Irrigated approaches

[Thomas Dai]

From a while ago - https://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,56292.0.html - including a nice
line from the Green-Ink user - “There really is a long distance to go from brown to dead.”
Atb

[Kyle Harris]

From a while ago - https://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,56292.0.html - including a nice
line from the Green-Ink user - “There really is a long distance to go from brown to dead.”
Atb

This is site dependent.


There are sites where this line is hours, not days. I’m rather familiar with one of them.

[Tom Bacsanyi]

On the other hand, there isn't a long distance to go from brown to dead on bent grass surfaces. 

There really is a long distance to go from brown to dead.

I haven't watered my lawn in years and years and it remains alive and well in stressful times because it's used to not getting water.

Now, I realize that my lawn isn't cut to tight fairway height, but, I also recall when a club my dad belonged to didn't irrigate fairways, only tees and greens, and the grass survived quite well.

Grass that's yellowish/brownish/greenish produces good to great playing surfaces.

Grass doesn't have to be maintained on the edge.

But, you just can't go from lush green conditions to yellowish/brownish/greenish conditions.

It's a process, a long term and expensive process.

But, in order to do so, the will of the membership has to be behind ideal playing conditions rather than the "look"Sometimes the USGA does overs tress greens and the membership has to be patient while the course heals.

I think Mother Nature played far more of a role in conditions in Omaha than the USGA

You are going to point to above from the Green Font of Death discussing his LAWN as supporting evidence? In opposition to direct feedback from two actual greenkeepers? I think you might have left logic and reason in your golf bag out in the garage, best to retrieve them.

[Thomas Dai]

Thank you for your kind and generous words Tom!
May I politely suggest that you and others re-read my first post of yesterday.
If you do you will see that I quite specifically refer to GB, repeat GB, heathland (and links) courses.
My highlighting of the Greeninkers line is because I feel it also happens to sum-up the situation GB heathland (and links) courses have evolved into over the last few years. The cross-reference to the old thread is there to see what others posting herein were thinking a few years ago.

Atb

[Tom Bacsanyi]

Thank you for your kind and generous words Tom!
May I politely suggest that you and others re-read my first post of yesterday.
If you do you will see that I quite specifically refer to GB, repeat GB, heathland (and links) courses.
My highlighting of the Greeninkers line is because I feel it also happens to sum-up the situation GB heathland (and links) courses have evolved into over the last few years. The cross-reference to the old thread is there to see what others posting herein were thinking a few years ago.

Atb

All good Thomas! My initial response was in reference to GB and I. To reiterate briefly, I believe that climate change will make irrigation a necessity on all closely mown turfs worldwide (it already is in most places). Either that, or you'll be playing on dirt where there is no irrigation. Even in the UK and other such climates. Apologies if that was unclear. I also want to reiterate that just because an area is covered by irrigation does not mean it need be soft. The system (for the most part) does what you tell it to. You tell it to water here but not there, and it usually dutifully responds. Similarly, an approach area sees enough traffic so that an unirrigated surface could show significant wear and tear. And by wear and tear I mean dirt, not just brown grass. Non-grass. Ex-grass (to paraphrase Monty Python's parrot routine).


I'll also add that I want what you want. Firm, fast, bouncy (a word that is not used enough), etc. I'll also add that irrigation sucks. There is a reason that you only have to change one letter to form irritation. It's the number 2 PITA in our industry behind golfers. I would also add that I am fine with dormant turf. It's awesome! What golfers really don't like is turf that is stressed to the point of loss of leaf tissue aka visible voids of exposed dirt. To ward this off irrigation is usually required.

[Thomas Dai]

Thanks for the clarification Tom. It’s a shame that the traditional and to me more interesting and more fun way of playing heathland (and links) golf has developed over the last few years but that’s evolution I guess. Not sure where water in general is going to come from for more let alone continued golf course irrigation though especially given how demand over the past couple of decades for water has increased in GB with population growth, infrastructure, crop growing etc, all of which usually come higher on the priority scale than our favoured ball, stick and hole game.
Atb

[Duncan Cheslett]

Silloth on Solway recently installed a whole new irrigation system, and for the first time fairways and approaches are covered.


I had my worries that the temptation might be to put more water on the course simply because it was now possible and that the firm and fast conditions I joined a links club for might be compromised.


My fears were completely unfounded. On a visit in August after a month of dry weather the fairways were as brown as an oak table top! On a subsequent visit last week they were a little greener - but only because we’d had weeks of rain.


Fairway irrigation is desirable because it gives the greenkeeper a degree of control. In a prolonged drought the fairways could otherwise be lost, particularly with the heavy play a busy course like Silloth takes. Just because the greenkeeper has irrigation in his toolbox however, doesn’t mean he’s got to use it!

[Adam Lawrence]

Silloth on Solway recently installed a whole new irrigation system, and for the first time fairways and approaches are covered.


I had my worries that the temptation might be to put more water on the course simply because it was now possible and that the firm and fast conditions I joined a links club for might be compromised.


My fears were completely unfounded. On a visit in August after a month of dry weather the fairways were as brown as an oak table top! On a subsequent visit last week they were a little greener - but only because we’d had weeks of rain.


Fairway irrigation is desirable because it gives the greenkeeper a degree of control. In a prolonged drought the fairways could otherwise be lost, particularly with the heavy play a busy course like Silloth takes. Just because the greenkeeper has got irrigation in his toolbox though, doesn’t mean he’s got to use it!

He doesn't have to use it, but the temptation to do so is strong. It takes a pretty single-minded greenkeeper and good backing from the club to let the course brown out when he could green it up just by pressing a button.

[Thomas Dai]

He doesn't have to use it, but the temptation to do so is strong. It takes a pretty single-minded greenkeeper and good backing from the club to let the course brown out when he could green it up just by pressing a button.

+1
I can hear the moaning howls from the course-must-be-green butcher, baker and candlestick-maker members “We’ve spent all this money and he’s not using the irrigation system. He’s clueless. Sack him.”
And if he/she has been using it a lot then similarly a few years down the line when softness and thatch etc have appeared and needs treating I can hear the same folks saying “Why’s he punching holes in all our fairways and tees and approaches and greens and filling them full off sand? He’s clueless. Sack him”.
Atb

[Kalen Braley]

I wonder how many experienced supers or greens keepers have gone across the pond for a new job and faced the shock of:

"You're just going to let all that shit go?"

or

"You guys really want to do all that extra work?


 

[Adam Lawrence]

I wonder how many experienced supers or greens keepers have gone across the pond for a new job and faced the shock of:

"You're just going to let all that shit go?"

or

"You guys really want to do all that extra work?


 

I don't think there are that many who move from one continent to another. A few, but not a lot.