Conference Findings

2010 Annual Conference Insights - Playability or Aesthetics – What Really Matters? 

More than 20 educational sessions designed to help course owners and operators better manage their facilities were presented during the NGCOA’s 2010 annual Conference. The following summarizes the session titled Playability or Aesthetics – What Really Matters? 

Firm and fast or soft and slow? Brown or green? That’s the agronomic dilemma that many courses face these days as they try to manage players’ expectations while caring for the health of one of their most valuable assets, the turf that lines their courses.

Panelists representing TPC Sawgrass left no doubt they believe in the “brown can be beautiful” concept.

“Tour professionals want firm and fast playing conditions, and are less concerned with aesthetics,” said Collier Miller, director, TPC Agronomy. “In all of my years, I’ve only had one (Tour) player say anything to me about aesthetics – all they want to talk about is playing conditions.”

While overseeding in the winter to maintain green fairways is popular with many club members and other golfers, the panelists noted that overseeding carries far more challenges and concerns than benefits. In addition to saving money on seed, fertilizer and labor, not overseeding conserves water and makes it easier for the course to maintain firm and fast conditions.

The decision not to overseed TPC Sawgrass saves the course more than $600,000 per year, according to Bill Hughes, general manager of the course that annually hosts the Players Championship. Hughes said he recognizes the pressure courses feel to overseed and suggested the key was effective communications.

“It’s all about managing expectations and communicating course conditions to your customers,” he said. “We start that process with the initial phone call, talking about firm and fast conditions versus soft and slow conditions. We fully disclose all agronomic conditions.”

Another key, Collier added, is making sure owners and operators support their superintendents. “You’re not going to get your superintendent to buy into (not overseeding) unless he knows you’re going to support him.”