Turfgrass Use on US Golf Courses

Abstract

Golf facilities account for 2.3 million acres in the United States. Numerous turfgrass species are managed on US golf facilities, but golf facilities may change turfgrasses depending on numerous variables. Knowing which turfgrasses are grown and how turfgrass selection has changed would provide important information to scientists, turfgrass managers, and policymakers. The objective of this survey was to measure turfgrass use on US golf facilities in 2021 and to determine whether changes in turfgrass selection have occurred since 2005. A survey was developed and distributed via e-mail to 13,938 US golf facilities, with 1861 responding. From 2005 to 2021, the total projected area of maintained turfgrass on US golf facilities decreased by 14.2%, which was likely a result of course closures and maintenance operations. Nationally, bermudagrass (Cynodon sp.) and Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis) remained the most common warm- and cool-season turfgrasses, respectively. The area of winter-overseeded turfgrass declined by 60% between 2005 and 2021. The percentage of golf facilities that used zoysiagrass (Zoysia sp.) and seashore paspalum (Paspalum vaginatum) increased depending on region and specific playing surface, albeit a pragmatically minor increase. In general, turfgrass selection on golf facilities in northern climates did not change, whereas turfgrass selection in southern climates favored a change from cool- to warm-season species, depending on the playing surface. Whether in historically cool-season or warm-season regions, it appears that many golf facilities are exploring alternatives to their traditional turfgrass species.

Directional Breeding Generates Distinct Genetic Diversity in Hybrid Turf Bermudagrass as Probed with Simple Sequence Repeat Markers

“…With the creation of 'Tifgreen', golf course managers saw the possibilities of having immaculate putting greens and fairways year-round. As indicated by a survey conducted in 2021, 32% of the total golf course acreage (80% of putting greens) in the southern United States adopted bermudagrass because of its stress tolerance and maintenance requirements (Emmons and Rossi 2015;Shaddox et al 2023), thus redefining what is possible for modern turf management. Bermudagrass can survive the scorching heat of the South and also performs extremely well at low mowing heights, leading to a consistent and visually pleasing golfing experience.…”

Growth Suppression of Hybrid Bermudagrass with Imazapic

“…on golf courses (Jacobs 2019). There were > 159,284 ha of maintained bermudagrass on golf courses across the United States in 2021 that required regular mowing (Shaddox et al 2023b). Applications of imazapic as a PGR could assuage this issue.…”

“…Although tolerance of common bermudagrass to imazapic for use as a PGR has been explored in the transition zone of the United States (Brosnan et al 2011), information pertaining to the response of hybrid bermudagrass (C. dactylon × Cynodon transvaalensis Burtt Davy) is lacking, considering the species constitutes 32% of all maintained turfgrass hectarage on golf courses (Shaddox et al 2023b). Limited research has demonstrated imazapic applications at 35 to 105 gÁha -1 reduced hybrid bermudagrass plant height > 28%, suggesting that it could be a tool to aid turfgrass managers in reducing mowing requirements on golf courses (Marques et al 2021b).…”