Cover Story
Optimizing Ultradwarf Survival and Playability During the Winter Months By Mike Goatley Jr., Ph.D., Professor and Turfgrass Extension Specialist, Virginia Tech
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ltradwarf bermudagrasses for golf course putting greens are no silver bullet for the transition zone, but over the past five years, the thought process about ultradwarfs in Virginia has moved from “that’s crazy” to “it can work.” Are ultradwarfs necessarily cheaper to maintain than bentgrass? I don’t think so. The cost of blankets (more on this later) and the intensity of the cultural management programs regarding grooming and topdressing can negate some of the anticipated savings you might expect, when compared to a bentgrass management
program. However, with the putting quality possible today with ultradwarfs, their feasibility as a putting surface of choice is now at the forefront. I have had the privilege to team-teach a “Winter Management of Ultradwarfs” seminar for GCSAA and regional audiences for these past five years with Chris Hartwiger and Patrick O’Brien of the USGA, and we talked last year about the change in our audience dynamics over this time. We have gone from an initial group interested in exploring the possibilities of ultradwarfs for their site, to audiences now filled primarily with superintend-
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ents who are managing ultradwarfs. Virginia is certainly on the northern side of the transition zone, and it is my thinking that IF I can successfully grow creeping bentgrass at my course, I probably would grow creeping bentgrass in this climate because of the anticipated putting quality with this turf. However, working with Chris and Patrick over the years has led me to think less about the grass and more about the golf. Their criteria for deciding whether an ultradwarf might be more suitable for your location is to ask, “When is most of the golf