The
putting greens at Brays Island Plantation were constructed in 1988 and Tif
Dwarf Hybrid Bermudagrass was planted. Tif Dwarf was the most popular grass
choice at the time and its use was widespread throughout the region. It
performed well in most locations for many years,
but changes in the plant characteristics or mutations were found to take place as it aged. The average lifespan of this grass type is
approximately 15 – 20 years.
There
are a variety of challenges presented by mutations. For example, the putting
surfaces begin to change color and texture over time. Most importantly, the
manner in which the grass responds to maintenance practices changes as it
ages. Consistent practices are necessary
in order to produce the high-quality playing conditions expected. The problems
managing the mutations are not in just one season but have an impact throughout
the entire year. For example, certain strains are especially slow to recover from
overseeding in the spring, while others have reduced heat or drought tolerance and
thin out as the summer season progresses.
There
are two significant ongoing concerns, both relating to overseeding. First is
interruption which is caused by the overseed process. In the fall the seeding
process takes place in early October. The course is closed briefly and then as
the Poa trivialis is establishing,
playability is substandard for approximately six weeks. Once it is safe and the
plants are more mature, the maintenance techniques become more aggressive and
top-quality conditions can be achieved. This is often into November and a
significant amount of the best golfing weather has been lost.
Keep
in mind that even if the greens re-grassing project is approved; we will still
overseed the fairways and tees as normal.
In this scenario the course will only be closed for 3-5 days rather than
10-14 days.
Looking
still at the interruption to play, in the spring it is necessary to remove the
winter overseed and restore the underlying Bermudagrass base. This is often referred
to as spring transition. Depending on the weather,
the transition period can begin as early as April and last until August. Again,
substandard conditions can occur during an extended period of time.
Lastly
there is an inherent risk with the overseed process. The underlying
Bermudagrass base is critical to have a successful overseed and must be
reestablished through the summer before the next overseeding. That is why we tend
to lean towards what is best for the turf all summer, often at the expense of
playability. If we don’t grow the base back in, it could have lasting effects
not only through that first summer but throughout the entire winter and well
into the following summer before the warm season base could be recovered. This
catastrophic failure scenario does not have to be widespread to have a
significant impact. What percent of the putting surface or number of greens has
to be impacted to reduce Owners enjoyment of the course?
Each
year we adapt our maintenance programs to manage to the benefit of good half of
the grass stand rather than the weak areas. One of the most pronounced examples
is found late in the summer when thatch reduction and surface management is important
with vertical mowing or verticutting. Some mutations respond poorly to the
practice and thin dramatically. The alternative is to not verticut in order to
protect the area of mutation, which would sacrifice the quality of the rest of
the green. A painful but necessary choice.
In
addition to the challenges created by the mutations, the game of golf and
turfgrass performance has advanced significantly since 1988. At this point, all
but one of the other area golf courses have regrassed their greens and are
reaping the benefits of improved performance and consistency. The course that
has yet to replace their Tif Dwarf greens plans to do so in the next two
years. The newer Ultradwarf
Bermudagrasses are capable of much faster speeds and improved ball roll.
Golfers have quickly become accustomed to these better surfaces. Owners playing
throughout the area currently find that the putting greens at Brays Island are on
par with other courses for a very short period of time.
The needs
and goals of the course were identified in order to guide the planning process
and refine the project scope. The goals of the project are as follows:
-
Maintain
the integrity and value of Brays Island’s asset
-
Eliminate
the risk of catastrophic failure due to overseeding and transition
-
Improve
playability of the greens during peak and shoulder periods
-
Allow
for more consistency in playing conditions throughout the entire year
-
Remain
competitive with area golf courses
-
Improve
Owners enjoyment of the golf amenity
The
project is pretty simple; remove the existing stand of turfgrass then plant and
grow-in a new stand. Everything else included in the project is directed at
addressing deficiencies in the growing sites or accommodating the higher
performance of the Ultradwarf grass.
For
example, with the increased greens speeds of the Ultradwarfs, slope and grade
must be carefully evaluated. In Billy Fuller’s reports from November 2011 and
June 2014, he talks about cup locations and playability. He identified that
number eight green should have the lower tier enlarged to allow additional cup
locations and provide enough area for the ball coming down the slope from back
to front to roll out and come to a stop before hitting the collar. Changes
required to soften number seventeen have the same objective.
The
other major component of the project is focused on improving the growing
conditions at each green site. Each location must have sufficient sun exposure
and air movement to help ensure success of the new turf. Though numbers one,
eight and a few others will require tree removal to improve the growing site,
number seven represents the greatest challenge.
On number seven, the green and the oak
trees cannot coexist and allow for quality, sustainable turf. The trees which
need to be removed were identified with a tree study that was completed by
ArborCom in early 2014. Greens one, seven and eight were all evaluated. This
study provided hard data to help make decisions and also demonstrated the
impact of each removal through computer mapping and modeling before anything is
cut. This ensures that specific removals are appropriate and will help achieve
the goals.
The
timing of the final grassing must be scheduled to take advantage of the best
possible growing weather for a warm season grass. Warm temperatures and higher
humidity are ideal. With a date determined for final grassing, we simply work
backward to plan the preparation phase.
Below
is a sample timeline and dates may vary:
May 1, 2015 – Close eight & seventeen for site
work
June 1, 2015 – All 18 holes close
June 8, 2015 – Fumigate process starts
June 15, 2015 – Begin final surface preparation
and begin hand sprigging
September 5, 2015 – Course re-opens
