n p r P M R P D l o c o Official Publication of the Michigan & Border Cities Golf Course Superintendents Association ip n d | a n | lakes IP** '• \ v ' v,< 7 „ < balls - Washed, Sorted and Sj|lped - ready for use Supply your driving raWge and pro shop with retrieved bajls. A IV. %L <»XX'V I ^ % A \ "* * > - j 'H's's */' •>Uit V » ' v> '''s '***''* * w \ S4.X- % discover golf ball company today! Raven Golf Bali Company 6148 Thornycroft Street Utica, MI 48087 <31; 2 OUR ENTIRE ORGANIZATION JOINS IN SENDING WITH EVERY GOOD WISH FOR THE NEW YEAR! #* / / / GOLF CAR DISTRIBUTORS 1980 W. Wide Track Drive (U.S. 10) Pontiac, Michigan 48058 Phone: (313) 338-0425 3 MICHIGAN & BORDER CITIES GOLF COURSE SUPERINTENDENTS ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT BRUCE WOLFROM, CGCS Barton H ills Country Club 435 Stein Road Ann Arbor, Michigan 48 703 Off. 662-8359 - Res. 884-8684 VICE PRESIDENT WALTER TROMBLEY Arrowhead Country Club 3130 Orion Road Lake Orion, Michigan 48035 Off. 373-5240 - Res. 693-2924 SECRETARY-TREASURER KEVIN DUSHANE,CGCS B loomfield H ills Country Club 759 Willards Way Union Lake, Michigan 48085 Off. 642-0707 - Res. 698-2924 BOARD OF DIRECTORS CLEM VIOLFROM Detroit Golf Club 530 Kendry Bloomfield H ills, Michigan 48013 Off. 345-4589 - Res. 334-0140 MICHAEL EDGERTON Meadowbrook Country Club 32736 Hees Livonia, Michigan 48150 Off. 349-3608 - Res. 522-6238 CHARLES GAIGE Lakelands Golf & Country Club 7390 Rickett Brighton, Michigan 48116 Off. 231-3003 - Res. 227-4677 CRAIG ROGGEMAN St. Clair Shores Country Club 22185 Masonic Blvd. St. Clair Shores, Michigan 48082 294-6170 DANIEL UZELAC Dominion Golf Club RR No. 1 Oldcastle, Ontario, Canada NOR 1LO Off. 969-4350 - Res. 969-4350 THEODORE WOEHRLE Oakland H ills Country Club 3390 Witherbee Troy, Michigan 48084 Off. 644-3352 - Res. 649-6849 PRESIDENT EMERITUS JAMES TIMMERMAN, CGCS Orchard Lake Country Club 7183 Buckhom Orchard Lake, Michigan 48033 Off.682-2150 - Res. 360-0238 "A PATCH OF GREEN” P ubl ished monthly by the MICHIGAN AND BORDER CITIES GOLF COURSE SUPERINTENDENTS ASSOCIATION Circulation: 1,250 Ted Woehrle, CGCS, Oakland Hills C.C. EDITOR P rin ted A t BLAKEMAN PRINTING COMPANY 31823 Utica Road Fraser, Michigan 48026 Phone: (313) 293-3540 MONTHLY ADVERTISING RATES D o u b le P a g e S p r e a d .............................................$ 1 5 0 .0 0 B a c k O u t s i d e P a g e .................. 7 5 . 0 0 F u l I P a g e .......................................................................... 6 5 . 0 0 H a l f P a g e ....................................................................... 4 0 . 0 0 Q u a r te r P a g e .................................................................. 3 0 .0 0 E i g h t h P a g e .................................................................. 1 5 .0 0 S i x t e e n t h P a g e ................................................................1 0 .0 0 C l a s s i f i e d A d (p e r c o l u m n 7 . 5 0 i n c h ) ................... D I S C O U N T R A T E : O ne Y e a r 10% N o t e : A d v e r t i s i n g f e e s m ay n o t be d e d u c te d from th e a b o v e r a t e s . * 76c d T H û K tfc d r fd v e r tttd e n d ,' • • G o lf C a r D is trib u to rs L a k e s h o re E q u ip m e n t C o rp o ra tio n L a w n E q u ip m e n t C o rp o ra tio n L e b a n o n /A g ric o W .F . M ille r G arden & E q u ip m e n t O xfo rd P e a t C o m p any R a in -B ird S a le s , In c . R a ven G o lf B a ll C o m p any O .M . S c o tt 8i Son, In c . Wm. F . S e ll & Son, In c . S p rin k le r Irrig a tio n Su pply C o . T e rm in a l S a le s C o rp o ra tio n T ir e W h o le s a le rs , In c . T u rfg ra s s , In c . T u rf S u p p lie s , In c . W ilk ie T u r f E q u ip m e n t D iv is io n , In c . 4 Benham Chemicals 3190 M a rtin R oad W a lle d Lake, M l 4 8 0 8 8 3 1 3 /6 2 4 -3 2 0 0 A New Turf Menace topic discussed A frequently by Chicago area golf course superinten­ dents is the USGA stimpmeter. The majority of the comments are negative and yet our local chapters and our National GCSAA are afraid to take a stand on the issue. As a concerned turfgrass manager, I am going to stick my neck out and comment on, the stimpmeter, which has become a thorn in the foot to many dedicated golf course superintendents. I realize I am not a million dollar touring pro, but I am a golf course superintendent who is charged with maintaining the playing field to make the game of golf possible. I doubt if this letter will have any bearing on the issue at all, but here I go! In 1976, the USGA first brought the stimpmeter to the attention of the golfing public during the telecast of the U.S. OPEN. This introduction has been followed by a number of articles published in the USGA Green section Record and in other golfing magazines. These articles have professed the opinion that the faster the putting surface the higher the quality of the putting green. Charts and tables have accompanied these articles stating what the USGA feels to be desirable readings for quality putting greens. These articles, charts, table, stimp- meters and logic have gotten into the hands of the amateur, the low handicap country club members. All they feel they need is a stimpmeter and they think that they can judge quality put­ ting turf. They have no agronomic knowledge of soils, turfgrass varieties, or stress conditions, but base their Continued P a g e 12 ARE YOU INTERESTED IN JOINING THE MICHIGAN AND BORDER CITIES GOLF COURSE SUPERINTENDENTS ASSOCIATION? FILL IN THE QUESTIONAIRE BELOW AND MAIL TO: CLEM WOLFROM DETROIT GOLF CLUB 530 Kendry Bloomfield H ills, Ml 48013 Off. 345-4589, Res. 334-0140 NAME ____________________________ __ ________________ ADDRESS __________________________________ ___ ______ D A T E C IT Y ___________________________ S T A T E ______________ Z I P ------------------- OR Y O U M A Y C O N T A C T T H E N E X T G O L F C O U R S E S U P P L I E R WHO C A L L O N Y O U A N D G I V E H I M T H E I N F O R M A T I O N N E E D E D F O R A P P L I C A T I O N . ' , I \ Thatch Control on Putting Greens by J.L. Eggens, Associate Professor Horticultural Science University of Guelph increased winter Thatch is a persistent problem on high maintenance turf areas subjected to compaction stress. Thatch accumula­ tion is due to a reduction in the rate of decomposition of letter and reduction in earthworms and changes in microbial flora. Although thatch is not considered to be a primary causal factor in turf death, it is a major indirect contributor to poor turf quality, localized dry spots, scalping, increased disease and insect problems, injury (Beard 1973) and poor stands of over­ seeded grasses (Schmidt and Shoulders 1972). Thatch control by cultural methods which do not injure the sward are pre­ ferred to mechanical thatch control programs such as vertical mowing and coring. Schmidt and Shoulders (1972) showed that Bermudagrass putting greens that did not receive cultivation had significantly less annual bluegrass than plots that had received cultivation treatments during periods of optimum annual bluegrass germination and es­ tablishment. A study was conducted to evaluate the relative effectiveness of the usual thatch control practices utilized in Ontario and to assess the influence of these practices on the invasion of annual bluegrass into Penncross creep­ ing bentgrass turf maintained as a putting green. The research was con­ ducted from July 1976 to October 1979 on a 7-year-old Penncross creep­ ing bentgrass sward grown on a sandy loam soil. When the thatch control treatments were begun, the thatch thickness was approximately 22 mm and relatively unifirm throughout the research area. The sward contained approximately 5% annual bluegrass uniformly distributed through the re­ search area. The treatments included (1) vertical mowing weekly, (2) vertical mowing monthly, (3) vertical mowing monthly followed by topdressing, (4) coring monthly (5) coring monthly fol­ lowed by topdressing, (6) topdressing monthly and (7) control plots which did not receive vertical mowing, coring or topdressing. Each main plot was split lengthwise for two nitrogen levels of 2 or 4 kg N/100 m2 (4 or 8 lb N/1000 ft2) per growing season and split crosswise for two mowing heights, 5 and 8 mm, (3/16 and 5/16 inch). The mowing frequency was five times weekly. The vertical mower was adjusted for each treatment to remove the maximum amount of thatch possible without rip­ ping out pieces of creeping bentgrass turf and was much more severe than the light frequent vertical mowing employed to brugh-up the turf prior to mowing. The treatment was designed to physically remove thatch. The cor­ ing treatments were applied with a Ryan Greensaire turf aerator. The Continued N ext P a g e No synthetically produced fertilizer can compare with MILORGANITE Golf Courses Use More MILORGANITE'«» t'.bíSw V Than Any Other Fertilizer TERMINAL SALES CORR 12871 EATON AVE. D ETR O IT, MICH. 48227 (313) 491 -0606 7 Thatch C ontrol, Cont. tines were reduced in length so that only the minimum amount of soil necessary for the extraction of the core of thatch was removed during each coring operaion. The cores of thatch and soil were removed from the plots. Topdressing consisted of a Fox sandy loam soil with a gradation index D90/ DIO of 47.5 and mid-particle diameter size of 240 microns. It was applied at the rate of 0.1 m3 /100 m2 (3 cu. ft./1000 ft2) thoroughly worked into the turf in four directions. On 3 may 1978, after 10 treatment applications, the amount of thatch in plots receiving monthly vertical mow­ ing or coring followed by topdressing, and topdressing alone was significantly less than that for the control and other thatch control treatments (Table 1). Increasing the vertical mowing fre­ quency from monthly to weekly did not result in reduced thatch. Vertical mow­ ing waseffective in reducing thatch content only when followed by top­ dressing. Vertical mowing alone did not provide a satisfactory playing sur­ face. Results indicate that topdressing without vertical mowing or coring would be effective in controlling thatch. Monthly coring without topdressing provided better thatch control, was less destructive to the turf and pro­ vided a better putting surface than monthly vertical mowing without top­ dressing (Table 6). Topdressing was found to be an effec­ tive thatch control treatment alone or in combination with vertical mowing and coring. Topdressing decreased thatch accumulation by improving the microenvironment for thatch decom­ position. Topdressing improved turf quality by significantly reducing the severity of scalping injury at the 5-mm mowing height during the first 5 mo. of the study. By incorporating topdress­ ing into the intact thatch, a firm smooth surface was provided for the mowing operation. Coring was a more effective thatch control practice when combined with topdressing than when combined with topdressing than when used alone (Table 1). Coring in this study differed from the aerification (coring) treat­ ment described by Murray and Juska FOR ALL YOUR IR R IG A TIO N NEEDS YOUR FULL STOCK FULL SERVICE D ISTR IB U TO R JIM VINCE AUSTIN MILLER PETE ASARO SPRINKLER IRRIGATION SUPPLY CO. 1312 N. CAMPBELL ROAD ROYAL OAK, Ml 48067 PHONE: (313) 398-2233 8 (1977), where a 5-cm core of thatch and soil was extracted and the soil worked into the turf after the cores had been broken up with a vertical mower. Since coring without topdressing promoted significantly less annual bluegrass than vertical mowing without topdressing (Table 4), the use of coring with short­ ened tines should be considered as a thatch control measure on areas that are not compacted, and the disruptive process of aerification by coring can be avoided. The reduction in mowing height from 8 mm to 5 mm (5/16 to 3/16 inch) was very effective as a thatch control treat­ ment (Table 2) and should be the first consideration when thatch begins to accumulate on putting greens. The higher level of nitrogen did not increase thatch accumulation only when the soil microorganism activity is reduced by reduced soil aeration as occurs on compacted soils. However, while most studies such as this one indicate that under good soil aeration levels nitrogen does not increase thatch it should be remembered that unless the root zone mixture has a high content of sand and does not compact readily, putting green root zones are usually compacted to some extent and excessive nitrogen levels is one of the main causal factors of thatch accumu­ lation. Winter injury was more severe on plots where the creeping bentgrass was injured by thatch control treatments (Table 3). All treatments receiving top­ dressing had significantly less winter injury than the control plots; this was probably related to the reduced thatch level, the moderation of temperature extremes and reduced desiccation from the presence of topsoil around the crowns during the winter months. Plots in which the creeping bentgrass was injured by thatch control treat­ ments had more annual bluegrass than plots that were uninjured by treatment (Table 4). Topdressing monthly ver­ tical-mowed plots increased the den­ sity of the creeping bentgrass and re­ sulted in less annual bluegrass than on plots vertical-mowed monthly without topdressing. The suppression of annual bluegrass germination in the top-dressed vertical-mowed plots may have been the result of light exclusion by the topdressing as suggested by Madison (1971) but was more likely due to the strong competition provided by the tight Penncross turf developed by the topdressing treatment. Most studies indicate that annual bluegrass is more invasive under high nitrogen levels and this was true in the study reported here (Table 5). Annual bluegass is an aggressive competitor to perennial turfgrasses through an ex­ tensive shoot and root system. On root zone mixes of reduced aeration (com­ paction, overwatering), heavy wear stress and close clipping, annual blue­ grass will grow more aggressively under high nitrogen levels than Penncross creeping bentgrass. Vertical mowing, as a mechanical thatch control treatment, was very disruptive to the playing surface while coring was less so (Table 6). Topdress­ ing is an important part of the man­ agement program to provide a smooth uniform playing surface. Table 1. Accumulated thatch (mm) on 3 May 1978 after fourtreatments during 1976 and six treatments during 1977. Table 2. Influence of mowing height on thatch accumulation Table 5. Nitrogen and annual bluegrass invasion Vertical mow Core Control Weekly Monthly 9.4 ab 11.5 a t 9.1 ab Monthly plus top dressing 4.0 c Monthly plus top Monthly dressing 8.1 b 4.9 c Top dressing 4.2 c t Values are the mean of two mowing heights and two nitrogen levels replicated four times (16 observations). a-C Means followed by the same letter are not significantly different (Duncan's multiple range test. P = 0.05). Table 3. Influence of thatch control treatments on winter injury. Vertical mow Core Control Weekly Monthly 5.7 c t 3.8 d 4.9 c Monthly plus top dressing 7.5 b Monthly plus top Monthly dressing 7.2 b 9.7 a Top dressing 7.9 b t Visual evaluation using a rating system of 1-10, with 1 representing dead turf and 10 green growing turf, a-d Means followed by the same letter are not significantly different at the 5% level of probability. Table 6. Turf uniformity t with thatch control treatments. Thatch control treatments Vertical Control mowing Coring dressing 9.0 a 7.4 b 6.2 c Top- 9.6 a t Visual evaluation 1-10, 10 best turf (April 1978) a-C Means followed by the same letter are not significantly different at the 5% level of probability 9 Nitrogen rate (kg/100 m2) Annual bluegrass (% of plot) 2 (4 lb) 4 (8 lb) 8.1 b 25.4 a a-b Means within treatments followed by the same letter are not significantly different at the 5% level of probability. a-b Means followed by the same letter are not significantly different at the 5% level of probability. Table 4. Influence of 21 thatch control treatments over a 3-yr. period on the ingress of annual bluegrassf Treatment Control Vertical mow weekly Vertical mow monthly Vertical mow monthly plus top dressing Core monthly Core monthly plus top dressing Top dressing 1977 31 Aug. 1.5 be 2.9 a 2.7 a 2.4 ab 1.1 C 1.3 c 1.2 c 1978 31 May 1.9 b 4.7 a 3.9 a 1.7 b 2.5 b 2.5 b 1.8 b 26 July 2.6 b 4.6 a 4.1 a 2.5 b 2.7 b 2.6 b 2.3 b t Visual evaluation using a rating system of 0-10 with 10 representing 100% of the plot populated with ann ual bluegrass. a-C Means within columns followed by the same letter are not significantly different at the 5% level of probability. RIGHT-(L-R) John Kirtland, Glenn Korhorn, Ken Debusscher, Bob Birdsall, enjoying the festivities after the Golf-Day Banquet. LEFT* (L— R) Jim Timmerman, Bill Emerson, Don Hearn, Jim Lindblad, Richard Slivinski, Paul Boizelle, Robert Osterman Candidates*Running for offices in GCSAA. LEFT-Hole-in-One for Dean Manos, Member Barton Hills C.C, Hole # 13 — During annual Fund Raising Tournament. Oakland H ills C.C. anil Hast llallas far tie Caning Year WILKIE Titrf Equipment Division, ine. 1050 OPDYKE ROAD PONTIAC, MICHIGAN 48056 (313) 373-8800 TORO 11 NATIONAL GOLF FOUNDATION BULLETIN Golf Play Up! Highest Ever Recorded NORTH PALM BEACH, FL - The number of golf rounds played in the United States during the second quarter rose 8.5% over a year ago. This is the largest increase recorded since the National Golf Foundation began quarterly analyses in 1978. The three major types of golf facilities measured by NGF-private, daily fee and municipal - all showed gains in rounds played. Private clubs led the way with an 11.1% increase, followed byte daily fee courses at 10.9% and the municipal facilities at 6.4%. On a regional basis,the South Atlantic states showed the greatest growth (13.2%), followed by the East North Central (9.9%), Pacific (9.4%), South Central (7.7%) (10%), Mountain and the Northeast (2.7%). Only the West North Central area showed a reduction in rounds played of 3%. ------------------------------------------- A N e w M e n a c e , C o n t. opinions totally on the stimpmeter, a table and readings. The following story may seem far­ fetched but is actually happened in Chicago a couple years ago. Their was a golfer, who happened to be a member of the Grounds of Green Committee of a neighboring country club, who got wind of the stimpmeter. He proceeded to purchase the device along with articles, charts, and tables. Instantly he felt he was an expert on judging quality putting turf. He began to experiment with his newly purchased toy at his golf course, recording readings of putting green speed. After he had had his fill of reading of his own greens, he decided to trespass on neighboring golf courses to compare stimpmeter readings. I heard the fellow had visitied my golf course, but I missed him! At a neigh­ boring club he was confronted by the golf course superintendent and was Continued P age 14 12 seasons greetings TURFGRASS, INC. SOUTH LYON, MICHIGAN 48178 Phone: Area 313 437-1427 13 COUNTRY CLUB :d u i TURF PRODUCTS —Homogenous Granulation —High UF (W.I.N.) —Balanced Feeding —Fits Your Budget SOUTH LYON, MICHIGAN 48178 Phone : Areo 313 437-1427 GENE JOHANNINGSMEIER Lebanon Chemical Corporation P.O. Box 847, Danville, Illinois 61832 uum.F.seii & Son.inc. SINCE 1923 RENTAL SALES - SERVICE * SWEEPERS * LOADERS * TRENCHERS* MOWERS * ROTARY CUTTERS * BACK HOE DIGGERS * BACK FILL BLADES * POST HOLE DIGGERS JOB TAILORED EQUIPMENT 282-5100 Complete line of Material Handling & Farm Equipment 16555 TELEGRAPH RD. - TAYLOR 1 MILE SOUTH OF EUREKA 14 A New Menace, Cont. lucky he did not get shot! He visited a club or two a day, some in the mornings, others at night. He made some read­ ings after a heavy rain, other times under the driest conditions. He did not know if the green had been mowed that day or double cut. He did not know the turfgrass variety or the height of cut He did not know anything except how to roll a ball down an aluminum bar. When he had finished his reading, he compiled his so-called expert data and proceeded to hassle the golf course superintendent at his home golf course. It took some time, but the golf course superintendent was finally able to put the stimpmeter packing trespasser in his place! This is a good example of how the stimpmeter has put the golf course superintendent under the undue stress. As a professional turfgrass manager I know that one cannot expect the same from every putting green. Greens differ widely on a 18 hole golf course. Greens have different soil mixtures, different turfgrass varieties and different ex­ posure to the elements. You should not be expected to produce the same stimp­ meter reading under the varied con­ ditions; one cannot do it and maintain quality turf. Take the putting green bentgrass varieties, Washington, Toronto, Penn- cross, Conggressional, Penneagle, Evansville, Seaside or the old South German mixture. They all differ to a degree in their response to height of cut, ability to withstand wethot humid conditions and their response to height condtions and their reaction to stress. Many of the older golf courses do not have the same variety of turf on all greens; they have 3 of this 6 of that and 9 of the other. Add to this some greens with a USGA soil mix, others with a 1- 1-1 mix and a few others with a clay base. You cannot standardize them and expect a club to shoot for a uniform stimpmeter reading on greens at all times. It is a common practice in the Chicago area for golf course superintendents to strive to maintain uniform, smooth, true and GREEN putting surfaces. We alter our management practices to the Continued Page 17 A V Announcements To: All Turf Managers and other Turf Personnel The 53rd Annual Michigan Turfgrass Conference sponsored by Michigan State University and the Michigan Turfgrass Foundation will be held January 18-19, 1983 at Long's Convention Center in Lansing, Michigan. Sessions include MSU turfgrass research reports, golf course management, lawn care business topics, athletic field management, sod production, clipping removal from fair­ ways and general lawn care topics. Speakers include Dr. Joe Duich, Professor of Turf Management at Penn State University;Dr. Harry Niemczyk, Professor of Entomology and, also Dr. David Neilson, Professor of Plant Pathology both at the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center at Wooster, Ohio. On Wednesday afternoon several "Basic School" sessions will be held on a first-come, first-served basis, including sessions on turf insect identifica­ tion, shrub and tree pest indentification, grass identification and basic soils. Pesticide Applictors Certification and Recertification exams will also be offered. If you have any questions about the conference program, please contact Paul Rieke (517/355-0266) or Shawn McBurney (517/353-9022). THE 1983 PENNSYLVANIA TURFGRASS CONFERENCE 8i TRADE SHOW WILL BE HELD AT THE HERSHEY LODGE 8< CONVENTION CENTER, HERSHEY, PA FROM FEBRUARY 2 8 -M A R C H 3, 1983. "Season's Greetings and happiness always/' from the Michigan and Border Cities Golf Course Superintendents Association. O H C C S o ftb a ll T ea m W ins Front Row TOM GRAY 1 st Base, DAN LUCAS 2nd Base, CHRISTURKOPP manager and Rt. Center, BILL GRACE Catcher. Back Row RAY PORTER Pitcher, PAUL REED Shortstop, RICK WALDEN Outfield, PHIL RONDEAN Trainer. Not present MARK HEUSSNER3rd Base, JIM BLAUVELTLeft Center, DOUG PFAU Rt. Field, JAY HAM­ MING Fielder and DARYL STRIKER Short­ stop. 16 "For Land's Sake-'Use Peat" OXFOJ® PEAT CO. 1430 E. Drahner Rd. Oxford, Michigan 48051 PROCESSED PEAT Top Dressing Blends Custom Blending FRED LATTA 313/628-5991 T h e b es t in T u r f Su pplies-» L E S C O 100% S u lfu r-C o a te d F e r t iliz e r s , G o lf C o u rse A c c e s s o rie s , C h e m ic a ls in c lu d in g LESCOSAN' A H ig h ly E ffe c tiv e P re -E m e rg e n c e C ra b g ra s s and P o o A n n u a C o n tro l * L e s c o s o n (B etasa n-R e g. TM o f Stauffer _______________________________ Chemical, C o .) (800) 362-7413 (800) 321-5325 Available NATIONWIDE From: IN OHIO Lakeshore Equipment & Supply Co. “ Home Of LESCO Products“ 300 South Abbe, Elyria, OH 44035 If you have changed your address, please let us know so we can keep our addressing plates up to date. Present Address: N A M E A D D R E S S C I T Y S T A T E Z I P F ill In New Address: N A M E A D D R E S S Z I P S T A T E C I T Y Mail this form to: A PATCH OF GREEN 31823 Utica Road Fraser, Michigan 48026 , 17 A New Menace, Cont. turfgrass variety, soil and weather conditions. We may raise the height of cut during hot-humid weather to avoid scalping. We irrigate to maintain a uniform moisture level. We follow pre­ ventative fungicide programs and strive to maintain a healthy turf. Our fertility practices are based on just enough nutrients to provide continual recovery from player damage. We top- dress, aerify, spike, vericut, comb and brush as needed, to asure the best possible putting surface. These prac­ tices to produce a desirable putting turf are not based on a set stimpmeter reading, but instead on our agronomic and greenskepping ability to provide our memberships a uniform, true, healthy and GREEN putting surface. 95 percent of the memberships at my club are not color blind; they can tell brown from green! During this past summer I received a number of comments from members at my club concerning the television coverage of championship golf events. These people were wondering what was wrong with the greens on many of the golf courses that hosted USGA and PGA events. They noticed the brown turf. This condition stood out well on the television coverage of the USGA Women’s Open which was held in the Chicago area. As I understand it, on the Monday of the tournament week, the golf course superintendent was told to maintain the greens according to the desired for tournament week, the golf course superitendent was told to maintain the greens according to the desired stimpmeter readings for tournament play. It made no difference that the area had received a heavy rainfall the night before - go ahead, let’s get that desired stimpmeter reading, mow the greens, mow them again; we want the speed! the results - SCALP! Neighboring golf course superin­ tendents that day listened to their knowledge of putting green turf and not to some stimpmeter packing tournament official. Most golf course superintendents in the Chicago area that day elected to omit mowing their greens because of the wet soil condi- Continued N ext Page stimpmeter readings sense, agronomic A New Menace, Cont. tions, and their greens stayed GREEN !! To me this was an excellent example of turfgrass abuse by the stimpmeter. Common and greenskeeping knowledge were put aside in order to establish a set stimp­ meter reading. True, not all greens were scalped that day by this action. Not all were the same; different grasses, different soils. The sad part is that the majority of the greens shown on television were the greens that were scalped the most. Was this fair to them to be forced to play on recovering green Tire Wholesalers Company, Inc. Phone: (313) 354-5644 T R U C K -C A R TR A ILE R Itili J UHIROYM. T IR E S M O T O R C Y C L E IN D U S TR IA L A. TURF SUPPLIES INC. WHOLESALE PRICES TO COMMERCIAL ACCOUNTS 6900 Pardee Rd.,Taylor, Michigan (313) 291-1200 DON’T EVEN THINK OF B U Y IN G .............. GRASS SEED FERTILIZERS FUNGICIDES WITHOUT CALLING 291-1200 TURF SUPPLIES INC. 6900 Pardee Rd.,Taylor, Michigan (313) 291-1200 18 for the rest of the golfing season? A golf course superintendent myself, I can imagine how he felt. Yet, the stimp­ meter is billed as a useful tool. So far I feel fortunate, as yet I have not personally been confronted with the stimpmeter, But, I see it as an instru­ ment that is doing more harm to the golf course superintendent that good. This harm has come in the promotion of the stimpmeter, the placing of it into the hands of the sidewalk superinten­ dent and the logic that the faster the putting surface the better, even if the turf will not tolerate it. It seems unfair to me that an organiza­ tion such as the USGA caters so closely to the low handicap golfer. Sure the touring pro and the under five handi­ cap golfers claim they putt better on fast greens. But over 90 percent of the membership at 99 percent of the golf courses do not fit into this class. The majority of the golfers like a putt that they feel they can control; it makes the game more enjoyable for them. Most golfers also love the color green, brown makes them feel that something is wrong. Brown goes with trouble; the more brown the member of a golf club sees, the more trouble the superinten­ dent is in. There is that old saying of golf course superintendents, “When the grass is green, you are a hero; when it is brown, you are a bum!” This old saying still holds true today in the eyes of the average country club member. The USGA has been beneficial for the golf course superintendent over the year. I have read the USGA Greens Section Record for over 18 years and still look forward to each issue. I have had problems, and the articles have helped me solve them. But this stimp­ meter business is not in the best interest of the golf course superinten­ dent, and it is not being received well. As it is, the golf course putting green is the most intensely cultivated crop in the world. No where do we find a plant continually put under such stress, and now we have the stimpmeter to stress our golfing turf further. I cannot help but feel — STIMPMETERS ARE ANTI-GRASS. One who speakes for the grass, Julius Albaugh, Golf Course Supt. Westmoreland Country Club Season’s Greetings AND ALL GOOD WISHES FOR THE NEW YEAR Bob, Burt, Don, Gordie, John Mac, John K., Dave, Roy, Jim, Ed, Ron & Paula 1 9 Best Wishes for the Coming Season W.F. MillerfeÄpany TELEPHONE: (313) 647-7700 1593 S. WOODWARD AVE. BIRMINGHAM, MICHIGAN 48011 "A Patch of Green” 31823 U T IC A R O A D F R A S E R , M IC H IG A N 48026 O S > % « rv MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY-SERIALS EAST LANSING, MI 48824 U S PQ8TAOE PAID PERMIT NO 37