Ballyneal gets bent

[Rob Rigg]

I spoke with Dave Hensley about the change to bent this summer - it made total and utter sense and the shift was very well thought out by the  team at Ballyneal.

The green contours will not change, the green speeds will be more uniform and easier to control, and they will work to balance the fairway and green speeds to match perfectly so the ground game is not negatively impacted in any way.

In Hensley We Trust.

Really appreciate the insight on this thread from "pros" in the biz. There are obviously many variables that led to the decision to make the shift from fescue (or what once was truly fescue) to bent.

I have always been amazed and grateful for what the super and maintenance team at BN have been able to accomplish in what can be a rapidly changing climate with rather less than massive resources.

The bent greens at SH and DR are fantastic. I don't doubt for a second that the already brilliant greens at BN will be as good as, or better, as the bent grows in.

[Ross Harmon]

In Hensley We Trust.

You selling t-shirts?

[Stephen Davis]

In Hensley We Trust.

You selling t-shirts?

+1

[Sean Leary]

How does the bent at Sagebush compare to what is going in at Ballyneal?

[John Kavanaugh]

What problems will Chambers Bay face when they convert to bent?  Everyday someone asks me why I haven't played Chambers Bay. As long as they have fescue greens it's a simple reply. I hate temporary greens.

[BCowan]

JK,

   You beat me to it.  I was just thinking about what bent grass strand Ballyneal went to and why it wasn't brought up earlier in regards to CB.  What strand did Ballyneal go with?  I go back to the beginning of this thread and see if I can find the answer. 

[Rich Goodale]

What problems will Chambers Bay face when they convert to bent?  Everyday someone asks me why I haven't played Chambers Bay. As long as they have fescue greens it's a simple reply. I hate temporary greens.

John

Great fescue greens exist, but they require proper care.  See the attached:

http://www.greencast.co.uk/uk/news/general/news-2012/fescue-green-restoration.aspx

PS--Many thanks for letting us know about your reason for not playing Chambers Bay.  We were all on tenterhooks for far too long.

rfg

[John Kavanaugh]

There has never been a course broadcast where so many people are curious about why and if. It's really sad how it seems to be playing out. When someone asks you face to face about a course you've got to be honest about the greens. There is no defending fescue in a casual setting.

[John Kirk]

It won't make sense to convert Chambers Bay greens to bent grass.  If they replanted with bent, the native grasses would rapidly take over again.  Up here in the Pacific Northwest, you simply have to wait out the painful transition to a finer strain of Poa annua.  In ten years, Chambers Bay's greens will be good, and in twenty years they will be great.

It's so painful to see how flowery and inconsistent the greens are this weekend.  The broadcast is putting a brave face on it, but the Poa is just going wild on the greens.  In five years those greens will be well over 50% poa, whether you like it or not.

You have to wonder how the negotiations went.  "Are the greens going to be OK?"  "Oh yes, sure, they'll be great."  Somebody familiar with the Pac NW golf history had to know this was inevitable.

JK, regarding fescue for greens, both Bandon Trails and Old Macdonald have been marvelous for putting the last few years, fast and smooth, though Trails has now reached the point where they're going to have to deal with transition to the dominant native.  Maybe they'll keep building new courses every few years down there so I can play linksy golf on smooth fescue forever.  That's the plan.

[Dan Moore]

I'm curious as to how the transition at Ballyneal has gone.  Any reports? 

[John Kirk]

Dan, I can't give a report on that because I haven't been there in over a year.

[Mark Bourgeois]

There is no defending fescue in a casual setting.

In all seriousness, how do you come up with these awesome aphorisms?

[Dan Moore]

Dan, I can't give a report on that because I haven't been there in over a year.

No worries.  I'm curious as fescue vs bent seems to be a big question on US links style courses in the Sand Hills, at Erin Hills and now at Sand Valley in Wisconsin where I think the C&C first course will have fescue fairways and bent greens. 

[John Kirk]

There is no defending fescue in a casual setting.

In all seriousness, how do you come up with these awesome aphorisms?

I'm brilliant in some ways, and blind in others.  I think I know what John means here, but otherwise I just see odd word choices.  Plus, he never explains anything, so it'll be a long wait.

"There's no remanding fescue in a causal setting".

[John Kavanaugh]

Because yesterday I was sitting at the bar waiting for league to start and was asked to defend the use of fescue greens.  Because it was a casual setting I suppressed my inner agrodouche and simply said "It's for people who want to pretend they are playing overseas." and then ordered another Bud Light.  People in a casual setting want simple answers, there is nothing simple about the fad of fescue greens in America.

[John Kirk]

See?  You had to wait eighteen minutes.

[jeffwarne]

John,
I understand your point about the poa invading and eventually taking over providing a great surface.
Let's assume that's true
Can they simply start with poa?

[John Kirk]

I don't believe you can seed a golf course with Poa annua.  I looked awhile for a good explanation of why that is so, and came up empty.

Maybe it's because the plant has a lot of varieties within the species, and tends to evolve into a perennial when mowed close for a long period of time.

[Mac Plumart]

John Kirk,

Have you not been there in a year because of the temp green situation?

If so, when are they supposed to be back to normal?

[Dave Herrick]

Last week all of Ballyneal's greens were open. They were putting better than I was.

[Mac Plumart]

Great to hear, Dave!!!

[John Kirk]

There are a number of reasons why I have not been visiting Ballyneal.   In general, golf travel is becoming less of a priority.  Glad to hear the greens are now open and rolling well.

[Mark Bourgeois]

Because yesterday I was sitting at the bar waiting for league to start and was asked to defend the use of fescue greens.  Because it was a casual setting I suppressed my inner agrodouche and simply said "It's for people who want to pretend they are playing overseas." and then ordered another Bud Light.  People in a casual setting want simple answers, there is nothing simple about the fad of fescue greens in America.

Hahahaha!! Awesome.