from Asian Golf Business January 2008

Must grass for golf courses always be grown only on sand? Talk to almost most professionals who deal with turf matters and they will almost always agree that sand is the ideal surface upon which to grow grass. However, one expert begs to differ – he is Micah Woods of the Asian Turfgrass Center who happens to believe otherwise and sets out to prove his case with some sound reasoning.

Six months ago, I heard an interesting comment about the turfgrass research facility being developed by the Asian Turfgrass Center. We had started to plant 33 different grass types on native soil (formerly paddy fields) near Bangkok, intending to maintain this area as a fairway turfgrass trial. We had already established these same grasses in a sand rootzone. A visitor remarked that the particular trial of turf on native soil would be the one they would like to see the outcome of, because they were not sure that these grasses could grow in anything other than sand. I was surprised to hear this, because plants will almost always grow better in soil than in sand.

There seems to be a misapprehension about suitable soils for golf courses in Asia. It is common to use sand as a growing medium for fairways (Figure 1). But this is a substantial cost, and it may not be necessary, at least during the construction phase of a golf course. In fact, I believe that many golf courses would see better and more consistent playing conditions if the fairways were not sandcapped during construction, but were regularly topdressed with sand instead.

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Green speeds should be matched to the contours and hole locations of greens.

By
Larry Gilhuly,
Northwest Director USGA Green Section

“The greens are too slow!” “The greens are too fast!” “The greens are just right!” No, this is not a story about three bears and a golden haired girl. It is a short story about a subject that is sure to stir emotions (usually during or immediately after a bad day of putting) – green speed. Somewhere along the road golfers have forgotten that part of the allure of the game is adapting to whatever playing conditions are found on the golf course. If the green speed of the practice green is a certain speed, then that is what the greens should be that day. Those that adapt will have a better day while those that don’t may find their score rising. But there is far more to this subject than I have space for, so let’s look at one simple part of the green speed equation – the correlation between green speed and hole locations.

Please note the chart below that shows the correlation between green speed and surface slope.
This study was conducted a few years ago as a means to educate those that wish to have excessively fast greens while not understanding the negative impact this has on the overall health of the greens and play of the game. Briefly, the % slope indicates when a golf ball begins to roll back at a player that has hit a putt from directly below a hole. While players can debate the appropriateness of a hole location when putting from above or to the side, there is universal recognition that when a ball rolls back at the player that the hole location is too severe. As you can see in the chart, a 10’ speed allows the maintenance staff to place holes up to a 3.2 – 4.1% slope. Since many greens are severely contoured and grain/wind have a major impact in Hawaii, this is a tournament green speed that should only be used for those with high skill levels unless you want 5 hour rounds. When holes are placed in relatively flat areas many have the perception that the greens are “too slow”. But place the hole on a slope (pick your favorite green) and putt downhill and downwind when the greens are in excess of this speed! Can you say – STOP!

Green speed in Hawaii has progressively gone up over the years with the introduction of new ultradwarf bermudagrasses and an improved understanding of seashore paspalum maintenance practices. Focus should be on overall green smoothness and a good understanding of the relationship between green speed and hole locations. Without this understanding the three bears will continue to be an issue with that defenseless game we play!