New Farm Ultradwarf Grass Selection Made....

After a thorough and lengthy research period, the Club has selected Champion's newest cultivar of Ultradwarf that goes by the name Champion G12.

Champion Turf Farms Breeding and Selection Program and Origin of the CHAMPION G12 Cultivar

Champion Turf Farms’ (Bay City, Texas) turfgrass breeding and selection program began in the mid-1980’s when the owner, Morris Brown, began making selections of St. Augustine cultivars. Soon after CTF broadened their work to include bermudagrass selections for both greens and fairways use.  For many clubs in the transition zone where we reside, CTF is mostly known for their work with their original and highly successful Champion Dwarf strain, which has proven to be the preferred cultivar on greens for the past 6-7 years since courses in the upper transition zone have been converting from a Bentgrass surface to a Bermuda surface.

Champion Dwarf Bermudagrass, the original “Ultradwarf” cultivar selected in 1987 was a grass with a small size and stoloniferous, mat-forming growth habit. When a very specific set of management
practices are followed, this cultivar is capable of producing an extraordinary ball roll.  Since its inception over 700 courses throughout the US have planted and maintained Champion Dwarf Bermuda.

In 2012 CTF made a selection which would ultimately become the CHAMPION G12 from an
evaluation green which had been planted with the experimental selection CT-0426. The new
selection was found to have a similar size and texture to Champion but was also obviously
healthier and more vigorous. Working with this cultivar they found that it offered more flexibility
in how it could be managed compared to the original Champion. This selection was propagated and
placed into trials which were observed in ’13, ’14, and ’15. In 2016 CHAMPION G12 was
planted on greens in Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, and Oklahoma.  Some early courses that planted G12 in 2016 were The Fox Club - Palm City Florida, Quail Hollow Country Club - Charlotte NC and a limited number of greens at Yeaman's Hall Golf Club - Charleston SC. Clubs currently committed to planting G12 in 2017 in the Carolinas include Yeaman's Hall - All 18 greens; Eagle Point, Wilmington NC and Northridge Country Club Raleigh NC.

Growth Habit Comparison to Original Cultivar

CHAMPION G12 has significantly more vigorous rooting with greater total root mass in the upper 6” of the root zone when under putting greens management.  This results in improved plant health, a greater resistance to stress, improved recuperative abilities and more flexibility with water management.

1 Year Old G12

Same Age - G12 Top - Champion Original Bottom

CHAMPION G12 produces a greater leaf surface area in the canopy region when under high putting greens cultural management providing significantly enhanced ability to utilize available sunlight.

Original Champion Left - Champion G12 Right

CHAMPION G12 produces greater leaf formation per individual node resulting in a higher ratio of leaves-to-stolons.

G12 Leaf  to Stolen Ratio

Original Champion Leaf to Stolen Ratio

Here in the transition zone, the CHAMPION G12 cultivar can be managed using more traditional putting greens management practices (as contrasted to traditional “Ultradwarf” management practices). The typical management practices applied to Ultradwarf Bermudagrass cultivars in the Transition Zone result in halting the growth of the grass nearly to a standstill. While this practice can result in a very good ball-roll, it provides very little flexibility in changing inputs or responding to changing conditions. The growth habit of the CHAMPION G12 cultivar will allow for much greater flexibility in selecting cultural practices as well as applying many of the more traditional management practices such as:

- Controlling moisture as a means of manipulating surface firmness due to a denser root system
- Verticutting as the primary means of speed manipulation due to a higher leaf to stolen ratio
- Topdressing using coarser-textured sands (i.e. USGA Specification)
- Utilizing Wylie or grooved Rollers on Greensmowers
- More flexibility in formulating growth regulator/nitrogen use rates, including the ability to tolerate considerably higher rates of growth regulators

Summary
In the end, due to the breeding efforts of people like Morris Brown and CTF there are several good grasses to choose from today.  While the differences between these cultivars can be seen as minor to the average golfer, as a Superintendent I think it very important that I do my due diligence and choose the grass I feel will give the club the best chance of success for a great many years to come. And for many of the reasons above and several more not mentioned I feel Champion G12 is the grass that will give us that best chance in an effort to strike an acceptable balance between both plant health and a very high-quality ball roll.

I want to thank the following individuals for taking the time out of their busy schedules to visit numerous courses in the Southeast over the past 6 months to see these different cultivars at various courses first hand.  Throughout these tours these individuals spent a lot of time inspecting the various cultivars under high greens management regimes and were active in interviewing both Superintendents and other club officials on what they have experienced at their properties:

Kevin Gunter - Green and Grounds Chairman
David Egerton - Club Treasurer
Bud Taylor - Club Professional

The course is set to close on May 23, so please continue checking back on this blog as we update the progress throughout the entirety of this project's execution.