UNITED STATES GOLF ASSOCIATION ee GREEN SECTION Southwestern Office Texas A & M College COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS MARVIN H. FERGUSON SOUTHWESTERN DIRECTOR NATIONAL RESEARCH COORDINATOR Southwestern Turfletter No. 6 December - 1956 BERMUDAGRASS NAMES Have you been confused by the numerous new strains of Bermudagrass with similar names and numbers? Let's try to set the record straight on a few of the more Common ones. Gene Tift bermudagrass is a fine textured variety which was selected in the Miami area. It was named in honor of the man credited with its selection. This is a selection from a naturally occurring type. Despite the similarity of the name, it did not originate at Tifton, Georgia. Tiffine is another strain used to a considerable extent on putting greens. It is a product of the breeding program at Tifton, Georgia. Its experimental number was Tifton 127. It is still rather widely known by that name. Tifgreen (or Tifton 328) is the latest release from the Tifton, Georgia experi- mental station. It is finding a great deal of favor as a putting green turf. T35-A is an unnamed selection that has been released by the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station after several’ years of testing. Sunturf has been designated as a separate species, Cynodon magennissii. This species was selected in South Africa and has been introduced into the United States. It is a fine-textured species but it has not been recommended for putting green use. This is the same introduction that has been grown at the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station under the experimental number, T-94. 28TH NATIONAL TURFGRASS CONFERENCE AND SHOW - KENTUCKY HOTEL, LOUISVILLE FEBRUARY 10-15, 1957. DON'T MISS IT. YOU'LL FIND IT VERY MUCH WORTH YOUR TIME. ST. LOUIS RESEARCH Most of the golf course superintendents organizations in the country recognize the need for research and many of them take an active part in supporting and observing closely the results of research at a local research institution. The superintendents in St. Louis do things a little differently. They, too, are interested in research, but their interest is such that they carry out some investigations of their own. The credit lines for making these studies possible and successful are numerous. Al Linkogel, longtime superintendent of the Westwood Country Club, is now in business and maintains a grass nursery where space is available for experiments. Mr. Jim Holmes, of the Mallinckrodt Chemical Company, has contributed much toward observing and recording the results of tests. Dr. Wm. Daniel, of Purdue Univer- sity, is a frequent visitor and offers advice and encouregement in planning and carrying out various tests. And where does the money come from? Mr. Leo Bauman - Green Section committee member, former Greens Committee Chairman of Westwood Country Club - who has been one of the strong supporters of golf course superintendents and turfgrass work, deserves much of the credit for arranging financial support. Mr. Bauman has carried on a continuing campaign to urge golf clubs in the St. Louis area to contribute toward local research efforts. Who reaps the benefits? The superintendent takes note of the results of experi- mental work and he becomes a more capable man. But when he puts his learning into practice, the members of his club have a better golf course. Cooperation among superintendents and their employers which provides answers to problems must inevitably produce better golfing conditions. TREE DAMAGE FROM SOIL STERILANTS One of the highly potent herbicides that have been marketed in the last few years is OMU.—-There-are-verious formulations of the material and these formulations have rather specific uses. This type of herbicide is non-selective when used at heavy rates and therefore it has found a place in the elimination of vegetative growth in areas where complete and more or less permanent soil sterilization is desirable. Some superintendents have used this material in sand traps with the thought that it might save a great deal of weeding. In some cases rather serious injury to trees and surrounding turf areas has resulted. One golf course reported the loss of some 60 odd trees following treatment of sand traps with a product of this nature. On other courses flooding of sand traps has caused the herbicide to flow across portions of putting greens. In these instances there was a total loss of turf on the flooded areas. This report should not be construed as a condemnation of CMU and related compounds. When used properly they fill a real need. Nevertheless the numerous reports of serious damaece to turf and trees would indicate that such a product should not be used on a golf course. PIN PLACEMENTS Every superintendent knows he must move his cups around on the putting surface to prevent excessive wear in one area. He knows that when play is heavy, the pin must be moved more frequently. There are times, however, when greens are excessively wet, or when heat and humidity are such that greens tend to burn easily, that the turf can be damaged even without actual apparent wear. During the past year it was observed on several occasions that thin spots which had been affected by disease coincided with an area where the pin had been placed on a weekend, on one day of a tournament, or on a morning when there was frost on the green. Often the superintendent cannot foresee the combination of circumstances which will contribute to unusual damage around the pin. There are times however when he can anticipate a big day or some unusual condition and take steps to prevent such damage. When turf is wet, the pin can be placed on a well drained part of the green. Heavy fertilization can be avoided immediately prior to a tournament or a big weekend. One superintendent, Homer Looney of the Milburn Country Club in Kansas City, re- sorted to an unusual practice during the long July 4 weekend. Homer recognized the fact that his greens were too wet following a rain and he knew that play would be unusually heavy. The only way he knew of minimizing wear around his cup placements was to reduce the traffic. Therefore he set two cups in each green. Foursomes played to alternate cups. Caddies were instructed to place the flag in the other hole after each foursome had holed out. This simple strategem allowed Homer to get through a very trying weekend without damage. One thing becomes more and more apparent. Damage that occurs around a pin does not always show up immediately. Sometimes it may show up days or weeks later during a disease attack. It may simply contribute to a slower, thinner growth of turf that is barely recognizable. But a great many observant superintendents can look back and recall that an area of poor turf coincides with the setting of the pin at some crucial stage during the season. All of us recognize that the human body is susceptible to the attacks of many types of ailment following periods of fatigue, undernourishment or overexposure. Everything from the common cold to tuberculosis can gain a foothold when the body is tired or weak, though there usually is a lapse of time before symptoms show up. Just so, the grass plant becomes weakened and susceptible when it is subjected to periods of abuse. Compaction interferes with both the "respiratory" and the "circulatory systems" of the soil. Is it surprising that grass should be weaker where such damage has occurred? And even though symptoms of ailments may not show immediately, can we be sure that they will not appear? It is believed that a recognition of the potential results of too much traffic under certain conditions is the first step in the avoidance of trouble from this source. HEFE SE FE AE HEAT AE 4E 3 FEE May we take this opportunity to wish all readers of the Turfletter a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Prosperous New Year. Sec. 34.66 P.L.&R. U. S. POSTAGE Southwestern Turfletter | "=". Permit No. 80 USGA GREEN SECTION ite AL Me Radko lortheastern Dir ect.USGA Lipman Hall,Rutgers Univ. Spay AES = Brunswick, Ne Ja