I usually watch the major championships and that's pretty much the limit of my golf knowledge, so maybe someone can answer this for me. Do the greens at Pebble Beach always look like that? To my untrained eye, the greens look atrocious...the worst greens I can remember ever seeing at a major. What's the deal with them?
Question for golf guys...
- Thread starter hullabaloodog
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I usually watch the major championships and that's pretty much the limit of my golf knowledge, so maybe someone can answer this for me. Do the greens at Pebble Beach always look like that? To my untrained eye, the greens look atrocious...the worst greens I can remember ever seeing at a major. What's the deal with them?
The greens are poanna. They lack consistency in color, and all that matters is that they are smooth, and consistent. They are, or this event would not be played there.</p>
<span style="font-style: italic;"></span> and becoming bumpy later in the day. Tiger blasted the greens after round one. But others putted OK on them, so maybe Tiger is just a whinny prick. 
Most greens get a bitbumpy, later in the day.
I think this is the same typegrass that they had when he won by 12 or so, in 2000. Oh well.
I think this is the same typegrass that they had when he won by 12 or so, in 2000. Oh well.
A well maintained poa annua green is perhaps the nicest surface to putt on. It is incredible to play on when well maintained.MFReb said:
This is, of course, only in northern climates. When it gets down in TN/MS etc, i cant imagine it is much to play on.
Bent greens, even in the north, have nothing on a perfect poa annua green. Problem is that most greens arent going to be perfectly maintained, and bent greens play better than poa annua ones when neither is perfectly maintained.
Most bent greens in the upper midwest are a mix of bent and poa. Especially on courses older than 40 years.
I normally dont post on here but there this is what I went to school for. I am a superintendent her in Texas and have a BA in Turfgrass Science from Penn State. The dark spots on the greens at the US Open are actually hot spots. With cool season turf such as Poa Annua and Bentgrass cultivars you experience wilt with warm temperatures. This is caused by the plant not being able to transpire so it basically suffocates to death. The darker spots are the hot spots with wilting foliage. The USGA does not allow you to water a green, fairway, etc. during play because it would effectively change the playing surface from what the previous golfer experienced to the next. On a normal Pebble Beach weekend the greens would not look like this but they are drying out. I hope this explains it to everyone. Any other turf questions I would be willing to answer.
Actually they dont. i hosted a mid-amateur and they did not allow water because it can effect green speed drastically from one group to the enxt. water on bent or poa effects leaf size and turgidity which effects ball roll. Also a poa or bent plant can experience wilt with windy and dry conditions. I know that it was cool on fridays rounds but they were more than likely limiting water to greens to effect speed. that with wind and traffic can cause wilt. They have more than likely been drying them out all week to try to increase speed along with rolling and lower mowing height.
I know for a fact usga does not allow it. i miss read you saying pga. I have never hosted or been at a pga tour event that had bent greens nor have i been at the masters so I cannot say what they do. I know they were strict at the St. Jude Classic on running heads. somebody had to be at the course at all times to make sure the heads only ran for the predetermined amount of time and that was after all play was finished. just my two cents. usga and pga tour events are very different. we even ahd some equipment we were not allowed to use due to sanctions by the usga and pga. its very involved down in the maintainence end.
for your benefit, I have seen greens watered between groups, and I have seen greens rolled between groups.
I am posting in relation to PGA events. So take it or leave it! It's nothing to me, I've only played golf for over 35+ years!
I am posting in relation to PGA events. So take it or leave it! It's nothing to me, I've only played golf for over 35+ years!
I'm gonna have to go with the superintendent on this one. I've never seen the USGA water greens during a round EXCEPT for a couple of years ago on that one hole at Shinnecock during the U.S. Open where no one could hold a shot on that green. Even from inside 100 yards. They would get some guys out there in between groups and water them down pretty good. Obviously they had let the greens dry out too much and they were running like a 17 on the meter at the time. That green was almost unplayable.
Yes, I remember that situation. The USGA received a lot of criticism for letting the green get in that shape to begin with, but had to allow it to gain some sort of playability.jcbully said:
Wind and how much your watering come into effect too. Its been windy all 3 days which will dry out a course. They are probably not watering too much at night also to try and keep the approaches and fairways firm. It doesnt matter what the temp is. If your not watering you will have wilt. They are more than likely going for straight playability instead of visual appeal.
There was a big article in ESPN the Mag about how the USGA was going green for this tournament. And by going green, they would make the course less green. They werent going to water it nearly as much as normal leading up to the tournament and during.dawgebag said:
If this is the worst looking turf at a major, then you havent seen many British Opens.
can't picture the Pebble Beach members playing that course all year long, as it looked this weekend. I've worked on the course @ 1 Major, 4 minor or less than majors and attended several Majors as a spectator, thats the worst I have seen. It is true, standards are different the week of the tournament. You have PGA officials that come in months in advance and tell the Super how to transform his/her course into what they expect, no matter how the course was constructed or intended to play. They also reserve the right to change their minds at any given moment and expect immediate results, even if its 180 degrees from what you have been working on for weeks. Supers are often forced into purchasing new equipment, chemicals, and using labor inexperienced in their procedures to do this with. Can't blame the Super's, its just the way its done.