How Long Do Golf Greens Last?

ASGCA-Golf Course Items, Expected Life Cycle

I borrowed the idea for this piece from a favorite site of mine Golf Club Atlas. In the thread they bring up the question why a golf green will only last 15-30 years?

I will preface my opinion by stating these are very general guidelines in the expected life cycle of golf course landscapes. My opinion on this is based on having constructed over 100 sand greens with our parent firm TDIGolf. I am a big fan of the USGA based sand green when construction time limits dictate that route, which is 95% of the time. A properly managed USGA based sand green should last forever in some cases, just like their pushup green counterparts. One would assume a poorly managed sand green would consist of a deep thatch layer problem that cannot be overcome through cultivation. Rebuilding is the only answer, but seldom are golf greens let go in the manner I just described. Having said that, my opinion is that a properly managed USGA type sand green may lost forever.

Also, on this thread, golf architect Jeff Mingay states:  ” It is interesting that some of the most admired greens in the world are 5X as old, and still function perfectly, isn’t it?”
Jeff is spot on with his assessment, as most major golf championships are held at classic old golf clubs with ancient pushup greens.

It is also true,however that most of these clubs have also been retro-fitted with our XGD System for greens restoration. XGD is truly used in a way to modernize an old “classic”, the pushup green. As I said on the GCA thread ” we are no longer driving around in cars from the 1920’s, so we need to bring back the classic old pushup golf greens up to more current environmental standards through an infrastructure upgrade such as XGD Systems internal, subsurface greens drainage process.

So please indulge us a few seconds and fill out the online form on our website at XGD Systems, after a brief telephone conversation with XGD, we can ascertain your greens drainage needs and provide accurate cost estimates in as little as a few hours if needed.

Talk to you later, Poor Old Dirt & Grass Farmer