Could this be the death knell of brown firm and fast in the United States?

[Jason Topp]

Pinehurst was supposed to be the coming out party for brown, firm and fast golf.  Among golfers that do not participate here, most reactions I heard about Pinehurst ranged from muted to negative.  Chambers Bay adds a big vertical dimension to similar conditions and many players are likely to get crazy bounces that will be considered "unfair" by many. 
I see this week as a big one for proponents of such conditions.

[Jeff Taylor]

"Among golfers that do not participate here, most reactions I heard about Pinehurst ranged from muted to negative."
[/size][/color]
[/size]Are you surprised? Anyone who wants to eliminate "crazy" bounces is better off playing another sport. How about football. That ball never gives funny bounces. Kidding aside, too firm and too fast is no worse than too narrow and rough too deep. Watching the ball roll is one of the great pleasures of golf. [/color]

[Andrew Buck]

I love firm and fast, but part of the potential problem with a place like Chambers Bay is it is a game played in a way that the majority of the country couldn't possibly relate too.  Most of this country's climate and soil is not suitable for this type of golf or these type of grasses.  As a result, it's nearly impossible for most courses to play anywhere near this fast (especially when it's raining everyday, like it is in the midwest right now), and allow contours to play such a big part of the game.  It's far easier for a golfer to relate in their mind to their home club letting the rough grow and slicking up greens, than the game played the way it will need to be played at Chambers.

I'm excited for this week, and the more people see firm and fast at the championship level, the easier it is for them to accept it at the local level, but this week could appear extreme.

[John Keenan]

Living and playing golf in California getting use to brown firm and fast is a becoming requirement.

The drought has made it mandatory for most courses to move in this direction. Those that use recycled water can stay green but I would suspect even they will be more careful in what area get water and which do not.

[Donovan Childers]

I love firm and fast, and it's not going to go anywhere, especially with lack of water in areas of the country. Plus I can see the EPA  screwing things up in the future as well.

[BHoover]

I hope not, Jason, but the more I think about it, I think you could be onto something. We know that there are some who will seek to magnify any issue with conditions (including our latest announced Presidential candidate).

I worry that perceptions such as "unfair" or "unlucky" may turn lots of people off to these conditions. It's easy to dismiss these conditions during the Open Championship as just being attributable to links golf. But there are lots of people who don't think that's "real" golf, however misguided we may think they are.

[Patrick_Mucci]

Jason,
 
I think John Keenan is correct.
 
Brown conditions will only take hold when Mother Nature forces the issue.
 
Drought restrictions will bring brownish/yellowish/greenish conditions to the fore.
 
That, and the "cost" of water.
 
TV and the Tours have been the primary culprits in indoctrinating the golfing world that lush green conditions are ideal.
 
What golfer doesn't want to get 20-30 yards of run on their drives ?
 
You now have a generation of visual golfers that outnumbers the functional golfers.
 
I'd like to see the pendulum swing back

[Adam Clayman]

Mike Davis is doing right by setting these examples of sustainability. Few course operators will heed what's basically an environmental warning shot, from the USGA, until it affects their bottom line.

So death knell? No. But, until operators and superintendents start to "cut back", even incrementally, the sophisticated sportsman's future will be on life support.

[Brent Hutto]

TV and the Tours have been the primary culprits in indoctrinating the golfing world that lush green conditions are ideal.
 
What golfer doesn't want to get 20-30 yards of run on their drives ?
 
You now have a generation of visual golfers that outnumbers the functional golfers.

Pat hits the nail on the head.

[BHoover]

Many of the comments I've seen are that the course "looks terrible on TV". I disagree, but it's not terribly surprising.

[Joe Hancock]

What most don't understand is that brown, fast and firm is an agronomic lifestyle choice, not a fad. If any golf course goes to the side of brown, it better be prepared to go slowly...there will be casualties. The effects of those casualties can be minimized by making a slow, conscientious change to how the turf is acclimated to less. Any course that thinks they can have turf like Chambers Bay(and many other(better?) examples) by the end of next year will not stay the course, if they currently exist in the modern day country club-type regime. 

The benefits are numerous, so it's all worth it in my opinion. But don't expect immediate miracles if the decision to go brown, fast and firm is made.

[Chris Wagner]

I think that Chambers Bay looks horrific on tv and I am a proponent of less inputs and brown, but the general public will definitely not enjoy the way it looks. I have to think that this year it will not help more people come this way but rather scare them off. I thought Pinehurst looked great on tv.

[Jon Wiggett]

I think that Chambers Bay looks horrific on tv and I am a proponent of less inputs and brown, but the general public will definitely not enjoy the way it looks. I have to think that this year it will not help more people come this way but rather scare them off. I thought Pinehurst looked great on tv.

Chris,

tell them to go for the contrast button

[Marc Haring]

They may not like the colour but they've got to love the fun factor. I'm sure anyone would think it would be great to play this sort of creative golf where you've got to aim away to get close.

[Steve Okula]

Judging from TV, Chambers Bay looks like a course I would hate to play or maintain, there is way too much sand for me to enjoy either.

Does anyone know what's causing the mottled appearance of the greens? They look like they're infested with Poa annua. On the other hand, they seem to be rolling well, guys are making lots of putts.

[Richard Choi]

It's poa

[Marc Haring]

It is poa I think and alot of it. The newer greens look ok but the old ones have got to be predominatly poa now. Agree though, they're running ok although don't think Tiger would think so.

[Richard Choi]

Marc, I would not go that far.


#7 green is almost pure fescue and it also looks mottled. It does not take much poa to make it look poor. We are talking about 10 to 20% infiltration.


The greens would also look a lot better if it was dried out more. The fact that they have been watering every night is making poa pop out more on TV.


These are the best looking fescue greens in US (perhaps second only to Bandon Trails). Not much you can do.

[Marc Haring]

I'm sure you're right on both counts Richard but why did they water so much?

[Richard Choi]

Mark Davis was pretty nervous about making it too firm.


You can see from the play that the greens are very receptive right now. That takes a LOT of water based on recent weather.

[Dean Stokes]

As much as I like browned out courses, especially good links courses, I cannot see CB attracting one new player to the game after seeing this "pinball machine" in effect!
The greens look dreadful and the green complexes do not excite me at all. That's as positive as I can be after watching a day's play on TV. 

[Marc Haring]

I'm joining in with the sandtrap.com forum on this one. Some say it looks like a cow pasture but most are saying it looks really fun to play and are putting CB on their bucket list.

[Bill Brightly]

Jason,
 
I think John Keenan is correct.
 
Brown conditions will only take hold when Mother Nature forces the issue.
 
Drought restrictions will bring brownish/yellowish/greenish conditions to the fore.
 
That, and the "cost" of water.
 
TV and the Tours have been the primary culprits in indoctrinating the golfing world that lush green conditions are ideal.
 
What golfer doesn't want to get 20-30 yards of run on their drives ?
 
You now have a generation of visual golfers that outnumbers the functional golfers.
 
I'd like to see the pendulum swing back

Yeah, Pat. But I am having a tough time explaining this to my (keep it plush and green) country club friends who think Chamberx Bay looks stupid...

[Chris Hans]

This correlation between firm and fast and having to be brown is funny.

[Tom_Doak]

I've had two texts from clients this week hoping that the courses we are building will "not look as bad as this US Open course".  So, I'll weigh in to say that firm and fast is always an uphill battle.


However, I don't see how Chambers Bay could be the "death knell" of a movement that has never really taken hold to start with.  There are a small percentage of courses in the U.S. that maintain their courses in a more sustainable fashion.  They will always be in the minority, because there are plenty of people who judge golf courses by how they look rather than how they play.


Supporting fact:  in judging the success of turfgrass trials, each variety of grass is rated according to how green and uniform it is under different stresses.