WEST EMI OFFICE Ga^teii Grove, California P.O. Box 567 Phone KEllogg 2-2935 WM. H. BENGEYFIELD Western Director V o l. 11 - N o. 2 For The Crew Wes March - April 1962 ftter S P R I N G T IN ü R F T I PS Many a happy day has dawned for the Superintendent who takes a good, hard look at his work crew each spring. Starting them off "on the right foot tant. If your goal is a better conditioned golf course this year -- it will be accomplished only through their efforts. Teamwork, job interest and efficiency can be developed in any crew and now is your time to start such training. 11 is impor- Here are some check points that could well be discussed at a meeting with any golf course maintenance crew this spring: 1. Mowing putting greens is not a contest, not a race against the clock. The objective is a smooth, even cut and this requires no more than a moderate mowing pace. 2. The fairway mower operator should never pull up directly behind or beside a golfer addressing the ball. This only upsets the golfer and the time saved in mowing is negligible. f, f 3. If it , says the old army adage. Good advice for all golf course workers, always. s not growing or not painted, pick it u p n 4. Try as one may, it's hard to find an excuse for a poorly placed cup or a poorly "finished" hole. Cup setters should always be used and be sure the area around the cup is true. USGA suggests that; "For an area at least two or three feet in radius around the cup, the putting surface be in good condition without any steep slopes, or, if possible, any changes in the degree of slope. away from the edge of the putting green" for cup placement. Try to start, if possible, at least five paces 5. All crew members should check for clean towels and clean water in the ball washers. No general duty is more neglected than this one. 6. Keep the men informed by holding meetings for them from time to time. Stress safety, seek their ideas for improvement, ad- vise as to complaints received from the golfers, etc. -- If possible, have the Green Chairman and Green Committee attend such a meeting once a year and express their views. For The Membership M r. Jim Dunlevy, General Manager of Rogue Valley Country Club, Medford, Oregon placed the following "notice" in the club's March Bulletin to the membership: GOLF COURSE CLOSED MAY - JUNE - JULY kkkkkkk-k'-k'kk'k'kick'kkkk'k'k'k'kkkkickkkkkk'k * * * * * * * Unless you - you • you and yout* * start replacing your divots! * k ki< k k k k k k k ie k k k k k k k k k k k k k k k k k k k k k k k For Re-seeding All of this to help Superintendent Red Maulding give Rogue Valley golfers a more enjoyable course. Still another reminder appears on all score cards at the course. Professional Ron Caperna attaches a small printed notice (in red ink) directly over the scoring blanks on the c a r d It reads: "IT'S GETTING BAD!" You Are Forgetting To Repair Ball Marks On Greens And Not Replacing Divots Please Use The New Trash Cans'. For The Birds Without trees, our golf courses and feathered friends would be hard against it. Surely trees are assets and usually require little attention. But of late we have received a number of inquiries concerning proper fertilizer methods and rates for feeding important trees on the golf course. Here are a few suggestions: For both evergreen and deciduous trees, an annual feeding is recommended any time after leaves first appear but not later than July 1st. The best time is in the early spring when root growth becomes active. Trees up to 3-inches in diameter should receive 1 lb. of 10-6-4 (or similar material) per inch of trunk diameter at diameter should receive 3 lbs. of 10-6-4 per inch of trunk diameter at 4% feet height. Organic fertilizer may be used in place of inorganics if you wish. feet height. -- Trees over 3-inches in The fertilizers may be applied broadcast or injected into the soil at 18-inch intervals, to a depth of 8 to 18-inches for deciduous trees ana 8-inches for evergreens. The application should start at feet from tree trunk. "Watering in" should follow. 1962 USGA-GREEN SECTION AWARD GOES TO PROFESSOR DICKINSON Recipient of the second Green Section Award for "Distinguished Service to Golf Through Work with Turfgrass" was Professor Emeritus Lawrence S. Dickinson, University of Massachusetts. Professor Dickinson's winter turf school has graduated 500 turf technologists since 1927 and he is the mentor of hundreds of golf course superintendents throughout the country. After receiving the Award, Professor Dickinson had this bit of advice and philosophy for all turf managers: "The little grass plant wants to live 1 . Help it to live — don't try to make, it live." MAINTENANCE COSTS UP? WRITE THE USGA GREEN SECTION DOWN! Are you atoare of the recent study by the Southern California Golf n Golf Course Maintenance Costs - I960 Association on Study showed twenty-five 18 hole courses had an average maintenance expenditure of $100,817,00 in 1960? - That this represents an annual increase of 9.5% over the past two years? There is just no doubt about it, golf course maintenance costs are up and not only in Southern California but throughout the nation! 11 ? Did you know that this Consider it from another viewpoint. How much money is invested by your membership in your golf course? Land values, equipment costs, technical and labor requirements all tend to move the golf course maintenance program out of the "family farm" category and into a substantial business operation. The USGA Green Section believes it can help the Superintendent and Green Committee of subscribing clubs meet the challenge of increasing costs and business management. And at the same time, it can help provide even better golfing turf for the membership. In so many instances, one bit of Green Section advice has saved a subscriber many times over the cost of the service. The USGA Green Section - like all USGA activities - is non profit in nature. There is nothing to sell and no ax to grind. The only mission is to serve the best interests of golf. If your club is not a Green Section subscriber, why not write for further information? Either our Western Office address or USGA, 40 E. 38th St., New York 16, N.Y. will do. - And remember; DAY AFTER DAY — THE USGA GREEN SECTION HELPS KEEP YOU UP-TO-DATE I ****************************** The inlet of a man's mind is what he learns; the outlet is what he accomplishes. If his mind is not fed by a continued supply of new ideas which he puts to work with purpose, and if there is no outlet in action, his mind becomes stagnant. Such a mind is a danger to the individual who owns it and is useless to the community. Jeremiah W. Jenks # U. S. GOLF ASSOCIATION GREEN SECTION WESTERN OFFICE P.O. Box 567 Garden Grove, California BULK RATE U.S. POSTAGE P A ID Garden Grove, Calif. I f am Permit No. 83 M r. Charles W i l s o n, Argronoaist Milwaukee Sewerage Commission Milwaukee 1, Wisconsin