Aspire Golf’s Tim Moraghan appears in LINKS Magazine’s May 2015 HOTLINKS.
5 Myths About… Course Maintenance
Be careful when complaining about conditions, says Tim Moraghan, who used to set up courses for the USGA
- THE GOLF COURSE SUPERINTENDENT LIKES TO OVERWATER
If the course is too wet, don’t blame the super and his crew, who know better than anyone that too much water is bad for turf, slows play, and will cause further damage under the feet—and cleats—of golfers. If the culprit isn’t a broken irrigation system, the course topography, or local ordinances, it’s Mother Nature.
- THE GROUNDS CREW HAS NOTHING TO DO IN THE OFF-SEASON
Maintenance has no off-season. When the course is closed, the crew is busy budgeting, attending seminars, fixing equipment, and getting ready for the coming year. The “off” months actually are the most productive for the crew and for the course, which gets a much deserved chance to heal, rest, and grow.
- GREENS ARE AERATED TO DISCOURAGE PLAY
Sorry if you hate aerated greens, but they are necessary to create healthy putting surfaces that can withstand the demands of high-season play. Greens that aren’t periodically aerated become soft, wet, and unhealthy, and getting them into shape for the club championship becomes very expensive.
- THE WATCHWORD IS “SUSTAINABILITY”
Protecting the environment and everyone’s health is important. But if the membership starts objecting to a course that looks brown and plays hard, the superintendent will have no problem over-watering, over-spraying, and over-fertilizing if that’s what it takes to keep his job.
- TELEVISION SETS THE STANDARD
Lush, green Augusta National or the “firm and fast” Pinehurst No. 2? Neither condition is easily achieved. (Nor do those two look like that year round.) You want something in between, determined by climate, topography, maintenance budget, number of rounds played…but definitely not television.
