Got to thinking about this last night, and pulled up an old green design checklist I used to give the guys back when....well when I had guys. I copy it here, and am sorry the formatting doesn't quite carry over. Not meant for prime time, really, so its a bit inconsistent. I post it only to show the detail thought that goes into finalizing a green design that works.
Only a few items cover aesthetics and playability items that most of you would consider "design". The other 50-75 are details that I (and I think most other architects in similar fashion) usually require design attention to create an attractive and fully functional green for maintenance, drainage, irrigation and path use.
Obviously, some are my subjective view that you may not agree with. Do all bunkers need to be visible? Do some architects stick owners with bunkers too steep to hold sand up, etc. And, many green sites do require compromise, and not all items can be worked out equally well. My experience really is not to break any of these rules too often, and not to make too many exceptions on any one green, or long term maintenance problems are sure to ensue.
In a quick review, I am sure there are items I missed, too!
GREEN DESIGN CHECK LIST
Each green design must accomplish ALL of the following:
Golf Playability
Must be adequate target from normal fairway landing zones, i.e. proper size, angle, opening, etc.
Must be different from every other green on course for variety
Should be different than other greens of same par
Must fit site comfortably
Set Green Elevation for Visibility from main landing zones
Green must slope up to back at least 1.3% to assist holding shots
Green must slope up to back as required for visibility
Air and Sunlight
Attain at least 4 hours of morning sun Clear trees to ultimate height on NE and E sides of green
Good Air Circulation cutting a slot, if necessary, to allow prevailing wind to find green.
If absolutely required, add fans (often a sign of bad design)
On West and North Side, design to save specimen trees (no grading under drip line)
Keep cart paths away from tree roots
Player Circulation
Must provide dry path of suitable width for
Players walking to green from fairway
Players walking to green from Cart Path
Players walking off green to next tee
Players walking off green to Cart Path
For all exit routes, circulation path should be forward, not back into line of play.
High traffic routes need adequate width to spread wear
Maintainability
All area must be mowable
Green Max 15%
Transition Slopes:
o Off Green Usually about 15%, gradually flattening out on to putting surface
o From Banks to Natural Ground (usually more gradual near tie in
o Tops of Mounds and Ridges Soft Enough to avoid scalping
Rough Banks 33% unless accepting weed whack
Fairway Banks About 20%, some turfs up to 22%
Greens Must have at least 900-1015 SF of Cup Space (usually sub 3%)
Must provide:
Access route for mowers on to greens
Ability to turn riding mowers off the green surface
Transition slopes that dont scalp
Irrigation - Irrigation heads located so:
no dry spots encountered
no wet spots encountered
Heavy Traffic Areas Get More Water than less trafficked areas
System designed to water all the way to proposed clearing line.
Drainage Grading, pipes and catch basins located so:
Set Green Elevation for good drainage
No upland water crosses green, except small backing mounds
less than half acre of upland water crosses cart parking zones
Drainage directed away from Heavy Traffic Areas
Greens surfaces require 2-3 directional drainage
Slopes and swales near green should be minimum of 3-4% (not 2-3%) to assure surface drainage.
Cart Path Location - Locate cart path so that:
Generally, path on slice side for maximum usage, if practical.
Follows shortest line/most natural path to next tee, for maximum usage
Widens to 10-12 feet as appropriate to accommodate parking, preferred on back half of green.
Place Curbs to Control Traffic
Parking zones shall be at least 40 foot long to disperse traffic to multiple exit points.
Locate Path to allow easy access from fairway to green cart path, spreading wear.
Is at least:
o 40 feet from green at back,
o 45 feet on left,
o 50 feet on right,
o 60 foot max anywhere (any further, and golfers pull off to get closer)
Main access area from path to green:
o Gradual and constant slope (sub 10%)
o Eliminate any mound, tree, or similar obstruction that concentrates traffic on either side.
o Wide enough to accommodate traffic (i.e., 2 feet wide per 1000 rounds of golf)
o Allow one ADA path from cart path to green (Max 5% slope, 2% cross slope)
Adjust cart path to, to pick up overland drainage outside of path, etc.
Better to use small basins off path or trench drains in path, than let water run on path to curb.
Constructability
Design and Elevation Set to:
o Balance cut and fill, where possible, or to minimize fills
o Prepare overall drainage plan before designing green grades.
Assure positive flow to critical outlet grade for tile into lakes/pipes.
Set lowest grade possible to attain adequate catch basin, minimum cover, adequate pipe size and gradient to nearest drain outlet.
For greens near bodies of water, set water levels, overflow points for dams
For greens in floodplain, lowest grade 1.5 feet above 100-year flood level
o Build path in cut or natural grade, not fills (i.e. a waste of dirt, needs compaction)
Finish Feature Design
o Green Surrounds Contours should take their cue from nature, i.e., the high side should be on the natural high side, low side on natural low side.
o Strive for Design Variety on green surface and green surrounds.
o Back/Top Edge of green looks better with rolling edge @ 10-20%.
Sand Bunker Design
o Check Vision from prime landing zones
o On cross section if designing on plan
o From Lowest Vision area of Landing Zone
o Top of Bunkers should:
Divert surface water from entering bunker
Minimize Vision Blocks to green surfaces beyond
Allow 6-9' feet outside green collar for mower turning
o Base grade is near natural grade, no large fills to base of sand bunker unless required to drain
o Reasonable Bunker Depth (usually 3-4 feet, but varies, needs to be considered considering public, private, etc.)
o Bunker Slopes:
Base slope of bunkers tilt 2-5% towards golfer for vision.
Back of bunker can flash up Maximum 25% for most sands
Maximum 12-18% if no liner to prevent erosion for most sands.
o If applicable to maintenance program, sand lobes allow turning bunker rake (typ.16-18)
o If applicable to maintenance program, turf lobes allow mower turning (typ.16-25)
o Variation for visual artistry:
o Top edge of each lobe different height
o Width, Shape of each lobe different.in elevation of the top edge of the bunker
o Each bunker should be different style, size, shape, etc. from others.
Mounding/Earth Forms Elevations
1. Generally, all should have different spacing and top elevation for naturalness, variety. Every green should have a different look in the surrounds.
2. Should Be Higher on Natural High Side of Green.
3. Should follow/relate to natural contours as much as new green angle, shape.
4. Adjust mounds and cart path so that a variety of mounding patterns may accrue while still maintaining access to greens.
5. Fills must die at path, no swales between cart path and green.
6. Make sure no mound over 3-4' in height drains on the green.
7. Fit design to available area. Avoid squeezing six pounds into a five pound bag. Adjust hazards/mound/earth forms to fit trees to save, etc.
8. Consider perimeter irrigation limit heads of greens or backup row of heads when grading mounds.
9. Exaggerate design. It always looks softer when finished.
10. Look at green to see if there is one thing that can be done better to enhance artistic concerns and then do it.
11. Consider entire range of bag of tricks
Anyway, after looking at the list of little things that must be done right to attain a functioning green, I guess I am more inclined to just keep calling it a green complex