Sympathy For the Grass

[Tom Huckaby]

Rich:

We've surmised that they could make the greens firmer and faster if they wanted to; we've also surmised that the turf there needs no sympathy.

But care to take a stab at my question from the first page?

This is just regarding the putting surfaces:

If they CAN make them firmer and faster, why don't they?  Is it for policy (ie they don't want it to border on goofy like it was at Shinnecock) or is it for the health of the greens?

Inquiring minds want to know, and to date answers have been varied.

TH

[ForkaB]

Goofy is not the problem, Tom, as the Hoylake greens are mostly flat.  It could be the micro-climate, or maybe they just think that they are running at the speed they think is best for the competition.  Some links greens can get fast--Skibo's were running at 12 last week, or so I am reliably told.

Of course, it's not as if ther IS a problem.  The course is playing great and the best players in the world are at the top of the leader board.

[Tom Huckaby]

Rich:

I have zero doubt some links greens can get very fast - I've played some.  I've just yet to see any that get the brown color that most of the fairways and approaches are at Hoylake right now.

So your answer to my question is a good one - and I agree there is no problem at Hoylake - this is just for my edification.  

Thus I have another question - which is more what I meant to ask in the first place.

Why do they feel the need to keep them at least somewhat green?  Is it a speed or firmness issue, or is it for the health of the grass?

If you don't know, that's OK also.  This question does seem to be a stumper.

 

[Troy Alderson]

OK Huck, here's what you are looking for about the greens.  Fescues do not like to be cut below 2/10 inches, approximately.  A fescue green that is dry and cut at 1/4 inch will still roll about 9 feet.  I played Pac Dunes on opening day with the fescue greens at 3/16 inch, too short for long term fescue health but only cut for the superintendents playing that day and rolling 10 feet plus.  My understanding is Pac Dunes maintains the fescue greens between 2/10 inch and 1/4 inch for normal play.

The fescue greens at the Brit Open might be cut at 3/16 inch for speed and require a little more water to keep them helathy from diseases.

The fescue on the rest of the course will come back with judicious amount of irrigation over a period of time.  There will probably be extensive repairs to areas trampled by the fans.  The reason the turf is only dormant is the amount of aeration done to the turf prior to the Open in the spring.  The more aeration the better, there is never too much aeration.  Aeration allows the roots to dig in deep and survive the hot summer heat.  Since greens are the most aerated of any area of the course, that turf will be greener than the rest if kept at the correct height of cut and syringed with water.

I wish I could do all that at the golf course I manage.

Troy

[Tom Huckaby]

Aha!  That is perfect Troy - many thanks.  I believe I understand it now. They're cutting them low enough to get some greater speed than normal, and in so doing they need a little water for health.  Thus they are a little greener than the other areas, which don't have to be cut as low (and which may well be other types of grass anyway).

This makes sense to me...

[Troy Alderson]

Tom Huck,

You are welcome.  I can only wish to have fescues and bent at my course with deep aeration.  Of course I am only speculating about the conditions and maintenance practices over at Liverpool, but it does make sense for what I know of maintaining fescue.  I also do not know the exact maintenance practices at Bandon Dunes Resort but have talked with some of the superintendents over there as often as possible.

That's the great thing about fescue/bent turf on a golf course, minimal water/fertilizer/low cuts.  Overall a healthier golf course that does not cost alot to maintain and play.

If only America could pull our heads out of our a.. and let the turf do what it wants naturally golf would not have such a bad image here.

Cool season grasses want to naturally go dormant during the summer months (above about 85F) and green up when the temps lower and the rains come.  We can apply about half the water of other cool season grasses and still provide a green/tan color to the turf and very playable (firm and fast).

Troy

[Marc Haring]

This really is a hard trend now on Open courses. Going back a few years and some of the venues were pretty over watered but not now. All of them are very natural looking which I like a lot. I just wish they could do that to a couple of the other tour venues.

I wonder if Peter Dawson has been influential on the recent Open setups. Certainly he is a keen sustainable greenkeeping man and a traditional golf fan. Ever since he's been at the helm, the Open courses have been lean and mean.

[Brian Phillips]

George - this is the issue in the other thread - it's not dead grass, but it does take a LONG time to recover once it reaches a certain brown-ness.

I'm not an agronimist, but I play one on TV.

 

Tom,

It does not take long to come back in Britain at all.  The course will be green by the time the GCA boys play there this year.  There will be more damage in areas of the gallery than anywhere else.

Brian

[Tom Huckaby]

Brian - that is understood, as pertains to the course in general.  Just do also understand when I made that comment above, I was referring only to the GREENS (putting surfaces) - that is, what would happen if those were allowed to go to brown -which of course they're not.

It was a hypothetical thing tied to another thread and well... never mnd.  Troy explained the thing perfectly.  But man I need to be more careful with my comments and better explain the context as boy do I get called on the carpet if I don't!  You're at least the fourth one who's called me n this, all for the same reason, all unknowing the context... which of course remains my fault.