Editor: AI  Bathum

Monday,  Septem ber  19,  is the  date 
for  our  annual  G olf Day.  This  year  it 
will  be  held  at  Egypt  Valley.  Be  sure 
to  attend  and  support  turfgrass  re­
search  in  M ichigan.

That's it for now. Enjoy the rem ain­

der o f the  summer!

Sincerely, 
A1  Bathum,  President

Welcome...
New Members

Please welcome these new members 
to our organization:
Jay Danek, Assistant G olf Course 

Superintendent 
Travis Pointe C.C.

Mike Kuhn, Designer/Consultant 
C.J.  Colein & Associates 

Paul Sheaffer, G olf Course 

In  July, we  held our Chapter Cham­
pionship at Quail Ridge in Cascade. Tim 
Topolinski  and the  staff did a  great job 
prepping the golf course, and the meet­
ing was a success.

I would like to thank the golf course 
owners and the people that helped make 
these  two  meetings  successful.  We  ap­
preciate the hospitality.

Superintendent 
St.  Ives G olf Club

The Winning Essay.

by Elizabeth  Hakken

For  as  long  as  I  can  remember,  my 
father  has  been  a  golfer;  if not  always 
on  the  course,  always  at  heart.  I  grew 
up driving golf carts, taking golf lessons, 
and weeding sand traps. As a high school 
student I  was dragged out to the course 
way too early in the morning, to get cups 
changed or fill the water coolers.  To be 
honest,  I  didn't  always  love  the  golf 
course and Dad's job. I never understood 
my  father's  undying  love  for the  sport, 
on TV,  at six-o'clock  in the morning or

ten-o'clock in the evening.  It wasn't un­
til  I  began  my college  search  that  I  be­
gan  to understand  my  father's  devotion 
to  the  sport  and  his  career  as  a  G olf 
Course  Superintendent.  As essay dead­
lines  approached  and  tuition  payments 
became immanent, I watched my father 
leave  every  m orning  for  a  career  he 
loved and that offered him the satisfac­
tion and affirmation he needed to main­
tain a happy, healthy lifestyle. By watch­
ing my father, I learned that doing what 
you love is the most important career de- 
Continued on page 2

j

President’s Message

The  sum m er  is  h alf  over  and  the 
w eather  seems  as  though  it  may  be  a 
bit  kinder than  the  two  previous  have 
been.  I hope you have taken some time 
to  enjoy  life  w ith  your  fam ily  and 
friends.  There's  still  more  sum m er  to 
go and sometimes August can be a bru­
tal  month  on  tu rf and  the  people  that

tend  it.

Saturday,  A ugust  5,  is  when  the 
West  M ichigan  Superintendents  will 
be hosting the Grand Rapids Area Big 
Brothers  and  Sisters  at  a  W hite  Caps 
game. I believe there may be some left­
over  tickets.  If  you  care  to  attend, 
please  give  Paul  Richter a  call.

Pilgrims Run and Quail Ridge 
Meetings H eld______________

In  June,  we  were  the  guests  o f the 
great  staff at  Pilgrims  Run  G olf Club. 
The weather turned out fine and the golf 
course was  in  great shape.  We appreci­
ate Ken Hunt and his staff, plus the club­
house staff, hosting this meeting.

At the meeting, we announced the win­
ner  of our  essay  award.  Rick  Hakken’s 
daughter,  Elizabeth,  wrote  a  nice  article 
about her father and how golf and his ca­
reer helped influence her values about life.

2000 Monthly 

Meetings and Locations
Sept.  18  Egypt Valley Country Club 

Golf Day

October 9  Muskegon Country Club 

Annual  Meeting and

serion s

Editor's  Note:  Please  write  me  if you 
have 
cdrrQcii}$)?$  or  if you  are 
interested in doing an article for us at: 

MICHIGAN

812rxZowan Lake Drive 
Rockford,  Michigan  49341

Effects of Friction on a Golf Green

by Dan Hanson 
Introduction

Most  people  who  enjoy  golfing  realize  that  the  old  saying 
"Drive for show, putt for doe" has a lot of truth to it. Most strokes 
are  made and  lost on  the putting  green.  When  putting,  a  lot of 
factors need to be considered, with the speed of the green being 
an essential factor. Many factors affect the speed of the green— 
the  slope  of the  green,  moisture  on  the  green,  the  hardness  of 
the green, and the length of the grass, to name a few.

The United States Golf Association (USGA) has a standard­
ized method for rating the speed of a green.  They use a device

Winning Essay, continued

cision a person can make. My fa­
ther routinely puts in more hours 
than my friends' parents do. He is 
constantly  obsessed  with  grass 
and rain.  Yet,  he  is more physi­
cally fit and mentally content than 
most  of my  friends'  parents.  In 
choosing my own career,  I have 
modeled myself after my father. 
I've decided to pursue what I love 
with the same devotion. I am con­
tent in the knowledge that as long 
as I am happy, I am successful.

As a child, my perception of 
golf was golf cart rides.  I didn't 
understand why we had to get out 
of the cart and swing at the ball. 
It seemed a disruption in an oth­
erwise quite nice ride around the 
course. With the advent of golf­
ing lessons,  I  learned the  preci­
sion and skill necessary to be  a 
good golfer. Sadly, I inherited my 
mother's genes and do not have 
my father's golfing skills. Yet, I 
still enjoy a day at the golf course. 
I  enjoy  the  calm  beauty  of the 
carefully landscaped course and 
the  long  relaxing  walk.  I  have 
also found that most golfers tend 
to be sociable people who enjoy 
a nice conversation. I also still en­
joy the cart rides.  In my second 
year of college,  I discovered, to 
my  amazement,  that  I  enjoyed 
watching golf on television. I was 
usually the only one in my dorm 
that could explain what was hap­
pening. My father's years of de­
votion to the televised sport had 
rubbed off after all.  The older I 
become, the richer and more nu- 
anced my perceptions of the sport 
have become.  I now understand 
golf to be a sport of agility and

skill as well as a time for careful 
meditation and reflection.

My perceptions of my father's 
own  career in golf course  man­
agement has also changed. As a 
child, I knew my father as a golfer 
and not as professional. I would 
watch  him  play  and  admire  his 
skill. I clearly remember his time 
in  turf school.  I  remember  the 
flashcards of tree names and tak­
ing  walks  to  identify  types  of 
grasses  and  molds.  I  remember 
the  weeks  when  I  wouldn't  see 
Dad in the summer and the weeks 
when he wouldn't go away in the 
winter. (My father always seems 
lost in the winter. No doubt, he is 
dreaming about spring.) Working 
with my father on the course al­
lowed me to witness his immense 
knowledge  of the  needs  of the 
golf course.  I have watched my 
father practice his trade with great 
skill and I respect him very much 
for that. As I pursue a Masters in 
Divinity  to become  ordained  in 
the Presbyterian Church,  I  hope 
that  I  can  bring  that  excellence 
to my own work. Much like golf, 
ministry doesn't make you  rich. 
Instead, it provides a rewarding 
and fulfilling career doing what 
I  love and find  important.  I  am 
proud to say that I will  be pur­
suing  this  career  at  either 
Harvard or Yale Divinity schools 
next  year.  I  attribute  my  own 
academic successes to both my 
mother and father and the roles 
that they have played in shaping 
my  own  personal  standards  of 
excellence  and  providing  me 
with fantastic examples.

called  a  Stimpmeter,  which  sends  the  ball  rolling at a  constant 
speed. The distance the ball rolls on a level surface is called the 
Stimpmeter reading for the green.

However,  not  all  greens  are  level.  In  fact,  on  some  courses 
every green is sloped to the effect that no accurate readings can 
be taken for any hole. However, using physics, a formula can be 
developed for finding the 'true' Stimpmeter reading of an unlevel 
green.

Another problem with a Stimpmeter reading is that it is only 
a  reading  for a  certain  set  of conditions.  A  reading  taken  on  a 
dry day when the greens had just been mowed will be very dif­
ferent than a reading taken on the same green on a wet day when 
the greens had not yet been  mowed.  And,  of course,  all  greens 
are not the same on a golf course. The green on hole #1  could be 
slower than the green on  hole #2,  for example.

This  article,  which  loosely  follows  "Green  Speed  Physics" 
by Arthur P. Weber (USGA Green Section Record, March/April 
1997), will investigate the effects of slope and wetness on a golf 
ball,  show  differences  in  greens  on  the  same  golf course,  and 
derive  a  formula that  can  be  used to  find  the  'true'  Stimpmeter 
reading on a sloped green.

Theory

In the article "Green  Speed Physics,"  Arthur P.  Weber mod­
els the situation using conservation  of energy.  However,  he  in­
correctly  asserts  that  energy  can  be  broken  down  into  compo­
nents;  energy  is  a  scalar.  Weber also  fails  to  take  into  account 
the  rolling energy of the  golf ball,  modeling  the  situation  as  if 
the ball were not rolling on the green, but sliding.

Conservation of energy can be used to model the situation, if 
treated as a scalar. The ball  will have an initial potential energy 
caused by the raising of the Stimpmeter.  As the ball  rolls down 
the Stimpmeter, potential energy (P.E.) will  be converted to ki­
netic energy. The total energy of the golf ball is the sum of these 
energies.

Kinetic energy (translational) = (K.E.,) =  w>/v2 

Kinetic Energy (rolling) = (K.E.r) =  jm v2 

Kinetic Energy (total) = K.E.r + K.E.t =

E(total) = K.E. + P.E. = — mv2 + P.E.

For a  level  surface,  the potential  energy when the ball  is on 

the ground will be 0.

5

_o . ..  . 
v*o

-

Potential Energy = 0
,
E(total) =  — mv~ + 0 =  — mv 

, 

7 
10 

7 
10

Continued on page 3

Effects of Friction on a Golf Green, continued

As the ball rolls, friction acts on the ball and brings it to a 
stop.  The  total  work  done by  friction  will  equal  the total  en­
ergy  of the  ball.  (It  will  be  assumed  that  friction  is  the  only 
force  resisting  the  motion  of the  ball,  and  that  this  force  is 
proportional to the normal weight of the ball.) The work done 
by  friction  is  equal  to  the  frictional  force, pmg cos  0,  multi­
plied by the distance traveled, S.  For the level case, cos 0 = 1 .

Work (friction) = E(total) =  f.m\gS = — wv2 

7

(i) 

7— I/IV
s =  —
^mg

where p  is  a  coefficient  of some  frictional  force,  which  is  di­
rectly proportional to the weight of the ball.

For a surface that is sloped uphill,

Potential energy 

-mgx, where .v  - SHn sin >p

These formulas can be manipulated to find an expression for S, 
the true Stimpmeter reading of a green, in terms of Sup and Sdown:

sun x s.

(— mv2)2 
lO

(m gr (// cos ^ -  sin <p)(p cos ^ + sin ^

mv2 (// + sin (f) + // -  sin (f.

10
mg(p cos (p -  sin <p)(p  + sin <J>)  mg{p cos <f> -  sin <p)(jn +  sin </>) 

10wv2(2//)

X S ,

_>

7 
10

2*S**S*

u/j 

^  ,/ inn

'-(cos<p)

1 -s

For all greens, the cos 0 can be ignored, because the cosine 
of a small angle is approximately 1. If a green is severely sloped, 
say to the extent of 10 degrees, a golf ball will not stop rolling 
until  it is either off of the green, or the slope levels out.  Obvi­
ously,  if the  ball  does  not  stop  rolling,  a  Stimpmeter  reading 
cannot be taken.  So the following approximation will be accu­
rate within 3" for all readings:

Again, the work done by friction to bring the ball to a stop will 
equal the total  energy of the ball.

^ up  ^iltiwn

E( total) - K.E. + P.Li. -  

4- -mgSiip sintp

W(friction) =  pmg cos <fiSup  -  ^  mv1 -  mgSul, sin <f>

(2) 

7 
2— mv

S ,,  = ------- —-------------
"p  mg(p cos (p -t-sin^)

For Downslope,

Potential energy = mgx, where  x = S

sin <p 

7

E(total) =  — mv2  + mgS'Aim sin^

Using the same process,

W(friction) =  fumg cos (pS ^   = — mv2 + mgS^,, sin <p

(3)

10

mg(/jcos(p -sin^)

In general, downslope will have a more pronounced effect 
on  the  ball  than  upslope  will.  Figure  1  shows  calculated 
Stimpmeter  distances  using  formulas  (1),  (2)  and  (3)  for  p  = 
0.100.  The  velocity  of the  ball  at  the  foot  of the  Stimpmeter 
was approximated by conservation of energy (the ball will lose 
some velocity when hitting the ground).

E = K.E. + R.E. = mgh + — mv2

7

E(lop) = mah + 0 = E(fuol) = 0 + — mv3

7

— mv2  -  mgh 
10

where  h = Asini?

Figure 1 : Effects of Slope on a Golf Ball

• ler* |D*('***|

Continued on page 4

Effects of Friction on a Golf Green, continued

Figure  1  shows how downhill  slopes have a greater affect 
than uphill  slopes.  A ball going down a 3°  slope travels about 
10.6  feet  farther than  it would  if the  slope  were  level.  A  ball 
going up a 3° slope will travel only 3.3 feet shorter than it would 
if the slope were level.

Methods & Materials

A Stimpmeter is simply a plastic half-tube with a notch cut 
out of it 30" from the end. The tube was laid flat on the ground, 
and a golf ball was placed in the notch. A tee was placed along­
side the  end of the  tube,  marking the  spot where the  ball  first 
touched the ground. The back end of the tube was slowly raised 
until  the  golf ball  began  rolling  down  the  tube.  The  tube  was 
then held steady until  the ball  hit the ground rolling.  The ball 
will  always  begin  rolling when  the  Stimpmeter is at  a  certain 
angle with the earth (20°), and therefore roll with the same ini­
tial speed. The position where the ball came to rest was marked.
The process was repeated three times, and the average fin­
ishing position of the three balls was marked with a tee.  If the 
three balls were not within 8 inches of each other, the readings 
were  thrown  out  and  the  process  was  repeated.  The  distance 
from the foot of the Stimpmeter (marked by the tee) to the av­
eraging finishing was measured and recorded.  This distance is 
the  Stimpmeter reading.

To get a  level  Stimpmeter reading, another set of measure­
ments were  taken  in  the  opposite  direction,  as  directed by the 
USGA.  If the  two  average  readings  were  within  18"  of each 
other, the surface was deemed level. The ’true’ Stimpmeter read­
ing is the average of these two readings.

When  a  sloped  area  was  measured,  the  angle  of the  slope 
was recorded using a digital level. It was critical (and difficult) 
to find an area with a constant slope (i.e. the slope was the same 
at the foot of the Stimpmeter and where the ball stopped).

In  order to compare  the  theory of formula  (4) with  experi­
mental  data,  the  readings  had to  be  taken  on  a green  that  had 
both a level area and a constantly sloped area. Greens #10 and 
#16 at The Meadows met these requirements.

Results

The average distance the ball rolled for different slopes (up­
hill,  downhill,  level),  different  green  conditions  (wet,  dry, 
mowed, unmowed) and different greens (#10, #16) is tabulated 
below.

D ir e c t io n

T o
From

Uphill (.6)
Downhill (.6)

T r ia l

1

2

3

4

5

6

D ate

10/27/99
10/27/99
10/27/99
10/27/99
11/19/99
11/19/99
11/30/99
11/30/99
11/30/99
11/30/99
11/30/99
11/30/99

G reen 
C o n d it io n
Mowed
Mowed
Mowed
Mowed

H o le
16
16
16
16
16 Unmowed, wet
16 Unmowed, wet
16
16
10
10
10
10

To
From
To
From
To
From

Unmowed
Unmowed
Unmowed
Unmowed
Uphill (1.0)
Unmowed
Unmowed Downhill (1.0)

A vg. D istance

(E £ E I)
9.23
9.19
7.55
12.47
7.11
7.79
7.00
8.28
6.01
6.61
5.22
9.03

3!

9.21

*9.41

7.45

7.64

6.31

*6.62

*Calculated using (4)

Discussion

Formula  (4) provides an  effective method  to calculate the 
Stimpmeter reading of a green where no sufficiently level spot 
exists.  Trial  1,  taken  on  a  level  surface,  gives  a  Stimpmeter 
reading  of 9.21  feet.  Trial  2,  taken  on  a  sloped  area  of the 
same  green,  gave  an  uphill  Stimpmeter  reading  of 7.55  feet 
and  a  downhill  Stimpmeter  reading  of  12.47  feet.  Inserting 
these  values  into  form ula  (4)  gives  a  calculated  level 
Stimpmeter  reading  of 9.41  feet.  This  deviated  by  only  0.20 
feet.  So,  the  calculated  and  measured  Stimpmeter  readings 
were  within  3  inches  of each  other.  For Trials  5  and  6,  they 
were within 4  inches of each other.

The length of the grass on the green had a large  impact on 
the speed of the green. Trail  1  was taken a few hours after the 
greens had been mowed. Trial 4 was taken on the same green, 
except this time the green had not been mowed for over a week. 
The  unmowed  green  produced  a  reading  of 9.21  feet,  while 
the unmowed  green  produced  a  reading  of 7.64  feet,  or  83% 
of the mowed reading.  So  long grass  slows the ball  down.

Readings  varied  from  green  to  green.  Trials  4  and  5  were 
taken at the same time, but on different greens. The Stimpmeter 
reading  on hole #16 was measured as 7.64 feet, compared with 
6.31  feet  on  hole  #10,  a  variation  of  1.33  feet  or  19%.  But 
since these readings were taken several weeks after the greens 
had been mowed,  it is possible that the grass on hole #10 had 
grown more than that on hole #16.  So while green speed may 
vary  from  green  to  green,  it  is  unlikely  that  recently  mowed 
greens will vary as much as these two greens did.

Water soaked into the green, where no puddles formed, did 
not  appear  to  have  a  large  impact,  as  evidenced  by  the  fact 
that  Trials  3  and  4  varied  by  less  than  3  inches.  ("Standing 
water"  would have a  large  impact on green  speed.)  However, 
since these trials could not be taken at the same time, the grass 
length could have varied.  Since the dry reading (Trial  4) was 
taken  11  days  after the  wet  reading  (Trial  3),  and  the  greens 
had not been mowed in that span, the readings may be slightly 
closer than  what  they  would  have  been  had  the  grass  length 
been  constant.  However,  the  greens  had  not  been  mowed  or 
watered for weeks before Trial  3  due to the cold weather.  So, 
it is possible to assume that the grass did not grow a great deal 
between  Trials  3  and  4.  But,  more  measurements  are  needed 
to conclusively say that water has little affect on green speed.

Acknowledgments

Special thanks to Kathy Anataya, Green Superintendent at 
The  Meadows  Golf Course  for  use  of  equipment  and  golf 
course.

References

April  1997.

Green Speed Physics. USGA Green Section Record, March/ 

The MSU Turf Team and the Michigan  Turfgrass Foundation 

are pleased to announce

Sum m er

Field Day 2000

i s '  y ''S   1   1 1   1  <•.  M  §¡$9  x 

& ifrSssJ$£ '-A 'v;£ sS-1  jjj

at the Hancock Turfgrass Research Center 
on the campus of Michigan State University

F e a t u r i n g ^

Morning tours of the research trials involving golf turf,  athletic field/ 
sports turf and commercial turf management. Turfgrass suppliers from 
throughout the industry will display the latest equipment and supplies 
during the vendor show. After lunch, the afternoon will conclude with 
a series of educational classes along with a special athletic field tour.

Plan  to  bring your whole  staff and pass the word to your colleagues!

Look for registration brochures to arrive soon!

For further information,  contact Kay Patrick at  (5 1 7 )  3 2 1 -

Please patronize our advertisers as they have made this newsletter possible.

A d v e r t i s e r s

Aventis  Environmental  Science........... ...  (734)  782-0323
Benham Turf  Partners............................. ...  (248)  474-7474
Boy Ian  S a le s ............................................ ...  (616)  685-6828
Commercial  Environmental Turf Services  1-800-231-5296
Custom Aerification  Services,  Inc....... ..  1-800-824-3956
D&C  Distributors,  Inc.............................. ..  1-800-888-7779
Ellis  Sales.................................................. ..  1-800-962-4128
Green  Growth  Supply Company,  In c .....  (616)  878-9922
Lesco.......................................................... ..  1-800-321-5325
J. Mollema & Sons................................... ..  1-800-234-4769
Parmenter & Andre................................. ...  (616)  458-1546
Peerless-Midwest.................................... ...  (616)  527-0050
Professional  Lake  M anagem ent......... ..  1-800-382-4434
Rhino Seed  &  Landscape S u p p ly...... ..  1-800-790-1898

Scotts........................................................... .  (248)  698-2358
Spartan  Distributors................................. .  (616)  887-7301
Standard  S a n d .......................................... .  (616)  842-5180
T.C.I............................................................... .  (517)  725-7145
Tri-Turf......................................................... 1-800-636-7039
Tri Turf Soils,  Inc......................................... .  (888)  616-7806
Turfgrass,  Inc............................................... 1-800-521-8873
Turf  Partners............................................... 1-800-482-6520
Turf Services.............................................. .  (616)  842-4975
Valley Turf.................................................... .  (616)  532-2885
Van  Manen O il............................................ 1-800-654-4244
W.F. Miller Co............................................... 1-800-555-8189
W eingartz.................................................... .  (616)  696-2913

Thank You for Your Support

I  wanted  to  take  a  minute  to  thank  the  Board  o f Direc­
tors,  voting  delegate  and  all  the  m embers  o f the  Western 
M ichigan  G olf  Course  Superintendents  A ssociation  for 
your  support  o f  me  during  the  elections  at  this  past  na-

Classifieds

FOR SALE:  The following pieces of equipment were 
used to build one course and are  in  good condition. 
Anyone  interested  in  seeing, or any questions, please 
contact Jon  Maddern at  Elk  Ridge G olf Course,  517- 
785-2275  ext.  225.  1989 Glenmac  Harley  Rock 
Picker:  Model  A  Hi-Lift, asking $15,000.  1989 
Glenmac  Harley  12-ft.  Rock  Rake:  asking $10,000.

tional  GCSAA conference and annual  meeting.  It means a 
great  deal  to  me  and  1  will  try  and  represent  you  well.

There  are  many  changes  being  proposed  with  regards 
to  our  future  and  the  future  o f GCSAA.  You  need  to  re­
view  these  and  express  your  opinion  to  the  chapter  del­
egate  by  Septem ber  7.  More  inform ation  will  be  com ing 
to  you  in  August.

It  looks  like  1  will  be  running  this  year  for  Secretary/ 
Treasurer  and  I  look  forward  to  your  continued  support. 
Thank  you  and  have  a  great  2000  season.

Sincerely,
Jon  D.  M addern,  CGCS
Elk  Ridge  G olf Club

BULK RATE 
U.S. POSTAGE 

PAID

GRAND RAPIDS,  Ml 

PERMIT NO. 582

f l   W estern V ìews

8121  Cowan  Lake  Drive  •  Rockford,  Ml  49341

C

o

o

^

^  

a8 32A