McAllen- Summer is swiftly approaching and the Palm View Golf Course is on track to unveil its newly resurfaced greens just in time for upcoming tournament season and the onslaught of golfers who frequent the golf course during the early months of fall.
Palm View Golf Course is resurfacing the putting greens after McAllen City Commissioners approved the renovation project in April. The 18 holes at the golf course will remain open during the work project, but will have temporary greens placed on the fairway near each hole.
“The current grass hit the market in the late 1960s and now we’re going with the latest and greatest,” said Palm View Golf Course Director Carlos Espinosa. “There are only two other golf courses in the nation that have it and we’ll be the third one.”
Moving away from the traditional Tiff Dwarf Bermuda grass, crews will plant the new grass called Champion G12. The new grass has 20-30 more leafs per square inch, which yields a higher tolerance to wear and tear, disease pressures, weather stress and harmful salts. Additionally, more blades per square inch also reduces the amount of “open” space between grass leafs or blades, allowing for a smoother putting surface and therefore better ball roll and green speed.
The other two courses that utilize this grass are Quail Hollow Golf Club, located in Charlotte, North Carolina, which planted the grass in preparations for the this year’s PGA Championship. It is also in use at Champion Turf Club in Florida; a public course that does 220+ rounds of golf per day during the Winter Season.
The course restoration will be conducted in four phases, which includes:
- eradicating the current grass;
- sand tilling and preparations for planting;
- planting;
- establishing the new grass.
Once the grow-in phase is complete, the greens will be open for play. Maintenance on the new grass is similar to what the Tiff Dwarf requires: strong fertility, verticutting and topdressing programs are the biggest keys to growing good grass, which are all are practices already performed on a regular basis with the existing Bermuda grass.
The total cost of the new grass, including installation is $149,978. Annual maintenance costs are expected to stay the same, given the comparable protocol for maintaining the grass. The work is being done by the Palm View Golf Course crews.
While the golf course experiences a few “growing pains”, Palm View Golf Course will remain open for play using temporary greens at a rate as little as fifty cents per hole. Regular cart fees will apply.
Espinosa reiterates the goal is to maintain a playable course and have visitors golfing in a premier golf course by the end of July.
For more information regarding the greens resurfacing project and temporary fees, visit www.palmviewgolf.com. Additionally, follow @PalmViewGolf and @CityOfMcAllen for the latest updates.
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