Bent Greens In Florida

[davism5]

I am getting my minor in Turfgrass at Auburn,,and I was wandering if anyone knew of any bentgrass greens in the state of Florida.  I heard that there is just like one course!

[JNC Lyon]

Fiddler's Creek in Naples (Arthur Hills) has bentgrass greens. Twin Eagles, home of the Champions Tour, may also have bentgrass greens.

[SteveTL]

The Plantation Club in Ponte Vedra Beach had bent greens until a couple of years ago.  They had to keep fans on them - it was not a good thing.

You might consider calling the superintendant to ask their experience.  I'm sure the number is listed in the phone book/information.

Steve

[Doug_Feeney]

davism5,

Old Marsh in Palm Beach Gardens switched to bent greens about four years ago and they have been terrific during the winter golf season.  They hardly have any play in the summer and were able to maintain them because of that.  My understanding is they have just made a decision to switch back to a strain of bermuda this coming April.  So much for bent grass in Florida!

[Mike Vegis @ Kiawah]

The furthest South I know of successful Bent greens is on Seabrook Island just south of Kiawah Island in South Carolina.  From what I understand, they have a similar heating and cooling conduit of piping running underneath the green surface as ANGC to help maintain their viability in the temp. extremes we get here, especially our August heat.  BTW, they just opened both of Seabrook courses to outside play...

[John_Conley]

Davis:

You usually hear about courses that tried bent grass.  Mount Plymouth and Isleworth used to have bent grass greens near Orlando.  With the improved ultradwarfs, I don't think you'll ever hear of another course trying them again.

[Jim_Kennedy]

davism5,

Bent Pine in Vero Beach and Polo Trace in Delray have Bentgrass greens.

I was talking to the superintendent at a course in central Fla. last winter and asked him what they used as overseed. He said Poa Trivialis, a cousin of Bentgrass, is widely used and that Bentgrass is sometimes mixed with Rye or Poa for this purpose.

[Stephen Brown]

Mike Vegis-

Here at the Berkeley Hall, 80 miles SOUTH of Seabrook, we have some of the finest Bent Grass greens in the SE. (IMO)

Stephen Brown

[james soper]

The private course(the reserve) at the PGA complex in Port St. Lucie used to have bent grass greens. I heard that Calusa Pines(Hurzdan) in Naples had them as well but have not verified it.

[Mike Vegis @ Kiawah]

Mike Vegis-

Here at the Berkeley Hall, 80 miles SOUTH of Seabrook, we have some of the finest Bent Grass greens in the SE. (IMO)

Stephen Brown

Stephen--

Do y'all use any sort of subterranean coolant system or are they left to the ravages of the summer sun?  I know they're putting bent in at Bulls Bay just north of Charleston...

[DPL11]

Bent was dabbled with 10-15 years ago in Florida with poor results. Some of the newer bents are much more heat tolerant than the older varieties, and some have almost as much heat tolerance as bermuda. The humidity is the bigger issue in the southeast. They have some great bent greens in Arizona and similar arid climates.

DPL11

Stephen-You do have some great bent greens at Berkley Hall!

Jim-Poa trivialis is not really a cousin to bent, but an actual cousin to Poa annua, or what we like to call "Philadelphia bentgrass".

[Jim_Kennedy]

DPL11,
They are of the same(Poaceae) family though aren't they?

[JNC Lyon]

Mike Vegis-
Have played Seabrook Island? If so, I would be interested to know your thoughts. How does it compare to the Kiawah courses (in my opinion, the Ocean Course is played with a different game?)

[DPL11]

Jim-
Bent grass has the latin name Agrostis palustris and Poa annua or trivialis are different grasses altogether.
The Poa family is usually but not always an annual grass and has a bunch type (doesn't spread by stolons) growth pattern. The older Poa's you would see on old classic courses' greens would be more likely Poa reptans, which is a perennial type. Kentucky Bluegrass (Poa pratensis) is a spreading perennial type in the Poa family. The creeping bent family grows more laterally and spreads by stolons (runners along the soil surface).
They are very different types of grasses altogether.

I am sorry about the length of the description, but I could go on forever about this stuff.

DPL11

[Jim_Kennedy]

DPL11,
Are they not the same family?
http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/seedid/single.asp?strID=301

[Ryan DeMay]

The first club to have bentgrass putting greens in Florida was the Loxahatchee Club which has since converted to hybrid bermudagrass.  Calusa Pines has TifEagle bermudagrass surfaces.  

Agronomically speaking, bentgrass can be grown in Floridam albeit not as well as in the northern part of the country.  I suppose if one had the resources, budget, patience (from both Superintendent and Membership) quality results could be achieved.  

[DPL11]

Jim,
All grasses are in the same family. The differences are the genus' and species. I'm sorry I didn't read your first question the way you were asking it. If you look at that link you sent me, you will see many Agrostis and Poas listed, as well as festucas (fescues) etc..
If you look bermuda (Cynodon dactylon) and bent are obviously both in the same family, but are very different turf grasses.
You are right that they are in the same family, but the genus and species is what dictates the differences in how grasses grow and look.

DPL11

[DPL11]

Another reason bent isn't widely grown in Florida, is the advances in breeding of more acceptable dwarf bermudas. Some of these newer varieties are so much better than the older. They have been developed to look and putt more like a finer leafed grass such as bent or Poa annua.

Why take the chance on bent, if you can plant a dwarf type bermuda.

DPL11