The fifteenth at Chambers Bay (C.J. Anderson)
In the second part of my interview with superintendent Dave Wieneke, he discusses the wall-to-wall use of fescue on at Chambers Bay. A mature strand of fescue will play very fast, allowing for the bump and run shots that the course calls for, but achieving this level of density and health takes time. Chambers Bay has also been extremely popular (39,000 rounds in 2008) which has meant a high amount of traffic on the young fescue. While the fairways seem to have come in very well, there are a few spots on the greens that had to be re-sodded this winter. (video after jump)
Dave admits that the greens are the place that have been hardest to establish. It seems that the worst spots are along the edge of greens pinched by a bunker. The foot traffic is funneled in these spots and it is almost impossible to get them dense and healthy.
Chambers Bay’s greens are filled with bold contour and are not meant to be particularly fast. The use of fescue, which can not be mowed too tightly, prevents the greens from ever getting too fast. This has proven to be a point of contention with some of the paying public who are used to lightning fast, bent grass greens. Because the fescue on the greens is still relatively immature, Dave has not been able to get the greens to the speeds that he desires, but in this video he explains what he has been doing to get them rolling faster.
In the last part of the video, Dave talks about their management of the faux-dunes created by Robert Trent Jones Jr. These were seeded directly into the bulldozer tracks and early pictures of the place showed the tracks quite starkly. Some areas have come in quite well and others not so well. Dave discusses these problem spots and what he is doing to address them.
Clearly the wind and weather have eroded some of the tracks, making them look a lot better. Dave’s main concern is getting the areas where the seed did not establish to grow in. This of course is a very delicate task. Over watering and over fertilizing will make these areas a nightmare for anyone unfortunate enough to hit the ball there. Chamber’s Bay has wisely been very cautious about trying to overstimulate these faux-dunes and this has helped make the course playable for all levels of players.
Foe more of the interview with Dave Wieneke see here. For the interview with Chamebr’s Bay GM Matt Allen see here.
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