Lecture 4: Golf and GrassWhat is golf without grass?

Artificial grass.

Artificial grass greens.

In this lecture.

Why good grass important Why bad grass also important (in bad

way) But why sometimes we make good

grass bad. When do we do necessary evil to

grass? Who looks after the grass?

Golf and grass

Golf is very dependent on a quality grass surface.

three distinct conditions: › the rough – the grass is generally much

longer, - may affect the flight of the ball› the fairway – short and even, allowing the

player to cleanly strike the ball and › the putting green – the shortest and most

even, ideally allowing the ball to roll smoothly over the surface.

Grass and golf

Half to Two-third of budget is golf course maintenance.

Big clubhouse but bad course = unhappy golfers and low golf

Small clubhouse but good course = happy golfers and high traffic

Different strokes for different folks

Different grass has different requirements

Different clubs has different budgets Different clubs has different grasses Different clubs has different priorities.

Good Grass = Fun

Good grass

Bad grass = lousy game?

Renovation: Necessary evil?

Who looks after grass?

Golf course Maintenance Department Head : Golf Course Superintendent Technical work Agriculture or horticulture knowledge P & D Agronomy Mechanical knowledge HR

Alone?

An 18 hole course : 10 to 40 staff Ideal is 18 field and maybe 5 support staff Nowadays highly mechanized Due to design and better / cheaper

machinery Higher level of staff (and salary) helps too. Plus better chemicals : slow release

fertilizer, growth regulator, etc.

Exercise makes health

Don’t forget : grass is living thing Good nutrients Healthy air Prevention better than cure Humans exercise Grass : aeration, release compaction,

vertical-cutting

In this section.

Why good grass important Why bad grass also important Why sometimes we make good grass

bad. When do we do necessary evil to the

grass? Who looks after the grass?