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TURF talk |
Overseed or paint?
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| Photo by R. Lingle. |
QUESTION: I wonder about the wisdom of painting greens. I have never done this, but some people seem to swear by it. Is it a good idea, and what is the best way to go about it?
ANSWER: Overseeding is almost seen as a necessity because many golfers have succumbed to the Augusta syndrome and believe that emerald green should be the only color on a golf course. Although overseeding is highly successful in many areas, some superintendents have found that in some winters, it may be too cold for overseeded grass to thrive, even though golfers don’t believe it’s too cold to play.
Rodney Lingle, CGCS at Memphis (Tenn.) Country Club, says, “Overseeding in a place like Memphis is very risky. It can be very cold in the winter and kill the overseeded grass.”
Lingle, who has been painting the Champion bermudagrass greens at Memphis CC for the past 15 years or more, admits that he didn’t always view painted greens in a favorable light. “I associated painting with people who had lost grass — I thought the grass had died and so they painted it. Once you get over that idea, you like it,” he says.
Painting is becoming more popular in the South, particularly from the southernmost part of Tennessee south to central Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia. Some courses in the Carolinas have also turned to paint.
Golfers, particularly low-handicap golfers, like the painted greens because the dormant bermudagrass provides an extremely fast, firm putting surface, and, says Lingle, “Golfers think the grass is bentgrass, or they think it’s overseeded. They can’t tell it’s painted.”
Lingle finds the painted bermudagrass is less expensive; it costs about $1,100-$1,700 per year to paint all of the greens, which he admits are smaller than average. Lingle believes that painting greens is more environmentally friendly than overseeding, which requires increased pesticide, fertilizer and water use. The bermudagrass also requires less water in the growing season.
At about $33 per gallon, the paint is relatively inexpensive. Lingle recommends two brands: Green Lawnger turf paint and Green Graphics (instructions for painting greens and fairways are available at the Green Graphics Web site, www.beckerunderwood.com/oldgreengraphics/technical.html#). A mix of 5-6 gallons of turf paint per 100 gallons of water and 1⁄2 gallon of inexpensive exterior, flat (no gloss) black latex paint provides enough paint to cover 20,000 square feet.
To avoid streaking and bare spots and the need to repaint later in the season, Lingle uses a roller pump and a gun instead of a boom sprayer. “Don’t overspray the edges,” he cautions. “We spray the collar (which is cut at 3⁄8 inch) and the green to make it look normal.” Within 30 minutes after painting, golfers or crew members can safely walk across the painted turf.
Because the paint contains an abrasive, the pump must be cleaned out every time paint is sprayed, and the paint can damage the pump. Lingle has an old pump that is used only for painting the greens.
In the Memphis area, superintendents paint around the first week of December when the grass is 80-90 percent dormant, and the paint generally lasts from the beginning of December through all of January and most of February. “In our area green-up begins in late February. About the time the grass begins to green up in spring, the paint is gone,” says Lingle.
Although many superintendents will agree that the look and performance of painted greens is very strong from November or December through February, they do not believe that the appearance of the new bermudagrass measures up to that of the overseeded grass, which is at its peak in the spring. This is particularly true at resorts where aesthetics are a primary concern.
For Lingle, the success of the painted greens is borne out by the appreciation of the members at Memphis CC. PGA Tour player Loren Roberts, nicknamed “Boss of the Moss” for his putting ability, recently became a member at Memphis CC. After playing the painted greens at the old Donald Ross layout, Roberts remarked, “The best greens I’ve ever played anywhere, anytime . . . period.”
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