The Importantce Of Properly Constructin A Golf Course Green
Over the years there have been many ideas and theories on the proper way to construct a golf course green. However many problems have arose from many of these theories. In 1993, the United States Golf Association, made a final revision for their Recommendations for a Method of Putting Green Construction. These steps are well defined and easily attainable at www.usga.org. John Royals (2002), Turf grass Management instructor at Central Piedmont Community College in Charlotte, NC, states, soil compaction, proper drainage and diseases can become a major problem if the green is constructed improperly. The importance of having a properly constructed green will benefit the constructor, superintendent, investor, and golfer.The constructor is the beginning of the process of proper installation. Since the requirements of building a green are easily found, the constructor can use the plans more efficiently. Superintendent of Springfield Golf Club in Fort Mill, SC, Noel Buchanan, believes, in the business world, time is money, but that is not always the case when dealing with a golf course. With the exact measurement and directions, the process is easy to follow. In the past, constructors had to use native soils. Many of the older,
The drainage system is critical because it is subsurface drainage. In Botany for Gardeners, author Brian Capon (1990), said fine textured soils have a low cation-exchange capacity (CEC) number, while clay soils have a high CEC number. The gravel layer should be between the sizes specified by the USGA. A perched water table occurs when fine textured soil is placed over coarse textured soil (Royals, 2002). The drainage pipe and depths of the sub grade need to be exact. The soil conditions are 50% soil, 25% air space (macro), and 25% water (micro) (USGA, 1993). With all of the USGA's specifications met, a green that drains efficiently with the proper soil spacing needed to maintain the turf, will not get as many diseases or dry out improperly (Buchanan, 2002). If the green is not draining properly it can become too wet, which will allow footprints to be seen in the green. Beginning with construction, the cost of proper installation can add to an extreme amount. Noel Buchanan (2002), Superintendent of Springfield GC thinks "having good soil conditions saves over three hundred dollars per month for fertilizers and insecticides. " During every day maintenance, the green will be the most expensive to maintain. This allows proper drainage of the turf, twelve to twenty-four inches per hour needed to sustain excellent putting conditions (Royals, 2002). Greens cost more than thirty-five thousand dollars to construct, and can even be more if long distance shipping for your materials is necessary (Buchanan, 2002). John Royals, from CPCC said, "Testing your materials is the most important aspect of achieving the exact specifications, and the sterile needs of the ingredients composed in the green. This sand can contaminate the gravel layer, and create improper drainage.
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