Golf Course Expectations

Perfection, Perception, Exception

At a recent meeting with golf course superintendents following the U.S. Open, several concerns were voiced about the expectations of the superintendents following a heavily publicized professional golf tournament. Their members or regular players see how fast the greens are at this tournament or that tournament and they expect similar conditions the next week at their club. This is known as the “Augusta effect” or the “Open effect.” Granted, it would be great to putt on fast greens everyday, but reality dictates that these conditions only occur once or possibly twice a year.

Lowering the mowing heights and double cutting (mowing twice) the greens are the primary ways of increasing speed. Rolling the greens with a mechanized roller is routinely used to also increase green speed. However, there are other tricks the superintendents have up their sleeve to get the greens as fast as kitchen linoleum.

In order to get the super-quick green speeds, there are several cultural practices that are taking place simultaneously. Has anyone noticed how firm the greens are for major championships? Keeping the greens on the dry side is standard operating procedure for speeding up the putting surface. Most superintendents will lightly hand water the greens to give them just enough water to sustain the turf for the day. Extra water makes the greens slower; so no extra watering, period.

Another practice commonly used is withholding nutrients. Lush, dark green surfaces are faster growing and generally have wider leaf blades. Turf that is slightly deficient of nutrients is narrow-bladed, slower growing and slightly off-color. The superintendent has to find the perfect balance of nutrition and the timing of the applications. This tightrope act has become a little easier with light, frequent liquid fertilizer applications. This new benchmark for greens fertilization provides the greens with just enough nutrients to last seven to 10 days without causing a major growth spike.

The development of plant growth regulators (growth retardants) has also given the superintendents a chemical tool to slow down the growth of the turf. These chemicals are derivatives of naturally occurring plant hormones, which slow down certain biological steps within the plant. Slowing down the growth of the plant results in a more consistent green speed throughout the day. By using these products prior to a special event, the results are denser turf stands and faster green speeds.

Topdressing the greens with sand and verticutting (light vertical mowing) are also in the superintendent’s repertoire for increasing green speeds. The type of spikes that are used by the golfers can also play a role in how smooth and true the greens roll. Courses that allow metal spikes will find that the greens will be a little bumpier when compared to greens that are strictly spikeless, especially around the hole.

So what is the ideal speed for your greens? A tool that is routinely used to measure the distance a ball will roll on the green is called a Stimpmeter. According to a USGA database, the average Stimpmeter readings for regular play on a slow green is less than 7.5 feet, medium speed greens roll exactly 7.5 feet and fast green readings are greater than 8.5 feet, respectively. The average Stimpmeter readings for tournament conditions on a slow green is less than 8.5 feet, medium greens roll exactly 8.5 feet and fast green readings are greater than 9.5 feet, respectively. It is important to note that these numbers are not recommended by the USGA or the NCGA. These are just simple guidelines courses can use when preparing their course for a special event.

The special maintenance techniques do not come without a price. The labor involved in preparing for a major tournament is a serious factor. The man-hours spent on the specialized practices for the greens could be better utilized tending to other important maintenance items on the golf course. Most importantly, the grass plant is under some serious physiological distress. Generally, the amount of turf above the soil surface is supported by a proportional amount of root system below the soil surface. Turf that is mowed at low heights has a very small root system to support the plant. Throw in temperature stress and moisture stress and now you really have a recipe for disaster. There will be turf loss if these conditions are maintained for extended periods of time. No wonder the superintendents walk around on eggshells during tournament weeks.

The bottom line is that if you are expecting “perfection” then you need a 68.7-stroke average and access to a courtesy car each week. The “perception” of every golf course in Northern California having U.S. Open green speeds is pretty far-fetched. There can be a few times each year for having fast greens such as the member-guest, club championships, or special tournaments. However, don’t get used to these conditions, they are “exceptions” to the rule.