GOLF:For the 24 best players in the world competing in the Solheim Cup the course is longer than at the Irish Open by 300 yards
IT’S AN old cliché but it is very true: patience really is a virtue, and that is something I learned at the Ladies Irish Open earlier this month and which, hopefully, will stand to us when we stage the Solheim Cup at Killeen Castle in a little over three weeks’ time.
Three weeks? It is incredible to think the match between Europe and the US is almost upon us but we’re heading into the final preparations on the back of very positive feedback from Europe’s captain Alison Nicholas and the players following the Irish Open. In fact, Nicholas was so happy with the tweaking that was done ahead of the Irish Open – the fairway lines, how the bunkers reacted, having the greens running at 11 on the stimp, etc – that we are exactly where we want to be heading into an important few weeks. We haven’t had to make any adjustments.
It is great to get such great and positive feedback but, to be honest, having two back-to-back events so close together puts pressure on everyone from a course management point of view in terms of wear and tear on tee boxes, pitch marks on the greens and everything else.
Since the Ladies Irish Open, all the Solheim Cup tees have been closed to play and, as part of the overall agronomy programme, we applied 10 tonnes of fertiliser to the course on the Tuesday after the Irish Open so that we will get the definition and thickness of grass swarth that is required for the big one. The fertilisation will also encourage recovery from any divots on the fairways, as we aim to have the course in absolutely pristine condition for the Europe’s and the US’s best players.
There will be some differences to the course that was played in the Ladies Irish Open and the one that will be faced by the players in the Solheim Cup. The primary difference is that it will be some 300 yards longer, which reflects the aim of getting a balance for the players in regular events on the LET to the fact that we will have 24 of the very best players in the world competing in the Solheim Cup.
Another difference will be discovered by spectators, with the rope lines very much closer to the action. Anyone who attended last year’s Irish Open will remember that we used as many cart paths as possible for the roping line, whilst this year’s Irish Open was more invasive to get people as close as physically possible to the action.
For the Solheim Cup, the roping lines will be very much on top of the fairways everywhere, with the intentions to get spectators up close and personal with the players and so spectators get to see a lot of golf very close rather than being kept back. It should make for a fantastic atmosphere, especially with so many great holes on this course.
The other difference between the Irish Open and the Solheim Cup will be largely an aesthetic one.
For the Irish Open, we had the fairways half and half – with one side dark and the other light – which is largely in the old, traditional style. For the Solheim Cup, the fairways will be striped which is visually much more dramatic.
One very positive indicator for Europe from the Irish Open was how well Alison’s potential team members played. Suzann Pettersen’s performance – shooting rounds of 63 and 64 on a course of that stature – blew me away. It was an unbelievable performance and hopefully one that bodes well for the Solheim Cup.
As for those of us involved in ensuring that the very best course awaits the very best players, the clock is ticking down and our programme is very much on schedule.
Mark Collins is the Course Superintendent at Killeen Castle in Dunsany, Co Meath, the host venue for the Solheim Cup which takes place on September 23rd-25th.
