Downside of Firm, Brown, and Fast?

[Richard Choi]

I had a lot of time to think and ponder during my recent 6 hour round at Chambers Bay

One of the things I noticed was that CB is firm, brown, and fast like a good links course should be. However, the course is innundated with divots and I wonder what is the best way to address this issue.

When you take a swing at CB and take a divot, because of its firmness, it is not very deep and because it is dry, the grass just falls apart - there really isn't any divot to speak of.

And since they are keeping the course dry, it looks like the grass is not growing back very fast. This is a real problem in collection areas as there are hardly any grass left in some places.

What is the normal approach for regrowing divot spots on firm, brown, and fast courses? How much longer does it take to grow back the divot spot?

[Bob_Huntley]

Richard,

At MPCC, each member is requested to take with him either on a golf cart or trolley, a cannister of seed/sand /soil to fill the gouge of the divot. We found that even if one could find decent piece of grass to repair the scar, the crows would come along and dig them out to get at any grubs in the soil.

It works.

Bob

[Jed Peters]

Richard,

At MPCC, each member is requested to take with him either on a golf cart or trolley, a cannister of seed/sand /soil to fill the gouge of the divot. We found that even if one could find decent piece of grass to repair the scar, the crows would come along and dig them out to get at any grubs in the soil.

It works.

Bob

Bob, I like the fact that there is different seed for each course too....that was pretty cool.

[Richard Choi]

What do you do when it is a strict walking only course like Chambers Bay? Most people I saw were carrying their bags, not that many using pull carts.

I don't really want to carry a seed cannister on top of my bags...

And also, doesn't new grass requires a lot of water to grow? How do you do that when you have a "brown" condition?

[PThomas]

6 hours???  they should give you a partial refund if it takes that long and its not your fault

[Daryl David]

Sounds like they have not addressed the slow play issue yet.  When it was raised a year ago the excuse was that the course was new and the staff was shaking the bugs out. 

As for the divots in low areas where balls collect; welcome to links type golf.  That is part of the game.  When you find your perfect tee shot in a nice hole just say to yourself in your best Scottish accent: "Aye, it's a pity".

[Ken Moum]

Sounds like they have not addressed the slow play issue yet.  When it was raised a year ago the excuse was that the course was new and the staff was shaking the bugs out. 

As for the divots in low areas where balls collect; welcome to links type golf.  That is part of the game.  When you find your perfect tee shot in a nice hole just say to yourself in your best Scottish accent: "Aye, it's a pity".

I think you misspelled the second word in that quote.

How about,  "Aye, 'tis a pity."

 

[Patrick_Mucci]

Richard Choi,

Many courses, at the end of the day, have their crew undertake the task Bob Huntley refered to.

[Wayne_Freedman]

Six hours? Nothing firm or fast about six hours on any course. That's a death march, not a round of golf.

Click the slow play video on the front page of today's NYT on line.

http://www.nytimes.com/