Dunlop,
I've wondered about the "native" grass terminology. Of course, I don't know what kinds of grasses were used at Roaring Gap. At my recently-renovated Carolina Golf Club course in Charlotte, architect Kris Spence added substantial areas of tall fescues that look much like what I see in your 2009 photo from Roaring Gap. To my eye they are attractive. I really like the look (both at our course and at Roaring Gap). At Carolina Kris used a mixture of three types of fescues, including Sheep or Sheep's fescue. I cann't recall the other the two types and cann't put my finger on the source right now. In any case, these grass areas are frequently referred to by members as native grass areas, yet it is my understanding that none of the fescues are native. Sheep's fescue is a European grass that has been introduced to North America. It is clearly not native to North America. So, why not call these grass areas "natural looking," or "rustic looking," rather than "native"? In a real practical sense the question of native vs. non-native grasses on our Carolina GC course is not all that important, since the vast majority of the grass is Burmuda, which is not a grass native to North America either. On the other hand, if by using the term "native" we are fooling ourselves or others into thinking we are doing something that's ecologically constructive, then I'd rather use a different term. How do others feel about this issue?