This month’s topic is Recoverability & Rough. R & R is an evaluation of the probability of missing the fairway landing zone or the green, and the difficulty of recovering if either, or both, is missed.
When we rate a golf course, we ask the Superintendent how the average, mid-season, rough is cut. The height of the rough is very important and is a major factor in the course rating process. Since we don’t post in the winter, we don’t assess for rough that has been cut down short to save mowers with wetter course conditions. We also don’t rate considering raising the rough, as a temporary situation, for a specific tournament (although we may make a temporary adjustment as warranted). R&R should reflect the main posting season height, for approximately the 7-year term of the rating.
R & R ratings are based on:
- Green Target rating values, assessed separately for Scratch and Bogey players
- Type of rough grass (warm or cool season) and height
- Rise and drop around the green
- Mounding adjacent the fairway and/or at the green
- Other rough conditions: sand dunes, waste areas (not bunkers), brush, hardpan, tree roots, swales, rocks, lava, desert, heather, gorse, etc.
- Difference (if any) of the rough height in a specific landing zone or at the green as compared to the general rough height
- Extremely difficult recovery due to a punitive feature: stone wall, boulder
- Greens that are more than halfway Surrounded by water/OB/extreme rough may also receive an increase in the R&R
A small green that is surrounded by multiple mounds or highly sloped ground will have a higher level of difficulty of recovery than a larger green with not much surrounding it. Areas close to the green that are either hardpan or will cause the ball to roll a considerable distance should be assessed as well.
The mounds surounding the green at Old Macdonald’s #18 (aka “Punchbowl) can create a completely blind shot, challenging up or downhill chips or, if you are very lucky, might even roll you right onto the green.
If there are Mounds in the fairway and/or around the green, the Course Rating team will consider the severity, number and location of the mounds. One small mound that is not near a Landing Zone may not be acknowledged. If the fairway has mounds lining both sides of the fairway of a Par 5 hole, the mounds may be factored in multiple times.
Holes such as #4 at Stone Ridge don’t necessarily have “mounds” but extremely sloped rough on both sides of the fairway. If you are lucky enough to escape the trees with a shot to the left, the slope might bring your ball back to the fairway, or you could be stuck with a very difficult shot with the ball well below your feet. However, both the tilted fairway (assessed under Topography) and the extreme slope to the right, as well as around the green, may present even more trouble. Don’t let this flat looking picture fool you. This one hole has a 70–100-foot drop depending on which tee you are playing.
Sloped Rough, Stone Creek #4
Here is what R & R is not:
- It is not prepared Bunkers (i.e. if there is a rake, it is a bunker, if it is a sand dune or waste area, it is R&R)
- It is not grass over 6” deep, that is assessed as extreme rough under Crossing or Lateral
- Shrubs and trees over 6 feet can be rated under Trees
Next month, we’ll go over Bunkers.