It's all about perception...

IT IS ALL ABOUT PERCEPTION and believe me, I understand that more than anybody.  I just returned from the Golf Shop where I fielded dozens of questions about why we moved to temporary greens yesterday when conditions became saturated.  Before I get into some of the questions and answers, I want to reiterate that before this recent decision to implement temp greens for extremely wet conditions, the course would close until the regular greens were deemed to be playable again.  This new temp greens policy is an effort to ensure the golf course remains open under saturated conditions without causing severe damage to the course.

Here are some of the questions and the answers I provided:

1.  How do we determine when the regular greens are too wet for play?

• This is quite simple actually.  Once the putting surface is so saturated that puddles begin forming or they are "foot-printing" from being so soft, they are closed to eliminate compaction from traffic.  Even though there may only be a single puddle on the green or maybe even no puddling at all, compaction is still a serious concern under these saturated conditions.  The damage being done won't be visible at the surface, but the compaction just below the surface will lead to many serious agronomic issues in the future.

2.  Once the decision has been made to move to temp greens, are the regular greens then closed for the day?

• No, the regular greens are constantly being reevaluated throughout the day and will be reopened if conditions improve.

 3.  Are we being too overprotective of our greens?  How much damage can we really cause by playing on saturated greens?

• First of all, it is my job to protect your investment.  I provide the Golf Committee with factual information and recommendations for them to then make educated decisions to create policies and standards.  Again, if it is their wish for the regular greens to remain open when saturated, I will then provide them with the potential consequences of doing so and the corrective measures that will be necessary to alleviate any damage done.  Compaction is a serious concern that leads to many other issues both at the surface and below.

4.  If the regular greens were too saturated yesterday for play, how can they possibly be firm enough to be rolled today?

• We received only 2.5mm of rain overnight (from 7pm to 7am), allowing the greens to drain well enough to handle the weight of the rolling equipment this morning.  There is a common misconception that rolling greens causes compaction when in fact, studies have shown this to be false.  That being said, we DO NOT roll the greens when they are saturated.

5.  Who do I contact to let my thoughts be known about the course policies?

• As I've said time and time again, PLEASE put your concerns and/or suggestions in writing to the Golf Committee and I assure you that they will be addressed and you will receive a response.  Simply voicing your opinion around the Club, whether it's to other members or to Quilchena employees, is not the proper channel if you'd like appropriate answers.