'Bluemuda' at Cherokee Valley

To hear Cherokee Valley Course and Club superintendent Chad Taylor tell it, the mix of bermuda grass and burgeoning rye grass on the course in the late fall and mid-spring provide the perfect fairway lie. The only problem? The harmonic convergence is temporary, as the bermudagrass goes dormant and turns brown, and the dark green rye overseed takes its place. 

Wouldn’t it be nice to have the best of both grasses throughout the winter months? Well, leave it to Taylor and Cherokee Valley owner Matthew Jennings to find a way. Or should we say, to find a revolutionary, relatively new strand of grass known as “Bluemuda.” 

That’s right, rather than an overseeding in 2021 and 2022, Cherokee Valley will be undergoing an “inter-seeding” as it rolls out this ground-breaking blend of warm and cool weather turf. Always thinking outside the tee box, Jennings and Taylor wanted to find a way to turn the “off season” into even more of the “on season” for Cherokee Valley members and guests.

“There are facilities in both sports and golf that have adopted this program over the past five to six years,” says Brian Winka, director of sports turf with Advanced Turf Solutions, who Jennings and Taylor worked with in securing the Bluemuda. “I know we have several places in the Carolinas, Mississippi and Alabama that have had success with Bluemuda.”

So what can golfers expect? According to the United States Golf Association’s (USGA) Green Section, Bluemuda has better foot and golf cart traffic tolerance, reduced recovery time from divots and damage, increased density and year-round color. In other words, an even better overall playing experience from tee to green.

“There aren’t many courses in the region that provide a naturally green playing surface year-round, and we’re all about doing what other courses aren’t doing,” says Jennings with a smile.

For those with a love of all things turf grass, feel free to check out the USGA’s Bluemuda overview in the Green Section Record.