BUSINESS APPROACH TO GOLF COURSE MAINTENANCEThe USGA Green Section conducted its sixth annual Educational Program at the'

Biltmore Hotel, New York City, on January 26. Excerpts from two of the papers wereprinted in the April issue and four more are on the following pages.

Simple Accounting Methods And Budget PreparationALEXANDER M. RADKO

Eastern Director, USGA Green Section, Highland Park, N. J.

Records, like paintings and poetry, canmean different things to different

people. To some the task of keepingrecords is a breeze, to others it is a bore,but to the golf course operation recordsare a necessity! This is true becausethose charged with responsibilities ofmanagement are dealing with other peo-ple's money., In the normal course ofevents, the matter of budgeting is a jointcommittee-superintendent responsibilitywith the brunt of it falling on theshoulders of the latter. Basically, it istheir joint responsibility to provide thevery best golf course possible for a givenamount of the membership's money. Likepaintings and poetry, different peoplewill interpret differently as to what can,or what should, be expected with thismoney.

Over the years there have been anum.bel' of fine surveys published on golfcourse expenditures. The undeniable factis that costs are rising steadily due toseveral factors but primarily-

(1) The desire for the best playingconditions at all times.

(2) More golfers, therefore moreplay; golf will never be just a week-endsport again.

(3) Longer playing span; in theNortheastern area Labor Day used tosignal the slow down of play, nowThanksgiving is more nearly the datemost aim for.

(4) Rising costs of labor, materials,and equipment.

Each survey points up the fact thatlabor consumes 60 to 70 per cent of theannual budget. In industry since the pro-duction line techniques have been per-fected, an individual worker may per-form only one specific operation day-inand day-out during his entire work-life.However, in the golf operation, crews arenecessarily small, and each man mustperform numerous tasks daily. Becauseof this, and because every single job per-formed no matter how simple is im-portant to the management record, aworker's time and duties should each becarefully recorded each day. The simplefact is that good records tell the manage-ment story for a golf course operation.These records can be as simple or as com-plicated as the individual cares to makethem.

As a matter of reference to an uncom-plicated system the following records oftwo veteran golf course superintendents

USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: JUNE, 1962 25

were provided the writer independentlyand these were then set together on onesheet for quick comparison purposes. The18 hole summary was provided by Super-intendent Riley of the Essex Fells Coun-try Club in Essex Fells, New Jersey,while Superintendent Elmer Michael ofOak Hill Country Club in Rochester, NewYork provided the data for the 36 holecourse. While slight discrepancies exist,in the main, the agreement in theirfigures is truly remarkable. At a glanceit reveals what it takes in man hours tomaintain a well managed course, whatpercentage of the total this is, and wherethe emphasis, if any, is placed in themanagement program in any given year.From this record, if further informationis sought, any of these categories couldbe individually broken down to showevery detailed operation that went into

making the .total. If members wish toplace more emphasis on any individualarea this can easily be adjusted to theirrequirement. (See Chart)

The advantages of this simplified sys-tem are many but some of the main onesare:

(1) It deals in man hours and per-centages for each category and so is easyfor the committees to work with.

(2) Though the budget may fluctuatefrom year to year-the percentagesshould remain somewhat stable. There-fore the level of maintenance is placedup to the committee ... no matter whatthe budget, these percentages will per-sist.

(3) It is easy to understand eachgeneral category-they are not compli-cated by detailed information. At budgettime committees want primarily to talk

Labor Distribution of Two Major Clubs18 Hole Coursein New Jersey

36 Hole Coursein New York

Greens and Approaches hhhh_h hh_n h_n ___

Tee s n m_ h m h mu. h n

Fairways _n ._n_n unn h • n ._. h __ nn __ ._h_

Rough _n h h h u hn U_h _

Banks at Tees, Greens & Traps nn mn

Bunkers __h Uh •• _n m_U_h .nn h

Shop (Equipment repairs) U __ h_. hnn_

Club Grounds __hhU nh uU h.nn n

Parking Area _u n U u m_u h_

Off Course (trees, hedges, pruning, _h U ___

spraying, planting)Pool m_mh m __ Uh nuu .-.--

Misc. (green & tee nurseries, UUh U_hn

painting, bridges, roads)Drainage h m m

n U u__

h__

Unproductive time (holidays, vacation, _nOUU

sick leave)Capital improvements n

h

<Installed water lines in 4 fair-ways, constructed new bridges,new tee, and renovated 1 apronarea)

Tournaments hh_n h Uh u __ • h _

Preparing compost _m uh __ h mmu_hh __ mmh ___

Tennis courts (3) hU_U_h h __ •h

• ___

HaUling rubbish _h u • u U_h __ .U _

Maintenance of Water System . .h ___

Hours % of Total Hours % of Total

2703 23 5170 22660 6 1860 8831 3

3290 14492 4348 3

2370 10839 7930 9 2300 9.5605 5.5 2140 9108 1 325 1.4682 6 1620 7

641 6 450 1.9453 4 1665 7.2

44 .50429 3.00

1653 14

1120 4.8295 1.2440 1.9160 .5360 1.6

Total n U 11,468 100.0 23,565 100.0

Ed. Note: Hours expended will vary with regions, depending upon length of growing season, andupon the level of maintenance performed.

26 USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEM!:NT: JUN!:, 1962

money-not management programs. Records of this type are described(4) From thIS record, it IS a simple fully in several articles published-and

matter to prepare budget. those particularly of our Pilot Study of(5) There are no problems in fitting Maintenance Costs-and subsequent arti-

this system mto any bookkeeping system. cles on the topic, written by the GreenAll other records are relatIvely easy Section's Dr. Marvin H. Ferguson, which

to categorIze. These are primarIly a mat- appeared in the USGA JOURNALANDTURFtel' of proper entry into the record book. MANAGEMENT.

These include- Complete records and budget inform a-(1) Purchases tion are necessary for several reasons-(2) Eqmpment-Inventory and De- and I believe it is best summed up in

preciation the statement of one housewife keen in(3) Basic data record showing course the way of budgeting who once said

descriptIOn-property boundaries, irriga- "records are necessary so that you don'ttion and dramage lines, acres of rough wind up with too much year at the endand fairway, size of greens and tees. of your money!"

Keeping Up with Research is Good BusinessBy DR. MARVIN H. FERGUSON

Mid-Continent Director and National Research Coordinator, USGA Green Section

Research continues to grow in size andin importance. In 1962, 16.5 billion

dollars are to be spent in the UnitedStates. This is five times the $3 billionspent for research in 1950. If researchwere considered an industry it wouldrank in the top 12. It employs 350,000people. Government will pay two-thirdsof the cost of the research done in 1962,but 75% of the work will be done by in-dustry under government contract.

Type of ResearchMuch of the government sponsored re-

search is of a basic nature. It deals withall aspects of physical and biologicalscience. Ultra-high temperatures, cryo-genics (extremely low temperatures),direct energy conversion systems, lightqualities, etc., are some of the areaswhere much effort is being expended.

Discoveries made in basic researchmay have no preconceived application,but as facts become available they canbe pieced together to improve our knowl-edge and technology. Such discoveriescan be applied in many areas of bio-logical science, and so while the nation'sspace effort may be the prime reason forresearch of this magnitude, the bonusvalues that result from it may even pro-vide us with additional knowledge forgrowing better turf.

Where Does Turfgrass Fit In?This background will indicate that our

concern with turfgrasses represents aninfinitely small effort when compared

with the total research expenditure. How-ever, our opportunity to learn new factsis not limited by our own small effortsbecause of the fact that we can borrowfrom the large reservoir of basic infor-mation.

We are going to need all the new in-formation that we can acquire. Weshall be faced with new problems. Anexample is the new stadium to bebuilt in Houston for use of the Hous-ton Colt .45 baseball team. The sta-dium is to be dome-covered and airconditioned. It appears that light willlimit the growth of grass. Supplementallight can be supplied artificially, but suchlight generates heat, thus increasing therefrigeration load.

Even though our part in the total re-search effort is comparatively small, itmay be considered big in absolute terms,and the job of keeping up with progressis a big one. Presently $550 million ayear is being spent for agricultural re-search. Fifty-two per cent of this is byindustry, with the remainder being doneby federal and state governments andby non-profit organizations. There aremore than 9,000 pesticides on the mar-ket today for controlling insects, diseases,weeds, nematodes, and rodents. Twoyears ago there were only about threepre-emergence crabgrass controls on themarket. Today there are more than 20and this is just the beginning.

Basic research on the activity ofUSGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: JUNE, 1962 27

enzyme systems within a plant has pro-vided the knowledge that has permittedthe development of material which willinterrupt or alter this enzymatic activi.ty. This is the basis for an unusual de-gree of selectivity in weed control. Thetriazine compounds which work on thisprinciple appear to be the forerunnersof a long series of such materials.

Thus, the products of basic researchare all potentially capable of being fittedinto our particular discipline to providemore effective and more efficient tools.

The Green Section RoleAt this point, we might pause to

justify the existence of the Green Sec-tion. The duties of the Green Sectionstaff are largely those of keeping up withresearch activities, being aware of newdiscoveries and new products, and at-tempting to relate these advances to golfcourse problems. We cannot hope tokeep up-but we can devote our fulltime to the effort. You ask much of yoursuperintendent, who, with a course tomaintain, a crew to supervise, and my-riad miscellaneous duties, also obligedto try to keep up with what's new. Hereis an area where the Green Section Visit-ing Service can help you.

In addition to following the progressof other research, the Green Section,through the USGA Green Section Re-search & Education Fund, Inc., sponsorsand supports research through grants tostate institutions. Many of these grantssupport projects designed to solve prob-lems peculiar to golf. We may cite PennState's efforts with Colonial bent, V.P.L'soverseeding study, and Texas A. & M.'sphysical studies on soils. Yet all theseprojects will yield benefits that carrybeyond the immediate problems.

In the 41 years of its existence theGreen Section has contributed much tothe knowledge of golf course mainte-nance through its research effort. It hasdeveloped fungicides, herbicides, and in-secticides. Examples are the testing andsubsequent recommendation for use ofmercury fungicides in the middle 1920s;thiram in 1942; sodium arsenite in theearly 1930s; and 2,4-D during and justafter World War II. Chlordane was testedby the Green Section long before it wasnamed. Harrington & Ferguson appliedsome to turf on a nursery at Rolling Roadin Baltimore at 100 times the rate later

recommended. Through such painful ex-periences has the knowledge been gainedwhich permits members of the Green Sec-tion staff to recommend safe rates of usewith confidence.

Among the grasses selected, tested andreleased as superior strains are Arling-ton, Congressional, Collins and Cohanseybents, and Merion bluegrass. Since es-tablishment of the visiting service, grantshave supported work from which cameTiffine, Tifgreen and Tifway bermuda.Soils information which permitted publi-cation of specifications for putting greenconstruction has been gained from GreenSection sponsored research.

Present research efforts deal withgrass improvement; soils studies; diseasecontrol studies; controlled environmentstudies; and with general support of turf-grass research at a number of experimentstations.

Research In The FutureSome problems face all of us with re-

spect to the future of research. This doesnot apply to our specific interests, butto research in general. Government islikely to continue to sponsor basic re-search because of the pressure of ourspace program. National Aeronautics andSpace Administration alone will spend$20 billion before the first astronautarrives on the surface of the moon. Whilethis work will be done by industry undercontract, government will pay the bills.This creates a problem in connection withpatents. A company which makes dis-coveries under such contract researchcannot expect to control the patent rightsto such discoveries. Yet, if the companydoes not receive such rights, its incen-tive to do research is impaired, if notdestroyed.

To do research, competitively, in sucha fast-moving area is almost beyond thecapabilities of many companies withoutthe help of government contracts. Thecombined efforts of the interaction ofthese facts may constitute a threat to ourpatent system which has served us sowell.

There is a possibility that governmentmay find it necessary to establish a re-search organization of its own. Thusmany of the basic patents would come tobe government property and companieswould be licensed to manufacture the

28 USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: JUNE, 1962

products covered by such patents. Wemake no attempt to editorialize on thismatter, but it is a matter of importanceto all. Our national welfare and our pro-gress have been linked to research ef-forts. If we are to continue to advance,we must continue our research efforts.

In the last decade. technical progresshas been amazing. Perhaps the sur-prising thing is that costs have increasedonly five-fold. We, in turn, have come along way in turf management. Manage-ment is more efficient because of newLOols, new chemicals, new grasses, and

new techniques. There is even now amass of basic information which has notyet been translated into practice. As longas researchers are busy, this will everbe so. DDT was discovered in 1874, butit was not put to use as an insecticide un-til the early 1940's.

Our business is to see that this back-log does not get too big. With ever in-creasing research the task will becomemore difficult, but we must try. Thethought I would like to leave with you isthat "keeping up with research is goodbusiness."

Don't Overlook Public RelationsBy ALLEN M. OAKLEY

:\Iember, USGA Green Section Committee, Quinc~", Ill.

Public relations, whose developmentsince the turn of the century paral-

lels the growth of golf, today has beenrefined into a science that can be appliedto our problems in golf course mainte-nance.

We must consider a foursome-theplayer, the green superintendent and hisassociation, the green chairman, the clubdirectora te.,

If we have been overlooking publicrelations, let's find out what it means.To paraphrase one definition: "Publicrelations in golf is essential today be-cause we have found that information,understanding and good will are neces-sary for the well being of that fortunatemember of the foursome to whom we ac-cord the honor on the tee-the player."

Each of us in the foursome has some-thing to sell, and the green chairmanmust bring buyer and seller together. Soit is to him that I address myself.

The player has something to sell. Hewants the best possible conditions for hisenjoyment-and we all know he can bethe most vocal of salesmen on that point.

Though we cannot heed all his de-mands, nor all too often his advice, hecan b2come our best salesman if we in-form him, develop understanding both inand with him, and through him spreadgood will. Those are the translations forus of the special language of the scienceof public relations. The green chairmanmust be the key man in putting them in-to practice.

There was a day when he and his

greenskeeper dealt with an inexact sci-ence. Today he lives in a new and betterworld, made possible by experience, re-search and organization.

How can he make the most of it? Howapply public relations?

1. He must recognize the full im-portance of his job and publicizeits objectives and accomplish-ments.

2. He must understand the natureof the advances that have beenmade.

3. He must take full advantage ofthe modern services available.

4. He must recognize and encouragethe new atmosphere created bya corps of trained and dedicatedsuperintendents.

5. He must balance desire and re-sources.

6. He must help prepare for thefuture, both in his own clubby creating wider interest in theproblems and science of golfcourse maintenance, and on thebroader landscape where train-ing and research are thriving andmanpower is needed.

All this adds up to one word: "Inform."It's a formidable weapon against the oldfogeys of tradition, member apathy andbudget restrictions.

So let's sell to the players an under-standing of the superintendent's problems,to the board the value of.new methods andmachinery-their dollar value and satis-faction value, and to the superintendent

USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: JUNE, 1962 29

a goal he and his crew will be glad toshoot for.

My short experience as a green chair-man convinces me you can't do withoutgood public relations on these points.

1. Importance and PublicizingThe golf course budget exceeds that of

any other phase of club operation. Thegolf course has strengthened its positionas the core of the country club. And nogolfer can be fooled today-he knowsthe good conditions enjoyed by his fellowand neighbor a thousand miles away.

The business approach emphasizes theimportance of not overlooking public re-lations. A new superintendent, only 22,remarked: "I want a businessman for achairman." He meant he wants good pub-lic relations, understanding of his job, aninformed board and budget committee,and informed players. Today he keepsrecords, knows costs, strives for moreefficient maintenance. The chairmanmust bring him closer to the managementand closer to the players.

The superintendents are in business ..So must we be.

Have you a long-range program? Fullpublicity to the membership is an essen-tial. Its success may depend on theadmonition: "Inform." Despite good ad-vice, a club lost nine years in gettingunder way, because its long-range pro-gram was not plainly put before themembership.

2. Understanding and AdvancesThe literature being produced today

covers the entire field of maintenance,research and new ideas. It can informyou. Let it inform your golfer too. Whenhe walks into the locker room or proshop, he sees golf magazines-why notgolf course magazines? Put them wherehe can see them, and help yourself inpublic relations.

3. Taking Advantage of Services.Bernays defined public relations in

actual practice as "the engineering ofconsent." This means: "Let's listen tothe experts, let's get some good advice-and let's get everybody to go along withus."

That long-range program that failed-a public relations job that sprang fromusing available services was its salvation.When the Green Section's visitingagronomist and the research director

were brought together with the clubpresident and budget chairman, the goalsof nine years before were re-established,the facts looked in the face, and thedecision-the consent-given to proceed.The services available were used to de-velop full club realization of the situa-tion and participation in the goals.

I suggest a USGA certificate that aclub may display to show that it sub-scribes to the Visiting Service of theGreen Section .. The pro has his creden-tials on the wall, so also the superin-tendent. Why not the progressive club?

4. The Superintendent of TodayWhat should our public relations be

with him? They had better be good. Ourgolf course is in his hands, and he meansto make it the best under any given setof circumstances. He's trained, he'sbusinesslike, he knows the value of re-search and of down-to-earth experience.He's a bookkeeper-and a leader. He sup-ports the educational approach withscholarship funds-and jobs. He's morealert than we are to the value of publicrelations.

To this new atmosphere, what can wecontribute in return?

Let's put our superintendent on theclinic level.

It would be a public relations theme-why the new mower will do a faster,better and less costly job; why the turfnursery; why a fairway was knockeddown with chemicals; why maintenancecan't wait for players in humid August;why the tiling under the new greens, andwhy their materials went to a laboratoryto determine the best mix.

I see a confident new breed in themaintenance business-men who canstand up and inform, and interest, andwin over the golfer's support. When heanswers the players' thousand whys, theywill be less likely to say: "What areTHEY doing now?"

5. Balancing Desire and Resources.Here we are really in the middle. The

superintendent has his desires, theplayer has his; no club can buy beyondits means. Budget and program are theproblem. When it comes to the dollar andthe golf course, let's sell the superin-tendent to the board as an expert oncosts and labor and time-saving methodsand machinery. And let's present the

30 USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: JUNE, 1962

player's side-a summary of his com-plaints and, what is really the same thing,his desires.

And then you may want to duck, forpublic relations probably can only soften,not block, the punch. As long as clubshave dues and treasurers, budget timewill be a tough time.

6. Preparing for the FutureGreen chairmen come and go-or they

may stay forever. Some clubs limit thepossible term, others have had one-mancontrol through the years. One may side-track an interested man and lose con-tinuity. The other may develop an ironhand. What can public relations do here?Every chairman and every superin-tendent should spread the ideas andideals of the business. Inform the playersand make recruits. Spread the gospel ofresearch, the business approach and re-sults. Talk nematodes, not megatons, inthe locker room. Show off the nurseryand post the superintendent's bulletinsand the agronomist's reports.

On the wider fairway of training andresearch, it's the second shot to the dis-

tant green that counts. Scholarships arenot all athletic, and not every caddie whosteals a swing behind the tee dreams ofwinning the Open. Many of them, likethe traditional paper carrier, are goingto be business and professional men.Some of them can and should be directedinto the expanding field of turf. A bit ofpublic relations when a boy replaces hisfirst divot may be the starter.

Now I want to offer an idea I thinkwould qualify as profitable public rela-tions, for the Green Section, for a school,for superintendents and for industry.

Let a student agronomist bound for acareer in turf management be placed inresidence at a typical course needing,and using, the Visiting Service of theGreen Section. He would observe and re-port factually on basic conditions thatdemanded correction, on the obstaclesencountered, on the practices followedand the success obtained. Such a studymight profit us all.

Public relations can help us make abetter business out of golf course busi-ness. And we can be good at it if we try.

How To Maintain A Healthy Job OutlookBy WILLIAM H. BENGEYFIELD

Western Director, USGA Green Section, Garden Grove, Calif.

Maintaining a healthy job outlook isalmost as important today as main-

taining a proper and well balanced diet.And it is considerably harder to do. His-tory proves that, under all conditions ofwar and peace, those people succeed bestwho form definite ideas of what they aregoing to do before they start doing it.Unfortunately, no precept is more gener-ally neglected. In a word, man neglectsthe development of direction. We driftinto situations and find ourselves at themercy of circumstances.

In presenting a paper before an Execu-tives' Training Program at the MenningerFoundation, Dr. William C. Menningerrecommended several points that areessential in maintaining a healthy joboutlook. He recommended that everyoneset aside a little time, at least once ayear, to decide where he is going, whatare his priorities, what are his ambitionsand what are his aspirations. Unless we

do this in quiet thought, how can anyoneknow where he is headed or if the pathhe is taking is the one that he wishes tofollow? This should not only pertain toour business life, but our personal andhome life. Everyone should take stockof his own feelings of status, worthwhile-ness in life and his own dignity and hisown integrity.

The importance of developing an avo-cation as well as taking an annual vaca-tion should not be overlooked when con-sidering good mental health. How manytimes have you heard the poor fellow de-scribe his business life by saying hehasn't had a vacation for the past fiveyears? And he says this as if it were avirtue. This only reflects bad judgmentor poor planning on his part.

Similarly, every man's life will bemuch richer if he develops some hobbiesand a lot richer if he takes them seri-ously. In the back country of Louisiana

USGA JOURNAL AND TURF MANAGEMENT: JUNE, 1962 31

they have a bit of philosophy and express it this way: "If you are too busy to hunt or fish, then you are just too busy."

Questions for Ones Self Dr. Menninger presented a number of

guestions that he would want to ask any business man when giving him an emo­tional checkup. The first is concerned with personal relationships. How do you get along with other people? Whom do you like and whom don't you like and why? When the going gets rough in a particular situation, do you lose your temper, become jittery or paralyzed? How do you handle reality at its more difficult moments?

In today's business world, everyone experiences anxiety and emotional un­easiness. Dr. Menninger asks how you handle yourself when you are under pressure and feel some tension. What do you do about it? If there is an emo­tional problem, are you willing to admit it and seek help? Many people will not do this and they attempt to bull it through, procrastinate and they help neither themselves nor their work.

Inquire About New Things After we have taken a good look at

ourselves and developed a sense of direc­tion, the next step in developing a healthy job outlook is to acquire the ability to become inquisitive; to acquire the ability to learn new things. Harvey Ullman once said "anyone who stops learning is old, whether this happens at 20 or 80. Anyone who keeps on learning not only remains young, but becomes constantly more valuable regardless of physical capacity."

The fact that learning is a science, based on well defined principles and axioms, never occurs to most of us. It isn't hard to learn, but very few try. If you sit down in your easy chair and read a book on how to play golf, then pro­ceed about your regular business for the next few days without referring to what you have read, your golf game will im­prove little, if at all as a result of your reading. Unfortunately, most people think that learning is a process of absorption, an automatic result of reading or listen­ing. If you simply read or listen to some­thing, you are largely wasting your time or only entertaining yourself. You are not learning.

32 USGA

Lee Record, a graduate of Colorado State University, has joined the staff of the Eastern Region's Green Section. This of­fice serves Green Section Visiting Service clubs in the Mid-Atlantic and North­eastern Districts. Mr. Record is a native

of Cooperstown, N. Y.

Over 2000 years ago, Cicero, the Roman philosopher, said that "Man makes six common mistakes in his life; and one of them is neglecting development and re­finement of the mind."

What is required when we learn some­thing? This may sound simple but it carries much more meaning than the mere transfer of facts from a book or lecture to someone's mind. We have all heard the expresion "he's an educated idiot." This is the fellow who has the ability to transmit facts from one loca­tion (such as a book or lecture) to an­other location, his mind. But it ends there. No matter how many facts he has, unless he can use those facts effectively in improving his adjustment to his work or to life in general, he has not "learned" anything.

We believe a golf course superin­tendent should be evaluated on the basis of what he can do, not what he knows. But he cannot do a good job unless he puts certain facts to work for him and unless he is willing to continually learn new ways of doing things better. It is when we take new facts and new prin­ciples and put them to work for us that we have truly "learned."

IURNAL A N D TURF M A N A G E M E N T : JUNE, 1962