New MORE POWERFUL JACOBSEN ENGINE New 9-BLADE WELDED REEL ~ New HIGHER FREQUENCY - CUTTING UNIT January, 1953 Jacobsen offers you a new, more powerful Greens Mower for 1953. New engine provides 2% hp. with only a one-pound increase in mower weight. This means more power at the blade ... more power for transport . . . greater over-all operating efficiency. The new welded reel has nine blades, providing a higher cutting frequency for an unequalled putting green smooth- ness. And Jacobsen Greens Mowers have long been famous for their superior cut- ting ability. We invite you to have your Jacobsen dealer arrange a demonstration at the earliest opportunity. MANUFACTURING COMPANY Racine, Wisconsin 31
Transcript
New MORE POWERFULJACOBSEN ENGINE
New 9-BLADE WELDEDREEL
~ New HIGHER FREQUENCY- CUTTING UNIT
January, 1953
Jacobsen offers you a new,more powerful Greens Mower for 1953.New engine provides 2% hp. with onlya one-pound increase in mower weight.This means more power at the blade ...more power for transport . . . greaterover-all operating efficiency.
The new welded reel has nine blades,providing a higher cutting frequencyfor an unequalled putting green smooth-ness. And Jacobsen Greens Mowers havelong been famous for their superior cut-ting ability.
We invite you to have your Jacobsendealer arrange a demonstration at theearliest opportunity.
MANUFACTURING COMPANYRacine, Wisconsin
31
The Desert BlossomsDr. E. J. Workman. president. New Mexico Institute of Mining andTechnology, and Jim Voss, Michigan State grad. transform waste-
land into attractive 'course at Socorro, N. M.By DEE LINfORD
Photos by NMIMT
Excellent turf was on Socorro course when it opened Sept. 28 with an exhibition match. New Mexicochampion "Spec" Stewart of Albuquerque CC in foreground. At far left (white shirt and tie) is r:
NMIMT Pres. E. J. Workman who sponsored the course.
Newest first-class golf course in thearid Southwest is at Socorro, N. Mex.,home of New Mexico Institute of Miningand Technology and seat of minerals-richSocorro County. Sponsored and con-structed by the Institute and its energeticpresident, Dr. E. J. Workman, the 9-holecourse is 3300 yds. long and luxuriantlygrassed. Those who have played thecourse pronounce it an interesting layout.
Socorro is a small abode town of color-ful heritage, set in the Rio Grande Valley,almost exactly midway between Albu-querque and Truth or Consequences. Some60 years ago it was the smelting center ofa rich mining area, the larg.est and busiestcity in New Mexico - proud possessor ofan opera house, a racetrack, cock pits,and all the usual manifestations of pros-perity and "culture" in that flambuoyantera. But the boom days passed, and bythe beginning of World War I, Socorrohad reverted to its historic status as asmall trading town, a way-station on theoldest highway in the United States, asupply point for the surrounding mining-agricultural area.
Golf first came to Socorro in the mid-dle 1920's, along with that new type of
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American migrant, the rubber-tired tour-ist, and the so-called tourist industries.Times were good, and the stirrings ofcivic pride prompted the newly-formedSocorro Businessmen's Association to pro-vide their community with facilities forplaying the fast growing game of golf.
Then as now, the terrain around thetown was arid and hilly, slashed by deeparroyos which cloudbursts converted intoraging floods, overgrown with greasewoodand crusted with several centuries' ac-cumulation of discarded trash. (Socorrocounts its history from Coronado's visitin 1540). But the pioneer Socorro golferswer.e not daunted by obstacles, either inbuilding or in play. On that first and veryprimitive course, fairways were cleared ofshrubbery and dragged, but no grass wasplanted because - unwatered - the seedwould have been thrown away. The greenswere of oiled sand, tees were concreteslabs with narrow sand channels, and thehazard was to strike the ball withoutsnapping the handle of the club. Fas-tidious players dragged the fairways be-fore venturing out, and old timers avertha t finding more balls than a player lostin the boondocks was considered a win-
\
Goljdom
ning score! The going was really rough.First Course Abandoned
Such was golf in Socorro in the 1920'sand 1930's. By 1940, the intrepid devoteeshad weakened, and the course fell intodisuse - to be quickly reclaimed by theever-encroaching greasewood and mes-quite, the ever-shifting dust. For morethan 10 years thereafter, civic prideyielded to. inexorable circumstance, andSocorro golfers motored 75 miles to neigh-boring cities to play.
In 1946, Dr. E. J. Workman of the NewMexico Research and Development Labo-ratory in Albuquerque was appointedpresident of New Mexico School of Mines(now New Mexico Institute of Mining andTechnology), the state technological col-lege in Socorro. Removal of the Labora-tory to the Socorro campus resulted in asudden influx of population which thetown's facilities were not adequate tomeet.
Dr. Workman, one of the pioneer physi-cists in the study of cloud precipitationand other "miracles" of science and en-gineering wasn't daunted by prospects athis new scene of activity. With incomefrom the laboratory, he built a new resi-dential area for employees near the cam-pus, and needed buildings for the Insti-tute. Taking an active interest in thephysical, as well as the academic expan-sion of the institution, he has added hun-dreds of trees and many acres of lawn tothe campus landscape. Then, a golf en-thusiast of many years' standing, Dr.Workman began thinking in terms of amodern, grassed course on the site onceoccupied by the rustic links of the 1920's.
Accomplishing the "Improbable"There were skeptics. But those familiar
with the Doctor's habit of accomplishingthe improbable did not scoff. Among thelatter was James E. Voss, landscape engi-neer, who accepted the task of planning
l ouuori), 1953
More than 2500 dumptruck loads of rock wereremoved from 33 acres in clearing for the NMIMTcourse. Rock was moved to be used effectively
in course construction.
and constructing the Socorro course ashis :first major job assignment after re-cervmg a B.S. degree in landscape archi-tecture from Michigan State College in1950.
In Voss's words: "Our :first problemwas water. An abandoned gravel pit wasenlarged and banked to form a 2% milliongal. reservoir which was lined with 8 in.of clay, overlain by 2 in. of crushed rockto break up destructive wave action. Anew 120-ft. well was sunk and a Peerlesspump equipment with a 15 hp motor wasinstalled. A 12-in. pipeline was run under-ground from the pump to a rock-bed out-let, giving the appearance of a naturalspring as the water rises out of the rocks.A stream Qed was dug to the reservoirsome 400 ft. away, and lined with clay,caliche, arroyo gravel and dirt, to givea natural effect.
"Next, the 40-acre course area wascleared of brush, surface rock, and oldtrash, and a 25,000-ft. Transite pipelinewas laid. Ditches for the latter weregouged with a road maintainer set at anangle and ranged from 18 to 24 in. deep,well below the frost line. Main channelsrun the length of all fairways, and asystem of laterals supplies water wher-ever needed. A pumphouse was con-structed, whose intake extends some 80ft. into the lake. Three 25-hp. pumps arecapable of forcing 900 gal. of waterthrough the line each minute, to 200 giantBuckner sprinklers. Lines are composed
More than 200 Buckner sprinklers, supplied by25,000 ft. of Transite pipe, were installed to quicklyget and keep fine turf on the NMIMT 9-holecourse. In background is tower of research labora-tory of the university's Research and Developmentdivision. income from which financed course
construction.
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nOIlJ
features ot lOf_fUl£S'1tK\\lO-O'1tt£O (\ubs.•• L••••ded with 5,,185 AP••••• I
Entirely new and distincti~e designs-new heads, new grips,new S[[e_lining, a finer nnish with higher polisb.
Irons are s[[onger
, so",ewhat ",ore compact. Broad rounded
tOPline gi~es conndence in lining up tbe ball.Choice 01 tbree grips-" All_purpose" _Spalding "Cusbion1'0''''''' in especially selected black leather-o
rred spiral
perforated leather.
1.2.3..
34 Goljdorn
Amazing golf shot ee ntre l,..Every club has identical contact feel!
In Synchro-Dyned Clubs the dynamic and Iron an identical contact feel.action of the club is synchronized to the Synchro-Dyned Top-Flite Clubsaction of the players-and each club is promise the golfer more uniform tim-synchronized to all others in the set, ing, greater consistency, accuracy - the
Thus, in these registered Synchro- nearest thing to complete golf shotDyned Clubs, Spalding introduces an control. 'X7hen you try these sensationalentirely new and exclusive scientific for- new clubs, we believe you will agreemula of weight distribution. A correct with many representative golf profes-combination of head, shaft and grip sionals that they are the easiest clubsweights which produces a set of clubs you've ever played.with centers of gravity In perfectly co- Spalding Top-Elite Synchro-Dynedordinated sequence. Clubs are sold through golf profes-
This gives each Synchro-Dyned Wood sionals only.
8 SPALDING sets the pace in golf
January, 1953 35
Reservoir stores 2112 million gal. water that madedesert blossom with New Mexico Institute of Min-ing and Technology course. Reservoir is water haz-ard on 6th and 7th holes. In the background is
7000 ft. Socorro Peak.
of 4- and 6-in. Transite pipe throughout;risers are of l%-in. galvanized pipe. Mosttrenches were cut through very rockyground; therefore much pipe was laid in6 in. of sand, for protection.
Remove 2500 Trucks of Rock"After plowing, some 2500 truckloads
of rocks were removed from the area.The rock was put to good purpose as fillmaterial, for rip-rapping slopes, and inconstructing dams and levees to divertrunoff from the mountains and higherplains in rainy weather. Also, the rockwas used to provide bases for greens. Ateach green site, the rocks were laid inthe desired shape to a depth of 12 to 14in., then covered with a 2-in. layer ofcinders to fill in voids yet insure properdrainage. A 2-in. layer of straw andmanure was added to the cinders and 12to 14 in. of top soil followed. The topsoil was composed of drainage ditch clayfrom the river-bottom farming regionaround Socorro, mixed with sharp sandand peat moss at a ratio of 1:1:1/3, re-sp.ectively.
"Generally speaking, fairways' followthe arroyo bottoms, where alluvial fansprovided adequate topsoil. However, itwas necessary to work the rocks out byrepeated disking, levelling, and floating.
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Yellow-blossom clover was planted in theautumn for a green manure crop, andbefore redisking the fairways were en-riched with animal manure hauled fromfarms and stockyards in the region andspread at the rate of 20 tons to the acre.
"When all soil was ready, the greenswere planted in bent grass, fairways inBermuda, aprons and tees in bluegrassand fescue. Some 1000 trees and shrubswere planted, including fruitless mul-berry, Lombardy poplar, gingko tree,flowering peach and quince, globe willow,honeysuckle, flowering almond, Iilac,sweetgum, and pyracantha."
The course was opened to public playon September 28, just 19 months afterJim Voss first walked over the area withDr. Workman to size up the task aheadof him. It has a par of 36. Of the nineholes, five have a par of 4, two a par of3, and two a par of 5. Picturesque hole-names reflect the nature of the course:1. The Doctor (commemorating Dr. Work-man), 2: The Devil's Gulch, 3. Ladies De-light, 4, The Mountaineer, 5. Grand View,6. La Luguna, 7. Jim-Dandy, 8. The Ar-royo, 9. Lost Trail.
The course is open to the public. Play-ing fees are low, and the facility is verypopular with the townsp.eople of Socorro,as well as with students, faculty, andstaff personnel at NMIMT. More than 500players Used the course in its first monthof operation, many coming in from othercommunities. The town is as pleased asthe Institute, and golf definitely has cometo Socorro to stay.
Western Golf Assn. ElectsMcGiveran to Presidency
At the Western Golf Assn. annualmeeting, held Dec. 5 at Chicago, StanleyJ. McGiveran, Inverness Club, Toledo, 0.,was elected president to succeed GordonE. Kummer.
Vice presidents elected are: CameronEddy, Glen View (Ill.) Club; C. L. Miller,Orchard Lake (Mich.) CC; Roy W. wei-holm, Indian Hill Club, Colorado Springs,Colo.; and Robert L. Walker, South Bend(Ind.) CC. Harold O. Moore, Exmoor CC,Highland Park, TIL, was elected treas.Hiram A. Lewis, Broadmoor CC, waselected sec. and James L. O'Keefe, Evan-ston (Ill.) GC was named general counsel.
Individual membership of the WGA, un-der the member "billing" campaign on bagtags reached 15,573 in 1952.
Golfdom
When a man's taste runs to
especially fine interests, he finds an immediate appeal
in ULTRA HAIG wood~, irons, and golf balls. Like a
fine car or a' choice briar pipe, they instill within
you a real pride of ownership. They're available
only through golf professionals,
the grandest gentlemen I know.
January, 1963
WALTER HAGEN
Division of Wilson Sporting Goods Co.Grand Rapids 2, Mich.
37
"TERSAN® CONTROLS. Turf Fungicide
BROWN PATCHwith Economy, Safety
and High Effectiveness"Says
T. M. Baumgartnerlandscape Architect
The Sea Island Co., Georgia
Here Golf Co~rse SuperintendentMarion McKendree examines the 8th green
~
"We use both «Tersan" and F-531fungicides to get complete diseasecontrol through the year. As soonas rye grass is sown in our greens inOctober, we start spraying and con-tinue through the winter and spring.We use Du Pont F -531 for controlof dollar spot and "Tersan" for con-trol of large brown patch and otherfungous diseases. Since we get per- .feet control, it's almost needless tosay we like these two products."
This picture story is another in a series of "experience reports." from well-known golf courses, coast to coast
38 Goljdom
Sea Island's almost semitropical cli-mate favors spread of turf fungous dis-eases. But regular spraying with "Tersan"and F-531 keeps the greens in top con-dition for play winter and summer.
Handy 3-lb. package of IITersanll75saves measuring from bulk. It's easier tohandle, cleaner, more accurate, stays insuspension better. The green color blendswith the turf. Get "Tersan" 75 from yourgolf supply house.
For the best control of dollar spot, SeaIsland uses F-531fungicide on the groundsof the Cloister Hotel and other lawns aswell as on golf greens. It controls copperspot and pink patch as well. For a mer-curial fungicide, use Du Pont Special"Semesan."
January, 1953
"Tersan" and "Semesan" are registered trade-marks ofE. 1. du Pont de Nemours & Co. (Inc.)
BETTER THINGS FOR BETTER LIVING ..• THROUGH CHEMISTRY
39
Course Supts. Set Programfor Atlantic City, Feb. 8-13
Golf Course Supterintendents' Assn. ofAmerica will hold its 24th turf conferenceat Ambassador Hotel, Atlantic City, N. J.,Feb. 8-13. With the program of coursemaintenance papers and discussions therewill be staged the usual exhibition ofequipment and supplies.
This year the GCSA expects to con-tinue its record of increasing attendanceat its conventions. Superintendents fromall parts of the U. S. and Canada will bepresent as the practical nature of theassociation's national meeting has plainlydemonstrated its value to clubs whosemen attend. At practically all of the :firstclass courses and public golf operationsnow GCSA expense is regarded as a prof-itable item of the course maintenancebudget.
Pres. Mal McLaren, Sec. Agar M.Brown and other officials of the GSCAhave set up an excellent program. Ar-rangements have been made for enter-taining wives of the conventioneers withevents at Atlantic City and Philadelphia.
The conference program:
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 11MORNING SESSION
FRANK DINELLI, ChairmanSupt., ..Northmoor CC, Highland Park, Ill.
Opening of the ConferenceMalcolm E. McLaren, Pres., GCSA,
