Problems with Green-Backing Mounds

By: Jeffrey D. Brauer


While mounds solve some problems, they create others:

• They take longer to and are more dangerous mow.

• They require more irrigation and/or often dry out, a growing problem as water conservation and limitations becomes a bigger issue in the future.

• For those shots that do go over or wide of the green, the recovery is usually uphill, blind and often to a green falling away from the golfer; i.e., only one option (high lob) and very difficult.

• They can limit access to the green from the cart path. A narrow valley will concentrate traffic and wear down turf, so any grading scheme should leave 30-100 feet (depending on the number of rounds played) as a flat, gentle walk-up area.

• ADA requirements must be met by all greens, specifically an entry path from cart path to one point on the green that does not exceed 5% vertical slope and 2% cross-slope. This does not have to be a straight path, so it can be blended into many grading schemes more naturally.

• It is possible that too many large mounds can create too much surface flow on to greens, hurting maintenance. From a drainage perspective, no offsite drainage on the green is ideal, and minimal offsite drainage on the green is good. Large quantities of offsite drainage is never ideal.

• If they look obviously and artificially shaped, they are not as attractive as contours that seem to mimic nature and organically flow into the green and tie into nature.

• They can get repetitive. If trees or other feature provides similar visual backdrop, at least a few greens should have no visual backdrop, as shown previously.

• Where backing mounds are a theme, there is much variety to be achieved, especially if we let nature guide our work (i.e. put mounds only on high sides where they might occur naturally).

Mounds serve many valuable purposes near greens, and while not the "be-all end-all" of design as they seemed in the 1980-90s they deserve a better reputation than they currently have.

Jeffrey D. Brauer began his career as an apprentice in the Chicago area in 1977. His first project was Kemper Lakes, which shortly after hosted the 1989 PGA Championship. He formed GolfScapes in Arlington, Texas, in 1984. In the last 29 years he has designed and consulted on a wide spectrum of projects, ranging from partial renovations to international resorts. His recent work includes teaming with the design team of Pascuzzo and Pate on a remodel of the world-famous La Costa Resort & Spa in California, and renovations at Superior National Golf Course in Lutsen, Minn., and Mesquite Municipal Golf Course in Mesquite, Texas.

He has been a member of the American Society of Golf Course Architects since 1981, serving as President during its 50th Anniversary year in 1995-96. Jeff still studies the classic works - both old and new, and has played more than 75 of the best courses in the world.

Jeff gives many presentations and is a regular architecture columnist for many publications and websites, including Golf Course Industry and Cybergolf.com. He has also been a strong advocate for the "Tee it Forward" campaign and strives to make his courses fit the description of "fun to play every day."

Jeff's work has been spotlighted in most of the world's major golf magazines. Golf World ranked him as one of the top-20 golf course architects and Golf Inc. ranked him as the world's fourth-best value in golf architecture in 2010. Jeff's portfolio and reputation keep him at the forefront of desired designers for new courses, reconstruction and renovation projects. For more about Jeff, visit http://www.jeffreydbrauer.com/sites/courses/layout.asp?id=859&page=48451.