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“Ego overwhelms
common sense” Monroe Miller, golf course superintendent at
Blackhawk Country Club, Madison, WS and author of The Grassroots – the official publication of the Wisconsin Golf
Course Superintendents Association. “The U.S.G.A. is
trying to raise $10 million to find hardier turf. All they’ve got to raise
is the mowers 1/16th of an inch.” Pete Dye, noted golf course architect, January, 1991 Golf
Digest article, “Putting on the Edge of Disaster by Jerry Tarde. “SPEED KILLS, we’ve learned. If not your superintendent, your greens.” January, 1991 Golf Digest article, “Putting on the Edge of Disaster by Jerry Tarde.
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| The gospel according to or favorite quotes of Dave Fearis, CGCS, 30 years a golf course superintendent and now a turf and ornamental product specialist with PBI/Gordon. But they’re words indicative of the sometimes-heated discussions about greens and green speed at golf clubs around the country. |
| A speedy green for many golfers is the name of the game. Never mind that equipment today allows golfers to hit the ball farther, more often and with greater accuracy, golfers want more speed when their ball hits the green. |
| Often it’s club members sitting around watching the regular weekend professional tournament and then telling their course superintendent “they want greens that putt like that.” |
| It’s a dilemma for superintendents and their staffs with one club “out-Stimping” one another in the push for faster greens. Here’s why! |
| Edward Stimpson invented the Stimpmeter in the 1930's. It was refined and then introduced to golf courses in 1976. Its purpose was not for speed, but to measure consistency. |
| “It was to be used as a maintenance tool so that all greens putted consistently,” said Fearis. “It was not intended to be used as a speedometer.” |
| But that’s not what has happened. Today superintendents use Stimpmeters to measure the speed of a golf ball on their greens. Essentially it’s a chute with a precise dimple, in which a golf ball rests, near the top. The chute is held with on end on the putting surface and when raised to an angle of 20 degrees, the dimple releases the ball. The average distance the ball travels from the Stimpmeter after it rolls down the chute is the accepted measure of the green’s speed. |
| It’s measured in feet and is normally a test done in both directions on a flat part of the green. The standard for major American tournaments these days is 12 feet. Balls acting as though someone has tossed a marble onto a flat, fast surface. |
| Now that’s a huge difference from earlier days of golf in this country. In the 1920’s, a cutting height for normal putting greens was a quarter of an inch. Green speed in the ‘60s likely reached an eight or nine on a Stimpmeter and with the average green cut to 3/16 of an inch. Today that’s considered a “slow” speed. |
| It’s takes more than a mower to keep a green short and fast, in fact, mowers alone can’t give enough speed. Speed comes from different grasses, growth regulators, which helps grass become thicker rather than longer and mower knifes, calibrated in thousandths of an inch, in some cases down to 4/64th of an inch. That’s a quarter of the height of the grass in the 1920’s. |
| Short grass that makes for fast…very fast greens and just the way professional tournament organizers want it. Fast greens are not only a tradition, they’re also what the everyday golfer thinks they want, and demands today, and it’s the course superintendents who feel the pressure. Why has it happened? Here are some clues. |
| “The quest for speed is not something new,” says Fearis. “However is would say there are three factors that have contributed to or accelerated the issue: 1) Stimpmeter 2) television and 3) the increased number of golf courses.” |
| Fearis says low handicap golfers, who usually comprise less than five percent of the membership are “constantly asking…what the greens are Stimping at. Clubs are now posting daily Stimpmeter readings and it has almost gotten to be a contest between clubs on who has the fastest greens. I’ve even heard of a green chairman carrying at Stimpmeter around in his golf bag to compare readings from different course he plays. |
| “Television has definitely affected the maintenance practices of golf courses,” Fearis related. “Usually after some major golf tournaments like The Masters, The U.S. Open, The P.G.A. Championship etc., members will ask why the greens at their club can’t putt like Augusta National, Olympic Fields Country Club or Oak Hill Country Club. Also, golf is available 24 hours a day on television; so golfers are exposed to courses under tournament conditions daily. Plus, then you have announcers like Johnny Miller who gets on the ‘bandwagon’ about slow greens. Take, for example, his soapbox on slow greens at The Belfry at last year’s Ryder Cup. The greens were stimping ‘10’, which he referred to as ‘slow.’ The only plus to this is that it gives him a different subject to take about besides ‘grain.’” |
| Fearis contends the increase in the number of golf courses exacerbates the situation. |
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“In 1970 there
were approximately 10,200 golf courses; as of January 1, 2003 (according to
National Golf Foundation statistics) there were 15,827 golf courses. |
| And there seems to be other reasons for a need of speed. |
| “Most golfers equate speed with putting quality,” suggested Jim Moore, USGA director of green construction education. “The faster the green - the better the putting quality. To a certain extent this is true. A faster green is invariably smoother than the slower green and thus the ball will roll truer. However, the biggest difference in my opinion is not in the trueness of the surface but rather in the hardness at which a golfer must strike the putt. On really fast greens you simply do not have to take as big a swing with the putter to get the ball to the hole and a smaller swing is easier to keep on line. This is the main reason really good players like faster greens.” |
| At the same time some players feel faster greens give them “an advantage over others who are not as skilled,” asserted Ken Mangum, CGCS, director of golf courses and grounds, Atlanta Athletic Club. “Most of the time I think it is purely bragging rights over who has the fastest greens. Members like to impress their guest with fast greens. Obviously, TV golf has a huge impact on everyone. They see long drives and fast greens so they go buy new drivers and come to the club expecting to have fast greens like the ‘pros’ play each week. I know that during our member-guest tournaments the number one comment is always ‘the greens are really fast’. The number one question is always ‘are you going to cut the greens down and really make them fast?’” |
| P. Stan George CGCS, of Prairie Dunes Country Club, Hutchinson, KS. speaks not only as a golf course superintendent, but also a “mediocre player” that you’ll find at so many golf courses. The onus for playing golf he contends still rests with the players, not necessarily the golf course. |
| “I don’t get it! I assume the quest for green speed is directly related to television tournament conditions, but as a mediocre player, I have never understood the need for additional green speed,” he asserted. |
| “I do, however, believe that the superintendent in many cases can become his own worst enemy by continually striving for faster green speeds if not pushed to do so by the membership. Even the USGA seems to say, ‘Do as I say and not as I do’ when it comes to green speed. It is at least understandable that the major championships are preparing for the best players in the world, and not the weekend enthusiast. |
| “I am convinced that 85 percent of the membership cares very little about or barely notices green speed. Ten percent cares some of the time, but are generally understanding of weather conditions, etc. I have found a very small vocal minority clamoring for increased green speed, and seem to desire such speed regardless of the consequences. If the superintendent doesn’t seem to be providing those desired conditions, they usually lobby for a superintendent who will (or says he will),” George opined. |
| “Many courses seem to be able to sustain green speeds at the upper end of the spectrum for a while, but then conditions often deteriorate when the turf thins, and moss, algae and anthracnose become more prevalent. Best case - these conditions are a nuisance and an eyesore, worst case - these conditions are devastating to turf and could cause one to lose his or her position as superintendent.” |
| So how do superintendents get their golf courses ready and develop that “speed” that it’s perceived everyone wants. It’s done in several ways. Firm greens built to USGA specifications tend to be faster than soil greens. The turf variety also plays a role in the amount of speed that can be attained. Some varieties are not tolerant of close mowing while others grow more upright. Lush, dense turf also slow greens down. In fact says Ken Mangum, “many greens that look great are not as fast a greens that are slightly off color and thinner. We groom as needed to keep the plants growing upright to keep density under control.” |
| Moore suggests the “most effective tools…for developing speed are reduced nitrogen fertility, periodic rolling and double mowing. Obviously the cutting height must be low as well. Balancing these factors (without providing enough nitrogen to recover from traffic without causing too much leaf growth), is no easy task,” he maintains. |
| Rolling, our experts suggest, is the quickest way to pick up speed. “One roll will pick up almost one foot of speed,” Mangum suggests. “A second roll will add two to three inches more. |
| “During the 2001 PGA we found that double or multiple mowings picked up the most speed. We would check each green and mow one to three times to get the additional speed we needed. A growth regulator was also used to slow growth during the day so the speed would remain as constant as possible during the day,” he explained. |
| “In our area we have found that speed is in direct correlation to weather. When temperatures and moisture go up, speed goes down. In the fall when temperatures cool and humidity drops, speed increases dramatically without changing any cultural practices.” |
| “Golf,” he suggested “is an outdoor sport that changes every day.” A point often lost on many golfers. |
| So is all this speed good for the game. In truth, likely not, for a couple of significant reasons. |
| “Faster greens will actually slow play down,” Fearis stated bluntly. “It has been estimated that it will slow play down by 15-20 minutes per round. Also, most golfers shoot in the mid-90’s to low 100’s. This might not be as true at country clubs, but the point is that only a small percentage of golfers have low handicaps. Higher handicap golfers are not good putters. So they will have more 3-4 putt greens than the better golfer. This not only relates to slower play but less enjoyment of the game. Golf is supposed to be a fun game. A golfer wants to walk off the 18th green and remember his/her round as a fun, enjoyable experience.” |
| Mangum is in full agreement. “Speedy greens are not good for the pace of play which is the number one problem with golf today. There are many more three and four putts when the greens are 10-plus. We notice that people tend to take more time with putts and start looking at three footers from all angles. This all takes time.” |
| Moore is a bit more cautious. He sees some benefits. |
| “I know most people in the industry will argue that fast greens are bad for golf and in many ways they would be right. Greens that are kept so fast that they become weak are far more prone to disease, climatic stress, and wear. Fast greens don't make a lot of sense agronomically. However, there are significant benefits to fast greens also. Fast greens are truer putting surfaces so they benefit the player. Fast, true greens are also one of the most powerful marketing tools there is to attract players to your course. And, fast greens (as long as they are healthy) are almost always great for the superintendent's reputation. The old saying, ‘Your greens are your resume" is still valid in today's golf market,’ he suggested. |
| So in a nutshell, faster greens slow the pace of play and at the same time require more maintenance, place more stress on the plant and increase the labor require to maintain not only the greens but also the machinery that is used on the greens. Sheesh…another catch 22. |
| “Part of me asks: whatever happened to ‘play the golf course as you find it, and play the ball as it lies?’” George queried. |
| “The other part of me says that, after appropriate attempts at education regarding the possible consequences and costs, if the membership desires faster green speeds, then it is up to me to provide such conditions, and I accept that challenge. We are satisfying the membership regarding green speed here, but I believe chasing faster and faster green speed can bring on many detrimental situations including; increased disease, compaction, moss, algae, more wear and tear on equipment and personnel, significant increase in maintenance budgets etc. The membership should decide, I suppose, if all of this additional cost and effort is worth the few extra inches of green speed, especially if one is attempting to satisfy only a small minority of the membership.” |
| His concern however, is whether or not technology can keep up with the incessant demands for more green speed. “If that is the case, many superintendents will be in dire straits, some of which is their own making,” George concluded. |
| “The most frustrating aspect of the fast greens issue for me is that so often this is the main factor good players use to judge a course,” Moore asserted. “It is amazing how their perception of the entire course changes when the greens are 11 feet instead of nine feet on the Stimpmeter, in spite of the fact that nothing else on the course has changed. Regardless of how one feels about the speed issue, this emphasizes just how important the issue is and has been for many years. |
| “I also get tired of hearing people blame the Stimpmeter for creating the speed issue. It is only a tool for measuring speed. Somehow I can't see someone trying to talk a police office out of a speeding ticket, by claiming it was because they have a speedometer in their car that they had to drive too fast. When speed kills, you have to hold the driver responsible, not the speedometer.” |
| Publisher's final thoughts |
| Regardless of how we feel, “green speed” is an issue that’s not going to go away, no matter what green speed does for the average golfer and no matter the advantages or disadvantages for golfer…the golf course…or the country club? But as sure as you mark your ball on the green, speed isn’t going to go away even if it does mean more putts for the average golfers… and even if it does take more time to play a round. |
| But the quest for tournament fast greens can affect the long-term health of the green. Speed kills! |
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Board
members should understand and accept the limitations of these living |
| Next time, we’ll look at another issue facing clubs today…The Tree Mission – the issue of trees on golf courses, placement, control, removal and emotions, as clubs return to their “roots.” It’s one of the most the contentious matters facing golf clubs today. |
| At least that’s the way I see it. |
| John Fornaro Publisher |
| We welcome feedback and comments on any of our editorial features. If you have an idea for a topic you'd like to see addressed in a future "Publishers Perspective," please contact our editorial department at (714) 596-6611 or via e-mail at jody@boardroommagazine.com |