THE BULLETIN

of the

UNITED STATES GOLF ASSOCIATION GREEN SECTION

Vol. 7 

Washington, D. C., October, 1927 

No. 10

Contents

Page

Miscellaneous Fertilizers. By H. L. Westover.......................................................  186

Velvet Bent at the Mountain Ridge Country Club, West Orange, N. J. 
By A. D. Burton, Greenkeeper.................................................................... 190

Selection of Course for Walker Cup Matches, 1928................................................ 192

Preventing Snow-Mold Injury on Greens. By John Monteith, Jr...................  193

Golf Course Architecture and Construction—Analysis of Layout. By Wil­
liam S. Flynn..................................................................................................  194

Topdressing. By H. Kendall Read...........................................................................  198

Effect of Acid-reacting Fertilizer in Experiments at Stoke Poges...................... 199

Experience of the Kirtland Country Club with Creeping Bent Greens. 
By Arthur Boggs............................................................................................ 201

Questions and Answers................................................................................................ 202

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. Harban, Washington, D. C.
H. Y. Barrow, New York, N. Y.

RESEARCH COMMITTEE

Russell A. Oakley, Chairman, Washington, 

D. C.

Harvey L. Westover, Acting Chairman, Wash­

ington. D. C.

John Monteith, Jr., Pathologist.

O. B. Fitts, Associate, Washington, D. C.
G. T. Cunningham, Executive Secretary, Wash­

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

Entered as second-class matter, April 21, 1926, at the postoflice at Washington, D. C., under 
the Act of March 3. 1K79. Copyrighted, 1927, by the United States Golf Association Green Section.

186

October, 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.

Miscellaneous Fertilizers
By H. L. Westover

In the November, 1926, issue of The Bulletin, commercial fer­
tilizers were discussed in some detail, consideration being given 
largely to products that are most commonly used to increase plant 
growth. There are many materials that at one time or another have 
been used as fertilizers and concerning the value of which inquiries 
are frequently received. It is the intention to discuss rather briefly 
in this article some of these products.

In an effort to reduce losses to a minimum it is the policy of most 
manufacturing concerns to utilize all by-products that can be econom­
ically prepared and marketed. In this connection fertilizers have 
come in for their share of attention and by-products from woolen fac­
tories, packing houses, oil mills, etc., that are of little further value 
for other purposes, are often utilized as fertilizers. These by­
products vary in composition, some carrying a high percentage of 
plant food elements while others are very low in such constituents. 
However, the total amount of plant food alone should not be taken as 
a criterion of the value of the product for fertilizing purposes since 
it may be and often is in a form that is not available to the plant. 
For this reason it is not safe to purchase these unknown or unusual 
fertilizers except upon guarantee of available plant food regardless 
of the total amount. For convenience the fertilizers discussed in this 
article have been placed in three groups as follows: Nitrogenous fer­
tilizers, phosphatic fertilizers and potassic fertilizers.

Nitrogenous Fertilizers

Dried Meat or Meal.—Dried meat or meat meal consists of mate­
rials produced in the process of rendering dead animals, meat refuse, 
and waste products from the manufacture of meat extracts. In the 
rendering process, hoofs, bones, meat, etc., are placed in tanks and 
subjected to steam pressure for the purpose of securing the fat. The 
residue is then dried and ground and sold as meat meal. When rela­
tively pure meat meal contains 13.0 to 14.0 percent nitrogen and vary­
ing amounts of phosphoric acid depending upon the quantity of bone 
associated with the meat. Meat meal compares favorably with dried 
blood as a fertilizer. At one time it was of considerable importance 
but is seldom heard of now.

Leather.—Leather in the form of scraps is a waste product of 
various industries. The nitrogen content of leather meal prepared 
by the steaming or roasting process ranges from 7.0 to 9.0 percent 
and the phosphoric acid content from 0.5 to 1.0 percent. Decomposi­
tion takes place so slowly that it is of little value as fertilizer and is 

October, 1927

187

not worth the cost of transporting any distance. It is sometimes used 
as an adulterant of dried blood. Leather meal can be changed into a 
more available form by treating with sulphuric acid, but the cost is 
usually prohibitive.

Horn and Hoof Meal.—Horn and hoof meal are by-products of 
slaughter houses that are sometimes steamed, dried, and finely ground 
to prepare them for use as fertilizers. They contain 10.0 to 15.0 per­
cent nitrogen and about 2.0 percent phosphoric acid. The plant food 
elements are so slowly available that the material is of little value as 
a fertilizer.

Hair, Bristles and Feathers.—Hair, bristles and feathers contain 
about 15.0 percent nitrogen, but decompose so slowly that they are of 
little value as a plant food. Tannery hair contains more or less for­
eign matter and water which lessens the nitrogen content. In such 
hair the percent of nitrogen ranges from 5.5 to 8.0 percent. Hair and 
bristles have been used to adulterate the more readily available nitro­
genous materials such as dried blood or tankage.

Clean feathers contain about 15.0 percent nitrogen but sweepings 
from feather warehouses contain only about 6.5 percent, indicating 
the presence of much foreign matter.

Wool Waste.—Wool waste consists of by-products of such indus­
tries as carpet making or manufacture of woolen cloth, etc., which 
may be utilized in the manufacture of commercial fertilizers. It is 
sometimes available in large quantities and at low cost. Pure wool 
contains about 15.0 percent nitrogen, but wool waste is usually mixed 
with more or less cotton and because of this the nitrogen content may 
vary from 0.5 percent to 7.0 percent. The nitrogen in the waste is 
extremely slow in its action in the soil though it may be made directly 
useful as an absorbent of other wastes, such as liquid manure, and as 
an ingredient of compost. Use of these materials untreated is only 
desirable when they may be obtained at very low cost. When dis­
solved with acid or steamed the nitrogen is made more available 
though the cost of such treatment is usually prohibitive.

Shoddy and Felt Refuse.—Shoddy formerly referred to short frag­
ments of wool rejected in woolen industries. Now the name is often 
applied to both silk and wool wastes. It usually contains from 4.0 to 
12.0 percent nitrogen averaging 6.5 percent. Felt is about the same 
general character as shoddy. These materials decompose so slowly 
in the soil that they are of little use in growing turf grasses.

Soybean Meal.—During recent years there has been an enormous 
increase in the production of soybeans in the United States. The 
beans are utilized in considerable quantities by oil mills. After the 
oil has been extracted the soybean cake is ground into meal, which is 
utilized largely as cattle feed, though to some extent as a fertilizer. 
The plant food elements in soybean meal rank a little higher than cot­
tonseed meal, containing about 7.0 percent nitrogen, 1.5 percent phos­
phoric acid, and 1.8 percent potash.

In experiments on turf grasses soybean meal has given very good 
results and is seemingly equal to cottonseed meal for this purpose. 
Whenever soybean meal can be purchased at a lower price than cot­
tonseed meal there is no reason why it should not be used. Much of 
the time, however, the demand for these materials as a cattle feed 
increases the price to such an extent that they can not be economically 
used as fertilizers.

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October, 1927

Cocoa By-products.—Until a few years ago the only cocoa by­
product in the United States having a sufficiently low market value 
to be available to the fertilizer manufacturer was the shells with such 
waste material as cocoa dust and sweepings. Due to the enormous 
demand for cocoa butter, two additional by-products, cocoa pressed 
cake and solvent extracted cocoa, are now available. The latter is the 
residue after the fat has been extracted from the pressed cake. The 
shells contain about 2.5 percent nitrogen, about 0.75 percent phos­
phoric acid and approximately 2.5 percent potash. The average 
pressed cake contains nearly 4.0 percent nitrogen, about 1.5 percent 
phosphoric acid, and a little less than 2.0 percent potash. Solvent ex­
tracted or defatted cocoa has a little less than 4.5 percent nitrogen, 
about 1.8 percent phosphoric acid and a little over 2.0 percent potash. 
The ground cocoa cake is said to be satisfactorily used as a filler and 
conditioner in mixed fertilizers and a part of the defatted by-product 
is used for the same purpose. As the latter by-product is nearly fat 
free it contains a somewhat greater percentage of plant food and 
therefore has a higher value as a fertilizer than the average unex­
tracted cocoa. The quality or solubility of the nitrogen of the solvent 
extracted residue is a little lower than that of cocoa cake. While the 
experience with these cocoa by-products as a fertilizer on turf grasses 
is very limited it would seem that they should give about the same 
results as other organic fertilizers of similar availability and com­
position.

Seivage Sludge.—In a few cases near some of the smaller towns 
where land adapted to irrigation is readily available untreated sewage 
is profitably utilized in raising crops. In the case of large cities, how­
ever, this system of sewage disposal and utilization is entirely out of 
the question. In recent years great progress has been made in han­
dling sewage and there is now available a product known as “sewage 
sludge,” which is obtained by chemical treatment of raw sewage. 
This product is so low in fertilizing constituents that it is seldom 
worth handling. As a result of later studies in sewage disposal what 
is known as “activated sludge” which has given a very good account 
of itself as a plant food, is now being produced. “Activated sludge,” 
however, may vary in composition, depending somewhat upon the 
amount of coarse vegetable matter that is incorporated with the fine 
precipitated material. Some of the best activated sludges have 5.5 
percent nitrogen, 2.5 percent phosphoric acid, and a little less than 
0.5 percent potash. Milorganite is the name applied to an activated 
sludge that is being manufactured by the Sewerage Commission of 
the City of Milwaukee.

Garbage Tankage.—This material is obtained by drying city 
garbage which consists of mixed animal and vegetable refuse. As a 
rule, the grease is first extracted after which the residue is dried. Its 
composition varies greatly. It may contain 2.5 to 3.0 percent nitro­
gen, 1.5 to 3.0 percent phosphoric acid, and 0.7 to 1.5 percent potash. 
It is regarded as a low grade of plant food, and since its composition 
and availability vary, should be purchased only on guarantee of 
analysis.

Soot.—The deposits formed in boiler flues and chimneys when 
wood and soft coal are burned consist chiefly of fine particles of car­
bon deposited on the chimneys during the imperfect processes of com­
bustion. The carbon condenses gasses and sometimes becomes rich 

October, 1927 

189

in ammonia which it has absorbed from the gaseous products of com­
bustion. The nitrogen content may range from 0.5 percent to 6.0 
percent, the average being 3.2 percent. It also carries a small amount 
of potash and phosphoric acid. Soot improves the physical condition 
of heavy soils and on account of its dark color is supposed to absorb 
heat, thus forcing crops and increasing bacterial activity. Its value 
is as much due to its physical effect on the soil as to its fertilizing 
constituents.

Spent Hops.—Spent hops consist of the residue from the brewing 
industry. Ordinarily they contain only a trace of potash, a small 
amount of phosphoric acid, and about 5.5 percent nitrogen. They are 
reported to have been satisfactorily used in making compost for putt­
ing greens. Applications of spent hops to heavy soils are said to have 
worked very satisfactorily in rendering them more friable. Be­
cause of their fibrous nature, spent hops decompose rather slowly.

Spent Tea Leaves.—Spent tea leaves may contain a little less than 
2.0 percent nitrogen, 0.5 percent phosphoric acid, and a little more 
than 1.0 percent potash. It is probable that they would be of some 
value for the humus they supply but their use is not justified unless 
they can be purchased at a very low cost.

Phosphatic Fertilizers

Bone Tankage.—Bone tankage is made from the residue after 
boiling cattle heads, feet, clippings, cartilage, and other refuse animal 
matter. It consists almost entirely of bone with small amounts of 
meat. The nitrogen content varies from 4.0 to 12.0 percent and phos­
phoric acid from 7.0 to 20.0 percent. The agricultural value is modi­
fied to a considerable extent by the degree of fineness. The bone in 
tankage has the same agricultural value as steamed bone of the same 
degree of fineness.

Bone Black.—This material also known as animal charcoal and 
bone charcoal is a product manufactured from bone which finds its 
chief use in sugar refineries. It is made by heating carefully selected 
bone in airtight vessels. The fat, nitrogen and water are removed 
leaving a phosphate of lime and carbon. It is then ground into a 
granular condition and becomes bone black. When used repeatedly 
in sugar refineries it becomes useless for the purpose and is sold as a 
fertilizer for direct use or to be made into a superphosphate known as 
dissolved bone black. Good bone black may contain 32.0 to 36.0 per­
cent phosphoric acid. It decays slowly in the soil and at the present 
time is not used to any extent directly as a manure.

Bone Ash.-—As the name implies, bone ash is made simply by 
burning bones in the open air. The nitrogen is of course wholly lost. 
The remaining portions contain 30.0 to 35.0 percent phosphoric acid. 
It was formerly imported from Argentina but is now practically out 
of the market.

Potassic Fertilizers

Tobacco Waste.—Tobacco waste appears in three forms, stems, 
stalks and dust. Stalks include the above-ground portions of the 
plants exclusive of the leaves. The stems include leaf stalks and ribs 
that make up the skeleton of the leaf together with such portions of 
the leaf as are rendered useless during handling. Tobacco dust con­
sists of fine particles that result from handling, together with more 
or less dirt. Tobacco waste is rich in potash and contains some nitro­

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October, 1927

gen. The nitrogen in the stems varies from 2.0 to 3.0 percent; in the 
stalks from 3.0 to 4.0 percent; and in the dust from 2.0 to 2.5 percent. 
Phosphoric acid is usually present in small amounts running between 
0.5 and 1.0 percent. Potash occurs in the stems in amounts ranging 
from 5.0 to 10.0 percent, and in the stalks in amounts ranging from 
4.0 to 5.0 percent. Tobacco waste is sometimes burned and the ashes 
used as a fertilizer. Such ashes are rich in potash but the nitrogen is 
lost. When ground fine tobacco waste is a valuable source of nitrogen 
where immediate availability is not required.

A few golf courses have reported good results from the use of 
tobacco waste as a fertilizer. Unless it can be purchased at a reason­
able figure its use is not advocated. The nitrogen is of course bene­
ficial to turf grasses but ordinarily the potash is not required, at 
least in such amounts, and furthermore, it may have a tendency to 
increase the weed problem.

Seaweed.—Seaweed is highly regarded in the Coast States as a 
source of potash for certain cultivated crops. The different kinds 
vary in fertilizing constituents. Some are relatively high in nitrogen 
and others in potash. It has been said that one load of manure is 
equal to two and a half loads of fresh seaweed or one and three- 
fourths loads that have lain in a pile for a month. Seaweed may be 
used to advantage in the compost pile when it can be obtained for the 
cost of carting provided the distance is not too great. Decomposition 
may be hastened by mixing with some manure and ammonium sulfate.

Velvet Bent at the Mountain Ridge Country Club, 
West Orange, N. J.
By A. D. Burton, Greenkeeper

A few years ago the Mountain Ridge Country Club decided to 
build nine new holes and remodel the old ones. At that time bent 
seed was not obtainable so the greens were sown with a mixture 
and with the idea in mind of getting bent into them later.

The architect had a nursery prepared, and as the old fairways 
and rough had a lot of velvet bent in them, sod was taken from these 
and planted in the nursery in rows about four feet apart. We had a 
hard time in selecting our stock on account of the men being unfamil­
iar with grasses, and as much of the selection for the nursery could 
not be supervised all kinds of grasses such as redtop, red fescue, and 
rough-stalked meadow grass were planted with the bent.

At that time I was working for the architect but when we finished 
construction I was retained by the club as Greenkeeper so the care of 
the nursery came under my charge.

I had a new plot of ground prepared for which additional selec­
tions were made. These stolons were planted and covered as advised 
by The Bulletin and that fall we had about 8,500 feet of nursery 
planted to all kinds of velvet bent. Later many of the coarser varieties 
were weeded out and the plot kept mowed down to nearly putting 
green length. This turf was fertilized with ammonium sulfate in 
May, June and July, and was a nice piece of turf.

That fall we planted 13,000 feet more which grew well with the 
exception of that planted late in the season. For this planting the 
selection of bent to be used was made entirely by myself.

October, 1927

191

The sod from the oldest nursery was used to patch greens and also 

in enlarging one green.

Last fall I lifted the turf of mixed grasses from the No. 10 green 
as I was not satisfied with the soil condition. I found three inches 
of humus under the turf so I dug it out and dumped it on a compost 
pile to be used later in topdressing. This green was then sodded with 
velvet bent from the two-year-old nursery but it was necessary to 
finish the job with sod from the second nursery which was only one 
year old.

The tenth green at Mountain Ridge C. C. This green is composed entirely of velvet bent

Another velvet bent green, the fourth, at Mountain Ridge C. C.

The No. 4 green, where humus was also discovered and removed, 
was also sodded with velvet bent from the second nursery, but in this 
case the work was done so late in the fall that the temperature was 

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October, 1927

below freezing at night. This job was finished on November 28. The 
turf came through the winter well but required a lot of rolling in the 
spring to get it level enough for a putting surface.

No. 10 green, which is of sod three years old, two years in the 
nursery and one year on the green, was fertilized with a total of 112 
pounds of ammonium sulfate from May through September and top- 
dressed four times. It has never had brown-patch, nor has No. 4.

In growing velvet bent it is possible to get turf by planting pieces 
of sod, but they must be small and closely planted because they thicken 
out in clumps and do not spread rapidly.

Velvet bent makes a beautiful sod of even texture and a better 
putting surface than creeping bent, does not require so much top­
dressing, nor does it throw out runners on top of the green like the 
coarser types of creeping bent but thickens out into a fine carpet.

At the recent meeting of the Green Section in Washington dis­
cussion arose as to velvet bent’s ability to heal. I would like to say 
that that depends on the operation. I have a man patching my greens 
who makes a very neat fit. Careful watering is required after patch­
ing. If this is done it heals as quickly as any other grass. Sometimes 
the plugs that are put back when the holes are changed are scarred. 
iThat is caused by the men filling the hole too full and then pounding 
away at the plug. This, of course bruises the turf, and then you have 
a scar. The same thing happens if your plug is a little too high for 
the mower will scalp it but if care is taken to make a neat patch the 
trouble is overcome.

On three of our mixed bent greens brown-patch attacked the 
coarser bent this summer most seriously, which explodes the theory 
that these coarser strains are less susceptible than the velvet bents.

We have not lost any velvet bent by winter kill.
In our section, northern New Jersey, I find velvet bent rather slow 
in making a start, but as the warmer weather approaches it comes 
along well and continues to do well although crab grass will invade it 
to some extent and must be weeded out.

I have some velvet bent which reseeded itself in the nursery. It is 
growing well and if it continues to do so I will develop it separately.

. 

t'/o v-1V!t ^ento^enSL°f wh!ch Mr- Burton speaks in this article
and can vouch for the beauty of their turf. While they are not of a single strain of velvet bent 
pV *re =omP°sc.d >°,f p’ants so WVU Patched in color that the general effect is one 
of uniformity. Plants of a dark bluish green color have been selected for these greens.—Editors.

Selection of Course for Walker Cup Matches, 1928

H. H. Ramsay, Secretary of the United States Golf Association, 
announces that the Executive Committee, assuming that the Walker 
Cup competition will be held in 1928, has selected the Chicago Golf 
Club at Wheaton, Ill., as the course for the competition. The com­
mittee received an offer from the Bob O’Link Golf Club of High­
land Paik, Ill., foi the international matches but the competition was 
finally awai ded to the Chicago Golf Club, which is one of the charter 
members of the United States Golf Association.

This is the fiist time that the Walker Cup matches have been 
played away from the Atlantic Coast and the golfers of the Chicago 
district are keenly interested in the event.

October, 1927

193

Preventing Snow-Mold Injury on Greens
By John Monteith, Jr.

Since the publication of a discussion of winter injury of turf in 
the April, 1927, issue of The Bulletin, a number of inquiries have 
been received from northern clubs as to the best method for con­
trolling snow-mold disease. No further work has been done on this 
problem since the article referred to above was published, so there 
is no additional information available. It is the purpose of this brief 
article simply to remind greenkeepers in the region where this type 
of injury is common that now is the time to apply chemicals to pre­
vent losses next spring. As previously reported, we were able to 
entirely prevent snow-mold damage at Madison, Wis., by applica­
tion of corrosive sublimate in October. Two and three ounces per

Control of snow-mold by corrosive sublimate. The dark healthy grass on the plats shown here 
illustrate the effectiveness of the two-ounce and three-ounce corrosive sublimate treatments, as 
contrasted with the spotted turf where the snow-mold fungus was active during the late winter 
and early spring. Photograph taken on the Nakoma Golf Course, Madison. Wisconsin.

1,000 square feet kept the turf free from this disease. An applica­
tion of one ounce per 1,000 square feet gave entirely satisfactory 
control, although there were a few minor spots in the area so treated. 
We do not know how generally effective such applications will prove 
to be, but from our experience in brown-patch control we expect to 
find that the tests in Wisconsin will serve as a reliable guide for 
treating greens under a wide variety of climatic and soil conditions. 
Experiments have already been arranged on a number of courses to 
test this control method more thoroughly during the coming winter.
Many clubs wish to prevent this injury as much as possible and 
have asked that we recommend some treatment for them to follow 
this year. Based on the experience at Wisconsin last winter, we 
advise the use of corrosive sublimate at the rate of 2 ounces per 
1,000 square feet, to be applied at any time before the ground freezes. 

194

October, 1927

Many clubs use corrosive sublimate during the fall months for eradi­
cation of earthworms. Where this has been done late in October 
there will be no need for additional treatment for snow-mold control. 
Since we do not know whether the 2-ounce treatment will be sufficient 
under all conditions, we suggest that part of one or more greens 
be treated with the 1-ounce and 3-ounce rates. This will serve as a 
guide for future applications. The chemical may be applied in a 
solution by means of a sprayer or sprinkling can, or it may be dis­
tributed with small amounts of sand or compost and thoroughly 
watered in.

It is to be expected that calomel or the chlorophenol mercury 
compounds, Uspulun and Semesan, will prove equally effective against 
this disease, if used in equivalent amounts (10 ounces of Semesan or 
Uspulun is equivalent to the 2-ounce treatment of corrosive subli­
mate or calomel). However, since corrosive sublimate at these rates 
is not dangerous to use on turf during cooler weather, and since it is 
so generally used for earthworm eradication, there apparently is no 
object in using the more expensive chemicals.

In applying corrosive sublimate it should be remembered that it 
is for the control of snow-mold disease and not for all types of winter 
injury. The differences between this disease and “winter kill” have 
been pointed out in the April Bulletin. For this latter type of 
winter injury, applications of chemicals are worthless.

Golf Course Architecture and Construction
Analysis of Layout

By William S. Flynn

While there is no rule as to the number of the various types of 
holes to be incorporated in an eighteen-hole layout yet there are cer­
tain customs that most architects follow.

In fact these customs have been handed down from the fore­
fathers of golf and like many other things that have come down 
through the ages they have their value.

The rule most generally adhered to is to have four holes of the 
course one-shotters. To the majority of golfers the one-shot holes 
are the most interesting and there is no real reason why there should 
not be five one-shotters particularly when such holes provide interest 
in the play and are of varying character.

On the other hand a course with three outstanding one-shotters 

is much more desirable than one with four mediocre ones.

It was also formerly thought that each course should have a three- 
shotter in each nine. Today however, the thought prevails that one 
good three-shotter is sufficient unless some outstanding natural fea­
ture warrants putting in a second.

Good three-shotters are the exception rather than the rule and 
unless the player has a specific thing to do on each shot other than 
slug, this type of hole becomes monotonous.

The principal consideration of the architect is to design his course 
in such a way as to hold the interest of the player from the first tee to 
the last green and to present the problems of the various holes in such 
a way that they register in the player’s mind as he stands on the tee 
or on the fairway for the shot to the green.

October, 1927

195

The best way to whet the appetite and improve the game of any 
golfer is to offer an incentive and provide a reward for high class 
play, and by high class play is meant simply the best of which each 
individual is capable.

Placing a premium on accuracy with due consideration for length 
should be the aim of all men who design golf courses, for accuracy in 
the play signifies skill and skill is generally the master of brute force.
It is impossible in considering types of holes for a course to sug­
gest any positive sequence of alignment for each layout should be 
designed to fit the particular ground on which it lies, although any­
thing at all can be done with ground that is dead level and there are 
places in this broad land where clubs are compelled to use such 
terrain.

Flat ground has its disadvantages but it is the only ground that 
permits laying out holes where the sequence and lengths can be 
planned arbitrarily.

In discussing types of holes it is perhaps better to consider the 
question from the competitive or tournament play standpoint rather 
than from the everyday play, because in this connection only par golf 
is involved.

In fitting the course to all classes in everyday play it is necessary 
to maintain relative values in the holes. This can only be done by 
using two and in some instances three tees to a hole the various 
players using the tee that fits their particular game.

The value of a hole is immediately lost when the 200-yard driver 
uses the back tee on a normal 420-yard hole. It is impossible for him 
to get home in two, whereas had the forward tee 40 to 50 yards ahead 
been used he would then have played a long iron or spoon shot to the 
green with a resultant thrill of satisfaction and at the same time be 
within his limitations.

A great many players are averse to using forward tees perhaps 
because they were originally christened “ladies tees” but regardless 
of that fact it seems that a great deal more enjoyment could be had if 
golfers used the tee on the various holes that really suited their game.
A little card tacked on their locker door with the following in­
scription might go a long way toward correcting their prejudice 
against the so-called “ladies tees.”

GOLFERS, ATTENTION!

“In order to accommodate all classes of players your club has gone to the 
expense of building forward, intermediate and back tees on many holes. These 
tees are kept in order and markers are placed on each one. Except in tourna­
ments please use the tee that fits your particular game and enjoy the course.”

What holes should go to make up the average good course of 
today? The term average good course is used because it doesn’t 
seem possible that any club will ever be in a position to build a course 
that might be considered ideal, a superb test of golf, because there 
are so many conflicting opinions in the average membership. The 
frame work of the course may be wonderful but its unfinished condi­
tion in regard to development of bunkering or scheme of play removes 
it a certain degree from the ideal.

The United States Golf Association might develop, sponsor and 
subsidize sectional courses, say six in all, which could be used for all 
major championships and which could be developed to the nth degree.

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October, 1927

Should these courses be operated on a membership basis it would 
be understood that the conduct of the course would be entirely under 
the jurisdiction of the national Golf Association.

The above courses could be developed by arrangement with exist­
ing clubs or could be built entirely new, the latter perhaps being the 
better plan.

In this way it would be possible for the best architects collaborat­
ing with the Golf Association to develop these courses and thus estab­
lish a standard from which other clubs might profit.

Under this arrangement it would also be possible to modify or 
improve each course for any condition that might come up in relation 
to the development of the game such as the ball question or other 
important factors that might have a bearing on the case without 
creating controversy among the members.

Experiments supervised by the United States Golf Association 
Green Section might be carried on under actual playing conditions 
and the experience gained distributed to the member clubs.

In a measure this would eliminate the misnomer “championship 
course” as used at present. There would actually be six champion­
ship courses and not the great number that are now so-called perhaps 
by an overzealous architect or enthusiastic members.*

Getting back to the average good course it does seem that from 

6,200 to 6,600 yards should suffice for length.

Dividing this up into holes there would be say four short holes 

ranging from the mashie to the full wood shot.

One real three-shotter not merely a hole somewhere over 500 

yards.

Two drive and full wood shot holes, one with a big carry on the 
drive as the premium with an easy entrance to the green, the other 
with accuracy on the drive but with the premium on a big carry for 
the second shot.

One drive and high spoon shot, accuracy off tee and carry to the 

green.

raced green.

One drive and full cleek shot to narrow entrance and slightly ter­

One drive and high midiron carry to green.
Two drive and full midiron run to green with narrow entrance.
One drive and high mashie iron carry to green.
One drive and mashie to narrow entrance.
One drive and mashie all carry to green.
One drive and mashie niblic to island green.
One drive and run up on narrow terraced green straight way.
One drive and runup, elbow or cape type with premium on length 

of drive.

The above list is not at all arbitrary but covers generally the 

possibilities in an eighteen-hole layout.

With the exception of the short holes, assuming four to the layout, 
a golf course consists of 14 drives plus the par second and third 
shots and the object should be to provide holes of proper length to 
accommodate the more important clubs after the drive has been made.

♦ The above suggestion by Mr. Flynn is interesting and well worth consideration. The United 
States Golf Association has not at present any such scheme in view, but it has been informally 
discussed by members of the Executive Committee as individuals.

October, 1927

197

It naturally follows if this play is carried out that holes of char­

acter and variety can be had.

The problems which should be developed on the various holes in 
the order of their importance are first—accuracy; second—carry; 
third—length, which includes carry and roll.

The premium on accuracy should carry the greatest reward for 

this is the essence of any game.

Carry while slightly less valuable than accuracy is important in 

that it promotes boldness.

Length may be considered least important but this becomes quite 

a factor when a player is able to mould all three tests together.

In applying these problems or tests to the layout through the 
medium of bunkers the architect has a great opportunity to display 
versatility. On one hole he may have a big diagonal bunker off the 
tee where the player takes as much risk as he feels capable of carry­
ing and is rewarded in his shot to the green commensurably with his 
first effort.

He may have a comparatively easy drive off another tee, and yet, 
if the ball strays slightly from the center of the fairway, his second 
shot to the green becomes increasingly hard.

By arranging the green bunkers in such a way as to invite play 
in from one side or the other he can also put a premium on placing 
the tee shot on the proper side of the fairway. When a test of length 
off the tee is presented the best type is the cape or elbow where it 
takes a really big tee shot past a corner to permit reaching the green 
in par.

The problems may be diversified using one test off the tee on one 
hole, the same on the second shot of another hole; sometimes two of 
the same kind on the first and second shots of a hole; perhaps all 
tests, accuracy, carry and length on another but always juggling so 
as not to get sameness on succeeding holes.

While bunkers are thought by many to be put in as penalizers they 
are primarily installed to present a problem or a mode of play. If 
bunkers were used merely to punish bad shots there would have to be 
a complete revision of them on most courses.

The worst shots in golf are generally bad tops and wide hooks or 
slices and the player generally has sufficient penalty in these weak­
nesses, particularly when greens are properly protected.

America has developed a more or less stereotyped shot to the 
green that is the high all carry shot. This has been brought about no 
doubt by the fact that fairways and particularly approaches have 
gone unwatered during the summer when the ground has become 
hard. It is much simpler to play a high carry shot to a soft green 
which gets water than to attempt a pitch and run to a green with a 
cement like approach.

In the first case when all greens are watered a constant condition 
prevails but in the case of the runup approach the ball hits and is 
liable to bounce anywhere.

In order to cultivate the pitch and run, the runup shot and the 
long iron or wood with run it is necessary to present a suitable play­
ing condition on the approach and this can best be brought about by 
the architect insisting on a water system for fairways and by the 
greenkeeper making generous use of it.

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October, 1927

Natural topographical features should always be developed in 
presenting problems in the play. As a matter of fact such features 
are much more to be desired than man made tests for they are gen­
erally much more attractive.

One natural hazard, however, which is more or less of a nuisance 
is water. This is not nearly as bad when it parallels play and forms 
a picturesque landscape feature of the course. But when water is 
between the objective (the green or driving area) and the player it 
may be that the man who plays only a foot short of the objective is 
much worse off than the one who makes a very poor shot that does 
not reach the water.

In the first place the player is penalized a stroke with no chance 
of recovering it whereas the second player having played a worse 
shot gets by without penalty and may regain lost ground with a fine 
second shot.

Water hazards absolutely prohibit the recovery shot, perhaps the 
best shot in the game. On the other hand how valuable these streams 
are when the greens and fairways need water.

Topdressing
By H. Kendall Read

Good putting greens can not be expected without proper topdress­
ing. Moreover, you will not get the best results from fertilizers or 
treatments unless they are properly applied. It is very apparent that 
some clubs are not using the best methods. I am referring simply to 
the method of making the application and I do not refer to the mixing 
or preparation.

There are two common errors: 1. The dressing is applied too 
thick. 2. If the proper amount is used, it is not thoroughly worked 
down to the roots. In either case the green is left in an unsatisfac­
tory condition and remains so for days. The Greenkeeper and Chair­
man are both condemned for something which could easily be avoided 
by a little care. I believe it is better to use an under amount than an 
over amount of topdressing at one time. There is no difficulty in 
making a fairly even distribution over the green, the most common 
error is not thoroughly working it in.

A very effective tool for this purpose is a home-made board 
scraper. I do not say it is the only tool to use but I do know it gives 
quick and most satisfying results. It is easily made by attaching a 
handle to a board about 2 feet long, 4 inches wide and 1 inch in thick­
ness. The bottom edge should be beveled so that when the scraper is 
held in proper position, the lower edge is even with the ground. With 
scrapers of this character, the topdressing can be pushed and pulled 
until it practically disappears. Any material which can not be 
worked in, out of sight, is pushed off the green altogether and used 
on the approach area or elsewhere.

If a green is properly topdressed with an amount of material 
which is not excessive, most players would not know it had been 
touched and in most cases it should actually putt better immediately 
afterward than it did before. Careless topdressing not only causes 
discomfort, but frequently does actual harm by smothering the grass.

With a lot of penal bunkers staring one in the face from the tee, 

there is no mystery—only misery.

October, 1927 

199

Effect of Acid-reacting Fertilizer in Experiments at Stoke 
Poges

“Reference has already been made in these pages (March 10, p. 
187, Vol. LXXXI) to the now well-known fact that greenkeepers in 
the United States have managed to produce perfect putting greens 
on their golf courses in spite of the fact that a continental climate is 
less favorable to the growth of grasses than is an insular climate, such 
as our own. The progress made in this direction in America is, in­
deed, so great that unless we take care the pre-eminence of this 
country for its lawns may go the way of our one time pre-eminence in 
the games played on them. The method which has led to the remark­
able excellence of the golf greens in the United States is based on the 
recognition—we might almost say discovery—that the fine grasses 
suitable for golf greens thrive best in an acid soil; that is, under 
conditions which are repugnant to most cultivated plants. This dis­
covery has been applied to the perfecting of golf greens and courses 
by taking advantage of the well-known fact that certain artificial 
fertilizers, such, for example, as sulphate of ammonia and ammonium 
phosphate, augment soil acidity. To bring this about liberal and 
repeated applications of one of these fertilizers are applied to the 
greens, the fertilizer being spread evenly and washed into the soil. 
Having regard to the results already obtained in the United States 
and in Canada, it seemed desirable that experiments should be made 
in this country in order to ascertain whether the method would prove 
successful here. Mr. Norman Hackett had already applied the 
method on the Keighley Golf Course with marked success (see 
Golfing, September 6, 1926), but a need still remained for further 
tests. Mr. Lane Jackson, Hon. Secretary of the Stoke Poges Golf 
Links at Stoke Park, Slough, who has an unrivalled knowledge of 
golf and of greenkeeping, was good enough to put certain greens, fair­
ways and lawns at the disposal of Nitram, Ltd., for the purpose of 
experiment. The experimental areas were selected in April of this 
year and have been treated with successive dressings of sulphate of 
ammonia, similar neighboring plots being left untreated in order that 
they might serve as controls. The dressings of sulphate of ammonia 
mixed with twice their volume of sand, were put on at fortnightly in­
tervals at the rate of 5 pounds per 1,000 square feet. Of the control 
plots, one received an equivalent amount of sand only, and the other 
nothing at all. Beside the plots on the golf greens and fairways 
there were others on the croquet lawn and on the lawn leading from 
the club house to the first tee. Our illustration shows the striking 
effect of the successive dressings of sulphate of ammonia on the last- 
named lawn. Daisies have been so checked on the treated plot that 
not one flower is to be seen. By June, the observer in charge of the 
experiment reported that the strip was by that time free from daisies 
and all other weeds. The result here is the more valuable inasmuch 
as it shows that the method of supplying uniform successive dressings 
is much better than the weed-killing method of making heavy appli­
cations of sulphate of ammonia irregularly over daisy patches. That 
was done on either side of the strip and was effective in killing out 
the daisies but resulted in patchiness which the illustration shows in 
striking manner. Careful records of the weed flora and state of soil 
with respect to acidity are being kept, and will be published in due 

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October, 1927

course. Already, however, the “painless extraction” of weeds by the 
sulphate of ammonia treatment is in evidence. Counts over measured 
areas of the plots under experiment show that in two months the 
treated patches lost 50 percent of their weed flora, whereas on sanded 
or quite untreated control plots the weed population had in every case 
increased. Accurate soil-acidity determinations are also being made, 
and there is evidence that the repeated dressings of sulphate of am­
monia have already increased the soil acidity. This interim report of 
the results of the Stoke Poges experiment would appear to show that 
where water is available our greens and lawns may be improved 
rapidly by successive dressings of sulphate of ammonia or other 
“acid” manure. Applied at the rate already indicated, there is no 
risk of damage unless watering is neglected. Even where water is 
not available, the method may be employed provided that the dress­

ings are applied at the advent of showery weather. We hope that not 
only greenkeepers but also those in charge of the green swards in 
London parks and in college courts and quadrangles will take note 
of these simple means of improving their lawns. The lawns of cer­
tain colleges in our old universities, once our pride and the cynosure 
of every American eye, are now, alas, in many cases, fallen into the 
sere and yellow. It is time that they, too, were renovated, and if final 
results of the Stoke Poges experiments confirm the conclusion reached 
in this interim report there is a ready and simple means of doing it.” 
—The Gardeners’ Chronicle, London, July 23, 1927, p. 61.

A natural lake of dear water on a golf course is a thing of beauty. An 

artificial pond of muddy or stagnant water is an abomination.

October, 1927 

201

Experience of the Kirtland Country Club with Creeping 
Bent Greens
By Arthur Boggs

In the fall of 1923 we planted 18 holes with Washington bent 
stolons; we have gone through the usual rank growth of fluffy condi­
tions found in this type of grass.

On the advice of the U. S. Green Section we checked the rank 
growth by the use of poor soil which produced a slower and finer 
growth.

By the use of sharp rakes and topdressing the fluffy condition 

was entirely overcome.

This season we have been using wire push brooms once or twice 

a month before topdressing.

We have found that a green with much slope produces a grain or 
nap when raked or brushed corrects this condition but leaves such a 
fast putting surface that it is impossible to hold a long putt near the 
hole from the top of the green. By allowing the green to grow a little 
longer than the others you have an untrue surface and we have proved 
that this type of grass has to be cut short if you want a true putting 
surface.

There are a great many things to be said in favor of this type of 

grass, and most important:

1. All greens should be made with as little slope as possible.
2. The maintenance cost is much less than any other type of 

green.

3. It will stand more punishment and abuse.
4. With the intelligent use of sulfate of ammonia your weed prob­

lems are solved.

5. You are able to keep 18 putting surfaces just alike in texture 

and color.

6. With a well drained and properly constructed green any num­
ber of golfers can play on it during the wet weather without injury 
to the grass or the putting surface.

7. A ball that is hit true on a line for the hole will drop.
8. It is true that a golfer coming from a seeded green has trouble 
adjusting his putting touch, as Washington strain creeping bent 
green requires the most accurate kind of a hit and he earns every putt.
The objections to this type of green comes mostly from golfers 
that are used to a slow putting surface and greens that have a mixed 
grass.

1. Too fast a green is the first objection.
2. When the ball rims the cup it does not fall in.
3. There is nothing on the green to give you the line such as a 

weed or different color that is found on mixed seeded greens.

4. On a sloping green it is impossible to hold a ball putting down 

hill.

We have five greens out of 18 that have severe slopes and this fall 
before grading and remaking these greens we are going to plant them 
with creeping bent seed to try and slow them up. If this mixture will 
do the work the greens will be left as they are and we will have 
avoided the expense of regrading.

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October, 1927

Municipal Golf.—City officials and individuals interested in the 
promotion of municipal golf will be interested in a recent pamphlet 
entitled Municipal Golf, which discusses the construction and admin­
istration or municipal golf courses and contains a numoer of taoles 
giving facts about the cost of operation and dues and charges. This 
48-page pamphlet may be secured from the Playground and Recrea­
tion Association of America, 315 Fourth Avenue, New York City.

The Service Bureau of the Metropolitan Golf Association, co­
operating with the New Jersey State Golf Association, will hold an 
exhibition and demonstration of golf course equipment on October 27 
at the Shackamaxon Country Club, Westfield, N. J. The demon­
stration of equipment will include tractors and fairway units, compost 
machines, power mowers, hand mowers, greens mowers, greens top­
dressers, greens sweepers, sprinklers, and worm eradicators. This 
should prove a most instructive meeting, and will doubtless be largely 
attended by greens chairmen and greenkeepers of the Metropolitan 
District.

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. How best to utilize manure.—We are able to obtain manure in 
considerable quantity from a neighboring riding club and are anxious 
to have advice as to the best method of utilizing it. There is con­
siderable bedding straw in the manure, and we are considering the 
construction of pits, to be covered with latticework, on which the 
manure may be dumped and sifted through into the pit so that the 
straw will be removed. (Connecticut.)

Answer.—Manure may be best utilized by a golf club either as an 
ingredient of topdressing or a source of liquid manure. The expense 
involved in thq making and application of liquid manure is perhaps 
greater than in composting the manure and applying the compost; 
the use of liquid manure, however, gives excellent results. Liquid 
manure pits and the use of the material have been discussed in The 
Bulletin on the following pages: Page 327, December, 1922; page 
147, May, 1923; page 278, November, 1923. In using manure in top- 
dressing, it should first be composted until it is well rotted. This 
will require about a year’s time. The rotted manure may then be 
used as an ingredient of your topdressing material. Not more than 
one-fourth of the topdressing material should consist of composted 
manure, the balance being preferably a clay or sandy loam, as the 
nature of your soil may require. As your topdressing material should 
be sifted before being used, it is not necessary to remove the straw 
from the manure when composting it.

October, 1927

203

2. Value, use, and testing of swamp muck.—Part of our course is a 
reclaimed swamp with very rich black dirt on the surface and swamp 
muck underneath; it is very low and poorly drained. We presume 
this swamp muck will prove to be rather sour. How much other 
material should we mix into this swamp muck to be on the safe side? 
We have great quantities of peat on our course and are thinking of 
mixing it heavily with manure and chopping the whole thing up and 
mixing it thoroughly with the soil by means of constant disking, the 
idea being to increase the spring of the soil. (Connecticut.)

Answer.—Some swamp mucks and peat are bad, being toxic; 
others are good. You can readily test muck or peat by putting some 
of the material in a box and seeding it to redtop or other grass seed, 
and then keeping it well watered and in a warm place. If the seed­
lings develop and have a good color, the material is all right; if, 
however, the seedlings quickly turn yellow, the material is toxic. 
We would suggest that you use your muck or peat only in compost 
heaps, which should consist of about six parts good top soil, one part 
manure, and one part peat. You should not allow the percentage of 
muck or peat in your compost heap to exceed 25.

3. Alfalfa eradication from the rough.—We have a considerable 
quantity of alfalfa which grows in what will be our rough, and we 
desire to exterminate it. What is the best method of killing alfalfa? 
(New York.)

Answer.—With regard to killing alfalfa in your rough, it is 
rather difficult to do this, especially if you have a thick stand of it. 
To get rid of an alfalfa plant you must cut it off to about 6 inches 
underneath the surface of the ground. If you have scattered plants 
this can be done very readily by the use of a mattock, cutting off each 
individual plant and removing the top that is cut off. If the stand 
of alfalfa is so thick that this would be rather expensive as regards 
the labor cost, your only other recourse would be to plow up the 
rough and rake the alfalfa plants out with a spike-tooth harrow, 
removing the plants—root and all—and hauling them away.

4. Plugging greens with creeping bent sod.—We are putting in 
3-inch plugs of creeping bent into a green 18 inches apart. Do you 
think this will eventually spread over the whole green? (Michigan.)
Answer.—In this manner the creeping bent will eventually, 
though slowly, cover the entire green. Much more rapid results 
have been obtained by simply scattering stolons of creeping bent over 
a green, and then topdressing.

5. Prevention of Bermuda and wild grass growth in sand bunkers. 
—What can we use to keep Bermuda and wild grass from growing 
in sand bunkers? Is there a solution we can use for this? (Ten­
nessee.)

Answer.—The cheapest weed killer of all is common salt, and 
this applied liberally will kill Bermuda or any other grass. Other 
substitutes used are mineral oils of various kinds, but these are 
highly undesirable in bunkers, as they will cake the sand. Another 
very common weed killer is sodium arsenite—probably the most ef­
fective of all but more expensive than common salt, which should 
prove entirely satisfactory.

Don’t raise the tee above the ground level, unless necessary to secure visibility 

or drainage. It’s easier to grow and maintain turf on the ground level.

The first essential of a putting green is good drainage. Very often it can 
be improved later by more drainage. Now and then still more drainage is 
advisable.

It is money well spent to send your greenkeeper to see other courses and talk 

with other greenkeepers.

When your fairways begin to look weak, get busy with fertilizers. Top­

dressing weak places is always good practice.

Too much manure can be as unsatisfactory as none at all.

The greenkeeper can not change his crops as does the farmer, so he should 

change the soil by topdressing his turf with compost.

The problem of weed seed in compost is best solved by making the compost 

a year in advance.

Starving the turf to make it tough is the most hopeless of all theories of 

greenkeeping.

If you have a new idea about greenkeeping, test it out by all means. But 

test it first on a very small scale.

Progress in better greenkeeping can be gained only by experimental research. 

It can’t be done by theorizing.

An important consideration is to avoid any kind of topdressing that will make 
a compact surface layer. Too much manure or clay or sand on clay will each 
tend to make a bad surface layer under certain conditions.

Golf playing, golf architecture, golf course construction, and greenkeeping 
or turf culture are four widely different subjects. It is a rare man indeed who 
is expert in more than one of them.

There is one test that always gives a clue to the carefulness of the green- 
keeper. It’s the replaced plug after a hole is moved. If the plug is nice and 
green, no one notices it at all; if it is brown or dead or does not completely 
fill the old hole, someone has probably been in too great a hurry. Recently we 
saw nine dead plugs in one green.

On rich soil sheep’s fescue will sometimes make a solid turf; on poor soil, 
scattered bunches of grass ideal for the rough. Skin the turf for compost and 
then seed sheep’s fescue if you want an ideal rough.

Watch your putting greens on a very rainy day; then you can tell which ones 

need better surface drainage.

Good turf can not be maintained on a putting green unless both the surface 
drainage and the under drainage are good. It seems very hard for some people 
to appreciate the importance of good drainage, although probably 50 percent of 
putting green troubles are due to lack of it.

The first essential and the greatest need of a putting green is ample drainage.

The secret of good landscaping is to avoid straight lines.