Sprig forward! Twelve greens grassed

Workers finish spreading turfgrass sprigs at the 11th hole.

IN A WHIRLWIND OF ACTIVITY on May 18-19 at Savannah Harbor, nearly two weeks ahead of schedule, the greens at holes No. 1 through 12 were sprigged with TifEagle turfgrass, a variety designed to thrive in Southern climes.

To those unfamiliar with golf course agronomy, TifEagle sprigs easily could be mistaken for lawn cuttings (inset right). But they’re actually seedlings, which were trucked from a turfgrass nursery in Tifton, Ga., the same day they were planted on Hutchinson Island. Eight greens were sprigged on Wednesday the 18th, and another four the following day.

The sprigs, delivered in plastic boxes that look like laundry baskets, were spread over each green by hand. Once the entire putting surface was covered, the sprigs were tilled into the top 4-inch layer of greens mix and the soil was rolled (inset below). Shortly after that, the sprinklers that surround each green went to work.

Each of the remaining six greens, as well as the practice putting green, is at one stage of prepping or another. The collars at some holes still need to be sodded; some holes are awaiting the 4-inch top layer of greens mix to be applied and graded; and new irrigation needs to be completed on some holes. The latter has been stymied while the construction crew awaits delivery of couplings needed to tie the irrigation pipes together.

Todd Godwin, the construction contractor, had the foresight to order irrigation pipes and hardware early last fall, but as of May 19 some parts were still “in transit” – just another example of supply chain issues that have plagued nearly every business and confounded countless consumers since the COVID pandemic began.

So not only is progress on the greens restoration project contingent upon favorable weather, it also depends on logistics. Which is why grounds superintendent Lynn Childress cautions against any notion that just because the sprigging phase began earlier than planned, the course will reopen before September. There will be no golf at Savannah Harbor, Childress says, until all 18 new putting surfaces are healthy and sturdy enough to tolerate play.

“I’m not crazy about the gap between sprigging the first twelve holes and the last six, but we had to take advantage of our momentum,” says Childress. “Hopefully we’ll get the irrigation installed and the weather will cooperate so the last six holes can be sprigged before June 1 and be ready for play as scheduled (the first week of September). Meanwhile, the holes we sprigged yesterday and today will have that much more grow-in time, which is never a bad thing.”

Considering the project’s $1 million price tag, sticking to the carefully calibrated time line is the logical – and prudent – strategy.

The newly grassed 12th green gets its first drink of water.