Myrtle Beach Has Gone Wild over Grass

That is: the New Heat-Tolerant Bermuda Grass

By Tony Leodora

            When looking for an expert source on the subject of grass, it was never a good idea to consult former New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Tug McGraw. Asked which he preferred – grass or Astroturf – he replied, “I don’t know. I never smoked Astroturf.”

In the world of golf, talking about grass is a much safer subject. And, when expert advice is needed, safe sources always come from the United States Golf Association or the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America. They can talk knowledgeably about the subject for hours.

And it would pay for owners and operators of golf courses to listen. They can save a lot of money. Mistakes in the area of agronomy on golf courses can be extremely expensive.

The Myrtle Beach area suffered from one of the most expensive mistakes in terms of agronomy a few years ago. And it was an unfortunate result of unforeseen circumstances.

Advancements in turf research had resulted in a number of new, heat-resistant bent grasses that seemed to be a godsend for warm climates. Not only could the grasses tolerate the heat, but they finally provided the smooth, fast putting surfaces that were not possible on courses that used the old strains of bermuda grass.

In fact, the Surf Club in North Myrtle Beach was one of the test courses slightly more than 10 years ago for the new G2 grass, developed by Greg Norman’s turfgrass company. After favorable results, it was used at Pinehurst No. 2 during the 2005 U.S. Open.

But then the golf gods turned nasty.

After a number of golf courses in the Myrtle Beach area spent thousands of dollars to re-grass their greens with one of the new heat-resistant strains of bent grass, the weather turned foul.

In the summers of 2009 and 2010 heat waves scorched the entire East Coast of the United States. The Greater Myrtle Beach area was not spared, as the extended heat and humidity devastated the golf courses. The young greens, which had been planted with the new strains of bent grass, were particularly affected.

Records were set in each of the summers. It was the perfect storm … and golf course operators were caught in the middle of it.

“Everybody got hit hard at that time,” explained Bob Seganti, director of golf at Caledonia and True Blue. “It was a shame. They tried an experiment with the new grasses in an attempt to improve the golf experience and it backfired. We might not see summers like that for another 100 years but it made everyone gun-shy.”

Luckily, the turfgrass industry was not finished with its research. Shortly after that tragic summers of ’09 and ’10 new strains of hybrid bermuda grass were developed. These had a higher heat-tolerant quotient than the newly developed bent grass strains, yet they exhibited the smooth and fast rolling capabilities of the grasses used on northern courses.

The two strains that made the greatest impact on southern courses – and on the Myrtle Beach area in particular – were Champion Bermuda and Mini Verde. Both are more resistant to heat than any bentgrass, but do not have the course, bumpy nature of older types of bermuda grass.

One by one, courses along the Grand Strand bit the bullet – again – and converted to the new strains of bermuda grass.

“We’ve made a lot of great strides in the last couple of years with the conversion of all 27 holes to Champion Bermuda,” said Steve Beecroft, director of golf at Carolina National – one of the northernmost courses along the Grand Strand, located in Bolivia, North Carolina. “Even though we are farther north, we felt it was something we had to do.

“The changeover was so successful that it spearheaded a number of other improvements that we are planning for the next couple of years. When the greens are in great shape, it’s easy to turn your attention to other areas of the course.”

Barefoot Resort, with four golf courses on the property, had a bigger job than most when it came to considering a change in grasses for their putting surfaces. But two years ago, one-by-one, they re-grassed all four courses.

In 2013 the weather turned against the Myrtle Beach area again. The Grand Strand recorded its wettest summer in history. The new strains of bermuda grass were put to the test again. And, again, they proved to be the perfect fix for weather in the Low Country of South Carolina.

“I was at Kings North during that time and the bentgrass greens were always so mushy,” said Ryan Ruddy, now head professional at Myrtlewood. “They changed to Mini Verde and the problem was solved immediately.”

One of the latest courses to convert to the Mini Verde strain was Tidewater. And it was part of a major renovation on the course.

“We really bit the bullet,” said Tidewater head professional Chris Cooper. “We closed the course for a few months. Not only did we re-grass the greens, but we took down a lot of trees, widened the fairways and added a lot of color to the course.”

This major renovation was done under the watchful eye of Superintendent Shaun Donahue. He was not shy in his approach.

“Over the course of the last few years, we actually took down about 1,200 trees,” said Donahue. “We took down 500 in the last wave and that really opened up the course.

“Then we removed about six inches of contaminated greens mix off the top of every green and replaced it with a mix of 80 percent sand and 20 percent peat. This was a USGA-recommended action.”

In the 25 years since Tidewater had opened, trees grew prolifically. And, when that happens, grass has trouble growing.

“A tree will grow two feet a year,” explained Donahue. “For most of the first 25 years on this property, they cut the grass but didn’t do anything with the trees.”

Cooper addressed the playability problems at Tidewater when he said, “A tree that was not a problem 25 years ago became a problem. All of these renovations are going to allow us to present a better product for the golfers.”

One of the greatest benefits of the new grasses that have come to most of the courses in the Myrtle Beach area is the conditions during the fall season. No longer is aggressive overseeding needed on the courses. Many courses see no need to overseed the greens that feature these new strains of bermuda grass. Instead they just use a non-toxic chemical to add a bit of color.

That means less interruption of play during the fall and better conditions on the courses throughout the stretch.

And the golfers have noticed. In 2014 Myrtle Beach enjoyed a record year for fall tourism. A marketing campaign touted “60 More Days of Summer” but, in the minds of golfers, that translated into 60 more days of great golf.

“There is a real feeling of confidence throughout the Myrtle Beach area right now,” concluded Steve Mays, director of marketing for National Golf Management, the company that manages a number of courses in the area. “We had a few tough years with the weather down here but now I think we have a better idea of how to handle it. We are poised for a great season.”