Designing for fast and firm - how would you do it ?

[Niall C]

There is a school of thought that goes that with climate change and an increasing shortage of resources that many courses will have to use less water. Courses will be browner and a lot of instances play faster and firmer.


I imagine that would apply to new courses as well as existing courses, so my question is how would architects design for fast and firm  as opposed to "normal" conditions ?


Niall

[Joe Hancock]

Niall,


Do you really mean *designing* for fast and firm, or *constructing* for fast and firm?


If designing for fast and firm, I would think one would design less features that funnel or direct traffic, whether it be foot or cart or maintenance. By spreading out all traffic, the need for irrigation and other inputs is reduced.


If constructing for firm and fast, you need to focus on surface and subterranean drainage.


There’s probably a lot more to this, but this ought to help the conversation.[size=78%] [/size]

[Ian Mackenzie]

1. Wider fairways


2. Allow run-ups in front of greens


3. Make courses with options for length.


4. Cut fairways into FW bunkers


5. Less focus on rough, more focus on playing angles.


Go visit Sand Valley , Niall, they've done just that....;-)

[Niall C]

Joe


Apologies, wasn't specific. I was thinking more about strategy stuff that us amateur enthusiasts get excited about rather than the nuts and bolts of the design, although interested to hear about the practical civil engineering issues as well.


Niall

[Joe Hancock]

Niall,


No apology needed. It’s an interesting question because, depending on which school of thought pops into ones mind, it’s a matter of less is more vs. more is more. Either way, the path to fast and firm via less inputs is a choice that has to be made and stay the course.

[Thomas Dai]

In the first instance select a free draining site.
If not free draining then install drainage, drainage, drainage and more drainage.
And have no trees or scrub as the roots block the drainage and the shade and lack of air movement prevents the influence of a drying sun and wind as does longer grass so none of it either.
Be sparing with irrigation.
That’ll do for starters.
Good luck.
Atb

[Niall C]

David


I clearly made a bad job of framing my question; basically the fast and firm part is a given in that you don't need to worry how you get it but rather what your design looks like with fast and firm conditions. For instance, would it make a difference in your green design or how you placed your hazards, or even the shape of your fairways ?


Niall

[Mike Hendren]

The Captain would have fairways extend beyond the green, an under-utilized feature that accommodates bold play.

[John Emerson]

There is a school of thought that goes that with climate change and an increasing shortage of resources that many courses will have to use less water. Courses will be browner and a lot of instances play faster and firmer.


I imagine that would apply to new courses as well as existing courses, so my question is how would architects design for fast and firm  as opposed to "normal" conditions ?


Niall

Would no rough be a valid answer? That would seem to undoubtedly speed up the course just by eliminating anything one would consider rough right? Everything the same height

[Carl Johnson]

My club, which is a "Ross," is making some changes to the fairway cuts, making them narrower and "less linear" as I understand it.  According to the Green Committee Chair, "consistent cultural practices will, indeed, make the greens and fairways firmer and faster and as a result, the course will demand more skill and strategy . . . ."  Frankly, I'm at a loss to understand the latter quote and how it ties in with the narrowing and less linearity, but I hope to be meeting with Chair for a face to face discussion.  In the meantime, I'd agree 100% with Ian Mackenzie, above.

[Mike Nuzzo]

fewer water hazards so the ball stays in play no matter how far it rolls
green hole locations that strongly favor playing from a specific spot in a fairway that is a challenge to find - physically or mentally

[Ally Mcintosh]

Many of you are clearly designing for firm and fast on a huge site. We don’t have too many of them in GB&I. And even if we did, is a large scale course always the right answer?

[Kyle Harris]

Micro contours that shunt a slight miss into a spot of bother that is farther away than the slight miss.

That's all.