Page 26 - Transitioning Turfgrass

TRANSITIONING TURFGRASS

is resistant to compaction, provides fast surface
drainage, yet retains subsurface moisture.

Golf Course Management

The USGA provides many best practices to re-
duced inputs. Cultural practices, biological con-
trol, plant growth regulators, disease and insect
tolerant turfgrasses, and pest forecast models
are pieces of a much larger golf course manage-
ment puzzle (Fig. 3 and 4, page 21). The USGA
is supporting the Golf Course Superintendents of
America (GCSAA) to develop Best Management Photo 1 Bermudagrass experimental cultivars remained
Practices (BMP) for all fifty states by the end of green without water for eight weeks during July and
2020. The USGA also has worked with Green August at the University of California, Riverside,
California, U.S.A. The goal is to develop drought-
Section agronomists and the Research, Science, tolerant bermudagrasses with improved winter color
and Innovation team to develop USGA Resource to eliminate overseeding with perennial ryegrass.
Management. Integrating new technology and
data management that provides a daily dash-
board view of golf course inputs is the future. provide better playing quality with fewer resource
inputs (Photo 2). Attention to developing cultivars
for the needs of different climates will allow these
Breeding Better Grasses new grasses to be used worldwide (Photo 1). The
new cultivars not only benefit golf but are used
Many new grass cultivars used today on golf on other sports facilities around the world. Since
courses resulted from USGA turfgrass breeding 1990, the USGA has received more than $6 mil-
programs. More than 30 game-changing cul- lion in royalties, and all of this and more has been
tivars were developed that use less water and reinvested in university plant breeding programs.

Photo 2 ‘Latitude 36’, a cold-hardy bermudagrass variety developed at Oklahoma State University and funded in part by
the USGA, is gaining popularity across the transition zone of the U.S.A.

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