University Ridge golf course to receive welcome face-lift

[Brad Swanson]

http://host.madison.com/sports/golf/university-ridge-golf-course-to-receive-welcome-face-lift/article_72e640bc-6ca5-11e1-8c8d-0019bb2963f4.html

In the end, I hope they settle on the strain of bent grass that reduces the average time per round from 6 hours down to 4 hours.

Brad

[Matthew Rose]

It's been years since I've played there, but I hope they do get it sorted out. I often found the green speeds on the two nines to be miles apart even on the same day.

And they need to go out to the fourth hole with a chainsaw.

[RJ_Daley]

With the O.J. Noer turf research facility a pitching wedge from 5 green, you'd think they would have had a handle on the greens cultivar, and cultural practices long ago.  They have had turf issues since the year after it opened.  IIRC, they shut the place down to reseed the greens after a major turf failure 2-3 years after opening.  I think it was attributed to a contaminated greens rootzone mix that was sand dredged out of the Rock river and had some algae or other contaminant.  So, whether it is organic contaminants, cultivar management practices, or whatever, you'd think the turfheads would have it analysed and solved by now.

I haven't played it since early 90s.  Have you played it recently, Brad?  What is your take?  Turf issue, design issue (tale of two sides -wooded and prairie? 

[Phil McDade]

A thread of URidge from a few years ago (which itself contains links to an earlier thread with comments by Mr. Swanson):

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,38431.0.html

Brad, RJ, et al:

I'm not sure the green resurfacing will improve the speed of play there, although the change is welcome simply from a turf management issue. It's always been my belief that faster green speeds lead to slower rounds, and thus if the new greens are intended to make the greens run truer and presumably faster, it may make the dreaded URidge slog even sloggier.

The key to playing this course in less than six hours is hitting it at the right time -- post-4 pm in the summer, anytime after noon in the fall, early spring morning rounds before everyone gets back into the swing of things. Weekends during the prime season are best avoided.

I think the delay in terms of this project may have been more financial than anything. It's largely being self-funded, as the article points out, and my sense is that the URidge folks wanted to wait until they had enough of a nest egg to both finance this and withstand the drop in play when the course closes.

[Morgan Clawson]

"And they need to go out to the fourth hole with a chainsaw."

Couldn't agree more!

[Bill_McBride]

My buddy up there plays at Cherokee (no, it's not Stricker!).   Did they ever get that place dried out?

[Jeff_Brauer]

So, what we are saying is, this year at UW there will be more talk about grass varieties in the pro shop than in the dorms?

[Phil McDade]

My buddy up there plays at Cherokee (no, it's not Stricker!).   Did they ever get that place dried out?

Bill:

Usually not -- Cherokee sits literally right next to (actually, it's part of...) the largest wetland in these parts; see: http://www.cherokeemarsh.org/

(Click on this map: http://www.cherokeemarsh.org/files/cherokee_marsh_map.pdf -- everything within the backward-L shaped parcel of land in the middle of this map west of Comanche Way is the golf course -- it's essentially one big wetlands with fairways and greens interspersed).

It dried out last summer, as did practically every course in Wisconsin, because the late summer was so dry. And I expect it will be a lot drier for this spring, as we've had literally no snow this winter and an unusually mild late-winter (middle of March and it's 75 degrees today -- why am I writing on a golf website and not playing? ) But, those are just weather quirks -- Cherokee is pretty much the poster child for wet, sloggy conditions in these parts, and 95 percent of that is where it was built.

[Matthew Rose]

So, what we are saying is, this year at UW there will be more talk about grass varieties in the pro shop than in the dorms?

It's a hybrid..... Carl Spackler bent.

[Brad Swanson]

I haven't played it since early 90s.  Have you played it recently, Brad?  What is your take?  Turf issue, design issue (tale of two sides -wooded and prairie? 

Dick,
   My playing days are long gone.

Brad

[Jeff_Brauer]

Matthew,

So, they got that going for them.......