The Award Winning BRF Zeon Zoysia (Sir Grange Zoysia) receives high praise at Teven Valley Golf Course.
Situated in northern New South Wales, Teven Valley Golf Club is a beautiful nine-hole course with a couple of creeks and a river adjacent where platypus swim. In February 2016 a plan was tabled to complete a 9-hole, 18-tee revamp, with Australian golfer Craig Parry entrusted with its design.
Initially the intention was to close the course during construction, but due to members’ love for ‘Royal Teven’ and their wanting to continue to play, it was decided to build the project hole by hole. The construction team consists of Paul Gumbleton, a former Monash Country Club superintendent and Bob Simmons, assistant superintendent of Kingston Heath for over 30 years. They considered a few turf options, ultimately deciding Sir Grange (BRF Zeon Zoysia) was the right variety for the course.
“We visited the Lawn Solutions Australia stand at the AGCSA [Australian Golf Course Superintendents Association] Twin Waters conference,” Paul said, “and saw TifTuf and Sir Grange – two new options, then went and visited Indooroopilly Golf Club to inspect what they had done with zoysia. I did some research on the net and found out what golf professionals were saying about playing on Zeon Zoysia courses – Adam Groom and Marcus Fraser. Still with an open mind, I contacted Daleys Turf, who the next day came down to Teven with a sample of each for me.”
“Once Craig saw that Sir Grange was available in Australia, he said ‘If that’s available here in Australia, then that’s what we want’; Craig had played on it in the USA and loved it.”
Economics played a part in the final decision, Mr Gumbleton said. “Long-term cost saving, plus it was the best option for Teven – we have a unique golf course and wanted it to be special,” he said.
Daleys Turf Director Terry Daley said Sir Grange met all the project’s site requirements. “It’s got two freshwater creeks with platypuses in the creeks, so environmentally it was extremely sensitive, and Sir Grange ticked all the boxes for that. It could control the run-off, it’s a dense mass, so it worked really well for that site, which is a red volcanic soil site. It’s probably one of the best growing mediums you’ll ever get.”
Mr Gumbleton said his team “haven’t wasted one slab of turf; the strength is incredible”.
“It does take longer to establish; the secret is water heaps in the first six weeks,” he said. “Once it starts to take root, job done.”
“Greenkeeper’s choice … easiest grass to maintain once established – less inputs, less mowing and the course also looks good.”
“At Teven during the reconstruction the players/members only want to play on the new course. They would prefer to play the holes twice on the new course and not on the old course. Golfers love the Sir Grange.”
The Lawn Solutions Australia network of Australian turf farmers have an extensive R&D program that includes partnerships with some of the world’s leading turfgrass research facilities. Sir Grange Zoysia is a successful product of these turfgrass breeders and has been catching the worldwide turf market by storm.
Sir Grange is sold in the USA and Asia under the trademark of BRF Zeon Zoysia. BRF Zeon Zoysia has been used on many world-famous projects, including the Rio Olympics Golf Course and on Michael Jordon’s Grove 23 golf course.
Recently, Hoiana Shores Golf Course in Vietnam, featuring BRF Zeon Zoysia, was named the Best New Course to open worldwide for the year 2020.
Sir Grange (BRF Zeon Zoysia) can be found on many high-end sites in Australia including Teven Valley Golf Course, Killara Golf Course and Indooroopilly Golf course.
Sir Grange Zoysia is the only licenced and pure source of BRF Zeon Zoysia in Australia. For more information visit – https://lawnsolutionsaustralia.com.au/sportsturf/
