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The importance of agronomy to a golf designer

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RT:
Varying soils and their behaviours (internal water movement, infiltration, water holding capacities, presence of oxygen) is vitally important to understand, and this includes the subsoils too.  This is, after all, what supports the ability to grow grass and is the foundation for which we play off a surface.

RT

RT:
Varying soils and their behaviours (internal water movement, infiltration, water holding capacities, presence of oxygen) is vitally important to understand, and this includes the subsoils too.  This is, after all, what supports the ability to grow grass and is the foundation for which we play off a surface.

RT

Tom_Doak:
Forrest:

I'm not sure I appreciate your nomination of Apache Stronghold as a "poster child" for agronomy issues.  It was a tough job in a tough climate that really had no parallels to draw from, and it was a very political issue there as well with many consultants not of my choosing.

Would be glad to discuss it further with you offline if you really care.  I will just hope for your sake you never get in the middle of a project with that many complications.

As for the general question, I think a working knowledge of agronomy is a very important part of golf course architecture.  It's much more than just the texture of grasses -- it's what will work with what, and what will work best considering the climate and soils.  

It's also about handling the soils!  Most golf course construction projects produce unhealthy growing conditions because of the way the soils are compacted during construction and the way topsoil (if any) is carelessly put back.  Not many architects realize this, I think, or more would be "minimalists" on the ground and not just in the magazines.

Brian Phillips:


--- Quote ---It's also about handling the soils!  Most golf course construction projects produce unhealthy growing conditions because of the way the soils are compacted during construction and the way topsoil (if any) is carelessly put back.  Not many architects realize this, I think, or more would be "minimalists" on the ground and not just in the magazines.

--- End quote ---

Tom,

I am surprised at that statement because to me that is an obvious thing!!  Surely most top architects of this era know how careful we have to be with topsoil?  It is something that was always shoved down my throat when I was in construction (not only in golf course construction) that the more we messed with topsoil (transportation and moving it in general) the more we would affect the composition of it normally causing the reduction of pore spaces etc.

I find it hard to believe that any architect wouldn't apprieciate this.  The hardest problem Jeremy and I had last year was constructors trying to work in wet weather with topsoil.  I stopped work a number times and they were not happy about in the end topsoil is the heart of the course.  If it is in poor shape you are always going to be fighting to keep the grass alive.

Brian.

Tom_Doak:
Brian,

Yes, most architects realize the value of topsoil to the point of beating up contractors who abuse it.

But the best way to protect topsoil is to figure out how not to disturb it to begin with.  The last construction site I was on (whose architect shall remain nameless) had all the topsoil stripped for about 200 yards, so that they could fill 1-2 feet in some areas and re-shape the fairway.  The difference this made to the design was trivial compared to the damage it did to the soils.

And, if you're going to disturb things like that, the key would be to do it quickly so that the soil doesn't sit in a pile for six weeks before re-spreading!

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