Below is an excerpt from an old interview between Pete Dye and Peter Kessler that I saw on Golf Club Atlas:
According to Pete Dye, in an interview for the August edition of GOLF Magazine with Peter Kessler, Ross told Dye that he wanted to cut off the crowns prior to his passing.
Kessler: How were the Greens in those days?
Dye: "They were rough Bermuda grass, so they kept top-dressing them to make them smoother. That's how the greens became crowned. Over the years all that sand-based top dressing built up the middle of the greens. Everybody thinks Mr. Ross intended to crown the greens, but he didn't. Many times he told me he was going to cut the crowns off. But he died before he could do it. And the world has been copying the crowns he would have cut off had he lived."
This is another interesting factor that I should have included in my October 8th post titled, 'Would Donald Ross recognize Highlands CC.' Even if the greens at Highlands CC were never reconstructed in 1998, Donald Ross most likely wouldn't recognize the greens he once built. This is because over time, the process of aerification and topdressing can gradually make features more subtle until the green is nearly flat. Or in the case of Pinehurst where sand was continually added to amend the soil, they become crowned. Prior to the 1998 greens renovation at Highlands CC, the putting greens were very round (almost perfect circles) and relatively flat. Compare those greens to his drawings hanging in the Tavern and you see his intentions were much different.
Another thing that can happen with putting greens is a term called green creep. This happens over extended periods if the person mowing a green isn't consistent with their cleanup pass. Gradually, greens can shift directions, get smaller or even get larger depending on the habits of the mower. I've seen a green edge change as much as 2-3 feet in 10 years. Imagine what can happen over the period of 100 years or more!
