Favorite Grass (On A Golf Course!)

[1badbadger]

Do you have a particular type of fairway/tees grass that you enjoy playing?  Or a favorite grass for putting surfaces?  Have you played off of grass that you absolutely hated?

[DaveP043]

Not long ago I'd have said that I really prefer bent-grass greens, which means playing mostly in more northerly regions.  Old-style Bermuda greens were always slower and bumpier, at least the very few that I got to play.  I'm starting to think that the new hybrid Bermuda grasses are every bit as good, after playing a bunch of courses in and around Pinehurst that have made the change.  I love the random mix of grasses that form fairways in most of Scotland and Ireland, they work great to make firm fast surfaces on the sandy linksland.  But favorite?  Whichever grass is present on the golf course I'm playing today.  

[iacas]

I'm not a huge fan of the old Bermuda styles, but I also don't think I've spent enough time on kikuyu or I might like that less.

I think generally speaking people like the grass they grew up playing. For me on the greens that's a bent/poa combo. Everywhere else it's a lot of rye/bluegrass/poa.

[woodzie264]

Zoysia fairways! I love them. It's like the ball is teed up for every shot 

As for greens, I wouldn't know. I think bent grass is above my pay-grade...it seems super quick for my putting ability. 

[upndown21]

Really fast bentgrass greens are my favorite. I am indifferent when it comes to fairways but I do know I am not a fan of long fescue rough.

 

I have seen some really good hybrid bermuda greens recently. I assume they don't need as much water or cool air as bentgrass.

[kpaulhus]

Zoysia is incredible. 

[Patch]

I don't have a favorite grass, but I do know that Bermuda is not golf user friendly. 

That said, I do like all grasses, and how they smell after a fresh cutting. 

[onthehunt526]

6 minutes ago, Patch said:

I don't have a favorite grass, but I do know that Bermuda is not golf user friendly. 

That said, I do like all grasses, and how they smell after a fresh cutting. 

No Bermuda is not. It's great for baseball fields.

My favorite is Zoysia (that I've played on). Namely because in the fairway you almost always get a perfect lie. 

Around here at Newman we have whatever crabgrass is native to Ithaca.

[woodzie264]

7 hours ago, woodzie264 said:

Zoysia fairways! I love them. It's like the ball is teed up for every shot 

 

4 hours ago, kpaulhus said:

Zoysia is incredible. 

 

3 hours ago, onthehunt526 said:

My favorite is Zoysia (that I've played on). Namely because in the fairway you almost always get a perfect lie. 

Is Zoysia expensive to maintain? Obviously, I'm biased, but it don't see why more courses don't use this in the fairways...it's amazing

[dave s]

I live up north, NE Ohio, where everything is bent grass fairways and greens over soft dirt.  Roughs are usually overseeded rye/bluegrass mixes that are very dense.  That's because it freaking RAINS all the time making it grow like mad and too wet to mow.

That said, I LOVE playing down south with bermuda fairways on top of a sand base.  Bermuda, (or some of the newer turfs down south) greens hold shots and don't tear potholes in the greens like our soft bent grass / dirt base greens do up north.

Yeah, I definitely prefer the down south courses with the hybrid, drought resistant grasses.

[3jacker]

All these years growing up and playing golf on all these beautiful FL courses and I had no idea I was playing on inferior grass.

Seriously though, I don't recall what type of grass I played on in S. Cal a few  years ago, but I do recall I liked it a lot.  And the softer ground beneath the turf.. really a change from around here.

[saevel25]

For greens, the ultra-dwarf strand of Bermuda might be the purest rolling greens I ever putted on.

http://triadgolf.com/index.php/2016/02/17/bermuda-revolution-southern-pines-resorts-join-numerous-other-southeast-golf-courses-converting-to-bermudagrass-greens/

Well maintained Bent grass is also pretty good

As for fairways and rough, I prefer Bent or Poa.

[308 Ragin Cajun]

Having only played on Bermuda courses in Louisiana, i can only vote for Bermuda. Down here, Poa grows, but is considered an invasive species, and we try to kill it, not cultivate it.

[Buckeyebowman]

Well, the professional agronomists, like at Penn State in particular, have made untold changes in grass types. Many years ago, a couple of friends of mine went to Florida to play. The starter happened to be from Ohio! He asked them if they'd ever played in Fla. before. They said no, and he advised them to play the ball a bit further back in their stances due to the Bermuda grass. After the round, they said back in the stance, hell! How about behind your stance! They couldn't get the ball up out of that grass to save their lives!

Edited July 30, 2018 by Buckeyebowman