Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
about 30% of the total turf maintenance. The greens are so important
because, unlike the situation on tees, fairways and roughs, the golf
ball remains on the surface at all times and must roll smoothly and
uniformly and because half of the strokes in a game are expected to
be putts.
Putting greens usually range in area from about 300 to about 700 m
2
.
Generally, greens that require a longer approach shot should be larger
than those requiring a short approach shot. Therefore, long par-3 and
par-4 holes should have the largest greens, whereas short par-3 holes and
par-5 holes, on both of which the shot that lands on the green is expected
to be played from a short distance, should have smaller greens. The
putting green should absorb well the impact of a shot from the fairway
and should provide a smooth, uniform roll of the ball at certain speed,
called the speed of the green. The minimum required speed of a green is
regulated by the system of golf rules, but in practical terms can be
described as a measure of how far the ball should roll when started at a
given velocity. Speed is an important component of green maintenance
and is primarily controlled by mowing height, although other factors
such as species and cultivars, mowing frequency and succulence of the
grass also influence it.
Sand-based putting greens
On many older golf courses around the world, the greens are constructed
from natural soil. The majority of these courses are in the UK, Australia,
South Africa and other countries in temperate climates. In the
tropics, however, golf has been growing rapidly during the last several
decades, so most of the golf courses are relatively new, and most of the
greens are artificially constructed. At tropical golf resorts where many
rounds of golf per day are played 12 months a year, the soil compaction
on natural putting greens would be impossible to manage. A natural soil
may become so severely compacted that alleviation of soil compaction
would be only marginally effective and probably short lasting. Historical
attempts to modify existing soil by mixing it with sand have proven
ineffective. Researchers around the world have tried various methods
and finally demonstrated that replacing soil with almost pure sand
produces the best results. Compaction of these greens still poses a chal-
lenge, but a manageable one. Standard techniques of constructing greens
have been developed and with some minor modifications have been
adopted and implemented around the world. The most standardized
green around the world is often called the
USGA green
because the
United States Golf Association (USGA) first declared this design the
industry standard.
