Reconciling Primo Conditioning & Healthy Turf: Two Takes

GUEST COMMENTARY Reconciling primo conditioning & healthy turf: Two takes Raised heights to 3/16? Ball roll needn't suffer The perfect shot shouldn't mean the perfect lie

By PAT GROSS caving in to demands for lowering the By DENIS GRIFFITHS tion, which has been a major influence You've heeded the warnings and raised mowing height, there are several things Years ago, when the links courses of on course design around the world, ap- your putting green cutting height to 3/ you can do to improve ball roll and keep Scotland and England were laid out in plauds wonderfully maintained, impec- 16 of an inch, just like all the experts the turf healthy at 3/16. and around the natural dunes and land cable golf courses. It also encourages have told you. Just when you're proud 1. Keep'em sharp — Greens suffer just forms, man moved minimal earth to pro- complete fairness in design, and is skep- and confident of your accomplishments, as much from a poor quality cut as they vide contiguous golf holes. Everything on tical of "unusual" design measures such the golfers start complaining that the do from an excessively low mowing the links was adapted to fit existing condi- as the occasional blind shot. greens are too slow. height. Your mechanic should check the tions. You might say that Mother Nature TV, golf magazines and the PGA Tour "Cut 'em lower!" they cry. cutting units daily when they come in was actually the builder, and the have all had a hand in further- "Turn off the water!" from mowing, and make any course designer was merely the ing this perception, particularly "They need more verti-cut- necessary adjustments. one who discovered routing. in setting expectations that are ting!" and the ever-popular: "I Weekly or biweekly back lap- This use of nature often pro- often mistaken for standards. don't care what you do, but ping along with checking the vided courses that were test- Announcers banter on about they better be rolling 10 feet bedknife will help keep the ing and frequently offered im- how players are penalized for for the big tournament!" cutting units sharp at all times. perfect lies, blind shots and anything less than a perfect lie Don't they remember all the 2. Proper Irrigation — Irri- unmanicured turf. Part of the and touring professionals com- disease and turf loss that oc- gation management is far and enjoyment of these courses, plain about course conditions. curred when you tried to keep away the most important prac- however, resided in having to Denis Griffiths Meanwhile, we nod in empathy. Pat Gross them fast all summer? tice for maintaining healthy turf respond to these challenging circum- But must a good tee shot always be re- Mowing at 3/16 is a prudent practice at any cutting height. With creeping stances, often through creative warded with a perfect lie? Must every shot be for creeping bentgrass//W annua bentgrass/Poa annua greens, the goal is shotmaking. hit to a clearly visible target? Must it always greens during the summer. There is no to keep the soil uniformly moist, but not But somewhere along the line, the be possible to advance a ball from a sand doubt the increased mowing height im- wet. If you are on a leaching program to American perception of the game strayed bunker? Must every green hold approaches? proves turfgrass stress tolerance during control salinity, go ahead and give the from its European roots. That percep- Must the play area contain 100-percent turf the summer and, yes, the greens are greens a good long soaking when neces- coverage throughout the season, no matter going to be a little slower. Instead of sary (4 to 6 hours). Then turn off the Denis Griffiths is principal of the golf what weather conditions exist? automatic system and go to hand watering course design firm, Denis Griffiths & As- I am the first to agree that these condi- Pat Gross is director of the Western for as long as possible. Overly wet greens sociates, Inc. ofBraselton, Ga. He is sit- tions can contribute to the game's over- Region for the United States Golf Associa- are slow, bumpy and disease prone. ting president of the American Society of all enjoyment level. But I also feel this tion Green Section. Continued on page 40 Golf Course Architects. Continued on page 39

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The choice: Slow WHERE DO YOU TURN FOR THE grass or fast dirt Continued from page 17 3. Double Mowing — Consider MOST COMPLETE LINE OF GOLF COURSE double-mowing your greens once a week. This is a good practice to improve surface smooth- SIGNS IN THE BUSINESS? ness without having to lower the cutting height. If you are short on labor, you can use a triplex mower in one direction and hand mow in the opposite direction, or even double mow with the triplex units. 4. Light Topdressing — If the turf is healthy and the temperatures are not too high, it is per- fectly fine to apply light sand topdressing to smooth the surface. Many superintendents refer to this as "dusting the greens" with approximately 0.1 to 0.3 cubic yards of sand per 1000 sqare feet every two to four weeks. Topdressing should be sus- pended at the first sign of turf stress or if temperatures are ex- pected about 90 degrees F. 5. Grooming — Groomer at- tachments are great tools to improve the quality of cut and green smoothness, especially at increased mowing heights. The groomers can be used on a fre- quency of two to three times per week as long as the turf is ac- tively growing. This is another practice that should be sus- pended at the first sign of turf stress. 6. Rolling—Putting green roll- ers have proven to be very effec- tive tools to maintain surface smoothness and slightly in- crease speed without negatively impacting turf health. The roll- ers should only be used two to three times per week to avoid abrasion injury. When asked their preference for speed or smoothness, most golfers agree that surface DIRECTIONAL SIGNS. WARNING SIGNS. smoothness is most important.

CUSTOM SIGNS. ERASABLE SIGNS. BIG SIGNS. Smooth greens with reasonable speed can be achieved without LITTLE SIGNS. ENVIRONMENTAL SIGNS. having to lower the mowing height by paying close attention SIGNS ON POSTS. SIGNS ON STAKES. ARROWS to the previously mentioned AND MORE! FOR ALL THE DETAILS, ASK YOUR P.O. Box 68 practices. And if the golfers persist in Cedar Falls, Iowa 50613-0068 U.S.A. NEAREST STANDARD GOLF DISTRIBUTOR. their desire for lightning-fast 319-266-2638 greens during the summer, re- mind them that "slow grass is better than fast dirt."