GS3

For about 2 years the United States Golf Association (USGA) worked to develop a smart ball. The idea was to Superintendents a tool that would give them concrete data to improve playing conditions. This past March, the ball became available for purchase, and we bought one for Bretton Woods.

The GS3 ball sitting on the Stimpmeter

For many years, the only tool to test putting green performance was the Stimpmeter. Every golfer has talked about how fast the greens are rolling or heard it referenced on TV. A Stimpmeter is a three-foot-long metal stick, with a center groove for the ball to roll down, and a notch in which the ball is placed to start. The tester raises the Stimpmeter up from one end until the ball starts to roll down the groove. The ball rolls out a distance and the length from the end of the Stimpmeter to the where the ball stopped is measured, and that is the number that everyone discusses- how many feet the ball rolled away from the Stimpmeter. The test is to be repeated twice in one direction, then twice from where the ball stopped, back towards the original starting point. An average is taken of the measurements to give the final speed of the green.

Stimpmeter

But one issue with the Stimpmeter as described above is the room for inconsistencies between testers both in performing the roll and measuring. As one raises the Stimpmeter to start the ball, if you don’t stop raising as soon as the ball moves, then you can give the ball more slope than needed and increase its momentum. Or, if the test is performed on a slight slope in any direction, the numbers can be skewed. Human error was moderate for the test, but it was the best we had for a long time, so it was standard practice.

Aside from the possible human error aspect, a myriad of other factors contribute to how fast or slow greens are on any given day- weather, turf health, staffing, grass type, time of year, etc. can all affect the speed of greens. The USGA wanted to take as many of the variables out as possible, so they developed a smart ball.

This new tool is called GS3, and it is a smart ball with identical size and weight to a regular golf ball. Inside the GS3 is a computer and gyroscope, which pairs via Bluetooth to a user’s phone. The ball is used on a Stimpmeter exactly as before, but now most of the human error is removed. This is what the ball does:

1.       Measures green speed- but instead of using a tape measure to physically measure how far the ball rolls, the GS3 takes data points along its path and calculates how fast it is slowing down. Using an algorithm developed during those many years of testing, the USGA has been able to generate a green speed number from the data.

2.       Measures green smoothness- the smoothness of a green is defined as how much up and down movement a ball feels while rolling across the surface. Again, after years of testing, the USGA was able to find in the data a baseline amount of vertical movement that the ball is subjected to, as well as larger deviations. The measurement of these larger deviations is what gives us the smoothness reading. More, and larger deviations above the baseline vertical movement is interpreted as a less smooth putting surface.

3.       Measures green trueness- the trueness of a green is defined as how much left and right movement a ball experiences when rolling across the surface. Like the smoothness, testing revealed a baseline number, and deviations in either direction from the baseline represent the level of trueness a surface produces.

4.       Firmness- the GS3 comes with a drop fixture as well as the Stimpmeter and the drop fixture is what is used to measure firmness. The GS3 is placed in a weighted mallet and dropped from a standard height down onto the green. The ball measures how much “bounce” was felt when hitting the green. Another algorithm then gives us a measurement in inches of how deep the mallet penetrated the green. Deeper equals less firm greens and shallower equals more firm greens.

This is the tool used to test firmness. The ball
is placed in the metal piece at the bottom
and the entire stick is raised, then dropped

All these measurements are sent directly to a phone and uploaded to the cloud. We can then review the numbers and compare them to everything that is affecting the green, most notably our cultural practices and the weather.

What does all this mean for Bretton Woods? We have been using the GS3 since March and we are still just in the exploratory phase. Getting used to the GS3, developing a routine of testing, interpreting and using the results has taken us all that time. We have learned a few things, but currently our data set is too small to make any grand alterations. But the idea is that as time goes on and we gain more information, we will start to adjust if needed based on the solid data that we can now measure.

The USGA recommends consistent testing but starting slow and learning the tool well before making any drastic changes. That is exactly what we are focusing on for now and we are confident the GS3 will help us keep moving forward.

 

Have a good Memorial Day.

 

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

We appreciate everyone’s effort to fill divots on tees and fairways. Please remember to smooth the sand after filling the divot. Do not leave a pile because it damages the cutting units on our mowers.

 

Also, as part of a Golf Committee initiative to improve course etiquette, we have included links to videos teaching proper on course etiquette. Please take a moment to watch:

Ball Marks - How to properly repair

Golf Cart tips

 

 

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org

Bermuda grass sod

Thus far, the Bermuda grass has been off to an above average start. We wrote a more in-depth post regarding the Bermuda grass a few weeks ago, which you can read here. However, nothing is perfect, so last week we removed a few spots of poorly performing Bermuda grass and replaced them with new sod.

Bermuda grass is not in its ideal growing environment this far north. It has adapted well and does a great job, especially in our situation. But, even in a spring when the overall Bermuda grass health is above average, there are still areas where we can improve. Although we can’t always lay new sod as early in the season as we would like, new sod is still the fastest, easiest way to repair poor areas of Bermuda grass.

It is a fact that growing Bermuda grass this far north guarantees that some sod work will need to be done every year. Some years the damage and amount of sod needed is demoralizing- read about 2018 here. Other years, we need very little sod at all. This year is a year of needing very little sod and being able to focus on repairing some areas that have been neglected in other years because of the extensive need for sod across the property.

We ordered 3 pallets of sod- 1 of which was entirely for the pool- and completed the replacement of spots on holes 1, 5, 7, 11, 13, 16, and 17 and soccer. While that is a long list of holes needing sod, in most cases each hole needed only several pieces. And in most cases the spots we repaired are right along cart paths and in low impact areas. We used the most sod on #7 to repair shaded areas along the cart path down the left side. On holes 11 and 13, we did spots on the blue and black tees. #17 was the only hole with sod in the fairway that is in play. Luckily, the spots are very small and based on experience, the sod heals very quickly and will play normal in a short time.

Every year is different, and the Bermuda grass responds differently each spring. But we are happy with the progress we have made this year and how healthy the fairway turf is. We know some sod work will be required every year, but it was great to have so little to do this year.

 

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

We appreciate everyone’s effort to fill divots on tees and fairways. Please remember to smooth the sand after filling the divot. Do not leave a pile because it damages the cutting units on our mowers.

Also, as part of a Golf Committee initiative to improve course etiquette, we have included links to videos teaching proper on course etiquette. Please take a moment to watch:

Ball Marks - How to properly repair

Golf Cart tips

 

 

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org

New mulch areas

Over the last few weeks, we have been adding some new wood chip mulch areas around trees in various locations. A combination of poor turf conditions, rough terrain for our mowers, and aesthetics, drove us to make the changes.

We are lucky enough to have a vast supply of wood chips on site. All the tree work that we do during the year is deposited in the large area out to the left of holes #5 and #6. Everything from the small sticks we collect after a storm to the large branches and small trees that we remove through the season gets piled. Once a year, our tree contractor comes in and chips all the debris for us to reuse. This is the mulch we use across the course in the spring. And now, we have added a few more locations to our list.

Trees and turf compete for the same resources- light, water, and food. Most times the trees win for food and water due to their extensive root system. They also catch most of the light, only leaving filtered sun to reach the grass below. These factors can lead to instances of poor turf quality beneath trees.

Sometimes part of the extensive root system of the tree can
be right at the surface also. Continually mowing over these roots is very rough on our machines. Bent blades, broken bolts, and general above-normal wear and tear can lead to premature deterioration of the mower components. Any chance that we have to minimize this damage is a positive step to prolonging the life of these very expensive machines.

The new mulch also looks nice. Mixed areas of dirt, thin grass, and roots can be unsightly. Covering all of that up with wood chips can really clean an area up nicely. We can create beds that flow with the line of trees, or fit into the existing terrain, and make it seem as though the bed should have always been there.

We aren’t planning to mulch around every tree. Not only is that a daunting task, but golfers don’t prefer to play from mulch in most instances. We are focusing on trees that are not in play at all, or far enough offline that if a ball were to get in the mulch, it would count as a proper penalty for a poor shot. Once we have determined a tree or group of trees as candidates for mulch, we strip one line of turf away as our border. Cutting and removing this strip allows the new mulch to set right against the grass that is remaining and gives the new bed a nice clean edge. Some trees that we have done recently include around both practice greens, #10 tee, and several trees on #6.

We are progressing at a slow pace adding new mulch beds. We finish a few trees and let those settle in and see how they look before moving on to the next group. So far, we are happy with the improvements.

Happy Mother's Day from Bretton Woods

 

 

 

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

We appreciate everyone’s effort to fill divots on tees and fairways. Please remember to smooth the sand after filling the divot. Do not leave a pile because it damages the cutting units on our mowers.

 

Also, as part of a Golf Committee initiative to improve course etiquette, we have included links to videos teaching proper on course etiquette. Please take a moment to watch:

Ball Marks - How to properly repair

Golf Cart tips

 

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org

Entrance sign update

Several weeks ago, we wrote about the new entrance sign near River Road. Since that post, we have now added flowers to brighten up the space.

The new entrance sign has been a great improvement. One feels like the sign now matches the beauty of the property. Our goal for the flowers was to enhance the overall appearance of the entrance, without being flashy.

Our first step was plant selection. Although it is a highly visible part of the property, it is not an easily managed place on the property. It has no irrigation and is very near the main road. The plant material needed to be very hardy and tolerant of all conditions. We chose all native Maryland perennial flowers and shrubs knowing they could handle all the different seasons and temperature swings. And choosing perennials allows the planting to mature and grow into a nice long-term accent to the sign.

Secondly, we wanted interest across all four seasons. The club is certainly busiest from April through October, but there is still steady traffic in the colder months as well. No one wants a bare, drab planter in the off-season, nor do we want to be out planting different flowers all the time. We do switch out annual flowers in other parts of the property, but doing this sometimes causes intervals between planting where a bed may be empty. We did not want this particular bed to be empty at any point. And we did not want it to be boring at any point either. We planted different flowers that all bloom at different times, allowing for something to be in season from March through November. Then to carry over the coldest months, the shrubs we placed on each side of the sign itself will have bright red berries all winter.

Although it will take time for the planter to mature, the new plants seem to be settling into their new location well. As they get established, we expect many years of success and beauty at the entrance to the club.

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

We appreciate everyone’s effort to fill divots on tees and fairways. Please remember to smooth the sand after filling the divot. Do not leave a pile because it damages the cutting units on our mowers.

 

Also, as part of a Golf Committee initiative to improve course etiquette, we have included links to videos teaching proper on course etiquette. Please take a moment to watch:

Ball Marks - How to properly repair

Golf Cart tips

 

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org