TURF CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS sponsored by the MIDWEST REGIONAL TURF FOUNDATION and PURDUE UNIVERSITY West Lafayette, Indiana ZocaciZZ.óZZ PROCEEDINGS OF THE 1979 MIDWEST REGIONAL TURF CONFERENCE Membership A Broader View of Golf , Ronald W. Fream . Ronald W. Fream My Experience in Developing Golf Courses« . . . Recreational Turf in Europe Golf and Bowling Greens in Scotland . « a John Souter Page 1 4 5 8 11 16 19 21 22 24 . Louis E. Miller . o „Marvin Laird Plant Analysis, A Big Plus for the Professional Turf Manager. 0D. Bo Pfleiderer Sulfur Coated Ureas «... « Applying Technology for Insects « *<>... » Aetinius Beetle, My Experience . « o <> . . Thatch, Some Ideas (Continued) The 39 talks included in these Proceedings are condensations of talks by speakers before sections and divisions of the 1979 M.R.T.F. Conference. We appreciated the willingness of the speakers to participate and prepare material for your reading. Proceedings of each annual Conference since 1948 have been prepared, A limited number of 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976 and 1977 Proceedings are available at $2.00 each, as well as additional copies of these Proceedings. From: W. H. Daniel, Executive Secretary Midwest Regional Turf Foundation Department of Agronomy, Purdue University West Lafayette, IN 47907 A copy of these Proceedings has been mailed to: - The 516 attending the 1979 Midwest Turf Conference - One person of each member organization within the Midwest Regional Turf Foundation not represented at the Conference - A list of those in educational activities 29 34 34 35 36 38 40 43 46 48 The Turf Picture Hydromulching for the Turf grass Industry . . . « . Ways to Encourage Golf Course Play Golf Course Failures and Recoveries. . • . „ . . . Adding Improved Turf-Type Ryegrass to Bluegrass. • Lawn Care Industry . . « Ten Years of Providing Services, The Hydro Lawn Story. . . Jerome R. Faulring . Chris and Randy Bellinger Hydroseeding and Lawnfeeding Fairways Towards Bent « * * • o PAT Update, Eleven Fields Applicator Exposute to Pesticides. , . . . . 0 . «, For Lawns - first see articles starting on pages: 48, 51, 55, 57, 59, 76, 81, 85, 92, 94, 95 For Golf Courses 8, 11, 16, 19, 21, 24, 29, 34, 35, 36, 38, 40, 43, 46, 53, 57, 59, 61, 65, 69, 70, 78, 94, 97 Page 51 53 55 57 59 61 65 69 70 72 76 78 80 81 85 92 94 95 97 100 101 MIDWEST REGIONAL TURF FOUNDATION MEMBERSHIP In prior years a special leaflet has reported membership. The listing below, organized by states, gives support in 1978 and to April 1, 1979, as well as the number of years of membership according to our records. 1979 membership is 259 to April 1. ILLINOIS: Aurora C. C., 31 Beverly C. C., Chicago, 23 Bryn Mawr C. C., Chicago, 18 Carmi C. C., 25 Central Illinois G.C.S.A, Clinton, 14 Champaign Co. Forest Pres., Mahomet, 22 Chicago Heights C.C., 20 Chicagoland G.C.S.A., Downers Grove, 2 City of Danville, Harrison Park, 3 C. C. of Peoria, 24 Crystal Lake C. C., 8 Danville C. C., 29 Edgebrook C.C., Sandwich, 7 Edgewood Valley C.C., LaGrange, 32 Exmoor C.C., Highland Park, 32 Flossmoor C. C., 32 Forest Hills C .C . , Rockford, 32 Geneva G. C., 8 Glencoe G. C., 11 Green Acres C.C., Northbrook, 4 Greider Sod Farm, Carlock, 6 H 6c E Sod Nursery, Markham, 26 George Haddad, Peotone, 6 Hinsdale G. C., Clarendon Hills, 4 Idlewild C. C., Flossmoor, 7 Illinois Lawn Equipment, Orland Park, 20 Inverness G. C., Palatine, 5 C. W. Jennings, Western Springs, 1 Lansing Sportsman Club, 5 LaGrange C. C., 32 Lockhaven C. C., 27 Charles McKeown, Pekin, 4 Macomb C. C., 11 Medinah C. C., 30 James D. Mello, Downers Grove, 1 Midlothian C. C., 32 Midwest Assoc. G.C.S., Bloomingdale, 24 Mueller Sod Nursery, Ontarioville, 19 Northmoor C. C., Highland Park, 32 North Shore C. C., Glenview, 32 Onwentsia Club, Lake Forest, 21 Robert Parmley, Wheeling, 7 Pontiac Elks C. C., 13 Prestwick C. C e , Frankfort, 12 Riverside C. C., 26 Rockford C. C e , 1 Roseman Mower Co., Glenview, 25 Seaboard Seed Co., Bristol, 8 Shoreacres, Lake Bluff, 32 Leon Short & Sons, E. Peoria, 11 Silver Lake C. C., Orland Park, 32 Eugene Strasma, Decatur, 3 Sunset Ridge C. C., Northbrook, 31 Thornton1s Turf Nursery, Elgin, 12 Timber Trials C. C., LaGrange, 30 Velsicol Chemical Co., Chicago, 20 Wadsworth Co., Plainfield, 19 Warren's Turf Nursery, Palos Park, 20 Woodward Governor Co., Rockford, 25 INDIANA: Anderson C. C., 25 Ball State University, Muncie, 10 Randy Ballinger, Upland, 5 Julian Baggett, Indianapolis, 4 Beeson Park G. C., Winchester, 7 B.P.O. Elks #649, Richmond, 16 Tom Brehob, Brownsburg, 6 Broadmoor C.C., Indianapolis, 32 Wm. J. Burke Mem. G. C., Notre Dame, 20 Calumet G. C., Gary, 2 ChemLawn Corp., Fishers, 3 Christmas Lake G. C., Santa Claus, 2 Clearcrest C. C., Evansville, 25 Connersvilie C. C., 29 C. C. of Indianapolis, 32 C. C. of Terre Haute, 25 Crooked Stick G. C., Carmel, 8 Culver Military Academy, 14 Dearborn C. C., Aurora, 13 Decatur C. C., 6 Delaware C. C., Muncie, 30 Desco Chemical Co., Nappanee, 13 Edgewood C. C., Anderson, 28 Elanco Products, Indianapolis, 13 Elcona C. C., Elkhart Elks C. C., Plainfield, 14 Evansville C. C., 29 Forest Park C. C., Richmond, 10 Forest Park G. C., Valparaiso, 11 Fort Wayne Bd. of Park Commissioners, 23 Fort Wayne C. C., 31 Frankfort C. C., 28 French Lick Sheraton G. C., 9 Friendswood G. C., Camby, 11 Jon Fuller, Fort Wayne, 1 Gary C. C., Merrillville, 32 Green Acres Sod Farm, Columbia City, 11 Greenhurst C. C., 17 Greensburg C. C., 15 Gritt-Fields, Brooklyn, 2 Harrison Lake C. C., Columbus, 25 Hickory Hills G. C., Brownstown, 2 Highland G. & C . C., Indianapolis, 30 Hillcrest C. C., Indianapolis, 32 Honeywell Pub. G. C., Wabash, 1 Huber Ranch Sod Nursery, Schneider, 9 Indiana Farm Bureau Co-Op, Mt. Vernon, 17 Indiana G.C.S.A. , Brownsburg, 20 Indiana University G. C., Bloomington, 18 Jansen Landscaping, Elkhart, 6 Dennis Keefe, Muncie, 1 Kenney Machinery Corp., Indianapolis, 27 Kokomo C. C., 30 Gary Kern, Carmel, 3 Killbuck Ree. Assoc, Anderson, 13 Knox Fertilizer & Chem. Co., 8 Tom Kompst, Bloomington, 1 Lafayette C. C., 31 LaGrange C. C., 4 L. C. Lane, Lafayette, 5 Lawn-Life, Carmel, 4 Maplecrest C. C., Goshen Martinsville C. C., 17 Mead-Johnson & Co., Evansville, 13 Meridian Hills C. C., Indianapolis, 32 Meshingomesia C. C., Marion, 32 Michigan City Mun. G. C., 23 Mutual Security Life Ins., Ft. Wayne, 1 New Albany C. C., 25 Northill Management Corp., Ft. Wayne, 3 Oak Knoll G. C f , Crown Point, 3 Old Oakland G. C., Indianapolis, 20 Old Orchard G. C., Elkhart, 12 Orchard Ridge G. C., Ft. Wayne, 23 Otter Creek G. C., Columbus, 14 Pine Woods G. C., Spencer, 5 Pottawattomie C. C., Michigan City, 27 Riley Lawn & Golf Equip.Indianapolis, 26 Rolling Hills C. C., Newburgh, 20 Seymour Elks C. C., 4 David Soderquist, Hammond, 3 South Bend C. C., 20 Speedway 500 G. C., Indianapolis, 17 Sullair Corp., Michigan City, 2 Summertree G. C., Crown Point, 3 Summit Power Equip. Dist, Ft. Wayne, 2 Sycamore Springs G. C., Indianapolis, 10 Tippecanoe C. C., Monticello, 17 Tippecanoe Lake C. C., Leesburg, 2 USS Agri-Chemicals, Jeffersonville, 20 Valparaiso G. C., 28 Vincennes Elks G. C., 18 Washington C. C., 15 Allen Wehr, Jasper, 2 Western Hills C. C., Mt. Vernon, 15 Woodland C. C., Carmel, 25 Woodmar C. C., Hammond, 23 Youche C. C., Crown Point, 23 Zollner G. C., Angola, 1 KENTUCKY: Audubon C. C., Louisville, 32 Big Springs C. C., Louisville, 31 Bunton Seed Co., Louisville, 23 Dixie Irrigation, Louisville, 2 Harmony Landing C. C., Goshen, 23 George W. Hill & Co., Florence, 17 Irrigation Supply, Louisville, 10 Kentuckiana G.C.S.A., Louisville, 19 Met. Park 6c Ree. Bd., Louisville, 5 Owensboro C. C., 17 Standard C. C., Louisville, 30 MICHIGAN: Bay City C. C., 17 C. C. of Detroit, 32 Dearborn C. C., 12 Detroit C. C., 20 Down River Lawn Service, Trenton, 19 Flint G. C., 32 Eugene Johanningsmeier, S. Lyon, 9 McKay Golf & C. C. Properties, Lansing, 1 Maple Lane G. C., Sterling Hts., 32 A. J. Miller, Inc., Royal Oak, 24 Oakland Hills C. C., Birmingham, 12 Tuco Div., The Upjohn Co., Kalamazoo, 29 Wilkie Turf Equipment, Pontiac, 7 MISSOURI: Bellerive C. C., Creve Coeur, 18 Bogey Hills G.& C.C., St. Charles, 8 City of St. Louis, Div. of Parks, 25 Forest Hills C. C., Chesterfield, 1 Glen Echo C. C., Normandy, 32 Lakewood G. C., Fenton, 7 Link's Nursery, St. Louis, 26 Mallinckrodt Chem. Co0, St. Louis, 27 Miss. Valley G.C.S.A, St. Charles, 25 Monsanto Co., St. Louis, 18 Old Warson C. C., St. Louis, 22 St. Andrews G. C., St. Charles, 5 St. Annfs G. C., 7 Westborough C. C., St. Louis, 25 Westwood C. C., St. Louis, 28 OHIO: The Andersons, Maumee, 2 B.P.O. Elks Lodge #93, Hamilton, 9 W. L. Braverman, Cleveland, 13 Brown's Run C. C., Middletown, 21 Camargo Club, Cincinnati, 19 Cemetery Of Spring Grove, Cincinnati, 32 Century Toro Dist., Toledo, 17 Cincinnati C. C., 31 City of Dayton Div. of Rec., 6 Columbus C. C., 33 Country Club, Inc., Pepper Pike, 30 Crest Hills C. C., Cincinnati, 29 Dayton Power & Light, 25 Dryfoos Co., Cleveland, 30 Edgecreek G. C., Van Wert, 15 Edgewood G. C., N. Canton, 23 Elyria C. C., 19 Findlay C. C., 22 Firestone C. C., Akron, 32 Terry Frey, Cincinnati, 3 Gate Of Heaven Cemetery, Cincinnati, 28 Stephen Gipson, Chesterland, 9 Glengarry C. C., Holland, 25 Golden Tee, Inc., Cincinnati, 3 Golf, Inc., Huron, 14 Greater Cincinnati G.C.S.A, 22 Highland Meadows G.C., Sylvania, 10 Arthur Hills 6c Assoc., Toledo, 9 Inverness Club, Toledo, 28 Kenwood C. C., Cincinnati, 32 Robert Kline, Tiffin, 3 Kunz Lawn 6c Garden Center, Dayton, 22 Lakeshore Equipment, Elyria, 10 Leisure Lawn, Dayton, 2 Little Turtle Club, Westerville, 4 Lyon1s Den Golf, Canal Fulton, 28 Maketewah C. C., Cincinnati, 25 MayfieId C. C., S. Euclid, 18 Miami Valley G.C .S.A.,Middletown, 23 Moraine C. C., Dayton, 31 Harry Murray, Lebanon, 7 NCR Employees Benefit Assoc, Dayton, 23 Jack Nicklaus Golf Center, Mason, 4 Northern Ohio G.C.S.A.,Westfield Ctr., 29 Oakwood Club, Cleveland Heights, 31 Ohio St. Univ. G. C., Columbus, 31 Piqua C. C., 24 Rawiga C. C., Seville, 5 0. M c Scott & Sons, Marysville, 27 Shawnee C. C., Lima, 25 Sprinfield Bd. of Park Trustees, 1 Springfield C. C., 9 Richard Stone's Landscaping,Willoughby, 15 Tamaron C. C., Toledo, 1 Tri-County Turf, Maineville, 9 Valleywood G. C., Swanton, 7 Walnut Grove C. C., Dayton, 22 Western Hills C. C., Cincinnati, 17 Wildwood G. C., Middletown, 9 WISCONSIN: Blue Mound G. 6c C.C., Wauwatosa, 10 Brynwood C. C., Milwuakee, 3 Loft-Kellogg Seed Co., Milwaukee, 6 Milwaukee C. C., 17 North Hills C.C., Menomonee Falls, 17 Ozaukee C. C., Mequon, 2 Racine C. C., 3 Sewerage Comm, City of Milwaukee, 25 Somers Landscaping, Stevens Point, 5 Stevens Point C. C., 20 Tuckaway C. C., Franklin, 3 Wisconsin G.C.S.A., Waupaca, 23 OUTSIDE MIDWEST REGION: Aquatrols Corp. of America, Delair, NJ 12 Barbara Emerson, Ambler, PA, 1 Harold W. Glissmann, Omaha, NE, 21 W. C. LeCroy, Mt. Airy, MD, 8 Lebanon Chem. Co., Lebanon, PA, 22 Mock Corp., Pittsburg, PA, 15 John Souter, Stirling, Scotland, 1 The Toro Co., Minneapolis, MN, 29 Vaughn-Jacklin Seed Co., Post Falls, ID,12 PRESIDENT'S REPORT Kermit D. Delk, Superintendent Springfield Country Club, Springfield, Ohio As President of Midwest Regional Turf Foundation, may I welcome all who are here. We will be sharing and evaluating experiences and ideas in this learning process. One must evaluate these and have a willingness to make changes as necessary. We cannot assume that the circumstances that led us to some previous decision or action will remain the same. With this in mind, we can apply these new experiences and ideas to our daily work which can enable us to have a more rewarding year. I would like to express my deep appreciation to Dr. Bill Daniel, his staff, and the Board of Directors for the past two years. confidence and direction during this time. Thank you for your CORRELATED CONFUSION CLARIFIED Walter Weber, Environmental Consultant Indianapolis, Indiana Hillsboro, Indiana welcomes one with an interesting sign proclaiming, 'The home of 600 happy people and a few old soreheads1. One could conclude those few are unhappy and confused because no one took time to communicate about their worries. Communication is more than words. The communication media converts useful information into interesting news. It has the power to create and direct controversial issues. Those communication people have rendered a great service. They are recognized as the authority by many people. They want to report accurate information. People's opinions concerning the food they eat and the safety of pesticides are definitely influenced by the mass media. The many benefits from pesticides is continuous news, but too often this is not recognized. Today we have a mushrooming trend towards many non-pesticide organizations, while some of the long established conservation groups have become infiltrated with anti-pesticide philosophies* A few organizations will be mentioned. (1) The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), with a huge grant from the Ford Foundation. (2) World Wildlife Fund - US. A January 1979 fund raising letter stated, "New pesticides pose additional perils to entire ecological systems." It was signed by Russel E. Train, President. Does that name sound familiar? (3) Group For Organic Alternatives To Toxic Substances (GOATS). (4) Citizens Against Toxic Sprays (CATS). (5) Coalition For Economic Alternatives. (Argues for hand labor over defoliants for forest management). The people-frightening, anti-pesticide forces have a knack for talking about things they do not understand. Their psychological warfare with environmental scare literature presents a deliberate manipulation of the fears of the unknown. The professional worriers listen. Many of the environmental alarmists know very little about pesticides, but are well versed in environmental threats, litigation, and regulatory procedures. The exaggerated fear which has been generated about pesticides in the minds of the public has resulted in misguided public opinion, and many unnecessary restrictions. Some of those restrictions have resulted in environmental destruction. The sad part is that many environmental alarmists are trying to get still more restrictions. The chemical industry is required to spend millions every year to establish the safety of pesticides, while the Federal EPA is spending an equivalent amount of your money to challenge those findings. We must remember that when a chemical, or some of its uses are once banned, all the talking in the world will not bring it back. Concerned people have two choices. They can ignore the people frighteners who encourage restrictions and destruction of useful chemicals with creeping encroachment of regulations. The other choice is to exert special effort to communicate with opinion makers and people influencers about environmental protection and people benefits from protective chemicals. In addition to the well informed people in our universities, extension service, and Agri-business, we have at least four prominent national organizations doing a great job of telling about the importance of protective pesticides. These include, but are not limited to (1) Council For Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST). (2) National Agricultural Chemical Association (NACA). (3) National Council For Environmental Balance. (4) American Farm Bureau Federation, with over three million member families. I apologize to the many fine journalists and reporters, or other active organisations, but space is limited. Now I would like to propose an easy to remember organization called PUPPSS. This is not a tax deductible, tax exempt outfit. There are no initiation dues, no membership fees, no assessments, but you can become a lifetime member if you do what the last S stands for. The initials mean PROPERLY USED PESTICIDES PROTECT SAFELY. The extra S can mean SPEAKER, or SPEECH WRITER, or you might have a better idea. It really does not matter, just as long as you become an active,enthusiastic individual telling about the many good sides of pesticides. People are going to write or talk about pesticides. If no one speaks up for pesticides, those, who speak against them will be the only ones heard. A few recent examples will be given. The 1978 National Wildlife Federation mailed literature to the schools in which DDT was blamed for thin egg shells. This was repeated on the 29 Ja 79 presentation of Wild Kingdom. My January 1979 edition of Audubon magazine refers to the use of herbicides for improving 3-1/2 million acres of rangeland, then states that in the opinion of EPA the potential hazards seem to outweigh the benefits. (Remember, those are EPA opinions, not mine,) The 21 Ja 79 issue of The Indianapolis Star carried an article stating that fertile soil and healthy plants would deter insects, implied that many insecticides may leave toxic residues, and extolled the idea of biological controls. Some of the baseless allegations against pesticides are attention-getting devices and are repeatedly used as fund raising ideas. It is extremely important that knowledgable individuals who are versed in the use of chemicals should be looking for opportunities to call public attention to the tremendous benefits. Your voice, in a real way, can make an important difference. Some anti-pesticide people are light years removed from realities and think we can live in the imagined glories of the past. My February 1979 issue of Scientific American quotes from the corresponding 1879 issue of one hundred years ago, ,!If Mr. Edison wishes public faith in that electric light of his to remain steadfast, he will have to give an early demonstration of his claim that it is a practical success.11 You know that properly used pesticides have demonstrated their success, but there are many people who are not aware of it. They have to be told. People must be told that some of the proposed ridiculous unworkable regulations which sound so deceivingly good are as insulting as they are potentially devastating to the user and to all consumers of food, fiber and recreational facilities. We have so many great things to protect and so many good things in the way of useful chemicals to use for that protection. We should be helping other people understand about the great accomplishments of properly used pesticides. Are you recognizing the opportunities to help others explain the values in a manner that people can understand? No extensive user of pesticides gets up in the morning and asks himself, flI wonder what I can spray today?11 He knows that saving a spray is like saving money in the bank - sometimes lots of money. Three words seem to be in everyone's vocabulary today. These are: ecology, environment, and pollution. Ecology is not new. The word was introduced by Dr. Haekel in Germany in 1869. There are some important 'cides1 to ecology« These include herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, rodenticides, etc. Population and pollution seem to go together. Some folks tie pesticides and pollution together, but properly used pesticides are not a major contributor. It is true that one does some contaminating when he uses pesticides, but it is a temporary intentional contamination with a purpose of controlling a pest. The objective is to improve the enviornment for desirable plants, domestic animals, or human comfort. The average non-user of pesticides has no concept of what this country would be like without pesticides. The banning of several persistent pesticides has resulted in the use of more expensive, inconsistent, short-lived, weaker substitutes which require more frequent application, and less control. It is unfortunate that decisions of scientific investigations have been made by non-scientists. It is a defeat for science and the public when circumstantial evidence and well publicized hypotheses lacking in clinical proof are substituted for documental evidence. Perhaps those misinformed people who are talking against pesticides have never had their attention drawn to the tremendous contributions and the thorough evaluations before a pesticide can be labeled for use. Some folks erroneously conclude that when a pesticide is known to affect laboratory rats in a certain way at high levels they correlate it to man saying the physiology is similar. They do not explain why a rodenticide (as norbormide) will affect Norway rats without affecting roof rats or house mice* They do not acknowledge that experiments on animals provide only presumptive evidence that similar effects could occur in man. Users of pesticides acknowledge the value of integrated pest management. They recognize the value of insect predators, parasites, resistant strains, cultural practices, and many other factors. They appreciate the work of scientists in learning about insects emitting an odorous secretion for communicating with other creatures of the same species. Many would like to use those sex attractants, or pheremones, as they are called, but here again the EPA has made it so expensive it is virtually impractical for a company to proceed. In acknowledging the academic value of biological control many people realize they have not given too much control during times of heavy infestations. How is the public to know about pesticides unless the truth is told? Most people are open minded and want the facts. They are not interested in the dizzying sense of intellectual confusion. There would be less misunderstanding if someone took time to explain the positive side. The easy way out is to say nothing, but nothing constructive happens until someone does something. The dissemination of positive information has happened because knowledgable program directors, TV and radio reporters, newspaper and other journalists have used their talents in converting useful information into interesting news. These people want your help. Trying to stop misinformation is like stepping on a partially inflated balloon. The air just shifts to another area. It is much easier and more important to prevent misinformation. People who work with pesticides have a vast storehouse of knowledge. No one is better qualified to understand and explain the positive side. The professional user is familiar with the tremendous benefits. They realize there are some risks,but there are many risks in not using them. They recognize there are no harmless products, but there are harmless ways of using them. They recognize that chemical safety depends on man's intelligent use. The public must be told that properly used pesticides are not destroying our wildlife or poisoning people's bodies. It is people who are poisoning people's minds. The pollution is pollution of the mind, not the body. Remaining silent is neither a virtue nor a service. A BROADER VIEW OF GOLF Ronald W. Fream, Golf Course Architect Old Town, Los Gatos, California It might be a bit presumptuous to attempt to expound on new concepts or new ideas in golf. There is nothing in golf which has not been done before. Some new and improved tools (clubs, balls, etc.) have appeared; scientific advances in the approach to seedbed preparation and irrigation have occurred; pedigreed grass has replaced indigeneous; turfgrass maintenance is no longer a job but has become a profession, yet the essence of golf - the challenge, the philosophy, the basic field upon which the game is played remains unchanged from 400 years ago. To attempt to duplicate the original, the historic and classic courses which remain is an absurd gesture of futility. To ignore the origins, the essence, the subtlety of the great and wonderful courses of antiquity is ignorance. Nothing being done today in golf course architecture - relative to the design strategy, challenge and integrity of the origins of the game is new or original. To expound otherwise is to acknowledge one's ignorance and lack of understanding. Golf is a dynamic and changing game. Golf is one of the very few sports where every site is different, every game a new game. Repetition, monotony, boredom, and stereotyped appearance have no place and no justification. Golf is not meant to be played with the regimentation of a tennis court or a 25 meter Olympic pool. Golf is a game of chance, luck, skill, courage and daring, of reward and penalty. Perhaps a 20 handicapper will not agree with me. However, the game of golf was never intended to appease a high handicap golfer. Learn, improve, increase your ability or retire to the sidelines. One look at some of the real golf courses of the world and the point is undisputed. The Old Course at St. Andrews, the real Muirfield and short but great Prestwick offer no recourse, no reprieve, play it as it lays or don't play. Tragically, there are few golf courses in America where the true essence of golf remains. American golfers by and large expect to hit the perfect second shot regardless of whether that shot landed in the fairway, the rough or a fairway bunker. Wall-to-wall fairway is not golf, it is a "cop-out" for marginal ability. Future limitations of water or energy may abruptly terminate the wall-to-wall manicured situation and force golf back to a more natural environment. There have been advances made in golf in the past 200 years. Actually, most significant advances have only occurred in the last 20 to 25 years. No advances have been made in how the game should be played - none ever should. Advances in the unseen, in the technological aspects of golf have occurred and should continue to occur. The technological aspect of golf is a subject far removed from the consideration of many persons associated with golf. There are golf course "architects" who do not know the difference between bluegrass and Bermudagrass. There are golf professionals whose egos feel intimidated and threatened if they don't break par for every round. There are untold numbers of golfers who expect to play par golf when their ability is actually little more than that of a gorilla. Was golf ever invented, or more properly, created to cater to the inferior egos and inferior abilities or inabilities, rather than developing the skills to play the game as it was intended? Golf did not evolve in a formal, manicured garden. Golf evolved in a sand hill wasteland where even the rabbits had trouble making a living. Unfortunately, evolution and affluence have combined to subdue the real origins of a grand game. The result is a contradictory set of standards which neither do credit to the traditions of the game nor properly reward the effort of today's more astute golfer. Golf course design is an undefined and unregimented term for the basic effort of placing 18 sausage-shaped outlines on a single piece of paper, representing a plot of ground, in some comprehensible configuration for future translation onto that plot of ground. There are no hard and fast criteria defining who is or who should be a golf course designer. Many persons assume, for better or worse, that being able to play the game well automatically confirms the ability to design or create well. Such an assumption is just as valued as assuming that a journeyman carpenter is also a capable building architect. Many golf courses have been designed with about as much significant results as the old cliche about the committee charged with designing the horse which turned out to be the camel. The end product just does not do the job intended. Golf is a game which is growing in popularity. While many Americans think of golf as an American game, giving scant attention even to St. Andrews and the British Open, the fact is that beyond the sheltered shores of America the game is prospering very well, thank you. In fact, over the past several years, since the recession of 1969-71, and the unilateral increase in gasoline prices extracted by the Arabs, golf has grown at a more rapid rate elsewhere than within America's comfortable shores. Building golf courses in situations beyond the comfort of America requires a certain adjustment and adaptation not often mentioned in Golf Course Management, Golf Business or Golf Digest. Nonetheless, construction of, and the use of, golf courses in Third World and emerging countries is a very significant and expanding market. The game does not change! Regardless of where the course is to be built, the design results cannot greatly differ from others over the centuries. Hopefully, the design does consider the specifics of the site; the climate, the soils, the terrain, the natural vegetation, the objectives and budget of the client. However, there are so many stereotyped, rubber stamp designed golf courses in America, let us not try to export that monotonous, repetitive product elsewhere. Design to fit the site, be creative, innovative, daring and challenging; copy the old masters and the impact of nature. In design, do what is different and unexpected, don't design to a corporate tradition or trademark. An expected end product may be all right in a can of Coke, but knowing before you begin that the finished product is going to offer particular teeing situations or repetitive greensites is not what real golf is made of. Innovative design actually is itself repetitive of some long existent situation in Scotland, only modernized and perhaps stylized. Once we have progressed beyond rubber stamp design, it is time to consider the necessities of design implementation. Although golf courses are being constructed in many parts of the world, the means and methods of accomplishing the construction do vary. Perhaps it is useful here to quote a recent visitor to the United States, the Vice Premier of the People's Republic of China: ffIt doesn't matter whether the cat is black or white, so long as it catches mice.11 Our experience, over more than 15 years of international golf course architectural efforts, has proven that the end product can be achieved regardless of whether 30 bulldozers or 1,200 people do the work. Methods and materials change with culture, society, climate, and environment. The end product, the objective never changes: First class golfing conditions built to modern standards for a traditional playing result. Construction by machine or by hand really is of no concern, the final result can be comparable and equally as desirable. More important is the selection of seedbed amendments, the subsurface drainage considerations, the turfgrasses to be used and the means to maintain the turfgrass after planting. Hand labor can do marvelous things. There have been some golf courses built in more or less remote areas which are equal to or superior to almost every course in America. Vast construction budgets, unlimited promotion, ridiculously high maintenance costs do not necessarily equate with quality end product. The selection and choice of construction materials is important. Graded sand may not be available, but coral sand or unsegregated river sand is. Particularly sized drainage gravel may not be available merely by placing a telephone call. A telephone may not even be available. But hand labor to make small stones out of big ones with sledge hammers might well be available. Corrugated plastic drainage pipe is convenient but not necessarily obtainable in some localities. Cement or fired clay tiles can be obtained and the result is equally as effective, though perhaps not as efficient. Select ground pine bark or sphagnum peat moss humus may be unattainable or rather expensive to import but sugarcane debris (Bagasse) , rice hulls or pomus from the wine grape squeezings are nearly free for the asking. An automatic irrigation system that does everything but shine the Superintendent's shoes is the dream on most American golf courses; push one button and have a machine do all your thinking. In localities where most members of the maintenance crew have never even seen a quick coupler valve and impact sprinkler head, the idea of installing full automation must rank with some of the grand mercenary quests for greed in this country. Simple, functional, manually operated irrigation systems which put the premium on dependability and not on advanced technology are a vital component of a successful golf course in areas where few of the persons responsible for the operation of the system can even read, let alone read an English language operations manual. Any attempt to sell American sophistication to a user who may have never owned or operated a motor vehicle before the arrival of the putting green mower is classic ignorance. The long term problem with many golf courses is for seedbeds, drainage and turfgrasses. When working of North America, avoidance of these basics is a sure all too many mediocre golf courses in America to have pedestrian and untalented product. the lack of proper initial concern in localities beyond the shores recipe for disaster. There are us export this same mechanical, Understanding the basics of turfgrass maintenance, and why turfgrass responds to particular seedbeds, climates and maintenance practices is very important. The recent improvements in turfgrass, primarily Penncross and Emerald bentgrass, the turf type bluegrasses and ryegrasses, and hybrid Bermudagrass present a selection of turfgrasses which, if chosen wisely, can offer outstanding playing surfaces under virtually any climatic situation. The basic problem remains one of selection. When many golf course architects do not really understand the difference between Adelphi Kentucky bluegrass and Tifdwarf hybrid Bermuda, whan can be the result when seeding specifications are written using some pre-packaged, all purpose blend rather than the correct grass for the particular environment. The selection of grasses must also extend to the site and means of maintaining the planted grass. When labor costs $8.50 an hour including fringe benefits, the approach is somewhat different than when labor costs $2.50 per day. This labor cost factor also influences just what maintenance equipment is to be purchased. Super sophistication turfgrass maintenance equipment is readily available, for a price. What is not always available is dependable after-sales service. In the more out-of-the way areas, this matter of inadequate or totally lacking after-sales service and spare parts availability is even more important. To have sophisticated equipment and to have properly functioning sophisticated equipment are two different things. Although the procedure followed to design and build the course in a remote area is much the same as it is in America, modifications must be made to accommodate local requirements and abilities. Adaptability is the key. Use the proper but simple procedure. Don't become obsessed with doing it like you would at home. Keep it simple, unsophisticated, functional, labor intensive, rugged, dependable and results oriented. Beautiful, challenging, fun golf courses can be successful anywhere in the world. The means to achieve the objective may vary, but the end product must always be decidedly in the highest interests of true, original and traditional golf. DESIGNING FOR MAINTENANCE Ronald W. Fream, Golf Course Architect Old Town, Los Gatos, California Without intelligent maintenance practices properly applied, a golf course will deteriorate. The quality of construction effort, the utility of the design, the beauty of the site are each a very important contributor to a successful golf course,, Taken as a whole, a golf course will reflect the sum total of the various parts which are combined fo create the original effort0 That cliche from the computer industry, "Garbage in - garbage out" also holds true for a golf course. The golf course architect is the individual generally responsible for the creation of the golf course. The contribution to this creation actually varies with the person or group of persons who combine their efforts to achieve the architectural result» "Designed-in" problems which manifest themselves at a future time is a frequently encountered result of inadequate architectural effort. Even a very skilled golf course superintendent will have problems growing quality turfgrass if the seedbed that turf is to be grown in is incorrect. An irrigation system will not solve your watering requirements if the system does not apply the water where and when needed. A well adjusted triplex mower is of little consequence when the ground is too muddy to support the passage of the mower. A mechanized sand trap rake is not efficient when the sand traps are half full of water because of poor drainage. If the side slopes around a green or tee are so steep that hand operated rotary mowers are necessary, maintenance costs go up. Tree varieties which have voracious root systems, brittle branch structure, short life spans, obnoxious fruit or low headed growth characteristics are not among those desirable for planting on the golf course. Real estate housing units encroaching into areas of golf play and turfgrass maintenance create unique problems of personal safety, security and vandalism. Within the course also, extreme care must be given to preventing or eliminating potential safety hazards due to misdirected golf balls. Most maintenance problems on a golf course originate on the drawing board« These problems may actually be built into the design plans or they may result from omission. The ability of the golf architect to prevent the inception of future problems rests quite naturally with the education and experience of the individual architect. If the architect has an awareness of the needs of turfgrass for sunlight, well drained and fertile soil conditions, proper fertility levels, trafficability, maintenance equipment capabilities and similar fundamentals, prevention of future problems can result. To consider only the playability of a course or only the artistic design beauty while developing the layout plan will lead to numerous future problems. As both the great golfer, Bobby Jones, and the great golf architect, Alister MacKenzie, have said: The ability to play golf well does not automatically give one the ability to design golf courses well. Before the design concept is ever roughed out on paper, the architect must study the site. The features of no two golf course sites are ever identical« Micro-climates, surface or subsurface soil differentiation, vegetative changes, topographic changes, vistas or horizontal perspectives differ and each has its own impact on design. A thorough study of the site is essential. To merely lay out 18 stick drawings on a piece of paper is within the capacity of almost anyone, especially a golfer fantasizing as a golf course architect. To marry a design concept to a piece of land, combining playing strategy, topographic adaptability, scenic beauty, variety, challenge and concern for long term turfgrass maintenance is quite another matter« The alignment or location of a particular golf hole can influence initial construction costs dramatically and influence turfgrass maintenance evermore. Not everyone can truly "read" a topographic plan, yet that plan is the basic foundation of design. On flat sites, being able to move and place soils to create and provide drainage is as important as not running a hole up a 3 to 1 slope in a mountainous location. Site clearing must be carefully done« In higher elevations and northern climates, shade problems and frost retention must be considered. Tree removal or planting must provide for early day sun to warm up the greensites or teeing areas. In tropical climates, shade to cool the golfer is desirable without overshading to the detriment of the hybrid Bermudagrasses. Leaving strategically placed trees within a fairway or near a greensite can occasionally provide a golfing challenge not otherwise found« Indiscriminate clearing can be wasteful economically and aesthetically. Too little clearing can result in humid, disease-laden pockets in the summer months or fairways so narrow the sun seldom reaches the turf enough to encourage proper growth. Excessive shade in wet climates can also promote drainage problems. Teeing surfaces are obviously a necessity. However, small tees or even very long ones which restrict the available teeing surface in the areas of normal playing length cause extensive maintenance problems. There is no paragraph in the rules of golf which dictates the size or shape of the teeing surface. Yet, small tees, rectangular, square or otherwise are commonly observed. So too are these same tees with washboard surfaces so worn the golfer finds difficulty securing a suitable teeing stance. Together with large teeing surfaces should be the enhancement of the seedbed mixture on the teeing surface« Depending upon native soil types and local climatic conditions, a variety of methods are available to amend and drain the teeing surfaces to encourage healthy and prolonged turfgrass growth. Variety in teeing area size, arrangement, and orientation can also add more interest and challenge to the game. It is far better to have too much rather than too little usable teeing surface. Fairways, due to their extensive area, are generally not treated to extensive soil amending during the construction process. Problems can be prevented if top soil is retained for replacement over fill or cut sites. "Borrowing11 the top soil from fairways to build tee or bunker mounds is really robbing the fairway. During the fairway grading process, consideration must be given to providing both surface flow and subsurface drainage facilities. The introduction of contoured swales can provide ample surface drainage in some cases. Evaluation of local soil conditions, climate and rainfall are necessary to make a proper determination. The soils of one portion of a golf course may not be the same in a nearby portion; therefore, an almost hole-byhole review of drainage requirements may be necessary. Whatever the drainage needs, they can and should be determined in advance and indicated on the drainage plan. To ignore fairway drainage initially will only cost more to correct when the problems associated with or caused by poor drainage arise as they will with time and use. Sand traps or bunkers are as essential to golf as greens and tees. Anyone who has ever visited any of the great courses of Scotland would never doubt their place in the game. The tendency to eliminate bunkers in the name of efficient maintenance or speed of play is a most unfortunate one, Golf is a game of tradition0 To emasculate the game does justice to no real golfer although such emasculation may enhance a profit statement or placate a hacker0 Bunkers can be designed and constructed to provide challenge, beauty, suspense and also can be maintained for reasonable cost. Too small a bunker can be more costly to maintain than a large dramat ic one built to accommodate the mechanized rake and triplex mower. Drainage problems can be prevented or eliminated without difficulty and with modest cost. The choice of sand placed within the bunkers can be both playable and maintainable. The tendency to shave the edge of the bunkers is a very expensive luxury which basically serves the inferior golfer to the cost of all golfers. A tufted turf fringe around the edge can be attractive, traditional and economical to maintain. Exit from a bunker was never intended to be an easy, casual automatic experience when golf evolved. A bunker was a hazard to be avoided if you could0 If not avoided, the error was penalized. Shallow fairway bunkers where a three wood is casually used for recovery are no more justified than the green side bunker where the putter is used to recover. The depth of the bunker is more a personal opinion, so long as it is primarily machine rakable regardless the depth. Bunkers were intended as penal hazards in the beginning and should be so today. Irrigation systems have the greatest potential for expense problems. Given today's availability of fully automatic, centrally controlled, programmable, tensiometer activated, do-everything systems, the tendency to over-sophisticate is often encountered. More is not necessarily better. Efficient coverage, dependable operation of pumping plant and system, uniform application to the specific requirements of the particular site are vital. Soil infiltration rates and porosity, rainfall frequency and quantity, wind conditions, site topography, turfgrasses to be used and budget available are conditions some peddlers of irrigation equipment overlook or ignore. Regardless of the brand of product used, the system must fit the particulars of the individual site. A factory "engineered11 plan, drawn by someone who has never reconnoitered the site or studied the local weather records is no bargain at any price. A rubber stamp irrigation system design which works in Florida may not work in Los Angeles or Hawaii. Over elaboration with centralized automation to do everything without the superintendent having to watch the sprinklers can be costly and unnecessary,, An experienced, independent irrigation engineer can match an irrigation system to the golf architect's designs, the site requirements and the superintendent's needs while specifying the most reliable and cost effective products and materials. Equally important is the inspection service which the irrigation consultant should provide during the installation process. Who better can review the installation works to assure compliance with material and method specifications. An "as-built" drawing, accurate and precise, is essential for long term operation and maintenance of the irrigation system. The irrigation consultant should, at the very least, review and confirm the accuracy of such a record drawing. More desirably, it should be the irrigation consultant who prepares the actual document. A copy of the "as-built" should be submitted to the golf course architect as well as to the project owner and golf course superintendent for permanent reference. Golf is a game of putting« Fifty percent of the game is played on the green; another 25 percent is played directly at or to the green. Why is it then that so often the putting greens are given no more consideration than that given to making cookies with a mold? The greensite is the most important portion of any course, yet it is at the greensite where so many of the problems of maintenance are to be found. Quite possibly, many of the maintenance problems are the result of ignorance on the part of the persons designing or constructing the greensites. Some problems occur due to the disregard for known potential problems at the time of construction, either by avoidance, omission or perhaps for economy of construction. There is no economy in ignoring or avoiding correct greensite construction procedures except for the developer who will off-load the course to someone else before the problems manifest themselves. Some golf course architects, or persons calling or considering themselves golf architects, will disregard the needs for proper construction merely owing to a lack of knowledge, awareness or appreciation for the correct methods. In any event, there are numerous examples throughout the world of golf where round, flat, rubber stamp greens regularly die out with summer heat or turn to a bog after a brief rain. Design alone will influence long term maintenance somewhat, but a combination of undesirable designed-in situations together with seedbed agronomic deficiencies will sooner or later result in costly problems. Greens designed to drain only to the Sront, into the fairway approach area are very common. Given a little rain or an irrigation valve which sticks, the front of the green and that adjacent fairway approach will become a spongy quagmire. Green drainage outlets into any traffic pattern area will soon cause soil compaction related problems. The installation of subsurface drainage lines within the green putting area is essential. How much drainage line is used becomes another matter. The more the better is somewhat more expensive initially, but agronomically desirable over the long term. The type of drainage gravel to be used in conjuction with the drainage lines and the gravel layer beneath the putting surface seedbed must be carefully selected as to particle size and freedom from silt and clay. The surface design contour of the putting area must provide for several discharge outlets, not always to the front. Drainage lines can also be added to good advantage in the apron beyond the edge of the putting surface in areas of concentrated traffic, whether golfer or maintenance equipment, to assist in removing excess soil moisture. The seedbed used in the putting surface must be carefully formulated. Too many examples exist of the "old style" greens or even those of recent years, which were constructed of local soil alone or which contain a high proportion of soil. There is no valid reason to include soil, top soil or otherwise, in a putting green seedbed mixture. One day even the U.S,G.A. will acknowledge this fact. The small benefit received from including ten percent or so "top soil" in the greens mix to retain nutrients is offset with time and use by the fact that concrete is also made by mixing large and small particles together that firmly compact. Compaction due to golfer and mechanical traffic is the foremost causative agent of turfgrass maintenance problems. A putting green seedbed mixture designed to resist compaction is of primary importance. Specially graded sands, combined with a proportion of organic humus will provide the porosity and resistance to compaction desirable for putting green turf whether bentgrass or Bermudagrass. Amendment of the slopes and approach area around the putting surface with humus, sand or a combination, as the particular native soils dictate, is a wise investment of modest cost and noticable results. Design of putting greens is a very personal thing. What is "good11 design to one person may not be to another. However, all too many greens appear to be from the same mold. This is a symptom of the fact that some of the people who design greens (and golf courses) have little or no design sense. Functionally, a green might play very well; however, after playing 18 similar greens, the enjoyment may not be the same« The design of any green must include consideration of the particular approach shot requirements or objectives. The surrounding environment and visual setting of the greensite must provide a harmonious balance with and diversity from the other greensites on the course. A distinct effort to provide aesthetic, creative visual beauty is necessary« Certainly an awareness of the needs of turfgrass maintenance must be given high priority. These are a considerable number of factors to consider. Thinking in basic, stereotyped, fundamental terms alone yields the rubber stamp result. To design creatively need not add cost to construction budgets. Diversity, challenge, beauty, playability, and maintainability can all contribute to long term success. Whatever the design or the construction methods, it is the turfgrass which makes the golf course. Keep in mind that "all turf is grass but not all grass is turf11. Great design efforts can go for naught when the grass is inferior or blighted. Mediocre design efforts can pass for better if the grass upon which the game is played is a first-class turf. Selection of the grass to be planted on any portion of a golf course must be carefully done. Arbitrary selection of the species or varieties to be used, or disregard for high standards of seed quality and purity will soon manifest themselves in a mediocre, weed-infested stand of grass. Inferior grass varieties or a weed-infested turf will cause numerous maintenance problems which can be corrected only with considerable effort and expense. Throughout all of the above discussion has run the implied need for a knowledgeable golf course superintendent to manage the maintenance of the golf course. There are fewer golf professionals who can competently manage turfgrass maintenance than they think there are. Keep the pro in the golf shop. Put a professional golf course superintendent in charge of turfgrass maintenance * Preventing maintenance problems on any golf course begins with the golf course architect. For established courses, remodeling, renovation, and for those classic few, restoration, should be done with the same concern as for proper new construction. Irrigation system modernization and conversion from manual to automatic or pumping plant replacement can occur as part of a renovation project. A long range Master Remodeling Plan can provide the roadmap to guide an established golf course renovation program as cash flow and need permit. Comprehensive planning, consultation, and careful consideration are important aspects of the process to develop the long range Master Plan. Once accepted, the Master Remodeling Plan should be followed diligently, thereby eliminating the sometimes devastating arbitrary decisions of ephemeral green committees or dogmatic Green Committee Chairmen. In summary, when contemplating golf course construction efforts of any scope or extent, design the golf course with creativity and technical awareness, build it right the first time and maintain it professionally. The result will be of benefit to all golfers. MY EXPERIENCE IN DEVELOPING GOLF COURSES Chuck Hegan, Golf Course Owner Crown Point, Indiana Introduction: In 1961, I left an accounting business and started in the golf business by leasing an 18-hole course with a burned out clubhouse. I rearranged the course and added a modest clubhouse in 1962. In 1965, I leased a second course twenty miles away. The tees were small, the greens were 2000 to 2500 square feet, and the courses were 5500 and 5800 yards. The mains were two inch water lines from unstable ditches, pushed by gasoline powered pumps. Greens and tees were watered by 5/8 inch hose and roller base sprinklers. Architect and/or Builder: Always wanting my own golf course, and seeing mistakes in the planning of courses I played (as well as other courses built by a builder without separation of architect and builder) I decided to hire an architect and let him guide me on construction of a course of my own. In 1968, I bought a 160 acre farm under contract and started searching for my architect. (An architect represents about 3% of the total cost, an attorney 1% and an hydraulic engineer 1/4%). And believe me, they are worth it. I've played many courses in the last forty years; have run three golf courses, and these are three services I'll use for any course I build. After a year of questioning and almost hiring a reputable builder only, I picked my architect, introduced him to my attorney, and showed him the farm I owned, plus three other locations I was negotiating on if I sold my farm, for which I had an offer. The architect advised me to sell the farm and buy a spot near Merrillville - a mile from a major shopping area at 1-65 and US 30. The farm was 160 acres, the new spot in 1971 was 206 acres. Financing and Planning: The architect was responsible for layout, design development, reviewing bids and on-site supervision. His work was to be done as I released it, and payments to be made as the various stages were completed. If I wanted to, I could halt the project at any stage and not be liable for the balance of the contract. Based on the architect's estimates, in 1973 I obtained a commitment of $450,000.00 for balance due on land, the architect, attorney, construction and construction interest. This amount did not include maintenance equipment, touch-up cost, electric entrance, and roads and storage. Income from the other courses was to help, but as time proved, the incomes from the other courses were not adequate. The clubhouse was later to be a separate mortgage. The paper design work for an 18-hole championship course was finished in the fall of 1973, and the on-site staking of fairways, tees, greens and range was done in the winter of 1973-74. The course was to have automatic-watered tees, greens and fairways. The greens were to be large enough for heavy traffic, but not too excessive as to require costly maintenance; adequate bunkering a must, with ample area between greens and traps, and no violent angles on the greens. The greens and traps were to be tiled, as well as an additional five miles of course tiling to a pit in the pumphouse from where water was to be pumped uphill into a diked ditch going through the property. Part of the property was in a flood plain, and the old dike had to be repaired. Since 80% of the ground was open, six lakes were to be built to control play, as well as for scenic effect, and to provide a water reservoir for our well storage. We couldn't rely on the ditch (although clean) because in watching it, I found that during August and September, 1973, it almost went dry. The higher lakes overflows were tiled to eventually intercouple to the main reservoir lake alongside the pumphouse and well. All drain tile were sent to a separate pit in the pumphouse and automatically pumped into the diked ditch. In the spring with the five miles of tile I added, plus some three miles of existing farm tile, we are dry right after the frost is out, despite the ditch sometimes being six feet above our flood plain. This area can't be developed for residences but is fine for golf. The course and range was laid out on 150 acres of internal ground and flood plain. Approximately 52 acres of perimeter road frontage and land adjacent to neighbors was kept out for future condominium or apartment development. Work Planning: I acted as general contractor with a full-time superintendent with 20 years experience in course maintenance, but no experience in construction or automatic irrigation. The architect was on site once or twice a week as needed or available. The only contracts given were to the architect, irrigation contractor, pumphouse and tree clearing. The heavy equipment and drainage was time and material. Miscellaneous cleaning up was done by hired help as was the seeding of fairways and stolonizing of greens. We used Toronto C-15 stolons for our greens. On fairways and tees, a mix of annual rye, some fescue, and three types of bluegrasses was used. Roughs were annual rye, fescue and Kentucky bluegrass. Lime and fertilizer were applied at the end of August, 1974. Construction: Tree clearing was to start first, but due to a wet spring, tree clearing and finding a farmer to plow up the open areas (approximately 80% of 150 acres for course and range) was not started until June 13, 1974. Because of interest cost, the plan in 1973 was 18 holes in one year or we would be in money trouble. On July 1, scrapers started knocking off knobs, filling pockets and putting in bases for greens and tees. Lakes were started after making test bores to determine our retention problems and the lake material moved immediately for fill or for base. If let to set, the wet lake material would have taken a year to dry before we could have moved it. The green bases were completed August 5, and the tiling of greens, traps, and course was completed August 11. An underground wire for three-phase service was trenched in six foot deep to the pumphouse site at the center of the course at the end of July before the drainage tile was put through that area. The pumphouse was to be built in July, but didn't get completed until April of 1975. (I'll cover this later). Sand mix for greens and tees was brought in and prepared at three mixing sites from August 7 through August 23c Irrigation construction which was to start in early July did not get started until August 15, and then proceeded much too slowly and was not completed until April of 1975. Seeding was started a little late, August 26, and finished ahead of the irrigation, about September 30. The big scrapers were out September 9, and the finished topping of tees and greens by dozers was complete September 11, 1974. Since the irrigation wasn't ready, we had to rely on nature for our fairway and rough water supply, but held up stolonizing greens until October 180 On October 21 the irrigation contractor was able to complete enough irrigation work (not wiring of pumphouse) to give us limited water« Our watering was limited to greens only, as only six heads could be run at one time, and only by manually opening valves. Despite the lack of automatic water, we had a good fall stand of grass in our fairways and roughs. Problems: On approximately January 8, 1975, we had a four-inch rain and discovered the local old-time farmers' knowledge of high flood marks was inaccurate. A hole in the dike flooded us through a four-acre section of ground owned by a neighbor« My eleventh fairway was too low to drain effectively, and my seventh green was built below flood level. The spring of 1975 was dry as was the winter after the January rain, and the tees and greens needed water. I had to bring in another contractor to open the irrigation system as the original contractor would not show up. By the time we got the water to tees and the greens (after blow outs on all four-inch and larger pressure points), we had lost over one-half of the grass through drying on tees and greens« We had to buy more Toronto for weak spots in the greens and re-do six tees. Irrigation lines were not compacted as required by the contract, and most of them sank or washed out over the fairways. In 1975, I bought my neighbor's four acres for twice its value, raised my dike four feet, filled my neighbor's dike hole, hired a new contractor to finish my irrigation system, raised a low fairway three feet, replaced all major thrust blocks, and went back to the bank broke, and luckily borrowed another $175,000 to stay alive. The course was opened on June 24, 1975« That year, without a clubhouse, we took $18,000.00 from green fees, range, carts, and soda pop. The 1975 cost to correct the problems went close to $250,000.00. 1976 was much improved, and the bank approved a mortgage for the clubhouse in 1977, for which I hired an architect, and I again acted as general contractor. The clubhouse went 207o over budget and was not completed until March 1978, but was a great successs. In 1978 I bought 50 new electric golf carts and had to borrow again. Now that it's 1979, and we have a three-way liquor license, including Sundays, the anticipated gross (excluding pro shop equipment) is for over $500,000 - for green fees, carts, range and restaurant. My New Dream: Now I'm planning a new course. In 1977 my attorney offered me 175 acres of his farm in Crown Point. Since then, I have worked much harder in depth at better planning regarding money, lay-out approval, budgeting, knowledge of contractors, our soils, types of grasses to use, erosion control, zoning utility needs, scheduling, and feasibility. Differences in my new project, as opposed to the past one, are as follows: 1. Instead of borrowing $390,000.00 for 10 years for construction, this time (5 years later) I'm borrowing $1,300,000.00 for 20 years. 2. The architect will supply a detail of bids and an on-site supervising architect. He will supply: - Detailed time schedules for various phases of construction« Completed detailed layouts for my approval of the course, maintenance equipment, buildings, roads, cart paths, pumping plant, and drainage. 3. I will have my own superintendent with construction experience on the site and will check all work in detail, as well as test all sand and peat deliveries, and greens and tees during construction. All construction draws will be approved by my architect, my superintendent, myself, and my attorney. 4. Irrigation system will be fully automatic, and fairways will be double line. Fairways, tees, and greens will all be bent. 5. There will be four sets of tees, with the course ranging from 5250 to 7250 yards. Construction will be done over a two-year period. In the summer and fall of 1979 we will rough stone our entrance roads, clear our fairways, dig our lakes, do the heavy earth moving and shaping the course and building our bases for tees and greens. After that we will put in our drainage system. This will allow for the 1979-1980 winter and spring to settle the soil, thereby allowing us to level sunken pockets the next summer before applying our finish mix to tees and greens. The pumphouse and electric will be ready by the early summer of 1980 and will be placed in traps during fall of 1980, but cart paths on hillsides will not be added until the spring of 1981, just prior to the opening of the course. We will hold up construction start of the clubhouse until the fall of 1980, with completion in time for our first full operational year 1981' Recognizing that the average golfer wants to score well and that the better player wants to be challenged, the endeavor is to make the course interesting without making it too tough or too easy for both average and good players. This course is being designed to provide a test of the golfer's ability to execute a variety of shots. If the design is successful and the course is good, it will establish its own reputation and play will take care of itself. RECREATIONAL TURF IN EUROPE John Souter, Consultant Perthshire, Scotland A. Problems, Investigation, Maintenance Problems are normally created, either intentionally or otherwise, by our industry itself through faulty specifications, lack of material control, careless and bad workmanship, and sometimes by poor husbandry by the groundsman after the completion of the contract. We all are striving, yearly, to eliminate these and create a scheme of work which can be easily controlled and is acceptable to all concerned. Experienced operators who care and groundsmen who have a pride in their work are the basis of any success we have had. B. Site Investigation - Planning Too often we have taken short cuts and omitted many aspects which play an important part in the overall design and aftercare of our playing surfaces. We suggest the following as a basis for our scheme. Soil profiles dug over the area to check for a uniformity or otherwise of our base structure. Soil analysis of mainly the top 9" (23 cm)0 The readings show many of the basic problems with our particular material; e.g., whether packing, too silty, too free flowing, etc. Site survey which shows the levels existing and allows us to make proposals on the information available. The outlet point will play the most important part of our survey as it will determine the control of flow we can achieve. C. Materials Available From bitter experience these must be checked at source and again on site and the training of site foremen to understand the basics of particle size is essential. All material should be delivered to the site three or four days prior to use, if possible, and samples can then be taken back to the laboratory for testing and clearance. Washed, clean material only should be considered. Silty or dirty gravel may soon clog the slit spaces in plastic pipe thus reducing the flow rate to the outlet point. D. Method Of Construction This should be decided after all the information is available. Decisions regarding falls, the formation of a crown, construction of manhole or outlet chambers, sizes of pipe can then be made. The job specification can be prepared showing the method, type of materials used in the construction, type and quantity of fertilizer and seed, and lastly the aftercare specification for the next 2-3 years (minimum). Machinery sheets. These include the type of trenchers to be used, the number of tractors and trailers, any specialist machine required, a list of spares to be carried together with notes of the nearest repair shop. Selection of Staff. Probably the most critical aspect is choosing the most suitable foreman to liase between the client and the designer. Experience and natural ability are high on the list of priorities. Any client likes to feel the man on "his1! job is good. Client Discussion. Before any contract is entered into we try to cover all apsects of the construction and after maintenance with the club committee and Head Groundsman. He, after all, will either cooperate during the construction, or he will not; will carry out the programme set out after completion, or he will not. We have found that when the Head Groundsman was fully involved from the start that these contracts have been our most successful. Finally - make sure the person you deal with has enough money! That he understands the meaning of provisional sums and extra over items. It is important that he attends the interim site meetings re progress and then sends you a cheque within the stipulated period. Once the contract has been signed and starting and completion dates are agreed, endeavor to keep the client informed, especially during inclement weather as he will try to understand if you discuss matters with him. E. Maintenance It is important that some form of systematic programme is carried out and our suggestions are as follows: During April-early May apply a nitrogenous fertilizer (347o N) at 1 cwt/acre. Overseed mid-May using a suitable mix such as: 707o Manhattan perennial ryegrass 15% Kentucky bluegrass 15% creeping red fescue Application rates are now as low as 1/2 cwt/acre once an installation has been completed. Spiking, using either the tractor mounted or motorized hand operated machines should be carried out weekly, care being taken that the surface is not wet or greasy when the operation is carried out. Sand dressing during mainly end June/July. This should be applied using tested material only (in excess of 75% in the medium/fine fraction and less than 1170 in the 125 micron size). Apply approximately 40 tons per acre in two-three directions over the pitch area and brush well using a tractor mounted power brush or chain harrows. Autumn fertilizer. 2-3 cwt/acre. Worm control. Any suitable fertilize should be applied at a rate around Encourage and DO NOT KILL. GOLF AND BOWLING GREENS IN SCOTLAND John Souter, Consultant Perthshire, Scotland Golf in Scotland started on the Links or coastal dune areas. Many of our famous courses such as St. Andrews, Muirfield, Troon, Carnoustie, and Turnberry, where Open Championships are held, are "natural" each with its own special character. The care of these courses has, over the years, been entrusted to that amazing breed of men — the Scottish Greenkeeper. They had no knowledge of critical tension or hydraulic conductivity but they did have what cannot be taught - a sensitivity or feel for their job. My earliest recollection of this, although I did not understand it at the time, was meeting with the late Jim King of Luffness Golf Club, East Lothian. He annually, during October, lifted three greens, set them aside, dug over the base, tramped and raked, relaid the turf, and proceeded to top dress almost daily (with dune sand only, of course) until he created his new putting surface. When I eventually managed to ask him why he did this,the reply rather staggered me. "Because I've got too much root." Equally, he did not kill the worm. "It brings up the finest top dressing in the land - FREE". He was a Scot, thrifty, and a real gentleman. There were also those who thought he had some of the finest greens in Scotland. Switching or brushing was carried out each morning to disperse the casts and to remove any early morning dew. What was significant was that annual meadow grass (Poa annua) was unknown in his greens; only the finest fescues grew. He knew that if his roots could penetrate the material under the turf (and dune sand has almost constant 8 9 - 9 2 7 o of medium to fine particles and normally only a maximum of 37> under 125 microns) that the fine leaved fescues remained. He also understood that by adding predominately "soil" based top dressing he slowly lost his finer leaved grasses and Poa soon crept in. There was, however, a problem in that when the greens became "older", i.e., as they reached 5-6 years after relaying, dry spots appeared. These seemed to be the areas where the root depth or root thatch as we called it, was greatest. Some trials were carried out using wetting agents worked into the base prior to relaying, but this never appeared to give lasting results. Eventually we decided that his own "experiments" gave a fine putting surface and unless we can improve on what some thought was perfection, then he may be, as he has been to me, the real teacher. It was always a pleasure to call and see many of these greenkeepers. They always had time to stop and discuss their problems or ideas if you were interested in listening. What I did not know then was that they started work usually around 5 a.m., and were sometimes to be found watering their greens, by hand, at midnight. Bowling is one of our more popular sports and is no longer thought of as an "old man's game11. The green should be square with a minimum side length of 40 yards and a maximum of 44 yards. It is flat and over the playing surface should have a tolerance of 4-1/4". It requires skill and accuracy during construction and the aftercare treatments are all important. Ditches are set prior to the turf being laid and are there to catch the bowls. Banks can be perpendicular or no more than 30° to it. They are turfed and require to be a minimum of 9" above the finished level of the green. The game is played by individuals (singles), pairs,triples, or fours using a white ball or jack and four bowls which are biased, i.e., they roll inwards from the right or left to the jack. Play commences during April and ceases around the end of September, when the main turf programme takes place. The area is heavily scarified in two directions and the resulting dead material disposed of. Hollow coring then takes place and the cores removed. Top dressing compost, comprising 7 parts medium/fine sand, 2 parts sedge peat, and 1 part sterilized soil is then applied at a rate of between 2-4 tons per green. This is well brushed in, preferably by drag mat or brush and in several different directions. An autumn fertilizer at 1-1/2 cwt/green and a preventive fungicide, mainly to control fusarium, are applied and the green laid by for the winter. In the spring, the area may be lightly scarified and a spring and summer fertilizer applied at 1-1/2 cwt/ green. Light feeds of around 3/4 cwt/green can be applied at 4-5 week intervals. A little and often is sometimes best. SAND ONTO ATHLETIC STADIUMS John Souter, Consultant Perthshire, Scotland Since 1969, when we made our first sand slit hopper and thought we knew all the an-swers, many methods, depths, and types of materials have been tried. It is only since 1974 that a pattern has emerged that appears to be affording us a more stable, harder wearing, and yet porous surface. Over the years we have tried and rejected the following operations. A. Mixing a gritty sand into the top 9" of soil having previously drained the area at 5 yard intervals, herring bone fashion. Initially the results were good, but after three years the surface had "compacted11 and our good grass variety replaced with Poa annua. B. Injecting sand and grits to depths which varied from 10"-14" by mole plough and vibrating sand hopper. These we attempted to run or intersect over existing drainage, if present. Again the early results were good but eventually (in as short a period as nine months) the surface returned to its original state. C. Top dressing the complete area with sand dressings during the summer months. Vibro slitting and spiking were then carried out. These mostly resulted in failure, except one on a clay base which had a fall of 1:100 from goal to goal. Once the wet winter weather was with us the rain would penetrate the base material quickly enough, and as most play is during these wet months the resulting surfaces were similar to mud pies or porridge. D. Draining and sand slitting the existing surfaces using Davis machines (4" and 2" chains), backfilling the plastic pipes with gravels, grits, and sands to the surface. This was more successful, but often resulted in undulations in the drain runs which were not helpful to soccer as the ball is on the ground most of the time. During 1974 a decision to open our small laboratory was made. This ensured strict quality control of all materials. Patience and observing nature also played an important part in our research and eventually our installation technique developed, resulting in the operation taking 2-3 years. Year 1 - Testing, grading to final formation levels, amelioration of top surface and seeding. Excavating and construction of outlet manhole and main periphery drains. Year 2 - Setting off area, drainage, slitting, and sand dressing. Year 3 - Sand dressing plus maintenance programme commences in full. First Year: After the analysis of the existing soil has been checked over,,many areas, the amount of medium, fine particle sand required to be added to the varying depths of the soil is calculated. Selections of this material can be made from various sources and availability of quantity verified. We may require some 700 tons which must be delivered and checked prior to use. The final surface formation, e.g., crown, end to end slope or side to side slope is then agreed. To break up the existing sod, light rotovation is necessary and the area then ploughed to a suitable depth ascertained from the soil profiles. Grading is carried out by tractor and blade or Warnock leveller. Sand is added, evenly, to the complete area by tractor hopper which is adjustable to heights of l"-5". Amelioration by various implements such as the Vicon Cultivator is the next stage. Rotovation sometimes results in a "mixing out" of the ingredients. Try to ensure this operation is carried out during dry conditions. The final grading using the tractor leveller depends on the ability of the operator to make it a success or otherwise. The final surface is hand raked to receive the seed mix. This ensures uniformity and removes any stones present. After these operations have been approved by the client, preseeding fertilizer is applied at 3 cwt/acre. Grass seed is sown in two directions using Cyclone Major spreaders. We are finding that a mix of: 70-80% perennial ryegrass 107o Timothy short seeded 10% Kentucky blue grass in the first year gives us a quick initial cover and then a much more wear resistant surface. This varies in year 2 (no Timothy). Good results have been attained at our main soccer stadiums such as the National Stadium, Hampden Park, Ibrox (Rangers F.C.), Parkhead (Celtic F.C.), and Fir Park (Motherwell F.C.). The mix is lightly hand raked into the surface. Watering if dry conditions prevail is essential and we normally set up a unit comprising of a 12,000 gallon tank plus four travelling sprinklers and hose. Second Year: After the season closes, normally at the end of April or early May, the complete area is overseeded with a mix comprising: 70% Manhattan ryegrass 157o creeping red fescue 157o Kentucky bluegrass The rate of application is around 1 - 1 / 2 cwt/acre, and is applied by means of a Sisis Contravator in two directions and diagonally. Setting out the area using a Dumpy level white line markers, and level T bars then takes place and is carried out by our engineer and site foreman. Main lateral drains are excavated by Davis trencher with 4" digging chain and all excavated material taken from the site by trailer. Depths of drain vary from 18" to possibly 3 0 " . Plastic pipe is inserted into the drains and backfilled with gravel 3 / 1 6 - 3 / 8 , grit 1 / 8 " , and sand 1 2 5 - 5 0 0 mm. The top layer contains a cap mix comprising sand, sedge peat and the correct percentage of soil plus fertilizer and grass seed. ! l f l Sand slitting at right angles to the laterial drains then takes place and is set at pre-determined spacing, normally 1-4 yard intervals. These are excavated by a Davis 500 with a 2" chain and scaled front digging unit. All excavated materials are disposed off. CLEAN DIGGING IS ESSENTIAL. The slits are filled with grit and sand and capped off. Watering takes place and after germination the area should be lightly rolled to firm the surface and level the drains and slits. During late June or early July the area is sand dressed in several directions using medium/fine approved material and quantity of 200 tons is aimed at for soccer pitches (110 yards x 75 yards) i.e., approximately 1". When the grass is vigorous this operation can be carried out successfully, Third Year Onwards: Maintenance is now in the hands of the groundsman and his cooperation is more essential now than ever. We have found, however, that groundsmen such as John Docherty at Hampden, Davie Marshall at Ibrox, Andy Russell at Motherwell, Joe Docherty at Celtic Park, and George Hamilton at St. Mirren F. C. make sure that "the amateur turf experts11 are not allowed to interfere in their programme and that compliments rather than the continual war of nerves are the order of the day. During all the operations our ally, the wee worm,must not be forgotten - he spikes, aerates, and allows the surface to breathe! Thanks are due to the following people for permission to use the slides shown: Mr. Mr. Mr. Mr. Mr. W. I. W. W. W* Waddell, general manager, Rangers F. C. Hartnett, ground convener, Hampden Park McNeill, manager, Celtic F. C. Samuel, chairman, Motherwell F. C. Todd, chairman, St. Mirren F. C. Finally, my personal appreciation to Dr. Victor Stewart (a Scot) now at University of Wales, Aberystwyth, for all his unstinting advice and guidance since 1969. PRODUCTION OF QUALITY SANDS IN THE MIDWEST Dan Warner, Standard Sand Corporation Grand Haven, Michigan The Midwest Regional Turf Foundation covers a seven state area which has been blessed with an enormous amount of high quality sand deposits. It's interesting to note that, almost without exception, no two states have the same geological history. More importantly, the majority of sands produced are not suitable for topdressing applications for one reason or another. Bank sands and molding or naturally bonded sands contain excessive amounts of clay, which present in these materials are considered beneficial by the foundry industry. It is not uncommon to find clay contents ranging from two to twenty percent. Lake sand, beach sand, and sharp sand,all of which are commonly referred to as dune sand, is quite the opposite. Small amounts of clay and impurities are removed through processing, rendering a clean, well sorted material containing approximately 97% silica. Silica sand, like dune sand, has a wide distribution range, and generally requires some type of washing to remove small amounts of clay and silt. Used sand, mortar sand, and concrete sand, although not considered industrial sands, deserve some mention because they are readily available in most states. As the name implies, used sand Is any material which has been used in a foundry sand mixture. The grains exhibit a carbonaceous coating or skin deposit and are black in color. These sands may be found in a wide range of sizes with varying amounts of unused clay and binder material coating the grains. Mortar and concrete sands are very coarse and used primarily by the construction industry. They differ in that concrete sand could contain as much as 35% stone between the 8 and 20 mesh sieves, while mortar sand usually contains less than 15%. The states of Wisconsin and Illinois are favored with excellent silica sand deposits, the most unusual of which is the St. Peter Sandstone Formation. This deposit, when washed of its slight clay content, contains 99.5% pure rounded grain silica. Producers in Fairwater and Portage, Wisconsin, as well as Ottawa and Wedron, Illinois, market sands which are generally much finer than what your specification calls for. In order to make their materials acceptable to the foundry industry, they must screen out the coarser grains. This by-product, in addition to being suitable for topdressing, is a very good abrasive material for sandblasting. Unfortunately, the supply is short and the demand is high. Producers are able to rid themselves of this material at a high price without regard to quality. Grading sand by screening and blending is very difficult and consistency is extremely hard to maintain. There are a number of Wisconsin golf course superintendents who will agree that each truckload of this coarse grade by-product is liable to exhibit completely different characteristics. The silica sands of Missouri are considered light quality materials. Therefore their use is limited almost exclusively to the glass industry. Two of the largest deposits, located in Festus and Klondike, contain large amounts of fines, which in most cases are not screened out. Because of this, the price is considerably lower than that of the higher quality Wisconsin and Illinois silicas. Ohio contains the largest variety of industrial sands in the midwest. For example, along the Lake Erie shoreline occur vast deposits of dune sand; the northeastern portion of the state is covered with bank and molding sand deposits, while the central and southern regions contain sandstone formations, which in some cases test out to nearly 100%, pure angular and sub-angular grained silica. As much as I hate to admit it, the dune sands and silica sands are available at reasonable prices in grades which would be suitable for topdressing your greens. Kentucky, on the other hand, is much less fortunate. To my knowledge, there are few, if, in fact, any, active industrial sand operations. The majority of the sand used by the Kentucky foundry industry comes by rail from surrounding states, and the price per ton reflects this transportation cost. In north central Indiana, around the area of Logansport, there is a very substantial bank sand deposit. Even though this material has a grain structure resembling that of southern Michigan dune sand, excessive amounts of clay render it useless as a topdressing material® Along the southern shore of Lake Michigan, around Gary, there are huge dune sand deposits. However, this area is highly industrialized, making property values extremely high and prohibiting the mining of these deposits. As with Kentucky, foundries in Indiana are supplied by surrounding states, primarily southern Michigan. Used sand, mortar sand, and concrete sand, as previously mentioned, are available at very reasonable prices throughout the midwest. In fact, in the case of used sand, many foundries would be happy to pay you to haul this material away. Today's binder systems utilize a wide variety of chemicals which remain on the sand grains following use. Some of these chemicals axe considered highly toxic, which makes disposal a very costly proposition. The Environmental Protection Agency and state DNR officials have imposed tough restrictions on solid waste disposal practices. I have been told that there are a number of golf courses in Ohio that are using this material for topdressing applications. If you are using spent sand, I would suggest that you pay a competent lab to run a complete chemical analysis so that you know exactly what you're putting on your greens and into your turf. The foundries furnishing you with this material can tell you the chemical composition of their particular binder systems. Mortar and concrete sands are also being used, and with a good deal of success. If the problems caused by the stones present in these materials are tolerable, I would suggest that you continue their use. If not, there are better sands available. I must warn you, however, that the price of quality is not low. You should be sitting down when you investigate other sources of sand. This leads us to my favorite state. In Michigan, industrial sand is mined from several sources for a variety of uses. The major source is the coastal dunes located along the western shore of the Lower Peninsula and along some of the shoreline of the Upper Peninsula. For many years Michigan's dune sand has been consumed by the foundry and glass industries, as well as sandblasing companies and the railroad for use as an engine traction material. In 1977, much to everyone's surprise and delight, a recreation oriented industry began to consume this mineral resource. Today, many golf courses throughout Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin are finding this material, which contains in excess of 80% between the .50 and .21 millimeter sieves, ideally suited for use in topdressing their greens. A survey conducted by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, in conjunction with The Sand Dune Management and Protection Act of 1976, revealed seven producers operating within the state. These seven extracted some 5,450,000 tons and controlled recoverable reserves totalling 256,765,000 tons. At existing production rates, present reserves should not be depleted until the year 20300 However, Michigan is blessed with an abundance of high quality sand deposits. Of the 65,000 acres of prime duneland within the state, sand companies own or control only 3,000 acres. Barring future legislation contrary to the mining of these deposits, we will continue to lead the nation in industrial sand production well into the twenty-first century. Geologists tell us that thousands of years of natural wind sorting has resulted in vast deposits of well sorted dune sand consisting of 95% pure sub-angular grained silica. The remaining 5% is divided between oxides of aluminum, titanium, iron, calcium and magnesium. Eliminating these impurities, or as we like to call them, "beneficial non-silica particles", has presented sand producers with their greatest challenge. Some of us have met that challenge with new and sophisticated processing techniques, while others have not. If you are concerned with the pH level of your top- dressing and are considering using a dune sand, by all means select a supplier that has! Before going into the actual production of sand, I'l like to speak briefly about a ploy used by most sand salesmen when questioned about impurity levels in their product. They like to speak in terms of pH values, and you should not fall victim to their decptive tactics. As you know, calcium values. However, some of and will not influence pH an acid demand test which find magnesium carbonates have a substantial effect on pll these elements present in dune sand are not water soluble readings. Because of this, the foundry industry develped more accurately measures carbonate concentrations. It is known that when equal amounts of a neutral distilled water, hydrochloric acid, and sodium hydroxide are mixed, the pH will remain neutral. If an equal portion of sand were mixed with the water/acid solution, the carbonates within the sand would consume a portion of the acid. By back titrating with sodium hydroxide to a netural pH, the exact amount of acid consumed could be determined. This number is then referred to as the Acid Demand Value. The nature of the test method is such that these values range between zero and fifty. An Acid Demand of zero would indicate that the sand had no reaction with the acid and for all practical purposes was neutral. On the other hand, an A.D.V. of fifty would indicate a very basic sand which consumed 1007o of the acid. These two chemically different sands could very easily have the same pH value. As an example, our sand in its raw state has a pH of approximately 8.5 with acid demand values ranging between 35 and 45, meaning it would consume 70 to 90% of the acid. By processing this material we are able to reduce the acid demand to less than 5, yet the pH value remains at approximately 8.5. Now that I have completely confused you, let's move on to the methods of producing a quality sand. The facility that I am going to describe belongs to Construction Aggregates Corporation and is located in Ferrysburg, Michigan. Just to set the record straight, Standard Sand is a subsidiary of Construction Aggregates. Our mining operation, as all others, consists of extracting the material by the use of either a front-end-loader or a crane. The raw material is unloaded into a nearby hopper and transported via conveyor to a surge pile for processing * Some companies are forced to truck their raw sand to their processing facility because the plant is located some distance from the deposit. As you can imagine, conveying is much less expensive. In our case, the raw material is drawn from the surge pile at a rate of 300 tons per hour, diluted with water, and passed over a screen to remove the roots, stones, and other foreign matter. The sand passing through the screen is made into a slurry consisting of 3 0 7 o solids and is pumped to our cyclones for primary washing. The cyclones are equipped to remove essentially all of the minus 140 particles. The washed sand discharged out the bottom of the cyclones can then be diverted to either our dewatering devices or to our flotation plant for further processing. I'm going to concentrate on the flotation process simply because this is the material that we have sold to numerous golf courses. We built our flotation plant in 1975 for the specific purpose of eliminating the "beneficial non-silica particles11 that I referred to earlier0 As simply and as briefly as it can be explained, the flotation process or more specifically, froth flotation, involves chemical treatment of a sand pulp to create conditions favorable for the attachment of carbonate particles to tiny air bubbles. These air bubbles are carried to the surface of the pulp and form a stabilized froth which is skimmed off while the sand remains submerged« Sand flotation is a very sophisticated process and there a number of critical steps involved. First of all, the cyclones must remove all of the silt and clay which, even in small amounts, will have a disasterous cffect on the final outcome. In addition, the cyclones must deliver a slurry consisting of 75 to 80% solids to our first conditioning tank. At the point of the cyclone underflow an anionic fatty acid is metered in at a predetermined rate, generally between 1/4 and 1/2 pound per ton, and the very critical conditioning phase begins. This is the heart of the entire process since it is the fatty acid which produces the hydrophobic film on the carbonate particles. Numerous lab experiments showed that we needed a minimum of five minutes retention time to effectively disperse the fatty acid throughout the entire load. To accomplish this, we installed two nine foot by nine foot tanks complete with 36" propellers. We calculated that each tank would have a 2-1/2 minute retention time while running at 350 tons per hour. This was not the case at all, and in 1977 we found ourselves adding a third conditioning tank to the system. We now have a total retention time of six minutes while running at 300 tons per hour. Once the slurry is properly conditioned, it is fed to the first of four 500 cubic foot flotation cells where make-up water is added to reduce the solids back to 35%. Intense agitation and aeration occurs in the mixing zone at the bottom of these cells. It's within this portion of the cell that contact between the conditioned pulp and controlled air is made. The carbonatized air bubbles are lifted hydraulically by the recirculated pulp in the middle of the cell. At this point a calm separation zone is created which permits the flotable particles to separate from those that will not float, and a stabilized froth is formed on the surface. This froth is skimmed off and the finished product is pumped to our roto-scoops and sand screw for dewatering. This, in a nutshell, is the flotation process which is the most effective way of reducing the carbonate content of a sand. There are other less complicated and less expensive methods, but, quite frankly, they donft begin to compare to the effectiveness of a well run flotation system. Once dewatered, the sand is conveyed to a radial stacker for stockpiling over one of three tunnels. By stockpiling the coarse material over one tunnel and the fines over the others, we're able to blend during loading to adjust screen distribution, fineness, and acid demand to meet our customers' specifications. Our stockpile consists of 42,000 tons of live storage which can be loaded in trucks or into lake freighters for shipment to ports in Canada, New York, Illinois, or Wisconsin. I have saved any mention of quality control for last because it's really the main thrust of our operation and something we're quite proud of. Our progranbegins with prior testing of the sand dunes to determine what type of material we will have available for mining. A number of samples are extracted throughout the year with test results recorded on a large topographical map. From this data, which includes a screen distribution, fineness, clay content, and acid demand values, we're able to formulate a mining plan conducive to meeting customer specifications. Each of our major customers has a completely different demand with respect to sand quality, and therefore we must base our production schedule on a very strict shipping schedule. Additional samples are collected at both the pre-screen and the finished product belt. Each sample is representative of 300 tons of production, and the test results are compared to measure both plant efficiency and finished product quality. Results from the finished product samples are then recorded on an inventory control sheet which is used to design a loading plan for both truck and vessel shipments. During shipping, samples are collected by the truckload or every 3,000 tons in the case or a boat load, and these results are mailed to the customer. In addition, small composite samples are saved for future reference. These small samples have saved us thousands of dollars on a number of occasions. Self unloading vessels also transport coal and salt throughout the Great Lakes and have a nasty habit of contaminating our sand. I speak from experience when I say there is no headache more severe than 27,000 tons of contaminated sand on a customer's dock. Our operation, which produces 650,000 tons per year, is simple by comparison to other facilities which separate the sand by individual grain size and then blend various sizes together to produce a number of different sized products. We have never felt compelled to do this for a couple of reasons. First of all, it is extremely difficult to produce a consistent product time after time, and secondly, we have been quite successful with our present operation. In conclusion, I'd just like to say that most midwest producers are very quality conscious, and ship reasonably consistent products. Not all of them have the type of sand that you are looking for, nor do they have the additional capacity to meet your demand. I know that some of you have been disappointed by the apparent lack of interest in your market on the part of sand producers in your areas. You must understand first of all that most producers are sold out and are hard pressed to meet the increasing demands of their present customers. Opening up more mining operations would solve this problem; however environmentalists have made this an extremely costly proposition. Secondly, your market at present is not large enough to capture the interest of most producers. This is not to say that nobody is interested! Our company has the capability of shipping sand to a number of different ports which eliminates stockpiling problems. In two days, we are able to produce enough material to supply the entire midwest topdressing demand. If we had to stockpile this sand for the entire year at our plant site we too would find it difficult to supply your industry. We're pleased that this is not the case, and we are looking into opening docks in Chicago and Peoria, Illinois. Transportation and handling costs definitely escalates the price of this material;however, availability, quality, and consistency should be your primary consideration. SAND TOPDRESSING Ray Knapp, Superintendent Tuckaway Country Club, Franklin, Wisconsin Before starting a sand topdressing program we must assume that a problem exists. There would not be much reason to switch to a different program if there are no problems. Sand topdressing cna be used as a solution to some maintenance problems. I would like to review the reason why some superintendents in the midwest have started a sand topdressing program and what they expect it to accomplish. The main reason we started a sand topdressing program at Tuckaway was because of a clay layer at about three inches below the surface. This layer caused a problem of standing water after heavy rains. We felt that we could not do much about the layer. It was just below the depth of the aerifier tines. By using sand topdressing for four years this problem has been reduced. For most superintendents the biggest greens problem is caused by low infiltration rate. This leads to shallow root growth and deteriorating greens. With sand topdressing on a short term basis many superintendents have noticed increased root growth. This is especially true when topdressing and aerifying are combined. On a long term basis, a greater benefit could be expected as depth of sand increases. After starting on a sand topdressing program many superintendents have noticed a reduction of disease. Most of the reports I have heard indicate a reduction of pythium however, I'm sure there is a reduction of other summertime diseases. My experience shows a 1/4 to 1/3 saving in summertime fungicide because of lower rates of material used on a preventative program. The reason for this disease reduction is probably because of elimination of thatch and better air relationship. The first would be that the surface will dry out sooner. This will reduce the moisture needed by the fungus disease for maximum growth. The other advantage is with the air to root relationship. With an increased amount of air in the soil the plant will be better able to withstand physiological stress and thus the grass would be able to resist the disease attack and to recover faster. Since being on a sand topdressing program at Tuckaway we have eliminated any thatch. By doing this we no longer have a problem of scalping puffy turf during warm wet summer periods. One of the benefits of sand topdressing that the golfers have brought to my attention is a reduction of footprints around the green cup. The afternoon golfers now have conditions nearer those of the morning golfers. The reason for this improvement stems from the fact that sand does not compact like clay and organic matter. For the time remaining we are going to discuss various budget aspects associated with sand topdressing. We will cover material, labor and equipment requirements. The amount of material needed for the first two years will depend on the amount of thatch build-up. For heavily thatched greens it may take 30-40 cu. ft./10,000 sq.ft for this period to eliminate the thatch. After the thatch has been eliminated the sand requirement can be determined by the pounds of nitrogen used. Graph I shows the relationship of nitrogen usage to the amount of sand needed to maintain no thatch on greens in southern Wisconsin. This graph shows that for the amount of nitrogen commonly used for this area 16-23 cu.ft. of sand/10,000 sq.ft. per season is needed to maintain a no-thatch condition© The labor requirement will vary with the amount of mechanization in handling sand and type of equipment used to apply the sand. S M D REQUIRED TO MAINTAIN NO THATCH AT DIFFERENT N LEVELS Based on data from 3 golf courses in Wisconsin - R. Knapp, 1/78 Pounds L NITROGEN PER 10002 FT. PER SEASON FOR GREENS 16 17 CU. FT./1000 18 19 20 FT./SEASON GRAPH 1 21 22 23 Graph 2 shows the difference in the efficiency of the drop spreader in comparison to the broadcast spreader in cu. ft. material handled per man hour at different application rates. This chart points out that the labor hours are better utilized when using the broadcast spreader. Another advantage of the broadcast spreader is a lower initial cost on a per unit basis when compared with the drop spreader. This is especially important when you consider that two drop spreaders are needed, compared to one broadcast spreader, to easily get 18 large greens completed in a day. The maintenance cost on the broadcast spreader would be less. There are fewer parts. Furthermore, the parts are less likely to need replacement. A question I cannot answer is which type of spreader gives the most even distribution. From talking to many superintendents I have found that no one is dissatisfied with either type. From the information gathered so far, we cannot determine which type will be better for long term usage. Summary of Program 1. Main reason - raise surface of green, improve drainage, and further bury clay layer found three inches below surface. 2. Quality - Lakeshore sand from Michigan dunes. 2 a. b. c. <\J 6 cu.ft. material applied/1000 ft. 5-6 applications per year^ totals 30 cu.ft./lOOO ft. /yr. 7o by weight 5.2 54.3 39.6 0.8 .1 on Opening in inches mesh mm inches .5 .0165 32 .0083 60 .25 .18 .0059 80 120 .12 .0049 170 .10 .0035 Range upper level of medium sand upper level of fine sand medium level of fine sand lower level of fine sand upper level of very fine sand 3. Method of application - 2 topdressers, drag mat behind utility vehicle, dump truck and front-end loader. Some use artifical turf, upside down. 4. Time - 3-4 men, 8 hours = 24-32 manhours 5. Buildup over first season - 1/2"; cumulative after 3 years 6. Significant results 1-1/2 inches a. Reduces and eliminates thatch b. No aerification nor verticutting - after first two years c. Graininess of greens eliminated d. Putting - faster, truer, yet ball holds well. Also less footprinting around cup late in day e. Little abrasive action from traffic on leaf blades nor mower blades due to small sand size 7. Cost savings - 8. Cautions - a. b. a. Less fungicide needed (probably due to lessening of thatch) b. Aerification and verticutting machinery and labor reduced and later eliminated Once on a sand topdressing program you must not switch back to a topmix or layering will result Monitor available phosphorus levels on greens because sandy soils tend to become P deficient SAND APPLIED WITH DROP SPREADER VS. BROADCAST SPREADER Based on data from 6 golf courses in Wisconsin - R. Knapp, 1/78 cu. ft. 10 ' 1 ' 2 ' 3 1 I 4 5 à 1 6 7 8 I 9 CU. FT. SAND PER APPLICATION PER 1,000 SQ. FT. GRAPH 2 i 10 SAND TOPDRESSING Jim Vaughn, Golf Course Superintendent Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan Sand topdressing at Oakland University was initiated as a means of correcting a construction problem. The original topmix was prepared by plowing a five acre plot of sandy loam soil, trucking in additional sand, and disking the two together. The result was dirty sand. This mix was hauled to the site in earth movers, spread, and compacted by a dozer ("to prevent settling later"), After seeding, the green was rolled with a cultimulch which left grooves three inches wide by one inch deep. Not only could you not putt on the resultant surface, you couldn't mow it without scalping the grass ridges. Displeasure ran rampant! The surface had to be leveled, and fast. Since the mix was primarily sand to begin with, and nothing worked into the turf easier than sand, the solution was obvious. Washed mason sand was used, but we elected not to "bury" the surface in pure sand. Our topdressing procedure is always used in conjunction with aerifying. The sand is spread over the plugs and the two are drug in together. We always overseed with Penncross before dragging. The process is quick and easy. Three to five yards are applied per green. A steel drag mat is used to blend the sand and existing mix. Care must be taken not to overapply. Excess sand is very difficult to flwork in". We have followed this procedure for two and one-half years, and the results are very satisfying. The greens are "firm", but most new greens are. Leveling was accomplished early in the program. TOPDRESSING WITH SAND - MY EXPERIENCE Louis E. Miller, Superintendent Louisville Country Club, Louisville, Kentucky Thirteen years ago I took the position of Superintendent at the Louisville Country Club, and one of the major problems that I noticed right from the start was the heavy thatch conditions that prevailed on all of the greens. The bad part of the problem was that the members liked the thatchy greens because the cushion made up for a poorly hit shot and the ball would hold on the green. The thatch was so bad that you could reach inside the cup and pick up the turf like it was a carpet. The roots wouldnft even penetrate the thatch into the soil layer. The thatch was a good one and one-half inches thick. I informed the greens committee that the thatch was going to go. They couldn't have been more cooperative, and were prepared to take the flack from some of the membership, especially some of the older members who had grown accustomed to the spongy greens. Another important point to mention here is that only about two of the greens had any tile under them, and they were all composed of a very heavy clay mixture. The physical construction of the greens was a thatch layer over a clay base, and that was all. Not to detract from my predecessor, because he did what he could, but his hands were tied. They didn't even want a greensaire on the greens. Consequantly, he had to use an old Westpoint aerifier, and it wouldn't even penetrate the thatch. For the first few years my program was that of aerification, vertical thatching, using a mat-a-way with knives on two inch centers, removing both the cores and thatch and then topdressing. The program I used at the time was net readily accepted by most people; I had to make the choice after some serious deliberation and elimination. In coming up with the topdressing mix, I eliminated any peat, mainly because of the already present heavy organic layer. That left sand and soil. It was difficult to get a good grade of soil that would not ball up, so to speak, when mixed with washed sand, and in view of the fact that Dr. Daniel was doing extensive work with calcined clay at the time, I felt that mixing the medium washed sand with the processed clay would give me a good consistent mix that would not only true up the putting surface, but at the same time would drag into the aerifier holes and vertical slits easily. We applied the material quite heavily, 1/4 to /516 inch, and worked it well into the green. Due to the shock not only to the green, but to the membership, we did this just two times a year - in the spring and fall. After a period of about two years we could notice the thatch really starting to disappear, and after the third year it had been completely decomposed. We had also pushed our roots down to five or six inches and had a good, resilient putting surface. I know that you hear a lot about "layering11, using a differnt material on the topdressing program than the green is composed of. I disagree with that theory and have nine greens of the old construction to back up my theory. The thing that I do agree with is that once a sand topdressing program has been started, it is necessary to stay with it and not switch back and forth, because then you will get layering. Nine of our greens have been rebuilt since I started the sand topdressing program, but the topdressing program on the old nine greens has not changed in thirteen years. I have had some people say that the calcined clay could be eliminated, but if I did so, then I would have a change in the topdressing material, and, as a good friend with many years in the field of turf management and construction told me, "Boy, if you have something that works for you and is doing a good job, don't mess it up." That pretty well sums up my feeling also. It has been a good program and has worked well. These old greens will be replaced with new greens of USGA type construction within the next three years, but the sand topdressing program will continue until they have been rebuilt. The main reason - because it works. SAND TOPDRESSING - HOW WE DID THE JOB Marvin Laird, Superintendent Lincoln Greens, Springfield, Illinois First we aerated the greens with a Ryan greensaire with 5/8" tines, removed the plugs and spread sand on the greens about 3/8" thick with a Cushman top dresser. The sand we ordered was supposed to be graded as follows: 100 percent to go through a number 40 screen, and zero percent to go through a 200« We then raked the sand with a Toro sand rake machine with a Jacobsen greens mower brush fastened to it. We raked the sand until it was dry. At this time the holes were about half filled. Next we used hand ware house brooms to brush the sand into the holes. Next we watered the greens for about ten minutes and then opened them for play. We then topdressed about every three weeks very light with a Lely spreader with a topdress ring. The players noticed the improvement within two days and commented about the improved greens the rest of the season. The reasons we started sand topdressing are as follows: We didn't have a local source of good topdressing material. We were aerating the greens spring and fall. We were verticutting the plugs and using them as topdressing. It took at least a week for the greens to recover and be as good as they had been before we started. Usually in two or three weeks we would have a couplf of days of heavy rain, and the greens would be compacted as tight > as they were before aerating« Our greens were always hard and compacted, and during periods of stress the grass would become weak and thin. We had to try to make an improvement. My advice would be, if you don't have any problems with your greens, don't make any changes. ADVANCING PUBLIC GOLF Marvin Laird, Superintendent Lincoln Greens, Springfield, Illinois Lincoln Greens is an 18-hole golf course, complete with a driving range, practice green, chipping green with sand trap, a six-acre bluegrass sod nursery, a bentgrass sod nursery, a tree nursery, and also six lighted tennis courts. Lincoln Greens is owned by the City of Springfield, and operated by the Springfield Recreation Department. William C. Telford was elected mayor of the city in April 1971, and the Recreation Department is under the direction of his office. In order to provide the public with the best golfing facility in the area it has been Mayor Telford's goal to make as many improvements at Lincoln Greens as time, money, and manpower would allow. At this time I would like to describe some of those improvements. At our entrance area we put a wood shake roof, shrubs, and decorative rock around the entrance sign. Also on our entrance road we have a 135 yard par 3 hole where the tee sits back against the road. We dug a lake on each side of the narrow fairway, and installed a fountain in each lake. The fountains each have a 4 foot and 2 foot ring. They are connected to our irrigation system and controlled by automatic valves and timers« One of the lakes has an island with a willow tree in the middle surrounded by shrubs. We covered the islands with plastic and washed gravel before the lake was filled. The fountains don't control algae as well as we had hoped, but they certainly add to the scenic view. We constructed three rustic-type shelters on the course, each 20' square with shake roof, men's and women's flush toilets, a bench and rest area, and electric drinking fountains. We have four of the electric drinking coolers on the course. They are the ice bank type and are supposed to produce up to 10 gallons cold water per hour. They are designed to operate on 90 volt 90 watts at the cooler. We have been using them for two years, and they have worked great. Golf Car Paths - We have installed some golf car paths almost every year and now have over two miles of asphalt paths0 We have car paths from all greens to tees (not tees to greens)« Our method of installing car paths: Cut out the area with a sod cutter and flare out the entrance and exit ends to at least two times the regular width. We have the hot mix asphalt with our own 2 ton dump truck, dump and level it at a three inch depth. It will compact down to two inches. We use a ground powder to compact the asphalt; it works better for us than a roller. We extended our golf car paths around our yardage markers at the tees and at the benches and ball washer posts to eliminate hand trimming. We have ball washers, benches, and trash cans on all tees and trash cans at the middle of No. 1 and 10 fairways on each side. The players do a good job of using them. One project we started that didn't work very well was to install decorative bark around trees. We trimmed out around the trees and put in the bark, but it soon discolored, dogs and mowers scattered it, and it was not a worthwhile project. In August of 1974 it had been hot and dry for about sixty days and every area that wasn't watered was brown. At this time we had a Toro water system for the tees, greens, and a single row fairway system . As with most of the systems installed fifteen years ago, there was no water between the tees and fairways for about 150 ft., and with the heavy golf car use, this area was dust. The Mayor said there was no excuse for grass being brown for lack of water when we were sitting on a lake full of water. We decided to water the entire golf course. We chose a Binar 2-wire control system, and Buckner in-line valves. We laid out the system for heads on 90 ft. triangular spacings, and marked where to dig the heads and what direction to pull pipe with a Fox Valley hand paint gun. We then went to the existing Toro fairway head, dug it up, and replaced with inline valves, each valve controlling three heads. We then pulled in from valves to heads. We pulled the water line in with an M-30 Vermer vibra-plow. We didn't change the mains or trench any lines. We pulled in over 90,000 ft. of 1-1/2 inch poly pipe that came in 300 ft. coils and rated at 100 psi with a 25 year warranty. We used the same machine to pull in the control wire. We installed Armatex boxes over the valves. For any necessary service work on valves or decoders, they are in an Armatex box in the middle of the fairway where the old fairway heads originally were. To drain the system for the winter we rent a 600 cmf air compressor and connect it to our water system at our parking lot and cycle the controllers. This takes 4-5 hours. We have been using this water system for four years and have had very few problems with it. The next project was tees. In October last year our tees looked pretty sick. The crabgrass was brown; the bluegrass was trying to make a comeback. We decided to convert to C-7 Cohansey bentgrass. We started by digging around any heads that were on the tees, and trimming them down so they would be lower than any equipment would penetrate. We then used a moleboard plow and plowed the tees, then had approximately three inches of washed mason sand tailgate spread on them. We leveled the sand with a York rake, then spread two inches of peat on top, and roto-tilled everything together, shaped and leveled with a York rake, and finish graded with a Toro sand trap machine with a scraper on the back. It does a good finish job. Next we sodded the edges and the tees with bluegrass, then spread stolons - 8 bushel per 1000 sq.ft. We applied the stolons on 20-22 October. We opened the tees for play the following June. After three years' use the bent tees are still holding up well. On short par 3 holes there are a lot of divots out, but they heal fast. On two par 3 holes we have two tees. We have not plugged or topdressed to date. We mow at 1/2" three times per week with a greens mower. We have fairway yardage markers on all holes except par 3 holes. We use a white pine tree for the 200 yard marker, an upright yew for the 150, and a globe shaped yew for the 100 yard marker. We constructed a new parking lot at the clubhouse area, leaving most of the large trees and some sod as green area in the parking lot to break up the large expanse of asphalt. We installed a water system in the green areas and around the parking lot during construction. In our shop and maintenance area we went from a one-car garage and an open pole shed to a modern metal building to go along with our two existing buildings, and then laid asphalt in the complete shop area. This has been an asset both in clean buildings and equipment. There was a house trailer near the shop area which served as the Superintendent's living quarters. This was sold, and in. its place a nice, big brick home moved in. Most of our course is too flat for good drainage, and conventional tile doesn't work in our heavy clay soil. We have areas with 4" clean field tile, with 2-3" soil on top, and the water will not go through the soil into the tile; the water sits on the surface and kills everything. We have tried several methods for drainage, but so far, the one that seems to work best is to install tile about 18-20" deep and cover with 3-4" fine gravel. Fill the trench to overflow with washed mason sand. Equipment: For communication we use a radio system consisting of two hand-held portable radios, and a base station that can be used as a 12 volt mobile unit or a 110 volt base station. For fairways we use F-10 Jacobsen mowers with brushes to keep the grass standing up. For roughs we use two 7-gang pull-type Toro mowers with brushes. For spraying or fertilizing we use foam markers to show where we have been. We also own and maintain a fleet of 50 golf cars. This works out well for us because we can keep a couple of men working on golf cars during the winter and so keep a permanent crew ready for spring. These are a few of the many projects and concepts we have changed or initiated at Lincoln Greens. As for 'advancing public golf' - our number of rounds has increased from 30,000 to 50,000 rounds. PLANT ANALYSIS, A BIG PLUS FOR THE PROFESSIONAL TURF MANAGER D. B 0 Pfleiderer Lebanon Chemical Corporation, Danville, Illinois Plant analysis has become an increasingly valuable tool to the professional turf industry. Today it eliminates guess work in fertilizer formulation and feeding programs. Thus plant analysis puts turf fertilization in the proper prospective - from an art to a science. What is plant analysis, and how does it differ from other plant fertility diagnostic tools? Probably the best way to describe it is to look at the tests available today. Many years ago fertility feeding programs resulted from trial and error. How does the grass look, especially color-wise? The next tool used was soil testing. In fact, it's still used today. It's an excellent tool, but it's limited in that it measures the nutrients available in the soil. More recently, tissue testing has become popular. Tissue testing uses sap from the tissue, but because the sap varies considerably with the time of day, weather, and leaf position, results vary considerably. Most recently, plant analysis has become a very reliable and accepted test. It uses tissue, the grass clippings. It measures the nutrients in the sap and what the sap has been doing the last month. If major nutrients are available in the soil (as measured by soil testing) and uptake measured by plant analysis, it's a winning combination. This makes proper fertilization a science. But how does plant analysis help the professional turf manager today? Probably the grestest use is by commercial companies to build fertilizers with needed and balanced ratios. With the aid of plant analysis, it's possible to build a complete fertilizer to meet the entire needs of turf, including secondary and micro-nutrients. Couple this with the additional benefit of plant analysis to help determine feeding programs. Plant analysis can measure nitrogen release patterns, seasons of heavy feeding, nutrient source uptake, and so forth. Thus, scientific products and programs can be developed for the professional turf manager. Soil tests for micro-nutrients never seem to accurately reflect plant uptake. Now with plant analysis, best micro-nutrient amounts and sources can be measured. Even plant response to new nutrient sources helps determine if products show promise. In the future, expect more use of plant analysis on individual golf courses for detailed fertilization programs. This will be essential to the professional manager who demands the ultimate in turf response. Also, look for plant analysis to be used to recognize diseases, expecially those that may be fertility related. Turf fertilization is a matter of balance of all nutrients needed for maximum results. Plant analysis is the best diagnostic tool available today, and in the future, to measure both effectiveness and efficiency of turf products and programs. Range and Desired Nutrient Level in Kentucky Bluegrass Clippings 40 Samples Over 4 Years From PAT System, Purdue University. Highest Adequate % Nitrogen Phosphorus Potassium Calcium Magne s ium Iron Manganese Zinc Boron Copper Moly. Aluminum 5.8 .94 3.8 2.1 .42 647 160 54 30 13 3.1 872 ppm Lowest % 5. .5 3.0 .5 .3 200 50 30 9+ 8+ 1.4 <200 ppm 2.0 .35 1.2 .28 .18 80 27 11 3 4 .7 24 SULFUR COATED UREAS - 32-0-0-0-0-24 CANADIAN INDUSTRIES LTD. PROCESS R. A. Brown, National Sales Manager The Andersons, Maumee, Ohio Many people think that sulfur coated urea is a new concept and still in the experimental stage. Actually it has been under development for over 15 years; tested in 29 different countries on everything from ornamental turf to pineapples. To those of us interested in turf, sulfur coated urea represents the combination of the most important major nutrient for turf - nitrogen, and the most important secondary nutrient - sulfur, in a single prill. These two important and necessary nutrients together are in themselves advantageous. Add the slow release benefits, and we really have something to work with. It is important to note that urea is the best source of water soluble nitrogen for turf from an availability (lasts longer with less leaching), economical (highest concentration of nitrogen), and agronomical (low salt index per unit of nitrogen, only 1.6 salt index) standpoint. Sixteen years ago there were only 13 states with soils deficient in sulfur. Today, more than 30 states have sulfur deficient soils, as sulfur is no longer available in adequate amounts from rainfall or regular mixed grades of fertilizer. For this reason, we must supplement fertilizer with sulfur which is both available and economical. Now we can create a fertilizer containing nitrogen and sulfur that will uniformly feed turf all of its nitrogen in one growing season, and at competitive cost. This is a very important breakthrough in the turf fertilizer field. The fusion of the urea and sulfur is formed in five basic steps. In the first step urea is heated to prepare its surface for sulfur coating. It then enters a rotating drum to be sprayed hydraulically,first with sulfur and then with the wax sealant. The product is cooled, coated with diatomaceous earth conditioner to prevent caking, screened, and transferred to storage for testing. You understand the need and importance of nitrogen for turf, but some may not be aware of what value sulfur is to turf. The more nitrogen that is fed to and used by turf, the greater its need for sulfur. Sulfur deficiencies in turf have the same visual signs as nitrogen deficiency - yellowing of leaves, faint scorching of leaf tip. When used in combination with proper ratios of nitrogen, phosphorous and potash, sulfur offers the following benefits: 1. Improves water penetration in soil 2. Increases availability of iron, manganese, copper, zinc and boron to the plant 3. Improves soil structure 4. Builds healthy protoplasm and plant tissue to help resist drouth, disease, and winter damage 5. Enhances color 6. Promotes turf growth and density 7. Aids the turf response when used in combination with nitrogen 8. Helps keep alkalinity in balance 9. Aids nitrogen release from organic matter 10. Improves recuperation capacity In test plots sulfur improved turf color when the same amount of nitrogen was used on both plots. The darker green plot on the right had sulfur added. In another test, the dark green plot on the right had an additional 3-1/2;# sulfur per 1000 sq.ft. The dark green plot on the right received nitrogen, phosphorous, potash and sulfur. The lighter green plot on the left received same amounts of all nutrients except sulfur. The green strips were fed with ammonium sulphkte 21% N plus 247o sulfur, and the yellow strips were fed with same amount of nitrogen from ammonium nitrate, 33%, nitrogen. The plot that received 100# S/acre had no fusarium disease. 50# S/acre developed a severe case of fusarium. The plot receiving only With this better understanding of the need for sulfur you can see why we call the uniting of nitrogen and sulfur the perfect marriage. How and why does sulfur coated urea release its nitrogen and sulfur? If you put a prill of sulfur coated urea under a microscope, the surface is full of tiny rivelets and lines resembling a finger print. There are no two finger prints alike, and there are no two prills of sulfur coated ureas alike either. It is because of this difference that we have a steady release rather than everything releasing at once. The wax coating acts as a sealer to help keep moisture out and fill in pores and fissures. When wax is worn off, either mechanically or by nature, the sulfur coating will allow moisture to be absorbed through its shell into the area. This causes a pressure to build up inside. Microscopic holes occur through the sulfur and the nitrogen solution leaks out. Because of the varying thickness of wax and sulfur and the fracturing that happens, the prills release at a different rate depending on their own physical makeup and the way the elements work on them. While soil acids, and, to a very small degree, bacteria, do affect some release, moisture is the most important factor and yet excessive moisture or high temperatures do not markedly increase the rate of nitrogen release. If we take 10 prills of sulfur coated urea and apply them April 15, three would start to release as soon as they received moisture and release for two to three weeks. In other words, 30% will start to release the first week, and the balance gradually over a period of 150-180 days. There has been considerable concern about the sulfur coating breaking in shipment, while being spread,or from foot, golf cart or maintenance equipment traffic, causing a quick release or nitrogen to either burn or show erratic color. There is, in fact, an actual breakage or fracturing that takes place from the time the product is shipped and actually releases. This fracturing amounts to approximately 30% and it is this percent that gives us our immediate release the first week after application. Normal foot and vehicle traffic does not exert enough pounds pressure per square inch to crush sulfur coated urea when it is on a turf cushion. On a couple of tees, where heavy sulfur coated urea applications were made, excessive foot traffic did increase the percent of fracture. The results were quicker tee recovery which was beneficial instead of detrimental. C.I.L. has a super-fine sulfur coated urea prill screened especially for green use. When this product is used, it should be rinsed into the turf to help prevent mower pickup. If the green is mowed with the basket, the mower can pick up 87o of the product only on the first mowing. If the basket is left off the mower on the first mowing, up to 107o of the product may be fractured by the blades of the mower. This 10%> would not create any burn or damage and would just speed up the initial response. Regular size sulfur coated urea can be used on greens, but we do not recommend it. When all the nitrogen has oozed out of the sulfur coated prill, a hollow shell of sulfur remains. This hbllow shell is very fragile and easily crushed. Usually up to 80% of the sulfur is available to the plant the first year and the balance the second. It is because of this lengthy process that the sulfur portion only slowly effect the soil pH. It is important as a nutrient, rather than pH conditioner. Sulfur coated urea release is not dependent on warm soil temperatures for release so it is available from cool spring through to cool fall. High temperatures or too much moisture do not cause excessive release so it is safe under all conditions. I have had only one complaint from a golf course superintendent who said he put on l-l/2# N per 1000 sqcft. from sulfur coated urea and burned his turf. As it turned out, he applied a mixed grade of fertilizer that wasnft even our product, and didn't contain any sulfur coated urea« I have heard another story about a superintendent who lost his job because he burned all his fairways with sulfur coated urea« It turned out he used a fertilizer that contained a percentage of sulfur coated urea, not all sulfur coated urea. He did damage three fairways, but the cause of the trouble was not the fault of the fertilizer, and certainly not the sulfur coated urea. Many times products containing a percentage of sulfur coated urea will be referred to as sulfur coated urea, giving the impression that they are 100% sulfur coated. The greater the percent of sulfur coated urea in a mixed grade of fertilizer, the safer it is from burn or quick release. Sulfur coated urea is another one of several sources of slow release nitrogen, We are very fortunate to have a variety to choose from. 1. Activated sewerage sludge 2. Ureaformaldehyde 3. Isobutylidene Diurea (I.B.D.U.) 4. Sulfur coated urea A.I.M.^Process 5. Sulfur coated urea C.I.L.** Process 6-7-0 38-0-0 31-0-0 36 N + 17 S 32 N 4- 24 S Some of these products will work better than others for many reasons,some known and some unknown, but unless we give them a fair and realistic trial, we won't know what we might have missed. In these days of inflationary costs, we should all become better shoppers and better buyers to help keep costs down. C.I.L. sulfur coated urea is one of the most economical sources of slow release nitrogen presently available. Every ton of C.I.L. sulfur coated urea contains 480# of sulfur which is worth about $62.00 if you were to buy it alone. Sulfur coated urea releases all of its nitrogen the year of application; it doesn't carry over for one or two more years,so you can receive good results with less product. These economy factors make C.I.L. sulfur coated urea a product well worth your strong consideration. APPLYING TECHNOLOGY FOR INSECTS Jeff Lefton, Agronomist ChemLawn Corporation, Indianapolis, Indiana There is a need for us to stop and analyze those pesticides and techniques available to handle the turf insects of our customers. Before too many weeks go by you should think about the insects in your area in a systematic way. Consider the following: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. What What When What What are the life cycles of the lawn insects in your area? is the lawn damaging stage of these insects? can the insect be controlled with insecticides? are the best insecticides available for the problem? are the limitations in using these insecticides? This is not a complete list of questions. is illustrated by grubs below. The application of thinking before doing Grubs are the larvae of hard-shelled beetles. They are whitish, have brown heads, and usually are found lying in a C-shaped position in the soil in the rootzone of grass. The life cycle of a typical grub problem in central Indiana is shown below: JULY M M . SEPT. OCT. tt & & Ä& NOV. DEC. JAN. FEB. MAN. APRIL MAT i JUNE 1 4* * O n e - y e a r life cycle of n o r t h e r n m a s k e d c h a f e r , The most effective time to control any grub is during its early instar (young) stage. For example, the above occurs during late summer to early fall. The insecticides are not effective on the egg stage, pupa stage, adult stage or on older grubs in the early spring. Identify the grubs in your area and ask your local county extension agent about their life cycles. To tell one grub species from another involves looking at the "raster11, which is a group of bristles on the last segment of the larvae. The pattern of bristles of several grubs located in Indiana are illustrated below. Bottom tide of lot» segment boors tho r««ter # \ European Chafer Japanese Beetle ^1 Masked Chafer Grubs damage lawns by chewing on the root system. Therefore, the target is underground. The only way to get the insecticide to the target is to water in the application. If an application is made to a thatchy turf a pre-watering is suggested prior to the insecticide treatment. The insecticides available for grub control include Diazinon, Dylox, and Proxol. They are effective if used correctly. These materials are designed to limit the intensity of the grubs to a point whereby the turf can compete favorably. These materials do not eradicate all grubs in a lawn«, It is important to note that a re-infestation can occur due to the short residual of these materials. Learn as much as you can about all the insecticides available to you. Select the best product for your situation. Another area of interest for all of you is developing a cholinesterase testing program. The majority of the insecticides used by lawn care firms are organophosphates. This includes materials like Dursban, Diazinon, Dyloc, Proxol, and Aspon. These materials can effect an enzyme in our bodies called cholinesterase. Cholinesterase is an enzyme found in the blood and in most body tissues. This enzyme assists us in the regulation and control of muscle functions. In order for a muscle to contract, a nerve impulse or signal must be transmitted to the muscle itself. In order for this signal to reach the muscle it must pass a small gap called the neuromuscular junction. At this junction a chemical switch is turned on by the release of a material called acetycholine. Acetycholine goes across the gap and stimulates the muscle to act. After the muscle has acted it must then relax« Cholinesterase is the enzyme that relaxes the muscle. In order to have a smooth muscle function with appropriate muscle contraction and relaxation a proper balance between acetycholine and cholinesterase is necessary. All voluntary and some involuntary muscle functions involve these biochemical systems <> There are two basic types of Cholinesterase. One is referred to as pseudo, false or plasma Cholinesterase. The other is RBC, or red blood cell Cholinesterase. In a monitoring program one can choose either, or both, cholinesterases. To establish a Cholinesterase monitoring program several items must be considered and evaluated. First, several methods are available to measure Cholinesterase. Many of these methods cannot be interpreted. NIOSH (an arm of OSHA) recommends the Michel Methodology. Secondly, a base line level is necessary for interpretation. The amount of Cholinesterase in the blood is variable. One healthy person may have plasma or serum Cholinesterase concentrations that are two to five times greater than another equally healthy person. Variations in Cholinesterase level among normal people is the reason that we establish a base line Cholinesterase level for each employee. This way we know the normal level of Cholinesterase for each person prior to exposure to insecticides. Then repeat testing allows a meaningful evaluation as to whether the insecticide exposure is affecting your Cholinesterase level. Generally, it is advisable, when obtaining a base line, which can be thought of as a pre-exposure level, to include RBC and plasma Cholinesterase base lines. The normal values for the Michel Methodology is 0.41 to 1.66. For RBC Cholinesterase, it is between 0.4 and 1.25. If a person's Cholinesterase level is naturally low he should not be exposed to oranophosphates or carbamates. The third step in establishing a monitoring program is a routine Cholinesterase test. It is our belief that, after the initial test, when using relatively less toxic compounds, such as Dursban, Diazinon, Dylox, etc., the plasma Cholinesterase test is sufficient. It is our belief that if this plasma Cholinesterase test falls below a 0.5 delta ph units, we also encourage that you take an RBC test, to make sure it is not dropping. Generally, what you will find in using these relatively less toxic organophosphate materials, is that the RBC Cholinesterase value will stay constant, while the plasma Cholinesterase value will drop considerably. When using more toxic compounds, such as methyl parathion, for instance, the Cholinesterase generally is a mirror of each other. In other words, as the plasma Cholinesterase drops, so does the RBC. As you might envision, these compounds are much more dangerous then. What we have here, with these other compounds, is a safety mechanism (a window), that allows us to look inside and see any possible exposure, without being subject to any probable adverse effects. However, with the use of the more toxic compounds,you are not afforded this luxury. Some laboratories that do perforin this test include Smith-Kline Laboratories in St. Louis; our labs, the CLC Labs in Columbus, Ohio, and also the Biomedical Science Laboratories, which are a division of Dow Chemical, located in California and elsewhere. It is my suggestion, that if you are having problems in locating a laboratory, to look in the phonebook and try to find P.M.I. They are located in the telephone book, in the white pages, under Physical Measurements Instruments. This is a medical concern that does blood drawing. They can send the blood sample to a qualified laboratory and return the results directly to you0 Lastly, make sure you keep good records. Our record keeping is presently done on a card as shown. If any of your are interested, I will be glad to send you a copy of this card. Dow Chemical Company has published a booklet called, "Dursban Insecticides Suggested Handling Porcedures for Custom Lawn-Spray Application", which contains some excellent information on biomonitoring. I suggest you get a copy from your local Dow repre sentat ive. Remember - an informed employee is a safe employee« An understanding of the insects in your area will allow better utilization of the pesticides available to you. AETINIUS BEETLE - MY EXPERIENCE Larry Runyon, Superintendent All Seasons Country Club, Lake Ozark, Missouri We had a lot of dry wilt, some wet wilt, and the occasional observation is that a little bit of water or syringing will cure that. But on closer examination, as you peel the turf back, you might see these little white rascals down there, and that is the Aetinius in the larval stage. In some areas, after the second generation, we were counting up to 500 per square foot. This is an area where the surface does not show any damage, but if you peel back the turf you see they just completely sheared the roots. One of the reasons these rascals will sneak up on you is that they can be down there working, and you won't see any damage until all of a sudden you get into a stress period where the temperature gets up into the high 90's, and then your turf starts pulling out on you. As a member of the Musser Turfgrass Foundation, I called Dr. Grau and told him of the Aetinius, and he came down. The reason he did is that the Musser Foundation was sponsoring graduate student Cliff Wagner at Ohio State with Dr. Niemczyk, and they were studying the Aetinius beetle. Very little was known but the result of tests Dr. Wagner was making. With Aetinius damage the bluegrass just disappears. When dealing with a turf problem I don't understand, I believe in bringing in professional help because we are dealing with several million dollars. It appeared maybe Diazinon would give some control, and we brought a helicopter in and proceeded to spray wall to wall with Diazinon 80. It takes approximately six days with a ground rig and we still miss a lot of the high areas. A helicopter can do a better job in one hour for less money. Bringing this helicopter in and doing the job with one spray cost me $9.00 an acre, which amounted to $500.00. Our No. 1 hole is a dog-leg, and he just went right into the trees and whipped that right in there and it was amazing. And in some areas where he could, he got below the tree line. A shot of the back of the seventh green shows Aetinius damage. right in the low area and then they worked in both directions. They started out Our golf course is carved right out of the oak, and it gets extremely difficult in July and August to maintain turf. We have eight greens that get no air circulation. About the same time all this is happening we have a malfunction in the irrigation system on the 18th hole so it lost much turf. On the right side of the highway is our executive nine which is on a totally different water system and it looked normal. We were faced with the problem of replanting fairways * We made the decision to replant all these damaged fairways with Westwood bemuda. There were several reasons for this decision. First of all, these lie right in the middle of the heavy play and we wanted something that was very aggressive and which would give us a fast cover, and Westwood is one of the fastest movers I've ever seen, and it appears to survive the winters in the transition zone quite well* On this golf course, all of the topsoil, if you can call it that, was hauled in from the bottom of a later catfish farming operation, and was put on top of solid rock. There is a lot of silt and clay in it and packs easily. For a machine to put stolons down we had to get the fairways super-saturated. We put the stolons into the planter and it brings the stolons right down in front of those disks and the disks then push them into the surface. The golfers hated us! I'll tell you one thing - when you start doing something like this in the middle of the golf season you had better have your P.R. work pretty well put together. Every evening I would put on a pair of dark glasses and a wig and go up to the 19th hole and have a couple of beers, and I didn't have a bit of trouble. When we stolonized these fairways some showed more damage than others immediately after planting. The fairways soon recovered and were 85-90% Westwood bermuda. We feel it's going to be a lot easier to maintain. Dr. Niemczyk was involved in the spraying program. Through their research they were looking for something that blooms in the spring and corresponds to the time to spray. It appears that black locust is a good indicator. There are a lot of things that bloom at this time - forsythia, and a lot of dogwood. But we did find some black locust about five miles from the golf course and we kept those under observation. I might add that at this time I saw great numbers of the adult Aetinius beetle. Dr. . Niemczyk said, "Don't worry about it; it's not time yet." I was taking samples of the adults to Dr. Niemczyk, and he was running tests to see where they were on the egg laying cycle, and he wanted to wait until the last possible minute, so he ran tests on three fairways, not only for us but for Ciba-Geigy. They used a ground rig and sprayed one-half of the fairway and the other half was unsprayed. Not quite a year later almost all Westwood bermuda was solid over the fairway. When Dr. Niemczyk thought it was time to spray we had a cold snap that put everything off a little, and at this time the black oak was just starting to bloom. Here again we are applying Diazinon by helicopter. Most of the guys you see flying are Viet Nam pilots. This guy had a 700 head dairy farm and he just got sick and tired of it, especially when there were guys right next to him that were crop dusting, working just two or three months out of the year, and driving Cadillacs. So he sold his dairy farm and went to flying a helicopter, and this is his fourth year in the business. And, after all this, you might think you'd just throw up your hands and say the heck with it, but all it takes is one Missouri sunset in the Ozarks, and by golly, you are ready to get up the next morning and go back to it. THATCH - SOME IDEAS Tom Mascaro, Turf Fiber Products 1934 N. E. 151st St., N. Miami, Florida Thatch holds too much water to really play on it, golfers1 feet get wet and they object to that, and it impedes the movement of materials. Thatch is a great filter. Nitrogen will move down through thatch very easily, but phosphorus, potash, lirae, and other materials tend to remain where they are placed. You can build nice layers above the soil surface. Sometimes you are no longer growing above the soil. It's true hydroponic from here on in, and when a person has this situation he had better not go fishing. It's a seven day a week, twenty-four hour a day job to keep it going. Here's an accumulation of one year's thatch in bermuda grass from some work at Mississippi State. It's easy to grow, but we have to control it. Dry spots can really be the accumulation of thatch, deeper than we suppose. Sometimes the dry spots are due to different grasses on greens. The root system is pretty shallow, and you can lift it off. Aerification is one method the thatch. This adds bacteria of aerification will do wonders type of treatment, aerification to renovation. of topdressing for it brings up soil and mixes it with to the thatch and starts decomposing. So a good program in thatch control. If the thatch has gotten beyond that isn't going to do much good* I think we have to go back Here's a layer of thatch you can aerify all you want, but it's going to take years and years to get rid of it using that method. So that isn't the total answer. In the early days of the aerifier, you know they were designed for fairwyas and they put them on greens right away. I wish John McCoy was here and he could explain how they exploded one of his greens. Well, we brought up soil and broke through the thatch because there were no known methods in those days to do anyting about it. We went to this type of machine for a number of years, and then we went to the punchers. All these machines helped in controlling thatch because they physically removed cores and they were swept off, gotton off the area, and it does a lot of good in removal. Aerification will help under certain conditions. It mixes the soil layer with the thatch and helps decompose it. This is an interesting picture because it's going to lead into what I will say later on. This golf course was managed fairly well. He was getting a little thatch and then topdressing and then a little more thatch and then topdressing - not quite getting all the thatch off before topdressing was applied. Then the war years came along, and the word went out that there should be no more topdressing - you don't need it. Remember that? And everybody got away with it. And you can. You can get away with it. I can take over your golf course and make it look like a million bucks for two to three years, and then I'll move on to another course. But during the war years the thatch accumulated, there was no topdressing. I can say this with, I think, a great deal of authority because in 1936 with I got into the business of dealing with golf courses, I was selling topdressing. In those days all the golf courses would shut down on Mondays, and every golf course topdressed on Monday morning. That was standard practice. Here again is terminology. What is topdressing? In Otto's book and in Wayne's book it might be thought of as an inch or an eighth of an inch. Jim might say no, it's a quarter of an inch. Another might say half an inch. Topdress once a year. Topdress three times a year. Topdress once a month. Topdress every Monday. We have never defined what topdressing really is and what it does, and here again, I think we need to give a lot of thought to topdressing, and certainly the first objective should be to stay out of the golfer's way and give him a good green, which you necessarily have to go to - to very light topdressing and more often. This costs a little more money, but I think it's well worth it. Frequent topdressing will certainly give the golfer a good green all the timeu Topdressing helps control disease. Topsdressing does a lot of things. It's one of the cultural practices that we've forgotten about. Mechanical removal of thatch is not a new idea. It was done in the days of the original power mowers. They had wire brushes on the front of the mower to bring up the mat and cut it off, all kinds of drage and very thing else to try to get rid of that grain. So then we came in with a mcahine that cuts vertically, and there are a lot of them on the market. Here agin, definition is pretty hazy, because when you say verticut, which is a trade name, and I had nothing to do with that before, what does it really mean? What does verticutting mean in your own mind? Does it mean once a year, or does it mean once a week or does it mean every two or three weeks? Everyone has a different idea about a verticut. Verticutting, in my mind, and the reason we designed the machine, is simply to cut those prostrate leaves as they form which meant frequent use of the machine, and not very deep, just to keep the grain under control. Well, the first thing that happened - everyone wanted a machine with a bigger motor to go deeper, so instead of a verticut we go to renovating, and most verticutters of today are really renovators. So, in your choice of a machine, look for those qualities that are going to give you a true cut. In my opinion, only enough grass should be taken off to make the green better, not worse. In other words, if we can verticut a green, and a golfer comes out there and plays on it and says, "Boy, this is great!" then you have done your job. If you renovate and you can't use the green for a week the golfers get pretty unhappy. So, here again, light topdressing, verticutting, is simply an operation that has to be done frequently and very lightly. In the early days we had all sorts of methods of gathering material, but we did keep it under control, but in itself it can't control thatch. In other words, it takes a combination of all these things we're talking about. We have modern machines that do a good job for us. I don't think they're being used properly. I think they're being used too rapidly. I think they're being set improperly in many cases. Not enough research has been done to pin down what true verticutting means. In the early days we attempted to do fairways, and there were all sorts of machines available for that operation. There was one where we did the verticutting very lightly, and even bagged it up as we went along. It was cumbersome, with three engines, and it didn't sell. I suppose this sort of thing is going to come back in a different form,for verticutting can be done very quickly and efficiently on large areas. There were other machines which were called vertical mowers which were really renovators. Machines like this did a great job. Where there was a lot of thatch you could get in there and rip it out and start over again. We also found that many superintendents used mowers as verticutters. They just set the mower down and shaved it off, especially on bermudagrass in the south. With a traction type mower which couldn't take it for the wheels would slide, they would set the mower down maybe a quarter of an inch and mow and vacuum that off and then set the mower down again and vacuum some more off, and they just gradually got that thatch down to size after five or six mowings. When the hydraulic machines came in this was one of the first applications we put it to. We set the mower down and just shaved it off. This is becoming a common practice now on many southern courses. They do it in August. Now here is a gal driving a hydraulic machine, and you can see she is really shaving that stuff down. You do this to a fairway, and it's a one-time operation, but there is so much material to come off that it takes about three or four vacuumings to keep up an operation like this. I think you are going to see more and more of this as time goes on. Here again, we need more work to tell us when should we do it, can we do it on some of our cool season grasses, and if so, when? Warren Bidwell, when he went to Philadelphis Country Club, developed a new philosophy. When you get in on a new job, and it's your one and only chance to make a showing, from there on in you had better not bother the golfer. He saw his opportunity. The thatch accumulation at Philadelphia Country Club was fantastic0 On bentgrass fairways there was about 2-1/2 to 3 inches of thatch. It had just accumulated over the years, and no one had tried to do anything because it would disturb the golfer. A new man coming on a job can get away with a lot of things, and Warren took advantage of that, and went in and renovated 18 fairways, knowing full well that from there on in he had better maintain them, and keep it down to size because he'd never have that opportunity again. So this is what he did. He cut those fairways deep and brought up a tremendous amount of material and cut it crossways, and you can see that the seed coming through those slits is really something. He reduced the thatch by about half with this operation. From there on in, he used cultural methods to keep the thatch under control. pH was adjusted, he used aerification, and other things necessary to keep the thatch decomposing. And he did a great job, and today Philadelphia Country Club is not bad. And then was had the scorched earth approach. When you just go in and burn everything off. This was in the days of sodium arsenate, and we can't use that today, but we have other materials that will kill grass right down to the ground and then start over again. Just burn it all down with chemicals and aerify it over as many times as possible. We used to say, lfWhen it looks like it's ruined, it's half finished." Just keep going until you have all that material worked up to get a good seedbed and start over. After you've started over again it's time to get it under control and keep it that way. This means perhaps more frequent mowing, it means a lot of things so far as cultural methods are concerned. The last, and most important thing, in my opinion, is topdressing. That's how I cut my eyeteeth in this business. Topdressing was standard practice in the early days. It has disappeared in many areas. It is coming back. Some superintendents are doing it - not as much as they used to, but it's done in so many different ways that it's hard to define what topdressing really is. When you have three men pushing a spreader like this, putting in a half-inch of soil, that's not topdressing, in my book. There's a lot of ways to do it. When you talk of the superintendents in days gone by you will find they did it the nice, easy way. Mai MacLaren in Cleveland had trained men. They didn't have topdressing machines (and I kind of wonder about the efficiency of some of the machines we have today), but they had men who were artists with shovels and they could spread topdressing real thin over an area, and drag it over, and work it in, and walk right off, and it was a beautiful green when they were finished. We may see that coming back. Here is heavy topdressing. Of course, this is an overseeding operation, and this is spreading it on pretty thick, and you can bet your boots the golfers are not going to play on there for a while. We have many ways of dragging greens. We have all kinds of vehicles to help us to move along and do a pretty good job. My greatest fear in thatch control, and I see this being associated with sand topdressing. I have lived through about five sand eras in my lifetime, and we're going through another, and it's going to be interesting. I'm ready with my camera in another two or three years to get some pictures of some dead greens. Sand is a great material0 There's no question about it. The only problem, I think, is that we need a little bit of clay in it as a buffer to hold the nutrients and to keep the bacteria going* I think that pure aand might get us into trouble. When we talk about sand, again we need definition. John Madisen wrote an article about using sand topdressing. Was it sterile sand or dirty sand? How big were the particles? Were they big ones or little ones? We are not defining what we're talking about. One may say, "I'm using nothing but sand topdressing", but that could mean almost anything so I think when you go home from this conference, start asking yourself questions. Define what you're doing. I'm a great believer in sand. I think it's the best way to build a green or any turfgrass area, but I think we should know a little bit more about what we're doing. Some superintendents are starting to invest in some equipment. Sherwood Moore up in Connecticut has bought himself a nice rig here and he's making topdressing like crazy. He's going back to the older methods of doing it. This is the soil and he mixes it with sand, and his topdressing will be about 85-95% sand. But here again, define sand. It must be the right sand for that operation. A great deal of research has been done on the subject, and I suppose it will continue. I hope it will. At Rutgers, Ralph Engel took an original site soil and he changed it into a good soil, and he did it with cultural practices. He took the plug you see as the original site soil and over here, after three years, after he aerified, and got the thatch under control, you can see how he is beginning to build real good soil. If you look at the right side, with an adjusted pH and a little nitrogen, he had a pretty dynamic soil, one that was really alive and working well. So, these are some thoughts you can take home with you. some ideas. I hope I've given you THE TURF PICTURE Carl H. Schwartzkopf, North Central Director U.S.G.A. Green Section, Crystal Lake, Illinois Being the last speaker of the session has its advantages and disadvantages. Before a picture or photograph can be printed in the positive form, it must be developed from a negative transparancy0 Consequently, when discussing the turf picture, it is possible to discuss the negative, as well as the positive aspects. In this day of nostalgia, many individuals enjoy looking at pictures of days gone by. This morning I'd like to review with you some of the pictures that we might have seen in years gone by, those that we presently may observe, as well as some that may appear in the future. In the past, the turf and vegetation was maintained with the use of sheep, scythes and sickles, the latter being powered by man. The first lawnmowers were also powered by man. Later on, horses were used for mowing large areas, such as fairways. Sickle bars were frequently used to cut the rough a couple times a year. The grass clippings in the rough areas were allowed to dry, then collected and stored as hay for the winter months so the horses had food to eat. The horse ultimately gave way to mechanization in the form of steel-wheeled tires on a tractor. Although the use of a tractor was a significant breakthrough in mechanization, ridges and tracks would frequently occur on moist or wet soils. As time progressed, the steel wheels were converted to large rubber tires that reduced the damage to the turfgrass plants. In the early history of putting green maintenance, the use of hand, push mowers was a frequent occurrence. With the passing of time,the hand-powered greens mower was eventually mechanized with a small engine. After many years of cutting the putting greens with small engine powered walk-behind mowers, the riding Triplex greens mower as we know it today became a reality. Also, in the early days of greenskeeping, weeds were a common sight and an accepted fact throughout the turf world. When sufficient labor existed, the greens were hand weeded. Fortunately, many chemicals, such as herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides were developed for other agricultural crops and could be used on turfgrass plants with minimal damage in somecases, and without injury in many other instances. Due to the size of the turfgrass industry, it has frequently been a stepchild in the world of agriculture, thereby utilizing products and materials developed for other crops. With the high cost of research and development, as well as government regulations for registration, the chemical companies should not be faulted for failing to develop additional interest in the turfgrass market. Also, in the early days of greenkeeping, the putting surfaces were the only areas that were irrigated. Irrigation in the early days was in the form of hand watering. As time continued, the tees eventually became irrigated, followed by dragging hoses on the fairways. The irrigation of golf courses has gone through many stages of development from hand watering to dragging hoses on fairways, quick coupling valves, to the present day automatic irrigation system. Presently, the majority of golf courses have a center line, manual, quick coupling irrigation system or a means of irrigating automatically. In the present day, the majority of tasks in golf course maintenance are mechanized to one degree or another, from large seven and nine-gang fairway mowing units to power sand raking machines, along with modern chemical spray application equipment, as compared to mixing ingredients in a 55-gallon drum and applying them with a proportioner as was done in the past. Throughout this period of technological changes in equipment and chemicals, the individual who is responsible for the care of the golf course has also made many changes. Initially, he was referred to as the greenskeeper and, in many instances, was the individual who owned the farm before it was converted to a golf course. Today, the golf course superintendent is not only an educated and trained turfgrass manager, but also an accountant, personnel manager, purchasing agent, etc. Having leafed through the pages of history in golf course management and maintenance as well as discussing some of the present day activities, we are brought to the future. As this time and point, your guess as to what will happen in the care and maintenance of golf courses is as good as mine or the person sitting next to you. Consequently, this time gives us the opportunity to dream as well as wishfully think of some of the things that we would like to see in the future. The list might include mowing equipment that rides on an air cushion. Equipment riding on a cushion of air would eliminate the need for wheels, thereby helping to minimize some of the traffic, compaction, and mechanical damage that frequently occurs in the form of rutting. Also, a golf cart without wheels would help eliminate the worn areas alongside tees and around greens. The ultimate goal of plant breeders is to develop a grass that can tolerate drought, resist disease infection, and discourage insect infestation. With the increased play that many golf courses receive, it may be also possible or desirable to develop a plant that would maintain its dwarf characteristics, thereby minimizing the need for more frequent mowing. Should it not be possible to develop the ultimate grass plant, it will be necessary to look for methods of applying chemicals more efficiently and developing new equipment. Regarding equipment, it would be desirable for the manufacturers to continue to develop mowers, sprayers, aerifiers, etc«», which will help to increase the speed and efficiency of the operation, thereby helping to reduce maintenance costs. It is important to realize that the manpower requirement for maintaining a golf course is never going to be totally reduced because man is such an important factor in the personal touches of the golf course maintenance program. However, it may be within the realm of possibility in 20 to 25 years where the equipment will not only float across the turf, but will be radio controlled from the operator who is sitting under the shade tree. No matter what the future holds as far as improved turfgrasses, chemicals, or equipment, it is important for the superintendent to realize that energy costs are going to continue to increase as is the labor bill, along with the cost for water. Consequently, the need does exist for finding more efficient ways to complete the many tasks needed in maintaining the golf course. We all have heard the expression, "Build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door." If you are the individual who builds a better piece of equipment or develops a better means or method of mowing and maintaining a golf course, or finding the ultimate grass plant, the world may not beat a path to your door, but your contribution to the industry can be a very significant development in the future history of turfgrass management. KEEPING BENTGRASS Louis E. Miller, Superintendent Louisville Country Club, Louisville, Kentucky It is amazing to me that Dr. Bill Daniel can sum up a personfs trials and tribulations in just two words, "keeping bentgrass". If someone had told me thirteen years ago that life would be like it often is in the summer, then quite likely I would have sought employment in a shoe store. Making my decision, however, I still wouldn't want to trade places with anybody. The maintenance of bentgrass fairways is nothing new throughout the midwest. The degree of success experienced by the individual doing the maintaining is often another story. For eleven years we experienced varying results in maintaining bentgrass fairways at the Louisville Country Club, always improving on our program. Nature has a way of making you humble when you are feeling your proudest and her cruelest punches came in assorted ways. We always felt that our success with the fairways was good, but for various reasons some years were better than others. Originally the fairways were seeded with a mixture of Highland and Astoria colonial bents, common bluegrass, and approximately seven percent Penncross. Through eleven years of management the bent took over and the bluegrass was completely eliminated. In some fairways the Penncross took over and the results were excellent0 For these eleven years the fairways were on a Chip-Cal program and this aided in the control and elimination of crabgrass, goosegrass, and Poa annua. The summer of 1977 seemed to be the breaking point in determining just where we were going with the bent fairway program. Seven inches of rain in ten days, with the daytime temperatures above ninety-two for twenty two straight days helped us make up our minds. Keep in mind that our predominant fairway grass up to this point was the colonial bent. The rains started on June 20, and by July 1 I could see that we were suffering greatly from wet wilt. By the morning of July 5 the damage was apparent, and we had lost approximately two acres of fairway turf of a total of forty acres. We hosted the Tri-State Golf Tournament in August of 1977 so every effort was made to reestablish grass in the now dead areas. Using a Rogers seeder, we started seeding these areas with a mixture of Seaside and Penncross bentgrass. In many areas we literally plowed through mud to get the seed in the ground. It was far from ideal seeding conditions, but then you do a lot of things in not so desirable conditions when you have to. As an added insurance, we broadcast Manhattan ryegrass seed over the areas with a shoulder type crank seeder. The hot weather continued, and in another five days we had one more inch of rain. Within six days we saw germination of the bent and rye, and felt that with just a little break in the weather we would have a reasonable stand of grass in the seeded areas. This,however, was not to be our luck. As the hot weather continued, the seed would germinate and then die due to the high daytime temperatures, often in excess of ninety-six degrees. We went through the Tri-State Tournament looking as bleak as we have ever looked in the first week of August. Finally, around the third week of August we started seeing grass germinate. The weather was still quite hot, but the grass was slowly getting established. The amazing thing about the areas that had wilted out earlier was that the stands of Penncross that had been there for eleven years were withstanding the high levels of heat and moisture and looked great. The seeding patterns that we had seeded six weeks earlier were easily visible, and the grass began to thrive« The thing that was even more impressive was that the bent and rye made a beautiful stand together and we had a tight turf by the second week of September. In 1978 the areas that we had seeded in 1977 were by far the best fairway turf we had. On August 15, 1978, we started a major renovation job on the fairways. Because it was so hot during the day we started at six in the evening and worked until after dark, doing two to three acres a night. The process used was a double aerification with a Ryan aerifier using the 3/4 inch closed spoon, drag the cores in with a chain link fence mat, slice and seed the fairways with the Rogers seeder, using Seaside bentgrass at 40 pounds per acre, vacuum the thatch brought up by the seeder, broadcast a mixture of Manhattan and Pennfine rye over the area at 60 pounds per acre, and then spray the fairway with a water soluble fertilizer with a 10-52-8 analysis. The fairways were watered with ten minute cycles four times in a 24 hour period, and we could see germination in five days' time. The only problem encountered during the renovation was germination of goosegrass which hampered the spreading of the desirable grasses in some areas. In doing this again, I would also spray the fairways seeded with Tupersan. We found that during the summer of 1978 the combination of the rye and bent could be mowed at a height of 5/8ths inch without any difficulty, and that when the bent comes under stress, the rye will fill in. I feel that this mixture of grasses is a partial answer in the Louisville area, but that it is going to take a couple of years to evaluate it properly. In the meantime, the new stand is looking good and has come through the winter well. With only one pound of actual nitrogen applied to the fairways since they have been renovated our plans call for only one pound during the 1979 growing year« All other cultural programs will remain the same as before. (Editor's Note: Spread the seed first, then do the aerifying, dragging, and verticutting over and through the seed. Seed close to or in the soil survives best!) SEED, USING THOSE NEW GRASSES Kent McFarland Indiana Seed Company, Inc., Noblesville, Indiana The 1970fs saw turf managers employ a new cultural practice - genetic control. The Plant Variety Protection Act helped insure a flow of better turf cultivars. Turf men started selecting seed to prevent problems rather than to replace problems. What benefits are expected from these improved cultivars? Increased tolerance to disease, wear, and drought, better color, lower fertility requirements, and less frequent mowing are some of their advantages. The cost of seed has remained relatively constant over the past ten years. In view of today's inflation rate, this makes seed a true bargain. What else is the same price today as it was ten years ago? Grass is a living thing. It gets old and worn just as a machine does. It loses its ability to tolerate its environment. New strains of disease come along to infect previously immune turf or a turf can just lose its immunity. And we demand more from our turf today than ever before. Superintendents, of seed, and the cost ieties in overseeding accumulation have led looking at the advantages of the new cultivars, the relative cost of maintaining an old turf have been quick to use these new varprograms. Compacted soils, pesticide residues, and heavy thatch some to the practice of destroying existing turf and starting over So what seed are the golf turf managers using? With bentgrass we are hard pressed to find a replacement for Penncross. Penneagle, recently released from Pennsylvania State University, shows much promise for overseeding fairways and tees and for seeding new greens. It reportedly provides an excellent putting surface, requires less nitrogen, and will compete with Poa annua. Emerald bentgrass had not been well received in Indiana. The Kentucky bluegrasses still demand the most attention. Turf managers have over fifty bluegrass cultivars to choose from. Indiana Seed Company is currently selling 18 bluegrasses, with more on the way. However, of these 18, we can recommend only 11. Price, availability, and popularity further reduce this list to where we are actively selling seven cultivars. Our customers use a similar method of elimination. Helminthosporium diseases have all but eliminated the use of the common types,e.g., Park, Delta, Newport, etc., on closely mowed, fine turf. Striped Smut and Fusarium blight have greatly reduced the use of Merion, Windsor, FyIking, and Nugget. From the list of survivors of this elimination, superintendents make their final selections. Now comes the real dilemma. How do you choose? What is that deciding factor? Is it competitive ability, shade tolerance, nitrogen requirements, wear tolerance, establishment rate, color, price, density, texture, vertical growth rate, salesman's ability, or an advertisement in a turf trade journal? Strangely, the last two seem to sell most of the grass seed. With all these factors to consider, plus the lack of consistent, objective, agronomic information, the decision of what seed to plant becomes more difficult than deciding the when, where, and how to plant that seed. Most of our customers study the available literature, talk with fellow superintendents and other turf experts, and then talk to us for help in their final decision. As a result of this process, Baron, Touchdown, Adelphi, Glade, and Sydsport have become our most popular bluegrass cultivars. We predict Touchdown will become our leading seller in 1979, in only its second year of marketing. Why such an instant success? Touchdown has scored well in almost every facet of every test it has been in. It is competitive against Poa annua. It is low growing and drought tolerant. It makes a strong sod quickly even under low management regimes. These factors will be paramount to a cultivar fs success in the future. The most revolutionary happening in recent turf history has been the increased use of perennial ryegrass in fine turf0 Beginning with Manhattan in 1967, there are now a dozen truly turf-type perennial ryegrasses being sold. These vigorous grasses are being successfully used to renovate many turf areas. They are wear tolerant and they can compete in Poa and bentgrass turfs. Their resistance to Fusarium blight has made them quite valuable where this disease is a serious threat to existing bluegrass turf. The rapid establishment rate of the turf-type ryegrasses have led turf authorities to caution against the use of more than 307o ryegrass in a mixture to keep a proper balance of species. However, many turf managers have been using these grasses alone in special instances such as cart paths, worn tees, and overseeding into pure bluegrass populations. Tests indicate these new perennial ryegrass varieties are as shade tolerant as any bluegrass, making them an excellent choice in shaded areas. Manhattan and Pennfine have been front runners in the ryegrass revolution and still remain the most popular. So good are these varieties that to improve on them would be difficult, but not impossible. Dr. Reed Funk, Rutgers University, did not stop with the development of Manhattan. Derby, Regal, Diplomat, Citation, and Yorktown can all trace their parentage back to Rutger's germplasm. Most recent releases from there include Fiesta, Blazer, and Yorktown II. These new varieties promise to extend the uses of ryegrass even further because of their improved density, longer persistence, increased disease resistance, and slower rate of vertical growth. If the turf-type ryegrasses are 20 years behind the bluegrasses, the improved fescues for fine turf use must be 20 years behind the ryegrasses. The next decade should see vastly improved fine fescues, quite possibly even a fine-bladed, turf-type tall fescue. The methods and timing used in getting these new grass seeds into the ground vary greatly. The Rogers seeder still rates as the most popular and efficient method of overseeding. Any method that provides adequate seed/soil contact can be used. Coring, in conjunction with slit-seeding helps insure good contact. If a seeding program works for you, stay with it. Pelletized turf seed will be introduced in the U«S. this year. The grass seed is encapsulated in a hard coating containing starter fertilizer. Superior seedling survival, increased vigor, better color, significant germination increases in surface seeding, better penetration of thatch by the seed, and elimination of bird losses are some of the advantages associated with coated seeds, according to the manufacturer. Ten years ago Flyking and Pennstar were new and quite promising. Grasses like Touchdown and Adelphi had not yet been developed. Five years from now our new grasses of today may have been pushed out by Wabash, Shasta, Enmundi, Columbia, or some other cultivar not yet named. And the trek will continue as we work toward better turf through genetic control. To date we have no "perfect" turf grass. But, by blending the best of our new varieties, we are closer to this goal than ever before. HYDROMULCHING FOR THE TURFGRASS INDUSTRY Keith Ahti Northrup King Company, Minneapolis, Minnesota A. Hydromulching - what is it? 1. Land reclamation 2. Highway roadsides 3. Erosion control 4. Turf industry B. Advantage of hydromulching 1. Cost: sodding, seeding, hydromulching 2. Efficiency 3. Rapid turf establishment 4. Seed areas inaccessible to mechanical seeders 5. Reduces moisture loss 6. Prevents erosion 7. Minimum traffic on seedbed 8. Accurate spot applications 9. Combine seed, fertilizer, mulch, fungicides 10. Mulch enriches soil 11. Uniform stand establishment C. General applications for hydromulching 1. New turf establishment: Home lawns Commercial/industrial turfs Parks, cemeteries Athletic fields Playgrounds Highway rights-of-way Golf courses o co O co o o s X è s O =3 OOOh Q OC X o Z O» ~ 0 0X 0£ LU o a* o CM LO o t o CNJ LO 0 0 LU ^xir <ÛCh QOX LO CO CC L U L UZOC O D- O LU Uh X L OO • CM oc x LU O O LO LO LO LO o zo o J O a: LO o o v: C L Z D - cr QIJ.D O LO LU a Q a; CU c è CL