By Shaun Henry^*

When There is Nothing Left to Cut but the Grass

With the Masters just a recent memory, I shutter at the thought of the annual onset of “Augusta Syndrome” in a year when many maintenance budgets will be cut to the bone and course operators are curled up in the fetal position waiting out the perfect economic storm.

Augusta National’s lush conditions have provided the scale by which American course conditions have been measured for decades. Course operators and superintendents nationwide brace themselves every March for the annual comments during and following Masters week, comparing their courses to the Taj Mahal of golf courses that is Augusta National. This annual reminder of what can be achieved with near-limitless resources—aimed at conditions peaking at perfection for one week per year—illustrates America’s obsession with highly-manicured, lush golf courses.

For years industry experts have preached that the impeccable conditions seen by millions at the majors each year are simply not sustainable day in and day out, at least not for most clubs. This begs the question: Is America’s obsession with lush turf, “consistent hazards” and flawless playing surfaces sustainable for the future of the game, especially during current times of flat rounds, flat rates and skyrocketing costs?

Why is it that we travel great distances and spend significant dollars to experience “rugged” golf conditions found in Scotland, Ireland and even at a few truly special places in the U.S. like Bandon Dunes, Chambers Bay and Whistling Straits; yet we return to our home courses expecting, no, demanding emerald green, highly manicured playing surfaces?

Plato once said, “Necessity, who is the mother of invention.” Perhaps the current economic state of the golf industry and the nation as a whole is the push we need to reinvent American golf, tweaking the standards from “Green is Good” to accepting some shades of brown and even a few blemishes here and there; irrigating and fertilizing for turf health and playability rather than color alone; converting to grasses that require less inputs and less frequent mowing, such as the fescue greens at Bandon Dunes that only require mowing every other day.

Changing America’s expectations is going to take time, communication and the support of industry associations; however, such an initiative can gain momentum much like the “green” environmental movement. After all we have demonstrated a yearning for “Scottish” golf conditions, we just haven’t gotten past the annual brainwashing that American courses should be flawless and emerald green, otherwise known as “Augusta Syndrome.”

---

Credits

Originally posted by ShaunHenry on 21 Jul 2010.
All contributors: MarleneStone, ShaunHenry,

Rate This Article

View top-rated articles!

You need to Login or register to rate articles.

Accuracy

12345 My vote: 0, Total votes: 0, Avg. vote: 0

Usefulness

12345 My vote: 0, Total votes: 0, Avg. vote: 0

This discussion page has not yet been started.

You have reached a discussion page that is currently empty. GolfBizWiki discussion pages are where people talk about how to improve a specific page. Typical topics include:

• Does this page follow the GolfBizWiki Writers And Editors Guide?
• Is the content on this page appropriate for wikiHow?
• Is this article helpful or useful?
• Is this article accurate?

A discussion page is an ideal place for two or more people with conflicting views to civilly reach consensus about how a page should be edited. By having these discussions off the topic page, GolfBizWiki community members can converse and agree on how to best improve the page.

Please Login or register to post comments.