Kikuyu, Too

Shackelford has failed to meet expectations, and if we want a scatter diagram of play at Riviera's tenth hole, we're apparently going to have to find it on our own.  That's a lot to expect from your humble, unpaid blogger, don't you think?

But he does have an interesting post from Riviera, following up on something he noted in his his first round warp-up, specifically that they're rolling the fairways at Riviera.  Cue the theme from Jaws or suitably sinister mood music, as it's a bit odd, no?  Here's his grab graph:

If you’ve watched the opening two rounds of Northern Trust Open play, it’s been apparent that the course is firmer and faster than ever. For Kikuyu fairways, it’s a rarity to ever even contemplate any kind of run to the fairways unless the ground is frozen. As for an explanation, suffering through drought says a lot and so does all of the incredible soil moisture reading work undertaken by superintendent Matt Morton’s crew.

I've certainly noticed that, and some of the distances of drives seem to confirm it.  I don't have any experience with Kikuyu, but I've been listening long enough to golf announcers trying to explain its properties, and it's obviously a very sticky grass.  And this reminds me of my experience at Kiawah Island, as well as the discussions leading up to the 2012 PGA Championship.  The Ocean Course appears at first blush to feel much like a links, and also features wind as a primary defense.  But because of the climate it requires a heat resistant grass,  Paspalum specifically, which like Likuyu is extremely grabby.  I enjoyed Kiawah (and Theresa absolutely loved it, but it was a bit of an oddball mix.  All the conditions suggested a ground game, but the turf was too grabby to utilize the bump and run with confidence.  

But back to Shack, who quotes Riviera superintendent Matt Morton:

“We’ve made a conscious effort to try to speed up the course through equipment,” he said.

Shack continues, and draws a chuckle from this reader by the manner in which he attests to Morton's bona fides:

In other words, reduce the use of growth regulators and other chemical tricks to tighten the turf and firm up the course. Morton wants to best accentuate Riviera’s many subtle design features, many of which are muted by spongy Kikuuyu. It also helps that Morton has grown to love links golf, is reading Alister MacKenzie’s Spirit Of St. Andrews, and wants to use more sustainable tools to make Riviera play faster and firmer than ever. It’s working.

I get it Geoff, he's one of us.  But I agree this is promising as a means of firming up golf courses in warmer climates.  Not that too many clubs could afford the equipment and labor needed for this effort, but at least it's an alternative that doesn't require additional chemicals and water.  

The Tranz-Former.  Wonder what this sweet ride goes for?

The equipment in question is the Tranz-former (catchy name), though I wish that Shack had told us what they cost.   They were also used at Merion last June for the Open, and I note that Kiawah is listed as a user on the Company's website.  from Shack's post:

Morton hopes to reduce mowings and in general, continue to shift Riviera toward the more sustainable Australian model of maintenance emphasizing grass management that involves less consumption of precious resources.

For anyone interested in maintenance issues, I highly recommend this Shackelford Golf Digest article from 2012 about Australian golf course maintenance practices.  I'm worn out at beating my head against the wall over the condition of our bunkers, and wish I could get our Super to read this.