of sand to the Chicago 
district. Upon analysis it was found to contain 20 percent lime car­
bonate. Each time a green received 500 pounds of this sand in the 
topdressing mixture it was equivalent to applying 100 pounds of 
crushed agricultural limestone. The green chairman and green­
keeper on this particular course would commit murder rather than 
scatter a 100-pound bag of crushed limestone on the green. Yet the 
greens had received repeated applications of lime unbeknown to 
either of them. The same condition obtains on many courses in the 
Chicago district and undoubtedly in other districts also. Soils in 
limestone sections often contain 2-5 percent lime carbonate and here 
again the greens receive a generous dose of lime whenever such soil 
is used in the topdressing. If 2,000 to 3,000 pounds of this soil is 
applied to a green it receives about 100 pounds of lime carbonate 
which is capable of counteracting soil acids. At least 65 pounds of 
sulfate of ammonia must be applied for each 100 pounds of lime 
carbonate simply to overcome the alkaline properties of the lime. 
Additional sulfate must be applied to create acidity. Such heav„. 
applications are never made, and as a result greens do not become 
acid even though sulfate of ammonia is used repeatedly. If acidity 
is desired any sand or soil used in topdressing mixtures must be 
tested for lime carbonate.

In limestone regions it is often difficult to find local supplies of 
sand free from objectionable lime. If acid soils are desired it may 

152 

August, 1927

be necessary to obtain sand from other areas. Acid soils, however, 
are often encountered even in limestone areas.

Rough Test for Lime in Sand and Soil

The presence of lime carbonate in sand or soil can be easily de­
tected. Whenever an acid is poured onto lime carbonate a gas called 
carbon dioxide is liberated. The liquid froths and the gas escapes 
into the air. To test a sample of sand or soil procure some muriatic 
acid from a nearby drug store and pour it on the suspected material. 
If lime carbonate is present carbon dioxide will be liberated and es­
cape. The amount of gas liberated serves as a rough measure of the 
amount of lime carbonate present. Often a few tiny bubbles emerge 
at the surface even though the sand or soil does not contain lime car­
bonate. This is escaping air which was trapped by the liquid. In 
case of doubt hold the dish to the ear. If a hissing sound is audible 
the material undoubtedly contains some lime carbonate.

Accurate determinations of the amount of lime carbonate present 
can be obtained by submitting samples to a chemist, or the State 
Agricultural college. Most state colleges test samples without charge. 
The samples should be carefully labelled and forwarded in good con­
tainers, together with a precise statement of what is wanted.

Very little can be done with water supplies containing lime, so 
far as removal of the objectionable lime carbonate is concerned. No 
more water should be used than is absolutely required by the turf. 
Larger amounts simply increase the quantity of lime carbonate in the 
soil, and make the development of acidity more difficult.

(Reprinted from the National Greenkeeper, May, 1927.)

No hazard should ever be created when there is the slightest doubt 
as to its real necessity, except perhaps a small one for psychological 
effect.

Some U. S. Golf Association Decisions on the Rules of Golf
Kindly give me your ruling on the following play. It is “A’s” 
honor. He drives his first ball out of bounds and walks off the tee. 
“B” refuses to drive until “A” plays his second shot. Is “B” correct 
according to rule? Is it a courtesy of the game however for “B” to 
play before “A” makes his second shot?

Decision.—“B’s” contention is not correct; the honor man has 
made a stroke—see definition 13—his ball is in play and it is up to the 
opponent to put his ball in play; see Rule 2, Section I.

A and B are competing in an eighteen-hole, medal-play tourna­
ment; they have one caddie, carrying double. A drives a ball which 
lodges near a tree, a low branch of the tree interfering with the free 
'swing of his club. B and the caddie grasp the branch, holding it en­
tirely clear until A has completed his shot. The question has arisen: 
Was B disqualified for assisting his opponent, also, was A also dis­
qualified for permitting his caddie to assist?

Decision.—The player is penalized two strokes under Rule 14, 
Special Rules for Stroke Competition. The competitor is not af­
fected. The competitor incurs no penalty under Rule 2, special rules 

August, 1927

153

for match play competitions, because those particular rules do not 
apply to medal play.

A player’s ball from the tee went into the rough and lodged under 
some large growing leaves. In taking his stance the ball was not vis­
ible, so the player spread several leaves so that the ball could be seen. 
Nothing growing was broken, nor was the ball moved nor the lie im­
proved. Would like to know if this is permitted in the rules.

Decision.—Rule 15 covers this point. It states specifically that the 
player is not entitled to bend or break fixed or growing things in 
playing the actual stroke after he has taken his stance. In this case, 
the player violated Rule 15 and the penalty would be the loss of the 
hole in Match Play and two strokes in Medal Competition. The fact 
that he found his ball is sufficient proof that he knew its location but 
he is not entitled to bend the growing leaves back to get a better view 
_________________
of the ball. 

The Old Flatbush Golf Club
By Maurice J. McCarthy

The Old Flatbush Golf Club is built in the heart of Brooklyn, N. Y. 
With two million people in the immediate vicinity, it is naturally a 
novel situation. It comprises 53 acres of land, valued at over three 
million dollars. One of the tees (fifth) is built on a lot between two 
large apartments and is worth $20,000. A large public school is back 
of the fifth green and a church is on the side of the seventh. A main 
thoroughfare (Bedford Avenue) runs through the center of the 
course. The land had been used for years as a circus field, baseball 
lots, dumping ground, etc. The owner, being a golf enthusiast, finally 
decided to have a course constructed unless the problem should prove 
too difficult. Several streets end at irregular points on the borders 
of the land, and it required some strategy to get nine holes in, without 
crossing these or Bedford Avenue. 'However, a very fine 3,065-yard 
course was finally designed.

Work was started on October 1, 1924. After considerable trouble 
with the hard ground (more like cement), having to use a crushing 
machine to break it up, the greens were built and planted with creep­
ing bent before the first of November. The tees and fairways were 
constructed and seeded before the end of the month, thereby establish­
ing something of a record in having designed, built and seeded the 
course within two months. The spring of 1925 saw the greens coming 
along splendidly, and play was started in August, just ten months 
after ground was broken.

The creeping bent has proved very satisfactory, and except for 
three months last winter, the course was used to capacity whenever 
the weather did not interfere. As many as 106 played at one time, 
and round after round has been the same on fine week-ends. When 
the course was closed last December, despite the very rainy season 
and hard playing, the greens were in excellent condition.

A number of the members belong to various clubs throughout 
the Metropolitan District but live in the neighborhood, and without 
exception they say our greens are as fine as any in this section, and 
it is indeed a source of satisfaction to know they compare so favor­
ably with other courses many years older. A small nursery is kept 
so as to always be ready for any damage which may arise at any time.

154

August, 1927

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156

August, 1927.

Golf Course Architecture and Construction
Designing the Course. Part 1.

By William S. Flynn

When the architect has discussed with the club the type of 
course required he is then free to proceed unhampered with the 
layout.

In addition to the designing of the course he must consider the 
question of club house site, parking area, practice ground, entrance 
roads, etc., because all these should coordinate with the course itself.
In order to get the best possible layout on any property the archi­
tect must have a topographical plan of the ground on which he is 
working.

In gently undulating or hilly country the contours should be 
shown at five-foot intervals while in flatter country two-foot inter­
vals are generally better.

All woodland should be shown accurately as well as prominent 
trees in the open. Streams, fence lines, stone walls and old buildings 
should also be plotted. With these details indicated along with the 
contours it is a much simpler matter for the architect to locate and 
familiarize himself with the ground. A topographical map is also 
of inestimable value in determining drainage problems, in designing 
the water system, locating the club house site, and other attendant 
facilities.

No club building a golf course should work without such a plan 
for in the long run the original cost of it can be saved by the econ­
omies effected from its use. The cost of preparing such a plan varies 
first with the acreage to be surveyed, second with the amount of 
woodland thereon and third with the character of the undulations.

The best and cheapest results are obtained when the foliage is off 
the trees, particularly in wooded country because better visibility is 
to be had for the surveyors. It naturally follows that the best time 
for surveying is either in the winter or the early spring. In most 
cases a local surveyor is better qualified to do the job because he 
should be more familiar with details involved with properties in that 
particular section as well as saving the expense of importing an out- 
of-town corps.

Armed with this topographical plan the architect then proceeds 
to make a study of the ground familiarizing himself with all its varia­
tions. First of all he follows along the boundaries so as to know ex­
actly what the limitations of the property are, then he crosses and 
recrosses, stopping here and there to locate himself until he is thor­
oughly familiar with the ground.

Following this he settles upon the club house site and the starting 
and finishing points of the course around it, as well as the other nec­
essary facilities.

The most satisfactory layout in an 18-hole course today is the one 
which has two starting and two finishing points in close proximity to 
the club house. The advantages of this plan are too well known to 
make it necessary to go into details.

A popular plan which is being widely inaugurated in newly formed 
clubs is to have three nine-hole loops radiating from the club house.

August, 1927

157

While a course of this kind will not accommodate as many players 
as a 36-hole course, yet, it is capable of taking care of the play of 
most metropolitan clubs on busy days and gives a varied interchange 
of holes. In fact, it is possible to play six distinct 18-hole courses 
by changing the sequence of the various nines.

The character and quality of the course should naturally come 
first but it sometimes happens that a club has selected a property 
partly because a fine house was on the ground and could be readily 
adapted to the club needs. In a case of this kind the starting point of 
the course becomes fixed.

When there is no existing house to be considered the architect is 
then in a better position to work out what he thinks is best as regards 
both course and club house.

From the viewpoint of expense it is better to locate the club house 
as near as possible to a boundary of the property which abutts on a 
public highway. This will then eliminate the necessity of expensive 
road building, the parking space can be laid out between the public 
highway and the club house and the highway can be used as an over­
flow parking space whenever required.

In designing the parking space it is well to remember that approx­
imately 200 cars can be fitted into an acre and the number of cars to 
be parked and the area required for parking them can be figured 
accordingly.

The club house should be set far enough back from the public 
highway to secure privacy, but on the other hand this can be taken 
care of very readily by planting quick-growing trees and shrubs.

An ideal situation exists when such a spot overlooks the golf 
course and permits visibility of a large portion of the links as well 
as providing starting and finishing points as outlined above.

Often, however, in order to get the best out of a property it is 
necessary to pick a site for the club house and the starting point of 
the golf course well within the property. This is to be avoided when­
ever possible because it means expensive road construction and the 
added nuisance of having a roadway running through the golf course 
even though it be a private one. The beauty of the view to be had 
should have a certain amount of bearing on the club house site also.
The character of the topography in the vicinity must also be con­
sidered for it is much simpler to build tennis courts and parking areas 
on flat ground than it is to do the same work where the slopes are 
steep and irregular.

The practice putting green and the practice driving area should 
receive careful attention and the present-day club should by no means 
be without either of these. A practice hole with tees set at say 150- 
190-230 yards should be given consideration in the complete plan be­
cause a hole of this kind gives the members an opportunity to play 
shots to a green without interfering with the use of the course.

In locating the club house on a hill overlooking the course it is well 
to remember that while the get-away is easy the return both at the 
ninth and eighteenth may possibly be severe from a climbing stand­
point and care should be taken in selecting an eminence that pro­
vides gentle slopes at least for the return holes.

When the architect has determined on the club house site and his 
starting and finishing points for the golf course he then proceeds to 
find the holes for the course.

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August, 1927

While the procedure of all architects is not necessarily similar, yet, 
they all work to the same end and the following is purely the method 
of one individual.

The most important point in designing golf holes is to select proper 
green sites. The first condition in selecting a green site is its adapta­
bility to the game on a particular type of hole. The second is the 
question of the cost of constructing the green on any particular site. 
The third is the beauty to be had both in the background and vistas.
The finest layout in the world may lack interest if the surround­
ings are unpleasant while the mediocre course appeals a great deal 
to the majority when the backgrounds and vistas are well thought 
out.

It quite frequently happens that the architect will select perhaps 
30 or 40 different green sites on a property when his ultimate job is 
to secure only 18. This is done to exhaust all the possibilities of 
securing good holes. It often occurs that an architect lays out per­
haps three different courses on paper before he definitely decides 
which, in his estimation, is best. 

... .

Contrary to the way the course is played, that is from tee to 
green, the architect selects his greens first and then works backward 
to his tees radiating in all directions from the green until he even­
tually secures what he is after.

The principal thought in designing a course is to produce 18 inter­
esting holes with variety of play. A course which has variety of play 
and character in its natural state can readily be made even more in­
teresting by the installation of a limited number of man-made hazards.
When the architect selects a suitable spot for a green site he 
marks it on the contour plan which he always carries in the field. 
All the while he is making notes on the topographical map and in his 
notebook as to the character of the ground, drainage, size of trees, 
and all sorts of points that will enter into the cost of construction.
When he has made a complete study of the ground and exhausted 
all the possibilities of green locations, etc., he takes his marked plan 
back to his drafting room and then with his notes ties in the various 
green sites.

During the tying in process the architect always has in mind the 
question of the sequence of the various types taking care not to have 
holes of similar length and character coming too closely together. 
The most interesting course is one where the lengths and types of 
holes are broken up, where two or three drive and pitch holes or any 
other type for that matter do not follow each other.

Perhaps the majority of players enjoy the one shot holes on any 
course better than the longer ones and the architect should be careful 
to get distinctive short holes of the proper length.

The principal thought in mind is to fit the best possible holes to 
the ground and while the custom is to have four short holes there is 
no reason why this number should not be reduced to three or increased 
to five if conditions warrant it.

The question as to the number of the various types of two and 
three shot holes for a course is one that has created a great deal of 
discussion in the past and this will continue as long as the game is 
played, but more of this later.

Unlike most other games golf has no definitely prescribed area 
over which the game shall be played. While in the past 10 years or 

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159

more the yardage held up as being suitable for a “championship” 
course ranged between 6,000 to 6,500 yards, this year’s open cham­
pionship was decided on a course approximately 7,000 yards long. 
But all courses can not be “championship” courses, that is, links 
where championships are decided, for they would be too expensive for 
the average club.

It should be the aim of the architect to lay out his course in such 

a way as to get the proper length holes at the proper places.

Actual yardage, however, is not the determining factor in this 
or that type of hole for a 430-yard hole down hill may very easily 
be a drive and mashie niblic while a hole reversed on similar ground 
might be two full wood shots.

Again the question of the ball has a great bearing on what type 
a certain length hole will be. Time was, and not so many years ago, 
when a hole 400 yards long on average ground was a good two-shot 
hole for the star players; now, the same hole is perhaps a drive and 
spade for the better class golfers.

In view of this the architect of today plans his full two-shot holes 
from 440 to 500 yards, depending on the character of the land and 
if the distance to be obtained with the ball continues to increase it 
will be necessary to increase the length of all holes on golf courses 
accordingly if the same standards of play are to be maintained.

All architects will be a lot more comfortable when the powers 
that be in golf finally solve the ball problem. A great deal of experi­
mentation is now going on and it is to be hoped that before long a 
solution will be found to control the distance of the elusive pill.

If, as in the past, the distance to be gotten with the ball continues 
to increase, it will be necessary to go to 7,500 and even 8,000 yard 
courses and more yards mean more acres to buy, more course to con­
struct, more fairway to maintain and more money for the golfer to 
fork out.

In addition to getting the proper length and sequence of holes in 
the layout the architect should be careful to leave sufficient room 
between the various fairways. When there is continued paralleling 
of fairways there is not as much chance to segregate holes as in the 
triangulating method of design.

The question of handling galleries must be considered in design­
ing the present-day championship course and ample room must be 
allowed to take care of the tremendous crowds that mill back and 
forth following their favorites.

Many times the less prominent players, particularly in medal 
competitions, have been completely thrown off their game by the 
crowd following the favorite overflowing or rushing to gain advantage 
point and thus greatly hampering those just behind or in front.

Having plotted a layout on paper after having given all the above 
points due consideration the architect now has a preliminary plan 
which is ready for the engineer to stake on the ground.

Most courses have entirely too many traps that are badly placed 
and poorly constructed; that cost too much money to maintain; and 
whose removal would help the average player, improve appearances, 
reduce upkeep, and practically leave the star player unaffected.

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August, 1927

The Greenkeeper s’ Club of New England
By John Shanahan, Brae Burn Country Club

In January, 1923, a group of greenkeepers, in the Boston District, 
met to consider the advisability of forming an organization for social 
and educational advancement of greenkeepers and the greenkeeping 
profession. A letter was sent out to all the greenkeepers in New 
England, asking them to a meeting to discuss the matter further. At 
this meeting, which was held in February, 1923, about fifty responded 
to the invitation.

The Greenkeeper’s Club of New England was organized at this 
meeting and was the first association of its kind in the country, 
founded solely for and by greenkeepers, themselves.

Since that time, regular monthly meetings have been held. The 
winter meetings are held in Horticultural Hall, Boston. At these 
times lectures have been given by authorities on various subjects 
pertaining to greenkeeping, as well as discussions among green­
keepers themselves, of the various problems confronting them. Each 
year the club has invited the green committee chairmen of New 
England to a luncheon meeting, to give them an idea of the aims and 
purposes of the club.

The summer meetings are held at various golf clubs. The first 
outdoor meeting of the club was a demonstration of golf course equip­
ment. This was the first meeting of its kind ever held in New Eng­
land and was attended by a large number of both green committee 
chairmen and greenkeepers. Since that time, this has been an 
annual event. At the other summer meetings the forenoon has been 
devoted to demonstrations and inspection of the course. After lunch 
and business meeting a golf tournament is held. It has been the aim 
of the club to visit courses where different problems could be studied.
The club has had a cordial invitation and welcome from the golf 
clubs visited and in several instances the club has been the personal 
guest for the day of the local green committee.

Two meetings have been held at the Massachusetts Agricultural 
College at Amherst where grass plots have been examined and lec­
tures given by the college staff.

The club has shown a steady growth from the start and has now 
a membership of over eighty. A fine spirit of fellowship has been 
developed among the members. Many individual problems have been 
solved, and a better understanding between green chairmen and 
greenkeepers established.

Sulfate of Ammonia and Earthworms

Four years ago at Baltusrol earthworms or rather, worm casts, 
were regarded as a greater problem than either weeds or brown 
patch.

At that time ammonium sulfate was not used to any great extent 
—certainly not more often than twice a year, and then only in light 
quantities.

During the past four years the method of maintaining the putting 
green turf has followed very closely the general practice advocated by 
the Green Section of the U. S. G. A.

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161

The only fertilizers used have been ammonium sulfate and am­
monium phosphate, the former principally. They were applied either 
with topdressing or in solution by means of a proportioning machine.
No worm eradicator has been applied to any of the greens since 
August, 1926, and whilst the greens are still brushed before mowing, 
the worm casts are so few that this operation is hardly necessary. 
—Major R. Avery Jones, Baltusrol Golf Club.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
All questions sent to the Green Section will be answered in a letter 
to the writer as promptly as possible. The more interesting of these 
questions, with concise answers, will appear in this column each month. If 
your experience leads you to disagree with any answer given in this column, 
it is your privilege and duty to write to the Green Section.

• While most of the answers are of general application, please bear in 
mind that each recommendation is intended specifically for the locality 
designated at the end of the question.

1. Fairway grasses for sandy soil.—A portion of our course is 
over high, dry land of a sandy soil with gravelly subsoil. On the 
fairways here the turf is cuppy, the grass growing in bunches with 
small barren spots between these bunches. We have consulted an 
architect with a view to improving these fairways, and he recom­
mends that these fairways be spike-rolled in the fall and then spread 
with 15 tons of stable manure and 15 yards of clay loam per acre. 
After this dressing is evenly distributed, it is to be leveled with a 
brush harrow and allowed to lie dormant over winter. In the early 
spring the fairways are again to be spike-rolled two ways and 300 
pounds of his general-purpose fertilizer applied per acre. The surface 
should then be brush-harrowed again and seeded with a special fescue 
fairway mixture at the rate of 125 pounds to the acre. This is then 
to be again brush-harrowed, and lightly rolled. We are sending you 
a sample of the top soil from these fairways. Before taking any 
steps in the matter we should appreciate your suggestions. We 
might add that we have experienced considerable difficulty in grow­
ing bent on this soil. (Maine.)

Answer.—The sample of sandy soil you send should, in our 
opinion, grow perfect turf. The program suggested by your archi­
tect is a very expensive one. Your soil is similar to types of soil 
where fescue is often employed with great success. The only other 
grass that does well on that type of soil is Rhode Island bent, which 
can be also secured as Colonial bent, from New Zealand, and in the 
South German mixed bent, of which it constitutes about 75 percent of 
the mixture. We would not advise you to spike-roll your present 
turf, or to disturb it in any way, but to seed on top of it, about the 
middle of August, a mixture of 10 pounds of South German mixed 
bent seed or Colonial bent seed (preferably the former) and 20 
pounds of redtop seed, per acre. These grasses will take care of the 
cuppy lies, and in the course of a few years the redtop should disap­
pear and the fescue probably be crowded out entirely by the bent. Of 
course, if before seeding you could at no great expense topdress the 

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August, 1927

fairways with a clay loam, it would be well to do so, although we do 
not consider this absolutely necessary.

2. A new fungicide.—A great deal is being said in this section re­
garding the use of Nu-Green. Our experience with calomel this year 
has been very satisfactory, but if there is anything better or more 
economical in the market we, of course, want to use it and therefore 
will appreciate a word from you on the subject. (Kentucky.)

Answer.—Nu-Green is a combination of a fungicide and a fer­
tilizer with quickly available nitrogen. It is effective against brown­
patch, but you are. not likely to find it better and certainly not more 
economical than the calomel treatment, for as we recall you are using 
calomel combined with a fertilizer. Grass needs nitrogen after an 
attack of brown-patch to enable the plants to produce new growth 
to hide the scars. For that reason we have always been in favor of 
an application of some nitrogenous fertilizer soon after or combined 
with any of the mercury treatments whenever the greens need fer­
tilizers. There are times when a green which is sufficiently or over 
fertilized is injured by brown-patch. In such cases it is obviously 
not necessary nor desirable to add more nitrogen with the fungicide. 
As has been pointed out in The Bulletin our results indicate that 
the effectiveness of Uspulun, calomel or other mercury fungicides 
used against brown-patch depend primarily on the amount of mer­
cury contained. Since mercury is the most costly ingredient in these 
combinations it is well to compare how much mercury is carried in 
each rather than to judge entirely on the cost per pound basis. One 
and one-half ounces of calomel contain approximately the same 
amount of mercury as one pound of Nu-Green. In addition to the 
fungicide one pound of Nu-Green contains nitrogen which is equiva­
lent to that contained in one-half pound of urea, a little over one 
pound of ammonium sulphate or about 4 pounds of cottonseed meal. 
Since we do not know the prices your club pays for these different 
materials we shall leave the actual figuring of relative values tayou.

3. Improving thin turf on fairways.—Our fairways are thin and 
will stand considerable reseeding. They were originally seeded with 
fescue. What would you recommend for permanent improvement? 
(Michigan.)

Answer.—The great majority of the better golf courses of the 
country have bluegrass fairways, always containing more or less 
white clover. In seeding fairways we have always recommended a 
mixture of bluegrass and redtop. Redtop grows much more rapidly 
but does not persist any great length of time. It is therefore very 
valuable as a somewhat temporary grass; besides it reduces the seed 
bill greatly. Under your conditions we would recommend a mixture 
of bluegrass and redtop in the proportion of 4 pounds of bluegrass 
to 1 pound of redtop. The redtop seeds are much smaller, so that in 
reality the mixture would contain more seeds of redtop than of blue­
grass. This mixture should be sown between the middle of August 
and the first of September. The surface of the soil should preferably 
first be scratched, and if possible a topdressing applied. If you desire 
white clover also (to which there is no objection on the fairways), 
add one-fourth pound of white clover seed to the above proportions.

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163

Where there is no grass at all this mixture should be seeded at the 
rate of 150 pounds per acre, but on your fairways probably 20 pounds 
per acre would be sufficient to fill in the thin spots. Do not use fescue. 
We are sure you would be disappointed with it. A good bluegrass 
fairway is equal to any, although in the New England states the blue­
grass seed might advantageously be replaced by bent seed in the same 
proportions. Where there is even a small stand of grass in your thin 
spots we would advise you simply to topdress these spots during the 
winter with manure or good top soil, preferably the former.

4. Converting bluegrass-redtop greens to bent greens.—We have 
9 bent greens, planted from stolons, and 9 bluegrass-redtop greens. 
We have been so well pleased with the bent greens that we desire to 
convert the bluegrass-redtop greens into bent. Can we convert these 
bluegrass-redtop greens to bent greens by sowing German mixed bent 
seed on them? (Nebraska.)

Answer.—Yes, and the best time to do this work in your location 
is about the first of i September. In two or three years you should 
have practically pure bent greens. Of course the turf will be of mixed 
strains of bent, and not the uniform turf that you get from planting 
stolons. Moreover, the cost of seeding will probably be much below 
the cost of planting stolons. A number of clubs have gotten very 
good results by sowing chopped-up stolons of creeping bent on top of 
a green of other grass which has been cut very short, about the first 
of September, and then topdressing. If a green is thus treated and 
is kept out of play for two or three weeks the stolons will become 
well established and you can then go right on playing. It is im­
portant, however, to keep the green out of play for two or three 
weeks after sowing and topdressing the stolons, although we know 
of cases where greens have been successfully converted to creeping 
bent by this method without being taken out of play at all.

5. Bone meal as a fertilizer for fairways.—Some of our fairways 
are in need of fertilizer. Do you know of any fertilizer better for 
the purpose than bone meal? (Rhode Island.)

Answer.—The best fertilizer that we have found for fairways is 
barnyard manure. This may be applied any time during the winter, 
or in the late fall. In the absence of barnyard manure we would pre­
fer fish scrap, cottonseed meal or tankage. From our recent observa­
tions we are inclined to advise against the use of bone meal as a fer­
tilizer for fairways, and under no conditions would we advise its use 
on putting greens.

6. Whether to reseed fescue greens with fescue or with bent.— 
Our greens, which are several years old, contain a large portion of 
fescue. In reseeding them, where necessary, would you advise us to 
use fescue or bent grass? (Alberta.)

Answer.—We are not familiar with the behavior of fescue under 
your conditions. If it forms a satisfactory turf it would not be ad­
visable to reseed with bent, as the two grasses do not blend satisfac­
torily for good putting turf. If, however, it is your experience that 
the fescue is killed out by close cutting, as it generally is in the United 
States, we would advise you by all means to use bent for reseeding.

Waco, Tex., August 3, 1927.

Editor of the Bulletin,

Dear Sir: Noting your article in the July number of the Bulle­

tin, Subject Poa annua.

I am quite familiar with conditions in the Philadelphia district 
and in Texas. I have never seen a green benefited by Poa annua. 
Any grass that grows in tufts or bunches will never make a true 
green. I have seen it at its best (or worst) in greens in the Phila­
delphia district in the spring of the year and while these greens may 
be said to be very fair as to texture they are not true and many putts 
are missed by reason of their unevenness.

While I realize that in some sections and on some golf courses it 
grows so abundantly that it would be too expensive to eradicate it, 
nevertheless when it is not so abundant and the club has sufficient 
funds I would unquestionably advocate its removal and endeavor to 
keep it out. In Texas if allowed to take possession of a green, it has 
a very detrimental effect on the Bermuda grass, retards its growth in 
the spring, consumes nourishment, and develops brown patches after 
the Bermuda starts to grow, and while it dies down and disappears 
during the month of June it is a menace and should be gotten rid of 
if possible, and as early as possible.

It has taken us three years to eradicate it from our greens at 
Spring Lake Country Club here, but it has been well worth while 
and the cost has been money and effort well spent.

Every spring it appears in lesser quantity in the greens but we 
get it out and go so far as to take it out around the edges of the 
greens for a certain distance so that the seeds will not blow or wash 
onto the green, but as most of our greens are built up this is not diffi­
cult. In eradicating it we have had great success with sharp tooth 
rakes which not only get a good deal of the Poa annua out but help 
the Bermuda by pulling out the old runners and dead roots, and 
renovating; this followed by hand work completes the job. “No Sah, 
I am dead agin Po Anna” as our colored brothers “calls him.”

Yours very truly,

President and Chairman of the Green Committee,

Spring Lake Country Club.

Henry P. Smith,