While I'm just a lowly superintendent who has maintained bermuda and bent in the south, I will have to disagree with My Crosby and Mr. Duran about the cost of maintaining bent vs. bermuda. I know Lou and know him to be a student of the game and its courses, but I do not know Bob, other than here on GCA.
My disagreement is based on one caveat, and that is, I am the one to specify the rootzone and maintenance practices. I'd let them specify the results they want. Just starting with the rootzone, on a new green here in south Texas. Sand for a USGA spec rootzone is going to cost about $45/ton. The sand I need for my ultradwarf green, a narrowly graded, finer sand, runs me about $20/ton. The $45 sand is what I'd specify if Lou and Bob want a high quality bent green, but if they want a high quality ultradwarf green, the fine sand is better and the fact it costs half is an added benefit. Now, if Bob and Lou decided they needed a second opinion and hired a big shot consultant, then we'd have to put in the 45 sand and we'd be on our way to a net/net trade off on maintenance costs. That’s just the beginning of my argument, but I believe I’m off to a good start.
If any one wants a more in-depth answer as to why I KNOW bermuda can cost less to maintain then bent, PM me and within a few days I'll get back to you with the long story. The short story is, if you treat it like bent, maintain it like bent, and specify everything like it was bent, it'll cost as much as bent. However, if you understand the differences and know how to use them to your advantage, it can cost much less to maintain bermuda then bent. That's my story and I'm sticking with it.