There will be approximately 900,000 rounds played in the Myrtle Beach area this April and May, and many of the rounds will be played in naivete. Golfers know if the grass theyre playing on is in good condition, but many dont know what kind of grass it is.
Most golfers dont know bentgrass from crab grass, but they know green from brown, and solid grass from a coating of seed, said Randy Allen, director of golf course operations for Burroughs & Chapin Golf Management.
Dont let Grand Strand golf course grass and the reasons for its condition be a mystery any longer.
Golfers playing on the Strand this April and May might be surprised to know they are likely hitting off a combination of dying winter rye grass and rejuvenated 419 Bermudagrass on tees and fairways, and putting on either a strain of bentgrass or a combination of poa trivialis and one of many Bermudagrass strains.
While courses in the Northeast need only one grass because the region has just one golf season, and courses in Florida can stick with one warm-weather grass such as Bermuda, the Carolinas are in a transition region because of cool winters and hot summers.
About 98 percent of all courses on the Strand have 419 Bermuda on tee boxes and fairways in late spring, summer and fall, and a rye grass overseed during the cooler months while the Bermuda is dormant.
The majority of courses have a strain of Bermuda on their greens with a finer blade than the 419, and use the cool-weather poa trivialis grass, which has a finer blade and smaller seed than rye, as a winter overseed.
Courses with year-round bentgrass greens dont need a winter overseed.
The Bermuda will generally break dormancy beginning in February or early March, and wont fully overtake the overseed until probably June, depending on the weather.
In the fall, cool-weather grasses are generally planted in or around October and, weather permitting, will begin germinating and growing through the weakening Bermuda in four to five days.
Bermudagrass
Varieties / 419 Bermuda is used on all but a few Strand fairways. Courses at Barefoot Resort have TifSport Bermuda, while the private Reserve Club has GN1, a Bermuda named after course designer Greg Norman.
While the type of Bermuda used on fairways has remained largely consistent over the years, putting surface grasses have evolved tremendously through research. TifWay and TifGreen were used through the first 60 years of the 20th century, 328 Bermuda became popular in the 1960s and 70s and still exists on many area courses, TifDwarf was the standard in the 80s and 90s, and ultra dwarfs such as TifEagle and Champions Bermuda are the latest developments.
Characteristics / Bermuda grows along a vine, with above-ground chutes and stems. When a plant matures, it branches out underground. Bermuda is an aggressive grass that can overtake most other grasses. It doesnt grow straight up, and has a grain that grows toward the setting sun.
The 419 variety handles traffic well and has an aggressive growth habit. TifSport Bermuda stays green longer, and is a little more dense than 419 to create a tighter fairway, as is GN1. Because its now the intermediate grass between the 419 fairway and new ultra dwarfs on greens, 328 is sometimes used on green collars.
TifDwarf has a finer leaf blade, is more dense, has less grain, and has a darker green shade than 328. The 328 doesnt withstand lower mowing heights and is therefore a slow grass to putt on. The new ultra dwarfs, such as TifEagle and Champions, have even finer blades, are less grainy, are much more dense and can withstand mowing heights of 1/8-inch, which is similar to bentgrass heights.
Care / Verticutting and aeration are common practices on Strand courses. Verticutting is similar to sawblades cutting into the turf. It thins out the turf and helps remove thatch, which is a layer of dead and living organic matter such as grass and roots beneath the surface that gives the grass a cushion. A small cushion is desirable, but if its too thick, it ties up much-needed water, nutrients and chemicals such as fertilizers and fungicides. Thatch can create hydrophobic spots that repel water and result in dry spots on greens. Heavy verticutting and aeration are generally done during the most active growing periods for Bermuda of June through September.
Aeration is the drilling of holes and removal of small cylindrical chunks of soil. It pulls out the old thatch and creates space for healthy grass to fill, creates pore space for nutrients and water to reach roots, and promotes gas exchange.
Strengths, weaknesses / 419 is suited for fairways because it can withstand foot and cart traffic and recovers quickly to mend divots. TifEagle and Champions tend to stay green longer in the fall and come back faster in the spring, shortening their period of dormancy. Because they can be cut low, the putting surface is fast and smooth.
All Bermuda needs sunshine to thrive, and air movement helps. Because the ultra dwarfs are so new, the best care of the grasses is still being learned. Several area courses have struggled through a rough season or two with the grasses after being too aggressive with them. Because theyre more dense than other Bermudas, it was believed heavy aeration and verticutting was needed to break up a potentially thick thatch layer. They're so dense, it can be difficult to get sand into the canopy of the green.
The big thing was they thought it was an aggressive grower and you could do all these cultural practices on it, said James Knaffle, director of golf course maintenance for the eight-course Classic Golf Group. It wasnt able to recover the way they thought it would.
A year-round concern for Bermudagrass is the disease Dollar Spot, which begins as a circular dead spot and spreads. Its more common on greens because of the stress caused by low grass heights. A disease that has begun striking Bermuda on area courses in the past couple years, especially in rough areas, is known as spring dead spot. It sets in during the winter and attacks the dormant Bermuda, and isn't known until the Bermuda tries to come back in the spring.
The main weed to worry about with Bermuda, and any other grass in the area, is poa annua. Its an annual bluegrass that's considered a weed here, though its the predominant grass at courses in California and elsewhere such as Pebble Beach. Theres no magical chemical that will guarantee you will have poa annua-free greens, Knaffle said.
Examples / On greens, Pine Lakes International Country Club and Beachwood Golf Club have 328 Bermuda; Meadowlands and Myrtlewoods Palmetto Course have TifDwarf; Bay Tree's Gold Course has Champions; and 0Farmstead, Tidewater, Pawleys Plantation and International Club of Myrtle Beach have TifEagle. Bentgrass
Varieties / In this area of the country, bent is used primarily on putting surfaces. PennCross was developed in the mid-1900s at Penn State University and was the first improved seeded variety of bent. Then came PennEagle and PennLinks, which made its introduction on the Strand in the late-'80s. Versions that have followed include A1, A4, G2, L93 and Crenshaw.
Characteristics / Bentgrass has a finer blade than Bermuda, generally grows more upright, can be cut lower and doesn't have to be overseeded for the winter.
PennCross is more of a creeping, lateral-growing bent that has noticeable grain. It will have a silvery look if downgrain, and a lush green look if you're putting into the grain. PennLinks is more upright growing to provide a better putting surface because the ball rolls on the tips of the grass. PennLinks is more dense than PennCross, and the newer varieties are more dense than PennLinks.
The G and A series strains were also developed at Penn State, and some were tested at Wild Wing Plantation in the 1990s. Crenshaw was developed in Texas and was created to be one of the more heat-tolerant bentgrasses.
Care / Bentgrasses respond better in cool weather and typically struggle in the heat of the Carolinas summer. Plenty of sunshine and air movement are prerequisites for bentgrass to survive the summer. Fungicides are used mainly in the summer to control diseases. Like Bermudagrass, aerification a couple times a year helps draw the thatch out and relieves compaction of the greens.
A consistent top-dressing every couple weeks, consisting of dragging fine sand over and into the greens using things such as a steel mat, piece of carpet or brushes behind a mower, helps smooth out imperfections in the greens, aids water reaching the roots and helps decompose any organic matter from dying roots. Aeration is usually done in the spring and/or fall when the bentgrass is at its healthiest.
Strengths, weaknesses / Newer strains of bentgrass can be cut as low as 1/8-inch consistently to provide a fast and smooth putting surface. Over time players will notice different colors on the greens as the bentgrasses mutate, separate and form different varieties. It's believed the newer strains won't separate as much as PennLinks and PennCross.
The disease Pythium is a major concern in the summer. That disease moves with water and leaves streaks that appear to be grease on the greens. It's an aggressive disease that can wipe out a green in a couple days. Other significant bentgrass diseases are patch diseases, such as Brown Patch and Dollar Spot. They both come up in circular or irregular shapes and almost always form a ring. Brown patch is a high nitrogen disease, meaning the grass is oversucculent, or overgrowing. Dollar Spot, a low nitrogen disease, is typically only seen on a green that is low in fertility. Crenshaw seems to be more susceptible to Dollar Spot than many other forms of bent. G2 seems to be thatch prone. Like Bermudagrass, bent is also susceptible to an infiltration of poa annua.
Examples / Myrtlewood's PineHills course has PennCross, all four Wild Wing Plantation courses have PennLinks, the three Barefoot Resort courses and The Dunes Golf and Beach Club have A1, Sea Trail's Maples Course has an A1/A4 mixture, Grande Dunes, the TPC of Myrtle Beach, International World Tour Golf Links and the Barefoot Dye Club have L93, Man O'War has Crenshaw, and The Wizard and Surf Golf and Beach Club have G2.
Winter overseeds
Varieties / Rye grass is predominantly used on fairways and sometimes on older greens, while Poa trivialis is most frequently used on greens.
Characteristics / Poa trivialis is used on greens because the seed is very fine, and most golfers can't see it. There might be a couple million seeds in a pound of poa trivialis, while rye grass seed is larger, and there may be 200,000 seeds in a pound of rye.
Poa trivialis is also more dense and has a finer blade, creating a more consistent putting surface.
Care / Cutting the fairways low during the spring will create stress to the roots.
Some superintendents encourage the overseed to die out early in the spring, others let it die out on its own. You can expedite the transition process naturally by cutting the grass lower in the spring to create stress in the overseed as the weather warms up. In order to aid the Bermuda's recovery, many courses aren't overseeding as heavy as they have in year's past.
The fall transition to winter grasses is much easier than the spring transition back to Bermuda, because the Bermuda has to fight through the organic matter of dying winter grass in the spring.
Bermuda will break its winter dormancy beginning anytime in mid-to-late February or early March, depending on the weather. It will begin to take over the dying winter overseed in mid-February to early March, and won't take over the overseed fully until probably June.
"It's a big juggling act as far as your transition goes," Allen said. "With all that rye grass that has been there, when that stuff starts dying, there will be organic matter there that has to decay. It's tough getting through that transition and maintaining quality."
At least one private course in the area doesn't overseed and plays on brown dormant Bermuda through the winter.
Strengths, weaknesses / The best time to overseed is considered the middle of October, but because its the peak of the fall golf season, it's usually planted before or after October. If it's early and the weather remains hot, there's a risk of losing a lot of overseed to disease or the heat, and having to re-seed.
Under normal weather conditions, the overseed will begin germinating within five days. Winter rye overseed won't grow back through deep divots because of its shallow roots. Dollar Spot is one of the main concerns with winter overseed grasses.
Examples / Pretty much every course in Myrtle Beach overseeds its fairways with rye grass, and just about every course that has TifDwarf, TifEagle or Champions overseeds its greens with Poa trivialis. A few courses with 328 Bermuda greens still overseed with rye.
Others
Varieties / Zoysiagrass, Centipede, Seashore Paspalum.
Characteristics / Centipede is a warm-season grass that becomes dormant in the winter. It's used for home lawns and developments because it requires minimal cutting, water, fertilizer or maintenance. It's also a more pale green than Bermuda, so a few courses use it as rough to better frame the fairway.
Zoysiagrass a very dense turf that stays very low. It will spread but is slow to move, so it can be easily controlled.
Seashore Paspalum is relatively new to golf courses. It's been growing wild on the Southeastern coast of the U.S. for years, and is now being grown in region turf farms. It can survive and even thrive with both limited water and brackish water, and grows in both areas with heavy sunlight or constant shade. The grass has an extensive root system. It grows out and sprawls like Bermuda grass, but also develops much deeper roots.
Care / There is minimal care for zoysia, Centipede or Seashore Paspalum.
Strengths, weaknesses / Centipede is a good grass to use in the rough because all you need to put on it is water, so it requires even less attention than Bermuda. Designer Pete Dye is a frequent user of centipede. Left unchecked, Bermuda can eventually impede on centipede and choke it out.
Zoysia is used around bunkers by some superintendents because it doesn't tend to run on top of the ground like Bermuda, and won't encroach upon the bunker. Bermuda requires constant edging.
Some superintendents use zoysia grass on some shaded tee boxes because it grows better in the shade than Bermuda. It's not often used on par-3 tee boxes because it doesn't grow back fast enough to repair divots. Some courses in other parts of the country are using new strains of zoysia on fairways.
Seashore Paspalum is practically a super grass. Because it's so dense and aggressive, it seems to choke out potential weeds. Paspalum is used extensively in Florida for tees, fairways and greens, and is on the greens and some fairways of Kiawah Island's Ocean Course. Paspalum would need to be overseeded for the winter in the transition region, however, since it's predominantly a warm-weather grass.
"The biggest thing with these grasses is it's a learning curve from what the grasses tell you to do," Knaffle said. "People are starting to learn what the limitations are, and every grass has a limitation."
Examples / Centipede is currently in the rough at DeBordieu and Prestwick, zoysia is around bunkers on several courses and some tee boxes, and Seashore Paspalum is being installed in the DeBordieu rough this summer, and has been used on River Hills' 13th tee box.
Source: The Myrtle Beach Sun-News
