Seven golf courses in seven different locations around the world, all of which mark firsts for their region, recently announced they are grassing their courses with zoysiagrass varieties developed by Bladerunner Farms.
These projects represent the first zoysia on an entire course in Florida; the first zoysia golf course in California; the first wall-to-wall Primo Zoysia course in Texas; the first zoysia green in Australia; the first zoysia greens in Southeast Asia in Singapore; and in both the Bahamas and Jamaica, the first BRF Primo zoysia greens are growing in on two golf courses.
In Florida, Grove XXIII, the course spearheaded by basketball great Michal Jordan, (named for the No. 23 he wore on his uniform) the short course is grassed with Trinity Zoysia on the greens. The Hobe Sound private club’s championship course is grassed with Trinity Zoysia tees and Zeon Zoysia fairways.
In California, the first Bladerunner zoysiagrass golf course on the West Coast broke ground last fall in Middletown near Napa Valley. To be called The Bramble, Zeon Zoysia will be used on fairways with a decision to come on tees and greens. The Bramble is designed by Coore-Crenshaw, who are already big fans of Bladerunner’s zoysiagrasses because they used Trinity Zoysia at Trinity Forest, the home of the AT&T Byron Nelson. David Doguet of Bladerunner Farms reports that James Duncan, part of the ownership group for The Bramble, has told him that Zeon is “doing better than their expectations.”
In Texas, the first course to be grassed wall-to-wall with Primo Zoysia – tees, fairways and greens – begins construction spring 2019, grassing starts spring 2020. Developers Tour 18 and The Caldwell Companies are creating a 2,000-acre master planned community with a golf course in North Houston, Texas.
In Australia, Indooroopilly Golf Club in Queensland is the first golf club in the country to plant a Trinity Zoysia green.
In Southeast Asia, test greens of both Trinity Zoysia and Primo Zoysia were planted at The Singapore Island Country Club.
In The Bahamas, Tiger Woods’ new short course design at Jacks Bay will have nine greens planted in Primo Zoysia. The course in the grow-in phase.
In Jamaica, White Witch Golf Course planted 10 golf greens with Primo Zoysia with remaining holes grassing this summer.
“We now have four BRF Zoysia varieties suitable for use on golf course greens. Primo Zoysia, Trinity Zoysia, Lazer Zoysia, and Prizm Zoysia, are the culmination of 30 years of research, development and real-world trials,” said Doguet, the president of Bladerunner Farms. “It is so gratifying to see it come to fruition. I truly believe Zoysia for greens is poised to revolutionize golf course management because of the low inputs required and outstanding drought tolerance. It’s what I’ve dedicated my career to achieve.”
In other zoysiagrass news, Crooked Creek Club in Atlanta was recently renovated with Primo Zoysia on all greens, making it the first 18-hole course in the United States to install this new zoysiagrass variety.
