Randy,
Not sure bent grass has really thrived in N Texas for 70 years. Yeah, Colonial has had them since then. I don't recall them ever losing their greens but I bet they have, or at least had years when they struggled.
As noted, I got here in 1984, and nearly all greens in town were Bermuda. After a killing freeze that year (following a similar one in 1980, I think) many started to think it was easier to baby bent for three months than risk the winter kill again, and also to avoid overseeding, so more widespread bent wasn't common until then.
Almost immediately, most places saw the problems on the other side - bent needs a life support system, not a root zone here. Texas A & M and others were busy developing both heat tolerant bents AND better putting bermuda grasses, some of which had more cold tolerance. Somehow, the idea of green covers had never caught on down here, but they became popular for those with Bermuda greens in the last decade or so.
There is the perception that bent, when good, putts better but at a senior event in Austin at that time, the PG was Champions and the course had suffering greens in bent. When the pros couldn't tell the difference in turf type on the putting green and course, perhaps the tide shifted back to bermuda a bit.
Again, short version is that to say been greens have survived for 70 years is a bit misleading and understates the struggles supers have had with it, and ignores that many courses have lost bent greens over the years here, or members have played in severely over watered, fanned, bent greens just to say they are putting on bent.
That said, the tone of this thread and responses is unfortunate. But, what else is new on gca.com?