65 The conversion of turfgrass stands on golf courses has been going on for years. The push in California began when courses started converting to reclaimed water as a means of irrigation. The higher salt, chlorine and other chemical products found in treated water began to damage the existing turf so many superintendents moved their golf courses to use grasses that could handle the added pressures. When the first drought severely affected California back in the early 2000s, water districts were both asking for conservation and offering rebates to golf courses and others for turfgrass removal or conversion to more water efficient grasses. The Los Angeles Country Club, this year’s men’s US Open location, began conversion prior to the restoration by Gil Hanse. The prior renovation converted the greens to Tyee/007 bentgrasses from A4, changed the fairways and roughs to newer bermudagrass varieties and created numerous acres of native grass and naturalised turf throughout the barrancas, hillsides and many green surrounds complexes. The use of a strong creeping red fescue as a low ground cover base to help smother any bermudagrass encroachment along with taller native grasses, purple three awn (aristida purpurea), foothill needlegrass (stipa lepida) and tufted hairgrass (deschampsia caesipitosa) to provide some contrasting heights and colours. The newer renovation completed in 2022 added other native grasses to the barrancas and naturalised areas. These will be seen and played at this year’s US Open. I’ve been involved with consulting and supplying The Los Angeles Country Club for over 25 years and am looking forward to see how the best male golfers handle the golf course. This year’s US Women’s Open is being contested at Pebble Beach. While the fairways, roughs and greens at Pebble Beach haven’t changed in years, the conversion of the naturalised areas and deep rough has been going on for a few years. I first consulted and supplied them using a mixture of sheeps and hard fescues with some native shrubs and in some cases, wildflowers. The 2018 AT&T Pro Am highlighted that on the area in front of the eighth tee. It was a perfect superbloom of the African daisy cover crop that was shown on TV. Unfortunately, the California poppies, native lupines and shrubs were all but hidden from view. Since then, the conversion of these areas is being done with a blend of native fine fescues for better drought tolerances, ability to be maintained at a playable height and provide contrasting dormant colour during the summer months. Even though California has received record rainfall this year, if the rains drop off during the spring and temperatures rise, those areas will begin to go into summer dormancy and brown out as desired and should provide quite a contrast to the lush perennial ryegrass turf. Jim Culley is president of Seed King Enterprises Pebble Beach uses a blend of native fine fescues in deep rough areas for greater drought tolerance WATER REDUCTION Photo: Pebble Beach Golf Links California-based turfgrass specialist Jim Culley provides insight into his work at LACC and Pebble Beach Turfgrass conversion advice
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