Aussie maintenance meld... which modern era design

[RJ_Daley]

I'm trying to do my part to keep this term "maintenance meld" up front in our lexicon, because it really does bring to mind a concept of style and design married in a harmony that creates enjoyable golf experiences.  No place says "maintenace meld" more to me than the presentation of the classic courses we get to see in Australia.  Unfortunately, I haven't seen or played them personally, so I have to go by the photos and TV.  But, would anyone argue that the manner of course maintenance and conditioning at places like Royal Melbourne, Kingston Heath, Victoria and the like are not instantly recognizable?  I know that many of our Aussie contributors have lamented that there is the trend in their country (as there is worldwide) to lean towards more green and lush course presentation at the old venues and new construction efforts.  But still, what we see on TV this time of year are clearly courses that are maintained firm, fast, and less fertilized, with those distinctive bunkers edged with 8"-1' spaded lips - sharp as a razor, often cut up to putting surfaces or inside fairways mowed right up to them, while maintanined native-scruffy on the outward rough facing edges.  The raking flat of flashed faces and tine raked bottoms are also somewhat unique.  I do think that the "look" is due obviously to the design style to place the bunkers and surrounds hollow where they are, but also to then maintain them in a sort of traditional method that seems to be passed down by superintendents there.

So my questions are:  what modern era courses in the US and Europe have the design features that could be presented by changes in maintenance practices to emulate the maintenance meld that we enjoy in traditional Australian golf courses?  Which architects tend to provide the placement and grading surrounds of their bunkers and greens and fairway rolls and bunker sites to "meld" with that style of maintenance?  Would more presentations like that be accepted in US and/or Europe?

[TEPaul]

RJ:

That's a really interesting question of yours and unfortunately it's one I dont have much in the way of an answer for. Who, in other words, designs bunkers and such that are close enough to green surfaces to be able to get that "Australian" look we see?

It may not even been the exact proximity of the bunkers so much as the maintenance mowing practices and patterns in other parts of the world as well as different grasses being used too! I would think that look of mowing the greens right to the bunker edges I saw last year must be bit less mechanized and a lot more manpower intensive though. I actually asked my super how that could be done and I could tell in about 1/2 second he didn't even want to think about that!

But there are other interesting ways that many of us could probably think of with the way our courses are designed (other than that Australian look) that would have great "playabilities" in an ideal "maintenance meld". You really just have to look at any course, any design, or parts of it and imagine how it could incorporate or accomodate some interesting "playbilities" that involve the ground and maintenance practices!

Do you know for instance that this whole idea of "chipping areas" is really sort of a modern concept--at least the way it is today? Sure, some of the old courses might have had wide fairways and some of it even lapping around greens but it never was as short or as challenging and multi-optional as these modern "chipping areas". So in this way there is some good modern ideas that can meld well with the old to produce some interesting options and such.

Lastly, as I mentioned many times before I really like this phrase "maintenance meld" because I think it's extremely explanatory as to a very positive goal and at the very least it makes a clear distinction from the other phrase that been used for so long and is confusing----"good condition".

Unfortunately "good condition" isn't really in the slightest definitive and can mean one thing to one person and something entirely different to someone else and can end up being a real problem to some design styles when some people think all it means is lush green and immaculate, for instance.

"Maintenance meld" or "Ideal maintenance meld" is so much more definitive and explanatory!