Set aside specifics at Dormie, the courses closed in the heart of the summer with bent grass greens in nc are large in number. How long will it take for these places to get on the ultradwarf wagon?
John,
This is not correct. I've lived my whole life in NC and GA, and courses do NOT close in the summer, bent grass or no!
In the last few summers of extreme heat and drought, there have been some courses that have done weekday shotgun starts and then closed in the afternoons, and even a summer or two where some courses went to temporary greens. But closed for a week or weeks? I can't think of much of that at all, much less a large number.
That's why I find it so odd that a course that gets virtually no play like the Dormie Club would have to close. And I might add that the summer of 2012 has been hot, but certainly no worse than the last several and probably better, at least in terms of rainfall and night time temperatures. I've played several courses with bent grass greens that are hanging in quite well.
As to the ultradwarf wagon, if the weather continues has it has been, in 15 more years there won't be anything but ultras in the SE. Every course, public and private, will go that route when they have to redo their greens, change management, etc. I've played two old courses in the Triangle area that have just reopened after shutting down for six weeks to put in Champion, and the results are just spectacular.