Zoysia

[Tommy Williamsen]

Are courses being built with Zoysia anymore?  I know that some places have it ringing bunkers.  I remember when Avenal was built it had Zoysia fairways.  It seemed like a nice surface, but I don't recall seeing it anymore.

[Bill_McBride]

I've had very limited experience but didn't care for the one time I know I was playing on zoyzia for sure.  It was on a rain-soaked day at East Lake in Atlanta, where all the fairways are zoyzia.  That stuff was wet, wet, wet and there was absolutely no roll.

A couple of weeks earlier I had attended the Tour Championship there on a warm, dry day and there wasn't any roll then either.  

[Anthony_Nysse]

The new Engh course at Reynolds Plantation has zoysia fairways. The last time I played East Lake, the fairways were VERY firm....and Dormant! That's the time to play the course. They do have a test green set up with Champion bermudagrass on it...they are thinking about getting rid of the bentgrass.

Tony Nysse
Sr. Asst. Supt.
Long Cove Club
HHI, SC

[Chris Cupit]

The older zoysias were definitely "sticky" and I think ruined the chance to hit run up shots most of the year and did play as a "slow" surface off the tee most of the time.

But, the new Diamond zoysia (and others) is a finely textured zoysia that is incredible--many people would think it is bermuda.  It can get very firm and doesn't act like velcro

[Jim Sweeney]

A number of courses around Louisville and central Kentucky have converted to zoysia. Two prominenet Louisville clubs- Big Spring and Hurstborne were renovated in the last two years and now have zoysia.

My experiences are 1) it will trap water and plays very wet for a while after a good rain; 2) the ball lies very cleanly on top of the grass which helps create a lot of spin- too much in some cases; 3) about ten years ago Cincinnati suffered through a terrible year for grass- hot, humid, and very dry. Courses were losing bentgrass fairways and bluegrass roughs left and right. Hyde Park CC's greens and roughs really suffered, but its fairways- zoysia fairways- were perfect. (As a side note, rye fairways did well also, as long as the mowing heights were high enough to protect it.)

I am no agronomist, or even a green thumb, but I understand that zoysia is both difficult and expensive to grow in.

[Chris Cupit]

Jim,

Zoysia is almost always sodded or at least sprigged in.  If you have the time sprigging is better IMO.  We did some tees by sprigging, ran short on time and sodded the remaining 5 or 6 and the sprigged tees came in better--smoother.

I think you CAN seed zosia now but I don't think it is done much yet.

[Bill Gayne]

Mattaponi Springs just north of Richmond, Virginia is all zoysia fairways. As Jim Sweeney says the ball sits very cleanly on top of the grass. Most people I talk to like the grass. I've only played the course one time and the grass was dry and did play similar to Bermuda.

From their website:

"Zoysia is denser, finer-textured and more upright in its growth than many other grasses. These qualities combine to create an unhindered playing surface on which the ball sits raised from the ground. This provides an outstanding striking surface and greater resistance to divots and heat stress.  Results were so positive that Zoysia was used on the driving range and tees as well."

http://www.mattaponisprings.com/sites/courses/newpage.asp?id=222&page=4680

[Doug Ralston]

Dale Hollow Lake in Southern Kentucky is zoysia, and has the best fairways I have ever seen! They turn brown in the 'off-season', but the quality of the lies remains immaculate [for those who like such things]. You can drive a cart on it and it is more resiliant than other grasses. At Dale Hollow, the standing rule is drive IN the fairway, stay out of the rough.

Pro Bruce Bottom tells me it is fairly high initial expense, but incredibly easy and cheap to maintain.

I understand that the biggest drawback to zoysia is the limited climate range in which it thrives. But there are now more and more hybrids, apparently, and that problem may resolve.

Doug

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

Chris we used it some new tees. Our super has not cut it short enough to be a good surface to play off as yet. It is in its first year at present though.

[John_Conley]

Are courses being built with Zoysia anymore?

I played on it Friday in Dallas.  On a course built this decade.  Last summer I saw it in Huntsville.  Newer course too.

[Sean Remington (SBR)]

Woodmont C.C. in MD has Meyer Zoysia on the fairways of one of it's great golf courses. The South I think.

[Tommy Williamsen]

Woodmont C.C. in MD has Meyer Zoysia on the fairways of one of it's great golf courses. The South I think.

You are right.  I had forgotted that.  I think they regrassed the course about seven years ago or so.  It was a great surface.