New look, new greens for some Myrtle Beach favorites

08/19/2011

MYRTLE BEACH, SC (August 19, 2011) – If you’ve followed the news articles on this web site, you are probably well aware that a number of area courses are reopening with renovations that include, new Bermudagrass greens. The Avocet course at Wild Wing Plantation and Barefoot Resort’s Fazio course reopened in July. Myrtle Beach National West Course and the River Club are opening this week with new greens. The Greg Norman course at Barefoot Resort, Lion’s Paw at Ocean Ridge Plantation will be open in time to host rounds at the Golf.com World Amateur Handicap Championship.

Although the details of each renovation project were different, they did share one common element. Each course is opening with either Mini-Verde, or Champion Bermuda greens. The reasons for changing from bentgrass and older styles of Bermudagrasses are two fold. First, with the Myrtle Beach area climate it’s very difficult to maintain greens with the older grasses. Second, the new Bermudagrasses that have been developed allow for a very true putting surface.

I’m a little old school and have always preferred bentgrass greens. However, with the new strains of Bermudagrasses, I’m quickly becoming a convert.