October 31st: Sabot Back Nine Greens Renovation
October 31st: Sabot Back Nine Greens Renovation
In conjunction with the Sabot irrigation system renovation,
the back nine greens will also be
stripped off and sodded back with a new strand of bentgrass. With bentgrass
being a cool season turf, this is a project that can be accomplished through
the fall and winter. The irrigation system project will be ongoing from
November through mid-April so with the course being closed, this is a great
time to upgrade to a newer bentgrass putting surface.
The Sabot greens were seeded to L93 bentgrass in late 2000. L93
was developed in the late 80’s and turned out to be a very reliable bentgrass. Plant
breeding is a very involved process and breeding bentgrasses is no different. To
start, two different parent plants are selected and after a few years of growth
and selection, a new bentgrass variety is selected. Over time the new variety
will try and revert back to the qualities of its parents. After 20 years on the
Sabot, the bentgrass on the greens is quite diverse. Initially, the greens all
looked perfectly the same and then over time small patches grew to express their
own genetic make-up.
Very simply, you can make a comparison to your own family.
You and your siblings probably looked very similar at birth, always fielding questions
about who looked more like mom or dad. After 20 years you have taken on your
own look, as well as your own likings. Your sibling may like the heat and going
to the beach while you like the cold and going to the mountains. The bentgrass is
very similar in that each patch of turf now has its own preferences for weather
as well as its own texture and density.
Bentgrass breeding has come a long way in 20-30 years. Breeders
visit abandoned golf courses and select bentgrasses that have survived years without
any maintenance or irrigation. The new grasses that are available now are
incredible. For the Sabot greens we have selected “Pure Eclipse” bentgrass
which was bred by Tee2Green out of North Carolina. Pure Eclipse has all the attributes
you look for in new bentgrass. Its heat and disease tolerance are outstanding.
Its ability to withstand lower mowing heights and more rolling is increased.
The density is probably double that of our older L93 and the fine leaf texture
is very noticeable.
Pure Eclipse is new to the market and has been tested by
numerous university trials. We have looked at Pure Eclipse in person at
Bayville Golf Club, Raleigh Country Club and at the NC State field trials. This
bentgrass is strikingly good. In April, Collins Wharf sod farm in Maryland seeded
about 2 acres of Pure Eclipse for us. On November 1st they will
start to harvest our new bentgrass and bring it to us. In preparation for the
sodding, we will be doing some aggressive aeration and then removing the top ¼”
of existing turf on the greens. The contours will stay the same on all the
greens save for #7, where the top right of that green will be laid down a bit
in order to gain more pinable area. The sodding process will be completed in
about two weeks time.
This winter will be very exciting for the Sabot golf course.
So long as the weather is cooperative, we will look to open the front nine,
along with the putting green and chipping green in mid-late April. The front nine and of course the Manakin will be open for play all winter long. Please
keep up with the Golf Course Management Blog for weekly updates!
There is our "pure" stand of Pure Eclipse at the sod farm.
Pure Eclipse at the NC State field trials continues to stand out.