Most golfers and superintendents love to see firm approaches on a golf course because these conditions open the door to a wider variety of approach shots and strategic options. Unfortunately, maintaining approach areas that allow shots to bounce and roll smoothly onto the greens can be more challenging than many golfers might think.

Careful water management is essential for maintaining firm conditions, but approach areas are notoriously challenging to water successfully. The approach, putting green, fairway, rough and bunker surrounds all have different water requirements and they’re right next to each other. Accounting for all these needs with sprinklers alone requires a highly precise irrigation system, which many courses don’t have. Relying mostly on hand watering in approach areas is one way to achieve the desired precision, but this requires additional staffing, which is another thing many courses don’t have.

Complicating matters further, golf course greens are often sloped from back to front for drainage and playability reasons. This sends extra moisture into the approach after a rain or heavy irrigation. While many putting greens are built on a sand base or have some form of drainage system to help keep the surface firm, that infrastructure often doesn’t extend into the approach. The greens may play consistently firm and fast, even after rain, but the soil in the approach will inevitably stay wetter and play softer without additional drainage.

Grass types are also a factor in how firm and bouncy the approaches will play. Certain grasses accumulate organic matter faster, require more watering, or tend to “grab” the ball rather than allow a good bounce. These traits make it harder to maintain approaches that bounce and roll like golfers prefer. To avoid these issues, some courses plant a specially selected grass in the approach and/or extend aeration and topdressing practices beyond the greens and well into the approach area. These strategies are effective, but they also add complexity and cost to the maintenance operation.

The slopes in and around the approaches are another key consideration. A relatively flat approach or one that tilts toward the green creates the best opportunity to have a shot release onto the putting surface. When an approach is sloped back toward the fairway, it becomes more challenging to run shots onto a green regardless of how firm the conditions in the approach are. If the approach is severely sloped toward the fairway, the ball may hit and actually roll backward. Sometimes when golfers are unhappy with how the approaches are playing, it’s actually a design feature causing the issue rather than turf conditions.

With so many factors involved in maintaining firm approaches, it’s no surprise that it can be difficult to deliver the conditions golfers want. Design, infrastructure, soil type, grasses and the overall maintenance program all play key roles in how the approaches play. Limitations in any one area can have a big impact on performance. If your shots aren’t bouncing and rolling through the approaches like you’d hope, there’s probably more than a few reasons why.