ball reaction to sanded and hollow tined green

[patricks148]

Our greens have been hollow tined and sanded last week for the first time in 3 years. This has made them quit soft and you would expect the ball to stop pretty quickly, as they have in the past in these conditions.

But, found the ball reacted very differently. 4 off us playing all low handicaps, two very crisp ball strikers.

All of us used a prem ball, now the strange bit.

some balls just took off and ran further than they would on the normal green. there was no two shots reacting the same, with some checking and the next running 20 feet past.


anyone ever had this before??

 

[Spuddy]

Our greens have been hollow tined and sanded last week for the first time in 3 years. This has made them quit soft and you would expect the ball to stop pretty quickly, as they have in the past in these conditions.

But, found the ball reacted very differently. 4 off us playing all low handicaps, two very crisp ball strikers.

All of us used a prem ball, now the strange bit.

some balls just took off and ran further than they would on the normal green. there was no two shots reacting the same, with some checking and the next running 20 feet past.


anyone ever had this before??

i think it's just the reaction of the ball hitting one of the holes. If it strikes the front edge it'll likely kick on and if it hits the back of the hole it'll check. I had one a few weeks back that pitched about 6ft left of the hole and jumped straight right finishing about 6 inches away from the cup

 

[One Planer]

Not sure why, but ours seem to skid on a little.

Saying that, I play a parkland that is tinned every year, not a bone hard links.

 

[patricks148]

i sort of see what you are saying, esp about the ball changing direction, but one of the guys i play with generates a lot of spin on pitches and chips and some were stopping dead or one bounce check, others just rocketed forward.

 

[Norrin Radd]

always unpredictable when the greens have been worked on ,ours tend to be on the skip through type ,very difficult to get the ball to react in the normal way .and you watch in horror when you have hit a peach and see it turn into a lemon.

 

[Duckster]

Some of you might actually hit the ball slightly on the up, which will mean the ball will "skip" a little bit so could carry more pace.

 

[dufferman]

When playing over the weekend we found although the greens were soft and the approach shots were sometimes plugging in the green, most chips would run a bit more than usual.

I assume it's because if the green is damp, the water is not letting the spin catch the grass. Like aquaplaining (sp?) in a car when you hit the brakes on a wet road.

Disclaimer: I ain't no scientist.

 

[patricks148]

Some of you might actually hit the ball slightly on the up, which will mean the ball will "skip" a little bit so could carry more pace.

he def doesn't hit on the up, a big divot on evertything

 

[Duckster]

he def doesn't hit on the up, a big divot on evertything

Ahh, just re-read OP, I thought you were just on about putting, not approaches. My bad.

 

[Tiger]

Played my new course yesterday and greens had been hollow tined and sanded. First time I've experienced this and nothing grabbed everything rolled through. Thankfully Google brought up your thread Patrick :thup: Feel much better now

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Without courting controversy but why are they only being done for the first time in three years? I though this was essential green keeping maintenance to get air to the root system and encourage firm root growth

 

[DCB]

Homer, particks post is five months old. Nairn is a links course laid out over a raised beach so it is all sand based and drains really well in normal conditions. Not the same need to hollow tine greens as regularly, micro tinning is probably done more regularly to get air into the roots and break up any thatch, but it's not the same as a parkland course.

 

[HomerJSimpson]

Homer, particks post is five months old. Nairn is a links course laid out over a raised beach so it is all sand based and drains really well in normal conditions. Not the same need to hollow tine greens as regularly, micro tinning is probably done more regularly to get air into the roots and break up any thatch, but it's not the same as a parkland course.

Confused as the OP says first time in three years?

 

[Region3]

I realise it's an old thread, but ours are like this at the moment.

I was assuming that the ball can't get any traction on the green because of the loose sand on the surface.

 

[Slab]

I realise it's an old thread, but ours are like this at the moment.

I was assuming that the ball can't get any traction on the green because of the loose sand on the surface.

Wouldn't just the right (wrong) amount of sand simply have an effect of trying to stop a ball on a surface made up of millions of spaced out little balls

 

[patricks148]

Without courting controversy but why are they only being done for the first time in three years? I though this was essential green keeping maintenance to get air to the root system and encourage firm root growth

Homer, particks post is five months old. Nairn is a links course laid out over a raised beach so it is all sand based and drains really well in normal conditions. Not the same need to hollow tine greens as regularly, micro tinning is probably done more regularly to get air into the roots and break up any thatch, but it's not the same as a parkland course.

Confused as the OP says first time in three years?

As David says its a links course on a sand base, so other methods are used the other years. we have a Graden machine they use in between. Which cuts a slit and injects Kiln dried sand into the green and takes out Thatch.

 

[Tiger]

I realise it's an old thread, but ours are like this at the moment.

I was assuming that the ball can't get any traction on the green because of the loose sand on the surface.

Most likely but just one of those things that I stupidly didn't contemplate when I was on the course and weeping after every good shot just rolled through to the back of the green!