Growing Season

Each year around late winter/early spring, almost all courses (not just ACGT facilities) that use hybrid bermudagrass on their greens have weak areas.

As a PSA, as is typical for this time of year, bermudagrass is still dormant, and winter wear, caused by freezes, foot traffic, maintenance, drought, herbicides, etc., is visible. Some courses attempt to mask the weaker turf with overseeding of poa/ryegrass, but this leads to a sometimes rough transition when warmer weather arrives. The Trail has chosen to not overseed greens this year to avoid this transition, prioritizing the long-term health over asthetics.

Additionally, you may notice the application of sand and colored fertilizers. These are used to help protect, smooth depressions, and promote recovery in damaged areas, and are a standard practice during this transitional period.

Unfortunately, there is no quick fix and any damage, whatever the cause, will not heal without warmer weather. However, there is good news ahead: bermudagrass is incredibly resilient and thrives in warmer weather!

The ‘150-degree Bermudagrass rule’ is generally used to predict when it will green up, start actively growing, and fill in weak areas. This means that bermudagrass starts to actively grow when the cumulative daytime high temperatures and nighttime low temperatures add up to 150ºF.

We appreciate your patience.