About Project
At the Naval Academy Golf Club in Annapolis, Maryland, all fairways and tees were renovated in May 2019 with Tahoma 31. Eric David, golf course superintendent, says because Tahoma 31 only goes dormant for about three months in the winter, versus the six months of dormancy the course previously experienced with Common Bermuda fairways, he no longer overseeds his fairways. He’s also reduced fungicide usage, reduced mowing, and increased wear tolerance since the renovation with Tahoma 31.
Challenges & Solutions
Challenges:
- High water use
- Late spring green-up into June
- High fungicide budget
- Wear issues
Solutions:
- Drought-tolerant Tahoma 31 cuts down on water use
- Early spring green-up of Tahoma 31 creates beautiful & highly playable fairways year-round
- No overseed needed
- Reduced fungicide usage
- Improved wear tolerance keeps cart paths green and stable
Outcome
“During the renovation, we had to shut the water off on one of the tees that had Tahoma 31 on it. We did not have water on it for four weeks. And we’ve been in a pretty good drought here for the last two months. We haven’t had any rain and it was 100 percent playable. Still green and hadn’t had water in about four weeks. That’s one of the things I’m most impressed with is the drought tolerance, because we just don’t have to water it,” David says.
Tahoma 31’s recovery from traffic is so good, along with tees and fairways, David planted Tahoma 31 on cart paths leading in and out of his maintenance facility in areas that would otherwise be a muddy mess. The grass’s lateral recovery, even when it starts to slow down vertical growth in the fall, is where it truly shines, he says.
“On tees where we have people hitting from an area, we move the tee markers, and three days later, it’s recovered. It’s really, really traffic tolerant,” David says.
“We basically stopped mowing it in October … and it was green until the middle of December,” David says. “The members are extraordinarily happy with the decision” to plant Tahoma 31.
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