When you think of golf, what comes to mind? Perhaps large, fancy clubhouses, manicured fairways, perfect greens, and white sand bunkers? Maybe you think of Augusta National or Pebble Beach. But how about “Sand-green” courses? There are an estimated 100 or so left in the United States, mostly nine-hole courses in the Great Plains (states like Nebraska) and offers as basic a golf experience as a person can have. Situated in small towns and rural locales, sand-green courses are more about camaraderie and competition than prestige. The most interesting part of sand-green golf is the putting.
Once every player in a group has reached the flat green, typically a 30- or 35-foot diameter circle, the fun begins. Instead of the grass greens, players will be putting on dirt (sand moistened by biodegradable oil these days), and you don’t putt from where your ball ends up but from an equivalent distance along a corridor smoothed by a heavy “mop.” The sand is then raked for the next group once everyone finishes putting. You won’t find any stimpmeters at these courses – the surfaces are not very fast, but they putt better than most people would imagine. Just make sure to get it to the hole!
Seems like a great and economical way to get started in the game, but as more and more grass-green courses are being built, less and less sand-green courses are likely to survive. Would you give this experience a try if you had the chance?
Source: Golf Digest
