Warm-Season Grass Eradication

Considering the recent rainfall, one would expect all areas of the golf course to be brilliantly green. While that notion holds true throughout the majority of playable areas of the golf course, there are several areas that have remained brown and barren. And these areas will remain brown in the coming weeks even if there is rain. This is part of a strategic plan, since the grasses that germinate following rain storms are the varieties that we are trying to eliminate prior to seeding them with our specific native grass blend. Once an area is considered “clean” (i.e., following a rain event, nothing germinates) then the area is ready to be seeded with the native grass mix. The grasses that will be planted in these areas will be a bunch-type or clump-style grass, which means they grow as individual plants and are not sod-forming like the rest of the grass throughout the course. From a distance these areas will eventually look full and resemble a native meadow appearance. Up close, there will be bare areas between the clump grasses where players should be able to locate their golf balls. Currently, there are a few areas throughout the golf course where the native grasses are ready to be seeded. Once all the materials are obtained, we will do this with a hydro-seeding unit. This machine mixes seed, mulch, fertilizer, and water and then is sprayed out as a liquid material. The newly seeded areas will be very distinct as they are a bright sea-green color. This seed/mulch material helps to germinate the grasses quicker and “seals off” the surface to resist weeds and other grasses from growing.

Additionally, there are a few areas throughout the golf course where unwanted grasses are growing in the fairways and rough. These grasses have been sprayed out and are now very visible against the green turf. This are not gas/oil spills, nor is it an infectious disease, rather we are eliminating the undesirable Kikuyugrass and Bermudagrass species from the golf course to improve conditioning and consistency. These grasses naturally turn brown during the winter months as they go into dormancy when exposed to cooler temperatures. Spraying these grasses out now greatly reduces their chance of coming back next spring and it allows the maintenance crew to overseed the areas with the appropriate grass type. While these areas are brown for now, once the seeds germinate, they will eventually convert back to playable green grass.