One of the most fascinating parts of having the U.S. Open here in Pinehurst was observing the setup and teardown of the event. This is not the most glamorous part of hosting championships, but we can learn a lot from the process. While Pinehurst Resort and their team are still putting some things back together, I have been amazed at how well the bermudagrass areas bounced back. Three things in particular stood out to me:

• After being pushed hard for championship conditions in June, the ‘Champion’ ultradwarf bermudagrass putting surfaces have been beautiful for the rest of the summer and remain excellent heading into fall.
  
  
• Areas of bermudagrass that were under grandstands for weeks, if not months, have fully recovered since the championship without renovation or extensive inputs.
  
  
• The large ‘TifTuf’ bermudagrass lawn behind our USGA office was under a tent for 84 days without sunlight or water and fully recovered – again, without renovation or extensive inputs.
  
  

During the championship, many areas “outside the ropes” were used for concessions, fan experience and other hospitality. One of those was a small practice green near the 8th green and 10th tee of Pinehurst No. 2. The putting green was not mowed or watered during the championship, and everyone assumed it would be a casualty of the event. Interestingly, as stress started to occur from traffic and drought, green rectangles began to appear. This phenomenon was not a coincidence as this green had been used for nematicide trials the year before. Fourteen months after the nematicide trials, the influence of these product applications was still apparent and the various treatment plots became visible. The long-lasting impact of nematicides on plant health is well documented, but those rectangles were still quite a surprise. On top of that, the entire putting green made a full recovery.

Not only was the impact of turfgrass breeding, research and integrated pest management on full display during the championship, it has played a significant role in recovery. Pinehurst’s incredible playing surfaces will face an even tougher test in 2029, when Course No. 2 hosts back-to-back Men’s and Women’s U.S. Opens. All indications are that the bermudagrass is up for the challenge.

Southeast Region Agronomists:

Jordan Booth, Ph.D., senior director, USGA Course Consulting Service – jbooth@usga.org

Chris Hartwiger, director, Agronomy – chartwiger@usga.org

Chris Neff, agronomist – cneff@usga.org

Information on the USGA’s Course Consulting Service

Contact the Green Section Staff