Is the best educator and advocate for fast & firm the..........

[Patrick_Mucci]

drought ?

For the last week or so, almost everyone I speak to loves the playing conditions in the Met area.

Yes, there are fire warnings posted everywhere, but the courses have come alive under these conditions.

Balls are actually rolling after impact.... on the fairways and greens.

Ball marks are virtually non-existent.

And golfers are enjoying the distance gained from F&F.

Is this a once in several decades opportunity to promote F&F ?

[PThomas]

probably is Patrick...although you wonder if some people would ever "get it".....

such conditions certainly can make everyone longer off the tee, which almost everyone wants, so maybe that we be the hook that can interest them in the topic

[RJ_Daley]

Until last night, our area has had the rare and welcome warm spring with virtually no significant rain or snow...

Our course super charged the irrigation system, but has been wise to let the ground retained fall moisture and winter snow melt along with night dew suffice to provide enough water in the soil.  We've had the most wonderful firm and fast conditions I've seen in my 21 years playing our particular course.  The greens are like Nebraska, so firm you can't even make a fixable ball mark with a high 8-9 I approach most of the time.. 

But, all good things in nature do come to an end.  I think I'll get a jump on the rest of spring and start building an arc...

[Steven Blake]

Mr, Mucci,

I am guessing though that the courses in the Norhteast are not brown?? If they aren't wait till they do turn brown and golfers will want that pretty green color back!

The difference that Mr Daley points out here in Wisconsin is that it is still cool and turf can still be green and firm.  The amount of firmness would be harder to achieve in warmer weather. Particularly on Poa playing surfaces . . . once the turf turns brown, purple, and orange they will start to become outraged again ... its only a matter of time! 

Steven Blake

[Dan Herrmann]

Steven,
My course was just starting to show some brown today.   But we're lucky - our head greenkeeper has a philosophy of "benign neglect", and we're OK with patina out there.

(The course is all bentgrass with fescue roughs).

Unfortunately, Chester County PA is under a flood watch now, so things will soften up a bit.  But that's OK - we really did need the rain.

Patrick - I'm with you 100%.   Our place tends to be F&F, but I know of another local club (NOT Stonewall!) that seems to never torn off the irrigation.  I'd love to hear what think.

Really - does any architect EVER design for soggy & slow?

[Steven Blake]

Mr. Herrmann,

That's great! But I find that F&F and the green crowd tend to be split down the middle.  The consumer/customer pays the bill ... what is a super to do? How do you please a membership when the two sides are slit down the middle??

No I really do not believe that any architect designs for soggy and slow. 
Because that makes the game one dimensional.

Steven Blake

[Dan Herrmann]

Steven,
We knew we had an issue when a forest fire hit French Creek State Park, about 4 miles north of the course.   



This is TOO dry!

PS - Fire is out due to hard work by the fantastic fire crews and other public servants.

[Patrick_Mucci]

Steven,

I understand what you're saying, but I'm not advocating brown conditions, I'm advocating greenish, yellowish, brownish conditions.

The two extremes don't appeal to me.

And, I think the ultimate goal has to be "eased into", rather than suddenly thrust upon golfers.

The judicious application of water during dry times can achieve this goal, but only through education and observations that reveal the positive results in play.

Unfortunately, if TV keeps broadcasting lush green conditions with fancy mowing patterns at weekly PGA TOUR events, it will be an uphill battle.

The enemy is TV's need to show high resolution contrasts, and nothing contrasts better than bright white sand and lush green fairways and greens

[Steven Blake]

Mr. Mucci,

I agree slowly integrating it into your maintenance regime is key!

And when all else fails communication communication communication!

Steven Blake

[Dan Herrmann]

Steven - if you have a chance, check out Huntington Valley  (Flynn) in Philly.  I think you'll enjoy what you learn.

[Steven Blake]

Mr. Herrmann,

I will have to do that.  I have heard nothing but great things about Huntington Valley.  How might I go about getting information??

Steven Blake

[RJ_Daley]

Steven, since you are new on GCA.com, perhaps you haven't reviewed many of the feature interviews yet.  I highly recommend the two part August-Sept 2005 interviews with Scott Anderson, CGCS of Huntington Valley.  There are very interesting explanations of his water and fertility programs there, and how he arrived at well regarded, consistently F&F conditions over many years of slowly toughening his turf sward in somewhat non-conventional cultural practices.   

[Dan Herrmann]

Steven:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHi0L0O5Tcs&context=C4651a6bADvjVQa1PpcFPhzsBssdTsyawNOl7WFe1zc5Yjv1jTMB0=

It's Scott Anderson talking to the Philly GCA folks at Tom Paul's barn a couple of years ago.   This URL is part 1 - parts 2, 3, and 4 are easily found by subscribing to jwbausch on YouTube.

(Yes, this video has the famous Tom Paul asking Scott questions - in case you want to see Tom's dedication to GCA - oops, that's another thread! )

[mike_malone]

 For our opening day last week it was f+f and breezy. Everybody loved it. I took the opportunity to say "if you love this then
Let it be brown in August".

[Steven Blake]

Mr. Daley

Thanks for the reference to Mr. Anderson’s interview in the Featured Interview section of GCA.  I read it last night.

Mr. Herrmann,

Thanks! I will have to look that up ... Just for the Tom Paul part! Must be epic!

Mr. Malone,

That’s the key let it be brown a little.  I find that people do not have a problem with F&F conditions it’s the brown turf in areas that golfer can't wrap their head around. It seems a little silly to water fairways for example because 5-10% of the turf is turning colors. In most cases that means overwatering needs to occur to "green" up that small percentage of turf.

Steven Blake

[Patrick_Mucci]

Steven,

I should disclose that I haven't watered my  lawn in thirty (30) years.

Mother Nature tends to that and as a result my lawn withstands water deprivation rather well

[Steven Blake]

Mr Mucci,

I don't water my lawn either and its all fine fescue and stays greener longer than those around me ... which is interesting in of itself. 

[Steven Blake]

Mr. Mucci,

The one thing that might be a better educator for firm and fast is ... government restrictions on water usage. I certainly do not like the government telling what supers can and can't do but it would be a convenient excuse ... got to follow the law!


Steven Blake

[Steve Strasheim]

Ball marks are virtually non-existent.

That point is important. Been playing a couple of local short courses that lots of juniors and beginners play. Lord, I've never seen so many holes in the green. It gets tiring fixing 2, or 3 on every hole and not even putting a dent in the problem.