To Seed or Not To Seed...

Each fall we are presented with a 1-2 week window (weather dependent) when conditions are optimal for overseeding, a common practice in climates where golf courses cultivate warm season grasses. 

But the question remains…to seed or not to seed? 

For 2021:

At Indian Creek Golf Club, the tee boxes plus lawn and practice areas will be overseeded, then we expect the Bermuda fairways to be weed free, plus lush and green a bit earlier for Spring 2022!

Benefits of overseeding:

⛳️  Aesthetically more attractive

⛳️   Some consider it ‘better’ playing conditions compared to dormant turfgrass, therefore this practice is potentially more profitable.

⛳️  More durable for winter golf car traffic

 

Drawbacks of overseeding:

⛳️  Expense, in 2021 prices for seed soared

⛳️  Preparation requires turf to be mowed down and heavily watered to assist with germination, this causes play disruption in Oct-Nov.

⛳️  Untimely bad weather could wash away $40-100K worth of seed.

⛳️  No preemergent can be applied to prep for weed control in the spring.

⛳️   Slower return of Bermuda grass from dormancy as it competes with the winter rye.