Don’t get collared by trouble

Karl Danneberger

Within the rules of golf, the collar falls in the category of “through the green.” The definition of “through the green” (the term was changed, but more on that later) was:

The whole area of the course except:
a. The teeing ground and putting green of the hole being played; and
b. All hazards on the course.

The expression “through the green” has an interesting history. In golf’s early days, “the green” meant the entire golf course. In time, “the green” came to mean just the putting green.

In the 2019 Rules of Golf “through the green” was changed to general area. The general area covers most of the course and is where a player’s ball is most often played. It includes every type of object found in that area such as fairway, rough and trees. It does not include teeing areas, penalty areas, bunkers or the putting green.

The collar acts as a buffer between the putting green and the surrounding first cut of rough. A collar’s width and height can vary, but it’s meant to prevent a too-severe penalty to the golfer who faces the possibility of their ball rolling just off the putting green.

By definition, collars are general areas. To superintendents, collars are an agronomic hazard. Per given foot, the collar is subject to the most intensive and damaging wear on a golf course. The second-most prone area to damage resides next to the collar — the clean-up pattern on the putting green.

Collar maintenance difficulties result from the dimensions and shape of the collar, construction, equipment and golfer wear and proximity to bunkers. There is no set width for a collar. Some are as narrow as the width of a cutting unit of a walk-behind mower, to widths mowed with triplexes. To minimize wear, especially with narrow collars, make them the width of a cutting unit or multiples of the cutting unit width to minimize overlap. Continual overlap causes significant injury.

The shape of collars predisposes them to wear injury. Mowing in straight lines like on a putting green is less stressful than mowing the curved or serpentine pattern that often is required when mowing collars. The slightly higher height of cut on collars, combined with the turning and sliding of the mower while mowing, exposes much of the leaf blade to a tearing action. Practices to reduce tearing include throttling down the mower, and in some cases, reducing collar height slightly to enhance more upright growth. Dense, upright turf supports more of the mowing unit on the leaf tips. Additionally, minimizing turning greensmowers on collars reduces collar wear. Instead, turn on the first-cut rough or use the collar boards.

Collar root zone construction influences turf health. Collars often exist on a shallow, feathered-out green’s root zone mix. In this situation, the collar may remain wet compared to the green, resulting in saturated soil that is unhealthy. Inserting appropriate drainage in the lower-lying area helps relieve excess moisture.

Conversely, if the collar is on fine sand, the surrounding soil that supports the rough may siphon water out of the root zone, making a droughty condition. Once turf is established, installing a wicking or plastic barrier to prevent moisture from moving into the surrounding soil is difficult or impossible unless renovating the collars. It’s critical to monitor soil moisture content in the collar.

Where greenside bunkers are in close proximity to the green, sand can accumulate in the collars from repeated sand shots. The impact is to create a deeper root zone prone to drought and temperature stress. Coring aggressively in the fall and removing cores can help slow the buildup of sand in the collar.

Pin placement influences collar wear. Minimize isolated pin placements where golfers would enter and exit the putting green along the same path. This practice would be most effective during expected heavy play.

Successful management programs that promote a healthy collar become the template for all general areas.