Courtesy of Palmetto Bluff Club
Nestled in picturesque Bluffton, South Carolina, Crossroads at Palmetto Bluff Club is the first new Lowcountry golf course in almost 20 years. It’s also covered now in NorthBridge Bermudagrass.
King-Collins Golf Course Design and Sod Solutions Professionals worked together to select a grass that would hold up to the desires and needs of the new reversible 9-hole, 3,100-yard course.
“What’s unique about what King-Collins did here is just the way the course is laid out and the number of options that it's going to create for us as managers, for the golfers and for the members. It's really 18 holes in a 9-hole footprint. So there are 11 greens out here — some greens are double greens, some greens are triple greens and some greens are only played in one direction,” Crossroads superintendent Adam Deiwert said. “You can literally walk in fairway from one side of the course to the other side of the course and never leave the fairways.”
The choice of NorthBridge, renowned for its resilience during droughts and cold snaps, was further validated by its endorsement from numerous prestigious facilities nationwide. NorthBridge was also selected due to its rapid establishment and ability to be kept low and fast. With two par 3s, five par 4s and two par 5s, the course offers an invigorating golfing experience for players.
“Seeing the difference from zoysia to Bermuda with NorthBridge has just been amazing. I know Bermuda roots in and establishes quickly, but this seemed to take it to a whole other level on the speed that it was able to grow in,” Deiwert said.
The NorthBridge was harvested from Green Acres Turf Farm in Furman, South Carolina, and Carolina Turf in Raeford, North Carolina. Sod Solutions Professionals oversaw the project and its team emphasized the project would not have been possible without partners and growers like Joe Poole and Gary Youmans. Working alongside both farms, Sod Solutions Professionals was able to secure the acreage and quality needed to successfully install the grass, which was completed by Georgia-based Kirkpatrick’s Turf & Landscape Management.
The NorthBridge harvested from Green Acres Turf Farm grew in at a record 100 days on the farm after planting. The superior color and condition of the sod when it left the farm are examples of the rapid growth and density of NorthBridge.
