[Mike_Cirba]

Joel;

Tom Paul can give you better details, but no, Fazio didn't "fix" those convex "splash-up" areas on 8 & 13 at Merion.

It was apparently determined that taking them down to their original heights would be too chancy, given today's green speeds...the old "unexpected results may occur".   I can understand their caution.

However, during the bunker rebuilding, the bunkers were dug to their original depths, so what you now have is a bunker that is effectively much deeper than when built originally by Wilson/Flynn.  

[W.H. Cosgrove]

Patrick.....in a word.......money

[gookin]

Over several decades our greens got smaller and smaller.  Nobody really noticed and since we had lost sight of our achitectural history nobody cared.  I am certain some justification came from reduced maintenance.  As we have learned about the architectural features in our greens and as we have educated our members of its importance, we have been restoring the green surfaces to their full size.  The simple answer is that greens will get smaller when members do not know better.

[Patrick_Mucci]

W H Cosgrove,

I think it's more then money, it's understanding the problem in the first place.

Not all problems are solved by throwing money at them, especially if the perceived solution is misguided.

But, money is a vital component in maintaining green lines once your understand the problem and the practical solution.

[Patrick_Mucci]

Mike Cirba,

However, during the bunker rebuilding, the bunkers were dug to their original depths, so what you now have is a bunker that is effectively much deeper than when built originally by Wilson/Flynn.  

Could you explain your above statement which seems to be conflicting ?

[W.H. Cosgrove]

Patrick, I thought thequestion was why we didn't walk mow our greens.  Walking our greens would certainly solve many of the problems caused by triplex mowing.  The walk mowing issue is one of labor and the resulting costs.

I agree that many of the problems of shrinking greens, misaligned tee boxes, shrinking approaches and fairways mowed into straight lines are solved primarily by a Superintendent who is foremost aware of the problem and secondly by an owner or Greens committee committed to empowering the Superintendent to correct the problems when members/players without an understanding of the issue begin to grouse.  Usually because they misunderstand the relationship between difficulty and various mowing patterns, including overly small greens and maintenance issues.  Maintenance Meld.

[gookin]

Labor cost is an issue but also management.  Triplex mowers requires two skilled idividuals who show up early and ready to go.  Walkers require six skilled and dedicated workers to get the job done in the same time.  Yes cost is an issue, but availability of talented workers is an equal challenge.  Every visit from the USGA has a push for us to use more walking mower strategies for many reasons.  We are trying to stick to the triplex. We experience a better cut and a more manageable crew.  To date it has been worth the small sacrifice in the size of green surface and we believe we can still make our greens larger.

[Patrick_Mucci]

W H Cosgrove,

The use of triplexes is usually driven by money/laobr issues.

Dave Gookin,

Older, smaller greens tend to suffer from triplex usage.
Compaction, inability to turn, scalping and shrinkage are all by-products of their use.

I'm surprised that you feel you get a better quality putting surface with triplexes then you do walk mowers.

[ChasLawler]

David,
Operating a walk mower does not require that much skill. While I agree it does require more labor, I'd have to argue with you about the skill or talent level. Cutting in perfectly straight lines can take practice, but just learning how to operate them proficiently takes only a few hours and can be accomplished by just about anyone who has ever used a regular lawn mower.

To any supers - setting aside any added expense for maintaining the extra equipment, is there much to gain from utilizing a triplex 4 days a week and walk mowers the other 3 (or some combination thereof)?

[gookin]

I guess what I really meant is that is a lot easier to get 2 guys to show up Saturday and Sunday morning than it is 6.

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