Riptide creeping bentgrass supports sward change at Dudsbury Golf Club, UK

Changing the grass species composition of established golf greens is a long-term process. At Dudsbury Golf Club in Dorset, England, the course team began introducing ICL Riptide creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera) as part of a program to change the composition and performance of its putting surfaces.

Five years into the program, Course Manager Warren Moss reported a significant improvement in the greens.

“The change to ProSelect Riptide has been truly remarkable,” says Warren. “The greens are now in pristine condition year-round. The grass has a vibrant green color, excellent ball roll, and exceptional disease resistance. It has significantly improved the playability of the course, making it a delight for golfers of all levels.”

Changing the sward composition at Dudsbury

Changing the grass population within an established golf green takes time.

Rather than approaching the project as a one-off renovation, Dudsbury began a longer-term program to introduce more creeping bentgrass into its putting surfaces.

Riptide was selected as the creeping bentgrass cultivar for the program.

The objective was to progressively establish creeping bentgrass within the existing turf and improve the composition of the greens over successive seasons.

Introducing Riptide creeping bentgrass

Creeping bentgrass is well suited to the close mowing required on golf greens and spreads laterally through stolons.

Once established, this growth habit allows plants to spread within the existing sward.

At Dudsbury, repeated introduction of Riptide over several years has allowed the course team to progressively change the grass population rather than attempting to replace the existing surface at once.

For turf managers considering a similar approach, this is an important part of the Dudsbury story: changing sward composition is a longer-term process built around successful establishment and continued management.

The results after five years

After five years, Warren reported improvements in the condition, appearance and playing characteristics of the greens.

He highlighted year-round condition, colour, ball roll and disease resistance among the changes he had seen since introducing Riptide.

“The change to ProSelect Riptide has been truly remarkable.”

The results at Dudsbury show how a long-term overseeding program can progressively increase creeping bentgrass within established golf greens.

For Warren and his team, that gradual change in sward composition has translated into putting surfaces that better meet the club’s objectives.

About Riptide creeping bentgrass

Riptide is an ICL ProSelect creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera) cultivar for golf greens.

It can be used for new establishment or overseeding where the objective is to introduce or increase creeping bentgrass within the turf.

The five-year program at Dudsbury provides a practical example of using Riptide to progressively change the sward composition of established putting greens.