Should you overseed your golf courses?
Sep 12, 2021 · Without being too technical, the overseeding process in the Phoenix area usually starts somewhere between mid-September and late October and lasts from 12-21 days depending on the course (another 7-10 days if you count discontinuing the water prior to starting).
How long does overseeding take in Arizona?
The Arizona Golf Association (AGA), which was founded in 1923, is a not-for-profit 501(c)(4) association that serves as the official governing body of amateur golf in Arizona. What started as a small group of golfers who got together to run the annual Amateur Championship has grown to an association of more than 700 men’s and women’s clubs ...
When will the Phoenix area golf courses reopen?
Most of your favorite courses will be closed from one to two weeks from early September to the end of October, while they choke off the water to dry everything out, then cut the bermuda down to the nub, spread the rye seed and the fertilizer and then drench the course with water…a lot of it. Then they have to wait a week for it to grow in.
When is the best time to play a new golf course?
Oct 04, 2021 · Brian Whitlark, a senior consulting agronomist with the USGA, estimates that at least 95 percent of courses in southern Arizona (from Scottsdale to Tucson) and California's Coachella Valley (from Palm Springs to LaQuinta) overseed. Las Vegas, another popular golf destination, gets much colder at night in winter than those warmer climates. Many Las Vegas …
Do Arizona golf courses overseed in spring?
Why do Arizona golf courses overseed?
What is peak golf season in Arizona?
Peak golf season in Arizona is from January to April, although players still find their way to the fairways during the hotter summer months.
Can you golf year round in Arizona?
When should I Overseed Phoenix?
What does overseeding do to a golf course?
Is November a good time to golf in Arizona?
Can you golf in Scottsdale in January?
The bent grass greens, which many of the higher-end clubs have, shine in the cooler temperatures, so expect perfect. January and February can still be cold and yield some frost delays, but March and April can't be beat.Feb 22, 2010
Can you golf in Arizona in January?
Along with mild temperatures, the winter grass starts to be grown in enough to cut down so course conditions really start improving in December. You can also find some really great rates at courses during this time.Oct 12, 2017
Can you golf in Sedona in February?
Can you golf in Arizona in December?
Can you golf in Sedona in December?
What is Overseeding?
This is the annual process when the courses will each close for a couple of weeks in the mid-September to mid-October time frame (exact dates will...
Why do courses overseed?
The summer Bermuda grass in Arizona will go dormant once the cooler temperatures come in during the early fall months of mid-September to mid-Octob...
Is coming out during the overseeding season a good time to golf in the Scottsdale/Phoenix area?
The mid-September to mid-October time frame can be a very good time to come out to the Scottsdale/Phoenix area to golf. This is when the weather is...
What does cart path only mean?
After the completion of the overseeding process the courses will typically put the cart path only rule in place on every hole to allow the freshly...
How long do courses keep the cart path only rule in place?
Courses will keep the cart path only rule in place for typically 4-8 weeks after the completion of the overseeding process (this will vary from cou...
Are there exceptions to the cart path only rule?
Yes, on occasion certain courses may allow guests to have a "medical flag" that may allow golfers to drive to the golf ball at a 90 degree angle pr...
What is the 90 degree cart rule?
The 90-degree rule means that a golfer is supposed to drive their cart along the cart path until the cart has reached a point where a 90-degree tur...
Why is Bermuda grass dormant?
In Tucson and other warmer climes, the cooler winter weather causes the Bermuda grass to go dormant. It’s loses all of it’s color, looking more like cut straw, than luxurious turf. Hence, the need to overseed.
Does water need to be soaked after a seed is thrown down?
That doesn’t include the increased cost of water after the seed gets thrown down. It needs to get soaked. And if the courses don’t get the play expected from the greening of the course…they might get soaked in a different way.
Does Pinehurst have overseeding?
Since the recession, golf course managers have been rethinking the whole overseeding thing. At the hallowed grounds of Pinehurst in North Carolina, it was determined that overseeding may not be the best way to go, but instead (heaven forbid) they decided to paint the dormant bermuda, green. Old time Tucsonans’ may remember that the Tucson Open painted the fairways at Tucson National during the 70’s…to look better for TV. However, during those days, the paint was a little suspect. The product has seen some upgrades since then. Pinehurst found a certain paint that did not turn colors after a while like similar products used to (think of the football field at Boise State). And much to the delight of course management…the golfers still came. A lot of players like the extra ball roll and the firmer conditions, the way the ball sits up on the dormant Bermuda…instead of the feel they get swinging through the sticky rye. For Pinehurst it works. They save $15,000 a year for each of their 9 courses by not overseeding….not including the savings on water. Dormant Bermuda requires very little, if any water.
Where is overseeding practiced?
Golf courses in California's Coachella Valley and Phoenix-Scottsdale are hotbeds of overseeding, but it's a common, and sometimes controversial, practice throughout the southern United States.
When does rye grass turn green?
By the 10th day of watering during the Wigwam's fall overseeding, the Rye grass has turned green and looks more ready for play. Courtesy photo
When is high season at Wigwam Golf Club?
Conditions can be spotty and deter golfers for a month or so after the course reopens, but the end result by the time high season comes around in January is the reward: a pristine course where golfers, locals and tourists alike, will pay top dollar to play on green fairways. You can follow the overseeding process taking place this fall at Wigwam Golf Club in Litchfield Park, Ariz., in the photo gallery above.
What does Whitlark like about golf?
For Whitlark, it comes down to pitting the aesthetics of a green golf course against more natural playing conditions. He prefers playing courses that don't overseed, a stance many golfers probably aren't ready to embrace.
Is overseeding bad for the environment?
Critics say overseeding is bad for the environment, considering how much extra water, fertilizer and machine power is required.
Is overseeding a mystery?
To everyday golfers, especially those in northern states, overseeding is a mysterious, maybe even confusing, process. Every year, GolfPass gets reviews from golfers who visit southern states and think the grass is "dead" when they see a green fairway overseeded with Rye grass framed by brown rough of dormant Bermuda. Explaining the overseeding process should help more golfers understand why it's so popular in certain parts of the country and why it is falling out of favor in others.
When to scalp Bermuda grass?
In the early fall, often after the course closes for several weeks, the maintenance staff will scalp off the Bermuda grass, followed by a heavy seeding of rye. To germinate, the Rye will need to be heavily and repeatedly watered and fertilized. During the early stages of this growth period, the turf is weak, which is why many courses go cart-path-only for the first several weeks after the original application.
