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VOLUME 51, NUMBER 05 | March 08, 2013
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USGA WEBCAST
Larry Gilhuly, director, Northwest Region
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WRITTEN STANDARDS CAN SATISFY FREQUENT GOLFER QUESTIONS AND COMPLAINTS
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THE VALUE OF OBJECTIVE MAINTENANCE STANDARDS
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 Spend any amount of time at a golf facility and before long you are sure to hear golfers expressing their opinion about something. The following is an example of an all-too-common conversation between a frustrated golfer and general manager.
Golfer: These greens are awful. Really terrible. Can't you do something about them?
GM: Awful greens? That's not good. What's the problem?
Golfer: I told you, they're awful.
GM: That's certainly not what we like to hear. Anything specific?
Golfer: Yeah, they're really slow. It's like putting on shag carpet.
GM: Well, that's never any good. Hey, do you have a minute? Let's take a ride out and look at a green or two. Which one was particularly slow?
Golfer: Oh, well, okay, how about number 18? It was terrible.
The general manager and disgruntled golfer take a ride to the 18th green where they meet the superintendent to use a Stimpmeter to check the speed of the green.
GM: You know, according to the Stimpmeter reading it looks like the greens are rolling about 9 feet 4 inches. Our standard is 9 to 10 feet. We're at the low end, but still within our range.
Golfer: Well, yeah, I guess so. I suppose that's right.
Golfers like the one in this example occasionally offer subjective critiques about many aspects of the facility. What the general manager accomplished in this scenario was to take the subjective golf course critique and reframe it objectively. Sure, golfers can still argue over the objective, but it is much easier to defend the fact that 9 feet 4 inches is within the set standard of 9 to 10 feet than debate the opinion that the greens are "awful." In the end, a rational person will understand that it likely was something other than the playing surfaces to blame for one's putting struggles.
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A PRACTICAL SOLUTION TO ENCROACHMENT OF ROUGH TYPE BERMUDAGRASSES INTO BERMUDAGRASS PUTTING GREENS
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RECLAIMING PUTTING GREEN EDGES USING CORE AERATION PLUGS
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After the contaminated turf is killed and removed, trenches are backfilled with a 70:30 sand-peat (by volume) rootzone mix, and core aeration plugs are planted in the new mix.
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A turf war is taking place on golf courses in the southern U.S. between dwarf-type bermudagrasses on putting greens and the surrounding rough-type bermudagrasses. Rough-types, like common bermudagrass, are more aggressive than the hybrid bermudagrasses established on putting surfaces and slowly creep into the edge of greens. The rough-type bermudagrasses are coarse textured and offer poor playability at putting green mowing heights. As rough-types encroach inward, putting green perimeters are brought in slightly in order to maintain good aesthetics. The end result is smaller putting greens and the potential loss of useable hole locations over time.
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REGIONAL UPDATES
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Northeast Region Should Covers Come Off Or Stay Put? - It is the time of the year when superintendents with covered greens are making a tough decision. This update also includes information regarding upcoming educational conferences. Read More | |
Mid-Atlantic Region The End Of The "Off" Season - Warmer temperatures will return and the golfing and growing season will be upon us before too much longer. However, as anxious as we all are to get started, now is a good time to be patient. Read More | |
Southeast Region Save The Date: This year's USGA Southeast Regional Meeting will be held March 25-26 at Carmel Country Club in Charlotte, N.C. Read More | |
Florida Region Don't Miss Out On A Great Education Opportunity - During the week of March 11, a series of workshops are being offered to help educate course officials and golfers about the unique demands of golf course management in Florida. Read More | |
North-Central Region Find The Right Fit - Changing the hole location on a green is not as easy as most golfers think. Actually, this important job probably doesn't get much thought unless it's done incorrectly. Read More | |
Mid-Continent Region We Are Freezing, Take Precautions - A checklist for bermudagrass and zoysiagrass courses to review to reduce the chance of winter injury as much as possible. Read More | |
Northwest Region
Golfers And Turfgrass Don't Always Share The Same Season - While it is always good to see golfers show back up to the course, remember that while they may be ready to play the turfgrass might not be ready to grow. Read More
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Southwest Region A Simple Method For Smoothing Tees - Check out this simple and relatively painless method to level tee tops. Read More | |
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