perfect Bermuda turf

Augusta – posted 05 April 2006 12:39

I live in Augusta and have seen the perfect fairways at Augusta National and also this week at the Georgia Golf Hall of Fame. At both places the bermuda is flawless, dark green, extremely dense and very short. This is my dream grass! There must be a way to find out how they achieve this look short of bribing a course superintendent for his secrets. I have Tifway 419 and cut with a power reel mower and try to maintain my lawn well but I just don’t have anything near what I have seen. Suggestions welcome.

cohiba – posted 10 April 2006 15:47

The truth: Add a spray of green paint. Green turf paint will give you that “Augusta Look”. Adding Iron will also give you that look but for the real thing add turf paint. Reapply as needed.

I love the week after the Masters. Everyone sees the perfect conditions and asks “Why can’t our lawn/golf course look like that?”

The answer is MONEY. Augusta:

1. Shuts down for most of the year in preparation for the tournament.2. Has a near unlimited budget.

3. Has fantastic drainage for the wet seasons,irrigation for the dry seasons, and has ways of heating and cooling the turf if such problems arrise. (Google: SubAir)

4. Is built, not on DIRT that the contractor left behind, but a rootzone soil that is tested, amended and tested again before the first strip of sod/stolon/seed ever touches the soil. 5. Superintendents(the group in which I belong) have access to an array of pesticides that the homeowner can only read about. And trust me, they use every one of them.6. Is never mowed with mowers that are not perfectly sharp. And Mowed daily at the least. Greens are mowed at least 2x per day.

I once met the old super that was there a few years ago. Marsh Benson, told me that one of his major problems was how to eliminate the poa from around the trees on the course. It seems they could spray right up to the tree but that the spray left a square poa patch around the round tree. Wow, to have that problem.

They even use dry ice to keep the azaleas from blooming too early!

What you see on television is a beautiful, manicured, impractical, unnatural, disservice to all turf managers and superintendents everywhere. Golf in America was ruined in the sixties when Augusta started showing up on our screens every April.

Having said that: to the crew at Augusta: GOOD JOB GUYS, as usual you make it look easy.

AHHHHHHHHH………………………..

Augusta – posted 11 April 2006 08:42

I was a caddy there a few weeks in college, quite a unique place.

Thanks for the info, I think I’ll skip the paint! I have some more questions if interested. I think they overseed with rye, but it looks completely uniform, no clumps or missed spots. Is this a special type of seed not available to the public? They must apply a huge amount of seed to make it look so uniform?

Also, there are no high or low spots in the turf. I read different opinions about using a roller before laying sod? Obviously the soil needs to be smooth, but if you use a roller doesn’t it compact the soil too much for the roots to take?

tommy – posted 11 April 2006 09:12

The type of rye used for all top notch courses is available to the public. Pretty much any perennial rye you see at the store is an improved type that has that dark green glossy look. Places like Augusta mow their fairways at 3/8…..which is close to puttting green height. This combined with repeated sand top dressing is why the fairways look so smooth. A roller doesn’t do much good, unless your starting a new lawn and want make sure the groung is level to start. A homeowner can have a beautiful perennial rye lawn with a 1 to 1 1/2 inch cutting height…..you don’t have to go super low! A seeding rate of 10 lbs per 1,000sq ft. is plenty- and make two passes with your spreader (in two different directions) to make sure you don’t have any bare spots.

tommy – posted 11 April 2006 09:26

Oh…..and yes, thats perennial rye your seeing on the fairways, tee’s and rough’s at Augusta. Greens are bentgrass.

cohiba – posted 11 April 2006 14:39

All good information. FYI the greens were sodded with Crenshaw Bentgrass chosen, in part, for its heat tolerance. The sod was grown in southern NJ of all places. The sod was washed and trucked down there in a refrigerated trailer.

I agree that all ryegrass is available to the homeowner. However you really need to do some research before you choose the seed that is right for you. You should first go to NTEP.org and see the Ryegrass seed trials. Then pick one of the better varieties. I usually pick a seeed that has improved Gray Leaf Spot resistance. After choosingyou seed try to find it. Good Luck. Stay away from lowes and the Depot. Try your local Lesco or a local seed distributor or the web.

Thanks and good luck to all.

tommy – posted 12 April 2006 07:39

Yep, good point on lowe’s, Home depot! I had forgot that they somtimes sell pasture type perennial rye! How long has Augusta had ‘Crenshaw’? Did they have Penncross for awhile?

cohiba – posted 12 April 2006 14:38

I used to be good friends with a guy named Kevin Gunn who owned Stormy Acres Sod Farm in Carney’s Point, NJ. In ’95 or ’96 he shipped alot to Augusta. I was told it was for the greens but when that was going on I think it was around the time they added another nine? So maybe the Crenshaw was used on those greens and not the TV course.

Maybe someone else knows more………..

kevmac – posted 30 April 2006 15:32

If it was left out, the most fundamental need for hybrid bermudagrass (besides the heat and sun intensity)is pounds of Nitrogen per 1000 in the growing season. Apply at the 1 lb / 1000 ft2 rate starting right now and repeating every two weeks for about two or three months until the growth is what is desired. Then back off a little. 10 lbs of N per year is not unusual for bermudagrass. Ammonia sulfate works great. Also apply well balanced fertilizers like Turf Supreme and give plenty of micros like scotts with minors. I’ll bet that’s your problem hear. btw bermudagrass only grows in the growing season (hot time of year). The rest of the time it just sort of hangs out and ranges from white to green in color. Don’t try to compete with a cool season turf like perrenial rygrass that is dark green year round unless you want to convert to Grand Slam or something similar.

GreatGuy – posted 22 June 2009 18:42

A very simple explanation is that It is Bermuda grass overseeded with Rye Grass. Because of their watering cycles and maticulous upkeep, they are able to keep the rye growing longer than usual in the southeast. Rye Grass stripes very well, and with a lot cool season grasses it has a very deep color. ““`The best way to get deep color in Bermuda grass is to pound it with nitrogen and iron. Start with a 1.5 LBs/ 1000 sq ft with a 50% slow nitrogen release in april to may and then feed it again with 1 LBs 50% slow release in may (depending on weather of course) then feed it 1 lbs of fast release each month until september. Use the slow release again in september. This sounds like overkill, but if you have the money, do it right. Bermuda needs water. alot of it. dont let anyone tell you differently. water 3/4 of an inch when you do water. while watering 3/4 of an inch water 2-3 times a week (preferably 2 if able). Use a 2:1 ratio of nitrogen to potassium to keep your grass and roots growing faster than your diseases. You should also make sure your fertilizer should contain a decent amount of calcuim and magnesium.

The best way to stripe your yard is to mow it in the same directions week after week. Put a spiral brush (groomer) on the front of the reels and a solid roller on the back of them.

tommy – posted 23 June 2009 15:41

Your post reminded me of the major league ball parks that have beautifully striped bermuda. You can tell these fields get plenty of water and fertilizer! The field at Anaheim stadium is just ridiculous!haha Its almost too green! You can tell they use some type of iron product, because its hard to get that green with straight nitrogen. Every once in awhile I will see a nice striped bermuda fairway on T.V., but not too often. Most of the courses (PGA tour) that have bermuda, are played during the time when they are over seeded.