Bent grass collar sod work

Our Bermuda grass has a long list of benefits: less water use, less pesticide use, traffic tolerance in the summer, and more, but one of the drawbacks is Bermuda grass encroachment into unwanted areas of the course, specifically the collars and greens. Each fall, we remove the Bermuda grass from the collars and lay new bent grass sod.

During the summer, the Bermuda grass grows so vigorously that it will move into the bent grass collar and contaminate the cool season turf. There are no surefire ways to kill Bermuda grass, it can only be stunted or defoliated. It will grow back without fail. And the herbicides that are used to injure the Bermuda grass will undoubtedly kill any of the other grass on the property. So, controlling the Bermuda grass in the collars is a never-ending battle.

We chose to keep the collars a cool season turfgrass variety when we renovated them back in 2021. Another option would have been to make them all Bermuda grass instead but having a small strip of Bermuda grass encircling the cool season green, and between the green and the cool season rough, would have looked strange, but more importantly would have been an even bigger nightmare to manage. The bent grass collars have performed well and have provided a much better playing surface and are much easier to maintain from an agronomic perspective. Bu
t once per season, we must remove the encroaching Bermuda grass and put new sod back in its place. This helps reset the boundaries of the collar versus approach and keeps a buffer between the Bermuda grass and putting greens.

Each year, we work through 3-5 holes, depending on how much sod we purchase and how much Bermuda grass needs to be removed. And then we rotate through the course over a 2–4-year period. The process is simple enough: we remove old sod, only where the Bermuda grass has invaded; next we aerate the bare soil to give the new bent grass sod channels for root development; we then lay the new sod. The new sod will take a few weeks to truly heal in place, but headed into winter, that won’t be an issue. We will spread some sand over the new sod to give it some protection from any bitter cold and to help level any uneven areas. By spring, the new sod from the previous fall will hardly be noticeable.

Keeping up on the maintenance of the collars is part of our program. The collars provide great playability, and the clearly defined lines are pleasing aesthetically. Most importantly, the collars have proved to be much easier to grow, so keeping them nice is positive all around.

 

 

Starting in November, through February, we will reduce to 1 post per month. Thank you

 

 

Etiquette Reminder of the Month

If you drive your motorized cart into a bunker, please rake the tracks. Thank you

 

Also, as part of a Golf Committee initiative to improve course etiquette, we have included links to videos teaching proper on course etiquette. Please take a moment to watch:

Ball Marks - How to properly repair

Golf Cart tips

 

 

See you on the course!

Joe

jvillegas@bwrc.org