We'll Try (Almost) Anything Once

Cart path entrances are one of the most difficult areas to maintain a healthy stand of turfgrass.  These spots are commonly referred to as "pinch points" since all of the cart traffic is funneled into a very narrow area, often resulting in some bare ground.

#11 green's cart path entrance is one of the spots that shows wear the worst.  We keep the area to the right of this path entrance roped in order to have the green surrounds in good shape.  And unless you have a cart with pontoons, there's no way to get cart traffic to enter the path at different points on the left.

 

So, we've pretty well defined the problem.  Now what about a solution?  Well, there have been several products that have come and gone over the years that were supposed to reduce wear on the turf in these high traffic areas.  The latest of these possible solutions is called, "Coverlawn, EZ Hybrid Turf." 

As you play #11, you'll definitely notice the material which has been installed near the cart path entrance.  While it currently looks more like artificial than natural turf, we're hoping that will change in a few weeks.  Prior to placing the Coverlawn material on the surface, we aerified and seeded the area beneath it.  This is where the "hybrid" part comes in.  With any luck, the natural grass will grow through the honeycomb of the Coverlawn material, creating something that looks like real grass.  The benefit of using the synthetic material is that it is supposed to take much of the wear and tear, instead of the grass growing within it.



If nothing else, Thor believes the EZ Hybrid material is quite comfortable.

Will it work?  That's a great question, and the reason why we're installing it on only one area for now.  If it still resembles the Brady Bunch lawn next summer, it's probably not a good fit for the long run.  However, if it works as advertised, we'll try it in some other areas.

Not the lawn we're hoping for.