Minnesota Golfer - Summer 2010 - 6

(editor'sletter)
When Brown, the " New Green, "
is a Good Thing
A
recently republished article ( " For
Good Golf and Good Turf-Use
Less Water, " USGA Green Section
Record, March 1983) by John Zoller, then the
executive director of the Northern California
Golf Association, is a prescient look at the
effects of a forced period of decreased water
use, the drought that occurred in 1977, on
Californian fairways-and the lessons superintendents
learned about more practical
management under dryer turf conditions.
Zoller's comments are especially relevant
nearly 30 years later as water use is being
scrutinized all over the country, including
here in the land of 10,000 water hazards (see
story on page 30).
Zoller's premise is that when turf maintenance
was not much more than a few horses
dragging a gang mower around the course,
before the appearance of automated irrigation
systems, golfers and greens superintendents
made do with " browner " conditions.
Namely, fi rmer fairways and greens, fewer
invasive weeds (such as clover, daisies and
the enemy of bentgrass everywhere, annual
bluegrass-aka, Poa annua) and little need
for fungicides. Apparently the dryer conditions
kept these problems at bay while more
drought-resistant grasses remained healthy,
although tinged brown.
Prior to the advent of automated irrigation,
Zoller recalls, the game was played more
on the ground than in the air. It is diffi cult for
modern golfers to conceive, but playing the
game this way was harder. Judging the bounce
and roll of an uneven approach shot over fi rm
and unforgiving turf was more of an art than
the science of carrying a similar shot a precise
number of yards to a softer target. Only the
more accomplished players could spin their
ball enough to hold the fi rmer greens of the
day. It was a different game than the one we
play now, and not necessarily better.
On the one hand, fi rmer turf means more
distance for shorter hitters. On the other, fi rm
conditions put a premium on ball striking
and feel. Those lucky enough to have made
the trek over the pond to play the traditional
links courses of Scotland or Ireland know
that the ground game required to traverse
many of the less-irrigated seaside courses is
challenging. But it's also closer to how golf
was originally conceived, and undoubtedly
more authentic.
Seaside locations are hard to come by here
in the upper Midwest, so an argument in favor
of a return to the game's roots to justify
using less water goes only so far. A move toward
less green and more brown turf management
requires proven successes, and an
ample dose of fortitude. If golfers can see
how turf can fl ourish with less irrigation,
they'll have more patience when infestations
of annual bluegrass die off and healthy turf
takes over (it's no different than when spring
arrives, and the annual bluegrass has not yet
revived).
The biggest hurdle will be for golfers to accept
that a little brown tinge is not a condition
to be suffered through, but rather a state
that is easier to sustain and more in line with
seasonal changes-something to aspire to.
While all brown will never replace all green,
" ... with prudent management, we can provide
an aesthetically beautiful course suitable
for good golf, " Zoller wrote. Prescient advice
for 21st century golf.
See you on the tee.
W.P. Ryan, Editor-in-Chief
4
MINNESOTAGOLFER Summer 2010
www.mngolf.org
http://www.mngolf.org
Minnesota Golfer - Summer 2010

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