The Lido Course Profile Now Live!

[John Challenger]

Thomas Dai, In regard to playing low. In 1902, John Low was the leader of the traditionalists on the R& A Rules Committee who wanted to ban the new Haskell ball in part because it made lofting the ball so much easier. He felt that the game would become less interesting possibly forever...and he was right.

After WW2, playing "high" became so easy that at most courses, Greens Committees realized the shape and form of the fairway ground really didn't matter much, so they flattened out the fairways and removed the cross-bunkers. It was less expensive to mow the grass. The small- and medium-sized undulations and intervening hazards were mostly irrelevant other than for visual curiosity. Hazards were only needed for green surrounds and tee shot landing areas. Today, high arcing shots are still the norm except around the green.

In recent years, more golf courses have upgraded their green complexes with short grass and undulations to spark creativity and thought. The new greens require players to develop a variety of short-game skill shots. Maybe it's time to extend the thinking to fairways and to make them matter, but then again, people would have to play low and the ground would have to be firm.

[Thomas Dai]

Fair points John. Interesting comment as what John Lows position was back many a decade ago. A position that has considerable merit.
The expansion in the use of irrigation firstly putting surfaces, then fairways/approaches has contributed significantly to the ease in playing the aerial game as well. Many a U.K. links and/or heathland course has changed radically since fairway/approach irrigation has been introduced and not for the better imo.
The era of bare fairways and players putting from way off the green Texas wedge style or of some players playing long distance chip-n-runs or even having a specialist short game club like a jigger or equivalent in the bag (my mother carried and extensively used a ‘Chipper’ from off the green to great effect) passed by a long time ago*.
Not sure about flattening fairways after WW2. Not in the U.K. at least. Not a lot of money around for that kind of work during that time period although filling-in bunkers was pretty common and many bunkers were also lost as lack of money meant less staff so trees and scrub were allowed to expand and cover them. Something that has fortunately been reversed at some courses recently where high profile renovations/restorations have been undertaken.
The trend for more short grass around greens on inland courses has become a bit more prevalent in the U.K. over the last few years but it’s not spend like wildfire. Would be nice if it did and if fairways in general were expanded considerably too. Green still seems to be God in the U.K. especially when it comes to inland/parkland golf.
Firm and fast and bouncy on free draining terrain combined with width and contour for choice.
Atb


* despite some club manufactures trying to make some £$ by reintroducing Chippers recently.