Often overlooked by many, the turfgrass used by Golf Courses is so important for a number of reasons.
The condition and quality of the playing surface can be the difference between the round of your life, and a round to forget. For the player, you are looking for a good ball lie and good ball speed, so you can get the extra few metres out of your drive. For the green keeper, however, it can be a juggling-act trying to combine a top-quality playing surface with tightening budgets and lower inputs – fertiliser, pesticides and irrigation. For years now, the majority of Golf Course turf cover in Australia (Fairways, Tees and Surrounds), have been traditionally either a Couch or Kikuyu turf depending on location.
This is much the same in the US and other parts of the world, where the varieties used were generally a couch-grass or bentgrass, due to their ability to be cut short and take lots of wear and tear. Until recently, these were generally the only suitable grassing options for golf – but the game has changed! Lawn Solutions Australia is proud to announce the arrival of their new variety, Sir Grange.
Sir Grange is a fine-leaf Zoysia Matrella that has some unique qualities that makes it a stand-out against its competitors. Fantastic drought-tolerance, high shade and wear-tolerance, combined with a very fine, deep green leaf, make it the perfect short-mown surface. Sir Grange is perfect for Golf Courses through to premium commercial applications and high-end home lawns. Sir Grange requires significantly less fertiliser to maintain quality and colour when compared with other varieties and handles shade levels unmatched by most other grass types.
Sir Grange has been laid on renewed golf courses such as Killara Golf Club and Indooroopilly Golf Club.
What separates Sir Grange from the others in the golf world is its density and leaf structure. Sir Grange is approximately twice as dense as couch and Kikuyu, meaning it has roughly twice as many plants in any given area. Further to this, Sir Grange leaf blades grow directly upwards from the surface again unlike couch grass, which grows outwards from a root or runner. These traits ensure you are getting a better ball lie on Sir Grange and better ball speed in play. A superior ball lie also means less divots as you will not be having to dig your club in to get under the ball. This leads on to a lot easier club-contact and a lot less work for the course in divot-maintenance. Sir Grange’s superior density also makes it much more difficult for weeds to invade which is perfect both for the homeowner and in the golfing world. It also looks fantastic at a variety of mowing heights. Mown short to around 15mm or half inch when we’re talking fairway and green-surrounds-height, through to the preferred height of your front lawn, or even unmown in rough situations – Sir Grange can handle mowing-maintenance at these varying levels without much in the way of scalping or bruising that can occur on other grass-types.
The superior shade tolerance of Sir Grange makes it ideal for home lawns and those shaded greens and fairways that exist on most Golf Courses; where Couch and Kikuyu tend to struggle, especially during the winter months. Low water and fertiliser requirements also result in lower inputs for the golf course and the homeowner, saving valuable time, money and environmental pressures.
The Australian home and golf market are deserving of a new turfgrass variety that is suitable for a variety of applications. A turf-type that has real economic and environmental benefits, coupled with fantastic appearance and performance, is long-overdue. Enquire today about Sir Grange at your local Lawn Solutions Australia Member Turfgrower, and how it can improve the lawns at your location; from your front lawn, to an outstanding commercial site, right through to your Golf Course. Sir Grange – A finer choice.
