Longer length fairway grass?

[Dan Herrmann]

Back about 15 years ago, I officiated high school football in Oregon.  One of the interesting things teams would do is cut their field's grass to whatever height suited their game.  A fast team with a lot of passing would typically cut their field like a Merion fairway - firm and fast.  A team that wanted to slow down the opposition would often let their field grow to 3" or 4" height.  Some devious coaches would even go so far as to put a lot of water down.

We all talk about the desire to shorten the ball.  Could the USGA (let's talk their championships) "solve" the problem by just letting fairway grass grow a bit higher?     Or even slog down the fairways? 

(or, is this a silly idea?   )

[Jeff Doerr]

Didn't Notre Dame do that to USC a few years ago?

I say no...let's mow the grass short with slopes that feed into bunkers or sketchy natural areas.

[TEPaul]

Dan:

That is an idea that William Flynn actually recommended in the late 1920s in the USGA's Green Section Bulletin, at least in the tee shot LZs but definitely not in the open approaches to greens.

Furthermore, the very reason he suggested it in the tee shot LZs was to slow down the run and distance of the golf ball.

[Joe Hancock]

It's not a silly idea when coupled with the proper non-irrigation regime......

Joe

[TEPaul]

It's not a silly idea when coupled with the proper non-irrigation regime......  "


Joe:

Let me clarify what I said about what Flynn said in the 1920s in the USGA Green Section Bulletin. I do not believe he said the grass in the tee shot LZs should be kept longer; I believe he said those LZ areas should be irrigated more for the purpose of reducing the distance the golf ball could travel.

I beleive he said that in the same article in which he said if the USGA did not limit the distance the golf ball could travel that architects would need to build 8,000 yard golf courses!

[Jason Topp]

I recall reading that Merion left the grass longer in the fairways the year David Graham won the US Open (1981?) in order to prevent low scoring and induce some fliers from the fairway.  Does anyone know whether that happened?