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New grasses can change golf scores
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Golfers’ frustrations with high scores, long rounds and putting greens can be multiplied or lessened depending on how the turf is managed.
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| Purdue University turf expert Cale Bigelow demonstrates a Stimpmeter on the seventh green of Purdue’s Kampen Golf Course. The Stimpmeter allows golf course superintendents to keep the speed of their greens consistent throughout the course. |
Turf grass researchers and golf course management experts have ways of influencing how difficult a green is to play, says Cale Bigelow, a Purdue University agronomist and turf expert. The type of grass and management programs can determine whether the velvety-looking greens are fast or slow. On fast greens, a slight tap of the putter sends the ball many feet, while a ball struck the same way on a slow green will travel only inches.
To meet specific needs of both professional golfers and weekend duffers on the United States’ 16,000 courses, turf scientists have developed and bred new species and varieties of grasses, he says. Grasses such as Bermuda, fescue, bentgrass and Kentucky fill specific niches on golf courses. Different conditions are required depending on the level of play and whether the turf is in the rough, on the fairway or on the green.
Bigelow and groups of high school and college students evaluated a number of turf management techniques and bentgrass varieties to learn ways golf course managers create desired playing conditions. “I wanted to show that there are other ways besides lowering the mower height to achieve some of the functional characteristics course managers strive for,” Bigelow says. “A lot of emphasis is put on maintaining golf greens not only for aesthetic appearance but also for functional quality, such as surface firmness and smoothness. It’s a lot more complex than just cutting and watering the grass.”
Related Link:
Purdue Turfgrass Program
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