The Monsters of Manchesterby GARY A. WATSCHKEAgronomist, Northeastern Region, USGA Green Section

The sixth tee trees called for a shot through the chute and dense shade for the tee.

TREES HAVE probably ruinedmore good golf holes and turfthan any other single feature on

the course! Do you agree with that? Afterall, trees playa prominent role on mostAmerican courses. They give definitionand character to certain golf holes byguarding doglegs or greens, creatingshots, directing lines of play, definingtarget areas, and protecting one holefrom another.

If the trees have been properly se-lected, they will add great beauty to thegolf course in spring, summer, and fall.They can differ in form, shape, and tex-ture, and their seasonal changes provideaesthetic qualities that are often sub-liminal and sometimes startling. One.usually hears all of these things from theadvocates of trees. There is seldom a dis-couraging word.

But just as important as trees are tothe golf course and to the game, they areoften the source of serious problems.They can affect the way a hole is playedas well as the quality of the grass. Thelong-term effects of an overzealouscourse beautification committee (whichusually means a tree-planting program)are not usually seen until the treesbecome mature. Then, with the treesalready established, it may require anact of Congress to remove trees thathave been on the golf course "forever."

From a design point of view, mosttrees are innocent enough until theygrow older and their overhangingbranches limit the use of a tee or blockthe use of a normal approach shot into agreen, because what was supposed toadd character is now a formidable ob-struction. As it grows older, it couldmask the view of a strategic bunker. If ithad been planted directly between thebunker and the green, it could create asituation known as double jeopardy.

None of the preceding cases is theplanned result of the beautification com-mittee or anyone else, but they can beeasily found.

DESPITE HOW TREES can affectplay, their greatest impact is, per-

haps, on how they can affect turfgrassphysiology. Trees can strike at turf from

three angles. The negative effects can befrom 1) overshading, 2) reduced air cir-culation, and 3) root competition. A turfmanager can play the game with one ortwo strikes, but given all three, his turf isout.

The effect of heavy shading causesphysiological changes within the turf-grass plant that result in an overalldeterioration in plant vigor and hardi-ness. A delicate structure and succulentgrowth are common characteristics ofshaded turf. They also show a reducedtolerance to drought, heat, cold, andwear.

Overplanting trees can also signifi-cantly reduce the air circulation above

a stand of grass. While an increase incarbon dioxide levels may be an advan-tage here, it is quickly countered by thenegative effects of increasing relativehumidity, dew point, and temperatures.Disease is enhanced when weak, succu-lent turf is subjected to these environ-mental conditions that work in thepathogen's favor. This problem is oftenexpressed around greens and tees wheretree plantings can quickly become con-gested and grass is mowed to its lowestlimit.

While root competition is often subtle,it is equally detrimental to the growth ofhealthy turf. Shallow-rooted trees arefierce competitors for the available

Manchester's sixth tee in mid-April after reforestation work. Improved air circulation andmore sunlight is now assured.

water and nutrients intended for thegood of the turf. Trees such as willows,poplars, silver maples, and white pinesshow shallow-rooted characteristics andoften grow next to greens and tees.When they are important to the overallscheme of things, the trees should be leftand their roots pruned periodically. Ifthe tree isn't important, removal couldbe the best thing to happen.

GOLF COURSE superintendentsand green committees strive to

achieve certain constants in playing con-ditions at their clubs. These are pro-duced by establishing specific cuttingheights, green speeds, irrigation cycles,bunker conditions and by setting upmaintenance programs that provide con-sistent results. Like everything in nature,however, a golf course is dynamic and.constantly changing from year to year.Most changes are subtle, but over thelong haul they can have a dramatic im-pact on the immediate surroundings.Quite often trees are the monsters thatcreate the negative changes.

This was the case at the ManchesterCountry Club, in Manchester, NewHampshire, where the board of directorsand an enlightened green committeecame to grips with the emotionaldilemma of how to handle the conflictbetween trees and turf. Even thoughnothing was seriously wrong with themaintenance program, ManchesterCountry Club was perennially hit hardby winter kill that seemed to escalateeach year. Robert Dunn, chairman ofthe green committee, and Jim Diorio,

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the golf course superintendent, explainfurther.

The Green Committee Chairman -Robert Dunn"In the fall of 1984, the green committeeand golf course superintendent selected50 trees to be cut down during the winter.The trees lining the fairways were ex-tending their branches to such an extentthat tee shots were becoming much morethan a challenge on certain holes. Up tothis point, only a handful of trees hadbeen removed for golf reasons since theclub had been formed, in 1923. Treeswere more than sacred, and the pruningdone in 1984 was criticized. Most mem-bers seemed to believe we were signifi-cantly changing a Donald Ross courseto something less than it was intended.Our only answer was that when thecourse was built, the number and heightof trees was not a problem. Indeed, afterreviewing old pictures of the course, wecould see how much time had changedour tree population. In recent times, ourclub's reputation was for its magnificenttrees rather than for its playing condi-tion. We now believe, and we are con-vinced, that Donald Ross did not wishus to do a great job growing trees, butthat grass should be our first priority.

"As winterkill in some of our fairwaysand greens became worse each year, thegreen committee decided to take a standin the spring of 1985. On-site visits fromthe golf course architect Philip Wogan,University of New Hampshire's Dr. JohnRoberts, and the USGA agronomist GaryWatschke provided important informa-

tion that was presented to the board ofdirectors. The consensus was that cut-ting down 1,200 or more trees was theanswer to growing grass. The board ofdirectors turned it down.

"At the next meeting of the board, thegreen committee had the magic words -the USGA agronomist Gary Watschkeand the forester Tom Ryan, of Monad-nock Forest Prod ucts, would selectwhich trees should be removed orpruned. These two professionals wouldcompliment each other in their workand MCC would be best served underthis approach. The board agreed.

"As the membership does not own theclub, Jack Cullity, our President, had toget permission from the owners beforewe could move on this project. Theowners approved, and the calls weremade to Tom and Gary to find a suitabletime in the fall of 1985 to select trees forremoval. In mid-September two dayswere spent doingjust this with help fromgreen committee member Tom O'Neiland superintendent Diorio. Our Presi-dent and myself were also in attendance.Each tree selected was sprayed with ayellow paint mark the size of an applefor proper identification in the winter.

"The exact date for cutting was to bein late December or January, dependingon turf conditions. The heavy equipmentcoming in and the number of trees com-ing down made it imperative that theground be frozen. Snow cover wouldhelp. The work began the second weekof January and continued until Febru-ary 18, 1986. Our golf course superin-tendent was present throughout the

process, making certain everything was done just right. The lumber from the removed trees represented 270,000 board feet, producing an income of approximately $15,000 for the club. The owners had agreed this money could be spent on removal of stumps and the bal­ance used for re-landscaping with more appropriate plants.

"Now that this most difficult part of the project is behind us, we can breathe a sigh of relief and look forward to play­ing golf under more favorable condi­tions. We know that, to many, the changes may not meet with their ap­proval. Time will tell if the solution was correct, but we are convinced that the best interests of all members would be served and this gave us the strength to act. In 1987, after a year of growth and development in this new environment, we believe we have the quality golf course the membership wants."

The Superintendent — Jim Diorio

"As Mr. Dunn has indicated, we have undertaken an enormous tree cutting program at our club, removing nearly 1,200 trees. The majority were white pine ranging in caliper size from 5 to eight inches. We also removed a lot of red maple, red oak, and white oak. A sub­stantial amount of marketable lumber was sold to the harvesting company, and approximately 650 cubic yards of wood chips, representing non-usable tops and trees too small for milling, were also re­moved. We cleaned up the branches and any tops that broke off when the trees fell.

"Undertaking such an extensive pro­gram and making such a major change in the perceived character of our course was not a project for me to handle alone. The USGA Green Section and Monad-nock Forestry Products provided pro­fessional guidance that was necessary to achieve the results the majority of the membership was looking for. Men from these organizations, along with club offi­cials, worked closely with me so we all would understand the whys and where­fores of what was happening.

"Foremost in our minds was to re­move those trees which were hampering our efforts to produce quality turfgrass. Some of the trees we removed were as close as 15 feet from our greens and within eight feet of some tees. A majority of those we removed were on the east and south sides of the areas we were try­ing to improve. Many of these problem areas were receiving as little as one to two hours of sunlight daily. We were not only trying to increase exposure to di-

(Below) The fourth fairway at noon in early January. Dense shade covers entire fairway. Severe ice damage was normal.

(Bottom) After tree thinning, only the left edge of the fourth fairway was seriously damaged by late April. Perhaps more tree removal is needed.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 1986

rect sunlight, but also trying to providefor more air circulation by eliminatingthe stagnant pockets created by thedense trees.

"Perhaps the most severe problemswith shading occur during winter andearly spring. During mid-winter andearly spring thaws, many of the problemareas would receive just enough directsunlight to initiate snow melt, only tohave it freeze as a layer of ice. Year afteryear ice layers formed on some of thegreens, tees, and fairways, sometimes 18inches thick. While the trees were beingremoved last winter, we were able to seethe kind of results our work was going toproduce. The increased sunlight pro-vided a more rapid snow and ice melt,which minimized the amount of timeour turf was subjected to this stress. Infact, our trouble greens were completelyvoid of snow and ice by March 17th eventhough ice had been as much as 10inchesthick earlier in the winter. This is theearliest I have ever seen our greens freeof ice and snow in eight years.

"Root competition was also severe inmany of the areas. Root pruning aroundcritical areas such as greens and tees isnow a part of our periodic maintenanceprogram. It is a relatively simple processthat must be repeated only every threeor four years. We have learned that thebeneficial effects, in terms of better qual-ity turf, are worth the effort.

"Another objective of this project wasto improve our remaining woodlands.From a forestry point of view we wereto:

1. Remove dead or poorly formed,slow growing species in both the under-story and canopy.

2. Select superior trees and thinaround them to stimulate their growthand seed production.

3. Harvest selected mature trees thatwere beginning to deteriorate.

4. Thin pole size stands to stimulatetheir growth and vigor.

The plan and the above actions shouldprovide the following long-term results:

1. A stand of more vigorous, bettergrowing trees that do not interfere withplay or have a negative effect on desir-able turf areas.

2. Better conditions for the regenera-tion of desired species.

3. A safer place for golfers (i.e. fewerdead branches to fall from tree tops).

4. A more aesthetically pleasing forest.5. Easier cleanup of tree debris in the

spring and fall."As could be expected, we had to

handle a rather massive amount ofdebris left by the wood cutters. On

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February 3rd we put on a crew of 10mento clean it up. While the snow was stillon the ground, these men hand pickedthe larger branches and piled andburned them. While the burning wasgoing on, we were pushing the smallerpieces of wood into piles with our frontloader tractor and a leased Bobcatloader. We were able to do this with veryminimal damage to the turf, becausesnow and ice still covered the course.After piling the loose pieces, we broughtin our dump truck, loaded the debrisand took it to the dump site. We wereable to clean up about 75 percent of thesmaller pieces in this manner.

"We stopped burning on March 7th,when the snow melted. As the ice andsnow left, we found we still had a rathersubstantial mess on our hands. A fairamount of wood was lying on andaround eight fairways as well as on thethree staging areas used by the loggersto load the timber and chip their waste.The remainder of our cleaning up wasdone by blowing the small debris intowindrows and picking it up with thesweepers. All wet and soft areas re-quired a great deal of hand raking andloading the wood into Cushmans forcarting off.

"The majority of the membershipseems to have understood what we weretrying to accomplish and what the finalgoals are. Their initial reaction to thepruning has been one of surprise overthe number of trees we removed, butalso one, of accepting the knowledge ofthe people involved in this project."

Having Tamed the Monsters

A Turfgrass Advisory Service visit tothe Manchester Country Club on June5, 1985, led the club to act on a tree re-moval program. The trees that had to beremoved were clearly identified, and thereasons why they were causing problemswere explained. On a return visit, in lateApril of 1986 (six weeks earlier than in1985) the amount of healthy turf seemedto have increased by nearly 80% com-pared to what it was like in June of 1985.There was no question that taming themonstrous trees proved beneficial.

Obviously, many members were sur-prised to see the extent of this project.However, after inspecting the conditionof the early season turf, nearly everyoneagreed with the program. The member-ship is delighted to know golf can beplayed under acceptable conditionsmany weeks earlier in the season thanbefore.

From a turf management point ofview, the project had several objectives:

1. Improved exposure to direct sun-light allows for a quicker snow and icemelt. Therefore, winter damage may begreatly reduced, which means that muchless ground must be reestablished fromseed each spring.

2. Increased direct sunlight on greensand tees should help make the turf moredeeply rooted, healthier, and competi-tive.

3. There will be less tendency for wilt,since the turf is now growing in full sun-light for most of the day. Turf grown inshade all morning then suddenly ex-posed to hot afternoon sun seems to wiltfaster.

4. Because the turf is much less succu-lent, disease and insect pressures may bereduced. Also, since it is less succulent,it will wear better.

5. Spring and fall cleanup will bemuch easier because of less debris andbetter accessibility.

6. A healthy, more playable golfcourse, which translates to a happiermembership.

It is clear that, to a large degree, theobjectives have been met. The club willwatch for further competition fromother trees, and if more are found to becausing problems, they will be removed.

Careful planning is now needed withregard to re-Iandscaping some of thecleaned areas. Operating from a well-conceived landscape planting plan isimperative because when you are deal-ing with trees that may live for 50 to 150years, continuity is essential. Attentionshould be given to selecting acceptableplants and placing them in proper per-spective to tees and greens.

J ames Snow, Northeastern Directorof the Green Section, wrote recently,"Trees near greens should have featuresthat will not interfere with turfgrassgrowth. These include deep rooting,minimum shading, minimal litter, smallleaves, strong branching, and good pestresistance. While few trees fulfill all ofthese requirements, the club shouldchoose species with as many character-istics as possible. A tree may be deeplyrooted, strong, long-lived, and litterfree, yet cast deep shadows. This treecould still be acceptable if it is positionedso that the shadows don't fall on theputting surface until late afternoon.Also, modern equipment can deal withlitter problems effectively, although it isstill a nuisance. Severe tree root com-petition can be rectified as well withperiodic root pruning. These practicesdo require extra expenses, and they canoften be avoided through proper selec-tion and placement of trees.

"Trees near greens may be any height,but high branching species are generallypreferred. The outer foliage line atmaturity should not be closer than 30feet from the edge of the green. Rarelyshould tall, dense trees be planted on theeast and south sides of putting greens.If they are, they should be spaced farenough apart to allow direct sunlight toreach the green during most of the day.

"Trees planted in the vicinity of teesmay possess somewhat different charac-teristics from those located near greens.They may have lower branches and pro-duce larger volumes of leaves. However,sufficient air circulation and exposureto sunlight is in direct proportion to thebranching height above the teeing sur-face. Deeply rooted species are pre-ferred so that root competition and theassociated root pruning can be avoided.

"Trees may be placed closer to theback of the tee than in front as long asadequate clearance for shots hit from allteeing positions is maintained. For thesame reasons, low hanging branchesshould be avoided on the trees plantednear the front of the tee for the samereasons. Sunlight must reach the turfthroughout most of the day to ensuredense, vigorous turf with sufficient re-cuperative potential. When they areproperly placed, trees and tall shrubscan provide shaded havens, perfect forbench locations, and a full view of thefairway.

"Some golf course superintendentshave had special training and formaleducation in landscape design and arecapable of developing a proper plan.However, if the club is not so blessed,best results can be ensured by consultingwith a golf course architect or a land-scape architect with experience in golfcourse planting. They are educated inthe principles of design and can bringout the best in the course. Their cost ofservices is quite small when it is averagedover the lifetime of the plantings theyrecommend. "

Trees, turf, and golf can be compat-ible when attention to proper design,selection, and location of plant mate-rials is given. Manchester Country Clubis developing plans for re-Iandscapingthose areas where complete clearing wasrequired. Assurance is given to providethe proper sunlight, air circulation, andreduction of root competition aroundall greens and tees. The decisions havenot been easily reached, but the successhas been of great magnitude.

"Timber!" About $15,000 worth.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 1986 5