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Like many fields in the region, it sits on rhythmic terrain, flanked by trees and adorned with granite outcrops, all charming features that can also be agronomic challenges. and pines. Add in the seasonal extremes and unique features of many older Northeast models, and you’ll begin to perceive why domain superintendents occasionally have their hands full.
As the organization responsible for the US Open, the United States Golf Association worked with the Country Club to prepare the course for the championship. But the governing body’s lawn maintenance efforts aren’t limited to one property, one week of the year; the commitment is widespread and the calendar runs.
In his role as agronomist for the USGA’s Green Section in the Northeast, John Daniels consulted dozens of fields in New England, New York and eastern Canada. We asked him about the regional problems he and his colleagues face and what it takes to help. the fields triumph over them, whether for a national championship or a daily game.
Granite outcrops are not unusual in the northeastern courses. And it’s nothing compared to the things you can’t see. Rocky soils can complicate paints in underground projects, such as improving drainage and irrigation systems.
“You’d probably have to spend time digging rocks or breaking them with hammers,” Daniels says.
These same situations can also be challenging for the lawn, as rocky soils just below the surface can raise temperatures, heat and dry the lawn. A special treatment, such as localized irrigation, would possibly be to relieve drought stress. going down much more than it seems. For the golf courses to be in the best condition, you have to perceive what goes down underground.
Elevation adjustments provide demanding strategic situations for golfers and agronomists. They have effects on everything from temperature and drainage to the amount of shade, sun and grass. As the floor moves up and down, lawn care practices also need to be replaced.
“It could be that one area of the course gets less light in the morning, so it takes longer to wake up,” Daniels says. Less watering. You end up with many exclusive environments that react very quickly, so your technique will also be expressed on the site.
Last winter was tough in New England, and while the Country Club emerged largely unscathed, Daniels says, many fields did not. As is the case at the end of winter, much of the damage occurred on the greens. affected by floods. Others have suffered dramatic temperature fluctuations: an immediate succession of thaws and freezes that causes water absorbed by plants to expand, breaking down cells.
Poa annua is vulnerable to this, and poa annua is a common grape variety in northeastern vegetables. Daniels and his colleagues spent a lot of time this spring helping courses design recovery programs. the vegetables closed for a while. In others, these were cultivation tactics, such as intercropping, grass and cover.
“The vegetables that have suffered the most are the ones that haven’t been able to move fast enough,” Daniels says. difficult winter, they can come out better. “
Many courses in the northeast date back to the golden age and their characteristics reflect this harvest. By fresh standards, many are short, with vegetables smaller, wavy than those found on fashion tracks. Just as the designs were different at that time. , so were maintenance practices.
Putting surfaces, for example, were not cut as hard. “When you look at vegetables from those older fields, they have steeper slopes that weren’t built with the speeds of today’s vegetables in mind,” Daniels says. “And so, as vegetables grow faster, it decreases the number of hollow grooves it can have. “
When you gain speed, you risk wasting attractive architectural features. The purpose is to help courses find the right balance between the two.
“Often,” Daniels says, “the bottom line is that having healthy, soft, truly rolling vegetables rather than necessarily the fastest vegetables imaginable, that’s the most productive technique to focus on. “
Tree disturbances are not unique to northeastern grasslands. But in the northeast grasslands, those shade disorders are very similar to age.
“When a lot of them were built, they had fewer trees and smaller trees,” Daniels says.
Decades later, those characteristics of the forest would possibly no longer fit into the countryside. In some cases, a larger or newly planted tree would possibly clash with the architect’s original intent, reducing the quality of a hole. With its shade or roots, a tree can also damage the lawn. Like all living things, trees lose health and die. They can also be unsightly. Or pose a danger to protection. All of these considerations come into play when weighing the opportunity to cut down or prune a tree.
“It’s not that superintendents have a vendetta against trees,” Daniels says. “It’s that the challenge has gotten so out of control that you need paints to get things back in order. “
For a championship as good as the US Open, arrangements begin years in advance. As part of a recovery through Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner, many trees were felled at the Country Club and several vegetables were enlarged, recovering old holes. places and bring the bunkers closer. For the tournament, situations are company and fast.
With this in mind, the club has also made progress in draining the street and, with the contribution of the USGA, has carried out a competitive topdressing program, which is helping the entire course to dry out temporarily even after heavy rains. apparent this week, but they are also destined for the long term.
“We’re getting ahead of the courses in the coming years and we’re also racing to help with the upcoming tournament,” Daniels says. “But everything we do is intended to have a positive effect 365 days a year and be useful to members for years to come. “
Josh Sens, who specialises in golf, gastronomy and travel, has been a contributor to GOLF magazine since 2004 and now contributes to all GOLF platforms. His paintings were included in an anthology in The Best American Sportswriting. Have we had fun yet?: the cooking manual and parties.
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