17 Mar 2015

Why do green speeds vary so much?

It’s because of the grass type right, or the height of the cut? Or is there more to green speeds than just whether we are putting on Bent or Bermuda? To find out we asked three leading Australian Superintendents, who each came up with a different set of factors that can influence green speeds.

 

Robin Doodson, Doha Golf Club, Qatar

In response to the question “Why do green speeds vary so much?” my initial answer would be – do they? It has been proven that golfers perception of green speed is not as good as they think it is and that even PGA Tour pros cannot tell the difference between a green running at 9ft and 10ft. Anyone that tells you that they can guess the speed of a green by simply putting on it is doing exactly that, guessing.

Having said that, we as Superintendents do everything that we can to make the greens as consistent in speed across the board as possible. In setting up for the Qatar Masters we stimped every green up to 3 times per day for 2 weeks running into the event. We used this information to plan our maintenance on individual greens whether it be additional rolling or cutting to speed them up or watering to slow them down. It was quickly obvious that some greens were inherently quicker than others and sometimes for no apparent reason. The 11th green always stimped at least 1 foot quicker than others in spite of it being in a sheltered, damp location. As a result we would only single cut this green to get our tournament speed as opposed to the double cutting and rolling required on other greens. Interestingly, Ernie Els left a putt in the jaws on the second day on the 11th and commented that the green was clearly slower than the rest. Even the best in the world can get it wrong.

Some factors which will influence green speed are:
·        Grass type
·        Soil type
·        Soil moisture
·        Slope
·        Grain
·        Thatch levels
·        Compaction

All these factors can vary not only between different greens but also within greens themselves. This can make true consistency very hard to find.

 

Mark Gahan, Redcliffe Golf Club

Many factors influence green speed. Some are:

  • Thatch accumulation
  • Fertilizer and Irrigation programs
  • Mowing and rolling techniques
  • Seasonal weather variations
  • Turf varieties


At The Dunes I tried to maintain a consistent green speed of 10-11 feet measured using a Stimpmeter. Perhaps a little slow by Sandbelt standards but not so on a ‘Links course’.
I was once accused of presenting two paced greens, but after some investigation realized the golfer didn’t understand the effect of the ‘Links wind’. Basically they putted faster down wind and slower into the wind. Also greens putting at 10 feet in the early morning were often putting at 12 feet plus once baked all day by summer sun and wind.

 Bent grass is the preferred turf specie and some of the new seed varieties are more dense and upright therefore perhaps producing a slower green than other creeping varieties. The fastest and perhaps smoothest greens I ever putted on were 100% Poa annua, considered by many as an invasive weed.

 Modern greenkeepers are very good at thatch management and many apply very little fertilizer (especially nitrogen) so greens are grown with a ‘lean and mean’ approach. Hungry turf equals less growth, therefore greater speed. However when inputs are low there is much more stress on turf so managing actually requires greater human input as hand watering and constant monitoring is needed, especially in summer.

 Regular mowing and rolling are also an obvious influence. High quality courses generally hand mow greens and then roll to improve speed and smoothness, whereas not so affluent clubs mow with ride on mowers and perhaps roll only for special events. In my opinion ride on mowers just don’t provide the same quality of cut as walk mowers, but again labour is needed to cut 19+ greens ahead of the field.

 In southern climates autumn and spring provide greater natural growth than summer and winter, so putting speed will vary seasonally. Recently I have been working at Redcliffe Golf Club in Brisbane. In summer you could mow greens every few hours as quick greens are slow by late afternoon, whereas in winter they behave and putt similar to quality bent greens.

 Natural grain and thatch development are characteristics of Tifgreen 328 turf. Down grain greens are faster than into it, and excessive thatch accumulation can affect smoothness. We have been working to improve overall putting quality by modifying fertilizer application and introduced a more intensive dethatching program. So far the greens are putting smoothly but ‘grainy areas’ are taking longer to recover than expected.

 

Leigh Yanner, The National Golf Club

The first thing golfers need to understand is that golf is played on a living, growing plant that constantly changes depending on the weather and other outside influences. 

I can think of thirty items that can influence putting green speeds ever so slightly. The top five, in no particular order, are:

Cutting/Rolling

The height of cut and frequency is an important factor to maintaining green speeds. The more often they are cut the less chance there is of the speeds varying. If you incorporate rolling into your greens preparation this again slightly alters the speed. The greens that are cut or rolled are normally at their fastest just after they have been prepared. Throughout the day the grass will grow and this will slow the ball down.

Grass varieties

The three main grass varieties used on golf courses in Australia are Bentgrass, Poa and Couch grass. All three varieties have their own individual growing characteristics such as, leaf blade types, grain and density. This becomes very obvious if you have different grass varieties growing at your course.

Green locations

The location of the green and how nature influences the differing microclimates can lead to varying speeds. Exposed greens will be more affected by the wind, subsequently drying out the moisture of the green or having the wind effect the ball when it is putted.  Shade on the greens can also influence the growth of the grass on the putting surface throughout the day.

Moisture

The moisture of the green influences the health of the plant. More moisture in the green subsequently means more moisture in the leaf of the plant. When there is a lot of moisture in the leaf the plant provides friction on the ball, therefore pulling up the ball on the putting surface.

Most greens have different levels of moisture within the putting surface. This is caused by irrigation, contours, environmental conditions and the subsurface. Dips and hollows will hold more moisture compared to the higher sections of a putting green.

Environment

Each green has its own unique micro environment. This can be caused by buildings, trees, exposure to the wind, valleys just to name a few. Again, all these factors will impact on the growth of the grass and behaviour of the putting surface.

Golfers are probably thinking that if the Course Superintendent knows all this why don’t they do something about it to make sure the putting greens are all the same speed. During professional tournaments a management regime is implemented to make sure each green plays the same. This is an extremely labour intensive and costly program to undertake and the plant itself can only handle such practices for a short period of time.

One of the best things about golf is that it is played in a natural environment with all its intricacies. This provides the ultimate challenge and is all part of the enjoyment of playing golf, even though it may be frustrating at times.

 

Darius Oliver, Architecture Editor Australian Golf Digest Magazine

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