Chipping Green Transformation- Poa to Bentgrass

For those members that have been following the two year transformation/improvement program of the poa/bermuda chipping green to bentgrass, here are some photos.  This is a unique turfgrass transformation project for Southern California:  poa to bentgrass.  I'm sure that it has been attempted elsewhere in this region, but not with the success rate that we are achieving.

The chipping green was previously sodded bermuda grass to test if the species should be the turfgrass of choice for the greens after several years of failure in the mid 2000's.  After the loss of the greens in 2006, Greenway was hired.  Upon Greenway recommendation, the decision was made to sod the greens with T1 & A4 Bentgrass.  The decision to sod versus seed was made to limit course closure time.  The entire project (including corrective shaping) was completed in four weeks, during the annual closure for the over-seeding process.  

Due to limited funding the bermuda green, which was failing to perform to previous consultants beliefs and subsequently transformed to more poa than bermuda, was not touched.  In September of 2009, the green was double aerified and seeded with A4 bentgrass.  The slideshow below illustrates the establishment of bentgrass, which now populates the green in the 90-94% range.
  
The green is maintained in the same manner as the course greens in terms of mowing frequency and height of cut (currently .090")  To aid in the establishment of the bentgrass, the frequency of additional nitrogen applications is the only major alteration to our typical maintenance protocol.

 4/2007

6/2010

 9/2011


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