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Bermuda anyone?


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Yeah, I thought you were in Mesquite.  That's tough stuff.  It's a lot tougher than the Bermuda in Florida or AZ.  We have it up here in patches on some of the lower end courses, but I call it crabgrass, and I have to put weed killer on it each year to keep it out of my lawn.  

 

Like Rev said, I found that playing the ball back in stance, taking an extra club or two and punching it works best, but not easy to control and not stopping on the green very well.  But it is still better than the alternative!

 

I haven't been to St. George/Mesquite for a number of years.  I think I am headed down to Palm Springs later in the year and thinking about driving; maybe stop in Mesquite along the way.

We don’t stop playing the game because we get old; we get old because we stop playing the game.”

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Yeah, it's rather similar to crabgrass in the quality of its stalks, except that it grows much faster and spreads laterally and grows intertwined more.   I tried the back in the stance/punch method and it produces low screamers over which you have little control.  But they're better than coming up short constantly and a bit better than trying to pick it thin.   The real solution is don't play at courses with this kind of grass.  If I had it to do again, I'd take my high bounce SB 9 & PW and leave the Scor 40 and 45 in the car.

 

Oddly, the greens were in terrific shape everywhere I played.

bag - SunMountain Synch with Ogio Synergy X4 cart
driver - :callaway-small: Optiforce 440, Paderson Kevlar Green stiff 46.5"
fwoods - :taylormade-small: Jetspeed, 3HL regular
irons - :taylormade-small:  Speedblades 3-8, 85g stiff steel, 2 up
wedges - :edilon-small: Scor 40, 45, 50, 54, 58
putter - :ping-small: Ketsch 35" slight arc, SuperStroke 2.0 mid-slim
ball - :titelist-small: ProV1x

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Mark - I recognize that stuff - we get it on our cheaper courses - of the courses that I play somewhat regularly there is only one that has it.  You're spot on, hit it in there and the ball takes one little bounce, like it landed on a very soft pillow and then it settles in, or doesn't and you're left to guess as to how the ball will come out.  The worst is when the grain grows against the direction you are trying to hit the shot - if you're not perfect sh....nk comes into play in a hurry.

Taylor Made Stealth 2 10.5 Diamana S plus 60  Aldila  R flex   - 42.25 inches 

SMT 4 wood bassara R flex, four wood head, 3 wood shaft

Ping G410 7, 9 wood  Alta 65 R flex

Srixon ZX5 MK II  5-GW - UST recoil Dart 65 R flex

India 52,56 (60 pending)  UST recoil 75's R flex  

Evon roll ER 5 32 inches

It's our offseason so auditioning candidates - looking for that right mix of low spin long, more spin around the greens - TBD   

 

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Mark - I recognize that stuff - we get it on our cheaper courses - of the courses that I play somewhat regularly there is only one that has it.  You're spot on, hit it in there and the ball takes one little bounce, like it landed on a very soft pillow and then it settles in, or doesn't and you're left to guess as to how the ball will come out.  The worst is when the grain grows against the direction you are trying to hit the shot - if you're not perfect sh....nk comes into play in a hurry.

 

Now you did it!  I didn't need THAT thought in my head.  I must say that with very little practice, it is one shot that I can master.   :blush:

We don’t stop playing the game because we get old; we get old because we stop playing the game.”

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From what I've read, the Bermuda is similar in nature to the Kikuyu grass that's prevalent on basically all second-tier and below courses in the country. I read that it is here in the US, but is considered a noxious weed in most states and is not allowed to be used (Arizona, Hawaii and certain counties in California being the exceptions). Torrey Pines has/had Kikuyu tees and fairways overseeded with Rye (greens are Bentgrass with Poa Annua) but with the Phil Mickelson redesign in the works for 2015/16 I'm not sure if that'll be the case or not.

 

I grew up playing on Kikuyu - which has the long thick strands you guys were talking about, so I guess I've come from a different reference point - though I do have to admit that I love how easy it is to take full divots here (rather than half-divots that you can just fold back into place).

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I grew up playing on Kikuyu - which has the long thick strands you guys were talking about, so I guess I've come from a different reference point - though I do have to admit that I love how easy it is to take full divots here (rather than half-divots that you can just fold back into place).

 

There is no folding back or replacing divots.  The grass just disintegrates into a million pieces.

We don’t stop playing the game because we get old; we get old because we stop playing the game.”

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I don't know that I can articulate what I think Kikuyu is or can recall having played it.  I have played Torrey a bunch of times and I don't recall seeing this sort of grass there, but it's been awhile.   While the pictures I see of it don't look too similar, it sounds like it behaves similarly.

 

Here in northern Utah I have some crab in my lawn and some of the thin wispy, not firmly rooted Bermuda invading it as well, but it isn't identical to either.  Bermuda is still considered a weed in Utah, BTW.   I don't recall seeing it much in SoCal when I lived there, except in high desert locales like Victorville, Palmdale and maybe Palm Springs.   Vegas has it and Mesquite too, but not everywhere.   It doesn't look bad, in fact it looks rather sculpted and even.  You can instantly tell fairway from rough and the rough is never tall.  To look at it, you actually think you'll like the rough better, but then it kills you.

 

I agree with Kenny...there is basically no such thing as taking a divot with this stuff.   You don't really ever hit dirt, you just pound the matted stalk mass growing on top of the dirt and throw up some wisps, nothing to put back.  

 

The odd part is there is no predicting the quality of the contact you'll make when you make your swing.  Your outputs don't equal your inputs.  It's like the ball is sitting on this straw pillow and it'll move once you start to touch the pillow.   The most common result is a floppy shot that goes only halfway to target.  If you try it again and swing harder, you get the same or worse result.

 

Anyway, it's about the hardest stuff I've ever tried to hit out of, save ice plant, but it's similar to ice plant because you THINK you'll figure it out and adapt and you want to try again.   But no matter what you try, you can't do anything with it.

bag - SunMountain Synch with Ogio Synergy X4 cart
driver - :callaway-small: Optiforce 440, Paderson Kevlar Green stiff 46.5"
fwoods - :taylormade-small: Jetspeed, 3HL regular
irons - :taylormade-small:  Speedblades 3-8, 85g stiff steel, 2 up
wedges - :edilon-small: Scor 40, 45, 50, 54, 58
putter - :ping-small: Ketsch 35" slight arc, SuperStroke 2.0 mid-slim
ball - :titelist-small: ProV1x

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Sadly good bermuda is great to play off of. You know when it's well cared for and tight. It's tough in the rough but fair. I've learned to love bermuda greens (good ones) even though I grew up on Poa and Bent.

 

But bad bemuda - Yuch!

 

I think it's the same way with kikuyu.

Taylor Made Stealth 2 10.5 Diamana S plus 60  Aldila  R flex   - 42.25 inches 

SMT 4 wood bassara R flex, four wood head, 3 wood shaft

Ping G410 7, 9 wood  Alta 65 R flex

Srixon ZX5 MK II  5-GW - UST recoil Dart 65 R flex

India 52,56 (60 pending)  UST recoil 75's R flex  

Evon roll ER 5 32 inches

It's our offseason so auditioning candidates - looking for that right mix of low spin long, more spin around the greens - TBD   

 

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I'm stuck home today - day off, car in the shop, just chilling and trying to recover from a very demanding week on the job that reached its low point yesterday when I was at the bedside of a parishioner who died (yes that happens to me some and no I don't ever really get used to it because it only happens once for that family and the emotions run really thick.)

 

So I'm watching the LPGA tournament from Ocala with an eye to the grass so here goes:

 

1.  This is what our better courses look like right now - the greens are a tiff eagle and the fairways Bermuda over seeded with rye, the rough is semi dormant Bermuda because it's been a fairly mild winter although its cooler in Ocala than here and I think they've had some nights in the 30's where as we've yet to get into the 40's.  It's pretty typical winter course conditions for Florida - not too tough, not too windy - a bit soft still and ideal for scoring because there is little rough.

 

2.  If you watch the tournament in March at Copperhead or May at Sawgrass you'll see what our courses are like in the Springtime - fast/firm, greens very hard, rough starting to come in, windy, tough conditions for scoring.

 

3.  If you watch the web.com playoff from the Valley course in October you get a small sense of our summer conditions - wet, lush, little roll - guys that hit it 320 in the Midwest in the summer are struggling to hit it 300, really gnarly, nasty 3 inch thick Bermuda rough - for me these are the toughest conditions because it's very hard to compress the ball from the fairway when it's wet and it's a killer when you get in the rough - it's also the most common course condition for those of us who live here year round.  But it's fair - the Bermuda plays the way it should.

 

BTW Copperhead still has old school Bermuda greens and the guys both love and hate them. 

Taylor Made Stealth 2 10.5 Diamana S plus 60  Aldila  R flex   - 42.25 inches 

SMT 4 wood bassara R flex, four wood head, 3 wood shaft

Ping G410 7, 9 wood  Alta 65 R flex

Srixon ZX5 MK II  5-GW - UST recoil Dart 65 R flex

India 52,56 (60 pending)  UST recoil 75's R flex  

Evon roll ER 5 32 inches

It's our offseason so auditioning candidates - looking for that right mix of low spin long, more spin around the greens - TBD   

 

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To follow-up... I played 36 this weekend back in the Bermuda-free north and everything returned to normal.  Shot 72, 76.   Irons solid, Scors wonderful, chips solid.  Chipped in once.   4 birdies, 8 bogies.  Divots were purty.   I didn't do anything special or different.  I simply didn't screw up the dozen miffed approachs per round that caused me to shoot 87, 83 in St. George.   It's like I need two handicaps, one for this Bermuda and one for everything else.  I tell you, I'm about a 12 on this stuff, and you'll pick my pocket every time if you choose the course and put me on it.

 

Anyway, it made me feel much better to come home.

 

And btw, do you want to know when to play a round when you are GUARANTEED to never see another living soul on the course?   Try February in Mormon Utah on Superbowl Sunday afternoon.    It was only me and the shop attendant, who said as I walked through the door "I knew you'd show up, now I can leave.  Close the gate behind you."

bag - SunMountain Synch with Ogio Synergy X4 cart
driver - :callaway-small: Optiforce 440, Paderson Kevlar Green stiff 46.5"
fwoods - :taylormade-small: Jetspeed, 3HL regular
irons - :taylormade-small:  Speedblades 3-8, 85g stiff steel, 2 up
wedges - :edilon-small: Scor 40, 45, 50, 54, 58
putter - :ping-small: Ketsch 35" slight arc, SuperStroke 2.0 mid-slim
ball - :titelist-small: ProV1x

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That's the way I like to play! In the summer we play after work until dark. There might be one or two others on the course but we are always the last ones finishing; the clubhouse is locked, everyone is gone. Great time to work on shots.

 

Glad you got back to "normal".

We don’t stop playing the game because we get old; we get old because we stop playing the game.”

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