Help needed regarding chipping areas

[Grant Saunders]

At our club, we currently have generous sized green surrounds and a number of chipping areas that add both strategically and contribute to an enhanced playing experience for golfers of all abilities.

There is some feedback and a push (not surprisingly form lower handicaps) that the surrounds size should be reduced as there is a perception that higher handicappers are being placated by giving them the option of a putter from off the green.

In an effort to try and educate those that are striving for the change, I am looking to be pointed to any well written articles or other literature produced to help sway their mind. While Im sure many well written pieces exist in books, online linked articles by current respected architects are probably more helpful for now. Examples of high profile courses with large surrounds are also useful but not those with enormous budgets (Augusta) as they can easily be dismissed as a resource issue.

Thanks

[Mike Bodo]

Do you have photos you can post of some of these greens as examples?

[Tom_Doak]

Grant:


I don't know that I've written anything on the subject directly.  I did write an essay on "short grass as a hazard," which pointed out that chipping areas can also take marginal shots AWAY from the greens, leading to more difficult recoveries ... I think you can still find that on our web site if you dig around a bit.  But it may or may not be applicable to your course.


The examples you should really use are the UK links and the Sand Belt courses of Australia, nearly all of which [from St. Andrews to Troon to Royal Melbourne] have a lot of short grass around the greens, and pretty much never have rough coming up to the putting surface.

[Bill Brightly]

Tom's essay Short Grass as a Hazard:


http://www.renaissancegolf.com/selected_essays/the_best_hazard_in_golf/

[Jeff_Brauer]

Grant,


I believe there would have to be several articles or quotes from Tour Players who seem to embrace the addition of those chipping areas when introduced on tour. Should steer them away from it being a "make it easier" thing, to a variety of challenges thing.

[Ian Mackenzie]

Grant -


You are illustrating, and personifying, why it is rather prudcent to hire a professional and well-respected golf course architect to guide you through these decisions.


We are doing some expansions and they are all a part of a master plan and startegy done by a GCA.
In at least three cases, the addition of short grass will present more challenges:


1. Our 3rd hole: Par 4, 450 yards. Green sloped from left to right significantly. if you miss right, the ball is stopped by the rough today and presents the player with a rather benign, short uphill chip from just a few yards off the green. With the edition of short grass, that same miss will produce a 15-25 yard chip. Easier? Perhaps not.


2. Our 5th hole: Par 4, 400 yards. Two tiered green with rough (our course has no aprons) around the green and a gentle fall off of 4 feet behind the green. When a player misses long, the ball stops in the rough before the slope and presents a very easy revovery. The addition of short grass will see that ball release down the slope giving the player a 10-15 yard chip over up to the putting surface. Easier? Perhaps not.


3. Our 10th hole: Par 4, 440 yards. Downhill tee shot and approach to a very flat green. Lots of players have a 190-210 second shot that comes in low, flat and sometimes hot. With rough surrounding the green, the ball stops quickly and makes recovery easier. We intend to add a grass run-off for another 15 or so yards the way William Flynn drew it up. That smae miss will then go over the green and make for a more delicate shot to try to save par.


You get the point.


Get a GCA involved and have some fun!

[Ian Andrew]

There is some feedback and a push (not surprisingly form lower handicaps) that the surrounds size should be reduced as there is a perception that higher handicappers are being placated by giving them the option of a putter from off the green

Hi Grant,

Using bluegrass surrounding  a green contains the ball. Essentially providing a sort of safety net where a near miss is often a pretty makeable recovery shot unless your dealing with thicker or very inconsistent rough. However, if the  green surrounds are closely mown, the near miss can be propelled well away  from the green. What makes this worse for the better player is that ball is more often than not going to be beyond the pin leaving a really delicate recovery shot (and now potentially from a tight lie). There will potentially have more trouble scoring .... good

Your better players are finding their misses are much worse than before. Bringing in the lines will contain there shots and provide them with rough to play a more comfortable flop shot if long.

In contrast the high handicap is less likely to be long, more likely to try putting and probably feeling a hell of lot better about themselves with the short turf.

The fact that a low player doesn't like this means there is money changing hands.

So consider this thought ... a better player wants it easier "for them" and harder for a "weaker players." There is no instance in golf architecture where that would EVER be my goal.




My2C