Florida proclaims itself to be the golf capital of the world. With over 1,400 golf courses, it certainly is not a hollow claim. The state even has a license plate that makes the claim. Many of those courses use King Ranch Florida Turfgrass on their course and we are proud of that. Here are some turfgrass varieties for golf courses.
Celebration Bermudagrass
Originally bred in Australia, Celebration Bermudagrass has a dark, blue-green color that is visually appealing. Celebration is a strong grass that scores high in wear resistance. It doesn’t tolerate shade very well, so it shouldn’t be used on shady courses. It does score well for salt tolerance, so it may be a good choice for courses near the coast.
Citra Blue St. Augustine
Citra Blue St. Augustine is an improved variety of St. Augustine grass. This highly weed-resistant turfgrass has a distinctive blue-green color and thrives in sandy soils. It has a fast grow-in rate and scores high against wear. It’s popular for golf courses and other sports applications. This variety is not an ideal choice for salty areas.
Empire Zoysia
Another variety of turfgrass we grow is Empire Zoysia. Empire is a hearty, lower-maintenance grass that doesn’t require a lot of fertilizing. Another grass with a blue-green color, it has a soft feel that makes it a popular choice, especially in southern climates. Zoysia is a deep-rooted grass that wears very well and is very tolerant of herbicides used for weed control. This grass is frequently found on public courses.
Latitude 36 Bermudagrass
Latitude 36 Bermudagrass is a popular choice for golf courses, football stadiums and soccer fields for good reasons. It is extremely tolerant of high amounts of traffic but still remains soft to the touch. Latitude 36 is very cold tolerant, allowing transition zones the benefits of warm-season turf further than before. This variety has high tensile strength, and it is disease resistant. This variety is an industry favorite.
Tifway 419 Bermudagrass
The deep green Tifway 419 is a superior choice for fairways and tees. Even though it has a fine texture, it tolerates wear very well and is a weed-resistant variety as well. Tifway 419 is the most widely used hybrid Bermudagrass in the south on golf courses. It also scores well for its salt tolerance, so using it near the coast is not a problem for this turfgrass variety.
Zorro Zoysia
Zorro is America’s #1 ranked zoysia grass and is very popular on golf courses. The variety has one of the lowest water requirements of the zoysias, making it a good choice for areas with long-term water restrictions. The high traffic tolerance and the rapid recovery ability of this fine-bladed grass keep it a popular choice. It is very salt resistant, greens early and stays green longer than other varieties.
King Ranch Florida Turfgrass is a full-cycle operation. We not only grow and harvest our different varieties of grass, but we will deliver and install your new grass as well. King Ranch Florida Turfgrass is proud of the environmentally-conscious “best management practices” farming policies it has implemented throughout its Florida operations. Contact us if you have questions about which variety of turfgrass will meet your needs.