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Posted on 4/14/14 at 2:54 pm to medtiger
Haven't heard that. I know champion works best when stressed so you have to have a good super keeping the mowers low.
Posted on 4/14/14 at 3:01 pm to Golfer
quote:
The front 9 was awesome. As was Bubba's drive on 13...
Yeah, the front was pretty awesome. But it made the back 9 very anti-climactic.
Posted on 4/14/14 at 3:10 pm to medtiger
quote:
I've heard that this is a great grass for a few years, but it doesn't last more than 5-6 years before you have to reseed/resod again. Any truth to that?
Champion requires a very aggressive cultivation program. Very high end courses are able to burden the financial cost of labor and equipment to continually maintain Champion properly.
Topdressing, verticutting, aerification, brushing, etc. This is due to a very high thatch accumulation (and to help control grain). And it adds up to a lot of money spent on equipment, sand, and most of all labor.
I think some courses have been disappointed because they renovated to Champion, but then were unable to keep up with the high cost of maintenance. Though, this is somewhat true of all ultradwarfs. They require a high level of maintenance.
Champion is owned by the Brown family in Texas. They are very involved in all renovations and establishment of Champion. They handle the sprigging process and make sure you follow a very strict management program during the grow-in. They will visit each course and make sure that drainage, soil mix, etc. is all up to par, so that they will not have a green fail. They are very proud of their name, and will not have it associated with failure.
In the end, it's all about maintenance. And having the money/budget to handle that maintenance. Almost every course has had a shrinking budget the past few years. Yet prices are rising on equipment, fuel, labor, etc. Boards and greens committees will look at some maintenance practices and think "Well, they don't really need that verticutter. They don't need to topdress all the time. It ruins the greens for a few days." And then they get pissed when the greens are not up to their high expectations. The maintenance department of a golf course is the biggest expense, and it brings in no revenue (directly). It's often the first budget item to get trimmed. Some times in favor of new carpet in the club house, or a new brick sign out front.
Superintendents are being asked to do more than ever with less than ever.
This post was edited on 4/14/14 at 3:13 pm
Posted on 4/14/14 at 3:16 pm to LSUHoleInOne
quote:
I know champion works best when stressed so you have to have a good super keeping the mowers low.
Stressed meaning what? Champion enjoys low mowing heights, but no grass likes to be "stressed".
It can tolerate the lowest mowing heights of all ultradwarfs, but you can get them all pretty low. You need a good super to keep the mowing height at the correct height. Higher during periods of stress, and lower when he can. You really need a membership and greens committee that understands you can't always have greens stimping 13.
Posted on 4/14/14 at 3:21 pm to medtiger
quote:
Interesting...thanks.
No problem.
I have heard people complaining about offtypes and mutations within their Champion greens, but I'd imagine that could happen with all ultradwarfs (and other species). Here's a good article by the USGA Green Section: LINK /
They mention a few possible reasons for offtypes. No till renovation, surrounding grass encroachment, genetic mutations, contaminated sprigs, etc.
The USGA Green Section has some really great information on turf and golf course maintenance. It is all very practical information that pertains to the game of golf.
Posted on 4/14/14 at 4:13 pm to bamafan425
Stressed meaning more verti cuts. Lower mower heights during certain times. I was the assistant pro at a club who had one if the best supers in the south. That's what he called stressing. They take better and grow better to stressing.
Champions ability to be a great dormant grass will keep cost low due to not over seeding.
Champions ability to be a great dormant grass will keep cost low due to not over seeding.
This post was edited on 4/14/14 at 4:16 pm
Posted on 4/14/14 at 4:31 pm to LSUHoleInOne
Cultivation is a more universal term for those practices. Stressed implies a deficiency, or the presence of a pest/disease.
Posted on 4/14/14 at 5:16 pm to bamafan425
Yea I am talking like a worker not a studier.
Posted on 4/14/14 at 6:29 pm to bamafan425
You dropping some real knowledge up in here.
Posted on 4/14/14 at 6:30 pm to bamafan425
You're droppin knowledge on fools like it's bombs and the year is 1944.
This post was edited on 4/14/14 at 10:02 pm
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