Speed kills... or does it?

Superintendents are split on the issue of green speeds at their courses. Get the inside scoop, and analysis from

While our annual State of the Industry report doesn't go live until next week, we thought we'd give you an sneak peak to some of our findings.

We asked superintendents if green speed was a serious issue at their course. The results were nearly split 50/50 between yes and no. And as one might expect, green speeds tended to be a bigger issue at private facilities and those with annual budgets exceeding $500,000. Not so much at non-private courses and those with smaller budgets.

To get more insight on this issue, we asked GCI columnist Tim Morgahan, who has written about this issue in past columns, to provide some analysis:

 

Let me start by saying that these results regarding green speeds do not surprise me at all.

Most high-dollar, “ego” clubs force the issue by forcing their superintendents to keep green speeds way too fast, placing enormous stress (on both the super and the golf course!) to produce a condition that is very likely bad agronomically. Furthermore, such “stressed” speeds likely do not fit with the designs of the greens while negatively affecting the pace of play for the majority of golfers.

I agree, the “lower” single-digit players think they have the ability to conquer fast greens speeds and enjoy the game. However, what they are really experiencing is familiarity with their own courses, exaggerated by the fact that they play more often than the average golfer. If these “better” players really understood golf, fast greens would not be on their wish list.

Only those golfers who play in tournaments on Sunday afternoon television have the ability to deal with such ultra-quick surfaces.

For low-budget golf courses, the primary goal should/must be healthy turf. Without that, they will be hard-pressed to attract customers. Too-fast greens speeds damage turf, hinder pace of play, and raise the cost of maintenance — thereby raising greens fees — driving customers away and reducing revenue. Plus, with no more than $550,000, there is neither the time nor money to properly produce or maintain fast turf.

I do not think average golfers — by which I mean the vast majority of them — should be subjected to fast greens. It hinders their enjoyment, raises their level of frustration with a game that is already hard enough, and will eventually lead to the demise of the grass beneath their feet. And, in time, golf itself.