[Jerry Kluger]

I was thinking about this with respect to the approaches to the greens at my home courses.  We have recently converted to Champion Bermuda greens which are very heavily watered but still remain firm and fast.  However, the approaches are also heavily watered which makes it very difficult to try and bump or run a shot up onto a green.  The conversion to these greens is getting more and more common because they can survive in the southern heat and humidity but the green complexes were designed with soft bent grass greens in mind so the type of shot needed to play into the greens has changed. 


Another maintenance area which sometimes leaves a bit to be desired is bunker sand just outside a bunker where a shot from there is extremely challenging as it is very difficult to determine what the turf is like under the ball.

[RJ_Daley]

Changing the ball washer water/soap???
I wonder what some of our GCM pros will say?  I always thought on lower budget courses, they seem to tend to have more damaged greens from oil leaks on the mowers.  Is it just sloppy, less careful operators?  Waiting to hear from some turf heads on this question.

[Alan FitzGerald CGCS MG]

I don't think there's an answer to this as it's all down to budget. Would you expect somewhere like Augusta to overlook something? If something is overlooked it generally is because the labor/budget to do it isn't there. A small course with one or two greenkeepers is going to have to overlook a lot just to get the basic maintenance completed.


Prioritizing the maintenance in line with budget is the key and identifying what is important and working back from there. The real issue is when some one is doing something like polishing sprinkler heads when the greens are crap....

[John Kavanaugh]

The placement of tee markers. No one wants to eat an ugly cake.

[Thomas Dai]

Lack of thatch removal and related practices (or maybe reduction of things that cause thatch build-up). Lack of chainsaw use (especially in relation to self-seeding foliage). Lack of, where circumstances would otherwise permit, the use of animals to cut most of the grass.
No blame attached to greenkeepers though. It can’t be easy to fight off pretty much constant pressure from god-is-green, manicured and soft are good and animal droppings aren’t from committees/members/owners/TV etc.
Atb

[Lou_Duran]

What Jerry says- firm greens with very soft, soggy entries.


But my biggest pet peeve: thoughtless course setup which seems to fall to the member of the maintenance staff with the lowest golf IQ.


Close behind the first two, flashing up 2-4" of sand up the bunker slopes.  I know, bunkers are supposed to be hazards.   

[Tommy Williamsen]

Fairway aeration. Members generally hate it because it can take a while for the fairways to heal, especially here in the mid-atlantic states. It sure makes a difference though for drainage and playability.

[Jerry Kluger]

Tommy: I think the fairway aeration goes along with aeration of the approaches.  But the approaches need to be done more often because they get so much watering from the green watering. It was told to me that bermuda grass approaches should be aerated and top dressed as often and at the same time that bermuda greens are aerated and top dressed.

[Greg Chambers]

Changing the ball washer water/soap???
I wonder what some of our GCM pros will say?  I always thought on lower budget courses, they seem to tend to have more damaged greens from oil leaks on the mowers.  Is it just sloppy, less careful operators?  Waiting to hear from some turf heads on this question.

Not likely.

[ward peyronnin]

Keeping the nice white hole rim surround painted?

[Jerry Kluger]

Ward: Believe it or not painting the inside of the cups when looked at from the cost perspective is expensive.  Yes, I was a member of a club that operated on a very strict budget and the greens superintendent told us the cost of the paint plus the labor was significant enough to matter. 


For some reason the edges on the holes on champion bermuda greens are very susceptible to damage, especially a glancing blow by a flagstick so my club, as well as others in the area, are inserting thin white plastic rims to protect the edges and it not only protects the edges but also gives the look that painting the edges does.

[Dan Herrmann]

Drainage is often overlooked, mostly because it's expensive.   Rebuilding drainage is something that would likely have to be redone periodically, but it can involve a fair amount of digging and a whole lot of $$$.

[Kalen Braley]

What Jerry says- firm greens with very soft, soggy entries.
 

As much as I hesitate to suggest this, it seems intentionally doing this at Tour venues that want to keep scores in check would be a good, cheap tactic, especially on those long par 4s. ...as opposed to growing the roughs out in advance.

[V. Kmetz]

Collateral irrigation on bunkers and surrounds... produces disparate conditions in the same bunker, as well as overgrowth on the oft-unplayable "beards" and hanging slopes into them.


Most of this concerns the total efforts with regard to the bunkers, failing to appreciate which and what type of bunkers get how much sun at what time of the day.


cheers   vk

[Lou_Duran]

What Jerry says- firm greens with very soft, soggy entries.
 

As much as I hesitate to suggest this, it seems intentionally doing this at Tour venues that want to keep scores in check would be a good, cheap tactic, especially on those long par 4s. ...as opposed to growing the roughs out in advance.

It doesn't hurt the pros because they can launch the ball and seldom take a chance on bouncing it into a hole location.  It hurts most people like me who can't hit the ball far and need to reach the long par 4s along the ground, often with a hooded 4-iron or hybrids and fairway woods.  Ultra-firm greens with tight hole locations, narrow fairways and high rough are the only controllable means to drive up the scores of the best players.


On drainage, it is crucial, but I see it more of an architectural and construction issue than one of maintenance.  Short of $$$$$, I think that most superintendents are pretty much stuck with the system they get.  Catch basins may allow designers to build attractive rolling fairways on otherwise flat ground, but the golfers and the maintenance staff are the ones who end up dealing with poor playing conditions.  I don't know that the trade-off is worth it. 

[ward peyronnin]

You are right on JK. That is why I carry an extra wide white sharpie in my bag so I can help the greens crew out.

[Don Mahaffey]

Daily set up


Traffic control


Relieving compaction in high traffic areas


Irrigation management based on empirical data - course wide, not just the greens

[Sean_A]

Daily set up

Traffic control

Relieving compaction in high traffic areas

+1


Ciao

[Tommy Williamsen]

Maybe the most obvious overlooked maintenance issue is repairing ball marks. I try to repair at least two on every green.

[Ian Mackenzie]

Tree trimming.
No, not tree removal or "remediation" .


I mean trimming the existing trees:


- cleaning their trunks of new sprouting branches
- doing a "high cut" to avoid drooping/sagging/low branches that 1) obstruct light 2) interfere with lawnmowers and 3) create unscripted obstacles for average golfers.


So many courses tend to rely on the "local tree guy" to come do it.
Here in Chicago it's a firm called Nils Johnson. They have a monopoly...;-)


Why not send two maintenance guys to tree school, buy some gear and do the work in-house?

[Jeff_Brauer]

Tree trimming.
No, not tree removal or "remediation" .


I mean trimming the existing trees:


- cleaning their trunks of new sprouting branches
- doing a "high cut" to avoid drooping/sagging/low branches that 1) obstruct light 2) interfere with lawnmowers and 3) create unscripted obstacles for average golfers.


So many courses tend to rely on the "local tree guy" to come do it.
Here in Chicago it's a firm called Nils Johnson. They have a monopoly...;-)


Why not send two maintenance guys to tree school, but some gear and do the work in-house?

I would put long term tree management in the running, too.  Many older trees aren't as healthy as they are attractive at the moment.  Planning on replacement - or a plan to enhance design if removed, rarely happens.

[Kyle Harris]

Tree trimming.
No, not tree removal or "remediation" .


I mean trimming the existing trees:


- cleaning their trunks of new sprouting branches
- doing a "high cut" to avoid drooping/sagging/low branches that 1) obstruct light 2) interfere with lawnmowers and 3) create unscripted obstacles for average golfers.


So many courses tend to rely on the "local tree guy" to come do it.
Here in Chicago it's a firm called Nils Johnson. They have a monopoly...;-)


Why not send two maintenance guys to tree school, buy some gear and do the work in-house?

As perhaps evidenced by this post:


Opportunity Cost


(Though many upper end courses do this very thing!)

[Thomas Dai]

Spotted a cool line about tree work on social media - “conservation is not always about preservation”
Atb

[Mike_Young]

Simplicity is the most overlooked type of maintenance.

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