UNITED STATES GOLF ASSOCIATION GREEN SECTION S o u t h e rn T u rf l e t t er No. 3 June - 1961 SOUTHEASTERN DISTRICT U N I V E R S I TY OF G E O R G IA A T H E N S, G E O R G IA T E L E P H O N E: L I B E R TY 8 - 2 7 41 SOUTHWESTERN DISTRICT T E X AS A & M C O L L E GE C O L L E GE S T A T I O N, T E X AS T E L E P H O N E: V I C T OR 6 - S 2 10 DR. MARVIN H. FERGUSON D I R E C T OR M I D - C O N T I N E NT N A T I O N AL R E S E A R CH C O O R D I N A T OR JAMES B. MONCRIEF S O U T H E A S T E RN A G R O N O M I ST W. WAYNE A L L EN S O U T H W E S T E RN A G R O N O M I ST GREEN SECTION STAFF CHANGES Croley Joins Green Section Mr. Charles E. Croley has joined the Green Section staff as agronomist. He will he stationed at College Station. Mr. Croley's education and experience provide an excellent background for the work which he will do for the Green Section. He did undergraduate work in agronomy at Texas A. & M. and at Virginia Polytechnic Institute. He received the B.S. at V.P.I, in i960. While at V.P.I, he worked with Dr. Roy Blaser and R. E. Schmidt in the turf research program. During the last year Mr. Croley has been engaged in graduate study at Texas A. & M. Allen and Moncrief Help Out In Other Regions The resignation of Charles Hallowell as Mid-Atlantic representative of the Green Section has caused some shift of responsibility for staff members. Consequently, J. B. Moncrief will be doing a considerable amount of visiting of clubs in the Mid-Atlantic area, in addition to his responsibility in the South- east. W. Wayne Allen will help with visits in the Southeast and later in the summer he will spend several weeks visiting in the Western Region. s xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx The problem of tree root encroachment in a green was solved by superintendent Roy Jones, of Holston Hills Country Club in Knoxville. Mr. Jones dug trench 5 feet deep in which he placed sheets of polyethylene that were 5 x k ft. x l/k inch thick. The sheets were placed upright and edges were overlapped 3 to Cl- inches and the top edges were left just slightly below the finished soil sur- face. While root pruning may be necessary in the future, that time will be much farther away than had the polyethylene been omitted. THE ROUTE OF INVASION Except in freshly sterilized soils many disease pathogens are almost universally present• Avoiding annihilation by the pathogens is accomplished by resistant strains, fungicides, and good management. Obtaining strains which are completely immune to diseases, thus making the \;se of fungicides unnecessary, seems very unlikely. However, to get the best results from the fungicides (or fungistats) the strain should have some degree of re- sistance to diseases in general. Good management covers many phases. Timing and thoroughness of irrigations, frequency and height of cut, and the fertilization program, are some of these phases. The basic source of resistance should be considered for full appreciation of the interrelationships of the several phases of sound turf management. Resistance to diseases is observed in one or both of two sites. These are: l) the epidermal resistance to the actual mechanics of entry of the pathogen into the plant, and 2) resistance to the pathogen set up by the plant after the pathogen has entered. One example of how good management aids disease prevention is that excessively moist growth conditions often result in the production of cells with thin walls. Through these cells entry by pathogens is easy and subsequent infection is enhanced in them. It is often good to consider the growth conditions on the level at which the plant concerned has to deal. To observe the things mentioned here one must be closer to the plant than we normally are. KEEPING THE GUARD POSTED The ultimate objectives of golf courses must be considered during all the phases of maintenance. The regular employees are usually aware of these ob- jectives but this is not necessarily true for those who may be on the course for a short time at infrequent intervals. Examples of times to be especially watchful are when topsoil and sand are delivered to the course and when lime is applied with trucks used for large-scale field applications. The "conscientious" operator in trying to obtain even distribution may drive the trucks in areas where he just shouldn't go. Probably the greatest hazard is that of an applicator attempting to apply lime on a green. Should the operator not be familiar with golf he may even drive onto a green with the truck. (Ed. note: While the possibility of a driver taking a truck onto a green may seem remote, it can happen. An incident of this kind was observed very recently). TURF NOTES FROM THE SOUTHEAST This has been one of the coolest springs on record in the Southeast. In the higher altitudes of the upper south, bermudagrass is about 3 to k weeks later than in i960. Some grass was lost due to adverse winter conditions during 1961, but more bermudagrass was lost during i960 despite the earlier start in that year, Bermuda Continues to Move North Bermuda has been used in the Washington, D.C. area for many years. However, some clubs are just now beginning to get into the planting of bermudagrass on their fairways and tees. Tifgreen has shown much promise. It is being used on tees as well as on other areas where only U-3 has been used in the past. There are ten greens of Tifgreen at Port Belvoir, Virginia, that were played upon during the winter. They were overseeded for winter play. The cool season grass was burned off this spring with sodium arsenite. There are many small bare areas on some of the greens. With a thorough aerification and heavy fertilization the Tifgreen has shown rapid recovery. Tifway Falters While visiting the turf plots with Dr. Felix Juska in Beltsville, Maryland, we observed the bermuda plots. The Tifway plot was almost bare and showed very little progress while Tifgreen and the U-3 plots were progressing very well. DATES TO REMEMBER June 15 The Alabama Turf Field Day will be held at the Montgomery Country Club. Everyone should send in their notices so Mr. Kennedy, the host superintendent, can make proper arrangements. This should be an excellent program as Dr. Horn, of the University of Florida, will be the guest speaker. Topic - Weed Control. July 19 be at College Station. Dr. E. C. Holt and Dr. John Long will be in charge of events during the day. The Texas Turf grass Asssociation annual Field Day will July 2k New Orleans. Lou Vickers at Timberlane Country Club or Lloyd Abadie at Southern Specialty Sales can provide further information. is the date for the Southern Louisiana Field Day in Maryland. Dr. Felix Juska will have some interesting plots for the field day. has been set for the Turf Field Day at Beltsville, August 1 s . , « Southern Turfletter USGA GREEN SECTION BULK RATE U.S. POSTAGE P A ID College Station, Texas Permit No. 80 Toro Mfg. corp. Minneapolis 6, Minn.