Striped Naturalized Areas- Is that a thing?

[Joe Hancock]

I watched just enough of the St. Jude/ FedEx and saw the topic at hand for the first time. Is there a reason, apart from TV aesthetics, to spend time doing this? Is it being done at non-televised courses around the country or elsewhere?

Speculative, logical reasons:

1) It makes balls easier to find
2) Weed control
3) Person on rough mower suffered a medical emergency and thought he/ she was on a green


My cynical guess is someone deemed the vegetation that stands a foot higher than the surrounding turf isn't enough contrast, and could be prettier.

[Marty Bonnar]

That's so weird that you should be thinking of asking the same question as I was!


I'm thinking it must be silage season in Tennessee - either that or those areas are where the Super was cultivating his personal crop of Sensimilla!!!


 


Cheers,
F.

[Eric Smith]

Found this 2013 interview with the super there:

"This is a warm-season grass climate,” he says. “But we treat the fine fescue plantings as natural areas. We’ve let it grow up tall and kept the seedheads, which is a nice look. Most of the time, we mow it a few times a year to keep it around eight to 12 inches. I call it a managed native area.”

http://www.golfcourseindustry.com/article/gci0513-tpc-southwind-fine-fescue/

[Joe Hancock]

Found this 2013 interview with the super there:

"This is a warm-season grass climate,” he says. “But we treat the fine fescue plantings as natural areas. We’ve let it grow up tall and kept the seedheads, which is a nice look. Most of the time, we mow it a few times a year to keep it around eight to 12 inches. I call it a managed native area.”

http://www.golfcourseindustry.com/article/gci0513-tpc-southwind-fine-fescue/

Well, "...keep it around 8 to 12 inches." is a reason. I've seen naturalized areas after mowing, and the stripes are never that pronounced, let alone lined up perfectly with TV camera angles....

All "native areas"(not native at all in this case) on golf courses are managed to some extent.