Taking Care of Your Golf Course

Oh hello, there, Johnny! How nice to see you! So! You've decided to manage your very own golf course! Well congratulations, Johnny! Here you will learn the basics of managing a golf course. You will learn things such as how to irrigate and drain properly, how to care for the different types of grass, and how to make hazards. You may even learn some new golf vocabulary! Are you up, Johnny? Good! Let's again go on that hypothetical golf course but this time, not to play, but to observe, although we will not be out for very long this time. Let us go, Johnny!

See here in the "Tee Box", the ground is raised up about half a metre. This isn't mandatory, but it is usually done to keep the tee box dry, as the water seeps down through the soil into level ground. The grass for tee boxes is well trimmed and taken care of. The type of grass used can differ, Johnny. Some examples are Bentgrass, Bermuda grass, and St. Augustine grass. Now, Johnny, do you see those tee markers? Well after a while, they can get worn out so you have to remember to replace them once in a while. I think that's about it for the tee boxes! Let us move forward!

An irrigation pipe cross section!

What you see in front of you now is called the "Fairway." The grass type is often the same type as the tee box, although of a little longer length. Some types include Bentgrass, Kentucky Blue, and Rye Grass. Now, as you may have noticed, it was raining yesterday and this morning, but the grass is not very wet. If you feel it, Johnny, it is not muddy at all! Now this is a very well taken care of course, so, naturally, it has irrigation. How is it irrigated, you ask, Johnny? Well, if you look at the well drawn cross-sections to the right, you will see the different layers on top and below the irrigation pipe. The holes are placed on the bottom of the pipe so that when the water level builds up, it merely seeps into the pipes and drain into ponds or other bodies of water. This, Johnny, is actually very important as it will prevent plant diseases caused by fungi. Now, before we go, Johnny, take a look at that path leading from tee box to tee box, designed to not intrude upon the game, and also to help get mechanical carts get around. These are quite important on golf courses that offer mechanical cart use, as carts are supposed to try to stick to the pathway, except when needed. Now let's go, Johnny! We're only walking about twenty yards off to the left before we stop, Johnny!

Now this here is the "Rough." It lies adjacent to the fairway on all sides, except between it and the green. It is usually between the fairway and the tee box, however, as not many shots (although some) land there. The rough has much longer and coarser grass than the fairway, although sometimes of the same species. The rough is frequently accompanied by trees, sometimes resembling a well trimmed forest with grass instead of dirt and twigs, although not always. The trees give it an extra level of difficulty to the player after entering the rough adding to its undesirability. Now, Johnny, on to the green!

Now, as you can see, before we walk onto the green, there is a layer of medium width grass around the green. This is the "Fringe." It is a little longer than the green but is still very very closely mowed, so both chipping and putting on this is quite possible as it doesn't disturb or hider the ball very much. Now the "Green" itself is quite flat and has very little grass padding between the soil and the air. Some types of grass used for greens are Bentgrass, Bermuda and St. Augustine. It is often the exact same grass as the tee box and sometimes the fairway, but very VERY closely mowed and well taken care of. Feel the soil, Johnny. It's slightly damp, but not so damp as to weigh or slow the ball down. Greens need well management as they are the most important place on a course. The pins are often relocated; sometimes daily. Let's get off this hypothetical green, Johnny before someone hypothetically hits us with hypothetical balls.

Now, Johnny, because it rained recently, no one is watering the course right now. But courses are usually watered daily when no one is playing, as they must be kept well nourished and much of the water is drained away to provide optimal playing conditions.

Now, Johnny, I rather think that this concludes the informational part of the web site! I hope you've enjoyed yourself and gained much information from it! I hope this site will help you in the future in whatever you choose to do, from merely playing a round of golf to managing a golf course. I also strongly recommend professional lessons on these topics, as this site does not provide nearly as much information that is required for any of these topics even with its significant amount of content and illustrations. Now, whether you will take additional lessons in the future or not, you are ready take on the world of golf! Good luck, Johnny!