“This is the first time in Spain that a golf course has used this variety of Bermuda on its greens”
A commitment to cutting-edge trends is indispensable for a company if it wants to maintain a pacesetting position in the market. Finca Cortesín is a clear example of that: always innovating and following latest trends that have had a positive impact within the industry. As part of its constant quest for excellence, both in service and amenities, this renowned Costa del Sol resort – located in Casares municipality – has become the first golf club in Spain to use Ultra Dwarf Bermuda on its greens. The variety’s effectiveness and success has been demonstrated irrefutably in the United States.
The Agrostis planted on the old greens was substituted with the new Bermuda variety this past summer, in record time of just one month, and the result has been a resounding success, both aesthetically and when it comes to playability.
Meticulous analysis was carried out to determine the best option for the greens, taking into account their adaption to the climate, the recycled water used for irrigation on the course and other factors, and also drawing on head greenkeeper and leading industry professional Ignacio Soto’s deep knowledge of the resort. The team decided it was the right time to change, and in the process lead the way in Spain with its pioneering use of Ultra Dwarf Bermuda.
American Experience
“We have been going to the United States for several years,” says Soto, “and observing what they are doing there, where there is a very large movement to change cold-climate greens to warm-climate ones, from Agrostis – which is what is used in Spain – to Dwarf Bermuda varieties. It works very well there and they have at least 20 years of experience using it.”
Over the past seven or eight years, the number of courses that are moving from one species to another is significant, according to Soto. “Over there they are also having many problems with climate change, with drought conditions in California for example, and then there’s the issue of pesticide regulation… In the end, in general terms, it is all about using a grass species that adapts to your specific climate.
“In Spain, courses have always planted warm-climate grass on the tees, in the rough, on the fairways and around the whole course, and on the greens – by habit and for convenience – we have always opted for a variety that is much better in winter than in summer. Summers have been becoming much harsher and winters more gentle, and after all the experience we have accumulated from visiting courses that are already using the variety, and from contacts with American greenkeepers who have had their own experiences with it, I saw clearly that it would be totally possible here.”
Soto believes that Ultra Dwarf Bermuda might not be the most appropriate grass for other courses, “but circumstances at Finca Cortesín mean it adapts very well to this grass species, because we have to irrigate 100 per cent with recycled water and we rely a little bit on the water’s nutrients and salinity. In addition, we can’t waste water, which is in limited supply and is quite expensive.
“Another issue,” he says, “is that one of the problems with Bermuda, the worst one, is that it doesn’t withstand shade. I know there are many courses on the Costa del Sol with greens that have a lot of shade, and they would have problems with this kind of grass, but we don’t have that problem because all our greens are very exposed to the sun.”
The head greenkeeper is extremely satisfied with the results of the change, although he recognises that, due to the short time that has passed since its introduction, “it’s still not 100 per cent, but in a few months it will be spectacular”.
Re-Turfing Rather Than Cutting
The replacement of Agrostis with Ultra Dwarf Bermuda on the greens was undertaken by re-turfing rather than cutting and planting, as this variety doesn’t have seeds. “It could have been done by cutting but this would have entailed a lot more time in having the greens in a playable state.” A cutting process would have meant closing the course for several months rather than just one, which has been the case thanks to using the re-turfing option.
As for the advantages of using Ultra Dwarf Bermuda, Soto highlights the fact that this kind of grass requires “a fair bit less water than Agrostis, especially in summer, and fewer fertilisers and pesticides, which is very important. It’s all more sustainable, more resistant to any kind of infestation and a lot more resistant to saline recycled water, while another advantage it has is that during winter it doesn’t grow much, so this facilitates maintenance as you don’t have to irrigate it every day.”
According to Soto, the new grass on the greens “particularly improves purity because it’s a variety that allows you to control poa-style weeds perfectly. There’s no reason at all why you should see even a grain of poa annua on the green, so it is more uniform, and by irrigating it less you achieve more uniform firmness, which is also important. The greens are much firmer because, from having to irrigate a cold-climate variety every day in summer, you only have to irrigate two or three times a week and the surface remains much more uniform.”
Not everything associated with this kind of Bermuda is advantageous, however, and
Soto recognises at least one problem. “A golf course that supports a lot of play during the coldest months – which doesn’t happen in this area because December, January and February are low season – will suffer a little more because of this traffic because, logically, by growing less its recovery will be slower. Fortunately, our course adapts perfectly because we are quieter during those three months, and the rest of the year the grass adapts spectacularly.”
The new Bermuda that now covers Finca Cortesín’s greens has been supplied by Novogreen, a company that operates several turf farms in Spain and is the leading turf industry supplier for golf courses and football pitches.
Nursery in Plasencia
The company set up a nursery in Plasencia for the variety sought by Finca Cortesín, which can now be found in Europe. “We worked with them,” says Soto, “and in less than a year the turf was available – it was very little time. We installed 1.2 hectares, 12,000 square metres, to strip the greens. We set a date, taking into account the matter of bookings. I chose a date when it was especially hot, so that the turf would take root as quickly as possible, as it’s a summer grass, and we planted the turf there in July last year, and we harvested it in mid-June, after 11 months.”
Transport from Plasencia (in Cáceres province, Extremadura) was by large trucks that left in the evening and arrived at Finca Cortesn the next morning. Each day the greens were " use the planting t by Finca Cortesnd is the leading turf supplier in the industryín the next morning. Each day two greens were "carpeted”, around five a week (not every day), and the re-turfing process for the whole course lasted a month. “Once the green was re-turfed,” says Soto, “we gave it two weeks of rolling to take root, and be able to open for play.”
