Arizona republican., 1921-10-27
Phoenix Country Club Has Best
 18-Hole Golf Course In Southwest

Development of an 1S-hole grass golf course, such as that of the Phoe- nix Country Club, is a task by no means of little proportion. For more than IS months experts have been engaged In preparing what is now recognized the best course in the entire southwest-a course to which club members can point with pride. It was early in the spring of 1920 that the board of directors of the Country Club authorized Dr. Kimball Bannister, chairman of the greens committee, to start construction of an IS il 0 e course The plan was to build grass course on 100 acres of the quarter section pur- chased some time previous at the northwest corner of Seventh street and the Thomas road. The remain ing 50 acres were to be divided: 10 acres for the club house and grounds and 50 acres in the Country Club subdivision.
 Among the first steps was the em- ployment of landscape architect, Lloyd Wright of Los Angeles. He was instructed to provide a general landscape scheme for the grounds the subdivision and the golf course.
 
 erable time was spent in the prepara ton of these plans and resulted in most attractive scheme being evolved. This scheme will be adhered to in planting shrubbery and trees on the entire tract, it has been stated.
 The tract, at the time of it's pur- chase, was entirely unsuitable for golf purposes. Several cross fences, ditches and other Instructions showed the necessity for a complete rehabilitation of the tract. All irri- gation was done from north to south and the 160-acre tract was cut up into 20-acre fields with a diversity of crops and weeds
 Borders, ditches and fences, ex- perts said, were poor materials as a basis for golf course, so it became necessary, first of all, to tear down the fences, fill in and level all ditches and level all borders. As soon as this was accomplished, the whole 100 acres were disked, plowed in both directions and then redisked, dragged and leveled as uniformly as possible. Surveyors then marked out the high points and these were fresnoed. Ber- ders, running diagonally northeast to southwest, were placed at dis tances of 50 yards, the longest of which was about three-quarters of a mile. These borders were made six to ten feet wide and as rolling as pos sible in order to make as little un- evenness in the turf as possible IT, rigation is from northeast to south west, its longest line being nearly three quarters of a mile in length.
 Water was first let in on the 100- acre tract in May, 1920. This irriga- ton showed, of course, a number of high spots, which had to be cut down in order to permit an even flow of water. A head of about 400 miners inches was necessary to irrigate' the longest line. This preliminary prep aration of the seed-bed cost about sS, 900.
 The whole 100 acres was then seed ed to Bermuda, six pounds to the acre, and in about four to six weeks there was a green stand over the whole area. A few more weeks showed this to be largely Johnson grass.
 During the season 150 tons of John son grass hay was cut off the golf course. The Bermuda. however, gradually crowded its way in and by frost perhaps 25 per cent of the en- tire acreage had fair Bermuda stand. Part of the tract was re- seeded later, especially in the north east 20, which is adobe, and a great many Bermuda sets placed in same.
 Harry Collis, professional golfer of the Flossmoor club of Chicago, and during the winter at the San Marcos at Chandler, was then employed to diagram an IS hole course. This course, with considerable change be- cause of standing trees and water holes, was laid out in September. 1920.
 The problem of making the sand greens high enough above the course level to protect them from water next presented itself. 1t was solved by digging one or more traps to guard each green, excavated dirt be- ing used for the bed. It was then found necessary to make the greens four to six inches above the general level. After this had been thor oughly soaked, there was needed about ten barrels of crude oil 10 the green in order to make base for the oil sand top. After this base had sufficiently dried, a coarse grade of clean river sand mixed with oil was spread evenly over the green. The greens measure about 9 yards in diameter. The sweeps, T-boxes. benches and direction posts com pleted the equipment of the course. A temporary professionals workshop and caddy house was erected near the first tee, and Lewis Scott, pro- fessional at the old Country Club for two years, arrived to take charge of instructions late in October, 1920.
 The course was opened for play october 31. 1920. During the winter season eight or ten additional bunk 1 CTS and traps were added, and this l program of continuous bunkering | and improvements will be followed l this coming season. Dr. Bannister, ! chairman of the greens committee, 1 has announced.
 The course was we'll patronized by ! both men and women players ! throughout the winter. despite the [ fact that there were no club house | Several hundred 1 non reSident members, here for the 1 winter or guests at local hotels. used | the course during the season and | added hundreds of dollars in greens | fees to the operating fund.
 Early in the spring of 1921 the di- | rectors, finding that it was impos- ! sible to keep the rapidly growing | Bermuda short in fairways with the | triplex horse drawn mower then in use, authorized the purchase of a f raN .Na h..