30 MULTI -PURPOSE DESIGN Need for speed Todd Quitno, ASGCA, considers what is important to golf course architects when designing putting surfaces. Hello, my name is Todd Quitno, I am a golf course architect… and I am a hypocrite. First, a declaration: I love fast greens. As a middling amateur golfer (with a handicap of eight), I’m not always the best at playing them, heck I’m even prone to three or four putts multiple times in a round when the greens are blazing. But when rolling it well, I find nothing more rewarding than judging a screaming-fast lag putt or pounding the back of the cup with an aggressive five-footer that I barely tap. It feels really good when you pull it off! But here’s where the hypocrisy hits me hard; as an architect, I despise fast greens, and I think excessive speed spoils the game. I’m not alone in this mental ping pong, as I learned at the recent American Society of Golf Course Architects Annual Meeting in Rhode Island with nearly a hundred fellow ASGCA members (and a few guests from Europe). This year’s topic: Anything and everything greens. Our discussion kicked off with a quote from revered Golden Age architect Harry Colt: “In no case should a green be contoured so that a ball runs away from the putter like a swine possessed by the devil.” This does not exactly refer to green speed, but what Colt was indicating is that excessiveness in a green – slope or speed – can impact the quality of a hole or the entire course, and, more importantly, the experience of playing it. This became one of the fundamental tenets of our group discussion, bolstered by some very unscientific flash polling of the attendees: asking questions about greens and what architects prioritize when designing putting surfaces. The results presented were varied and interesting. Besides functionality, pinnable area was a top priority for over 80 percent of the architects polled. Further probing revealed most strive for at least two-thirds of a green surface being pinnable, but less than half of those polled indicated likely green speed as a top design priority, despite unanimous (verbal) agreement that slope and pace have a direct impact on pinability. Not exactly a cry for help when it comes to speed. Todd Qui tno, ASGCA Todd Quitno, ASGCA, is a golf course architect with over 25 years of design experience and is the principal of Quitno Golf Designs.
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