MID-ATLANTIC h m Letter

Published by Mid-Atlantic Association of Golf Course Superintendents to aid in the Advancement of the

Golf Course Superintendent through Education and Merit

D i r e c t o r R O B E R T M A R T I N O

Ed i t o r s J A M E S E . THOMAS L E E C . D I E T E R

Vol . XV May 25, 1965 No. 5

N E X T MEET ING The June meeting of the Mid-At lant ic Golf Course Superintendents Associat ion w i l l be held on the 8th at Green Hil l Yacht and Country Club in Salisbury, Maryland. Golfing fac i l i t ies w i l l be available throughout the day to all and Mr . Har ry Offutt, golf pro fess ional , w i l l be on hand to o f f e r his assistance. Mr . Joseph Schi l ler , Greens chairman, w i l l also be on hand. He is an ardent go l f e r , f o r m e r club champion, and a rea l inspiration to all go l f e rs .

OUR HOST

RUSS KERNS

Russ Kerns or ig inal ly came f r o m New Jersey where he worked under his father at Tavistock Country Club and later served as Superinten-dent at Iron Rock Golf Club. To further his education he attended the Ten Week Turf Management Course at Rutgers Univers i ty . In 1951 he moved to Green Hi l l Yacht and Country Club, "the land of pleasant l iv ing. " Soon after his ar r i va l , the club hired A l f r ed Tull, course architect, to lay out an additional nine holes which Russ built and opened in 1954. A f t e r l\ y ears , Russ moved to F lor ida where he stayed f o r 4 j years and then came back to Green Hi l l in 1963.

MA INTENANCE The greens we r e or ig inal ly planted in Ar l ington and Congressional

bent. Top dressing is usually done eve ry spring after aeriation and also in the fa l l if time and money permi t . Greens rece ive approximately 10 to 12 lbs. of actual nitrogen per year , starting with a good shot of complete chemical type in the spring, switching to liquid f e r t i l i z e r with fungicide weekly with occasional feeding of organic f e r t i l i z e r through the summer months. These greens are mowed four t imes a week on an average of 1/4 inch.

Fa i rways and tees: U3 bermuda has been used in the tees since 1951 with no winter ki l l , although there are some spring dead spots in extra thick thatched areas . A plan to plant Hybrid Bermuda (U3 and Tufcote) in the fa i rways is now in e f f ec t . Bermuda grass is f e r t i l i z ed in summer and cool season grass in the fa l l with a 16-8-8 granular type f e r t i l i z e r . A fa i rway system is in the process of being instal led.

DIRECTIONS Take route 50 across the Bay Br idge and continue to the outskirts of Sal isbury. At the f i r s t stop light turn right on route 349. Continue for approximately 8 miles and turn le f t on route 352 (at the Green Hil l sign) and proceed about a mi le to the course which is on the l e f t .

THE PRESIDENT 'S MESSAGE by Thomas Doerer , Jr . Many thanks to Car l Schoening, Eddie Ault and Bradley Strouth for their courtesy and thoughtfulness at our May 4th meet ing. The weather was per fec t and those who participated in golf had nothing but f ine comments on the job being done on this great golf course. There is no doubt that in the near future this course w i l l be worthy of the National Public Links Championship. It has the length and plenty of character . The National has never been held in the Washington area and this would be an opportune t ime to negotiate for it.

Thanks are also in order for the use of the Manor Country Club locker and dining room fac i l i t i es . Through the e f fo r ts of Claggett Stevens, their profess ional , this was arranged. Mike Burkholder, their new superintendent, has already made great progress in getting the course in f ine shape. I am sure Mike w i l l be an asset to this f ine club.

Our guest speaker, Captain Howard Fi lston of the Medical Corps, For t Be lvo i r , did a splendid job of the f i l m commentary on the "Ci ty Under I c e . " We reg re t that our good fr iend, L t . Colonel George E . Renault, was not with us f o r this meeting. However , he has promised to show us at a later date the second portion of this fine and interesting f i lm . Thanks to Pv t . Cotton and P f c . Bishop for their camera work .

M r . Ange lo Cammarota has agreed to serve the balance of the t e rm of V ice Pres ident fo r the year , 1965.

P l ease , let us all drop our valued fr iend, Dr . Fe l i x Juska, a card or letter wishing him a fast r ecove ry f r o m his recent i l lness . Our best to you, Dr . Juska.

June is a big month for us as we w i l l have the annual Ladies Night at the Washingtonian on June 29th. Tickets to this a f fa i r w i l l be in the mail v e r y soon. Get your reservat ions in at the ear l i es t possible date.

Don't f o rge t the meeting at Rus s Kerns club, Salisbury, Maryland, June 8th.

N A T I O N A L NOTES by Bob Shields Curtai lment of se rv i ces f r o m the national o f f i ce w i l l have to begin soon as the deadline for the proposed move to Chicago draws near. A shut-down of two weeks is scheduled for the per iod between June 15 and July 1. During this t ime the actual move w i l l take place, new furniture and equipment w i l l be installed and new people hired.

Only two members of our present staff in Jacksonvil le Beach w i l l make the move with us. They are our executive d i rector , M r . Ben Chlevin (pronounced Clevin) and his assistant, M r . Wi l l a rd T i t low. On their shoulders is placed the task of interviewing, screening, selecting and training new employees to car ry on our work fo r us. A l so they must plan the new o f f i ce layout, get out change of address notices, arrange for a new telephone number, a new banker, new lawyers , and new accountant as we l l as find new places for themselves to l i v e .

M r . Eddie Erwin, our capable publications department manager in Jacksonvil le, has tendered his resignation e f f ec t i ve June 1, 1965. We wish him we l l in his new venture into the publications f i e ld in associat ion with Dr . Nutter.

When the Mid-At lant ic members nominated me as a candidate for the National Executive Board of D i rec to rs , I promised them that if e lected I 'd try to keep them informed on what is going on and share my exper iences with them. I ' ve tr ied to do this by having something to say at each monthly meeting in regard to National a f f a i r s . The opportunity to do this did not present i tsel f at the May meeting at Northwest Park because of the already crowded agenda so I ' l l t ry to do it now.

On Apr i l 2, I f lew to Al lentown, a mee t ingw i th past presidents Paul Weiss and Leonard Strong at David M i l l e r ' s Saucon Val ley Country Club at Bethlehem, P a . , on the matter of chapter af f i l iat ion. They think chapters should be c lass i f ied as we l l as individual members .

The above subject as we l l as many, many more w i l l be discussed at the coming spring Board Meeting which w i l l be held at Corpus Christ i , Texas, on May 14, 15 and 16.

I wish it we r e possible to share with you some of this t rave l which takes me away f r o m my job and my responsibi l i t ies to Woodmont Country Club. Immediately after returning f r o m Texas I ' l l have one day on the job then I ' m off to Latrobe, Pa . , for a night meeting with the Al legheny Mountain chapter on May 17.

On Tuesday, June 8, at about 3 P . M . , I ' l l take off f o r Pittsburgh's Al legheny County A i rpor t to meet with the Western Pennsylvania chapter at St. Cla ir Country Club where Mr . Harold Kaufman is superintendent. I ' l l be back on the job by noon on June 9 but w i l l miss the Mid-At lant ic meeting at Russ Kerns ' Green Hi l l Yacht and Country Club.

June 15 calls for a tr ip to Paducah, K y . , for a meeting with the Kentuckiana chapter at Paxton Park Golf Course which is about a mi le f r o m where I was born. This tr ip wi l l take two days but I thought I should take the extra t ime in order to v is i t with re lat ives while in that area .

This report covers May and June and I ' l l f i l l in the balance of the schedule la te r . It is a busy year for me and I 'm hoping for good weather so there won't be too much trouble on my golf course while I 'm away on National business.

I M P O R T A N T ANNOUNCEMENT Once again the Mid-Atlantic Golf Course Superintendents Associat ion wi l l host the ladies for i t ' s Third Annual Ladies Night. This splendid evening of fun w i l l be held on Tuesday, June 29, 1965, at the Washingtonian Country Club, Route 70S, Gaithersburg, Maryland.

The cocktail hour wi l l be sponsored by our good commerc ia l f r iends, l ike they have in the past, at 5 P . M . A beautiful buffet dinner w i l l be served in the Gold Room at 6:30 P . M . A f t e r the fest iv i t ies at the Washingtonian, we wi l l all proceed to the Music Fa i r Theatre to see "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, " starr ing Je r ry (Beanbag) L e s t e r . F r om all reports , this is going to be a great show with lots of laughs.

Reservat ion f o rms w i l l be mai led out within a few days. If you are interested in taking the little lady out for an evening of fun, please mail your reservat ions back without delay in order that your committee may go ahead with their plans.

A l l reservat ions must be made by June 21, 1965. No reservat ions w i l l be accepted after this date.

May we suggest that you bring your greens chairman or pro as a guest. This may stimulate our public re lat ions.

For those wishing to play golf that day, Mr . Buddy Eig has graciously consented to extend the club fac i l i t i es to all Mid-At lant ic members and their guests to play this outstanding golf course.

A W A T E R P R O G R A M FOR THE SUMMER (Kentuckiana Clippings - June, 1961) "Water to suit the needs of the grass rather than to suit the p l a y e r s . "

The above is a frequent admonition o f f e red to golf course superintendents. Go l fers want a green that w i l l hold a golf shot. This is a natural des i re . Many go l f e rs want the green to hold a shot even though poorly played. The better go l fer may take a d i f ferent v i ew . He wants a surface that w i l l reward a we l l played shot by holding but a surface which w i l l r e j ec t the poorly played shot.

Those who want soft greens often think that abundant water is the solution to the prob lem. They urge the superintendent to water more heavily and more frequently so that greens wi l l hold. Unfortunately, the superintendent who yie lds to this urging by his club members is l ikely to find himsel f tending v e r y poor greens.

The use of water to soften the greens is somewhat of a delusion. Water wi l l make greens constructed of a compact soil a l itt le softer t emporar i l y . Incidentally, it also causes a little deeper ball pitting f r o m shots played to the green with a high t ra j ec to ry . When a soil is inclined towards compaction, additional frequent water ing w i l l hasten the compactive process . Trampling of wet soil destroys its natural structure which prov ides the desired res i l i ency . As the soil part ic les pack more c losely together, the surface loses its res i l i ency and becomes f i r m e r . Eventually, such a soil in the surface of a green gets to the point where it is always hard except when it is saturated with water . Thus, one who waters for the purpose of "so f tening" a green is actually contributing to a "hardening" process .

The detrimental e f fec ts of saturated soil on the growth of grass are we l l known. A soil that is too wet excludes air f r o m the soil , the roots become inactive, and in t ime all but the very shallow roots may die. A weak plant with shallow roots is more susceptible to all the i l ls that may befa l l a putting green grass . It wi l ts quicker, it must be f e r t i l i z ed more frequently at l ighter rates, fungus diseases are more l ikely to cause the loss of turf, mechanical scars (such as ball pits ) are s lower to heal. AND GREENS WITH A THIN T U R F AND A C O M P A C T SOIL W I L L NOT HOLD A G O L F SHOT.

Correc t watering is a di f f icult task. It is a di f f icult lesson fo r the superintendent to learn for himsel f and to convey to his workmen. Adequate soil moisture is necessary for the

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wel l -be ing of plants but too much is just as detrimental (or maybe more so) than is too l i t t le . Most we l l -qua l i f i ed superintendents have learned this lesson. It is indeed unfortu-nate when a superintendent who has gained such knowledge after long and diligent study is f o rced to alter his good judgement to satisfy the wishes of those whom he se rves .

Perhaps a discussion such as this should be aimed at go l f e rs rather than at superintendents. However , it is our des ire to urge the superintendent again to res is t the pressure f r o m those who, without knowing the consequences, ask him to water greens frequently and heavi ly .

THE F O L L O W I N G L E T T E R WAS RECEIVED F R O M Captain H. C. Fi lston after the May meeting.

Dear Mr . Doe re r :

Thank you so much for a most pleasant day and evening on May 4 and for the gracious manner in which you treated Pr i va te F i r s t Class Bishop and Pr i va te Cotton in addition to me.

I enjoyed the opportunity to meet your group and gain some insight into the many problems which you people must handle in keeping a golf course in playing condition. I thought your organization a most unusual and outstanding one in its work of sharing information and techniques among the membership .

Once again my thanks for all your courtesies and I know that Colonel Renault joins me in expressing our appreciation.

Sincerely,

Howard C. Fi lston Captain, MC USAR

COOPERAT IVE EXTENSION SERVICE L E T T E R f r o m Dr . E l w y n E . Deal To the Mid-At lant ic Golf Course Superintendents Associat ion, Turf Research and Extension Personnel , and Friends

Perhaps you have heard by now that Dr . Fe l ix Juska, our " M r . Turf of Be l tsv i l l e , " (USDA, Plant Industry Station) had a mild heart attack in ear ly Ap r i l . He is making an excel lent r ecovery in the Washington Hospital Center, Washington, D . C . Dr . Juska w i l l probably remain in the hospital for another week or two, then it w i l l be complete bed rest at home and vacation for a whi le . The last t ime I talked with him he said he expects to be back on the job around July 1.

I am sure he would enjoy hearing f r o m you. His v e r y e f f ic ient secre tary tel ls me that any correspondence sent to his o f f i ce w i l l be sent to him immediate ly . His o f f i ce address i s : Dr . Fe l ix V. Juska, U .S . Department of Agr icul ture , Plant Industry Station, Be l tsv i l l e , Maryland.

Dr . Juska wants everyone to know that the f i e ld day w i l l be held on schedule August 3.

JOB OPEN On a nine hole course for a man wi l l ing to work along with the men in the building of a second nine. The job w i l l be interesting and gives opportunity for a man to grow with the course.

Starting salary would be around $100. 00 per week plus a home, util it ies and gasoline and the promise of ra ises in the future.

Contact: Martinsburg Country Club, P . O . Box 1062, Martinsburg, West Virg in ia 25401, Mr . Jack Sutherland.

W E L C O M E The Mid-Atlantic extends the we lcome mat to two new members ; Roy E. Walker of Ft . McNair Country Club in Alexandria , Va. ; and Edward Dembnicki of Indian Spring Country Club, S i lver Spring, Md.

Roy is marr i ed , has two children and has 19 years serv ice in the U .S . A r m y . He was manager at Ft . Hood Golf Course in Texas; superintendent at Ft . Eustis Golf Course in Virg in ia ; and superintendent at Verdon Golf Course in Verdon, France .

Ed is mar r i ed . He has done quite extensive turf work at the Univers i ty of Georg ia .

COMING MEETINGS June 29 Washingtonian Country Club, Gaithersburg, Maryland

Host: Buel Hitchcock Ladies Night: Dinner and show

July Fami ly P icn ic August 3 U .S . Department of Agr icul ture , Be l tsv i l l e , Md.

Host: D r . Fe l i x Juska, Turf Research Agronomis t Sept. 14 Rol l ing Road Country Club, Bal t imore , Md.

Host: John Burt October 12 Woodmont Country Club, Rockv i l l e , Md.

Host: L . Bob Shields November 2 Crofton Country Club, Gambri l ls , Md.

Host: W i l l i am J. Emerson December 7 Open

There are sti l l open dates on this schedule. If a superintendent wishes a meeting please contact any of the educational commit tee : Sheldon Better ly , Angelo Cammarota, Lee Dieter , Russel l Kerns , A l e x Watson, Frank Haske or George Gumm.

NEWSNOTES Ange lo Cammarota has been appointed v ice president to f i l l the unexpired t e rm of Jack Oulla. Jack has le f t the area fo r a new position of his choice in South Carol ina.

Robert Martino has been appointed to take over the golf duties of the Associat ion for the remainder of the y ea r .

A l l superintendents are asked to wr i t e their congressman regarding bi l l H . R . 5774 dealing with the possible reduction of 10% in the exc ise tax.

A l so wr i te your postmaster general , John A . Gronouski, Washington, D. C. 20260. There is a USGA request be fore the postmaster to have a stamp issued commemorat ing the game of gol f . Le ts all get behind the USGA in this request.

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