Golf Course Performance Standards (B) 
3) Bare (and decaying-dead) area: This is the difference between the total vegetative cover and the total composition of a defined area.
For a golf green this might therefore be given as from no more than 0.5% to 3%.
Whilst an ‘ideal’ golf tee may not have any signs of wear, this is not realistic where usage takes place, and this will be particularly noticeable on Par 3 tees.
Regular divoting will be essential. External areas to the tee might also be included within any performance measures, which might include the access to and egress from a tee to encourage uniform spreading of wear and to reduce traffic routes developing.
4) Width of any individual unrepaired bare area: An exposed area of soil will typically arise from divot shots on a tee or fairway.
A small amount of bare area will be expected, although what is not desirable is having large expanses of unrepaired individual bare areas.
Having a parameter for any individual bare areas of from 25mm to 50mm width can help distinguish between where more major divoting and repair works are required.
5) Desirable grass coverage: The more suitable grasses there are the more effective is the maintenance work being carried out to achieve this outcome.
Typically, the desirable grasses will most likely be red fescues and browntop bent grasses, although fine leaf perennial ryegrass can often be used on golf tees and some fairways.
The uniformity of distribution of desirable grass species contributes to green speed and ‘trueness’ of putt, so a sub-category for assessment purposes might be to indicate if there are distinct patches of desirable grasses amongst undesirable grasses (such as annual meadow grass or Yorkshire fog) or whether there is good integration of the species which are present within a green.
Parameters for high to general quality surfaces might be for greens, tees and fairways: a minimum of 90% down to a minimum of 60%; whilst for rough this could be the same, although quite an extensive range of grasses might be included as desirable.
6) Undesirable grasses: Annual meadow grass is the primary undesirable grass. Whilst this species can readily colonise thin and bare areas, it offers poor visual appearance during drier weather conditions, is susceptible to many diseases, requires higher fertiliser and irrigation inputs to produce a suitable surface, and is a prolific thatch producer which then contributes to a soft, slower surface which is more easily worn. Divoting on tees and fairways is more prolific where annual meadow grass dominates.
Monitoring encroachment of this grass should be fairly easy, once correct identification has been mastered, and this can help to adjust maintenance inputs to improve the competitiveness of the desirable grasses at the expense of this grass. The maximum content of this species might be from 10% to 40% depending on standard required.
7) Sward height: Keeping the grass cut height at a suitable level is essential, whilst also ensuring that the grass does not grow too long before it is cut is also an essential requirement.
Aiming to follow the 1/3rd rule of not removing too much leaf growth per cut is important if a resilient and long-lasting surface is to be produced. Cutting the grass too low will have a detrimental impact on producing a durable sward and intensive, if not excessive, maintenance inputs will be needed in attempting to counter the working practice of cutting too low.
This is often given as main growing season and non- or slow-growth season. The majority of parameters for a green will be between 4mm and 8mm during the season, with tournament play often being cut shorter, although after the end of the tournament the height of cut should be returned to normal.
Out of season the green might range from 5mm to 9mm, depending on quality requirements. Other height parameters, depending on the quality requirements, might be:
• Tees: main growing season, 5-15mm; outside of main growing season: 6-18mm.
• Fairway: 8-20mm to 10-22mm.
• Rough – all year round: 75-175mm.
• Semi-rough – all year round: 25-75mm.
8)Root depth, and root density: Ideally grass roots will be as deep as the soil profile allows.
A root depth (which should be measured where most of the mass is, not where just a single rootlet extends to) of 75mm might be considered an absolute minimum which still needs improving on, whilst a depth of 150mm would be considered excellent in practice, with 200mm being a superb depth to achieve. Root depth and density are good indicators of the effectiveness of the mowing, aeration and irrigation practices in particular.