Practice Tee Trial of Bermudagrass

On the practice tee we have incorporated roughly 2000 square feet of Patriot Bermudagrass into the Creeping bentgrass as a trial to see if this warm season turfgrass could be used long term on the tee.

Hyde Park, similar to many other older clubs does not have enough space on the practice tee for adequate divot recovery. The current teeing space is roughly 20,000 square feet. The ideal space should be double to handle the amount of traffic and healing time required for divots. The question has been raised about using Zoysia grass on the tee to match the fairways but unfoutunately the recuperative capacity of Meyer Zoysia is slower then the creeping bentgrass and would require even more usage of the mats.

Patriot Bermudagrass is cold tolerant, has excellent divot recovery and almost requires zero chemical treatments. This trial area will be evaluated for playability, divot recuperative capacity and cold tolerance.

Once in use in roughly three weeks, we look forward to your feedback on the long-term implementation of this turfgrass on the practice tee.

Thank-you,

Pat O’Brien

Grounds Superintendent