Perspectives on Course DesignPerspective of Golf Course Design

It has been more than 100 years since the first golf course was established in Japan. In the beginning, greens were made of hardened sand instead of grass, but research on bentgrass began in the early Showa period, and both the Tokyo Golf Club Asaka Course and the Hirono Golf Club Hirono Course, which opened in 1932, use bentgrass. Incidentally, both courses had single greens. Due to various changes in the environment, the era of mainly Korai turf was centered for a while after that, and after an era in which both Bentgrass and Korai were used due to double greens, etc., the era of Bentgrass single greens came again in the late Showa period. Nowadays, there are an increasing number of cases where double greens are converted back to single greens from the viewpoint of golf play, but this was only possible due to the improvement of bentgrass varieties and maintenance techniques and the development of management machinery. Penclos, which is so widely adopted that it is still synonymous with bentgrass today, was introduced in 1954. At that time, the mowing height of greens was about 6mm, but as the demand for green speed increased, it became necessary to develop varieties that could withstand lower mowing, and new varieties were introduced one after another around 1980. In addition, mowing machines have evolved to keep up with this trend, and together with improvements in other management techniques, green speeds of 13 feet or more can now be achieved. However, these high quality green conditions cannot be maintained all year round and are only available for a few weeks a year on special occasions, usually around 9 feet.

Simply put, the use of an area called a green is both a space for putting and a target for placing the ball on that small area. As balls and clubs have evolved, balls have been able to fly straighter and farther, and players' ability to hit the target has improved. Golf courses have responded to this trend by increasing the difficulty and distance of the course by placing severe bunkers and water hazards around the greens, but the skill level of golfers is not constant and is often too much for the average golfer. In addition, more and more greens are designed with large undulations to increase the difficulty of putting, but this also poses the same problem, and is also a factor in the high cost of maintenance. While I believe that the enjoyment of golf as a sport and the enjoyment of golf as a leisure activity are two very different things, I believe that the time has come to review the purpose and design of greens in response to the golf environment we are facing today.

As mentioned briefly in the June issue, the reduction of the green area can greatly contribute to the reduction of maintenance costs, and can also change the difficulty level of the target, which is the theme of this issue. Although the changes will vary depending on the placement and distance of the existing guard bunkers, the scope can be considerably expanded by including changes in the low mowing area (color and approach). The aforementioned scope does not require any civil engineering work and can be handled within the scope of general course management. In addition, although some civil works are required, it is possible to adjust the difficulty level to meet the objective by relocating or adding (or in some cases removing) guard bunkers to increase the degree of difficulty.

New interseeding varieties called New Bent are becoming more common in the currently mainstream Penncross, and by improving density and heat tolerance, it is now possible to maintain conditions to some extent during the summer. However, extreme weather conditions such as last year's have reduced the turf density of greens on many courses, and in some cases, the greens have become bare. Although bentgrass management has improved considerably since the early Showa period, the barrier of reduced management budgets has created a situation where continued dependence on bentgrass is not considered wise. The Club's decision not to convert to 2-bent greens has left the greens in place, and they are still being used as summer greens, which was the original purpose of the course. With the improvement of maintenance techniques, we believe that the legacy of Korai grass is in better condition than Bentgrass, which has become exhausted, and more importantly, the fact that the Club does not have to incur considerable expenses for replacement is a major contribution to its operations. Although it is true that an increasing number of players dislike the strong texture of Korai grass, I believe that most of them would be happy to play at Naruo Golf Club. It is difficult to offer tournament-spec hard green compaction to general players with bentgrass, but with Koryo, it is possible to provide the same level of hardness and difficulty in spin control that is required for the shots. As another option, we believe that the use of Bermuda grass is worth considering. In recent years, dozens of courses in the United States have converted from bentgrass to a new variety of Bermuda grass called ultra dwarf. It is denser and more resistant to low mowing than the older Tif328 and other types of grass, which helps to maintain smooth putting quality. There are golf courses with a general maintenance level that can maintain over 11 feet with a mowing height of around 3 mm during the summer season without difficulty. It should be noted that this grass species, like Korai, can maintain high quality during the summer season when bentgrass is weak, and can be used without winter overseeding in the transition zone in the United States.

I mentioned earlier the purpose of the green as a space for putting, but I am sending it here as a final consideration because the design change involves a civil engineering element and will cost a certain amount of money. For example, what is the fun or difficulty of putting: a long putt of 30 meters over several swells or up and down several levels? Or fast greens with generally flat, straight lines? It is hard to say, since it depends on your preference, but I think it is fun to think and be nervous when putting sideways or downhill because of the slightly tighter slope. The slightly smaller, slightly tighter slopes and undulating greens designed in conjunction with the surrounding mounds and bunkers are not only interesting for putting, but also beautiful and interesting when you consider the greens as targets. I believe that it is the role of golf course designers to provide a deeper level of golfing fun, and I believe that this is a category in which golf course designers can help.

August 2011. (In cooperation with Ikki Publishing Co.