Grass (The Golf Course Kind)

[Shankster]

The topic of grass type on the PGA Tour.  I never put any thought into it until recently.  I played some different types on vacation.

 

here in Maryland I play on Bermuda fairways.  Up north I was taking huge divots because the grass was so thin.  Here, yesterday, I was barely taking any, and the ball flight seemed higher… 

 

Whats your take on the grass?

[release]

I'm no expert on turf management.  Throughout the years playing this game in the region had seen the change of grass on the putting surface and fairway often.  One year, there was this infestation of fungus allover the region, killing off the grass on the greens.   The local PGA had to bring in experts to figure out a way to apply non-traditional fungicide to maintain the golf courses.  That year and a few after, we had been putting on half bald greens and some temporary greens in the Summer. 

Location dictate the type of grass on the putting surface and in the fairway.  The local climate will promote certain type ( mix ) of grass to thrive, better managed with fungus/moisture control.

In the NW, where plenty of moisture in half of the year and with tall evergreen trees, the shade promote the growth of the fungus.  Especially with the short grass on the putting surface, no golf courses around here could maintain the bentgrass, without the invasion of fungus.  The typical grass on the putting surface is a mixture of broad leaves  ( Poa Annua )and creeping bentgrass.

I believe more blue grass in the fairway mixed with rye, and other which pollinated from the wind of local species.  

 

[vandyland]

Bent grass is so much easier to read and putt on. I live in the South so we have mostly tif eagle bermuda on the greens which is very heat resistant but grainy and adds a layer of difficulty in that you have to read the break AND the grain. 

As a real life example, we played pinehurst where most of the greens are bermuda but they are bent on Pinehurst No. 9. To a man we all putted lights out at No. 9 because there was no grain to consider. 

[Shankster]

9 minutes ago, vandyland said:

Bent grass is so much easier to read and putt on. I live in the South so we have mostly tif eagle bermuda on the greens which is very heat resistant but grainy and adds a layer of difficulty in that you have to read the break AND the grain. 

As a real life example, we played pinehurst where most of the greens are bermuda but they are bent on Pinehurst No. 9. To a man we all putted lights out at No. 9 because there was no grain to consider. 

I grew up playing on bent grass greens, weeds for fairways and rough, with some bluegrass sprinkled in.  Even here they are bent, just the fairways are bermuda.  I’ve only played one course that I know of with Bermuda greens.  

[DriverBreaker]

I've lived in the South for all but one year of my life.  Bermuda and clay soil is pretty much the norm for me..  Went to play at Big Cedar in Missouri this summer.  They had Zoysia.  Couldn't get the ball to spin at all on chip shots around the green.  Literally had a chip that I landed on the fringe roll all the way through the green.  It was mind-boggling... 

[MrBandit]

1 hour ago, GolfSpy_CS said:

I've lived in the South for all but one year of my life.  Bermuda and clay soil is pretty much the norm for me..  Went to play at Big Cedar in Missouri this summer.  They had Zoysia.  Couldn't get the ball to spin at all on chip shots around the green.  Literally had a chip that I landed on the fringe roll all the way through the green.  It was mind-boggling... 

Thats funny you say that.. I played Payne Stewart course up there which is Zoysia grass, and I could not stop the ball from spinning. I had balls come off the green cause they were spinning so much.  Started to play for the spin on the back 9 . I like it cause the ball was always sitting up, so you was always hitting ball first, it was hard to make a divot on that grass.

I learn to play on Bend Grass, so when you move to Bermuda type grass is so much slower.

Edited July 22, 2021 by MrBandit