Sobb: How a good golf superintendent can help your game

Daily Herald reader Bob S. asked, "What is the value of the superintendent and his/her staff and the care of the golf course on one's golf game?"

As a PGA Professional, I have played countless golf courses throughout the United State and experienced every possible playing condition that you could imagine.

From fast to slow greens, firm to soft sand bunkers, long to short rough, and tight to fluffy lies in the fairway, I've really seen and played it all.

Regardless of the course conditions I encounter, the best way to gauge a quality course is playability on consistent conditions.

When rating a course, I always ask myself these questions: "How were the greens running? How much sand was in the bunkers? How was the rough cut throughout?"

The level of consistency will absolutely affect your game positively or negatively, and that ultimately affects your overall score and experience.

A good course superintendent will have all 18 greens running at the same speed, the same amount of sand in all of the bunkers, all fairways with the same firmness, and a uniform cutting height for the rough.

That level of attention to detail provides a quality experience and can take the guesswork out of a player's game plan. Ultimately, it also helps lower your score, making the superintendent and his expertise invaluable, and an immense asset overall.

Ask the Pro:

If you have a golf question, please submit it to golftips@ivanhoeclub.com for future consideration. While I can't answer every question, I'll include ones of general interest in future columns.

• Jim Sobb is the PGA director of golf at Ivanhoe Club in Ivanhoe, IL. A member of the Illinois Golf Hall of Fame, Sobb is a three-time winner of the Illinois PGA Championship, with eight major championships in Illinois PGA events overall, and is a two-time Illinois PGA Golf Professional of the Year. For more on Jim and Ivanhoe Club, the home of the 2017 Rust-Oleum Championship (June 5-11), visit ivanhoeclub.com.