Turfgrass Use on US Golf Courses

Abstract

Golf facilities account for 2.3 million acres in the United States. Numerous turfgrass species are managed on US golf facilities, but golf facilities may change turfgrasses depending on numerous variables. Knowing which turfgrasses are grown and how turfgrass selection has changed would provide important information to scientists, turfgrass managers, and policymakers. The objective of this survey was to measure turfgrass use on US golf facilities in 2021 and to determine whether changes in turfgrass selection have occurred since 2005. A survey was developed and distributed via e-mail to 13,938 US golf facilities, with 1861 responding. From 2005 to 2021, the total projected area of maintained turfgrass on US golf facilities decreased by 14.2%, which was likely a result of course closures and maintenance operations. Nationally, bermudagrass (Cynodon sp.) and Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis) remained the most common warm- and cool-season turfgrasses, respectively. The area of winter-overseeded turfgrass declined by 60% between 2005 and 2021. The percentage of golf facilities that used zoysiagrass (Zoysia sp.) and seashore paspalum (Paspalum vaginatum) increased depending on region and specific playing surface, albeit a pragmatically minor increase. In general, turfgrass selection on golf facilities in northern climates did not change, whereas turfgrass selection in southern climates favored a change from cool- to warm-season species, depending on the playing surface. Whether in historically cool-season or warm-season regions, it appears that many golf facilities are exploring alternatives to their traditional turfgrass species.