UNITED STATES GOLF ASSOCIATION Green Section-—liVestern Office TELEPHONE DAVIS 2492 P O BOX 241 DAVIS, CALIFORNIA TtJe&t&w CHARLES G. W I L S O N, Western Director No. 2 REGIONAL TURF SERVICE August 1953 As our second issue of the Western Turfletter goes to press, ninety-seven golf courses have been visited on the new USGA program of providing direct service to our member clubs. Seventy-three courses have mailed their application blanks to our New York office or the Southern California Golf Association, The remainder have been somewhat tardy in applying, or have misplaced the application blanks. He trust that the clubs that have not sent in applications will do so as soon as possible. Your Western Office also has been tardy in mailing written reports. For this we apologise, and offer as an excuse the delay in starting the program in 1953, and the intensive travel involved in making up for lost time. In all fairness to USGA member clubs that have subscribed for the Regional Turf Service, we must limit the mailing of this Western Turfletter to only the active participators. Therefore, the August and September issues will be the last to go to all member clubs in the West. Subsecuent mailings and visits can only be given to those clubs who have formally signed up for the service. The organization and benefits involved in our Regional Turf Service Program are as follox^s: 1. At least three direct conferences with the Regional Director each year, on the following schedule: (a) One half-day visit to the course by the Regional Director, followed by a written report from him. The annual fee covers both the service and travel expenses. (b) Two group conferences in which the Regional Director will meet with the golf course superintendents and green committee chairmen of the clubs in each group. The annual fee covers both the service and travel expenses. 2. Assistance by correspondence and telephone. 3# Two subscriptions to a periodic Turfletter from the Regional Director to the subscribing clubs, approximately six times a year. One subscription to the USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT, published seven times a year. 5. A voice in the direction of broad-gauge turf research whose results would benefit golf courses. The continued success of Regional Turf Service depends on enlarged research activities. Participating clubs realize that approximately twenty percent of the total fee for this service will be devoted to local research to provide better turf for better golf. Tho annual subscription foe for the Regional Turf Scrvico is as follows: 1. Less than 18 holos 2. 18 to 27 holes ... 3. More than 27 holes 4. Public authority maintaining more than two coursos: 0 75.00 § 100.00 0 125.00 § 125 for two coursos and ) 25 for each additional course. Application blanks can be obtained from this office, USGA Golf House, or for those clubs participating in tho UCLA Experimental Program in Turf Culture from the Southern California Golf Association. For further infor- mation concerning the Regional Turf Service you are referred to the February, 1953 issue of tho USGA JOURNAL AND TURF 11A1IAGE1IEKT. TURF MAINTENAHCE TIPS FROM USGA MEMBER CLUBS In visiting our member clubs we often run across ingenious inventions devised by our golf course superintendents in order to do a better job for their respective courses. We believe that many of those worthwhile "Tips from tho Trade*1 can be utilized to good advantago by all courses in the West, Eliminates Scalping from Overloeaded Baskets and Prevents Clippings from Clogging Motors. — Salt Lake . City Len Williams, Superintendent, Fort Douglas G. C., found the standard size grass catchers often became overloaded and thus causcd scalping when the clippings wore wet and heavy® As with most coursos, Len also found that educating his inexperienced help to empty the baskets when only half full was a thankless job. Therefore he constructed half-size catchers to eliminate the problem of overloading. He carried this one step further by boring four off-set rows of 1/4-inch holes on 1 l/2-inch centers at the top of tho metal catchers. This simple procedure prevents wind movement created by the reel from blowing clippings back to clog the motor. Grain and Thatch Prevention — Spokane Louie Schmidt, Superintendent, Indian Canyon G.C., has tho answer to "grain-free" greens. He built and mounted Del Monte type rakes on his Toro Pony mowers® Tho rakes are mounted directly in front of tho reel but behind the scalping roller. Louie feols that brushes used by many courses to keep grain and thatch in check have merit, but objects to their being mounted in front of the scalping roller. It is Louie's contention that tho stolons that are brushed up arc partially rolled down before cutting occurs, thus nullifying the results® Economical Method of Howinp Green Collars — Kormcwick. Washington Forrest Bishop, Superintendent, Tri-City C.C., has devised a simple yet ingenious device that enables him to mow green collars at an inter- mediate height-of-cut with his green mowers. Forrest extended the scalping roller on each side of the green mower to hold 3 1/2-inch pulleys which act as snap on wheels to rapidly convert the green mower to a collar mower. This saves back tracking to do the job, and of course saves the Tri-City C.C. a lot of money on the year's maintenance budget. TURF IN THE FIELD Lime Controls Poarlwort, — Northern California £: Washington While at Pasatiempo G.C. in April, wo ran across a transplanted Mid- Wosterner-superintendent Jim Babino-who was brought up to boliovc that lime brings about tremendous turf improvement on acid soils. Of interest to our Seattle and Portland friends is the fact that Jim attributes lime and extra nitrogen feeding to solving his poarlwort problem. Certainly lime, and preferably dolomite lime whore magnesium is deficient, is worth a try where soils are acid along portions of the Northern California coast- line and in Western Oregon and Washington. Mr. Charles Wuest, Owner, Skagit G.C., M t. Vernon, Washington, also reports that dolomite lime at 35 pounds per 1,000 seuaro feet each year for five years has practically eliminated his poarlwort problem. Chlordane Controls Moles While Killing 'Torms — Portland Mr. George E. Sullivan, Green Committee Chairman, Waverley C.C., reports that the mole population has been reduced by approximately ninety percont as a result of following Green Section recommondatir.;is to apply Chlordane at the rate of 10 pounds of the technical ingredient per acre. Waverley intends to treat the rough areas this year to pick up the 10 per- cent that are still active. Chlordane, Txr controlling worms and insect larvae, removes the moles food supply and thus they hunt for greener pastures. Greener pastures in the case of Waverley has been the beautiful estates surrounding the club property. Homeowners arc still trying to figure out where all the moles came from this year. RESEARCH ACTIVITIES Turf research on the local Western scale is growing into a major field of investigation. Notable accomplishments for 1953 are as follows: 1. University of California at Los Angeles is now supporting investi- gations with tax funds to the extent of 07,000 annually. Financial help continues unabated from the Southern California Golf Associa- tion, the Southern California Golf Course Superintendents Associa- tion, Other Turf Interests, and the USGA Green Section. 2. Turf plots at the Davis cattpus have been doubled in size, and the USGA Green Section is financially supporting a Morion bluegrass seed production study in addition to tho vital work on water reouirc- ments being carried on by Dr. Bob Hagan. 3. Colorado A & M is cooperating with tho Rocky Mountain Turf Foundation, Tho Denver City Park Department, and the USGA Green Section in establishing a large series of grass evaluation plots at the old city race track. The Pacific Northwest Turf Association has granted $500 to tho Western Washington Experiment Station at Fuyallup to study Pearl- wort control, and 04-50 to WSC to study disease control and improved grass selections. VALLEY PRESS 707 Second St. Davis, California . T h lS lS Y O Uf TVoUemt -dett&i USGA Green Section Sec. 34.66 P.L.&R. U. S. POSTAGE Davis, California V / zc PAID Permit No. 23