About the Golf Course

Current Hole Layout : Architect Dan Lavis

The Grass:

Seashore Paspalum (Paspalum vaginatum) is native to tropical and subtropical regions of North and South America. In the United States, seashore paspalum is found along coastal regions from Texas to Florida and North Carolina southward. The species is also used for turf in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.

Adalayd (also called Excalibre) is a selection of seashore paspalum found in Australia during the 1970's by Hugh Whiting. Adalayd is grown and distributed by Intersol in Palm Desert, California. Morris Brown of Coastal Turf in Bay City has the franchise for growing and distributing Adalayd in Texas. Glen Oak's Turf in Camilla, Georgia is a southeastern distributor.

Seashore paspalum is a warm season perennial grass that spreads by rhizomes and stolons. The stolons and leaves of seashore paspalum are slightly coarser than those of common bermudagrass. However, when mowed regularly at heights of 1° inches or less, the grass produces a dense turf. Adalayd has a blue-green color and texture similar to that of Kentucky bluegrass.

One of the outstanding characteristics of seashore paspalum is its tolerance to saline soils. It is reported to tolerate brackish sites much better than bermudagrass. Along the Texas coast the species is often the only grass found growing around brackish ponds and estuaries.

Seashore paspalum was found growing along the edge of the water on several holes -- water that often contained 4,000 or more ppm salts. It was also the only grass species found growing in saline outcroppings of soil along roughs and ditch banks. Its salt tolerance appeared to be great.

The quality of the turf was also very good. It was evident that the grass produced the finest turf at mowing heights below one-inch. Tees mowed at 3/8 inch were more dense and finer textured that fairways mowed at 3/4 inch. And the fairways were more dense than roughs mowed at 1° inches. Studies conducted by Texas A&M University at College Station also suggest that the grass develops higher shoot densities at lower mowing heights.

Fertilizer requirements of seashore paspalum are less than those for bermudagrass. At low annual rates of nitrogen application, seashore paspalum maintains density better than bermudagrass. Research at the University of California showed that seashore paspalum responds to nitrogen fertilizer by increased growth and a darker green color up to about 8 pounds of nitrogen per 1,000 sq. ft. per year. However, above 4 pounds of nitrogen per year, scalping becomes a problem on seashore paspalum. Scalping is particularly a problem following summer applications of nitrogen. Most of the nitrogen fertilizer should be applied in the spring and fall with emphasis on fall fertilization. A suggested nitrogen fertilization schedule for seashore paspalum on lawns, athletic fields and golf course fairways where clippings are not removed would be 1 pound in March, 1/2 pound in May and July and 1 pound in October.

Seashore paspalum thrives in moist sites. It tolerates wet conditions much better than bermudagrass. And, although it survives prolonged dry periods, it shows moisture stress before bermudagrass. Again, its drought tolerance is probably similar to that of centipedegrass.