New Greens
of the South Strand

PAWLEYS PLANTATION – A movement is taking place in the South Strand, and the number of courses jumping on the bandwagon is growing. Over the past year, two courses have said good-bye to their bentgrass greens, and said hello to the turf industry’s latest Bermuda grass concoction, Tif Eagle.

Wachesaw Plantation East and True Blue were the first two South Strand facilities to give up on trying to sustain high maintenance strands of the popular bentgrass in favor of its low maintenance cousin. Now, Pawleys Plantation, one of the area’s most popular tracks, is following suit.

The Jack Nicklaus designed layout closed shop from July 23 to August 17 in order to replace its Penncross bentgrass putting surfaces with the more durable, heat tolerant Tif Eagle. Just over a week after the project’s completion, head professional Will Akers said the new greens were meeting with rave reviews.

“Our greens are actually better than a lot of our competition right now,” Akers said. “The members seem very happy and very surprised about how fast they came back.”

That Akers and head superintendent Sam Hocutt were able to pull the project off in just over four weeks was a veritable golf course maintenance miracle. Akers admits that he did not think that the timetable was feasible, but he trusted that Hocutt would make the right call.

“That was our plan from the beginning,” Akers said. “Sam came up with the schedule, and we were nervous, but he was right.”

Pawleys Plantation opened back in 1988, and the greens had begun to wear down under the strain of over 40,000 annual rounds and the relentless South Carolina summer heat. Akers said the decision to go with Tif Eagle was a no-brainer based on the experience of other peer golf courses.

“The Country Club of South Carolina (in Florence) had great success with it, as did Wachesaw East,” Akers said. “True Blue had some trouble at first with the overseeding, but we all had some problems because of the hard winter last year.”

So what exactly can the traveling golfer expect from Pawleys new dancefloors? Akers said the new greens will roll even faster than the bentgrass because they can be cropped shorter. They should also roll as true as their bentgrass brethren

“There are a lot more plants per square foot and that is why it is a better performing Bermuda,” Akers said. “And there is much better weed control.”

The biggest challenge with installing Tif Eagle Bermuda will be the annual fall overseed, Akers said. Unlike bentgrass, which actually thrives as the weather gets cooler, Bermuda begins to go dormant as nighttime temperatures approach 50 degrees. Come late October or early November, Pawleys’ greens will have to be overseeded with Poa Trivialis.

“The overseeding should not be a problem and its actually easier than dealing with some of the maintenance aspects of bentgrass,” said Hocutt.

One course that has sung the praises of the Ultra Dwarf Bermuda grass putting surfaces for years is the Tradition Golf Club in Pawleys Island. The Ron Garl designed track is widely recognized as having some of the most consistent, well-manicured greens on the beach.

“If you are a resort course in this area, Bermuda is the way to go,” says Tim Guthrie, Tradition’s superintendent. “Bermuda does not need aerified in the peak fall and spring seasons like bentgrass does.”

Both Hocutt and Gutherie believe that one of the most important components of switching from bentgrass to Tif Eagle or some other Ultra Dwarf Bermuda is educating golfers about the nominal differences. Visitors to the Grand Strand have come to expect bentgrass putting surfaces at high-end courses, and have traditionally looked upon Bermuda as an inferior turf. Hocutt said that once golfers experience the Tif Eagle, they will compare them favorably to bentgrass.

“Tif Eagle will live up to the same standards as bent here at Myrtle Beach,” Hocutt said. “We can cut it at an 1/8 of an inch or lower, so the speed will remain the same. The appearance is absolutely great, the greens just look fantastic. You can barely tell that we have sodded them.”

Pawleys Plantation Fall Golf Special

Pawleys Plantation Golf & Country Club in Pawleys Island, S.C., is celebrating the re-opening of its course by offering South and North Carolinians a special "Carolina Rate" of just $39.The $39 rate, which is good from September 1 through September 13, is more than a $25 discount off Pawleys Plantation's regular greens fee and includes golf and cart for rounds booked after noon. Call 1-866-409-2177 for booking or more information.

Bent to Bermuda Travel Capsules

Wachesaw Plantation East
Designer: Clyde Johnston
Year Opened: 1997
Yardage: 6933 (tips), 6297 (middle), 4995 (ladies)
Our take: Not the most scenic course on the South Strand, as the majority of fairways run through a plethora of patio homes. But a solid layout typically in good condition keeps golfers coming back. Former site of the LPGA’s City of Hope Classic.
Phone: 1-866-409-2177

True Blue
Designer: Mike Strantz
Year Opened: 1998
Yardage: 7090 (tips), 6488 (middle), 4920(ladies)
Our take: The course dubs itself as golf’s heaven and hell, so you are either going to love or hate this course. Innovative Strantz design was toned down last year to make the course more “player” friendly.
Phone: 1-866-409-2177