Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-07-30
FACING PROBLEMS
IN SAVING GREENS
Clubs Resort to Emergency
Measures in Order to
Obtain Water.
BY WALTER r.. McCALLUM.

THE cooler weather of today
and the same brand pre-
dicted by the Weather Blu
reau may be welcome news
to the jewellers in the city who
do not play golf, but it is moth
ing more or less than a pain IN
the neck to those who have to do
with golf courses, unless 1t is &C
companied by rain.
Extraordinary measures have been
rushed during the past Few Gays Dy
those having to do with the upkeep OF
local golf courses, not to relieve the
burned out condition of the fa1rwayS
on the layouts about Washington, but
to save the putting greens from COM
plete destruction caused by lack OF
water.
out in nearby Maryland, where a
ban of use of water for Sprinkling
lawns and gardens has been in
forced for nearly week, the
water also has been cut on
from the courses and greenkeepers nave
been rushing around finding auxiliary
sources of supply, installing pumps and
devising ways and means OF furnish
ing water for the greens.
They cannot help the fairWays.
Nothing short of steady rain for "a
hours or more would help them, but
they can save the green's and with the
water supply furnished by the Wash
ington Suburban Sanitary Commission
cut off, the ,greenkeepers have been
busy finding and connecting up with
the water on the golf courses them
selves.
Using Old Wells.
Chevy Chase was notified last Fri
day that they were not to use water
from the sanitary commission pipes for
use on the putting green's at the club.
So Dick Watson, the energetic green
keeper turned to and found three or
four wells that have not been in use
hitched pumps to them, and now is
able to water his putting surfaces And
yesterday Dick completed arrangements
for pumping water from two wells at
Indian Spring, where the water famine
Is just as stringent as anywhere else.
At Columbia o. P. Fits has rugged
up pumps to furnish water from brook
which runs through the club property
and also has put into use wells located
on the club land. Congressional is
fortunate in having so large a body of
water near the golf course as the lake
below the tenth tee, which is spring fed,
and fed by a small stream, and which
will furnish enough water to keep the
putting green's in shape for a Summer
of such weather as we have had lately.
Burning Tree has had its own water
ing system for years and has not been
in the same difficulties that some of
the other courses have experienced
When 1t Is considered that putting
green's cost anywhere between $500 and
$1,000 each to grade, trap and build,
the investment in putting surfaces alone
at the courses in nearby Maryland Is
considerable. A few days without water
would ruin them completely, and beyond
repair for this year at any rate, which
is the little matter causing greenkeepers
the sleepless nights they have been
having lately. And causing their worried
looks each afternoon as the sky clouds
over and nothing happens. If we do
not have rain soon, even the wells now
In emergency use may run dry and then
where will the putting greens be.
Yesterday, while the professionals
were completing their qualifying rounds
for the P. G. A. tourney at Indian
Spring, the sky became overcast in the
West, clouds formed blanket over the
sky high wind blew up, and every-
thing looked like that cloudburst every
one has been hoping for. And nothing
happened, A few drops of rain fell, not
even enough to lay the dust.
II rain does not fall pretty soon, there
Just won't be any golf courses left about
the Capital