Pebble

Recently, I have been getting questions about the greens at Pebble Beach during the US Open. I am getting the questions because Pebble Beach and Vail have the same turfgrass on their greens, poa annua.

The USGA's makes decisions on most golf course maintenance decisions for their championships, especially the greens. The USGA demands that Superintendents perform different practices than normal during and prior to the tournament to meet their goals. Usually the watering is reduced, mowing heights adjusted and color has almost no meaning to officials. One common non-practice with poa annua (annual bluegrass) greens they request from Superintendents is to prohibit the use of plant growth regulators (PGR's). Growth regulators help provide a more consistent putting surface and reduce mowing frequency throughout the day. We use them in Vail to keep the greens as consistent as possible throughout the day. The downside with them and the reason the USGA does not allow them is because they prevent the ability to change green speeds if conditions warrant them to change. In a nutshell, PGR's lock you into a certain height of cut and ultimately one speed.

Historically the USGA would like to see the winner of their Open Championship to shoot par over 4 days of golf. So frequently they may need to change the speed of the greens to reach their goal.

Understanding poa annua can be difficult, to some this plant is a weed, to others it provides a great putting surface. It is considered a weed because it is very invasive and is extremely difficult to keep out of a bentgrass or bermudagrass green in some environments. Poa is labeled as a winter annual, and does very well in cool climates such as Monterey Bay or Vail. There are hundreds if not thousands of varieties of poa and they all react differently to their environment. Some of these differences are color and growth. This what we saw so well on TV last week.

Turfgrasses are among the fastest growing plants on the planet. During the daytime, light photosynthesis occurs and the plant responds with growth, especially when temperatures are right. Last week at Pebble there were some cool, long days which are perfect conditions for the poa plants to grow. The new growth can disrupt a smooth surface. All that traffic doesn't help either.

Television is another factor to consider. Anytime, any network can view golf as close to prime time as possible, they are going to do so. I think the last tee time was around 3.30pm on the West Coast. That is prime growth time for poa.

(The picture is from golf architect Kevin Atkinson, who attended Pebble Beach before the tournament this year for the US Open Challenge charity event)