Uniform bentgrass greens, pure ryegrass fairways or unsullied bermudagrass tees all sound great to superintendents who are striving for that holy grail of uniform turf species on their golf course playing surfaces. However, financial and plant health costs can be high during this pursuit. As an example, keeping Poa annua at bay on a bentgrass green requires hand picking, expensive chemical applications, and a host of other cultural practices that can also negatively affect the desired bentgrass.
In some parts of the country there are very good reasons to fight this fight. Poa annua is a weaker species when it comes to stress tolerance, and it can be more susceptible to certain types of damage. However, it is always good to ask yourself if the juice is worth the squeeze when pushing for “pure” playing surfaces. If overall turf conditions are suffering because of perennial efforts to eradicate or reduce unwanted grass populations, could those resources be better utilized by managing the mix of grasses that are clearly thriving in your specific conditions?
During USGA Course Consulting Service visits, I often reiterate that grass is better than dirt as a playing surface. If I have 100% coverage with four different species of turf that are well maintained, I’ll take that over less coverage with one species every day of the week. Too often I see weak or thin turf in key playing areas because a fight against unwanted grasses has taken a heavy toll on the desirable turf. If that sounds like your course, you might want to consider redirecting those resources toward making the best possible conditions with a mixed stand of turf. Golf is always better on grass.
This is not a wholesale recommendation to give up fighting unwanted grasses at your course. This is a reminder about the main goal of your maintenance operation – producing the best possible playing conditions given your climate and resources. Deciding whether to fight a particular grass or embrace a mixed stand can be a hot-button issue at many courses. If you’re looking for support in making these decisions, those of us in the USGA Green Section are happy to help.
West Region Agronomists:
Brian Whitlark, senior consulting agronomist – bwhitlark@usga.org
Cory Isom, agronomist – cisom@usga.org