"My real issue/concern with all of this is the fact that the speeds do change through the day...whether it decreases due to growth, or increases due to drying out. When the goal is a fixed 11 feet, how would you know what to strive for the green to be at 6am when they cut and roll it so as to provide 11 feet at 11am?
I hate the notion of micro management, but understand the reality at major championships..."
Sully:
My point is that some entity like a tournament association (from regionals all the way to the USGA) does not need to be stimping greens at the time of their maximum speed (generally thought to be around 10am-11am). Those tournament entities know that and obviously so do superintendents. Good supers know better than anyone both how, how much and why speeds change during a day.
Superintendents have all the time in the world to stimp greens at any time and certainly during a time of their maximum speed through the day and they don't really have to do it during tournament play or during tournament week. That's what these guys do and what they KNOW---that's THEIR job and the best of the championship supers know how to do it really well. It's part of their procedure---their maintenance processes. Again, really good supers can translate their mow heights, rolling procedures and such remarkably well into specific green speeds.
The point is that a tournament entity should just ask the super to produce what that tournament entity wants in play (green speed) and then let him do it and just leave him alone. Problems arise when tournament committees try to micro-manage the supers job and change these things at the last minute.
Do I really need to provide examples of where this kind of thing has happened to the detriment of all, including the players and the entire tournament?
