Looking at side-by-side photographs of
Nashville Golf and Athletic Club, taken in 2016 and 2017, it’s a challenge to tell
Endurant turf colorant from overseed.
[caption id="attachment_976" align="alignleft" width="750"]
Overseed 2016, left. Endurant turf colorant 2017, right. Photo credit: Golf Course Superintendent Alex Price[/caption]
Fairways have been overseeded for more than 20 years at NGAC, said Golf Course Superintendent Alex Price. That has changed with Endurant.
Providing ideal playing conditions throughout the year for members and for the tournament season led the golf club to decide to change from the practice of overseeding to applying Endurant Turf Colorant.
The decision not only cut overseeding, over-watering and over-fertilizing, it also lead to a better playing surface and improved aesthetic for the Web.com Tour. The
PGA Web.com Tour features 26 tournaments played in 16 states and five countries outside the United States, culminating with the four-event Web.com Tour Finals in September and October.
“Overseeded fairways during winter provide a fantastic playing surface. But, in my opinion, this practice has damaged our underlying hybrid bermudagrass in a variety of ways,” said Price.
NGAC had overseeded as usual in the fall of 2015. However, that left the golf course in less than perfect condition for tournament season the following summer, he said.
“We didn’t know about the tournament the first year. So we overseeded and the turf was in transition during the tournament,” said Price.
Endurant turf colorant is a game changer for turfgrass managers, including for improved water management, decreased transitional challenges and ideal turf conditions throughout the year.
For the first time, NGAC chose to use Endurant turf colorant instead of overseeding with perennial ryegrass.
“This has been a great way to bridge the gap. Our members can still appreciate a green fairway aesthetically. As a superintendent, I can look forward to having zero competition while breaking 25 acres of fairways from dormancy,” said Price.
Using Endurant, Price could guarantee that the Bermuda grass was ready for the tournament by summertime.
“We are looking forward to having the fairways peak during our 2017 Web.com tournament. By using Geoponics products, we can provide our membership with an alternative to overseeding, while delivering a much improved product during the tournament season,” said Price
While many superintendents save money by using Endurant versus overseeding, especially with savings on water, there wasn’t a significant change in costs based on the usage at NGAC, Price said.
“It’s detrimental to fall golf to water the way we do with overseed. I don’t think there’s a golf course in Nashville that overseeds anymore just because playability in the summer is not as good with overseed,” said Price.
Other benefits of using Endurant versus overseeding included a somewhat faster springtime green-up.
“It greened up a little faster with the paint on there. It wasn’t night and day. We got a week or week and half head start on it at least,” said Price.
NGAC painted with Endurant turf colorant in January 2017, taking two days to apply the Endurant. After having applied Endurant Premium the previous years in a few trials, Price chose to mix 50/50 Endurant Premium and Endurant PR (perennial rye) for a rich, darker shade of green.
“The members were really happy with it,” said Price.
Learn more about Endurant at www.TurfPaint.net.
Check out Shop Geoponics.
