MAKING GOLF HARDER NOT THE WAY TO GO

While reading a recent copy of Golf Georgia, I saw where a golf course was changing its greens from bentgrass to Champion Bermuda.  If you’re familiar with turfgrass, you know that bentgrass greens can be difficult to maintain in the South.  However, this particular course in north Georgia wasn’t having this problem.  It seemed that the bentgrass greens made the game too easy, in their view. The director of golf was quoted in the magazine as saying, “When the greens were soft you could shoot at the pins and could hold your shot.” So as not to embarrass the involved parties, I won’t name the course or the director who made this remark, but since when did a green holding a shot become a bad thing?  Do they really want greens that reject shots? If you have ever played true links golf, you know that firm and fast conditions are the norm.  However, these courses have adequate run-up areas that allow you to land your ball either short of or on the front of the green, and be able to control it in that manner.  This is not usually the case in America, as many courses have very soft areas in front of the green.  There is nothing more frustrating than having as your only two options: 1) land the ball short of the green and have it stop short, or 2) land on the green and watch the ball bound over it. This is not to say that the game should be too easy, but a balance is necessary.  Golf course owners and operators should keep this in mind when contemplating changes to their courses.