Public Perception of Brown

[Brandon Urban]

I saw this on Twitter this afternoon. I know we've talked about this before, but using "ugly" and "cowtown" seem pretty harsh.
Personally I thought Omaha Country Club has looked great on TV, but I guess we on this site truly are in the minority. Any reports from on the ground about conditions?

[BHoover]

I can't speak to the conditions on the ground as I wasn't anywhere near Omaha. However, I thought the course looked beautifully brown.

Unfortunately, the general opinion is that green is better than brown. We here are most definitely in the minority.

[Brandon Urban]

The best part was the ensuing conversation. We sent messages back and forth and he lamented that "we see lush and green golf courses on TV every week" so the showing by OCC was a "failure". I tried to talk with him about brown, firm and fast, etc, but he wanted none of it.

[BHoover]

The best part was the ensuing conversation. We sent messages back and forth and he lamented that "we see lush and green golf courses on TV every week" so the showing by OCC was a "failure". I tried to talk with him about brown, firm and fast, etc, but he wanted none of it.

This is one of the biggest problems with golf in the USA. The public is obsessed with water, whether in the form of lush green grass or waterfalls or whatever. It's the Augusta syndrome. Unfortunately, those of us who favor playability over conditioning and aesthetics are outnumbered. 

If brown is a "failure" then I guess all those courses in Scotland, England, the Australian Sandbelt and Bandon are failures.

[William_G]

stupid humans

[Mac Plumart]

Stupid is as stupid does

[Patrick_Mucci]

It probably represents a lack of understanding regarding the best playing surfaces.

What's also lost on many is that PGA Tour courses prep for play for just one week a year, whereas other courses prep for the season without an infusion of $ to have them peak for just one week.

[Brandon Urban]

It probably represents a lack of understanding regarding the best playing surfaces.

What's also lost on many is that PGA Tour courses prep for play for just one week a year, whereas other courses prep for the season without an infusion of $ to have them peak for just one week.

Patrick,

I completely agree. My biggest issue is that when someone tries to "educate" them, it falls completely on deaf ears.
The Augusta Syndrome has done irreparable harm to US golf.

[Tommy Williamsen]

On the other hand, there isn't a long distance to go from brown to dead on bent grass surfaces.  Sometimes the USGA does overs tress greens and the membership has to be patient while the course heals.

[Tim Martin]

I thought OCC looked great on TV but is it really a surprise that the public perception of anything other than green is undesirable? We are most certainly in the minority when it comes to brown/f&f.

[Tom Fagerli]

I played Dormie last week and due to the monsoons of late it was all pretty green and no fun. I will go back next when we have a drought.

[Patrick_Mucci]

On the other hand, there isn't a long distance to go from brown to dead on bent grass surfaces. 


There really is a long distance to go from brown to dead.

I haven't watered my lawn in years and years and it remains alive and well in stressful times because it's used to not getting water.

Now, I realize that my lawn isn't cut to tight fairway height, but, I also recall when a club my dad belonged to didn't irrigate fairways, only tees and greens, and the grass survived quite well.

Grass that's yellowish/brownish/greenish produces good to great playing surfaces.

Grass doesn't have to be maintained on the edge.

But, you just can't go from lush green conditions to yellowish/brownish/greenish conditions.

It's a process, a long term and expensive process.

But, in order to do so, the will of the membership has to be behind ideal playing conditions rather than the "look"

Sometimes the USGA does overs tress greens and the membership has to be patient while the course heals.

I think Mother Nature played far more of a role in conditions in Omaha than the USGA

[BHoover]

On the other hand, there isn't a long distance to go from brown to dead on bent grass surfaces. 


There really is a long distance to go from brown to dead.

I haven't watered my lawn in years and years and it remains alive and well in stressful times because it's used to not getting water.

Now, I realize that my lawn isn't cut to tight fairway height, but, I also recall when a club my dad belonged to didn't irrigate fairways, only tees and greens, and the grass survived quite well.

Grass that's yellowish/brownish/greenish produces good to great playing surfaces.

Grass doesn't have to be maintained on the edge.

But, you just can't go from lush green conditions to yellowish/brownish/greenish conditions.

It's a process, a long term and expensive process.

But, in order to do so, the will of the membership has to be behind ideal playing conditions rather than the "look"

Sometimes the USGA does overs tress greens and the membership has to be patient while the course heals.

I think Mother Nature played far more of a role in conditions in Omaha than the USGA

Truth

[Sam Morrow]

Who is Greg Hall?

[Brandon Urban]

Who is Greg Hall?

Just a local KC sports columnist... he's not a big deal, but he definitely represents the golfing public. If I get a chance I will post the rest of our conversation. I think his responses are a perfect illustration of this discussion group's definition of the stereotypical retail golfer.

[Sam Morrow]

Who is Greg Hall?

Just a local KC sports columnist... he's not a big deal, but he definitely represents the golfing public. If I get a chance I will post the rest of our conversation. I think his responses are a perfect illustration of this discussion group's definition of the stereotypical retail golfer.

The other day a friend of mine forwarded me a link to a topic on Tigerdroppings.com, people in New Orleans are jazzed that Rees Jones  is doing a new course at Audobon Park and they will push for an Open, the comments on the great courses Jones does were comical. At the end of the day it's another reminder that folks like us are the exception and not the norm.

[Thomas Dai]

Brian has a nice line above when he states - "If brown is a failure then I guess all those courses in Scotland, England, the Australian Sandbelt and Bandon are failures."

From a UK perspective, regrettably the 'green is great, brown is bad' approach applies over here as well.

Courses watered when they shouldn't necessarily be simply to make them look like the ones on TV. For 20 or so years we in the UK have been able to access full coverage of US tour golf over here via Sky and while it's nice to see it has IMO certainly furthered the 'green is great, brown is bad' approach to course preparation. Yes the so-called Augusta syndrome which has been debated on GCA often.

Obviously different parts of the globe have different needs and requirements if golf is to be played on grass. Water use certainly has it's place, but overwatering ain't good.

There have always fortunately been some enlightened courses, and some once less-enlightened have changed their methodology. Some courses accidentally 'benefit' from having no money for formal irrigation, some accidentally 'benefit' from not being able to extract too much water under their abstraction regulations. Recently 'firm and fast' golf, as highlighted by Fine Golf, has started to become more prominent - some courses even advertise their following of this approach on their websites. It's been mentioned on GCA before, but if you haven't seen it the Fine Golf website is certainly worth a look - http://www.finegolf.co.uk/

All the best

[Terry Lavin]

Omaha looked great. The bent/poa greens may have been off-putting to the uninitiated, but the green/brown/beige/purple is a look to achieve, even if it's sometimes dicey to maintain with high heat and humidity in the Midwest.

[John Kavanaugh]

Once again this site talks out of both sides of its mouth.  Omaha CC is a rare course that exhibits and exudes strategy over artistry and yet stays hidden on everyones ranking lists.  It was so refreshing to see bunkers for bunkers sake instead of lace on an ugly duckling.  Can't wait for another tournament in Boston to hear the same ole, same ole's come out and tell us where true beauty lays.

[Joe Bausch]

What can brown do for you?

 

[Lou_Duran]

Who is Greg Hall?

Just a local KC sports columnist... he's not a big deal, but he definitely represents the golfing public. If I get a chance I will post the rest of our conversation. I think his responses are a perfect illustration of this discussion group's definition of the stereotypical retail golfer.

The other day a friend of mine forwarded me a link to a topic on Tigerdroppings.com, people in New Orleans are jazzed that Rees Jones  is doing a new course at Audobon Park and they will push for an Open, the comments on the great courses Jones does were comical. At the end of the day it's another reminder that folks like us are the exception and not the norm.

Oh, to be among the 1,500 smartest types in the Kingdom of Golf!  And for such a reasonable price of admission.  I wonder who is laughing last? 

What a display in Omaha by Perry.  Definitely on my bucket list, brown spots and all.

[Brad Swanson]

Hey Lou,
   Saw your post and thought I'd drop a line to say hi.  Hope everything is well with you and that your game is treating you well.

Cheers,
Brad

[William_G]

the green/brown/beige/purple is a look to achieve, even if it's sometimes dicey to maintain with high heat and humidity in the Midwest.

well said, my thoughts exactly

that dry, yellow/brown/green is difficult and does seem to require a natural blend of plant

looking forward to the Open Championship this week 

[Jeff Shelman]

I thought Omaha looked really good on TV. Very cool looking course.

Now the guys with the brown delivery trucks? I'm not happy with them after they broke a driver shaft for a club I sold on eBay.

[Josh Tarble]

I think a lot of the perception with brown spots is how a course typically is when it's brown.

On here, most of us think of brown as firm and fast, dormant but not dead grass.  However, that typically only appears on a select few courses, and it really only is fun to play when the course is designed for such a maintenance meld.

When most people are playing browned out courses, they are playing it because of the result of droughts or really poor conditioning...leading to dead grass and dirt spots, typically at courses that were designed for the aerial game. Instead of being able to run a ball up, you must hit a high shot to a totally unreceptive green.

I've played courses like that and it really isn't fun at all when it calls for a shot over a fronting "moat-type" bunker or elevated green-pad and all that happens is the ball hits the green and bounds off. 

What really needs to happen is proper education of ideal maintenance meld and better designed courses (and that sure as hell is not happening overnight).