Last week we mentioned using Poa annua seed for the Clubhouse putting green, in order to best match the greens on the golf course. While many of the top courses in the country have greens that are predominantly Poa, overall, this grass still has a bad rap. It's known for producing vast amounts of seed in the spring, leading to a bumpy putting surface, having a shallow root system requiring frequent watering, and is prone to damage from diseases such as Anthracnose.
Given all of these weaknesses, why would anyone want to use Poa? Well, it may be time to rethink our views on Poa and all of these negative attributes which have long been associated with it. Dr. David Huff of Penn State has spent close to three decades selecting and breeding Poa. What he has developed is definitely not the weak, vulnerable grass we're used to. For example, to see Poa outperform Bentgrass in drought recovery is pretty amazing:
Similarly, disease resistance in this Poa is noteworthy:
Again, the Clubhouse green has been seeded with both Dr. Huff's Poa, as well as one of the best performing new Bentgrass varieties. Although we seeded quite late, a quick peak under the cover this past week, has things looking promising.
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