SEAISLE 2000 GOES TEE-TO-GREEN
| SeaIsle 2000, a fine-bladed seashore paspalum originally marketed for golf greens and tees in salt-challenged environments, has proved to be well-suited for fairways and roughs, allowing it to be used effectively as a “wall to wall” golf turf. Many high-end international courses have SeaIsle 2000 on greens and tees. The Peter Harradine-designed Sahara Golf Club in Kuwait City is the first golf and country club in Kuwait and one of the first courses in the world to use SeaIsle 2000 throughout. Mick Kelly, Sahara’s superintendent, says the idea for wall-to-wall SeaIsle 2000 came when he and Harradine visited the Tower Links course in Ras Al Khaimah UAE. “During the course of the inspection we looked at one of the greens, and you could see the quality, but also the collar looked fantastic. I mentioned how great SeaIsle 2000 would be if it was planted on the whole course and was sure you would get unbelievable fairways and tees, although I was little concerned about the rough. Peter ended up specifying SeaIsle 2000.” To assemble enough certified material for the entire course at the end of the Kuwait growing season, SeaIsle 2000 was shipped both by boat from Hydroturf International’s fields in the UAE and by plane from Southern Turf Nursery in the USA. Both concerns are members of the SeaIsle 2000 Growers Group. As a patented and certified turfgrass licensed by the University of Georgia Research Foundation and the Georgia Seed Development Commission, SeaIsle 2000 can only be grown by authorized growers who have agreed to follow strict protocols designed to promote varietal purity. International SeaIsle 2000 producers are required to adhere to the International Turfgrass Genetic Assurance Program (ITGAP), the first-of-its-kind effort to maintain the integrity of certified varieties in international turfgrass markets. Manderley Turf International, headquartered in Nepean (Ontario) Canada, is the managing inspection agency for ITGAP. “So far, I’m extremely happy,” Mick Kelly reports. “All the areas on the golf course produce beautiful surfaces, and I don’t have any worries regarding encroachment.” At a mowing height of 1/8-inch and with regular verticutting, light topdressing and periodic rolling, SeaIsle 2000 will deliver Stimpmeter readings of 10 feet or more. Mow it at 1/2” to 3/4” and it becomes a lush fairway. Roughs may be maintained at 1 to 2 inches, and penalty roughs at well over 2 inches. Ocean water blends and recycled or effluent sources are becoming the only option for many golf courses, especially in the arid regions of the Middle and Far East. Seashore paspalum is a natural for such areas because of its high salt tolerance and deep roots. While it requires superintendents to modify some of their management practices, SeaIsle 2000 pays dividends in reduced fertilizer, herbicide and water costs. It has gotten high marks in research trials for cold-hardiness and disease resistance as well as for the density and strength of its turf and its rapid recovery from normal wear and ball mark injuries. Other courses completed or projected with wall-to-wall SeaIsle 2000 include Nanea Golf Club on Hawaii’s Big Island, designed by DMK Golf Design; a planned Steve Nicklaus/ Nicklaus Design course at Arabella Estate, Western Cape, South Africa; and a new project by Mark Hollinger of JMP Golf Design Group just breaking ground at Guangzhou in Guangdong province, P.R.C. |
Sahara Golf Club in Kuwait City shows off its wall-to-wall SeaIsle 2000