July 13, 2023
With the Ryder Cup kicking off today, at Prograss Bio wanted to delve into how a golf course is kept in such pristine condition for an event as important as the world’s biggest golf tournament. In this blog post, we will explore what grass must be used, how the grass must perform and finally how this grass affects the golf game of the world’s best players.
The 2023 Ryder Cup will be held at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Rome, Italy. This course went through a complete redesign to ensure that the greens were ready for the prestigious event. The challenge with selecting the perfect grass for the occasion is choosing a variety that can withstand the temperatures of Northern Italy as well as being strong, durable and aesthetically pleasing for the competition itself. With these factors in mind, the Ryder Cup organisers chose the following grass varieties for this year’s tournament:
Bentgrass
Bentgrass is a popular choice for luxury golf courses due to its fine texture and its ability to create an even grass surface. This turf of grass is ideal for putting greens as its ability to be cut very short allows the golf ball to glide across the grass surface with ease. As well as that, this variety of grass can tolerate high-traffic areas, so professional golfers and spectators alike can walk and play on these greens without worry.
Paspalum Grass
Paspalum Grass is also a popular choice for golf courses due to its versatility. It grows very quickly and is tolerant of a wide range of mowing heights, performing well from tee to green. It is also durable and can withstand the usual wear and tear caused by golf divots and pests. Despite these benefits, paspalum grass is more difficult to play on than bentgrass. Its course rough blades combined with its thick tough roots make it challenging for some golfers to make solid contact with the golf ball.
Fescue Grass
The final type of grass that is being used for the 2023 Ryder Cup is Fescue Grass. This species of grass is commonly found on link courses or link-style courses. Due to its wiry texture, it is tolerant to drought-like conditions and thus, does not need to be watered regularly. This grass creates a dense and consistent surface of fine blades. This establishes an ideal playing surface as it creates a firm yet bouncy condition for golfers. However, a drawback for this grass type is that it does not create the lush deep green look of grass that we have all become accustomed to with these champion-level courses.
These varieties of grasses have many advantages and because of their clever mixture, many of the pitfalls of these grasses can be avoided. Maintaining three grass varieties however can be very demanding and time consuming. The nutrients of each type must be monitored, water levels must be maintained and the mowing of the grass must be done almost every day to create the pristine and lush appearance required of the Ryder Cup.
At Prograss Bio, we know how much care and attention must go into the upkeep of luxury natural grass surfaces. This is why we decided to create a range of products to make growing healthy, durable grass lawns easy and convenient. Visit our
product page to find out more!
