Champion bermudagrass quickly becoming top dog in Arizona

Golf Course News, Sep 2002 by Hubbard, D

HIGLEY, Ariz. - Over the last 15 years, as golf in Arizona's Sonoran desert has developed into an international attraction, the demand for premium-level golf courses has pushed bentgrass greens beyond their reasonable limits to cope in the desert.

In its five years at three Arizona golf facilities, Champion has proven its claim as the bermudagrass that most closely mirrors bentgrass in appearance and performance, while withstanding the ravaging from the dry summer heat.

As scores of high-end golf properties convert to such hybrids as Tifdwarf and Tifeagle, Champion is the ultradwarf of choice at Superstition Mountain Golf Club, The Pointe Hilton Golf at Lookout Mountain, and the Omni Tucson National Golf Resort.

While maintenance philosophies and practices vary from one club to the next, everyone agrees that Champion is "high maintenance." Of course, the most notable advantage is the return to more normal irrigation practices. Though Champion may require more attention, maintenance crews aren't out hosing down greens long after the sun has set, as was necessary with bentgrass.

At Superstition Mountain 30 miles east of Phoenix, the job of maintaining 50 Champion greens on the Prospector and Lost Gold courses, as well as the member's putting course goes to director of agronomy, Scott Krout. He and his crew prepare the courses for a growing membership sensitive to day-to-day fluctuations in mowing heights and the speed of the greens. Recognizing their preference for consistent playing conditions, Krout maintains a strict schedule of verti-cutting and topdressing twice a week and double-cut mowing everyday.

This past spring, the Champion greens on The Prospector met an even more stringent "trial by fire" when The Tradition, the first major tournament on the Senior PGA Tour moved to Superstition Mountain from Desert Mountain.

"The Tradition couldn't have come at a more crucial time. The greens are transitioning from winter rye and the Champion is waking up," Krout noted. "The Champion was at about 75 percent coverage, yet full enough to accommodate the more demanding play by the tour pros."

In 1997, anticipating an increase in rounds, the Pointe Hilton Golf Club at Lookout Mountain also converted to Champion. Superintendent Paul Smith had battled with bentgrass for nearly 10 years and welcomed the switch. While the Champion greens on this resort course in the Desert Mountain Preserve in central Phoenix demand Smith's full attention through the summer, his maintenance regimen varies from Krout's to accommodate a clientele more concerned with the visual impact of the golf course on the day they play than with consistent playing conditions. Because of the heavier resort traffic, Smith does much less verti-cutting, if at all, utilizing groomers instead to control Champion's fast-growing root system.

"Our guests may not notice a difference in mowing heights from one day to the next, and putting speed can vary, but vacationing in the desert, they certainly respond to richly colored emerald green putting surfaces," says Smith.

At the Omni Tucson National Golf Resort, course superintendent Michael Petty's approach is similar, however, he must balance the look and feel of the greens to satisfy members as well as resort guests. Through the winter, the Champion provides a dense cushion for the lush rye overseeding, allowing a comfortable base for Petty to speed up the greens during the PGA Tour Tucson Open played each February.

If the opinions of the superintendents at these three facilities are any indication, the beauty and playing characteristics of Champion are well worth their extra attention given to growing in, fertilization, mowing, grooming, and routine watering.

Early on, we made our mistakes in the overseeding and transition periods," said Krout. "But what we learned in the process has convinced me that if it were my money, I wouldn't think twice about putting Champion on my greens."