Bettering Maintenance At Small TownGolf Courses

By V. T. STOUTEMYER, Department of Horticulture,Iowa State College, Ames, Iowa

Reprinted from address delivered at the Annual Greenkeepers' Educational Conference in Chicago

DISTRIBUTION OF GOLF COURSES IN THE SMALLER TOWNS

AND CITIES OF IOWA

13281424201315

196663034201615

N I/m ber ofNllmber of TOWIlS Having Olle

Towlls ill State or More Golf COl/rsrs

nance is on a somewhat higherlevel or where the clubhousefacilities are more elaborate thisfigure may be doubled. Thesedues, of course, are very small incomparison with those of someof the larger clubs.

CLUBHOUSE HAS PROVED COSTLY

PopulatiollRanK/'

ONE question which everysmall town club has to face is therelative prominence which shallbe given to golf and to the club-house with the usual social activ-ities that cluster around it. Satis-factory golfing facilities may besecured for a very modest sum inthe small community, but veryoften the clubhouse facilities

prove excessively costly for the small golf club.

500- 1,000 _1,000- 1,500 _1,500- 2,000 _2,000- 3,000 _3,000- 4,000 _4,000- 5,000 n _

5,000-10,000 _

Totals 377 127

In some cases during the past season the green-keeper's budget has been reduced drastically, whilelarge expenditures have been continued for club-house equiptnent. Possibly this trend is the result ofa real demand by the membership for the improve-ment of the clubhouse as a social center. N-everthe-less, there are many clubs which would have largermemberships today and be in better financial con-dition if they had maintained good greens and fair-ways and had spent less on high-priced crystal andchinaware. If this be true, perhaps the greenkeep-

Professor Sloulell1yer bas mosl ill-lel1igl'11tly analyzed a sl/bject ofnation-wide im porlallc/'. His ill-vestigations are sOl/nd and bisfacts ring Irl/e. We recom mendbim witbollt r/'senlatiOIl.

crHE ancient and honorablegame of golf has now become aswell established in American lifeas ham and eggs or Boston bakedbeans. Golf doubtless has awider adaptation to people of allages and classes than most othersports. This explains the rapidspread of the game in the last twoor three decades. Wherever thegolf bug bites, it bites exceeding-ly deep and leaves its usual quotaof bereaved wives and fatherlessfamilies.

While golf has had its largestdevelopment in metropolitandistricts, there is a strong andgrowing interest in the smallertowns. The accompanying tableshows approximately the present distribution ofgolf courses in the smaller towns of Iowa, a typi-cally rural state. This list was compiled during thepast year and includes regularly organized golfclubs for the most part, with a very few fee andmunicipal courses. Undoubtedly a number of clubswere overlooked in this survey.

Thus it may be seen that a considerable numberof golf courses are found in towns with a small pop-ulation. It would be erroneous to imagine that verymany of these courses are still in the cow pasturestage. A few, it is true, have sand greens and per-haps charge an annual fee of $10.00 or $15.00. As arule the small courses are not opera ted very long be-fore several grass greens are installed. Eventuallythe sand is replaced en tirely by grass.

Cost studies are of little value in this period ofchange ,but it may be said that during the past fewyears many small 9-hole clubs have been providingbent grass greens and fairly good playing conditionswith some clubhouse facilities for dues of about$25.00 or $30.00 per year. \X1herever the mainte-

10 May, 1933

May, 1933 T be Natiollal Greellkee per and Turf Culture 11

ers have been too retiring and too modest in theirdemands for the good of not only themselves buttheir clubs.

COST ANALYSIS

~ EGARDLESS of the accounting system used bythe club officials, the greenkeeper should use a sim-ple cost analysis system of his own. An individualaccount should be kept for each green and a recordshould be made of the date of each treatment suchas fertilization or topdressing, together with theamount of material used. An estimate of labor costis useful also and a standard time can be determinedand used for each treatnlent. This will be accurateenough for all practical purposes. Fairway costscan be treated in the same manner.

Where such records have been kept, the variationin the cost of maintenance of the different greenshas often been marked. A green with faulty con-struction is likely to prove expensive in some items,such as fungicides and in the removal and replace-ment of turf. Thus when a green should be takenout and rebuilt, the greenkeeper has somethingdefinite to support the facts presented to his com-mittee. The personal records of the greenkeeperput the facts about the operation of the course intheir true light, while the accounts of the club offi-cials are usually too generalized to do this.

LA YOUT AND MAINTENANCE

~ HE small town golf course is apt to have defectsin construction, as it is not likely that the course wasdesigned by a competent golf architect. While thelayout may be faulty from the standpoint of play,the errors which are most commonly seen are thosewhich interfere with the growing of good turf.

A few conlmon examples may be cited. Sharprolls in the surface contour of the green necessitate~ontinual cutting from a certain angle. Steep,rough backs or sides of greens cause difficulty withthe use of any kind of mower and may require muchhard work with a scythe. Certain types of terracedgreens and some freak designs in vogue a few yearsago have proved unsatisfactory and are being takenout. Greens with rolls placed without due regard tothe surface drainage have given endless trouble withscald and brown pa tch.

There are courses on which the surface waterfrom a long slope runs across the green, or where theseepage from surrounding hills keeps the soil soggy.

Oversized greens on some of the smaller golf

courses are now a costly burden. A large green in-creases the cost of labor, power, fertilizer, fungi-cides and every other item of maintenance expense.Greens of over 6,000 square feet are apt to be re-gretted by the small club. A green need not appearsmall, but it certainly will do so if it is given a veryirregular outline with large sand traps on the ap-proaches. A wide untrapped approach from thefront or from one side will help to make the smallgreen playable for the relatively unskilled playerswho predominate in nlost clubs.

The situation is quite the reverse with tees. Theyare often not large enough on the average smallcourse and require much repairing and returfing.Bent grass tees are beautiful but under midwesternconditions require too much care for the small clubto consider them.

It may be observed that sand traps and waterhazards are often sadly neglected on the smallercourses. Where they have been put in, an effortshould be made to maintain them. Probably clubswill be less hasty in placing them over the course inthe future. The small town courses should followsome of the ideas in natural and optional hazardswhich are being used by many municipal and feecourses.

Along with the regular maintenance of thecourse an effort must be made to keep the groundsneat and attractive. If the club is not in a positionto do much planting of nursery stock, even a fewwell chosen annual and perennial flowers will takelittle care and the added color will be appreciatedby the members. \Ve must never forget that con-tact with natural beauty is one of the great valuesof golf.

THE GRASS PROBLEM

~AKEN as a whole, the smaller golf clubs of Iowahave made many serious mistakes in the selection ofputting green grasses. The vast nlajority of thegreens are in some sort of bent. Only a few of thegreens of red fescue remain, and blue grass greensare not much more common.

The early seeded greens were sown to mixedSouth German bent, and under our conditions thevarious grasses formed small segregated patcheswhich gave the green a spotted appearance. Theearly experiences with stolonized greens were evenmore unsuccessful because of the inferior strainswhich were being sold at that time as \XTashingtonbent.

12 T be NatiOllal GreeJlkee per and Turf Culture May, 1933

Spurious grasses are still on hundreds of greens inour state and, in spite of all the efforts of the green-keeper, remain coarse, nappy, diseased at times andundesirable in color. The dissatisfied players andclub officials often do not realize that a mis-namedgrass is the one and only source of their troubles.

I t is well to keep the greens of a course all in onestrain of grass; otherwise one has the bother ofgrowing various sorts of grasses for turf repair.Where there are a number of bents on one coursethey tend to be carried by the mowers and in timebecome mixed, causing the greens to take on a spot-ted appearance. The best place for the trial of newgrasses is on the practice putting green and a certainamount of such experimentation is to be encour-aged.

Some of the new strains resulting from the breed-ing efforts of the Bureau of Plant Industry and sev-eral of the agricultural experiment stations in theEast seem to be very promising and may have un-usual merit. Trends toward one definite species ofben t are noticeable in various regions. The seaside,colonlal, creeping and velvet bents each seem tohave localities where they thrive best. The old ques-tion of seed versus stolons has been revived againbecause of recent advances in the production ofpure strains of seed.

CLUB ORGANIZATION AND THE GREEN KEEPER

eA.N INTERESTING development in the status ofthe green keeper is found in Iowa and has attractedsome attention locally. It is essentially a contractsystem which increases the responsibility of thegreen keeper and allows him to share directly in theeconon1ies which he is able to effect in the use oflabor and materials. The greenkeeper thus becomesin a very definite sense a business partner with theclub.

This arrangement is found at the Green CountyGolf Club, a 9-hole course, located at Jefferson,Iowa, and has worked ideally in practice. The clubhas just completed its fifth season. Most of thepresent greens are but three years old. They are inWashington bent and are nearly all of a qualityworthy of the finest course.

The club pays the greenkeeper a fixed stipendeach year. From this he provides his own salary andthe necessary additional labor for course mainte-nance. The greenkeeper also furnishes a tractor,which is practical in this instance as he also operates

a farm. Fertilizer, tools and other materials are fur-nished by the club. The greenkeeper collects thegreen fees and by the provisions of his contract isallowed to retain one-fourth of the fee money. Asthis course does not have a professional golf instruc-tor, he also operates a concession for the sale of golfmerchandise.

As the years have passed, more direct autho~ityhas been given to the greenkeeper and the club offi-cials have been gratified with the results.

At the start, this greenkeeper was a farmer in thevicinity who took over the job without any previousexperience or knowledge of turf culture. By ob-taining information from every source and by hardwork he has secured unusually good playing condi-tions. Perhaps the key to the success of this courseis disclosed in the statement by the greenkeeper, Mr.C. B. \XThitson, that, reA person must be deeply in-terested in his work to accomplish what the mem-bers of the club desire."

CLUBHOUSE OPERATED BY SEPARATE

ORGANIZA TION

ONE other unusual feature of this course is thatwhile there is a clubhouse adjoining the grounds ithas no direct connection with the golf club organi-zation, as it was erected long before the course wasbuilt and operated by another organization. Be-cause of the large number of members in the latterwho had no particular interest in golf, the two or-ganizations have cooperated but not united. Thussome of the golfers do not have clubhouse privi-leges.

The fact that the course does not have the up-keep of a clubhouse explains the very low annualdues of $20.00 for resident members and $10.00 fornon-residents. The club has a membership of about140.

CONTRACT SYSTEM HAS GOOD FEATURES

~ HERE are some good features to such a contractsystem, although the organization would have tovary according to local conditions. Perhaps it istime to get rid of the idea that a green keeper is sim-ply another laborer at so many dollars per week ormonth and strive to effect arrangements wherebyhe is able, in addition to his fixed salary, to share inthe economies which his management secures.

Good greens mean an increase in new memberswho are attracted by the fine playing conditions on

May, 1933 The National Greenkeeper and Turf Culture 13

the course. The attraction of non-resident playersis also becoming the financial salvation of manyclubs.

Other types and extremes of organization arefound also. There are small courses which do nothave a greenkeeper in the true sense of the word.The Green chairman, usually a retired business manwith so~e leisure, spends considerable time on thecourse and directs the labor. While the budget ofsuch a course may show a very low labor cost, thebest playing conditions are not apt to result.

GOLFCOURSEMANAGEMENT

~ HE basic ideas which have revolutionized thesteel industry were worked by Frederick Taylorof Philadelphia over a generation ago. He was vir-tually the founder of modern ideas of managementin industry and practically all of the time studiesand ((speed up" methods which exist in every indus-try today were inspired by the astonishing resultswhich he secured.

In later life he frequently said that there wereseveral great duties of a manager. He must developa science for each operation of work in place oftradition and rule of thumb. He must use care inthe selection and development of workers. Fur-thermore, cooperation must be secured betweenlaborer and employer in order to apply the correctmethod to the work. In addition, there must beproper superVISIOn.

There is a similar situation in greenkeeping. Thereis a faster way to pull a weed, topdress a green, orroute a fairway mower than most of us are using. Agreat many useful methods which would make forcheaper and quicker maintenance have never beencollected and organized and must be learned fromexperience or from personal contact with the green-keepers who are the leaders in their professions. Atthe points where greenkeeping touches the scienceof pathology, entomology, agrostology and a dozenothers, much information is available. The wholesubject is expanding so rapidly that textbooks ongreenkeeping soon get out of date.

The men who have charge of the smaller golfcourses have sometimes been too isolated to keep intouch with the best information in greenkeeping.The educational work of the various greenkeepers'organizations, the NATIONAL GREEN KEEPER, theU. S. G. A. Green section, and the specialized shortcourses given at a number of the colleges undoubt-

edly is leading to great improvement in the averagestandard of golf course maintenance.

HANDLING LABOR IS IMPORTANT

VERY little has been said about the selection andhandling of laborers, but the subject is worthy ofconsideration regardless of the size of the course.Machinery and golf turf are both too expensive totrust to any kind of worker, and possibly the highertype of laborer could be used with real economy. Adifferent situation exists in every club.

Greenkeepers, like army officers or athleticcoaches, differ widely in the methods which theyuse and in the response which they can get fromtheir men. The occasional story of the greenkeeperwho carries a field glass to observe workers in dis-tant parts of the course may be a bit humorous, butonly one who has handled laborers knows how muchtime a worker can waste. Definite working rulesare useful in some cases, and often there is need forthem in such matters as lost and broken tools andin the cleaning of machinery after use.

It will be more of a problem than ever to main-tain a contented, interested and loyal workingforce after a series of pay cuts during these times.Yet it can be done. Men will work whole-heartedlyunder adverse conditions if they feel that they aretreated fairly and that their efforts are appreciated.

Much of the responsibility for the working forcerests on the green keeper. Usually he must be a hardworker himself if the others are to have the rightattitude, and yet who has not seen the foreman whois so engrossed in the work he is doing at the momentthat the labor force is wondering what to do halfof the time. At any rate, he must have the abilityto plan the work or much time will be lost.

IMPROVEDMACHINERY HAS HELPED

IMPROVED machinery made it possible for someclubs to keep up normal maintenance last summer.Others practically abandoned topdressing and fer-tilization throughout the season. \Vhile the grassheld up remarkably well, a day of reckoning willprobably come if such a practice is continued dur-ing the coming year.

Radical changes in such operations as topdressingenabled certain clubs to get along fairly well in spiteof a reduced labor force. Some clubs are handlingtopdressing soil in sacks, which eliminates some

(CollcllldrJ 011 paKr 26)

22 T be N a/iollal Greenkee per alld Turf Culture May, 1933

II EMPLOYMENT DEPARTMENT I

Market Place andBuyers' Guide---

Top Dressing

Hyper-Humus CompanyThe Ohio Humus CompanyAtkins and Durbrow, Inc.

Tractors

E. G. Staude Mak-A-Tractor Co.Toro Manufacturing CompanyWorthington Mower Co.International Harvester Co. of AmericaIdeal Power Lawn Mower Co.Roseman Tractor Mower Co.R. S. HornerGravely Mower & Cultivator Co.

Tractor Wheels and SpudsR. S. Horner

GREENKEEPER WANTEDI have a position open for an all-

around man, experienced in upkeep ofan 18-hole sand green course. Must beA-I with mowing equipment and ma-chinery. Only one who takes interest inhis work and sees that the job is done wilIbe considered. Address all inquiries toBox 10, The National Greenkeeper andTurf Culture, Caxton Building, Cleve-land, Ohio.

POSITIONS WANTEDExperienced greenkeeper with splen-

did references desires position in theChicago district. Understands thorough-ly soil and climatic conditions. Good'man for any club. Address inquiries toBox A, The National Greenkeeper andTurf Culture, Caxton Bldg., Cleveland,Ohio.

Nationally-known greenkeeper withmany years' experience in the construc-tion and maintenance of several well-known golf courses, such as Oakmont inPittsburgh and Plum Hollow in Detroit.Has a son who will act as assistant and isan expert mechanic. This combinationshould appeal to any golf organizationdesiring efficient and economical man-agement. The best of references will befurnished upon request. Address inquir-ies to Box B, The National Greenkeeperand Turf Culture, Caxton Bldg., Cleve-land, Ohio.

will keep new-cut Greens free of anthills and worms and not injure turf.

Trial order to make fifty gallons.

$7 .00 delivered or buyIt of your dealer

Satisfaction or Money Refunded

The Royal Products Co.214-216 S. Charles Street

BALTIMORE - MARYLAND, U. S. A.

Turf FertilizersArmour Fertilizer Works

Underground Hose LockerMcClain Brothers Company

UreaSynthetic Nitrogen Products Corp.

Water PipeMcWane Cast Iron Pipe Co.

Wood CharcoalWood Charcoal Research Bureau

Worm EradicatorsPeter Henderson & Co.C. B. Dolge CompanyReade Mfg. Company

Pro-greenkeeper or greenkeeper withbest of recommendations and thoroughexperience in maintenance and con-struction. References furnished uponrequest. Address inquiries to Box C,The National Greenkeeper and TurfCulture, Caxton Bldg., Cleveland, Ohio.

Pro-greenkeeper with many years' ex-perience, seeks position as professional,pro-greenkeeper or greenkeeper. Grand-nephew of the late "Old" Tom Morris ofSt. Andrews, Scotland. References, JohnBall, eight times British Amateur cham-pion, and Jimmie Johnson, ex-AmericanAmateur champion. Previous connec-tions, Town and Country Club, SaintPaul; Midlothian C. C., Chicago; Louis-ville C. C.; Country Club of Harrisburg,Pa. Address Tom Morris, 1548 E. 64thStreet, Chicago, Illinois.

Better Greens~ ETTER greens at lower maintenancecost is the slogan of the Jacobsen Mfg.Company, Racine, Wisconsin.

In a catalog recently issued they ex-plain the economy which,may be affectedthrough the use of their mowing outfitand furnish a compilation of figureswhich appear to be quite conclusive.

This catalog is illustrated with viewsof estates and golf courses and explainsquite accurately the character of theirequipment.

It is quite significant that they have abrush attachment on their power lawnmower which agitates the turf and im-proves its general condition.

Jacobsen has a power mower for everycutting job whether it may be golfcourses, estates, parks or cemeteries. Thecutting width runs from 18 to 30 inches.Complete information may be had bywriting the company at the above ad-drf'ss.

Domestic peat HUM USPure organic material, ideal for Boil improve-ment purposes. Complies with U. S. Gov'tSpecifications-available in finely fibrous orcoarse form - Tell us your requirements.Shipment by bag, truck or carlot units.

Hyper-Humus Co. of Newton, N. J.Main Office, Morris Bldg., Philadelphia, Pa.

Bettering Maintenance atSmall Town Golf Courses

(Concluded from page 13)

shoveling, and are using one of the newertypes of topdressing distributors. Theseenable the work to be done in a fractionof the time that the work formerly tookby hand and the application is muchevener. In this and other cases, the moneyspent by some clubs for equipment of this

type is proving to be a far-sightedeconomy.

There are great opportunities for theextension of golf in the smaller com-munities of the country. The small towngolf clubs are playing an important partin the social and recreational life of the

community. Those responsible for keep-ing the smaller courses should aim high.Already many small town greenkeepershave demonstrated that the large clubshave no monopoly on good layout,natural beauty, or fine turf.

The Perfection SprinklersCJ'HE Perfection Sprinkler Company,Plymouth, Michigan, are introducing anew product in their line which operatesat a very low water pressure. This is dueto the invention of a new spray nozzlewhich has revolutionized the rotary typeof sprinkler by completely eliminatingthe several objectionable features whichhave been the cause of much trouble In

the past.The makers claim that in operation it

intermittently interrupts in such a wayas to deliver the correct amount of waterat all distances from the center, the re-sult being perfectly even distributionover the entire sprinkled area.

Groundskeepers should be interested inthe right way to water greens. The truthis that water should be put upon the turfas fast as it will go down straight into thesoil. If it goes down faster than the soilwill absorb, the result is too many lowspots and depleted high Spots.

Slow, even watering is the right wayand while it may take a little longer it ismuch more efficient and economical.

The company has a circular which ex-plains their method. which may be hadupon request.