Do they mow it's Christmas? Winter 

warmer makes grass grow at Castle Stuart

NEWS RELEASE

A top Scots link has put its festive par-tee on hold – after Spring-like conditions left greenstaff working overtime on Christmas Eve.

The designated drivers at Castle Stuart Golf in Inverness have been behind their mowers cutting the greens in late December for the first time ever.

The course – which hosts the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open next summer – usually has its last trim in November.

But this year greens are still being cut after temperatures topped 10°C.

Warmer weather has also led to gorse flowering on the course, a sight not usually seen until late February or early March.

Chris Haspell, the course manager, said: “It’s good in a way that we are not working in severe winter conditions, but it does bring its own problems.

“Pests that are normally killed by frost can thrive and this increases the risk of disease in the grass.

“It’s a new challenge for us at this time of year but we are managing the conditions and will be ready when the snow does come.” 

Castle Stuart will host the Scottish Open from July 7 to 10 next year.

It will be the fourth time in six years the Moray Firth links, situated between Nairn and Inverness has hosted the event.

TPC Sawgrass to have first driveable 

par 4 with 12th hole renovation

Jordan Spieth plays a shot from the 12th tee at The Players Championship. ( Getty Images )

FROM GOLFWEEK.COM

By Allen Etzler

The 12th hole at TPC Sawgrass will be renovated to be the first drivable par 4 on the course, and the first look at the renovated hole will be in 2017 at The Players Championship, according to a report from the Florida Times-Union.
It is believed the hole could play as short as 300-320 yards, down from the current 358 yards, and the project is the most extensive renovation to a hole since 2006. The modifications are part of a huge renovation project that will start after the 2016 Players Championship in May.
Some of the changes will include the large bank on the left being levelled, the green complex being modified to allow for players to run shots on to the green and adding a narrow water hazard that will run down the left side of the green.
The changes are part of ongoing discussions of the last two years, and the US PGA Tour’s executive vice president and chief of operations Andy Pazder said the goal of changing the 12th hole is to add one more dramatic hole on the back nine.

The famous short hole, 17th island green at TPC Sawgrass