Medaling Green Committees?

[Sean_A]

On another thread there is the Scooby Doo meddling deal going on.  Are there any examples of good stuff done by medaling green committees?

Ciao

[Ally Mcintosh]

Absolutely...

Although most of the good stuff I'm thinking about is relatively small.... Once you have a good driving force on a greens committee with a good eye for golf, you have to remember that he's known and loved his course for a lot longer than any blow-in architect... Quite often he's in one of the best positions to see small stuff that can be improved... Has to be the right guy though...

I'd be interested to hear of any big rerouting / redesign changes driven in-house that have been big improvements...

[Adrian_Stiff]

The work of green committees in my region has generally been poor when they have done it themselves. Perhaps it could be said that just my opinion and I am biased but the ones I have re-routed, built new greens etc dont seem to get as bad press. A couple of courses have really messed it up in most minds. Mendip golf club bought some new land added some new holes deleted others they did it themselves and made a good job, they had a very experienced head greenkeeper, but some of the others have been a bit embarrassing, sadly it gets expensive to do it all again. One of the problems I found working with committees is that they cherry pick ideas rather than using the whole and it does not always fit that way. One club I worked with were adament on not having an 11th coming back to clubhouse, presently it was the 10th, IMO they messed up a great opportunity and ended up with a lesser course and its a view shared by many, but at the end of the day the club make those calls and there were plenty that felt that a loop of 10 and 8 counted for a lot.

[Leo Barber]

Any good work by a "greens committee" as such has normally not truely been committee created but committee endorsed.  I know that is mincing words but it is really the responsibility and efforts of a good and knowledgable individual hopefully the Superintendent who reports directly to them, to drive change if and where needed utilisng the advice of any resources at his/her deposal, architects included.  Whats the old saying about a camel being the result of a committees attempt to design a horse or words to that effect........

[Adam Lawrence]

Simon Creagh Chapman, the long-time greens chairman at Walton Heath, is probably the key figure in the transformation of that course over the last ten years or so. He really gets it.

[Adrian_Stiff]

Adam - I think long-term is a key aspect of a successfull GC. When its two years on then off it can be disaster.

[James Boon]

I think Leo has already touched on this, but...

I'm still fairly new at my club, but I was very impressed when a couple of the first members I met were members of the greens committee and both were quick to tell me of their good work.

This good work turned out to be the realisation that though they had their own ideas, the best thing they could do would be to appoint the right professionals! Therefore the club has a consulting architect, consulting greenkeeper and has regular visits from the STRI, all who work closely with the head greenkeeper.

Cheers,

James

[Mark Pearce]

Ours are a disaster.  Bad enough planting trees last year.  This year they've allowed the construction of a revetted bunker on a heathland course.  Heathens.

[Adam Lawrence]

Plenty of revet at Walton Heath! There was lots at Sunningdale until the recent Hawtree-led renovations, too.

[BCrosby]

Deleted.

[Bill_McBride]

Simon Creagh Chapman, the long-time greens chairman at Walton Heath, is probably the key figure in the transformation of that course over the last ten years or so. He really gets it.

Played the Old there a month ago.  It was really in fantastic condition.   Greens seemed right at 10, fairways bouncy, heather under control.    Of course it looked like nothing had been done but all was well.    That really is a magnificent piece of land and it's cool that the two courses are almost intertwined.