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Grass (no, not that kind)

Someonescoat

Someonescoat

Single digit HC is the goal
Albatross 2024 Club
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After listening to Off Course today, one thing I realized that as a new golfer I do know NOTHING about is grass types and the differences. To be honest, I don't think it matters for me at this point in my game but knowledge is power and learning now will just help me in the future! So what grass do you have in your area? What is your favorite kind to play on? Do you take grass into account while playing or, for the vast majority of golfers is it a non factor?
 
Someonescoat said:
After listening to Off Course today, one thing I realized that as a new golfer I do know NOTHING about is grass types and the differences. To be honest, I don't think it matters for me at this point in my game but knowledge is power and learning now will just help me in the future! So what grass do you have in your area? What is your favorite kind to play on? Do you take grass into account while playing or, for the vast majority of golfers is it a non factor?
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We are mostly Bermuda here in the south. I actually enjoy putting on Bermuda greens, too. My current club has diamond zoysia greens, so no grain. One less thing to think about.
 
Davidhibler said:
We are mostly Bermuda here in the south. I actually enjoy putting on Bermuda greens, too. My current club has diamond zoysia greens, so no grain. One less thing to think about.
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What properties do those have? Fast? Slow?
 
My course is Rye rough, bluegrass fairways, and bentgrass greens. Best playing surfaces ever, IMO.
 
Someonescoat said:
What properties do those have? Fast? Slow?
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Depends on the cut and if they roll them. Usually roll pretty true and kind of a mid speed because they don't roll them often. I'd like if they were faster.

The diamond zoysia greens seem to be a little harder to leave a pitch mark on, which is nice.
 
On course? No clue. Greens are bent.
 
It's pretty simple around here - most courses are Bermuda in the summer, rye in the winter. I don't mind the greens but Bermuda rough sucks when it gets thick, and it's not much better when it's dormant. If you're pitching/chipping against the grain it will grab your club and freaking stop it right there.
 
Bermuda here in Florida. I hated it until I moved here.
 
No idea what grass I play on other than most of the time, it’s green.
 
I have no idea what grasses are being used around here.

Right now the rough is tan, and everything else is green.

As for the grain on the greens, i don't think much about it, unless the greens are really late getting mowed.
 
I don't really know all the grass types, but I have learned a bit about what the courses are like in my area and when I get in certain grass types how it affects my shot. One of the courses I play at, during certain times of the year the rough can be simply brutal when the ball gets in it. Certain holes are really bad. I remember swinging a 7 iron for all I was worth and the best I could do was about 25 yards down the fairway. Grass was extremely dense that month around here.

IMO more importantly it helps to understand the moisture content in the grass and how that affects ball striking. It can really affect chipping in a number of ways. One thing that helps me is I mow a lot during the summer due to a large yard and I can tell when the grass is thick and high moisture content and that prepares me to be a better judge for on course situations. Moisture, sun, wind, time of day, when they mow, and other factors come into play when dealing with grass.
 
My old course had bent grass on the greens, fairways and tee boxes. My new course, I believe it's bent grass just on the greens. I'm not sure what's in the fairways.
 
I'm fairly sure that most courses around here are bentgrass just due to the region & our climate.

It's a non-factor for me since I don't believe I've ever played on a different type.
 
We play on zoysia (primary) and bent grass. The nice thing about bent is it stays greenish looking year round. If you don't like tight lies golf then bent is not your choice.
 
I have zoysia in my yard and all I know is I would hate to have to hit out of a zosia rough. It's like a thick carpet that's 2-1/2" deep
 
Bent grass here with some poa annua.
 
While I know that I have experienced different types of grass in different areas, I would be hard pressed to identify them for you. That said, however with the help of the article posted I believe that my home course would be fescue fairways and bent greens.

I do know when choosing a course to play in FL they have all types of exotic/hybrid grasses and love to promote that in their course descriptions. It's typically Bermuda grass where the ball falls down between the blades and dissapears correct? I don't care for that type of grass :confused:
 
Davidhibler said:
We are mostly Bermuda here in the south. I actually enjoy putting on Bermuda greens, too. My current club has diamond zoysia greens, so no grain. One less thing to think about.
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Well maintained bermuda greens are wonderful to putt on. A good maintenance program is key to managing grain and consistency. The grass can be cut short and rolled to get the greens incredibly fast. They do have grain which is great test of your green reading skills. If the greens aren't verticut or spiked, and then topdressed, frequently enough they get thatchy and inconsistent, which makes them difficult in which to judge speed and break.

Zoysia fairways are fantastic. I don't know if I've played a course with zoysia greens.

Bent greens are also fun to putt on but can get really beat up with poorly repaired ball marks. Few courses in the South have it because the heat requires a lot of water to keep the bent grass from burning up. And with the water needed, they get really beat up.

agrsiv said:
I have zoysia in my yard and all I know is I would hate to have to hit out of a zosia rough. It's like a thick carpet that's 2-1/2" deep
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We do too and it would be a nightmare to have to play out of 2 to 3 inch zoysia rough.
 
In the Texas heat, bermuda is the only thing that will hold up. Well that and crab grass but no one wants that on the golf course.
 
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