Bad plugs!?!?

While talking to various folks the last few weeks I've stated that we are working to fix the bad plugs or bad cup plugs on the greens. A few people have asked what I meant. So let me explain ...

The "cup plug" is the turf and soil pulled out of the green in a cylinder shape by the cup cutter. After pulling out that cylinder of turf and soil you place the cup in the hole that is left and use a "cup setter" to push the cup down into place. The cup setter also smooths the edges and eliminates any "crown" around the cup. You than take that cylinder of dirt that we now know as the plug, and place it into the hole the cup came out of. Generally, it should fit pretty close to perfect. Perfect being level with the surface of the green and having no gap around the edge.

On occasion, the plug doesn't fit exactly perfect and we have to fix it. To fix it you pop the turf or top part of the plug off and either add or remove soil to get the plug level. There is some artistry involved here. It is a skill you only perfect by practice which makes a good cup guy invaluable.

In the picture below there are six bad plugs, which is unacceptable in such a small area. The red circles, are plugs that are too low. The purple circles, are plugs that are too high. The best case scenario with a high plug is a cup sized bump in the green and the worst case is a dead "scalped" plug. Scalping is when the mower cuts off all the leaf tissue leaving only the crown of the plant or worse, dirt. The plugs that end up too low create a slight depression in the green. In my opinion, a low plug is better than a high plug. Generally the grass will grow up and either fix or mask the poorly done job. A high plug, especially a scalped one, dies. "If it's low it grows, if it's high it dies" is what I was once told when I was an aspiring greenskeeper. That being said, the result should end up as close to perfect as possible.

( the white stuff is just spray foamer )

A close look at a low plug ...

A close look at a high plug that is scalped slightly on the right side ... 

With all that being said, we will reassess who our cup changers are going forward, coach them up, and raise the expectations. The area around the cup is the one area that 99% of the players will see. It needs to look sharp. 

Snow today! Apparently. There are few things prettier than a golf course covered in a fresh blanket of snow.