Officia! Publication of the Michigan & Border Cities Golf Course Superintendents Association LET THE EXPERTS AT J. J. DILL HELP YOU MAKE IT BUY DIRECT • SAVE MONEY GET FAST DELIVERIES Your budget will buy more — in chemicals and equipment to apply them — when you deal direct with Dill. As manufacturer, formulator and/or distributor, Dill can save you money. Consistently. Dill offers the most com­ plete line of quality turf A chemicals in the midwest . . complete with appli- cation instructions. is headquarters for complete Dill lines of: • Fungicides • Herbicides • Algaecides • Insecticides • Fog- gers • Sprayers. PROMPT DELIVERY throughout southern Michigan and northwestern Ohio, including weekly shipment via our trucks covering the Detroit, Flint, Lansing and Toledo areas. Call Dill collect for information, prices, and to place orders. (616) 349-7755 S U M M E R IS H E R E : TIP OF THE MONTH 1991 Rotate your spray program between Systemic and Contacts fungicides. Chipco-Spot Kleen are good Systemic and choices. Use proven contact sprays such as D aconil 2787, Dyrene or A cti-D ione Thiram . the newest de­ velopments & recommendations. C a ll us for VALUABLE CATALOG Latest edition, up-dated in all respects. Contains a wealth of in­ formation. Lists and describes hundreds of chemicals, pesticides and equipment for maintenance of grounds and waters of golf courses, parks, recreation areas and resorts. J. J. D ILL COMPANY KALAMAZOO, Ml 49005 Gentlemen: Please send your latest Turf Care Catalog. Box 788 Dept. PG-4 NAME ----- ADDRESS C ITY _____ . STATE. .Z IP . " A Patch of Green” 31823 U tica Road, Fraser, Michigan 48026 (313) 293-3540 P ub l¡sh ed monthly by the Michigan and Border C itie s G o lf Course Superintendents A sso ciation C irculatio n 1,050 Ted Woehrle, Oakland Hills C.C. Clem Wolfrom, Detroit Golf Club C o-Editors Blakeman Publications Graphic A rts/ C irculation A D V E R T I S I N G R A T E S Double Page Spread................................... • 100.00 Back Outside Page..........................................6S.00 Full Page.......................................................... 55.00 Half Page.......................................................... 35.00 Quarter Page.....................................................25.00 Eighth Page......................... 12.50 Sixteenth Page....................................................7.50 C lassified Ad (per inch)................................... 5.00 DISCOUNT RATES One Year 10 % THIS MONTH’S ADVERTISERS A g rico (Bud Camp) American Research Corp. Century Supply Corp. Certified Laboratories, Inc. Cowbell Seeds, Inc. J.J. D ill Company R.P. Klein & Sons, Inc. Lakeshore Equipment Lawn Equipment Corporation W.F. Miller Garden Miller Sprinkling System s (Sisco) Sprinkler System Services Terminal Sale s Corporation Turfgrass, Inc. Turf Supplies, Inc. Wilkie Turf Equipment Co. 3 MICHIGAN AND BORDER CITIES GOLF COURSE SUPERINTENDENTS ASSOCIATION P R E S I D E N T O AK LA N D H ILLS C OUNTR Y C LU B TED WOEHRLE Birmingham. Michigan Off. 644-3352. Res. 646-6512 V I C E P R E S I D E N T GERALD GILL TAM -O-SHANTER COUNTR Y C LUB 3466 Walnut Lake Road Orchard Lake. Michigan Off. and Res. 626-8325 S E C R E T A R Y - T R E A S U R E R BOB HOPE KNOLLW OOD CO U NTR Y C L U B 6330 Inkster Road Birmingham. Michigan Off. and Res. 626-6062 B O A R D O F D I R E C T O R S C. H. WOLFROM, JR. DETROIT G O LF C LU B Detroit, Michigan 530 Kendry (R es.) ALBER T K A LTZ M APLE L A N E GOLF C LU B Sterling Hgts.. Michigan Off. 268-2130, Res. 463-2892 ROGER G ILL R O YAL OAK G O LF C LU B Royal Oak, Michigan Otf. 549-7125. Res. 573-6859 GEORGE W. PRIESKORN 5341 Brighton Road (R e s.) Brighton, Michigan 48116 BURROUGHS FARMS G O LF C LUB Res. 227-1381 WILLIAM W. MILNE COUNTR Y C L U B OF DETROIT 220 C.C. Drive Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan Off. 881-8000, Res. 886-9319 BAY PO IN TE G O LF C L U B DONALD L A FOND 3635 Union Lake Road Union Lake, Michigan Res. 363-1142 P R E S I D E N T E ME RI T US WARD SWANSON PLUM HOLLOW G OLF C LU B 29642 Westfield (R es.) Livonia, Michigan Off. 352-2436. Res. 421-8049 The President’s Message Rain, Rain Go Away, Come Again Some Other Day (when we need it). it been wet! This spring and early have really put the Superin- Boy, has summer USGA Open Championship One June 9 and 10, 1973 I was fortunate in being able to attend a practice round at the site of the 1973 Open being held at the famous Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pa. Host Superintendent, Lou Scolzo, had the course in excellent condition despite some heavy rains on Tuesday. Because of the soft greens the scores were quite low for the Open, but the gallery enjoyed every minute of it. They lose to see birdies and eagles instead of bogies. Lou told us that he always double cuts his greens daily. I have never seen shorter turf on golf greens. The only other greens that compare would be those at Wilbur Water’ s Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio. Congratulations, Lou for a great job in preparing your course. — Ted Woehrle tendent through a test of his ability in public relations. How do we explain to the members why the course is closed or why the golf cars are re­ stricted? the Superintendent’ s We can thank the good Lord that the majority of our golfers understand, and that they have enough confidence in judgement. It is a tough decision to make in the early morning hours when the remainder of the day may be sunny and bright. But it is a decision that must be made from time to time in order to prevent compaction and tire ruts that take time to repair and heal. Most courses rely on the Superin­ tendent important decisions. Let’ s hope they continue to do so. to make these Your President, Ted Woehrle In any field of scientific endeavor anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. Left to themselves they always go from bad to worse. If there is a possibility of small things going wrong, the one that will go wrong is the one that will do the most damage. Nature always sides with the hidden flaws. If everything seems to be going well you have obviously overlooked something. - A PESSIMIST PLASTIC IRRIGATION PIPE ELECTRIC WIRE INSTALLED WITH NO TURF DAMAGE! FOR INFORMATION CALL 651-7341 SPRINKLER SYSTEM SERVICES 4 Meet Your Director A1 Kaltz is nearing the end of his three-year term o f service on the Board of Directors of Michigan & Border Cities Golf Course Superin­ tendents Association. He was elected in 1970. A1 has been at Maple Lane for 34 years. He is Assistant Superintendent to Superintendent Clarence Wolfrom, Sr. His long term of s e r v i c e was interrupted only by a hitch in the U.S. Army from 1941 - 1945. A1 has helped in the development of Maple Lane, which, with its 54 holes, today is rated as the largest and one o f the finest public courses in the United States. A1 Kaltz came to Maple Lane when he was 18 years old and learned the business from the ground up, so to speak. He has been instrumental in the designing and building of 36 holes since coming to Maple Lane. i \ A1 has a wintertime avocation - the growing o f hothouse rhubarb - which he has developed into a profitable family operation. His wife and six children help A1 conduct the operation on A l’ s Macomb County farm. Macomb County, is the largest producer of hothouse rhubarb in the United States. incidentally, MBCGCSA Fall Golf Day The 8th Annual Turfgrass Research Benefit sponsored by the Michigan & Border Cities Golf Course Superin­ tendents Association, will be held on September 17, 1973, at the Bay Pointe Golf Club. Raffle tickets have been passed out to members. These raffle tickets will give you a chance to win a: 1. 2. 3. 4. 1973 Chevrolet Nova Set of Haig Ultra Clubs & Bag Portable TV Set 15 great additional prizes Of course, we are the real winners. All proceeds go to the betterment of turfgrass through research and develop­ ment by the Michigan T u r f g r a s s Foundation. Tickets are $1.00 each or 6 for $5.00. If you would like to help sell tickets, write Gerald Gill, 3466 Walnut Lake Road, Orchard Lake, Michigan 48033 5 from the column CHARLES PRICE GOLFER AT LARGE in the June issue of GOLF MAGAZINE A Talk With the New Breed of Greenkeeper immaculate Next to those amateurs who think they can design a golf course better than a professional architect, the ones who bug me most are those who think they can maintain a course better than a professional greenkeeper. No matter how they always seem to be able to find some fault with it. Let them play three days before the National Open at Pebble Beach or Oakland Hills or Winged Foot, when such courses are as clean as billiard cloth, and they’ d somehow manage to find a daisy in the rough and holler holy hell about it. the course, they couldn’ t though you surround This picayune nonsense wouldn’t bother me so much were it not for the fact that the golfers who holler the most couldn’ t keep up the front lawn for a doll’ s house. Give them a gang- mower and find the ignition. And, for some reason that is strange but true, they are the very ones who never smooth out a bunker even it with enough rakes to constitute a picket fence. If you want the world’ s biggest weed nursery, just hand your golf course over to them for two weeks. You’ ll have tees that look as though they had been made out of ripple soles, fairways that play as though they had been planted with creeping-rock, and greens that putt as though they were peanut brittle. Anybody who knows anything at all about maintaining a golf course is a member of the Golf Course Superin­ tendents Association of America, an organization of about 3,500 persons who are professional greenkeepers. Several years ago, for some reason I have never been able to capture, this group changed their name from the Greenkeepers Association of America 6 to what it now is. Perhaps they got sick and tired of people calling them greens keepers - that is, in the plural when in fact they were keepers of the green, which is to say, the whole golf course. Hence, the proper term “ green­ keeper,” just as it should be “ green fees,” and not “ greens fee,” as though all they had to do was mow 18 putting surfaces and forget the fairways, the rough, the hazards and all the rest of the joint. Greenkeeping has never been one of the more glamorous professions in this ancient game, although to this day in Scotland the greenkeeper’ s word is law, above even that of the head pro­ fessional, the Club Secretary or the Captain of Golf, which is a highfalutin’ title for the unpaid president of the club. When the greenkeeper over there says the course is closed, for example, it’ s closed, and he wouldn’t care if the Duke of Edinburgh and the Prince of Wales were standing on the first tee getting ready to play a match for the crown jewels. In recalling greenkeepers I have known, only two come to mind who received any degree of national recog­ nition. They are Emil Loeffler, who was the first professional at Oakmont as well as its greenkeeper until his retirement in 1947. The other is Joe Valentine, for many years the green­ keeper at Merion, who discovered Merion Blue Grass, an almost revolu­ tionary strain that has since been widely planted throughout the country; indeed, the world. Anyway, those two kept their courses in elegant condition at a time when you had to get rid of crab grass and other infesting Continued on Page 8 t h r o u g h o u t agronomical stuff Agrico puts you eighteen up on the competition, before the Agrico Country Club fertilizers will help you get the most out of your golf course... the most people, the most wear, the most green. We've spent a lot of time developing a custom-tailored program for your golf course. We sincerely believe that it's the best there is. If you want a greener, competition even begins thicker golf course, use Agrico. And you can stay eighteen up all year long. Agrico Representative: Bud Camp Phone (219) 485-6828 See your Agrico Country Club Products Distributor 7 New Breed Cont. golf acreage by getting down on your hands and knees and picking it out, and when cutting healthy grass was done with mowers only one era re­ moved from being horsedrawn. Now there is a new breed of green- keeper, no more heralded than the old, but in most cases college-educated in agronomy and so sophisticated in herbage, stems, leaves, fruit, grain, pesticides, insecticides, and all the other ins and outs of this little-known field as to make you feel they could build a Japanese garden blindfolded. flowers, bracts, sedges, rushes, in landscape design At my home club - The Sea Pines Plantation Club, on Hilton Head Island, S.C. - our three courses and a fourth still under construction are supervised by one of these younger Turks. His name is Bill Carson, and he knows grass the way a pianist knows a keyboard. Carson holds a degree from Clemson University, one of the pio­ neering schools that teach some of the intricacies of golf course superin­ tendence. Although only 32, Carson has managed to work his way up to the title of General Golf Superintendent at Sea Pines in only eight years. As ‘such, he supervises a staff of 28 men (one other superintendent and assis­ tant for each course, plus ground crews) and the use of $380,000 worth If you think seeding o f equipment. lawn your is a problem, take this figure into consideration: Last year Carson and his men planted almost tons of it. As if these logistics 40 were not headaches enough, Carson has to grapple each day with the cold fact that the cost of maintaining a golf course - any golf course - is spiraling at the rate of nine per cent each year. Yet, six times a day Carson has to listen patiently to the unsoli­ cited advice o f nuts like me who couldn’ t raise a geranium in Hawaii in the middle of May. Bill just smiles when I mention all this to him, having the patience of a twice his age. “ I don’ t blame man people for making suggestions,” he says. “ In fact, I welcome them. After all, we have members here who have been playing golf since before I was born and most of what they have to say is very constructive. Gosh, even superintendents disagree among them­ selves on how a golf course ought to be kept up. “ Do you know that it wasn’ t until last year that our association got around to officially declaring that poa annua is a weed? That is, a plant out of place in the natural environment of other things? Now, weed or not, poa annua has been around as long as people have thought grass is worth taking care of. But it is not necessarily bad for grass. On the contrary, it can be good for grass in some parts of the country. Lord knows, there’ s not a better maintained golf course in the whole world than Augusta National. The people there spend all year bringing the place to perfect fruition for the week o f the Masters Tournament Despite all their efforts, though, poa annua keeps creeping in every three years or so. It doesn’ t hurt the turf there, and when you lower the mowers as low as they do for the Masters, it putts just as true as any grass strain you care to name. But poa annua is white, not green, and if you are the sort of perfectionists they are at Augusta National it becomes unsightly. So they keep trying to kill it off for appear­ ance’ s sake, just as I do. the “ Six or seven years ago, main­ taining a golf course was largely a matter of picking crab grass off the greens, mowing fairways, and keeping the course green. Today, I might have a fairway mowed as often as six consecutive times before it meets our standards. And all this has to begin as early as six in the morning, weather permitting, so that we can for play have all 54 holes ready Next Page 8 | New Breed Conf. before the golfers get to them. If we don’ t stay five or ten minutes ahead of them, we have to cut off our mach­ inery and stand around while they play through. This can cut our effi­ ciency as much as 70 per cent. “ So, there is one of the dilemmas of keeping a golf course up to par. You can’ t properly maintain one while golfers are playing it, and you can’ t have one unless they do play it. Speaking of play, last year we had - let me see now; I’ ve got the figure right here somehere - 108,700 rounds of golf played over our three courses. Lots of clubs - and I don’t care how many courses they own - wouldn’ t have that much play in ten years. But we are not seasonal, unlike the north. Play here goes year round. As a matter of record, one of the busiest days we have ever had took place late one February. Consequently, play here is not concentrated, unlike - let’ s say - the Chicago area, where people have a six-month to eight-month season and where play at a club might be restricted to 300 or so members. Being a resort community, we have a lot of guests and a lot of members who play here, there, and everywhere. As a result, all sorts of bastard strains of grass are implanted into our fairways and greens through their spikes. It can’t be helped or avoided, but it is none­ theless a fact of life. in “ Would you believe my posting a sign on the first tee of any of our courses saying ‘Please Do Not Replace Your Divots’ ? I mean, would you believe that? Well, our courses are planted two different strains of Bermuda, Tifway and Tifdwarf as they are known in the trade, depending upon how old the course is and whether the Bermuda has been planted in the fairways or on the greens. But the point is - and this is argumentative among even professional greenkeepers- that replacing a Bermuda divot can do more harm than good to a golf course. 9 from strands “ Bermuda, you see, grows almost sideways, whereas rye grows, com­ paratively speaking, almost straight up. By replacing a Bermuda divot, then, you are in effect impeding its natural growth; the divot keeps the grass reaching each other. Consequently, by not replacing the divot, you give Bermuda a better chance to grow and, incidentally, let the mowers chew up the divots so that they can re-germinate the golf course. But, as I say, this is a debatable point among superintendents. I happen to think that not replacing a Bermuda divot is wise, although lots of others will d i s a g r e e with me. So why shouldn’t I listen to the suggestions of members who have been playing golf 30, 40 years or more.” - There you have greenkeepers there it, then. Among - super­ modern-day intendents is consternation over whether or not you should re­ place a divot, a subject that would have been dismissed with a toss of the hand in my day and would have been c o n s i d e r e d heresy in Emil Loeffler’ s. Poor Bill Carson. Just think! Fifty years from now he’ ll be sitting in his wheelchair and some member w ill come up to him and tell him he’ s doing e v e r y t h i n g old- fashioned. He’ s still raking sand traps. Once upon a time a beautiful girl went walking through the woods. As she ap­ proached a bridge she heard a hoarse voice cry out: “ Please don’t step on me.” The amazed girl looked around and saw no one. Then she spied a little frog in the middle of the road, the little frog looked at her and spoke again. “ Don’t be frightened,’’ he croaked.“ I am not really a frog. I am a handsome prince. A wicked witch has cast a spell on me and until some kind person takes pity on me and gives me some food and shelter I cannot break the spell.’* The sympathetic girl picked the little frog up and took him home. There she fed him and gave him a soft pillow beside her to sleep on. When she awoke, to her surprise there was a handsome prince beside her . . . but her mother never believed the story. Changes in Putting Green Construction Concepts - Builder’s Viewpoints by JAMES L. HOLMES The Green Makers Bryan, Texas This paper pertains primarily to bentgrass greens, especially greens suitable for the culture of buntgrass in the South. Nevertheless, let me say here and now, that greens built pro­ perly will support both bentgrass and bermudagrass in a superior fashion - anywhere. But there is a growing de­ mand for bentgrass greens, primarily for is recognized as presenting a superior the pesky putting surface, and 2) bermudagrass transition period is avoided. reasons: 1) bentgrass two Of course there must be assurance that bentgrass will perform throughout the entire season in the South. Certain types of bentgrass have done well for a number of years in Gatesville, Texas; Ft. Smith, Arkansas; and Nashville, Tennessee. There is every reason to believe, if green construc­ tion that bentgrass will is proper, MSU Fall Field Day Thursday, September 13, 1973 has been set as the date for the annual Fall Field Day at Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan. The latest research in turfgrass and maintenance, cultural practices will be on display. plant breeding, Make a date to see what is being accomplished with our money. You’ ll be impressed. Help raise more money by supporting the Golf Day on September 17 at Bay Pointe Golf Club. 10 perform excellently as far south as mid-Florida and southern Texas, or in areas where the bermudagrass transi­ tion factor is a problem. Building Procedures “ Factors In the March-April 1959 issue of The Golf Course Reporter, I presented a paper, in Building a “ Green” . Most of the pertinent informa­ tion contained in this article was ob­ tained from reported work done by Howard Kunze and Ferguson at Texas A&M. Subsequently, the USGA Green Section published its “ Specifications for a Method of Putting Green Construc­ tion” (September 1960 issue of USGA Journal & Turf Management). Since that time the specifications have been used as for construction of putting greens. It continues to be the most valid building method which, when used, makes to check whether an architect and builder are indeed following exact construction specifications. it possible a standard are The specifications readily available and no doubt most superin­ tendents are familiar with them. Of primary concern with these specifica­ is the assurance of rapid and tions adequate subsurface drainage along with built-in guarantees o f sufficient moisture retention and available air. surface and is specified as In such specifications, a layer of gravel to particle size because it is essential that finer soil particles in the soil mixture above do not filter down into the gravel. Obviously, if this occurs a soil seal Continued on Page 13 - TURF EQUIPMENT CO. THE ANDERSON DIVISION 23455 TELEG R APH ROAD SOUTHFIELD, MICHIGAN 48075 (313) 353-5300 11 SISCO SALESMEN at your SERVICE D O N V O S has worked with pumps and piping system s for the past eight years. H is experience can be valuable to you. Automatic irrigation is his speciality for any turf g ra ss area. Don travels the Western part of Michigan and will gladly stop by your course. C all Kalam azoo 616-381-0506. Sprinkler Irrigation Supply Company, Division of A. J. Miller, Inc., 1316 N. Campbell Rd., Royal Oak, Mich. 48067, (313) 548-7272 Chicago (312) 629-7730, Kalamazoo (616) 381-0506, Columbus, Ohio (614) 888-1782 E N G I N E E R E D R A I N ARE YOU INTERESTED IN JOINING THE MICHIGAN AND BORDER CITIES GOLF COURSE SUPERINTENDENTS ASSOCIATION? Fill in the questionaire below and mail to: N A M E O F I N T E R E S T E D P E R S O N D A T E a l b e r t k a l t z Maple Lane Golf Club Sterling Heights, Michigan 48077 Phone: Off. 268-2130, Res. 463-2892 M A I L I N G A D D R E S S ______________________________________________________ _ _ _ _ _ C I T Y ________________________________________ S T A T E _________________ Z I P ______ Or you may contact the next golf course supplier who calls on you and give him the information needed for application. formed, into they will if a material Putting Green Changes Cont. can be thereby stopping necessary downward water movement. The factor here has to do with the “ 7 times diameter’ ' size relationship. Explicitly, is smaller than seven times the diameter of the pore spaces made by larger sized the smaller material will material, the voids of the larger filter material if the smaller material is placed over the larger. As an analogy, take a room full of basketballs; if you pour a bunch of marbles over the basketballs filter down amongst the basketballs. But, place a layer of baseballs over the basket­ balls and they will not fall between the b a s k e t b a l l s . Then place the marbles over the baseballs. So, either a sand layer of known particle size must be placed over known particle size gravel or, a known and, recog­ nized size gravel must be used and the size relationship o f the soil mix to be placed over the said gravel recognized. It has been observed in field work, that if a 4'buckshot” type gravel or very coarse sand which contains no fines or particles larger than 1/3” is used, a suitable soil mix will not this type material in sufficient quantities to interfere with water drainage. Thus, with diligence in selecting materials and in building, the 1-1/2” sand layer recommended in the specifications can be eliminated. filter into The principle known as capillarity is of primary or capillary attraction concern the entire process of building greens according to specifi­ cations and subsequent culture of a suitable putting turf. in As a review of capillarity; water likes water and will adhere to itself. This can be called internal or column tension or cohesion. Further, water will wet most other things such as your hand, a particle of soil or a piece of material used in making ink blotters; this is called adhesion. The combined action of cohesion and ad­ hesion results in capillary action or capillarity. tube. The explanation As an example, place a glass tube with an extremely small bore in a cup of water. The water will rise a con­ siderable and calculable distance up the is that water is wetting the inner sides of the tube thus drawing water up the tube against gravitational pull. Further water molecules are attracted to each other so the entire column of water moves along upward. Another well known example is the “ blotter” . Place an old standard pen filled with ink on end with the nib pointed upward; then hold a blotter over the nib. Ink in the pen will move up - out of the pen - and into the blotter. The air holes or capillaries are smaller in the blotter than in the pen; so through the process of cohesion Next Page No synthetically produced fertilizer can compare with MILORGANITE Golf Courses Use More MILORGANITE«^ Than Any O ther Fertilizer TERMINAL SALES CORP. 12871 EATON AVE. DETROIT, MICH. 48227 (313) 491 -0606 13 Putting Green Changes Cont. and adhesion ink moves upward and is held there. So, comes the crux as to why the green building specifications were devised and why they are so exacting in their structural demands. It becomes immediate apparent that the specified layer of gravel must have a known diameter (void) size relationship to the mixture above and that this layer of gravel stops or limits downward move­ ment o f water (or drainage) as its first necessary function. The soil mix above the gravel contains myriad of the gravel fine basically In other words the soil mixture has a great affinity for water whereas the gravel little or none. So, in effect, a has “ blotter” is placed over a void, or the system will work properly if it were possible to place the green mix on pillars or suspend it in air. capillaries where contains none. Another variation, in addition to elimination of the sand layer from the published USGA Green Section speci­ fications, is that we have found through actual field work that the infiltration and percolation rate of water need be increased beyond the 1/2 to 1-1/2 inches per hour as originally speci­ fied. Simply, water (moisture) does not drain from the soil surface with sufficient speed to allow culture of bentgrass in the South. Activity of disease-causing fungi, primarily those which cause brown patch, grease spot (pythium), and fusarium blight, is the reason we have concluded that infil­ tration or percolation rates of four to seven inches per hour is most suc­ cessful. Actually 4.75 inches per hour seems to be optimal in most cases. The soil mix used to support the grass plant must - in addition to and I mean absolutely must - meet a number of requirements (infiltration and per­ colation) if the entire process is to be functionally and culturally successful. These are: 1. Numerous experiments indicate 14 that a soil which, when drained to field capacity, holds 50% air and 50% water in the pore spaces, will provide the most suitable condition for support of aerobic plant growth. 2. A soil wherein 1/2 the total volume is void or “ space” is most suitable. 3. In practice such a soil can be economically (Actually, about the best which can be developed with native sands is 38 to 40% total void space, but we find this is ade­ quate.) produced. Now comes the clincher for this method of building, and why it has been successful in allowing develop­ ment of bentgrass putting greens further and further south. When the entire green is finished the depth of the green mix itself must fall within known limits after compac­ tion and not within some limit a builder or architect proposes or de­ cides. The perched water table in the soil mix above the gravel (even when percolation and infiltration is at the 4.7 in/hr. level) will hold and build up a full hydrostatic head until the water level reaches 8-9 inches. At this time gravitational pull overcomes capillary forces and the contained water will flow into the gravel. Of course, during construction, adequate tiling to take care of this excess water has been installed. Now column tension (cohesion) takes over and the water flowing from the soil mixture and entering the gravel will pull more water along with it. If the soil mixture contains proper pore spaces, just about exactly 1/2 the contained water in the soil mixture will be retained after flushing action. In other words, capillarity has overcome gravitational pull and column tension. So, you see, if the soil mix is too shallow it will be constantly wet as a sufficient hydrostatic head cannot be formed to cause drainage. On the other hand, if the soil mix is too deep the hydrostatic head will “ break” before Next Page Putting Green Changes Cont. the surface or near surface receives adequate moisture. This will result in a powdery dry surface as a constant problem. drainage sub-surface Even though adequate and properly adjusted is assured with this construction it re­ mains essential that rapid and adequate surface drainage be assured. This is especially cultivating bentgrass further south and out of it’ s more natural habitat. So, be duly careful that no one allows any water holding pot holes to develop during construction and final grading. true when Progress to Date then, In building specification greens a mimljer o f troublesome problems can develop. Economy is one. In the be­ ginning we found it difficult to produce a uniform mixture when sand, soil and organic matter were required in the mixture. It works out that with a three- way mix you are just about forced to use a mechanical soil mixer. This is expensive. Even the material which comes out leaves a lot to be desired. However, a two-way mix is inexpensive and simple. No mixing machine is needed - the use of a front end is sufficient. Place ingredients adjacent, mix in one large pile (in predetermined proportions), turn once, load on truck (another turn), dump on green (another turn), then doze out (another turn). In the end, a uniform soil mixture results. Perhaps a native or natural sandy loader or clam the two in laboratory methods soil could be found which would work. To my knowledge, the first time this was approached was by myself and Dr. Marvin Ferguson, President of Agri-Systems of Texas, Inc. We selec­ ted a number of native fine sands from a pit in the Houston area. As you no doubt are aware, Dr. Ferguson is a pioneer for physically analyzing a soil for use on a putting green, built to specifications. The s e l e c t e d sandy soils were thoroughly tested and one was found to contain 2-3% silt, 3-5% clay and the rest fine to medium sand. After com­ paction it was determined that 4.72 inches of water per hour would infil­ trate and percolate, and the hydraulic head would indeed “ perch” . As a result, in five recent situations local searches were made for the type of soil known to fall within the limits determined by the laboratory. These included the rebuilding of Hardscrabble Country Club, Ft. Smith, Arkansas in 1970; the construction of Sebastian Country Golf Course, Ft. Smith; the rebuilding of No. 13 green at Bellerive Country Club, St. Louis, Missouri, in 1971; the rebuilding of two greens at Northwood Country Club, Dallas, Texas, in 1970; and for Fianna Hills Country Club Golf Course now being constructed in Ft. Smith. In every case, adequate deposits of this sandy soil were located, always adjacent to rivers, in old waterbeds. To date, with Hardscrabble Country Club Next Page T U R F G R A s I SPECIALISTS TWO COMPLETE SEED INVENTORIES Merion Baron Winter Green Fylking Nugget Norlea COWBELL TELEPHONE WAYLAND 616-792-2241 l GOLD TAG SEED QUALITY BLENDS Special M ixes fo r your p a rtic u la r need 48116 e e d s , I n c o r p o r a t e d BRIGHTON 313-229-6169 GRAND RAPIDS 616-877-4614 WAYLAND 1 J MICHIGAN BRIGHTON \ 49348 MICHIGAN . \ ) / 15 Putting Green Changes Cont. being the oldest, greens containing this sandy soil have produced superb bentgrass putting greens. We found that considerable well rotted sawdust was available in the Ft. Smith area. It was inexpensive so we used it. Sawdust has been used as a suitable source of organic matter for many years. It seems that hard wood dust is usuable even when fresh and pine sawdust loses its toxic effects after three years of maturation. The contoured putting sub-surface is ringed with native “ on site” soil, leaving a vertical bank 15 to 17” deep. A vertical sheet of 4 or 6 mil polyethylene is placed on this bank. The reasoning here is that the sandy soil in the green proper has a drasti­ cally different relationship to water than the adjacent native soil and the plastic is used to separate this inter­ face. Of course the basic contours must be developed on the sub base of the green (which is 15 to 17” lower than the surrounding area). These contours must be accurate within 10% so as not to allow a variation from the 10-14 inches depth of the soil mixture required. Penncross bentgrass, seeded at a rate of two pounds per 1,000 sq. ft. has been used with success. Fertilizer used has been a 1-1-1 ratio inorganic material. It is applied at a rate which provides two pounds of N per 1,000 sq. ft. In addition, we apply 50 pounds of Milorganite, and five pounds of Sulpomag and five pounds of potassium sulfate, each at five pounds per 1,000 sq. ft. Later, dolomitic lime is added at the rate of 50 pounds per 1,000 sq. ft. Invariably, through chemical soil tests made by the Milwaukee Sewerage Commission, is a shortage of magnesium. So, Sulpomag has been applied twice a year at Hardscrabble. Next Page there The good old summertime is not vacation time for fungi Acti-dione turf fungicides simplify 4-season disease control start summer disease control now with TUCO Acti-díone® Thiram TURFGRASS, IN C SOUTH LYON, MICHIGAN 48178 Phone: Area 313 437-1427 16 Putting Green Changes Cont. To date adequate levels seem to be holding. Planted surfaces are kept as wet as is 1/2” a rice paddy until grass (mowing height). P o ssib le Problems Actually there seem to be no truly serious problems or any problems which cannot be overcome. One thing to watch carefully - when a green is built with high sand content and high infiltration rates - is that soil with a greater percentage of fines (silt and clay) simply cannot be placed on the green surface or be used as top­ dressing. A ll topdressing must be identical or sandier in nature. Do not allow collar soil to wash on to green surface. This is essential. If silt or clay is allowed on the green soil, the green immediately becomes sealed. Diseases, non-drainage, scald, wet wilt, etc., then develop into serious problems. A tyro had best not attempt to build these greens. Constant supervision by a knowledgeable builder is necessary. Corners cannot be cut! conscientious, Plenty of plant nutrients, especially at the onset, will be required. Dry wilt - but never wet wilt - can be a problem and must be watched for during windy days, in July, August, and September. When is n o t i c e d , water and water wilt Next Page especially R.P. KLEIN & SONS, INC. TURF EQUIPMENT SERVING EASTERN MICHIGAN AGRICO BEAN BERRIEN BRILLION DUPONT LELY ROYER YORK Please Call Us for Prices & Literature 54 Brown Street Croswell, Michigan 48422 (313) 679-2700/679-2701 CALL LAKESHORE COLLECT (216) 651-1600 FOR ALL YOUR TURFGRASS SUPPLIES - CHECK OUR PRICES - LAKESHORE - QUOTATIONS ON REQUEST - E Q U I P M E N T & S U P P L Y CO. 1 0 2 3 7 B E R E A R O A D C L E V E L A N D , O H I O 4 4 1 0 2 You Can RELY ON L A B O R A T O R IE S . INC. FOR TURF CHEMICALS CALL ARNIE COLLENS 27848 K E N D A L L W O O D F A R M I N G T O N , MICH 48024 PHONE: (313) 477-4595 P a / í M B /p d l IRRIGATION SYSTEMS. SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED TO MEET THE MOST DEMANDING WATERING REQUIREMENTS OF ANY GOLF COURSE. WHOLESALE DISTRIBUTORS ( 313) 543-7730 3890 WEST ELEVEN MILE ROAD BERKLEY, M I C H I G A N 4 8 0 7 2 17 YOU’RE ENTITLED TO THE BEST Call Us For Your Needs GOLF COURSE CHEMICALS | (You’ll get it - and more!) | Herb Carson Marvin Rothman AM ERICAN R E SE A R C H CORP. 11840 MAYFIELD AVE. LIVONIA, MICH 48150 (313) 522-2400 Ext. 2401/2402 NO! NO! NO! DON'T EVEN THINK OF BUYING....................... GRASS SEED FERTILIZERS FUNGICIDES WITHOUT CALLING 291-1200 Turf Supplies, Inc. 6900 PARDEE ROAD TAYLOR, MICHIGAN 48180 18 Putting Green Changes Cont. heavily - no syringing. To my knowledge, diseases have I not developed into a serious problem on any green built this way in the ■ South. Hardscrabble Country Club budgeted well over $4,000 for fungi­ cides in 1971, but less than $1,500 was expended. Mind you, this is on bentgrass, grown in the South, where you are not supposed to be able to grow bentgrass because of disease. Summary “ Specifications For A Method Of Putting Green Construction” , since being published by the USGA Green Section in 1960, has proved to be the superior guide for building a green. We now suggest slight variations. The point we have made is that here is a system of building greens which has proved to be successful in the South and, of extreme importance, allows for accurate checks and deter­ minations as to whether construction I actually meets specifications. To date, greens have been built quite far into the South which support excellent bentgrass turf. Putting green bentgrass turf is desirable over any other. Care or precaution must be taken in construction to be absolutely certain it is done right. Also, intelli­ gent maintenance is essential. A mix which includes a naturally deposited sandy soil and saw dust has proved to be eminently successful as a medium for the culture and support of bentgrass in actual field conditions. Accurate tests must be made to be absolutely certain that the proposed indeed handle water as mix will Primarily, required. includes adequate percolation, infiltration, water retention (perching) and drainage. During this talk, we have stressed the culture of bentgrass in the South because it is there that it meets its most crucial test. Obviously, either bentgrass or bermudagrass, in their element, will produce superior turf when greens are constructed properly. this ¿Wow! c ModebtyM 5 T u rf Sweeper by j u RfTÂ c 4tyive-tyoot Wide k Engine: 12 HP Frame: welded structural steel Hopper: 5 cu. yards Welded steel construction Overall: Width 5'-4" * PICKS UP EFFICIENTLY * FULL 5' SWEEP * HUGE HOPPER CAPACITY * EASY DUMP * FLOATING SCOOP * EASY TRANSPORT * LOW MAINTENANCE * PICKS UP WET OR DRY C A L L F O R A D E M O N S T R A T I O N (313) 398- 3636 LAWN EQ U IPM EN T CORPORATION 520 WE ST 11 M I L E R O A D R O Y A L O A K , M I C H I G A N 48068 19 Now, Front Mowing for Fine Turf... F-10 MOWING TRACTOR JACOBSEN designed the F-10 just for mowing your fine turf areas with mini­ mum manpower. Because all mowing units are ahead of the tractor wheels, you won’t have wheel tracks or streaks of uncut grass on fine turf. Operator has full visibility of all mowers without twisting and turning . . . . a distinct safety feature. Individual hydraulic controls let oper­ ator adjust width of mowing swath to mow between trees and obstacles. With 7 mower units, the F-10 cuts from 45 to 62 acres per 8 hour day. Hydraulic sys­ tem raises and secures mower for safe transport. Travels at speeds up to 30 mph. Handles safely on hills and slopes, too.THE NEWEST MOWING TRACTOR EON MAINTAINING THE FINEST TUNE IN THE WORLD W. F MillerGARDEN AND LAWN EQUIPMENT COMPANY 1593 S. WOODWARD AVE. BIRMINGHAM, MICHIGAN 48011 TELEPHONE: (313) 647-7700 "A Patch of Green” 31823 U T IC A ROAD F R A S E R , M ICHIGAN 48026 MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY LIBRARY - SERIALS E. IANSIMG, K I. 43C23