When Chris Hartwiger, director of the course consulting service for the USGA, came to visit Bella Vista, his first stop was Scotsdale. The course has been closed most of the summer while new Bermuda greens were planted. Hartwiger was positive about the change.
The greens are almost ready for play. Many courses in the region are making the change from bentgrass to Bermuda, he said.
Bermuda greens are more durable then bentgrass, he said, answering a question from a small audience that followed him around the course. They don't need fans or hand watering, which frees up the turf team to keep up a general level of care rather than responding to emergencies. It's also less expensive than replacing a green with bentgrass.
The Ultra Dwarf Champions Bermuda is a year-round grass in this climate, Hartwiger said. If the overnight temperature drops to below 25, the greens will have to be covered. Because of the man power needed to put on the covers, there may be days when covers are left on. But greens can't stay covered for more than a few days because of disease.
Covering or not covering is always a judgment call, he said, but it's really just common sense.
Golf Maintenance Manager Keith Ihms pointed out that's where Bella Vista has an advantage. If Scotsdale is closed because the greens are covered, golfers have other courses to play on.
Hartwiger recommended that the greens should be painted in the winter. Bermuda grass is dormant in the winter and turns brown. The hybrid Bermuda on the new greens will not be as brown as common Bermuda, but the circles of green will make the course more attractive and become a target for golfers.
Bermuda greens don't show ball markers as badly as bentgrass, Hartwiger said.
Ihms said his long-term plan isn't to change all the courses to Bermuda greens. Some courses, especially Highlands, don't get enough sun for Bermuda. He would like to see about half the courses with bentgrass greens and half with Bermuda.
Because they were at Scotsdale, the group went to look at one of the new bunkers. Hartwiger said he had no experience with the Scottish-style bunkers and listened as Ihms spoke.
Ihms explained that the materials being used are brand new in the U.S. and have proved a little difficult to install. The grand re-opening of Scotsdale was postponed a month so that all 12 bunkers will be completed when it opens on Oct. 6.
Hartwiger also met with the superintendents. Later in the day, he was available to answer questions, but Ihms reported the session was not well attended.
"It was a good conversation," he said, but there were no surprises. "The grass is good," he said.
In two weeks, Ihms will have a written report from Hartwiger and it will be on the Property Owners Association web page within the next three weeks.
General News on 08/24/2016