cannot you properly perform your profession without a thorough knowledge of the Rules. I believe the golf course superintendent must assume responsibility for keeping the course properly marked. Certainly he must cooperate and communicate with the professional at his club, but the final responsibility for marking the course rests with the superintendent. TIS IMPOSSIBLE to discuss a golf course or your profession without knowing the Rules. For example, Definitions in the Rules of Golf teach us the proper word is "bunker," not "trap"; "flagstick," not "pin"; "hole placement," not "pin placement"; "four-ball match," not "foursome." None of us agrees fully with the Definitions, but so long as they exist, I feel it is your and my responsibility to use the correct words, both in our conversation and on all printed matter. As I travel around, sometimes getting prepared for a championship, I am amazed at how few courses keep their boundaries properly marked at all times. Yes, I know from experience that this can be a tremendous task, for I have
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driven or set in concrete over 10 miles of stakes on more than one golf course. It is exasperating to arrive at a championship site and find little or no definition of the out-of-bounds. It is frustrating as a player or competitor not to be able to determine out-of-bounds. This kind of indecision delays play. Personally, I prefer to use properly spaced white PVC pipe set in concrete for boundary stakes, but the pipes are broken from time to time and we must be constantly alert and make necessary additions. Note that I suggest setting out-of-bounds markers in concrete, because under the Rules of Golf they may not be moved. At Pensacola Country Club, water hazards and lateral water hazards are marked regularly with yellow and red paint. Maintaining these lines is considered as important as raking the bunkers or mowing the greens. Admittedly there is some expense, but what a joy it is to playa course when you know the status and limits of each water or lateral water hazard. Seldom do I find water hazards marked on golf courses on a constant basis. What is the situation at your course?
What Am I, Chopped Liver?
by DANNY H. QUAST CGCS, Milwaukee Country Club, Wisconsin
HAVEBEEN fortunate over my 20 years as a superintendent in my dealings with green committee chairmen. This has not only been true in the past, but is true now. From the time I first came to Milwaukee Country Club through 1983, Jack Allis served as green committee chairman. He grew up as a member; his father, Louis Allis, was a charter member of the club. Mr. Allis exemplifies the qualities needed for a chairman. They are: a keen interest in new development, the ability to ask questions, excellent sense of business, decisiveness, and the ability to listen well. He has a great love of the golf course and of golf. He spent a lot of time with Hal Kuehl, the current chairman, and this excellent tradition of concern is. bound to continue. For a golf course to be considered excellent, someone must want it to be.
14 USGA GREEN SECTION RECORD
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Danny H. Quast
When I was superintendent at Springfield Country Club, in Springfield, Ohio, Don Six was chairman of golf. He told me at the onset that the only way Springfield Country Club could be a top golf course was by both of us wanting it to be. He was right. It is not easy for a green committee chairman, because he gets pressure from all sides, and there are so many intangibles in turfgrass management. There are no absolutes about diseases, dry weather, wet weather, or constantly changing employees. The golf course can't be put on a fixed budget. Both the superintendent and chairman must look to the future, and by doing so, they will not only save the character of the club but also improve on it. By taking the long-range view, money can be saved. I feel that this is exemplified by our tree program. At the time I was
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77ie 14th hole at Milwaukee Country Club.
employed, Allis was distressed because Dutch elm disease was killing about 70 trees each year. He was told there was no cure for the disease. He didn't believe it, and we went to work on a comprehensive program of saving the elms, replacing the losses and improving existing trees. Today we have 125 elms, and our losses stand at one per year. We have a tree nursery, and we have fertilized all the trees on the course twice since 1973. I feel that one of the great obstacles to a successful operation is a chairman or superintendent who believes he has all the. answers. This can be costly. It's of one the great stories and lessons that I learned while working with Mr. Allis. I call this the "What Am I, Chopped Liver?" story. In my second year at Milwaukee, we had a problem with No. 15 green. Mr. Allis asked what it was. I told him what I was sure that it was, and he said, "Get an expert." The first thought that went through my head was, "What am I, chopped liver?" Mr. Allis already knew what I was about to learn: When problems or major
decisions are to be encountered, seek out professionals in their respective fields. Without question, it evens out the burden of the decision, and increases chances that the right decision will be made. Besides, if things do go wrong, you and your chairman are not out on that proverbial limb. Seek advice from a USGA Green Section agronomist, a golf course architect, a well expert, or any specialist who deals daily with the problem or project in which you happen to be involved. If anyone in this business thinks he knows it all or is an island of information, he is in for a big fall. VER THE PAST 20 years I have had strong green committee chairmen or chairmen of committees established for such special projects as golf course remodeling or purchasing a new a u t o m a t i c i r r i g a t i o n system. Quoting from a talk presented by C. McD. England to the West Virginia Golf Course Superintendents Association, "Webster defines a committee as a group of people chosen, as from the members of a legislature or club, to consider some matter or to function in a certain capaMARCH/APRIL 1985 15
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city. There is also another definition that says, 'If you want to insure that nothing gets done, give it to a committee.'" At golf clubs it is hard to get a group of members together because of demands on their time. The chairman, therefore, bears the major responsibility, committee or not. His job is important because he decides for the members the kind of golf course they will have. As superintendents, we must not forget that this chairman joined the club for enjoyment. It's supposed to be a place to come and relax, not a place for more headaches and worry. As superintendents, we must make his job as easy as we can. We can do this by preparing budgets, keeping daily logs, being available to meet with him at his convenience. We must handle and solve problems as they arise. When a problem requires his time, we should outline it so that a decision can be made without lengthy research on his part. A superintendent should keep a list of topics that need to be discussed at meetings so that nothing is overlooked. Save the topics for such meetings; don't bother the chairman while he's out there playing golf. In conclusion, the chairman and superintendent must look to the future with a c...